I first came across this story on The Drudge Report, it's on the right hand side of the page, under the banner: Former/Future First Daughter Knocks Down Question From Nine Year Old.. Chelsea Clinton doesn't talk to reporters. Then, Fox News got ahold of it: Cub Reporter Shot Down Chelsea Clinton refuses interview with 9-year-old reporter for Scholastic News Read it here, under Trying to Seal the DealYOU DECIDE: • Chelsea Clinton Brushes Off 9-Year-Old Reporter | VIDEO
Wow, 750 responses to this Fox News Story.
There was a video piece on this story that was on Fox's website. I watched it, the little girl didn't seem displeased that Chelsea Clinton didn't speak to her. The reporter kept trying to put words in her mouth, were you disappointed, don't you think she should have spoke to you, stuff like that, but the girl held her own. Now I can find the video, perhaps it will show up on youtube.
There is a bluebox on the right side of this page in the upper right corner just below the header.
It is titled, "MO Blog Rank, blognetnews.com" Awhile back, a blogger submitted my blog for inclusion on their ranking list. I don't remember who did it and what the criteria for being accepted to their ranking was.....I seem to recall faintly that the blog had to deal with political subjects. (Either I am THAT political or not that many people are political.) Anyhow, we signed up and linked to our blog. One week I was 15, a little later I was 11. I didn't pay much attention to it.
Here are this week's results: Missouri's Most Influential Political blogs Rank Blog Prev 1 Gone Mild 2 2 busplunge - 3 Life Of Jason 4 4 The Turner Report 15 5 Ozarks Politics 14 6 Blog CCP 17 7 KY3 Political Notebook 11 8 The KC Blue Blog - 9 BlogKC 18 10 Rhetorica - 11 Branson Missouri 5 12 100 Year Old Weblog - 13 The Source - 14 Tony's Kansas City 6 15 MPN: Missouri Political News 8 16 The 2 Dollar Bill 20 17 Arch City Chronicle News 16 18 24thstate.com - 19 Fired Up! Missouri 13 20 Missouri Political News Service 1
Blogosphere Influence Rating combines a variety of data sets to determine which blogs are most powerfully influencing the direction of the Missouri political blogosphere. The exact method BNN uses to calculate influence scores must remain proprietary in order to prevent attempts to game the system. BNN's methodology takes into account the fact that all Internet data is profoundly limited in its reliability by using multiple data sets that, when combined, reveal a fair picture of activity in the blogosphere.
Look how many of those blogs are from the Ozarks. I count at least eight of them. I am proud to be part of a non-structure that lets this old hillbilly with an opinion about dang near everything including politics and local happenings have a seat at the table.
I am kinda proud of being #2 in Missouri. I actually have a long history of being #2in Missouri. I was #2 to the bus driver, I was #2 to the guy who cures queers, Say, wasn't he the guy who cured....naw, this is way too much information, besides, it will probably come out in the election).
I was #2 when every kid counted, I was the #2 retired teacher, I think I was the #2 builder of bridges.
I'm pretty sure I was #2 to Bud Greve, Conley Weiss, Jack Ernst and probably half the school board in the mid to late 1990s, (and it was cool to talk #2 with the Plank while the board simmered and stewed.) I like to think Moses liked me in spite of all the bull#2 that was flying around.
I was #2 to my employer when I was no longer needed, I was #2 to those who no longer needed me.
But I was top of the hill to my wife, still am,,,,well most of the time, my kids, ditto. They're grown and got lives of their own. My grandchildren! They think I am the greatest grandfather in the world! Just this afternoon, the red headed one told the Grandma (who makes ramen noodles for the boys on demand - we buy in bulk and never run out) that he likes working with Grandpa because, "I never have to do any work, all I have to do is tell Grandpa what's been going on."
So, I am glad to be part of a one - two punch! It took awhile, but eventually it all circles back together. And I am glad to be here! And I am always willing to share my thoughts, on politics or whatever. The sixth grade teacher told the parent in a parent-teacher conference: "Jim has a wealth of information and is not afraid to share it."
I been trying to determine what makes a guy what he is. When I was in high school, my Dad and Father Wally Ellinger were on the board of MAMOS, which was a migrant worker advocacy group that focused on migrants who worked in the Bootheel. I used to go to the meetings with him because I liked to drive and Highway 60 in the 1960s was a fun road to drive if you were 16 years old. Lots of seat time.
All those hours in the car with my dad.....we talked , maybe more accurately, he talked and I listened. I was told once by a friend of his of the time he gave away his coat to a man who didn't have one. It was a cold and rainy night (should I have said "it was a dark and stormy night"?) and my dad gave away his coat to a man who was wet and cold and didn't have a coat.
I am not going to be like Romney and say I saw my Dad give this man his coat. But that story, and I have heard it now from people who actually witnessed the offering, is indicative how he treated his fellow travellers in life, with dignity and respect and a low tolerance for mendacity.
At the time, however, all my 16 year old eyes could see was that now there were two guys who were wet and cold. Today, forty plus years later, I get more than fleeting glimpses showing it is so much more than that.
And I know I am a lucky man. (Here I was going to insert a video of a: Emerson, Lake and Palmer--but the lyrics don't match, I don't die in the end. Well, actually I do in the end, we all do - that's what makes it exciting-, but the end is not near. I mean, I hope the end is not near. And b: Montgomery Gentry and his version of "Lucky Man." I googled the lyrics and,
Actually, I thought his lyrics were pretty good and could be adapted to this blog posting, except I don't have a job I hate because I'm retired. Well, I did have a job I hated (BTC) before I retired so maybe that counts?
Then I webbed over to youtube to get a video. It was then I learned the unfortunate truth. I don't like Montgomery Gentry. You see, I had never seen Montgomery Gentry sing one of his songs. I had only heard them on the radio. And even at that I wouldn't have known they were Montgomery Gentry songs if the DJ hadn't told the name of the recording artist. I had seen Montgomery Gentry on award shows and whatever,but I never connected the name to the face to the songs because I had never seen him sing. I just thought he was some cowboy singer who looked pretentious in that long coat and his hat pulled down low, like a mean old gunslinger.
Well, it's not that I don't like him, I don't like his hats. When I watch him on the tv all I can is the hat. It seems fake, artificial, like a costume. (I think I posted earlier about men and hats; Look here and look here.
You are just going to have to hear me say: "Thank you to all the members of the academy whose actions put me in the #2 spot, and especially thanks to those mental health professionals who teach us how to put stuff like this in perspective. I love you all."
01) Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.
02) Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.
03) Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.
04) Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.
05) Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Britany Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.
06) Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn't be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren't full yet, and the world needs more children.
07) Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.
08) Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.
09) Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.
10) Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven't adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.
There is a youtube video of Ron Paul speaking to evolution making the rounds---here it is. As far as I am concerned, John Paul II has the definite word on the subject:
"The Bible itself speaks to us of the origin of the universe and its make-up, not in order to provide us with a scientific treatise, but in order to state the correct relationships of man with God and with the universe. Sacred Scripture wishes simply to declare that the world was created by God, and in order to teach this truth it expresses itself in the terms of the cosmology in use at the time of the writer."
The 2007 Yellow and Black Plunger Awards will honor what I think are the notable and not so notable happenings, bloggings and peoples of my street, my city, my county, my state, my country, my world, my God, that's a lot of stuff.
Something attract your attention in 2007?, you got a favorite?, To send your submissions, click on "view my complete profile" (on the right side of the page under "about me" and click on email.
NSFW (Not Safe For Work) entries will be posted on OzarkOffbeat.
"As always, should you or any of your IM Force be caught or killed, the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. This recording will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Jim."
We posted the following back on Sunday, May 06, 2007.
First BJ and Tony Messenger had a discussion about term limits. Marsh wants to run to represent his district again, but term limits won't let him do it. He believes the law should be tossed out. "I'm gung ho about this," Marsh said. "I think term limits are wrong."
Then BJ has a far reaching conversation with Dave Catonese on his KY3 Political Blog.
Catonese mentions BJ's attendance problems in Jefferson City, only ever so slightly. When Democrats mention his attendance, BJ brings up his deceased wife's health problems, his son running into the wall at Greenwood (actually that year BJ had one of his best attendance records in the legislature), and his own health problems.
BJ is a nice guy. If I ever wanted to take a bus trip, I'd want him to be the driver, no, not the driver, BJ has too many health problems to be trusted driving a bus, but the tour guide, the guy who sits on the jump seat and tells jokes to the tourists. That's what I want BJ to be doing.
BJ's up to something, you can't feed at the public trough for as long as he has and not want it to continue.
Dave Catonese, over at the KY3 Political Blog, posted this posting December 26, 2007: B.J. Marsh Unleashed!
PLANS 2010 STATE SENATE RUN "I'll jump in and spoil things" ON BLUNT'S RE-ELECTION CHANCES: "50% and under" HOPING FOR HUCKABEE WIN "Because Blunt and Jetton are for Romney" There's probably no juicier political interview in the Ozarks than Rep. B.J. Marsh. The maverick moderate Republican, who has been saddled with health problems and missed countless important votes in Jefferson City, likes to say he "tells it like it is." The fact that he's term-limited in the House after 2008, means his loose lips seem even a bit looser these days. In a wide-ranging interview Wednesday, Rep. Marsh told the KY3 Political Notebook he's almost certain he'll run for Sen. Norma Champion's District 30 Senate seat when it opens up in 2010. He has already filed official campaign papers for the run, but isn't yet settled on if he'll run as a Republican or independent. "I'll jump in and spoil things," Marsh said with a laugh via telephone, as he makes his annual trek out to the Rose Bowl in California. "If they put up 5 ultra-conservative pro-life candidates, I'll jump in as a moderate and win the thing. If not, I'll run as an independent. Just depends what things look like." Marsh also predicted he could see lawmakers take up the touchy issue of term-limits this year. He said there may be some movement to do away with them altogether or extend them to 18 years. The #136th district representative also questioned the time his Republican Governor has left in office. Marsh said Matt Blunt's re-election chances are "50% and under." He cited the Medicaid cuts and the recent Scott Eckersley scandal as the main reasons. "When I'm on a tour bus, he's not carrying over 30% of my bus," said Marsh, who runs a travel business that specializes in bus tours for seniors. "These are voters 50 and older, and he's just not very popular. They think he's hurt a lot of people." On the 2008 presidential field, Marsh said he likes Mike Huckabee, Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton. In that order. He said he likes Giuliani's moderation but also admires Huckabee's candor with the media. "He just says it like it is," Marsh said. He said he certainly would not vote for Mitt Romney, because he doesn't trust him. "In the general, I'm not passed going with Hillary. I'd vote for Hillary over Romney," Marsh said. Still, he said he's probably vote for Giuliani or Huckabee over Clinton. He's especially rooting for Huckabee to knock off Romney in Iowa. Why? "Because (Matt) Blunt and (Rod) Jetton are for Romney," he replied. The Republican establishment must despise Marsh, or maybe they roll their eyes and don't take him seriously. Marsh has been labeled as ego-centric, lazy . . . and worse by his critics. But you can bet they start to take him a bit more seriously if he follows through with his promise to shake-up the 2010 State Senate race in District 30. Independent candidacies are longshots everywhere -- but a rift in the G.O.P. slice of the pie has the potential to transform a reliably Republican district into a barnburner.
I'll bet Bob Dixon is saying a few choice words this evening. Dixon and Marsh split the Republican vote and Lampe wins the seat.
Mike Schilling made this comment on my May 6, 2007 post:
The fulminating by B.J. Marsh over term limits shows how selfishly craven is his need for the taxpayer teat, his only real motive for being in elected office. I wonder if it ever occurs to him as to why his constituents would want him around any longer, given his record of chronic voting absence? Marsh is just one more example of the pathetic state of public integrity in our representative democracy. And sadly, his self-centeredness is so pronounced that he doesn't appear to see the foolishness of his behavior.
In the spirit of disclosure: When Mike Schilling chose not to run for re-election in 2000, I filed for the seat on the Democratic ticket. BJ filed as a Republican when Mike withdrew from the election. You know the outcome.
If one is convinced that 2 + 2 = 5, then that is proof alone.
'Sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whisky bottle in the hand of (another)... There are just some kind of men who - who're so busy worrying about the next world they've never learned to live in this one, and you can look down the street and see the results.' Miss Maudie Atkinson
I received the following email this morning: Hi, I've been collecting Vance Randolph for a few years and last year I managed to acquire a copy of Hedwig. Unfortunately, it does not have a dust jacket. You mentioned one on your blog and I wonder if it would be possible to see a scan of it? I live down in Powersite (native of Branson) and will hit 58 this coming April :) Thanks for any info......
Sam, I am scanning a copy of the dust jacket and will post it on this blog. Vance Randolph is a wonderful writer and chronicler of the Ozarks. I wonder what his take would be on what Branson has turned into?
My wife and I own some of the original Brookside Bungalow Cabins in Rockaway Beach. I heard through the grapevine that the owners of Silver Dollar City are buying property in Rockaway so that a casino can not be built there.
By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press Writer VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI issued a Christmas Day appeal Tuesday to political leaders around the globe to find the "wisdom and courage" to end bloody conflicts in Darfur, Iraq, Afghanistan and Congo.
Benedict delivered his traditional "Urbi et Orbi" speech — Latin for "to the city and to the world" — from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, blessing thousands of people gathered in the square below under a brilliant winter sun.
Wearing gold-embroidered vestments and a bejeweled bishops' hat, or miter, Benedict urged the crowd to rejoice over the celebration of Jesus Christ's birth, which he said he hoped would bring consolation to all people "who live in the darkness of poverty, injustice and war."
He mentioned in particular those living in the "tortured regions" of Darfur, Somalia, northern Congo, the Eritrea-Ethiopia border, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian territories, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Balkans.
"May the child Jesus bring relief to those who are suffering and may he bestow upon political leaders the wisdom and courage to seek and find humane, just and lasting solutions," he said.
Beyond those conflicts, Benedict said he was turning his thoughts this Christmas to victims of other injustices, citing women, children and the elderly, as well as refugees and victims of environmental disasters and religious and ethnic tensions.
He said he hoped Christmas would bring consolation to "those who are still denied their legitimate aspirations for a more secure existence, for health, education, stable employment, for fuller participation in civil and political responsibilities, free from oppression and protected from conditions that offend human dignity."
Such injustices and discrimination are destroying the internal fabric of many countries and souring international relations, he said.
In a nod to his engagement with environmental concerns, the pontiff also noted that the number of migrants and displaced people was increasing around the globe because of "frequent natural disasters, often caused by environmental upheavals."
The pontiff delivered his message just hours after celebrating Midnight Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.
Benedict followed his speech with his traditional Christmas Day greetings — this year delivered in 63 different languages, including Mongolian, Finnish, Arabic, Hebrew, Swahili, Burmese, and in a new entry for 2007, Guarani, a South American Indian language.
As he finished, the bells of St. Peter's tolled and the Vatican's brightly outfitted Swiss Guards stood at attention as a band played and a crowd numbering in the tens of thousands waved national flags and cheered.
If you want to provide the people of Iraq with health care, police, roads, sewers, a new power grid and education, irrespective of cost, you are a fiscally sound conservative.
If, on the other hand, you want these same things for Americans, you are a tax-and-spend liberal.
Romney's Eyes Fill With Tears as he envisions a son dying in Iraq. Lucky for Mitt, that probably will never happen. Lucky him, but not to worry, his sons are doing their part for our country by helping get Mitt elected.
As I was sitting here trying to piece together my thoughts on City Manager's Bob Cumley's letter in the 12/16/2007 SN-L—He said what he had to say---, I received a phone call from Opinion Research asking if I would take part in a telephone survey about City Utilities.
One of the questions in the survey was how satisfied was I with City Utilities. I answered satisfied, but I qualified my answer. I told the pollster that the people who read my meter, fix the wires, drive the big white trucks and fix the sewers were, I thought, with dang few exceptions, doing an outstanding job.
Then, I told her that the people who make the decisions, the top brass, these were the guys with whom I wasn't too satisfied. As I told her that I was thinking of pumps, power plants and consultants.
Several other questions asked about various CU programs...one, easy pay needs to be simplified and not use a third party for payments, the others I had heard of, rebates, home energy audits, level pay. Other questions asked if I thought my electricity bill was too high, too cheap or just right. My CU was 80 dollars higher this month than last and my mother's bill was 50 dollars higher.
My thoughts on the city are the same. The rank and file who work for the city are doing their jobs without fanfare or celebrity. Because they are on the public payroll, their work and how they conduct that work on public time will be subject to public scrutiny. To me that is part of job. And, with dang few exceptions, the 1,600 plus employees of the city are doing their jobs.
I felt that auditor’s critical findings involved oversight of practices. And that oversight ends at the desks of the city manager and City Council. As Cumley said, "I want to make it very clear to citizens that our employees are working under the direction of management decisions and City Council policy."
The problem is not that there are 1,600 plus city employees making bad decisions and having "their named dragged out by the News-Leader and their work taken out of context", no, the problem is that the City Leadership has been asleep at the wheel and the auditor's report woke them up.
As to that leadership and their reaction to the audit, well, Samuel Pepys said it better than I ever could: “Methinks, I confess, he (they) did not seem so pleased with it as I expected, or at least could have wished..." 31 May, 1664
This is a portrait of King James I of England, portrait by Daniel Mytens (1621). . He believed in waterboarding and the Divine Right of Kings.... Funny how that runs together.
Further, King James I Considered Waterboarding Worst Of All Torture In ascending order of severity they were: thumbscrews, the rack and waterboarding. Waterboarding was considered the most severe of tortures. That’s right. Waterboarding was considered the most severe of the official forms of torture. Worse than the rack or thumbscrews. Our leaders however, equate it with swimming: And here's how you learn to swim:
1 True Love refers to God 2 Turtle Doves refers to the Old and New Testaments 3 French Hens refers to Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues 4 Calling Birds refers to the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists 5 Golden Rings refers to the first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which gives the history of man's fall from grace. 6 Geese A-laying refers to the six days of creation 7 Swans A-swimming refers to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments 8 Maids A-milking refers to the eight beatitudes 9 Ladies Dancing refers to the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit 10 Lords A-leaping refers to the ten commandments 11 Pipers Piping refers to the eleven faithful apostles 12 Drummers Drumming refers to the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed
And you thought it was just a song!. There is a lesson to be learned here: sometimes a cigar is just a cigar and a deck of cards is just a (you gotta know where this one is going--a tip of the hat to Cowboy Copas) deck of cards.
editors note: I deleted 11 different versions of the 12 days of christmas song because they were taking up too much band width and they weren't very funny either.
I've lived in Springfield since the summer of 1964. I've seen a lot of changes since then and it seems like I've been against dam near everyone of them. Red light cameras, iceskating parks, founders park, jordan valley park, crime lab, hillbilly silicone valley, where is the city getting the money to spend on all this stuff?
At the top left of this blog there is a box that says "search blog" type in "crime lab".
The saddest thing about this whole affair is that I consider myself just a little bit more interested in politics than the guy next door who is on the opposite end of the spectrum. I don't see black helicopters everywhere, yet, but I did question what was going on as all those crime lab posts reflect.
And all I ever knew was what I read in the paper.
Look at the 68 names who volunteered to be on the search committee for the new city manager. How many of those names did you recognize? Dang near all of them, I'd bet. Want to guess who makes the cut?
A while back a companion and I were having coffee and I said that city/county/school/utility/chamber/anythingtodowithgovernmentinSpringfield,the same names are everywhere, it is almost incestuous. He liked to spit out his coffee.
Two things happened this past week that seem to reflect our elected officials opinion of the citizens of Springfield. The first one was the audit and how everyone involved is now doing the CYA song and dance. Don't believe me? Just read the SN-L. The second one was the school board voting to build the new SW school in spite of declining enrollment....why didn't they just shift boundaries? Oh yeah, I remember, the consultant said not to do that until after the 2009 bond election.
What they do is they form a committee to get where they want to go and get them what they want (Vision 20/20, SP5). Or they will hire a consultant to tell them what they want to hear. And if you disagree or call them out, well you turn into an 'aginner' and eventually they all just end up acting like my old dog: he acted like he was listening to you, but after you said your piece he went and did what he dang well pleased.
There will NEVER be systemic change in Springfield's city government or school governance until it becomes easier for anyone to get involved in government. I am talking about more than volunteering for boards or commissions (see the above paragraph).
Who do we talk to about revisiting that requirement that it takes 500 signatures to get on the ballot for city council positions and school board positions. Heck,I know for a fact all it takes to get on the ballot for state representative is $35.00.
A former school board member told me the 500 signature requirement shows that a candidate is serious about running. I believed him at the time. Now, I believe it just keeps the riff-raff out---do the names Shikany and Slavens sound familiar?
Next election cycle, will we see the same old faces and the same old results? At one time I really thought I could make a difference but I couldn't trump curing queers. I continue tilting at windmills.
Busplunge was slowing down because of all the embedded videos. So, we started a new blog about a week ago where we thought we would post videos and such, Ozark Offbeat, with a nod of the hat to Hank Billings. We're starting sooner than we planned because all the videos on Busplunge crashed today and I had a hard time getting them back.
Ozark Offbeat will model after the Ed Sullivan Show, an extravaganza of entertainment, guests and other good stuff. Sometimes, we'll throw a little Lonesome Rhoades in there, too.
So head on over. If you got a hankering to, stop by E. E. Lawson's general store and pick up a six pack of Pepsi. When you get here, we'll sit on the porch and I'll really let you know how I feel.
Folks, draw up a chair and listen to me, it just doesn't get much better than this. Has your note come due on you house because somebody gave you a variable rate loan and the interest rate is going through the roof? Do you want to avoid being the first one on the block to foreclose? Are you wanting more than you got?
Huckabee reminds me of a resturant chain (Huckabee's) and Romney reminds me of Nash Ramblers. Here are two youtube uploads that feature Huckabee and Romney:
The auditor's report....where is all the documentation? The School Board.....approved the new school? The City Manager Search Committee....notice how many familiar names are on it?
Nationally, a CIA agent who did the waterboarding said Bush approved it.
Haliburton employees rape a halliburton employee,
I don't even know where to start,,,well, how about fighting those people who are against Christmas!
Sometimes you can stumble onto things by using the next blog tab on the top of the page. That's how I found men who look like old lesbians. Today, I clicked the next blog tab and found this blog: Tacos in the Bathtub
I have never put a lot of effort into my wardrobe. I don't even have a dresser because all my clothes fit into my nightstand, and almost everything I own came from a thrift store. It may be time to buy new clothes though. Today I left a sock on the floor and my roommate put it in the garbage can, not recognizing it as an article of clothing
And, on her new blog 5acredream, Sara tells how the ice affects her horses.
Unfortunately, it has been the Christian Right's blind support for President Bush in particular and the Republican Party in general that has precipitated a glaring and perhaps fatal defect: the Christian Right cannot, or will not, honestly face the real danger confronting these United States. The reason for this blindness is due, in part, to political partisanship or personal aggrandizement. Regardless, the Christian Right is currently devoid of genuine sagacity. On the whole, they fail to understand the issues that are critical to our nation's--and their own--survival.
As a result, George W. Bush and Karl Rove have made mincemeat out of the Religious Right. They have shown everyone that once you win the support of the Christian Right with rhetoric, you can get by with just about anything. Christians are horrible at holding Republicans accountable.
Hence, neocon Republicans such as Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, Mike Huckabee, and even Rudy Giuliani are all currently receiving fractured support from the Christian Right. However, you can mark this down: the Christian Right (with few exceptions) will eventually coalesce around whoever wins the Republican nomination--no matter who it is. You see, it's all about political partisanship. Principles are only something we talk about during off-election years.
Read the complete article by Chuck Baldwin, a radio talk host, syndicated columnist, and pastor dedicated to preserving the historic principles upon which America was founded.
Why are there so many songs about rainbows and what's on the other side? Rainbows are visions, but only illusions, and rainbows have nothing to hide. So we've been told and some choose to believe it. I know they're wrong, wait and see. Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection. The lovers, the dreamers and me.
Who said that every wish would be heard and answered when wished on the morning star? Somebody thought of that and someone believed it. Look what it's done so far. What's so amazing that keeps us star gazing and what do we think we might see? Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection. The lovers, the dreamers and me.
All of us under its spell. We know that it's probably magic.
Have you been half asleep and have you heard voices? I've heard them calling my name. Is this the sweet sound that called the young sailors. The voice might be one and the same. I've heard it too many times to ignore it. It's something that I'm supposed to be. Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection. The lovers, the dreamers and me.
Just waiting for the ice storm and thought it would be nice to post some songs about rainbows, well one specific song about a rainbow. Now I can't get the dang thing out of my mind.
A house where weekend swinger parties are hosted is seen in Duncanville, Texas, Friday, Dec. 7, 2007. For the past decade, the owner of this split-level home in a Dallas suburb, has hosted parties attracting as many as 100 guests. The festivities could soon be over. In response to neighbors' complaints, the city has outlawed sex clubs in residential areas. (AP Photo/LM Otero) Where do they park? The article states neighbors "are annoyed by the procession of cars that crowd their street on weekend evenings, or the flood of strangers who descend on the neighborhood."
You have to hope that this study is flawed, but the evidence seems irrefutable.
Several months ago, scientists at Europe's annual human reproduction conference suggested that the results of a recent analysis revealed the presence of female hormones in beer, and suggested that men should take a look at their beer consumption. The theory is that drinking beer makes men turn into women.
To test the theory, 100 men were each fed six pints of beer (8 twelve ounce cans) within a one hour period. It was then observed that 100 per cent of the men gained weight, talked excessively without making sense, became overly emotional, couldn't drive, failed to think rationally, argued over nothing, had to sit down while urinating, couldn't perform sexually, and refused to apologize when wrong.
No further testing is planned.
The first time I read this, I laughed and snickered. The second time I read this , I said I gotta post it. The third time I read this I thought some people may be offended by the second paragraph. I don't think beer has any female hormones in it. I partake in a beer survey every two months and they called me tonight. I asked the surveyer if beer had any female hormones in it, she wasn't sure but didn't think so. I googled female hormones and beer, and I can pretty well equovocally state that the survey is flawed, there are no female hormones in beer. To test my theory, tongiht, I drunk eight cans of beer. I anc relaet to yu that 1, i needdd to pee. w, i love you bro! WOOO BOOGY! Let's go danign! ! give me back mey jerk. call me a cab, i want to go home. i am home? well too bad for you! NOt all men are idiots, honey, ayyy who love s you baby? what do you jmena I shouldjn't post when I blog? is there any beer left?
The CIA destroyed videotapes it made in 2002 of two top terror suspects because it was afraid that keeping them "posed a security risk," Director Michael Hayden has told agency employees.
Rep. Jane Harman of California, then the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, was one of only four members of Congress in 2003 informed of the tapes' existence and the CIA's intention to ultimately destroy them.
"I told the CIA that destroying videotapes of interrogations was a bad idea and urged them in writing not to do it," Harman said.
In May 2005, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ordered the government to disclose whether interrogations were recorded. The government objected to that order, and the judge modified it on Nov. 3, 2005, to ask for confirmation of whether the government "has video or audio tapes of these interrogations" and then named specific ones. Eleven days later, the government denied it had video or audio tapes of those specific interrogations
Scott Horton writes in Harper's online that the Bush Administration has had a consistent practice of destroying evidence which would document serious crimes perpetrated with the connivance or consent of senior officials, particularly including acts of torture and abuse performed on detainees in connection with what President Bush calls the “Program.”
Others think Hayden destroyed the tapes because Rizzo said it was ok to do so. Remember Rizzo?
Gerald Posner suggests another possible explanation:
Re the breaking news that the CIA destroyed the videotapes of interrogations with 2 terror suspects, you might have seen that the tapes of the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah were destroyed.
You might also recall that in my 2003 NYT bestseller (reached #2), Why America Slept: The Failure to Prevent 9/11, my last chapter was titled, "The Interrogation." Based on two active US intelligence sources, I was the first to disclose Zubaydah's interrogation. To date, I am the only reporter to have printed the info about what happened to him.
Zubaydah, wounded when he was captured in Pakistan, was fooled in a fake flag operation to believe that the Saudis held him. Instead of being afraid of the ‘Saudis,’ he demanded to talk to three Saudi princes (one, the nephew of the King, who happened to be in the U.S. on 9/11). He gave his interrogators the private cell phone numbers of all 3. He did the same regarding the chief of Pakistan's air force.
After the U.S. told the Saudis and Pakistanis of Zubaydah's finger pointing, all four men had tragic 'accidents.' The King's nephew died of complications from liposuction at the age of 43. A day later, the 41 year old Prince named by Zubaydah died in a one-car accident on his way to the funeral of the King’s nephew. The third named prince, age 25, died a week later of "thirst," according to the Saudi Royal Court. And shortly after that, the chief of Pakistan’s air force died when his plane exploded with his wife and 15 of his top aides on board
When my book was published, CIA officials trashed it 'off the record,' but made no public comment. I have always held the same position. There is (or was) firm evidence of what transpired, of whether my reporting was accurate or not. Make the interrogation tapes public and then we'll know whether one of the top al Qaeda operatives accused leading Saudi royals and a top Pakistani military man - now all dead - of being his sponsors. And accused two of them – the King’s nephew and the Pakistani air force chief – of having advance knowledge of the 9/11 attacks. Now, suddenly coincidence of coincidence, the CIA says the Zubaydah interrogation tapes are destroyed. How convenient.
My daughter and her husband bought some acreage out in Lawrence County. Here is a description of and a link to her blog: 5 Acre Dream Chronicles of a Couple in Their Late Twenties as They Make Their First Attempt at, Not Only Being 1st Time Home Owners, But Also Managing 5 Acres and Two Horses on Entry Level Salaries. Will They Succeed? Tune in to Find Out!
Last week, in a blog posting about Governor Blunt and how he was "deeply troubled", we linked to a story about toad sucking:
(The toad has absolutely nothing to do with this story, I just had a neat picture of a toad and no place to use it. Incidentally, Constant Reader, were you aware toad sucking is illegal in Missouri?? That sorta puts a damper on our plans to take the bus to this par-tay!)
Today, the Springfield News-Leader ran a similar story. I don't believe I would want to suck a toad to get high. I know I wouldn't suck a toad to get high. I wouldn't kiss a frog either.
The SN-L story contains this quote:
While smoking toad venom might sound extreme, an even more disturbing method to get high possibly includes sniffing fermented human waste. Vicky Ward, manager of prevention services at Tri-County Mental Health Services in Kansas City, said she has read e-mail warnings about a drug called jenkem.
I was going to post about 2 girls 1 cup, but I only made it as far as this guy. I'll let the SN-L have the scoop on that one.
First, Do No Harm (from talking points memo): 12.03.07 -- 6:05PMBy Josh Marshall
I haven't had a chance yet to weigh in on today's news about the IC's apparent conclusion that the Iranians shuttered their nuclear program in 2003. But it's awfully big news. There's a secondary, though still very interesting question, of just why the NIE findings were released at all, and what intra-administration in-fighting might be behind it. But it shows us once again, for anyone who needed showing, that everything this administration says on national security matters should be considered presumptively not only false, but actually the opposite of what is in fact true, until clear evidence to the contrary becomes available. They're big liars. And actually being serious about the country's security means doing everything possible to limit the amount of damage they can do over the next fourteen months while they still control the US military and the rest of the nation's foreign policy apparatus.
I sit down at the computer and make comments on events of the world and people read what I write. How Bizarre. Sometimes they even comment on what I write. How doubly bizarre. Sometimes they even send me nasty emails about the stuff I write. As a tribute to all of us egotistical bloggers, I present the following: enjoy
Just in time for Christmas, the Larry Craig Action Figure. I had seen this several places on the web, however when I went to find a photo of it to illustrate this posting, I couldn't find it. I did find a possible rendition of Larry Craig: This started out to be a post about the Larry Craig action figure ("I am not gay. I have never been gay"), but the Idaho Statesman brought this line of posting to a screeching halt. The the December 2, 2007 issue of the Idaho Statesman:
More gay men describe sexual encounters with U.S. Sen. Craig Allegations made since news of the Minneapolis case broke lend weight to rumors about Craig.
Craig also is purported to have had sex with the guy who had sex with Ted Haggard. Small world.
But more troubling, Craig still doesn't get it. His denials to the obvious led the Idaho Statesman to dig deeper until the whole sordid affair raised its ugly head. Did the paper have a vendetta against Craig? Was Craig his own worst enemy?
Should we out gay politicians, like Craig, who are anti-gay? One blogger said this about outing as a political weapon::
I actually have no problem with outing politicians who sign legislation making it illegal to do things they do themselves. If a closeted gay politician signs onto an act that would exclude gay people from participating fully in society, then I suspect it's for political gain. He wants to keep his job. If he didn't sign onto the legislation, he'd not be elected next time around maybe.
So guess what? I'm going to let his constituents know he's gay. And I'm going to do it - yup - for political gain.
"The key thing is, with something like that is, you take the one sentence and turn it around and go on to another issue.Remember, you're answering the questions, you can talk about anything you want to."
SCARBOROUGH: We have to start with something that we all are talking about a couple of days ago where Karl Rove went on Charlie Rose and he blamed the Democrats for pushing him and the president into war. Is that how it worked?
CARD: No, that’s not the way it worked.
SCARBOROUGH: What the heck? Seriously, what the hell was that about?
CARD: Democrats pushed us a lot of stupid things, but they didn’t push us into war.
SCARBOROUGH: Yeah, yeah. You worked with Karl. Is that just Karl spinning beyond the White House?
MIKA BRZEZINSKI:Spinning out of control?
CARD: Well, Karl is very smart. He’s — sometimes his brain gets ahead of his mouth. And sometimes his mouth gets ahead of his brain.
Governor Blunt: "I am deeply troubled". The battle lines have formed and the war picks up right from where it left off a year ago. Today was the first victory in the the War On Christmas!From this day hence, it shall be known as the "Great Christmas Tree Take Down and Put Back Up Again". MSU University bureaucrats nearly ruined the Governor's Christmas. Not only is it outrageous, but he is deeply troubled!
Taking away kid's access to healthcare? Not troubling.
Ruining a man's reputation because he told you you were breaking the law? Not troubling.
Signing bills into law without knowing what you are signing? That's no big deal and it's not troubling.
But taking down a holiday tree, I mean, Christmas tree....NOW THAT IS TROUBLING!
(The toad has absolutely nothing to do with this story, I just had a neat picture of a toad and no place to use it. Incidentally, Constant Reader, were you aware toad sucking is illegal in Missouri? That sorta puts a damper on our plans to take the bus to this par-tay!)
JEFFERSON CITY - Gov. Matt Blunt today issued the following statement about Missouri State University’s decision to remove its campus Christmas Tree from Strong Hall, and its reversal of the Christmas Tree take down plan:
“I was deeply troubled by MSU’s decision to take down a campus Christmas tree. President Nietzel’s reversal of this outrageous decision by University bureaucrats was the only proper decision and I thank him for it. The historical underpinnings and meaning of Christmas cannot be ignored because some university office received a complaint.
“Today, I issued a directive to state agencies that no state employee will be reprimanded, cautioned or disciplined for saying ‘Merry Christmas’ to others. I strongly recommend that MSU as well as all other taxpayer supported institutions adopt my policy.”
Fortunately, the governor is not deeply troubled by women who dress up like those cute furry little white Easter bunnies you see each year. If you are confused, that is my intent.*In his mind's eye, Governor Matt Blunt (R-MO), also known as the "Mattster", sees himself taking down the taker down of the Christmas tree.
"Wait a minute," says the boy governor, "Nietzel---that don't sound like no American name like Plastered or Jetsoned!
"Wait a sec, was he the one who took the tree down or was he the one who put it up agin? I can't remember, Ed, help me Ed, where are you? (oh, I remember, nevermind.)
"Anyhow, I bet there's some foreign blood in his family tree? Yeah, that's why he took the tree down, it's a full frontal assault on Missouri values!
"Why I bet his bible only has one testament and it ain't the new, if you get my drift!
"I better get old Dee-W in here to attorney this and put the happy back in holidays...or is it the merry back in Christmas?
"Oh gosh, I hope this makes Drudge and Mitt sees it!
"Mitt, Mitt, see, I can be decisive, I can take on the serious issues without blinking. I got enuf grit to be a heartbeat away from the presidency. Gee, Mitt, I can do it, I promise I can. Please, Please. pick me, pretty please with sugar on it, pick me.
"Hey, maybe I'll give him some Missouri wine, that'll show him I'm a regular guy...
"Wait a minute, Mormons don't drink. I know, I'll give him some Missouri voters.
"Rod, Oh Rod, could you get Plastered and bring us some villagers to fill the ballot box for Mitt? Mitt and Matt, Mitt and Matt. What a great campaign slogan!
"Mitt and Matt, tit and tat, gosh, ain't life swell! Gee Mitt, I laughed at all your jokes, please pick me! My Dad can help us get elected, maybe.
*Everything in this post, except for the things that are not, is purely a figment of imagination, and in no way an attempt to disparage or mock the severity of the crisis that precipitated the news release.
Mathematically proven the Best Blogin Springfield and worrisome to Billy?
"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming...Wow! What a ride!" Melvin Trotter 1924-2006
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I've got opinions about dang near everything. Not only that, I'm retired so I've got the time to tell you them. I keep my mouth shut and my ears open and read a lot. Sometimes I add 2 + 2 and get 5, sometimes I add 2 + 2 and get 4. I strive to abide by the "Fina Philosophy" that "Old Lonesome George" espoused: Work hard, sell a good product, don't try to kid anybody.
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