The Fulcrum
Saturday, March 13, 2004
Canada Bound
We're off again to Canada this weekend. This time we're traveling around the other end of Lake Erie towards Toronto. It's early Saturday morning - I haven't even had any coffee yet - and I'll be back Sunday evening.
So everyone behave yourselves, read some of this past weeks entries, visit some of the great folks in my blogrolls, oh, and take care of the troll that appears to have infested my last post for me.
Thanks.
So everyone behave yourselves, read some of this past weeks entries, visit some of the great folks in my blogrolls, oh, and take care of the troll that appears to have infested my last post for me.
Thanks.
Friday, March 12, 2004
Memories...
Republicans are all in a tizzy over John Kerry's remarks the other day. But Josh Marshall, at TPM, reminded me of some past remarks by a certain flightsuit wearing, White House squatter. So let's compare their "intemperate" remarks:
Kerry: "...the most crooked, you know, lying group I've ever seen...''
WhistleAss: "There's Adam Clymer, major-league assh--e from the New York Times."
The Disturbing Story of Melissa Rowland
I heard just a couple seconds of a story on this morning's news as I was leaving for work; a story about a woman charged for the death of one of a set of twins. I thought nothing more of it until I visited Jeanne at Body & Soul. It appears that this story is illustrative of the fears of all of us who are pro-choice about the incremental erosion of women's reproductive rights. It is also a story that seems to be further evidence of the sheer disregard for the poor, especially those poor who are mentally unstable and unable to obtain appropriate care.
As always, Jeanne brings a compassionate eye to this story, please go read more about Melissa Rowland.
As always, Jeanne brings a compassionate eye to this story, please go read more about Melissa Rowland.
Gavin Newsom
I was saddened, but not surprised, that California's Supreme Court ruled that San Francisco must stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. I knew that something like this would happen; nonetheless, it's wonderful that over 4,100 couples were able to have their unions acknowledged - however fleetingly it turns out to be.
What pleasantly surprised me was Gavin Newsom's appearance this morning on Good Morning America on ABC. Mr. Newsom, looking very much like a very young lawyer was incredibly well spoken and seemed to have a great passion about this issue. Most importantly, he articulated the best constitutional and legal defense of same-sex marriage I've ever heard.
This guy has a political future, I think. A very bright future. John Kerry - and every other politician who cares about this civil rights issue - should be calling Mr. Newsom and writing down some talking points.
As an alternative, I found this at Cafepress:
What pleasantly surprised me was Gavin Newsom's appearance this morning on Good Morning America on ABC. Mr. Newsom, looking very much like a very young lawyer was incredibly well spoken and seemed to have a great passion about this issue. Most importantly, he articulated the best constitutional and legal defense of same-sex marriage I've ever heard.
This guy has a political future, I think. A very bright future. John Kerry - and every other politician who cares about this civil rights issue - should be calling Mr. Newsom and writing down some talking points.
As an alternative, I found this at Cafepress:
Letters... They Get Letters
Have you ever gotten a political mailing from a politician or party you've never contacted or voted for or registered for? Sure, we all have. Okay, I never have, but apparently, Mustang Bobby, of Bark, Bark, Woof,Woof has. And from none other than George W ("Flightsuit") Bush's campaign chairman Marc (That's French for Mark) Racicot.
I guess it was a nice letter, asking for support (and more money!), and just to - you know - say thanks in advance, they enclosed a picture of Chimpy-boy and his favorite "Lump." Not one to let such a wonderful gesture go unacknowledged, Bobby wrote back to Racicot.
I guess it was a nice letter, asking for support (and more money!), and just to - you know - say thanks in advance, they enclosed a picture of Chimpy-boy and his favorite "Lump." Not one to let such a wonderful gesture go unacknowledged, Bobby wrote back to Racicot.
Dear Mr. Racicot:You can read the rest of the letter at Dear Marc Racicot. Go on, you'll get a good chuckle!
I received your letter and the enclosed picture of George W. Bush and his wife Laura today. I must tell you that I was very surprised. I don’t know how you could have gotten my address since I have never in my life sent a contribution to him. I’m guessing you got my name off the Miami-Dade County voter rolls, and if that’s the case, I’m even more surprised because I’m a registered Democrat.
Thursday, March 11, 2004
Brothers in Arms
Has anyone stepped up to claim the $10,000 reward and say that they saw "The Texas Souffle" in his supposed Alabama Air National Guard unit?
Just askin'.
Apologies to all who've done this before...
Just askin'.
Apologies to all who've done this before...
Speaking Truth to Power
Like it wouldn't have happened anyway, but an off-hand remark by John Kerry, referring to Republicans, has the Rethuglican spin machine at full tilt. GOP spin-meisters are already saying that Kerry is running a negative campaign and smearing his record and his remarks while deriding Kerry's appraisal of their methods as a "smear campaign."
The "offending remarks:"
Kerry's campaign manager's response to all of this? Basically it was "bring it on!"
I couldn't agree more.
The "offending remarks:"
"...the most crooked, you know, lying group I've ever seen...''There is no doubt that taken at face value, this is a base truth. And yet, anyone with an (R-Somewhere) after their name, and anyone associated with the GOP are in a dither over this. It's as though someone has finally said that the king has no clothes.
Kerry's campaign manager's response to all of this? Basically it was "bring it on!"
I couldn't agree more.
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
The Snake Goddess Has a Bird in Her Throat...
If you haven't been following Echidne of The Snakes' Rara Avis series, you should acquaint yourself with it by reading her latest post: "Rara Avis VI: George and the Girls."
It's bothered me for a long time why women - more than 50% of the US population - would vote for someone who would work to keep them second-class citizens. By all rights, a progressive woman should have no problem being elected to any office in the land. And yet, with Shrubby-boy as a prime example, we see that there is indeed a problem getting a woman elected to any office, much less to the presidency.
Echidne lays out, with plenty of details and links, the sins of King George in the arena of caring for and championing the rights of women everywhere. Regardless of your sex, reading through her post and the links in it should make you angry. Take that anger and translate it into action. Make sure you vote in November and when you go, make sure to take at least one friend.
It's bothered me for a long time why women - more than 50% of the US population - would vote for someone who would work to keep them second-class citizens. By all rights, a progressive woman should have no problem being elected to any office in the land. And yet, with Shrubby-boy as a prime example, we see that there is indeed a problem getting a woman elected to any office, much less to the presidency.
Echidne lays out, with plenty of details and links, the sins of King George in the arena of caring for and championing the rights of women everywhere. Regardless of your sex, reading through her post and the links in it should make you angry. Take that anger and translate it into action. Make sure you vote in November and when you go, make sure to take at least one friend.
Oh Please, Oh Please...
All this week on the Wall Street Journal's web site there's been an article by Alan Murray. The title is what inspired the title of this post: "Bush Needs to Show Clear, Firm Support For Outsourcing" (subscription required).
Democrats - and anyone else hoping to rid ourselves of the worst president in history - can only hope that BushCo. takes Mr. Murray's advice. Please, oh please run with that idea; I hope Karl Rove gets Shrubby to dance to the outsourcing tune between now and November. Nothing could get him booted out of the White House faster than telling Americans that it's good that they are losing their jobs and being forced into low-wage service sector jobs.
Here's Murray:
Murray's right that this is a subject that's not going to disappear, but he's absolutely wrong to say that any president should come out in favor of allowing outsourcing to continue uncontrolled and unabated. There needn't be any drastic methods used that might get us in trouble with our trading partners, just some reasonable strings attached to the already embarrassing corporate welfare handed out so freely. All tax cuts, abatements, deferrals or other considerations given to companies should be contingent on their hiring of American workers. If you outsource, you lose the benefits.
That is a winning policy. It's also a policy that Bush, so entangled with business, could never condone.
Democrats - and anyone else hoping to rid ourselves of the worst president in history - can only hope that BushCo. takes Mr. Murray's advice. Please, oh please run with that idea; I hope Karl Rove gets Shrubby to dance to the outsourcing tune between now and November. Nothing could get him booted out of the White House faster than telling Americans that it's good that they are losing their jobs and being forced into low-wage service sector jobs.
Here's Murray:
That's cold comfort, of course, to the poor fellow in Cincinnati who suddenly finds himself out of work. But let's give Americans a choice. Would they prefer a European-style society, which puts roadblocks in the way of companies that wish to fire workers, and as a result, has fewer new companies wanting to hire? Some Americans might be willing to accept less prosperity and opportunity in return for more stability and security. The majority, I'd wager, wouldn't.He really thinks that the majority of workers would rather be in perpetual fear of the next layoff cycle? Really? He'd be willing to bet his boy's next term in office on that?
Murray's right that this is a subject that's not going to disappear, but he's absolutely wrong to say that any president should come out in favor of allowing outsourcing to continue uncontrolled and unabated. There needn't be any drastic methods used that might get us in trouble with our trading partners, just some reasonable strings attached to the already embarrassing corporate welfare handed out so freely. All tax cuts, abatements, deferrals or other considerations given to companies should be contingent on their hiring of American workers. If you outsource, you lose the benefits.
That is a winning policy. It's also a policy that Bush, so entangled with business, could never condone.
Tuesday, March 09, 2004
The Farmer Plants Some Bad Seed
If you've had it right up to your eyeballs with the SCLM whores at CNN (and every other news outlet), you're in good company.
The Farmer, over at Corrente, has posted one of the best rants in recorded blog history. Here's just a taste:
The Farmer, over at Corrente, has posted one of the best rants in recorded blog history. Here's just a taste:
...I'm extremely unattracted to DC Beltway dinner party gasbag whistle pigs like Mathews and Fund who can't seem to keep their own jawbones tied down long enough to absorb an answer [to] their own inquiries and instead rattle off nervous reactionary babble like jumpy jabbering teenage soda-pop junkies. Both Fund and Mathews bug me to no end and remind me of every single annoying hitchhiker who has ever been deservedly slaughtered and buried under a mile marker sign this side of Stateline.Take out a little aggravation on our friends in the news bid'ness, vicariously, by reading the rest of CNN ~ America's Company Store Media-Whore.
And no, I have never buried a hitchhiker in the desert on the outskirts of the Calico Ghost Town! No! It was all Digby's idea - go bother Digby if you want to dig up any of your stupid plucked up relatives! Why do you think he's called Dig-by? (Yes- its a joke - so just relax you creepy justice dept. weenies)
Halliburton - Again
While the big news in the Wall Street Journal about Halliburton (subscription) is its liquidity problems stemming from several problems, the most immediate issue is the feeding of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Last night, on NPR, I heard that "Event Source," a Halliburton contractor hasn't been paid by Halliburton since November. Their cash flow problems are so severe that company spokesmen said that Even Source could be forced to feed troops sandwiches and other "lighter fare" instead of hot meals while waiting for Halliburton to pay up on over $30 million.
This is just further insult to the men and women in the Middle East who are already doing without the proper equipment and protective armor for their vehicles and themselves. Now they may be forced to give up the one comfort that brings a little bit of home to them; a hot meal.
In furthering the interests of his ex- and current employee, Dick Cheney, through the administration's contracting policies have resulted in direct, negative consequences to the military.
Last night, on NPR, I heard that "Event Source," a Halliburton contractor hasn't been paid by Halliburton since November. Their cash flow problems are so severe that company spokesmen said that Even Source could be forced to feed troops sandwiches and other "lighter fare" instead of hot meals while waiting for Halliburton to pay up on over $30 million.
This is just further insult to the men and women in the Middle East who are already doing without the proper equipment and protective armor for their vehicles and themselves. Now they may be forced to give up the one comfort that brings a little bit of home to them; a hot meal.
In furthering the interests of his ex- and current employee, Dick Cheney, through the administration's contracting policies have resulted in direct, negative consequences to the military.
Monday, March 08, 2004
A New Way to Pay Taxes
I'm going to start paying my taxes the BushCo. way.
Tomorrow I'll mail off a new W-4 telling the government to stop withholding any money from my paychecks. All year long I'll enjoy my higher wages and next February, when I usually get around to doing my taxes, I'll fill out a 1040 saying I paid all of my taxes. In fact, I'll fill it out claiming that I'm actually owed a refund. About $3,000 should do it. That'll nicely pay for a little vacation my wife and I have wanted to take. No problem.
By now you're probably thinking I'm out of my nut. And normally you'd be correct. However, after coming across the following I think you might see I'm on to something.
Here's John Kerry, on Sunday, roundly criticizing the preznit for stonewalling the 9/11 Commission:
I only with I had discovered this before!
Tomorrow I'll mail off a new W-4 telling the government to stop withholding any money from my paychecks. All year long I'll enjoy my higher wages and next February, when I usually get around to doing my taxes, I'll fill out a 1040 saying I paid all of my taxes. In fact, I'll fill it out claiming that I'm actually owed a refund. About $3,000 should do it. That'll nicely pay for a little vacation my wife and I have wanted to take. No problem.
By now you're probably thinking I'm out of my nut. And normally you'd be correct. However, after coming across the following I think you might see I'm on to something.
Here's John Kerry, on Sunday, roundly criticizing the preznit for stonewalling the 9/11 Commission:
"Why is this administration stonewalling and resisting the investigation into what happened and why we had the greatest security failure in the history of our country?"In reply, a BushCo. spokesperson had the following to say:
A spokesman for Mr. Bush's campaign, Scott Stanzel, said in response, "President Bush and his administration have provided extraordinary cooperation and unprecedented access" to the commission.You see, in Bush Land, just saying it makes it so. Regardless that the commission, which has the final say on who cooperated and who didn't, has said they need more time and more access, Stanzel says they cooperated. Therefore, they did. I say I paid my taxes, therefore I did.
I only with I had discovered this before!
Damned Activist Judges
Just when you thought that there'd be nothing but bad news as far as the blogging eye could see. Sure it's a small point of victory, but an important one.
In the continuing battle between John Ashcroft's Justice Department and women, a federal judge in San Francisco ruled that Planned Parenthood does not have to turn over patients' medical records to Justice. Ashcroft's boys were on a fishing expedition through medical records of women's health care facilities after passage of the intrusive and potentially unconstitutional ban on a late-term abortion procedure. The law is especially dangerous because it contains specific language stating that the procedure is never necessary to protect the health of the woman. From this morning's Wall Street Journal (subscription):
It makes as little sense as the rest of their policies.
Thankfully we have those pesky, activist judges that keep slapping down these overreaching zealots.
In the continuing battle between John Ashcroft's Justice Department and women, a federal judge in San Francisco ruled that Planned Parenthood does not have to turn over patients' medical records to Justice. Ashcroft's boys were on a fishing expedition through medical records of women's health care facilities after passage of the intrusive and potentially unconstitutional ban on a late-term abortion procedure. The law is especially dangerous because it contains specific language stating that the procedure is never necessary to protect the health of the woman. From this morning's Wall Street Journal (subscription):
Ruling that abortion records contain information that "women would not want to share," a federal judge said that the Planned Parenthood Federation of America doesn't have to force affiliates to turn over patient files to the government.BushCo continue their pursuit of making our government intrusive into the most private areas of our lives all while promising to shrink government and to keep big government out of our lives.
It makes as little sense as the rest of their policies.
Thankfully we have those pesky, activist judges that keep slapping down these overreaching zealots.
