Election Eve Poem

T'was the night before election and all through the land everyone was wondering, was the election in hand?

"Never!" yelled McCain on TV, "ditto" cried Palin, "there's simply no way our campaign is fail'n."

I sat in my living room, remote by my side, the phone off the hook, I was trying to hide.

When out though the window I heard such a chatter, I went to go see just what was the matter.

I spied out the window and across the great lawn, a mob of angry folks surrounding Sarah and John.

"They're Commies! They're terrorists! They'll tax you to death!" came from the crowd with each angry breath.

"He's Muslim! He's foreign! He's elite even worse!" One yelled the N-word in one spiteful curse.

"Down with Obama, down with Biden, off with their heads! ...The country can't handle them, they're better off dead!"

I stood there in horror, how could this be, but standing there in the middle was Palin smiling with glee.

"Liberals hate America and freedom and folks who love God," exclaimed the VP pick with a wink and a nod.

I couldn't believe the mobs violent reaction and that Sarah's sharp words could have so much virulant attraction.

All I could do is hang my head down in shame, that this once respectable party would play such a game.

These unsavory tactics, they work I confess, but eight years of this crap is what got us in this mess.

The Brown Shirts Return

I know that the majority of Republicans are decent people, but for the love of god, what is happening to the party. It is being overrun by thugs.

I have been to plenty of political rallies, both Democratic and Republican. At both I have seen emotions high,but violent intent seems to be the norm at GOP rallies these days.

In 1995 I went to see Bob Dole speak at a rally. There were some Clinton supporters with signs across the street, but no one payed them attention. In fact, we had prior knowledge that there was one guy who planned on doing a "silent protest" of Dole's policy, so being the snarks we were, a friend and I printed up placards that stated we were protesting silent protests and followed him around... silently, of course.

Now, you take you life in your own hands if you dare show an ounce of decent a Republican rallies. (McCain Miami Rally, Getting Ugly Down Here)

Other rallies, McCain supporters shout out death threats, racial epithets, and other slurs. At one rally, a African-American camera man was called a nigger and told to "sit down boy."

And, it is not only the crowds that are getting belligerent. Elected GOP office holders are telling crowds that, unless you agree with them, you are not a "real American" and that you hate god.

I won't even go as far as associating the skin heads what plotted to kill Obama with the GOP even though, I am fairly certain they were not voting Democratic this year.

This whole thing is like some strange convergence of McCarthyism and Brown Shirt intimidation tactics. The GOP is in tatters now and I would be ashamed to be associated with a party that has sunk so low. There is nothing constructive coming out of the GOP these days, only destructive behavior to tear down everybody instead of building anyone up.

If you are a Republican reading this, get a hold of your party. It is decending into chaos and your candidates are leading the charge.

Stones and Glass Houses

Sarah Palin went into pit bull mode yesterday, attacking Obama for sitting on the same non-profit board as former Vietnam era radical, william Ayers. In addition to sitting on the same boards, Ayers also hosted a "get to know the candidate" coffee in his home in 1995, before Obama knew of Ayers past dealing. Obama has called Ayers actions "despicable" and has completely repudiated Ayers and his Vietnam era organization. For this, Palin is saying that Obama is "palling around with terrorist!" She further went on to say that "This is not a man who sees America as you and I do -- as the greatest force for good in the world."

On the inverse, Sarah Palin's husband, Todd Palin, was a registered member of the Alaska Independence Party which advocates the overthrowing of the U.S. government in Alaska and its secession from the union. Todd was a registered member of the party from 1995 to 2000.

Joe Vogler, the party's founder stated "The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government." He also said, "And I won't be buried under their damn flag. I'll be buried in Dawson. And when Alaska is an independent nation they can bring my bones home."

Not only was Todd an active member of the party, Sarah Palin spoke at their party's convention in 2000 where she never once disagreed with their platform and actually told them to "keep up the good work."

I guess Todd doesn't see the good old U.S. of A. the same way as the rest of us do "as the greatest force for good in the world" either... and for that matter, I guess, neither does Sarah Palin...

So, while Obama had a passing acquittance with Bill Ayers a long time ago, Sarah Palin sleeps with a traitor to the United States every night.

So, hey, if you are going to throw stones...


Analysis: Palin's words may backfire on McCain

John McCain Begins Push Polling

Not only has the "honorable" John McCain been called a liar by about every fact checking organization out there...

Not only has Karl Rove, the king of sleazy politics called John McCain a big fat liar... Rove: McCain went 'too far' in ads

Now McCain has started using the very lowest of the lowest tactics in U.S. politics...

McCain has decided to use the very thing that he derided about the Bush campaign in 2000...

John McCain is now push polling...

Jewish voters are receiving phone calls from purported "pollsters", except, the pollsters don't want to ask them there opinion, they want to shape their opinion.

The pollsters are asking

"Would it change your mind about Obama if you knew that his church was anti-Israel? Would it change your mind if you knew that the leaders Hamas had endorsed Obama? Would it change your mind if you knew he had met with the leaders of Hamas?"

I would have never thought that John McCain would ever sink so low. I feel ashamed that I could have ever have considered voting for him. He really has become the evil love child of Tom Delay and Karl Rove.

Jewish voters complain of anti-Obama poll

Jackass Awards Part Deux - Virgil Goode

I haven't been blogging much recently. I have been overwhelmed with work and I will be leaving soon for a long vacation.

But this caught my eye. It is a letter from one of our U.S. Congressmen writing to a constituent regarding the use of a Koran to swear in the freshman Representative, Keith Ellison, who is a Muslim.

Virgil Goode, Jr. responds to his constituent to express how much disdain he has for anyone not Christian.

Thank you for your recent communication. When I raise my hand to take the oath of Searing In Day, I will have the Bible in my other hand. I do not subscribe to using the Koran in any way. The Muslim Representative from Minnesota was elected by the voters of that district and if American citizens don't wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran. We need to stop illegal immigration totally and reduce legal immigration and end the diversity visas policy pushed hard by President Clinton and allowing many persons from the Middle Ease to come to this county. I fear that in the next century we will have many more Muslims in the United States if we do not adopt the strict immigration policies that I believe are necessary to preserve the values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America and to prevent our resources from being swamped...

So, apparently, Rep. Goode is not a big supporter of the First Amendment... It is ok for Goode to hold the bible while being sworn in, but god forbid that someone of another religion gets elected by democratic vote and wants to use the holy book of his own religion.

Additionally, I am completely confused about how Rep. Goode equates illegal immigration with the election of a Muslim form Minnesota. Keith Ellison, the recently elected Muslim, was born in Detroit to a Roman Catholic family. Rep. Ellison converted to Islam in college, like many other Americans have over the years. But, I guess you can't apply logic to Rep. Goode's letter since it is devoid of logic completely.

It is so sad that we have a single elected official in the U.S. government that is so narrow minded and so bigoted that he cannot accept his fellow congressman as a legitimate American. The troubling thing here is not a Muslim using the Koran to be sworn into office, but that Rep. Goode is being sworn in at all.

Dee the actual letter here

H/T Talking Points Memo

Update: Virgil Goode has decided to stand behind his bigorty and will not appologise for his letter.

Linwood Duncan, Goode's press secretary, said that Goode sent the letter to hundreds of constituents who contacted their office after Ellison disclosed his plans. At about the same time, a member of a local Sierra Club contacted Goode about a different issue, and the letter was accidentally sent to him in response. The Sierra Club member made the letter public.

"The congressman is not apologizing," Duncan said. "He stands by the letter." - Star Tribune

I guess it makes it ok that he accidently sent the letter to the wrong people. You can be a bigot, but only if you are a bigot to other bigots.

Jackass Awards

Sometimes there are people who deserve a special mention for being outright jackasses. So, today, today, I am listing some from the past week who have gone above and beyond the call of Jackassdom to reach new levels of jackassedness.

#3 - Tom DeLay

Tom Delay this week blamed the whole fiasco in Iraq on liberals and democrats. He claimed that if it were not for them whining and complaining about how bad things are in Iraq, things wouldn't be bad in Iraq. I guess Republicans who had complete control of the government had nothing to do with the failures we have suffered in Iraq. Sectarian violence? Democrats... No military plan to win the war? Liberals... The erosion of moral superiority in the world's eyes? Liberal media... Donald Rumsfeld's job performance? Ted Kennedy all by himself.

#2 - Freepers

The brain trust that is also known as the Free Republic had much to say about the recent tragedy of Tim Johnson's stroke. They spent the first two responses in the thread commenting on how repugnant it is for democrats to talk about the balance of power in the U.S. Senate if Johnson was not to fully recover or die... and then spent the next 78 responses talking about the balance of power in the Senate if Johnson was not to fully recover or die.

Notably, the Freepers also commented on how Johnson's stroke was the will of God to put control of the Senate back in Republican hands.

The real news of the day is that God may have placed the Senate back in our hands!

If the Senator recovers we can have joy for him and his family, we are abased. If he does not, we can have joy for our nation, we abound [emphasis is their own]

Then the freepers went on to make fun of the Senator if he were to be severely disabled.

One blink means 'tax'. Two blinks means 'spend'. Three blinks means 'surrender'

It warms the heart to know that the good people at the Free Republic are looking out for our best interests.

# 1 - Soledad O'Brien

Today, the waste of space that is Soledad O'Brien, interviewed the three wives of the men trapped on Mt. Hood. As the three women held each others hands, on the verge of tears, Soledad reiterated the horrible conditions on the mountain and asked the dumbest question ever:

"Are you still hopeful? The weather conditions as you've seen are so dreadful; the rescuers can't make it up the mountain; It is almost white out conditions; it's weather wise terrible, terrible conditions. Are you still hopeful you are going to get any good news out of this"

Thank you Soledad for telling these women that they have basically no cause for hope that they may ever see their loved ones again. What are they supposed to say? 'No, we have no hope. Our husbands are as good as dead'? Why don't you go eat one of their kids also, Soledad... lets see if you can do anything to make them feel even worse.

Rumsfeld Resigns

It is officially a very very good day. The bum is out on his ass. I don't feel bad for him. I am sure that he will land a very lucrative job with Haliburton in about 45 seconds.

I am quite shocked that Rumsfeld is gone. Bush is so damn stubborn that I thought he would hold on to him until the bitter end. Afterall, it was only a week ago that Bush said he would keep Rumsfeld regardless of what people thought of the failing war in Iraq. Is this just another Bush flip-flop? I guess Bush was for Rumsfled before he was against him.

There are two possible reasons for his resignation.

The first is because of the election results. The message sent by the American people was that they have no confidence in the Republican leadership of the country. Bush can be stubborn for only so long. Sooner or later he must wake up and smell the grime. He (or should I say his advisers know) that it will be very difficult for the Bush Administration to deal with the Democratically controlled congress with Rumsfeld in office.

The second, is that it will give the Bush administration some breathing room on the war in Iraq. With a new person coming in, the democrats are almost obliged to let the new person have a shot at it before putting more pressure on the Administration to pull out troops.

It was clear that Rumsfeld was ineffectual as DOD Secretary and the democratic victory made him even more irrelevant. Either way, this is a victory for the American people, and most of all, the troops fighting in Iraq.

GOP says Rumsfeld is stepping down

How to Win as a Republican?

Pretend to be a Democrat.

Today, the Republican candidates for Governor and Senate bused in homeless people from Pennsylvania to had out literature in predominately black precincts.

There is only on catch... the pamphlets (sample ballots) that the hired hands were handing out labeled the Republican candidates as Democrats and not Republicans.

That's right, the only way for a Republican to win these days is to pretend to be a Democrat.

These actions, along with all the other crap that has been going on to mislead, confuse and trick voters is disgusting. Right or Left, let people vote on the issues.

Sample Ballots in Pr. George's Misidentify Candidates
By Ernesto Londo?o
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 7, 2006; 4:18 PM

Inaccurate sample ballots describing Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. and Senate candidate Michael S. Steele as Democrats were handed out to voters in at least four polling sites in Prince George's County this morning.

The ballots were distributed by people who said they arrived by buses this morning from Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Erik Markle, one of the people handing out literature for Ehrlich, who is seeking reelection, and Steele, the current lieutenant governor who is campaigning to replace retiring Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D), said he was recruited at a homeless shelter in Philadelphia.

After a two-hour bus ride to Maryland, Markle said the workers were greeted early this morning by first lady Kendel Ehrlich, who thanked them as they were outfitted in T-shirts and hats with the logo for Ehrlich's reelection campaign. Nearly all of those recruited, Markle said, are poor and black. Workers traveled to Maryland in at least seven large buses.
(Full Story)

Bush Blames Republican Congress

Bush today blamed the Republican congress for posting the Iraqi blueprints for a nuclear weapon on the web. He claims that he was pressured by congress to post the seized documents on the web so conservatives could peruse the documents in hopes that they still might find a smoking gun.

So, Bush is willing to use signing statements to allow torture and numerous other "programs" in the name of national security, regardless of congress laws, but he is willing to post nuclear material because the GOP threatened to propose a bill that would require him to post the documents.

Yeah, that ain't fly'n. Does he have "presidential powers" to protect us or not. I thought congress couldn't "tell him noth'n." I am confused.

U.S. shuts Web site said to reveal nuclear guide: report

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government has shut down a Web site it set up in March containing documents captured during the Iraq war after experts raised concerns it offered a guide to building an atom bomb, the New York Times reported.

It said the Bush administration started the site under pressure from congressional Republicans who hoped to use the Internet to find new evidence of dangers posed by former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

(Full Story)

Boehner: Iraq is the Troops Fault

So, a top GOP House Leader insults the troops and blames the mess in Iraq all on them... I am guessing you won't get outrage from the right-wing blogs on this one. I know I haven't seen any yet. It will just go to prove how insincere they were about Kerry's comments.

In an interview Wednesday on CNN, Boehner said, "Let's not blame what's happening in Iraq on Rumsfeld."

CNN's Wolf Blitzer replied, "But he's in charge of the military."

"The fact is, the generals on the ground are in charge, and he works closely with them and the president," Boehner, an Ohio Republican, said.

Boehner: Let's not blame Iraq woes on Rumsfeld

Wingnuts politicians keep saying that liberals hate the military. So, if Republican lawmakers love the military so much, compared to Democrats in office, why did so few of them ever serve in uniform?

Update: Still no outrage from the right... Go figure. As suspected, it was all political.

Boehner refuses to apologize for faulting generals

Enough Already

Enough with he righteous indignation coming from the right wing already over Kerry's comments. Yes, what he said was extremely stupid and probably did offend some people.

But enough with the righteous indignation. Anyone who grew up during Viet Nam and either severed solely due to the draft or received a deferment due to being in school knows exactly what he he was talking about and know that he was right on point.

We should all be proud of the soldiers who are fighting in Iraq. And they should all be proud to serve in an all volunteer army. But anyone who tries to make the claim that the bulk of the armed forces in the direct line of fire throughout the history of warfare is not made up primarily of the lesser educated and low to lower-middle class either lying or living in an alternate reality.

For millennia, the armies of the world have been made up of those who have fewer alternatives for a prosperous future than those with an education or wealth. During Viet Nam, the war that Bush opted out of, it was the uneducated that were drafted. The rich who could pull strings and those who were in college were the ones who had a choice. Bush had a choice not to fight... Cheney had a choice not to fight... Limbaugh had a choice not to fight. The average high school grad working in the steel mill had no choice. He had to fight.

Yes, there are plenty of educated men and women who are serving in Iraq right now. But, I read the names of those soldiers who have fallen in Iraq every night. You don't see General and Majors in the titles. You see PFC and Sgt's. Lets face it. Even if you do volunteer for the army. If you have a college degree or higher, the chances of you being killed in Iraq is substantially lower.

This is an all volunteer army, but which high schools do the military recruiters target? The ones where 90% of the grads have been accepted to college or those which the kids are lucky if they go on to one semester at the local community college? There is a reason that the military targets the lesser educated. Because they know that they have fewer options.

When Edwards mentioned that Cheney's daughter was gay, there was the same outrage given by the right. Two days ago, Bush publicly declared gay Americans are less equal and less deserving of equal protection of the law than heterosexual Americans. Where was the outrage over that? Hmmm?

So spare me the sanctimonious crap. Kerry was speaking the truth. And you all know it. You are just looking for any excuse to be able to lay your anger over the botched "American Democracy Experiment" on anyone other that the people who deserve it. Was Kerry's comment stupid? Yes, but what is really insulting to the troops is the way that Bush has waged this war.

Bush Calls Kerry Remarks Insulting to U.S. Troops

Kerry Apologizes, Calls Remarks a 'Botched Joke'

Iraq Is On Double Secret Probation

According to the nutty GOP Senator our of Montana, Conrad Burns, president Bush has a double secret plan to win the war in Iraq... he is just not telling anyone about it. Because... you know... when support for the war is at an all time low and you are risking losing the House of Representatives and the Senate... that is the time to keep the winning plan a secret.

Burns, at a debate Tuesday night with Democratic challenger Jon Tester, said he believes Bush has a plan to win — but added: "we're not going to tell you what our plan is."

I am so sure that Bush called Burns up a couple of weeks ago and they sat down for a late night warm milk where the two brain children came up with the winning strategy in Iraq. They just are way to humble to announce that they have found the solution to not only the war in Iraq, but the national debt, social security, global warming, and crab grass in addition.

Burns: President keeping war plan quiet

The Busk Stops... Over there

This is just getting too screwed up to even follow. The conspiracy theories are all over the place, but the Republicans still can't even get their own story straight.

You have Dennis Hastert who claims, "the buck stops here." And by here, he means anywhere but himself. Yesterday, Hastert placed the blame on Bill Clinton and George Soros, claiming this was all their doing. Once again, the fact that he is the House majority leader who is ultimately responsible for this is completely lost on him. (Hastert takes responsibility, but won't step down) This says nothing about the fact that ABC confirms that they received the e-mails from a republican. (Longtime Republican was source of e-mails)

You have fake news stories on the Drudge report claiming that the former page who's IMs shocked the world were just a prank. Conservatives are actually claiming that the former page "goaded" him into typing the sexual IMs as a prank. Yeah, because a man will check into rehab and then claim he was molested by a priest over a prank. You also have the three additional republican former pages who have come forward. (Three More Former Pages Accuse Foley of Online Sexual Approaches). And, lets say for just the sake of arguement that Foley was "duped" into the online sex conversation. You are trying to tell me that he, an elected official supposedly competent enough to be trusted with the running of this country didn't know better than to engage in an online sexual encounter with a minor?

You have the conservatives claiming it was a "network of gay staffers" who knew about Foleys online activities and were covering it up, even though it was the "network" of gay republican staffers who first notified Hastert of Foley's actions. (CBS Evening News Uncritically Reports ‘Gay Cabal’ Conspiracy Theory)

You have the same conservatives saying that the Foley scandal is a complete fabrication... but then claiming that the boys were of age, so Foley did nothing wrong. So, what is it? Were the IM's forged or were the boys of age? Don't try to make both arguments. (Ex-Page's Lawyer: Drudge's "Prank" Story "A Piece of Fiction")

Conservatives are also going on a homophobe witch hunt now. Lists of top republican staffers who are gay is being circulated in the GOP circles so as to purge the "open tent" party of undesirables.

The GOP would try to get their stories straight before trying to push the blame on others. It just shows how incompetent they are all around.

Update: This is so sad. Conservatives are now out there with a story that Democrats are refusing to take a polygraph test to prove that they didn't know anything about the Foley IMs. Oh, puuuhleeees. And who are the GOPers who are lining up for polygraphs? When Hastert takes a polygraph, then you can come talk to me.

Hastert's Unhappy Little Ho' Down

Things are getting bad on Capital hill to the embattled speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert.

Kirk Fordham, Foley's former Chief of Staff, and long time Republican staffer, came forward to state that he told Hastert about concerns he had about Foley's flirtations with congressional pages all the way back in 2003 (Ex-Aide To Foley Cites '03 Warnings).

Hastert can't remember this ever happening.

Fordham was the fourth Republican to come forward and claim they warned Hastert.

Rodney Alexander, Republican congressman of Louisiana claims to have told Hastert.

Hastert can't remember this ever happening.

House Majority Leader John A. Boehner, Republican of Ohio claims to have warned Hastert.

Hastert can't remember this ever happening.

Originally, Hastert claimed that Foley resigned so quickly that Hastert didn't even have a chance to ask Foley to resign.

Hastert apparently didn't remember that either and then claimed that he told Foley to take a hike.

Hastert said he was going to do something about Washington corruption after the Abramoff scandal. He forgot to do something about that also.

Currently, even FOX News is saying that Hastert is going to cost the GOP the House. But Hastert is refusing to go on his own (Hastert Rejects Calls To Give Up Leadership)

I wonder if Hastert will remember not to let the door hit him in the ass on the way out.

Gingrich Tries His Hand At Stand Up Comedy

Newt Gingrich tried his had at stand up comedy Sunday on Fox News by saying that the reason that Hastert didn't investigate the Foley e-mails earlier was because he was afraid of being called a gay basher.

Com'on... Republicans make a sport out of gay bashing. Half of their agenda is about gay bashing. Republican politicians compare homosexuals to Satanists and bestialitist. This is the party that believes homosexuality is a disease and that it is curable. the only thing that Republicans fear more than terrorist is being touched by a gay person.

Maybe if Foley was not so hemmed in by his own party and forced to live a lie, maybe he could have formed mature adult relationships with someone of his own age. Repression can screw with your mind and cause you to do things you would not normally do. If Foley is indeed an alcoholic, it most likely stemmed from his repressed sexuality as a form of self medication. He knew that he could never be honest with himself and others and still receive support from the GOP and its base.

So, Newt, lets be intellectually honest about this. Hastert didn't sweep this under the rug because he was afraid of being called a gay basher. He wept this under the rug because he wanted to remain the speaker and because it would anger the base that feeds on gay bashing.

GINGRICH: Well, you could have second thoughts about it, but I think had they overly aggressively reacted to the initial round, they would also have been accused of gay bashing. I mean, the original notes had no sexual innuendo and the parents did not want any action taken.

WALLACE: How would it have been gay bashing?

GINGRICH: Because it was a male-male relationship. And they had no -- there was no proof, there was nothing that I know of in that initial round that would have led you to say in a normal circumstance that this is a predatory person.

H/T MMFA

In related news, many of the conservatives are coming out to call for Hastert's resignation over the handeling of the matter. (Hastert Dismisses Call for Resignation Amid Foley Scandal & Pressure Grows for Republicans Over Foley Scandal). As well as adding more fear that the "permanent majority" that the GOP thought they had may not be so permanent. (After Foley, New Fears For the GOP).

Update: Even better than Gingrich's comedy routine is Katherine Harris's, Republican Candidate for senate in Florida. According to her, the Republicans knew nothing and it was in fact the Democrats and the media that knew about Foley and did nothing and it is all their fault. Crazy is as crazy does. The more I hear Harris speak, the more I think that there really was something was screwy in Florida's 2000 election. See the video clip at Wonkette.

GOP Knew Bout Foley As Far Back As 2001

It is kind of fun watching the fallout over this Foley thing. It is a sad situation for the pages, but the wingnuts are clamoring to shift blame. It is tough to spin something that is already out of control, and it is tough to claim that Democrats are politicizing that was being covered up for political reasons. The right wingers are all coming out of the wood works now to defend the situation. Over at the right wing blogs like Gateway Pundit, they are claiming that the age of consent is 16 in D.C. therefore there was nothing wrong with Foley's actions. They are also claiming that the e-mails were doctored and that this is just a conspiracy.

Over at the Right Wing Nuthouse, they are also talking about the conspiracies. Apparently, since ABC news and other organizations had these documents earlier and didn't report them, they are the bad guys because they were allowing a sexual predator to run free. I guess the fact that GOP leadership knew about these problems as far back as 2001 and did nothing to investigate the issue escapes them.

If all elese fails, attack the "liberal media." Its so sad... so sad...

GOP Staff Warned Pages About Foley in 2001
October 01, 2006 4:00 PM
Maddy Sauer and Anna Schecter Report:

A Republican staff member warned congressional pages five years ago to watch out for Congressman Mark Foley, according to a former page.

Matthew Loraditch, a page in the 2001-2002 class, told ABC News he and other pages were warned about Foley by a supervisor in the House Clerk's office.

Loraditch, the president of the Page Alumni Association, said the pages were told "don't get too wrapped up in him being too nice to you and all that kind of stuff."

...

Pages report to either Republican or Democratic supervisors, depending on the political party of the member of Congress who nominate them for the page program.

Several Democratic pages tell ABC News they received no such warnings about Foley.

Loraditch says that some of the pages who "interacted" with Foley were hesitant to report his behavior because "members of Congress, they've got the power." Many of the pages were hoping for careers in politics and feared Foley might seek retribution.
(Full Story)

H/T Smokey

Update: Ex-Rep. Foley Checks Into Rehab

In God We... We Have No Choice

Katherine Harris is really grasping at the evangelical base in order to pull out some sort of victory in her electoral bid. Unfortunately, it is also proving how nutty she is.

She has claimed that separation of church and state is a "lie" and that God chooses our "rulers."

If this does not explain to you why political secularist, such as myself, are scared senseless by these right wing "Christi-fascists," nothing will. And this should show that any religion; Christianity, Islam, Judaism, etc, that is taken to an extreme is a danger to democracy. There are no benign religions when an extremist is involved.

First off.... Rulers? Are you kidding me? We have rulers now and not elected representatives?

And if God chooses our rulers, doesn't that mean that all the evangelicals who believe this should just stay home on election day since the outcome it pre-ordained?

Harris clarifies comments on religion

MIAMI - U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris told a religious journal that separation of church and state is "a lie" and God and the nation's founding fathers did not intend the country be "a nation of secular laws." The Republican candidate for U.S. Senate also said that if Christians are not elected, politicians will "legislate sin," including abortion and gay marriage.

Harris made the comments — which she clarified Saturday — in the Florida Baptist Witness, the weekly journal of the Florida Baptist State Convention, which interviewed political candidates and asked them about religion and their positions on issues.

Separation of church and state is "a lie we have been told," Harris said in the interview, published Thursday, saying separating religion and politics is "wrong because God is the one who chooses our rulers."

"If you're not electing Christians, then in essence you are going to legislate sin," Harris said.

(Full Story)

He Just Doesn't Get It

BUSH - "That‘s kind of a pre-September 10th mentality, the hope that somehow resolutions and failed inspections would make this world a more peaceful place."

Ummm.... we were attacked on September 11th

BUSH - "And, of course, Iraq is a central part in the war on terror. That‘s why Zarqawi and his people are trying to fight us."

Uhhh.... he is fighting us there because we are there and it is easier to kill us there than here. If we were not in Iraq, he wouldn't have the opportunity to behead American citizens and kill our soldiers.

BUSH - "There will be elections in January [in Iraq]. We‘re spending reconstruction money. And our alliance is strong."

Elections can't be held because we can't even enter large sections of the country, of the $18 billion designated for reconstruction purposes, only $1.8 has been used and another $3 billion is being redirected to security issues. And we have had many of our allies pull out of Iraq because of the mess over there.

I'll continue this later...Its Friday evening... its time to go have a beer or somthing... Bush hurts my brain too much.

President Christ

I am not sure where this notion came from that Republicans represent a values of Jesus Christ. I consider myself Christian and to the best of my ability, I follow the ideals of Christ's teachings. Because of this, I feel compassion for the poor, not disdain. Because of this, I feel greed is sin, not a attribute to be admired. Because of this, I believe I have an obligation to help my fellow man, not kick him while he is down. Moses may have been a Conservative, but Jesus was the original Bleeding Heart Liberal. Bush asks "what would Jesus do?" Well, would Jesus lie to us. Would Jesus be OK defiling God's pristine earth for clear cutting trees and oil drilling? Would Jesus cut taxes for the rich while creating the largest population of children living in poverty in American history? Would Jesus award John a no-bid contract so he could make a quick buck on baptisms? Would Jesus create a plan that ensured all Americans have access to basic health care, or would he favor insurance companies? Would Jesus make sure the elderly had affordable prescription drugs or would he make sure the pharmaceutical companies made wall street estimates? Would Jesus favor big business that pollute the air and water or would he favor the children with asthma and leukemia? And most of all, what would Jesus bomb?

Un-safer with AKs on the street

Thanks to the Republican Legislature and George Bush, we are about to become less safe again. The Senate is about to allow the Assault Weapon ban to expire and George Bush isn't saying a word. Bush is courting the NRA and by allowing the ban to expire, he wins their votes. The only problem is... Bush promised to keep us safe! Now he is breaking that promise also. Generally, I would be opposed to assault weapons on a normal day. They are horrible for hunting, they are horrible for self defense, and they look horrible hanging over a fireplace. But, even as Bush promises to keep us safer, he is allowing al Queada to waltz right into Wal-Mart and buy an automatic weapon. Terrorists don't have to sneak them into the country... They just need to buy kits to modify non-automatic weapons into automatic weapons. They just go into Wal-Mart, buy an automatic weapon, walk across the street to the elementry school and start spraying the audience. There you go!... killing masses of persons without having to buy bomb making materials... Keeping us safer or just another broken promise?