North Korea Crosses the Line. Bush Administration Steps Back and Draws Another Line

Well, Don't you cross this one then!

And check out the photo included with this article of the Upper Class Twits including John Bolton playing at being important nobs at the UN.

RE: "Diverted Attention, Neglect Set the Stage for Kim's Move"

Excerpt Los Angeles Times aricle (title indicated above).

Little more than four years ago, the North Korean nuclear weapons program was largely under lock and key, the threat seen as a fleeting crisis of a previous decade.

North Korea's main nuclear center at Yongbyon, 60 miles north of Pyongyang, was monitored 24 hours a day by U.N. surveillance cameras. International inspectors lived near the site. Seals were in place over key nuclear installations and a nuclear reactor at Yongbyon was gathering dust.

So what went wrong?

The story of Monday's announcement of a nuclear test is one of failed policies, neglect and missed opportunities...

Read rest at site.

The Washington Post notes:

Analysts say Kim has already succeeded in at least one way. With its declaration of a nuclear test, North Korea has made the price of a military solution to the standoff -- something Bush administration officials had largely dismissed given North Korea's arsenal of ballistic missiles and its million-man army -- even higher. Some suggested Monday that it may already be too late to turn back the clock.

Of course if the Bush administration hadn't botched the diplomacy this wouldn't have happened would it? Then again they had John Bolton in charge of WMD proliferation at State during that time. Some job to give a guy who helped steal an election for you isn't it?

RE: "Low Yield Of Blast Surprises Analysts"

Excerpt Washington Post article (title indicated above):

A senior intelligence official called it a "sub-kiloton" explosion detonated inside a horizontal mountain tunnel and said its low yield caught analysts by surprise. "For an initial test, a yield of several kilotons has been historically observed," the official said.

A U.S. government official said the North Koreans, in a call to the Chinese shortly before the test was conducted, said it would be four kilotons. The official said it is possible the explosive yield was as low as 200 tons. France and South Korea both issued sub-kiloton estimates, and officials dismissed as inaccurate an early Russian estimate that the blast resulted from a five-to-15-kiloton explosion.

President Bush said early yesterday that U.S. experts were "working to confirm North Korea's claim." By the end of the day, intelligence officials were still piecing together data and waiting to review intercepted communications that might shed light on what exactly the North Koreans set out to accomplish in the test and how it was conducted.

I was wondering last night if a nuclear test that only produced a 3.5 richter was anything to really boast about.

I should have written something so I could prove it.

We've have relatively small refinery explosions around here that have done more than 3.5 richter. (Small as in they didn't blow up an entire plant or even half of it.) (Actually, luckily we lived 15 miles away when those happened. I suppose I wouldn't be talking about them so calmly if I lived right next door. But what I'm saying is that we felt them 15 miles away, no special instruments needed. That is not the case with a 3.5 earthquake.)

So Jude Wanniski and Gordon Prather were not so far off saying that NK doesn't yet have the technology to properly explode Plutonium.

Still, even a couple of hundred TNT tons of exploding plutonium dropped into Seoul would be a major concern with the fallout I assume. This is not something they can fight off the US with, but still they could do enough damage to our allies nearby to deter us from military action.

The Washington Note's Steve Clemons also points the finger at John Bolton for screwing up the talks with North Korea.

Bush Planning to Pocket Veto Fence Bill with Congressional Republicans' Approval?

According to Mickey Kaus and a pretty important right wing blog the answer appears to be yes.

Bush signed another bill last week that the Repulicans pretended was just as good, but even the blog at National Review Online says that the Secure Fence Bill of 2006 was just a show bill that was signed and now is quietly being pocket vetoed.

Of course we Democrats know this is how they treat their base, but this and other scams the GOP has played on their base is finally showing their supporters that they really work for fat cats and big business.

I do not mean to laugh at anyone here. It is tragic that we have such dishonest leaders in charge of our country.

Lawyer Defies Bush Administration. Must leave Navy

Why is that not a surprise? Hmmmm Mr. Rumsfeld? While our nation faces multiple threats (most worsened by the Secretary of State's decisions) he plays political payback.

Strafor: Red Alert: North Korea -- Is There a Military Solution?

Whatever the political realities may seem to dictate after a North Korean nuclear test, an overt military strike -- even one limited to cruise missiles -- is not in the cards. The consequences of even the most restrained attack could be devastating.

What? Sputter sputter, but the Republicans promised us this would all be okay, That they would take care of the threat from North Korea.

And just think, 4 short years ago before John Bolton jumped into negotiations with the rogue state all that plutonium was locked up under the supervision of the UN.

Read rest at Stratfor

Sam Donaldson And Bush's Late Night Call to Kim Sung Il

Excerpt ABC article by Sam Donaldson "North Korea and Politics 101":

The phone call came late at night in Asia, but the recipient, who was playing a game of mahjong at the time, took it anyway.

"Kim, it's George. I'm sorry to wake you, but I need help badly."

"That's OK, George. Tell me, what's wrong?"

"You can't imagine the trouble my party is in with the elections only 28 days away. We've got a real disaster in Iraq hanging over our necks with all these books now saying we lied and bungled almost every step of the way; voters still remember the Katrina debacle and my ham-handed attempt to make people think everything was OK ('Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job'); then, there's the Harriet Myers nomination disaster and our contacts with the rip-off-artist Jack Abramoff; and now congressman Mark Foley gets 'outed' as a menace to young boys even though our guys on Capitol Hill tried to cover it up — and the exposure of the 'cover-up' just added to the problem. So, Kim, I could use all the help you can give me."

"Anything for you, my friend, but what do you suggest?"

"You know how you've been threatening to test an atomic bomb? Well, do it now. I can then play my patented hole card and stand up to you as defender of America and freedom. After all, you're one of the Axis of Evil, and I'll accuse the Democrats of being soft on you and unable to defend against you while we Republicans will stand tall and tough for flag and country!"

"OK, George. My people say we aren't quite ready yet, but I'll give 'em a big dose of persuasion that will make your 'water boarding' seem child's play and they'll come around. Stay tuned."

BOOM

Now, of course, that phone call is fantasy. But let us examine the idea that this North Korean test will help the president and by extension his party change the subject back to homeland security.

Sam then laughs and shares his thinking that after Bush's assertion in the SOTU of 2002 to stop just this sort of event from happening (read indented material below) this development won't help the Republicans. But I think that Mr. Donaldson hangs out with people steeped in all the news available, and insightful analysis. This is not what makes it through many local news casts, and especially Rush Limbaugh and the hate media conglomeration of radio, news sites--from Fox News on down to the scum of NewsMax and WND, and bloggers).

"North Korea is a regime arming with missiles and weapons of mass destruction, while starving its citizens. … I will not wait on events, while dangers gather. I will not stand by, as peril draws closer and closer. The United States of America will not permit the world's most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world's most destructive weapons. "

But I want to note that I did bring up the thought a few days ago that the US might have given the green light for a NK Nuke test with the least reprecussions if done this October, and it wouldn't take a late night phone call. There are channels that can be used that are quiet and secure. It's not that inconceivable with Rove's Republican party.

Wonkette says Donaldson's assertion that such a phone call could happen is outrageous. See why here.

Southerners Returning to the Real Message of Christianity in Politics, Turning Some States Blue

Re: Washington Post article "A Balancing Act in the Upper South" (link immediately below)

This is great. Too many strong Christian Democrats have been portrayed by the big business backed Republicans as some kind of anti-Christian devils. I'm glad they are finding a way to break through the Republican noise machine. I can't believe they actually portrayed Jimmy Carter as less Christian than Ronald Reagan. And the good old Crusader Bush and his cabal are anything but true Christians. I think a lot of Christians are as tired as anybody of seeing their votes sold by the GOP to fat cats, big business and war mongers.

His parents were Truman Democrats, but [Xxxxx], 30, has been an ardent Republican since his teenage years, even naming his daughter Reagan. A few months ago, the disillusioned Sunday school teacher walked into Harpool's campaign office to talk about the war, rising education and energy costs, and Medicaid cuts by the GOP-majority legislature that had left poor people uninsured.
...

"I'm completely fed up with every last one of them," said [Xxxxx Xxxxxxx], a retiree and lifelong GOP voter, and now an active Democratic campaign volunteer. His list of grievances includes the war and prescription drug costs. "Republicans don't know anything about working-class survival," Higgins complained.

Lawmaker confronted Foley in 2000 over sexually explicit emails to former page.

Excerpt Washington Post article "Lawmaker Saw Foley Messages In 2000":

A spokeswoman for Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.) confirmed yesterday that a former page showed the congressman Internet messages that had made the youth feel uncomfortable with the direction Foley (R-Fla.) was taking their e-mail relationship. Last week, when the Foley matter erupted, a Kolbe staff member suggested to the former page that he take the matter to the clerk of the House, Karen Haas, said Kolbe's press secretary, Korenna Cline.

A source with direct knowledge of Kolbe's involvement said the messages shared with Kolbe were sexually explicit, and he read the contents to The Washington Post under the condition that they not be reprinted. But Cline denied the source's characterization, saying only that the messages had made the former page feel uncomfortable. Nevertheless, she said, "corrective action" was taken. Cline said she has not yet determined whether that action went beyond Kolbe's confrontation with Foley.

Unlike Fordham's assertion that he did tell Hastert's top aide Scott Palmer this might not have hit the Speaker's office.

Lettuce Fields' Irrigation Water Contaminated?

RE Washington Post article "Calif. Lettuce Recalled Over E. Coli Concerns" (link below under green or salmon print):

One thing the FDA and CA farmers don't want you to realize is that all leaf crops in CA are grown with ground water pumped up and then supplied to the roots for irrigation according to reports on the spinach crisis. (It was reported once and then disappeared which is what happens to most information that would harm big business in this nation at its best).

Because Central Californian soil is reported to be heavy clay in the leaf crop region and the water table low (at least it was in the years and places I lived there), bacteria cannot make it's way down to 'ground water' (the italicized assessment also came from a news report on the spinach crisis).

Cattle do not enter vegetable crop fields for some various obvious reasons available at a moment's thought. Like in many other places they have their own fields. Also, we do not in general see flooding rains in summer in low land California. Though I have not followed the weather up where the fields are this summer.

Therefore, it seems that the bacteria must have come into the system after coming up again for irrigation.

Restrooms for fieldworkers can be up to 1/4 mile away from the fields and the workers are often pushed to get more picked than ever before for their poor pay. (From report about worker conditions in CA fields).

Make your own inferences from that. Are we finding that allowing American business to abuse their employees is now killing us?

US Allows Sale of Products and Materials Other Nations Deemed to be Hazadous to you Health

Fair Use Excerpt Los Angeles Times article "U.S. Rules Allow the Sale of Products Others Ban":

Destined for American kitchens, planks of birch and poplar plywood are stacked to the ceiling of a cavernous port warehouse. The wood, which arrived in California via a cargo ship, carries two labels: One proclaims "Made in China," while the other warns that it contains formaldehyde, a cancer-causing chemical.

Because formaldehyde wafts off the glues in this plywood, it is illegal to sell in many countries — even the one where it originated, China. But in the United States this wood is legal, and it is routinely crafted into cabinets and furniture.

As the European Union and other nations have tightened their environmental standards, mostly in the last two years, manufacturers — here and around the world — are selling goods to American consumers that fail to meet other nations' stringent laws for toxic chemicals.

Wood, toys, electronics, pesticides and cosmetics are among U.S. products that contain substances that are banned or restricted elsewhere, particularly in Europe and Japan, because they may raise the risk of cancer, alter hormones or cause reproductive or neurological damage.

Michael Wilson, a professor at UC Berkeley's Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, said the United States is becoming a "dumping ground" for consumer goods that are unwanted and illegal in much of the world. Wilson warned earlier this year in a report commissioned by the California Legislature that "the United States has fallen behind globally in the move toward cleaner technologies."

The European Union, driven by consumers' concerns, has banned or heavily restricted hundreds of toxic substances in recent years, invoking its "precautionary principle," which is codified into law and prescribes that protective steps should be taken when there is scientific evidence of risks to public health or the environment.

Thank you Republicans. Now America is the dumping ground for other nations' hazardous products.

AP: George Allen Didn't Disclose Stock Options

The sleaze just gets deeper around this guy

For the past five years, Sen. George Allen, has failed to tell Congress about stock options he got for his work as a director of a high-tech company. The Virginia Republican also asked the Army to help another business that gave him similar options.

Congressional rules require senators to disclose to the Senate all deferred compensation, such as stock options. The rules also urge senators to avoid taking any official action that could benefit them financially or appear to do so.

Breaking; North Korea Claims Successful Nuclear Weapon Test

This is about that lousy missile test isn't it?

You see in the old days our leaders knew how to work diplomacy and knew that each nation needed to keep it's sovereignty and pride up.

They would know that the nuclear test was necessary because the long range missile test on July 4th was such a failure.

That's the only reason we survived the Cold War. If Bush had been president the US would be trying to evolve back out of the stone age, because the USSR could have really destroyed a lot of the United States unlike terrorists, Iran or North Korea.

In the old days our leaders let other leaders play the "crazy part". Because the nation whose leaders played crazy usually got big time problems coming at them in the end.

Now our leaders are playing the crazies. That's what's scary.

And remember how just months ago the idea NK having nukes was so embarassing to the Bush administration that they denied the fact that the rogue nation had them?

Well, Mr. Bush they have them. And I guess Prather and Wanniski were wrong about whether they could get the plutonium to explode. They can.

Ball's in your court Mr. Bush.

I see in the Washington Post article that our leaders are going to be acting somewhat reasonable over this. After all it is an election month.

Either that, or, like I surmized before, maybe a green light for an easy time was shined NK's way for a test right now in the pre-election month.

Ten of Thousands Possibly Wrongly on Terror List

Excerpt AP article at Yahoo.com "Report: Thousands wrongly on terror list":

Thousands of people have been mistakenly linked to names on terror watch lists when they crossed the border, boarded commercial airliners or were stopped for traffic violations, a government report said Friday.

More than 30,000 airline passengers have asked just one agency — the Transportation Security Administration — to have their names cleared from the lists, according to the
Government Accountability Office report.

Hundreds of millions of people each year are screened against the lists by Customs and Border Protection, the State Department and state and local law enforcement agencies. The lists include names of people suspected of terrorism or of possibly having links to terrorist activity.

"Misidentifications can lead to delays, intensive questioning and searches, missed flights or denied entry at the border," the report said. "Whether appropriate relief is being afforded these individuals is still an open question."

When questions arose about tens of thousands of names between December 2003 and January 2006, the names were sent back to the agencies that put them on the lists, the GAO said. Half of those were found to be misidentified, the report found.

Bush's approval drops to all-time low

US President George Bush's approval rating has declined to an all-time low of 33 per cent this month, down from 36 per cent in August, according to Newsweek's latest poll.

The US weekly magazine said its fresh poll, taken on Thursday and Friday, shows 67 per cent of Americans are not satisfied with the direction of the country, compared with 25 per cent who are.

The poll came as Bush and his fellow Republicans were gripped by military and moral quagmires including the Iraq war and a sex scandal involving former Florida Republican congressman Mark Foley.

Well, it more than about a sex scandal, but otherwise they are right on.

The Rumsfeld Doctrine -- Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid

So Bob Woodward is writing a book and aquires a paper showing Rumsfeld's plans for the future, which include the near total transformation of world institutions and the pushing of propaganda on free nations from third world.

Some of these thoughts might not be so scary if it weren't Rumsfeld who has failed his way through two wars so far and seems to have no sense of decency saying them.

But for example of things to fear:

Today the centers of gravity of the conflict in Iraq and the global war on terror are not on battlefields overseas. Rather, the center of gravity of this war are on the centers of public opinion in the U.S. and in the capitals of free nations. The gateways to those centers are the international media hubs and the capitals of the world.

Lets Just Stop and Think about This "Prank"

This Mr.E guy from near San Diego. (The San Diego Tribune actually names another city about 30 miles from SD city center for Mr. E) but I refuse to name it or the guy. It just isn't cool whether you are a blogger or a mainstream news site.

Now we know that Foley started sending him raunchy emails when E. was 17 while the young man was in California where the age of sexual consent is 18.

The young man seems to be goal oriented and possibly of a stronger personality that many 17 year old kids.

He also had and has clear goals and that inlcuded being a rising star in the Republican party.

But, according to right wing idiots who follow every Rovian spittle that Drudge puts out, this ambitious young man with a rising escalator climb in the Republican party works for 4 years on a plan to destroy a Republican Congressman and then waits until after Foley is already outed by another younger teen (still underage) who does not want to be named, who tried to break off the relationship when it got to being scary and whose family is desperate to keep their privacy.

Yeah, that works out. Uh Huh. Set up a prank for 4 years to destroy a Congressman and yourself in your chosen goals.

Right.

We are seeing what happens to groups when they willfully seek ignorance. You have to wonder why they do so. Really. Do the right wing bloggers think that their ads will bring in more money? Have they tried liberal ads and liberal blogging and therefore are able to judge which really brings in more?

Why Foleygate Matters

Excerpt Washington Post article "Foley Consuming GOP As Elections Draw Near":

a frustrated GOP strategist who spoke on the condition of anonymity essentially agreed, saying his party's mishandling of Foley "speaks to our inability to govern and do the right thing. It says everything about who we are as a party."

And it goes beyond what Foley did to the cover-up of a safe GOP seat. That is what is at issue. How far will this party go to protect their power? How can you trust them when they will allow a predator to roam the halls ogling pages and contacting them as soon as they are out of the program to set up future sex dates as an article in the LA Times notes.

From the Times:

the former page's exchanges with Foley offer a glimpse of possible predatory behavior by the congressman as he assessed male teenagers assigned as House errand-runners.

In the messages, Maf54 described how years earlier, he had looked to see whether the former page had an erection in his tight white pants while the then-teenager was working near the congressman. Maf54 also speculated about the sexual attributes of other males in the same page class, including the observation that one young man was "well hung."
...
Foley's flirtations made the young man feel important at a time when he was struggling with his emerging sexuality. "It seemed cool that he was taking an interest," he said. "I knew he was gay, and he was attracted to me."

After leaving the program, the former page began receiving messages from Foley. He is uncertain how Foley knew his college instant-message name, but assumed the congressman had access to a directory listing former pages' whereabouts.

Wow, isn't that gross? A sexual predator being able to pick up personal information on former pages thanks to the House leadership.

The article notes that the relationship abruptly ended after a one night stand.

In "Conflicting Accounts Leave Plot Holes in Foley Saga" the Washington Post tries to fit together the puzzle pieces floating around DC over Foley. The two I find funniest are the mishmashed piece of Hastert's top aide knowing 3 years ago, yet Hastert who lives with his top aide didn't know a thing until September 29, 2006 after Foley resigned. Conflict or plain out lying?

BTW, I would like to state that I did not read Political Animal Post "FOLEY AS METAPHOR..." before I started this post and as you can see I jumped right in and thought about the same thing as PA. So I'm was feeling pretty smug about coming up with the same conclusion as a smart guy like that, but then I followed his link to Mike O'Hare's article at Reality Based Community "Foleygate is not an ironic diversion" and see I missed the even bigger picture. Boy, is my face red! This is stuff we know about, but putting it together and laying it on the line like that is what is needed in this world. I know a few mainstream news writers that can't do that. Well, maybe I'm aware of a lot of them.

From O'Hare's piece:

The core event in the Foley story is not his hitting on pages but the tolerant, lazy, response of the Republican leadership, and that is not an exception or a bizarre misstep or a sad personal weakness but precisely, exactly, the typical, consistent, morality and practice of the whole gang, right up to the president. I'm referring to their bottomless callous, smirking, willingness to sacrifice the weak for a selfish, petty purpose like

- personal greed, including the orgy of fressing at the trough by contractors and unqualified hires in Iraq
- getting reelected with no visible point except to steal more
- showing Dad you're not an ignorant, careless wastrel
- shameless, endless shoveling the wealth of the many to the few.

More insightful analysis precedes and follows that portion.

George Will says:

Having so quickly exhausted the Oprah approach, the Foley story moved on to who knew what, and when. That drove Speaker Dennis Hastert to the un-Oprah broadcasting couch on which Republicans recline when getting in touch with their feelings. To Rush Limbaugh's 20 million receptive listeners, Hastert, referring to Republicans as "we," said:

"We have a story to tell, and the Democrats have -- in my view have -- put this thing forward to try to block us from telling the story. They're trying to put us on defense."

It is difficult to read that as other than an accusation: He seems to be not just confessing a coverup but also complaining that the coverup was undone by bad manners. Were it not for Democrats' unsportsmanlike conduct in putting "this thing" forward, it would not be known and would not be disrupting Republicans' storytelling.

Actually a nice analysis, Mr, Will except that you forgot to deal with the fact that many mainstream news outlets will not deal with the Democratic candidates as even the LA Timnes notes in regards to Phil Angelidesn in our gubenatorial election out here.

GOP Senator: Iraqi Government Not Meeting 'Basic Responsibilities'

Excerpt and summary ABC report at Yahoo.com (Same Title as above):

Sen. John Warner of Virginia, the Republican chairman of the committee, was extremely critical of the fledgling Iraqi government and said if Iraqi President Nouri al-Maliki was not able to improve the situation in the next 60 days to 90 days, that the United States should consider taking "bold action."
...
"We did not have freedom and ability to travel to places I had been in years past," said Warner, who has been to Iraq seven other times since 2003. "The press accurately describes a very serious situation. There is progress being made in certain areas: Oil production is up, reconstruction is going forward, you find so many communities don't have drinking water or sanitation."

"In some areas, there are steps forwards, and others, steps backwards," he said. "The situation is simply is drifting sideways.... And agencies of the government are not able to meet fundamental responsibilities of a government."

That sounds like Iraq is looking a lot like a failed state kinda like Afghanistan.

Then Senator Warner warns we might have to take "bold action" if things don't improve in 60-90 days. When apparently, asked to expand on that label Warner said:

"At that point, we'll have assert own leadership."

John Dickerson at Slate(in "Cut-and-Run Boomerang: Bush's political speech undermines his diplomacy") notes that the new Bush strategy might be the one I've been suggesting for a couple months now. (Not that even the pathetic Bush administration is getting ideas from me, though I hadn't heard anyone else using the argument. Then again I've have political dirty tricks troubles with a couple of blogs in the last 2 months too. Could it be? Nah...)

Anyway, I was suggesting that the Bush administration, use the threat of cutting and running on the Iraqi government unless they learned to share more with the Sunnis and in other ways cleaned up their act, like stopping the interior department from allowing its resources to be used for sectarian violence. This was the "JFK solution" which the late president was about to start using on the government of Vietnam unless they started sharing power in their portion of that beleaguered nation just about the time he was assassinated.

Apparently the little Bugger in the White House now got wind of that piece of history somehow and the US is considering making the "JFK" threat according to Dickerson.

Or, maybe, once again, they are lying about this, and, like I've been surmizing, might be their actual stategy, use Iraq as a staging ground, holding the troops there, until time to get the boots on the ground in Iran for regime change there, because 3rd time's the charm. They are bound to get one incredibly stupid invasion right, aren't they? (Preferably someplace with big caches of oil. For Pete's sake our president will be booted out of the White House in little over 2 years now. If he can't earn cushy board positions in the mega wealthy and powerful Big Oil industry he might actually have to take up ranching on his ranch. You know with smelly cows and steers and fly attracting manure and s... er stuff like that.

Using the "you're not good enough to protect any longer" excuse could be what the Bushies need to cut and run (into Iran) after so much rhetoric against the c and r idea. If used wisely c and r threats can lead to good as I have been advocating.

But this is the Bush administration. So just Hang on to Your Hats cause we have 2 more years of this crazy crew in the executive branch. All we can hope is that a Democratic Congress will be able to slow them down a lot. Get out the drag chains, Nancy and Harry. We'll be having a lot of work to do come January.

Condi's Rainbow Tour of the Middle East was seen as an cheerleading trip. The political cartoonists are going to have fun with that one.

Rah rah sis boom bah. Blood-- pain-- We want it now. Birth pangs, Birth pangs. Hah, hah, hah!

Lawrence O'Donnell: Who is Scott Palmer?

Hastert claims that his top aide, Scott Palmer, -- who knew about about Foley's predatory behavior since 2003 never told him about the problem between the Representative and the House pages, but O'Donnell points out that these two men are so close that they live together while in DC.

Read article (same title as above)

Sunday Morning Political Funnies

Message to the Troops (RJ Matson)

One Man's "Vision" is Another Million Souls' Dangerous Crazy Murderous Pipe Dream (RJ Matson)

What the House Ethics Committee Will Be Investigating (Ed Stein)


A Whole Graveyard Full of Them (Ed Stein)

The Buck Stops umm welll... (Steve Sack)

By Their Words You Will Know Them, Right Senator Allen? (Sandy Huffaker)


Haster Takes a Vacation (Nick Anderson)

All The Trappings (Robert Ariail)

And They're Reaching Into Your Pnats Too (Chip Bok)


They're IMing Again (Bill Day)

The Eleventh Commandment Bob Englehart

Ah. That's What it Needed! (Steve Kelley)

Milk Carton (Signe Wilkinson)

Do They Really Want This? (Signe Wilkinson)

The Icon Awakes (Pat Oliphant)

Our Protectors (Tom Toles)

At Some Time It Ceases to Be.... (Toles)

Not Really Sharing the Pain (Toles)

Booga Booga Ben Sargent

Safe for Now (Sargent)

Violent Games Warp the Mind (Sargent)

Society for the Protection of Predatory Animals

While some of our young people face death each day in war, our Congress members toil away...

Schwarzenegger Using Half Billion Dollar a Year School Program to Bribe Clergy

Excerpt LA Times article "Gov. Courts Black Clergy With Aid From Prop. 49"

Money is available this year for the first time under Proposition 49, in the amount of about $500 million. Schwarzenegger promoted that initiative in 2002, laying the groundwork for his entry into the recall campaign the next year.

In recent months, the governor's staff has been approaching black churches to help them apply for some of the funds. A Schwarzenegger aide even enlisted one appointee to a state board to give advice to black clergymen on how to submit successful applications.

...

"It sounds like it's walking right up to the line of buying endorsements with public money," said Ned Wigglesworth, policy advocate for California Common Cause. "It sounds like Gov. Schwarzenegger is trying to smooth the way for approval.

"When Arnold Schwarzenegger went to the voters in 2002 and asked them to vote for Prop. 49 after-school funds," Wigglesworth said, "voters had no idea these funds might later be used to facilitate Schwarzenegger's reelection candidacy in 2006. What you have is a public figure using the ballot measure process to create a pot of public money that they then use to pursue their own political agenda."

...
At First AME Church in Oakland on Sunday, Mayberry said from the pulpit that the pastor of another church, which he did not identify, told him a representative of the governor had offered day-care money to that church.

"Why didn't he deliver the money before he started to run for reelection?" Mayberry asked the congregation.

In an interview, Mayberry said: "If the governor is that interested in helping people who need day care and the assistance of the government, why not come up with all these bright ideas prior to the election?"
...
Brown said he is co-chairman of a group of 14 Bay Area churches bidding for Proposition 49 money. He said they have gotten assistance from Sandra McBrayer of San Diego, appointed by Schwarzenegger in March to a state advisory committee on before- and after-school programs.

Smith said he has attended two meetings in which McBrayer gave advice on submitting a convincing grant application. When she was still part of Schwarzenegger's state staff, Fortune had urged McBrayer to meet with black religious leaders and talk about the after-school funds, according to Schwarzenegger campaign officials.

Daily Funnies

Cheney Says Don't Compare Iraq to Vietnam (Bill Day)

It's Not Your Father's GOP (Bill Day)


Drunks are Furious (Steve Kelley)

Tweedledee and Tweedledum. That is just how they come. (Mike Lane)

It Even Depresses the Man Upstairs (Vince O'Farrell)

The Blame Game (Rob Rogers)

What Elephant? (Rob Rogers)

U.S. must follow Nuremberg code

Could someone get Vice President and chief puppeteer Cheney to read this oped?

And mayber Rumsfeld and Rove too. We know that the lil' emperor doesn't read very well so until they make an illustrated version I guess he's not going to get it.

Think You Know Those IMs are Not So Bad?

You've only seen the most palatable of them.

Timothy Noah at Slate has a set sent to the California guy when he was 17 and that is underage in California. (I still can't put down his name even though it has been in nationally respected news now). At the time of this IM Foley was in Florida not DC for those wanting to claim that 16 year old teens in DC are fair game for predation. I'm trying to look up the age of consent in Florida, in case that would matter.

Before you click on this link though, please be warned that though Noah calls the missives "moderately raunchy" other people find them much more offensive. The first of the IMs after an explanation by T.N. start on this page.