This Week on the Daily Show

Monday, June 30 -- Ted Koppel, Journalist

Tuesday, July 1 -- Steve Carrell, Actor "Get Smart"

Wednesday, July 2 -- David Iglesias, Former U.S. Attorney

Thursday, July 3 -- Mike Myers, Actor "The Love Guru"

This Week on the Daily Show

Watch Jon's interviews with the late, great George Carlin

Monday, June 23 -- James McAvoy-- Actor, "Wanted"

Tuesday, June 24 -- TBD

Wednesday, June 24 -- Coldplay -- Musical guests, "Vida, la Vida"

Thursday, June 25 -- Ted Koppel -- Journalist

John Cornyn: Warmed-Over GW Bush

A video was shown recently at Texas' State Republican Convention about Senator John Cornyn.
This Cornyn cowboy lovefest video is wrong on so many levels it's hard to know where to begin. But what bothers me most about it is that it's polar opposites to the humility you'd find in a real cowboy. It's 2 & 1/2 minutes of unbridled (which is funny, given the cowboy motif) self-aggrandizement. He's produced a video which positions himself as legendarily BIG. Humble. Fair. American. And Big John takes on the Republicans' oldest whipping boy: congress. With a cowboy hat on, and on horseback no less. With a fringed leather jacket.

I work in television, and I can tell you that ad easily cost more than $100,000 to produce. It's graphic intensive, which means an artist developed a look and style, and spent days at a computer to do so. There were pre-production meetings wherein the look was presented to Cornyn and/or his people for them to sign off on. It's my guess that Cornyn loved the idea of making himself look like a bigger-n-life mythical cowboy.

A theme song (a ripoff of that old song from eons ago) was written and produced and recorded in a studio with musicians and singers, and probably a royalty to pay to someone's heirs. It was shot in various locations by a TV crew, then ingested into editors and someone spent days putting that together.

This monstrosity of a production was all done so that John Cornyn could look like some cowboy. Didn't we learn our lesson that people who act like cowboys make shitty politicians??

Flooding in Midwest

My family in Iowa were spared, barely, from the flooding. What is the bigger issue than my family? Failure of our government to monitor and repair old infrastructure. It's a shame that levees failed again. Levees that should have been and could have been better maintained. Now, we see families, business and entire communities destroyed, and we can expect rising prices for food. Of course, these prices will be further escalated by the futures markets, and we will suffer the consequences of that while our Congress sits on its derriere.

Info on the extent of the flooding, from my favorite weather man, Dr. Jeff McMasters:

Preliminary damage estimates from the June 2008 Midwest flood puts agricultural damage in Iowa alone at $1.0 billion. At least another $1.0 billion in property damage has likely occurred--$762 million of that in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The price tag is sure to grow, as many locations downstream are facing record flood heights this week. Levee overtopping is possible in at least 28 locations along the Mississippi River and its tributaries in the coming days, according to the Army Corp of Engineers. This year's flooding is one of the ten most damaging non-hurricane flood events in the U.S. since 1980, according to the list of billion dollar weather disasters maintained by the National Climatic Data Center. The damage from this year's flood will not come close to the record $26.7 billion in damage from the catastrophic 1993 flood, though.

Jeff McMasters wunderblog

The HBO series John Adams

My favorite lines so far:

As the Continental Congress meets, and is hesitant to declare war, John and Abigail Adams have this conversation:

Abigail Adams: Send a woman to the Congress. She might knock some sense into them.

John Adams: This is not a question of men and women Abigail. This is a matter of politics.

Abigail: Politics. Politics?

John: Mmm.

Abigail: And do women not live politics John Adams? When I go to the cupboard and I find no coffee, no sugar, no pins and no meat, am I not living politics?

Close GITMO!

McClatchy Papers article

America's prison for terrorists often held the wrong men
By Tom Lasseter | McClatchy Newspapers

Mohammed Akhtiar was washing his hands at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp when fellow prisoners crept up behind him and smashed him in the head with a metal mop squeezer. The assailants knew something the U.S. military didn't — Akhtiar was no terrorist bent on attacking the United States, but an active opponent of Afghanistan's al Qaida-allied Taliban regime.

Guantanamo was supposed to house the "worst of the worst." But a McClatchy investigation that included interviews with 66 former detainees on three continents found that dozens of the men imprisoned there — and maybe hundreds — were no threat at all, and some in the U.S. government knew it.

For your reading and viewing pleasure

This book is excellent and I suggest you read it before seeing the HBO movie John Adams. It is not crucial that you read the book first, but I think it helps.




Movie..John Adams, best price so far found on amazon.com. This HBO series is not to be missed! Spellbinding!

Pie and Politics, Bear Moon Bakery in Boerne June 17

What an election year! On the local level we have a candidate, Daniel Boone running .

Daniel Boone, Candidate for the Texas House of Representatives, will be in Boerne on Tuesday, June 17th for Pie and Politics at 7:00 p.m. at the Bear Moon Bakery. A retired Air Force Lt. Col. of more than 26 years, Dan is a fiscal conservative and an advocate of public education and alternative energy and water resources. He believes in local control because people in their communities know best what their concerns and issues are. He will be at the Bear Moon to hear from you. Please come out and enjoy an evening of good baked goods and good conversation.

Please call 210-240-6565 or 830-935-4504 for additional information.
Robbi Boone, Campaign Manager

Please come out and support him.

Oil prices, dark markets, ENRON-like deals

Our young people, can't afford the gas to go to work, and buy groceries. Ask around and you will hear their horror stories. Yet, nobody is protesting in the streets. Why? Ignorance of the facts. I have put a few facts together to get you started on looking up more on the subject. Your next job....support the farm bill, and tell your state and federal legislators that you want something done about oil prices, you want the ENRON loophole closed!

From Oil Watchdog:

If I told you that Venezuela's crackpot leader Hugo Chavez is responsible for crude oil hitting $100 a barrel in futures trading today, would you believe me? I hope not. But the speculators who drove up the price are pointing wildly at Chavez's spat with Exxon, at a refinery fire in Texas and at OPEC. Meantime the hedge fund speculators are hauling in dough, with a big side benefit for oil company profits. You and I and the national economy pay the price.

We'll never know exactly how the trick was pulled off, or by who, because so much energy trading is done in unregulated markets created by the corporate criminals of Enron. Congress has in its hands a partial cure for the speculative excess. If lawmakers don't have the guts to act now, closing the loophole opened by Enron, they should have their heads handed to them by consumers. http://www.oilwatchdog.org/articles/?storyId=18735

There is so much more to read about this....and when you do you will come to the realization that we, the lowly American citizens, the "proles" (you did read 1984 didn't you?), the proletariat, the dumb and mooing masses, are being screwed to the wall by the corporations and their shills in the White House and in our Congress.


The sponsors of the Farm Bill, Democratic Senators Harkin, Stabenow, Baucus, Conrad, Leahy and Lincoln; Republican Senators Chambliss, Grassley, Cochran, Roberts. This farm bill has a provision in it to close the "ENRON loophole."

Regulating the markets... From the Oil and Gas Journal,


Senate to FTC, CFTC: police markets aggressively

Two federal regulatory agencies are moving too timidly in response to record crude oil prices, US Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) said during a Senate committee hearing on energy market manipulation and federal regulatory regimes.

Cantwell will press both the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to regulate oil and commodity markets more aggressively, Cantwell said following the June 3 Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing, which she chaired.

She wants FTC to issue an interim rule under the oil market investigation and regulation authority it received under the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act while it completes its formal regulatory rulemaking process.

She also intends to continue pressuring CFTC to revoke "no action" letters issued by its staff that allow electronic exchanges operating outside US borders to continue trading West Texas Intermediate crude oil and related commodities without being directly regulated, Cantwell said.

"Our oil futures markets were substantially deregulated by CFTC staff decisions that were made behind closed doors," she said in her opening statement.

This Week on the Daily Show

Monday, June 9 -- Jim Webb, Senator

Tuesday, June 10 -- Ralph Reed, Author, "Dark Horse"

Wednesday, June 11 -- Rick Shenkman, Author, "Just How Stupid Are We?"

Thursday, June 12 -- Richard Engel, Journalist

More convention news forgot to add to previous post

Claire Oxley was nominated to the platform committee and they did a bang-up job. It is very well crafted and concise. A wonderful statement of who we are and what we believe.

Also, Kendall county is sending their first ever delegate (in living memory) to the national convention in Denver! Brian will be our representative.
Congratulations Brian!

Those of you have attended an convention before will realize what a coup this really is!

Now....we start planning a fundraiser to get Brian to Denver.

2008 Democratic Convention in Austin

This is a quick post. I got home one hour ago from Austin, 0030 hrs (12:30 am), and I left before the at large delegates were announced. At 2115 hrs (9:15 pm) we were told it would be several more hours until the at large committee would be finished. Rep. Kirk Watson, was still in good humor at that hour, and kept the dwindling crowd's interest. That was when I decided that if I did not leave then, I would not have the energy or mental capacity to drive home to Boerne! If this post makes little sense, my apologies, I am exhausted, as are the rest of our delegation.

This was, by far, the most strenuous convention I have attended, both mentally and physically. More later on that....

Here are some photos:

Dinner the night before the convention


Check in....minus the line....we were done checking in




John Courage, our "fearless leader" for SD 25



Front row seats on the convention floor! That is Devin peaking out from behind the sign.


Rick Noriega


Chelsea Clinton


More later....

Most importantly here are the percentages from the convention, for preference:
Clinton 42.7%
Obama 57.3%

Hillary's Magnificent Speech

As I began my day I looked forward to Hillary conceding so that our party could move forward. What I DID NOT foresee was how emotional I would become as she spoke about women and how far they have come. I began sobbing when she spoke of 80- and 90-year-old women who were born before women could vote. It really hurt my heart that many of them would die before they would ever have the opportunity to vote for a female again. I'm happy with the outcome of the primary season, but as a woman, I feel the pain of missed opportunities. But, as Hillary says, it's imperative to get a Democrat into the White House--and that's what we all should be focusing on now!

Kendall County delegates off to the convention

We are on our way on Thursday, ready to hit the convention trail. More news to come about the "goings on" at the convention in Austin.
WATCH THIS SPACE for news and photos from Austin from your intrepid blogger, progressivegrannie.

Should be fun, interesting and ... well, we will see.

Our early anniversary present

Almost one year ago, we volunteered for Barack Obama's event in San Antonio. We were excited about our candidate and we worked hours in the hot sun parking cars for Obama's event. It was our 35th wedding anniversary. Following the event, Barack Obama met with the volunteers and when told it was our 35th wedding anniversary, he congratulated us, and signed my shirt.

Now almost one year later, he is the presumptive nominee for our party! We are so excited, what a great 36th wedding anniversary present! Go Barack!

Leave it to Fox News!

I'm watching all the coverage on this historic night as a black American is the apparent nominee of the Democratic party...and we finally bounce over to Fox News to see how they're covering things. The 3-way conversation was being facilitated by Alan Colmes, the smart yet namby-pamby co-anchor of Hannity and Colmes...and the Republicans were represented by Oklahoman and normal-looking guy Frank Keating. So who's representing Democrats? Mealy-mouthed Rasputin-looking Pat Caddell. Have you seen Pat Caddell??

Tonight on the Daily Show

Monday, June 2 -- Scott McClellan -- Author, "What Happened"

Tuesday, June 3 -- David Sedaris -- Author, "When You Are Engulfed In Flames"

Wednesday, June 4 -- Barbara Walters -- Author, "Audition"

Thursday, June 5 -- Adam Sandler -- Actor, "You Don't Mess With the Zohan"

My Sentiments Exactly!

I will start out this posting by saying I'm an Obama fan--one who would vote for Hillary, however, if she became the nominee. (I am a Democrat after all!) I'm becoming quite taken aback by Democrats who have screamed that they'll vote for McCain if they don't get their way. What is up with that?! Instead of putting my inept thoughts on paper about how I feel about this, I'm going to link to a post I found on Daily Kos. It states my case oh so much more eloquently--and passionately!