Randi Rhodes posted these photos of the midshipmen at The Naval Academy and their reaction to Bush's repackaging of the war in Iraq. Yawwwwnnnnnn.
My favorite line from Bush's speech: "The Iraqis know their culture and they know their language." Duh! How moronic is that?

The Famous Black List

Bummer! We're not on Bill O'Reilly's black list yet! That's what I really want for Christmas!

P.S. I love the wreath on his website!

How the Grinch stole Liberal Talk Radio

Well, now we're back to one liberal station in San Antonio. Clear Channel has changed the format of 92.5. Merry Christmas. Bah Humbug.

This Week on the Daily Show

Monday, 11/28: Adrien Brody, actor, "King Kong"

Tuesday, 11/29: Peggy Noonan, author, "John Paul the Great: Remembering a Spiritual Father"

Wednesday, 11/30: Rep. Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader

Thursday, 12/01: The White Stripes, musicians

VTex's Personal Hero Speaks Out

Bill Moyers speaks of his battle against the gigantic Republican machine.

Another Repug Bites the Dust

The newest poster child for the party of moral values--Randy "Duke" Cunningham.

The Quotable Sahl

"Liberals feel unworthy of their possessions. Conservatives feel they deserve everything they've stolen."
Mort Sahl

As a Democrat, I'm thankful for....

I'm stealing this idea from The Bill Press Show.

I am thankful for the following:

Jean Schmidt is not MY representative.
Jack Murtha is a representative for the people of the U.S.
We have liberal talk radio.
Bill Clinton is more trusted than George Bush!
Our party doesn't preach hatred of those who are different.
The Democrats' collective voice is growing ever louder every day.


That's my small list as we begin to celebrate Thanksgiving. I've opened the comments so that anybody can leave one. All you gotta do is hit the comments link right under this post, sign on as other (and give yourself a fun name) or sign on as anonymous, or as your blogger username if you have one. Then type in your comment, type the funny word at the bottom of the page, then click publish. Come on! Give it a try. Commenting is a fun way for everyone to interact.


Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

The Schmidt Head Lied

What a surprise! Another lie from a Republican jackass. Check it out on HuffingtonPost

This Week on the Daily Show

All three shows are repeats:

Monday, 11/21: Keira Knightley, actor, Pride and Prejudice

Tuesday, 11/22: Senator Barack Obama, D-IL

Wednesday, 11/23: Senator John McCain, R-AZ

Happy Thanksgiving

The look on his face is priceless!

Have y'all seen this hilarious photo of George Bush?

Good News for Salinas, CA

The lost library of Salinas, California, has been returned to the hometown of John Steinbeck, thanks to a recently approved tax measure saving the library.
That's good news, not just for Salinas, but for all of us who really value our libraries.

"Cooler than Malkovich"

Several years ago I saw a John Cusack for President website, followed it for a while, then lost it. I suppose it was tongue in cheek, not really serious; my thoughts at the time were more 'Paul Newman for President'. But about a week ago I read a blog on the HuffingtonPost by the actor and tried to imagine "W" writing anything comparable, and failed miserably. So I googled Cusack for President and found an old BBC article that made me think: "Why Not"?.
The old Cusack site gave four reasons why he should be president: "He made the tough decisions in Grosse Pointe Blank. He couldn't be bought in Eight Men Out. He's cooler than John Malkovich. And we like his politics so far." I'm not a huge movie fan, but I'll bet his more recent roles have proven him even better presidential material.
Knowing that I will jump from candidate to candidate between now and the 2008 elections, today I say, John Cusack for President!

White House Plays Chicken with a War Hero

Great op-ed piece about Murtha vs. the Chicken Hawks in the Boston Globe.

Bill Clinton's Still Got It!

I'm sure Prince George just loves hearing about this. I wonder what kind of former president he'll become? Let's hope it has something to do with an orange jumpsuit.

Republicans pull a stunt that shows their callousness

I've watched C-Span for the past three hours as Congress debated on a resolution that supports the immediate withdrawal of our troops in Iraq. Don't worry--we're not immediately withdrawing. It was a very instructional evening in many ways, including the discovery of just how delusional the Republicans are. I am SO tired of hearing about how we're fighting for freedom and democracy. How many of us believe this old argument? Iraq was in no way a threat to us, and yet we have created a terrorist stronghold. When Prince George and his yes men tell us that we must get the job done, they neglect to tell us just what that job is. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Letter Writers' Paradise

If you like writing angry letters to editors, but you don't know where to send them, go to this site and find yourself in heaven. The site doesn't mention the Boerne Star or The View, but you can find other local and national papers.

Get Your Name on Bill O'Reilly's Blacklist!

Arianna Huffington's Blog has provided a nifty little page on which you can add your name, so that Bill O'Reilly knows who his enemies are! He apparently thinks the lefties are out to get him. Let's let him know we are! He's vile, disgusting, obnoxious, and an outright liar. His radio and talk show should be considered air pollution.

Dirty Libby
Richard Bradley
November 17, 2005

I don’t normally associate bestiality with Republicans, because they screw poor people more than animals. But in Scooter Libby’s case, one has to make an exception....Libby’s 1996 novel, The Apprentice, which chronicles the depraved training of a Japanese prostitute...So the fact that Dick Cheney’s closest confidante scripted a work featuring bestiality, rape and general licentiousness would seem to constitute hypocrisy in the GOP’s war against immorality—lashing out against others’ smut and sin while profiting off them yourself.

But then, it’s hardly the only such example. Here are a few more.

Despite years of speaking out against gambling, Ralph Reed, former head of the Christian Coalition, recently admitted that he had taken more than $1 million in fees from lobbyists representing Indian casinos.
Conservative White House “reporter” Jeff Gannon turned out to be a former gay hooker.
Rupert Murdoch, the owner of conservative Fox News and the New York Post, is also part-owner of DirecTV, which makes millions distributing pornography. Illinois GOP candidate Jack Ryan dropped out of a race for U.S. Senate after disclosures that he had pressured his former wife, the actress Jeri Ryan, to go to sex clubs with him.
Lynne Cheney is the author of Sisters, a 1981 potboiler described by USA Today as including “brothels, attempted rapes, and a lesbian love affair.”...
The list could go on (Strom Thurmond, anyone?...The GOP bills itself as the party of family values, and in a hundred different ways imposes its moralistic judgments about sex and reproduction on the American people...And all the while the party’s most powerful members live by a double-standard of personal vice and ill-gotten gain.

Of course, hypocrisy on the part of individuals doesn’t entirely negate a morality platform. But at the least, it does suggest that some of the most powerful proponents of “family values” are deeply cynical about that aspect of the Republican agenda. They feel free to impose these values on others even while making a mockery of them in their own lives.
full article

A Freaky Thing Happened on the Way back From Watergate

Bob Woodward of Woodward and Bernstein is now a part of PlameGate? What the heck is going on? First, he helps bring down a president, and then thirty years later, he may bring down another, but this time it looks like he's one of the players.

Rush wants to make money off our troops. He will send a newsletter to a member of the military if you, the consumer, pay Rush $50.00! This is sick!

Circus Maximus

Abuse Included Use of Lions, Iraqis Allege

Ex-Detainees Say Troops Also Used Mock Executions

According to the Washington Post two Iraqi men who were arrested in Iraq in 2003 but never charged with crimes say that U.S. troops put them in a cage with lions, pretended to execute them in a firing line and humiliated them during interrogations at multiple detention facilities.

Our administration is sending Muslims to the lions and sent the poor and elderly (in New Orleans) to the Superdome to suffer and/or die, is planning on cutting food stamps and cut heating assistance for this winter. Anybody remember the history of the Roman Empire?

More outrage from the Drug-Addled Gasbag

Go to this link to read about the latest crass action by Rush Limbaugh.

November 14, 2005
Spain Looks Into C.I.A.'s Handling of Detainees
By STEPHEN GREY and RENWICK McLEAN
LONDON, Nov. 11 - On the Spanish island of Majorca, the police quietly opened a criminal investigation in March after a local newspaper reported a series of visits to the island's international airport by planes known to regularly operate for the Central Intelligence Agency.

Now, it has emerged that an investigative judge in Palma has ordered the police inquiry to be sent to Spain's national court, to consider whether the C.I.A. was routing planes carrying terrorism suspects through Majorca as part of its so-called rendition program.

Under that system, the United States has bypassed normal extradition procedures to secretly transfer at least 100 suspects to third countries where, according to allegations by human rights groups and former detainees themselves, some of the suspects have been tortured.

The program is the focus of a number of European investigations. Spain is the third country in Europe to open a judicial inquiry into potential criminal offenses committed by C.I.A. operatives related to renditions. The other two are Germany and Italy. Last week, related investigations were started by the European Union and the Council of Europe to look into reports of secret C.I.A. jails for terrorism suspects in Eastern Europe.

This Week on the Daily Show

Monday, 11/14: Martha Stewart, head of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

Tuesday, 11/15: Rosario Dawson, actor, "Rent"

Wednesday, 11/16: John Hodgman, author, "The Areas of My Expertise"

Thursday, 11/17: Richard Clarke, former U.S. National Security Council advisor

Murrow Movie Review

A blogger over at DailyKos gives a rave review on the new movie about Edward R. Murrow.

Abramoff Tentacles Even Embraced Cornyn

Man, this Jack Abramoff character has had his fingers in all kinds of deals! Now it looks as though he got Texas Attorney General John Cornyn to do his dirty work for him in 2001 and 2002. Cornyn is now one of our jackass Republican senators. Read all about it here in the Austin American Statesman.

Bill the Shrill Shill

No matter what Bill O'Reilly says on his radio and tv shows, we all know that he's a total whack job. I can't believe it's ok in America to just spew idiotic venom.
Go to the link above and read what Billy Boy and his pals have been up to of late.

Pat Robertson--What a putz!

Stephanie Miller refers to him as Evil Uncle Chuckles! It's so fitting. Here's an article about his recent outrage. Again--what a putz.

Make no mistake--it's a quagmire

A column from Common Dreams.

We can put that pesky little torture issue to bed now

Here's a great op ed piece about Bush's declaration that "we do not torture." Uh huh, yeah, right.

Repeat after me....

This is from The Agonist:

The President is a liar. The Democrats did not have the same intelligence as the White House did.

And that's all any Democrat has to say. Don't try to explain it. Don't let the Republicans misdirect you into the details or distract you in any way. Just keep hammering the same line over and over and over because the public already knows it's true: The President is misleading the American people. The Democrats did not have the same intelligence as the White House did.

Rinse and repeat all the way to 2006.

A Magazine's Pledge

The weekly magazine 'The Nation' pledges not to support any candidate who does not make a speedy end to the war in Iraq an issue in his or her campaign. As the 2006 elections near the magazine will keep its readers up to date on where the candidates stand on the war, believing that electing anti-war leaders is the only way to save America's security and honor.
The current administration has brought danger and dishonor on us all and I hope that other national magazines and newspapers will follow 'The Nation' in its effort. Many of us will be watching.....and reading.

Dubya to remember Veterans at Tobyhanna

Dubya will speak at Tobyhanna Army Depot smack dab in the middle of the Poconos in PA. It's in the middle of nowhere, and according to the website Tobyhanna Army Depot is the largest employer in the region. Total employment at the installation is approximately 4,300. That's civilian workers (although, in fairness, the website notes that 49% of the workforce consists of veterans). Why in the world would Dubya speak to a bunch of civlians on Veteran's Day?

To my fellow Veterans, thank you for your service.

Another Dem Comes Clean on the War

John Edwards now joins the pack of Dems who are finally saying what they should have said a year ago! Let's hope more of them grow some big brass ones.

Republicans reject drilling in Alaska. Wow!

Now this is pretty interesting. Bush's King Midas touch now turns all his idiotic ideas into tarnished pieces of fool's gold. There was a time when everything he wanted just magically happened. That ain't so no mo!

A Youthful Indiscretion?

Once again we discover that Bush's buddies always have a dark side! Now Alito has been found out. He lied about how he would deal with any conflicts of interest in his courtroom.

Bye Bye Judy

Judith Miller has left the building--and the Times.

I Become A Mass Transit Guy

A co-worker friend of mine rushes into my office yesterday and says "Hey, I just rode the Via Express Route from 281 and 1604!" They dropped him off two blocks from where we work, and he strolled into work, having read the newspaper he rarely gets to properly read. My interest was piqued.

So if you didn't click on the blue item above--shame on you--I'll explain. San Antonio's transit company, Via Metropolitan Transit Company, now offers four different routes from various places on 1604 or I-35 to downtown. They have very few stops, depending on which route you take, and which bus within that route.

"What's it cost?" I asked.
"20 bucks a month; unlimited rides."

Mmm...$20 a month. I headed over to the Via Transit headquarters on San Pedro and laid my money down for a month pass.

I've got a 16 mile-per-gallon gas-hog pickem-up truck and on my particular commute, I figure I can shave 24 of my 63 miles-per-day round trip by riding the express line. The part of my drive that's the most difficult, the most stress-inducing, and the worst gas mileage for my truck happens to be the part I'd shave off by taking the bus.

So I found my way to the Park and Ride lot below I-10 and 1604. I wasn't there five minutes before the bus arrived and I joined what ended up being about 18 downtown-bound commuters. My day didn't go without a hitch though. My co-worker's optimistic reporting about being let off two blocks from work was accurate, but only for his particular route. My route gets no closer than about 8 blocks. I walked to and from the bus stop this morning, and while it was humid and sultry, it was a very pleasant walk. I'd never walked through the new courtyard at San Fernando Cathedral. I walked beneath the massive trees at the plaza in front of the old Courthouse. And then across the ornate Houston Street bridge over the River Walk.

Would I do this in the summertime? Forget it! Too hot. But for now, I think I'm going to enjoy this. While I rode on the bus I was able to chew up three chapters on the Maureen Dowd book I'm reading. When it was over and done and I got in my pickup to head toward Boerne, I joined the traffic and was immediately aware of something different. It took a minute to put my finger on it, but I finally figured it out: I wasn't stressed. Usually by the time I'm passing Fiesta Texas I'm wound up in knots after having dodged the gauntlet of bad drivers and merging trucks from Huebner through 1604. That stress just wasn't there today.

This Kendall County Democrat is urging you to consider this new offering by Via. It's easy to talk about doing the right thing for the environment, and embracing the idea of mass transit. Actually doing so means breaking bad habits and putting out a little effort. I can report that at this point, the effort's been worth putting out.

A Sad Day for Texans

It galls me to live in a state that legalizes bigotry.

One screening is with the SAAPAC group, where I will attend because I know many of the former Deaniacs in this group.
You can RSVP here

SAAPAC Movie Night (San Antonio, TX)
WHEN: November 19, 2005 07:00 PM
TICKET PRICE: FREE
DETAILS: The San Antonio Area Progressive Action Coalition is pleased to present this movie for our monthly movie night. We will have music about Wal-Mart from songwriters living in a Canadian town that has been fighting Wal-Mart for ten years. There are always snacks, interesting people and a lively discussion period after the movie. Our movie poster can be found at: http://saapac.org/MovieNight.htm.

WHERE:
Bethany Congregational Church 500 Pilgrim at Panda inside Loop 410.
San Antonio, TX 78201

DIRECTIONS: From Loop 410 exit at Vance Jackson and go south and make a right turn onto Pilgrim. Go 1 block to the Bethany Congregational Church on the left. From IH 10 exit Vance Jackson and go north/east to Pilgrim. Turn left on Pilgrim and go 1 block to Bethany Congregational Church on the left.

The Trashing of Joe Wilson escalates

The desperation and lack of principles these a-holes are demonstrating is embarrassing and disgusting.

This Week on the Daily Show

Monday, 11/07: Senator Barack Obama (!!!), D-IL

Tuesday, 11/08: Senator John McCain, R-AZ

Wednesday, 11/09: Keira Knightley, actor, Pride and Prejudice

Thursday, 11/10: Chris Elliot, actor & author of "The Shroud of the Thwacker"

"Love Thy Neighbor" is a Taxing Issue for CA church

The Bush Nazis are at it again!

Get "Behind" a Real Protest!

I only wish I had the nerve! Let us know if you go and get behind this cause.

Real Time with Bill Maher

Tonight's the last episode of this season. We won't be seeing him again til February.

Go to HBO for more information about the show tonight.

He's On His Way to the Bottom

Bush's numbers are getting more awful everyday.

The Colbert Report is deemed a Hit!

Read here.

Obama's 'Yes We Can' Hopefund

From
The Fix
By Chris Cillizza
Posted at 03:55 PM ET, 11/ 2/2005



Obama Builds a Farm Team
Further polishing his credentials for a potential national run down the line, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is planing to use his new leadership political action committee to fund a school to train new campaign workers who can support Democratic candidates around the country.


Sen. Obama wants to train the next generation of Democratic leaders. Obama's Hopefund PAC will focus on recruiting young African Americans and Latinos for the training program as part of his "Yes We Can" initiative, according to Robert Gibbs, a spokesman for the senator. Hopefund will partner with EMILY's List, which has significant experience in staff training, to get the campaign school off the ground. Gibbs said the first training session would be in January with several subsequent sessions planned for the remainder of 2006. The program will be run out of Washington, D.C. (Here's the Chicago Sun-Times piece on the training effort.)

Formed early this year, Hopefund PAC has had little trouble raising money, not surprising given Obama's near rock-star persona among Democrats nationwide. (Click here to read the New Yorker's treatment of Obama.) In its first six months of existence, Hopefund raised $852,000 and donated nearly $100,000 to a cavalcade of colleagues and other politicians seeking office in 2006. At the end of June, Hopefund had $445,000 in the bank.

The formation of this campaign training school is one of a number of small steps the first-term senator has taken since coming into office in January to cement his status as a national figure in the party. He has signed a bevy of fundraising appeals for individual senators, including a Moveon.org-organized appeal for Sen. Robert Byrd (W.Va.) that raked in $800,000 in less than three days.

Obama has politely deflected questions about his future political ambitions. He seems a very unlikely presidential candidate in 2008, with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) already casting her considerable shadow over the field. But if Democrats fail to win back the White House in three years time, get ready for chants of Obama 2012.

Don't Forget Tonight's Dem Meeting

The KCDC is meeting tonight at 7pm in the Boerne ISD Admin Bldg on Johns Rd. Two of our Washington Warriors will be making a presentation about their experiences at the Nation's Capital during this crazy, crazy awakening of the American people. Be sure to come out and see it.

P.S. There should be some good little snacks as well!

CNN gets rid of Aaron Brown

Anderson Cooper replaces Aaron Brown.

A Cute Liberated-Woman Joke

A couple goes on vacation to a fishing resort in northern Minnesota . The husband likes to fish at the crack of dawn. The wife likes to read. One morning, the husband returns after several hours of fishing and decides to take a nap. Although not familiar with the lake, the wife decides to take the boat out. She motors out a short distance, anchors, and continues to read her book.

Along comes a game warden in his boat. He pulls up alongside the woman and says, "Good morning Ma'am. What are you doing?"
"Reading a book," she replies (thinking, "Isn't that obvious?").
"You're in a restricted fishing area," he informs her.
"I'm sorry officer, but I'm not fishing, I'm reading."
"Yes, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment. I'll have to take you in and write you up."
"If you do that, I'll have to charge you with sexual assault," says the woman.
"But I haven't even touched you," says the game warden.
"That's true, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment."
"Have a nice day ma'am", he said, and left.

Hat Tip to Carla of Boerne

We Need a Hero!

Won't somebody please step forward and run against this abomination named Bonilla?


"CONGRESSMEN SWEENEY AND WHITFIELD - GOOD FOR HORSES AND DEMOCRACY

October 29, 2005 (Washington, D.C.) - First introduced by
Representatives John Sweeney (R-NY), John Spratt (D-SC), Ed Whitfield
(R-KY) and Nick Rahall (D-WV) in June, the 'Horse Slaughter
Amendment' passed the US House of Representatives by a sweeping vote
of 269-158. It later passed the US Senate by 69-28 thanks to the
leadership of its sponsors Senator John Ensign (R-NV) and Senator
Robert C. Byrd (D-WV). The amendment is intended to temporarily end
horse slaughter through a prohibition on funding for regulatory
duties associated with horse slaughter.

Despite these overwhelming votes and strong public opposition to
horse slaughter, the 'Horse Slaughter Amendment' was assaulted
earlier this week when certain higher-ups in Congress, including
Agriculture Appropriations Conference Committee Chairman Henry
Bonilla (R-TX), vowed to axe the language as it went through its
final stages on Capitol Hill.

'The House and Senate overwhelmingly voted for my amendment. Yet
isolated, special interests ruled the day by allowing the will of
Congress to be disregarded. I am deeply disappointed that our
Leadership allowed a backroom provision to be included after the
voice of Congress was clearly heard,' Congressman Sweeney said. 'This
type of blatant disregard for the rule of order in Congress and the
will of the people is unconscionable. I am committed to ending the
gruesome slaughter of horses and resolve to keep up the fight until
we achieve victory.'

More than 65,000 horses were slaughtered in America last year at
three foreign-owned plants. Tens of thousands more were exported and
slaughtered abroad. Meat processed in the United States is shipped to
Europe and Asia for human consumption."

A Sad Anniversary

One year ago today....you know what happened. I don't need to tell you.

Harry Reid is the new Hero of our Cause!

Go to Crook and Liars for all the video of Harry Reid's impressive move on the Hill today. I'm just wild about Harry!