A Polish Blessing for 2007
". May the land be fertile beneath your feet.
May your days be gentle as the sun-kissed dew.
May your hand be outstretched to all you meet.
And may all men say "Brother" When they speak to you.
Na Zdrowie
May your feet never sweat,
your neighbor give you ne're a treat.
When flowers bloom, I hope you'll not sneeze,
and may you always have someone to sqeeze!
2007? The year of fighting back.
Remember this guy? The first shooter across the bow.....
Why have we allowed the dialogue of politics to degrade to a point where you have to state who you are and explain why you are the way you are. It’s a waste of time. It’s ridiculous.
When I walk into the courthouse, when you walk into the courthouse there is not and should not be a form where you check off and it says, “I’m gay. I’m straight. I’m bi. I’m not sure.”
We as Democrats have facilitated that conversation by allowing, what I call the radical right, to politicize. It’s just stupid. Gay Americans. Straight Americans. We’re all the same. We all get the same rights.
Anybody who wants to say that there’s a litmus test on who gets rights and who doesn’t get rights based on their sexuality, it’s just un-American. And that’s how I view it.
"Since 2003, President Bush has laid out nine different plans for victory in Iraq, none of them serious and none of them workable. And most seriously, this incompetence has hindered our ability to fight international terror,"
Well you know, I think that‘s the problem. I mean, we went in there—you know, the height of irresponsibility is going into a conflict like that with the kind of problems internally that were there, without any plan for peace.
Maddow: This is a global war on terror. This is a war for you or for us to win. You need patience...He sounds like Ken Mehlman when he’s saying that only less gay. I mean this is ridiculous.
Schecter:"Your party is a party of criminals and predators"
The fact is that there is no Ethics Committee.
It has been completely gutted by the Republicans.
And this should be a cause of great outrage in the country.
What the Republicans are saying is:
"We are above the law. Because we are above the law, we may decide on our own to take the law into our own hands when it comes to your personal decisions in your lives, but for us, we are above the law."
Dissent and disagreement with government is the life’s blood of human freedom; and not merely because it is the first roadblock against the kind of tyranny the men Mr. Rumsfeld likes to think of as “his” troops still fight, this very evening, in Iraq.
It is also essential. Because just every once in awhile it is right and the power to which it speaks, is wrong.
Deep Fried Pickles Recipe
24 dill pickle spears, chilled
Egg wash, recipe follows
Breading, recipe follows
Canola oil, for frying
Ranch dressing, recipe follows
Using only very cold dill pickle spears, dip pickle into egg wash and then coat with breading. Repeat until no pickles remain, and arrange dipped pickles on a sheet pan lined with waxed paper. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
In a deep fryer, heat oil to 375 degrees F. Alternatively, heat oil in a large, heavy pot suitable for deep-frying. Carefully add chilled pickle spears, in batches, to the hot oil and fry for about 3 1/2 minutes or until golden. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Serve with Ranch Dressing.
Egg Wash:
2 cups milk
2 eggs
Pinch lemon pepper
Pinch dill weed
Pickle juice
Breading:
2 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup lemon pepper
1/2 cup dill weed
4 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons garlic salt
Pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste
For egg wash: In a baking dish, whisk all ingredients together, except pickle juice. Add pickle juice, to taste, and whisk to combine.
For breading: Combine all ingredients in a baking dish.
Ranch Dressing:
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons minced parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 garlic clove, minced
Mayonnaise
In a large mixing bowl, stir all ingredients together, except mayonnaise. Add mayonnaise, as needed, to thicken. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
December 30, 2006
U.S. Official Overseeing Oil Program Faces Inquiry
By EDMUND L. ANDREWS
WASHINGTON, Dec. 29 — The Justice Department is investigating whether the director of a multibillion-dollar oil-trading program at the Interior Department has been paid as a consultant for oil companies hoping for contracts.
The director of the program and three subordinates, all based in Denver, have been transferred to different jobs and have been ordered to cease all contacts with the oil industry until the investigation is completed some time next spring, according to officials involved.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation had not been announced publicly, said investigators were worried that senior government officials had been steering huge oil-trading contracts to favored companies.
December 30. 2006 6:59AM
County pares staff by 19 jobs
Thin budget, hard decisions behind housekeeper layoffs.
JOSEPH DITS
Tribune Staff Writer
SOUTH BEND -- On the Thursday before Christmas, 19 workers who clean offices for the county learned they're losing their part-time jobs as of Jan. 1.
It will leave the county with 11 people to do housekeeping.
Wilma Mathes is among those who've lost their jobs.
"Everyone is bothered by it," she says of her co-workers. "This is the only job for some of them."
She says she's found another job. But it pays $1 less than her $7.07 hourly wage with the county, and it doesn't offer the health insurance she had through the county, Mathes says.
This, county officials say, is one of the prices of a budget that needed to be balanced. So, too, is the fact that some office workers will have to sweep up after themselves.
"We cannot sustain our spending level anymore," says county Auditor Michael Eby. "We're being asked to do more and more with less and less."
He says the St. Joseph County Council adopted the 2007 budget -- and a reduced housekeeping budget -- in September.
Among the many reasons for the thin budget, officials have cited the rising costs of fuel, utilities and housing juveniles in state correctional facilities.
December deadliest month for U.S. in Iraq in 2 yrs
30 Dec 2006 15:15:12 GMT
BAGHDAD, Dec 30 (Reuters) - December became the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Iraq in two years after the U.S. military reported six more combat deaths, leaving the tally just two short of the emotive 3,000 mark.
Three U.S. marines died on Thursday from wounds suffered in combat in Iraq's western Anbar province. One soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in northwest Baghdad and another soldier was killed in Anbar on Friday, the military said on Saturday.
Another statement announced the death of a U.S. soldier killed by a roadside bomb in southwest Baghdad on Friday.
The latest deaths take the number of U.S. military deaths in Iraq since the invasion of March 2003 to 2,998, according to icasualties.org, a Web site that tracks U.S. deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The number who died in December is now 109, three more than the previous high this year in October, and the highest since November 2004 when 137 U.S. servicemen and women died.
Got chatting with Ron McBride about his new group
Inspired by the presidential campaign of Howard Dean, and his Democracy for America, WeDemocrats was founded in October 2006 as a political action committee and coalition of progressive groups, dedicated to supporting fiscally responsible, socially progressive candidates at all levels of government—from school board to the presidency. WeDemocrats.org fights against the influence of the far right-wing and their radical, divisive policies and the selfish special interests that for too long have dominated our politics.
"Our goal is to establish coordinators at all county and state levels, for the purpose of providing support to help local grassroots chapters coordinate with Democratic leaders, in other words we will be the coordinators for grassroots in the field, while we continue with our stated educational path. I know that local groups, at present may stay in contact with state organizations but in most cases there is no coordination in efforts to elect more than a local candidate, we will fill this void. In addition there are well over 3,000 counties in the US. We will fill this void." said Ron McBride, publisher of We! The People.
"WeDemocrats.org joins with PDA, Grassroots for America, the Progressive Principles Project and DFA in their long-term goals to rebuild the Democratic Party from the bottom up—it will take time, but we must start building a base now for the future," he said.
With a current membership of over 1,708 democrats in the first eleven weeks , WeDemocrats is growing daily as concerned progressives band together to contribute to redirecting the American political train. The organization has three sites on the Internet where this valuable work is moving forward. The home page of WeDemocrats, a blog site, and now, a magazine where the members can make their voices heard, not just to other members but to the people of the United States.
We! Opens its first issue with more than ten timely topical articles written by progressives from all walks of life. The concerns of the progressive democrats of America will be presented in every issue.
"We! Will go out to every politician with a computer and every democrat who has an interest in taking the reins of control in hand. The hands of the Party of the People. It is our voice. The issues that concern us will fill its pages." Antinoro said. "We! will join Progressive Democrats of America, Democracy for America and other progressives in bringing about positive change from the bottom up."
Just got in my email.
Dear Friend,
I have the distinguished honor of being named to the committee to raise $5,000,000 for a monument to George W. Bush. I am contacting you in hopes you will be willing to contribute to this noble cause. But first, a little about what the committee has been doing to date.
We originally wanted to put him on Mount Rushmore, until we discovered that there was not enough room for two more faces. We then decided to erect a statue of George in the Washington, DC Hall of Fame. We were in a quandary as to where the statue should be placed. It was not proper to place it beside the statue of George Washington, who never told a lie, or beside Richard Nixon, who never told the truth, since George could never tell the difference.
We finally decided to place it beside Christopher Columbus, the greatest Republican of all. He left not knowing where he was going, and when he got there he did not know where he was. He returned not knowing where he had been, decimated the well-being of the majority of the population while he was there, and did it all on someone else's money.
Thank you.Donald H RumsfeldSean Hannity
George W. Bush Monument Committee
P. S. The Committee has raised $1.35 so far. So please be generous.
Weird day. Never hurts to ska yourself into the weekend....
More, more and more.....
One of the major points behind NOT privatizing social services for Americas' citizens is oversight. (did that sound calm? good.) That's all the calm you get.
First, I outlined some of the problems and bs that ensued with Mr Daniels conversion of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to be run by a private company here.
Sounds pretty crappy, eh? Problems on top of problems.
Did he learn his lesson? What do you think?
Mitch Daniels Outlines Plans to Privatize Lottery
By kpaul
Posted on Thu Dec 14, 2006 at 09:17:23 PM EST
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Governor Mitch Daniels today proposed to transform higher education in Indiana by creating a new scholarship for top Hoosier students who remain in-state after graduation, as well as a fund that will enhance the state's key knowledge-based industries by bringing world-class researchers and scholars to Indiana's public universities. (snip)
The governor proposed franchising the Hoosier Lottery for a fixed term to a contractor, which would operate the Lottery while continuing current payment levels to the state. The state would license and regulate the operator, as it does today with casinos and horse tracks that are run by private companies.
(snip)
According to other news reports, the proposal has caught some people by surprise.
Dan Parker, Indiana Democratic Party Chair, was quoted in Inside Indiana Business as saying, "We don't know for how long he wants to lease the Lottery or whether he'd allow a private company to expand gambling in our state to make a higher profit. All we know is that he's decided he wants to sell off a profit-generating agency to a private company."
Daniels clears welfare privatization
Critics worry about outsourcing $1.16 billion in services for needy.
MIKE SMITH
Associated Press Writer
INDIANAPOLIS -- Gov. Mitch Daniels on Wednesday signed a controversial $1.16 billion contract to pay a team led by IBM Corp. to help run programs for food stamps, Medicaid and other assistance for the needy.
The contract calls for the state to pay the team the money over 10 years to help process applications for the programs and lend technical support to the state's Family and Social Services Administration, which now handles the work.
The decision to move forward with the plan comes after months of discussions and review and strong criticism by some Democrats, caseworkers, union representatives and advocates for the needy.
"For taxpayers, a billion dollars of savings," Daniels said in a news release. "For recipients, better service and a better chance to escape welfare for the world of work and self-reliance. No decision we've made is more clearly in the public interest."
Critics have said the state should not outsource services for the needy to a for-profit company.
They worry that Indiana might encounter some of the same problems as other states that opted for private vendors. That includes Texas, where some applicant benefits have been delayed.
John Young: Texas's privatization disaster
Sunday, May 14, 2006
AUSTIN — It’s one of Texas’ biggest stories in years. Too bad few Texans know about it.
It’s the great Texas Push-Button Bureaucracy-Eliminating Paper-Pusher Massacre (TPBBEPPM). I made that name up but not the debacle that state policymakers now face. It’s a mess they’re hoping will slide right past your nose.
It was part of a massive privatized effort to change how Texas grants food stamps, Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Texans were told in 2003 that privatization of social services not only would save taxpayers money but serve more needy people.
This came under a massive restructuring of social services and a creature called TIERS — Texas Integrated Eligibility Redesign System.
The concept dates back to the ’90s and George Bush’s time in the governor’s mansion. The objective: to hand state services en masse to private contractors. They would use computers and distant call centers to do the jobs that a community-based state workforce has done in eligibility centers around Texas.
TIERS was derailed for a while in part by the Clinton administration, which was skeptical that it would get the job done. Most of these are federal benefits after all.
In 2003, no such obstacle remained. Bush was where Clinton had been. And the GOP controlled Texas government. Promising big savings to taxpayers, lawmakers went whole hog on privatization.
The big winner from all of this was Bermuda-based Accenture LLP.
Having won contracts elsewhere, including a voter-purge list in Florida used in the 2000 presidential elections, Accenture led a consortium which won an $899 million contract to replace Texas’ system of determining eligibility for state services.
Last week, after massive backlogs and interminable waits for people needing help at pilot sites in Travis and Hays counties, state Health and Human Service Commissioner Albert Hawkins told Accenture to clean up its act. Meanwhile, affected eligibility centers were returning to pre-Accenture procedures. Under privatization, applications routed through a clearinghouse in Midland were backing things up like hair down a drain.
The state advised 2,000 state eligibility workers that their jobs either were going away or they would need to reapply, in many cases requiring them to relocate.
Now, with all the delays, and with some applications that appeared to vanish after reaching Midland, the state has said “Not so fast” to at least 1,000 of the previously unneeded employees.
We all like to deride paper pushers and bureaucracy, but when it comes to administering state services, paper-pushing is what it takes — or at least sufficient numbers of human hands to keep things straight.
(snip)
In some ways, this mess has the look of another rush-into-the-fray, go-with-your-gut, on-the-cheap endeavor: like Operation Iraqi Freedom.
How appealing it is to put our trust in a hunch and think that government can do something massive and fundamental with minimal investment, particularly of the human kind.
Governing — whether administering food stamps in Texas or remaking a war-shattered country — is a lot more complicated than awarding bids.
MITCH DANIELS
Role In Going To War: Mitch Daniels was the director of the Office of Management and Budget from January 2001 through June of 2003. In this capacity, he was responsible for releasing the initial budget estimates for the Iraq War which he pegged at $50 to $60 billion. The estimated cost of the war, including the full economic ramifications, is approaching $1 trillion. [MSNBC, 3/17/06]
Where He Is Now: In 2004, Daniels was elected Governor of Indiana. [USA Today, 11/3/04]
Key Quote: Mitch Daniels had said the war would be an “affordable endeavor” and rejected an estimate by the chief White House economic adviser that the war would cost between $100 billion and $200 billion as “very, very high.” [Christian Science Monitor, 1/10/06]
"This business about graceful exit just simply has no realism to it at all."-responding to speculation that American forces could be called back from Iraq, Amman, Jordan, Nov. 30, 2006
"No doubt in my mind, with your help, Dave Lamberti will be the next United States congressman."-speaking at a campaign rally for Jeff Lamberti, Des Moines, Iowa, Oct. 26, 2006.
"You know, when I campaigned here in 2000, I said, I want to be a war President. No President wants to be a war President, but I am one."-Des Moines, Iowa, Oct. 26, 2006
"This morning my administration released the budget numbers for fiscal 2006. These budget numbers are not just estimates; these are the actual results for the fiscal year that ended February the 30th."-referring to the fiscal year that ended on Sept. 30, Washington, D.C., Oct. 11, 2006.
"One has a stronger hand when there's more people playing your same cards."-Washington, D.C., Oct. 11, 2006
"You're one of the outstanding leaders in a very important part of the world. I want to thank you for strategizing our discussions."-Meeting with the prime minister of Malaysia, New York, Sept. 18, 2006
"The goals of this country is to enhance prosperity and peace."-Speaking at the White House Conference on Global Literacy, New York, Sept. 18, 2006
.
"You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror."-Interview with CBS News, Washington D.C., Sept. 6, 2006
"And I suspect that what you'll see, Toby, is there will be a momentum, momentum will be gathered. Houses will begat jobs, jobs will begat houses." -Speaking with reporters along the Gulf Coast, Gulfport, Miss., Aug. 28, 2006
"And the question is, are we going to be facile enough to change with-will we be nimble enough; will we be able to deal with the circumstances on the ground? And the answer is, yes, we will."-Washington, D.C., July 25, 2006
"One thing is clear, is relations between America and Russia are good, and they're important that they be good."-Strelna, Russia, July 15, 2006
"We shouldn't fear a world that is more interacted."-Washington, D.C., June 27, 2006.
"I've reminded the prime minister-the American people, Mr. Prime Minister, over the past months that it was not always a given that the United States and America would have a close relationship."-Washington, D.C., June 29, 2006
"I tell people, let's don't fear the future, let's shape it."-Omaha, Neb., June 7, 2006
.
"I think-tide turning-see, as I remember-I was raised in the desert, but tides kind of-it's easy to see a tide turn-did I say those words?"-Washington, D.C., June 14, 2006
President Bush: Peter. Are you going to ask that question with shades on?
Peter Wallsten of the Los Angeles Times: I can take them off.
Bush: I'm interested in the shade look, seriously.
Wallsten: All right, I'll keep it, then.
Bush: For the viewers, there's no sun.
Wallsten: I guess it depends on your perspective.
Bush: Touché.
-Exchange with legally blind reporter Peter Wallsten, to whom Bush later apologized, Washington, D.C., June 14, 2006
Bush family exchanges Christmas presents
President gives first lady earrings, receives biking shoes
Updated: 7:11 p.m. ET Dec 26, 2006
CRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush gave his wife citrine earrings for Christmas to match the triple-strand, amber-colored necklace he presented her last month for her birthday, a White House spokesman said Tuesday.
First lady Laura Bush gave her husband, who is an avid mountain biker, biking shoes, a blue suit and the new Sam Moore CD "Overnight Sensational," White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said.
Each year the Bush family draws names to give gifts to other members, and this year the first couple drew the president's parents, former President George Bush and his wife, Barbara.
They donated mosquito bed nets through malarianomore.org in the former president's name, Stanzel said.
John Bridgeland, CEO
- Biography
John Bridgeland is also President & CEO of Civic Enterprises. He was a Teaching Fellow at the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he offered a class on Presidential Decision Making. Most recently, Mr. Bridgeland served as Assistant to the President of the United States and the first Director of the USA Freedom Corps. In that role, he coordinated more than $1 billion in domestic and international service initiatives and worked with non-profits, corporations and schools to foster a culture of service in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. Prior to that, Bridgeland served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Domestic Policy Council at the White House. Bridgeland graduated with honors in government from Harvard University and received his J.D. at the University of Virginia School of Law.
Oh my jeebus, this is sweet....
Say Buh Bye....
Novak: Conservatives may resign from board if DeLay hired as lobbyist; Obama running in 2008
Ron Brynaert
Published: Monday December 25, 2006 .
In a Christmas Eve column for the Chicago Sun-Times, conservative columnist Robert Novak claims he has heard of potential resignations of board members at the American Conservative Union, should former GOP Texas Congressman Tom DeLay, who was indicted on state campaign finance charges, be hired as a lobbyist for the organization.
Bumpy Night Indeed.
Bush is bracing for new scrutiny
White House hiring lawyers in expectation of Democratic probes
By Julie Hirschfeld Davis
Originally published December 26, 2006
WASHINGTON //
President Bush is bracing for what could be an onslaught of investigations by the new Democratic-led Congress by hiring lawyers to fill key White House posts and preparing to play defense on countless document requests and possible subpoenas.
Bush is moving quickly to fill vacancies within his stable of lawyers, though White House officials say there are no plans to drastically expand the legal staff to deal with a flood of oversight.
Still, in the days after the elections, the White House announced that Bush had hired two replacements to plug holes in his counsel's office, including one lawyer, Christopher G. Oprison, who is a specialist in handling white-collar investigations. A third hire was securities law specialist Paul R. Eckert, whose duties include dealing with the Office of the Special Counsel. Bush is in the process of hiring a fourth associate counsel, said Emily A. Lawrimore, a White House spokeswoman.
Republicans close to Bush say any such moves would not come until the White House sees how aggressive Democrats are in trying to pry the lid off the inner workings of the administration.
"They just think it's inevitable that there will be some investigations that will tie up some time and attention," said Charles Black, a strategist with close ties to the White House. But there's no panic in the ranks of Bush's team, he added. "They don't think they have anything to hide."
Bush still must do what he can now -- before Democrats take over the majority in Congress next month -- to prepare, legal specialists say.
"At a time like this, the experienced people in the White House view themselves as in a race they hope to win, of organizing and coordinating their defenses to have them in place in time to slow down or resist oversight before the oversight can get organized," said Charles Tiefer of the University of Baltimore Law School, a former House counsel and veteran of congressional investigations.
Democrats' stated intention to conduct more rigorous oversight of the Bush administration "simply will mean that [White House officials] need a few more people to manage the paper flow," Brown said.
Corallo and Barbara Comstock, another Republican public-relations executive with broad experience in Hill investigations, are launching a crisis-communications firm to serve officials and corporations who, Corallo said, could end up as "drive-by victims" in a new round of probes.
Democrats are reluctant to reveal their investigative plans, but they have made it plain that they want to conduct more oversight of the Bush administration.
Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2007, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemi sphere.
Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.
By accepting these greetings, you are accepting the aforementioned terms as stated. This greeting is not subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the
wishes for herself/himself/others, and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent
holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.
For My Non-Politician Friends:
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
I'm working overnites this weekend, and then I get a flat on the way home.
Too tired to be snarky.
Here ya go....
It may seem goofy, but I love the way their voices sound together.
They are playing games with the wrong guy.
By E&P Staff
Published: December 22, 2006 12:40 PM ET
NEW YORK In an interview with Deborah Solomon that will appear in this Sunday's New York Times Magazine, the newly-elected U.S. senator from Virginia, Jim Webb, discusses his recent widely-publicized exchange with President Bush over an Iraq pullout.
At a recent White House reception the president had asked about Webb's son, who is serving in Iraq. Webb suggested that troops should start coming home from Iraq, and Bush snapped back, "I didn't ask you that."
Webb calls the coverage of that "vastly overblown" but adds: "I think what I said was appropriate." He also stated, "This was something that emanated from the White House. I did not say anything about this for two weeks. I said nothing publicly at all."
So why did the White House push the issue? "Probably as an attempt to try to define me between the election and the beginning of the Congress," Webb replied "And that's all I am going to say."
An unexpected pair: God and 'Rocky'
Stallone promotes 6th installment of series as family film, speaks about renewed faith
Joe Garofoli, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
After 30 years of onscreen carnage, resulting in a triple-digit body count, Sylvester Stallone is promoting his new "Rocky Balboa" by talking up his rediscovery of Christianity. In conference calls with religious leaders over the past few weeks -- and with the help of a marketing expert who promoted Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" -- Stallone said he thinks Hollywood should make more movies the whole family can see.
Like, say, "Rocky Balboa," which opens today -- 21 years after Stallone's character killed 57 people in "Rambo: First Blood, Part II."
"We need the God-fearing script, the script that really deals with compassion and deals with the word of Jesus and God, and believe me, people will rally behind it because we need it," Stallone said in a late November conference call to Christian leaders. "It's like, you watch some of the films, they only save these kinds of films for Christmas."
(snip)
And Stallone promised religious leaders that he will evangelize while promoting "Rocky Balboa" on the talk show circuit. "I do plan to get out that this is a film with great spirituality, this is a film that to me was driven home by the guidance of God," Stallone said. However, he didn't mention such an influence during recent interviews on National Public Radio and on ABC's "Good Morning America."
Something happened this day in history in 1968.... lemme see if I can remember...
1790: American cotton producer Samuel Slater opens the first American cotton mill.
1803: France formally transfers authority over the territory of Louisiana to the United States.
1820: Missouri passes legislation that taxes single men, aged 21 to 50, one dollar.
1860: South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the United States, following the victory of Republican Abraham Lincoln in the presidential election.
1880: In New York City, electric lights are installed on Broadway.
1922: The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is formed.
Branch Rickey, American baseball executive (1881)
Harvey Firestone, American industrialist (1868)
(Jack) John Christiansen, American football player (1928)
The archer is the symbol of Sagittarians. Sagittarians are thought to be friendly, philosophical, and optimistic. Though they need freedom, they tend to be fairly conventional. They respect honesty in all its forms.
Pentagon's Plans For Another Facility To Try 60 People Are Questioned
(CBS) The U.S. government already has a courthouse at Guantanamo Bay, but the Pentagon isn't satisfied, CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports. It plans to spend $100 million of your tax dollars to build a huge new facility just down the hill.
"This is very expensive for the number of cases, 60, which they anticipate trying," says Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
'Cause Vietnam Worked Out Sooooo Well The First Time......
The Keane-Kagan plan is not revolutionary. Rather, it is an application of a counterinsurgency approach that has proved to be effective elsewhere, notably in Vietnam.
There, Gen. Creighton Abrams cleared out the Viet Cong so successfully that the South Vietnamese government took control of the country. Only when Congress cut off funds to South Vietnam in 1974 were the North Vietnamese able to win.
James Dobson Rebuked By Acclaimed Professor Carol Gilligan For Distorting Her Research
Renowned Author/Researcher, England’s Angela Phillips, Condemns Focus on the Family’s Leader For ‘Seriously Misrepresenting’ Her Work
Miami Beach, FLA. - Truth Wins Out released an exclusive video today featuring celebrated New York University educational psychologist Carol Gilligan, PhD, who upbraided Focus on the Family leader, James C. Dobson, for misrepresenting her research in a guest column he wrote in last week’s issue of Time Magazine.Additionally, Angela Phillips, the renowned author of “The Trouble With Boys” also sent a pointed letter to Dobson today accusing him of “seriously misrepresenting” her work and asking him to publish her letter “prominently” on Focus on the Family’s website. Last week, Kyle Pruett, M.D. of the Yale School of Medicine, also expressed concerns that the Focus on the Family leader “cherry picked” his work.
Bush Admin: What You Don't Know Can't Hurt Us
By Paul Kiel - December 18, 2006, 11:46 AM
Just how many different ways has the Bush Administration tried to hide once-public information sources from the public record? Help us count the ways.
* In March, the administration announced it would no longer produce the Census Bureau’s Survey of Income and Program Participation, which identifies which programs best assist low-income families, while also tracking health insurance coverage and child support.
* In 2005, after a government report showed an increase in terrorism around the world, the administration announced it would stop publishing its annual report on international terrorism.
* After the Bureau of Labor Statistics uncovered discouraging data about factory closings in the U.S., the administration announced it would stop publishing information about factory closings.
Literally stopped in mid-sip.
South Bend Tribune
Manigault starts run for South Bend mayor
'Great City Campaign' built on family values, economic growth.
JAMIE LOO
Tribune Staff Writer
SOUTH BEND -- "Aslan is on the move."It's one of Juan Manigault's favorite lines from the book "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."
"And for those of you who like C.S. Lewis, you know what I mean," the president and CEO of Workforce Development Group Inc. said.
On Thursday morning, it was a metaphor for Manigault's formal announcement that he will run for mayor of South Bend in the upcoming election. Manigault is seeking the Republican nomination to run against incumbent Democratic Mayor Stephen Luecke.
[edit] Christian interpretation
Although Aslan can be read as an original character, many readers see parallels with the character and story of Christ. In particular, his sacrifice is reminiscent of the accounts of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection.
According to the author, he is not an allegorical portrayal of Christ, but rather a different, hypothetical, incarnation of Christ himself: 'If Aslan represented the immaterial Deity, he would be an allegorical figure. In reality however he is an invention giving an imaginary answer to the question, What might Christ become like if there really were a world like Narnia and He chose to be incarnate and die and rise again in that world as He actually has done in ours? This is not allegory at all.'
Manigault said his style of leadership will be "based on Godly principles," and throughout his address, he upheld the importance of family values in his life and in the founding of South Bend. He also quoted scripture from the apostle Paul.
"We must work with our faith community to strengthen our families and our faith for the future," he said. "Doing 'the next right thing' must become our way of doing everything."
Twenty five years ago?
Lord, lord, lord. I'm positive that I watched this at the house on Byron, Grand Rapids Michigan.
BIG Chrissie fan.
Breastfeeding baby's mom among those detained
LISA ROSSI
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
December 13, 2006
Marshalltown, Ia. — A priest's and nun’s mission to find the mother of a nursing baby was thwarted today after they said officials from Camp Dodge would not let them inside to tell their story.
Sister Christine Feagan, from the St. Mary’s Hispanic Ministry, and The Rev. Jim Miller, who is a priest from the St. Mary’s Parish, both said they drove to Camp Dodge this afternoon to find out the status of a nursing mother who was deported and nursing a baby. They were also seeking a father with an ashmatic child.
He said an ICE officer at the facility “wouldn’t tell us anything about anybody.”
*snip*
They said they don’t know when the girl, whose father is absent, will be reunited with her mother.
The child, whose name was not provided by ministry staff, cried little, and stared at the different faces visiting the ministry. Women speaking a mixture of Spanish and English coordinated plans with how they would take care of children left behind.
Carmen Montealegre is one of the women who is taking care of two of her friends’ children with family displaced by the arrests. One of the children, a seven-year-old, asks frequently why her mother was detained, she said.
*snip*
The baby left behind has her own problems.
She has been difficult to feed since her mother was arrested, Feagan said.
“The mother was breastfeeding the baby,” Feagan said. “The baby doesn’t want to eat. Another tried to breastfeed, but she knew it wasn’t her.”
Feagan said she and advocates for local Hispanic families have tried to pinpoint exactly how many children are in family-limbo to try to organize help.
To some watching TV, these are merely illegal immigrants. To teachers like Brad Hawkes, they are the parents of students at his school.
*snip*
Yesterday, secretaries and teachers all over the Cache and Logan City School Districts found themselves calling students' family members or relatives to pick them up from school. Some kids only have one parent to go home to and others have none, they're with relatives.
It's possible those kids may not come back to school for a while. In fact, some may never return. And to think, they were there just yesterday.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Tim Johnson, D-South Dakota, was hospitalized Wednesday after he suffered stroke-like symptoms in his Washington office, his staff said.
Johnson, who turns 60 on December 28, was taken to George Washington University Hospital by ambulance about 11:30 a.m., sources in his office said.
A statement issued by Johnson's office said he was suffering from a "possible stroke." But a spokeswoman later said that tests showed Johnson had suffered neither a stroke nor a heart attack, although it was not clear what had happened.
Julianne Fisher, a spokeswoman for
My most vivid memory of Mr Boyle was from the movie "Joe". I really don't know what it was about (I never saw it), but as a child something about it disturbed me.
Too bad I could never afford therapy, I'm sure there's alot in there I'm missing.
Some of his credits.
Taxi Driver (1976) .... Wizard
Young Frankenstein (1974) .... The Monster
Crazy Joe (1974) .... Joe
The Man Who Could Talk to Kids (1973) (TV) .... Charlie Datweiler
Kid Blue (1973) .... Preacher Bob
The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) .... Dillon
Slither (1973) .... Barry Fenaka
Steelyard Blues (1973) .... Eagle Thornberry
... aka The Final Crash (USA: TV title)
Ghost in the Noonday Sun (1973) .... Ras Mohammed
... aka Ghost in the Noonday Sun (USA)
The Candidate (1972) .... Lucas
T.R. Baskin (1971) .... Jack Mitchell
... aka A Date with a Lonely Girl (UK)
Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970) (uncredited) .... Man in Group Therapy Session
Joe (1970) .... Joe Curran
"Comedy Tonight" (1970) TV Series .... Regular
The Monitors (1969) .... Production Manager
Medium Cool (1969) .... Gun Clinic Manager
The Virgin President (1968) .... Gen. Heath
The Group (1966) (uncredited)
Rodriguez's victory is doubly sweet for national Democrats, since they not only pick up another seat but also scored another direct hit on the legacy of former Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas). DeLay engineered the congressional re-redistricting in 2003 that led to a six-seat Republican gain in Texas in 2004. But those gains came at a price. Portions of the 2003 map, including the removal of 100,000 Hispanic voters from the 23rd District, were ruled in violation of the Voting Rights Act by the U.S. Supreme Court last June. The resulting changes in the district's boundaries reinstituted a strong Hispanic presence in the 23rd and led to Bonilla's loss.
Saudis Give U.S. a Grim What If
By HELENE COOPER
Published: December 13, 2006
WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 — Saudi Arabia has told the Bush administration that it might provide financial backing to Iraqi Sunnis in any war against Iraq’s Shiites if the United States pulls its troops out of Iraq, according to American and Arab diplomats.
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia conveyed that message to Vice President Dick Cheney two weeks ago during Mr. Cheney’s whirlwind visit to Riyadh, the officials said. During the visit, King Abdullah also expressed strong opposition to diplomatic talks between the United States and Iran, and pushed for Washington to encourage the resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, senior Bush administration officials said.
The Saudi warning reflects fears among America’s Sunni Arab allies about Iran’s rising influence in Iraq, coupled with Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. King Abdullah II of Jordan has also expressed concern about rising Shiite influence, and about the prospect that the Shiite-dominated government would use Iraqi troops against the Sunni population.
Saudi Ambassador Abruptly Resigns, Leaves Washington
By Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 12, 2006; Page A23
Prince Turki al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States, flew out of Washington yesterday after informing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and his staff that he would be leaving the post after only 15 months on the job, according to U.S. officials and foreign envoys. There has been no formal announcement from the kingdom.
The abrupt departure is particularly striking because his predecessor, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, spent 22 years on the job. The Saudi ambassador is one of the most influential diplomatic positions in Washington and is arguably the most important overseas post for the oil-rich desert kingdom.
AP: Rodriguez defeats Bonilla
Web Posted: 12/12/2006 09:10 PM CST
Greg Jefferson
Express-News
U.S. Rep. Henry Bonilla lost Bexar County for the first time in his political career Tuesday night, and trailed Democrat Ciro Rodriguez in total votes in the sprawling Congressional District 23.
The Associated Press declared Rodriguez the winner shortly before 9 p.m.
But early in the evening it remained unclear whether Democrats could claim another seat to their new majority in the House of Representatives.
Chris Matthews just now on the live Hardball from UNC with John & Elizabeth Edwards...
Tweety was asking about the stupid John Kerry joke, Edwards started to reply and his wife shushed him. Tweetys' response?
"Does she always bite your balls like that?"
Oh my. He seemed really out of it. Does anyone know where he's been?
He hinted he had been pretty ill, but this was strange even for him.
Mrs Edwards reply?
"Chris, my children are watching!"
Quick add in- after googling, it looks like Tweety is suffering from complications from diabetes. It was mentioned on Imus on the 4th of this month. DU
MSNBC's DC-based Chris "Hardball" Matthews was due to host a 2008 presidential race kickoff at the Smithsonian Castle last night. But he was a no-show, having been hospitalized due to complications from diabetes. He's slated to return home today.....
So, sometimes I'm a little ADD and cruise thru the channels just looking for something exciting. Got up early this am, and other than listening to the wingers screech on CSpan about Kofe Annans' speech later today ("I wasn't BORN a WORLD CITIZEN!!! I was BORN in the USA") the most interesting thing was Faux & Fonies.
6am cruise by..... Top of the Hour, First Story!!!!
"Were the 6 Imans removed from the US Airways Flight a test group for future terrorism?" Double Oy
Washington Times (I know, but hey it's Faux)
Imams seek to settle with airline
By Audrey Hudson
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
December 11, 2006
Iraqi Sunnis protested in a Baghdad neighborhood yesterday after fleeing from fighting. Officials fear chaos in Iraq if the U.S. leaves a weak government in place. (AP)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Federal air marshals and pilots called the imams' actions a probe of airport security as well as a probe of the politically correct mentality of air passengers.
The Washington Times reported in 2004 that flight crews and passengers were experiencing a number of terrorist probes, most notably Northwest Airlines Flight 327 from Detroit to Los Angeles in June 2004, during which 14 Syrian men posing as musicians may have practiced a dry run.
Seattle Airport Removes Christmas Trees Instead of Putting Up Menorah
Monday, December 11, 2006
SEATAC, Wash. — For people flying in and out of the Seattle area, there will be no holiday spirit to accompany the holiday travel season.
In response to a rabbi's request to add an 8-foot menorah to holiday decorations, officials at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport instead decided to remove all nine Christmas trees.
The MSM are finally talking about the R's the way they always wrote about the D's (warranted or not). Take a gander at this at the NYT.
Report on Iraq Exposes Divide Within G.O.P.
By JOHN M. BRODER and ROBIN TONER
Published: December 10, 2006
WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 — The release of the report by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group this week exposed deep fissures among Republicans over how to manage a war that many fear will haunt their party — and the nation — for years to come.
A document that many in Washington had hoped would pave the way for a bipartisan compromise on Iraq instead drew sharp condemnation from the right, with hawks saying it was a wasted effort that advocated a shameful American retreat. (snip)
The divisions could make it more difficult for Republicans to coalesce on national security policy and avoid a bitter intraparty fight going into the 2008 campaign.
Anyone who knows me, knows I'm a proud Hoosier.
I chose to move here from Florida as an adult, but I had lived here until the age of 12. I love the stunning countryside, the small creeks, the gorgeous cornfields in summer and the tiny lakes nestled in copses of trees. And the Hoosier people.
We get picked on, but after '06 maybe ya'll will give us the benefit of the doubt.
Well, don't extend that benefit to Senator Bayh. Do your homework.
I've included a few places to start. Makes for interesting reading.
His Wiki page is GLOWING.
Make note though of this banner
The neutrality of this article is disputed.Please see the discussion on the talk page.
[edit] Obvious that Bayh has been editing thisok, i think it's pretty clear that evan bayh has been editing this, it might as well be a progadanda page for his presidential run
That seems like a questionable shot. Show examples please.Djramey 12:18, 29 August 2006
(UTC) I seriously doubt the Senator himself would or has the time to edit his Wiki page. -I have edited some of the material, which is clearly not neutral (see the history). And no, he's most likely not doing it himself, but he surely has (ahem) *helpers* who would be concerned about his bio on Wikipedia. As an example, let's see how long the abortion material stays as the first topic of the issues. 1diot 16:45, 4 December 2006 (UTC) (editor bolded)
Abortion- Bayh is generally supportive of the pro-choice position, but not exclusively. (See links below for detailed information on voting record and profile)
It's often more important to look at what they actually do. A case in point may be Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, who has already signaled his intention to run for the presidency in 2008.
(snip) One gauge of Bayh's conviction and character might be what he did on March 13, 2001. That day, the Senate was debating so-called "Bankruptcy Reform," a bill promoted by the credit card companies that made it much harder for consumers to escape debt by declaring bankruptcy. Congress had passed a version of the bill in 2000, but Bill Clinton had vetoed it. Now, with George W. Bush backing the bill and Republicans in control of both houses, it was heading toward a vote. Some Senate Democrats tried to introduce amendments that would benefit consumers. Diane Feinstein of California and Chris Dodd of Connecticut proposed amendments that would protect minors--Feinstein offered a very mild amendment to the bankruptcy bill. (snip) Dodd's amendment was somewhat tougher. (snip) Both amendments lost--Feinstein's by 55 to 42 and Dodd's by 58 to 41. The great majority of Democrats voted for these amendments, but not Bayh. He joined the credit card companies and the Republicans in opposing both.
Why did he do it? Bayh didn't say during the debate, and he didn't issue a statement afterwards. The fact is that they were minor votes and probably ones that Bayh expected the greater public (but not the credit companies) to ignore.
Probably my favorite song off my favorite album by my favorite band.
And very much the way I feel right now.....
There, right there on my teevee screen were Leslie Blitzer and John "Canadas' Rockin' VJ" Roberts talking about how
"THE AMERICAN PEOPLE DON'T LIKE BEING LIED TO". Oh really.
They went on about how the AMERICAN PEOPLE figures that the Prez was just confused, or disoriented or maybe just had his head up his ass all these years. BUT THEY GET PISSED WHEN THEY ARE LIED TO.
He wasn't lying to us. The man is totally dillusional, and apparently I'm not the first to think this.
From Americablog since it's behind the NYT wall.
IT turns out weÂ’ve been reading the wrong Bob Woodward book to understand
whatÂ’s going on with President Bush. The text we should be consulting instead is
“The Final Days,” the Woodward-Bernstein account of Richard Nixon talking to the
portraits on the White House walls while Watergate demolished his presidency. As
Mr. Bush has ricocheted from Vietnam to Latvia to Jordan in recent weeks, weÂ’ve
witnessed the troubling behavior of a president who isnÂ’t merely in a state of
denial but is completely untethered from reality. ItÂ’s not that he canÂ’t handle
the truth about Iraq. He doesnÂ’t know what the truth is.The most startling
example was his insistence that Al Qaeda is primarily responsible for the
countryÂ’s spiraling violence. Only a week before Mr. Bush said this, the
American military spokesman on the scene, Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, called Al
Qaeda “extremely disorganized” in Iraq, adding that “I would question at this
point how effective they are at all at the state level.” Military intelligence
estimates that Al Qaeda makes up only 2 percent to 3 percent of the enemy forces
in Iraq, according to Jim Miklaszewski of NBC News.
The bottom line: America has a commander in chief who canÂ’t even
identify some 97 percent to 98 percent of the combatants in a war that has gone
on longer than our involvement in World War II.But thatÂ’s not the half of it.
Mr. Bush relentlessly refers to Iraq’s “unity government” though it is not
unified and can only nominally govern. (In Henry KissingerÂ’s accurate recent
formulation, Iraq is not even a nation “in the historic sense.”) After that
pseudo-governmentÂ’s prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, brushed him off in Amman,
the president nonetheless declared him “the right guy for Iraq” the morning
after. This came only a day after The TimesÂ’s revelation of a secret memo by Mr.
BushÂ’s national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, judging Mr. Maliki either
“ignorant of what is going on” in his own country or disingenuous or
insufficiently capable of running a government. Not that it matters what Mr.
Hadley writes when his boss is impervious to facts.
Before I link to this scary goodness, does anyone else remember when the R's in the world were just FREAKING out about Cassius Clay becoming a Muslim. They were alll over it, claiming he did it ONLY to avoid the draft.
Or the disdain The Decider gave Karla Faye Tucker after her conversion to Christianity and subsequent plea?
In the weeks before the execution, Bush says, a number of protesters came to
Austin to demand clemency for Karla Faye Tucker. "Did you meet with any of
them?" I ask. Bush whips around and stares at me. "No, I didn't meet with any of
them," he snaps, as though I've just asked the dumbest, most offensive question
ever posed. "I didn't meet with Larry King either when he came down for it. I
watched his interview with Tucker, though. He asked her real difficult questions
like, 'What would you say to Governor Bush?'" "What was her answer?" I wonder.
"'Please,'" Bush whimpers, his lips pursed in mock desperation, "'don't kill
me.'" I must look shocked — ridiculing the pleas of a condemned prisoner who has
since been executed seems odd and cruel — because he immediately stops smirking.
Ark.
begins faith-based inmate program
By ANDREW DeMILLO, Associated Press Writer Fri Dec 1, 12:09 PM
ET
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Arkansas correction officials are dedicating a
Bible-based program for female prisoners, but a national group said it's a risky
move while a similar system is being challenged in federal court.
Forty-nine
women have enrolled in the InnerChange Freedom Initiative at the Wrightsville
prison, which officials will dedicate Friday.
Under the program, inmates live
in a separate unit and attend classes on subjects including computer skills and
anger management. They also participate in religious devotionals.
I can't afford this Congress. I want my money back.
This is what my tax dollars pay for...
Bloomberg
Republicans Postponing Budget Work Until 2007, Democrats Say
By Brian Faler
Nov. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Republican congressional leaders have put off their remaining budget work until next year, dumping almost a half-trillion dollars of spending bills on the incoming Democratic majority, a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said.
Such a move would leave the new Democratic majority with the responsibility to pass the nine remaining spending bills, totaling almost $500 billion for government programs ranging from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to the national parks.
"They call it the Tuesday to Thursday Club," said Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn. "That
means you get here Tuesday night, you have a few easy votes, you vote on
Wednesday and then you go back home Thursday afternoon. And that, believe it or
not, is considered a work week in Washington."
Congress: Rank-and-File Members' Salary
The current salary for rank-and-file
members of the House and Senate is $165,200 per year.
``No concrete decisions have been made yet,'' said Kevin Madden, a spokesman
for House Majority Leader John Boehner, an Ohio Republican. The House has
approved all but one of its spending bills and has been waiting on the Senate.
Go watch it and come right back.
Think Progress
Fox News host Mort Kondracke, the "left-leaning" counterpart to Weekly Standard editor Fred Barnes on Fox News' The Beltway Boys, said last night that incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) should be nicknamed the "Wicked Witch of the West."
According to Kondracke, Pelosi has already been pressuring fellow Democrats, "twisting arms and making -- you know, having her aides making threats, and stuff like that." Asked by Brit Hume if that was really happening, Kondracke said, "Supposedly."
For all the focus on the Democrats, a former Bush official who predicts a coming bloodbath between the White House and disgruntled conservative Republicans brushed off the Pelosi-Hoyer tussle as much ado about process.
"The Democrats are the sideshow," he said. "Bush self-destructing is the big story
in town."
Which reminds me of whom Pelosi reminds me: Bella Abzug. No, Pelosi is rather svelte, which Bella was not. Pelosi also doesn't wear a big-brimmed hat.
