Frog march...april...may

"I think Karl Rove is getting a little worried. Like today he said the biggest problem facing Americans -- prison rape." --Jay Leno

The Houston Stooges

We Don't Want No Winners Around Here!

With friends like this

Is you hang around people like this, you're bound to get arrested. Just ask this guy.

Living with war

Living With War will stream on NeilYoung.com beginning today.
The album will be available online May 2nd.
CDs will be available in stores early May.

Chong: I sold them bongs

If only he would have sold pot to bubble boy. The world would be in better shape today.

He talked about politics, too.

”I know Dick Cheney's Secret Service guys smoke pot,” Chong said. “The reason I know that is I sold them bongs.”

He insinuated that President Bush was on methamphetamines.

”The dangerous thing about tweakers is they can take things apart but they can't put them back together again,” Chong said. “That's what George Bush has done to this country.”

Chong described when law enforcement officials raided his home as part of Operation Pipe Dreams.

”When they raided my home they asked me, 'Do you have any drugs in here?'” Chong said. “Of course I do.”

Welcome welcome welcome

to our super duper new amigo Texas KOS.

Fox News joins the White House staff

Sources close to the White House said Monday that Fox anchor Tony Snow is likely to accept the job as White House press secretary, succeeding Scott McClellan.

The sources said they expect him to announce his decision within the next few days.

What we have always suspected now is reality.

Send him far way

32%

Stanford stands up th Bush

Could be the start of something...

Although President George W. Bush was scheduled to meet with fellows at the Hoover Institution on Friday, the presence of more than 1,000 protestors forced him to change his plans and meet with advisers and faculty members at the residence of former Secretary of State and Hoover Fellow George Shultz on the outskirts of the Stanford campus.

Lampson was right

Liars in the big house

A truth serum alert goes out Lying Dan Bartlett thanks to Tweety, if you can believe that?

O'Reilly gets it Right

O'Reilly finally sides with conservatives. I'm not talking about right wing conservatives but money pinching conservatives. He gave an editorial last night describing how the big oil companies are gouging Americans on the threat of terror and fear and blasted an Exxon exec for receiving a $400 million retirement package. While we suffer they profit. I don't agree with O'Reilly on most subjects but on this one he's looking out for mainstream America.

Thugs, politics and Elvis

Jaunita tells us that the City of Sugar Land has refused to allow Marsha Rovai to press assault charges against the two different Republican thugs who shoved her around during a Lampson press conference. You can see the video from an earlier post. So please contact the city here and the police chief here and let it be known that such behavior should be left for the kindergarten playground.



The guy on the right is David Wallace, the mayor of Sugar Land, and he's thrown his hat in the race to fill DeLay's shoes. Some say he's Tom's lucky chosen one. I don't know about all that but it does kind of make you wonder why poor ole' Marsha was denied her rights here in Sugar land. I guess David ought not piss off the local Republican thug base. I don't know about you but I'm rooting for the guy in the middle.

No, he's just a dick

"I'm The Decider and I Decide What Is Best" - Bubble Boy on Rummy

Update:

I am me and Rummy's he, Iraq is free and we are all together
See the world run when Dick shoots his gun, see how I lie
I'm Lying...

Sitting on my own brain, waiting for the end of days
Corporation profits, Bloody oil money
I'm above the law and I'll decide what's right or wrong


I am the egg head, I'm the Commander, I'm the Decider
Koo-Koo-Kachoo

Baghdad city policeman sitting pretty little targets in a row
See how they die when the shrapnel flies see mothers cry
I'm Lying...I'm Ly-ing...I'm Lying...I'm Ly-ing

Yellow cake plutonium, imaginary WMD's
Declassifying facts, exposing secret agents
Tax cuts for the wealthy leaving all the poor behind

CHORUS

Sitting in the White house garden talking to the Lord
My thoughts would be busy busy hatching If I only had a brain

CHORUS

(coutesy of THE REAL BABY JESUS)

Here the song here.

So, so bad

From Rasmussen.

For the second straight day, 39% of American adults approve of the way George W. Bush is performing his role as President. That's the lowest level of approval ever measured by Rasmussen Reports.

Sixty percent (60%) disapprove of Bush's job performance, including 44% who Strongly Disapprove.

The President earns approval from 49% of entrepreneurs, 70% of Republicans, 16% of Democrats, and 26% of those not affiliated with either major political party

Nothing new here other than how this poll shows bubble boy much worse than 39%. And who are the 16% of Democrats who still approve of this clown? I know who they are. I met of few of them in South Texas while visiting family. Good Democrats but not very well informed.


Why don't they like me, daddy?

Juan Garcia vs. culture of corruption

Picture looks good, huh?

Well, Richard Morrison is asking to please support with $$ to Lt. Cdr. Juan Garcia who is running against DeLay's rubber stamp in TX HD 32. Hat tip to Eddie.

Seaman, on the other, seems to be the man for whom the term "furniture" to describe inept lawmakers was coined. He pocketed $35,000 from DeLay's TRMPAC and its parent organization ARMPAC in his 2002 race. He took an additional $80,000 from other DeLay-linked sources, including Houston megadonor Bob Perry, the indicted Texas Association of Business, and Texans for Lawsuit Reform.

And then he voted in lock step for every extremist idea to come down the pike. Redistricting? Why not! Cut half-a-million kids off CHIP? You bet! Double college tuition rates? Of course! The single biggest tax hike in Texas history? Who cares!

You wouldn't suppose Seaman would cut and run?

What was said before Bush authorized a classified leak

Ode To A Madman

By Madeleine Begun Kane

When I heard that George Dubya had plans,
To attack and launch nukes at Iran,
I wasn't surprised.
I'd already surmised
That George Bush is a very sick man.

Is there no shame

Day after day, we hear of a new lie by awol and his administration. Remember this line from our fearless leader, "We have found the weapons of mass destruction?" I'm sure you do and if you recall half the country believed it. Well as it turns out it was just another one of those neocon fairy tales.

Booed out of the ballpark

and don't come back.

Greeted with loud boos and some cheers, Vice President Dick Cheney threw out the ceremonial first pitch Tuesday at the Washington Nationals’ home opener.

You have got to see this video.

The passion of the hammer

Goons

Messenger from 'huh'?

I wonder if Christ would have cut and run on his own people. I think not.

He looked me squarely in the eyes and shook his head sadly at the fate of us nonbelievers. "When faced with the truth, the truth hurts. It is human nature not to face that," he said. "People hate the messenger. That's why they killed Christ."

And now, DeLay says he prayed long and hard before God made clear to him that He no longer wants DeLay to represent Texas's 22nd Congressional District. Instead, DeLay says, his God wants him to be a messenger -- on a much broader scale. And we will see DeLay constantly smiling as he delivers his message because in his heart he knows that we hopeless sinners will always hate the messenger.

Truly pathetic.

Texas Dem Candidates at Fort Bend Democrats Headquarters

What a great day for a Democratic rally at the new Fort Bend Democrats headquarters.


Chris Bell


Nick Lampson


Shane Sklar


David Van Os


Marsha Rovai and Donald Bankston. Marsha was assualted by the DeLay thugs on Thursday. See it for yourself here.


Barbara Ann Radnofsky


Maria Luisa Alvarado

Support your candidates and the new Fort Bend Headquarters here.

Update: See more photos of the event here and here.

Update: Through all the excitement, I failed to meet Charles Kuffner and his lovely daughter Olivia. Today he gives us his thoughts on the day's events and does a nice presentation on how Fort Bend is trending Democratic for several election cycles.

Update: I posted more pics here.

Sore losers organize

The Delay Mob email trail...


----- Original Message -----

From: Cress Ann Posten

To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;

Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 7:26 PM

Subject: Attention All Who Support Tom DeLay....

Attention all who support Tom DeLay...

Tomorrow morning (Thursday, April 6), Nick Lampson is holding a press conference to demand that Governor Perry immediately schedule a special election to replace Tom DeLay.

Hmmm. Exactly who is Nick Lampson to demand that Governor Perry circumvent the law?

Chris Homan is organizing a rally to show support for Tom tomorrow morning, (Thursday, April 6).

Meet tomorrow morning (Thursday, April 6) at 9:45am on the first floor of the parking garage attached to the Marriott Town Center, in Sugar Land.

***IMPORTANT NOTE***--Please call the campaign office at 281-343-1333 and let them know if you can attend, or email Leonard Cash (click on link to his name below) so that they can get a head count.



----- Original Message -----

From: chris homan

To: ‘Cress Ann Posten’

Cc: ‘Leonard Cash’

Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 6:10 PM

Subject: FW: LAMPSON CALLS FOR MAY 13 SPECIAL ELECTION

We would meet tomorrow morning at 9:45 am on the first floor of the parking garage attached to the Marriott. Please get folks to call our campaign office 281.343.1333 and let us know they can do it - or e-mail Leonard Cash (in the cc field above) so that we can get some head count. Let’s give Lampson a parting shot that wrecks his press conference.

------ Forwarded Message

From: Lampson for Congress < >

Reply-To: < >

Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2006 21:37:27 GMT

To: < >

Subject: MEDIA ADVISORY: LAMPSON CALLS FOR MAY 13 SPECIAL ELECTION


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Release (001-054)

Carrie Chess April 5, 2006

**MEDIA ADVISORY** LAMPSON CALLS FOR MAY 13 SPECIAL ELECTION DELAY LOST; TIME FOR HIM TO MOVE ON Houston, TX-Nick Lampson, congressional candidate for Texas’s 22nd congressional district, will hold a press conference Thursday to call for a Special Election to be held on May 13. Lampson said, “Tom DeLay lost this race. Now, it’s time for him to move on. Southeast Texas should not be without a Congressperson for months while our country is at war, we face a difficult debate about how to secure our borders and reform immigration and our debt and deficit are skyrocketing. Our seat in Congress should not be empty while Tom DeLay tries to manipulate who his successor will be.” The next unified Election Day is May 13th. Tom DeLay should resign from Congress, be declared ineligible for the November election, and let Texans get on with the business of getting a new congressperson in May. Otherwise, if DeLay resigns in June and the Governor calls for a special election on November 7 to coincide with the general election, the people of the 22nd congressional district will be without any representation for months while our country is at war, is fighting ists, and is debating important issues like immigration reform. It is wrong for the people of this district to have no voice in Congress just so Tom DeLay can maneuver and handpick his successor in yet another backroom deal. DeLay should leave now and the Governor should call this special election in May. This should happen by the end of this week. Lampson will speak at 10 am at Sugarland Town Square Plaza, 2700 Town Center Blvd. North in Sugarland.

What: Nick Lampson Calls for May 13 Special Election When: Thursday, April 6, 2006 10:00 am

Where: Sugarland Town Square Plaza 2700 Town Center Blvd. North, Sugarland, Texas 77479

Flashback: Who's in the Bush Florida Thug Mob

1. Tom Pyle, policy analyst, office of House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Tex.).

2. Garry Malphrus, majority chief counsel and staff director, House Judiciary subcommittee on criminal justice.

3. Rory Cooper, political division staff member at the National Republican Congressional Committee.

4. Kevin Smith, former House Republican conference analyst and more recently of Voter.com.

5. Steven Brophy, former aide to Sen. Fred D. Thompson (R-Tenn.), now working at the consulting firm KPMG.

6. Matt Schlapp, former chief of staff for Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), now on the Bush campaign staff in Austin.

7. Roger Morse, aide to Rep. Van Hilleary (R-Tenn.).

8. Duane Gibson, aide to Chairman Don Young (R-Alaska) of the House Resources Committee.

9. Chuck Royal, legislative assistant to Rep. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.).

10. Layna McConkey, former legislative assistant to former Rep. Jim Ross Lightfoot (R-Iowa), now at Steelman Health Strategies. --Washington Post

Somebody find them a church

To be honest Lampson could not have asked for better press in the last few days. All at the expense of the God loving wingnuts of Fort Bend County. Juanita has photos of today of Lampson's press conference.

Lampson's Press release: "Tom DeLay's campaign sent out an email asking supporters to disrupt Nick Lampson's press conference this morning. At that event, a 69 year old woman says she was assaulted by one of the DeLay thugs who showed up to disrupt the event. The woman, Marsha Rovai, of Richmond has asked the Lampson campaign to help see if any of the televisions stations caught this incident on tape so she can consider filing an assault charge. Several of the women at the event complained that they were pushed and shoved by male DeLay supporters.

Email: "We would meet tomorrow morning at 9:45 am on the first floor of the parking garage attached to the Marriott. Please get folks to call our campaign office 281.XXX-XXXX and let us know they can do it-or e-mail Leonard Cash (in the cc field above) so that we can get some head count. Let's give Lampson a parting shot that wrecks his press conference."

Somebody find them a church.

DeLay supporters lose their cool

After about three minutes, the crowd began to grow. Lampson was suddenly surrounded by about 30 sign-waving protesters, some shouting and one blasting an air horn. Protesters flanked Lampson on either side and stood close behind him, shouting and chanting.

Lampson supporters jostled for position, making their own signs visible. Lampson continued with his press conference, but the noise was so loud reporters were forced to stand face to face with the Democratic candidate to hear.

“You ask Tom DeLay’s people to do the right thing,” Lampson said, pointing a thumb at protesters shouting behind his head, “and this is what their answer is. It’s time the people of this district had a real congressman.”

Asked if Perry has any legal obligation to call a special election, Lampson replied, “Why do people need a legal obligation to do what’s right?”

He later said he believes Perry is under no legal obligation. However, he bristled at the suggestion the 22nd District could go without a congressional representative for half a year.

Lampson’s supports sported tea bags hanging from their shirt pockets, symbolizing the American Revolution slogan “no taxation without representation.”

Tempers flared as Lampson supporters tried to quiet the protesters. Arguments broke out, some minor pushing and shoving ensued and at least one woman was grazed in the head by a sign wielded by a DeLay supporter.

Marsha Rovai, 70, of Richmond, said one of the protesters hit her and another man shoved a sign in her face. She said that when she pushed the sign away, the man pulled her hat down over her face.

(On Thursday afternoon, Lampson’s campaign released a statement saying Rovai has asked the campaign to “help see if any of the television stations caught this incident on tape so she can consider filing an assault charge.”)

The press conference broke up, but heated arguments gained in intensity.

Sugar Land Police officers were called to the scene, but did not intercede. Officers in five or six cruisers stayed at a distance and watched the exchange, which subsided after 15 or 20 minutes.

DeLay campaign manager Chris Homan acknowledged organizing the protesters. - Fort bend Now

Crazy crazy wingnuts!

Failure!

New Fox poll has Shrub at 36%.


I guess firing you didn't work.

Freedom fried

Is it me, or is the Repug Party in a real heap of trouble? Here you have four members of congress with the balls to stand up and do what's right and call for a debate on the Iraq war. To say screw the GOP leadership and to sign on to the liberal group "Win Without Wars" is fascinating. This is more than I can say for some of our members on the left.

One Republican signing on is Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC), who famously helped coin the term "Freedom Fries" after France declined to support U.S. war efforts in Iraq. Since then, he has become a critic of the handling of Iraq and has sought greater discussion of the challenges and strategies for winning in the war.

Three other members have also agreed to sign -- Rep. Wayne Gilcrest (R-MD), Rep. Jim Leach (R-IA) and Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), a libertarian maverick. - Raw Story

Ron Paul is a stand up guy with a real down to earth staff. I got that warm fuzzy feeling when we visited his D.C. office last week.

"It shapes up in the atmospherics to be a pretty good year to be a Democrat." - Virginia Rep. Tom Davis, a former chairman of the Republicans' congressional campaign committee


Daddy, help!

Just how bad would have the Hammer lost in November?

Well, it appears one of the reasons DeLay decided to back out of the District 22 race was because:

Delay's internal polling had Lampson with a 15% lead and he did not want to risk being defeated.

This seems high but a it came from a source that is usually pretty reliable. Regardless, his approval rating among D-22 Republicans was steadily dropping and wonder what the actual variance would have been. To bad.

Charlie Howard: DeLay tag team partner enters District 22 race

Texas House Representative Charlie Howard, a supporter of Tom DeLay, a friend of polluters and failed job creation plans will throw his cowboy hat in the District 22 Senate race. Can you say Tom DeLay lite?

Mayor Wallace credits several local politicians with helping to line up the funding, including DeLay and state Representative Charlie Howard, a Sugar Land Republican. "Tom and I are basically a tag team," Howard explains. "He tries to get money for the state. I try to get it to Fort Bend County."

DeLay was actively involved with the energy center plans. "He's active in anything that goes on in our county," Howard says.

I consider the tag team dead and Howard not much of a threat. Also did I mention Howard was also Texas Monthly's Worst Legislator 1999 and 1997. Being the worst and tied to the hip of Tom DeLay...Now that progress!

DeLay not done with Ronnie

On an interview this morning on Fox News Radio’s Tony Snow Show, Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) revealed a plan to have the Texas legislature oust district attorney Ronnie Earle, the prosecutor who charged DeLay with money laundering:

TP has the story.

We'll see how much political capital he has by then.

Money for nothing

If you are a wingnut and donated money to DeLay's campaign, you can rest assured it will go to a good cause. His Legal Fees!

Talk Left has the scoop.

Wallace website goes blank

The David Wallace for Mayor website goes blank and now "under construction". Again thanks to BOR.

One pin at a time

Josh Marshall thinks worst not over yet

I haven't seen anything but the headlines yet. But I think the story here is clear. Prosecutors knocking down one pin at a time. Paul Kiel and I were talking about this before I left the office early this evening: Rudy, to Buckham, to DeLay. They're each going to down. And the road map was clear -- though largely implicit -- in the Rudy plea documents.

DeLay's lawyers must have sat him down over the last 72 hours and explained to him that he needs to focus on not spending most of the rest of his life in prison.

More soon.

Update: Lampson Release:

"From day one I have been running because this district needs a Congressman who will make headlines for the right reasons and work for the mainstream values I share with the people of this district... No matter who I face in the general election, I am going to fight hard and I am going to win in November."

Good as time as any to donate $$ to his campaign.

Update: MyDD wants us all not to forget this person:

Chris Bell, who is running for Governor of Texas, deserves some credit for this. He filed an ethics complaint against Delay in 2004, and received a great deal of ire from fellow members. The complaint led to Delay's admonishment, which helped in his downfall. Individual members can make a difference.

Update: Per Evan, Tom Campbell and David Wallace both say that they will be running in the special election. He also has a list of possible repacements.

Update: And to think, I was just in his Capital Hill office last Thursday lobbying to restore healthcare funding.

Tom DeLay out!

Rep. Tom DeLay, whose iron hold on the House Republicans melted as a lobbying corruption scandal engulfed the Capitol, told TIME that he will not seek reelection and will leave Congress within months. Taking defiant swipes at "the left" and the press, he said he feels "liberated" and vowed to pursue an aggressive speaking and organizing campaign aimed at promoting foster care, Republican candidates and a closer connection between religion and government.

"I'm going to announce tomorrow that I'm not running for reelection and that I'm going to leave Congress," DeLay, who turns 59 on Saturday, said during a 90-minute interview on Monday. "I'm very much at peace with it." He notified President Bush in the afternoon. DeLay and his wife, Christine, said they had been prepared to fight, but that he decided last Wednesday, after months of prayer and contemplation, to spare his suburban Houston district the mudfest to come. "This had become a referendum on me," he said. "So it's better for me to step aside and let it be a referendum on ideas, Republican values and what's important for this district."

read on...

BOR does what I don't have time for here. Quorum Report is throwing Sugar Land Mayor, David Wallace, as a prospective favorite. Where is Tom Campbell in all this?

Be frightened...be very frightened

A plan to wage war against you.

IMAGINE a world where wars are fought over the internet; where TV broadcasts and newspaper reports are designed by the military to confuse the population; and where a foreign armed power can shut down your computer, phone, radio or TV at will.

In 2006, we are just about to enter such a world. This is the age of information warfare, and details of how this new military doctrine will affect everyone on the planet are contained in a report, entitled The Information Operations Roadmap, commissioned and approved by US secretary of defence Donald Rumsfeld and seen by the Sunday Herald.

On DeLay's Trail—The E-Mail Factor

From Newsweek:

Federal prosecutors investigating the Jack Abramoff corruption scandal have obtained a road map to the workings of the Republican-controlled House: 1,000 internal e-mails from the office of Rep. Tom DeLay during his time as majority leader. The e-mails were turned over quietly by DeLay late last year as part of an unpublicized effort by the embattled Texas congressman to show he would cooperate with prosecutors. "We didn't hold anything back," says Richard Cullen, DeLay's lawyer, who tells NEWSWEEK the e-mails date to at least 1998 and involve all aspects of the probe. He says the e-mails weren't subpoenaed but were offered as a "Christmas present." Still, it's unclear if thee-mails will clear or help implicate DeLay.

Hide the Burritos

If you are in South Texas, be on the look-out for these guys.