Off Again

"On the road again" as Willie would say. This week to the heartland. New client in Indianapolis which promises to be interesting. Never been to Indianapolis that I remember so at least I will be seeing something new. I will only be engaged for first couple of weeks to get the project headed in the right direction. Do my "Big Kahuna" act as it were.
This week should be a little quieter on the news front than last. So far all I have seen is the new SCOTUS nominee and I think it is too soon to expect any more Fitzmas stuff. No new hurricanes on the near horizon. I guess we will just have to be surprised at the next atrocity Dubya and compancy present us with.

BTW Jane Hamsher's blog Firedoglake got a mention in the NYT. She and Reddhedd have been doing a smashing job on the Plame deal and rightly deserve the attention. Congratulations to Jane and Reddhedd for the recognition. I will savor the fact that a now nationally known blog links here. Thanks Jane

New SCOTUS Nominee

CNN is reporting that Samuel Alito from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit will be the new nominee you can read more about at the Soctusblog. Judge Alito was appointed to the Third Circuit by 41. He is a favorite of conservatives and looks like he shouldn't be too distasteful for democrats. Will probably be able to be affirmed without too much trouble. Not nearly as controversial a nominee as we could have seen. In his 15 years on the bench he has a conservative bent and a well documented judicial philosophy. We'll see.

UPDATE: I need to clarify my assessment now that I have had a chance to read a little more about Mr. Alito. He ia "Conservative Whacko" that will move the court dangerously close to nothing more than a cabal of evil men who think women should have never gotten the right to vote much less think they have no right to be able to control their own bodies. We should consider fighting this nomination.

Feel The Love?

Our "Compassionate Conservatives" continue to spread the love...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - On a party-line vote, a Republican-run U.S. House of Representatives committee voted to cut food stamps by $844 million on Friday, just hours after a new government report showed more Americans are struggling to put food on the table.

About 300,000 Americans would lose benefits due to tighter eligibility rules for food stamps, the major U.S. antihunger program, under the House plan. The cuts would be part of $3.7 billion pared from Agriculture Department programs over five years as part of government-wide spending reductions.

The House plan would also cut U.S. crop supports by $1 billion, land stewardship by $760 million, research by $620 million and rural development by $446 million.

There are undoubtedly people collecting food stamps that shouldn't be, and that is just plain wrong, but making wholesale cuts like this is the wrong way to address abuse. When you put this amount of money spent on food stamps and other subsidies in the perspective of what we are spending per day in Iraq they just become mean spirited acts meant to screw the little guy. What are we talking here, a week of misplaced and misguided war? Two weeks?

To make it even more stupid, these kind of cuts fly in the face of the government's own research...

A new Agriculture Department report found 38.2 million Americans "were food insecure" in 2004, an increase of nearly 2 million from the previous year. Tufts University food economist Parke Wilde food insecurity "now equals the worst levels" since recordkeeping began a decade ago.

USDA said 11.9 percent of households, "at some time during the year, had difficulty providing enough food for all their members due to a lack of resources."

I have been around the kind of people that really need assistance with food all my life and I know first hand what happens when they are pressed. The first things to go are the high nutrition foods like milk and meat. They are replaced by "belly fillers" which are almost always high carbohydrate foods like macaroni and rice. The childrens' diets lose protein and gain nothing of value. The long term effect is childhood obesity and the resultant problems with cardiovascular disease and diabetes. This doesn't even address the issues surrounding poor nutrition and learning which are significant. Not providing for nutritious food, especially for children, is guaranteeing problems and high costs later. Food stamps are an investment in our future and not "give-away".

Act One Only

Well I missed the live action but I did see monitors in the Atlanta airport when I landed. At first I was a little disappointed in not seeing more blood in the streets as I was hoping for a "massacree". Upon further reflection though I think we are just seeing the first volley.
Fitzgerald is still investigating and he needed some additional information to really nail his true target and that is Cheney. Now that Libby is indicted with a very solid case I'm sure he is going to start wondering why he should take the fall alone. Fitzgerald moved on the Libby charges when he did because he needs that 30 years in prison and million dollar fine hanging over Libby's head. He will squeeze the extra information he needs out of Libby in a pretty short order.

If Libby doesn't flip and goes to prison for the rest of these bastards he is stupid and deserves whatever he gets.

Missed Fitzmas

Looks like I will miss "Ftizmas". I have to catch a plane back to Atlanta tomorrow morning at 7am in Fransanfisco so i'll probably be in the air when the "feces hits the rotary ventilator". Looks like it will be an extended holiday in that Rove will be the subject of an extended investigation and not indicted tomorrow. Only Libby will be whacked tomorrow it seems.

I can't describe how badly I would like to see everyone in this misadministration slammed but I guess I can console myself if there is at least one.

It is time for me to try and get a few hours of shut eye as 3am comes early.

I am not sure, bit I am beginning to think that I may be getting too old for this kind of thing. I am still not 100% corrected by the three week in Japan, much less the week in France followed immediately by a week in California. I think I am somewhere out over the Atlantic, at least on my personal time line.

You Too Can Earn Big Bucks -Some Restrictions

And now for something not about Plamegate or Harriet.

Forbes has announced the biggest dead money earners...Elvis wins again.



Elvis: $45M
Charles Schulz: $35M
John Lenon: $22M
Andy Warhol: $16M
Dr. Seuss: $10M

As Mrs. Fallenmonk would say... Duh!

Miers Gone?

Watching CNN this morning as I get dressed and they just announced that Harriet Miers is withdrawing from the nomination to the Supremes. I can't but wonder that this is a feeble attempt to distract everyone from the Plame news. The timing is very suspicious. Now we'll just have to see what kind of wingnut replaces her. I can't help but think this one will swing very hard to Bush's base so we can expect somebody pretty conservative. Just have to wait and see.

Rollercoaster

Damn, there is a lot of potential energy building up with respect to the current misadministration. We’ve got the Plame affair and the possibility of multiple indictments coming down tomorrow, or at least soon, and possibly beheading the Dubya regime. We’ve got Bugboy under the scope in Texas for playing fast and loose with campaign funds and probably still more shit coming his way from the Abramoff investigation. We’ve also learned today that his defense fund accounting is not necessarily following the GAP. Bill Frist is now a proven liar. We on the left are excited and anticipating a huge “We told you so” moment.

I am trying to stay reserved and calm over all this as I have been disappointed so often in the last 6 years or so that I am not sure my psyche can stand another major let down.

One thing that is really bothering me is the question of aftermath. If all of the most pregnant wishes of the left come through (Ftizmas?) to reality, we are going to be left with nothing but a President who probably peaked intellectually in the third or fourth grade. If Cheney, Rove, Libby, and all the rest are toast then we have GWB sailing our ship of state without any oversight and this is a guy that was an alcohol soaked coke head until he was forty years old. This is very frighening.

The empty suit that currently shits in the Whitehouse has been an abject failure in everything he has ever tried. He cannot point to anything, prior to his highly tainted election, that even quaintly canbe measured as a success. This is the joker that will be running the country without supervision. I am seriously in doubt as to whether there are enough cojones in the the Rethuglican congress to impeach him and we are looking at 3 more years. Can we survive it?

So we have a dilemma. Is it better to enjoy the immediate gratification of seeing Rove, Libby and maybe Cheney forced to resign or sent to prison, and as bad as they are having Pretzel Boy running the country further into the ground without supervision or continue as we are with a known devil? It is not an easy choice.

I think I have settled for immediate gratification and let the chips fall where they may. I think there is reason to hope that without Rove and Cheney running the show Dubya will be caught in the headlights, so to speak, and we surely can’t be worse off than we are now.

Just sayin’

Beyond Tragedy

CNN is reporting that by their count the official death toll of American troops in Iraq has reached the 2,000 milestone.

Since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003, more than 15,000 American service members have been wounded in the conflict, according to the Defense Department.

According to CNN's tally, 2,194 coalition troops have died in the war.

In a justifiable conflict this would be a real tragedy. In the bloody light of this conflict it is beyond a tragedy in every way you can measure. The two thousand number is just a shadow of the real story. Each of these deaths ripples out and touches countless loved ones and friends. Grief and frustration touches thousands and thousands more. Heterodyne the more than 15,000 wounded and maimed and you probably have over a quarter of a million people directly and tragically touched by this useless, inexcusable farce. I am so ashamed of my country I can sometimes hardly breathe.

Just Gotta Torture

This is so absolutely beyond the pale that I can't believe I am actually reading it. Dick Cheney and Porter Goss have the unmitigated gall to actually seek an exemption so that their minions can torture at will. This alone should be enough to prove to America (the rest of the world knows it) that this adminsitration is the most morally corrupt bunch of scum to ever disgrace the government of our country. In any other world I would have to make this stuff up!

The Senate defied a presidential veto threat nearly three weeks ago and approved, 90 to 9, an amendment to a $440 billion military spending bill that would ban the use of "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment" of any detainee held by the United States government. This could bar some techniques that the C.I.A. has used in some interrogations overseas.

But in a 45-minute meeting last Thursday, Vice President Dick Cheney and the C.I.A. director, Porter J. Goss, urged Senator John McCain, the Arizona Republican who wrote the amendment, to support an exemption for the agency, arguing that the president needed maximum flexibility in dealing with the global war on terrorism, said two government officials who were briefed on the meeting.

[snip]

Mr. McCain rejected the proposed exemption, which stated that the measure "shall not apply with respect to clandestine counterterrorism operations conducted abroad, with respect to terrorists who are not citizens of the United States, that are carried out by an element of the United States government other than the Department of Defense and are consistent with the Constitution and laws of the United States and treaties to which the United States is a party, if the president determines that such operations are vital to the protection of the United States or its citizens from terrorist attack."

No Chicken Dancing

There is a lot of discussion around a post over at Firedoglake about whether or not Cheney was under oath or not when interviewed by Fitzgerald. While it may make some legal difference I think the discussion is missing a serious point.
First of all, both Cheney and Bush, as do all elected officials, take an oath of office. This oath deals with their responsibility around the Constitution and all but the fundamental reality is not so much in the words but in the symbology of the act.
The oath as symbol grants the President and Vice President the authority to act as our representatives in the conduct of all affairs. It virtually grants unlimited authority but it also places the massive burden of ultimate responsibility and the weight of ultimate integrity.
This weight of integrity demands that every word uttered by the office holder is the absolute truth. Unvarnished, unspun, whole and complete truth. No weasel words allowed.
Accepting the oath of office means that for the full term and beyond the taker is under the oath and that any lie or half truth is perjury pure and simple.
Discussing whether Cheney was under oath when talking with Mr. Fitzgerald is therefore meaningless in my view. Cheney and Bush are always under oath in my book and should be held to task for every word that comes out of their mouths plain and simple.
No "chicken dancing" ,no mincing, no hemming and hawing.

West Coasting

Here we are in beautiful Fremont (not). Not sure what the story is here but this particular part of the bay area is rather desolate. The Marriott here just sort of sits in the middle of nowhere just off I880. I can see a MickeyDee's from my window on the 6th floor but that is about it. A couple of other hotels nearby but nothing else.
Just into the room and turned on CNN looking to see what has been happening. So far nothing but Wilma coverage so I don't have the dope on the Plame affair.
I forget how bad the traffic can be here. The commute from Sunnyvale (Moffett) is along 237 to 880 and at 6pm it is very busy and basically 10-15 mph for the 10 -15 miles to Fremont. Then again you can say the same for spots in Metro Atlanta.
They just covered the fact that Rosa Parks has passed away. She made a difference which is more than many of us will be able to say. Rock on Rosa.

Super Week Coming

It looks like a super week may be in the offing. The two Goddesses over at Firedoglake are predicting major good mojo. I just hope they are right.
Been a glorious weekend in Atlanta and I have managed to put a major dent in the honey do.
Off to gropinator land tomorrow with a trip to Sunnyvale for the week. Only problem is I have to fly through SFO as the San Jose connection was not workable this time. Bummer. While I love San Fran I don't like the airport and the commute to Sunnyvale via 101 stinks. To top it off I could only get a hotel room in Fremont which means much commuting as well. Live like a Californian next week!
Since I will be a West Coaster next week I will be 3 hours behind the curve on the news and I hope I don't miss the revelations when/if they come. I like to be in real time with what's happening but one must earn ones living. The only consolation is that I will be able to party later.

8 am flight in the morning so it is bed time for bonzo here. Talk to you from beautiful Sunnyvale.

Light or Train?

You know the old expression about the the light at the end of the tunnel? I can't help feeling that we on the left are getting ourselves way too worked up about the upcoming climax of the Plame investigation. I so want everybody in the Whitehouse to be indicted, jailed and humiliated that it is sometimes hard to keep focused on the reality that it may be a bust. I just hope everybody has enough emotional reserve to weather another huge disappointment if it should happen. I am wishing with all my might that "Fitzmas" will come and that there will be presents enough for everyone. I am just trying to hold back just enough to survive the shock if it fizzles. Many of you will say that the attitude should be "in for a penny, in for a pound" but I am talking emotional survival here and I'll keep a dollar or two in my shoe thank you very much.

Here's wishing you Merry Fitzmas!

S.A.W.B hearts G.R.I.T.S.

Go over and get a chuckle at Neil Shakespeare's place. He's got a fun take on a post from The Fat Lady Sings that's fun. Bless your heart!


BTW SAWB was coined by Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young way back and it stands for Smart Ass White Boy.

Pray You Don't Need Them

Just in case you thought the slow response to Katrina was a fluke and mostly the fault of bad management at FEMA you might want to consider rethinking your disaster preparedness. Yes, I know a lot of tax money and time has been spent equipping and training the National Guard to be ready to help us in case of NATIONAL emergency but you are just going to have to be prepared to do without that support.

Just off the top of my head I would say an additional 30 days of rations, water and medical supplies for you and your family. Get a boat if you don't already have one and don't forget that generator and fuel. Oh, and don't forget jumpkits for the entire family as well. You know the drill. Plan for everything and expect the worst. DO NOT EXPECT ANY HELP FROM THE GOVERNMENT!

Army National Guard units are short of equipment on the home front partly because they are told to leave vital equipment such as armored Humvees in Iraq for replacement troops, according to a report released Thursday.

As of June, Army National Guard units had left overseas more than 64,000 pieces of equipment worth more than $1.2 billion, and more than half cannot be accounted for by the Army, according to the report by the Government Accountability Office.

On average, National Guard units at home have only 34 percent of their essential war-fighting equipment, said the report released at a hearing of the House Committee on Government Reform.

''National Guard officials believe that the National Guard's response to Hurricane Katrina was more complicated because significant quantities of critical equipment such as satellite communications equipment, radios, trucks, helicopters, and night vision goggles were deployed to Iraq,'' the report said.

[snip]

In addition to equipment left overseas, more than 101,000 pieces of equipment from units on the home front have been transferred to deploying units, the report said.

Most Important Case, Most Important

If you haven't read James Moore's article over at Huffpo yet ... do it now.

Patrick Fitzgerald has before him the most important criminal case in American history. Watergate, by comparison, was a random burglary in an age of innocence. The investigator’s prosecutorial authority in this present case is not constrained by any regulation. If he finds a thread connecting the leak to something greater, Fitzgerald has the legal power to follow it to the web in search of the spider. It seems unlikely, then, that he would simply go after the leakers and the people who sought to cover up the leak when it was merely a secondary consequence of the much greater crime of forging evidence to foment war. Fitzgerald did not earn his reputation as an Irish alligator by going after the little guy. Presumably, he is trying to find evidence that Karl Rove launched a covert operation to create the forged documents and then conspired to out Valerie Plame when he learned the fraud was being uncovered by Plame’s husband, Ambassador Joseph Wilson. As much as this sounds like the plot of a John le Carre novel, it also comports with the profile of the Karl Rove I have known, watched, traveled with and written about for the past 25 years.

Aftermath Questions

Since no one in the blog world is going to be able to touch Jane and ReddHedd over at Firedoglake on covering all the stuff going on with RoveLibbyCheneyBush affair I thought I might take a stab at some of the things we might have to face as fallout. That is, of course, if we on the left get our "Winter Holiday" presents early.

If all of Dubya's minions, or a good portion thereof, are indicted or named as unindicted co-conspirators we will have several possibilities. There is no way the powers that actually are ruining the country will let George W. try and go it alone.

There is a strong possibility that some of the old hands from daddy's administration might show up. The number one possibility is Dubya's prime poop scooper James Baker and who knows who else.

What happens if Cheney resigns under a cloud of suspicion as a conspirator and Bush has to come up with a VP? McCain and Graham are said to be manuevering but maybe they lose out on the trust issue and Bush taps Condi to set her up for the 2008 race. A worst case scenario would be that Bush is later forced to resign as well and we have out first woman and minority President. Imagine the fun.

If everyone's dream comes true and Bush and Cheney are forced to resign, probably as a result of a plea bargain, then we get Dennis Hastert as President and a mystery guest as VP. McCain?

Regardless of the outcome we are going to have change and I for one am having a hard time thinking that it could be worse than the cabal we have now. I can't believe we are not looking at some progress in 2006 and 2008 no matter what happens.

Anyone else have some wish scenarios?

Sandy Vaseline

Via Atrios

I see that Rummy and company over at the Pentagon have added another few degrees to the temperature in hell. Seems like the bribe that they offered during the first part of the year of $15K to re-enlist was actually just a joke. If you suckered for it and are still alive and now through the first six months of the extra six years you sold yourself for, guess what? They're bad! No can do. Sorry about that. Against the rules. Can't pay.

Not only are we going to waste your life in a useless war we are going to trick you into re-upping with a fake re-enlistment bonus. We have destroyed your finances by sending you overseas when as a National Guardsman you never intended to be deployed for such a long time and now that we have you desparate we will fuck you with this big hard golden carrot.

This is absolutely shameful. How hard would it have been to verify the legality of such bonuses before offering them? How many soldiers fell for it? Since they re-upped under false pretenses is the re-enlistment void? I'll give odds that the Pentagon will say the enlistment still stands. It will be just like the medical benefits for life lie.

"I know that we promised you benefits for life when you agreed to make a career in service but we weren't actually authorized to offer that so tough luck."

They Are Serious?

Atlanta has evidently settled on its new "Brand" and they are evidently dead serious about it. From the AJC this morning..

The logo launch is the first part of a $4.5 million-plus multipronged campaign Atlanta officials are undertaking to brand the city to local residents, who they hope will help in the ultimate goal: to attract more tourists, conventioners and businesses looking to relocate.

Wow, it must be nice to have $4.5 million-plus to spend on branding Atlanta. I guess there are no homeless or hungry people in town. Probably have more cops and firefighters than they really need too. I suppose all the refugees from NOLA that Shirley Franklin was whining about the other day are now all taken care of.

Silly me I thought a safe, clean and panhandler free city would be a much better way to "brand" a city.

Seriously, I can't imagine being a city leader and having the brass to admit I was going to spend that amount of money on something so inane and worthless. How do they sleep at night? Makes me want to scream. It is not even a sexy logo. It ranks up there with that silly mascot they picked for the '96 Olympics and it was so impressive I have forgotten it's name.