They Just Look Better Than Hobnails

This week the press was all atwitter over Condi's so-called "Matrix-style" dress in Germany. Her black, cassock style long coat, over a black dress and nearly knee-high black stiletto-heeled boots gave her the look of a demure dominatrix. I can only imagine the drooling of right-wing journalists and bloggers feverishly typing with one hand...

I thought it rather ironic that Condi chose Germany to strut her sartorial stuff. To me her outfit looked more military than sexy; with the high, closed collar and the multiple buttons and loops. There is very little feminine about our new Secretary of State and her stride is not among those few traits. She marched out in her boots with a purposeful, domineering step. If you listened closely, you could almost hear the sharp crack of hobnails on cobble.

Can there be any doubt that somewhere in the right side of the blogosphere somebody put together - in the most horrible of juxtapositions - Condi and "fuck-me-shoes?" Knowing her slavish devotion to her "husband," W and his disdain for the rest of the world (and most of their own country) they should more accurately be called "fuck you" shoes.

Slick

After one of the largest fuel oil spills in recent history in Alaska, comes word that oil lobbyists and their paid-for friends in Congress just haven't learned their lesson. From the Wilderness Society comes word that the oil cabal are going to attach authorization to drill in ANWR to the federal budget bill:

Right now, the oil industry's allies in Congress are plotting a sneak attack on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In the next two weeks, oil industry allies in the House and Senate will try a backdoor trick to pass the controversial proposal to drill for oil in the Arctic Refuge by inserting it into the federal budget bill.

The Wilderness Society needs your help to stop this sneaky maneuver and save the Arctic Refuge! Click here send a free message to your members of Congress urging them to do everything they can to stop drilling in the Arctic!

The more noise we can make, the better our chances of thwarting the sneak attack and saving the Arctic Refuge from oil drilling will be.

Click through the link above to give the Wilderness Society a hand.

Bush Blows Off Northern Nukes

While to most realists the news that North Korea has nuclear weapons was no surprise, even less of a surprise was the Bush Administration reaction:

"Nukes, huh? 'Magine that... Did you see Condi in Europe?"

If imaginary nukes could trigger a real war, why can't real nukes trigger an imaginary war? Can anyone really accuse BushCo. of being consistent on any issue? Why start now?

Of course the fact that Kim's secretive country is entirely capable and sociopathic enough to actually launch a nuclear weapon just to make a point seems to have had little effect on Bush's plans. Or lack thereof.

Meanwhile, administration flunkies continue to make scary faces at Iran.

I'm glad 51% of us feel safer with this loose cannon in the White House. Me? I think I'll start digging a small shelter in my back yard...

"Reports of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated"

For my readers who get my RSS feed, or for those that continue to drop by on occasion, I just wanted to let you know that I'm still here.

Family crises and work continue to conspire to keep my free time to a minimum and while I do check in on most of my favorite bloggers from time to time - thanks to Thunderbird's built-in RSS reader - I've had precious little time to keep up with the news to the extent needed to do justice to my own blog. Hopefully I'll find the time and the energy to devote to The Fulcrum; in the past this effort has not only kept me informed and energized, but it has helped me to feel less isolated from other liberals and progressives. And, in truth, many of you had started to feel more like friends than just blog acquaintances.

So it's in that light that I take the time tonight - and I promise to take time where I can - to let everyone know that "Charles2" has not disappeared.

As usual, Mark Twain said it best...