Baker To Bush: Game Over

From TomPaine

Wow - I'm impressed! The Iraq study group didn't take long at all, did they!!

Feds Rate Travelers for Terrorism

Without notifying the public, federal agents for the past four years have assigned millions of international travelers, including Americans, computer-generated scores rating the risk they pose of being terrorists or criminals.

Hawking: Humans Must Colonize Other Planets

Oh I absolutely agree. Can we leave the bushistas on earth though?

Hawking figures that our species could be wiped out by an asteroid or a nuclear war, so we should set up colonies on other planets. We obviously can't travel to another solar system by conventional methods, so don't pack your bags just yet.

We could get elsewhere "by using "matter/antimatter annihilation", velocities just below the speed of light could be reached, making it possible to reach the next star in about six years."

CDC polonium 210 update

For those of you who have any questions or concerns about the radiation poisoning of the Russian spy in the UK. Here is the update that the CDC has sent out to healthcare professionals:


What is Polonium 210?
Po-210 is a radioactive material that occurs naturally at very low concentrations in the environment; although it can be produced in university or government nuclear reactors, it requires expertise to do so. The exposures to this radionuclide in London represent a very rare event. Po-210 emits alpha particles, which carry high amounts of energy that can damage or destroy genetic material in cells inside the body. Po-210 is a particularly energetic radionuclide, giving off 5,000 times more alpha particles than does the same amount of radium. Po-210 is used in some industrial applications such as static eliminators, which are devices designed to eliminate static electricity in processes such as paper rolling, manufacturing sheet plastics, and spinning synthetic fibers.


Is Po-210 harmful to humans?
Po-210 is a radiation hazard only if it is taken into the body through breathing or eating or by entering a wound. This "internal contamination" can cause irradiation of internal organs, which can result in serious medical symptoms or death. Po-210 is not an external hazard to the body-neither polonium nor its radiation will penetrate intact skin or membranes. Most external traces of it can be removed through careful washing. For more information about contamination and irradiation (exposure), see CDC’s fact sheet "Radiological Contamination and Radiation Exposure"


Are other people at risk if they come into close contact with a contaminated person?
People will not be exposed to radiation (irradiated) simply by being near a person who is internally contaminated with Po-210. Health care workers who are providing care for a contaminated patient will not be exposed to Po-210 unless they inhale or ingest contaminated bodily fluids. Normal hygiene practices in hospitals for microbial contamination will be sufficient to protect workers from radiological contamination. For more information on radiation protection for health care workers, see CDC’s "Radiological Terrorism: Tool Kit for Emergency Services Clinicians"


What should you do if you have concerns about possible exposure related to the London incident?
If you were an overseas visitor during early November 2006 and think you might have had contact with persons or locations involved in the London incident see

This is rich

U.S. to unveil new citizenship questions
Up until now, the people I know with the most knowledge of US history, the constitution, the brances of government and what they do, are the foreign born citizens. Now the US gubmint is going to make the questions harder and more in depth. They are going to delve into the civil war too. Hmm. Try to find a northerner who knows much about the civil war.

They are now going to ask them CIVICS QUESTIONS!
When are they going to teach civics to those born here? We wouldn't be in this freaking mess in the US with all this division if those born and bred here knew civics, for gawd's sake.

They ought to give these citizen tests to the goddamn elected officials and pundits! I'd like to see bush try to pass the old citizenship test.

UPDATE: Want to see how you'd do on a civics test? Try this.
hat tip to Father Tyme.

I have no idea how the clusterfuck will be resolved

Re Bush agrees to speedy turnover in Iraq

Bush finally met with al-Maliki (Shiite) but not with King Abdulla II of Jordan (Sunni) in their presence. This was not Bush's idea. As you know, al-Maliki is supported by the Mahdi Army headed by Al-Sadr (Shiite) and they are responsible for much of the "sectarian violence" also known as the civil war (if there ever was a definition of civil war).

The official quoted al-Maliki as telling Bush that controlling the group "is not a big problem and we will find a solution for it."

Yeah right. Yesterday al-Sadr's group resigned from the Iraqi parliament in protest of al-Maliki's visit in Jordan. That may be why al-Maliki didn't meet with with King of Jordan and Bush simultaneously. It also could be because the bushistas leaked a negative memo about al-Maliki's competence as a leader. (two-faced aren't they?)

Bush says, "Heck of a job, Maliki." Uh oh. You know what happens after that: Maliki finds a horse's head in his bed.

" I appreciate the courage you show during these difficult times as you lead your country," Bush told al-Maliki after nearly two and a half hours of talks. "He's the right guy for Iraq." It was their third face-to-face meeting since al-Maliki took power about six months ago.

"There is no problem," declared al-Maliki.

Bush has maintained recently that Iraq is a sovereign nation and is capable of fighting its own battles, yet we read that 20,000 more troops may be sent to Baghdad to quell the violence. It seems like it's too little too late, but what the hell do I know? We have no idea who is running the show. I hope bush isn't making these decisions.

Bush doesn't want to see Iran (Shiite) help Iraq either. But al-Maliki is open to help from neighboring countries. President Talabani from Iraq enlisted help from Iran the other day as you may recall. There is also the possibility that help may be sought by the U.S. from Saudi Arabia (Sunni). The bush administration wants Sunni help and Maliki wants Shiite help.

So there is still no exit date and bush vowed to stay the course in Iraq with no graceful exit until there is victory even though no one can explain what victory will look like.

Now comes the interesting part:
You know that bi-partisan commission that was set up to figure out this mess? They have a plan and it flies in the face of everything bush has said.

A bipartisan commission next week will unveil long-awaited recommendations for a new U.S. policy in Iraq that a published report said would call for a gradual pullback of U.S. troops there — without a timetable — and direct diplomacy with Iran and Syria.

Alrighty then. I suspect that something big is going to go down next week.

What would you do if you were Maliki? I discussed this with Billydoom last night and we would go into exile if we were Maliki. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Plea for help

Leola Kinchen works at Fred's discount store in Louisiana and is a friend of Anntichrist S Coulter. Leola suffers from Neurofibromatosis-1, a condition commonly known as "Elephant Man's disease," even though recent research has suggested that John Merrick suffered from a variety of other diseases.

Lee has been diagnosed with a brain tumor, which is part of her disease, and that this tumor is pressing down on 8 of the 15 major nerve branches in her brain, as well as causing blockages and constriction of most of her major blood vessels in her brain.

Due to even more complications, Lee cannot receive SSDI/SSI, Medicare & Medicaid, and food stamps, because of her "part-time" job at Fred's, which won't even provide her with a healthcare plan until next year. Lee may not live that long.

Annti is actively seeking someone who is a grant writer or who has ties to a corporation willing to help with financing Lee's hospitalization which will run well over $100,000.

Lee desperately needs your help and any contribution will be greatly appreciated. Checks can be sent to the address below.

Fund For Leola Kinchen
Bank Of St. Francisville
P.O. Drawer 818
St. Francisville, LA 70775

There is a pay pal button at the website Annti set up for Lee.
Please help spread the word about Lee.

You can read all about Lee at http://forleola.blogspot.com/

Douchebag of the Week?

UPDATE: Not only is Prager dumb, he is a liar. He made up the whole controversy about Keith Ellison wanting to be sworn in with his hand on a Koran. In addition, the swearing-in ceremony for the House of Representatives never includes a religious book.


Perhaps Dennis Prager of Townhall.com should be the main contender although there are so many others. Prager may have opened a can of worms that he will regret.

Check out America, Not Keith Ellison, decides what book a congressman takes his oath on
and do read the comments as well. I can't decide who is more ignorant over there. Here's the problem as seen by Prager:

Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim elected to the United States Congress, has announced that he will not take his oath of office on the Bible, but on the bible of Islam, the Koran. He should not be allowed to do so -- not because of any American hostility to the Koran, but because the act undermines American civilization.

Our "civilization" went down the tubes when Americans decided that they'd rather vote for bush because he'd make a good drinking buddy. Maybe it's time to just do away with swearing on the bible since it's so divisive in a pluralistic society and it's not required by the constitution to swear on a bible. Personally, I never believed in swearing on a bible even when I was "religious". He goes on:

Devotees of multiculturalism and political correctness who do not see how damaging to the fabric of American civilization it is to allow Ellison to choose his own book need only imagine a racist elected to Congress. Would they allow him to choose Hitler's "Mein Kampf," the Nazis' bible, for his oath? And if not, why not? On what grounds will those defending Ellison's right to choose his favorite book deny that same right to a racist who is elected to public office?

First of all, the wingers are the political correctness devotees. Secondly, there ARE racists elected to public office and they are hypocrites who swear on the bible. Yes it sucks that there are racists holding public office, but if their constituents want a racist representative then they are entitled to have one and the rest of us are entitled to protest it. Mr Prager is entitled under the first amendment to suggest that swearing on the Koran may lead to a congresscritter to one day swear on Mein Kampf even if it's a ridiculous assertion. (It's also quite possible that some of our critters on capital hill do consider Mein Kampf their favorite book.)

Will you shop online?

I prefer to shop online. It's definitely more relaxing and less frustrating. A poll shows that NYers will spend the most of their holiday budget doing online shopping.

The poll showed that on average, $1,483 of a New Yorker's average holiday budget of $2,137 will be spent online. New Yorkers also had a significantly large lead; Orlando, Fla., came in second at an average of $645 spent online. Considering 58 percent of those polled said that they shop online to save time, it's not entirely surprising that New Yorkers came in first.

New Yorkers are always in a rush, you know. Isn't that what they say? When I travel around the country and see how darn slow things are everywhere else, I suppose that we look like we're in a rush. ;-) It doesn't look that way when you are here though. It just seems normal.

Here is another reason why NYers may shop online: The shipping costs can be cheaper than the sales tax we pay in NY which is almost 9%, thank you very much.

Lots of cooks in the kitchen now

UPDATE: al-Maliki did not meet with bush today. Bush didn't even find out about the cancellation until he arrived at the palace of of King Abdulla II in Jordan. Some say it is because of the memo below from the White House. The WH of course, denies it, so it must be true:

"Absolutely not," Bartlett said." He said the king and the prime minister had met before Bush arrived from a NATO summit in Latvia. "That negated the purpose to meet tonight together in a trilateral setting."

Some analysts say however the the memo leak might have been a good thing because it will show the distance between bush and al-Maliki to the Iraqi's.

Now on the other hand, "Radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's parliamentary bloc suspended its participation in the Iraqi government in protest at Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's meeting with the US president in Jordan." So that could be why al-Maliki hasn't met with bush. Hang in there. We'll see what happens.

-------------------
Bush will meet with al-Maliki in Jordon today to try to get him to step up security in his country.

But in a classified Nov. 8 memo following his Oct. 30 trip to Baghdad, Hadley expressed serious doubts about whether al-Maliki had the capacity to control the sectarian violence in Iraq, and recommended steps to strengthen the Iraqi leader's position, The New York Times reported in Wednesday editions.

"The reality on the streets of Baghdad suggests Maliki is either ignorant of what is going on, misrepresenting his intentions, or that his capabilities are not yet sufficient to turn his good intentions into action," the story quoted the memo as saying.

I wonder the same thing about Bush. Does he have a clue as to what is going on in Baghdad? Does he lose sleep at night knowing what he and his cronies have done? Does he read the news or is he still surrounded by 'yes men'?

Meanwhile, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani met with Iranian leaders:

"... for two days of talks with government officials to seek their support in quelling Iraq's violence. Iran, a Shiite Muslim country, is known to have considerable influence among Iraq's Shiite majority — elements of which have been blamed for the bulk of the recent attacks."
...

The Iranians have declared that "they are quite ready for complete cooperation with the Iraqi government to restore security and stability in Iraq," Osman said in a telephone interview from Tehran. He did not elaborate on how Iran would take part in curbing the violence.

Ok, so the Iranians know how to "deal with" the Shiites.... and meanwhile the Saudi's say they'll intervene if the US withdraws:

Using money, weapons or its oil power, Saudi Arabia will intervene to prevent Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias from massacring Iraqi Sunni Muslims once the United States begins pulling out of Iraq, a security adviser to the Saudi government said on Wednesday.

Oh this sounds... interesting.

The hawks are not really interested in all this though. They want complete victory in Iraq. There is no plan for victory, but they want it. Doesn't it sound like a world war?

What do you think of this poll?

A Quinnipiac University "Thermometer Poll" was released Monday. The poll asks respondents to rank the warmth of their feelings for a particular politican on a scale of 0-100.

1) Rudolph Giuliani - 64.2.
2) Sen. Barack Obama 58.8
3) Sen. John McCain 57.7
4) Condoleezza Rice - 56.1
5) Bill Clinton - 55.8
6) Sen. Joseph Lieberman - 52.7
7) NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg - 51.1
8) John Edwards - 49.9
9) Sen. Hillary Clinton - 49
10) N.M. Gov. Bill Richardson - 47.7
11) Sen. Joseph Biden 47
12) Nancy Pelosi 46.9
13) Gov. Mitt Romney - 45.9
14) Former VP Al Gore - 44.9
15) President George Bush - 43.8
16) Sen. Evan Bayh - 43.3
17) Newt Gingrich - 42
18) Sen. Bill Frist - 41.5
19) Sen. Harry Reid - 41.2
20) Sen. John Kerry - 39.6

Veterans Day - Week 2 issues

Congress to Ponder Conscription?
by Rep. Ron Paul


thank you Rep Ron Paul, but

it's the same speech, different date.

and Rep Rangel, you too,
same threat, different day.

Do you guys hang around together?

_____________________________________________


WHY DON'T YOU TWO WORK TOGETHER ON

THIS ISSUE:Depleted Uranium Situation Worsens

Bush means business!! Can you imagine such a thing???

U.S. Bans Sale of IPods to North Korea

The Bush administration wants North Korea's attention, so like a scolding parent it's trying to make it tougher for that country's eccentric leader to buy iPods, plasma televisions and Segway electric scooters.

The U.S. government's first-ever effort to use trade sanctions to personally aggravate a foreign president expressly targets items believed to be favored by Kim Jong Il or presented by him as gifts to the roughly 600 loyalist families who run the communist government.

(I just bought my first ipod this past weekend -- WOW! I can't believe what I have been missing.)

I did not know that.

Did you know that 22,000 people arrived outside the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation in Fort Benning, Georgia on Sunday for a protest? Funny that the MSM didn't pick up on it. You remember that place. They just changed the name to protect the guilty. It used to be called the School of the Assassins Americas, where the US military would train Latin American soldiers to kill and torture.

Here is the google search I did to find out about it.

What A Tool.

Newt Gingrich spoke at the annual Nackey S. Loeb First Amendment award dinner, which fetes people and organizations that stand up for freedom of speech in Manchester, NH last night.

[He said that] “the country will be forced to reexamine freedom of speech to meet the threat of terrorism.” And that a "different set of rules" may be needed to reduce terrorists' ability to use the Internet and free speech to recruit and get out their message. "We need to get ahead of the curve before we actually lose a city, which I think could happen in the next decade," he also said.


So just STFU or the terrorists will blow us up.

USA vs W

Yes, it has actually been put down on paper although not filed(yet).

Take a look at it and lets here what you think. United States of America Vs. George W. Bush

Baby, It's Warm Outside

I still have blooming impatience, chrysanthemums and pansies here at the very end of November. My neighbor's geraniums and petunias are still thriving. Our lawns are still growing here on Long Island. With temps in the 60's, there is no need to wear a jacket when you go out during the day. No one is complaining as they leisurely hang their christmas lights on their houses. By now, we should have had a killing frost. We've used less than 200 gallons of fuel in the past nine months in my family and there is definitely something strange going on. Could it be this?

Carbon emissions show sharp rise
By Richard Black
The rise in humanity's emissions of carbon dioxide has accelerated sharply, according to a new analysis.

The Global Carbon Project says that emissions were rising by less than 1% annually up to the year 2000, but are now rising at 2.5% per year.

It says the acceleration comes mainly from a rise in charcoal consumption and a lack of new energy efficiency gains.

Charcoal is filthy isn't it? Some of us have deliberately limited our use of fossil fuels but it just seems futile. Have you noticed any decrease in people using mega SUVs as grocery and kid chasers? Not in my neck of the woods. It looks like a Lincoln Navigator dealership in front of the local elementary school at 3 o'clock. People are still oblivious aren't they? And who is going to complain about sun bathing in November in the northeast?

So, who screwed up our kids? Why can't public schools get these kids to perform......

you know, like we did way back when. How many tests, besides classroom subject tests, did we have in school? (I started kindergarten in 1960something). I'm sure there must have been some kind of standardized test we took that measured our progres. I know it wasn't every other week though! I don't remember at the moment. I just went to school, did what I was told -- LIVED for recess and band -- went home and did my homework (by myself), watched McHale's Navy everyday at 6pm and went outside and played, played, played!! Rode bikes, knocked on doors, played baseball in the street, or a million other different games we made up. I took a couple of dancing classes as a kid, but that was it. No gymnastics, soccer club, t-ball, karate, etc. One car per family -- dad took it to work and life was pretty simple.

Besides the breakdown of the family, what else has contributed to teachers being unable to get american school children to perform as well as kids from other countries? Nothing is working. 'No child left behind' seems to have made things worse. How much lower do the 'test results' have to be to say "IT'S NOT WORKING"!


Pierre Tristam's latest:The Mis-Education of America
Revenge of the Home-Schoolers
is a great commentary, and is what got me going on this subject.

I really don't care for a lot of what I hear happens during the course of a school day. I spend way to much time undoing what they see and hear all day when they get home. I would love to homeschool my kids, but I know myself all too well. I would take waaay to many field trips and probably try to find the movie instead of reading the book!!

(It's a great read, and I think he is spot on. Join in on his comment thread if you'd like.)



I came across this video by Bob Sinclair called
"Love Generation" and
it's message, spoke volumes to me.

As much as I hate to say it....It DOES take a village.


Maybe combine the two?

It takes a village to make sure no child is left behind......

More Questions Than Answers in Queens Shooting of Groom and Friends

In this article, Police Questioned After N.Y. Shootings, we learn that

None of the five unidentified officers had ever fired their 16-shot semiautomatic pistols on patrol before that morning, officials said. The undercover officer fired first, squeezing off 11 rounds; another, a 12-year-veteran, fired 31 times, meaning he paused to reload.

Officials said all the officers would have received training to combat against "contagious or sympathetic fire" -- when police become disoriented by the sound of friendly fire and blast away at a phantom threat.

"We stress when officers go to the range that they fire no more than three rounds and then assess what the situation is," Kelly said.

The 37,000-officer New York Police Department, the nation's largest, trains its members on "how to defend themselves and not use excessive force," Bloomberg said Monday. "What exactly happened here, we do not know."

Sharpton wasn't buying that "excuse", but in yesterday's paper it was revealed that "Multiple shots fired are common"

To the average person, 50 may seem like an excessive number of bullets fired by police officers.

Yet several criminologists said basic police training and the dynamics of shooting confrontations can often lead to high numbers of bullets fired and that little can be done to avoid such outcomes.

You often hear people say, 'Why couldn't they just shoot him in the leg, or why couldn't they just shoot the air out of his tire? Well, the police are not trained to do that," said Tom Nolan, a professor of criminal justice at Boston University...

The general rule in police training is that officers can use deadly force when they perceive "imminent death or bodily harm" to themselves or others.
...
"They receive training that really tells them not to shoot, except in dire circumstances," O'Donnell said. "What is less easy to teach is that once a decision is made to shoot, how and when they should stop."

There is a lot for me to learn about all this. My opinion on the whole matter is still reserved pending further investigation. One thing is for sure, NYC's Mayor Mike Bloomberg is no Rudy Guiliani.
Bloomberg believes 'excessive force' was used in deadly shooting

Of the victims, Bloomberg said Monday: "There is no evidence that they were doing anything wrong," referring to everything leading up to the moment they struck an officer with their car.

Still not a civil war according to bush

Bush: Iraq violence part of al-Qaida plot

President Bush said Tuesday that the sectarian violence rocking Iraq is part of an al-Qaida plot to goad Iraqi factions into repeated attacks and counterattacks.

"No question it's tough, no question about it," Bush said at a news conference with Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves. "There's a lot of sectarian violence taking place, fomented in my opinion because of the attacks by al-Qaida causing people to seek reprisal."

UPDATE 10AM: Bush just gave a speech in Latvia avoiding the use of the term, "civil war." He has vowed once again to leave our troops in Iraq until there is a victory. He didn't state what a victory would look like.

More importantly, in bimbo news, Britney has been seen shopping and partying with Paris Hilton (didn't she just have a baby?) and the bush twins have allegedly been asked to leave Argentina (one of them left so far).

Iraq. How fucked up is this?

Now that the shit has totally hit the fan and Iraq is in a bigger mess than could ever be dreamed of, congressional leaders are pressing bush on Iraq. The president will fly to Jordan to talk to allies about doing something about the quagmire as if anything he ever does has any effect on anything. Cheney met with the clowned prince of Saudia Arabia the other day... and the clowned prince wanted to talk about Palestine v Israel and the situation in Lebanon rather than Iraq. Notice that our leaders only speak to their friends? I would want to keep dialogue open with my "enemies" if I were a world leader, but what the hell do I know?

Oh wait, Panel to Weigh Overture by U.S. to Iran, Syria

Mr. Bush spent 90 minutes with commission members in a closed session at the White House two weeks ago “essentially arguing why we should embrace what amounts to a ‘stay the course’ strategy,” said one commission official who was present.

Officials said that the draft of the section on diplomatic strategy, which was heavily influenced by Mr. Baker, seemed to reflect his public criticism of the administration for its unwillingness to talk with nations like Iran and Syria.

But senior administration officials, including Stephen J. Hadley, the president’s national security adviser, have expressed skepticism that either of those nations would go along, especially while Iran is locked in a confrontation with the United States over its nuclear program. “Talking isn’t a strategy,” he said in an interview in October.

Mr Hadley, you are so wrong. You don't read the news and your administration never even tried to talk to enemies so how the hell do you know? Why don't you all sit there and discuss strategy in your comfy rooms while my friend is fighting for his life in Baghdad?

And the most ironic part? Iraqi President Jalal Talabani will fly to Tehran to meet with Ahmadinejad once it's safe for him to actually go to the airport and fly out of Iraq.

On Sunday, Iran's president said his country was willing to take a more active role in Iraq's future.

Ahmadinejad first lambasted the United States and its allies, in particular Britain, for being "accomplices in the crimes committed in Iraq," according to state-run news agency, IRNA. The president, an acerbic critic of U.S. policy, called on the United States and Britain to leave that war-torn country.

"You have to stop bullying, threatening and insulting nations. Today, you and your hegemony are about to collapse," he said.

Later, in the same speech, Ahmadinejad offered to help the United States "put an end to the present situation" in Iraq, on the condition that Washington stop its "bullying" in that country, and revise its approach in the Middle East.

"In that case, Iran will be ready to help you out," he said.

Oh man. Let's see how this plays out. Will the bushista's hubris prevent them from allowing Iran and/or Syria stop the madness in Iraq?

The East Will Dominate the West

How do you like these headlines?
West must prepare for Chinese, Indian dominance
(isn't that one of the end times bible prophesies too?)

Former World Bank chief James Wolfensohn has warned that western nations must prepare for a "future dominated by China and India, whose rapid economic rise will soon fundamentally alter the balance of power."

So this is what happened while we were all sleeping and the corporate powered government was at work?

Wolfensohn said that somewhere between 2030 and 2040, China would become the largest economy in the world, leaving the United States behind.

By 2050, China's current two trillion US dollar GDP was set to balloon to 48.6 trillion, while that of India, whose economy weighs in at under a trillion dollars, would hit 27 trillion, he said, citing projections by investment bank Goldman Sachs.

In comparison, the US's 13 trillion dollar income would expand to only 37 trillion -- 10 trillion behind China.

"You will have in the growth of these countries a 22 times growth between now and the year 2050 and the current rich countries will grow maybe 2.5 times."

In light of these forecasts, it was clear that Western nations and Australia were not investing enough in educating the next generation to be able to take advantage of the coming realignment, he said.

"The fact that not enough of our young people are preparing themselves with knowledge, experience, residence and language to deal certainly with China, although India has the benefit of an English language, it does seem to me that it presents a formidable challenge."

Wolfensohn pointed to both China's and India's recent substantial investments in Africa as an example of how the two emerging giants were exercising their increasing clout on the global stage.

"Within the last two weeks the world has been put on notice that Africa is no longer the basket case that everybody had historically thought it was but is now front and centre in terms of development by India and China."

I certainly hope that China and India do a better job with Africa than the western nations did and teach them about STD transmission in a responsible way.

The president gave a speech in February of this year, "Some people have said the 21st century will be the Asian century. I believe the 21st century will be freedom's century. And together, free Asians and free Americans will seize the opportunities this new century offers and lay the foundation of peace and prosperity for generations to come."

He left out the part where free Asia would leave free America in the dust, not that it wasn't obvious it would happen.

The War on Peace Continues

UPDATE: The subdivision has approved the woman's peace wreath. Peace at last.

So a woman hangs a Christmas wreath on her house in the shape of a peace sign- you know, Peace on Earth, Goodwill To Men... her neighbors go apeshit thinking that it's a sign of Satan or an anti-war protest (which perhaps it might be and so the hell what?) And why on earth doesn't the president of the association tell the morons who think it's a satanic symbol that it's not? The homeowners association president doesn't think that people should hang symbols or flags that might be construed as "divisive" and has decided to charge her $25/day for ignoring the subdivision's rules that say "no signs, billboards or advertising are permitted without the consent of the architectural control committee." Architecture control committee? Scary.

Wouldn't Christmas decorations on a home be considered divisive if you are going to be picky about not insulting your very thin skinned neighbors who have no lives? Not hanging any decorations on your home at Christmas time can be divisive too.

There are some people in the subdivision whose family members are serving in Iraq and they are also offended by the peace symbol. That, I don't get. Are they worried that if there is peace, someone will be out of a job? Who says that people who advocate for peace hate the military? It could be that most people who advocate for peace would like to see the military used for defense rather than war profiteering. That's offensive?

Why not educate "silly" people rather than let their ignorance dictate the social agenda? This political correctness has gotten completely out of hand.

Is this "homowners association" business just practice for the fascist take over of America? You buy a home, you have to pay taxes and then you have to live by a bunch of rules decided by your neighbors who may or may not be nazi sympathizers? They would have to pay ME to live under such conditions. If people have enough money to buy a new home in this day and age, they should certainly be able to decide for themselves how they want to present their homes on the outside. It works in my neighborhood and where millions upon millions of other people live.

The committee members in the homeowner's association decided that the woman shouldn't be forced to take down the wreath, so the president of the association fired the committee members. I suspect that there will be mutiny.

Hat tip to Eclectics Anonymous

What's with all the presidents and former prime ministers fainting?

Berlusconi slumps over during speech

Mexico's Fox out of danger after dizzy spell
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - "Mexican President Vicente Fox became faint on Sunday at a farewell party at his ranch five days before leaving office but is out of danger, the government said.

"After the corresponding medical examination, the president returned to the celebration, which continued in a cordial atmosphere," his office said in a statement."

And they're buddies of our head dumshit. Ya' s'pose gigologeorge sent them a bag of pretzels? Hmm.

UPDATE: Maybe I answered my own question: Perhaps they were overwhelmed by the thought of "Bush the Diplomat":

Bush Set for Burst of Talks With Allies
Bush Heading Overseas Again for a Week of High-Stakes Diplomacy on Iraq, Afghanistan

instead of "Bush the kill-crazy, war-mongering, imbecile".

Protester Immolation Virtually Unnoticed

CHICAGO -- Malachi Ritscher envisioned his death as one full of purpose.

He carefully planned the details, mailed a copy of his apartment key to a friend, created to-do lists for his family. On his Web site, the 52-year-old experimental musician who'd fought with depression even penned his obituary.

At 6:30 a.m. on Nov. 3 -- four days before an election caused a seismic shift in Washington politics -- Ritscher, a frequent anti-war protester, stood by an off-ramp in downtown Chicago near a statue of a giant flame, set up a video camera, doused himself with gasoline and lit himself on fire.

Aglow for the crush of morning commuters, his flaming body was supposed to be a call to the nation, a symbol of his rage and discontent with the U.S. war in Iraq.

"Here is the statement I want to make: if I am required to pay for your barbaric war, I choose not to live in your world. I refuse to finance the mass murder of innocent civilians, who did nothing to threaten our country," he wrote in his suicide note. "... If one death can atone for anything, in any small way, to say to the world: I apologize for what we have done to you, I am ashamed for the mayhem and turmoil caused by my country."

There was only one problem: No one was listening.

Here is the rest of this very sad story.

Science a la Joe Camel, by Laurie David

At hundreds of screenings this year of "An Inconvenient Truth," the first thing many viewers said after the lights came up was that every student in every school in the United States needed to see this movie.

The producers of former vice president Al Gore's film about global warming, myself included, certainly agreed. So the company that made the documentary decided to offer 50,000 free DVDs to the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) for educators to use in their classrooms. It seemed like a no-brainer.

The teachers had a different idea: Thanks but no thanks, they said.


UNBELIEVABLE!Read the rest here...

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Laurie David is married to Larry David, and worked on the "Earth to America" comedy special last year.
Here's his monologue. Both of them are truly dedicated to these issues and work hard to bring global warming reality to the public's attention.

Iraq Fever in NY?

Cops shoot 3, kill groom on wedding day

I'm not sure exactly what started it in Queens but the NYPD felt it necessary to fire 50 rounds of ammo at 3 unarmed men in a moving car also spraying homes and a train station with gunfire. They had just left a strip club (sheesh) where the driver's bachelor party took place. He was to be married the next day and 250 guests were expected. Al Sharpton is all over this. I will hold my written opinion until all the facts are in yet I will be shooting my big mouth off when I'm off the record.

UPDATE: The situation escalates as crowds gather demanding answers to what happened. The article also states what I thought was the law in NY: that police may not open fire on a moving vehicle "unless deadly force is being used against the police officers or another person present, by means other than a moving vehicle." Hmm.

It still hasn't been determined if the undercover cops actually identified themselves as such. (I get the impression from reading the story that the 3 men did not know that the guys with guns were cops and were just trying to get the hell out of there.) We'll see.

Music Review

Ever wonder what happened to those geeky kids who played in the school orchestra? They are cool cats now and playing with Brian Setzer (of the Stray Cats fame) Orchestra who's on the annual coast to coast tour for the holidays (tour schedule).

Long Islander, Setzer sells out each year when he comes back to perform at the Westbury Music Fair, now named for some bank but we still call it by the old name here in Westbury. It's a great way to kick off the holidays each year even if you're not even ready for the holidays and don't even care about them. I guess my holidays were kicked off last night. It's just too bad that you're stuck in a seat when the band starts playing and your foot starts tapping.

After many songs with the orchestra, Brian played some great rockabilly classics with the bass player and the drummer to remind us of 25 years ago when we were young and pretty and the Stray Cats would prowl Long Island. Setzer still looks pretty.

Are We There Yet? by Edgar J. Steele

My name is Edgar J. Steele.

You probably already have heard this, from both others and me, but here it is again, received over the Internet from a list member quoting an unnamed source :

"This has long been said to be the line of demarcation for the US dollar. Below $0.85 there is not much to support it."
Only five or six years ago it was around $1.25. Thirty five percent is a lot of value to lose in that short period of time. From here, further decline could be faster. China - by its buying of the world's resources - is going to create enormous upward pressure on all commodity prices.
STOP

cue:
Sesame Street: Dragnet Parody - Wanted Letter W

Btw,
Got Gold?

My family puts the FUN in dysFUNctional!!!

How was YOUR thanksgiving holiday?

I was thankful that I had been whistling this tune all week, and that it was fresh in my mind -- it helped me get through the day.


ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE
(watch video and wistle along!!)


oh -- THE FOOD WAS FABULOUS!!

and as always....I thank goddess above for my sister!

(God got me in 'Eric Idle Mode' last week with this catchy tune about our galaxy)

Obligatory Friday Sex Post

Hair Color for Down There
As long as it matches the hair on your head, you don't have to shave it off in order to be fashionable when you're naked. Oh thank Gawd. I was so worried about that.


Speaking of bush maintenance, a Missouri law regarding cosmetologists and barbers also provides that parental consent must be given for a minor to obtain body waxing on or near genitalia. Mommy can I get my bush waxed? Of course, honey. Let me write you a permission note.

Meanwhile, have you watched the one minute Dove Campaign for real beauty movie?