House Democrats Pass Contempt Citations

Photo from HuffingtonPost.com

I'll be the first to admit that none of this is going fast enough for me. I have the sickening feeling that the Bush Administration will be able to run out the clock, retire from office, and then be quietly forgotten. Democrats, and increasingly the rest of America are suffering from "Bush Fatigue," a phrase that I've even seen pop up on Free Republic.

To my way of thinking, the transgressions made by this administration are so grave, they should not be ignored. When I think of the nonsense levelled at Bill Clinton for eight years (and remember, I've never been much of a Clinton cheerleader), I grow more and more incensed that actual wrongdoing is not receiving adequate attention. And people that picked at every little thing Clinton allegedly did wrong, are now more than happy to use his actions as a defense for anything Bush does.

So, I am heartened by the following story, but hurry the hell up, already! And when, oh when, are you going after Karl Rove?

[Excerpt]

(07-25) 14:17 PDT WASHINGTON (AP)

The House Judiciary Committee voted contempt of Congress citations Wednesday against White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and President Bush's former legal counselor, Harriet Miers.

The 22-17 party-line vote — which would sanction the pair for failure to comply with subpoenas on the firings of several federal prosecutors — advanced the citation to the full House.

A senior Democratic official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the House itself likely would take up the citations after Congress' August recess. The official declined to speak on the record because no date had been set for the House vote.

Committee Chairman John Conyers said the panel had nothing to lose by advancing the citations because it could not allow presidential aides to flout Congress' authority. Republicans warned that a contempt citation would lose in federal court even if it got that far.

And the White House accused the Democrats of engaging in political theater.

"Now we have a situation where there is an attempt to do something that's never been done in American history, which is to assail the concept of executive privilege which hails back to the administration of George Washington and in particular to use criminal contempt charges against the White House chief of staff and the White House legal counsel," said White House Spokesman Tony Snow.

There's more at: SFGate.com.

John Edwards YouTubes his Hair

This isn't the clip you're thinking of; not the one FOX "News" sometimes plays on an endless loop. Yes, John Edwards has purty hair, and yes he paid too much for a haircut or hairdresser, or whatever. I still say big deal.

Anyway, tonight, contributor and friend Lesto was saying he's sick of namby-pamby politicians who can't just speak honestly and forthrightly. Everything is focus-grouped, triangulated, and structured to gain supporters and not irk "the base."

What John Edwards should have done is probably get in front of a microphone, and say plainly and clearly that this non-issue is stupid, and not worthy of hours of cable news "debate." Instead, he did this, which was pretty close. I like it.

Congressman Denied Access To Post-Attack Continuity Plans

Photo from source, NewHouse.com

This one is creepy. Most of us already know that the Bush Administration is pathologically secretive about everything. But this really takes the cake.

[Excerpt]

Congressman Denied Access To Post-Attack Continuity Plans

WASHINGTON — Constituents called Rep. Peter DeFazio's office, worried there was a conspiracy buried in the classified portion of a White House plan for operating the government after a terrorist attack.

As a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, DeFazio, D-Ore., is permitted to enter a secure "bubbleroom'' in the Capitol and examine classified material. So he asked the White House to see the secret documents.

On Wednesday, DeFazio got his answer: DENIED.

"I just can't believe they're going to deny a member of Congress the right of reviewing how they plan to conduct the government of the United States after a significant terrorist attack,'' DeFazio said.

Read more at: NewHouse.com

Rove is the Key: More Bush Administration Wrongdoing

Photo from source, WashingtonPost.com

I believe the key to all of the scandals swirling around the George W. Bush Administration is ultimately Karl Rove. And I think everybody who pays attention to politics knows this. Our friends, the Freepers, call him "Rove, you magnificent bastard!" and actually seem to think it's cool to bend, twist and break the law. Turn every governmental entity (even the Peace Corps) into an arm of the Republican Party machine--hey, it's OK if you're a Republican. Hatch Act? What's that?

[Excerpt]

Diplomats Received Political Briefings

White House aides have conducted at least half a dozen political briefings for the Bush administration's top diplomats, including a PowerPoint presentation for ambassadors with senior adviser Karl Rove that named Democratic incumbents targeted for defeat in 2008 and a "general political briefing" at the Peace Corps headquarters after the 2002 midterm elections.

The briefings, mostly run by Rove's deputies at the White House political affairs office, began in early 2001 and included detailed analyses for senior officials of the political landscape surrounding critical congressional and gubernatorial races, according to documents obtained by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The political briefings with diplomats were conducted mostly by deputies to Karl Rove, President Bush's top adviser. At least half a dozen have been held.

The documents show for the first time how the White House sought to ensure that even its appointees involved in foreign policy were kept attuned to the administration's election goals. Such briefings occurred semi-regularly over the past six years for staffers dealing with domestic policy, White House officials have previously acknowledged.

In one instance, State Department aides attended a White House meeting at which political officials examined the 55 most critical House races for 2002 and the media markets most critical to battleground states for President Bush's reelection fight in 2004, according to documents the department provided to the Senate committee.

Read more at: WashingtonPost.com

George H. W. Bush at the Kennedy Assassination?

Photo from source, TomFlocco.com

OK, time to fetch your tinfoil hat, and attach it firmly to your head, this one is wild. Could George H.W. Bush have had some involvement in the JFK assassination? The hell you say! Well, read on:

[Excerpt]

by Tom FloccoDallas—March 23, 2006—TomFlocco.com—A November 29, 1963 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit memo unearthed in 1977-78 proves that former President George H. W. Bush was a member of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the recipient of a full briefing on the day after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963 when Bush was 39 years old, despite his protestations to the contrary.

Additional evidence linking Bush 41 directly to the scene of the crime is available and is circulating the internet over the past few days in the form of a U.S. intelligence-leaked photo taken just after the JFK assassination at the door of the Texas Book Depository in Dealey Plaza.The individual in the photo has the identical profile and hairline of a more youthful George H. W. Bush, standing to the left of the doorway of the building just after the assassination looking in the opposite direction of the authorities who were intent upon locating Lee Harvey Oswald.The image of the elder Bush at the Texas Book Depository is authentic and can be verified by the intelligence operatives who took the picture and would testify if subpoenaed, according to U.S. intelligence expert Thomas Heneghan, who provided TomFlocco.com with the photo which was leaked to several others. [Click here to view the photo with other similar and contemporaneous photos of George H. W. Bush.]

Read more at: TomFlocco.com

Stupid Walmart Lobotomonkeys Fulfill Prophecy $4:88!

Posted by Stupid Monkey Planet

Prophecy $4:88: And Jesus commanded... Thou shall go forth & cast plastic toylike vain images of myself, my disciples, some pigs, a lamb, a shepherd & so on & so forth... Distribute them to the monkeys at the market for a minimal charge, like Four Dollars and Eighty-eight cents. Give thine dirty money to me.

Thanks to the Lobotomonkeys of Walmart. Scientifically known as Walmartius Greedius Jesius Lobotomosimian.

JESUS H. CHRIST ON A POGO STICK... Aisle 13.

At least now their wacky pricing scheme makes sense... biblical references.
More about this rare species of monkey, the Lobotomonkey. Coming soon...

Jon Stewart Recaps the Cheney Presidency

Hilarious.

Tuesday Night Roundup

Tonight was another night of entertaining, so I'm again short on posting time. Here are some of the stories you may have missed. I haven't watched the cable "news" shows, but I can assume they were wall-to-wall Lindsay Lohan. Here's what else happened today.

Alberto Gonzales had to appear before Congress again, and continued his "not recalling," "not knowing," and basically lying. Amazingly, Congress actually seems to be calling him on it: Special Prosecutor Weighed for Gonzales

Last night's YouTube Democratic Presidential Debate seems to have been a success, and has caused speculation that subsequent debates may seem boring by comparison. It has also spurred some actual sniping between candidates: Clinton, Obama Clash Over Diplomacy

My Senator, Harry Reid, continues to speak out loudly, clearly and truthfully about the Bush Administration. Like him or not, you have to admire his willingness to talk plainly and call them as he sees them: Reid: Bush's comments on Qaeda and Iraq are 'misguided and dangerous'.

Reid is also being used as a campaign fundraising target by the RNC. Thing is, that approach might backfire: GOP launches attack on Harry Reid for telling the truth.

And finally, Dear Leader just won't stop with the Iraq/9-11 conflation. Just give it up, already, we're not buying it anymore: Bush says Iraq war about al-Qaeda.

Sorry for the Lack of Posts!

Busy back at work, and schedule is tight. I hope to get a couple of posts up tonight, at least. Thanks for your patience!

Bush Job Ratings: July 23, 2007

Once again, FOX "News" manages to put Bush's polling numbers just slightly higher than most. Funny how they're never the lowest.

Source: PollingReport.com

Top Ten Conservative Idiots: July 23, 2007

Once again promoting one of the best weekly roundups on the web. And this time, for their 300th edition, they went nuts, and made it not 10, not 20 but 30 idiots!

Check it out at DemocraticUnderground.com

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More With Feeling!

Photo from IMDB.com

OK, I've made it through 238 posts since I started this blog, and I've yet to post anything related to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Given what a BTVS geek I am, you've got to admire my restraint. So, apropos of nothing,* my first Buffy post. I can't promise that there won't be more.

The musical episode, "Once More, With Feeling!" should have been, could have been a classic "jump the shark" moment. Instead, it was one of the best episodes of the series. It managed to take an established cast, and give them complicated choreography and singing. . .and they were up to the task. Add to that the fact that it made sense in the storyline, advanced the plot for future episodes, was funny and was marvelously entertaining. Joss Whedon (the creator of the show, movie, and writer of the songs) managed to simultaneously pay homage to and parody Broadway musicals, while accomplishing all of the above.

The storyline dealt with a cursed antique that released a demon, Sweet, who causes people to burst into song against their will. He intends to take Buffy's sister to his underground lair, and Buffy won't have it. This clip is an edit of the last few songs of the episode, absent that context. Enjoy.



And because I just can't help it, the best song of the episode (even if Nicholas Brendon's voice isn't quite super), where Anya (an ex-vengeance demon) and Xander sing about their pre-wedding jitters. Just a joy. But then, like I said, I'm a geek.




*UPDATE: It is worth noting, that this post is newsworthy after all! Apparently, there's a trend of Buffy sign-alongs sweeping the country. Who knew?

12/26/07 UPDATE: Sorry folks, but is wont to happen with these clips, FOX has apparently pulled the video. I fail to see why, as all these YouTube clips do is keep interest going in their projects, and raise the profile of their properties. My site has made a whopping 81 cents since it debuted, and I can't even cash that out. I am not putting a dent in Rupert Murdoch's profits.

Steven Weber on Our New Orwellian Reality

Photo from StevenWeber.net

My respect for actor Steven Weber (Studio 60, Wings) continues to grow with each new blog post. This one caught my eye, as it falls right into the Al Gore book I'm reading, as well as the several others I've read recently. He writes about the changes occurring in our country, and he pretty well nails it. Read on.

[Excerpt]

And that change won't come in a blur of brown shirts. It will come with tiny American flags pinned to lapels. It will come with the stern glare of a caring, protective Father and the vacant, soothing touch of a passive, cowed Mother.

It will come while we dither and dote on idols, models and morals. It will come because those that endorse its coming are everything George Orwell said they are and everything the Bible says they are: sheep who make way for the rise of the big brothers, the false prophets and the anti-Christs.

And the assembled facts say the infrastructure for this change has already been laid right in front of our chewing mouths and glassy eyes and "oh-you're-just-another-mincing-liberal-it-could-never-happen-here!!" attitudes, its crystalline structure expanding---doubling and doubling again---to create the perfect environment for a capitalist/fascist regime to thrive and that's not being alarmist and here are the pieces.

Read more at: HuffingtonPost.com

Religion and Politics One in New Town

Photo from source, ABCNews.com

And I thought the Creation Museum was scary. This is just wrong on so many levels. I knew there was a reason I don't care for Domino's Pizza.

[Excerpt]

City of God: Catholic Fla. Town Opens

The Florida town of Ave Maria is like many other large family neighborhoods. The town will have 11,000 homes in its community.

But unlike so many other communities, Ave Maria has a specific purpose. The quaint location isn't built for golfers or retirees like so many other Florida developments. Ave Maria is a refuge of sorts for Christian values in a secular age.

It opens its gates to the public for the first time on Saturday. It is the brainchild of Dominos Pizza founder Tom Monaghan, who built the town as part of his life-long dream. The staunch Catholic envisioned a community that would draw residents who shared his Catholic values.

"I put basically everything I had into it, not only my money, but the rest of my life," Monaghan said.

Read more at: ABCNews.com

Al Gore, Reason, Logic and Justice

Photo from Amazon.com

I just received Al Gore's Book, The Assault on Reason, from my local library, and it has brought many feelings and notions to mind. I cracked the book this afternoon, and looked at the clock a while later to discover that two and a half hours had gone by. He had me hooked in the introduction. The feeling I got from the first couple of pages, until a put the book down a few minutes ago was, "This guy should have been President after all."

Reason, logic and justice are the three most important guiding forces in my life. They have a lot to do with the creation of this blog. All three concepts are in peril in this country, and I fear we have not reached the bottom yet. What Mr. Gore has done with this book is crystallize where we've fallen down in this country in regard to these concepts, how we got here, and what it is doing to us. This book dovetails neatly with other books I've read lately on media consolidation, media misinformation, religion and politics, and the conservative effort to permeate all media and politics.

Of particular interest to me were scientific differences between reading the news and watching the news. Reading requires active participation, and stimulates the reasoning centers of the brain. Watching television is passive, and actually represses reasoning. Fascinating, and yet obvious. That's the stunning thing about this and the other books I've mentioned. All of this evidence is out there, and it isn't hard to find. We've gotten so conditioned to being spoon-fed, we don't even notice anymore when something is unreasonable, illogical and unjustifiable.

Dick Cheney or George Bush will say one thing on Monday, and on Wednesday deny he's ever said it--and the news media dutifully report the new "reality." Thank goodness for people like Jon Stewart (who Gore calls brilliant) and Bill Maher who point out that there is such a thing as video tape, proving their lies. Sadly, they are largely preaching to the already converted choir.

Al Gore proved with An Inconvenient Truth that he can make a successful documentary that effectively sways public opinion. I implore you, Mr. Gore, do the same with The Assault on Reason. Americans are proving daily that they don't much like to read. Put THIS in front of them, so that their eyes are glued to something worthwhile.

Though I'm only part way through this book, I can already tell you, it is highly recommended.

Claustrophobics Like Me Shudder: St. Louis Arch Mishap

Photo from source, CBSNews.com

Oh. My. God. I thought I had it bad last week, stuffed in the back of an Airbus 320 in a window seat, while people took their sweet time gathering their belongings. That combination of claustrophobia and the feeling of being stuck in traffic nearly made me scream. Imagine, fellow claustrophobics, if this happened to you:

[Excerpt]

240 Trapped For Hours In St. Louis Arch

(CBS/AP) Around 240 people were trapped inside the St. Louis Gateway Arch after an apparent power outage. Crews have been able to rescue all of the people that were trapped in the Arch elevators for two and a half hours Saturday evening, reports CBS Station KMOV. Fire Department spokesman Steve Simpson told a local television station that rescue crews treated two people. One was given oxygen and the other was diabetic. He didn't elaborate on their treatment. "Everybody else seemed to be in good spirits, glad and relieved to be coming down," he said. The people became trapped when trams on both legs of the arch stalled. Some people also were stranded at the top of the 630-feet high monument of stainless steel, where they were watching a fireworks show, broadcasters reported.

Read more at: CBS.com

I Love Wonkette: Bush's Polyps and President Cheney

Image from source, Wonkette.com

Some sites can inform and make you laugh (darkly) on a regular basis, and Wonkette.com is one of them. Check this out:

[Excerpt]

He spoke to first lady Laura Bush — who is in Midland, Texas, celebrating her mother’s birthday — before and after the procedure, Stanzel said.

Ha ha, Laura hates him so much she won’t even stick around when her husband’s under anesthesia. “Sorry, Dorkus, goin’ to Texas!”

Read more at: Wonkette:com

Stephanie Miller

Photo from StephanieMiller.com

I've talked about Stephanie Miller before, but I don't think she gets nearly enough exposure, so I want to show you why I think she's so great. Months ago, she appeared on Hannity and Colmes on FOX "News," and she bested Sean Hannity in a way that few do. THIS is how you combat this idiot. If you can't find Stephanie's show on your radio, try KTLK.com. She's on from 6:00 - 9:00 Pacific/9:00 - 12:00 Eastern.

I couldn't find an embeddable video, but I did find a transcript. Read along, and see how everyone should treat bullyboy Hannity when interviewed.

[Excerpt]

SEAN HANNITY, CO-HOST: Hey, Stephanie Miller, my old friend. Hello, Stephanie.
MILLER: Hi, Sean, you big hunk of conservative stud meat.
HANNITY: Oh, thank you very much. I understand you say that quite often. I take that as a compliment from you. All right. Now, you know what it is?
MILLER: You're really, really wrong about everything, and that's why God made you pretty.
HANNITY: OK, thank you, Stephanie. I could say the same about you.
Now, let me — let's talk about Bush derangement syndrome, because you're actually suffering from it, as well. You know what? First of all, Sean Penn, when he could string two sentences together, doesn't obviously understand fascism.
And here's the facts, Stephanie. Not only are you guys, as Don Rumsfeld said, morally confused, you are weak as a party. You are wrong on the issues of our day involving terror. You are confused, and you have a pre-9/11 mentality. It's just that simple.
MILLER: Thank God you called me pretty first. You know what — Sean...
HANNITY: Thank God — thank God the country is being defended despite you guys.
MILLER: I didn't hear anything after you said that I'm pretty. But you know, here's the thing. You might want to read something. There's been a piece written called "The 14 characteristics of Fascism". Well, a lot of people agree are indeed what they are. If you go down the list...

Read the rest at: FOXnews.com

The video might capture it better, and you can view it here. You can see from his reactions that he's totally thrown. One day I hope to figure out how to embed these types of videos. They don't make it easy.

Blast from the Past: Jon Stewart on Crossfire

Here's an oldie, but goodie. I didn't have an outlet to share this back when it happened, and now that I do, I'm. . .well. . .sharing it. This clip is actually historic for a couple of reasons. For one, Jon Stewart spoke more truth in this segment than is ever shared on the cable news talking heads shows. And, this appearance hammered the nails in the coffin for Crossfire.

The video is long, but if you've never seen it, check it out. Your respect for Mr. Stewart will grow, even if you're already a fan.

Matt Groening (The Simpsons) Explains FOX "News" Viewers

Take it away, Matt!



And if you'd like to see Jon Stewart's entire interview with Matt (and who whouldn't?), click here: