Who Is Number One?

On New Years Eve, I mentioned that I would have more to say about Bush’s domestic spying. I was referring to this post, though I admit that it took me awhile to get around to it (probably because I knew it would be a long one).

The more I see of how Bushco operates (and barring impeachment, we have three years left of this – as always, THANK YOU RED STATE VOTERS), the more I’m reminded of the landmark TV series “The Prisoner,” starring Patrick McGoohan (backgrounder here). It was for its time, and remains, a truly surreal, thought-provoking series that makes you question any sort of authority whatsoever and yourself as well a bit, as far as I was concerned. There’s a lot more that I could say about it, but instead, I’ll just link to Bruce Clark’s great fan club site called “Six Of One” if you want to learn more (I guess Dubya and Cheney reside in “The Green Dome” where No. 2 changed every week in the T.V. series, with Congress serving the usually pliant role of the late Angelo Muscat as the silent, diminutive butler).


Remember that Bush proclaimed himself as “the CEO president” when he was originally installed into the job by the Supreme Court (I must have been asleep in civics class the day they discussed that function of our government, because somehow I’m not sure that ever was intended by our founding fathers). As far as I’m concerned, Bush has truly made good on that promise. I mention that because “The Prisoner,” in my experience, perfectly captures all of the loathing, paranoia, and dread both of corporate America as a whole as well as the administration of George W. Bush (and as we’ve already seen, this administration is SO GRACIOUS when it comes to considering other points of view besides their own, aren’t they?).

To further examine this, we should consider The Patriot Act as a logical extension of this administration’s wish to intrude into as many areas of our lives as it possibly can, with the professed, Orwellian goal of somehow “making us free.” Yes, I know Bush supporters would counter that no terrorist attacks have occurred on our soil since 9/11 and Dubya’s “Big Brother” policies are the reason why, and of course I would immediately refute that.

My personal belief is that nothing has happened yet because the enemies who profess to hate us the most are tied up in Iraq and elsewhere in that area, and though they continue to have a presence in this country and elsewhere, they need coordination from overseas which is difficult for them right now (not discounting the possibility of something happening, just the immediate likelihood). Also, I will acknowledge that there is probably a hell of a lot of fine work going on right now by agents in the FBI and the CIA to prevent future attacks that we can’t know about now or maybe ever, but I don’t give Bush credit for that any more than I would give it to Clinton. Besides, as part of Dubya’s whole “fear and smear” show during the ’04 presidential campaign against John Kerry, he said that he could protect us and the other guy couldn’t, and Hurricane Katrina laid that lie bare for the entire world to see.

Now, as an extension of the Patriot Act (or maybe with the Patriot Act providing cover), we of course now have the revelations of Dubya’s domestic spying. This is in conflict with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; also, many others, including Atrios, have pointed out by now that Dubya has gone on record as stating that he would not conduct domestic spying without a court order, to wit (excerpted from this link):

…Secondly, there are such things as roving wiretaps. Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so. It's important for our fellow citizens to understand, when you think Patriot Act, constitutional guarantees are in place when it comes to doing what is necessary to protect our homeland, because we value the Constitution.

Of course, we all know now that he was lying (which, as far as I’m concerned, is an impeachable offense all by itself), conducting his spying through the National Security Agency, which has much looser guidelines for its activity than the FBI or the CIA (there’s a reason why it’s commonly referred to as, “No Such Agency”). Dubya was simply trying to do something in as expedient a manner for him as possible, in concert with his belief of his imperial presidency, as opposed to a legally correct manner.

And now, as we must, we come to the response from Wingnuttia. Here is the latest bit of supposed wisdom from right-wing gurus Glenn Reynolds and Ann Althouse on this subject as noted by the Crooked Timber site (inevitable hat tip to Atrios).

As CT noted so well, it is plainly obvious (to CT, me, and a good many others, I would suspect), that the Plame leak compromised national security and violated a statute prohibiting such behavior (if not, why would Patrick Fitzgerald continue to investigate it?). Bush’s NSA spying was a comparable violation in a way; the revelation of that activity was not.

Also, Atrios and The Daily Kos have been challenging the right-wing trolls at their sites to step up and offer a valid explanation as to how Bush’s domestic spying actually makes us safer, and thus far, none have done it yet (not surprising).

Update 1/7: Glenn Greenwald (obligatory hat tip to Atrios) provides more evidence of "full-mooner" ignorance on this (I believe Hinderaker is the proprietor of Powerline, named "Blog Of The Year" by Time Magazine...I actually find that to be amusing).

In addition to the illegality of Bush’s activity, another problem is that skirting the law in this way hurts our ability to prosecute those who are truly a threat to this country (I referred to the whole circus with Jose Padilla previously, as well as the fact that we have neither caught nor prosecuted Osama bin Laden – assuming he is still alive – and have not obtained convictions for anyone else associated with the 9/11 attacks). If we were putting people away with Bush’s methods, then I would have given him something of the benefit of the doubt, to be honest (I also have a feeling that Gonzales and the DOJ aren’t doing a good job of sharing information overseas to apprehend these people, but I can’t prove that yet – it also concerns me that recent court rulings have not supported Bushco’s tactics). However, it is plain that we aren’t convicting anyone, which to me is a clear indicator that something is wrong.

But of course, Dubya remains unconvinced, claiming (as noted in USA Today on 12/20) that he, “wants Senators from New York or Los Angeles or Las Vegas to go home and explain why those cities are safer” (he was piqued, see, over the Senate filibuster of the Patriot Act, which ended up being extended for only one month). Of course, how coincidental is it that those senators just happen to be Democrats (discounting Repug John Ensign of Nevada)?

Well, I don’t know about Dubya, but apparently, Mike (“City Of Louisiana”) Chertoff doesn’t consider Las Vegas to be that high of a priority (go get 'em, Harry!).

OK, I think we’ve pretty much looked at the present status quo on this matter as much as we can. But what of the future?

I came across this article (more like a thesis, really) written by Richard Clarke for The Atlantic about a year ago (we know who Clarke is, of course….terrorism czar for four presidents, Dubya ignored him prior to 9/11, the only one who has shown any contrition for what happened, etc.). He theorizes a ten-year battle with terrorism, and I have a feeling that that is a conservative estimate.

It took me awhile to get through this, but the read was worth it. I think you will recognize some scenarios that he concocts here (such as the controversy over trying to weaken the Posse-Comitatus Act which we faced a few months ago).

Clarke’s detailed knowledge as shown here absolutely took my breath away. What does it say that an individual with this kind of analytical ability was pretty much driven from this administration with the right-wing echo chamber trying to discredit him every step of the way?

As far as I’m concerned, if Bush were REALLY trying to make us safer, he would operate within the limits of the law to let other countries know that we’re serious about working with them to fight this scourge. Or would doing that indicated that “the terrorists have already won”?

Just remember this adage from “The Prisoner,” and everything Dubya does makes sense:

“Questions are a burden to others, and answers are a burden to oneself.”

That describes the modus operandi of Bushco perfectly.

Be seeing you.

(By the way, as you can see, the turf battles over this are playing out at this moment - good for John Conyers for trying to get to the bottom of this garbage.)

(Also, this is the next logical step in our Orwellian nightmare.)

Freedom vs. Fear

I'll let you figure out which is which, though it's obvious to me.

This first column from James P. Pinkerton of Newsday was reprinted in today's Philadelphia Inquirer.

Liberty matters, but security matters more

Could 2005 be remembered as the year mass surveillance became normal, even popular?

I smell trouble right away with an idiotic supposition like that. Does Pinkerton think we're all lemmings just waiting to let the government decide when it feels it have the right to turn our lives upside down? Maybe he does (a curious attitude for a Repug, if in fact that's what he is.)

Revelations about the Bush administration's domestic eavesdropping rocked the civil liberties establishment, but the country as a whole didn't seem upset. Instead, the American people, mindful of the possible danger we face, seem happy enough that Uncle Sam is taking steps to keep up with the new technology.

"The country as a whole didn't seem upset," huh? Do you have any clue at all as to what is going on in the lefty blogosphere over this? What constitutes "the country as a whole," by the way? Any state south of the Mason-Dixon line and west of the Mississippi River? And I guess everyone in these areas was too busy going deaf listening to music on their iPods (TM) too loudly to realize that they were getting sold down the river.

Ask yourself: Do you think it's a bad idea for the feds, as U.S. News & World Report mentioned, to monitor Islamic sites inside the United States for suspicious radiation leaks?

The phrase, "suspicious radiation leaks from Islamic sites," aside from being vague, has suddenly popped up all over the place throughout our corporate media over the last day or so as some kind of justification for Bush's illegal spying. Has anyone besides me noticed that?

The Council on American-Islamic Relations is up in arms - but are you? If you were to read in the paper that some FBI agent has gotten in trouble over pointing a Geiger counter at a mosque, would you be inclined to give the FBI agent the benefit of the doubt? I thought so.

More "divide and conquer" Repug sympathizer BS - what is it that they would expect to find exactly? Material to make bombs that could be detonated remotely and spew chemical agents all over the place? If that's what the danger is, then give us some clue. I know you can't tell us everything, but give us a hint at least. As taxpayers paying salaries of FBI agents, don't we deserve at least that much? Besides, I've read about the FBI conducting surveillance lately on all kinds of people who aren't doing anything illegal. And I love the way Pinkerton just casually blows off a group of people who could provide valuable assistance to us by telling them that their concerns don't matter.

The Dec. 28 issue of USA Today details government plans to deploy security agents at major airports to engage in "behavioral screening." That is, agents chat up passengers, looking for anything suspicious. It's a tactic that's worked in Israel for years, and it's being introduced here, starting with Boston's Logan Airport - the departure point, remember, for two of the 9/11 doomed flights.

Uh, yes, we remember. We'll never forget, actually. How much does Pinkerton think this will actually help? Maybe the Israelis do it - I'll give him the benefit of the doubt - but I'm sure they don't approach someone unless they have MUCH BETTER INTELLIGENCE ON THIS PERSON than we could ever have right now. Besides, it's not like we've ended up detaining people for no reason (see Padilla, Jose) by skirting the rules, right (profiling, in a word)?

Hey, give it a shot, but just don't expect it to be a panacea, OK? And DON'T abuse this tactic and drag in the wrong perp, as it were, and use our tax money in unnecessary litigation to correct your mistake.

But of course, the Massachusetts ACLU already has sued to oppose any such program. Whom do you think the overwhelming majority of Americans want to see prevail on this question? Yes, civil liberties matter, but the majority has rights, too, and if the majority puts a premium on the nation's safety, that view deserves respect.

OK, I'll go along with that. But how about some more details on the ACLU's suit? Oh, sorry...I forgot; that's a bad "liberal" group that just has to be wrong here, doesn't it?

Some say these government actions are taking us closer to 1984. But, in fact, the key year was 1651.

OK, I'm going to stop here for a minute because I sense another one of these "how barbaric we human beings are and aren't we lucky we've been civilized for so long and how lucky we are now to have Dubya who understands the enemy at this time and place" moments that the Repugs and their sympathizers love so much, as if all of the hard-earned success that this country has enjoyed prior to January 2001 was some kind of happy accident. They can't justify what Dubya does in a present-day context, so they feel they have to try and do so by revisiting the distant past. Un-freaking-believable!

That's when the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes published The Leviathan, a hugely influential political science tome that laid the intellectual groundwork for a strong central government. Hobbes wrote that in a state of nature, without benefit of law and law enforcement, life is "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." He believed in strong government, but he was no totalitarian. Instead, he was reacting to the Wars of Religion that had raged across Europe for the previous century and a half, in which Catholics and Protestants enthusiastically burned and butchered one another by the millions. His own country had just been wracked by a decade-long civil war.

Clearly, a powerful state was needed - a regime that, as he put it, would possess a monopoly of force within the society. Would people lose some of their freedoms? Sure they would, and among the freedoms lost was the freedom to hack to death the deviationist next door.

More "lizard brained, run for your lives because al Qaeda is spending every waking moment of its life trying to figure out how to kill us in our beds" garbage (yes, they're horrible and dangerous, but we fight them with strength, resolve, and common sense, not utter panic).

We like to think we have made progress in the four centuries since, especially here in the United States. But we're up against a basic reality: As populations grow denser, and as technology improves, there's a natural need for more regulation to keep people's elbows, and machines, from banging into each other.

So it's the fault of technology and overpopulation? Gee, maybe I'll just go dig out "Quest For Fire" from my musty VHS tape collection, sit around and watch it for a few days and de-evolve into a caveman (dreaming of a youthful Rae Dawn Chong) and pretend that the problem will go away, huh? That makes about as much sense as your last sentence.

That's why, for example, Wyoming is a more libertarian place than New York City.

Example???

Out West, where miles might separate people, you can pretty much do what you want. But, if millions are going to live close to one another, then lots of red tape is going to thread itself around each resident, governing not only obvious concerns such as weapons and pollution, but matters such as noise abatement and cigarette smoking.

So I guess I should buy a burnoose and move to Nebraska? Here I come, Hafez El Achim Kenny Bob Dupree! Git along, little doggies (praise Allah).

And now, in the name of homeland security, more regulating - spying, if you prefer - is coming.

Even so, someday, somewhere, a Big One is going to go off. And after that, all controversies about civil liberties - and, by the way, immigration - will look different in the eyes of the survivors. An updated Hobbesian paradigm of governance will emerge - unless, of course, it's an Orwellian paradigm instead.

I can't believe people actually get paid to write this crap. Where's Major Bowes' hook when you need it?

Now for some common sense (and a bit of inspiration) from Paul Campos.

Just Ignore Him

I have a message for every lefty blogger in the universe (regarding this).

Just ignore him (I just posted that at Brandoland a few minutes ago).

I'm serious.

Why anyone would fail to understand that the guy is a total, unredeemable whack job at this point is owing to nothing but completely invincible stupidity on the part of the people who actually take him seriously (and you know who I'm referring to, both the speaker and his audience). At this point, neither he nor the people who follow him can be reached, as far as I'm concerned. And it's not like this hasn't happened before.

We have many other battles to fight. Please save your energy for the ones that really matter.

Thank you. You may now return to your regular programming.

Update 1/6: OK, I've reconsidered. We can't just give this looney tune a pass, I know. It's just that, if we tried to catalogue every stupid thing he's ever said like this, we'd be too busy to do anything else.

The Hidden Answer

I read about this story yesterday on The Huffington Post, and it’s been running around in my head a lot over the last couple of days. It sounds like the cleric and the agnostic are too busy yelling at each other to try and understand the other’s point of view, so I’ll try to help.

The judge (Gaetano Mautone) told the cleric to prove that Christ exists. In terms of recognizing a person that many of us who are Christian have studied and read about for many years, that is impossible, and the judge is a shameless, publicity-seeking grandstander (and I’m being polite) for ignoring that fact. Along with (I suspect) many other Christians, I was taught, through movies, books, and other schooling, that He looked like H.B. Warner, Jeffrey Hunter, Max Von Sydow, Robert Powell, Willem Dafoe, or Jim Caviezel. Still others believe that Jesus had dark skin (not unlikely, actually, since he lived and taught in the area we now know as the Middle East), and I had an interesting discussion with a guy once who believed that, during his 40 days in the desert, He actually journeyed to Asia, since a lot of the Catholic teachings based on the New Testament have to do with internal behavior and creating “a revolution from within,” if you will, akin to Buddhism, as opposed to all of the drama of the Old Testament.

Since I don’t expect to ever encounter Him in this world (though I “know not the time and place,” as He taught), I expect to find him in signs, behaviors, and “little miracles,” if you will, such as:

- When a loved one emerges from a life-saving medical procedure with mind and body in tact

- Even when someone suffers an injury or disease, they manage to still retain enough of themselves to provide strength and comfort to others.

- When someone has interviewed for a job just as their unemployment is about to run out, and through hard work and diligence, they obtain that job.

- At a time when your car is broken down by the side of the road and you cannot call for help because your cell phone is dead, someone stops by, helps you change a tire with a friendly word or two, and refuses to take any money from you despite your strenuous objections.

- At a time of momentous, grievous sorrow, others stop by to provide strength and comfort, including people you never knew but somehow know of you and want to help.

- When a previously inexplicable mystery in life is somehow revealed to you and you realize that you’ve completed a step along your journey to what will (hopefully) be eternal peace

- When you speak the truth despite overwhelming or even slight difficulty

At times such as these, I believe that Our Lord reveals Himself to us. I sincerely hope that, one day, Judge Mautone comes to understand that.

Get Ready To "Go Deep"

So now it is official; Lynn Swann is going to run for governor of Pennsylvania.

Now for the next question; what makes him so special?

Yes, I know he’s one of the all-time great NFL wide receivers for the Pittsburgh Steelers and their Super Bowl teams. Yes, I know he’s established himself as a motivational speaker and sits on boards of directors for three companies and has also served as chairman on the President’s Council of Physical Fitness and Sports.

(Actually, I didn’t know that, to be honest. I found it out from his slick-looking website which has a lot of nice-sounding boilerplate stuff on it, including “The Two-Minute Drill,” which is a combination questionnaire if you want to become a campaign volunteer and also an issues survey. I have to admit that that’s a cute idea, though the Repugs are nothing if not clever.)

However, the only thing I’ve heard from him that remotely resembles a policy position is something along the lines of Pennsylvania having problems because of government going back for 30 years or something like that (I’ll keep looking for a link). That is EXACTLY the sort of IDIOTIC CLAPTRAP that we DO NOT NEED TO HEAR! Also, from his website, he states the following:

(Swann’s) proposals would cost the state more than $2 billion in forgone revenue in the first years of (his) administration. He acknowledged that the cuts would force severe reductions in state spending in the short term, although he declined to specify where those cuts might fall. He contended that his proposals would spur economic growth resulting in higher revenues in years to come.

"Pennsylvania can't afford not to cut these taxes,'' Mr. Swann said.”In the first couple of years, our budget will be tight. It will require us to re-examine state government in order to make this historic investment in our economy, but it will pay off in the end."

(Where have we heard this before? Maybe from every other Repug who has ever existed for the last 30 or so years…)

This state has a lot of problems mainly due to idiotic provincialism from all of the guilty parties in state government (and by the way, $2 billion is a hell of a lot of revenue to lose in this state). That is made worse by the fact that these characters are continually returned to office by voters who don’t do their homework. I realize that I shouldn’t engage in generalities like that without evidence, but I could make this post exasperatingly long if I named everyone who falls into this category (both on the Dem and Repug sides). I also realize that this is probably true of most other states in this country.

The biggest problem is that we can’t afford for this status quo to continue. Partly because of high energy costs (and other reasons), we lose out on businesses who may want to set up operations here (as well as facing the distinct possibility of losing the ones we already have). Swann thus far has managed to charm the Repug-friendly business roundtable types, which I guess is a good start in addressing this issue, but in this state, there is a hell of a lot more to do in governing than that.

We need someone to bridge gaps and build partnerships. I definitely believe that Rendell has tried to do that, but there are two big problems, neither of which are his fault as far as I’m concerned: 1) He came from Philadelphia, which is an area hated by many in the state legislature along with Pittsburgh to a degree, and 2) The people he has to reach have NO REASON WHATSOEVER to go along with him.

Rendell is also truly caught in the middle, dealing with a Republican legislature and a Republican government in Washington. However, that’s the way the cards have been dealt, and he’s enough of a warrior to realize that and do the best he can.

I know the possibility exists that Swann could somehow possess leadership qualities, but so far he hasn’t shown me anything. Yes, I know the campaign hasn’t even really started yet, and other people I know have said I should take it easy on him and give him a chance to prove himself. Fair enough.

OK, then, Mr. Swann, I have some questions for you:

Can you discuss with account holders at the M&T Bank in Altoona the benefit of fixing student loan rates at 6.8 percent in the event that interest rates start sliding again at some point in a few years? (I should point out that fixing that rate was included in the Deficit Reduction Act passed by the U.S. Repug House last November; I know that legislation was enacted nationally, but it has local implications, and I’d like to know how Swann feels about that.)

Are you prepared to justify the fact, during a town meeting in Bensalem, Pa., that the PA legislature needs to act on any one of the three bills currently pending to raise the state minimum wage, especially since wage growth in this country is at its lowest rate in 40 years? (I GUARANTEE you that Swann will say that doing that would hurt small business, at which point I would challenge him to produce evidence in support of that claim.)

Here’s something else: Do you support the efforts of Gov. Rendell to bring casino gaming to this state for property tax relief? If not, what is your alternative plan?

I will be very interested to hear what you have to say about these and other matters affecting Pennsylvania beyond the feel-good rhetorical pabulum you have presented thus far.

If you, in fact, have no response, then you should reconsider your candidacy immediately and withdraw.

Do It For Those Who Serve

(and the rest of us also...)

I have a question for anyone who voted for Dubya still riding around with a “Support Our Troops” decal on your vehicle.

When the hell are you going to “get with the program” and join us?

Our service people have gotten the message by now (and they're also no longer allowed to get it out, and yes, I realize that they must be cautious, but somehow I think many of them know that). They know that they were sold a bill of goods to go over and fight an enemy that no longer had a nuclear capability (and by the way, if you don’t want to believe Risen, fine; try believing Hans Blix of the IAEA who said the same thing Risen said before Iraq War II began). And I don’t know about you, but without links to al Qaeda, nukes was the only threat I cared about from Hussein, which I and many others believed that he had at the time from Bushco’s lies.

Try to imagine losing a son or daughter as a result of this fraud. Try to imagine living your life with a permanent, disabling injury sustained in the carnage resulting from this debacle. Try to imagine recovering from post-traumatic stress.

Try to imagine living with the knowledge that the injury or death of a service member likely resulted (in a good many cases, anyway) from not being properly equipped before they were sent into battle.

Try to imagine the remains of a loved one flown back from overseas stuffed in the luggage compartment of a jumbo jet.

Given all of this, I think the best thing you can do to "support our troops" is to do your part to defend freedom here before you tell them to go defend it (or something that remotely approximates it) in Iraq.

Oh, but you still support Duyba for some reason?

Here are more reasons to wake up.

Bushco steals the presidential election in November 2000 and fights every effort by Al Gore for a single hand recount (yes, Gore screwed up by not requesting a recount of the whole state but that is trivial by comparison now). Yes, I also know that is “so pre-9/11” (which happened on Dubya’s watch), but guess what? It still matters (and don't get me started on '04 either).

Bushco ignores the dire warnings of Richard Clarke prior to the destruction of the World Trade Center, the attack on the Pentagon, and the PA plane crash.

Paul O'Neill, former Treasury Secretary who at least knows how to manage a corporation and not bleed it dry, questions Bushco and is promptly booted and ridiculed.

Scientific data is either ignored or manipulated to the point where it is unrecognizable from its original form (leading to, among other things, an increase in global warming which aided the devastation of Hurricane Katrina).

They concoct a case for war in Iraq based on lies that collapse in the face of truth like tissue paper in a stiff wind (generals such as Eric Shinseki play the Paul O'Neill role and get the same treatment). They also fail to protect our troops by failing to provide for them.

They foist the unbelievable lie on the American people that they actually support an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to ban gay marriage, knowing full well that such an amendment will NEVER PASS (and red state voters, in their everlasting stupidity, fall for the ruse and vote for Dubya so they can feel comfortable with their prejudices at the expense of everything else).

Bushco changes its rationale for war to try and prop up something that approximates Democracy to them in Iraq with this vote for a constitution that basically excludes the Sunnis and a vote for a congress that the Sunnis now allege was rigged, which of course gives them some cover for FINALLY drawing down our troops, which was long overdue (assuming they should have even been there to begin with).

In the process of trying to erode our civil liberties beyond all recognition, Bushco now says that the President and the NSA have the right to eavesdrop on our conversations and the FBI has the right to conduct surveillance on "unfriendly" domestic organizations. Of course, the simple fact which is eminently inconvenient for Dubya is that such activity is illegal (the FISA exists to provide guidelines for doing this, and it remains laughably easy to get a court order for such activity).

(By the way, this is only a partial list of Bushco's transgressions to date).

Am I the only one who sees a pattern in this behavior?

With all of this in mind, here is what should be our New Year's Resolution in this country:

Kill the snake by cutting off its head, and Impeach George W. Bush’s sorry ass right now!

Update: Want still another reason? Ask yourself if this delusional neophyte is making it any safer for our service people by creating this hideous precedent.

Whispering Down The Lane

Dear God, what a way to have to return to this.

Before I say another word, I wish to extend my deepest and most heartfelt sympathies to the families and friends of the victims of this disaster. They need our support at this time more than anything else.

That having been said, however, I should point out that I just saw West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin interviewed on MSNBC, and the reporter (I don’t think it was Kyra Phillips – I didn’t hang around long enough to find out) basically asked him why the families of the miners weren’t notified as to their status in as up-to-date a manner as possible, and Manchin gave this rambling answer which, as far as I’m concerned, communicated to me that there was so much confusion that he didn’t know. I think Manchin is a good, hard working man who, basically in this situation, was in completely over his head.

I think the main question is who knew what, and when, between the hours of 11:45 (when the East Coast papers had to go to print with the news that the miners were alive, which had been confirmed by Manchin) and 2:45, when the families were told that the miners were dead. Based on Manchin’s answer to MSNBC, I believe that he and his people weren’t controlling the flow of communication on this in any kind of professional manner.

(To digress briefly, let me point out that, though you KNOW how I feel about Bushco if you have any familiarity with this site at all, you probably also know that I have a grudging admiration for the way that they control the words and pictures of news events, seeing as how many of them have backgrounds in public and media relations. The problem is that they do this primarily for propaganda purposes. Manchin could have used some of them to manage the information related to this disaster.)

Also, anyone who has any familiarity with working in a hospital knows how important it is to have a disaster plan and a command and control center that truly manages everything. The friends and relatives in the church should NOT have found out the status of their loved ones from cell phone calls from inside the mine (and by the way, how dumb is it to be calling from a cell phone from two miles beneath the earth when an inadvertent electromagnetic charge of some kind could have sparked a wholly other disaster? How prudent is it to be using these communication devices in such tight quarters?). They should have found out EVERYTHING from the command and control center and no place else (actually, I don’t think those at the command and control center knew how to substantiate the information that they had and, apparently, just communicated everything – it’s hard to hold back when you have people pleading to know how their loved ones are doing, but that’s part of the job unfortunately). I think this had a lot to do with the miscommunication surrounding this tragedy.

We have quite a bit of experience in Pennsylvania with mining disasters, by the way. This link takes you to information on the Quecreek mine accident in 2002. One thing I remember the most about that is how excruciating it was to know that the men were trapped, but we really didn’t know anything for the duration of the three days (nothing could be confirmed, anyway). That was necessary, though. Now granted, there were very different circumstances involved here, the biggest of which being that, with Quecreek, the biggest threat was water seeping into the mine, as opposed to carbon monoxide with this latest tragedy. Also, some of the miners had been able to warn others to get out at Quecreek. I don’t know whether or not there was time for anyone to be warned in this tragedy – we may know if Randal McCloy is ever revived, depending on his condition.

Update 1 1/4: Bravo Arianna! I hadn't given much thought to the reckless reporting behind this awful event, though I certainly acknowledge that no one is trying to "make hay" over it either.

Update 2 1/4: CNN has more...

Update 1/5: Why am I not surprised?

Another thing I remember about Quecreek is what a good job Mark Schweiker did of making sure all information and announcements were either approved by him or issued by him directly. For a Republican, I have to admit that he really stood tall, and to be honest, I don’t know if Ed Rendell would have beaten him in the gubernatorial election later that year had he decided to run based on his Quecreek performance. Mike Fisher, the Republican candidate who was pretty much a token, still swept the middle of the state (not surprising, given the fact that it is heavily rural composed of a lot of people who would sooner shoot themselves than vote for a Democrat) in a closer outcome than anyone expected.

By the way, Itsez has a good take on this today, along with why we should all support "Hillary-care" as the Repugs so derisively called it years ago when she and Bill ran things (speaking of the New York senator, Atrios, quite rightly, finds it hilarious that the No. 1 boogeyman - boogeyperson? - as far as the jackbooted conservative knuckleheads in this country are concerned is pretty much skating right now because the Repugs can't find anyone to run against her).

Doomsy's Do-Gooders And Dregs

I suppose it would be a good idea to revisit 2005 one last time before we toss it into the ashcan, so here's a look back.

Like most years, it had some ups and downs, but all in all, we made it, so that's something to be thankful for (and I'll try not to take easy shots at "the usual suspects," though that will be difficult to avoid).

Darkest Moment

Release of the grand jury report on pedophile priests in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia

Most Inappropriate Wording From A Politician

Jim Kolbe

Continuing Search For A Pulse Award

Bob Casey Jr.

Biggest Story

Devastation of Hurricane Katrina

Biggest Non-Story(ies)

The "Runaway Bride"
Daylin Leach's Blog

Update 1/7: The Philadelphia Inquirer named Leach today as one of the legislators who gave back all of a portion of the infamous pay raise to the state recently (see below). That's another reason why I don't care about his blog.

Weirdest Story

The naked "Zorro" guy in Doylestown, Pa.

Most Outrageous Moment Of Thievery

The PA pay raise scam

Most Inappropriate Comparison By A Politician To A Dairy Farmer

John Perzel

Most Shameless Political Grandstanding

"Dr." Bill Frist diagnosing the terminally ill Terri Schiavo on T.V

Most Pornographic Republican

Mary Carey

Most Courageous Performance By A Conservative

Andrew Sullivan on "Real Time with Bill Maher" (particularly when he said, "I'll never trust this guy (Dubya) again.")

Worst Columnist

J. D. Mullane (lots of competition here...one runner up would be Richard Cohen for saying that Patrick Fitzgerald should give up on trying to determine who "outed" Valerie Plame because it's too complicated; it only takes eight letters to figure it out, Richard, and those would be K-A-R-L-R-O-V-E)

Most Disgusting Attack By A Repug Mouthpiece On Fox Whose Father Is A Journalistic Legend

Chris Wallace

Worst Writer Pretending To Be A Political Operative

Scooter Libby

Most Courageous But Disgruntled Government Official Who Brought Down A President

Mark Felt

Worst Performance By A Businessman Pretending To Be A Politician

Doug Forrester

Best Political Story

Victory by Smith/Caiola in LMT Supervisors election

Worst Political Story

Bush wiretapping scandal (I've got more coming up on that)

Silliest Sports Soap Opera

The Terrell Owens saga

Most Underrated Deceased Celebrity(ies) From '05

Ernest Lehman
Shelby Foote also
(both men would probably scoff at that characterization)

"Don't Let The Door Hit You" Award Winner

William Rehnquist

Most Esteemed Individual To Leave Us In '05

Rosa Parks

Political Rogues Gallery

Mike Brown
"Duke" Cunningham
John McCain
Arnold Schwarzenegger

Creepiest Political Actor Who May Yet Make A Comeback, Unfortunately

Scumbag Santorum

Person Of The Year

John Edwards (at least two reasons: his letter taking the blame for supporting the Iraq War and his foundation to fight poverty at Chapel Hill, N.C.)

Have a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2006!

So?

OK, now I’m good and riled up!

So, these geniuses at The Pew Internet and American Life Project are making a big deal about what men and women do online, I see. Well, aren’t WE just prone to generalities!

I mean, suppose I want to read more about “The Hero’s Journey” into “Original Experience” and the time and spatial properties of his concept of eternity as theorized by Joseph Campbell in his discussions with Bill Moyers. Or suppose I want to read more online about healing through the use of biorhythms and herbal aromatic therapies. I guess I’m not supposed to do that, am I? Is it because I’M A GUY??!!

Well, I have another side too. Maybe I want to stroll in the forest and explore the inner recesses of my soul on occasion. Maybe I actually want to read Emily Dickinson aloud at times at a coffee house somewhere (and risk incurring wrath not unlike that visited by John Belushi upon the guy playing the guitar in “Animal House”). Maybe I want to be cuddled and nurtured in a fluffy white cloud that will gently transport me to my “happy place.”

But no!

I feel unfilled if I don’t read the stock ticker and determine if my shares of Amalgamated Widget dipped a point or two and figure out how to do an online share transfer into a less aggressive security if I have to. It is my duty to read the news online about the cat that managed to stay afloat in the river in Montana and “Mrs. Partridge” taking her clothes off. I feel an insatiable craving to read every last, excruciating detail concerning the rehab of all of the Philadelphia Eagles’ football players currently on injured reserve.

I MUST VIEW PORN!

Alas, my viewing is confined to that which is easily categorized and defined by some pusillanimous, online know it all. I am unable to probe the inner depths of my being. It’s enough to drive me to despair (sigh).

...

:-)

Alito Of Him Goes A Long Way

Consider this a primer for the upcoming hearings, which should be very interesting to say the least:

Thing One:

I’m here to ask as best I can
Would you like Scalito Sam?
It’s true he strenuously feels
As U.S. Court judge of appeals
That government needs no assist
Being a strict “constructionist”
From liberal groups with a ”solution”
Of reading in the Constitution
Entitlement, advocacy
And thus a right to privacy
A Princeton grad and Yale law
“Concerned alumni,” Seton Hall
There’ll be no confirmation crisis
Conforming with Cornyn’s “stare decisis”
Beyond the law, his dedication
To the Italian American foundation
Shows a man we must protect
A scholar and an intellect
We mustn’t let “the left” deter
This conservative of character
So I’ll ask again, as best I can
Would you like Scalito Sam?

Thing Two:

No.
I would not like Scalito Sam
I’ll summarize as best I can
He ruled police were right to shoot
An unarmed youth while in pursuit
Who ran from cops in Tennessee
After a $10 burglary
Everyone should be dismayed
By his attack on Roe v. Wade
Pro-choice rights have been hard earned
The ones he’d blithely overturn
Even “Casey” he resents
Without spousal consent
He thinks discrimination’s swell
When found at Marriott Hotels
And don’t fight it at MCP
On grounds of disability
At Congress, he and wingnuts are aggrieved
“Exceeding grounds” on family leave
He finds punishing police abhorrent
Who strip search while carrying a warrant
Immigrants cry in frustration
At his regard for deportation
On this, the high court does guffaw
At Sam’s contempt for “settled law”
“Concerned Alumni” sought his clout
At Princeton, which would thus stamp out
The gains, thus made in small degrees
By women and minorities
And now, he thinks we all are saps
To fight illegal wiretaps
For these and reasons many more
I won’t concur, but do abhor
Promotion, and by cruel design
Ascension of this Philistine
I’ll answer straight as best I can:
I DO NOT LIKE SCALITO SAM!

And neither should you.

Sources: Completed questionnaire submitted by Alito to the Judiciary Committee, Democrats.org, Think Progress, Law.com, The Washington Post, TPM Cafe, and the L.A. Times (I would have linked to all of them, but it would have made it difficult to read).

Here is an interesting link to information on Alito, particularly opinions he's written, from the Philadelphia Inquirer (registration required, of course).

One more thing - I definitely apologize for that awful pun.

With Tauriq Aziz As Mr. Carlin

I know Bushco wants to keep everything under wraps concerning the release without charges being filed against the two scientists who helped develop Saddam Hussein’s chemical weapons. However, through some intense investigative journalism on my part and some even more intense hallucinating, I can now announce with total certainly the reason why Dubya released them.

It’s because they’ve been signed by Fox Television to star in a brand new sitcom! It's the "Dr. Germ and Mrs. Anthrax" Show!

Here is the preliminary script for the pilot episode…imagine the two ladies sitting down on an elevated train in Chicago, one wearing a beige trench coat and the other carrying a newspaper under her arm, sitting next to a short, bald man with a slight stammer. After exchanging pleasantries, they leave the train, descend the stairs and head for home.

They take a few minutes to relax and work in the kitchen, when they hear a knock on the door. The person knocking (airline pilot Howard Borden) then opens the door and enters the room.

Rihab Taha: Hello, Howard.

Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash: Hello, Howard.

Howard (holding a sugar bowl): Hello, ladies.

(Cue canned audience applause)

Howard: My, you both are looking particularly lovely today in your black shawls and long skirts to hide your appearance.

Rihab: Well, you know what they say in Iran, Howard. Better to have a black shawl than a live Shah!

(Cue canned audience laughter)

Howard (sitting down on the couch in the living room, putting each hand on his knee): Oh Rihab, you’re such a cutup. But I have to say, Huda, that it turns me on to be around a woman like you who keeps her thoughts to herself. You know what they say about the quiet ones (snicker).

(Cue canned audience “woooo” sound, or whatever that’s called.)

Huda (muttering as she chops away furiously on a cutting board, destroying an onion and crying slightly): Better to feed my entrails to the buzzards than to fornicate with an American infidel like you!

Howard: Sorry, Huda, I didn’t quite catch that. Can you repeat it please?

Rihab (elbowing Huda in the ribs and cursing quietly at her in Arabic): Err…what she said Howard, was….was…was that, she’s been shopping at sales but getting all flustered, but when Howard stops by, she gets so “in a state” that she doesn’t know what to do.

(Cue canned audience laughter)

Howard: Aw, Huda, that’s sweet of you. Hey, by the way, do you have any sugar? I need it for my coffee. I usually load up before I take off. I’ve got a transatlantic run tonight.

Rihab: That’s nice. Where are you flying to?

Howard: I don’t know.

Huda: Weren’t you going to ask someone before you stepped onto the plane, you imperialist oppressor?

(Cue canned audience laughter)

Howard (giving Huda a bit of a funny look): Well, yes, of course. It depends whether or not I’m flying direct to Heathrow from O’Hare or “laying over” first at Newark. I’ll find that out when I arrive at the terminal.

Rihab: Well, this is so interesting, Howard. But I’m sorry to tell you that we don’t have any sugar. However, Huda and I have been working on a new recipe, and we’d like to give you a taste and see if you like it.

Howard: Really? My, how thoughtful. I’d love to give it a try. What’s the occasion?

Huda (growling slightly): “We’re throwing a party, and I just made some punch.”

Howard (getting up and walking over to the kitchen): “Sounds great.”

(Howard takes a small glass of a clear liquid and walks from the kitchen back to the living room, sitting down on the couch again and bringing the glass up to his face near his nose.)

Howard: “Hmmm, this has an unusual smell, sort of like bitter almonds a bit. Reminds me a bit of some Scotch I once had, Glenfiddich™ I think.”

Rihab (laughing slightly with Huda): “Oh, it will feel warm as it goes down all right.”

(Cue the murmur sound from the audience, or whatever that’s called)

(Howard takes some of the drink and put the glass down on the coffee table, placing his hands on his knees once more. At the same time, Rihab and Huda start laughing and shaking slightly. As soon as the glass touches the coffee table, Howard grabs his throat and falls over onto the floor, screaming hoarsely as he tries to get up.)

Howard (growling and gurgling): “GAAAACK! I THINK MY ESOPHAGUS IS ON FIRE!”

Rihab (laughing out loud along with Huda): “What are you talking about, Howard? Did I use too much vermouth?”

Howard (throwing his legs out but otherwise immobile): “YOU HORRIBLE BITCHES! WHAT DID YOU DO??!! I THINK MY LIVER JUST EXPLODED! AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!”

(Howard kicks his legs one final time before collapsing, dead on the floor. Rihab and Huda slowly walk over towards him, hovering over the body.)

Rihab: Any signs of a hematoma? Any bleeding from his nose, mouth or ears?

Huda: No, there are no visible signs indicating that he has been infected with the new strain. But it may mutate, so we’d better pack and leave quickly.

(Rihab and Huda both walk quickly to their bedrooms and start packing.)

Rihab: Now, we have to move to someplace else and get new jobs. What are we going to do?

Huda: Oh, we can go to California. They hire illegal aliens for nannies all the time.

(Cue canned audience laughter)

Rihab: Maybe San Jose or someplace near Mexico? (talking as they continue to pack)

Huda: No. My aunt lives in San Francisco. She used to watch this family with four girls. One man takes care of all of them, and they live in an old Victorian.

Rihab: That might be good. What is the name of the family?

Huda: I think they’re called the Tanner family.

(cue the “Full House” theme – “everywhere you go, everywhere you see, botulism for you and me…”)

OK, was this sick and twisted? Yes, I know it was. But as far as I’m concerned, that also describes that fact that we had these two women in custody for almost two and a half years and could not make a case against them, even though they were designated as “high value targets” by Bushco. We also will probably never know what kind of “quid pro quo” took place to prompt their release.

This whole episode is STILL more evidence to me (as if we needed any) that we have a presidential administration guilty of arrogance, stupidity, and impeachable incompetence. And even I know that that is not funny in any way, shape, or form.

Update 12/29: I'm chastising myself at this moment because I meant to point out that I was inspired (possessed?) to write this post after reading Robert Scheer's excellent column on The Huffington Post. The very last paragraph should be read by every citizen of this country.

Guns Don't Kill, Canadians Do

I somewhat agree actually with John Thompson of the MacKenzie Institute (first clue that this story has to do with Canada is that the name “MacKenzie” is involved) in that illegal gun traffic from the U.S. into Canada is only one part of the problem (I would call that the “front end” and classify poverty and displaced immigrant populations that don’t have much to do as the “back end,” and as we know, it’s much easier for jingoistic politicians of either stripe to address the “front end”), but I think Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin pretty much acknowledges that. All he’s asking for is for this country to try and tighten up the flow of illegal guns a bit, and we know how far a request like that is going to get, especially with the Repug cabal we currently have that is bought and paid for lock, stock and barrel by the NRA calling the shots.

Actually, speaking of our buddy Charlton (“Try To Pry This Weapon Out Of My Cold, Dead Hands”) Heston and his bunch, I would ask that they read this information about the Canadian Firearms Act of 1995 and imagine how it would read (assuming it would even exist at all) had the NRA quashed it the way they do that with gun legislation in this country (I mean, the NRA is such an agreeable bunch, after all).

This paragraph caught my eye in particular.

A national survey commissioned by the Canadian Firearms Centre in 2000 found an estimated 2.3 million firearm owners.

More than 1,000 Canadians die every year from gunshot wounds, most of them by their own hand. In 1996 the total firearm deaths amounted to 1,131, of which 815 were suicides, 45 were accidents and 156 were homicides.

The violent crime rate has been steadily declining in Canada over the last two decades, and progressively fewer crimes are being committed with firearms. In 1978, Canada recorded 661 homicides, a rate of 2.76 per 100,000. Of these, 250, or 37.8%, were committed with guns. In 1998, Canada had 555 homicides, a rate of 1.83 per 100,000. Guns were involved in 151 of the homicides, 27% of the total, the lowest proportion since statistics were first collected in 1961. Robberies using firearms accounted for 18% of all such crimes in 1998, down from 25% in 1988 and 37% in 1978.

The story from the link also mentions that the law is being challenged by gun owners in the province of Alberta who raise cattle, as well as aboriginal tribes and other associations of gun owners. I respect the fact that they are completely within their rights to do that.

Also, let me be clear; if a law abiding citizen in this county owns a firearm and that person practices gun safety and learns how to use the weapon correctly, then as far as I’m concerned, it is that person’s property and no one has the right to confiscate it as long as no crime has been committed.

However, I think Canada is doing the right thing by trying to establish common sense guidelines that are subject to change as dictated by court rulings. I don’t read about any hand wringing in Canada when it comes to renewing a law to ban the sale and manufacture of assault rifles, and I’m quite sure that Canadian gun makers don’t have the same type of ridiculous blanket immunity from liability that U.S. gun makers have (not that that could have done any good for Richard Johnson of Philadelphia, who Tom Ferrick, Jr. of the Inquirer introduced us to earlier this year).

What, Me Read?

So NBC Anchor Brian Williams recommended a book on Theodore Roosevelt to Dubya the other day, apparently. I also have a recommendation to Dubya for a book about Theodore Roosevelt, and I’ll get to that in a minute.

I happened to come across this item at Barnes and Noble when I was doing my Christmas shopping, which is the most perfectly apropos tome that I can think of for this administration (actually, I’m being kinder than I should).

Here are other recommendations for Dubya from earlier this year (assuming he’d appreciate the irony and humor, which is a HUGE assumption, I know).

(By the way, the rest of this Yahoo news “story” is par from the course from our lapdog “liberal” media.)

Her Next Reality Show

So let me get this straight, OK?

- It sounds to me like Bushco is trying to advocate granting more power to federal courts to rule in probate cases that, until now, had been the jurisdiction of state courts (another dramatic contradiction on the part of "the party of states rights," as far as I'm concerned). As pointed out in the story, Anna Nicole Smith lost in the Texas courts in her inheritance battle, but if the Supremes ends up giving more power to the federal courts, that will help her case (and I wonder if the Washington Post was trying to be cute when pointing out that Smith, a former porn star, was involved in a case that "could reach a climax"?)

- It also sounds like, in the process of doing this, Dubya is trying to stab another former "Skull And Bones Society" Yalie in the back (the deceased J. Howard Marshall II by name).

- Defending the jiggling, pulchritudinous (when her weight is OK) litigant can hardly be considered a sap to the "moral values" crowd.

So what other reason could Bushco possibly have for getting involved?

Easy. Maybe Dubya is actually reading this blog, and he's following my lead on "For The Love Of America" posted below.

(Either that, or I'm still delusional from my medication to even post on this...more probably the latter.)

What Child Is This?

This is the great news that O'Reilly and the Dobsonite clowns will never despoil, even though they profess to be acting in His name.

THE BIRTH OF JESUS (Luke 2:1-20)

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David): to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

And so it was that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shown round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them unto heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

And all they that head it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the good things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Merry Christmas, and may you all have a joyous holiday season!

A Christmas Nightmare

Before I say another word, kudos to Sam Seder of “The Majority Report” for taking on Bob Knight of the Christian Family Focus Values Fascist Coalition during a recent fracas on CNN moderated by scary right-wing uber-babe Kyra Phillips last week – transcript here.

(Yes, I know that really isn't the name of Knight's organization, but as far as I'm concerned, it's just another wingnut bunch trying to ruin the holiday season.)

(Another note: I rewrote the lead to this post because, despite my temporary incapacity, that does not absolve me of the duty to communicate correctly using the English language.)

OK, without any futher ado...

My wife in her kerchief and I in my cap had just settled down for a long winter’s nap (aided by a few vodka shots and frosty “Stein” full of Dinkelacker Dark on my part), when what to my wondering eyes should appear, but stuporous images about the following:

- The Easter Bunny lobbies Dubya with supposedly top secret intel that Santa Claus has weapons of mass destruction (it would come out later that EB did this out of jealousy because he thought Kringle was getting way too much attention from the kids instead of him; EB also did this to hide the fact that he had been convicted of embezzlement by a Jordanian court).

- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appears at the U.N., holding up a sprig of mistletoe, stating that she has proof that Santa has found a way to use it to spray mushroom gas or other invisible, deadly toxins with it. She ends her statement with this quote: “with a bunch of these, he could take out the entire New York City subway system.” It will be discovered later that this information was obtained by “water boarding” St. Patrick.

- Health and lifestyle gurus across the country decry Santa Claus for contributing to the obesity epidemic facing our country by virtue of his appearance.

- Bill O’Reilly launches a boycott of any retail store, newspaper, TV or radio station that refers to Santa Claus as part of Christmas because “he’s contributing to crass commercialization in opposition to strict adherence to Christianity, the one true faith.” O’Reilly then goes into a hysterical, obscenity-filled rant against Jews, Muslims, cat torturers, the U.N., liberals, and Andrea Mackris.

- Dick Cheney appears on Rush Limbaugh and states that he has “incontrovertible evidence” that Santa Claus is working on a “dirty bomb,” when in reality what was presented to Cheney by Karl Rove was some reindeer poop scraped off the roof shingle of the home of a member of Dubya’s “Pioneer Club” of campaign donors. The New York Times breaks this revelation in an Op-Ed page column by former senator Tom Daschle, which spurs Judith Miller out of retirement to write that Santa stuffs his sleigh with toys made through slave labor in third world countries, with Santa knowing full well that half the toys are defective. Miller also writes a “tell all” book about the escapades of Mrs. Claus, who supposedly participated in multiple orgies while Santa made his deliveries, engorging herself at the expense of some renegade elves and some heretofore unknown sugar plumb fairies.

- Fox News organizes and sponsors massive book burnings of “Twas The Night Before Christmas” by Clement Moore.

- James Dobson encourages the head of the FCC to ban all Christmas music from the radio airwaves until from December 24th to 12:01 AM EST on December 26th (probably not a bad idea, when I come to think about it).

- School boards throughout the state of Kansas incur millions of dollars of litigation expenses because of lawsuits and counter-lawsuits filed over whether or not Santa Claus evolved or suddenly appeared through the benevolent wish of a cosmic life force.

After all of this, I awoke in a panic and checked to see if everything was safe and secure in the house, knowing that we could still take solace from this holiday season (take that, O’Reilly!) of peace and joy, awaiting the potential of gifts from “the big man” and, more importantly, joyous expectation of the arrival of The Little Child from Bethlehem. Fortunately, all was well.

And then I made sure the cat was OK.

An Angel Returns To Heaven

I had been meaning to post about this all week, but I did not have the consent of the family and I had to be careful not to violate HIPA regulations. Fortunately, however, John Morrison of the Philadelphia Daily News wrote this wonderful tribute instead:

Mary Kate Marlow, 11, a very special girl

By JOHN F. MORRISON

morrisj@phillynews.com

ONE CAN only hope that Mary Kate Marlow knew of the positive impact she had on people.

People were drawn to the little girl in the wheelchair, whether in school, church, a shopping mall, the street.

What was it about Mary Kate that drew people to her? The sparkle in her eyes, a countenance that many described as angelic, her strength as she coped with a hopeless disease?

It wasn't what she said, because Mary Kate could not speak. In fact, her only voluntary movement was the blinking of her eyes.

Yet, this little girl managed to go to school every day, where she was adored and fussed over by both teachers and fellow students.

"The kids fought over who would help her out of her wheelchair and push her into class," said her aunt, Kathy McCabe. "Her classmates couldn't have been more accepting of her."

Mary Kate died Sunday of complications of nueral axonal dystrophy, a congenital, progressive condition that gradually paralyzed her. She was 11 and lived in Holland, Bucks County.

Jake Weiner, a 9-year-old classmate at the Newtown Elementary School, might have said it best when he wrote to Mary Kate's parents shortly after her death.

"I learned a lot about Mary Kate and how she communicated with her eyes. Because we spent time together, I was able to understand her really well. Her eyes told me a lot about her, her thoughts and her friends.

"There are so many good things I can say about Mary Kate. She was a great listener. I could always talk to Mary Kate and tell her about the things going on in my day. I knew that Mary Kate was someone I could talk to if something was bothering me or if I just wanted to talk.

"Mary Kate was happy. I could tell this by the shine in her eyes."
In class, Mary Kate wore a device called a SCATIR (Self-Calibrating Auditory Tone InfraRed) switch that fit over her head and her eyes to record her blinks in a computer. She was one of the first to use the new technology, developed at the University of Michigan.

That was how she was able to respond in class as she took the school's sixth-grade curriculum.

"She was very communicative," said her aunt. "She was a fascinating little girl. She never questioned anything about her life.

"It was amazing the good she brought out in people."

Her mother, Eileen, Kathy's sister, said it's difficult to define the impact Mary Kate had on others.

"We took her to church every Sunday and people would just be drawn to her," said Eileen, a critical-care nurse at Nazareth Hospital. "She was more than just a girl in a wheelchair. She was something beyond that. She had an angelic countenance, her eyes just sparkled.

"If you believe everyone has a mission in life, that was hers, the effect she had on people.

"She loved being with people. It made her happy. Her nieces and nephews would come into her room and talk and sing to her, and her eyes would get wider."

"She touched so many lives," said her father, Tom Marlow, an executive for Kinder Morgan Corp. "She always gave to people."

Tom recalled the time Mary Kate met an uncle who was skeptical of her ability to communicate.

"She just closed her eyes for a couple of seconds and that was how she said, 'Hello Uncle John.' He was convinced."

Mary Kate also is survived by her brother, Tommy, 6; her grandmother, Kathleen Conklin, and a "special aunt," Sister Maureen Conklin.

Services: Funeral Mass 10 a.m. tomorrow at St. Bede the Venerable Church, 1071 Holland Road, Holland. Friends may call at 6 this evening at the Fluehr Funeral Home, 800 Newtown-Richboro Road, Richville. Burial will be in Resurrection Cemetery, Bensalem.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Children's Hospital Pulmonary Medicine, c/o Dr. Howard Panitch, 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia 19104

You cannot possibly imagine the love, sacrifice, and dedication that the Marlow family poured into Mary Kate's life during her years on this earth, by the way. And from what I heard about the viewing tonight, it was truly touching, full of tributes from everyone, including Mary Kate's classmates mentioned in Morrison's column.

It is a crime for any parent to have to bury their child, and it is an obscenity for any parent to have to bury their child this time of year. However, we who were close to Mary Kate (we are friends of the Marlow family by virtue of the fact that my wife provided critical care for Mary Kate and the young one has played with their son) know that, as difficult as it is to accept this, we must find a way to do just that and know that she is at eternal peace at this moment. Beyond that, we are sure that she is playing and chatting up a storm amidst fields of eternal sunshine with bows in her curly, chestnut hair dangling in the wind.

The life of any child is a gift from God, and that was never more true than in the case of Mary Kate. Though we celebrate the coming of the savior at this time of year (we who are Christians), we know that Mary Kate, having left us here on earth, now enjoys eternal life. May we all live lives of the type she lived that will allow us the blessing of joining her one day.

In The Spirit Of The Season

Yours truly is currently facing a collision of illness and heavy holiday/workload B.S., so I only have this important reminder for now from Dr. Dean (I'm also working on something that isn't ready yet...I'll put it out there as soon as I can):

Over the next few days we will gather together with our families and loved ones to celebrate the holiday season. As we take the time to remember the ones we love and welcome the New Year, it is important not to forget those who have suffered and sacrificed so much in the past year.

In particular this holiday season the families of our wounded, brave service men and women and the families displaced and devastated by the Gulf Coast Hurricanes deserve our special attention.

This time of year can be especially hard for families with a service member who has been wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan. At the time when a family most wants to be together, the unfortunate reality is that many wounded service members must receive specialized medical care great distances from their families.

A foundation called Fisher House creates comfort homes, built on the grounds of major military and Veterans Administration medical centers. These homes enable family members to be close to loved ones during their hospitalization. Every year Fisher House serves more than 8,500 military families.

As we send our thoughts and prayers to all our troops and their families, and express thanks for the sacrifices they make on our behalf every day, I ask that you consider supporting the Fisher House Foundation by clicking here:

As the headlines disappear for those affected by the hurricanes and their aftermath, the suffering continues. Tens of thousands are still scattered across the country in temporary housing.

We need to rebuild. We must provide homes for those affected and rebuild the communities that have been torn apart. Habitat for Humanity has been instrumental in building new homes for those who lost everything this past fall.

Habitat for Humanity is the American community at its best -- people coming together to achieve a common goal for the common good. Please consider helping them continue their vital work by volunteering with your local chapter or making a contribution
here:

All of us at the Democratic Party wish you and your family a happy and safe holiday season.

Thank you,

Governor Howard Dean, M.D.

Also, please read about Rep. John Conyers' effort to censure and impeach "Our Kid," as Brendan calls him.

Posting will be sporadic into the first week of January. Thanks for hanging in there.

God Bless Us Every One, Even Him

In response to this item from The Huffington Post, I would like to republish these words from New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof:

Let us all pray for Bill O'Reilly.

Let us pray that Mr. O'Reilly will understand that the Christmas spirit isn't about hectoring people to say "Merry Christmas," rather than "Happy Holidays," but about helping the needy.

Let us pray that Mr. O'Reilly will use his huge audience and considerable media savvy to save lives and fight genocide, instead of to vilify those he disagrees with. Let him find inspiration in Jesus, rather than in the Assyrians.

Finally, let's pray that Mr. O'Reilly and other money-changers in the temple will donate the funds they raise exploiting Christmas - covering the nonexistent "War on Christmas" rakes in viewers and advertising - to feed the hungry and house the homeless.

Amen.

And please, please, please, PLEASE Mr. O'Reilly, don't forget me!

(By the way, my guess it that this great column by Hendrik Hertzberg did it.)

For The Love Of America

As we prepare for the holidays, I think it’s time for all of us to reflect on our country in general and our government in particular. Yes, I know I do that regularly here, as do any of you who choose to read this content.

In the spirit of the season, I would ask that we temporarily suspend any rancor and ill will towards people we view as adversaries (well, not for too long I guess, especially since Atrios found a quote from Dubya dated April of last year stating categorically that he would not conduct wiretaps on American citizens without court approval, and also because other sites (most notably the L.A. Times) have reported that the New York Times knew about the wiretaps by Bush before last year’s presidential election, but chose not to report it at the time.

OK, that’s it; sorry I got off track. Now, it’s back to “playing nice, goodwill towards men,” etc.

I think we should all be looking for ways to improve our government, and this presidential administration in particular. That is necessary because, based on the most recent information I can find, President Bush (trying to afford a measure of respect here…I may need to slap myself to stay focused) received no “bounce” whatsoever from his most recent speeches on Iraq.

So here is what I have in mind – I’m just going to “throw it out there” and see if it flourishes, moults, or gets run over by a panic stampede.

MR. PRESIDENT, YOU’VE GOT TO GET US SOME BABES!

Short of your resignation or impeachment, that is the BEST POSSIBLE solution to the problems facing you at this moment (and how pathetic is THAT?). You and your handlers fancy yourselves as masters of spin, dictating the language and controlling the pictures to create an impression that puts you in the best possible light (generally anyway, with some glaring exceptions, especially recently).

Oh, and by the way, please have Karl Rove leave the room immediately. What I will ask in this post is something that requires independent action on your part, which I realize is something he will never allow.

I know the immediate ramifications of any action taken on your part based on my suggestion. Basically, James Dobson, Gary Bauer, Ralph Reed, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell and the other Pharisees who support you would immediately call for an intervention followed by a burning of you in effigy in anticipation of actual physical violence against your person. That is why it is critical that you make any announcements related to this idea outside of the continental United States.

I also know that the individuals I just mentioned have an awful lot to do with your installation as President and persuading their like-minded, blinkered, intellectually emasculated flock of red state sheep to vote for you again in 2004. Basically, without them, you’d be driving your “RV” into a ditch in Crawford somewhere after too much “Dickel Brothers Sour Mash” (oops…sorry; stop it! Bad doomsy, bad doomsy – pardon me while I chastise myself). With this in mind, I ask that you recall the potential for greatness that somewhere could possibly exist in your administration and what it could take to achieve it (more than anything that could be summoned in the entire cosmos, I’m sure, but I’m trying anyway). I’m only asking that you somehow make an attempt to follow in the path of your predecessors for the sake of posterity.

President Eisenhower worked with the Democratic senate (led by Lyndon Johnson) in the 1950s to create civil rights legislation. Bill Clinton gave the Republican congress virtually everything they wanted in supporting NAFTA. Hell, even Nixon (one of the all-time-leading anti Communists) went to China (and, as far as we know, he didn’t even call in anywhere for “take out”).

What I’m saying to you, Mr. President, is that you have to show some “leadership” (a frightening concept, I know). To do that, you must bridge divides and make peace of a sort with those who hate you (well, only a few at a time anyway, since we’re talking about half the country at this point).

Your followers will accuse you of some kind of Clintonian sellout if you start populating your government with supermodels and uber-gorgeous female personalities. But doing something like this will show that you know how to learn from your “betters.” It will mark your transformation into a leader who many more people will take seriously from now on. I know you've taken a step in that direction already with Condi Rice and her "angry, black dominatrix" thing, but you need to do more, sir. You need to do so much more.

Some will be shocked. Some will be mortified. Some will ask, “What took so long?” Still others will no doubt climb to the top of Robert Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral and take a swan dive into the next world (probably not one where they want to go, knowing them vaguely as I do).

I mean, let’s look at some of your current cabinet members. Your Commerce Secretary is a man named Carlos Gutierrez, about whom I know virtually nothing. I have a feeling that he’s skilled and eminently qualified. Get rid of him and bring on Paris Hilton instead.

Hey, she started a little internet cottage industry by making that porn video of hers. I’d say she knows more about commerce than some government lifer or “K” street lobbyist.


You labor secretary is Elaine Chao, who typically dresses and looks like a person selling insurance. Give her the boot and tab Britney Spears for the job. Actually, I’d let Spears have her child first before you do anything (yeah, I know…what a cheap joke about labor). The only person whom Chao could appeal to in a similar fashion would be a middle aged Asian man who longs to feel stirrings in his nether regions once more as he purchases a term life policy.


I can think of at least two other reasons why Spears would be a good fit. One is that she’s going to need some kind of a steady job after she has to play sugar momma to her man whore husband in the divorce settlement (I sometimes wonder how Kevin Federline could have pulled this off, but the only reason I can think of is scatological in nature and not appropriate for this site). Another is that she deserves a payoff from your administration for her totally vacuous show of gum-chewing support to Michael Moore in “Fahrenheit 9/11.”


Another way to improve the scenery is to appoint Jessica Simpson as the new head of the FCC as opposed to the Dobsonite zombie currently taking up space in that position. She knows just how much to show her rack and shake her cans within the limits of decency in that video for “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’,” the lame cover of the 60s hit by Nancy Sinatra, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s the only qualification that she needs.

So there you have it, Mr. President. Ensure your place in history for what thus far has been a mistake of a presidency by making some “eye candy” part of the equation. Besides, I’ve inadvertently received all kinds of Email generated by Repug sympathizers pointing out how conservative women are hotter than liberal women. Well, try “walking the walk” as long as you guys can “talk the talk,” OK?

Thank you, sir, and Seasons Greetings you, the missus, and your non-serving-in-Iraq daughters.

P.S. – If this post doesn’t give my “hit count” a spike, then I might as well give up.