Rep Sestak is challenging (D?) Specter. I've spent some time trying to figure out how much of a loss to the Democratic Party Arlen going away would be. The GOP has a loon to run against one of the (D)s and I can't see Arlen having the incumbent edge in such a Primary. I'm trying to figure out what value he's been to the Democrats, anyhow.
I suppose this is PA's business but I'd encourage them to give Sestak a close look.
It seems Leon Panetta said in closed hearings that the CIA had misled the Congress, the CIA says it isn't their policy - OK, but did you do it?
Palin quit out of ALTRUISM. Huh? It seems there were only 3 ethics complaints active.
Ensign and Sanford were both "C Street" devotees, seems all that old time religion missed fire - makes you wonder about the rest of them... (C Street House is a secretive religious house and organization for electeds) The aggrieved hubby released a letter from Ensign that is a real winner - these pricks pretended to tell this nation about the sanctity of marriage, you betcha, the gays are a real threat to their marriages ... but they didn't do men...
Depending on which Republican is doing the talking; Sarah Palin either committed political suicide or the most brilliant piece of political strategy. I actually hope she's around for a good long time but I'm real sure brilliant is the wrong adjective.
Sen Inhofe says Sen Franken looks like a clown - in quite a few circles people who espouse the kinds of things Inhofe does are regarded as clowns despite their looks. There is a difference here, Franken made jokes in a previous employment, Inhofe makes a joke of being a Senator - one is funny the other is dangerous. That OK keeps electing this ... person ... makes some of the stereotypes of Okies seem reasonable. Too bad.
Sarah said Hillary whined too much, but then she also didn't quit when she quit and she was just pointing out how mean people were to her, not whining. Pitbull my ass, whining puking mewling amateur who'd cut your bowels out and hang them on her wall for political benefit.
Michael's dead, memorialized, and we haven't heard the end of it until hell freezes the networks solid. This dysfunctional bunch are going to be a staple of cable for...ever.
Sen Kyl on Obama/Russian nukes agreement: "I’m very concerned that the administration is more anxious to make a deal than it is to ensure the protection of the United States." Today's GOP - Palin and this, well there's always Cheney and Rush...
Rep Patrick Murphy, Iraq vet, is shepherding a repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell through Congress - just think of all the marriages this will destroy. Wingnut heads will explode, the 101st Keyboard Brigade will assault DC ... if they can find enough bags of Cheetos and Mom will let them out of the basement.
Michael Jackson is still dead.
At 70 mph Harley Davidsons can get real serious about bug killing, I'm beginning to look like a car wash stalker.
The cell phone camera is a convenient sized package for biking but it isn't much as a camera and I don't know how much I like it as a phone. I guess I'll have to start trying to figure out a way for the Fuji to ride where I can get to it. I've never wanted a 'bagger' but there is something to be said for having places to put things...
Construction workers need to work steady or they get out of shape - just ask me when I've had to pack shingles up a ladder. This afternoon I had a ready answer.
Boehner and that bunch are back to going on about tax cuts again, with tax rates at historic lows (minus SS/FICA). These are the asshats that couldn't cut rich taxes fast enough or spend money we didn't have to blow people up fast enough ... or in about a dozen ways drive the economy in a ditch. They hope that with GW Bush safely out of office everybody will forget that he didn't drive that car all by himself.
Sounds like Harry Reid is starting to push his Caucus around a little bit on health care. Try to wrap your head around Jay Rockefeller putting out a report trashing the Health Insurance Industry for reaming the public ... and comparing them to Enron and AIG. Where'd that come from? Somebody forget to send a contribution?
Not too long ago I asked a US Senator if the American public should think investment banks and health insurers ran the Senate or not. The Senator was not amused, and I wasn't making a joke. No, I don't think this Senator is owned by them but I'm not exactly sure about a hell of a lot of our government. I'm not nearly stupid enough to think that wealth won't always carry power and influence no matter who is making laws and regulations but there comes a point where it is so damn blatant and so obviously counter to the public interest that torches and pitchforks start to seem reasonable. We had some damn bad driving going on clear back into the Clinton era but some institutions put the pedal to the metal to make sure this wreck was spectacular and you will note that those most responsible not only got rich but are doing just fine right now. Wouldn't the GOP just howl if they were made to take personal responsibility for their crappy performance? Not like you could get enough out of them to fix anything, but it might be an object lesson. If I screwed your roof up that bad I'd have to fix it, but I don't play with big enough numbers to get the "free pass card." Now GOP (Cheney) pals Halliburton through KBR can electrocute soldiers in showers and the money just keeps rolling in.
Proof that abject stupidity is not a bar to employment at FauxNews:
Kilmeade and two colleagues were discussing a study that, based on research done in Finland and Sweden, showed people who stay married are less likely to suffer from Alzheimer's. Kilmeade questioned the results, though, saying, "We are -- we keep marrying other species and other ethnics and other ..."The video is even more ludicrous...imagine that.
At this point, his co-host tried to -- in that jokey morning show way -- tell Kilmeade he needed to shut up, and quick, for his own sake. But he didn't get the message, adding, "See, the problem is the Swedes have pure genes. Because they marry other Swedes .... Finns marry other Finns, so they have a pure society."
C'mon, 4th of July weekend and a motorcycle rally or stay home and amuse 5 readers not out for the weekend? High Desert Motorcycle Rally in Ontario, Oregon.
as always click pic for full size
Now for other fireworks you could look to High Desert Harley Davidson for the Harley Girls at a Meridain, Idaho barbecue for bike builder Chica. Thunderstorm cells produced cross winds from hell on the ride over, up to 60mph which allowed the Screaming Eagle to demonstrate its superior stability, admirably.
In fact deader, but still very much a factor in News circles - unlike important shit. It has given Rep King NY-R a chance to make a fool of himself, so all is not lost - though he needs little opportunity to manage to educate us as to why voting Republican is particularly stupid at this time.
If a sad stupid mess has to be the news focus couldn't they take a look at what makes the GOP tick?
I'll admit I've sat on the Palin resignation for awhile, partly because I was at a motorcycle rally and missed the news when it happened and since then...well I've wasted time trying to figure out what she was talking about.
When I've heard "a higher calling" referred to it generally had something to do with god or simple unrecompensed service. Given the "desecration" term applied to Momma Palin and baby modified Trig there may be some Ascension in the works, but I'm doubtful. As far as I've been able to tell, Palin very much cares about being compensated monetarily, soooo.... I think there will be money. Lots.
Now I don't usually play grammar police or dictionary detective but the word quit or quitter don't seem to have many contradictory meanings. She has said pretty plainly (given that it was Palin speech) that quitters suck. (there seemed to be an implication that the left or libruls were it) Now I've had a problem working out how this works; not walking away from an elected position would be quitting and quitting is making the good fight. The easy way would be to spend the next year and a half doing the grunt work of running a state and trying to get along with a recalcitrant legislature and, rather than squabbling with critics, showing the critics why they are wrong. Actually that sounds like a tough job, especially with people being soooo mean.
I hear/read people talking about how crass and mean modern politics is, and I laugh my ass off. In the world of 24/7 news things get around faster and get farther around, but even the cretinous stupidity of Fox News is light weight blather. Maybe historical ignorance is a badge of honor or something in certain circles, but an easy question for these folks is just exactly what was it that Burr shot Hamilton for? Political speech - hey, you betcha. If I had a ten spot for every time the accusation of "palling around with terrorists" passed her lips I could take some serious Harley rides on the soon to be ex-Governor's ticket.
(parenthetically I've wondered for a while how it is that these tough talking kick ass Republicans manage to be such victims of practically everything in the world. Apparently being a personally responsible hard guy Republican means being able to crotch kick at will but folding into a whining tear stained pile over being bitch slapped.)
The post script to the quitter not quitting speech was pure gold, a threat of legal action against any reporting of rumors about her Ladyship and misbehavior. It seems the legal talent these Alaskan nimrods employ is equal in talent to Palin and unable to grasp the meaning of "public figure." As long as she wishes to put herself in front of the public I am free to mock her, satirize her, and report on any scurrilous rumor that is bruited about - entirely free of legal consequences. It is not only correct but also legally permissible for me to note that Sarah Palin is a lying ten pounds in a five pound sack of Republican dog-pile. I breathlessly await her legal beagle taking me on...
David Letterman may have told a stupid joke about her daughter, but Sarah made a stupid joke of herself with her own mouth and tactics. No one in the MSM or Blogosphere had to do spit other than pay attention and quote her. That does mean quote her, not only accurately but also in context. Some people wishfully prognosticate that she's done for politically, not so. She will be given a platform to purvey stupidity and meanness to the American public and be well paid for it. It has nothing to do with earning anything, beyond mockery, but with notoriety achieved at the hands of a deluded McPOW campaign. She takes herself entirely too seriously for it to be the Comedy Central Network so it about has to be the comedy of FoxNews, which takes jokes quite seriously.
It is a common right wing meme to assert that the left is scared of her and hates her, I may have been worried that a purported centrist like McCain could carry her into office with himself, but I have no fear that as a ticket leader she poses the least threat to any fairly credible Democratic Presidential candidate. I could care less if she stayed Governor or got a FoxNews time slot to gibber from, she is her own worst political enemy and a great example of why Republicans should be avoided at the ballot box. The thinking that in low turnout off-year elections she could be a factor by turning out the base ignores the reaction of the middle and the left to her politics and her in general and especially to the appearance of her rallies.
All I can say is "Go Girl"
What the heck is the deal with the media and Michael Jackson? I suppose I could understand one day of mania on their part, two began to stretch credibility, now we're reached lunacy.
I have a news flash for the scheduling managers, if you care about this at all, you already know all about Michael. The world didn't stop when he crapped out, things are still going on that have one heck of a lot more impact than either his career, strange life, or death. Put it to bed already.
Maybe you wonder why people want to live where unemployment is always higher and wages lower.
This is about 10 miles NE outside Baker City, OR on the state highway to Medical Springs and the background to the east are the Eagle Caps of the Wallowa Mountains which top out just above 10,000 feet. The Elkhorns which are just west of Baker City at 3,500 feet top out just under 10,000 feet. Both ranges are still snow capped.
Here in the picture the ground cover is cheat grass and sage brush, just over the crest ahead of the Harley are a series of valleys with creeks in the bottoms surrounded by fields of grass.
Ron Wyden promised to visit every County each year and hold town halls, this weekend was Baker County's turn. I thought it might be interesting to have Oregon's Senior Senator and one of two Democratic Senators give pose for fun.
Senator Wyden gracefully climbed aboard the Harley for your amusement.
I'm not a fanboy of politicians, but that doesn't stop me from recognizing that Ron Wyden is one of the most astute and capable of all the Senators. He also has the ability to remain a down to earth Oregonian despite Washington, DC. He'll even sit on a Harley for a political pal.
Recently we learned of a malicious desecration of a photo of the Governor and baby Trig that has become an iconic representation of a mother's love for a special needs child.
The mere idea of someone doctoring the photo of a special needs baby is appalling. To learn that two Alaskans did it is absolutely sickening. Linda Kellen Biegel, the official Democrat Party blogger for Alaska, should be ashamed of herself and the Democratic National Committee should be ashamed for promoting this website and encouraging this atrocious behavior.
Babies and children are off limits. It is past time to restore decency in politics and real tolerance for all Americans. The Obama Administration sets the moral compass for its party. We ask that special needs children be loved, respected and accepted and that this type of degeneracy be condemned.
