J.Allen Blogs

American's don't care about homes, but wealth.

2008-10-09T12:48:00.003+06:00

To all of those who talk about American homeownership being a right or some entitlement or something like that...to anyone who 'feels the pain' of homeowners being foreclosed upon, or is one of them, I have a message for you:

Americans don't care about being homeowners. They don't. They couldn't care less if they actually owned the house, the land, or anything else for that matter.

Americans want to be, strive to be and care about being wealthy. They will do, buy, or act in just about any fashion to cause this to happen. If they could be financially dependent, wealthy, etc. from buying and selling tulips, they would do this.

Americans look at homes, and treat them, as an investment. Period. Any investment has risk. Investors should know about risk and uncertainty. They should also know that sometimes they lose. And be prepared for it.

As for the rest of the world pointing at this mess starting in, and being caused by the US; poor lending, poor oversight, corruption, collusion, ratings agencies not doing their job the list goes on, I say to the rest of the world, "Take responsibility for your actions, too."

When they were buying MBS reportedly rated as AAA they didn't see those securities were based on US homes, mostly in CA that were increasing in value at astronomical rates by historical standards?

Come on. Take some responsibility.

J

2008-10-08T15:22:00.001+06:00

JAllen Radio (light humor) “Sucker goin’ down, Part II”

JAllen: “We’ve got a breaking and special story for you today folks! JAllen radio is live on board the Big Bush Boat after being hit by a “torpedo-type-thingy” fired from this very boat! The boat is now taking on water as “the crew” try to deal with the impending sinking.

JAllen: “The Crew” include: Benni and Hanky, Roubini, Mr. Mortgage, and others.

JAllen: “Bennie, have you got this under control?”

Bennie: “You see this button? (winks) I can push this button and this here machine will churn out a bunch of rags…an infinite number of rags if I want. And Hanky will use those rags to mop up. Right, Hank?”

Hank: “I need more rags to mop with! This is not enough. I’m mopping, I’m bailing, I’m shimmering and shaking, but the water I toss overboard just comes right back in! Bennie! MORE RAGS!!”

JAllen: “Cap’n Bush, what do you have to say?”

Cap’n Bush: “Torpedo me once…shame…shame on…Bennie, you’re doin’ a heckuva job”

JAllen: “Roubini, what is being done and what do you need to do to stop this sucker goin’ down?”

Roubini: “First of all, I knew this was coming! I said this would happen! What this Hank and Bennie are doing…this mopping…will never work. There are twelve things we need to do…If you want to know how to fix it, first you need to register at info@rgemonitor.com.

JAllen: Hank, how is the mopping going?

...to be continued

from Mr. Mortgage: fedwatcher post

2008-10-01T16:37:00.000+06:00

fedwatcher Said:
October 1st, 2008 1:38 am

We Cannot Handle The Truth

What we have here is a failure to communicate.

The facts are that the debt levels of the U.S.A., U.K., Ireland, Spain, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and many other European and ‘advanced’ economies are too large to be serviced by the income these economies generate.

There are only two ways out of this:
1.) Debt destruction through default leading to a severe recession or depression after which normal and stable growth can resume.
2.) Postponing the problem by the creation of new debt with inflationary results and the eventual necessity of having the above occur latter.

We must pass through debt destruction now or take on more debt and go through a much larger debt destruction latter.

That is the choice. All the other posturing and spin is bull feces.

Paulson and Bernanke and Cox and Bush and Wall Street and the House Leadership and the Senate Leadership, all hoped they could ‘contain’ the problem until after November 4th.

The only rational solution is the Irish Solution, that is protect depositors and thus stop the bank runs, and let investors take a bath.

Dow 8,000 will happen sooner or latter. It is better sooner than latter.

Slow Screw Part Two - becomes Fast Screw for You

2008-10-01T12:10:00.004+06:00

In 10th grade I made a report on the great depression, and one of the passages I remember best was about a stockbroker, who, while watching the market tank and while losing everything he had invested, cried, "More Margin, more Margin!"

He needed more "margin," or "leverage." Credit.

The truth of the matter is that at the heart of the Great Depression was a credit bubble, much like we have today. And the truth is that only an enormous amount of financial pain for everyone will bring us back to reality. Sooner, the better, right? Dragging this out much longer through bailouts, stimulus packages, etc. only prolongs the pain and the problem. But this is the path we are choosing.

It's like having a sore tooth where the patient spends months eating on the other side of his mouth. But the tooth will not stop hurting until it falls out, or until the patient sees a dentist. The dentist causes some initial pain, but saves the tooth. I'm afraid we're in the process of losing some teeth.

Ben Bernanke knows this. He has prepared for it for decades. The irony is he's a student of the Depressionl. Why isn't he fixing it? Why is it getting worse? He's eating on the other side of his mouth.

Paulson wants to give his buddies (and himself) some Novocaine, cocaine and a get out of jail free card and splash some expensive moonshine on our collective, painful molars.

In my earlier Post, "Slow Screw", I talked about the unfortunate, declining standard of living over the past several generations. It would be sad, except for the fact that we're getting what we deserve. That makes it sad, but equitable.

J

JAllen Radio - "Is this sucker going down?"

2008-09-27T12:17:00.002+06:00

JAllen Radio: (light humor)

JAllen: Tonight we are discussing "Is this sucker going down, or not?" I'm back today with my usual distinguished guests, Mike Shedlock (Mish), Mr. Mortgage, Patrick of patrick.net and Nouriel Roubini (hisssss!). Patrick, we start with you. Is the sucker going down, or not?

Patrick: Of course, anyone who buys now will suffer losses immediately, and for the next several years at least, as the sucker goes down to come into line with tighter lending and stagnant salaries.

Mish: Me thinks not. It's time to Take Back this Sucker from those who want this sucker to go down at taxpayer expense. Please keep phoning and faxing.

JAllen: Mr. Mortgage, what do you think?

Mr. Mortgage: Any sucker going down will add a large amount of inventory to an already pounded market in the West Coast. This will be caused by Meredith Whitney scaring the crap out of everyone.

Roubini: It is a disgrace that no professional economist was consulted by Congress. I have been predicting the downing of the socialist sucker since 2001. I predict this sucker could very well go down...especially if money isn't loosened up.

JAllen: We have a SURPRISE guest, former governor of NY, Eliot Spitzer. Governor, what's your take?

Spitzer: I've already paid too much for too many suckers going down.

JAllen: Well, there you have it.

Who to Fire?

2008-09-25T14:00:00.004+06:00

Dukes of Moral Hazard

Bazooka Hank
Moral Hazard Hank
Squirt Gun Hank

Whirly Ben
Uncle Ben
Bailout Ben
Printing Press Ben

WRAPUP 3-US Treasury, Congress ramp up bank bailout talks

2008-09-22T06:03:00.003+06:00

(from Reuters with my comments)

* Negotiations ramp up between Treasury, Congress

My comment: The spineless democrats prepare to agree to anything.

* Treasury chief: plan needed to shield economy, taxpayer

My comment: plan will screw economy, taxpayer

* Lawmakers say aim to pass plan by end of week

My comment: Lawmakers want to go on vacation

* Democrats want help for homeowners, taxpayer protections (Recasts; adds comments by Pelosi, Schumer, Dodd; background)

My comment: Homeowners want out of their overpriced homes and mortgages. 700 billion added to taxbill does not protect taxpayers

WASHINGTON, Sept 21 (Reuters) - The Bush administration and Congress on Sunday ramped up talks on an unprecedented $700 billion bank bailout as they battled the clock to prevent further financial market turmoil that risks hurtling the economy into a deep and damaging recession.

My comment: News flash, the economy is already in a deep and damaging recession.

The plan for the largest-ever bank rescue would give sweeping powers to the U.S. Treasury to buy up toxic mortgage-related debt from financial firms, including U.S. subsidiaries of foreign banks.

My comment: Paulson trades his bazooka for neutron bomb.

The plan for the largest-ever bank rescue would give sweeping powers to the U.S. Treasury to buy up toxic mortgage-related debt from financial firms, including U.S. subsidiaries of foreign banks.

My comment: "...so that no bank is left behind."

"This is a new phenomenon for every major player in this place and there are no dress rehearsals. That is why the market is so jittery. This has to work the first time," said Peter Kenny, managing director at Knight Equity Markets in Jersey City, New Jersey.

My comment: The market is jittery because it needs another bailout fix.

J

No Bank Left Behind

2008-09-22T05:40:00.002+06:00

...And not even foreign banks.

Nobody can fail! Well, isn't that special.

1. Who was supposed to be scanning the horizon, looking for problems in the financial industry?
2. If we knew there were problems, when did we know and what were we doing about them?
3. Who is being held accountable for this? Where does the buck (1.2 Trillion bucks) stop?

It seems the way we run our country is that we wait for a disaster to happen, and then run around trying to do something about it. No, it's even worse than that. Disasters have been happening that we knew were coming. We watched them arrive. Watched them hit. Then we run around with our hair on fire, giving obscene authority to the people who were supposed to be watching out for (and avoiding) the problems.

Serves us right.

Heckuva Job Paulie!
Heckuva Job Rummie!
Heckuva Job Brownie!
Heckuva Job Ricey! ...no wait, she hasn't done anything.

What a miserable failure of an administration.

J

How did we get here? Glass-Steagall Act repealed by Republicans -- and you will know their names

2008-09-20T15:40:00.002+06:00

The mess was largely caused by the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act.

Find the Vote here

I'll help you with this REPUBLICAN BUBBLE MAKER:

Vote [Sort]	State [Sort]	Representative [Sort by Name] [Sort by Party]
Alabama
Aye	AL	Sessions, Jefferson [R]
Aye	AL	Shelby, Richard [R]
Alaska
Aye	AK	Murkowski, Frank [R]
Aye	AK	Stevens, Ted [R]
Arizona
Aye	AZ	Kyl, Jon [R]
Aye	AZ	McCain, John [R]
Arkansas
Aye	AR	Hutchinson, Tim [R]
Nay	AR	Lincoln, Blanche [D]
California
Nay	CA	Boxer, Barbara [D]
Nay	CA	Feinstein, Dianne [D]
Colorado
Aye	CO	Allard, Wayne [R]
Aye	CO	Campbell, Ben [R]
Connecticut
Nay	CT	Dodd, Christopher [D]
Nay	CT	Lieberman, Joseph [I]
Delaware
Aye	DE	Roth, William [?]
Nay	DE	Biden, Joseph [D]
Florida
Aye	FL	Mack, Connie [?]
Nay	FL	Graham, Bob [D]
Georgia
Aye	GA	Coverdell, Paul [?]
Nay	GA	Cleland, J. [D]
Hawaii
Nay	HI	Akaka, Daniel [D]
Nay	HI	Inouye, Daniel [D]
Idaho
Aye	ID	Craig, Larry [R]
Aye	ID	Crapo, Michael [R]
Illinois
Nay	IL	Durbin, Richard [D]
Present	IL	Fitzgerald, Peter [R]
Indiana
Aye	IN	Lugar, Richard [R]
Nay	IN	Bayh, B. [D]
Iowa
Aye	IA	Grassley, Charles [R]
Nay	IA	Harkin, Thomas [D]
Kansas
Aye	KS	Brownback, Samuel [R]
Aye	KS	Roberts, Pat [R]
Kentucky
Aye	KY	Bunning, Jim [R]
Aye	KY	McConnell, Mitch [R]
Louisiana
Nay	LA	Breaux, John [D]
Nay	LA	Landrieu, Mary [D]
Maine
Aye	ME	Collins, Susan [R]
Aye	ME	Snowe, Olympia [R]
Maryland
Nay	MD	Mikulski, Barbara [D]
Nay	MD	Sarbanes, Paul [D]
Massachusetts
Nay	MA	Kennedy, Edward [D]
Nay	MA	Kerry, John [D]
Michigan
Aye	MI	Abraham, Spencer [?]
Nay	MI	Levin, Carl [D]
Minnesota
Aye	MN	Grams, Rod [?]
Nay	MN	Wellstone, Paul [D]
Mississippi
Aye	MS	Cochran, Thad [R]
Aye	MS	Lott, Trent [R]
Missouri
Aye	MO	Ashcroft, John [?]
Aye	MO	Bond, Christopher [R]
Montana
Aye	MT	Burns, Conrad [R]
Nay	MT	Baucus, Max [D]
Nebraska
Aye	NE	Hagel, Charles [R]
Nay	NE	Kerrey, J. [?]
Nevada
Nay	NV	Bryan, Richard [?]
Nay	NV	Reid, Harry [D]
New Hampshire
Aye	NH	Gregg, Judd [R]
Aye	NH	Smith, Bob [R]
New Jersey
Nay	NJ	Lautenberg, Frank [D]
Nay	NJ	Torricelli, Robert [D]
New Mexico
Aye	NM	Domenici, Pete [R]
Nay	NM	Bingaman, Jeff [D]
New York
Nay	NY	Moynihan, Daniel [?]
Nay	NY	Schumer, Charles [D]
North Carolina
Aye	NC	Helms, Jesse [R]
Nay	NC	Edwards, John [D]
North Dakota
Nay	ND	Conrad, Kent [D]
Nay	ND	Dorgan, Byron [D]
Ohio
Aye	OH	DeWine, Michael [R]
Aye	OH	Voinovich, George [R]
Oklahoma
Aye	OK	Nickles, Don [R]
No Vote	OK	Inhofe, James [R]
Oregon
Aye	OR	Smith, Gordon [R]
Nay	OR	Wyden, Ron [D]
Pennsylvania
Aye	PA	Santorum, Richard [R]
Aye	PA	Specter, Arlen [R]
Rhode Island
Aye	RI	Chafee, John [?]
Nay	RI	Reed, John [D]
South Carolina
Aye	SC	Hollings, Ernest [D]
Aye	SC	Thurmond, J. [R]
South Dakota
Nay	SD	Daschle, Thomas [D]
Nay	SD	Johnson, Tim [D]
Tennessee
Aye	TN	Frist, William [R]
Aye	TN	Thompson, Fred [R]
Texas
Aye	TX	Gramm, Phil [R]
Aye	TX	Hutchison, Kay [R]
Utah
Aye	UT	Bennett, Robert [R]
Aye	UT	Hatch, Orrin [R]
Vermont
Aye	VT	Jeffords, James [I]
Nay	VT	Leahy, Patrick [D]
Virginia
Aye	VA	Warner, John [R]
Nay	VA	Robb, Charles [?]
Washington
Aye	WA	Gorton, T. [?]
Nay	WA	Murray, Patty [D]
West Virginia
Nay	WV	Byrd, Robert [D]
Nay	WV	Rockefeller, John [D]
Wisconsin
Nay	WI	Feingold, Russell [D]
Nay	WI	Kohl, Herbert [D]
Wyoming
Aye	WY	Enzi, Michael [R]
Aye	WY	Thomas, Craig [R]

Then and Now

2008-09-19T13:31:00.004+06:00

THEN: Mr. Mitchell was followed shortly by Albert H. Wiggin, head of the Chase National Bank, William Potter, head of the Guaranty Trust Company; and Seward Prosser, head of the Bankers Trust Company. They had come to confer with Thomas W. Lamont of the Morgan firm. In the space of a few minutes these five men, with George F. Baker, Jr., of the First National Bank, agreed in behalf of their respective institutions to put up forty millions apiece to shore up the stock market.

NOW: Today, the Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, the European Central Bank (ECB), the Federal Reserve, the Bank of Japan, and the Swiss National Bank are announcing coordinated measures designed to address the continued elevated pressures in U.S. dollar short-term funding markets.

THEN:The gigantic edifice of prices was honeycombed with speculative credit and was now breaking under its own weight.
NOW: The gigantic edifice of prices is honeycombed with speculative credit and is now breaking under its own weight.

Then: Florida real estate boom and bust
Now: Florida real estate boom and bust

Then: Al Capone
Now: Al Qaida

??? And although the bankers' pool had prevented for the moment an utter collapse, there was no gain, saying the fact that the economic structure had cracked wide open.

Herbert Hoover (Bush) himself, in a White House statement, pointed out that "the fundamental business of the country, that is, production and distribution of commodities, is on a sound and prosperous basis." But toward the close of Saturday's session prices began to slip again. And on Monday the rout was under way once more.

Putin takes his ball and goes home.

2008-09-17T21:19:00.003+06:00

Russia’s primary stock indexes, MICEX and RTS, plummeted, with banking stocks leading the way, prompting regulators to halt trading as of noon.

President, (oh, make that Prime Minister) Putin said, "Somebody was bound to get hurt, and then we would have had to remove corpses like the Americans...better to stop it before it gets that far.

And home he went, taking his ball with him, until the markets promise to always let everyone win.

Oh, this is a lot of fun.

J

If you have a bazooka...

2008-09-17T10:57:00.002+06:00

Nationalization of AIG: Treasury to get 80% stake in return for $85 billion

Paulson: "If you have a bazooka in your pocket, and people know you have a bazooka, you may never have to take it out."

Wrong, Hank. Your bazooka shoots sunshine on troubled organizations.

Fannie 100bn
Freddie 100bn
AIG 87bn

How many bazooka shells ya got left, Hank?

So now do we need to insure against our insurance companies' going bankrupt?

Bazooka Hank Shellshocked!

2008-09-16T02:26:00.003+06:00

No link needed for this. For those of you who missed Bazooka Hank Paulson's press conference today, you missed a doozy. He looked like a rabbit who had undergone bazooka blast after bazooka blast just over his head. He was visibly shaking, twitching, stuttering trying to calm the world down.

Pathetic.

As he was speaking the DOW tanked another forty points.

I understand that he didn't cause the mess, but he surely didn't help anything.

Hank, go polish your bazooka.

J.

Give it a break Karl Denninger

2008-09-15T21:31:00.003+06:00

Karl Denninger over at http://market-ticker.denninger.net/ has just let out a tirade. He says that we've been basically screwed over by the fed, the government, Wall Street. (I'm paraphrasing, but that's the jist).

Karl, give it a break.

Nobody was force-fed any of these McMansions, Lexus, iPods, credit cards, HELOCs, exotic mortgages, or credit in general.

Americans did this to themselves. We asked for it. It's our material culture. And now it's our debtor culture. Good morning.

We (most of us) pay attention to the news, what, fifteen minutes a week? How many voting Americans do you think paid more than ten minutes a week attention during the last two presidential elections?

Very few.

We voted for "a religious man." And that's what we got. Someone who said he'd bring "honor" to Washington. We also got the worst president ever. A miserable failure and a miserable excuse for a president. We got what we deserved.

As for our declining standard of living, where have you been these past forty years? Our standard of living has BEEN declining! This is nothing new, or of the past 8 years even.

So, Karl, get off it. You, and all those like you, tire me.

J

He Took IT out!

2008-09-15T16:24:00.002+06:00

He took it out?

What?

It.

It?

It.

Out?

Out.

Hank "Bazooka" Paulson took out his Bazooka. The Bazooka that was supposed to stay in his pants.

Change? Makin' Stuff Up. Rove.

2008-09-15T12:27:00.003+06:00

I remember thinking in 2004 as the presidential election was boiling that Bush could not touch Kerry's service record. Especially since Bush had not served in combat and there was evidence that he himself had sought an easy path during the Vietnam war.

I was shocked to see the Republicans' arrogance when they attacked just that -- Kerry's service record. He was "swiftboated."

Now we see it again. Just as the Republicans seemed out and Obama was championing the 'change' message, John McCain argues that he is the "change." And Obama is having a hard time smacking it down. His best answer has been, "You can't just make stuff up."

You know what Barack? They can. They did. They are just makin' stuff up.

They are attacking the unattackable.

That is brave. For good or bad, that is Rove

JAllen Radio

2008-09-13T17:14:00.005+06:00

(this is a rush transcript)

JAllen: I am here today to discuss Hurricane Ike with four renowned bloggers, Mike Shedlock (Mish), Mr. Mortgage, Nouriel Roubini (hisssssssss!) and Patrick of Patrick.net. Thank you all for being here.

bloggers: (inaudible hrmrmennnfhr.)

JAllen: Let's begin with Mr. Mortgage. What do you think about this Ike?

Mr. Mortgage: This entire Ike deal is still bugging at me. So much, yet so little has happened in the past week my head is still spinning. Its like ‘whoa, did we just experience two of the largest hurricanes in the world (Ike and Gustav) amidst a web of potential fraud this week? Whoa, Whoa!’

Mike Shedlock (Mish) : A massive unwinding of Gustav is now fueling the Ike rally. This Ike is really deflationary. I mean there was massive speculation by Galvestonions shorting Gustav and going long Ike. That too is being unwound.

Those sorry bets were made on the misguided belief that Ike would decouple from the US.

Mr. Morgage: Mr. Mortgage here. Today I'm talking about the housing problem in Texas. There are literally thousands of people just walking away from their homes. They're underwater. I mean literally under water.

Nouriel Roubini : This is the biggest and most socialist hurricane since the formation of the Soviet Union and Communist China. Just as I predicted in 2006. This "Ike" would come.

Patrick : Now is still a terrible time to buy a house...especially in Galveston. It's still much cheaper to rent than to own the same thing.

JAllen: Well, thank you bloggers for being here.

Dear Barack Obama Part II

2008-09-09T19:08:00.003+06:00

Dear Barack,

Well, the GOP has come out swingin' and I bet you didn't think you'd be down this far in the polls. That Alaska lady looks good and her voice is honey to the Republican base. At this point, I could almost vote for her without even thinking about John McCain. She has star appeal.

But so did you not so long ago. You packed tens of thousands into a rally in Oregon, I remember. It reminded me of Woodstock. And your acceptance speech in front of some 85,000 people. That was pretty amazing.

Unfortunately it's gonna take more than 85,000 votes to get you elected.

You picked as your running mate Joe Biden, who got a tiny number of votes in the primaries before dropping out. Hillary Clinton, in the primaries got (I think) more actual votes than you did-- including the 18 million cracks. You won caucus states.

Your current weaknesses are:

1. You are black and many voting democrats (unfortunately) will either not vote or vote against you because you are black.

2. You did not pick Hillary as your running mate and many democrats who want to vote for a woman (they exist in large numbers, by the way) will not vote for you.

3. You are inexperienced.

You are right when you say that this election is not about you, it's about us the electorate. Can we vote for someone who is black and inexperienced?

I think the deck is now stacked against you. I think you would have been better off picking Hillary. You left the door wide open. Wide open.

And now we have to hope that nice, religious lady from Alaska screws up.

So what advice do I have for you? I'll answer that tomorrow.

J.

Pathetic Palin - "Doe in the Headlights"

2008-09-09T14:37:00.001+06:00

Saturday in Colorado Springs, Colo., Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said, "The fact is that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have gotten too big and too expensive to the taxpayers. The McCain-Palin administration will make them smaller and smarter and more effective for homeowners who need help."

1. They didn't cost taxpayers anything until they were socialized this past weekend.

That's all I'm gonna say 'bout that.

J

Shop 'til you drop?

2008-09-09T12:05:00.004+06:00

If "spending" is good for the economy, then the underlying assumption is that "saving" is bad -- or at least not good as it is the opposite of "spending."

This is what is upsetting because we all know the opposite to actually be true. If we save, we have something for a rainy day. When things are tough, like after 911, sacrifice is in order, not a shopping binge.

When Bush, after 911 told Americans to "Go Shopping," I worried. When, upon giving the first stimulus checks, he asked that people "go out and spend it," I was shocked. How can the problems caused by too much shopping and spending be remedied by shopping and spending?

And now Barack Obama is suggesting another round of stimulus checks.

With debt at enormously high levels, and the economy floundering it is time for frugality.

I've fallen and I can't get up continued...

2008-09-08T16:54:00.003+06:00

So biting the dust are Fannie and Freddie to the tune of hundreds of billions or trillions. - (I've never written that word before.)

We also have GM, Ford and Chrysler, looking for a mere 50 billion handout.

And just to not be forgotten, we have Boeing getting a kick in the balls by its union workers, expecting it to cost them $100 million per day.

The irresponsibility is mind-boggling.

I think we're just getting warmed up.

J

The Economy: "I've fallen and I can't get up!"

2008-09-08T15:59:00.004+06:00

Comment from some SDSU professor in 1990:

"Stock market crashes, and financial turmoil such as we saw in the 1930s likely won't happen again. Today, we have 'financial safety nets' and markets are so interwoven that they support each other."

It went something like that as I remember.

Unfortunately, it seems the problem with large, strong 'financial safety nets' is that they are able to support an enormous amount of garbage.

So, now the US government backstops the garbage, which means us taxpayers. Who backstops us when we finally breakdown?

J

Bobby & Baby Buyin' a Home in '05

2008-09-03T14:48:00.002+06:00

WE BUYIN’ A HOME!

BOBBY: “Baby, I just got back from the mortgage broker…and…and get this...

baby…we buyin’ a home!”

BABY: “What?”

BOBBY: “That’s right baby we gonna be homeowners!”

BABY: “How’s that, baby?’

BOBBY: “Well, LeRoy the mortgage man told me that he got this loan program called the ARM.”

BABY: “The arm?”

BOBBY: “That’s right baby and da ARM is gonna give us a helpin’ hand.”

BABY: “How’s that?”

BOBBY: “Well, you know how home prices been goin’ up and up and we just been

missin’da boat?”

BABY: “Uh huh.”

BOBBY: “Well now, with this ARM, we gonna buy us a big ol’ house and it’s gonna cost us…get this baby…$1500 a month! Now, with me bringin’ in two and you brining in another one, we got that covered.”

BABY: “Yeah, I guess so.”

BOBBY: “Now, Leroy said that in a year or two, the payment might go up, but by then we’ll have over forty grand of “e-cutie.”

BABY: “E-cue what?”

BOBBY: “E-cutie”, baby. That means our money. ‘Cause prices got nowhere to go but up! And they taken us wit ‘em baby! Takin’ us wit ‘em! And you know the best part?”

BABY: “What?”

BOBBY: “We gonna take that forty grand out with a Hee-lock and refi into a con, go to Bahamas and buy us a new Caddy, Baby. What you think about that?”

BABY: “Refi? What’s refi?”

BOBBY: “I don’t know baby, but LeRoy gonna help us into our new home! And the Bahamas.”

...to be continued.

Palin's daughter's baby's father looks like...

2008-09-02T21:18:00.004+06:00

Palin's daughter's baby's father Levi Johnston...

Looks suspiciously like...

Joran Van der Sloot!

Hmmm.

J

Palin's Pains, McCain's

2008-09-02T17:33:00.002+06:00

Ouch!

So, in order to quash the rumor that your son is your own, and not your daughter's, you inform the bublic, (yes, bublic) that it can't be your underage daughter's baby because she's pregnant!

Holy moly, Gustav!

It seems the hurricane missed New Orleans and ripped right through the McCain campaign.

There are still questions as to why the baby's birth is not registered at the hospital he was reportedly born and why Bristol suddenly changed schools last year right about the time she would be "showing," and then dropped out due to "mono."

(I am writing this stuff with the meagerest of facts, by the way.)

J.

Sarah Palin's behind = patch of overgrown lawn

2008-08-31T21:00:00.004+06:00

Joe Biden = Lawnmower Man.

This is gonna be the scariest debate since '92 when Admiral Stockwell had a 90-minute chokehold on his pen!

She is so goin' down.

J.

(still I hope she does well)

18 million cracks?

2008-08-31T19:10:00.002+06:00

So that's what they are, huh? Cracks? So maybe they get together for a "crack convention" or something. Have some t-shirts made...

Crack.

J

Dear John McCain

2008-08-30T16:51:00.002+06:00

After my previous blog criticizing Barack for his VP choice, you have outdone him. The only choice that could have disappointed me more would have been Mitt Romney.

It seems that you will do anything...ANYTHING to get elected.

We will see how she holds up under fire.

My vote is anyone's guess now.

J

...WHO?!

Dear Barack Obama,

2008-08-25T19:41:00.005+06:00

Dear Barack Obama,

After learning of your picking Joe Biden as your running mate, my plans to vote for you are off.
Before this they were sketchy.

Your campaign has been about Hope and a better future. Joe Biden is not about hope or about making a better future for our country. He represents (at least for me) the miserable failure of a congress we have had for decades. Decades.

He's also a blowhard who talks loudly and carries no stick:

When Joe Biden (D-DE) was asked recently of planned Democratic actions if the President should make good on his promise to veto of emergency spending bill which Democrats loaded with pork-barrell spending as well as a timetable for troop withdrawal from Iraq, he replied at one point that “we’re going to shove it down his throat.“

He has presided over some 30 years of declining standards of living for Americans.

Barack, you've proven yourself a lightweight. Now it's up to us to hope.

J

Slow Screw

2008-08-23T11:07:00.002+06:00

My grandfather, born in 1918, never finished school. He worked in a warehouse his whole life, and my grandmother never had to work outside the home. He saved some money, offered to pay for a college education education for his children, bought two houses in CA, retired early and motor-homed around the country for about 20 years before passing.

My father, (baby boomer) finished high school. Didn't go to college, but worked blue-collar jobs most of his life. He bought property in CA, put in 3 acres of grapes, sold it to live closer to town and now has a nice home on an acre, a nice camper-trailer, two boats and a great barbecue. This despite a couple of nasty divorces that were financially decimating, I'm sure.

Me? Well my generation (those of us born in the '60s or thereabout) have it a bit tougher. Those two cases above were standard for their generations. For those of us who came later, forget it.

This is what I call "the slow screw." A decades-long slow decline in the standard of living in the US. It's not getting better. It's not going to get better under Jomama or McPain. At least Barak sometimes hints that he is aware of this.

On my trip to the US this summer I met a friend from college who is doing okay. Works in the healthcare industry and rents a nice place on the beach in Newport. (Wisely waiting to buy)

I told him that I thought healthcare is broken, with 1/4 of the US uninsured and so many more overburdened. He asked me if I thought it should be socialized. I almost choked and couldn't bring myself to say yes.

I pointed out to him that this is not a real problem for neither he nor I. We're both doing okay financially. My worry is not us, but his two under-10 daughters and my 9-month old son. What about them?

This is the thinking we are collectively avoiding by continuing the selfish ignorance of the boomers.

J

The US Economy: "I've fallen and I can't get up!"

2008-08-22T11:37:00.002+06:00

Boo Hoo!...That's because you've been drunk on cheap credit, over-consumption and have been too full of yourself for too long. And now that free credit has been taken from you, you're Jonesin' big time.

More on this later.

J

"Toto, we're not in Cali anymore."

2008-08-21T20:56:00.003+06:00

Well, I'm back from my trip to CA. It was interesting in that my unwanted companion was a bottle of Pepto-Bismol.

It's not good. Here are some issues I will be writing about:

The country has fallen and it can't get up.
Health care is a scam scamming the people who have it.
We have been subjected to a "slow-screw" for about three generations now.
CA housing: double scam
Too many Americans are socialists, but don't know it.
The baby boomers are taking all the wealth they and their parents created to the graves with them.
BLS = BS
Oh, there's more...

Rampage beginning shortly as I prepare to open one humongous can of weblog-whoop-ass.

J.

Stimulus Checks - The Whole Country on Welfare

2008-08-13T11:12:00.002+06:00

Forgive me for saying so, but the government handing money out to everyone -- EVERYONE, sounds like welfare at its worst, or best...no, worst.

So the whole country is on welfare now?

Just got back from 3 weeks in the US looking at the state of real estate. Quite a sorry state.

The president and the politicians say they want to help people stay in their homes... their homes...
It seems a lot of them don't want to.

More on this later.

The Movie is Over

2008-07-13T17:17:00.002+06:00

Subprime, Unemployment, Alt-A on deck, consumer sentiment, Banks failing. Housing down... What do you do if you're at the movies and the screen catches on fire? Calmly head for the exit. Go outside and sit on the curb. Wait for the fire department to arrive.

Two things:

1. It's not helpful to yell, "Fire!" at this point.
2. The movie is over.

Something is wrong here.

2008-06-15T12:31:00.005+06:00

Over the past eight years or so, we have had (and are having) some difficult economic times. And over the past eight years, at least two times now I have heard our President on TV say something about the importance of "going out and spending money." It usually was said before I was able to get to the remote and change the channel. We've had a couple rounds of "stimulus checks" letting people have "more of their own money" back. And we've had a couple rounds of tax reductions.

Now, I'm all for low taxes in principle. Who isn't, right? But it seems to me that if times are hard we should be frugal. We should save. Buy only necessities. This is logic. This makes sense. This is right.

At the same time, I have read about the Great Depression and the fact that deflation was a problem, apparently. If people aren't spending, the economy slows down and that is bad.

But the fact that in the past 15 years, our total outstanding debt has TRIPLED is also not good.

Go out and spend your stimulus checks! Don't spend it to pay down debt. Go out and spend to keep the economy going!

Something smells bushy here and my stomach is hurting.

J

been awhile

2008-06-08T12:47:00.002+06:00

Well it certainly has been awhile. A year, in fact. My wife asked me why I stopped blogging and at first it was (honestly) the discovery of Keith Olberman's blog that so accurately described everything I was thinking at the time regarding politics. I didn't feel at the time that I could say it any better.

Now that the nomination is locked by Obama, it will be interesting to see what happens. McCain is old and stiff, and...old. Obama's race, unfortunately will factor in the coming months. It's encouraging to think of the moral boost that minority communities will get with an Obama presidency. There is no limit to what anyone can accomplish in the US.

That's a fact.

J

Keith Olberman - Da Man!

2007-05-25T18:45:00.004+06:00

Thank you, Keith Olbermann

This guy used to do sports, worked for ESPN, and now he's hitting the nail on the head--and hard!

Writing on Bush and Co. and mess that we are needlessly in. The man is upset. So am I.

Here's a list of some topics he's written on. I have been missing bloggers and journalist not asking tough enough questions. This guy does it.

Bush shoots for ‘Jaws,’ delivers ‘Jaws 2’

Bush's legacy: The president who cried wolf

Olbermann: Special comment about 'sacrifice'

Where are the checks, balances?

'Have you no sense of decency, sir?'

A special comment about lying

Feeling morally, intellectually confused?

Lessons from the Vietnam War

Bush owes troops apology, not Kerry

'Beginning of the end of America'

Advertising terrorism

A textbook definition of cowardice

Bush owes us an apology

This hole in the ground

Please, don't fund the war, you Dem Wimps

2007-05-24T22:01:00.000+06:00

This idea that if This President doesn't get another hundred-plus-billion-dollar check for his war, the troops will be put in danger is ludicrous and should not have been accepted as an argument. Glenn Greenwald puts is best here.

money quote: This unbelievably irrational, even stupid, concept has arisen and has now taken root -- that to cut off funds for the war means that, one day, our troops are going to be in the middle of a vicious fire-fight and suddenly they will run out of bullets -- or run out of gas or armor -- because Nancy Pelosi refused to pay for the things they need to protect themselves, and so they are going to find themselves in the middle of the Iraq war with no supplies and no money to pay for what they need. That is just one of those grossly distorting, idiotic myths the media allows to become immovably lodged in our political discourse and which infects our political analysis and prevents any sort of rational examination of our options.

After all, it is the President who is commanding them, and one would hope that if the money would not be there, he would move them out of harm's way. Why hasn't this argument been made?

What happened to "We're gonna ram (this bill) down his throat, Senator Biden?

J.

Paula Abdul falls and breaks her nose

2007-05-23T16:22:00.000+06:00

Isn't she a dancer? She's supposed to be extremely nimble, excellent reflexes, lithe, etc.

Considering the worst, even if she was tripping, couldn't her hands and arms have moved to the front & stopped her head from hitting whatever she hit?

My guess is that she was bombed out of her gourd and fell. I stopped watching Idol because she was always looking, acting and talking like she had Shlitz Malt liquor in that coke cup.

Go back to Arsenio.

Newt, you're getting close

2007-05-22T15:16:00.000+06:00

Newt Gingrich has some good points here. He seems to be taking a center road between kicking the rascals out and letting them stay. The idea of drying up the safe havens for employers and illegals should be implemented. Money quote:

First, it is essential to understand how big and how serious this problem is.

Second, it is equally essential to understand how big the changes will have to be to really solve the problem.

Third, it is important to follow a logical set of sequential, sustainable solutions that build a momentum that over time will result in a rational and orderly immigration policy acceptable to a majority of the American people.

Getting there is a matter of national survival both in immediate and in the long-term.

I say Good luck, Newtie. We're watching you. I still want everyone who came to the US illegally to be kicked out, never to return. This is the only way to avoid more people coming illegally.

Border patrol? You gotta be kidding me. And my wife is not a US citizen, s0 there.

Pat Buchanan - Bigot

2007-05-22T12:45:00.000+06:00

In Pat Buchanan's latest article, titled "Path to National Suicide," he shows himself to be truly a white-supremacist bigot. Thank goodnes he was never elected. How did he ever get so far, I wonder.

I strongly agree with him that we should not give amnesty to people who entered our country illegally. Those who broke the law should be captured and sent home at their own expense, never to return again. As far as I'm concerned, if you enter our country illegally, you have no respect for our core values. Anyone hiring illegals should also be punished.

However, my agreement with him stops there. He writes:

According to the Census Bureau, from mid-2005 to mid-2006, the U.S. minority population rose 2.4 million, to exceed 100 million. Hispanics, 1 percent of the population in 1950, are now 14.4 percent. Their total number has soared 25 percent since 2000 alone. The Asian population has also grown by 25 percent since 2000.

The number of white kids of school age fell 4 percent, however. Half the children 5 and younger in the United States are now minorities.

So what, Pat? It's not the quantity of the colors, it's the quality. Is the issue illegal immigration, or your sick idea that our country must be white? Look around you. He goes on:

First, while the black and Hispanic population combined is now 85 million – five times what it was in 1960 – half of all black and Hispanic kids drop out of high school. And the average math and reading scores of the half who graduate are at seventh-, eighth- or ninth-grade levels.

So now your point is that whites are smarter than blacks and Hispanics? You make me sick, Pat. Let's dance, Ignorant Bigot Buchanan.

"In 1960, 18 million black Americans, 10 percent of the nation, were not fully integrated into society, but they had been assimilated into our culture. --What the hell do you mean, Our Culture? Oh, White culture. In that case, you're wrong.

They worshiped the same God, spoke the same language, had endured the same Depression and war, watched the same TV shows on the same four channels, laughed at the same comedians, went to the same movies, ate the same foods, read the same newspapers and went to schools where, even when segregated, we learned the same history and literature and shared the same holidays: Christmas, New Year's, Washington's Birthday, Easter, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Columbus Day. Segregation existed, but black folks were as American as apple pie, having lived in this land longer than almost every other group save the Native Americans. -- You are about as ignorant work of art as has ever been. American as apple pie? Ask Rosa Parks, Dr. King, Jackie Robinson. You are un-American.

"That cultural unity, that sense that we were one people, is gone." Oh, yeah, segregated blacks really felt "one" with you and your family, you ignorant idiot.

Pat you miss the point on the immigration issue. You see color of skin, not quality of character -- of which you have none.

J.

I'm white too, Pat. But not like you.

My Footprint

2007-05-21T12:22:00.003+06:00

Check this out. You can take a test that tells you about your carbon footprint. I went to the site, took the test and they spat at me that "If everyone lived like you, we would need 2.8 planets to sustain ourselves."

I'm feeling some shame right now, but I think I'll take the test again to make sure. 2.8 planets?

This, and the recycled shoes you can buy, or shoes from recycled materials are examples of how to make this eco-idea a bit more cool for the general and young population.

J.

Discussion on Barak Obama's church

2007-05-20T22:38:00.001+06:00

1. Barak's church's 12-point Black Value system:

1. Commitment to God

2 Commitment to the Black Community

3 Commitment to the Black Family

4. Dedication to the Pursuit of Education

5. Dedication to the Pursuit of Excellence

6 Adherence to the Black Work Ethic

7. Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect

8. Disavowal of the Pursuit of "Middleclassness"

9. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the Black Community

10. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting Black Institutions

11. Pledge allegiance to all Black leadership who espouse and embrace the Black Value System

12. Personal commitment to embracement of the Black Value System.

2. Cheerful Iconoclast says: (I Substituted Black for White) ... other aspects of this creed are quite troublesome. The commitment to the (Black) Community implies that one is less committed to other communities -- Black, Hispanic, Asian, etc. The commitment to the "(Black) Family" implies that the families of other racial groups are somehow less worthy. And how exactly does the "(Black) work ethic" differ from the plain old "work ethic"? The bit about pledging allegiance to (Black) leaders who embrace the (Black) Value System seems almost like a fascist "leader principle."

3. To that I say -- Hey, Cheerful, I don't agree with this, despite (sort of) getting your point: ...other aspects of this creed are quite troublesome. The commitment to the Black Community implies that one is less committed to other communities...

Black and Hispanic communities (especially children) desperately need successful Black and Hispanic role models to actively give back, participate and be committed to helping the rest of their specific community.

It's a bit naive (and not helpful today at least) to expect minorities to play by the same rules as the non-minorities.

J. Allen

Got this from the Cheerful Iconoclast

2007-05-20T22:06:00.000+06:00

Okay, still sorting out my feelings about Obama. Got this from the Cheerful Iconoclast. Scroll down a bit to the church he's chosen as an adult. Seems they are rather Afrocentric. I get the feeling that a white guy like me wouldn't be welcome at Mr. Obama's church.

You know, until Bush 2 came along, a President's religion didn't matter much to me as I don't believe it is necessary to belong to an organized religion to be a good leader. But after this Bush, I think I'd rather have a president who doesn't have a god telling him to invade foreign countries.

J.

Got this at instapundit from Glen Reynolds - thanks

2007-05-20T21:32:00.000+06:00

THIS SOUNDS KIND OF INTERESTING:

Many respected engineers have been trying for years to bring a compressed air car to market, believing strongly that compressed air can power a viable "zero pollution" car. Now the first commercial compressed air car is on the verge of production and beginning to attract a lot of attention, and with a recently signed partnership with Tata, India's largest automotive manufacturer, the prospects of very cost-effective mass production are now a distinct possibility. The MiniC.A.T is a simple, light urban car, with a tubular chassis that is glued not welded and a body of fibreglass. . . .

Most importantly, it is incredibly cost-efficient to run – according to the designers, it costs less than one Euro per 100Km (about a tenth that of a petrol car). Its mileage is about double that of the most advanced electric car (200 to 300 km or 10 hours of driving), a factor which makes a perfect choice in cities where the 80% of motorists drive at less than 60Km. The car has a top speed of 68 mph.

Refilling the car will, once the market develops, take place at adapted petrol stations to administer compressed air. In two or three minutes, and at a cost of approximately 1.5 Euros, the car will be ready to go another 200-300 kilometres.

As a viable alternative, the car carries a small compressor which can be connected to the mains (220V or 380V) and refill the tank in 3-4 hours.

Due to the absence of combustion and, consequently, of residues, changing the oil (1 litre of vegetable oil) is necessary only every 50,000 Km.

The temperature of the clean air expelled by the exhaust pipe is between 0 - 15 degrees below zero, which makes it suitable for use by the internal air conditioning system with no need for gases or loss of power.

Adiabatic air conditioning. Cool! Er, literally . . .

If this catches on first in India and China, that's okay -- that's where the growth of auto sales is likely to be fastest in the coming decades. I wouldn't mind having one for commuting, though.

I'm beginning to like this Obama guy

2007-05-20T12:09:00.000+06:00

Barak Obama makes a speech "on becoming a man."

-cut and pasted from Andrew Sullivan's Dish. Thanks.

There is a verse from the Bible that is sometimes read or recited during rites of passage like this. Corinthians 13:11: “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things.”

I bring this up because there’s often an assumption on days like today that growing up is purely a function of age; that becoming an adult is an inevitable progression that can be measured by a series of milestones – college graduation or your first job or the first time you throw a party that actually has food too.

And yet, maturity does not come from any one occasion – it emerges as a quality of character. Because the fact is, I know a whole lot of thirty and forty and fifty year olds who have not yet put away childish things – who continually struggle to rise above the selfish or the petty or the small.

We see this reflected in our country today.

We see it in a politics that’s become more concerned about who’s up and who’s down than who’s working to solve the real challenges facing our generation; a politics where debates over war and peace are reduced to 60-second soundbites and 30-second attack ads.

We see it in a media culture that sensationalizes the trivial and trivializes the profound – in a 24-hour news network bonanza that never fails to keep us posted on how many days Paris Hilton will spend in jail but often fails to update us on the continuing genocide in Darfur or the recovery effort in New Orleans or the poverty that plagues too many American streets.

And as we’re fed this steady diet of cynicism, it’s easy to start buying into it and put off hard decisions. We become tempted to turn inward, suspicious that change is really possible, doubtful that one person really can make a difference.

That’s where the true test of growing up occurs. That’s where you come in...

I like this guy and Hillary too. The question (whether it's being asked out loud or not) is "Can more than half of our voting public vote for an African American or a woman?" I hope so, but I'm not so sure.

Jimmy Carter cuts down the shrub.

2007-05-20T11:51:00.000+06:00

Go, Jimmy, go!

Get this...Carter calls Bush's Administration "the worst in history" in international relations, taking aim at the White House's policy of pre-emptive war and its Middle East diplomacy.

Why did he and so many others wait so long?

J.

Gingrich against "radical secularism"

2007-05-20T11:39:00.001+06:00

Heaven forbid this person wins any election ever again.

Newt Gingrich, you had your turn. Now SDSU. Sit down and Shut up.

That religion has so pervaded the political landscape in the past 7 years is sinful. Bush says God told him to invade Iraq. The insincerity is bad enough. The inability for half the population to see this is disastrous.

J.

Smoking and R-ratings?

2007-05-20T11:27:00.000+06:00

Marshall Herskovits over at Huffington Post chimes in on R -ratings for smoking.

He's got a good point. R ratings should be for acts that children under 17 do not see on the street.

Wonkette's day, My Day

2007-05-19T19:16:00.000+06:00

Wonkette's Day: I saw James Carville at the Cosi at 2nd and Penn SE around 3pm [5/14]. A staffer type asked for a picture together with him (he obliged), but far more entertaining was overhearing pieces of the conversation he was having with his young and attractive companion. The best line was “even if you run two child molesters, one of them will still win the election”.

My Day: Went to Maksat's corner grocery and bought some potatoes. Vladimir was visibly drunk, buying a couple shots of vodka. Maksat had put in a new fridge with some cold imported beers in it.

Wonkette's Day: I just saw Chris Matthews in the Dirksen Cafeteria, getting a 1/4 platter of Rotisserie Chicken. I didn’t recognize him at first, because his trademark blue and white striped shirt was rolled up well above the elbow, and he is much taller than expected (he also must have a great make-up team over at MSNBC). I recognized the distinctive voice though as he thanked the server, and also as he walked away singing fairly audibly to himself.

My Day: I just saw Nadia outside sawing a branch or two of her tree that was hanging into our yard. She told me that Stas' mom was having a hard time after Stas had strangled his father. Now Stas was in jail and she was all alone.

Wonkette's Day: Saw Newt Gingrich giving an interview [5/15] in front of the News Corp building in Manhattan. A brother hollered at him and Gingrich acknowledged him and waved because he apparently cares about black people despite the fact he’s running for President as a Republican

My Day: Wanted to mow the lawn but it was raining.

Go, Gonzo...Just go. -- "SDSU"- Sit Down and Shut Up

2007-05-19T15:36:00.000+06:00

From TPMMuckraker

MR. FRATTO: I think it adds up to the bottomless bag of tricks that Democrats in the Senate would like to pull out on a weekly basis, regarding the Attorney General. The Attorney General has the full confidence of the President....

This President seems to very often have a lot of confidence in a lot of soon-to-be-leaving officials.
Harriet Miers, Don Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz...

It's gotten to the point that when I hear this President say he has confidence, I cringe and immediately know that nobody else does.

Barak O-BOMB-A!

2007-05-19T15:02:00.001+06:00

Well, O-bomb-A is on the neocon train, and I tend to agree. The Iranians need to be stopped. They are part of the Axis of Evil, remember? They almost have nuclear weapons, the North Koreans already have nuclear weapons and are workin' that long-range missile strategy now, and Iraq, whom we invaded didn't have any WMD.

Wait, did we really invade the only member of the Axis of Evil, (under the pretext of WMD) that had no WMD? -- Okay, maybe not entirely fair, but it probably is fair to say that we invaded the "least evil" country of the three.

Boy were we stupid. I can't even put this one on the administration, whose intentions are questionable to begin with. This one goes on everyone else who shut up at the time. Media and congress, you guys blew it. And you blew it because you were afraid to speak truth to power.

So, there.

J.

Wolfowitz: Bases in Arabia Motivated al Qaeda

2007-05-19T14:41:00.000+06:00

You know, Wolf.

You just got chased out of the World Bank. Why start so soon?

1. As Undersecretary of Defense on 911, you failed to defend us.
2. You didn't catch OBL.
3. Your Iraq attack is a disaster.
4. Torture -- you're also responsible.
5. Your World Bank stint and scandal, and refusal to step down shows just how low you are.

I'm not even posting the link to what you had to say, because I'm not in the mood to hear from you right now. Sit down and shut up.

Brief on the Capitol Brief

2007-05-19T10:40:00.000+06:00

Wow, first time I have seen this, although I'm sure it's been around for awhile. I think I linked to it from Drudge. This is the Washington Post's Capitol Brief, with short updates on everything you want to know and more about politics. Here's some snipps:

During a meeting Thursday on immigration legislation, McCain and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) got into a shouting match when Cornyn started voicing concerns about the number of judicial appeals that illegal immigrants could receive, according to multiple sources.

THE RESIGN NOW CROWD for Gonzales: I count 12 Senators who want Gonzales to leave.

McCain Misses 42nd Straight Vote ... and Counting

Sen. John McCain (R-Campaign Trail) missed another vote today on a resolution related to the Iraq war, skipping a procedural move on a war funding measure in favor of hitting the campaign trail in New York.

Sicko - Time Interview with Moore

2007-05-18T19:14:00.000+06:00

Good target. The wife of one of my best friends from high school, Jim had around 2001 given birth to their 3rd child. At the time, they had a lapse in their health insurance. Their child became very ill and was treated and cured over a few weeks. The bill was over $220,000. I haven't heard from him in about 4 years and can't find him.

You have to be kidding me. What illness could cost someone without insurance $220,000? What hospital could suck, what doctor could suck so much money from one family in one month.

I don't know what all is covered in the Moore film, but the above is sick.

J.

"There should be limits to freedom" - GWBush

2007-05-18T18:48:00.000+06:00

Well, let's just move on to the military. We've got illegal wiretapping at home, the Patriot Act, and ...Let's continue.

Al Gore, Senator Byrd -- Please read

2007-05-18T18:36:00.001+06:00

at least the 1st half-- it goes down from there. But the first half is first rate.

kicker:

"Not long before our nation launched the invasion of Iraq, our longest-serving Senator, Robert Byrd of West Virginia, stood on the Senate floor and said: "This chamber is, for the most part, silent—ominously, dreadfully silent. There is no debate, no discussion, no attempt to lay out for the nation the pros and cons of this particular war. There is nothing. We stand passively mute in the United States Senate."

Why was the Senate silent?

In describing the empty chamber the way he did, Byrd invited a specific version of the same general question millions of us have been asking: "Why do reason, logic and truth seem to play a sharply diminished role in the way America now makes important decisions?" The persistent and sustained reliance on falsehoods as the basis of policy, even in the face of massive and well-understood evidence to the contrary, seems to many Americans to have reached levels that were previously unimaginable.

A large and growing number of Americans are asking out loud: "What has happened to our country?" People are trying to figure out what has gone wrong in our democracy, and how we can fix it.

To take another example, for the first time in American history, the Executive Branch of our government has not only condoned but actively promoted the treatment of captives in wartime that clearly involves torture, thus overturning a prohibition established by General George Washington during the Revolutionary War."

R. Kelly, Your Big Dummy

2007-05-18T18:30:00.000+06:00

R. Kelly wins the Fred G. Sanford award today for comparing himself to Dr. King.

He sounds a bit like The Bush below:

...Kelly's reply also includes this comment: "So I have to walk with a certain humility. I have to walk with love in my heart for those that hate me. I have to. I have to get out and touch people in order for me to continue to feel the pulse of the world."

Isn't that a bushism?

J.

Russia US tensions not easing

2007-05-18T18:20:00.000+06:00

So now Russia is suing The Bank of New York for some 22.5 billion dollars. The amount is for was for "unpaid taxes on money taken out of Russia via an illegal scheme facilitated by the US bank."

They like to go after these long overdue, unpaid taxes with penalties piled on. I wonder how Khordokovsky is doing these days.

J.

Light Blogging

2007-05-18T16:55:00.000+06:00

Apologies for the light blogging today and yesterday. Got a problem with my service provider moving even slower than usual. Should be speeding up soon.

J.

Threats halt Harry Iraq deployment

2007-05-17T09:45:00.000+06:00

So now Prince Harry is not going. Obviously expected. So why all the noise?

Understanding the exceptional risk to himself and those around him, Harry should be allowed to serve in the region in some other capacity that allows him to directly help the effort.

Keeping him home helps nobody.

J.

Jail Paris Hilton Petition

2007-05-16T23:47:00.000+06:00

Here it is.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/jailparishilton/index.html

Think I signed it?

So Global Warming Isn't Such a Problem

2007-05-16T21:57:00.000+06:00

Here's the headline:

Climate Momentum Shifting: Prominent Scientists Reverse Belief in Man-made Global Warming - Now Skeptics

but on Sky News...

Our planet is just five years away from climate change catastrophe - but can still be saved, according to a new report.

What I make of all of this is the following:

1. Smog is bad, so we should get rid of it.
2. Energy is limited, so we should conserve it even if we can individually afford to pay our electric bill, our gas bill, etc.
3. Doing good things for the environment is cool, doing bad things is not cool. Somehow we need to drive this deeper into society. It shouldn't be only the tree-huggers.

Idol ratings dropping - Thank goodness.

2007-05-16T21:44:00.000+06:00

From Drudge: FADING FINISH: 'IDOL' RATINGS DROP 8% IN WEEK... 14.7 RATING/23 SHARE FOR FOX SHOW, DOWN FROM LAST TUESDAY'S 15.5/25... SHOW HAS LOST RATINGS FROM WEEK-TO-WEEK FOR LAST 3 OUTINGS... MORE I'll give you more, Drudge. Idol is a great idea gone very bad. Why? ___ reasons 1. Paula rarely seems sober and reminds me of a drunk high-schooler. 2. Dog! If I hear the word "Dog" again I'm gonna chase my tail. 3. "Three groups of three...(suspense)...You are...SUSPENSE..SAFE" Come on, if this is entertainment, we are in trouble. Having said that, there has been some good talent found...too bad they focus too little on them. Nice to blog on something a bit lighter.

It's the itty bitty, teeny weeny thing they call...

2007-05-16T21:23:00.000+06:00

The Love Bug

I'm not putting a picture of this thing up, but Jonah and the folks over at buzzfeed got it going on. Listed under "weapons of mass orgasm," This thing is banned in Cyprus.

Looks like a lava lamp with a stainless steel hat on it.

Cost $60.

Why Cyprus?

On Wolfowitz - borrowed

2007-05-16T14:12:00.000+06:00

Borrowed from Andrew Sullivan at the Atlantic as it was so to the point.

Many of his Himalayan-size errors were enabled by his careful placing of close friends and allies in key and lucrative positions. In the end, his career suffered remarkably little from his substantive policy mistakes. But once he moved beyond the forgiving world of high Republican Party politics, his dependence on cronyism finally caught up with him. That he ran into such trouble at the World Bank for behaving in ways that apparently were business as usual for him at the Department of Defense only underlines how corrupt the Bush administration really is.

Iran Us Friendship

2007-05-15T18:40:00.000+06:00

Just Keep Condi out of it. Never has there been a more useless Sec of State. "She's not making any deals. She goes, gets off the plane and waves, sits at a 45 degree angle and goes home."

She's Useless.

It seems that no one’s safe from Donald Trump’s wrath — not even Secretary of State Condi Rice. According to the New York Daily News, Trump says: “She goes on a plane, she gets off a plane, she waves, she goes there to meet some dictator. They talk, she leaves, she waves, the plane takes off. Nothing happens, it’s a joke, nothing ever happens. I think she’s a very nice woman, but I don’t want a nice woman. I want someone that’s not necessarily nice.” Who is Trump’s kind of woman? Senator Hillary Clinton, who he calls “very capable.”

Trump called Secretary of State Condoleezza "lovely," but the author of the best-selling The Art of the Deal complained that she never makes any diplomatic deals.

"Everything in Washington has been a lie," Trump added. "Weapons of mass destruction, it was a total lie. It was a way of attacking Iraq, which he thought was going to be easy and it turned out to be the exact opposite of easy."

Trump doesn't believe that Bush is much of a reader, mocking, "He reads 60 books a year. He reads a book a week. Do you think the president reads a book a week? I don't think so."

Well, isn't that special?

Condi, you never make any deals. You're fired.

More on Sprouts Later...

2007-05-15T18:18:00.000+06:00

Soanya, from the 1000 days non-stop at sea blog. Writes about sprouts here.

After they hit another boat on day 16 or thereabout, Ried fixes the boat and Soanya washes sprouts. They need some bondo on the side. Do follow this one...3 years at sea. Wish them well and check the site.

J. Allen

Study: Blacks, Latinos fare worse in traffic stops

2007-05-15T17:36:00.000+06:00

Study: Blacks, Latinos fare worse in traffic stops, but Paris Hilton fares the worst.

This is from the LA Times.

WASHINGTON — Black, Latino and white drivers are equally likely to be pulled over by police, but the black and Latino drivers are more likely to be searched and arrested, a Justice Department study found.

Police are more likely to threaten or use force against blacks and Latinos than against whites in any encounter, traffic stop or not, the study said.

About 9% of drivers in the U.S. were stopped by police in 2005, it said.

J.

Madonna on the Media

2007-05-15T17:28:00.000+06:00

Madonna's got this right for sure:

What they (the media) should care about is that there are over a million orphans in Malawi, and following me around is just a gross misappropriation of attention and money.

Giddyap.

Good stuff on war, terror,bush, wolfie, mission accomplished

2007-05-15T17:16:00.000+06:00

Blogging on blogging on blogging...

Check that out, the stuff from William F. Buckley Jr. is sound. Bunch of others jumping in also.

A taste:

The number of terrorism incidents in Iraq — and resulting deaths, injuries and kidnappings — skyrocketed from 2005 to 2006, according to statistics released by U.S. counterterrorism officials yesterday...

and...

"You know, if Bush would stop his self-indulgent stubbornness for half a day, he could see plain as day that he has an opportunity to retain American control of the World Bank by easing Wolfie out. If he tries to keep Wolfie in that spot, American control could end.

J.

Advice For Paris in Jail

2007-05-15T15:00:00.000+06:00

I liked this one, despite hoping that she returns from jail very very safe.

Step Eight

If someone hits you, hit them back. NO MATTER WHAT! This might be the single most important survival tip for jail. Don't go looking for fights by any means but if someone clocks you, hit them back until you just cant hit anymore. Its not the fact whether you win or lose, its about respect. If you let someone abuse you, it wont stop. Picture the elementary school bully who takes the same kid's lunch everyday ... except these ladies will take more than your lunch.

Somehow, I just can't find it in my heart to feel sorry for her.

Paris Hilton's true colors -- Stripes

2007-05-15T14:40:00.000+06:00

Paris, you blew it!

So, you drove intoxicated, had your license suspended, drove again and got caught. (I think you got caught twice, actually.) You've proven yourself to be a party girl, racist, porno star, and a bunch of other bad stuff. We still loved you for all your cute badness.

Not anymore.

Your comments of "I just sign what people tell me to sign," your disrespect for the judge by showing up 15 minutes late for your hearing, your whiny ignorance defense "I thought I could drive to work and back," your mother's after hearing comments show you to be a snotty little brat at 26. Your new lawyer came a bit late. It's clear who you are.

If you had owned up and admitted your mistakes, shown some respect for the law and been willing to take responsibility for your actions, you would still be loved. Instead, we see your true colors -- stripes.

No one suffers more than the president and first lady

2007-05-14T13:38:00.000+06:00

No one suffers more than the president and first lady.

So out of touch I feel sorry for them.

Thanks to Dan Froomkin:

The first lady was on NBC's Today show mostly to talk about the president's malaria initiative, but at one point Ann Curry showed some video from Iraq and asked Bush, in a hushed, solicitous tone: "You know the American people are suffering, watching --"

The first lady replied: "Oh, I know that, very much. And believe me, no one suffers more than their president and I do when we watch this. And certainly the commander in chief who has asked our military to go into harm's way --"

Curry: "What do you think the American public need to know about your husband --"

Laura Bush: "Well, I hope they do know the burden of worry that's on his shoulders every single day, for our troops. And I think they do. I mean I think if they don't, they're not seeing what the real responsibilities of our president are."

Curry: "It must be hard for you to watch him in this."

Bush: "Well it's hard, of course, it's absolutely hard."

Afer Imus: More jocks bite the dust

2007-05-14T10:01:00.000+06:00

"Slimp Flied Lice" got a couple more fired.

I just don't know. If we can't offend people anymore on the radio, then I guess we're gonna have to respect all groups of people equally. Or could we choose to offend all groups equally? It seems that for now at least (see the hip hop crowd) we can offend only groups to which we belong.

Why is this okay? Why can rappers continue to spew what many call hate without being taken to task?

Why?

John Brady Kiesling comes out of the woodwork

2007-05-13T17:24:00.000+06:00

I posted here after Arianna Huffington criticized George Tenet, saying he should have resigned as did John Brady Kiesling (a diplomat) for being at odds with The Administration. I disagree.

Resigning (in these cases) is saying: "I don't like how you play, so I'm not going to play with you." It's a relatively easy "out" that can be managed in a soft way..."personal reasons"..."want to spend time with my family"...etc. And it allows the "resigner" the to change his/her story at will, depending on who they are speaking with as to why they really resigned.

This is a cop out. Particularly for people who work in government. The John Brady Kieslings who resigned were quietly replaced with who?... loyalists...who strengthened and furthered the bad cause that John Brady Kiesling was against.

Sometimes remaining part of something you disagree with and trying to change it is the most difficult, but most honorable thing to do.

Wanna dance?

J.

In Defense of Al Sharpton

2007-05-13T16:27:00.000+06:00

Now I have given my couple of jabs at Sharpton here over the past few weeks. Mostly because I believe he's not sincere about stamping out racist language. If he was, he would have gone after the hip hop crowd long ago.

But what he has done with the Imus firing is indicated that the line drawn has moved again. Radio hosts and those in the media must be ever more careful about what they say. If this means there will be less negative "racial" commentary on the radio...that's probably a good thing.

When Imus made the nappy headed hos comment, I felt like a kid in the 6th grade watching some other kid who had just thrown a spitball at the teacher's back. Bad thing for him to do, but those of us watching felt something...I'm not sure what, but there's something about having people around who step over the line sometimes...throw the spitball.

Imus producer: Sharpton a 'race-baiter'

2007-05-12T17:17:00.000+06:00

Well, at least someone gave him a smack. The problem with the Sharptons and the Jessee Jacksons (to a lesser extent) is that we need them. But we need them to deal with these issues in a sober way that continues to build respect for them and for their causes. It just seems like Sharpton is looking for an excuse to collect a crowd and create a fuss, when the task could be done much better and in a much more respectful way. Someone compared him to an "ambulance-chasing lawyer."

Oprah, you don't get off so easy either. Bringing these poor girls on your show (I didn't see it by the way) because somebody called them "nappy headed hos." You, Miss Winfrey, were above that. What happened?

What you should have done was you should have brought some actual nappy headed hos on to your show, and stood them next to the Rutgers Women's Basketball team. What we all would have noticed is that the actual nappy headed hos don't look like the Rutgers women. Maybe they look like Sharpton and that's what he's so upset about.

Then, and only after doing this, could we have made a fair judgment of Imus.

Go ahead, fire me too.

War debate cited as aiding al Qaeda

2007-05-11T23:10:00.001+06:00

I'm feeling sick.

On November 3, 2008 we are going to collectively wake up with the biggest national (and possibly international) hangover ever. Remember college, 3am...bedspins. That's where we are now.

Any comments? Didn't think so.

Russia & Estonia: So What, Pat?

2007-05-11T23:00:00.000+06:00

Here is a well-written and informative piece by Pat Buchanan...on the situation between Estonia and Russia and the removal of the unknown soldier monument from Talinn's city center. Nice history lesson too. He goes on to inform us that as Estonia is a NATO member, we could end up fighting the Russians if they step into Estonia.

Pat's not recommending what should be done, just complaining.

My recommendation to Pat: Tell us what do we do about this.

Blog Review: Drudge Report

2007-05-11T14:25:00.000+06:00

Very big (widely read) blog focused on headlines. News, politics, and culture...slanting toward scandal. A good place to start your day. This is more a collection of articles from around the web. Minimal, if any content written by Matt Drudge.

What? Paris Hilton Out Early?

2007-05-11T13:09:00.000+06:00

Drat.

I really wanted to see her get what she deserves. 45 days in jail for her arrogance and disrespect for the law. Driving drunk on a suspended license she could have injured someone.

Where does the 500lb gorilla sit?

2007-05-11T11:01:00.000+06:00

Well, Richard Buchanan at Pajamasmedia discusses it, (the US) Here

China and India will certainly continue to grow, however their huge, largely uneducated populations will not add much horsepower to their economies.

My comments:

Russia's huge energy reserves and sale of them will allow it to become a superpower again if it chooses.
Economy and economic power will continue to become more important than defense or offense.
For these reasons, the movers in this century will be Russia, and Russia.

MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin of Russia obliquely compared the foreign policy of the United States to the Third Reich

2007-05-11T10:10:00.000+06:00

So, Putin ratchets up the rhetoric, comparing US foreign policy to the Third Reich. Not nice, but I have no doubt many inside and outside the US have become more afraid of their government these past 6 years.

The "war is lost"

2007-05-10T17:34:00.000+06:00

Say Syndey Blumenthal (from September 2004) and more recently, Paul Craig Roberts,

...and Harry Ried.

Of course the war is lost...still we've got ourselves a war President. Yee...ha....ouch.

Bush Report Card from me

2007-05-10T16:44:00.001+06:00

George Bush Report Card

On Iraq

1. Invading Iraq and removing Saddam. SUCCESS (as if there could ever have been any doubt)
2. Winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people. FAILURE
3. Making the US and the world safer from terrorists. FAILURE
4. Ensuring that Iraq not become a haven for terrorists. FAILURE
5. Overall winning the war on terror: FAILURE

On the Economy...coming soon.

Ultimately, overall responsibility for this goes to those who voted for Dubya. He was elected for various reasons. For those of you who voted your pocketbook based on taxes, I have some understanding. For those of you who wanted a religious president, you got it. He said he believed God told him to go to Iraq. If true, his God doesn't seem to show much love for the Iraqis, or for the killed and wounded American troops.

More on this too coming soon...

Any comments? Didn't think so.

Al Sharpton shows his true color...again!

2007-05-10T13:09:00.000+06:00

After jumping on Don Imus for the Nappy Headed Hos comment, and calling for, and getting Don Imus fired, the Reverend Al said during a New York debate on faith on Monday that "those that really believe in God" would defeat Romney, a Mormon, in the 2008 race for the White House.

It was clear what he meant, but instead of apologizing for his remarks (something he can only require of others) the man with the laying-down-Don-King-hair, said:

he was not questioning Romney's faith but was aiming his comments at author and atheist Christopher Hitchens, who he was debating.

Yeah, Right.

1000 days at Sea and on Day 15...CRASH!

2007-05-10T13:03:00.000+06:00

This is a nice little blog about a couple out for a nice sail...around the world...THREE TIMES...without stopping...or seeing land. The lady on board has never before been at sea.

But the unfortunate part is that on Day 15 they managed to be hit by a tanker in the middle of the Atlantic. Bad enough, but the damage repair goes as follows:

From the Captain: "I was on watch in the pilothouse looking for lights of ships every 15 minutes to a half hour. I heard a loud bang and some scraping. When I opened the hatch, I saw the stern of a freighter passing by. We were not hit hard."

I'm no sailor, but sheesh! Good luck for the remaining 985 days!

The Few, The Proud...

2007-05-10T12:51:00.000+06:00

The Marines. -- Marine says he urinated on dead Iraqi at Haditha.

This is not the kind of thing that helps capture the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people.

100 hits

2007-05-09T12:39:00.000+06:00

The blog has reached 100 hits. I have no idea how. If anyone wants to leave a comment on how you got to this blog I'd appreciate it. Still a lot to learn, and I'd like to add some pictures soon.

Also, if you agree or disagree with what's written, feel free to comment.

J.

Don't do the crime...

2007-05-08T21:08:00.000+06:00

If you can't do the time!

Paris Hilton, we love you! We're also happy you are going in the slammer for a short time. After you get out, you and Martha Stewart can compare jail tattoos, talk about the bad food, and try to wash that prison smell off your uppity butts. Not gonna happen. We know you were there and you can't wash that off even with a hundred dollar bill.

I just love seeing people who act as if they are above the law because of who they are --being reminded that they are not.

And don't we (the people) just love seeing the privileged being taken down when they deserve it? I do. And I don't feel bad about it. Having said that, I do look forward to her leaving prison very safely and very unharmed.

And after all of the recent "happenings" under dubya's watch, "patriot" act, torture smörgåsbord, Cheney, Wolfowitz, wire-tappings, and oh my tummy hurts... I'm happy to see you being treated fairly.

Thank you, America. Please hold tight.

The thing is, I really like Paris. I watch her show, she looks quite like my wife, and she's fun on a very un-serious level. I don't want to know her any more than that. I want her to go to jail for being a nitwit. Her mom only hurts her case. Her mom should have stayed home and out of the picture. She just made things worse.

Victory Day

2007-05-08T20:41:00.000+06:00

First of all, I'm not a historian. If I err, please correct me soonest.

Americans, British, Soviets...and the French were on the same side. The Soviet losses were enormous...don't even want to go there. Millions? Millions. Either a disregard for life, or a necessity, depending on who you ask.

After living in the former soviet union since 1992 as an American in 4 different countries, and speaking Russian fluently, I've heard some anecdotes...but the one that stands out most vividly is the tale of how the USSR helped to hold off the Germans from reaching Volgograd, or Stalingrad. My bodyguard, Vasya+ in 2001 told me..."they (the Germans) set up "zota"... these well-protected holes in the ground with cement cover over them used to protect a position and prohibit advance of the Russians. In the holes were Germans with guns and a shitload of ammo. And the soviets needed to get past these "zotas."

"So how did they do it?" I asked.

They sent huge numbers of infantry to be killed in front of the "zotas,"...hundreds, thousands...until the bodies piled up and blocked the shooting range of those Germans inside the zotas...then they walked on top of the bodies and engaged the Germans.

The Russians also used "zota." They would take prisoners from jail and shackle them inside a zota, leaving them a gun and a bunch of ammo...sometimes they would leave them a few liters of vodka.

no more comment

Fame and Shame: May 1-7

2007-05-08T20:17:00.000+06:00

Fame
George Tenet -- You're probably no angel, but I'm sure there is a lot we don't know. Resigning would have not helped. Is Paul O'Neil helping after his resignation?

Sheryl Crow -- Thank you for stepping up and standing up to Karl Rove.

Imus -- Go Get 'em (CBS) , you good guy who said a bad thing and may be only slightly racist.

Andrew Sullivan -- Boy, you're on a tough road. Catholic church AND the GOP!? "You keep a knockin' but you can't come in." My heart goes out to you.

Ried and Soanya -- You hit another boat? After only 15 of 1000 days at sea? In the middle of the Atlantic? Remind me of Andrew Sullivan, who is tangled with the GOP and the Catholic Church at theatlantic.com.

Shame
George Tenet -- You were good, but a great one would have evaded this senseless war.

Sheryl Crow -- You stepped up whining, using big words that we don't want, don't need from you. Make it a song.

Rush Limbaugh -- You will always have a place here.

Bush -- You winked at The Queen?, said "What's up Blair?", and you are the "Merkel Massager" - I would have expected that from you.

I need to find out how to format this better. Trying for next week.

Tenet - Piling on by the Pundits

2007-05-08T13:40:00.000+06:00

Well, now they're piling on George Tenet.

How Will You Look Yourself In The Mirror, Mr. Tenet?

George Tenet, spook for all seasons by Sidney Blumenthal

Arianna Huffington (whining) - Why Didn't George Tenet Just Resign?

And the fact that it is being done by respected columnists/journalists doesn't sit well with me. They are just as responsible, if not more as part of their job is to make sure things like the Iraq war don't happen unless they really have to.

The truth is either they were blinded by the hysteria of hating Saddam, as so many of us were, or they were not blinded, but afraid of being labeled, "unpatriotic" and possibly fired.

In any case, it was a very sad day for freedom and for the US.

Liking "Let's Dance"

2007-05-08T11:55:00.001+06:00

Started the "Let's Dance" section last week after years of commenting out loud while reading articles that I mostly don't agree with. So far have "danced" with Arianna Huffington,
Sheryl Crow, and finally Rudy Giuliani.

Have to say, that after jumping on Arianna's article on George Tenet, I went on to read more of what she has written, expecting to find more "dancing material." So far, I haven't. Nice lady.

Feel free to comment or send an email.

My View on Andrew Sullivan

2007-05-08T11:34:00.000+06:00

Aside from the link-o-rama posted on the right, I will be occasionally giving short reviews of blogs that I like and (on rare occasion) don't like.

His was actually the first blog I started reading regularly a couple years ago. For those of you who haven't visited, he has a casual writing style on politics that is refreshing and usually to the point. Also, he blogs on a variety of issues that are moving. But the thing that makes me smile most about him is that he is openly homosexual and a member of two groups that really don't support homosexuals all that much, the GOP and the Catholic Church.

You can check it here. http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/

Rudy Giuliani, Let's Dance.

2007-05-07T13:18:00.000+06:00

(my comments in bold)

Rudy said of Bush:
"He will be, I believe, a president who will be viewed by history for this one decision as being a great president," the former New York mayor told about 100 Cedar Rapids-area Republicans during a quick campaign stop in eastern Iowa. "He decided in a flash to put our country on offense against terrorism." -(if you mean by offense, offending just about the whole world, you're right. Even this was done only after our country was kicked between the legs. That is a no brainer, Rudy. Not difficult to do. No points for you or for him for that matter.)

"The very best way to deal with it, which I understand ... is for America to be on offense against terrorism and never, ever, ever go back to being on defense," Giuliani said during a 45-minute forum at a heavy equipment dealership on Cedar Rapids' north side. -- so this means we continue to invade countries that have not attacked us, nor pose no threat to us? We continue to manufacture terrorists as we have been doing for some years now? We stay at "war" forever. Offense? I'm offended.

But the candidate's two biggest applause lines came when he reminded the group of his association with Sept. 11, 2001, and Bush's performance in its aftermath.

"He reversed years of being on defense," Giuliani said of the president. "He reversed it immediately. He put us immediately on offense, and we have been safe as a result of that. And he deserves credit for that," he said, sparking applause. -- (again, No Brainer.)

So, Rudy, do you recommend changing the name to the Department of Offense? (DOO) -- DOO......Doh!

Bush doesn't like the idea of pulling out

2007-05-06T22:04:00.000+06:00

VETO

Bush Vetoed the "pull-out" bill, also known as the... well I'm not going to go there as it is too easy to make a joke on the lack of creativity of this president.

1000 Days at Sea - Crash on Day 15

2007-05-06T21:41:00.000+06:00

What a bummer. Day 15 of a 1000 day journey in the middle of the Atlantic and you HIT ANOTHER BOAT?

One might guess you are growing more than bean sprouts on the boat, Reid and Soanya.

Incidentally, a slightly cool read if anyone wants to check it out. The young lady on board has never sailed off a river and is out for 1000 days non-stop.

Imus and Free Speech

2007-05-06T21:35:00.000+06:00

Pat Morrison from LA Times has a nice Op-Ed piece HERE,
talking about how "Two journalists who questioned Bush's leadership weeks after the attacks lost their jobs and faced threats."

And the nail is hit hard here by Dan Rather, the much-hated patriot.

The Kicker: Rather says: "It is an obscene comparison - you know I am not sure I like it - but you know there was a time in South Africa that people would put flaming tyres around people's necks if they dissented. And in some ways the fear is that you will be necklaced here, you will have a flaming tyre of lack of patriotism put around your neck. Now it is that fear that keeps journalists from asking the toughest of the tough questions, and to continue to bore in on the tough questions so often. And again, I am humbled to say, I do not except myself from this criticism."