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Happy Halloween everyone!

Vandra forwarded this to me today, and I thought it would share it with you. Too funny!

Rummy has a meltdown

BOO! Halloween is here, and the boogyman is... Donald Rumsfeld. Actually, considering the increasing violence in Iraq, making October the deadliest month this year for Americans, maybe Rumsfeld is the grim reaper.

The press conference above is a pretty good example of why Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld should be fired. Of course, that's not going to happen before the mid-term elections.

Olbermann puts is succinctly when he summarizes the press conference this way - "the only penalty apparent in the Bush administration's purported plan to establish benchmarks for the government of Iraq - insulting anyone who dares ask what the consequences are of failing to meet to meet those targets."

Rummy telling reporters to "just back off" isn't going to get him, or this administration, anywhere, and will likely simply encourage reporters to get more aggressive than they normally would have. The press has every right to ask these questions, and it isn't going to stop. It's the press' duty to report on these matters, and to hold the government accountable. By the way, we are over 100 Americans killed in Iraq now; as of this writing, we are at 101 for the month of October, the third deadliest since the war began. And we have a defense secretary telling reporters to back off? Rumsfeld needs a serious reality check.

What drives me crazy about Rumsfeld is that he's mismanaged this war since before it began, and he's mismanaged it by micromanaging. I'll have many more thoughts on this in the next few days - I just finished reading Woodward's State of Denial, and it's a pretty damning indictment of this administration and it's attitude toward the execution of the War in Iraq.

Quick footnote to this piece - Rumsfeld's mannerism of asking a question and then immediately answering it drives me nuts. He has one of the most annoying ways of speaking that I've ever heard. (I know, considering that his policies dictate the fate of millions of people, I shouldn't be nitpicking, but STILL.)

Desperate Santorum bashes Bush

At least YouTube is still good for one thing - political ads & commentary.

Take a look at the above interview of Rick Santorum on Fox News.

Now, President BUSH is soft on crime? This is a president that Santorum has voted with 97% of the time (depending on where you get your info., but even conservative estimates have him in the 90s) since Bush has been in office. Now, less than two weeks before his reelection bid, he's distancing himself from the president?

It just keeps getting better and better. Hell, I wish the election were another month away - God only knows what tricky Ricky would resort to.

All signs point to a defeat, but I'm counting no chickens.

However, more good news arrived for challenger Bob Casey over the weekend - endorsements from nine major newspapers. That's never bad news, but I wonder aloud how much newspaper endorsements even matter any more. Sure, they still matter, but I don't think nearly as much as they used to.

But, it's good news, & you can never have enough of that in a hard-fought campaign.

I'm sure Casey agrees.

Let the YouTube lawsuits begin

I'm disappointed, but not surprised.

Today, Viacom, the distributors of Comedy Central, ordered YouTube to take down all clips of Comedy Central and The Colbert Report.

Funny how this announcement happens a mere weeks after YouTube sells out (pun intended) to Google. Now that the source of so many TV clips has deep pockets, you just knew that these clips would suddenly become a copyright concern. Duh.

It won't be long before I'm over YouTube, honestly. Or, I'll be moving on to the new YouTube. There will always be one out there.

As of a few minutes ago, there were a few clips still up in my archives, but a quick check revealed more Comedy Central clips removed than remaining.

That sucks, but that's media conglomerates for you.

Rendell visits KU, touts education as priority

Ed Rendell paid a visit to KU last Monday, and I had a chance to go see him. I came away mostly impressed.

Rendell touched on a variety of issues, including jobs, Pennsylvania competing for industry and property taxes, but stressed education.

"Before I took office, Pennsylvania wasn't devoting one dime to pre-K education," said Rendell. "I'm happy to say that we now have $55 million [this year] going toward that, and 60 percent of kids are now in full-day Kindergarten."

The governor wasted no time getting to the oft-discussed No Child Left Behind Act.

"There is some good in No Child Left Behind," said Rendell. "I think we need to test every year, because if we only test every three or four years, it may be too late by the time we discover there is a problem. However, [the federal government] gives us no money for remediation."

Rendell brought down the house with a swipe at Bush and his NCLB program: "I think President Bush misread the Bible. It says 'teach thy children well,' but I think he thought it said 'test thy children well.'"

The governor, like any smart politician, had plenty of statistics in his pocket about education to talk at a major university, and he wasn't shy in touting them, citing that the state now provides funding for 184,000 students for after-school tutoring.

After talking education, it didn't take him long to tell the audience why he thinks education is so important.

"During yesteryear, [Pennsylvania] used to have to compete with West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia and New Jersey to attract big business and manufacturing firms, but that was it" he said. "Now, we are competing with Singapore, Korea, China and Germany, and we aren't doing a good job at competing."

Rendell had some pretty damning statistics to back up his points. Last year, the U.S. finished 19th in math aptitude, and 21st in science. Yikes.

"And," said Rendell, hammering home the point, "last year was the first year every that the U.S. patent office had more than 50 percent of its applications coming from foreign companies."

The incumbent governor mentioned a few other statistics that may be of interest to Pennsylvania voters. For instance, when he became governor:

-He was handed a $1 billion deficit from outgoing governor Mark Schweiker

-Pennsylvania has lost $1.5 billion in federal funding since he has been governor

-He compared and contrasted our plight in Pennsylvania with the war in Iraq, which is costing the federal government over $2 billion a week

Not surprisingly, Rendell also mentioned property taxes. This is an issue I know little about, but what he had to say was mildly encouraging.

"For 50 years, every [Pennsylvania] governor promised property tax relief, and I'm the first one to do it," said Rendell.

According to the governor, homeowners who earn less than $44k per year will get a refund on their property taxes - a refund check between $250-975 - this year.

"The property tax relief is great for seniors, and a start for everyone else," said Rendell, stating that the state has cut property taxes by $1 billion this year.

No matter the issue, Rendell's implication was always the same: "I can do more if I had a Democratic House," he said, referring to the Republican controlled Pennsylvania Legislature.

Next Tuesday, perhaps Rendell will get his wish.

I like Rendell, and I voted for him vs. Mike Fischer four years ago, but to be honest, he doesn't strike me as someone who has totally kicked butt in Harrisburg. He's done a good but not great job. I'm a Democrat, so of course I'm more inclined to vote for him, but he's getting my vote as much for my belief in traditional Democratic Party values as for who he's running against; Fischer had no ideas of his own in '02, and this year it's Lynn Swann, who has never held elected office, ever. I'm not one to be inclined to vote for career politicians, but experience does count. Pennsylvania has too much at stake over the next four years to elect a Jesse Ventura.

Honestly, considering his credentials, Swann would not have been courted by the Republicans to oppose Rendell if he had the exact same qualifications as a WHITE candidate. Question that if you will, belittle me if you must, but it's the brutal truth. Swann's candidacy is a clumsy attempt by the Republican Party to court the black vote.

On the under card at the event was Lois Murphy, who is running for Jim Gerlach's seat in Pennsylvania's 6th District. She ran hard last time and is poised to take the seat this time, but not without a fight from Gerlach and the GOP slime machine.

She alluded to Gerlach and the GOP's dirty bullshit tricks in her remarks. "People from [Gerlach's] campaign are calling my supporters, over and over, asking them to vote for me, and people are saying I'm not voting for her if she keeps calling me," she said.

Sounds awfully Karl Rovian, doesn't it?

(Quick aside: Think the phone calling mentioned above is unrealistic? Think again. Allen Raymond, a former GOP consultant, pleaded guilty to dirty tricks during the New Hampshire Senate race in 2002.

A quick experpt from a Washington Post article about it:

Raymond was the first to be sentenced of three men charged after the revelation that Democratic get-out-the-vote efforts in Manchester, Nashua, Rochester and Claremont were peppered with more than 800 computer-generated calls over a period of 90 minutes on the morning of Nov. 5, 2002.

Firefighters in Manchester, who were offering rides to the polls independently of the two parties, were also targeted, prosecutors said. Police later determined that an Idaho-based firm called Milo Enterprises had been engaged by GOP Marketplace to make automated hang-up calls.

Read the complete Washington Post article Here.)

Anyway, predictably, Lois Murphy's words were not kind about the current leadership in Congress.

"This Congress is not working on one issue that you care about," said Murphy. I found myself nodding in agreement. "They also aren't addressing health care in any meaningful way."

Of course, the Iraq War came up, too.

"Isn't it funny how my opponent Jim Gerlach and Republican Senators are all saying 'we need a change of direction in Iraq' while Congress is in recess,'" said Murphy. "Where were they when Congress was in session? They just talk about it on the campaign trail."

At the end of their remarks, there was a brief question and answer session, where Rendell answered a host of questions on immigration, education, and a few programs I honestly don't know too much about. But, my ears perked up when he was asked a question by a KU student about rising tuition costs.

Rendell bragged that he's been largely been able to hold the line on tuition increases at Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education public universities over the last three years to 1%, 1% and 2%. Embarrassingly enough, he referred to the "13 SSHE schools." Oops - there's 14, governor. Hey, we all make mistakes, like your agreeing to do a sports show for Comcast Sportsnight.

Puleeze Ed, stay in Harrisburg and govern. Hopefully, for four more years.

Murphy has some sage ideas on higher education. She mentioned how the Republicans this past year cut $12.7 billion from the college student loan program. She wants it restored. Murphy outlined three things she would do for higher education - 1. Increase Pell Grant funding, 2. Implement a tax deduction of $10k per year, and 3. Cut the interest rates in half for student loans.

On immigration, Rendell and Murphy both had strong views as well.

"Look, this country was built on immigration, and I haven't forgotten that," said Rendell. "We need a uniform federal policy; it should not be different from state to state. I would like to see a guest worker statute."

Murphy had more to add on immigration, too.

"We haven't enforced the laws on the books," said Murphy, citing the increase in illegal aliens since Bush took office from seven million to 11 million.

"In 1999, there were over 400 sanctions against employers who were hiring illegals," continued Murphy. "In 2005, there were four."

I don't know how accurate those stats are, but they are pretty damning, even if the actual numbers are close to that.

It was good to see the candidates stop at KU, but what I really loved was how packed the room was. I love how the younger generation (sheesh, I really sound old now) seems to be getting very involved in politics. And just in the nick of time - it seems the press dubs every election "the most important election of our lifetime."

I guess that's because every successive election is more important than the last.

This one is no different.

Stay the Course & Cut 'N Run - DOA

This is one of my favorite pieces from MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Personally, there's nothing sweeter than the Bush White House getting caught in a lie (Tony Snow in this case), and it's not hard to find cases of it these days. (Or the old political stand-by, the half-truth that Clinton made so famous.)

President Bush has been preaching "Stay the Course in Iraq" to the American people for well over two years now. Funny what the potential of your party getting its ass kicked in an upcoming election can do to your point of view. Iraq is getting bloodier and bloodier, and more and more Americans are dying (over 100 in October now), and for what? To try to impose Democracy on a Middle Eastern country that simply does not want us there? Nearly 70% of Iraqis in a recent poll want us OUT, yet this administration arrogantly plows ahead, unwilling and/or unable to admit its terrible mistake.

Funny how the president just smirks that arrogant smirk of his and says, with a straight face, "We've never been stay the course." How fucking stupid does he think the American public is? Evidently, pretty stupid.

And, Sean Insannity jumps right on the bandwagon, parroting the White House line on official state TV, Fox News.

I'm sure the phrase sounded good to Republicans when they started using it for Iraq, just like Cut and Run. I'm so sick of these slick PR gimmicks that Republicans dream up, but I've got to give them credit - they seem to be better at the PR game than Democrats.

Probably my favorite non-war related GOP PR euphemism is the Death Tax. Sorry, folks, but I'm not for millionaires inheriting wealth and paying no taxes. The rich need to pay their fair share, too. If Democrats were smart, they would call the Death Tax the "Paris Hilton Lifetime Laziness Tax" or something like that. Look at it this way - if I hit the lottery, I pay wicked taxes. Why? It's unearned income! On the other hand, if I ever inherit $25 million (yea, that's happenin'!), that's also unearned, and should be taxed. I'm no economist, but that's my take. The deficit shouldn't skyrocket so Republicans can line the beds of their rich benefactors. It's such a no-brainer ~ I'm not going to collect my Social Security check when I turn 70 (hell, it will be 80 by the time I retire if I live that long), so country club kids can collect fat trusts from Mommy and Daddy? Hmmm, that's really a tough one!

Anyway, getting back to the issue at hand - Cut & Run is another one I get a kick out of. This one sooo smacks of Vietnam it isn't even funny at all. No one wants to look like a pussy, so all legislators in Washington puff their chests out and say, "I'm not for cutting and running." Hey assholes, I wonder how many of you have sons and daughters in the line of fire? I'm sure there are a few, but probably damn few. This is the same kind of reasoning that gave us Vietnam, and 58,000+ dead Americans - because no one had the courage to say, "This isn't working - we gave it our best shot, but it's time to bring 'em home." (Cue tape of Richard Nixon, campaigning in '68 that he had a secret plan to end the war, and he did! A five-year plan - the cease-fire was signed in January of '73.)

So what if pulling out costs someone an election - sometimes doing the right thing is a helluva lot more important than winning an election. And besides, to be rankly materialistic for a second - all ex-presidents become millionaires these days, and Bush will be no exception, nor will his successors.

So, the real question is, how many dead Americans will it take before someone who really can make a difference will say, "Enough is enough." I'm not holding my breath and I seriously doubt it'll happen anytime soon.

Regardless of what happens a week from Tuesday, you can bet your ass that Bush will indeed change policy in Iraq after November 7. This course simply cannot continue.

We need to send a message to these morons in Washington, and we need to do it in eight days. This is bigger than party politics now - it's about American lives.

The whole "Support the Troops" silliness really makes me full hot, too. Any Republican who says that we shouldn't question military actions while troops are in the field has no idea what this country is founded upon and doesn't deserve to hold public office, period. "Support the Troops" is another way of saying, "Keep your mouth shut." Ain't happenin', capt'n.

For those of you with short memories, I have many, many recollections of Republicans asking lots of very public questions during the War in Kosovo, calling Clinton incompetent, a liar and worse. (Tom DeLay, Trent Lott, Dennis Hastert, Rick Santorum, Orin Hatch, I could go on and on.) A few quick questions about that war - 1. Was the intelligence cooked? 2. Did Clinton try to cook the intelligence? 3. Did we succeed? 4. Oh, and how many troops did we lose again?

Ain't history a bitch?

Saddam verdict due NOV. 5!

CNN is reporting that the verdict in the Saddam Hussein trial is due on November 5, two days before the coming election.

Honestly, should anyone, Republican or Democrat, be surprised by this latest Karl Rove / President Bush manipulation? I know I'm sure as hell not.

It's perfectly obvious that the American people want change, but the million dollar question is, will they get it?

When I see an interview late last week of Karl Rove scoffing at a reporter about the anticipated losses, and he mutters, "You can look at your math, I'll look at THE math." It makes you wonder.

I'll be writing a lot more about stolen elections this week - I've done a lot of reading on the 2000 and 2004 elections recently, and what I've read is more than troubling.

It's also important to note that this isn't the first time this administration has manipulated events in Iraq to influence the outcome of an election.

As as reported in Media Matters, the LA Times reported on October 11, 2004, that the Bush administration planned to delay major assaults on insurgent strongholds in Iraq until after the 2004 U.S. presidential election, fearing large numbers of U.S. military casualties.

Recently, as Media Matters noted, on the October 24 broadcast of the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, CBS News White House correspondent Jim Axelrod reported that a White House official told him, "[D]o not expect to see anything significant prior to Election Day" "as far as a significant change" in the Bush administration's Iraq policy and then quoted the official as saying: "You're not going to see anything before November 8th. It would be political suicide, and Karl Rove would never allow it."

You know, I didn't realize that Karl Rove was elected president. I totally despise him - he's the modern-day Rasputin.

It's awfully interesting, no it's tragic, that Bush has waited so long to change policy (or at least consider changing) in Iraq. This October has been the third deadliest month since the war began, and it doesn't look like it's going to get better.

Now, all of a sudden, Bush has convenient political amnesia ~ "What?!? Stay the course?!? Never said it!" I'll have more on the death of Stay the Course in a bit.

The death of decency in a garbage film

I just want to go on record right now as saying this film is a piece of garbage, and I don't care what awards it's won and where. Initially I thought I'd never see it - I probably will see it at some point in the future out of curiosity, but not by seeing it in a theater or renting it. If it's ever on TV at some point in the future, on a channel I'm already paying for, then okay. But, I'm not giving the producers or distributors of this film one red cent of my money.

I'll keep this one short, but I don't take jokes about the death of ANY president kindly. It's ridiculous, absurd, and offensive, but, it's part of America - free speech involves speech you don't support or enjoy hearing, and this falls under that category for me.

One final thing, though. A film like this IS indicative of the disdain that the world holds the U.S. in right now. Anyone remember films like this about Clinton, Bush Sr., Reagan or even Carter? Yea, me neither.

Bush: I'll have all the Brownies I want

Just got these postcards in the mail the other day from the aforementioned Xpress Your View. I love it. For those of you who don't remember, Bush's response to Katrina was inexplicably slow; he was vacationing on his non-working ranch in Crawford, Texas when Katrina hit. However, when the Schiavo controversy came to a head, he hopped on Air Force One and flew back to Washington almost immediately to intervene. Pretty telling about where this president's priorities have been.

Anyway, a little bit ago on Face the Nation, host Bob Schieffer had a good point about FEMA and Katrina. I'll comment after the video clip below...



So, Congress got some balls recently and told the president that all future FEMA directors have to have at least five years of emergency management experience, and Bush thumbed his nose at Congress.

I can understand Bush's quandary on this one - the president should have the power to pick his own people, but the president shouldn't have the ability to pick completely incompetent people. Part of the problem here is that I don't believe FEMA director requires Congressional approval. Since FEMA is part of the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA director is no longer a cabinet-level position (President Clinton raised FEMA director to a cabinet level position in 1993). If Congress feels that strongly about it (and it should, in the wake of Katrina and the government's disastrous handling of it), then it should pass a law requiring Congressional approval of the FEMA director. That way, if Bush or any future president doesn't want to meet a Congressional mandate that the head of FEMA should have X number of years of experience, simply don't confirm him or her.

I can see Bush's point here, but honestly, the public good should override these concerns. FEMA director has historically been a patronage job - a place where a president could give someone a decent paying job for having been a good supporter. But, Katrina changed all of that. We can never have another "Brownie" (former FEMA Director Michael D. Brown) on the job. (Everyone remembers the "Heck of a job, Brownie, heck of a job" crack by President Bush, who had no goddamn clue what was happening on the Gulf Coast when he said it.)

With global warming arguably causing many more super hurricanes, we need someone who can quickly mobilize an effective government response not only to hurricanes, but to all disasters, both man-made and natural.

Bush stumps for Whatshisname Lamberti

Countdown with Keith Olbermann just keeps gettin' better and better. I love it when Olbermann and Co. bring us videotape like this. And, in turn, I bring it to you. In a way, I'll be bummed when the '06 mid-terms are over - Olbermann has been must-see TV for me every night. But, it won't be long and campaign '08 will be gearing up, and with it, Countdown. Keep keepin' 'em straight, Keith O.

Anyway, on to the clip above. So, who is it, Mr. President? Jeff or Dave Lamberti? (For the record, it's Jeff.) At the end of days like this, the Bush has to say to himself, "How much longer do I have to put up with this shit?" For the record, Mr. President, you've got 813 days to go, and no matter how bad things get in Iraq, or how bad the upcoming election goes, many of us are much more eager to see you go than you might be to go. Starting Nov. 8, you are officially a lame duck, no matter how the mid-terms go.

Too bad about the 22nd Amendment, eh, Mr. President? I'd love to get another crack at campaigning against you. Doing campaign work against you in Bucks County in '04 was one of the best things I've ever been a part of, and I've love to see you get the stuffing kicked out of you in an election. Oh well, you'll be leaving soon enough, and that's good enough for me.

Cindy Sheehan up for Peace Prize

I bet Stephanie Miller won't be on Fox News anytime soon. And I bet she doesn't give a shit, either, nor should she.

It seems that Cindy Sheehan has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. If I had a say, she'd certainly get my vote. I defy you to name one other person in America who has done more to promote the idea of peace this past year. Yea, I can't think of anyone else, either.

I don't always agree with Sheehan's methods or choice of words (more on that in a minute), but it's easy for me to say I disagree with her methods; I didn't lose a child in this misguided, dishonest war - she did. And she's not taking her loss lying down, nor is she lost in a cloud of self pity. To that I say bravo. She's suffered an incomprehensible loss, and she's proof positive that our losses in Iraq don't have to be for nothing - out of terrible suffering and loss can come some good.

Earlier I referred to her methods - to say that she wishes she could go back in time and kill President Bush is despicable - I don't support using that kind of language under any circumstances. Hey, we're Americans, but we're supposed to be a decent, rational people, even when we fervently disagree. Here, she clearly crosses a line.

In the Fox piece above, Stephanie Miller reasons that the whole sentence/clip wasn't played, and that Sheehan goes on to say that she wouldn't kill anybody. Okay, fair enough, if that's true. But, Sheehan should know better. When she goes off irrationally like that, she takes away from her very poignant message and she loses her credibility.

Keep fighting, Cindy, but for heaven's sake, no more talk (even if hypothetical) of harming the president- it makes you sound like a heretical lunatic.

Letterman vs. O'Reilly, Part II

Bill O'Lielly was on David Letterman earlier this year (I think, or late last year), and the two went round and round, about Cindy Sheehan (more on her in a post later today), the War in Iraq, President Bush, etc., and it was pretty entertaining.

Naturally, I was pretty happy to hear that there would be a Round 2. Well, it didn't disappoint. To be fair, O'Lielly got in his licks, too, and brought up a few good points, but I'd give this one to Letterman in a split decision - it was no knock-out, though. Bill's a good debater, and he knows how to handle Letterman; it's obvious O'Lielly was well prepared. But, Letterman stood his ground and isn't intimidated, and that's no small feat against a brow beater like Bill. O'Lielly is a lot like President Bush - guys I'd very much like to like, but I just can't because of their ideology.

But, in the end, these two guys engaged in spirited but largely civil political discourse, and it seems like that's in short supply these days. Well done, men.

Xpress Your View - witty bumper banter

I found a great Website during the 2004 election that I bookmarked and never forgot. Well, with the '06 campaign in full swing and the election just days away, I've got some new stickers for my ride which are pretty sage. Take a look...

Any bumper sticker that takes a swipe at Ann Coulter's screed about President Clinton is worth its weight in gold, especially when it ties in Bush. Sweet.

I let out a whoop when I saw this one. Good stuff.

I saved the best for last. This one's gold. Any bumper smack that points out the hypocrisy of the Pro-Life movement, as well as conservatives who supposedly have family values, has paid for itself 10 times over. Many conservatives have no problem with thousands of Iraqis being slaughtered because of our presence in the country, but they turn around and decry things like abortion (in cases where it is entirely justified) and stem cell research. Sleep well, people.

Anyway, the Website where I bought these bits of wisdom is called Xpress Your View, and if you like the stickers above, take a look; these are just the tip of the iceberg. The site also has some interesting links to political articles, too. Oh, and if you place an order, input "XPRESS" in the "Customer Code" box, and save 15 percent on your purchase. ;o)

Katherine Harris: America's, um, sweetheart?

It's good to hear that Katherine Harris hasn't lost her grip on reality. But, what else would you expect Harris' Website to say? The fact is, she's an embarrassment not only to Florida, but to America. I love how she would tout the results of a straw poll. Anyway, better tape below.



Awww, Katherine is going to sell her house to stay in the race? That's small potatoes when compared to selling her soul in the 2000 election. As far as I'm concerned, she is should be the poster child for why we need election reform in this country. There's no way a state secretary of state should ever, EVER be allowed to be the chairperson of any campaign, ever. Am I the only one who thinks this is a massive, massive conflict of interest? Imagine if the tables were turned, and Al Gore had won because of a Democratic secretary of state. The media firestorm would have been equivalent to Nixon's Saturday Night Massacre.

And that same conflict of interest happened in 2004 on Ohio, but I'll have more on that specifically in a future book review I'm writing; I'm right in the middle of a pretty poignant book on the '04 election.

It'll be fun to see Harris get the Shinola kicked out of her on election night, as Keith Olbermann so eloquently put it in the first clip, because it's definitely going to happen. Harris' lame attempts to deflect Colmes' comments about the Bushes not supporting her was pretty entertaining. For her to deny that at this point is laughable. Jeb and W and the rest of the GOP just wish that she would go away. And to be clear, from what I've read about Bill Nelson, he's not setting the world on fire, either, so it's pretty shocking that even a party like the GOP can't put someone more effective up against him. Hey, whatever - it's all about regaining control of the Senate, so the more morons that the GOP runs, the better. So, in a way, thank you Katherine Harris. After all that you, ahem, did for this country in 2000, it's the least you could do.

Oh, and you're right, Ms. Harris, people are struggling with their taxes. Hardworking people who haven't had anything handed to them ARE struggling to get by, but it's the GOP who have been setting the agenda for the last six years, rewarding big business and the rich and with ill-advised tax cuts that will set my generation back decades. When the bill comes due we'll all pay the price down the road.

So, Katherine, do us all a favor - starting November 8, go drift into oblivion. Oh, and keep slapping on the make-up and getting plastic surgery - it's doing wonders. Off the top of my head, you look like the daughter of Tammy Faye Baker, or perhaps a younger sister.

A hilarious ad from a desperate Santorum

If you can't laugh at this ad, you can't laugh at anything. I dare you to watch this and not at least crack a smile.

An increasingly desperate Rick "Man-on-Dog" Santorum is now riding the coattails of... of... DEMOCRATS to try and get reelected to the U.S. Senate.

The ad above pretty much speaks for itself - Boxer, Clinton and Lieberman have been the enemy since Santorum was elected to the Senate, and now he's championing legislation he's worked on WITH this trio? This one's a knee slapper.

What's more, it will probably anger as many conservatives as it courts - the name Clinton drives some conservatives to go out and sacrifice animals.

Pack your bags, Rick.

Get me a fucking faith-based thing!

...those were the words of Karl Rove to President Bush's political advisors regarding co-opting the religious right (and evangelicals) for political gain.

I wonder what Rove's words will be once he reads this book? How about, "Just get me a fucking new career!" We could only be so lucky.

Just in time for the '06 mid-term elections, it looks like we're being treated to another devastating political exposé by a former top level official in the Bush administration. David Kuo, most recently the #2 man in charge of the president's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, has penned a bombshell, Tempting Faith, that is bound to be a best seller. (I know I'll be contributing to sales!)



Keith Olbermann has plenty to say about this book. I love the clip above; it begins with W in the Rose Garden, holding a press conference on Iraq. W starts out with those quote:

"The stakes couldn't be any higher, as I said earlier, in the world in which we live. There are extreme elements, that use religion to achieve objectives," said the president. Oh, and he was talking about Iraq, by the way, in case you thought he was referring to another country.

I won't get into it too much now, but Kuo in the piece above, as described by Olbermann, evidently outlines how Rove, the president and co. routinely refer to religious right leaders as "goofy" and "the nuts." My first thought about hearing that is, "it serves the right right" for being so blindly partisan that it would just mindlessly vote for Bush.

Now, after nearly six years, we find out that Bush's religiosity was a phony act for votes? Shocker!

What does trouble me though, is how many of these religious groups are getting tax breaks and tax exemptions, seemingly all because we have an evangelical Christian in the White House. My tax dollars going toward this kind of stuff is an outrage.

Part II of Olbermann's look at Kuo's book is below.



This book is on my must-read list, and when I get it and read it, I'll bring you a review post-haste. It's looking like a pretty good book, in the vein of Paul O'Neill and Richard Clarke. And of course, like the aforementioned two administration "defectors," you have to know by now that Bush and Rove won't let Kuo's claims go unanswered, or should I say, Unswiftboated. Stay tuned.

GOP's down in the 4th - send in the scare play

Above is the latest GOP attempt to scare the living shit out of Americans who, according to the latest polls, are just about fed up with Bush and Karl Rove's version of leadership in America. Or, should I say, fear mongering.

This ad is a disgrace on so many levels, it's pretty tough to overstate how disgusted I am by it. Not as a Democrat, but as an American.

The Republicans have turned America in so many wrong directions and made so many poor decisions, they really have so little to run on. So, in this desperate hour, they are reverting to the one tactic that has helped them win two elections since 9-11 - scare the American people into believing they are the only party that can keep America safe. It's so pathetic, it's rather funny, but what brings me back to Earth is that there are sheep out there who will buy into this line of bullshit, OR who will vote Republican because of a few certain issues, no matter what - religion and pro-life being two of them.

Anyway, both parties are guilty of running negative ads, but the Republicans seem to be taking it to a whole new level. Will it pay off? I doubt it this time around, but if I were in Karl Rove's and Bush's shoes, I'd probably be doing the same thing - it's worked before, and they really have no options left.

BUT WAIT! Of course they do - after years of screwing up Iraq, even the president has signified that it's time to change the course in Iraq. How profoundly said that the deaths of nearly 3,000 American soldiers didn't move him to that, or tens of thousands of dead Iraqi civilians - it's the possibility of losing control of one or both Houses of Congress.

Well, enough on this ad. I'll leave the rest to a sage political commentator that you've come to know quite well on this blog - Keith Olbermann.

Leslie Stahl latest CBS disgrace

Above is Part I of a a 60 Minutes interview of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi by Leslie Stahl this past Sunday.

I can honestly say that I haven't been more appalled at a 60 Minutes interview in a long time. Stahl might just as well have been working for the Republican National Committee. Don't get me wrong, I've got no issue or problem with a tough interview or probing questions of a politician affiliated with any political party - that's what journalists are for. But, Stahl revealed her bias with idiotic and leading questions and comments that had me wheeling me around in my chair. (I was listening more than watching; Sunday is often a busy day of writing and planning.) First, take a look at part II:



I'll get to the specific questions and comments I found highly dubious in a minute. However, after watching the interview, I'm wondering why CBS would air such an interview with such an outrageous slant and bias. We'll probably never find out, but I'll suggest a two-word motive - Dan Rather. Ever since Rather aired an unflattering story before the '04 presidential election about President Bush's time in the Air National Guard based on questionable documents, the network has been dogged with accusations of liberal bias.

Perhaps CBS thinks it can placate the far right with interviews like this one?

In short, Stahl is embarrassing herself and CBS News. Stahl begins her interview with this whopper: "I mean, you're one of the reasons we have to restore civility in the first place". Correct me if I'm wrong, Leslie, but it's Republicans who have controlled the House since 1994, and it's the GOP that has been setting the partisan tone in the House. Sure, the Democrats can take part of the blame, too, but wasn't it the Republicans who led the witch hunt against Clinton? Isn't it the GOP who have been ramming bills though Congress, mostly without reaching across the aisle and even working with Democrats? Isn't it the GOP that has been rocked by scandals, be it Mark Foley, Tom Delay, Newt Gingrich, etc?

It looks like 60 Minutes should restore civility to its show by yanking Stahl from its line of traditionally respected correspondents. That's certainly an opinion she could have and should have kept to herself. Can you just imagine the cries of "liberal media" if Stahl led off an interview with, say, Vice President Dick Cheney with a comment that he's one of the reasons we have to restore civility in Washington? Rush Limbaugh would have wet his pants and popped 10 Oxycontin.

At the top of the interview, after Stahl makes the absurd "restore civility" comment, she just gets rolling. I love it when she asks Pelosi about the names she's called the president, Pelosi said, "Oh, I was being nice when I said those things." Stahl voices over, "Oh reeealllly?!?" Someone correct me - does Stahl now work for Karl Rove or the Republican National Convention?

It gets worse. Stahl then asks Pelosi, with a straight face, "How are you going to work with him [the president]?" I find this amusing, since this administration hasn't really given too much thought to working with Democrats since Bush took office. In short, it's because Bush hasn't had to; he's enjoyed an almost total domination of Congress by the GOP since he was appointed president. It sounds like Bush, if the Democrats take back one or both Houses of Congress, is the one who's gonna have to worry about working with Democrats. And it will be an uphill battle indeed, since Bush and Karl Rove has spent almost six years pissing in the eyes of political opponents whenever they've had the chance.

Hey, I've got no problem with Stahl being a conservative, if she is in fact one, but the entire tone of this interview and broadcast is sickening. Later, in the interview, Stahl comments that Pelosi was pregnant while she was working, and then almost forces Pelosi's daughter to defend her mother on camera that they were amazingly still “fed and clothed” while Pelosi worked. What the hell are we in, the 1950s again?

Oh, there's more that got me full hot about this interview. How about Stahl's comments about Pelosi's clothes and how much she eats? Is that relevant in any way tp this piece? (A few quick examples by Stahl: "Here's Pelosi in Armani" and "Here she is in Cowboy boots" and "She ate not one but two pork chops.") I ask you, if this interview were about a man, would ANY of these comments been made about clothes or eating habits? Without question, no. Stahl's comments do nothing to add to the piece; they merely add to the perception that this is a Pelosi hatchet job (oh CHRIST, I sound like Bill O'Lielly now).

One would think that in the 21st century, a woman journalist would not put such ridiculous questions and comments in a broadcast about a potential first female Speaker of the House in U.S. history. Pelosi, if she does get elected the next Speaker if the Democrats take back the House, would signify a significant leap forward for all women. What kind of message is Stahl sending by asking such misogynistic questions? Not a good one. Stahl might as well have been a man circa 1955 wearing a wife beater, bellowing from the couch, "Get me another beer, bitch! When's dinner gonna be ready?!?"

I'm curious if Stahl would have treated woman pioneers Sally Ride, Sandra Day O'Connor or Madeleine Albright this way? I seriously doubt it.

Stahl ought to be ashamed of herself. I bet Stahl's daugher is real proud of this interview.

However, the Pelosi hysteria on 60 Minutes if just a small snippet of the drumbeats of doom that are being pounded hourly about a potential Pelosi speakership. Who can we count on to keep the "liberal hysteria" going? Why Bill O'Lielly, of course! Take a listen, and I won't even comment - the piece speaks for itself. Caution, you're about to enter the Dipshit Zone...



Thanks for validating my every political belief, Bill.

Andy Rooney on Bush

This past Sunday, Andy Rooney delivered a pretty astute commentary on President Bush and his conduct on the War in Iraq. Rooney is a guy I often disagree with, but, of course, I agree with him on this one.

Before some of you start blabbering about the liberal bias at CBS, you might want to track down tape of Leslie Stahl's despicable interview of Nancy Pelosi. I'll blog about that later today.

Anyway, here's the text of Rooney's commentary:

I'd like to talk to you about something you probably don't want to be talked to about. I'd like to talk to you about something you probably don't want to be talked to about. I'd like to talk to you about something you probably don't want to be talked to about. I'd like to talk to you about something you probably don't want to be talked to about.

Someone - and I guess it's President Bush - has to tell us what in the world we're doing in Iraq now. I don't think any of us know. We did the right thing getting rid of Saddam Hussein, but what are we doing there now?

The Pentagon never tells us anything. Usually reporters and cameramen let us know quite a bit but it's so dangerous for them in Baghdad now that even they can't show us much of what's going on.

So far almost 2,800 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq. I say "almost 2,800" because there is no exact number. It changes by six or eight every day. That's how many of our young men get killed? And for what? Just tell us, Mr. President. For what? It hasn't even been good for Iraq; it certainly hasn’t been good for us. The whole world thinks less of us for what we're doing there.

This little war is costing us $2 billion a what? I forget, a day, a week, a minute? It's the kind of money I can't even imagine.

President Bush should stand up there in front of us on television and do the hardest thing of all for any president to do. Tell us the truth. He should just say "Americans, there's something I have to tell you. You trusted me to be your leader and I thought I was doing the right thing when we went into Iraq. Well, I hate to admit it but I was wrong. I'm sorry but we never should have gone in and now we should get out."

Well, I'm not holding my breath until President Bush says that because I've never heard him admit he was wrong about anything. It isn't something presidents do. I don't recall hearing Bill Clinton or Jimmy Carter admitting they were wrong either.

I was asked to keep this short tonight. Fortunately it's easier to be short when I’m serious. Funny takes longer.

##

Well said, Rooney. And he makes a good point about any president being honest - Democrat or Republican.

Halloween picture

This is a pic from a Halloween party we went to this past weekend. As you can see, this year we went as the king and queen of hearts. We had a good time, but oh boy - we didn't wake up on Sunday until around noon.

A Bill O'Lielly "interview" with Bush

Pop question - who do you think would have the balls to plug a book in the middle of an interview with the President of the United States? Give up? It's Bill O'Lielly, of course! The implied message here - when BOR (pun intended) interjects himself into an interview with the president - is that he thinks he's the most important person in the room. Personally, that's debateable. Is there a third choice?

For BOR to whine that he's the second most attacked person in America during this interview, bitching how he gets so angry about it was one of the highlights of this classic clip. Hey Bill - quit lying and distorting on a nightly basis and people would back off. From Malmedy to saying you won two Peabody Awards (you didn't) to lying about just about anything because you believe people won't go back and check it (and they always do), your record is so rife with lies, the question now is, "When don't you lie?"

I always laugh with glee when BOR has a meltdown about being called/caught in a lie. It's always tape that will stand the test of time. If you've been a reader of this blog, you've seen some great examples of this, and it'll always be a staple.

My favorite part of the interview is trying to figure out who lies and distorts more between these two.

Oh, and Bush told a whopper about half-way through:

Anyone remember this question by a reporter at a press conference during the run-up to the Iraq war? I'm paraphrasing, but I'm sure I'm pretty close:

Reporter: Mr. President, do you ever call your father for advice?

Bush: No, I have a higher father that I talk to about big decisions.

##

And people like Bush and O'Lielly wonder why people are so skittish about their religious beliefs. It's because those beliefs are constantly being shoved down our throats. And for Bill to assert (and surprise! Bush doesn't correct him) that people falsely claim the president is "an evangelical Christian" is a lie of the tallest order.

The president is an evangelical Christian! A careful review of his record since his time as the governor of Texas would certainly prove it.

If these two boobs make it to heaven, I wouldn't want to be in hell.

Rush outdoes himself

Just when I thought it wasn't possible to despise Rush Limbaugh anymore than I already do, he loads up the outrage cannon once again.

Yesterday on his radio show, as reported by Media Matters, listen to what the bloated drug addict had to say about a Michael J. Fox campaign spot for Missouri Senate candidate Claire McCaskill.

First, the spot:

FOX: As you might know, I care deeply about stem cell research. In Missouri, you can elect Claire McCaskill, who shares my hope for cures. Unfortunately, Senator Jim Talent [the incumbent Missouri Senator, who McCaskill is running against] opposes expanding stem cell research. Senator Talent even wanted to criminalize the science that gives us the chance for hope. They say all politics is local, but that's not always the case. What you do in Missouri matters to millions of Americans, Americans like me.

McCASKILL: I'm Claire McCaskill, and I approve this message.

Then, the disgusting excuse for a human being began his ill-conceived rant. ...

LIMBAUGH: Now, this is Michael J. Fox. He's got Parkinson's disease. And in this commercial, he is exaggerating the effects of the disease. He is moving all around and shaking. And it's purely an act. This is the only time I have ever seen Michael J. Fox portray any of the symptoms of the disease he has. I know he's got it and he's raising money for it, but when I've seen him in public, I've never seen him betray any of the symptoms. But this commercial, he -- he's just all over the place. He can barely control himself. He can control himself enough to stay in the frame of the picture, and he can control himself enough to keep his eyes right on the lens, the teleprompter. But his head and shoulders are moving all over the place, and he is acting like his disease is deteriorating because Jim Talent opposes research that would help him, Michael J. Fox, get cured. Jim Talent does not oppose stem cell research, he opposes fetal stem cell research but not adult. But this is reminiscent, and I don't have time -- yes, I do. Here, listen to [then-Democratic vice presidential candidate] John Edwards, the Breck girl, on the campaign trail, October 11th, 2004:

EDWARDS: If we do the work that we can do in this country, the work that we will do when John Kerry is president, people like Christopher Reeve are going to walk -- get up out of that wheelchair and walk again.

LIMBAUGH: -- they said it at a debate. I don't know if he said it at a convention. So this is really shameless, folks, this is really shameless of Michael J. Fox. Either he didn't take his medication or he's acting, one of the two. [Emphasis Mine]

###

First of all, do I even need to point out the obvious - that this pill popping, OxyCotnin-addicted dick is even talking about someone else and medication? I'd say that's called living in a glass house and throwing stones, but there probably isn't a glass house big enough to hold him.

Secondly, I'm glad that Rush went to the Bill Frist medical school, where he can look at some video tape and have the ability deliver a medical diagnosis, à la Terri Schiavo.

I shouldn't even let Limbaugh bother me anymore, but he does. Why? Because this despicable scumbag can and does spread hateful things about people who aren't in allignment with him politically. And, most importantly, because he has over 13 million listeners a week, known as Dittoheads. Most people who listen to Rush's hateful pap on a consistent basis should probably just be called sad, or worse, but I'll restrain myself. Rush should pop a few more Oxys and shut his mouth.

Bid on a Mark Foley action figure!

A friend sent me info. on this today, and I almost died when I read it. There's a Mark Foley action figure up for auction on eBay right now. Check out some pix...

Priceless!

What detail!

Um, nice package there, Mr. Foley!

Ahh, that one's too easy - I'll let it go.

Anyway, check out the auction Here. Pretty funny stuff. I only make light of it because Foley is just begging to be made fun of - he's turned into a charicature - first it was childhood molestation, then the alcohol, whatever. It shouldn't have taken a major scandal for you to seek help for all of those things, you fool.

PC/Mac ad parodies: I'm a Democrat

I found these parodies on YouTube tonight, and they made me laugh. These are spoofs of the PC/Mac commercials currently running on TV. They pretty much hit the nail on the head, and they're pretty well produced. I like the second one the best, but they all have a point. Take a look.



(Above) Part I - A pretty good warm-up.



(Above) Part II. This one's great! I laughed and laughed when the Republican dude tries to act like he's "down" with the African-American, naming the few prominent Republican African-Americans. He gets Condi, Clarence Thomas, but he forgot J.C. Watts and Colin Powell.

Locally, of course, there's Lynn Swann, the Pennsylvanian gubernatorial candidate. Too bad he's never even been elected to anything. So, from nothing to governor? Pretty ambitious. No offense, Lynn, but we don't need another Jesse Ventura. We need someone with experience who can lead, and you aren't the person to do that. Why not just run for president in '08, Swannie? Puleeze.

Another thing that I get a kick out of is the Republican party basically treating African-Americans like a bunch of imbeciles. I remember the president during the summer of '04 proclaiming, "They [The Democrats] take your vote for granted, don't they? It's a legitimate question." Well, the legit answer would be 1. Yes, the Democratic party does at times, and shouldn't, but 2. Why shouldn't they, in a way? The Republicans aren't for many things that would benefit many African-Americans: better schools (especially public schools in inner cities), the raising of the minimum wage, universal health care, etc. So, shouldn't Democrats spend time and money where it could win them elections - and that's the undecideds? Just a possible reason.

Granted, I don't think the party should take ANY group for granted, I'm just offering up possible reasons why the Democrats consider large chunks of the African-American electorate "safe" in elections - it's because most Republicans don't give a shit about them. And the same goes for gays - save for a few token Republicans who are openly gay - Mark Foley (I'm passing on any jokes here), Dick Cheney's daughter, etc., the GOP openly despises gay people, so why should they vote for them? I can guarantee if they represented a bigger portion of the population (read: voting block), Karl Rove would be courting the gay vote, too. It's all about votes, for either party. Duh.

I fondly remember the 2000 Republican National Convention, which was held here in Philadelphia. Nothing was funnier than seeing the GOP trot out a few token African-Americans, like Condi, Colin Powell and J.C. Watts. A good friend of mine said to me, with a straight face, "It's good to see the party promoting diversity like that." I almost spit up my dinner when I heard him say it. Yea, Republicans - the party of diversity.


This last one wasn't bad, but it fades at the end. I was waiting for a stem cell research line, or a crack about Santorum at Terri Schiavo's bedside, smiling for the cameras. Sigh. Oh well, perhaps they will consult me for episode 4. :o)

$5 can make a difference

Interested in donating to some Democratic candidates for this uber-important election? I found a cool Website the other day, ActBlue, where contributing is quick and easy. Take a look - progressive candidates are listed with short bios of each. You can either contribute to a general fund, or you can contribute to individual candidates.

The site is simply asking for $5, and that can make a difference. The GOP enjoys a significant funding advantage, and they will use every cent they can to lie, distort and slander in order to hold onto power in both Houses of Congress.

Specifically, if you have a few extra bucks over and above five, I recommend your contributing to Lois Murphy and Patrick Murphy on this site. I did, and I hope you do, too. The latter Murphy is running against a particular type of Republican scum, Mark Fitzpatrick, who has taken an oft-used page out of the Karl Rove playbook - slander, slash and burn an opponent and question his military record, when Fitzpatrick has none at all.

The Murphy/Fitzpatrick race is of particular importance to me, since I used to live in Pennsylvania's 8th District in Bucks County. I campaigned very hard for John Kerry there in 2004. We didn't win the war, but we won that battle - Kerry carried the county, and our state. We did our part, anyway.

Murphy, an Iraq war veteran, has a helluva lot more credibility on what's going on in Iraq than Fitzpatrick, a smug, desperate candidate who, like President Bush and Vice President Cheney, has no military experience. I'll be blogging more about Fitzpatrick in a day or two.

Let's hit the GOP where it hurts - first in the pocketbook, then at the polls.

Go big D! (And in this instance, I don't mean my Dallas Cowboys.)

Air America crash lands? Not quite

Say it ain't so, Air America Radio. The fledgling left-wing liberal radio network has declared bankruptcy. It really comes as no surprise, since there have been rumors of financial trouble since before it even went on the air in March 2004.

It's too bad, because if the company was run right, I'm sure it could be a success, and it may end up being one after it emerges from bankruptcy proceedings.

One could easily argue that there certainly is a market for a liberal slate of radio programs. After all, over 50 million people voted for John Kerry (or should I say against President Bush) in the last presidential election, so one would think that a majority of those people would be interested in that political point of view.

I hope the network gets its act together. I'm a paid subscriber for its podcasts. Of course, I'd enjoy listening to the show live on satellite radio, but Air America opted to go with the inferior company, XM Radio. If memory serves me correctly, Air America was initially on XM and Sirius. Going to Sirius would be a good start, since that company is on its way up, and XM is going in the other direction.

I'm not exactly fretting over this news, or fearing that AAR will go out of business. After all, Fox News Channel lost an average of $90 million a year for about five years before it became profitable. It's just that Rupert Murdoch has pockets that are, ahem, just a bit deeper than AAR.

Liberal Stephanie Miller appeared on Howard Kurtz's CNN show Reliable Sources recently to discuss AAR's fate. Take a listen...



Get it together, Air America. We need liberal voices in the media like never before, with the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Lielly, Ann Coulter and the rest of the lying, distorting, radical religious right conservative scum distorting, lying and bullying their way to power. With a little luck, in about two weeks, part of the GOP power will be eroded.

iPod turns 5; and a must-hear podcast

Tomorrow, October 23, marks the 5th birthday of one of the most influential gadgets of our time: the iPod. I've owned every generation of iPod since they were first introduced. I bought my first one about a year after they were introduced, and it's been a four-year love affair since. And, like my marriage, I can say with confidence that it's definitely going to last.

Thinking about the iPod's birthday today, I was looking at pictures of my first one (above), and it looks primitive when compared to today's version (below), currently in its fifth generation, and counting.

The iPod has transformed how I listen to my music, how I'm entertained, and how I get my news, too. Lately, with my long commute to Kutztown to work, I've taken up audio books, and they are fantastic. Gone are the days of carrying around thick, heavy books of CDs; it's all in this sleek little box. I take mine with me everywhere - exercising, in the car (I have a docking cradle which transmits what I listen to over the radio - suweet!), to work, everywhere.

Cooler yet is the Podcast - mini audio programs that you can download from iTunes and thousands of other Websites that you can listen to on the go. The latest version of iPod also plays video, so now you can download TV shows and recently Apple announced movies are being rolled out. There's no end in sight to iPod's dominance of the mp3 player medium - here's hoping that the company doesn't get complacent. So far, it hasn't rested on the success of iPods; with the recent announcement that movies will be available for download from its online music store, iPod announced players with bigger hard drives and competitive prices.

Microsoft won the OS war, but Windows was never this cool.

Of course, there are cynics abound who are predicting Apple's iPod will just be a passing fad. Perhaps, but I doubt it. To date, there have been 60 million iPods sold, and 40 million have been bought in the past year. Of course Apple won't keep up that pace of sales growth - eventually, it will probably reach cell phone status, where most people who have one will have one, as an article I read tonight reasons.

But, I doubt there will be a dramatic fall-off. Apple usually finds a way. Here's betting Apple co-founder and CEO Steven Jobs will keep us iPod-ified for years to come. I know I'm a user and fan for the foreseeable future.
Speaking of the iPod, my latest craze associated with it is the podcast. As long as I've owned an iPod, I just never really got into them, until this summer. I'm now addicted. In fact, I have so many podcasts on my player that I'm constantly behind on listening to them all; "podcast guilt," as a former professor of mine labeled it to me a few weeks ago, much to my amusement.

One particular podcast is worth mentioning here - I never miss listening every week. It's one of the most moving series I've heard in a long time. It's called My Cancer, by NPR journalist journalist Leroy Sievers (left).

It's moving, amazing, gut wrenching and heartbreaking. And that was all in the first month I listened to it. It comes out every Thursday or Friday, and every Friday, when I sync my iPod to my computer and update my podcasts, I always wonder, and yes, I'm afraid that Leroy will be gone, and I won't get to hear his podcasts any longer. That's selfish, I know, but the reason I don't want him to die is because he's so inspirational and he sets a good example while facing his own death.

If you are an iPod aficionado, I urge you to listen to Sievers' My Cancer - it will help you appreciate how courageous people who suffer from cancer are, and most of all, it will help you appreciate your own life and how lucky we all are to have our health and to have people who love us.

Thanks for showing us the way, Leroy, and I hope you get well and beat this thing.

I promised a caption...

Last week, I promised a caption to this old photo of President Bush and disgraced Florida Representative and Catholic priest-to-be Mark Foley. Here goes...

"Hey Mark, we were already going to lose the House, but we're behind in the polls by this much, and it's growing. Thanks for nothing, you no good pervert."