And now for a real scare! shrub nominated another person to the supreme court today.

Bush nominates Alito to Supreme Court

"President George W. Bush nominated Judge Samuel Alito for the Supreme Court on Monday in a move that set up a showdown with Democrats but placated conservatives who bitterly rejected his last choice."

Well it looks like shrub wants a fight to solidify his base again. Ok a fight he is going to get. From what I have seen so far this Alito guy is so conservative he is actually to the right of Justice Scalia and Thomas.

I mean this guy dissented in overturning a Pennsylvania law which required women to notify their husbands if they were going to have an abortion. Do you not see where this is headed? How long does it take you bastards to understand that we don't WANT our government to legislate our private lives!? Leave us the f**k ALONE!! Don't tell us who to marry, don't tell us what to do with our own bodies, just stop it! Legislate to protect us from corporations, to protect us from foreign threats, to protect us from dangers of society.

Folks if you don't want our rights and liberties to be severely changed then we must not allow this nominee to pass. The republicans claim they don't like activist judges. The truth is they are only activist judges to them if they go against their ideology. The truth is THIS man is an activist judge, a conservative activist judge, and America can't afford to have him as a justice in the top court in the country for LIFE.

Well it came down today after much waiting. I. Lewis Libby, Vice President's Chief of Staff and assisstant to the prez himself, was indicted on 5 counts. The special prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald indicated that the investigation was ongoing, and that another grand jury can be used for any further developments.

CNN.com - CIA probe 'not over' after Cheney's top aide indicted - Oct 28, 2005

"The CIA leak investigation is 'not over,' special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald said Friday after announcing charges against I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff.

Fitzgerald said he will be keeping the grand 'jury open to consider other matters.' But, he said, 'substantial work' is done.

Libby resigned Friday after a federal grand jury indicted him on five charges related to the leak probe: one count of obstruction of justice, two counts of perjury and two counts of making false statements."

I do suspect more is to come, but only time will tell.

Well it is upon us. Tomorrow we will have at least one indictment, and it looks like I. Lewis Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, will be the one who will almost definitely get indicted tomorrow. It looks like Karl Rove may escape indictment, at least for now. But we shall see. Stay tuned.

In other news Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination for Supreme Court Associate Justice. And she did it at an interesting time, a time when this administration desperately needed something to take the spotlight off of impending indictments, and get his base back on his side.

Bush Stung As Miers Withdraws Nomination

"In a striking defeat for President Bush, White House counsel Harriet Miers on Thursday abandoned her bid to become a Supreme Court justice after three weeks of brutal criticism from fellow conservatives."

Well now we can look forward to an even more conservative person to be nominated to get the republican base back in line. So yay for that.

And lastly for tonight.
Bush campaign fund-raiser indicted

"A prominent Republican fund-raiser for President George W. Bush in Ohio has been charged with illegally funneling money to Bush's re-election campaign, a federal prosecutor said on Thursday.

A federal grand jury in Toledo charged Thomas Noe with making illegal contributions in the names of others to the Bush campaign and with making false statements to the
Federal Election Commission."

Well, indictments are just everywhere these days. And I am not surprised that someone was trying to work around election regulations to give even more money to shrub's campaign.

Well anyways, I am spent. Still sick, hopefully tomorrow will be a good day.

Well no idictments today. I was home sick today just watching the non developments on CNN.

In other news, imagine this:

White House list of disrupted terror plots questioned

"President Bush's claim on Oct. 6 that U.S. and allied intelligence operatives had foiled 10 al-Qaeda terrorist plots included plans on the group's wish list rather than fully formed attack plots, according to U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism officials.

In at least six of the cases, U.S. or allied forces arrested alleged conspirators who divulged details of operations they had been planning. Those plots involved preliminary ideas about potential attacks, not terrorist operations that were about to be carried out, said a U.S. counterterrorism official and an official familiar with the counterterrorism efforts. They spoke on condition of anonymity because information about the list issued by the White House is classified."

Oh I just can't believe that this administration would exaggerate their accomplishments on terrorism. I just can't believe it.

Man why did you people vote for this fool? He has been a disaster to this country.

Well I am sick as a dog tonight, so I just wanted to recognize that a very important symbol of the civil rights movement in this country died yesterday.

Civil Rights Pioneer Rosa Parks, 92, Dies

"Mrs. Parks died Monday evening at her home of natural causes, with close friends by her side, said Gregory Reed, an attorney who represented her for the past 15 years. She was 92."

She lived a long and fruitful life, we should all be so lucky.

In other news indictments may be coming out tomorrow, although I have heard they may be sealed indictments and there may be a request for an extension of the grand jury's term. We shall see.

Well I have suspected this for some time now, but it looks more and more like a possibility now.

Report: Cheney Cited as Source in CIA Leak

"Documents in the CIA leak investigation indicate the chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney first heard of the covert CIA officer from Cheney himself, The New York Times reported in Tuesday editions."

Oh man, I wonder if the lord of darkness can wiggle his way out of this one, and just say that he had NO IDEA that she was an undercover agent?

I think this week is going to be big folks, I really do. I am trying not to expect too much, but I think this is going to be big. I could be wrong. Let's see what happens.

And what the HELL kind of wicked grin is that on Cheney's face in that picture?! Oh my that looks menacing as hell, dare I say maniacal. You know who it reminds me of?

Or how about this grin?


Ah comparing the vice president of the united states to an evil cartoon character is always so much fun.

SO long for now America. Better times are ahead for this fine country.

You know what, this is just despicable. I mean the federal minimum wage has not been raised since 1997! For god's sakes!

Senate Rejects Minimum Wage Hike

"A labor-backed measure by Sen. Edward Kennedy would have raised the minimum to $6.25 over an 18-month period. A Republican counterproposal would have combined the same $1.10 increase with various breaks and exemptions for small businesses.

The Kennedy amendment to a spending bill went down 51-47, and the GOP alternative 57-42. Under a Senate agreement, they would have needed 60 votes for approval."

Why oh why did these bills go down to defeat? This has happened when the congress has approved pay raise after pay raise for themselves. It's the height of hypocrisy! You people are awful! Yes Republican AND Democrat, whoever voted against this you should be ashamed.

"Kennedy, D-Mass., said Hurricane Katrina demonstrated the depth of poverty in the country and he pointed out that a single parent with two children working a minimum wage earns $10,700 a year, $4,500 below the poverty line."

Is there anything else to say? Really? I don't think so. Basically the United States of America has effectively, but not raising the minimum wage in 8 years, has effectively legislated people into poverty.

I know I know, they should just work harder or get more education, blah blah. Well you know what? Not everyone has all the opportunity that you and I have. And they deserve better than poverty. No one deserves to live in poverty. I am disgusted.

Yeah I said it. I don't hate many people, but this man is just AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL. Today some internal memos were released, and it is despicable.

FEMA Official Says Boss Ignored Warnings

"On Aug. 31, [single FEMA employee on the ground in New Orleans] Bahamonde e-mailed Brown to tell him that thousands of evacuees were gathering in the streets with no food or water and that 'estimates are many will die within hours.'

'Sir, I know that you know the situation is past critical,' Bahamonde wrote. 'The sooner we can get the medical patients out, the sooner we can get them out.'

A short time later, Brown's press secretary, Sharon Worthy, wrote colleagues to complain that the FEMA director needed more time to eat dinner at a Baton Rouge restaurant that evening. 'He needs much more that (sic) 20 or 30 minutes,' Worthy wrote.

'Restaurants are getting busy,' she said. 'We now have traffic to encounter to go to and from a location of his choise (sic), followed by wait service from the restaurant staff, eating, etc. Thank you.'"

YOU BASTARD!!! You can ROT! You have no idea how people live. You have no soul! Its just the height of ineptness, of cronyism. It makes me SICK. I can't even put into words. You should never have accepted the nomination to head FEMA (or rather be second in command at FEMA and then move to head). You thought you could just coast through this cush position, and no one would be the wiser. This is a disgrace!

"In an Aug. 29 phone call to Brown informing him that the first levee had failed, Bahamonde said he asked for guidance but did not get a response.

'He just said, [Thank you,] and that he was going to call the White House,' Bahamonde said.
...
In e-mails, Bahamonde described to his bosses a chaotic situation at the Superdome. Bahamonde noted also that local officials were asking for toilet paper, a sign that supplies were lacking at the shelter.

'Issues developing at the Superdome. The medical staff at the dome says they will run out of oxygen in about two hours and are looking for alternative oxygen,' Bahamonde wrote regional director David Passey on Aug. 28.

Bahamonde said he was stunned that FEMA officials responded by continuing to send truckloads of evacuees to the Superdome for two more days even though they knew supplies were in short supply."

And this F**KER had the audacity to go in front of the senate committee and blame everyone but himself for the failures!? Blaming local officials, and never admitting ANYTHING!

Oh my GOD I hope karma comes around and kicks you straight in the ASS!!!!

Well last night I promised that I would talk more about where I think our country is headed. This troubles me a great deal. I have only been on this planet a short 26 years, and I have not seen with my own eyes the things that many before me have seen.

I know this country has been through tough times before. But the difference I see, is our country was still building to the super power that we are today. I guess I see it as a peak, we have reached the threshold, and I look at the world and I see China and India growing and becoming a significant socio-economic force in the world. And the European Union, which could or could not be a strong world presence as well. It says to me that our days as the lone super power in the world are numbered.

One of the signs that I think indicate, to me at least, that we have reached the pinnacle, is when the world calls the US a "hyper-power", meaning we have surpassed being a super power and now our arrogance has drawn the ire of many nations. This is not how I want my country to be viewed in the world.

Another sign, when we start to become the filth that we are fighting. One of the most distressing things to me about the last four years, is the admission that torture has taken place in our name. I don't care what excuses or rationales are given for this abortion of due process, this is WRONG. And the fact that this is done in my name, in our fine country's name, upon the blood of our founders, and all those who have given their lives for this great country, makes me disgusted, and heartbroken.

Heartbroken that many in this country seem to think it is ok, it is a means to an end, that it is fruitful. It is NOT. Torture is torture, you can't claim that it is ok as long as we are not killing the person. You can't say it is ok because these are all terrorists. It never occurs to these people that there is a possibility that some of the people we have tortured are innocent. It never occurs to these people that WE could be mistaken?

I see a country that, especially in the last 10 years or so, has moved politically to the right. That has methodically labored to remove protections in our society. Protections for the poor, the weak, the unfortunate against the rich, the strong, the fortunate, the dare I say, bourgeois. Protections for the environment against the polluters. Protections of privacy for all. Protections for the right to due process. Yes I have seen a dismantling off all the things that government is actually good for. For protecting its citizens from the powerful, the powerful who are naturally prone to greed, prone to ever more power-hunger.

These free market ideologues, believe that there should be no government interference in the free market what so ever. That the market will naturally dictate the direction things will go. I say this is just not so, and it has been proven in the past. Capitalism is an experiment, and so far it has been largely successful, but it has also been paired with governmental regulations, and restrictions to fetter its true unbridled desires. But if this dismantling of government protections continues I believe the system that we will be left with will ultimately fail.

I do not like having this view, and there are many things between now and then that I think can change that trajectory, but the possibility lingers in the dark corners of my mind, and in the dark corners of the minds of many others as well I am sure.

So no my dear readers, and my political adversaries, I am NOT a communist, but I do believe that we ought to have a level playing field if this experiment in capitalism is to succeed in the long run. To be a sustaining force of support for ALL of its citizens.

I want my fellow citizens to wake up and see that the ways of conservatism, are not the ways to a sustainable future. The answer is NOT that we need an extremely small and neutered government. We can be free and still have the support of our government. As I THOUGHT the devastation and the aftermath of Katrina illuminated exclusively, there are times when we need our government to be a nimble and resourceful entity to save us in times of great tragedy of great need.

This is why society exists, because we as rational humans recognize that we cannot survive alone, we need the help of others, constantly. No matter how manly you may think you are, with your guns, and your garden.

And we DON'T need government to regulate our morality, to tell us how to live. We need them to regulate big business, and the economy so that we have the freedom to decide how we want to live. That is the ultimate freedom.

So let me try to answer my question, finally. I think we are headed in the wrong direction. I value our freedoms, and this is not an either or proposition. We can have freedom for all people and have rules to protect and level the field for each of us in this inherently flawed system. The answer is not to rig the system further for the benefit of abstract constructions such as the CORPORATION, but to fix the system so that real live human beings are TRULY equal.

The top deer in the headlights, but unfortunately this deer has destroyed our great country.

I have been writing in this blog for a year and 3 months, give or take a few weeks or so, and in that time much about my life has changed, much about my life has not.

I broke up with Leah after some 14 months or so, after thinking that I would be alone for some time, I found myself with another wonderful person in Ashley. We have been together for some five months off and on now. Actually pretty close to six months now. To me my life then, and my life now is very different.

But then I take a look and see that at the same time that I think my life is very different, it is again much the same. Very much the same. I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in a house that I bought at the ripe old age of 24, in the severe outskirts of town, in an area that seems to betray my progressive sensibilities (Build that Paseo through those Petroglyphs, I need a better way to get home). I still work for the company that my grandfather, my hero in many ways, started after a long and fruitful career as a scientist. I still struggle with the notion that the ideas that I had when I agreed to come out here and, in a way sacrifice my career, have slowly faded into fiction, into dreams that I no longer objectively think I can achieve. I am still struggling with my own demons, demons of inadequacy, demons of guilt, and demons of fear.

Why do I mention all of this in a blog that I have kept mostly to politics, and rants along those ideological lines? Well because I want to say that the reason I started this blog was to give myself an outlet to prove to myself that I could produce something that I was truly proud of. That I could, on a regular basis, write from my heart, from my mind, in a way that could somehow prove to myself that I had validity that I had something to say, that I could make a difference, in some small way. Whether it occur through highlighting an obscure story that would fall through the cracks or rather fall outside of the filter that I believe alot of people have on information absorption, or whether it occur simply by pure persuasion of ideas.

I really believed that I could show people who maybe weren't completely sure if our president was doing what was right for this country. I really believed that I could, through regular introduction, convince people that our president was NOT doing what was right for our fine country.

I have apparently failed to convince enough people. The results of the last election really took the fervor out of my biting cynicism. I have been struggling ever since to regain that. I implore anyone who may have stumbled onto this small slice of the internet to go back to July, August, September of 2004 in my archives, to read the passion and thought that I put into nearly every blog post. Please don't judge this blog by my performance as of late.

So what this brings me to, is I am not sure what the future of this blog is. Maybe it has more to do with where I am than where this country is, after all we are in a time where shrub's approval ratings are at all time lows, and when a grand jury investigation is about to possibly reveal indictments for some of shrub's top brass, when the new media seems to MAYBE be growing a back bone, and serving their intended purpose as a watchdog fourth estate to call the guys in charge out on the mat, to prevent us from becoming what our founders fled, when more people seem to be realizing that the direction this country is heading in is a devastating one.

So I am torn. I have much more to say, and I believe that exciting times in politics are coming. I want to believe that I can somehow prove to myself that my discourse is worth conferring. I want to believe that I have a purpose.

So WHERE is this country heading? Tomorrow, I will try to answer that.

Delay is SOO going down.

DeLay's home, campaign phone records subpoenaed

"A Texas prosecutor on Thursday subpoenaed former House Republican leader Tom DeLay's home and campaign office telephone records in his investigation of possibly illegal campaign contributions, DeLay's lawyer said."

Oh and it looks like you "political capital" has been spent shrub. You are crashing and burning.

Bush, Republicans, slumping in polls

"US President George W. Bush struggled in the face of worsening opinion polls, including one survey that for the first time found a plurality of Americans think he will be viewed as a failed leader.

In a new study by the non-partisan Pew Research Center, 41 percent said that Bush would be an unsuccessful president, up from 27 percent in January and the most expressing that view since he took office in January 2001."

Yeah keep waving good bye,
worst president EVER!

How's that Aerosmith song go? "Love in an Elevator", well forget that part, just concentrate on the one refrain.

Love in an elevator, living it up I'm going down.
Love in an elevator, living it up when I hit the ground.

Love in an elevator
going doooowwwwwnnnnnn!!!!!

Ok enough of that, I am truly sorry, that was ridiculous, and utterly unnecessary. It won't happen again.

Anyways, shrub's job approval ratings continue their slide.

Bush approval rating dips to 39 percent - poll

"President George W. Bush's job approval rating has fallen to a new low of 39 percent in an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released on Wednesday.
...
The poll also found that strong majorities did not believe that recent charges against former House Republican leader Tom DeLay of Texas or a federal investigation of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican, were politically motivated, NBC said."

Hmmm, take note mr. assclown, delayed. You pompous ass! Sit down and face the courts like everyone else in this country! I am SICK and tired of you politicians taking advantage of everything that your power in this country affords you, at OUR expense! You are relying on the apathy of this country's citizens. And hopefully soon you won't have that luxury of disinterest. And you will be on the fire like you belong!

"With the 2006 congressional elections a year away, 48 percent of respondents said they preferred a Democratic-controlled Congress, compared with 39 percent who said they preferred Republican leadership, NBC said.

The 9-point difference was the largest margin between the parties in the 11 years the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll had been tracking the question, NBC said."

This is a good sign, while not a huge difference, it is something. Let hope that goes into the 2006 mid term elections. This party has DESTROYED our country, and everything I believe that our country stands for, and I am tired of just sitting back and taking it. You don't speak for me, and I don't believe you speak for a majority of this country. And I believe you days are numbered. Good luck f**kers!

Well ok I haven't posted since Thursday. I am sorry about that. I ran out of time on Friday, and then on Monday I was spending time with Ashley, and I thought you all could make it another day without me.

Today not much new news has officially broken. Alot of rumours are reaching a rolling boil and will boil over soon I suspect. So who is going to be indicted in the "Plamegate" scandal? Well it is looking more and more possible that some big fish might get fried. As more concrete news breaks I will be back here with my golden comments.

Well one piece of news on that story. Reporter Judith Miller, who was released from jail after agreeing to testify, and THEN after that said "oops I forgot I have some more notes here to turn over", has been asked to testify again.

Prosecutor asks NYT reporter to testify again

"New York Times reporter Judith Miller was summoned for a second appearance on Wednesday before a grand jury investigating the leak of a CIA operative's identity after she found notes from a previously undisclosed conversation with a top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney."

Oh and then there is this:

AP: Frist Accumulated Stock Outside Trusts

"Outside the blind trusts he created to avoid a conflict of interest, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist earned tens of thousands of dollars from stock in a family-founded hospital chain largely controlled by his brother, documents show.

The Tennessee Republican, whose sale this summer of HCA Inc. stock is under federal investigation, has long maintained he could own HCA shares and still vote on health care legislation without a conflict because he had placed the stock in blind trusts approved by the Senate.

However, ethics experts say a partnership arrangement shown in documents obtained by The Associated Press raises serious doubts about whether the senator truly avoided a conflict."

NEXT! I don't know, this may stick, or it may not, its hard to tell at this point, but boy oh boy do the Repubs have some serious problems to deal with.

OH and then there is this RIDICULOUS item of the day.

DeLay's Lawyers Subpoena His Prosecutor

"Indicted Rep. Tom DeLay's attorneys turned the tables on a Texas prosecutor Tuesday, delivering a subpoena to compel his testimony about his conduct with grand jurors."

Wow, what a cocky son of a b*tch! Sticking his thumb out to the law. Saying, in effect, "I am above the law". Well you know what buddy? You are going DOWN!

Well this broke today.

Rove Said to Testify in CIA Leak Case

"Presidential confidant Karl Rove will testify for a fourth time before the federal grand jury investigating the leak of a CIA officer's identity even though prosecutors have warned they can no longer guarantee he will escape indictment, lawyers said Thursday."

Well this IS interesting. I don't know what to make of it. I mean apparently this is the first time that the prosecutor has said that he can not guarantee that Rove will not be indicted. This is required of the prosecutor for a witness to testify before the grand jury who might be indicted. So this tells me that the prosecutor now has something on Rove, that he may not have had before Judy Miller testified last week.

So I hope we hear something soon, this should be interesting.

Also its interesting that the same day that news of Rove testifying again comes out, a new alert in NYC broke.


NYC Increases Subway Security After Threat

"Authorities stepped up security Thursday after receiving what city officials called a credible threat that the New York subway could be the target of a terrorist attack in coming days. But Homeland Security officials in Washington downplayed the threat, saying it was of 'doubtful credibility.'"

You got me, I don't know what to make of this either. And why is Homeland Security downplaying this when NYC officials say it is the most credible threat they have ever received? Don't know.

So I was reading the news tonight, and I just happened to read two stories in this order, you tell me what you think.

First there is this from Americablog.

"I just talked to a source who told me that Karl Rove has been missing from a number of recent White House presidential events - events that he has ALWAYS attended in the past. For example, Rove was absent from yesterday's presidential press conference to promote Harriet Miers. These are the kind of events Rove ALWAYS attends, I'm told, yet of late he's been MIA each and every time.

My source tells me that the scuttlebutt around town is that the White House knows something bad is coming, in terms of Karl getting indicted, and they're already trying to distance him from the president"

Ok VERY interesting right? I know well come on we are grasping at straws right? I mean we don't know anything, this is all circumstantial. So what if karly failed to show up at some events, maybe he has massive diarrhea. Well then I read this:

US officials brace for decisions in CIA leak case

"The federal prosecutor investigating who leaked the identity of a CIA operative is expected to signal within days whether he intends to bring indictments in the case, legal sources close to the investigation said on Wednesday.

As a first step, prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald was expected to notify officials by letter if they have become targets, said the lawyers, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
...
Rove's attorney, Robert Luskin, declined to say whether his client had been contacted by Fitzgerald. In the past, Luskin has said that Rove was assured that he was not a target."

Ok, uh does anyone else think this is FAR from just a coincidence?

I can't WAIT! Here's hoping all of these bastards go DOWN! I hope you all bite it. Good luck F*ckers!

Well shrub has a new Supreme Court nominee today.

Court Nominee Has No Judicial Experience

"President Bush named White House counsel Harriet Miers to a Supreme Court in transition Monday, turning to a longtime loyalist without experience as a judge or publicly known views on abortion to succeed Justice Sandra Day O'Connor."

Well we'll see how this goes. Already it seems that shrub has pissed off his conservative base. Oh well, f them he doesn't care, not like he has to be re-elected again. This nominee does seem to be a corporate crony. So cheers for her, we'll see if she will back the common man over the corporate interests.

Oh and in other news:

Grand Jury Indicts DeLay on New Charge

"A Texas grand jury on Monday re-indicted Rep. Tom DeLay on charges of conspiring to launder money and money laundering after the former majority leader attacked last week's indictment on technical grounds.

The new indictment, handed up by a grand jury seated Monday, contains two counts: conspiring to launder money and money laundering. The latter charge carries a penalty of up to life in prison. Last week, DeLay was charged with conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws."

Run Tommy boy RUN!