The US Dollar Limbo

How low can it go?

The rocket-propelled Canadian dollar flew past $1.07 (U.S.) yesterday, fuelled by strong economic data that have many forecasters wondering whether the economy is decoupling from its troubled southern neighbour.

Canada churned out five times more jobs than expected last month, a stellar showing that sparked a number of forecasts that the loonie is on its way to $1.10, as the greenback continues to dive.

snip

"We had thought that if the U.S. economy slowed down, the global economy would probably slow down, and that doesn't seem to be panning out as much as people thought," said David Watt, senior currency strategist at RBC Capital Markets.

"If the currency is, to an extent, decoupling from the U.S., then it makes sense to come out with a Canadian dollar forecast which pays less relevance to the U.S. economy."

HOLY BEAVER SHIT! We aren't even relevant to Canadians anymore? Those seem like some pretty harsh words from what little I know about this stuff.

I am no economist, but when Canada - a country with lots of oil that is now talking like the ineluctably superior trading partner of ours in the world, not to mention the fact that they are our largest trading partner in the world - deems us irrelevant economically, we really must be screwed.

The Canadian economy is doing well, but it isn't really that their dollar went up against ours because they are doing so fantasticly compared to everyone else as it is because the American dollar is dropping like a rock everywhere else:

Dollar at fresh low against euro

The euro's value settled at $1.4525, while the dollar also plunged to a new record low against the UK pound, settling at $2.0890.

If you are feeling pretty darn poor right about now, get used to the feeling as long as we continue on this stupid republican path to economic disaster.

Now... I want you to think about this:

Oil is nearly at $100 per barrel, but judging from the tanking dollar some of the price rise must be due to our dollars present lowliness. How long before the world decides that we shouldn't be relevant to the price of Oil anymore because they don't want to price it based on the extremely unstable US dollar?

Like I said: I am no economist... But de-linking oil from our dollar would have to pretty much spell doom for our economy. No?

As a side note... We can't even get our drugs cheaper in Canada anymore because of the roughly 30% increase in costs for American buyers:

Drug-busting loonie?

The loonie's muscle just may have done what U.S. government and law enforcement officials could not.

The strong dollar has "virtually stopped all exports to the United States of cannabis," said Marc Emery, the leader of the B.C. Marijuana Party of Canada.

Five years ago, one pound of Canadian marijuana would cost $1,600 (U.S.). Now it's $2,550 (U.S.) a pound when sold in the United States, he said.

They stemmed the flow of illegal drugs into the country! But they had to bankrupt the nation to do it. I am pretty certain that the price increases will affect all of those people that were crossing the border to buy their cheaper prescription medicines in Canada as well.

We are so fucked...

Larry Craig WATCH and READ edition

Watch this Little Britain video to the end, which is only about a minute long:



Read this little blurb from the WaPo:

Staffers on Capitol Hill are howling over an e-mail sent from Sen. Larry Craig's office Friday about a watch found -- guess where -- in the men's room!

The e-mail, which is being forwarded pretty much all over the place on Capitol Hill, is from Pat Olsen, the embattled Idaho Republican's administrative director.

The e-mail announced that a watch was found in the men's room on the fifth floor of the Hart Senate Office Building, where Craig's office is located. On its face, the message suggests that a male staffer (possibly even Sen. Craig, the notorious men's room foot tapper) found the watch.

Cleaning the coffee of of the screen that I made the mistake of taking a sip of before reading that...

Revisiting the arrest of the protesters in NYC

Just some video for you to think about...

"Think our government wouldn't suppress our right to peacefully protest? Think again!"

"If you just can't bring yourself to believe that our government authorities would even think of suppressing the legitimate protests of peaceful demonstrators - look at the record of court cases recently coming out of New York."

Japan Ends Afghan Naval Mission

The BBC is reporting that the Afghanistan coalition just shrank a little:

Japan has ordered the withdrawal of its two ships supporting US-led operations in Afghanistan.

The move follows the government's failure to agree a deal with the opposition to extend the mission beyond the end of its mandate on 1 November.

This may have be a little more devastating to both the missions in Afghanistan and Iraq than the lone Icelandic "soldier"'s loss was to the coalition of the willing in Iraq. Which is partially the intent of Japan's move:

The ships involved - a destroyer and a refueller, with 340 troops - are to head for Japan later on Thursday. They last refuelled a ship on Monday.

Japan's mission has been dogged by allegations that Japan supplied far more fuel to US forces than officially recorded - encouraging speculation that Tokyo might have helped supply the US war in Iraq, not just its operations in Afghanistan.

The citizens of Japan don't want to be viewed as supporting the mission in Iraq, for all of the obvious reasons. As per usual, the official American reaction to this is more about their problem with the perception of this news - "spin this" - than the real support problems this may pose:

The US ambassador to Japan, Thomas Schieffer, said a permanent withdrawal would send a very bad message to the international community and terrorists.

"Bad Message! Naughty liberal media message!" Not to mention how Joe and Suzy Sixpack may react to this news. I wonder how the American Media spin cycle will run with this story, if they don't run from it? I can see the headlines now:

"Japan Pulls Out as Victory is on the March!"

March of the year 2057, that is.

It might take as long as half a century before U.S. troops can leave the volatile Middle East, according to retired Army Gen. John Abizaid.

"Over time, we will have to shift the burden of the military fight from our forces directly to regional forces, and we will have to play an indirect role, but we shouldn't assume for even a minute that in the next 25 to 50 years the American military might be able to come home, relax and take it easy, because the strategic situation in the region doesn't seem to show that as being possible," Abizaid said Wednesday at Carnegie Mellon University.

Got that? 50 years in Iraq... A Half a century of Americans getting killed there.

Hand Up VS Handout

Hand up VS Handout? This is a mantra that many Americans can understand.

Via Tparty at MLN:

In cased you missed it, Chris Shays was named the Eschaton Wanker of the Day™ on Monday for his asinine comments blaming predatory lending victims for their own predicament in the subprime crisis that is hitting towns in his district to the tune of a 500% increase in foreclosures from last year.

Jim Himes, who has actually dedicated the last few years of his professional life to helping increase affordable housing opportunities for low-income families, took issue with Shays' comments in a press release today:

"As an affordable housing professional, I know that many first-time homeowners, guilty of nothing but reaching for the American dream, found themselves besieged by unregulated mortgage brokers selling highly complex mortgages with low initial rates and other bells and whistles that made them seem irresistible. These brokers rarely bothered to make the disclosures that would have raised concerns and caution among their customers. Some brokers were openly deceptive and predatory.

"That's why I was astounded by Chris Shays' statement early this week regarding the looming housing foreclosure crisis. He told the Connecticut Post, 'I can't imagine helping people who should not have gotten a loan in the first place.'

"Maybe Chris Shays can't imagine it, but all Americans have an interest in assisting those whose best shot at the American dream was ruined by deception. And we have a common interest in avoiding the contagious decay that can plague foreclosure-prone neighborhoods.

"There is much we can do, working with banks, municipalities, and community organizations, to encourage stressed homeowners to talk to their lenders, encourage loan restructuring, and provide temporary relief. In addition, Congress must act now to address this crisis by enacting legislation to stop predatory lending practices, require more clear disclosures on loans, and increase funding for community-based housing advocates to educate consumers about the mortgage market. Doing nothing makes no sense.

"Chris Shays' statement shows that he is far more interested in protecting the financial industry which amply funds his campaigns than he is in stabilizing threatened communities and supporting hardworking homeowners who thought they had a shot at the middle class. As a matter of ethics and plain good business sense, Chris Shays is far, far from home."

Himes' background in this area - and his diligence on the issue - will serve him and his constituents very well come January 2009.

All the politicians say they want to give people a hand up, not a hand out.

But when it comes time to offer that hand up to people that fell into the trap of the "ownership society" Republicans touted, Republicans pushed for, they balk and run away from their responsibilities to hide their heads in the sand.

"...if you own something, you have a vital stake in the future of our country. The more ownership there is in America, the more vitality there is in America, and the more people have a vital stake in the future of this country."
(The Worst President in the History of America, george bush)

Expanding Homeownership. The President believes that homeownership is the cornerstone of America's vibrant communities and benefits individual families by building stability and long-term financial security. In June 2002, President Bush issued America's Homeownership Challenge to the real estate and mortgage finance industries to encourage them to join the effort to close the gap that exists between the homeownership rates of minorities and non-minorities. The President also announced the goal of increasing the number of minority homeowners by at least 5.5 million families before the end of the decade. Under his leadership, the overall U.S. homeownership rate in the second quarter of 2004 was at an all time high of 69.2 percent. Minority homeownership set a new record of 51 percent in the second quarter, up 0.2 percentage point from the first quarter and up 2.1 percentage points from a year ago. President Bush's initiative to dismantle the barriers to homeownership includes:

• American Dream Downpayment Initiative, which provides down payment assistance to approximately 40,000 low-income families;
• Affordable Housing. The President has proposed the Single-Family Affordable Housing Tax Credit, which would increase the supply of affordable homes;
• Helping Families Help Themselves. The President has proposed increasing support for the Self-Help Homeownership Opportunities Program; and
• Simplifying Homebuying and Increasing Education. The President and HUD want to empower homebuyers by simplifying the home buying process so consumers can better understand and benefit from cost savings. The President also wants to expand financial education efforts so that families can understand what they need to do to become homeowners.

Now that the effects of the GOP's ownership society have taken hold and millions of Americans are about to lose their homes, Republicans cut and run. Fixing their costly mistake ain't their problem. They would call that a handout and blame the victims of their republican ideology.

Unfortunately for the average American, when a Republican talks about a "Hand up" what they really mean is single-fingered-salute followed by a generous amount of babbling:

On the Republican side, I am not sure there is any candidate that will ever rise to the top. The election is not a shoo-in for the democrats. Even so the Republicans have one candidate that could out-worsen G. W. Bush. Giulani's rhetoric is beyond comprehention. His speeches only succeed in making Bush's orations sound fresh.

Guiliani's concepts on foreign policy are founded deep in nothing. His platitudes are often well used and tend to bore me:

We are at the dawn of a new era in global affairs, when old ideas have to be rethought and new ideas have to be devised to meet new challenges ...

The United States must not rest until the al Qaeda network is destroyed and its leaders, from Osama bin Laden on down, are killed or captured ...

We must seek common ground without turning a blind eye to our differences with [China and Russia] ...

It is clear that we need to do a better job of explaining America's message and mission to the rest of the world, not by imposing our ideas on others but by appealing to their enlightened self-interest ...

America will win the war of ideas ...

We must learn from our past if we want to win the peace as well as the war ...

It is better to give people a hand up than a handout.

Most of his sayings on international affairs are fresh from a Henry Kissinger "op-ed".

Reading Giuliani and imagining that he might somehow become president chills me with a profound sense of dispair. Fortunately, there is comic relief. At one of many points where he attempts to display his erudition and expertise, he notes the "cultural exchanges" that allegedly brought about the end of the Soviet empire. The example he cites is pianist Van Cliburn's concerts in Moscow, which "hastened change."

Van Cliburn played Moscow in 1958. The Soviet Union fell in 1989. If change were any hastier, the Berlin Wall would still be intact.

As a side note: 1958 to 1989? These idiot republicans are, only now, rejoicing in the glorious efforts of their republican talking-point General Petraeus,if you need an idea on how quickly their dear-leader-wannabes expect things to change in Iraq... I say their typical expectations would be rosy-colored-glasses optimistic, something no republican would ever be accused of, but you can do the math on the dead American soldiers and Iraqi civilians in that time if you are that optimistic too. Just to give you an idea that is closer to reality:

It might take as long as half a century before U.S. troops can leave the volatile Middle East, according to retired Army Gen. John Abizaid.

"Over time, we will have to shift the burden of the military fight from our forces directly to regional forces, and we will have to play an indirect role, but we shouldn't assume for even a minute that in the next 25 to 50 years the American military might be able to come home, relax and take it easy, because the strategic situation in the region doesn't seem to show that as being possible," Abizaid said Wednesday at Carnegie Mellon University.

Got that? 50 years in Iraq... A Half a century of Americans getting killed there. It is long past time to stop giving huge fistfuls of $$$ in handouts to Military Complex, and start giving a hand up to the American soldiers by bringing them home.

Richard Curtis Looking for Pages?

Via Big Head DC:

Radar reports:

State Rep. Richard Curtis is looking for legislative pages between the ages of 14 and 16 to help around the office. In addition to permission from your parents and school, you are strongly encouraged to not read this spectacular new police report (ed. note - PDF via Slog lotsa info there - CM1) involving Rep. Curtis, a boy band-looking gay dude known as “Stallion” (”Pony Boy” was taken), and an extortion scheme centering on some cringe-inducing, graphically described man-love between the old dude and his young pet.

Pay no attention to rumors about Curtis wearing red stockings and black sequined lingerie top while getting a hairy-lipped hummer from some guy in the movie stall of a Seattle-area sex shop. Just take comfort in Curtis’s claims that “I have not had sex with a guy.”

Radar Online even managed to grab a screenshot of the job posting while (I presume?) simultaneously being shocked and laughing their asses off. You just can't make shit like this up.

Doesn't matter much anymore, except for the completely tattered reputation of the GOP, because he is resigning:

Rep. Richard Curtis, 48, said he was resigning immediately to spare his wife and children more public embarrassment. In a written statement, Curtis said, "Events that have recently come to light have hurt a lot of people. I sincerely apologize for any pain my actions may have caused."

I guess the GOP figured if he liked Stallion so much they better put him out to pasture... Either that or his wife pulled a bitter-Vitter-Bobbitt maneuver and gelded Dick on the spot:

In 2000, Vitter was included in a Newhouse News Service story about the strain of congressional careers on families.

His wife, Wendy, was asked by the Newhouse reporter: If her husband were as unfaithful as Livingston or former President Bill Clinton, would she be as forgiving as Hillary Rodham Clinton?

“I’m a lot more like Lorena Bobbitt than Hillary,” Wendy Vitter told Newhouse News. “If he does something like that, I’m walking away with one thing, and it’s not alimony, trust me.”

“I think fear is a very good motivating factor in a marriage,” she added. “Don’t put fear down.

TPM Muckraker

We will be watching to see if Curtis has a peculiar gate when he runs from the press in the future.

The Richard Curtis(R) Gay Prostitute Scandal Hits TV

A video link update on the story via DownWithTyranny! who asks:

I'm wondering if they'll play this tape at the Republican Convention. On his way home Rep. Curtis totaled his car. Did he try committing suicide? Curtis has given up on the standard GOP "I'm not gay routine."

DownWitheTyranny! also provides a David Vitter update, and lots more on the Curtis story.

Previously brewed in New Milford:

Rep. Richard Curtis(R) "I have not had sex with a guy"

Well... That is what he was saying on Monday. It is amazing how a couple of days can change everything:

State Rep. Richard Curtis, R-La Center, admitted to having sex with a man he met at an adult video store in Spokane last week, according to a police report released Tuesday afternoon.

The police report offers a damning and far different version of events from the brief account Curtis gave to The Columbian Monday, one that seems likely to threaten Curtis’ political future.

The report is filled with graphic details of an encounter that began at a porn store on a Spokane Valley strip and concluded miles away in Curtis’ room at the city’s poshest hotel.

The police report contains an account of how Curtis allegedly donned women’s clothing, red stockings and a black sequined lingerie top before engaging in a sex act at the store. He continued to wear them throughout the night under his clothing.

ok...Mark Foley, David Vitter, Jim Kolbe, Glenn Murphy Jr, Larry Craig, etc.

Continuing to carry the republican family values banner in fine form they just keep digging deeper and deeper on sex scandals, hypocritical voting records, prostitution and gay/bisexual trysts outside of their "traditional republican marriages".

As I noted when Bob Allen and Larry Craig got caught in their respective bathrooms:

At least neither of these Republicans pulled a full GOP and tried pick up kids like Foley...Or, at least, nothing has been proven in Larry Craig's case, but I certainly do have to say: This has got to be the worst year for political sex scandals in the history of the GOP... And that is saying a lot.

I guess we just haven't really said enough yet. And at least this one avoided being the fourth Republican bathroom scandal, but I cannot say that a porn shop pick-up is that much better. Just a lot more sanitary.

Just a reminder of who the third republican is that was flushed from a bathroom scandal:

WHOOOSH:

In what is becoming an all-too-embarrassing pattern, yet another conservative, Republican politician has been detained by police officers for "lewd behavior" in public restrooms. The Times Picayune reports 53-year-old Joey DiFatta—a councilman in St. Bernard Parish near New Orleans and recent candidate for the state senate—"has been stopped twice since 1996 for suspicion of engaging in lewd behavior in public restrooms."

DiFatta is the THIRD closeted, anti-gay Republican politician in as many months implicated in lewd behavior in public toilets. The other two are Idaho's Larry Craig and Florida's Bob Allen.

The newest revelations come one day after the father of two and grandfather of three withdrew from the 1st Senate District campaign due to "chest pains." The conservative Republican maintains there is no linkage between his decision to withdraw and the the Times-Picayune's revelations.

From the The Times Picayune report, as summarized from police files:

Kenner police issued a misdemeanor summons to DiFatta in September 1996 in connection with a peeping Tom incident in a men's bathroom at the former Mervyn's department store at The Esplanade mall, according to a Kenner Police Department incident report obtained by The Times-Picayune.

The report states that DiFatta watched a man use the bathroom while peering through a hole in a bathroom stall. The man held DiFatta until police arrived, at which time he was issued the misdemeanor summons and ordered to appear in court.

DiFatta said the man eventually withdrew his complaint, and the case was dismissed. A spokeswoman for the Kenner Police Department said the record was expunged.

Tapping foot in stall

In the second incident, Jefferson Parish deputies working an undercover detail in a men's bathroom at Dillard's at Lakeside Shopping Center in March 2000 stopped DiFatta after he indicated a desire to engage in sex with an undercover deputy in an adjoining bathroom stall, according to an interoffice memorandum written by Sgt. Keith Conley, one of the deputies involved in the investigation.

The report said DiFatta slid his foot into the deputy's stall and tapped the deputy's foot. In the report, Conley noted that such activity is common among men to indicate a willingness to participate in sex.

The deputy inside the stall, Detective Wayne Couvillion, responded by tapping his foot, and DiFatta reached under the partition and began to rub the deputy's leg, the report states.

The detective asked DiFatta, "What do you want?" according to the report, and he replied, "I want to play with you."

Difatta denies doing anything wrong. Likely, he will deny being a closeted-self-loathing-anti-gay Republican, as well.

I am thinking that I may have to add a "Republican Bathroom Sex" tag to my posts to keep track of all of their odd Republican Family Values behaviour.

Helping Blogs Help the Candidates

Many of the old school candidates in politics have been quick to kick the Blogosphere whenever given the chance. Todays' more savvy candidates are embracing the activism of the Blogosphere, and some are actually picking up their keyboards and becoming a part of the new media themselves.

But then there are other candidates that are taking it in a different direction and are helping the Blogs to help themselves.

I was flipping through the Danbury NewsTimes today and came across a particularly eye-catching quarter page add just below the weather forecast (Page B4, October 31st) for a Danbury candidate. I thought I would share it with you all:

I enlarged that little part at the bottom so you wouldn't have to squint to read it. Anyways, it seems that all of ctbloggers hard work for local Democratic party candidates is paying off in a way that can help him help all of the candidates that he vigorously supports even more in the long run. This little bit of a tack-on add for HatCityBLOG will likely help him reach even more local readers in the long run. Readers that have a tendency to come back again and again after they finally find his place. Readers that ctblogger has generously sent your way, and my way, time and time again over the last couple of years.

The recognition that ctblogger has received over the last couple of years is well deserved and he has been noted by some of the biggest and the best Bloggers for his ambitious efforts to kickstart the local Blogging philosophy:

Now I know how Sally felt.

I'm a big fan of Steve Gilliard's popular national blog The News Blog, so it came to a pleasant surprise that he picked little ol' me as one of his favorite state/local bloggers for 2006.

Juan Melli and CT Blogger-They do the dirty work of local and state politics, which will never lead to glory or riches, but is needed because if you think federal government has problems.....these guys are heroes to me

"blush"

Seriously, thanks to Steve for the recognition. To be placed along side award winners You Tube , Stephen Colbert, Keith Olbermann, Matt Stoller, Howard Dean, Sasha Baron Cohen, Morgan Spurlock, Amanda Marcotte, and Ned Lamont is quite a honor.

I really have to give props to all the other Connecticut bloggers as we all worked our tails off trying to stay one step ahead of the mainstream media (PPM baby) as well as keeping people informed on what's happening in the nutmeg state. I wonder what would have happened if I didn't ask Connecticut Bob to help me set the white balance on my camcorder and shoved my digital camera into Spazeboy's hand back during the memorable Lamont event at Naples in New Haven...

Hopefully, political campaigns will take notice of the great reporting we did on the Connecticut races and understand the importance of blogs.

They have noticed. And so have we.

Small gestures like this one from Cotter will only help all of the left Blogosphere in Connecticut and the nation. Kudos to Cotter for recognizing the value of supporting his allies, and kudos to ctblogger for all he has done and will continue to do for Connecticut's thriving and ever growing left presence in and out of the Blogosphere. We can only hope that more candidates will recognize the advantages of helping this new People Powered Media - As ctblogger would say "PPM Baby" - to help themselves.

For more information on Brian Cotter's campaign, here is a snippet to get you pointed in the right direction:

In an attempt to inform the public about the various candidates running for office this year, HatCityBLOG is kicking off a new feature entitled "CAMPAIGN SPOTLIGHT." Using a combination of text, audio and video, the HatCityBLOG crew are going give readers a different look at the candidates.

For my first interview, I sat down with the Brian Cotter, candidate for Treasurer and talked about his background, why he's running for office, his "Welcome Back Cotter" theme of bringing back fiscal integrity to Danbury, and why he feels he's the best qualified for the job.

You can catch the rest of the interview here, where you will find a lot more information on many of Danbury's other local candidates.

Rep. Richard Curtis(R) "I have not had sex with a guy,"

Well... That is what he was saying on Monday. It is amazing how a couple of days can change everything:

State Rep. Richard Curtis, R-La Center, admitted to having sex with a man he met at an adult video store in Spokane last week, according to a police report released Tuesday afternoon.

The police report offers a damning and far different version of events from the brief account Curtis gave to The Columbian Monday, one that seems likely to threaten Curtis’ political future.

The report is filled with graphic details of an encounter that began at a porn store on a Spokane Valley strip and concluded miles away in Curtis’ room at the city’s poshest hotel.

The police report contains an account of how Curtis allegedly donned women’s clothing, red stockings and a black sequined lingerie top before engaging in a sex act at the store. He continued to wear them throughout the night under his clothing.

ok...Mark Foley, David Vitter, Jim Kolbe, Glenn Murphy Jr, Larry Craig, etc.

Continuing to carry the republican family values banner in fine form they just keep digging deeper and deeper on sex scandals, hypocritical voting records, prostitution and gay/bisexual trysts outside of their "traditional republican marriages".

As I noted when Bob Allen and Larry Craig got caught in their respective bathrooms:

At least neither of these Republicans pulled a full GOP and tried pick up kids like Foley...Or, at least, nothing has been proven in Larry Craig's case, but I certainly do have to say: This has got to be the worst year for political sex scandals in the history of the GOP... And that is saying a lot.

I guess we just haven't really said enough yet. And at least this one avoided being the fourth Republican bathroom scandal, but I cannot say that a porn shop pick-up is that much better. Just a lot more sanitary.

Cheney Flagged For Hanging With Racists

As we all watched New Orleans drown, was there ever any doubt about bush and cheney's views on race:

Although Cheney did not shoot anyone on this hunting excursion, the New York Daily News reports that the trip still managed to stir up problems for the Vice President:

Nobody got shot, but Vice President Cheney still fired up controversy Monday when he went hunting at a private club that hangs the Confederate flag.

A Daily News photographer captured the 3-by-5 foot Dixie flag affixed to a door in the garage of the Clove Valley Gun and Rod Club in upstate Union Vale, N.Y.

“It’s appalling for the VP to be at a private club displaying the flag of lynching, hate and murder,” said Rev. Al Sharpton. “It’s the epitome of an insult.”

Cheney spokeswoman Megan Mitchell said, “No one in our office was aware there was such a flag. The vice president did not see a flag, nor did anyone on his staff traveling with him in New York.” The Daily News photographer who took the picture, Howard Simmons, said “the flag was plainly viewable in the strong sunlight streaming toward the garage”, but he also “said it is conceivable the garage door could have been closed when the vice president and his guests were there.”

Sorry, but I am not buying that cheney would not have a clue about the kind of people he chooses to hang around with. Especially after NOLA, Jena, and immigration issues have exposed the hidden agendas of the average GOP supporter.

Previously brewed here:

This is by no means a "Heads up!" I really mean "Duck and cover!" Like your life depends on it.



A word of warning to everyone in the area:

The Poughkeepsie Journal in New York reports that “Vice President Dick Cheney is coming to Dutchess County again to go hunting.” On Monday, Cheney is “expected to leave Poughkeepsie and head to the Clove Valley Rod & Gun Club.” No word on whether the Vice President will be drinking beforehand this time.

Dutchess County, NY, is next door to a good part of Litchfield County in Connecticut. And with the weapons that warmongering neoconservative idiot has in his arsenal we can never be too careful! There is nothing more dangerous than a hunter with a beer hat on his head and a deadly can opener in his hands...

An Offer That Scares the Hell Out of Washington D.C.

Via Lukery at the Booman Tribune and Let Sibel Edmonds Speak:

Former FBI translator and whistleblower Sibel Edmonds has promised to tell us everything she knows about treason at the highest level of the US government - with one proviso:

"Here's my promise to the American Public: If anyone of the major networks --- ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, FOX --- promise to air the entire segment, without editing, I promise to tell them everything that I know."

Edmonds, "the most gagged person in the history of the United States of America," has been trying to expose criminal activity, treason, at the highest levels of the US Government - Congress, Pentagon and State Dept - since she became aware of the crimes in 2001 and 2002.

Edmonds has exhausted every conceivable channel in the courts, Congress, and elsewhere, and is now willing to risk criminal charges to ensure that the American people learn how their government really 'works.'

BradBlog has the exclusive.

I am willing to bet, no matter how credible Sibel Edmonds charges have been decreed by those that have heard her testimony in Congress, there will be no takers on this blockbuster of a story because the CORPORATE OWNED MEDIA are just shills for the CORPORATE OWNED GOVERNMENT... Welcome to "Corporate America" run-amok under the guise of the conservative agenda of privatizing everything as a solution to problems that didn't really exist in the first place.

You have all seen this truth

The DesMoines Register tackles a truth that most of the media will never admit:

Kathleen Ferguson of Des Moines says nothing has changed four years later. She found one of those surveys on the Web site of WQAD-TV in the Quad Cities. She answered the 11 multiple-choice questions and decided how important each issue was to her.

The topics were Iraq, immigration, tax cuts, stem cell research, health care, abortion, Social Security, a line-item veto, ethanol, same-sex marriage and the death penalty.

Ferguson clicked "select a candidate," and up popped Kucinich.

She had family members take the test. Kucinich came in first or second.

She wondered what was going on. A lot of Democrats like what he has to say on the issues. Yet only a small percentage like him as their candidate.

"We're not all that liberal," Ferguson said. "Several of us are former Republicans. It's astonishing to see what we want was labeled too far-out liberal."

A lawyer she knows took the test, and another friend. Kucinich, Kucinich.

The last time I took one of those tests Connecticut Rep. Rosa Delauro popped up as the closest candidate to me on the issues. Dennis Kucinich and Ralph Nader were tied in a close second... And I am not all that liberal in my politics, considering I hold a strong belief in fiscal responsibility when it comes to spending. None of those matches surprised me at all. I am familiar with where most of the candidates stand on the issues that are important to myself.

PTSD Reform in the Military May be Too Late

The Hartford Courant reports on reforms to how the military will attempt to screen and treat soldiers that may be suffering from PTSD:

Military Backs Reforms
Most Of Task Force's Recommendations Adopted By Defense Department

The military will expand psychological screening for both new recruits and active-duty service members, and will make safeguarding mental health part of the core training for leaders, Defense Secretary Robert Gates' office told Congress in a report released Tuesday.

The report adopts nearly all of the recommendations sent to Gates in June by a Pentagon task force of mental health professionals, who called on the Defense Department to correct "fundamental weaknesses" in its approach to mental health or risk tragic social consequences. Those recommendations include improving access to care by hiring more mental health clinicians, "embedding" counselors in military units and primary-care clinics, and improving coordination between the military and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

But Gates' office cautioned that many of the reforms would take until May 2008 - or longer - to put into place, fueling concerns among some soldiers' and veterans' advocates that mental health problems and suicides among troops in Iraq will continue to climb.

But the Military is too late for many of the soldiers that are already suffering from PTSD:

Iraq Veteran Faces Charges

MANCHESTER - Fresh off two, back-to-back tours in Iraq, a troubled Marine reservist faced a judge Wednesday on charges of pointing a loaded shotgun at his girlfriend and throwing a knife at her.

With "USMC" tattooed on his neck, Riaan Roberts, 25, of Chestnut Street, stood expressionless before the judge during his arraignment in Superior Court in Manchester.

The charges against him, which include first-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree unlawful restraint and third-degree assault, stem from a bizarre incident with his girlfriend early Tuesday. According to police, Roberts insulted the woman, threw a knife at her and pointed a loaded shotgun at her in their Manchester apartment where officers found three guns - two shotguns and a rifle - four knives and boxes of ammunition.

snip

During the arraignment, prosecutor Anthony Spinella said he has sympathy for Roberts, but that Roberts was too unstable to be released from custody as a bail commissioner had recommended.

snip

McKinney later told police that Roberts has issues with civilian society and experiences flashbacks from Iraq. He recently told her he doesn't trust himself. She said he needs professional help for mental health issues but refuses to see anyone.

Read more...

For more information on PTSD:

Blaming the Veteran
The Politics of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) became part of the American vocabulary after the Vietnam War as its affects on veterans became widely publicized. Now, a new generation of American veterans are again victims of PTSD. This series explores the impact of politics on the funding, diagnosis and treatment of veterans suffering from PTSD. It examines the propaganda used to justify a reduction in benefits to veterans with PTSD and the effort to redirect blame for the ravages of war to the soldiers themselves.

Part I: Stacking the Deck - With trillion dollar estimates for the Iraq war, the Administration looks to cut costs, eyeing treatment for the returning PTSD wounded veterans.

Part II: Ration & Redefine - Redefining PTSD and substance abuse as moral/spiritual failings opens the door to cheaper unregulated, unlicensed faith-based "treatments."

Part III: Malign & Slime - Propaganda is used to stigmatize veterans seeking help, reduce benefits to veterans with PTSD and to blame the soldiers for their own illness.

PTSD Resources

Also: See tessa's diary on "Veterans Committing Suicide"

And in comment from snorwich at the MLN x-post of this diary:  "I just read a story in the Denver Post about a severely wounded vet who just killed somebody over a bag of dope. I will try to retieve the story; it was perfect for this diary." Tragically, snorwich may be correct.

Kick the Nancy Can

skippy the bush kangaroo takes a kick at the Nancy can and so can you:

i am nancy pelosi's earful and so can you! my letter

you are an embarassment to americans, nancy. representative stark spoke the truth. you can't get an impeachment investigation of crimes you helped hide for bush but you will attack a democratic representative who speaks for over 60% of the american people.

when the full history of american politics is known, you will be seen as one sad, easily maniupulated puppet of the bush regime.

There are many of us in the left that are tired of her gavel gazing when IMPEACHMENT, for the sake of everything this nation once stood for, has become an imperative...

Duck and Cover!

This is by no means a "Heads up!" I really mean "Duck and cover!" Like your life depends on it.


A word of warning to everyone in the area:

The Poughkeepsie Journal in New York reports that “Vice President Dick Cheney is coming to Dutchess County again to go hunting.” On Monday, Cheney is “expected to leave Poughkeepsie and head to the Clove Valley Rod & Gun Club.” No word on whether the Vice President will be drinking beforehand this time.

Dutchess County, NY, is next door to a good part of Litchfield County in Connecticut. And with the weapons that warmongering neoconservative idiot has in his arsenal we can never be too careful! There is nothing more dangerous than a hunter with a beer hat on his head and a deadly can opener in his hands...

Crimes Against Who?

Via TPM:

The metaphorical statue of L. Paul Bremer III has come crashing down. Today the Iraqi government formally revoked one of the Coalition Provisional Authority’s enduring vestiges — a decree of immunity from prosecution in Iraqi courts for U.S. security contractors.

“The cabinet held a meeting yesterday and decided to scrap the article pertaining to security companies operating in Iraq that was issued by the CPA (Coalition Provision Authority) in 2004,” government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement.

“It has decided to present a new law regarding this issue which will be taken in the next cabinet meeting.” Read more…

Has anyone contacted Blackwater to find out when they, err I mean, the insurgents will blow up the Iraqi cabinet responsible for these outrageous crimes against corporate entities?

The Liberal Journal said that "Yesterday, the USA Today reported that the terrorist watch list has grown to over 755,000 names. It has grown at about 200,000 a year since 2004. Now, the TSA is proposing that we get Big Brother's permission 3 days before we are to fly."

No word yet from the TSA about whether or not Blackwater mercenaries that have committed minor errors, like murder and massacre, will be on that list...

Epluribus Radio Tonight

If you are around TONIGHT (Wednesday, October 24), please join us again for another edition of Don't Hijack My Thread! at 8PM Eastern/5PM Pacific. Dante Atkins (hekebolos) will be our guest co-host tonight.

This week's topics are as follows:

• CA wildfires and "hating America"
• Dodd's filibuster of the FISA bill
• Talking turkey about Turkey
  
• Could criminal prosecution for Gonzo be a reality?

The link to tonight's show is: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/epradio/2007/10/25/dont-hijack-my-thread

The link to past shows for podcast or streaming is here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/epradio and you can check out Blog Talk Radio's progressive radio lineup at Heading Left (www.headingleft.com).

Info about calling in can be found here: http://political-nexus.blogspot.com/2007/04/want-to-call-into-dont-hijack-my-thread.html


The call in number is 718-508-9410

3rd Republican Flushed From Bathroom

WHOOOSH:

In what is becoming an all-too-embarrassing pattern, yet another conservative, Republican politician has been detained by police officers for "lewd behavior" in public restrooms. The Times Picayune reports 53-year-old Joey DiFatta—a councilman in St. Bernard Parish near New Orleans and recent candidate for the state senate—"has been stopped twice since 1996 for suspicion of engaging in lewd behavior in public restrooms."

DiFatta is the THIRD closeted, anti-gay Republican politician in as many months implicated in lewd behavior in public toilets. The other two are Idaho's Larry Craig and Florida's Bob Allen.

The newest revelations come one day after the father of two and grandfather of three withdrew from the 1st Senate District campaign due to "chest pains." The conservative Republican maintains there is no linkage between his decision to withdraw and the the Times-Picayune's revelations.

From the The Times Picayune report, as summarized from police files:

Kenner police issued a misdemeanor summons to DiFatta in September 1996 in connection with a peeping Tom incident in a men's bathroom at the former Mervyn's department store at The Esplanade mall, according to a Kenner Police Department incident report obtained by The Times-Picayune.

The report states that DiFatta watched a man use the bathroom while peering through a hole in a bathroom stall. The man held DiFatta until police arrived, at which time he was issued the misdemeanor summons and ordered to appear in court.

DiFatta said the man eventually withdrew his complaint, and the case was dismissed. A spokeswoman for the Kenner Police Department said the record was expunged.

Tapping foot in stall

In the second incident, Jefferson Parish deputies working an undercover detail in a men's bathroom at Dillard's at Lakeside Shopping Center in March 2000 stopped DiFatta after he indicated a desire to engage in sex with an undercover deputy in an adjoining bathroom stall, according to an interoffice memorandum written by Sgt. Keith Conley, one of the deputies involved in the investigation.

The report said DiFatta slid his foot into the deputy's stall and tapped the deputy's foot. In the report, Conley noted that such activity is common among men to indicate a willingness to participate in sex.

The deputy inside the stall, Detective Wayne Couvillion, responded by tapping his foot, and DiFatta reached under the partition and began to rub the deputy's leg, the report states.

The detective asked DiFatta, "What do you want?" according to the report, and he replied, "I want to play with you."

Difatta denies doing anything wrong. Likely, he will deny being a closeted-self-loathing-anti-gay Republican, as well.

I am thinking that I may have to add a "Republican Bathroom Sex" tag to my posts to keep track of all of their odd Republican Family Values behaviour.

Have you seen this girl?

Just a public service announcement in the hopes of helping this New Milford family reunite:

Megan Roberts: Last seen Friday night, October 12, 2007 in New Milford, CT with Kenton Dow, purportedly of San Diego, California. Megan may be in New Haven, Connecticut or headed toward Enosburg Falls, Vermont. She may be on hiking trails or walking along back roads. She was last seen wearing a long army green trenchcoat and black baseball cap. Megan has long, black wavy hair with lighter brown roots that may be tied up or frizzy. She weighs about 100 pounds, is 5 feet 1 inch tall and has no tattoos or piercings. She has grey/blue eyes and is light skinned.


Any information is helpful. Please contact:
the Connecticut State Police at (860) 626-7900 if you have heard anything about her disappearance.

[update]They have a different contact number for the police in the NewsTimes story:

Anyone who may have seen Megan is asked to contact the state police at
1 (800) 953-9949.

Jay Lewin's premature ejaculations

Jay Lewin, the juice box republican, always one to miss the mark when he spews:

Kostes, Kane Fail to Vote In Ambulance Barn Referendum

I guess it just wasn't important enough for them. Kostes, the wannabe Mayor, was probably too busy looking at himself in the mirror, looking for his socks or looking at his money. As for Council wannabe Kane, well, I don't want to go there.

It's always interesting to see who has the biggest mouth and then's a no-show. At the Rotary, Kostes went on and on about how the press has failed to help get out the vote. How the Town should use the internet to get out the vote. How there's too much voter apathy. And then what does he do?

The problem with these charges? According to the NewsTimes Kostes did vote:

"If I didn't vote, that would be an issue, but it clearly wasn't," said Kostes, who is challenging Republican incumbent Mayor Patricia Murphy and Democrat Larry Stillman.

Murphy and Stillman both voted in the referendum, according to the town's voting record.

When Kostes was alerted to the Web site report, he soon learned that when he voted, his brother John's name was marked off rather than his, Helen Cherney, registrar of voters, confirmed Monday.

Lewin did not mention that 17 other people among 57 currently running for office are listed as not participating in the referendum. They include two New Milford First candidates, six Republicans and nine Democrats.

Needless to say, Kostes ain't too happy about Jay running off at the mouth with typically GOP talking points... Being a GOP talking pointy head, Jay feels no shame in his premature ejaculatory claims:

As for how he selected the other non-voters he criticized, Lewin said his Web page "doesn't have to be fair and balanced."

Jay... You need to learn a basic fundamental of Blogging, and journalism in general, if you want people to take what you write seriously. Try contacting the people first for a comment on your assertions. Two minutes of phone calls could have easily kept you from looking silly AGAIN.

Blackwater Rebrands Itself

According to Think Progress:

Blackwater’s infamous logo — “a bear’s paw print in a red crosshairs, under lettering that looks to have been ripped from a fifth of Jim Beam” has “undergone a publicity-conscious, corporate scrubbing.” Branding experts say that the new look is “far less ‘kick your butt’ and much more ‘quarterly report.’”



Blackwater insists that it had been working on the redesign before the Sept. 16 shooting in Iraq that killed 17 civilians, but the new logo didn’t appear on the company’s website until afterward.

With recent allegations of Tax Fraud and Blackwaters futile attempts to deflect from the facts (Check the comments threads there), this re-branding effort will not help Blackwater much considering the other problems they have created by killing innocent Iraqis and stealing airplanes.

BAGHDAD, Sept. 19 — Iraq brought fresh criticisms of the private security company Blackwater USA on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki saying that his government had registered a total of seven cases in which the company’s guards had killed Iraqis.

A lethal shooting on Sunday that involved an American diplomatic convoy and left at least eight Iraqis dead infuriated the Iraqi authorities and has prompted them to threaten to evict Blackwater, the company that provides security for the most senior American diplomats here. On Tuesday, the United States Embassy said all trips outside the Green Zone had been suspended.

As for the Blackwater stolen airplanes scandal:

The security contractor Blackwater USA has tried to take military aircraft out of Iraq and refused to give them back to the country.

Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the US House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, in a letter sent to Erik Prince, Blackwater's top executive, said he had learned that the firm tried to take at least two Iraqi military aircraft out of Iraq in 2005 and refused to give the planes back when Iraqi officials sought to reclaim them, according to the Associated Press.

In other Blackwater aviation news they are being sued for crashing a plane and killing some US soldiers, including one soldier from the Nutmeg state:

A three-judge panel says a lawsuit can proceed against the operator of a plane that crashed in Afghanistan in 2004 and killed three Army soldiers, including one from Connecticut.

The contractor operating the plane, Presidential Airways Inc., is the aviation subsidiary of N.C.-based Blackwater USA. It was based in Melbourne before moving to North Carolina.

Three Blackwater USA employees were also killed in the crash.

Presidential had argued in an appeal to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta that the lawsuit should be thrown out, saying it was immune from prosecution because it was operating under a government contract.

The company also claimed that the lawsuit should not go forward because it would involve one branch of government reviewing another branch's decisions.

snip

Killed when the plane crashed into a mountain near the Iran border were Lt. Col. Mike McMahon of West Hartford, Conn.; Chief Warrant Officer Travis W. Grogan of Moore, Okla.; and Spc. Harley D. Miller of Spokane, Wash.

So much for their immunity in the US... At least in this case.

Of course, Blackwater is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to corruption and contractors run amok in Iraq:

The scandal surrounding the conduct of Blackwater contractors in Iraq is just the most recent example of contractors and criminals run amok in that ill-conceived war. Since the occupation began, the U.S. military and its contractors have relied on shady characters and even criminals to do the outsourced business of supplying the troops, delivering weapons and making sure the mail arrives.

One such wanted criminal, Viktor Bout, was paid tens of millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars while illegally flying transport missions for the United States in Iraq. Bout is the notorious Russian weapons merchant whose fleet of aging Soviet aircraft rivals that of some NATO countries in its size and capacity. By marrying his access to Soviet bloc weapons with his airlift capacity, Bout established himself as the world's premiere purveyor of illicit weapons to the world's tyrants-- a one-stop shopping source for everyone from Charles Taylor and his armies of child soldiers of Sierra Leone and Liberia to the Taliban in Afghanistan, from Jonas Savimbi in Angola to the FARC rebels in Colombia.

snip

Yet the flights in Iraq went on, at the request of Halliburton, KBR and others, on behalf of the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, until early 2006. Farah and Braun, based on flight and refueling records from Iraq, estimate Bout's companies may have flown up to 1,000 flights as a secondary contractor for the U.S. government. Each flight cost about $60,000 -- not a bad chunk of taxpayer dollars. Bout managed to up his profit margin considerably by having his pilots apply for and receive special refueling cards that allowed them to gas up for free when they landed in Iraq.

Using an Amnesty International report as a starting point, the authors trace a deeply troubling incident that, based on a July GAO report, was not unique. The GAO report found that tens of thousands of weapons purchased by the U.S. military and destined for delivery in Iraq remain unaccounted for.

Needless to say, with the very real possibility that these goons from Blackwater may be pulled from Iraq, you can just imagine how they might be re-deployed... Just imagine these gun-toting mercenaries kicking in doors in your neighborhood in the "War on Drugs"?

The U.S. Defense Department has invited five contractors to bid on elements of a new multibillion-dollar effort to combat the global flow of illegal drugs allegedly used to finance terrorism.

Awarded by the Pentagon’s Counter-Narcoterrorism Technology Program Office (CNTPO), Dahlgren, Va., the contract vehicle has a potential value of $15 billion over five years. One participant is ARINC, a Maryland-based provider of airline communications systems.

“This gives us the opportunity to bid on this work,” said Linda Hartwig, an ARINC spokeswoman. “We don’t have a lot of details yet, but we do know that this is an expansion of what [the United States] is already doing to fight drug trafficking, and that 80 percent of the work will be overseas.”

Hartwig said the other participating vendors are defense giants Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon, and security contractor Blackwater USA. Blackwater confirmed its participation, but the other three vendors did not respond to inquiries.

Private armies, airplanes, missing weapons, drugs, bush family, and always Iran on the horizon... What more do you need to know? Read the fucking writing on the walls people.

These mercenaries are nothing but trouble, and don't be surprised when the next Iran-Contra affair goes viral on the Blogs and, afterwards (as per usual), in the news cycle if we keep going in this circular direction...

Field of Flags

I thought that some of you may be interested in the fact that the Gaylordsville United Methodist Church in New Milford is currently displaying the Field of Flags. (Sorry for the lousy pics, but it is raining and not the greatest cam)


A message from the Connecticut church that started this memorial:

Members of the Memorial Garden Committee of the Somers Congregational Church placed 2,231 American flags on the west lawn, one for each American casualty in Iraq and Afghanistan. This “Field of Flags” was dedicated Sunday, October 23, 2005 with an outdoor service including the reading of the name and rank of each American casualty. This list, which was displayed on a sign in front of the Field of Flags was updated almost daily. Over 120 flags were added representing the continual loss of life since October 23rd. A notebook was available in the main lobby of the church building with the name, rank, town, state and date of death of each casualty.

The flags were placed to honor those who have given their lives in the conflicts and to show that those who have died and their families and friends were remembered in prayer at the Church. The idea for the field of flags came about as members of the Memorial Garden Committee considered what our church could do to show support for the troops. Each casualty reminded us of the danger, and increased the empathy we felt for the families of those who have died.

The Field of Flags had more impact than the committee envisioned with the media coverage and the emotional reaction from our community and beyond. People have come from towns across the state and out of state to see the flags and view the name board. Individuals and families have found the display to be quite emotional and comforting to know that their loves ones have been remembered. The Field of Flags remained in place until November 27. The Field of Flags is now at the Providence Presbyterian Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia. (ed. note: It is in New Milford now-CM1) We will pass the flags on to other churches that are willing to display them, keep the list updated, and add flags as necessary. We envision that church passing the display on to another church and so on, similar to a prayer chain.

If anyone knows of a church that may be interested in having the Field of Flags, they should call the church office (860) 763-4021. Additional information in setting up a Field of Flags may be found on our church website (www.somersnow.com/somerscong) under Field of Flags.

The Field of Flags was a silent, patriotic and poignant reminder of the cost of war. Each flag represented not simply one casualty, but all the family members and friends who have been touched by that life now gone. They represented our respect for those who have served and are currently serving in the military and our hope for peace in the future; for a time when no one is called upon by our country to give the greatest sacrifice. We ask that you keep all of these families in your prayers.

They may have started this memorial with 2,231 flags but, sadly, it has grown much larger since then...



For anyone that would like to visit this memorial, it is located in Gaylordsville just north of New Milford on the 7. It should be on display until November 9th. And be sure to sign the guest book located in the mailbox next to the list of dead soldiers.

Staring Down The ANTI-Constitutionalists

Earlier today TPM Election Central reported that Senator Dodd plans on putting a hold on the bill that would grant immunity to some of those ANTI-Constitutionalists that illegally spied on you:

Senator Chris Dodd plans to put a hold on the Senate FISA renewal bill because it reportedly grants retroactive immunity to telephone companies for any role they played in the Bush administration's warrantless eavesdropping program, Election Central has learned.

Dodd will send a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid this afternoon informing him of his decision. Dodd also plans to put up a page today at his campaign Web site where opponents of the immunity provision can register their opposition.

“Later today Senator Dodd will be sending a letter to Majority Leader Reid informing him that he plans to put a ‘hold’ on a bill that would provide for retroactive amnesty for telecom giants that were complicit in the Bush Administration’s assault on the United States Constitution," Dodd spokesman Hari Sevugan told Election Central. "Senator Dodd said that he would do what he could do to stop this bill, and with this announcement he has again shown that he delivers results.”

From Senator Dodd's campaign website:

The Military Commissions Act. Warrantless wiretapping. Shredding of Habeas Corpus. Torture. Extraordinary Rendition. Secret Prisons.

No more.

I have decided to place a "hold" on the latest FISA bill that would have included amnesty for telecommunications companies that enabled the President's assault on the Constitution by illegally providing personal information on their customers without judicial authorization.

I said that I would do everything I could to stop this bill from passing, and I have.

Read more...

Please note that there is no longer such a thing as a "Conservative Constitutionalist," especially in the modern day GOP. The real Constitutionalists are lefty Bloggers and activisits, as well as some Democratic politicians like Senator Dodd.

24 percenters in hiding?

It is bad enough that around half the voters in the '04 presidential elections were crazy enough to vote for the idiot that had already cemented the legacy of "WORST PRESIDENT EVER IN THE HISTORY OF THIS NATION"...

While 24% may still be crazy or dumb enough to support bush, they sure won't admit it in public around these parts anymore.

The number of Americans who believe the country is on the wrong track jumped four points to 66 percent.

Bush's job approval rating fell to 24 percent from last month's record low for a Zogby poll of 29 percent. A paltry 11 percent gave Congress a positive grade, tying last month's record low.

I haven't seen anyone in the last year that will publicly support the Child in Chief. Even the hardcore supporters I knew are hanging their heads in shame. Sadly for them, it is their shame too... They were among the crackpots that voted for him.

Real News on the Three Branches of Government

Apparently all 3 branches are willing to cover their ears and shout "La La La La La" while the foundations of Democracy disappear before our very eyes.