Blowger

This site has sucked ass the last few days, so posting has been light.

I really liked this story

The Kentucky company that owns the West Virginia mine where a dozen miners were killed in January has been fined $105,840 in new penalties.

The fines announced Wednesday were for 43 citations that had previously been issued but which had not yet received a price tag.

They are part of 208 citations that the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration issued against Ashland, Ky.-based International Coal Group for problems at the Sago Mine in the year before the Jan. 2 explosion.

The new fines are in addition to a little more than $24,000 previously assessed.

Many of the new fines are meant to address serious health and safety violations. The largest was $9,600 for roof support problems. Another fine for $9,200 dealt with ventilation problems.

This, of course, coming a week after the report that coal companines haven't had to pay their fines since Team Bush took over.

What a coincidence!

A Tear to Me Eye

This is so funny I actually cried.

The Future!

Here's George W. Bush in 5 years. Working for Bechtel, Haliburton, or someone else, walking around, doing nothing, looking the part, while other people work. 
Must be nice.

Gotta Love It

Senator Pat Roberts, a true American from Kansas:

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence voted along party lines yesterday to reject a Democratic proposal to investigate the Bush administration's domestic surveillance program and instead approved establishing, with White House approval, a seven-member panel to oversee the effort.

Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) told reporters after the closed session that he had asked the committee "to reject confrontation in favor of accommodation" and that the new subcommittee, which he described as "an accommodation with the White House," would "conduct oversight of the terrorist surveillance program." The program, which became public in December, has allowed the National Security Agency to monitor phone calls and e-mails between U.S. residents and suspected terrorists abroad without first obtaining warrants from a secret court that handles such matters.

I wish a house fell from the sky and landed in Kansas. I wish that house was the White House, and I also wish it landed on Pat Roberts.

Dubai Ports Logic

U.S. Stands Firmly Against Iranian Nuclear Enrichment

The Bush administration told Iran on Tuesday that any enrichment of nuclear fuel on Iranian territory was unacceptable, as Russia appeared to close ranks with the United States over Tehran's nuclear program.

So doesn't the fact that the Bush Administration won't let Iranians have nuclear weapons, but will allow the British to, make them racists?

I'm just dating myself to last week...

WTF?

I just checked my old AOL email account, and I get SPAM from websites featuring "hot animae action." In fact, if I get any porn SPAM at all it's usually from similar sites.

Was I not aware of that exorbitant amount of people who are into porn cartoons?

Bush is a Uniter

For everyone, in every country, hates him:

A small group of anti-war activists held a protest vigil when President George W Bush’s plane refuelled at Shannon airport early today.

Airforce One, touched down at Shannon Airport just before 2.45am while bringing Mr Bush home to Washington from his state visit to Pakistan and India.

Nobody disembarked from the plane during its hour long stop-over, according to airport authorities.

A security operation involving several hundred gardaí and soldiers was maintained before and during the stopover.

A small group of anti-war campaigners protested at the airport, spokesperson Ed Horgan claimed that such visits put Ireland at risk of a possible terror attack.

"I think if the United States military continue to be allowed use Shannon airport there is a very strong danger Ireland will be attacked, but the attack would be on Dublin, not on Shannon," he said.

He can unite crowds simply by refueling!

Our Media & Country

America strives to be stupid. No country reaches for that goal quite like we do.

Yesterday the New York Times ran this story about how Democrats don't speak with one voice. Today the Washington Post basically runs the same story.

News about GOP political corruption, inept hurricane response and chaos in Iraq has lifted Democrats' hopes of winning control of Congress this fall. But seizing the opportunity has not been easy, as they found when they tried to unveil an agenda of their own.

Democratic leaders had set a goal of issuing their legislative manifesto by November 2005 to give voters a full year to digest their proposals. But some Democrats protested that the release date was too early, so they put it off until January. The new date slipped twice again, and now House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) says the document will be unveiled in "a matter of weeks."

I'm not sure what bothers me most about these articles. Is it our media's desire to not focus on the issues, or is it the politicians who don't have the guts to tell it like it is, or is it the Democrats' desire to model their party and ideas after the dumbest people in America? There's just so much here.

I'll start with the media. It's amazing to me that on back to back days these two papers can basically run the same story. It's not like they're reporting the news as it is because if they wanted to they could actually report the different views of the various elected officials, and tell us why one plan works and another may not. Rather, they focus on the lack of a coherent message. The media thinks being goose-steppers like the conservatives is obviously the way to go. It's obviously the way to go! It's done such good for America.

In defense of the media, maybe they're only puppetting what the Democrats themselves are claiming they want. You have some Democrats who think we need a "coherent message." Some think branding, marketing, and advertising are the only ways to sell. Everything has to be packaged neatly in order for anyone to buy it. That's how the Republicans do it!

Well, you know what? I think Republicans, generally speaking, are a bunch of morons, and I don't want to model myself after their party.

There's no "message?" Is it too long for people to handle? It has to be reduced "to just two or three core ideas that governors could echo," which Governor Vilsack in Iowa would like. It's retarded.

If governors cannot craft their own messages within their own states then they shouldn't be governor. A governor has a huge advantage within his/her own state, and if they need the national party to craft a message for themselves then that's an issue. In fact, governors should do such a good job of branding what Democrats are about within their home state that it should translate nationally. They should be doing the branding. They're the ones who are most connected to their constituents, not the national candidates. They should be the ones letting their home-staters know why their party is better than the other.

We're a country divided even within the parties, so if these people cannot craft a message then we're in serious trouble. Especially when you consider a modern day President was more likely a governor than a Senator, and that'll probably continue.

What bothers me is not that Senator Hillary Clinton says one thing, while Senator Joe Biden says another. It's not Congressman Frank Murtha saying leave Iraq now, while Congressman Jim Cooper says stay that bothers me. I'm glad I support a party that has INDIVIDUALS. People with their own ideas. People willing to standup for what they think is right/wrong. That's how it should be.

What bothers me is how dumb we are, and how our media just feeds into it. Do you think I want all my leaders headbobbing together? Supporting a moron President like the one we have? Standing on the Capitol steps with a "Contract for America?" Supporting bill after bill to buy votes, then cutting the funding for bill after bill? That's not what I'm looking for at all. I hate that. I despise that. I abhor that. That's exactly what's wrong with this country: the lack of thought/intelligence. Look where all of that got us.

The Republicans love the dumbing of America. It's what keeps them in power. As the people get dumber, they make the message simpler, the media follows it, and then Democrats seemed "nuanced" and "elitist." It's amazing. Having ideas, and being educated, is now "elitist!" Well, then fuck me. I'm an elitist.

It should be obvious why Republicans don't mind cutting education. It keeps them in power. It keeps a certain group of upwardly mobile, selfish, and unconcerned people educated enough, and others too dumb to realize what's going on. Perfect system.

Rather than our media dissecting differing opinions, providing insight, they hope for simple messages too. Such a joke.

You get the point.

I appreciate different opinions. I appreciate ideas. I think it's unfortunate so many people don't. I don't appreciate seemingly smart people like Bill Maher agreeing with these articles, asking for a coherent message. Asking individuals to become puppets. I don't prefer that.

If it takes things getting severely worse before people realize it's time to pull their heads from their asses, so be it. But I'm not against the fact my party has individuals who are not trying to blind us, or trick us. Rather, they're people with their own ideas, which is why we supposedly elected them in the first place. Everyone on the right claims to not want "career politicians" and they all seem to favor this President because he's "his own man." All that shit is garbage. Apparently the Democratic Party is filled with individuals who prefer to bring their own ideas to the table as opposed to being puppets. Now it's a bad thing.

Amazing.

Democrats can have a direct message, while maintaining their own identities: America, Back to It's Roots.

Just stick with that message, and then elaborate on it however you want to. America is a great country, but under the current leadership things are just getting worse by the day. Remind everyone of how much better things were when these people were not in power, leading us into a pit. Whether those roots are the grounded in the Clinton, Reagan, Bush I, Carter, Nixon, Kennedy, whomever, we were in a better situation than we are now (Yes, I know some of these people had something to do with where we're at now...story for a different day).

Everyone can agree that under these Presidents we had better leadership than we do now, regardless of how bad/good they were. Reminding people with a simple, general message of how much better of a country we were until the Bush/Cheney/Rove cartel took over is a good thing. Maybe it can put the breaks on where we're headed now.

America, Back to It's Roots!

Sure, you'll have idiots saying, "These Democrats are living in the past...everything changed after 9/11..." Yeah, that's going to happen, but so what? Take them on with that. This country was built to last; not built to be scared and shocked by some terrorists.

Our roots date back to the founders, and that too should be part of the conversation. When they mention "roots" it should be a discussion about ideas that worked. Republicans like to say the Democrats "have no new ideas." So what? Maybe that's because the old ideas worked! Some need tweaking here, or there, but the ideas were good ideas. A new idea doesn't make a good idea. "Yeah, you're right. I don't have a new idea because I believe in things that worked in the past." We're supposed to try to fix things; not give up on them. Clearly, their new ideas aren't working!

I prefer a media that focuses on the details of the opinions. I prefer leaders with minds of their own, as opposed to no minds at all. I prefer a citizenry that understands the issues, not one that just nods. If this is unlikely, then so be it. But please, don't sit here and tell me the ideas of the Democratic Party are bad ideas because there are too many opinions. Blame the idiots who can't focus on what those ideas are.

Please, PLEASE..

SOMEONE GIVE THIS GUY MORE CONTROL!!!!

President George W. Bush, who has never vetoed legislation, asked the U.S. Congress on Monday to give him a line-item veto that would allow him to propose canceling specific spending projects.

But the proposal faces hurdles because an earlier version that Congress passed under former President Bill Clinton was rejected by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional.

Bush said the 1998 court decision ``should not be the end of the story,'' and said the legislation he offered to Congress was crafted in a way to satisfy the court's concerns.

``By passing this version of the line-item veto, the administration will work with the Congress to reduce wasteful spending, reduce the budget deficit and ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely,'' he said.

It's just what he needs...

So

The Republicans manage to get two right-wingers on the Supreme Court, and within weeks you have a conservative Governor, Mike Rounds of South Dakota, signing the bill which may challenge Roe v. Wade.

Was it that easy for them to do this? Seems that way to me.

In the end, it's still 5-4, at least. And let me tell you, conservatives are hoping they lose. A victory mobilizes a nation in a way they hope does not happen.

Good Times USA

The fundamentalists are taking over in America:

Gov. Mike Rounds signed legislation Monday banning nearly all abortions in South Dakota, setting up a court fight aimed at challenging the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion.

The bill would make it a crime for doctors to perform an abortion unless the procedure was necessary to save the woman's life. It would make no exception for cases of rape or incest.

Planned Parenthood, which operates the state's only abortion clinic, in Sioux Falls, has pledged to challenge the measure in court.

Rounds issued a written statement saying he expects the law will be tied up in court for years and will not take effect unless the U.S. Supreme Court upholds it.