Dead American Soldier Count

It is two days shy of the third aniversary of the Iraq War. My condolences go out to the families of 2317 who died whether they supported this war or not.

Planned Parenthood, Missoula

Planned Parenthood of Missoula is advertising themselves as a full service family clinic.

I don't know what to think of that yet.

"Lazy, Or Used To Living Off The System"

That is what the man who manages FEMA's Rennaisance Village for Katrina victims told Nightline's Cynthia McFadden in response to residents assertions that they are not getting assistance to get back on their feet.

Humanoid Livestock.

South Dakota one day, Missouri on another. One by one, states are starting to exert control of their herds.

They are not children, they are inventory to be bred in the greatest numbers and with the greatest profit margin possible.

My In Box

From my good buddy, a sexist Republican in a blood red state

Subject: Letter from Dave


Please be aware that as your wives age, it is harder for them to maintain
The same quality of housekeeping as when they were younger.

When you notice this, try not to yell at them. Some are oversensitive and
There is nothing worse than an oversensitive woman.

My name is Dave. Let me relate how I handled the situation with my wife,
Martha. When I was laid off from my consulting job and took early
Retirement in April, it became necessary for Martha to get a full-time job,
Both for extra income and for the health insurance benefits we needed.

Shortly after she started working, I noticed she was beginning to show her
Age. I usually get home from the golf course about the same time she gets
Home from work, and although she knows how hungry I am, she rests an hour
Or so before she starts dinner. I don't yell at her. Instead, I tell her to
Take her time and just wake me when she gets dinner on the table. I
Generally have lunch in the Men's Grill at the club, so eating out is not
Reasonable. I'm ready for some home-cooked grub when I hit that door.

She used to do the dishes as soon as we finished eating. But now, it's not
Unusual for them to sit on the table for several hours after dinner. I do
What I can by diplomatically reminding her several times each evening that
They won't clean themselves. I know she appreciates this, as it does seem
To motivate her to get them done before she goes to bed. I really think my
Old business as a consultant helps a lot. Telling people what they ought to
Do is one of my strong points.

Also, now that she has gotten older, she does seem to get tired so much
More quickly. Our washer and dryer are in the basement, and sometimes she
Says she just can't make another trip down those steps. I don't make a big
Iss ue of this, just as long as she finishes up the laundry the next
Evening. I'm willing to overlook her shortcomings in this area. Unless I
Need something ironed to wear to the Monday lodge meeting, or to the
Wednesday and Saturday poker club, or to Tuesday's and Thursday's bowling,
I'll tell her to wait until the next evening to do the ironing.

This gives her a little more time to do some of those odds and ends like
Shampooing the dog, vacuuming or dusting. If I had a really bad day on the
Course and it was wet and muddy, and my clubs are a mess, I let her clean
Them, you know, getting the grit off the grips and a little light Brillo on
The club faces. Since my golf bag is heavy, I lift it out of the trunk for
Her. Women are delicate, have weak wrists and can't lift heavy stuff as
Good as men. But I had to tell her that I don't like to be wakened during
My after-golf nap, so rather than bother me, she can put them back in the
Trunk when she's finished.

Another symptom of aging is complaining, I think. For example, she will say
That it is difficult for her to find time to pay the monthly bills during
Her lunch hour. But boys, we take 'em for better or worse, so I just smile
And offer encouragement. I tell her to stretch it out over two or even
Three days. That way she won't have to rush so much. I also remind her
That missing lunch completely now and then wouldn't hurt her any (if you
Know what I mean). I like to think tact is one of my strong points.

When doing simple jobs, she seems to think she needs more rest periods.
She had to take a break when she was only half finished mowing the yard. I
Try not to make a scene. I'm a fair man. I tell her to fix herself a nice,
Big, cold glass of fresh squeezed lemonade and just sit for a while. And,
As long as she is making one for herself, she may as well make one for me
Too, and then take her break by my hammock. That way we can talk until I
Fall asleep.

I know that I pro bably look like a saint in the way I support Martha, but
I'm not saying that showing this much consideration is easy. Many men will
Find it difficult, some will find it impossible! Nobody knows better than I
Do how frustrating women get as they get older. However, guys, even if you
Just use a little more tact and less criticism of your aging wife because
Of this letter, I will consider that writing it was well worthwhile.
After all, we are put on this earth to help each other.

Regards,

Dave

EDITOR'S NOTE

Dave died suddenly Thursday, May 19th. He was found with a Calloway extra
long 50-inch Big Bertha Golf Driver rammed up his rectum with only two
inches of grip showing. His wife Martha was arrested, but after the jury
read this letter, they accepted her defense that he accidentally sat on it.

Bull In A China Shop

Have you noticed the bull never pays the bill or cleans up the mess?

We have a President who likes to break things. He has broken the federal budget, running up $3 trillion in new debt. He has broken the Geneva Conventions, giving the green light to torture. He has repeatedly broken promises � and broken faith � with the American people. And now, worst of all, he has broken the law.

In brazen violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), he ordered the National Security Agency to conduct warrantless wiretaps of American citizens. And, despite getting caught red-handed, he refuses to stop.

Incredibly Sad

Josh Marshall thinks that it is funny, but I am very disturbed about the fact that those GOP Godlike Dudes tried to bamboozle a pretty young lady with claims that Bono did it, too. They lie.

Bono has not attended a single GOP fundraiser.

Did I Miss Again?

Surely this story about Wealthy donors funneling money into political parties includes the back story on The "Four Sisters"

"Coors told Edwards that Powell's manifesto had "convinced" him that American business was "ignoring a crisis." Coors was moved to act. He "invested" the first $250,000 to fund the 1971-72 operations of the Analysis and Research Association (ARA) in Washington, D.C., the original name of the [Heritage] foundation. Other wealthy contributors followed Coors' lead. Their aim was to counter liberal power in Washington, and aggressively market policies and legislative proposals to Congress and the President that reflected the conservative agenda. Heritage became the trend-setting model for scores of policy institutes and lobbying operations that compose the radical-right apparat. Heritage has been a major beneficiary of the Coors' Castle Rock Foundation ever since."

[...]

Now, after 30 years of effort, this core FSFG has built a comprehensive ideological infrastructure. There are now over 500 organizations, with the Heritage Foundation at the hub, all funded by this core group. David Callahan's 1999 study, $1 Billion for Ideas: Conservative Think Tanks in the 1990s, found that just the top 20 of the organizations spent over $1 billion on this ideological effort in the 1990s.

The right-wing movement's messages are orchestrated and amplified to sound like a mass "movement" consisting of many "voices." Using "messaging"--communication techniques from the fields of marketing, public relations, and corporate image-management--the movement appeals to people's deeper feelings and values. Messages are repeated until they become "conventional wisdom." Examples include lines like "Social Security is going broke" and "public schools are failing." Both statements are questionable, yet both have been firmly embedded in the "public mind" by purposeful repetition through multiple channels. This orchestration has been referred to as a "Mighty Wurlitzer, " a CIA term that refers to propaganda that is repeated over and over again in numerous places until the public believes what it's hearing must be true. From "The Mighty Wurlitzer," by Robert Borosage, American Prospect, May, 2002

The Money Comes With Strings

The FSFG money comes with ideological strings attached. Their think tanks are not independent; their organizations must espouse their ideology. "Cato, for example," as Gregg Easterbrook pointed out in an article in the Atlantic in 1986, "flatly states that it will not release any study that calls for a government program. The institute's president, Edward Crane, says that he receives one or two commissioned reports each year that are 'inconsistent,' and he does not publish them. The analyst Jonathan Stein lost his job at [the Center For Strategic & International Studies] CSIS several months after he published a book highly critical of Star Wars, the study of which is worth millions to think tanks that toe the line. (CSIS denies there was any connection.) "

The core group that controls this movement is now attacking even Republicans who would previously have been considered "conservatives" for inadequate ideological purity. Members of the moderate wing of the Republican Party are derided by the radical right as nothing more than RINO's -- Republicans In Name Only. The FSFG is funding efforts to drive these moderates out of office and out of the party.(3)

The Movement is Coordinated

The Ruling Republicans no longer care about truth or decency, but maybe WaPo will care enough to print a correction.

Flip Flopping Frist

I was floored when I heard him explaining to the cookie cutter meat on Sunday morning head that he would not grant any illegal aliens amnesty.

We are a nation of laws.

Laws they he is working very hard to rewrite to get his good buddy Bush off the hook for breaking the law. past. present. future. Amnesty.

Speaking of amnesty and military deserters who gets it and who doesn't.

The FCC Won't Let Me Be

It was not very long ago (two years?)that the FCC was perfectly comfortable tuning out two million citizens of all political stripes.

My, my how times have changed. It only took 49 telephone calls to bitch slap CBS back in line with a multimillion dollar fine.

Who called, Tony Perkins and Tim LaHaye?

Killing The Goose That Lays The Golden Eggs

The argument has been presented that we need to sell off part of our National Lands so that the government can reimburse counties for lost timber revenue. Let's imagine that we did sell it, then it would belong to somebody else and there is no more timber money for the counties ever.

Then we would not be able to hike or hunt or ski in those backwoods any more because they would belong to somebody else who would be demanding that we buy them new roads and services.

(Has anybody else had foreign governments single out your land sale posts? They aren't making land anymore, something the Jordanian government understands a lot better than Montanan's for Multiple use does.)

The deadline for public comment on this swindle is right around the corner so get in touch with the BLM, the Forest Service and your Senators at least once and leave a paper trail because the 21st century robber barons have their fingers crooked (come hither)at all the politicians they bought fair and square.

More and better commentary on this attempted burglary can be found at Tata's place, look out for the crayons.

Scrutiny Hooligans has been stumping to keep those hollers available for generations to come.

Trek on over to the B and B to have some good conversations about it and meet the real estate developer. Just be careful of the drug cartels.

War Is A Terrible Nightmare

2314 Dead American Soldiers, many of them weren't old enough to legally drink alcohol. Others have left small children and grandchildren to go on with out them.

Thousands with shattered bodies that will never again be whole.

The Iraqis, my heart breaks for them.

Some of them have good reason to be angry.

If you were to drive through Kalispell on any given Saturday between noon and one O'clock, you might notice a small but dedicated group of people waving signs that say "peace" "no blood for oil" a rainbow banner, and sometimes an accordian. One of those women will be watching her son deploy back to Iraq for the third time any time now.

Move On Backs Censure

339990+ people have signed the petition so far, you could sign too!

Agreed

History Of The World

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and populated

the Earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow and

red vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and

healthy lives.



Then using God's great gifts, Satan created Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream

and Krispy Crème Donuts. And Satan said, "You want chocolate with

that?" And Man said, "Yes!" and Woman said, "and as long as you're at

it, add some sprinkles." And they gained 10 pounds. And Satan smiled.



And God created the healthful yogurt that Woman might keep the figure

that Man found so fair. And Satan brought forth white flour from the

wheat, and sugar from the cane and combined them. And Woman went from

size 6 to size 14.



So God said, "Try my fresh green salad."

And Satan presented Thousand-Island Dressing, buttery croutons and

garlic toast on the side. And Man and Woman unfastened their belts

following the repast.



God then said, "I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil

in which to cook them." And Satan brought forth deep fried fish and

chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained

more weight and his cholesterol went through the roof.



God then created a light, fluffy white cake, named it "Angel Food

Cake," and said, "It is good." Satan then created chocolate cake and

named it "Devil's Food."



God then brought forth running shoes so that His children might lose

those extra pounds.



And Satan gave cable TV with a remote control so Man would not have to

toil changing the channels. And Man and Woman laughed and cried before

the flickering blue light and gained pounds.



Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming

with nutrition.



And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center

into chips and deep-fried them. And Man gained pounds.



God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and

still satisfy his appetite.



And Satan created McDonald's and its 99-cent double cheeseburger.

Then said, "You want fries with that?" And Man replied, "Yes! And

super size them!" And Satan said, "It is good."

And Man went into cardiac arrest.



God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery.

Then Satan created HMOs.



Thought for the day ....... There is more money being spent on breast

implants and Viagra today than on Alzheimer's research. This means

that by 2040, there should be a large elderly population with perky

boobs and huge erections and absolutely no recollection of what to do

with them.

(update-I did not write this and I apologize for any confusion anybody may have had about this. Resume laughing.)

Talk About A Rigged Poll

Should the president get court permission to spy on al-Qaida suspects in U.S.?

• yes
• no

Frank Meile doesn't ask if the President should get a warrant to spy on pacifists. Maybe he thinks they are interchangeable.

Of course our editor also strongly implied that John Murtha and John Kerry are cowards for warning about exactly what is going on right now.

Responsible Republican Governance

U.S. Running Out Of Cash.

John Snowe Doesn't Think He Can Make It Through The Week.

Spam Fajitas

Why?

Tell Granny All About it Now

So you took five minutes to let both of your Senators know that you support Russ Feingold's call for censure. How did it go?

Go Local On Censure

Give five minutes for democracy's sake today. Call both of your Senators today

Talking points:

* The President admitted to conducting a domestic spying program outside the scope of FISA, despite knowing that FISA is the exclusive means of such surveillance inside the United States. President Bush broke the law, and this is the only way this Republican Congess can hold him accountable.

* President admitted he did not brief the full intelligence committees. This is against the law.

* We don't have to wait for an investigation before censure. President Bush admitted to his crimes publicly. An investigation is needed, but that should not preclude censure at this time.

* Andrew Jackson was censured in 1834 for refusing to hand over papers to Congress and assuming power not granted by the Constitution. With his stonewalling of the investigation and by ignoring FISA, this is exactly what President Bush has done, and he should also be censured accordingly.

Senator Max Baucus 756-1150 (in the Flathead)or 1-800-332-6106

Senator Conrad Burns 257-3360 (in the Flathead) or 1-800-344-1513

You can also call the Congressional Switchboard toll free at 1-888-355-3588 or 1-888-818-6641 and ask to be connected to your Senator's office.

Do this even if it is after the vote because our Senators need to know beyond the shadow of a doubt.

Are We Clear On The Censure Thing?

The difference between then and now is that none of us was ever going to have President Clinton's penis in our mouths without our knowlege and consent.

got it?

Who Hijacked firedoglake?

This is the message at the top of the screen that should be theirs

Are you looking for firedoglake? It is temporarily out of service. Please try again in a few minutes. Meanwhile, discover a better blogging tool.

Curious.

Update. Firedoglake has a new address although they are exceeding their CPU usage. Keep trying!

Flathead Democrats Put Candidates Online

We still need candidates for

• House District 10
• Senate District 4
• County Commissioner

Aren't there any school board seats up for election?

Let Us Choose Our Own Candidates

I keep hearing that Hillary is a shoo in for the Presidential challenger and I want to know just who in the hell got to decide that. It wasn't me or anybody I know online or in real life who chose her, so who did.?

I also don't know anybody who chose other "Partei" front runners like John Morrison, Bob Casey, Joe Lieberman. Why is all this accepted as common wisdom way before a single primary has been held?

It is undemocratic and it belies the ideals that I sit at this computer for far too much of my life for. I don't know who decided that we couldn't choose our own candidates before we back them with everything we have, but I am sick and tired of being pushed around in endless power grabs by people who really don't care about me and my family or my neighbors and community either.

I truly believe, and I have the life experience to back it up, that I make better decisions for myself than other people do. I bet that is true of almost everyone with an IQ of 80 or more, so why are we supposed to rely on the wisdom of whoever it is that is calling all the shots here? Who are the people who have chosen John Morrison(who I do like very much) to be our Senatorial candidate and what do they know about him that we don't know?

What do they know about him that his staff doesn't know or won't tell?

That is why I was so happy to fiind this over at eRob's place

If Democratic voters were interested only in return on investment, like the coalition of the well-heeled and the narrow-minded that defines the right wing of the Republican Party, the whole back room, top down, executive decision-making thing might work. But Democratic voters are not looking for tax cuts, earmarks, or corporate welfare; they're not obsessed with controlling the lives of their fellow citizens. What they're seeking, in addition to honest representation, is protection of our Constitutional rights -- like choice, like privacy, like equal rights -- and genuine solutions for our nation's critical problems -- like universal health care, a living wage, and an immediate end to the Iraq War.

That is Chuck Pennachio letting people know that he sees them for who they are, not for who the talking heads want them to be. He proceeds to illustrate the difference between his viewpoint and that of the pre-selected candidate Bob Casey by appealing to our common roots and work ethic that made America great in the first place and he promises to work with and for us as Americans rather than a bunch of spoiled layabouts waiting for the pork to be delivered in the hopes that they can get a bigger share than the next person

Also on Monday, our campaign filed 4212 petition signatures collected by 220 volunteers in 32 counties. No paid circulators, no help from the party bosses; just ordinary citizens who understand that the way forward isn't backward. You don't effect change by giving in; if you want change you have to push back and fight. I'm not going to the Senate to be bipartisan; I'm going to the Senate to be a pain-in-the-ass -- you know, rattle the cage -- on behalf of regular people, because that's what this historical moment demands. Nothing less. Thomas Jefferson often said that each generation must wage revolution anew and, you know, he was right. We've grown complacent. Our government has grown complacent and it long ago stopped representing the interests of the average citizen. Unlike my future colleagues, I have not, do not and will not take PAC money, so I don't need to worry about offending my sponsors. Our Senate has 63 lawyers, a nice assortment of former CEOs and CFOs, but not a single trained historian like myself. And it shows. We need to stop taking short cuts and start taking the long view.

Face it folks, we're screwed up. We're broke, dependent on the good will of other counries that may not have our best interest at heart and almost half of the country has decided that it is easier to be monitored everywhere all the time than face the risk of living full and complete lives when consenting adults could be praying to a God that we don't believe in or sharing their sexuality in ways that we don't personally like.

How did we manage to squander our wealth and the influence that our ancestors worked for generations to achieve for nothing but a false sense of pride and why did we ever buy the line that our prosperity demanded the exploitation of our environment and other people's labors? Do we really believe that we can conceed enough hope, enough public property,enough of our economic security or enough of somebody else's dignity for it to turn out all right? Do we really believe that those concessions will always come from somebody else who really deserves to be shut out, locked up or ridiculed because they are dumb, lazy or sinful?

How have we allowed ourselves to be boxed into a corner that basically sells our children into slavery and may doom their children to extinction because we are afraid of a sports figures doing steroids and few crazed radicals who get to run free while others pay for their crimes and why is half of our country too defensive or fearful to consider the reasons for that. Why have we allowed ourselves to succumb to the learned helplessness about our situation while somebody else makes our choices for us?

The self appointed decision makers have exercised more than their fair share of democracy for far too long now and judging by the state of the party and the state of the nation, it has been a dismal failure to let them. They need to let go of the reins and join us as equals not as overlords.

We need some new ideas and old fashioned common sense. The only way we are going to get it is have more primaries where the candidates let us know why they are better for us rather than taking the talking heads word that we can't do any better.

Bring on the primaries!

sukabi finds more