Harry Reid Should Stay Put

This thing about Harry Reid 'insulting' President Obama proves how afraid of reality the Republicans really are. Who didn't think similar thoughts when they were making a choice between the candidates? I know I thought along those lines. Those R-guys just want to push Reid out and/or weaken him if he can't be forced to resign.
Well, if Reid would resign over telling the truth we are ALL in more trouble than a one-armed goalie without a stick.

Worth reading:
President broke 44-year-old record for Congressional support, according to study.
Congress.org - News : Congress backed Obama in '09

Should Crush Videos Be Banned?

My answeris Yes

Politics, murder, and sex are good enough to keep 99% of us occupied most of the time. So when I read that the Supreme Court was hearing a lawsuit about animal cruelty videos (also called 'crush videos') I thought a decision favoring kittens and puppies was for a certainty beyond the possibility of doubt. However, David G. Savage writes that a ban on videos of animal cruelty may not be happening as long as Scalia and Alito are on the court.
Justice Scalia put forward his belief the 1st Amendment allows the governed unlimited speech and expression, unless it involves sex or obscenity. Which begs the question - what is NOT obscene about a crush video?
Justice Alito sidetracked the proceeding with his questions. How his mind got from crush videos to the hypothetical "Human Sacrifice Channel" is beyond my understanding.

David G. Savage writes for the Los Angeles Times

Helen Thomas Role Reversal

Happy Friday....
CQ posted this Uncle Sam interviews Helen Thomas on Sept. 3. Uncle asked Helen how he can improve improve his image and Helen offered him some pretty good advice.

Why Nothing Much Gets Done in Wa. DC

All these years I thought the movers and shakers in Wa. DC were just into ignoring folks like me. Maybe not. Maybe they just forgot all about me (and you) after their bottomless pork barrel dealing and high fat lunch.
Fatty Foods Affect Memory and Exercise

This news item tells us the stimulus dollars coming our way might be more - way more - than a dollar bill.
Up to 90 percent of US paper money has traces of cocaine

I'd like to order a dozen cookies

Which one of these prisoners would you send some cookies?
Bernie Madoff
or
Muntadhar al-Zeidi

Change = No change in '09?? TBD

Lately I've been busy working out a housecleaning schedule. I've always wanted to try using a schedule and now that I've finally got around to it, I've become a big fan. Mostly because having a schedule helps me eliminate distraction. I can focus on the jobs on my schedule, knowing I will be getting after the other stuff in due time.

Saturday evening I watched a half hour of a cable show called "The L Word" I didn't watch the entire show because I thought the show moved too fast. I couldn't determine the plot line. Shows that keep my attention develop the plot slowly and allow me to get to know the characters. Anyway, looking inside the lesbian world didn't hold my attention. I never supposed their life was all that different from my own. Besides, the title shows a lack of courage and very little enthusiasm for the subject if you ask me.

My favorite subject - politics - hasn't been short-changed. I've tried to keep up, though things are moving fast. One thing I've noticed is how the conservatives are trying to find a "new brand" for their ideology. The same conservative leaders who wrote the cliffhanger ending for the Bush White House years are searching for a 'brand' for the next episode. Their leadership are all over the cable talk shows talking about their identity crisis. Which is babble-speak for "We have got to find a new way to bamboozle the unaware public and our Democratic opposition in Congress." Or, to put it another way, conservative leaders hope to come up with a brand that will hook lots of voters and sink the Democratic Congress.

I would just remind everyone that the brand a cow wears doesn't change the beast. It is still a cow no matter how many times the branding iron burns its flesh.

Moving on:
Apparently, the Geithner tax slip up buzz is nothing more than a murmur but count me as one who is worried about the Timothy Geithner appointment. I looked up his Wikipedia biography and I was dismayed to see this guy has spent his career helping develop foreign trade policies and such. His whole career has been about foreign relations it seems. The organizations he belongs to reads like the legend of a world map. I think there is little reason to hope the Obama administration will bring jobs back to America. Geithner was probably selected to head up the Treasury in order to figure out more foreign trade tax breaks for the corporations that want to take their work away from the USA.
I agree with a lot of folks who say Geithner's failure to pay employment taxes is a big problem. Some folks think paying taxes is patriotic - some folks see paying taxes as a mine vs. government assertion. I am afraid that Geithner sees dodging his tax obligation as a skilled maneuver in the seemingly never ending war on taxes waged in America.

I'm thinking a lot of Obama's nominees reflect the same old MO - say one thing - do something else and create a distraction so folks won't notice the switch. Which explains why he needs the Clinton team on his side. I sure am getting tired of waking up every day and wondering how my government plans to screw me today. It wasn't always like this you know.

e-Mail to my Senators

Dear Senator Voinovich and Senator Brown,
Thank you for working with a bipartisan group of Senators to help the auto industry. I appreciate your effort to bring a successful conclusion to the automakers request for a loan.

Would you please address the question I have regarding where the automakers will spend the money if your bill passes. I am worried that the automakers will use the money to further their interests in plants located outside the USA. How will this bill address that possibility?
Dems postponing crucial vote on auto bailout
What I didn't say to my Senators:
Once again the conservative Republicans are living up to their ideology of not providing a helping hand to the regular citizens of America. Looks like the Katrina response all over again if you ask me. A major American industry is in a financial crisis and the conservative Republicans want to use their selfish ideology as the excuse to deny the workers the help they need.
I'm glad the Democrats have agreed to return to Washington on Dec. 8th to continue hearings on this issue. And I hope the automakers will present a reasonable plan to the Legislators when they return.

Meanwhile, the Democrats ought to get on down to Early, Taylor, Henry, and Wilkes Counties Georgia to help the Democratic Senate candidate win that Senate runoff. The election isn't over yet.

Finally, regarding HRC as SOS. Nah. I haven't heard it from the Transition team so I hope this isn't a done deal. Reminds me of the HRC for VP rumors we endured for a short while last summer. Hope we have the same outcome.

Michael Moore did NOT say that

Michael Moore is being criticized - again! This time he doesn't deserve it. I bet the folks who are complaining about his recent post on An Open Letter to God, from Michael Moore did NOT read the entire post which ends like this:
So this is my plea to you: Don't do this to Louisiana again. The Republicans got your message. They are scrambling and doing the best they can to get planes, trains and buses to New Orleans so that everyone can get out.


Also:
Check out memeorandum

Reading National Journal

National Journal is open to the public during the convention weeks. You can sign up for email alerts too. I signed up for National Journal convention e-mail alerts. While the conventions are in session, we'll send alerts throughout the day with coverage from Charlie Cook, Ronald Brownstein, and Jim Barnes, as well as Amy Walter and The Hotline staff.

The following is a sampling of topics covered in the first alert:
Convention Daily: Pelosi Setting Her Sights Beyond Denver
Convention Daily: Woman Who Put JFK Outdoors Sees History Repeat
Convention Daily: A Global Big Tent -- Democrats Abroad
Convention Daily: Between Past And Future, Denver Establishing A Presence
CONVENTION BUZZ: Busy Week Coming At Obama-Rama
Convention Daily: From the Beats to Barack
Convention Daily: Party Seeks to Engage Bloggers and Web Audience
Convention Daily: Party On -- But Mind Your Ethics
Convention Daily: Clintons, Clintonites Make Themselves Heard
Convention Daily: Faith Focus

If you have not ever read the National Journal weekly magazine now is your chance to see what you've been missing.

The Fairness Doctrine

It is interesting to me that the folks John Thune who benefit the most from not having a Fairness Doctrine are dead set against reinstating the doctrine in 2007. A recent editorial in the Reno Nevada Gazette-Journal which was printed in my hometown paper, The Lancaster Eagle Gazette offers some of the history of the Fairness Doctrine as it was applied to Radio and Television. The FCC required broadcasters to give both sides of an issue and offer equal time to all candidates. The idea being the airwaves belonged to the public and therefore should be representative of the public. No such standard was applied to privately owned newspapers.

Fair enough, so far.

Where I disagree with the editorial is the so called reality test. The author claims the Fairness Doctrine prevented free and open discussion of issues and candidates because radio and TV stations were afraid of running afoul of the rules.

DUH?

Isn’t that a bit like saying I’m not a tax cheater because I’m afraid of running afoul of the law?
Or,
I don’t speed because I’m afraid of running afoul of the speed laws.

Rules are a direction for conduct or a standard procedure for solving a class of problems. The Fairness Doctrine is not a rule based on the idea of shutting folks out, it is just the opposite. The Fairness Doctrine was meant to encourage discussion.

Further along in the same editorial the author claims a vigorous debate is critical to the survival of our democracy. Now, just how can there be a vigorous debate when only one side is presented?

I think it is time for one sided talk radio to depart for the land of tubes and analog dials. If I can’t be assured I'll be given a reasonable opportunity to hear both sides of a controversial issue then give me back the music. A little Buck Owens, George and Tammy, the Beatles, Tommy Dorsey and some Bluegrass on a Saturday night is fine with me.

When our radios started talking to us we not only lost the music, we lost our right to be fully informed.

Heroic Dog Honored With Bravery Medal

Yahoo News, Tuesday May 8, 2007 Jack Russell terrier saves 5 children from pitbull attacks. George was a very brave little dog who almost certainly prevented severe injury, if not death, to at least one of the children," SPCA chief executive Robyn Kippenberger said.

VP Cheney visits Baghdad

I think my computer hissed at me when I hit the 'on' switch this morning. Poor old thing probably didn't recognize me.

Houston Chronicle, by Tom Raum Associated Press Writer Cheney meets with Iraqi PM during visit No word on if Cheney took his shotgun, but the photo shows him in a flak jacket. I wonder if this is as close as he has ever come or will ever be to a combat situation? Maybe Cheney ought to spend some of his time talking with Edward de Bono, who was interviewed on the BBC World Service Radio broadcast, Business Daily, Friday May 4th on creative thinking and how to harness it. In the interview de Bono offers an interesting idea about how the USA could leave Iraq. He suggests USA sets a date certain for our exit from Iraq and advance the date a week when there are no killings and delay the date when killings take place.
The link has expired to this particular BBC broadcast. These results returned when I searched all of BBC for Edward de Bono

MSNBC.com Republicans walk tightrope over war in Iraq Did you see the Republican "DEBATE?"? There isn't much diversity in the Republican Party or in their Presidential candidates. Who stood out? Ron Paul (TX 14th), sounds different. Ron Paul is a Republican Libertarian with a National Journal (subscription) 2006 Vote Rating conservative score for his roll-call votes on key economic [51%], social [44%] and foreign policy [20%] issues during 2006. He was the only Republican to vote "present"on the Iraq resolution at the start of the war. He voted against requiring states to issue school progress reports and the Patriot Act after September 11. On foreign policy matters, from military defense to international trade, he calls himself a "non-interventionist" who does not believe the U.S. government has any role overseas. Ron Paul offers an alternative to the NO Choice candidates in the Republican field.

I like these debates. I am glad to have an opportunity, for the first time in my lifetime BTW, to see and hear the candidates this early in the election cycle. I think this is an important change in our political system. If I could have one wish, my wish would be for the media to stop calling one person the "front-runner" it is way too early in the cycle and this kind of thought shaping is demeaning to the American public.

Speaking of diversity, Politico has this, Diversity hiring on Hill is slow but growing by Ryan Grim, Despite the lack of diversity on Capitol Hill, every person interviewed for this series of articles that began running on Tuesday -- from staffers and members of Congress to campaign consultants -- believes that the situation is improving incrementally.

OSU Buckeye Jersey Controversy

OSU announced that new football jerseys would be scarlet, with scarlet, white and black stripes on the sleeves. The old jerseys were scarlet, with scarlet, white, black and gray stripes on the sleeves.

The Columbus Dispatch did a poll on the issue and announced it had received more response, 734, on this matter than any other poll. 79% of the respondents were opposed and did not want OSU to switch from gray to black stripes. One response was:
".."I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t even concentrate on typing this message because I’m so angry."

If you look at this controversy politically, it might forecast a Republican victory in November '06 seeing as how folks seem to be so opposed to change.

OR

It might forecast a Democratic victory in November '06 because folks want moderation. Something our conservative Congress hasn't got.

No Gray Area The Columbus Dispatch by Ken Gordon April 12, 2006