Will Return

I know our fans can't stand it, but I'm taking this opportunity to explore the non-blog portions of the internet.

There is A LOT of porn out there...



It might be a while.

SCOTT PETERSON: GUILTY

Oh yeah, and 45 US troops have died in the last week, not that the media will notice.

Your tax dollars at work

The happy fun-time edition

I will deliver Ohio

Is this what he meant?

In one precinct, Bush’s tally was supersized by a computer glitch
A computer error involving one voting-machine cartridge gave President Bush 3,893 extra votes in a Gahanna precinct.

Franklin County’s unofficial results gave Bush 4,258 votes to Democratic challenger John Kerry’s 260 votes in Precinct 1B, which votes at New Life Church on Stygler Road. Records show only 638 voters cast ballots in that precinct.

Matthew Damschroder, director of the Franklin County Board of Elections, said Bush received 365 votes there.

The remaining 13 voters who cast ballots either voted for other candidates or did not vote for president.

And this is only ONE precinct... But I'm sure it was just an isolated incident, kinda like Abu Ghraib.

I am very angry

I spent yesterday sad, I've moved on to anger. Out of my anger comes motivation. Out of my motivation comes change. I thought I was motivated before. This feeling in my gut is one that I've never felt before. My peeps and I are already talking game plan. If anyone out there wants to join with us, send me an email.

Harness that fire in your belly. OUR revolution starts now.

Never Again

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again

Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss

The Big Day

Nervously excited.

Hey, Rube

Hunter S. Thompson feels pretty good. Link

It is now Tuesday, and John Kerry is looking good today, while George Bush is looking a little desperate. His eyes are wild and his voice is shrill and he is acting more and more like a doomed animal on its way to the meat-grinder. Young George is about to lose his first election.

JFK will win this one decisively enough to make any recounts or challenges irrelevant. If Kerry wins New Hampshire and Pennsylvania and Florida, for instance, this election will be over before it really gets started.

Kerry will win big today. I guarantee it. The evil Bush family of central Texas is about to suffer another humiliating failure on another disastrous election day.

And I knew it Sunday after returning from Los Angeles, where I had been campaigning for Kerry, my friend. Football and politics were never so fatally linked as they were when the Washington Redskins lost to the Green Bay Packers that day. It was all over after that.

The sun has come up over the Rockies and the time has come to drive into town and vote aggressively for my man, who will win this election handily. And the Democrats will regain control of both houses of Congress. That is all I know right now, and all I need to know.

When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. We will march on a road of bones.

If only I could sleep...

Way too excited...

Why Kerry Must Win #1



Because this is a real president.

From My Front Porch
Happy Halloween

-thanks to Ali!

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!Important!

If you live in Oregon, your ballot must be mailed by the 28th(tomorrow), or it won't get there in time to be counted. If you can't get it mailed in time, no problem, just take it to a designated ballot drop site. A list of which can be found here.

Don't slack, it's not that hard, just fill it out, and drop it off. Serious. Serious. I'm fucking serious, it makes sesnse if you think about it.

281-343-1333

I just called Tom Delay's office in Texas, you should too. They'll answer, I called at 5:00 pacific. They don't hang up on you, it's kind of fun. Just ask why Tom is such an asshole, or you could tell them that you're concerned Tom might be a child molester. Use your imagination.

281-343-1333

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Lie Girls

Call now to enter a fantasy world of
spin!

Must See

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Animal House

TUCSON, Ariz. – Two men ran onstage and threw custard pies at conservative columnist Ann Coulter as she was giving a speech at the University of Arizona, hitting her in the shoulder, police said.

link

...FUCK YEAH!

UPDATE: Video here

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America, FUCK YEAH!

Freedom is the only way now! Click here to download the Team America: World Police soundtrack song that's sure to make Matt Stone & Trey Parker from south park the new #1 patriot rock icons. Sorry Toby Keith, these guys kick a little more ass.

I just voted for John Kerry

Have you, yet?

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One More Reason I Hate These Fucks

For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to get on the BC'04 mailing list, that is, until my inbox was flooded 12 messages a day from Ken Mehlman. Ok, my fault, so I unsubscribed. No luck, did it again, still no luck. I've unsubcribed about 10 times, it has been a month, and has virtually rendered that email account unusable. I just can't log in every day and see what important thing Marc Racicot has to tell me. Aren't there anti-spam laws dealing with things like this? Oh well, it's not like these shitbirds ever cared about the rule of law, unless it has to do with some fat bitch suckin' a dick.

Big surprise

Link

The sinister atmosphere at Karmah barracks is not difficult to understand. The marines are convinced that many, perhaps most, of the 140 members of the Iraqi National Guard (ING) they share the camp with are double agents working on behalf of the insurgents holding Fallujah.

In the past week alone the marines have arrested five of the guardsmen, including their commanding officer, Capt Ali Mohammed Jasim.

It is just one example that a Vietnam-era experiment Washington resurrected to form the backbone of an offensive planned by the end of the year to retake Fallujah, the crucible of Iraq's insurgency, is going disastrously wrong. Under the Combined Action Platoon (CAP) scheme, US soldiers train Iraqi guardsmen, live with them in the same barracks and venture out on joint patrols, all steps towards a longer-term objective of the withdrawal of American troops.

The plan was first developed in Vietnam, where US marines cohabited with local militias to defend villages from Vietcong raids. At the same time the marines trained the militiamen with the intention of turning them into an effective fighting force, but they were too ill-equipped and underpaid for the plan to have much success.

Not only should this not be a surprise, it should be be expected. While the wingnuts are mulling over whether they want to nuke Iraqis or give them democracy, they forget one little fact: WE INVADED THEIR FUCKING COUNTRY

I think the most telling thing about this article is that the military is reviving tactics used in Vietnam, because they worked so well back then...

Bargain Basement

Salvage has been shopping the wingnut markets, and he's found some real gems.

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Sucks to be Sinclair

Link:

Famed shareholder attorney William S. Lerach will hold a news conference at 1 p.m. today to discuss insider self-dealing by officers of Sinclair Broadcasting, the Baltimore-based television chain that is forcing its affiliates to show a propaganda film that attacks presidential candidate John Kerry. He will release a set of demands aimed at making Sinclair executives disgorge millions of dollars in unjustified profits taken out of the firm when stock prices were high during the past 12 months. Yesterday the company's stock fell a further 8 percent after being down more than 50 percent from the year's beginning, as advertisers pulled back to avoid the station's self-generated political controversy.

Just chill the fuck out!

Seniors Urged to Relax Over Flu Vaccine
"We want people to relax," Thompson said at a news conference. "The flu season is not here."

Our leaders are so compassionate. Next, they'll tell the unemployed to stop whining, oh wait...

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Protecting Civil Liberties = "Obscene"

Civil liberties T-shirts trigger 'alarm'
Janet Voorhies said she was curious to see how Republicans would react when she and two other women showed up at President Bush's Central Point rally wearing T-shirts stating "Protect Our Civil Liberties."

She got her answer before the president even spoke. The three women were ejected from the rally and escorted from the Jackson County Fairgrounds by state police officers who warned them they would be arrested if they tried to return.

Republican officials said they weren't exactly sure why a volunteer at the event demanded that the three women leave the rally. But a Bush campaign spokesman, Tracey Schmitt, said: "It is not the position of the campaign that wearing a T-shirt that says protect civil liberties is enough to conclude someone is disruptive."

Thursday night's action was the latest in a series of incidents in which people have been removed from Bush campaign events for expressing opposition to the president. Officials say the events are open to supporters and people who are considering voting for Bush, but they are quick to act when they think there is a possibility of disruption.

Voorhies, 48, a student teacher who lives in Ashland, said she and two other teachers obtained tickets to the event after saying they were undecided voters. She said she does not expect to vote for Bush, however.

She said the three decided to wear T-shirts that weren't critical of the president but expressed an issue "important to us. . . . We were testing the limits of the Republican Party, of who is allowed to be at a rally for the president."

Voorhies said the three made it through all three checkpoints and assured volunteers who questioned them that they would not disrupt the event. But when Voorhies was on her way to the bathroom, she was stopped by a volunteer who told her she wasn't welcome.

She said this volunteer pointed to her shirt and said it was "obscene."

***Thanks to Millage for this one

Jon Stewart on Crossfire
Rips them a new asshole. As soon as the dude on Overspun gets it on his site, I'll link to it. It is AWESOME! I can't believe all the shit he said. He let loose. I know, horrible for me to write about this without something to show you, but I couldn't wait.
From my memory:

Tucker Carlson to Jon Stewart "I do think you're more funny on your show"

Jon Stewart: "You know what's interesting though, you're as big a dick on this show as you are on any show"

Update: Transcript here

Jon Stewart Bitchslaps CNN's 'Crossfire' Show
In what could well be the strangest and most refreshing media moment of the election season, "The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart turned up on a live broadcast of CNN's "Crossfire" Friday and accused the mainstream media — and his hosts in particular — of being soft and failing to do their duty as journalists to keep politicians and the political process honest.

Reaching well outside his usual youthful "Daily Show" demo, Stewart took to "Crossfire" to promote his new book, "America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction" (see "Jon Stewart Writes A History Textbook That — At Last! — Features Nudity"), but instead of pushing the tome, Stewart used his time to verbally slap the network and the media for being "dishonest" and "doing a disservice" to the American public. After co-host Tucker Carlson suggested that Stewart went easy on Senator John Kerry when the candidate was a guest on "The Daily Show," Stewart unloaded on "Crossfire," calling hosts Carlson and Paul Begala "partisan hacks" and chiding them for not raising the level of discourse on their show beyond sloganeering.

"What you do is not honest. What you do is partisan hackery," Stewart said. "You have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably.

"I watch your show every day, and it kills me. It's so painful to watch," Stewart added as it became apparent that the comedian was not joking. He went on to hammer the network, and the media in general, for its coverage of the presidential debates. Stewart said it was a disservice to viewers to immediately seek reaction from campaign insiders and presidential cheerleaders following the debates, noting that the debates' famed "Spin Alley" should be called "Deception Lane."

"The thing is, we need your help," Stewart said. "Right now, you're helping the politicians and the corporations and we're left out there to mow our lawns."

While the audience seemed to be behind Stewart, Begala and Carlson were both taken aback. The hosts tried to feed Stewart set-up lines hoping to draw him into a more light-hearted shtick, but Stewart stayed on point and hammered away at the show, the hosts, and the state of political journalism. Carlson grew increasingly frustrated, at first noting that the segment wasn't "funny," and later verbally sparring with the comedian.

"You're not very much fun," Carlson said. "Do you like lecture people like this, or do you come over to their house and sit and lecture them; they're not doing the right thing, that they're missing their opportunities, evading their responsibilities?"

"If I think they are," Stewart retorted.

The conversation reached its most heated moment when Carlson said to Stewart, "I do think you're more fun on your show," to which Stewart replied, "You're as big a dick on your show as you are on any show."

"That went great," Stewart could be heard sarcastically saying as the show went off the air (a transcript of the show is available on CNN.com).

In an era when the media is increasingly fragmented and viewers can surround themselves with programming that falls right in line with their own views, be they on the right or the left, Stewart's blast seemed especially on point. It seems fitting that the tirade came on a day when much of the media attention focused on the presidential race was directed at the mention of Vice President Dick Cheney's daughter during the last presidential debate, as opposed to the issues addressed at that debate.

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Un-fucking-believable

Being the sole female on the Ludis staff I had to bring this up. Once again, the Bushies have disregarded the international community. What was that last night about respecting women?

250 countries sign women's rights plan
More than 250 countries, including India, have asked the United Nations to help promote women's right to education, healthcare, reproductive health and family planning, but the Bush administration declined to join the demand, objecting to a reference to 'sexual rights', a term which it says does not have any agreed definition.

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Let's see how this factors in

Aw shit.

OCTOBER 13--Hours after Bill O'Reilly accused her of a multimillion dollar shakedown attempt, a female Fox News producer fired back at the TV star today, filing a lawsuit claiming that he subjected her to repeated instances of sexual harassment and spoke often, and explicitly, to her about phone sex, vibrators, threesomes, masturbation, the loss of his virginity, and sexual fantasies. Below you'll find a copy of Andrea Mackris's complaint, an incredible page-turner that quotes O'Reilly, 55, on all sorts of lewd matters. Based on the extensive quotations cited in the complaint, it appears a safe bet that Mackris, 33, recorded some of O'Reilly's more steamy soliloquies. For example, we direct you to his Caribbean shower fantasies. While we suggest reading the entire document, TSG will point you to interesting sections on a Thailand sex show, Al Franken, and the climax of one August 2004 phone conversation.

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Thanks to Jeff Hardison for this dandy.

The Constitution recognizes rights, it doesn't give them

A fantastic historical article submitted to Buzzflash that details the modern erosion of the founding fathers' vision of constitutional rights. So much so, that many of the Fathers didn't even want to include a Bill of Rights, because these rights were so obvious to everyone....Jefferson, Madison and Hamilton's arguments about future generations forgetting or "foolishly electing" tyrannical leaders, is downright scary in their accuracy of foresight.

some excerpts (but you really should read the whole thing):

In an eerie juxtaposition during the second presidential debate, both George W. Bush and Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia - each in their own sort of code - were saying at the same time that if Bush is elected in 2004, women who get abortions will probably face criminal prosecutions, and our rights of privacy will evaporate.

In a bizarre re-writing of American history, Scalia advocated the new conservative doctrine he calls "originalism," to which he and Associate Justice Clarence Thomas subscribe. According to Scalia and Thomas, the government gives us rights. And, they say, if rights weren't explicitly written into the Constitution, they don't exist.

As the AP article noted: "Abortion, gay rights and the 'right to die' are best left to the legislative and executive branches, he [Scalia] said. 'You want a right to abortion? ... Pass a law.'"

In his belief that we get our rights from our government, Scalia is more closely following the logic of dictators and theocrats than of Jefferson, Madison, and Hamilton.

Until Scalia and Thomas came along, modern Supreme Court justices generally understood that we don't get our rights from laws. Civil and human rights don't even come from the Constitution - as the Declaration of Independence notes, they pre-existed it.

in the minds of the Founders, we are born with rights by the simple fact of existence, as identified by John Locke and others in the 1600s, and written by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence in 1776. "We hold these truths to be self-evident," Jefferson wrote. Humans are "endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights...." These rights are clear and obvious, the Founders repeatedly said. They belong to us from birth, as opposed to something the Constitution - or Scalia, or any government - can hand to us.

Thomas Jefferson, however, foreseeing a time when the concepts fundamental to the founding of America were forgotten by people like Scalia, Thomas, and Bush, began to agitate for at least a rudimentary statement of rights as amendments to the Constitution, laying out those main areas where government could, at the minimum, never intrude into our lives.

The Constitution doesn't grant rights - it acknowledges that We The People are the sole holders of rights. We don't need to "pass a law" to have rights.

Yet despite all the documentary evidence - from the Declaration of Independence, to the Federalist Papers, to the Constitution's own Preamble, to the letters of our nations Founders and Framers - Scalia continues to insist that we only have rights if he can find them written down in the Constitution.

With no right to privacy, Roe v. Wade would be overturned, and PATRIOT Act provisions wouldn't infringe on a non-existent right.

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Hee hee hee

It never gets old!


More here

My thoughts exactly...

AGREE WITH US OR BURN IN HELL
I don't know how many of you have started sifting through our Voters' Pamphlet, but if you have, you were probably as shocked as I was when reading the first 3 arguments in favor Measure 36 (ammendment banning gay marriage). Here are some of my favorites. Remember-these are arguments in FAVOR of 36!

Highlights from the first: Culture War

In the Holy Bible, Saint Paul says that Christians should remain single and abstain from sex. The New Testament says that people should get married only if they are too weak-willed to abstain from sex:

Marriage is not sacred. Marriage is for wimps and sissies!

Oregon public policy should define marriage in accordance with divinely inspired Scripture. Therefore, marriage licenses should be granted only to those persons who have been certified by professional psychiatric examination to be too weak-willed to abstain from sex.Oh, by the way, although Jesus never said a single word condemn homosexuality, if heterosexuals can't get married, homosexuals should not be allowed to marry either -- well, unless they'e too week willed to abstain. Sissies!
(This information furnished by M. Dennis Moore, Traditional Prejudices Coalition.)

Highlights from the second: Marriage is Sacred

Marriage is for procreation. If you're not pro-Creation, you're anti-God. And once a marriage has been solemnized, sex is serious business. The solemnity of sex must not be abused for sinful pleasures. Sex is for procreation, not recreation. And marriage is for breeding purposes.

Therefore, it should be Oregon public policy that

• Homosexuals may not marry.
• Infertile persons may not marry.
• Men with vasectomies may not marry.
• Women with hysterectomies may not marry.
• Post-menopausal women may not marry.
• Persons planning to use birth control may not marry.
• Non-virgins may not marry (Deuteronomy 22:13-21).
• Inter-racial couples may not marry (Deuteronomy 7:3).

And couples who fail to conceive within two years ought to have their marriage licenses revoked.

Additionally, the Bible says that

• Divorced persons may not marry (Luke 16:18).
• And if a man dies without leaving a male heir, it is his brother's responsibility to impregnate the widow (Genesis 38:6-10). If he refuses, he shall be fined one shoe (Deuteronomy 25:5-10).

Love is not good enough a reason to marry, because marriage is only for
HETEROSEXUALBREEDING.COM
(This information furnished by M. Dennis Moore, Defense of Heterosexual Breeding Coalition.)

Highlights from the third: THE TRADITIONAL FAMILY IS UNDER ATTACK!

First there was Original Sin when Eve disobeyed God! Then the Flood! Then Abraham abandoned the traditional practice of human sacrifice! Then Jews instituted the modern covenant of circumcision! Then Moses brought down from Mount Sinai a bunch of new-fangled Laws on stone tablets! And later Jesus abolished them and preached instead the radical new Golden Rule!

Polygamy fell out of favor! Women were no longer mere pieces of property belonging to men! Next these uppity women demanded the right to vote! Families could no longer own slaves! Prohibition saved the family from destruction by Demon Rum! The nineteenth-century extended families on American farms were destroyed by the 1950s social engineering of the "Leave It to Beaver" suburban cookie-cutter nuclear families! Blacks refused to ride in the back of the bus! Women demanded equal pay for equal work! Single parents demanded respect! Gays and lesbians demanded an end to hatred and oppression! Flower children protested traditional mass-murder warfare and genocide! Divorce skyrocketed! The silence surrounding child abuse was broken!

My friends, there is a simple answer. All you have to do is
VOTE TO TURN THE CLOCK BACK!
It's really that simple!

Now, which one of these radical social changes will this measure turn the clock back to? Oh, come on, let's just
LEAVE IT TO BEAVER!
(This information furnished by M. Dennis Moore, The Beaver State Defense of Beaver Coalition.)

(All of these can be found here)

So, yes, of course these are obviously a farce to point out the idiocy of the ban, but what strikes me is that they are the first three in the pamphlet. When people flip through their pamphlets, these are the first 3 they read in FAVOR of gay marriage. What a great move! We did some research and according to the secretary of states office they simply print them in the order they receive them. This M. Dennis Moore guy has his shit together! I have to say, I am THOROUGHLY impressed by this dude. We tried to find out more about him and we found a couple of articles saying how pissed off the pro -36 people are over this, but all they say about Mr. Moore is that he is a "Portland freelance book editor and church organist. He said he's simply using satire, "a very ancient literary device to ridicule hypocrisy."

What's even better is that he did this is 2000 as well for measure 9. One of those starts out "Lon is too liberal."

I don't know who this guy is, but man, he knows how to use the system to his advantage. Nice work!!!!!! And seriously, the Beaver State Defense of Beaver Coalition????? Classic.

Friday MickBlogging

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Rush Limbaugh is a big fat idiot... with a small Johnson

Link:

Black said Limbaugh had extra incentive to fight the ruling because the seized records contained embarrassing details -- unrelated to the investigation -- about procedures and surgeries performed on ''intimate parts'' of his anatomy.

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Leahy says it best

"Last night, I'm afraid, the president looked like a man who showed up for a nine-minute debate and was terrified to find it was a 90-minute debate," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. "After nine minutes he'd run out of Karl Rove's one-liners."

Bush's Debate Notes
From Talent Show

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MUST SEE

Faces of Frustration

The Best Debate Coverage

Kerry kicked ass...Bush is a dipshit

And Ron Reagan Jr. looks a lot like Peter North.

Interesting...

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Conditions in Iraq are improving...?

Baghdad Bombings Kill 35 Children
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A series of bombs killed 35 children and seven adults Thursday as U.S. troops handed out candy at a government ceremony to inaugurate a new sewage treatment plant. Hours earlier, a suicide blast killed a U.S. soldier and two Iraqis on the capital's outskirts.

Debate Talk
The article that Kevin Drum points out from the Atlantic Monthly is a really good read, he discusses the evolution of George W., the articulate orator to the W., the bumbling idiot... Josh Marshall talks about that here

What I also find interesting is this segment on his debate with Garry Mauro when he was already governor in regards to the cutaway rule (which holds for today's debate as well):

According to the rules of this debate, insisted on by Bush's team, the screen had to show only whichever candidate was speaking—that is, no cutaway or reaction shots were allowed.

Therefore no one outside the room saw the miniature drama inside. Bush was halfway toward his presidential style, speaking more slowly and less gracefully than four years earlier, and with a more dismissive air toward his opponent. While Mauro was speaking, Bush would sigh, grimace, and send body-language messages of boredom or contempt. "It was incredible," Mauro told me recently. "I almost can't believe it in retelling it. Because the press was upstairs, they didn't realize how aggressive he was on the stage—pulling the sleeve of the moderator, staring or winking at Laura in the crowd." The moderator of the debate, Bob Moore, of the El Paso Times, told me that Bush actually grabbed him just before the debate: "In the hallway, Bush did grab me by the lapels, pull me close to his face, and say, 'Bobby, you clean up real good.' Typical Bush." When Bush was on stage but off camera, Moore said, "there was that Bush smirk, rolling his eyes, all of which Bush is very good at."

Not that I expect Bush to do this, but I thought it was pretty telling. This next bit is pretty exciting, right now I'm planning on playing this in order to not drive myself nuts, but if this is true, it'll be a good ole time!

Sitting through the videos of Kerry's old debates and interviews produced an effect I hadn't remotely anticipated: I was sorry when they were finished, because it was a treat to see this man perform. With Bush, I developed new respect for the power of his determination to stick to his main point. But this is not something you want to watch. Kerry under pressure was engrossing in a way that reminded me of a climactic courtroom scene in a Scott Turow novel, in which a skillful prosecutor eventually traps an evasive witness. You could see him maneuvering, thinking, adjusting, attacking, applying both knowledge and logic, and generally coming out ahead. John Kerry's formal speeches often seem to illustrate the main complaints about his style: that he is pompous-sounding and stiff. But these debates mainly make you think, This man knows a lot, he is fast, and he has an interesting mind. Kerry was usually effective without being ugly or unfair. Kerry's lightness of touch, compared with Bush's relentless plodding, is a surprise considering what we all know about their backgrounds: Bush never thought of becoming President until a few years before he did; Kerry thought of it in prep school...

I was surprised to find that the more I saw of Kerry in action, the better I thought of him on both counts. He has pushed his Vietnam record so hard for so long that many people are tired of hearing about his courage and readiness for conflict. But the warrior persona that comes through in his debates is appealing. He is not a happy warrior in the political sense, like Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, or John Edwards. Instead, as the vanquished William Weld put it, he is "good tough." In his words and arguments Kerry is always attacking and moving forward, but in demeanor he is unruffled—like a confident detective or prosecutor relentlessly building his case.

I know people will ask, what does it matter anway? The debate format and how they will be presented and covered by the media is so flawed that it won't make a difference. Could be true. I'd like to hope that between Trading Spouses and He's a Lady the American public will situp and pay attention and recognize they're being lied to.

Eisenhower

Why I will vote for John Kerry for President
By JOHN EISENHOWER

As son of a Republican President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, it is automatically expected by many that I am a Republican. For 50 years, through the election of 2000, I was. With the current administration’s decision to invade Iraq unilaterally, however, I changed my voter registration to independent, and barring some utterly unforeseen development, I intend to vote for the Democratic Presidential candidate, Sen. John Kerry.

The fact is that today’s “Republican” Party is one with which I am totally unfamiliar. To me, the word “Republican” has always been synonymous with the word “responsibility,” which has meant limiting our governmental obligations to those we can afford in human and financial terms. Today’s whopping budget deficit of some $440 billion does not meet that criterion.

Responsibility used to be observed in foreign affairs. That has meant respect for others. America, though recognized as the leader of the community of nations, has always acted as a part of it, not as a maverick separate from that community and at times insulting towards it. Leadership involves setting a direction and building consensus, not viewing other countries as practically devoid of significance. Recent developments indicate that the current Republican Party leadership has confused confident leadership with hubris and arrogance.

In the Middle East crisis of 1991, President George H.W. Bush marshaled world opinion through the United Nations before employing military force to free Kuwait from Saddam Hussein. Through negotiation he arranged for the action to be financed by all the industrialized nations, not just the United States. When Kuwait had been freed, President George H. W. Bush stayed within the United Nations mandate, aware of the dangers of occupying an entire nation.

Today many people are rightly concerned about our precious individual freedoms, our privacy, the basis of our democracy. Of course we must fight terrorism, but have we irresponsibly gone overboard in doing so? I wonder. In 1960, President Eisenhower told the Republican convention, “If ever we put any other value above (our) liberty, and above principle, we shall lose both.” I would appreciate hearing such warnings from the Republican Party of today.

The Republican Party I used to know placed heavy emphasis on fiscal responsibility, which included balancing the budget whenever the state of the economy allowed it to do so. The Eisenhower administration accomplished that difficult task three times during its eight years in office. It did not attain that remarkable achievement by cutting taxes for the rich. Republicans disliked taxes, of course, but the party accepted them as a necessary means of keep the nation’s financial structure sound.

The Republicans used to be deeply concerned for the middle class and small business. Today’s Republican leadership, while not solely accountable for the loss of American jobs, encourages it with its tax code and heads us in the direction of a society of very rich and very poor.

Sen. Kerry, in whom I am willing to place my trust, has demonstrated that he is courageous, sober, competent, and concerned with fighting the dangers associated with the widening socio-economic gap in this country. I will vote for him enthusiastically.

As usual, it was way worse than anyone knew

The decision in Bush v. Gore, which stopped the Florida recount and essentially gave the presidency to Bush, came down about 9 months before I took my first law school class. And while most of us thought the fix was in, I reserved judgment in the legal sense because my ability to understand the reasoning behind the opinion was obviously limited. However, after reading the case several times over the course of my law school career, each time with a greater knowledge of the legal leanings of each justice, I became convinced that the conservative majority of the court knew which outcome it wanted and set out only to develop a passable legal argument to justify that end. After reading this article in Vanity Fair, (Part 1. & Part 2. ) there is now no doubt that the cynic in all of us was correct. Again. And as always, it was way worse than any of us thought possible.

So where does this get us? Well, obviously you don't need a legal education to understand that people, no matter who they are, cannot divorce themselves from their partisanship. Let that be a lesson for future Judicial confirmation hearings in the Senate. And confirmations of future CIA directors. And FCC chairmen. And FERC regulators. And...

Caption Contest #34

With just 34 days remaining until Judgement Day, Waingroh wants to do his part in mobilizing the anger on our side. So, every day until then, Waingroh will be counting down 34 revolting pictures that won't let you forget why Kerry must win. Prizes will go to the best captions for each picture (expect 6-8 weeks for delivery).

Coming in at #34:



"Thanks" to McGeggy for this vomit inducing gem. If you've got a pic that you think should make the list, send 'em to Waingroh.

I still love you, Al

How to Debate George Bush
Senator Kerry can also use these debates to speak directly to voters and lay out a hopeful vision for our future. If voters walk away from the debates with a better understanding of where our country is, how we got here and where each candidate will lead us if elected, then America will be the better for it. The debate tomorrow should not seek to discover which candidate would be more fun to have a beer with. As Jon Stewart of the "The Daily Show'' nicely put in 2000, "I want my president to be the designated driver.''

The debates aren't a time for rhetorical tricks. It's a time for an honest contest of ideas. Mr. Bush's unwillingness to admit any mistakes may score him style points. But it makes hiring him for four more years too dangerous a risk. Stubbornness is not strength; and Mr. Kerry must show voters that there is a distinction between the two.

If Mr. Bush is not willing to concede that things are going from bad to worse in Iraq, can he be trusted to make the decisions necessary to change the situation? If he insists on continuing to pretend it is "mission accomplished," can he accomplish the mission? And if the Bush administration has been so thoroughly wrong on absolutely everything it predicted about Iraq, with the horrible consequences that have followed, should it be trusted with another four years?

The biggest single difference between the debates this year and four years ago is that President Bush cannot simply make promises. He has a record. And I hope that voters will recall the last time Mr. Bush stood on stage for a presidential debate. If elected, he said, he would support allowing Americans to buy prescription drugs from Canada. He promised that his tax cuts would create millions of new jobs. He vowed to end partisan bickering in Washington. Above all, he pledged that if he put American troops into combat: "The force must be strong enough so that the mission can be accomplished. And the exit strategy needs to be well defined."

Comparing these grandiose promises to his failed record, it's enough to make anyone want to, well, sigh.

The Big Lie

Readers were greeted today by the collective gnashing of teeth and beating of breasts by well-known voices of the national print media. Adam Nagourney cautioned that the debates may turn out to be judged more on fashion than on substance. David Broder waxed remorsefully over the fact that "a scurrilous and largely inaccurate attack on the Vietnam service of John Kerry " took the place of a discussion of the real issues. And over at Editor and Publisher, supposedly influential journalists piss and moan that the format of the debates is so scripted as to render them meaningless. Well, here is my question.

What fucking country have you guys been living in for, oh, say the last 25 years?

Every four years we go through the same song and dance and nothing ever changes. Remember Willie Horton? How about the secret hostage deal Reagan struck with the Iranians? Was anyone watching the debates in 2000 when Al Gore sighed defeat out the jaws of victory? The only thing different this time around is the transparency of the right wing's tactics.

Its one thing for the media to legitimately point out the flaws in our current state of politics and more importantly, be self-critical at a point in time when it matters (i.e. when public opinion is still being formed). But these jackasses facilitate the very situations they claim to abhor by "reporting the facts of both sides in a fair and balanced manner." No fact checking, no reporting designed to ensure meaningful debates. Just drunken, frenetic coverage of the horserace. And only when the mind of the public is made up, and we're past the point of no return, and most importantly, there is no risk of right-wing intimidation, they slowly regain their senses, shake off the hangover and say, "Man, I gotta stop having these hot PDX nights."

Cure for Apathy

A growing sentiment around the country by educated people on both sides is that this is the most important election of our generation. Another strong feeling that I share with other educated people on the left is that that the large majority of Americans are liberals, but are convinced that the Republican party stands for their values, for whatever reason (usually lack of education and direct misinformation). American social institutions that we take for granted today and are accepted by both sides, like women's rights, welfare, medicare, minimum wage, public schools, etc. were originally opposed by Republicans, yet the right continues to claim that the liberal thinking is "out of the mainstream" or "radical".

Yet Democrats, in general, are lazy when it comes to politics. Waingroh, for instance, will be voting for the first time this year. This apathy can be shown in the 2000 election, when only 42% of Americans voted. Why so few? A lot had to do with the fact that we were still snoozing in a sunday nap politically, with 8 years of Clinton's (in retrospect) utopian policies still in memory.

Well, nothing makes you get up from a snooze in the backyard hammock like a sudden swarm of angry bees. If anything can cure the laziness and apathy of Democrats, it's the infuriating, evil-spirited, selfish greed of a blood-boilingly pompous and humiliatingly inept administration.

One thing that Bush should not underestimate is the unprecedented amount of resentment and outright hatred for him that exists in this country. Everyday people, funny, smart, good senses of humor, will look at that man and feel their bile ducts quiver. It's never been like this on such a broad scale. This is why I think the polls and other election forecasting apparatus can be tossed out the window. This election is simply unpredictable.

According to the cable news networks, Kerry has not run a very good campaign. Pundit topics last week included "how badly is Kerry crashing?". He has also caught criticism for not talking to national media, and only local newspapers in key areas. Well, this tactic may actually be working on one level, along with other democratic "get the vote out" organizations. With a flood of new voters in key states like Ohio, Missouri, and Florida, Kerry is concentrating his efforts on just those areas that will shift the balance.

New registered voters in Miami-Dade County, a crucial Florida county in 2000, grew by 65 percent through mid-September, compared with 2000. New registered voters jumped nearly 150 percent in Cuyahoga County (Cleveland) in Ohio, one of the most hard-fought states this year. In Oregon, where new registrations grew by 4 percent from January through Sept. 1, Democrats outregistered Republicans two-to-one.

Since there are more of us than them in this country, and there is a surge of new voter registration (especially in poor urban areas), one has to believe that most of those are going to be on our side. Now if we can just deal with the October surprise.....




Just in case you doubted my theory on your quivering bile-duct.

Bush V Bush

Just saw the new Bush ad, using clips of Kerry against Kerry, pretty effective. When the fuck will the Kerry people do the same? If there was ever a candidate that this would work against, it would be Bush. Or would that be to mean, maybe not fair? Wake the fuck up.

Not My Fucking Blog, Billmon You Fucking Asshole

I think the response to Billmon's article, kind of proved his point. This has been the first interesting day in the blogosphere in quite some time.

I don't agree with everything he says, but I think the main point of his article is valid. Not just that money has made bloggers sell out, but that the money has made many blogs indistinguishable from the mainstream media. In the past six months it's gotten harder to tell the two apart.

I started going to blogs to get the stories that were overlooked by the mainstream media. It was like a whole new world had been opened up to me, with thousands of others inside as well. It was a great release and escape, an assurance that everyone in this country wasn't a total ignorant asshole.

But in the last six months or so, things have changed quite a bit. I think it all started when Ben Chandler started advertising for his special election on Atrios. It was a great thing, and it could have been the deciding factor. But then the secret was out, blogs could be a great way to raise money. And almost over night, all my favorite blogs were plastered with ads.

I don't think this is a bad thing, per se, but once money starts pouring, there is no way that content won't be affected. And it has been. Most of the ads on blogs are from political campaigns or related organizations, and all you need to do is go to Atrios or Kos to see that they have become, in content, not just appearance, "Elect candidate X" blogs. Sure this is great, our side needs to find creative ways to raise money, and the right would never have a problem with this. But it's not why I originally enjoyed reading these blogs. Nowadays I can just check yahoo top stories and there is not going to be much difference than many of the top blogs. That is where Billmon is right, and why it pisses so many bloggers off.

I think once the election is over things will probably calm down quite a bit, and a lot of bloggers will be having second thoughts about quitting their day jobs once those ad dollars stop rolling in.


***Update
It's not just the ads when I say that certain blogs have turned into "elect candidate x" blog. The bloggers themselves are have realized what influence they yield and promote certain candidates they want to help. Again, not that there's anything wrong with that, it just gets a little old.

Found: Billmon

Billmon has been found, but not at his usual place. Yesterday in the LA Times

Blogging Sells, and Sells Out
By Billmon

By most accounts, blogs — web logs to the uninitiated — scored a major coup last week when CBS News admitted that it couldn't vouch for the authenticity of memos supposedly written by George W. Bush's commander in the Texas Air National Guard. The conservative bloggers who led the charge against the CBS story were hailed as giant slayers. And yet it's the blogging phenomenon itself that may need the last rites.

That may seem a strange thing to say, given the flattering coverage of blogs triggered by the CBS affair. But the media's infatuation has a distinct odor of the deathbed about it — not for the blogosphere, which has a commercially bright future, but for the idea of blogging as a grass-roots challenge to the increasingly sanitized "content" peddled by the Time Warner-Capital Cities-Disney-General Electric-Viacom-Tribune media oligopoly.

Count me among the mourners. For almost two years, I blogged the political scene, first as a guest writer on the popular Daily Kos site, and then on my own blog, Whiskey Bar. During that time, I was able to indulge my passion for long-form writing — a relative rarity in the blogging world, which leans toward snippy one-liners and news nuggets — and to mix satirical humor with serious analysis, all without the worries of deadlines, editors and advertisers.

It was intoxicating while it lasted, as was the sense of community I found with my readers. At the peak of Whiskey Bar's popularity, I could count on receiving 100 or more comments about each post — articulate, querulous and sometimes profane voices from the Internet hinterland.

Recently, however, I've watched the commercialization of this culture of dissent with growing unease. When I recently decided to take a long break from blogging, it was for a mix of personal and philosophical reasons. But the direction the blogosphere is going makes me wonder whether I'll ever go back.

Even as it collectively achieves celebrity status for its anti-establishment views, blogging is already being domesticated by its success. What began as a spontaneous eruption of populist creativity is on the verge of being absorbed by the media-industrial complex it claims to despise.

In the process, a charmed circle of bloggers — those glib enough and ideologically safe enough to fit within the conventional media punditocracy — is gaining larger audiences and greater influence. But the passion and energy that made blogging such a potent alternative to the corporate-owned media are in danger of being lost, or driven back to the outer fringes of the Internet.

There's ample precedent for this. America has always had a knack for absorbing, and taming, its cultural revolutionaries. The rise and long, sad fall of rock 'n' roll is probably the most egregious example, while the music industry's colonization of rap is a more recent one.

When I say blogging is headed for a kind of commercialized senility, I'm talking primarily about political blogs — those that have, or claim to have, something to say about government, economics, foreign policy, etc. Not surprisingly, these are the blogs most likely to show up on the media's radar screen.

Media exposure, in turn, is intensifying an existing trend toward a "winner take all" concentration of audience share. Even before blogs hit the big time, Web stats showed the blogosphere to be a surprisingly unequal place, with a relative handful of blogs — say, the top several hundred — accounting for the lion's share of all page hits.

But as long as blogs remained on the commercial fringes, the playing field at least was relatively level. Audience was largely a function of reputation — for the frequency or quality or ideological appeal of the blogger's posts. Costs were low, and few bloggers were trying to make a living at it, so money wasn't an issue. It may not have been egalitarian, but it wasn't strictly hierarchical, either.

That world of inspired amateurs still exists, but it's rapidly being overshadowed by the blogosphere's potential for niche marketing. Ad dollars are flowing into the blogosphere. And naturally, most are going to the A-list blogs. As media steer readers toward the top blogs, the temptation to sell out to the highest bidder could become irresistible, and the possibility of making it in the marketplace as an independent blogger increasingly theoretical.

I should have seen the writing on the wall earlier this year when the World Economic Forum, the ferociously trend-following CEO club, sponsored a panel session on blogging at its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The discussion quickly turned to the commercial possibilities of blogging, leading one advertising executive to wonder why the big media companies didn't swoop down and buy up the popular blogs while they were still cheap.

At the time, the idea of buying a blog struck me as funny, like trying to buy a conversation. Now, having seen blogs I admired mutate into glorified billboards, and having witnessed the emergence of the "sponsored" blog (in which the blogger is literally an employee of, or contractor to, a corporate owner), I can see who's likely to have the last laugh.

As blogs commercialize, they are tied ever closer to the mainstream media and its increasingly frivolous news agenda. The political blogosphere already has a bad habit of chasing the scandal du jour. This election season, that's meant a laser-like focus on such profound matters as the mysteries of Bush's National Guard service or whether John Kerry deserved his Vietnam War medals.

Meanwhile, more unsettling (and important) stories — like the Abu Ghraib prison scandal or the great Iraq weapons-of-mass-destruction snipe hunt — quietly disappear down the media memory hole. And bloggers either can't, or won't, dig them back out again. As the convergence with big media continues, I suspect there will be progressively less interest in trying.

To be sure, there are still plenty of bloggers out there putting the 1st Amendment through its paces, their only compensation the satisfaction of speaking the truth to power. But it's going to become more difficult for those voices to reach a broad audience. If the mainstream media are true to past form, they will treat the A-list blogs — commercialized, domesticated — as if they are the entire blogosphere, while studiously ignoring the more eccentric, subversive currents swirling deeper down.Not the most glorious ending for a would-be revolution, but also not a surprising one. Bloggers aren't the first, and won't be the last, rebellious critics to try to storm the castle, only to be invited to come inside and make themselves at home.

Uh...a couple of....wavy lines?

Like the 9/11 commissions, or anything that the Bush administration is frightened will expose them for the fragile-minded lying masochistic hypocrites they are, Bushy & co. wanted to skip one of the presidential debates. The second debate is to be held as a town hall meeting, with questions posed by an equal number of "soft" supporters of each candidate chosen by the Gallup Organization. No surprise there, what with the extreme lengths they go to on the campaign trail to make sure everyone in the audience is an oath-signing Bush lover. It would be great to see real people asking real questions to Bush's face on national TV (how hard do you think the RNC is working to infiltrate and taint the Gallup Organization's "soft" choices?)

However, both sides made an agreement to keep the number of debates at 3 - the first of which is this Thursday at 9 e.t. Of course, there had to be some special provisions:

In each debate, according to the agreement, "the candidates may not ask each other direct questions, but may ask rhetorical questions." Too bad. Hopefully that wil be different for the Vice Presidential debates (a.k.a. The People vs. Halliburton).

A senior Kerry source said the Bush campaign was "hung up" over whether a light or something audible like a buzzer would be used to tell the candidates when their time is up. A Bush official acknowledged that last-minute questions, mostly over the time cue issue, held up the agreement.

Classic. Howbout some electroshock therapy? Would that be enough stimulation? C'mon Bushy, which box is the banana in? ZZZZZZZZZZZ! Oooops, wrong AGAIN! No coke for you.

Proof Bush's Rapture is coming!

Doctor Peter Venkman: This city [world] is about to face a disaster of biblical proportions.
Mayor: What do you mean, "biblical?"
Doctor Raymond Stantz: We mean real wrath-of-God type stuff. Plagues, darkness--
Winston Zeddemore: The dead rising from the grave!
Doctor Egon Spengler: Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes--
Doctor Peter Venkman: Riots in the streets, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria.

All about the pageantry

Link

By ALEX VEIGA, Associated Press Writer

LONG BEACH, Calif. - The members of Beastie Boys are flashing liquor and cash while betting on a street-level parlor game — with a Jewish twist. Instead of a 40-ounce brew, Adrock throttles a bottle of Manischewitz wine. In lieu of dice, MCA tosses a dreidel as Mike D hangs back with a gold Kiddush cup. Moments later, MCA, the band's self-styled Kung Fu master, chops through a thick stack of matzo bread like Bruce Lee busting through three-ply mahogany.

The cliche rap video hijinks, performed for a magazine photo shoot, are vintage Beastie Boys, whose pioneering white-boy send-up of rap seemed equal parts put-on and homage when they started out nearly two decades ago.

Now, a string of critical and commercial success behind them, the seasoned rap slingers from New York are taking their summer hit album, "To The 5 Boroughs," on tour.

The Boys are all nearing or fresh into their 40s, but they're not short on rhymes.

"You could look at it like, here's a group that's been around for a while, been in the game for a while," Mike D (the D stands for Diamond) says backstage at the Long Beach Arena, the fourth stop on their U.S. tour.

"But at the same time, I feel like we're brand new to the pageantry game," he says. "We've only just begun within the world of pageant. That's given us an entire new lease on life."

Is he joking? You never can tell with the Beastie Boys. Especially after several small dogs open the show by jumping through hoops and walking on wires to carnival music.

"We should make it clear that this is not a concert tour, so much as a traveling pageant," says MCA, a.k.a. Adam Yauch. "We tried to gather feedback about the kinds of things that children are into and what came back to us was a pageant, repeatedly."

For the uninitiated, a pageant is a spectacular, colorful display or celebration.

"It involves certain kinds of dress, certain kinds of festivities, celebrations, feasts or food. I'd like to emphasize the feasts, if I might," Yauch says. "You don't just nosh, you feast, you don't just throw on some clothes, you get dressed, and these are the differentiations."

When the group eventually takes the stage, they strut, jump and flex their brand of old-school rap in bright green and yellow track suits.

The pageant action presumably kicks in during one segment when they strap on powder blue 1970s-era tuxedos and musical instruments, then run through some of their 1990s material under strings of colored light.

After years of touring, pushing boundaries, the group has to find motivation anywhere they can. It's not easy to stay fresh.

"By watching the dog show, I get inspiration," Yauch admits. "'Cause you see them and like, they don't hold back, you know? And they know how to work the crowd. They get up there and they know when to use subtlety."

Diamond is also quick to underscore how the canine troupe inspires the B Boys' own show.

"There are times when one dog will jump off the ladder and take a spill — and that's for the team. You know, there's no 'I' in team," he deadpans. "We realize when we get out there, it's a group effort, it's a team effort and we gotta leave it all on the floor, which the dogs also do."

Fans can look forward to hearing the group's biggest hits during their tour, which started Sept. 10 in Denver. They are digging deep into their musical past — and apparently, Aerosmiths' as well.




"We go way back," Diamond says. "We do some songs from 'Toys in the Attic,' 'Rocks,' 'Dream On.'"

Yauch chimes in: "'Destroyer.'"

But it's not just about recycling old hits.

"We also do some of our newer songs that we feel really proud of like, 'Dude Looks Like a Lady,'" Diamond says.

The B Boys are determined to keep action on the stage lighthearted, despite the fact that over the years, they've grown more socially conscious. Their passion for causes such as Tibetan freedom and their opposition to the war in Iraq (news - web sites) are well known.

But they're not intent on weighing down their pageant with political preaching.

"We realize people are paying good, hard-earned pageantry cash to see and be part of the pageant, so we try keep the focus on that," Diamond says.

During the Long Beach show, there are sparse references to President Bush (news - web sites). There's a short video of "Saturday Night Live" alum Will Ferrell (news) portraying Bush-as-idiot. And later, the group dedicates "Sabotage" to the president.

Despite their feelings on Bush, the group would consider a White House show, if asked.

"Yeah, we could put on our flight suits and go down there," says Yauch, "smoking roaches in the stair well."

Not that it matters

Nader off Oregon ballot.

Hey Rube

From Hunter S. Thompson's ESPN.com's Page 2 column.

Irsay called me last week from the ancient and honorable POLO Lounge in Beverly Hills, saying he was terribly nervous about his team's huge season opener in Foxboro -- somewhere on the outskirts of Boston. And he wondered if some of his players were planning to vote for George Bush in the coming November election.

"That's ridiculous," I told him. "Edge and Marvin would never vote for a criminal freak like George Bush. He is a failure in everything he touches."

"Well," he replied. "I don't know about that. Those two little daughters of his are extremely wild and hot. I've been sweet on those girls for a long time; I want them on my side when the deal goes down."

"Be careful, James," I said. "Those cupcakes are crazy as barn-cats, and they will never be on your side. Don't even think about inviting them up to Indianapolis for a game. Old Man Bush will call the cops on you and have you put in prison."

He laughed.

"Don't worry, Hunter," he said. "I know how to handle women. Those girls will be like putty in my hands. They will be worth at least three points in close games -- and I want those three points. I need them"

Only a sadist would have scheduled Indianapolis to visit Foxboro for the first game of a new NFL season. Nobody wants to open a season against the best team in the league, especially on a foreign field that brings back cruel memories of failure, defeat and suffering. But that is exactly what happened, and the Colts lost again by exactly three points. It was horrible.

The Bush girls were nowhere to be seen that night, and Irsay was carried out of the stadium in a brown rubber sack.

Missing: Billmon

Where the fuck is Billmon? His last post, which claimed he was going out to sea for a week, was well over a month ago. He hasn't even bothered to put up the closed sign at the whiskey bar. Have I missed something? I haven't heard any talk in the blogosphere about Billmon's extended absence. Was he thrown off the boat by a freeper assassin, or has he just decided life is a lot easier when you're not blogging? If any one knows, let me know, cuz I need a drink pretty bad.

More reasons Portland is better than where you live
Link

Portland area tops in firms owned by women
Women own or equally co-own 58 percent of the region's privately held companies
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
BOAZ HERZOG

The Portland-Vancouver area retained its nation-leading rank this year in the concentration of businesses owned by women, a report released Monday shows.
An estimated 58 percent of the region's privately held businesses are either majority owned by women or equally split between men and women, says a report by the Center for Women's Business Research, a -nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. The Seattle area ranked second and Phoenix third in the report. The Portland area held the top spot in the center's last such report in 2002.

Monday's report, titled "Women-Owned Businesses in 2004: Trends in the Top 50 Metropolitan Areas," concluded that businesses owned by women are increasingly fueling the nation's economic health through job creation and revenue growth.

The analysis, which generated estimates using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, showed that the Portland area's 100,449 privately held companies that are at least half-owned by women generate more than $24 billion in annual sales and employ more than 196,000 workers. Portland ranks 15th in the growth in the number of such firms from 1997 to 2004, third in job growth and ninth in sales growth, the report said.

Women are the majority owners of 38 percent of the area's businesses, the report says, and ownership of an additional 20 percent is split equally between men and women. Men are the majority owners of the rest.-.

Puma vs. Pres

Kerry on the offensive

Washington Post:

Kerry said the onus is on Bush to present a plan for winning in Iraq. "What you ought to be doing, and what everybody in America ought to be doing today, is not asking me. They ought to be asking the president: What's your plan?" Kerry told Imus. "What's your plan, Mr. President, to stop these kids from being killed?"

USA Today

John Kerry attacked President Bush's record on the economy Wednesday, saying that middle-class Americans are suffering from poor choices made by a stubborn incumbent who "has created more excuses than jobs."

Kerry to the National Guard

But I believe he failed the fundamental test of leadership.  He failed to tell you the truth.  You deserve better.  The Commander in Chief must level with the troops and the nation.   And as president, I will always be straight with you – on the good days, and the bad days. 

Two days ago, the President stood right where I’m standing and did not even acknowledge that more than 1,000 men and women have lost their lives in Iraq.  He did not tell you that with each passing day, we’re seeing more chaos, more violence, more indiscriminate killings.  He did not tell you that with each passing week, our enemies are getting bolder – that Pentagon officials report that entire regions of Iraq are now in the hands of terrorists and extremists.  He did not tell you that with each passing month, stability and security seem farther and farther away. 

He did not tell you any of this, even though – as the country learned today in the New York Times – his own intelligence officials have warned him for weeks that the mission in Iraq is in serious trouble.   But that is the truth – hard as it is to hear.    You deserve a president who will not play politics with national security, who will not ignore his own intelligence, while living in a fantasy world of spin, and who will give the American people the truth about the challenge our brave men and women face on the front lines.

New DNC Ad

"This President has a credibility problem. He cannot admit when he's wrong or when he's made a mistake. And if he can't admit that he's made a mistake, he can't fix it. Until George W. Bush starts being honest with the American people, Democrats will be holding him accountable with ads like this one."

To view the ad click here

Morning In America Missile

More evidence of the rapid decline of the Bush Bounce.

Action Jack is Back

And I can't believe all the new features Blogger has to offer-- I feel like Ward Weaver at a roller rink. Anyway, after a much needed blogging hiatus, I'm ready to start contributing on a semi-regular basis.

Call it Return of the Assmann.

So let me start off by saying the much vaunted "Bush Bounce" should be more appropriately titled the "Morning (in America) Missile." Yeah... it seems pretty solid from the outset, but then it deflates faster than a WonderWheel operated by Jack Brown.

That should do it, thanks Ray...

If you've had your Kerry/Edwards sign stolen lately (i.e. Sunday morning between 3-8), feel free to follow McGeggy's Craigslist example and respond in kind.

Assholes

I wish our press cared about these forged documents, being that they are actually forged and over 1000 Americans have been killed because of them.

Weighing In...
Did CBS get punked?
I'm taking a risky step, but I'm gonna weigh in on the forged document thing... WHO THE FUCK CARES??? An article in the Agonist sums up my thoughts exactly:

Why is the media talking about this? Haven't more than 1,000 US soldiers been killed in Iraq? Right?

Isn't our budget deficit higher, in dollar terms, than it ever has been before?

Isn't our current account deficit over 5% and unsustainable? Do people even know what a current account deficit is?

Where is Osama bin Laden?

And heaven forbid, let's certainly not talk about North Korea and Iran's nuclear programs.

Instead, the chattering classes, are well, chattering on and on about whether 30 year old documents were forged or not (would that they have focused this much energy on the forged Niger-Uranium documents).

Who cares? Can we please move on.

Okay, here's my only addition... regardless of whether or not those documents were produced now or then, are they factually accurate? If they weren't I would think the white house would go nuts refuting the claims made in the memos, but...

The White House distributed the four memos from 1972 and 1973 after obtaining them from CBS News. The White House did not question their accuracy

NEXT!!!

Buy it Now: A Clue

Admittedly, Waingroh doesn't know the ins and outs of Economics, and always thought it was the most boring subject in school next to Advanced Quantum Astrophysics (String Theory? yawn). But even Waingroh can smell the BS that is pouring out of Dick Cheney's mouth when it comes to the economy. He would be laughed out of any high school Economics class with his latest comment:

Indicators measure the nation's unemployment rate, consumer spending and other economic milestones, but Vice President Dick Cheney says they miss the hundreds of thousands who make money selling on eBay.

"That's a source that didn't even exist 10 years ago,'' Cheney told an audience in Cincinnati on Thursday. ``Four hundred thousand people make some money trading on eBay."

At least Edwards was quick to jump on the ball this time:

Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards responded that Cheney's comments show how ``out of touch'' he and President Bush are with the economy.

``If we only included bake sales and how much money kids make at lemonade stands, this economy would really be cooking,'' Edwards said in a statement.

Well, there's only one way to test out Dickie Boy's theory. Buy as many of these as you can.

Afghani-where?

Bin Laden Deputy: Mujahedeen in Control
CAIRO, Egypt - Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, said mujahedeen, or holy fighters, have taken control of much of Afghanistan and driven U.S. forces into the "trenches," according to a tape aired on Al-Jazeera TV Friday.

Wearing a white turban, the bespectacled Egyptian surgeon said "southern and eastern Afghanistan have completely become an open field for the mujahedeen."

"As for the Americans, they are now lying in their trenches, refusing to come out to meet the mujahedeen, despite the provocation of attacks, hits and carjacking."

Lovely.

Did a plane really hit the Pentagon?

A coworker sent this video to me. I'm not really sure what to make of it, except I remember there was speculation about the events surrounding the Pentagon.

Video

Any thoughts?

Bring 'em On

Well, you got your wish, asshole. 1000 dead. For what?

Pussy

Dipshit didn't look at ease tonight until Dickie boy came out and put Bush under his arm.

What if Bush wins?

It's a question I've asked myself a number of times. The Washington Monthly has 16 different authors' opions on the subject, ranging from Paul Begala to Grover Norquist. Check it out here.

Tech Tuesday

First off, I know it's wednesday, but how cool does Tech Wednesday sound? Second, Waingroh, keep your comments to yourself.


Apple has unveiled the new iMac, and it's pretty fucking cool. No box, all screen. Complete with wireless keyboard, mouse, and just about everything else. Tape drive/burner is an upgrade. I'd love to get my hands on one, but my cab only supports one computer at a time. I was thinking though, if each of our regular readers donated around $100 I would be about half way there. They begin shipping in about two weeks, so step up and give me some sugar, baby.

And before the Microsoft Borgs come at me, check this out:

Tonight and all this week: Vomit

The media coverage over the past few weeks have made me physically ill, and disillusioned once again. Culminating with this weeks convention, journalism has soared to new heights not seen since Baghdad Bob was forced off the air. Not that I really had any faith left in the major media, but I am gonna have to sit this one out. Hopefully until the debates, but I doubt I'll last that long

Worse than I thought
Wow, I thought I'd be able to do it, I really did. I mean, I've sat through the press conferences, speeches, and horrible interviews with George W (some of them multiple times with tivo). I thought I'd slowly built up an immunity to the bullshit and be able to stomach the GOP convention. I lasted 3 minutes tops. I missed McCain, but according to other bloggers, I didn't miss much. I turned it on when I returned from finding out that I do indeed own the cutest kitty of all time and started up in the middle of a 9/11 tribute. Don't get me wrong, I believe in paying tribute to the heroes of 9/11. What they did tonight in the 3 minutes I was watching was disgusting and an insult to their memories by tying their heroism to Bush's policies. The Bushies ignored all warnings to 9/11 and then paid little heed to the actual threat (Afghanistan) and moved on to fucking over Iraq. The worst part of it all, was that the tribute was being done by the families of people who died in in 9/11. I'm used to Bush and gang's horrible distortion of facts, but to have people who should genuinely be pissed and feel utterly betrayed spewing talking points was more than I could handle. I have great respect for those of you who can stomach it. I lasted up until the last woman, whose brother died in 9/11 and whose son was in Iraq. Of all people, she should be outraged, instead she tried to connect 9/11 to Iraq, and then some guy broke into Amazing Grace. They remind me of this horrible church I went to once as a teenager because everyone else was going. All they did was try to play on our emotions and fears. I thought it was dirty back then and it's even dirtier now. The Bushies, instead of doing it themselves (although they have and no doubt will), have enlisted people who have already been victims, and now they will be victims again, they just haven't realized it yet.

The Falcon

Little did Waingroh know it when he woke up this morning, but he would soon gain access to national security secrets that are usually classified for only the highest officials in international intelligence to see. Waingroh is no spy, but has now made a contact that has top-level security clearance and access to information that is so dangerous, this liason's real name cannot be revealed here. To his intrictate web of Government contacts, he's known only as: "The Falcon".

The Falcon pumps gas at the Shell station on 82nd & Foster. As he was filling up Waingroh's Turbo this morning, waingroh made a casual remark about how the price of gas was on the rise. Little did I know, this comment activated The Falcon's subliminal conditioning. He first looked around to make sure no one else was listening (and I could tell he was incredibly well-trained at this, because his right eye continuously wandered around in a circle as he spoke).

"Yup, they expect it to hit $3 a gallon by the end of the year, when the blackouts come," The Falcon said through his two remaining front teeth; he must've taken quite a few beatings in foreign interrogation rooms.

"Really. Blackouts huh? What kind of blackouts?" I asked. The way his haggard face perked up, those must have been the secret code words - and lucky Waingroh happened upon them by chance! The Falcon launched into a monologue about the war in Iraq, the secret war inside the US, the real problems with oil, and the coming "blackouts" that will knock out all communications throughout the country.

"'Cause that's what'll happen when the nukes hit." Whoa. I played it cool, like that's nothing I haven't heard before, but of course I knew I was on to something special; secrets that not just every lucky driver who pulls into the Shell station at 9a.m. can get access to. "Nukes, huh?"

"That's how they'll hit us. 40 briefcase nukes that they'll bring into the country, and explode 'em all at once. Each one's got about a 35-mile radius too, that's how they'll do it. Then they got no choice but fer blackouts." I knew I hit a goldmine of information, but The Falcon was beginning to break down. He was obviously sweating, and I think some of his past CIA training was failing and was affecting his speech, which was a little slurred and drool-producing.

As I was about to ask "So when they hit us with 40 nukes, the price of gas will still only be $3 a gallon?", I decided instead that I didn't want to press him too much further. The Falcon probably had surveillance from all kinds of intelligence agencies on him, and to keep our initial meeting low profile, I drove off with a charity smile. I could hear the Falcon yelling "35 mile radius!" as I drove off, a reminder of my password for the next meeting.

Keep your eyes out, I have a feeling that The Falcon may just be one of a vast gas-station intelligence network.

Nice Goin', Asshole

Link

Clackamas County puts Alfred French on leave after he says he misled his supervisor about an extramarital affair

Friday, August 27, 2004

STEPHEN BEAVEN

Clackamas County prosecutor Alfred French, who called Sen. John Kerry a liar in a political commercial, acknowledged Thursday that he lied to his boss when confronted about an extramarital affair with a colleague.Hours later, the Clackamas County district attorney's office said French had been placed on a 30-day paid leave while it conducts an investigation into his conduct.

French's former boss, James O'Leary, said he asked French about the rumored affair with a secretary about 10 years ago, but French denied it. O'Leary said he would have fired French if he'd admitted the relationship because it violated office policy.

French, who said he served in the same military unit with Kerry for two months in 1969, has come under intense scrutiny in the past week as the anti-Kerry ad has become a central issue in the presidential campaign. Suddenly, the well-respected Oregon prosecutor found himself the target of questions about his own credibility and the truthfulness of his statements against Kerry.

French's affidavit supporting the ad accused Kerry of exaggerating his war record, yet French conceded that he was relying on the account of war buddies, not what he witnessed. Since then, he's faced pickets outside his office and complaints of unethical conduct to the state bar.

As a sidenote, who names their kid Stephen Beaven?

Commercial Troubles

So the Bush campaign is obviously struggling to find any accomplishments to highlight in their commercials. They've got the swiftboat liars doing some of the dirty work and if any of you have watched the olympics, you've seen the terrible ad highlighting the two new "democracies" at the games. Unfortunately, the Iraqi soccer team was pretty pissed.

Midfielder Salih Sadir said that the Iraqi team - which won its group stage in Greece - was furious that it had been used in Bush's re-election campaign ads.

"Iraq as a team does not want Mr. Bush to use us for the presidential campaign," Sadir said .

One player accused the U.S. President of committing "many crimes", and another said he would be fighting U.S. occupation troops if he were not at the Olympic Games in Athens.

Did you hear that Bush? If he wasn't playing soccer he'd be in Iraq fighting against our kids over there. But that's not all, now the olympic committee is criticizing the ad and calling for the ad to be removed. Why not just campaign on the issues Georgie Boy??? Oh, that's right, then you're totally fucked.

More Shenannigans

link

African American leaders from across the country are voicing their support for President Bush. Join the African American Team to show your support today!

It really says that, so I thought I'd better join up! I figure they've got so many African American leaders that they could use a Dutch/Irish whiteboy from the Northwest, just to keep it real.

Wow

Is all I have to say about Christopher Allbritton's latest reports from Najaf. Go check it out.

Shenannigans

I was just surfing the BC'04 site and found something rather interesting. Under the "5 ways to help right now" section, #4 is "vote early for George W. Bush." Link

This election could be as close as 2000, and there is nothing more important you can do to help reelect President Bush than make sure that you and those that support President Bush cast their vote. If you are a registered voter, you may be eligible to cast your vote early by mail or in person.

Not my emphasis.

Gee, I wonder why that is so important?

Fucking Asshole

Link

Less than a half-hour before the 5 p.m. deadline, Nader supporters gave the state what officials later said were 18,186 signatures. That's well over the 15,306 they need.

But the fight may not be over. Although county elections workers have verified the signatures, state Elections Division officials said they will scrutinize the petition sheets again after claims of fraud. And a union that has investigated the petition drive said it might mount legal challenges.

----

For all the infighting over Nader's presence on the ballot, a poll released Tuesday suggested he may not have much effect on the presidential race in Oregon. The survey shows Kerry leading Bush by 54 percent to 43 percent and Nader with 1.5 percent.

I think the fact that Nader has been exposed as a Republican stooge, and the desire to beat Bush has overwhelmed even the most idealistic Nader supporters, at least here in Oregon.

I still want those signatures checked, just to fuck with him.

Hammer of the Gods


Link

The former Led Zeppelin guitarist cast his hand prints in cement Monday as the first music legend to feature on London's reply to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Fitting.

Jack McCoy would NEVER!!!
What about this isn't perjury?

Before recording the ad, French signed an affidavit that said: "I am able to swear, as I do hereby swear, that all facts and statements contained in this affidavit are true and correct and within my personal knowledge and belief..."

In an interview with The Oregonian newspaper last week, French said he relied on the accounts of three other veterans in making the statement about Kerry and did not personally witness the events. French did not return two messages left at his office Monday...

District Attorney John Foote released a statement Monday chiding French for bringing unwanted publicity to the suburban county's office, but stood by his employee.

"I do not personally share the opinions expressed by our prosecutor," Foote wrote. "However, all of our employees have the right to their own opinions on these subjects and to express their opinions on their own time."

Once he signed an affidavit the "right to his opinion" was replaced by an obligation (or legal requirement) to tell the truth. This guy is a D.A. He knows how it works. Someone please clarify: WHY ISN'T THIS PERJURY???? Adam Schiff would never let this fly.