Happy 2008

Resolutions. Scott Bateman.

-Diane

-Diane

Happy New Year Everyone...

I will be out of state Monday and Tuesday, at the (9th? who knows) annual New Years Beach Bonfire Extravaganza in the tiny little town of Huron, OH. I plan to start drinking at noon with the traditional beer chugging at the lighting of the charcoal ceremony...and continue drinking through to the champagne toast at the dawn breakfast buffet.

Any posts I make will probably involve pics of someone's bare ass(but definitely not Diane's) or maybe one of the turkeys, cooked on a Weber Grill. Hopefully clearer heads will prevail, but any group of people who start large roaring fires in the middle of the night on an Ohio beach in January...wellllll...let's just say that I might be regarded as the responsible one and leave it at that...

~SSquirrel

Heh heh

Another must read today. Digby's Bipartisan Zombies.


-Diane

Not a sunroof.

Via CNN:

Video image of the gunman that 'didn't' kill Benazir Bhutto.

I see Pakistani officials have said they're okay with exhuming the body for an autopsy. I imagine that's because it's so unlikely to happen per Muslim customs, let alone the body of a woman who is now martyred amongst her people.

-Diane

Bloomberg

Hmm...his name coming up in great articles twice in the same day. This is a must read for everyone who cares about the 99% of the nation who don't have ties to Dick Cheney and Halliburton.

A real war on poverty?

While I'd like to see more effort to end poverty as a global issue, I'll settle for real progress at any level right now.

-Diane

The '08 campaigning might just get a lot more interesting...

New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, a potential independent candidate for president, has scheduled a meeting next week with a dozen leading Democrats and Republicans, who will join him in challenging the major-party contenders to spell out their plans for forming a "government of national unity" to end the gridlock in Washington.

Those who will be at the Jan. 7 session at the University of Oklahoma say that if the likely nominees of the two parties do not pledge to "go beyond tokenism" in building an administration that seeks national consensus, they will be prepared to back Bloomberg or someone else in a third-party campaign for president.

Conveners of the meeting include such prominent Democrats as former senators Sam Nunn (Ga.), Charles S. Robb (Va.) and David L. Boren (Okla.), and former presidential candidate Gary Hart. Republican organizers include Sen. Chuck Hagel (Neb.), former party chairman Bill Brock, former senator John Danforth (Mo.) and former New Jersey governor Christine Todd Whitman.

Boren, who will host the meeting at the university, where he is president, said: "It is not a gathering to urge any one person to run for president or to say there necessarily ought to be an independent option. But if we don't see a refocusing of the campaign on a bipartisan approach, I would feel I would want to encourage an independent candidacy."

It looks real purty on paper, except for this:

"The important goal all of us share," Cohen said, "is to get government back to the center."

I dislike the word center when speaking of political issues almost as much as the words 'right-wing nut', but I'll try not to get too hung up on just that and keep an open mind for now. As diverse as this group is, they sound determined to work for the good of the nation rather than their individual parties. What a novel approach that would be after these 2 terms of hell.

-Diane

-Diane

A tourist walks past a giant ice sculpture of the pagodas at the Ice and Snow World in Harbin, in China's Heilongjiang province, December 23, 2007.

REUTERS/Stringer

Must Read

A tribute to a great writer. Bring kleenex.

Then be sure to read Jesse's remarks.

-Diane

Uh-oh.

-Diane

Saturday, In the Park...

I'm sorry, you neo-clowns were babbling about something...what was it again? Iran?...

~SS

Morning Moron: Huckleberry Clown...

"In light of what happened in Pakistan , it's interesting that there are more Pakistanis who have illegally crossed the border than of any other nationality except for those immediately south of our border," Huckabee said Friday.

Americans might "look halfway around the world and say, 'How does that affect me?' ... We need to understand that violence and terror is significant when it happens in Pakistan, [and] it's more significant if it can happen in our own cities. And it happens if people can slip across our border and we have no control over them."

"The immigration issue is not so much about people coming to pick lettuce or make beds, it's about people who could come with a shoulder-fired missile and could do serious damage and harm to us," Huckabee said, "and that's what we need to be worried about."


I worked in a rather large hotel after college and he's wrong about one thing for sure, hotel maids, especially the skinny ones with dark hair and dark eyes, those are definitely the ones you have to worry about... *lol*

~SS

Heh

Huckabee: 'The illegal immigrants killed Benazir Bhutto.'


-Diane

Countdown

Senator Dodd on Pakistan.

-Diane

Some people have all the fun...

A group in Brattleboro is petitioning to put an item on a town meeting agenda in March that would make Bush and Vice President Cheney subject to arrest and indictment if they visit the southeastern Vermont community.

"This petition is as radical as the Declaration of Independence, and it draws on that tradition in claiming a universal jurisdiction when governments fail to do what they're supposed to do," said Kurt Daims, 54, a retired machinist leading the drive.

As president, Bush has visited every state except Vermont.

Kurt Daims, people...Today's American Hero...

~S(heriff)Squirrel

WTF???

CRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush on Friday headed toward a constitutional confrontation with Congress over his effort to reject a sweeping defense bill.

Bush announced he would scuttle the bill with a "pocket veto" — essentially, letting the bill die without his signature 10 days after he received it, or the end of Dec. 31.

But that can happen only when Congress is not in session; otherwise, the bill becomes law without a formal veto in 10 days. And the Senate maintains it is in session because it has held brief — sometimes only seconds long — meetings every two or three days with only one senator present.

The White House's view is that Congress has adjourned.


Obvious stupidity right? If the White House believed their own bullshit they would have recess appointed a long list of their favorite assholes. So what are they trying to pull? And why?

NYT


“The new democratic government of Iraq, during this crucial period of reconstruction, cannot afford to have its funds entangled in such lawsuits in the United States,” Scott Stanzel, a White House spokesman, said in a statement.

Mr. Stanzel said the president objects to a section in the National Defense Authorization Act that would permit plaintiffs’ lawyers to freeze Iraqi funds and expose Iraq to “massive liability in lawsuits concerning the misdeeds of the Saddam Hussein regime.” At least one pending lawsuit reportedly seeks $1 billion or more.

President Bush issued a statement this afternoon that he was blocking the bill by a “pocket veto,” meaning he simply refuses to sign it. That refusal, while Congress is adjourned, prevents the bill from becoming law. For good measure, the president sent a “message of disapproval” to the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

Since the bill passed by big majorities in both Houses — far more than the two-thirds needed to override a veto — this latest dispute between the White House and Congressional Democrats could be resolved quickly, since neither side wants to be seen as doing anything to make military people unhappy.

So actually vetoing the bill makes him look stupid(hee, hee, wouldn't want that) and weak because he's being dictacted to by the government of Iraq(wimp junior!) and at the expense of the troops...

Mr. Reid and Ms. Pelosi were irate, asserting that the president was “bowing to the demands of the Iraqi government, which is threatening to withdraw billions of dollars invested in U.S. banks if this bill is signed.”

“The administration should have raised its objections earlier, when this issue could have been addressed without a veto,” the Democrats said. “The American people will have every right to be disappointed if the president vetoes this legislation, needlessly delaying implementation of the troops’ pay raise” and other items important to military families.

What fun! Be nice if the wankers at the Times read the AP and verse visa... *lol*

~SS

PS- They probably got it it right on Rawstory...

Nominees for Asshole of the Year...Vote Now!

Just the one, I'm thinking he's finally gonna get that landslide victory...

~SSquirrel

"Quiet" Period Ended "Today"

BAGHDAD - A car bomb detonated in a busy Baghdad market on Friday, police and hospital officials said, killing at least 14 people and ending what had been a relatively quiet holiday period in the Iraqi capital.



At least one woman and a child were among the dead, a police officer said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk to the press. Both the officer and a hospital official who also would not give his name, said 14 people were killed and 64 wounded.



The popular market in Tayaran Square — a predominantly Shiite area that has been targeted by insurgents in the past — was full of shoppers heading home from Friday prayers. In late May, a car bomb killed 23 people in the square.



Good thing the quiet period ended, the car bombs sound really loud when it's quiet...

~SSquirrel

Progress: New Hospital Opens...No Doctors...No Nurses...But Aren't You Being Picky?

An Iraqi man is treated for his wounds at a hospital in eastern Baghdad, Iraq, after being injured in a bombing on Thursday, Dec. 27, 2007. Police said a bomb left in a plastic bag inside a bus traveling through the mostly Shiite district of Baladiyat killed two passengers and injured ten.(AP Photo/ Karim Kadim)

~SS

Progress: Bad Guys Tanned, Rested, and "Feelin' Good"...

Members of the Shi'ite's Mehdi army march in Baghdad's Sadr City. The U.S. ambassador to Iraq praised Iran on Sunday for helping to curb Shi'ite militia violence in Iraq on Sunday, using some of the warmest language Washington has employed toward its arch foe over Iraq.(Kareem Raheem/Reuters)

Progress: Unemployment down 7%...

Rescue workers clear the rubble after a suicide truck bomb attack in Baiji December 25, 2007. The suicide truck bomb killed at least 20 people and wounded 80 in the northern Iraqi city of Baiji on Tuesday, the U.S. military and police said, in one of the deadliest attacks in Iraq in two weeks. A Reuters photographer on the scene said the attack targeted a security checkpoint on a road leading to a residential compound housing employees of Northern Oil Company.REUTERS/Bob Strong (IRAQ)

~SS

Progress: Truck sales up 9%...

People gather at the site of a bomb explosion near al-Mansour hotel in western Baghdad, 24 December 2007. A controversial surge in US troop numbers has cut the death toll in Iraq but prospects for reconciliation between its divided communities remain a distant dream as the conflict enters a New Year.(AFP/File/Ahmad Al-Rubaye)

~SS

Tigers?...Tigers are Pussies...

I think I'll go see Alien vs. Predator:Requiem...just to soothe my nerves

~S(nacksize)Squirrel

Another brick in the wall...

~SS

The Goo Goo Dolls: "Better Days"

-Diane

He's everywhere!

"A plush, earnest Jesus. His bracelet reads "WWID" Approx 11" tall."


I ain't sayin' nothin'.

-Diane

CNN: Wolf Blitzer from the Situation Room reports on an email that he could not disclose except for in the event of the death of former Prime Minister Bhutto. As you all know by now, today was that day.

-Diane

3900

The Toll.


-Diane

Great White North...

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), facing his toughest reelection battle in decades as he fends off allegations of ethical improprieties, is now finding himself with a familiar opponent from his own party.

Millionaire banker David Cuddy, who challenged Stevens from the right in a 1996 Republican primary, announced that he would be challenging the six-term senator again in 2008. Cuddy formerly served in the state legislature and has recently headed a film studio based in Texas.

Stevens has been tarred lately as he faces charges of ethical misconduct that have enveloped much of the state’s political leadership. In July, the FBI raided one of his homes as part of a wide-ranging corruption investigation into ties between Alaska politicians and the oil services giant VECO. The company allegedly provided labor for renovations to the senator’s home in Girdwood, Alaska — a charge that Stevens has refuted.

The Alaska primary is scheduled for Aug. 26, 2008.

Democrats are also targeting Stevens’ seat in 2008 and are hoping to land their top recruit, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, who has been courted by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Begich has not yet committed to entering the race. A recently conducted Research 2000 poll, commissioned by the liberal website Daily Kos, showed Begich defeating Stevens, 47 percent to 41 percent, in a head-to-head contest.


The current Democratic field features former state Rep. Ray Metcalfe and Unalaska city councilor Rocky Caldero. Stevens reported banking $1.07 million in his campaign account at the end of September 2007.

A pickup in Alaska? It could happen, don't count on it, the state is mostly male...not that there's anything wrong with that...well there is but let's not hurt their feelings...

~SSquirrel

The Hearse By the Side of The Road...

He lit a match,
To check gas tank,
that's why they call him,
Chimpy McFlight suit,

Burma Shave...

~SSquirrel

More Progress...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Umm Doha cuts hair and waxes eyebrows in secret from her living room because making women look pretty can get a person killed in her Sunni-dominated Baghdad neighborhood.

Hardline Muslim extremists who believe it is sinful for women to appear beautiful in public have forced many beauticians to move their trade underground.

Sunni and Shiite militants began blowing up salons roughly two years ago. They killed several stylists and bullied others into putting down their scissors and makeup brushes for good, all in an effort to stamp out what they view as the corrupting spread of Western culture.

Besides beauty salons, militants have also targeted liquor stores, barber shops and Christian churches.

"See this salon?" said the stylist Kifah, as she deftly lopped off a woman's dark hair into smart layers in her east Baghdad establishment. "It's never been empty, not through the Iraq-Iran war, the Gulf war or this war. Women are women, they always want to look good."


Put down the hair dryer and slowly back away...

~S(alon de)Squirrel

Benazir Bhutto Shot, 'Sploded...

Bhutto, 54, was shot at close range as she waved to supporters from the rooftop opening of a bulletproof car, witnesses said. Seconds later, a suicide bomber detonated explosives just behind Bhutto's car. The explosion killed at least 15 people, and injured many others.

Also Thursday, at a different pre-election rally in this garrison city, a rooftop sniper opened fire on supporters of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif leaving four dead and at least five injured.

More evidence of progress as Chimpy McChumpy wanders down the path of his secret plan to make it safe for Americans to hide under our beds and vote Repuke by absentee ballot. (No ID required there)

S(ewerside)Squirrel

As the world turns...

These are the Days of Our Lives...'jus sayin'

~SS

Wednesday Monkey Blogging

-Diane

Merry day after Christmas

Could I ask a favor of all 2 of my readers? Would y'all go 'digg' my article at Raw Story? Much appreciate, thanks. More later.

-Diane

Campaign Acorns...

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Iowa's Likely Caucus Participants shows that it's now Huckabee 28%, Romney 27%, and the man endorsed by the Des Moines Register, John McCain, in third at 14%.

This is the second Rasmussen Reports poll released this week to show Huckabee losing his lead and falling back into a tie with Romney. In South Carolina, both Huckabee and Romney now earn 33% of the vote.

...


The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of the NH shows Romney with 31% support, McCain at 27% and no one else close. Rudy Giuliani attracts 13% and Huckabee barely reaches double digits at 11%.

This is the first time any candidate has been within single digits of Romney in several months. It remains to be seen whether this is a temporary bounce or a lasting change.

Before the latest endorsements, it was Romney 33% and McCain 18%. In late-November, Romney led by nineteen points. Earlier in November he was up by fifteen.


If I was a betting SSquirrel, and I am, I still wouldn't touch this race with your credit card.

~SS

Morning Moron...Patrick Healy...

In seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, Mrs. Clinton lays claim to two traits nearly every day: strength and experience. But as the junior senator from New York, she has few significant legislative accomplishments to her name. She has cast herself, instead, as a first lady like no other: a full partner to her husband in his administration, and, she says, all the stronger and more experienced for her “eight years with a front-row seat on history.”


Shorter Patrick Healy, she wasn't the President. Well Duhhh! She was however, one of his closest advisors, not even Resume Richardson claims that. Not to mention several terms as first lady of Arkansas, or eight years on the armed services committee.

Arguing she doesn't have "unique experience" is stupidity that should be left to morons at Faux Newds who spent a decade screaming about a "co-Presidency"...

Pffffft...

~SSquirrel

PS How many copies of Ann "false religon" Coulter's book did you get as a "joke gift"? I got two...Mom's such a card...

Got Milk...

Fog is putting a damper on post-holiday travel for those coming home to Detroit today. Low visibility has forced many planes to be held at their departing points.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop at 6:26 a.m. and again at 8 a.m. Wednesday for flights heading to Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus.

WOW

~SS

You Flushed What?

Don't ask...

~SS

Merry Christmas Diane...

From all of us to you...

~SSquirrel

Happy Holidays,

Diane

From that conservative bastion, Fox news...

Biker Jesus. Surfer Jesus. Skateboarder Jesus. Quarterback Jesus ... Even Bullrider Jesus.

Those are just some of the "inspired" creations of Eric Dyson, who claims divine inspiration in his decision to create a line of Jesus action figures.

"I am always with you," is the message Dyson says God told him after the death of his father left him despondent.

"My father was my foundation and guide and the loss of him in my life was devastating," Dyson writes on his Web site, wearefishermen.com.

He says his soul searching and the "comforting message" from God led him to a vision: "Jesus the Christ on a motorcycle riding across the open roads of America."

And so was born Fishermen, Inc., manufacturing a line of Jesus action figures — complete with a crown of thorns — each representing a different message: Strength (bullrider), Faith (quarterback), Freedom (biker), Hope (panhandler), Victory (soccer star), Peace (hippie), Spirit (surfer) and Youth (skaterboarder).

Each figure sells for between $20 and $30, and is marketed through Christian retail stores.

Dyson's not alone in his marketing of Jesus and religion.

Don Levine, the creator of G.I. Joe action figures, is marketing a line of action figures called "Almighty Heroes," featuring Samson and other Bible characters.

I'm gonna have to report this to The General.

-Diane

Get yer ass in Iraq, oh, and happy holidays...

White House press secretary Dana Perino said Bush knows that it's hard for the children of U.S. servicemen and women to understand why their fathers and mothers cannot be home for the holidays. Bush said that when the children are older, he thinks they'll understand and appreciate their parents' sacrifice, Perino said.

"He said he couldn't thank them enough for their contribution to their country, hopes they are in high spirits, and that they are serving a cause that is very noble," Perino said. "He said, `I know that you miss your family.' "

This military family's spirits aren't too high, and his newborn child might not live long enough to understand why daddy couldn't be there in the ICU:

During his two tours in Iraq, Army Sgt. Chris Williams has been in many firefights, but a battle with military brass over a leave extension as his newborn son clings to life has been the scariest and most frustrating of his career.

"It's a lot more stressful," he said Sunday afternoon during an interview at Munster Community Hospital in Indiana, where doctors are monitoring his son, Gabriel, around the clock.

"I'm an adult, I'm in the Army," said Williams, 24, of Crown Point, Ind. "If something happens to me, I can deal with it. But when it's your kid, it's a lot scarier than anything I've ever been in before."

The Army says Williams' country needs him more than his family does.

"They are fighting a war," said Catherine Caruso, a spokeswoman at Ft. Lewis, near Tacoma, Wash., where Williams' unit is based. "Even one person missing does have an impact. Sometimes, hard decisions get made."

Gabriel Douglas Williams was born Tuesday, a seemingly healthy boy weighing in at nearly 10 pounds. But he developed a lung infection that put him in the intensive care unit.

One of his doctors, Kongiet Thaera, said the next few days could be critical for young Gabriel -- and that the first-time father should remain close by.

"I don't think they should separate Dad [from his son] at this time," he said, stepping off the floor of the neo-natal intensive care unit for a moment to update Williams.

"OK, take care," the doctor added, giving Williams an encouraging hug. "I hope they give you a break."

Initially told by officials at Ft. Lewis that he had been granted an extension to his leave until Jan. 3, Williams learned Sunday morning that it has been rescinded by his commander in Iraq, who left the soldier a voice mail message that Williams would be "making it harder on himself" if he did not get on the first available plane.

Someone has to take the twin's place in Iraq.

-Diane

Today's Must Read

The sad, lonely life of a troll.


-Diane

-Diane

Stately Dept. of Condi's Bull-Shit...

The Iranian government has decided "at the most senior levels" to rein in the violent Shiite militias it supports in Iraq, a move reflected in a sharp decrease in sophisticated roadside bomb attacks over the past several months, according to the State Department's top official on Iraq.

Tehran's decision does not necessarily mean the flow of those weapons from Iran has stopped, but the decline in their use and in overall attacks "has to be attributed to an Iranian policy decision," David M. Satterfield, Iraq coordinator and senior adviser to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, said in an interview.

He declined to discuss specific evidence. "We are confident that decisions involving the strategy pursued by the IRGC are made at the most senior levels of the Iranian government," Satterfield said, referring to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. The administration has used that formulation in the past to insist that IRGC training and supplies for militias in Iraq were ordered by Tehran's highest clerical leaders.

Allegations, but as always no evidence, and no mention of facts like over 40% of all suicide bombers were of Saudi origin...

~SS

(I'm off to wander the vast expanses of Great Lakes Mall, Merry Christmas everybody, stay safe and warm)

Shop, I thought I'd die...

Going to a huge mall always leads me to the same conclusion...It's too easy to get a drivers license in Michigan...

McCain in Baghdad, from Scott Bateman.

-Diane

John F. Kennedy with his family in a photo from the National Archives. One of the stops on this year's popular White House tour of holiday decorations is the collection of Christmas cards from previous presidents and first ladies. But noticeably missing is the card from 1963. It is the rarest and most tragic of the presidential cards because it was not sent out after Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.
(National Archives/Handout/Reuters)

-Diane

Ron Paul on Meet the Press 12-23-07

Part One.




Part Two.



Part Three.



Part Four.

Lil' Timmeh Russert hands Ron Paul his ass on an $18M dollar platter. Paul came away looking weak and ineffectual, not leader of the free world material.

-Diane

PS- Pt4 is now pt4

The 'Liberal Media' Myth shot all to hell

From Reuters yesterday afternoon:

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp (NWSa.N: Quote, Profile, Research) will sell eight U.S. television stations to private equity firm Oak Hill Partners for about $1.1 billion.

I couldn't help but wonder who was buying up tv stations in an election year, so a quick check of Oak Hill Partners :

Oak Hill Capital Partners traces its roots to Robert M. Bass, one of the four brothers who founded Bass Brothers Enterprises in Fort Worth, Texas.

From Texas, eh? A little more checking as a Texas based company raised my eyebrows right away:

Robert Muse Bass is a Texas billionaire worth approximately $5.46 billion as of 2006.

Bass was born into an extremely wealthy family with an uncle, Sid Richardson, worth $810 million. He and his three brothers Lee, Ed, and Sid Bass all attended Yale University, where they solidified their moneyed and political connections. Ed Bass was a classmate and personal friend of George W. Bush, and the brothers, especially Lee Bass, helped Bush financially both before and throughout his political career. Working together with his brothers as Bass Brothers Enterprises and independently, Robert Bass made many lucrative investments through his own firm, the Robert M. Bass Group, later Keystone Inc. Most recently, in 2004 he started Aerion Corp to develop supersonic corporate jets, which is the beneficiary of lucrative Federal DARPA contracts.

The stations included in the sale are WJW in Cleveland, Ohio; KDVR in Denver, Colorado; and WGHP in Greensboro, North Carolina; KTVI in St. Louis, Missouri; WDAF in Kansas City, Missouri; WITI in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; KSTU in Salt Lake City, Utah; and WBRC in Birmingham, Alabama.

Wonder what, if any effect republican control over these stations will have in the coming elections?

-Diane

Update: Crikey, it gets worse:

"In a separate statement, Oak Hill said the stations would be jointly managed by Local TV, a broadcast holding company Oak Hill created earlier this year to acquire nine stations from the New York Times Company."

-Diane

Eating their Own...

CONCORD, N.H. -- Delivering the journalistic equivalent of a giant lump of coal three days before Christmas, the Concord Monitor editorial board has leveled an extraordinary broadside against Mitt Romney, declaring in an editorial to be published in Sunday's paper that the former Massachusetts governor "must be stopped" in his quest for the Republican presidential nomination.

The Monitor has not yet endorsed in either party's primary. Instead, it issued an unusual anti-endorsement dripping with scorn under the headline "Romney should not be the next president.


"The piece begins: "If you were building a Republican presidential candidate from a kit, imagine what pieces you might use: an athletic build, ramrod posture, Reaganesque hair, a charismatic speaking style and a crisp dark suit. You'd add a beautiful wife and family, a wildly successful business career and just enough executive government experience. You'd pour in some old GOP bromides -- spending cuts and lower taxes -- plus some new positions for 2008: anti-immigrant rhetoric and a focus on faith.

"Add it all up and you get Mitt Romney, a disquieting figure who sure looks like the next president and most surely must be stopped."


Ann Coulter, whose motto is surely "Fuck my country as long as I get paid", was on Fuk'd News last night (taped, Geraldo's show) and said Romney can't be our President because he's a good looking guy who as President would be a walking billboard who would recruit people to a "false religon". Her latest book sales were for shit BTW...

~SS

Santa Bring Me Presents...

The chairman of one of the presidential campaigns, a longtime party activist, said, after soliciting a promise of anonymity: "There is no party here anymore. It's just a shell."


DES MOINES -- For three decades, the Republican presidential nominating contest has served to unify the national party's coalition of social, economic and foreign policy conservatives in advance of a general election fight with Democrats.

This year, it is ripping that coalition apart.

...

The party's soul-searching is unfolding in a sour environment: two states where the GOP was walloped by Democrats in 2006, leaving the surviving Republicans in Iowa and New Hampshire grappling with an identity crisis of their own. In dozens of interviews last week, many Republicans said they are frustrated.


Excellent article in today's post. It's tempting to look at the parallels with Nixon and what might have happened if Nixon had used the war to stall impeachment 'til the end of his term. If the Repugs had remained loyal to Trickle Dick would we have a Republican party anymore...

~S(hopping)Squirrel

Magic Power

My power's been out all morning...Ahhhh...fresh coffee...

~SS

Bruce Springsteen: "Long Walk Home"

-Diane

Another list.

Bill Maher's picks for biggest assholes of 2007.


-Diane

Caption this.

-Diane

Longstanding hatred of the DFH's

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover had a plan to suspend the rules against illegal detention and arrest up to 12,000 Americans he suspected of being disloyal, according to a newly declassified document.

Hoover sent his plan to the White House on July 7, 1950, less than two weeks after the Korean War began. But there is no evidence to suggest that President Truman or any subsequent president approved any part of Hoover's proposal to house suspect Americans in military and federal prisons.

Hoover had wanted Truman to declare the mass arrests necessary to "protect the country against treason, espionage and sabotage," The New York Times reported Saturday in a story posted on its website.

The plan called for the FBI to apprehend all potentially dangerous individuals whose names were on a list Hoover had been compiling for years.

"The index now contains approximately twelve thousand individuals, of which approximately ninety-seven% are citizens of the United States," Hoover wrote in the now-declassified document. "In order to make effective these apprehensions, the proclamation suspends the writ of habeas corpus."

Not surprising for Hoover, actually. Although I wonder if this plan has been eyeballed in recent years and salivated over during martini hour?


-Diane

Slow Loris

This cute lil' fella(?) is called the Slow Loris, and is a native of Sumatra. I came across the photos late last night and don't recall where now, but I believe it was one of the UK news sites. I did save a bit of information about him.


A favorite 'pet' because he's so damn cute -- look at those eyes -- but the practice of preparing them to sell for pets is a cruel thing. I recall the photographer stated that as he watched the 'preparations' they included using a pair of nail clippers to cut the creatures sharp teeth down, to prevent serious injury from biting. The loris isn't given anything for pain as this is done, and it was said that the loris screamed and howled in agony during the process. Also mentioned was that the preparations for sale often led to severe -- and often fatal -- infections, such as septicimia, or traumatic shock also resulting in death.

The status of the slow loris was upgraded at a meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. However, in spite of the legislation, slow lorises are frequently smuggled from Sumatra by wildlife dealers and sold in their hundreds in the pet markets in Jakarta.

-Diane

Home Sweet Home...

The Lighting Ceremony...




Last Year with half as many lights...





I'll probably tape it with my camera, these were just some already on youtube. It is quite a sight...makes for a helluva trafic jam when you live here though, but I lived next to Cedar Point for ten years so this isn't too bad...

~SSquirrel

More Lights...

100 yards from my house...

~SS

Some people really, really get into lights at Christmas.

-Diane

Violent outbreak that began in the city council chambers in New Orleans when the council voted to demolish public housing.

-Diane

Gitmo detainee is free on bail for the first time in 5 years.

-Diane

-Diane

What's the profit margin on childhood leukemia anyway?

Britt Hume is teh Morning Moron...

David Fiderer

Brit Hume's Political Grapevine is the one segment on Special Report where his deceitfulness shows up night after night, year after year. Don't take my word for it. Just access the Political Grapevine archive, which, unfortunately, only goes back a few months.

""A student at Hamline University in Minnesota has been suspended and ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation for advocating the carrying of legal concealed weapons on campus.

"TownHall.com reports Troy Scheffler made the case in an e-mail to a school official that licensed gun owners could stop or prevent the kind of violence that struck Virginia Tech earlier this year. He pointed out that research has indicated the possibility of armed resistance discourages potential criminals. And he noted that many Virginia Tech students have said the massacre there would not have happened if the school had not banned concealed weapons.

But even though the school has a policy that guarantees students will be free to discuss all questions of interest and express their opinions openly, the dean of students says Scheffler's e-mail was deemed to be threatening. Scheffler was placed on interim suspension, which will only be lifted after he agrees to a psychological evaluation."

Except when you read Scheffler's e-mail to the university president, the focus was not so much on "research" and "discouraging potential criminals." In fact there was no mention of any "research." It was more about painting swastikas on bathroom walls - as an expression of frustration at all those non-white non-Christians attending Hamline University. Here are some salient passages with the original spelling and grammar:

"I was wondering why a swastika painted by some frustrated ladies in their bathroom turned somehow into red flags of a hate crime but you dont consider an asian guy admittedly killing people because he hated them not hate motivated...


"For a 'Christian' university, I am very disappointed in Hamline. With the motif of the curriculum, the atheist professors, jewish and other non-Christian staff, I would charge the school with wanton misrepresentation..."



OMG...I guess Christian is code for "white" to Fixd Noise viewers, do these people really believe they are Christians? How can they? And what church do they attend? I really, really, really cannot grasp where these people come from. It's been a long time since I've been in a Church but I'm Catholic and I figure all the four masses a week as an Altar Boy crap as a kid oughta be good for at least a decade or two off...'cides I've heard they really toned it down and only have Hamster Sacrifices like at the early mass...(My mother hates that joke)...

~S(ister Mary)Squirrel

As an assignment, a grade school teacher had her students write a speech for the president, and then had the best ones recorded by master Bush impersonator Jim Meskimen, who does the Bush voice for all the JibJab films. From Scott Bateman.

-Diane

Bush'd

BAGHDAD — When Leila Nasser was six months pregnant, U.S. soldiers burst into her house and wrestled away her husband, Mohammed Amin, who was asleep on the roof, trying to escape the summer heat.

This week, Nasser waited outside what's now called the "reconciliation hall" in Baghdad's Jihad neighborhood for Amin to appear. In her arms she cradled her year-old son, whom she'd named Moubin, the Iraqi word for apparent.

"I called him Moubin hoping that his father would appear for his eyes," she said. Moubin had never met his father.

Now Amin was one of 15 detainees who'd be released as part of a reconciliation program that the U.S. military's 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment put together in hopes of easing tensions in this divided neighborhood. But the release showed how far reconciliation has to go.

More than 25,000 Iraqis are now in U.S. detention facilities. The Jihad reconciliation committee of Sunni and Shiite Muslims had requested that 562 men be released. Last month, 48 people were released, but 40 more were detained.

Most of those held are never charged with crimes. Sometimes Iraqis are detained because of a tip from a neighbor or because a few cables and cleaning agents are mistaken for bomb-making material.

Nasser said that there was no evidence linking her husband to Shiite Muslim militias. "They destroyed the house with us in it," she said of the U.S. soldiers. "The reason? Because he has a revolver, a revolver that he puts under his pillow to defend me and my daughter."

A member of the reconciliation committee, eavesdropping interrupted her.

"Talk about reconciliation," he instructed.

"Reconciliation? Which reconciliation? What did we understand from the reconciliation?" Nasser asked. "It's been one year and three months and he did nothing."

Nasser counts Amin's detention in more than just time — one year, three months and four days. She also counts it in the days she's had to be a single mother to her daughter, Banin, now 3. She counts it in the joy she couldn't share with her husband when their son was born. He wasn't there as security in Jihad deteriorated and Sunnis and Shiites separated into their own enclaves. When a tenuous stability returned, she couldn't celebrate with her husband.

"He never prayed in a Husseiniyah," she said, referring to Shiite places of worship, "or in a mosque, and he doesn't get involved in anyone's business." The tears began to flow. The Americans divided Iraqis, she said, by accusing all Sunnis of being insurgents and all Shiites of being aligned with militias. "I swear to God I didn't recognize people as Sunni or Shiite until after the collapse," she said, referring to the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime.

"Our lives are full of injustice. ...God willing all the detainees will be released," she said. "We tasted bitterness, no salaries — we have nothing. We suffered so much."

I actually remember this family from a photo that I posted here, I believe it was of the family's home, showing the aftermath of the US raid that took Amin away to detention.

It's nice to see that they are still alive, and back together. It would be nicer still to see and hear from them again in happier times, should they come in their lifetimes, or mine.

-Diane

Top 10 Quotes of 2007

From CNN.

-Diane

-Diane

Koffee Break Koncert...

Ya know, maybe it's the song, Bobby, Brittany...and did'ja catch the sister reference?

~SS *lol*

Seriously?

Dec. 21 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. antitrust regulators are making inquiries about pricing practices in the chocolate industry, makers of the confectionary said.

Mars Inc., the maker of M&Ms, was contacted by the Justice Department and plans to cooperate with officials ``if they initiate an investigation,'' spokeswoman Alice Nathanson said yesterday in a statement.

Nestle SA's U.S. unit said it was aware of a preliminary inquiry into chocolate marketing practices and planned to ``cooperate fully,'' according to a company statement.

Chocolate makers, which are being probed in Canada over price-fixing allegations, are struggling to maintain profits as the price of milk rises. Milk futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange have jumped 51 percent since the start of the year as demand for U.S. dairy exports, especially from China and Latin America, outpaced production.


Good 'ol Dept. Formerly Known As Justice, nice to know they found something to do...

~SS

I'm a Republican!...Really!...I Voted For Nixon!

Al Kamen

GOP mega-contributor Sam Fox, the Swift boat backer who received a controversial recess appointment to be ambassador to Belgium, has arranged for special, one-kilo (2.2-pound) bars of superb, dark Belgian chocolate, stamped with the State Department seal, to be given as Christmas presents.

The Belgians are speculating that President Bush, a renowned chocophile who shopped for chocolates on trips to Belgium in 2001 and 2005, will most surely find one of these under the tree Christmas morning.

That bar would be part of a 1,700-bar order that Fox placed with famed Antwerp chocolatier Erik Goossens, whose company specializes in high-end chocolates. Most likely, several other White House aides and administration officials will be getting the prized chocolates.


Before you head off to E-Bay to bid against me, you can get a one pound Hershey bar at Krogers for 30 dollars...though anyone who regards the duty free at Orly as a chance to buy Goossens chocolate is already long gone...

~S(alivating)Squirrel

Morning Moron...

"Mitt Romney acknowledged yesterday that he never saw his father march with Martin Luther King Jr. as he asserted in a nationally televised speech this month," says the Boston Globe, "and historical evidence shows that Michigan's Governor George Romney and the civil rights leader never did march together.

"Romney said his father had told him he had marched with King and that he had been using the word 'saw' in a 'figurative sense.'

" 'If you look at the literature, if you look at the dictionary, the term 'saw' includes being aware of in the sense I've described,' Romney told reporters in Iowa. 'It's a figure of speech and very familiar, and it's very common. And I saw my dad march with Martin Luther King. I did not see it with my own eyes, but I saw him in the sense of being aware of his participation in that great effort.' "


Willard ponders the meaning of the word "saw", Now that IS ironic, ISn't it???

~S(ought I SAW a puddy-cat)Squirrel

Like I Was Saying...

EJ Dionne Jr


"If you had to bet, you'd wager that the Republican establishment will eventually crush Huckabee. But the rebellion he is leading is a warning to Republicans. The faithful are restive, tired of being used and no longer willing to do the bidding of a crowd that subordinates Main Street's values to Wall Street's interests."

I like EJ, just wish he'd stop copying off me...

"Reverend Huckleberry?...Hmmmm...possible, he scares the crap out of the people who control the Repugnant Party. He could actually believe that feed the poor, heal the sick, Christian shit...They can't allow that, they'd rather have Hillary..."

~S(cribe)Squirrel *lol*

TGIF

*sob*

Stop pickin' on Britney Spear's little sister!


-Diane

The Killers: "Mr. Brightside"


-Diane

Caption this.

-Diane

Actual audio from a bizarre 1963 film where two children take a magic helicopter to visit Santa. Animated by Scott Bateman (Salon.com, PlumTV).

-Diane

A man lights a cigarette in front of a giant lantern during the Christmas Lantern Festival in San Fernando, Pampanga, north of Manila December 15, 2007. The lantern festival is held annually by the local government to promote and attract local and foreign tourists. Each lantern, which took two months to prepare by at least 20 people, has more than 3,000 bulbs and measures 20 feet (6 m) in diameter. REUTERS/Cheryl Ravelo (PHILIPPINES)


-Diane

Hooray!

They'll be right back.


-Diane

If you can stand it, Ann Coulter declares Huckabee 'stupid and easily led.'


-Diane

The 'Best' of 2007

Megalomania on parade.

-Diane

Sniper on the sandy dune

A single trained marksman is suspected of killing seven British soldiers in separate attacks in Iraq, an inquest heard on Thursday.

The sniper's victims are thought to include Cpl Rodney Wilson, who was killed when he was shot in the back while trying to rescue an injured colleague in Basra.

Analysis of the bullet which struck him showed it was fired from the same American-made weapon which has been involved in the deaths of six other servicemen in the city.

The MoD refused to name the other 6 victims.

-Diane

Oh my.

When a mayor of New York leaves office, little goes out the door but memories — unless he's Rudy Giuliani. Government rules discourage the city's most powerful officeholder from departing with more than token gifts collected on the job.

Ed Koch, mayor from 1978 to 1989, recalls keeping some neckties. His successor, David Dinkins, walked away with knickknacks from his desk, including a crystal tennis ball and a collection of photographs documenting his meetings with celebrities and business icons.

When Giuliani stepped down, he needed a warehouse.


-Diane

Thursday(really) Koffee Break Koncert...

And a little something for the MSM and their Jamie Lynn obsession...





~S(ubversive)Squirrel

Caption This...

I'll go first...

"What's for breakfast? Arnolds Benedict?...

~SS

"Smells Like...Victory!...Teen Spirit?

BAGHDAD -- A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a city council meeting in a town northeast of Baghdad on Thursday, killing 14 civilians during a four-day Islamic holiday, a morgue official said.

The U.S. military said one soldier was killed and 10 were wounded.

An official with the Diyala hospital morgue in Baqouba, who asked not to be identified as he was not authorized to release the information, said 13 bodies were brought in to the morgue after the attack in the town of Kanaan, and that a wounded civilian later died.

The U.S. military gave a different casualty toll, saying one soldier and five civilians were killed, while 10 soldiers and one civilian were injured. The reason for the discrepancy in the death tolls was not immediately known.

The policeman also said the soldiers were handing out gifts to a group of people for the Eid al-Adha holiday when the attack took place. The military later denied the soldiers were handing out anything to civilians.

In Baghdad, a car bomb exploded outside a liquor store, killing four civilians and wounding 36, police said.

Meanwhile, U.S. soldiers carrying out operations in volatile Diyala province north of Baghdad found mass graves next to what they called a torture center where chains were attached to blood-spattered walls and a metal bed frame was still connected to an electrical shock system, the military said.


Yeah, things are just peachy keen in good 'ol E-Rack, Electrical Shock Systems Inc. has an IPO next week that's looking like a real oppurtunity for you little Iraqi Junior Acheiver scamps...'member what Prez-nit W said, "A trust fund is a terrible thing to waste.."

"blood spattered walls...there is no substitute..."


~S(U-boat Commander)Squirrel

Morning Moron..

Bush stuck to the White House line that he personally did not know about either the existence of the tapes or their destruction until he was briefed earlier this month by CIA Director Michael Hayden.

"Sounds pretty clear to me when I say I have _ the first recollection is when Mike Hayden briefed me. That's pretty clear," Bush said.


I see nothing...nothing...

~S(gt. Schultz)Squirrel

The Other White Meat...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Doctors gave Republican Rudy Giuliani the all clear to go home to New York City after the presidential candidate spent the night in a St. Louis hospital with flu-like symptoms, his campaign said Thursday.

Seems a bit of an over reaction for "flu like" symptoms...Maybe his "other" prostate is acting up...Good 'ol Guli, that excuse worked before when he was getting his ass kicked...

~S(atan Claus)Squirrel (He's out there...)

Broder...Weirdness Abides...

"A bit over a week ago, almost everything seemed normal. True, Mike Huckabee had come out of nowhere, trailing clouds of piety and home-school wisdom, to seize the lead among Republicans contending in Iowa. And thousands of Oprah-crazed Barack Obama fans were threatening to dethrone Mrs. Hillary before Loyal Spouse Bill could ride to the rescue. But upsets are par for the course out in the cornfields.


Then, on a Wednesday afternoon, it turned very weird..."

David attempts humor, and comes pretty close...mostly...

~SS

Shades of Chuck Colson...

Inter-nets a little bloggy today, maybe teh hamsters are staging a union thingy...

~SS

Ron Paul Is a Nut...

And what is a SSquirrel's favorite thing to eat? Victoria's Secret models of course...But back to Ron Paul and certain people who imply that there is something wrong with my idea of voting for Ron Paul in the Michigan Primary Election. There is no point for me in voting on the Democratic Ballot, Edwards isn't on it, and voting uncommitted is silly...

So why not screw with the Repukes? All you have to do is ask for a Repuke ballot. Now what's the best way to cause trouble in the Repugnant Party...

So I ask myself "Self, what's the most trouble I can cause in this particular sitiation?"

The weakest candidate? Puh-lease...

Skull-face?, even Repukes are starting to figure out that it's even odds he gets indicted before November for something, even if it's just marrying his cousin...

Romney, the Mormon Mannequin?, his poll numbers are bought and paid for...he's rich but he can't buy a personality...nobody likes Romney...nobody...

Reverend Huckleberry?...Hmmmm...possible, he scares the crap out of the people who control the Repugnant Party. He could actually believe that feed the poor, heal the sick, Christian shit...They can't allow that, they'd rather have Hillary...

Senator "Lovechild" McCain? He loves defense contractors, and Holy Joe loves him...but hell, I'd rather vote for Hillary...and she loves defense contractors too...


Well I thought "Are there any anti-war candidates?". There's one...Ron Paul...

What better message to send? Repugnicans in Michigan are against the war...that'll scare the crap out of congressional Repukes...hopefully...

I do not support Ron Paul, I just think he could be...useful...

PS Pellet guns? Seriously? Pellet guns? I've been hit by pellet guns many times, but I'm not ten any more...I've got a Winchester Repeater that looks like a pellet gun, but I'm pretty sure that's an homage to what I have not the other way 'round. Don't make me go Daniel Boone on yur ass... *lol*

~S(Coon skin)Squirrel

stuff

Hi y'all, thought I'd fill you in on what I've been up to as I've been mostly absent of late.

If you check out Raw Story during the day, surely you've noticed the headlines that are constantly changing from too long, to hopefully just right, not to mention trying not to include any words that upset the Google advertisers. That would be me making that mess.

I start the day at about 5am with a *lot* of coffee, then tracking down news, putting it up on the site, and repeating the process as many times as possible during my shift. I'll eventually get on a regular schedule(I'm assuming here)and then be back here when I'm able, which hopefully will be more than at present.

Thanks to the Squirrel for keeping the joint going. Iffen he starts talking crazy shit again -- like voting for Ron Paul -- someone get a pellet gun, would ya? Thanks.

Hope you're all taking time during the season to enjoy it a bit, and maybe sharing a little of your happiness with those who have none.

Peace,

-Diane

'It's a horrible life'

Yet another parody of "It's a Wonderful Life" with a leader of the free world twist.

-Diane

Suicide in the trenches

MSNBC: "Pfc. Jason Scheuerman nailed a suicide note to his barracks closet in Iraq, stepped inside and shot himself. His family says he was failed by the support system meant to protect him."

This I leave as my last message to those who I leave behind. I know you think Im a coward for this but in the face of existing as I am now I have no other choice. As the 1st Sgt said all I have to look forward to is a butt-buddy in jail, not much of a future.

I dont want to know what you people think I have going for me to think I should want to live, trust me, I have nothing. I have done nothing but bring dishonor to this unit, myself, but most importantly my family. I wanted one last chance to say goodbye to them but that was taken away like everything else.

Id like also to say goodbye to (blacked out) and (blacked out) the two people that have held me together until now. Split my things up amoung the platoon, after all that why people tolerated me, it's funny how getting your things taken away brings out the truth in people.

Maybe finaly I can get rid of these demons, maybe finaly I can get some peace.

Scheuerman

I knew a simple soldier boy
Who grinned at life in empty joy,
Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,
And whistled early with the lark.

In winter trenches, cowed and glum,
With crumps and lice and lack of rum,
He put a bullet through his brain.
No one spoke of him again.


You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when soldier lads march by,
Sneak home and pray you'll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go.

-- Siegfried Sassoon


-Diane

Bush Country

Coalition forces found 26 bodies buried in mass graves and a bloodstained "torture complex," with chains hanging from walls and ceilings and a bed connected to an electrical system, the military said Wednesday.


The troops made the discovery while conducting an operation north of Muqdadiya, Iraq.

From December 8-11, the troops who found the complex also killed 24 people they said were terrorists and detained 37 suspects, according to a statement issued by Multinational Division North at Camp Speicher in Tikrit.

The moves were part of an operation called Iron Reaper that has been in progress across northern Iraq for the past few weeks.

The complex was in an area thought to be an al Qaeda in Iraq haven and operating base, the military said. Iraqis had told the military about the site during an earlier operation.

"Evidence of murder, torture and intimidation against local villagers was found throughout the area," the military statement said.

Ground forces first found what appeared to be a detention facility, which was one of three connected to the torture complex, Multinational Division North said.

One of the facilities appeared to have been a headquarters building and a torture facility, it added.

As the area was cleared, the bodies were found.

Eventually, 26 bodies were uncovered in mass graves next to what were thought to be execution sites, the military said.

The bodies are believed to have been dead between six and eight months, according to a gruesome military video shot at the scene. Some had their hands tied behind their backs. Identification is proving to be a challenge because of advanced decomposition.

-Diane

Wednesday Monkey Blogging

-Diane

Bigot Fatigue...

Breaking News!!! Tom Tancredo will anounce Thursday that he's ending his divisive Presidential campaign based entirely on hatred and intolerance of Mexicans who are simply trying to provide decent food and care to their families, often working hard 80 hours or more a week...He also promises to continue to be an asshole...Score one for real American values...

~S(ister Mary)Squirrel

Koffee Break Koncert...

~SS

Laugh, I thought I'd Die...

Guv'nor Huckleberry ain't pushing fascism, but the folks at Fox & Friends certainly are...suddenly their shirt collars seemed to shrink a couple sizes, teh funny...

~SS

'Bout Damn Time

Two conservative Time magazine columnists are on their way out the door: Neither William Kristol nor longtime contributor Charles Krauthammer will be on contract with the magazine starting next month. Mr. Krauthammer confirmed the news to Off the Record, and a spokeswoman for Time said Mr. Kristol’s contract would not be renewed.

Asked if he would have preferred to stay with the magazine, Mr. Krauthammer, a Pulitzer Prize winner who writes a regular column for The Washington Post, suggested there wasn’t much of a choice. “It’s a hypothetical that didn’t arise,” he said.

Two truly butt-ugly people, inside and out...War mongering fascists whose smugness was exceeded only by their dishonesty...

~SSquirrel

Gotdamn Libruls...

They can be so lovely this time of year...

~SS

Morning Morons...

“It’s a matter for each member to decide,” Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said ahead of the vote. “When it comes to funding, we found it’s a different issue. There are some members opposed to the war who will not vote against funding.”

Indeed, Sens. Carl Levin (Mich.) and Jim Webb (Va.), two Democrats who have led the fight to change course in Iraq, both voted for the $70 billion amendment. Levin was the author of a non-binding resolution calling for a change to more limited missions in Iraq, which failed by a 50-45 vote.

FMTT, Someone just shoot me...fair warning though, I will certainly shoot back. And even after several cups of coffee I'm rarely out of the nines...

~S(harp)Squirrel *lol*

ROTFLMDFHO...

As tempting as it is to torture Diane with this, I must point out that from what I've seen of Jessica Alba, odds are just as good she got pregnant at Dunkin Donut's and now she's confused. Incredibly lovely woman, but would lose an argument with a chocolate eclair...

~SS

Buckles the cat

Buckles weighs in on FISA.

-Diane