PSoTD

The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) urged Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) on Tuesday to step down from the Senate Appropriations Committee in response to the escalating federal probe of his ties to an oil services company.

The Airball Grabber!

When I was on vacation, my "airplane book" was The Real All Americans: The Team That Changed a Game, a People, a Nation, written by Sally Jenkins. I was watching Charlie Rose about a month ago, and Ms. Jenkins was on to discuss her book, which covers the football team of the Carlisle Indian School (you may remember the name of Jim Thorpe) during its day, as well as the history of the school.

It's a pretty fascinating book and an easy read, and if you're looking for something in the sports and history vein, I heartily recommend it.

We've lived about 10 miles from Carlisle for 16 years now, and I guess one of the most surprising things about the Carlisle Indian School at this point is that there's little, if any, effort to generate any tourism relating to it. There's some opportunity, I expect, and it will be interesting to see if this book spurs an effort to do more.

BTW, while I was digging around on this book, I spotted this blog on Carlisle Indian School Connections, and wanted to highlight it.

At least this site suggests it is true, at the bottom of the page...

Check out the bids on this lime-green classic on eBay.

Just a horrible thing to do.

HIV positive patients in Zimbabwe face more risks amid reports that unlicensed drug dealers are flooding the market with counterfeit ARVs that could do more harm than good to the health of consumers.

The country’s medicines regulatory body has warned that patients on ARVs should avoid buying the drugs from the parallel market were the drugs are cheaper but also fake. The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) said this week that individual drug importers had flooded the local market with cheap counterfeit ARVs, which they are selling from unlicensed locations such as flea markets and hair salons.

MCAZ fears the drugs could expose HIV positive people to health hazards as counterfeit medicines usually cause drug resistance.

“This is a dangerous practice because the medicines may have been subjected to inappropriate and hazardous storage conditions, thus affecting the quality and effectiveness of the medicine.

“Such medicines may be counterfeited, adulterated and contaminated, thus rendering them ineffective and sometimes dangerous”, said the MCAZ in a statement.

Health and Child Welfare Minister David Parirenyatwa said his Ministry was fighting to stamp out the unauthorised drugs market, estimated to be worth billions.

“We are aware that people may want to make capital out of it especially in light of the HIV and AIDS pandemic,” said Parirenyatwa.

Medical experts say the collapse of the government health system has created a vacuum in which a parallel market for drugs has thrived. They warned that un-prescribed ARVs would result in drug resistance.

Sixty-two thousand HIV–positive people are on the government’s treatment programme, but this figure is expected to double by the end of this year.

But over 700 000 Zimbabweans are estimated to be in urgent need of ARV therapy.

To make you never, ever, ever eat a falafel again. Eschaton is only the vessel.

Mission accomplished.

As a Bears fan living in the San Francisco Bay Area, and then Sacramento, during the era of Bill Walsh, I did not like the San Francisco 49ers, mostly because they were, in general, just a bit more successful than the Chicago Bears during the 1980s and the 1990s. For the most part, I chalk that up to two difference makers they had: Joe Montana, and Bill Walsh. Even though they were the key leaders of a rival, they were too good, too smart, too... advanced, to not deserve all the respect they received for their efforts on the football field.

Bill Walsh died today. NFL fans everywhere should feel the loss of one of the great "architects" of the modern game of football. RIP.

That sucks. Another Seventies icon gone. You can find a ton of videos documenting his Tomorrow Show interview exploits on YouTube. Here's one I like. Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the tubes...

Amazingly, Congress is considering giving itself a pay raise.

WASHINGTON — After raising the minimum wage by 70 cents an hour this week, many members of Congress are ready to give themselves a pay increase of roughly $4,400 per year.

That would take their annual salaries to nearly $170,000.

The pay raise debate crosses party lines. It could best be characterized as "the people sensitive to their constituents" vs. "the people who don't want to be in Congress anymore".

Michael O'Hanlon in September 2003:

"... I think the counterinsurgency effort is going fairly well ... one could travel around the country, even flying over contested areas, with relatively confident sense of security ..."

Michael O'Hanlon in March 2004:

".. there is plenty of reason for hope, and much going right today in Iraq as well . . . . one might think the war should be won by summer ..."

Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack today in the New York Times:

"As two analysts who have harshly criticized the Bush administration’s miserable handling of Iraq ..."

Glenn Greenwald has about a billion more examples of O'Hanlon's brand of "harsh criticism".

O'Hanlon and Pollack call it significant and surreal.

VIEWED from Iraq, where we just spent eight days meeting with American and Iraqi military and civilian personnel, the political debate in Washington is surreal. The Bush administration has over four years lost essentially all credibility. Yet now the administration’s critics, in part as a result, seem unaware of the significant changes taking place.

Really! This time it's true! Really, really, really!! C'mon, believe us!

WAAAHHH!!!

Update: They couldn't even sell a Serious guy like Joe Klein.

There's a downside to posting about spamming here - every time I do, the particular post I write usually gets spammed in the comments sections. Still, I think there's value to pass along information about spamming that doesn't seem to percolate to the general blogging public.

Spammers automatically creating Hotmail and Yahoo accounts

BitDefender researchers found that spammers are easily bypassing the "captcha" security system and automatically setting up new e-mail accounts that are used to send out waves of spam..

Spammers have a new trick up their sleeves. According to researchers at BitDefender Labs, spammers are automatically creating Yahoo and Hotmail accounts and using a Trojan to help them send waves of spam.

The spammers, according to the security company, have figured out how to outwit the "captcha" security system. That's the one that won't allow a new e-mail account to be created until the creator correctly types in the twisted letters depicted in an image.

A piece of malware, Trojan.Spammer.HotLan.A, actually has been set up to access the e-mail accounts, pull down encrypted e-mails from another site, unencrypt them, and then send them to e-mail addresses stored in yet another Web site.

"They've found a way to bypass the captcha system by using optical character recognition," said Vitor Souza, a manager at BitDefender, in an interview. "The software reads the images and transforms it into text.

Once it bypasses the captcha system, it enables them to automatically create the e-mail accounts." Souza said the automatic system creates accounts extremely quickly.

"It's beyond what we've ever seen before," he said, adding that it can create 500 new e-mail accounts every hour and up to 15,000 a day. "With this kind of speed, they can send spam from thousands of different accounts, and that's a lot more resources for them."

Bear Grylls can.

The things people will put on their cars...

According to Deborah Howell, if the public will read about it, it's worthy putting in the Washington Post. Or something. Her logic, as usual, is absent, but her excuse-making is in full view.

I'm not sure why I'm supposed to try this, but I'm trying it. Here's my exciting life, as described on Twitter. Prepare to yawn.

I'm not talking about the penis. I'm talking about the magnification of multiple character flaws that translates into personal dickitude. We all know them - people we can't even think of without having the thought "such a dick" or "what a dick" swirl about simultaneously. We don't want to think these things, but they become synonymous with the person.

We really don't have a family of terms to use about these people. Nor has science delved into the study of such people, to find out how they are actually created.

I just thought I should add a few terms, maybe it would make it easier for people to describe their experiences with such people.

contradickitude - when you're against dicks. You could also be counterdickitude.
exdick - a former dick who has worked on their character flaws.
hemidick - somebody who is a dick only while awake, but sleeps 12 hours a day.
neodicks - those who have recently decided to embrace their character flaws as strengths
phylodicks - related, but these are actually asswipes

Again, there's no science here, just terms for public use.

The Corner can't stop talking about them.

But let's be real here. The fact is, Hillary was wearing a fairly low cut summer top. She was not displaying cleavage, as the shot on Drudge indicates. Someone else wearing the same outfit might have done. But Hillary Clinton does not have cleavage to display. Period. Indeed, Hillary never forgave her mother-in-law, Virginia Kelly for pointing this out decades ago to the young Bill Clinton, a cleavage man if ever there was one.

Meow!!

The rhetorical heat is getting to Anne-Marie Slaughter.

It's time, then, for a bipartisan backlash. Politicians who think we need bargaining to fix the crises we face should appear side by side with a friend from the other party — the consistent policy of the admirably bipartisan co-chairmen of the 9/11 commission, Thomas H. Kean and Lee H. Hamilton. Candidates who accept that the winner of the 2008 election is going to need a lot of friends across the aisle — not least to get out of Iraq — should make a point of finding something to praise in the other party's platform. And as for the rest of us, the consumers of a steady diet of political vitriol, every time we read a partisan attack, we should shoot — or at least spam — the messenger.

Kum-ba-ya, baby!

Sorry Anne-Marie, but you can't close your eyes, click your heels three times and wish away Rush Limbaugh and FoxNews.

If you can't defend your ground, somebody will take it. The recommendations of the "admirably bipartisan" 9/11 Commission got ignored.

The top priority of policy debate can't be avoiding ruffled feathers. The best choice between a bad idea and a good idea isn't a half-assed idea.

Splitting the difference doesn't get you anything but a split difference.

and sometimes I miss some interesting blog posts...

Scrutiny Hooligans moved!

Playing the game of Wikipedia.

Well, that's one thing you could do with the baseball that Bonds' hits to pass Aaron's career home run mark...

10.26 billion dollars. For Exxon. In the 2nd Quarter.

I sure hope the Simpsons' Movie is great.

This sums it up, really. "You can't win a war when you're on the wrong battlefield."

I always thought Skip Prosser was a great basketball coach. RIP.

This article seems about right to me. The adults talk about her. The kids - not so much. Take it from the father of a 5th-grader-to-be girl, she does like talking about Orlando Bloom.

Associated Press reports on the possibility. My first inclination is that this is tin foil hat stuff. None of evidence is particularly compelling. Even from only "ten yards or so" it could have been difficult to identify Tillman under some conditions. And while the close spread of bullet wounds may have been unusual from a longer distance, it was not impossible.

Tillman's death by friendly fire was embarrassing enough to cover-up. I doubt he was deliberately killed by his troops.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Army medical examiners were suspicious about the close proximity of the three bullet holes in Pat Tillman's forehead and tried without success to get authorities to investigate whether the former NFL player's death amounted to a crime, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

"The medical evidence did not match up with the, with the scenario as described," a doctor who examined Tillman's body after he was killed on the battlefield in Afghanistan in 2004 told investigators.

The doctors _ whose names were blacked out _ said that the bullet holes were so close together that it appeared the Army Ranger was cut down by an M-16 fired from a mere 10 yards or so away.

Ultimately, the Pentagon did conduct a criminal investigation, and asked Tillman's comrades whether he was disliked by his men and whether they had any reason to believe he was deliberately killed. The Pentagon eventually ruled that Tillman's death at the hands of his comrades was a friendly-fire accident.

The medical examiners' suspicions were outlined in 2,300 pages of testimony released to the AP this week by the Defense Department in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.

Among other information contained in the documents:

_ In his last words moments before he was killed, Tillman snapped at a panicky comrade under fire to shut up and stop "sniveling."

_ Army attorneys sent each other congratulatory e-mails for keeping criminal investigators at bay as the Army conducted an internal friendly-fire investigation that resulted in administrative, or non-criminal, punishments.

_ The three-star general who kept the truth about Tillman's death from his family and the public told investigators some 70 times that he had a bad memory and couldn't recall details of his actions.

_ No evidence at all of enemy fire was found at the scene _ no one was hit by enemy fire, nor was any government equipment struck.

Tomorrow, The Baseball Hall of Fame inducts Cal Ripken, Jr and Tony Gwynn and Cooperstown, New York overflows with baseball nerds.

Inside the Baseball Hall of Fame, fans pressed against glass display cases like teenagers rushing the stage of a Green Day concert. They whipped out their camera phones and took grainy photos of socks and shoes and caps worn by men whose sole claim to fame was the ability to play a game better than most.

When fans exited the museum, they saw some of those same men in person and paid hundreds of dollars to watch them write their names on a photo or a piece of cardboard or a ball.

I'm not an Oriole fan but was raised in Bird Country (York, PA) so I've had plenty of exposure to the legend of Cal, Jr. There were two schools of thought on Junior. By far, the most prevalent was Cal as "Mythical God", savior of Baltimore baseball. However I'm a bit of a Cal basher and a subscriber to the "Selfish Cal" school.

Cal's got the numbers to be going into the Hall of Fame under any circumstance. But he will always be defined by his streak of 2,632 consecutive games played. Unfortunately as the seasons rolled on, the Streak became simply about Cal and not about the Orioles winning. I doubt there was an Oriole manager who wouldn't have liked to rest Ripken occasionally but wasn't allowed to - by Cal!

Anyways, congrats to Tony Gwynn and "Selfish" Cal Ripken, Jr. on their election to the Hall. They certainly both deserve to be there. Now how about voting Jim Rice in?

Freakin' idiot, pay attention to liberal bloggers next time. How many times do we have to be right and you dumfounded before you realize that?

Look familiar?

It seems to me that when a tragedy in a foreign country occurs that kills someone, when there is conflicting news about the story initially but eventually it is cleared up to show that it was a horrible accident not possibly foreseeable by the victim, that any blogger that posted such event as a "Darwin Award Winner" would have the common sense - and decency - to remove the post, as it adds nothing to anything.

But apparently this "blogger" isn't up to that standard...

In a few weeks, the 6-year-old and I will be on our own for a few days, and I was looking at places to take him during that time. I was looking at the National Historic Site in Scranton as a possibility (and also the Houdini Museum there). Have you been to Steamtown? If so, what did you think of it?

But maybe, just maybe, local television news stations might reconsider their investment in car chases over other types of news information.

Krauthammer ought to be waxing sentimental about a perceived 2nd strike...

Then again, this column makes it 82 straight times.

One of the things I did while on vacation in Sedona, Arizona last week was golf. This is a pretty rare event for me - the last time I golfed was in 1995, and I have no immediate plans to golf again in the next dozen years. I am, perhaps, the world's worst golfer when I'm on the course, and if I'm not, then there are some seriously scary duffers out there.

And when I have golfed, I have mostly played on scrabble courses that are cheap to play. I've only played 3 rounds in my life where I used a driving cart, and all were for special occasions.

Of course, playing a course as beautiful as Sedona Golf Resort kind of requires the usage of such a cart. (Go ahead, take a look at the pic on their site. It really did look like that.)

And that's really the point of this post. I'm in awe of the GPS system our driving carts had at SGR. They showed a couple of different views of the hole. They showed where the cart was in relation to the fairway and the hole, so when you drove up to your ball, you knew where you were - including an estimate of how many yards to the front of the green and to the hole. It showed where other carts on the course were, whether they were stacking up in front or behind you, and also how we were doing compared to average time on the course (we were slowing folks down. Bad golfers do that. Quit pointing at me.)

Now, if they could only put GPS in the golf ball, and link it to the cart. I lost about 10 balls, with the houses, roughs, and water hazards. And then if I could get an electronic guidance system... I might play again before 2019.

We get a crazy amount of Tegan and Sara visitors thanks to this post.

Their new album "The Con" came out this week. Here's the first single...

Sounds like a good idea.

The Republican Presidential field of cheese-eating surrender monkeys fear the YouTubes!

Run away! Run away!

Is Atrios getting to you, Joe?

I know that we have some sort of split-personality belief of them - that they are some sort of criminal masterminds, yet are limited to repetitive mastermindery - but I, for one, really don't believe that the next terrorist attack in the United States will involve airports or planes. We are a nation of soft targets, a land full of horrible opportunities - that is a price we pay to be free. To think that potential terrorists haven't noticed this, or have fixated on air transportation regardless, seems to be an unrealistic expectation.

The 1981 Kiss concept album becomes a reality. Nelson Mandela has been chosen to lead a group of elder statesmen dedicated to saving the world. Producer Bob Ezrin's cocaine problem doomed the original project. Perhaps Mandela will achieve better results.

The former South African president will be the leading figure in the "Global Elders", a group of "12 wise men and women" who will address global problems by offering expertise and guidance.

A frail yet still magnetic figure, Mr Mandela was greeted in Johannesburg at South Africa's Constitutional Court - where he was once held prisoner - by a choir that sang his praises before he outlined the Elders' objectives.

"The Elders can become a fiercely independent and robust force for good, tackling conflicts and intractable issues, especially those that are not popular," said Mr Mandela.

The group will "speak freely and boldly, working both publicly and behind the scenes, working wherever our help is needed". advertisement

He added: "This group derives its strength not from military, political or economic power, but from the independence and integrity of those who are here."

The club's members will comprise former presidents, elder statesmen, leaders and activists and probably five Nobel laureates.

There will eventually be 12 Global Elders - but the exact make-up of the group was in flux right up until yesterday's announcement.

As well as Mr Mandela and his wife, Graca Machel, the group comprises Desmond Tutu, the Anglican Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town; Jimmy Carter, the former American president; Mary Robinson, the former Irish president; Kofi Annan, the former secretary general of the United Nations; and Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel laureate economist and founder of the Green Bank in Bangladesh, where he is known as "banker to the poor". All were at the launch in Johannesburg yesterday.

(I know I shouldn't make fun of this but oy vey!)

I'm removing Rox Populi from the blogroll. Yes, I know she quit that blog back in January, but I kept hoping that she'd change her mind and come back... and even though I'm still hoping that will happen, the blogroll needs updated unless it does.

Looks to me like Congressmen Chris Cannon and Rick Boucher should have their campaign contribution receipts investigated, because this special effort to federally eliminate tax revenues for state and local entities from rental car taxes makes absolutely no sense.

If you have it, it's a great way to start the barbecue.

After all, it's Wednesday evening.

Found at Pax America.

And even though it seems like every day's weather report promises some rain, it doesn't seem to actually... drop.

Earl F. "Buddy" Hance, a fifth-generation Calvert County farmer, says he hasn't seen a drought like this in almost a quarter-century.

"My corn crop, I figure I've lost 80 to 90 percent," he said yesterday. "And soy, I have very limited potential for making a crop. We haven't had significant rainfall where I live for two months."

Hance, who is also Maryland's deputy secretary of agriculture, says the grim news is echoing across Maryland. Scant rainfall during the prime growing season has damaged as much as 60 percent of the corn crop and 50 percent of the soybeans, hay and pasture grass in Southern Maryland and the lower Eastern Shore.

Yesterday's thunderstorms, which briefly dumped rain in scattered pockets across the region, were nothing resembling drought relief. The National Weather Service said more teasing from isolated thunderstorms is expected today.

Around the region, suburban lawns have turned to straw, and officials have asked residents of Mount Airy, Westminster and Frederick to cut back on their water consumption as the dry weather enters its fourth month.

Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport has received barely half its average rainfall since May 1 - just 6 inches. Without an isolated thunderstorm at the airport July 10, that would be closer to 4 inches.

Nearly 85 percent of the state is in "moderate" to "severe" drought, up from 37 percent a week ago, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It's the third drought in Maryland since 2002.

Watched a bit of Alberto Gonzales testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday. Quite bizarre. They ask him simple questions and Gonzalez refers to newspaper accounts to figure out what he did - as if he wasn't in his body when it happened.

This reminded me of a movie out a few years back titled "Memento". It was a mystery about a man with a rare disease which destroyed his short term memory. He can't even remember ten minutes ago and tattoos important information on his body to make sure he retains it. Surprisingly, this condition actually exists and is called anterograde amnesia.

Anterograde amnesia is a form of amnesia, or memory loss, in which new events are not transferred from short-term memory to long-term memory. This may be a permanent deficit, or it may be temporary, such as is sometimes seen for a period of hours or days after head trauma or for a period of intoxication with an amnestic drug. The deficit makes its sufferers unable to recall an event which occurred only moments earlier when their attention has shifted to something else.

Could Alberto Gonzales be an anterograde amnesia sufferer?

Sen Leahy: Mr. Gonzales, can you tell us what you had for lunch?
Gonzales: Judging from the mustard on my sleeve I believe it was a hot dog. I'm burping up some pickle. But I can't be sure. Let me check my credit card bill.

How does Alberto find his car in the parking lot? Is there someone assigned to make sure he doesn't wander off during the day? Wonder if a blow to the head would cure it.

You know who is probably hating the news most about the NBA ref who bet on NBA games?

Think about who would like to have a franchise in Las Vegas. Why, it's those loveable owners of the Sacramento Kings, the Maloof brothers!

Not as catchy as "Werewolves of London", but we saw a lot of them hiking.

For those that enjoy it (and I do!), there will be zydeco music reverberating at Creekview Park in Hampden Township this Friday evening.

Then everything you say is suspected to be a lie or wrong.

For national security Purposes, if there's something important that the American people should be told - and expected to believe - it shouldn't be coming from George W. Bush's mouth.

I know it's not at the value level of the Washington Post or CBS, but I have to say, there must be a collection of some of the most shallow bots in the world determining the headlines that are run on the Yahoo! front page. TWO COREYS??!?! That wasn't even headline-worthy in the 1980s, unless your reading ability was limited to five-letter words back then.

The battle continues between the City of Harrisburg and the General Services Administration over the placement of the new Federal Courthouse.

Midstate officials have written to the General Services Administration urging the federal agency not to devour "productive taxable land in the heart of the [Harrisburg's] Restaurant Row" for a new federal courthouse.

The letter, spearheaded by Dauphin County Commission Chairman Jeff Haste, is to be delivered today to Abby Low, the administration's project manager in Philadelphia. The letter is being delivered a day before opponents of the two sites are to meet at St. Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg.

Last month, GSA officials announced plans to build a $100 million federal courthouse on the southeast corner of North Second and Locust streets or at the southwest corner of North Third and Pine streets.

I don't understand why the bureaucrats at the General Service Administration want to go against the judgement of every local interest and jam the building in the middle of Restaurant Row. Apparently the GSA's overriding concern is easy access to quality lunch spots for judges and lawyers.

I'm sick of these kinds of comments.

Hillary Clinton, about meeting with various leaders of countries that the U.S. has problems with:

"I don't want to be used for propaganda purposes," she said. Her campaign quickly posted video of her answer online, trying to show she has a different understanding of foreign policy than her chief rival.

This isn't an answer that shows leadership, but fear. Win the propaganda war by positioning the United States favorably. It's not a weakness to be willing to talk - it's an indication of the strength of the message, and the speaker. Do we really give a shit if Castro or Jong-il misrepresents what we say after the fact if we have forcefully and convincingly made our point? Why should we be so afraid of talking to tinhorn dictators?

The audience isn't primarily these leaders - it's the world, and the people of these nations. It's depressing to see any Democrat would take the position of Polypdent Bush on such foreign relations efforts.

Sound bite of the night from the Dem YouTube debate was Obama's apparent willingness to meet unconditionally with the most troublesome American adversaries while HRC says she would not. I must be as naive as Barack because I agree with him. It makes a lot of sense to confront and size up your toughest foes face to face. The Bunnypants strategy of hiding in his room sure hasn't worked.

And if the always wrong Corner thinks Obama's position is "astonishing" then I'm even more inclined to think he has it right!

Newshoggers now has a store? I am SO BEHIND THE BLOGGING TIMES...

Joe Wilson apparently supports Hillary Clinton. I support Joe Wilson in his battle versus the Bush Administration, but that support is not transferrable to Hillary.

No Quarter Moved!

Who wants to be a member of the Dead Blogger's Society?

Faith Hill, how you have changed. (Thanks to Redbook)

No shit, John Edwards' "Hair" video is great.

I, too, am wondering is there will be enough 21st Century Jimmy Breslins...

If you're flying with young kids to different states, and you're not taking your kids' car seat/booster with you, this chart might come in handy in determining the law for where you're going - although simply following the locality's law to the letter isn't necessarily the safest thing for your children. It's surprising how much difference there is in the law from state to state on this child safety issue.

Circa Survive - "The Difference Between Medicine and Poison is in the Dose"

If anybody has a clue what this video is about, please share!

Two million views and counting.

Where I was last week. It was purdy.

I'll write more about it as time allows.

One of the things I've noticed about the Bush years is how it is stifling political discussion in my family. With some of my family members, I can discuss how we disapprove of so many of the things that Bush has done. With others, we get an argument as to whether Bush is wrong, or the anti-Iraq-War majority is wrong. But either way, the pressure and temper builds up so quickly that everyone backs away before it gets to the edge, and there's very, very little room for actual discussion about how to improve the world, politically.

I guess it's political burnout, and I would guess that it's commonplace throughout the country, existing in almost every family. It seems to me to be a gaping void of communication, one that politicians of today benefit from as we fail, as families and friends, to discuss the issues because we've become so polarized - polarized by the very issues that these politicians embrace. How will we ever fix health care, or energy issues, or poverty, if we don't sit at the dinner table and discuss it among ourselves? Depend on the politicians to do this work? How could anyone responsibly believe that is an option. Pin ourselves on the hope that science and inventive genius will somehow resolve these issues? Maybe the odds are better there, but again, not responsible.

Our government has told us to be afraid, and politically, we seem to be complying. Nationally, we've known that for a while. At the dinner table, perhaps it is time to face up to this as well.

Yeah we tease him a lot cause we’ve got him on the spot
Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back, welcome back.

(By the way, PSoTD often wears one of those television set hats.)

Egads. Who would read this?

Well, I'm back after a week of vacation in Sedona, and glad to see that nothing has missed a beat, which is good, since my email download is towering over me like Coffee Pot Rock.

I'll be back after the avalanche.

Thorn-in-the-Republican-side Presidential candidate Ron Paul gets a free pass from Atrios and much of the left thanks to his anti-war position. Dr. Paul may not be an Iraq wacko but let's not overlook that he would be hunky dory with an America dotted by walled enclaves of the wealthy protected by their own private armies.

He's kind of lacking in the "vision thing" for my tastes. 1820 ain't coming back any time soon.

Heading down to Price's Seafood in Havre de Grace today to do some blue crab picking where the Susquehanna River meets the Chesapeake Bay. They've always had great crabs but the place used to be a little beat up. Word is they recently remodeled. Their black pepper seasoning is kickin'!

We should be there around 2:30. Stop in and say hey!

The Washington Post is intrigued by them.

Do women really put this much thought into their cleavage?

Showing cleavage is a request to be engaged in a particular way. It doesn't necessarily mean that a woman is asking to be objectified, but it does suggest a certain confidence and physical ease. It means that a woman is content being perceived as a sexual person in addition to being seen as someone who is intelligent, authoritative, witty and whatever else might define her personality. It also means that she feels that all those other characteristics are so apparent and undeniable, that they will not be overshadowed.

To display cleavage in a setting that does not involve cocktails and hors d'oeuvres is a provocation. It requires that a woman be utterly at ease in her skin, coolly confident about her appearance, unflinching about her sense of style. Any hint of ambivalence makes everyone uncomfortable.

Sigmund Freud would be proud.

Johan - She's Got A Way With Men

Cheers!

The Senate Finance Committee voted yesterday to provide $35 billion in health care coverage for low income children through re-authorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP). Most of this will be paid for through an increase in taxes on tobacco. The editors of National Review hate the idea.

Why?

Well, the Congressional Budget Office says the program would give new coverage to 2.3 million uninsured children. But National Review grumbles that 1.7 million low income kids with existing coverage might switch from their inferior private insurance plans. Because they believe that poor people deserve inferior insurance plans.

National Review also fears that low wage workers might fail to "work hard to make more money" because they would no longer qualify for S-CHIP. Remember, only hard workers make more money. Nobody poor is working hard enough. And besides, once you've got government subsidized health care for your kids, you've got it made. With S-CHIP, the poor will have no incentive left to do anything but watch soaps all day between joy rides to the doctor. Because the National Review thinks that's how poor people like to spend their days.

But don't think that the National Review is totally without sympathy for the poor. They point out the unfair hardship additional cigarette taxes will place on low-income families. Because they believe if you can't have heath care, you might as well have cheap smokes!

Confidential to K-Lo: Why do you make fetuses your cause and then not care about health care for children? That's fkkked up.

Wonder if you can file a class action suit against the mob?

July 20, 2007 -- THE FBI is investigating an NBA referee who allegedly was betting on basketball games - including ones he was officiating during the past two seasons - as part of an organized-crime probe in the Big Apple, The Post has learned.

The investigation, which began more than a year ago, is zeroing in on blockbuster allegations that the referee was making calls that affected the point spread to guarantee that he - and the hoods who had their hooks in him - cashed in on large bets.

Federal agents are set to arrest the referee and a cadre of mobsters and their associates who lined their pockets, sources said

Won't this speed up the melting?

GENEVA, July 18 (Reuters) - Greenpeace is seeking hundreds of volunteers willing to strip naked on a shrinking Swiss glacier next month for a photo shoot meant to raise alarm about global warming.

The environmental group said it hoped to attract as many people as possible to pose for U.S. photographic artist Spencer Tunick, who has previously staged mass nude photo shots in Mexico, Germany and Spain.

The Swiss shoot, to take place the weekend of August 18-19, is meant "to symbolize the vulnerability of glaciers and the fragility of the human body," Greenpeace said in a statement released on Wednesday.

Mark Steyn doubts that Africans have proverbs.

Was there something hinky about that blue plate special you just picked through at lunch? Find out your chances of keeping it down at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's website. They have a searchable database of food safety inspection results and compliance statuses for eating establishments throughout the state.

Browse for violations at your favorite restaurants or zero in on the joints to avoid. Bon appetit!

Or at least until they go out of business.

An ambitious and long awaited new consumer VOIP startup - Ooma - launches on Thursday morning. Much like Vonage and the ill-fated SunRocket, Ooma allows consumers to use their normal phones to make and receive telephone calls, but at drastically reduced prices.

Vonage provides unlimited calling in the U.S. and Canada for a flat $25/month. Ooma, however, is using an innovative peer-to-peer architecture to significantly reduce their cost overhead. Because of that cost reduction, they’re charging for hardware only. Calls in the U.S. are free, and will be forever.

Anybody have any positive or negative experiences with Voice Over IP phone service? I haven't checked it out yet.

Dogs have been in the national spotlight due to football player Michael Vick but there was a local animal treatment story in the Harrisburg paper yesterday. The Pennsylvania Attorney General's office fined The Humane Society of Harrisburg $2,025 for violating state charity, nonprofit and consumer protection laws.

According to the agreement, the attorney general believes the Humane Society violated the law by:

- Using the terms "no kill," "unadoptable," "unhealthy" and "untreatable" in solicitation and promotional materials in a way that was "confusing or misleading."

- Saying it didn't turn away animals but failed to disclose that it charged a fee for accepting strays from municipalities that don't have a contract with the organization.

- Failing to keep accurate books and records.

The attorney general's office began investigating the Humane Society after two former volunteers — Annette Reiff and Felicity Fox — lodged a complaint in April 2005.

Reiff and Fox accused former management of falsely advertising the Humane Society as "no-kill" and of using temperament testing to label some dogs aggressive so they could be euthanized.

They noted that the Humane Society's 2005 annual report indicated that 40 percent of the 7,433 animals taken in were euthanized, a rate they said was too high to allow a "no-kill" designation.

I had always assumed "no-kill" meant exactly that but apparently shelters can euthanize some percentage of animals and maintain a no-kill designation. The situation has been resolved amicably. The group may have been well-intentioned but lacking the resources to live up to the letter of their billing. The Harrisburg Humane Society is under new management now that no longer claims the shelter is no-kill but says they are moving in that direction.

Jayk the Beagle says please spay and neuter your dogs and cats!!

Your love alone ...

... is not enough.

At Andy's place!!

George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Joe Lieberman are all flying over New Orleans in a Blackhawk, surveying the progress that has been made in rebuilding the city and the levees. As they fly over the Ninth Ward, Cheney looks out the window, grins, and says, "You know, I could throw a thousand-dollar bill out the window right now and make one of those poor bastards very happy."

Bush says, "Well, I could throw ten hundred-dollar bills out the window right now and make TEN people very happy."

Not to be outdone, Lieberman chimes in, "Oh yeah? Well, I could throw a hundred $10 bills out the window and make a HUNDRED Americans very happy."

Hearing this, the copter pilot rolls his eyes and says, "Man, I could throw all three of you out the window and make 300 million Americans very happy."

Thank you sir, may I have another?!

Q. How many neocons does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A. None. George Bush predicts the light bulb will be fully capable of changing itself within 3 months.

Y'know the Republican Party may be less popular than spam, bankrupt of worthwhile new policy ideas and incompetent at running the government but they still are damned impressive at manipulating the media.

The Dow breaks 14000. Larry Kudlow's take ...

... this global stock market boom signifies a major defeat for al Qaeda and all the terrorist jihadists who seek to destroy capitalism and our way of life. The spread of prosperity across the globe cannot tell a lie: The terrorists are on the wrong side, they are on the losing side, and their side will be defeated. Freedom and capitalism is moving full steam ahead. It will ultimately crush the evil, totalitarian jihadists.

Despite all the criticism President Bush has received over his administration’s Iraq war policies, the stock market has been booming throughout the whole period from early 2003 onward. Markets are giving Bush’s steadfastness in the battle of Iraq and the world terror war a big thumbs up vote of confidence.

Whoa ... bold claims! Any sort of cause and effect data to back that up?

How do we know the market didn't take off on the Democrats gaining control of Congress? Or maybe the bull market reflects the Red Sox lead over the Yankees? Or could it be a reaction to Beckham and Posh coming to Los Angeles?

Nobody makes it up as they go along better than Larry!

You get the feeling Kudlow would credit Bush for good results on his cholesterol test. I think he's still hoping to kiss up enough to get appointed to the Fed.

No, not the Yahoo founder.

Jerry "The Juggernaut" Yang is a 39-year-old Laotian immigrant who's currently leading the final table at the World Series of Poker.

Get used to hearing the name. We'll be watching him for the next year on ESPN poker reruns.

Latest Chip Counts at the Final Table of the World Series of Poker:

Jerry Yang - $63 million
Tuan Lam - $20 million
Raymond Rahme - $17 million
Jon Kalmar - $16 million
Hevad Khan - $8 million
Alex Kravchenko - $4 million

I don't think Kevin Drum is going to approve of this vapidness at all.

Obama didn't look amused when a reporter asked him about the independent music video Monday, just after the Democratic presidential hopeful walked a picket line with striking workers at the Congress Plaza Hotel.

"That's not why we're here," the Illinois senator said. "I've got no comment about something like that."

Featuring buxom actress and model Amber Lee, the slick light-hearted video is the work of the BarelyPolitical.com Web site. Its first installment, titled "I've Got a Crush on Obama," has drawn more than 2.3 million hits since it debuted.

Titled "Debate '08," the sequel went up Monday, drawing more than 11,000 hits by early evening. It features Obama Girl and two, um, like-minded Obama partisans squaring off against three other comely lasses apparently smitten with Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani.

"Giuliani Girl, just stop your fussin.' At least Obama didn't marry his cousin," Obama Girl sings. It's a dig at Giuliani's first marriage, which was annulled after he learned his wife was his second cousin.

You know you want to click on it...

I'm not a cigar smoker but there is some unpleasant news for those of you who are.

As part of an increase in tobacco taxes designed to pay for children's health insurance, the nickel-per-cigar tax that has ruled the industry could rise to as much as $10 per cigar.

...

Cigarettes, which accounted for more than 95 percent of tobacco tax collections last year, are the main focus of the bill. Federal taxes on a pack would jump from 39 cents to $1.

But the legislation has dragged cigars along for the ride. The industry operates under a 4.8 cents-per-cigar tax cap.

Under the proposed bill, taxes on "large cigars," a category that includes all but the tiny cigars sold in 20 packs like cigarettes, would rise to 53 percent.

A U.S. Senate version of the bill under consideration today in the Finance Committee sets the maximum tax per cigar at $10.

Start hoarding.

According to The Politico, G.O.P. Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney spent $300 on makeup 'consulting'.

Romney spokesman Kevin Madden confirmed that the payments -- actually two separate $150 charges -- were for makeup, though he said the former Massachusetts governor had only one session with Hidden Beauty of West Hills, Calif. That was before the May 3 Republican presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., co-sponsored by MSNBC and The Politico.

"We used them once but booked time twice and still had to render payment for the appointment time," said Madden, who said the disbursement was listed as "communications consulting" because it was paid from the communications division's budget.

...

But Stacy Andrews, who made up Romney for Hidden Beauty, said he barely needs makeup.

"He's already tan," she said. "We basically put a drop of foundation on him … and we powdered him a little bit."

Kevin Drum says enough already with such "vapid and half-witted" reporting. But I say, what the hell ... bring it on! You know the Coulters and the Limbaughs and the Fox News clones aren't going to moderate their cheap shots at the Dem candidates. Nice to see the G.O.P. taking some mindless lumps for a change.

Expect a Zoolander- style Romney / Edwards pose-off skit on Saturday Night Live if they are the eventual candidates!

This story both baffles and sickens me.

YPSILANTI, Mich. - Three Eastern Michigan University administrators, including the president, have been forced out, months after top school officials were accused of covering up the rape and slaying of a student by publicly ruling out foul play.

President John Fallon was fired, and Vice President of Student Affairs Jim Vick and Public Safety Director Cindy Hall lost their jobs at the 23,500-student public university, the chairman of the school's governing board said Monday.

Board of Regents Chairman Thomas Sidlik also said the board would put a letter of discipline in the file of university attorney Kenneth McKanders.

The body of the slain student, Laura Dickinson, 22, was discovered Dec. 15 in her dorm room. At the time, university officials told her parents and the media that she died of asphyxiation but that there was no sign of foul play, despite evidence to the contrary.

It was not until another Eastern student, Orange Taylor III, was arrested in late February and charged with murder that her family and students learned she had been raped and killed. Taylor has pleaded not guilty to murder and criminal sexual conduct charges in Dickinson's death, and is scheduled for trial Oct. 15.

How could the President and senior staff of a major American university decide to pursue such a course of action? Imagine the meeting where they decided that a cover-up was the best way to go - to not even inform the girl's parents of the facts!? (Echoes of Pat Tillman.)

Maybe I'm opening myself up to charges of Bush Derangement Syndrome but it sure seems that we are seeing a pattern where individuals in positions of authority try to control and distort reality through the selective release of information. Has the non-stop dissembling of Bush/Cheney become the paradigm for American management?

Or maybe they were just three more overpaid idiots in jobs they couldn't do.

The Republican drum beat to clamber off the U.S.S. Bunnypants and out of Iraq is starting to drown out the Democrats.

After last Friday's Bush press conference, Reagan-era debutante and Republican bellwether Peggy Noonan wrote ...

With Mr. Bush it is the people who are forced to be cool-eyed and realistic. He's the one who goes off on the toots. This is extremely irritating, and also unnatural. Actually it's weird.

This week it's Ohio GOP Senator George Voinovich who states simply that Bush "f*cked up the war."

As my pal Andrew likes to say ... "Know Hope"!

Apparently recent times have been tough for Applebee's. I wouldn't have guessed it. Our local franchise is always packed. (I recommend the Crispy Brick Chicken!)

IHOP (IHP), a recent and rare success story among national restaurant chains, believes it can use similar strategies to revive the flagging Applebee's (APPB) restaurant chain. IHOP offered $25.50 per share to buy out Applebee's in a $2.1 billion deal on July 16.

In making the deal, IHOP chairman and chief executive Julia Stewart is biting into a company almost twice IHOP's size. The new outfit will run 3,250 restaurants and generate more than $6.8 billion in sales each year.

Stewart said the first item on her agenda will be selling off company-owned restaurants to franchisees. Almost all IHOP restaurants are owned by franchisees, but about a quarter of Applebee's restaurants are owned by the company.

"We will fundamentally change the company's business model," Stewart told analysts Monday. The sale of restaurants can help pay down debt from the acquisition, but it will also allow IHOP to exploit its skill in franchising, the firm says.

Gobbled up by International House of Pancakes. What a way to go.

What next? Waffle House buys T.G.I. Fridays??

“The income distribution has to stand,” Mr. Griffin said, adding that by trying to alter it with a more progressive income tax, “you end up in problematic circumstances. In the current world, there will be people who will move from one tax area to another. I am proud to be an American. But if the tax became too high, as a matter of principle I would not be working this hard.”

- Kenneth C. Griffin, who received more than $1 billion last year as chairman of a hedge fund, the Citadel Investment Group, as quoted in a NY Times article on "The New Gilded Age".

Kevin Drum supplies the rant.

It's the latest rage in the wack-o-sphere!

Very similar to scraping dog poop off your shoe.

I hope this quote from today's Washington Post article on confronting the Mahdi Army in Western Baghdad is being presented out of context.

On the decrepit city streets — some dirt, some paved, some drowned in lakes of sewer water — the fighters and bomb-placers seem relentless to the Americans. There are blocks in these neighborhoods that armored U.S. Humvees and Bradley Fighting Vehicles visit only during targeted raids, normally at night. The soldiers avoid main routes, dipping through the dirt alleys to avoid the bombs that fire heated copper slugs capable of piercing armored vehicles.

Last Monday, they pulled up outside a gated school on a tip that someone had launched rockets from the inner courtyard, using the children as cover so the Americans would not fire back. The brigade commander, Col. Ricky D. Gibbs, said later his patience for such tactics was limited: "One of these days, if they keep shooting, I'm going to shoot back and level the whole neighborhood."

Losing patience is not acceptable, Colonel Gibbs. No more My Lais.

Just found out that cartoonist Doug Marlette was killed last week in an automobile accident in Mississippi. Bummer. Kudzu was always one of my mom's favorite comics. Marlette was also a Pulitzer prize winning political cartoonist who took shots at all comers enthusiastically.

R.I.P. Doug.

Some anonymous deep thinking for Sunday morning found in my email.

I want to live my next life backwards!

You start out dead and get that out of the way right off the bat.

Then you wake up in a nursing home feeling better every day.

Then you get kicked out of the home for being too healthy.

You spend several years enjoying your retirement and collecting benefit checks.

Then when you start work, you get a gold watch on your first day.

You work 40 years or so, getting younger every day until pretty soon you're too young to work. So you go to high school: play sports, date, drink, and party.

As you get even younger, you become a kid again. You go to elementary school, you play, and have no responsibilities.

In a few years you become a baby and everyone runs themselves ragged keeping you happy.

You spend your last 9 months floating peacefully in luxury spa-like conditions: central heating, room service on tap.

Until finally . . .. . . You finish off as an orgasm.

Annoyed Oriole fans want to do it. They're frustrated that the Red Sox über-pwn their ballpark ten times a season. The target date is September 8...

What is it?

An event to wrest control of our beloved Camden Yards from the clutches of Red Sox Nation, if only temporarily.

This is not a “protest”. It isn’t about Peter Angelos or Mike Flanagan or Jim Duquette. It’s about the guys on the field who play hard in a Baltimore Orioles uniform. They deserve better than playing extra road games every year on account of (there, I took it out) Red Sox and Yankees fans invading our city. What’s more, the city itself deserves better. Why should local bartenders and waiters and vendors have to suffer the indignity of those fools with the funny accents walking around like they own the joint?

Simply put, it’s not right. So for at least one night we aim to restore balance as best we can.

Good luck with that. Hate to be the one to throw cold Natty Bo on a plan but if the Birds want to restore balance with the Beantowners, it's going to have to happen on the diamond. And Frank and Brooks and Boog ain't coming back.

Jesse Malin and friend.

Angels love you more than you know.

Jeff says it "tastes like the Fruit Stripe Zebra took a piss in my mouth!"

I disagree.

Pepsi Summer Mix is a fine beverage
reminiscent of a mix of tropical fruit flavors!

After all, does it make sense
to trust the judgement of someone
who has that kind of relationship with
the Fruit Stripe Zebra?

Plus they have a
very cool flash website ...

PSoTD is gone for the week. Not sure if he'll be posting from parts unknown or not.

You are about to participate in a great adventure...

Do not attempt to adjust your blog!!

I see Duncan's whomping up on Andy again. The offense appears fairly trivial - something about repeated use of the phrase "know hope" when criticizing the Iranian goverment. (To be brutally honest, Atrios is probably not the best person to knock someone for attaching tag lines to contextless news items. )

I dig Atrios and have a pretty good idea why he cops this stance. It's fight fire with fire. There are no greys in the right wing wackosphere so the left can't afford them either. I basically agree. It's been proven over and over that nuance doesn't carry. Atrios is the left-wing Id.

But makes me wonder if I'm a traitor to the cause because I'll link to Andrew Sullivan - or even worse, the usually-repulsive Corner? It feels to me that Atrios is dealing with the wackos in the same way that the Bush mob deals with Iran, NK, etc. Just lobbing bombs rather than even attempting constructive engagement.

My position is fine, get out the whomping stick and take Andy to task when he's misguided - as he often is. But Sullivan can also be one of the most reasoned and eloquent voices against the Bush/Cheney junta. Hell, Andy even endorsed Kerry. So why not give him a sugar cube every now and then to try to encourage his better impulses?

This week Pennsylvania passed a law protecting the right to breast-feed in public. The final nudge to pass the bill was provided in February when a lady got kicked out of a mall in Reading for publicly nursing her baby. She was told to either cover the child's head with a blanket, go to the rest room or leave the mall.

The new law states that "breastfeeding a baby is an important and basic act of nurturing that must be protected in the interests of maternal and child health and family values."

Under the law, local governments can't prohibit public breast-feeding, whether or not the mother's breast is concealed. Breast-feeding can't be considered indecent exposure or obscene behavior, and it's not a public nuisance, according to the law.

A friend of mine is totally enraged by this new law. He finds breast-feeding as offensive as loud vulgar language. He certainly doesn't want to be sitting on a bench somewhere and have some mom plop down beside him, flop one out and start nursing her kid.

Personally, I don't get it. I simply have no reaction either way to public breast-feeding and am both amused and baffled at his strong objections. Any other feed-o-phobes out there? You folks really ought to suck it up and get over it.

This one goes out to everybody traversing the upper atmosphere tomorrow!

Have a safe and wonderful adventure!!

Although, with the current asswipery of the Bush Administration, who knows how safe any airport really is?

Really, really bad vibes about the quality of the Disney-release of Underdog. This was one of my favorite cartoons as a kid, it'll be a shame if this is as bad as the trailers suggest.

From the good old days...

Pennsylvania has a blogger voice on the issue: Coal Region Voice. Can this state getting something done about requiring colon cancer screening from health care insurance?

From the Daily Dish ...

It also seems to me, alas, that when the president speaks spontaneously about the war, he reveals vast amounts of ignorance, denial and deception, self and otherwise. The patronizing soundbites stick in the craw at this point. His formulation that we do not know whether the war can succeed but that it nonetheless must succeed is about as disorienting a leadership call as I have heard. The rank condescension toward the American people is also staggering. Look, Mr President, most Americans aren't as dim as you seem to be. Maybe it's time you realized that.

He's just out of his depth, I'm afraid. And others are sinking - and dying - as a consequence.

The rest is here and worth a click. Thanks for handling this one, Andy.

My arch-nemesis Kathryn Jean Lopez actually managed an interesting post at the Corner this morning. There was a Hindu guest chaplain delivering today's Senate opening prayer and some yahoos in the balcony couldn't keep from expressing their displeasure at religious diversity in the United States. Video of the incident is posted with Bob Casey doing a cameo as the Senate Ringmaster o' the Day. Pretty sure that's the first time I've seen Junior since he was elected. What up, Bob?

Just caught a little bit of Bunnypants' dog and pony show in the car on WBAL-AM out of Bawlimer. When they cut back to the local talk show host, Chip Franklin, his only comment was that listening to more than fifteen or twenty seconds of Bush was painful. Nothing offered on the substance of the speech. And then he changed the subject to an ATM machine in Britain that malfunctioned and was giving away money.

I guess that's that.

Sometimes, you have a President that is just so bad, so out of touch with the American people, that he stigmatizes the political party he's from in a way that takes years to recover from - which is what many people think happened with Herbert Hoover.

What I don't know is whether backers of Hoover - the political backers, the news media backers - were also stigmatized by their behavior during his term, or if it was just the official party and Hoover. Just how long does America remember the political pushers that are so out of step with mainstream America, or that so hurt the American Ideal in the first place?

I think that's an interesting question, and particularly on the Iraq War question, it seems to me that the American memory is not something to be trusted. Political leaders should receive reactions for their political actions and opinions - not just immediately, but in the case of those who even today back Bush's war - forever. If you're backing the Iraq War today, in the same mentally challenged way that the Bush Administration does, then you probably deserve to have that chiseled into your tombstone when you're gone. Because such people should be identified - and known.

It seems to me that a database web site that shows, for any applicable person, the dates and comments or actions of their support of Bush's Iraq Debacle would be a useful thing to keep online permanently. How long has Pat Robertson supported the War? How about Dan Quayle? Dennis Miller? Colin Powell? People could review the database, and determine whether someone was fooled and quickly came to another conclusion about Iraq, if they slowly evolved their opinion about Iraq, or if they just followed Bush blindly because they were scared about the ramifications of following another path. It would be a useful tool for voters as well, as people could determine who would use reality as their guide in determining policy, and those who are so cowardly or so stupid that they can't think for themselves on the major issue of the day.

Somone should build this.

I received an email about an online database that allows bloggers to search - or add their - blog, based on city of location. We101 is the name of it.

because...

Never handle a venomous reptile, even after it's dead. Reflex strikes with envenomation can occur for several hours after death.

Everybody please welcome Battles to the PSoTD stage!

John McCain thinks his Presidential campaign was derailed by "gay sweaters".

There's been something eating at me since the airplane accident yesterday in Sanford, Florida. The news was out pretty quickly that there were five people dead, but that news was dominated by the fact there was the husband of a VIP killed. In fact, his name and the name of the pilot were the only ones available in general news yesterday, other than his VIP wife.

Now, I realize there's a lot of reasons why some names were known by news media and some names not known - or why some names were releasable and some were not. And this is truly a tragedy for all. But by focusing on the husband of a NASCAR official while not naming three other killed victims seems to ignore the most painful tragedy of the story.

And that's the sudden flaming death that comes randomly crashing into a haven of safety that parents have built for their kids in their home. This shouldn't be a story dominated by any sense of celebrity, it should be dominated by the sheer tragic luck of parents and children that unfortunately not only lived in those houses, but were home on a summer day.

That's the story that cries out to me. I'm not asking the news media to exploit it - but they should find a way to temper their coverage to recognize it. I don't feel they did.

Toe sucker Dick Morris yowls in The Hill ...

But Bush faces a stark choice: If he doesn’t begin pulling out, his party will lose the White House, lose Congress by stunning and likely filibuster-proof margins, and his tax cut and education reforms will be repealed. His footsteps will be obliterated from history. It will be as if he never served.

Obliterating Bush from history is a lovely thought. But at the very least, there are several thousand American servicemen and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians who would disagree that his misdeeds could be so easily reversed. If they were alive.

Did you realize that the agreed-upon budget will make Interstate 80 a toll road in Pennsylvania?

To find out, take the quiz.

Decide what you're having for lunch yet?

No way I'm eating one of these but this guy tried to. You could clog an artery just looking at it. Put me down for Chinese!

The right wing wack-o-sphere is positively giddy over the low television ratings for Live Earth. You get the impression they'd be happy to see nuclear winter if it meant Al Gore (or Michael Moore) got dinged in the process.

Hey, I didn't watch it either, but why would anyone but an oil industry executive be against energy consciousness?

There was a blog post recently that I read, and I can't remember where, about financing liberal/progressive bloggers, with the suggestion that the Democratic Party put some money into that financing.

Although I don't disagree, I think there needs to be some consideration of positioning and delivery in addition to content and opinion. For example, it sure would be helpful if the liberal/progressive political movement, as undefined, could improve outreach into the small towns and communities that populate our country via blogs. Small town blogs - the kind that can combine a bit of local news with a bit of progressive politics and fresh viewpoint of the news - could serve greatly to deliver information, in addition to providing additional insight and revealing additional news to the blogosphere.

And small town blogs probably wouldn't be as costly to fund, as they are generally in a lower cost area (due to real estate costs).

If I look at Pennsylvania's "smaller towns" with an actual sizeable population - let's say over 10,000 but less than 100,000 - it makes me wonder who the bloggers are that carry the liberal voice locally in such places as

Altoona
Ardmore
Baldwin
Bethel Park
Bethlehem
Bloomsburg
Brentwood
Butler
Carlisle
Chambersburg
Chester
Coatesville
Columbia
Darby
East Norriton
Easton
Elizabethtown
Emmaus
Ephrata
Fernway
Franklin Park
Fullerton
Greensburg
Hanover
Harrisburg
Hazleton
Hermitage
Hershey
Horsham
Johnstown
King of Prussia
Kingston
Lancaster
Lansdale
Lansdowne
Lebanon

and so on. You get the point. Some certainly have a voice, and in some cases I know of them, but in many cases there's no real local blogger presence, no packaging of liberal viewpoint in a local context, or not enough visibility and knowledge of such a person.

Small town American needs liberal political information distribution in context to living in such towns. I don't think, for the most part, that bloggers have figured out much of how to accomplish that. Funding is probably required to do so.

It just might be the Saturn Dealership on the Carlisle Pike in Mechanicsburg. I have to get a picture of that thing. Humungous.

Spinal Tap and The Army of Bassists at Live Earth Wembley

"Fat-ass gals, bass players, and green politics all in one!"

Whaaaa?

People flip blogs?

Whaaaa?

(The first of what may - or may not - be a continuing series.)

Liquid-centered chewing gums have been around for decades going back to the days of Freshen-up and Chewels. But never before have they been done as well as Peppermint Vanilla Trident Splash! (I'm not as big on the Strawberry Lime and Apple Raspberry hybrids)

Trident advertises Splash as a "three-textured chewing experience" consisting of a "thin, crisp flavored shell", "soft and smooth gum layer" and, of course, "a liquid-filled center". You get nine pieces in a pack for about a buck and a quarter. Oh yeah, it's also sugar-free.

Marketing twaddle aside, Peppermint Vanilla Splash really does have a killer smooth mint taste that lasts forever - well, at least a half hour. Trident has recently come out with a Summer Watermelon Spearmint variation of Splash that is also pretty good.

On a side note, many of you may remember the not-so-nice nickname for those seminal goo-filled gums. Is it my debauched imagination or does this Seventies Freshen-up commercial wink and nod in that direction? What the hell is that girl doing to that piece of gum? Here it comes ... the gum that goes squirt!

I'm starting to get into that vacation frame of mind. Here's a few interesting posts I've found about Sedona, Arizona... I'll let you know in a few weeks if I have anything in addition to say about any of them...

Sedona’s Sensual, Metaphysical, Spiritual Experiences

THEY ATE RATTLESNAKE, AND LIVED!!!!!

The "Impeach Cheney" Express is rolling! And Andrew Sullivan - along with many others - is on board. As Andrew points out...

... the only language Cheney understands is force. And even if it were to fail, the instructive power of the exercise would be considerable.

Up until recently, I've felt impeachment would be a futile, counter-productive effort - certain to fail while branding Democrats as mere political obstructionists for 2008. After all, with only 18 months left in office it could be smart to wait the term out while pursuing a positive legislative agenda.

But recent developments like the Libby pardon and the various Gonzalez stonewalls have changed my mind. Dangerous precedents are being set and the Constitution is being subverted. The Congress - more specifically the Democratic leadership - has a duty to vigorously confront this scofflaw Administration.

Cheney is the best point of attack. As unpopular as Bush is, the Vice President is even more despised and would draw less of a spirited defense. People who dislike Bush could still rally around the office of the President. The Veep job lacks similar cachet. And Cheney is undoubtedly culpable on a level matching if not exceeding Bush.

Dennis Kucinich has already filed impeachment charges in the House. Nancy Pelosi should bring these or similar charges to the floor and start squeezing Cheney's head in a legal vise. Let's see what kind of slime oozes out. It could be very "instructive".

A lot of the quiet or former Republicans you meet in everyday life don't want to talk about politics these days, or Bush, or Iraq, or anything. It's pretty understandable, because in many ways their party is screwed for a long, long time by George W. Bush and the people who continue to prop up his failed Presidency and foreign policies, as if they really deserve the term "policies". They're more like playground alliances - we like them, we don't like them, and that's that.

Anyways, as I said, it looks to me like the Republican Party is likely to be in the crapper for a long, long time, and one of those things that is going to continue that process is the slow-motion splintering it is going through. There's the Ron Paul splintering, the Rudy splintering, the Ahnold splintering. But the process has just begun, and this fight for the Republican Party's future won't end until there's a determination about what they're going to do about that low percentage of the American population, yet significant percentage of the visible Party, that continues to prop up and support this most abysmal President and the unAmerican policies he has adopted.

Guys like Bill Kristol. Guys like Sean Hannity. Rush Limbaugh. Sleazy conservative media people who repeat the Bush line at the danger of destroying the Party of millions of everyday Republicans.

Frankly, until the silent Republicans denounce these guys, they're going to continue to be screwed by the Party media. And they don't have to do it in the press, but by voting and public opinion. If Republicans support the candidates and politicians that Kristol, or Hannity, or Limbaugh are promoting, then they're likely to be fooled again, and get more of the same. Hopefully Americans in general won't make this mistake again, but the folks that vote for Kristol's losing Republican candidates will. Kristol's hacky pack are leading the Republicans over the cliff - and quickly. Have "real people" Republicans noticed?

I think we're seeing this pushback now. I suspect that part of Guiliani's appeal is that he's a "get lost" to Pat Robertson and crew. Ron Paul's even more of a piss on the Bush Republican Orthodoxy. More's coming, and it's going to get pretty ugly for the Republicans. It will be interesting to see if they can figure out how to cut their losses - such as people like Kristol.

At its simplest for everyday Republicans: if Bill Kristol likes a candidate or politician, they seriously ought to consider abandoning that person.

To the Cowboy Junkies for including Harrisburg in their stops this October.

That's the charge on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Seems pretty reasonable, so why was it such a good idea to privatize?

Kathryn Jean Lopez says right wing mouthpiece Sean Hannity's "Freedom Concert" series is "not meant to be a partisan kinda event".

AP said "invoked".

So which is Bush doing? Our options, from Wordreference.com:

request earnestly (something from somebody); ask for aid or protection; "appeal to somebody for help"; "Invoke God in times of trouble"

Well, Bush certainly is in trouble...

cite as an authority; resort to; "He invoked the law that would save him"; "I appealed to the law of 1900"; "She invoked an ancient law"

I'm sure that's what they think they're doing...

evoke or call forth, with or as if by magic; "raise the specter of unemployment"; "he conjured wild birds in the air"; "stir a disturbance"; "call down the spirits from the mountain"

This is probably the closest to the truth - and it's evil magic.

This kind of cracks me up. Bud Selig used to own the Milwaukee Brewers, and during his ownership they were terrible, and his ownership management was terrible. He was asked recently about the Brewers, who are currently leading their division:

The Brewers haven't been to the playoffs in 25 years but currently lead the National League Central. Selig was acting commissioner from 1992 to 1998, when his position became permanent. In August 2004, his contract was extended through 2009. Before arriving in San Francisco for the All-Star Game, Selig was interviewed by The Chronicle.

Q: How 'bout them Brewers?

A: I always tell people I'm neutral, and they chuckle a little bit, of course. It's a wonderful young club. You look around the infield, and no one's older than 24. They play with a lot of determination. It's a wonderful story just like Detroit last year and again this year. It's a rather dramatic manifestation of how well our new (economic) system is working. This couldn't have happened a decade ago. The Brewers are a case study of a team that drafted well and signed its players and, as a result, are an awfully good ballclub.

The Brewers may be a nice story in baseball in 2007, and they have definitely improved their talent, both on and off the field, since 10 years ago, but this isn't that unique.

Apparently Bud Selig slept through the Cleveland Indians of the 1990s. Several postseason appearances, two World Series appearances, and built on drafting.

It's not just the economic system that's helping the Brewers - it's being rid of the management ability of Bud Selig. Just imagine where MLB could go if he'd move on?

I think we've all seen it.

I didn't even know Harrisburg had a fire museum. Nice work, Mike Legeros.

With Leo Wright, Lalo Schiffrin , Bob Cunningham, Chuck Lampkin and 1964 Presidential candidate Dizzy Gillespie.

The latest Jetplane Landing record "Backlash Cop" (you own that, right?) carries the song "Dizzy Gillespie for President". On first listen, I figured it was a fanciful concept along the lines of Fig Bar Man for President. However it turns out that the great jazz trumpeter really did make an aborted run for President back in 1964. Committees were formed for Dizzy in twenty-five states and petitions were filed to get his name on the ballot in California. But not surprisingly, the campaign eventually fizzled out.

The campaign is not taken seriously by political historians even though no black had ever run for President at the time. But Dizzy took it seriously enough to announce some campaign planks and one helluva entertaining cabinet.

Miles Davis was penciled in as director of the CIA, Louis Armstrong as Minister of Agriculture, Thelonious Monk was to be Roving Ambassador Plenipotentiary, and other cabinet members were to include Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Woody Herman and Count Basie. According to Dizzy, the drummer Max Roach wanted to be Minister of War, but was overruled, because, said the candidate, "We're not going to have any." The Library of Congress was to be in the charge of Ray Charles, and Charles Mingus was to be Minister of Peace, "because he'll take a piece of your head faster than anybody I know".

Dizzy's campaign promised that if he was elected, he would fight for civil rights and equal opportunity in the job market. To ensure that employers were truly blind to race, Dizzy proposed that those applying for jobs would "have to wear sheets over their heads so bosses won't know what they are until after they've been hired". He promised to end the war in Vietnam and to give full diplomatic recognition to China (which the US was not to do until 1979). Healthcare and education were both to be free.

In recognition of his most loyal constituency, Dizzy said he would push for the creation of civil service nightclubs where jazz musicians would be guaranteed work as government employees. NASA was also to be instructed to send a black astronaut to the moon. When the Gillespie campaign couldn't find any qualified applicants, the candidate volunteered to go himself.

Not a bad platform at all. Fascinating what you can learn from rock music!

So the effort to rehabilitate Colin Powell's reputation continues. The London Times has a big article today headlined:

Time for this journalistic shit to end. A reporter - a real reporter, apparently not Sarah Baxter, needs to ask a real question, such as:

Did Colin Powell enlist anyone else's help to try to convince Bush not to go to war?

Because if he didn't, he's a dumbass or a liar or both on this. He had to see that Rumsfeld and Cheney kept throwing logs on the fire, more voices, more fake evidence, as to why we had to go to war. Not to convince Bush, but to convince the American people. How in the hell could Colin Powell expect to stop the President's March to War alone?

Of course, as we all know, all he had to do is turn to the American people before that day at the U.N. where he permanently cast his lot with Bush on Iraq, and say what he's saying now, say it with conviction, say it repeatedly. Yes, it would have been brave. Yes, he would be fired from the Administration. But it could have worked. All he had to do was enlist help - from the American people.

He didn't. If he did really try to stop this war, he failed miserably. There's too many lives that have been destroyed for him to get any points - or deserve any better reputation - from the American people. If his point is that he was smarter than Bush, he's wrong, because Bush still got his war.

Think Progress has more.

I had meant to post this yesterday, but these posts are still worth reading today:

What are Republicans doing to silence Ron Paul?

Why aren't there any country songs called "Arrested In Kennebunkport"?

Sometimes, forced retirement would be the best thing, David Broder.

Beard or no beard? You make the call.

Sticky power windows? This can help.

Good grief, I go away to a softball tournament in Greencastle for the day, and we're linked to at Eschaton. I knew I was holding back the popularity of this blog...

While in Greencastle, I actually saw a family using a styrofoam cooler. For some reason, I thought they were gone from general consumer use - I haven't seen them in a long time.

Lazy or not, you rock!

I've never seen a barn webcam before. Apparently it's a pretty big business. Welcome to Greencastle, PA.

Skinny dipping is an American tradition.

Anita Smith versus Michael Moore. Yeah, I'd like to see that.

Joe Lieberman wants us to know that he might back a Republican in the 2008 Presidential Election.

Yes, we know.

What Joe Lieberman also may realize, however, is that he has a very, very short window remaining of relevancy. Two years from now, the likelihood is pretty good that:

1 - Joe Lieberman's "affiliation" won't determine leadership in the Senate.
2 - Another wave of Democrats will wash into the Congress in 2008, leading even the most moronic journalists to realize that Lieberman's 2006 election was an aberration and not a trend.
3 - Joe Lieberman's political enemies, some still hiding because he holds some political power strings due to the partisan breakdown of the Senate, will no longer feel a need to hide.

In short - he's toast, politically, after this term. So what, other than squawking the next year that he may back a Republican, can Lieberman do to remain in the spotlight?

McCain-Lieberman '08. As independents. I wouldn't be surprised if Lieberman starts dropping big public hints about that idea in the very near future.

As a parent, one of the things that you find kids talk about are bedtimes during summer. Our ten-year-old daughter probably knows the bedtime of most every one of the kids of our family friends - the kids that are here when we have get-togethers. And from that learning, our 6-year-old learns as well.

This knowledge tends to stir some debate at the beginning of summer - when should their bedtime be? It's not a debate as far as my wife and I are concerned - we believe in a lot of activity and a little television, and that includes during the summer, and so they only get a half hour later bedtime during the summer than they do during school. Of course, they have friends that go to bed at 10 PM, or in some cases 11 PM, and from time to time that fact is raised.

That doesn't fit into our philosophy as a general rule. We want them up relatively early, we want them energized and active during the day, and we want the television time to be the wind-down to bedtime if there's to be television at all. We don't always get what we want, but that's no reason to change our goals, and the kids understand the rules if not the reasoning. The unspoken, of course, is that my wife and I also want that 90 minutes or two hours of time in the evening where we can talk without kids overhearing, or pay the bills, or fix the birdfeeder, or whatever else we have or want to do.

Sometimes I wonder if other parents think we're too strict in the summer on bedtimes. Our kids do seem to go to bed earlier than a lot of our friends' kids. But it works for all of us, so we're in no need of changing right now.

In a little more than a week, I'll find myself enjoying the dry heat (how hot was it there yesterday again?) of Sedona, Arizona.

So, if anyone's interested in guest-posting while I'm gone, please email me. I might post a bit that week, since I'll have the laptop and wireless, but I'm hoping to disengage for at least a short time from my ever-expanding disgust of the national political scene and our current national governing standards.

Can a journalist ask George W. Bush what his standard was? Now the Bushies are berating the Clintons for their pardons, and apparently thinking their criteria is above the Clintons - so why not explain how?

"When you think about the previous administration and the 11th hour fire-sale pardons and issues that were provided, commutations on the last day ... it's really startling that they have the gall to criticize what we believe is a very considered, a very deliberate approach to a very unique case," Stanzel said.

What criteria was used in this deliberate approach? What were the extenuating circumstances? What makes this case so unique?

The press needs to ask Bush these questions. Bush has a big mountain of shit left to shovel on this, and comparing it to some road apples of Bill Clinton's pardons isn't going to cut it as journalism or spokesmanship.

Is Super Ultra Mega Obfuscation. But just plain old lying is really cool to him, too.

and The Left Thing to Do, also. An important point by Ed Morrissey.

Retailers' email campaigns using lists of 100 addresses had the highest open rate.

Derek Fisher has them.

In the most exciting eating contest ever, world champion eater Takeru Kobayashi battled American challenger Joey Chestnut right to dessert before suffering a near "reversal of fortune" which allowed the American to pull away. Surprisingly, I found myself on the edge of my seat as they gobbled dog-for-dog during the last ninety seconds of the contest.

In a gut-busting showdown that combined drama, daring and indigestion, Joey Chestnut emerged Wednesday as the world's hot dog eating champion, knocking off six-time winner Takeru Kobayashi in a rousing yet repulsive triumph.

Chestnut, the great red, white and blue hope in the annual Fourth of July competition, broke his own world record by inhaling 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes — a staggering one every 10.9 seconds before a screaming crowd in Coney Island.

"If I needed to eat another one right now, I could," the 23-year-old Californian said after receiving the mustard yellow belt emblematic of hot dog eating supremacy.

Kobayashi, the Japanese eating machine, recently had a wisdom tooth extracted and received chiropractic treatment due to a sore jaw. But the winner of every Nathan's hot dog competition from 2001 to 2006 showed no ill effects as he stayed with Chestnut frank-for-frank until the very end of the 12-minute competition.

Congratulations, Joey! This was truly a great day for the U.S.A!

Barf!!

Forty years ago hordes of stoned, dirty, stinky hippies converged on San Francisco to "turn on, tune in, and drop out," which was the calling card of LSD proponent Timothy Leary. Turned off by the work ethic and productive American Dream values of their parents, hippies instead opted for a cowardly, irresponsible lifestyle of random sex, life-destroying drugs and mostly soulless rock music that flourished in San Francisco.

Who said this? (Hint: I doubt you'll find him soulful)

I'll celebrate Independence Day today. We have the flag out, we have friends coming over for dinner and we'll do kids' fireworks, and we'll enjoy our day.

But President Bush, by commuting Libby's sentence this week, intentionally crapped on the 4th of July for everyone that was opposed to that action. He hollowed the holiday out a bit - an insistence to celebrate the trappings of the holiday, but does it stand for as much as it did last year? Didn't we just see the highest office in the land argue for regal override of sentencing of the elite, rather than sentencing by judge and jury of one's peers?

It was no accident this happened this week. They're counting on the holiday to provide a buffer for the firestorm they expected this action to cause. They're also relying on vacation schedules - a lot of people use this week for vacation because there's a holiday that saves them a vacation day. It was by design, this use of Independence Day. It was calculated.

For 70 percent of us, George W. Bush squatted and left another giant steamer on the flag, just in time for Fourth of July. Meanwhile, his conservative media cronies kazoo Hail to the Chief, with the conservative blogosphere farting in unison, while the rest of us are trying to listen to The Star Spangled Banner.

Do you know Marty Peretz?

How about Alan Dershowitz?

Do you know a person that has been given the responsibility of being seen as part of the press, support the commutation of sentence for Scooter Libby?

If the answer is yes:

Do you disagree with the commutation? Do you believe that American justice should have been allowed to run its course without the action of the President to protect Libby and himself?

If the answer again is yes, have you told Peretz or whatever published clod that you disagree?

Because if you haven't, and you're not planning to, then you're the biggest problem with this country today. Marty Peretz is entitled to his opinion. Dershowitz too. You are entitled to yours. Peretz can publish his. And he has been, for quite a while, during the continuing decline of this nation, and doing his part to hasten that decline.

And yet, if you sit there, enjoying your position in society, yet disagree with Peretz and/or Dershowitz and can't spare the nerve to tell Peretz or Dershowitz how poisonous they are for the country on this while eating dinner or playing croquet or whatever you do with these people, then you're worse than they are. Politics in this country isn't a game, it never was, and unfortunately, everyone that is sitting on the sidelines as the Constitution is continually used as asspaper by the Bush Administration are the biggest threats to America yet. More of a threat to America than the Soviet Union, more than Al Qaeda, more than the British in 1776 - your wussyhood is killing this nation. Take a stand. If you agree with Peretz, agree with him. If you disagree, then fuck the polite lunches, dump your shit on him. I'm fucking sick of this. Aren't you?

And if you're not sick of it, then I'm sick of you.

God, it just keeps sucking to be a Cincinnati Reds fan.

They're having a little celebration next week in honor of the 50th anniversary of the filming of the movie classic in Phoenixville, PA. Next year is the 50th anniversary of the release of the film.

Check out the nurse's reaction to "The Blob". Doesn't it remind you of some conservative bloggers?

Wherever you went.

Ugh.

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

There's absolutely nothing in the Constitution about what America has to provide a President after that person's term in office. Pension, protection, benefits - that is all law, but not constitutionally mandated.

As far as I'm concerned, Americans have the right and responsibility to remove or limit those benefits - all of them - if a President is found to have failed intentionally the oath of office. That is the one promise made at the beginning of the term that trumps all others - we don't accept someone who doesn't make this pledge.

One of the things I think there should be full scrutiny of is the budget for benefits to be provided Mr. Bush when he leaves office. I am for holding the line and making them as least expensive as possible. I do not believe he deserves any more of a detail than Mr. Clinton currently has even though he's much more universally despised than Clinton. I do not believe Americans should have to spend more money to protect, or for travel arrangements, for Mr. Bush. I, for one, think it should be up for public discussion, and it should be up now, before the end of his term. What does a F-grade President deserve in parting benefits?

In addition, I'm absolutely opposed to providing him any more than what the law currently provides. Period. He has already cost America way too much.

Looks like they've pulled off another outrageous caper. They've sprung Scooter! And the bumbling Democratic posse is still two steps behind.

Above the law, beyond the law, in open contempt of the law...

Wonder if they'll turn over the White House in 2009? Who's gonna make 'em?

I really think it's wrong that we're so accepting of what is going on in the executive branch in Washington, DC. I'm not talking about bloggers, but the average American citizen, and the average American politician. There's a "yeah, it's wrong, but whatcha gonna do about it" attitude that is the enabling force for all the crap that continues to happen from the Bush Administration.

We know Bush has no respect for anything other than power. Why we continue to accept that as a presiding standard is one of the great tragedies of our lifetime. We are allowing him to ruin the image - and the concept - of America.

What do I want from Congress? Simple.

That's where Bush and company has driven me.

For those who follow the NBA on television, the meteoric rise of one Stephen A. Smith as commentator/expert has been an amusing experience. He is quite entertaining for the first few minutes, but his schtick wears off quite quickly and as that happens, you realize the shallow level of expertise as well. Which is why this piece on the NBA draft gave me the laughs.

Seems pretty popular right now.

Our American system of justice is not good enough for the pals of George W. Bush.

Our country, and the American future, will not improve until this President is removed. Please, Congress, do your duty. Do not continue the negligence.

If you knew how much in the way of goodies was plied into medical offices by pharmaceutical reps in this country every day, you'd be appalled.

It’s no surprise that the pharmaceutical industry is appalled at proposals to set up a national registry of its gifts and payments to doctors. Too much information might lead patients to suspect that their doctors are choosing costly medicines out of gratitude to the manufacturers rather than for the best medical or economic interests of their patients.

The drug companies ply doctors with a wide range of gifts, everything from free lunches for busy doctors and their staffs while sales representatives extol the virtues of their latest drugs to subsidized trips to vacation spots for conferences billed as educational events. The companies also pay large sums to doctors for consulting or for conducting research. These payments, which can mount into the hundreds of thousands of dollars over a period of years, look suspiciously like inducements to promote or prescribe the companies’ drugs.

(Hat tip: Susie)

As if we could forget...

This wasn't some cheap draft dodger like Dick Cheney trying to sell a war against Iraq four years ago, this was a real soldier. This was Colin Powell.

This was Powell: sitting in front of the United Nations Security Council in February of 2003 as George Bush's secretary of state, talking about nuclear weapons and the link between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda, putting his good name, the name of an American hero, to a war Bush and Cheney had become obsessed with fighting.

And of course, much of what Powell had to say that day was crap. You can dress it up with a bow as pretty as you want but the stench remains. If you have a can of Glade handy, you might want to revisit his words.

Speaking of the makers of Glade, why aren't they one of the "star sponsors" of the 23rd Annual Pennsylvania Chamber Dinner? Because the Pennsylvania State Chamber expects businesses throughout the state to plug down some serious money - almost $2000 bucks for a corporate table of 10 people - to hear this same Colin Powell speak.

Would you want your company to be spending $2000 for your corporate honchos to be hearing - and perhaps even persuaded - by a guy who so dubiously misinformed the United Nations in the most important speaking event he ever participated in? I know I wouldn't want my employer to...

And who are those sponsors, anyway? Who's willing to pay to promote the misinformation by the misinformed?

Highmark - they spent the most money. That's really discouraging for those of us insured by them. What a waste of cash.
Lancaster General. A freakin' hospital?
Comcast. Well, that's not surprising.
First Commonwealth PCI Insurance - well, they're run by the Chamber, no surprise here.
Insurance Coalition.
Air Products
AK Steel
Armstrong
Arnold Logistics
ATX
BMC
Citizens Bank
Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania
CTC
Crown Packaging
Geisinger
Glatfelter Insurance
Harley Davidson
Hershey
High Companies
JPL Productions
Merck
Penn Waste - now that may be appropriate
Pennsylvania American Water
Post & Schell
PSECU
Shaner
Soni Diamond Media
Sunoco
Wachovia
Waste Management

Quite a questionable expenditure by all.

Ann Coulter, or whoever makes her phone list purchasing decisions, ought to fire whoever they are using and find someone who can reliably give her phone numbers of conservatives.

We know it now. We should be laying the groundwork as to why this is is expected NOW so it's not a story for the symbiotic dipshit media then. It shouldn't be much of a story - certainly there should be no surprise angle to it - because it is so obvious already.

Lieberman was not elected to Congress in 2006 as a Democrat. This must be repeated, repeated, repeated. Lieberman is not a Democrat. He is not a Democrat. Democrat is not what Lieberman is. Lieberman no es un demócrata. Lieberman n'est pas un démocrate. Lieberman ist nicht ein Demokrat.

Repeat, repeat, repeat.

I wonder what Nancy Eshelman's opinion would be about restaurants that utilize the right to triple the price to convicted felons. And that the law allowed that. And that because it started as a practice a zillion years ago, it's the way it should be, and every restaurant did it because every restaurant did it.

Why, it's a business choice?

I'm tired of Eshelman using the Patriot to bang the gong for smokers. And why doesn't government belong in the workplace to protect the health of employees? Hey, why allow government to inspect amusement rides? Just let the public figure out what's safe and what's not.

I'd be more likely to read the Patriot-News on a daily basis if it didn't waste valuable space on Eshelman's writings. They need to hire some folks that can regularly make logical points in their writings.

There's an opportunity for a barber shop to offer high-priced "Historical Haircuts". Those looking for something to stand them out from the crowd could choose the Julius Caesar, the Johannes Brahms, the Albert Einstein, the Ambrose Burnside, etc. Think of it as historical preservation on one's head.

It could happen.

Why would anyone harass a woman for breastfeeding her baby?

We went to Haars Drive-In last night and saw Ratatouille and Evan Almighty. I went expecting to be disappointed by Ratatouille (the commercials aren't doing it for me) and amused by Almighty.

I forgot that Brad Bird was behind Ratatouille. It was pretty damn great.

Evan Almighty? Is it me, or is everyone getting tired of seeing Morgan Freeman portraying benevolent character and John Goodman as an evil character? This movie might have been more interesting if they switched these two actors in their roles...

14 references and growing...