A Cat's Eye View

Baxter here. My Female Human has been Too Busy to Blog this Week since her one feeble Attempt on Monday. I guess I'll have to do the Hard Work yet again.

This is a new Picture she took of Me standing next to my Favorite Toy. It's a green Bird-like thing with magenta fuzzy wings. The Best Part about it is it makes a pitiful Squeaky Noise when I pick it up and throw it into the air. Kind of like a real Bird or Mouse. I really like Toys that make noises.

I played with my previous Favorite Toy so much it eventually lost all its feathers and became a shell of its former Self. So my Female Human bought me this new one. I also have a couple that rattle when I toss them around. All of these are Very Good to Play With in the middle of the Night, especially in the Bedroom where my Humans and That Dog are trying to Sleep.

However, I digress. It's time for me to report on a few News tidbits that have popped up in the past few days.

First of all, the Bush Human (who is called a Lame Duck, which I find Confusing) has finally authorized the release of $17 billion to Chrysler and GM from the TARP funds to help them Make It through the New Year. But the money comes with Strings Attached. It's like giving a Stray Cat a meal and a warm place to sleep and then Dragging him off to the Vet's. No Free Lunch for this Industry!

"The plan pumps $13.4 billion by mid-January into the companies from the fund that Congress authorized to rescue the financial industry. But the two companies have until March 31 to produce a plan for long-term profitability, including concessions from unions, creditors, suppliers and dealers."

Hmmmm...where were All Those Strings when they gave all that Money to the Investment Banks?

In Other News, some old pictures of Barack Obama from his College Years have surfaced and the story is Making the Rounds. Apparently back in 1980 when Obama was at Occidental College, a photographer friend, Lisa Jack, asked if he'd let her do a photo shoot with him, and he complied. The result are some Great Pictures of the Obama Human when he was Young and Carefree. A few of My Favorites, courtesy of Time Magazine (see Link for the Rest of the Story):

Personally I like the Last One best. But we can all be Grateful that Ms. Jack hid the Pictures until after the Election.

Of course Most of You have heard by now that Bristol Palin's possible Mother-in-Law has been arrested on drug charges. Pretty Sad Commentary on who Bristol's Mom Sarah has been "pallin' around with," as Sarah would say - you Betcha!

So, what's up with that Blagojevitch Human? They've got him Recorded on a Wiretap - isn't that what the Humans call "red-handed"? - and yet he just declared he would Fight till his Last Breath because he "didn't do anything Wrong." He must have a Bigger Pair than most Tomcats I've ever met. Is he a Sociopath? Part of the Definition of a Sociopath:

"Manipulative and Conning: They never recognize the rights of others and see their self-serving behaviors as permissible. They appear to be charming, yet are covertly hostile and domineering, seeing their victim as merely an instrument to be used. They may dominate and humiliate their victims.

Grandiose Sense of Self: Feels entitled to certain things as 'their right.'

Pathological Lying: Has no problem lying coolly and easily and it is almost impossible for them to be truthful on a consistent basis. Can create, and get caught up in, a complex belief about their own powers and abilities. Extremely convincing and even able to pass lie detector tests.

Lack of Remorse, Shame or Guilt: A deep seated rage, which is split off and repressed, is at their core. Does not see others around them as people, but only as targets and opportunities. Instead of friends, they have victims and accomplices who end up as victims. The end always justifies the means and they let nothing stand in their way."

As the Humans say, "If the Shoe Fits...put it on."

My Female Human is going to talk about the whole issue of the Obama Human picking that Warren Human to do the Invocation at his Inauguration. That is just Too Much for Me to Deal With right at the Moment.

For now, I'm going to head off and Play with my Favorite Toy and snort some Catnip. Wishing All of You a wonderful Friday Night.

Are You Kidding Me? Pot Calling Kettle Black...

George W. Bush never ceases to amaze me with his hubris. He actually had the colossal nerve to denounce Russia for being a bully. Here is what he said:

"With its actions in recent days, Russia has damaged its credibility and its relations with the nations of the free world. Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century."

Hello? Isn't this what the United States has been doing for years now? The nerve of him to criticize another country when we invaded a sovereign nation and killed thousands, perhaps millions, of its civilians, and left it in a shambles? And he has the audacity to tell Russia what to do? Unbelievable.

In honor of Mr. Bush I will quote below the full lyrics to Phil Och's protest song, "We're the Cops of the World."

Come, get out of the way, boys
Quick, get out of the way
You'd better watch what you say, boys
Better watch what you say
We've rammed in your harbor and tied to your port
And our pistols are hungry and our tempers are short
So bring your daughters around to the port
'Cause we're the Cops of the World, boys
We're the Cops of the World

We pick and choose as we please, boys
Pick and choose as we please
You'd best get down on your knees, boys
Best get down on your knees
We're hairy and horny and ready to shack
And we don't care if you're yellow or black
Just take off your clothes and lay down on your back
'Cause we're the Cops of the World, boys
We're the Cops of the World

Our boots are needing a shine, boys
Boots are needing a shine
But our Coca-Cola is fine, boys
Coca-Cola is fine
We've got to protect all our citizens fair
So we'll send a battalion for everyone there
And maybe we'll leave in a couple of years
'Cause we're the Cops of the World, boys
We're the Cops of the World

And dump the reds in a pile, boys
Dump the reds in a pile
You'd better wipe off that smile, boys
Better wipe off that smile
We'll spit through the streets of the cities we wreck
And we'll find you a leader that you can't elect
Those treaties we signed were a pain in the neck
'Cause we're the Cops of the World, boys
We're the Cops of the World

And clean the johns with a rag, boys
Clean the johns with a rag
If you like you can use your flag, boys
If you like you can use your flag
We've got too much money we're looking for toys
And guns will be guns and boys will be boys
But we'll gladly pay for all we destroy
'Cause we're the Cops of the World, boys
We're the Cops of the World

Please stay off of the grass, boys
Please stay off of the grass
Here's a kick in the ass, boys
Here's a kick in the ass
We'll smash down your doors, we don't bother to knock
We've done it before, so why all the shock
We're the biggest and the toughest kids on the block
And we're the Cops of the World, boys
We're the Cops of the World

And when we butchered your sons, boys
When we butchered your sons
Have a stick of our gum, boys
Have a stick of our bubble gum
We own half the world, oh say can you see
And the name for our profits is democracy
So, like it or not, you will have to be free
'Cause we're the Cops of the World, boys
We're the Cops of the World.

And, for good measure, here is Phil himself singing it. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a live video of him singing this particular song.

McCain and Bush, Perfect Together

Just one day after John McCain called for the ban on offshore driling to end (completely reversing his previous support for the ban back in his 2000 campaign), Bush chimed in, pushing for offshore drilling and, for good measure, reiterating his support for drilling in ANWR.

Ironically, his own father, George H.W. Bush, banned the practice back in 1990 when he was President, perpetuating a Congressional law that had first been put into effect in 1981. W's brother Jeb, former governor of Florida, has also opposed offshore drilling.

As usual, Bush complained that the Democratic Congress is standing in the way of his solutions to the nation's problems.

"So my administration has repeatedly called on Congress to expand domestic oil production. Unfortunately, Democrats on Capitol Hill have rejected virtually every proposal -- and now Americans are paying the price at the pump for this obstruction."
(from Whitehouse.gov)

Bush would like us to believe that the only reason the oil prices are high is because Congress hasn't allowed oil drilling in offshore areas or in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Obama and other Democrats quickly rejected the call for domestic drilling in environmentally sensitive areas.

"'This is not something that’s going to give consumers short-term relief and it is not a long-term solution to our problems with fossil fuels generally and oil in particular,' said Obama. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, lumping Bush with McCain, accused them of staging a 'cynical campaign ploy' that won’t help lower energy prices.

'Despite what President Bush, John McCain and their friends in the oil industry claim, we cannot drill our way out of this problem,' Reid said. “The math is simple: America has just three percent of the world’s oil reserves, but Americans use a quarter of its oil.'"

Let's face it, the fact that the oil prices are suddenly skyrocketing out of control is not due to an oil shortage. There is plenty of oil. And while there will be a shortage in the future due to developing industrial nations like China and India using more and more of it, that doesn't explain the sudden change over the past year.

No, it's speculators that are the problem. And something called the "Enron Loophole" which was explained tonight on Keith Olbermann's "Countdown."

It's a long and complicated story, but basically the story is that Phil Gramm, now McCain's chief financial adviser and a close friend, back in 2000 was responsible for including an Enron-backed provision in the Commodities Futures Modernization Act that exempted energy trading via electronic platforms from any regulation. (The act was approved without even a Senate hearing).

This led into the whole Enron scandal, where Enron worked to create false energy shortages in California, defrauding consumers to the tune of $40 billion. And guess what else? Gramm's wife, Wendy Gramm, was serving on Enron's board of directors at the time!

It is very likely that this loophole, which encourages speculation in the energy markets, may have something to do with the high oil prices. According to Jason Leopold in the Baltimore Chronicle:

"Last week, a study sponsored by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Michigan, concluded that speculative futures markets were partly to blame for the surge in oil prices that have pushed gas at the pump toward $4 a gallon.

At a May 15 news conference, Levin said the skyrocketing price of oil is 'not the result of supply and demand. Speculators have taken over most of the futures market.'"

No wonder McCain is changing his tune about the offshore drilling. He doesn't want anyone to look too closely at the whole situation and see how connected his chief financial adviser and good friend was with the whole Enron scandal.

Luckily, Congress recently overrode Bush's veto to pass a Farm Bill that included a provision to authorize the Commodities Futures Trading Commission to oversee energy trades on electronic platforms and to impose limits on traders' positions.

So we may yet see the oil prices decline again. But let's hope they don't go down too much - the American public has a very short memory, and the moment gas prices fall by a significant amount, people will immediately flock back to their SUVs or the next big powerful vehicle to come along, and forget all about saving gas and developing alternative energy sources.

Could Bush Be Any More Out of Touch?

This morning I heard on the news that Americans are buying significantly more cars than trucks or SUVs now that gas prices have passed $4.00 a gallon. According to this article in the LA Times,

"For nearly a decade, Americans bought more light trucks -- a segment that includes pickups, SUVs and minivans -- than cars. But starting in March, cars edged ahead. The gap widened in April, and in May, 193,559 more cars than light trucks were sold."

It is about time. For too long our government has had policies that actually encouraged the purchase and manufacture of trucks and SUVs.

Finally the gas prices have managed to do what all of the environmentalists' scoldings were unable to accomplish - make people realize they were using too much gas and switch to smaller, more efficient vehicles.

Back in the 1960's America had lots of really big cars with really big engines that used a lot of gas. Gas was cheap and seemingly limitless so no one cared. But then came the energy crisis of the 70's and suddenly big cars were out, little fuel-efficient cars were in, and even diesel became popular for awhile.

But once the lines at the gas stations decreased and gas became plentiful again, everyone forgot about the lessons they learned and went back to buying big vehicles with big engines, and the American car companies kept churning them out instead of looking into alternative fuel sources and ways to make engines more efficient and burn less gas.

Now that people finally realize gas prices just aren't going to get cheap again, the U.S. car companies are in deep trouble as they were overly dependent on SUVs and trucks.

"General Motors posted a sales drop of about 27% from a year earlier and said it would close four truck plants, prepare its Hummer brand for a possible sale and focus on making smaller cars. Chrysler's 25.4% sales decline put it behind Honda in monthly sales for the first time.

And, after 17 years, Ford's F-Series trucks were dethroned from the top sales position, falling to No. 5 behind the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Camry and Honda Accord."

So, in the midst of this mess, what does our esteemed president have to say as he's about to go off to Europe?

"...the United States has an opportunity to help increase the supply of oil on the market, therefore, taking pressure off gasoline for hardworking Americans, and that I've proposed to the Congress that they open up ANWR, open up the Continental Shelf, and give this country a chance to help us through this difficult period by finding more supplies of crude oil, which will take the pressure off the price of gasoline."

This is the "vision" of our "leader." He's still focused on his obsession with drilling in ANWR. He still thinks this is the solution to the CURRENT gas prices. Analysis shows that even if Congress had allowed drilling in ANWR back in 2002, there would still be no oil available for another 3 years! And that comes directly from the Energy Information Administration, an arm of our own Energy Department.

"The Energy Information Administration, which is the Energy Department's independent analytical arm, estimated that if Congress had cleared Bush's ANWR drilling plan the oil would have been available to refiners in 2011, but only at a small volume of 40,000 barrels a day -- a drop in the bucket compared with the 20.6 million barrels the U.S. consumes daily."

Anything approved now would have absolutely no effect on our current situation and would not have an effect for years to come. Even if ANWR reached its peak production (which would not happen until approximately 2020 according to this article), it would only change our consumption of foreign oil by a measly 2%. Yes, 2%.

"With ANWR crude, imports would have met 60 percent of U.S. oil demand in 2020, down from 62 percent without the refuge's supplies."

So for a 2% difference in our dependence on foreign oil, Bush and his cronies would be willing to sacrifice the pristine environment in the Alaskan wilderness.

While Bush always pays lip service to developing alternate energy sources, his continual focus on drilling in environmentally sensitive places as a solution to the problems we face is just an excuse to blame the situation on someone else. (It was all Congress' fault that gas prices went up, for not letting him drill in ANWR).

It continues to amaze me that this ignorant man is our president. He must think the American public is stupid. I wonder, do even those who supported him believe anything he says anymore?

He Said What???

From Liberal Values. (my comments in red):

The Dumbest Things President Bush Said in 2007

10. “And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I’m sorry it’s the case, and I’ll work hard to try to elevate it.” –interview on National Public Radio, Jan. 29, 2007 (Yes, Dubya, you sure did! Well done!)

9. “I fully understand those who say you can’t win this thing militarily. That’s exactly what the United States military says, that you can’t win this military.” –on the need for political progress in Iraq, Washington, D.C., Oct. 17, 2007 (Nope, can't win this military, it's not a prize in a contest)

8. “One of my concerns is that the health care not be as good as it can possibly be.” –on military benefits, Tipp City, Ohio, April 19, 2007 (Working hard on that, are you? I think you succeeded. The health care is certainly not as good as it can possibly be.)

7. “Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your introduction. Thank you for being such a fine host for the OPEC summit.” –addressing Australian Prime Minister John Howard at the APEC Summit. Later, in the same speech: “As John Howard accurately noted when he went to thank the Austrian troops there last year…” –referring to Australian troops as “Austrian troops,” Sept. 7, 2007 (Uh, where am I again???)

6. “My relationship with this good man is where I’ve been focused, and that’s where my concentration is. And I don’t regret any other aspect of it. And so I — we filled a lot of space together.” –on British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Washington, D.C., May 17, 2007 (Yep, filled it right up. With hot air).

5. “You helped our nation celebrate its bicentennial in 17 — 1976.” –to Queen Elizabeth, Washington, D.C., May 7, 2007 (Watch video clip) (Hey c'mon, she's not THAT old)

4. “The question is, who ought to make that decision? The Congress or the commanders? And as you know, my position is clear — I’m a Commander Guy.” –deciding he is no longer just “The Decider,” Washington, D.C., May 2, 2007 (Sure is. Wants to be Fuhrer)

3. “Information is moving — you know, nightly news is one way, of course, but it’s also moving through the blogosphere and through the Internets.” –Washington, D.C., May 2, 2007 (Is he serious? Internets? Sounds like LOLBush)

2. “There are some similarities, of course (between Iraq and Vietnam). Death is terrible.” –Tipp City, Ohio, April 19, 2007 (Stating the obvious...but aren't there a few other similarities? Can you spell "quagmire"?)

1. “As yesterday’s positive report card shows, childrens do learn when standards are high and results are measured.” –on the No Child Left Behind Act, Washington, D.C., Sept. 26, 2007 (But you don't)

For Educational Purposes Only

Fran of FranIam has tagged me with this meme and I'm now getting around to posting my response!

Here's how it works. You must write about 5 classes you would like to take if you could make up your own curriculum. AND- and this is important, ONE of them must come from your tagger's list.

So here goes. First of all, I am going to take the first one from Fran's list:

How To Read 283 Blogs A Day, Plus Write One Clever Post Daily (or semi-daily anyway), In 24 Minutes or Less

"This 12 week course will be time well spent for the busy blogger." Like Fran, I find it a big challenge to read all the great blogs I have become addicted to in the limited amount of time available to me. I try to scatter myself randomly among them and hope that I manage to catch up with all of them in due time. But one of the biggest time-wasters, working, takes up most of my day, and it is hard to find the time to both read blogs and write in one.

Once I pass this course I look forward to adding still more must-read blogs to my blogroll and reading all of them every day! It is a course no one should miss.

OK, one down and four to go. Let's see...

How to Watch George W. Bush Make a Speech Without Screaming at the Television:














This isn't so much a course as a therapy session. It's a one-day event at which you are given tips on how to survive a speech or news conference given by Dubya without having a conniption. You will be taught how to dim your eyesight so as not to see his trademark smirk (very dark glasses). You will be taught to put earplugs in your ears so as not to hear him mangle the English language and lie about whatever his lie of the day may be. Medication will be dispersed to participants (Xanax or an equal generic substitute) to be taken before attempting to watch the next speech. And, as a last resort, you will be given a remote control and taught how to turn off the television in case none of the above work and you feel a scream coming on.

Remedial Blogging Skills

This 6-week course will provide those with limited understanding of the more arcane aspects of computer use with a good foundation to continue expanding their skill set in this arena. Not sure how to upload a picture onto the sidebar of your blog? Finding it hard to understand all the blogging-related technicalities? (Example: What is U-Comment, I-follow? Take this course and you will know!)

Herding Cats I

We all know cats are notoriously hard to train. However, some people manage to do it, so we know it's possible! This 8-week course will teach you how to get your cat to come when called, stop scratching the sofa, stop sitting in front of the computer screen when you're trying to blog, and not use the dog's bed as a litter box when his own box is dirty. The advanced course (only available for those who have taken Herding Cats I) will teach more complex tasks such as getting your cat to fetch you a beer. Cat not provided; please bring your own.

How to Walk Your Dog Without Going Outside


Tired of taking Fido on those long walks in the depths of the winter? Then this course will solve your problem. Did you know your dog can be taught to do his or her business on command? If not, then you must take this one-day course. Learn how to instruct your hound to go out into the yard and do what he needs to do and come back, all without leaving the comfort of your back door!

If you have a fenced-in yard, you only need these foolproof methods that are taught in this class. If you don't, then you will also need a 26-foot retractable leash. You can then stand there and let your pooch unwind that leash to its full 26 feet and accomplish his task - at a comfortable distance while you stand within the back door. Again, dog not provided, bring your own.

(This is actually true, e-mail me for tips! Most dog-lovers probably know this already!)

How to Survive the Holidays Without Going Crazy

If you lack that holiday spirit and just want the holidays to be OVER, already, this course is for you. Held on two consecutive weekends in October, you will learn the following skills:

- How to convince your family that none of you really need to have any gifts since you already have more things than you'll ever need and buy everything you want throughout the year anyway.





- How to get away with just buying a token Christmas tree and avoiding the big "decorate the tree and have a big fight while you're trying to put up the lights" syndrome.







- How to buy your entire Christmas or Hannukkah (or holiday of your choice) dinner at a local gourmet grocery store and just heat it up instead of cooking all that stuff for the family from scratch. Also - store bought Christmas cookies! They're available at your bakery!






- The wonders of gift bags for those few gifts you absolutely have to buy - who needs all that wrapping paper and tape?






- How to decorate the outside of your house in 5 minutes (Hint: Wreaths. They're easy, they're classic - and classy.) Alternatively: Leave the lights up all year. Turn them on on December 1st.






- The last lesson - "How to Give to Charity." Learn the skills of opening your checkbook and writing out checks to people less fortunate than you. It will bring back that holiday spirit in no time.







(And if you still don't have holiday spirit you can always listen to The 12 Pains of Christmas to feel you're not alone).

So that's it! And who will be next? I hate to tag too so I'll just pick a few folks and if you want to do it you can, if not, you don't need to feel obligated. And anyone else who wants to do it who isn't tagged, go for it!

Makanani
Phydeaux
Nick at This is It
POP at Morning Martini

Have fun!

Spoiled Brat

(Picture and quotes courtesy of the White House website.)

Our President was cranky yesterday. He appeared on the North Portico steps of the White House after meeting with the House Republican Conference, in order to whine about the performance of Congress.

After mentioning what a "constructive" discussion he'd had with Republican members of Congress, he went on to complain:

"Congress is not getting its work done. We're near the end of the year, and there really isn't much to show for it. The House of Representatives has wasted valuable time on a constant stream of investigations, and the Senate has wasted valuable time on an endless series of failed votes to pull our troops out of Iraq."

Hmmm, wasting time on investigations...let's see, does anyone remember Monica Lewinsky? Whitewater? Talk about a waste of time. And Congress wouldn't have to be trying to vote our troops out of Iraq if he hadn't put them there in the first place.

He then went on to whine some more.

"They've also passed an endless series of tax increases. You know, they proposed tax increases in the farm bill, the energy bill, the small business bill, and of course, the SCHIP bill. They haven't seen a bill they could not solve without shoving a tax hike into it. In other words, they believe in raising taxes, and we don't.

Spending is skyrocketing under their leadership -- at least proposed spending is skyrocketing under their leadership."

My, he has a short memory. It wasn't so bad when the Republicans were doing it, was it? What about back in 2003? According to this article, originally published by the LA Times,

"Before they took control of Congress nearly nine years ago, Republicans often mocked the Democratic practice of larding government spending bills with provisions that earmarked funds for pet projects in particular lawmakers' districts and states.

But a $328.1-billion bill that the Republican-led House expects to pass today, funding a grab bag of government agencies, takes earmarking to greater heights and uses it for what Democrats claim are new, partisan purposes.

The bill includes an eye-popping number of earmarks — around 7,000 by one estimate, at a cost of several billion dollars. Other spending bills bring the grand total for the year to more than 10,000. In that long list are items big and small, from $100,000 for street furniture and sidewalks in Laverne, Ala., to $44 million for a bridge to Treasure Island in Florida — a plum for the Tampa Bay district of House Appropriations Chairman C.W. "Bill" Young.

But more than that, to a degree unseen since their 1995 takeover, the majority Republicans are publicly flaunting their power to use pork for explicitly partisan purposes."

But that's not all. Oh no. In 2005, yet more earmarks and pork made it through the Republican controlled Congress: According to this Boston Globe article,

"At $286.4 BILLION, the highway bill just passed by Congress is the most expensive public works legislation in US history. In addition to funding the interstate highway system and other federal transportation programs, it sets a new record for pork-barrel spending, earmarking $24 billion for a staggering 6,376 pet projects."

This was the bill with the infamous "bridge to nowhere" in Alaska, among other perks benefiting that state. John McCain voted against the bill at the time:

"Arizona Senator John McCain, who voted no, called the bill a 'monstrosity' and wondered whether it will ever be possible to restore fiscal sanity to Congress. If 'the combination of war, record deficits, and the largest public debt in the country's history' can't break lawmakers' addiction to spending, he asked, 'what can?'"

What indeed?

And now Bush is moaning and groaning because the current spending bill has pork in it. The difference is, it is Democratic pork. So he's whining:

"We want to sit down in good faith and come up with a bill that is responsible, because Congress has been unable or unwilling to get its basic job done of passing spending bills...It's hard to imagine a more cynical political strategy than trying to hold hostage funding for our troops in combat and our wounded warriors in order to extract $11 billion in additional social spending. I hope media reports about such a strategy are wrong, I really do. If they're not, if the reports of this strategy are true, I will veto such a three-bill pileup. Congress should pass each bill one at a time in a fiscally responsible manner that reflects agreement between the legislative branch and the executive branch."

Why is it the Democrats are expected to forge an agreement between the legislative branch and the executive branch? Did the executive branch ever try to forge any agreements with them when they were in the minority? I didn't think so.

He complained one more time about Congress "not getting their job done" before closing his remarks by thanking the members who were supporting him.

"It would be irresponsible to not give our troops the resources they need to get their job done because Congress was unable to get its job done."

So, I call him a spoiled brat. When he gets his way, everything's fine. He doesn't mind when his own Republican Congress passes barrels full of pork, or if they investigate Democrats.

But if the Democrats try to do the same thing, "They don't play fair! They aren't getting the job done!" Amazing how he didn't veto one bill the whole time the Republican controlled Congress. But hey, their pork was OK.

Don't get me wrong; I am not a fan of pork and I would like to see reforms that would address this issue for both sides of the aisle.

But for this President to sanctimoniously complain about Congress "not getting its job done" and loading up bills with earmarks, when he is spending unconscionable amounts of money on his war in Iraq and refusing to sign bills to insure uninsured children, is more than I can stand. The hypocrisy is just amazing.

Moving on....

Tomorrow is the beginning of NaBloPoMo and I am going to participate. I don't think I've ever gone more than two days in a row of posting on this blog, so the idea of posting every single day of November is daunting.

Therefore, I will try to follow a theme. Political Poetry is my theme of choice. I am not a poet, as I've said before, but I am going to follow set forms, such as haiku, so I can't really go wrong. I've always wanted to learn how to write a haiku but could never remember how many syllables they have. So I found a nice definition online on this site.

I learned the form of haiku is not set in stone:

"What then is the form of a haiku? Some of the critical aspects of haiku form that have been mentioned are:

-brevity [one to three lines totaling 17 syllables or less]
-three lines -- some would insist of 5-7-5 syllable structure, some suggest a structure of three lines with 5 or less, 7 or less, 5 or less syllables.
-when read aloud, can be completed in one breath
-avoidance of traditional English poetic forms, such as rhyming and metaphor.
-juxtaposition … two elements or lines of the haiku indirectly relate to a third.
-descriptiveness ... haiku describe, they don't prescribe or tell."

So how about this as a start?

Dubya is cranky
As the Dems pile on the pork
Earmarks go both ways.

Bush Bashes Democrats

(Photo courtesy of The Associated Press)

According to the The Associated Press, Bush signed a stopgap measure Friday to keep the government up and running while he and Congress attempt to iron out their differences.

Dubya is objecting to the fact that the Democratic-controlled Congress wants to add $23 billion in spending for domestic programs to his already humungous budget ($933 billion). "The president said Democrats are planning the 'biggest tax increase in American history' to pay for the new spending."

In reality, the additions merely restore cuts proposed by Bush to important programs such as community development grants, health research and anti-crime initiatives. And $23 billion is a tiny drop in the bucket compared to the $189 billion Bush included for 2008 operations in Iraq and Afghanistan (and let's not forget what he might want to add in the future if he decides to invade Iran).

And Bush has the nerve to say the Democrats are "irresponsible."

He's Ba-a-a-ack!

Just in time for the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the United States, Osama bin Laden has released another of his videotaped diatribes. There he is, big as life, rested and ready, none the worse for wear, despite all of Bush's original rhetoric of getting him "dead or alive."

Experts believe bin Laden's video may be a harbinger of more attacks on the U.S.

"CIA Director Michael Hayden on Friday also warned that Al-Qaeda was planning new, large-scale attacks on US targets.

'Our analysts assess with high confidence that Al-Qaeda's central leadership is planning high impact plots against the American homeland,'Hayden said."

According to the article linked above, Osama made some points that, unfortunately, I have to agree with:

"He says the Democrats who now control the US Congress have failed to stop the war, and even 'continue to agree to the spending of tens of billions to continue the killing and war there.'"

The video was his first in three years, and in it he appears to have dyed his beard black, which may be a symbol of impending war.

Of course, the White House is downplaying the importance of the video. Homeland Security adviser Frances Townsend said on Fox News Sunday that Osama is "virtually impotent," and that the video was just "propaganda."

This stance is refuted by the information in this article from the Seattle Times:

"Dodging the U.S. military in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, al-Qaida Central reconstituted itself across the Pakistani border, returning to the rugged tribal areas surrounding the organization's birthplace, the dusty frontier city of Peshawar. In the first few years, Pakistani and U.S. authorities captured many senior leaders; in the past 18 months, no major figure has been killed or caught in Pakistan.

Al-Qaida Central moved quickly to overcome extensive leadership losses by promoting loyalists who had served alongside bin Laden for years. It restarted fund-raising, recruiting and training. And it expanded its media arm."

If the purpose of invading Iraq was to destroy al-Qaeda, all I can say is it's doing a "heckuva job."

In the meantime, Down Under, our revered President is playing his usual part when he attempts diplomacy: acting like an idiot.

Bush with Australian P.M. Howard

Between mixing up Australia with Austria, OPEC and APEC, and trying to exit in the wrong direction, all while pranksters dressed as terrorists plagued the conference he was attending, W's performance in Australia could be a scene out of Saturday Night Live. Truth is truly stranger than fiction.

Meanwhile, Osama bin Laden looks on and smiles.

A Website That Tells You What the White House is REALLY Saying

As I've mentioned before, I sometimes log into the official White House website to get an exact quote or find out what Dubya is up to when we're not looking.

For instance, today it has his official radio address in which he discusses the "period of adjustment" that the mortgage industry is going through. In his address, W says that his priority is "to help American homeowners navigate these financial challenges, so that as many families as possible can stay in their homes. The Federal government will not bail out lenders -- because that would only make a recurrence of the problem more likely. And it is not the government's job to bail out speculators, or those who made the decision to buy a home they knew they could never afford. But I support action at the Federal level that will help more American families keep their homes."

Hmmm, the Federal government will not bail out lenders...what is it then, when you lower the prime rate? Isn't that lowering the rate at which the Federal Government lends money to banks? Doesn't that kind of help the lenders? Please, those of you with more understanding of these complicated financial things than I have, correct me if I'm wrong on this.

OK, now as to the next part, about it not being the government's job to bail out "those who made the decision to buy a home they knew they could never afford." Isn't that the problem here? The people who bought these houses can't afford them? Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of sympathy for the people who found banks that willingly lent them money for mortgages for which they wouldn't ordinarily qualify. But let's call a spade a spade here.

Naturally W's solution is...tax breaks. I'm sure that will do those low income people a lot of good. He also has a couple of other fixes, so we'll see...Given his track record, I expect most of it will benefit the rich and not the poor, but I'll welcome any further knowledge others can provide.

There was actually a very good article in the NY Times magazine on Sunday about how we came to be in this mess. As usual it all goes back to greed and gambling.

However, I digress.

What I was going to tell you about when I started this post was the OTHER White House website. The one I accidentally stumbled upon when I was looking for the Whitehouse.gov site. I typed in "www.whitehouse.org" by mistake and got this! At first as I was reading it I thought it was real. It almost sounded like something W would have said. Then it dawned on me that this was satire. I remembered having read about this alternate "White House" website awhile back but had never read it before.

Check it out, you may find it's closer to the truth than we'd like to think.

The Dark Side

The summer heat is upon us and I have become blogthargic. That's a word I made up to indicate the lack of mental energy that would be required to write a long, thoughtful, outraged post about Congress passing the legislation that will allow W to continue his assault on the rights guaranteed by our Constitution.

The fact that a goodly number of Democrats went along with this makes it even more outrageous. As usual, the fear that they might be painted as "soft on terrorism" drove them to abandon their principles and go along with W's plan. When are they going to learn to stop falling for this ploy? No matter what they do, Republicans will frame them as being soft on terrorism anyway. So why not stand up for what is right?

I also want to mention I find it suspicious that Chertoff made his pronouncement about his "gut feeling" that something would happen during the summer not long before this issue was coming up for a vote. Sure, both he and the White House said there was no actual evidence of any concrete plots. But you can bet the announcement of his concern was no accident. It always pays to rile up the people and get them worried about possible terrorist threats so that W can get another law passed to increase his powers. Interestingly, it didn't seem to work on the American people. They may have finally gotten wise. After all, the boy only cried "Wolf" so often before no one believed him anymore. But apparently the Democrats haven't learned the lesson yet.

Last night's Colbert Report's "The Word" segment was really hard-hitting and pointed out how far we have fallen from our ideals since 2001. Colbert recalled that after 9/11, "Darth" Cheney said we may have to go over to "The Dark Side" and do things that are beyond what we usually condone, in order to win the War on Terror. Since Colbert presented it so well, in his inimitable satirical manner, I'll let him do the rest of the talking:

The Dark Side

(Be patient. There is a commercial first.)

Can we believe him this time?

The White House website is always a treasure trove of information about what "W" has said in recent days. I've learned to check it out occasionally to make sure he's not up to something we wouldn't want him to be, um, up to. (Yes, ending sentence with a preposition...my bad).

In today's posting, the site has his complete radio address in which he speaks about the tragic collapse of the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis. In the speech, he pledged the following:

"On Thursday morning, Transportation Secretary Mary Peters and Federal Highway Administrator Richard Capka traveled to Minneapolis. They announced $5 million in immediate federal funding for debris removal and to help restore the flow of traffic. This is just the beginning of the financial assistance we will make available to support the state in its recovery efforts. Several federal agencies are on the ground aiding state and local officials, including the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Environmental Protection Agency."

I recognize how important the I-35 bridge is to the state of Minnesota, and my administration is committed to working closely with Governor Pawlenty and Mayor Rybak to rebuild this bridge as quickly as possible."

While I realize that "past performance is no guarantee of future results" in the stock market, based on this president's past performance in post-Katrina New Orleans, I could only wonder whether anything he says will come true for the citizens of Minneapolis/St. Paul.

DH just got back from a business trip down south. As part of his trip, he engineered a stop in New Orleans for the last night. This is a route he has taken several times in the past year or two. Having visited New Orleans in its pre-Katrina years, he is acutely aware of the differences he sees now. After this week's trip, he reports that everything is still on sale cheap - hotels are cheaper there than in the town in Mississippi where he stays for the business portion of his trip.

First, the good news - the French Quarter on a Thursday night was busy, coming back from the almost deserted streets he walked last year. But the bad news is, much of the outer part of New Orleans remains a wasteland, only slowly coming back from its devastation. The New York Times recently had a series on New Orleans, and the very slow process of rebuilding that is taking place.

The Times-Picayune DH brought home with him is still filled with articles pertaining to the rebuilding process in the New Orleans area. It features articles talking about how best to withstand the upcoming hurricane season. Headlines like "It's time to hold someone responsible" and "City stands tall as risk rises" dot the pages of the New Orleans Metro section. Discussion continues about the levees and their condition.

Remember 2005? "W" went to New Orleans a couple of weeks after the storm had ravaged the city, and made a lot of promises:

"President Bush promised Thursday night the government will pay most of the costs of rebuilding the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast in one of the largest reconstruction projects the world has ever seen. “There is no way to imagine America without New Orleans, and this great city will rise again,” the president said."

Didn't happen. Yes, there are processes in place to help people rebuild, but the system is so inefficient that much of the money has never gotten where it needs to go.

But "W" has moved on. To a new disaster that threatens an area much more interesting to him. An area that is important to his political party. So New Orleans is on its own.

According to an article in yesterday's New York Times, "W" seems to be poised to respond more efficiently to this crisis than to the New Orleans situation...which is just so yesterday to him now.

As the article mentions, Minnesota has a Republican governor, and the 2008 Republican convention is scheduled to be held there. Think this situation may just get a wee bit more attention than New Orleans? Yeah, I think so too.