The Defeated Bailout Another Republican Ploy

"Whenever you hear the word "bi-partisan," even during the waning hours of the Bush years, it usually means something very bad is about to happen."

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It's Banned Books Week! Read!

Read a banned book! Alert Sarah Palin!

--
Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read
September 27–October 4, 2008














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John McCain Says Hugo Chavez Is In The Middle East

At his own "economic Forum". Then didn't even realize what he had said, and the scholars there apparently didn't catch it either. THAT'S the scary part.


CandL

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Springsteen Plays Acoustic For Obama

Sweet....!
Philadelphia: The Obama campaign has just announced that Bruce Springsteen will play a free, acoustic, set on the Parkway Saturday afternoon....


Linked Atrios.

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Monday Video | Madman Across The Water

And just to distract you here's Elton with "Madman Across the Water":


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Dropping Off The Grid

Does today's stock market nosedive have you thinking about throwing away the whole workday rat race and going underground? How to Drop Off The Grid tell you what you may need to know..well kinda:


From Oh Crap! It's Monday

Linked

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Barney Frank Talks About The Bailout Vote

This is pretty funny. After the Bailout plan failed to pass today the Republican's claimed that they let it fail because of apparently mean things that Pelosi and a few other Dems had said. Here's Barney Frank with a pretty good take on that:


I really don't know what happened with the Bailout bill today. Or the vast amount of manuevering going on in the background. Like most I'm only seeing the surface. I'm pretty sure that dubya lost big today. For real. I think he wanted this bad. His final gutting of the US Treasury. Of course he's still going to get it, but just not as completely as he and "Crony,Inc" wanted.

The Democrats?
I don't know what's going on there. Are they selling out the US Treasury? Are they playing the Republicans, or are they being played? Like a HUGE majority of Americans I want something to be done, but only what has to be done - and with a taxpayer payback and maybe even a taxpayer profit. Not another giant, free, taxpayer trough for fatcats.
This whole bailout episode has been a strange trip from the beginning. I'm a Liberal's Liberal, and I didn't like the smell of this whole bailout deal one little bit from day one. As this has dragged on it seemed like the only politicians who agreed with me were rightwing Republicans, WTF!? Hell, Jim Bunning was agreeing with me for god's sake!
Every time I'd see a tv News report on the massive effort to get it passed it would be Pelosi and the rest of "my" Democratic Party out front and center, again WTF!? Strange, strange, strange...I can't decide(and will never know) what was going on behind the scenes of this little tempest.
John McCain got played but who else?
Maybe now they'll go back and come up with something that doesn't throw away the middle class and the US Treasury(what's left of it) to the robber barons. Good luck with that.

Those who got it right:
“This bill did not adequately protect taxpayers in Kentucky and across the nation. It is not the taxpayer’s responsibility to pay for mistakes made on Wall Street. While the legislation that was considered in the House today was an improvement over the unacceptable three-page proposal offered by Secretary Paulson, it still would have given the Treasury Department unprecedented authority to intervene in the private markets."
-Rep. Geoff Davis(R-Ky)
“The case was not proved that there was sufficient need for this drastic a measure. It was not proved that this plan was the proper antidote, the thing was couched in the terms that it was a bailout of Wall Street fat cats. And I can assure you that there’s no enthusiasm for bailing out Wall Street fat cats.”
-Rep. Ben Chandler(D-Ky)
“We were giving unprecedented power to one person, the Secretary of the Treasury. We have no way to intervene in what he did unless it was proved unconstitutional, we were creating an economic czar, someone who comes out of the same segment of the economy that created what we’re dealing with.”
-Rep. John Yarmuth(D-Ky)

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Paper Endorses Democrat For President For First Time In 72 Years!

You know I started reading this article and thinking - "Wow, this is some great news for Obama"! To get the endorsement of The Record, a newspaper that hadn't endorsed a Democrat for President since Roosevelt. So I started reading some of their endorsements, here's for Bush in 2004 for example:

"Voters should re-elect Bush for four more years, in part because of his leadership under fire and in part because he recognizes that greatly expanding government's role isn't the answer to every problem."

So anyways, I only make it as far back as their endorsement of Dole over Clinton in 1996. That's when I realized, that, well..that these people have been idiots for a VERY LONG TIME. It's good that they picked Obama but then I have to feel sorry for them for 72 years of kneejerk Republicanism.

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Large Alaskan Protest Rally Aimed At Palin

Alaskans aren't as crazy about Moose Guv Palin as the Media might have you thinking, and they apparently want the McCain Gang mafia out of Alaskan politics:


Go to Mudflats for more video and pics.

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FailEphant The GOP Is Down

From Docpop and LS.

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Bigfoot Blogger Signing in

I'm like a "Bigfoot" of Bloggers. I'm out there somewhere-get spotted sometimes-and few think I'm real.
Still got a LOT of pain in my right shoulder, arm and hand. Everyone's gone so I'm going to take advantage to slap up a post or two(chores can wait) and cruize some news. Get a Blog refresher if nothing else.
I've got Internet news and gossip to look at. My good news for now:

The DKos Tracking Poll: Obama 50, McCain 43


Watch Saturday Night Live's "Couric/Palin Interview", it's excellent. I can't get the video to imbed for some crazy reason. Amy Poehler's blinking as Katie Couric's response to the Tina Fey/Sarah Palin answers is worth it alone.

Bailout News: It's looking like a deal.
Wall Street couldn't get our money through Social Security funds. So we've got, what I assume is plan B, BEEDOA(Bush Evil Empire Dumps On America), "The Rescue Bailout Plan", Cronyism Infectus Parasitus, or whateva or you want to call it. It's another pillaging of the US Treasury. I just hope Nancy and Harry don't give away the store, and what little's left for America's middle class and poor. The chances are not good. We'll see when the details come out.

Update: Well the details are emerging and so far it doesn't look horribly bad. If we have to bail out these SOB's, THESE Democrats could have done far worse. That's just on first read. More will come out in the next few days.

Also; Thankfully it appears that my take on the debate was wrong, and I wasn't the only one. Everything I've reading says Obama either won it, according to polls, or at least held his ground.

Maybe what peed me off watching it peed off the majority of other viewers in the same way. Who knows?

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RIP Cool Hand Luke

Damn.
Paul Newman is gone(Sept. 26,2008)

"Plastic Jesus", from Cool Hand Luke:


Tribute:


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Who Won The Debate Polls | Cast Your Vote

Polls are up on who won( Thanks Kos). Go show your support for Obama:

Direct Links:
AOL News
Atlanta Journal Constitution
Chicago Tribune
CNN The Drudge Report
Michigan Live
MSNBC
Rocky Mountain News

No Direct Links Yet:
Fox News
PBS NewsHour
NPR
ABC News
CBS News
USA Today
Washington Post
Washington Times
New York Times
New York Daily News
New York Post
Christian Science Monitor
Miami Herald
St. Petersburg Times
Orlando Sentinel
Tampa Tribune
Tallahassee Democrat
Boston Globe
Chicago Tribune
Los Angeles Times
San Francisco Chronicle
Bay News 9(Tampa Bay)
WFTV 9(Orlando, FL)
WRAL 5(Raleigh, NC)
WDBJ 7(Roanoke, VA)
WAVY 10(Hampton Roads, VA)
WTTG Fox 5(Washington,
DC)
NBC4(Washington, DC)
WJLA ABC 7(Washington, DC)
NewsChannel 8(Washington, DC)
WUSA 9(Washington, DC)

If you use please ad other links.

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The First Debate! What's It Going To Be?

I'd Love to be able to follow the debate on the web and in comments like normal Bloggers. Unfortunately I have a wife stressing out over online classes, a teenage daughter who just broke up with boyfriend, four wild and crazy dogs, pain killing druggies for my shingles(sob!), etc, etc.

I hope Obama is in top form and doesn't make ANY(!) mistakes that can(and will) be amplified by the GOP and "News" Media. McCain already has that, "I Won!" poster so he'll already be fighting an uphill battle at the start.

I haven't watched any of the pundit and news shows and I never do. That's what Mediamatters and TPM and others are good for. They have the stomach for it and get paid for it. Me, I'll just wait and watch. Game on Barack! Do us Proud! I'm starting the popcorn in about 15m.
Here we go....


Update(11:00pm): Here's my quick reaction after watching most of the debate(I was also helping my wife with some school work). Unfortunately I have to give the overall debate to McCain.
Obama seemed to spend most of his time dealing with minutiae, defending himself from McCain, and being the classic "let's not talk to badly about the other guy" Democrat. He must have praised McCain 2-3 times that I saw. McCain? He spent his time with platitudes, distortions and attacks on Obama. Every time it was McCain's turn he'd spout off three or four attacks on Obama. Whereupon Obama would spend his time defending himself(ever so politely of course). McCain's turn again, three or four more attacks on Obama. All evening. It got to the point that I started saying out loud(to the annoyance of my wife) things like, "stop rambling Barack and finish so Johnie can attack you again!".
If Barack Obama let's this guy do this EVERY debate he's screwed, and we're screwed. This country has gone through some of the worse times in it's history in many, many ways, and who was in charge for nearly all that time? George W. Bush, John McSame and the rest of the Republicans. While Barack Obama(IMO) just let old Grandpa Simpson Republican kick his ass in this debate. I'd like for Barack Obama to get angry and emotional(in a rational way) at LEAST once in these debates and tell this old Republican fart how depicable it is what he and bloody dubya have done to our country over the last eight years.
I'm ah-feared the rest will be as bad as this one - McCain on the attack, Obama on rambling defense.
It turned out about as I had feared it might.
No one'll tell me here so I'm going to look around to see what reactions others had to this one.
I dread looking.
All for now.

Up-Update(11:40pm) From the sites I've been scanning to this point, I'm EXTREMELY happy to report that I was(again) wrong and a consensus seems to be building that Obama did fairly well, and even crushed McCain in Independent voter polling! Wow!

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Friday Video | The Maniacal Magic Of Keith Moon

..And the rest of the gang: Ladies and Gentlemen, The Who..including the eternally awesome(IMO) Keith Moon with a pretty good studio version of, "Who Are You?" :



With some clowning around by Moon, Townshend and the guys.
If there are haunted, cosmic album covers the Who's "Who Are You" would be my top pick. Keith Moon is front and center, seated backwards on a stage chair, on the back of the chair is printed, "NOT TO BE TAKEN AWAY". Keith Moon was(as we all know) "taken away" shortly thereafter. A challenge perhaps to the F.S.M.? Who knows. Still a mysterious coincidence.
..and by the way is it just me or is that duct tape holding Moon's headphones on?

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Joe Biden Speech In Cincinnati

Joe Biden gave a speech yesterday in Cincinnati. On veterans, foreign policy, Barack Obama, John McCain("dangerously wrong") and more:



Link.


Debate update: Debates will go on with, or without McCain.

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Nearly 200(And Counting) University Economists Plead With Congress To Bide Their Time On Bailout

And PLEEEZE whatever you do, DON'T listen to President 27%, or that guy(I think he was once a POW) that's running with Sarah Palin, the celebrity Guv.

Here's the economists:

To the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate:

As economists, we want to express to Congress our great concern for the plan proposed by Treasury Secretary Paulson to deal with the financial crisis. We are well aware of the difficulty of the current financial situation and we agree with the need for bold action to ensure that the financial system continues to function. We see three fatal pitfalls in the currently proposed plan:

1) Its fairness. The plan is a subsidy to investors at taxpayers’ expense. Investors who took risks to earn profits must also bear the losses. Not every business failure carries systemic risk. The government can ensure a well-functioning financial industry, able to make new loans to creditworthy borrowers, without bailing out particular investors and institutions whose choices proved unwise.

2) Its ambiguity. Neither the mission of the new agency nor its oversight are clear. If taxpayers are to buy illiquid and opaque assets from troubled sellers, the terms, occasions, and methods of such purchases must be crystal clear ahead of time and carefully monitored afterwards.

3) Its long-term effects. If the plan is enacted, its effects will be with us for a generation. For all their recent troubles, America's dynamic and innovative private capital markets have brought the nation unparalleled prosperity. Fundamentally weakening those markets in order to calm short-run disruptions is desperately short-sighted.

For these reasons we ask Congress not to rush, to hold appropriate hearings, and to carefully consider the right course of action, and to wisely determine the future of the financial industry and the U.S. economy for years to come.

Signed...Link for signatures

Linked.

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Download Michael Moore's Latest Film For Free

Filmmaker Michael Moore has put up his latest movie as a free download at Slackeruprising.com













Download here.

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A Few Political bits

"The Only Difference Between Sarah Palin And Dick Cheney Is ... Lipstick" --RFK Jr:

John McCain reportedly pays more than $5,500 dollars for "cosmectic services"(make-up).

John McCain tries to flee the debates and take Sarah Palin with him:















BWAHAHAHA!

"It's the longest Hail Mary pass in the history of either football or Marys."
-Rep. Barney Frank
Here's Barack Obama:


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Pic Of The Day | Left Behind

"Well the ol' camp meeting's over! Did we leave anyone behind? Where's Miss Buff the choir director?"



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McCain's Campaign | More Lobbyist Shenanigans

Well, well, isn't this getting interesting. If I felt better I'd get the popcorn.

"WASHINGTON — One of the giant mortgage companies at the heart of the credit crisis paid $15,000 a month from the end of 2005 through last month to a firm owned by Senator John McCain’s campaign manager, according to two people with direct knowledge of the arrangement. The disclosure undercuts a statement by Mr. McCain on Sunday night that the campaign manager, Rick Davis, had had no involvement with the company for the last several years."

-Link

From The PAIN Ward | Quote Of The Day

I'm still alive but need some pain meds badly. The wife is picking some up for me. Here's a quote while I'm semi-erect and quasi-coherent.

"..When the stock market crashed, Franklin D. Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the, you know, the princes of greed. He said, 'Look, here's what happened.."
--Joe Biden, to CBS News, Sept. 2008-Attytood

Actually Joe, Herbert Hoover was President when the great depression hit, in 1929. FDR was the first President on a tv, in 1939. Joe has a tendency for foot in mouth disease.

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The "Shingles" Pain, Pain, Pain | Ghost Ridin'

I found out today what felt like something gnawing inside my shoulder and down my arm. Blisters had formed on right arm and hand this morning. I rushed back to the doctor as soon as they were open. After x-rays and exams the puzzled doctor said it was THE SHINGLES(all in caps like the PAIN!). He'd never seen a case like mine but he was certain. They loaded me down with meds and sent me home. I have an appointment Friday afternoon for a follow up exam.
The only problem I don't have any leave time built up at work so if I can't talk my boss into crediting giving me some sick time I'll be in a world off hurt payday. I may be able to work this weekend and make some of it up.
At least I know what this bizarre thing is that came out of no where and has been causing me agony. So there's that and it's being treated. Please Pain Go AWAY.
Meanwhile Grandma goes Ghost Ridin':



Update: Next day editing is always good but I'm leaving the above as it was first written. Especially the rambling. Doesn't matter anyway except for the few who(try to) read it.

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Economy | Rachel Maddow With Paul Krugman

I've been on a virtual sabbatical from the Blogging for a few days. I have some kind of severe shoulder pain and don't know what it is(yet). Taking pain pills that don't help that much and taking off work because of the pain.
I've been keeping up with the news as best I can and I'll keep this backwoods Blog updated as best I can, so all(6?) of my readers can check in sometimes.
I'm glad to see that the Democrats seem to be holding firm(so far) on dumbya's massive banking bailout. There has to be accountability, some supervision, some kind of new rules, etc. I thought the Dems would fold quickly but there's still some backbone there. Here's Rachel Maddow with Paul Krugman:



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The Banking Crash | More Big Profits For Failure

What he said...

"..I do not ever want to hear another damned word about the free market. I don’t want to hear another thing about letting the market regulate itself. I don’t want to hear about the free flow of capital. I don’t want to hear about government getting out of our lives.

None of it. From superfunds to super-bailouts, I am tired of other people getting rich being irresponsible and then being told I have to pay to clean it up. I didn’t read one punitive aspect of this new plan. Not one punishment for the people who did this.."

-John Cole

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Michelle Obama And Paula Deen

Now this I gotta see. Michelle Obama is on food fanatic Paula Deen's show tonight on The Cooking Channel.
---


Michelle Obama to join Paula Deen’s ‘Party’

The “laaahd” will flow as Michelle Obama joins genteel food maven Paula Deen on an episode of “Paula’s Party,” Sept. 20 on the Food Network.

On the show, “Grease is the Word,” the wife of the Democratic presidential candidate meets up with Deen “on the campaign trail” to make the TV chef’s famous fried shrimp and Creole french fries.

Linked.

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Barack Obama Slices And Dices John McCain

I know McCain's an easy target and here's how it's done, with wit and humour:



"Folks you can't make this stuff up!"

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Oh The Pain - And John McCain Becoming Bob Dole?

I had to go to the doctor this morning. I've had SEVERE pain from inside my shoulder down through to my fingertips the last 2-3 days. I have to call and set up an MRI Monday morning. Not sure what it is, pinched nerve, tendenitis, bursitis, I don't know. Still hurting bad in the shoulder right now and I took a prescription pain pill a few hours ago.
Well, annywaaay...Keith Olbermann has an interesting point. John McCain yesterday called for the head of the SEC to be fired over the banking situation, instead of the FEC chairman. Last week he seemed confused about who and where the Prime Minister of Spain was/is and those are only two of the slip-ups. Grandpa Simpson syndrome? Bob Doleism? Panic? Here's Keith:



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Lawrence Welk | Toking Over The Line, Ah One...And Ah 2..

One toke over the line sweet Jesus...


You know I always wondered why they were so damn happy on that show...

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"Shimmer" | Today Only - Free Pirate Booty

Free pirate fiction download. Today only(supposedly) so you don't have much time:

Dred Pirate John Joseph Adams, of the MS Fantasy and Science Fiction, commandeered the MS Shimmer for one special issue: the Pirate issue, released November 2007.
In honor of International Talk Like a Pirate Day, a holiday dear to our hearts, we’re making the electronic edition freely available. One day only: Plunder away!

Pirate Booty! (Linked from, BoingBoing!)
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Friday Video | The Watson Twins

The Watson Twins with Rilo Kiley and Jenny Lewis, "How Am I to Be":



Like the song, Love the Twins. Not crazy about the video.

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Some Seriously Disturbed People

Seriously.

"On Tuesday, some 5,000 people in Lebanon, Ohio, came downtown on a cold, rainy morning for an outdoor rally for the Republican ticket. Many wore “I (heart) Sarah” stickers, and the crowd chanted her name repeatedly-even while Sen. McCain was speaking."

Linked.


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Universal Wireless Internet

Wireless Internet to everyone, everywhere.



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Bruce Lunsford's New Ad

I caught this Bruce Lunsford ad this morning. His latest against Mitch "Mo-Money" McConnell in their Kentucky senate race.


My only problem: It should have AT LEAST two images of Mitch and his master Bloody Dubya together. Not just McCain, DUH-B-YA. Otherwise I think it's one of his better ones.

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Economy | Looking At How We Got Here

Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Bob Melendez (D-NJ) castigate the Republican policies of the Bush administration and show that John McCain will be more of the same.

CandL

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Hey How Much Worse Can It Get?

The new poster...?



















Well I'm just not sure...

Allhatnocattle.

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Ring Nebula | Astronomy Pics

The Ring Nebula (M57) is some 2,000 light-years away..the glowing material does not come from planets. Instead, the gaseous shroud represents outer layers expelled from a dying, sun-like star.

Link.

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Crows Make Monkeys Out Of Chimps

The use of causal reasoning to solve problems was previously thought to be something only humans can do. But new research suggests that crows are capable of it too.












University of Auckland cognitive scientist Alex Taylor and his colleagues devised an experiment to test New Caledonian crows' causal reasoning. Turns out, they were able to succeed where even chimps fail.


Linked.

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Barack Obama's 2 Minute Statement

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Bi-Parisanship For Republicans

Never forget the rules:

IOKIYAR

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RIP Richard Wright

While I'm spending most of my lunch here I just want to throw up a tribute to Richard Wright a founding member of Pink Floyd . Richard passed away Monday from cancer related problems. He was 65.
This is from "Pulse" recorded at Earl's Court, London, 1994:




Many sweet Summer nights in my youth were spent cruising Kentucky Mountain backroads with friends listening to Pink Floyd while stoned to the max.
I won't go into Richard Wright's biography. Lot's of those can be(and should be) found elsewhere, but he was a critical part of my musical journey and enjoyment.
Read a tribute to Richard from fellow Pinker David Gilmour on his website.
RIP Richard.

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Republicans Trying To Block Voters In Michigan

Here's Democracy Now on the breaking story about the Republican's announced plans to block voters in Michigan(to start):



The audio is a bit off in this clip, but it also contains a short report on the record setting protests in Anchorage against Sarah "Celebrity" Palin.

More on the Michigan RNC shenanigans at The Field.

"Jesus was a community organizer, Pontius Pilote was a Governor."

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Daisy Duke Dean 1994-2008

Missing the 3-D Dog:


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Colbert | How Dare They Question McCain/Palin!

Perfect.



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The Daily Show | "Sarah Palin IS The Bush Doctrine"

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Chevy And Jayni Chase Talk SNL Skit On "Morning Joe"

Chevy Chase is pretty funny here talking about Tina Fey's Palin impression on SNL last night.
"McCain has lost his mind!"


Chevy's wife Jayni is with him and talks about The Chevy Chase Green School.

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New McCain/Palin Poster

Kos.

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Sarah Palin | A Native Alaskan's Perspective

Native American views on McCain and "pit-bull" Palin are strangely absent from the national dialogue. You'll actually hear more about Joe Biden(rare) on the National "News" than what First Americans think. Here's a Native Alaskan perspective from Indianz.com via No Rest For The Awake:

"..For Palin, there is plenty to attack, especially for Democrats looking to tarnish her record. The criticism of her on her poor environmental record is obvious, but the ecosystems that she is planning to sell off and open up for drilling are used by Native Alaskan communities for survival. Actually, now that I think about this, I'm not surprised that Democrats aren't using this as an attack, since the criticism of Palin is one that you can make towards almost every single state government and its treatment of Native Americans. There is far more to "Native America" than just casinos, and if you don't know about the fragile relationships that reservations or tribes have with their state governments in your state, its probably not because it doesn't exist, but its either because of the metaphorical erasure of Native Americans from American consciousness, or its because they were physically erased and displaced from your area or state.."

I believe Barack Black Eagle can do better.

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Alaskan Women And Other Protesters Speak Out Against Sarah Palin

Well looks like the "lip-sticked pitbull" is getting protesters even in her home state:















Update:
The Alaska Women Reject Palin rally was significantly bigger than Palin’s rally that got all the national media coverage!
-Eyewitnessed by Mudflats

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This Weekend | BLAAH!

Our Internet service has been down since EARLY Saturday morning. I've been trying since midday Saturday to talk to technical help on Windstream and get it running again. Eternities on hold, and then lots of times just randomly getting kicked off their hold network. Our power went out for a couple of hours this afternoon, I did a paint-job on our stove hood yesterday and after I got done I realized that the spray had spread to the countertops. Which took a few hours of clean-up. We discovered our(4) dogs have fleas so they had to be flea-bathed and dosed with medication.. on and on. HOLY COW! What a damn deal! WHAT A WEEKEND! And those are only some of my mis-adventures. When I FINALLY got to talk to a human at Windstream this evening about 4:30 it took her about 5 minutes to get us back online again. Weekend on hold, 5 minutes to get back on.
Oh, and I still miss Daisy Duke. I put her ashes in the urn today.
Has anyone had the cajones to ask Klondike Sarah whether she thinks that dinosaurs roamed the earth 4,000 years ago? Has the "News" Media had a sighting of Obama's running mate Joe Biden in the last month? Did he go underground, or is he at least trying to get them to notice him?
Anyway the weekend's nearly over and I'm online for a few minutes anyway. Thank's to the benevelence of the FSM. We're parched up here in Central Kentucky and we didn't get a drop of rain from Ike.
I'm off to read some news bits> Have a nice (remaining)weekend pilgrims.

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Palin's Death From The Air On Wolves And Bears

From Defenders of Wildlife:

Warning: This video may be kind of disturbing.
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DC-Area Mayor Who's Dogs Were Shot In Baseless Drug Raid To Speak At Cato

DC-area mayor whose dogs were shot dead in botched drug raid to speak out

Berwyn Heights, MD Mayor Cheye Calvo, who was handcuffed by police after they shot and killed his two dogs in a baseless marijuana raid on his home, will criticize the overuse of SWAT-style drug raids this Thursday (9/11) at the Cato Institute in Wash, DC.
The event can be viewed live on Cato's website. Also speaking are Radley Balko of Reason Magazine and Peter Christ of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, a group of cops who want to make our streets safer by legalizing and regulating all drugs.

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Late Morning Video | Conor Oberst

Conor Oberst formerly of Bright Eyes with "I don't want to die in the hospital":



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Energy Beams From Space?

Satellites in space gather solar energy and beam it to power grids on earth?














Image, treehugger.com

"A National Press Club address in Washington, D.C. this Friday will detail a "demonstration project concerning point-to-point wireless power transmission...

..The key idea is that space-based solar power satellites in Earth orbit would harvest plentiful solar energy in space - then convert that energy for transmission down to terra firma for distribution over power grids.."

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A New Meaning To Drill! Drill! Drill!

"Government officials handling billions of dollars in oil royalties partied, had sex with and accepted golf and ski outings from employees of energy companies they were dealing with, federal investigators said Wednesday..."

The reports portray a dysfunctional organization that has been riddled with conflicts of interest, unprofessional behavior and a free-for-all atmosphere for much of the Bush administration’s watch.

In this administration? WOW, who woulda thunk it!?

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Crazy War On Marijuana Drags On

Twenty years ago a DEA chief judge concluded that doctors should be allowed to prescribe pot -- and the government is still ignoring his ruling.

"..Twenty years ago, on Sept. 6, 1988, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's chief administrative law judge issued a landmark ruling, but don't expect any celebrations or commemorations in Washington, D.C. Our government has ignored this historic decision since the day it was issued, inflicting needless misery on millions.

.."Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man, by any measure of rational analysis marijuana can be safely used within a supervised routine of medical care. ... The evidence in this record clearly shows that marijuana has been accepted as capable of relieving the distress of great numbers of very ill people, and doing so with safety under medical supervision. It would be unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious for DEA to continue to stand between those sufferers and the benefits of this substance in light of the evidence in this record..."

Linked.

Both major political parties are to blame for this.

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Matt Damon Discusses Sarah Palin

I don't think that actors have that much affect on someone's Presidential pick but I wanted to post this because Matt Damon asks a question that all of us would love to hear her answer to.
"Does she REALLY believe that dinosaurs roamed the Earth 4,000 years ago"?
Like Matt I'd LOVE to hear her answer to that one and many more critical ones, here's Matt:


Will Charles Gibson or any other celebrity "journalist" ask this of her? Of course not, don't be silly. That's not THEIR job. They'll ask her about her kids, about her love for Alaska, her love for her family. Except for the debates 98% of questions she receives will be celebrity questions.

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Sarah's Escapades

This woman is like a female energizer bunny of sneaky. Here's 2 of the latest of what would undoubtedly be the day's headlines in a parallel universe where the "News" media does NEWS.

Governor Palin did "official state business" on a private email account ala the Bush crime family. Said emails being the ones they're refusing to turn over to investigators

A top Palin law enforcement officer in Alaska may move to block investigation in Palin's Alaska troopergate

Someone said Sarah Palin was George W. Bush in a wig. Apparently they're right. The stories keep coming out and the corporate media increasingly treats Palin and her family like Brittany Spears and Paris Hilton celebrities.

Kos


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Barack Obama Responds To McCain's Silly "Lipstick On A Pig" Distortion

This is the McCain campaign's only chance. To keep this election away from issues and focused on smears, distortions and lies. Will it work? Well it has in the last to Presidential elections, with the able assistance of our corporate "news" media. So we'll see. Here's Obama reponding(very well I think) on the latest silly McCain/media tizzy:



"This election is not about issues, this election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates."
--Rick Davis, McCain campaign manager
In other words keep throwing up smears, distortions and distractions on Barack Obama and hope enough of them stick.

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Found: Republican Battle Plans On Community Organizers

The Republican's attack plans for their war on community organizers are revealed.




















From the General with a hattip to Picket's charge.

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Video: Meghan McCain: "No one knows what war is like other than my family. Period."

Meghan McCain: "No one knows what war is like other than my family. Period."



I will admit that unlike the war criminals in the Bush administration, the McCains have family In bloody dubya's Iraqi meatgrinder.

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Afternoon Video | Fleet Foxes

Fleet Foxes, "White Winter Hymnal":



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Palin May Be An Expert On Economics After All

Taxpayers = The Republican piggy bank.

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Sarah Palin billed Alaskan taxpayers for 312 days for expenses while living in her own home. Husband and children also billed for travel expenses.

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Bob Herbert | Liberals 101

Tell us Bob Herbert, what about Liberals.

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Hold Your Heads Up

"..It would take volumes to adequately cover the enhancements to the quality of American lives and the greatness of American society that have been wrought by people whose politics were unabashedly liberal. It is a track record that deserves to be celebrated.."


More, please more.

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Astronomy Pic Of The Day

From Astronomy Picture of the Day.

Our Milky Way Galaxy is not alone. It is part of a gathering of about 25 galaxies known as the Local Group. Members include the Great Andromeda Galaxy (M31), M32, M33, the Large Magellanic Cloud, the Small Magellanic Cloud, Dwingeloo 1, several small irregular galaxies, and many dwarf elliptical and dwarf spheroidal galaxies. On the lower right is one of the dwarf ellipticals: NGC 205.

Palin For President!

Not that Palin...this Palin:



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This Has To Be Good For McCain | This Modern World

I have to move on and start doing some light posting. Everybody looses a piece of themselves every day. So here's to getting back into some kind of Blog mode. Here's Tom Tomorrow with an episode of:


For more episodes in real life of "Always good for McSame" see Faux News, CNN, NBC and virtually every pundit on the "Liberal Media".

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The 3D Dog Is Gone | In Memory Of Daisy Duke Dean

I haven't been keeping up with the John and Sarah "of the Tundra" adventure the last few days. We had to have our sweet old dog Daisy put to sleep last Thursday.
They'd given her two months till lung cancer and other age-related problems would take her from us and she almost made it to that. She could hardly stand and had been having trouble walking and breathing by then.
Even with all that I would've still resisted but she'd gotten to where she couldn't stand very well. I had to carry her outside(she was 65pds.) and up and down the stairs the last few days. She managed to walk a little bit at the vet's and so it haunts me that maybe(just maybe) she'd have gotten better and we could've had her with us a while longer.
I'd made her an appointment with them for Saturday the 6th but with the trouble standing and walking I took off work and called their office to get her in Thursday morning. I carried her down to the car and we took her to them to get their opinion. Already knowing and dreading what it was going to be.
Daisy was given a shot which ended her life at 11:00A.M, Thursday the 4th, 2008... It nearly overwhelmed me when they gave her that shot. One moment she was looking around like she was thinking, "what's this crowd doing in here, what's going on?", and within seconds, as they were giving her the shot she just put her head down and was gone. I've been grieving since.
This should help a little bit I hope. Putting something up in her memory and writing something down.
I don't have a lot of digital pics of Daisy, we have a ton of older paper pics but not many on the computer. I'll have to look for a good one.
Aah, here's a decent one:


"If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons.
-James Thurber

Daisy was a 14 year old mixed breed with a love for food and walks. She hadn't been able to go for the walks in quite a while but she still loved the food. She came into our lives as a drop-off someone left next door to our house in 1994. With tearful pleas from our daughter Mechelle, Daisy became "our" dog. And since that day she's been nearly my constant buddy and companion.
Where we lived in those days was a great walking neighborhood. Daisy and I walked for miles some evenings. After dark, in rain, in snow and everything in between. Most always Just she and I.
Daisy was my big galoot and I miss her terribly. My heart is broken once again...Daisy's gone..
Sometimes I hate this world you're brought into it and if you survive it, it's to see everyone you love die. Aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and parents. Daisy was different, a different kind of grief, and hurts just as bad or worse. Someone should do a grief pain index kind of like the "Schmidt Pain Index".
I'm an agnostic so I don't really believe in religion or gods. But IF there's a hereafter, guess who'll be leading my gang romping through those fields of gold to meet me?
Bye Daisy save a walk for me girl...

"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went."
-Will Rogers

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Barbara Boxer On The McCain Speech

Real Quickly, because you'll enjoy this, and because I have a few extra minutes. Barbara we didn't know you had it in you.
Boxer smacks Johnie Mac upside the head!

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Statement of U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer on the McCain Acceptance Speech

Last night at the Republican National Convention, John McCain used the word "fight" more than 40 times in his speech.

In the 16 years that we have served together in the Senate, I have seen John McCain fight.

I have seen him fight against raising the federal minimum wage 14 times.

I have seen him fight against making sure that women earn equal pay for equal work.

I have seen him fight against a women's right to choose so consistently that he received a zero percent vote rating from pro-choice organizations.

I have seen him fight against helping families gain access to birth control.

I have seen him fight against Social Security, even going so far as to call its current funding system "an absolute disgrace."

And I saw him fight against the new GI Bill of Rights until it became politically untenable for him to do so.

John McCain voted with President Bush 95 percent of the time in 2007 and 100 percent of the time in 2008 -- that's no maverick.

We do have two real fighters for change in this election -- their names are Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

Link
and at DKos.

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Hellooo..Weekend Video | Daily Show The Unbearable Hypocrisy Of Conservatives

I wanted to leave my Daisy memorial post(previous post) up for a while. Since Britt and I are going to the mountains tomorrow and I don't think I'll have time in the morning to get on the net. I'm going to throw up a posting right now. There's no internet where we're going either.
So for the 2-3 people who haven't already seen it. Jon Stewart has some hilarious clips of conservative bloviators doing what they do best: Show a breathtaking level of hypocrisy and lie through their teeth at the same time.
Here's Jon Stewart:


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What he said

Welcome to Pig Nation


linked.

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Brave New Films | Another Former POW On John McCain

Dr. Phillip Butler knew McCain as a fellow POW. He talks about the experience and about John McCain in this video from Brave New Films:



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Palin's Lawyer Says Ken Starr Used Political Vendetta

Wow. First time I've heard a Republican admit to this.

“Our concern is that Hollis French turns into Ken Starr and uses public money to pursue a political vendetta rather than truly pursue an honest inquiry into an alleged ethics issue”
-Palin Attorney Thomas Van Flein

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Saving The Pets From Gustav

One of the important lessons learned from Katrina is: save the pets and animals. Many people won't leave without their pets(I wouldn't leave mine). Here's a short video from The Humane Society of the United States:

Donate to the Humane Society.

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Minneapolis | Police State Update

Why would you need brown shirts when you got Minneapolis riot police?
They've declared war on protesters and apparently journalists in America. By means of pepper spray, rubber bullets, concussion grenades, batons and plastic handcuffs.
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Democracy Now!’s Amy Goodman, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar Released After Illegal Arrest at RNC



"..All three were violently manhandled by law enforcement officers. Abdel Kouddous was slammed against a wall and the ground, leaving his arms scraped and bloodied. He sustained other injuries to his chest and back. Salazar’s violent arrest by baton-wielding officers, during which she was slammed to the ground while yelling, “I’m Press! Press!,” resulted in her nose bleeding, as well as causing facial pain. Goodman’s arm was violently yanked by police as she was arrested..

..Goodman was arrested while questioning police about the unlawful detention of Kouddous and Salazar who were arrested while they carried out their journalistic duties in covering street demonstrations at the Republican National Convention. Goodman’s crime appears to have been defending her colleagues and the freedom of the press.."


Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) Condemns Police Intimidation of Journalists

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Jack Cafferty On The Vetting Of Sarah Palin

IMO, Sarah Palin was a last minute pick used as a Hail Mary pass, and at first it seemed to be working wonderfully but it's unraveling. Here's CNN's Jack Cafferty:



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Tom Tomorrow: A Brief Parable For Iraq

From This Modern World:



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He's Very Seriously Being Serious

Isn't he cute? He's got his little "classified" folder, he's got his phone to his ear - No one on the other end of course. He's our special-ed Presimedent:




















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Problems With Palin Doesn't affect Me

Anyone who's given this Blog more than a few moments of attention knows that I am not a McCain/Rightwing voter. Obviously it didn't matter to me who the McSame's brain trust picked for their VP candidate they weren't getting my vote. As the news trickles out about Governor Palin's(shall we say) extreme Rightwing views I hope that more and more of the independent voters reach that decision also.
The news of her 17 y.o. daughter's pregnancy affects me not at all, the news of Palin's support of creationism in public schools, her rabid anti-choice for women, her cheerleading of aerial killing of Alaskan wolves and bears. All those bits of information that continue to leak out about Ms. Palin only reinforces what I already knew about dubya's man John McCain, and their Republican Rightwing.
I won't even go into the assorted stories on; "troopergate", Palin's support of Ted Stevens and his "Bridge to nowhere", her membership in the Alaskan Secessionist Party and everything else coming out now. All those can be read on other Blogs and/or news sites with lots more info than I have time for here in workland.
I think that she, or some "unknown" like her was the best pick Bushco/McCain could hope for. It actually appeared to be a brilliant move, and was to begin with. They stopped all talk of the Dem convention and Barack Obama's wonderfully historic speech immediately. They could snap up the evangelical crowd and the low info voters(undecideds?) and disatisfied women all in one fell swoop. Unfortunately(maybe) they apparently thought that vetting was something for Democrats or the Leftwing Hippie Bloggers.
They always knew they were NEVER going to get my vote and they were right. I and(I hope) most Americans have seen these people in action enough in the last(nearly) eight years to know it didn't matter at all who the Johnie gang picked. After seeing his selection, well let's just say that the Jerry Springer Show might have some likely guests in this family. But it doesn't affect my vote, and never did.

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