xmas with an elaboration coming:

a black fedora.
Lunch for 7 and a half hours.
the only american in america.
the southern badge.
righteous job.
the lettuce man.
10 different kinds of booze.

I saw this on the Drudge Report:

Presidential contender Howard Dean tells Thursday's BOSTON GLOBE that he's a 'committed believer in Jesus Christ' and he expects to increasingly include references to Jesus and God in upcoming speeches... Developing Hard...

now i'm familiar with many old time news phrases, but what the heck does "developting hard" mean exactly?

RUSH LIMBAUGH TURNS OVER A NEW LEAF

It seems Rush Limbaugh no longer believes in his decades long creed of "if you are innocent, you should have nothing to hide" now that the heat is on. An investigation into whether he broke federal laws for doctor shopping (while fueling his habit in the Junkie days) as well as federal law for controlled substances seems to be exploring more than he would like.

This is, of course, a big turn around from the Bill Clinton days when no investigation was baseless or ever went to far. I'm sure they will both be in a celebrity golf tournament togther soon, since they now have so much in common...

What's that?

Mr. Mooch says all of that is wrong, and that rush only really fels this way about himself, whereas everyone else does not deserve this sort of protection from the law.

Is that so?

Hmm... Never Mind. Rush is still a Jerk.

Dateline - Dec. 23....

Its My Birthday and there will be no posts today, lest Mr. Mooch is not feeling lazy.

Happy Holidays!

New Orleans Heartbreaker

For the first time in a while, i've gotten to see hardly a football game this season. Finally i get to see my Saints play for their ONLY chance to go to the playoffs. after falling behind, they pull a BRILLIANTLY EXECUTED play from their own 25 yard line, with no time on the clock. each player laterals the ball to a new runner over and over until they SCORE. the Point after Touchdown will tie the game for overtime...so what happens? the kicker chokes. what may be the best play of the YEAR yields the saints' biggest choke of the year.

sigh...

OH MAN!

Seasame Street Terrorist warnings. haw!

HOLY HELL! SHOULD WE SAY THEY GOT HIM!?!?!?!

Saddam was held by Kurdish forces, drugged and left for US troops

Its being reported that we, the US, didn't actually CATCH Saddam but rather the Kurds did and left him drugged for the US. as early as this morning, i heard US generals speaking otherwise on CNN this morning. this also further confirms the reports by Saddam's daughter that he was drugged...something that was ALSO denied by the general this morning. from the article:

LONDON, (AFP) - Saddam Hussein was captured by US troops only after he had been taken prisoner by Kurdish forces, drugged and abandoned ready for American soldiers to recover him, a British Sunday newspaper said.

Saddam came into the hands of the Kurdish Patriotic Front after being betrayed to the group by a member of the al-Jabour tribe, whose daughter had been raped by Saddam’s son Uday, leading to a blood feud, reported the Sunday Express, which quoted an unnamed senior British military intelligence officer.

The newspaper said the full story of events leading up to the ousted Iraqi president’s capture on December 13 near his hometown of Tikrit in northern Iraq, “exposes the version peddled by American spin doctors as incomplete.”

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thanks to |span| for the heads up on this one!

NEW JOB!

Well, I just got an offer for a New Job! i need to go to the P.O. Box and sign the contract today. I just got to add another title on the resume. Attorney, Political Consultant, and now Lobbyist. I start ASAP after the holiday and need to register myself.

Saw Gorj Friday nite. he calls me out to a cocktail party where i need to meet a few dozen ppl for my new job. now i'm so tired i can only drive 5 blocks before i have to get coffee. i show up and i'm barely able to smile and nod. seems it went ok because everyone seemed to very pleased and i got at least 5 people i've never met offering to work with me. not too bad. Talked to a classy lady in a fur coat that nite. she commented that i should work with her, and i thought to myself 'that's EXACTLY the place i'd like to work'. not a bad evening, plus Gorj floated my Bourbon and Coke. not bad at all.

Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The (2003)

OK. went to go see this on Thurs. at 9:30. evidently the local theatre has a problem where the e-tickets don't get deducted at the box office and they oversell. the midnight showing on tues. oversold by 600 tickets!

My showing oversold by about 25-30. of course no one tells us this until we get inside, get our food and walk to the door where a crowd is standing!. as it ends up, they give us 4 free passes, let us watch another movie until one of the theatres got free and let us watch another movie while we waited.

not bad.

saw SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE which wasn't too bad.

As for the Last Lord of the Rings. i thought it was very very good. i don't think it will sweep the oscars, but it was exciting and really nice to look at. one thing that stood out was the sound. OUTSTANDING! there is a creature in this movie who's cry/scream is supposed to strike fear in those that hear its, and you know...when it came on the screen i thought "jesus! that IS terrifying!" Go see it...however, i still pick Last Samurai as the best pic of the year.

Your Scorecard, or How i see everyone roll-playing in 2004

Kerry is Al Gore
Gephardt is Bob Dole
Clark is John McCain
Edwards...Edwards is somebody's VP.
Lieberman is a non-entity
Dean...Dean is a coin, with Reagan on side and McGovern on the other. its been tossed, but it hasn't landed.
everyone else isn't even in the room.

AP Poll Finds 37% Firmly Against War in Iraq

I dunno if dean can ride this to victory.

CBS News | 9/11 Chair: Attack Was Preventable

Oh My. a panel appointed by bush, headed by a republican (former New Jersey governor Thomas Kean) and stonewalled by the bush administration now seems to lay the blame at bush's feet. 9/11 declared preventable. Kean went so far as to say some CURRENT members of the administration blundered to such a degree that he cannot understand why they have their jobs now.

From the article:

Asked whether we should at least know if people sitting in the decision-making spots on that critical day are still in those positions, Kean said, "Yes, the answer is yes. And we will."

Kean promises major revelations in public testimony beginning next month from top officials in the FBI, CIA, Defense Department, National Security Agency and, maybe, President Bush and former President Clinton.

New Poll Shows New Pollsters are Needed!

Um, if your poll shows Al Sharpton in front of Edwards and Kerry, just how worthless IS IT?

Bush suggests he may accept homosexual civil unions

See! in the same interview where he pandered the idea of a Const. Amendment against Gay Marriage, he opened the door to the Howard Dean style civil union. I was shocked by this strategy (or lack of) from the king-master pander-er. I would go so far as to say that you could have a const. ban AND civil unions simultaneously (legally, if not sensibly).

CNN.com - Material Girl covers Clark with praise - Dec. 16, 2003

Seems Madonna endorses Gen. Clark.

Bush would back constitutional ban on same-sex marriage

Well, they talked about it last week and it seems to have begun. White House Aides commented that the Admin. believed Dean to be the likely Democratic Candidate and were deciding on how to start working against him. this, of course could work too well and knock him out of the Primary (GO CLARK!) before it even starts, but we'll have to see.

as you can see from the recent TV interview, Bush talked about banning Same Sex Marriages by CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT (a VERY difficult and ill advised proposition). This, of course, is a DEEP pander to his base as well as a first little taste of what is to come in a Dean Nomination. you can be guaranteed that bush will be blasting Dean as a Gay Marriage advocate ad nausium in the next year.

The Suprise...!
If you look close at the interview itself, you see that Bush is actually infavor of STATE (chosen) protections of Gay couples' economic and social rights. he is vague on this but repeats it and won't call it marriage. the thing is, this is basically what Dean is saying as doesn't call it marriage and doesn't want the federal government to pass a law providing it. the difference? Dean doesn't pander a const. amendment to the religious right. this MAY be an opening, depends if anyone in the press wants to push bush on this. with their track record...i think the 'liberal press' has hung up its pen.

Harper's Weekly Review

click here. everything, and i mean EVERYTHING you could wanna know about this week.

CLICK HERE!

Can't wait to see this.

Clark: Howard Dean can't win

Man, i told all you Nay Sayers: Clark won't take a VP slot under dean. if Dean gets the nod, we're looking at the Dem special interests getting their chance to put up or shut up. seriously. I've long contended that deep pandering to many of our (esp fringe) special interests is done at our peril because they don't have the numbers or don't put out the votes to win races (btw, i don't consider black people a special interest). if dean gets the nod, we see if i'm wrong bc this election will be about 3 things. national security, gay marriage, and abortion. that's it.

Hell, if Lieberman is saying this about a fellow dem: "If Howard Dean had his way, Saddam Hussein would still be in power today, not in prison, and the world would be a more dangerous place." what do you think BUSH will be saying?

TIME.com: TIME Exclusive: Notes from Saddam in Custody

Worth taking a look. asked about if he had WMDs..."Of course not" he says.

Natchez Sheriff--the end of a long line of racists gets a nice CL send up

The clarion ledger did this story about outgoing Natchez Sheriff William "Tommy" Ferrell, who followed his dad into office stretching the line into the 50s. Ferrell's father was one of the sheriffs from the 'bad ole days' when civil rights or the mention of it could get you killed. His father was one of the ones that would look the other way when a racist handed out a beating to someone that was to 'upity' or was an 'agitator'...well, that was, if he wasn't helping out himself.

So here we have a guy that took over, did change from his daddy's ways (as the earth had moved). read below from the paper:

Ferrell believes sheriffs' races should be nonpartisan. "I don't make decisions based on party," he said. "I based them on professionalism and the law."
-----------

See, this is where the heartwarming article starts letting the sewage slip in. If Ferrell believes this, he would not have been part of one of the most racially divisive campaigns in the state. The Races in Natchez and surrounding Adams county were some of the most racially charged in the state. If this were his true feelings, he would not have switched parties. if they don't matter (or shouldn't) why would he join the party that, with the supervisors race there, went into the heavily african american precincts to have 'monitors' challenge as many votes as possible. this was the story all over the state, but here, it was one of the worst spots. I dealt with this in the weeks leading up to the election and it made me sick.

I had to personally dispatch attorneys down to the precinct level there on election day just to TRY and stave off these vultures who think voting and liberty is no long a right. the article quotes Johnny Junkin of the Adams county GOP:

"We weren't able to convince African-American voters to vote Republican," Junkin said. "Party affiliation doesn't change anything about the way he handles law enforcement."
-----

well, you know what? it does. if you run as a dem and change parties just after you win, it effects how we see you because you are a no good, rotten liar. you would put yourself before the public to say 'this is who i am. elect me' and then you'd reveal you were lying the whole time. Now when that lie puts you in this little cabaal that is actively working to keep black people from voting...in YOUR ELECTION...it says a lot. it says a lot about a man who claimed to want to change the image of the Miss. Sheriff (from what his daddy shaped it to be). Mr. Ferrell failed at that, but you know what? you could have guessed it. there's a place for him at Haley Barbour's table. He's been offered a job.

I guess they really are short on turncoat, lying, race-baiters. i'd have thought he had plenty.

Saddam has been captured--quick thoughts

I'm very curious about how this is going to play out. I am also curious if Time/Newsweek will do a special edition or squeeze this into the Tues. mag. usually they do very in-depth coverage and i'll enjoy their take on how it happened.

My take? i'm curious as to how it happened and what he has to say. Maybe its my nature, but equal to 'what does he have to say?' in my mind is "what sort of political hay will Bush make out of this". I am not one of those people that want america to Fail so that by proxy bush can fail, but i am someone that is sick of his ability to shrug off all things that he had no business doing, yet did.

I am glad this is one year away from the election and not playing out next september or october. i'm curious as to what the guy has to say about WMD. it would be very very good for the administration if he came clean about something. on the otherhand, captured, facing trial and execution, if he called the US on it. claiming he had notihing it could prove politically interesting.

Probably the most important issue, short term, is whether the attacks on US soldiers will be minimized. The coming weeks will be telling as to who was doing the attacks.

Loyalists? If so, do they have a reason to continue on?
Al Queda? If so, the stories of Bin Laden moving more emphasis in Iraq may be true.
Someone else?

Hopefully the attacks will fall off to a trickle, but i'm not that optimistic...Though, I hope.

NOTE from Polly: It should be mentioned that Mr. Mooch should have entered this as i should have been asleep. however, my lovely wife woke ME up at 6am to see this and not him. he is still asleep, so thanks to my wife for keeping me abreast of all the latest news.

DICK CHENEY IN OUR MIDST

My pal just called. seems the Dick is in town for a fundraiser and blocking off virtually all of central jackson. my pal is now off work and stuck away from home for god knows how long. he's also sworn off republicans because of this.

heh.

A Baghdad Thanksgiving's Lingering Aftertaste

BOY! wasn't that thanksgiving trip to Iraq a morale builder!?! i mean, weren't they all thrilled to see the president cared enough to see them on T-day?....um...well, if you count the fact that they were all screened, so that only the pro bushies were around the president, it all seems to make sense.

I know what you're thinking. what LIBERAL CRAP PAPER are you looking to for this swill. well my friend, none other than STARS AND STRIPES, the official paper for the US armed forces. you know what liberals they are!

Our president lives his life like the boy in the bubble, unaware of the world around him and informed by his handlers. Bush has already admitted that he doesn't follow the news but rather relies on his aides. Its like having a leader that is willingly lead by handlers and campaign donors building a fantasy world for him.

i know only contempt.

Op-Ed Columnist: No Will to Win?


From the NY Times:
"But like the Union general George McClellan, the Democrats have been too timid to take full advantage. It's a party for the faint of heart. The Republicans are hijacking elections and redistricting the country and looting the Treasury and ignoring the Constitution and embittering our allies, while the Democrats are — let's see, fumbling their way through an incoherent primary season and freaking out over Al Gore's endorsement of Howard Dean."

...and i agree. you know, as each day goes by, i see more and more need for Gen. Wes Clark.

Doctors Sue Insurers

They're suing for hundreds of millions of dollars....um...what happened to the tort reform you guys were so hyped up about? don't you guys wanna sue for $250,000 like the CAP you've asked for? i mean, certainly that would be enough to teach the insurance companies a lesson...and you're not in it for the money...right?

BS. shoe is on the other foot and these folks want the very same access to civil justice they wish to deny to others. I'll tell you what. you wanna see where the loyalties lie? ok Doc's, make your GOP pals decide between you and the Insurnace companies. you'll be waiting at the alter.

IF YOU LIKE DEAN

If you like dean, you should read this and think about it, esp. the numbers.

POLLY ON TV...or at least ETV.

Somehow i've been drafted to go on a live political show here in Mississippi where we'll discuss/debate the new Medicare bill/law. i have no idea who'll be on with me. i'm officially 'against' it, so there. it seems
you can listen online, on the radio, or on TV on Mississippi public radio/Television. Just for godssake please don't call in with some impossible question.

i should probably study this some more, being that its the biggest change to the law in ever.

MR. MOOCH REMINDS ME:

US forces are starting to use razor wire to surround villages, demolishing homes and buildings associated with attacks on Americans, and imprisoning the relatives of suspected guerrillas. Mr. Mooch points out that, over time the US should have seen how well this calmed the water in Israel.

NEWT GINGRICH (on Sunday):
"We've gone off a cliff in Iraq."

"Uncovered: The Whole Truth About The Iraq War" DVD - A BuzzFlash Premium

i read a great article about this documentary on salon.com. now i want a copy!

Bin Laden's Iraq Plans

Seems Bin Laden is moving his Al Qaeda forces to Iraq because of the success in killing americans thus far. he said this is the best opportunity to do more damage, according to Sharafullah, who claims to be at the meeting where this was decided. US officials brushed off the idea of this happening, but had no comment when asked if they think the meeting actually occured

Great. Iraq may become the central front for the war on terror in the end. hope this pans out to be true or unsuccessful. read the article and tell me what you think.

YOU CAN'T SPELL BUSH WITHOUT BS

On the way to Iraq, Airfoce One comes across a british airways jet that sees the President's plane.
The British Airways pilot (Dan Bartlett) radioed in:

'Did I just see Air Force One?,'
(pause)
Air Force One pilot: 'Gulfstream 5.'
(longer pause) (the gulfstream is a much smaller plane)
British Airways pilot: 'Oh.'

see, he realized he was 'in' on the top secret flight of the president going somewhere ultra secret! neat huh?

well, too bad it didn't happen. seems british airways didn't have any planes contacting airforce one in flight.

SO THE WHITE HOUSE HAS TO CHANGE THEIR STORY--the pilot actually contacted the traffic control tower back in london. still cool though, huh?

NOPE, that was a LIE too!! British Airways confirms THAT never happened either.

so finally the white house comes clean, Scott McLellan explains:
"what we always try to do for you all in the press corps is to provide you a little color of important events, because we believe that's helpful to you for your stories, and to do your reporting to the American people."

UM...so you just LIE if it doesn't sound good enough? that it? glad we got that straight.

RUSH LIMBAUGH in 2003 AMERICAN CENTURY CHAMPIONSHIP

OK, the cops when to Rush's house to get some evidence for possible crimes he committed. when confronted about whether or not Rush was Doctor shopping (which is illegally going to diff docs to get more Rx drugs than you are allowed--you know, like JUNKIES do), he stated: "What these records show is that Mr. Limbaugh suffered extreme pain and had legitimate reasons for taking pain medication."

this was on his show.

so, if he was in so much pain, how was he playing in these golf tournaments?

ELEMENTARY my dear Watson! I'll tell you how. he was in the painless bliss of a hopped up junkie on his chosen high. pain pills. that's how!

Award denial angers Congressman Gene Taylor

Uh oh, you got the most conservative Dem in congress mad now! seems that one of our Mississippi boys was hurt by an Iraqi booby trap but denied a Purple Heart by the Administration. see, you give purple hearts to soldiers wounded in combat. seems they think if you cut the # of people getting them, you can cut the official number of 'wounded'.

Makes you proud of President Bush doesn't it?

The Last Samurai

Saw this movie opening nite. I think its quite possibly the best film i have seen all year. I've read reviews that maligned the ending and i just don't see it. i thought it was good throughout. we should definately see oscar nods for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best supporting actor, cinematography, art direction, and costume design. by the end, i could hear many people openly weeping in the theatre.
Highest Recommendation.

I DON'T BELIEVE IN SMOKING BANS

I can understand if people do not like smoke. i'm also fine with the operators of any building instituting a 'no smoking' policy of their own in any place. HOWEVER, we don't need a law banning it everywhere. basically you have non-smokers not wanting to have to bother with avoiding smoke. if you don't like smoke, go where they don't allow it!

while i'm at it, where are all these places around the state that non-smokers to suffer everyday? my local florists are smoke free. so's Target. all the grocery stores. the mall. the movies. can't smoke in the government buildings. or at the tire store. or the gas station. hell, you can't smoke at many (most) restaurants.

so what is it? Bars & Restaurants? i'm not saying no ones ever been annoyed by smoke in bars or restaurants, but you cannot honestly tell me that this has become a significant problem for the bulk of the people of this state. its relatively rare, to my experience. certainly not common enough to require a government ban. but you know, that's not what its about, is it? its about having your way 100% of the time.

I almost never sit in a smoking section of a restaurant. i'm not a big fan of cigarette smoke, but if i told you that it was such a problem that we need a new law...i'd be a liar. its not. let businesses decide for themselves, just like they have in virtually every aspect of our lives (regarding if smoking is allowed). as you can see, non-smokers are doing just fine on that score. if you aren't happy with their decison.

let them know and then vote with your feet.

Suha Arafat's fantastic voyage

seems arafat's wife is living pretty well on a $100,000/month allowance in paris. too bad the $$ they have largely comes from the Palestinian Authority bank book. i have a feeling their country (to be) could use the money to, eh?

White House criticizes Kerry's use of the F-word

Kerry uses a swear in a Rolling Stone magazine interview. I myself was a little suprised. even more so to see that white house Chief of Staff Andrew Card said "That's beneath John Kerry," as the official white house line.

you have to wonder if he gives the same rebuke to his boss, the shrub, over these gems:

F**k Saddam. We're taking him out.-George W. Bush, March 2002, as reported in Time.

You no-good f**king son of a b***h, I will never f**king forget what you wrote.
-George W. Bush, to journalist Al Hunt in front of his 4-year old daugher, 1987.

oh, and don't forget that time in 2000 on the campaign where he and Cheney forgot the mic was on.

the pot and the kettle my friends. the pot and the kettle.

One Thousand Reasons

i can't count this high.

WATCH THIS

One of the Strongest Presidential ads i've ever seen.

GOP wants Reagan to REPLACE FDR on the Dime

It seems that the GOP cannot get enough of Ronald Reagan. they are wanting to replace FDR with Reagan on the dime. Even Nancy Reagan says its a bad idea. i guess i'd like him too if boring IKE was as good as it got for the GOP in that stretch between Teddy Roosevelt at the turn of the century and Reagan 80 years later.

Ah heck. lets reflect. FDR only pulled us out of the depression, and guided our nation through WW2 after we were attacked.

hey, you know, Reagan was pres. when our Marines were attacked in Lebanon by Iran back terrorists. Thank god Reagan was there to bold move us out of Lebanon asap and then begin a series of secret arms deals with Iraq. now THAT's how you handle terrorists! ah, at least he lied about it to the American people. (Heck, the nice ole dems didn't even try to impeach him!)

um... I'll keep FDR thank you very much.

The French Report our Casualties when the President Will Not

If its not rosey, this administration doesn't want you t know it exists. i found this about our soldiers.

7,000 soldiers have left Iraq due to psychological problems.
2,200 sustained serious injuries including loss of limbs.
1,700 US Troops have deserted thus far.

I have to wonder if they'll get the same treatment bush got when HE never showed up to his Ala. gig in the national guard. we call that desertion, he calls that...'um, lets move on to the next subject'.

Newly elected Rankin prosecutor arrested on DUI charge

This GOP DA David Clark promised to be tough on criminals...um...so does that mean he is gonna be extra hard on himself?

this sad sack beat the other republican and THAT GUY sued to reverse the election because he felt Clark wasn't mentally stable enough to have the job. then he sued to stop Clark from getting the job because he claimed Clark couldn't practice law in Miss. (he can).

talk about a sore loser!

SHOTGUN WEDDING

An interesting article about the GOP wooing the AARP to (historically) support the GOP "Pill Bill" outlined for you below.

I'M LOOKING FOR THE QUOTE FOR CONTEXT...

In an ominous accessment, General Tommy Franks, interviewed by a Cigar Aficianado Magazine, stated that if weapons of mass destruction were ever used on the United States, we could become a military dictatorship.

KNOW WHAT I HATE ABOUT DVD's?

how they are starting to do fullscreen and widescreen versions of the movies. several times i almost got a damned fullscreen abomination because i wasn't looking close enough to the packaging! you know, they used to spend the extra 2 cents and put BOTH versions on the same disc, and that was fine. now? noooooo! bah. this crap is just a pain.

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