Friday catblogging

As you can see, I have my original toes.
The Velociraptor is no match for the Megatabbius Flabbius.

Snuff for porn

I have seen stories about soldiers exchanging pictures of dead Iraqis for pornographic pictures. It's starting to make the mainstream media. However, the Pentagon has determined that no felonies have been committed. The Army knows how to track IP addresses and user profiles, so I think the people who said this are lying:

Pentagon and Army officials yesterday issued strong statements condemning the taking and posting of such photographs, but said there is little evidence to authenticate them and few ways to pursue a criminal investigation. While some of the photos appear to show U.S. soldiers in uniform near mutilated bodies, it is unclear where or when the pictures were taken.

Oh please, they can find out. I knew someone who got an Article 15 for downloading porn on a government computer in 1999 and they caught him by tracking IP addresses on his user ID. And yes government computers have a sticker on them that says, "Use of device consents to monitoring". So he was warned. If they had that capability six years ago, why wouldn't they have that capability now? They may not know when and where the pictures were taken, but they can find out who has been accessing the website in question.

That doesn't mean action hasn't been taken. The Army has other options as well, such as non-judicial punishment under the UCMJ. It's also known as an Article 15. I have a feeling that a few rotten apples are going to lose some rank and pay. Maybe a Commander or two will be relieved. As a rule, I do not blog about work. I work for a defense contractor at an Army base in the Military District of Washington. When I got to work on Monday, I noticed the site blocker software had been upgraded. I do not know if this action is in reaction to this story, but the timing seems right.

Credit Card Conservatives Again

A very revealing article from the Washington Post about conflicted credit card conservatives. Yeah, Republicans always accuse Democrats of being "tax and spend liberals", but what happens when you cut taxes and increase spending? You get record deficits that you ask China and Japan to finance! Yep, you put it on the Bank of Asia credit card. And the credit card conservatives have a serious compulsive spending problem:

Two of the House districts hardest hit by Rita are represented by freshmen Gohmert and Ted Poe, both of whom owe their seats in part to DeLay's redistricting. Leaders have encouraged the spending of federal largess in freshman districts to solidify House gains, said Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), an outspoken fiscal conservative.

"We hear the rhetoric, that nobody wants earmarks, but the truth is, the leadership likes them," he said. "They like to get you hooked. They make freshmen believe they are the ticket to reelection."

(emphasis mine)

I guess their plan for cutting benefits for military families didn't work. Like I said fiscal conservatism is a myth. So now Republicans have a problem, how do we get our voters to look the other way? What's a good distraction issue? I know, let's attack college level sex education classes. Nothing like attacking sex between consenting adults to fire up your base. Yep, let's keep them ignorant, that way they'll keep voting for us.

Wrong solution for the problem

Because the response to Hurricane Katrina was FUBAR, President Bush wants the Pentagon to become the lead agency in disaster response. I thought that was FEMA's job. Gee, maybe if a subject matter expert on disasters was in charge instead of a political crony, we wouldn't have this problem. FEMA worked during the Clinton years, it worked in response to Hurricane Rita. FEMA worked in 2004 when four hurricanes hit Florida, even counties that were not affected by the hurricanes were declared disaster areas. What a difference an election year makes.

Gee, what could have been the problem with Katrina? Maybe someone's priorities were not in order? It is apparent, despite the breakdown, that FEMA does work when it is politically expedient. Or when the President wants the Federal government to work, which goes back to political expediency. President Bush only cared that FEMA worked when his poll numbers went down.

The DoD's job is to break things and kill people. With its commitments overseas in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, it is overworked as it is. If there is a need for a rapid deployment force in the event of a disaster, natural or man-made, maybe the National Guard should fall under the command and control of the Department of Homeland Security. Why not? The Coast Guard falls under the command and control of DHS.

I went to a book festival and ended up at a peace rally!

This weekend is going to be a busy weekend in Washington DC. I can see it now, "This is the Cindy Sheehan rally? Where's the Book Festival? I noticed one thing, Lynne Cheney was originally scheduled to appear, so I guess Kay Bailey Hutchison is taking her place. Darn, I had something important to tell Mrs. Cheney. Since she was scheduled to appear at the teens and children pavilion, it would have been way inappropiate. However, I do understand she couldn't make it because her husband is having surgery today
.
A map of what's where.

And here is some good advice:

Transportation officials are asking people to leave their cars at home and take Metro. Police will be closing many downtown streets at various times and mobilizing their forces for a busy weekend.

Just remember, Segways are not allowed on the Metro during Rush Hour.

Found another quiz.

You are a Social Liberal (68% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (21% permissive) You are best described as a: Strong Democrat Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid

I still like Political Compass better.
Economic Left/Right: -3.50
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.72

My score hasn't changed much from the last time.

A Bush Clone

I was over at the New Rupublic's website the other day, don't worry I didn't stay too long (I didn't want to contaminate my cookies). I saw an ad comparing Tim Kaine to John Kerry. Alrighty then, I really do wonder how many of those people who voted to re-elect Bush regret that decision.
So, let's compare Jerry Kilgore to George W. Bush:
Neither one of them can debate a paper bag.
Public speaking is anathema to them.
They can't think on their feet during a debate, wonder how Kilgore will act during a crisis. Remember, Virginia was one of the states attacked on 9/11. I just can't see Jerry Kilgore rising up to a Rudy Giuliani level of leadership. And we know George W. Bush just sat there for 7 minutes after he was notified of the attack. His response to Katrina took 4 days. Think about it: if a candidate has a duuuuuuhhhh moment in a debate, how will he act in a real crisis?

So anyhow I see this story about Jerry Kilgore's position on abortion, my goodness he has flip-flops more than my shoe closet does. He presents himself as a "moderate" when in reality he is a far right radical just like George W. Bush. His record speaks for itself. Jerry Kilgore is beholdened to the Pat Robertson's and Jerry Falwell's of the state of Virginia.

Catbloggin

Cat on the move
What makes you think I won't be able to fit inside the bag?

Bush stabs his base in the back!

No, I'm not talking about the Have-Mores, I'm talking about the military. From Skippy and David Sirota the money to pay for Katrina's (and possibly Rita's) decimation of the Gulfcoast will come from cutting benefits for healthcare for military families and education for their children. Way to support the troops Congressman Pence! God forbid someone like Paris Hilton has to pay more taxes. You know, fiscal discipline is more than cutting spending that hurts the families of those who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Yet again Republicans lie about supporting our troops.

I remember when I was in the Army during 2000 and I was talking to a soldier about the election, he told me, "I hope Bush wins, we will finally have a President that understands us." When I pointed out to him the Al Gore actually served in the Army and went to Viet Nam and Bush couldn't even be bothered to show up for weekend duty in the National Guard, I told him that Bush was a draft dodger just like Clinton. He said it didn't matter, Bush would be better for the military no matter what. I wonder if he is still drinking that Kool-Aid. Of course, he wasn't the only one to become intoxicated by the Kool-Aid.

Remember this promise from Dana Priest's book The Mission on page 25:

The men and women in uniform had expected great things from....Republican George W. Bush had won their votes with a promise to be the military's friend. He would be tough on enemies. He would pick his fights around the world more judiciously than Clinton's team. He pledged more money, fewer deployments, a renewed esprit de corps

(emphasis mine)

Where is the money? It's being cut from soldier's families and there is no money for body or vehicle armor.
Fewer deployments? Tell that to a soldier is going to his third tour in Iraq.
Esprit de Corps? You tell me. Are soldiers still drinking the Kool-Aid? I know Bush is the President, but when I was in the Army in the 90's Clinton was hated. I wonder if soldiers still feel that way. Hints of discontent were seen last year. Yet 69% had a favorable opinion of Bush. I wonder if they still feel that way.

Press calls it a miracle, airline geeks say no biggie

Reading media coverage of the emergency landing of a JetBlue Airbus 320, you would think a major tradegy had been averted. Well, according to the airplane enthusiasts at Airliners.net this is something that pilots train for and should be able to handle such emergencies. This has happened before, and yet the media says it was a miracle as if we have no control over our destinies. Doesn't the pilot and flight crew get any credit for their ability to stay calm in a stressful situation?

I just want to tell the flight crew, congradulations for a job well done!

Oh, on the Washington Post's article, I got a pop up ad for an online travel agency. Truly cringe worthy. Automated ads need tweaking.

More about credit card conservatives

The next time we elect an MBA president, let's make sure he actually knows how to run a business. It seems that when we get a Republican president with a Republican dominated Congress we get these horrible budget deficits that grow and grow with compounding interest.

What happened to that surplus in 2000? It was squandered on tax cuts and war. Gee, that surplus would have come in handy on September 11, 2001 when we were attacked by al-Qaeda. By the way, why isn't Osama bin Ladin in custody? Or maybe we could have used it to finance health care reform for everyone so more Americans can have health care coverage. Or used it to save social security, instead of turning social security into a government driven 401K plan.

But no, the Republicans answer to everything is a tax cut! Hey, college graduates don't want to become preschool teachers because it only pays $10/hour. The solution: give the people who make $100/hr a tax cut. The number of Americans without health insurance is increasing, let's give Kenny-boy a tax cut! We were attacked by a transnational terrorist group with no ties to any state sponsorship - Tax cuts! So how are we going to pay for the recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita? By repealing the Estate tax or as the credit card conservatives like to call it, the death tax

Fiscal conservativism? That's a myth.

And they say Democrats don't have new ideas

I recently made a comment on D.K.'s blog that I'd rather be a tax and spend liberal than a credit card conservative. Well now the Republicans in Congress are now facing a dilemma, "How in the are we going to pay for this mess in Iraq and the Gulfcoast without raising taxes and cutting such favorite pork barrel projects like missile defense and bridges to nowhere in Alaska?" The answer is you can't. Something has to give, and I believe the rich need to pay more in taxes.

Oh yeah, on Rick Santorum

One indicator many Republicans are watching to gauge whether Bush is becoming a liability for the party is in Pennsylvania, where Rick Santorum, the No. 3 Republican in the Senate, is trailing state treasurer Bob Casey Jr. by double digits.

Asked whether Bush's problems were a factor in his slump, Santorum responded, "That may be."

The fact that he wrote a book attacking working mothers as selfish, and welfare mothers as lazy and he thinks that life is a 1950s TV show has nothing to with it. Right?

SICK,

It's time for another stupid parents story. This time it's parents hosting chicken pox parties so they can deliberately infect their children with chicken pox. The only problem is

some doctors and other health experts are warning that the practice is dangerous. They say that chickenpox is an unpredictable disease. A "wild" exposure may not necessarily make for a milder case, or, on the other hand, guarantee the child will catch the virus. They say complications from chickenpox can be life-threatening.
"Chickenpox is not necessarily a benign disease or a childhood rite of passage," said Curtis Allen, a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).snipAllen points out that before the vaccination was available, there were 11,000 hospitalizations and 100 deaths annually in the United States from chickenpox, also known as varicella. During 2003 and the first half of 2004, the CDC reported eight deaths from varicella, six of whom were children or adolescents.

O.K. so we have parents who deliberately infect their child with a disease that can kill, where is child protective services when you need them? Isn't there a word to describe this? Child abuse comes to mind.
So, why don't parents immunize their children against a disease that can kill them?

The chickenpox vaccine was the second most refused immunization, trailing only the shot that combines measles, mumps and rubella. snip Many parents who don't vaccinate their children or who use vaccines sparingly worry that ingredients in the shots could cause autism or other disorders, although no connection between vaccines and these disorders has been proven.

How can parents do this? The shot protects 70-90% of those who get it. Those who get it, "those who do contract the disease after vaccination usually get a milder case than what occurs naturally." So these parents would rather have their children be sick and miserable for 10 days, then give them a shot that is over in seconds. I guess one of the parents is a stay-at-home, because who has time to take 10 days off from work to take care of a sick child. I'm sorry but I'd rather take time off to care for my sick child for something that cannot be prevented, rather than something that can be.

Maybe it wasn't the uniforms

When Steve Spurrier did a terrible job of coaching the Redskins, I thought he had a psychological barrier to coaching them well. After all the logos look alike. The colors are similar. Maybe on some subliminal level he thought he was coaching Florida State instead of the Redskins.

Now, he is having a hard time coaching South Carolina's Gamecocks. Apparently South Carolina is the college football coaches graveyard. Spurrier looks much younger than his 60 years, so he can still have a career in sportscasting.

You have got to be kidding

The FBI is dedicating 8 agents to fight legally protected speech.

Yes, it's "one of the top priorities" for the FBI to fight porn.

The new squad will divert eight agents, a supervisor and assorted support staff to gather evidence against "manufacturers and purveyors" of pornography -- not the kind exploiting children, but the kind that depicts, and is marketed to, consenting adults.

But Gonzales endorses the rationale of predecessor Meese: that adult pornography is a threat to families and children. Christian conservatives, long skeptical of Gonzales, greeted the pornography initiative with what the Family Research Council called "a growing sense of confidence in our new attorney general."

Never mind that Osama bin Ladin's followers are plotting terrorist attacks. Never mind that there's missing white women out there. OH, I guess we won the war on drugs too. I guess organized crime is no longer a problem either. Bank robberies no longer a problem either. Corporate fraud? It's been solved.
So now the FBI has the resources to take 8 agents away from those jobs and fight the really pressing issue of pornography on which there is no proof that consenting adults watching porn hurts children. Come on, who hasn't found their parents stash of dirty magazines while growing up?
What's next, criticizing the president?
Watch me slide down this slippery slope.

Party like it's 2000

Germany's elections have resulted in a tie. Expect much coalition building. However, there is good news, the Neo-Nazis will not be a part of any coalitions.

Mississippi has problems with FEMA too!!!

This story about FEMA's response to the devastation that the Gulfcoast of Mississippi is not encouraging. It took FEMA days to respond there as well. I guess having a governor and a senator who are close friends of the President didn't help them either. Yet, no one at the federal level is blaming the governor of Mississippi. I will let you draw your own conclusions on that.

Oh, and look out Florida, here comes Rita!

The scooter

Republicans promise the undeliverable

If you live in Northern Virginia, you have probably seen Jerry Kilgore's (R-Debate ducker) ads promising to widen I-66 inside the beltway. That same ad also promises to give control of transportation to local authorities. According to the Washington Post the Republicans want to "ban local governments from using eminent domain to take private property and give it to developers." Granted it says developers, but don't you think the people who spent a lot of money for a house is willing to sell to the government? And we know the government is not going pay fair market value for these homes. Can you say years of litigation?

So if control is given to local authorities to resolve transportation problems and they can't use eminent domain to buy houses in order to widen I-66, how will Jerry Kilgore solve the traffic logjam on I-66?

By the time the eminent domain litigation is finished and I-66 is widened, traffic will still be bad and we will need to go through the whole process again.

Wouldn't a better solution be add a new VRE line that runs to Front Royal? Or extending the Metro to Tyson's Corner and Dulles International Airport?

After all, mass transit is getting more popular as gas prices increase.

Scraping the bottom of the barrel

From Fairfax County Democratic Club I found this story from the Washington Post. Stafford County GOP candidate Paul Milde (what a misleading name) has two felony convictions. Couldn't Stafford County find anyone who didn't have a background like this. After all, who wants the local newspaper digging into someone's background and finding, surprise!, that your candidate has a drug arrest and an attempted burglarly conviction. Didn't the Stafford County GOP realize that newspapers (and opposing candidates) look into political candidates backgrounds? I only thought Republicans used criminals for dirty tricks, now they're running them for office?? I thought the Republicans were the moral values party. I thought the Republicans were the tough on crime party. Now some Republicans are saying that Milde's rehabilitation is a sign of character. Do you know how liberal that sounds?
Well, the Virginia GOP does have a record of running criminals for office. Anyone remember Oliver North's run for the Senate? John Warner refused to endorse him. Unfortunately, it seems like John Warner is the only Republican left who has actual moral values.

Friday Catblogging-Great outdoors edition

Enjoying the morning sunshine.
"It's my rug" "No, it's my rug"
Lee guarding the bike.

W's shift to the left???

Well he sounded like a liberal except for he said we wouldn't have to pay higher taxes for the recovery of the Gulfcoast. Yep, he just charged that on my son's credit card. He didn't mention suspending the Davis-Bacon Act. So much for creating jobs that pay a living wage.

Isn't it amazing? What does the President do when he's down in the polls? He becomes a liberal! Joe Scarborough thinks American taxpayers will revolt against it. I don't think so, the President had no other choice.

As long as we run up these fantastic deficits, we will continue to decline as the world's hegemon.

I am not convinced that the President is sincere in his promises.

Read a blog before you ask to link

The public affairs office at CENTCOM has been blegging to allow Wonkette to post a link. Umm, it might be a good idea to read the blog before you decide you want to be associated with it. Some might consider wonkette offensive and I know that the military doesn't like controversy, so why would CENTCOM want wonkette to post a link to them?
Oh and CENTCOM sent a request for a link to the General as well.

Someone at CENTCOM's PAO must either have a sense of humor, or they don't understand satire.

We did it!

In an earlier posting, I had talked about buying a scooter in order to save gas and money and the enviroment. Well we bought a Suzuki Burgman. Isn't is cute? Nopt4lent figured it gets 65 mpg! I need to study for my lerner's permit test.
So look aroung town for someone wearing a pink motorcycle jacket.

Now is the time to go on the offensive

The Washington Post recently released a poll saying that Jerry Kilgore is leading Tim Kaine by 7% in voters likely to vote this year. This is not good. Sorry, the reason I live in Virginia is because of its good schools. If I wanted to live in a state with crappy schools I'd move back to Florida.
Remember this small government means bad schools, bad emergency response, long lines at the DMV, and bad roads and crumbling infrastructure.
I think the voters in Virginia need to remember that Jerry Kilgore has the endorsement of this loser:


The Washington Post says that

"Just 47 percent of those surveyed in the poll said they approve of the job Bush is doing, and 52 percent of independents said they would be less likely to vote for Kilgore because of Bush's endorsement.
Bush attended a fundraiser for Kilgore in McLean this summer that raised more than $2 million, a Virginia record. Kilgore aides said Bush might make another campaign appearance, possibly in late October."

The theme of this election needs to be competence. The Republicans have proved that they are the party of incompetenence. Jerry Kilgore's philosophical association with George W. Bush should be hung around his neck like the albatross it is.

How much lower can he go?

President Bush recently signed an executive order allowing contractors who are rebuilding the Gulf Coast to pay their employees less than the prevailing wage in the area. He suspended the Davis-Bacon Act that requires companies doing business with the federal government to pay the prevailing wage of the area. So now, laborers in Mississippi and New Orleans will get paid less than the going rate as established by the Department of Labor. So to simplify, the workers who have lost everything because of Hurricane Katrina will have a harder time getting back on their feet because they will not be earning as much money as they previously had. Way to kick a person when they're down. Now the US Chamber of Commerce wants to repeal Davis-Bacon because "The benefits of the 'prevailing wage,' however, go to a very few at the expense of taxpayers". I call bullshit on this. There is no incentive for employers to pass on the savings to the government if the act is repealed or suspended.
So what is justifying this reprehensible action? Why it will save the taxpayers money!! If President Compassionate Conservative Oxymoron was so concerned about deficit reduction, maybe he should drop his plans to eliminate the inheritance tax and reform social security.
These are the people behind these ideas. This group recommends and lobbies for the policies that have increased poverty in America, increased our deficit, degraded our education system, and led to the cuts in domestic spending on the infrastructure the lead to the tradegy in New Orleans. They are responsible for turning the United States of America into a Third World Country. They really disgust me.
Empires don't come cheap, put up or shut up. Just pay the fucking bill.

Good thing to know

I wonder how many people who fled the Gulfcoast know about this program? I hope the Red Cross has a negotiated rate for all those hotel rooms.

Friday Panda Blogging

The panda cub at the National Zoo is getting bigger and cuter. He still does not have a name yet. According to the Washington Post, he is trying to stand up and walk. His mother, Mei Xiang, is getting some away time. Let me tell you, getting a break now and then really helps. ;-)

Good news!

I bought a pair of boots just like these for $50! Ferragamo sells them for $630
Salvatore Ferragamo is opening a new store in Tyson's Corner. Now Condolezza Rice doesn't have to go to New York to buy shoes!

Updated links

I have updated my links again. I added Tim Kaine for Governor. Virginia is having a governor's and commonwealth legislative race this year. Tim Kaine is the Democrat running for governor. Click on the link for more information.

I have added Sangroncito, he's a frequent visitor and has linked to my blog. I have also added Petunia McGillicuddy's Hello world, the Daily Curmudgeon and Human Voices. Blogs I frequent and have decided to link to.

Enjoy!

I'm so happy

Florida State 10
Miami (FL) 7

GO NOLES!

Oh and FSU gets to keep Chief Osceola.

Can we eliminate poverty worldwide?

Scientific American: Can Extreme Poverty Be Eliminated? [ POVERTY ]
Market economics and globalization are lifting the bulk of humanity out of extreme poverty, but special measures are needed to help the poorest of the poor.

According to Scientific American eliminating poverty is a possibility. This falls into Thomas PM Burnett's thesis that the worldwide spread of liberal democracy with free markets promotes peace in the world. This is a trend in international thought that promotion of free markets and democracy can promote security in the world. I just wanted to bring this article to your attention.

That didn't take long!!

Well, Chief Justice William Rehnquist dies Saturday night and on Monday morning (on a holiday no less!) President Drunk Fratboy nominates John Roberts to be promoted to Chief Justice. All before Judge French Fry is even confirmed to be an Associate Justice. If only he was this resolute and decisive about helping the good people of Louisiana and Mississippi, you know the people who re-elected him because he shared their Christian values and needed protection against gay marriage. Well I guess the people of the Gulfcoast are going to get the theocracy they always wanted. However, for some reason I think that is the least of their worries right now.

But never fear, Mr SuperSpin is here to save the day. Yes, why take responsibility for you actions when you can blame the Governor of Louisiana and the Mayor of New Orleans. Who coincidentally are democrats!! Never mind that Mary Blanco beat Haley Barbour (who once had Ken Mehlman's job) to the punch in declaring an emergency or requesting federal aid. So instead of going on national television and say, "Sorry, I fucked up and my actions were entirely inappropiate in a time like this" it's time to shift the blame onto others. And all this time the Republicans are talking about being the party of personal responsibility when their own leader cannot take personal responsibility for his actions! What a bunch of hypocrites. But then the Republicans are the party of fewer social services like FEMA.

This is what happens when you cut taxes and government spending on stuff like FEMA. As Grover Norquist, (a greedy, selfish bastard) said, "I'd like to take the government and drown it in a bathtub". Unfortunately, a lot of people in Louisiana and Mississippi drowned while the Republicans drowned the government.

I just hope all Americans remember this in November 2006.

Hurricane Katrina changes everything

After 9/11 everyone said “9/11 changes everything”. The consensus was that disasters man-made and natural will not catch us by surprise again. Considering the Federal Government’s response to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina NOTHING CHANGED AFTER 9/11!!! Where was the preparedness? Why wasn’t the National Guard pre-positioned before the hurricane hit so they could be ready to go if the worst happens? Here’s a clue, it’s called a warning order. Why did it take so long to activate the National Guard? Don’t tell me the Department of Homeland Security didn’t know. They have analysts who concentrate on regions. DHS is charged with protecting the nation’s infrastructure. Even Mr Bill fucking knew. The makers of Tabasco knew. The World and National Sponsors of America’s Wetland had a fucking clue!!!If Bush’s buddies in the petroleum industry knew, why didn’t the federal government?

When I was in the Army, one of the principles of leadership was “look out for your soldiers and care for their well-being”. If this concept is drilled into a lowly buck sergeant’s head during PLDC, why can’t someone who was in the Air National Guard, went to Yale and Harvard, was governor of a large state, understand that leadership includes looking out for the well being of the American people?

Another principle of leadership I learned was “be responsible for your actions”, all I have seen from the President, the chief of FEMA and the rest of the federales is “we didn’t know the levees would break.” So somehow, this President is responsible for nothing, yet President Clinton was responsible for everything.

Let me be the first of many to call for the Impeachment of President Bush. His incompetent leadership has led to the death of thousands of people in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. These states were the reddest of the red states that helped re-elect this loser because “he’s a good Christian” and “he will save us from homosexual marriage” and “he makes me feel safer” and “we need resolute leadership”. Guess what, the red states are not anymore safer and now you see his resolute leadership. You would think President Bush would show some gratitude to his base. If we can impeach a competent president for a blow job, then we can impeach one for playing guitar while New Orleans drowned.

CJ Rehnquist has died, and so has our prayers for shelter from conservative extremests

God have mercy on all our souls. "W" now has to appoint TWO justices, and recommend CJ Rehnquist's sucessor. (Gulp!) Who is he going to nominate next? Who will he nominate for CJ? Liberals and moderates alike, save the women and children and run for Canada!!!

As it stands right now, AJ Sandra Day O'Connor is not officially retired. Her resignation was contingent upon confirmation and appointment of her replacement before the Court reconviens, currently Judge Roberts. So technically, the Court still has eight justices, and reconviens on Oct. 1. So, two justices need to be appointed within the next three weeks to have a full court. Will Sandra Day stay on the bench until this blows over? Is there any possibility that she'll "unretire?" (I hope so.)

If the court goes down to seven justices, that would solve any problem with tied decisions. However, the potential for problems due to the inability to get cases on the docket exists if any justice isn't present due to the "rule of four," which means that for any case to be heard by the Court, four justices must vote in favor of hearing it. That's where the problem lies. The Court staff and the justices' clerks weed out the weak cases before presenting the significant ones for the justices' vote. The Court is pretty much evenly divided on the ideological level at the moment. But for how long......... ?

Cringe-worthy Google ads

Sometimes I look at my ads and I wonder how they decide to post ads on my website. A few weeks ago I had "meet conservative singles", umm I don't think conservatives are reading my blog. I can hardly get enough liberals to read it. (Not that I mind being a lowly insect, it's way better than being an insignificant microbe.) So imagine my surprise when I saw the ad for Hotels on the Mississppi Gulfcoast. Considering the current state of affairs along the Gulfcoast, I would not picture that area as a garden spot right now. OK, I know it's the redneck Vegas, but some reason I think the hotels that are still standing are probably booked solid for the next few months. And chances are NO ONE is in the mood to play Blackjack, or Texas Hold'em, or doing the rat pressing a bar for intermittant rewards thing. So when I saw the ad, I was going o.k. that's not good timing. Which is probably why machines will never replace humans in analytical fields, it takes intuition and some degree of emotional IQ in order to be an analyst.

Friday Cat Blogging for a cause

The Houston SPCA has been sheltering pets from Louisiana. They need your help in the form of donations to feed and house pets who have lost their homes. And yes, this is the same Houston SPCA featured on Animal Planet's Animal Cops: Houston, so you can see your donations at work.



I read this story and decided to add Planned Parenthood of Houston to my list of links of sites to donate to. I cannot believe the mandatory pregnancy people cannot see why family planning would be so important at a time like this. THESE PEOPLE HAVE LOST EVERYTHING, THE CLOTHES ON THEIR BACKS, THEIR HOMES, THEY ARE MALNOURISHED. This would not be a good time to become pregnant. Families devasted by Hurricane Katrina have enough to worry about, another mouth to feed should not be one of them.