PSoTD

The All Spin Zone has the details.

If it takes a blue ribbon panel to study if Republicans close elections better than Democrats, then it would be worth it just to shut him up - as long, of course, as he isn't part of that panel or selection of it.

Don't we need a clearer term - and don't Iraqis deserve a clearer term for purposes of history - for where that "country" is today?

Unfortunately, we may be at a point where we need to more specifically classify civil wars to cover those instigated by attacks from another country. The term "Civil War" implies that the society pushed apart at the seams, rather than pulled apart by other-sovereign forces. According to Merriam-Webster, civil war is defined as "a war between opposing groups of citizens of the same country."

But Iraq isn't just that while we're there, and it didn't start because of those opposing groups. The U.S. and other foreign powers broke Iraq and allowed civil war to arise. It's unfair to Iraq to label this solely as a civil war at this point, a label that implies that this is solely their issue and fault that it's at this state at this point.

So we need a more specific term than just "civil war". Maybe it's Foreign-Induced Civil War. Maybe it's Exported Civil War. Suggestions?

Update: The Editors at BBC say that the fighting in Iraq defies simple categorisation.

We're having construction done on our house, and that means we leave the garage door open since supplies and tools and whatnot are being moved in and out.

For whatever reason, the UPS person who delivers to our house sees that as an invitation to drop off boxes inside the garage and not ring the doorbell. It's happened three or four times now, and it's no big deal except that one of these days something's going to get dropped on or buried with other stuff and I'm either not going to get it in a timely manner or it's going to be broken.

It also makes me curious as to if this is some sort of trespass. If they enter a house without notice I'm assuming that's not quite proper. Is an attached garage any different? Seems like they could get in trouble with some folks by doing this.

Not that it matters to me if they leave it in the garage as long as they just ring the doorbell so I know the package is here. Of course, I probably will have to catch the UPS delivery person in order to get that to happen.

I just discovered this blog, and I have to admit, I really enjoyed this post:

Corporate Blogging, Time of Death 7.17.06

Don't slow down the motorcade...

A HARARE motorist spent four nights in police custody last week for allegedly blocking President Robert Mugabe's motorcade.

Simba Mabasa, a driver employed by quasi-state organisation, the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) was arrested and detained at Harare Central Police station last Thursday after he allegedly interfered with President Mugabe's motorcade along Julius Nyerere Way in the capital. He got into hot soup because he allegedely failed to give way to the motorcade. The convoy was on its way from the Harare International Airport after the presidential party arrived from a Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA) meeting in Djibouti.

TIMB is a statutory body, which issues licences to tobacco auction floors, buying companies and tobacco contractors.

In addition to arresting Mabasa, police impounded the TIMB shuttle bus that he was driving after ordering all passengers to disembark.

Workers at the TIMB said Mabasa was released on Monday after four nights of rigorous interrogation. The impounded bus was returned to the organisation on the same day. "They (police) said his docket is being worked on," said one worker at TIMB who requested not to be named.

An apprehensive Mabasa confirmed his release when contacted by The Financial Gazette on Tuesday, but refused to answer further questions. Under Zimbabwe's tough security laws, which include the amended Road Traffic Regulations (2002), it is an offence for the public to say or do anything "within the view or hearing of the State motorcade with the intention of insulting any person travelling with an escort or any member of the escort."

His odds are only slightly better than Joe Lieberman's at winning the Democratic 2008 nomination. I'd say he's neck and neck with Vilsack.

Newt Gingrich is helping the terrorists win. The terrorists hate freedom, the Preznit keeps telling us. And Newt Gingrich recommends we capitulate, giving away the freedom of speech.

Just imagine if we did curb freedom of speech in our war against terrorism... wouldn't Gingrich's speech be one of those to be curbed? After all, we wouldn't want to have Americans AND terrorists think the terrorists are making us change our philosophy because we're afraid... that would be a victory for the terrorists. So, apparently Newt Gingrich is recommending that Newt Gingrich's comments be curtailed. But because Newt Gingrich can't do that for himself, he needs the Federal Government to step in and stop it, because Newt Gingrich doesn't know what is wise and unwise to say.

Have a question, and I hope to read opinions... several blogs I visit have a nice sidebar feature where they show the most recent comments made at that blog. Do you think that promotes more comments - and more interest - in the blog by providing that? I haven't seen a way to do that here on Powerblogs, but if it helped add to the debate at the blog, maybe I'll change to a format that will allow it.

I had a weird idea...

Take 50 political talk radio talk show hosts from around the country, including some of the national ones. Make it half and half, conservative and liberal. Ask each one of them for one legislative idea that they'd like to see passed by Congress.

And welcome to the newest reality program: "The Senate".

Each talk show host is a Senator, and must try to convince a majority of the remaining members of Congress to pass their idea. Each Senator puts their one idea in the hopper as a bill, and then they begin to try to work each other to pass their ideas. They're all locked in some huge estate until a bill is passed. The bill passed will win some ungodly amount of money for the author(s) of the idea. However, no bill can pass that encompasses more than 3 ideas.

And then videotape all the intrigue and dealmaking.

hat tip to The Countess...

Busted. Indiana to California to Pennsylvania, I don't hear much accent in me.

Had the brains and the guts to make such a political assessment.

When president Anwar El-Sadat removed Egypt out of the Soviet sphere of influence he was acting in the belief that the US held 99 per cent of the cards to solving the Arab- Israeli conflict. Some may have questioned that assessment, but the collapse of the Soviet Union and US deployment in the region following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait made it clear that a US-dominated era was beginning.

In the 1990s, the world accepted that the Middle East was a zone of US influence. No other power dared to make any initiative in the region without Washington's approval. The US should have used that opportunity to establish its credibility as a patron of peace and stability. Instead, it was arrogant and greedy. It pushed its support of Israel to the limit while ignoring legitimate Arab concerns. It acted as if the Arabs were fit only to receive orders, not as partners in friendship and cooperation. With the US invasion of Iraq any hopes for a US change of heart were dashed. From then on the writing was on the wall. Faced with spiralling violence in Iraq, the US plodded on, unable to mend its ways, incapable of inspiring trust. If anything, the US fomented mistrust by supporting Israel's crimes against the Palestinians and Lebanon, acting belligerently towards Syria and engaging in suspicious schemes regarding Sudan.

Eventually Washington lost all credibility and now risks the prospect of a disgraceful retreat, even by the judgement of senior US experts. Richard Hass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, says we are seeing the end of the US era in the Middle East. Zbigniew Brzezinski, former national security adviser, believes history is repeating itself, with the US likely to pull out from the Middle East following the Iraq war in the same way that Britain made its exit following the Suez campaign.

Other foreign powers are now competing for a foothold in the region. Europe is offering a Spanish-French-Italian peace initiative. Russia is trying to improve its ties with Egypt and other Arab countries. And China hopes for a major economic and political role in the region. Meanwhile, the US seems unable to think beyond exiting Iraq and protecting Israel.

One would think that this is the right moment for Arab nations and regimes to break free from foreign influence and find their own voice. It could well be their last chance.

For those who celebrate the holiday: What day or event do you consider to be the beginning of the Christmas Season?

At least that's what the coal industry is planning for...

We're still a work in progress.

That Dick Cheney won't be on his show after the current administration ends.

Is that Matthews' reading of Cheney's choice of programming? Or is this Matthews' standard for this determination? If so, is it the Tom DeLay line of deceit? The Ann Coulter line of lack of credibility? The Pat Buchanan line of ridiculousness?

CRAWFORD: Again, I gotta ask, where does that leave Dick Cheney if the neocons are heading for the hills. Where does he end up in this administration?

MATTHEWS: I know what he does. He moves out to the eastern shore of Maryland and waits there like [indecipherable] with a gun. And he waits until the next administration comes into office. If it’s a Republican administration — like McCain — he has a lot of influence. If it’s a Democratic administration, he starts coming on programs like this. He won’t be on this show, but like this.

Of course I agree, Rex Grossman is blowing offensive opportunities for the Bears. But I also have to say, I think the offensive coordination of the team is doing a LOT more damage. In the 17-13 loss against the Patriots, the Bears shouldn't have passed more than 20 times. This was a ball control game. Instead, there were 35 pass plays by the Bears. Why? They were running the ball just fine. I know balance is desired, but sometimes you have to stick with what is working. And Sunday, that was rushing the ball. Sunday night's loss was a failure of coaching.

Secondly, there's a play the Bears need to start calling on passes. It's called the wide receiver screen, and I know they have it, because they ran it a lot last year. Berrian, and even better, Bradley, could be very effective and it'll slow down this blitz crap. They have to quit using the speed receivers just on deep routes.

Finally, the Bears probably win that game if Urlacher doesn't get faked out of his cleats by Tom Brady on a run in the 4th quarter. I'm not sure what Urlacher was thinking, but it wasn't stopping Brady from making the first down no matter what.

The kids enjoyed it. Yesterday was a long day of walking but the weather was great. Dean Shostak's holiday concert was probably our favorite part of the Colonial Williamsburg, but today's walk about Mount Vernon was really pretty cool, too.

For your weekend reading...

I dunno, I think the show "Seinfeld" lost a lot of its comedy spark after every episode's first viewing. Althouse has a post today saying that Richards' racist remarks last week have ruined it for her, that until that point she always found it funny. But to me, Seinfeld isn't a series that ages well - and part of that is because almost every character is an extreme caricature, and repeated viewings don't seem to add any depth or new laughs. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

Don't get me wrong, in the 1990s I was a regular and dedicated viewer. But the repeatability comedy value of the series seems pretty limited to me now.

of mobile home parks.

When the lease runs out, aren't you without any negotiating position at all?

I'd say that there's probably a big opportunity in the t-shirt/bumper sticker industry for an attractive design that incorporates an "OK" hand graphic and a wink.

Just a short memory to share. When we moved to California from Indiana in the early 1970s, our family was separated from most of the rest of the family, and no holiday really brought that home as much as Thanksgiving. Our grandparents would come to visit during Christmas every year, and although we would get together with family on many other holidays during the year when we lived in Indiana, Thanksgiving was the obvious "missing family" holiday around our house those first years in California.

My Mom used to love listening to John Denver albums, and he performed a song on an album that I, for whatever reason, always associate with Thanksgiving. It wasn't actually written by Denver, but by a fellow named Jim Connor.

Anyways, enjoy your family and friends today.

GRANDMA'S FEATHER BED (Jim Connor) John Denver

When I was a little bitty boy
just up off a floor
We used to go down to Grandma's house
every month end or so,
We'd have chicken pie and country ham
'n' home made butter on the bread
But the best darn thing about Grandma's house
was her great big feather bed

It was nine feet tall and six feet wide
soft as a downy chick
It was made from the feathers of forty eleven geese
took a whole bolt of cloth for the tick
It'd hold eight kids 'n' four hound dogs
and a piggy we stole from the shed
We didn't get much sleep but we had a lot of fun
on Grandma's feather bed

After supper we'd sit around the fire
the old folks'd spit and chew
Pa would talk about the farm and the war
and Granny'd sing a ballad or two
I'd sit and listen and watch the fire
till the cobwebs filled my head
Next thing I'd know I'd wake up in the morning
in the middle of the old feather bed

It was nine feet tall and six feet wide
soft as a downy chick
It was made from the feathers of forty eleven geese
took a whole bolt of cloth for the tick
It'd hold eight kids 'n' four hound dogs
and a piggy we stole from the shed
We didn't get much sleep but we had a lot of fun
on Grandma's feather bed

Well I love my Ma, I love my Pa
I love Granny and Grandpa too
I been fishing with my uncle
I rasled with my cousin
I even kissed Aunt Lou ooo!
But if I ever had to make a choice
I guess it ought to be said
That I'd trade 'em all plus the gal down the road
for Grandma's feather bed
I'd trade 'em all plus the gal down the road...

It was nine feet tall and six feet wide
soft as a downy chick
It was made from the feathers of forty eleven geese
took a whole bolt of cloth for the tick
It'd hold eight kids 'n' four hound dogs
and a piggy we stole from the shed
We didn't get much sleep but we had a lot of fun
on Grandma's feather bed
We didn't get much sleep but we had a lot of fun
on Grandma's feather bed

Do you go shopping on "Black Friday"? If so... why?

Nuclear families, made up of married couples with children, fell to 23.5 percent of all households in 2000, down from 45 percent in 1960.

Maybe Laurence O'Donnell might want to consider this factor when pontificating that "Advocating war is easier when you and your family are not endangered by it." Because the same can be said for advocating the draft. This isn't the 1960s, and a lot smaller percentage of folks have kids available to be impacted by the draft.

This is a fool's exercise. Rangel's not helping the debate here, he's muddying it. We want out of Iraq? Bringing up the draft isn't going to get us out. We owe a focus on the real issues of getting out of Iraq. Stop this shit.

Lots and lots of excuses from Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings for losing to Lenny of Laverne and Shirley in Jeopardy!

(Good job, Michael McKean!)

Remember them? What the hell do they do the years between Presidential elections? Are they trying to figure out how to make the debates better and more useful for voters? Their website makes them look like they're in storage until 2008.

Thank God we're not flying this weekend.

On another note: when did we start calling the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving "Thanksgiving Eve"?

I'm somewhat appalled by the "discussion" of the draft over at DailyKos. I wish people would actually think about it before suggesting that a military draft would reduce the possibility for war. The two biggest wars we've had since World War II came with the draft. The draft legislates a responsibility for every citizen to potentially provide a period of time for the purposes of the government. That's servitude. If you're going to have arguments for servitude, you better bring a whole slew of them, you better have a real cost/benefit analysis, and you better not be hiding behind the dodge that it would somehow make America "better" and that being against the idea is somewhat less "American".

The whole "debate" is playing with fire, and I really think people should put considerably more thought into it before jumping in the flames.

In honor of the holiday:

What is the least "traditional" meal you've ever had on Thanksgiving Day?

Funny thing... I didn't realize this component of her recent Bahamas controversies/tragedy:

Wanting to weigh in on the swirling controversy that continues to surround actress Anna Nicole Smith, members of the Workers Party will protest in front of the Government House today to voice their "disgust" of how the celebrity's permanent residency status was handled by Minister of Immigration Shane Gibson.

"We are taking a petition to Government House to complain about Mr. Gibson," said leader of the Workers Party Rodney Moncur on Monday. "A delegation from the Worker's Party will march from the corner of Huyler Street and Blue Hill Road to the Government House. After leaving Government House, we will proceed to the Post Office where the Ministry of Immigration is located and picket there also."

Mr. Moncur said the Party is still concerned that Mr. Gibson granted permanent residency status to the US celebrity, reportedly without conducting due diligence. "She is purported to have spent $90,000 on the conveyance, but she has failed to pay the stamp tax, which is 10 percent on $90,000," Mr. Moncur claimed. "Had the Minister done due diligence and insisted that Callender's and Co. [the law firm that processed Ms. Smith's permanent residency application] first pay the stamp taxes, they would have had to disclose to him the reluctance on their part of Anna Nicole Smith's refusal to sign the mortgage."

"The whole purpose of an economic permanent residency is for the investor to invest a minimum of $500,000 and for the country to derive any taxes or other economic benefits deriving there from," Mr. Moncur said. "The Minister had a duty to ensure that all taxes due and owing to the public treasury were paid before the permanent residency was granted to Mrs. Smith."

For whatever reason, this reminds me of Lou Dobbs' Space.com foray...

It seems that all those years of John Madden hype over the Thanksgiving poultrystein has worked. I've stumbled more about turducken in regular news sources this year than ever before. It's even being written about in college newspapers...

Thanks, New York Post.

Your message

To: Letters
Cc:
Subject: Dear Judith Regan
Sent: Mon, 20 Nov 2006 13:34:02 -0500

was deleted without being read on Mon, 20 Nov 2006 17:09:29 -0500

Just wondering: In the history of the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball, what grossly overweight head coaches or managers successfully lead their teams to a championship?

(your operational definition of grossly overweight for this purpose: being the physical condition of the person that dominates your mental image of that person)

Roxanne and Amanda have a great idea how Judith Regan can make turn something useful out of her O J Simpson book. Send Regan an email.

This idea of volunteering other peoples' kids for military service is a loser. A LOSER. A LOSER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, not really.

A long time ago, back in the early days of the Internet, I used to post strange skits on Usenet.

They were known as Play-A-Days, because I posted almost daily. At the time, I worked for another company, and one of the things I would have to do is sit in very boring legislative sessions for several hours, and another thing I had to do was travel, and in both cases, it would allow my mind to wander about what I saw, or heard, or imagined. (Lengthy exposure to legislative sessions can lead to insanity, I believe) So I'd scribble goofy things down, which eventually became the Play-A-Days.

At some point in the late 1990s, I decided it would be a good idea to make a place to archive these items, as if they were gems or nuggets or something semi-precious. At that time, on the Internet, with the creativity JUST beginning, perhaps they were semi-precious. But today I recognize them for what they are - literary gravel.

Which is a long way to say that when the domain for the Play-A-Day site ends in mid-December, I'll be removing the site. Here's your chance to experience the immature dabblings of a bored mind, at least my earlier immature dabblings, before the site is decommissioned. Of course, the blog continues with my current immaturity...

Ghosthood.

I'm not an Eagles fan, I'm a Chicago Bears fan. But I feel kinda sad that McNabb, the Eagles and Eagles fans are having to go through a big injury to McNabb once again.

I don't believe in the draft. I don't believe it's good for the country, and I don't believe it fits within our country's mythology of freedom or fairness. And I don't believe it's a good anvil to pound for responsibility in choosing our military efforts.

So I think Charlie Rangel is completely misguided in this effort to pound the anvil. Either he actually believes that the country needs a military draft, or he believes that the prospect of a draft will change the way people see our military choices because he doesn't believe the country wants a draft. I think this is a fire the Democrats should not even consider playing with, because I don't see this as a wedge issue. There are other forces at play, and it should be this simple: if you believe there should be a military draft, period, at all times, then support the idea. Otherwise, oppose it.

If the British thought the same thing about penny papers and other very low cost journals in the American colonies.

Blogging is evolving. One of the key things that this article fails to mention is that blogs - real blogs, at least, not just homages to speechifying - allow comments. Comments and commentary can either focus or dissolve the point of a post. Take a look at DailyKos, it happens all the time.

The problem that government is having is an attention span issue. If everyone says everything needs work - which is no doubt true - the job of government is to prioritize. And that's the problem. The political process is not setting clear set priorities. The governing process is confused because of this, and the governed are confused because of this. If it was clear, the debate would include prioritization. It does not.

So, first step: what are the priorities for a politician and for a member of governance? Try establishing that clearly, and keep working on making that clear. Muddling it allows politicians to claim they are all things to all people, yet it also increases the confusion and the spectrum of complaints.

It's a simple thing to recognize: Wars get names, and periods of peace don't. This just compounds our human failure to recognize the most important contributions made to avoid war and continue peace for a given time period.

Also, and sadly, the ratio of historians who write to explain the causes of a war, versus the ratio of historians who write to explain the causes of a peaceful time, does not exist. That's because you have to have at least one historian who chooses to write about the causes of peaceful times. I'm not talking about one political move, or one incident... I'm talking about how nations go through period of times of relative peace, and what the root causes of that peace are?

I know, who will buy such a book? No blood? No dramatic death totals? No obvious villains, no sinister fools? It would take a historian with quite the writer's flair to write an interesting piece about the periods of peace in our world's history. But if done... it would stand out.

What Donut are you?

You Are a Boston Creme Donut

You have a tough exterior. No one wants to mess with you. But on the inside, you're a total pushover and completely soft. You're a traditionalist, and you don't change easily. You're likely to eat the same doughnut every morning, and pout if it's sold out.

I dunno, I must be dense. I'm still not understanding the need for .mobi.

A municipal golf course is not economic revitalization. Please, don't use that guise. It's pathetic.

I would have dressed better.

Glad to see some of this Democratic Party response to James Carville and his comments about Howard Dean earlier this week:

Stephen Crockett: Carville Simply Wrong on Howard Dean and DNC

Harold Ford: I think Governor Dean has done a good job. I'm not interested in taking the job.

According to sources in the DNC and DCCC, Emuanel called Dean this morning to distance himself from the tone and general tenor of Carville's remarks.

Former DNC Chair Don Fowler: This is is nonsense... Democrats won a great victory on November 7; control of the United States House of Representatives, control of the United States Senate, majority of Governors, and majority of state legislative bodies. Governor Dean deserves to continue as DNC Chair.

But it should be more like a hot lava eruption on Carville for his remarks. That's how to prevent a repeat of such stupidity by Carville in the future.

Which, of course, now costs more to make than it is worth.

It looks like lobbying firms are starting to try Google AdWords advertising. Check out the results (sorry, no links, they didn't pay me!) for these searches:

"Government Relations"

advertisers include

Carmen Group Lobbying
Cicero Consulting
Cassidy & Associates
Rome Smith & Associates
The Talon Group, LLC

"Lobbying Firm" includes:

Public Policy Advocates
The Public Advocacy Group
Wheat Gov't Relations
The Talon Group, LLC
Rome Smith & Associates
Jim Arnold & Associates
Burland & Associates
Carmen Group Lobbying
Cassidy & Associates

"Lobbyist Firm" came up with

Cassidy & Associates
Rome Smith & Associates
Advantage Associates Inc.
Burland & Associates

There's a possible trend here. 20 years ago, lobbying firms were trying to get away from that moniker, strongly preferring "government relations firm", for public image purposes. And for purposes of promotion that might work. But it appears that most advertising firms still believe that their marketplace thinks of them as "lobbying firms", which explains why there are more advertisers under that term than under "government relations". In a way, Google AdWords makes business define themselves as their market defines them - because they are dependent on the search terms that market comes up with in order to find their advertisements.

The National Catholic Register doesn't go for artsy-fartsy language when discussing politics. Oh, no.

Republicans were bludgeoned in the midterm elections Nov. 7 as Catholic voters abandoned them in the midst of a bloody Iraq occupation and scandals in Congress.

Those angry voters...

Reflection of a tree in a puddle left by the previous downpour today...

Global warming may be threatening the survival of polar bear cubs in Alaska.

Not to worry, National Review wingnut Jonah Goldberg proposes a simple solution!

It seems to me that if A) we believe that man is responsible for the dire plight of polar bears (or even if he's not) and B) we think the polar bears are worth saving and C) we think that doing so won't have outsized negative consequences elsewhere in the ecosystem, Why not intervene to save polar bears? Would building big, free floating docks help? Would moving polar bears and their families to different areas do the trick?

Next Jonah will suggest football helmets to protect baby seals from clubbings.

Isn't this the kind of flaky idea that conservatives used to mock lefties for? Guess we at least have to give Jonah some credit for caring about polar bear cubs. That's a big step forward for right-wing wackos! But he should probably leave the global warming problem-solving to someone better equipped.

Good opinion piece in the Pocono Record today about possible priorities for the Pennsylvania General Assembly next year. The Record asks, and then points out:

Why can't Pennsylvanians have zoning laws that protect the quality of life? The uniqueness and charm of our small towns? The natural resources?

We don't, you know. Not only do our laws tilt toward the "right" of developers to make a profit, the laws actually make taxpayers subsidize those profits. We the taxpayers finance new infrastructure and services, including schools. Those who make the profits do not.

It's a great point. Why don't zoning laws reflect the will of the people who live in a community, rather than the will of the people who want to profit from a community or want to move to the community? Why can't there be a bit more democracy in zoning policy?

It's really time for the shit to fall on Carville. This isn't about Dean, this is about pissing all over a great win and complaining about deficit spending. That's right, Carville is crying that the Democrats didn't borrow more money.

I don't care what Carville has done in the past. The Democrats should tell him to get off TV, now and for the longterm foreseeable future, and if they don't, he doesn't get any more jobs. I can not believe how moronic it is to try to damage Dean after the Democrats big win. We should now be moving forward on the next two years of goals. But no, we get this. Fuck Carville. He's a prima donna.

Hey James Carville: WHERE'S THE COMPLAINT OF HOW WASTEFUL HILLARY CLINTON'S SPENDING WAS? AND HOW MUCH MONEY DID YOU SPEND ON LOSING CAMPAIGNS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER SPENT WITH SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN MANAGERS? HOW MUCH MONEY ENDED UP IN CARVILLE'S COFFERS IN THE 2006 CAMPAIGN?

Americans need to work during "retirement": poll

The survey, which polled 2,500 baby boomers between September 26 and October 7, will be released in the next few days.

Faced with the cold, hard fact that they have not saved enough to live out their years comfortably, 43 percent of Americans say they will have to re-enter the work force almost as soon as they leave it, according to the survey.

There was a nice window in the 20th century in America to allow for retirement. It was a nice concept. But frankly, it seems to me to be damn near impossible to expect now, at least as how we've envisioned retirement so far, and the economy and human nature conspire against sufficient saving for most folks in the middle class.

If you're wealthy, then retirement is an option. If you're lucky enough to be in a for-the-time-being-stable retirement program through your employment, then it can be an option. Everyone else? Contingency plans make a lot of sense to me. Working when you're older doesn't seem such a horrible fate if you like what you're doing. It seems to me that there needs to be more effort in our society to get the baby boomers there - determining how employers can find 20-25 hour work weeks for still valuable 70-year-olds that these individuals will enjoy and appreciate.

Because we're going to need it.

He's heading for Dick Morris territory, on a bullet train.

And I think it's time the national media poll every Democratic Party member of the 2007 Congress and see if they agree or disagree with Carville's assessment - on the record. Starting with Hillary Clinton and Rahm Emanuel.

Can somebody enlighten me as to the real, if any, benefit of having a .mobi domain?

I don't care whether organizers call their parades Christmas or Holiday parades. Christmas or Holiday parties. Whatever... it depends on the point of the event. Is it to celebrate getting together for any holiday during December? Or is it a religious get-together to celebrate specifically Christ's birth? That's the difference in the two phrases.

So, when I see a pastor say something like this, I feel it is arrogance beyond (and before) the flock:

The Rev. Ed Nettles of Freewill Missionary Baptist Church saw removing the word "Christmas" as part of a dangerous trend. He thinks it's important to respect the way people celebrate religious holidays.

"We have to take a strong stand because these are our beliefs," Nettles said. "It's a blessing to see Americans reject 'Happy Holidays.' It should be a Merry Christmas."

Gyyyyaaaahhhh... Look - people say Happy Holidays because they're not sure what holiday a person celebrates. That is the ultimate in respecting religious holidays - not making an assumption that everyone celebrates the same holiday you do, but wishing them a pleasing celebration nonetheless. "Happy Holidays" is not only an appropriate thing to say, but the preferred thing to say when wishing relatively unknown others cheer and happiness during a religious season in which there are many different holidays being celebrated.

These people ought to quit attacking the saying "happy holidays". Would they rather have strangers just say "have a good day" all through December? Give it up already, and find something actually important to accomplish.

I have to admit, I like Paid/Unpaid MUCH MORE than Pro-Am. But there's a recognition in this business model for "pro" reporters.

Gannett Co., the nation’s largest newspaper chain, plans to create stories with information from bloggers, people who post in Internet discussion groups and other non-journalists in hopes of winning readers from the Internet, television and other news sources, officials with the company said.

Gannett, which operates 90 newspapers, including the nation’s largest, USA Today, is hoping “citizen journalism” will reverse the company’s part of an industrywide trend of declining circulation and advertising revenues, officials said.

“It’s pretty big,” said Michael Maness, Gannett’s vice president of strategic planning. “It’s a fairly fundamental restructuring of how we go about news and information on a daily basis.”

Under the plan, the “Information Center” will be divided into seven areas: public service, digital, data, community conversation, local, custom content and multimedia.

Of course, I'd be more hopeful of my own success in this arena if they had an area called "total crap".

Not a theoretical.

We have a business client for which we did a graphic design job for about six months ago. The project for which the design job was done has been dormant since shortly after that time (for reasons not related to anything we were involved with) - I'm not sure of the project's status, but we have a signed contract for our work on the project and we've billed several times. We've been promised payment, but still... no check.

Should a small business use a blog to notify the public of such behavior as lack of payment? If so, how long should the businessperson wait, and should they use the threat of such posting to speed up payment? I realize there are legal options to pursue for payment, but their costs are higher than publicly announcing on the internet the damaging slowness in which an organization may pay their bills.

But this will open up career opportunities for ultimate frisbee stars.

I just discovered LegiStorm - which provides information on Congressional Staff Salaries. Ought to be worth looking at when looking at staffers going into lobbying. Somebody's gotta pay for Russell Caso's next $14,400 trip to Italy...

Damn. We decided we would use tiffany sconces for wall lights in our addition, and unfortunately, after deciding that, we realize that there must be a billion trillion different options in tiffany lamps, and every web site we find had 50 million options. Overload. Overload.

Public Appearance training for the Archbishop of York.

Whenever there's a transition of political power from one party to another, there's a whole new line of hungry mouths in the lobbying community waiting to feed at the public trough. If Americans are going to get control of federal spending - real control, and real discussion of expectations - it is at a time like this, during a transition and before the damage begins in earnest.

This seems to me to be a natural time for bloggers to come to the fore and report on lobbying efforts in an effort to control spending. Since Democrats are likely to control the Congress, and a Republican controls the White House, it also seems like something that conservative and liberal bloggers could agree to do in a reporting format. This isn't about reporting what is actually shows up in legislation, since that's usually too late - the deal has been made. It's about a blogging consideration of lobbyists, in general and in specific, at the federal level. If there were a process where bloggers could volunteer to cover lobbying firms - like what we do when we choose to cover a specific electoral race - perhaps bloggers could do a part in controlling lobbying. When you take a look at the dollars reported in lobbying, you realize that shedding any light on the process can make a difference. It's a staggering amount.

and the game.

This guy stands for nothing but power, just like the Republicans that elected him over Lamont.

As a Bears' fan, obviously I watched the tale of two halves last night, with the Bears pulling away from the Giants and winning the game handily at the end.

I thought a comment by Al Michaels last night to be pretty insulting to sports fans anywhere - but most particularly, fans that blog. He was talking about the Bears ups and downs the past month, and what online talk about the Bears was based on that - one week the Bears suck, one week they're the best team in the NFL, etc. He said there was a lot of blogging and blather - and that it was all blather. He said it more than once, so obviously he felt there was an important point to this, that NFL fans that blog about their team just contribute blather. In essence - not worth listening to.

We've heard the same kind of arrogance from political types in the past, and reality has re-shifted that belief into something closer to an ecosystem about politics. I do believe that the NFL should recognize that a blogging ecosystem exists for pro football as well, and make damn certain that they don't have nationally televised generalized jabs at it, because that's really not going to be beneficial to the NFL. Sports fans pay the freight for the NFL. There are varying levels of fans, but "magnet fans" - the kinds that organize fan clubs in different cities for teams, the kinds that organize season ticket sales for groups, the kinds that talk about the local team in the local coffee shop on Monday, promoting that team - are vociferous, and always have been. Yes, some of those fans blog now. That's a technology evolution and nothing else. Yes, the quality of the discussion is all over the map. But seriously, who is Al Michaels to talk about fan blather? He's worked with some champions in that department. Remember Dennis Miller? Boomer Esiason? Tim McCarver?

It's pretty clear that Michaels is familiar with blather. But if he's going to rip it as an issue for the NFL, perhaps he ought to focus on the "paid" blather, rather than what comes from the fans - the folks actually doing the paying. The best of free NFL blogging is equal to much of the paid sportswriting and announcing we've all grown accustomed to - so why rip the entire process?

Unfortunately, we're in for a bit of an internal fight once the Democratic Congress rolls in. Lobbyists - and lobbying firms - whose main strengths have been that they have access and ability to lobby Democrats have been waiting for this day for years. They feel they have been getting crumbs, at best, while their Republican lobbyist cousins feasted at the federal trough. There is now a growing sense of "our turn" in the Democratic lobbyist ranks.

The Democrats cannot afford their own version of "the bridge to nowhere." And knowing Bush, if something like that shows up in a budget or spending bill for the Democrats, he'll let it go to give Republicans something to campaign on in 2008. Democrats have to practice fiscal responsibility, and they have to keep the lobbyists disappointed but hopeful. Anything less will be disastrous, political and financially.

Sure was a bit strange to hear them in Central Pennsylvania on a November evening...

Just thought I'd highlight some Central PA blog posts of the recent past that could be of interest:

Best of Harrisburg v1- Giant Groceries
5 Things About This Weekend
What A Great Meeting in Harrisburg and Rep. Conyer's Support!
Introducing blogHarrisburg mobile
Harrisburg/State Capital
Hidden voices must be heard
Toby

About the dustup between Carville and Howard Dean: I couldn't say it better myself. Except, Carville deserves blame as well. He chose to carry this water.

And news media: Ask Hillary Clinton if she agrees with Carville. ASK HER.

From the Philly Inquirer:

It's never a good thing for an incumbent senator to spend $27 million running for reelection and lose by 18 percentage points.

But for Rick Santorum, getting steamrolled on Tuesday by Democrat Bob Casey Jr. may prove to be liberating in a strange sort of way.

"I think Rick can write his own ticket," said his Senate colleague and fellow Republican Arlen Specter.

Among the available options: Becoming a spokesman for national conservative causes, taking a role in the Bush administration, positioning himself to run for statewide office in Pennsylvania in 2010, and maybe even mounting a candidacy for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.

Apparently everyone believes that Santorum's best chances are at wasting more campaign money. With the exception of taking a role in the Bush Administration, everything else seems to be pointed in that direction. Why do Pennsylvania's pundits think his political career can recover from this trouncing? He's not likeable enough of a public persona to accomplish that. He'll always start any future campaign with some serious negative voter attitude. And frankly, he was absolutely embarrassed in this election, final vote-wise. So... who wants to invest in that?

Are Pennsylvania's voters - and campaign contributors - going to forget than in 2 or 4 years? Not in the world I live in...

Just because coaching kids' basketball is a very rewarding way to spend a few hours each week.

Ugh.

One prominent lobbyist who hires Capitol Hill aides said that, in general, Republicans can expect to slash about $50,000 from what they might have commanded before the election returns came in. Yet, another lobbyist who runs his large firm said there are senior-level Democratic aides for whom he would offer as much as $600,000 in total compensation to lure them to his bipartisan shop because of simple supply and demand.

Veteran lobbyists and headhunters said some of the soon-to-be-unemployed aides and Members will find new jobs in the Bush administration, where a flurry of turnover is expected.

Some aides will look to fill other posts on the Hill, while others will catch on with trade associations, lobbying firms and corporate offices — though perhaps for a smaller salary than other Republicans commanded as little as six months ago.

Other Congressional and downtown sources said some staffers are preparing to send their résumés to the likely campaigns of GOP presidential hopefuls such as outgoing Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain (Ariz.).

$600K for a brand new lobbyist? No wonder the cost of government keeps going up.

From Forbes

Regardless of their political leanings, the majority of American adults (80.4 percent) favors a balanced approach to sex education in schools, including teaching children about both abstinence and other ways of preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, a University of Pennsylvania study finds.

The findings suggest that the U.S. government's support for abstinence-only programs doesn't reflect broad public support for comprehensive sex education, say researchers from the school's Annenberg Public Policy Center.

They noted that 25 percent of American youth have sex by age 15, 37.5 percent by age 16 and 46.9 percent by age 17.

Sex is like any other topic that kids have to learn about. Parents can provide education, detail, philosophy - but there's clear benefit to providing health, scientific and statistical information through the schools, as well. Most Americans understand that. If the Bush Administration can't understand that, then the Congress needs to take the lead to show support for comprehensive sex education.

Are you ready for the largest possible surge of human energy on December 22nd? Of course, I'm talking about the Synchronized Global Orgasm.

If you're a liberal or progressive blogger, you very well could have received this in email recently. I think it's a pretty nice - and smart - touch by the DSCC. Thanks!

We wanted to take a moment and thank political blog writers for all that you have done to change the direction of the country. Because of your efforts, and the efforts of many of your readers, our party has been reinvigorated with an enormous amount of energy and activism.

Americans sent a clear message that we need to change the course - both in Iraq and at home. Democrats will hold President Bush accountable for his failed strategy and propose a new direction for America.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that we appreciate everything you did to help take back the Senate. The power of the Internet to revolutionize politics and our party is only starting to show. This is just the beginning.

Thanks,

Michael Link

Online Communications
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
http://www.dscc.org
http://www.fromtheroots.org

After all, he is so successful at being elected!

It cracks me up that all these Republicans that are explaining why they lost Tuesday seem to be, oh, election losers. I guess that explains their expertise as to why Republicans lost. I doubt listening to them is going to help Republicans figure out how to win...

Ed Bradley. America's loss.

Because he cost the Republicans the victory on Tuesday!

that reading corn husks is as effective as reading tea leaves.

I predict this is the pinnacle of his campaign.

Several members of Congress have been discredited by the voters in their districts and "retired" from service. It was an indictment that they weren't credible do the job well enough any more, and it was time to give somebody else a chance.

Shouldn't there be a similar fallout for journalists, especially those who report Republican Party talking points as actual reporting? There are political reporters in both print and electronic media that just aren't credible at this point. And being a shill for the Republican Party has a lot less general news value when Republicans don't control all the power, because those shills are unlikely to get much real news from the Democratic Party power base. But there's always Fox News for the shills. They won't change. But for every other news organization...

What "journalists" should be retired from their current employer at this point?

(and please, no chorus of Bob Novak, please. I think everyone but his employer knows about him.)

Ed Rendell gained 4 more years - the last four years - as this state's most prominent Democratic politician. That's fine. But Pennsylvania Democrats better start looking around themselves, and wonder - who will be in position for high profile political positions in 2010? Both the Governor and Specter's seat will be up by then, and there's not much out there on the Democratic Party front that says "obvious candidate". The Lt. Governor, Catherine Baker Knoll, is a nonstarter. Jack Wagner? Barbara Hafer? Bob Mellow?

Rendell now gets to pick the State Treasurer to replace Casey as he goes to the U.S. Senate, but strangely Rendell wants a lame duck, according to this article - someone who won't run in '08.

Why? Why not grab someone who can do the job AND have a future? I don't really understand this approach, when the Democrats have now lost their two biggest names for candidacy for the Governor's office or the U.S. Senate in 2010 - unless Rendell plans to run for U.S. Senate in 2010.

Now that I've thought about it a bit more, I wonder if the plan is to put Hafer in as State Treasurer for the short-term - she's had the job before and wouldn't need OTJ, and it keeps her name in the political media. And, if she's planning for a big run in 2010, she'd need to start really focusing on that in 2009.

When I go home from playing basketball on Wednesday evenings, I listen to a few minutes of Michael Savage on talk radio. It's a little like shock therapy - it is hard to believe that someone with his beliefs and his anger has earned a radio show, but there it is.

It was somewhat enjoyable last night to hear him turn on Rush Limbaugh. He basically called Limbaugh a liar and a con artist. In my opinion he's right, but I never thought I would hear this on conservative radio.

From Savage's web site today:

Rush Limbaugh says he feels “liberated today because I no longer have to carry the water for" the Republican Party. Basically admits he has been deceiving his audience!

Interesting development. Will ConRadio eat themselves?

It would be funny, if it weren't so likely to be repeated. All these conservative writers and bloggers come out today, and basically say that Bush and the Republicans deserved the election results, and for different reasons than I believe they deserved it, but still, loudly pronouncing they deserve it. It was all Bush and the Republican Congress' fault. They blew it.

And yet they take no responsibility for having been cheerleaders for Bush and the Republican Congress for all these years. Fred Barnes' life credo: "It's mea culpa for thee, but not for me." Apparently, Beetle's rah-rahs supporting Bush and the Congressional Republicans for anything and everything bear no responsibility. And a lot of the conservative bloggers sound just the same.

Perhaps Bush and surviving Congressional Republicans learned something in this election. I don't think Barnes and his ilk did.

But how long until Rumsfeld gets the pardon?

As for purposes of election politics, this makes absolutely no sense. A week ago, if Bush did this, perhaps the Republican candidates would have gotten a bounce. But Bush did the exact opposite - declare that Rumsfeld would last throughout his term.

Obviously, it wasn't about winning the 2006 election. But it sure looks like it is about damage control for the 2008 campaign. Scapegoat Rumsfeld for the policy, reduce his damage to the administration in potential upcoming investigations as yesterday's news, and try to move on.

I'm sure the conbloggers are scratching their heads about this one and what could have been.

Wouldn't you like to hear the essence of this call?

Bush made just one phone call on Tuesday night — to Rep. Tom Reynolds, R-N.Y., chairman of the House GOP's election effort, who was re-elected.

Your move, Maloof Brothers.

Democrats may find themselves a bit stuffed from all the election results last night. You may want to email a Republican friend one of these if your candidate ate their candidate's lunch yesterday.

Go read Savor the Victory. Don't downplay it. Meteor Blades is absolutely right. The Republican drumbeat to downplay this election result is already in strong force. Don't listen to it. Let the Republicans believe this - yesterday it became obvious that Republican denial is a positive for Democratic Party electoral chances.

Will they end up in Harrisburg as lobbyists now that they've lost?

Melissa Hart
Mike Veon
Mike Diven
Eugene McGill
Tom Gannon
and, of course, Dave Brightbill and Bob Jubelirer

Perhaps... perhaps... the first good thing to come from the Bush Administration in years.

some good election news...

Stuff I'm not seeing in the American news media today:

I'm a Sacramento Kings fan. But I've had it with these sports owners that insist that local or state government finance their arena or stadium or ballpark. If the Maloofs move the Kings away because the voters of Sacramento won't buy them an arena with taxpayer or borrowed money, then I say screw the Maloofs. And, unfortunately, the Kings. We shouldn't be treating professional sports as anything different than any other business - or at least, any other entertainment business. Does a county buy the roller rink for the company that provides indoor skating? Does a city buy the movie theatre so that AMC can show movies? At some point, the issue of fairness - and the issue of developing a smart, long-term unique identity for a region not held hostage by the short-term fancies of the rich - needs to overcome the weak-kneed wannabe sportster business community, and if government can't say no directly, it's best to let the voters say no instead. So if Sacramento County tells the Maloofs no, I say congratulations to them for behaving as sensible adults.

All this talk about the Senate going 51-49 for the Democrats isn't going to mean much if Lieberman wins, decides to caucus with the Republicans and gives Cheney the tiebreaker vote again.

Sure seems like less media reporting of news from Iraq today than there has been in months.

So - best guess - How many different events of election goon squad activity intent on suppressing voter turnout will be documented on Tuesday?

This isn't good:

The FBI is investigating a recent incident where hackers were able to infect the computer system of a water treatment plant near Harrisburg, PA.

However, it appeared the hackers sought to create another botnet zombie rather than subvert the operations of the facility.

With their control the hackers could have altered the treatment of the water, making it unsafe.

(Hat tip to Harrisburg Happening for spotting this)

I guess I have two thoughts about this:

The Jonathan Keeler who sits among fellow Derry Twp. School Board members is far different from the Jonathan Keeler presented on the Internet.

Before his MySpace.com Web page was changed recently, Keeler talked on the site about a sexual act with his wife and said he wished he were president so he could "get a hummer in the Oval Office."

When his Web page came to light last week, Keeler told a reporter from The Patriot-News that he believes his private life should have nothing to do with his professional life.

...

The Derry Twp. School Board scheduled a meeting for 6 tonight to discuss Keeler's recent posts in a forum on PennLive.com and his MySpace page. MySpace is a free Internet site where people can create personal Web pages with photos, profiles and more.

Before his MySpace page was changed, Keeler talked about drinking and mentioned "threesomes" as an unknown fact about him.

Keeler said he is concerned that he could lose his seat on the school board for something he considers to be a freedom-of-speech issue.

The first thought I have is, of course, how naive. How could anyone be on a school board and not realize that such a posting could come back to haunt him or her? Political positions are full of people who will use any means - including information on sexual preferences - to push others out of the way. School board offices, because of their proximity and importance to the education of minors, have been particularly sensitive to such information. If you post something like this on the Internet, it is findable. And if it is found, there are likely to be consequences.

On the other hand, after this was discovered, I'm somewhat impressed by his response. No typical political yammering and stonewalling, but a simple declaration that private life should have nothing to do with professional life. People may disagree, but that is a point worth fighting for, judging a public official based on performance rather than personal attributes or lifestyle. Why should people begrudge adults who choose to participate in threesomes or foursomes or moresomes, as long as it is legal and consenting? Do any of us really want our sexual lives approved by the public? So why should we expect to judge others?

Still, it's naive to think he could have this website and not run afoul of a political institution. Hope is not a plan.

Update: Keeler resigned.

It's up to Democrats to save the Republican Party.

He'll probably be hiding on Tuesday. At least, he should be.

The past month our kitchen has been out of commission due to remodeling. The next month will be more of the same. We now rely on crockpot, microwave or barbecue processes to cook most of our meals (we do have a small toaster oven but the size makes it kinda useless for family-size cooking).

Because the back patio is also torn up, the barbecue grill sits in the garage, and I wheel it out front on nights that I use it. This makes for a bit of entertainment for neighbors, especially since the evenings have turned cold. I had one fellow who was taking a walk ask me if I was really going to barbecue, like it was such an unlikelihood. (I've barbecued in the rain, snow and once in hail. A little cool air is no big thing.) Yep, I told him, this is my kitchen right now, we're remodeling. He then commiserated, saying how he'd been through a remodel as well and without a kitchen.

The thing is, though, I kinda like barbecuing in the dark, in the brisk autumn air, in the front yard. Actually, it's just an excuse to be out there. Once in a while you hear an owl call from some now leafless perch. The skies have been relatively clear, so the stars are bright and crisp, and occasionally a neighbor walks by. Few cars go by after the evening rush to get home - our street has always been somewhat quiet. There's something about being in a neighborhood full of people and yet in a space of quiet and relative solitude that can be richly appreciated, and barbecuing gives me some of those moments in my own front yard.

Of course, cooking by flashlight can be more art than science. So far, no masterpieces, but no experiments gone disastrously wrong, either.

He spent all this effort to line up Saddam's death sentence verdict two days before the election, and Ted Haggard craps all over his news cycle.

This morning I went to the coffee shop, and on the way home I drove past a house who had two campaign signs in their yard.

One was for Rick Santorum. Now, Rick Santorum has spent so much effort over his time in Washington attacking various groups of people, that I have absolutely no respect for him. And there's a transfer of that lack of respect that now goes with anyone who publicly supports Santorum. Not total lack of respect - but a diminishing of respect, even for people I don't even know. Let's just assume that if I don't know you, there's a baseline level of respect for you as a person, regardless. If you put a Rick Santorum sign in your yard, there is a tiny, but perceptible to me, drop in that respect. Supporting Rick Santorum taints, because Santorum is quite poisonous in some of his attacks on political opponents.

Also in the lawn was a sign for Lynn Swann, Republican candidate for Governor in Pennsylvania. Swann has been criticized considerably in his campaign, and after the election, I wonder how his campaign will be viewed. I think it's clear he had an almost impossible task, running against a relatively popular Governor who has a lot of government "successes" to incorporate into his campaign, and a lot of political favors available for pulling. And running in a climate that is anti-Republican in general because of the mess in Washington, and running in the same election period with someone as divisive as Rick Santorum.

Lynn Swann could have tried to fight against the current, and gone poisonous in his campaign, and he didn't. Other candidates around the country did this (although the trend might be that most of them were incumbents). I can't say that Swann had any political platform that really stood out, but he didn't punt future opportunity away, either.

And he didn't generate any long-term opposition, either. It seems to me that Swann could run again in 4 years for Governor, or U.S. Senate, or other office in Pennsylvania, and if he had an easier opponent and a different election atmosphere, he could easily win, and he could get Democratic voter support. He hasn't poisoned the well, to this point. Will the Republican Party appreciate this, or see it as a negative in campaigning?

Political bridges begin with campaigns. Candidates as divisive as Santorum that become Senators as divisive as Santorum create so much negativity with their political opposition that bridge-building is damaged. It's not about positions - it is about approach, respect and personality. Lynn Swann can run again, and I'll listen to his positions. Rick Santorum can not. I hope the Republican Party considers the impact as it considers candidates in the future.

The Republican Congress eliminated auditing of Iraqi reconstruction spending for 2007.

And they call themselves fiscally responsible. That's just pathetic.

Courtney Love.

From the New Life Church:

We, the Overseer Board of New Life Church, have concluded our deliberations concerning the moral failings of Pastor Ted Haggard. Our investigation and Pastor Haggard’s public statements have proven without a doubt that he has committed sexually immoral conduct.

The language of our church bylaws state that as Overseers we must decide in cases where the Senior Pastor has “demonstrated immoral conduct” whether we must “remove the pastor from his position or to discipline him in any way they deem necessary.”

In consultation with leading evangelicals and experts familiar with the type of behavior Pastor Haggard has demonstrated, we have decided that the most positive and productive direction for our church is his dismissal and removal. In addition, the Overseers will continue to explore the depth of Pastor Haggard’s offense so that a plan of healing and restoration can begin.

...

A letter of explanation and apology by Pastor Haggard as well as a word of encouragement from Gayle Haggard will be read in the 9:00 and 11:00 service of New Life Church.

In the next two years, I'd like to see some discussion about how the whitehouse.gov web site is used. Currently it is abused with campaigning and propaganda, and seldom is useful information provided that has to do with governance, rather than politics. Considering that this is a tax-paid web site, I think rules and regulations that control the usage are in order.

If only to avoid this kind of crap being posted. If Bush wants a campaign site during an off-year election, fine, have the RNC build one. Otherwise, keep this manure off the public's web site. It's unfortunate, really, that anyone should feel that rules are needed for the President's official web site, but that's what happens when something is so crassly abused.

We really don't want Joe Lieberman to be the "pivotal figure in Washington"...

Sincerely,

Dick Cheney

I'll give Cheney this - he doesn't seem to care if Republicans are elected in three days or not, since this interview is unlikely to make them happy.

Peggy Noonan gives Rick Santorum's Senatorial career a eulogy.

Since the slime is being discovered about many of the current crop of elected federal Republicans, you have to think they open the newspaper each day wondering, "what new scandal is going to taint my campaign by association today?"

I'm finding this movie to be getting pretty old...

About the Senate election results prediction from Stu Rothenberg:

The Senate: "While Senate control is in doubt, with Democrats most likely to win from 5 to 7 seats, we do not think the two sides have an equal chance of winning a majority in the Senate. Instead, we believe that state and national dynamics favor Democrats netting six seats and winning control of the United States Senate."

I really have to wonder, if Lieberman is re-elected in Connecticut, how the Senate might play out. Does anyone really trust him to do anything other than play to power? He'll hold the Dems hostage for two years in the Senate if it's 51-49.

Until the Republicans release the latest "Terrorism Alert"...

Don't you expect one by the end of the day tomorrow?

Is the news media, spending SO MUCH RESOURCE ON A TRIVIAL STORY INVOLVING A SENATOR THAT ISN'T EVEN RUNNING FOR OFFICE THIS YEAR.

Okay, it's not funny. It's sad, sad, sad, sad, sad, sad, infinity sad.

Because it's so predictable.

One that says they can't be called "Race Drivers"? Is that why Hostess goes with "Race Divas"?

Slate mailers are not the most ennobling feature of California politics.

Or anywhere else.

Should scientists be protected from the "S" word?

I am amazed how many people in the United States are so intimidated by the word “sex” and are unwilling to discuss its consequences. My latest book, Sex in Space, tackles both the fun and serious sides of this currently neglected topic. It’s not just my opinion that the possibilities of sex in space need more attention. This is the recommendation of a 2005 report from the US National Academies of Science. Yet I have encountered all sorts of bizarre problems when bringing up the topic of sex in space. Apparently, some people just don’t understand that the book is intended to spark the public’s interest in space exploration, settlement, and tourism. To illustrate my case, here are some examples.

Sex in Space was sold at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) store for the first month after Apogee Books released the book. It was doing very well, so the store manager invited me to do a book signing. The trouble began as soon as a cheery book-signing announcement was emailed to all personnel at JPL. Unbeknownst to me, the store simply isn’t allowed to do book signings because JPL can’t be seen as endorsing a commercial product. The JPL store personnel simply made a mistake by booking my signing. However, what happened next is ridiculous. First, a liaison to the store e-mailed an announcement to all personnel—thousands of people at JPL—citing “ethical reasons” for the cancellation of the signing. This, of course, prompted many people to contact me to ask exactly what it was that I did wrong. The implication is that I did something unethical. I’ve done nothing wrong, which the JPLers involved have assured me of via several telephone conversations. A simple clarification sent to the same distribution list (all personnel) as the previous announcement would have fixed things. To date, no such email has been sent. Second, those involved ordered my Sex in Space books pulled from the store. Apparently the title “Sex in Space” is just too racy. Perhaps I should have titled my book, “The Possibilities of Human Reproduction Beyond Earth.” Oh, yes, the general public would have been so interested.

Vote for the Republican and keep Rumsfeld doing the job as Rumsfeld sees fit.

Vote for the Democrat and provide some oversight.

Seems like a simple choice. Thanks, Bushie.

I swear, it seems like dumpsters just attract chairs. From behind the AMC 8 in Hampden Township...

You knew this was due.

The growing popularity of online video has caught the attention of malicious hackers and hi-tech criminals.

Security firms are reporting more and more instances of booby-trapped Windows codecs - file compressors - required to play some video formats.

Some of the codecs let users play types of net-based video, but also have spyware and adware wrapped inside.

Others, say experts, are outright fakes that just want to infect victims with data-stealing programs.

I tend to agree with this assessment from one of Josh Marshall's commenters:

OK, so JK has once again demonstrated how his lack of verbal discipline can cause serious problems in a campaign. It may be best for Democrats to just toss him overboard and weather this storm...(sorry)...but two very positive things can come from what was very probably (based on his history) a botched joke:

1) Senator Kerry has likely diminished his own chances for retaking the Democratic Presidential Nomination in '08, with this indelible reminder of how not-ready-for-prime-time he is.

Yep, the one thing I think he's really accomplished with this flap is to close the door on his 2008 chances, not that it was open very wide as it was.

There's the piece of direct mail that was designed to look like a sex-offender notification. There's the mailer accusing a candidate of accepting a bribe several years ago when he sat on the Harlandale school board. Then there's the Cook County Sheriff where one candidate is accusing his opponent's campaign of holding one of his volunteers at gun point. And, of course, there's Drew Brees telling his mother to quit using him in her campaign ads.

And there's still six days to go.

But there were more people out trick-or-treating last night in our neighborhood than I've seen in the past 10 years. Warm weather? More kids in the neighborhood? People searching for relief from an election just a week away? Alien invasion seeking chocolate for their planet? It must mean something...