Rep. Stark & Sen. Dodd Find Spines, Feinstein Loses Hers

NOTE: This post does not constitute an endorsement of Senator Dodd for president, rather it is just a round of applause from this blogger for Chris Dodd's courageous stand against the erosion of our Constitutionally-enshrined rights.

Stephanie,
Please get on the horn and ask the Matron Saint of the Stephanie Miller Show (Senator Barbara Boxer) what's up with Sister Feinstein? What WAS she thinking? Southwick is a known racist, homophobic SOB and Dianne should realize by now that the republicans aren't playing, you can't give them an inch, or they'll be taking a mile soon enough =(

Thank you so much for speaking out tonight on Dan Abrams show although the blowhole that you were up against tried to hammer his question down your throat "Define torture, Stephanie..." What an idiot - the issue is not whether you or Dan Abrams can define torture, but rather the point is that torture is defined and spelled out in documents (treaties, laws, cases) that the Bush administration is ignoring. What a toooooolie toooolie toooolie tool...

ENOUGH is ENOUGH - we have got to stand up and say NO MORE! I think that Representative Stark (13th District CA) is correct - I support what he had to say, the emotion that he expressed, the frustration that was captured by his words - I HOPE that he DOES NOT APOLOGIZE or back down. You should be proud of Peter Stark, please call him or e-mail him and tell him thank you for finally speaking out and announcing what is obvious to a strong majority of the American people - the emperor has no clothes. Thank God for Rep. Stark, and Senator Chris Dodd who has put a hold on the terrible piece of legistation that is making its way through the Congress - the most recent incarnation of the FISA bill.

Here is Senator Dodd's letter explaining his position - I sincerely hope that Harry Reid thinks twice before he attempts to go around this wise and long-overdue stand against the assault on our civil liberties:

The Military Commissions Act. Warrantless wiretapping. Shredding of Habeas Corpus. Torture. Extraordinary Rendition. Secret Prisons.

No more. I have decided to place a "hold" on the latest FISA bill that would have included amnesty for telecommunications companies that enabled the President's assault on the Constitution by illegally providing personal information on their customers without judicial authorization.

I said that I would do everything I could to stop this bill from passing, and I have. It's about delivering results -- and as I've said before, the FIRST thing I will do after being sworn into office is restore the Constitution. But we shouldn't have to wait until then to prevent the further erosion of our country's most treasured document. That's why I am stopping this bill today.

From Senator Dodd's Web Site: http://action.chrisdodd.com/signUp.jsp?key=1570


Here's the announcement that demonstrates that Senator Dianne Feinstein has lost her flipping mind:

Alarming Anti-Gay Vote - From a Democrat
By Jennifer Vanasco
The Visible Vote '08
October 16, 2007

File under "What was she thinking?"

Dianne Feinstein, who represents San Francisco, voted to support Mississippi Judge Leslie Southwick for appointment to the powerful New Orleans-based United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Southwick is known for anti-gay and racist opinions.

For example: Judge Southwick also joined another decision taking a child away from a mother because she was bisexual. Adding insult to injury in that case, he signed a concurring opinion that attacked the mother for her "decision to participate in a homosexual relationship" and told her that losing her baby was one of the possible consequences of her "exertion of her perceived right." Democrats were going to kill his nomination in committee - but no, Feinstein sided with Republican colleagues to bring his nomination to the House floor.

Something is very wrong when a Democratic senator representing San Francisco is A-OK with a judge who will take a child away from its mother because she's gay.

UPDATE: Randi Rhodes Was NOT Mugged

Stephanie & Randi in NYC

UPDATE: Apparently Randi Rhodes wasn't mugged, thank god, but something happened to her when she was out walking her dog, Simon, on Sunday night, and Randi is in pain, so we send our best thoughts to her and wish her relief from her injuries. We all look forward to hearing the real story of what happened to Randi when she returns to the air on Thursday. Meantime, rest, relax and heal Randi - we love you!!!

This is a very quickly composed post as I am at work and technically shouldn't be messing with my personal blog, but I wanted to get this up and send my very best wishes to Randi for a speedy recovery and to let her know that our best thoughts go out to her in this time of pain. Go Randi - we all love you and know that you'll pull through this horrible experience...

If you'd like to send a card or get well note to Randi, please send it to:
The Randi Rhodes Show
641 Sixth Avenue, 4th floor
New York, New York 10019

His High Holiness the Dalai Lama

"We are all human beings on this planet, and we are all dependent on each other. It benefits no one to create barriers and division. All human beings are like brothers and sisters, and must realize our common interests."
The Dalai Lama, October 18, 2007

In the summer of 1987 I was fortunate enough to make a trip to Asia. Specifically, I travelled to Hong Kong, Thailand, Nepal and from Kathmandu, I went overland into Tibet. It was a two-day trip because heavy summer rains had washed out the road to the Nepal/Tibet border. In my second attempt to get to Tibet, I had pared my travel parcel down to what fit into my day pack. I knew from a previous attempt to make it to the border that a 40 kilometer hike awaited me when I got off the bus at the end of the road, and I knew that the hike would not be easy. It might involve jumping over fast-flowing water rushing down a ravine recently carved through the trail that I would be taking, and with that in mind, it behooved me to travel as light as I possibly could. After a long first day on the trail in which I followed in line with amazing sherpas who carried huge loads on their small backs, I found a bed in a house in Tatopani (means "hot water" in Nepali). The woman who ran the road house motioned me up a flight of wooden stairs with a candle as her light and pointed to a narrow spot in a long row of wooden planks - that would be my bed for a night through which I remember sleeping fairly well. The next morning I fell back in line with the sherpas who turned out to be my bed mates from the night before and we hiked on to the Tibetan border. I remember passing quickly through customs which was nothing more than a shack in the middle of a bridge that crossed a river. On the other side, in Tibet, there were three seemingly insurmountable cliffs of rock - the remains of what had apparently been a hairpin road that was washed away by recent storms. I began the arduous climb, glad again that I had nothing but my small day pack on my back. I was much younger then (28 years old to be exact) and hopped over the early rocks with ease, only stumbling a few times, glad also for the high-topped sneakers that I had chosen for the trip when it was in its planning stages back in Albuquerque, NM. I remember pausing briefly and taking a long draw from my iodine treated water bottle at the top of each heap of rubble. When I reached the top of the pile of washed out hillside and was back on what appeared to be a road, I saw ahead of me what turned out to be an encampment of Chinese soldiers. I was so weary that I don't think it even occurred to me to look for a way around the camp, I just kept walking into what was apparently the midst of the soldiers' outpost. I was quickly surrounded by a group of soldiers - what struck me about them was that they all appeared to be so young, boys really, teenagers definitely, a hardship post most assuredly. They surrounded me, and one of the boys pulled a gun out of his belt and aimed it directly at my forehead and proceeded to pull the trigger - a dead clunk - nothing happened, but even with my exhausted and delayed reaction, I mustered a show of terror on my face and the boy-soldiers broke into a fit of laughter. I kept on walking until the encampment faded behind me.

MFH in Tibet 1987

Forgive this 20 year old flash back - I guess I am feeling a bit nostalgic today. This post was inspired by a piece I read today on HuffPo about a visit that The Dalai Lama recently made to Radio City Music Hall. Of course, I didn't meet The Dalai Lama when I was in Tibet - His Holiness had long ago left his home in Lhasa for another home in exile in Dharamsala in Northern India. I did visit the Potala Palace when I was in Lhasa, and all along my travels I was struck by the calm kindness of the Tibetan people, who always had a smile and a nod for my feeble attempts to speak a phrase or two of their language, and who always welcomed me to join them in their current pilgrimage to the next monastery or temple. Om Mani Padme Hum....

See NYTimes article (October 17, 2007) - Dalai Lama Is Honored on Capitol Hill

SMS Wins "Liberal Laugh of the Year" Award

Chris Lavoie, Rebekah Baker, Jim Ward & Steph at BLLOTY 2007

Yes, SMS fans and loyal readers of this blog, I am pleased to announce that last night in beautiful downtown Burbank, California, our fearless radio heads (Stephanie Miller, Chris Lavoie, Jim Ward and the lovely Rebekah Baker) were awarded a BLLOTY (Best Liberal Laugh of the Year)! The award was bestowed on the SMS crew by the Burbank Democratic Club. Here's a link to more photos of the event.