Sunday, October 31, 2004

Today's Sermon


All Hallow's Eve





Last Minute Halloween Costume Ideas
from thestranger.com...



Florida Voting Machine





Halliburton Contractor



Ralph Nader




Richard Reid, The "Shoe Bomber"




Free Speech Zone Protester




Jenna Bush's Liver (with diseased polyps)



Little Lyndie England (future Prisoner Torturer)



Nancy Reagan




The Littlest Abu Ghraib Prisoner


Assorted Goodies...


























Thus endeth today's sermon.


Go forth and celebrate All Hallow's Eve!

Give out lots of good candy ( I'm talking full size Hershey Bars, folks)

...and don't forget to study your local Voter's Guide!






Saturday, October 30, 2004

OK! OK! Jeez! You'd think BushCo had never photoshopped a campaign picture before!


Many of you have wondered why I haven't addressed the BushCo Cloned Soldiers.

"Why? Why? Why?" lamented the gullible masses yesterday.

Do you really think this Photoshopped cloning exercise was done for any other reason than to portray a greater number of black servicemen looking up adoringly at George W.?




The original photograph shows a sea of soldiers
sitting behind the president as he stands at a podium
just left of the center of the frame.
Bush was speaking at Fort Drum in New York
on July 19, 2002. (AP Graphic)


Of course, this BushCo move was lame.

Those of us who Photoshop regularly spotted the ruse instantly.

The point is not that BushCo would do such a thing.

The point is that their handling of the fallout is exactly the same modus operandi as their handling of every issue they've tried to cover up since cheating their way in power.


BREAKING NEWS!


We interrupt your Saturday morning to bring you this BREAKING NEWS:


BUSH SUPPORTERS
ARE STILL STUPID!





We thought George W.'s Idiot Brigade might have answered the Clue Phone after this little gem got pasted all over the internet:





But NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...

Paste my signature Heavy Sigh here.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled Saturday morning activities.


George W.'s Magical Mystery Tour


Roll up, roll up for the mystery tour.
Roll up WE'VE GOT EVERYTHING YOU NEED, roll up for the mystery tour.
Roll up SATISFACTION GUARANTEED, roll up for the mystery tour.
The magical mystery tour is hoping to take you away,
Hoping to take you away.



Who among us hasn't at one time or another marveled at the ability of a skilled magician to pull a rabbit out of an empty hat, saw a woman in half, or eat a dozen sponge rubber balls before our very eyes?

To the magician, we are all "marks," who are aware, on some level, that we are being duped by sleight of hand; yet, we applaud wildly each time we're duped, and we always leave wanting more.

Each and every time, we watch the magician closely, determined to figure out how the trick works.

And there's the rub.

The magician, he sparkles in satin and velvet,
You gaze at his splendour with eyes you've not used yet.
I tell you his name is Love, Love Love...



The magician's success depends entirely on capturing and maintaining the undivided attention of the mark: the sword swallower knows that all eyes are on his throat and the outstretched hand grasping the hilt, not on the sword, itself, which is designed to collapse, or on the hand strategically cupped over the magician's mouth.

Were the magician actually swallowing the sword, he wouldn't need to cup one hand over his mouth, would he?

The magician knows that, like Fox Mulder, we all want to believe.

We all want to believe that it's possible to swallow a sword or pull a rabbit out of a hat.

The ability of the magician to manipulate the mark's focus (and achieve that How did he do that? expression) is the real magic act.


Don't look over there!


Look over here!



Pay no attention to the 100,000+ deaths of Americans, Iraqis, and others in the last 18 months!

Don't ask how many have died because George W. was too stupid to secure thousands of tons of explosives in his rush to pull down a statue.


Look only at the Hail Mary TV image of the Boogey Man in the cave who will creepy crawl into your suburban American bedroom one night when you least expect him and slit your throat because he "hates your freedoms."

All eyes are on THE VIDEOTAPE today.

You think that wasn't planned by the Trick Master who supplies the magician with bigger and better ways to manipulate you, the mark?

The magician has 2 words for you:




The magical mystery tour is coming to take you away,
Coming to take you away.
The magical mystery tour is dying to take you away,
Dying to take you away, take you away.


"My, my", they sigh.


Sunny Goodge Street
(Donovan)

Magical Mystery Tour
(Lennon & McCartney)



Friday, October 29, 2004

Cue that little girl
with the umbrella again!


Bin Laden's back!

In the new videotape, Bin Laden says that George W. was so busy reading about a little girl's goat that he ignored the World Trade Center tragedy, and that they (the terrorists) were able to do a lot more in the next 20 minutes than they thought they would be able to.

Good night, Nurse!

That is the most damning thing anyone has said about George W. (on the record) to date.




Premature Confetti-ation





The little girl with the umbrella
is wise beyond her years...





President George W. Bush pauses mid-speech as prematurely-released
confetti begins to rain down on him at a campaign election rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, October 29, 2004. Bush appeared with relatives
of some Americans killed on Sept. 11, 2001, and vowed the country
'will not be held captive by fear' in a message intended to remind
voters of his leadership in that tense period. (Jason Reed/Reuters) LINK




Declassified Pentagon Document





Official al Qaqaa explanation:


The weapons, which were never there, but were a small portion of Saddam's total munitions, were moved before the war by Russian and/or French ventilation spies, only to be later destroyed by the United States military inside the facility which we were never in, or should have been secured by the US military because it's not George W.'s fault, even though the Army Major who says he destroyed some kind of weapons there never saw an IAEA seal one week before a TV News crew reached the site and filmed the seals before entering the bunkers and filming the explosives... which we have said repeatedly weren't there to begin with.

Also, um. . . September 11th!


Four Days 'Till Ohio!


Some days were just made for musical comedy!





George W. Confidence
October 29, 2004



You have the cool, clear
Eyes of a seeker of wisdom and truth;
Yet there's that upturned chin
And that grin of impetuous youth.
Oh, I believe in you.
I believe in you.

I hear the sound of good, solid judgment
Whenever you talk;
Yet there's the bold, brave spring of the tiger
That quickens your walk.
Oh, I believe in you.
I believe in you.

And when my faith in my fellow man
All but falls apart,
I've but to feel your hand grasping mine
And I take heart; I take heart

To see the cool, clear
Eyes of a seeker of wisdom and truth;
Yet, with the slam-bang tang
Reminiscent of gin and vermouth.
Oh, I believe in you.
I believe in you...
LINK

... NOT!

"I Believe In You"
How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying
Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser (1961)


George W.'s Hallowe'en Costume


This year, George W. will Trick-Or-Treat...


...dressed as a Presidential Podium!






I'm sure this bold costume choice was inspired by George W.'s deep and abiding respect for singer Paul Simon's "Love Me Like A Rock."

And if I was President (was the President)
The minute Congress called my name (was the President)
I'd say "Who do,
Who do you think you're fooling? (Who do you think you're fooling?)

I've got the Presidential Seal (was the president)
I'm up on the Presidential Podium

My mama loves me
She loves me
She get down on her knees and hug me
Like she loves me like a rock
She rocks me like the rock of ages
And loves me
LINK



IAEA & GlobalSecurity.Org
Smack Down BushCo's Bunker Lies


As if Americans Democrats would actually believe anything Rumsfeld trotted out and called evidence!

A couple of trucks parked outside a random bunker isn't as convincing as Colin Powell holding up little vials of white powder and scaring the shit out of the seriously uninformed.

Most of us knew Rummy's satellite photo was bogus.

We just didn't know how quickly it would be debunked.
Don't count on the Pentagon to correct their "mistake" any time soon, though!




Imagery showing locations of the HMX-stockpiled
bunkers and those in the DoD imagery.
The trucks are not at the bunkers containing HMX.
LINK


And then there's this...

Nuclear watchdog insists Iraq explosives taken after US invasion
AFP: 10/28/2004

VIENNA, Oct 28 (AFP) - The International Atomic Energy Agency stepped back into the controversy over missing explosives in Iraq Thursday, insisting that almost 330 tonnes had indeed vanished from a depot in Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

It contradicted a claim on US television that the amount was much less.

The fate of the missing explosives has become a major issue in the US presidential election campaign, with Democratic challenger John Kerry accusing incumbent President George W. Bush of incompetence in his handling of post-invasion Iraq.

The ABC news network reported Wednesday that the amount of heavy explosives allegedly missing from the Al-Qaqaa weapons depot south of Baghdad might be be considerably less than the amount reported by Iraqi authorities, possibly as little as three tonnes.

In fact a total of 328 and half tonnes of powerful high explosive, that could be used by terrorists to produce massive blasts, had vanished from the area since the US victory in Iraq in April 2003, the agency said.

IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming also said Thursday that the nuclear watchdog had asked the United States to keep watch over the depot following the looting of another former nuclear site near Baghdad in April 2003.

"After the IAEA became aware of reports of looting at the main nuclear site of Tuwaitha, its chief Iraq inspectors alerted American officials that we had a concern about the security of the high explosives stored at Al Qaaqa.

"It is also important to note this was the main explosive storage facility in Iraq and it was well known through IAEA reports to the Security Council," Fleming said. LINK

These BushCo Bozos can't stop lying.

Telling the truth means accepting responsibility.

We all know from experience that lying never solves anything.

But most of our lies don't kill people and destroy families.



Indeed it is a strange-disposèd time...





US Capitol
October 27, 2004




... But men may construe things after their fashion.


Thursday, October 28, 2004

Kismet


No baubles. No bangles. No beads.

Just tons of explosives.

Under US Coalition control.

As of April 18, 2003.

EXCLUSIVE:
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS video may be linked to missing explosives in Iraq

Updated: 10/28/2004 07:52:21 AM - VIDEO

A 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS crew in Iraq shortly after the fall of Saddam Hussein was in the area where tons of explosives disappeared.

The missing explosives are now an issue in the presidential debate. Democratic candidate John Kerry is accusing President Bush of not securing the site they allegedly disappeared from. President Bush says no one knows if the ammunition was taken before or after the fall of Baghdad on April 9, 2003 when coalition troops moved in to the area.

Using GPS technology and talking with members of the 101st Airborne 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS determined our crew embedded with them may have been on the southern edge of the Al Qaqaa installation, where that ammunition disappeared. Our crew was based just south of Al Qaqaa. On April 18, 2003 they drove two or three miles north into what is believed to be that area.

During that trip, members of the 101st Airborne Division showed the 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS crew bunker after bunker of material labelled explosives. Usually it took just the snap of a bolt cutter to get in and see the material identified by the 101st as detonation cords.

"We can stick it in those and make some good bombs." a soldier told our crew.

There were what appeared to be fuses for bombs. They also found bags of material men from the 101st couldn't identify, but box after box was clearly marked "explosive."

In one bunker, there were boxes marked with the name "Al Qaqaa", the munitions plant where tons of explosives allegedly went missing. LINK




The Russians didn't take them. Saddam didn't move them.

A US TV News crew saw them. And, as they say in the biz...

We've got art.

What was that about jumping to conclusions, George W.?

Did you really think someone as smart as John Kerry wouldn't have all of the facts before accusing you of negligence in a time of war?

Go home, George W.

And I'm not talking' Texas.

You're not a Texan, and you know it.



This Week's
Backside
Of The
Bell Curve
Winner!


National College Republicans Committee
Executive Director

Michael Krueger



Michael Krueger, the brains behind
those vile Affirmative Action Bake Sales


Fund-raising group milks
vulnerable senior citizens


Copyright 2004, The Seattle Times Co.

By David Postman and Jim Brunner
Seattle Times staff reporters

Group uses many tactics in mailings

The College Republican National Committee has raised $6.3 million this year through an aggressive and misleading fund-raising campaign that collected money from senior citizens who thought they were giving to the election efforts of President Bush and other top Republicans.

Many of the top donors were in their 80s and 90s. The donors wrote checks — sometimes hundreds and, in at least one case, totaling more than $100,000 — to groups with official sounding-names such as "Republican Headquarters 2004," "Republican Elections Committee" and the "National Republican Campaign Fund."

But all of those groups, according to the small print on the letters, were simply projects of the College Republicans, who collected all of the checks.

And little of the money went to election efforts. LINK


Michael Krueger is merely continuing the "work" of many other notorious National College Republicans Executive Directors, including Ralph Reed and Karl Rove.

Today, my signature Heavy Sigh doesn't even come close to my true feelings.

Hey, Michael!

I wish you a long life... of prison jump suits and cellmates named Spike.



Beyond Silverdome:
Always read the fine print!





President George W. Bush speaks in front of a crowd
of nearly 20,000 people at the Pontiac Silverdome
on Wednesday. He is scheduled to campaign today
in Saginaw. LINK


Ahem.

The Pontiac Silverdome seats 80,000.



Winkin', Blinkin', and Nod






So close your eyes while mother sings of the wonderful sights that be.

And you shall see those beautiful things as you sail on the misty sea...
LINK


Unchecked Looting: HIV, Yellowcake, Black Fever Virus, and--Oh,Yeah-- Tons Of Explosives!


I'm posting the entire article because it will disappear down the Paid-Access Rabbit Hole very shortly.

This eye-witness account is not from a rabid Kerry supporter. It's not from a frightened, coerced Iraqi stooge. It's not even from one of the few bleeding heart humanitarian workers brave enough to remain in George W.'s exploding sandbox.

Peter W. Galbraith is the man who gave us those famous words so often spewed by the chimp-in-command: But he gassed his own people!

Eyewitness to a failure in Iraq

By Peter W. Galbraith | October 27, 2004

IN 2003 I went to tell Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz what I had seen in Baghdad in the days following Saddam Hussein's overthrow. For nearly an hour, I described the catastrophic aftermath of the invasion -- the unchecked looting of every public institution in Baghdad, the devastation of Iraq's cultural heritage, the anger of ordinary Iraqis who couldn't understand why the world's only superpower was letting this happen.

WE INTERRUPT THIS ARTICLE TO BRING YOU A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!

STOP! REWIND! REPEAT!


For nearly an hour, I described the catastrophic aftermath of the invasion -- the unchecked looting of every public institution in Baghdad, the devastation of Iraq's cultural heritage, the anger of ordinary Iraqis who couldn't understand why the world's only superpower was letting this happen.


WE NOW RESUME OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED ARTICLE...

I also described two particularly disturbing incidents -- one I had witnessed and the other I had heard about. On April 16, 2003, a mob attacked and looted the Iraqi equivalent of the Centers for Disease Control, taking live HIV and black fever virus among other potentially lethal materials. US troops were stationed across the street but did not intervene because they didn't know the building was important.

When he found out, the young American lieutenant was devastated. He shook his head and said, "I hope I am not responsible for Armageddon." About the same time, looters entered the warehouses at Iraq's sprawling nuclear facilities at Tuwaitha on Baghdad's outskirts. They took barrels of yellowcake (raw uranium), apparently dumping the uranium and using the barrels to hold water. US troops were at Tuwaitha but did not interfere.

There was nothing secret about the Disease Center or the Tuwaitha warehouses. Inspectors had repeatedly visited the center looking for evidence of a biological weapons program. The Tuwaitha warehouses included materials from Iraq's nuclear program, which had been dismantled after the 1991 Gulf War. The United Nations had sealed the materials, and they remained untouched until the US troops arrived.

The looting that I observed was spontaneous. Quite likely the looters had no idea they were stealing deadly biological agents or radioactive materials or that they were putting themselves in danger. As I pointed out to Wolfowitz, as long as these sites remained unprotected, their deadly materials could end up not with ill-educated slum dwellers but with those who knew exactly what they were doing.

This is apparently what happened. According to an International Atomic Energy Agency report issued earlier this month, there was "widespread and apparently systematic dismantlement that has taken place at sites previously relevant to Iraq's nuclear program." This includes nearly 380 tons of high explosives suitable for detonating nuclear weapons or killing American troops. Some of the looting continued for many months -- possibly into 2004. Using heavy machinery, organized gangs took apart, according to the IAEA, "entire buildings that housed high-precision equipment."

This equipment could be anywhere. But one good bet is Iran, which has had allies and agents in Iraq since shortly after the US-led forces arrived.

This was a preventable disaster. Iraq's nuclear weapons-related materials were stored in only a few locations, and these were known before the war began. As even L. Paul Bremer III, the US administrator in Iraq, now admits, the United States had far too few troops to secure the country following the fall of Saddam Hussein. But even with the troops we had, the United States could have protected the known nuclear sites. It appears that troops did not receive relevant intelligence about Iraq's WMD facilities, nor was there any plan to secure them. Even after my briefing, the Pentagon leaders did nothing to safeguard Iraq's nuclear sites.

I supported President Bush's decision to overthrow Saddam Hussein. At Wolfowitz's request, I helped advance the case for war, drawing on my work in previous years in documenting Saddam's atrocities, including the use of chemical weapons on the Kurds. In spite of the chaos that followed the war, I am sure that Iraq is better off without Saddam Hussein.

It is my own country that is worse off -- 1,100 dead soldiers, billions added to the deficit, and the enmity of much of the world. Someone out there has nuclear bomb-making equipment, and they may not be well disposed toward the United States. Much of this could have been avoided with a competent postwar strategy. But without having planned or provided enough troops, we would be a lot safer if we hadn't gone to war.

Peter W. Galbraith, a former US ambassador to Croatia, is a fellow at the Center For Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. In the 1980s, he documented Iraqi atrocities against the Kurds for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. LINK

George W. has blamed Saddam.

George W. has blamed the so-called Insurgents.

George W. has even blamed the Russians.

The sad fact is that he* obviously thought that our tiny contingency of invading troops would be greeted with flowers and candy; therefore, there was no need whatsover to assume that Happy Iraqis would loot known weapons storage areas and use those tons of pesky explosives against us.


* Official spokesman of BushCo, Inc.
Not necessarily aware of official BushCo policy.


Wednesday, October 27, 2004

Oct. 28, 2000:
BUSH LEADS GORE
BY FIVE POINTS


We all remember how that election turned out, don't we?

BUSH LEADS GORE BY FIVE POINTS


Oct. 28, 2000
by Humphrey Taylor

With just over a week to go before the elections, the latest Harris Poll finds that Governor George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore are still in a close struggle, but that Bush enjoys a clear, if not huge, lead of 5 percentage points.

This new Harris Poll is based on telephone interviews conducted with a nationwide sample of 906 registered voters of whom 813 are likely voters, interviewed between October 19th and 26th.

The results are that 48% of likely voters now say they are likely to vote for George W. Bush and 43% say they are likely to vote for Al Gore, with Ralph Nader (5%) and Pat Buchanan (1%) dividing the rest of the vote. If these Harris Poll numbers are reproduced on Election Day, Nader's vote would be virtually identical with Governor Bush's margin of victory. If all Nader voters switched to Al Gore, Bush and Gore would be neck and neck. LINK

BWAAAAAAAAAAHAAAHAAA!!!!!!!



Hallowe'en Countdown


OK, I just found out that I'm really bad at Cat Bowling!

And my cat isn't too happy about this game, either!







Paul Krugman has
The Dick's number, alright!


Thwack!

"The fact is he's got the worst judgment in the world. He cheneys-up everything he touches. Because he's got the sneer, people think he's a serious guy."

Paul Krugman
October 27, 2004



George W. Clueless
Quote Of The Day



"For a political candidate to jump to conclusions without knowing the facts is not a person you want
as your commander in chief."


George W. What'd I Say Wrong?
LINK









'Toon Of The Week (So Far)









The Picture Of Dorian W. Bush






Tuesday, October 26, 2004

Remember Bobby "Boris" Pickett?


He's Baaaaaaack!!!


Click Here For



If You Dare!



'Monster Mash' Revived As Anti-Bush Song
By MATTHEW DALY
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Just in time for Halloween comes a new version of the 1960s hit "Monster Mash" - this time an Internet critique of the Bush administration's environmental policies.

The new version, a flash video called "Monster Slash," features the original singer, Bobby "Boris" Pickett, taking President Bush to task for policies to promote logging and mining.

"He and his friends cut the forest down," Pickett sings as animated figures of Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and other administration officials dance with a chain saw, hatchet and scythe.

"He did the slash," Pickett continues in a reworking of the familiar chorus. "They did the forest slash. ... It was brutally brash."

--snip--

Pickett, who hit Number 1 on the charts with "Monster Mash" in 1962, said he agreed to record the new version "because, like millions of people, I think this president has the worst environmental record in the history of our great nation." LINK

Thanks, Bobby!



Election Update (Early Voting)


Bexar Co. Texas (San Antonio):

Over 116k early votes in first 7 days, more than twice the number who voted early in the the entire 2000 election.

Breakdown:

Dems who never voted in 1 of last 3 elections: 21%
Dems who voted in 1 of last 3 elections: 35%
Repugs who never voted in last 3: 1%
Repugs who voted in 1 of last 3: 21%
Independents: 23%


Word Of The Week: CAGING


Caging- To confine in, or as in, a cage; to shut up or confine

If you haven't read any of the GOP's internal campaign emails (scroll down this page) which were accidentally sent to a leftwing parody site, you missed the ones with "caging lists."

For example:

-----Original Message-----
From: Tim Griffin - Research/Communications
Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2004 6:34 PM
To: kporter@rpof.org ; Lindy Landreaux - Political ; Miriam Moore - Research/Communications ; Victoria Newton - Research/Communications ; Shawn Reinschmiedt - Research/Communications ; rkammerdiner@rnchq.org ; sshiver@rpof.org ; bdoster@georgewbush.org
Subject: Re: caging

Thx
Tim Griffin
Research Director and
Deputy Communications Director
Republican National Committee
310 First Street, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
w 202) 863-8815
f: (202) 863-8744
tgriffin@rnchq.org

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kelly Porter
> To: Lindy Landreaux - Political ; Miriam Moore - Research/Communications ; Victoria Newton - Research/Communications ; Tim Griffin - Research/Communications ; Shawn Reinschmiedt - Research/Communications ; rkammerdiner@rnchq.org ; Stephen Shiver ; bdoster@georgewbush.org
> Sent: Thu Aug 26 18:12:49 2004
> Subject: caging
>
> Total as of today is 1834.

>
> Kelly
>
> ATTACHMENT: Caging-1.xls


Well...

Thanks to Greg Palast and BBC News, we now know
what the GOP's "caging lists" are:


New Florida vote scandal revealed


By Greg Palast
Reporting for BBC's Newsnight

A secret document obtained from inside Bush campaign headquarters in Florida suggests a plan - possibly in violation of US law - to disrupt voting in the state's African-American voting districts, a BBC Newsnight investigation reveals.

Election supervisor Ion Sancho believes some voters are being intimidated
Two e-mails, prepared for the executive director of the Bush campaign in Florida and the campaign's national research director in Washington DC, contain a 15-page so-called "caging list".

It lists 1,886 names and addresses of voters in predominantly black and traditionally Democrat areas of Jacksonville, Florida. An elections supervisor in Tallahassee, when shown the list, told Newsnight: "The only possible reason why they would keep such a thing is to challenge voters on election day." --snip--

"Quite frankly, this process can be used to slow down the voting process and cause chaos on election day; and discourage voters from voting." --snip--

Republican state campaign spokeswoman Mindy Tucker Fletcher stated the list was not put together "in order to create" a challenge list, but refused to say it would not be used in that manner.

Rather, she did acknowledge that the party's poll workers will be instructed to challenge voters, "Where it's stated in the law."

There was no explanation as to why such clerical matters would be sent to top officials of the Bush campaign in Florida and Washington. LINK

GAWD! At least they're stupid!

Imagine the evil election crap the GOP would get away with if Republicans were actually smart!


Meanwhile, on one of
George W.'s other internets...


... GOP insiders confuse .com with .org and end up emailing sensitive internal (and possibly illegal) info to a leftwing parody site!

Excerpt:

> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: ardean anvik [mailto:ardeananvik@hotmail.com]
> >Sent: Friday, July 16, 2004 12:47 PM
> >To: chrisvance@wsrp.org
> >Subject: Federal Campaign Law
> >
> >
> >Chris,
> >
> >I took the information you gave me regarding usage of County Party
> >assets
> >(e.g. newsletters, phone banks) for federal candidates to my County
> >Central
> >Committee and asked for direction as to accepting ads from campaigns or
> >individuals. I explained the information you had provided. Steve
> >VanDenover, Mason County Chair, asked me to check with other counties as
> >to
> >how they are handling national candidates, such as Nethercutt, Bush and
> >Congressional Candidates. I called a few counties and discussed this
> >issue
> >in detail with the State Committeewoman and Editor of the Skagit County
> >Republican newsletter, Ann Marie Humphreys. She was unaware of the
> >prohibiitions that you had outlined to me for newsletters. IN fact she
> >had
> >an ad for George Bush in her latest Newsletter. I told her what you had
> >
> >explained to me about newsletter prohibitions.
> >
> >May I request that you or someone on your staff send directions
> >regarding
> >what Counties can and cannot do as it pertains to newsletters and phone
> >banks usage for federal candidates. There is a great deal of ignorance
> >out
> >here and many counties are violating the campaign law as I understood it
> >
> >from you. God help us if the Democrats find out. I think we all need
> >direction. Can you help us?
> >
> >Thanks, Chris
> >
> >Ardean A. Anvik
> >State Committeeman, Mason COunty






Affinity...





Robert Kennedy
1964





John Kerry
2004



Now it's the shirt's fault?


What is George W. smoking?

A "poorly tailored shirt" caused the bulge?






Bush Blames Poorly Made Shirt for Bulge


WASHINGTON - President Bush sees the value — and the humor — in the idea that aides could secretly feed him advice through a radio receiver hidden on his back.

"Please explain to me how it works so maybe if I were ever to debate again I could figure it out," Bush said Tuesday on ABC's "Good Morning America."

After television cameras showed a box-shaped bulge on his back during the first presidential debate, Internet bloggers wondered whether Bush had been wired to receive help with his responses from aides such as White House communications director Dan Bartlett and senior adviser Karen Hughes.

--snip--

"I don't know what that is," Bush said. "I mean, it is — I'm embarrassed to say it's a poorly tailored shirt." LINK

If you believe this latest excuse from George W. Serial Liar, ask yourself one simple question:

Why would George W. Dress Up spend up to $14,000 per suit if a shirt can spoil its drape?

Stitch in time produces new classic
Chicago Sun Times
May 6, 2001
by Lisa Lenoir

President George W. Bush steps into the spotlight looking like a man fresh off the pages of GQ magazine. His black cashmere overcoat delicately drapes his shoulders, the blue stripe tie radiates against his white shirt and the suit perfectly fits his fit form. What a contrast after seeing Bush's hokey business and Western attire on the campaign trail. The 10-gallon hats and cowboy boots caused many fashion watchers to shake in their boots. But Bush's past style lapses are forgivable because, since his inauguration he's been wearing some of the best tailored garments -- Oxxford suits.

The Chicago-based Oxxford Clothes is the gentlemen's club for the well-dressed. In the summer issue of Forbes' FYI magazine, Oxxford was appointed the best suit to own in the list of "50 of America's Best." The article touted the fact that the suits are still made by hand entirely in Chicago and that pattern pieces are individually cut from one piece of fabric.

--snip--

When brothers Louis and Jacob Weinberg founded the company in 1916, they were determined to make the best suit. They used the finest fabrics and designed only simple, timeless shapes. This guiding principle ensures Oxxford continues to create topnotch garments for a price --$2,000 to $14,000 --that loyal customers are willing to pay. Oxxford will not compromise quality for trendy appeal. Even today, before a single Oxxford jacket is finished it must go through the same 165 stages of production, 32 pressings and must have the more than 3,000 hand stitches as the original Weinberg brothers' suit. LINK

Just because George W. says it's the shirt's fault doesn't make it so.

Remember what he said about WMDs, vast stockpiles of chemical & biological weapons, and unmanned drones capable of striking the USA within 45 minutes?

Empty suit or stuffed shirt?

Either way, the reputation of a fine tailor means about as much to George W. as the reputation of The United States Of America.


Monday, October 25, 2004

Best. Campaign Ad. Ever.


Seriously!


Click Here To Watch
"Seriously!"


Be patient!
It's worth the wait!

Seriously!



Crying WOLF is fun
until the wolf bites you
in the ass!


If you haven't seen the Bush-Cheney campaign's totally lame Terrorists/Wolves Are Coming To Eat Your Children ripoff of Ronald Raygun's equally lame Be Scared Of The Soviet Bear campaign ad, click here to see it. (Scroll down to "Wolves.")

Now that you (and every third grader of average intelligence) have figured out that the wolves are turban-sporting terrorists in disguise, how do you reconcile the image in that ad with the fact that George W.'s illegal invasion of Iraq caused 380 tons of high-powered explosives (which had been under seal and carefully monitored until the US of A came to call) to go missing, and they're probably in the hands of wolves terrorists and being used to kill our troops?

The first image that popped into my mind was...






Piss Poor
BushCo Job Loss
Excuse Of The Week



"Well, of course, there are fewer people in the labor force because of the aging of America and the fact that so many people have saved so much money and are so well prepared for retirement that they have CHOSEN to leave the workforce and take it easy."

Kevin Hassett
American Enterprise Institute
(C-Span's Washington Journal)
Oct. 25, 2004






Baby, It's Cold Down There!


Editorial: Time for a change in White House



The world, and this country's position in it, has changed profoundly over the past four years of George W. Bush's presidency.

The reality of terrorism, our tenuous fiscal situation and the stark polarization of this nation mandate a thorough evaluation of the direction in which this country is headed.

Within the context of that evaluation, with policy positions discussed on these pages in recent days, the Tribune-Herald editorial board recommends Sen. John Kerry as the best candidate to be president of the United States.

He is a man of intelligence and conscience, of experience in dealing with global and domestic issues. He's a man who logically could assume the title of commander in chief. He knows war's stakes. He's been there.

Those personal qualities alone do not qualify Kerry for the job. They do, however, lend credibility when he talks about what policies this nation needs to stay safe, to deal with domestic needs, and to heal its deep divisions. LINK


BRRRRRRR!!!





Sunday, October 24, 2004

Today's Sermon


Blood On The Moon


How will the moon look on Oct 27th?


Corpse white.

Pumpkin orange.

Blood red.

Maybe all three.

Step outside and see for yourself.






Since ancient times the Full Moon has been associated with ghosts, hauntings and the supernatural. In October, the Full Moon is referred to as the" Blood Moon." Late October is also traditionally a time when spirits of ancestors, as well as other ghosts are thought to return to visit the living, during the celebration of Halloween, or Samhain (Sow-en) to the ancient Celts & modern pagans.

In early Ireland, and in our modern day, "Dumb Suppers" are held, where a place is set at the supper table for the visiting dead. The living ate in silence throughout the Dumb Supper. Such ghostly meals were based on a belief that the dead would make one last appearance before the sun and earth slip into the shadows of winter, in order to bid the living well and partake of this last feast. The Dumb Supper is still practiced on the Isle of Man. A seance usually follows.

In England, something similar was called "a soulin" where people played tricks on neighbors and begged for food in frightening costumes or masks that were used to scare away evil spirits. This was the precursor of our modern day trick or treat.

Lunar eclipses have been noted as spiritually important by ancient peoples universally, as they believed eclipses sharpened the Full Moon's mysterious, ghostly powers, if you will, causing change, sometimes death, bringing about supernatural visions, thereby heightening the appearances of ghosts, spirits, and phantoms. When viewed from the earth, the moon appeared to turn blood red in color and so was referred to as "Blood On the Moon." LINK


--OR--

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon travels completely into the Earth's umbra, the dark inner portion of the shadow. The Moon's speed through the shadow is about one kilometer per second, and the total eclipse may last up to 102 minutes. However, the time between the Moon's first contact with the umbra and last contact, when it has completely exited the umbra, may be several hours. If only part of the Moon enters the umbra, it is called a partial lunar eclipse.

The Moon doesn't completely disappear as it passes through the umbra because of the refraction of sunlight by the Earth's atmosphere. The amount of refracted light depends on the amount of clouds or dust in the atmosphere blocking the light. This causes the Moon to glow with a coppery-red hue that varies from one eclipse to the next. The following scale was devised by Andrè Danjon for rating the overall darkness of lunar eclipses:

0. Very dark eclipse; Moon almost invisible, especially in midtonality
1. Dark eclipse; gray or brownish coloration; details distinguishable only with difficulty
2. Deep red or rust-colored eclipse, with a very dark central part in the umbra and the outer rim of the umbra relatively bright
3. Brick-red eclipse, usually with a bright or yellow rim to the umbra
4. Very bright copper-red or orange eclipse, with a bluish, very bright umbral rim

Because the Moon's orbit around the Earth is inclined 5° with respect to the orbit of the Earth around the Sun, lunar eclipses do not occur at every full moon. For an eclipse to occur, the Moon must be near its orbital node—the intersection of the orbital planes. Passing through the shadow at or very close to the node results in a total or partial eclipse. LINK




Today's Question:

Which Blood On The Moon explanation is more titillating?


Whatever your belief this week...


Go forth and gather Hallowe'en candy in abundance!



Thus endeth today's sermon.




Saturday, October 23, 2004

Gimme a W!


Hey! Hey!
What do you say?
What does W stand for Today?