Just a Thought

It is OK to be Republican
It is OK to be Gay
It is OK to be Overly Homophobic (well, really it isn't, but i'm not gonna tell you how to live--much).

Just don't be all 3 at the same time.
...and solicit sex in airport bathrooms.

Don't worry. Fox has your back (and the Senator from Idaho may too). In a bit of history repeating itself, this guy was involved in a Congressional Page/sex scandal too. his was just a generation ago (1982).

And Another Thing

I betcha we get a recess appointment to fill the AG slot to avoid a confirmation fight. that's what i'd do if I was Pres. Bush.

The Slowest Death in Recent Memory

It appears that the final death rattle has rattled for Alberto Gonzales. For someone pronounced politically dead for months, he just kept going. The bottom line point was that the law enforcement of the Federal government was being used for Republican, Political purposes (then the Atty Gen. lied about this to congress to cover it up). The argument was made that no law was violated (debatable). This, however, begged the question of just what standards the President used for his cabinet. Can you stay if you broke the law? (seems so). Can you stay if you skirted the law, covered it up, but did it for loyal partisan reasons? (oh my, yes. could you do it again?).

What I found interesting was the treatment of Karl Rove's resignation last week. it was treated like "the successful and controversial 'architect' of the Bush success has hung up his spurs". Now, considering his involvement in the politicization of the Justice Department, one would have to see these two resignations as part of the same narrative. I believe that these resignations are tied to each other, but purposely spaced so that Rove could get cover. We'll see this week if it worked. If i can trust what i see on TV news, I'd imagine it did.

I-CHI-RO

I really like to watch this guy get ready to swing the bat. evidently from this video, i'm not alone. pretty cool!



OK...this is pretty cool too. pitching from 150 feet? more? creezus!

Around Lunch the Other Day, I Ran into this Guy...

I'd say he's pretty brazen, whatever his meaning here.

Four Days and Counting

While It may not be my Bulldogs, or my Green Wave (look at the cool shot of our new field, post-Katrina!), I have four more days to go until i can finally see some live baseball again! it is taking WAY too long to get here!

How to Get Your Hack On, the Diebold Way

Here you go, dear readers. A short video on how to hack a Diebold Machine. all you need is a screwdriver, a thumb/flash drive, and about 120 seconds.

Now, after watching this, you might say, "But Polly, isn't this no big deal in Miss. since we have a paper trail tied to our machines?" That might be the case if we had a protocol for handling such and incident. Officially, right now, there is no official protocol from the Sec. of State's office to instruct a comparison of the paper record with the digital results when something fishy comes up. Even if a seal is broken when the box arrives at the courthouse for counting, there is no instruction to check the paper record. Think too many folks are gonna vote in Precinct X? well hack away my friend! the fix is in because no one will be asked to look!

[This is a cross post]

The Spirit of Our Nation Betrayed...with an Easy to Follow Map!

At the Direction of the President, our nation has taken people prisoner without charges. This is the most fundamental violation of a fair Judiciary there is. It is what we don't do...until now. It was what our parents, our grandparents, our great grandparents were told that made us different than the Communist Menace.

We also don't torture. America is a nation of freedom and protection by the law, for the people. Our laws say not we don't torture. Our morals say we do not torture. Our word and our example has been a guiding light to the world in showing how a modern democracy must exist. It is what gives us moral authority and public trust.

The map above shows the routes the President approved for trafficking people in order to torture them. You can see the routes that the President and Vice President have used to export our dignity in order to fight a war they had no idea how to fight. They'd seen it in a movie and they thought that was enough to override a legion of people who'd seen war. Our nation's soul lies on those routes...All so that men who avoided war at all costs could fight one just like they'd seen on TV.

The President and Vice President should be Impeached.

UFO spotted!

I always love this stuff. seems a whole town saw this one!

and i though 28 was the bottom

I predicted that Bush's approval ratings would not fall below 28 a while back. i felt that he'd cult-ivated about 28% of the public into thinking he could do no wrong. Well, I was wrong. now he's at 25% approval. if asked about his handling of the economy, he drops another 2 points.

Our economic recovery has primarily been in the hands of those in our various markets: stocks, real estate, etc. we've been creating wealth that shows economic growth, but that has not been spread amongst the multitudes. I think he's been selling something for 7 years and everyone has finally seen there's nothing in these bottles that the snake oil salesman keeps hawking.

a bright spot

As some of you may know, i'm coming out of a pretty bad week and heading into a bit of relief. The link above has a wonderful video (not too long) of a gentleman interviewing kids at the College Republican National Convention. Without being a jerk to them, he asks questions about what they believe when it comes to Iraq and then asks if they plan to serve. They pretty much take it from there.

Highlights include good ole Kent Alexander from Univ. of Southern Mississippi. while having played college football, he wasn't sure he was fit enough to be a soldier. Also (just wait for it) they guy who figures out that he is officially not gay.

I liked that final note. anyone know where i can get a 'draft college republicans' bumper sticker?

...And when the band played 'hail to the chief', oh they pointed the finger at you...

The New Old Thing.

I have more than a passing interest in the mix of design, packaging, and merchandising. That being said, i was VERY happy to see this change with the ol' Coke Can.

Pretty Alarming

This article by Robert Novak (no friend of the democrats) outlines how seriously bunkered the President and VP are when it comes to Iraq. Novak reports that the Administration's National Security Advisor Stephen J. Hadley had been sent to Capitol on a 'scouting' trip. He was to find out why several prominent GOP Senators have backed away from the Bush policy in Iraq...not to find answers on how to fix Iraq policy. The gist here being that when as this happens, the Bush Admin. is not even considering that the results are driving the GOP'ers away, but rather that they are simply falling away for some other reason. Like a boyfriend that can't figure out his own awful behaviour has driven his lady out the door, left there dumbfounded at the doorway, bags packed, asking "what happened to us? the way we used to be?" you almost expect a card from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. saying "don't you remember the good times?"



leading one senator to ask what he was seeking. It was not advice on how to escape from Iraq. Instead, Hadley appeared interested in how previous supporters of Bush's course had drifted away. In the process, though, he planted seeds of concern. Some senators were left with the impression that the White House still does not recognize the scope of the Iraq dilemma. Worse yet, they see the president running out the clock until April, when a depleted U.S. military can be blamed for the fiasc

This Week... on ABC Sunday

Katrina VandenHeuvel, Editor of The Nation, has an interesting nutshell for why the GOP doesn't have anyone very happy with their Prez candidates:

Look at the debate we had a few weeks ago. You had Democrats debating what was the best national healthcare plan they could offer the country and you had Republicans debate which method of torture would be best employed if they could bring in Jack Bauer.

video here.

people seem to prefer solutions to problems affecting their lives over new ways to mis-manage a terror threat made worse by bush. Again, i have to say, don't elect people that HATE the government and expect them to do a good job RUNNING the government.

Have you Seen SiCKO?

Well, I haven't seen Michael Moore's new movie, but Blue Cross Blue Shield has. their thoughts?

“You would have to be dead to be unaffected by Moore’s movie…”

“If popular, the movie will have a negative impact on our image in this community.” — Barclay Fitzpatrick, Vice President of Corporate Communications, Capital BlueCross

(From their own internal memo!)

In case you Didn't Know Already

The President tossed Scooter Libby's prison sentence. what's a little cover-up for traitors among friends?

A Slow, Hour Long Death...

OK, I watched the Soprano's Series finale tonight. I'm a fan. i've watched and enjoyed every season. Every episode. This last (bifurcated) season has been the worst by far. We spend the first 1/2 of the season watching Tony in his dreamworld, wandering through meaningless crap. the rest of the season gives us the end/final direction of all the major players. each one handled as if it were an afterthought. Nothing, and i mean NOTHING has been handled on par with the handling of any of the other characters, on any of the other episodes, on any of the other seasons. I could have taken any of the possible resolutions or final direction(s) for the characters on this series. What i got was an answer to nothing. my cable could have been cut off during the show (and it seemed like it was at the end!) and i would have had not missed a thing. As a matter of fact, if i missed this episode completely it would have not mattered at all.

the acting and story were actually decent. For a series finale...for a series of this magnitude...? worthless.

The Last Straw?

I've grown more and more angry with the state of the Mississippi Democratic Party, often my problem is with particular people. I don't mind if someone makes a stupid move, but some operate with a sheer stupidity that topples other, good democrats in their wake.

A few democrats have sued in federal court to address the NON-EXISTENT problem of voter dilution when Republicans cross over to vote in Democratic Primaries. As a result, this week, a federal judge has ruled that (by 2008) we must have a party registration system AND a voter ID system. The Republicans were not involved with this suit, but should be VERY happy by this result. Our current system requires you to vote in one primary (GOP or Democrat), but not both. this paired with the very large number of democratic officials elected locally (by far, the majority) has the effect of bringing more attention, support, and money into the Democratic Party. With the new registration process, it would be impossible to gain any more in these areas, but rather we can be guaranteed a deduction. More importantly, this opens the door for GOP growth in local/county elections where they have been helpless thus far. Party building this is not. Its like introducing loyalty oaths without any reward for that loyalty.

AND, leave it to these Democratic IDIOTS to deliver what no elected GOP official could over the last decade or more: Voter ID. This made up voter fraud issue is a hallmark of GOP suppression attempts has been delivered by the democrats themselves. This is the sort of thing that has very much tempted me to abandon Democratic Party politics in Mississippi. i say "tempted" because many of the GOP around here remain some of the most loathsome, destructive human beings I've met within this state's borders.

That last one really bothers me a lot. I've spent a great deal of my time and energy working against voter suppression tactics in this state, and to have a group of democrats do some of the very damage that I've worked to protect against for years may just be unforgivable. if you haven't already clicked the link in the above paragraph, here it is again. you REALLY should read about what has been going on across this country over the last decade in an attempt to suppress lawful voters.

Diamond Dogs Do It!!

My beloved bulldogs are headed to the College Baseball World Series!! It is their second time to make it to Omaha for the CWS in 9 years. It also seems a bit of a Cinderella story as State wasn't previously ranked in the top 25 (only briefly, earlier in the season). PLUS. they had lost eight of their last 10 games heading into postseason tournaments. However, after that we've gone 5-0, beating super duper national sensation Florida State at their home in Tallahassee. This latest win marks our second come from behind/make me throw up with anxiety win against Clemson. right on!!

In other news, LAME Ole Miss collapsed in the 9th inning, unable to advance.

Alabama Fistfight.

It seems that a Republican in the Alabama Senate punched a democrat. Later he admitted to being an idiot.