North County Blues

F.B.I. Watched Activist Groups, New Files Show - Who will be next?

2005-12-20T07:41:00.000-08:00

F.B.I. Watched Activist Groups, New Files Show - New York Times

Some people may thought I was joking with yesterday's story comment. Apparently not.

Counterterrorism agents at the Federal Bureau of Investigation have conducted numerous surveillance and intelligence-gathering operations that involved, at least indirectly, groups active in causes as diverse as the environment, animal cruelty and poverty relief, newly disclosed agency records show.

Groups like PETA, Greenpeace, and the Catholic Workers group have all been targeted by the FBI. Why?

One F.B.I. document indicates that agents in Indianapolis planned to conduct surveillance as part of a "Vegan Community Project." Another document talks of the Catholic Workers group's "semi-communistic ideology." A third indicates the bureau's interest in determining the location of a protest over llama fur planned by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

I am particularly intrigued by the equation of Catholic Workers with Communists. Catholic Workers group is anti-poverty. Communists are anti-poverty. Therefore, Catholic Workers group is Communist!

No, they're really not.

U.S. military appears to be spying on 'don't ask, don't tell' protests | News | Advocate.com

2005-12-19T11:09:00.000-08:00

U.S. military appears to be spying on 'don't ask, don't tell' protests | News | Advocate.com

Ok, so we have the NSA caught spying on American citizens, the CIA and FBI involved in covert activities in the U.S., and now the Department of Defense is spying on citizens, looking for "credible threats" at gay demonstrations.

How many government departments are there with their own intelligence-gathering divisions, anyway? I'm half expecting to hear a news story about the U.S. Postal Service spying on recipients of the Victoria Secret catalog.

Time Honors Bill and Melinda Gates, Bono - Yahoo! News

2005-12-19T07:31:00.000-08:00

Time Honors Bill and Melinda Gates, Bono - Yahoo! News

I've never been a huge Microsoft fan, but even I have to admit that everything that Bill and Melinda Gates are doing to advance the cause of world poverty relief is admirable and should be emulated by everyone who has more money than God.

And I've always been a huge Bono fan, so I'm happy about his inclusion as well.

I'm hoping that a charitable spirit becomes "in vogue" once again in America.

Religious Leaders Arrested in Opposition to Bush's False Morality

2005-12-15T09:26:00.000-08:00

Not to put too fine a point on it:

114 religious leaders were arrested in front of the Cannon House Office Building while kneeling in prayer to protest the immoral budget and tax agenda which slashes spending on the poor to finance tax breaks for the rich.

Yes, folks, poverty is a moral issue. In fact, there are thousands more passages in the Bible addressing the immorality of poverty and social inequality than there are addressing homosexuality, or the War on Christmas.

Maybe Falwell needs to realize that Jesus would rather there be one less poor person in the world than one less person saying "Happy Holidays".

FrontPage magazine.com: Buying Fox News

2005-12-14T09:22:00.000-08:00

FrontPage magazine.com :: Buying Fox News by Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld and Alyssa A. Lappen

A fascinating quote:

After bin Talal purchased his voting shares in News Corp., on September 23, 2005, he stated in an advertising supplement to the New York Times, “When I invest in a group like CITICROUP, the Four Seasons, the News Corp. or Time Warner, my objective is not to manage those companies.” But this is not quite accurate, considering the Prince’s December 5, 2005 statement given to Middle East Online regarding his ability to change what viewers see on Fox News. Covering the riots in Paris last November, Fox ran a banner saying: "Muslim riots." Bin Talal was not happy. "I picked up the phone and called Murdoch... (and told him) these are not Muslim riots, these are riots out of poverty," he said. "Within 30 minutes, the title was changed from Muslim riots to civil riots."

The Gospel according to Fox News: poor Muslim immigrants = terrorists; wealthy Muslim financier = Rupert Murdoch's sugar daddy.

Maureen Dowd: W. Won't Read This

2005-12-14T07:48:00.000-08:00

She certainly has a way of skewering those who should be skewered. And occassionally those who don't.

The president's bubble requires constant care. It's not easy to keep out huge tragedies like Katrina, or flawed policies like Iraq. As Newsweek noted, a foreign diplomat "was startled when Secretary of State Rice warned him not to lay bad news on the president. 'Don't upset him,' she said."

Meanwhile, Katrina, or should we say FEMA, continues to victimize the poor people of New Orleans. But I'm sure if Bush realized these peoples' plight, he'd do something about it. Like give a 15-second prayer.

North County Times - Vista - Spotty Internet connections a problem for some Vista schools

2005-10-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

North County Times - Vista - Spotty Internet connections a problem for some Vista schools

The American people really need to ask themselves, "What is government good for?" For a long time now, one of the more obvious answers to that question, in addition to "defense", and "National security", has been "Freely available quality education for all individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, or socio-economic status."

Well, guess what, people. If you want quality education for your kids, you have to pay for it. Prop 13, as much as people love it because it saves them in property taxes, is killing our schools. Read the article, folks -- even the schools that were retrofitted with new network infrastructure had to borrow the money to do it. In a society that supposedly values education and abolishing ignorance, this is a crime.

Bill would restrict children's access to violent video games

2005-10-04T08:22:00.000-07:00

Coming to you straight from North County Times reporter William Bennett (no relation to the genocidal-racist-loving freak) is this latest example of government being forced to parent in absence of parents.

I admit to being of two minds on this. On one hand, I'm disturbed that the Dems in California are once again leaving themselves open to charges of wanting to create a "nanny state", on the other hand, it's obvious that parents as a whole aren't living up to their responsibilities to monitor what their children watch or play. As an adult video game player myself (that is, an adult who plays video games, not someone who plays "adult games"), it's obvious that the video game industry is on a collision course with government, thanks to pushing the envelope of good taste and allowing themselves to be scapegoated for society's ills.

All told, I'd rather have mature video games able to be distributed, albeit in an age-restricted fashion, than not have any mature video games at all.

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall: September 04, 2005 - September 10, 2005 Archives

2005-09-07T13:01:00.000-07:00

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall: September 04, 2005 - September 10, 2005 Archives

He's right, you can't make that stuff up. Bush pulled Firefighters, Coast Guard, and other first responders away from their jobs so that they could be used as props in his photo-ops. Just when you think the politicking can't get more disgusting, they go and up the ante.

TIME.com: Dipping His Toe Into Disaster

2005-09-06T19:09:00.000-07:00

TIME.com: Dipping His Toe Into Disaster -- Sep. 12, 2005 -- Page 1

My favorite Bush quote thus far:

"Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott's house--he's lost his entire house, there's going to be a fantastic house. And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch."

Maybe Trent Lott qualifies to have Habitat for Humanity build it. Or perhaps not.

New bankruptcy law a problem for Katrina victims

2005-09-06T18:55:00.000-07:00

New bankruptcy law a problem for Katrina victims

Really nothing more to add.

Bush's FEMA

2005-09-06T18:31:00.000-07:00

News in brief...

"The government's disaster chief waited until hours after Hurricane Katrina had already struck the Gulf Coast before asking his boss to dispatch 1,000 Homeland Security employees to the region - and gave them two days to arrive, according to internal documents."

"All last week, FEMA bureaucrats gave prominent placement on the agency's Web site to Operation Blessing, the Virginia-based charity run by controversial right-wing evangelist and Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson."

"In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, several witnesses have alleged that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) turned away volunteers who were ready to help New Orleans residents people trapped in their flooded homes. Other witnesses have said that FEMA turned away offers of aid, prevented water and fuel from reaching people on the ground, and cut emergency communications lines."

And this list is worth looking at, just for the sheer horror:

FEMA won't accept Amtrak's help in evacuations
FEMA turns away experienced firefighters
FEMA turns back Wal-Mart supply trucks
FEMA prevents Coast Guard from delivering diesel fuel
FEMA won't let Red Cross deliver food
FEMA bars morticians from entering New Orleans

FEMA blocks 500-boat citizen flotilla from delivering aid
FEMA fails to utilize Navy ship with 600-bed hospital on board
FEMA to Chicago: Send just one truck
FEMA turns away generators (See entry from 3:32 P.M. by Ben Morris, Slidell mayor)
FEMA: "First Responders Urged Not To Respond"

My, my, my.

2005-09-02T18:12:00.000-07:00

Did you ever have one of those days where there was just so much to do that you ended up spending it in kind of a paralysis, unsure of where exactly to begin? Then you can imagine my past week.

I'm not sure exactly what sent me over the tipping point, perhaps it was the news that the Army Corps of Engineers of New Orleans had been unable to complete much of the retrofitting to the levees responsible for keeping New Orleans dry because of a $71.2 million cut in their budget by the Bush administration. Or perhaps it was the fact that 35% of Louisiana's National Guard is currently in Iraq, making it impossible for these volunteers, trained in Hurricane Disaster recovery, to assist in the aftermath. Maybe it's the fact that the new CAFE standards released by the Bush administration just add to our problems of fuel shortages and global warming, to the benefit of big business. Maybe it's the fact that the best response Bush could summon up, his best attempt at empathy, was during his "fly over" of New Orleans on his way back to the White House (cutting his vacation short by a day), when he said "It's devastating. It's got to be doubly devastating on the ground."

Oh really.

SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Politics -- Cunningham 'demanded and received' bribe, prosecutors say

2005-08-26T18:50:00.000-07:00

SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Politics -- Cunningham 'demanded and received' bribe, prosecutors say

Demanded.

Demanded.

I wonder if he'll decide to resign now, in order to give more of his attention to fighting for his "innocence." We all know he should. Francine Busby should take a lesson from this and run on the biggest anti-corruption platform she can find. After all, Bill Morrow, Kaloogian, they're all the same as the "Dukestir." Do voters want more of the same corrupt Republican political machine, or do they want a change? Someone who will work for them, instead of out-of-state defense contractors who don't bring 1 new job into San Diego County?

I know where my vote would go.

Televangelist Calls for Chavez's Assassination

2005-08-23T07:13:00.000-07:00

Televangelist Calls for Chavez's Assassination

It appears that Satan has gained full control over Robertson's soul. Apparently it's not enough for this "man of God" to support a war that has killed over 100,000 non-combatants, now he's calling for assassinations to take place.

Is there really any difference anymore between the American Taliban and the middle-eastern version?

For Sale By Owner: $3.5m or best defense contractor offer

2005-08-18T15:22:00.000-07:00

Duke's house. Good to know where our taxpayer dollars are going. Pity there are no pictures from inside...

The Raw Story | Exclusive: Citizens Request Recount in San Diego Mayoral Race

2005-08-18T11:25:00.000-07:00

The Raw Story | Exclusive: Citizens Request Recount in San Diego Mayoral Race

Did Donna Frye have the Mayorship stolen from her in a rigged election?

No, I'm not talking about November 2004, when we know she had the Mayorship stolen from her due to some shady ballot-counting practices. I'm talking about the recent runoff election, when Donna Frye allegedly got 45% of the vote in an election she needed to reach 50% on to win outright.

Did Diebold equipment used in the election shift at least 4% of the vote away from Frye, giving her votes to Jerry Sanders and Steve Francis? According to a "parallel election" exit poll taken by Citizens Audit Parallel Election, Donna Frye should have received 50.2% of the vote, yet there was a consistent 4% deviation over 11 precincts.

The odds of such a consistent deviation taking place? One in 1,300, also known as .000678. It sounds like Registrar Mikel Haas has some 'splainin to do.

North County Times - Coastal - Illegal immigration forum price tag estimated at more than $100K

2005-08-18T08:24:00.000-07:00

North County Times - Coastal - Illegal immigration forum price tag estimated at more than $100K

Your tax dollars at work! Morrow's racist little publicity stunt has cost the City of Carlsbad at least $100,000, plus the amount Carlsbad school district may have to pay to cover Morrow's legal fees from when that world-class whiner sued the school district rather than move his forum to a larger, more well-equipped venue.

"I'm a Republican," Lewis said, "but I'm not a stupid Republican, and I resent it."

Even those of us who aren't Republicans resent Morrow's selfish actions taken at the (literal) expense of the taxpayer. Here's Morrow's contact information if you would like to directly express your displeasure:

Capitol Office
State Capitol #4048
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4038

Carlsbad
2755 Jefferson St., #101
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Phone: (760) 434-7930
Fax: (760) 434-8223

San Juan Capistrano
27126-A Paseo Espada, #1621
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92765
Phone: (949) 489-9838
Fax: (949) 489-8354

Chemical Weapons found in Iraq!

2005-08-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

U.S.: Iraq Facility Could Have Made Bombs - New York Times

That's right folks, weapons of mass destruction may have been found in Iraq after all! Fox News may now offically rejoice!

...Or can it?

Turns out, this chemical weapons plant is not linked to Saddam's government, but rather to the much more recent insurgency formed in backlash to our invasion and occupation of the country. Yet another thing that we've exported to our new democratic paradise, along with dysentery, lack of electricity, lack of women's rights, and al-qaeda brand terrorism.

WOAI: San Antonio News - White crosses at site of anti-war demonstration run down by pickup

2005-08-16T08:03:00.000-07:00

Why do Bush supporters hate the military?

WOAI: San Antonio News - White crosses at site of anti-war demonstration run down by pickup

North County Times - Illegal Immigration forum draws hundreds

2005-08-12T08:16:00.000-07:00

North County Times - Illegal Immigration forum draws hundreds

I don't know if they really needed police dressed in riot gear, but at least they were there to protect protesters against the vicious racist nuts that held this forum. Bill Morrow, in an act of certifiable douchebag-ism, filed suit against the Carlsbad Unified School District so that they could air their hate on school grounds, so Superintendent John Roach had little choice but to let him.

I'm really of two minds about this. On one hand, I'm disappointed in Roach that he caved so quickly; on the other hand, I'm glad he didn't waste any of the cash-strapped school district's money in endless court cases. This was essentially, I think, what won the day for Morrow. For all the time that right-wingers whine and complain about our legal system, they sure avail themselves of it incredibly quickly when they can benefit, even to the point of extorting a school district without the resources to defend itself.

Morrow sues over cancelation of immigration forum North County Times - North San Diego and Southwest Riverside County News

2005-08-09T11:40:00.000-07:00

Morrow sues over cancelation of immigration forum North County Times - North San Diego and Southwest Riverside County News

In a prime example of an elected representative going off the deep end into certifiable douchebag-ism, Bill Morrow has decided to throw a tantrum and sue the Carlsbad Unified School District for not allowing him to have his little anti-brown people tirade on school grounds.

Morrow said a state appeals court ruled in 1998 that canceling an event because of threats of violence from opponents of the event amounted to an unconstitutional prior restraint on free speech called a "heckler's veto."

Hey, Morrow, what about violence threatened by proponents of the event? Specifically how Roger Hedgecock brags on his show about carrying a concealed weapon, so no one better mess with him. Or how these Minuteman gatherings have led to people being shot or assaulted.

And you want to let these nuts in on public school grounds, and in proximity to a family apartment complex and preschool? I guess "protecting the children" really isn't your first concern.

North County Times - Coastal - Carlsbad schools chief cancels forum on immigration

2005-08-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

North County Times - Coastal - Carlsbad schools chief cancels forum on immigration

It seems obvious now that Bill Morrow and his good buddies with guns, the folks from the Minuteman Project should be seen for what they are. Perhaps if there wasn't so much violent rhetoric and race baiting surrounding their "immigration forums", they would have been allowed to use the Carlsbad High School space.

Perhaps they could hold their meeting at Tom Metzger's house. Does he still live in Fallbrook? That's not all that far away.

Bush Remarks On 'Intelligent Design' Theory Fuel Debate

2005-08-04T09:29:00.000-07:00

Bush Remarks On 'Intelligent Design' Theory Fuel Debate

Well, this is the most idiotic thing I've heard from the President in, well, minutes. "Intelligent Design" is no more scientific than me saying that the universe came about from an egg laid by an interstellar turtle, or a hairball hacked up by a giant space hamster. That doesn't mean those two "theories" should be taught in science class!

Science is about data. It's not about guessing at something that can't be proven or disproven and then demanding that it be taught as a fact in our schools. A little lesson in the Scientific Method for those that have forgotten:

- A scientist forms a hypothesis, which is an educated guess on how she believes something works.
- She then goes on to design an experiment to test said hypothesis.
- She performs the experiment and gathers the data.
- If the data supports her hypothesis, she puts her study up for peer review. That means that other scientists try to replicate her results (to make sure it was done correctly, or was not a fluke). If the data does not support her hypothesis, she goes back to step 1, and refines it.
- If her study passes peer review consistently, her hypothesis becomes a Theory. In scientific circles, that means "as far as we can possibly tell, it is correct."

Where is the study that can possibly be done to test the "hypothesis" of Intelligent Design? Where is the data to support it? Bush said, "Both sides ought to be properly taught . . . so people can understand what the debate is about." But it's not just a two sided debate, Evolution vs. Intelligent Design. It's a multi-sided debate, Evolution vs. Intelligent Design vs. Interstellar Turtles vs. Giant Space Hamsters vs. Invisible Pink Unicorns...etc. But guess what? Only one of those has any scientific evidence to back it up.

North County Times - Coastal - Oceanside consultant registers complaint with city

2005-08-03T10:34:00.000-07:00

North County Times - Coastal - Oceanside consultant registers complaint with city

Apparently "Ticketgate" just won't die; or rather, ex-Mayor Terry Johnson's supporters won't let it die. Within a half-month earlier this summer, two of Johnson's supporters (and Johnson himself) were given tickets due to various minor traffic infractions. The first to complain was local nut Lawson Chadwick (who wasn't even one of the people to receive a ticket); an investigation was done, and the allegations were found to be baseless.

Now, "political consultant" Jack Orr has filed his own complaint, several weeks after the fact. He accuses the officer of "schadenfreude" (German for "shameful joy", or joy taken at the expense of others). Schadenfreude, as far as I know, is hardly a crime; if it were, I would undoubtedly be serving consecutive life sentences.

I'm not sure what Orr thinks happened; that he was stalked by an Oceanside PD officer because of his political views? That the officer took every effort to look up the make and model of the car he used, and the routes he took to and from his workplace, just waiting, waiting for his opportunity to give Orr a ticket for going 23 mph over the speed limit. The fiend!

Dude, seriously. Just go to traffic school already!

Union-Tribune -- Chula Vista Mayor Padilla appears at gay festival

2005-08-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

Union-Tribune -- Chula Vista Mayor Padilla appears at gay festival

Chula Vista Mayor Steve Padilla was introduced as being gay when he gave a speech at last weekend's San Diego GLBT Pride festival, a fact that he has acknowledged. It takes a lot of courage for someone to "come out", especially one in public service.

And now that Steve Padilla has come out, can Carlsbad Mayor Bud Lewis be far behind?

(Yes, that was a joke.)

Oceanside volunteers appear varied, despite worries of Wood stacking panels

2005-08-02T07:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Macromayhem for pointing out this story in the UT. Apparently all those chicken little types who are worried Wood is turning Oceanside into a dictatorship can now take a step back, take a deep breath, and prepare to wail in frustration the next time Wood has a decision to make. We don't know much about these new commissioners yet, but rest assured if our people on the street hear anything of interest, we'll share it with you.

Hillary vs. the Xbox: Game over

2005-07-28T09:52:00.000-07:00

Hillary vs. the Xbox: Game over provides an excellent commentary on the benefits provided by learning to play video games, as well as the dangers of an activity that no one really seems to take notice of anymore:

I'd like to draw your attention to another game whose nonstop violence and hostility has captured the attention of millions of kids — a game that instills aggressive thoughts in the minds of its players, some of whom have gone on to commit real-world acts of violence and sexual assault after playing.

I'm talking, of course, about high school football.

LA Weekly: News: Minuteman Divisions

2005-07-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

LA Weekly: News: Minuteman Divisions does an excellent job of summarizing the racist nuts who are in charge of the Minuteman Project.

Favorite quotes:

“I’ve been in many firefights,” Chase explained. “If I’m down there and I’ve got my pistol and they start popping my people, well, I’m going to have to start popping back, and I won’t have the range with a pistol.”

In his press release, Ramirez denounced Turner’s “racism and neo-Nazi thuggery,” pointing to an earlier Internet posting in which Turner wrote, “Bring your bats, fellas. If we are lucky, we are gonna need them. PING!”

What lovely people.

DeLay's abuse of power continues unchecked

2005-07-28T09:18:00.000-07:00

Found in my mailbox this morning from the Center for American Progress:

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) revealed that Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) slipped a $1.5 billion giveaway to the oil industry, Halliburton, and Sugar Land, Texas, into the energy bill. DeLay snuck the provision in after the conference had ended, thereby preventing members of the committee the opportunity to review or reject the measure.

Well, at least his corruption gets his constituents something, unlike Cunningscam who rips of his constituents and doesn't bring in a single job from his defense contractor buddies.

U.S. Officials Retool Slogan for Terror War - New York Times

2005-07-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

U.S. Officials Retool Slogan for Terror War - New York Times (free reg. req'd). Instead of "global war on terror", now it's a "global struggle against violent extremism." Or rather, a "jihad against jihadists" if you prefer. Or maybe a "struggle against strugglers" to get way too meta about the whole thing.

But apparently "war on terror" is a little too...military for the Bush administration. See, they want to turn their attention to solving this problem through diplomacy and law enforcement; you know, the strategy Clinton used to keep us safe for eight years. Oh, but I thought the liberals wanted to send terrorists into therapy... No, we just want to send conservatives into therapy. Terrorists we'd rather bring to justice.

Oceanside fire chief gets walking papers

2005-07-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

This happened last week, but I thought I'd take a moment to comment on it. The Oceanside city manager asked the fire chief, Robert Osby, to leave, saying that it was something that they had previously agreed to. Osby claimed that Mayor Wood was behind it.

My sources tell me that Osby had indeed come in to fill a vacancy on a temporary basis, and that his agreed-upon tenure had come to an end. Apparently Osby is an old crony of Terry Johnson's, and was well known as one of those "10-2 manager" types who rolls in late, kicks his feet up, reads the sports page, and then takes off early, a job well done. Who wouldn't want a gig like that, right? So now that the city manager Steve Jepsen has finally decided enough is enough, Osby makes a stink, and makes it sound like Wood is behind the whole thing. A little political payback for his good buddy Terry Johnson.

Oceanside Councilman criticized for comment

2005-07-27T13:45:00.000-07:00

Cletus the slack-jawed Councilman strikes again. Jack Feller, well known for his mouth that gets him into trouble, has struck again. This time for restricting his hiring practices to Conservative Christians. News flash, Jack: that's illegal. So of course Feller backpedaled as soon as humanly possible, saying only that he wanted someone who shared his "conservative values", because, "I would not pick a left-wing liberal to work with me because it's a different philosophy. It means bigger government and I'm for smaller government."

Jack, seeing as how you're in government, aren't you part of the problem, rather than the solution? The Oceanside city council could easily do with one less member.

Won't somebody please think of the children?

2005-07-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

Reader Bohemia writes:

maybe the guy who asked walmart to pull GTA:SA off the shelves should have asked them to hand out pool safety training dvds instead:

Total drowning deaths in north county area this past week: 2
Total GTA:SA deaths in north county area this past year: none.

Rove wrap-up

2005-07-27T07:06:00.000-07:00

The Washington Post (free reg. req'd) has an excellent article summarizing Karl Rove's continuing legal problems. Looks like Bush's Supreme Court nomination hasn't distracted from Rove's treason the way they were hoping it would.

Heavens

2005-07-26T09:34:00.000-07:00

And the outrage continues over Rockstar Games' latest creation (which has been out for almost a year) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Never mind that the game features murder, carjacking, theft, random violence, and pimping as a way to advance. No -- once it was discovered that those rough, low-polygonal, low-detail characters simulate a sex scene, well, that was beyond the pale. Kids who have this game purchased for them by their parents (it was already rated M for Mature), and have access to an unmonitored internet connection (so that they could download the mod required to unlock the scene) must be protected!

Please. If these kids are savvy enough to download and install the mod, they're savvy enough to bittorrent "Weapons of Ass Destruction IV". There's no substitute for parental responsibility, Ms. Clinton.

And in national news...

2005-07-26T09:22:00.000-07:00

US Senators are coming out saying that just because John Roberts' (recent nominee to the Supreme Court) wife works for anti-choice groups doesn't mean that he feels the same way. Kennedy (D - Mass) and Santorum (R - Nutcase) both said that Roberts' wife's work for ~~Feminists Against Women's Rights~~ Feminists for Life is irrelevant to his nomination.

I'll buy that. Just because the man is a conservative Catholic and just because his wife volunteers for anti-choice organizations does not mean that he will want to overturn Roe. *cough* But it's obvious that we know more about his wife's opinions than we do about his; so what does Roberts himself believe? The Bush Administration doesn't want you to find out.

Guns + Crazy Militias = Bad

2005-07-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd spell that out for everyone. Apparently there was a shooting of two Mexicans early Saturday; it just so happened to take place around Campo, where the so-called "Minutemen" have set up. What a coincidence. Of course, "officials" are saying that it was bandits, although one of the men who was actually shot, said that the man never asked them for any money. "If he were a bandit, he would have grabbed us and taken everything. He only shot at us and ran."

Back from Vacation

2005-07-26T08:29:00.000-07:00

Time to do a little catch-up:

Dateline, Oceanside: At Mayor Jim Wood's apparent insistence, George Barrante and local nut Lawson Chadwick were both thrown off their respective commissions -- Barrante from the Planning Commission, and Chadwick from the Police & Fire Commission. Lest we forget, Chadwick was the one who accused Oceanside Police of giving traffic tickets to Wood's political enemies (an investigation turned up no evidence to support such an accusation). Taking over on the planning commission is local nut Lawson's wife, Nancy Chadwick, who began her tenure in a positive fashion by lending her vote to bring upscale alcohol retailer Beverages & More to the Fire Mountain shopping center.

Dateline, Vista: Vista's Assistant City Manager, Rick Dudley, is poised to jump ship to the City of Poway; that is, if they bother hiring him. Dudley was quoted as saying, "I think it's inappropriate to speculate on the list of candidates this early in the process. There are fewer important decisions (than selecting a city manager) that a city council can make, because the manager has a direct impact on the community. That person carries out the council's directions either effectively or ineffectively, and I don't want to do anything that might compromise that process." I guess "No comment" didn't quite cut it. To quote The Bard, "Brevity is...wit," and Mr. Dudley would do well to remember that, because right now he appears quite witless.

Dateline, Whinytown (population: Mark Belgen): An aide to Bill Morrow accused a UC professor of kicking him in the shin while visiting a Minuteman encampment. The alleged incident caused no injury, but the aide, Mark Belgen, decided to press charges when he learned a week later that it might possibly be construed as assault. Belgen needed no medical treatment, though apparently he was taken away by the waaaaaaahmbulance.

Repercussions

2005-07-12T09:43:00.000-07:00

From Daily Kos:

Soto hasn't forgotten:

Lastly, as Tony Blair oversees the carnage and anger in his country, he may want to ask his good buddy George W. Bush why his administration crippled Blair's domestic anti-terror efforts to track down and stop Al Qaeda cells inside Great Britain by exposing a known Al Qaeda asset at a time when the Brits were very close to nailing a ring of Al Qaeda cells inside the country? With today's tragedy in front of them, don't you think that British intelligence would have wanted to finish their work last fall in smashing London's Al Qaeda cells before the Bush Administration blew a covert operation just so Bush could be reelected?

More info on that blowing of that operative:
On 2 August, the Bush administration blew the cover of double agent Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan. A day earlier, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge had announced a new alert against an Al Qaeda plan to attack financial institutions in New York and Washington. When the New York Times pressed certain administration officials for more information, they disclosed to the newspaper that the information regarding the Al Qaeda plot had come from a recently arrested man in Pakistan named "Khan." The New York Times published his name on Monday. The later editions spelt out the full name.

Prof. Juan Cole of the University of Michigan's analysis is more daring, "The announcement of Khan's name forced the British to arrest 12 members of an al-Qaeda cell prematurely, before they had finished gathering the necessary evidence against them via Khan. Apparently they feared that the cell members would scatter as soon as they saw that Khan had been compromised. (They would have known he was a double agent, since they got emails from him Sunday and Monday!) One of the 12 has already had to be released for lack of evidence, a further fallout of the Bush SNAFU (situation normal all fouled up). It would be interesting to know if other cell members managed to flee. Why in the world would Bush administration officials out a double agent working for Pakistan and the US against Al-Qaeda?

Maybe for the same reason Karl Rove outed a CIA agent: politics.

Wow. Just Wow.

2005-07-12T08:58:00.000-07:00

Dateline: Somewhere beyond the rings of Saturn. Rick Santorum, right-wingnut and head of a troubled 2006 Senate campaign in Pennsylvania, is now claiming that the Catholic Church abuse scandal in Boston can be blamed on the Massachussetts Institute of Technology.

Specifically, here's what Santorum wrote about the church pedophile scandal on a religious website called Catholic Online. ''When the culture is sick, every element in it becomes infected. While it is no excuse for this scandal, it is no surprise that Boston, a seat of academic, political, and cultural liberalism in America, lies at the center of the storm."

''It's an open secret that you have Harvard University and MIT that tend to tilt to the left in terms of academic biases," said Robert Traynham, the Santorum aide. ''I think that's what the senator was speaking to."

I think Sen. Santorum (R-Pluto) will find that folks at MIT are far too busy hosting Time Traveler Conventions than involving themselves in the workings of the Catholic Church.

Cheney bats 1.000

2005-07-11T11:49:00.000-07:00

First it was his prediction that U.S. troops would be "greeted as liberators" in Iraq. Then it was his prediction that we were seeing "the last throes" of the insurgency.

Now we have this:

"Our military is confronting the terrorists, along with our allies, in Iraq and Afghanistan, so that innocent civilians will not have to confront terrorist violence in Washington or London or anywhere else in the world."

"In the Criminal Justice system..."

2005-07-11T11:20:00.000-07:00

(Queue "Law and Order" music here...)

Cunningscam is going to the Grand Jury, and the indignities keep piling up. This after FBI agents raided his homes (and yacht), carting away boxes of documents.

Last week, a former assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California who did not wish to be named said he believes there had to have been sufficient probable cause to believe relevant documents were at risk for a magistrate to authorize the raids, particularly when a target was the private residence of a sitting congressman.

Wow, they believed that "documents were at risk." Meaning, they thought that Cunningscam would have his grandkids working the family shredders overtime. "Less crying, more shredding! Stoke those fires with that pile of bank statements, little Susie! I said stoke those fires!"

Local nut claims Oceanside Mayor uses police for payback

2005-07-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

Dateline: Coincidence. The Oceanside Police Department has dismissed a claim that ex-Mayor Terry Johnson and two of his political operatives were given traffic tickets as "political payback." Behind the accusation is local nut Lawson Chadwick, perhaps best known for paying homeless people to vote for him in the 2003 Oceanside-Carlsbad Democratic Club election.

You'd have to go all the way to Vista to find folks crazier than these guys.

Cunningscam reveals more suspicious documents; weary public yells "Resign already!"

2005-07-08T09:46:00.000-07:00

This tidbit in the North County Times reveals that Duke Cunningscam claims that he owned the boat that he sold (to a New York bid-rigger looking for a Presidential pardon) for over $600k. Also suspicious is the amount of money he got for the boat:

A salesman with San Diego-based Cabrillo Yacht Sales says that used flat-bottom boats such as the Kelly C, which Cunningham purchased in 1997 from another congressman for $200,000, typically lose their value over time, leading him to question the $627,000 sale price.

"It might be worth a couple hundred thousand, maybe ----- but probably not," yacht salesman Dan Peter said Thursday. However, he added that if the boat has expensive amenities, it could be worth more.

"I would say that what he sold it for is a gross overestimate of value," he said.

To analogize: Let's say I bought a Saturn in 2000 for $20,000, and sold it five years later for $60,000, wouldn't you say that was suspicious? Especially considering that the only way a used Saturn would appreciate in value is if there were drugs stuffed in the trunk.

(On Edit: There are no drugs stuffed in the trunk of my car. Stop looking, already!)

London Tragedy

2005-07-07T09:33:00.000-07:00

It's difficult to formulate a cohesive thought about the news from London; death toll up to 45, with hundreds injured, so you know more fatalities are on the way. No one can look at the pictures and reports and remain unmoved.

Reports say that last week in Iraq, upwards of 135 civilians were killed in these type of terrorist bombings, hundreds more injured, and American response to that is something along the lines of "ho-hum."

It's called Perspective, and that is yet another fatality of our media culture.

Californians back unions over Schwarzenegger

2005-07-07T08:24:00.000-07:00

What a surprise, polls find that people generally approve of unions, while generally disapprove of the Governator who is attacking them. Maybe that's because unions are made up of your friends, family, and neighbors, and the Governor is a wealthy ego-maniac?

Donations pour in for Cunningscam's opponent

2005-07-07T08:14:00.000-07:00

What a pleasure it is, in these days of "We're fighting the terr'sts in London so we don't have to fight them here," to see some good news for a change. Apparently Francine Busby's campaign is getting the support of hundreds of disgruntled North County residents who are disgusted by Cunningscam's behavior.

"His scandal really helped us in fund raising," Bilberry said. "But it wouldn't have helped as much if Francine hadn't been talking about issues relevant to ethics and honesty prior to those scandals."

Cunningscam is on the run

2005-07-05T08:54:00.000-07:00

As Macromayhem points out, Duke Cunningscam decided to be a no-show at the July 4th event in Encinitas at which he was scheduled to speak. According to his people, "Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham is not interested in becoming a distraction from family and community events celebrating the Fourth of July... It is clear from all the advanced publicity that any Fourth of July celebration he is scheduled to attend will become a media frenzy."

Is that because he knew he'd have to answer questions about his sweetheart real estate deal with defense contractor Mitchell Wade? Or is it because of the new allegations raised that he sold his private boat for a $400,000 gain to a businessman, Thomas Kontogiannis, convicted of bid-fixing who was looking for someone to hook him up with a Presidential pardon? How does a New York businessman go about getting connected with a North County San Diego local representative? Does Cunningscam advertise his services? And what about the fact that he got his home loans through a mortgage company owned by relatives of this same businessman? And that the businessman himself paid off one of the mortgages? And why did this savvy businessman pay $600,000 for a boat that wasn't even seaworthy?

But the most telling line of the article is this: "(Members of Congress are are not required to list or provide details on their personal residences or personal property.)" Is it perhaps that Cunningscam was using all these transfers of private property, houses, boats, all these purchases for a bit too high and all these sales for a bit too low, as a way to hide a Congressional bribe?

And just because it's funny...

2005-07-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

Reader Bohemia has this to say:

Call it "Queer Eye, the Presidential Episode." Not kidding, this was on the front page of the San Diego Union Tribune's web page tonight! So much for the emperor has no clothes ideology. It's more like he's wearing a dress!

Bush's top political advisor a traitor to the state?

2005-07-05T07:58:00.000-07:00

So apparently Karl Rove (R-Hades), Bush's top political and policy advisor, is perhaps the one behind the leaking to the press of Valerie Plame's role in the CIA. In case you haven't been keeping up with this one, the story basically goes like this:

Joe Wilson, a diplomat with a long history in foreign service, was tasked to investigate claims that Saddam Hussein had attempted to purchase "yellowcake" uranium from Africa. In the course of his investigation, he discovered that the documents that were the foundation of this claim were poorly-done forgeries, and that there existed no evidence to back up this claim. The Bush administration, in trying to make a case to invade Iraq, quoted this forged evidence as gospel, claiming that Hussein was close to creating a nuclear weapon. Joe Wilson publicly disagreed with this claim, saying that it had already been debunked and that he was one of the ones responsible for debunking it.

So the Bush administration, in payback and an attempt to discredit him, leaks to certain members of the media that Joe Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, is an undercover CIA agent in charge of monitoring weapons of mass destruction on an international scale.

Read that again, because outing an undercover CIA agent is not only illegal, it is also a betrayal of national security and possibly High Treason.

And apparently the person behind this leak is none other than Bush's right hand man, Karl Rove. Not only does he need to be held responsible for his actions, but there needs to be an immediate investigation called to see if this goes any farther up the chain. Was this the act of a renegade aide, or was Rove ordered to leak this information by Bush himself? Since when does a political aide get the security clearance necessary to even know this information about undercover CIA agents? Who was the one to give Rove the information?

Happy Independence Day!

2005-07-04T07:51:00.000-07:00

Lest we forget the true meaning of Independence Day, that freedom and liberty are not a historical occurrence but are fought for in word and deed every day that our country exists, I present an excerpt from a speech Frederick Douglass was asked to give to celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 5, 1852:

At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. O! had I the ability, and could reach the nation's ear, I would, to-day, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and its crimes against God and man must be proclaimed and denounced.

As the Statue of Liberty herself might say, "Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose."

Cunningscam to speak at Encinitas Park

2005-06-29T10:02:00.000-07:00

On July 4th, the speeches are scheduled to start at 9:30 am. Encinitas' Cottonwood Park is the location for anyone who wishes to create a sign or two, and let Duke Cunningscam know how welcome he is amongst his constituents.

Cunningscam wrap-up

2005-06-29T09:55:00.000-07:00

From the North County Times: First this story about the effects that the Cunningscam scandal have had on MZM's upper management. Resignations abound, and rats are deserting this particular sinking ship as quickly as possible. In that vein, the Pentagon has decided to cancel a no-bid contract with MZM worth $250 million.

And finally, the Duke himself has been served with a subpoena for documents related to his dealings with MZM and Mitchell Wade. I hope they've checked his shredder for overheating.

Kudos to NC Times

2005-06-27T07:56:00.000-07:00

As part of their weekly "Roses & Raspberries" editorial, they called out O'side city councilman Jack Feller for his homophobic comments regarding the closing of Greystoke's, a well known gay bar in Oceanside.

The 'Intolerance Is Not a Family Value' award - A raspberry to Oceanside Councilman Jack Feller, whose glee at seeing North County's last gay nightclub change its format made clear that if it were up to him, gays wouldn't be welcome in the city by the sea.

Feller should apologize for his remarks which brand thousands of people in Oceanside as second-class citizens.

Iraqi students beaten for long hair, jeans

2005-06-24T12:41:00.000-07:00

This story comes from Iraq, that hotbed of freedom and democracy. Students in Najaf were beaten, arrested, beaten again, and had their heads shaved. Their crime? Wearing jeans and having long hair.

"We didn't oppress any freedoms. We detained them for a while and after we knew that they were students, we released them after they pledged they wouldn't do it again," Colonel Najah Yasir told Reuters.

But apparently this isn't the only outbreak of fundamentalist Islam that is taking away priviledges that Iraqi people enjoyed under their last government.

Throughout the Shi'ite south of Iraq over the past two years, alcohol salesmen and others deemed to trade in goods that violate Islam have been harassed by militants.

But it is not only in Shi'ite areas that religion plays an increasingly influential role in society.

In Falluja, a Sunni Muslim city west of Baghdad that was until recently a stronghold of insurgents, there were efforts last year to instill a strict religious code similar to that enforced by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Several residents said they were beaten for violating it.

Yay for liberation!

Straight man discriminated against by Catholic pre-school

2005-06-24T11:59:00.000-07:00

Yes, he's married. Yes, he's straight. But none of that seemed to matter to the Catholic diocese of San Diego and St. Mary Star of the Sea preschool. Because Danny McDonough has too feminine of an appearance, the priests of St. Mary's decided that his daughter could not attend their pre-school, citing his "lifestyle" as a concern.

Wow. When straight, married men get discriminated against in our society for being "out of the norm," what's next?

"I'm sorry, Mr. Smith. You wear far too little flannel, and your wife wears far too much. Your son's admission is denied."

Cunningscam round-up

2005-06-24T08:56:00.000-07:00

And finally, this editorial in the North County Times.

Here's what he was talking about: Wade in 2003 bought Cunningham's house in a private transaction, let it sit vacant for nine months, then sold it at a staggering $700,000 loss in the nation's hottest housing market. Significantly, the congressman did not release the "comparables," or the data about similar home sales in his neighborhood that his real estate agent used to set the price of the house.

Yes, isn't that interesting.

What's more, Cunningham since April 2004 has been living on Wade's yacht in Washington. The congressman said that in lieu of rent, he paid more than $8,000 in dock fees and $5,000 for upkeep on Wade's boat.

We can set aside the dock fees, because Cunningham rented space for his own boat at the Potomac River marina for years before he moved into Wade's boat. According to Cunningham's accounting, that $5,000 over the last 14 months amounts to $357 a month.

Wow. In 1996, I rented a one-bedroom apartment in south Oceanside that went for $505/month. I should have been looking at yachts, instead.

Josh Marshall on Cunningscam

2005-06-24T08:46:00.000-07:00

As usual, Josh Marshall has a great take on Duke's excuse-laden statement. He also raised a point about something that jumped out at me when I read it as well:

This is great. Duke has lived there for over a year. And he's paid $13,000 out of pocket. Yes, he says "well over". But by the looks of the document search he and his lawyers are doing it seems he's going to dig up the receipts for every roll of toilet paper and every bottle of windex he bought while he was there to pad the total.

When I lived in DC I lived in a medium to small-sized one bedroom apartment on 19th Street between R & S streets. That's in Dupont Circle.

DC housing isn't cheap. By the time I left last December I think my rent was $1468 a month. So with the help of my trusty calculator I can figure out that I was paying $17,616 in rent a year. So I was paying substantially more to live in my little one bedroom apartment than Duke was to live on Wade Mitchell's yacht down on the river.

Also read this note on the subject of Duke's most recent house purchase. Turns out that the person he bought from is also a campaign contributor, Douglas Powanda from Peregrine Systems, who just happens to be accused of securities fraud. Did Duke get a sweetheart deal from this guy, too?

Cunningham admits to poor judgement

2005-06-24T08:23:00.000-07:00

So much for the party of personal responsibility. Read the article, then the statement at the end. All he's doing is playing the victim card -- Oh, I trusted in my friends, if anything wrong happened it must be because I'm so naive and trusting.

While Cunningham might not step down or be forced to resign, Democrat Francine Busby is already working to unseat the veteran lawmaker. Busby opened a campaign office in Encinitas earlier this month for a second run at Cunningham.

The 54-year-old former Cardiff school board member was her party's nominee in the 2004 election and drew about 36 percent of the vote in the traditionally Republican district.

Busby said Thursday that Cunningham, who earns a congressional salary of $162,100 a year, needs to come back to the district and address his constituents directly. Cunningham's current term expires in 2006."

Coming clean is more than just admitting what everybody already knows," Busby said. "It's about showing that your actions meet the high standards of honesty and integrity from a congressional representative."

Busby said there should not be any unanswered questions and that Cunningham needs to "prove flat out and openly that there are no violations here. I don't think his statement meets that standard."

In Washington, Keith Ashdown, vice president of policy and communications for Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan Washington budget watchdog, took issue with part of what Cunningham said.

"His statement that no congressman steers contracts to their favorite contractors is absolutely not true," Ashdown said. "It happens all the time."

Committee members are very influential," Ashdown said. "They control the purse strings of the armed services and they can make military officials' lives miserable if they don't do what they are told."

Ashdown added that Cunningham was presenting his own point of view but not offering any supporting documentation.

"He has to show real evidence and words are not going to cut it," Ashdown said. "These accusations are going to stick like glue until he provides evidence that proves otherwise."

Karl Rove attempts to distract public from massive Bush failures

2005-06-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

The Big Story: Karl Rove during a speech on Wednesday, claimed: “Liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers." Only the mighty conservatives would step forward and save a vulnerable nation.

Pardon me whilst I hurl. Let's make an accounting of exactly what conservatives have accomplished in the past four years, shall we?

1,382 days after 9/11, Osama bin Laden is still at large and al Qaeda is regrouping. More than three-and-a-half years ago Bush vowed to capture terrorist mastermind Osama Bin Laden “dead or alive.” He’s failed. The administration wants you to think it is hot on his tracks, however. CIA director Porter Goss said he had “an excellent idea” where Bin Laden is hiding. Vice President Cheney said he had “a pretty good idea of a general area that he's in.” With all the bluster, you’d think they could close the deal.
1,382 days after 9/11, terrorist attacks are at an all time high. By quantitative measures, the Bush administration’s approach to combating terrorism is an abject failure. Last year “[t]he number of serious international terrorist incidents more than tripled,” according to the Washington Post. State Department data shows that “attacks grew to about 655 last year, up from the record of around 175 in 2003.” How did the administration respond? By halting the publication of the State Department report.
1,382 days after 9/11, the Iraq war—a complete diversion from the fight against al Qaeda—has produced more terrorism not less. According to the CIA, “[t]he war in Iraq is creating a training and recruitment ground for a new generation of "professionalized" Islamic terrorists.” An in-house CIA think tank concluded that in the poorly planned aftermath of the invasion, “hundreds of foreign terrorists flooded into Iraq across its unguarded borders.” There is a serious risk that Iraq is now “creating newly radicalized and experienced jihadis who return home to cause trouble in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and elsewhere.”

Oceanside Councilman Jack Feller proves himself homophobic bigot

2005-06-23T10:11:00.000-07:00

So the big news in Oceanside this week is that one of its two gay bars, Greystoke's, has closed in favor of reopening it as a family-oriented restaurant called The Beach House. No one can, of course, argue against a business trying to make money, and the fact is that as a gay bar, Greystoke's has failed pretty spectacularly in the past few years, managing to bring in fewer and fewer members of the community. Personally, I blame that on the owners being better at managing restaurants than bars; they had absolutely no idea how to market it to their specific audience.

But the bigger story here, I think, are Jack Feller's homophobic comments, praising the owners for having "seen the light" and stating that gay bars were in no way "family friendly". As if ANY bars are "family friendly". Take a look at the Embassy Room a block away, and see if that's a place you want to take little Johnny and Susie on a Friday night. There is never any requirement for a straight bar to be "family friendly".

Sorry, Mr. Feller. Bigotry is so 20th Century, and the sooner you realize that, the better.

Cunningham pushes for jobs outside his district

2005-06-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

More about the sordid little affair between Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham and defense contractor Mitchell Wade comes this little tidbit about how Wade essentially threatened employees of his defense contracting firm into giving money to Duke's re-election campaign. Which is illegal, by the way.

They also expressed concerns about Wade's dealings with three House members who received a large portion of the money disbursed by MZM's PAC. The three – all Republicans – are Cunningham and Reps. Virgil Goode of Virginia and Katherine Harris of Florida.

Yes, that Katherine Harris.

MZM has a facility in Goode's rural Virginia district, not far from the Army National Ground Intelligence Center, which is one of MZM's key customers.

MZM is also planning to buy a facility in Harris' district, where it can be close to two of its other customers, the U.S. Central Command and the Special Operations Command, which are in a neighboring congressional district.

Oddly enough, none of these new jobs are slated for Cunningham's district. So he gets paid $700,000, gets to use Wade's yacht, and the people in his district get...what, exactly?

If not now, when?

2005-06-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

It's pretty obvious the shredder at the Cunningham household is working overtime. Apparently "Duke" has no timetable for releasing documents which would prove that he's not a crook; we can only presume the reason is because such documents are in the firm custody of Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny.

"The whole thing stinks," Durfee said. "The fact that he is so tight with a defense contractor whose issues go before the committees he serves on is what we call corruption."

Indeed.

Schwarzzenegger's Stock Dropping

2005-06-21T08:02:00.000-07:00

This morning's news gave us this little present from the Union-Tribune. Democratic challengers are just salivating at the thought of challenging this guy for governor. Looks like Californians are waking up to how phony and incompetent our Governator is.

Funny

2005-06-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

Oh, when Justice fails, can Satire be far behind...

And Josh Marshall's blog has more about the Duke. Info that was news to me: apparently the "real estate agent", Elizabeth Todd, that set the price of the mansion in question hadn't ever actually done any real estate agent-ing. Helping Cunningham purchase his second house was actually Todd's first real broker transaction, on which she got commission on a $2.55 million home. Nice first deal for anyone, much less a campaign contributor.

Liar!

2005-06-17T08:13:00.000-07:00

Just had to throw this tidbit in here, because it made me laugh out loud:

LAUER: "But when you stood on the floor and you said, 'She does respond', are you at all worried that you led some senators…"
FRIST: "No, I never said, she responded."- Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist in an interview on the Today Show with Matt Lauer, 6/16/05

VERSUS

"I have looked at the video footage. Based on the footage provided to me, which was part of the facts of the case, she does respond." -- Sen. Bill Frist on the Senate floor, 3/17/05

I do love the stuff you can find on the Center for American Progress website.

See below, re: Destroying America...

2005-06-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

And not moments after scribing the bit about conservatives trying to destroy our American institutions, I find the following in my mailbox:

Right-wingers are taking over the board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the agency intended to provide a buffer between independent public broadcast networks and the partisan government. And they are working overtime to put a conservative slant on programming, a move that completely undermines the non-interference mandate of the 1967 Public Broadcasting Act. This week right-wingers in the House voted to cut all federal funding for public broadcasting within the next two years. Unless the public demands respect for independent and public broadcasting, soon nobody will be able to tell you how to get to Sesame Street. Write Congress and demand that they save PBS from partisan operatives.

All you soccer-moms and dads out there better get moving, because it won't be long before one of the few remaining "safe" educational television stations out there goes away for good. I remember PBS as one of the few tv stations that my mother said I could watch whenever I wanted... And I did, I watched "Sesame Street", and "Electric Company" and "3-2-1 Contact". But unless parents start expressing their outrage about these theocrats destroying public broadcasting, future generations won't have the same opportunities to watch educational, commercial-free programming.

Danforth in todays NY Times

2005-06-17T07:27:00.000-07:00

Republican Ex-Senator John Danforth writes a fine op-ed piece in the New York Times today called, "Onward Moderate Christian Soldiers". It does a good job of outlining the dangers of having the Republican party run by radical social conservatives with a narrow-minded religious agenda.

In the decade since I left the Senate, American politics has been characterized by two phenomena: the increased activism of the Christian right, especially in the Republican Party, and the collapse of bipartisan collegiality. I do not think it is a stretch to suggest a relationship between the two. To assert that I am on God's side and you are not, that I know God's will and you do not, and that I will use the power of government to advance my understanding of God's kingdom is certain to produce hostility.

Let's be perfectly clear about this. "Conservatives" aren't conservative any longer. They want to abolish Social Security, they want to abolish Medicare, they want to overturn environmental protections that keep polluters in check, they want one party rule, with that one party ruled by a very specific brand of evangelical Christianity. They want to change America so much that you won't recognize it anymore.

Liberals are this year's conservatives. And conservatives are this year's theocrats.

The "Duke Stir"

2005-06-17T07:19:00.000-07:00

Small time politicians make for small time ethics violations, I suppose. Staying on a yacht purchased for your use by a defense contractor isn't quite as bad as taking trips to Russia funded by lobbyists, but illegal is illegal, and corrupt is as corrupt does. It's just another day in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

The "Duke Stir". How cute. How long until people in Cunningham's district realize that he's not representing them, he's representing defense contractors who do him favors?

The "Duke's" Real Estate Dilemma

2005-06-14T07:27:00.000-07:00

So apparently Randy "Duke" Cunningham got caught with his hand in the cookie jar; allegations are surfacing that Cunningham sold his Del Mar home for $1.675 million to a shell corporation set up by a defense contractor, which held on to the home for eight months, and then resold it for a $700,000 loss.

How is anyone losing money in the San Diego real estate market right now? You don't suppose that "1523 New Hampshire Avenue LLC" actually paid more than Fair Market Value for Mr. Randy's home, in exchange for lucrative contracts awarded by the congressional committee of which Mr. Randy is a member, do you?

Because that smells like official bribery, and I'm sure such a staunch supporter of Tom Delay would never be involved in such a thing.

On Edit: Even the San Diego Union-Tribune is getting into the act.

By the way...

2005-06-13T07:51:00.000-07:00

There has been a whole bunch of British government briefing papers that have been released that support the contentions in the Downing Street Memo with their own evidence. From thinkprogress.org:

British Knew Iraqi WMD Were Not a Threat: “There is no greater threat now that [Saddam] will use WMD than there has been in recent years, so continuing containment is an option.” [Iraq: Options Paper]

Evidence Did Not Show Much Advance In Iraq’s Weapons Programs: “Even the best survey of Iraq’s WMD programmes will not show much advance in recent years on [the] nuclear, missile or CW/BW fronts: the programmes are extremely worrying but have not, as far as we know, been stepped up.” [Ricketts Paper, 3/22/02]

Evidence Was Thin on Iraq/Al Qaeda Ties: “US is scrambling to establish a link between Iraq and Al [Qaida] is so far frankly unconvincing.” [Ricketts Paper, 3/22/02]

“No Credible Evidence” On Iraq/Al Qaeda Link: “There has been no credible evidence to link Iraq with UBL and Al Qaida.” [Straw Paper, 3/25/02]

Wolfowitz Knew Supposed Iraq/Al Qaeda Link Was Weak: Wolfowitz said that “there might be doubt about the alleged meeting in Prague between Mohammed Atta, the lead hijacker on 9/11, and Iraqi intelligence (did we, he asked, know anything more about this meeting?).” [Meyer Paper, 3/18/02]

The coming storm

2005-06-13T07:36:00.000-07:00

For such a potentially explosive story, the Downing Street Memo has largely been ignored by the mainstream press. Maybe that's why it falls to smaller newspapers, like the Times Herald-Record to report the news.

By the way, if you haven't read it yet, you really should. Quotes of note (emphasis mine):

C reported on his recent talks in Washington. There was a perceptible shift in attitude. Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy. The SC had no patience with the UN route, and no enthusiasm for publishing material on the Iraqi regime's record. There was little discussion in Washington of the aftermath after military action.
...
The Foreign Secretary said he would discuss this with Colin Powell this week. It seemed clear that Bush had made up his mind to take military action, even if the timing was not yet decided. But the case was thin. Saddam was not threatening his neighbours, and his WMD capability was less than that of Libya, North Korea or Iran.
...
The Attorney-General said that the desire for regime change was not a legal base for military action. There were three possible legal bases: self-defence, humanitarian intervention, or UNSC authorisation.

Because I know you're on pins and needles...

2005-06-08T16:21:00.000-07:00

The results from yesterday's big election in Oceanside. Now Mackin has the ability to show what she's made of, so best of luck to her. And to Terry Johnson, I think Rep. J.C. Watts' father had some advice for you:

"A black man voting for a Republican makes as much sense as a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders." -- Buddy Watts

Circular Firing Squad

2005-06-08T15:54:00.000-07:00

So it seems that Ed Schultz spent most of his 3-hour long show today beating up on Howard Dean for some remarks he made concerning the GOP being a white, Christian party. Or should I say, Ed jumped on the right-wing bandwagon that's beating up Howard Dean.

Keep in mind, Ed is a guy who spent hours upon hours criticising MoveOn.org when they decided to air ads criticising a Democratic senator who voted for the heinous Bankruptcy Bill. Complaining about how the Democrats always "eat their own" and form a "circular firing squad." And how "you don't see the Republicans doing that, do you?" Well, now Ed has allowed his frustration to guide himself into Circular Firing Squad territory.

I've listened to his show ever since KLSD went Air America (Ed is actually carried by the Jones Radio Network), and he's usually a pretty good guy. He knows how to keep a show moving, though his format of unscreened callers often does him more harm than good. But now that people are starting to call to parrot back his own rhetoric about keeping intra-party disagreements private, now Ed is saying, "When I see something wrong, I have to speak out", and "I'm not beholden to any party." Ed, Ed, Ed, what are you doing?

While we're on the subject, I'm disappointed in the prominent Democrats, too, who jumped on the Dean-bashing bandwagon. Take a page from the Republicans playbook, for gods' sake; when asked if you agree with Dean, say, "As far as Chairman Dean goes, we'll have to agree to disagree on the specifics. But I do agree wholeheartedly with his larger point, which is that unless you represent the interests of wealth, or the interests of fundamentalism, the Republican Party simply does not come through for you. It's unfortunate that message gets lost in the larger storm, but that is a stone fact."

And that's what Ed should have said as well. I'd encourage everyone who reads this blog (both of you) to write to Ed and ask him what he was thinking.

The Big Day

2005-06-07T10:07:00.000-07:00

Honestly now, is there a city with more dysfunctional politicians than Oceanside? Yeah, ok, point taken.

Since my commute now takes me solidly through Oceanside, I've seen a lot of campaigning these past few weeks. But since my recent move has rendered me ineligible for voting in this election, all I can do is sit on the sidelines and watch.

Of course, given the choice, I would probably be voting for Sheri Mackin over either Armentrout (pro-business stooge) or Johnson (turncoat Republican Party minority stooge). This may be harsh, but it seems to me that anyone who suddenly decides that this Republican Party best represents their views is not carefully considering the full implications of that statement. (Fiscal conservative, please.) Of course, it's obvious that it's not philosophy that is the guiding light behind Johnson's betrayal, but political fortunes. With any luck, those fortunes will come to a screeching halt with the returns tonight.

Finally the Dems speak out

2005-06-07T09:50:00.000-07:00

Today seems to be the day that Democratic Senators are voicing their opinions about the Downing Street "Smoking Gun" Memo that proved, basically, that our President lied to Congress, the American people, and the world, about why we needed to go to war in Iraq. Oh, for a return to the days of a Special Prosecutor. I never thought I'd miss that.

We know the Administration had been planning to invade Iraq for many months before the invasion actually began. We know the Administration twisted the intelligence to make the facts fit their plan. We know that the Administration never really intended to give the U.N. weapons inspectors a reasonable chance to succeed. The Downing Street Minutes demonstrate that the Administration knew their case for war was paper thin, and that in order to go into war with the support of our allies, we had to demonstrate some willingness to go along with the UN inspection process. But the Administration continued to misuse its intelligence, distort the facts and pay only lip-service to the UN’s role in disarming Iraq.

You know, legend has it that when a Roman Emperor was crowned, he would ride a golden chariot through throngs of people who would shower him with flowers. There stood next to him one person who was appointed to whisper in his ear, "Remember, you are only human." Our American Emperor has no such admonishments. For the sake of democracy, or checks and balances, or whatever you want to call it, he desperately needs one.

Trouble on the horizon?

2005-06-07T09:41:00.000-07:00

Interesting piece (story) at the Washington Post (tool) today. How low must the approval ratings of the President drop before he is considered by the media to be neither popular nor successful?

The survey found that 58 percent of those interviewed said Bush is mainly concentrating in his second term on problems and partisan squabbles that these respondents said were unimportant to them. Four in 10--41 percent--said the president was focused on important problems--a double-digit drop from three years ago.

Of course, from a psychological point of view, this was the most interesting tidbit:

According to the poll, nearly eight in 10 Democrats say Bush is not concentrating on issues they personally view as vital while three out of four Republicans disagree.

To summarize, 80% of Democrats say Bush isn't concentrating on vital issues while 75% of Republicans say he is. Assuming that the numbers are roughly equal, this does bode more favorably for Democrats, however, that's beside the point. Where are these people being educated on the issues that makes their opinions so radically different? How is it that so little common ground can be found between these two camps, why are they so polarized in their information?

Oh yeah.

Pride and Potholes

2005-06-03T07:45:00.000-07:00

Apparently there just aren't enough potholes in the state of California. They had to go create one so that Schwarzenegger would have something to fill for his publicity stunt.

I mean, I have a pothole on my driveway they could have filled if they were really hard-pressed to find one.

Comedy Gold

2005-06-03T07:37:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long posting delay, now that I'm all moved in and everything is pretty settled down, I should be able to get back to my irregular posting schedule.

By the by, if anyone out there is still not watching the Daily Show, shame on you. This is comedy gold. How the likes of Robert Novak and G. Gordon Liddy can pronounce the word "unethical" without catching on fire is beyond me.

Two weeks late and 18 pages short...

2005-05-13T07:42:00.000-07:00

The Washington Post gives us this brief report, on page A18, that has rocked Blair's government and should have rocked our government, however...

Apparently the "mainstream liberal media" doesn't think it's very noteworthy that proof has come out about our President ordering our intelligence agencies to fix their analysis to support going to war against Iraq.

As the article states:

Seven months before the invasion of Iraq, the head of British foreign intelligence reported to Prime Minister Tony Blair that President Bush wanted to topple Saddam Hussein by military action and warned that in Washington intelligence was "being fixed around the policy," according to notes of a July 23, 2002, meeting with Blair at No. 10 Downing Street.

But let's save our outrage for where it really belongs: Paula Abdul.

"A Misunderstanding"

2005-05-09T11:18:00.000-07:00

Things are definitely heating up in the Bible Belt. Let's be perfectly clear, the only "misunderstanding" here was the pastor misunderstanding that he could lose his tax exempt status with such blatant politicking.

Happy Mother's Day

2005-05-08T11:38:00.000-07:00

Perhaps a little known fact: the original call for a Mother's Day celebration in America came from Julia Ward Howe, a suffragette, abolitionist, peace activist and Unitarian, who wrote her Mother's Day Proclamation in 1870:

Arise then...women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly:"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

From the voice of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe our dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace...
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God -In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality,
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.

Homeland Insecurity

2005-05-04T07:30:00.000-07:00

I'm almost speechless.

Well, ok, not completely. But let's take stock, shall we:

15 of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were from Saudi Arabia
Osama Bin Laden is from Saudi Arabia
Whabbism, the sect of radical Islam most practiced by terrorists, is from Saudi Arabia

So for a president that is supposedly "cracking down on terrorism", why is he making it easier for potential terrorists to gain entrance to this country?

Yes, but will they blame Gray Davis?

2005-04-26T12:20:00.000-07:00

Article here. Remember, reduce, reuse, recycle!

Senator Reid may very well be a genius

2005-04-26T11:56:00.000-07:00

Found this little tidbit in the news today. I'm becoming more and more fascinated by how well Harry Reid is doing as Senate Minority Leader. He's played this whole battle over the "nuclear option" (Bush refers to it as the "nucular option") of eliminating Senate judicial filibusters perfectly. After whipping up the "faithful" (I use that term loosely) during Justice Sunday, Frist couldn't back down, and now Reid (and the Democrats) are the ones who come out looking like statesmen, true compromisers in the best sense of the word, and Frist is the one who looks like a small child who takes his toys and goes home if he can't get his way.

Reid gave Frist an out; he said that if he skips the few most radical, most extreme nominations, the others would go through without a hitch. But that wasn't good enough for Frist. It's scorched earth politics, where almost all just isn't good enough. It wasn't good enough that 95% of Bush's judicial nominees have sailed through the Senate. They need the full 100%, even if we're talking about people who side with cross-burners, or let our children die and deny their parents financial relief in order to side with big business.

Another Republican resigns in disgrace

2005-04-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

This time it's San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy. Yes, you heard right... After all that time and money spent in lawsuits claiming that the man who got fewer votes deserved the Mayorship, his Honor decided he couldn't stand the heat. Pension scandals, fiscal woes, a suspended credit rating, none of it seemed to matter until Time magazine recognized him as one of the three worst mayors in the U.S. Yes, that includes Alaska and Hawaii, and even Alabama!

All that's left now is the crying. And the special election.

Real Time

2005-04-25T12:07:00.000-07:00

If you don't watch Real Time with Bill Maher (and you receive HBO), then you really should. I recommend it only slightly behind The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, which stands as the most brilliant commentary on news (and fake news) on any cable channel.

Interesting quote from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.:

"All the things that we need to do to solve global warming are things that we ought to be doing for our economy and to assure our prosperity anyway. If we raise fuel-efficiency standards by one mile per gallon, we can yield more oil...twice the amount of oil that's in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. If we raise fuel-economy standards by 5.6 or 7.6 miles per gallon, we can end our Persian Gulf imports into this country. We would be able to end our dependence on foreign dictators who hate democracy, who are despised by their own people."

In other news, SUV sales are declining, possibly in reaction to gasoline prices hitting $2.55/gallon. But hybrid sales are up 81%.

Well, it is a hard language

2005-04-21T13:14:00.000-07:00

And the hits just keep on coming. Schwarzenegger blamed his "faulty English", well, he has only been in this country since 1968, and I'm sure he immediately moved into a large community of German-speakers, thus hurting his assimilation.

Now, some might say there's an element of racism here, and this was Arnold's way of throwing bones to groups like "the Minutemen" who really do want to close the border with Mexico. I'd hate to think that was true, and that he's resorted to using coded language.

I do notice, though, that he didn't call to close the border between the U.S. and Austria.

Straight from the North County (San Diego) Times...

2005-04-21T13:01:00.000-07:00

College students demand education they can afford. How dare they. I mean, really.

A projected 8 percent increase. This is on top of the 14 percent increase in 2004, the 30 percent increase in 2003, and the 10 percent increase in 2002. But hey, I saved a couple hundred bucks on my VLF, so it's all good.

You see, Republicans like to blame Democrats for raising taxes, but they still get the money; they just raise fees, instead. So lets take stock. So far, the big losers are: College Students (and their parents), Workers (high cost of health insurance), the Elderly (ditto, plus prescription drugs), and anyone who drives a car. The winners are: Corporations. Did I miss anyone?

Well, that didn't take long...

2005-04-21T12:41:00.000-07:00

Apparently a right-wing "organization" is running ads in Ohio against Senator Voinovich. They're accusing him of "playing hooky" from the hearings and then showing up just to "stab President Bush in the back."

I'd like to think of this as an attack of conscience for the Republican Senator, if the RNCC didn't force them to sign an anti-conscience pledge before receiving campaign funding.