Is this what we want? Britons 'could be microchipped like dogs in a decade'

They could be used by companies who want to keep tabs on an employee's movements or by Governments who want a foolproof way of identifying their citizens - and storing information about them.

The United States is moving in the same direction:

[By the year 2025:] "The civilian populace will likely accept an implanted microscopic chips that allow military members to defend vital national interests."

--from Chapter 4 of "Information Operations: A New War-Fighting Capability," contained in Volume 3 of Air Force 2025: Final Report by the U.S. Department of Defense (August 1996

The report can be found here.

Meanwhile Total Information Awareness Is Back

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George W. Bush:

"the Democrat approach in Iraq comes down to this: the terrorists win and America loses."

Rick Santorum accuses challenger Bob Casey Jr. of "aiding and abetting terrorism and genocide"

George W. Bush and Rick Santorum can both kiss my ass.

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Julia Corker on video--no lesbian action, unfortunately, so you'll have to just use your imagination.

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Ha ha . . . Note: this blog is not in favor of torturing Dick Cheney.

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Julia Corker update:

I have been scouring the internets, using the google, looking for more racy photos of Julia Corker, all to no avail. This graphic, from the Memphis Commercial Appeal, via Wonkette, does seem to answer the question as to her sexual orientation--she likes it "both ways."

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Washington Post: Bush accuses Democrats of lacking plan for Iraq

Wait a freaking moment--Bush has a plan for Iraq? Is he saying that everything in Iraq is going according to plan? If he has a plan, it's not working.

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From conservative site Judicial Watch:

Pentagon Loses Weapons

Thousands of sophisticated weapons earmarked for Iraqi security forces are missing from the U.S. Department of Defense and government officials say it is unlikely that they will be recovered. The Pentagon cannot account for 14,030 weapons that include assault rifles, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and semiautomatic pistols that could easily be used by terrorists to attack civilians in the United States.

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UFO Crash in 1941 in Missouri?

In the spring of 1941, at about 9 p.m., Baptist minister William Huffman of Cape Girardeau was asked to deliver last rights to the pilot and passengers of an aircraft that crashed about 15 miles outside of town, in the direction of Sikeston, according to a letter from Huffman’s granddaughter Charlette Mann to UFO investigator Leo Stringfield.

When Rev. Huffman arrived, police, fire officials, the military and the FBI poured over the crash site of a disc-shaped craft. The pilot and passengers were “little gray people” with large, almond-shaped black eyes, according to Mann’s letter.

More about the Sikeston Crash here.

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First Halliburton gets the Homeland Security contract to build the camps.

The contract, which is effective immediately, provides for establishing temporary detention and processing capabilities to augment existing ICE Detention and Removal Operations (DRO) Program facilities in the event of an emergency influx of immigrants into the U.S., or to support the rapid development of new programs. The contingency support contract provides for planning and, if required, initiation of specific engineering, construction and logistics support tasks to establish, operate and maintain one or more expansion facilities.

Professor Peter Dale Scott's perspective on the Halliburton contract.

Now I read this: Bush Moves Toward Martial Law

In a stealth maneuver, President Bush has signed intolaw a provision which, according to Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), will actually encourage the President to declare federal martial law (1). It does so by revising the Insurrection Act, a set of laws that limits the President's ability to deploy troops within the United States. The Insurrection Act (10 U.S.C.331 -335) has historically, along with the Posse Comitatus Act (18 U.S.C.1385), helped to enforce strict prohibitions on military involvement in domestic law enforcement. With one cloaked swipe of his pen, Bush is seeking to undo those prohibitions.

The only Senator to speak out was Patrick Leahy:

In a telling bit of understatement, the Senator from Vermont noted that "the implications of changing the (Posse Comitatus) Act are enormous". "There is good reason," he said, "for the constructive friction in existing law when it comes to martial law declarations. Using the military for law enforcement goes against one of the founding tenets of our democracy. We fail our Constitution, neglecting the rights of the States, when we make it easier for the President to declare martial law and trample on local and state sovereignty."

Senator Leahy's final ruminations: "Since hearing word a couple of weeks ago that this outcome was likely, I have wondered how Congress could have gotten to this point. It seems the changes to the Insurrection Act have survived the Conference because the Pentagon and the White House want it."

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A joke for Friday:

A protestor outside the white house was carrying a sign that read, "The President is an Idiot" A Secret Service agent approached him and said, "Under the new law, that remark makes you an enemy combatant and you will have to come with me". Not wanting to get water boarded, the protester quickly retorted, "But I was talking about the President of Mexico". The Secret Service agent replied," Nice try buddy, but we know who the idiot is”!

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Piglipstick Predicts:

Here's a prediction. The repugs will pull their election stealing bullshit and the uproar will be enormous in the days following the theft. Contests will be challenged, recounts demanded and chaos will rein supreme and the media will carry the news of one giant clusterfuck that will make Mexico look serene by comparison.

Until a massive war with Iran sweeps it all off the table.

My prediction: no war with Iran, Democratics win the election (at least the house.)

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Being Pissy

Yeah, I know my last post had my mis-adventures while peeing in a cup, but this is a different kind of pissy. I have really been in a lousy mood lately--not so much that I'm crabby, just that anything can set me off at any time. And of course, the only one I can go off on is K. (Well, I can get pissed off at the cat, but she just gives me a withering look and turns her back on me.) And, for the most part, he doesn't deserve my moodiness. It isn't so much that I will SAY anything to him, it is just my general lousy attitude right now. Not sure what is going on.

I guess I can put the blame on the time of year. Yes, people, we are coming into that wonderful time called the 'holiday season.' Oh, yay. I have gone on and on at different times about how much I hate the holidays, so I won't do so and bore everyone again. I DO know that part of my problem is the fact that the holidays are supposed to be for family time--and I don't have family to share the season with. And I definitely DO know it is my own fault--I could be with my family any time I wanted to, I just CAN'T. But, I then feel badly about not being with family... It is a vicious cycle and I just have to get through it best I can.

With Thanksgiving, K and I have been asked to two different places for dinner. Dear friends of ours want us to go there and C has invited us to their house. And K wants to have the meal at home so we can have left-overs--because, what is Thanksgiving WITHOUT left-overs?!?! I already told C we probably wouldn't be there--it is too worrisome to be traveling at that time of year, especially to the 'snow-belt' of Michigan. And she totally understood, thankfully. As she said, that is quite a distance to travel just to eat and turn around and go home again. What probably will happen is this: we will have Thanksgiving dinner here at home on Wednesday and then spend the following day with our friends. Good solution and the best of both worlds.

My birthday is the week after Thanksgiving and K will be working the night shift on the day. There goes any plans for ANY kind of a celebration. Not that we ever do anything that special, it just is nice to have the option--which we don't have this year.

And, of course, then comes Christmas. For years and years I worked myself ragged trying to put on the perfect Christmas for everyone around me and now I barely get the house decorated. I realized my efforts weren't really that appreciated, so I decided to scale down--a lot! And I also realized that no matter how hard I tried, I could NEVER make it a perfect Christmas. The big problem I have now is there just doesn't seem to be anything overly special about the time for me. There is no real reason for me to do any of the cooking, baking, decorating, gift-buying that I used to do, so the holidays are pretty flat for me. I am kind of thinking about putting on a Christmas party this year, though--it would give me a reason to look forward to the season. I have to think about it and talk to K and see what he has to say. It is an idea.

But anyway, I wasn't planning on going on like this. I just wanted to let everyone know that I haven't been posting as much because I have been quite pissy lately and haven't had much to say. Maybe now that I got all of this off my chest I will be better. I can only hope.

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Hot Girl-on-Girl Action

The Republicans are running a shamelessly racist ad suggesting that Senate candidate Harold Ford likes white women. Apparently he is not the only one. Wonkette runs this photo of his opponent's daughter, Julia Corker, in a lip-lock with with a blonde.

Julia's "Spashley" moment w/o the dorky guy in the picture.

Julia (far right) with family

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Try to read this, you'll be amazed. From RW Research


cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdgnieg THE PAOMNNEHAL PWEOR OF THE HMUAN MNID
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

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Active troops ask congress to end Iraqi occupation

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sixty five active duty service members are officially asking Congress to end the war in Iraq -- the first time active troops have done so since U.S. invasion began in 2003.

Three of the service members will hold a press conference Wednesday explaining their decision to send "Appeals for Redress" under the Military Whistleblower Protection Act to their members of Congress. Under the act, National Guard and Reservists can send communications about any subject to their member of Congress without punishment.

Support the troops. End the war.

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My Life--That's All

Not a whole lot to report from here--just life going on as I know it. So, here goes.

--K came home from work four hours early last night. No real explanation, just took the time off. I have a suspicion that he isn't feeling completely well--he has a bit of a cough and that may be why he came home. Of course, it isn't like you can ACTUALLY go to see a doctor if you're not feeling well--you have to wait till you get so bad that it will take twice as long for you to get better! Chances are he'll go see someone tomorrow.

--Today K decided to cook dinner--which he does every once in a while. The biggest reason he does it is so he can make ONE dish: pot roast. Now, I don't mind the meal--it IS easy to make and clean up--but if he had his way we would have it every week or two. BORING and I get very tired of the same thing, so I don't make it very often anymore. I truly appreciate it when he cooks, but I have one question: When I cook, I clean up afterwards. When K cooks I STILL have to clean up afterwards. WHY? I could never understand this.

--The temp has been in the 30s here and it snowed off and on most of the day. We had flurries, ice pellets, and 'Christmas Eve' snow at different times. I have a feeling we may get snow to stay by Halloween. I don't mind the cold, I just don't particularly like driving in the snow.

--Watched the Red Wings lose their third in a row on Saturday. They won't be playing again until Wednesday. I must say they actually were playing better on Saturday than they had the other nights--at least they got their penalty killing together. On Thursday, EVERY goal--for BOTH teams--was a power play goal. Not good. They didn't camp out in the penalty box on Saturday, either--another good thing. I don't see a great year, but I think they will do a decent job of playing once they learn to work together--after all, they have a lot to work through after losing Yzerman and Shanahan.

--Today I went for my semi-regular blood-letting--yep, it was lab work time again! I have my physical on Monday, so I had to go and be jabbed with a needle. I looked at the tech's teeth just to make sure she didn't have fangs, and she didn't, but I still think she may be a vampire. After all, the office is totally enclosed with NO outside light, so she could be out during the day. I'm fairly certain my doctor isn't a vampire--despite his absolute delight in sending me for blood-work--I did once see him at a Bat Mitzva in the middle of the day!

--As for the rest of my labs, I also had to give a urine sample. Now, with men, it is a very easy situation. Plain, simple, pee in a cup. For women, it is a production. First, you must settle yourself on the toilet so that you can place your arm, WHILE holding a cup, between your legs and under your bottom. Next you have to clean yourself in order to give a sterile sample. THEN you must start peeing--NOT TOO MUCH--and stop, so that the urine is sterile. FINALLY, you have to place a cup--which has an opening the size of a Coke bottle--in the proper spot so that you can direct a few drops of urine into it. Of course, it doesn't work that well. To begin with, there are no mirrors. Let's face it, if there WAS a mirror, positioning the cup would be much easier--at least you could see WHERE the cup should be placed. So, this is all a guessing game. Place the cup, start peeing. Pee on hand, move the cup. Pee in toilet, move the cup. Pee on hand once more, move the cup. Pee on arm, move the cup. By the time the cup is where it should be, you are lucky to have enough urine left for them to test! And, of course, the whole while you are trying to 'catch' a sample, you are also aware of the fact that you could, very easily, miss everything and pee on your clothes. Once you have a sample, you must decide where this pee-soaked cup must be placed by your pee-soaked hand. Then you must decide how to wipe and pull your pants up with your pee-soaked hand. This leads to the scrubbing of the hands and arms--all the way to the shoulders--in order to make sure no stray drops of pee are left anywhere they are not supposed to be. As I said, it is quite a production and not at all fun. The only thing I can figure out is this: a man must have decided this would be funny!

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spam poem2

Sci Fi love
our coincidence of feeling was soon discovered
to take us in awkward start
of humour and sarcasm by journey's end.

(A new hobby of mine--creating "poems" from bits and pieces of spam, particularly the pseudo-content they put in to fool the spam blockers.)

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"Iraq was better than expected. Overall, there is nothing really to question or be skeptical about. I think the results are very good."

Good for Halliburton that is, according to Jeff Tillery, analyst with Pickering Energy Partners Inc., and I'm sure he is right. True, Iraq is rapidly falling into civil war, and the "reconstruction" that Halliburton is supposedly doing in Iraq is a catastrophic failure, but "Halliburton's Iraq-related work contributed nearly $1.2 billion in revenue in the third quarter of 2006." What's good for Halliburton is good for America, right? Or at least for Dick Cheney, who thinks things are going "remarkably well" in Iraq.

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Diplomat: US 'arrogant, stupid' in Iraq

Really? Arrogance and stupidity from the Bush administration? This really does fall in the "Sky is Blue" category.

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Senator Ted Kennedy Accused of Treason

The right-wing blogosphere is abuzz with allegations regarding a memo that supposedly has been unearthed in the former Soviet archives. According to a new book, The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism , Senator John Tunney had traveled to the Soviet Union on Kennedy's behalf and offered the assist them in a PR campaign to counter Reagan's foreign policy.

As CNS News describes it:

The letter, dated May 14, 1983, was sent from the head of the KGB to Yuri Andropov, who was then General Secretary of the Soviet Union's Communist Party.

In his letter, KGB head Viktor Chebrikov offered Andropov his interpretation of Kennedy's offer. Former U.S. Sen. John Tunney (D-Calif.) had traveled to Moscow on behalf of Kennedy to seek out a partnership with Andropov and other Soviet officials, Kengor claims in his book.

So this is a KGB official's interpretation of comments by Tunney, supposedly on behalf of Kennedy.

"Kennedy was afraid that Reagan was leading the world into a nuclear war," Kengor said. "He hoped to counter Reagan's polices, and by extension hurt his re-election prospects."

Which, of course, is Kengor's interpretation of Chebrikov's interpretation of Tunney's comments, supposedly on behalf of Kennedy. And what exactly were those comments? Apparently suggestions that Andropov attempt to persuade the American people that he really wanted peace, as apparently he did. Treason, say the wingnuts.

Hot Air/has some of the memo itself:

If the proposal is recognized as worthy, then Kennedy and his friends will bring about suitable steps to have representatives of the largest television companies in the USA contact Y. V. Andropov for an invitation to Moscow for the interview. Specifically, the board of directors of ABC, Elton Raul and the television columnists Walter Cronkite or Barbara Walters could visit Moscow. The senator underlined the importance that this initiative should be seen as coming from the American side.

Hot Air adds, "I think the next step here is to nail down the authenticity of the memo." I would think this would be the first step, before accusing a sitting US Senator of treason. I suspect the memo may be authentic, although it would be nice to see it in its entirety.The memo is interesting but what it relates falls far short, it seems to me, of being evidence of Treason, which , by the way, requires two witnesses to the same overt act of providing aid and comfort to our enemies, according to the constitution. Not so, however, according to Junk Yard Dog:

If this is true, and what it seems to be, we should start impeachment proceedings immediately. And perhaps begin testing some rope with a very high tensile strength.

Rick Moran at the not so aptly named Right Wing Nut House is a bit more cautious:

There are many reasons why this might not be true, not the least of which is that Soviet agents were notorious for lying to their superiors – especially when it came to bragging to their bosses about Americans who may or may not have worked with Communists. Contained in the million or so pages of documents that came to light in the immediate aftermath of the fall of the Soviet Union are the names of dozens of prominent Americans that Soviet agents claimed were helping the Communist cause, including FDR’s friend and closest White House advisor Harry Hopkins as well as famous entertainers like Marilyn Monroe. The long and short of it is, you need a helluva lot more than one memo to prove that Ted Kennedy wanted to take part in this scheme.

The majority of wingnuts, however, are apparently ready to hang Teddy.

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Lukery at Wot is it Good 4 continues his excellent coverage of whistle-blower Sibel Edmonds, who has been silenced by use of the State Secrets Privilege, supposedly a matter of National Security. Most observers feel that what is actually being covered up is corruption on a massive scale, to the detriment of America. Daniel Ellsberg has spoken to Sibel at length and has given us a peek at what she knows, namely that Dennis Hastert has taken suitcases of Al Qaeda-linked heroin cash!

Al Qaeda, she's been saying to congress, according to these interviews, is financed 95% by drug money - drug traffic to which the US government shows a blind eye, has been ignoring, because it very heavily involves allies and assets of ours - such as Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan - all the 'Stans - in a drug traffic where the opium originates in Afghanistan, is processed in Turkey, and delivered to Europe where it furnishes 96% of Europe's heroin, by Albanians, either in Albania or Kosovo - Albanian Muslims in Kosovo - basically the KLA, the Kosovo Liberation Army which we backed heavily in that episode at the end of the century.

Sibel says that suitcases of cash have been delivered to the Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, at his home, near Chicago, from Turkish sources, knowing that a lot of that is drug money.

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The America of tomorrow?

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In five years, it's not unlikely that U.S. Special Operations forces will be working with Sunnis in western Iraq against a Shiite-dominated pro-Iranian government that controls much of the country.

So says Middle East expert Frank Anderson who worked for the CIA from 1968 until 1995. He also says:

There is no prospect under which we will depart from Iraq in better circumstances than we entered. It's probable that every month we stay there our position will be worse than it would have been if we had left the month before.

Dick Cheney says that things in Iraq are going "remarkably well." Is he an idiot or is he lying? You decide.

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Smiles All Around

Today I got phone calls from BOTH of the girls--and it sure was nice.

First off, the youngest daughter called to tell me about two of the patients she had a chance to meet today. As anyone knows who has been reading this blog for awhile, she works at a vet clinic--actually, she now works at TWO clinics, both part time--so the patients we are talking about are animals. Now, before I go any further I have to say this, I am a BIG fan of the sitcom 'Newhart'--the one where Bob Newhart is the owner of an inn in Vermont--and my favorite characters in the show were the brothers Larry, Darryl, and Darryl. I won't go into the show or the characters, so if you have never seen 'Newhart,' you won't have a clue as to what I will be talking about. Sorry. Anyway, YD got to meet Larry and Darryl today: two twenty pound cats. She said they were EXACTLY like the characters from the show: Larry wouldn't stop 'talking' and Darryl--according to his people--has NEVER said a word! She said their personalities fit their names, also: Larry is very gregarious and Darryl has nervousness issues. She said the people are on the hunt for one more cat, another Darryl! Too funny.

The oldest daughter called a short while after I talk to YD and had this story to tell me. Seems as if the 2-year-old, the boy, got into the pantry and took a can of powdered baby formula. He proceeded to dump it on the floor. He got punished. OD started cleaning up the mess and when she got the formula into a pile, the boy walked into the room, looked at the mess, put his hand on his head and said, "Oh, shit. Oh, shit. What happened?" At this point, OD said she realizes why some animals eat their young! Of course, by the time she called me, she couldn't stop from laughing, but she said it definitely wasn't funny at the time! I told her that this is probably a good time for her to start cleaning up her language or she WILL be embarrassed by one of her children saying something improper at a most inopportune time--like SHE did! I fixed MY language mighty quick. :)

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Man Accused Of Engaging In Sex Act With Family Dog

Oddly enough, though, he is not a Republican candidate for Congress.

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Our Fearless Leader

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After 9/11 brothers Kevin and Pat Tillman joined the Army, and served together in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pat was killed in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. Kevin Tillman has a few things to say:

Somehow ...

Somehow those afraid to fight an illegal invasion decades ago are allowed to send soldiers to die for an illegal invasion they started.

Somehow faking character, virtue and strength is tolerated.

Somehow profiting from tragedy and horror is tolerated.

Somehow the death of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people is tolerated.

Somehow subversion of the Bill of Rights and The Constitution is tolerated.

Somehow suspension of Habeas Corpus is supposed to keep this country safe.

Somehow torture is tolerated.

Somehow lying is tolerated.

Somehow reason is being discarded for faith, dogma, and nonsense.

Somehow American leadership managed to create a more dangerous world.

Read the whole thing. Please. Then vote.

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Keith Olbermann to the President: “Your words are lies, Sir.”

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I Came Back!

I have been AWOL the last few days, as my loyal readers know. (And that is all three of you? :D) Anyway, here is an update on what's been happening.

First off, we went on another one of our road trips on Monday morning--so, of course, my Sunday was all about getting ready to go. While I very much appreciate the fact that K does ALL of the driving whenever we go anywhere, I still cannot understand why EVERYTHING else connected to a trip remains MY job. This includes packing, doing the laundry, cleaning up the house, garbage, feeding the cat, opening/closing the blinds, filling the humidifiers/emptying the dehumidifier, hotel reservations, etc, etc, etc. I guess it goes back to many, many, MANY years ago when the girls were young: I would get everything ready for us to leave right at the time he would come home from day shift. My life, it could be MUCH worse. :)

While I LOVE getting together with our friends and having dinner and visiting, every once in a while it is nice to have the time just for ourselves--and this is what happened this trip. Our friends had plans on Monday evening, so K and I had NO time problems and got all of our shopping done on Monday--with the exception of Sam's Club. We were able to have an early dinner at Outback--mmmmmmmm, Walkabout Soup--and get to sleep early that night. After breakfast on Tuesday morning, we did our Sam's shopping and headed home. I STILL can't figure out WHY it takes us so long to go through Sam's--it isn't as if we needed that much stuff this time--heck, we JUST were there a week and a half ago! But, we go through those doors and it's as if time speeds up or something--and before you know it, two hours have passed and you're rushing to get out of there!

We found a new place that will be a must-stop-at every time we are in Appleton: the Breadsmith. Oh, my gosh! As if I need another place to buy food! The stuff they have there is absolutely amazing! I loved the cranberry/orange scones and the chocolate chocolate chip muffins are to die for. We brought home the cranberry/orange bread and have been eating it toasted with butter on top. Mmmmmmmmm. There comes another five pounds onto this short, stubby body of mine.

So, anyway, we get home. You know how you can walk into a room and SOMETHING just doesn't feel right? You can't put your finger on it at first, but you just KNOW something is wrong? Well, that is exactly what it was like when I walked into the house. The first thing I do when I get home is to walk through all of the rooms to see if the cat hacked up a hairball while we were gone--gross, I know, but that is one of the joys of having a long-haired cat. As I was walking through the house, I was seeing white spots on the floor no bigger than about the size of a quarter. Well, this was something new and I was SURE the cat was dying of some horrid disease! Then I noticed a few of the spots on the recliner and sofa--and the mini-blinds were all whacko! About this time I realized it COULDN'T have been the cat because she just can't jump and reach the TOP of the windows--and it hit me, there had been/was a bird in the house. There was bird crap on the mini-blinds and window sills and all of the blinds looked as if the bird had tried going THROUGH them. So, the search was on. K went through the upstairs room, the basement, and the main floor--finally we found the culprit. There, in all it's nervousness, was a starling sitting on top of the books on the top shelf of the living room bookshelf. K opened the front door and after a few minutes, the bird flew out. Thank goodness.

I don't know what is going on with our house--it is as if we cut a hole in the wall and put up a sign saying 'Accommodations Here--ALL Wildlife Welcome.' This has been SUCH a strange year for us with wildlife getting into our house--and for the most part, we can't figure out HOW the damn stuff gets in! This bird just REALLY baffles me. Chipmunks, and even the raccoon, I understand, but a BIRD! Oh, well, I just hope it stops soon.

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Stunning new revelations:
Marilyn Monroe murdered

Marilyn Monroe was talking on the telephone to Louise DiMaggio when she was murdered and was able to utter the name of her attacker before her death, according to a new book by DiMaggio's niece and Monroe confidante June DiMaggio.

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“In this world of sin and sorrow there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican.”

-H. L. Mencken (from Station Charon)

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Dick Cheney tells Rush Limbaugh that the situation in Iraq is going ‘Remarkably Well’

On the other hand, this government has only been in office about five months, five or six months now. They’re off to a good start. It is difficult, no question about it, but we’ve now got over 300,000 Iraqis trained and equipped as part of their security forces. They’ve had three national elections with higher turnout than we have here in the United States. If you look at the general overall situation, they’re doing remarkably well.

Rush must have been sharing the oxycotin. Optimism is one thing but Cheney is divorced from reality. Not that this is anything new:

“I think they’re in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency.”

"We will, in fact, be greeted as liberators."

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Senator Larry Craig (R) Outed by BlogActive: (graphic from Wonkette)

I have done extensive research into this case, including trips to the Pacific Northwest to meet with men who have say they have physical relations with the Senator. I have also met with a man here in Washington, D.C., who says the same -- and that these incidents occurred in the bathrooms of Union Station. None of these men know each other, or knew that I was talking to others. They all reported similar personal characteristics about the Senator, which lead me to believe, beyond any doubt, that their stories are valid.

On October 4 columnist Joel Connelly noted that Senator Craig was (not) involved in the earlier page scandal that caught Congressmen Gerry Studds and Dan Crane:

In the early 1980s, the House censured Rep. Dan Crane, R-Ill., and Rep. Gerry Studds, D-Mass., for having sexual relations with teenage pages.

A third lawmaker, then-Rep. (now Sen.) Larry Craig, R-Idaho, called a press conference to deny any connection to the page scandal. Nobody had ever accused him of involvement.

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Congressman Curt Weldon and the Flying Saucer

Thanks to Wonkette for drawing our attention to this story. It seems that Curt Weldon's daughter was representing a Russian company that made Flying Saucers. I'm not kidding.

From the LA Times:

Karen Weldon, an inexperienced 29-year-old lobbyist from suburban Philadelphia, seemed an unlikely choice for clients seeking global public relations services.
....
Despite a lack of professional credentials, she had one notable asset -- her father, U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), who is a leading voice in Washington on former Eastern Bloc affairs.

After a Russian aerospace manufacturer hired Karen Weldon's firm for $20,000 a month plus 10% of any new business it generated, Rep. Weldon pitched the company's saucer-shaped drone to the U.S. Navy, which signed a letter of intent to invest in the technology. And Weldon, who chairs a subcommittee that oversees $60 billion in military acquisitions, has been working to get funding for the project, Navy officials say.

MosNews describes the device:

The ’saucer’ was invented in the late 1970s. The constructors joined a fuselage and wings into one thick “wing”, before trimming and rounding its edges. The saucer can lift more than half its weight, and its inner volume is 8-10 times bigger than the saloon of the plane it was made from.

A description of the Weldon's relationship with the saucer-making company in Harpers:

Another one of Karen's clients is Saratov, a Russian aviation firm which sought to sell a drone it described as a “flying saucer.” A Saratov official recalled hearing from Rep. Weldon “quite unexpectedly” in early January 2003. Weldon, said the official, expressed “an acute interest” in the flying saucer. The congressman visited Saratov's plant later that month, accompanied by his daughter, and in short order the firm retained Karen Weldon's services.

After the Weldons returned from Russia, the congressman worked hard to jumpstart a saucer deal between Saratov and the Naval Air Systems Command, or NAVAIR, which is based near Washington. John Fischer, NAVAIR's director of research and engineering sciences, later credited Congressman Weldon with bringing Saratov to NAVAIR 's attention, calling him “a very proactive member of Congress.”

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I never meant to say that the Conservatives are generally stupid. I meant to say that stupid people are generally Conservative. I believe that is so obviously and universally admitted a principle that I hardly think any gentleman will deny it. - letter to the Conservative MP, Sir John Pakington. March, 1866.-- John Stuart Mill

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Piglipstick posts this interesting video about the series of explosions in Baghdad. There is a really BIG explosion at about 3:55. A harrowing first-person account can be found here.

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Amid widespread panic in the Republican establishment about the coming midterm elections, there are two people whose confidence about GOP prospects strikes even their closest allies as almost inexplicably upbeat: President Bush and his top political adviser, Karl Rove.

The official White House line of supreme self-assurance comes from the top down. Bush has publicly and privately banished any talk of losing the GOP majorities, in part to squelch any loss of nerve among his legions. Come January, he said last week, "We'll have a Republican speaker and a Republican leader of the Senate."

The question is whether this is a case of justified confidence -- based on Bush's and Rove's electoral record and knowledge of the money, technology and other assets at their command -- or of self-delusion. Even many Republicans suspect the latter. Three GOP strategists with close ties to the White House flatly predicted the loss of the House, though they would not do so on the record for fear of offending senior Bush aides.

The Washington Post asks if they are merely confident or delusional? Or maybe they know something we don't. Meanwhile, Karl Rove has supposedly promised an October Surprise.

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WorldNetDaily: Shit Coming Down!

Yes, according to this wingnut site, another Pakistani journalist reports that something big is going to happen during the month of Ramadan, which is observed this year Sept. 24 to Oct. 23. All Muslims are warned to leave the country.

The head of the Islamabad-based al-Quds Center reported receiving an audio message from Mullah Masoom Afghani urging U.S. Muslims to get out of the country "because Allah's punishment would fall on America in the month of Ramadan."

Muslims are observing Ramadan this year Sept. 24 to Oct. 23.

Jamal Ismail is the journalist who received the message. He formerly worked for al-Jazeera. He told the News of Pakistan that he received a phone call Oct. 5 from Afghani.

"Afghani said he was speaking from somewhere in Kandahar province," reported Ismail. "In it, he advised Muslim residents of America to get out to escape harm because the U.S. could face big attacks in the month of Ramadan."

WorldNetDaily has been predicting an "American Hiroshima" during Ramadan for several years now. I am naturally skeptical of this story, and yet there are a number of reasons to agree with blogger Joseph Cannon that Something big is up.

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Iraqi Shiites Make a Turnabout, Join the Resistance

This story, from Cytations, is dated September 9 so it is no longer breaking news. I suppose it falls into the category of "it's news to me." Cyte, the author of this blog knows Arabic so I will be keeping a closer eye on Cytations in the future.

But after watching the Kurds recently lower the Iraqi flag as a sign of secession, the Southern Shiite clans of Iraq have decided to bear arms and join the resistance. They also demanded the return of Saddam to power.

Cyte also links to the full statement of the Shiite tribes.

We the undersigned, the youth of the Southern Iraq tribes, declare that we have been asked by our tribes and elders to publicly join our brothers and our cousins in the tribes of the North, which were gathered in Kirkuk, and the dignified Baghdadi family representatives of all the tribes of Iraq who declared their support to the Heroic Iraqi Armed Resistance and consider it as the sole legitimate representative of the Iraqi people.

Moreover we confirm our full commitment to liberate Iraq from the US and Iranian invasion and our demand to the return of his Excellency the detained President Saddam Hussein (May the Lord safeguard him and free him from the hands of his bloodthirsty US enemies), the legitimate President of the Republic of Iraq, whom some of us opposed, but the previous years and the time of the Occupation have proved that his Excellency Saddam Hussein was the guarantee of the citizens security, the unity, stability and prosperity of the homeland and the loyal and faithful defender of the Iraqi women's honor.

Saddam: "Victory is at hand"

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Found at Juan Cole's Informed Comment

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Cartoonist Jim Morin (found at Smirking Chimp)

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Just A Meme

Cindi at Somewhere Over the Rainbow tagged me, so here goes another meme. Just wanted to warn people before they got too far! :)

***FOOD***
What is your salad dressing of choice? Honey mustard, French, or the house dressing. Depends on the mood.
What is your favorite fast food restaurant? McDonald’s? Burger King? Any pizza joint? Ah, hell, I just like food that’s not good for me.
What is your favorite sit down restaurant? Possibly Outback. I also like Casa Calabria, Bonanza, Texas Roadhouse--I just like food!
On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant? At the very least, 15%--usually 20% or more.
What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? beef—prepared in various ways.
What are your pizza toppings of choice? I do like onions, sausage, ham, and sometimes pineapple, but I really prefer thin-crust cheese pizzas.
What do you like to put on your toast? butter and jam or jelly
What is your favorite type of gum? Altoids peppermint (sugarless)

**TECHNOLOGY**
Number of contacts in your cell phone? Around 40. But that really is misleading as I have restaurants and doctors listed—and I have multiple listings for the same people; home phone AND cell phone, etc. I also have the hubby and both girls listed as my ICE contacts; ALL of their phone numbers.
Number of contacts in your email address book? 23—and at least 6 of them are MY OWN addresses!
What is your wallpaper on your computer? The Detroit Red Wings logo—after all, it IS hockey season!
What is your screensaver on your computer? Not too sure—I have the computer set to power down after so long being idle, so the screensaver doesn’t come up too often.
How many televisions are in your house? five
What kitchen appliance do you use the least? bread machine
What is the radio station you listen to the most? 99.5 (classic rock)? Don’t listen to the radio all that often. (That's what MP3 players are for!)

***BIOLOGY***
What do you consider to be your best physical attribute? not really sure—doesn’t help that I’m neurotic and have low self-esteem, so I don’t think along the lines of my ‘what’s best about me.’ :D
Are you right handed or left handed? right-handed, but I THINK like a lefty. As far as I know, I was supposed to be left-handed, but The Mother rather forced me to use my right—to make it ‘easier’ on me in school.
Do you like your smile? I guess—especially since I had braces! (Better like the smile after all of the money we spent! :D)
Have you ever had anything removed from your body? Various organs and moles—and, as Cindi said, two babies!
Would you like to have something removed from your body? FAT!
Do you prefer to read when you go to the bathroom? Of course—why else would I have a subscription to People magazine!
Which of your five senses do you think is keenest? Probably smell—according to the hubby, I smell things that aren’t even there. :)
When was the last time you had a cavity? So many years ago I can’t even remember.
What is the heaviest item you lift regularly? My fat ass?
Have you ever been knocked unconscious? Other than being knocked unconscious for surgeries or other medical procedures, no.

**A bunch of stuff-OLOGY**
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? Don’t think so.
If you could change your first name, what would you change it to? Don’t really have an opinion—what I have is fine.
How do you express your artistic side? sewing, beading (jewelry making), flower arranging, baking, decorating cakes (rarely, anymore)—I used to do a lot of crocheting, but my hands hurt too much these days. (I think I’m getting arthritis—damn.)
What color do you think you look best in? blue—mostly peacock blue
How long do you think you could last in a medium security prison? Probably not very long—I’d either have a nervous break-down or piss someone off and get beat.
Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake? Being born and raised where the state bird is a mosquito, OF COURSE! (The mosquito-thing is a joke, in case you can’t figure that out.)
If we weren't bound by society's conventions, do you have a relative you would make a pass at? Are you kidding? I don’t even LIKE most of my relatives!
How often do you go to church? I used to be a regular and EXTREMELY involved in every aspect of our church, but got a bit disillusioned with the pastor and some of the people a few years ago, so I stopped going. I DID go a few times around Easter and will be going back soon—I just haven’t made up my mind how involved I’m going to get again.
Have you ever saved someone’s life? No.
Has someone ever saved yours? Not really.

**DARE-OLOGY**
Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000? $100,000 might not be enough—however, NO ONE could afford the amount that would have to be paid to anyone who might SEE me walking naked down the street.
Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100? Who is being so stingy with the imaginary money? MAYBE a quick closed-mouth peck.
Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000? Don’t think so!
Would you never blog again for $50,000? THAT I could do—anyone offering?
Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000? No.
Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? No—can’t imagine WHAT that would do to my gastric-reflux. {shudder}
Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000? Can’t imagine I could do that.
Would you shave your head and get your entire body waxed for $5000? I would have NO PROBLEM doing this, BUT, $5000 is not nearly enough money! (I know, I’m greedy.)
Would you give up watching television for a year for $25,000? You betcha!

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Fiery light seen over Rome (in Italian)

From a Babelfish translation: (cleaned up a bit)

Mysterious sight this evening in the sky of Rome...According to what the witnesses have explained, in the sky there has unexpectedly appeared a great object that emanated a strong light as if it had been wrapped in flames.

A sign in the skies?

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Conservative Rick Moran: The GOP is Toast

At the moment, it appears that it may be more efficacious for some Republicans to change their party affiliation to “Independent Wiccan.”

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Rep. John Murtha on Republicans: "Screw them." I knew I liked him.

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The web page that I took this from is now, for some reason, no longer available. Fortunately, I saved it.

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Note to Congressional candidate David McSweeney: being photographed with these two will probably not help you in the polls. What, wasn't Mark Foley available?

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Arnold Schwarzenegger taking the pulse of the public

(from Raw Story)

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You Might Be a Yooper!

Enjoy this list of things that make us Yoopers who we are--surprisingly, many of these are very, very true! :)
(I compiled this list and have lost the original author's names--I apologize to the very witty people who wrote the lists I took these from.)

If your snowmobile costs more than your kid's college education, you might be a Yooper!

If you install your snow tires in early September, you might be a Yooper!

If your best clothes are reversible; Blaze Orange to Camouflage, you might be a Yooper!

If you think the expression "to open a can of worms" means " to go fishing", you might be a Yooper!

If people in Wisconsin act superior to you, you might be a Yooper!

If you only know Ted Nugent for his archery equipment, you might be a Yooper!

If you saw a sign that said "Drink Canada Dry" and you've been trying ever since, you might be a Yooper!

If you can ice fish 9 months of the year, you might be a Yooper!

If your summer shirts are plaid wool (same as your winter shirts), you might be a Yooper!

If your ice fishing shanty is better furnished than your house, you might be a Yooper!

If your favorite bar plays both kinds of music, Country AND Western, you might be a Yooper!

If you refer to winter mittens and hat as "choppers" and a "chook", respectively, you might be a Yooper!

If you can spell Ahmeek, know what Ahmeek means, and know where it is, you might be a Yooper!

If your bitter family feud comes to a head over the annual Lions-Packers game, you might be a Yooper!

If you've ever had a snowday after Mother's Day, you might be a Yooper!

If your county spends more time and money on the snowmobile trails than they do the state highways, you might be a Yooper!

If you've been to Holiday and ShopKo more times than you care to count, but you've never been to Dunkin Donuts or a 7-11, you might be a Yooper!

If your basic vehicle survival kit consists of blankets, pillows, a shovel, and rock salt, you might be a Yooper!

If you have a bumper sticker that says "Say Ya To Da UP," you might be a Yooper!

If you plan your vacation around deer season, you might be a Yooper!

If you use venison hamburger to make chili, you might be a Yooper!

If going up north means a hunting trip to Canada, you might be a Yooper!

If you only own three spices - salt, pepper and ketchup, you might be a Yooper!

If you design your Halloween costumes to fit over a snowsuit, you might be a Yooper!

If you have more miles on your snowblower than your car, you might be a Yooper!

If you have 10 favorite recipes for venison, you might be a Yooper!

If your TrueValue Hardware on any Saturday is busier than the toy stores at Christmas, you might be a Yooper!

If you've taken your kids trick-or-treating in a blizzard, you might be a Yooper!

If driving is better in the winter because the potholes get filled with snow, you might be a Yooper!

If you think everyone from the city has an accent, you might be a Yooper!

If you think sexy lingerie is tube socks and a flannel nightie with only 8 buttons, you might be a Yooper!

If you owe more money on your snowmobile than your car, you might be a Yooper!

If the local paper covers national and international headlines on l/4 page, but requires 6 pages for sports, you might be a Yooper!

If your snowblower gets stuck on the roof, you might be a Yooper!

If you think the start of deer hunting season is a national holiday, you might be a Yooper!

If summer takes place the second week of July (and it still rains!!), you might be a Yooper!

If you find -20°F a little chilly, you might be a Yooper!

If you’ve attended a formal event in your best clothes, your finest jewelry, and your snowmobile boots, you might be a Yooper!

If you know the four seasons: Winter, Still Winter, Almost Winter, and Construction, you might be a Yooper!

If the municipality buys a Zamboni before a bus, you might be a Yooper!

If you have a "camp," not a "cottage," you might be a Yooper!

If you define Summer as three months of bad sledding, you might be a Yooper!

If snow tires come standard on all your cars, you might be a Yooper!

If you have ever gotten frostbitten and sunburned in the same week, you might be a Yooper!

If you think Alkaline batteries were named after a Tiger outfielder, you might be a Yooper!

If octopus and hockey go together as naturally as hot dogs and baseball, you might be a Yooper!

If a Big Mac is something you can drive across, you might be a Yooper!

If your kid's baseball and softball games have ever been snowed out, you might be a Yooper!

If you bake with "soda" and drink "pop", you might be a Yooper!

If you know what a pasty is, you might be a Yooper!

If your favorite hockey team's mascot is an octopus, you might be a Yooper!

If you have a favorite hockey team, you might be a Yooper!

If you don't have a coughing fit from one sip of Vernor's, you might be a Yooper!

If you know what a Vernor's is, you might be a Yooper!

If your car rusts out before the brakes wear out, you might be a Yooper!

If your favorite holidays are Christmas, Thanksgiving, and the first day of deer season, you might be a Yooper!

If there are really only TWO seasons: hockey season and off-season (or hunting season and construction season), you might be a Yooper!

If you know all the words to Gordon Lightfoot's classic ballad, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," you might be a Yooper!

If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through 18 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim by, you might be a Yooper!

If you're proud that your state makes the national news 96 nights each year because Houghton/Hancock has the most snow in the nation, you might be a Yooper!

If you think a basketball team consists of twelve white boys, you might be a Yooper!

If you have ever experienced "squeaky" snow, you might be a Yooper!

If your local Dairy Queen is closed from November through March, you might be a Yooper!

If you have ever snow shoed or been to camp, you might be a Yooper!

If you instinctively walk like a penguin for five months out of the year, you might be a Yooper!

If you have ever seen the Northern Lights and / or the Milky Way, you might be a Yooper!

If you have apologized to a telemarketer, you might be a Yooper!

If you think shoveling snow is fun, you might be a Yooper!

If you ever referred to where you live as "God’s Country", you might be a Yooper!

If you ever took a sauna when it was 85 degrees F outside, you might be a Yooper!

If you ever used the expression "Holy Wah!", you might be a Yooper!

If you think that the 15th of November is (or should be) a national holiday, you might be a Yooper!

If you know how to make or pronounce "pasty", you might be a Yooper!

If you have worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you might be a Yooper!

If your town has an equal number of bars and churches, you might be a Yooper!

If you have had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you might be a Yooper!

If you know how to say Ontonagon, Lanse, Baraga, Bessemer, Ishpeming, Negaunee, da Sault, and Toivola, you might be a Yooper!

If you grew up thinking rice was only for dessert, you might be a Yooper!

If every time you see moonlight on a lake, you think of a dancing bear, and you sing gently, "From the land of sky-blue waters, ..."Hamm's the beer refreshing", you might be a Yooper!


I will be glad to explain any of the above items to anyone who is not a Yooper--at least as well as I am able! :)

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What's Happening

The snow came...at least for parts of the UP. Over 8 inches of snow dumped on the part of the UP where K and I grew up--and it is calling for another 8-15 inches through tomorrow. I talked to C tonight and she said school, as well as other activities, were canceled today and tonight. Because of teacher inservices tomorrow, school doesn't need canceling--which is a good thing as there are only a limited amount of 'snow days' available before school districts have to make the days up at the end of the year. Here in the town where we live, everything was white when we woke up, but all of the snow melted during the day. We had quite a wind and that really made it feel very cold--and the wind is supposed to continue through tomorrow. Oh, well, just the beginning of the winter. :)

Watched the hockey game last night and was blown away by the Wings' 9-2 win over Phoenix! They played a good game, but Phoenix isn't exactly the greatest team, so...it was a good game, nonetheless.

Cindi over at Somewhere Over the Rainbow has tagged me to do a new meme, so, for those who are interested, watch for me to post my answers in the next few days. I don't know about anyone else, but I find it absolutely fascinating to read other people's answers to these things!

Did a long-overdue computer maintenance here this afternoon. I have really not been happy with my McAfee security for quite a long time and today I finally got rid of it. I found it to be too expensive and there were too many problems for me to want to keep it. So, I decided to go with a free firewall and free anti-virus--Zonealarm by Zone Labs and AVG Anti-Virus by Grisoft. I'm sure I will be happy with the programs as they have been praised by many, including Maximum PC magazine.

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spam poem

wonder, moon loved

wind-scattered

"secret language"

look "in the wild"

hey girl

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From Spurious George

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Small Aircraft Hits Manhattan Building

Update: It's not Al Qaeda--It's a Yankee

Numerology: a poster at Godlike Productions points out that the address of the high rise building is 524 East 72 street and does the math:

5+2+4 = 11 and 7+2 = 9 which equals 9/11 AND...

9/11/01 if you turn it upside down = 10/11/06

Also, Cory Lidle's passsport was found in the street just like 9/11!

And "CORY FULTON LIDLE" is an anagram for COLLIDE LOFTY RUN!

AND for COLLIDE FLY RUN TO!

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Getting Ready...

I think the next few days around here will be fun...NOT!! We are under a snow and blowing snow advisory for tonight and tomorrow and then it turns into an winter storm warning sometime tomorrow afternoon. They are predicting from 8-10 inches of snow 1oo miles north of us--where my oldest daughter lives. I really don't think it should be so bad in our city--I hope--because we live on the shore of Lake Superior and it tends to protect us from some of the storms. We'll just have to wait and see.

I have to get up from here shortly and start the day. First, I have an appointment with the orthodontist. He STILL wants to see me every 1-3 months--this after having the braces off for well over a year. I think he just likes to look at the teeth and pat himself on the back--after all, he NEVER expected such good results! Then, it is off to the grocery store and Wal Mart--if we are getting a storm, I have to lay in supplies. For some reason or other, I have a NEED to get to the grocery store every time there is a winter storm warning--as if we will DIE of starvation before we can leave the house again. Actually, both K and I could live off of our respective fat reserves for many days and still have only wasted away to normal before we eat again! Oh well, just another one of my crazy quirks. I think it probably stems from the days I was a smoker--heaven FORBID I ran out of cigs during a snow storm! There would have been hell to pay. :)

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BREAKING NEWS: Eisenhower Carrier Group Sails for Iran Theater

The Eisenhower strike force, according to my sources, is scheduled to arrive in the vicinity of Iran around October 21, at the same time as a second flotilla of minesweepers and other ships.

This build-up of naval power around the coast of Iran, according to some military sources, is in preparation for an air attack on Iran that would target not just Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities, but its entire military command and control system.

What is deeply troubling here is the total silence on the part of the Democratic Party opposition. Not one Democrat in Congress, and as far as I know, not one Democratic candidate for Congress--not even anti-war insurgent Ned Lamont in Connecticut, has demanded an answer from Bush and the Pentagon for the obvious military buildup around Iran, or about published reports that the U.S. already has special forces in side Iran backing the terrorist organization MEK, and selecting targets for U.S. bombardment.

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As PageFuckerGate (as Wonkette calls it) unfolds we would all do well to keep in mind Buell's Law, which states: Whenever a prominent political figure is accused of sexual misconduct--HE DID IT! Seems un-American I know, but remember those three words and you will rarely go wrong.

As we wait for the next page to turn, here are some stories about Scott Palmer, Chief of Staff for Speaker Dennis Hastert:

From the Huffington Post:

Many chiefs of staff are close, very close, to their bosses on Capitol Hill. But none are closer than Scott Palmer is to Denny Hastert. They don't just work together all day, they live together.

There are plenty of odd couple Congressmen who have roomed together on Capitol Hill, but I have never heard of a chief of staff who rooms with his boss. It is beyond unusual. But it must have its advantages. Anything they forget to tell each other at the office, they have until bedtime to catch up on. And then there's breakfast for anything they forgot to tell each other before falling asleep. And then there's all day at the office. Hastert and Palmer are together more than any other co-workers in the Congress.

And from the New York Times:

Mr. Hastert, a former schoolteacher and wrestling coach, is more at home in Illinois than in Washington, traveling back to the state almost every weekend with Scott Palmer, his chief of staff, and Mike Stokke, his deputy chief of staff. When Congress is in session, the two aides and Mr. Hastert share a townhouse near the Capitol, living a bachelorlike existence.

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Huffington Post: Developing...Major TV News Network Pursuing Story On GOP Rep. Kolbe’s Involvement With Congressional Pages…

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Most Profound Man in Iraq — an unidentified farmer in a fairly remote area who, after being asked by Reconnaissance Marines if he had seen any foreign fighters in the area replied "Yes, you."

From Time magazines "The Secret Letter from Iraq." Read the whole thing.

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Jeb Bush in the Closet!

Protesters greeted Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on his way to a campaign event for a Pennsylvania senator, and he briefly took refuge in a subway station supply closet to avoid the anti-Republican demonstrators.

Humor aside, the rest of the article is no so funny.

"Officers used stun guns to subdue two protesters, saying they disobeyed orders to disperse, said Bob Grove, a Port Authority spokesman.

It was a very tense situation. They were very close to the governor and shouting on top of him," Grove said.

Bush was not injured.

The protesters, made up of members of the United Steelworkers union and the anti-war group Uprise Counter Recruitment, chanted, "Jeb go home," and said Bush blew them a kiss.

Bush was not injured? What about the protestors attacked by stun gun? What about their First Amendment rights?

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I'm A Horrible Person :)

Last week I was talking to C when she mentioned the baby's first birthday. EXCUSE ME!?!?!? WHEN is her birthday???? Turns out, Gracie is a one-year-old this Thursday. Now, I went to ALL of my calendars, my PDA, EVERYWHERE, and there is no mention of when Gracie was born. (I DID post on this blog when she was birthed, but I HARDLY EVER read my own blog. :)) What a horrible grandmother I am. But then, in my defense, I DO have five grandchildren and I can't be expected to remember them all equally, can I? ;) I DO remember visiting C night after night the month she was here in the hospital. I DO remember when Gracie was born. I DO remember going to see Gracie while she was here in the hospital for three weeks after she was born. I DO remember when Gracie went home on Halloween. I just don't remember the number of the day she was born! Thank goodness I found out in plenty of time to get her birthday gift. Now, the only problem: how many days AFTER her birthday will it be before she finally GETS her gift from us?

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"There will always be good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion."

Steven Weinberg, Nobel prize-winning physicist

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Rep. Mark Foley and President George Bush discuss fishing

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Nothing Interesting

Well, we got home on Friday--late afternoon. I got all of the shopping done that I wanted to do and I must say, I did well for myself! This trip, I found THREE pairs of shoes to buy--doesn't happen often that I find shoes I like AND fit my feet, so I had to buy all three pair. If I keep this up, I'll be getting into Imelda Marcos territory. I also got a couple of Christmas gifts--I wasn't planning on doing Christmas shopping, but when you see something you just MUST buy it because it won't be there the next time! K wants to go back next week Monday or Tuesday--we'll see if it happens.

We were gone for a day and a half and K's work called FOUR times to ask him to do overtime--they even wanted him to do an 18 hour shift today. I can't wait to find out what is going on out at the plant. K IS working today, but just his regular shift. This is the second or third time the plant has called while we have been out of town--I set our home phone to call-forwarding and get the calls on my cell. I am amazed that these people--the bosses--at K's work have NO IDEA what call-forwarding is. They just seem to be all amazed that this is possible.

This is the first time in quite awhile--maybe EVER--that we didn't celebrate our anniversary at all. Our anniversary was on Friday and we did nothing for it. Of course, we weren't home early enough for me to do my usual: make K a special dinner and dessert. I did manage to get a card for him, but he didn't even do that. He better make up for this on my birthday and Christmas--I am expecting GOOD things this year, as usual! :) I guess our anniversary day REALLY isn't any more special than any other day is--after all, we've been together this long, so every day is exceptionally special!

C had the three-year-old in to see the ENT on Friday and they have determined that the little one has a milk allergy! Now, we are not talking lactose intolerance, but a full-fledged, absolutely-NO-milk-products-being-consumed, allergy. She is kind of beside herself as her kids LOVE yogurt, cheese, milk, etc. AND she cooks with cheese, etc, a lot! C is probably going to see a dietician so she can get some help in meal planning--it is REALLY going to be a pain in the ass for her. Thankfully, the doctor said this is the kind of allergy kids usually grow out of--let's hope so.

AND, I'm so happy that I got to see the Red Wings play last night. We missed the season opener because we were not at home, so I especially was glad to watch last night. They lost the game on Thursday, but won against the Penguins last night, 2-0. They played pretty well. I'm a happy camper! :)

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"the Democrats are going to lose the contest in November"

So says Mark Crispin Miller who thinks the Republicans will steal enough votes to win.

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From BlogActive:

Mr. Speaker, I have a point of information...

Hey, Dennis, on Monday I'll be telling everyone about the high level closeted staffer in your office.

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The "Reverend" Fred Phelps--worst Christian ever. (photo found at Kiko's House, a new addition to my links.

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Len Munsil

President Bush endorses Republican candidate for Governor of Arizona Len Munsil, calling him:

"an attractive man, a family man, an honest man."

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From the Washington Times:

A former Navy intelligence officer weighs in on how the world will stop Iran from building nuclear bombs: "I really believe the Israelis are going to strike [Iran's] several uranium processing factories soon. They cannot survive a first strike. This time, unlike when they sent eight F-16s to destroy the Iraqi reactor Osirak, I think they will use the Jericho missiles and the submarine-launched, nuclear-tipped Tomahawks to do nuclear strikes. Most of the factories are 150 meters underground and too deep for bunker busters."

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Former Congressman Mark Foley and Unidentified Citizen

ABC News: Three More Pages Come Forward (this makes at least five)

"I was seventeen years old and just returned to [my home state] when Foley began to e-mail me, asking if I had ever seen my page roommates naked and how big their penises were," said the page in the 2002 class.

If I am not mistaken, this is the first time the word "penises" has been used in this blog. I'm so proud.

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Some girl named Nina

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Road Trip

We will be leaving in the morning for one of our road trips. Good grief, driving three and a half hours to, basically, go to eat dinner with friends! But, I get to see what is at the stores and--possibly--get an idea for Christmas shopping, so the trip is more than worthwhile. Don't know if I will be posting from the road, so have a great weekend!

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Help Congressman Foley Protect Our Children!

This is interesting--originally from the Independent/UK, August 8, 2004:

Between them, Mr Aravosis and Mr Rogers have outed about 20 staffers and politicians, including Congressman Mark Foley, a Florida Republican, and Democrat Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland. Mr Foley's office has since confirmed he is gay, but Senator Mikulski has not commented on her sexual orientation.

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What We Prefer

From mental_floss:

More Women Prefer Dogs Over Husbands: An online poll released by DogCatRadio.com, shows more women would rather have a pet than a husband.
(Not a surprise! Dogs give unconditional love—and don’t watch football!)

More Women Prefer Looks Over Money: The more money a woman earns, the more likely she is to prefer good looks to money in her man, a new survey reveals.
(Um, if a woman has money of her own, why wouldn’t she go for the eye candy?)

More women prefer clean-shaven men (70% of women prefer a clean shave, 20% prefer a goatee, 7% prefer a full beard, 3% do not care about facial hair).
(Can anyone say whisker/stubble burn?)

More women prefer shopping for their children than for their spouse (71% compared to 67% for women aged 16-55).
(The kids will at least WEAR the stuff—well, if they are young enough, that is.)

Cable TV’s Oxygen Network recently released a report suggesting that technology advertisers are missing out on a large market share by not marketing to women. The survey found that more and more women prefer technological gadgets to jewelry, clothes and shoes, nearly closing the gap between women and men and their technology needs and uses.
(And why SHOULDN’T women like tech gadgets just as much as men?)

Given the option, more and more women prefer Caesarean section to natural birth.
(Especially if you can have a tummy tuck at the same time! JUST JOKING!)

More women prefer blue eyes (36 percent) to brown or dark eyes (30 percent).
(Ooookaaaay.)

When it comes to having their private parts examined, more women prefer a physician of their own sex. But for treating a broken leg, women don’t seem to give physician sex a second thought, according to a Norwegian study of women aged 36 to 55.
(Who comes up with these questions—and who pays them to ask them?!)

According to a Lifetime Women’s Pulse Poll, three times more women prefer to work for a man, with Bill Gates topping the list of ideal male bosses at 38%. But despite this preference for men, the #1 ideal boss is Oprah Winfrey with 58% of the vote.
(If you say so.)

And now for the men:

More Men Prefer Marriage Over Women: A new study that provides the first inclusive look into the male consciousness found that men are more likely to prefer marriage to single life than women.
(Hello! Especially if the wife does the laundry, right?!)

When it comes time for bottoms up, more men prefer beer and women prefer wine.
(And this is surprising, why?)

More and more men prefer Laser Hair Removal for the most sensitive parts of their bodies. Did you know that 30% of spa visitors are men?
(More info than I needed to know!)

More men prefer Cialis to Viagra.
(Again, more info than I needed to know!)

A survey from Ontrack, a disaster recovery company, claims that more men prefer to try and fix a PC problem themselves.
(But the question is, do they ACTUALLY know WHAT they are doing?)

Although monarch sheets are available in a variety of colors, most men prefer ecru or white.
(Excuse me! And this is relevant, why?)

Researchers say most men prefer women with medium-sized breasts. And 13% have admitted trying on a bra, mostly for fancy dress or a dare, but some for curiosity or pleasure. Most say they found it uncomfortable. 81% of men surveyed say they would have medium-sized breasts if they were women.
(Words fail…)

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Probably Photoshopped.

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Former Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL) interrupted a vote on the floor of the House in 2003 to engage in Internet sex with a high school student who had served as a congressional page, according to new Internet instant messages provided to ABC News by former pages.

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More Gay Bush Gossip

David Muranto is the male prostitute who performed oral sex on GW Bush in a Texas Motel in 1987

David was 22 years old at the time he met and had sex with George Walker Bush. He now lives in Rio where he owns a gay nightclub and runs a private antique export/import business. He is also variously known as Serge Lionel, Cruse Mato and Gregory Tieber.

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Hot Air asks:

First booze turned Mel Gibson into an anti-semite, now it’s gone and turned Mark Foley into a child predator. Alcohol: is there anything it can’t do?

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Now can we say Bush lied?

From: Jack Abramoff
To: 'octagon1'
Monday, March 18, 2002 8:31 AM
Subject: RE: Sunday

I was sitting yesterday with Karl Rove, Bush's top advisor, at the NCAA basketball game, discussing Israel when this email came in. I showed it to him. It seems that the President was very sad to have to come out negatively regarding Israel, but that they needed to mollify the Arabs for the upcoming war on Iraq. That did not seem to work anyway. Bush seems to love Sharon and Israel, and thinks Arabfat [sic], is nothing but a liar. I thought I'd pass that on.

From Rising Hegemon

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Donkeyhue, one of the conservative commentators at The Aurora, has this to say about Mark Foley:

Whoever Knew Must Be Through

Innocent until proven guilty blah blah blah. Now that Ive got the legal mumbo jumbo out of the way, I will say this...

Foley needs to be arrested and brought up on charges befitting a pedophile sexual predator. If found guilty, he needs to have his sack cut off and force fed to him. Just as importantly, anyone that had knowledge of these indespicable and illegal emails needs to resign and step down. I dont give a shite if this a a hotly contested election year (and we all know, thats what you were thinking). Damage control should be about protecting kids from sick bastards, not holding onto congressional seats. Youve failed the public trust...youve lost your D.C. privileges. Now be gone and stay gone.

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