Lovely... Just Lovely!

The Bush administration is the most disgusting excuse for a "government of the people" that I have ever witnessed. Ever.

From the New York Daily News...

"We want people to think 'terrorism' for the last four days," said a Bush-Cheney campaign official. "And anything that raises the issue in people's minds is good for us."

A senior GOP strategist added, "anything that makes people nervous about their personal safety helps Bush."

He called [the bin Laden tape] "a little gift..."

In other words, they want people to experience fear.

Jesus! They will say anything. Do anything.

A Couple Of Jokes

Pass them around... truth and wit in the same breath.

Q. What's the difference between Iraq and Vietnam?

A George Bush had a plan to get out of Vietnam.

---

Q: Why in the name of God and all that is holy is Osama bin Laden alive, well, and lecturing America on foreign policy?

A: Because George W. Bush is a miserable failure.

Okay, so the second one isn't so much a joke as a statement of fact, but who cares? Just trying to use every tool possible to make change happen.

Juxtaposition

1111 Military Casualties in Iraq

and

Lancet: 100,000 Died From Iraq Invasion

and

Dick Cheney:

Later, at a town hall meeting in Wilmington, Ohio, Cheney praised the administration's handling of Iraq. Iraq is "a remarkable success story to date when you look at what's been accomplished overall,'' Cheney said, "and I think the president deserves great credit for it.''

Electoral Votes

I've decided that at the worst, this is what next week's electoral vote tally will look like.



Kerry: 323
Bush: 215

There remains a chance that Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, North Carolina and Virginia will fall into the Kerry column, and I might be wrong about West Virginia (a state I'm guessing the pollsters are wrong about), but this is all based on my gut instincts (a gut which is getting larger by the minute, I might add!).

Losing bin Laden

A day-by-day account of how Osama bin Laden eluded the world's most powerful military machine.

From the Christian Science Monitor...

TORA BORA, AFGHANISTAN - All 1,000 of the regional tribal leaders rose to their feet and shouted "Zindibad, Osama!" ("Long Live Osama!").

The Al Qaeda chief placed his right hand over his heart, the ethnic Pashtun sign for being honored, while 15 of his elite guards flanked him.

In the last public speech given at the Jalalabad Islamic studies center on Nov. 10, Osama bin Laden painted the battle lines black and white. "The Americans had a plan to invade, but if we are united and believe in Allah, we'll teach them a lesson, the same one we taught the Russians," he said, according to two tribal leaders who attended the speech.

Mr. bin Laden, with that speech, was laying his plans to stay a step ahead of the US campaign. He would travel to his favored fortified redoubt in Tora Bora, as the US expected him to, but he would also pave a way out. After his rousing speech, he bestowed cash gifts on key people who could later help him escape.

The US-led war in Afghanistan was going exceedingly well up to that point. The Taliban regime had been pushed from the northern half of the country; the capital of Kabul and much of the rest of Afghanistan would fall within the next few days.

It was a war like no other. In an evolutionary leap powered by Information Age technology, US ground soldiers were mainly employed as observers, liaisons, and spotters for air power - not as direct combatants sent to occupy a foreign land. The success of the US was dazzling, save for the fight for Tora Bora, which may have been this unconventional war's most crucial battle. For the US, Tora Bora wasn't about capturing caverns or destroying fortifications - it was about taking the world's most wanted terrorist "dead or alive."

In retrospect, it becomes clear that the battle's underlying story is of how scant intelligence, poorly chosen allies, and dubious military tactics fumbled a golden opportunity to capture bin Laden as well as many senior Al Qaeda commanders.

Moreover, as the US military conducts new strikes with its Afghan allies in nearby Paktia Province, sends special forces into Southeast and Central Asia - and prepares for a possible military plunge into Iraq - planners will need to learn the lessons of Tora Bora: Know which local leaders to trust. Know when to work with allied forces on the ground. And know when to go it alone. "Maybe the only lesson that is applicable is: whenever you use local forces, they have local agendas," says one senior Western diplomat, now looking at options for invading Iraq. "You had better know what those are so that if it is not a reasonable match - at least it is not a contradiction."

There's much, much more.

John Kerry Endorsements

By state, with link, date, and circulation if available
Endorsed Gore in 2000 unless stated otherwise

• Arizona Daily Star (Tucson) (AZ): 10/3; 109,592
  
• Merced Sun-Star (CA): 17,247 (unknown endorsement in 2000)
  
• San Francisco Chronicle (CA): 10/17; 501,135
  
• San Jose Mercury News (CA): 10/17; 279,539
  
• The Fresno Bee (CA): 166,531
  
• The Modesto Bee (CA): 10/17; 87,366
  
• The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa) (CA): 9/19; 89,384
  
• The Sacramento Bee (CA): 10/17; 303,841
  
• Daily Camera (Boulder) (CO): 10/17; 33,419 (endorsed Bush in 2000)
  
• The Day (New London) (CT): 9/26; 39,553 (endorsed Bush in 2000)
  
• The Washington Post (DC): 10/24
  
• Bradenton Herald (FL): 52,163 (endorsed Bush in 2000)
  
• Daytona Beach News-Journal (FL): 10/17; 112,945
  
• Florida Today (Melbourne) (FL): 90,877
  
• South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale) (FL): 10/17; 268,927
  
• St. Petersburg Times (FL): 10/17; 358,502
  
• The Miami Herald (FL): 10/17; 325,032
  
• The Palm Beach Post (FL): 10/17; 181,727
  
• The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA): 10/9; 418,323 (endorsed Bush/Gore[1] in 2000)
  
• The Honolulu Advertiser (HI): 10/19; 142,025
  
• The Hawk Eye (Burlington) (IA): 19,000
  
• Chicago Sun-Times (IL): 10/24; 486,936 (endorsed Bush in 2000)
  
• Daily Herald (Arlington Heights) (IL): 10/17; 150,794 (endorsed Bush in 2000)
  
• Lexington Herald-Leader (KY): 10/17; 122,748
  
• The Courier-Journal (Louisville) (KY): 216,934
  
• The Boston Globe (MA): 10/17; 452,109
  
• The Standard-Times (New Bedford) (MA): 35,299 (unknown endorsement in 2000)
  
• Portland Press Herald (ME): 73,211
  
• Bangor Daily News (ME): 10/23; (endorsed Bush in 2000)
  
• Detroit Free Press (MI): 10/4; 354,581
  
• The Argus-Press (Owosso) (MI): 11,438 (unknown endorsement in 2000)
  
• The Muskegon Chronicle (MI): 46,505 (endorsed Bush in 2000)
  
• Duluth News Tribune (MN): 45,688 (unknown endorsement in 2000)
  
• Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (MN): 10/17;377,058
  
• The Free Press (Mankato) (MN): 21,591 (unknown endorsement in 2000)
  
• Columbia Daily Tribune (MO): 10/17; 18,874 (endorsed Bush in 2000)
  
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO): 10/10; 281,198
  
• The Kansas City Star (MO): 10/17; 269,188
  
• The Charlotte Observer (NC): 10/17; 231,369
  
• The Daily Reflector (Greenville) (NC): 25,777 (unknown endorsement in 2000)
  
• Grand Forks Herald (ND): 10/17; 32,385
  
• The Albuquerque Tribune (NM): 10/12; 13,536 (endorsed Bush in 2000)
  /li>
• Nevada Appeal (Carson City) (NV): 15,296 (unknown endorsement in 2000)
  
• The New York Times (NY): 10/17; 1,133,763
  
• Akron Beacon Journal (OH): 139,220
  
• Dayton Daily News (OH): 10/17; 183,175
  
• East Oregonian (Pendleton) (OR): 10,236 (unknown endorsement in 2000)
  /li>
• Mail Tribune (Medford) (OR): 10/17; 35,524 (unknown endorsement in 2000)
  
• The Daily Astorian (Astoria) (OR): 8,429 (unknown endorsement in 2000)
  
• The Oregonian (Portland) (OR): 10/10; 342,040 (endorsed Bush in 2000)
  
• The Register-Guard (Eugene) (OR): 72,411
  
• The Philadelphia Daily News (PA): 6/16; 139,983
  
• The Philadelphia Inquirer (PA): 10/10; 387,692
  
• The Jackson Sun (TN): 35,561
  
• Citizen's Advocate Newspaper (Coppell) (TX): 10/13 (unknown endorsement in 2000)
  
• The Lone Star Iconoclast (Crawford) (TX): 9/26 (endorsed Bush in 2000)
  
• The Roanoke Times (VA): 10/17; 100,447 (unknown endorsement in 2000)
  
• Seattle Post-Intelligencer (WA): 10/10; 150,901
  
• The Seattle Times (WA): 9/9; 237,303 (endorsed Bush in 2000)
  
• The Star (Grand Coulee) (WA): (unknown endorsement in 2000)
  
• The Charleston Gazette (WV): 10/19 (unknown ensorsement in 2000)
  

[1] The Atlanta Journal endorsed Bush on 10/19/2000 and the Atlanta Constitution endorsed Gore on 10/20/2000.

George W. Bush Endorsements

by state, with link, date, and circulation if available endorsed Bush in 2000 unless stated otherwise

• Mobile Register (AL): 100,244
  
• The Arizona Republic (Phoenix) (AZ): 10/17; 466,926
  
• The Press-Enterprise (Riverside) (CA): 191,802
  
• The San Diego Union-Tribune (CA): 10/17; 361,317
  
• Rocky Mountain News (Denver) (CO): 10/17; 286,004
  
• The Pueblo Chieftain (CO): 9/27; 52,208
  
• Savannah Morning News (GA): 57,288
  
• Globe-Gazette (Mason City) (IA): 18,947
  
• Chicago Tribune (IL): 10/17; 578,843
  
• The News-Gazette (Champaign-Urbana) (IL): 39,190
  
• The Pantagraph (Bloomington) (IL): 47,931
  
• The Indianapolis Star (IN): 10/17; 253,778
  
• The Sun (Lowell) (MA): 50,369
  
• The Grand Rapids Press (MI): 139,216
  
• The Oakland Press (Pontiac) (MI): 10/10; 65,484
  
• Omaha World-Herald (NE): 197,627
  
• The Union Leader (Manchester) (NH): 23,956
  
• Carlsbad Current-Argus (NM): 8,030
  
• Las Cruces Sun-News (NM): 22,168
  
• Las Vegas Review-Journal (NV): 9/12; 170,061
  
• The New York Sun (NY): 18,000
  
• The Courier (Findlay) (OH): 22,319
  
• The Repository (Canton) (OH): 66,014
  
• The Times Reporter (New Philadelphia) (OH): 23,956
  
• Tulsa World (OK): 23,956
  
• The News-Review (Roseburg) (OR): 19,272
  
• York Daily Record (PA): 10/17; 23,956 (endorsed Gore in 2000)
  
• The Leaf-Chronicle (Clarksville) (TN): 22,057
  
• Amarillo Globe-News (TX): 51,105
  
• El Paso Times (TX): 74,278
  
• Fort Worth Star-Telegram (TX): 247,167
  
• San Antonio Express-News (TX): 252,889
  
• The Dallas Morning News (TX): 10/17; 546,177
  
• Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA): 191,732
  
• The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg) (VA): 47,866
  
• The Columbian (Vancouver) (WA): 51,498
  

Declined to Endorse

by state, with link, date, and circulation if available

• Tampa Tribune (FL): 10/17; 302,417 (endorsed Bush in 2000)
  
• Winston-Salem Journal (NC): 10/17 (endorsed Bush in 2000)
  
• Bryan-College Station Eagle (TX): 10/17 (endorsed Bush in 2000)
  

A Letter From W

From a diary at DailyKos...

"Hello. My name is George Bush and I am President of the United States for no reason other than dumb luck and a slanted verdict by the Supreme Court. I am running for re-election, although in actuality, I have no business leading this great nation.

I never accomplished much of anything in my adult life. I was a drunk, a louse, and an irresponsible person. Lucky for me, however, that I come from a rich and powerful family. Boy has that helped! I've used my family's name so much I've had to get handlebars for the coat-tails I've ridden on for my entire life. That is how I ended up in an Ivy league school - but, I never quite made a splash in anything - well, unless you count being one of the biggest dullards and drunks ever to walk the halls! That's OK, though, because Dad has always been there to pull me out of my stupors and my failures. Wow, have I kept him busy through the years!

When it came time to serve my country, I hid like a little schoolgirl and had my dad pull strings with his rich and powerful friends so that I would remain safe here at home, while others like John Kerry were put in harm's way. I continued my irresponsible behavior after "serving" ha-ha, then crumbled a few companies that my dad handed to me. With nothing else to do, and with a rich and powerful name behind me, I became governor, and through an unbelievable string of happenstance, good luck, and behing-the-scenes politics, I have become the leader of the free world. With all of this dumb luck, I should have been playing the lottery or spending my stupors in Vegas! How does one person get so lucky!

Oh, and one other thing...as a grown man, before becoming Governor, my marriage and career were crumbling. So, I did what other losers often do in life...yep! I found Jesus!! Lucky for me, I can now count on Him to help me with all of my decision making. That includes shoving my religion down other people's throats, invading countries, declaring war, and just general stuff like making sure that anyone who wants one can get an assault weapon. Nothing says love thy neighbor like a loaded weapon, right Jesus?

Well, I better go. There's a village that's missing an idiot in Texas.

George"

Jim Bunning

I grew up a fan of the Detroit Tigers (still am), so it's somewhat disturbing to see what's going on in the Kentucky Senate race involving former Tiger and Hall Of Fame pitcher, Jim Bunning, the incumbent.

Kentucky Race Turns As Whispers Grow Louder

Jim Bunning stepped up to a Rotary Club lectern here Thursday to notch a save in a campaign that was on no one's lineup card of competitive Senate races a few weeks ago. But thanks to growing speculation about his mental fitness, Kentucky now has one of the more interesting campaigns in the country.

"Reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated," the one-term Republican senator said. "I can still walk, talk and chew gum at the same time."

But can the Hall of Fame pitcher, who turns 73 Saturday, dispel talk in the state that he may not be up to the job? Such whispers have gotten louder in recent weeks as news media in Kentucky and beyond have pointed to a series of odd statements and actions by Bunning.

"Absurd," says Bunning's Kentucky colleague, Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell. "To suggest that the tall right-hander is somehow not up to a full nine innings or is losing his stuff, well, I'm here to tell you that the last thing you want to do would be to turn this job over to some lefty who's been playing in the minor leagues over in Frankfort."

That would be Democrat Daniel Mongiardo, 44, a two-term state legislator and surgeon from the state's coal mining region. The grandson of Italian immigrants who settled in Appalachia a century ago, he became the Democratic candidate after a scandal sidelined former governor Paul Patton.

Bunning caused a stir last spring when he told a GOP gathering that Mongiardo, who has dark hair and is olive-skinned, looked and dressed like one of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s sons. He apologized last week, but the damage was already done. Mongiardo accuses Bunning of a "negative smear campaign to make me look like a foreigner. I was born on the Fourth of July in Hazard, Kentucky. You can't get more American."

This summer Bunning, whose prickly personality often puts him at odds with reporters, told a Paducah TV station that he needed a large police detail to protect him from a possible al-Qaeda attack. "There may be strangers among us," he said.

Blogging Slowdown

For those who might have been paying attention, blogging has been rather light of late. Trips to Minneapolis for a wedding and to the Toronto area for a conference have kept me away from computers. That my webhost's server was down last week for a day or two didn't help either.

Another Iran?

According to a recent U.S.-financed poll, the Bush puppet Ayad Allawi's regime has lost support amongst the Iraqi people.

From the Washington Post...

Leaders of Iraq's religious parties have emerged as the country's most popular politicians and would win the largest share of votes if an election were held today, while the U.S.-backed government of interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi is losing serious ground, according to a U.S.-financed poll by the International Republican Institute.

More than 45 percent of Iraqis also believe that their country is heading in the wrong direction, and 41 percent say it is moving in the right direction.

Within the Bush administration, a victory by Iraq's religious parties is viewed as the worst-case scenario. Washington has hoped that Allawi and the current team, which was selected by U.S. and U.N. envoys, would win or do well in Iraq's first democratic election, in January. U.S. officials believe a secular government led by moderates is critical, in part because the new government will oversee writing a new Iraqi constitution.

"The picture it paints is that, after all the blood and treasure we've spent and despite the [U.S.-led] occupation's democracy efforts, we're in a position now that the moderates would not win if an election were held today," said a U.S. official who requested anonymity because the poll has not been released.

Think back to Iran and the situation which brought about the hostage-taking in November of 1979...

Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, began his reign in 1941, succeeding his father, Reza Khan, to the throne. In a 1953 power struggle with his prime minister, the Shah gained American support to prevent nationalization of Iran's oil industry. In return for assuring the U.S. a steady supply of oil, the Shah received economic and military aid from eight American presidents.

Early in the 1960s, the Shah announced social and economic reforms but refused to grant broad political freedom. Iranian nationalists condemned his U.S. supported regime and his "westernizing" of Iran. During rioting in 1963, the Shah cracked down, suppressing his opposition. Among those arrested and exiled was a popular religious nationalist and bitter foe of the United States, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Between 1963 and 1979, the Shah spent billions of oil dollars on military weapons. The real price of military strength was the loss of popular support. Unable to sustain economic progress and unwilling to expand democratic freedoms, the Shah's regime collapsed in revolution. On January 16, 1979, the Shah fled Iran, never to return.

The exiled Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Tehran in February 1979 and whipped popular discontent into rabid anti-Americanism. When the Shah came to America for cancer treatment in October, the Ayatollah incited Iranian militants to attack the U.S. On November 4, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun and its employees taken captive. The hostage crisis had begun.

Bush Relatives for Kerry

Bush Relatives for Kerry grew out of a series of conversations that took place between a group of people that have two things in common: they are all related to George Walker Bush, and they are all voting for John Kerry. As the election approaches, we feel it is our responsibility to speak out about why we are voting for John Kerry, and to do our small part to help America heal from the sickness it has suffered since George Bush was appointed President in 2000. We invite you to read our stories, and please, don't vote for our cousin!

Bush: Anti-Civil Liberties

From TomPaine.com...

These three Medford, Oregon, schoolteachers were thrown out of a Bush rally, even though they had valid tickets, because they wore t-shirts that said, "Protect Our Civil Liberties."

BC04 officials said the teachers were ejected because their shirts were obscene."

Pass this story on.

Say it again... BASTARDS!

AND BIGOTS! These people will stop at nothing!

GOP fails in effort to move polls

REPUBLICAN OPERATIVES working to re-elect President Bush submitted last-minute requests in Philadelphia on Friday to relocate 63 polling places.

Bush's Pennsylvania campaign staff filed the requests, using the names of two Republicans running for the U.S. Congress and seven Republican ward leaders.

Of the 63 requests for changes, 53 are in political divisions where the population of white voters is less than 10 percent.

"I think this is more evidence of Republicans working to disenfranchise low-income and minority voters," said Mark Nevins, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. John Kerry. "It's despicable."

Bob Lee, voter registration administrator for the City Commission, said the requests appear to be "discriminatory" and were filed too late to be eligible for a hearing on Wednesday.

"They're trying to suppress the vote," Lee said of Republicans.

Deborah Williams, a minister running against Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, said the Republican State Committee asked if it could use her name in the effort.

One of the polling places is in a district office of state Sen. Vince Fumo, a Democrat. Two are in local bars, 43 are allegedly inaccessible to the handicapped and 17 are in businesses or homes where voters could be intimidated, according to the requests.

"We're more concerned about people's comfort," said Williams, an African-American whose name is on 28 requests. "This is not about creating some stir in the election or denying anyone the right to vote."

Race played a role in at least five of the requests, according to Matt Robb, the Republican leader of the 48th ward in South Philadelphia. Robb said he allowed his name to be used because those polling places are in neighborhoods he doesn't wish to visit.

"It's predominantly, 100 percent black," said Robb, who is white. "I'm just not going in there to get a knife in my back."

The polling places are all in political divisions where Democrats hold an overwhelming advantage among registered voters.

Listervelt Ritter, the Republican leader for the 16th ward in North Philadelphia, said he participated in the effort on four requests because he is tired of polling places controlled by Democrats and the fraud that he claims results. Ritter, an African-American, denied any attempt to suppress minority votes.

"The black neighborhoods are the ones that do the funny stuff," Ritter said. "What are you supposed to do?"

Good!

WGME loses ads over plan to air anti-Kerry film

WGME's plan to air a documentary critical of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry prompted three Maine companies Thursday to pull their advertising from the Portland TV station.

Hannaford supermarkets, the Lee Auto Malls, and the law offices of Joe Bornstein withdrew their advertising indefinitely from WGME (Channel 13) over its plans to air "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal" on Oct. 23.

WGME's owner, Sinclair Broadcast Group, has ordered its 62 TV stations in local markets across the country to air the film without commercials.

The film shows Vietnam War veterans criticizing Kerry - a fellow veteran - for opposing the war after he served.

Alan Cartwright, WGME's general manager, declined to comment when contacted.

Hannaford, based in Scarborough with 46 supermarkets in Maine, decided to pull its ads so its name would not be associated with the film.

"Hannaford is apolitical, and our employees have varying views on issues," said Caren Epstein, Hannaford's spokeswoman. "We object to being positioned politically."

Epstein said she did not know how much Hannaford spends on advertising with WGME, but noted that the chain advertises on other Maine TV stations as well. She said Hannaford's ads will stay off WGME at least until after the documentary is aired.

Adam Lee, president of Lee Auto Malls, decided to pull his company's ads because he believes airing the documentary is unfair.

"I'm torn. I think the press should be able to print and air what they want, but doing this just before an election, without advertising and without a rebuttal, is not fair," said Lee.

Lee, who appears in his company's ads, would not say how much his advertising is worth to WGME. He said he did a "fair amount" of advertising with WGME, but does more with WCSH-TV (Channel 6).

Bornstein, who has offices in Portland and Bangor, said that having his ads on WGME during this controversy made him "uncomfortable."

"This is really an issue of fairness in broadcasting and Maine has been dragged into it," said Bornstein.

Isn't This Rich?!?

Isn't this like the pot calling the kettle black?!?

Lynne Cheney Responds to Kerry's Remarks After Debate (washingtonpost.com)

Lynne V. Cheney, wife of Vice President Cheney, accused John F. Kerry Wednesday night of "a cheap and tawdry political trick" and said he "is not a good man" after he brought up their daughter's homosexuality at the final presidential debate.

Mary Cheney, one of the vice president's two daughters and an official of the Bush-Cheney campaign, has been open about her lesbian status. The candidates were asked if they believe homosexuality is a choice, and Bush did not mention Mary Cheney. Then Kerry said, "If you were to talk to Dick Cheney's daughter, who is a lesbian, she would tell you that she's being who she was, she's being who she was born as."

[...]

Kerry's running mate, Sen. John Edwards, also raised the sexual orientation of Cheney's daughter during the vice presidential debates. Republicans complained that it was an underhanded way of trying to hurt the Bush-Cheney ticket with religious conservatives.

No... the Republicans would never do anything underhanded, would they?

Again... The Bastards!

Voter Registrations Possibly Trashed

Employees of a private voter registration company allege that hundreds, perhaps thousands of voters who may think they are registered will be rudely surprised on election day. The company claims hundreds of registration forms were thrown in the trash.

Anyone who has recently registered or re-registered to vote outside a mall or grocery store or even government building may be affected.

The I-Team has obtained information about an alleged widespread pattern of potential registration fraud aimed at democrats. Thee focus of the story is a private registration company called Voters Outreach of America, AKA America Votes.

The out-of-state firm has been in Las Vegas for the past few months, registering voters. It employed up to 300 part-time workers and collected hundreds of registrations per day, but former employees of the company say that Voters Outreach of America only wanted Republican registrations.

Two former workers say they personally witnessed company supervisors rip up and trash registration forms signed by Democrats.

"We caught her taking Democrats out of my pile, handed them to her assistant and he ripped them up right in front of us. I grabbed some of them out of the garbage and she tells her assisatnt to get those from me," said Eric Russell, former Voters Outreach employee.

Eric Russell managed to retrieve a pile of shredded paperwork including signed voter registration forms, all from Democrats. We took them to the Clark County Election Department and confirmed that they had not, in fact, been filed with the county as required by law.

So the people on those forms who think they will be able to vote on Election Day are sadly mistaken. We attempted to speak to Voters Outreach but found that its office has been rented out to someone else.

The landlord says Voters Outreach was evicted for non-payment of rent. Another source said the company has now moved on to Oregon where it is once again registering voters. It's unknown how many registrations may have been tossed out, but another ex-employee told Eyewitness News she had the same suspicions when she worked there.

[...]

The company has been largely, if not entirely funded, by the Republican National Committee. Similar complaints have been received in Reno where the registrar has asked the FBI to investigate.

There's also a video report.

After January 20?

Perhaps W has a job waiting for him in a few months...

Monkey Shortage Threatens Germwar Vaccine Testing

The effort to develop countermeasures to biological terrorism, many scientists say, faces a looming problem on the horizon: a critical shortage of monkeys needed for testing.

Splitting From Bush

Editor and Publisher is keeping track of the nation's daily newspapers' Presidential endorsements. Of those they've posted so far, three that endorsed Bush in 2000 have endorsed Kerry this time around. None of the papers that supported Gore in 2000 have endorsed Bush. We can only hope this is a good sign.

JOHN KERRY
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (G): 418,323
The Philadelphia Inquirer (G): 387.692
Detroit Free Press (G): 354,581
The Oregonian (Portland) (B): 342,040
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (G): 281,198
The Seattle Times (B): 237,303
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (G): 150,901
The Philadelphia Daily News: 139,983
Arizona Daily Star (Tucson) (G): 109,592
Portland Press Herald (Maine) (G): 73,211
The Day (New London, Conn.) (B): 39,553

Total Pro-Kerry Daily Circ: 2,534,377

GEORGE W. BUSH
Las Vegas Review-Journal (B): 170,061
Tulsa World (Okla.) (B): 139,383
Mobile (Ala.) Register (B): 100,244
The Columbian (Vancouver, Wash.) (B): 51,498
The Pueblo (Colo.) Chieftain: 52,208
Amarillo (Texas) Globe-News (B): 51,105
The Sun (Lowell, Mass.) (B): 50,369
The Courier (Findlay, Ohio) (B): 22,319

Total Pro-Bush Daily Circ: 637,187

Colorful Politics

From McCall's...

Guy Gray and Greta Browne, a Bethlehem couple running for political office as members of the Green Party, said they voted for Nader twice before but plan to vote for Democratic candidate John Kerry in this election even though they feel Nader has better positions on demilitarization, justice issues, the minimum wage and health care.

"Elective Surgery"

This morning on Air America's Morning Sedition, David Chasteen of Operation Truth (and a returning Iraqi war vet) said that the CIA's pet name for the war in Iraq is "elective surgery."

Toledo, My Home Town

My eye was caught by this story in the Washington Post about the amount of money spent on television advertising in my home town of Toledo.

Walking into the Lucas County courthouse on a sunny fall afternoon, James King, 64, an executive with a health management company, offered the jaded view. "We're kind of sick of them," he said. "It seems like they've been going on forever. I really think it's turning everyone off. When you see as many negative ads as we've seen, you have to believe that it's turning more people off than getting people excited about the election."

King described himself as "a ticked-off conservative" who is leaning toward Kerry. But his choice wasn't shaped by any messages he has picked up from a few thousand political ads. "I'm alarmed at what has happened to the conservative agenda under this president," he said. "The deficit is a disaster. I deplore this war. The government has gotten bigger, not smaller. [Bush] has injured the party and its ideals."

These comments are the type that lift my spirits somewhat from day to day as regards this presidential campaign. Regardless of the closeness in the polls, I can't help but think that there are more Republicans turned off by Bush than there are Democrats turned off by Kerry.

Simple Pleasures

I know I've seen an email about this at some point, but just for the fun of it, I'm going to post it here.

1. Create a "new folder" on your computer.
2. Name it "George W. Bush."
3. Send it to the trash.
4. Empty the trash.
5. Your computer will ask you:
   "Do you really want to get rid of "George W. Bush"?
6. Answer calmly, "Yes," and press the mouse button firmly.

"God Has A Plan"

The Guardian's Gary Younge is driving from Massachusetts to Texas, filing stories along the way.

He wrote Saturday (from Oil City, Pennsylvania) about someone he met that is a supporter of Bush.

I'm surely not the first person to claim befuddlement with the near 50-50 split in the polls between Bush and Kerry (skeptical though I am), but as stories like this come to light, I suppose it's easy to assume that there are, quite simply, plenty of Burton Kepharts across this land.

While I honor the man's right to his views, I remain stymied by such fervent, staunch "Christian" beliefs that run contrary to the teachings of Christ. I suppose, though, that if hardcore fundamentalists are able to live in denial with regard to these contradictions, it explains why they are able, too, to live in denial about the reasons for the war in Iraq, the lies of the Bush administration and, consequently, the loss of innocent life.

Burton Kephart asks me for 10 minutes to see if he can save my soul. Opening his Bible to Matthew and Romans he tells me that I was born a sinner, God gave his only son for my sins and if I accepted Jesus into my heart I could be saved.

I ask him what will happen if I don't. "Eternal judgment," he says. "Hell."

Mr Kephart gave his first-born son, Jonathan, to the American army. In late March the 21-year-old went to Iraq to serve with the 230th Military Police Company. Ten days later he was killed in an ambush in Baghdad.

[...]

Among those who knew him, Jonathan's death hasn't changed anybody's views on the war in Iraq. They still support it. In fact if anything, they support it more now than ever. Burton believes that those who oppose it are "un-American".

"It makes me mad, very mad," he says about those who question the war. "Jonathan believed so strongly in what he did in Iraq. I want to see it accomplished because that's what he died for. You'll never convince me that there's no connection between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida. Never."

[...]

"I fear for this country if Kerry wins," he says. "God has a plan for the ages. Bush will hold back the evil a little bit. He is a God-fearing man. He believes in praying to a God who hears his prayers. He's a leader."

The Bastards!

From Campaign Extra! (with a nod to Atrios)...

We've all seen some mind-blowingly bad stuff in the last four years, but playing politics with the lives of American soldiers as well as Iraqis -- and brazenly admitting it -- is the lowest thing yet.

Bush Administration Plans to Delay Major Assaults in Iraq

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration will delay major assaults on rebel-held cities in Iraq until after U.S. elections in November, say administration officials, mindful that large-scale military offensives could affect the U.S. presidential race.

Although American commanders in Iraq have been buoyed by recent successes in insurgent-held towns such as Samarra and Tall Afar, administration and Pentagon officials say they will not try to retake cities such as Fallujah and Ramadi -- where insurgents' grip is strongest and U.S. military casualties could be the greatest -- until after Americans vote in what is likely to be a close election.

"When this election's over, you'll see us move very vigorously," said one senior administration official involved in strategic planning, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Once you're past the election, it changes the political ramifications" of a large-scale offensive, the official said. "We're not on hold right now. We're just not as aggressive."

Only In America

South Knox Bubba touches on Bush's losing it at last Friday's debate, and compares lies told by the Bush administration to those of Martha Stewart.

When he lost his cool and jumped up to respond out of turn, we got to see Bush's personality in a nutshell. The way he brushed the moderator aside and ignored the rules of the debate is how he operates in his personal and political life. It's how the GOP operates. Never ask permission, only forgiveness. The rules don't apply to Bush or the GOP. They are above the rules and better than you. That, and his temper which was on full display, are why we are in Iraq with no exit strategy.

I hope people were paying attention to Bush's tantrum. I was shocked that the media talking wobbly-bobble heads were saying how tough it made him seem, and besides, he is after all the commander in chief so how dare Charlie Gibson try to shut him up.

Beyond that, I'm sure the media is proclaiming a big Bush win and talking about how he showed he's a down-to-earth guy and a man of the people. (I don't know for sure, because for some reason they don’t have cable or wi-fi on this cheap flight).

What they probably aren't talking about is the incredible (literally) stream of lies and distortions Bush spewed all over the stage. Unbelievable. The scare lies he told about Kerry's health care plan were beyond the pale even for Bush and the GOP.

But only in America can a harmless homemaker/cooking show host be cooling her jets in Federal prison for fibbing about a crime she did not commit and was never charged with while the President of the United States can stand before the people and lie about the economy, taxes, the deficit, and the reasons for taking us into a war that has cost the lives of over 1000 American soldiers, countless civilian lives, and hundreds of billions of dollars.

Only in America can Martha Stewart sit in prison while Ashcroft gets away with shredding the Constitution and Rumsfeld presides over the torture and murder of prisoners of war in violation of international law while Bush pats them on the back for a job well done and nearly half the people in America agree and think this crew ought to be allowed to stay in the White House instead of being sent to jail. Go figure.

When's recess?

Aside from his shrill, defensive behavior, what bothers me most about watching Bush on TV is the look on his face. Jeanne makes an apt analogy over at Body and Soul...

My nine-year-old daughter described the frozen expression he had on his face while Kerry spoke, which had me picturing him standing in front of a mirror for hours, practicing his lobotomized look: He's not listening. He looks like he's thinking about recess.

Got Wood?

W's got some!

Bush Wood For Sale...

...at ebay!

Monty!

I knew I recognized that guy debating John Edwards!

Advice For Kerry

From The Rude Pundit (not for the meek or mild of heart)...

That's funny...

I don't recall having voted!

Those who visited the WBAY (Green Bay, Wisconson's ABC affiliate) website earlier today saw (click on the image for a larger view):




From Boing Boing via Blogitics.

WBAY has since posted a disclaimer.

Florida Ballot

Attempting to rid themselves of the stigma created during the disastrous 2000 election, Florida has developed a new touch-screen ballot.

I think it needs a little work yet.
Thanks to Susan for the link.

"Oh, Yeah."

Following up the Cheney lie about not having met Edwards, KYW in Philadelphia reports:

On Feb. 1, 2001, the vice president thanked Edwards by name at a Senate prayer breakfast and sat beside him during the event.

On April 8, 2001, Cheney and Edwards shook hands when they met off-camera during a taping of NBC's "Meet the Press," moderator Tim Russert said Wednesday on "Today."

On Jan. 8, 2003, the two met when the first-term North Carolina senator accompanied Elizabeth Dole to her swearing-in by Cheney as a North Carolina senator, Edwards aides also said.

Edwards didn't forget their prayer-breakfast meeting. The Democratic vice presidential candidate noted the discrepancy at a post-debate rally in a Cleveland park, calling it an example of Cheney "still not being straight with the American people."

"The vice president said that the first time I met Senator Edwards was tonight when we walked on the stage. I guess he forgot the time we sat next to each other for a couple hours about three years ago. I guess he forgot the time we met at the swearing in of another senator. So, my wife Elizabeth reminded him on the stage," Edwards said as the crowd roared.

According to Edwards' staff, Cheney replied, "Oh, yeah."

"She reminded him about the truth," Edwards told the crowd, "and come November, we're going to remind him that the American people do not want four more years of George W. Bush."

Which Is It?

In last week's Presidential debate, George Bush said:

We've already sanctioned Iran. We can't sanction them any more.

In last night's Vice-Presidential debate, Dick Cheney said:

We've got sanctions on Iran now. We may well want to go to the U.N. Security Council and ask for even tougher sanctions if they don't live up to their obligations under the initial -- International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Ann Coulter: Lesbian?

Yesterday on Good Morning America, Coulter ripped on John Kerry. Not, of course, about anything of substance, but about his personal life.

"I mean, it is simply a fact that he has married two heiresses, his specialty in life. I mean, if he has an economic plan, I think the one I'd like to hear about is how to snooker millionairesses into marrying me and living off them."

I presume she's interested for... personal reasons?

Cheney Lies Again

I was quite surprised when Cheney claimed during the debate last night that he'd never met John Edwards. I couldn't have imagined that that was possible. Well, thanks to Atrios, we have photographic documentation, as well as the introductory paragraph of a transcript of Cheney's speech at the event.

VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY DELIVERS REMARKS AT NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST

February 01, 2001

SPEAKER: VICE PRESIDENT RICHARD B. CHENEY: Thank you. Thank you very much. Congressman Watts, Senator Edwards, friends from across America and distinguished visitors to our country from all over the world, Lynne and I honored to be with you all this morning. I've always counted myself fortunate to have been raised in a part of the country where the Almighty chose to do some of his finest work. (LAUGHTER) Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, the Big Horn Canyon, Devil's Tower, he made them. I didn't say he named them. (LAUGHTER) Such grand surroundings have a way of keeping us humble. They help you remember that the Earth and all of us are here by the design of an intelligent and gracious creator and each of us has a purpose that He has set and that we must seek. We seek that purpose through prayer and we set aside this event each ye..."

Oh, my!

The Rude Pundit says, um, what we're all, er, thinking.

Spreading Fear

A Quicktime movie...

Grave Concern

In Death, She Backs Kerry

Jane Buffett tried desperately to live until Nov. 2 so she could vote for John Kerry.

She lost that fight, but her husband and sons continued the battle in her obituary.

Jane died Sept. 25 at age 64 after a long struggle with multiple myeloma, a cancer that attacks bones from the inside.

"She really wanted to live to this election and vote. I kept promising her that as soon as the absentee ballots were printed, we would get her one," said Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, who became choked up talking about her friend of 30 years.

"She always helped with my campaigns, even when she was very ill. She took it upon herself to be a positive source of energy and confidence for me. I was very affected by her death, and even more by her life."

Jane Buffett's obituary in Madison newspapers said:

"Jane was outraged that any politician who would cut back cancer treatment options for Social Security recipients, who would invade a foreign country and then expect her grandchildren to pay the bills, could claim to be a 'compassionate conservative.' Once he became the nominee, she saw John Kerry as the candidate who would most conserve everything she valued. Jane fought to live long enough to be able to vote this November. To honor her memory, please do everything you can to elect John Kerry."

Her husband, Roger Buffett, said that he and sons Perry and Carl decided to include that language.

"Jane and I did not sit down to write an obituary," Roger said, adding, however, that "she was ecstatic about Sally Baron's obituary last year."

Baron was a Stoughton woman whose obituary in August 2003 said that "memorials in her honor can be made to any organization working for the removal of President Bush."

Jane Buffett "was disgusted that a few thousand young people would have to give their lives so people can run around in big vehicles," her husband said. "Now we have an oil crisis and tax breaks for people who drive Hummers. She was incensed. So as the boys and I worked on the obituary, it was a natural. They said, 'This is what Mom really wanted.' "

CNN Photo

Speaking Out

The Band of Sisters gathered in New York on the night of the first presidential debate to watch the candidates and share their impressions. Their first-hand knowledge and the experience of their families in Iraq were a stark reality check for the rehearsed, misleading lines repeated by President Bush throughout the debate.

The Real Battle

Watching BBC World News tonight, I witnessed what is surely the most difficult hurdle for John Kerry to overcome. After a brief report on the debate, snippet responses from debate watchers at a Miami restaurant/bar were shown. One of those interviewed said, "I think Bush looked like an idiot, but I'm still going to vote for him."

There are not enough exclamation points in the world with which to follow that comment.

If Kerry cannot convince people that an idiot should not be in office, what are we to do? What are we to think about the future of this country?

A Mother's Tears

Real tears...

RealVoices.org