Friday cot blogging




Bush explains shooting of Italian journalist

From WhiteHouse.org:
Q: How do you respond to allegations by the journalist Giuliana Sgrena that their car was not speeding, and that American soldiers knowingly fired on them – essentially implying that this event was an assassination?

THE PRESIDENT: Well first of all, it's worth pointing out that "speeding" is a concept unique to societies that are built on respect for the law. So you'll forgive me if I'm a little hesitant to debate its meaning with someone from a country whose entire population belongs to the Mafia.

Now as for saying that US forces intentionally fired upon Italianos, that is simply absurd. Our boys are trained to use deadly force ONLY in circumstances where they have reason to believe their lives are in danger. And if there's one thing they teach you in the military, it's that no soldier in modern history has ever had any reason to fear an Italianer. I mean, what are they going to do? Suffocate you with their B.O.? (Snickers, Waves Hand in Front of Nose.)

But listen – in the end, it comes down to a question of credibility. Who are you going to believe? An all-American 19 year-old FREEDOM® FIGHTER, or some crazy old broad from a nation shaped like one of Condi's dominatrix boots? Bob, you're next.
11.3.05 15:30


Heraldblog apologizes to white supremacist community


Last week I wrongly implied that homegrown American neo-nazi terrorists were behind the murder of Judge Lefkow and her mother in their Chicago home. In reality, the killer, who committed suicide during a routine traffic stop in Wisconsin last week, was upset over the disposition of a medical malpractice suit.

Suspicion for the murders immediately fell on an American citizen named Matthew Hale, and his religious followers, known collectively as the World Church of the Creator. Heraldblog apologizes for insinuating that WCOTCers are rascist whackjobs capable of murdering a judge and her elderly mother. And even though Hale is practicing his religion in a federal prison, because he tried to hire an undercover cop to murder Judge Lefkow, Heraldblog was wrong to single out one rascist whackjob, and by implication, America's whackjob rascist community, for the Lefkow murders.

Furthermore, Heraldblog recognizes the many contributions made by America's rascist whackjobs during the country's long and glorious history. These contributions include the institution of slavery, by which the southern United States was able to compete economically with the more industrially advantaged north; the Ku Klux Klan, which trained generations of politicians, small town sheriffs and at least one senator from West Virginia; and AM talk radio, by which the majority Republican party is able to educate like-minded citizens by way of GOP talking points.

Seig heil, brothers. Let the healing begin.


Because I do everything I'm told

Especially if Matt Yglesias and Julie Saltman do it.

bold the states you've been to, underline the states you've lived in and italicize the state you're in now...

Alabama / Alaska / Arizona / Arkansas / California / Colorado / Connecticut / Delaware / Florida / Georgia / Hawaii / Idaho / Illinois / Indiana / Iowa / Kansas / Kentucky / Louisiana / Maine / Maryland / Massachusetts / Michigan / Minnesota / Mississippi / Missouri / Montana / Nebraska / Nevada / New Hampshire / New Jersey / New Mexico / New York / North Carolina / North Dakota / Ohio / Oklahoma / Oregon / Pennsylvania / Rhode Island / South Carolina / South Dakota / Tennessee / Texas / Utah / Vermont / Virginia / Washington / West Virginia / Wisconsin / Wyoming / Washington D.C /

Go HERE to have a form generate the HTML for you.
13.3.05 21:37


One in three approve of Bush's social security plan


The Washington Post this morning reports that 35 percent of of Americans approve of President Bush's plan to save social security, and 57 percent say the more they learn about the plan, the more likely they are to move to Sweden.

It's a curious thing, because the President has so far failed to advance any clear plan for dealing with the social security crisis, which, by the way, isn't really a crisis. The centerpiece of his rhetoric, private accounts, is little more than a thinking-out-loud sort of proposal that has even Republican lawmakers rolling their eyes.

Even more curious is why Bush would spend political capital on this turkey. Americans are more concerned about health care, education, and Hillary Swank's apples than social security.


News from Lebanon

Just World News is a great blog for anyone needing unfiltered reporting from Lebanon and the mideast. The writer, Helena Cobban, is a veteran mideast reporter.
Hat tip to Juan Cole
14.3.05 19:29


Republicans feeling buyer's remorse


Rox Populi says some of her Republican friends are feeling buyer's remorse:
Some of them are Born-Again Christians. Some of them are fiscal conservatives. Some of them are moderates who voted for Bush because they thought the Republicans were the best equipped to fight terrorism. One of them is a Republican blogger. To cut to the chase, they’ve all got “buyer’s remorse.” And it isn’t because of the bankruptcy bill, social security reform or the rise of the influence of the religious Right.

Perhaps ironically, they believe Iraq is FUBAR. And they started thinking that right after the elections there.
Man, I can't help but feel this is wishful thinking on someone's part, or the result of looking at one tiny piece of the elephant instead of the whole beast (a Republican is soft and squishy, like a snail!). But I'm still stumped as to how so many otherwise good, intelligent, well-educated people can line up so quickly behind a man who is none of those things.

Could it be, as Publius suggests, most Republicans just flat out like the ex-governor of Texas so dad-burned much that they'll follow him anywhere?
"For reasons that escape me, a lot of people in these states love the President. They just love the guy. I suspect it’s a mix of both a post-9/11 emotional attachment and an extreme dislike of liberal views on cultural issues. But whatever the reason might be, my fear is that too many people in these states will support whatever Bush supports for no other reason than Bush supports it. They’ll rationalize it as necessary to prevent the cognitive dissonance, but that won’t stop them from being loyal to the man for whom they feel an emotional attachment. Admittedly, liberals are often blindly anti-Bush on everything, but they are not as knee-jerk pro-Democrat as many conservatives are (pro-Republican that is).
My socially moderate Republican friends tell me they support Bush because he's not a tax and spend liberal. When I point out that he's more of a spend and spend kind Republican, they shrug their shoulders, and offer a half-hearted "Yeah, I know, and I don't like that either." But still they choose Bush over their vision of a Democrat, which is the straw man figure fed to them by right-wing talking heads. Democrats, we are told ad nauseum, want to expand the scope of government, raise taxes, and regulate business to the point where a feller can no longer earn an honest buck.

My guess is the unholy alliance between social conservatives and moderate pro-business types will fracture in the near future, especially if Democrats can advance a coherent, workable agenda that stands for something. Waiting, and hoping that things get more and more FUBAR in Iraq is not an option, and only plays into the hands of Republican operatives who delight in painting Democrats as traitors and cowards.
16.3.05 01:35


We have ways of making him talk


So Mark McGwyer won't talk, eh? Well, we'll just see how he feels after we tie a dog leash around his neck, and then force him into a naked pyramid with the Beloit Snappers! Still not talking? How about a little airplane ride - to Syria!

I have to agree with John at the provocatively named Blogenlust that there are far more important ways for Congress to exercise its investigative powers than grilling dumb jocks about which drugs they are taking. But one glimmer of light in these darks days of baseball's decline may come from the sight of Democrats and Republicans equally saddened by the sad, sad state of the national pasttime. And if there's one thing we can all agree on, it's that Bud Selig sucks. Big time.

And now Google lists me as the 57th website to use the phrase "Bud Selig Sucks".


Friday Keats blogging





To Sleep

O soft embalmer of the still midnight,
    Shutting, with careful fingers and benign,
Our gloom-pleas'd eyes, embower'd from the light,
    Enshaded in forgetfulness divine:
O soothest Sleep! if so it please thee, close
    In midst of this thine hymn my willing eyes,
Or wait the "Amen," ere thy poppy throws
    Around my bed its lulling charities.
Then save me, or the passed day will shine
Upon my pillow, breeding many woes,--
    Save me from curious Conscience, that still lords
Its strength for darkness, burrowing like a mole;
    Turn the key deftly in the oiled wards,
And seal the hushed Casket of my Soul.
18.3.05 17:33


Schiavo


Terri Schiavo was 26 years old when she suffered a heart attack, which stopped her heart for five minutes, which deprived her brain of oxygen, which left her in a persistent vegetative state. Since then another unfortunate series of events have made Schaivo, now 41 years old, into the latest poster child for the rollback of Enlightenment values: young woman fails to draw up a living will, doctors say further medical treatment is hopeless, husband authorizes withholding heroic measures to sustain life, parents of young woman object, local courts side with husband, Tom Delay senses political opportunity.

Republicans often chide Democrats for only complaining and never proposing solutions, but the Schiavo case is exactly that, only reversed, as Bark Bark Woof Woof posts:
The one thing that really bothers me about this case is that once again we as a nation have found a made-for-media story that polarizes an issue, glosses over the feelings of those involved and gives very little thought to the past or the future. Since when do absolute strangers with nothing but a political agenda get to inject themselves into the most private aspects of our lives? The rank hypocrisy of those who rail about "imperial liberal judges making up laws" then running to the courts for relief would be funny as hell if it wasn't such an old joke. And if the State of Florida or the United States Senate says that all people in her condition and who didn't leave written instructions must be preserved and cared for, who is going to foot the bill to pay for maintaining these human Produce sections? Did we not decide this issue decades ago in the case of Karen Ann Quinlan, and at that time did we not say that such a thing should never happen again?
The simplest way to prevent more Schiavos is for everyone to have a living will, from the age of 18 on. They cost nothing, and can be changed at any time. But that's not what the Republicans are talking about. They're focusing on "saving" one woman, in one state, under one jurisdiction.


Trial by legislation

So what are the implications of the latest power grab by the Republican controlled Congress? CBS News attorney Andrew Cohen likens Congress to a spoil sport:
Not liking a particular result in a case that has been litigated fully and completely by a court with competent jurisdiction, Congress now has said that the game must be re-done with new rules that heavily favor one side over the other. The implications of this move are astonishing. Just think about it. Anytime Congress doesn't like the result in a particular case, it could swoop in and call a "do-over," which is essentially what this legislation represents. And this from a Congress that has for a decade or so tried to keep all sorts of citizens-- including disabled employees-- out of federal court. If this law is declared valid, no decision in any state court in the country will be immune from Congressional second-guessing. It would throw out of whack the entire concept of separation of powers. The constitutional law expert Tribe calls it "trial by legislation" and he is right.
Up next: the search for feeding tubes of mass destruction.

Hat tip to Der Linkmeister

And one more thing

Mr. Gumby asks: How many of those Congressman who believe allowing gays to marry weakens traditional marriage are trying to strengthen Terri Schiavo's parents' rights to determine her future, at the expense of her husband's rights?

Indeed. This case can be dissected so many ways, and the end result will always be the same: rampant opportunism and sheer hypocrisy. Shame on the GOP. They might as well shove a feeding tube down Lincoln's throat while they're at it.
20.3.05 16:49


President Bush's feeding tube




Hat tip to Picayune

Now that a federal judge has refused to order Terri Schiavo's feeding tube reinserted, it appears that the poor Florida woman will be allowed to die in peace. There will be further appeals by Schiavo's desperate parents, but the overwhelming medical evidence indicates that the Florida woman's brain is permanently damaged, that she has no comprehension of her surroundings, and that withholding food and water is not nearly as cruel as Tom DeLay tries to make it sound.

George Bush and the Republican Congress have reached now lows in politicizing this tragedy. By shedding common decency, the GOP has managed to cast Democrats as cruel and uncaring, God hating freaks who are one slippery slope away from euthanizing anybody with the sniffles. Even though Terri Schiavo will be gone in two weeks, she'll be front and center at every GOP campaign rally in 2006, a symbol of George Bush's commitment to the sanctity of life, and the Democrats indifference to religious faith.


What the other side is saying

I received this email today, regarding the Schiavo case:
It is apparent you have not followed the story that closely.

First off the doctor that examined Terri after her collapse, there was bruising around her throat and several broken bones in her neck.  The doctor stated her injuries could ONLY BE CAUSED BY STRANGULATION.  The doctor was fired and a new doctor with connections to the police was brought in. NO INVESTIGATION BY THE POLICE OR DA WAS EVER DONE.

Terri has had NO THERAPY SINCE HER INJURY. the BULL SHIT that her husband took her to Southern California for treatment was another attempt to kill her.  The doctors said she should not be moved so Michael took her to Southern California, placed her in a nursing home for six weeks then returned her back to Florida. 

I think you are right she is brain injured but she is not brain dead nor vegetative. 

DID YOU KNOW WHEN THEY TOLD HER THEY WERE DISCONNECTING HER FEEDING TUBE SHE SAID, NO and started to cry?

Michael has two children by another woman and has lived with her from 3 months after Terri was strangled..........

When the paramedics arrived an hour after Terri's collapse, Michael was sitting on the couch with the TV ON. HE IS A NURSE.........

ALSO his story he gets no money if Terri DIES is another LIE, he gets $1 MILLION DOLLARS.  Not a dime of the money from the malpractice suit has been spent on TERRI, only spent to pay Felos to help destroy her. 

Michael fears with therapy Terri will regain speech and tell that he tried to kill her THAT IS THE MAIN REASON HE WANTS HER DEAD. 

Two days ago Ron sent out a link to a TV Interview with Michael, in that interview Michael stated, "Terri did not say she did not want to be kept alive on machines,THIS IS WHAT I AND MY FAMILY WANT. 

Also Felos, Greer, Michael, Shindlers and Terri have been subpoenaed to appear before Congress SO OTHERS WILL SEE TERRI IS NOT VEGETATIVE. She has been in this condition for 12 years so what harm if her death is delayed one more month or better put, WHO WILL IT HURT?

Medicaid has filed an action against Michael for Medicaid Fraud.  Hospice Rules states: "Person/s who enter hospice must have a life expectancy of less than 6 months." Terri has been in Hospice for 3 years and JUDGE GREER WAS A HOSPICE BOARD MEMBER OF THE HOSPICE WHERE TERRI WAS PLACED.  Now SWAMP JUDGE GREER is now a BIG OL JUDGE, he still has close ties and it is rumored he is more than closely attached to Barbara Sheen Todd, one of the owners of the Hospice Center. Don't you know if Terri Lives and the Hospice has to pay back Medicaid, they will go belly up............BECAUSE LIKE HOSPITALS, THE COST PER DAY IS NOT $150.00 IT IS $700.00.

I FOR ONE DO NOT WANT MICHAEL TO BE AIDED IN FINISHING HIS MURDER BY A JUDGE WITH MOTIVES OTHER THAN JUSTICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'

Now, there is allot more you don't know but before you jump on one side or the other, you should find out............

There's votes to be had here. Republicans are gambling that more people will vote Republican in 2006 because of the Schiavo case than will vote against because of Congressional medding. They're probably right.


World Water Day



I'll take mine with a splash of whiskey, please.

I've lived most of life in the Great Lakes Region, which contains something like one-third of the planet's fresh surface water, so it's easy for people like me to take clean water for granted. But over one billion people don't have access to clean water. One consequence of unclean water is diahrrea. In the US, it's a nuisance. In the third world, it kills millions every year, mostly children.
22.3.05 15:09


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