Stephanie,
I sure am glad that the folks at FireDogLake.com digested this long (161 pp.) and dry government report (Independent Audtiors' Report on the Dept of Homeland Security's FY 2006 Financial Statement) Although I have nothing but time on my hands this weekend as the city of Tulsa is once again homebound - this time with ice rather than snow (which is worse for driving, IMHO), fortunately I haven't lost power yet, but the ice storm is not predicted to subside until Sunday evening. Anyway, I hope that you are staying warm in that frigid LA weather (50 degrees) compared to 25 degrees here in Tulsa.
Cheers - your radical militant librarian,
Faye in Tulsa, OK
"FEMA was unable to fully support the accuracy and completeness of certain unpaid obligations, and accounts payable, and the related effects on net position, if any, prior to the completion of DHS’s 2006 PAR. These unpaid obligations, as reported in the accompanying DHS balance sheet as of September 30, 2006, were $22.3 Billion or 46% of DHS consolidated unexpended appropriations at September 30, 2006."Independent Audtiors' Report on the Dept of Homeland Security's FY 2006 Financial Statement
"FEMA has lost and/or failed to account for a sum of money that is almost half of DHS’s entire budget and 130 times greater than the amount of money that the Department of Homeland Security is willing to spend to secure the homeland."
Looseheadprop, Blogger at FireDogLake.com
Saturday, January 13th, 2007 at 8:30 am
Hypocrisy Alert: Homeland Security Undocumented!
By: looseheadprop
The Department of Homeland Security underwent an audit. The audit was done by the well known firm of KPMG at the direction of Inspector General Richard Skinner.
The entire report can be found in a very large pdf here but, unless you are a glutton for hundreds of pages of accountant speak, I thought I might save you the eye glazing and sing you some of the real show stoppers from the libretto.
KPMG was unable to render an opinion on DHS’s books because of “financial reporting problems at four bureaus and at the department level.” The auditors found ten material problems, two other reportable conditions, violation of eight separate laws, and a partridge in a pear tree….Oops. Skip that last one. I still have Christmas carols on my mind.
Here’s my favorite. It’s a doozy folks. You may want to read it twice: FEMA was unable to fully support the accuracy and completeness of certain unpaid obligations, and accounts payable, and the related effects on net position, if any, prior to the completion of DHS’s 2006 PAR. These unpaid obligations, as reported in the accompanying DHS balance sheet as of September 30, 2006, were $22.3 Billion or 46% of DHS consolidated unexpended appropriations at September 30, 2006. [emphasis mine]
To give some idea of proportionality, in fiscal year 2005 the entire Grants and Training (formerly know as State and Local Government Preparedness, a/k/a grants to get working radios for NYC firemen and protection for bridges, tunnels, chemical plants and nuclear facilities) was only $171 million.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
A Conservative Questions Bush
Stephanie,
As glad as I am that this "practicing christian and political conservative" has started to see the light, it doesn't excuse in my mind the fact that this guy is one of millions of Americans responsible for awarding Bush the power that he has so contemptibly abused. This is a fine mess that they have gotten us into - how do they propose to extract us from the fallout from this abysmal administration? Any ideas above and beyond bashing the Democrats would be much appreciated. Vamos a ver (we'll see) if they have any true constructive suggestions to offer the country in an effort to atone for their horrible misjudgment.
Cheers,
Faye in Tulsa, OK
Bush, Iraq Lead a Conservative to Question
From an on-air essay that aired on NPR, January 11, 2007:
"As President Bush marched the country to war with Iraq, even some voices on the Right warned that this was a fool's errand. I dismissed them angrily. I thought them unpatriotic. But almost four years later, I see that I was the fool. In Iraq, this Republican President for whom I voted twice has shamed our country with weakness and incompetence, and the consequences of his failure will be far, far worse than anything Carter did. The fraud, the mendacity, the utter haplessness of our government's conduct of the Iraq war have been shattering to me."Rod Dreher, contributor to National Review and the Corner, a current columnist for The Dallas Morning News, a self-described "practicing Christian and political conservative."
As glad as I am that this "practicing christian and political conservative" has started to see the light, it doesn't excuse in my mind the fact that this guy is one of millions of Americans responsible for awarding Bush the power that he has so contemptibly abused. This is a fine mess that they have gotten us into - how do they propose to extract us from the fallout from this abysmal administration? Any ideas above and beyond bashing the Democrats would be much appreciated. Vamos a ver (we'll see) if they have any true constructive suggestions to offer the country in an effort to atone for their horrible misjudgment.
Cheers,
Faye in Tulsa, OK
Bush, Iraq Lead a Conservative to Question
From an on-air essay that aired on NPR, January 11, 2007:
"As President Bush marched the country to war with Iraq, even some voices on the Right warned that this was a fool's errand. I dismissed them angrily. I thought them unpatriotic. But almost four years later, I see that I was the fool. In Iraq, this Republican President for whom I voted twice has shamed our country with weakness and incompetence, and the consequences of his failure will be far, far worse than anything Carter did. The fraud, the mendacity, the utter haplessness of our government's conduct of the Iraq war have been shattering to me."Rod Dreher, contributor to National Review and the Corner, a current columnist for The Dallas Morning News, a self-described "practicing Christian and political conservative."
Friday, January 12, 2007
Guess these Quotes!
"Republicans in Congress who do not want to be quoted tell me that the State Department under Condoleezza Rice is a mess. This comes at a time when the U.S. global position is precarious. While attention is focused on Iraq, American diplomacy is being tested worldwide -- in Afghanistan, Iran, Israel, Korea and Sudan. The judgment by thoughtful Republicans is that Rice has failed to manage that endeavor."
Robert D. Novak, from: Washington Post, The Mess at State, Thursday, January 11, 2007
"All I want to say is, right now American soldiers are dying in a Sunni-Shiite civil war, a sectarian civil war -- that’s a fact, based on my personal observations. Soldiers’ hands are tied to defend themselves. Every time a soldier fires his weapon, he has to sign paperwork making sure it was justified. I want to stress that soldiers want to go on the offensive, but everything we’re doing here is on the defense. And it’s a belief of the soldiers I’ve talked to that any troop increase over here, it’s just going to be more sitting ducks, more targets."
Sargeant Ronn Cantu, author of One Soldier's Musings: The Death of a Pro-War Conservative -or- The Day I got Away with Murder
"The increasing prices in the economy that’s collapsing stink and the Iraqi government policy stinks, even the American policy, that so-called surge in Iraq, stinks, too, because, as you know and Iraqis know and the others, that the occupation is a form of war. So any escalation in this type of war, the resistance is going to escalate, too."
Sami Rasouli, Iraqi American currently living in Najaf.
"Secretary Rice, to be very blunt, I cannot in good conscience support the president's approach."
Senator Joe Biden, (D - Dela.)
"After six years of this, I think we all know that he who frames the debate and chooses the vocabulary wins from the beginning. Let's be sure to not accept the White House framing, no matter how wimped out the MSM is."
Nicole Belle, a blogger at CrooksandLiars.com (as Quoted in the LATimes, Jan. 10, 2007)
Robert D. Novak, from: Washington Post, The Mess at State, Thursday, January 11, 2007
"All I want to say is, right now American soldiers are dying in a Sunni-Shiite civil war, a sectarian civil war -- that’s a fact, based on my personal observations. Soldiers’ hands are tied to defend themselves. Every time a soldier fires his weapon, he has to sign paperwork making sure it was justified. I want to stress that soldiers want to go on the offensive, but everything we’re doing here is on the defense. And it’s a belief of the soldiers I’ve talked to that any troop increase over here, it’s just going to be more sitting ducks, more targets."
Sargeant Ronn Cantu, author of One Soldier's Musings: The Death of a Pro-War Conservative -or- The Day I got Away with Murder
"The increasing prices in the economy that’s collapsing stink and the Iraqi government policy stinks, even the American policy, that so-called surge in Iraq, stinks, too, because, as you know and Iraqis know and the others, that the occupation is a form of war. So any escalation in this type of war, the resistance is going to escalate, too."
Sami Rasouli, Iraqi American currently living in Najaf.
"Secretary Rice, to be very blunt, I cannot in good conscience support the president's approach."
Senator Joe Biden, (D - Dela.)
"After six years of this, I think we all know that he who frames the debate and chooses the vocabulary wins from the beginning. Let's be sure to not accept the White House framing, no matter how wimped out the MSM is."
Nicole Belle, a blogger at CrooksandLiars.com (as Quoted in the LATimes, Jan. 10, 2007)
Thursday, January 11, 2007
UN - freakin' - believable
Stephanie,
This is so freakin' unbelievable - turns out Maliki does NOT even want more US troops!!! So let me get this straight - we are sending over 22,000 more soldiers or extending the tours of those already there, against the wishes of nearly 70% of the American people, against the will of the military troops and officers, at a cost of over three billion dollars a week, and without Congressional approval, thereby extending a war that was entered into under false pretenses, blatant lies, and outright deceit, and the puppet Prime Minister al-Maliki that Bush (AKA Comadante KooKoo Bananas, as Steph has so cleverly dubbed Dubya) hand picked and set up to run the country under KooKoo's watchful eye doesn't even agree with his master's proclamation, that what we need are more American troops in Iraq !!! Un - freakin' - be - freakin' - lievable !!! Some of us have got to STOP this IDIOT !!! Somebody STOP him !!! IMPEACH him, just MAKE him GONE !!!
Best Regards - your radical militant librarian,
Faye in Tulsa, OK
NYTimes
January 11, 2007
SABRINA TAVERNISE and JOHN F. BURNS
BAGHDAD, Jan. 10 — As President Bush challenges public opinion at home by committing more American troops, he is confronted by a paradox: an Iraqi government that does not really want them.
The Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has not publicly opposed the American troop increase, but aides to Mr. Maliki have been saying for weeks that the government is wary of the proposal. They fear that an increased American troop presence, particularly in Baghdad, will be accompanied by a more assertive American role that will conflict with the Shiite government’s haste to cut back on American authority and run the war the way it wants. American troops, Shiite leaders say, should stay out of Shiite neighborhoods and focus on fighting Sunni insurgents.
“The government believes there is no need for extra troops from the American side,” Haidar al-Abadi, a Parliament member and close associate of Mr. Maliki, said Wednesday. “The existing troops can do the job.”
This is so freakin' unbelievable - turns out Maliki does NOT even want more US troops!!! So let me get this straight - we are sending over 22,000 more soldiers or extending the tours of those already there, against the wishes of nearly 70% of the American people, against the will of the military troops and officers, at a cost of over three billion dollars a week, and without Congressional approval, thereby extending a war that was entered into under false pretenses, blatant lies, and outright deceit, and the puppet Prime Minister al-Maliki that Bush (AKA Comadante KooKoo Bananas, as Steph has so cleverly dubbed Dubya) hand picked and set up to run the country under KooKoo's watchful eye doesn't even agree with his master's proclamation, that what we need are more American troops in Iraq !!! Un - freakin' - be - freakin' - lievable !!! Some of us have got to STOP this IDIOT !!! Somebody STOP him !!! IMPEACH him, just MAKE him GONE !!!
Best Regards - your radical militant librarian,
Faye in Tulsa, OK
NYTimes
January 11, 2007
SABRINA TAVERNISE and JOHN F. BURNS
BAGHDAD, Jan. 10 — As President Bush challenges public opinion at home by committing more American troops, he is confronted by a paradox: an Iraqi government that does not really want them.
The Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has not publicly opposed the American troop increase, but aides to Mr. Maliki have been saying for weeks that the government is wary of the proposal. They fear that an increased American troop presence, particularly in Baghdad, will be accompanied by a more assertive American role that will conflict with the Shiite government’s haste to cut back on American authority and run the war the way it wants. American troops, Shiite leaders say, should stay out of Shiite neighborhoods and focus on fighting Sunni insurgents.
“The government believes there is no need for extra troops from the American side,” Haidar al-Abadi, a Parliament member and close associate of Mr. Maliki, said Wednesday. “The existing troops can do the job.”
Hey Dubya - Guess these Quotes!
"I refuse to put more American lives on the line in Baghdad without being assured that the Iraqis themselves are willing to do what they need to do to end the violence of Iraqi against Iraqi."
Senator Norm Coleman (R - Minn)
"My consultations with both military and Iraqi political leaders confirms that an increase of troops in areas plagued by sectarian violence will not solve the problem of sectarian hatred."
Senator Norm Coleman (R - Minn)
"While we cannot make a precipitous withdrawal, we can transfer more security responsibility to the Iraqis and reduce the threat to American troops."
Senator Sam Brownback (R - Kan)
"The United States "cannot sustain a war effort without broad public support, and we cannot count on such support unless the situation in Iraq improves and American casualties decrease."
Senator Sam Brownback (R - Kan)
Senator Norm Coleman (R - Minn)
"My consultations with both military and Iraqi political leaders confirms that an increase of troops in areas plagued by sectarian violence will not solve the problem of sectarian hatred."
Senator Norm Coleman (R - Minn)
"While we cannot make a precipitous withdrawal, we can transfer more security responsibility to the Iraqis and reduce the threat to American troops."
Senator Sam Brownback (R - Kan)
"The United States "cannot sustain a war effort without broad public support, and we cannot count on such support unless the situation in Iraq improves and American casualties decrease."
Senator Sam Brownback (R - Kan)
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Tribute to Patti Smith
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patti_Smith
What better time to say a huge THANK YOU to Patti Smith and congrats on being inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. Thanks, Patti – rock on…
Cheers,
Faye in Tulsa, OK
Ain't It Strange? (Patti Smith, NYTimes, March 12, 2007)
What better time to say a huge THANK YOU to Patti Smith and congrats on being inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. Thanks, Patti – rock on…
Cheers,
Faye in Tulsa, OK
Ain't It Strange? (Patti Smith, NYTimes, March 12, 2007)
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
More Natives Join Washington Legislature
"We love Washington," said Kalyn Free, president of INDN's List, who flew in from Tulsa for the honoring ceremony, held at the longhouse at Evergreen State College. "Washington was one of the states we focused on the most. You are a swing state, and you have proven the Indian vote can make a huge difference. We want more Indian people here to vote and to run for office."
More Natives step into Legislature
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2003515951_indian10m.html
By Lynda V. Mapes, Seattle Times staff reporter
OLYMPIA — Wrapped in Pendleton blankets and honored by neighboring tribes, four members of the state Legislature were recognized Monday night in a ceremony celebrating the largest number of Washington lawmakers ever claiming American Indian or Alaska Native heritage.
The increase parallels national growth, with 64 Native people serving in legislatures in 14 states, up from 50 people last year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Oklahoma has by far the most, with 18 Native lawmakers. Alaska and Montana are next with nine each, then New Mexico with six, and Washington with four.
"It's the most ever," said Jacqueline Johnson, executive director of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI).
And that's no accident: It's a result of a renaissance of political activism in Indian Country. While Indians are only about 2 percent of the state's population, casino wealth has helped Washington tribes gain clout. Tribes helped oust former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton in 2000, provided important financial help in the recount in Gov. Christine Gregoire's razor-thin victory, and helped boost U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell to re-election. Groups such as NCAI and INDN's List, or Indigenous Democratic Network, have worked to get out the vote in Indian Country, encouraged candidates to run and educated all candidates about Indian issues.
Newly elected lawmakers Don Barlow, an enrolled member of the Ottawa Nation of Oklahoma and Democratic representative from Spokane, and Claudia Kauffman, an enrolled member of the Nez Perce tribe and Democrat from Kent just elected to the Senate, both attended INDN's List's first-ever campaign camp in Washington. They learned how to raise money, knock on doors and run professional campaigns.
The state's other two Indian lawmakers are Reps. John McCoy, D-Tulalip, and Jeff Morris, D-Mount Vernon. McCoy was first elected in 2002 and Morris in 1996.
More Natives step into Legislature
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2003515951_indian10m.html
By Lynda V. Mapes, Seattle Times staff reporter
OLYMPIA — Wrapped in Pendleton blankets and honored by neighboring tribes, four members of the state Legislature were recognized Monday night in a ceremony celebrating the largest number of Washington lawmakers ever claiming American Indian or Alaska Native heritage.
The increase parallels national growth, with 64 Native people serving in legislatures in 14 states, up from 50 people last year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Oklahoma has by far the most, with 18 Native lawmakers. Alaska and Montana are next with nine each, then New Mexico with six, and Washington with four.
"It's the most ever," said Jacqueline Johnson, executive director of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI).
And that's no accident: It's a result of a renaissance of political activism in Indian Country. While Indians are only about 2 percent of the state's population, casino wealth has helped Washington tribes gain clout. Tribes helped oust former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton in 2000, provided important financial help in the recount in Gov. Christine Gregoire's razor-thin victory, and helped boost U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell to re-election. Groups such as NCAI and INDN's List, or Indigenous Democratic Network, have worked to get out the vote in Indian Country, encouraged candidates to run and educated all candidates about Indian issues.
Newly elected lawmakers Don Barlow, an enrolled member of the Ottawa Nation of Oklahoma and Democratic representative from Spokane, and Claudia Kauffman, an enrolled member of the Nez Perce tribe and Democrat from Kent just elected to the Senate, both attended INDN's List's first-ever campaign camp in Washington. They learned how to raise money, knock on doors and run professional campaigns.
The state's other two Indian lawmakers are Reps. John McCoy, D-Tulalip, and Jeff Morris, D-Mount Vernon. McCoy was first elected in 2002 and Morris in 1996.
An Exhausted Gay American
From: An Exhausted Gay American
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/01/06/002620.php
Written by Richard Rothstein
Published January 06, 2007
"Some mornings I feel exhaustion for no reason other than the fact that I'm a gay American. I wonder if my fellow citizens who spend their days campaigning and crusading to limit my civil rights — the civil rights that they themselves take for granted — ever consider the inhumanity and irrationality of what they do? And I wonder if the millions of Americans who stand by apathetically and allow this travesty to play out with each passing day ever consider the emotional anguish they are deliberately or carelessly causing to millions of children, teenagers and adults?"
Richard Rothstein
"If we set the precedent that religious belief trumps constitutional law, where do the zealots go next? They base their homophobic crusade on the belief that the Bible is the literal word of God. Why does this nation assume that they will be satisfied with cherry picking? You may not care if I'm exhausted by living my life at the forbearance of heterosexuals, but you might consider that it's worth caring that if the religious fundamentalists and neo-conservatives prevail in denying full civil rights to American citizens of any minority, the future for all is likely bleak."
Richard Rothstein
(http://rjr10036.typepad.com/manhattandetails/)
Blogger on BlogCritics.org
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/01/06/002620.php
Written by Richard Rothstein
Published January 06, 2007
"Some mornings I feel exhaustion for no reason other than the fact that I'm a gay American. I wonder if my fellow citizens who spend their days campaigning and crusading to limit my civil rights — the civil rights that they themselves take for granted — ever consider the inhumanity and irrationality of what they do? And I wonder if the millions of Americans who stand by apathetically and allow this travesty to play out with each passing day ever consider the emotional anguish they are deliberately or carelessly causing to millions of children, teenagers and adults?"
Richard Rothstein
"If we set the precedent that religious belief trumps constitutional law, where do the zealots go next? They base their homophobic crusade on the belief that the Bible is the literal word of God. Why does this nation assume that they will be satisfied with cherry picking? You may not care if I'm exhausted by living my life at the forbearance of heterosexuals, but you might consider that it's worth caring that if the religious fundamentalists and neo-conservatives prevail in denying full civil rights to American citizens of any minority, the future for all is likely bleak."
Richard Rothstein
(http://rjr10036.typepad.com/manhattandetails/)
Blogger on BlogCritics.org
Monday, January 8, 2007
Western Shoshone Defense Project
"Our land has never been ceded or deeded to the U.S., so it not possible for
them to just take it and determine that our title to the land has been extinguished"
Mary and Carrie Dann
Carrie Dann, Rancher, Grandmother, Shoshone Indian"We are who we are because our nation survived here. It is written on our earth."
Bernice Lalo, Western Shoshone
Bernice Lalo, Western Shoshone
“The earth is our mother and we can’t give up our mother. No way in hell”
Carrie Dann
Carrie Dann
Mission
To affirm Newe (Western Shoshone) jurisdiction over Newe Sogobia (Western Shoshone homelands) by protecting, preserving, and restoring Newe rights and lands for present and future generations based on cultural and spiritual traditions.
The Western Shoshone Defense Project (WSDP) was established in 1992 by the Western Shoshone National Council to provide support to Mary and Carrie Dann, Western Shoshone grandmothers, faced with the confiscation of their livestock which they graze on Western Shoshone homelands.
More resources on Carrie Dann and the Shoshone land fight:
Defiance in the land of the free
A Native American woman is at war with the US. For 30 years she’s been fighting to keep her ancestral land — and now the United Nations is on her side.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2099-2142374.html
Mary & Carrie Dann v. United States
http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/cases/75-02a.html
This post is dedicated to Geo, who often inspires me...
Sunday, January 7, 2007
President Pelosi?
"The American people and the Congress support those troops. We will not abandon them. But if the president wants to add to this mission, he is going to have to justify it and this is new for him because up until now the Republican Congress has given him a blank check with no oversight, no standards, no conditions,"
Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi on Face the Nation, Jan. 7, 2007
Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi on Face the Nation, Jan. 7, 2007
Hey there Stephanie,
I was just watching Speaker Pelosi's gracious, strong, and articulate performance on "Face the Nation," and it got me thinking, perhaps the Dems have been focusing on the WRONG woman to run as the first female President of the United States. Why not Nancy Pelosi for President in 2008??? Just a thought, though I think it is worth considering.
Cheers - your radical militant librarian,
Faye in Tulsa, OK
To check out Nancy Pelosi's appearance on Face the Nation, see:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/07/ftn/main2335193.shtml
Molly on the Folly that is Iraq
We let them do it
Molly Ivins - Creators Syndicate
01.04.07 -
The president of the United States does not have the sense God gave a duck -- so it's up to us. You and me, Bubba.
I don't know why Bush is just standing there like a frozen rabbit, but it's time we found out. The fact is WE have to do something about it. This country is being torn apart by an evil and unnecessary war, and it has to be stopped NOW.
This war is being prosecuted in our names, with our money, with our blood, against our will. Polls consistently show that less than 30 percent of the people want to maintain current troop levels. It is obscene and wrong for the president to go against the people in this fashion. And it's doubly wrong for him to send 20,0000 more soldiers into this hellhole, as he reportedly will announce next week.
What happened to the nation that never tortured? The nation that wasn't supposed to start wars of choice? The nation that respected human rights and life? A nation that from the beginning was against tyranny? Where have we gone? How did we let these people take us there? How did we let them fool us?
(c) 2006 Creators Syndicate
Read the entire column here:
URL: http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=21830
Molly Ivins - Creators Syndicate
01.04.07 -
The president of the United States does not have the sense God gave a duck -- so it's up to us. You and me, Bubba.
I don't know why Bush is just standing there like a frozen rabbit, but it's time we found out. The fact is WE have to do something about it. This country is being torn apart by an evil and unnecessary war, and it has to be stopped NOW.
This war is being prosecuted in our names, with our money, with our blood, against our will. Polls consistently show that less than 30 percent of the people want to maintain current troop levels. It is obscene and wrong for the president to go against the people in this fashion. And it's doubly wrong for him to send 20,0000 more soldiers into this hellhole, as he reportedly will announce next week.
What happened to the nation that never tortured? The nation that wasn't supposed to start wars of choice? The nation that respected human rights and life? A nation that from the beginning was against tyranny? Where have we gone? How did we let these people take us there? How did we let them fool us?
(c) 2006 Creators Syndicate
Read the entire column here:
URL: http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=21830
Saturday, January 6, 2007
White House Visitor Records Closed
Stephanie,
I guess the White House just doesn't get it - they are NOT going to be able to make enough new rules or signing statements or whatever to exempt them from the LAWS of the land. I just hope that the new Congress holds the administration's feet to the fire and lets them know in no uncertain terms that this kind of dodging the laws just isn't going to fly anymore. It makes me sick how Bush and Cheney think that the laws apply to everyone but them and their cronies. This illegal pattern of secrecy has NO place in a true democracy!
Cheers - your radical militant librarian,
Faye in Tulsa, OK
"This memo reflects the Bush administration's view of American government, which is that the people's business should be conducted behind closed doors."
Steven Aftergood, Director of the Project on Government Secrecy for the Federation of American Scientists
White House Visitor Records Closed http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070105/ap_on_go_pr_wh/white_house_visitors
By PETE YOST, Associated Press Writer
Fri., Jan. 5, 2007
The White House and the Secret Service quietly signed an agreement last spring in the midst of the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal declaring that records identifying visitors to the White House are not open to the public.
The Bush administration didn't reveal the existence of the memorandum of understanding until last fall. The White House is using it to deal with a legal problem on a separate front, a ruling by a federal judge ordering the production of Secret Service logs identifying visitors to the office of Vice President Dick Cheney.
In a federal appeals court filing three weeks ago, the administration's lawyers used the memo in a legal argument aimed at overturning the judge's ruling. The Washington Post is suing for access to the Secret Service logs.
The five-page document dated May 17 declares that all entry and exit data on White House visitors belongs to the White House as presidential records rather than to the Secret Service as agency records. Therefore, the agreement states, the material is not subject to public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. ...
The chief counsel to another Washington-based group suing to get Secret Service logs calls the creation of the memo "a political maneuver couched as a legal one."...
In the mid-1990s, a conservative group, Judicial Watch, obtained Secret Service entry logs through a lawsuit.
Secret Service records played a significant role in the Whitewater scandal in the 1990s, supplying congressional Republicans with leads to follow in their investigations of the Clintons....
I guess the White House just doesn't get it - they are NOT going to be able to make enough new rules or signing statements or whatever to exempt them from the LAWS of the land. I just hope that the new Congress holds the administration's feet to the fire and lets them know in no uncertain terms that this kind of dodging the laws just isn't going to fly anymore. It makes me sick how Bush and Cheney think that the laws apply to everyone but them and their cronies. This illegal pattern of secrecy has NO place in a true democracy!
Cheers - your radical militant librarian,
Faye in Tulsa, OK
"This memo reflects the Bush administration's view of American government, which is that the people's business should be conducted behind closed doors."
Steven Aftergood, Director of the Project on Government Secrecy for the Federation of American Scientists
White House Visitor Records Closed http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070105/ap_on_go_pr_wh/white_house_visitors
By PETE YOST, Associated Press Writer
Fri., Jan. 5, 2007
The White House and the Secret Service quietly signed an agreement last spring in the midst of the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal declaring that records identifying visitors to the White House are not open to the public.
The Bush administration didn't reveal the existence of the memorandum of understanding until last fall. The White House is using it to deal with a legal problem on a separate front, a ruling by a federal judge ordering the production of Secret Service logs identifying visitors to the office of Vice President Dick Cheney.
In a federal appeals court filing three weeks ago, the administration's lawyers used the memo in a legal argument aimed at overturning the judge's ruling. The Washington Post is suing for access to the Secret Service logs.
The five-page document dated May 17 declares that all entry and exit data on White House visitors belongs to the White House as presidential records rather than to the Secret Service as agency records. Therefore, the agreement states, the material is not subject to public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. ...
The chief counsel to another Washington-based group suing to get Secret Service logs calls the creation of the memo "a political maneuver couched as a legal one."...
In the mid-1990s, a conservative group, Judicial Watch, obtained Secret Service entry logs through a lawsuit.
Secret Service records played a significant role in the Whitewater scandal in the 1990s, supplying congressional Republicans with leads to follow in their investigations of the Clintons....
Friday, January 5, 2007
Rally Set for Monday in Columbus
Farewell to Stephanie - Plea for Stay of Execution of WTPG
http://www.ohiomajorityradio.com/
Columbus fans of WTPG, Columbus's only progressive radio station, are gathering in front of the Statehouse Monday, 11-noon, to say a joint farewell one of their favorite talk show hosts, Stephanie Miller. It is the last hour of her program scheduled to air in Columbus.
Mary Jo Kilroy is scheduled to speak, and Mayor Coleman has been asked to call in. Our strong supporter, Ohio Rep. Dan Stewart may also show up.
The gathering of WTPG fans will listen on their portable radios to the last Columbus hour, and near the end of the broadcast, the group will call out their good-byes over a cell phone. Stephanie Miller announced this event on her radio program, Thursday, January 4. Afterwards, attendees are invited to join a mock funeral procession to Clear Channel Communications, 2323 W. Fifth Ave., to present a petition of over 2000 names, requesting a stay of execution so that WTPG listeners can attempt to work with Clear Channel to make WTPG viable.
If the plea is turned down, the group will thank Clear Channel for 2 wonderful years of WTPG, and depart--to start the job of finding a radio station that would like to serve a community of dedicated, loyal, progressive fans.
The OhioMajorityRadio.com petition and linked web site will remain the rallying point for that effort.
Please note that signs can have cardboard handles only. And let's be friendly, to show what good listeners a station can gain by providing progressive programs. The Statehouse grounds are reserved for inaugural preparations, but we were advised that the wide sidewalk in front of the Statehouse is often used when statehouse grounds are unavailable. Hope to see you there.
http://www.ohiomajorityradio.com/
Columbus fans of WTPG, Columbus's only progressive radio station, are gathering in front of the Statehouse Monday, 11-noon, to say a joint farewell one of their favorite talk show hosts, Stephanie Miller. It is the last hour of her program scheduled to air in Columbus.
Mary Jo Kilroy is scheduled to speak, and Mayor Coleman has been asked to call in. Our strong supporter, Ohio Rep. Dan Stewart may also show up.
The gathering of WTPG fans will listen on their portable radios to the last Columbus hour, and near the end of the broadcast, the group will call out their good-byes over a cell phone. Stephanie Miller announced this event on her radio program, Thursday, January 4. Afterwards, attendees are invited to join a mock funeral procession to Clear Channel Communications, 2323 W. Fifth Ave., to present a petition of over 2000 names, requesting a stay of execution so that WTPG listeners can attempt to work with Clear Channel to make WTPG viable.
If the plea is turned down, the group will thank Clear Channel for 2 wonderful years of WTPG, and depart--to start the job of finding a radio station that would like to serve a community of dedicated, loyal, progressive fans.
The OhioMajorityRadio.com petition and linked web site will remain the rallying point for that effort.
Please note that signs can have cardboard handles only. And let's be friendly, to show what good listeners a station can gain by providing progressive programs. The Statehouse grounds are reserved for inaugural preparations, but we were advised that the wide sidewalk in front of the Statehouse is often used when statehouse grounds are unavailable. Hope to see you there.
Guess the Quotes
Hey there Steph,
Thanks to you, Jim, Chris, and Rebekah and a whole lotta fabulous (and I mean that in the very best sense of the word!!!) Americans - we've taken back the Country. Here are a few Guess the Quotes for the Voice Guy in celebration of this momentous occasion! The theme is the 110th Congress and its new leadership! Enjoy!
Cheers - your radical militant librarian,
Faye in Tulsa, OK
Thanks to you, Jim, Chris, and Rebekah and a whole lotta fabulous (and I mean that in the very best sense of the word!!!) Americans - we've taken back the Country. Here are a few Guess the Quotes for the Voice Guy in celebration of this momentous occasion! The theme is the 110th Congress and its new leadership! Enjoy!
Cheers - your radical militant librarian,
Faye in Tulsa, OK
"The genius of our founders was that every two years, new members would bring to this House their spirit of renewal and hope for the American people. This Congress is reinvigorated, new members, by your optimism and your idealism, and your commitment to our country."
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi"
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi"
"Shortly, President Bush will address the nation on the subject of Iraq. It is the responsibility of the president to articulate a new plan for Iraq that makes it clear to the Iraqis that they must defend their own streets and their own security, a plan that promotes stability in the region and a plan that allows us to responsibly redeploy our troops."
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
"For our daughters and granddaughters, today we have broken the marble ceiling. . . . Now the sky is the limit. Anything is possible."Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
“The Democrats are back, and the Congressional Black Caucus. is in the lead, in the lead! We envision a new direction that is there for all of the people, not just the privileged few, a direction that builds and strengthens the middle class.”
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
“With the opening of the 110th Congress and the beginning of new Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, it’s time to start moving America forward. Guided by the spirit of bipartisanship, Democrats are ready to take this country in a new direction.”
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
"For our daughters and granddaughters, today we have broken the marble ceiling. . . . Now the sky is the limit. Anything is possible."Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
“The Democrats are back, and the Congressional Black Caucus. is in the lead, in the lead! We envision a new direction that is there for all of the people, not just the privileged few, a direction that builds and strengthens the middle class.”
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
“With the opening of the 110th Congress and the beginning of new Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, it’s time to start moving America forward. Guided by the spirit of bipartisanship, Democrats are ready to take this country in a new direction.”
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
"If you think of yourselves as helpless and ineffectual, it is certain that you will create a despotic government to be your master. The wise despot, therefore, maintains among his subjects a popular sense that they are helpless and ineffectual."
Frank Herbert(1920 – 1986) was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author. He is best known for the novel Dune, and the five other novels in the series that followed it.
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Save Progressive Radio Drop
Click here to hear Stephanie (AKA Momma) and Jim "Voice Deity" Ward (Playing dubya - much better than Bush does, I might add) as they valiantly attempt to save WTPG 1230AM (now WYTS) in Columbus, Ohio:
http://www.switchpod.com/users/nonstop/nonstopspecial-steph-columbus.mp3
http://www.switchpod.com/users/nonstop/nonstopspecial-steph-columbus.mp3
Buddhists in Congress
Good Morning Stephanie,
Here an interesting piece on the religious beliefs or lack thereof of some new members of Congress. I'm all for religious diversity in Congress and across America. I think it's a great thing that there are two Buddhists in Congress. I think that you said one time that ex-Catholics probably make up the majority of new Buddhists in this country. I don't know whether that is true, but I like the fact that there are those in public life who look beyond Judeo-Christian religion for guidance in their lives.
Cheers - your radical militant librarian,
Faye in Tulsa, OK
Monday, January 01, 2007
Keith Ellison: Tip of the Iceberg
http://petty-larseny.blogspot.com/2007/01/keith-ellison-tip-of-iceberg_01.html
While everyone goes ooh and ah over new Rep. Keith Ellison's choice of magic book to place his hand upon when he says the magic words that will make the man in the sky ensure that he keeps his promise, folks seem to have missed something. Ellison's status as the first Muslim in the House was just the tip of the iceberg with this new Congress. There's an even bigger milestone that I haven't seen much mention of (with one exception).
In Susan Jacoby's essential "Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism," she quotes a North Carolina minister's objection to the proposed U.S. Constitution's ban on religious tests for officeholders. He called it, "an invitation for Jews and pagans of every kind to come among us."
Meet Hank Johnson and Mazie K. Hirono. They're two other members of the 110th Congress who are doing something no one in Congress has done before. Not even Ellison. They don't believe in God. Not the Judeo-Christian God. Not the Muslim God. They're Buddhists. The first ever in Congress. For the first time, as far as I can tell, bouncing around adherents.com, the U.S. Congress as of Thursday will now include as members representatives who openly do not subscribe to any version of monotheism.
Johnson is from Georgia (4th district), for Christ's sake. And check out Hirono. She's from Hawaii. What does Hawaii's House Caucus look like in the 110th Congress?
Mazie K. Hirono -- Buddhist.
Neil Abercrombie -- "Non-Affiliated."...
Read the entire post:
http://petty-larseny.blogspot.com/2007/01/keith-ellison-tip-of-iceberg_01.html
Here an interesting piece on the religious beliefs or lack thereof of some new members of Congress. I'm all for religious diversity in Congress and across America. I think it's a great thing that there are two Buddhists in Congress. I think that you said one time that ex-Catholics probably make up the majority of new Buddhists in this country. I don't know whether that is true, but I like the fact that there are those in public life who look beyond Judeo-Christian religion for guidance in their lives.
Cheers - your radical militant librarian,
Faye in Tulsa, OK
Monday, January 01, 2007
Keith Ellison: Tip of the Iceberg
http://petty-larseny.blogspot.com/2007/01/keith-ellison-tip-of-iceberg_01.html
While everyone goes ooh and ah over new Rep. Keith Ellison's choice of magic book to place his hand upon when he says the magic words that will make the man in the sky ensure that he keeps his promise, folks seem to have missed something. Ellison's status as the first Muslim in the House was just the tip of the iceberg with this new Congress. There's an even bigger milestone that I haven't seen much mention of (with one exception).
In Susan Jacoby's essential "Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism," she quotes a North Carolina minister's objection to the proposed U.S. Constitution's ban on religious tests for officeholders. He called it, "an invitation for Jews and pagans of every kind to come among us."
Meet Hank Johnson and Mazie K. Hirono. They're two other members of the 110th Congress who are doing something no one in Congress has done before. Not even Ellison. They don't believe in God. Not the Judeo-Christian God. Not the Muslim God. They're Buddhists. The first ever in Congress. For the first time, as far as I can tell, bouncing around adherents.com, the U.S. Congress as of Thursday will now include as members representatives who openly do not subscribe to any version of monotheism.
Johnson is from Georgia (4th district), for Christ's sake. And check out Hirono. She's from Hawaii. What does Hawaii's House Caucus look like in the 110th Congress?
Mazie K. Hirono -- Buddhist.
Neil Abercrombie -- "Non-Affiliated."...
Read the entire post:
http://petty-larseny.blogspot.com/2007/01/keith-ellison-tip-of-iceberg_01.html
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Park Service Caves in to Christian Extremists
How Old Is the Grand Canyon?
Park Service Won't Say
PEER Press Release
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=801
Orders to cater to creationists makes national park agnostic on geology.
Washington, DC - Grand Canyon National Park is not permitted to give an official estimate of the geologic age of its principal feature, due to pressure from Bush administration appointees. Despite promising a prompt review of its approval for a book claiming the Grand Canyon was created by Noah's flood rather than by geologic forces, more than three years later no review has ever been done and the book remains on sale at the park, according to documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).
"In order to avoid offending religious fundamentalists, our National Park Service is under orders to suspend its belief in geology," stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch. "It is disconcerting that the official position of a national park as to the geologic age of the Grand Canyon is 'no comment.'"
Park Service Won't Say
PEER Press Release
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=801
Orders to cater to creationists makes national park agnostic on geology.
Washington, DC - Grand Canyon National Park is not permitted to give an official estimate of the geologic age of its principal feature, due to pressure from Bush administration appointees. Despite promising a prompt review of its approval for a book claiming the Grand Canyon was created by Noah's flood rather than by geologic forces, more than three years later no review has ever been done and the book remains on sale at the park, according to documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).
"In order to avoid offending religious fundamentalists, our National Park Service is under orders to suspend its belief in geology," stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch. "It is disconcerting that the official position of a national park as to the geologic age of the Grand Canyon is 'no comment.'"
Monday, January 1, 2007
A Grim Milestone...
I woke up this morning, only slightly hungover, to the grim news that the 3000th American soldier has died in Iraq. This number, of course, doesn't reflect the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who have been murdered in this wrong and insane occupation, this unnecessary, unprovoked war. Please visit the link to United for Peace and Justice (http://www.unitedforpeace.org/) or the American Friends Service Committee (http://www.afsc.org/3000/), for ideas on how to mark this tragic number.
Another Grim Milestone -- 3,000 Deaths Too Many .
U.S. Toll In Iraq Reaches 3,000
Deaths in December Most in Two Years
By Nancy Trejos
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, January 1, 2007
BAGHDAD, Dec. 31 -- The number of U.S. service members killed in Iraq since the war began in 2003 reached 3,000 on Sunday, a symbolic milestone at a time when the Bush administration is rethinking its strategy for the increasingly violent conflict.
As the year drew to a close, the U.S. military announced that a soldier was killed Saturday by a roadside bomb while on patrol in a southeastern neighborhood of Baghdad. Two soldiers were injured in the attack. Their names were not released.
The Defense Department also announced that Spec. Dustin R. Donica, 22, of Spring, Tex., was killed by small-arms fire Thursday in Baghdad.
Another Grim Milestone -- 3,000 Deaths Too Many .
U.S. Toll In Iraq Reaches 3,000
Deaths in December Most in Two Years
By Nancy Trejos
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, January 1, 2007
BAGHDAD, Dec. 31 -- The number of U.S. service members killed in Iraq since the war began in 2003 reached 3,000 on Sunday, a symbolic milestone at a time when the Bush administration is rethinking its strategy for the increasingly violent conflict.
As the year drew to a close, the U.S. military announced that a soldier was killed Saturday by a roadside bomb while on patrol in a southeastern neighborhood of Baghdad. Two soldiers were injured in the attack. Their names were not released.
The Defense Department also announced that Spec. Dustin R. Donica, 22, of Spring, Tex., was killed by small-arms fire Thursday in Baghdad.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Here's What's the Matter with Kansas, Now...
Hey there Steph,
Here's a good one for the "republicans eating their own" file - I can't help it, I gain a special kind of glee from reading about the mess that the ultra-right-wing has made of politics in our northern neighboring state. Happy New Year!
Cheers - your radical militant librarian,
Faye in Tulsa, OK
Trounced at Polls, Kansas GOP Is Still Plagued by Infighting
Party Puts Ousted Official In His Opponent's Old Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2006/12/29/AR2006122901220.html
By Peter Slevin, Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, December 30, 2006
CHICAGO, Dec. 29 -- Phill Kline is not one to slink away -- and the ideological wars inside the Kansas Republican Party show no sign of ending.
The fiercely antiabortion Republican attorney general in Kansas lost his reelection bid in November when moderate Republicans voted in droves for Paul Morrison, a longtime Johnson County district attorney who became a Democrat in hopes of vanquishing Kline.
Statewide, Kline got barely 4 in 10 votes. In Johnson County, the state's most populous county, his loss was more dramatic. That made it especially shocking after the election when Republican precinct leaders in the county chose Kline to finish the final two years of Morrison's term as prosecutor.
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D), a vocal Kline foe, refused to sign his nomination papers, a ceremonial task, lambasting a "small narrow group of partisan political operatives" for choosing him. At the Westside Family Church in Lenexa, after precinct leaders backed Kline over a Morrison aide 316 to 291, Republicans showed just how divided they are.
"The moment Phill Kline got the nomination, half the room got up and walked out," said Scott Schwab, the county GOP chairman. "It wasn't so much yelling or cussing. They threw up their arms and said, 'What do we do now?' "
Kline's reincarnation as Johnson County prosecutor reveals the depth of the continuing Republican split in Kansas and suggests challenges faced by the GOP nationwide as it tries to recover from its Nov. 7 losses and build toward 2008.
Republicans lost their U.S. House and Senate majorities and 350 seats in state legislatures across the country. The early post-election Kansas experiences show that a recovery could be difficult because the splits inside the party between social conservatives and moderates will not be easily healed.
Given the defeats in Kansas of religious conservatives such as Kline, U.S. Rep. Jim Ryun (R) and some members of the State Board of Education, one Kansas political analyst expected the GOP "would be ready to mend fences and move forward."
But that has not yet happened. "I think the divide between the moderates and conservatives is deepening rather than closing," said Kansas State University professor Joseph Aistrup. "This type of politics is continuing into our future, at least another four years."
The Kansas political divide has drawn outsized attention in recent years. The state was the setting for an influential 2004 book by Thomas Frank, "What's the Matter With Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America."
Here's a good one for the "republicans eating their own" file - I can't help it, I gain a special kind of glee from reading about the mess that the ultra-right-wing has made of politics in our northern neighboring state. Happy New Year!
Cheers - your radical militant librarian,
Faye in Tulsa, OK
Trounced at Polls, Kansas GOP Is Still Plagued by Infighting
Party Puts Ousted Official In His Opponent's Old Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2006/12/29/AR2006122901220.html
By Peter Slevin, Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, December 30, 2006
CHICAGO, Dec. 29 -- Phill Kline is not one to slink away -- and the ideological wars inside the Kansas Republican Party show no sign of ending.
The fiercely antiabortion Republican attorney general in Kansas lost his reelection bid in November when moderate Republicans voted in droves for Paul Morrison, a longtime Johnson County district attorney who became a Democrat in hopes of vanquishing Kline.
Statewide, Kline got barely 4 in 10 votes. In Johnson County, the state's most populous county, his loss was more dramatic. That made it especially shocking after the election when Republican precinct leaders in the county chose Kline to finish the final two years of Morrison's term as prosecutor.
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D), a vocal Kline foe, refused to sign his nomination papers, a ceremonial task, lambasting a "small narrow group of partisan political operatives" for choosing him. At the Westside Family Church in Lenexa, after precinct leaders backed Kline over a Morrison aide 316 to 291, Republicans showed just how divided they are.
"The moment Phill Kline got the nomination, half the room got up and walked out," said Scott Schwab, the county GOP chairman. "It wasn't so much yelling or cussing. They threw up their arms and said, 'What do we do now?' "
Kline's reincarnation as Johnson County prosecutor reveals the depth of the continuing Republican split in Kansas and suggests challenges faced by the GOP nationwide as it tries to recover from its Nov. 7 losses and build toward 2008.
Republicans lost their U.S. House and Senate majorities and 350 seats in state legislatures across the country. The early post-election Kansas experiences show that a recovery could be difficult because the splits inside the party between social conservatives and moderates will not be easily healed.
Given the defeats in Kansas of religious conservatives such as Kline, U.S. Rep. Jim Ryun (R) and some members of the State Board of Education, one Kansas political analyst expected the GOP "would be ready to mend fences and move forward."
But that has not yet happened. "I think the divide between the moderates and conservatives is deepening rather than closing," said Kansas State University professor Joseph Aistrup. "This type of politics is continuing into our future, at least another four years."
The Kansas political divide has drawn outsized attention in recent years. The state was the setting for an influential 2004 book by Thomas Frank, "What's the Matter With Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America."
Friday, December 29, 2006
NonStop Radio Project Goes Online!
Hello Stephanie,
Here's another great web site that is put together by Aldous Tyler, one the good fighters from Madison, Wisconsin. It's just up and promises to grow into a real movement. Check it out:
http://www.NonStopRadio.com/
Cheers,
Faye in Tulsa, OK
Here's another great web site that is put together by Aldous Tyler, one the good fighters from Madison, Wisconsin. It's just up and promises to grow into a real movement. Check it out:
http://www.NonStopRadio.com/
Cheers,
Faye in Tulsa, OK
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Steph Gets Press in Rochester
"Sometimes in life, you end up using everything you are and you've become. It kind of just falls together, even though you don't plan it that way."
Stephanie Miller, City article, Dec. 27, 2006
ADDED NOTE: Perhaps the best news is found at the end of this article, apparently CNN has talked with Steph about launching her own TV show. Read on...
From City - Rochester's Alternative Newsweekly
DECEMBER 27, 2006
Left Laughing: Stephanie Miller Moves from Sister Sleaze to Progressive Radio Queen
BY RON NETSKY
Stephanie Miller's ambitions were not political. She wanted to be a comedian like her idol, Carol Burnett. And after majoring in theater at the University of Southern California, she landed her first professional radio gig. In the mid-1980s, Rochesterians got to know her as Sister Sleaze, sidekick to Brother Wease....
The Stephanie Miller Show, which airs locally (weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon) on News Talk 950 WROC AM, is arguably the most creative talk show on the air. Miller and her sidekicks improvise their way through political and social criticism with sound effects, guest appearances by Washington luminaries (channeled by impressionist Jim Ward), and an unrelentingly wicked satirical bite. It's a fast-moving, irreverent good time. And Miller has definitely not left all elements of Sister Sleaze behind....
"I think my dad and Goldwater would be appalled at what's become of their party," says Miller. "Goldwater was pro-gay-rights and pro-choice. He talked about the undue influence of the religious right. And that was back in the 1980's."...
When the family members get together, they often argue about what their father would think of current issues. Miller says her two sisters, who have always been Republicans, have become disgusted with the party. They both voted for Kerry. Her brother, who remains a Republican, has grown apolitical....
"I hired her as soon as I heard her tape," says Wease (Alan Levin), whose show remains popular today. "She's very manic, very bright, very funny and creative." When friends asked Wease, "how come you give that girl so much mike?" he had a simple answer: "Because she's phenomenal. Don't try and compete; let people fly. I let her fly, and we had a ball." ...
Between her stint as Sister Sleaze and her current persona, Miller held a variety of jobs, from playing small roles in films to co-hosting "Equal Time" with Bay Buchanan on CNBC. With her current show, she seems to have finally found her niche.
"Sometimes in life, you end up using everything you are and you've become," she says. "It kind of just falls together, even though you don't plan it that way."...
"They say it's theater of the mind," she says. "Radio is the most creatively free medium. That's why I enjoy it more than television. Television tends to be over-produced and over-prepared. It's not as authentic as radio."
Depending on how much she has prepared the previous day, Miller wakes up at 3 or 4 a.m. and arrives at the station at 5. She goes on live on KTLK in Los Angeles at 6 a.m.
No small part of her show's success is due to her two well-chosen cohorts, the extraordinary impressionist (and sometime conspiracy theorist) Ward and producer-sidekick Chris Lavoie. They are not only radio partners, but they are also among Miller's best friends off the air.
"They are genuinely funny," says Miller. "Jim Ward says something at least once a day that literally makes me fall out of my chair. Most of it's off the cuff, so you don't see it coming."...
Miller points out that her show, which is syndicated by Jones Radio Networks, is not part of Air America....
By contrast, Miller has long conversations with her adversaries...
On air, Miller is self-deprecating, joking frequently about her appearance and her love life, or lack thereof....
It may say something about the absurdity of our time, but people increasingly are turning to comedians for political commentary. The success of "The Daily Show," "The Colbert Report" and "Real Time with Bill Maher"has not gone unnoticed by serious news stations. CNN recently called Miller to talk to her about doing a television show.
If she does, she will join comedians like Colbert, Maher, and Jon Stewart, who, in addition to being funny, are among the most astute political commentators in the media.
"Comedians tend to be truth-tellers," says Miller. "For a time now, we just seem to have the facts on our side. We're at a point where all the good comedy targets are on the right."
Stephanie Miller, City article, Dec. 27, 2006
ADDED NOTE: Perhaps the best news is found at the end of this article, apparently CNN has talked with Steph about launching her own TV show. Read on...
From City - Rochester's Alternative Newsweekly
DECEMBER 27, 2006
Left Laughing: Stephanie Miller Moves from Sister Sleaze to Progressive Radio Queen
BY RON NETSKY
Stephanie Miller's ambitions were not political. She wanted to be a comedian like her idol, Carol Burnett. And after majoring in theater at the University of Southern California, she landed her first professional radio gig. In the mid-1980s, Rochesterians got to know her as Sister Sleaze, sidekick to Brother Wease....
The Stephanie Miller Show, which airs locally (weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon) on News Talk 950 WROC AM, is arguably the most creative talk show on the air. Miller and her sidekicks improvise their way through political and social criticism with sound effects, guest appearances by Washington luminaries (channeled by impressionist Jim Ward), and an unrelentingly wicked satirical bite. It's a fast-moving, irreverent good time. And Miller has definitely not left all elements of Sister Sleaze behind....
"I think my dad and Goldwater would be appalled at what's become of their party," says Miller. "Goldwater was pro-gay-rights and pro-choice. He talked about the undue influence of the religious right. And that was back in the 1980's."...
When the family members get together, they often argue about what their father would think of current issues. Miller says her two sisters, who have always been Republicans, have become disgusted with the party. They both voted for Kerry. Her brother, who remains a Republican, has grown apolitical....
"I hired her as soon as I heard her tape," says Wease (Alan Levin), whose show remains popular today. "She's very manic, very bright, very funny and creative." When friends asked Wease, "how come you give that girl so much mike?" he had a simple answer: "Because she's phenomenal. Don't try and compete; let people fly. I let her fly, and we had a ball." ...
Between her stint as Sister Sleaze and her current persona, Miller held a variety of jobs, from playing small roles in films to co-hosting "Equal Time" with Bay Buchanan on CNBC. With her current show, she seems to have finally found her niche.
"Sometimes in life, you end up using everything you are and you've become," she says. "It kind of just falls together, even though you don't plan it that way."...
"They say it's theater of the mind," she says. "Radio is the most creatively free medium. That's why I enjoy it more than television. Television tends to be over-produced and over-prepared. It's not as authentic as radio."
Depending on how much she has prepared the previous day, Miller wakes up at 3 or 4 a.m. and arrives at the station at 5. She goes on live on KTLK in Los Angeles at 6 a.m.
No small part of her show's success is due to her two well-chosen cohorts, the extraordinary impressionist (and sometime conspiracy theorist) Ward and producer-sidekick Chris Lavoie. They are not only radio partners, but they are also among Miller's best friends off the air.
"They are genuinely funny," says Miller. "Jim Ward says something at least once a day that literally makes me fall out of my chair. Most of it's off the cuff, so you don't see it coming."...
Miller points out that her show, which is syndicated by Jones Radio Networks, is not part of Air America....
By contrast, Miller has long conversations with her adversaries...
On air, Miller is self-deprecating, joking frequently about her appearance and her love life, or lack thereof....
It may say something about the absurdity of our time, but people increasingly are turning to comedians for political commentary. The success of "The Daily Show," "The Colbert Report" and "Real Time with Bill Maher"has not gone unnoticed by serious news stations. CNN recently called Miller to talk to her about doing a television show.
If she does, she will join comedians like Colbert, Maher, and Jon Stewart, who, in addition to being funny, are among the most astute political commentators in the media.
"Comedians tend to be truth-tellers," says Miller. "For a time now, we just seem to have the facts on our side. We're at a point where all the good comedy targets are on the right."
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Power to the People!!!
ADDED NOTE: While this is great news for Madison, the fight is beginning anew in Columbus, Ohio, where the owners of radio station WTPG (1230 AM) are planning to flip the station's format and make a decidedly right turn in its programming - let's do in Columbus what the folks did in Madison. I live in Tulsa, OK, but am willing to do whatever I can to help out. Just let me know. We don't have much time. Buddy, Dave, Paul - I know you all are out there, can you help out? Here's the fabulous person who led the fight in Madison - Valerie Walasek (keira066@hotmail.com). Contact her or me here at this blog if you can lend a hand. Thanks mucho!
Station's Format to Turn Right
http://www.dispatch.com/features-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/12/23/20061223-B6-02.html
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Tim Feran
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Liberal listeners in central Ohio will lose their only radio voice next month when WTPG (1230 AM) drops its format of "progressive talk" and makes a hard right turn.
Out: Al Franken, Stephanie Miller, Ed Schultz and Randi Rhodes. In: Michael Savage, Laura Ingraham and a mix of sports and consumer shows featuring Jim Rome and Dave Ramsey.
The station will change its call letters to WYTS on Monday; the new format will begin at 9 a.m. Jan. 9.
Clear Channel Keeps Air America Station In Madison
http://cbs5.com/entertainment/entertainment_story_355220844.html
Dec 21, 2006 10:01 pm US/Pacific
(AP) MADISON, Wis.
After a backlash from this liberal city, Clear Channel Radio is keeping its Air America affiliate on the air instead of switching the progressive talk format to sports on Jan. 1.
Citing the overwhelming negative reaction to the planned change, the nation's largest radio station operator said it would keep The Mic 92.1 FM on the air as a progressive talk station. The planned change to Fox Sports Radio, announced three days after the Nov. 7 election, had sparked outrage in Madison, a city long known for its liberal activism. Clear Channel said the station, WXXM-FM, had struggled to attract advertisers despite high ratings and a sports format would be more profitable.
But thousands of people protested the end of their favorite station through e-mails, phone calls and a petition delivered to station officials this week. A rally last week drew 500 people, and politicians such as Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., denounced the decision. The two-year-old station is among the most popular affiliates of Air America, which launched two years ago as an alternative to conservative talk show hosts like Rush Limbaugh. It is now undergoing a reorganization after filing for bankruptcy protection in October.
In addition to Air America personalities like Al Franken, WXXM features local shows that focused on progressive causes from city politics to animal rights. "We are overwhelmed by the recent outpouring of support for our progressive talk format from the public, some of our community leaders and some dedicated local advertisers," said Jeff Tyler, Clear Channel's market manager in Madison. "We deeply appreciate the local business leaders who are pledging their advertising support. They are playing an enormous role in helping to keep progressive talk on the air in our community."
Tyler planned to announce the decision on the airwaves Friday morning. He said Clear Channel had to end an agreement with Fox Sports Radio to make the deal possible. The announcement came just as the opponents of the change appeared to give up, staging a mock funeral procession from the Capitol to Clear Channel's local offices Wednesday to mourn the death of the station.
Valerie Walasek, a 28-year-old listener who organized the protests, said she had shifted her focus to other options, such as trying to buy a new station. She was shocked by the company's last-minute change of heart. "It's evidence that as people stand up and demand what they want and demand they are going to take back the airwaves, somebody will listen," she said. "Maybe Clear Channel just came to their senses because it never made sense for them to get rid of it. They were making money."
Tyler said he hoped to improve the quality of the local shows and was encouraged that Air America would do the same for its programming when it emerges from bankruptcy. The radio network said this week that it is close to a sealing a deal with an undisclosed buyer. "We're here to make it work. We're going to put all of our resources into it," he said. "People have spoken out in Madison and said, `This is a great radio station and we support it.' We encourage them to prove it." San Antonio, Texas-based Clear Channel Communications Inc., owns nearly 1,200 radio stations.
(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Station's Format to Turn Right
http://www.dispatch.com/features-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/12/23/20061223-B6-02.html
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Tim Feran
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Liberal listeners in central Ohio will lose their only radio voice next month when WTPG (1230 AM) drops its format of "progressive talk" and makes a hard right turn.
Out: Al Franken, Stephanie Miller, Ed Schultz and Randi Rhodes. In: Michael Savage, Laura Ingraham and a mix of sports and consumer shows featuring Jim Rome and Dave Ramsey.
The station will change its call letters to WYTS on Monday; the new format will begin at 9 a.m. Jan. 9.
Clear Channel Keeps Air America Station In Madison
http://cbs5.com/entertainment/entertainment_story_355220844.html
Dec 21, 2006 10:01 pm US/Pacific
(AP) MADISON, Wis.
After a backlash from this liberal city, Clear Channel Radio is keeping its Air America affiliate on the air instead of switching the progressive talk format to sports on Jan. 1.
Citing the overwhelming negative reaction to the planned change, the nation's largest radio station operator said it would keep The Mic 92.1 FM on the air as a progressive talk station. The planned change to Fox Sports Radio, announced three days after the Nov. 7 election, had sparked outrage in Madison, a city long known for its liberal activism. Clear Channel said the station, WXXM-FM, had struggled to attract advertisers despite high ratings and a sports format would be more profitable.
But thousands of people protested the end of their favorite station through e-mails, phone calls and a petition delivered to station officials this week. A rally last week drew 500 people, and politicians such as Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., denounced the decision. The two-year-old station is among the most popular affiliates of Air America, which launched two years ago as an alternative to conservative talk show hosts like Rush Limbaugh. It is now undergoing a reorganization after filing for bankruptcy protection in October.
In addition to Air America personalities like Al Franken, WXXM features local shows that focused on progressive causes from city politics to animal rights. "We are overwhelmed by the recent outpouring of support for our progressive talk format from the public, some of our community leaders and some dedicated local advertisers," said Jeff Tyler, Clear Channel's market manager in Madison. "We deeply appreciate the local business leaders who are pledging their advertising support. They are playing an enormous role in helping to keep progressive talk on the air in our community."
Tyler planned to announce the decision on the airwaves Friday morning. He said Clear Channel had to end an agreement with Fox Sports Radio to make the deal possible. The announcement came just as the opponents of the change appeared to give up, staging a mock funeral procession from the Capitol to Clear Channel's local offices Wednesday to mourn the death of the station.
Valerie Walasek, a 28-year-old listener who organized the protests, said she had shifted her focus to other options, such as trying to buy a new station. She was shocked by the company's last-minute change of heart. "It's evidence that as people stand up and demand what they want and demand they are going to take back the airwaves, somebody will listen," she said. "Maybe Clear Channel just came to their senses because it never made sense for them to get rid of it. They were making money."
Tyler said he hoped to improve the quality of the local shows and was encouraged that Air America would do the same for its programming when it emerges from bankruptcy. The radio network said this week that it is close to a sealing a deal with an undisclosed buyer. "We're here to make it work. We're going to put all of our resources into it," he said. "People have spoken out in Madison and said, `This is a great radio station and we support it.' We encourage them to prove it." San Antonio, Texas-based Clear Channel Communications Inc., owns nearly 1,200 radio stations.
(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Best of 2006 - "Kay to the Jay to the Eye El in the Hizzie" Syndrome
Hello emailstosms readers,
Here's a "best of 2006" - it is one of the few e-mails that Stephanie read in its entirety on the air on October 11, 2006 (Hour 1). I just wanted to share it with you all. Happy 2007!!!
Cheers,
mfhadley
Hey there Stephanie,
Since you seem to be adding new affiliates quite regularly and Kim Jong Il finds himself in the headlines lately, I thought I would offer up the following testimonial to a little known side effect of listening to The Stephanie Miller Show - it's known as the "Kay-to-the-Jay-to-the-Il-in-da-hiz-house"-syndrome. The main symptom of this affliction is the inability to take the nuclear crisis in North Korea seriously because of Jim Ward, Stephanie Miller, and Chris Lavoie and their hilarious portrayal of Kim Jong Il. Try as I might, and as serious as I understand the situation in North Korea to be, I just can't get the image of a gentle, yet shallow and egotistical little dictator who rules with a whimsical fist over the northern half of the Korean Peninsula out of my mind.
This is an open letter to all listeners of the Stephanie Miller Show: Are you all having a hard time taking in the reality that North Korea just tested a NUCLEAR WEAPON, due in large part to the fact that every time you think of North Korea you conjure up Jim Ward's fabulous "Kay to the Jay in the Hizzzie"? That's Kim Jong Il for those who are new to this beat. Thanks to Mr. Ward's remarkable characterization, I can't help but imagine Kim Jong Il as an awkward little buffoon who happens to be a dictator of a country of about 23 million people. Who can forget his original demand for a "tricked out Pacer with fuzzy dice," and a lifetime's supply of Zagnut candy bars,"(suggesting brilliantly as it does that negotiation between the U.S. and North Korea is the only way to forestall a nuclear crisis).
I personally have snarfed more coffee onto my keyboard listening to the Voice Deity doing his hilarious impression of the "Gentre Reeeder," who suffers from a penchant for alcoholic beverages, sexual depravity, and self-indulgent behavior all the while sporting a black belt in Feng Shui and a rather limp Tae Poe Dong (if you know what I mean?) So the only piece of advice I can impart to fellow listeners is that when a North Korean missile takes off the end of the Aleutian Islands, we must appear solemn if not horrified, as if we didn't see this coming...Thanks Steph, Chris and JIM!!! Kim OUT!!!
Cheers - your radical militant librarian,
Faye in Tulsa, OK
Here's a "best of 2006" - it is one of the few e-mails that Stephanie read in its entirety on the air on October 11, 2006 (Hour 1). I just wanted to share it with you all. Happy 2007!!!
Cheers,
mfhadley
Hey there Stephanie,
Since you seem to be adding new affiliates quite regularly and Kim Jong Il finds himself in the headlines lately, I thought I would offer up the following testimonial to a little known side effect of listening to The Stephanie Miller Show - it's known as the "Kay-to-the-Jay-to-the-Il-in-da-hiz-house"-syndrome. The main symptom of this affliction is the inability to take the nuclear crisis in North Korea seriously because of Jim Ward, Stephanie Miller, and Chris Lavoie and their hilarious portrayal of Kim Jong Il. Try as I might, and as serious as I understand the situation in North Korea to be, I just can't get the image of a gentle, yet shallow and egotistical little dictator who rules with a whimsical fist over the northern half of the Korean Peninsula out of my mind.
This is an open letter to all listeners of the Stephanie Miller Show: Are you all having a hard time taking in the reality that North Korea just tested a NUCLEAR WEAPON, due in large part to the fact that every time you think of North Korea you conjure up Jim Ward's fabulous "Kay to the Jay in the Hizzzie"? That's Kim Jong Il for those who are new to this beat. Thanks to Mr. Ward's remarkable characterization, I can't help but imagine Kim Jong Il as an awkward little buffoon who happens to be a dictator of a country of about 23 million people. Who can forget his original demand for a "tricked out Pacer with fuzzy dice," and a lifetime's supply of Zagnut candy bars,"(suggesting brilliantly as it does that negotiation between the U.S. and North Korea is the only way to forestall a nuclear crisis).
I personally have snarfed more coffee onto my keyboard listening to the Voice Deity doing his hilarious impression of the "Gentre Reeeder," who suffers from a penchant for alcoholic beverages, sexual depravity, and self-indulgent behavior all the while sporting a black belt in Feng Shui and a rather limp Tae Poe Dong (if you know what I mean?) So the only piece of advice I can impart to fellow listeners is that when a North Korean missile takes off the end of the Aleutian Islands, we must appear solemn if not horrified, as if we didn't see this coming...Thanks Steph, Chris and JIM!!! Kim OUT!!!
Cheers - your radical militant librarian,
Faye in Tulsa, OK
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Happy ChristmaHanaKwanzica to you and yours!
A holiday message to readers of "emailstosms":
The postings will be less frequent over the next two weeks as Stephanie & crew will be on vacation - returning to the airwaves on Tuesday, Jaunary 2, 2007. Just a reminder, a StephCast (http://www.stephaniemiller.com/premium_registration/Itemid,118/Gift,1/) makes a loverly holiday gift for all your progressive friends and is sure to drive your right-wing acquaintances around the bend. Steph also has a fabulous assortment of t-shits, ball caps and other crap that you can order from her web site (http://www.cafepress.com/stephaniemiller), so go and load up on as much of the StephStuff as you can, and don't forget the boxed wine (I actually prefer this year's Beaujolais Nouveau, although if you didn't stock up, you may have a difficult time finding a bottle at your favorite liquor store - it sold out especially quickly this year). In all honesty (which is a hallmark of this blog), please know that I'm wishing you and all of the folks in your life a very happy holiday season and if you wish for anything this year, let it be peace.
In Peace and For Justice,
mfhadley
The postings will be less frequent over the next two weeks as Stephanie & crew will be on vacation - returning to the airwaves on Tuesday, Jaunary 2, 2007. Just a reminder, a StephCast (http://www.stephaniemiller.com/premium_registration/Itemid,118/Gift,1/) makes a loverly holiday gift for all your progressive friends and is sure to drive your right-wing acquaintances around the bend. Steph also has a fabulous assortment of t-shits, ball caps and other crap that you can order from her web site (http://www.cafepress.com/stephaniemiller), so go and load up on as much of the StephStuff as you can, and don't forget the boxed wine (I actually prefer this year's Beaujolais Nouveau, although if you didn't stock up, you may have a difficult time finding a bottle at your favorite liquor store - it sold out especially quickly this year). In all honesty (which is a hallmark of this blog), please know that I'm wishing you and all of the folks in your life a very happy holiday season and if you wish for anything this year, let it be peace.
In Peace and For Justice,
mfhadley
Friday, December 15, 2006
Darth "Secrecy" Cheney Appeals
White House Contests Post On Providing Visitor Logs
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/13/AR2006121301923.html
Thursday, December 14, 2006
The Bush administration asked an appeals court yesterday to overrule a federal judge and allow the White House to keep secret any records of visitors to Vice President Dick Cheney's residence and office.
To make the visitor records public would be an "unprecedented intrusion into the daily operations of the vice presidency," the Justice Department argued in a 57-page brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
"The Bush administration asked an appeals court yesterday to overrule a federal judge and allow the White House to keep secret any records of visitors to Vice President Dick Cheney's residence and office."
The government was responding to an October order, by U.S. District Judge Ricardo M. Urbina, to release two years of White House visitor logs to The Washington Post. The Post, researching the access that lobbyists and others had to the White House, sought Secret Service records for anyone visiting Cheney, his legal counsel, chief spokesman and other top aides and advisers.
In his ruling, Urbina questioned the government's primary argument against releasing the records: that the logs are protected by Cheney's right to executive privilege.
The government's response was twofold, focusing largely on the ownership of the records.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/13/AR2006121301923.html
Thursday, December 14, 2006
The Bush administration asked an appeals court yesterday to overrule a federal judge and allow the White House to keep secret any records of visitors to Vice President Dick Cheney's residence and office.
To make the visitor records public would be an "unprecedented intrusion into the daily operations of the vice presidency," the Justice Department argued in a 57-page brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
"The Bush administration asked an appeals court yesterday to overrule a federal judge and allow the White House to keep secret any records of visitors to Vice President Dick Cheney's residence and office."
The government was responding to an October order, by U.S. District Judge Ricardo M. Urbina, to release two years of White House visitor logs to The Washington Post. The Post, researching the access that lobbyists and others had to the White House, sought Secret Service records for anyone visiting Cheney, his legal counsel, chief spokesman and other top aides and advisers.
In his ruling, Urbina questioned the government's primary argument against releasing the records: that the logs are protected by Cheney's right to executive privilege.
The government's response was twofold, focusing largely on the ownership of the records.
Senatorial Disability
Dear Stephanie,
I hope that this doesn't even, ever become an issue for Senator Johnson, but if he does need time to recover (and who wouldn't after having brain surgery) there is certainly precedent for him staying in office. See the information below.
Karl Earl Mudnt - Republican Senator from SOUTH DAKOTA
After suffering a severe stroke in 1969, he remained in office through the end of his term on January 3, 1973, but was unable to attend sessions of Congress and was stripped of his committee assignments by the Senate Republican Conference in 1972. He did not seek reelection in 1972. He was succeeded in the Senate by James Abourezk.
Senator Mundt NEVER stepped foot in the Senate Chamber again after suffering his stroke.
It is also known that Senator Strom Thurmond was non compos mentis for many of his final years in office where he was propped up to wink and smile.
Senator Johnson will recover fully from this problem, I hope, anyway.
I hope that this doesn't even, ever become an issue for Senator Johnson, but if he does need time to recover (and who wouldn't after having brain surgery) there is certainly precedent for him staying in office. See the information below.
Karl Earl Mudnt - Republican Senator from SOUTH DAKOTA
After suffering a severe stroke in 1969, he remained in office through the end of his term on January 3, 1973, but was unable to attend sessions of Congress and was stripped of his committee assignments by the Senate Republican Conference in 1972. He did not seek reelection in 1972. He was succeeded in the Senate by James Abourezk.
Senator Mundt NEVER stepped foot in the Senate Chamber again after suffering his stroke.
It is also known that Senator Strom Thurmond was non compos mentis for many of his final years in office where he was propped up to wink and smile.
Senator Johnson will recover fully from this problem, I hope, anyway.
Quote for our times
Stephanie,
I can't believe the audacity and ignorance of this man (boy). He has the nerve to delay his decision ("Don't rush me!") while brave men and women are dying in Iraq and untold numbers of Iraqis are being blown to bits. I don't think he should be sleeping at all - there should be no rest for the wicked.
Happy Holidays ;(
"I must tell you, I’m sleeping a lot better than people would assume."
George W. Bush - People magazine, December 14, 2006
I can't believe the audacity and ignorance of this man (boy). He has the nerve to delay his decision ("Don't rush me!") while brave men and women are dying in Iraq and untold numbers of Iraqis are being blown to bits. I don't think he should be sleeping at all - there should be no rest for the wicked.
Happy Holidays ;(
"I must tell you, I’m sleeping a lot better than people would assume."
George W. Bush - People magazine, December 14, 2006
Thursday, December 14, 2006
George Bush: A dangerous, cornered animal
"Fuck 'em. I'm the President. I'm the one who decides what's best for this country."
George Bush
"Whatever the 'real figure' is or is not, one inescapable fact remains: Many more Americans will die in Iraq and/or other actions spawned by Bush's illegal invasion of a country that posed no threat to this nation. And many, many more will come home physically maimed and/or emotionally scarred for life."
Doug Thompson
George W. Bush: A dangerous, cornered, rabid animal
http://www.capitolhillblue.com/news2/2006/12/george_w_bush_a.html
December 13, 2006
By DOUG THOMPSON
My gut tells me the President of the United States has become a cornered animal - wary of a party that has all but shunned him, distrustful of even his closest advisors, angry at an American public that has rejected him and fearful of his own inability to cope with his growing madness. White House insiders tell me George W. Bush grows more sullen and moody with each passing day. His paranoia, they say, is increasing to manic levels as he launches into tirades about traitors in his own party, in the press and among his allies.
They describe a man living on the edge and stepping too often over it. Bush, they say, feels betrayed by former Secretary of State James Baker who he now feels held his administration up for public humiliation in the Iraq Study Group report. Although he told the press after meeting with ISG co-chairs Baker and Lee Hamilton that the White House will take the group's recommendations "very seriously," Bush says privately that he has no intention of going along with their plan.
George Bush
"Whatever the 'real figure' is or is not, one inescapable fact remains: Many more Americans will die in Iraq and/or other actions spawned by Bush's illegal invasion of a country that posed no threat to this nation. And many, many more will come home physically maimed and/or emotionally scarred for life."
Doug Thompson
George W. Bush: A dangerous, cornered, rabid animal
http://www.capitolhillblue.com/news2/2006/12/george_w_bush_a.html
December 13, 2006
By DOUG THOMPSON
My gut tells me the President of the United States has become a cornered animal - wary of a party that has all but shunned him, distrustful of even his closest advisors, angry at an American public that has rejected him and fearful of his own inability to cope with his growing madness. White House insiders tell me George W. Bush grows more sullen and moody with each passing day. His paranoia, they say, is increasing to manic levels as he launches into tirades about traitors in his own party, in the press and among his allies.
They describe a man living on the edge and stepping too often over it. Bush, they say, feels betrayed by former Secretary of State James Baker who he now feels held his administration up for public humiliation in the Iraq Study Group report. Although he told the press after meeting with ISG co-chairs Baker and Lee Hamilton that the White House will take the group's recommendations "very seriously," Bush says privately that he has no intention of going along with their plan.
Dobson Denounced as Hack
Stephanie,
Here is the real truth behind the Dobson piece in Time magazine, right from the professors' mouths. I think that Time owes its readers an apology, plus I think that they should denounce Dobson as a hack.
Yale Professor Says James Dobson ‘Cherry Picked’ His Research In Time Magazine Article
Kyle Pruett, M.D., is Second Professor In Two Days To Challenge Dobson’s Use Of Research
Miami Beach, FLA. - Truth Wins Out urged Time Magazine today to renounce a guest column written by James C. Dobson in this week’s magazine after a second professor, Kyle Pruett, M.D. of the Yale School of Medicine, expressed concerns that the Focus on the Family leader “cherry picked” his work. In a letter to Time and Dobson, Dr. Pruett asked that Focus on the Family, “not quote from my research in your media campaigns, personal or corporate, without previously securing my permission.”
Yesterday, New York University Professor Carol Gilligan, PhD, also wrote a letter to Time and Dobson saying that her research was distorted and twisted.
“Time Magazine should take Dobson’s article off the web and pledge that they will never again use his group as a source on family issues,” said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out. “Focus on the Family has damaged its credibility and should stop misleading Americans by misquoting respected researchers.”
Here is the real truth behind the Dobson piece in Time magazine, right from the professors' mouths. I think that Time owes its readers an apology, plus I think that they should denounce Dobson as a hack.
Yale Professor Says James Dobson ‘Cherry Picked’ His Research In Time Magazine Article
Kyle Pruett, M.D., is Second Professor In Two Days To Challenge Dobson’s Use Of Research
Miami Beach, FLA. - Truth Wins Out urged Time Magazine today to renounce a guest column written by James C. Dobson in this week’s magazine after a second professor, Kyle Pruett, M.D. of the Yale School of Medicine, expressed concerns that the Focus on the Family leader “cherry picked” his work. In a letter to Time and Dobson, Dr. Pruett asked that Focus on the Family, “not quote from my research in your media campaigns, personal or corporate, without previously securing my permission.”
Yesterday, New York University Professor Carol Gilligan, PhD, also wrote a letter to Time and Dobson saying that her research was distorted and twisted.
“Time Magazine should take Dobson’s article off the web and pledge that they will never again use his group as a source on family issues,” said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out. “Focus on the Family has damaged its credibility and should stop misleading Americans by misquoting respected researchers.”
New Judge in Cobell Case
"We want to see this case resolved quickly. We will work in good faith with Judge Robertson to end this century-long injustice that the government has done to Native people."
Elouise Cobell, Lead Plaintiff in Cobell v. Kempthorne
Indianz.Com
http://www.indianz.com/News/2006/017364.asp
New Cobell judge has experience with DOI
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
The new judge for the Cobell trust fund lawsuit has experience with the Interior Department, though it hasn't always been a positive one.U.S. District Judge James Robertson has sat on the bench since 1994, after being appointed by President Bill Clinton. In those years, he has several Indian law disputes on topics like land-into-trust, gaming and sovereignty.But it's a recent case on federal recognition that tested Robertson's patience with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
He blasted the agency for failing to make a timely decision on the petition for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe."The people involved in making the decisions at the BIA have completely lost track of the whole concept of deadlines," Robertson said at a February 2005 hearing.
Here's a link to the entire history of this case (including all documents filed):
http://www.indiantrust.com/
Elouise Cobell, Lead Plaintiff in Cobell v. Kempthorne
Indianz.Com
http://www.indianz.com/News/2006/017364.asp
New Cobell judge has experience with DOI
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
The new judge for the Cobell trust fund lawsuit has experience with the Interior Department, though it hasn't always been a positive one.U.S. District Judge James Robertson has sat on the bench since 1994, after being appointed by President Bill Clinton. In those years, he has several Indian law disputes on topics like land-into-trust, gaming and sovereignty.But it's a recent case on federal recognition that tested Robertson's patience with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
He blasted the agency for failing to make a timely decision on the petition for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe."The people involved in making the decisions at the BIA have completely lost track of the whole concept of deadlines," Robertson said at a February 2005 hearing.
Here's a link to the entire history of this case (including all documents filed):
http://www.indiantrust.com/
People Trust Dems More than Bush
Please hold Senator Tim Johnson (D - South Dakota) in the Light and send him good thoughts for a speedy recovery!
New Congress Is More Trusted Than President
By Charles Babington and Jon Cohen
Washington Post Staff WritersThursday, December 14, 2006
Americans trust Democratic lawmakers more than President Bush to handle the nation's toughest problems, including the Iraq war, and a quarter of Republicans are glad that Democrats have won control of Congress, a Washington Post-ABC News poll finds.
At the same time, however, most Americans want lawmakers and the president to work together rather than pursue separate agendas. They also have modest hopes about how much the new Congress will be able to accomplish.
New Congress Is More Trusted Than President
By Charles Babington and Jon Cohen
Washington Post Staff WritersThursday, December 14, 2006
Americans trust Democratic lawmakers more than President Bush to handle the nation's toughest problems, including the Iraq war, and a quarter of Republicans are glad that Democrats have won control of Congress, a Washington Post-ABC News poll finds.
At the same time, however, most Americans want lawmakers and the president to work together rather than pursue separate agendas. They also have modest hopes about how much the new Congress will be able to accomplish.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
JibJab's Homage to 2006
Nuckin' futs
http://www.jibjab.com/nuckin_futs
The fellows at JibJab have put up their latest animation. It's a fairly apt and amusing summary of 2006, once again, demonstrating why "I believe that children are the future..."
http://www.jibjab.com/nuckin_futs
The fellows at JibJab have put up their latest animation. It's a fairly apt and amusing summary of 2006, once again, demonstrating why "I believe that children are the future..."
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Ada Woman Attacked
Stephanie,
Having lived in Oklahoma for the last five years I am not surprised to learn that sexual oreintation is NOT a protected category here, dismayed, but not surprised. I think that this woman should sue the pants off the Ada Police Department - I can't believe that they didn’t even take any photos.
Local woman attacked
http://www.adaeveningnews.com/local/local_story_345113821.html
By Derek Frazier
Violence continues to trouble Ada as one resident found out Monday evening.
According to 20-year-old Ada resident Sarah Kaspereit, she said she was attacked late Monday evening after returning home from work.
"I was driving home from work and saw a small pickup in front of my house," she said. "It really wasn't a strange sight. There are different cars there [at my neighbor’s] every day and I didn't think anything of it, so I went ahead and pulled in my driveway, and when I got out of my car, two guys got out of the truck. One called me a 'faggot' and they started running towards me. One guy wrestled me to the ground and pinned me down while the other carved on my arm."
The word "Lesbian" was carved into Kaspereit’s forearm.
Having lived in Oklahoma for the last five years I am not surprised to learn that sexual oreintation is NOT a protected category here, dismayed, but not surprised. I think that this woman should sue the pants off the Ada Police Department - I can't believe that they didn’t even take any photos.
Local woman attacked
http://www.adaeveningnews.com/local/local_story_345113821.html
By Derek Frazier
Violence continues to trouble Ada as one resident found out Monday evening.
According to 20-year-old Ada resident Sarah Kaspereit, she said she was attacked late Monday evening after returning home from work.
"I was driving home from work and saw a small pickup in front of my house," she said. "It really wasn't a strange sight. There are different cars there [at my neighbor’s] every day and I didn't think anything of it, so I went ahead and pulled in my driveway, and when I got out of my car, two guys got out of the truck. One called me a 'faggot' and they started running towards me. One guy wrestled me to the ground and pinned me down while the other carved on my arm."
The word "Lesbian" was carved into Kaspereit’s forearm.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Open, Ready to Mentor!
Stephanie,
Courtney makes a sponsor I'd be proud of, especially if I just started A.A.. I'm sure Britney will need a sponsor or is it Lindsay Lohan ? Any of them could definitely hook you up... ;
L.A. Judge Dismisses Cases Against Love
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/celebrity/sns-ap-people-courtney-love,0,5019185.story?coll=la-celebrity-news
By SOLVEJ SCHOU,
Associated Press Writer
December 11, 2006
Courtney Love
LOS ANGELES -- Sobbing with joy, Courtney Love thanked a judge Monday after he terminated her probation and dismissed three misdemeanor cases, including two drug-related charges.
"Thank you for not taking me into custody," Love told Superior Court Judge Rand Rubin. "Thank you for giving me an opportunity. You've been a good, fair judge. Sorry for crying."
After the hearing, Allred and Deputy District Attorney Gina Satriano both declined to comment. Allred's client passed by Love and said loudly, "Ah karma."
Love, kissing and hugging her attorney and manager outside court, said she would remain committed to her sobriety.
"All she has left to do is continue as she's been doing," talking to Alcoholics Anonymous counselors and mentoring others, Weitzman told The Associated Press.
"Out of my own free will!" Love added.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/celebrity/sns-ap-people-courtney-love,0,5019185.story?coll=la-celebrity-news
Courtney makes a sponsor I'd be proud of, especially if I just started A.A.. I'm sure Britney will need a sponsor or is it Lindsay Lohan ? Any of them could definitely hook you up... ;
L.A. Judge Dismisses Cases Against Love
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/celebrity/sns-ap-people-courtney-love,0,5019185.story?coll=la-celebrity-news
By SOLVEJ SCHOU,
Associated Press Writer
December 11, 2006
Courtney Love
LOS ANGELES -- Sobbing with joy, Courtney Love thanked a judge Monday after he terminated her probation and dismissed three misdemeanor cases, including two drug-related charges.
"Thank you for not taking me into custody," Love told Superior Court Judge Rand Rubin. "Thank you for giving me an opportunity. You've been a good, fair judge. Sorry for crying."
After the hearing, Allred and Deputy District Attorney Gina Satriano both declined to comment. Allred's client passed by Love and said loudly, "Ah karma."
Love, kissing and hugging her attorney and manager outside court, said she would remain committed to her sobriety.
"All she has left to do is continue as she's been doing," talking to Alcoholics Anonymous counselors and mentoring others, Weitzman told The Associated Press.
"Out of my own free will!" Love added.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/celebrity/sns-ap-people-courtney-love,0,5019185.story?coll=la-celebrity-news
Nicole needs a meal!!!
Stephanie,
I believe that the real crime here is that Richie only weighs 85 pounds!!!
Nicole Richie arrested for DUI
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/celebrity/la-121106richie,0,4906333.story?coll=la-headlines-entnews
By Andrew Blankstein
I believe that the real crime here is that Richie only weighs 85 pounds!!!
Nicole Richie arrested for DUI
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/celebrity/la-121106richie,0,4906333.story?coll=la-headlines-entnews
By Andrew Blankstein
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