Will More Troops Be Found Killed in Afghanistan?

This story about a missing Texas Navy Seal. I wonder how many of these military that called for help are going to turn up killed. How awful:

Navy Seal from Willis may be missing in Afghanistan:

A Willis family is hoping and praying their son is found safe and sound in Afghanistan.

Marcus Luttrell, a Willis High School graduate, is a Navy Seal.

He is believed to have been with ground troops waiting for help from a helicopter that never made it. All 16 U.S. troops on the special forces helicopter were killed when the chopper was shot down by insurgents.

Lt. Gen. James Conway said the military did not yet have a full account of all ground troops involved in the operation, although "we do not have any people classified as missing at this point."

He would provide no details when asked what was known about the troops on the ground that the helicopter was sent to aid.

It's being called the deadliest blow yet to American forces in Afghanistan.

Those Who Should Enlist !

New Way to Get Rid of us Liberals

I saw this at Orcinus:



A bumper sticker on an SUV parked among a crowd of cars out for a gay-pride rally in San Francisco.

Bush gets no Bump from Speech -- 42% Would Impeach

Acording to Zogby Bush slipped a point in approval ratings and 42 % would want to impeach if it was proven he lied about the war in Iraq:

President Bush’s televised address to the nation produced no noticeable bounce in his approval numbers, with his job approval rating slipping a point from a week ago, to 43%, in the latest Zogby International poll. And, in a sign of continuing polarization, more than two-in-five voters (42%) say they would favor impeachment proceedings if it is found the President misled the nation about his reasons for going to war with Iraq.

Zogby Poll

'Wingnut' of the Day ~~ Michelle Malkin

Michelle Malkin is insulted by a school program aimed at teaching kids respect for each other:

At a time of war, when young Americans should be educated about this nation's resilience and steely resolve, educators are indoctrinating students with saccharine-sticky lessons on "non-violent conflict resolution" and "promoting constructive dialogues."

Peaceniks are covering our kids from head to toe in emotional bubble wrap. They are creating a nation of namby-pambies...Ostensibly, the program helps kids deal with petty meanness and name-calling from insensitive classmates. Not by instructing them in self-defense, mind you, but by inflating their self-esteem."

read the full nut-case op-ed:
Namby-pamby nation

Wes Clark

This guy is great, watch him take on Bill O'Reilly about torturing prisoners:

Wes Clark vs. O'Reilly

First Canada, Now Spain -- Same Sex Marriage Legal

Spain Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage:

The Spanish Parliament gave final approval today to a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, making Spain only the second nation to eliminate all legal distinctions between same-sex and heterosexual unions, according to supporters of the bill.

Front Pages

Neat site with the front pages from main papers of each and state and more:

Today's Front Pages

Canada OK's Gay Marriage

Canada will become the third country in the world to officially sanction same-sex marriage.

In a 158 to 133 vote, the House of Commons adopted Bill C-38 -- the controversial legislation legalizing same-sex marriage from coast to coast -- on its third and final reading Tuesday night.

The Liberals had the support of almost all New Democrat and Bloc Quebecois MPs for the vote.

full story:
Same-sex marriage bill passes in Commons

Strange Story of the Day -- Dead Fetus Removed from Boy

Doctors in Bangladesh say they have removed a long-dead foetus from the abdomen of a teenage boy who was complaining of stomach pains.
They said the foetus would have become the boy's twin had it grown normally in their mother's womb.
They said it was a case of an extremely rare condition where two foetuses are conceived as conjoined twins but one absorbs the other.

full story:
Doctors 'find dead foetus in boy'

Wes Clark ~~ "Take Action"

Dear Gingersnapp,

The time has come to investigate the Bush Administration's role in the prisoner abuse and humiliation that has motivated our enemies in the war on terror and endangers the well-being of our fighting forces.

Today, the reports of abuse and humiliation at detainment facilities in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Cuba are distracting the world from focusing on winning the war on terror. Although the military chain of command seems to have properly investigated the role of its personnel and held accountable those in the wrong, the civilian leadership in this country has failed to do the same.


Call on Senate Armed Services Chairman John Warner to investigate the Bush Administration's role in prisoner abuse now!

House Dems Look at Impeachment

This will most certainly go nowhere because the dems are in the minority but at least they are trying to do something:

Democrats are eyeing several parliamentary maneuvers to prod Congress into investigating the so-called Downing Street memo and other recently disclosed documents that they contend shows that the Bush administration manipulated prewar intelligence to build support for the war in Iraq.

Although any Democratic move will almost certainly fail in the face of vigorous Republican opposition, such maneuvers would constitute the first steps toward filing articles of impeachment, a bold step that some Democrats have left as an open question in recent weeks.

full story:
Dems target pre-Iraq war intelligence

DeMint Makes Lobbyists Cry over No to Stem cell Research

from Robert Novak:


In the office of freshman Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, lobbyists burst into tears Tuesday when they heard bad news about prospects for a bill they were pushing. That extraordinary reaction can be explained by the fact that the "lobbyists" were children.

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation sent groups of children, some as young as age 5, to lobby senators for federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. The children were in Washington to attend the foundation's Children's Congress. In order for any child to attend, each parent had to promise, in writing, support for the organization's stem cell research position.

The sobbing in DeMint's office came after a lengthy explanation by the senator's aides of why he opposes killing human embryos for research purposes. Another freshman Republican, Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, avoided dramatics by coming out of his inner office and giving the children a simple "No."

Bush Disapproval at High Point

The number of Americans disapproving of President Bush's job performance has risen to the highest level of his presidency, according to the CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Monday.

According to the poll, 53 percent of respondents said they disapproved of Bush's performance, compared to 45 percent who approved.

full story:
Poll: Disapproval of Bush at high point

Breaking News -- Supreme Courts Rules

-- U.S. Supreme Court rules Ten Commandments displays are not allowed at courthouses.

1/4 Million attend Gay Pride in Huston

I wonder how the Texas Conservatives liked this:

More than a quarter of a million people were expected for Saturday’s parade. The parade route took place down Westheimer in the Montrose area. The large crowds were welcome news not just for supporters, but for area businesses as well.

"I think it's great," said Gary Baumann with the Houston GLBT Chamber of Commerce. "It's incredible that people come out to see what we’re all about. It promotes will for our community. We're no longer the Montrose area. We're around the city of Houston."

This is the 27th year the parade has been held in Houston and some reports say it could be the largest ever. Even before the parade started, thousands of people lined the streets. Some came out of support...others out of curiosity.

full story:
Thousands come out to support Houston's gay community

How Do You Spell George W. Bush?

L - A - M - E ---- D - U - C - K

They're Losing

Last night my son and a friend came over to swim and stayed awhile to talk . My son's friend Joann is 23 or 24 years old. We were discussing the the 'crazies' on the far right and how they want this nation in their image. Joann said something quite profound I think, for someone so young. She said: "I think they are losing and they know they are losing." Then as an example she used how so many gays have come out of the closet and live openly in our society, something so many wouldn't have done a few years back.

If you really think about it, I think she is on to something. Like right here in my state of Missouri things have changed alot in the last 30 years. In the 70's we had blue laws here that forbid the sale of anything but gifts and souvenirs on Sunday. Into the 80's we couldn't enter contests because of the gambling laws. That has changed here now and actually back then it never even occurred to me why we had those laws.

Really look how far we have come. Roe vs. Wade, gays living more openly in society, the morning after pill, contraceptives, the right to die, test tube babies, stem-cell research, these are all things that the far right have fought against and are losing.

Thanks Joanne I feel a whole lot better now. I think you are right, we are winning and they are afraid.

Young "Chickenhawks" believe in War but don't want to Join Military

Young Republicans gathered here for their party's national convention are united in applauding the war in Iraq, supporting the U.S. troops there and calling the U.S. mission a noble cause.

But there's no such unanimity when they're asked a more personal question: Would you be willing to put on the uniform and go to fight in Iraq?

full story:
Young Republicans support Iraq war, but not all are willing to join the fight

Lady Justice Bares Breast Again!

Ashcroft Gone, Justice Statues Disrobe

With barely a word about it, workers at the Justice Department Friday removed the blue drapes that have famously covered two scantily clad statues for the past 3 1/2 years.

Spirit of Justice, with her one breast exposed and her arms raised, and the bare-chested male Majesty of Law basked in the late afternoon light of Justice's ceremonial Great Hall.

The drapes, installed in 2002 at a cost of $8,000, allowed then-Attorney General John Ashcroft to speak in the Great Hall without fear of a breast showing up behind him in television or newspaper pictures. They also provoked jokes about and criticism of the deeply religious Ashcroft.

BIG SHOCKER ~~ Suddenly all Dems aren't Liberals

Isn't it funny how suddenly all Democrats are not all Liberals. That's the spin from the "Rove" flap. All the spinmeisters out there are spinning that Rove wasn't talking about Democrats, he was talking about Liberals. What a joke! I have to wonder what the military that are dems and liberal think about his remarks?

6 Marines Die, 3 Female in suicide attack in Iraq

A suicide car bomber slammed into a 7-ton U.S. military vehicle in Fallujah, killing five Marines and a Navy sailor, Marine Corps sources told NBC News, adding that at least three of the dead were female Marines and that 13 others were wounded.

full story:
6 Americans killed in Iraq car bombing
At least three were women, worst single-day toll for servicewomen

Who is Responsible for Iraq War?

Rasmussen Report:

Survey of 1,000 Adults

June 20-21, 2005

Who was more responsible for starting the War in Iraq…Saddam Hussein or President Bush?
Hussein	44%
Bush	49%
RasmussenReports.co

I AM THUMBING MY NOSE AT:

1. The World

2. Global Warming

3. Poor People

4. Homosexuals

5. any Non-Christian religion

6. peace

7. tolerance

8. the Constitution of the United States

How to Make a Christian out of a Christian

<>Evangelicals Building a Base in Iraq
Newcomers Raise Worry Among Traditional Church Leaders

With arms outstretched, the congregation at National Evangelical Baptist Church belted out a praise hymn backed up by drums, electric guitar and keyboard. In the corner, slide images of Jesus filled a large screen. A simple white cross of wood adorned the stage, and worshipers sprinkled the pastor's Bible-based sermon with approving shouts of "Ameen!"

National is Iraq's first Baptist congregation and one of at least seven new Christian evangelical churches established in Baghdad in the past two years. Its Sunday afternoon service, in a building behind a house on a quiet street, draws a couple of hundred worshipers who like the lively music and focus on the Bible.

"......The way the preachers arrived here . . . with soldiers . . . was not a good thing," said Baghdad's Roman Catholic archbishop, Jean Sleiman. "I think they had the intention that they could convert Muslims, though Christians didn't do it here for 2,000 years."

"In the end," Sleiman said, "they are seducing Christians from other churches.........."

GOP Hypocrites

You know how the rethugs said that Senator Durbin put all our troops at risk by his remarks about Nazi's and the torture at gitmo. Well one has to wonder why they would be playing those words over and over again in a new ad if they actually believe that is true. What a bunch of hypocrites:

RNC Releases New Web Ad Highlighting Democrats’ Wild Rhetoric

in it :
[VIDEO] Dick Durbin“You would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime--Pol Pot or others--that had no concern for human beings. Sadly, that is not the case. This was the action of Americans.

Commenting on Blogs

Hey I just found out why I get so many "righties" commenting here, they have no other place to discuss their views but liberal progressive blogs. According to

STEVE GILLIARD:

"Anyone on the right who wants to get noticed has to start their own blog. Why? Because of comments. Most right blogs lack them. Which, besides moral cowardice, inhibits growth.... You have Redstate, which routinely bounces people, and the trogodytes of LGF and the see no evil crowd of Tacitus for comments. The rest may well be better off without them. Powerline's owners send back responses which would embarrass angry drunks. Imagine if they had to deal with posts on a daily basis?

Last THROES?

American casualties from bomb attacks in Iraq have reached new heights in the last two months as insurgents have begun to deploy devices that leave armored vehicles increasingly vulnerable, according to military records.

Last month there were about 700 attacks against American forces using so-called improvised explosive devices, or I.E.D.'s, the highest number since the invasion of Iraq in 2003.....

The surge in attacks, the officials say, has coincided with the appearance of significant advancements in bomb design......

full story:
Iraqi Rebels Refine Bomb Skills, Pushing Toll of G.I.'s Higher

Bush War Creates MORE TERRORISTS says CIA

Nice:

The CIA believes the Iraq insurgency poses an international threat and may produce better-trained Islamic terrorists than the 1980s Afghanistan war that gave rise to Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, a U.S. counterterrorism official said on Wednesday.

A classified report from the U.S. spy agency says Iraqi and foreign fighters are developing a broad range of deadly skills, from car bombings and assassinations to tightly coordinated conventional attacks on police and military targets, the official said.

full story:
CIA says Iraq is now a terrorist training ground

Shut UP Shrill O'Reilly!

O'Reilly Wants all Air America broadcasters arrested for treason

From Media Matters:
Responding to controversial comments by Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-IL) regarding the treatment of detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly said that Americans "must know the difference between dissent from the Iraq war and the war on terror and undermining it," and that "any American who undermines that war ... is a traitor." He then hurled this accusation at Air America Radio: "So, all those clowns at the liberal radio network, we could incarcerate them immediately. Will you have that done, please? Send over the FBI and just put them in chains, because they, you know, they're undermining everything and th

ey don't care."

Good Billboard

From Hard pressed Studios

Arnold Schwarzenegger Approval Rating

31

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger suddenly ranks among the most unpopular governors in modern California history, as residents grow increasingly unhappy about the action hero-turned-politician's budget plans and his call for a special election, according to a new Field Poll.

Less than a third -- 31 percent -- of the state's adults approve of the job the governor is doing in Sacramento, down from 54 percent in February.

Support for governor plunging, poll finds
Special election, budget unpopular among Californians

What Supporting Our Troops Means

This administration uses our precious young people as cannon fodder and expects them to pay for the protection they need when sent to a war that nobody knows why we are fighting:

John Tod of Mesa had been prepared to face Father's Day worrying about his son's pending date with the war in Iraq.

Then Uncle Sam stepped in with more disappointing developments.

Marine Pfc. Jeremy Tod called home with news that his superiors were urging him and fellow Marines to buy special military equipment, including flak jackets with armor plating, to enhance the prospects of their survival.

The message was that such purchases were to be made by Marines with their own money.

"He said they strongly suggested he get this equipment because when they get to Iraq they will wish they had," Tod said.

Total estimated cost: $600.

full story:
Dad picks up $600 tab to get Marine battle ready

Let's See How can we Help Those Poor pharmaceutical Companies -- I Got it Drug all the KIDS!

This is something every parent should know about:

A new plan by the Bush administration to test the nation's public school population for mental disorders and treat them with controversial drugs has raised an alarm among some medical science watchdogs and members of the mental health community.

The White House is expected to announce a mental health and disability initiative that recommends the screening and treatment of the country’s K-12 students. The plan is based on a Texas program a government whistleblower has called "a Trojan horse" for pharmaceutical companies.

full story:
White House May Be Planning Nationwide Program to Diagnose, Drug Kids

There is no Torture at Gitmo -- Yea Right!

I guess being beaten until you are brain injured is not torture. Gitmo's just a big fun frat house boys:

A U.S. military policeman who was beaten by fellow MPs during a botched training drill at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prison for detainees has sued the Pentagon for $15 million, alleging that the incident violated his constitutional rights.

Spc. Sean D. Baker, 38, was assaulted in January 2003 after he volunteered to wear an orange jumpsuit and portray an uncooperative detainee. Baker said the MPs, who were told that he was an unruly detainee who had assaulted an American sergeant, inflicted a beating that resulted in a traumatic brain injury.

Baker, a Gulf War veteran who reenlisted after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, was medically retired in April 2004. He said the assault left him with seizures, blackouts, headaches, insomnia and psychological problems.

full story:
Soldier Sues Over Guantanamo Beating

Whoa -- Chuck Hagel says: "The White House is completely disconnected from reality,"

Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel is angry. He's upset about the more than 1,700 U.S. soldiers killed and nearly 13,000 wounded in Iraq. He's also aggravated by the continued string of sunny assessments from the Bush administration, such as Vice President Dick Cheney's recent remark that the insurgency is in its "last throes." "Things aren't getting better; they're getting worse. The White House is completely disconnected from reality," Hagel tells U.S. News. "It's like they're just making it up as they go along. The reality is that we're losing in Iraq."

full story:
Hit by friendly fire

More From Rush Limbaugh the Big Fat Drug Addict

From The Rush Limbaugh.com store:

NEW! NEW! The Club G'itmo T-Shirt - What Happens in G'itmo Stays in G'itmo A MUST Have. Club G'itmo logo on front. "What Happens in G'itmo stays in G'itmo emblazoned on back." Available in Institutional Orange only in sizes: S, M, L, XL, XXL, and now in XXXL & XXXXL!

Sicko!

These Guys Just Won't Give Up -- Schiavo Cognizant

Where do these people keep coming from?

WORLD NET DAILY headline:

Schiavo cognizant
Analyst: 'It's possible Terri was aware of everything being done to her'

Challenging the assumptions of many analysts and news reports, an attorney who specializes in medical ethics cases points out the autopsy report of Terri Schiavo indicates the brain-injured woman might have been cognizant of her surroundings as her family insisted.

Jerri Lynn Ward of Austin, Texas, notes the report released Wednesday in the high-profile case states: "The frontal temporal and temporal poles and insular-cortex demonstrated relative preservation."

Just the Kind of Recruit We Need to Send to Iraq

Jon Alvarez is two months away from reporting to military boot camp training, but he has already been flagged by his superiors as a potential troublemaker.

Alvarez, a staunch Republican from Baldwinsville who enlisted in the Army Reserve in April, has gained notoriety for political antics that include hanging a statue depicting the likeness of filmmaker Michael Moore from a noose and accusing those who speak against the military of treason.

......On his Web site, www.pabaah.com, Alvarez invites people to create a papier-mache pig using pages of the Quran. Links show how to get a free copy of the Quran and how to make papier-mache.......

full story:
Quran contest destroys U.S.'s reputation

Boys are Stupid

Book Description
Girls, here it is—everything you need to know about boys: 1. Boys come from the Stupid Factory. 2. Boys are pretty much smelly and useless. 3. It is possible to have fun with boys, however..... 4. If you decide to keep a boyfriend, he will need to be housebroken.

and at the end of the book: remember there is always a rock.

I saw a discussion of this book on Connected on MSNBC. Apparently the author is coming out with a line of clothing and other items that promotes the title. As a mom of 3 boys I don't really think this is very funny. I do not see how this in anyway is going to instill self esteem in girls by telling them to throw rocks at boys. Maybe I am just being humorless here but I know for a fact that girls can get by with murder in school as it is. There were countless incidents with my boys where girls would do something then blame it on some boy and the boy would get into trouble because the teacher always believed the girl over the boy. I think you have to be the parent of all sons to see this too.

Gov Bush wants Michael Schiavo Investigation

Why don't they just leave him alone:

Bush Asks For Schiavo Investigation

Gov. Jeb Bush asked a prosecutor Friday to investigate why Terri Schiavo collapsed 15 years ago, calling into question a gap in time from when her husband found the woman and called 911.

Onward, Moderate Christian Soldiers

Excellant Op-ed by John Danforth former republican Senator from Missouri:

.....When, on television, we see a person in a persistent vegetative state, one who will never recover, we believe that allowing the natural and merciful end to her ordeal is more loving than imposing government power to keep her hooked up to a feeding tube.

When we see an opportunity to save our neighbors' lives through stem cell research, we believe that it is our duty to pursue that research, and to oppose legislation that would impede us from doing so.

We think that efforts to haul references of God into the public square, into schools and courthouses, are far more apt to divide Americans than to advance faith.....

full piece:
Onward, Moderate Christian Soldiers

MSNBC Poll

Take the MSNBC POLL

Did Bush Mislead America about the Iraq War

so far 94% said Yes

Wesley Clark on Fox

Ok I just saw Wes Clark on Hannity and Colmes and he put Hannity waaaayyyyy down. I am still in love!!! Thank you General Clark, I was really worried about you!!!!! I see he took the job on Fox to really balance it out. I wonder how long they will keep him with his liberal views.

The Downing Street Memos and Today's Congressional Hearings

I am sitting here watching the Dems of Congress have their meeting today about the Downing Street Memo. They are sitting in this itty bitty room because the rethugs wouldn't let them have any other rooms to have their hearing.

I have read all the blogs today who are in great spirits about this hearing and who think this is one step closer to getting Bush impeached.

It's not going to happen people! I'm glad Rep Conyers is doing this and thank C-Span for televising it, but who is watching this but us bloggers and a few dems who care about this issue. No one else cares and GWB is never going to be impeached. He could commit murder and he wouldn't get impeached. The dems have no power and the public does not care.

The only thing that gives me any hope is that history will show what that this administration was corrupt and abusive and grabbed power wherever it could. I hope Bush goes down in history as the worse president ever.

OH NO ~~ My Hero Joins Fox News!

Well I don't know how to feel about this. Maybe it is a tactical ploy to actually "balance" out Fox. If not I am sad he would abandon us:

Gen. Wesley Clark Joins FNC as Foreign Affairs Analyst

Heinz Takes on Santorum

Former first lady-in-waiting Teresa Heinz Kerry is devoting her considerable wealth and resources to routing paleo-con Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum in the 2006 election, sources say.

The sassy ketchup queen has made it a “real priority” to see challenger Robert P. Casey, Jr. unseat Santorum because “she believes Rick has ruined her late husband’s legacy,” says one highly-placed Democratic insider.

full story:
Heinz’s 57 Varieties of Vengeance

Bush Gets a Little Smack in the Face ~~ at last

In a slap at President Bush, lawmakers voted Wednesday to block the Justice Department and the FBI from using the Patriot Act to peek at library records and bookstore sales slips.

The House voted 238-187 despite a veto threat from Bush to block the part of the anti-terrorism law that allows the government to investigate the reading habits of terror suspects.

full story:
House votes to limit Patriot Act rules

If you Go Missing Make Sure You're WHITE!

Tamika Huston has not been seen since June 2004. She disappeared from the Spartanburg, S.C., area.

Tamika Huston's family reported her missing a year ago this week.

....Rebkah Howard, Huston's aunt and a public relations professional in Miami, tried to get the national media interested in the case. "I spent three weeks calling the cable networks, calling newspapers — even yours," Howard said this week.

Not much happened.....

Now, the disappearance of Alabama high school student Natalee Holloway, 18, in Aruba is getting lots of airtime on the cable news networks and morning news shows. Those networks, which drive such stories, are being asked a tough question: Do they care only about missing white women?

full story:
Spotlight skips cases of missing minorities

Don't Ask Don't Tell May be Overturned

This is a good thing but it is maddening that it took an illegal war that no one wants to die in to do it:

Critics of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy are gaining new allies, including a few conservative congressmen and a West Point professor, as they press on multiple fronts to overturn the ban on out-of-the-closet gays and lesbians in the armed forces.

As part of their strategy, opponents of the policy are now highlighting the ongoing struggles of Army and Marine recruiters.

full story:
Efforts Intensify to End Gay Soldier-Ban

Abuse of Power -- Rethugs won't Let Dems use Rooms for Hearings

I honestly hope that when the dems are in power again they will not act like this, it would be so embarrassing to be a part of a party that does this kind of thing:

In December, ranking Democrat John Conyers (Mich.) began holding “forums” — gatherings with all the trappings of official hearings — after Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) refused to hold hearings on topics Conyers requested. The forums have been held in smaller committee rooms, often with C-SPAN coverage and formal witness lists.

In a sign of how far relationships on the committee have soured, majority staff recently announced a new policy to deny any request from a committee Democrat for the use of a committee hearing room.

full story:
udiciary GOP pulls the plug on Conyers 'forums'

New York Post on Michael Jackson Verdict

Fox News Stoned?

I watched the Daily Show with Jon Stewart last night. He showed clips of Fox News During and after the Michael Jackson verdict.

One reporter says: "Michael Jackson wiped tears from his nose."

Jon Stewart: "How botched does plastic surgery have to be to wipe tears from your nose?"

Then as they were showing the Michael Jackson caravan leaving the courthouse Shepard Smiths starts yelling:

"Most people believe that you are a freak! This is wrong and you are a Freak!"

Now I personally believe that a pedophile was put back on the streets with that verdict but if I were an anchor who was supposed to be reporting the news from an unbiased point of view especially from a "fair and Balanced" news network that was a little over the top.

Terri Schiavo Autopsy Results ~~ Will the Crazies Shut up Now

Will the crazy far right apoligize to Michael Schiavo, I bet not:

An autopsy on Terri Schiavo backed her husband's contention that she was in a persistent vegetative state, finding that she had massive and irreversible brain damage and was blind, the medical examiner's office said Wednesday. It also found no evidence that she was strangled or otherwise abused.

Also this for those crazies bringing in glasses of water:

....He said that after her feeding tube was removed, she would not have been able to eat or drink if she had been given food by mouth, as her parents requested.

"Removal of her feeding tube would have resulted in her death whether she was fed or hydrated by mouth or not," Thogmartin told reporters........

full story:
Schiavo Autopsy Shows Massive Brain Damage

GOP Worried over Dubya's Problems

From a tip by Melissa:

Fearing that President Bush's political problems may become their own, Republicans in Congress and elsewhere are beginning to yearn for the good old days of seven months ago, when he had somebody to run against.

......Bush's poll ratings are among the worst since he took office, declining in virtually every category since his win over Democratic Sen. John Kerry. From his handling of the economy, foreign policy and the war in Iraq to his job approval rating and voters' assessment of the country's direction, the president's political scores are in serious decline......

full story:
Newsview: Bush's Problems Has GOP Worried

Sig Heil?

Canadians Believe Bush and Bin Laden both Threats

This is sad and quite scary to think other countries see us like this:

TORONTO -- Canadians believe U.S. President George W. Bush is almost as great a threat to our national security as Osama bin Laden, according to a government opinion poll obtained by the National Post.

The 1,500 people contacted for the poll, conducted last February for the Department of National Defence, listed "International Organized Crime" as the top danger, with 38 per cent ranking it as a great threat to security concern and another 50 per cent listing it as moderate.

But tied for second in the poll were "U.S. Foreign Policy" and "Terrorism," with 37 per cent rating it a great risk. Just behind those worries came "Climate Change and Global Warming."

full story:
Canadians see Bush, bin Laden as national security threats

On Righting a Wrong

In 2005 the senate is finally apoligizing for not passing anti-lynching laws but there are still senators not signing on to the proposal:

Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Robert Bennett (R-UT)
Thad Cochran (R-MS)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Michael Crapo (R-ID)
Michael Enzi (R-WY)
Chuck Grassley (R-ID)
Judd Gregg (R-NH)
Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Trent Lott (R-MS)
Kay Hutchison (R-TX
Richard Shelby (R-AL)
John Sununu (R-NH)
Craig Thomas (R-WY)
Jon Kyl (R-AZ)

Strange Fruit
Southern trees bear a strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black body swinging in the Southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.
From Billie Holiday's 1938 song "Strange Fruit"

Americablog has the full story

King George the 1st?

Ok I either commit suicide or find a new country:

Republicans have officially started the the campaign to amend the Constitution by repealing the 22nd Amendment - the one that confines the President to two terms. If the Republicans hold their current strength, or increase it, in the 2006 Congressional elections, expect this measure to pass allowing Bush to remain President...

full story:
Bush for Life: GOP introduces new bill to Congress

It's HARD WORK

Cindy Sheehan is the mother of a son killed in Iraq:

Sheehan ridiculed Bush for saying that it's "hard work" comforting the widow of a soldier who's been killed in Iraq.

"Hard work is seeing your son's murder on CNN one Sunday evening while you're enjoying the last supper you'll ever truly enjoy again. Hard work is having three military officers come to your house a few hours later to confirm the aforementioned murder of your son, your first-born, your kind and gentle sweet baby. Hard work is burying your child 46 days before his 25th birthday. Hard work is holding your other three children as they lower the body of their big (brother) into the ground. Hard work is not jumping in the grave with him and having the earth cover you both," she said.

Since her son's death, Sheehan has made opposition to the Bush administration a full-time job.

"We're watching you very carefully and we're going to do everything in our power to have you impeached for misleading the American people," she said, quoting a letter she sent to the White House. "Beating a political stake in your black heart will be the fulfillment of my life ... ," she said, as the audience of 200 people cheered.

full story:
Mother of dead soldier vilifies Bush over war

Toddler Dies on Disney Space Ride

A 4-year-old boy died after going on a Walt Disney World thrill ride that uses centrifugal force to simulate the weightlessness, and often the queasiness, of a rocket launch, investigators said on Tuesday.

The boy met the 44-inch (112 cm) height requirement for the Mission: SPACE ride at Disney's Epcot Center park and his mother said he had no history of medical problems, said Orange County Sheriff's Cpl. Carlos Torres.

full story:
Boy dies after riding Disney space ride in Florida

Hmmmm Maybe DEAN was Right?

Freedom isn't Cheap!

via Crooks and Liars

Abuse of Power

The majority Republicans in Congress abuse of power has been bad, today it was quite chilling as a hearing was cut off right in the middle and the rethugs just turned off the mikes and walked out:


The Republican chairman walked off with the gavel, leaving Democrats shouting into turned-off microphones at a raucous hearing Friday on the Patriot Act.

The House Judiciary Committee hearing, with the two sides accusing each other of being irresponsible and undemocratic, came as President Bush was urging Congress to renew those sections of the post-Sept. 11 counterterrorism law set to expire in September.

Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., chairman of the panel, abruptly gaveled the meeting to an end and walked out, followed by other Republicans. Sensenbrenner declared that much of the testimony, which veered into debate over the detainees at Guantanamo Bay, was irrelevant.

full story:
GOP Chairman Walks Out of Meeting

GOP targets Elmo

From Rawstory:

The following release was issued by Senator Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ, this morning, following a sharp budget cut by the House Appropriations Committee to public television funding.

In response to Republican efforts to reduce federal funding for children�s public television programs such as Sesame Street and Arthur, Sen. Lautenberg (D-.N.J), a grandfather of ten children, sent a message to his Republican colleagues; �Pick on somebody your own size.�

Worse Than Watergate!

From Bartcop:

Lies and the Lying Liars that tell them

From Media Matters:

Sleazier than the Swifties? New attack book is filled with gay-baiting innuendo about Hillary's "embrace" of "revolutionary lesbianism

snips:
...Hillary Clinton is facing astonishing allegations that she 'embraced' revolutionary lesbianism when she was young and tolerated her husband's philandering because their marriage was a largely sexless political convenience...

...Klein claims 'the culture of lesbianism has influenced Hillary's political goals and personal life since she was a student at Wellesley, an elite college near Boston, from 1965 to 1969....

...There is also the explosive claim that Chelsea Clinton was conceived as a ploy to cover up Hillary's sexuality....

What a Bunch of Hypocrites!

I have gotten so sick to death of this "up or down vote" republican talking point crap. Now look at this from a republican:

WHILE REPUBLICAN senators insist on prompt votes for every judicial nominee, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) has placed a "hold" on President Bush's nomination of Julie Finley as ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Mrs. Finley is well qualified. Like many ambassadorial appointees, she has been a major Republican fundraiser, but she has also been a strong and active advocate in Washington for the expansion of NATO, the integration of Turkey into the European Union and the spread of democracy to countries of the former Soviet Union. These are issues that would be central in her new post -- and issues that Mr. Brownback also has highlighted. Mr. Brownback, a possible presidential candidate in 2008, as of last night was employing a parliamentary maneuver to block any Senate vote -- on the grounds that Mrs. Finley is pro-choice on abortion.

The move may please Republican anti abortion activists, who have launched a campaign against Mrs. Finley, demanding that the president withdraw her nomination. But the hold is repugnant, on both procedural and substantive grounds. If a filibuster is at best a controversial way of deciding policy, allowing a single senator to have effective say over whether to hold a vote on a particular presidential appointment would seem completely unacceptable.

What a hypocrite!

full story:
An Up-or-Down Vote?

Freeway Blogger Strikes Again

via Freeway Blogger!

A Moderate Conservative Supreme Court Nominee

I saw this at Ameriablog, about asking Mr. Cuckobananas to nominate someone who is a moderate consevative judge. I have not done any research yet so am not endorsing signing on to this idea. But if all is true on this site it would be a good idea. But does anyone really thing that our divider not uniter would really care what anyone thinks?

Meet Judge Prado

Judge Prado would be a Supreme Court nominee who all Americans could be proud of. He is truly a uniter, not a divider.

Ed Prado, a Hispanic American from Texas, has served as a District Attorney, a Public Defender, a State District Judge, a United States Attorney, a Federal District Judge and is currently a Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Judge Prado was first nominated to the Federal District Court in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan. In 2003, President George W. Bush nominated him for his current position on the Fifth Circuit and the Senate confirmed him 97-0.

Nominated by Republicans and supported by Democrats, Judge Prado has earned bi-partisan support as an extremely intelligent, moderate, fair-minded jurist in his 20 years on the federal bench.

Fascism?

Watch this disturbing video:

The 14 Defining Characteristics of Fascism

"Lactivists" Protest Barbara Walters

The calls for a "nurse-in" began on the Internet mere moments after Barbara Walters uttered a negative remark about public breast-feeding on her ABC talk show, "The View."

The protest, inspired by similar events organized by a growing group of unlikely activists nationwide in the last year, brought about 200 women to ABC's headquarters yesterday. They stood nursing their babies in the unmistakably public venue of Columbus Avenue and West 67th Street. They held signs reading, "Shame on View," and "Babies are born to be breastfed." Ms. Walters, who remarked a few weeks ago on the show that the sight of a woman breast-feeding on an airplane next to her had made her uncomfortable, said through a spokesman that "it was a particular circumstance and we are surprised that it warrants a protest."

full story:
'Lactivists' Taking Their Cause, and Their Babies, to the Streets

More on Howard Dean

From MY DD:

Breaking News: DEAN TELLS TRUTH...... again

"...a pretty monolithic party. They all behave the same. They all look the same. It's pretty much a white Christian party."


Update (Chris): Dean's comments remind me of something...

Howard Dean and White Republican Christians

Howard Dean said most Republicans are White Christians and the rethugs and media jump all over him. I just saw this on CNN:

Percentage of parties that are white Christian

Republican ~~ 82%
Democrat ~~ 57%

all of America ~~ 67%

Seems to me he was pretty close to right!

On Sex- Ed, Tax Money, and Lies

I am a very socially conservative liberal so I am a true believer in teaching kids abstinence but I am also a realist who knows that not every child will refrain from sex until marriage. I believe any sex-ed class should fully and completely include birth-control as part of its course of study. But spending taxpayers money on lies is outragous:

From Think Progress:

Ohio has spent $455,000 in taxpayer money to teach abstinence-until-marriage-only sex ed to students in middle school and high school. Dr. Scott Frank, a leading public health researcher at Case Western Reserve University decided to check out exactly what the kids were learning. Here’s the sex-ed information a half-million dollars bought for Ohio teens:

HIV can be transmitted through “tears and open-mouth kissing.”

Contraceptives are to blame for mental health problems in teens.

Taking the pill will increase a girl’s future chances of infertility.

Students should just “follow God’s plan for purity.”

Also from Cleveland.Com
Ohio's abstinence programs faulted:

Ohio's abstinence-until-marriage curricula contain false or misleading information about abortion and contraceptives and do not portray the risks related to sexual activity in a scientifically accurate matter, according to a leading public health researcher at Case Western Reserve University.

Dr. Scott Frank's 29-page report, due out today, also said that abstinence-until-marriage programs, aimed at middle school and high school students, perpetuate destructive gender stereotypes, provide little guidance for gays and aren't necessarily being taught by trained health educators.

"I was surprised at what I found," said Frank, director of Case's public health program. "Sometimes I found myself shaking my head wondering 'What decade are we living in.' "

Dear Media

From The Light of Reason:

....George W. Bush’s approval rating is now a full twenty points lower than Bill Clinton’s was on the day he was impeached. Dear media, that means you gotta stop referring to him as a “popular president,” and no less important, stop treating him like one. If you want to be wimps about everything, fine, just don’t blame it on his ‘popularity.’ Blame it on yourselves......

Bob Jones University bans Abercrombie & Fitch

Abercrombie & Fitch and its subsidiary Hollister have shown an unusual degree of antagonism to the name of Christ and an unusual display of wickedness in their promotions. In protest, we will not allow articles displaying their logos to be worn, carried, or displayed (even if covered or masked in some way).

Student Expectations -- Dress Code

40th Anniversary of Protected Birth Control

I see where Planned Parenthood is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Protected Birth Control. I had no idea that back in 1965 there were still states that outlawed birth control for married couples. That is unbelievable. I fear that is what the American Taliban would like us to get back to with the pharmacists who refuse to fill birth control or give the morning after pill to rape victims.

On June 7, 1965, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Connecticut law that made the use of birth control by married couples illegal with its ruling in Griswold v. Connecticut. PPFA and pro-choice supporters from the Washington, DC, area are celebrating the anniversary of constitutional protection for using birth control with an event on Massachusetts Avenue outside of DC's Union Station. The event will feature a giant birth control pill and pill pack, celebrating the "birthday of birth control."

Celebrating 40 Years of Protected Birth Control

Swift Boat Liars are Still Liars

I just wish Kerry had done this back when the Swift Boat Liars first hit. I have always felt that if he had fought back against the attack he would have only helped himself:

Senator John F. Kerry, ending at least two years of refusal, has waived privacy restrictions and authorized the release of his full military and medical records.

The records, which the Navy Personnel Command provided to the Globe, are mostly a duplication of what Kerry released during his 2004 campaign for president, including numerous commendations from commanding officers who later criticized Kerry's Vietnam service.

Many of the records contain praise for Kerry's service. For example, the documents quote Kerry's former commanding officers as saying he is ''one of the finest young officers with whom I have served;" is ''the acknowledged leader of his peer group;" and is ''highly recommended for promotion."

full story:
Kerry allows Navy release of military, medical records

Welcome to all My "Wingnut" Readers

Welcome to:

Anonymous
Your Mom and
You Like Dudes

I am absolutely thrilled that so many Wingnuts are reading this blog and commenting. They will become liberal, progressive moonbats if they keep reading "leftie" blogs. It lifts my heart to see how interested they are in democrats and what we think. Although by their postings I figured they will have to wait a few years to vote.

A mature post from Your Mom's Blog:

one stupid bitch

in case you want to see the website of one stupid bitch, go to

http://bluegalredstate.blogspot.com

she thinks we shouldnt be able to post whatever we want on our blogs. what a whore.

two words for you bitch:

SUCK IT!

posted by Your Mom at 10:55 PM

Aw Shucks: No one wanted to Sail with Bill O'Reilly

S.S. O'Reilly Sinks Before Leaving Port:

The Thomas More Law Center’s “The Battle For American Values” cruise with Bill O’Reilly
has been canceled.

An automated message at Corporate Travel Service, Inc. didn’t try to hide the fact that there was little interest in spending eight nights on boat with FOX News Channel’s top personality: Corporate Travel Service told Sweet Jesus, I Hate Bill O'Reilly, Intl. that the goal was to get 800 people onboard for a Caribbean fantasy week with O’Reilly. Even though the cruise was promoted heavily on The O'Reilly Factor television program, the Radio Factor, and O'Reilly's Web site, they sold only a fraction of the tickets available.

According to the Thomas More Law Center, the response was surprisingly poor. The organization ultimately renegotiated with Holland America Cruise Line in an attempt to pare down the expected guest list but maintain the event as scheduled. Sales continued to trickle in and finally, after two more negotiations with Holland America to reduce the group size, the event was finally scrapped.

Sadly, “The Battle for American Values" will be hard for Mr. O'Reilly to win if he can't manage to launch a single ship.

Warning Warning -- Sherk II has Subliminal Transgenderism And Crossdressing Themes

From the Traditional Values Coalition (Empowering People of Faith through Knowledge):

Parents Beware: 'Shrek 2' Features Transgenderism And Crossdressing Themes
Summary: The DreamWorks' animated film, "Shrek 2," is billed as harmless entertainment but contains subtle sexual messages.

Parents who are thinking about taking their children to see "Shrek 2," may wish to consider the following: The movie features a male-to-female transgender (in transition) as an evil bartender. The character has five o'clock shadow, wears a dress and has female breasts. It is clear that he is a she-male. His voice is that of talk show host Larry King.

....TVC's report, "A Gender Identity Disorder Goes Mainstream," explains the transgender agenda and the effort to deconstruct the biological reality of male and female. DreamWorks is helping in this effort by promoting cross dressing and transgenderism in this animated film....

full story:
Parents Beware: 'Shrek 2' Features Transgenderism And Crossdressing Themes

Whoa! Now That's Mean!

From Paul's Rants:



Apparently a real sign somewhere in Germany

If Bush Was a Girl What would He Look Like

funny page, also has Kerry as a woman--
If Bush was a girl - OMG

White Ho?

From Fishbowl DC:

MSNBC's White Ho Reporter


an embarrassing gaffe on MSNBC recently

Google Maps show the Stealth Bomber

Plant 42 in Palmdale, California

The Horribly, Terribly, Awfully Offensive Mammary Gland

Teen actress Lindsay Lohan's breasts have been digitally reduced for forthcoming Disney film Herbie: Fully Loaded, to avoid offending family audiences. Test screenings for the new movie, the fourth sequel to the 1968 film The Love Bug about a Volkswagen Beetle car with a mind of its own, indicated that some parents felt Lohan's character Maggie Peyton was too raunchy for a children's film. Disney technicians were forced to plough through numerous scenes - especially those showing the busty actress jumping up and down at a motor racing track, reducing her breasts by two cup sizes and raising revealing necklines on her T-shirts. Amused at her digital bosom reduction, Lohan says, "I don't know how Renee Zellweger kept swelling and shrinking for Bridget Jones. It's no fun. Bring on the computer guys."

from:
Movie and TV News

Newsweek..."Iraq has become a desperate excercise in damage control"

NEWSWEEK's Baghdad bureau chief, departing after two years of war and American occupation, has a few final thoughts.

Two years ago I went to Iraq as an unabashed believer in toppling Saddam Hussein. I knew his regime well from previous visits; WMDs or no, ridding the world of Saddam would surely be for the best, and America's good intentions would carry the day. What went wrong?

...Since April 2004 the liberation of Iraq has become a desperate exercise in damage control.....

...The most powerful army in human history can't even protect a two-mile stretch of road. The Airport Highway connects both the international airport and Baghdad's main American military base, Camp Victory, to the city center....

full story:
Good Intentions Gone Bad

Hate Crimes on Rise in US

Thank you James Dobson, Pat Robertson, Tony Perkins, Jerry Fartwell for your homophobic and xenophobic rhetoric:

A flurry of recent incidents, from graffiti to harassment, points to a harsher public discourse.

....A recent spate of hate-related incidents around the country has raised a troubling question: Is there something about the mood in the US today - perhaps spurred by Americans dying in combat abroad, plus the cultural and political war at home over issues like same-sex marriage, judgeships, and immigration - that is leading in some instances to threats and attacks?

For some, this has to do with race or religion. For others, it's homosexuality.....

full story:
National acrimony and a rise in hate crimes

SCOTUS Overturns States Rights on "Medical Marijuana"

How sad:

Federal authorities may prosecute sick people whose doctors prescribe marijuana to ease pain, the Supreme Court ruled Monday, concluding that state laws don't protect users from a federal ban on the drug.

The decision is a stinging defeat for marijuana advocates who had successfully pushed 10 states to allow the drug's use to treat various illnesses.

full story:
Court Rules Against Pot for Sick People

F DUBYA State Issued License Plate

Funny Ebay item state Issued license Plate from Washington State:

From the Description: "An actual government issued Anti Bush item. How rare is that?"
"This is an original license plate accidentally issued by the State of Washington."

"I had this plate on my car for 4 months before receiving a letter from the DOL informing me that they determined my plate to be "Offensive to good taste and decency."

See Actual Ebay Item

Pentagon Admits Koran Abuse waits Til Friday so it Won't get any Press

The Pentagon made sure this would be a non story by waiting until Friday evening to put out the report that the Koran had been abused at Guantanamo Bay. Unbelievable, after cowing Newsweek into retracting the story:

The Pentagon on Friday released new details about mishandling of the Quran at the Guantanamo Bay prison for terror suspects, confirming that a soldier deliberately kicked the Muslim holy book and that an interrogator stepped on a Quran and was later fired for “a pattern of unacceptable behavior.”

In other confirmed incidents, water balloons thrown by prison guards caused an unspecified number of Qurans to get wet; a guard’s urine came through an air vent and splashed on a detainee and his Quran; and in a confirmed but ambiguous case a two-word obscenity was written in English on the inside cover of a Quran.The findings, released after

full story:
Pentagon details mishandling of Quran

Don't Have any Supporters ~~ Use Someone Else's

from Politicssnj:

Separated at Birth?
Bret Schundler and Howard Dean

One photo was taken at a 2004 Dean for President rally sponsored by the American University College Democrats in Washington, D.C.
The other photo comes from Bret Schundler's campaign website, advertising Schundler's Reform Gear

Rush Limbaugh The Big Fat Drug Addict says Most Dems Don't Work

From Media Matters and the mouth of a "DRUGGY":


LIMBAUGH: The two to three big opportunities so far mentioned by Howard Dean -- pension portability and changes to election laws. ... So portability of pensions. What's the second one? Oh, yeah, Election Day a holiday. And well, you know -- I don't know why they need to do that. Most of their voters don't work anyway, so I don't know how that's going to help them that much. At least in a percentage basis.

Inching Toward Impeachment?

Although I cannot see this happening with republicans having the majority in Congress we are now hearing more and more voices on why Bush should be impeached:

Kerry To Push For Bush Impeachment:

John Kerry announced Thursday that he intends to present Congress with The Downing Street Memo, reported by the London Times 1 May 2005. As reported by NewsMax, the memo purports to include minutes from a July 2002 meeting with Tony Blair, in which Blair ostensibly said that President Bush’s Administration “fixed” intelligence on Iraq in order to justify the Iraqi war. In an interview with the Standard Times, Kerry said: "It's amazing to me the way it escaped major media discussion. It's not being missed on the Internet, I can tell you that."

The Boston Globe published an article by Ralph Nader, Tuesday, in which Nader also called for President Bush’s impeachment. The story is being carried on Michael Moore’s website and the Democratic Underground. Failed presidential candidate Kerry advised that he will begin the presentation of his case for President Bush’s impeachment to Congress, on Monday.

More on The Struggling Military -- Keeping the Bad Ones In

.....To keep more soldiers in the service, the Army has told battalion commanders, who typically command 800-soldier units, that they can no longer bounce soldiers from the service for poor fitness, pregnancy, alcohol and drug abuse or generally unsatisfactory performance. Typically such decisions are made at that level. Instead, the battalion commanders must send the problem soldiers' cases up to their brigade commander, who typically commands about 3,000 soldiers.

"Basically it is another set of eyes reviewing cases. It lessens the chance that we will separate people who might still make good soldiers," says Maj. Elizabeth Robbins, a Pentagon spokeswoman.......

full story:
To Fill Ranks, Army Acts
To Retain Even Problem Enlistees

Teaching the Fine Art of Propaganda to the New Iraqi Government

I was just watching MSNBC's Connected. Jim Maceda The reporter on the scence in Baghdad was reporting on "Operation Lightning" the take over of the city by the Iraqi police to rid it of insurgents.

According to Iraqi Officials the operation was a huge success: Iraq official claims success for 'Operation Lightning' (Iraq's Interior minister claims success for "Operation Lightning," the government's bid to root out rebels in Baghdad.)

But according to Maceda if you asked the man on the street, he would say there was hardly any noticibly difference. Maceda said it took hours of planning for him to go out on the street yesterday and do a 5 minute report without being harmed.

It appears the Bush Administration has taught the Iraqi government the Fine Art of Propaganda, an art they are very good at.


The Iraqi government says its forces are reclaiming Baghdad from insurgents. But some question the operation's effectiveness. NBC's Jim Maceda reports.

Full Jim Maceda report at MSNBC.com:
Operation Lightning packs little thunder

Recruitment is so Down Pentagon Delays Release of Data until June

The numbers must be really bad. The Pentagon has delayed releasing recruitment data until June 10th, probably in hopes that seniors graduating will inflate the numbers:

The Pentagon on Wednesday postponed by more than a week the release of military recruiting figures for May, as the Army and Marine Corps struggle to attract new troops amid the Iraq war.

The military services had routinely provided most recruiting statistics for a given month on the first business day of the next month.

Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said the May numbers for the active-duty and reserve components of the all-volunteer military will be released on June 10.

full story:
Pentagon delays release of May recruiting data

My Great State Of Missouri -- Rethug Matt Blunt cuts Health Care

Thousands of poor, elderly and disabled Medicaid recipients across Missouri are
hurrying into medical clinics and dentists' offices, hoping to get treatment
before massive program cuts take effect and they lose their coverage in July or
August.

Gov. Matt Blunt and the Legislature cut the budget and changed the law, so
fewer people qualify for coverage under the joint federal-state health
insurance program.

full story:
Racing to beat Medicaid cuts

Wingnut Quote of the Day -- 19th Amendment Bad?

From the Kansas City Star:
Quotes from Kay O'Connor about women's suffrage

Kay O'Connor, R-Olathe, a candidate for Kansas secretary of state:

"We have a society that does tear families apart ... I think the 19th Amendment, while it's not an evil in and of itself, is a symptom of something I don't approve of."

"The 19th Amendment is around because men weren't doing their jobs, and I think that's sad. I believe the man should be the head of the family. The woman should be the heart of the family.

(The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1920, gave women the right to vote nationwide.)

Hypocrite of the Day!

"As of today, California is going to be the leader in the fight against global warming, I say the debate is over. We know the science, we see the threat, and the time for action is now." -- Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger:

Democrat Moneybags shunning Dean?

If we are going to look like a unified party this isn't good. If the moneybags in our party are going to sit out because they don't like Howard Dean, that is no way to get us back into the political arena:


One hundred days into his tenure as the high-energy, higher-decibel chairman of the Democratic Party, Howard Dean is in trouble with party moneybags. The former Vermont governor seems to be doing a better job flaying the Republicans than bridging the cash chasm between the parties. Given Dean's 2004 run as a populist crusader, moderates were never wild about his takeover of the Democratic National Committee. So some big donors are sitting on their wallets.

full story:
Howard Dean's Raised Voice Isn't Raising Cash

Draft Fears

After 30 Years, Draft Fears Rise
Some Youths and Parents Worry Despite Government's Assurances

....Rarely in the more than 30 years since the draft was abolished has the Selective Service triggered such angst. Two years into the Iraq war, concern that the draft will be reinstated to supplement an overextended military persists.....

I know I have been worried. Being the Mom of 3 sons, two in their 20's and one who will be 18 next year. Over the weekend I found myself googling "entering Canada illegally." I have this terrible fear that they are going to evoke the draft by the time my baby boy turns 18 which is April, 2006. I will not have America sending him to Iraq for a war I neither believe in or support and believe to be illegal to begin with. My other two sons seem to think they will be safe because they will take the younger 18 - 20 year olds first.

My husband and I were discussing the alternatives we would have. Canada says it will no longer take American Draft dodgers, so to go there one would have to enter illegally. From the information I have been reading it doesn't look like it will be easy. There are now more border patrol and Canada has cameras mounted on 50 ft. poles. But they say it can be done.

We talked about going to Alaska and living out in the wilds where no one could catch us at least for awhile. I would miss my other two kids terribly and that part would be sad, but I will do whatever it takes to save my baby from this madman we have for a president.

I can't believe I even have to be worrying about this. We should be looking into the colleges he could attend rather than thinking about becoming fugitives. I have never broken a law in my life and now I am thinking of doing something this terrible is beyond belief even to me.

Snowflake Babies Program -- You Must Be Christian and Hetrosexual

The NYT is reporting that to get into this program you must be a "conservative Christian," hetrosexual and preferrably a stay at home mom:

.....Those conditions were fine with Bob and Angie Deacon of Virginia Beach, Va., who donated their 13 embryos after having twins and being discouraged from another pregnancy by a doctor. "With another program, to be honest with you, they could have been adopted by lesbian parents, and I'm totally against that," said Mr. Deacon, 35.

It took two and a half years to bring themselves to fill out the papers. On their forms, they said the adopting family must be conservative Christians and, ideally, include a stay-at-home mother.....

full story:
From Stem Cell Opponents, an Embryo Crusade

Whoops ~~ Fox News Slips Admits Bias

From Slate:

"Even we at Fox News manage to get some lefties on the air occasionally, and often let them finish their sentences before we club them to death and feed the scraps to Karl Rove and Bill O'Reilly."

Fox News Admits Bias

Congressman Conyers: "Where is Today's Deep Throat"

I just love this guy, he is one of only a handful of Congress and Senators to stand up and fight back against the secrecy and coruption of this administration:

Today we learned “Deep Throat's" true identity -- W. Mark Felt, the then Deputy Director of the FBI. As one who was a first-hand witness to Watergate, I can only state humbly that this man helped bring our country back from the constitutional brink of an out-of-control White House, and the entire nation owes him a debt of gratitude.

The lessons of Watergate are so telling and important today (see my blog for more) that it is eerie, not to mention depressing:

– Back then we had an aggressive press corps –- at least parts of it -– willing to take a story and run with it, notwithstanding blowback from the White House. Today we have a paid government propaganda machine and a largely compliant press, although we do have a blogosphere attempting to lead –- or shame –- the MSM into dong the right thing.

read the whole post:
Where is Today's Deep Throat