Hillary in H-town Saturday - Whoopee

Word is Hillary will be in H-town Saturday for a town hall style gathering. It's open to the public...but at this time I would rather cut my lawn. Best of luck to all the organizers though.

The Failed Attorney General

Just like his boss...a miserable failure.

During the hearing on his nomination as attorney general, Alberto Gonzales said he understood the difference between the job he held - President Bush's in-house lawyer - and the job he wanted, which was to represent all Americans as their chief law enforcement officer and a key defender of the Constitution. Two years later, it is obvious Mr. Gonzales does not have a clue about the difference.

He has never stopped being consigliere to Mr. Bush’s imperial presidency. If anyone, outside Mr. Bush's rapidly shrinking circle of enablers, still had doubts about that, the events of last week should have erased them.

First, there was Mr. Gonzales's lame op-ed article in USA Today trying to defend the obviously politically motivated firing of eight United States attorneys, which he dismissed as an "overblown personnel matter." Then his inspector general exposed the way the Federal Bureau of Investigation has been abusing yet another unnecessary new power that Mr. Gonzales helped wring out of the Republican-dominated Congress in the name of fighting terrorism.

The F.B.I. has been using powers it obtained under the Patriot Act to get financial, business and telephone records of Americans by issuing tens of thousands of "national security letters," a euphemism for warrants that are issued without any judicial review or avenue of appeal. The administration said that, as with many powers it has arrogated since the 9/11 attacks, this radical change was essential to fast and nimble antiterrorism efforts, and it promised to police the use of the letters carefully. More

Meanwhile, Schumer tells him to pull a Speedy Gonzalez and get the hell out of dodge.

Support our troops

This man doesn't!

$5,000 and your child

via raw story...

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) says that it's just a coincidence that he and eight other lawmakers received donations of $5,000 each from Merck lobbyists just a few days before mandating the drug giant's HPV cervical cancer vaccine for all females in Texas ages 12 and up.

"There's been a lot of pressure about the implications of vaccinating young girls against sexually-transmitted diseases," says CNN's Ali Velshi in the video below, "some people thinking that that encourages promiscuity at that age."

He reports though that "this thing is coming undone by word, rumor and report of connection between Rick Perry's office and Merck."

The main lobbyist for Merck previously worked as Chief of Staff for Gov. Rick Perry. Several other states are considering making the vaccine mandatory, thanks in part to Merck's aaggressive lobbying.

Good $$ start for Bill Richardson

I'll be following him closely.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson raised at least $2 million for his presidential campaign, a tally that puts him in good standing in the race for the Democratic nomination.

Bush pushes America closer to endless war

Yes, the man wants all out war.

Finally, here's the debate Bush is aiming for. Today Bush asserted, very firmly, that he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Quds was responsible for the EFPs (and other weapons) killing Americans in Iraq. In purposefully muddying the waters of the evidentiary debate, Bush moves the terms onto more favorable ground. Now the right-wing wurlitzer will start pounding out the patriotic notes of this argument, an argument Democrats will be hard pressed to win: a.) the weapons are in Iraq, b.) the Iranians gave them to the Iraqis and c.) I have a duty as president to protect American lives. Thus, we attack Iran. Questioning the evidence is to put American troops in even more danger.

That's Bush's game. How do we respond?- The Agonist

Bush has lost all credibility so what he says may not actually penetrate the average person as it once did. Except for maybe the Rush - Hannity - Fox type who are gullible enough to believe Mexico would attack us tomorrow if Bush said they would. Because you know...Iraqis and Mexicans...they all look the same.

Failure to question the evidence is what got us in the mess we're in today. So congress what are you going to do? As you debate a non-binding resolution...Bush just motors on. The American people have responded by an overwhelming support of getting the troops out of Iraq as soon as possible. America deserves that we question the evidence and America deserves proof that our president is not lying us into war again. It's really that simple.

A short documentary of The Judy's

If you were in Texas in the mid 80's and you were in the know of good music...this band was the shit! Here's a link to bring back some memories for some of you...

http://xcess5.multiply.com/video/item/20

If only America could get a trial seperation

Country Fans sore losers over Dixie Chicks

How exciting for the Dixie Chicks to look in the camera and basically day "F" you to the all the folks who thought they threw them down the river over the over-hyped Bush remarks a few years back. I only wish Al Gore would have presented the Grammy. The Fox loving 28% country music program directors still can't get past poor George getting his feelings hurt from three smart women from Texas.

"Most country stations aren't playing the Chicks, and they aren't going to start now," said Jim Jacobs, owner of WTDR-FM, a country radio station in Talladega, Ala.

The awards might have the opposite effect, sparking another radio backlash against the group. Country broadcasters said Monday that the group's five Grammys show how out of touch the Recording Academy is from the average country fan.

"I think (the listeners) are outraged," said Tony Lama, program director for KXNP in North Platte, Neb. "This is rural, conservative America. They are just disgusted."

Silly how they would want to raise this issue again. I have never been a fan of country music and now I understand why.

Country radio may not be ready to embrace them again, but the Grammy runaway suggests that a significant portion of the rest of the country has come around to their way of thinking. The president's approval ratings are down, and his party was ousted in the midterm elections.

America love you...Dixie chicks!

Iran Rhetoric

US alleges top Iranian officials ordering bombs to Iraq; however, Iran ambassador to United Nations says it's all a fabrication. MSNBC and The Peninsula have the contradictions. That is the front in Iraq, but the Guardian says that the efforts to attack Iran are already at an advanced stage despite the administration's denial. Along with the depolyment of naval ships, extra missles and minesweepers have been sent to the region; meanwhile, oil reserves are stockpiled. To be continued...