You're Just Downright Creepy, Laura!

Remember Highlights Magazine?

That's right! It's the one with the Can You Find The Hidden Images In This Picture? rubric.

Ahem.

First lady Laura Bush looks on while touring an art exhibit at the National Geographic Museum entitled 'Peru: Indigenous and Viceregal,' in Washington February 25, 2005. Also touring the exhibit with the first lady was Peruvian first lady Mrs. Elaine Karp de Toledo, John Fahey, President and CEO of the National Geographic Society and Susan Norton, Director General of the National Geographic Museum. REUTERS/Shaun Heasley

Laura's obvious adoration of this (cough) object d'art (cough) is just weird.


Heavy sigh, y'all.

Today's Sermon: The Gospel Of Google

Note: I could have edited this entry after I figured out what the fascist fundies had done, but I think you'll have more fun following the process of my enlightenment.

Ha! Ha! Ha!

Hee! Hee! Hee!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Why?

Oh, why do Fascist Fundies try to use Latin phrases when designing their gravitas-seeking logos and emblems?



Of course, the site content is decidedly whacked: George W. isn't fundie enough for these folks; ergo, they're forming a new political party... to the right of Attila The Hun.

See for yourself.

Abortion is evil.

Only true Christians know how everyone else on earth is supposed to live.

Send money so we can continue our fight against the GAWD-less.

Et cetera.

Et cetera.

Several ways to send money!

Et cetera.

But the Latin phrases are the funniest part!


Vive Vale

Hm.

I always thought that meant Hale and Farewell!

It's obvious that these fundies must be trying to say something about LIFE and VALUE.

Hell's Bells, they probably think they've written VALUE LIFE!

Unlike these Fascist Fundies, I actually studied Latin. Of course, it was a million years ago...

So bear with me.

Vive Vale

This is a strange construction. Both verbs are in the imperative singular, which is used for conveying commands. For example, Vive! would be translated as "(You must) live!"

"Vive" is fine. It does, in fact, mean "(you) live!" as a command.

"Vale," however, really wouldn't convey the sense of "be valuable" to the listener. It was used primarily in the sense of "be well!" or "be strong!" as is the case of farewells in many languages, such as "fare thee well!" and "Wassail" or "Waes thu hael" (be thou well).

The only way I'd tend to translate the phrase above would be "Live, Be Well" -- similar to the (in)famous "Live long and prosper." It's not a bad phrase, and it has symmetry going for it.

Still, it doesn't seem to convey what you ask it to. If you want to indicate that all life is valuable, you wouldn't command someone to be well.

I'm sure that the fascist fundies had no intention of saying that making oneself valuable is a good thing in life. Had they, I could have suggested using:

Vive Aestimare.

aestimo, aestimare (1st conjugation verb) "to value, to rate, to esteem, to judge" -- aestimare (passive imperative) "(you) be valuable!"

valeo, valere, valui (2nd conjugation verb) "to be strong, vigorous, powerful, to be influential, to be adequate, to be of value, to be of worth -- vale! (imperative singular, usually used as a farewell) "goodbye."

vivo, vivere, vixi, victum (3rd conjugation verb) "to to be alive, to live, to survive" -- vive! (imperative singular) "(you) live!"

As for the rest of the inscription...

Luceo Descendens, Aucto Splendore Resurgam

He shines as he sets, but he shall rise again in great splendor.

Ahem.

Is that a Jesus reference?

Not according to the gospel of Google.

There is, however, a rather famous painting called Miscianza, by Frederick James.

The word mischianza, or meschianza, is derived from the conflation of the Italian words mescere (to mix) and mischiare (to mingle). The Mischianza was a medley of events held at Walnut Grove in Philadelphia on May 18, 1778, to celebrate the departure of General William Howe, commander- in-chief of the British army in Philadelphia, for his native England. Howe’s officers each contributed 140 pounds to pay for the affair, which included a procession of decorated boats that advanced up the Delaware River and docked near Green Street Wharf, a jousting tournament on a nearby green, an elaborate banquet, dancing, and a colorful display of fireworks. Each guest received an elaborate invitation featuring the Howe family crest and a sun setting into the sea that was mounted with a streamer bearing the motto Luceo Discendens, Aucto Splendore Resurgam (“He is shining as he sets, but he shall rise again in great splendor”).

Man, am I stupid or what?

I've been trying to make sense of this fascist fundie crest by concentrating on the Latin!

Take another look at the crest with the Latin phrases.

Canons. Swords. A drum. Flags.

"Live and be well" at the top.

Notice the sun setting into the sea?

Now read the blurb under the painting again.

Howe's officers and friends (enemies of America, by the way) were saying goodbye.

Vive Vale... Live and be well. (Hale and Farewell!)

Luceo Descendens, Aucto Splendore Resurgam... He shines as he sets, but he shall rise again in great splendor.

The fascist fundies decided to use the Family motto of General William Howe, the Commander-in-Chief of the British Army during the American freakin' Revolution...

They were talking about Howe, not Jesus! Howe had lost the war, but his officers still respected him (He shines). He shall rise again in great splendor, I believe, was wishful thinking.

So here's what must have happened...

The Creator's Rights Party stole the crest of the enemy, erased the name HOWE, and used Photoshop to plug in their party name in order to appear scholarly.

Pitiful.

Just plain pitiful.

They stole the whole thing.

I'll bet they have no idea whatsoever that their crest celebrates the enemy!

What ass wipes!

At least, I figured it out.

They think we belittle them for their beliefs.

Actually, we belittle them for their total disdain of scholarship.

We belittle them for embracing mediocrity.

Most of all, we belittle them for their hypocrisy...

When their self-appointed moral leaders claim that God punishes gays by giving them AIDS, yet deny the hand of GAWD when half of Florida is beset by hurricanes, I heave heavy, heavy sighs.

Vive Vale... Live long and prosper.

Hilarious.

They should add this to their crest...

Ad eundum quo nemo ante iit*

Or this...

Me transmitte sursum, Caledoni!**


Thus Endeth Today's Sermon.

Go forth and study Latin... and Art!

Otherwise, you'll end up as stupid as the members of The Creator's Rights Party.

Sum serius! Vae!***


* To boldly go where no man has gone before

** Beam me up, Scotty!

*** I'm serious, damn it!

Who Needs Photoshop When You've Got A Good Photographer?

How in the world did this AFP photo make it past the editors?

US President George W. Bush (news - web sites) speaks in Bratislava 24 February 2005. Europe is realizing Bush's 'vision' might work and should stop demanding from the US 'a high price for its political favors'(AFP/Joe Klamar) LINK

There's no source citation for that asinine "Europe is realizing Bush's 'vision' might work" remark...

But it just doesn't get any clearer than this photo, folks!

Be sure to click the link and rate the photo before it's freeped into oblivion!

This Week's Backside Of The Bell Curve Winner!

The Republican Party's
Favorite Fister

Colorado State Rep.



Bill "I'll Cram My Fist Up Your Ass!" Cadman

What is it with Republicans and sex, anyway?

They say these bizarre fisting things, make bizarre fisting threats against Democrats, and yet the mainstream press (except for one brave columnist) refuses to publish what Cadman said.

Cranky Cadman

At the time this was written Wednesday afternoon, Rep. Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs, still hadn't forthrightly apologized for warning a colleague Tuesday on the floor of the House, "If you try that again, I'll ram my fist up your ass."

Instead, Cadman was splitting hairs. He insisted the responsibility was reciprocal: The fellow he'd threatened, Rep. Val Vigil, D-Thornton, should have to apologize, too, because Vigil had told Cadman he was "garbage." In fact, Cadman suggested, Vigil should apologize first, presumably because he'd "started it," to use the playground lingo appropriate for these two legislative titans.

Well, of course Vigil should have apologized immediately, too. But an individual's responsibility to do the right thing is not contingent on others acting first. What is shocking is not only Cadman's reluctance to express regret but the fact that he wasn't absolutely mortified by what he'd stooped to say. It would never occur to most people to use such an expression even in private, no matter how incensed they were over an affront, let alone utter such words in public before other elected officials. LINK

Here's where bloggers differ from journalists...

Journalists are supposed to write what was said, who said it, where it was said, and when it was said... while presenting both sides of political issues.

Ahem.

(From the Denver Post's account)...

What: A Republican lawmaker used a vulgar term to intimidate a Democrat with whom he had a disagreement over an amendment to a bill.

Who: Rep. Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs, said Wednesday he regretted the vulgar remark he made to Rep. Val Vigil, D-Thornton.

When: The day before(which means that you have to do your own research, lazy readers!)

Where: Though he regrets having lost his temper on the House floor, Cadman said he wasn't the first lawmaker ever to do so. (You have to read the entire article to get to this tidbit.)

Both sides? Cadman used a vulgar term (which reporters won't quote), but Vigil used the dreaded word garbage.

Bloggers dig for the dirt, connect the dots, and try to flesh out (Remain calm, Cadman!) the story:

What: "I'll cram my fist up your ass!"

Who: Rep. Cadman told Rep. Vigil that he would cram his (Cadman's) fist up his (Vigil's) ass.

Where: On the floor of the Colorado State House Of Representatives.

When: Tuesday, February 22, 2005

WHY (as I understand the exchange): Cadman called Vigil's amendment GARBAGE.

Vigil replied, "Well, you're garbage."

To which, Cadman yelled, "Try that again, and I'll cram my fist up your ass!"

Both sides? One brave columnist actually quotes Cadman, but most accounts leave out the details of the exchange!

Vigil says garbage, but Cadman wants to fist him.

To a journalist, that's both sides.

No attempt whatsoever to expose the truth.

Which begs the question:

Is Bill Cadman garbage?

To answer that question, bloggers go to the most obvious (free) source: google.com!

Rep. Bill "The Fister" Cadman really is some piece of work, folks:

Critics say bill guts concealed-carry law

By The Associated Press

DENVER — A proposal before the Legislature would gut Colorado's concealed weapons law by ending background checks and eliminating required training for owning a weapon, opponents said.

One of the measure's 10 sponsors said it would eliminate government oversight of a constitutional right.

"I don't have to get some government authority to grant me the ability to assert my right," said Rep. Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs.

"I would call this the 'reaffirmation of your Second Amendment rights bill," he said. LINK

Sharks to Keep Swimming
Industry lobbyists help sink predatory lending curbs
by Terje Langeland

Unscrupulous mortgage lenders who prey on poor and uninformed consumers will continue to operate in Colorado without constraints, following the defeat last week of a proposed state law that would have reined in the worst offenders, consumer advocates say.

Despite sailing through the state Senate on a 24-8 vote, the measure -- aimed to restrict so-called "predatory loans" -- was killed by the House Information and Technology Committee in a 6-5 Republican-controlled party-line vote. Among those opposing the bill was the committee's vice chairman, Rep. Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs.

Supporters of the legislation, named Senate Bill 73, blamed its defeat on lobbying by the lending industry, and the influence of industry money. LINK


Faculty defend free-speech rights of UCB prof amid public outcry

February 3, 2005

By Jefferson Dodge

Despite the threat of a punitive budget cut from the Legislature and calls from the governor for Ward Churchill of CU-Boulder ethnic studies to resign or be dismissed, CU faculty leaders are defending Churchill's right to make controversial statements under the principles of free speech. --snip--

Several legislators said that if CU does not take action against Churchill, the University would be penalized. Rep. Bill Cadman ( R-Colorado Springs ) called for a supplemental bill to the 2004-05 budget to strip CU of general funds equivalent to the amount of Churchill's $94,242 salary. LINK

AG reviews bill to unmask donors

By Trent Seibert
Denver Post Capitol Bureau

Apr. 3, 2001 - The fate of a bill that could force secret political committees to say who their backers are hinges on a report from the state attorney general.

The report, which could be delivered to the legislature as early as this morning, examines Senate Bill 92 to see whether it could stand up in court if it becomes law.

It's not the first time the bill will be heard in Sinclair's State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee. It passed that committee on a 6-3 vote March 27, but committee member Rep. Bill Cadman, R-Col orado Springs, said later that he had voted wrong and wanted to vote again.

Cadman said he should have done more research initially because he questioned the bill's constitutionality. "It's my fault," he said. "I wish I had voted against it." Reconsidering bills is so rare it prompted some to say it was a move to kill a bill that many politicians don't like because it gives citizens more information about campaigns. LINK

From J.B. Holston...

The debate was so rancorous that lawmakers met in face-to-face shouting matches, an upset staffer wept during a hearing and Democrats were barred from speaking.

and, in their effort to protect democracy,

Republicans cut off questions and forced votes with loud bangs of the gavel. ....

After an emotional hearing before the House State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee, an upset clerk cried while calling the roll for a vote.
The measure passed the panel on a 7-2 vote, with Rep. Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs, telling Democrats, "There will be no discussion. You will vote yes or no."

House committee thwarts effort to expand hate crimes law

The bill passed the Senate on a voice vote. It was then referred to the House Committee on State, Veterans and Military Affairs.

“Hate crimes exist, we can’t deny this,” Rep. Mark Larson, the bill’s sponsor in the House of Representatives, said during committee hearings. “And it is the government’s responsibility to protect its citizens – all citizens.”

The Christian Coalition of Colorado ailed thousands of letters in Larson’s home district branding him a “leader for the radical homosexual agenda.”

Rep. Bill Cadman, who opposed the bill, expressed his concern that such laws would give special treatment to groups such as homosexuals.

Republican committee members killed the bill on a 5-4 party-line vote. This was the eighth time the bill has been introduced since 1991. [HC2001] LINK

GOP Rising Star Becomes "Un-person"
The savage and Orwellian tale of a shamed Colorado GOP player

by Dave "Doctor" Gonzo

It's enough to make you cringe these days to see Republicans in action. If they're not contradicting their own words with their actions, they're busy coming up with other ways to show their true "values".

After all, actions speak louder than words -- and nobody "speaks" Orwellian quite like your garden variety conservative Republicans. --snip--

Case in point: the bizarre and disturbing tale of one Randy Ankeney. --snip--

Mr. Ankeney is described in an article in the September 6, 2001 online edition of the Rocky Mountain News as "a fixture in El Paso County Republican politics until his arrest in July in a sex scandal involving a young girl." The article fills in a few more details: he named his dogs Reagan and Nixon, and was active in coordinating election campaigns for local and state Republicans. He had worked since last November as one of Colorado Governor Owens' economic development representatives. --snip--

The politician Ankeney is reputedly closest to, state Rep. Bill Cadman (R-Colorado Springs) was, according to the Rocky Mountain News, "reluctant to comment." LINK

Reluctant to comment?

Now that you know a bit more about Bill (The Future Fister) Cadman, do you believe he was truthful in his response to the Rocky Mountain News?

And that's the difference between bloggers and journalists.

Bloggers want the truth.

The whole truth.

And nothing but the truth.

So help us.

What's Wrong With This Headline?

Tsk.

Jobless Claims Rise More Then Expected

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of new claims for U.S. jobless benefits climbed more than expected to 312,000 last week, government data showed on Thursday, while a more reliable job market gauge fell to its lowest level in more than four years.

Initial claims for state unemployment insurance rose by 9,000 in the week ended Feb. 19, from an upwardly revised 303,000 the prior week, the Labor Department (news - web sites) said.

The number of claims came in well above the 305,000 Wall Street economists had forecast.

A Labor Department analyst said there were no special factors behind the rise in fresh claims. LINK

Correct!

Very good, Class!

The people who write and/or type these headlines control what you read, see, and hear.

Feeling good about that?

White Smoke Watch: Will The Pope Die Today?

The Pope has been rushed to the hospital again.

Which begs the questions...

Will even more extraordinary measures be taken to keep Il Papa technically alive than the last time?

What purpose would that serve other than creating a travel-window for the college of cardinals and their supporters to reach Rome?

Will the church once again turn to medical science to circumvent the will of God?

Will success spoil Rock Hunter?

Will Il Papa finally give up the ghost?

Remains to be seen. (No pun intended.)

First Kill All The Lawyers Bloggers!

But for bloggers, Jeff Gannon Jim Guckert, Gay Porn Site Hooker/ $50 Journalism School "graduate," would still be lobbing idiotic Q's at White House Press Secretaries and pResidents.

But for the determination of true patriots, the Gannon/Guckert story would have disappeared down the memory hole by now.




Shame on us evil bloggers!

Shining the light of truth on Gannon/Guckert threatens the BushCo dream of All Happy American Families learning to consume more and more Must Buy Products by watching TV commercials over and over and over and over...




Shining the light of truth on BushCo makes Americans wiser...

And that's the last thing that BushCo wants.

Conjuring the Corleones

I hear that Chalabi has dropped his bid to become the brand new Iraq's brand new Prime Minister.

So why was this image the first thing I thought of?

Shiites Pick Al-Jaafari As Iraq PM Nominee

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Ahmad Chalabi dropped his bid Tuesday to be next prime minister of Iraq (news - web sites), a decision that would make conservative interim vice president Ibrahim al-Jaafari the sole United Iraqi Alliance candidate for prime minister, a senior alliance official said.

The decision came after three days of round-the-clock negotiating by senior members of the United Iraqi Alliance, which emerged from the Jan. 30 elections with a 140-seat majority in the 275-member parliament, or National Assembly.

The office of Abdel Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, confirmed that Chalabi has withdrawn. LINK

Hm.

Someone must have made him an offer he couldn't refuse...





Now you, too, can send a similar warning!

Kropserkel.com sells Godfather Horsehead Pillows...




They're a bit pricey, but sometimes that haunted look on the recipient's face is absolutely priceless!

Learn English &Take Your Birth Control Pills Or Lose Your Children

Hm.

Time to check the Bullshit-O-Meter.


Yep.

Getting rather deep, folks!

Learn English, judge tells mothers

Warnings in Tenn. stir rights debate

By Ellen Barry, Los Angeles Times | February 22, 2005

LEBANON, Tenn. -- A judge hearing child abuse and neglect cases in Tennessee has given an unusual instruction to some immigrant mothers who have come before him: Learn English, or else.

Most recently, it was an 18-year-old woman from Oaxaca, Mexico, who had been reported to the Department of Children's Services for not immunizing her toddler and for missing appointments. At a hearing last month to monitor the mother's custody of the child, Wilson County Judge Barry Tatum instructed the woman to learn English and use birth control, The Lebanon Democrat newspaper reported.

Last October, Tatum gave a similar order to a Mexican woman who had been cited for neglect of her 11-year-old daughter, said a lawyer who is representing the woman in her appeal. Setting a court date six months away, the judge told the woman she should be able to speak English at a fourth-grade level by that meeting. If she failed, he warned, he would begin the process to terminate her parental rights.

''The court specially informs the mother that if she does not make the effort to learn English, she is running the risk of losing any connection -- legally, morally, and physically -- with her daughter forever," reads a court order from the hearing, according to Jerry Gonzalez, the Nashville lawyer who represents the woman. LINK

Debate?

Debate?

What's there to debate?

It seems to me that the only debate topic in this sleazy Tennessee courtroom is...

Due Process.

Listen up, Judge Tatum!

When every single one of Tennessee's native-born Anglo Saxon Backside Of The Bell Curve is given 6 months to pass an English proficiency test and proves (male & female, alike) that their pharma-induced birth control methods are working, then we'll debate the merits of your ruling, you Nazi!

Xenophobia is a hell of a thing!

If you don't understand what Mexicans are saying about you in the checkout line, take a flippin' Spanish class...

And we'll test your proficiency after 6 months!

At that time, we'll remove every child from your family if you flunk the language test or can't prove that you're all taking FDA-approved drugs to prevent pregnancy!

Threefold Sadness

John Raitt

Broadway star John Raitt dies at age 88

Baritone created role of hero in 'Carousel'

Associated Press
Originally published February 21, 2005

LOS ANGELES - John Raitt, the robust baritone who created the role of Billy Bigelow in the original New York production of Carousel and sang with Doris Day in the movie The Pajama Game, died yesterday. He was 88.

Mr. Raitt, the father of singer Bonnie Raitt, died of complications from pneumonia at his Pacific Palisades home, his manager, James Fitzgerald, said in a statement.

Mr. Raitt had become well-known on the West Coast for his handsome presence and ringing voice when he was invited to New York in 1944 to try out for the role of Curly in the road company of Oklahoma! He was rushed from Penn Station to the St. James Theater and an audition with Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers.

In 1995, Mr. Raitt recalled: "I hadn't sung since California, so I said, 'Do you mind if I warm up?' I sang Figaro's aria from The Barber of Seville. Then I sang all of Curly's songs."

There was silence when he finished. Much more...

Such a voice!

Such stage presence!




There used to be a time, boys & girls, when talent lit up Broadway and invented the term SRO...

Not just carefully publicity propelled movie star names on marquees.

People could actually act, sing, and dance...

At the same time.

There was no need for flash editing.

5 to 15 seconds of choreography superimposed over multi-filtered studio recordings and 10¢ would get you a cup of coffee if you had to compete against the likes of John Raitt for a Broadway role.

More Sad News

Hunter S. Thompson

Hunter S. Thompson shoots self in head

"Fear and Loathing" author dead at 67

By Troy Hooper and Claire Martin
The Denver Post

Post file
Hunter S. Thompson in his Woody Creek home, February 1997

Aspen - Hunter Stockton Thompson, who coined the term "gonzo journalism" to describe the unique and furiously personal approach to reportage exemplified in his 1972 book "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," died Sunday night of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his Woody Creek home. He was 67, family members said.

Pitkin County Sheriff Bob Braudis, a friend of Thompson's, confirmed the death. Thompson's son, Juan, discovered his body Sunday evening.

"Dr. Hunter S. Thompson took his life with a gunshot to the head. ... The family will provide more information about (a) memorial service ... shortly. Hunter prized his privacy and we ask that his friends and admirers respect that privacy as well as that of his family," Juan and Anita Thompson, Hunter Thompson's wife, said in a statement.

"Details and interviews may be forthcoming when the family has had the time to recover from the trauma of the tragedy," Braudis said from Thompson's compound, Owl Farm.

Countless fans strove to imitate Thompson's startlingly candid first-person accounts that described legally errant escapades fueled by drugs, alcohol and nicotine, yet he maintained a savagely private personal life.

"Obviously, my drug use is exaggerated or I would be long since dead," he told a USA Today reporter in 1990.

He famously threatened to shoot trespassers, providing endless fodder for cartoonist Garry Trudeau's ongoing portrayal of Thompson as the hard- living Duke, named after Raoul Duke, a character in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." The book was made into a 1998 movie starring Johnny Depp.

--snip--

In 1959, Thompson went on to become a Caribbean correspondent for Time magazine and the New York Herald Tribune. After relocating to South America, he wrote for the National Observer, and then returned to the U.S. and became the West Coast correspondent for The Nation.

Rolling Stone magazine publisher Jann Wenner learned of Thompson from his columns for Scanlan's Monthly and Ramparts, and hired him as national affairs editor. This propelled Thompson and his cynical, heady reporting style to international fame. People who really did read Playboy for the articles began picking up Rolling Stone for Thompson's caroming take on politics, particularly his incendiary coverage of the 1972 presidential campaign. Much more...

Here was a writer...

Fear & Loathing in America
September 12 2001

by Hunter S. Thompson

And it was not even Bombs that caused this massive damage. No nuclear missiles were launched from any foreign soil, no enemy bombers flew over New York and Washington to rain death on innocent Americans. No. It was four commercial jetliners.

They were the first flights of the day from American and United Airlines, piloted by skilled and loyal U.S. citizens, and there was nothing suspicious about them when they took off from Newark, N.J., and Dulles in D.C. and Logan in Boston on routine cross-country flights to the West Coast with fully-loaded fuel tanks -- which would soon explode on impact and utterly destroy the world-famous Twin Towers of downtown Manhattan's World Trade Center. Boom! Boom! Just like that.

The towers are gone now, reduced to bloody rubble, along with all hopes for Peace in Our Time, in the United States or any other country. Make no mistake about it: We are At War now -- with somebody -- and we will stay At War with that mysterious Enemy for the rest of our lives.

It will be a Religious War, a sort of Christian Jihad, fueled by religious hatred and led by merciless fanatics on both sides. It will be guerilla warfare on a global scale, with no front lines and no identifiable enemy. Osama bin Laden may be a primitive "figurehead" -- or even dead, for all we know -- but whoever put those All-American jet planes loaded with All-American fuel into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon did it with chilling precision and accuracy. The second one was a dead-on bullseye. Straight into the middle of the skyscraper. LINK

When will there come such another?

In Memoriam

Sandra Dee
(1942-2005)

Actress Sandra Dee dies

Death follows treatment for kidney disease, pneumonia

Sunday, February 20, 2005 Posted: 5:11 PM EST (2211 GMT)

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Actress Sandra Dee died Sunday at a California hospital, her son told CNN.

Dodd Darin, the son of the late singer Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee, said his mother died at 6 a.m. (9 a.m. ET) in Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, California, where she had been treated for 14 days for complications from kidney disease and pneumonia.

Darin said his mother was 63, though a number of movie Web sites put her birth date variously at April 23, 1942, and April 23, 1944, which would have made her 62 or 60.

Dee was born Alexandra Zuck in Bayonne, New Jersey. Her mother often lied about her age to help her get ahead in work and school, according to the Web site Internet Movie Database.

Work as a model by age 12 led to television commercials and, at age 14, a role in the movie "Until They Sailed," which was released in 1957, the site said. More...

Rest in peace, Gidget.

Must See TV: The Case Of The Strangely Silent Republican

The Subject:

Gay Porn Prostitute/White House Press Corps
(cough) Member (cough)
Jim Guckert/Jeff Gannon

The Cast:

Bill Maher

Leslie Stahl

Robin Williams

Senator Joseph Biden (D, Delaware)

Tommy Thompson,
former BushCo HHS Secretary (R, Strange Silence)

Crank up the volume and pass the popcorn!




Click Here To Watch

Today's Sermon: Biblical Marriage

Today's Sermon magically appeared in my inbox, presumably sent through cyberspace according to the laws of man-made technology (although I can't prove one way or another if the god of Abraham was involved in any way)...

IN DEFENSE OF BIBLICAL MARRIAGE

The Presidential Prayer Team is currently urging us to "Pray for the President as he seeks wisdom on how to legally codify the definition of marriage. Pray that it will be according to Biblical principles. With many forces insisting on variant definitions of marriage, pray that God's Word and His standards will be honored by our government."

So here -- in support of the Prayer Team's admirable goals -- is a proposed Constitutional Amendment codifying marriage ENTIRELY ON BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES:

A. Marriage in the United States shall consist of a union between one man and one or more women.
(Gen 29:17-28 and II Sam 3:2-5)

B. Marriage shall not impede a man's right to take concubines in addition to his wife or wives.
(I Sam 5:13 and I Kings 11:3 and II Chron 11:21)
C. A marriage shall be considered valid only if the wife is a virgin. If the wife is not a virgin, she shall be executed.
(Deut 22: 13-21)

D. Marriage of a believer and a non-believer shall be forbidden.
(Gen. 24:3 and Num 25:1-9 and Ezra 9:12 and Neh 10:30)

E. Since marriage is for life, neither this Constitution nor the constitution of any State shall be construed to permit divorce.
(Deut 22:19 and Mark 10 )

F. If a married man dies without children, his brother shall marry the widow. If he refuses to marry his sister-in-law, or deliberately does not give her children, he shall pay a fine of one shoe and be otherwise punished in a manner to be determined by law. (Gen 38:6-10 and Deut 25:5-10)

I've long envied the marriage laws of most European countries.

Sure, you can marry in a church, synagogue, mosque, or other sacred space...

But your marriage is not considered legal (with rights and such) until you appear before a secular court judge and seal the deal.

That way, the church and the state are truly separate.

One marriage covenant renders unto your god of choice.

The other renders unto Caesar.

As Jesus of Nazareth said it should be.

So there!

THUS ENDETH TODAY'S SERMON!

Go forth and marry anyone anywhere!

I mean it, damn it!

Soylent Green Precursor?

Sure, the US Government (AKA BushCo, Inc.) says they're concerned with the dignity of the dead after tsunami-scale disasters.

But one has to wonder...

Is this the inspiration for BushCo's new idea?

Is this the prototype?

Coroner Looks For Way To Shrink-Wrap Corpses

POSTED: 3:40 pm PST February 18, 2005
UPDATED: 4:03 pm PST February 18, 2005

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Officials in Washington state want to find a machine that can shrink-wrap something pretty big -- a human body.

The Thurston County Coroner's Office is on the hunt for a machine that can wrap human remains in plastic in case of a natural disaster or terror attack.

Officials said the process would make transporting a big number of bodies easier, while also sealing in biohazards like anthrax. And they said it's more respectful than letting bodies remain exposed as happened after the Asian tsunami.

The office has started the bidding process to see who can build such a machine, which is estimated will cost about $50,000. A Homeland Security grant will pay the bill. LINK

What does the coroner in Olympia, Washington know that we don't know?

And what's next, folks?

This reminds me of that hideous old joke:

Have you heard about the new German Microwave?

It seats 25.

Heavy, heavy sigh.

This Week'sBacksideOf TheBell CurveWinner!

The Boy Scouts

Ahem.

Scout Oath

On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight.

Scout Law

A Scout is:

Trustworthy
Loyal
Helpful
Friendly
Courteous
Kind
Obedient
Cheerful
Thrifty
Brave
Clean
Reverent

FBI probing Alabama Boy Scout organization

Tuesday, January 25, 2005 Posted: 5:27 PM EST (2227 GMT)


BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (AP) -- Boy Scout volunteer Tom Willis knew something was wrong when he saw that 20 youngsters on the list for a scouting program all had the same last name: Doe.

Willis said it appeared someone was listing fake members to boost enrollment, perhaps to bring in more funding from agencies like the United Way or to make paid Boy Scout recruiters look better.

"It was just so blatant. They didn't even try to make up names," said Willis, a dentist from Decatur and a former Eagle Scout who serves on the board of the Greater Alabama Boy Scout Council, which runs scouting programs in northeastern Alabama.

Now the FBI is investigating whether the council padded its membership rolls. It is just the latest investigation around the country into whether the Boy Scouts have inflated their numbers.

The FBI refused to comment. The council said on its Web site early this month that Scout officials were cooperating with investigators and conducting an internal audit.

"Let me assure you that your executive committee considers these allegations to be very serious and is taking necessary and appropriate action," said council board chairman Randy Haines, a banking executive. LINK

Tsk. Tsk.

I hear that a similar investigation is underway in Atlanta, Georgia!

Whatever happened to...?



And what's the deal with banking executive Randy Haines screwing The Boy Scouts?

I thought they frowned on that!

And here's what I'd really like to know...

Will anyone audit council board chairman (and bank executive) Randy Haines?

Is it really such a giant leap from sucking huge sums of money from Congress, The United Way, and Community Supporters (who donate generously to The Boy Scouts) to committing bank fraud?

Heavy sigh.

They Found Strom Thurmond's Parents!

Oldest Remains of Human Beings Are Identified
By JOHN NOBLE WILFORD

Published: February 16, 2005

Scientists have determined that human fossils found in Ethiopia in 1967 are 65,000 years older than first thought, from about 195,000 years ago. The revised date, they said, makes the skulls and bones the earliest known remains of modern Homo sapiens.

The research reinforces the theories of an African origin for modern humans, and the earlier date gives the species more time to have evolved the cultural attributes that probably supported its spread to Asia and Europe from Africa. The new date appears to be near the early boundary for modern human emergence, as suggested in recent genetic studies.

The findings were announced today by a research team led by Dr. Ian McDougall of the Australian National University in Canberra and are being described in detail in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.

Dr. McDougall, a geologist, and his colleagues reported that a re-examination of the sediments in which the fossils were found and the use of more reliable dating methods showed that the two individuals lived 195,000 years ago, give or take 5,000 years, "making them the earliest well-dated anatomically modern humans yet described."

An expedition led by Richard E. Leakey, the Kenyan paleontologist, excavated the two fossil specimens 38 years ago along the Omo River in southern Ethiopia, near the town of Kibish. The fossil-bearing sediments were dated at 130,000 years, though many researchers, even the discoverers, were never sure this was a valid age for the specimens. Scientists at the time thought it unlikely that modern humans could be more that 100,000 years old. LINK

Just kidding, Strom Lovers!

It's still a nifty story, isn't it?

Today's Heroes: Conyers & Slaughter

Congressmembers to file Freedom of Information Act request with Homeland Security, White House on discredited ‘Gannon’

Two Democratic congressmembers will file a Freedom of Information Act request with Homeland Security and the White House, seeking records on the discredited conservative reporter with ties to prostitution and apparent access to confidential CIA information, RAW STORY has learned.

The letter, which is to current Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge (Chertoff is being voted on today and will not yet be sworn in any event), will not mention activist Jim Guckert’s efforts at prostitution, which was revealed by a progressive blog Monday.

Congressmen John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) and congresswoman Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) will sign the request.

“News reports also indicate that Mr. Guckert would not be considered a bona fide journalist by his peers in the press corps, as most of his claims to legitimacy have already been discredited,” the members write in the final version prepared for signature and released to RAW STORY. “Access to the President and his press corps is highly competitive, and many seasoned journalists have not had the honor of attending the events or enjoying the access Mr. Guckert has. “

“We are concerned that such an individual was allowed within a few feet of the President when the public is routinely disallowed any possible contact with either the President or the White House.

The request seeks White House and Homeland Security records regarding, among other things, “the standards the Secret Service or the White House impose on those who are granted access to the President and the White House Briefing Room. Please include all records discussing whether the Secret Service or the White House routinely allow guests to use false names.”

The members also request “all records setting forth or discussing who has the authority, if at all, to exempt an individual or member of the media from security clearance by the Secret Service in order to gain access to the White House Briefing Room,” and “all records of communication between the Secret Service and Mr. Guckert."

The representatives ask that "all records, including telephone conversations, emails, or facsimile communications, be turned over for inspection."

Smart!

Let the State of Delaware deal with the felony prostitution aspects of this guy, Guckert.

Let's make sure that Delaware prosecutors don't ignore this guy!

Ah, everybody has a website!

Special Investigations Section

Delaware State Police

The Special Investigations Section is a group of specialized criminal investigation units that proactively pursue quality of life issues. The Section is under the command of Captain Charles J. Simpson. The section is divided into northern and southern offices under the command of Lt. Patrick Ogden and Lt. Bruce VonGoerres respectively. As always, our biggest successes were team projects with other DSP sections and other law enforcement agencies.

Vice Crimes Unit

The Delaware State Police Vice Unit is charged with the responsibility of investigating vice related crimes involving prostitution, gambling, and child pornography. In addition, the vice unit assists the Office of Professional Regulation as it relates to licensing of massage and adult entertainment establishments.

In February, the unit concluded a month long investigation involving two individuals who operated an Internet based “dating service” site. The site contained prices for explicit sexual activities. Employees of the service agreed to meet undercover officers at a local hotel. The employees, both residents of Pennsylvania, were arrested for prostitution related charges. One of the individuals was found to be a fugitive from Chicago, Illinois on an outstanding fraud charge. He was subsequently extradited to Illinois for prosecution.

During the course of the year, VICE coordinated several multi-agency prostitution stings. The sting operations were designed to tackle the supply-side of the prostitution issue that plagues certain areas of Delaware. LINK

Yes, dear reader, you can report a crime (such as Guckert's prostitution websites) to The Delaware State Police:

Know about a Crime, Call The 1-800-TIP-3333, Hot Line
EMail: Crimestoppers@state.de.us

I hear Guckert has lawyered up.Interesting, isn't it, that freepers hate trial lawyers until they need them?

Who'll pay your legal bills, Guckert?

Talon (cough) News May Run,But They Can Not Hide!

How stupid do you have to be to think that all will be well if you just delete everything written by your Ace Gay Porn Hooker White House Press Corps "Reporter" Jim Guckert Jeff Gannon?

How stupid do you have to be NOT TO KNOW that Screen Capture and Memory Cache are frequently used to prevent stories and pictures from disappearing down the memory hole?

How stupid do you have to be to think that you can simply break the Biography Links on your GOPUSA (cough) News Service's About Us page, and pesky bloggers won't wonder what you're trying to hide?

How stupid do you have to be to think that no one would ever notice that BushCo's White House Personnel Director (31 year-old Dina Powell) and GOPUSA/Talon News Board Member, Richard Powell, might be related?

How stupid do you have to be to think that no one would ever suspect that GOPUSA/Talon (cough) News' Ace Gay Porn Hooker White House Press Corps "Reporter," Jim Guckert Jeff Gannon, was surely given a copy of (or at least informed about) the secret memo outing CIA WMD Agent Valerie Plame in an attempt to smear Ambassador Joseph Wilson?

Ahem.

Dina Powell, the West Wing's Hire Power

By Ann Gerhart
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 11, 2005; Page C01

--snip--

Powell is the president's headhunter, charged with filling hundreds of jobs in the next several weeks -- ambassadors, Cabinet heads, undersecretaries, commissioners. She is the soul of discretion. What's in the safe? Forget it.

Those new people tramping the corridors of federal power will have left some part of themselves with Powell, who at 31 is the youngest person ever to direct the presidential personnel office and its roughly 35 employees.

--snip--

Asked if Powell simply prepares the paperwork or actually makes recommendations on hiring, Office of Management and Budget director Josh Bolten says, "Both."

"It's not at all a case that she collects a few things," says Bolten. "She is the quarterback of the whole process." Margaret Spellings, the domestic policy adviser tapped to become education secretary, who sits beside Powell every morning at the senior staff meeting, dismisses any suggestion that all appointments are masterminded by Rove.

--snip--

On this subject, Powell smiles and says: "We're not short on recommendations."

The process of identifying, then hiring, presidential talent requires "all kinds of research and a lot of discipline," says Clay Johnson, the president's old friend from Midland, Tex., who first handled personnel during the truncated transition in 2000 and then was Powell's boss until January 2003, when she succeeded him. "You cannot lapse into 'Do I like this person?' It's about the job specifications. Everything you do must be first class, showing tremendous respect. But you must tell them, 'You won't get as much credit. You won't get as much money. You must be comfortable with being told no a lot. You aren't going to be able to have your own way.' " That is a difficult transition for many corporate executives to make.

Powell, says Johnson, understands all of this. "She has really good radar," he says.

She [Powell] insists that an hour-long interview be on background, with quotes needing to be approved prior to publication. Even in this format, she reveals not a single confidence or telling detail of the way she works. WaPo LINK

And then there's this...

Be sure to click on Richard Powell's name and see what GOPUSA/Talon (cough) News has done!

What is Talon News, and why does it have press credentials?

Talon News apparently consists of little more than Eberle, Gannon, and a few volunteers, and is virtually indistinguishable from GOPUSA.com.

--snip--

Eberle and Gannon both post on the right-wing online forum Free Republic, and Gannon has also hosted a radio show on Radio Free Republic.

--snip--

GOPUSA's officers and directors show a similar lack of journalism experience, but plenty of experience working for Republican causes:

# Board member Richard Powell "brings a wealth of political and business experience to GOPUSA.com. ... Richard also consults privately for political candidates and policymakers, helping them develop their education message and K-16 education reform policy initiatives. He is a former policy advisor to Texas Governor Rick Perry, and is active in national, state and local political and civic causes." Media Matters LINK

Next question...

How stupid do you have to be NOT TO BE AWARE OF the power of GOOGLE?

I googled "Dina Powell" and biography...

Dina Powell

Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel

Biography:
Most recently, Dina Powell was Special Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel. From 1999 to 2001, she was Director of Congressional Affairs, Senior Advisor to the Chairman at the Republican National Committee. Previously, Dina was the Member Relations Coordinator for U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey.

Powell graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. Allamericanpatriots LINK

Then I googled "Dina Powell" and husband...

Egyptian immigrant finds hire calling in U.S.

Bush aide keeps White House staffed with true believers

Johanna Neuman, Los Angeles Times

Sunday, January 16, 2005

--snip--

Married to a senior public-affairs executive, Powell now has her own daughter, a 3-year-old she describes as a "peanut." Acknowledging the difficulties of being a working mother, she praises both her husband, "an unbelievably supportive partner," and the president, whom she described as running "a family-friendly White House."

She admits that the hours are long and that she sometimes rushes home to have dinner with her family before returning to the White House to finish the day's work. Few of the 4,000 presidential appointees left the administration during Bush's first term, but some are leaving now, requiring successors. Even as the vacancies are filled, she is aware that more will soon be leaving, a never-ending conveyor belt of personnel changes. SFGate LINK

Even the scrubbed bio at GOPUSA/Talon (cough) News omitted this little factoid:

Richard Powell -- Founder and president of JPX Interactive Technologies, Inc., a comprehensive technology integration firm offering consulting, deployment and integration services in the business, government and education market segments; Former policy advisor to Texas Governor Rick Perry LINK to Kos

So I googled "Richard Powell" and JPX Interactive Technologies...

TIP LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

(Technology Immersion Pilot (TIP) Project
Pioneering 21st Century Schools Today)

AGENDA

July 27-28, 2004

Austin Airport Hilton

Opening Session - Overview and Purpose of TIP

Anita Givens, Director of Educational Technology

Richard Powell, JPX Interactive

This session will provide an overview of the Technology Immersion Pilot and set the stage for this two-day conference by providing the framework for exploring the challenges and opportunities of this exciting pilot project. LINK

So let's recap...

Jim Guckert is a gay porn hooker who calls himself Jeff Gannon.

Guckert pays $50 to attend a 2-day "Journalism" seminar hosted by GOP operatives and proceeds to claim he's a graduate of this "journalism school."

(Don't forget that BushCo has been hiring actors to play reporters on TV and paying journalists big bucks to promote BushCo social policy!)

Guckert gets a gig with a GOPUSA Fake News Service called Talon (cough) News (either as a result of that 2-day seminar or some darker, kinkier sex connection to GOP operatives), and he's paid a stipend (not a salary) to write Pro-BushCo crap on said website.

(Don't forget that Guckert was denied Congressional press corps credentials because his News (cough) service didn't meet government standards, namely deriving its primary revenue from subscribers and/or advertising and proving that its reporters' pay constituted the primary portion of their salaries!)

Dina Powell, whose work for Texas Republicans and an Egyptian maiden name lead her to become White House Personnel Director, vets everyone who works in the White House Press and Communications offices.

Dina Powell appears to be married to Richard Powell, GOPUSA Board Member/ Political Candidate Educational Consultant and Friend of Texas Governor Rick Perry.

Richard Powell is on the Board Of Directors at GOPUSA/Talon (cough) News, but his (and everyone else's) biography has been scrubbed from the website.

Jim Guckert Jeff Gannon had to have been designated as a GOP-friendly White House News Correspondent "must hire," which means that no questions were asked concerning his background because SOMEONE IMPORTANT VOUCHED FOR HIM.

That's how it works in politics, folks.

There's one standard for random people who apply for White House appointments and jobs, and there's a subrosa standard for "must hires."

The White House approved Jim Guckert.

Jim Guckert is a gay porn hooker, who gets called on frequently during press conferences by Scott McClellan and George W.


Read Guckert's
White House
Questions and Answers.

GOPUSA/Talon (cough) News is a Fake news organization.

Talon (cough) News has deleted everything Guckert ever wrote for them.

GOPUSA/Talon News has deleted the links to its Board Of Directors' biographies.

Guckert has now told two different versions to two different journalists of his involvement in the White House's Let's Expose Valerie Plame's CIA Cover & Smear Her Husband mess.

Gulp.

And the MSM (MainStream Media) continues to ignore this story...

Last question...

What did George W. know, and when did he know it?

The Straight Story On George W.'s Gay Hooker WH Press Corps Friend

I know you've been asking...

What's the big deal about a fake journalist for a fake news organization gaining WH Press credentials and getting called on numerous times by the WH Press Secretary and the President Of The United States?

You should have been asking...

How did a $200 per hour/ $1200 per weekend GAY PORN HOOKER get to be a WH Press Corps journalist and get called on numerous times by the WH Press Secretary and the President Of The United States?

And why is the MSM (MainStream Media) ignoring this story?

The political party that's hell bent on keeping gays from acting like stable heteros is suddenly VERY QUIET about a GAY PORN HOOKER IN THE WHITE HOUSE.

Does that mean that they approve of this...?

Jeff Gannon Jim Guckert, Gay Porn Hooker
With White House Press Corps Credentials

AMERICAblog.org Has The Story.


Click Here To Read
The Juicy Details

Penny Dreadfuls And Vinegar Valentines

The next time you go digging through your family photographs and memorabilia, keep an eye out for old Valentines...











Penny Dreadfuls, also called Vinegar Valentines, were introduced in 1858 and continued in one form or another until the 1970's.

They cost a penny, were printed on cheap paper in crude colors, and featured extremely insulting verse.

Penny Dreadfuls were usually sent anonymously to people one didn't like.

Adding insult to injury, during the 19th century, the person receiving the mail was obligated to pay the postage.

Considering today's litigious climate, I hope that you were cautious in your Valentine's Day correspondence.

DNA samples and fingerprints are pesky little devils!

Today's Sermon: The Pharisee Puritans Are Back!

Yes, those pesky Worship My God Or Else folks... against whom our founding fathers warned repeatedly!

Yes, those God & Guns Guys whose reprehensible representatives lie with abandon today on cable news networks about America having been founded as a Christian nation want you and yours to ignore US History completely.

Which brings us to the current issue of The Nation...

Our Godless Constitution

by Brooke Allen

It is hard to believe that George Bush has ever read the works of George Orwell, but he seems, somehow, to have grasped a few Orwellian precepts. The lesson the President has learned best--and certainly the one that has been the most useful to him--is the axiom that if you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it. One of his Administration's current favorites is the whopper about America having been founded on Christian principles. Our nation was founded not on Christian principles but on Enlightenment ones. God only entered the picture as a very minor player, and Jesus Christ was conspicuously absent.

Our Constitution makes no mention whatever of God. The omission was too obvious to have been anything but deliberate, in spite of Alexander Hamilton's flippant responses when asked about it: According to one account, he said that the new nation was not in need of "foreign aid"; according to another, he simply said "we forgot." But as Hamilton's biographer Ron Chernow points out, Hamilton never forgot anything important.

In the eighty-five essays that make up The Federalist, God is mentioned only twice (both times by Madison, who uses the word, as Gore Vidal has remarked, in the "only Heaven knows" sense). In the Declaration of Independence, He gets two brief nods: a reference to "the Laws of Nature and Nature's God," and the famous
line about men being "endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights." More blatant official references to a deity date from long after the founding period: "In God We Trust" did not appear on our coinage until the Civil War, and "under God" was introduced into the Pledge of Allegiance during the McCarthy hysteria in 1954 [see Elisabeth Sifton, "The Battle Over the Pledge," April 5, 2004].

In 1797 our government concluded a "Treaty of Peace and Friendship between the United States of America and the Bey and Subjects of Tripoli, or Barbary," now known simply as the Treaty of Tripoli. Article 11 of the treaty contains these words:

As the Government of the United States...is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion--as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity of Musselmen--and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

This document was endorsed by Secretary of State Timothy Pickering and President John Adams. It was then sent to the Senate for ratification; the vote was unanimous. It is worth pointing out that although this was the 339th time a recorded vote had been required by the Senate, it was only the third unanimous vote in the Senate's history. There is no record of debate or dissent. The text of the treaty was printed in full in the Philadelphia Gazette and in two New York papers, but there were no screams of outrage, as one might expect today.

The Founding Fathers were not religious men, and they fought hard to erect, in Thomas Jefferson's words, "a wall of separation between church and state." John Adams opined that if they were not restrained by legal measures, Puritans--the fundamentalists of their day--would "whip and crop, and pillory and roast." The historical epoch had afforded these men ample opportunity to observe the corruption to which established priesthoods were liable, as well as "the impious presumption of legislators and rulers," as Jefferson wrote, "civil as well as ecclesiastical, who, being themselves but fallible and uninspired men, have assumed dominion over the faith of others, setting up their own opinions and modes of thinking as the only true and infallible, and as such endeavoring to impose them on others, hath established and maintained false religions over the greatest part of the world and through all time."Much, much more...

The impious presumption of the fallible and uninspired.

Assuming dominion over the faith of others.

Endeavoring to impose their own opinions on others.

Establishing and maintaining false religions over the greatest part of the world.

Yes, Brothers & Sisters!

Verily I say unto you: The Pharisee Puritans are back, and they already believe that our country to looks like this:




If you read this blog frequently, you know what I call them...

Fascist Fundies.

Beware their sanctimonious smiles and their Rapture Countdown calendars!

Their goal is to make every American as pig ignorant as they are.

Their behavior almost makes me wish that Jesus of Nazareth would take calls on Larry King and set these Bozos straight.

These are not true Christians, Friends & Neighbors!

JC of N had a name for them...

Pharisee.

And here's what JC of N had to say about these guys:

Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. —Luke 18:9-14

Only a true fascist fundie could ignore those words.

Heavy Sighs and
Hymnal Pages!


THUS ENDETH TODAY'S SERMON.

Go forth and study History, Science, Math, The Arts and Humanities.

While you still can.

And I mean it, damn it!

Happy Darwin Day!

Charles Darwin,
Birthday Boy

February 12 is the anniversary of the birthday of Charles Darwin, the author of the theory of evolution by natural selection.

Since 1997, when it began at the University of Tennessee, events have been organised annually in the USA to mark this day, under the title Darwin Day. It came about because many scientists are concerned about the number of schools and colleges in the US, which—under pressure from the religious right—either do not teach evolution or teach creationism instead. The purpose of the day is to raise the profile of the ideas behind evolutionary theory, to encourage debate, and to rebut fundamentalist ideas.

A campaign was launched in the USA two years ago to make Darwin’s birthday an international day of celebration of his life and achievements and of the theory of evolution. The organisers are placing particular emphasis on getting the Day established in Britain, where Darwin was born, and where anti-evolution sentiment is rare. It is hoped to have the Day in place by the bicentenary of Darwin’s birth in 2009.

It’s going to be rather harder getting Darwin Day widely accepted in the US, because 12 February 1809, by an odd coincidence, was also the birthday of Abraham Lincoln.

Lincloln Schmlincoln!

Honest Abe wouldn't mind sharing the day with Darwin.

Abe wasn't pig ignorant.

If fascist fundies weren't hell bent on stifling all scientific knowledge, Darwin Day might catch on in the US of Pseudo-Jesusland.

What we really need is a Real Christian Day...

For those rare few who actually live their lives according to the teachings of Jesus, instead of the rantings of Paul of Tarsus.

The Eberle Brothers

Deep Throat taught us to follow the money.

Sage advice.

Today, we also have to follow the BushCo propaganda!


Ahem.

Karl Rove Linked to Gannon Story?
by Rob in Baltimore - 2/11/2005 09:45:00 AM

So just how close is Karl Rove to this story? Well, here's a little tidbit. In an article titled "Freewheeling 'bloggers' are rewriting rules of journalism" (USA Today, December 30, 2003),

Kathy Kiely writes:

In the past year:

* GOPUSA.com, a Web site run by Bobby Eberle, a Houston engineer with no previous journalism experience, scored an interview with President Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove.

Mr. Eberle is the CEO of GOPUSA.com and Talon News, Jeff Gannon's employer. He regularly writes on GOPUSA.com under the byline:
By Bobby Eberle
Talon News

So GOPUSA.com gets access to Rove. Interesting. Gannon/Talon also get access to CIA documents that expose undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame. Very Interesting. Is there a link? Only the Justice Department investigation knows. Wonder what's holding up that prosecution? LINK

Brotherly Love (Bobby & Bruce Eberle) begets strange bedfellows:

Click Here
To View The
Full-Size Image.

Oh, it's grand how the money/propaganda
changes hands!

Heavy sigh.

De-Briefing Freeper Jeff Gannon Jim Guckert

Here's a link to Jeff/Jim's freerepublic.com posts.

Click on each Blue Headline
to read the entire contents
of each discussion thread.

Hm.

Jeff Jim brags a lot, doesn't he?

Especially about taking down Dan Rather.

Gives one pause.

This Week'sBacksideOf TheBell CurveWinner!

Ace White House Press Corps Reporter,
Frequent freerepublic.com BushCo
Propaganda Poster,
and now (*Ahem*)
Infamous Military De-Briefer

Jeff Gannon

Jim Guckert




Grab your umbrellas, Boys!
It's raining men4men (dot com, that is)!

That's right, Folks!

The man in that photo not only has coveted White House press credentials (after paying $50 and completing a 2 day rightwing journalism seminar), he managed until yesterday (when he resigned) to get White House clearance based on a FAKE name, representing the FAKE GOP USA/Talon Propaganda/ News website, and despite owning and operating the following Chock-Full-O-Family-Values websites:

jeffgannon.com
Hotmilitarystud.com
Militaryescorts.com
Militaryescortsm4m.com

Note: There was also an anti-Jessie Jackson website, but I've lost the website link!

"Jeff" also managed to get called on by White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan and pResident George W. TossMeASoftBallMyManDateStud.


Move over, Watergate Burglars/ Nixonian Dirty Tricksters/ Nixon and GHW Bush Money Laundering & Gun Running Scapegoats!

Don Segretti & Ollie North ain't got nothing compared to "Jeff Gannon"...

Oh, but...

Poor Jeff Gannon Jim Guckert (No wonder he changed his name)!

Boo EFFing Hoo!

A B.S. in Education (academic code for Phys. Ed degree, folks!) from a lesser satellite school in the Pennsylvania State Higher Education System (West Chester College, I've learned-- Why is Jeff embarrassed to admit this?) and a $50 "journalism" certificate gave him access to the most powerful man on the planet.

Jeff became sooooooo powerful, in fact, that HE WAS SUBPOENAED IN THE VALERIE PLAME/ CIA WMD OPERATIVE IDENTITY LEAK INVESTIGATION.

Which begs the questions...

How did Jeff get White House press credentials?

Eberle, thy name is GOP Dirty Tricks Guru!

Talon News appears to be a "news agency" in name only, consisting of Editor-in-Chief Bobby Eberle, Gannon and "volunteer reporters," all based on a web site with no true physical news room or work site. Much of its "news" is distributed through an organization called GOPUSA, of which Eberle is CEO and president. His wife, Kathleen, is treasurer. Both Eberles live in Texas and have been deeply involved in Texas politics - and now national politics - for years.

How and Why did "Jeff" get White House press credentials, and why have McClellan and George W. called on him?

Note: I can't even get through the door of the White House without a valid driver's license and a valid US Passport, which bear my legal birth certificate's name!

So much for Homeland Security.

From mediamatters:

In reviewing White House press conferences from the past year, Media Matters for America has noted numerous instances in which Gannon's lobs -- leading questions that often include false assumptions favorable to the Bush administration -- have allowed McClellan to move to friendlier turf, away from having to answer questions on such issues as the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment; [...]

In May of 2004, Bruce Eberle, Bobby's brother, folded his MillionsofAmericans.com conservative web site into GOPUSA. Bruce is CEO of Virginia-based Eberle Communications, a vast fundraising/direct mail/PR powerhouse that boasts such clients as Ronald Reagan (well, when he was alive, I assume ... although his death was actually great PR too), Operation Rescue, Ollie North and Paula Jones, and which illegally sold fund-raising lists to Ashcroft during his Missouri Senate run. Despite Bobby Eberle's denials to Media Matters, Talon News and GOPUSA are clearly one practical entity; his GOPUSA email address is listed as the administrative contact for Talon, and the two groups share a server and listserve. So here we have a conjunction of fundraising, direct mail, a public relations firm, and an official news agency with a reporter in the White House... (Source: dailykos.com)

More questions than answers...

So why did "Jeff" suddenly resign from Talon and shut down jeffgannon.com?

Why have Talon and GOP USA DELETED everything "Jeff" ever wrote for them from their websites?

Not because of us mean leftwing bloggers threatening "Jeff's" family, as rightwing shills have claimed.

Note: I listed "Jeff Gannon" along with Williams, McManus, and Gallagher on Jan. 28th.

Here's the deal from Kos.

jeffgannon.com went live online on July 24, 2004, just 2 WEEKS AFTER BOB NOVAK OUTED VALERIE PLAME'S SECRET CIA IDENTITY in his column on July 14, 2004.

White House-credentialed fake news reporter "Jeff Gannon" from fake news agency "Talon News" was cited by the Washington Post as having the only access to an internal CIA memo that named Joseph Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, as a covert CIA agent. Gannon, in a question posed to Wilson in an October 2003 interview, referred to the memo (to which no other news outlet had access, according to the Post). Gannon subsequently has been subpoenaed by the federal grand jury looking into the Plame outing.

I have no doubt that "Jeff Gannon" will end up as the GOP Scapegoat in the Valerie Plame Affair.

So why have I chosen "Jeff Gannon" as This Week's Backside Of The Bell Curve Winner?

Easy.

"Jeff" signed on with BushCo as a willing ratcatcher extraordinaire.

In exchange, he got to pretend he was important for a little while, oblivious to the fact that he was just another "tool" (in more ways than one, it would seem) in the BushCo toolbox.

"Jeff" The Ratcatcher has now been completely deleted (but not from the cache, thank goodness).

Poor "Jeff" never learned...

As we all know, the king BushCo doesn't invite the ratcatcher to dinner.

Ash Wednesday in Rome With Some Randoms

Some random American cardinal presided over the solemn Ash Wednesday mass in St. Peter's Basilica this morning, and some random layman prayed publicly for the Pope to recover from the flu.

U.S. Cardinal James Stafford(R) receives ash from Cardinal Angelo Sodano as he leads the traditional Ash Wednesday mass in place of Pope John Paul II, in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican February 9, 2005. The Pope, starting his second week in the hospital after flu and breathing difficulties, failed for the first time in 26 years to preside at the Ash Wednesday services starting the run-up to Easter. Photo by Alessia Pierdomenico/Reuters

Run Up To Easter?

Does that make Good Friday the end zone and Easter Sunday the touchdown?

Pope Misses His First Ash Wednesday in 26-Plus Years as Pontiff

By Daniela Petroff Associated Press Writer
Published: Feb 9, 2005

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Roman Catholic faithful prayed for Pope John Paul II's recovery as he missed out on Ash Wednesday prayers that ushered in the solemn and sacred Lenten season for the first time in his 26-year papacy.

Though the Vatican says the 84-year-old pope's health continues to improve since he was rushed to the hospital Feb. 1 with breathing spasms and the flu, doctors have persuaded him to prolong his stay to be on the safe side. His eighth night in the hospital passed calmly, the ANSA news agency said early Wednesday.

In services later at St. Peter's Basilica, American Cardinal James Stafford presided in the name of John Paul - a reluctant substitution for a pope deeply stirred by the traditional period of penitence, sacrifice and reflection that culminates with Easter.

Stafford read his own homily in Italian, conveying no message from the pope to the Vatican's resident cardinals, archbishops, bishops and others assembled for a ceremony originally scheduled as a papal event. Several thousand faithful attended the prayer service, which involved the sprinkling of ashes on prelates and believers.

"In addressing you, brothers and sisters, I feel the joy and the honor of leading this solemn ceremony in the name of the Holy Father," said the American cardinal, who heads the Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican tribunal that deals with excommunications and other issues.

--snip--

An unidentified layman offered a prayer asking God to "grant health and comfort to our beloved Pope John Paul II so that he may continue his pastoral ministry for the good of the church and all humanity."

--snip--

Ash Wednesday traditionally kicks off a few weeks of spiritual reflection for the pope ahead of the taxing Holy Week services, which culminate with Easter on March 27.

Excuse me!

Kicks off?

Run-Up?

Did a sportswriter pen this story?

With the pope in such frail health, it remained unclear whether he would be able to preside over the traditional March 25 Good Friday prayer service at the Colosseum re-enacting Christ's Passion. He has long since stopped walking in the Colosseum procession while carrying a cross; in recent years, the faithful have carried the cross and made the symbolic Stations of the Cross walk while the pope observed and read a homily.

The pope's long struggle with Parkinson's disease and crippling hip and knee ailments have many Roman Catholics questioning how long he can continue to serve. The Vatican's No. 2 official, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, caused a stir this week by publicly suggesting for the first time that the Vatican may be discussing the sensitive issue.

Popes may resign but cannot be forced to do so, and John Paul repeatedly has said he has no intention of abdicating. The last time a pope willingly resigned was in the 13th century.

"It is bad taste to talk about it, and it's even worse because the starting point of this debate is the pope's flu," a leading Italian cardinal, Giovanni Battista Re, told the newspaper La Repubblica on Wednesday. LINK

So...

Here's my bad taste take on the situation:

It seems there's a war going on inside the Vatican (and inside the hospital where the Pope now resides).

Il Papa's closest confidants and counselors obviously don't want him to abdicate.

What happens if he's unable to communicate?

In this day and age, unlike the 13th century, it's nigh onto impossible to hide the Pope's health crisis from the public.

Is his flu the result of the religious right's so-called (ersatz) scientific theory called Intelligent Design?

If not, why not?

Last question:

If the Pope can't say mass, does Lent still kick off without him?

I guess it does...

As long as some random excommunication expert can be paraded out as a stand in.

Sorry, sincere believers.

This situation (the obvious Vatican spin on Il Papa's health crisis) just irks me to no end.

Whatever the outcome, I'm sure that all anxious cardinals will praise God's will.

Watch for Cardinal Angelo Sodano to be a top contender MVP for the papacy... if he can carry the ball past Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger!

And the beat (and Lent) kicks off goes on...

Shrove It, Revelers!

Hm.

I don't see a whole lot of shriving going on...















Shrove comes from the old word "shrive" which means to confess. On Shrove Tuesday, in the Middle Ages, people used to confess their sins so that they were forgiven before the season of Lent began.

Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) is the last day before Lent. This day is one of the movable feasts in the church calendar and is directly related to the date on which Easter falls.

Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday, so the date varies from year to year and falls between February 3 and March 9.

Note: Lent is a forty-day period before Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday. Catholics skip Sundays when they count the forty days, because Sundays commemorate the Resurrection. This year, Lent begins on 9 February 2005 and ends on 26 March 2005.

Lent is a time of abstinence, of giving things up. So Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to indulge yourself, and to use up the foods that aren't allowed in Lent. Pancakes are eaten on this day because they contain fat, butter and eggs which were forbidden during Lent.

Shrove Tuesday is also called Pancake Day, or Mardi Gras in France, which means Grease or Fat Tuesday.

The last three or four days before the beginning of Lent is known as Shrovetide. The old names for these days were:

Egg Saturday,
Quinquagesima Sunday
Collop Monday
Shrove Tuesday

Shrovetide was celebrated with games, sports, dancing and other revelries. There were feasts to use up the food that could not be eaten during the Lenten fast. Football was played in the streets and Nickanan Night (as Shrove Monday evening was called in Cornwall) was a time for boys to run riot in the villages: hiding gates, taking off door knockers, and making off with anything that householders had forgotten to lock away.


Here's to Fat Tuesday!

Sorry, no words matching "complexify" were found.

I make up words all of the time.

But my motive is Pure D Sarcasm...

I frequently lampoon George W. Bushisms because his reputation for pig ignorance is well documented.

Besides, it's fun to watch the bushbots pretend that George W. isn't fighting a losing battle with the English language.

But Donald Strangelove Rumsfeld has no excuse.

Rumsfeld with This Week's George Stephanopoulos :

Q: Let me press the question. How long will it take to get enough security forces to secure Iraq?

A: It's not knowable

Q: Why not?

A: We don't know the behavior of Iran and Syria. We don't know if the political process it going to tip people away from supporting the insurgency. We got a clue when you saw people standing in line to vote.

Next, the money flow. The people causing the trouble are Baathists, jihadists, and criminals who are doing it for money. So if money flow is restricted... you need economic progress. That will determine the level of the insurgency.

Q: But those are a lot of ifs.

A: Of course, that's life.

Q: So you can set no expectations for the American public right now.

A: I can say that as the Iraqi security forces grow, some are well trained, others just came out, there's another 15,000 currently in training. People are trying to complexify it.

Ahem.

Let's see what www.yourdictionary.com has to say...

TYPE IN YOUR WORD & CLICK GO!

Search: COMPLEXIFY

Sorry, no words matching "complexify" were found.

If you are unsure of the spelling, try using a wildcard: a ( ? ) stands for one
unknown letter and ( * ), for several unknown letters.

For example: "rec??ve" would find "receive", and "indispens*" would find "indispensable."

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition.
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the
Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
© 1996-2004 yourDictionary.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Not even close, Donald.
And nowhere near cigar level.

Here's a clue for you, Don...

Complexify! Complexify!

IS NOT the opposite of

Simplify! Simplify!

And you're certainly no Henry David Thoreau, either, Freak!

It's Not For Lack Of BreadLike The Grateful Dead...Darling!

I recently suggested that Condi Rice and Olive Oyl might have been separated at birth (See Recent Posts).

The hairdo was my first clue.

Oh, the things you find on the internet...




Tee Hee.

Will No One Rid Me Of This Meddlesome Freak Monkey?

Will Someone At Least Get The Stupid Stick?




Your Toddler In Chief prepares to pitch a fit
unless he gets what he wants.

"Because the -- all which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculated, for example, is on the table. Whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There's a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those -- changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be -- or closer delivered to what has been promised. Does that make any sense to you? It's kind of muddled. Look, there's a series of things that cause the -- like, for example, benefits are calculated based upon the increase of wages, as opposed to the increase of prices. Some have suggested that we calculate -- the benefits will rise based upon inflation, as opposed to wage increases. There is a reform that would help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those -- if that growth is affected, it will help on the red."

George W. Total Moron,

Explaining his Social Security Plan

Tampa, Feb. 4, 2005


Read The
Transcript

Heavy, heavy sigh.

Sunday Sermon Hangover: Alas, Camelot!

Today's report from the UK Guardian suggests that the seven deadly sins are "out of date."

Ya think?

After last year's Superbowl Boob Job inspired our MSM (MainStream Media) to laud Paul McCartney (ex longhaired hippie freak, out to corrupt your daughters, "We're more popular that Jesus," busted for drugs, backbeat you can hear it "jungle music" Ravi Shankhar lover) as Mr. American Values, suitable for half-time status, I simply had to watch a few minutes of Paul at the piano.

Frankly, I had thought (after Janet's Boob Shenanigans)that we'd see a lineup of Tony Orlando and Dawn, The Captain & Tenille, and up The With People ...

But Nooooooo...

We got ourselves a Beatle (Who, by the way, won't be able to croon When I'm 64 very much longer)!

Remember that The Beatles' harshest critics labeled long hair, Rock & Roll, electric guitars, mini skirts, incense, and the popular peace and ankh symbols as Commie Pinko Satanic One-Way Tickets To Hell.

What's sad is that uptight Montovani Loving, Country Western Twanging Bigots didn't defeat those Tickets To Hell.

They grew their hair, bought Electric Twang on vinyl, 8 Track, cassette tape, and CD; and they proceeded to raise a slew of vacuous bubblegum popping Britney Spears Mini Skirts and their Urban Cowboy Hound Dog brothers.

Yesterday, "The Cute Beatle" sang of the virtues of killing (Live and Let Die) and fornication/conception out of wedlock (Hey, Jude) to adoring pseudo-Christian, flag waving fans.

Yep. I'd say that the UK Guardian might be onto something.

Never mind sloth, lust and gluttony - but look out if you're a cruel, bigoted adulterer

Richard Jinman
Monday February 7, 2005
The Guardian

Stay in bed all day, gorge yourself on chocolate and lust as much as you want - it's not going to land you in hell.

Most people believe the seven deadly sins are out of date, and that traditional transgressions such as sloth, gluttony and lust should not stop you passing through the pearly gates.

Cruelty is considered the worst sin anyone can commit nowadays, followed by adultery, bigotry, dishonesty, hypocrisy and selfishness. Of the seven deadly sins enumerated in their present form by Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century, only greed is still viewed as a reliable passport to eternal damnation. Much more...

Hm.

Reminds me of Mordred's Camelot show stopper...

The seven deadly virtues
Those nasty little traps
Oh, no, my liege,
They were not meant for me

The seven deadly virtues
Were made for other chaps
Who love a life of failure and ennui

Take courage
Now there's a sport
An invitation to the state of rigor mort

And purity, a noble yen
And very restful every now and then

I find humility means to be hurt
It's not the earth the meek inherit,
It's the dirt

Honestly is fatal, it should be taboo
Diligence a fate I should hate
If charity means giving, I give it to you
And fidelity is only for your mate

No, you'll never find a virtue
When statusing my quo
Or making my beelzebubble burst

Let others take the high road
I will take the low
I cannot wait to rush in
Where angels fear to go

With all those seven deadly virtues
Free and happy little me has not..been...cursed! LINK

As for those Seven Deadly Sins...

Most people can't even list them.

Ahem.

Seven deadly sins

1 Pride

2 Envy

3 Anger

4 Sloth

5 Greed

6 Gluttony

7 lust

What's next in this topsy-turvy world?

Will the church bring back the sale of indulgences for the New & Improved sin list?

Remains to be seen.

Today's Sermon: We Appreciate Your Faith!

God would like to Thank You for your belief and patronage. In order to better serve your needs, (S)He asks that you take a few moments to answer the following questions:

1. How did you find out about your deity?
__ Newspaper
__ Bible
__ Torah
__ Koran
__ Television
__ Book of Mormon
__ Divine Inspiration
__ Dead Sea Scrolls
__ My Mama or Dada Done Tol' Me
__ Near Death Experience
__ Near Life Experience
__ UFO sighting, contact or abduction
__ National Public Radio
__ School
__ Bookstore
__ Tabloid
__ Burning Shrubbery
__ Other (specify): _____________

2. Which model deity did you acquire?
__ Jehovah
__ Jesus
__ Krishna
__ Buddha
__ Father, Son & Holy Ghost [Trinity Pak]
__ Zeus and entourage [Olympus Pak]
__ Odin and entourage [Valhalla Pak]
__ Allah
__ Satan
__ Yourself
__ Gaia/Mother Earth/Mother Nature
__ God 1.0a (Angry Thunderer)
__ God 1.0b (Cosmic Doughnut)
__ Creation
__ None of the above, I was taken in by a false god

3. Did your God come to you undamaged, with all parts in good working order and with no obvious breakage or missing attributes?
__ Yes
__ No

If no, please describe the problems you initially encountered here. Please indicate all that apply:
__ Not eternal
__ Finite in space/Does not occupy or inhabit the entire cosmos
__ Not omniscient
__ Not omnipotent
__ Not infinitely plastic (incapable of being all things to all creations)
__ Permits sex outside of marriage
__ Prohibits sex outside of marriage
__ Makes mistakes
__ Condemns me with fear
__ Creates War
__ Makes or permits bad things to happen to good people
__ Makes or permits good things to happen to bad people
__ Looks after life other than that on Earth
__ When beseeched, doesn't stay beseeched
__ Requires burnt offerings
__ Requires virgin sacrifices

4. What factors were relevant in your decision to acquire a deity? Please check all that apply.
__ Indoctrinated by parents
__ Needed a reason to live
__ Indoctrinated by society
__ Needed focus to despise
__ Needed focus to love
__ Imaginary friend grew up
__ Hate to think for myself
__ Wanted to meet girls/boys in church
__ Fear of death
__ Wanted to piss off parents
__ Wanted to please parents
__ Needed a day away from school or work
__ Desperate need for certainty
__ Like organ music
__ Need to feel morally superior
__ Thought Jerry Fallwell was cool
__ Thought there had to be something other than Jerry Fallwell
__ Shit was falling out of the sky
__ My shrubbery caught fire and told me to do it
__ Needed lover
__ A need to justify myself

5. Have you ever worshiped a deity before? If so, which false god were you fooled by? Please check all that apply.
__ Baal
__ The Almighty Dollar
__ Left Wing Liberalism
__ The Radical Right
__ Amon Ra
__ Beelzebub
__ Bill Gates
__ Barney The Big Purple Dinosaur
__ The Great Spirit
__ The Great Pumpkin
__ The Sun
__ The Moon
__ The Force
__ Cindy Crawford
__ Elvis
__ Art Bell
__ A burning shrub
__ Psychiatry
__ Other: ________________

6. Are you currently using any other source of inspiration in addition to God? Please check all that apply.
__ Tarot
__ Lottery
__ Astrology
__ Television
__ Fortune cookies
__ Ann Landers
__ Psychic Friends Network
__ Dianetics
__ Palmistry
__ Playboy and/or Playgirl
__ Self-help books
__ Sex, drugs, and rock & roll
__ Biorhythms
__ Alcohol
__ Marijuana
__ Bill Clinton
__ Tea Leaves
__ EST
__ Amway
__ CompuServe
__ Mantras
__ Jimmy Swaggart
__ Crystals
__ Human sacrifice
__ Pyramids
__ Wandering around a desert
__ Insurance policies
__ Burning shrubbery
__ Barney T.B.P.D.
__ Barney Fife
__ Other:_____________________
__ None

7. God reputedly employs a limited degree of Divine Intervention to preserve a balanced level of felt presence and blind faith. Which would you prefer? Circle one below:
a. More Divine Intervention
b. Less Divine Intervention
c. Current level of Divine Intervention is just right
d. Don't know.
e. What's Divine Intervention?

8. God also reputedly attempts to maintain a balanced level of disasters and miracles. Please rate on a scale of 1 - 5 your opinion of the handling of the following (1 = unsatisfactory, 5 = excellent):

a. Disasters:
1 2 3 4 5 flood
1 2 3 4 5 famine
1 2 3 4 5 earthquake
1 2 3 4 5 war & holocausts
1 2 3 4 5 pestilence
1 2 3 4 5 plague
1 2 3 4 5 mass hysteria
1 2 3 4 5 spam
1 2 3 4 5 AOL

b. Miracles:
1 2 3 4 5 rescues
1 2 3 4 5 spontaneous remissions
1 2 3 4 5 stars hovering over tiny towns & previously unknown hamlets
1 2 3 4 5 crying statues
1 2 3 4 5 artistic renderings of God's mother on edibles and buildings
1 2 3 4 5 water changing to wine
1 2 3 4 5 walking on water
1 2 3 4 5 walking on fire
1 2 3 4 5 coincidence of any sort
1 2 3 4 5 getting any sex whatsoever

9. From time to time God reputedly makes available the names and addresses of Her/His followers and devotees to selected reputedly divine personages who provide quality services and perform intercessions on His behalf. Are you interested in a compilation of listed offerings?

__ Yes, please deluge me with religious zealots for the benefit of my mortal soul
__ No, I do not wish to be inundated by religious fanatics clamoring for my money

10. Do you have any additional comments or suggestions for improving the quality of God's services? (Attach an additional sheet if necessary.)

Thanks for helping us better serve your future eternal needs!

*************

Thus Endeth Today's Sermon.

Go forth in peace today, secure in the knowledge that everything we believe -- or don't believe-- is being ridiculed by someone... somewhere... every nanosecond.

That's why they call it faith in the first place.

If our faith --in a supreme being or in a cosmic accident-- is so weak that we can't stand being lampooned, then that faith was never there to begin with, was it?

So lighten up, y'all!

I mean it, damn it!

F*%k Off, Blanche DuBois!

WARNING!

Do Not Be Kind
To This Woman!



Take heed, Strangers!

Stop being kind to your neighbors!

It costs too much now!

Girls sued for delivering cookies

DURANGO, Colorado (AP) -- Two teenage girls who surprised their neighbors with homemade cookies late one night were ordered to pay nearly $900 in medical bills for a woman who says she was so startled that she had to go to the hospital.

Judge Doug Walker declined Thursday to award punitive damages, saying he did not believe the girls acted maliciously.

Taylor Ostergaard, 17, and Lindsey Jo Zellitti, 18, baked the chocolate chip and sugar cookies one night last July.

They made packages with a half-dozen cookies each and added large red or pink construction-paper hearts that carried the message, "Have a great night."

The notes were signed with their first initials: "Love, The T and L Club."

Then they set off to make their deliveries.

Wanita Renea Young, 49, said she was at her rural home south of Durango around 10:30 p.m. when she said saw "shadowy figures" outside the house banging repeatedly on her door.

She yelled, "Who's there?" but no one answered, and the figures ran away.

Frightened, she spent the night at her sister's home, then went to the hospital the next morning because she was still shaking and had an upset stomach.

The teenagers' families offered to pay Young's medical bills, but she declined and sued, saying their apologies were not sincere and were not offered in person.

The girls declined comment after the ruling. Taylor's mother said the girl "cried and cried."

"She felt she was being punished for doing something nice," Jill Ostergaard said.

Young said the teenagers showed "very poor judgment"

"The victory wasn't sweet," Young said. "I'm not gloating about it. I just hope the girls learned a lesson."

The teens said they did not answer when the woman called out because they wanted the treats to be a surprise. LINK

It's a world gone mad, folks!

Heavy sigh.

WaPo Disses Bartleby (and Democrats)!

Maddening passivity?

Bartlebian disengagement?


What a crock!

WaPo editors should actually read Melville's Bartleby The Scrivener before referring to his (and Democrats') so-called "maddening passivity" as an obvious sign of weakness or (Gasp!) an unacceptable response to the demands of authority figures.

Today's WaPo editorial, printed below in its entirety (Bite me, WaPo!), boldly states that by offering no alternative plan to George W.'s suggested rape of our national insurance policy (AKA Social Security) to line the pockets of stock brokers and his Big Campaign Donor Buddies, Democrats are Bartleby weak-assed and maddeningly passive on the subject.

Democrats (and 70% of Americans, by the way) have voiced such outrage over George W.'s NO-DETAILS-WHATSOEVER-NADA-ZIP plan to separate them from their SS benefits that the WaPo editorial board would have to be as thick as Moby Dick to dare call their objections passive.

And since when do Democrats have to offer an alternative plan to save something that doesn't need saving in the first place? (Look to your left on this page and click on There Is No Crisis!)

Who died and made the WaPo the god of literary allusion, anyway?

Oh, by the way, WaPo...

Bartleby was sooooo weak-assed that he passived himself to death by refusing to bow to the mediocrities who ruled his totally controlled little world.

The last line of Bartleby The Scrivener reads:

Ah Bartleby! Ah humanity!

Anyway, here's tomorrow's fish wrap crap from today's WaPo editorial page:

Bartleby Democrats

Friday, February 4, 2005; Page A16

HERMAN MELVILLE'S "Bartleby, the Scrivener" tells the tale of a lawyer's assistant who inexplicably stops doing his job, instead spending his days staring blankly at a brick wall. "I'd prefer not to," he invariably tells his employer when asked to copy a paper, go to the post office or even answer a question. "No: at present I would prefer not to make any change at all," Bartleby says when asked to leave. In their response to President Bush's State of the Union address Wednesday night -- indeed, in much of their reaction to Mr. Bush's push on Social Security -- the Democrats share a disturbing resemblance to Bartleby.

Unlike Bartleby, the Democrats' maddening passivity can be excused in part by the administration's maddening evasion of hard choices. The accounts proposed by the president would not, in themselves, extend the solvency of the Social Security system by a single day. Mr. Bush not only presented his private accounts to the country as risk-free, he made none of the tough calls about what should be done to achieve solvency.

At least, though, the president did spell out some possible changes and acknowledge that they won't be "easy." The Democrats' general response so far is a combination of exaggerated rhetoric and silence about alternatives. Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) makes an important point about the dangers of "Social Security roulette," but where, exactly, is his responsible alternative for making Social Security solvent? Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kerry set the responsibility bar low during the campaign, when he vowed that there would be no cuts in benefits on his watch if he were elected president. He had little more to offer on "Meet the Press" last weekend. "I do not believe we have to raise the retirement age," Mr. Kerry said. "I am absolutely opposed to cutting benefits, and I believe we can save Social Security in any number of ways, Tim, other than what President Bush wants to do." And those would be?

In fact, there are responsible ways, consistent with Democratic principles, to "fix" Social Security, but elected Democrats have tended to run from them as if they were leaking vials of anthrax. A plan by Democratic economists Peter Diamond and Peter Orszag features a thoughtfully calibrated combination of tax increases and benefit cuts -- meaning that no Democratic politician wants anything to do with it, even though the Diamond-Orszag plan would make the system more progressive and put it on a sustainable footing even beyond the traditional 75-year horizon.

Some Democratic politicians, such as Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Ill.), have launched a helpful effort to broaden the Social Security debate to address the bigger question of the nation's paltry personal savings rate and the decline of pensions with guaranteed benefits. Gene Sperling, a Clinton administration colleague of Mr. Emanuel's who is now with the Center for American Progress, is promoting a plan that would provide universal, subsidized 401(k) retirement accounts for workers; this would be paid for by lowering, but not entirely repealing, the estate tax. The Sperling plan would help put Social Security on a stronger footing by imposing a 3 percent surtax on income over $200,000 -- though some benefit cuts would also be needed.

These may not be the right answers; they certainly would meet resistance from Republicans dead set against anything with a whiff of tax increase. The president is as wrong to take tax increases off the table as are Democrats who rule out any benefit cuts. But more constructive involvement on the part of the Democrats, and less Bartlebian disengagement, would be better not only for the party but for the country, too. LINK

Disengagement, My Scrivener's Ass!

George W. says he has a plan that he wants everyone to go along with, but he offers NO Details, and everyone remembers the last time he had this great plan and lied about WMDs falling on our heads...

America responds immediately by saying, "I would prefer not to."

And the WaPo editorial board calls America disengaged and passive.

Heavy Bartlebian sigh.

This Week's Backside Of The Bell Curve Winner!

America's
First I'm Your Gang Culture Expert Lady


Mrs. Laura Bush

Mrs. Laura Bush poses with her intellectual equals.

Laura's Excellent
Anti-Gang Adventure
Has Begun!

Laura looks so proud of her ability to connect with Karl Rove's idea of Future Gang Members, Inc.!

And she's Oh, So Qualified to head BushCo's Anti-Gang Initiative!

After all, she spent almost 2 years as a substitute librarian and teacher before joining BushCo!

First lady Laura Bush addresses a class entitled 'Passport to Manhood'
during an appearance at the Boys and Girls Club of Germantown in
Philadelphia Thursday, Feb. 3, 2005. In Wednesday night's
State of the Union address, President Bush described a new three-year
youth initiative which will be led by the first lady. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma)

Everyone is sooooooo glad that Laura could drop by!





So glad, in fact, that some of those Boys & Girls Club Members are now thinking "Gangs don't have to put up with this First lady Valium Queen Visit shit! Maybe I should rethink this After-School Program crap!"




Don't worry, Kids!

She'll never be back.

The photo op is over.

Anyway, your after-school program is probably one of those 150 government-sponsored programs that George W. is about to ax.

Meanwhile...

JUST
SAY NO
TO
LAURA BUSH!

Honestly!

How much lower can BushCo go?

SOTU Voce: Say little. Ruin the country.

Shut up, poor people!
Owe your soul to the company store, fools!
Tough titty, girly women and gays!
Up yours, Democrats!

In case you couldn't stomach George W.'s State Of The Union speech...

Here's the translation:

Tonight, with a healthy, growing economy, with more Americans going back to work, with our Nation an active force for good in the world - the state of our union is confident and strong

Translation: The economy sucks because my advisors are Nazis, we're still in negative job growth because of my first term in office, we've bombed the shit out of the Sandpeople (and we'll never defeat them unless you lest me nuke 'em!) - the state of our union is humiliating.

Now, as we see a little gray in the mirror - or a lot of gray - and we watch our children moving into adulthood, we ask the question: What will be the state of their union?

Translation: Pay no attention to what we've done (and plan to do) to YOU!

America’s prosperity requires restraining the spending appetite of the federal government.

Translation: Never mind that my minions and I are the ones who bankrupted your beloved country to begin with!

So next week I will send you a budget that holds the growth of discretionary spending below inflation, makes tax relief permanent, and stays on track to cut the deficit in half by 2009.

Translation: I'm gutting all social/ arts/ other liberal girly woman programs, I'm guaranteeing my rich cronies permanent profits, and I'll be gone in January, 2009... so don't blame me for anything.

The principle here is clear: a taxpayer dollar must be spent wisely, or not at all.

Pardon me while I...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!

Budget Busting BushCo warning us to spend wisely?

Under the No Child Left Behind Act, standards are higher, test scores are on the rise, and we are closing the achievement gap for minority students. Now we must demand better results from our high schools, so every high school diploma is a ticket to success.

Translation: My brother hasn't made enough money selling testing materials to your local public school district yet!

Besides, spending too much time on curriculum causes people to think critically, and we can't have that, now can we?

And we will make it easier for Americans to afford a college education, by increasing the size of Pell Grants.

Translation: Never mind that we're funding Pell Grants at a much lower rate than I promised you we would.

America must reward, not punish, the efforts and dreams of entrepreneurs. Small business is the path of advancement, especially for women and minorities, so we must free small businesses from needless regulation and protect honest job-creators from junk lawsuits.

Needless regulation??????

Junk Lawsuits????????????

Translation: Screw you, Mr. & Mrs. American Consumer!

When that $9.95 Wal-Mart 4 slice toaster fries your mother like extra crispy KFC, don't even think of suing! Be Pollyanna Glad that Wal-Mart hired a person at minimum wage to sell it to your mother!

Justice is distorted, and our economy is held back, by irresponsible class actions and frivolous asbestos claims - and I urge Congress to pass legal reforms this year.

Frivolous asbestos claims??????

Ahem.

Mesothelioma cancer affects the mesothelium, a membrane that covers and protects most of the internal organs of the body. Because mesothelioma can take a long time to detect, from 10 to 50 years (or even more), diagnosing mesothelioma is often difficult. The majority of mesothelioma diagnosis occurs after the cancer is already in its advance stages. Consequently, most people diagnosed with mesothelioma usually pass away within two to four years. >LINK

Translation: We can't call it The SAVE CHENEY'S WALLET Initiative.

I ask Congress to move forward on a comprehensive health care agenda - with tax credits to help low-income workers buy insurance, a community health center in every poor county, improved information technology to prevent medical errors and needless costs, association health plans for small businesses and their employees, expanded health savings accounts, and medical liability reform that will reduce health care costs, and make sure patients have the doctors and care they need.

Here we go, Boys & Girls...

Translation: Tax credits for the poor (who don't pay much or any at all in taxes-- BECAUSE THEY'RE TOO POOR!) Fat lot of good a tax credit does for POOR PEOPLE who don't make enough to pay taxes, George W.!

A community health center in every county (run by our Fascist Fundie Baby Sellers, who will preach the dangers of a non Ward & June Cleaver lifestyle), browbeat pregnant women into becoming walking incubators, dispense Viagra like Halloween candy, deny those who can't afford their illnesses ...

Wait! We've already got those, George W.!

We call them Doc-In-The-Boxes, and they cost a flippin' fortune!

Technology to prevent medical errors and needless costs (actually means we can instantly ID your credit rating and deny medical care, as well as judge your medical needs on our own beliefs.

And my budget provides strong funding for leading-edge technology - from hydrogen-fueled cars, to clean coal, to renewable sources such as ethanol.

Translation: Hydrogen-fueled cars (maybe in 20 years and at twice the cost of a Japanese compact)!

Did you hear that, Michigan? Vote RED or die next time!

Clean Coal is a Republican-invented spin term for Black Lung Power!

Ethanol???????

Ahem.

A new report by the U.S. General Accounting Office finds that billions of dollars in subsidies and tax exemptions for alcohol fuels have failed either to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign sources of oil or to benefit the environment. The report, titled "Tax Policy: Effects of the Alcohol Fuels Tax Incentives," was released in March. LINK

Year after year, Americans are burdened by an archaic, incoherent federal tax code.

Translation: Under the BushCo plan, you pay 10% tax on $20,000, and George W. pays 10% tax on $15,000,000.

Who ends up with more buying power?

Hint: not the $20K guy!

Which means that you're screwed more ways than Sunday. Who'll pay for roads, schools, hospitals, law enforcement, etc.?

Not George W. and not his rich friends (AKA his base)!

He's told you repeatedly that rich people always find ways to get out of paying taxes, anyway.

Guess you're stuck with the bill, Suckers!

America’s immigration system is also outdated - unsuited to the needs of our economy and to the values of our country. We should not be content with laws that punish hardworking people who want only to provide for their families, and deny businesses willing workers, and invite chaos at our border.

Translation: George W. has figured out that A Day Without A Mexican means his friends would have to pay minimum wage for yard care and maid service.

And we just can't have that happening, can we?

As we fix Social Security, we also have the responsibility to make the system a better deal for younger workers. And the best way to reach that goal is through voluntary personal retirement accounts.

Voluntary Personal Retirement Accounts? Is that the final draft working title?

Translation: You pay 6.2% into SS today.

Your taxes will pay the broker who will "invest" up to 4% of that 6.2%.

If you're lucky enough to profit by more than 3%, BushCo WILL KEEP THE PROFIT.

There's a reason that casinos do so well: fools & their $ are soon parted!

Under the White House Social Security plan, workers who opt to divert some of their payroll taxes into individual accounts would ultimately get to keep only the investment returns that exceed the rate of return that the money would have accrued in the traditional system. LINK

Our second great responsibility to our children and grandchildren is to honor and to pass along the values that sustain a free society.

Whose values?

Translation: Jerry Fallwell's, that's whose!

Under the BushCo plan, only couples with one penis and one vagina can marry and divorce as many times as they so desire.

"Human embryos are not created for experimentation or grown for body parts" is supposed to make you think FRANKENSTEIN'S MONSTER IS COMING!

"Human life is never bought and sold as a commodity" doesn't include private (Sorry! Personal) adoption agencies and Baby Broker Lawyers, who profit nicely off cute little bundles of human commodities generated when you turn women into walking incubators.

Every judicial nominee deserves an up-or-down vote.

Notice that "judicial nominee" is lumped in with "values?"

Translation: Ignore the fact that 3 times as many "Values Judges" have been confirmed during the reign of George W. than during all 8 years of the Clinton presidency and that Republicans refused "up or down" votes!

What a crock!

Taking on gang life will be one part of a broader outreach to at-risk youth, which involves parents and pastors, coaches and community leaders, in programs ranging from literacy to sports. And I am proud that the leader of this nationwide effort will be our First Lady, Laura Bush.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I'm sure this will be Laura's JUST SAY NO TO GANGS total waste of time & money.

Because HIV/AIDS brings suffering and fear into so many lives, I ask you to reauthorize the Ryan White Act to encourage prevention, and provide care and treatment to the victims of that disease.

Ahem.

Ryan White (1971-1990) contracted AIDS through a blood transfusion when he was 13 and worked to educate people about the disease until his death at age 18. As a result of his efforts, and those of his mother Jeanne, Congress passed the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Care (CARE) Act, which provides health care resources to Americans with HIV/AIDS who have no insurance or not enough insurance to get proper care. LINK

Congress was controlled by DEMOCRATS when this act was passed, thank you very much!

Because marriage is a sacred institution and the foundation of society, it should not be re-defined by activist judges.

Translation: Holy Matrimony (and its associated tax, property rights, and social acceptance) can only be for couples consisting of one penis and one vagina.

Pay no attention to that part of the Bible where God says you have to stone to death any man or woman who doesn't uphold the marriage vow.

Newt & Rush should be afforded the right to divorce and remarry as many times as they want to, damn it!

I will work with Congress to ensure that human embryos are not created for experimentation or grown for body parts, and that human life is never bought and sold as a commodity.

Translation: Sperm is sacred. Women are incubators. Gays are girly like women; therefore, we can't let them have adopt the embryos resulting for the sacred sperm because they'll just muck it up, being like women and all.

Oh, by the way, private (I mean personal) adoption centers and their lawyers are exempt from the "bought & sold as a commodity" part!

There are still governments that sponsor and harbor terrorists - but their number has declined.

Not gonna name one, are you George W.?

Come on! I dare you!

I thank the Congress for providing our servicemen and women with the resources they have needed.

Translation: Because the Pentagon considers them IED Fodder, and Congress had to force me to do something about those shoddy Hummers because we dropped the ball on securing those ammo storage places when we invaded.

My Administration will continue to build the coalitions that will defeat the dangers of our time.

How's that workin' so far, George W.?

As well as the last coalition you put together?

The United States has no right, no desire, and no intention to impose our form of government on anyone else.

HUH?

What happened to "Freedom is on the march," "Let freedom reign," and " Helping construct a stable democracy" in Iraq?

I will ask Congress for 350 million dollars to support Palestinian political, economic, and security reforms.

Translation: I hope I can bribe the PLO to stop blowing up Jewish kids in pizza parlors until I'm outta here!

Iran, Syria... We've got you in our sights, too!

Some of our servicemen and women have survived terrible injuries, and this grateful country will do everything we can to help them recover.

Translation: This sounds really good. I hope folks ignore the fact that hospitals are charging maimed soldiers for meals.

Finally!

The Big Finish!

Where George W. details why Republicans have the best plans for our country's future...

As Franklin Roosevelt once reminded Americans, “each age is a dream that is dying, or one that is coming to birth.”

Excuse Me?

Franklin Roosevelt?

As in FDR?

FDR, who causes Republicans to spit every time they see those 3 letters in that particular sequence?

Our generation has dreams of its own, and we also go forward with confidence. The road of Providence is uneven and unpredictable - yet we know where it leads: It leads to freedom.

Translation: BushCo has more pillaging to do, and woe to the fool who tries to stop us!

The road of Providence leads to freedom?

What kind of empty rhetoric way to end a SOTU is that?

Alas.

Another George W. SOTU...

Another steaming pile of freak monkey crap!

And don't forget that every single syllable of this SOTU speech was vetted by State, Defense, Energy, Agriculture, and every other BushCo agency!

They're all in this together!

And I'm still waiting for that list of 150 programs George W. plans to ax.


Heavy, heavy sigh!

Separated At Birth?

Except for that Insane Eyes Thing she's got going, Condi looks just like...

Big Surprise!Spring Is 6 Weeks Away!

OK, I'll turn off the sarcasm now.

After all, it's...



Actually, I find the whole Punxsutawney Phil Phenomenon charming, don't you?

Once a year, Small Town America comes to life in Western Pennsylvania, and the entire country halts, momentarily, its Hell-In-A-Hand-Basket journey.

But did you know that the Germans who settled in PA brought their pagan (yep, pagan!) observance of Imbolog with them, which they, of course, had blessed with a Christian stamp of approval?

And while we're at it, those quaint folks in PA aren't Dutch. Pennsylvania Dutch is actually Pennsylvania Deutsch (pronounced Doytch)...

But Real Americans can't be bothered with correct pronunciations, now can they?

Deutsch is the German word for... German.

Anyway, here's the real story...

Groundhog Day, celebrated on February 2, has its roots in an ancient Celtic celebration called Imbolog. The date is one of the four cross-quarter days of the year, the midpoints between the spring and fall equinoxes and the summer and winter solstice.

Imbolog, marking the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, was the most important of the cross-quarter days. In a society dependent on agriculture and therefore on the weather, this was a time to celebrate having made it halfway through winter. The superstition arose that if the weather was fair on Imbolog, the second half of the winterwould be cold and stormy, but if the weather was cold and overcast or stormy, the second half of the winter would be mild.

In early Christian times, February 2 was celebrated as Candlemas, but the earlier Imbolog superstitions persisted. In medieval Scotland, for example, they said, "If Candlemas be bright and clear, there'll be two winters in the year" and in England, they said, "If Candlemas be sunny and warm, ye may mend your mittens and look for a storm."

The Romans learned these traditional beliefs from the Scottish Celts, and brought them to the area that was to become Germany, where they became a part of the folk culture. German immigrants brought these beliefs with them to Pennsylvania, where the tradition of predicting the weather became centered around the woodchuck or groundhog. LINK

Here's your cutesy-assed AP news story of the day...

Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil's Prediction: More Wintry Weather to Come

By Dan Nephin Associated Press Writer
Published: Feb 2, 2005

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) - Punxatawney Phil has spoken, and the news isn't good.

The world's most famous furry forecaster saw his shadow Tuesday on Gobbler's Knob, suggesting another six weeks of wintry weather.

The chubby critter delivered the prediction after he was pulled from his burrow in an oak stump at 7:31 a.m. by a top-hatted handler, and his prediction was greeted by boos from the thousands in attendance.

"He's only the messenger!" one of the members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club - the volunteer group in charge of Phil and the town's Groundhog Day festivities - reminded the crowd braving the frigid weather.

In the years since The Punxsutawney Spirit first carried word of the groundhog's failing to see its shadow in 1886, this town of 7,500 people about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh has been dubbed the "Weather Capital of the World."

The tradition stems from the Christian holiday of Candlemas, and the belief that if a hibernating animal sees its shadow, winter will last another six weeks. If there's no shadow, spring will come early. LINK

Note how the AP's history of Groundhog Day conveniently stops with the Christian holiday of Candlemas?

It's way past time for people to start demanding the whole story from the media!

Tell the AP
that you want
the whole story!

White Smoke Watch

The Pope has been hospitalized.

They say it's the flu.

With the Pope's access to the world's finest scientific health care, it makes one wonder, doesn't it?

Regular readers know that I've been writing about the upcoming papal election for several months now.

When the time comes, I'll repost my research on the top candidates and their chances.

Meanwhile, if your elderly loved ones don't have access to the world's finest scientific health care (much less a flippin' flu shot), I guess you'll just have to pray.

Oh, here's the news story...


Pope Taken to Hospital -Italian Media

14 minutes ago

ROME (Reuters) - Pope John Paul was taken to hospital late on Tuesday, Italian media including national news agency Ansa said.

The pope fell ill with influenza on Sunday and was forced to cancel all his engagements over the past two days.

There was no immediate comment from the Vatican.

Italian television said the 84-year-old Polish-born pope, who has been in poor health for some years, had been taken to Rome's Gemelli hospital, where he has been treated in the past. LINK

I just have to ask...

Was Jesus sending Il Papa a message when that dove attacked him the other day?




Just asking.

The AP Should Hire 5th Graders as Fact Checkers!

For cryin' out loud!

Web Site Claims GI Captured in Iraq

Feb 1, 3:03 PM (ET)

By ROBERT H. REID

(AP) BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraqi militants claimed in a Web statement Tuesday to have taken an American soldier hostage and threatened to behead him in 72 hours unless the Americans release Iraqi prisoners. The U.S. military said it was investigating, but the claim's authenticity could not be immediately confirmed.

The posting, on a Web site that frequently carried militants' statements, included a photo of what that statement said was an American soldier, wearing desert fatigues and seated on a concrete floor with his hands tied behind his back. The figure in the photo appeared stiff and expressionless, and the photo's authenticity could not be confirmed.

A gun barrel was pointed at his head, and behind him on the wall is a black banner emblazoned with the Islamic profession of faith, "There is no god but God and Muhammad is His prophet."




A U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, Marine Sgt. Salju K. Thomas, said he had no information on the claim but "we are currently looking into it."

A statement posted with the picture suggested the group was holding other soldiers. LINK

Ahem.




The soldier's girlfriend, pictured below, could not be reached for comment.





Sorry.

I just couldn't resist.

That AP story made it too easy.

What price DOMA, Duct Tape, and a Designated Deity?

My question to America's Backside Of The Bell Curve:

Are you happy yet?

The US is engaged in a jingoistic morality war by BushCo design...

As long as The Backside Of The Bell Curve is busy hating gays, duct taping their homes against a Shadowy Muslim Menace, and choking the Heathens Among Us with their fascist fundie version of Jeeezzzuusss, BushCo can bomb, torture, and pillage at will.

So I repeat...
Are you happy yet?

I certainly hope so.

Because the rest of us are feeling the BushCo love where it hurts the most: in our back pocket nether regions...

Namely, in the wallet.



Ahem.

"We cut taxes, which basically meant people had more money in their pocket."

George W. Bush
2/12/04

In this year of the common era, 2005, 88% of us will save $100 or less on our federal income tax bills. LINK

And BushCo thanks you sincerely for sucking at math!

You all know by now that the rich are enjoying almost all of the BushCo Income Tax Relief rewards.

But what about the rest of us?

Explain this...


TAX INCREASES FOR EVERYONE

President Bush's 2004 budget proposed an increase of $5.9 billion in fees on taxpayers from just one year ago. In 2005, the Bush budget assumes the "government will take in 13% more in taxes and fees next year than in fiscal 2004."

Where's that money coming from?

And while you're at it, explain this, too...

STATE TAX INCREASES (Blame the BushCo budget!)

3% decrease to federal grants to states

$16 billion decrease in state tax revenues

$23-$82 billion in unfunded mandates




"Millions of American individuals and businesses face tax hikes this year... wiping out the savings that some taxpayers would otherwise see on their federal 1040."

Which has caused millions of Americans who HAVEN'T OUTRIGHT LOST THEIR HOMES to do this:




But that's OK because BushCo can now claim that housing sales are Up! Up! Up!

Now try this on for size...

Since President Bush took office, states have raised taxes by a total of $14.5 billion, after 7 consecutive years of cutting taxes. The total 2003 net tax increase was $6.9 billion for the 42 reporting states – following a 2002 net tax increase of $9.1 billion.

But Wait! There's More!

Seventeen states raised taxes by more than 1%.

Four states raised taxes by at least 5%.

TAX INCREASE ON STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES

Since President Bush took office, state colleges and universities across the nation imposed their "steepest tuition and fee increases in a decade."

In the 2003-04 academic year, college tuition and fees increased an average of

$579 at public universities

$1,114 at private institutions

$231 at two-year public colleges

Bush's latest budget also proposes to "prohibit agencies from waiving a 1% Stafford Loan fee and forces students to collectively pay $1 million in interest each year."

TAX INCREASE ON VETERANS

"Two years after tripling the co-payment that veterans pay for prescription drugs the Department of Veterans Affairs wants to raise it again."

President Bush's 2005 budget would increase prescription "drug co-pays from $7 to $15 for many veterans." In 2002, the co-pay went from $2 to $7."

PROPERTY TAX INCREASES (Those Pesky Unfunded Mandates)

The Administration has left a $9 billion hole in funding its own education bill.


"County and city governments have been raising taxes" with "property tax collections rising more than 10%" last year alone

TAX INCREASE ON LOW-INCOME FAMILIES & KIDS

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers, 32 states have effectively increased taxes on low-income families by raising their Medicaid co-payments.

"50 states reduced or froze payments to Medicaid providers, 34 states have reduced or restricted Medicaid eligibility.

35 states have reduced Medicaid benefits."

In Florida, for instance, deficits caused by tax cuts have left more than 80,000 kids on waiting lists for health care.

Overall, because of these tax Medicaid fee increases and deficits, 1.7 million people could lose minimum health coverage.

TAX INCREASE DUE TO MEDICARE DRUG "BENEFIT" REFORM

$319 for joint filers
$93 for head of household
$128 for single filers
$186 for all filers

Adding this into Medicare's current projected shortfall, the [tax increase] total becomes (LINK):

$1,168 per household in 2010
$2,262 per household in 2020
$3,980 per household in 2030

TAX INCREASE ON USERS OF PUBLIC PARKS

The Bush Administration proposed to make "entrance fees at some national forests and parks permanent, opening the door to new charges at some locations."

TAX INCREASE ON SMALL BUSINESSES

The Bush Budget proposes to eliminate funding for the Small Business Administration's "flagship 7(a) loan program" – a program "which backs 40% of all long-term lending to the country's small businesses" – and instead fund it by a massive fee increase on borrowers.

President Bush's supposed "small business tax cuts" leave roughly 96% of small business with almost nothing.

TAX INCREASES TO COME (Thank BushCo's Deficit!)

Reagan supply side guru Bruce Bartlett "is beginning to sound the alarm that Bush's tax-less, spend-more budgets are unsustainable and will force the president to raise taxes." As he says, "These tax increases, when they come, are the result of conscious deliberate decisions this Administration made." His bet for next year or the year after: "A tax increase of more than $100 billion a year." LINK

STATE FEE INCREASES ARE SKYROCKETING

A simple Google search on "State fee increase" returned 15,900,000 hits. See for yourself (LINK).

Examples:

As a result of the governor's recommendation and the legislature's decision (Kansas) to make the Secretary of State's office a fee-funded agency, we increased our fees on September 1, 2003.

Historically, half of our agency's revenue was generated from state general fund dollars, and the other half was generated by fees charged for services. This year general funds were cut by 50 percent. In fiscal year 2005, we will receive no state general fund money.
--snip--
We regret the new fee structure will affect our customers, but we hope you will understand. You may refer to Senate Bill 239 for specific details on the fee increase. Please contact us with any questions at (785) 296-4564.
***

RENO -- A proposed 43 percent increase in state brand inspection fees is drawing opposition from Nevada ranchers.
The Nevada Cattlemen's Association said the increase from 70 cents to $1 per animal is too much for an industry that's still rebounding from a nearly decade-long slump in cattle prices.
Under the plan, the fee would jump from $700 to $1,000 for a rancher to have 1,000 head of cattle inspected before being sold or shipped out of state.
***

This legislative session, ADF&G will seek an increase in sport fishing and hunting/trapping license fees in order to protect and enhance sport fishing and hunting opportunities in Alaska. (Oh Right Sure!)
***
Student Fee Increase (Ohio) begins with Spring, 2005

Effective for the Spring, 2005 Semester, the "Student Fee" will be increased to $30.00 and Parking Tags will be issued.
***

It's way past time for the GOP to change its elephant logo to...




Google "Your State and fee increase" or "Your State and tax increase" or "Your State and unfunded mandate" and tell me that gay bashing, duct taping your ranch style (located in a former BFE Red State cornfield), and demonstrating the Pure D Weakness of your own faith by forcing the rest of the country to wave its collective arms in some kind of mass-hypnotic fervor is truly worth jeopardizing your family's ability to enjoy the health and prosperity the BushCo set is currently robbing you and yours of.

By the way, never end a sentence with a preposition.

And always credit google.com for any images you use on your blog. I don't do that often enough.

George W.: "Don't Know Nothin' Bout History."

Like that's news?

Like that's mind boggling?

What's mind boggling is that George W. told the truth!

Black congressmen riled by Bush ignorance of Voting Rights Act

By John Byrne | RAW STORY Editor

President Bush told the congressional black caucus he “didn’t know anything about” renewal of the seminal 1965 Voting Rights Act last Wednesday, RAW STORY has learned.

According to several of the 43-member strong Democratic caucus, Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Ill.) asked the president whether he supported extending the Voting Rights Act when it comes up for renewal in 2007.

“He said he didn’t know nothing about it, and he’ll deal with the legislation that comes before him,” Rep. Jackson told RAW STORY.

A Chicago Tribune columnist who wrote about the event yesterday said that another congressman told him Bush’s response was “mind boggling.”

Rep. Jackson said he was “disillusioned and greatly disappointed that a man who just a week or two earlier commemorated the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. didn’t understand or have an appreciation for the most important piece of legislation for civil rights in the 20th century.”

“The renewal of the voting rights act is in great peril, particularly the sections of the Voting Rights Act that make it effective. [This comment] should activate the Voting Rights Act forces across the country to begin the process of mass education to help move the Congress and the White House [toward] thinking about it as a serious issue.”

Jackson said he felt the meeting was “mostly a PR opportunity,” but that the president was quietly attentive.

“He listened to our concerns,” he said. “He appeared to be taking diligent notes.” LINK

You know what's really mind boggling?

The fact that George W. has no earthly idea how history will judge him.

And he's too Pig Ignorant and Ivy League Uneducated to figure it out.


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