Cherokee Sage Woman

Can you believe it? This is for REAL! Don't hug your kids.. just equip them w/ a jacket that'll do it for you.. uh huh.
~~~~~~~~

Singapore Scientists Working on 'Cyberhugs'


SINGAPORE (Nov. 28) - Singapore scientists looking for ways to transmit the sense of touch over the Internet have devised a vibration jacket for chickens and are thinking about electronic children's pyjamas for cyberspace hugs.

A wireless jacket for chickens or other pets can be controlled with a computer and gives the animal the feeling of being touched by its owner, researchers at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) told Monday's edition of The Straits Times.

The next step would be to use the same concept to transmit hugs over the Internet, it said.

"These days, parents go on a lot of business trips, but with children, hugging and touching are very important," the paper quoted NTU Associate Professor Adrian David Cheok as saying.

NTU is thinking of a pyjama suit for children, which would use the Internet to adjust changes in pressure and temperature to simulate the feeling of being hugged. Parents wearing a similar suit could be "hugged" back by their children, the paper said.

Just when you think you might have to give up 'hope' for this country.. Dubyah comes thru w/ the funds to keep you going. Atta Boy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bush To Increase Funding For Hope-Based Initiatives
November 23, 2005 | Issue 41•47

WASHINGTON—President Bush announced today that he will sign a bill providing an additional $2.8 billion for private organizations that emphasize the importance of hoping for change.

Bush presents his plan to fund organizations that hope for change.
"This bill acknowledges the immeasurable role of hope in envisioning a better world for everyone," Bush said during a press conference. "Starting today, I ask all Americans to hope together as one nation that the difficult problems that grip our nation will go away someday."

The president's move will help direct federal funds to such groups as the National Hope Foundation, which has been hoping for a cure for cancer for nearly two decades.

"There are many in our country who are without hope," Bush said. "Yet there are many respected organizations in America that are actively hoping things get better. This program will assist these organizations in obtaining government grants, which will allow them to continue the important hoping that must be done."

Among the programs likely to receive funding is Project Hope You Don't Get Sick, a non-profit organization hoping that over 45 million Americans receive the proper health care they need.

Dream Job United, another likely recipient, is a widely acclaimed program in which the ill-prepared and uneducated are trained to hope for job interviews at top companies.

Another project slated for assistance in is a Louisiana-based teen-pregnancy reduction program, in which volunteers hope teens abstain from intercourse.

Under the bill, wish-based initiatives will also be eligible for increased funding. Dozens of independent wishful-thinking foundations, such as America Wishes Things Were Better, expect to receive grants to fund distribution of pennies, wishbones, and birthday candles.

Those with wishes and hopes applauded the president's move, saying that faith alone cannot rectify the nation's social ills.

"Faith-based problem-solving is noble, but we should not discount the power of hope," said veteran hoper Howard Thorndike, who heads the Please Oh Please Institute, a Houston-based wish tank. "'Hail Mary' strategies, for example, are a part of the fabric of our nation, from the football field to the boardroom, and our government ignores such traditions at its peril."

Bush echoed Thorndike's sentiments. "As your president, I have seen firsthand what hoping can do," he said. "I have heard stories of decent people trapped under piles of rubble, and I have hoped that they would be rescued. And eventually, many were. Recently, powerful storms and destructive hurricanes ravaged some of our great cities. I hope that you will join me in wishing that we do not get hit by any more of those."

Bush added: "Laura and I hope every night that good things will happen for our great country. My fellow Americans, I call on you to do the same."
~~~~
You gotta love The Onion ;o)

So think about what you're doing! Put down those vibrators, I say!
Save a kitten for the GOP.

There are so many wonderful poems on this website; www.poetsagainstwar.com
This one reached out to me today..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Found in the Free Library

"Write as if you lived in an occupied country."
--Edwin Rolfe

And we were made afraid, and being afraid
we made him bigger than he was, a little man
and ignorant, wrapped like a vase of glass
in bubble wrap all his life, who never felt
a single lurch or bump, carried over
the rough surface of other lives like
the spoiled children of the sultans of old
in sedan chairs, on the backs of slaves,
the gold curtains on the chair
pulled shut against the dust and shit
of the road on which the people walked,
over whose heads, he rode, no more aware
than a wave that rattles pebbles on a beach.

And being afraid we forgot to notice
who pulled his golden strings, how
their banks overflowed while
the public coffers emptied, how
they stole our pensions, poured their smoke
into our lungs, how they beat our ploughshares
into swords, sold power to the lords of oil,
closed their fists to crush the children
of Iraq, took the future from our failing grasp
into their hoards, ignored our votes,
broke our treaties with the world,
and when our hungry children cried,
the doctors drugged them so they wouldn't fuss,
and prisons swelled enormously to hold
the desperate sons and daughters of the poor.
To us, they just said war, and war, and war.

For when they saw we were afraid,
how knowingly they played on every fear--
so conned, we scarcely saw their scorn,
hardly noticed as they took our funds, our rights,
and tapped our phones, turned back our clocks,
and then, to quell dissent, they sent....
(but here the document is torn)


-- Eleanor Wilner


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Poem

LOS ANGELES—Cable network Animal Planet announced its most ambitious foray into reality-TV programming yet Monday with The Zoo, a weekly, hourlong show in which members of a diverse, all-animal cast square off in a single 3,200-square-foot home in the San Fernando Valley.


"Sparks—and fur—are sure to fly when animals from 11 different ecosystems share a single row house in trendy Echo Park," executive producer Stu Wolchek said. "For many of these wild, colorful, and totally unpredictable cast members, it's the first time they've ever seen a bison or sloth."

Wolchek added: "Some of these guys have never even lived under a roof."

According to the show's creator, former zoo director Loren De Jong, over 80 different species were auditioned to find the right mix of personalities. In addition to the red bear, African cheetah, hawk, and antelope, the house is occupied by an American bison, a field mouse, an Egyptian plover, a three-toed sloth, a goose, a crocodile, and a female lowland gorilla who is "very territorial of the bathroom."

De Jong said the show's contestants begin forming alliances on the first day.

"We see an immediate alliance develop between the lowland gorilla and the bison, who work together to smash a hole through a wall," De Jong said.

"While the bear and crocodile are the first to assert themselves in the house, folks at home shouldn't forget the dark horse: the field mouse, who might just fly under the radar all the way to the finals," she added.

TV Guide writer Rebecca Kohler is one of the few to have viewed the pilot.

"It's impossible to pick a winner this early on," Kohler said. "The gorilla is clearly the game's strategist. At the same time, nothing happens in the house that the hawk doesn't see. And I wouldn't put it past the crocodile to eat his own young if it meant getting ahead." Kohler said that the animal most likely to face early eviction is the sloth, who "seems to lack the ambition necessary to go all the way."

The cast will compete in weekly immunity and reward challenges, with prizes comprising such creature comforts as straw, mud puddles, and tree trunks. The latter is much-desired for itch-relieving, horn-sharpening, and territory-marking alike.

Animal Planet sources say the house, which is equipped with the latest in modern convenience, including a hot tub, a flat-screen TV, and a pool table, quickly fills with feces during the premiere episode.

The cast will also take "time outs" in the house's soundproof confessional room, where they can "privately come clean with any thoughts or instincts they may have."

"You'll be shocked at some of the venting you'll hear in the confessional," Wolchek said.

While the cast has reportedly had trouble with such competitions as bridge-building and cooperative puzzle-solving, repulsive-food competitions have proven "very successful," with contestants eagerly devouring worms, beetles, and grubs.

"The hawk beat out his fellow housemates in a stomach-turning roundworm-eating contest," Wolchek said. "He just swallowed those disgusting things whole, one by one. It all seemed worth it to him in the end, though, when he was awarded a sorely needed pile of branches to complete his nest."

Sources close to the show have hinted at the possibility of a 12th, surprise houseguest being thrown into the already cramped living quarters to "shake things up" during February sweeps. Unconfirmed rumors circulating on the Internet identify the mystery cast-member as a 23-year-old Asian-American marketing assistant.

The winner of The Zoo will be awarded a hefty cash prize, a Range Rover, his or her choice of permanent habitat, and, if applicable, assisted migration courtesy of Continental Airlines.

That is, of course, if the show manages to carry on to its conclusion.

Originally set to premiere in September, The Zoo was delayed after the original camera crew was forced to flee. Reports of production problems have continued to surface since, including smashed cameras, urine-soaked sound equipment, and a boom-microphone windscreen that was stolen and raised as young.

During the busy upcoming office holiday party season.. be sure to reinforce the legs on the old copy machine! ;o)
In the news today:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Photocopier supplier Canon is warning customers to take better care of their office equipment during the Christmas period, claiming that the festive season traditionally leads to a 25 percent hike in service calls due to incidents such as the classic backside copying prank.

Such a stunt, a mainstay of the office party, often results in cracked glass on the copier, with 32 percent of Canon technicians claiming to have been called out to fix glass plates during the Christmas period after attempts to copy body parts went wrong.

Tim Andrews, a Canon employee from London, said: "We always fit lots of new glass to copiers after New Year due to 'rear-end copying.'"

In fact, Canon claims a shocking 46 percent of service calls are in response to non-work-related breakages.

Geoff Bush from the north of England said one case he'd attended, where a young lady had cracked the glass mid-scan, also jammed the scanner so that it wasn't until the machine was fixed and her colleagues all sober that copies of her backside starting pouring from the machine.

Partly in response to this trend--or perhaps because of the "supersizing" of the western physique--Canon has now increased the thickness of its glass by an extra millimeter.

I guess even the Pope has his choir of rightwingnuts to back up this craziness of cancelation of a musician for her 'forward-thinking' views.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

ROME (Nov. 25) - A Brazilian singer who promoted the use of condoms in an anti-AIDS campaign has been dropped from the lineup of next month's Christmas concert at the Vatican, organizers said Friday.

Daniela Mercury was dropped after Vatican authorities read statements by her in the Brazilian press that went "against the moral doctrine of the church," said Eligio Ermeti, a spokesman for the agency organizing the event.

"Everything was settled, even the songs she was to sing," said Ermeti, of the Prime Time Promotions agency. "Then we received a letter from the Jesuits asking us to remove her from the cast."

This year's concert will raise money for the foreign missions of the Jesuit order.

The priest who was working with the agency, the Rev. Giuseppe Bellucci, confirmed that Mercury's participation had been canceled.

The popular singer participated in a government campaign to fight AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases during this year's carnival celebrations in Brazil. Mercury appeared in TV ads promoting the distribution of millions of free condoms and encouraging people to use them.

Bellucci said the appearance was canceled for fear that Mercury would publicly promote condom use while at the Vatican.

Critics of the Vatican's stance against condoms have long claimed that the policy contributes to the spread of HIV/AIDS.

In 2003, U.S. singer Lauryn Hill used her performance at the annual concert to attack priests who abuse children, criticizing the church and its leaders in an unscheduled tirade read before top clergymen attending the event.

This year's concert in a Vatican auditorium will take place Dec. 3, taped for broadcast on Christmas Eve in Italy. It will include appearances by South African singer and human rights activist Miriam Makeba, Irish rock singer Dolores O'Riordan and Canada's Paul Anka.

You are Dr. Bunson Honeydew.
You love to analyse things and further the cause of
science, even if you do tend to blow things up
more often than not.

HOBBIES:
Scientific inquiry, Looking through microscopes,
Recombining DNA to create decorative art.
QUOTE:
"Now, Beakie, we'll just flip this switch and
60,000 refreshing volts of electricity will
surge through your body. Ready?"

FAVORITE MUSICAL ARTIST:
John Cougar Melonhead

LAST BOOK READ:
"Quantum Physics: 101 Easy Microwave
Recipes"

NEVER LEAVES HOME WITHOUT:
An atom smasher and plenty of extra atoms.


What Muppet are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

I have always prided myself that I was a member of the 'feeling' sex. The ones who gave a rat's a** about things emotional & psychological. Now comes a report that says my gender is blurring into the realms of the bully-boys. I agree w/ the author that most of this activity happens because the kids simply don't have role models w/ mom & dad anymore. They see them perhaps 2 hrs of their waking day. And the quality of that time is a crapshoot. What does this say for the future.. Will our tender-hearted girls be lost to us forever? Will we be seeing them in gangs like 'Lord of the Flies'?
I felt a big sense of loss when I read this article..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Girls 'becoming more violent'
By Katherine Sellgren
BBC News education reporter



Girls are said to be becoming more physically aggressive
Girls are becoming increasingly violent when they bully other children, a university study suggests.
Researchers from Brunel University highlight the growing phenomenon of the "girl gang" and warn this is leading to more aggressive behaviour among girls.

The study also indicates that bullies are becoming more sophisticated in terms of using phones and internet.

The research findings follow two separate violent attacks on girls in secondary schools.

Earlier this month, Natashia Jackman, 15, was attacked with a pair of scissors at her school in Surrey and, in October, Shanni Naylor needed 30 stitches in her face after an assault at her school in Sheffield.

Intimidation

Dr Sally Henry said the differences between girls' and boys' bullying style were now becoming blurred.

"Whilst girl bullies have traditionally focused on the psychological side, with boys tending towards the physical, gender roles have now become blurred," said Dr Henry.

"Girls are increasingly violent - and boys use both forms of intimidation. This means schools have an increasingly tough job to detect bullying and deal with it."

She said the aggressive stance adopted by women in many music videos promoted "acting tough".

Dr Henry also raised concerns about the influence of soap operas on young people.

She said characters such as the Mitchell brothers in East Enders could encourage intimidating behaviour.

"My research shows that it's pretty much a case of 'like father, like son' - kids learn how to deal with difficult situations from adult role models like their parents.

"But, in the absence of parental guidance, kids will look to other role models - for example, male characters in soap operas.

"With around 35 million people a week viewing soap operas like EastEnders, Emmerdale, Coronation Street and Hollyoaks, this is a real problem."

Dr Henry suggests bullies should be sent on anger-management camps.

"There should be no stigma attached to these camps - they would simply be an opportunity for children to learn how to deal with their emotions effectively, rather than take them out on others."

U.N.: Hunger Kills 6M Kids Yearly

ROME, Nov. 22, 2005
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Of the six million children who die annually from hunger and malnutrition many die from treatable diseases — a number roughly equal to the whole pre-school population of a large country such as Japan. (AP)


Quote

"We want economies around the world to improve; that is really what's going to provide the long-term stable base upon which people are let out of poverty."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns


(AP) Hunger and malnutrition are killing nearly six million children a year, and more people are malnourished in sub-Saharan Africa this decade than in the 1990s, according to a U.N. report released Tuesday.

Many of the children — the figure roughly equals the whole pre-school population of a large country such as Japan — die from diseases that are treatable, including diarrhea, pneumonia, malaria and measles, said the report by the Rome-based U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.

Bush keeps lying..
They keep dying.

Without affordable healthcare, this is what we're looking at..
Just take Grandpa to the crematory & skip the middleman.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Updated: 11:19 a.m. ET Nov. 18, 2005
BEIJING - A Chinese peasant woman who suffered a brain hemorrhage was left at the undertakers alive for cremation because her family could no longer afford hospital treatment, state media said on Friday.

She was only saved by the tears in her eyes.

The case is the latest in a series of tragedies illustrating China’s stretched health care system and the inability of rural workers to meet spiraling medical costs.

You Guoying, a 47-year-old migrant worker from southwestern Sichuan province, was taken for cremation by her husband and children in Taizhou, eastern Zhejiang province, where she worked, the China Youth Daily said.

Fortunately for You, the undertaker realized she was still alive when he saw her move and tears in her eyes, the newspaper said.

“This is not only a tragedy for the family, but also for society,” it quoted Xu Yinghe, a Taizhou official, as saying.

“The fundamental reason is the absence of a social welfare system.”

You was taken back to hospital for further treatment with money donated by sympathetic citizens of prosperous Zhejiang, the newspaper said.

“Three days of treatment cost us more than 10,000 yuan ($1,200),” it quoted her daughter as saying, adding that was the sum of the family’s life savings.

“If there had been another option, who would have the heart to send a member of their own family for cremation while there was still a hope of survival?”

The newspaper did not say if the family would face charges.

Too poor to afford treatment
Vice Health Minister Zhu Qingsheng said last December that about half of all farmers could not afford medical treatment when sick.

A 42-year-old farmer too poor to afford treatment for lung cancer set off a home-made bomb aboard a bus in Fuzhou, capital of the southeastern province of Fujian, in August, killing himself and another passenger and wounding 30.

Also in August, a security guard hailed a hero for fighting off a purse snatcher jumped to his death from a hospital window in south Guangxi province because he couldn’t afford the bills.

In the late 1970s, 94 percent of China’s villagers were covered by cooperative medical schemes. But the collectives were disbanded during market reforms of the 1980s which ended cradle-to-grave welfare for the masses.

Don't you just love Saturdays? It's like the Universe gives you a 'free day'. Or a 'do-over day', as the case may be. You can use it to maniacally shop til you drop, or you can simply wallow in the unmade bed. Your choice.
I think I did a little of both today.
I have a couple of grandchildren coming over for Thanksgiving, yes.. you know the ones.;o) I'm counting the day until I see them! And their parents too, of course.
I've been racking my brains trying to think of something fun for them to do indoors for the 4 days they're here. (Just in case the weather decides to go south). So I ended up resorting back to my Sunday School teacher days! Now there's a flash from the past..
When I was a SST (my psyche will only deal in 'code' for that flashback).. I was not above bribing those poor children for their undying love & obedience. And so the Bible story time lasted oh.. maybe 5 minutes tops.. but the CRAFT TIME was the remaining 45 minutes. This is where I could bring out the Tootsie Roll Pops & the rolls of Smarties and the miniature candy bars.. & create a CANDY MAN! The kids simply thought I was Wonder Woman, & I was.
We always ended the Sunday School hour w/ a time of prayer.. & I went around the circle of 3 to 5 yr olds, asking what requests they would have me bring to the Throne of Grace. I, who had created CANDY-MAN for them.. could also ensure that their deepest wishes & hopes would be entertained by the Big Guy Himself.
And their desires never failed to bowl me over.
"Yes Bobby, what is your prayer request?"
'Uhhh.. my daddy hit my mommy in the eye last night & it's all black now. Please ask God to make it better.'
(*To self: Bobby's dad is the church deacon.. oh my!)
"Ok, Patti! what is your request?"
'My mommy was wrestlin' with the paperboy.. nekked. Ask God to make her stronger than him.'
And so it went..
Life was not a bowl of cherries at the local Pentecostal House of God. But by gum, we had CANDY MEN, & that meant God was in His heaven & we were havin' church.

Your Brain's Pattern

You have a tempered, reasonable way of thinking. You tend to take every new idea in, and meld it with your world view. For you, everything is always changing. Each moment is different. Your thinking process tends to be very natural - with no beginnings or endings.

Cindy keeps telling it like it is! I'm thinking she'd make a good Sec of State.
~~~~~~~~~

Open Letter to George's Mama

A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION
by Cindy Sheehan

Dear Barbara,

On April 04, 2004, your oldest child killed my oldest child, Casey Austin Sheehan.

Unlike your oldest child, my son was a marvelous person who joined the military to serve his country and to try and make the world a better place. Casey didn't want to go to Iraq, but he knew his duty. Your son went AWOL from a glamour unit. George couldn't even handle the Alabama Air National Guard. Casey joined the Army before your son became commander in chief. We all know that your son was thinking of invading Iraq as early as 1999. Casey was a dead man before George even became president and before he even joined the Army in May of 2000.

I raised Casey and my other children to use their words to solve problems and conflicts. I told my four children from the time that they were small that it is ALWAYS wrong to kick, bite, hit, scratch, pull hair, etc. If the smaller children couldn't find the words to solve their conflicts without violence, I always encouraged them to find a mediator like a parent, older sibling, or teacher to help them find the words.

Did you teach George to use his words and not his violence to solve problems? It doesn't appear so. Did you teach him that killing other people for profits and oil is ALWAYS wrong? Obviously you did not. I also used to wash my children's mouth out with soap on the rare occasion that they lied...did you do that to George? Can you do it now? He has lied and he is still lying. Saddam did not have WMD's or ties with al-Qaeda and the Downing Street Memos prove that your son knew this before he invaded Iraq.

On August 3rd, 2005, your son said that he killed my son and the other brave and honorable Americans for a "noble cause." Well, Barbara, mother to mother, that angered me. I don't consider invading and occupying another country that was proven not to be a threat to the USA is a noble cause. I don't think invading a country, killing its innocent citizens, and ruining the infrastructure to make your family and your family-friendly war profiteers rich is a noble cause.

So I went down to Crawford in August to ask your son what noble cause did he kill my son for. He wouldn't speak with me. I think that showed incredibly bad manners. Do you think a president, even if it is your son, should be so inaccessible to his employers? Especially one of his bosses whose life George has devastated so completely?

I have been to the White House several times since August to try and meet with George and I am going back to Crawford next week. Do you think you can call him and ask him to do the right thing and bring the troops home from this illegal and immoral war in Iraq that he carelessly started? I hear you are one of the few people he still talks to. He won't speak to his father, who knew the difficulties and impossibilities of going into Iraq and that's why he didn't go there in the 1st Gulf War. If you won't tell him to bring the troops home, can you at least urge him to meet with me?

You said this in 2003, a little over a year before my dear, sweet Casey was killed by your son's policies:

"Why should we hear about body bags and deaths? Oh, I mean, it's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?" (Good Morning America, March 18, 2003)

Now I have something to tell you, Barbara. I didn't want to hear about deaths or body bags either. On April 04, 2004, three Army officers came to my house to tell me that Casey was killed in Iraq. I fell on the floor screaming and begging the cruel Angel of Death to take me, too. But the Angel of Death that took my son is your son.

Casey came home in a flag draped coffin on April 10th. I used to have a beautiful mind, too. Now my mind is filled with images of seeing his beautiful body in his casket and memories of burying my brave and honest boy before his life really began. Casey's beautiful mind was ended by an insurgent's bullet to his brain, but your son might as well have pulled the trigger.

Besides encouraging your son to have some honesty and courage and to finally do the right thing, don't you think you owe me and every other Gold Star parent an apology for that cruel and careless remark you made?

Your son's amazingly ignorant, arrogant, and reckless policies in Iraq are responsible for so much sorrow and trouble in this world.

Can you make him stop? Do it before more mothers' lives are needlessly and cruelly harmed. There have been too many worldwide already.

Sincerely,

Cindy Sheehan

Mother of Casey Sheehan
Founder and President of Gold Star Families for Peace
Founder of Camp Casey Peace Foundation

A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION

Check out www.BringThemHomeNowTour.org for more info and how you can be involved.

Learn more about Cindy at http://www.meetwithCindy.com or about Gold Star Families for Peace at http://www.gsfp.org.

Forgive my multi-blogging today, but this was just too beautiful not to post. Thanks to Cherokee Princess for bringing it to my attention. May God bring this kind of wisdom, thinking & 'feeling' to all members of Congress!
~~~~~~~~~

Hawkish Democrat Calls for Iraq Pullout
By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer
1 hour ago


WASHINGTON - An influential House Democrat who voted for the Iraq war called Thursday for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, another sign of growing unease in Congress about the conflict.

"It is time for a change in direction," said Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., one of Congress' most hawkish Democrats. "Our military is suffering, the future of our country is at risk. We cannot continue on the present course. It is evident that continued military action in Iraq is not in the best interests of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf region."

House Republicans assailed Murtha's position as one of abandonment and surrender, and accused Democrats of playing politics with the war. "They want us to retreat. They want us to wave the white flag of surrender to the terrorists of the world," Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said in a statement.

Murtha estimated that all U.S. troops could be pulled out within six months. A decorated Vietnam veteran, he choked back tears during his remarks to reporters.

Murtha's comments came just two days after the Senate voted to approve a statement that 2006 "should be a period of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty" to create the conditions for the phased withdrawal of U.S. forces.

In recent days, President Bush and other top administration officials have lashed out at critics of the war and have accused Democrats of advocating a "cut and run" strategy that will only embolden the insurgency.

Vice President Dick Cheney jumped into the fray Wednesday by assailing Democrats who contend the Bush administration manipulated intelligence on Iraq, calling their criticism "one of the most dishonest and reprehensible charges ever aired in this city."

Murtha, a Marine intelligence officer in Vietnam, angrily shot back at Cheney: "I like guys who've never been there that criticize us who've been there. I like that. I like guys who got five deferments and never been there and send people to war, and then don't like to hear suggestions about what needs to be done."

Referring to Bush, Murtha added: "I resent the fact, on Veterans Day, he criticized Democrats for criticizing them."

The top Democrat on the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, Murtha has earned bipartisan respect for his grasp of military issues over three decades in Congress. He planned to introduce a resolution Thursday that, if passed by both the House and the Senate, would force the president to withdraw U.S. troops.

Murtha could not say whether his caucus supports his position. And, although he is a close adviser to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., she was absent from his news conference. She was expected to endorse his position later Thursday.

For months, Pelosi has pushed for the Bush administration to outline an exit strategy, although she has stopped short of calling for an immediate troop pullout. Some Senate Democrats have called for an immediate or phased withdrawal.

Murtha voted to give the president authority to use force against Saddam Hussein in 2002 but in recent months has grown increasingly troubled with the direction of the war and with the Bush administration's handling of it.

"The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion," Murtha said.

Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, said Murtha's call for withdrawal was "reprehensible and irresponsible."

"It shows the Democratic Party has chosen a policy of retreat and defeatism which will only encourage the terrorists and threaten the stability of Iraq," Granger said.

First elected to Congress in 1974, Murtha is known as an ally of uniformed officers in the Pentagon and on the battlefield. The perception on Capitol Hill is that when the congressman makes a statement on military issues, he's talking for those in uniform.

Known to shun publicity, Murtha said he was standing up because he had a constitutional and moral obligation to speak for the troops.

His voice cracked and tears filled his eyes as he related several stories of visiting wounded troops, including one who was blinded and lost both his hands but had been denied a Purple Heart because friendly fire caused his injuries.

"I met with the commandant. I said, 'If you don't give him a Purple Heart, I'll give him one of mine.' And they gave him a Purple Heart," said Murtha, who has two.

I am deeply disappointed in Woodward.. the man who brought Nixon down, is protecting the Buffoon in DC.
~~~~~~~
comments from Arianna Huffington: www.huffingtonpost.com

Bob Woodward. What a career arc. From exposing a presidential cover-up in Watergate to covering up his role in Plamegate. And being forced to apologize to his own paper. And asking a colleague, Walter Pincus, not to mention Woodward’s role in the story. And failing to tell his editor that he had vital information about a major story.

And, to bottom it out, doing the TV and radio rounds, minimizing the scandal as “laughable,” “an accident”, “nothing to it” and denigrating Fitzgerald as “disgraceful” and “a junkyard dog” without ever once divulging that he was not just an observer of the CIA leak case but a recipient -- perhaps the first -- of the leak.

Hear that hissing noise? That’s the sound of the air being let out of Woodward’s reputation. Especially now that he’s decided to challenge Pincus to a round of credibility one-on-one. My money’s on Pincus, who was appropriately skeptical about the administration’s WMD claims while Woodward was writing hagiography about the brave president and his fearless aides.

It's hard to know who's happier today, Scooter Libby or Bill Keller.

I called Carl Bernstein to ask what he thought of his old partner’s behavior. He was loyal as ever but he did say something very revealing -- and unintentionally damning. “This investigation,” he told me, “has cast a constant searchlight that the White House can’t turn off the way it has succeeded in turning off the press. So their methodology and their dishonesty and their disingenuousness -- particularly about how we went to war -- as well as their willingness to attack and rough up people who don’t agree with them are now there for all to see. They can’t turn off this searchlight, which is shining on a White House that runs a media apparatus so sophisticated in discrediting its critics it makes the Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Ziegler press shop look like a small-time operation.” And these are the very thugs that Woodward was protecting while attacking the guy operating the searchlight.

Ok, I had this dream Monday night.. I was out in a desert w/ some girlfriends when the sky became ominously dark & filled w/ tornadoes. They're coming straight for us, & a girlfriend yells, 'We have to run for it!' We're a block away from any kind of shelter.. & I'm in high heels! I fall down (of course) and lightning strikes right ahead of me, igniting a weird fire in the air..
I wake up scared spitless. But the dream had been so vivid & full of color & action, I told myself to remember to write it down for my 10 yr old grandson who has a fascination for weather-related stories. But of course, being a woman of a certain age, I promptly forgot.
Then.. we have the tornado explosion across the states yesterday & some of the photos on the internet were exactly like the scenes from my dream. I was awakened w/ a start last night about 1:00 am when lightning struck right outside the bedroom window.. eerily like the dream (no resulting air flames, however)
Now.. what should I have done w/ my clairvoyance from the previous day?
Does the Weather Channel accept collect calls from potential psychics?
Can I sue the AP photos posted on the net, for stealing my dream content?
And if the Universe trusted me w/ this phenomenon, why didn't She give me the winning Mega Millions numbers?? WHY?!

Good clip..

Ok, here's the deal.. I have my Mega Million lottery ticket for tonight's drawing which is up to above $310 Mil. They have a nice slogan on the ticket that states, 'Dream Bigger'. And that's a good way to live. Like Nelson Mandela said (paraphrased), 'We don't live large enough, dream big enough.. it's our greatest fear to live as large as we can'. I know I've bastardized the heck out of that.. but that was his premise.
If we lived up to even 1/2 the potential of our 'power' what could we affect?
And we fear that greatness, because we can't even imagine it.
So I'm sitting here 'imagining' that lottery winning & here's my Top Ten list for spending that largesse.

1.) Build the SpiritWorks Spiritual Center
2.) Go on an immediate worldwide cruise w/ my closest friends. You may feel free to bring along a friend or partner to fetch your drinks & massage in your suntan oil.
3.) Give all the kids (& a few close friends) a million each. Then they can do their own damage..
4.) Purchase condos/villas in San Diego/ Spain/ Ireland/ Costa Rica/ Cabo San Lucas/ Amsterdam/ Playa Del Car
5.) Give Dan a 'golden parachute' retirement, so that we can travel fulltime.
6.) Set up a trust fund for feeding the poor & providing healthcare
7.) Purchase the SpiritWorks mega yacht for taking hospice patients on spiritual end-of-life cruises
8.) Buy that cute little Audi TT, just because
9.) Donate funds to liberal political groups
10.) Be grateful & recycle the moola

Copied from 'The Note' today..
~~~~~~

The Note Futures Calendar

The War at Home
Keep your eyes on what matters for 2006 and 2008, however:

A. The number of U.S. troops on the ground in Iraq on November 1, 2006.

B. The degree to which Republican candidates in 2006 get credit with seniors for the Medicare prescription benefit.

C. Whether there are mass Republican retirements in the House before 2006.

D. Whether Mainers Snowe and Collins continue to (HEART) Judge Alito.

E. Whether Patrick Fitzgerald indicts anyone else (or not).

F. Whether there is a Scooter Libby trial (or not).

G. Whether the White House and congressional Republicans can thread the political needle on spending cuts/deficit reduction versus tax cuts and sacred cows.

H. The extent to which the State of the Union is boffo.

I. The extent to which Democrats come up with new ideas that voters can understand and care about.

J. Whether there is a Democratic position on Iraq by September 25, 2006 (or not).

K. The extent to which the AFL-CIO is still a viable political entity.

L. The likelihood that NRCC topper Tom Reynolds ever pulls an Ed Rollins LINK

and advises House candidates to run away from George Bush (which, in an under-Noted remark, Ken Mehlman endorsed as a strategy last week).

M. What independents will think about President Bush and Republican control of Washington on Election Day, 2006.

You Should Get a JD (Juris Doctor)

You're logical, driven, and ruthless. You'd make a mighty fine lawyer.

http://cartoonbox.slate.com/index/?image=2

And I don't mean 'funny ha-ha'.. funny STRANGE!

Ever wonder what 'force' is behind the name you carry all of your life? (Unless of course you go the Hollywood route & change the moniker).
What possessed your parents to choose the label that would follow & define you all of your days on this earthly plane?
I have not a clue where my mother obtained my name. I am #6 of 8 kids, so it's not like this thing was new to her. Every other child is named after a relative, except for the final spoiled progeny who was named after a movie star. (Whatever!)
So now in the autumn of my life, I am asking questions like.. wha?? I've queried all the relatives, near & far.. nada. Did she read it in a book, was it a Divine assignment, or was she just so tired after the delivery she asked a nurse what her name was & scribbled it on the birth certificate? I will never know.. the parents took that secret to their graves.
I was known as 'Sandy' for the 1st 11 yrs of my life. SandyGaye to my daddy, of whom I was his pet until the aforesaid spoiled little moviestar name-stealing child was conceived. Then I was booted to the curb like a cur dog. No, I'm not bitter.. ;o)
My maiden name was Ash.. so you can use your imagination, of which it won't take much.. to come up w/ what I was called all thru my school years. Speaking of that phenomenon.. what is it that makes 1st & 2nd graders have to (by elementary school LAW) make a derisive nickname of your christian title? So of course, they came up w/ 'Sand Bra' (??) Ass for my nickname. Sometimes changed to "Mashed Potatoes", as the case may warrant.
However, that wasn't as bad as my poor little sister.. Sally. Yep, she went thru yrs of being 'Silly Ass'. hehe Payback for always having a birthday party, when I never even had my own cake until I was THIRTY-FIVE!?
Again, no bitterness on this end..
At age 11, I felt I was entitled to a more luxurious & royal name.. so I began signing my super secret diary as 'Alexandria Gayleen Von Ashe'. Who wouldn't love that name?
At 12, I realized I could never afford to have the name changed so I may as well play w/ the epithet I was given. I learned to write in large loopy letters, to heck w/ the Palmer Method. And I dotted the 'i' of Sandi w/ a big fat heart.
Yes, 99% of the rest of you went thru that stage as well. But I didn't know you then. And it scares me now that some people still sign their names that way.
Grow up.
At 15 I had a personality crisis & knew I had to come up w/ my own special spelling of this name which felt like 1/3 'guy', 1/3 beach discription, & 1/3 drunk Irish policeman. So I went to Sande. And it's served me pretty well. Computerized gym machines called me 'Sand' & that was cool. If the Phoenix children could bear names of 'nature' then I could too.
Later on in life.. multi-marriages later, as I tired of electing for new last names.. I considered legally changing it to a single word.. maybe after my favorite city at that time San Diego. But how would I spell it? Sande-ago.. sanDeago.. SandiAgo? I lost too much sleep over it, & the idea cooled.
Recently I had a numerology reading & was told that nothing good would ever come of my life if I continued to use the spelling Sande. Wha?? Scared me so bad, that when I got the Metaphysical degree, I opted back to the proper Sandra. (Which always reminds me of being in trouble w/ my mom.. SANDRA!)
I don't think parents research enough what baggage their children will carry around at their behest, over something so precious as a name. How can Kitty Litter's mother sleep at night?

To soldiers everywhere.. I wish you were home.
You are missed, loved & in our prayers.

Last night I was staring at my mother's hands that I now find myself wearing. There were times when I saw glimpses of her hands interposing w/ mine.. very few times. Because for the past 25 years I have worn artificial nails. Only when the nails were off for a self-imposed 'acrylic rest', would the mystical hand-snatching/trading/possession happen. I would look at them aghast & deride them publicly. 'You nasty old hands, you.. look how crooked those fingers are.. look at those veins. Ugh! Just for that, you get to wear no rings. You're ugly & don't derserve anything pretty. Now, how can I hide you until I get the nails put back on?' And magically, when the blood red fakes were put on.. my hands became my own again & I could speak w/ a flourish as I pontificated w/ my hands. I knew this to be true, because people would even say, 'You should be a hand model.. they're pretty.' And I would flutter my fingers provocatively & think to myself, 'Silly people, don't you know these hands are on loan & sooner or later my mother will take them over again?'
As we were preparing to make the move to TN, I decided that I wanted to get back to nature for real. I wanted to sink my hands in the dirt, plant a garden, massage the cats, wash dishes by hand. You know, things that would preclude wearing inch long daggers. So I consciously gave up the 25 yr habit of supporting my VietNamese friends.(I appreciate all your work over the yrs!) The nails were off. And I have been so busy since being here, that I hadn't given them a whole lot of thought. It's been 2 months now, & just last night did I take note that Mama was back in my hands. Only this time I was shocked to see that they weren't terribly ugly & hatefully stubby, crooked & veiny. They were strong, & supple & 'feeling'. I stroked each finger & recalled the times I'd sat as a child, avidly watching my mom's hands as she cooked, sewed, cleaned, & loved on her babies. Even at rest, her hands remained busy as she 'twiddled' her thumbs in circles, while she watched Oral Roberts on TV. Only in death would I see her hands in still repose. And even then I was thinking of myself when I sadly thought, 'I'll never feel those fingers outline the lobes of my ears as she rocked me to sleep at night'. That tactile & kinetic wonder of 'touch' that said she loved me, even when her voice didn't.
I'm wearing her hands again.. proudly this time. I'm wearing pretty rings in her honor. I'd want to make her proud.

A Good column found on Alternet.org this morning:
~~~

The motto of this administration might easily be: "failing upward." Of course, that's not hard when those leading the country into catastrophe are also making the appointments and bestowing the honors. Somewhere in this world of ours there should be at least one Wall of Shame (and perhaps an adjoining Wall of Cronyism) for an administration which has heaped favor, position, and honors on those who have blundered, lied, manipulated, and broken the law (not to say, cracked open the Constitution and the republic).

Here is just a sampling of the band of culprits who might appear on such a wall and but a few of the things for which they might be held accountable.

Honored for Catastrophe

Former CIA Director George ("slam dunk") Tenet, who oversaw an "intelligence" program of lies, misinformation, abductions, torture, the disappearing of prisoners, and the setting up of a mini-gulag of private prisons from Thailand to Eastern Europe, awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom as his tenure at the Agency ended.

Former Coalition Provisional Authority head L. Paul (I never saw an army I didn't want to disband) Bremer III, under whose leadership in Baghdad the American occupation mis- and displaced more money than is humanly imaginable, and under whose leadership Iraq descended into chaos, awarded the Medal of Freedom.

Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Richard ("Guantanamo is a model facility") Myers, who oversaw the Iraq War and whose claim to fame may have been that he called Dan Rather of CBS to try to suppress the first "60 Minutes II" report on Abu Ghraib, awarded the Medal of Freedom.

Former Centcom Commander Tommy ("we don't do body counts" ) Franks, who oversaw "victories" in Afghanistan and Iraq in wars that have never ended, retired to great administration praise and became a "paid patriot," awarded the Medal of Freedom

Promoted (or Retained) for Disaster

Defense Secretary Donald ("stuff happens") Rumsfeld, who planned the invasion and occupation of Iraq so brilliantly and bragged that he could stand up longer than any Guantánamo detainee, kept on as Secretary of Defense in George Bush's second term.

Former Undersecretary of Defense Paul ("There is no history of ethnic strife in Iraq") Wolfowitz, who spearheaded the administration's blind cakewalk into Iraq and declared himself "reasonably certain" that the Iraqi people "will greet us as liberators, and that will help us to keep requirements down," was made World Bank president and now prefers not to be "distracted" with ancient "history."

Former Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John ("I'm with the Bush-Cheney team, and I'm here to stop the vote" and "there is no such thing as the United Nations") Bolton, who never saw a country he couldn't include in the Axis of Evil, a treaty he wasn't ready to shred, or negotiations he wasn't prepared to sabotage, was given a presidential recess appointment as UN Ambassador after his nomination was deep-sixed by Senate Democrats.

The Torture Brigade

Former White House Counsel Alberto (no rules apply) Gonzales, who helped marshal the administration's case for "relaxing" interrogation rules on prisoners, and the man to whom so many of those torture memos were sent, was made Attorney General.

Former General Counsel for the Pentagon William J. Haynes II, who appointed a working group to circumvent laws and treaties restricting the administration's urge to torture, developed administration policies to deny detainees at Guantánamo prisoner of war status; developed the Pentagon's military tribunal policy to try them; promoted the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens by the President without legal counsel or judicial review, and recommended (over the protests of military lawyers) many of the most abusive tactics used at Guantánamo, was nominated to a judgeship in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals by George W. Bush on September 29, 2003. Only a Democratic filibuster in the Senate derailed the appointment.

Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice John ("must be equivalent in intensity to the pain accompanying serious physical injury, such as organ failure, impairment of bodily function, or even death") Yoo, infamous for drafting the August 2002 "torture memo" to White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales and a supporter of unfettered presidential rule in matters of foreign policy, returned to his position as professor of law at Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, and wrote a book.

Former Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel Jay ("certain acts may be cruel, inhuman, or degrading, but still not produce pain and suffering of the requisite intensity to fall within [a legal] proscription against torture") Bybee, who was the official author of the August 2002 torture memo , is now a judge on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Former Legal Counsel to the Vice President David Addington, "a staunch advocate of allowing the president in his capacity as commander in chief to deviate from the Geneva Conventions," "a principal author of the White House memo justifying torture of terrorism suspects and… a prime advocate of arguments supporting the holding of terrorism suspects without access to courts," known for his "devotion to secrecy" and to an extreme version of unfettered presidential power (as well as a backer of the stalled Haynes judgeship), was promoted to Vice-Presidential Chief of Staff after I. Lewis Libby's resignation.

Former head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division Michael Chertoff, who advised the Central Intelligence Agency in 2002-03 on how far CIA interrogators could go in coercive interrogation methods on terror suspects under the federal anti-torture statute, was appointed head of the Homeland Security Department where he oversaw FEMA's disastrous responses to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, and where he remains today.

Former principal deputy assistant to the Vice President for National Security Affairs John Hannah, a conduit for Iraqi exile prewar mis- or disinformation on Saddam's WMD arsenal, involved in producing prewar administration claims linking Saddam Hussein to the 9/11 attacks and in the Valerie Plame/Joseph Wilson smear campaign, promoted to National Security Advisor to Vice President Cheney.

"Demoted"

Former FEMA Director Michael ("I am a fashion god") Brown, who so spectacularly botched the agency's response to hurricane Katrina, is now on the federal payroll as a $148,000-a-year consultant to FEMA.

Former U.S. Military Commander in Iraq Lt. General Ricardo ("Arab fear of dogs") Sanchez, who personally signed off on the use of coercive interrogation techniques outlawed by the Geneva Conventions, including the use of "working dogs," was to be made head of the U.S. Southern Command and nominated for his fourth star until Pentagon officials came to fear that his role overseeing the Abu Ghraib scandal would create opposition in the Senate and so he was given a major command in Europe.

Former Commander of Joint Task Force Guantánamo Maj. Gen. Geoffrey ("Gitmo-ize the confinement operation") Miller, who brought Guantánamo interrogation methods, including the use of dogs, to Iraq before the Abu Ghraib prisoner-abuse scandal (reportedly claiming that Arab prisoners "are like dogs, and if you allow them to believe they're more than a dog, then you've lost control of them"), and for his efforts was then made senior commander in charge of detention operations in Iraq, instead of being cashiered in shame, is now assigned to an Army management position in the Washington, D.C area.

Sadly, while this gallery of rogues was being honored and/or promoted and/or protected, those who really should have received honors and medals were, by and large, overlooked or forgotten -- not just figures like ex-Marine and former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter, who insisted before the war (to the sneers of American reporters) that Iraq was unlikely to possess even the shreds of its former WMD program, but all those millions who massed in the streets and insisted that an invasion of Iraq would be a path, paved by lies, that would lead only to madness. No "medals of freedom" for the likes of them.

Tom Engelhardt, editor of Tomdispatch.com, is co-founder of the American Empire Project and author of "The End of Victory Culture."

Ah, life.. This morning we all awakened to a better place to be. The GOP'ers are falling away from the altar of Bushevik. 2 Dems made it to governorships, & the Gropilizer Schwartzenager lost his $300M bid to make Calif more Republican-friendly. All 8 bills were rejected!
Can I get a big amen from the hallelujah chorus this morning?? There is a light at the end of the tunnel!
I now know that more of more of the sleepwalking 'sheep' who have feared leaving the entrails of this die-nasty, will now start to distance themselves from his colon.
I may just have to jump up & do my happy-feet dance today.
WAHOO!!

Thanks Addict for this cool test..;o)
~~~
The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Eigth Level of Hell - the Malebolge!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Very Low
Level 2 (Lustful)	Very High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Very High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	High
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Low
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very Low
Level 7 (Violent)	High
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Extreme
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Moderate

Take the Dante's Divine Comedy Inferno Test

Also, please inform your friends, family members and pro-democracy advocates of our free alerts at:

http://www.buzzflash.com/alerts/BuzzFlash_Signup.html

As for today's news, we have the Orwellian -- actually, beyond Orwellian -- Bush claim that his administration doesn't torture people (despite all proof to the contrary), but that he needs Congress to let him and his Cheney Busheviks continue torturing people. We guess the people in "What's the matter with Kansas" who support these psychotic Republicans are nodding their heads and muttering, "makes good sense to me."

It shows that we're not just leaving lots of children behind; damn, we've left boatloads of adults behind in the brain game.

On top of that, there is now proof of what we've long suspected and commented on. The Busheviks are performing crimes against the Iraqi civilian population as bad or worse than the ones that the Busheviks keep using to justify their invasion of Iraq: i.e., Saddam gassed some of his own people (with Rumsfeld's nod and wink and the rest of the Republican administration at the time). If these aren't war crimes, what are? How can we continue to allow the barbarians to rule in the White House?

Who will perform fellatio on Bush and Cheney so that we can get them impeached? William Kristol is a good candidate.

This has gotten beyond the revolting stage. We are in a parallel universe of lies, deception and macabre horror.

Who will save the good name of the United States from these horrible people? Who will protect us from the Armageddon they are precipitating to the glee of their fundamentalist base? Who will hold them accountable for their treason and treachery?

Harry Reid had one good day when he forced the Senate into secret session. Is that all we get?

Bush Declares that Al-Qaeda Suspects are So Deviant they Torture Themselves, Give Misinformation to Start Wars, and Then Kill Themselves, But the Bush Administration Has No Role In Any of It. So Bush is Continuing His Campaign, with Cheney, to Ensure that Administration Detainees Have the Right to Torture Themselves. Got It Straight? (BuzzFlash's Interpretation.)

Antiwar Sermon Brings IRS Warning; All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena risks losing its tax-exempt status because of a former rector's remarks in 2004. This is such hypocrisy, when right-wing taliban like Falwell and Robertson spend every waking moment campaigning for their Bush boy

Corporate Invasion
The American Prospect) This column was written by Denise Kersten.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As corporate jingles, slogans, and logos creep into every corner of our lives, the national parks have become some of the last commercial-free oases. It’s nearly as hard to spot a corporate logo in a national park as it is to sight a rare bird. But this could soon change, as Republicans are seeking private-sector alternatives to fund the parks.

In late September, legislative language drafted by Representative Richard Pombo, chairman of the House Resources Committee, was leaked to the public. The language proposed closing the federal deficit by selling 15 sites to commercial developers and energy companies, slathering the parks in advertising, and peddling naming rights for visitor centers, trails, and other park features.

White House Counsel to Give 'Refresher' Course

By Jim VandeHei
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, November 5, 2005;

President Bush has ordered White House staff to attend mandatory briefings beginning next week on ethical behavior and the handling of classified material after the indictment last week of a senior administration official in the CIA leak probe.


~~~~~~~~~`
Now I would say this course will include 'How Not to Get Caught 101'

Found on BobHarris.com (a good website!)
~~~~~~~~~~

Thursday, 03 November 2005

Bush's approval rating has fallen to 35. Maybe America is starting to realize that secret prisons and endless war aren't really the best government we can possibly hope for.

Dick Cheney, in the same poll, has a 19 percent approval rating.

19 percent.

That's two points less popular than cheating on your spouse and seven points behind corporal punishment in schools.

That's down in what can be politely called lunatic territory. As I've been pointing out for years, twenty or thirty percent of Americans believe any insane thing you can imagine.

Dick Cheney is now 18 points behind the number of people who believe alien beings have secretly contacted the U.S. government.

Bush, similarly, now trails the number of people who think astrology is scientific by five points.

Scottie McClellan, however, can still spin things: Bush only trails the aliens by two points.







BobHarris.Com - 2005

I'm reading where Europe has formed a commission to study the CIA's secret torture chambers, & to eliminate same from their backyards. Now why is it that our congressionals can't even get a unified 'thought' about such a study?? They'll bandy about words & play the 'Geneva Convention' hand.. & forewarn about such trickery.. but nothing so well-formed as the Europeans are doing! Hmmmmmmmmmm...

I love it that Bushit's polls are falling.. only Nixon's were lower, historically. Now comes the word that he's going to 'shake up' the cabinet.. uh huh. More 'cronies' to fill in the gaps left by indictments? It's like the childhood game of 'Upset the Fruit Basket'. Everyone runs like mad & is scattered to & fro.. but when that basket settles, it's the same old players. His advisors are calling for new blood to appease the 'people' (read:polls). And they say nothing can be made new until Rover gets the ax. I still love Joe Wilson's quote about seeing KKKarl 'goose-stepped out of the White House'. Ah yes.. a satisfying moment that will be. Short-lived no doubt, because sweet ole Turd Blossom will be 'pardoned' quicker than you can say Village Idiot (the person administering the prez pardon).
I actually think the nimrods in office thought the masses would take the sacrificial 'goat' of Libby; be satisfied & just stick their heads back in the sand.
Lord knows the Shrub tried the usual scare tactics.. bird flu.. Harriet Miers..Alito-Bandito.. but those pesky 'liberals' just keep snapping at his ankles about this PlameGate stuff. Imagine that..

So there is some joy in Mudville, in expecting more truths to be revealed about this dictatorship we are forced to call a govt. It, however, will never over ride the somber reality of 2030+ dead soldiers & 30,000+ dead Iraqi civilians. That kind of karma will hound W to the gates of hell.

Tell yourself
as it gets cold and gray falls from the air
that you will go on
walking, hearing
the same tune no matter where
you find yourself...
inside the dome of dark
or under the crackling white
of the moon's gaze in a valley of snow.
Tonight as it gets cold
tell yourself
what you know which is nothing
but the tunes your bones play
as you keep going. And you will be able
for once to lie down under the small fire
of winter stars.
And if it happens that you cannot
go on or turn back and you find yourself
where you will be at the end,
tell yourself
in that final flowing of cold through your limbs
that you love what you are.
__Mark Strand, from 'Science & Spirit'

* Cheney Taps Torture Memo Author to Replace Scooter Libby *

On Monday, Vice President Dick Cheney appointed his legal counsel, David
Addington, to be his new chief of staff following the resignation of Lewis
"Scooter" Libby. Addington once wrote the war on terorrism has rendered the
Geneva Conventions "obsolete."