Bush Tours Disaster Of His Presidency

I know it's satire, but it is so true.

Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Disastrous Presidency

GOP Operative Gets Caught In Prostitution Sting

What is it about Minneapolis-St. Paul? First Larry Craig gets busted in the airport men's room and now long time GOP operative Peter Hong gets caught up in a prostitution sting. Hong has been working on various GOP campaigns since the early 1990's. His most recent gig was as a point person for presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.

Read more about the sting here in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune.

Fox News Masking McCains Age With 9 Year Old Footage

Gotta hand it to the folks over at MSNBC. They caught FOX News red handed in a blatant whitewash of McCain. Specifically, FOX is using footage from the McCain 2000 campaign as file footage talking about an event that happened this week. Why? Because he looks 9 years younger in that footage. I can't think of another reason, but you decide. RawStory has the clip here.

Cleveland Radio Station Dumps Savage

Great news from ThinkProgress.org. Radio hate-talker Michael Savage is reaping the rewards of his vicious attack on autistic children. He has already lost sponsors because of his tirade where he essentially called Autism a fake disease and that most Autistic kids just needed to be told to "cut the act out".

Now comes news that a Cleveland, Ohio AM station is dropping Savage's show. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:

WHK AM/1420, the only Cleveland-area station carrying Savage’s radio talk show, is breaking its contract with Savage’s syndicator, Talk Radio Network, said Mark Jaycox, who manages the Cleveland stations under the Salem Communications corporate umbrella.

My hope is this is the beginning of a trend. Already Super Talk Mississippi canned the show over the same comments.

UPDATE: Now Charlottesville, Virgina radio ststaion also drops Savage for remarks!

New Poll Shows Hispanic Voters Favor Obama

Well even though the press was making noises about Obama's problem with Latino voters, a poll released today shows a different story. The Pew Hispanic Research Institute release its poll showing Hispanic voters favor Obama by 66% to John McCain's 23%. The other 11% are undecided.

Viva Obama!

Obama Speaks In Berlin - Thousands Crowd

I missed part of the broadcast, but I read the speech and it moved me to tears. The almost 100,000 people of Berlin, who gathered in the Tiergarten at the base of the Victory Column monument were also moved and they cheered thunderously at the words Senator Obama spoke.



Here is the text of the speech.

Thank you to the citizens of Berlin and to the people of Germany. Let me thank Chancellor Merkel and Foreign Minister Steinmeier for welcoming me earlier today. Thank you Mayor Wowereit, the Berlin Senate, the police, and most of all thank you for this welcome.

I come to Berlin as so many of my countrymen have come before. Tonight, I speak to you not as a candidate for President, but as a citizen - a proud citizen of the United States, and a fellow citizen of the world.

I know that I don't look like the Americans who've previously spoken in this great city. The journey that led me here is improbable. My mother was born in the heartland of America, but my father grew up herding goats in Kenya. His father - my grandfather - was a cook, a domestic servant to the British.

At the height of the Cold War, my father decided, like so many others in the forgotten corners of the world, that his yearning - his dream - required the freedom and opportunity promised by the West. And so he wrote letter after letter to universities all across America until somebody, somewhere answered his prayer for a better life.

That is why I'm here. And you are here because you too know that yearning. This city, of all cities, knows the dream of freedom. And you know that the only reason we stand here tonight is because men and women from both of our nations came together to work, and struggle, and sacrifice for that better life.

Ours is a partnership that truly began sixty years ago this summer, on the day when the first American plane touched down at Templehof.

On that day, much of this continent still lay in ruin. The rubble of this city had yet to be built into a wall. The Soviet shadow had swept across Eastern Europe, while in the West, America, Britain, and France took stock of their losses, and pondered how the world might be remade.

This is where the two sides met. And on the twenty-fourth of June, 1948, the Communists chose to blockade the western part of the city. They cut off food and supplies to more than two million Germans in an effort to extinguish the last flame of freedom in Berlin.

The size of our forces was no match for the much larger Soviet Army. And yet retreat would have allowed Communism to march across Europe. Where the last war had ended, another World War could have easily begun. All that stood in the way was Berlin.

And that's when the airlift began - when the largest and most unlikely rescue in history brought food and hope to the people of this city.

The odds were stacked against success. In the winter, a heavy fog filled the sky above, and many planes were forced to turn back without dropping off the needed supplies. The streets where we stand were filled with hungry families who had no comfort from the cold.

But in the darkest hours, the people of Berlin kept the flame of hope burning. The people of Berlin refused to give up. And on one fall day, hundreds of thousands of Berliners came here, to the Tiergarten, and heard the city's mayor implore the world not to give up on freedom. "There is only one possibility," he said. "For us to stand together united until this battle is won…The people of Berlin have spoken. We have done our duty, and we will keep on doing our duty. People of the world: now do your duty…People of the world, look at Berlin!"

People of the world - look at Berlin!

Look at Berlin, where Germans and Americans learned to work together and trust each other less than three years after facing each other on the field of battle.

Look at Berlin, where the determination of a people met the generosity of the Marshall Plan and created a German miracle; where a victory over tyranny gave rise to NATO, the greatest alliance ever formed to defend our common security.

Look at Berlin, where the bullet holes in the buildings and the somber stones and pillars near the Brandenburg Gate insist that we never forget our common humanity.

People of the world - look at Berlin, where a wall came down, a continent came together, and history proved that there is no challenge too great for a world that stands as one.

Sixty years after the airlift, we are called upon again. History has led us to a new crossroad, with new promise and new peril. When you, the German people, tore down that wall - a wall that divided East and West; freedom and tyranny; fear and hope - walls came tumbling down around the world. From Kiev to Cape Town, prison camps were closed, and the doors of democracy were opened. Markets opened too, and the spread of information and technology reduced barriers to opportunity and prosperity. While the 20th century taught us that we share a common destiny, the 21st has revealed a world more intertwined than at any time in human history.

The fall of the Berlin Wall brought new hope. But that very closeness has given rise to new dangers - dangers that cannot be contained within the borders of a country or by the distance of an ocean.

The terrorists of September 11th plotted in Hamburg and trained in Kandahar and Karachi before killing thousands from all over the globe on American soil.

As we speak, cars in Boston and factories in Beijing are melting the ice caps in the Arctic, shrinking coastlines in the Atlantic, and bringing drought to farms from Kansas to Kenya.

Poorly secured nuclear material in the former Soviet Union, or secrets from a scientist in Pakistan could help build a bomb that detonates in Paris. The poppies in Afghanistan become the heroin in Berlin. The poverty and violence in Somalia breeds the terror of tomorrow. The genocide in Darfur shames the conscience of us all.

In this new world, such dangerous currents have swept along faster than our efforts to contain them. That is why we cannot afford to be divided. No one nation, no matter how large or powerful, can defeat such challenges alone. None of us can deny these threats, or escape responsibility in meeting them. Yet, in the absence of Soviet tanks and a terrible wall, it has become easy to forget this truth. And if we're honest with each other, we know that sometimes, on both sides of the Atlantic, we have drifted apart, and forgotten our shared destiny.

In Europe, the view that America is part of what has gone wrong in our world, rather than a force to help make it right, has become all too common. In America, there are voices that deride and deny the importance of Europe's role in our security and our future. Both views miss the truth - that Europeans today are bearing new burdens and taking more responsibility in critical parts of the world; and that just as American bases built in the last century still help to defend the security of this continent, so does our country still sacrifice greatly for freedom around the globe.

Yes, there have been differences between America and Europe. No doubt, there will be differences in the future. But the burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together. A change of leadership in Washington will not lift this burden. In this new century, Americans and Europeans alike will be required to do more - not less. Partnership and cooperation among nations is not a choice; it is the one way, the only way, to protect our common security and advance our common humanity.

That is why the greatest danger of all is to allow new walls to divide us from one another.

The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand. The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes; natives and immigrants; Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down.

We know they have fallen before. After centuries of strife, the people of Europe have formed a Union of promise and prosperity. Here, at the base of a column built to mark victory in war, we meet in the center of a Europe at peace. Not only have walls come down in Berlin, but they have come down in Belfast, where Protestant and Catholic found a way to live together; in the Balkans, where our Atlantic alliance ended wars and brought savage war criminals to justice; and in South Africa, where the struggle of a courageous people defeated apartheid.

So history reminds us that walls can be torn down. But the task is never easy. True partnership and true progress requires constant work and sustained sacrifice. They require sharing the burdens of development and diplomacy; of progress and peace. They require allies who will listen to each other, learn from each other and, most of all, trust each other.

That is why America cannot turn inward. That is why Europe cannot turn inward. America has no better partner than Europe. Now is the time to build new bridges across the globe as strong as the one that bound us across the Atlantic. Now is the time to join together, through constant cooperation, strong institutions, shared sacrifice, and a global commitment to progress, to meet the challenges of the 21st century. It was this spirit that led airlift planes to appear in the sky above our heads, and people to assemble where we stand today. And this is the moment when our nations - and all nations - must summon that spirit anew.

This is the moment when we must defeat terror and dry up the well of extremism that supports it. This threat is real and we cannot shrink from our responsibility to combat it. If we could create NATO to face down the Soviet Union, we can join in a new and global partnership to dismantle the networks that have struck in Madrid and Amman; in London and Bali; in Washington and New York. If we could win a battle of ideas against the communists, we can stand with the vast majority of Muslims who reject the extremism that leads to hate instead of hope.

This is the moment when we must renew our resolve to rout the terrorists who threaten our security in Afghanistan, and the traffickers who sell drugs on your streets. No one welcomes war. I recognize the enormous difficulties in Afghanistan. But my country and yours have a stake in seeing that NATO's first mission beyond Europe's borders is a success. For the people of Afghanistan, and for our shared security, the work must be done. America cannot do this alone. The Afghan people need our troops and your troops; our support and your support to defeat the Taliban and al Qaeda, to develop their economy, and to help them rebuild their nation. We have too much at stake to turn back now.

This is the moment when we must renew the goal of a world without nuclear weapons. The two superpowers that faced each other across the wall of this city came too close too often to destroying all we have built and all that we love. With that wall gone, we need not stand idly by and watch the further spread of the deadly atom. It is time to secure all loose nuclear materials; to stop the spread of nuclear weapons; and to reduce the arsenals from another era. This is the moment to begin the work of seeking the peace of a world without nuclear weapons.

This is the moment when every nation in Europe must have the chance to choose its own tomorrow free from the shadows of yesterday. In this century, we need a strong European Union that deepens the security and prosperity of this continent, while extending a hand abroad. In this century - in this city of all cities - we must reject the Cold War mind-set of the past, and resolve to work with Russia when we can, to stand up for our values when we must, and to seek a partnership that extends across this entire continent.

This is the moment when we must build on the wealth that open markets have created, and share its benefits more equitably. Trade has been a cornerstone of our growth and global development. But we will not be able to sustain this growth if it favors the few, and not the many. Together, we must forge trade that truly rewards the work that creates wealth, with meaningful protections for our people and our planet. This is the moment for trade that is free and fair for all.

This is the moment we must help answer the call for a new dawn in the Middle East. My country must stand with yours and with Europe in sending a direct message to Iran that it must abandon its nuclear ambitions. We must support the Lebanese who have marched and bled for democracy, and the Israelis and Palestinians who seek a secure and lasting peace. And despite past differences, this is the moment when the world should support the millions of Iraqis who seek to rebuild their lives, even as we pass responsibility to the Iraqi government and finally bring this war to a close.

This is the moment when we must come together to save this planet. Let us resolve that we will not leave our children a world where the oceans rise and famine spreads and terrible storms devastate our lands. Let us resolve that all nations - including my own - will act with the same seriousness of purpose as has your nation, and reduce the carbon we send into our atmosphere. This is the moment to give our children back their future. This is the moment to stand as one.

And this is the moment when we must give hope to those left behind in a globalized world. We must remember that the Cold War born in this city was not a battle for land or treasure. Sixty years ago, the planes that flew over Berlin did not drop bombs; instead they delivered food, and coal, and candy to grateful children. And in that show of solidarity, those pilots won more than a military victory. They won hearts and minds; love and loyalty and trust - not just from the people in this city, but from all those who heard the story of what they did here.

Now the world will watch and remember what we do here - what we do with this moment. Will we extend our hand to the people in the forgotten corners of this world who yearn for lives marked by dignity and opportunity; by security and justice? Will we lift the child in Bangladesh from poverty, shelter the refugee in Chad, and banish the scourge of AIDS in our time?

Will we stand for the human rights of the dissident in Burma, the blogger in Iran, or the voter in Zimbabwe? Will we give meaning to the words "never again" in Darfur?

Will we acknowledge that there is no more powerful example than the one each of our nations projects to the world? Will we reject torture and stand for the rule of law? Will we welcome immigrants from different lands, and shun discrimination against those who don't look like us or worship like we do, and keep the promise of equality and opportunity for all of our people?

People of Berlin - people of the world - this is our moment. This is our time.

I know my country has not perfected itself. At times, we've struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all of our people. We've made our share of mistakes, and there are times when our actions around the world have not lived up to our best intentions.

But I also know how much I love America. I know that for more than two centuries, we have strived - at great cost and great sacrifice - to form a more perfect union; to seek, with other nations, a more hopeful world. Our allegiance has never been to any particular tribe or kingdom - indeed, every language is spoken in our country; every culture has left its imprint on ours; every point of view is expressed in our public squares. What has always united us - what has always driven our people; what drew my father to America's shores - is a set of ideals that speak to aspirations shared by all people: that we can live free from fear and free from want; that we can speak our minds and assemble with whomever we choose and worship as we please.

These are the aspirations that joined the fates of all nations in this city. These aspirations are bigger than anything that drives us apart. It is because of these aspirations that the airlift began. It is because of these aspirations that all free people - everywhere - became citizens of Berlin. It is in pursuit of these aspirations that a new generation - our generation - must make our mark on the world.

People of Berlin - and people of the world - the scale of our challenge is great. The road ahead will be long. But I come before you to say that we are heirs to a struggle for freedom. We are a people of improbable hope. With an eye toward the future, with resolve in our hearts, let us remember this history, and answer our destiny, and remake the world once again.

Ford Brings "Euro Look" To US

As GM struggles and fumbles with it's domestic car offerings, Ford Motors has fond a quick fix. Ford will begin selling it's European models in the US by 2010. This means the already fuel efficient Fiesta, Focus, Mondeo, Transit-C, Kuga and C-Max may start curising the streets of the USA soon.

It seems that Ford gets it. Americans want more fuel efficient cars and are willing to buy them even if they don't look like the big gass guzzlers we are used to. Just ask Toyota about it's sale of the Prius. Now if GM can only shake off the SUV straight jacket and begin making quality small cars they might avoid the possible bankrupcy which some analysists see in the future.

Pistol Packing Rep. Sally Kerns Caught With A Gun At Capitol

Not only does Republican Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern shoot her mouth off, she apparently shoots more lethal weapons as well. The Oklahoma legislator, who was caught on YouTube ranting against gays and lesbians was caught at the entrance to the Oklahoma Capitol with a .380 caliber semiautomatic handgun in her purse.

Kerns said it was a simple mistake, that she forgot the gun was there. She does have a permit for carrying a weapon, but it is illegal to bring weapons into the State Capitol. This is the second time Gun-Toting Sally has been caught with a gun at the legislature. The first time she made it through screening back in June and carried the weapon to her office.

Both times she claims were simple mistakes. A Highway Patrol spokeswoman, Chris West said Kern was not charged because there did not appear to be any "malicious intent" behind her actions.

MSNBC McCain Gaff - The Joker!

Sometimes I have to wonder if this was really a mistake!

Hurricane Dolly Nears Texas Coast

Hurricane Dolly , the second of the season is bearing down on Brownsville, Texas. Right now it has sustained winds of 75mph and is a category 1 hurricane. It is not expected to strengthen significantly, but the National Hurricane Center is monitoring the situation.

So far no evacuation orders have been issued.

Obama In Iraq - The Troops Love Him!

AFLAC Pulls Advertising From Michael Savage Radio Show

The duck will quack no longer on Michael Savage's radio hate fest. AFLAC has announced it will pull it's advertising from the syndicated radio show after Savage made the statements that autistic children are simply, "a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out.”According the the ThinkProgress website, AFLAC stated:

“Aflac has a strong commitment to helping children through the Aflac Cancer Center and Aflac Foundation,” said a rep. “We understand that radio hosts pick on any number of targets however we found his recent comments about autistic children to be both inappropriate and insensitive.“

Let's hope it's a trend. Savage has been spewing his hate on the public airwaves long enough.

McCain's "I Hate Gooks" Remark, & Why It Still Matters

As John McCain continues to reinvent himself as the next Bush, many of those who follow him forget that only a few years ago he was bandying about the term "gook". To Asians, that word is as powerfully offensive as the "n" word to African-Americans.

In a 2000 interview McCain said, "I hated the gooks. I will hate them as long as I live." He was referring to his prison guards in Vietnam, but I seriously doubt if he would have used the "n" word to refer to his guards if he had been prisoner in Africa. His lack of racial sensitivity is a telling and troubling feature of his personality.

Though he tries to put on the face of a moderate, deep down there are racial hatreds that could bubble to the surface with disturbing consequences. Keep the "g" word in mind this November.

Court Throws Out "Wardrobe Malfunction" Fine Against CBS

If you don't remember the fleeting glimpse of Janet Jackson's breast, you will certainly remember the huge fine levied against CBS for the alleged "indecency infraction". That little 3 second shot brought the term "wardrobe malfunction" into the popular lexicon and made everyone question what the big deal was.

Apparently the court felt the same way, and they threw out the fines against CBS and it's affiliated stations who broadcast the live coverage of the Super Bowl. The court told FCC lawyers that there might have been a stronger case had the show been prerecorded, but because it was broadcast live, there was no solid evidence that CBS knew the bra would be torn off. Indeed the whole thing was about as silly as the performance.

Super Bowl half time shows are exercises in excess and bad television. The biggest reason they fail to work is that you have a crew of sports cameramen and directors shooting a stage show. It should be no surprise that they concentrate on senseless closeups of performers feet when they are dancing and tight shots of faces when the real entertainment value of the show is the full scope of the spectacle. Leave it to a sports crew to make a gargantuan spectacular look like a high school musical!

Meanwhile, the FCC continues it's ideology driven agenda to "clean up television", yet they still haven't figured out that the public's air waves need more protection than a prudish censor. We need the fairness doctrine back so that gasbags like Limbaugh and his ilk are balanced by an occasional reasonable voice. Maybe under the next administration?

McCain Keeps Lying About The Safety Of Offshore Drilling

John McCain has learned to lie very well from the Bush handlers who are now his advisers. In a press conference today he talked about renewable energy, just long enough to make a few talking points about offshore drilling. McCain claimed the offshore rigs in the Gulf came through hurricanes Katrina and Rita without damage. Ask an insurance company about that. The extensive damage to the offshore rigs almost cratered the oil insurance biz.

Here is his lie:

Q: I’ve been listening to your comments around renewable resources – solar, tide, and wind – you’ve talked a lot about that, but you keep peppering your comments with offshore drilling. But I’m not sure what you think the impact on our environment is based on that.

A: Keep the microphone. I’m aware that off the coast of Louisiana and Texas there are oil rigs, as we well know, and those rigs have survived, very successfully, the impacts of hurricanes – hurricane Katrina as far as Louisiana is concerned.

Reasons To Vote Republican - (Parody)

I know I posted this a few months ago, but sometimes you just have to repeat things over and over until people understand.

Elizabeth Dole and a Dose of Irony

It’s one thing to be ignorant, it’s another to be insensitive and still another to be a jerk. Elizabeth Dole falls in that last category. Harsh words for the Republican Senator from North Carolina? Hardly. Consider this little scenario.

The Senate is passing a bill for HIV/AIDS relief. Much of this will flow to foreign countries to provide much needed funds to fight the diseases as well as malaria and tuberculosis. It is part of a global strategy to combat HIV/AIDS in developing countries and primarily Africa.

Senator Dole jumped in at the last minute and offered an amendment. Now, knowing she is a Republican you might imagine it would be to limit funds to certain groups who opposed family planning, or some other ideologically driven caveat that would hamstring the process and prevent the bill from reaching the people who need the relief. Nope, I have to hand it to Elizabeth, she did no such thing. Instead she simply wanted to change the name of the bill.

Now I ask you what would you as a clear thinking individual want to name an HIV/AIDS Relief Bill? Maybe something that honors the millions of people worldwide who have succumbed to the disease? Nope. Maybe after a prominent researcher or activist who has fought for better funding and treatment? Nope. Liz introduced the bright idea of naming the bill after the late not-so-great Jesse Helms!

That’s where the “jerk” part comes in. Jesse Helms was a bigoted old coot of a Senator who opposed every kind of AIDS funding, education and treatment he could find. I offer as proof his description of an AIDS prevention pamphlet as “so obscene, so revolting, I may throw up." This is a man who fought to block the Ryan White bill because he felt people who contracted AIDS did so because of their "deliberate, disgusting, revolting conduct."

I could spend the rest of this column detailing how hateful and divisive Helms was on LGBT rights and AIDS prevention, civil rights, voting rights, integration, not to mention Roe v. Wade, but I find it in Jesse’s words, “so obscene, so revolting, I may throw up."

Naming this bill after Helms is either the biggest example of a brain dead politician, or a deliberate slap in the face to every activist, researcher and politician who has ever worked to pry AIDS funds from the hands of Uncle Sam.

I know Elizabeth Dole is not a stupid woman. I know she is a skilled politician. As such she certainly has the sensitivity to know that this ludicrous amendment would never fly, and yet she proposed it anyway. That, I can only believe was done as an insult and intended to be as hurtful as Senator Helms used to be. Perhaps it is a fitting tribute to a man who sang “Dixie” in the elevator with the first African- American woman elected to the Senate, Carol Moseley-Braun.

To imagine that Senator Dole just somehow forgot the legacy of hate left behind by Jesse Helms is to ignore the reality of the situation. Perhaps Senator Dole knows that the GOP time in the legislature is limited. A sweeping victory by Barack Obama may just wash over the Senate and House as well. Maybe Dole is just getting in her parting shot, shooting the finger at the media and the American public before she is washed from the landscape of politics. Let the tidal wave commence!

Michael Savage Thinks Autistic Kids Just Need To Be Yelled At More!

Michael Savage is aptly named. He is simply that, a savage. His unprovoked attacks on people who are defenseless really do go beyond civilized discourse. It’s time he was tossed off the public airwaves.

Why the rant? Well on his radio show today, a show that is broadcast on the “public’s airwaves”, he attacked Autistic children as just “brat[s] who need as a father to tell them to stop acting like a putz”.

Let that sink in for a little while. I don’t know if you have ever been around anyone with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, but I have. They are not “acting like a putz”! I am appalled that this jerk can say something so insensitive on the radio.

I keep harping on the “public Airwaves” part of this story because here is the truth. The government manages the radio spectrum and leases portions of it to broadcasters. Prior to the Bush regime, there was an expectation that the broadcasters had at least some obligations to the public for if not fair, at least decent programming. Savage is anything but decent.

Mr. Savage, later in his show called the epidemic of asthma in minority families a scam because “the children got extra welfare if they were disabled.” Now lets really talk about being a putz!

Mr. Savage needs to be off the air and on the street. Perhaps when he breathes enough dust from cockroach shells and ends up in an emergency room in need of a breathing treatment to keep from dying, he might reconsider his obscene remarks.

Maybe Mr. Savage should spend a few weeks with a family of an Autistic child to see just how much good his tirade would do. Let him sit with a rocking screaming child, overloaded from stimuli he cannot process and then let him cure it by calling him a “putz”.

If I sound mad, I am and I think Mr. Savage needs to have someone give him a good shake and sit him in the corner for a time out, FOREVER! Get Michael Savage off the public airwaves!

Here are the contact numbers for his parent company:

Talk Radio Network
P.O. Box 3755 Central Point, Oregon 97502
Phone: 541-664-8827
Fax: 541-664-6250

General info@talkradionetwork.com
Site Questions webmaster@talkradionetwork.com
Affiliate Inquiries affiliates@talkradionetwork.com
Affiliate Technical Inquiries trneng@talkradionetwork.com

Bush Divorce Rumors - Again?

It seems that every year another tabloid comes out with a headline touting an impending divorce between President Bush and First Lady Laura.

The first one I saw appeared in a blog that detailed Mrs Bush staying in the Mayflower Hotel just down the street from the White House. No reason was given, but wagging tongues clucked about a tiff between her and George.

Next was the headline that Bush was drinking again. Since his behavior sober looks very much like a drunken frat-boy, I have no way of confirming this one, and dismissed it out of hand.

Then came the Globe Magazine cover with a "$10 million divorce" story. Reading further proved it was all hot air.

The real story is that the tabloids see Bush and Laura as fair game now. Back after 9/11 that would be unthinkable, but with Bush approval ratings in the tank, all's fair for the supermarket sensationalists.

Now I have noticed my hits starting to escalate again and the referrals are all from people looking up "Bush and Laura Divorce" on search engines. I suspect a tabloid has once again offered a rumor of the impending split. Now normally I would give these stories no credence, but I have it on the authority of a person who overheard another person say to someone else....

Well the short story is when Laura was asked if she was going to be retiring to the ranch after leaving the White House. She responded, "George can go there if he wants, but I am living in Dallas!"

Indeed rumors of a new Bush residence here in Big D are flying. Probably in a new development somewhere near University Park and the proposed Bush Library is the most likely location. As far as the divorce rumor, after spending the past 8 years with George in Washington, I would think Laura would deserve some "alone time".

Florida Billboard Sponsor Says "9/11 could have been prevented if we’d had a Republican president."

Yesterday I put up a story about the jerk in Florida who bought the Twin Towers billboard promoting his "Don't vote for a Democrat" song. I wrongly said the billboard was tasteless. Wrong because this guy is just an idiot. He actually argued on CNN that the 9/11 attacks could have been prevented if we had a Republican President in office! Sometimes the self delusion of Republicans amazes me. He actually thinks there wasn't a GOP leader in 2001. Well he was half right, we had Bush in office, and he is certainly no leader.

Kay Bailey Hutchinson Dragged Into Bribery Scandal

Our friend Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison has been implicated n the growing ethics scandal involving Steven Payne, the lobbyist and Bush appointee who was caught on tape selling influence for six figure donations to the Bush Library.

The Austin-American Statesman details an incodent where Sen. Hutchison may have passed off an op-ed piece as hers when in actuality it was written by Payne who was acting as a lobbyist for Azerbaijan interests.

What also remains murky is Payne’s role in a 2005 opinion piece that Hutchison authored for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. It was headlined “Azerbaijan: Opportunity for America,” and in it Hutchison writes that the country “holds great promise” as an oil source in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Payne brags in materials for his business that he “developed” a series of op-eds promoting the country, including one by Hutchison.

Hutchison’s current staff contends that it does not know the precise origins of the column she wrote promoting Azerbaijan, although her spokesman says she was heavily involved. Chris Paulitz, her communications director at the time, declined to comment today on Payne’s role in writing the piece.

Crass Pro-GOP Billboard Shows Twin Towers Ablaze

Local Republican leaders in Florida are feigning a sense of outrage. But face it, the billboard depicting the twin towers burning is the image the GOP has been trading on for 7 years. Now a local musician has created a song he hopes will help the GOP and by using the image of the towers he caused a big stink.

Perhaps the reason is because if you think about this image, take away the visceral reaction and really think. 9/11 happened during the Bush presidency. A Republican was in office and he failed to protect the country from this attack. Maybe that is why the GOP is outraged? Though it is clearly meant to support them, it's not only crass, but it shows the Republicans greatest failure.

Either way. the billboard needs to come down. And oh yes, the Democrats are rightfully outraged as well!

Our Brain-Dead President Has No Idea What Gas Prices Are!

Watch this clip and weep. We have a complete mindless fool as a president.

US Media Finally Pick UP Bush Influence Peddling

The US media has been slow to pick up this story that was broken by the Times of London. Steven Payne, a lobbyist and Bush appointee was caught on tape asking for six figure donations to the Bush Library in exchange for access to Dick Cheney and Condoleezza Rice. This story sat there for a couple of days, I suspect being suppressed by US media, but now CNN picks it up.

Bush Appointee Caught On Tape Offering High-Level Access For Donations To Bush Library

So how much does it cost to get an appointment with Dick Cheney or Condoleezza Rice? About six figures according to an undercover tape showing Homeland Security appointee, Stephen Payne offering high level contacts for money. He is selling the favors to a representative of an exiled leader of Krygystan. The tape was released by the Times of London and can be seen here.

This kind of behavior is rampant in the Bush administration but now it has been caught on tape and with the elections looming, these kind of illegal and unethical transactions make the GOP look not just bad, but criminal!

Second Largest Bank Failure In American History - IndyMac Bank Gone

The situation at Pasadena based IndyMac Bank reminds me of the scenarios my grandmother spoke of during the 1929 market crash. She told me people lined up outside banks demanding their money and banks finally had to shutter their doors and get police to keep people at bay.

Well IndyMac is closing offices and laying off emoloyees and people have been pulling cash out at the rate of $100 million a day. If that's not a run on the bank I don't know what is. The difference between now and 1929 is the FDIC. They have stepped in and siezed control of the failing bank to cover the banks losses for insured depositors. The failure marks the second largest bank failure in American history.

Take a look at the website for the bank. Pretty grim stuff. The FDIC has replaced the site with a one page letter detailing that all deposits of $100,000 and under are federally insured. All that is missing is a footnote, take two asprin and call back in the morning.

Pelosi Puts Impeachment Back OnThe Table

Since becoming House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi has tried to calm the rough waters of Capitol Hill. In an effort to return to some sort of collegiality, she entered the office with the statement that impeachment was “off the table” when it came to the Bush administration.

Few Americans would want to approach something as serious as impeachment of the President or Vice-President as cavalierly as the Republicans did with Bill Clinton. From the moment he was sworn in, Clinton faced adversaries in Congress intent on tossing him out by whatever means available. The whole Whitewater affair and the subsequent investigation which cost taxpayers millions of dollars produced nothing of substance. Yet like a dog intent on hanging onto a bone, the Republicans managed to find one of the most trivial reasons for impeachment imaginable.

Now, a sitting President has been shown to have lied many times on matters of national security with grave military consequences for thousands of our soldiers and the congress remains silent. I know I am not the only person to be dumfounded as to why “impeachment is off the table”.

Meanwhile, Dennis Kucinich finally managed to introduce 35 articles of impeachment which are trapped in the Judiciary Committee for the time being, but something is very different this time. Kucinich introduced a “privileged resolution" which will force the House to consider if Bush lied to Congress and the American people in his rationale for invading Iraq and the subsequent occupation.

What is more surprising is that House Speaker Pelosi has said, "My expectation is that there will be some review of that in the committee.” She went on further to say, “This is a Judiciary Committee matter, and I believe we will see some attention being paid to it by the Judiciary Committee.”

She has in effect put impeachment back on the table!

Judiciary Committee chair John Conyers, has said he is reviewing the articles but has not yet indicated whether he intends to hold hearings on them. Then there is the big question of three of these articles which implicate Vice President Dick Cheney and whether he should be impeached as well. If the hearings do take place it will be a historic event. Never before have both the President and Vice President been jointly impeached but this administration is a special case. Cheney wields more power than any other Vice President and as many have noted he seems to make more executive decisions that Bush. In fact Cheney has claimed to be both part of the Executive branch and the Legislative branch since he presides over the Senate.

During an election year it will be difficult for the Congress to approach this matter seriously. The right will try to call it an election year trick and the left will be afraid of dragging America through a painful process that might alienate beleaguered voters. Either way, it will not be a smooth sailing.

Ms Pelosi knew her job would be a tough one when she took it. Being the first female to lead the House of Representatives is a historic position. Now she is starting to look like the kind of woman who is unafraid to wade into the deep political waters and make a few waves.

Bush Lied About Red Cross Torture Report

Bush lied again? Not big news, but this particular lie is big news. Seems Mr. Bush claimed he never read the International Red Cross report on interrogation methods used in CIA detention facilities, where the committee called the American actions as "tantamount to torture". According to a new book released this week by investigative journalist Jane Mayer, Bush as well as Condoleezza Rice knew the contents of the report. They also knew that the information contained could implicate Bush officials in "war crimes".

The stream of lies that has flowed form the White House is beyond disgrace. The Bush administration MUST be held to the same standard as every other president and administration. Impeachment is the constitutional redress for such criminal actions and the US Congress should not hesitate to begin proceedings regardless of Bush's time remaining in office.

Karl Rove Flees The Country To Avoid Testimony

Kucinich Introduces Another Article of Impeachment Against Bush

Cell Phones & Crazy Folks

I was sitting at a Starbucks today when someone outside the window caught my attention. She looked like a sane enough woman, with the exception that she was talking and gesticulating in a conversation with nobody. Her long hair apparently was hiding her Bluetooth headset, but the impression she gave was that of someone who had “gone off her meds”. It’s a sight I have seen many times before and before long it will be unable to distinguish the genuinely mentally disabled folks with those who are just addicted to their Bluetooth headsets.

Just a few hours earlier I had seen the former category of citizen walking across a street. His shirt was open and hanging from his shoulders. A four day growth of beard and the ragged sandals gave the distinct impression he had been sleeping under a bridge somewhere. He was talking and waving his arms, deep in conversation with an invisible someone.

I have to say, being around people like him make me uncomfortable. I never know exactly who they are talking to or what they will do next. As refugees from our failing public health system, the growing number of street people with mental problems seems to be increasing and that bothers me. I know there is treatment that can help people like him, but unless he has access to it, a place to live and some sort of stability in his life he will not be able to stay on the medications. That is not just speculation, but a fact I have had explained to me by a mental health professional.

Both the street person and the woman on the headset have something in common. They both are acting the same way. Both are talking to an unseen presence without regard to the reactions of others who might see them. Both are examples of what could be seen as anti-social behavior. The difference is one has access to health care and technology and the other doesn’t.

I guess you could just pass out Bluetooth headsets to all the street people and then nobody would think they had a problem, but it would only mask the deeper issue. We need a public health system that is really “public”. We need a way for those unfortunate enough to suffer from mental disorders to get help not only from a medical professional but in getting their lives back together. We also need a society that recognizes that putting people out onto the street without access to the tools they need to get better is the sign of a society in decline. A civilized society takes care of each other. A civilized society understands that ignoring problems is not a way to solve them.

Oh yea, and a civilized society does not share their private conversations with anyone within earshot.

New TV Ad - McCain's Timetable For Troop Withdrawal?

Phthalates, Plastic Bottles & My Belly?

I am overweight. I admit it and anyone who sees me would agree. However, there may be a mitigating factor as to why I can't seem to shed the excess fat around my midsection. Other than the fact that I am middle-aged, I have tried exercise and diet and though my weight changes, the belly remains!

Now comes news that the plastic that packages everything from water to frozen food might have a role in my midsection. Phthalates, the chemical compounds that are found in just about everything today have been linked to lower fertility rates, and now, abdominal fat and resistance to insulin. This is a double whammy for a diabetic, which I am not thankfully.

I do have to wonder if the obesity epidemic that our country is having may be as much caused by packaging as by the junk food the plastics hold. A study by the University of Rochester Medical Center published back in 2007 makes some of these connections, yet strangely the media didn't give it much play. I suspect that is because it's a difficult word to spell, "phthalates".

I have a history of being suspicious of plastics. My father was a researcher in hematology and bacteriology. While working at his hospital he found that blood packaged in the then new, plastic blood packets became difficult to correctly type. Without the proper Rh Typing patients can get the wrong kind of blood and that is trouble.

What he found was that the plastic bags leached their plasticizers into the blood product and changed it's Rh Type, furthermore serum stored in plastic bottles also changed it's characteristics over time. Disturbed at this he began doing a very simple study.

He acquired a quantity of plastic containers used for packaging blood and blood products and exposed them to various serums. The results showed a problem was occurring in many of the types of plastics. Additionally, he took diluted quantities of the sterile water that had been exposed to the plastics and injected it into fertile eggs. The results were a very high number of birth defects in the chicks hatched from the eggs.

When this material was presented to the NIH for further study, they politely told him they didn't want to go into it at this time. That was in 1967! Makes you go, "hummmm".

Florida Hospitral Will Let Boy Die Simply Because He Is A Foster Child

John Aravosis at Americablog.com came across a story that needs to be front and center of every news organization in the country. Predictably the same people who protest in front of family planning clinics and jumped on the Terri Schivo bandwagon are silent about this one.

A 15 year old boy in foster care needs a new liver. The hospital and doctors have decided that since he is in foster care and has a history of problems with foster families that his life is not worth saving. In the words of the Miani Herald, "Shands Hospital in Gainesville removed the boy, 15, from a waiting list for organ recipients after administrators determined the boy's unstable living conditions make him a poor candidate for a transplant." In other words toss the kid, he's poor and an orphan.

When did our country turn into England in the 17th century? When did we lose the atitude that every life is worth saving? Instead, only the rich, those with stable home lives and those with lots of insurance are on the short list for transplants. The rest of you rabble, well tough luck. You should have been born into wealthier families.

Read the whole story and then write your congressperson and the president and demand that we stop discarding human beings for lack of a stable home or insurance!

McCain Radio Ad A Pack Of Lies - But Isn't It OK If They Are In Spanish?

I guess the McCain camp figures that Spanish speaking residents of Florida are either stupid or just uninformed. His latest radio ad in Spanish is filled with false figures and outright lies.

The gist of the ad is McCain's support for the Colombian Free Trade agreement and how it will be a boost for Florida's economy. Jobsanger.com has the details and the real figures.

Bible Theme Parks In Nashville - A Second Coming!

If the Jesus theme park in Florida, The Holy Lands, wasn't enough, now Nashville may be host to two of the bible-themed attractions. Bible Land USA, is the latest religious family experience.

The proposed park will include an IMAX theater with a flyover of ancient Jerusalem, the Exodus Experience, a water based attraction (of course), and of course Noah's Ark. The last attraction is really an old standard for amusement parks of the 1920's. The last surviving Noah's Ark fun house still operates at Kennywood Park in Pennsylvania.

Trinity Broadcasting has also announced plans to build a Bible themed park in the city that once hosted Opryland. Trinity already purchased the Florida "Holy Lands" attraction.

It is my hope that this park will not include the daily "crucifixion" that is enacted in the Florida park. There, families can share in the torture and death of Jesus every afternoon. Sounds like a great family experience, for the Addams Family at least.

New Spinning Skyscraper Proposed In Dubai

I have always liked interesting architecture. I think it all started when I received a book about modern architecture as a child. In it the buildings of Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright stirred my imagination. Now, I am stirred again by some really different architecture coming out of Dubai.

The emirate is already the home to the tallest building in the world, the Burj Dubai still in construction and already reaching 1,831.5 feet in height. Now comes news of a new and strikingly different building. it will break records and conventions in very different ways.

Some call it the spinning tower. At 1,378-feet it will not be the tallest, but will be the strangest building in the world. Each floor of the ultra-luxury apartment building will be capable of rotating independently. The floors will be controlled by residents and can provide a continuously varying view of the surroundings. This motion will give the building a continuously changing profile.

I don't find this novelty surprising in Dubai. The country has become a theme park for the ultra rich and architects and designers are flocking there to pitch their most outrageous ideas. With a seemingly endless cash reserve the tiny emirate is awash with new construction and tourism.

I have to wonder when the fantasy will end? The vast wealth is oil-based and should their supply dry up, Dubai will be hard pressed to continue it's rampant construction. Additionally, there is the problem of the region. One or two disputes with some faction that doesn't agree with their policies or religious leanings and the place could become another Baghdad.

For tourists, it may seem a wonderful destination, but lately there are reports of patrols on the beaches looking for immoral behavior. There have already been arrests of alleged homosexuals, could islamic fundamentalism be far behind? Who knows?

I suspect once Dick Cheney retires and moves there things will become clearer.

G8 Leaders Dine on 18 Course Meal While Discussing World Hunger

And speaking of fat cats! The G8 summit discussed the problem if the global food crisis. You know what a crisis is, a critical shortage of food as in starvation. They dined on an 18 course meal! Glad to know they can identify with the problem.

Years ago I attended an event called a World Feast. It was promoted as a sampling or typical foods from around the world. As we entered the room, some people, a very few, were given gold tickets and escorted to a head table, raised above the room on a platform. Here they were served a sumptuous feast with plenty of wine and lavish proportions.

The rest of us were seated at simple tables and served a bowl of rice and a glass of water.

This was the point, to show how most of the world eats and how few people consume most of the worlds food.

Perhaps that would be a better meal for the G8 to dine on?

UK Daily Mail printed the menu. Here.

Iraq Government Wants US Out Of Iraq

Remember back when President Bush was asked how long we would be in Iraq and he responded with a declaration that we would be there as long as the Iraqi government saw fit. Well guess what? The following is from a press release by Center for American Progress.

On Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki raised the prospect of "setting a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops as part of negotiations over a new security agreement with Washington." During an official visit to Abu Dhabi, the capital of United Arab Emirates, Maliki told a gathering of Arab ambassadors, "Today, we are looking at the necessity of terminating the foreign presence on Iraqi lands and restoring full sovereignty."

Sovereignty, that was the word Bush had so much trouble defining in one of his speeches, I guess now I know why. The Bush administration seems content to occupy Iraq. As many people in that country see it, we are trying to colonize Iraq. Perhaps the best insight into the whole thing was the first name for the military action that started all this. At first the Pentagon called it "Operation Iraqi Liberation" but then someone saw that the acronym would be OIL. I guess that was too close to the truth for even the Bush bunch.

Huckabee Loved Racist Jesse Helms!

While trying to smear Barack Obama, Mike Huckabee spoke lovingly about the dead bigot Jesse Helms. He spoke of how he admired Helms whose history of being racist and homophobic are legendary.

"The thing that many of us loved and admired about Jesse Helms was that, here was a guy, he didn’t care what you thought about his view, but you were going to always know where he stood because he stood for something and he stood clearly."

Well Mike, I always knew where Hitler stood but I didn't admire him!

G8 Fails Climate Change Challenge

The G8, acting much like a corporate ostrich has once again done nothing about climate change.Like the big corporations such as oil companies, they have pushed the idea of reducing greenhouse emissions off onto a future generation. The problem is, by then it will be too late.

The result was a "target" of reducing emissions worldwide by 50% by 2050. The Kyoto Protocol sought a 5% reduction below the 1990 levels for each country. This "target" simply pushes the problem back and refuses to take immediate action.

Though there was much discussion of how to help India and China as well as other developing countries, nothing of substance really got done. Typical!

McCain Becoming Senile? Victory In Iraq Will Pay Off Our Debts?

After watching and listening to John McCain for a few weeks, I have come to the conclusion he must be suffering from early-onset dementia. I mean first he wants us in Iraq for 100 years and now he says the "victory in Iraq" will somehow magically pay off our deficit.

It certainly has paid off any debts the defense contractors had, but as far as helping out national debt, I am befuddled. I have to believe he has been having trouble focusing on reality. Of course that is a problem all Republicans have. Maybe he really is getting senile?

Indict Bush For Murder - Former Prosecutor Says

Vincent Bugliosi thinks George Bush should be prosecuted for the murder of our troops in a needless war. He gives a detailed account and rationale in his new book, “The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder.”

The book seems to be pretty good, but right now no cable news organization will touch an interview with Bugliosi, the man who prosecuted the Manson Family and author of several best selling books.

Get the word out about his new book, somebody has to hold Bush accountable.

Gasoline Shortages in Iraq - Who'd a Thunk?

The situation in Iraq for the civilians living there is abysmal. I just read a post from my friend Muhammad, a dentist in Baghdad. There was a sandstorm going on a couple of days ago, so his frustration level was pretty high, but the story is sobering.

Electricity has become so scare in Baghdad that there is none for several days at a time. Gasoline is almost non-existent. Lines at gas stations stretch for blocks and prices are through the roof. This in a country where American oil companies are getting big deals to drill and export oil. If any Iraqi ever wondered why the US was occupying Iraq, the answer is pretty clear.

Read his blog and then complain about the $4.00 a gallon gas here.

4th Of July Fireworks At Fair Park - Dallas

It is fast becoming a civic tradition in Dallas to spend the evening of the 4th of July at Fair Park. This year, like last the city put on a big Independence Day party and thousands of Dallasites attended.

Fair Park, site of the yearly State Fair of Texas is one of the largest collection of Art Deco exhibition buildings in the world. Most of the park was rebuilt for the 1936 Texas Centennial Exhibition, often noted as one of the unofficial world's fairs of the 1930's. The park is spacious, beautiful and right in the middle of town. As a side note, the park is something I know a lot about since I did a documentary film on the fair and the behind the sceens activities that make it run.

Sitting in our portable canvas chairs, my friends and I enjoyed the evening performance by the Dallas Wind Symphony followed by a fireworks show put on by the famous Grucci family of Long Island.

The music was a medley of every patriotic song we could imagine, and the fireworks were spectacular. The Gruccis have a way with pyrotechnics. Their shells are delicate and -surprising. The multi-color bursts and the multi-stage and color shells got a fair share of "oohs" and "ahhs" But the brilliant orange and rich lilacs they achieve were really art painted in fire across the sky.

It was not the most elaborate show I have seen the Grucci's do, but for a free city sponsored event it was damned good. We didn't have time to getdown to the midway where for the first time in many years rides were open for the occasion, but I understand it was fun as well.

I really like the fact that our city is starting to have these kinds of events. They are not only fun, but they make me feel like I am actually part of a community. The variety of citizens that turned out was wonderful. Rich, poor and everyone in between shared the common experience of the music and fireworks and enjoying one of our city's treasures, Fair Park.

"Mission Accomplished" For Bin Laden!

So who is really winning the "war on Terror"? Looking at the score card, I would say Osama bin Laden pretty much has the most numbers in the win column. The folks at Think Progress came up with a great statistic that really should give anyone who supports the Bush cabal pause.

Back in 1998, Bin Laden ranted that oil, then priced at %11 a barrel should go for $144 a barrel. One of his big beefs against the west was that he claimed we had"stolen $36 trillion from Muslims" in the Middle-East buying oil at cheap prices. At the time of the 9-11 attacks oil was six times cheaper than now.

Now considering that Bin Laden, the planner of the attacks is still at large and our country is out BILLIONS of dollars and THOUSANDS of lives, who is winning this alleged war?

A Personal Rant - Death, Newspapers & HIV

OK, I just looked at the last three entries on my blog and I sound like my grandmother. Seems all I have been talking about its who died. I guess I have been reading the internet equivalent of the obituaries in the newspaper. You remember newspapers don't you? Those things that were published daiuly and got ink all over your fingers.

Speaking of newspapers, my column in the Dallas Voice is about a very serious issue in the gay community. HIV infection rates are up 12% among young gay men. This means all the work and education we did during the 1980's has been forgotten or is no longer working. Time for another gearing up of the message, and despite what the drug companies would tell you, HIV/AIDS is NOT just a chronic condition like diabetes. It is mostly fatal and costs millions in medical expenses and drug bill per year.

Don't believe the advertising that all you have to do is takle a simple pill once a day. Bullshit! That simple pill, first of all will cost you sometimes over $1000 per month and without the really good insurance, you just get sick and waste away. Sorry to be so crass, but it's time we stopped sugar coating this epidemic. Want to see what AIDS does, look at the pictures of African patients.

For more of this rant, read my column in the Dallas Voice.

Kermit Love Dead At 91

The man who created Big Bird with Jim Henson is dead, long live Big Bird!.. Damn. People I knew in my early career in TV are dropping like flies!

Kermit whose white flowing beard garnered him lots of "Santa Clause" jokes was a timeless man. His wit and humor endeared him to everyone. His genius will live on in his characters and his work on film and TV.

Mr. Bozo, Larry Harmon Dies At 83

My first paying job in television was playing Professor Tweedy Foofer on the local Bozo TV show here in Dallas. At that time it was live TV and on Channel 39 the first UHF station in the area.

During my stint as the Professor and in my other job as cameraman at the station I got to meet and work with Larry Harmon, the man behind the Bozo franchise. Larry lived, slept, and breathed Bozo. He was the first "Type A" personality I distinctly remember meeting.

Though he didn't invent the character, Larry made Bozo a household word. The late Pinto Colvig created the voice, he's the same man who did Goofy for Disney. He recorded the Bozo series for Capitol Records under the creative talents of Alan Livingston the creator of the character.

Larry bought the Bozo concept from Capitol and rolled it into a national phenomenon. He franchised Bozo's in TV stations across the country and before long the clown was entertaining thousands of children every day both live in the studios and on TV.

Our little show in Dallas became so well organized that Larry began using us as the Bozo University to trian clowns for shows across the country. The talents of Paul Osborne, who played the Ringmaster as well as did all the graphics for the show and Doug Lytton who was Bozo himself helped train dozens of Bozos over the years. Part of that training was the Bozo voice.

Larry could never reproduce Pinto Colvig's trademark characterization and so he changed Bozo's voice to a more easily mimicked voice with a foggy quality to it. My favorite thing to do was to torment Larry by doing my impression of Pinto Colvig, who I can almost duplicate, and watch Larry grow speechless. That was a rare thing for Harmon, who was rarely at a loss for words.

Larry was a tireless entrepreneur and pitchman and the world will be a little less bouncy because of his loss. Harmon died at 83. My best wishes and sympathy to his family and friends.
Even though I haven't seen Larry in many years, I will miss him.

Biggot, Homophobe, Ex-Senator Jesse Helms - Dead At 86

Unrepentant racist and enemy to the entire LGBT community Jesse Helms has finally left the building. The former Republican Senator from North Carolina died today.

I am sure the GOP will start with their lofty praise for this mean old fart, but as for me, I can't celebrate the life of anyone so downright nasty. Here is a sample of Helm's quotes:

In a response to a fictional character in one of his newspaper clumns Helms wrote, "To rob the Negro of his reputation of thinking through a problem in his own fashion is about the same as trying to pretend that he doesn't have a natural instinct for rhythm and for singing and dancing."

As far as AIDS was concerned, " "There is not one single case of AIDS in this country that cannot be traced in origin to sodomy."

I could go on but I would lose my appetite for the 4th of July hot dogs I am about to cook. Americablog.com has many more.

Happy July 4th!

Sometimes it's good to go back and really understand why our country came to exist. I took a few minutes to read the Declaration of Independence this morning and I wanted to share it with you. Don't get discouraged that it isn't a snappy little paragraph, but take time and really read it. Then try to remember it when you vote in November.

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

AFA Wants To Boycott McDonald's - Another Good Reason To Order A Big Mac!

I am no fan of McDonald's Hamburgers. That said, since hearing the American Family Association has launched a boycott of the fast-food chair, I will try my best to stop in to Mickey-D's for coffee whenever possible.

The new McCafe that just opened near my house has pretty good coffee and free WiFi wo hey, whats not to like?

The AFA is boycotting McDonald's because of, you guessed it, the gay thing! Their reason? Seems McDonald's Vice President of Communications Richard Ellis will serve on the Board of Directors of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). To the God Fearing and Homo-Fearing folks at the AFA that is tantamount to joining NAMBLA.

So to all my gay readers and friends, stop into Mickey-D's for a Happy Meal today. To the right-wing wackos at the AFA, get over it!

Rove Now In Control Of McCain Campaign

The folks at Americablog.com called it. They quote an article by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune when discussing the elevation of Steve Schmidt to McCain campaign head as follows:

"The elevation of Steve Schmidt -- who worked closely with Karl Rove -- at McCain's headquarters represented a sharp diminishment of the responsibilities of Rick Davis, who has been McCain's campaign manager since the last shake-up nearly a year ago.

The move is the latest sign of increasing influence of veterans of Rove's shop in the McCain operation. Nicolle Wallace, who was communications director for Bush in the 2004 campaign (and in his White House) has joined the campaign as a senior adviser, and will travel with McCain every other week. Greg Jenkins, another veteran of Rove's operation who is a former Fox News producer and director of presidential advance in the Bush White House, was hired by Schmidt last week after a series of what McCain's advisers acknowledged were poorly executed campaign events."

So for all those folks who though McCain was anything but a George Bush clone, think again. Looks like Karl Rove will be guiding the campaign from behind the scenes as well as an on-camera figure on FOX. Look for dirty politics, racial slurs and buisness as usual from the GOP.

McCain Campaign Staff Shake Up!

McCain has had a major shake up in his staff. Rick Davis is being booted and replaced by Karl Rove acolyte, Steve Schmidt. Though the McCain campaign says it isn't a shake up, it seems strange that Davis who was hired less than a year ago is being moved from such a critical positino at this time.

Schmidt will take over day to day operations of the campaign. This seems to be a shift on strategy and I would look for lots of Rove style dirty tricks!

Bush Stimulus Checks Stimulate Porn Biz

I really love the "law of unexpected consequences". An interesting statistic was released today by the Adult Internet Market Research Company. These are the folk that track trends in the erotic and adult film industries. They discovered a bump of 20 to 30% since the economic stimulus checks started going out! Glad to see someone is profiting from Bush's lame brained plan.

Think this is a fluke? Well according to the research group, “thirty two percent of respondents referenced the recent stimulus package as part of their decision to either become a new member, or renew an existing membership.”

Face it, America loves porn!

Right Wing Talk Show Host Says McCain Would Be Just More Bush!

Things in "Right Wing World" must be getting pretty bad when even conservative talk show hosts are telling the truth! Yesterday far-right talker Michael Smerconish was sitting in for Bill O'Reilly. He opened a segment by saying, “I’m going to tell you something else many of you are not going to want to hear."

"We’ve squandered resources in Iraq."

Then, he went on to detail why John McCain would be just acontinuation of the failed Bush presidency.

"To the extent that John McCain is representative of a continuation of the current Bush policy, I think it’s a huge impediment to his campaign for President of the United States. And I told him so. My feelings about this issue are so strenuous, are so strong, that it may represent a break point between yours truly and the Republican party in terms of the candidate on the top of the ticket. … I have never voted for a Democrat for President. I could do it on the strength of this issue alone because of my disagreement with the Administration and my fear that John McCain represents more of the same."

Think Progress has more and a video clip. Watch it and just imagine a talk show host saying this a few years ago. Unthinkable.

Tesla Motors To Build New Electric Car In Bay Area

I've been watching Tesla Motors for a few years. Their all-electric cars have shaken the auto industry who have long claimed electric cars were slow, impractical and always something "just a few years away". Tesla created a hand built sports car with the power and performance even a Ferrari can't match. Their all electric 2008 Tesla Roadster is a hot car, but the $109,000 price tag makes it inaccessible for all but the ultra-rich.

Now Tesla has announced they are building a plant in the San Francisco Bay Area to produce a lower cost vehicle. Still not a bargain car by any means the $60,000 five-passenger electric sports sedan will put more of these zero emission vehicles on the streets.

Tesla announced plans for the new factory yesterday with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in attendance. The plant had been planned for New Mexico, but the state of California gave some hefty tax incentives to attract the new industry.

"We want these cutting edge companies not just to start in California and do their research and development here. We want them to build in California," siad Gov. Schwarzenegger.

Now if we can just get GM and Ford to put their electric vehicles back in production we might have a chance to reveve the sagging US car industry and reduce dependence on foreign oil.

Obama On Patriotism - A Moving And Great Speech

I listened to the speech Barack Obama made in Independence, Missouri today. Once again he delivered a great piece of oratory. It was a great speech for the week of July 4th and an even better one for a candidate that has been wrongly accused of being unpatriotic because he didn't wear a cheezy flag lapel pin.

This is one of my favorite passages from the speech.

I believe those who attack America's flaws without acknowledging the singular greatness of our ideals, and their proven capacity to inspire a better world, do not truly understand America.

Of course, precisely because America isn't perfect, precisely because our ideals constantly demand more from us, patriotism can never be defined as loyalty to any particular leader or government or policy. As Mark Twain, that greatest of American satirists and proud son of Missouri, once wrote, "Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it." We may hope that our leaders and our government stand up for our ideals, and there are many times in our history when that's occurred. But when our laws, our leaders or our government are out of alignment with our ideals, then the dissent of ordinary Americans may prove to be one of the truest expression of patriotism.

Read the entire speech here.

McCain's Lack Of Tech Savvy A Problem

In the 21st Century anyone who thinks a candidate for president can be computer illeterate and still govern our country needs a wake up call. Those are the phone calls hotels used to make instead of expecting you to be able to operate an alarm clock.

John McCain admits he is a "computer illiterate" and "aware of the internet". As a candidate trying to appeal to a country where even the most remote towns and burgs have internet access and Ma and Pa are making a few extra bucks selling antiques on Ebay it sounds like McCain is not exactly up to date.

If the GOP hopes to recapture the youth of America and not just fade away (something I wish they would do), they need to get McCain up to speed and online. Yeah, like that's going to happen!

Is John McCain The Manchurian Candidate?

If I was a sneaky bastard, like the folks spreading the rumors about Barack Obama, I’d make sure everyone saw the movie Manchurian Candidate. In it a former prisoner of war is psychologically programmed to commit an act of treason.

While John McCain was being tortured, was he being programmed? Is there any way to know for sure. We can only take his word for it and if he was programmed, well he would be trained to lie.

See how easy it is to start a rumor? Now it is up to the McCain forces to prove me wrong. Except, they can’t, McCain may be programmed to lie about it so how can you trust him?

So let’s just stop this rumor crap before it becomes a big problem for everyone. Remember, the American people are good, honest and hard working and gullible as can be! Didn’t they buy a war with Iraq and believe Sadaam was responsible for 9/11?

John McCain Home Tour - Elitist?

So, I guess having 10 to 13 homes across the country really doesn't make you an elitist. At least that's the reasoning of the GOP who has been throwing that term at Obama lately. Meanwhile, John McCain and his wife own prime properties in the most exclusive areas of the country.

The Jed Report made a nice Google Earth tour.

Baptist Scholar Says Wives Bring On Abuse Themselves

Sometimes I just have to marvel at the insipid interpretations of the Bible fundamentalists come up with. They claim they believe in "literal interpretation' of the Bible but when pressed on issues of conflicting stories in the bible, they resort to interpretive meanings.

Beyond that kind of minutia, are the just plain wacko fundamentalists who find verses and justifications in the Bible for anything they want. Take Reverend Bruce Ware of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

From the pulpit in Denton, Texas he gave men who abuse their wives a free pass. He puts the blame squarely on the wives for their abuse.

“And husbands on their parts, because they’re sinners, now respond to that threat to their authority either by being abusive, which is of course one of the ways men can respond when their authority is challenged - -or, more commonly, to become passive, acquiescent, and simply not asserting the leadership they ought to as men in their homes and in churches,”

Its good to know that Ware at least acknowledges these men are "sinners", though he gives them a free pass because their wives "made them" do it. Give me that Old Tyme Religion!

Note: I consider myself a liberal Christian. If you want more information of people who follow Jesus and are not intolerant or trying to live in the stone age, check out my church's denomination, the United Church of Christ.

McCain's Home In Default For 4 Years Of Unpaid Taxes

As the real John McCain becomes more and more evident, the maverick seems more like a scofflaw. Huffington Post has discovered that John McCain has been shirking taxes on his condo in La Jolla, California. He is four years behind in tax payments and the property has gone into default.

I guess it’s understandable that you could forget one home when you own seven of them. Not surprisingly, as Newsweek was about to release the story, McCain suddenly paid the back taxes.’

I guess if you are poor, you just lose your home, but if you are rich you can ignore the law and then jump in at the last minute and try to erase the evidence. In this time when so many people are losing their homes and mortgage companies going belly-up, it’s more than ironic that McCain and his wife are playing games with the real estate holdings. The problem is they have the money and could have kept the taxes current, they just chose not to. Now that’s a maverick!

McCain Pledges To Be More Anti-Gay!

I hate to belabor the point but the meeting between John McCain and the Log Closet Republicans last week apparently had an interesting effect. Today McCain met with a group of Ohio conservatives and promised to be more vocal on his opposition to gay marriage. In addition he told the group he would pick an anti-abortion running mate.

Yup, the LCRs are really having an effect on the GOP. They provide comic relief from the dour business of appeasing the religious right. Time for the people who are suffering the self-deception of being "gay Republicans" to get into counseling. There is a better way!

John McCain On Gay & Lesbian Americans

Stonewall Democrats, an organization I am proud to be part of cut together this little music video of John McCain's record on LGBT rights. Nice work!

Michelle Obama Addresses Gay & Lesbian Gala

While McCain meets in secret with the Log Closet Republicans, Michelle Obama is the Keynote speaker for the Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council Gala Thursday night at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.

Other Democratic luminaries attending will be, Howard Dean, New York Gov. David Paterson's wife, Michelle and President of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors David Cicilline.

Supreme Court Strikes Down Handgun Ban

Here in the wild west of Texas having a gun has always been seen as just a fashion accessory. The problem with them is that they keep going off and killing people. Oh well, fashion knows no pain!

Now the Supreme Court has affirmed the right of individuals to own handguns for the first time since the second amendment was written. There is that pesky part about a "well-regulated militia", but who cares about that.

The ruling strikes down Washington, DC's 32-year-old handgun ban. Now I do have to ask if that ban has made DC any safer? Somehow I doubt it, yet I have to believe that should a sudden proliferation of handguns occur, many of them will find their way into the hands of criminals. Oh boy! More criminals with guns, too! Heck, in Texas that sounds like a party, just add some booze!

Cynicism aside, I believe the country has been made less safe by this ruling. I have owned guns in the past. That past tense is because my house was burglarized and the thief stole them, along with almost everything else. That was many years ago and I haven't had a gun since. I have a burglar alarm system now.

The ruling thankfully, did not prevent states from requiring permits to carry guns. Let's hope that small measure of sanity remains in place.