Deportes

It's great that all the guys that screwed up, cheated, or got in trouble in this Ohio State mess are the ones with the stories about how they never worked, and had people take tests for them, or whatever. Yet all the people who did things better don't tell the same stories.

Maybe it's because people who are bad are going to do bad things, be lazy, find bad people to help them, and then look for excuses later, while the other side lives up to their responsibilities?

ESPN is acting like what they're hearing is THE BIG MYSTERY of college sports!

Ashole

Whaadda dick:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In his first public appearance since submitting his resignation, Attorney General John Ashcroft sharply criticized federal judges Friday for "second guessing" the Bush administration's decisions on handling prisoners captured in the war against terrorism.

Without referring to specific adverse rulings on the treatment of detainees or enemy combatants, Ashcroft blasted "activist" judges for encroaching on the powers that he insists belong solely to the president in wartime.

"The danger I see here is that intrusive judicial oversight and second-guessing of presidential determinations in these critical areas can put at risk the very security of our nation in a time of war," Ashcroft said.

As most of you know the judges live in Candy Land, and don't have to worry about terrorism like most other Americans.

WOW

My friend Sid and my favorite all time radio host Joe Benigno have joined forces:

WFAN yesterday shook up its midday lineup, replacing Jody McDonald with Joe Benigno, who has hosted the overnight show for nine years. Benigno will join Sid Rosenberg in the 10 a.m.-1 p.m. slot starting Monday.

This is going to be the best sports show in the nation, and one of the best ever.

Leaving Behind the Child...

Rod Paige, leaving Bush behind:

WASHINGTON — Education Secretary Rodney Paige, who spearheaded implementation of the No Child Left Behind law, a centerpiece of President Bush's first-term domestic-policy agenda, is stepping down, administration officials said yesterday.

The officials said Bush will accept the resignation of Paige, 71, a longtime ally and former superintendent of schools in Houston who served as the nation's first black education secretary. They named White House domestic-policy adviser Margaret Spellings as his probable successor.

If Paige's resignation becomes official — which officials said is likely to happen next week — he will be the third Cabinet member to leave since the election. Attorney General John Ashcroft and Commerce Secretary Don Evans also have announced that they will not serve in a second Bush administration.

One black guy down, one Latino up...and that's really all that matters.

I love hearing people in the media comment about NCLB. It usually goes something like this: Well, what we're hearing is not that teachers and administrators don't like the idea behind the program, but that it just doesn't work. The standards are too hard, and frankly, there's not enough money, or other resources to meet the goals. This is why states are debating whether or not they should accept the federal money. Aside from that, it's largely a success!

Here It Comes...

The Scott Peterson trial is coming to the end...

Will handsome White Man be guilty of killing Latino wife with very light skin, and their...WHAT? The FETUS HAS A NAME? Did the Anchor just say "Connor?"

Here it comes...........

It's coming........

I think I'm coming!!!!!

Here it is.........

And...and...GUILTY in the FIRST DEGREE!!!!!!!!!

That's right, BEN AFFLECK IS GOING TO JAIL!

Now I can sleep.

Oh, whoa, GUILTY OF MURDERING THE BABY!

Double murder!

I think I smell appeal.

Oh, Really?

The NYTIMES inserts collective heads into Republican assholes:

In the space of seven days, an online market of dark ideas surrounding last week's presidential election took root and multiplied.

But while the widely read universe of Web logs was often blamed for the swift propagation of faulty analyses, the blogosphere, as it has come to be known, spread the rumors so fast that experts were soon able to debunk them, rather than allowing them to linger and feed conspiracy theories. Within days of the first rumors of a stolen election, in fact, the most popular theories were being proved wrong - though many were still reluctant to let them go.

As if there's no proof that these people never steal elections!

I say take a look here and you'll get a pretty clear idea of what's going on.

The odds of Bush winning 3 major swing states when the exit polls said otherwise is 250,000,000 to 1!!!

Control Room

I saw this movie, and here's an interview with the maker.
It's a must rent. The audacity of the US Government is so beyond anything you would ever want to believe.

Get What You Deserve

Supposedly hispanics are fired up about the Gonzales nomination:

Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organizations yesterday hailed President Bush's nomination of White House counsel Alberto R. Gonzales as attorney general, which put the Texas Republican on track to become the nation's most powerful Hispanic public official.

I hope they get the same treatment that Clarence Thomas and Rod Paige give blacks.

The symbolic stuff shows how dumb a lot of people are.

What to do with a Big Opening?

That's what Bush and his incredible team of diplomats are trying to figure out.

The White House, seeking to take advantage of the diplomatic opening created by Yasser Arafat's death, is prepared to consider a British proposal that President Bush appoint a special Middle East envoy to shepherd the peace process, administration officials said yesterday.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who arrived here yesterday and ate dinner privately with Bush last night, has said he hopes to prod the White House into becoming more engaged in resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict. U.S. officials said they have an open mind about the idea of a special envoy, which would be a departure for an administration that has generally shunned such diplomatic assignments.

Not sure if Team Bush is going to go this road since it would fly in the face of everything they say, and do, but that never stopped them before.

Letting Blair/Europe lead the way would make it seem as if they're multilateralists. However, this is the biggest issue in the world, and since they don't want to get their hands dirty they probably have no problem giving someone else the dirt.

On the other hand, they are BIG BELIEVERS that a nation has to earn "carrots," not just get them, and giving the Palestinians an envoy helps to legitimize them. Considering they've done nothing to earn this, in fact, they've actually done the reverse since 2000, it really would make Team Bush look hypocritical, especially when you consider North Korea.

If the Bushes had been engaged on any level the last 3 years they would have more options. Now they see an opening, but have no idea what to do with it.

Tread slowly, girls...but keep lying. That seems to work real well.

You're Kidding

So on Larry King's first show since Arafat died he brings on James A. Baker III.

Of all the people in the world to bring on, he gets the guy who supported the Iraqis over the Israelis when Israel blew up the Osirik Nuclear Reactor, and he's the guy who was quoted as saying, "Fuck the Jews, they don't vote for us anyway..." during the Florida recount.

Definitely the guy you want on your show to discuss the prospect of peace in Israel.

Nice work, CNN!

(btw, this photo of Bush is priceless)

Moneybox

My bad for getting off Daniel Gross and the Moneybox for the better part of 3 months, but I just read his column from a day or two after the election, and you should too. This one was short, accurate, and, well, sad.

Also, if you followed the news this week you'll notice that Wall St Economists are not buying into Bush's plans for the economy going forward, regardless of what the market is doing today, or tomorrow.

There's no way he's cutting the deficit. There's NO WAY.

But then again, Bush does not have to actually do the things he say. He just has to say he's going to do them, and then when they don't happen he'll say something else, and the press will forget.

Malkmus

This is for Jenny in CO, and you other fans.

Great show I just nabbed online.

I really live for BT.

Gay? Say it Isn't So

I think the RNC is looking back at their own convention and wondering, "Should we have had that in New York City?"

The reason, Bush 2004 Campaign Manager Ken Mehlman apparently caught that dreaded disease called "the fag" while in the city.

He is now up to be the head of the Republican Party, but some are asking questions.

Damn That's Funny

AP:

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest said Wednesday that he asked coach Rick Carlisle for time off because of a busy schedule that included promoting a soon-to-be released rap album, which led to his two-game benching...

Artest said that he asked Carlisle for as much as a month off to heal his aching body and recover from a particularly busy schedule.

The 24-year-old is scheduled to release his debut rap album later this month and has been spending a lot of time making promotional appearances.

"I've been doing a little bit too much music, just needed the rest," Artest said. "I've still got my album coming out Nov. 23. After the album comes out I'm going to make sure all of my time is focused on winning a championship."

I'm sure he wouldn't have run into any problems had the Knicks drafted him over Frederick Weis.

Bush Dreams

Of this... 

Stupid White Men?

According to Alan Krueger, if you join the military, it's not the best call.

For a long time, it was believed that veterans of popular wars benefited from their service when they rejoined the civilian labor market, while veterans of unpopular wars lost out. A growing body of research, however, shows that most veterans - whether inductees during a draft or enlistees in the voluntary forces - suffer an earnings penalty in the civilian economy. Military experience appears to be worth little to most private-sector employers.

read on.

Because I'm Rich I Get What I Want...

The Robert Wood Johnson IV Story.

It's one more reason to not like the JETS, at least for me.

One point of interest: Bloomberg has been running commercials claiming the city need to build a stadium in order to attract the Olympics in 8 years. Maybe 6 years, I'm not sure. Point being is you don't build a stadium to attract the Olympics.

As is the case in every other city, the Olympic committee chooses you and THEN you build the stadium, like in Atlanta, Greece, Montreal, anywhere. It's not the other way around.

But I guess Bloomberg, Johnson, Pataki, and others want to get the stadium first to use it as leverage over the committee.

If this stadium goes up on the West Side, it will be nice, but it'll also be a logistical nightmare, and will price out many Jets fans who can no longer afford to goto games.

Obviously, people like Bloomberg do not care, and same goes for people on sports-talk radio because they do not pay for tickets, but the fans should care.

I support the Jets getting their own stadium...in LONG ISLAND.

And the Beat Goes On...

Alberto Gonzales, a man who his seemingly risen to the top because he's Spanish, is Bush's lates choice for Attorney General.

Here's part of the WaPo article:

Nonetheless, some Democrats said Gonzales will face sharp questioning about his role in crafting administration anti-terrorism policies that have been overturned or scaled back by the courts. Groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International urged Democrats to be tough on him.

Michael Ratner, president of the Center for Constitutional Rights, a New York-based group that represents families of some detainees at the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, said that Gonzales's legal opinions "opened the door and paved the way" for abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

"He's right in the middle of where this administration went off the page of the law and into chaos," Ratner said. "They're promoting someone who was one of the legal architects of the abuse. It's just appalling."

In one January 2002 draft memo, Gonzales argued that the war on terrorism made the Geneva Conventions' limitations on treatment of enemy prisoners "obsolete" and "renders quaint some of its provisions."

His office also played a role in an August 2002 memo from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel advising that torturing alleged al Qaeda terrorists in captivity abroad "may be justified" and that international laws against torture "may be unconstitutional if applied to interrogations" conducted in the U.S. war on terrorism. Gonzales held a news briefing to distance himself from the memo after it became public, calling it, in part, "irrelevant and unnecessary" and "overbroad."

Gonzales also publicly defended the administration policy of detaining alleged "enemy combatants" without access to lawyers or courts, a position rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court in June.

That's right!

Over the last two years it has been Gonzales who has offered his grand advice on how to violate Geneva Conventions, flaunt International Law, and treat POWs as having no rights.

When you see photos of an Iraqi int he Abu Gharib Prison, standing with a sheet over his head, and electrical wire taped to his balls, think Alberto Gonzales.

The image most associated with US torture, the one used around the world by Muslim extremists to recruit, think Gonzales.

Yes, this is the man who expects to get confirmed easily. The same man whose profile is known solely because of his horrible performance the last few years.

Good thing you're Latino, meng.

The Ink No Longer Runs!

I clicked on the NYPOST website today and was lucky enough to come across this fascinating article by semi-retard Deborah Orin:

November 11, 2004 -- AS THE first step in their 12-step recovery pro gram, defeated Democrats need to kick their addiction to billionaires.

This year Dems picked their first-ever billionaire (by marriage) candidate in John Kerry and they relied on Bush-hating billionaires George Soros and Peter Lewis to cough up record wads of cash for ads and get-out-the-vote operations.

Why is anyone surprised they ended up with a campaign short on "authenticity" and more than a tad out of touch with Middle American values?

No wonder that during an election post-mortem for centrist Democrats, ex-Clinton/Kerry strategist Doug Sosnik loudly lamented the fact that top Dems don't deign to dine at middlebrow Applebee's.

"There's a cultural disconnect . . . We don't have the same lifestyle as the people out there in the red states," sighed Sosnik. "You gotta be more like them."

There's so much more good stuff in there.

Fact is, in Ohio, the state that essentially decided the race, the two candidates received almost the same amount of votes, and nationally Kerry received the second most votes ever.

So I do not know what the hell she's talking about.

Considering her paper basically appeals to NYers only, and Page 6/Cindy Adams keep it going, it's pretty amazing that the Editors print a story about "stiff" and "elite patrician" types who won't eat at Applebee's.

I'd be willing to bet she's never seen the inside of one herself.

Couple this with the fact that Millionaire John Edwards and his wife celebrate their anniversary at WENDY'S, and the article becomes even more absurd.

But I expect no less from a .25 paper that prints a decent sports section in order to railroad morons into buying it. The Post hopes maybe they'll continue on to other parts and become as dumb as their writers.

Btw, the ink does still run.

Try the Weed, Yo

NYPOST:

November 11, 2004 -- The war on terror hit Europe yesterday when Dutch police stormed a house in The Hague where extremists had holed up for 15 hours, trading shots with cops and tossing a grenade that injured four officers.
Two terrorists, one shot in the shoulder, were arrested in the raid. The wounded man — bare-chested, handcuffed and blindfolded — was carried from the house on a stretcher.

Five more suspected terrorists were seized in two other Dutch cities, Amsterdam and Amersfoort.

The raids occurred as anti-Muslim feelings swept the Netherlands following the Nov. 2 killing of filmmaker Theo van Gogh, a critic of Islam, by an Islamic radical.

There have been more than a dozen arson attacks against mosques and Muslim schools in the country.

In response, the Dutch Government believes the only thing left to control the violence is a color-coded system that can be raised, and lowered, during times of trouble, since it's the only thing that has prevented the United States from being attacked.

Ewww

Some jobs are just not worth it:

LIZA Minnelli's bodyguard says he was forced to have sex with the Oscar-winning actor to keep his job, according to recently unsealed court documents.

This is one of those.

Dick's Co.

More rumors swirl around Haliburton:

American diplomats pressured the Halliburton Company in late 2003 to keep using a Kuwaiti subcontractor to truck fuel into Iraq, despite evidence that the company was charging exorbitant prices, newly released State Department documents show.

The documents - a handful of e-mail messages and memorandums to and from American diplomats - raise yet more questions about the post-invasion fuel imports to Iraq, which are already the subject of federal inquiries into possible overbilling and fraud.

They indicate that the Kuwait government secretly demanded that only one company - a Kuwaiti company, Altanmia - be selected to handle fuel sales to Iraq. And they show behind-the-scenes efforts by the American-run Coalition Provisional Authority and the American Embassy in Kuwait to ensure that demand was met, both to speed delivery and foster Kuwaiti support in Iraq.

The documents, however, do not clarify the central questions about the imports: why the Americans went along with such high costs and which parties to the transactions may have benefited most.

Okay, I'm not going to pretend to know more than I do about Haliburton, KBR, or their problems in Iraq. What I do know is there are many, and that they have apparently overcharged the US Government on many occassions. They've also failed to get soldiers their mail, clean facilities, food, and have abandoned millions of dollars worth of equipment. However, the US Armed Forces have done that as well, but being that the US Government is not a private business (although you'd never know with these people) you don't hear about that.

Lets just say that Haliburton received major prefential treatment. It's not as if the company is making money hand over fist because of the no-bid contracts. In fact, in many cases they lose money, but that's not the issue.

The issue is did they get the contracts becasue of the political connections, and the obvious answer is "yes." It's a problem because there's a good chance other companies could have done a better, more competent job, relieving the US Taxpayer of some costs, and making the lives of soldiers that much better.

With all that said, I think the supposed bilking of the US Government by Haliburton is overblown, and that Congressman Henry Waxman, and others, are using the situation to make it seem Haliburton is screwing up, and that we're paying the price. If I were them I'd do the same thing because investigations like these usually lead to other illegalities.

One one hand, Waxman is entirely correct, but in this case I'm not so sure of it. Let me try to explain.

If you read the article you'll see that Kuwait was secretly forcing the US to deal with one gas company, Altanmia. If that's the case, there's little the US could do. We could not afford to lose allies, especially border allies with oil, during this conflict. In all likelihood the Kuwaitis were probably well aware of the upper hand, and used it to exact high costs on us. In addition to this, there's no real time to negotiate during a war. Our troops needed fuel, and this was one of the only places to get it safely.

While it's true the government was paying about $1.08 a gallon from Turkey this does not mean they can get all their gas from Turkey. The failure of the Bush Administration to bring Turkey on board made that part of the country very unsafe, but that's not the main issue. The problem is getting gasoline from Turkey in the North to other parts of the country, especially if other parts are less secure. The Kuwaitis were aware that as far as the East is concerned, they were the suppliers. It is going to cost more money to protect the lives of soldiers, and that's that.

Had Turkey also charged the US high gas prices the Bush Administration would have made Turkey seem like the bad guy. First for not helping us, and then for overcharging. Considering Turkey was not on board, the least they could do was offer us gas at a decent price, so they did.

I do not think the Haliburton would overcharge because that would set themselves up for major criticisms, which they are currently getting. The reason this particular critique seems to stick, and why Congressmen continue to use it against them is because of all the other issues associated with Cheney/Bush, Haliburton, and corporate favors. I can use a convicted robber as an example. If the robber served his time, but robberies are committed in his neighborhood, the cops are going to come knocking, and the neighbors are going to assume he did it. In other words, you don't get the benefit of the doubt when you've created so much doubt in so many other situations. This is why Congress can, and will, use situations like this against Bush.

Republicans are no different. I mean, come on, look what they did to the Clinton's in the Whitewater land deal where they LOST MONEY! It ended up with impeachment for a blow job! In this case, it's much worse.

In the end, the reason the Kuwaitis can extract this kind of cash from the government is because our government could not afford to lose an ally, and let the American people know that a nation we supposedly saved had us by the balls. It would have looked pretty bad, but that's the case. In addition, if there had been a real coalition, and had the war been just and legal the Kuwaitis never would have gotten away with this, but they did because this war was opposite these things.

The Bush Administration always paints a rosy picture, but when you're conducting illegal wars, have zero diplomacy, and cannot let the American public know what's really going on, well, you're going to get caught up in your own mess, and that's why we had to pay more for gas in Iraq. Not because Haliburton/KBR in this case did anything illegal.

I'm sure there were people who worked for H/KBR who received kickbacks, and stole cash, but that's nothing when you look at the big picture.

Oh, and none of this takes away from the fact that Dick Cheney is the biggest scumbag on Earth, and I hope he's eating a Double Bacon Cheeseburger every day.

Yet Another Well Timed Coincidence

NYTIMES:

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 - Federal officials lowered the terrorist alert level on Wednesday for the financial services industry in Washington, New York and northern New Jersey, saying that financial institutions in those regions had taken significant steps to improve defenses against possible attacks.

The action was taken nearly three and a half months after the Department of Homeland Security imposed a heightened state of alert based on computer records found in Pakistan.

I remember telling the moron that I worked with that within a week after the election it'd be lowered. He said he, "doubted politics had anything to do with it."

I said, "I doubt you're not a moron."

I think he cried...

Arafag is Dead...FINALLY!

It's 11:06 PM on Wednesday, and this is how the NYTIMES frames the death of Arafat:

NEWS ALERT - Yasir Arafat, Leader of Palestinian Nationalism, Dies.

For almost 40 years, Yasir Arafat symbolized his people's longing for a distinct political identity and independent state.

Sorry, but I never really saw it that way.

I would have mentioned the part that he's been trying to kill Israelis and Jews for 40 years, and is the world's most famous terrorist.

Quit Yer Bitchin'

CSM:

After serving 410 days in Iraq with the 1st Armored Division, Spc. Stuart Wilf came home to Colorado on Oct. 2. He changed his clothes, borrowed his mother's car, and went out with friends to celebrate.

On the way home, he fell asleep at the wheel and had a head-on collision with a tree. He survived, but since he was newly discharged, he had no health insurance.

"That was a mind-boggling thing to find out the first day he's out of the service," says his mother, Becky Wilf. "His bill was $54,000 just for the hospital. That doesn't include the surgeon."

Specialist Wilf is just one of thousands of veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan who advocates contend are falling through the cracks of a federal system unprepared to deal with so many soldiers. After spending months in a war zone, many of the 170,000 soldiers who've returned home are struggling with their transition to back to civilian life - from coping with a maze of red tape and contradictory messages on healthcare to finding affordable housing and jobs with adequate incomes to accessing disability payments

Americuhhh, Fuck yeah!

In the Name of Thy Lord...

...Do it, do it.

Buckeye

I was a lot of things at Ohio State. Student was not one of them.

However, one thing I recognized upon leaving was that many of my classes, regardless of grades, were not transferable because Ohio State is a tri-mester school, and other colleges and universities did not feel the courses were equal because of it.

My friend Alison transfered from OSU to Michigan and she encountered the same problems.

So while I keep hearing how certain athletes were taking joke classes (I'm sure they were), the fact that certain players couldn't transfer their classes, and were downgraded upon arrival is not that surprising.

I was so shocked to hear that athletes were receiving preferntial treatment at a big time college.

PA Hack

What a tool. Get a load of Arlen Specter sucking some serious ass:

To resolve any concern that I would block pro-life judicial nominees, take a look at my record. I have consistently opposed any litmus test. I have backed that up by voting to confirm pro-life nominees including Chief Justice William Rehnquist, Justice Antonin Scalia, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and Justice Anthony Kennedy. I led the fight to confirm Justice Clarence Thomas, which almost cost me my Senate seat in 1992.

I have voted for all of President Bush's judicial nominees in committee and on the floor.

The current controversy was artificially created by incorrect reporting. I never "warned" the president on anything -- and especially not that I'd block pro-life nominees.

Brian Wilson, a reporter for Fox News, said: "I looked at the tape very closely. . . . Senator Specter was the victim of some spin on the part of some reporters who took some comments and were looking for a kind of a good headline out of it."

Similarly, Rush Limbaugh refused to join the critics, saying: "This Specter story . . . may be a story about the media again . . . apparently, just from the looks of this, it may be that some words were put in his mouth that he didn't say."

The Rev. Pat Robertson has also seen through the media spin, stating on Nov. 8 that "I am not worried about Arlen Specter, and I think he'll be fine."

Wow. WOW!

Ok, when you really want to be credible it's always a good idea to get FOX NEWS behind you because they never make shit up.

Then in order to make everything official it's important to get drug user Rush Limbaugh on your side, for he also never makes things up.

If those two don't work, Pat Robertson is the obvious antidote.

This is one of the saddest things I have ever seen in print. For the WSJournal to run it really says a lot about the paper's Op/Ed page. They must have been thinking, "Well, he's sorta moderate, and we're only the way we are because of money, so it'd be pretty helpful to have a guy like this in the Senate. Lets run it!"

Truth is what Specter says is accurate. He isa, and will be, a complete shill for Bush and his nominees. This guy is about as moderate as Brit Hume.

Not only did he help get Clarence Thomas confirmed, but he basically led the white-male attack on Anita Hill, who was clearly the honest person when it came to Clarence Thomas's chirade. So we commend you, Arlen, for you sure are a Goose-stepping Douche Bag.

Fear not, for Arlen will make sure Kurt Waldheim is confirmed!!!!!!

Here Comes the Watah!

National Geo:

Scientists have determined that the ice in Greenland and the Arctic is melting so rapidly that much of it could be gone by the end of the century. (See photos from the Arctic.)
The results could be catastrophic for polar people and animals, while low-lying lands as far away as Florida could be inundated by rising sea levels. (Read a story, see a map of how warming may toast Florida's coast).

The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment was released yesterday. It will be discussed by the Arctic Council (the governments of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden, and the U.S., as well as six indigenous-peoples organizations) at a meeting in Iceland today.

The four-year study of the Arctic climate involved an international team of more than 300 scientists. They used a number of climate models and made a "moderate estimate" of future emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that are widely believed to be contributing to the recent warming trend of the Earth's climate.

I think all of you who have grandchildren should not invest in education, but in Arks.

Niiice

God shed his grace on thee:

For a year, Julee Lacey stopped in a CVS pharmacy near her home in a Fort Worth suburb to get refills of her birth-control pills. Then one day last March, the pharmacist refused to fill Lacey's prescription because she did not believe in birth control.

Gracy Marshall, left, and Gloria Benavides protest in front of Eckerd's in February in Denton, Texas.

"I was shocked," says Lacey, 33, who was not able to get her prescription until the next day and missed taking one of her pills. "Their job is not to regulate what people take or do. It's just to fill the prescription that was ordered by my physician."

Some pharmacists, however, disagree and refuse on moral grounds to fill prescriptions for contraceptives. And states from Rhode Island to Washington have proposed laws that would protect such decisions.

Get me a seatbelt because this nation is moving forward way to quickly.

One would think if received the authority to sell drugs by the state, then you'd be required to sell legal drugs to people under the law. One would think.

Wedge Issues

Most of you know this term, and Republicans love this term because it's what keeps them alive. Well, that and the compulsive lying and fear mongering.

Republicans could very easily put to rest the "abortion" issue, but why would they want to? Issues like that, and "gay marriage" are the issues that tip the scales. Of course, they were also dealt a winning hand with "terror" because so many of their constituents are scared shitless about everything.

Republicans control Congress, the White House, and the courts. It should not be difficult for them to enact a complete end to "partial birth abortion," which of course is not the real name (Dilation & Extraction). D & X isn't simple enough for them; they need names with ALARMS. Republicans have no desire to pass an end to any abortion measure, especially before 2006.

Many people on both sides of the aisle are against D & X because it seems terrible. But in truth there are very few people sitting around at work right now, agonizing over the process that is currently taking place. At the same time, they seem to care even less for the child that is born into poverty.

Conservatives: Love the Fetus, Hate the Child.

Personally, I am not for D & X, but that's me personally. I would be responsible, and would want any woman I impregnated to have a child before the third trimester begins. I assume I'd be involved in the process LONG before that decision.

However, not everyone is involved. Some woman lie, some can hide it, some do not give men a choice. In many cases, men shouldn't even have a choice. That's just life.

I hope Democrats push the ban on D & X forward because the overwhelming majority of Americans are for it. In addition, there needs to be education and outlets for woman who get pregnant to deal with their situation long before the second trimester ends. It's called being responsible for your actions.

I think if women know the time frame is shortened they will take care of the issue in advance. Plus, doctors could easily lie and say the patient had yet to reach that stage. That's between the patient and doctor, and besides, who would know? Doctors would know who to trust if they were going to perform a late pregnancy abortion.

In the end, these wedge issues are what keeps the Conservative party alive, hence why "Gay Marriage" was on the ballot in 11 states. I'm sure they'll come up with another issue in due time. Don't expect them to do anything about the ones on the table because they do not have the guts. Especially when their "small farmers," and other constituents realize the Conservatives are not helping their lives out at all.

That's why I say: Bring on the Flat Tax! Let the middle class pay out the ass, while the Rich continue to create jobs........in OTHER COUNTRIES.

Christian

The WaPo has a story about how all Christians don't fall neatly into this group, or that group, etc.

Liberal Christian leaders are urging Democrats to do more to bring people into the fold.

While they're probably right that it needs to be done for a host of reasons, I find it pretty sad, scary, and embarrassing that this is where we are as a nation.

Politicians who wear their religion on their sleeve, and drag their own beliefs into Congress, the White House, and courts are disgusting people. The fact that Conservatives have done this, and are doing thier best to make this a wholly Christian nation is frightening. To me they are no different than the people they are fighting their Holy War against, just with a slightly more civilized take. Although, that is debatable since a suicide bomber at least puts him/herself on the line, while this President and Congress just indiscriminately bomb from above, and have others do it.

We're certainly not remaining the envy of the world.

Bye

Two assholes down:

WASHINGTON (AP) - Attorney General John Ashcroft and Commerce Secretary Don Evans resigned Tuesday, the first members of President Bush's Cabinet to leave as he headed from re-election into his second term.

The resignations were announced by White House press secretary Scott McClellan, who said Bush had accepted the decisions of both secretaries.

"The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved," Ashcroft wrote in a five-page, handwritten letter to Bush.

Yes, total achievement.

Sad to see Donald Evans go, a man who has used his position in life to get leases on public lands to enhance the value of his former company, even as they lay dormant.

Followup

Josh Marshall points out that Bush's "landslide" was the second lowest electoral margin for the winning candidate since 1916.

For those not following, this is now what is known as a mandate.

Deportes

So much going on these days...

Lets start with the Buckeyes, who seem to be setting themselves up for the future.

I tried to not root for them after Ohio went for Bush, but then I realized how many normal people in the state did vote for Kerry, and that in all likelihood Kerry probably had more votes.

That aside, Ted Ginn looks to be the next superstar of college football. We're only two weeks away from salvaging the season.

NFL

Sucks for the Jets, and sucks for the Giants.

It seems very unlikely that the Jets could actually miss the playoffs, but the last time Chad Pennington missed football games the Jets lost football games.

Hopefully Quincy Carter takes an extra dose, or hit, of whatever it is was he used, and can carry this squad. At the same time, it's hard to forget that Paul Hackett is the OC for the Jets, and well, how do I say this: He's not good.

So good luck with that because you'll need it.

I'm sure handing it to Curtis even more is going to work out well. But who knows, Carter could impress. Afterall, he was a second round draft pick!

As for the Giants, just put Eli Manning in already.

This is the offensive line you have now, and this is the line you'll have next year. Time to take the lumps because Kurt Warner blows.

As Sid Rosenberg said on WFAN, "Kurt Warner, as far as I can remember, has never brought a team that was losing back to win a game. It's either he's in the lead, or he loses."

I totally agree. Great thrower when he has time, but that's where it ends. 12 Fumbles in 33 sacks? Not good.

David Carr commented last weekend that the game has slowed down so much for him since his first season. Manning needs to play now so next season the game slows down for him as well. Why wait? Besides, Manning and Shockey are always together on the sidelines. I believe they're Hoboken buddies. If your best offensive player is close buds with the future QB, get them in there together, now. It's called rapport.

Finally, mad props to my buddy Darren he ran the marathon this weekend.

Here's his story:

I've spoken with a lot of you in the last couple of days and many more have asked how the marathon went. Well, I'm happy to say I survived! While I wish the outcome was different (faster), I'm still in one piece and I'll try again in Boston this spring and Chicago next fall. Anyhow, here is how Sunday unfolded...

Sunday morning was a gorgeous fall day - a perfect day for a run. But with the temperatures climbing out of the 60s and into the 70s (with no clouds in the sky), coupled with bad pacing the first 15 miles, my race turned from beautiful to disastrous...

By starting with the local competitive men, I was able to run the first mile without the clutter of thousands of runner and I passed by the first mile marker in 6:37 - a little fast considering it was all uphill. Unfortunately, during the first seven miles I only saw a mile marker at every other mile, so I made the mistake of not slowing down to the right pace. In short, I let the excitement get the better of me and I ran miles 2 through 7 way too fast (ave 5:58/mile). Anyhow, I was still feeling really good and I was still very optimistic about running a sub-2:50 marathon.

The next eight miles I settled down and started clicking off miles at an average pace of 6:18/mile. It was still a little fast, but I was finding a more comfortable pace. With the temperatures rising, I stopped at every aid station for a least one cup of water/Gatorade plus one cup of water over my head. Unfortunately, this was not going to be enough to save me...

At this point I'm 15 miles into the race and about to cross the Queensboro bridge into Manhattan. I'm also 3 minutes and 40 seconds ahead of my marathon goal time (on pace to meet my goal and run a sub-2:50 marathon).

Halfway across the Queensboro Bridge my left hamstring cramped. I went from feeling fine to 50 meters later cramping. I knew then that it was going to be a long day. I stopped for a couple of minutes to stretch it out. With the short break and a downhill into Manhattan, I got right back into the rhythm of my pace and I ran the next two miles a little slower than my goal pace. By the end of 18th mile, I was still 1 minute and 16 seconds ahead of my goal time. Unfortunately, I had run my last mile and each following mile was going to be either jogged or walked.

Beginning at around First Ave and 100th Street, I could only jog for a couple of minutes before I would have to stop because of cramps (now calves, hamies and quads). At times I even got back on pace only to be stopped again by another cramp. The jog-cramp cycle continued until I got to 25 miles, when my left hamstring decided to cramp up and not let go. With the assistance of the medical staff and 5+ minutes of wasted time, my hamstring finally released and I was off to jog the last mile.

I crossed the finish line 19 minutes slower than my goal - a very disappointing 3 hours 9 minutes and 3 seconds.

Watch out Boston because I'm pissed off and ready to run a better race!

Take care.

dmc

Btw, DMC, I'm glad you missed your mark. That's what a "Bush vote" gets you, dick.

Why

It seems to me there were clear vote irregularities in this election as well. All the things predicted in Ohio pretty much happened, but because we did this once before the media largely ignores it.

Greg Palast and Buzzflash have been noting the many.

The only question I have is why does it seem that when there are problems with the ballots and machines the democrats seem to lose the votes, and not the other way around? I mean, afterall, if a machine were just broken it wouldn't differentiate between candidates, or parties, yet many seem to.

Doh

Reuters:

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat is dead, senior Palestinian political sources said on Tuesday.

Predict

Americans walk into Fallujah with relative ease, maybe a day or two passes, some road side bombs go off, and then of course after we relax a bit there will be random acts of violence by the other side.

I mean, why in the world would they face us head on? And by "us" I refer to the enormous coalition, including Poland, but not Hungary who bailed on us this week.

Howling

From the Daily Howler:

THEM “RED STATE” BLUES: We’re so sick of all that “red state” blubbering (see THE DAILY HOWLER, 11/6/04) that it affects us now when we read the newspapers! Example: In this morning’s Washington Post, David Brown reports an annual study which “ranks the relative health of individual states.” Which states are the healthiest? You can probably guess where this is going:

BROWN (11/8/04): The three healthiest states are Minnesota, New Hampshire and Vermont. Among other things, their high rankings reflect low rates of poverty and premature death, safer-than-average drivers and generous spending on public health. Minnesota has ranked No. 1 for nine of the past 15 years and has never been out of the top two.

All three healthy states are “blue.” And who is bringing up the rear? Those boo-hooing “red states,” as always:

BROWN (11/8/04): At the other end of the list are Tennessee, Mississippi and, as in 14 of the past 15 years, Louisiana in last place.
As a matter of fact, eleven of the top 15 states are “blue”—and all 15 at the bottom are “red!” And the criteria used in this study actually seem to favor “red” states. After all, if “snake bites during religious services” had been one of the study’s criteria, the rankings would probably be less red-friendly than they already are.

Uh-oh! Blubbering “red-staters” will keen and wail about the slur against their religion! But maybe if they spent more time building healthy societies, they’d find themselves with less time on their hands to collect and nurture treasured grievances against those “contemptuous” “blue-state” “elitists.” You know—against the troubling “blue state elites” which help pay red-staters’ way through life? We can’t remember where we saw it, but we recently saw the figures which show the way the federal government transfers money from the industrious “blue states” to the blubbering “red.” Can someone remind us where we saw these data? They appeared in some mainstream publication last week, and we think they deserve some mention when boo-hooing people like Alterman’s e-mailer complain of those harsh, cruel “elites.”

On the other hand, maybe red-staters would have more time to build healthy societies for their children if they weren’t so busy divorcing each other. Despite the impressive “moral values” they love to vote on, red states lead the nation in divorce—and elite Massachusetts has the lowest divorce rate! Yes indeed, there they are—drinkin’, divorcin’ and boo-hoo-hooing about their lack of respect from the values-free blue! Not that this keeps these troubled “red-staters” from holding their hands out every year for their annual federal pay-out—money from their more industrious blue state neighbors, the ones whose “elitism” they love to attack.

For ourselves, we don’t believe in all this “red state” and “blue state” hooey, as we’ve discussed in detail before. But we’re tired of all the silly crying about the way “northeastern” “elites” just won’t respect their “red state” cousins. So here’s an idea for the boo-hooing redmen: Why don’t you stop taking all that free money from blue-state elites before you cry about their rude insults? And before you lecture us all about individual initiative, why don’t you get yourselves off your *sses and build healthy societies for your born/unborn children? And oh yeah! Why don’t you quit divorcin’ your spouses before you wail-and-moan about civil unions—the civil unions which President Bush said he supported last week?

THE FAILING FIFTEEN: Here are the fifteen least healthy states. We rank them from 36th most healthy down to number 50. Alas! All fifteen of the states are “red.” But then, so is number 35—Texas:

36. Missouri
37. Nevada
38. New Mexico
39. Kentucky
40. Oklahoma
41. North Carolina
42. Florida
43. Alabama
44. West Virginia
45. Georgia
46. Arkansas
47. South Carolina
48. Tennessee
49. Mississippi
50. Louisiana

By the way, just think how bad the situation would be if these states weren’t getting their annual hand-outs from the “elitists” in the “blue states!” Red-staters can’t seem to give up their smokes—nor do they seem inclined to give up their hand-outs from their “contemptuous” cousins.

Shocking info.

Why don't we even put aside the state by state comparision, when in reality public health is clearly just a Democrat vs Republican thing. In the states that have good health, trust me, it's not because Republicans are doing anything to improve it. Yeah, there's a few here and there, but not many.

Genius!

ArmyTimes:

Gen. George Casey said that the offensive, which began on Sunday, was proceeding on schedule and that he expected the insurgents to use homemade roadside bombs and car bombs as their “weapon of choice.”

Casey predicted that insurgent defenders on the outer edges of the city would fall back into the city center for a “major confrontation” with U.S. and allied Iraqi forces.

Casey went on to say he expected Americans to use their feet when walking, and that both sides would rely on air to breath.

Battle of the Gods

It's a Holy War, Bitches! 

Failure

Times:

The Bush administration has failed to recognize that Al Qaeda is now a global Islamic insurgency, rather than a traditional terrorist organization, and so poses a much different threat than previously believed, says a senior counterterrorism official at the Central Intelligence Agency.

Michael Scheuer, the former chief of the C.I.A.'s Osama bin Laden unit and the author of a best-selling book critical of the administration's handling of the fight against terrorism, said in an interview with The New York Times this weekend that the government "doesn't respect the threat" because most officials still regard Al Qaeda as a terrorist organization that can be defeated by arresting or killing its operatives one at a time.

He noted that President Bush and other officials had repeatedly said two-thirds of the leadership of Al Qaeda has been killed or captured, but he said the figure was misleading because it is referring to the leaders who were in place as of Sept. 11, 2001.

Al Qaeda has replaced many of those dead or captured operatives and continues to thrive as a guiding force for Islamic extremists around the world...

Mr. Scheuer served as chief of the C.I.A.'s bin Laden station from 1996 through 1999 and so knows the history of the government's pre-9/11 efforts against Al Qaeda. He testified before the Sept. 11 commission, but is now critical of the commission for refusing to identify by name any top officials who should be held responsible for failing to prevent the attacks.

"The American people need a better understanding of how we got to 9/11," he said. "But I think the 9/11 commission was bound and determined not to find any culpability. By finding no one guilty, they managed not to deal with the real problems."

Nice Work

Star Ledger:

In the days after the 9/11 attacks, airport security aggressively screened as many passengers and as much of their baggage as possible, ignoring most of the packages that fly on cargo planes and in the holds of passenger jets.

Three years later, experts estimate that only about 10 percent of the cargo that left Newark Liberty International Airport during the first half of this year was inspected by airline employees. Compounding that problem, there is little government oversight of the few inspections the airlines do conduct.

It's like exit polling where all you need is a sample. Obviously, exit polling is quite efficient.

Just another example of what a wonderful job Bush is doing. But he prays, and he should.

Oh, let us not forget, the President opposed the creation of the Homeland Security Department. For only he knew how bad it would really be, so how can you blame him?

Americans are not prepared for major delays until a plane blows up. Then they'll be prepared for about a year, maybe. In addition, the airlines would only lose money if they were forced to build cargo space with the same technology El Al uses to make sure an explosion doesn't down a plane. A cost/benefit analysis for an airline reveals that it's not good for them to do it, unless forced to. Hence, why they don't do it. This is not just me saying this; this is a fact.

Considering you the taxpayer bails out the airlines as is, and many large carriers are having problems, expect the only way this gets done is through government spending. Again, back to you.

Now consider a President that cuts taxes on the wealthiest, and depletes the ability to really spend money, especially on agencies he never wanted, and of course, this will never get done. Until of course a plane blows up, then it'll be the campaign for Jeb: Protecting the Sky, Sea, and Land.

Ports, cargo areas, things of that nature, not important.

Iraq, very important.

More Lies

According to Rove:

WASHINGTON -- Reflecting on how he delivered President Bush his second term, White House political adviser Karl Rove admitted Sunday that John Kerry's vote for, then against, funding in Iraq and Afghanistan was ''the gift that kept on giving.''

Tactically, Kerry's decision to vote for the $87 billion in funding for troops and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan, and then deciding in October 2003 to vote against it, was a bonanza for the president's campaign, ''the gift that kept on giving,'' Rove said.

Bush's campaign featured the videotape in thousands of commercials around the country to paint Kerry as a flip-flopper. The label stuck to the Massachusetts senator despite reports about frequent changes in various Bush positions.

Sure, the Bush team used that ad, and it "kept giving" but only because people like Bush and Karl Rove are so willing to lie.

I'm sorry, does every issue in Congress now feature one bill, and one bill only?

Let me just explain, especially for certain morons who read this page and still can't figure it out.

Kerry supported a bill that raised taxes on the wealthy to pay for the war. He voted for it. Bush supported a bill that creates more debt. Kerry voted against it.

Kerry believed the people with the most to lose should shoulder more of the burden. Bush believes his favorite constituent group, "the unborn", should pay for it, and they sure as hell will.

Sure, they used it against Kerry, but it's not so much the "gift that keeps giving" but the "Liars who keep lying."

For Rove to also downplay the importance of the Evangelical Christian Right in order to make it seem that moderates supported Bush wholly is also a lie.

Educashun

Would you believe that the No Child Left Behind Act isn't working?

Shame on all those critics that predicted it would never work. It was their negativity that led us here.

Evolved People

AP:

ATLANTA - School officials in suburban Cobb County go to court today to defend themselves against a lawsuit accusing them of promoting religion by requiring that science textbooks warn students evolution is "a theory, not a fact."

The trial in U.S. District Court is expected to last four days.

The lawsuit argues that the disclaimer restricts the teaching of evolution, promotes the teaching of creationism and discriminates against particular religions.

County school officials said their warning, on stickers inserted in science books, simply encourages students to keep an open mind.

The stickers read: "This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered."

Because, as you know, God is a fact, not a theory. Evolution, of course, has so little when compared with the existence of something supernatural.

Real People

Who live in reaity:

LONDON: A draft of a parliamentary motion to impeach British Prime Minister Tony Blair accuses him of "gross misconduct" over the US-led invasion of Iraq, a newspaper said yesterday.

The Independent yesterday said it had obtained the text of the motion from a cross-party group of MPs, adding it would be offered for debate soon after the new parliamentary session begins later this month.

The motion calls for a select committee to investigate the "conduct of the PM in relation to the war in Iraq," the daily said.

The committee would draw up the "articles of impeachment" and a panel of law lords would judge whether Blair deliberately misled the nation into waging an unlawful war, it said.

Puhhhlease

It's incredible that every single person working for the Administration believes the election to be "validation" of our plans!
Here's today's NYTIMES:

"The election is a validation of our philosophy and agenda," Michael O. Leavitt, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, said in an interview. "We will make more progress in less time while maintaining economic competitiveness for the country. That is my mission."

I'm sorry, but I don't remember the President mentioning the environment even once during the debates, or his campaign. Yet somehow, everything they want to do is from here on out, VALIDATED!

Is the media going to call them on this?

The President won, according to the media, because Evangelical Christian groups told everyone in their churches to get out and vote for this wholly religious man. Because they tipped the scales, and the President eeked out a second term, his agenda is now viewed as "accepted by everyone?"

Reagan had a mandate. Clinton, a mandate. Bush barely does. But even when Bush didn't did that stop him from acting unilaterally? Now all of a sudden he's claiming he's allowed to do whatever he wants because the nation supports his plans.

I do not expect Bush to ever have a brush with realism.

Fallujah

I'm seeing on the TV that this is the BIG STAND in the war in Iraq. According to analysts far and wide, if we lose this battle, we lose the war.

I'm really so surprised it started today, and not last week!

As for last week, everyone knew this battle was coming, including the "terrorists in Iraq." In fact, we've been getting the heads-up on this for 20 days! You have to respect a gameplan like that; telling the Iraqis who are fighting us that we're coming, so you better be ready. Make sure you dig in real good!

I have no clue if this is the last stand, the first stand, the middle stand, a head stand, whatever. All I know is anytime I play a sport, watch a sport, games, fights, what have you, I always feel it's not wise to tell the opponent when, where, and how you're going to attack. If I were to tell them, I doubt I'd give them 20 days to prepare. Especially for the FINAL BATTLE!

Oh, but there was an election, and since the President doesn't think about politics when he has others make decisions for him, he needed them to make sure the campaign was well over before other people began fighting his Holy War.

Btw, what's the difference between his religiousity and that of Muslims? Oh, my bad, convo for another day.

If this is "the Battle" then consider the US "the Loser" because I really cannot see how they're going to get this right after getting everything else so wrong.

Here's a nice passage from the Star Ledger, proving just how far off victory is:

Sunni clerics have threatened to boycott the election if Fallujah is attacked, and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has warned U.S., British and Iraqi authorities that a military campaign and "increased insurgent violence" could put elections at risk.

So basically, there's no way to win.

Even if we destroy the 1,500, or so, insurgents, we are likely going to kill so many people, blow up so many places, and upset the Sunnis to such a level that victory is really all but impossible if elections are the ultimate goal.

But hey, this is from a guy who thought Kerry would win, so that makes me like 495 out of 500.

Now the Encore

They start take down their own:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The head of a leading conservative group said Sunday that Sen. Arlen Specter "is a big-time problem" and that his quest to serve as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee "must be derailed."

The comments from James Dobson, founder of the nonprofit Christian organization Focus on the Family, came four days after the moderate Republican from Pennsylvania told reporters that any Supreme Court nominee intent on overturning Roe v. Wade probably would not win Senate approval.

"When you talk about judges who would change the right of a woman to choose, who'd overturn Roe versus Wade, I think that is unlikely," Specter said Wednesday, in the wake of President Bush's re-election. "And I have said that bluntly during the course of the campaign, that Roe versus Wade was inviolate."

That comment sparked an avalanche of criticism from Christian conservatives who supported Bush's campaign. But Specter said Sunday that his remark was misconstrued and argued the uproar was fueled by people opposed to his "independence."

This should be fun.

My favorite line the last 4 years, "I'm a moderate Republican..." Yeah, there's room for you!!!