The Liberal Patriot Blog

Rest in Peace

2008-08-29T17:06:00.004-04:00

Will Cowie died this week. He was killed in an electrical accident on a jobsite in NY.

Jon Easton founded this blog, with a lot of help and input from Will. They let me join the club. I had a lot of fun with them; smart, funny, feminist, men.

One of my favorite memories of Will is from the summer of 2005. Former NH Governor Benson had asked the legislature to form a commission to study same sex marriage in NH. The commission had some public hearings around the state. The first one was in Littleton, chosen undoubtedly because the GOP controlled commission expected low turnout, and a lot of redneck northern hicks talking about sin, and doom. What they got was a room filled with over 100 people. There were 6 who testified against marriage equality. Early in the evening, a tall, good looking man in a suit, with a military haircut, and carrying a Bible came in. Most assumed he was there to expound on how same gender marriage would be an affront to God.

They were wrong.

That man was Will Cowie - who explained who he was, and how he felt - which was that we are all equal, and should all have the same rights and privileges, and he didn't see anything in that book he was holding that said otherwise.

I loved Will. I'm going to miss him.

obituary

EDIT: If you miss Will's voice you can do what I do. Go heAR.

Congressional Votes

2007-11-09T13:34:00.001-05:00

Recent Senate Votes

Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2007 - Vote Passed (70-22, 8 Not Voting)

In a bipartisan effort, the Senate passed this $11.4 billion bill reauthorizing Amtrak for six years.

Sen. Judd Gregg voted NO......send e-mail or see bio
Sen. John Sununu voted NO......send e-mail or see bio

Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act - Vote Passed (64-30, 6 Not Voting)

The Senate passed a new bill to reauthorize and expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Sen. Judd Gregg voted NO......send e-mail or see bio
Sen. John Sununu voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

Recent House Votes

Small Business Contracting Program Improvements Act - Vote Passed (334-80, 18 Not Voting)

This House bill is intended to update the government’s contracting programs targeting veteran and minority owned businesses.

Rep. Paul Hodes voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

Trade and Globalization Assistance Act - Vote Passed (264-157, 11 Not Voting)

On Wednesday the House passed this bill that reauthorizes and expands the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program.

Rep. Paul Hodes voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act - Vote Passed (244-166, 22 Not Voting)

This House bill would overhaul environmental standards applied to mining, finance abandoned mine site clean-up, and charge royalties for hardrock mines located on federal lands.

Rep. Paul Hodes voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

Wow

2007-11-02T14:09:00.000-04:00

from daily kos

Maybe he just has a wide stance...

2007-10-20T14:17:00.000-04:00

J.K. Rowling, author of the mega-selling fantasy series that ended last summer, outed the beloved character Friday night while appearing before a full house at Carnegie Hall.

After reading briefly from the final book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," she took questions from audience members.

She was asked by one young fan whether Dumbledore finds "true love."

"Dumbledore is gay," the author responded to gasps and applause.

from huffington post

A fork in the eye to all the radical zealots who had her books drummed out of librarys and schools. Thank you Ms. Rowling for introducing a generation of video children to the magic of reading and for showing even more that yes, people you respect and admire are sometimes gay. Deal with it.

Box Bloat

2007-10-09T12:47:00.000-04:00

The mission of Catalog Choice is to improve the efficiency of catalog distribution by reducing the number of repeat and unsolicited mailings, and to promote the adoption of sustainable industry best practices.

We aim to accomplish this mission by providing this free service to consumers and businesses. Consumers can create a private account, indicating which catalogs they no longer wish to receive in the mail. Businesses can secure a merchant account to receive a list of consumers that no longer want to receive catalogs in the mail.

check them out

Nearly half of the planet’s original forest cover is gone today. Forests have effectively disappeared in 25 countries, and another 29 have lost more than 90% of their forest cover.

If steps aren’t taken to protect them, rainforests around the world could disappear within 40 years.

Covering less than 2% of Earth’s surface, rainforests are home to more than half of the world’s plants and animals.

More than 1 billion people living in extreme poverty around the world depend on forests for their livelihoods.

Deforestation contributes between 20% and 25% of all carbon pollution causing global climate change.

The production and disposal of direct mail alone consumes more energy than 3 million cars.

Over eight million tons of trees are consumed each year in the production of paper catalogs.

Americans want to cut off war funding [i.e. END THE WAR]

2007-10-03T10:19:00.000-04:00

Most Americans oppose fully funding President George W. Bush's $190 billion request to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan while a majority supports expanding a children's health care program
he has threatened to veto, a Washington Post-ABC News poll shows.

....

Bush's approval rating stands at 33 percent, equal to his all-time low in this poll and just 29 percent approve of the job Congress is doing -- a 14-point drop since Democrats took control in January, the newspaper said.

.....

Only about 25 percent of Americans support the administration's $190 billion war funding request; 70 percent want the proposed allocation reduced, the Post said.

from reuters
Yet common political wisdom is "we just can't cut funding for the war". Why not? American's elected you to end the war. American's want funding cut. [American's want a national health care system.]

It ain't over...

2007-10-02T11:19:00.000-04:00

Why is it that people with a straight face say that Hillary already has this?

The Huffington Post has learned that Senator Barack Obama, D-IL, raised a total of $20 million during the third quarter fundraising period, $19 million of which can be used for the primary election.

.....

Obama's fundraising was aided by approximately 93,000 new donors who contributed to the campaign during the past three months. The decline in the money total was attributed to the traditionally slow fundraising months of July and August.

To date, the Obama campaign has raised more than $78 million, nearly $75 million of which is slated for the primary election. In addition, more than 350,000 people have donated to Obama since he announced his presidential candidacy.

from huffington post

The real news is the number of new donors. Those are people who never have donated before AND he can keep going back to.

Our Democratic Congress

2007-10-01T16:07:00.000-04:00

Iraq War Funding Authorized:

4 Years Under Republicans:

$380 Billion

1 Year Under Democrats

$300 Billion

from daily kos

Recent Votes

2007-09-25T11:26:00.001-04:00

Recent Senate Votes

Motion to Invoke Cloture: District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007 - Vote Rejected (57-42, 1 Not Voting)

The Senate failed to move forward with this bill that would create a new seat for the District of Columbia in the House of Representatives.

Sen. Judd Gregg voted NO......send e-mail or see bio
Sen. John Sununu voted NO......send e-mail or see bio

Levin Amendment: To provide for a reduction and transition of United States forces in Iraq - Vote Rejected (47-47, 6 Not Voting)

The Senate voted against setting a nine month deadline to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq.

Sen. Judd Gregg voted NO......send e-mail or see bio
Sen. John Sununu voted NO......send e-mail or see bio

Recent House Votes

Expanding American Homeownership Act of 2007 - Vote Passed (348-72, 12 Not Voting)

The House easily passed this bill that will give the Federal Housing Administration the authority to assist struggling homeowners in making their mortgage payments.

Rep. Paul Hodes voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

Terrorism Risk Insurance Revision and Extension Act - Vote Passed (312-110, 10 Not Voting)

The House passed this bill that would help the insurance industry cover costs in the event of a terrorist attack.

Rep. Paul Hodes voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

FAA Reauthorization Act of 2007 - Vote Passed (267-151, 14 Not Voting)

The House passed a measure obliging airlines to change flight schedules if the airlines are worsening delays with too many peak hour flights at the most trafficked airports.

Rep. Paul Hodes voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

why should god bless america?

2007-09-24T13:54:00.000-04:00

Those zany "values voters" LOL. Since it isn't a clever pun on Petraeus I guess it isn't new worthy.

Recent NH Votes

2007-09-11T14:40:00.001-04:00

Recent Senate Votes

Military Construction/Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, FY2008 - Vote Passed (92-1, 7 Not Voting)

Senate lawmakers passed this bill increasing medical assistance to veterans.

Sen. Judd Gregg voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
Sen. John Sununu voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

State/Foreign Operations Appropriations Act, FY 2008 - Vote Passed (81-12, 7 Not Voting)

The Senate passed this measure that would provide $34 billion to fund foreign aid and U.S. diplomacy for the upcoming fiscal year.

Sen. Judd Gregg voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
Sen. John Sununu voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

College Cost Reduction Act of 2007 - Vote Agreed to (79-12, 9 Not Voting)

This bill will trim over $20 billion in federal subsidies to institutions that create student loans in order to increase financial aid to college students.

Sen. Judd Gregg voted NO......send e-mail or see bio
Sen. John Sununu voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

Recent House Votes

Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Reauthorization Act - Vote Passed (333-75, 24 Not Voting)

House lawmakers easily passed this bill re-authorizing housing assistance for Native Americans.

Rep. Paul Hodes voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

Patent Reform Act of 2007 - Vote Passed (220-175, 37 Not Voting)

The House passed this legislation that would revise patent laws.

Rep. Paul Hodes voted NO......send e-mail or see bio

College Cost Reduction Act of 2007 - Vote Passed (292-97, 43 Not Voting)

The House gave final approval to this bill that would cut over $20 billion in federal subsidies to institutions that create student loans in order to increase financial aid to college students.

Rep. Paul Hodes voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

NH Health Care Barons mudsling Hodes and Shea-Porter

2007-09-10T16:41:00.001-04:00

Nursing Home Industry Targets NH's Congressional Delegation

By Mark Bevis

story @ NHPR

oh and in case you missed this story..

Insurance Companies Kept $59 Million Due Medicare Consumers

Robert Pear reports for The New York Times, "Private insurance companies participating in Medicare have been allowed to keep tens of millions of dollars that should have gone to consumers, and the Bush administration did not properly audit the companies or try to recover money paid in error, Congressional investigators say in a new report."

from truthout.org

Cutting out the middle merchant

2007-09-10T16:29:00.000-04:00

On Friday, Congress "approved legislation yesterday that cuts more than $20 billion in government subsidies to institutions that make student loans, and uses most of that money to pay for increased financial aid for college students."

from CFAP

Backwash Economics

2007-09-10T16:21:00.000-04:00

Paul Krugman Where's My Trickle?

Paul Krugman writes for The New York Times: "The absence of any gains for workers in the years since the 2003 tax cut is a pretty convincing refutation of trickle-down theory. So is the fact that the economy had a much more convincing boom after Bill Clinton raised taxes on top brackets. It turns out that when you cut taxes on the rich, the rich pay less taxes; when you raise taxes on the rich, they pay more taxes - end of story."

from truthout.org

Union Endorsements for Edwards

2007-09-04T17:23:00.000-04:00

Over Labor Day Weekend, John was honored to receive the endorsements of two of the biggest unions in the country - the United Steelworkers and the United Mine Workers of America.

Combined with the support of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, John is now backed by more than 1.8 million union members and retirees - more than any other candidate in the race.

from John Edwards.com

Unions Matter

2007-09-04T17:20:00.000-04:00

Striking Steel
Solidarity Remembered
Temple University Press, 2000

The labor union is an underappreciated and easily misunderstood institution. It's underappreciated first because American culture depreciates all institutions as "bureaucracies" that stifle the natural goodness and spontaneous vitality of both "the individual" and that collected mass of individuals we call "the people." But of all of our institutions, none (with the exception of the armed forces) goes against the grain of our radical individualism like the union -- not just in its practice, but in its beliefs. Most people have little or no direct experience as a union member, and even members, particularly those who have to join the union as a condition of employment, have little to do with the union unless or until they have trouble. Most union members probably appreciate their union, if they do, like they appreciate the sewer system -- they're glad it's there, but they neither understand how it works nor are cognizant that it works until it malfunctions. Only those who directly experience the before and after of the union can properly appreciate it for what it is and what it does.

From the AFL-CIO, what are the concrete benefits of union jobs?

from Daily kos

Republicans skip Spanish-language Debate.

2007-08-30T15:14:00.000-04:00

As if Latinos needed more reason to swing heavily Democratic next year, how about this bit of Republican disrespect?

Univisión planned to air the first presidential debates in Spanish on Sept. 9 and 16, one for Democrats, the other for Republicans, trumpeting a national coming-out party for Hispanic voters.

Except Republican candidates aren't coming. Only Ariz. Sen. John McCain agreed to participate in the event at the University of Miami.

So much for Sept. 16.

''That date is off the table,'' university spokeswoman Bárbara Gutiérrez said Wednesday.

Democrats aren't passing up this chance to communicate with one of the nation's largest swing constituencies.

All eight Democratic candidates are slated to show up Sept. 9, and party leaders plan to highlight the contrast. The New Democratic Network, a nationwide political group, is planning news conferences and inviting Hispanic leaders, including Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, former Cabinet member Henry Cisneros and U.S. Rep. Luís Gutiérrez of Illinois.

More @ Daily Kos

Most of them already bails on the Cancer Forum.

You have to admit though, when you are completely beholden to Corporate Interests, it can be very hard to find time in your schedule.

Not-Gay Not-Larry-Craig News

2007-08-30T12:30:00.000-04:00

Bad Scary News

Members of an Iranian Energy Ministry delegation visiting Baghdad at the invitation of the Iraqi government were released Wednesday, a day after being arrested at their hotel by American troops and led away in handcuffs and blindfolds.

.....

Iraqi and Iranian officials said the Iranians were in Baghdad to help resolve Iraq’s power crisis. American officials said they were held after being stopped and searched at a checkpoint near their hotel because unauthorized weapons were found in their vehicles.

more @ NYTimes

Good News [You probably never heard about because the Corporate Media thinks it wont get ratings.]

Taliban militants in Afghanistan have now released 12 of the 19 South Korean hostages they have been holding for the past five weeks.

from ABC news via Rachel Maddow Show

BUMP: Take Action

2007-08-30T12:11:00.000-04:00

Katrina Information Network

http://www.katrinaaction.org

KATRINA ADDITIONAL FACTS – May 10, 2007

Number of teachers that Louisiana’s state-run Recovery School District was short for 2007: 70
Percent drop in enrollment of Louisiana state public colleges and universities from fall 2005 to fall 2006: 12
Damage sustained by local nonprofit health centers in Louisiana and Mississippi: $60 million
The number of adult inpatient psychiatric beds in post- Katrina New Orleans, compared to a pre-storm high of 234: 17
When New Orleans’ University Hospital reopened in November 2006, the number of its 575 pre-storm beds available: 85
Over 107,000 people have applied for aid under Louisiana’s “Road Home Program,” yet just over 630 closings have been held to date.
There are not adequate programs to help renters in Louisiana and Mississippi although they constituted nearly half of those displaced by Katrina. In New Orleans, average rents are up 45 percent from pre-Katrina levels.
Despite the region’s severe affordable housing crisis, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO), which is in HUD receivership, plan to raze almost 5,000 public housing units in the city, even though they did not suffer significant storm damage.
The number of children is outstripping capacity, with students facing packed classrooms, few special-education services and a lack of books. This January, New Orleans public schools placed 300 students on waiting list because they had no room, sparking lawsuits by public education advocates.

Remember that hurricane......

2007-08-30T12:00:00.000-04:00

Many of those people are still without homes.... with the city left in shambles. Why isn't that on the news still? Guess it's not sexy enough.

Katrina Timeline from Hullabaloo

7AM CDT — KATRINA MAKES LANDFALL AS A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE [CNN]

7:30 AM CDT — BUSH ADMINISTRATION NOTIFIED OF THE LEVEE BREACH: The administration finds out that a levee in New Orleans was breached. On this day, 28 “government agencies, from local Louisiana parishes to the White House, [reported that] that New Orleans levees” were breached. [AP]

8AM CDT — MAYOR NAGIN REPORTS THAT WATER IS FLOWING OVER LEVEE: “I’ve gotten reports this morning that there is already water coming over some of the levee systems. In the lower ninth ward, we’ve had one of our pumping stations to stop operating, so we will have significant flooding, it is just a matter of how much.” [NBC’s “Today Show”]

11:13 AM CDT - WHITE HOUSE CIRCULATES INTERNAL MEMO ABOUT LEVEE BREACH: “Flooding is significant throughout the region and a levee in New Orleans has reportedly been breached sending 6-8 feet of water throughout the 9th ward area of the city.” [AP]

MORNING — BROWN WARNS BUSH ABOUT THE POTENTIAL DEVASTATION OF KATRINA: In a briefing, Brown warned Bush, “This is, to put it mildly, the big one, I think.” He also voiced concerns that the government may not have the capacity to “respond to a catastrophe within a catastrophe” and that the Superdome was ill-equipped to be a refuge of last resort. [AP]

MORNING — MAYFIELD WARNS BUSH ABOUT THE TOPPING OF THE LEVEES: In the same briefing, Max Mayfield, National Hurricane Center Director, warns, “This is a category 5 hurricane, very similar to Hurricane Andrew in the maximum intensity, but there’s a big big difference. This hurricane is much larger than Andrew ever was. I also want to make absolutely clear to everyone that the greatest potential for large loss of lives is still in the coastal areas from the storm surge. … I don’t think anyone can tell you with any confidence right now whether the levees will be topped or not, but there’s obviously a very very grave concern.” [AP]

MORNING — BUSH CALLS SECRETARY CHERTOFF TO DISCUSS IMMIGRATION: “I spoke to Mike Chertoff today — he’s the head of the Department of Homeland Security. I knew people would want me to discuss this issue [immigration], so we got us an airplane on — a telephone on Air Force One, so I called him. I said, are you working with the governor? He said, you bet we are.” [White House]

MORNING — BUSH SHARES BIRTHDAY CAKE PHOTO-OP WITH SEN. JOHN MCCAIN [White House]

11AM CDT — MICHAEL BROWN FINALLY REQUESTS THAT DHS DISPATCH 1,000 EMPLOYEES TO REGION, GIVES THEM TWO DAYS TO ARRIVE: “Brown’s memo to Chertoff described Katrina as ‘this near catastrophic event’ but otherwise lacked any urgent language. The memo politely ended, ‘Thank you for your consideration in helping us to meet our responsibilities.’” [AP]

LATE MORNING — LEVEE BREACHED: “A large section of the vital 17th Street Canal levee, where it connects to the brand new ‘hurricane proof’ Old Hammond Highway bridge, gave way late Monday morning in Bucktown after Katrina’s fiercest winds were well north.” [Times-Picayune]

11AM CDT — BUSH VISITS ARIZONA RESORT TO PROMOTE MEDICARE DRUG BENEFIT: “This new bill I signed says, if you’re a senior and you like the way things are today, you’re in good shape, don’t change. But, by the way, there’s a lot of different options for you. And we’re here to talk about what that means to our seniors.” [White House]

4:30PM CDT — BUSH TRAVELS TO CALIFORNIA SENIOR CENTER TO DISCUSS MEDICARE DRUG BENEFIT: “We’ve got some folks up here who are concerned about their Social Security or Medicare. Joan Geist is with us. … I could tell — she was looking at me when I first walked in the room to meet her, she was wondering whether or not old George W. is going to take away her Social Security check.” [White House]

8PM CDT — RUMSFELD ATTENDS SAN DIEGO PADRES BASEBALL GAME: Rumsfeld “joined Padres President John Moores in the owner’s box…at Petco Park.” [Editor & Publisher]

8PM CDT — GOV. BLANCO AGAIN REQUESTS ASSISTANCE FROM BUSH: “Mr. President, we need your help. We need everything you’ve got.” [Newsweek]

LATE PM — BUSH GOES TO BED WITHOUT ACTING ON BLANCO’S REQUESTS [Newsweek]

Complete Timeline @ thinkprogress

Day and Night....

2007-08-30T09:55:00.000-04:00

Edwards in Portsmouth, NH

First-tier Republicans skip cancer forum

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The biggest names in the GOP presidential primary — Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) — skipped the first-ever forum on cancer sponsored by Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong Foundation.

more @ thehill.com

Me Me Me First Madness.

2007-08-30T09:36:00.000-04:00

G.O.P. Plans Early-Primary Penalties

The Republican National Committee plans to penalize at least five states holding early primaries, including New Hampshire and Florida, by refusing to seat at least half of their delegates at the national convention in 2008, a party official said yesterday.

Much of the focus in the primary scheduling fight up to now has been on the Democratic National Committee’s moves to penalize Florida by not seating its convention delegates because of the state’s decision to move up its primary. But the Republican rules are just as stringent, and the national party said yesterday that it would not hesitate to enforce them.

more @ NYTimes

I mean to post about the DNC threats to Florida.

more on that here

Florida Dems threaten to sue DNC... /sigh

Florida Democrats wrote a letter to Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean Friday, threatening a lawsuit if the party penalizes them for moving their presidential primary.

more here

Republican = Scandal

2007-08-30T09:28:00.000-04:00

As The New York Times notes ... scandal has pursued them into 2007. “The real question for Republicans in Washington is how low can you go, because we are approaching a level of ridiculousness,” says one Republican strategist.

So what's the tally this year so far? Well, there is, of course,

1) Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) and

2) Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) with their sex scandals (the attempted restroom tryst and numerous successful hotel room trysts, respectively).

3) Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) and

4) Rep. Don Young (R-AK) are under investigation for their ties to the oil company Veco (though that's just the tip of the iceberg for Young).

5) Reps. Tom Feeney (R-FL) and

6) John Doolittle (R-CA) have found themselves the focus of a reinvigorated Abramoff investigation (though Abramoff is in prison, he's still busily cooperating).

7) Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ) had his house raided.

8) The FBI is investigating Rep. Gary Miller's (R-CA) land deals.

9) Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) whose land deal with a businessman and campaign contributor became such a scandal that she finally just sold back the plot of land.

12) Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) and

13) Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) ..... Both are facing ethics committee investigations for their calls last October to former U.S. attorney David Iglesias about his office's investigation of a state Democrat.)

A kind of bonus field of scandal has been campaign officials for the various Republican candidates and their various scandals.

And there are a couple holdovers from 2006, of course; scandal figures who've stuck around and managed to keep a relatively low profile.

10) Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA) is still apparently under federal investigation. And

11) Rep. Ken Calvert's (R-CA) land deals are still winning scrutiny.

more @ talking points memo

To good for him, in my opinion.

2007-08-30T09:23:00.000-04:00

After the Bush Library reportedly backed out of a portrait they had commissioned from British artist Jonathan Yeo, the 36-year-old artist went forward with one anyway, a collage created from fragments of 100 porn magazines.

Check out the unblurred work here.

from towleroad

Beyond the photo op....

2007-08-29T14:03:00.000-04:00

Rescue and recovery workers at ground zero have developed asthma at a rate that is 12 times what would be expected for adults, according to findings released yesterday by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

from truthout.org

more of the forgotten.....

John Lynch cares about young people.

2007-08-29T13:54:00.000-04:00

Here in New Hampshire, we are working to make sure every child has access to quality, affordable health care. Just this year, we passed a budget that will allow us to provide affordable health insurance to another 10,000 children and expand our outreach efforts.

That is why I am so disturbed about rule changes that the Bush Administration proposed last week. [for more info on those rule changes see my post "George Bush doesn't care about young people"]

...

These proposed changes could negatively impact 2,000 kids currently enrolled in Healthy Kids. It also could jeopardize part of our efforts to enroll 10,000 additional children in the Healthy Kids program over the next three years

from Gov. Lynch

Find out more at www.nhhealthykids.org.

More about Lynch

Gov. Bill Richardson to visit Plymouth 9/2

2007-08-29T13:42:00.000-04:00

Sunday, September 2 - 10:00AM -18 Thurlow Street,Plymouth

This event is FREE and open to the public. Come meet Governor Bill Richardson and ask him the questions that are important to you.

Plymouth Are Democrats will have a table of our information and donations will be accepted. We are raising funds for our headquarters next summer!!

Contact:Abby Campbell acampbell@richardsonforpresident.com

"Thank you all very much for coming out today,"

2007-08-29T12:07:00.000-04:00

"Thank you all very much for coming out today," Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho began his press conference yesterday.

Republican Idaho Senator Larry Craig is the latest Conflicted Conservative in Crisis to be caught with his pants down. According to Roll Call , Craig was arrested in June at a Minnesota airport by a plainclothes police officer investigating lewd conduct complaints in a men's public restroom.

....

According to the incident report, Sgt. Dave Karsnia was working as a plainclothes officer on June 11 investigating civilian complaints regarding sexual activity in the men's public restroom in which Craig was arrested.

Airport police previously had made numerous arrests in the men's restroom of the Northstar Crossing in the Lindbergh Terminal in connection with sexual activity.

from the Nation

My first thought of hearing about this was "Surprise surprise, yet another "family values" anti-gay crusader turns out to be not only gay, but engaging in practices that no self respecting gay person ever would."

If you want to learn more about how Not-Gay Senators hook up with Men in bathroom stalls read more here."

Over five months, the Statesman examined rumors about Craig dating to his college days and his 1982 pre-emptive denial that he had sex with underage congressional pages."

More of Craigs known and largely suppressed sexual history @ Dailykos.

"To me, it's pretty obvious that every conservative anti-gay extremist is gay. If you're not gay, you don't sit around obsessing over gay sex. If you sit around obsessing about gay sex, then you're gay. It's that simple."

Here Kos discusses the Parody of the anti-gay values set

I know this is a HUGE deal. It has large political ramifications AND its exactly the kind of story the Corporate Media loves so it will play and play and play and play.

Which is exactly why I am already sick of it.

Initially I was pissed because they somehow kept a lid on it. The arrest stayed a secret for 2 1/2 months.

Then as I began to realize that this was going to be the news focus for the coming weeks to months I stopped caring.

Anyone care about the housing market dying? Or the stock market tanking? Or that mortage loan sharks getting bail out? Anyone remember Katrina? Walter Reed? Rove resigning? Gonzales? Afghanistan? Remember those miners?

Screw it... HERE is the REAL story to watch!!

Husbands less likely to share housework than live-in boyfriends, study finds

Now thats what I call a REAL threat to marriage!

U.S. most armed country with 90 guns per 100 people

2007-08-29T09:45:00.000-04:00

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States has 90 guns for every 100 citizens, making it the most heavily armed society in the world, a report released on Tuesday said.

U.S. citizens own 270 million of the world's 875 million known firearms, according to the Small Arms Survey 2007 by the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International Studies.

About 4.5 million of the 8 million new guns manufactured worldwide each year are purchased in the United States, it said.

"There is roughly one firearm for every seven people worldwide. Without the United States, though, this drops to about one firearm per 10 people," it said

more yahoo news via huffingtonpost

Clothesline Activism

2007-08-28T12:13:00.000-04:00

Over in New Hampshire, clothesline activists have asked for legislative advice from Project Laundry List – the first US clothesline activist group – according to the group's founder, Alexander Lee. And North Carolina recently passed a law invalidating city or county limitations on "energy devices based on the use of renewable resources." In addition, the clothesline movement there is hoping to find a "test case" to legally establish clothesline rights in North Carolina, Mr. Lee says.

"We get e-mails and calls every day from people wanting to know where they can get the materials to hang out their clothes or how to deal with homeowners' association rules," says Bryan Wentzell, the group's chairman of the board. "[The Right to Dry movement] could take off all across the country," he says, noting that independent states like Vermont will be the first to jump on the bandwagon."

More @ CSM

More info on Project Laundry List

Gonzales is Gone

2007-08-27T11:01:00.000-04:00

Alberto Gonzales to resign.

more @ truthout.org

more @ dailykos here and here

more @ nytimes via huffington post

Bill Richardson and Trade

2007-08-27T10:09:00.000-04:00

Great commentary and video clips on Bill Richardson's recent August 24th visit to Keene, NH

Check out Blue New Hampshire

Not in my name.

2007-08-25T11:07:00.000-04:00

Iraq Corruption Whistleblowers Made to Suffer

For daring to report illegal arms sales, Navy veteran Donald Vance says he was imprisoned by the American military in a security compound outside Baghdad and subjected to harsh interrogation methods.

There were times, huddled on the floor in solitary confinement with that head-banging music blaring dawn to dusk and interrogators yelling the same questions over and over, that Vance began to wish he had just kept his mouth shut.

He had thought he was doing a good and noble thing when he started telling the FBI about the guns and the land mines and the rocket-launchers — all of them being sold for cash, no receipts necessary, he said. He told a federal agent the buyers were Iraqi insurgents, American soldiers, State Department workers, and Iraqi embassy and ministry employees.

...

So Vance says he blew the whistle, supplying photos and documents and other intelligence to an FBI agent in his hometown of Chicago because he didn't know whom to trust in Iraq.

For his trouble, he says, he got 97 days in Camp Cropper, an American military prison outside Baghdad that once held Saddam Hussein, and he was classified a security detainee.

from truthout.org

More @ Iragslogger on Donald Vance's story

According to their suit, Vance and Ertel gathered photographs and documents, which Vance fed to Chicago FBI agent Travis Carlisle for six months beginning in October 2005.

....

Vance said things went terribly wrong in April 2006, when he and Ertel were stripped of their security passes and confined to the company compound.

Panicking, Vance said, he called the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, where hostage experts got on the phone and told him "you're about to be kidnapped. Lock yourself in a room with all the weapons you can get your hands on."'

The military sent a Special Forces team to rescue them, Vance said, and the two men showed the soldiers where the weapons caches were stored. At the embassy, the men were debriefed and allowed to sleep for a few hours. "I thought I was among friends," Vance said.

The men [Vance and Ertel] said they were cuffed and hooded and driven to Camp Cropper, where Vance was held for nearly three months and his colleague for a little more than a month.

ACTION ALERT: Tell EPA to protect workers from toxic pesticides!

2007-08-25T11:00:00.000-04:00

Comment period ends Sept. 1.

The U.S. EPA is currently reviewing dangerous fumigant pesticides for re-registration--including methyl bromide, metam sodium, chloropicrin, methyl bromide, dazomet and telone. All of these toxic chemicals pose a threat to the health of farm workers. These fumigants are among the most toxic pesticides in use today, causing birth defects, cancer, Parkinson’s disease and acute poisonings. Fumigant drift has resulted in mass poisonings in areas of high use, often causing the evacuation of hundreds of people from their homes and sending many to the hospital. Fumigants also contribute to smog and other resulting respiratory illnesses.

Please take action today. The EPA is asking for public comments on fumigant re-registrations until the end of the August. The UFW is working with Pesticide Action Network and a number of other environmental organizations to encourage the EPA to ban the use of the dangerous pesticides listed earlier or at least require generous buffer zones near schools, hospitals, residences and other places where people may be exposed. We are also asking for notification before applications take place.

We’re using a petition format, as the EPA has a very complicated web form docket system that is difficult to use and makes our one-touch email system impossible. The UFW and our partners want to make expressing your voice as easy as possible and will turn our petition signatures into each of the required dockets to save you the time and effort.

Please make a difference for farm workers by signing our petition today!

from United Farm Workers

What's next Walmart churches? Museums?

2007-08-25T10:42:00.000-04:00

Farmers markets coming to Wal-Mart

more @ ktvb.com

mers markets coming to Wal-Mart

Better late than never...

2007-08-24T14:37:00.000-04:00

This afternoon on The Situation Room, CNN ran one of their "Keeping Them Honest" segments about Crandall Canyon mine owner Robert Murray , examining the safety record of Murray Energy's 19 other mining operations.

Murray correctly claimed that the safety record of Crandall Canyon was "almost outstanding, much better than the national average" — though tragically, that was obviously prior to the collapse that trapped 6 miners 18 days ago and launched a risky recovery mission that took the lives of three rescuers one week ago tonight.

CNN looked into Murray's other mining operations, though, and found some shocking statistics: Of Murray's 19 mines, 7 were underground and 4 of them had accident rates above the national average. CNN specifically cited Murray's Illinois Galatia mine, which CNN reports has racked up 3,485 safety citations in the last 2.5 years, and has had an above-average rate of injury every year since Murray bought it.

Murray's Galatia mine has racked up 968 safety citations in 2007, almost a quarter of which are considered "significant and substantial." Murray challenges many of the citations — but has also paid approximately $700,000 in fines from 2005-2006. Great information to have — but wow, is it ever late.

more @ huffington

If f*ing took them long enough.... after they basically let the mine OWNER be the press liaison for the disaster which MSHA [Mine Safty and Health Administration] regulations prohibit. Then Murray allowed CNN reports to enter the mine DURING the rescue , I believe another violation of MSHA. But hey, Murray needed to buy some good press right CNN? Well he got his money's worth for at least the first 17 days. Richard Stickler, the MSHA chief, was a Bush recess appointment because Sen. Byrd had a hold on him for the dismal safety record of his own mines.

More about Robert Murray's Fines
More about proof of troubles at mine before disaster

The Republican Brand

2007-08-24T10:03:00.000-04:00

Apparently President George W. Bush is now so unpopular that some lawyers believe the mere mention of his name in front of a jury could tip the scales against them.

Attorneys Michael P. Laffey and Robert P. DiDomenicis of Holsten & Associates in Media, Pa., are defending Upper Darby Township, Pa., in a civil rights suit brought by Harold Lischner, an 82-year-old doctor who claims he was falsely arrested for displaying an anti-war sign at a Bush campaign event in September 2003.

With the case set to go to trial on July 23, the defense lawyers recently filed a flurry of motions, including one that asked Eastern District of Pennsylvania Judge Gene E.K. Pratter to prohibit the plaintiff from mentioning Bush's name.

more @ law.com

Take a stand against the war in Iraq

2007-08-24T09:52:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, August 28
Manchester, NH

RALLY
5:00-7:00 PM
VETERANS MEMORIAL PARK
700 block of Elm St.

Iraq War veterans, military family members, religious leaders, music, and more
Bring your picnic supper and a blanket!

MARCH
4:30 PM
DOWN ELM STREET

from Senator Sununu’s office to the park
(gather at 4:15 at 1589 Elm St.)

24-HOUR STAKE-OUT* BEGINS
MONDAY AUGUST 27, 5:00 PM

Contact:

Cathy Silber
New Hampshire Citizens Alliance
csilber@nhcitizensalliance.org

Granny D @ Rockingham County Dems Meeting

2007-08-24T09:46:00.000-04:00

Monday, August 27, 6:30-8pm (Exeter-Loaf and Ladle Restaurant)

Rockingham County Democrats Meeting with Guest Doris “Granny D” Haddock.

Social time is 6:30-7pm. Meeting starts at 7pm. Granny will speak about public funding of elections.

Contact lauriemccray@verizon.net

Kucinich NH Events Postponed

2007-08-24T09:34:00.000-04:00

Due to a change in schedule, Dennis and Elizabeth will NOT be coming to NH
today. All of our scheduled NH events are cancelled. Elizabeth assures
me that they will be in Kennebunkport on Saturday.

Please pass this on - with my apologies.

Susan Bruce
NH State Coordinator
Kucinich for President
susanb@kucinich.us

Steal this Vote Watch

2007-08-23T14:41:00.000-04:00

Electronic Voting Company May Be Banned in CA

Kim Zetter reports for Wired.com: "California announced that it plans to hold an administrative hearing on September 20th to discuss the fate of Election Systems & Software for violating state election codes. ES&S, the top voting machine company in the country, is being accused of selling at least five CA counties a version of its AutoMark ballot marking system that hadn't yet been tested or certified for use in the state or the country."

from Truthout.org

McCain on the way out.... in 2010.

2007-08-23T12:40:00.000-04:00

Behavior Research Center. 7/27-8/4. Registered voters. MoE 3.9% (No trend lines)

McCain (R) 36
Napolitano (D) 47

Not surprisingly, the poll by the Behavior Research Center shows Napolitano the favorite of 78 percent of Democrats, versus 11 percent for McCain. But the governor also would pick up 20 percent of Republicans and 47 percent of independents who make up nearly 28 percent of Arizona’s registered voters [...]

from dailykos

I remember centrist Dems saying how great it would be if McCain joined the Kerry ticket as VP. Well, now McCain is the number 2 cheerleader for the war, barely behind Bush [Lieberman, independent, a close 3rd]. And no Dem presidential candidates showed up for the DLC convention. My, how things have changed. Long live people power!

more @ AP

George Bush Doesn't Care About Young People

2007-08-23T10:39:00.000-04:00

States are trying to cover as many of the 9 million currently uninsured children as they can with what funds they have, so kids won't die for a lack of regular care.

But Bush's health department just threatened states with "corrective action" if they didn't add insurmountable obstacles for squeezed middle-class families. That could pressure states to kick some kids out of the program.

A new missive to state officials effectively prevents them from covering families that earn more than 250% of the poverty line -- about $43,000 a year, before taxes, for a family of three, or $51,000 a year for a family of four.

An average family health insurance plan costs over $11,000 a year, so if you don't get decent insurance from an employer, paying out of pocket is extremely difficult.

from salon.com

Update: Bush fighting a PR war against the states funding children's health care. Just like Iraq he is losing this one too. more @ salon.

Richardson's Job Boast

2007-08-23T10:32:00.000-04:00

He claimed he had created 80,000 jobs when government figures put the total at 68,100.

Summary

Democratic presidential contender Bill Richardson boasts of creating 80,000 jobs since becoming governor of New Mexico. Not yet, he hasn't. The state has gained fewer than 76,000 payroll jobs since he took office, and official figures showed a mere 68,100 gain when he first started making his inflated boast last year. He bases his claim on a definition of "jobs" that includes unpaid workers in family businesses and freelancers who don't draw a paycheck.

Richardson also claims he "made New Mexico 6th in job growth," which is misleading at best. In fact, the state already ranked 6th for the 12-month period before he took office. It has ranked 6th for a few selected months since, but it currently ranks 17th.

From FactCheck.org

Diebold Election Systems is now Premier Election Systems

2007-08-22T20:27:00.000-04:00

Diebold: New name, same bad voting machines!

"Diebold Election Systems" are three words synonymous with the aggressive pursuit of failure. Not only did the company badly implement a dubious concept -- unverifiable electronic touch-screen voting machines -- but it did so with determined flourish, letting its code and internal communication leak out onto the Web; employing as a chief executive a man who declared he was "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year"; abusing copyright law in an attempt to quell its critics; and, among many other caught-red-handed indiscretions, deleting criticism of itself from Wikipedia.

No wonder, then, that Diebold Election Systems has decided to steal a page from the playbook of that paragon of corporate responsibility Philip Morris (aka the Altria Group): Diebold will erase its sorry history with a simple name change!

Henceforth, when reaching for an example of mind-boggling incompetence, please say "Premier" rather than "Diebold," because Diebold Election Systems is now Premier Election Systems.

from salon.com

Edwards in the North Country 8/25 10:30am

2007-08-22T20:12:00.000-04:00

Host: Mark Henson

Location: Glen Avenue Gazebo in Downtown
Rte 16 and Glen Avenue, Berlin, NH View Map

When: Saturday, August 25, 10:30am Phone: 603-752-4049

Please join Senator Edwards in the North Country as he spreads his bold policies and message of change all across New Hampshire as part of his "Fighting for One America" bus tour.

Please RSVP through the E-vite or call Andrew Tyler, our North Country Organizer at 603.752.4049.

** If you are able to attend please bring school supplies to donate to New Hampshire Public Schools. Pens, pencils, binders, notebooks, highlighters, sharpies, colored pencils, or anything else would be greatly appreciated.**

Kucinich in Rochester, NH 8/24

2007-08-22T20:03:00.000-04:00

CBS News’ Jeff Greenfield will be covering the Kucinich campaign in Rochester, NH, on Friday August 24^th. Tentative plans are for CBS to air the segment based on this tour and an interview (to be taped later in the day) on Monday night August 27^th.

Candidate Dennis Kucinich and his wife, Elizabeth, will begin their tour at 3:30 at the office of Dr. Terry Bennett; he is the last independent GP in Strafford County and serves patients lacking health insurance. Some of these patients will be on hand to hear about HR 676, the bill in Congress that seeks to establish a single payer health care system. The tour will move to the downtown area to engage in some retail politicking, and then on to the Café at the Governor’s Inn for a meet and greet event from 5 to 6PM. The public is welcome to join the campaign at any point along the route or simply come to the Café at 5PM.

Please direct questions to NHCampaign Coordinator, Susan Bruce who can be reached at susanb@kucinich.us

Letter from Gov. Lynch

2007-08-21T20:19:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends:

The news reports are heartbreaking - families across New Hampshire seeing their dreams of home ownership put at risk because of predatory lending or foreclosure rescue scams.

That is why we acted this year to prevent predators from taking advantage of New Hampshire families who are in a financial crisis. The legislature passed and I signed a new law aimed at helping protect homeowners from losing their homes - and the valuable equity they have built - to foreclosure rescue scams. The law imposes new standards on pre-foreclosure sales and requiring greater disclosure from foreclosure consulting companies. We also created stiff penalties - including fines, jail time, and repayment of equity to homeowners - on people who run foreclosure rescue scams.

New Hampshire's Banking Department is also working to help families avoid having problems with their mortgages.

The banking department is conducting information sessions across the state to help families avoid risky mortgages. At the sessions, the department's examiners review loan documents with borrowers and potential borrowers to check for improper activities by mortgage originators and provide consumers with referrals for further assistance. Informational sessions have been conducted in Rochester, Keene, Nashua and Salem, and will continue next week in Manchester in the Aldermanic Chambers at City Hall from 2 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 28th. Sessions will also soon be held in Portsmouth, Berlin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Claremont and Concord in the coming weeks. People with questions about their mortgages can also contact the New Hampshire Banking Department at 271-3561, or toll free at 1-800-437-5991.

With a recent report by the New Hampshire Banking Association predicting a continued increase in mortgage foreclosures, we will continue to watch this important issue carefully. I look forward to continue working with lawmakers, our Banking Department and all of you on this important issue.

As always, Susan and I deeply appreciate your continued support, your hard work and your encouragement.

All the best,

John H. Lynch

Governor

www.thejohnlynchcommittee.com

Lieberman Watch

2007-08-20T14:12:00.000-04:00

Lieberman Shrugs Off Failed

Iraq

Predictions, Now Claims ‘Road To Victory’ Goes Through

Syria

@ thinkprogress

Iraq... Iran.. and beyond....

New Hampshire State House Update 2007

2007-08-19T20:33:00.000-04:00

From State Rep, Martha Mcleod:

The 2007 legislative session in Concord saw significant action on a number of fronts, including health care, the environment, and economic and educational issues. Some of the highlights include successfully:

expanding access to affordable health insurance for young adults and putting a new focus on prevention in public health (which I believe is the most fiscally responsible and effective approach);
restoring funding for the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program, which has already protected hundreds of thousands of acres and hundreds of historic and cultural properties in the state -- all of which contribute to both our quality of life and tourism-based business; and
passing new ways to encourage New Hampshire companies to invest in innovation and growth, while at the same time raising the minimum wage for the first time in nine years.

The Budget

In late June, the House and Senate passed a balanced and fiscally responsible two-year state operating budget that prioritizes important investments in health care, education, and economic development (without the need for a sales or income tax).

The budget makes affordable health insurance available to thousands more children through the Healthy Kids program; increases access to home care for seniors; supports alcohol and drug prevention and treatment programs; eliminates the waiting list for services for people with development disabilities; increases our investment in school and higher education; and creates a research and development tax credit for innovative businesses.

The budget was crafted under an open and transparent process that included listening sessions around the state. As a member of the House Finance Committee, I attended these sessions to hear firsthand about your priorities, and I was proud that our North Country session in Lancaster drew one of the largest crowds on the tour.

Health Care

In addition to working on the budget as vice-chair of the Health and Human Services subcommittee, I sponsored several bills that focused on expanding health insurance coverage. These bills looked at lowering the cost of health coverage for small businesses; established a task force to develop a health coverage expansion initiative; and established a prescription drug program to lower the costs of medicine.

In addition, we passed a health care bill that allows any young adult up to age 26 to enroll under their parents’ health insurance. This legislation allows every young adult in New Hampshire, regardless of whether they are married or unmarried, in college or in the workforce, to obtain affordable health insurance. A second bill also allows divorced spouses to continue their health insurance for up to three years after a divorce. Finally, we passed a smoking ban in public restaurants and bars to protect the health of employees and patrons.

Environment

The budget passed this year also focused on preserving and protecting our natural resources and environment, including funding for the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP). We passed bills banning burning of construction and demolition debris and requiring that 25% of our state’s electricity comes from renewable sources by 2025. Finally, I co-sponsored legislation to add the Ammonoosuc River to the River Management Program; thank you to all the North Country residents who worked hard for this bill.

Economic Development and Education: Expanding Opportunity

In addition to increasing state aid to schools, the community technical colleges, and the University System in the budget, we also passed a dropout prevention plan that will help more young people graduate from high school through increased tutoring, career and technical centers, and apprenticeship programs. The budget rewards innovative companies with a research and development tax credit, and we also passed the first increase to the minimum wage in nine years. Finally, the legislature met the court-imposed deadline for defining an adequate education.

Thank you to everyone who contacted me throughout the year. Your input is critical to the legislative process and allows me to bring a personal, rural perspective to Concord. Last year, you asked for elected officials who would listen to your priorities and take action. I am proud of the work we did this year in Concord and encourage you to continue to contact me with your opinions and your concerns. I can be reached by email at martha.mcleod@leg.state.nh.us.

Martha McLeod is a resident of Franconia and serves the towns of Bethlehem and Franconia in the New Hampshire House of Representatives

From those that brought you "BYO Body Armor".....

2007-08-17T14:09:00.000-04:00

Korean War veteran Nyles Reed, 75, opened an envelope last week to learn a Purple Heart had been approved for injuries he sustained as a Marine on June 22, 1952.

But there was no medal. Just a certificate and a form stating that the medal was "out of stock."

from Houston Chronicle

Good News

2007-03-12T16:27:00.000-04:00

Kroger's grocery store chair released a statement pledging never to refuse a customer access to the over-the-counter emergency contraceptive Plan B.

from Center for American Progress

Same Ole Same, on the Sunday Snoozes Shows

2007-03-12T16:21:00.000-04:00

Media Matters for America today released “If It’s Sunday, It’s Still Conservative,” a report documenting the continued dominance of Republican and conservative voices on the network Sunday morning talk shows -- ABC’s This Week, CBS’ Face the Nation, NBC’s Meet the Press, and Fox Broadcasting Co.’s Fox New Sunday. Among the report’s key findings:

· Despite previous network claims that a conservative advantage existed on the Sunday shows simply because Republicans controlled Congress and the White House, only one show, ABC’s This Week, has been roughly balanced between both sides overall since the congressional majority switched hands in the 2006 midterm elections.

· Since the 2006 midterm elections, NBC’s Meet the Press and CBS’ Face the Nation have provided less balance between Republican and Democratic officials than Fox Broadcasting Co.’s Fox News Sunday despite the fact that Fox News Sunday remains the most unbalanced broadcast overall.

· During the 109^th Congress (2005 and 2006), Republicans and conservatives held the advantage on every show, in every category measured. All four shows interviewed more Republicans and conservatives than Democrats and progressives overall, interviewed more Republican elected and administration officials than Democratic officials, hosted more conservative journalists than progressive journalists, held more panels that tilted right than tilted left, and gave more solo interviews to Republicans and conservatives.

“On the whole, our report shows the all-important Sunday shows are largely out of step with what’s happening in Washington and across America. The deck is still stacked in favor of conservatives,” said David Brock, President and CEO of Media Matters for America. “This is a serious problem for the networks, one that compromises their integrity and threatens to taint political discourse across the country,” Brock said.

from Media Matters for America

This is how you REALLY represent people in congress.

2007-02-22T09:47:00.000-05:00

Concord (NH) Monitor:

The war of words between GOP Chairman Fergus Cullen and Rep. Carol Shea-Porter continues.

Last week, Cullen criticized Shea-Porter's recent speech on the House floor, saying it undermined U.S. troops. Shea-Porter called on Cullen to retract his statement.

Yesterday, Cullen declined to do so. "If she's going to be against this war, she should have the courage of her convictions and vote to end funding," Cullen said.

He described last week's House debate on a resolution expressing congressional disapproval of President Bush's troop surge in Iraq as "shameful."

Shea-Porter hit back: "If Fergus Cullen has the courage of his convictions, he should go enlist, because they're having trouble meeting their quota. He's young, he's single and he's healthy. If he needs to know where the recruiters are, call me."

Although she opposes the war, Shea-Porter said, she's "working in a bipartisan manner to protect the troops and keep them funded with everything they need."

via crooks and liars

Hillary starts it..... /sigh

2007-02-21T10:50:00.000-05:00

At a South Carolina campaign appearance, she (Hillary Clinton) said of her Democratic presidential opponents:

“Some people may be running who tell you we don’t face a real threat from terrorism. I’m not one of them. We have serious enemies who want to do us serious harm.”
from sirotablog

The gloves are off: Hillary campaign blasts Obama and demands he cut loose finance chair David Geffen over his anti-Clinton comments in today's Times.

from talking points memo

Geffen quotes from Dowd's column:

“Obama is inspirational, and he’s not from the Bush royal family or the Clinton royal family. Americans are dying every day in Iraq. And I’m tired of hearing James Carville on television.”...

“It’s not a very big thing to say, ‘I made a mistake’ on the war, and typical of Hillary Clinton that she can’t,” Mr. Geffen says. “She’s so advised by so many smart advisers who are covering every base. I think that America was better served when the candidates were chosen in smoke-filled rooms.”...

Did Mr. Spielberg get in trouble with the Clintons for helping Senator Obama? “Yes,” Mr. Geffen replies, slyly. Can Obamba stand up to Clinton Inc.? “I hope so,” he says, “because that machine is going to be very unpleasant and unattractive and effective.”

More votes

2007-02-12T16:31:00.000-05:00

Recent Senate Votes

Confirmation of Gen. George Casey to be Chief of Staff, U.S. Army - Vote Confirmed (83-14, 3 Not Voting)

The Senate confirmed Gen. George Casey to be the U.S. Army chief of staff.

Sen. Judd Gregg voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
Sen. John Sununu voted NO......send e-mail or see bio

Recent House Votes

Advanced Fuels Infrastructure Research and Development Act - Vote Passed (400-3, 31 Not Voting)

This House bill is intended to encourage the use of alternative fuels.

Rep. Paul Hodes voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

Recent Congressional Votes

2007-02-06T11:48:00.000-05:00

Recent Senate Votes

Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 - Vote Passed (94-3, 3 Not Voting)

The Senate passed this bill that would raise the minimum wage to $7.25 over the next two years.

Sen. Judd Gregg voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
Sen. John Sununu voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

Recent House Votes

Further Continuing Appropriations, FY2007 - Vote Passed (286-140, 9 Not Voting)

The House passed this $463.5 billion measure funding government operations through the end of the 2007 fiscal year.

Rep. Paul Hodes voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

from www.congress.org

Multimillionares against minimum wage

2007-01-30T16:17:00.000-05:00

After repeated delays by conservatives, the Senate voted 87-10 today to end debate on legislation that will raise the minimum wage for the first time in a decade, from $5.15 to $7.25. The bill will move to a full vote in the next several days.

Ten right-wing senators stuck together and voted to further delay raising the minimum wage:

Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC)
Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC)
Sen. John Ensign (R-NV)
Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH)
Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK)
Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ)
Sen. David Vitter (R-LA)

As ThinkProgress detailed in a report last year, at least two of those 10 senators — Gregg and Isakson — are multimillionaires with a combined fortune of up to $35.5 million. Despite their enormous personal wealth, they refuse to grant even a small raise to the nearly 8 million Americans who live on $5.15 an hour:

Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH)

TOTAL HOLDINGS: Between $3,402,000 and $10,055,000

HIGHLIGHTS: In Oct. 2005, Gregg won $853,000 in the Powerball lottery. He owns between $1,000,000 and $5,000,000 in Fleet Bank, as well as between $250,000 and $500,000 in Bristol Myers stock and between $50,000 and $100,000 in Exxon and Verizon stock.

KEY QUOTE: “If you start losing jobs because you raise minimum wage too quickly, too fast that small employers can’t afford it, that’s going to have an effect on peoples’ opportunity to work.” [Gregg, 6/21/06]

from thinkprogress

DC dry cleaners working overtime

2006-11-10T16:06:00.000-05:00

WASHINGTON — Rep. Ike Skelton knows what he will do in one of his first acts as chairman of the Armed Services Committee in the Democratic-led House: resurrect the subcommittee on oversight and investigations.

The panel was disbanded by the Republicans after they won control of Congress in 1994. Now, Skelton (D-Mo.) intends to use it as a forum to probe Pentagon spending and the Bush administration's conduct of the Iraq war.

It has been 12 years since Democrats were in control of both the House and Senate. But they are looking to make up for lost time, and in some cases, make the Bush administration and its business allies sweat.

With control of every committee in Congress starting in January, the new majority will inherit broad powers to subpoena and investigate. And that is expected to translate into wide-ranging and contentious hearings.

The agenda is likely to be dominated by the Iraq war, but could include probes into the Bush administration's warrantless surveillance, environmental policies and new prescription-drug program for seniors. Industries, such as oil companies, could also come under closer scrutiny....read the whole article

This is why Rummy was quickly disposed of. The Bushistas didn't want him saying anything stupid under oath.

America votes to save itself!

2006-11-08T12:22:00.000-05:00

The long dark night is starting to break, I can see the glorious dawn coming up over the hill..

Congradulations American People!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/?tr=y&auid=872749

Whats up with NARAL?

2006-11-06T16:24:00.000-05:00

I guess it should be no surprise that Nancy Keenan and the national NARAL PAC are lying to Connecticut voters on behalf of Joe Lieberman. They endorsed him even after he voted for cloture on Samuel Alito and came out against CT NARAL's signature issue of last year (trying to require all publicly funded hospitals to provide Plan B contraception to rape victims — Joe famously said that after being raped they were free to take a "short ride" to another hospital if they wanted to).

from fireoglake

2006-11-04T22:30:00.000-05:00

Okay Peeps - Election Day is almost here!!

In the good news category - the latest UNH polls show Paul Hodes is ahead of Charlie Bass. Hodes was 25% points behind Bass in September. THIS IS HUGE!!
That same poll shows Carol Shea-Porter only 5% points behind Jeb Bradley. She, too, was 25% points behind Bradley in September - and Shea-Porter has not had the same financial support from the Democratic Party that Hodes has.
Wednesday night, Carol debated Bradley in Conway. From the moment she walked on stage to cheers, applause, and about 80% of the room standing - Bradley was thrown off. His first question (which he never did answer) threw him off even more. He never recovered. Carol had about 90% of the room stand and applaud at the end of the debate. Bradley's dozen supporters didn't look too impressive. My favorite was the guy sitting 2 rows in front of me who jumped up and clenched his fist yelling, "Jeb, Jeb, Jeb, Jeb, Jeb..." all by himself.

I don't dare to get too hopeful - but this grassroots campaign has been hugely successful. I hope that the voters of NH CD 1 will vote for my friend Carol - a strong woman with brains and integrity, who will never forget the people of NH.

stupid GOP phone tricks, redux
I can smell the GOP desperation all the way in CD 1.

What will happen between now and Tuesday?? Hard sayin' - but if you think there's a chance you can't get to the polls - grab an absentee ballot on Monday!

VOTE DAMMIT!! Throw the bums out!!

Shipyard Union Endorses Shea-Porter

2006-10-23T21:01:00.000-04:00

Union Leader

Shipyard unions back Shea-Porter against Bradley

By BEVERLEY WANG
Associated Press Writer

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) -- Unions at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard endorsed Democrat Carol Shea-Porter for Congress on Monday despite Republican incumbent Jeb Bradley's work on their behalf.

Paul O'Connor, president of the 11-union Metal Trades Council, announced the endorsement at a news conference.

O'Connor said Shea-Porter would be a strong voice for change in Washington and work harder than Bradley for blue collar families in the 1st District.

"Carol will support and defend hardworking Americans - the vast majority of us. She's not going to be subjugated by corporate interests," he said in a telephone interview after the announcement.

Check out the whole story. The Republicans are going nuts - to hear them talk, Jeb saved the shipyard singlehandedly. I suspect that the Maine delegation had a lot more to do with it than Jeb did.

Be sure to watch Carol Shea Porter debate Bradley Tuesday the 24 at 7 pm on WMUR.

It's National Character Counts Week

2006-10-17T17:47:00.000-04:00

National Character Counts Week, 2006
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

America's strength is found in the spirit and character of our people. During National Character Counts Week, we renew our commitment to instilling values in our young people and to encouraging all Americans to remember the importance of good character.

As the primary teachers and examples of character, parents help create a more compassionate and decent society. And as individuals, we all have an obligation to help our children become responsible citizens and realize their full potential. By demonstrating values such as integrity, courage, honesty, and patriotism, all Americans can help our children develop strength and character.

Countless individuals throughout our country demonstrate character by volunteering their time and energy to help neighbors in need. The men and women of our Armed Forces set an example of character by bravely putting the security of our Nation before their own lives. We also see character in the family members, teachers, coaches, and other dedicated individuals whose hearts are invested in the future of our children.

Our changing world requires virtues that sustain our democracy, make self-government possible, and help build a more hopeful future. National Character Counts Week is an opportunity to recognize the depth of America's character and appreciate those who pass on our values to future generations.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 15 through October 21, 2006, as National Character Counts Week. I call upon public officials, educators, librarians, parents, students, and all Americans to observe this week with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.

GEORGE W. BUSH

This explains everything - they were "instilling family values" into those pages!

There really isn't a word that is sufficient for describing the irony of the morally bankrupt George Bush issuing this proclamation.

Show us that pedosmile!

2006-10-04T13:56:00.000-04:00

Latest Republican Pedophile Rep. Mark Foley

Here is a parcial list of other sex offenders from the Republican party, the party of family values.

Republican anti-abortion activist Howard Scott Heldreth is a convicted child rapist in Florida.

Republican County Commissioner David Swartz pleaded guilty to molesting two girls under the age of 11 and was sentenced to 8 years in prison.

Republican judge Mark Pazuhanich pleaded no contest to fondling a 10-year old girl and was sentenced to 10 years probation.

Republican anti-abortion activist Nicholas Morency pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography on his computer and offering a bounty to anybody who murders an abortion doctor.

Republican legislator Edison Misla Aldarondo was sentenced to 10 years in prison for raping his daughter between the ages of 9 and 17.

Republican Mayor Philip Giordano is serving a 37-year sentence in federal prison for sexually abusing 8- and 10-year old girls.

Republican campaign consultant Tom Shortridge was sentenced to three years probation for taking nude photographs of a 15-year old girl.

Republican racist pedophile and United States Senator Strom Thurmond had sex with a 15-year old black girl which produced a child.

Republican pastor Mike Hintz, whom George W. Bush commended during the 2004 presidential campaign, surrendered to police after admitting to a sexual affair with a female juvenile.

Republican legislator Peter Dibble pleaded no contest to having an inappropriate relationship with a 13-year-old girl.

*Republican activist Lawrence E. King, Jr. organized child sex parties at the White House during the 1980s.

*Republican lobbyist Craig J. Spence organized child sex parties at the White House during the 1980s.

Republican Congressman Donald "Buz" Lukens was found guilty of having sex with a female minor and sentenced to one month in jail.

Republican fundraiser Richard A. Delgaudio was found guilty of child porn charges and paying two teenage girls to pose for sexual photos.

Republican activist Mark A. Grethen convicted on six counts of sex crimes involving children.

Republican activist Randal David Ankeney pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault on a child.

Republican Congressman Dan Crane had sex with a female minor working as a congressional page.

Republican activist and Christian Coalition leader Beverly Russell admitted to an incestuous relationship with his step daughter.

Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger allegedly had sex with a 16 year old girl when he was 28.

*Republican congressman and anti-gay activist Robert Bauman was charged with having sex with a 16-year-old boy he picked up at a gay bar.

Republican Committee Chairman Jeffrey Patti was arrested for distributing a video clip of a 5-year-old girl being raped.

Republican activist Marty Glickman (a.k.a. "Republican Marty"), was taken into custody by Florida police on four counts of unlawful sexual activity with an underage girl and one count of delivering the drug LSD.

*Republican legislative aide Howard L. Brooks was charged with molesting a 12-year old boy and possession of child pornography.

Republican Senate candidate John Hathaway was accused of having sex with his 12-year old baby sitter and withdrew his candidacy after the allegations were reported in the media.

*Republican preacher Stephen White, who demanded a return to traditional values, was sentenced to jail after offering $20 to a 14-year-old boy for permission to perform oral sex on him.

Republican talk show host Jon Matthews pleaded guilty to exposing his genitals to an 11 year old girl.

Republican anti-gay activist Earl "Butch" Kimmerling was sentenced to 40 years in prison for molesting an 8-year old girl after he attempted to stop a gay couple from adopting her.

Republican Party leader Paul Ingram pleaded guilty to six counts of raping his daughters and served 14 years in federal prison.

Republican election board official Kevin Coan was sentenced to two years probation for soliciting sex over the internet from a 14-year old girl.

*Republican politician Andrew Buhr was charged with two counts of first degree sodomy with a 13-year old boy.

Republican politician Keith Westmoreland was arrested on seven felony counts of lewd and lascivious exhibition to girls under the age of 16 (i.e. exposing himself to children).

Republican anti-abortion activist John Allen Burt was charged with sexual misconduct involving a 15-year old girl.

*Republican County Councilman Keola Childs pleaded guilty to molesting a male child.

Republican activist John Butler was charged with criminal sexual assault on a teenage girl.

Republican candidate Richard Gardner admitted to molesting his two daughters.

Republican Councilman and former Marine Jack W. Gardner was convicted of molesting a 13-year old girl.

*Republican County Commissioner Merrill Robert Barter pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual contact and assault on a teenage boy.

Republican City Councilman Fred C. Smeltzer, Jr. pleaded no contest to raping a 15 year-old girl and served 6-months in prison.

Republican activist Parker J. Bena pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography on his home computer and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and fined $18,000.

Republican parole board officer and former Colorado state representative, Larry Jack Schwarz, was fired after child pornography was found in his possession.

*Republican strategist and Citadel Military College graduate Robin Vanderwall was convicted in Virginia on five counts of soliciting sex from boys and girls over the internet.

Republican city councilman Mark Harris, who is described as a "good military man" and "church goer," was convicted of repeatedly having sex with an 11-year-old girl and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Republican businessman Jon Grunseth withdrew his candidacy for Minnesota governor after allegations surfaced that he went swimming in the nude with four underage girls, including his daughter.

Republican director of the "Young Republican Federation" Nicholas Elizondo molested his 6-year old daughter and was sentenced to six years in prison.

Republican benefactor of conservative Christian groups, Richard A. Dasen Sr., was charged with rape for allegedly paying a 15-year old girl for sex. Dasen, 62, who is married with grown children and several grandchildren, has allegedly told police that over the past decade he paid more than $1 million to have sex with a large number of young women.

from Urban Dictionary

Driving morality

2006-10-03T09:40:00.000-04:00

This election is the Democrat's to lose. That is certainly no news to you 4 readers. Here's my running query to those in the "middle" and those hard core Rightards that really should consider turning blue for the 3 minutes it takes behind the curtain on 7Nov...

What type of hubris and arrogance drives a staffer, with purportedly full knowledge of his Bass... errr, boss, to highjack government computers on your time?

What type of flagrant disregard for the Public Trust does it take to give some shit bag a standing ovation for avoiding further prosectution?

What type of blatant disrespect for the Public Trust does it take to continually wear that pedophile smile and thumb his nose at those asking for elected officials and staffers to be solid and right while not attempting to fondle your children while luring them behind the bushes with beer and cigars?

What type of morality is running this Country into the toilet while claiming the moral high ground through so many investigations and cover ups?

What type of despair and feelings of futility drives people to line up children, barely beyond toddler age, in some cases their friends, and shoot them in the friggin head while our leadership is still claiming to help the American people and brainwash the blind followers to think we are winning... winning anything?

Time to hand the responsibility of power for controlling the torch of corruption back to the Democrats to hold for a decade or two.

Tragic is this direction our Country is being held...

On leaving the democratic party...

2006-09-28T09:19:00.000-04:00

A currently Recommended Diary states that the author will quit the Democrats if they roll on torture. My response in the comments, amplified in this open thread:

I wish that conservatives in 1964 were this quick to throw in the towel.
Even as Nixon was creating the EPA and OSHA, they fought, and built, and took over their party. Even when Ford beat their man Reagan in 1976, they simply redoubled their efforts.
But that's why they win. Because they never stopped fighting for their cause, no matter how many setbacks they suffered. Our side, apparently, is made of something lesser.

Stop whining. Stop bitching. And keep working to build a Democratic Party with backbone. The guys currently in DC don't have it? Yeah, we know that. That's why we're supporting a new breed of Democrat that isn't afraid of Rove's shadow. That will fight when the DC Dems would rather cower in fear.

We have a problem. Obviously. Democrats would rather talk about how they need to be strong, than actually be strong. They would rather talk about "moral standing", than actually, you know, stand for what's right. I know that. You know that. I suspect that even Democrats in DC know that. It's just that they're paralyzed by fear.

That's why we need to work for fearless Dems who won't let themselves be held hostage to fear. And remember, this is a long-term process. Just like conservatives didn't quit politics when Nixon was killing them with new government programs like the EPA or OSHA, we can't take our ball home every time we lose on an important issue.

Be angry. But funnel that anger into positive activities. There are good Democrats running at all levels this cycle, and they'll do so again the next, and the one after that.

Democrats think "looking strong" means bombing Iraq or Iran, when "looking strong" really means standing for something because you believe in it, even if you might not think it's the smartest political play. Whimpering every time Rove says "boo!" is not strength. Caving in to the administration is not strength. Surrendering what should be core beliefs because of political expediency is not strength.

Update: Rereading this, I don't think I was clear on this point -- please do put pressure on Democrats to do the right thing. On torture or whatever. Please get angry when they fail us and core American values. And as Stoller notes, this battle isn't over.

What annoys me is when people threaten to leave the party. As though that will somehow make things better.

from daily kos

DLC claiming to be non partisan

2006-09-19T11:22:00.000-04:00

DLC loses tax-exempt status; responds hilariously brings an amazing piece of news of how the DLC defends its tax-exempt status - by claiming more Republicans back its agenda than Democrats and therefore, it's not a partisan organization.

from daily kos

In a way they are, they are the Democratic wing of corporate money.

Carol Shea-Porter

2006-09-13T11:39:00.000-04:00

At the risk of pissing off some folks as to how I will say just what it is I have to say to start, this chick kicked ass. The establishment chronic loser wonks of the Democratic elite once again were shown the door and the real grass roots folks handed out lunch tickets whilst Jim Craig and his merry band of corporate campaign funded bloviating blatherskytes went away wallowing in ignorance.

This is how you lost you blind fools (not the spicey adjective I usually use but there you go)... PEOPLE!!! A massive effort on the part of real voters on behalf of We the Peeps to tell the establishment hacks enough is enough. Someday I am quite sure, the Democrats will get that in spades. But for now, Jim, Kate, Raul and the rest of the chronic losers will be wondering just how they lost, and lost big. Ned Lamont will I am sure be happy to work with Ms. Shea-Porter in the other House to advance Progress. Got that??? My concern now is that Mr. Hodes is rectally attached to the very same losers that allowed Mr. Craig to watch from the sidelines. Hmmm... Tragic. You people will never learn apparently. Don't you ever read Sirota???

Congratulations Ms. Shea-Porter. Good luck in November. Oh yeah, you too Mr. Hodes.

Now, get your ass out to vote in November you complacent losers. The Carol for Congress campaign proved this a winning tactic as part of a winning strategy to achieve a winning goal. That is the line is it not?

http://www.carolforcongress.com/

RISE UP INDEED!!!

2006-09-09T19:23:00.000-04:00

Can't Get No Joementum

CONNECTICUT SENATOR JOE LIEBERMAN IS searching for a firm to manage his campaign's Web site for the upcoming election--and coming up short.

So far, two Democratic Web site consultants have turned down the campaign because they don't want to cross party lines. Lieberman, who recently lost the Democratic primary for Senate to challenger Ned Lamont, is now running as an Independent. Lieberman's campaign did not return calls for comment.

Blue State Digital, an online communications consultancy, was approached by Lieberman's campaign to run the Web site, Joe2006.com, but declined by e-mail, stating, "Thank you for your inquiry about Blue State Digital's technology services. Unfortunately, we cannot be of service to the Lieberman campaign. We work exclusively with Democratic candidates."

Joe Rospars, co-founder of Blue State Digital, also said that there would be a conflict of interest in running Lieberman's Joe2006.com Web site, because they have already been contracted by Ned Lamont's campaign. "We've been with Ned Lamont since the beginning, we've been his Web vendor, so it's puzzling why they would call us," he said.

Lamont's campaign Web site blog also reported that a second Democratic online political advertising firm and campaign site manager, PlusThree, declined to work on Lieberman's Web site. PlusThree did not return calls for comment.

I'm sure Joe's righard buddies will help him out, after all, they're funding him.

Ahhh, the light.

2006-08-30T17:02:00.000-04:00

I never had my head in the oven but it was quite clearly firmly inserted in my dark, unmentionable nether regions. It would appear things have not changed much since I began feeling sorry for myself. Thanks Jon for getting me back to the game. I do miss the game. Anyhooo, here's the update... I'll spare you my planting blueberry bushes and buying a wheeler. Oh yes, Margaret and I are still very much in love...

1)Lieberman- left the D's to become his own party. Nice. I wonder how Paul R. , Paula B. and Gail S. feel about a 3rd party candidate now and how much $$$ they are sending the Connecticut sellout to the people, soon to be just plain Mr. Lieberman. Not that I am bitter since I really new the D's were just as bad as the RRRRRR's. I am still a bit upset at how they chewed my good bud Jon and spit him out. Good way to improve the plan to progress. Oh but then the D's do have the "New Direction" plan. THE!!! answer to the contract on America.

2)King George-still counting on 9/11 to instill fear and expand his power, consolidate control and just plain be an ass. Doonesbury has it right... er, correct.

3)Kate "I will be DNC Chairgal someday" Sully, Slick Nick"My mommy said I could" Clemons, Ray "the Gay Shark with his knife in your back" Buckley and the NHDP on the hole... er, whole, are still shitting on Mr. Paul "DNC hack Emmanuel chum" Hodes. Too bad for Paul for having NO coordinated D party support. Ned Lamont anyone??? Mr. Hodes is a great guy although his interpretation of protection for shitting on, pissing on and burning Our Flag is quite incorrect, I think, not to mention his early sellout to the establishment DNC corporate dickheads. But then again, he's better than Charlie " Prince of Pork and I will happily carry your H2O Mr. Cheney" Bass. Bye-bye Charlie. Enjoy the private sector.

4) The D's came up with some guy to debate Mr. Gallus in the form of Luke Jackman, Hugh Lorryman, Stew Hickman, I don't know, some guy with a "D" next to his name. I guess that is all most of you D's need to see, eh Paul, Paula, Gail??? HEH!!!

5) I also seems that the R's are still happy screwing everyone with an orifice and the time, in my view, to hand the responsibility for carrying the torch of corruption back to the Dems is upon us. No new news there. Kate is not quite the great strategic leader,(or is that tactical leader, or goal maker) as someone standing next to her at the NHDP convention would have us believe. The impending wins for her side will come more for the fact that the party of King George has such disdain and disregard for We the Peeps. Incendentally, for you incumbents in this State Rep. Coos District 2, you would do well to learn just what exactly constituent service is from the likes of Junior Rep Scott "I will run for Mr. Hode's congressional seat and win " Merrick. This guy has "I will get back to you" all locked up. You, Representative Merrick, will be my only incumbant vote. Mr. Burton and his lack of integrity with protecting and hiring pedaphiles, wait, another post perhaps.

Hey Susan B, can we be friends again???

PEACE OUT!!!

2006-06-15T12:46:00.000-04:00

Does anyone post here anymore?? Jon Easton - where are you??

In a shameless burst of self-promotion, allow me to link to my own blog!

we're jammin', we're jammin'

High Meta-Humor: "Reality has a well-known liberal bias"

2006-05-01T07:22:00.000-04:00

Stephen Colbert's brilliant monologue at the White House Correspondents Dinner from daily kos.

STEPHEN COLBERT: Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Before I begin, I've been asked to make an announcement. Whoever parked 14 black bulletproof S.U.V.'s out front, could you please move them? They are blocking in 14 other black bulletproof S.U.V.'s and they need to get out.

Wow. Wow, what an honor. The White House correspondents' dinner. To actually sit here, at the same table with my hero, George W. Bush, to be this close to the man. I feel like I'm dreaming. Somebody pinch me. You know what? I'm a pretty sound sleeper -- that may not be enough. Somebody shoot me in the face. Is he really not here tonight? Dammit. The one guy who could have helped.

By the way, before I get started, if anybody needs anything else at their tables, just speak slowly and clearly into your table numbers. Somebody from the NSA will be right over with a cocktail. Mark Smith, ladies and gentlemen of the press corps, Madame First Lady, Mr. President, my name is Stephen Colbert and tonight it's my privilege to celebrate this president. We're not so different, he and I. We get it. We're not brainiacs on the nerd patrol. We're not members of the factinista. We go straight from the gut, right sir? That's where the truth lies, right down here in the gut. Do you know you have more nerve endings in your gut than you have in your head? You can look it up. I know some of you are going to say I did look it up, and that's not true. That's cause you looked it up in a book.

Next time, look it up in your gut. I did. My gut tells me that's how our nervous system works. Every night on my show, the Colbert Report, I speak straight from the gut, OK? I give people the truth, unfiltered by rational argument. I call it the "No Fact Zone." Fox News, I hold a copyright on that term.

I'm a simple man with a simple mind. I hold a simple set of beliefs that I live by. Number one, I believe in America. I believe it exists. My gut tells me I live there. I feel that it extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and I strongly believe it has 50 states. And I cannot wait to see how the Washington Post spins that one tomorrow. I believe in democracy. I believe democracy is our greatest export. At least until China figures out a way to stamp it out of plastic for three cents a unit.

In fact, Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong, welcome. Your great country makes our Happy Meals possible. I said it's a celebration. I believe the government that governs best is the government that governs least. And by these standards, we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq.

I believe in pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps. I believe it is possible -- I saw this guy do it once in Cirque du Soleil. It was magical. And though I am a committed Christian, I believe that everyone has the right to their own religion, be you Hindu, Jewish or Muslim. I believe there are infinite paths to accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior.

Ladies and gentlemen, I believe it's yogurt. But I refuse to believe it's not butter. Most of all, I believe in this president.

Now, I know there are some polls out there saying this man has a 32% approval rating. But guys like us, we don't pay attention to the polls. We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in "reality." And reality has a well-known liberal bias.

So, Mr. President, please, pay no attention to the people that say the glass is half full. 32% means the glass -- it's important to set up your jokes properly, sir. Sir, pay no attention to the people who say the glass is half empty, because 32% means it's 2/3 empty. There's still some liquid in that glass is my point, but I wouldn't drink it. The last third is usually backwash. Okay, look, folks, my point is that I don't believe this is a low point in this presidency. I believe it is just a lull before a comeback.

I mean, it's like the movie "Rocky." All right. The president in this case is Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed is -- everything else in the world. It's the tenth round. He's bloodied. His corner man, Mick, who in this case I guess would be the vice president, he's yelling, "Cut me, Dick, cut me!," and every time he falls everyone says, "Stay down! Stay down!" Does he stay down? No. Like Rocky, he gets back up, and in the end he -- actually, he loses in the first movie.

OK. Doesn't matter. The point is it is the heart-warming story of a man who was repeatedly punched in the face. So don't pay attention to the approval ratings that say 68% of Americans disapprove of the job this man is doing. I ask you this, does that not also logically mean that 68% approve of the job he's not doing? Think about it. I haven't.

I stand by this man. I stand by this man because he stands for things. Not only for things, he stands on things. Things like aircraft carriers and rubble and recently flooded city squares. And that sends a strong message, that no matter what happens to America, she will always rebound -- with the most powerfully staged photo ops in the world.

Now, there may be an energy crisis. This president has a very forward-thinking energy policy. Why do you think he's down on the ranch cutting that brush all the time? He's trying to create an alternative energy source. By 2008 we will have a mesquite-powered car!

And I just like the guy. He's a good joe. Obviously loves his wife, calls her his better half. And polls show America agrees. She's a true lady and a wonderful woman. But I just have one beef, ma'am.

I'm sorry, but this reading initiative. I'm sorry, I've never been a fan of books. I don't trust them. They're all fact, no heart. I mean, they're elitist, telling us what is or isn't true, or what did or didn't happen. Who's Britannica to tell me the Panama Canal was built in 1914? If I want to say it was built in 1941, that's my right as an American! I'm with the president, let history decide what did or did not happen.

The greatest thing about this man is he's steady. You know where he stands. He believes the same thing Wednesday that he believed on Monday, no matter what happened Tuesday. Events can change; this man's beliefs never will. As excited as I am to be here with the president, I am appalled to be surrounded by the liberal media that is destroying America, with the exception of Fox News. Fox News gives you both sides of every story: the president's side, and the vice president's side.

But the rest of you, what are you thinking, reporting on NSA wiretapping or secret prisons in eastern Europe? Those things are secret for a very important reason: they're super-depressing. And if that's your goal, well, misery accomplished. Over the last five years you people were so good -- over tax cuts, WMD intelligence, the effect of global warming. We Americans didn't want to know, and you had the courtesy not to try to find out. Those were good times, as far as we knew.

But, listen, let's review the rules. Here's how it works: the president makes decisions. He's the decider. The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Just put 'em through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know - fiction!

Because really, what incentive do these people have to answer your questions, after all? I mean, nothing satisfies you. Everybody asks for personnel changes. So the White House has personnel changes. Then you write, "Oh, they're just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic." First of all, that is a terrible metaphor. This administration is not sinking. This administration is soaring. If anything, they are rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg!

Now, it's not all bad guys out there. Some are heroes: Christopher Buckley, Jeff Sacks, Ken Burns, Bob Schieffer. They've all been on my show. By the way, Mr. President, thank you for agreeing to be on my show. I was just as shocked as everyone here is, I promise you. How's Tuesday for you? I've got Frank Rich, but we can bump him. And I mean bump him. I know a guy. Say the word.

See who we've got here tonight. General Moseley, Air Force Chief of Staff. General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They still support Rumsfeld. Right, you guys aren't retired yet, right? Right, they still support Rumsfeld.

Look, by the way, I've got a theory about how to handle these retired generals causing all this trouble: don't let them retire! Come on, we've got a stop-loss program; let's use it on these guys. I've seen Zinni and that crowd on Wolf Blitzer. If you're strong enough to go on one of those pundit shows, you can stand on a bank of computers and order men into battle. Come on.

Jesse Jackson is here, the Reverend. Haven't heard from the Reverend in a little while. I had him on the show. Very interesting and challenging interview. You can ask him anything, but he's going to say what he wants, at the pace that he wants. It's like boxing a glacier. Enjoy that metaphor, by the way, because your grandchildren will have no idea what a glacier is.

Justice Scalia is here. Welcome, sir. May I be the first to say, you look fantastic. How are you? [After each sentence, Colbert makes a hand gesture, an allusion to Scalia's recent use of an obscene Sicilian hand gesture in speaking to a reporter about Scalia's critics. Scalia is seen laughing hysterically.] Just talking some Sicilian with my paisan.

John McCain is here. John McCain, John McCain, what a maverick! Somebody find out what fork he used on his salad, because I guarantee you it wasn't a salad fork. This guy could have used a spoon! There's no predicting him. By the way, Senator McCain, it's so wonderful to see you coming back into the Republican fold. I have a summer house in South Carolina; look me up when you go to speak at Bob Jones University. So glad you've seen the light, sir.

Mayor Nagin! Mayor Nagin is here from New Orleans, the chocolate city! Yeah, give it up. Mayor Nagin, I'd like to welcome you to Washington, D.C., the chocolate city with a marshmallow center. And a graham cracker crust of corruption. It's a Mallomar, I guess is what I'm describing, a seasonal cookie.

Joe Wilson is here, Joe Wilson right down here in front, the most famous husband since Desi Arnaz. And of course he brought along his lovely wife Valerie Plame. Oh, my god! Oh, what have I said? [looks horrified] I am sorry, Mr. President, I meant to say he brought along his lovely wife Joe Wilson's wife. Patrick Fitzgerald is not here tonight? OK. Dodged a bullet.

And, of course, we can't forget the man of the hour, new press secretary, Tony Snow. Secret Service name, "Snow Job." Toughest job. What a hero! Took the second toughest job in government, next to, of course, the ambassador to Iraq.

Got some big shoes to fill, Tony. Big shoes to fill. Scott McClellan could say nothing like nobody else. McClellan, of course, eager to retire. Really felt like he needed to spend more time with Andrew Card's children. Mr. President, I wish you hadn't made the decision so quickly, sir.

I was vying for the job myself. I think I would have made a fabulous press secretary. I have nothing but contempt for these people. I know how to handle these clowns. In fact, sir, I brought along an audition tape and with your indulgence, I'd like to at least give it a shot. So, ladies and gentlemen, my press conference.

I can only assume Rush will demand that he be punished to the full extent of the law...

2006-05-01T07:15:00.000-04:00

Rush Limbaugh arrested on prescription fraud charges

WEST PALM BEACH -- Conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh on Friday turned himself into the Palm Beach County Jail to face a charge of fraud for concealing information to obtain a prescription.

He was quickly released after posting $3,000 bond, jail officials said. Prosecutors alleged that Limbaugh violated the state's "doctor shopping" law by getting four doctors to write overlapping prescriptions and failing to tell them about each other. Limbaugh, who pleaded not guilty, struck an agreement with the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office that calls for the charge to be dropped in 18 months provided that Limbaugh continues to seek treatment from the doctor he has seen for the past 2 1/2 years and must refrain from breaking the law during that period, Limbaugh's attorney, Roy Black, said in a statement.

Limbaugh also will pay $30 per month for the cost of supervision and will pay the state $30,000 to help offset the cost of the investigation into the doctor-shopping allegations.

Prosecutors previously were investigating prescriptions that Limbaugh received from Florida and California doctors between March 2003 and September 2003, when he allegedly picked up 1,733 hydrocodone, 90 OxyContin, 50 Xanax and 40 time-release morphine pills

from www.sun-sentinel.com via thinkprogress

Iraq, Iran... and tomorrow the world!!

2006-04-11T08:40:00.000-04:00

Seymour Hersh: Bush Planning Massive Bombing Campaign Against Iran, Including Nukes

Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh reports a major scoop in the current edition of the New Yorker. AFP has an overview:

The administration of President George W. Bush is planning a massive bombing campaign against Iran, including use of bunker-buster nuclear bombs to destroy a key Iranian suspected nuclear weapons facility, The New Yorker magazine has reported in its April 17 issue.

…The former intelligence officials depicts planning as “enormous,” “hectic” and “operational,” Hersh writes.

…In recent weeks, the president has quietly initiated a series of talks on plans for Iran with a few key senators and members of the House of Representatives, including at least one Democrat, the report said.

Hersh’s account is consistent with other recent reports. This week, the former deputy director at the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Wayne White, told Forward Magazine:

In recent months I have grown increasingly concerned that the administration has been giving thought to a heavy dose of air strikes against Iran’s nuclear sector without giving enough weight to the possible ramifications of such action.

Joseph Cirincione, a respected non-proliferation expert who decribed himself as “the last remaining person in Washington who believed President George W. Bush when he said that he was committed to a diplomatic solution,” wrote in Foreign Policy Magazine last week that senior administration officials had already made up their mind about to attack Iran:

[C]olleagues with close ties to the Pentagon and the executive branch who have convinced me that some senior officials have already made up their minds: They want to hit Iran…What I previously dismissed as posturing, I now believe may be a coordinated campaign to prepare for a military strike on Iran.

Read the whole story by Hersh.

from thinkprogress

Fish rots from the head down...

2006-04-11T08:36:00.000-04:00

Phone-Jamming Scheme Designed To Prevent N.H. Democrats From Voting Tied To White House...

Key figures in a phone-jamming scheme designed to keep New Hampshire Democrats from voting in 2002 had regular contact with the White House and Republican Party as the plan was unfolding, phone records introduced in criminal court show.

The records show that Bush campaign operative James Tobin, who recently was convicted in the case, made two dozen calls to the White House within a three-day period around Election Day 2002 -- as the phone jamming operation was finalized, carried out and then abruptly shut down.

The national Republican Party, which paid millions in legal bills to defend Tobin, says the contacts involved routine election business and that it was "preposterous" to suggest the calls involved phone jamming.

from huffington post

Student activism

2006-04-11T08:34:00.000-04:00

Christians Sue For Right To Be Intolerant...

Ruth Malhotra went to court last month for the right to be intolerant.

Malhotra says her Christian faith compels her to speak out against homosexuality. But the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she's a senior, bans speech that puts down others because of their sexual orientation.

Malhotra sees that as an unacceptable infringement on her right to religious expression. So she's demanding that Georgia Tech revoke its tolerance policy.

With her lawsuit, the 22-year-old student joins a growing campaign to force public schools, state colleges and private workplaces to eliminate policies protecting gays and lesbians from harassment. The religious right aims to overturn a broad range of common tolerance programs: diversity training that promotes acceptance of gays and lesbians, speech codes that ban harsh words against homosexuality, anti-discrimination policies that require college clubs to open their membership to all.

from huffington post

Real ID

2006-03-30T15:49:00.000-05:00

Last week the NH House voted NOT to participate in the REAL ID Act - a measure that would give us a National ID card - a measure that our entire Congressional delegation supported. There's a group working to prevent REAL ID - and other egregious forms of tracking citizens. Proponents of RFID chips want them imbedded in our national ID cards, so that Big Bro won't have a hard time finding us. Check out
http://www.nhcaspian.org/norealid.shtml

On Saturday, April 22 they're having a rally at 1 pm at the state house. The NH senate hears the bill on April 26.

Some of our elected officials are nervous - saying that NH residents will be forced to have passports to get into federal buildings if we don't have the national ID. I don't fuggin think so. We should push the envelope - right up their noses.

Breast Cancer site needs your help

2006-03-30T10:02:00.000-05:00

I just got this from a contact at the American Legion department of NH.

"I have verified this through www.snopes.com it is true
Bob

A Favor to AskIt only takes a few seconds to click ....*Y*6*YPlease tell ten friends to tell ten today! The Breast Cancer site is having trouble getting enough people to click on their site daily to meet their quota of donating at least one free mammogram a day to an underprivileged woman. It takes less than a minute to go to their site andclick on "donating a mammogram" for free (pink window in the middle).This doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers usethe number of daily visits to donate mammogram in exchange for advertising.Here's the web site! Pass it along to people you know.http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/
AGAIN, PLEASE TELL 10 FRIENDS TO TELL 10 TODAY "

Give a click... all 3 of you...

For what it's worth to the reader...

2006-03-29T09:05:00.000-05:00

I found this little gem on a certain web site which has gotten me into alot of trouble with folks. Whatever. The following info is not complete but you should get a flavor of what your leaders are doing to you and are looking to do to you. Call me what you want but the facts are the facts. Not enough people can deal with said facts.

I did not support a Con-Con and the one outlined here has some flaws, in my opinion, but the more I study the current US Constitution, and the more I read about changes, I may just reconsider my views on a Con-Con. This is probably not the "local" issue some wish me to stay on message about in my seemingly futile fight against the establishment, but certainly this could be very local before you know what happened.

This is taken from the Federal record with a posters quick blerb...
..."[To] add a sense of urgency to the matter, consider the following executive orders that might be implemented in the event of an economic collapse, perhaps precipitated by escalating oil prices:"

E.O. 10990 Seizure of all modes of transportation and control of highways and seaports.
E.O. 10995 Seizure of all communications media in the United States.
E.O. 10997 Seizure of all electric power fuels and minerals, public and private.
E.O. 10999 Seizure of all means of transportation, including personal cars, trucks or vehicles of any kind and total control of highways, seaports and waterways.
E.O 11000 Seizure of all American people for work forces under FEDERAL supervision including the splitting of families if the government finds it necessary.
E.O. 11001 Seizure of all health, education and welfare facilities, public and private.
E.O 11002 Empowered the postmaster general to register all men, women and children in the U.S.
E.O. 11003 Seizure of all airports and aircraft.
E.O. 11004 Seizure of all housing and finance authorities to establish Forced Relocation areas if deemed necessary.
E.O. 11005 Seizure of all railroads, inland waterways and storage facilities, public and private.
E.O. 11051 Empowers the Office of Emergency Planning and gives authorization to put all Executive Orders into effect IN TIMES OF INCREASED INTERNATIONAL TENSIONS AND ECONOMIC OR FINANCIAL CRISIS.
E.O. 11310 Empowers the Department of Justice to enforce the plans set out in Executive Orders, to institute industrial support, to establish judicial and legislative liaison, to control all aliens, TO OPERATE PENAL AND CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS, and to advise and assist the President.
E.O. 11921 Empowers the Federal Emergency Preparedness Agency to develop plans to establish control over the mechanisms of production and distribution, of energy sources, wages, salaries, credit and the flow of money in U.S. financial institutions in any undefined national emergency. It also provides that when a state of emergency is declared by the President, Congress cannot review the action for six months.
E.O. 12919 Signed June 3, 1994 by President Bill Clinton. Encompasses all the above executive orders.

Is this the future you envision for yourself and your children?
My message is very simple . . . do unto the feds BEFORE they do unto you.
Thank you for your time..."

Yummy. Thus my assertion, this/our gumment is not your friend. Rise up indeed. Now let me go tighten up my tin foil turban.
National Con-Con group-NAIP.

GET ACTIVE!!! Smarten up!!!

War Profiteering,,,, and how you can help.

2006-03-28T13:27:00.000-05:00

A damn good question...

I would like to ask Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe to please help my family understand why my son, Pfc. Matthew Deister of the Maine Army National Guard's 172nd Mountain Co., has to pay for basic services while in Iraq and Kuwait.
Matthew has been deployed for 18 months and left home Feb. 1 with his unit.
Matthew and our family understand the reason for the deployment, as he enlisted during this war. But I, his father, can't understand why we are charging our soldiers for Internet and telephone services, food and even haircuts!

Did we not ask these fine men and women to go? And yet, we continue to charge them for simple services that should be provided at no cost.

Matthew has to pay $5 per hour for Internet service. Anyone who knows about the pay structure of the service can understand why this is such an outrage. Matthew makes Pfc. wages while overseas.

If you deduct what he pays for the Internet, telephone and haircuts, you can see the reason I am very angry right now. I have never been so angry about any situation. We require them to go overseas and yet continue to allow people to profit off their needs.

Richard Deister
Buxton, Maine
Maine Sunday Telegram

I called Richard last night to thank him for speaking up. He's a nice guy---really nice guy---who is concerned not only about his son's situation, but about all the members of the 172nd Mountain Co. and their ability to pay for basic services that the Pentagon should be picking up on their behalf. For me, charging for internet access is the last straw.

Can you spare 5 bucks for one hour of internet service for the 172nd? If yes, email me at bipm04103@yahoo.com and I'll tell you where to send it.

from dailykos

Heir to NHDP throan bagging carpet and moving on

2006-03-25T17:32:00.000-05:00

This on politicsnh.com and it seems to be a change of heart, if ever one was present, for would be primary challenger to Hodes. Clemons backs out and now, hopefully, Hodes can concentrate on getting Bass out of the way. Nice.

Now, if Hodes' automatic e-list can remove me from said list. That would be nice. I don't have that kind of $$$ and it has been made quite clear to me that the Dems don't love me anymore. Sniff-weep-sniff.

Get informed!!! GET ACTIVE!!!

Political expediency or true representation... you decide as the election season approaches

2006-03-23T08:06:00.000-05:00

There are 2 very interesting issues that are very polarizing and evoke very passionate followings and debate. First, as promised, the results from the CACR34, defining marriage:
The question was to ITL; 207-125, killed.
Yeas; Buco, Buzzell, Chandler, S.Eaton, King, McCleod, Mears, Merrick, Remick, H. Richardson, Stohl, Tholl.

Nays; Lary, Morneau.

Not voting, Theberge, J. Ward.

Very interesting as you can see many staunch Republican water boys (as it were) for the Right have bowed to the constituent pressure. Maybe for now at least.

The second issue du-jour is the HB1496, right to work union busting bill. This result too is very interesting and I wonder how many of these usual union buster supporters votes would be changed if it were the beginning of the first session and the mills were not in such dire straits. As my Verizon buddy said last P.M. when he stopped by, "We work to a standard, not the clock and some people don't get that". Nice. Thanks Brian, good American work ethic and conscious of quality, safety, local long term job security and good craftsmanship. Now, your roll call. The question was to ITL; 255-85, killed.
Yeas; Buco, Buzzell, Chandler, S. Eaton, King, McCleod, Mears, Merrick, Morneau, Remick, H. Richardson, Stohl, Theberge, Tholl, J. Ward.
Nays-0
Not voting; Lary.

GET ACTIVE !!! GET Informed, you know, all 6 of you.

CACR34 discrimination law ITL

2006-03-21T17:23:00.000-05:00

Yeah, this is huge and the dreaded ITL has been thrust upon this piece of crap bill, rightly so. The Racist Righties and radical Christian evangelical clerics attempts to legalize discrimination in our own NH Constitution has been defeated. I don't have the numbers yet since this was just givien to me by one very cool, forward thinking, progressive minded Superman State Rep whose initials are D.Scott Merrick, my fave!!! More info will be forthcoming and we will post all bigots here as we get their names. The Freedom to Marry the individual of your choice has won another great step forward and even though I am not gay, I share the exultation of the Gay and Lesbian community and I am very happy for the folks that get so demonized and discriminated against for being who (whom???) they are. As an INDIE, I do feel your pain.

RISE UP indeed!!!

Bad education policy

2006-03-20T10:28:00.000-05:00

Today in the Righty controlled State Senate, the CACR43 is being debated in "public hearing". This thing, in part, states, legisl"CACR43, relating to the cost of education. Providing that the legislature shall determine the content, extent and funding of education". Now there are currently some 14 or so exclusively Righty Senators co-sponsoring this piece of drek. ( how is that the lemmings following the leader over the hill is sad yet carrying H2O for the party leadership is juuuuust fine?) My potential opponent entrenched, Righty leadership understrapper, John Gallus is among said co-conspirators to this bill against our children's education and your input to local control. This CACR43 bill would keep ANY and ALL future debate with regards to education funding and all the criteria surrounding our education system in the inept hands of the current Republican controlled legislature. Need I say... tragic???

This is the same legislature that refuses to properly fund education and further, that refuses to implement a proper funding mechanism for anything in the State, most remarkably education and the future leaders of our great America. This is the same legislature that refuses to properly define not only an adequate eduaction but now has termed the present system as "an equitable" education. Are you freakin kidding me??? Think what you want about why I left the D's but hear this;

George Washington touted funding proper education over ignorance. John Adams reminded us to remember the children and their school houses and teachers. Me, this INDIE, is all about taking the legislature out of any mix other than to simply hand over the funds that the State Ed board (not my faves but that's what we are stuck with now) and the local Communities require. Furthermore allow same Communities and Ed board the complete, unfettered, un-impeded responsibility to have the education of your children in the hands of We the People, not the woefully inept, reticent, semi-licentious legislature.

Now, after you swallow your A.M. bagel cream cheeze and Dunkin Turbo, digest the aformentioned info and GET ACTIVE!!!

2006-03-16T18:07:00.000-05:00

Great Moments in Imaginary History

Power, prison and well... power

2006-03-15T18:19:00.000-05:00

The announcement came over the wire last P.M. about the PSNH (Mayor Boob's boss) proposal to buy the Fraser Berlin papermill and use said mill for a wood burning power plant. I guess that's great. The impact and requirement study should take 6-8 months. My concern here is that since this area is soooo badly hit by economic woes, and given the dynamic, back room, tax payer funded, real estate duo of Danderson and Gallus, that anything might be allowed to be placed in this still beautiful area for the price of a few promised jobs, and most certainly many promised campaign contribution $$$'s and real estate fees to the personal pocket book. Good government there eh?

That brings me to the announcement this A.M. from US Senator Judd Gregg's office that the now impending Federal can will actually start ground breaking January 2007. There are a purported 300 permanent jobs to be gleaned from this huge project. I asked Mayor Boob at my last CEDC annual meeting if we could get assurances from the Feds to use local NH contractors on this construction job and he said" We don't demand anything from the Federal government". Thanks Bob, I'll remember that when you get to DC. The hang up here had been those pesky environmental impact statements for the 3 pieces of property the Bureau of Prisons were reviewing and the ever watchful eyes of the people trying to avoid and possibly catch yet another illicit, back room real estate dealio in the offing. I am quite sure this sale will score more than going ATV State Park rate of $185K, to the current district 1 State Senator. You know, you can't get away from that type of dirty, ethically questionable binezz when you do said binezz in the Righty, self serving State Senator's/real estate mogul's backyard...

Keep this in mind as well, the lack of support for one aspiring INDIE solon is a definite vote for the aforementioned, integrity challenged bad guy. By the way, the lovely pic was done by the love of my life, Margaret. They are genus purplis standingup flowerus. Nice.

RISE UP!!!

Stark raving results

2006-03-15T11:13:00.000-05:00

Here's my lunch plans. Eat my losing Town campaign strategy and finally do away with the thing and press on to the State Senate having been more encouraged, educated and renewed strengthened resolve. I am better for this process once again...

Of the 214 total ballots cast with 338 registered voters, the results:
Selectman;
Eich-103 (I)
Cowie-38
Montgomery-70

School board;
Randall-102 (I)
Cowie-100
write-ins-2

Now this is truly how the people have spoken. That's great. I know where my base is not located and I am on to greener pastures, as it were.

GET ACTIVE!!!

The process and the cranium

2006-03-14T13:28:00.000-05:00

Town Meeting is awesome. I am totally enamored of our entire electoral process. I have just come back from the first Town Meeting session in Stark where the town business was acted upon by the Citizens. I must say, it never fails to amaze me how many fokks talk about a certain issue and promise their support but when it comes time for the votes to be cast, I have been the lone ass voting for or against. This A.M. was no exception but as I was leaving, the same "fans" were spurring me on to come back to this P.M.'s portion to debate the school budget and fight for We the Peeps and against our unaccountable, arrogant school board and SAU office
despot-in-charge. Now, just how long can I take being the head that continually gets cut off you ask??? Yeah, I ask the same thing.

A few weeks ago I was a tad overwhelmed and considered withdrawing from my current aspirations to serve We the Peeps as INDEPENDENT district 1 State Senator. ( yeah you're tired of reading that) I had a shitty couple weeks back then. After much prompting, cajoling and coercing from my true loved ones and usual true freinds and fans, and bag loads of semi-fans (much like the folks that left me and my ass out this A.M.) convinced me to forge ahead and take on Gallus as best I can. To date, I still have not received an overwhelming amount of volunteers and $$$ to help me in this endeavor.

I ask you again, just as a rhetorical question to bring some insightful debate, how freakin long and how many times does one need to stick his head out only to look behind him for that "support" simply to get said cranium handed to him in a basket???

I forget what old, long dead, wig wearing white gyuy said this but... "I forge these rapid waters alone, if I must".

If I must... I'll report back later this P.M. after the votes are counted and I get that call from the head ballot checker.

RISE UP!!! I'll change this World for the better one day...

2006-03-09T19:56:00.000-05:00

Lawmaker fined for underage booze sales Rep. Manning was fined $600 for selling alcohol to a minor who later wrapped her truck around a tree. Think this is business as usual, or did our GOP Elvis impersonator state rep get some preferential treatment?

Losing jobs... gaining home sales

2006-03-08T08:50:00.000-05:00

The Berlin Pulp and Paper/Fraser Paper Mill has officially announced it will close, permanently, the Berlin mill as of May this year. Gorham Mill is still being reviewed for long term viability. Some 250+ jobs are gone forever from this North Country. This is just another tragic result of too many economic development eggs being put into a losing basket containing minimum wage, toursim related, service jobs. Gallus and D'Allesandro speak the same "We are a tourist State" language here so being stuck into this minimum wage funk is most definitely a bipartisan effort. Bring on the slot machines nez-pas!!! This latest job loss also confirms, as Berlin Mayor Boob Danderson (current primary hopeful against Prince of Pork Charlie Bass) that outsourcing jobs needs to stop. If Danderson and his ilk actually listened to themselves and thought about that during voting and support for their usual Righty suspects, perhaps we would have someone in the NH House and Senate that had the balls or ovaries to support getting out of trade compacts, such as the murdered HB8 from last session. We also have a globalist minded Federal delegation carrying H2O for King George. That does not bode well for We the People in the United States of America, New Hampshire being in that conglomerate, and our job security here.

Anyhooo, more $$$ will be thrown at re-training programs with much bravado and grand standing from supposed fiscal conservatives, that again have no problem helping jobs go overseas. Try putting that cash beforehand into someone that can get jobs and business here instead of CEDC and the Exec Directors tax payer guaranteed paycheck. An Exec Director, incedentally, who is sooo far over his head with this job loss issue and has sparkles in his eyes from schmoozing with politicos. PUKE!

This brings me to another point. These jobs come with home and business foreclosures and thus more homes on the market for those out of state, or at least out of area, homebuyers. Certain real estate brokers/State Senators have no problem selling these foreclosures. Since so many solons lack the moral character to put their constituents above their own self interest, (read "pocket book" as in ATV trails park dealio with, allegedley, $180K going to said real estate office) as George Washington warned against oh so many years ago. The State Senator alluded to here is certainly maintaining his penchant for exploiting his constituency when the opportunity and rubles presents. That's too bad.

I can't wait to see Governor Lynch and fellow Republican John Gallus holding hands in the next Edi Tucker Coos Democrat news article/photo-op in front of Tea Birds claiming "We are doing everything we can for the North Country". Such tripe. Such bilge water. Such empty promise.
I am glad I don't have television to watch that crap. By the way, Tea Birds does serve an excellent cup-o-joe and lunch special.

GET ACTIVE!!!
America First

Horse sense

2006-03-03T09:27:00.000-05:00

This is just a little shout out to those folks, some of whom belong to the party of which I was formerly affiliated. I got another e-chat last P.M. and early this A.M. concerning my reasons for having left the Dems party. I would have been their candidate and could have had soooo much support. Now only the "promise" of their vote. Nice. I'm good with that encouragement. Well, here's what we have. I shall rip the top offen the can, as it were.

South Dakota ( Mississippi is following suit) is in the middle of taking away your Inalienable Right to Free Will and Choice. These (Inalienable) Rights are Rights applied to individuals and bestowed, as the Founding Fathers suggest, by Divine Providence. Several States have trigger laws infringing and denying you these Rights should Roe v. Wade, and others, becomes past history. My point, I am pro-choice. Get a straight answer on that issue from my opponent.

There are several pieces of legislation here in this State that will make discrimination legal and Constitutinally allowed. I am fully and outspokenly supporting an individuals Rights and ones Freedom to Marry. Ask my opponent for a straight answer here.

I am fully dedicated to properly funding education with a sustainable, objective, equitable, broad based funding system. I will support a system with an income or sales tax, as long as the trigger to this system follows the repeal of the State wide property tax and the subjective, arbitrary view tax. If the numbers give consistent, long term funding, I will support same. Ask my opponent for a striaght answer on his line to education funding.

I fully support election, campaign finance and ballot reform , as long as they include a term limit provision. Both sides bloviate about this crap but neither are willing to give up their precious career seats in politics. I particularly support real ethics laws with teeth. Get a straight answer on these issues from my opponent.

So, if you think I am not the correct candidate for the job based only on the fact that I left the "party", then ask my opponent for a straight answer to any of these. And you can even include those issues which you may disagree with me, like my support for flag protection, the Pledge of Allegiance, my opposition to the UN and support of PERA. Get a straight answer to any of these issues from my opponent.

I am discouraged to think I may be a worse alternative, for my former supposed friends and others, to the Lynch Republican John Gallus,( as outlined on politicsnh.com and Dante Scalas blog) simply for the fact that I tell the truth, the facts and give a straight INDEPENDENT answer, albeit with a hot headed passion for the people, a big mouth and $12.72 in my campaign war chest. I'll get this one clean vote at a time.

RISE UP!!! indeed

A call from an old pal

2006-02-28T13:25:00.000-05:00

I got a call from an ageing gentleman last P.M. who has some serious health issues. He made an appointment to see an endocronoligist (???) but had to cancel due to lack of transportation. He will still be charged $450- for his non-visit since his North Country bus ride fell through after the 24 hours appointment cutoff. Anyhooo, his concerns were very well founded in that ;
1) this North Country lacks specialists in certain medical fields and,
2) this lack of medical professionals seriously hampers many facets of daily life for everyone!
He wants me to push this issue as John-show me the special interest green-Gallus has already told the guy to pound sand. Nice. This man is now a huge fan of yours truly.

Here's my/one suggestion to this ongoing lack of medical care here in this North Country and indeed the Granite State. This land mark original idea (maybe) can take care of several problems. I suggest we take the tobacco industry $$$ that we are supposed to use for health and education funding ( a broad requirement at best... read on) and use this windfall to subsidize/forgive health care and teaching professionals student loans to provide an incentive to stay here in this area. This could work very well with the State University system cirriculum. Good idea, perhaps, since the Feds and this State refuse to assist those that will take care of us during illness and teach our future leaders.

Aspiring teachers and health care professionals can certainly use this type of assistance and since "we", our Righty controlled legislature, have not/can't spend the tobacco cash as we are supposed to spend it, this plan can solve many problems this State has been realizing for loe these past many years. This North Country, specifically Coos County, has been outsourcing its progeny for the past decade and Coos is the only County to see a decline in population every year since the late 90's. According to a recent OEP report, we will see a continued growth of population here with the preponderance being well over the age of 50. Cash in health care services and facilities is where we should put the lions share of our cash. When the trend levels out, we will be well positioned with a full slate of new-ish, qualified teachers, ready to take the new kiddies in hand.

Thoughts on this issue??? Couple this along with my support of a broad based funding system and we could very well be on our way to catching up to the 20th century.

I know, 21st, but we are soooo far behind...

GET ACTIVE!!!

Still a long , long way to go...

2006-02-27T18:46:00.000-05:00

Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that ‘twixt the Negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon.

But what’s all this here talking about? That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud puddles, or gives me any best place. And aren’t I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm. I have plowed and planted and gathered into barns, and no man could head me. And aren’t I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man – when I could get it- and bear the lash as well. And aren’t I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen them most all sold off into slavery, and when I cried out with a mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard me! And aren’t I a woman?

Then they talk about this thing in the head: what’s this they call it? [“Intellect”, whispered someone near.] That’s it, honey. What’s that got to do with women’s rights or Negroes rights? If my cup won’t hold but a pint and yours holds a quart, wouldn’t you be mean not to let me have my little half-measure full?

Then that little man in black there, he says women can’t have as much rights as men, ‘cause Christ wasn’t a women. Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.

If the first woman God ever was made strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these together ought to be able to turn back and get it right side up again. And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.

Obliged to you for hearing on me, and now Sojourner Truth hasn’t got nothing more to say.

Sojourner Truth, Akron, Ohio, 1851

Rise up

As American as Red Meat and Carbon-Monoxide....

2006-02-21T11:10:00.000-05:00

FDA Is Urged to Ban Carbon-Monoxide-Treated Meat

Picture two steaks on a grocer's shelf, each hermetically sealed in clear plastic wrap. One is bright pink, rimmed with a crescent of pearly white fat. The other is brown, its fat the color of a smoker's teeth.

The meat industry knows the answer, which is why it has quietly begun to spike meat packages with carbon monoxide.

….

But the growing use of carbon monoxide as a "pigment fixative" is alarming consumer advocates and others who say it deceives shoppers who depend on color to help them avoid spoiled meat. Those critics are challenging the Food and Drug Administration and the nation's powerful meat industry, saying the agency violated its own rules by allowing the practice without a formal evaluation of its impact on consumer safety.

….

Much is at stake. The U.S. market in "case ready" meats -- those packaged immediately after slaughter, eliminating the need for butchers at grocery stores -- is approaching $10 billion and growing, said Steve Kay of Cattle Buyers Weekly, which tracks the industry from Petaluma, Calif. Tyson Foods, for example -- one of three meat packagers that has received a green light from the FDA to use carbon monoxide -- just opened a $100 million plant in Texas to churn out more case-ready "modified atmosphere" packaged meats, Kay said.

No one knows how much carbon-monoxide-treated meat is being sold; the companies involved are privately held or keep that information secret. But the potential is seen as great. The new technology "will finally make this the case-ready revolution, rather than the case-ready evolution," said Mark Klein, director of communications for Cargill's meat business.

from washington post [via david sirota]

Calling all grass roots activists

2006-02-20T11:34:00.000-05:00

This is a call to all those grass roots political activists wishing to GET ACTIVE and get further involved in our great process. I am coordinating a signature drive for nomination papers to allow my ballot access in November as an INDEPENDENT- woohooo!!! Anyone having some time and wishing to get involved, give me a call or send me an e-chat.

I plan on hitting my opponent, John-ATV-Gallus, RRR-Berlin, hard in his back yard of Berlin thus expanding my exposure and contacts early in this tough race. Then, off from there.
My tentative plan/schedule is as follows;

25Mar-Berlin
8Apr-Littleton
15Apr-Berlin
29Apr-Berlin/Jackson (?)
13May-Berlin/Gorham (?)
27May-Littleton/Groveton (?)
3Jun- Berlin/Gorham/Groveton (?)

Thanks for your consideration and although the campaign war chest is more like an elementary school lunch box, I will buy lunch. I hope to see you on the trail.

America First
William J Cowie
INDEPENDENT
for NH State Senate dist 1
1380 Stark Hwy
Stark, NH, 03582-6221
603-636-6085
vze585gn@verizon.net

RISE UP!!!

Lynch North Country staffer Benson resigns

2006-02-19T10:00:00.000-05:00

It appears that Peter Benson, North Country staffer for Governor Lynch, has resigned. Due to, apparently, a misunderstanding with Benson and some of his Jackson neighbors over Benson breaking up a snow ball fight, Benson thought best to step aside so as not to cause Lynch any problems. Geee, too bad the Right side of the Granite Block House didn't have such integrity.

Anyhooo, it looks like Paul Robitaille, current Gorham Selectman, Coos Country Dems Chief and whom I still consider my bud, may get his step up. Finally. {Then again, I have already been asked by some innocent bystanders to send in my resume and letter of interest. YEAH!!! Right.}

Either way, it appears that Kate has gotten her wish (other than Ray in an edible chocolate thong and his dominatrix gear) and she, Kate, now has a Democrat candidate for NH State Senate district 1. I am not sure that a name like "Benson" on the Dems side of the ballot will get much attention. Hey Susan B, I don't have the Jackson voter list yet. Is Benson a "D"?

GET ACTIVE!!! Vote INDIE!!!

House Judiciary Votes to ITL CACR-34

2006-02-16T08:52:00.000-05:00

The Judiciary Committee of the NH House of Representatives voted 14 to 7, "Inexpedient to Legislate", the bill now moves to the full House of Representatives for a vote.

Committee members credited constituent calls and the overwhelming opposition at the public hearing for their vote to oppose the Constitutional Amendment. The majority of the committee will recommend to the full house that they vote NO ON CACR-34.

Call your reps and urge them to vote NO on this shameful attempt to use the NH state constitution as a way to punish a minority group, and manipulate voters in an election year. The NH Freedom to Marry website: nhftm.org has talking points. There are similar amendments proposed in 10 other states this year. We cannot allow NH to become ruled by bigots.

Political Party Primaries.....

2006-02-15T14:37:00.000-05:00

1.) The establishment dragged Hackett out of the race

It's true that the establishment lined up behind Sherrod Brown -- he has spent years building up his networks and has a proven record people can embrace. Hackett didn't.

But this isn't the only race in which outsider candidates are running. In Rhode Island, the establishment has rallied around Sheldon Whitehouse. Yet Matt Brown hasn't bowed to pressures to clear the field. In fact, he's fought harder.

In Montana, the DC establishment has rallied around John Morrison, seen as a "more electable" because he has won statewide twice. Still, Jon Tester is refusing to bow to to any such pressures.

In Connecticut, a sitting US Senator, Joe Lieberman, is facing a primary challenge. The establishment would love nothing more than to direct the type of energy and funds we'll be directing at Ned Lamont and use that against endangered Republicans. But is that stopping Ned Lamont?

And what about primary challengers to annointed nominees Maria Cantwell, Bob Casey, and Harold Ford? They haven't quit. [update: nor has Mfume in Maryland.]

In the Republican side, Katherine Harris gave Karl frickin' Rove the middle finger and cleared out the field herself, despite efforts of both the state and national Republican parties to push her out. In 2004 in Oklahoma, Tom Coburn was the bane of the GOP establishment and they fought him tooth and nail in the primary. He didn't quit, and in fact went on to defeat both the establishment favorite in the primary, as well as the general election.

And do we need to talk about Obama? Barrack terrified establishment Democrats because 1) he was black (which could've been an electoral liability in downstate Illinois), 2) he had no money, and 3) his name was easily confused with some other person's. At one point he had 2% in the polls, yet somehow he managed to turn things around and defeat his cash-flushed opponents. he didn't quit when the odds were stacked up against him.

So it can be done, and it has been done. The party is not all powerful. In fact, it's pretty weak. That's been sort of the problem for a long time.

2.) Primaries are bad

This is something akin to gospel in the Democratic Party and I used to buy it. Until 2004. In that cycle, competitive Republican primaries in Oklahoma, Alaska, South Carolina, and Florida allowed those Republicans to use the momentum boost and media coverage to eventually win their seats. Democrats cleared their primary fields up and down the map for all the good it did (absolutely none).

This obsession with clearing fields really is counterproductive, generating a great deal of hostility and ill-will. And really, what better place to work on message and build the campaign machinery than in a primary? The primary election, at worse, becomes a test run to make sure the machine is firing on all cylinders. And the money used on media and whatnot during a primary is not wasted money -- it's a way to build up early name recognition to the electorate. It worked wonders for Republicans in 2004.

Now, insurgent candidates don't have a god-given right to respect or support. But if they want to run, then the party should stay the frack out of it. There is no legitimate justification for the price the party pays in meddling in such affairs.

from daily kos

I used to believe the 2nd point. I no longer do. I also used to be a member of the democratic party. I no longer am.

White House Cover-Up: McClellan Conceals Heart Attack From Press

2006-02-15T11:46:00.000-05:00

For 22 hours, the White House concealed the fact that Vice President Cheney had inadvertantly shot a 78-year old man, Harry Whittington.

The White House continues to withhold critical information from the press. In a press conference today, hospital administrator Peter Banko said that the White House had been informed that Mr. Whittington suffered a heart attack between 9:30-10AM this morning. Watch it:

(QuickTime Streaming)

But at today’s White House Press Briefing, which started after 12PM, Scott McClellan didn’t tell the press. CNN confirmed that McClellan “was notified [about the heart attack] just before the briefing.” But McClellan suggested to reporters that he had no new information:

I don’t want to make this about anything other than what it is. It is what it is. I was very respectful and responsive to your questions yesterday. I provided you the information I knew based on the facts that were available… I’m just not going to go back through it again.

McClellan concluded “You’re welcome to continue to focus on these issues. I’m moving on.” Too bad Mr. Whittington can’t do the same. He’ll be in the hospital for at least another week.

Banko press conference transcript:

QUESTION: What time did you notify the White House this morning and did you tell them, when you notified them, that he had a minor heart attack?

ADMINISTRATOR: Our cardiologists probably talked to him shortly after the cardiac cath was done, between 9:30 and 10:00 am this morning.

QUESTION: And you did tell them he had a minor heart attack?

ADMINISTRATOR: I did not hear the conversation that the cardiologists had amongst themselves, so I can’t tell you what – And heart attack is a layman’s term, so they went into a little more clinical detail.

from think progress

I don't really like this story.

When there is a genocide happening the press doesn't cover it. When we have a hunting accident or a blow job it's wall to wall coverage. Some are taking advantage of this event and are trying to cast it into a political light.

What progressives miss is that these sensational stories are consumed passively. News of genocide, torture, or other horrors emotionally demand that we do something, feel horrible about doing nothing, or just try to not think about them. But they demand that we address them which might be one of the reasons the average public shys away from real issues.

Sensational stories get lots of attention but they are generally dismissible. So even though this story may actually get paid attention to by the Main stream media and by the public it will not generate the kind of political action and awareness that many are hoping. The republicans made [chose to make] this mistake when they thought that just because the public was interested in the sexual misadventures of bill and monica that they actually wanted something done about it.

Sensational stories are so popular in part because they demand nothing of us. The public may not be excited by an outed CIA agent or bribery of public officials but at least those issues demand action. Sensational issues do not.

Inside of reveling in this misadventure or trying to make more out if it progressives should be using the platform of this media attention to bring light to the vice presidents far more serious crimes. The public already hates dick cheney bringing him down with this story will not make the case for progressive political policies or politicians. And I don’t think this point is any less relevant whether this was a complete innocent accident or a drunk botched execution.