AUZ-bun!!

This was the guy I spent my full day heckling. 3rd baseman Ben Ausbun (#6) from Air Force. I was pretty nice to the guy, not getting off color or anything, but i went at him for the entire game. I knew i hit a nerve when the stands started laughing in the second game when i just said his name. hadn't even made a comment yet. i was very proud. Unfortunately for us, the Mojo was slipping by this point.

What to eat between games

And by eat, I mean drink! Yay for a double header. When we arrived we didn't realized that the previous day's game was rained out and pushed to today, SOOOO after that first game, we get another! two MSU games in one day! nice surprise!

HOME RUN!!

Socking it out of the park!

Go democrats!

Riding to victory! My pal has some cool t-shirts.

Can you tell...

Which ankle I sprained? (HINT: look at the left one) Hobbling along, watching the MSU Bulldogs! I think this thing may be getting worse. at least i'm spending most of my day sitting. i was walking by a gentleman in a walker earlier. he outran me up the ramp into the stands...NO LIE!

3 to 1 in the 7th!

Air force better not defend the country in baseball! What a good game! We've had some excellent ptiching. lots of strike outs. Sorry my blackberry camera isn't any better than this.

Go Dawgs!

Gotta love swinging bully!

MSU home game this weekend

First home games of the year, and it is a Double Header!!

Oh, this is JUST What They Need

Seems Florida has come up with a new license plate to shout out that rich confederate past!

Bucket o blues!

The night ends at a house party where everyone came as the blues brothers!

The balcony bar

Is my favorite spot in New Orleans. Esp after the game!

We won!

4 to 3! What a great day!

Tie game!

We have a tie game on our hands! And we are in new Orleans....so we win regardless!

STRIKE THREE!!

Here is the view from the cheap seats! It was nice being in the student section. Lots of chants and cheers. Also it was pretty relentless for the opposing right fielder. A good time had by all!

We need a bigger boat!

At Tulane we serve crawfish out of canoes, or as we call it in Louisiana, a Peerow (p-row). They were wishing they'd used a bigger one for the crowd here!

Your College Baseball Team

Probably doesn't serve micro brew beer and crawfish! Go green wave!

Turchin Stadium Rebuilt!

This was the first game in Tulane's stadium. Just rebuilt since the hurricane. It was nice walking up to the stadium seeing people out tailgating. Tulane's campus is right in the middle of the uptown neighborhood in New Orleans walking from the car you pas by houses where people are outside cooking, playing music, and having a good time. You walk onto campus and there is a buzz of activity leading up to the stadium. I have to say they did a great job on this one. (I know it is sideways. I will rotate it when I'm back to an actual computer. The cell phone can do only so much!)

On the Way to Tulane

I guess 'jesus' was taken ...

Can't Sleep!

I'm ready for the Baseball game tomorrow in New Orleans!

This Blog Isn't Where You Go to Find Skirts

but this thing was both cool and HIL-arious!

Yer Pal Polly

Just to let you guys know, i got an interesting email this morning. I awoke to find an offer to run Hillary Clinton's Mississippi Campaign today. very flattering. I had to decline for other obligations, but hopefully my good pal Jaxxie can get the job. Still, pretty neat.

Last Update

OK. it's in now. McCain and Obama sweep the Potomac Primaries (Maryland, Virginia, and DC) Basically Hillary will need to make a stand in Texas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. if she cannot win a couple of those (at LEAST one, preferably all if you want to see her win), then that's it for her campaign. you heard it here first. There's some momentum she's running against. the time is short and she's gone through some turmoil that usually means disaster for a campaign on what is (to my mind) the final stretch.

MY DC VACATION

I spent a few days in DC and Baltimore in September. During this trip I saw all the major DC sights by night. I saw some old friends and I got another taste of a city I really like. I also saw my first Major League Baseball game. It was the DC Nationals vs. the Pholding Philadelphia Phillies. I was lucky enough that my college pal Swirly got us 2 tickets to the LAST baseball games at RFK stadium! what a cool time.

To my surprise, there was a Mississippi Bar BQ Joint right there at the stadium! I got to sit out past 3rd base with agreat view and even saw a few foul balls go my way. I ate a hot dog and had beer, fulfilling the traditional baseball activities. I sang take me out to the ballgame. and it was pretty well awesome.

The second day was a bit different. First of all, my newly beloved Nationals won! We also sat in a waaaay different area. Sometimes when you sit VERY high up in a big stadium it's called sitting in "Heaven" because you sit so far up you feel like you are up in the clouds! I'd never sat anywhere that high and i was shocked how good the view was. it was actually pretty fun sitting up high. take a look at a few of those shots. It was incredible how steep those stands get up high! The previous day you would see a 'beer man' appear about every 45 seconds. Up in the clouds i saw one kid walk to the base of the stands. he had 6 beers and yelled up the steps. He told us he had beers if we wanted them, but he wasn't going to haul them up the steps if we weren't buying! i didn't blame him. the idea of walking up those steep steps with a cooler of beer is truly terrifying! There was a guy that sat next to me with an "Isotopes" baseball cap from the REAL baseball team named made up team from the Simpsons. ha!

I had a great time, Swirly bought me a hat that i'm wearing right now, and i can't wait to go back.

Super Duper Tuesday and Beyond...

After having a pretty heavy political week of my own, I was happy to let all the Super Tuesday stuff go by without much of my attention yesterday. However, i'll give you my take. If you didn't know already, the way Democrats and Republicans hand out delegates in a primary vary, even within the same state. Many, but not all, of the GOP primaries are "All or Nothing", meaning you win, you get all of the delegates. Second place gets nothing. The Democrats split up the state's delegates to first and second (generally) if the 2nd place voter reaches a given threshold. With Hillary and Obama winning different states, this left us roughly tied. actually it gave Hillary more by popular vote and Obama more by delegate count. under this system you can have a smaller gap of delegates awarded to the 1st and 2nd place candidates in California than you do for the same candidates in Puerto Rico!!! I'm not going to get into "super delegates" and what that means here until it actually begins to mean something.

After Super Tuesdsay, the GOP found itself a 2 man race. Sorry Ron Paul, it is now mathematically impossible for you to win. Everyone, me included, said it was all over and McCain would beat Huckabee for the nomination. The GOP elite seem to hate these too guys so much that they don't know what to do with themselves. meanwhile we get a few more states into the mix...and Huckabee wins them ALL! In the South. the Midwest. and the West.

You may be thinking "Now wait a minute Polly! I saw McCain won Washington. it wasn't a sweep!" and it SEEMS that way (and maybe it will be that way in the end), but you should know this and sit in disbelief that this has made no press. in Washington state, with 13% of the vote left to count, the race was neck and neck for McCain/Huckabee. Literally seperated by 1.8%!. so what does the chair of the GOP (Luke Esser) in Washington do? HE HAD A GUT FEELING THAT McCAIN WOULD WIN AND CUT OFF THE COUNTING OF THE VOTES!! seriously. It seemed that the 30 point lead McCain had before has evaporated and the fix needed to go in to handle the situation. Huckabee wasn't too happy, as you can imagine.

Well that's the sorta stuff you get over there. on the Democratic side, Obama cleaned Hillary's clock. now he was expected to win these states, partly bc he fares better in Caucus states than she does. He's done well in poorer states, states with larger black populations, and whiter states with higher income residents. Hillary has done well in the middle and much better with Latinos. it was a rout. she had to cough up $5 million of her own dough and ask staff to give up paychecks for a while. on top of that, she ditches her campaign leadership. not good signs and no good PR going into the "Potomac Primary" of Virginia, DC, and Maryland. Her best chance (same with huckabee) will be in Virginia. the rest should go Obama. If he sweeps here, she will be in contention, but certainly down in the delegate count and will have no chance of moving ahead in the race until March. a long time to stop a free fall.

I was very worried Obama wasn't going to be able to pull this out in the end. I'll be very positive on his chances if he sweeps again tonite...and that seems to be the word on the street.

UPDATE! One More from the Coast

Read the link above. I'll give you some updates today plus more on the election!

Hey, Its Yer Pall Polly in the News...

I'll post a little more on this monday. This article doesn't touch on the part of my testimony last week when the Director of Medicaid tried to take the mic away from me when i testified in front of the legislature. Evidently he REALLY doesn't like it when he's caught lying in public. natch!

Get Down On It!

and there you go. Obama 55% and Hillary at 27% in South Carolina. no more insight than what i gave before. it was going his way...nuf said. the win for hillary comes from whatever she can pull out of Super - Duper Tuesday. otherwise, Welcome, President Obama.

in a side note i'll elaborate on later...I'm glad for the chance to get ALL OF THIS out of the hands of the babyboomers. the first generation to be so self entitled from craddle to grave also gives us a lot of the societal strife we've had to fight through. i'm tired of wading through your waters. thanks for getting us here, but i'm glad to get loose of your baggage.

last political gasp

Seems Obama is carrying SC. i like him better and better. this has been a BIG load off my mind. can't wait to get all this primary stuff behind us.

Let's Get This Outta the Way

I have a MEGA soft spot in my heart for Memphis. a friend of mine from HS went to U of Memphis for basketball, and i've followed them ever since. right now they are Number 1 and are playing like EXACTLY what any fan would want to see. unselfish. tough. great!

THAT BEING SAID,

Tulane is doing ok this year, beating multiple SEC teams for the first time since the 1940s(!) so i will take what i can get. MSU started out not so hot, but "HOLY MAROON AND WHITE!!"* they just beat those jerks at Ole Miss by TWENTY POINTS!! ...they are 5-0 in conference play too. best recored in the SEC. holey jamoley, creezus meezus! what goes on here!?!

either way, i like it!

*used with permission.

Can We Give this Woman A Prize?

Seriously, i feel the same about Notre Dame.

Quick Update: Glass Half Full or Empty Edition

You may recall below that I predicted Obama to carry Nevada. Well, he didn't...and he did.

see, the delegates for each caucus site was predetermined, soooo...that means if the turnout was really high or low in a particular spot, it didn't matter because the winner took the delegates assigned, regardless of the number of caucus goes there.

What this means is that Obama DID win the state, in that he got the most Delegates out of Nevada, committed to vote for him in the grand total, state by state. However, the problem here is that Hillary got more PEOPLE to vote for her. their vote just didn't count as much, it seems. What really determines the winners here is just who gets the best press out of Nevada. So far, i cannot tell. maybe it is even.

Update, Hot Off the Press!!

I just read this a minute ago:

Despite second- and third-place finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, John Edwards might have a shot at winning the Nevada caucus. The first Nevada poll to come out in a month suggests Edwards is still a force in the Democratic race, pulling in 27 percent of the support, essentially in a statistical tie with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

So, add that to what i said below about Nevada. Interesting. he DOES have a lot of (various) union support. maybe this is materializing into something new?? i like this guy, partly because his politics and policy read like someone that isn't looking to play it safe for a re-election down the road.

OK, Let's Run Through This

Time to update.

before Iowa the press was losing their minds over the Obama/Hillary Race. the thing was, it WASN'T an Obama/Hillary race, but they don't care. Edwards? who's he? they like the idea of the first legit female candidate and first legit black candidate (legit=has a chance. no offense, those who came before). They weren't interested in anything else and this emphasis made Iowa out to be THE (first and) FINAL word on the election. well, you can't get everything you want. the breakdown wasn't too far off as predicted. Now it IS a big deal that Hillary got 3rd after being up for so long, but those old high poll numbers were bogus. just like any other numbers that come out WAY ahead of time--they're based on name ID and are relatively meaningless. Obama had momentum and a machine working for him. Edwards had a good machine too. Hillary had a smaller machine made of the leftover parts and BARELY got third.

Now that breakdown was roughly 1/3 of the vote to each candidate, but you would have thought Obama got 75%! we roll into NH and the press is losing it. Hillary was blown out...but she wasn't the split was 1/3 each, but to hear the headlines, you would have thought she had been shot dead on election night. NH comes. a place where Edwards has minimal presence. a place where Hillary has a geographic advantage over Obama, and WHAT!?!?!?!...Obama gets 2nd place!?! this time the vote percentage breaks in the 30s for Hillary AND Obama, but Hillary loses.

the press flips out.

They had polls that showed Obama ahead. what goes on here!?!?! never mind that most barely squeaked by the margin of error. didn't you hear that Hillary was found dead in Iowa!?! it was a comeback only in the eyes of the press who created the imaginary gulf between her and Obama in the first place. sadly for Edwards, it IS a 2 person race now, as he doesn't have the money to keep going in a fashion that will survive South Carolina and Nevada and the press aren't doing any favors. Policy-wise, he's the one real 'change' candidate, if anything, because he's not an elected official now and doesn't have to worry about pissing off anyone. he can lay it all out as he likes.

RIP John Edwards.

So now hillary has the momentum again! she's surging! her numbers are growing (wow, outside of the margin of error even in some places!)...she's AHEAD! not so fast. even though Obama got 2nd place, as i counted it, he actually left with the SAME NUMBER OF DELEGATES as Hillary coming out of NH! did you know that? either way, both candidates have the money to survive the next 2 states: Nevada and South Carolina.

Nevada.
Another caucus state. I give this to Obama. This state isn't used to Caucusing for presidents. usually the thing is decided by the time they get to Nevada. Obama gets some organization muscle from the Culinary Workers Union (read massive casino worker/white/latino influence) which, not only is huge, but they are allowing caucusing to occur at some of the resort job sites. add that onto the organization he already has and he's formidable. How formidable? more muscle than the NEA (teachers) Union seem to be offering hillary. also enough to make some people SUE to stop the caucusing at resort locations...a few of these plaintiffs actually being from the board that approved the caucus location rules (voting 'yay')! now why that sort of hardball action? because it is that close (nationally) and they can't spare a single vote. they are playing the margins because they don't have a knockout here for Hillary. I say Obama wins it. anyone giving you a spread here is guessing....and i'm not even going to hazard a guess.

South Carolina.
As you may have heard, 1/2 of the voters in the SC Democratic primary are black. perhaps more than half that number are women, SOOO....the question is, how will the black women break? I'm interested in their opposite number too. how do white democratic men break? in the beginning, Hillary had a great deal of support from establishment, black community leaders. these sorts of folks have been uneven against Obama in the past and they SURE seem awfully quiet about their support now compared to 4-5 months ago. maybe i should elaborate more, but i just don't see it for Hillary here either. Obama in SC.

if this happens, expect the press to have a meltdown. i may need to amend all this if trends change, but as of now, this is how i see it. More on the 'tears' episode for Hillary, which i find VERY interesting, in just a little bit. oh, i should add this. I've personally shifted my support to Obama. Now i don't plan to attack either one, but i will give you my take on the race as it goes by. i just figured i would fess up to how i felt.

Now, you wanna know why? with Obama, you get bigger/better coattails for other down ticket races that are out there. if it was the other way around (feel free to convince me), i'd support Hillary. it comes down to not much more than that...well, a little more, but i'll share that later.

Not Too Far Off

I'm usually terrible at getting election breakdowns, but i wasn't too far off this time. the real question is how hard the press try to throw Hillary overboard now. With just about 5 days until the New Hampshire primary, i'm unclear how much of a boost or how much damage can be done in such a short matter of time.

For the GOP, the question is where Huckabee falls after the NH primary doesn't work in his favor and how much can McCain pull up there. he's the only scary one in the GOP field.

Iowa Caucus Results

OK, here are my predictions. I'm not in Iowa. i have no contacts in Iowa. I don't pretend this is any more than my hunch.

Edwards and Obama end up on top. maybe 2-3 points separating them. i give it to edwards due to the difficulty of the caucusing process and the fact that he has a lot of old pros working the rooms for him. Obama has more steam, but the process here is different than simply voting today at some point when you get free. it may hurt him. Hillary gets 3rd. the question is how bad. she isn't a paper tiger, but may be a balsa wood tiger.

Word on the street: Richardson is directing his people to cast 2nd choice votes for Obama. Kucinich is telling his people to give votes to Edwards.

Caucus goers that support candidates with less than 15% of the total in their particular sight have the option of leaving or casting their votes elsewhere, for another candidate. Richardson is directing his people to cast 2nd choice votes for Obama. Kucinich is telling his people to give votes to Edwards. Edwards has people that are experienced at doing this. Obama's 20 year old college supporter hasn't ever done this...but there's a lot of people like her.

Man Troubles

If you are a supporter of Hillary Clinton as your first choice for President, you should read this article. I've always liked Hillary, and felt that she spent a decade or so being the punching bag of choice for Rush Limbaugh and his ilk. I always felt it was unfortunate and unfair. None-the-less, she's fallen into this roll. Often she's the target of irrational hatred. I've rarely seen someone so hated by people that cannot articulate an explanation of their hatred ("I just don't like her" isn't a reason, by-the-way). She has the experience to be President and (despite what she claims) it is little different than what Barrack Obama possesses. She claims the difference is that she's got the experience to handle the big bad Republicans, and she knows how to come out on top.

Her problem is that this is a bit of a rosy view of her history of fighting Republicans. Her history is less fighting them and more of being a lightening rod for their attack. being able to take a punch is different than connecting punches yourself (note i said CONNECTING, not throwing punches). While she may not deserve the grief she gets, it has forever made her a polarizing figure. High DIS-approval ratings don't make for big time victories. More to the point, the prevent coattails that can create a true mandate in the House and Senate (more on that in a the next post). Consider this, from the article above:

A lot of men don't like Hillary. A lot of men say they don't want to vote for Hillary--even Democratic men. The new L.A. Times/Bloomberg poll, released Dec. 28, shows that only 19 percent of Democratic men favor Clinton in upcoming caucuses and primaries - less than one in five.

These are DEMOCRATS. This is why EVERY conservative commentator has spent at least a year talking up Hillary as unbeatable. they know she's the most beatable and that's exactly who they want to face. it is their best (only?) hope of winning this thing. The mock fearfulness they have is akin to Br'er Rabbit begging not to be thrown into the briar patch. It is exactly what they want. The viability of any Democrat polling at 19% among Democratic men should be seriously called into question.

Thanks for Clearing that Up.

Well as reported in this Washington Post artice, the RIAA has cleared up just what they mean in that warning. In a brief filed recently, they assert that you are violating the rule if you buy a cd and put a copy of the tracks on your own computer for your own personal use.

Now, in an unusual case in which an Arizona recipient of an RIAA letter has fought back in court rather than write a check to avoid hefty legal fees, the industry is taking its argument against music sharing one step further: In legal documents in its federal case against Jeffrey Howell, a Scottsdale, Ariz., man who kept a collection of about 2,000 music recordings on his personal computer, the industry maintains that it is illegal for someone who has legally purchased a CD to transfer that music into his computer.

The industry's lawyer in the case, Ira Schwartz, argues in a brief filed earlier this month that the MP3 files Howell made on his computer from legally bought CDs are "unauthorized copies" of copyrighted recordings.

Ike Turner Dead at 76

Ike Turner (a Clarksdale, MS native such as myself) died today in his sleep. Often infamously noted for drug and alcohol fueled physical abuse of his loved ones (Notably Tina Turner), Ike Turner's musical contributions were substantial. In 1951 he recorded Rocket 88, which is about the Oldsmobile 88 which had just come into production 2 years earlier. The song has perhaps the earliest example of 'fuzz' or guitar distortion. As the performers were making their way up Hwy 61 from Mississippi to record the song (with soon-to-be musical giant Sam Phillips), their amp fell out of the back of their car. the damage created a distorted sound that has given inspiration to countless rock and roll songs. It has been argued by many that this is the first Rock 'N Roll song, which is saying something.

Did You See This?

Here's what the NYTimes ran today:

U.S. Says Iran Ended Atomic Arms Work

By MARK MAZZETTI

Published: December 3, 2007

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 — A new assessment by American intelligence agencies concludes that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and that the program remains frozen, contradicting judgment two years ago that Tehran was working relentlessly toward building a nuclear bomb.

The conclusions of the new assessment are likely to reshape the final year of the Bush administration, which has made halting Iran’s nuclear program a cornerstone of its foreign policy.

The assessment, a National Intelligence Estimate that represents the consensus view of all 16 American spy agencies, states that Tehran is likely keeping its options open with respect to building a weapon, but that intelligence agencies “do not know whether it currently intends to develop nuclear weapons.”

Pretty straightforward, huh? well, god help you if you were watching FoxNews today at lunch when this story broke. Their headline? IRAN COULD HAVE NUCLEAR BOMB BY 2010.

Seriously.

the spin never ends.

RIP - Evel Knievel Dead at 69

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Evel Knievel, the red-white-and-blue-spangled motorcycle daredevil whose jumps over Greyhound buses, live sharks and Idaho's Snake River Canyon made him an international icon in the 1970s, died Friday. He was 69.

Lott Update part 2!

I've heard a few scandal related rumors surrounding the abrupt step-down. this unfounded rumor isn't even the believable one, but it is getting a little press. interesting...

UPDATE on the Lott Retirement

This isn't from me, I've been buried in my work for hours. however, i did pull this for you guys from the Daily Kos. If you didn't know already, Haley Barbour was already trying to put off new elections so he could appoint his pet monkey. in this case, he even (purposefully?) mis-states the law as he announces his plan. too bad that statutes don't agree...
-----------------------------

MS-Sen: Barbour's efforts to rewrite state law

by kos

Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 01:58:54 PM PST

Mississippi Republicans are in a bind.

First, Lott wants out by the end of this year so new ethics guidelines that prohibit former members of Congress from lobbying for two years, rather than one. And we all know that Lott is ditching the people of Mississippi so he can cash in on K Street. He admitted it.

So Lott needs to be out by Dec. 31. However, if he does that, Mississippi law requires a special election within 90 days, and a low-turnout special might hurt the GOP. They want the presidential race to boost Republican turnout in a state that leans heavily Republican in presidential elections.

So what will win, Lott's desire to cash out ASAP, or the GOP's desire to maximize their possibilities of holding that seat? Well, if you're a Republican, there's always option 3: lie and obfuscate the law and try to pull a fast one on everyone else:

Pursuant to Mississippi law, specifically § 23-15-855 (1), of the Mississippi Code, once the resignation takes effect, I will call a Special Election for United States Senator to be held on November 4, 2008, being the regular general election day for the 2008 congressional elections.

Further, within ten days of Senator Lott’s resignation’s taking effect, I will appoint a Senator to serve until the winner of the Special Election for United States Senator is elected and commissioned, as provided in § 23-15-855 (2) of the Mississippi Code. My goal is to appoint the best qualified person who can do the most for our state and country.

Ha ha ha, that Haley. Such a joker. The law:

(1) If a vacancy shall occur in the office of United States Senator from Mississippi by death, resignation or otherwise, the Governor shall, within ten (10) days after receiving official notice of such vacancy, issue his proclamation for an election to be held... within ninety (90) days from the time the proclamation is issued and the returns of such election shall be certified to the Governor in the manner set out above for regular elections, unless the vacancy shall occur in a year that there shall be held a general state or congressional election, in which event the Governor's proclamation shall designate the general election day as the time for electing a Senator, and the vacancy shall be filled by appointment as hereinafter provided.

You get that? The law essentially mandates a special election within 100 days of the retirement. Barbour is trying to argue that the key point is the "proclamation", not the date the vacancy occurs. As election law expert Rick Hasen notes:

[T]he key question is the date of the "vacancy," not the date of the official notice or the date of the proclamation of the special election. If Lott indeed resigns in 2007, the vacancy is in 2007 and the election must occur under the 10/90 day rule described above.

And the Hill reports that MS's secretary of state (a Democrat, until the winners of the 2007 elections get sworn in later in January) agrees.

Gov. Haley Barbour (R) said in a statement Monday that he would schedule the special election for the same day as the November 2008 general election. State law, however, appears to require an earlier date if Lott retires this year, as he said he would.

While Lott sneaks in under the wire for the extended ban on lobbying Congress by retiring this year, the secretary of state’s office said Monday that state law appears to require a special election within 90 days if he does so.

Conversely, if Lott were to wait and retire in 2008, the law allows for the special election to be held the same day as the general. Of course, he would then be subject to the new two-year ban on lobbying his former colleagues, instead of the current one-year ban.

Lott will have a choice to make -- suck it up and wait an extra year before cashing out on K Street, or screw his party over one last time. And if Barbour persists on trying to rewrite state law, he'll have to likely justify his efforts in a court of law.

Update: Email press release:

JACKSON (Monday, Nov. 26, 2007) –Wayne Dowdy, chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party, issued the following statement after U.S. Sen. Trent Lott announced plans to resign from office by the end of the year.

“According to multiple news reports, Senator Lott intends to resign his seat by the end of the year. Section 23-15-855 (1) of the Mississippi Code makes clear that if Senator Lott does indeed resign during this calendar year, as stated, then Governor Barbour must call a special election for within 90 days of making a proclamation – which he must issue within 10 days of the resignation – and not on Nov. 4, 2008, as he has announced he intends to do.

“We will wait for Senator Lott’s official notice of resignation, when he will undoubtedly announce the exact date he will leave office. But if he does resign this calendar year we expect the governor to uphold the law and call a special election within 100 days. It is important that Mississippi be represented in Washington by a senator who was elected by the state’s voters as soon as possible.”

Race tracker wiki: MS-Sen

I Went To High School With Mrs. Lincoln

Have you seen those commercials for sleeping pills? the one where the insomniac is talking to Abe Lincoln? it turns out abe is married to a classmate of mine from High School. ha!

Trent Lott to Step Down Before 2008

If you haven't heard, MS' Junior Senator, Trent Lott (R-MS) is stepping down this year. you can rest assured this is to start a lucrative career in lobbying after the federal waiting period is over. There's been speculation for years that he'd be stepping down. Most think that Katrina and its aftermath kept him in the Senate, as he had great personal losses in the storm.

That being said, MANY have speculated that he didn't enjoy the back bench status in which he found himself after the Strom Thurmond fiasco. He had clawed his way back into some form of leadership, only to see the GOP Majority slip away. It seems so many of our 'statesmen' want to take their ball and go home if they can't be in charge (I'm looking at you Chip Pickering). It also speaks volumes about Lott's view of the GOP presidential field.

So, what does that mean for the future? It means Barbour will appoint a new Senator to fill out the term. there has been LONG speculation that Rep. Chip Pickering was being groomed for this seat. with him stepping down from the house and this seat opening, you can bet he'll be on the short list. Though, i'm less convinced it will be him at this point. whomever it is, they will enjoy a Year in the senate and perhaps be able to establish a whiff of Incumbency. On the Democrat side, i see Mike Moore (former AG) as the likely candidate. he's LONG been rumored to have wanted this job. the question is whether 5 years out of politics is too long for people's short attention span. I would argue that he's perhaps the most widely known and liked Democrat in the state.

Smells Fishy...er...Like Sulphur

The Mayor of a town in Arkansas has decided to step down. Note, this supposedly isn't part of some scandal or political hubub on the horizon, it's actually because of Satan! You see, he was living in Indiana until he took up an assumed name.
...and of course, the reason he took up the new identity was because Satanists had kidnapped him and brainwashed him! The truth came out recently after being injected with truth serum (JEEZ! now THAT's a Halloween party!).

The story falls apart a little when he explained that he had a choice:

go with these people (hey! i thought you were kidnapped!?)
-OR-
see his family killed before his eyes (i thought you didn't remember them??).

He took a 3rd route and ran away (i suppose the killers didn't have his family address). Police say he's not suspected of any wrong doing. I say he's at LEAST guilty of abandonment (or worse) with this dubious story.

EGG BOWL WIN over OLE MISS!!!

I spent the day at my mother's house. We had a shrimp boil. as good as it was, i couldn't help but squirm. i wasn't able to watch the Miss. State v. Ole Miss game and i couldn't wait to get home and watch the Tivo. I kept checking my cell phone until i 'refreshed' it so much that i'd almost ran out of battery juice. we were losing the whole game through. I'd eat a little bit and check the cell. it was killing me. 14 to nothing and then the 4th quarter came. we ended up tying the biggest late game comeback in MSU history, winning the game 17 - 14 in the final seconds with a 48 yard kick, our kicker's personal best! the coach was in tears and ran onto the field with a Giant MSU flag. something i think has never EVER been done. we've had a long hard trip to get here. nearly a decade to finally be decent. it feels awfully nice to get to a bowl game again, especially for a kid that was lucky enough to go to MSU when we were used to winning. It feels good to be winning again. OH, here's video of the end!

Mr. Pollan Goes to DC

So, it seems i've been planning a trip to DC forever, but never actually making it happen. Originally, I wanted a trip to seattle for an extended weekend, then a long weekend in DC, then back to Jackson, MS where i'll be so tired i'd need a vacation from my vacation. I spent a lot of time on the Road this summer and it wasn't always my idea of the best summer ever. One thing that made it all better was Baseball. Each team plays roughly 5 days a week, unlike (say) football, I didn't have to wait around too long to watch my team and have a few bright spots in my day. I kept trying to find a time to fit in as much baseball as possible. wasn't there a week when Seattle, Baltimore, AND DC were all playing at home on the same week!? Sadly, whenever they were, I was tied up with work. Seattle, the place i was trying hardest to visit, was just not in the cards. DC, on the other hand, was.

Luckily for me, I know a few People in DC. People with Baseball tickets. And I had a plane ticket. Little did I know i was going to run into a few odd balls: Senator Larry Craig's Pals, some buffalo, a shark, FDR's lap, 45,000 people screaming for Teddy Roosevelt, Johnny Cash, a blueberry Guinness, and a story time at a bar that left me feeling like i was in a room full of people that had never had a grandparent (or at least a crazy uncle). I'll give you more as i put the photos together.

A Quick note on Hans Von Spakovsky

Recently BRD was asked my thoughts on Hans Von Spakovsky's nomination to the Federal Elections Commission (FEC). He's what is wrong with a lot of Republican leadership in government. I don't mind conservative or liberal values in office. that's the way of the world. what i don't like is when people who dislike certain programs are the very people put in charge of them. He worked in the civil rights division, supposedly helping protect the hard fought rights of the people who vote. His life work in this area (to-date) appears to be working in voter suppression and voter roll purging...particularly in democratic district. GOP districts? not so much. He's another one of these guys that go after a manufactured 'voter fraud' with a solution that is pure supression, usually catered to low income/minority districts where all the unsubstantiated voter fraud seems to pop up.

Simply put, he articulates something that sounds like a problem, but isn't (voter fraud, non registered voters voting instead of real voters, etc.) THEN he miraculously has a SOLUTION to this made up problem, and what do you know, that solution helps to minimize voter strength in low income areas, minority areas, and (could you guess?) democratic leaning districts! what a gem. I suspect he'll be OK'd. what could they object to that hasn't been par for the course in Bush Country 'election protection' for 7 years now?

Um....Wow.

This looks pretty amazing.

Thank You for Being Patient

I have a good deal to talk about this week and hope to have quite a few posts, including some super secret info from my recent trip to DC! more later...WITH PICTURES!

Worst President Ever...?

Remember when Jimmy Carter was easing past Hoover as the 'Worst President Ever' in the GOP bathed 1990's? Well, whatever anyone has/had to say for or against him, one thing is true. He's probably the most important former President this country has ever had. His work in the democratization of developing nations is second to none, and clearly a better route than that taken by others (ahem). I came across this story today:

KABKABIYA, Sudan — Former President Carter got in a shouting match Wednesday with Sudanese security services who blocked him from a town in Darfur where he was trying to meet with refugees from the ongoing conflict.

The 83-year-old Carter walked into this highly volatile pro-Sudanese government town to meet refugees too frightened to attend a scheduled meeting at a nearby compound. He was able to make it to a school where he met with one tribal representative and was preparing to go further into the town when Sudanese security officers stopped him.

"You can't go. It's not on the program!" the local security chief, who only gave his first name as Omar, yelled at Carter, who is in Darfur as part of a delegation of respected international figures known as "The Elders."

"We're going to anyway!" an angry Carter retorted as a crowd began to gather. "You don't have the power to stop me."

Can you imagine any of our other presidents being on the ground, in a village in Darfur? let alone at 83 and confronting armed militia. inspiring and amazing.

A Parting Shot

I was going to say that the Republicans voted against a bill today that would allow US troops to spend equal time at home with family as they do deployed in Iraq. The ratio of home/away time for the British is 4:1. Well, if i told you they voted against it, i'd be fibbing. they actually filibustered the bill so that no one would vote on it. It would have passed and the President would have to personally veto it. My question is why do this? the Senator takes heat for not being supportive of the troops and they KNOW the president would veto the bill without worrying about political heat for re-election. maybe my thinking is off here.

Close at all?

I've been meaning to put this up for a while. i suppose the likeness is pretty close.

When Does the "Better" Part Come?

I was reading the newest Harper's Index, and it said that approximately 1.2 million people have died in/since the US/Iraq war started. In this release, the White House says "Under Saddam's regime many hundreds of thousands of people have died as a result of his actions - the vast majority of them Muslims."

OK.

So what does this mean? did we end the 30 year rule of a cruel, despicable dictator, only to see a few hundred thousand MORE Iraqi's dead in 4 years? Are we seeing what Saddam took a generation to do come to pass in a handful of years? Truly, when does this become 'worth it'?

Greenspan Says Iraq War was for Oil

From the Times of London:

AMERICA’s elder statesman of finance, Alan Greenspan, has shaken the White House by declaring that the prime motive for the war in Iraq was oil.

In his long-awaited memoir, to be published tomorrow, Greenspan, a Republican whose 18-year tenure as head of the US Federal Reserve was widely admired, will also deliver a stinging critique of President George W Bush’s economic policies.

However, it is his view on the motive for the 2003 Iraq invasion that is likely to provoke the most controversy. “I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil,” he says.

Anyone see this reported in the US News programs? pretty big deal, I think.

The part here that gets me is the 'everybody knows' phrase. I think a majority of the people, particularly those who supported the President's war, think this isn't true. the main rationale? I hear the phrase "That couldn't be true". as if its too bad to be real (or I couldn't have been so wrong about the guy) is a rationale. I guess you take the better of two evils when "profound incompetence" is the other choice on the table. The problem is that they aren't mutually exclusive.

Bad Day for the GOP.

Two Republican Legislators died today in separate instances. Rep. Paul Gillmor, R-Ohio, was found dead in his apartment today, and former Rep. Jennifer Dunn, R-Wash., also died after collapsing at her home in Alexandria, Va.

So, 6 Stormtroopers Walk Into a Bar...

You don't see these guys at the pub everday....

Oh, you better believe that's a paddling.

I don't fully get why this cracks me up so much, but this is probably my favorite quote from the simpsons. i think i tend to like the peripheral characters (like Ralph).

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.

For $350 you can help a needy jew get to israel

I was watching TV in a hotel tonight. actually, it was just in the background, when i heard the phrase above. I watched this infomercial, basically raising money to get jews to Israel. it was just really bizarre. funniest part? they made a big deal that you could help a jew get to israel for $350, but--now get this--you can get TWO jews to Israel for a mere $700. At that price, it's two for the price of TWO! yeah!

Morgue Data Show Increase In Sectarian Killings in Iraq

OK, here's what we have to consider:
since the surge, there are now more dead US soldiers. not just in total number, but in the rate that they are occurring.
Pairing that with the link above, you can see the sectarian violence/civil war is getting more and more deadly.

So...is this a failure of the 'surge' policy, or is this the natural result when violent people come in conflict with an increased military/law enforcing presence?

What an Approprite Way to Go

If you haven't heard, Jerry Falwell died today.

...of a bowel obstruction.

In an attempt to overcome the worst in my nature, i will limit my comments to that above.

A Residual Problem

When you attack nations that have no WMD's (Claiming they do), and avoid nations that actually HAVE WMD's, the message becomes clear. Get WMDs for real and you won't be attacked. Iran appears to have figured out how to properly enrich uranium.

Breaking News!

It appears that I may be on the CBS Evening news (Friday?) for my work with children trying to get medicaid coverage (and our resulting high infant mortality rate). more later...

28

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have hit bottom. at least 6 months ago i predicted that Bush would never dip lower in the polls than 28%. We've not hit that basement. at the time I felt that no matter how bad or inept it got, this president would still enjoy a minimal amount of blind devotion that has been cultivated for the last 15 or so years. While even that has its limits, i saw (and see) 28% as the limit. If there is any substantive drop in approval from this point, it will be more than just trouble for the president. If there is a real drop paired with a serious revelation of wrongdoing or real heinous activity...if that pair appears, you can expect serious talk of impeachment.

If i could meet...

About 10 years ago, i first started to get the notion that i'd like to meet someone famous. I've had heroes and bands and actors, etc. all my life. I've never really had any real desire to MEET anyone. sure i'd be glad to meet Harrison Ford when i was in 2nd grade, but i never really thought "I WISH i could meet so and so".

...Until about 10 years ago.

I'd moved to New Orleans and realized that my favorite band, Elastica, was broken up (essentially) and I'd never seen them live. more to the point, they'd played live in New Orleans, a mere few hours from where i was living as a fan, and it never occurred to me to even go see them. Now I can't. it just seemed so stupid of me. I was sitting there thinking I'd like to SEE some of these people i like. maybe even MEET them. i mean, why not? I could maybe even MEET someone i liked. Just then I realized it would be GREAT to see Sinatra. within a year he was dead.

A few years later I found Hunter S. Thompson. i started reading any and everything i could get my hands on when it comes to HST. It came to my head, you know, I could maybe even MEET Hunter Thompson. It may be a real disappointment. It might take a TON of effort or planning, but I could arrange something and maybe just say "Hi" or "I like your work". I wanted to have that some contact. It was strange to see that, but it felt nice to say 'why not'? Maybe it would not be meaningful, but rather it would be a way to touch something that was important to me or see it in front of me in a way that was immediate. That it wasn't a radio wave beamed to my world from across a continent. These things had never really occured to me.

a year or 2 later he was dead too.

I've seen a few people that meant something to me in the last few years. Now I've figured out someone else. John Waters. It isn't even that I'm a die hard fan of his movies (though i do like them). It's just every time i see him do an interview, I cannot help but finding interest or connection in some way (often related to how he views Baltimore). Anyway, just a thought. hopefully I can meet him before he's dead (i have a bad track record here). He seems pretty personable.

Hey, i have friends in Baltimore. maybe i could buy him a cup of coffee...?

More Fetus Fealty

Not much of a comment from me on this (See below), but follow the link above and see a great article by one of my favorite legal columnists, Dahlia Lithwick. She delivers a very interesting read on the recent abortion case decided by the Supreme Court. here's a snip:

And then Kennedy quickly returns to the business of grossing us out. With a stirring haiku about how "respect for human life finds an ultimate expression in the bond of love the mother has for her child," the justice interpolates himself between every one of those mothers and every child she might ever bear. Without regard for the women who feel they made the right decision in terminating a pregnancy, he frets for those who changed their minds. ("It seems unexceptionable to conclude some women come to regret their choice to abort the infant life they once created and sustained.") (The "infant," not the "fetus.") As both the dissenters and my colleague Emily Bazelon

have pointed out, this portrayal of a rampant epidemic of regretful women may or may not be scientifically accurate. (The American Psychological Association doesn't think so.) But even if the numbers of women who would truly choose differently if they could choose again are larger than most of the medical literature indicates, one might question whether such women should be the pole star of national abortion policy.

Nobody disputes that whether or not they decide to go through with an abortion, women face a heart-wrenching choice. But for Kennedy only those women who regret the decision to abort illuminate some deeper truth. And Kennedy's solution for these flip-flopping women is elegant. Protect them from the truth. "Any number of patients facing imminent surgical procedures would prefer not to hear all details," he concedes. "It is, however, precisely this lack of information concerning the way the fetus will be killed that is of legitimate concern to the state." In Kennedy's view, if pregnant women only knew how abhorrent the procedure was, they'd always opt to avoid it. But as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg points out in dissent, Kennedy doesn't propose giving women more information about partial-birth abortion procedures. He says it's up to the Congress and the courts to substitute their judgment and ban the procedures altogether. ("I'm sorry Bianca, there is a procedure out there that may be safer for you, but some day, you will thank me for sparing you from it.")

Posturing for the Fetus

Have you heard of "partial birth abortion"? well, that term is not a medical term. it's made up by abortion opponents so that they can have a strawman procedure to 'ban'. this gets the
public used to the idea of banning abortion procedures. the procedure is extremely rare and virtually never used as anything but a last result. More to the point, it is usually ONLY used when something is going seriously wrong.

The legislature has attempted to ban certain late term abortions, termed 'partial birth abortions', but always failed due to the unwillingness to include exceptions for the health of the mother. Even President Clinton said he would have signed off on the ban had the exceptions for the mother's life been made. Previously, the US Supreme Court struck down the laws because they always lacked this exemption. I have yet to see whether there are any preserved exemptions for the mother's life. if not, the court has just reversed itself.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court upheld the nationwide ban on a controversial abortion procedure Wednesday, handing abortion opponents the long-awaited victory they expected from a more conservative bench.

The 5-4 ruling said the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act that Congress passed and President Bush signed into law in 2003 does not violate a woman's constitutional right to an abortion.

The opponents of the act "have not demonstrated that the Act would be unconstitutional in a large fraction of relevant cases," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion.

The decision pitted the court's conservatives against its liberals, with President Bush's two appointees, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, siding with the majority.

Justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia also were in the majority.

It was the first time the court banned a specific procedure in a case over how - not whether - to perform an abortion.

RIP Kurt Vonnegut

One of the Giants in literature has died. Click and read. I don't think i'd do him justice here today.

One More Cook for the Stew?

from the Washington Post:

The White House wants to appoint a high-powered czar to oversee the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with authority to issue directions to the Pentagon, the State Department and other agencies, but it has had trouble finding anyone able and willing to take the job, according to people close to the situation.

At least three retired four-star generals approached by the White House in recent weeks have declined to be considered for the position, the sources said, underscoring the administration's difficulty in enlisting its top recruits to join the team after five years of warfare that have taxed the United States and its military.

OK, it may just be me, but it seems that the real problem isn't that they can't find someone to the job. the problem is that they feel the need to have such a "Czar" in the first place. Think about it. we have 2 wars, so to speak, and evidently this is too much for the President, the Sec. of Defense, and the joint chiefs of staff? I'm sorry, but if we could manage WW1 and WW2 without a "Czar",but we cannot do the same now...? Well then, the Administration is simply finding new depths to its incompetence.

We were at the beach...Everybody had matching towels

I've had the song "Rock Lobster" (by the B-52s) in my head for weeks now. i think this is the culprit. I've been feeling sorta hypnotized, honestly.