We got the house!!!

... and the Senate is so much closer than I had imagined. I'm literally on the edge of my seat.

2006 mid-term election prediction

Well, I have no prediction, after 2004 I can't trust my own senses let alone the media predictions. Keep fighting, but don't underestimate the power of dirty politics, including ...

November surprises like the cynical calculated timing (you bet it was) of the Saddam verdict.

or

the calculated election corruption with the e-voting machines

or

the deceptive Republican push polling

or

the ability for the Christian conservative base to still have a more driven activist community than the left (even in the face of hypocrisy)

or

for Republican redisricting to throw the electorate

or

for the politics of fear to win over critical thinking

So other than that my hopes are high.

For the record, my wife things I'm being a pessimist and that people will vote their discust against the current powers that be. I hope she's right.

That said, I have a feeling that the Dems will take the house but not the Senate, specifically I see the Dems taking +4-5 seats in the senate, but not take the majority. Okay, so I do have a prediction, but a loose one. And definately a jaded one. Please prove me wrong.

That said I am more hopefull to a 2008 presidential election, particularly with Obama!

Happy voting and good luck.

Bush's legacy

The spread of global anti-Americanism. Yer doin' a "heck of a job there" Goergie.

Save Net Neutrality

Is it me or is this issue of Net Neutrality seem to be getting very little attention, even relative to the small amount of attention that other important issues get.

So has anyone else been following this? Congress is getting dangerously close to placing new architecture on the internet that would give preferential treatment to the wealthy and corporations ... and in effect hinder the independant voices.

Anyhow, here's the petition if you don't already know about it along with a snippet, there's also a link for more details:

civic.moveon.org

Congress is now pushing a law that would end the free and open Internet as we know it. Internet providers like AT&T and Verizon are lobbying Congress hard to gut Network Neutrality, the Internet's First Amendment and the key to Internet freedom. Net Neutrality prevents AT&T from choosing which websites open most easily for you based on which site pays AT&T more. So Amazon doesn't have to outbid Barnes & Noble for the right to work more properly on your computer.

Many members of Congress take campaign contributions from these companies, and they don't think the public are paying attention to this issue. Let's show them we care - please sign this petition today.

Congress must keep the Internet free and open by voting for meaningful and enforceable Network Neutrality--the Internet's First Amendment.

Save The Internet

Crooks and Liars

Crooks and Liars

One of many reasons for impeachment.

Ugh.

Ahhh!

Canada has always been the shining light of the north for me, how could this happen? This seriously makes me sick.

Someone stop this madness.

So there's been a corruption scandal brewing in Canada with the Liberal party, politicians can of course be corrupt on all sides, but for the love of God ... keep Canada liberal.

That's right folks, this is your president

Update: And though have begun to see through the bullshit, all you idiots should have figured this out BEFORE you voted for him.

Asshole Day Travelers

AssholeDayTravelers
Originally uploaded by debunker.

I was watching MSNBC today through Windows Media
Center - (which automatically displays subtitles when you have the
sound muted) and during a story about holiday travelers and crowded
airports I suddenly see the words "Asshole Day Travelers" fly accross
the screen - I'm guessing whoever was doing the subtitles just had a
bad experience at an airport and was taking out their frustrations on the job.

I'm not really sure where Windows Media Center pulls it's subtitles
from, that is whether or not it's from the network or a third party,
in any case It's pretty hilarious - well god bless technology I was
able to rewind it and take a screenshot, check it.

President lashes out at critics of Iraq war

Ahhh! You people don't understand! We need war! And when you question my war, you question the troops! The troops that I send to war! It's bad for the troops when you question my war! It's bad for the country when you question my torture! In fact, it's bad for the country when people even talk about the war ... unless they talk about it good. Talking about the good is good, talking about the bad .... well that's bad!!

Red Cross FAQ: Why is the Red Cross not in New Orleans?

The National Guard has been blocking the Red Cross access to the area:

Hurricane Katrina: Why is the Red Cross not in New Orleans?


Acess to New Orleans is controlled by the National Guard and local authorities and while we are in constant contact with them, we simply cannot enter New Orleans against their orders.

The state Homeland Security Department had requested--and continues to request--that the American Red Cross not come back into New Orleans following the hurricane. Our presence would keep people from evacuating and encourage others to come into the city.

The Red Cross has been meeting the needs of thousands of New Orleans residents in some 90 shelters throughout the state of Louisiana and elsewhere since before landfall. All told, the Red Cross is today operating 149 shelters for almost 93,000 residents.

The Red Cross shares the nation’s anguish over the worsening situation inside the city. We will continue to work under the direction of the military, state and local authorities and to focus all our efforts on our lifesaving mission of feeding and sheltering.

The Red Cross does not conduct search and rescue operations. We are an organization of civilian volunteers and cannot get relief aid into any location until the local authorities say it is safe and provide us with security and access.

The original plan was to evacuate all the residents of New Orleans to safe places outside the city. With the hurricane bearing down, the city government decided to open a shelter of last resort in the Superdome downtown. We applaud this decision and believe it saved a significant number of lives.

As the remaining people are evacuated from New Orleans, the most appropriate role for the Red Cross is to provide a safe place for people to stay and to see that their emergency needs are met. We are fully staffed and equipped to handle these individuals once they are evacuated.

The Red Cross was ORDERED to stay out of New Orleans, these policies are killing people. Travesty.

Terrorism

(Encarta Dictionary) ter.ror.ism

Political Violence: violence or the threat of violence, especially bombing, kidnapping, and assassination, carried out for political purposes.

Rove Bad

Yes, shocking as it may be, he lied. (Via Think Progress)

Reuters’ write-up of Rove’s involvement in the leak scandal captures the emerging consensus within the media that Karl Rove is an astute wordsmith who carefully-parsed his statements:

Rove has carefully chosen his words when questioned about the leak. “I didn’t know her name. I didn’t leak her name,” he told CNN last year when asked if he had had anything to do with it.

There’s no doubt that Rove has tried to carefully parse his statements, but what is being overlooked is that Rove actually did not choose his words carefully enough.

Consider his two on-the-record comments about the leak (which are both on-camera):

Reporter: Did you have any knowledge or did you leak the name of the CIA agent to the press?
Rove: No. [ABC, 9/29/03]

Rove: Well, I’ll repeat what I said to ABC News when this whole thing broke some number of months ago. I didn’t know her name and didn’t leak her name. [CNN, 8/31/04]

Notice that in the second statement, Rove rephrases what ABC’s original question was to him, omitting the part where the reporter asked whether he had “any knowledge” of the leak. Rove offered a categorical denial to the entire question. The ABC reporter did not ask whether Rove knew Plame’s name – that was simply offered as part of Rove’s later recasting of the question.

If Rove wants to play these legal word games, then he should explain why he said he did not have any knowledge of the leak when he was Matt Cooper’s source.

He wept like a baby

I would too.

Nate from Project Nothing! (conservative blogger) posts audio ofPink Floyd at Live 8.

Thanks Nate!!!!

"Freedom Tower" : More 9/11 exploitation

The next day after Bush's rhetorical speech to try and save face, headlines are bombarded with news of the new WTC design, call me a cynic but I see this as nothing more than Gov. Pataki using this to drum up more attention to 9/11 with the Administration while continuing to insist Iraq had something to do with it.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- New York officials released the latest design for the signature building at the World Trade Center site Wednesday after revising it to make the tower more secure.

Gov. George Pataki ordered the design changes because police were concerned that the tower's placement adjacent to West Street, a major thoroughfare along the west side of Manhattan, would make it vulnerable to a truck bomb.

Also I wonder it they are going to serve "Freedom Fries" in the new "Freedom Tower".

Blue Scholars tonight at Chop Suey / Seattle

Blue Scholars are a local politically progressive (almost revolutionary) hip-hop group (stylistically similar to Blackalicious)that I caught at Sasquatch festival. This was possibly one of the best shows I've ever seen and had amazing audience participation. The MC has some very powerful words and a lot of cool references to Seattle / U district / Ballard. Their name is a reference to the working class.

There's 2 shows including a later 21 and over show and an earlier all ages show. Buy tix here