Today's Sermon: Obama, The Baby & The Bath Water

Fact: Not all lobbyists are evil.

WASHINGTON -- Everyone knows the First Amendment protects freedom of religion, speech, press and assembly. How many remember that, in addition, the First Amendment protects a fifth freedom -- to lobby?

Of course it doesn't use the word lobby. It calls it the right "to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Lobbyists are people hired to do that for you, so that you can actually stay home with the kids and remain gainfully employed rather than spend your life in the corridors of Washington.

To hear the candidates in this presidential campaign, you'd think lobbying is just one notch below waterboarding, a black art practiced by the great malefactors of wealth to keep the middle class in a vise and loose upon the nation every manner of scourge: oil dependency, greenhouse gases, unpayable mortgages and those tiny entrees you get at French restaurants.

Lobbying is constitutionally protected, but that doesn't mean we have to like it all. Let's agree to frown upon bad lobbying, such as getting a tax break for a particular industry. Let's agree to welcome good lobbying -- the actual redress of a legitimate grievance -- such as protecting your home from being turned to dust to make way for some urban development project.

Case in point: Is lobbying congress to provide tissue regeneration recovery help for wounded soldiers evil?

It is if you're Barack H. Obama, and your campaign has established a zero-tolerance policy concerning ALL LOBBYISTS. Which brings us to...

Obama disinvited 'lobbyist' Cleland

Former Georgia Sen. Max Cleland was an icon of Sen. John Kerry’s 2004 campaign, a badly wounded war hero who lost his seat, Kerry deplored, after a television advertising campaign questioned his commitment to national security.

But to the Obama campaign, Cleland has another qualification: Registered lobbyist.

So Cleland — despite his iconic status — was abruptly disinvited from appearing with Obama in Atlanta July 8, three sources familiar with the incident said.

"This was a hard decision regarding Senator Cleland," said Obama's deputy campaign manager, Steve Hildebrand, in an email. He cited Obama's policy of banning lobbyists from participating in fundraising or giving money.

"If we make exceptions, we will open ourselves to criticism," he said.

Cleland has told associates he was asked to appear at an Obama fundraising event in Atlanta on July 8, only to be told at the last minute that he wouldn’t be welcome.

The policy has been a key symbol of Obama’s outsider status, but many Democrats have also quietly questioned whether it goes too far when prominent party figures like Cleland, who an associate said has never actually lobbied in Washington, are left out in the cold on a technicality.

Cleland is registered to lobby for a company whose products are aimed at helping soldiers recover more quickly from battlefield injuries, Tissue Regeneration Technologies.

“Sen. Cleland is definitely not doing lobbying work. He gives speeches and campaigns for a few friends, but mostly he’s spending his time taking care of his father," said Cleland advisor John Marshall, who said that Tissue Regeneration Technologies was the only company on whose behalf he lobbies.

Evidently, Obama is too afraid to stand on principle.

Too afraid to point out the difference between a bridge to nowhere and wounded soldier after-care.

Too afraid to be seen with a multiple-amputee whose only "lobbying" activity is helping wounded soldiers.

Heaviest of sighs.

Thus endeth today's sermon.

Go forth today and pay attention to the derogatory language used by both major political parties to describe lobbyists, particularly during this election season.

Or, at least, just think about it.

I mean it, damn it.




Number of days since Donna Brazile promised to leave the party if superdelegates decided the Dem nominee:



Donna has known for a long time now that superdelegates would be necessary for any Dem candidate to win the nomination this year. Ask Donna when she intends to keep her promise.
Don't hold your breath awaiting a reply.


"For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities, and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are."
-Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)


Best bar bet in the world: Delilah didn't do it.
Judges 16:19-- And she made him (Samson) sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

Silly Saturday: The Return Of The Mullet Mobile!

That's right, Mullet fans.

The Camaro is making a comeback in 2010.

GM always had a good thing going...

Until they decided to make cars that look like every other boring-assed car on the road.

Have a Silly Saturday and check out the NEW Camaro!




Sweet!




Number of days since Donna Brazile promised to leave the party if superdelegates decided the Dem nominee:



Donna has known for a long time now that superdelegates would be necessary for any Dem candidate to win the nomination this year. Ask Donna when she intends to keep her promise.
Don't hold your breath awaiting a reply.


"For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities, and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are."
-Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)


Best bar bet in the world: Delilah didn't do it.
Judges 16:19-- And she made him (Samson) sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

Clinton Still Polling Better Than Obama Against McCain

Not so good news for Obots:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll shows Barack Obama attracting 44% of the vote while John McCain earns 40%. When “leaners” are included, it’s Obama 47% and McCain 45%.

Heavy sigh.

New York Senator Hillary Clinton leads McCain by eight points, 50% to 42%.

Truly heavy sigh.





Number of days since Donna Brazile promised to leave the party if superdelegates decided the Dem nominee:



Donna has known for a long time now that superdelegates would be necessary for any Dem candidate to win the nomination this year. Ask Donna when she intends to keep her promise.
Don't hold your breath awaiting a reply.


"For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities, and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are."
-Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)


Best bar bet in the world: Delilah didn't do it.
Judges 16:19-- And she made him (Samson) sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

Ohio Editorial: Obama = Hitler

It was bound to happen sooner or later. Someone was going to notice: no experience; the soaring rhetoric and rapt followers; vague platitudes appealing to the desperate masses...

Public shouldn’t fall for Obama’s rhetoric

The political correctness thought police won’t tolerate what you’re about to read.

I’m throwing the “bogus” flag upon the presidential bid of Marxist-Socialist turned Democrat Senator from Illinois, Barack Hussein Obama.

Somewhere around 75 or so years ago, from out of nowhere a stealth politician arose.

He too sought the nomination for his nation’s highest office; refreshingly different from other politicians of the era. This Austrian born wallpaper hanger’s background is too much like our Illinois lawyer’s. Both reared in single parent households; neither brought much of a resume on the campaign trail. The one hung wallpaper the other hung “present” votes. Neither has an authentic performance record for which the electorate might judge the candidate.

Ouch, Ohio!

Unfortunately, for both cases, the mass media is mesmerized by the candidate’s rhetoric and oratory style, instead of questioning the unknown candidate’s background extensively.

Without a track record to judge the man by, people simply fall for the rhetoric. The German people had to “believe.” They wanted “change.” And through “hope,” they only had to “believe” what Adolph Hitler and the Nazis said; without questioning what Hitler and his Marxist-Socialists pals had really designed behind the scenes.

Certainly, it was “change.” Did Germany “believe” this might happen? Was this the kind of “change” everybody would “hope” for and “believe in?” These are “just words,” as Senator Obama says. Relativism, whatever anyone wants the “words” to mean.

Before you file this editorial under S for Stupidity, think back to the 1999 campaign of Gee Dubya Bushitler.

And remember how much damage someone without a respectable résumé can cause.

Obama isn't Hitler.

But what is he?





Number of days since Donna Brazile promised to leave the party if superdelegates decided the Dem nominee:



Donna has known for a long time now that superdelegates would be necessary for any Dem candidate to win the nomination this year. Ask Donna when she intends to keep her promise.
Don't hold your breath awaiting a reply.


"For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities, and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are."
-Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)


Best bar bet in the world: Delilah didn't do it.
Judges 16:19-- And she made him (Samson) sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

Rove Wants "To Visit" With Congress?

Remember when Republicans did anything and everything they could to bring down President Clinton? Including getting their cronies to convene a grand jury on Whitewater and subpoena members of Clinton's inner circle of advisers?

Senior Adviser To Clinton Gets Jury Subpoena

By DAVID E. ROSENBAUM,
Published: March 18, 1994

A grand jury investigating President Clinton's ties to the Whitewater investigation today subpoenaed George Stephanopoulos, one of the President's closest advisers, to testify.

Meantime, under pressure from Republicans to investigate the Whitewater case, the Senate tonight voted, 98 to 0, to instruct its leaders of both parties to meet to try to arrange public hearings. The vote does not necessarily mean hearings will take place any time soon.

Mr. Stephanopoulos is the only White House official subpoenaed so far who apparently did not participate in meetings with Treasury Department officials about Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan Association, a failed Arkansas institution that was owned by Bill and Hillary Clinton's partner in the Whitewater land venture.

Karl wants a visit? Do you think he expects light refreshments?

In five letters to the House Judiciary Committee, "my lawyer has offered for me to go up to visit with members of Congress, visit with the staff or respond to written questions without foreclosing any future action by Congress," Rove said.

People in hell want ice water, Karl.

Lawmakers subpoenaed Rove in May to force him to talk about whether he played a role in prosecutors' decisions to pursue cases against Democrats, such as former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, or in firing federal prosecutors considered disloyal to the Bush administration.

Rove has said previously he is bound to follow the White House's guidance, although he has offered to answer questions specifically on the Siegelman case — but only with no transcript taken and not under oath.

After Rove failed to appear Thursday, the Democratic chairman of a House subcommittee ruled that Rove was breaking the law by refusing to cooperate. It was perhaps the first step toward holding him in contempt of Congress.

The White House has cited executive privilege as a reason he and others who serve or served in the administration shouldn't testify, arguing that internal administration communications are confidential and that Congress cannot compel officials to testify.

A decision on whether to pursue contempt charges now goes to the full Judiciary Committee and ultimately to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Gee, I'll bet that these guys would've preferred "a nice visit" to the grilling they got and the legal bills they were forced to pay... because the Republicans were in charge:

White House Chief of Staff Mack McLarty,

White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles,

White House Chief of Staff John Podesta,

Senior Advisor and Deputy White House Counsel Bruce Lindsey

Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff Harold Ickes,

Counsel to the President Bernard Nussbaum,

Counsel to the President Jack Quinn,

Counsel to the President Charles Ruff,

Counsel to the President Beth Nolan,

Chief of Staff to the Vice President Roy Neel,

Chief of Staff to the First Lady and Assistant to the President Margaret
Williams,

Special Counsel to the President Lanny Breuer,

Deputy Counsel to the President Cheryl Mills,

Assistant to the President and Director of Political Affairs Douglas
Sosnik,

Deputy Assistant to the President John Emerson

Assistant to the President and Director of Presidential Personnel Bob
Nash,

Deputy Director and Chief of Staff of Presidential Personnel Marsha
Scott

And Karl Rove wants "to visit" with lawmakers.

Isn't that nice?

OK, Pelosi. This is your last best chance to impress me.

And a sternly worded letter to Mr. Rove's attorneys won't cut it.

Got that, Nancy?



Number of days since Donna Brazile promised to leave the party if superdelegates decided the Dem nominee:



Donna has known for a long time now that superdelegates would be necessary for any Dem candidate to win the nomination this year. Ask Donna when she intends to keep her promise.
Don't hold your breath awaiting a reply.


"For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities, and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are."
-Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)


Best bar bet in the world: Delilah didn't do it.
Judges 16:19-- And she made him (Samson) sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

Today's Sermon: What Would YOU Do?

If you were the judge, what would you do?

Satanist father and Christian mother fight for Sunday morning custody rights
By Tom Leonard in New York

A custody battle between a Satanist and his Christian ex-wife has raised constitutional issues after both demanded the right to share their religion with their three young children.

Kristie Meyer has cited the religious beliefs of her former husband, Jamie, as the main reason why an Indiana judge should restrict his visitation rights.

She wants the three to go to church on Sunday mornings - technically, when they are with Mr Meyer - but points out they are unlikely to do so if they are with their father, a member of an organisation calling itself the Church of Satan.

However, legal experts have warned that the American Constitution prevents judges from showing a religious preference.

Go forth today and ponder the predicament of the judge.

'Tis a puzzlement, indeed.

What would you do? Deny the father's religious rights in favor of the mother's?

Dictate the children's religious options?

Or follow the law of the land and leave the religious bickering to the parents?

Hey, it's not like religious differences between religions, denominations, and sects haven't colored divorce proceedings before.

Think about it.




Number of days since Donna Brazile promised to leave the party if superdelegates decided the Dem nominee:



Donna has known for a long time now that superdelegates would be necessary for any Dem candidate to win the nomination this year. Ask Donna when she intends to keep her promise.
Don't hold your breath awaiting a reply.


"For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities, and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are."
-Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)


Best bar bet in the world: Delilah didn't do it.
Judges 16:19-- And she made him (Samson) sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

Where, Oh Where, Is Karl Rove?

And whatever happened to the long arm of the law?

Oh, well. I'm guessing Paraguay.

Sidebar: Does anyone know if there are rabbit ears for wireless internet access?

I had to disconnect my firewall to get connected today.

Aargh.





Number of days since Donna Brazile promised to leave the party if superdelegates decided the Dem nominee:



Donna has known for a long time now that superdelegates would be necessary for any Dem candidate to win the nomination this year. Ask Donna when she intends to keep her promise.
Don't hold your breath awaiting a reply.


"For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities, and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are."
-Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)


Best bar bet in the world: Delilah didn't do it.
Judges 16:19-- And she made him (Samson) sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

And The Obama Bus Undercarriagers Say: "Welcome, Jesse!"

Note: I'm out of town for a few more days, and postings could be sporadic... those internet tubes can be feisty when you try to reach up into the air and capture them! Meanwhile...

I guess it's now a sin to criticize Baracktrack H. Obama.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson has apologized for mumbling his opinion of Obama's preachy-speak approach to the Black community-at-large.

Jackson apologizes for 'crude' Obama remarks

CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- The Rev. Jesse Jackson apologized Wednesday for "crude and hurtful" remarks he made about Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama after an interview with a Fox News correspondent.

The remarks came Sunday as Jackson was talking to a fellow interviewee, UnitedHealth Group executive Dr. Reed V. Tuckson. An open microphone picked up Jackson whispering, "See, Barack's been talking down to black people ... I want to cut his nuts off."

Jackson told CNN's "Situation Room" that he didn't realize the microphone was on.

"It was very private," Jackson said, adding that if "any hurt or harm has been caused to his campaign, I apologize."

An Obama campaign spokesman, Bill Burton, said that the senator from Illinois "of course accepts Rev. Jackson's apology."

I've always liked Jesse Jackson.

And I still do.

How long will it be before Obamazoids will probably start calling Jackson a racist?

5...4...3...2...

And here they go.




Number of days since Donna Brazile promised to leave the party if superdelegates decided the Dem nominee:



Donna has known for a long time now that superdelegates would be necessary for any Dem candidate to win the nomination this year. Ask Donna when she intends to keep her promise.
Don't hold your breath awaiting a reply.


"For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities, and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are."
-Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)


Best bar bet in the world: Delilah didn't do it.
Judges 16:19-- And she made him (Samson) sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

Today's Sermon: And The Prophet Says...

... Open An Online Store!

Women of polygamous sect sell handmade clothes online

SALT LAKE CITY — The women of a polygamous sect are selling their distinctive handmade children's clothing online.
The enterprise was initially started to provide Texas Child Protective Services with clothes for the 440 children seized in an April raid on the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' ranch at Eldorado, Texas.
Now, the polygamous sect's women hope to earn a living from the site.
FLDS member Maggie Jessop tells The Salt Lake Tribune there has been a lot of interest.
The sect is offering many items of clothing including dresses, overalls, shirts, pants, nightclothes, onesies for babies and ankle-to-wrist underwear. Women's apparel could be added if there is demand.

I only have one bar's worth of piggy-backing internet access power this morning; therefore, I'm not taking the time to post pics or "Thus endeth today's sermon" conclusion.

All I have to say is...

You only have 3 months left to get your Hallowe'en costumes ready.





Number of days since Donna Brazile promised to leave the party if superdelegates decided the Dem nominee:



Donna has known for a long time now that superdelegates would be necessary for any Dem candidate to win the nomination this year. Ask Donna when she intends to keep her promise.
Don't hold your breath awaiting a reply.


"For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities, and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are."
-Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)


Best bar bet in the world: Delilah didn't do it.
Judges 16:19-- And she made him (Samson) sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

Canadian Obama 'Toon Hijacked

Betcha cartoonist Bruce MacKinnon never meant for his creation to be manipulated.

Expect to see many versions of the above image in the near future.

Flying to Texas today. Will update when possible.





Number of days since Donna Brazile promised to leave the party if superdelegates decided the Dem nominee:



Donna has known for a long time now that superdelegates would be necessary for any Dem candidate to win the nomination this year. Ask Donna when she intends to keep her promise.
Don't hold your breath awaiting a reply.


"For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities, and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are."
-Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)


Best bar bet in the world: Delilah didn't do it.
Judges 16:19-- And she made him (Samson) sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

Independence Day: Consider The Lawn Jockey

While this story has no definitive provenance other than its place in America's oral history, consider today that it could be based in truth...

The black "lawn jockey". Today considered a sign of poor lawn decoration at best, and overt racism at worst, the lawn jockey was an important signal on the road to freedom on the Underground Railroad.

The name, and the manner of dress, has been corrupted over the years: the first statue of its type was commissioned and owned by George Washington.

The story goes that at the time of Washington's crossing of the Delaware, a 12 year old African American Joque Graves was at camp, a groomsman for Washington. He wanted to make the crossing with the army; however, Washington, aware of the danger, ordered him to stay on the Pennsylvania shore, and shine a light, so upon return the company would know where to come to retrieve their horses. After the surprise attack on the Trenton barracks, Washington returned to find Joque had frozen to death, guarding the horses, the lantern still ablaze and frozen in his hand.Moved by the boys devotion, Washington commissioned a statue, 'The Faithful Groomsman', to stand in honor of Graves at the General's estate at Mount Vernon.

It is ironic that this statue, commissioned and made popular by slave owning Washington, would eventually become a beacon for freedom for runaway slaves.

With spies and bounty hunters everywhere, even safe houses were not always safe. It became necessary to be able to convey, in a low-key fashion, what condition any Underground Railroad stop was in at any given time. The answer was the 'lawn jockey', painted to wear a red cap.

If a safe house was 'safe', and prepared to accept visitors, a lantern or an American flag would be placed in the forward reaching hand. If the house was under scrutiny or compromised, the lantern or flag would be removed, signaling the travelers to move to another house down the line. Further south, along the Mississippi, green and red ribbons tied to the statues arm - whether clandestinely or with the owner's knowledge - attested to the status of the owners of the house: red ribbons alerting danger, green ribbon announcing safety.

Whether it's true, somewhat true, or fabricated after the fact, this "groomsman with the lantern" tale is part of our George Washington mythos.

And today is the perfect day to celebrate George Washington... cherry tree, wooden teeth, groomsman with a lantern, and everything else.

I know what you're thinking: Independence Day should be reserved for the Declaration people; however, Independence Day didn't become a holiday until 1783...

And General Washington had already begun to observe it --years before-- by doubling the troops' rum ration.







Number of days since Donna Brazile promised to leave the party if superdelegates decided the Dem nominee:



Donna has known for a long time now that superdelegates would be necessary for any Dem candidate to win the nomination this year. Ask Donna when she intends to keep her promise.
Don't hold your breath awaiting a reply.


"For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities, and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are."
-Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)


Best bar bet in the world: Delilah didn't do it.
Judges 16:19-- And she made him (Samson) sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

Elected Dems Targeted For Extinction By Obamazoids

It's an established fact found in nature: when the pack perceives a weakness in one of its members, the strong systematically begin to deny food, water, and other pack-related measures of security... (best known as survival of the fittest, y'all), to the (perceived) weak among them.

Like the Eskimos and their old people (in times of famine).




Now, we learn that Obamazoids are out to replace experienced, reliable elected Democrats... if they supported Senator Hillary Clinton in the primary.

Pitiful.

And stupid.




Number of days since Donna Brazile promised to leave the party if superdelegates decided the Dem nominee:



Donna has known for a long time now that superdelegates would be necessary for any Dem candidate to win the nomination this year. Ask Donna when she intends to keep her promise.
Don't hold your breath awaiting a reply.


"For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities, and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are."
-Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)


Best bar bet in the world: Delilah didn't do it.
Judges 16:19-- And she made him (Samson) sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

Obama's Lament: "I Can't Have Fun Anymore!"

Too bad. So sad.

Welcome to the grownups' table, Senator Obama...

“I can’t have fun anymore,” Obama said, in a comment meant to be wry but sounding wistful. “It’s not allowed.”

The guy is not, as Dan Quayle once put it, a happy camper.

He’s an American who has climbed to the most rarefied stratosphere of American life, only to find that he has to make a major speech arguing that he loves his country. (A new CNN poll shows that a quarter of registered voters say Obama lacks patriotism.)

He’s a man happily married to a strong professional woman who has to defend his wife, as he says, for being “feisty.”

He must simultaneously defend himself for being too exotic and, because of recent moves, too conventional. (So conventional that he even refused to do a fist bump with a boy at a tutoring session for kids in Zanesville, Ohio.)

No more fist bumping?

Even after his "feisty" wife went to all that trouble to defend fist-bumping on The View?

Hey! Obama can still bash the millions of us who marched for civil rights and against the war in Vietnam, though...

The 46-year-old is supposed to be the tonic for the culture wars of the 60s. In his patriotism speech, he said that “the anger and turmoil” of that generation had “never entirely drained away,” leaving our politics “trapped in these old, threadbare arguments.”

What's more fun than bashing them what brung ya to where you are today?

I guess we're all under the Obama bus now, too.

I don't mind being under the Obama bus. Really, I don't.

I just don't like the driver or the tour guide...








Number of days since Donna Brazile promised to leave the party if superdelegates decided the Dem nominee:



Donna has known for a long time now that superdelegates would be necessary for any Dem candidate to win the nomination this year. Ask Donna when she intends to keep her promise.
Don't hold your breath awaiting a reply.


"For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities, and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are."
-Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)


Best bar bet in the world: Delilah didn't do it.
Judges 16:19-- And she made him (Samson) sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

Obama Stupidly Concedes Foreign Policy Edge To McCain

Note to Obama: When Former NATO Supreme Commander Gen. Wesley Clark states the obvious (that being a POW doesn't automatically qualify you to be Commander-in-Chief), don't throw him under your already-packed-to-the-gills... er, bus.

Obama rejects Clark's statement

(CNN) — Barack Obama formally rejected Gen. Wesley Clark's recent comments Monday that questioned whether the John McCain's military experience qualified him to be commander in chief.

"As he's said many times before, Senator Obama honors and respects Senator McCain's service, and of course he rejects yesterday's statement by General Clark," Obama spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement.

Read the comments at the link (above), and you'll understand how Obama has screwed the pooch.

Truly heavy sigh.




Number of days since Donna Brazile promised to leave the party if superdelegates decided the Dem nominee:



Donna has known for a long time now that superdelegates would be necessary for any Dem candidate to win the nomination this year. Ask Donna when she intends to keep her promise.
Don't hold your breath awaiting a reply.


"For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities, and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are."
-Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)


Best bar bet in the world: Delilah didn't do it.
Judges 16:19-- And she made him (Samson) sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

Sobering Numbers

There are 1,500 shelters for battered women in the United States.

There are 3,800 animal shelters.

Each year, medical expenses from domestic violence total at least $3 to $5 billion.
Businesses forfeit another $100 million in lost wages, sick leave, absenteeism and non-productivity.

It is estimated that 25% of workplace problems such as absenteeism, lower productivity, turnover and excessive use of medical benefits are due to family violence.

Violence is the reason stated for divorce in 22% of middle-class marriages.

Almost 6 times as many women victimized by intimates (18%) as those victimized by strangers (3%) did not report their violent victimization to police because they feared reprisal from the offender.

Annually, compared to males, females experienced over 10 times as many incidents of violence by an intimate. On average each year, women experienced 572,032 violent victimizations at the hands of an intimate, compared to 48,983 incidents committed against men.

75% of the calls to law enforcement for intervention and assistance in domestic violence occur after separation from batterers. One study revealed that half of the homicides of female spouses and partners were committed by men after separation from batterers.

The saddest fact: Those stats are from 1991.

The numbers are much worse since 1991:

On average, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends in this country every day.

An estimated 3 million women are physically abused by husbands and/or boyfriends per year.

In 2000, intimate partner homicides accounted for 33.5 percent of the murders of women and less than four percent of the murders of men.

A gun is the weapon most commonly used in domestic homicides. In fact, more than three times as many women are murdered by guns used by their husbands or intimate acquaintances than are killed by strangers’ guns, knives or other weapons combined.

In 2002, 54 percent of female homicide victims were shot and killed with a gun.

As of today:

85-95% of all domestic violence victims are female.

Over 500,000 women are stalked by an intimate partner each year.

5.3 million women are abused each year.

1,232 women are killed each year by an intimate partner.

Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women.

Women are more likely to be attacked by someone they know rather than by a stranger.

Phone Numbers To Memorize:

National Domestic
Violence Hotline
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
1-800-787-3224 (TDD)

What's all this about?

Women have more important issues to deal with every cotton-pickin' day than jumping onto the Unity Pony Express and singing Kumbaya, damn it.

As long as discrimination and inequities remain so commonplace everywhere in the world, as long as girls and women are valued less, fed less, fed last, overworked, underpaid, not schooled, subjected to violence in and outside their homes -- the potential of the human family to create a peaceful, prosperous world will not be realized.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, 1995

"For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities, and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are."
-Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)


Best bar bet in the world: Delilah didn't do it.
Judges 16:19-- And she made him (Samson) sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.

It's A Sin To Kill A Mockingbird

Thus endeth today's sermon.

Go forth today, aware that there are mockingbirds all around us...

And there are those who kill them.

Think about it. Seriously think about that metaphor and those who kill.

I really mean it today, damn it!




"For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities, and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are."
-Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)


Best bar bet in the world: Delilah didn't do it.
Judges 16:19-- And she made him (Samson) sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.