Four new rants
Mood:  don't ask
Now Playing: Una Mas Cervasa (tom Alverson
Topic: Catching up
Okay,
I have been taking it kind of easy on the GOP lately. Time for the gloves to come off. I refused to join in on the dog pile about the lousy response to hurricane Katrina. It was the kind of response I have come to expect from this administration when it comes to any domestic policy unless it is ramming morality down our collective throats. Today we should start with Tom Delay.
Apparently he funneled money from Texas corporations to the Republican National Committee then funneled it back to candidates of his choice. Really wouldn’t bother me. I expect that kind of corrupt actions from the hammer. What cheese’s me off about this is The Free Enterprise Fund is running ads comparing the prosecutor to a mad dog. Why does this irritate me? It reeks of obstruction of justice to me. What are they trying to do? It appears to me they are trying to taint a jury pool. Same old tricks from the exterminator. If he has done nothing wrong just face the charges. Quit trying to try the case in the media.
Page two.
Bill Frist being investigated by the SEC. Just hope they prosecute this to the extent they did Martha Stewart. I did once applaud the Senator for his stand on stem cells but he is still part of the GOP Juggernaut of injustice.
Page Three
The tar is ready. Karl Rove is appearing before the grand jury for the fourth time and he has not been afforded immunity for his testimony. I am confident that he leaked the name of Valerie Plame in retaliation for Mr. Wilson’s criticism of the Bush administration. I just hope they are all charged by the expiration of the grand jury at the end of October. By the way it will be interesting to watch W’s polls plummet even further without his brain handy. By the way did you catch his equivocation, first it was that anyone involved would be terminated then it was anyone convicted of a crime. On with the prosecution.
Page four.
I have stay quiet on the nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court. I have stayed quiet because I don’t know enough about her. She must be a skilled lawyer to keep this administration out trouble for so long. My concern is that if we ever have another close election that is in dispute she will side with the GOP and find precedent with Bush v. Gore and vote to hear the case. I am over that election. I just did not like the Supreme Court interfering. The constitution directs cases like that one into the House of Representatives. What ever her qualifications I do not want a disciple of James Dobson issuing edicts of Morality from the bench. As always if something here has struck a chord please harass your elected officials. Repeatedly. Thanks
TWR

Honesty -more than a title to a Billy Joel song
Mood:  incredulous
Now Playing: Traffic on Devon
Topic: surly
I just read where Mr.Bush’s poll numbers are down. People generally don't believe he is honest. I really don't have a problem believing this proposition. I don't believe he is honest. I don't think it he was honest when he asked for a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriages. I think he was trying to incite a non issue for his political gain. Fanning the flames in the Red States. It was brilliant political strategy. But it wasn't honest. I don't think it was honest when he spoke about yellow cake that was supposedly being purchased by Iraq. I think he knew those words were false before he said them. Then there was the payback. The deliberate outing of Valerie Plame. Again political strategic
brilliance. Honest? I don't think so. I don't even want to discuss want to discuss WMD'S and then to make fun of those remarks in front of the press club dinner that was caught on tape. But I must say their strategic brilliance is blinding. The press doesn't hold this administration accountable. Democrats have tried. They were able to build a coalition to filibuster John Bolton. The Bush administration wouldn't release records that were requested by the Senate. It's the same executive privilege that they are trying to use in regards of Judge Roberts records during his tenure in the elder Bush's administration. At the very least he is obstructing the constitutional mandate to congress to confer on
appointee's suitability for the Court. I don’t think that he has dealt honestly with the American People and he has made many bad decisions in the way he runs the country. Maybe my anger at the president boils down to jealousy. I would like a job where I got paid two hundred thousand a year whether I was good at it or not and was still allowed to take as many vacation days as I pleased. That is honesty. When I can admit my own jealousy. But seriously I am appalled at his lack of foresight. As our first CEO President he is running this country into the ground. The next man to assume the office will being running a bankrupt country. He learned this trick from his father. After eight years of his misguided leadership the pendulum will swing back to the democrats. They will have to contend with rising inflation and a huge national debt. You Red Staters elected this man based upon his pose as a fiscal conservative not a tax cut and spend idiot. Please be honest in the midterm elections and vote for candidates who actually talk about issues and not for candidates that play upon our fears. Please vote for candidates that understand that congress is supposed to have oversight of budget expenditures that will quit writing blank checks our children and grand children will have to foot the bill for.

What a concept
Mood:  not sure
Now Playing: more birdy noise
Topic: instigating
I recently attended a major leauge baseball game with my daughter. It is something we get to do most summers together and while she mostly is just humoring her old man it was very enjoyable for both of us. One of the amusements on the centerfield scoreboard was a game where we tried to guess the days attendance at the game. This got me to thinking. We had also watched the movie National Treasure in the last week and a line from that movie struck me, it was something to the effect that people don't talk like that anymore as was spoke by Nicolas Cage as he read a portion of the declaration of independence that dealt with the people having the right to revolt and change their form of goverment. You may ask what do these two things have in common? Well these are the things that have been running through my head. In the early days of our revolution grown men attended meetings in Faneul hall in boston to discuss the events of the day. Our fledgling democracy was attended by men who took notice of the governments dealings and discussed the issues frequently in town halls. While the attendance in fanuel hall was hardly what it was at the baseball game i attended it made me think of the things that we value enough to attend. I also pondered the way religion was described by? as opiate for the masses and how that has been replaced by cinema and sports. i value entertainment as much as the next person but so much of it seems to be such pointless tripe that I can only stomach so much of it. My thoughts are about how we are so distracted by current entertainment that we hardly pay attention to the politics that affect our lives. As men use to gather around the alehouses they would discuss the issues of the day. I've tried the same thing recently and been tossed out with the rejoinder that there is no talking politics at the bar.(and that wasn't even a heated discussion.) Of course we could argue about sports all we want. i have come to the conclusion that politics is just not important to the general public even though it would behoove them to participate. Apparently the rat race consumes so much of our time that we don't have the time or energy to discuss what is in our best interest. Maybe that's why we pay our politicians. I think that it is time to hold another constitutional convention. I believe that we have new tools to help the progress of democracy. I believe that some of our practices are out dated, such as the electoral college. Let's convene a new constitutional convention. We can expand our representative democracy to more americans. Just a thought. Let me know what you think. TWR

still pissed after two months off
Now Playing: silence--birdy noise
Topic: still pissed off
Okay I have taken a break because there was something completely stunning to me. I was incensed by the Medical Marijuana decision that the supreme court handed down. I don't know how in there arrogance they can decide this falls under the commerce clause of the constitution. It is a failed drug policy. Stop the prohibition. The problem as I see it is that one of our inalienable rights ought to be to ingest whatever makes us feel better as we are terminally ill. The other thing that stumped me was that i was going to remind the general public about how Chief Justice Rehnquist perjured himself in his confirmation hearings, then he ruled in favor of states rights and dissented from the majority opinion.
On to the other complaints. Judge Roberts, the current nominee for the high court served as solicitor general under the first Bush administration. Our current administration thinks they have the right to claim executive privilege over his writings during that time and refuses to release those writings to the senate. Again this administration is overstepping it's authority. The senate has the right to determine what it needs to confirm a supreme court nominee. What is the Bush administration trying to hide now?
John Bolton. Couldn't possibly be confirmed by the senate. Senators on both sides of the aisle opposed him what did the chump in charge do? A recess appointment. What a ball less twit. Find a new candidate.
Finally when can we string up Karl Rove. He violated federal law. At the very least he obstructed justice. By not firing Rove, Mr. Bush seems to have lost his Moral compass. He is equivocating. His certainty about firing anyone involved in the leak of a federal agent has been changed to anyone convicted of a crime. It is time to fess up Turd Blossom and take scooter with you on your way out.
Finally, my mother always told me not say anything unless you can say something nice so here goes. I applaud (golf clap) Bill Frist for advocating science above religion. His attempt to position himself as presidential contender by supporting stem cell research is laudable. Especially since it will piss off the religious right. Despite his self serving motives he is my least repulsive republican of the week. Unseating the prior recipients John McCain and Rep. Voinovich of Ohio.

Wake up!!
Mood:  cheeky
Now Playing: Angry Young Man -Styx
Today,
I am generally chipper. Not much in the news to iritate me. Well of course I always find something. Today's rant will be rather short as none of my viewing public has saw fit to egg me on. Chickens. Anyway. New topics, oh yeah!
The FEC is actually looking at banning this form of free speech or at least limiting it. They are about to decide that this is an in-kind political contribution and should be regulated.. Of course I double dog dare them to try and regulate me. I will voice my opinions regaurdless of their decisions. I am not aiming to be a poster boy for the first amendment but I will not be silenced either. The other big news of the day is the outing of "deep throat" while the historical significance of this is not lost on me I am much more concerned about the sources of Robert Novack. The Valerie Plame case took another turn last friday when no one was paying attention. A Judge has ruled that two of Novack's sources don't have to reveal their sources. That is as I understand it. I may have missed a few things but the general gist is correct. Typically I would agree with this decision as it falls under the freedom of the press issue however, A federal agent's identity was compromised. That is a federal crime. Worse yet it appears to have been done as retribution for criticism of this administrations vetting of Mr. Bush's State of the union speech where he advanced the fallacy of Iraq attempting to purchase uranium. Valerie Plame is married to Richard Clark the man who debunked this false intelligence. It sure seems like payback to me. We have been promised a thorough investigation by Mr. Bush. That was last summer. And still time marches on......

One more issue,
The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday defended the administrations handling of the John Bolton confirmation. Even agree with the administration that Senators have all the information that they need for the process. Apparently some Senators do not agree and want to look at the NSA records that Mr. Bolton has handled carelessly. I would think that such a blatant disregaurd for security protocol would be a relevent issue. The saying "loose lips sink ships' ring any bells. If this man can not be trusted to properly protect security of classified intelligence how can we rely on him in the corrupt united nations. Again I implore you to harass your representitives and senators. Till next time one of my favorite quotes.
"Dissent is the highest form of Patriotism" - Thomas Jefferson
TWR

A long week
Mood:  loud
Now Playing: Piss on the Wall
Topic: still pissed off
Today has been a busy day. Let's see all of the things you need to hear.

The delay of the confirmation of John Bolton as United Nations ambassador.
As I understand this the democrats are waiting for documentation showing the Mr. Bolton has misused intelligence. If these new allegations are true they pose a serious problem for Bolton. The republicans are already spinning this. They are saying that it is unbelievably partisan especially after the deal on the filibuster. Democrats are saying they are waiting on documents from the administration so they can determine how serious these allegations are. They accuse the administration of stonewalling. I tend to believe them because the administrations mouthpiece Scott McClellan has said "They have what they need." I think that if Senators want more information about how he has misused NSA information that would be relevant to the confirmation process. McClellan went on to spin "Just 72 hours after all the goodwill and bipartisanship, it is a shame to see the Democratic Senate Leadership resort back to such a partisan approach" What a hack. This man deserves a raise. He's doing the GOPS bidding. I hope that there is a special punishment in the afterlife for chumps like him. Once again this week I must applaud a republican. Senator George Voinovich from Ohio has gone on record as opposing Bolton's nomination. He is already paying the price. Karl Rove's minions have started running ads against him and word on the street is that the GOP is looking for someone to run against him in his primary challenge. I respect the man for speaking his mind despite great political pressure to just go with the flow. If this Administration really wants to improve our standing in the UN we might start by paying long over due dues.
In other developments one of Tom Delay's cronies for campaign finance abuses. These abuses are related to a political action committee that he founded, TRMPAC. This Pac solicited corporate donations from Phillip Morris, Bacardi, AT&T and Sears. The money raised from this PAC allowed the GOP to win more seats in the Texas house which eventually redrew congressional districts in the state. This practice, known as Gerrymandering, allowed the republicans to enjoy a larger majority in the federal house of Representatives. I am not sure how this will all play out. There are still criminal charges in Texas that have to be addressed. I would imagine that this will go all the way to Delay. Unless one of his supporters fall's on a sword for him. I guess that there might have been a need for the ethics panel investigation that stalled when he appointed more favorable congressmen that would bend the rules for him. Remember these are the people that scream personal responsibility until they are caught being irresponsible. No one is above the Law. As if he didn't have enough trouble, NBC took a shot at him in it's program Law and Order. It incensed him enough to send a snide letter to the show's creator Dick Wolfe. Why doesn't he save us all a lot of time and money and resign now.

And finally, when the social security act was signed into law back in 1935 there were assurance that this would not lead to a national id card system because some fascist regimes had used national id's to ferret out opposition. There were guarantee's that this new national program could not be abused in a similar fashion. There is a proposal in the US house of representatives to replace the old paper social security cards with plastic laminated cards equipped with magnetic strips and pictures. Proponents are claiming that this will reduce identity theft and solve the problem of illegal alien workers. I am skeptical and suggest that you write your representatives denouncing this plan.

As always I'm here to help. Please pass this on to your like minded friends or terrify those red staters with some overdue common sense.
TWR

Compromise my ass
Mood:  caffeinated
Now Playing: Uncle Johns Band
Topic: surly
I have heard of the compromise on Mr. Bush's court nominee's. I first want to applaud Senator Reid. His is a thankless job. I hope the DNC rewards him well. He is the one of the few men in this country standing up for the little guy. I also think that John McCain is a stand up guy for contributing to the compromise. He obviously understands the need for minority rights in our system of government. What a statesman. He is also a sure bet to kick Bill Frist ass for the republican nomination. I just hope we can nominate a strong canidate to undo the damage the current administration has inflicted upon America. One last thought. Maybe W shouldn't be so quick to denounce federally funded stem cell research. It may provide him with a cure for terminal stupidity.

What has the president done for you
Mood:  incredulous
Now Playing: Billy Covington --the great divide
Topic: more specific grumpiness
Last night I heard cokie roberts advance her opinion of trust in the president. The compromise over the cry baby option makes a little sense. As a die hard yellow dog democrat I say save your bullets for the big battles. There will be a opening on the supreme court. Save your arrows. There are only so many in the quiver. We have other battles to focus on. The social security battle is just been declared. President Bush may have advanced his opinion that we need to adress the issue during his state of the Union but he just declared war weeks ago. The idea that social security ought to be means tested his the second front in his war to dismantle it. After declaring war, his means testing idea that he doesn't have the balls to put into a bill is an attempt to develop resentment for social security from the higher income brackets. The beauty of social security is that everyone contributes everyone benefits. While there may be some substance to arguements about the solvency of this program this is not the way to address it. The way to address it would to be as fiscally conservative as the platform he originally ran on. Yes there is a war on. yes we need to spend money on it. Do we need to spend it without congressional oversight. That is what he has asked us to do. We need to spend money on protecting our home land. Do we need to deny the workers of the homeland security department to work without the protection of collective bargaining. Does it really help america to deny ordinary citizens the ability to seek relief from their debts while letting corporate malfeasance run rampant. Who does america belong to? It's citizens or it's corporations. While your at it why don't you hamper our right to seek redress for grievence? Oh yeah you did. It was called tort reform. What I want to right is probably actionable under seditious terms. What I will say is have some common sense. Sign the petition to impeach.