A message of hope

from ol' TJ

"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to it's true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are suffering deeply in spirit, and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public debt ... If the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at stake. Better luck, therefore, to us all; and health happiness, & friendly salutations to yourself. Adieu."

Thomas Jefferson, Letter to John Taylor,
Philadelphia, June 4, 1798
(after passage of the Sedition Act)

The Real Republican Social Security Agenda

We all know FauxNews is completely worthless if you want to get, well, news. But the folks at Columbia Journalism Review Daily have stumbled upon something useful the network's programming provides - a glimpse at the Republican's true agenda.

On April 23, at the end of Fox News Channel's "Bulls & Bears," host Brenda Buttner provided this lead-in to Neil Cavuto's "Cavuto on Business": "Plus, retire rich? Forget Social Security," followed by a voice-over from Cavuto himself declaring, "Retire rich, but not with Social Security. If you pretend it doesn't exist, you will be better off. We'll tell you why."

Meantime, the text of an on-screen blurb promoted an entirely different message. That message: "WE SHOULD ELIMINATE SOCIAL SECURITY!"

It's not just bad journalism, it's not-so-subtle messaging from the Right Wing's favorite news outlet.

Classic Bush move

Promote a politically popular liberal program in a speech, earn points for compassion, then don't fund it. The mention gets network coverage, the lack of funding warrants only a NYT editorial.

His state of the union talk about reforming the death penalty and DNA testing? Those of us who saw the grotesque way he carried out executions in Texas knew it was too good to be true. And it was an empty promise.

Truth behind those cruel high school insults

An amusing article from Slate - someone needs to buy www.abrahamjackoff.com.

Abramoff was a year behind me at Beverly Hills High School. I don't remember that we ever had a single discussion. But I observed, from a distance, that he was kind of a glad-hander. (I had no idea that he was a conservative, but apparently he already was, as I was already a liberal.) And so, behind his back, I began referring to him as "Abraham Jackoff."

[...]

I've shifted to marveling that I stumbled into the correct assessment of Abramoff fully three decades before his disgrace. Perhaps Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink, is right: Maybe our shallow first impressions and petty prejudices really do get the job done.

It's my frisbee now

From The Onion.
http://theonion.com/opinion/index.php?issue=4117

Frisbee




By Tom DeLay
House Majority Leader

Damn it! What did I tell you kids?

Yeah, I'm talking to you, you little hippie freaks. Didn't I tell you to stop messing around on the Capitol lawn? Don't act like you didn't hear me when I stuck my head out the window earlier. I saw you look up. I saw you laughing. Punks! I told you to clear out and take your games somewhere else. Then, not 15 minutes later, this thing sails right through the window and interrupts deliberations of the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Oh yeah? Is that so? Well, guess what. It's Tom DeLay's Frisbee now.

No, I'm not going to "toss it back," and don't call me "dude." Very important people are trying to legislate in here. No, you come on. I warned you, but you had to push it. Now you face the consequences.

Don't tell me the Washington Mall is the official property of the people of the United States. I am Washington! That's right... keep talking. You can talk until you're blue in the face for all I care - it's not going to get you this Frisbee back. I'm taking it home with me. Danielle is going to love it.

Against the law? Pfft. I don't need some smart-aleck, Frisbee-tossing kids to tell me about the law. I'm Tom DeLay, the House majority leader. Who are you? I've been wheeling and dealing in this town longer than you bastards have been eating solid food. I was elected to a seat in the Texas State House in 1978. That's right, 1978! I was House majority whip in 1994. And now, in 2005, I have the Frisbee and there's nothing you can do about it.

Okay, you really want this Frisbee? Well, why don't you come over and try taking it out of my hands? I'm standing right here. What's the matter? Come on. Tom DeLay is waiting.

No, I'm not throwing it back and, no, I'm not joking. I told you before. It's mine, and that's that. Take my advice: Get out of here before I call the Department of Homeland Security and have you all deported to an international zone where the Geneva Convention rules don't apply. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll return my attention to the Enhanced Energy Infrastructure and Technology Tax Act of 2005 and thereby protect undeserving snots like you from natural-gas price fluctuations. Good day.

Ouch! Damn it! Okay, which one of you brats bounced the Hacky Sack off the back of my head? Yeah, that's right, laugh it up. But look who got himself a new Hacky Sack. That's right, I'm keeping the Hacky Sack, too. Who's laughing now, you little smartasses?

What? You're gonna call the House Ethics Committee on me? You think the House Ethics Committee scares Tom DeLay? Go ahead and call them. I'll dial the phone number for you. I've got it on speed dial. That committee's come after me plenty of times before, and you know what happened? Nothing! While you're at it, call the Washington Post. Maybe they'll do a human-interest piece about the poor kids who lost a Frisbee and a Hacky Sack all in one day.

Call for an independent investigation! Demand my resignation! See what good it does you. I've faced a hell of a lot worse opposition than you, and I'm still standing. You hear me? Tom DeLay is still here! I am Tom DeLay!

Yeah, you'd better run. Punks.

Un-American

Contrasting Bush's pledge from 2000 to "change the tone" in Washington with the behavior and rhetoric of his adminstration has been done to death, I know.

But add another example to the list. From a NYT piece today, 'Soccer Mom' Education Chief Plays Hardball.

Facing a challenge to the law from Connecticut, she accused educators there of being "un-American." Seeking to beat back a Utah bill that protests the federal law, Ms. Spellings cold-shouldered the Utah superintendent of schools for months and threatened to slash federal money for Utah.

From the White House public schedule

*NEW: RUMSFELD in Washington, DC at 1:00 PM: Rumsfeld participates in a photo op with Captain America and Spiderman. [Department of Defense, 4/28/05]

The only thing that can help this guy is...

A podcast! I thought having Jesus on the campaign team was the only way to save this campaign but apparently hiring Trippi as a consultant and putting up a podcast is roughly equivalent.

To unpredictability

Texas Democrats are screwed when it comes to statewide office but I'm stupid enough to hold out a little hope that maybe there's a slight chance in hell. Articles like this only fuel that idiocy and eventually lead to an even more painful hangover the day after an election.

The most likely scenario, of course, is that the 2006 gubernatorial election will end with the Republican nominee winning by a comfortable majority—say, close to 60 percent. One thing that could change that forecast is the Kinky factor. The former Texas Monthly columnist has destabilized the field by declaring his independent candidacy for the job with a logical query: How hard could it be? Before you dismiss him as a joke, remember that there were few Minnesotans who ever thought they would elect a governor with his own action figure in toy stores. But in 1998 Jesse Ventura, running as a Reform party candidate, beat the “real” politicians at their own game with a paltry 37 percent of the vote. Is it possible that Texas has enough iconoclasts—the sort of voters who, when in high school, elected the school mascot homecoming queen—to win the election? Not really. Minnesota allows instant voter registration, and Ventura was aided by long lines of eighteen- and nineteen-year-old wrestling fans who were first-time voters. But could Kinky siphon enough votes from Perry that an underdog Democrat could squeak in with less than 40 percent of the vote?

I need one of those foil hats

Can we borrow this thing for Bush's next press conference?

It is possible to read someone’s mind by remotely measuring their brain activity, researchers have shown. The technique can even extract information from subjects that they are not aware of themselves.

So far, it has only been used to identify visual patterns a subject can see or has chosen to focus on. But the researchers speculate the approach might be extended to probe a person’s awareness, focus of attention, memory and movement intention.

Best spare change line from a homeless guy ever

"Donate to save the filibuster."
- from the homeless guy who always sits on the M street bridge in Georgetown, as he was shaking his change cup at passerby

Questions the press should ask

Nieman Watchdog, a great site by the way, posts a list of questions the press should ask, adapted from The American Street blog.

A couple choice ones:

Q. For three years, we were regularly warned of potential terror attacks, at political conventions and sporting events, up to and including Election Day. It seemed like every time Bush was advancing an aggressive foreign policy move, or when he needed a distraction from a blunder (like Abu Ghraib), or his polling numbers were falling behind his political opponents for his election campaign, an alert would emanate. But there have been no terror alerts since November 14th’s downgrade - nearly 5 months. Were the alerts politically motivated, generating fear, knowing that the US electorate historically rallies behind a President when they’re fearful?

Q. Ever since the "culture of life" concept has been promoted by this administration, we’ve been treated to repetitive stories and photos of dying and dead people. The federal government intruded on a family matter with the Schiavos and Schindlers. Much hoopla was raised about the death of John Paul II, with numerous extensions of protocol violated (flags ordered to half-staff, the president attending his funeral, etc). If the "culture of life" requires that we confront the reality of death in such bold and dramatic ways, why does the ban remain on photographs of coffins of dead soldiers returning from Iraq?

See the original post.

You know you're a dick when...

The Note has some early excerpts from this Sunday's upcoming NY Times Magazine article on Abramoff:

''I just don't think members of Congress for the most part sell their votes or their ideology,'' [Abramaoff] told me. For the most part? ''Ahem!'' Lowell interjected. ''Hold on, hold on.'' Lowell stood and summoned his client from the table. The two men walked to a corner of the room and huddled with their arms around each other. After a minute or two Abramoff returned and sat down. ''I would say the same thing,'' he told me. ''I would say, generally speaking, that's the case.'' Generally speaking, that is."

There's a DEA museum?

Tired of all the museums on the mall? Consider visiting the Drug Enforcement Agency Museum and Visitor Center in Pentagon City.
You can check out an exhibit called Target America:

Starting with the horrific events of September 11, 2001 and moving back in time to the ancient Silk Road, this exhibit, entitled Target America: Drug Traffickers, Terrorists and You allows visitors to explore a global and historical overview of this deadly connection.

Hmmm. Narco-terrorists in ancient China taregeted Americans? Who knew?

Maybe stop by the gift shop to pick up one of these items:

A plush DEA eagle, soaring proudly no doubt.

Or maybe a $540 14K gold DEA special agent ring.

My favorite part, however, is that there is actually a Museum Foundation. I wonder if the foundation donors even recognize the absurdity of raising money to celebrate a country's failed war against its own people?

Internet creates opening for 3rd party

Surprise, surprise, Joe Trippi thinks the internet has fundamentally changed politics. Ronald Brownstein takes the storyline and runs to a possible John McCain-Bob Kerrey ticket. Can a MoveOn type group really propel a candidate? Kinky, are you listening?

Internet, Polarized Politics Create an Opening for a Third Party

Trippi believes an independent presidential candidate who struck a chord could organize support through the Internet just as inexpensively. "Somebody could come along and raise $200 million and have 600,000 people on the streets working for them without any party structure in the blink of an eye," he says....

In such an environment, imagine the options available to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) if he doesn't win the 2008 Republican nomination, and former Democratic Sen. Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, now that he's dropped his flirtation with running for mayor of New York. If the two Vietnam veterans joined for an all-maverick independent ticket, they might inspire a gold rush of online support — and make the two national parties the latest example of the Internet's ability to threaten seemingly impregnable institutions.

Gaia has a sense of humor

President Bush canceled an Earth Day visit today to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park because of threatened hail and thunderstorms, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said.

They say that violence is the last refuge of a desperate nation.

And violence under the guise of secrecy and outright lie such as BushCo has foisted upon the nation is the last refuge of a nation of thugs. Yes, I'm looking at you, Rummy. I'm looking at you, Cheney. I'm not looking at you, Karl Rove, because looking at you makes my colon clench and looking at you makes birds die and looking at you makes small children feel hopeless and lost, like the world is full of black venomous hate and bilious condescension that is aimed squarely at their heads, like a gun.

from the latest Mark Morford column. Great line, but a subpar column overall. I really wish liberals wouldn't always go back the "war for oil" plotline, as he does for most of the piece. There's a lot more going on -- not necessarily better reasons but other reasons like moronic neo-con ideology for instance -- and the war for oil bit immediately loses us all credibility with anyone not on our side.