Enough politics already!!!

I bought a treadmill today. Yes, my tired ol ass is going to attempt to drop all the weight I have gained since I blew out my back two plus years ago.

It was on sale..my favorite phrase. Sadly, its not the favorite phrase of the ball and chain. He is not happy with me right now. He says I will not use the treadmill for two months and no matter how good the damn sale was, it was a waste of money.

He is such the killjoy. I will now bust my ass to prove him wrong. It gets delivered next Tuesday and its interest-free for a whole year!!!! I already discussed this purchase with my Orthopedic Doc and he agrees as long as I don't overdo it, its a good thing for moi.

Next up..my man Smokin' Joe Bonamassa has a new live album coming out mid-August! This is a must have for anyone that loves the blues or just enjoys a great guitar aficionado like Joe B. I have the link to purchase his album on the sidebar, over there>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Check it out..free shipping!!!! Just to pique your interest if your not familiar with Smokin' Joe..I will leave you with one of my favorites below, Burning Hell ( also on the live album). Enjoy!

McCain's $520 Italian leather loafers..

You rightwing nutjobs want to bitch about a $400 haircut? Give me an effin break you sumbitches, not when McCain has multiple homes, wears nothing but Armani, has free use of his wife's private jet or something called a Black Centurion American Express card. From Steve Benen via C&L:

Put it this way — if Barack Obama paid $520 for a pair of Italian loafers, every voter in America would know about it. Every media outlet would report it and every Republican would talk about it.

I’m reminded, of course, of John Edwards’ $400 haircuts. Last year, that story was everywhere, with the Washington Post writing multiple articles about it. “How could Edwards relate to regular folks if he has that kind of lifestyle?” the media asked, over and over again.

Indeed, the media seems to go to great lengths to look for evidence to bolster the far-right meme that Obama is some kind of outsider. From bowling to orange juice to arugula, reporters love to characterize Obama as something less than a “real” American.

Well, McCain has a half-dozen homes and spends on shoes what some families spend on rent. All the while, he advocates more tax cuts for millionaires, opposes increases to the minimum wage, and tells Americans their economic problems are in their heads.

Which candidate is outside the American mainstream?

If anyone has any question as to whom McCain has allegiance...get a fucking grip jackass..its the upper one percent..nothing or no one else matters to this old bag of batshit..count on it..just like he voted against raising the minimum wage..for starters.

And furthermore..you know what made McCain's footwear fair game? When the fucking assholes in the media went batshit-crazy about Edwards haircut. That is what makes this fuckwittery a fair attack. No one..and I mean NO ONE other than Mitt-fucking-Romney (another Republican) has the kind of 'extras' that John and Cindy McCain do..you can bet your sweet ass on that one. Even Hillary and Bill aren't styling like the fucking McCains.

So the next time that ol mutha fucka tells you: My friends, I feel your pain..you need to throwup on the sumbitch and call him a fucking liar..because that is exactly what he is.

So, what does McCain's minions go off about today? Obama using the 'race' card..sweet jesus in a speedo..give me an effin break.

Exxon sets record for 2nd quarter profits.

I should say another record. From CNN:

Exxon Mobil once again reported the largest quarterly profit in U.S. history Thursday, posting net income of $11.68 billion on revenue of $138 billion in the second quarter.

That profit works out to $1,485.55 a second.

That barely beat the previous corporate record of $11.66 billion, also set by Exxon in the fourth quarter of 2007.

"The fundamentals of our business remain strong," Henry Hubble, Exxon's vice president of investor relations, said on a conference call. "We continue to capture the benefit of strong industry conditions."

Strong industry conditions my ass. They refuse to refine enough crude to keep the price down. They are the bastards of industry.

HJC-1 Bush White House-0

The House Judiciary Committee filed a lawsuit in federal court: House Judiciary Committee v. Harriet Miers et al, a while back.

No, it's not a joke..its a court order. From TPM Muckraker:

Harriet Miers is not immune from compelled congressional process; she is legally required to testify pursuant to a duly issued congressional subpoena from plaintiff; and Ms. Miers may invoke executive privilege in response to specific questions as appropriate.

and that. . .

Joshua Bolten and Ms. Miers shall produce all non-privileged documents requested by the applicable subpoenas and shall provide to plaintiff a specific description of any documents withheld from production on the basis of executive privilege consistent with the terms of the Memorandum Opinion issued on this date

Don't you just love the smell of pissed off Republicans early in the morning? Remember, its better to be pissed off than pissed on...

Dana Milbank can kiss my brown ass..

I get Consortiumnews’ daily email. The one tonight really chapped my hide. Robert Parry has a piece up entitled: WPost Calls Out ‘Uppity’ Obama. Parry’s article addresses Dana Milbanks column today in WaPo.

First, let me say I am not a fan nor a supporter of Barack Obama. I feel, no I know, he is just another politician who will pretty much do or say whatever is needed in order to get our votes. I am not calling him a liar, a charlatan or a carpetbagger, I am just saying he will pander to whomever he thinks will possibly vote for him in the general election come November. Obama seems to be playing it straight, or at least straighter than the idiot the Republicans have running for the Office of President of the United States. He knew he would take heat for his FISA vote, his change of heart on NAFTA and his slightly different tune on when and how we will be getting our soldiers out of Iraq just to name a few things that have jerked some of our collective chains on the left lately.

Dana Milbank was someone that I would listen to when he appeared almost nightly on MSNBC’s Countdown. Notice the past tense “was” in the previous sentence. After reading the following bullshit and bravado in his column linked above I will not be wasting my time listening to him run his yap any longer. Seems Dana doesn’t have a problem taking hearsay and making a column out of it, as witnessed by the following excerpt:

The 5:20 TBA turned out to be his adoration session with lawmakers in the Cannon Caucus Room, where even committee chairmen arrived early, as if for the State of the Union. Capitol Police cleared the halls — just as they do for the actual president. The Secret Service hustled him in through a side door — just as they do for the actual president.

Inside, according to a witness, he told the House members, “This is the moment . . . that the world is waiting for,” adding: “I have become a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our best traditions.”(emphasis mine)

Now, Robert Parry’s article at Consortium News has the following regarding the ‘quote’ Milbank used today:

However, other people who attended the caucus complained that Milbank had yanked the words out of context to support his “presumptuous” thesis, not to reflect what Obama actually was saying.

Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-South Carolina, said Obama’s comment was “in response to what one of the [House] members prefaced the question by,” a reference to the crowd of 200,000 that turned out to hear Obama speak last week in Berlin.

According to Clyburn, Obama “said, ‘I wish I could take credit for that, but I can’t. Because it’s not about me. It’s about America. It’s about the people of Germany and the people of Europe looking for a new hope, new relationships, as we go forward in the world.’ So, he expressly said that it’s not about me.”

A House Democratic aide sent an e-mail to Fox News saying, “Lots of people are reading the quote about Obama being a symbol and getting it wrong. His entire point of that riff was that the campaign IS NOT about him.

“The Post left out the important first half of the sentence, which was something along the lines of: ‘It has become increasingly clear in my travel, the campaign, that the crowds, the enthusiasm, 200,000 people in Berlin, is not about me at all. It’s about America. I have just become a symbol …’”

I realize that a ‘column’ is a far different animal than a 'news story'. It is opinion mixed with facts that support the writers point of view..or at least it’s supposed to be. As Parry points out, and if you read Milbanks column it should be quite evident, that the purpose of Milbanks column was to knock Obama down a peg or two and paint him as an arrogant..or as one of his co-workers recently called Obama, an “uppity” black man. It should be noted that the writer who called Obama uppidity is also an African American and he said this on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” which is a 'right of the center' talk show hosted by a washed-up politician who shall remain nameless here.

Milbank comes off, in my opinion, as a whiny, petty, little man with a little bit of jealousy tossed in for good measure. His entire column is a nasty, negative ass-whipping of the Democrats presumptive nominee and the United States first African American Presidential Candidate that actually has a chance of winning in November. Dana seems to be doing his best WWF smackdown imitation with phrases like the following:

As he marches toward Inauguration Day (Election Day is but a milestone on that path), Obama’s biggest challenger may not be Republican John McCain but rather his own hubris.

Some say the supremely confident Obama — nearly 100 days from the election, he pronounces that “the odds of us winning are very good” — has become a president-in-waiting. But in truth, he doesn’t need to wait: He has already amassed the trappings of the office, without those pesky decisions.

With polls daily and in some cases going wildly back and forth between Obama being in the lead and McCain closing in fast and occasionally showing McCain leading in some key swing states..how exactly does ol Dana come to the conclusion that the election is ‘in the bag’ for Obama? If he has some inside info we don’t…it would be nice if the asshole would share it.

Robert Parry has a few choice words for Milbank and his co-workers at the Washington Post:

One has to wonder: Doesn’t Dana Milbank have any idea of the physical danger that surrounds the first African-American to have a serious chance to be elected President of the United States? Does Milbank really want to heighten the political pressure on Obama to take more chances with his personal safety than he already does?

Do Milbank and the Washington Post want to feed the irrational hatred that already swirls around Obama by portraying him as an “uppity” black man with the obvious subliminal message that might send to some angry white guy, like the fellow who went on a shooting rampage because he hated “liberals”?

Presumably, Milbank and the Post don’t want to add to the danger that Obama faces. It’s more likely that they simply couldn’t resist their reflexive disdain for people whom they consider challengers to the Washington Establishment.

In a nutshell, I think the last sentence tells us why Milbank has his panties in a wad: Obama challenges the Washington Establishment aka the Status Quo. This, to me, is a great thing to behold. Although I do consider Obama a politician at heart, he is far from being a Washington Establishment-kinda guy…at least not yet.

Parry also reminds us that Milbank has a knack for bitch-slapping any politician that is outside the “Washington Establishment” or left of the center. Milbanks column last Saturday was devoted to demonizing Dennis Kucinich and the House Judiciary Committee hearing on George W. Bush’s abuses of presidential power which have been obvious to anyone that pays attention. From Parry’s article:

To read the column, you would never know that there actually is a strong case for believing that President Bush violated a significant number of international and domestic laws, the U.S. Constitution, and honorable American traditions, like George Washington’s prohibition against torture.

Instead, it was time to laugh at the peaceniks. Milbank opened by agreeing with a put-down from Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, calling the session “an anger management class.” Milbank wrote: “House Democrats had called the session … to allow the left wing to vent its collective spleen.”

Milbank then insulted Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who has introduced impeachment resolutions against Bush, by calling the Ohio Democrat “diminutive” and noting that Kucinich’s wife is “much taller” than he is.

What Kucinich’s height had to do with an issue as serious as abuses of presidential power was never made clear. What Milbank did make clear, through his ridicule and insults, was that the Washington Establishment takes none of Bush’s crimes and abuses seriously.

Milbank is a mean-spirited insider that evidently thinks BushCo hasn’t really done anything wrong in the last seven plus years. As someone that listened to him and paid attention I am now of the mindset that this mutha fucka is part of the general problem in DC and the MSM in particular. He wants the status quo to continue and Obama, if nothing else, signals that the status quo will come to a screeching halt if he is elected.

And I hope to hell Milbank as a seat in the front row when it all tumbles down around him and his fellow ‘insiders’ come January 21, 2009. I hope Obama is sincere in his ‘populist’ message. I hope to hell he plans on making sweeping changes in how business is conducted in DC. That will surely give Milbank and his ilk a lot to write about..or rather, whine about over the next four years.

And I for one…can’t fucking wait to see how it all plays out.

McCain's newest tv ad is a doozy...

Holy Fuckamoly, is this man retarded? Seriously…who the hell thinks this shit up for John McCain?

As Steve Benen says over at The Carpetbagger Report:

I’m pretty comfortable, at this point, describing John McCain as the single most ridiculous major party presidential nominee of the modern political era. This ad is so spectacularly inane, it’s hard to watch it without feeling insulted.

And I agree. Alzheimer's simply must be setting in for ol' Johnny, because this smarmy ad is so full of bullshit and lies one would need a back hoe and a dump truck to remove it all. Didn't McCain say he was going to run a 'clean' campaign? If this is clean..my aunt Martha is President of France.

HJC votes to hold Rove in contempt.

This morning, the birds are chirping, the sun is out, the sky is blue and Karl Rove is a wanted man.

The House Judiciary Committee voted 20-14 to hold Karl Rove in contempt for failing "to respond to a subpoena to face questioning from the Committee on the prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman", per TPM Muckraker.

Don't you just love the stench of partisan politics in the morning? Of all the shit that Krazy Karl has pulled..they use this one? I mean wtf people? Outing Valerie Plame, the firing of the USA's and a host of other mierda can be laid at the feet of that pasty piece of batshit..

The Washington Independent has a nice primer up that explores what can happen next. Check it out.

Dems think EPA Administrator is a tool.

From the WSJ:

Democratic senators on Tuesday asked the Justice Department to investigate whether the nation's top environmental regulator made false statements to Congress when he testified that his 2007 decision to block California rules governing automobile greenhouse-gas emissions was made independently.

Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D., Calif.) and two other lawmakers also called on EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson to resign. The calls bring to a head a building battle over whether the White House interfered in environmental policy making, including in the California rules.

Anyone with two brain cells to rub together know that Bush's EPA has done nothing that will better the cause of clean air, clean water or just healthier human beings. Its all been political.

By rejecting California's request for a waiver under the Clean Air Act -- the first time the agency has ever refused to grant such a waiver -- the EPA administrator effectively blocked any state from regulating vehicle greenhouse-gas emissions.

Earlier this year, Mr. Johnson told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that "this was solely my decision based upon the law, based upon the facts that were presented to me." But a former EPA official told the committee that the EPA chief had planned to allow California's rules to take hold in some form, but changed his mind amid pressure from the White House.

Fucking liar. Fucking corporate pig.

Ted Stevens finally indicted...plus SoCal earthquake coverage..

As I was sitting on the second floor, talking to my doctor the room started rocking and rolling.One of Sirens writers, Big Fella lives at the epicenter. He reports no damage that he can tell yet, but he is in a wheelchair and can't get up to the second floor. He did hear breaking glass. So far there have been 27 aftershocks...

Ted Stevens has been indicted on seven counts of lying his republican ass off. He has resigned his two committee seats. From TPM Muckraker, via Roll Call:

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), who has been indicted on seven counts of making false statements on his financial disclosure forms, has stepped down from his post atop two committees, according to a senior GOP aide.

Republicans may vote as early as Wednesday afternoon to select replacements.

Consistent with GOP bylaws that require Members who are under felony indictment to relinquish their ranking posts on committees, Stevens, the longest-serving Republican Senator, has officially stepped down as ranking member of both the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.

Ted is a tool. Hopefully he will be seen in prison orange very soon..but I ain't holding my breath.

Shades of the Keating Five-McCain's son resigns from bank board

Johnny's son Andrew McCain has resigned two high up posts he held on two bank boards per the Las Vegas Review Journal:

Andrew McCain, son of Republican presidential candidate John McCain, on Saturday resigned from the boards of Silver State Bancorp of Henderson and Silver State Bank for "personal reasons," the holding company said.

Calls seeking comment from Andrew McCain weren't returned. A spokesman for Silver State said the company wouldn't elaborate on its announcement.

Personal reasons my hairy ass. The stock value of these two banks has plummeted recently, which might mean Federal takeover of them is close at hand. Again, from the LVRJ:

Andrew McCain, formerly director of Scottsdale, Arizona-based Choice Bank, joined Silver State's boards in February after the Henderson bank acquired Choice Bank.

The senator's son owned 1,226 Silver State shares of stock, according to the company's latest report to the Securities and Exchange Commission. That investment was worth more than $1,500 on Friday when the Nasdaq stock market closed.

Shares in Silver State and other publicly owned bank holding companies in Southern Nevada have lost most of their value over the past year as they reported increasing numbers of problem loans.

Silver State closed at $1.28 on Nasdaq Friday, down 2 cents for the day, but off from a 52-week high of $24.10.

Hmm...sounds fishy wouldn't you say? Hope this shit splatters all over Andy's daddy..it would make my day! ;)

BushCo's Monica..

The report (pdf) on how Monica Goodling and John Nowacki politicized the US Attorneys Office is out. Thanks to TPM Muckraker for the link to the actual report, which is over 140 pages. TPM also took the time to scour through the report for the 'evidence'. The following is from the TPM writeup:

The OIG report released today on the politicized hiring at the Justice Department, details a number of the candidates that were de-selected for positions under Monica Goodling's watch. One of them, was an "experienced terrorism prosecutor. . [who] had successfully prosecuted a high-profile terrorism case for which he received the Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service."

Unfortunately for him, he had a wife who was a Democrat.

In the report, page 30 (page 25 on the actual report) starts the Evidence and Analysis portion of the report. This one line about Goodling's testimony in front of the Congress critters last year kinda jumped right out at me:

We believe that several of Goodling’s assertions in this written statement were inaccurate.

No shit Sherlock..what was your first clue? Back to the reports findings:

Based on our investigation, we concluded that Goodling and Nowacki improperly used political or ideological affiliations when assessing waiver requests from interim U.S. Attorneys in at least three cases, which violated Department policy and federal law, and also constituted misconduct.

The most troubling case involved a request from Washington, D.C. interim U.S. Attorney Taylor. Goodling did not initially approve the waiver request. When Taylor called Goodling about the pending request, she told him that the candidate gave her pause because, judging from his résumé, he appeared to be a “liberal Democrat.” Goodling also mentioned that because Republicans had lost control of Congress after the November 2006 elections, she expected that Republican congressional staff might apply to the USAO in Washington. Taylor rightfully responded that these were impermissible considerations and that U.S. Attorneys will lose credibility if they are perceived to make politicized hiring decisions.

Yet, even after this discussion, Goodling did not initially approve the waiver request. Only after Taylor complained to OAG Chief of Staff Sampson, who directed Goodling to approve the request, did Goodling send an e-mail approving the waiver.

There is more, but I don't want to wear out your eyeballs so early in the week m'dear reader..check it out if your interested. I just want Monica and her pal Nowacki, who also went to the same religious law school as Monica, to be charged with crimes. All these fucktards can't get away with politicizing our highest judical office..or can they?

Bush approves execution of soldier

The soldier, Ronald Gray committed multiple rapes and homicide's in the 1980's while stationed at Fayetteville AR. Gray has been on the military's death row for 20 years. From Politico:

• In the military justice system, a member of the Armed Forces cannot be executed until the President “approves” the death sentence. Thus, unlike the civilian context, where the President may be asked to exercise his clemency authority to stop an execution, in the military system, the President effectively orders the execution. This is an important distinction.

• This is very rare. The last President to act on a military death sentence was John F. Kennedy in 1962, when he commuted a death sentence to confinement for life. President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved the last military execution in 1957; it was carried out in 1961.

• In accordance with the UCMJ, the Secretary of the Army submitted a formal recommendation to the President recommending he approve the sentence.

Facts of this case

Army Private Ronald A. Gray engaged in a spree of four murders and eight rapes in the Fayetteville, North Carolina, area between April 1986 and January 1987.

• Gray pleaded guilty to two murders and five rapes (in addition to other offenses) in North Carolina State court; he was sentenced to three consecutive, and five concurrent, life terms.

• Gray was then tried by general court-martial at Fort Bragg (82d Airborne Division) for separate offenses involving three women, two of whom served in the U.S. Army, one of whom was a civilian. ...

• In April 1988, the court-martial convicted Gray of premeditated murder (two specifications) and unanimously sentenced him to death. Since then, his sentence has been approved by his command, the Army Court of Military Review, and the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. The Supreme Court has denied certiorari.

• In accordance with the UCMJ, the Secretary of the Army recommended the President approve the sentence.

• Although not required by statute, the President asked the Attorney General to confirm that the President had full legal authority to approve, commute, or remit the death sentence.

Hastert joins K Street Lobbying firm.

Dennis Hastert, the longest serving Republican Speaker of the House has been hired by Dickstein Shapiro. Due to the new ethic’s rules, Denny can’t really lobby for a year. This lobbying/ legal firm has many former elected officials in the fold, from the LegalTimes:

Dickstein’s 20-member public policy and law practice is already home to a small caucus of ex-members, including: Sen. Wendell Ford (D-Ky.); Sen. Joseph Tydings (D-Md.); Sen. Tim Hutchinson (R-Ark.) (Hutchinson’s wife, Randi Fredholm Hutchinson, is also a counsel in the group); and Rep. Stanford Parris (R-Va.).

Among the group’s top-paying clients in 2007, according to public disclosures, were Lorillard Tobacco Co. ($1.68 million); Peabody Energy ($800,000); and E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. ($460,000). This year, the client base has expanded to include Pew Charitable Trusts, which is monitoring mining legislation, and ARES Systems Group, which is lobbying on homeland security appropriations.

Denny will be making a..cough..modest $750k a year for his services, whatever the hell they are. If your wondering about how the Lobbyists are making it during these ‘hard times’..this article will show they are doing just fine:

The 50 highest-grossing lobbying practices in the country passed the $1 billion revenue mark for the first time last year, thanks in part to strong growth in work that’s outside the traditional boundaries of legislative lobbying.

Legal Times‘ annual Influence 50 survey (subscription required) shows that some of the biggest players in the lobbying world raked in multimillion-dollar increases in fees from public relations, legislative activity monitoring, and grass-roots advocacy. The survey, which covers annual income from lobbying work for 2007, also reveals that law firms are continuing to outpace nonlaw firms in revenue growth — and last year pulled in more than 64 percent of the revenue among Influence 50 firms.

Overall, revenue among the Influence 50 was up 11 percent. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld ranks No. 1 on the list for the second consecutive year, with $89.8 million in lobbying income. Patton Boggs was a close runner-up, pulling down $89.3 million.

Below are the top ten firms that pulled in lobbying cash:

The Influence 50: Lobby shops and law firms with the highest revenues from lobbying work in 2007
Rank, Firm, 2007 Gross, 2006 Gross, Gain/Loss, Number of Lobbyists, Firm Type

1 Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld $89,800,000 $76,900,000 +16.7% 40 Law
2 Patton Boggs $89,300,000 $71,000,000 +25.8% 149 Law
3 Hogan & Hartson $71,400,000 $65,700,000 +8.7% 32 Law
4 DLA Piper $47,300,000 $46,200,000 +2% 38 Law
5 Holland & Knight $45,100,000 $34,700,000 +30% 56 Law
6 K&L Gates $42,300,000 $37,300,000 +13.4% 51 Law
7 Covington & Burling $40,400,000 $33,100,000 +22% 30 Law
8 Dutko Worldwide $35,100,000 $33,400,000 +5.1% 60 Non-Law
9 Greenberg Traurig $32,900,000 $29,200,000 +12.7% 74 Law
10 BGR Holding $30,200,000 $28,800,000 +5% 17 Non-Law

Today at Sirens Chronicles.

We have some wonderful writers over there and I would like to take a minute and list some of the excellent reads we have up:

Carol has her pondering on the Presidential Election entitled: It's about where one stands-

Betmo has the video of Jane Mayer with Bill Moyers friday. Jane's new book, The Dark Side, is all about torture and the Bush Administration. She also has a post up entitled: Ain't Lame Ducks Grand?, which talks about the Bush Administrations feeding talking points to Fox Noise as..cough..facts.

Border Explorer has the latest on the ICE raid of the Iowa meatpacking plant and how habeaus corpus and individuals rights were trampled on by the fuckwits that represent our government. Its called: Just who is “illegal” here? House Committee reviews ICE Raid on Postville, IA.

Jim has an article up entitled: March’s secret meeting to Declare Martial Law if things keep getting worse as they are!

Fran has an article up with the latest bullshit ads the Rethugs are running. Her post is entitled: Desperate Times call for desperate ads.

Hope a few folks stop by and check out our humble group blog...we have some very good writers over there. ;)

Senate passes housing bill on a Saturday

From The Hill:

Senators found a rare chance for consensus Saturday on a broad housing bill aimed to benefit borrowers, mortgage firms Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and communities hurt by the housing crisis.

The 72-13 final vote sends the bill to President Bush, who this week dropped a longstanding veto threat against the measure over $4 billion on community block grants. The legislation already passed the House on a 272-152 vote on Wednesday. All 13 ‘no’ votes were Republicans.

All no votes were Rethuglican..figures..they are the folks that wanted to take all the controls off banks and financial institutions..yet when the shit hits the proverbial fan..they don’t want to fix their fuckup. And, to add to this..the Rethugs are blocking any other bills until the Democrats lift the drilling ban. From The Hill again:

The GOP wants a more open amendment process that could allow a vote on lifting a congressional moratorium on offshore oil drilling.

“We want to address the issue of gas prices now,” said Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). “The important thing to do is stay on the subject.”

Drilling will NOT do a fucking thing for the price of gas NOW you fucktard. Jesus Christ on a cracker..they still keep those talking points going long after they have been shown to be utter bullshit.

Two more banks seized by Feds..

Nevada's First National Bank and California-based First Heritage Bank. From the WaPo link:

The banks, owned by First National Bank Holding Co. of Scottsdale, Ariz., are the sixth and seventh to fail this year as the financial-services industry grapples with failed loans stemming from the worst housing slump since the Depression.

It's not the housing slump, its the bullshit loans and subprime mortgages that did these banks in. Don't you just love how the MSM paints this bullshit? Mutual of Omaha came to the rescue it seems. From the LRJ link:

The Omaha, Neb.-based insurance company is buying First National Bank of Nevada, which was placed under federal receivership late Friday, the first Nevada-based bank to be seized in 18 years.

Mutual of Omaha will assume the $3 billion in deposits at First National and an affiliated institution, First Heritage Bank of Newport Beach, Calif., Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. officials announced Friday evening. Mutual of Omaha also will acquire some of the banks' assets in the deal.

The sale means that all of First National's depositors -- even those with uninsured deposits exceeding the FDIC's $100,000 limit -- will avoid any losses.

I love how the MSM is keeping us informed on this shit, don't you m'dear reader? I wasn't aware of any other bank failing but IndyMac. WaPo has a small blurb about some of the other banks that have failed in the last year or so:

U.S. bank regulators closed First Integrity Bank, based in Minnesota, and ANB Financial in Arkansas in May; Hume Bank in Missouri in March; and Douglass National Bank in Missouri in January. The four lenders had $2.2 billion in assets and losses estimated at $225 million.

Yet the Republican's want less oversight, not more, they want their free market capitalism don't ya know?

Manipulating the price of Oil? You don't say...

From Jurist:

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) filed a lawsuit Thursday against international trading fund Optiver Holding BV and some of its subsidiaries and employees, alleging that the company manipulated the futures prices of oil and gasoline in violation of the Commodity Exchange Act. The suit, filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleges that for 11 days in March 2007, Optiver and some of its officials bought large numbers of futures contracts in certain oil and gasoline markets on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), with the so-called TAS purchases requiring an initial agreement to pay either more or less than the closing bell price. Optiver and its agents would then trade the futures immediately before closing in the opposite direction they had agreed to earlier that day, and by doing so allegedly earned about $1 million. The complaint notes:

Optiver's strategy was to execute approximately 20-30 percent of its futures contract trades just before the Close and the remainder during the Close. Having accumulated a large net TAS position during the trading day, Defendants intended to - and on several occasions did - implement this strategy to trade a large number of futures contracts in the opposite direction just prior to and during the Close, thereby exercising their market power to improperly influence and affect the price of futures contracts in a desired direction.

CFTC has requested an injunction preventing the company and its associates from violating related US law, and wants the court to prohibit them from trading or otherwise working with commodity interests. The agency seeks monetary penalties of either $130,000 from each defendant or triple the amount gained by the scheme, whichever is greater. The New York Times has more.

On Friday, the US Senate rejected a bill designed to amend the Commodity Exchange Act to prevent unchecked energy speculation. The House of Representatives is scheduled to consider its own proposed legislation to amend the Act next week. If passed, it would increase transparency in and oversight of the energy markets. Reuters has more.

For some reason, this smacks of too little too late for me. The price of a barrel of Oil has been rising this year, yet the suit is for last year. The penalty seems awfully light in my humble yet vocal opinion as well. As for why the Senate would reject a bill to give more oversight power to the CFTC..I haven't got a fucking clue, other than the word LOBBYISTS comes to mind.

California's Kevin McCarthy- Republican propaganda about drilling in ANWAR

McCarthy is my Rethug wingnut representative in the House of Representatives..the following is from an email I got from that bag of batshit today:

Dear Friend,
As we pay almost five dollars a gallon for gas, now is the time to reject the status quo, and tackle our serious energy challenges. That is why my colleagues and I are fighting for Congress to vote on the “All of the Above” comprehensive energy plan to strengthen America. Not only are we calling for an expansion of our American oil production, but we are also promoting the use of clean, renewable energy sources like wind, solar, geothermal, and nuclear power. We must put windmills where the wind blows, solar panels where the sun shines, and oil production where the oil is. Instead of favoring one form of energy over another, we believe in incentivizing research and development and letting science decide.

Ten of my colleagues and I just returned from a trip where we viewed these real energy solutions to move us forward on a pathway towards energy independence and lower gas prices. We completed a fact-finding trip where we traveled to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, as well as to Alaska’s North Slope, to get an up-close look at the cutting-edge technologies that are poised to revolutionize the energy industry, and fuel our future.

Established in 1974, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory is now the Department of Energy’s primary research center for alternative energy sources. While there, my colleagues and I were able to get a glimpse into the future of energy technology, examining everything from plug-in hybrids and biomass fuels to solar-powered hybrid cars and wind-to-hydrogen technology. Though many of these remain long-term projects, it is clear that we can invest now in renewable energy research and technology to create these energy sources for our future.

After our stop in Colorado, we continued on to the Northern Slope of Alaska, where the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A), the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), and the beginning of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline are located. Whereas 2.2 million barrels of oil a day were once produced and transported to the lower 48 states, the pipeline now only transports 700,000 barrels, and this is falling by 15% each year unless we produce more oil. And if the flow in the pipeline dwindles to less than 300,000 barrels, we will be forced to shut down production altogether because the pipeline will not have enough flow. Instead of relying on this dwindling supply in the NPR-A, the “All of the Above” plan calls for environmentally-friendly exploration in ANWR, which would decrease our dependence on foreign oil. Because of the increased sophistication of drilling techniques, a much smaller area of land is affected and a smaller footprint is created. In fact, the amount of land we could drill on in ANWR is about the size of a postage stamp on a football field.

We can lower prices by producing more. ANWR is projected to be able to produce 10 billion barrels of oil. At a recent congressional hearing on our energy situation, I presented information from the non-partisan Energy Information Administration that if ANWR produced one million barrels of oil each day (its estimated potential), that could lower gas prices by as much as fifty cents per gallon.

Remember, this is not only our energy policy, it is the next generation’s energy policy. Our future lies in innovation. It’s time for Congress to put aside the partisan bickering and vote on the “All of the Above” solutions-oriented energy bill to lower gas prices and achieve energy independence.

Sincerely,
Kevin McCarthy

First off, that the idiot uses McCain’s “My Friend” line, as nauseating as he is, it pisses me off even more. Second he is still feeding the bullshit brigade by saying drilling in ANWAR will lower gas prices..fucking moron! It will lower gas prices by less than a fucking nickle and it will take at least a DECADE to do that!

There is SO much propaganda in this email I got physically ill. Just wanted to give everyone a ‘heads up’ on what kind of batshit propaganda the Rethugs are tossing out there to validate drilling off our coasts or in ANWAR.

Documentary on Helen Thomas

Rory Kennedy has produced a documentary for HBO on one of the best journalists to ever cover the White House, bar none.

Helen Thomas has covered the W.H. since 1961 and grilled nine Presidents. The documentary is called: Thank You Mr. President. Helen has been ill since May of this year, and hasn't written a column since then. From the Editor and Publisher article on the HBO documentary:

"The movie is a fantastic narrative of Helen's fantastic career," said Charles Lewis, Washington bureau chief for Hearst Newspapers, where Thomas has written a column since 2000. "It is rich in history, rich in humor and the press's relationship with the White House."

Some Helen moments from the movie:

“I think that Presidents deserve to be questioned. Maybe irreverently, most of the time. Bring ‘em down a size,” she says in the film, according to HBO. "You see a president, ask a question. You have one chance in the barrel. Don’t blow it.”

“Access to a President doesn’t mean you’re gonna get the truth,” Thomas adds. “We had tremendous access when I started covering the White House. We realize now that we could walk right down the street, Main Street, with Jimmy Carter, we could walk with LBJ, side by side, even though there would be the usual secret service agents.

"We didn’t have the same code that you wouldn’t be able to get near a President, or they would feel threatened because of all of the security provisions, and so forth, that really have kept the press in their place," she adds in the film. "So, it was very different. You really felt that you got to know the person. And, I think that’s gone.”

It doesn't start until August 18th, but I love her work so much, that as soon as I heard, I had to put something up about it. We need more Helen Thomas' in the White House Press Pool. Below is her pov on some of the Presidents she has covered.

On Lyndon B. Johnson: “Johnson was a man who certainly had to talk. He was very garrulous, in a sense, and he also very self-protective. He always would say, ‘Now, you know that’s off the record.’ At the same time, you also knew what he wanted you to write what you were seeing and hearing, but not attribute it to him. So we played the game.”

On Richard Nixon: “Once you lie, your credibility is shot. And, I really think if you lie too many times, then it’s all over. I believe the people have a right to know almost everything.”

On Gerald Ford: “Gerald Ford was gentle, very kind. His great aspiration was to be Speaker of the House. He never really aspired to be President, but lightening struck. He turned out to be a good president because he really restored confidence in the Oval Office and a sense of security in the country after the Watergate scandal.”

On Jimmy Carter: “Jimmy Carter is a very spiritual man. I think he almost missed his calling. He would have been a great minister. I think his greatest contribution to the country is that he made human rights a centerpiece of his foreign policy.”

On Ronald Reagan: “[His advisors] taught him to say, ‘This is not a press conference.’ And, they had him quite trained on that. And, one day, we asked him about what was happening, and he said to us, ‘I can’t answer that.’ We said, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘Because they won’t let me.’ And, he pointed to Baker, Meese, and Deaver, standing behind, very grim. ‘They won’t let me.’ And I said, ‘But, you’re the president!’"

On George H.W. Bush: “I think at the tale end, both he and Mrs. Bush began to really think that we were the cause of all their troubles. So the press was not liked at all.”

On Bill Clinton: “President Clinton didn’t understand that he was being denied his legitimacy as President by the ultra-right in this country, who never gave him one second, one moment where he could prevail. They were after him constantly, investigating him constantly .. I don’t understand how he possibly could’ve taken what he took. He was asked so many personal questions that I’ve never – no president has ever been subjected to that kind of tyranny.”

On George W. Bush: “When George Bush first became president, I think I attended two or three news conferences with him, and then I did get another question in, and there’s a blackout now, I believe, until the end of his term.“

Awesome woman, fantastic journalist. Some great insights are what I am looking forward to and I KNOW she won't disappoint me.

Anti-War group planning Civil Disobedience for Republican Convention..

Now your talking!!! They use the word militant, but say they will not take part in violent activities. From Common Dreams:

The activists added that there could be civil disobedience every day of the Sept. 1-4 convention, which will be held at the Xcel in St. Paul.

An antiwar march is already planned for Sept. 1, which organizers say could attract tens of thousands, and a poor people’s march is scheduled for Sept. 2, which could draw thousands more. Organizers of the Sept. 4 march predict a turnout of 2,000.

Leaders of the Anti-War Committee are key organizers of the Sept. 1 protest, which is sponsored by the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, and the committee is also a supporter of the Sept. 2 march, sponsored by the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign.

Speaking for the Anti-War Committee, Katrina Plotz and Misty Rowan said Wednesday that the St. Paul police issued their organization a permit, allowing them to march on the street earlier in the day but ending by 5 p.m. However, they said they planned to march around 5 p.m., using sidewalks if necessary, so they will be near the Xcel closer to the time when U.S. Sen. John McCain gives his speech accepting the GOP presidential nomination. The march will protest McCain’s support of the Iraq war, they said.

A little civil disobedience goes a long way these days as people have forgotten how well it was used during the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War. If I was in better physical shape, without the three blown discs, I would do it in a heartbeat. It makes me very sad that I can not take part in this endeavor.

Malkin as usual, misses the point.

I love TPM muckraker. That site is actually my homepage because no other site gives me so much ammo to lob at the rightwing nutjobs. Today’s article over there regarding the shortbus-riding Malkin just warms the cockles of my little black heart. From the TPM writeup:

Conservative columnist Michelle Malkin was breathlessly celebrating in yesterday’s New York Post about how much money Republican Congressional candidate William Russell has been raising this year.

Never heard of him? You’re not alone. Russell is challenging Rep. John Murtha for his Pennsylvania House seat, which is considered among the safest Democratic seats in the country.

TPM muckraker has been investigating the..cough..Rethug fundraiser known as BMW Direct. Since MM doesn’t do her homework..she has no clue about BMW Direct and how they scam these relatively unknown Republican candidates. BMW Direct is nothing more than a sham that poses as a fundraiser for Republicans, which is fine with me because they only work for Republicans. Again from the TPM writeup:

He (meaning William Russell) reports having $269,953 in cash on hand. But he also reports debts totaling $242,521 — almost all for direct mail expenses to BMW Direct and its vendors.

So that leaves him only about $27,431 ahead — not much for a guy who’s raised a total of nearly $1 million this election cycle.

Meanwhile, Malkin suggests that Murtha is in trouble since he only “scraped together a measly $119,000.” But Murtha isn’t running a direct mail campaign with BMW Direct, so he actually has money left over to spend on things like renting a campaign office back in the 12th District.

God damn I love this type of irony..don’t you?

Crossposted at Bring It On!

Former Bush supporter bites the hand that fed him.

He was known as "Bush's Puppet", but now former Iraq Prime Minister Dr. Ayad Allawi is marching to a different drummer: From Truth Out:

Dr. Ayad Allawi, the former interim Iraqi prime minister previously referred to even by US Congress members as a "Bush puppet," voiced his strong support for a US withdrawal timeline during a Wednesday Congressional hearing.

During his term in office, from June 2004 to April 2005, Allawi endorsed the US's controversial bombings of Fallujah and echoed Bush's speeches almost word for word in many of his own statements; The Washington Post reported that Bush administration officials coached Allawi on the content of his public comments. Prior to his involvement in the US-backed, post-invasion Iraqi government, Allawi worked with the CIA.

Bush doesn't support his puppets once he no longer needs them. When they tossed Allawi aside it showed there really isn't any honor among thieves..Again from TO:

Yet, on Wednesday, Allawi blatantly called for "a time frame for reduction of US forces," a statement that stands in stark contrast to the hazy, deadline-less "time horizon" recently advocated by President Bush. Allawi stressed that the Iraqi people's wishes should take precedence in any agreement on the future of the American presence in Iraq.

"Most importantly, [the security agreement] should be transparent and get the approval of the Iraqi Parliament and people," he testified.

Damn skippy the Iraqi people should ratify it! No more secrecy..more sunlight please!! Allawi speaks out about how the current Iraqi government and BushCo have built the Iraqi economy so that it favors American interests. Its a good read..please check it out. Of course some folks will call Allawi a disgruntled former employee of BushCo, but to me, his thoughts are spot-on, and he speaks truth to power through the entire TO article.

For a good laugh, go check out Karen Zipdrives new snark-filled post entitled: The Secret Diary of Nuri al-Maliki.That woman can make me laugh so hard I almost fell outta my chair.

The war against Cali's Workers Compensation system..

Just an update m'dear readers..The insurance company will NOT be appealing the judges ruling that allows me to see the QME Doctor of my choice.

Can I get a friggin AMEN?? This keeps my 'streak' alive..every time I have represented myself or the company I worked for in court..we/I have won. Not bad for a junior college graduate who majored in..cough..psychology.

Not braggin' mind you, just stating a fact. ;>) Perry Mason ain't got nuthin on me.

I am off to L.A. now, to see another doctor and with my back in bad shape lately, I ain't looking forward to this drive one iota.

Have a good day, don't let the bastards get ya down and by all means..bitch your ass off by speaking truth to power.

Don’t the friggin cops have anything better to do than spy on peace and anti-death penalty groups?

Jesus Christ on a cracker..this is such a waste of taxpayer money, and law enforcements precious time..I can’t even begin to tell you how friggin pissed off it makes me. From the ACLU website:

BALTIMORE - The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland today made public what it called “shocking” documents obtained through a Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) lawsuit, revealing that the Maryland State Police (MSP) engaged in covert surveillance of local peace and anti-death penalty groups for over a year from 2005-2006. The organization expressed alarm at the incomprehensible spying revealed in 43 pages of summaries and computer logs, none of which refer to criminal or even potentially criminal acts, other than a few isolated references to plans for completely nonviolent civil disobedience.

Bullshit on a stick people!!! As The Progressive notes:

Max Obuszewski is a seasoned, nonviolent peace activist in Maryland. But to the Maryland State Police, he is suspected of committing the “primary crime” of “terrorism-anti-war protestors” and the “secondary crime” of “terrorism-anti-govern.”

That is how the Maryland State Police designated him in internal documents that the ACLU of Maryland obtained through a lawsuit and released on July 17. The documents also show that the Maryland State Police entered his name into a database dealing with “high intensity drug activity.” These documents reveal an elaborate undercover operation against peace groups and anti-capital-punishment groups.

This is how it starts you know…anyone that thinks for themselves and refuses to be part of the herd is labeled and then dealt with. Nationalism is one of the 14 points of Facism. So is identifying enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause.

Crossposted at Sirens Chronicles.

Grandpa knows best...

Weathervane McCain seems to think he knows what is best for Iraq..not Maliki. Amazingly enough, some folks will buy this bullshittery.

Report from British Government doubts Bush is truthful on torture.

From Jurist:

The Human Rights Annual Report 2007 [PDF] released Sunday by the UK House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee recommended that the UK not rely on any assurances made by the US that it does not use torture. The report also calls on the UK to fully investigate US interrogation tactics to ensure that no torture techniques are being used on US detainees. The report's section on torture focuses on waterboarding and the disconnect between US statements that the practice does not constitute torture and testimony by UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband that "water-boarding amounts to torture." The Foreign Affairs Committee wrote in the report:

We conclude that the Foreign Secretary's view that water-boarding is an instrument of torture is to be welcomed. However, given the recent practice of water-boarding by the US, there are serious implications arising from the Foreign Secretary's stated position. We conclude that, given the clear differences in definition, the UK can no longer rely on US assurances that it does not use torture, and we recommend that the Government does not rely on such assurances in the future. We also recommend that the Government should immediately carry out an exhaustive analysis of current US interrogation techniques on the basis of such information as is publicly available or which can be supplied by the US. We further recommend that, once its analysis is completed, the Government should inform this Committee and Parliament as to its view on whether there are any other interrogation techniques that may be approved for use by the US Administration which it considers to constitute torture.

BBC News has more. I really don't have anything to add this early in the AM on a Monday. Its just the wonderful start to another week of BushCo bullshit.

But WAIT!!! It gets better:


Earlier this month, the Foreign Affairs Committee denounced what it termed "false US assurances" about rendition flights through the UK Indian Ocean territory of Diego Garcia. The committee also said the "failure of the United States Administration to tell the truth resulted in the UK Government inadvertently misleading" the committee and House of Commons about US operations on a military base located on the island. Lawyers for Reprieve, a UK legal charity representing some of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay, alleged (PDF) last year that UK overseas territories have been used "to support illegal interstate transfer, enforced disappearance and torture in the context of the 'war on terror'" and urged UK lawmakers to question US and UK officials about the allegations. In 2005, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Manfred Nowak said there had been allegations that the US was secretly detaining prisoners on military vessels at the Diego Garcia naval base.

Have a good week!!! ;p

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs: “Right now I’m fighting 2 wars, and I don’t need a third one…”

Crooks and Liars, those stellar bloggers of all things political and sometimes musical have a great post up about Admiral Mullens visit to Fox Noise today. From the transcript via C&L:

WALLACE: I want to ask you two questions about Iran. How do you weigh as a military man, as the top military man, the downside risk if either the U.S. or Israel were to militarily strike Iran in terms of blowback from Iran and its allies in the region, increased turmoil in that area, increased turmoil in the oil market?

MULLEN: I think it would be significant. I worry about it a lot. I’ve said when I’ve been asked this before right now I’m fighting two wars, and I don’t need a third one. […]

But I worry about the instability in that part of the world and, in fact, the possible unintended consequences of a strike like that and, in fact, having an impact throughout the region that would be difficult to both predict exactly what it would be and then the actions that we would have to take to contain it.

Everyone worries about the unintended consequences of an attack on Iran..except Bush and Cheney. Those fuckers don't give a shit what it would cause to happen..aka the blowback upon the US.

Yesterday this blog was 3 years old..

Gee I missed it. My own blogs birthday.

Oh big friggin deal..I did look back this morning to several of my first posts..and laughed my hairy ass off. Because I was so....bitchy! Also my use of the f-bomb hasn't changed much over the last three years. Sadly I switched to haloscan a year or so ago..so none of my old comments from readers are still there. That is about the only thing I am bummed about.

I also was going after Turdblossom hard and heavy..news there right? But I do like the very first graphic I ever used, which is below.

News from the frontline..

The frontline being here in America in the war against worthless politicians who were elected to represent American's, not continue to support the Corporatocracy as the majority of Democrats have done since they blew into DC in November of 2006.

There is a Netroots Nation (formerly the Yearly Kos) convention down in Austin TX this weekend. Anyone know about it? Jet, from Bring it On! is in attendance and gives us updates over at BIO. She is worked up and excited, being in the company of thousands of like-minded adults..who wouldn't be? When I attended the Democracy for America conference in San Diego two years ago, I came home energized and invigorated for much the same reasons; good speeches by top knotch speakers that mirrored many of my beliefs and rah-rah meetings where we all felt emboldened by the sheer numbers of folks that surrounded us who all felt the same way I did.

There was a debate between Harold Ford and Markos Moulitsas today at NN. Ford is the head of the centrist DLC whilst Markos runs DKos, which for all intents and purposes is a liberal haven on the web. Harold got polite applause when introduced but also got booed several times, as well he should in my humble yet vocal opinion. From HuffPo:

Former congressman Harold Ford was billed as a sheep amidst the wolves when he was booked for an appearance at the Netroots Nation conference here in Austin. And while for the most part the DLC head and self-described 'centrist' Democrat received a cordial welcome among the progressive audience, there were a scattering of hisses, boos, and the occasionally unruly heckle during his discussion of FISA, Obama and Democratic politics more broadly.

Harold was also soundly booed when he said he has 'respect' and..cough/choke..admiration for many of his former colleagues over at Fox Noise..where he used to work but no longer does. My pov? Fuck Harold Ford..twice even. He is part of the problem as far as I am concerned. His stance on FISA is pure bullshit on a stick. Again from HuffPo:

Later Ford was quizzed on why he would support granting telecommunication companies immunity for their participation in the FISA program. His response - that it wasn't the companies who should be held to a fault but rather the public officials who ordered their participation - was challenged by several different questioners, who demanded "accountability" for privacy violations.

"I think that accountability was brought in 2006 when [the GOP] lost in the House and the Senate," Ford responded said. "And we have only eight more months of George W. Bush..."

"When is he going to prison!" screamed an audience member to a few claps.

Below is a video of Harold getting hassled at the debate..



He says he respects 'our' opinions but wtf does that really mean when he also supports the new and cough..improved FISA bill?

Don't mean shit m'dear reader..don't mean shit. Its called 'lip service'. Which is all we get from the current crop of Democrats running the shows we call Congress and the Democratic Party.

Republicans holding changes to oil regulation hostage..

The bastards want Congress to first lift the ban on offshore drilling before they will consider changes to "a bill designed to rein in speculation on the markets in which crude oil futures are traded. The senator and others think that speculators have driven up the price of oil and could be responsible for more than $1 of the cost of a gallon of gasoline at the pump."

Manipulative bastards. From the McClatchy link:

Though some Republicans are sympathetic to the need to provide tighter control over energy markets, they say that any energy legislation should include lifting the congressional moratorium on offshore drilling for oil and natural gas.

Cantwell and most Democrats oppose lifting the offshore-drilling ban. They quote the Department of Energy as saying that offshore oil and gas wells wouldn't come online for seven to 10 years and the impact on prices would be insignificant. Democrats also say that oil companies already have more than 68 million acres along the outer continental shelf and on other federal lands under lease that haven't been drilled on.

Republicans counter that there are abundant resources offshore and polls show that a majority of Americans support more drilling on the outer continental shelf.

Only Americans that are uninformed support offshore drilling. Because they have been constantly fed bullshit by the Republicans and Bush that doing so will lower the price of gasoline in the immediate future. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Its all a ruse to help out their cronies in the Oil Bidness. Pete Domenici is heading this horeshit move in order to help his personal pals at Mirant, an Atlanta-based energy company. What started this little standoff is Maria Cantwell's blocking of three nominations to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. One of Pete's pals is one of the nominees.

Send Rover to jail? Oh hell yes..

New video from Robert Greenwald and his Brave New Films group. Visit the website here. From an email I got this morning:

All we have to do is pressure the 40 members of the House Judiciary Committee, make them hold Rove in contempt and send him to jail. We've never had such a direct opportunity to hold Rove accountable. No, this is not enough punishment for his years and years of crimes, but it's a huge start, and will send a very clear message to the entire Bush administration.

We put together this video to explain the issues surrounding Rove's failure to testify before Congress, and why Rove should be held in contempt and sent to jail. Check out Send Karl Rove to Jail, and sign our petition to ensure that the HJC holds Rove in contempt.

Former AG John Ashcroft in the hot seat this morning.

The lilting tones of John Ashcroft are wafting through the halls of Congress this morning as Ashcroft testifies in front of the House Judiciary Committee.

If your bored, or interested, its on Cspan online as well as Cspan tv. Haven't heard anything earth shattering yet. If I do..you will be the first folks I tell..pinky swear. ;)

Update:

As usual for a Bushie, Ashcroft the AssRocket couldn't recall diddly. But he did say unequivocally that waterboarding isn't torture. Watch him say it below:

That sumbitch did what??

I had to digest this little bit of bullshit for a couple of days..because I am far too emotional about drilling for fucking Oil anywhere offshore or in ANWAR. DCup has a post up that really broke the dam for me and I went off like a mental patient on her blog. Sorry woman, I really am.

Ok..I am gonna go off..ready?

The Santa Barbara Oil Spill could of been averted..by not drilling in an area that was known to Union Oil and the Federal government to have fractured fault lines all over the damn sea bed. But the Union Oil company drilled out far enough that the Feds said..ah..what the hell, its cool.

But it wasn't.

I don't give a flying fuck if we drill in every single acre we have in America..it will bring down gas prices a whole 50 cents..maybe 75 cents a fucking barrel and it will take 10 or more years until that oil is coming out of a gas pump near you. As far as how much gasoline it will produce? Fuck..a few years worth..not decades..years people.

Bush and his SUV driving buddies never tell us THAT shit do they? Perhaps they are as stupid as he pretends to be, I dunno..but I swear to GAWD I am gonna go postal on the next bag of batshit that tells me drilling in ANWAR or off any of our coast lines will solve our gas price problems NOW.

If Obama becomes President and has any real nads the sumbitch would start taxing those fuckers driving huge-ass SUV's like there is no tomorrow. Plus, I would love to drive a fucking hybrid but I can't afford one, I am on a fixed fucking income. We that want to drive a damn hybrid should be given a huge and I mean HUGE rebate for buying them..while of course we fuck those SUV-driving fuckwits to death with taxes on their cars, their gas they buy and anything else we can think of to bust their friggin nads.

Wait..I ain't done yet...

I was a highschooler when the Santa Barbara oil spill happened..and I lived in Santa Barbara county. You haven't lived until you have walked on a beach that has oil ten inches thick all fucking over it. You haven't seen nothing until you see birds that are covered in the shit and dying a slow painful death. You haven't experienced shit until you see hundreds of dead fish, seals and dolphins covering the beach.

I still weep when I see, in my minds eye, all those animals covered in fucking goo. I am crying now just thinking about them. The bird eyes pleading for help..and for what did we sacrifice them?

GREED..and self absorbed bullshittery, ego-tripping on our big cars and trucks that are usually carrying one or at the most two fucking people. I will never get over what I witnessed..never. And those fucking Oil company execs should of been made to clean up their fucking mess and made to help save the lives of those hundreds, nee thousands of birds that died.

I might be a bleeding heard liberal but I ain't no friggin pacifist and I would like nothing better than to stick the business end of a fucking glock into the piehole of every sumbitch that wants to drill for oil instead of developing and using alternative, clean energy. That goes especially for the bastards at the helm of every Oil Company in America. This quote from the asshole that ran Union Oil at the time of the Santa Barbara spill:

Fred L. Hartley, president of Union Oil Co.:
"I don't like to call it a disaster," because there has been no loss of human life.
"I am amazed at the publicity for the loss of a few birds."

The Santa Barbara Oil Spill in 1969 was the beginning of the environmental movement. Earth Day was created because of that spill. Its fucking pathetic we still have to fight this bullshit 39-fucking-years later.

All graphics are from the 1969 Oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara.