Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Brilliant!!


That or "Yarr, Genius" are two things my wife and I say when we come across something REALLY stupid. Leonard BOZO-well, a 72 year old man, on myspace is REALLY stupid!


http://www.myspace.com/leonardboswell

Myspace is a social network geared more for the younger, 25 and under, crowd. BOZO-well is
pushing his re-election on the site. I would think he'd have to list it as an inkind contribution, for his campaign disclosure, because it's a free site. His opponent, Jeff Lamberti doesn't have a listing. BOZO-well panders to the crowd with....Who I'd like to meet:

Everyone living in the great 3rd district of Iowa who will join the fight to get results for everyday folks, keep us safe from terrorism and make a commitment to the things we value: better schools, better safety, better jobs and better health.

Then there's a listing of his "Friends" all 565 as of this writing. These geeks post pictures to represent themselves and their user names too. Here's a few I found unique, as posted by themselves:


BrokenJoshua

"The broken one has arrived"

Male
27 years old
Des Moines, Iowa
United States

ha ha. fuck you.

"i never made a scene. they came to me."

Female
20 years old
urbandale, IOWA
United States


Bullshit Buffet

"totally"

Male
19 years old
Des Moines, IOWA
United States

Punk Ass Princess



Female
29 years old
Des Moines, Iowa
United States
Locally Famous

"live for everything die for nothing R.I.P Tookie"

Male
19 years old
Des Moines, IOWA
United States
It's obviously only a sampling. Maybe it's just me, but if I were a sitting congressman in a tough re-election fight, I wouldn't want these as my campaign "friends". I sure wouldn't want the media to find out either!

The World According to Gore


Al Gore and his ilk of environmental wackos have gone off the deep end, again! Gore jetted from France to England and in a speech warned about the impending "planetary emergency". Gore went as far as saying the world is now facing a "danger which could bring the end of civilization". Sounds like he has R.E.M. on his Ipod, "It's the end of the world as we know it and Al feels fine". Gore also stated that he believed scientists who said that there may be 10 years remaining to avoid "crossing the point of no return". Gore defended his use of fossil fuels by saying he is "carbon neutral" and tried to offset any plane flight or car journey by "purchasing verifiable reductions in CO2 elsewhere". That's RICH, Literally!! This coming from the man who helped negotiate the Kyoto Protocol that has cost more than $150 billion so far and has reduced the average global temperature .00015 degrees Centigrade. Gore earlier this year admitted, “Did we think Kyoto would work when we signed it [in 1997]?... Hell no!” Gore also explained that the actual point of Kyoto was to demonstrate that international support could be mustered for action on the environment. To put it simply, he's scaremongering! One of the rules of advertising is to state something and just keep repeating it, whether it's true or not, enough people will eventually believe it!

The Drudge Report has posted this on Gore's ilk:

Hundreds of concerned citizens and leaders from across the nation will join Hurricane Katrina survivors Wednesday to call for the resignation of the heads of the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at the NOAA Headquarters just outside of Washington, D.C. During an 11 a.m. demonstration, advocates will demand that NOAA stop covering up the growing scientific link between severe hurricanes and global warming while insisting on real solutions to the problem of global warming.

The resignation call comes because.....leaders at NOAA and the NHC continue to claim that the recent hurricane devastation is part of a "natural cycle."

OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!

Drudge also has this interesting post:

Scientists have found what might have been the ideal ancient vacation spot -- smack in the middle of the Arctic!

First-of-its-kind core samples dug up from deep beneath the Arctic Ocean floor show that 55 million years ago an area near the North Pole was practically a subtropical paradise, three new studies show.

Developing...

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Guard employees can count on Sears


It was a great move by Sears to be so closely tied with ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. In my book this is an even better move. I got this from a friend.

I assume you have all seen the reports about how Sears is treating its
reservist employees who are called up? By law, they are required to hold
their jobs open and available, but nothing more. Usually, people take a
big pay cut and lose benefits as a result of being called up...

Sears is voluntarily paying the difference in salaries and maintaining
all benefits, including medical insurance and bonus programs, for all
called up reservist employees for up to two years. I submit that Sears is
an exemplary corporate citizen and should be recognized for its
contribution.

Suggest we all shop at Sears, and be sure to find a manager to tell them
why we are there so the company gets the positive reinforcement it well
deserves.

So I(Beth), decided to check it out before I sent it forward. I sent the
following email to the Sears Customer Service Department:

I received this email and I would like to know if it is true. If it is,
the Internet may have just become one very good source of advertisement
for your store. I know I would go out of my way to buy products from
Sears instead of another store for a like item even if it was cheaper at
the other store.
Here is their answer to my email:
_______________________________________

Dear Customer:

Thank you for contacting Sears.

The information is factual. We appreciate your positive feedback. Sears
regards service to our country as one of greatest sacrifices our young
men and women can make. We are happy to do our part to lessen the burden
they bear at this time.

Bill Thorn
Sears Customer Care

Please pass this on to all your friends, Sears needs to be recognized for this outstanding contribution and we need to show them as Americans, we do appreciate what they are doing for our military!!!!!!!!!!!

Yabba Dabba D'OH















One week to go to the June 6 primary. Forgive me, but I can't help but wonder if these two aren't related? On second thought, that's an insult to the better man.....Barney Rubble.

LGBT Lav Grad Update


Here are the replies I received regarding last Tuesday's post, "Lavender Graduation for the LGBT".

Thank you for your question, which was forwarded to me. The Lavender Graduation celebrates the accomplishments of the LGBT community and allies. While the ceremony is called "graduation," it is actually a symbolic event. Iowa State's official commencement is the ceremony at which degrees are conferred and diplomas are given. Students participating in "Lav Grad" come together as a community along with faculty, family and friends, just as other communities do -- such as "People of Nia," which is a celebration for African-American students. Across the U.S. there are many different informal, community-based "graduations," in addition to formal university graduations during which degrees are awarded. At ISU, the celebration is paid for by a donation to the Foundation for such purposes and the student organization "Alliance.

Iowa State University values diversity and is committed to providing a welcoming physical, social, cultural and intellectual environment for all.

Sharon Paterson McGuire, Ph.D.
Interim Dean of Students
Iowa State University

My name is Carlos Serrato, Assistant Director in the Office of Student Life at The University of Iowa. I am also a co-chair of The UI LGBT Staff & Faculty Association.

The Association has held a "Rainbow Graduation Recognition Reception" since 2000. The reception is held during the first week in May. This event is a reception not a graduation ceremony and does not take the place of the University's formal graduation ceremonies.

The reception acknowledges graduating UI GLBT students. This recognition is done in the form of giving each student a certificate stating their major; a rainbow tassel; and Iowa lapel stick pin; and a flower.

The event is pretty low key. In the past we have had the President of this institution give some welcoming remarks; family members; keynote speakers; university and community members; and performances. This program is open to the public.


The response from UNI was succinct

No, there are no separate ceremonies for special groups, just two
ceremonies divided between the colleges.

DeWayne Purdy
Associate Director / Operations
Office of University Marketing and Public Relations
University of Northern Iowa

I don't believe the question of funding has been adequately addressed, do tax dollars provide support? I asked the I.S.U. & Iowa staff for more information.

Monday, May 29, 2006

Memorial Day 2006













In honor of my Father Raymond (Korea), my Grandfathers Tom (World War I) and my Uncle Jim (Vietnam). I Miss You!

Sunday, May 28, 2006

An American Hero


Soldier sons' life, death link two mothers

By Allen G. Breed
ASSOCIATED PRESS

HOLIDAY, Fla. -- Rita Richardson smiles at the memory: Her young son Dan, prowling the woods dressed in camouflage and green face paint or jumping off the shed like a paratrooper. But she wanted him to know that war was more than a game.
Each Memorial Day, she would take him to Arlington National Cemetery, near their Virginia home, so he would appreciate the sacrifices honored there. This Memorial Day, she will be there in spirit as her soldier son trains for another overseas deployment.
Janice Pvirre will be at Arlington in person. She will join the other Gold Star Mothers, those who have lost children in combat, to lay a wreath and to say a prayer at a white marker engraved with the emblem of this nation's highest military honor.
Her son, Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, died in a courtyard outside Baghdad, fatally wounded in a firefight while showing "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity ... above and beyond the call of duty" -- a sacrifice that made him the only service member awarded the Medal of Honor in the Iraq war.
Among those Sgt. Smith's actions saved: Dan Richardson, who has recently married and himself been promoted to sergeant.
That knowledge is both a blessing and a burden, for one mother to know that any milestone she will celebrate with her son -- a birthday, a holiday, the birth of a child -- was made possible by another mother's loss.
"We have been drawn together for some reason, and we're both intrigued about that reason," Mrs. Richardson says. "There is a destiny behind all of this. And it's not over. It's not played out yet. We don't know where it's going from here."
Mrs. Pvirre thinks her son's fate was determined when he was 5.
One day, someone at school asked Paul what he wanted to do when he grew up. "I'm going to go in the Army," the green-eyed boy declared.
He did join the Army, in 1989, but at first he wasn't much of a soldier. Stationed in Germany, Sgt. Smith drank too much and, on a couple of occasions, slept right through formation.
The first Persian Gulf War changed him, his mother says.
The man who once partied late into the night had become obsessed with training and discipline. Sgt. Smith, who had married shortly after that war in 1992 and had become a stepfather, then a father, told his wife that he feared he hadn't seen the last of Iraq. Making sure his men were ready became a priority, Birgit Smith says.
"He said, 'We are not done. We're going back. We didn't finish,'?" the young widow says. "It was just a matter of time."
That time came in March 2003, and Sgt. Smith was ready.
"There are two ways to come home, stepping off the plane and being carried off the plane," he wrote in a letter to his parents. "It doesn't matter how I come home because I am prepared to give all that I am to ensure that all my boys make it home."
One of those "boys" was Dan Richardson.
When Dan was about 12, his mother took him to a gathering of World War II veterans, where, as a National Archives official, she'd been asked to give a speech on that war's most decorated hero -- Audie Murphy.
Young Dan helped gather signatures on a petition for a postage stamp honoring Mr. Murphy.
When he was 17?, Dan asked his parents for permission to join the Army. They happily signed his papers.
He ended up at Fort Stewart, Ga., with B Co. of the 11th Engineer Battalion, part of the 3rd Infantry Division -- Audie Murphy's division. And now, Sgt. Smith's division.
On April 4, 2003, early in the war, Sgt. Smith and his combat engineers were part of a 100-member force tasked with constructing a roadblock on the highway to Baghdad. Pfc. Richardson, all of 18, carried his platoon squad's automatic weapon.
Sgt. Smith's troops were erecting a pen to hold some Iraqi prisoners when someone spotted an enemy force of about 100 -- armed with AK-47s, rocket-propelled grenades and 60mm mortars.
Sgt. Smith organized a hasty defense of two platoons, a Bradley fighting vehicle and three armored personnel carriers, according to official reports.
While shouting orders, he went to work himself, lobbing grenades and firing on the Iraqis to cover the evacuation of three wounded soldiers.
Sgt. Smith then climbed into the gun turret. With his upper body exposed, he blasted an Iraqi-controlled tower with .50-caliber machine-gun fire.
He had emptied three 100-round cans of ammunition when the gun suddenly went silent. Pfc. Richardson and the others nearby heard someone yell, "Sgt. Smith is hit!"
A bullet had pierced Sgt. Smith's skull. The ceramic breastplate in his flak jacket was shattered. Littering the ground were the bodies of more than four dozen Iraqis.
Sgt. Smith was the only U.S. casualty in the courtyard. He was 33 years old.
In the four-page letter from her son afterward, Mrs. Richardson learned the harrowing tale of gunfire and confusion, and of the sergeant who had held them all together.
"It is because of him that I'm not dead," her son wrote. "He gave his life defending us."
Grief and gratitude will always link the soldiers' families, Mrs. Richardson says.
"Obviously, we will never forget what happened," she said recently at her home in Sebastian on Florida's East Coast, where she and her husband retired in 2004. "Something put him in that place at that time in those circumstances."
Letters and e-mails from the families of others who served with Sgt. Smith still come to his mother and widow, thanking them for his sacrifice.
Mrs. Pvirre says it hurts to know that because of that sacrifice, her son was not there last October to give his stepdaughter Jessica away in marriage. When 12-year-old David enters seventh grade this fall, it will be in a middle-school building named for a father who is no longer there.
If anyone owes her anything, she says, it is to live as good a life as possible, so that his death was not in vain.
"I don't feel that they need to thank me," she says. "I mean, I had 33 wonderful years with this boy. I have been thanked enough. I'm blessed."

Saturday, May 27, 2006

It's Pure Politics


If you needed proof that all the pontificating about the N.S.A.'s data mining of international calls is purely political, look no further. The four-star general who helped design the program, as the director of the National Security Agency, was OVERWHELMINGLY confirmed as the next CIA director. The final tally was 78-15, seven Senators were not there to vote. Those voting against America included the usual fiberals; Hillary Clinton, Christopher Dodd, John Kerry, Ted Kennedy and Iowa's own CommieTommie Harkin. Also yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee postponed a vote on issuing subpoenas to the CEO's of AT&T, BellSouth, Qwest and Verizon. Senators John Kyl, Orrin Hatch and Dianne Feinstein said the executives should be questioned in a closed session to protect the effectiveness of the NSA surveillance. Senator Richard J. Durbin questioned the value of a closed session if members could not publicly discuss what the executives told the committee. "What's the point?"

The point DICK would be not to let our enemies know! Besides, it's not like he or Senator Patrick Leahy wouldn't leak the closed session information.




Beyond the 11th


I saw an article in a magazine about these two women and how they started this organization with money they received for their loss. Remarkable!

www.beyondthe11th.org

Beyond the 11th exists because of the resilient spirit of Patricia Quigley and Susan Retik, two mothers who were widowed on 9/11. Patti was eight months pregnant with her second child when her husband Patrick was killed while traveling on United Flight 175. Susan was seven months pregnant with her third child when her husband David was killed on American Flight 11.

Patti and Susan were profoundly moved by the support offered by friends, family and strangers from around the world. They were cared for financially and emotionally and today they remain deeply grateful to all who helped them.

When the story of the 9/11 plot emerged, Patti and Susan, along with the rest of the world, learned that those responsible were trained in terrorist camps in Afghanistan. The military campaign to remove the Taliban and terrorist groups from the country drew attention to the plight of the Afghan people. Decades of conflict and strife ravaged the country, leaving tens of thousands of women without husbands to provide for them, a cultural necessity in Afghanistan.

As Patti and Susan struggled to recover from their loss, they felt a growing kinship with the overwhelming number of widows in Afghanistan. They recognized the incredible generosity they received and the absolute scarcity of help for their counterparts in Afghanistan. In 2003, Patti and Susan founded Beyond the 11th to help provide financial and emotional support to these widows and their children and to give them hope for a better future.

The situation for widows in Afghanistan is desperate. While the collapse of the Taliban has resulted in general improvement in the lives of women and girls, these new opportunities are still out of reach to the Afghan widows who lost their only means of support. Illiterate and unskilled, they struggle to provide the most basic of needs - shelter, food, and clothing - for their families. International relief organizations estimate that in Kabul alone, there are 30,000 - 50,000 widows, struggling to support an average of five children on less than $16 per month. In other parts of the country, the situation is even worse.

The picture is from one of their annual fund raising activities...Cycling Forward

Join us for the third annual 250-mile fundraising bike trek from New York City back to Boston. This year’s ride will begin on Friday September 8, 2006, at Ground Zero, the former site of the World Trade Center. Participants joining the “Founders Ride” will ride the entire 250 miles; riders can also do shorter legs, riding 100 miles on Sunday, or the final 30 miles Sunday afternoon


Friday, May 26, 2006

Overkill


CommieTommie Harkin wants to use a sledge hammer to kill a cockroach. That's my take on his reaction to the loss of personal information of 26.5 million U.S. veterans that was on a stolen Department of Veterans Affairs computer. Harkin, along with comrade John Kerry, are sponsoring legislation to provide one year of credit monitoring as well as one free credit report for two years after the monitoring is completed. Everyone is already eligible for yearly free credit reports from the three credit bureaus, so that piece isn't necessary! We're not even sure there's a problem of identity theft yet. Plus, there are already ways to handle stolen identity and fraud. Per Harkin, the estimated cost of this legislation could be as high as $1.25 BILLION!!! Harkin and Kerry are spending tax dollars like a couple of drunken sailors! I can still hear the great voice of the late Senator Everett Dirksen (R/Illinois) when he said, "A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon it adds up to real money."

Yarrr Genius


It's a slam my wife and I do whenever we hear something really stupid. That's my feeling about the Ragister's idiotorial regarding making voting easy, ala Idol. They're impressed that 63.4 million votes were cast for the latest American Idol. They do note, but gloss over, the fact that fans can vote more than once. Fans have unlimited voting ability from a regular phone line and a cell line by calling toll free numbers. Votes can also be text without limit, although there may be a charge. Votes don't equal voters! Nielsen ratings, a guestimate, show 42.9 million people watched the last half hour of the show on Wednesday. In 2004, according to the Federal Election Commission, there were 122.3 million votes cast for all presidential candidates. I don't get why the idiotorial board is impressed. Voting in this country is easier than it has ever been thanks to absentee balloting. One can vote from the convenience of the recliner in their own home. The only changes that need to be made are to ensure only those truly eligible are voting only once!

Culver Commercial


Chet Culver, Dummycrat for Governor, is running a campaign commercial where he's sitting at a table in a cafe having what looks to be a serious discussion with average Iowans. Look closely at who's nodding in agreement, like a bobblehead, at the table. It's none other than Chet's daddy, former one term U.S. Senator, John! It's kind of sad, and hokey, when you can't find someone outside of your family who'll sit at a table and listen to your ideas. He also holds up his "plan" for Iowa at the end of the commercial and both my wife and I get this Al Gore "lockbox" feel from it. I see Mike Blouin, Dummycrat for Governor, is running ads that come close to calling Culver a liar for not admitting he was a lobbyist for IBP. It's the second time they've caught him less than factual. Just say it, Chet is STUPID and he's FAT too!

Media Morons


The Ragister ran an article from Brian Bergstein, Technology writer for the Associated Press, questioning whether the N.S.A. could uncover terrorists via data mining. He questions, "Can terrorists be spotted by analyzing who calls whom and when-without any other leads? There are vastly more groups of 19 people organizing soccer games and bake sales than there are teams like the 19 hijackers of Sept. 11." He quotes a consultant of social network analysis and a chief scientist of an entity analyctics unit for IBM. The gist of the article can be summed up in the last paragraph. "Merely mapping who Americans call probably wouldn't uncloak a terrorist cell". I'm not sure why it's sooo difficult for the media to understand but, it's international calls originating from the U.S.! I doubt there are many international calls placed organizing soccer games or bake sales! I don't know exactly how the N.S.A. is running the program, but as a technically challenged person, here's how I can imagine it being done. You record which numbers are calling certain areas, let's just say where terrorists have assembled in the past, and then look for patterns there. If patterns arise then go to the F.I.S.A. court for a warrant to tap the calls. I'm sure it's more complicated than that, but maybe that'll help the mental midgets in the media wrap their mind around the concept.

Thursday, May 25, 2006

FOX vs. Fox


Appearantly Vicente Fox, shown here doing karaoke to Neil Sedaka's "The Immigrant", refused to take questions during his recent visit to Salt Lake City. That didn't deter FOXNews John Gibson who aired these questions for El Presidente.

First: Don't you feel a little moronic that one in ten Mexicans are forced to leave their home country and live in a foreign country, the USA?

Second: Why is your country so corrupt it cannot support your own people? After all, Mexico is the second largest importer of oil to the United States, outranking even Saudi Arabia.

Third: President Fox, have you noticed how Saudis live? Why can't Mexicans live like that if you've got so much oil? Why are they beating down the doors to get out of their oil-rich country? Do you see Saudis trying to sneak into Yemen?

Fourth: Aren't you embarrassed that the so-called remittances from expatriate Mexicans — illegal aliens living in America — actually dwarf income derived from selling oil to the U.S.? How can $6, $8, $10 an hour Mexicans send more dollars home each month than your country sells in oil? Isn't this a huge embarrassment to you and your country?

Fifth: Don't you want Mexicans living in Mexico? Why does 40 percent of your country want to leave? Why is 20 percent willing to leave illegally?

Sixth: How much money is in your bank account as you leave office? Have you been ripping off the country like virtually every presidente before you?

Seventh: Drug lords beheaded two of your federal police recently and the decapitated heads stuck on a fence outside a government building as a warning to your government. Why isn't your government winning a war with simple drug dealers?


While there are more than seven questions, they're an excellent start. Last year Mexico received a record $20 billion in remittances from migrant workers. That is equal to Mexico's 2004 income from oil exports and dwarfs their tourism revenue. So, when the Mexico Toursim Board touts, "Discover paradise just across the border", they're targeting their own people!

Joany Phony Finds Work as a Squirrel

From the AP
LOS ANGELES --Joan Baez warbled from the branches of a walnut tree Wednesday as an inner-city community garden sprouted celebrities hoping to stop the landowner from reclaiming the 14 acres for development.

"No nos moveran," Baez sang in Spanish to reporters and TV cameras.

The message -- "They will not move us" -- was embraced by actress Daryl Hannah, musician Ben Harper, his wife, actress Laura Dern, and famous tree-sitters Julia "Butterfly" Hill and John Quigley.

The show of support for the urban gardeners followed a failed effort to raise enough money to buy the land. "This can be thought of as a situation of the needy versus the greedy," Hannah said.

Although protest organizers claimed the community was braced for police action, there was no sign of any effort by landowner Ralph Horowitz to evict hundreds of farmers from the garden, a splash of green in a gritty industrial area near a railroad line southeast of downtown.

Horowitz did not return a telephone call Tuesday.

The garden plots -- some neat with rows of leafy green, some filled with cactus, others weedy -- have been tended largely by Central American immigrants. Many raise varieties of produce not found in supermarkets.

Their representative, who goes by the single name Tezozomoc, urged Horowitz to sell. The landowner has said he plans to build a warehouse on the site.

"We raised $6 million," Tezozomoc said. "We say he should take that and break even and be a hero to everyone."

The Trust for Public Land came up $10 million short in its bid to buy the site. The nonprofit group was not able to raise the $16.35 million required by the time the purchase option expired Monday.

Harper suggested it was still possible to come up with the funds. "I think we have enough intelligent people that we can think of ways to raise the money," he said.

Baez shared her tree with Hill, who spent more than two years in a northern California redwood in a campaign to save old-growth forests, and Quigley, who once lived in a 400-year-old Southern California oak for 71 days to save it from a development.

"For me this farm represents for the city what the redwoods represent for nature for our world," Hill yelled down from the tree, which was surrounded by votive candles and vases with flowers cut from the garden. "Picking it up and moving it is not the same. It's not replaceable, it's priceless."

That's a fine list of "celebrities"! Why with all that talent and their money, I'm surprised they can buy a cup of coffee.

I'm considering taking donations to send to Mr. Horowitz so he won't sell and keep those NUTS up that tree!

MoveOn.org Targets Latham?


The phone rang last night and the name Voter Roll Call (206-278-0029) showed up on my caller id. Because of the primary on June 6, I decided to answer it. It was a recorded/interactive message conducting a poll. I recall the poll asking my thoughts on the politics of corruption, or whatever the Dummycrat spiel is. It also wanted me to rank President Bush, Representative Tom Latham and I believe it said Seldon Spencer (I wasn't sure who that doofus was, turns out he's the Dummycrat running against Latham....I was right, a DOOFUS). My first thought was of a push poll, but they really didn't try slam Latham with the typical "would it influence your vote if you found out candidate was?" then drop a bomb intending to change your opinion of a candidate. So, I decide to do a little research on Voter Roll Call. It appears they're affiliated with SurveyUsa and MoveOn.org has been using them to do polling after running attack ads against Republican members of Congress. Nancy Johnson (CT-5), Thelma Drake (VA-2), Chris Chocola (In-2) and Deborah Pryce (OH-15) have been targeted. I haven't seen any negative ads about Congressman Latham, but I don't have cable which is cheaper to air and can target demographics better, but I wonder if he's next?

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Cue Carly Simon

Oh mother, say a prayer for me
Jesse's back in town, it won't be easy
Don't let him near me
Don't let him touch me.....


Jesse Jackson has a hit piece in the Chicago Sun-Times titled, "Rove strategy isn't unimpeachable".

There they go again. The Republican National Committee, the right-wing noise machine and their spear carriers in the mainstream media, have been in attack mode over the last few weeks. This time their target is Rep. John Conyers, the distinguished senior Democrat who will become chairman of the House Judiciary Committee if Democrats win the House back this fall.

The RNC is desperate to demonize Democrats. So they cooked up a campaign claiming that if Democrats win the House, Conyers is geared up to impeach the president.
The mainstream media fell for the bait. The ever-cooperative Tim Russert grilled Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi, suggesting that Conyers should take down the Web site explaining his resolution providing for a bipartisan committee to investigate the administration and to recommend whether or not impeachment hearings should begin. But Democrats were spooked. Their excitable inside-the-Beltway strategists began worrying that the Democratic left would blow the election by alienating voters in swing districts. Pelosi then had her spokesperson announce that ''impeachment wasn't in the cards'' if Democrats took back the House.

THE DISTINGUISHED JOHN CONYERS?! The same John Conyers who is under investigation for repeated violations of House ethics rules? Charges brought by two former aides.

Investigate the administration and recommend whether or not impeachment hearings should begin? It recommends that "Bush administration abuses be investigated and report to the Committee on the Judiciary on possible impeachable offenses". It also states that a "resolution should be passed censuring the President and Vice President for abuses of power."

That's not an impartial investigation, that's a road map for a witch hunt!! The RNC doesn't have to demonize Dummycrats, they do a damn fine job themselves!

I hope the Dummycrats continue to take advise from Reverend Jackson. The man who fathered a child with his mistress, paid her hush money and continues to extort major corporations. He's got a wealth of experience!

Reverend Jackson can be reached at jjackson@rainbowpush.org


Hosers, EH!


The Canucks are getting ready to honor America draft dodgers of the VietNam war. The statue, left, is of a Canadian welcoming two Americans. There is also plans for a four day reunion with Fiberal Democrats George McGovern and Tom Hayden speaking. About 100,000 Americans went to Canada to avoid the Vietnam War, with about half eventually returning to the U.S. to take advantage of an amnesty provided by President Jimmy Carter. I remember I was in high school when talk first surfaced of pardoning the draft dodgers. Two of my teachers, Mr. Fitzgerald and Mr. Lazear, expressed their feelings about that. They thought the U.S. government should station troops on the Canadian border before announcing the pardon. Then when the draft dodgers crossed the border they should be shot. Shot, however, so they would fall back across the border and Canada would have to bury them! I like and respect both men.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Hello Mexico and Adios Baby to You


An article in the Miami Herald reminded me of this Top 5 Country hit for Johnny Duncan in 1978. Andres Oppenheimer wrote, "How to Help U.S. Retirees -- And Mexico, Too" Oppenheimer's proposal would allow the United States to solve its immigration crisis, control sky-high healthcare costs and rebuild ties with Latin America in one stroke: Make it easier for millions of Americans to retire in style and pay lower medical bills south of the border.

The upcoming retirement of about 100 million U.S. baby boomers will result in increased demand and ever-growing prices of retirement housing, nursing and healthcare bills for millions of Americans. Many of them are already seeking retirement alternatives overseas.

As Walter Russell Mead suggests in his recent book, Power, Terror, Peace & War, the United States should negotiate agreements with willing partners in the region to provide favorable deals to U.S. citizens willing to retire south of the border.

It could, among other things, offer reimbursement under Medicare for Americans seeking medical care in qualified and licensed healthcare facilities in Latin America, he writes.

Since these reimbursements would be much lower than those Americans would get in the United States, the U.S. government would save billions of dollars, which it could use to replenish Social Security coffers.

By creating hundreds of thousands of jobs for doctors, nurses, hospital technicians, restaurateurs and construction workers, Latin American economies would get a big boost. Florida, Arizona and Spain were sleepy economies before millions of retirees arrived and turned them into prosperous states or nations.

Some of this is already happening. More than one million Americans are already living in Mexico, many of them retirees seeking warm weather, lower property taxes and more affordable healthcare, The Dallas Morning News reported recently.

I know my friends Cal & Lucy would be there in a heartbeat, they vacation there yearly. I know as I approach my fifth decade on the planet the last thing I look forward to is an Iowa winter. It would be cheaper than my annual Maui pilgrimage and the humpback whales like it too! If only I hadn't burned myself out on Tequila Sheila (Bobby Bare/1980)!



Lavender Graduation for the LGBT


In today's Washington Times/Inside Politics column they mention a survey from Young America's Foundation. It notes the number of "Democratic Party officials, leftist activists, and members of the media," who were commencement speakers at this years college graduations. The tally includes former President Bill Clinton (Princeton University), Archbishop Desmond Tutu (College of William & Mary), Illinois Sen. Barack Obama (Northwestern University), retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute), Al Gore's daughter, Karenna Gore-Schiff (Columbia University). From the press: CNN's Anderson Cooper (Yale University), MSNBC's Chris Matthews (Fordham University) and the New York Times' Paul Krugman (Clark University). The roster also included self-described Marxist Gustavo Esteva (University of Vermont) and global-warming guru Ralph Cicerone (North Carolina State University). The survey also notes four universities offered separate recognition ceremonies for black students and ten offered separate ceremonies for homosexual and transgendered students. Iowa State University was one of the ten! The picture at left is from the ISU Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgendered web-site and is of the Lavender Graduation, a tradition since 1997. I checked the other two state university web-sites and found that the University of Iowa mentions a Rainbow graduation, but provides no details. It took some work to find the LGBT web-site at The University of Northern Iowa, but there was no info on graduation ceremonies. I sent an e-mail to all three institutions of higher learning (?) and asked simple questions. Why? What is the cost? Who Pays? What other groups have separate graduation ceremonies? I may be jaded, but I believe if I receive an answer it will be of the P.C. variety.

Mike Score, You're Fired!


I was watching NBC last night and they aired a promo for The Apprentice. I'm not sure why I didn't notice before, ok I didn't care, but Donald Trump and his hair were reminding me of someone. Who could it be? Thinking...thinking....AHA! The Donald's hair used to be on the lead singer, former hairdresser Mike Score, of the '80s group A Flock of Seagulls!! "And I ran, I ran so far away..."

Monday, May 22, 2006

Physician Heal Thyself


An attorney representing Dr. Jack Kevorkian, filed application with the Michigan Board of Parole and Governor Jennifer M. Granholm seeking the pardon, parole or commutation of Dr. Kevorkian to time served. Kevorkian was convicted of Second Degree Murder in Michigan on April 13, 1999 for helping Thomas Youk voluntarily end his life. Mr. Youk was suffering from ALS. Dr. Kevorkian received a sentence of 10-25 years for the act and another 3-7 years for using a controlled substance to end Youk's life. The petition and doctors state that Dr. Kevorkian will probably not survive another year if kept in prison, because his health has deteriorated so rapidly. Dr. Kevorkian suffers from seriously high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, temporal arthritis, active Hepatitis C which is violently attacking his liver, peripheral arteritis, adrenal insufficiency, chronic pulmonary obstruction disease, hypertensive cardiovascular disease and cataracts. Kevorkian is also suffering from diplopia, vertigo, dysphagia, headaches, left ventricular hypertrophy, osteoporosis, ataxia and eschemia.

Pardon, Parole, Commutation? There is another way! One espoused by the Doctor himself, see picture at left.

Say What?!


I posted on this Saturday, Part of the Blame America First Crowd, but now Madeleine Albright has just gotten loonier. Criticizing President Bush on his faith and his foreign policy she says, "President Bush's certitude about what he believes in, and the division between good and evil, is, I think, different. The absolute truth is what makes Bush so worrying to some of us." It appears the problem is Bush can see GOOD vs. EVIL (note Albright making nice with Korean dictator Kim Jung Il)! And the only EVIL Fiberal Dummycrats see are Republicans!! Here's how the former Madame Secretary presents her beliefs, "I know I believe in God but I have doubts, and doubt is part of faith." That's the kind of stuff that used to get Dan Quayle skewered!

PS: this is how Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary describes FAITH-belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust

He's part of the PROBLEM!


Senator Charles Schumer, Dummycrat/NY, has signed a book deal to write about what he contends is the failure by both Republicans and Democrats to articulate a vision of government that addresses contemporary concerns. It is Mr. Schumer's belief that the political system has failed to provide answers. "The average American realizes this in his gut — that the world has changed, but the political parties have not," Mr. Schumer said in an interview on Sunday. He also said that government had a role in addressing these new realities, but that neither party had outlined that role.

It should be noted that "Chuckles" is heading the national Democratic effort to capture the United States Senate!

$$$Cha-Ching!$$$

This might cause Nancy Pelosi to have a BOTOX blow out!

A congressman under investigation for bribery was caught on videotape accepting $100,000 in $100 bills from an FBI informant whose conversations with the lawmaker also were recorded, according to a court document released Sunday. Agents later found the cash hidden in his freezer.

At one audiotaped meeting, Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., chuckles about writing in code to keep secret what the government contends was his corrupt role in getting his children a cut of a communications company's deal for work in Africa.

As Jefferson and the informant passed notes about what percentage the lawmaker's family might receive, the congressman "began laughing and said, 'All these damn notes we're writing to each other as if we're talking, as if the FBI is watching,'" according to the affidavit.

Jefferson, who represents New Orleans, has not been charged and denies any wrongdoing.

As for the $100,000, the government says Jefferson got the money in a leather briefcase last July 30 at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Arlington. The plan was for the lawmaker to use the cash to bribe a high-ranking Nigerian official _ the name is blacked out in the court document _ to ensure the success of a business deal in that country, the affidavit said.

All but $10,000 was recovered on Aug. 3 when the FBI searched Jefferson's home in Washington. The money was stuffed in his freezer, wrapped in $10,000 packs and concealed in food containers and aluminum foil.

Two of Jefferson's associates have pleaded guilty to bribery-related charges in federal court in Alexandria. One, businessman Vernon Jackson of Louisville, Ky., admitted paying more than $400,000 in bribes to the lawmaker in exchange for his help securing business deals for Jackson's telecommunications company in Nigeria and other African countries.

The new details about the case emerged after federal agents searched Jefferson's congressional office on Capitol Hill Saturday night and Sunday. The nearly 100-page affidavit for a search warrant, made public Sunday with large portions blacked out, spells out much of the evidence so far.

The document includes excerpts of conversations between Jefferson and an unidentified business executive from northern Virginia. She agreed to wear a wire after she approached the FBI with complaints that Jefferson and an associate had ripped her off in a business deal.

Jefferson's lawyer, Robert Trout, contended that the prosecutors' disclosure was "part of a public relations agenda and an attempt to embarrass Congressman Jefferson. The affidavit itself is just one side of the story which has not been tested in court," Trout said in a statement.

The affidavit says Jefferson is caught on videotape at the Ritz- Carlton as he takes a reddish-brown briefcase from the trunk of the informant's car, slips it into a cloth bag, puts the bag into his 1990 Lincoln Town Car and drives away.

The $100 bills in the suitcase had the same serial numbers as those found in Jefferson's freezer.

While the name of the intended recipient of the $100,000 is blacked out, other details in the affidavit indicate he is Abubakar Atiku, Nigeria's vice president. He owns a home in Potomac, Md., that authorities have searched as part of the Jefferson investigation.

Jefferson assured the FBI informant in their coded conversations that he paid the money to the Nigerian official, even though the money was still in Jefferson's possession when agents searched his home Aug. 3.

On Aug. 1, two days after Jefferson picked up the $100,000, the informant called Jefferson to ask about the status of "the package."

Jefferson responded: "I gave him the African art that you gave me and he was very pleased."

When Jefferson and the informant had dinner at a Washington restaurant on May 12, 2005, the FBI was listening, too. Jefferson indicates he will need an increased stake in the profits of one deal, the affidavit said. Instead of the 7 percent stake originally agreed upon, he writes "18-20" on a piece of paper and passes it to the informant.

That is when negotiations move ahead and notes go back and forth, ending with Jefferson's laughter about the FBI watching it all.

Throughout the conversations, Jefferson makes attempts to deflect direct connections to any bribes.

He tells the informant at one point that money should be paid to businesses operated by his children. "I make a deal for my children. It wouldn't be me," Jefferson said, according to the affidavit.

In a different conversation, Jefferson seeks to distance himself from bribes that must be paid to Nigerian government officials to facilitate transactions.

"If he's gotta pay Minister X, we don't want to know. It's not our deal," Jefferson told the witness, according to the affidavit. "We're not paying Minister X a damn thing. That's all, you know, international fraud crap. We're not doing that. We're not doing any of that that gets us (unintelligible)."

The affidavit also spells out "seven other schemes" in which Jefferson was involved; nearly all were blacked out in the document.

Jefferson, who has pledged not to resign from Congress in the face of the bribery investigation, speculated about his political future in one of the recorded conversations.

When the informant asked Jefferson about his political plans, he responded: "I'm gonna get your deal out of the way ... and I probably won't last long after that."

The only difference between this guy and William Jefferson Clinton? Clinton's money came from China!

I thought only Republicans were racist


This is via the Drudge Report. I doubt that it will hurt Ben Nelson's re-election in Nebraska this fall, who knows it could be an issue with the black community in Omaha and Lincoln. Mary Landrieu has got her work cut out for her before her 2008 re-election. You know what they say about paybacks!



DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE WORKED TO DEFEAT NAGIN

**Exclusive**

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) secretly placed political operatives in the city of New Orleans to work against the reelection efforts of incumbent Democrat Mayor Ray Nagin, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

DNC Chairman Howard Dean made the decision himself to back mayoral candidate and sitting Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu (D-LA), sources reveal.

Dean came to the decision to back the white challenger, over the African-American incumbent Nagin, despite concerns amongst senior black officials in the Party that the DNC should stay neutral.

The DNC teams actively worked to defeat Nagin under the auspice of the committee's voting rights program.

The party's field efforts also coincided with a national effort by Democrat contributors to support Landrieu.

Landrieu had outraised Nagin by a wide margin - $3.3 million to $541,980.

Preliminary campaign finance reports indicate many of Landrieu’s contributions came from out of state white Democrat leaders and financiers, including a $1,000 contribution from Sen. Ben Nelson's (D-NE) PAC.

The defeat of Mitch Landrieu is the latest setback for Dean's often criticized field operation.

In his victory speech late Saturday night, Nagin praised President Bush.

"You and I have probably been the most vilified politicians in the country. But I want to thank you for moving that promise that you made in Jackson Square forward," Nagin said.



Really, That Long?!


I was flipping around on the TV remote, as a man is want to do, when I stopped at ESPN. They had a commercial on that was about the 10th Anniversary of the WNBA. I said to my wonderful wife, "It just seems like yesterday that I began ignoring them". She laughed!

In the Immortal Words of Homer Simpson.....D'OH!


The 5pm Sunday anchor for Channel 13 news reported on a fatal traffic accident on I-80. He actually said, "Authorities are waiting to identify those involved before releasing their names".

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Clinton/Gore...Please, No More!


Global Warming, it's been going on since the end of the last ice age. For me the major source of pollution is the noise and hot air that spews forth when Al Gore & Bill Clinton open their mouths. Here's a sample of stupidity that Clinton said on Saturday....global warming is a greater threat than terrorism and that the United States and other countries must "get off our butts" and do something about it. That explains why he never made a serious effort to rid the world of Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein or the Taliban. Al Gore was in the south of France at the Cannes Film Festival screening "An Inconvienent Truth," which documents his one-man crusade to raise awareness about global warming. Of course America is to blame for its dependence on fossil fuels. I guess the man, who has a close connection to Occidental Petroleum, is ok with his use of fossil fuels as he jetted from a Los Angeles premiere of his film on Tuesday, to Washington D.C. and another premiere on Wednesday(where he got a big hug from CommieTommie Harkin) and to Cannes Saturday. Clinton is also jetting around the world for speaking engagements. He got off his butt yesterday to be in Austin, Texas. In March, Clinton jetted from Des Moines to Savannah, Georgia in the same day. Who can forget how he kept Air Force One idling on the tarmac in L.A. forcing all other traffic to either idle on the ground or circle overhead...while he got his haircut! It's all part of the Dummycrat philosophy of I know what's best for you. More like do as I say, not as I do.

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Part of the Blame America First Crowd


From the Washington Times Inside the Beltway Column. That was former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright stopping by the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Mich., this week to meet with spiritual leader Imam Qazwini. She was in the Detroit suburb to promote her new book, "The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God and World Affairs." The two are said to have discussed everything from U.S. foreign policy to concerns of the Muslim community here at home, with Mr. Qazwini calling attention to polls showing increasing numbers of Americans harboring negative views of Islam. Mrs. Albright responded that Americans need a better understanding of the world's religions. And toward that goal, the leader presented her with a copy of the Koran. The former secretary's book, released this month, examines religious fundamentalism, including the role it may have played leading up to the invasion of Iraq, and the current nuclear standoff with Iran. A book summary says Mrs. Albright, a devout Catholic with Jewish roots, "looks critically at President Bush, an evangelical Christian who invokes God in the name of fighting 'evil.' " It appears that Bill Clinton's Secretary of State doesn't have a problem with Al-Qaida killing innocent people in the name of ALLAH!!!

Truly a JackASS


Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, Dummycrat Nevada, said this as the U.S. Senate was debating an amendment that would make English the nation's official language..."Although the intent may not be there, I really believe this amendment is racist. I believe it is directed at people who speak Spanish." If the INTENT isn't there, it can't be racist!! From the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary - Intent: the state of mind with which an act is done. - Oh by the way, here's Harry on immigration in 1993..."Our federal wallet is stretched to the limit by illegal aliens getting welfare, food stamps, medical care and other benefits without paying taxes. These programs were not meant to entice freeloaders and scam artists from around the world." In 1994, "We must reduce the annual admissions of legal immigrants to more moderate levels in order to provide for a better country -- both environmentally and socially -- in the years to come." The 1994 statement came after his wife allegedly helped him see the light and his position became more open. The true scam artist is Harry Reid.