October 2005 Archives

Normally when I see someone using a coffin as a stage for political hackery, I think of Cindy Sheehan. This morning, Chuck Schumer showed that he could ably out-exploit the master with this forceful meeting of boot and tomb:

The real question today is whether Judge Alito would use his seat on the bench, just as Rosa Parks used her seat on the bus, to change history for the better or whether he would use that seat to reverse much of what Rosa Parks and so many others fought so hard and for so long to put in place.

Cindy, take note. You have competition.

Update: The Duchess of Dismay noticed and answers by grinding her stilettos into her son's back. Damn, I love a good fight...

on and off for a couple or three days. We're in the process of moving to a new house, and since we have way too much stuff I expect that I won't have much time for blogging.

Sincerest thanks to everyone for stopping by. I'll be back as soon as I can!

LB

Evidently, someone is selling MREs (Meals, Ready to Eat) on eBay:

U.S. Investigates Sale of MREs on eBay

The investigation is based on the premise that some of the meals provided for hurricane victims may be for sale.

I ate more than a few MREs when I was still active duty. When Desert Storm began, my unit closed our chow hall and issued them out for nearly a month. They weren't really awful, it's just that they weren't, well, good, either. I seriously question the sanity or taste of whoever buys them.

Last Wednesday, Iran's new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, called for "wiping Israel off the map".

On the same day, Al Jazeera asked, If Israel has nukes, why can’t the rest?

The Anchoress.

More "dignity" and "objectivity" in reporting from the Philly Daily News:

That the left spends it's time celebrating indictments and soldier's deaths should tell you all you need to know. Perpetually bereft of any ideas, this is all they have left.

It's beyond spin and into the realm of delusional when you judge the seriousness of a crime by the potential punishment.

Some of those responsible for New Orleans' woes during Katrina are being held responsible:

New Orleans Police Fire 51 for Desertion

Along with the 15 that resigned when they learned they were under investigation, that makes 76.

This is only a start. The NO Police would be less of an issue if a few city and state officials had done their jobs, and no accounting of this disaster will be complete until a lot more light is shined on why local and state agencies failed to use those famous buses, and prevented federal aid from entering the city.

I heard the press conference on the radio while driving home from work. Fitzgerald seemed to have the press firmly at bay as they asked questions about matters he is required to keep confidential. On the Libby indictment, he was very articulate and sounded very confident of the charges. And well he should - that's his job. However, Libby also has a story to tell, and as this goes to trial we'll get more information. That is unless he gets a plea bargain.

Also, Fitzgerald was pretty clear that the current grand jury was to be dismissed. While he reserved the right to continue the investigation with other grand juries, it seems to me (as a non-lawyer) that he would have to re-cover considerable ground to do so. This alone tells me that it probably won't happen unless Fitzgerald gets something damning that he doesn't already have.

In the meantime, the left is has become even more delusional. Take for instance, Howard Dean's statement about the indictment (hat tip Polipundit):

"Beyond the evidence that the White House manipulated the intelligence used to justify the war in Iraq, a group of senior White House officials not only orchestrated efforts to smear a critic of the war, but worked to cover up this smear campaign. In so doing, they ignored the rule of law, endangering our national security and the brave men and women who dedicate their lives to protecting our nation's security. I. Lewis Libby was a part of this internal White House group."

Obviously the radio in my car is broken, else I would have heard at least some of what Howard did. Here's one from Nancy Pelosi:

"The criminal indictments of a top White House official mark a sad day for America and another chapter in the Republicans' culture of corruption. At the heart of these indictments was the effort by the Bush Administration to discredit critics of its Iraq policy with reckless disregard for national security and the public trust."

Two extra points to Nancy for working in the now ubiquitous "Culture of Corruption". Of course, whenever Nancy speaks, her buddy Harry Reid can't be far behind:

"This case is bigger than the leak of highly classified information. It is about how the Bush White House manufactured and manipulated intelligence in order to bolster its case for the war in Iraq and to discredit anyone who dared to challenge the president."

More disturbing are the comments from John Conyers. As many of you know, he's been lurking in the dark and dangerous halls of the Huffington Post:

"I believe it is imperative that Congress pursue these questions and determine how these charges fit into the entire web of deception, manipulation and obfuscation laid bare by the Downing Street Minutes and Treasongate. As a result, I have directed my staff to conduct a comprehensive investigation and review of the facts concerning not only alleged efforts to misuse the White House to out a CIA operative, but misinformation concerning the run up to the Iraq War, and all legal violations and breaches of trust by the Administration concerning the War."

I know "treasongate" is a popular term in moonbat circles nowadays, but a member of congress shouldn't be so cavalier about using the "T" word. It doesn't apply here. Conyers has been one of the nuttiest thoughout the Plame investigation, wanting to impeach Rove before anyone has determined whether any crime was actually committed. And this is the same Conyers who held a mock impeachment trial of the President earlier this year. If they had awards for the most reckless and delusional political attacks, Conyers would get my vote easily.

But back to Libby. If he did lie to the grand jury, well, that will come out, and he'll get his due. But the feverish and irresponsible treatment of this affair by the left and the media have caused damge to Libby and others that can't be reversed.

This AP article has some interesting figures on the number of dead in Iraq - not Americans, but civilians killed by suicide bombers:

In the six months since Iraq's government took office, suicide bombers have struck nearly 200 times, killing at least one-third of the more than 3,902 Iraqis slain in war-related violence since April 28, according to an Associated Press count.

The overwhelming majority of those killed between April 28 and Oct. 28 died in insurgent attacks, suicide or otherwise. Of these, 1,128 were security personnel and 2,774 — or two-thirds — were civilians, according to the count drawn from daily reports from Iraqi government officials, hospitals and the U.S. government. Insurgent deaths were not part of the AP tally.

The anti-war crowd would have you believe that the majority of civilian deaths are caused by American Forces. They're wrong. Also, note to AP - they're terrorists. Insurgents don't blow themselves up in crowds of civilians.

Unusual for an AP piece, there's actually some good news:

Amid the unremitting violence, the new Iraqi government has written the country's constitution, held a nationwide referendum on the document, and is now preparing for Dec. 15 elections for a new government.

There are nonetheless small signs that Iraq's government is succeeding in rebuilding the country with the help of coalition forces. The electricity supply has risen steadily since April, from 3,390 megawatts to 4,117 megawatts in October — although well below the goal of 6,000 megawatts, which was to have been reached by July 2004, according to a Brookings Institution count.

And the number of Iraqis who have telephone access has risen to 4.5 million, compared with an estimated prewar level of 833,000, Brookings reported.

"We have seen Iraqi-elected leaders grow into their positions, becoming more confident, visible and forceful," Maj. Gen. Joseph J. Taluto, commander of the 42nd Infantry Division and Task Force Liberty, said Friday. "They have taken on more and more responsibility for solving problems; in other words, Iraqi solutions to Iraqi issues."

Fact is, we're getting the job done. Maybe slower than most would like, but even AP can no longer hide it. There's no quagmire. If we were to remove our troops now, as the anti-war left desires, all of the progress will be lost. Iraq will fall into anarchy and eventually be taken over by the radical Islamofascists. If that happens, 3902 will seem like a small number indeed. And that's why we have to finish the job.

There's great hope for the future. But not if we cut and run.

A press release today from the folks who are hurt the most from the Femme of Fake Fatality's selfish and disgusting antics:

WASHINGTON, Oct.28 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Gold Star parents and military family members issued the following statement regarding Cindy Sheehan's die-ins at the White House this week on the occasion of the 2000th death of American servicemen and women serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom:

"We, the parents and family members of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who have served and given their lives defending America in Operation Iraqi Freedom are thoroughly disgusted with Cindy Sheehan and her publicity stunts.

"We are angered that Mrs. Sheehan is once again using our fallen loved ones against our wishes to undermine the cause they voluntarily gave their lives for. Her macabre die-ins in front of the White House do not honor the dead nor do they help the living -- they give encouragement to Al Qaeda to keep killing Americans until we surrender.

"Mrs. Sheehan is offering souvenir bracelets with our loved ones' names on them as bonuses to those who join her in the die-ins at the White House. Her continued abuse of our loved ones makes our blood boil and we demand that she stop trivializing their sacrifices with her tawdry acts.

"We know that Mrs. Sheehan and her allies are not peace activists. She herself has called terrorists fighting for Al Qaeda in Iraq 'freedom fighters'. The groups she works with have openly expressed their support for the terrorists and their contempt for this country. She and they are working to bring about the defeat of America in the war on terror.

"We support our country, we support the war on terror and we honor our loved ones' service."

It's signed by a whole bunch of Gold and Blue Star families. You know, it's one thing for a pundit or blogger to express disgust with Cindy's theatrics, but these are the folks that are directly harmed every time the maiden of malevolence preens for the cameras. If you have a blog or web page, how about publicly thanking these folks for their courage and sacrifice, and let your readers know that there's two sides to the story. Then do it again next week.

You know the MSM won't.

From AP/Yahoo:

Prosecutor Seeks DeLay Associates' E-Mails

AUSTIN, Texas - Three indicted associates of Republican U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay are being asked to hand over to a Texas prosecutor all their e-mails from 2002 in an investigation into an alleged campaign finance scheme.

Now remember, I'm not a lawyer, but... Isn't this the kind of basic investigation you do before you charge someone with a crime?

As if we don't have enough scandals already, there's this:

Noe indicted for laundering money to Bush campaign

Not good for us. I hope he really didn't do it, but if he did, send him to jail and good riddance. We're having enough problems with witch hunts and false accusations without having this added to the equation.

Via the Toledo Blade.

I wonder how long before someone on the left ties this to Bush and screeches, "Culture of Corruption?

Evidently, not long.

The liberal media can hardly contain their glee in anticipation of possible indictments in the Valerie Plame affair. For example, here's the front page of today's Philadelphia Daily News:

Don't these people have any dignity at all?

You probably remember Berkeley cancelling Veteran's Day because veteran's groups opposed moonbat Bill Mitchell being a speaker at the event.

Well, the event is back on, and the moonbat will be there to mock the veterans (emphasis mine):

The local chapter of Disabled American Veterans, which has participated in past Berkeley Veterans Day events, had threatened to pull out if Mitchell were included, saying he would inject partisanship into the occasion.

But the committee approved Bates' compromise: Mitchell is in, although not as the keynote speaker, and the DAV is out, although individual members will still attend.

Bates promised to talk to Mitchell and warn him to keep his remarks non-partisan.

"But by his very presence, he'll be making a statement,'' the mayor admitted.

Some one in Berkeley is missing the point. Veteran's Day is about the veterans, not those that hate them.

In response to this:

Miers Withdraws Supreme Court Nomination

While I hope the re-do goes to Luttig or Brown, I fear we'll probably get Gonzales next.

That's what I get for going to sleep - apparently the Matriarch of Moonbats was arrested.

All the details are at Michelle Malkin

As I've previously mentioned, today Cindy will go to the Iraqi Embassy at 10:30 to hand out sympathy cards. At around 1:00 p.m., back to the white house to mock our fallen heroes and everything they died for by pretending she's one of them as she feigns death on the sidewalk. Her plan is to tie up police resources as many times as possible as she shoots for the one day protest arrest record. I'll bet the DC police have better things to do than to waste their time carrying Cindy. Of course, she doesn't care if an armed robbery or shooting or drug sale goes unaddressed due to personnel shortages.

If you live in DC (or are visiting), are the victim of a crime, and the police took longer than they should to respond, please go ask Cindy what noble cause she's impeding the DC police for.

Tomorrow, she branches out. Since the dead aren't giving her the attention she so desparately craves, she's going to aim for some live troops as well. She'll be harrassing wounded troops and their families at Walter Reed Hospital, at 10:30.

Welcome to Michelle Malkin readers! Please feel free to look around while you're here!

Update: In a related event, Zombie has some pictures of the smiling, happy faces of the folks attending a couple of the festive galas celebrating the deaths of our troops. Via Little Green Footballs.

Apparently not satisfied with desecrating the memory of her son, the Damsel of Desecration is seeking more graves to stand on as she celebrates the 2000th death in Iraq at Arlington National Cemetery today.

For those of you that don't know, I'm retired military (USAF). I have a few friends buried in Arlington. I haven't the words to express how foul and hideous this is. So I'll show you instead:

I had more, but this is all I can stand for today.

but I had lots to do at work today. Several posts coming up before bedtime, though.

If you haven't heard about the new grave-dancing commercial from MoveOn.org, Michelle Malkin has the link here.

I don't know if it's a coordinated effort, but another one has sprung up here from a bunch called Operation "Truth". It's about as you might expect, with lots of gratuitous images of flag-draped coffins. I thought the emphasis on the word "dead" was interesting.

It's obvious that these ghouls have been tracking the numbers and carefully planning so that they could exploit the memories of these heroes for cheap partisan political gain.

Another post from AP/Yahoo. It's mostly a rewrite of previous stuff except for this:

"I'll be laying down and not getting up," Sheehan said Tuesday to a small crowd in which the number of journalists exceeded the number of protesters. "When they let me out, I'll do the same thing if I get arrested."

While it may be amusing to see that the Broad of Bitterness can't draw a crowd, there's another message here. Make no mistake about it, the liberal media supports this demented and pathetic woman 100%. If no other protesters show up, it won't be because the press didn't try.

Via Polipundit.

Update (26 Oct 2005, 0500): Here's a visual:

If you haven't heard about George Galloway lying to congress yet, check it out here and come back...

Welcome back. George responds to the charges:

Come and get me, British MP Galloway challenges US Congress

"I'm still willing to go to the United States and still willing to face any charge of perjury in front of that Senate committee.

"I'm demanding that they charge me with contempt and with perjury, I'm demanding it.

"If a Senate committee can go on the international airwaves without putting this to you, without sending me an advance (copy) and accuse me of lying under oath in front of a Senate committee, then I demand they charge me with perjury -- and I'll be on the next plane to face it."

Can we take him up on it? Please? Pretty Please?

Remember Tonya Harding? Her claim to fame was having her ex-husband and his pal try to break Nancy Kerrigan's knees before the 1994 Olympics. I guess once a star, always a star:

Man Arrested After Tonya Harding Run-In

VANCOUVER, Wash. - Tonya Harding tussled in her home with a man she described as her boyfriend, prompting an emergency call by the figure skater-turned-boxer and an arrest of the man.

Christopher Nolan was charged with assault and pleaded not guilty Monday. He told deputies Harding threw him down and bit his finger when he said she had too much to drink on Sunday. The 27-year-old Nolan was ordered to stay away from Harding and to avoid alcohol.

If he had the ability to avoid alcohol, chances are he wouldn't have been with her in the first place.

The Matron of Melancholy is showing up in the news now that the 2000 dead in Iraq mark has been reached. Here's one (via AP/Yahoo) where she talks about her beef with Hillary Clinton:

"I believe that any candidate who supports the war should not receive our support," Sheehan said Tuesday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "It doesn't matter if they're Senator Clinton or whoever."

The whole piece is pretty much a rehash of her earlier writings on Clinton. But we know from past experience that the Tootsie of Torment is eating up all the attention.

And here's the scoop from AFP/Yahoo:

Mother of slain US soldier urges civil disobedience to protest war

For those of that are too young to remember the 70s, "civil disobedience" means break the law. She was going to chain herself to the fence surrounding the White House, but now she's just going to lie down on the sidewalk and play dead.

Yup, that's right - Cindy and her communist wacko friends are gonna honor our war dead by mocking them in a hideous publicity stunt. The Pidgeon of Painful Political Protest Platitudes plans to get pinched in plurality:

"And when they let me out I will come back and do the same thing (again) if I get arrested," she said.

Is it too late for Washington DC to pass a "3 strikes" law?

DJ Drummond has an interesting article over at Polipundit. I'm still digesting it, and may comment later (or not), but wanted to pass it on now:

Incipiency

He makes a lot of very good points about the likelyhood that Harriet Miers will be confirmed, and why those opposed haven't had much traction outside the talking head circuit.

I still remain opposed to Miers, though. If DJ is right, then I'm all dressed up with no place to go.

Good stuff. Go read.

Via AFP/Yahoo:

Senator urges Bush to fire any aide indicted in CIA leak probe

Excerpts from the article:

"I write to encourage you to swiftly and strongly clarify that anyone who is indicted in the ongoing CIA leak investigation will be removed from the White House immediately and until the case is resolved," the New York Democrat wrote in a letter to the president Tuesday.

Independent counsel Patrick Fitzgerald is nearing the end a nearly two-year long investigation into the leak, and rumors have swirled that among those who might face charges are senior White House Bush advisors Karl Rove and Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

With indictments possible at any moment, "it is important that you make this clear ... that your standard will not shift depending on the status of the individual(s) indicted -- whether it is a low-level assistant or the most trusted and high-ranking aide," Schumer wrote.

"Anyone indicted, and thus found likely to have violated the law on a national security issue, should be treated the same and removed from the White House staff."

Chuck and his Democratic contemporaries have had a lot of fun parsing the President's statements on this topic. If the speculation is true and the only indictments issued are for perjury or obstruction (in other words, no indictments for leaks or outings), then no national security issue is involved. Will Chuck stop asking for firings? I bet no. Will anyone in the media call him out on it? Again, I bet no.

Also, It's really become an upside down world when Chuck Schumer writes this to the President:

"Recent press stories have contained some troubling statements from anonymous 'White House allies' attempting to discredit Mr Fitzgerald personally, perhaps in anticipation of coming indictments," Schumer wrote, praising Fitzgerald as "an apolitical 'prosecutors prosecutor,' and beyond reproach."

"I urge you to call on your alleged 'allies' to refrain from attacking either Mr Fitzgerald or his decision, whatever it is."

There's still a chance (albeit small) that Fitzgerald will not indict anyone. If that happens, will Schumer continue to be so kind?

Via AP/Yahoo:

BBC World Service to launch Arabic TV channel

The Arabic TV service will compete with the popular Arab TV channel Al Jazeera, which has been accused by Washington of biased reporting on Iraq.

Just when you thought that BBC couldn't be more pro-terrorist...

73% oppose Harriet Miers on Truth Laid Bear's blogger poll.

Not that the President has taken notice. But there are those that think he's telegraphing a way out:

Calling all Republican Senators

Somebody please pass Polipundit's post to every Republican Senator. At least once each day until they pay attention.

The "collective" is swarming over Kay Bailey Huchison's remarks yesterday on Meet the Press. Some examples from the left-wing blogs:

Kos: "This Sunday we got a preview of the GOP post-Fitzmas spin -- that perjury isn't a crime."

Atrios: "Republicans to Americans: It's Okay to Lie Under Oath in a Criminal Investigation!"

John in DC: "Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison has a soft spot in her heart for traitors."

Democratic Underground: "Bat Boy Spotted in DU Comment Area!"

Several on Huffington Post:

Alec Baldwin: "Why are contemporary Republicans so full of shit?"

Trey Ellis: "It’s Only a “Technicality” in a Culture of Corruption"

Robert Schlesinger: "Hutchison didn’t always feel this way."

Interestingly, some right wing blogs have joined the fray. Examples follow:

Michelle Malkin: "...I found Hutchison's pooh-poohing more than a bit disturbing."

BullDogPundit: "A Memo To Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison: Please Shut Up"

John Hawkins: "That is not the sort of behavior Republicans should engage in..."

It bothers me a little to see some of the critisism from the right side. I don't think Sen Hutchison was saying that perjury or obstruction should not be prosecuted. I'm not even sure that she was attacking Fitzgerald directly as some have indicated, although I think she could have been clearer with her remarks.

Controversy over those two issues aside, I do agree with her remarks in general. The left would love to have an indictment on the "outing" of Plame. Given only perjury, they will try to make the charge just as serious in their attacks anyway by dragging in peripheral issues. To them, this is about a wider issue on the war itself, and they will use any straw they can grab.

Look for Sen Hutchison and others who understand this to try and deny them that straw. Yes, perjury should be prosecuted. But put it in perspective. If there was no "outing" of a CIA agent, then perjury should stand alone without any attachment to peripheral issues. That is, unless the left goes unchallenged when they suggest otherwise.

The administration gets a black eye either way. This is about how long it will take to heal.

Perhaps I'm just being hopeful to interpret her remarks this way. Hopefully she'll find an opportunity to clarify her remarks.

Cindy is back in DC to celebrate the 2000th death.

My regular readers (both of 'em) knew this was coming.

The Mistress of Misery tells about how badly she wants to go back to jail in her latest post:

Each day we will be passing out black wrist bands and we will have each person who picks one up write a KIA troop's name and number on it. Each wrist band will also stand for 50 innocent Iraqis killed. Everyday at 6 PM we will have a "die-in." We will ask everyone who is present at 6 PM to lie down and represent a dead soldier. At that point, the park police will give us 3 warnings before they arrest us.

"Die-in"? Please, not so close to Halloween, Cindy. The Maven of Moonbattery also wants to go sightseeing:

On Wednesday the 26th at 10:30 AM, we will be going to Arlington Cemetery to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Then to the White House for our vigil.

On Thursday the 27th at 10:30 AM we will be delivering a wreath and signed sympathy cards to the Iraqi Embassy. We are asking people who come out to our vigil on the Lafayette Park side to bring sympathy cards. Then to the White House for our vigil.

On Friday the 28th at 10:30 AM we will be delivering flowers and get well wishes to Walter Reed Hospital and we are asking people to bring get well cards to our vigil. Then off to the White House for our vigil.

This is developing, I'll have much more later.

Update 1: Cindy was in Marin, CA over the weekend to speak at a rally with Maxine Waters and others. During the event, she spoke with the Marin Journal about getting arrested being a thrill for her:

"I'm kinda addicted to getting arrested," Sheehan said. "It's like getting tattoos."

Way too much information...

Since we're unofficially now up to 1,999 deaths, Cindy could get her sick, ghoulish, and disgusting "fix" today.

Update 2: I almost missed this one. Cindy makes this statement in her latest post:

"More American soldiers have been KIA in the first 32 months of Iraq so far then in the first 4 years of Vietnam."

1964 is when the Viet Nam war started for the U.S., prior to that we had a minimal advisory presence. By the end of 1967, the casualty number was approximately 11,000. I have no idea what she bases her sentence on - maybe she asked John Kerry. But it doesn't matter since it's just dead wrong.

From AP/Yahoo:

Hearing Set for DeLay Judge Request

C. W. Duncan, a former state district judge, will hold a hearing Nov. 1 on DeLay's request that Perkins leave the case because he has contributed money to candidates and Democratic causes that oppose DeLay.

And not a moment too soon. The bogus nature of the charges not withstanding, time is a real issue for DeLay.

Cheney Told Aide of C.I.A. Officer, Lawyers Report:

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 - I. Lewis Libby Jr., Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, first learned about the C.I.A. officer at the heart of the leak investigation in a conversation with Mr. Cheney weeks before her identity became public in 2003, lawyers involved in the case said Monday.

Notes of the previously undisclosed conversation between Mr. Libby and Mr. Cheney on June 12, 2003, appear to differ from Mr. Libby's testimony to a federal grand jury that he initially learned about the C.I.A. officer, Valerie Wilson, from journalists, the lawyers said.

"Suggest"? "Appear to differ"? The NYT is normally not cautious or shy when it comes to throwing negatives at this administration. Sounds like the NYT is taking some interpretive license here, and I "suggest" not getting wrapped around the axle on this unless something more substantial comes out.

Also, note that there's no suggestion that Cheney directed Libby to do anything with the information. I don't think the Times would have passed up on even a vague hint in that area.

Nothing to see here, folks. Move along.

Via AP/Yahoo:

Bush Won't Release All Miers Documents

But the disagreement will be over what is privileged and what isn't. Hopefully it won't matter and Harriet Miers will withdraw.

Hey, I can dream can't I?

Howard Dean was interviewed by George Stephanopoulos on ABC's This Week, and the DNC made a press release from it:

Excerpts of Democratic National Committee Chairman Dean on 'This Week'

Quoting excerpts wouldn't do this justice. Go read the entire moonbatty thing.

This deserves a brutally thorough fisking, but I'm too tired to do it right now. Screamin' Dean manages to sqeeze more dishonesty and hatred into five minutes than most moonbats can in a year. I just wish the mainstream media would give stuff like this the scrutiny it deserves. If the left was subjected to just one or two day's worth of what the right has to endure from the MSM, they would find themselves so unpopular that no amount of dead voters would be enough to get them elected.

Via PoliPundit.

Sorry. I had a glitch with the database, and all my tags got dumped. I had to re-attach them all, and rebuild all the entries.

Also, had decided to abandon the replacement template for now. Maybe when I get more time. I went ahead and started started tweaking this one, so if you see extra columns or everything shows up screwy, you'll know I'm yelling at the computer again.

Naturally, posting will be light until I fix all the problems I've created.

I've been spending way too much time reading, watching and listening about the Plame affair. It's starting to swirl around in my head, all of the speculation, innuendo, bickering between the pundits, and the wholesale concocting of wild, implausible theories all based on leaks and rumors, some obscure, nonsensical, or meaningless. So tonight I'm going to take a break and watch a movie.

Since this is for comfort, I won't risk a new film that may disappoint. Instead, I'm going to watch an old favorite: Murder By Death.

It's nearly 30 years old, but has held up well. A spoof of mystery books and movies based on a Neil Simon play, Murder By Death is about a group of the brightest detectives invited to solve a mystery. They are presented with meaningless, nonsensical and obscure clues, rumors, and innuendo, bicker amongst themselves about who's right on every minor point, accuse each other of vile things, and each concocts wild implausible theories about the crime. In the end, none actually solve the crime, and each is thoroughly discredited. The punch line is that the crime never really happened in spite of all the clues.

Hmm, escape time. Now if you'll excuse me...

about Harriet Miers. Previously, I'd said that I had settled down into the "oh, go ahead and have a confirmation hearing" mode. After further reflection, I think it would be best if she withdrew.

One of my concerns previously was that it would make a subsequent nomination more difficult should she drop out. But considering the circus that this has become, I now think it would be far more damaging to let the hearings go on.

You've all probably seen the stereotypical movies when some underdog gets to a high position in sports or business (or some other endeavor), bypassing the establishment? Usually the hero shoots the winning goal or winds up running the corporation even though they had little more going for them than a little moxie or maybe some unrefined talent. This kind of "feel good" situation is fun for a movie script (hell, who wouldn't like to be Brewster or Annie?) but totally inappropriate for a SCOTUS pick. And no matter how wonderful President Bush's view of Miers is, that's the way she looks to many of us.

75 or 150 years ago, constitutional law was surely less complicated than it is now. Fewer laws, fewer precedents. It was probably OK to pick someone with little or no constitutional law experience back then. Today, we need someone who is totally prepared to perform on their first day of work. SCOTUS is not a place where we should be setting up an OJT program.

Update: N Z Bear is tracking the thumb orientation (up or down) of the blogosphere. So, I oppose the Miers nomination. (His site is scanning for certain phrases, see here for details).

There are other blogs that have noticed the DNC's "Culture of Corruption" meme and the dishonest and shameful smear campaign that spawned it.

While I have been covering only the birth and spread of the campaign through the liberal minions, Conservatives Are Always Right is covering specific examples of why the Democrats shouldn't be throwing stones.

There's other good stuff there, too. I've added Conservatives Are Always Right to my favorites list. Give it a visit!

In early September, the winning design for the Flight 93 memorial sparked a firestorm of controversy in the blogosphere due to the design's obvious similarity to islamic symbolism. Although letter writing campaigns elicited a somewhat vague promise to "make alterations" to the design, recently some concerned citizens have expressed dismay at the lack of action from the Flight 93 Advisory Commission, suggesting that the promises were only lip service.

Well, DGITL has good news for those rightfully concerned citizens! We have intercepted a preliminary press release for the Flight 93 Memorial (below the fold):

Many people have speculated as to whether the Fräulein of Funerals really writes this stuff. No one can say for sure, but read her latest and see if it bears any resemblance to previous writings. If she is writing them herself, she's got to be getting help. And check out some of the pithy new phrases:

"...Bush and his supporters who are crumbling like 3 day old sugar cookies..."

"It is time to get peacefully radical."

Cindy quotes 3 letters from grieving Moms in her latest. Referring to other Moms, the Belle of Beleaguerment reminds us yet again of the dangers of mixing faux tears with torturous math:

"The little vignettes of pain that I have shared with you are just 3 stories out of millions."

And Cindy is going back to Washington, DC, in hopes of getting arrested once again for the cameras:

On the day of the 2000th (death in Iraq - ed), I will be in DC. I will go to the White House. Our house. I will sit on the sidewalk again and demand that the war criminals who live and work in there bring our troops home.

I wonder if the DC cops will bring up the issue of her refusal to pay the fine for the last time she broke the law?

It really was a very smart move. Tom DeLay posed for his mug shot sporting a big smile in hopes that the Democrats wouldn't be able to use it in ads.

Some folks simply won't settle for the truth, though. The folks at Cafe Press have decided to abandon good taste in order to lure dollars from the "reality based community".

I won't put the disgusting and slanderous image here. If you really want to see it, go follow the link.

Via JunkYardBlog, one of my favorites!

A group that calls itself "Free Press" has this posted on their website:

Don't FOX with local news

Fox News Channel's political agenda is coming to a television station near you.

Roger Ailes, the architect behind the right-wing tilt of cable news, is now remaking 35 local television stations -- broadcasting to nearly 40 percent of America's homes -- in Fox News Channel's image.

Media consolidation made Ailes' takeover of local news possible. We need to break up the big media conglomerates and get higher quality news and information in return for free use of the public's airwaves. To protect local media from corporate consolidation, millions of Americans need to stand up and be counted.

Free Press Basics

Free Press is a national nonpartisan organization working to increase informed public participation in crucial media policy debates, and to generate policies that will produce a more competitive and public interest-oriented media system with a strong nonprofit and noncommercial sector.

We believe that a more democratic US media system will lead to better public policies — at home and abroad. As our world becomes more and more interconnected, it is imperative that any kind of development takes into account basic environment, economic, and human rights, while defining corporate and personal responsibilities. Free Press considers information to be among the most important resources to any society. We strive to open up the media system to allow more diversity of opinion to be expressed, to present a broader perspective, and to increase the caliber of information available to everyday people. This, in turn, will lead to a more participatory and accountable government and to more sustainable policies and practices regarding national and global development.

Talk about low hanging fruit...

Via AP/Yahoo:

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The author of a new state law that allows felony charges against owners of dangerous dogs was hospitalized over the weekend after his own dog attacked him.

Does he have to turn himself in now?

Can somebody tell me what the hell is wrong with these people?

Berkeley's Veterans Day ceremony, scheduled for Nov. 11, was abruptly canceled on Monday because the volunteer organizing committee split over the political content.

Go read the whole thing.

Speaking as a veteran (retired Air Force), the folks who wanted to inject politics into a day to honor veterans are despicable. But the decision to cancel the event because the anti-war crowd didn't get their way is far worse.

And a quick civics lesson for the Berkeley City Council. The first amendment guarantees free speech. It does not guarantee a venue.

Via Michelle Malkin

Via Reuters/CNN:

Chinese building sparks holey row

SHANGHAI, China (Reuters) -- The designs for China's tallest building in Shanghai have been tweaked, its Japanese builders have said, after the original plans for an eye-catching round hole aroused anti-Japan sentiment.

The plans for a round opening through the upper stories of the 492-meter (1,614-ft), 101-storey Shanghai World Financial Centre sparked an uproar in China because many likened it to the rising sun of Japan's war-time flag -- a sentiment that caught developers Mori Building Co. by surprise.

That reminds me. What ever happened to the "Crescent of Embrace"?

And expected to head toward Florida. Haven't we had enough for this year?

That the United States didn't rank higher on this list:

Via AP/Yahoo

LONDON - Bangladesh and Chad were ranked most corrupt on a global watchdog group's annual list of corruption levels in 159 nations, released Tuesday. At the other end of the scale, Iceland was ranked least corrupt.

Naturally, I was curious what position we held:

After Iceland, the least corrupt were Finland, New Zealand, Denmark, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Australia and Austria. The United States was ranked 17th.

Ms. Pelosi and friends can keep screeching "Culture of Corruption" all they like. The rest of us know better.

While she hasn't been getting any attention from the MSM, Cindy still rants on in the Huffington Post. Today, we look at two posts (Oct 16 & 17) from the Diva of Despair:

On the 16th, she lets us know that she would support Hillary Clinton for President if Hillary would find it in her heart to become a hypocrite on the war:

I would love to support Hillary for President if she would come out against the travesty in Iraq. But I don't think she can speak out against the occupation, because she supports it.

Considering the Gal of Gloom, who wants no more sons to die, once tried to get recruiters to sign up some young conservatives for potential death in Iraq, I guess I can understand how she sets standards for candidates. Sorry, Hillary. You're bad, but just not bad enough.

Cindy also discusses her meeting with Hillary:

I thought the meeting with Sen. Clinton went well. I thought she listened and heard what we had to say. I went with another Gold Star Mother, Lynn Braddach, and my sister, Dede Miller. After Sen. Reid left, Mrs. Clinton stayed for a few more moments and she told us that she had met with the other Gold Star Mothers who had a different view from ours. I said it didn't really matter, because our view is right. Lynn, Dede, and I don't want our loved ones to be used as political pawns to justify the killing spree in Iraq. I can't believe any mother who has had her heart and soul torn out would wish that on another mother. How often do the lies have to be exposed before every American (elected official, media representative, average citizen) wakes up and says, "enough killing is enough!"

Who cares about the other Moms who have lost their kids? Evidently not the Sheila of Sorrow (sorry, that was in case I get some Australian readers). As for the last part about waking up, hows this: Cindy, your lies and crackpot delusions have been exposed over and over by hundreds, if not thousands. Stop killing the truth!

Hey, did she say Hillary listened?

I thought Mrs. Clinton listened, but apparently she didn't because immediately afterwards she said the following to Sarah Ferguson of the Village Voice:

"My bottom line is that I don't want their sons to die in vain... I don't believe it's smart to set a date for withdrawal... I don't think it's the right time to withdraw."

I see. If Cindy tells you something, but you don't agree, then you didn't listen. Maybe that's why the Democrats don't invite her to Hillary's fundraisers:

I didn't get an invitation to any of the events, but maybe it's because she doesn't stand up for what I believe in.

You'd think she would get the hint that neither side has any use for her moonbatty crusade. Here's her take on recent polls about the war:

62% of Americans now believe that this war is based on lies and betrayals and want our troops to start coming home. 53% of Americans want our troops to come home immediately.

Lie and betrayals? I've seen several polls lately about the war, none of them said this. If you have no facts on your side, then slander will have to do.

That covers Sunday's post. More dishonesty and slander are the theme of Monday's rant from the Dame of Doom, titled Peaceful Day in Iraq:

I keep hearing on the news that this past Saturday was a relatively "peaceful" day in Iraq. Despite many reports already of alleged election fraud (shades of Ohio and Florida), George and his cronies are cautiously optimistic that the referendum for the constitution will pass. George Bush says that it looks like Iraq is heading for "peace."

Apparently Cindy isn't satisfied with slandering Bush about the elections here. If a lie works locally, why not go international? She continues to show us her complete abandonment of reality:

George told us in his headlong rush to disaster in Iraq that Saddam had WMD's and that Iraq was culpable for 9/11.

Um, no, Cindy, he didn't say Iraq was culpable for 9/11. Not even once. Not even as a joke. Please, please, go back on your medication, Cindy.

Next, the Princess of Pouting shows us that math and moonbats don't mix:

The soldiers and the Marine were all killed by IED's. There exists such a thing as an IED jammer. For $47,000/vehicle, our children can be saved from most of the IED attacks. The Pentagon has decided that $47,000 is too much to spend to keep our children alive!!! Halliburton steals that much from the Pentagon before the CEO's first cup of morning coffee. For the two vehicles that were destroyed and the 6 of our children killed, it comes to a little over $15,000 per person. Not to be crass, but the government will be handing each family a check for $100,000.00 soon (the deaths are still "pending") and $400,000.00 in insurance death benefits. I know each family would mortgage their homes, or sell their souls, if they knew it would have cost $15,000.00 to keep their precious family member alive.

Where to begin? First, the IED jammers. Not true. Via Bloomberg:

Force Protection Inc., a company with 270 employees in Ladson, South Carolina, saw its revenue grow to $24 million in the first six months of this year from $2 million in 2002, based in large part on orders of specialized ``Buffalo'' armored mine- clearing vehicles and ``Cougar'' IED detection-and-jamming vehicles, Vice President Michael Aldrich said in an interview.

Note the year - 2002. They were deploying IED jammers before Cindy's first tear-filled pose for the press. And here's this from the Washington Times, referring to a confidential document:

The document said that after the U.S. had success with jamming radio signals between the bomber and the improvised explosive devices (IEDs), insurgents quickly reverted to direct-wire ignition that cannot be jammed.

The Pentagon also has rushed to Iraq off-the-shelf technology, such as electronic jammers and spy equipment. Jammers are affixed to vehicle convoys as they move along booby-trapped roads. The Pentagon also has developed a technology, which is classified, for disrupting cell-phone signals.

And this:

Roughly 400 defense-industry executives representing several hundred companies showed up for an industry day sponsored by the Army late last year. Dozens of companies are expected to throw their hats into the ring by the end of this month to compete for a contract worth as much as $350 million to develop next-generation IED jammers.

Army spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Rodney said the service plans to test the potential jammers between March and May. By June, the Army will select a technology.

“Hopefully then we will move into production as fast as possible,” Rodney said.

During the competition, the Army hopes to find a technology that can jam a wide array of remote-controlled IEDs, which can be detonated by everything from garage-door openers to cell phones.

“We are looking for one jammer to do it all,” Rodney said.

Until now, the military has been using a number of jammers and other equipment in Iraq, including the Warlock electronic countermeasure system developed by EDO Corp., a New York-based company specializing in high-tech niche products. The company has won roughly $125 million in contracts over the past year to produce hundreds of the Warlock systems.

But Cindy says we don't have jammers and the government is too cheap to buy any. Proof that you don't have to research to be a moonbat. As for the rest of her rant, well, I just hope that the CEO of Haliburton sues for slander.

I'll leave this edition of Sheehan Watch with a line from Cindy's Sunday post:

Playing politics with our soldiers' lives is despicable.

Then stop, Cindy. Just stop.

Let's go into the fascinating world of make-believe for a moment.

Let's say you own a spacious home in the mountains with terrific view and a nice big backyard. One sunny spring day, a man knocks on the door. He explains that he's from American Consolidated Mineral Extraction (ACME), and he believes that underneath your backyard are vast deposits of superballium, a raw material in great demand in auto production, electronics manufacturing, and is the primary component in the manufacture of bouncy balls. He further explains that ACME would like to bring a team of experts into your backyard to verify his suspicions.

You agree, and the nice, trained professionals from ACME come into your backyard to dig a few holes and collect a few soil samples. A couple of months pass, and a representative from ACME calls to tell you the good news - your yard indeed has abundant and quite valuable deposits of superballium, and ACME wants to mine it.

So after careful consideration, you decide on a plan of action: you decide to sell your backyard, and the mineral rights, to ACME. The agreed on price? $5.00.

What's that? You'd never agree to something so incredibly stupid? Sure you would. You already have.

Via AP/Yahoo:

CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. - The ruddy slopes of 12,392-foot Mount Emmons loom over this town, drawing hikers, backcountry skiers and snowshoers. But to residents such as Jim Starr, they also stand for what is wrong with the nation's antiquated mining laws.

Those laws allowed the Bush administration to sell 155 acres of public land on the "Red Lady" to a mining company for less than $900. The land has deposits of molybdenum, a gray metal used to make steel, alloys and lubricants.

OK, so it's not superballium. But 155 acres for only $900! Bet you folks in San Fransisco and Boston can't remember when land was so cheap, huh?

The sale was made possible by an 1872 mining law that lets the government sell, for just $2.50 or $5 an acre, public lands that contain minerals. This land sale, known as a patent, gives companies absolute title to the property.

The article goes on to describe how a few opportunistic folks use this law that was designed to encourage settlement in the wild west to get land for ski resorts and other non-mining uses:

The department acknowledges cases in which lands that companies had patented for mining were used for private, commercial development, such as at the ski resorts of Aspen, Breckendridge, Keystone and Telluride in Colorado and Park City in Utah.

At Keystone, developers fetched $11,000 an acre in 1989 selling off more than one-quarter of the 160 acres the government had sold. The land was never mined.

In Arizona, a Phoenix luxury hotel sits on 61 acres, part of an area that a businessman patented in 1970 for $153. He sold it to a developer for $400,000, plus a 1 percent share in future profits.

And here's how our elected officials are looking out for us:

The Bush administration and Congress have made a push to approve the remaining applications — approximately 200 — that were unresolved when President Bush took office. Under the Bush administration, 139 were approved and 50 remain to be considered.

Here's the bottom line stuff:

The remaining applications, mostly in Nevada, Arizona, California and Montana, involve selling 71 square miles of federal land in 11 states for just $130,000, according to Westerners for Responsible Mining, a coalition of 12 state and national conservation groups.

The lands' real value is $178 million, the coalition has estimated, based on figures from local assessors and real estate agents. Some $85 million of that total is in just one parcel — 3,000 acres near Arizona's popular Roosevelt Lake — that could be sold for $8,500, the coalition said.

Other patents, the coalition said, would allow the sale of 995 acres of California's Inyo National Forest, worth $7.5 million, for $3,100; 673 acres of California's Mojave National Preserve, worth up to $1 million, for $2,300; and 100 acres of Washington state's Mount Baker National Forest, worth up to $937,000, for $470.

Folks, I'm a Republican. I'm conservative on nearly any litmus test issue you could imagine. But this is unsupportable. I'm fine with breaks designed to help relieve shortages of natural resources. Hell, I fully support drilling in ANWR. But the private companies that benefit better damn well lease, not buy, the property at a fair price. And if someone wants to build a resort, they should find another place. This is a law that screams for an update.

Oh, and yes, I know the figures are from a liberal special interest group and most likely spun a little high. But even if the land is only worth $78 million vs. $178 million, my view of this doesn't change. It's even worse than pork barrel spending.

Lets forget about the environ-mentals that seem to be the only ones pushing for a change. The government owns vast parcels of land. But the government owns it on our behalf. It's our land, folks.

We're running huge deficits, and have made check-bouncing promises to rebuild the gulf coast. And nearly none of our elected representatives, Republican and Democrat alike, can seem to find any pork to cut from the transportation bill (or any other bill for that matter). But they can sell public land at five bucks an acre? This is no different than eminent domain, except that the government is taking from us all to give to private industry.

Again, I have no problem with mining resources that we need. Just don't pay the miners to do it. Lease the land for a fair price, and use the resulting revenue to help pay for Katrina and Rita.

We had a great time at the Renaissance Faire. Pirates seem to be the rage this year, with numbers equal to the knights, lords and ladies.

The bonus was going in October, when there are also lots of Halloween decorations as well. My youngest daughter B was thrilled to see all the pumpkins and ghosts decorating the park.

My oldest tells me her favorite part was getting to ride an elephant. For TB, the highlight was the carriage ride. The driver was well into character and very funny and energenic. As for me, it was a treat to be out in the sun. It's been really dreary here lately, and I enjoy fall more than the other seasons.

If you have never been, do go - it's worth the drive.

Rice: I Don't Want to Run for President

It seems she's still not persuaded. Maybe she could still change her mind, who knows?

With the publishing of the latest on the Plame story, the NYT has brought me to this conclusion an the whole affair:

Nobody outside of Fitzgerald and his staff has a clue.

The stories released yesterday were almost universally regarded as raising more questions than they answered. And the blogs were all over the map:

John at Power Line thinks that "In general, Miller's story seems to exonerate "Scooter" Libby".
Hunter at Daily Kos says the Times article "seriously damages Libby", and Judy's article "utterly destroys him"
Arianna is dissapointed as well: "I can safely say that not since Geraldo cracked open Al Capone’s vault has there been a bigger anticlimax or a bigger sham."

What's agreed to by all is that Judy's story is woefully inadequate since it doesn't answer the questions that really matter - was a crime committed, and if so, by whom?

At least we can hope that this will wind up soon, but I'm not optimistic. Fitzgerald will either issue one or more indictments or none at all. Either way, the only beneficiary from this whole mess is the Democratic Party.

If he issues indictments, we'll all have to wait for the trial for the answers. Unless there's a deal, in which case we may get no answers at all. Either way, Democrats use as campaign ammo (and perhaps rightly so). If not, then they'll use anyway, since being accused is good enough to base a smear, as we've seen in the past. Do you think there are many Republicans in DC that haven't had their pictures taken with Libby or Rove? You'll be seeing those pics in the attack ads.

If he issues none, will we get a pamphlet or an encyclopedia for a report? I'll go on my gut and predict that it will be a pamphlet. And the Democrats will still use this as "exhibit C" in their "Culture of Corruption" smear campaign since there won't be much red meat for anyone to dispute them.

In either case, Judy's going to write a book, and others involved will as well. Do you think any of those will be objective?

The only possible silver lining will be that the press has made this issue so confusing and soap opera-like that it won't resonate with many voters.

Or maybe none at all. I will be taking TB and my 2 lovely daughter B's out to a merry joust.

If you've never been to one of these things I highly recommend it. Just ignore all of the historical inaccuracies and have a good time.

A question for the blogospere: Why no effort to help the earthquake victims?

Being a very new (3 weeks) blog, I didn't participate in the charitable efforts after the tsunami or hurricane(s). But being a long time reader of the larger blogs, I watched as those blogs generously donated time and pixels to encouraging donations to help the victims from those disasters. TB and I gave through my employer (who matched donations), and I gave much more than I would have in no small part due to the encouragement of the blogs I read daily.

The earthquake death toll is now estimated to be near 40,000, and as many as 2 million lack shelter.

But this time I see damned little effort on the part of the blogosphere to help. Sure, some smaller blogs have some links to charities, but among the larger blogs, nothing that even comes close to this.

Or this.

Or this.

Or this.

Or this.

I would like to note here that this is not an attack on the above blogs. Indeed, their previous efforts were exceedingly generous and deserve praise. In the interest of fairness, the right side of the web wasn't alone. Here's some examples from the liberal side of the web of attempts to coax donations from their readers:

Example here.

And here.

And to reiterate, I know that many smaller blogs have been involved in earthquake charity efforts.

What about me? I gave $100 through my employer (although they are not matching donations this time), and if I challenge my readers to match me (which I guess I'm doing right now), well, that's, um, $200 to $300 if I get 100% participation. A little nudging from the above heavyweights could raise many thousands more.

So is everyone just overloaded on disasters? Is there a feeling that governments and charities have this one under control and no further help is needed? Has it just washed right on by with all of the rapidly changing fall news cycle? I really want to know. If you think I'm off-base by asking in the first place, please let me know why.

In the event that any of the above bloggers take offence at this post, my apologies in advance. No offence is intended. You are all certainly entitled to use your blogs however you see fit. It's just that I thought I saw a trend among political bloggers to do a little more than just chew the fat about the latest beltway antics, and saw it as a good thing. I wonder now if I was mistaken.

Update (10/22/2005): Someone else noticed. (hat tip Instapundit)

Via AP/Yahoo:

Thousands Attend Millions More Movement

Looks like Calypso Louie has laid an egg.

Via AP/Yahoo:

Groups Threaten to Boycott American Girl

NEW YORK - American Girl, manufacturer of a highly popular line of dolls and children's books, has become the target of conservative activists threatening a boycott unless the toy maker cuts off contributions to a youth organization that supports abortion rights and acceptance of lesbians.

The protest is directed at an ongoing American Girl campaign in which proceeds from sales of a special "I Can" wristband help support educational and empowerment programs of Girls Inc., a national nonprofit organization which describes its mission as "inspiring girls to be strong, smart and bold."

If you've missed the American Girl craze, this is a line of dolls dressed in period clothing from american history. These have been a hot item for a number of years, especially among collectors.

Certainly American Girl has a right to support any cause it wishes. However, I think this clearly illustrates that when you market a product for children, you should be careful about what causes you support, since it's the adults who fess up the cash. This should be a no brainer.

I haven't said much about Harriet Miers. Fact is, within 30 minutes after the nomination much of my feelings had already been expressed by other blogs that follow SCOTUS more closely than I do. I am still opposed to the nomination, but have settled into the "lets give her a confirmation hearing" mode. I think politically the fallout from a withdrawn nomination and subsequent re-nomination would only serve to embarass the administration more, and may handicap the followon nominee.

The role that Miers has taken in the nomination process does have me curious, though. It's been widely reported that she was immersed in the process that vetted potential nominees such as Roberts, Luttig, Brown, and a handful of others; extraordinarily well qualified candidates with impressive credentials and respectable track records. Somehow, she has come to view that she fits in with this very distinguished crowd, else she wouldn't have accepted the nomination.

The question I have for both of you, dear readers, is this: What do you think this says about Harriet Miers? Personally, I can think of a few things, and not all positive. Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Cindy's latest foray into moonbattery is here.

Yesterday was movie day!

Going to the movies was something Casey and I enjoyed doing together. Casey was a Theater Arts major in college and he went with a critical eye. Since I love sharing my children's passions with them, Casey and I would go to the movie theater often.

We saw two movies the last time he was home at Christmas, 2003 before he was deployed to Iraq . We saw the last movie in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the live action movie Peter Pan.

Now enjoying a little fantasy at the theater is OK. Living in one is not. She continues with more movie fun:

On Ash Wednesday of 2004, a few days before Casey left for Iraq, his dad and I went to see The Passion of the Christ. That was our Ash Wednesday penance that year. Casey's dad fell asleep during the scourging scene while I sat in my seat and quietly sobbed. I was especially touched by the character that played Jesus' mom who followed her son along while he was being violently tortured and killed by devious men with an evil agenda. Of course, since I became a mom over 26 years ago, I have identified with Mary as she sobbed at the foot of her sons cross and cradled his lifeless body in her arms.

I am recounting all of this, because since Casey was killed in Iraq by devious men with evil agendas, I find it extremely difficult to go to the movies.

Now I'm not going to say she's making the comparison, but I'm not going to say she isn't, either. You be the judge. By the way,do sleeping pills cause delusions? Also, I never considered going to the movies an act of contrition. But I'll try that next time I go to confession (Priest: "Your attonement is 10 'Hail Mary(s)', 5 'Our Fathers', and say the Rosary twice." Me: "Can I just go to the movies instead?").

Most of the rest of the post consists of the Maven of Morbid trying to break the record for using "God forbid" the most times in one sitting. That phrase is one I've never liked in casual conversation, as it's a little presumptive. Using it this many borders on profane.

That all for this edition!

Via AP/Yahoo:

Gingrich Says Run for President Possible

MOBILE, Ala. - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Thursday he might run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 — unless some candidates promote his ideas.

Newt's engineering of the Contract for America, and the shift in Congress that resulted, represents the high spot in Republican politics in the post Reagan era. Well, at least for me it does. I hope he throws his hat in.

For some reason TB wasn't very fond of him while he was in office, but warmed up after watching him in interviews and appearances over the past few years.

Hat Tip to Jayson at Polipundit; and thanks for cheering me up!

Via AP/Yahoo:

Prosecutor Subpoenas DeLay Phone Records

AUSTIN, Texas - A Texas prosecutor subpoenaed records for the home telephone of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and the phone of his political campaign Thursday.

Also subpoenaed by prosecutor Ronnie Earle were records for two numbers for DeLay's daughter, Danielle DeLay Ferro.

DeLay is facing charges of money laundering and conspiracy in a Texas campaign finance case.

The subpoenas list telephone numbers, but not whom they belong to. They ask for information about the calls and the numbers' subscribers, voice mail service, billing information, long distance calls made from or charged to the numbers and special features.

OK, I'm not a lawyer, so forgive my asking. Shouldn't this be the kind of basic investigative stuff you'd want to do before you charge someone with a crime?

Does this really need a comment?

Via AP/Yahoo:

Kennedy: I'll Support Kerry in 2008 Race

BOSTON - Sen. Edward Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) said Wednesday he would back fellow Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008 — even if Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton also pursues a White House bid.

Poor, poor Hillary. Now she won't get the drunk philanderer vote. At least she still has the chubby intern vote sewn up.

Todays matchup - Sheehan vs. the Terminator:

Via KXTV News 10 Sacramento

Sheehan to Try to Meet with Governor About War

Vacaville mother and anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan plans to go to the State Capitol today to ask Gov. Schwarzenegger to pull California's National Guard troops out of Iraq.

So far, the governor's office has not agreed to meet with Sheehan.

Good for you, Arnold. Looks like you learned from McCain's unpleasant experience.

Also, I missed this last week. Cindy had an interview for the Palestine Chronicle. The Sister of Sorrow says most of the usual stuff, and of course there are no hard questions. Here's a typical example:

Joshua Frank: Many war supporters have furiously denied any link between our foreign policy and the risk soldiers are at in Iraq and Afghanistan. Tony Blair has denied any link between foreign policy and the summer bombings over in London. What do you see?

Cindy Sheehan: I think that U.S. foreign policy is totally responsible for 9/11, as well as the recent bombings in London. Our policies of killing innocent Iraqis; Afghans; supporting the occupation of Palestine; our permanent bases in Saudi Arabia; our presence in Lebanon; our support of the shah; supporting Saddam and giving him the WMDs used on his own people. I think this sort of behavior drives hatred toward the U.S. This is just all my opinion, of course. I am not a politician or a military strategist. I am just a citizen voicing my opinions.

Joshua Frank: What fuels the war in Iraq today is central to our geopolitical interests: oil. How do you think this affects our chances as a movement to end the current war, compared to what it took to end the Vietnam War?

Cindy Sheehan: I think even more than oil, it has to do with the industrial military complex that Eisenhower warned us about. They have to keep us afraid of something or someone. During the 1950s and '60s it was the Communists. We lost that focus in the 1970s – so the evil Rumsfeld, Cheney, and Perle, along with the rest of the neocons, kept that alive. With the fall of the Berlin Wall, we needed a new enemy; so now it is terrorists… they are the "ist" du jour. It really is impossible to fight "ists" and "isms." You just can't do it. All we get in the end is prolonged, evil, and unnecessary war and death.

"Our chances"? Nothing like unbiased journalism, eh? One more gem:

Joshua Frank: The 2006 mid-term elections are right around the corner, and there are a few pro-war Democrats up for reelection. The most popular among them [are] Hillary Clinton in New York and Nancy Pelosi out in California. There is a bit of speculation rumbling in activist circles that you may be planning to take on one or the other in the Democratic primaries coming up. Is this true?

Cindy Sheehan: I think Nancy Pelosi is changing her tune, but not nearly fast enough. I have met with her a couple of times lately. I am not thinking of running against Hillary, or Nancy, or Dianne Feinstein, for that matter. If it were anyone, though, it would be Feinstein because I am a Californian and I believe she is a despicable warmonger. People have been begging me to run, but I think I can do more good on the outside of Washington than the inside.

Shudder the thought. If she ran for office, I'd have to start a Sheehan Watch blog. And hire a staff.

In case you've never heard of it, Palestine Chronicle is a weekly online magazine that, well, I'll let them tell it:

Palestine Chronicle is an independent internet magazine, dedicated to addressing issues and offering perspectives rarely seen in mainstream western media. These issues include the plight and welfare of Palestinian refugees, as well as other displaced and oppressed people around the world. We are committed to democracy and freedom of expression, and we encourage contributions from people who are genuinely concerned with the specified above. However, we deeply oppose any form of literature that expresses religious or racial intolerance. Palestine Chronicle does not speak on behalf of any political or religious party. Palestine Chronicle is written and constructed solely by volunteers from various places around the globe with a common purpose, bringing to light the suffering of humankind everywhere, from Palestine, the Middle East and Beyond.

Their honorary editorial board members includes Noam Chomsky.

They have a photo section with lots of images "rarely" seen in the MSM, like this:

and these:

For a peace activist, Cindy's keeping good company these days.

Update: Rob at Say Anything asks:

"And why doesn’t Cindy ever bug Democrat politicians? It seems to me like there were plenty of Democrats who voted in favor of the war in Iraq. Why doesn’t she ever target some of them. I mean, if her cause truly does transcend politics, as she alleges, why not be bi-partisan in your heckling?"

Professional courtesy, maybe?

Via AP/Yahoo comes this:

Gore: I Don't Plan to Run for President

Honestly, I'm torn. On one hand, I won't have to put up with his arrogant, condescending demeanor during the next POTUS election. On the other hand, I think it would be great fun to see Mr. Lockbox be the frontman of the party that obstructs any kind of social security reform. And there's no doubt that he's fallen off the deep end since losing in 2000. Here's some quotes for proof:

When asked how the United States would have been different if he had become president, though, he had harsh criticism for Bush's policies.

"We would not have invaded a country that didn't attack us," he said, referring to Iraq. "We would not have taken money from the working families and given it to the most wealthy families."

"We would not be trying to control and intimidate the news media. We would not be routinely torturing people," Gore said. "We would be a different country."

See what I mean? If this nut got the nomination, every day would be a fiskathon.

In a very rare out of character moment for AP, an opposing view is given:

Tracey Schmitt, spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, called Gore's comments "fictitious rants that border on dangerous."

"To accuse Americans of participating in 'routine torture' is absurd and reveals that while Al Gore may no longer be a leader in his party, he still embodies the maniacal anger that guides Democrat leaders in Washington today," Schmitt wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

Very well spoken, Tracey. Thank you!

I know some folks put a lot of stock in this stuff. I just think this is wholly inappropriate.

Via Little Green Footballs:

The picture kinda says it all.

It's been a dreary day here in southeast Pennsylvania. Overcast, occasional misty rain, really depressing. So it's a good day to check in on the mistress of misery, Cindy Sheehan. Her latest post can be found here.

Since her last post, she participated in an anti war march in LA with Thich Nhat Hahn, A Buddist Monk from Viet Nam. He's got her waxing philosophical in her post:

He walks with an aura of peace and acceptance radiating from him.

Every day we do things, we are things that have to do with peace. If we are aware of our life..., our way of looking at things, we will know how to make peace right in the moment, we are alive. Thich Nhat Hahn.

And this:

Tha^y told us we should say those phrases with every other step. I have arrived. Every second we live is a new arriving in the present. I see so much conflict and struggle in our world because we don't live in this second.

I feel like hugging a tree. Anyone with me?

While there, the angel of anguish met a Mom who's son survived and returned home with post traumatic stress disorder:

I met a new friend today named Jewel whose son was a medic on the front lines in Iraq and has tried to commit suicide three times since he returned from the desert of pain. The distraught Mother who is beside herself with worry said if something isn't done about it and if her boy doesn't get help, he is dying. His superiors will not allow him to be diagnosed for PTSD so he can't get the treatment he so desperately needs.

Cindy of course gave her the universal message of hope:

Jewel is Buddhist and I told her: "You realize your son died in Iraq."

So sensitive.

And the big news from Cindy today is:

The war machine and the people who serve it in our government are getting a little afraid themselves of not being able to keep the industrial military complex rolling in the bloody dough, so George and friends have come up with a new enemy whose atrocities also can't be contained to borders and that doesn't wear a national uniform: The Bird Flu.

That's right folks, Bush is now responsible for BIRD FLU!!!

Mmmmm... Moonbattylicious!

Added to original post: In an earlier post, I discussed how the Dems had settled on a new slogan, "Culture of Corruption", and how they would spread it far and wide to smear the right. The mindless minions are now going forth in great numbers to use this clever new slander tool:

The collective has instructed the colony:

Today, with the GOP's Culture of Corruption threatening to indict most of the party's leadership, Republicans are suddenly faced with a drought of good candidates and fundraising troubles. (emphasis mine)

Update: Here are a few more examples.

They're nothing if they're not predictable.

Update 2: The right side is starting to notice. Here, here, and here.

Update 3: Please read my previous post on this topic as it provides valuable context. Sorry for any confusion...

I'm tinkering with a new template for the site, so I haven't added any of the niceties to this one that you would normally expect.

Someone pointed out to me that I should at least have an Email address for Y'all.

Please Email me here.

Friday I noticed this post at Little Green Footballs:

Daily Kos: We Rock, You Suck:

Markos “Screw Them” Moulitsas Zuniga says conservative bloggers suck. Progressive blogs like his and the foul-mouthed Atrios’ (Duncan Black), on the other hand, are really cool.

The Daily Kos post Charles refers to took my interest due to its view on the purpose of political blogs, and I felt it deserved a wider discussion. I didn't have time over the weekend to write about it (playing with the kids instead), sorry it's not timely:

Kevin Drum and Atrios talk about angst within the conservative blogging world over being ignored, while liberal bloggers are embraced by the establishment.

That's sort of true and not true. As for conservatives being ignored, as Atrios notes, yeah, that part is true. Not only are conservative blogs redundant in the conservative media pantheon, but they have not proven adept at raising money. And in politics, raising money is the first, second, and third most important thing. And in any case, they have plenty of party operatives, like Red State's Mike Krempasky, doing the blogging thing, as well as existing members of their Right Wing Noise machine, like Hugh Hewitt and Malkin. They don't need the citizen riff raff. (emphasis mine)

As for Democrats, conservatives like to think that sites like Daily Kos meet weekly with Howard Dean and Harry Reid, as though we're an integral part of some well-oiled machine. And that's also not true. We get their press releases. The same press releases all other media outlets get. And, as far as Reid's office is concerned, they answer any questions I send their way, just like any other media outlet. It's helpful, but hardly earth shattering.

When they do pay attention, most of the time it's naked attempts to score cash from the community, as though we're some kind of ATM. And when they don't ask for money, and try to tackle an issue, parts of the blogosphere erupt in hysterics. You'd think Obama killed everyone's first born to hear some of you wail about his diary. There's a fine line between reasoned discussion and attacks, so if you're a Democratic politician, you sort of have to be a masochist to try and engage the netroots in discussion.

On the other hand, liberal bloggers are definitely getting attention from the folks wiring the Vast Left Wing Conspiracy. No money yet, but there's hope to start building some blog-supporting infrastructure. A think tank, maybe some fellowships, book deals, cross-media promotions (like my weekly spot on Majority Report Radio), those sorts of thing. Just like the conservative movement has worked to support its best writers and build a wide-reaching media machine, so too is the progressive movement seeking to mimic that. And while the conservative movement was built in the 70s and 80s for a different generation, ours is being built on a digital foundation.

So liberal bloggers are currently more salient to the future of the progressive movement than is the case in the conservative side. Conservative bloggers on the other hand, especially those not already plugged into their media machine, are simple redundant. There are other media outlets that promote their message better (like Drudge on the internet), and there are other mechanisms that organize better (like the religious right). So what exactly do they bring to the table not already covered by someone else? Not much. (emphasis mine)

If Markos feels that conservative blogs are irrelevant, he seems to make a further distinction between the larger blogs like Power Line, InstaPundit, Michelle Malkin, Hugh Hewitt, and the scores of smaller blogs (as both of my readers will attest, my blog fits in the latter category). Even as conservative blogs in general are irrelevant to the Republican party, us smaller blogs are more so because we are so disconnected from the party we allegedly serve. On the other hand, liberal blogs raise money for their party. Since the fundraising has garnered at least a superficial recognition, relevance and meaning must surely follow. And as they seek a place at the table in return, they believe that we already have one - yet that somehow makes us redundant.

Although those on the left occasionally characterize us as a monolithic "top down" mouthpiece for our leader's views, we are actually much closer to the grass "roots type" of community they see themselves to be. While Markos and others would like validation and funding from the Democratic Party, there's little evidence that this desire exists among their right wing counterparts. Even among the more successful rightwing blogs, I see no concerted effort to become sanctioned wings of the Republican Party.

Why not? In general, conservatives so value individual freedom that the very idea is incongruous to our beliefs. We like independence and individual accomplishment, and we don't do "group think" or anything resembling "collective". "Group mind" is a Stalinist concept we find unembraceable.

No, by and large conservative folks tend to actively assist the party during elections or during crisis, then disengage when the job is done. Our passion for monitoring and discussing the antics of our government shouldn't be confused for a desire to become a larger part of the established political machine. Of course we want to be heard - but as citizens, not members.

The Democratic party differs in that it really is a "big tent" party. Hot button issues like abortion aside, the modern left exists to band together thousands of single topic special interest groups into a single voting block. These groups must be competitive to survive. A party can't push a platform that has thousands of planks; conflict and confusion would result. The interest groups have to be activists or risk going unnoticed when the platform is built. And so the drive to become insiders - it's a way for a relatively small voice can be heard above the din. And it's also why some on the left espouse the "group-think" and "collective" memes, hoping for a resulting environment similar to T-ball, where every child gets a turn at bat whether they can hit the ball or not.

Not too many years ago, the very same "citizen riff raff' that Markos so handily dismisses wrote letters to the editors, made calls to politicians, etc. and we still do, but the internet has added to the available outlets to express our views. In this light, our relevance as citizens has grown and will continue to do so. Not because we are part of the "machine", but because we're not. How much more "grass roots" can you get?

With few exceptions, we're gadflies, we know it, and we're satisfied with that role. A good example of how that works to our advantage is the PorkBusters project started by InstaPundit and Truth Laid Bear. This kind of grass roots activity never would have been possible if these blogs were sanctioned and funded by the Republican party. True insiders who continuously buck the system quickly lose their group's seal of approval. That, along with the markedly anarchistic and profane nature of their comment areas, form the reasons why the liberal blogs are kept at arms length by their party in spite of their fund raising ability. Of course they'll take your money - they'll take it from anyone. And with noses firmly held, they'll continue to do so.

As for me, I enjoy and even revel in my independence from the "machine". This is my hobby and passion. I don't desire for this blog to become a vocation. I don't see myself as redundant because I don't exist for the Republican Party’s benefit. I agree and disagree with them and the rest of my government as I see fit. And it seems to work that way across the rest of the right wing blogosphere as well. Just look at the reaction to the Miers nomination if you need proof.

It's ironic that liberal blogs like Daily Kos so desperately covets the validation, sanction, and funding of their party when success in this endeavor would surely turn them into the caricatural image they paint us with. Personally I think that if they succeed, that would be a shame. The world will become a much less interesting place once Kos becomes assimilated by his beloved machine.

Rodney Dangerfield used to joke that his parents had to tie a pork chop around his neck to get the dog to play with him. Has Markos become the Rodney Dangerfield of the blogospere?

Rightwingsparkle has some must read reflections on the war. And this as well.

Shame on the troll that posted first in her comments section.

Since she's almost completely dropped out of the media, I decided (with insistance from TB) to check up on what ol' Cindy's been up to as a regular feature here at DGITL. She's still posting sporadically over at Huffington Post, so I browsed over and waded through the sea of tinfoil-coated punditry to get the goods. For those of you that wish to read it for yourselves but want to avoid being accosted by Deepak Chopra in the hallway, please feel free to use this link.

In the latest chapter of the saga that exceeds "Moby Dick" in despair if not in length, Cindy provides some insight into her mental state:

There were many nights after Casey was killed and we buried him that I had to restrain myself from swallowing my entire bottle of sleeping pills. The pain and the deep pit of hopeless despair were almost too much to cope with.

Here's a question for the medical profession: When someone is severely depressed, why do you tank 'em up on depressants? Doesn't that seem a little counter-productive?

Cindy continues about why she didn't swallow those pills:

The only thing that restrained me from committing the cowardly and selfish act of killing myself was my other three children. How could I put them through something so horrible after what they had already been through?

But tearing apart your family to become a terrorist appeaser is OK?

Another side note: Attention Hillary! When you start talking about health care during your upcoming campaign, enlist Cindy's aid! Imagine Cindy on stage next to you sporting that patented woefull expression, and you observing that the evil HMO that limited her to 20 Psych visits is really to blame...

Later in her post she entertains with a little irony:

We realized that at Camp Casey we remembered something after almost 5 years of a virtual dictatorship of control we have in America now: we the people have all the power.

Lets pause for a moment to let that one sink in...

While we're waiting, time for yet another side note: If you want to use a blog as a showcase for your grief, despair, and anti-american sentiment, filter the ads. Huffington Post rotates ads, if you click refresh repeatedly you'll see gems like "Patriotic Shirts USA made - 10% of proceeds supporting our troops", "Fabulous Patriotic Jewelry - Son In Service, Bush Campaign Pins, Yellow Ribbon Pins, Flag Earrings", "Careers in Intelligence", "Calm your Mind", "Hypnosis Psychotherapy", "Natural Stress Relief", "Join the Peace Corps", "Get a New Job". Talk about low hanging fruit...

OK, lets move on. Here's one just to set up for another sidenote:

I thought all my hope was KIA on the same day Casey was KIA.

Sidenote as promised: This is really unrelated to the subject of this post. I was just wondering why the marketing folks at this company never checked their name against any potential acronyms? Wouldn't you think this should be an easier catch than Found On Road Dead?

Finally, Cindy ends her post with a tantalizing hint of making Sheehan Watch a long running feature on DGITL:

I love being alive now and will devote my life to peace with justice so our children will never, ever be misused by the war machine again.

Anyone from the comic book generation knows that superman can turn a lump of coal into a diamond using super pressure from his bare hands. Science has been able to duplicate this process to create man-made gems as well.

Environmentalists everywhere will be delighted that we no longer have to plunder our natural resources to perform this transformation. Coal has now been replaced by Aunt Mildred:

Via AFP/Yahoo:

CHICAGO (AFP) - Everyone said she was a gem. Now, just eight ounces of cremated remains is all it takes to turn your mother into a diamond.

In fact, there's enough carbon in those ashes to make about 20 gems. And there will still be several pounds of ashes left over to display on the mantelpiece.

So far, nobody's ordered more than 11 diamonds, said Dean VandenBiesen, vice president of operations for LifeGem, which uses super-hot ovens to transform ashes to graphite and then presses the stone into blue and yellow diamonds that retail for anywhere from 2,700 to 20,000 dollars.

There's a creepiness factor built in to the notion that I could be turned into an object that my heirs might pawn or auction on Ebay. And I don't personally know anyone who would find this respectful or appropriate. Here's the money quote from Mr. VandenBieson on the general demeanor of his clients:

"It's not for everyone," VandenBiesen admitted, adding that for those who do chose to immortalize their loved ones in jewelry, the experience is extremely positive.

"We have people that approach us who have just experienced a tragedy and they say I can't wait, I'm so excited about this," he said. "In the field of death care, when someone says I'm really excited about this, I think we've achieved what we wanted to do which is change the culture of death." (emphasis mine)

Put that way, I'm now even more creeped out. On the other hand, maybe I could dress up my kids as diamonds this Halloween....

I didn't get to see the President's speech yesterday, but I did read the transcript. I was heartened to hear him strenghen (at least outwardly) the administration's stance against Syria and Iran. Both countries continue to hamper our efforts in Iraq, it would be beneficial if Syria and Iran could be pressured into stopping their support of the terrorists without having to challenge either militarily.

Still, I wish he would more directly challenge the Islamic community as a whole to join the fight against terror. Winning the GWOT would be ever so much easier if Islam would clean its own house.

Via AP/Yahoo:

NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans must lay off as many as 3,000 city workers, Mayor Ray Nagin announced Tuesday.

I think he should ask Mary Landrieu for advice on who should get pink-slipped.

and haven't been able to post the last couple of days. Sorry. I'm back now.

The post is not really notable, but Cindy Sheehan has a new one over on Huffington Post. It's also cross posted to Op Ed News and probably Michael Moore's (I refuse to link) site.

She says pretty much as you'd expect about her meetings with several Representatives and Senators ("They made me sick").

I do note with satisfaction that no one she talked to agreed with her sick and loony cause. And for the most part, she's almost completely dropped of the MSM's radar.

As time goes by, she's finding less and less solid footing on the stage she's made out of her son's corpse.

(H/T Ankle Biting Pundits)

Last week I wrote about the rabbit fever bacteria being found in DC and speculated how long it would be before someone accused the Bush administration of trying to kill the moonbats - er, demonstrators.

Last night I was catching up on on my favorite blogs when I caught this by BullDogPundit over at Ankle Biting Pundits (I'll post a very short comment on BullDogPundit's post later). I followed the link to read the article, and stayed to check out the rest of the site. I'll have to admit that I've never visited this particular fever swamp before, but thanks to BullDogPundit I was able to find this:

Did Bush administration attack peace movement with military grade biological bacteria?
by Bob Fitrakis (editor of Free Press)

I'm not going to quote from the article as I'm really not sure what point he's trying to make. You're welcome to follow the link and let me know what you think. Be warned - it's a very tortured read, so go at your own risk.

Via Reuters/Yahoo:

US finds fever bacteria during war protest weekend

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Small amounts of a bacteria that causes "rabbit fever" were found on Washington's National Mall last weekend as thousands of protesters marched against the Iraq War, U.S. health authorities said on Saturday.

The article goes on to say that the bacteria occurs naturally and wasn't a problem for the protesters:

District of Columbia health officials told local radio station WTOP on Saturday the detected bacteria was not harmful and probably occurred naturally.

But this cute little disclaimer shows up near the end of the article:

The CDC also said the bacteria can be used as a weapon if made into an aerosol that could be inhaled.

"The bacteria that cause Tularemia occur widely in nature and could be isolated and grown in quantity in a laboratory, although manufacturing an effective aerosol weapon would require considerable sophistication," the CDC said.

The Washington Post said the germ that causes tularemia is considered a biohazard because it is highly infectious and was tested in the 1960s by the United States as a biological weapon (emphasis mine).

OK, I'll be the first to say it. How long before some of the "regular" Americans that attended Mother Sheehan's hatefest accuse the Bush administration of trying to kill them through biological warfare?

--Update 1 2:50 PM: Rightwingsparkle has a different and disturbing take on this.

--Update 2 3:22 PM: This is funny - from Slobokan’s Site O’ Schtuff

--Update 3 3:57 PM: Welcome Rightwingsparkle readers!

This post on Power Line is gratuitous and devoid of meaningful content - so much so, that I've bookmarked it and will re-read it often so that I can avoid making the same mistakes.