Governor Taft's approval rating at 6.5%

No, that is not a typo. 6.5% How is that even possible?

Ohio is getting what it deserves for voting for the bumbling emperor.

Seriously, how is that possible?

HT: Politics 1

Speaking of Arab press...

U.S. military secretly pays Iraqi newspapers for running stories trumpeting U.S. mission

As part of an information offensive in Iraq, the U.S. military is secretly paying Iraqi newspapers to publish stories written by U.S. troops in an effort to burnish the image of the U.S. mission in Iraq.

The articles, written by U.S. military "information operations" troops, are translated into Arabic and placed in Baghdad newspapers with the help of a defense contractor, according to U.S. military officials and documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times.

Iraqis will never trust us. Americans shouldn't trust us, either.

I am too young to ever have known when integrity was an admired quality in people, as I was born 2.5 years after Nixon resigned. I came into this world after truth was no longer relevant to life, when lying was just another SOP, and when deceit and corruption were encouraged and applauded. And now, we've become so uncivilized that arguing over children's books is standard American political "discourse."

Will America ever return to sanity again?

Ignorance is litigious

From NY Times:

On Dec. 12, the Federal District Court in Los Angeles will hear a lawsuit filed by a consortium of Christian high schools against the University of California system for refusing to credit some of their courses when their students apply for admission. Here are excerpts from the disputed texts.

Slavery, which most historians look at politically or economically, is seen as "an excellent example of the far-reaching consequences of sin."

The sin in this case was greed - greed on the part of African tribal leaders, on the part of slave traders and on the part of slave owners, all of whom allowed their love for profit to outweigh their love for their fellow man. The consequences of such greed and racism extended across society and far into the future. It resulted in untold suffering-most obviously for the black race but for the white race as well. ... The Lord has never exaggerated in warning us of sin's devastating consequences - for us and for our descendants (Exodus 34:7).

The book also criticizes the progressive movement championed by Theodore Roosevelt, and the Progressives themselves.

On the whole, they believed that man is basically good and that human nature might be improved. ... Such a belief, of course, ignored the biblical teaching that man is sinful by nature (Ephesians 2:1-3). Progressives therefore also ignored the fact that the fallible men who built the corrupt institutions that they attacked were the same in nature as those who filled the political offices and staffed the regulatory agencies that were supposed to control the corruption.

Physics for Christian Schools," by R. Terrance Egolf and Linda Shumate (Bob Jones University, 2004), addresses the question, "What is Christian about physics?"

Some people have developed the idea that higher mathematics and science have little to do with the Bible or Christian life. They think that because physics deals with scientific facts, or because it is not pervaded with evolutionary ideas, there is no need to study it from a Christian perspective. This kind of thinking ignores a number of important facts to the Christian: First, all secular science is pervaded by mechanistic, naturalistic and evolutionistic philosophy. Learning that the laws of mechanics as they pertain to a baseball in flight are just the natural consequences of the way matter came together denies the wisdom and power of our Creator God. ... Second, physics as taught in the schools of the world contradicts the processes that shaped the world we see today. Trying to believe both secular physics and the Bible leaves you in a state of confusion that will weaken your faith in God's Word.

Yes, these are actual passages the schools use to teach their children. They are so cracked out on God that they can't understand why a university would deny credit for the courses? What are the people like who go to these schools? Do they end up becoming psycho killers? Child molesters? Drug addicts? It isn't healthy.

Circles of life

East-to-West Migration Remaking Europe

Since Latvia and nine other countries joined the European Union in May 2004, almost 450,000 people, most of them from the poorest fringes of the formerly communist east, have legally migrated west to the job-rich economies of Ireland, Britain and Sweden. Germany, France and other longtime E.U. members have kept the doors closed for now but promise to open them in coming years to satisfy the bloc's principle that citizens of all member states share the right to move to any other.

Perhaps nowhere is this feeling stronger than in Ireland, a country of 4 million people with one of Europe's fastest-growing economies and memories of how the world took in destitute Irish migrants in generations past. About 150,000 new workers -- mostly Poles, Lithuanians and Latvians -- have registered with the Irish government in the past 18 months, statistics show, although officials say that some may have already been there.

I wonder how the Irish are taking it. I remember when I lived there (has it been six years already?) there were some problems with North African immigrants and racism, but I don't think they have forgotten the signs saying "Irish Need Not Apply" in store windows here in the States. The Irish have come amazingly far in their development of prosperity. How wonderful is it that they can return the favor of giving opportunity to those seeking better lives from Eastern states? Evolution at its finest.

I do not believe it is wrong to criticize

I missed this story yesterday, as I don't make a habit of reading Rat Drudge's site, but it is too good not to spread the word.

Vice President Dick Cheney had his face covered by a mysterious giant "X" during CNN's live coverage of his speech from the American Enterprise Institute yesterday.

The TVNewser website obtained a statement from a CNN spokeswoman Laurie Goldberg, explaining: "Upon seeing this unfortunate but very brief graphic, CNN senior management immediately investigated. We concluded this was a technological malfunction, not an issue of operator error. A portion of the switcher experienced a momentary glitch. We obviously regret that it happened and are working on the equipment to ensure it is not repeated."

Happy Thanksgiving!

Aren't four-day weekends grand?

Spotlight: Saqib Ali

Democratic candidate for District 39 Maryland House of Delegates (Montgomery County)

Website: http://www.alifordelegate.com

Bio: Current Co-Chairperson of the Longdraft Road Coalition.

First elected President of the District 39 Democratic Club.

Legislative District 39 Co-ordinator for the Howard Dean presidential campaign in 2003 & early 2004.

Worked full-time for Congressman Chris Van Hollen's General Re-election campaign in 2004.

Co-Chair of the Montgomery County Democratic Spring Ball in 2004 which raised tens of thousands of dollars for the Montgomery County Democratic Party.

Please contribute to Saqib's campaign here.

No words necessary

Bud Selig: Worst Commissioner Ever

Selig shows no sign of thaw in Rose's final year of eligibility

The Hall of Fame's doors will remain shut to Pete Rose, who won't appear on the baseball writers' ballot in his final year of eligibility.

Commissioner Bud Selig will not rule on Rose's application for reinstatement before the 2006 ballot is released Nov. 29, according to Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer.

September 11, 1985. I was an eight year old celebrating my grandfather's birthday with my family. Eric Show was pitching for the Padres. Ty Cobb was about to become #2. Cheers erupted from the Cincinnati crowd, fireworks exploded, and the game was stopped for more than ten minutes as a red Corvette was driven out to the field. Pete Rose, a.k.a. Charlie Hustle, had just hit #4192.

Cincinnati fans forgave Pete long ago. Baseball fans forgave him during the All-Century team ceremony, when he stepped onto a Major League Baseball field for the first time in a decade and received several minutes of a standing ovation. But Selig can't forgive him? Why? Because Selig blames him for the death of his friend, Bart Giamanti, who died of a heart attack in the midst of the gambling investigation.

The guy had 4256 hits in his career. He played the game harder than anyone who ever played the game. So he had personal problems? Everyone does. Remember Steve Howe? He was banned for life for his personal problems, but he was forgiven and reinstated. People make mistakes. Pete has paid more than enough for his.

Join the O'Reilly Blacklist!

From HuffPo:

Bill O'Reilly recently put the city of San Francisco on notice:

"If Al Qaeda comes in here and blows you up, we're not going to do anything about it."

O'Reilly insisted that this statement was "not controversial" and blamed the uproar on "far left Internet smear sites."

Then O'Reilly promised to publish a blacklist to publicly intimidate his "enemies":

"I'm glad the smear sites made a big deal out of it. Now we can all know who was with the anti-military Internet crowd. We'll post the names of all who support the smear merchants on billoreilly.com."

In this case, being on O'Reilly's enemy list is an honor. Join Bill O'Reilly's blacklist by entering your name below. I'll collect the names and hand deliver them to Mr. O'Reilly the next time I'm on the Factor (and if he won't have me back, I'll bring them to his studio anyway).

Become a proud member of the O'Reilly Blacklist here. Go ahead, add your name to the list!

35,281 words

Only 14,719 to go.

Another quandary from which W can't escape

Locked Doors Thwart Bush's Bid to Duck Question

BEIJING (Nov. 20) - Irked by a reporter who told him he seemed to be "off his game" at a Beijing public appearance, President George W. Bush sought to make a hasty exit from a news conference but was thwarted by locked doors.

"Respectfully, sir -- you know we're always respectful -- in your statement this morning with President Hu, you seemed a little off your game, you seemed to hurry through your statement. There was a lack of enthusiasm. Was something bothering you?" he asked.

"Have you ever heard of jet lag?" Bush responded. "Well, good. That answers your question."

Jet lag or jet booze?

God to be on tonight's 60 minutes

Bono And The Christian Right

(CBS) When he’s not piquing their ire by using profanities on the air, U2 front-man Bono is enlisting the help of America’s Christian Right to get drugs to African AIDS victims.

The activist rocker tells 60 Minutes correspondent Ed Bradley that getting conservative Christians on his side was the best way to push the Bush administration to send more aid to Africa. Bradley profiles the Irish super group this Sunday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Please support these Maryland candidates!

Saqib Ali for Delegate D39





Heather Mizuer for House of Delegates




Craig Rice for Delegate D15





John Mahoney for Senate D19

Democracy in Palestine

Palestinians protest over poll delay

Thousands of Palestinians have taken to the streets in the southern West Bank town of Hebron to protest against the postponement of local elections by the Palestinian Authority.

On Friday, speakers in mosques throughout the largest town in the West Bank denounced the Palestinian Authority (PA) decision, describing it as "an expression of dictatorship and despotism".

"No to dictatorship, no to robbing the people of Hebron of their right to elect their representatives," shouted thousands of people, many carrying the green banners of the Islamic movement, as they marched through the streets.

Anyone still wonder why the riots happened in France?

Hijab costs woman French residency

A Moroccan woman living legally in France for eight years has been refused a long-term residence card because she covers her hair with an Islamic head scarf, says her lawyer. El Khamsa has lived legally in France - where her four children were born - since 1997, employed by her husband's business. To replace her current residence card that must be renewed annually, she wanted a residency permit that is valid for 10 years, like the one accorded her husband.

But in a 2 November letter refusing her the 10-year card, Francois Praver, sub-prefect in the town of Raincy outside Paris, noted that during her interview, El Khamsa wore a head scarf "entirely covering your neck and the roots of your hair, comparable to a hijab, sign of belonging to a fundamentalist Islam".

As someone who loves Europe and works with the Middle East, I have taken a keen interest in the relationship between France and the Maghreb states, particularly Algeria. There is something barbarically romantic about the history of that relationship. The history only goes back to 1830, but it feels like forever. The discrimination goes back, too, and was not more evident than when Northern Algeria was declared part of France in 1879. Europeans living in Algeria could receive full citizenship, but Algerians could obtain this only after renouncing Islam. Algerians were considered French subjects but were not allowed to hold public meetings, carry weapons, or move around the country without permission.

The Algerian Revolution, as it should be called, was fought from 1954-1962, a bloody, heroic struggle against the idea of colonialism itself. One million Algerians and 100,000 Frenchmen are estimated to have been killed during these eight bloody years. In 1959, Charles De Gaulle, who had chosen Algiers as his seat of government while exiled during WWII, surprised the Europeans of Algeria by declaring that he would allow Algeria to chose between independence or continued association with France. This pissed off those who wanted Algeria to remain part of France, and for the next two years, unsuccessful revolts against de Gaulle were carried out by army generals. In 1961, 70% of Algerians and 76% of French voted for independence, and in 1962, 90% of the electorate voted to ratify the Evian agreement (I think of water, too), giving Algeria full independence. French nationalists, NOT Islamic fundamentalists, resorted to terrorist attacks as a result.

Unfortunately, French colonial rule had destroyed the stable and mature Muslim society that had been Algeria prior to France's subjugation. After independence, Algeria was ravaged by one of the bloodiest civil wars in the history of manevil.

It seems like the two countries are destined to be forever entwined. The struggle is not over, and as long as France continues to blatantly discriminate against Muslims, the violence is not going to go away. The relationship was born from violence, and it will live in violence for as long as oppression continues.

One small step

Army to Halt Call-ups of Inactive Soldiers

Despite intense pressure to fill manpower gaps, Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey said the Army has no plans for any further call-up of the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) beyond the current level of about 6,500 soldiers. The IRR is a pool of about 115,000 trained soldiers who have left active-duty or reserve units for civilian life, but remain subject to call-up for a set period.

Now if they would just end stop-loss, thousands of soldiers who have basically been drafted would not have to suffer from the Army's broken promises.

Yesterday I received an email from a former roommate of mine at DLI who spent 2004 in Iraq and who is now trying to decide whether to reenlist to get the bonus or to take the chance and hope her contract is honored. She is in misery working around the clock all of the time, but she expects, as an Arabic linguist, that she will not be allowed to leave when her time is up, so she might as well take the money if she's going to be stuck in the Army.

Need more soldiers? Some advice: treat soldiers with respect, honor their contracts, fight better wars, and don't invade countries!

34%

So says the Wall Street Journal. I wonder when these numbers are going to bottom out.

Update: Waspjerky points out that Slacktivist has a brilliant theory on the bottom.

Don Young Way

Rep. Young is yammering about not getting the $$ for his bridge to nowhere, a bridge that has become symbolic for the pork that is fattening this country's deficit and has morphed the dignified institution of the United States Congress into the contemptuous body of wankers that we see today.

Instead of attacking anti-poverty and education programs, libertarians and fiscal conservatives should be working on cutting the pork out of Congressional bills. Taxes wouldn't seem so evil, nor would they be so high, if more money was spent on healthy, effective social programs rather than pet projects of Congresspeople who care more about votes than the good of this country. The money for that bridge could and should be going to such projects as education reform or health care reform. Or strengthening levees.

Before Hurricane Katrina breached a levee on the New Orleans Industrial Canal, the Army Corps of Engineers had already launched a $748 million construction project at that very location. But the project had nothing to do with flood control. The Corps was building a huge new lock for the canal, an effort to accommodate steadily increasing barge traffic.

Except that barge traffic on the canal has been steadily decreasing.

What a damnable waste.

Failure to appropriate resources to necessary projects like levee construction are a big reason for the negative perception most Americans have about Congress. Instead, they are misallocating funding for bridges to nowhere, parking garages, salmon paintings on airplanes, and municipal swimming pools. According to Citizens Against Government Waste, "appropriators stuffed 13,997 projects into the 13 appropriations bills, an increase of 31 percent over last year’s total of 10,656" during 2005 for a total of $27.3 billion. (CAGW is a whiny rightwing group who wants to buy more SUVs instead of paying taxes, but they do their homework and are a good source for information about pork.)

If we didn't have such a Congressional culture of misuse, we might be able to build a stronger social fabric, one where giving money to help others in need wasn't viewed with contempt by such a large chunk of the right.

Scalito verses Roe

Alito rejected abortion as a right

Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr., President Bush's Supreme Court nominee, wrote that "the Constitution does not protect a right to an abortion" in a 1985 document obtained by The Washington Times.

I suppose the coat hanger industry will boom with this confirmation...

WaPo article

Go ahead and buy that SUV, moron

Kuwait's biggest field starts to run out of oil

It was an incredible revelation last week that the second largest oil field in the world is exhausted and past its peak output. Yet that is what the Kuwait Oil Company revealed about its Burgan field.

The peak output of the Burgan oil field will now be around 1.7 million barrels per day, and not the two million barrels per day forecast for the rest of the field's 30 to 40 years of life, Chairman Farouk Al Zanki told Bloomberg.

He said that engineers had tried to maintain 1.9 million barrels per day but that 1.7 million is the optimum rate. Kuwait will now spend some $3 million a year for the next year to boost output and exports from other fields.

However, it is surely a landmark moment when the world's second largest oil field begins to run dry. For Burgan has been pumping oil for almost 60 years and accounts for more than half of Kuwait's proven oil reserves. This is also not what forecasters are currently assuming.

Peak oil- no longer so "moonbatty," is it?

I'm sooo sleepy!

From the pen of Bob "I'm the one who started Plamegate" Novak:

WASHINGTON -- President Bush was furious with the staff preparation for last week's inter-American summit in Argentina where his trade proposals ran into unexpected opposition.

The president was reported as particularly unhappy with the work by his National Security Council staff in getting ready for the meeting. That added to Bush's distress in Buenos Aires, dealing with violent street demonstrators and hostile fellow presidents led by Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and including Argentina's Nestor Kirchner.

The crowning indignity for Bush was the Friday night state dinner starting at 10 p.m., an hour when the president normally is in bed. He left the dinner early, but it was midnight by then.

Aww... poor baby.

What a loser.

Robertson warns Pennsylvania voters of God's wrath

And here's to you, Mr. Robertson
Jesus hates us more than words can say (eh eh eh)
God bless you please, Mr. Robertson
Heaven holds no place for Darwin's aides
(Hey, hey, hey...hey, hey, hey)

You'd like to say a little bit about the Dover case
They'd better learn to help themselves
Don't turn to God when disaster strikes
He won't be there 'cause they ousted Him

And here's to you, Mr. Robertson
Jesus hates us more than words can say (eh eh eh)
God bless you please, Mr. Robertson
Heaven holds no place for Darwin's aides
(Hey, hey, hey...hey, hey, hey)

Life is too complex to say that God did not design
There's no way our ancestors were apes
Natural selection is a blasphemous affair
Most of all, you've got to hide it from the kids

Coo, coo, ca-choo, Mr. Robertson
700 Club is righteousness (yes, yes, yes)
God bless you please, Mr. Robertson
Heaven holds no place for those who stray
(Hey, hey, hey...hey, hey, hey)

Sitting on a church pew on a Sunday afternoon
Screaming 'bout Darwinian debate
They lost their place in Heaven
When they went to choose
Ev'ry way you look at it, they lose

Where have you gone, Johnny W.
A nation turns its lonely eyes to you (Woo, woo, woo)
What's that you say, Mr. Robertson
Jesus C. has left and gone away
(Hey, hey, hey...hey, hey, hey)

Robertson's nonsense here.
Simon and Garfunkel's real lyrics here.

Walmart employee fired for telling the truth

But this time, it isn't really Walmart's fault, but the fault of some wacked out hyper Christian who knows nothing about her religion and who has no sense of tolerance. Wal-Mart Defends 'Happy Holidays' Greeting

"The colors associated with Christmas red and white are actually a representation of the aminita mascera (sic) mushroom. Santa is also borrowed from the Caucuses (sic), mistletoe from the Celts, yule log from the Goths, the time from the Visigoth and the tree from the worship of Baal. It is a wide wide world," said the e-mail, from a customer service worker identified only as Kirby.

All of this, of course, is true. Christmas traditions come from pagan holidays. Those people who absolutely refuse to learn the facts about their religion drive me to madness. Get a clue! Do you really think Jesus decorated a pine tree every time his birthday came around? Did Santa bring Jesus presents when he was a little boy?

"Ho, ho, ho! Have you been a good little boy?"
"Oh, yes, Santa, I have been the bestest boy in the whoooole world throughout all of history!"
"And what do you want for Christmas, bestest boy in the whoooole world?"
"Santa, I don't need anything for Christmas. If I want something, I can just make it out of clay."

And Kudos to Walmart for defending "Happy Holidays," although the whole uproar is utterly ridiculous. Is Christmas even a religious holiday anymore? If I were from a part of the world that knew nothing about Christmas, and I saw all of the green and red junk in the store windows, I'd never guess it was a religious holiday, unless, of course, if was for one of those people who worship the Market.

This week's sign the Apocalypse is upon us

Kos and RedState.org are teaming up to say NO to H.R. 4194 and YES to free speech. Visit the Online Coalition to protect free speech and tell your Congressperson to say NO to H.R. 4194 and YES to H.R. 1606. Pass it on.

Here's their letter to every Member of Congress:

November 9, 2005 Dear Member of Congress,

As bloggers from the right and left, we don’t often agree on much. But when it comes to free speech online, we couldn’t agree more. We urge you to oppose H.R. 4194, the Shays-Meehan "Internet Anti-Corruption and Free Speech Protection Act of 2005". We oppose H.R. 4194 primarily because despite claims by its supporters - it does not in fact offer adequate protections for speech and political activity online. In particular:

• It would stifle technological innovation. H.R. 4194 would not adequately protect Internet activity which is not “blogging”, such as already-widely used technologies like podcasting, wikis and peer-to-peer networks, let alone the technologies of tomorrow. In the face of regulatory doubt, no one will want to invest in emerging technologies to enhance citizen participation not clearly protected by the law; and

• It offers no guidance as to the treatment of group political activity, potentially treating all group websites that discuss federal candidates as political committees, with voluminous filing and disclosure requirements, so long as members spent $1000 on server and other costs, an easily-reached amount;

• Its alleged protection to incorporated bloggers offers no real protection. In comments filed before the FEC, supporters of H.R. 4194 have stated explicitly that those websites which endorse, expressly advocate, and urge readers to donate funds to the election of preferred candidates do not qualify for protection under the law. In other words, rather than protecting popular sites like DailyKos.com or FreeRepublic, H.R. 4194 would actually force them to seek counsel and comply with voluminous campaign finance law requirements, stifling and chilling grassroots political activity across the Internet. For those members committed to extending the BCRA rules and regulations to the Internet, it would be preferable to pass no bill at all rather than H.R. 4194, which would only chill free speech and technological growth, and instead wait for the Federal Election Commission to complete its current rulemaking process.

Better still would be to pass H.R. 1606, the Online Freedom of Speech Act. H.R. 1606 would preserve the status quo which governed the 2004 election cycle, during which none of the fears now trumpeted by H.R. 4194’s supporters came to pass. Moreover, as FEC Vice Chairman Michael Toner has stated, the charge that H.R. 1606 would somehow allow federal candidates to coordinate with corporations and unions to spend soft money funds to purchase Internet banner and video ads on behalf of candidates “has no legal foundation.” As he has explained:

The FEC's regulation exempting the Internet was based on its interpretation of the statutory definition of “public communications” in the McCain-Feingold law. However, neither the FEC's regulation, nor the Hensarling bill, in any way touches the broad statutory prohibition found at 2 U.S.C. Section 441b that bars corporations and unions from making expenditures in connection with federal elections.

The purpose of campaign finance law is to blunt the impact of accumulated wealth on the political process, but this is does not occur online. While wealth allows a campaign or large donor to dominate the available space on TV or in print, there is no mechanism on the Internet by which entities can use wealth or organizational strength to crowd out or silence other speakers. Any citizen who wants to establish a website that discusses political matters can do so within five minutes, and their words are instantly available to hundreds of millions of users on an equal basis with every other site.

Moreover, one need not invest millions of dollars to reach people on the Internet. The most popular Web sites are often the cheapest ones, many using the free Blogger.com service to publish their thoughts at no cost at all. Content is king on the Internet, and the idea that accumulated wealth could have a corrupting influence online demonstrates a profound misunderstanding of how the medium operates or how citizens approach it. In sum, the Internet now fulfills through technology what the rest of campaign finance reform attempts via law – and this occurred under the legal regime which H.R. 1606 seeks to codify. We urge you to proceed cautiously, and steer clear of additional restrictions like H.R. 4194 until real corruption becomes evident. At that point, Congress and the Federal Election Commission will still be around, and can prevent actual problems, and not merely hypothetical ones. Before considering support for H.R. 4194, ask yourself this question: if everything its supporters are saying is true, why did no one take advantage of these “loopholes” in 2004? We urge you to oppose H.R. 4194.

Sincerely,

Markos Moulitsas Zúniga
DailyKos.com

Michael Krempasky
RedState.org

Bye bye, world!

Five cities to be destroyed Friday

A Farragut man says he's only the messenger, claiming his personal relationship with god has revealed to him, five cities in the United States that will face economic collapse Friday, November 11, 2005.

"But I want people to know that I'm perfectly sane, that I'm at peace with what's going to happen," John Gilmore says he's just a messenger and living by it. He says people in New York, Washington DC, Atlanta, Las Vegas, and San Francisco face some form of serious destruction on Friday.

So long, it's been a nice life!

His God is Crack.

UPDATE: The Farragut guy was fired from his job. I didn't know that being an idiot outside of work was grounds for dismissal.

Happy Veteran's Day

Some Veteran's Day fodder, courtesy of the guys at Al Faw and Firend. Watch it, it's funny. Those poor guys. The boredom must be suffocating.

Dreaming in the new world disorder

I had this horrifying dream a couple of days ago which made me a bit late to work. I couldn't wake myself from it, even though I could consciously hear my alarm. I just couldn't move; it was terrifying.

I was riding the Metro, although it was nothing like the regular Metro, because the ends of the cars were like trolleys. There were still the Metro doors, but the ends of the cars were open. Outside looked a lot like Ohio, but in the dream it was supposed to be the DC suburbs. At one of the stations, a guy on a bicycle rode up to the armed guards and told them a bomb had been "found in the tunnel." Somehow, the Holland Tunnel was in DC, though in the dream we did not go through any tunnels. A bomb squad was dispatched, but the train kept going anyway. I told my friend next to me that we should get off, but she said I was just being paranoid, which makes sense, because paranoia is a common fear on the Metro these days, and anyone who tells you they haven't felt it is lying.

We chugged along and stopped at a strip mall. I kept saying we should get off, we should get off, and she kept saying, no, there's no way back from here if we get off. We chugged along, and then I noticed another friend of mine get off the train while it was still moving, so I convinced her to get off the train to go say hello.

We were all standing there talking, and bomb squad members were running all over the place. There was a small baseball souvenir stand where we had stopped, so I went inside and bought a Cincinnati Reds jersey (I think this represents some childhood comfort in the face of danger, for it makes no sense otherwise.) My two friends and I were talking about how we were really nervous about riding the train, and as we watch it pull away, I started hoping it really would blow up so that my paranoia was warranted, because I didn't want to live my life in constant fear.

Somehow, the train had to take an elevator to get from the suburbs to the actual city (weird, I know). We watched it go up in the distance, when suddenly, it exploded. Shards of glass and fire rained from the sky, and we ran to take cover in the baseball shop. I sat in a corner, rocking back and forth, unable to fathom what I had just witnessed.

I think subconsciously, all of us in DC have some sort of fear or paranoia about what is probably inevitable- a terrorist attack on the city. It isn't called terrorism for nothing, you know.

They found Cheney!

Read it here.

I hope this is not true

Israelis evacuated from Amman hotel hours before bombings

A number of Israelis staying on Wednesday at the Radisson hotel were evacuated before the bombing by Jordanian security forces, apparently due to a specific security alert. They were escorted back to Israel by security personnel.

The Foreign Ministry stated Wednesday that no Israeli tourists are known to have been injured in the blasts. Representatives of Israel's embassy in Amman were in contact with local authorities to examine any report of injured Israelis, but none were received. There are often a number of Israeli businessman and tourists in Amman, including in the hotels hit Wednesday.

Israel's counter-terror headquarters on Wednesday recommended Israeli citizens not travel in Jordan. Travel warnings regarding Jordan were tightened a few months ago, but many Israelis still visit the country. Many also visit other regions such as the Jordanian Arava and the ancient city of Petra.

Did they know? Did they let it happen? Did they not care if dozens of Jordanians would die as a result of the attack? Did they not care if the Jordanian economy was going to suffer severe economic consequences as a result of this attack? Ten percent of the Jordanian economy is fueled by the tourism industry, but who will go to Jordan now? When I visited back in January, I marvelled at the hospitality of the Jordanian people and the economic boom that was evident in all corners of Amman. I wish them a speedy recovery.

If they knew, and they got their own people out but left the others to die, then they are no better than Al-Qaeda.

Update: Haaretz is claiming that it is not true. I hope for the sake of humanity that it is not.

...And there is hope for the world!

Palestinian's organs go to Israel

The parents of a Palestinian boy killed by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank have donated his organs for use in Israel, in the hope of promoting peace.

Twelve-year-old Ahmed Ismail Khatib was shot in the town of Jenin by troops who mistook his toy gun for a real one.

His organs were transplanted into five Israeli children and a woman aged 58.

Lay down your guns all your daughters of Zion, all your Abraham sons.

Update: WaPo has the story.

Galileo's Rising

There is hope for this country yet!

School board that backed intelligent design ousted

Challengers unseated eight out of nine Dover Board of Education members yesterday in a tight race that centered on the issue whether the theory of intelligent design has a place in science classes.

The ninth member of the York County school board was not up for re-election.

The eight board members unseated were all are proponents of a policy -- now the subject of a federal court case -- requiring high school freshmen to hear a statement about intelligent design before biology lessons about evolution.

Let's hope the same happens to these folks: Kansas Education Board First to Back Intelligent Design: Schools to Teach Doubts About Evolutionary Theory

On Thursday, Cardinal Paul Poupard, who heads the Pontifical Council for Culture at the Vatican, said that "the faithful should listen to what secular modern science has to offer, warning that religion risks turning into "fundamentalism" if it ignores scientific reason." Maybe the "born-agains" should take a hint from those who only needed to be born one time and start respecting science. York County residents certainly have done so. Isn't democracy grand?

Good morning!

Every once in awhile you wake up and things just seem to be good. Today, I open WaPo, and what do I see?

Kaine Triumphs Over Kilgore for Va. Governor

Alito Signals Reluctance on Roe

Senate Drilling into Oil Industry

There were many lessons the Dems can take from the Kaine campaign; some of these are positive campaigning is much more effective than negative, Dems don't need to be afraid of religion, and Mark Warner is a strong presidential candidate for 08.

We have the momentum now. The question is whether or not we can keep it up for next year. I feel good about it, though, especially in light of the Pew Research Center's poll that came out yesterday with Bushie's approval rating down to 36%. 2006, here we come.

Virginia's governor's race

WaPo has declared Kaine the winner! Kaine wins! Woohoo! Finally, my string of supporting losing candidates has been broken!

84% reporting- this is looking pretty good!

Timothy M. Kaine (D) 830,055 51%
Jerry W. Kilgore (R) 751,647 46%
H. Russ Potts Jr. (I) 36,628 2%

67% reporting

Timothy M. Kaine (D) 662,474 52%
Jerry W. Kilgore (R) 585,139 46%
H. Russ Potts Jr. (I) 29,060 2%

52% reporting- we're past the halfway point!

Timothy M. Kaine (D) 483,537 51%
Jerry W. Kilgore (R) 437,669 46%
H. Russ Potts Jr. (I) 20,146 2%

35% reporting

Timothy M. Kaine (D) 338,949 51%
Jerry W. Kilgore (R) 311,752 47%
H. Russ Potts Jr. (I) 14,939 2%

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free

Va. Day Laborers Being Photographed, Followed

Representatives of the Herndon chapter of the Minuteman Project, a national group that fights illegal immigration, began showing up last week at the site. On three mornings, including Friday, Minuteman members arrived about 6 a.m. with video and still cameras and walkie-talkies to document the activities of Lopez and other day laborers as well as the employers hiring them.

Hey, Minutemen, why don't you take the jobs that these day laborers do? Your racist "cause" would hurt this country, you know. Who would do these shitty jobs for less than minimum, no benefits, and no guarantee you'll get work or get paid for the work you do? What ever happened to your "security" mission, you know, sitting on your asses at borders patrolling for "illegals?" Didn't you say that the terrorists were getting in through the unguarded borders? Last time I checked, Lopez wasn't an Islamic name... I guess you were lying when you said you were keeping the country safe from terrorists, huh?

I visited New York City for the first time in my life this past weekend. It was quite something to see the Statue of Liberty from across the water and contemplate the millions of people who came to this country seeking a better life, including the ancestors of those Minutemen. They didn't have stringent immigration laws designed to keep most people out of the country back when boatloads were coming over in search of freedom and prosperity. If they had been, those Minutemen hicks would have been kept out.

Hey, Virginians, vote Kaine!

Kaine official website

(I can't WAIT until these campaign commercials are no longer on... one more day!)

Update: Do you really want this dork as Governor (snicker)?

Americans see the Bushies as dishonest (finally!)

Bush's Popularity Reaches New Low

Or his unpopularity reaches a new high!

Beyond the leak case, Americans give the administration low scores on ethics, according to the survey, with 67 percent rating the administration negatively on handling ethical matters, while just 32 percent give the administration positive marks.

What's wrong with you 32%? Don't you read the papers? It seems like a new gop is in trouble every day...

Digging his own grave

Iran Removes 40 Envoys in Shake-Up

The moves give the new government of ultraconservative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the chance to purge pro-reform figures brought in by his predecessor, moderate Mohammad Khatami, and install its own supporters... Ahmadinejad's victory in June elections sealed the decline of Iran's reform movement and solidified the control of hard-liners over the government. Some Iranians fear Ahmadinejad _ a longtime member of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards _ will bring back the policies of restrictions at home and confrontation abroad seen after the 1979 Islamic Revolution led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

What a shame. The "election" of Ahmadinejad was a major setback to reform in Iran. He's digging his own grave, though. The demographics of Iran, especially the exploding youth population, are going to destroy any grip he has on the country. Iranians are great people, and they aren't going to sit around waiting for their government to feed them when they're starving.

Unless Ahmadinejad is planning on nuking Israel knowing full well that he will be nuked back, I can't see his "rationale" in his political suicide. This is a bonehead move.

cross posted at In Search of Shamash

"The town was abuzz the next day with news of the Jesus bun and the Mexican."

Intrigued? Chapter One of Lester Barry Speaks Out is posted! 5000 words down, 45,000 to go!

Comments, suggestions, and criticisms are highly appreciated!

As Ohio goes, so goes the nation

Chris Cillizza at WaPo writes about Ohio's importance for 2006 in today's The Fix. With all of the crooks running around in Ohio, there will be sweeping changes in the state whose governor has a 17% approval rating. The good news is that there are six House seats that the Dems can take from the gops in the state, and when I think about how the Dems need 15 seats to take over, little pangs of excitement jump up within me. No, the Dems are not going to take back the House in 2006, unless a miracle happens, but 2008 doesn't look so far away these days. Of course, with the Dems recent track record on picking candidates, this nervous excitement could once again be transformed into that bitter November 3 feeling.

It's interesting to note that convicted criminal Governor Bob Taft is related to Bushie through at least three different marriages, ranging from eighth-cousin-once-removed to 11th-cousin-once-removed, as well as being a ninth cousin of Vice President Dick Cheney. Talk about royalty. They may not be allowed to have formal titles of nobility, but they have informal ones, alright, the titles of Taft, Bush, etc... But, I digress. Or do I?

Paul Hackett is new blood, not coming from the ranks of American nobility. It's time to circulate these guys through our political system, sweep out the dinosaurs and take back the government from the crooks and liars. Vote Hackett for Senate!

Imagine a President named Newt

Newt's in Iowa exploring... Good or bad for the gops? Good or bad for the Dems? Who can tell? I feel like everything about American politics right now is flying around like those money booths, you know, the ones people win a chance to go in and grab as much money as possible.

I would hope a presidential candidate would have more qualifications than this:

Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.), who came to Congress as part of the Republican revolution of 1994 that Gingrich led, said, “I think Newt would love to be president. I don’t think there is any question about it. He’s already met the criteria; he’s already written a book, or several books. This is right up Newt’s alley.”

Writing a book is a presidential qualification?

Newt's a smart guy, no doubt about it, and though I do not like his ideas, I do like the idea behind the "Contract with America." Nothing like having a plan.

So who's in the gop field now? Gingrich, McCain, Barbour, Warner, Hagel, Allen, Brownback, Frist (hopefully he'll be in a jail cell), Giuliani (fat chance), Romney, Condi? The list is as long for the Dems.

It's going to be a strange 2008 primary season. It'll be the first time since 1928 that primaries were being held for both parties (with no VP incumbent running.) By the time November 2008 comes around, the American people are going to be sick to death of politics, but it's going to be great fun for those of us who like campaigning.

World Net Daily wrong again

This has been bothering me for a couple of days: On October 29, WND reported that Al-Jazeera had taken to calling suicide operations "paradise operations."

In a story about the Russian foreign minister criticizing the Palestinian Authority for failing to combat terrorist movements, a paragraph reads: "Ariel Sharon ordered the defense minister Shaul Mofaz previously to undertake wide attacks on the movement of the Islamic Jihad, whose military wing yesterday undertook (||am-ma-li-a al cha-deer-ra) operations of paradise, which killed five Israelis and injured tens of Israelis – or whoever was standing around."

Previously suicide bombings have been called "ammaliat in-ta-har-i-a" – suicide operations.

Arabic is a very flowery language, and Arabs like to use different terms for the same concept to spice things up a bit, but, contrary to wingnut opinion, Al-Jazeera is not a terrorist channel. They are no worse than Faux News in terms of objectivity.

There is no word "ja-deer-ra" in Arabic that means paradise. (Iraqis and some other Arabs pronounce the j as "ch," but there is no letter "ch" in the Arabic language.) There is a word "jidri" (جذري) which means "radical" as in extremist, but it is not in widespread usage. Since "operations" is plural, the word would take on a feminine ending and would be "jidria," which is quite similar to "jadeera," isn't it? It is possible that this or some mutation of the word was used, but the word does NOT mean "paradise."

It is interesting to note that the English word "paradise" comes from the Persian word "pairi daeza", meaning a walled garden.

(If you wingnuts want to badmouth my credentials to talk about this, take a look at my resume and then shut up.)