Drinking Liberally 2 Nite!

Just a reminder (in case you missed the big ad to the right) that tonight is Drinking Liberally night at the 331. No big local celebrities in attendance tonight, but we are featuring the return of the Wege. So come down, have a pint or a mystery shot (We're still not sure about bottles #1 & #2...Bob from the ALA, can you fill us in on #1?) or just shoot the breeze. See ya there!

How Long Till the Holidays are Over?

CWFA doles out more Naughty and Nice...

"If Target finds the mention of Jesus' name so offensive, perhaps we would not want to burden them with Christmas-gift-buying Christians in their stores," Knight continued.

Since it works so well here

Today's Strib:

WASHINGTON - As part of an information offensive in Iraq, the U.S. military is secretly paying Iraqi newspapers to publish stories written by American troops in an effort to burnish the image of the U.S. mission in Iraq.

The articles, written by U.S. military "information operations" troops, are translated into Arabic and placed in Baghdad newspapers with the help of a defense contractor, according to U.S. military officials and documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times.

Many of the articles are presented in the Iraqi press as unbiased news accounts by independent journalists. The stories trumpet the work of U.S. and Iraqi troops, denounce insurgents and tout U.S.-led efforts to rebuild the country.

They do not metion how many are authored by Armstrong Williams.

My Inner Geek Is Very Impressed

A few months ago I wrote about the Blu-Ray/HD-DVD next gen format fight. Well, as is the way with tech news that fight already appears quaint. Before either format is widely adopted, they may already be obsolete:

Holographic Challenge for DVDs

If you thought Blu-ray and HD-DVD were the only new disc formats coming out this decade, think again. The emergence of holographic data storage technology may hamper growth for the two rival high-definition formats in the years to come.

Holographic data storage has existed for 40 years, but is just coming to the commercial market and may reach the consumer market by 2007. The new DVD formats promoted by Sony (Blu-ray) and Toshiba (HD-DVD) are expected to go on sale in early 2006.

As opposed to the blue laser technology used both in Blu-ray and HD-DVD, holographic storage goes beyond recording the surface of the disc and records through the full depth of the medium.

Longmont, Colorado-based InPhase Technologies has formed an alliance with Hitachi Maxell to sell discs the size of a DVD that can store 300 GB of data. By comparison, Blu-ray discs will be able to hold 50 GB and HD-DVD discs will store about 30 GB. InPhase’s Tapestry holographic system can store more than 26 hours of broadcast-quality high-definition video.

Oh, mama. Those 600 MB CD-ROMS look really sad right now, don't they? And how could your Inner Geek not be excited by the mere mention "holographic" technology?

It's Happening Again

Yet another Republican goes down due to corruption. The moral high ground has sunk awfully low.

Calif. Congressman Admits Taking Bribes

By ELLIOT SPAGAT
The Associated Press
Monday, November 28, 2005; 2:31 PM

SAN DIEGO -- Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy and tax charges, admitting taking $2.4 million in bribes in a case that grew from an investigation into the sale of his home to a wide-ranging conspiracy involving payments in cash, vacations and antiques.

Cunningham, 63, entered pleas in U.S. District Court to charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud and wire fraud, and tax evasion for underreporting his income in 2004. Cunningham answered "yes, Your Honor" when asked by U.S. District Judge Larry Burns if he had accepted bribes from someone in exchange for his performance of official duties.

Cunningham, an eight-term Republican congressman, resigned after his guilty plea. He had announced in July that he wouldn't seek re-election next year.

Probably an isolated case, not part of some larger criminal conspiracy like Delay, Scanlon, Abramoff, etc., but still. Remember when the Republicans were going to "clean up" Washington? Ha. Good times. Power corrupts and it has corrupted the national GOP absolutely.

Quote of the Day

Via (but not said by) Fecke:

Now, this responsibility doesn't make the thief any less a thief, or a genuine rapist any less a rapist. (I use the term "genuine rape" because most so-called "date rape" is not rape nor a crime of any kind, because he said-she said is no basis for a system of justice. If sex without written permission is a crime, then all sex is rape and all men are unrepentant criminals.)

Whole crapload of assholishness over here.

This Bodes Well...

For next week's game (if you're a Vikings fan):

Lions fire head coach Mariucci

The disappointing Detroit Lions fired coach Steve Mariucci and some of his assistants, a team official told The Associated Press.

After Detroit lost 27-7 to the Atlanta Falcons on Thanksgiving to fall to 4-7, reports swirled that the team was considering firing Mariucci. When Mariucci was not let go over the weekend, some thought his job was safe for the final five games of the regular season.

Mariucci and the assistants were fired late Monday morning, said the team official, who spoke with the AP on the condition of anonymity because the team had not yet made the official announcement.

Take 4 days off

Miss all the jam.

I assume we get a jar?

It would go great with that homebrew someone promised me weeks ago and never delivered.

Inevitable Monday Morning Football Post

---This post was written in proof that smartie and I are now officially and old married couple. I'm not taking it down. I swear I started first.

So, 4-0 in the Brad Johnson era. Go ahead and say it. Everyone else keeps pointing it out to me. And yes, I hate it. I hate that I'm rooting for Brad Johnson. But I'm slowing starting to come around.

Yesterday, after the first drive that ended in the field goal, I caught myself turning to smartie and saying, "Well, that's okay. We really just came to watch the defense, anyway." Word I never ever thought would come out of my mouth. Then again, I never thought I would find myself madly cheering with the rest of the crowd when they did player introductions and Sharper came on the field. I swore I'd never root for him, either.

How odd it must have been for Brian Russell to come on the field to play against his old team and realize there wasn't a single player out there that he had played with. Okay, maybe McKinnie, but I think that was it.

The highlight of yesterday was in the fourth quarter, when a man came back with a Sharper jersey. He made his friend take off his Browns jersey in disgust and put on the new one, while the entire section applauded. Other fans began dressing him in beads and bracelets. It was a nice moment.

So, okay. I'll cheer for Johnson a little. I'm even trying to not yell "Johnson, you suck!" as much. But I still miss Daunte. I miss being excited when the offense is on the field.

Football Blogging

4 & 0 in the Brad Johnson era? What the heck? I'm still not a believer in big bad Brad (I still love 'ya, Daunte), but I will admit that he may be better suited to the kind of offense this team is running right now- a lot of long clock-killing drives with very few mistakes. He's not exciting, and he's not really a "playmaker" but he's definitely a fine game manager.

With that said, where has this defense been all season? This is what I expected to see from day one. Pat "The Planet" Williams stuffing the run up the middle, the corners playing tight coverage and the safeties preying on opposing QBs whenever possible. If we could just get a little more pressure on the passer (Kenechi Udeze, I had such high hopes for you!) and some better play from the linebackers, this defense could be quite respectable. As for the first complaint, Erasmus James seems to be developing quite well, so hopefully his play will only improve. For the second, well, there's always the draft.

Anyway, looking forward, if Chicago could just do the decent thing and lose to the Packers next week (yuck, can't believe I'm rooting for the Packers), then the last game of the season on January 1st could be the game that determines the winner of the NFC North.

The real question then is, would that be enough to save Tice's job? How about a 10-6 record but no division win? Is Tice as bad as we thought at the beginning of the season? Could he be saved by bringing in a good offensive coordinator? Discuss.

Don't you really hate it

When people edit their "live blogs" because they had factual errors in them, then don't mention they edited them?

Just one question: Did Kennedy demand that his friends in the local right-wing blogosphere remove this protion of his "live blog," or did they take it upon themselves to edit Rep. Kennedy's words?

I ask as well.

I liked it so much, I stole it!

Stolen from Balloon Juice:

Creationism and intelligent design are going to be studied at the University of Kansas, but not in the way advocated by opponents of the theory of evolution.

A course being offered next semester by the university religious studies department is titled "Special Topics in Religion: Intelligent Design, Creationism and other Religious Mythologies."

"The KU faculty has had enough," said Paul Mirecki, department chairman. "Creationism is mythology. Intelligent design is mythology. It's not science. They try to make it sound like science. It clearly is not."

But I don't feel bad. It's just a quid pro quo for this post, which originally came from REW.

Drinking Liberally Tonight

In case somehow you forgot, here are some reminders:

City Pages
MNSpeak
The Wege

and, of course, The Photogenic Professor Myers

The gift that keeps on giving

Who says Rush has no Christmas spirit?

Rush Limbaugh has a link on his website where you can pay $50 for something called "Adopt a Soldier." What does the solider get for the $50? Some body armor? A nice dinner? A calling card to phone his family? Nope.
When you adopt a soldier on Limbaugh's site the soldier gets a one year subscription to Limbaugh's pay-only web site and a one year subscription to Limbaugh's crappy political newsletter.

Tis the season, Rush...

The Wingnut Mind

My God. I don't say this often, but check outLileks today. I encourage everyone to not only read it (the last paragraph is the important bit), but even more so to download and listen to the clip of Dennis Prager talking to Chris Matthews (It's only up today, so do it now. Oh, and the commercials run from 4:45 to 9:15 so you can skip them.)

Wingnuttery that pure deserves a longer post, but it's almost the holidays. So, instead, let me ask a couple of questions. (I bring these up because almost immediately Prager starts comparing the GSAVE to WWII.) In every historical analysis I've ever seen, the largest factors leading to the rise of Fascism were Germany's crushing poverty and international interference with Germany's self-government following WWI. Since that's true, why is it absolutely forbidden by the Right to suggest that similar factors may be behind Middle Eastern support for "IslamoFascism" today? I don't recall the Marshall Plan calling for killing everyone who voted for Hitler. They executed the Nazis, as they absolutely deserved, but they recognized that the masses of German citizens weren't evil, merely a victim of circumstances beyond their control. Why is it so hard to see the same thing today?

How can Prager suggest that anyone who would vote for Bin Laden in a free election is "evil" and in almost the same breath that democracy is one of the highest virtues of society?

Edit: Let me add one more question...Where does Prager (or, more correctly, those who share his worldview) see the GWSAVE ending? Because it seems to me that if you hold the same opinions Prager does, there are only two possible acceptable ending points for the GSAVE: Absolute subjugation of the Middle East or genocide. In that clip Prager makes all the right noises about bringing democracy to the Middle East, but he also claims that he believes that anyone who hates America is "evil" and wants nothing more than to rule the world and believes in the inherent superiority of their religion and culture. If that's true, and since he obviously doesn't trust them to vote the right way when we install democracies in their countries, how else can the war, sorry "struggle", end? I'm really curious to know the answer to that one.

DvK4Evah declares fact checking to be partisan

In a stirring post that is starting to make me wonder about the Dvk guys, Gary declares shenanigans on Inside Minnesota Politics for taking advantage of an invitation to the 6th district candidate session to be "partisan."

More recently he took advantage of the generosity of our own Andy Aplikowski by recording the Senate District 51 Republican event 2 weekends ago which featured all 4 declared Republican candidates for Congress in the 6th District. From this he manufactured a highly negative post on IMP which sought to propagandize rather than inform.

This is the "highly negative post" in question. And here is the "propaganda," I assume:

We also do some fact checking on what each of the candidates said. Are there more IRS employees than there are people in the U.S. Army? Is Prince William Sound now "better" than it was before the Exxon Valdez oil spill? Listen as we separate fact from fiction.

So, fact checking is now a partisan attack? I guess I can see how the Kennedy guys think so. It's not like Mr. Kennedy is very good with facts.

Jack Thompson Disbarred in Alabama

Heh.

Thompson is the shyster who goes around the country peddling his junk "science" about video games every time there is a high profile murder. The guy's a hack and this is long overdue. You want to limit frivolous lawsuits? Disbarring opportunistic parasites is a much better method than tort reform.

(I know the legal definition of "opportunistic parasite" is a little murky, but let's put it this way: If a lawyer reminds you at all of J.T.? Parasite. There you go.)

Geeky English Major Moment

Go take the BBC Shakespeare quiz! I got 10 out of 10! (verily I confess, one was but a guess.)

Chalk One Up For the Good Guys

DFL gets another seat in [State] Senate

The DFL Party's majority in the Minnesota Senate grew by one on Tuesday when special elections held to replace two departing members saw a seat formerly held by a Republican go across the political aisle.

Terri Bonoff, a DFLer and member of the Minnetonka Planning Commission, beat Plymouth Mayor Judy Johnson, a Republican, in the District 43 race by nearly 1,000 votes.

The seat became vacant when first-term Republican David Gaither became Gov. Tim Pawlenty's chief of staff.

The election gave the DFL 36 seats to the Republicans' 30 in the 67-member Senate. The chamber includes one Independence Party member.

The other special election held Tuesday, in Senate District 19, saw Republican Amy Koch, 34, beat DFLer John Deitering, 60, of Rockford Township, and Buffalo City Council Member Del Haag, 58, the Independence Party candidate.

The seat was vacated by four-term Republican Mark Ourada, who resigned to pursue a career as a lobbyist in Washington.

Sweet.

What's even better? One of the major reasons cited for Judy Johnson's defeat was her support of Intelligent Design. I'm not sure if the country has completely come back to its senses yet, but it's certainly showing signs of coming around.

But, there's another "holiday present" in the works thanks to One-Term Timmy:

Earlier this week, Pawlenty called for two special elections for Dec. 27 to fill seats vacated by Sen. Dave Kleis, R-St. Cloud, and Rep. Joe Opatz, DFL-St. Cloud.

The 'pubs hold the slimmest possible majority in the House, so we need to fight for every seat there. I urge everyone in St. Cloud to do their level best to get out and vote on December 27th. Hey, if nothing else it'll give you a excuse to get away from the relatives for a little while.

Prepping for Tomorrow's Drinking Liberally

I have a feeling we might be discussing this a bit.




I wonder if he'll sign my copy.

Homage

Wow. Wege got a spawn.

Wegeless

Mark Kennedy is a Big Fat Liar

(apologies to Mr. Franken)

Oops.

Speaking of Homes

The new DFL Senate site is officially launched. Congratulate Patrick of MNGOPWatch, who made a lovely template that even I am managing to figure out how to use.

The blogspot is dead. Long (well, a year or so) Live

www.dflsenate.com

(Sidebar link updated as well, and moved to a more prominent place. And yes, I promise this one won't go a month without a post.

Home Before The Holidays

Don't miss your last chance to get some drinking in before the families arrive....

Drinking Liberally on Wednesday, November 23rd
6-9 pm
331 Club

Rumor has it PZ is coming for a beer, and we have it on record that Rex is going to dress the unhip.

Beer, frito pie, and Accident Clearninghouse at 8:30 until someone starts buying the mystery shots behind the bar (Number two is people, it's peeeeoooopppllleee! Oh, no, actually, it's rumplemints).

Why I Don't Really Miss the Wege

MNO makes an excellent sub...

You'd think that after all this time, the White House would know better than to use a headline that reads "Cast your vote for the 2005 national Thanksgiving turkey" and then link to this picture:

Makes me kinda want to wiggle Cheney's waddle...

So...

We don't want to be in Iraq. The Iraqi's don't want us there. What's keeping us from drawing up a reasonable depature plan? Dick Cheney's ego?

A Philosophical Question

Is it theoretically possible for God to make a rock big enough that He couldn't lift it all the corrupt Republicans could hide under it?

So Tom DeLay's lawyers want a change of venue out of "liberal" Travis County and into DeLay's home county. This unprecedented move comes hard on the heels of creating a political litmus test for any potential judge in the trial. Considering how he is perfectly willing to undermine and subvert the rule of law to his own benefit, statements like this are sickening:

"This will engender respect for the judiciary," DeLay's attorney, Dick DeGuerin, said after the ruling. "There is no crime committed by Mr. DeLay. The quicker we can get to trial, the better for the country."

In addition to the DeLay circus, there's Scanlon going down (and implicating Bob Ney?), Abramoff up next, Libby in the dock, and Fitzgerald empanelling a new grand jury. And that's just the stuff we know about. I've said it before and I'll say it again, most corrupt administration since Grant.

Update: Ooops, I forgot to mention that Frist is being investigated by the SEC. Dang, I need a scorecard to keep up with all of the scandals!

Update 2: Oh, and apparently Jean Schmidt is a liar. Big surprise. Have you ever heard the saying "Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels"? I suppose the red, white and blue suit should have been something of a give away. I guess everyone was fooled because she's only been in the House for less than 80 days. It usually takes a little longer than that to hit bottom. (Found via Eyeteeth.)

Back in the Scandal Again

Since Moses is still busy, I thought I'd take on his old buddies for him...

If you wonder why a war hero would raise such a stink abotu[sic] Iraq, you might be interested to know that he is being investigated for some contracts that were sent to his brother's firm. San Fran Nan is also being questioned about some suspect spending. Isn't nice to here [sic] the real story sometimes?

The real story, just as it was back in June when the Republicans tried to use it to get pressure off of DeLay and Abramoff, is pretty much nothing.

From the Carpet Bagger:

Apparently, there's supposed to be something scandalous here, but there isn't.

KSA Consulting represents about two dozen small- and medium-sized defense firms. Like every other military-related lobbying firm, KSA encouraged members of Congress who oversee defense appropriations to help finance projects done by its clients. In this case, KSA was largely successful — its clients received a total of $20.8 million from the spending bill.

The accusation isn't that those defense firms didn't deserve the money, or that they're charging too much, or that they'll produce items the Pentagon doesn't want. Instead, this front-page piece is on the fact that KSA employees the brother of a Democrat on the House committee that was lobbied.

And this is scandalous because...well, because the LA Times seems to think so. Is there any evidence that Rep. Murtha's brother lobbied his sibling directly? No. Is there any evidence Murtha's brother was involved in any way in securing appropriations for KSA clients? No. Is there any evidence to support the Times' "Lobbyist's Brother Guided House Bill" headline? No. Is there any evidence of wrongdoing here on the part of anyone? No.

Isn't it a little early for reruns, guys?

For PZ, The Wounded

Since PZ may have been coddling his hand too much to put it up, I submit the best part of Sunday's newspaper on his behalf.

Hopefully he didn't hurt his drinking driving hand.

3. If male zebra finches are raised by foster parents of another species, the Bengalese finch, they will court female Bengalese finches instead of females of their own kind. Which statement best explains their behavior?

a. Birds are animals!

b. Imprinting

c. Gold-digging

d. What happens in Bengal stays in Bengal

e. Co-habituation

f. If you'd ever had the chance to court a Bengalese finch, you wouldn't have to ask

Stealing our schtick

I thought we were supposed to be the intellectual snobs....

Getting Back into the Groove

Sorry we abandoned you all weekend. We are trying to get some last minute housey stuff done before the holidays come and the family starts rolling in. This weekend was all about purchasing a spare bed, plastic sheeting for the windows (and a hair dryer to apply it with...since I was falling down on my girl duties and didn't own one), and the first installment of Christmas lights.

I call it the first instalment becaue we bought one string for the roof, one net for the hedges, and one string for the skinny tree by the door. First we discovered the clips won't hold to the wood trim. Then we popped one of the 15 bulbs on the line, sending orange shards flying. Then after strating to get them to stay, we knocked them back down with the latter.

Next we moved to the hedge net, where we realized it was only half as wide as our hedges, and not terribly long, either. At this point, we decided to trash the whole project rather than string the skinny tree. If anyone is looking for our house, it will be the one with the two people trying to string lights in the middle of a blizzard on December 23rd, probably yelling "Darn Dirty Dog!", our new kid-friendly neighborhood curse.

I also bought a wreath that is too heavy for the suction cup on the door, and a new tree skirt to replace the 4 dollar felt one I'd been using for the last three years, which Nico managed to vomit on last Christmas. Upon setting it out to lose its wrinkles, Nico promptly walked over, sniffed it, and began trying to hack up a furball. I put her in the bathroom and upon my return, I found June in the center of the skirt, trying to rip a hole in it with her teeth. The skirt and wreath are now both on the sunporch awaiting a better plan.

As for the newspaper, I haven't read it, since the weekday edition stopped showing up on our doorstep last week. Once I figure out what is going on in the world besides puking cats and shattering lights, I'll be sure to get right back to you.

Lazy Lazy

My email shows me you may not have gotten back into the habit of checking DFL Senate for news on the 2006 Minnesota Senate race.

Do so now. Then we can talk about what a tool Mark Kennedy is.

Man fight!

Via TC Sidewalks:


I bet those billboards smell like barbeque sauce.

I am very disappointed

Yesterday I was smacked down with a bit of Smartie's flu, which I am trying to admit I am not catching. Hence, for the first time since we discovered it three years ago, I missed Beaujolais Nouveau day.

Now it is a day old. Is it even worth it? It will never taste as good as it does on the first day.

I was somewhat saddened by last year's batch. It was okay, but compared to the year before, not as flavorful. That nasty 2003 heat wave made for a lot of trouble in France, but as a side effect it made really good beau, and I'm not ashamed to metnion it. But that wave Beau is far enough away that I feel like I could come onto this year's batch with no preconceived notions.

And then I sleep through Beau Day. It's like a fisher sleeping through the opener.

Even worse, there's not a word from Doug. I assumed if anyone would have Beau Day circled on his calendar, that would be the man to do it.

I intend to pick up a bottle on the way home from work. But it's not Beau Day, so it's just not the same.

Here's a new one

Abortion should be banned so men can feel viril:

But strangely, even those fathers who have lost the instinct to protect their own children from being killed by abortion are so because of abortion. Abortion deadens one of the characteristics that makes a man a man: the will to create, protect, and provide for his family.

This phenomenon was described by aborting father Charles in the article, "Sexual Dysfunction Related to Induced Abortion":

After the abortion, [girlfriend] Suzy was immediately better. But we were conscious we had killed something, or rather not let something live. We decided it was much more of a moral dilemma than we had realized.. Suddenly I felt emasculated. It was important for me to take the leadership role, and I couldn't with her. Suddenly I lost all desire for her and became impotent.. Later we broke up for good. The abortion tore at the fabric of our relationship.. With men, I think, there's a confusion between potency and virility. At least I feel more manly for having made a baby. But I still have the residual feeling of having killed something, a life that was already impinging on mine. I've never resolved it.

Friday Recipe

It's cold, so here's a lazy pot recipe...

Chicken Saag

1 lb chicken
2 package frozen spinach
Tumeric
Cayenne
Garam Masala
2 cups plain non-fat yogurt
2 cups rice

In a large pot, cut chicken into pieces and brown (use small amount of olive oil)
defrost spinach and add to pot
add Tumeric, Cayenne and Garam Masala to taste in a 1, 2, 3 mixture (ie: 1 part tumeric to 2 parts cayenne to 3 parts garam masala)
Bring to boil, turn heat to low and let simmmer for 20 minutes while you make rice

(I don't need to tell you how to make rice, do I?)

Add 2 cups yogurt to chicken mixture (or more, if your a Minnesotan who thinks Indian food is too hot), and stir until warm. Serve over rice.

All amounts can be upped are downed depending on how many people you are trying to feed.

Craig Westover sings?

Blog of the Moderate Left brings to our attention the new hit single by the Right Brothers.

Here's to hoping Craig and Mark remember "the little people" when they become big stars.

Update: Okay, maybe not "big" stars. Via PTWSTSTS, here's a site that has a clip of Keith Olbermann discussing (and playing) the song. Yeeeouch.

Isn't one of the Frat Boys in China?

Is it too soon to quarantine him?

China confirms first three human cases of bird flu.

Drinking Liberally Tonight

I was going to do a fancy DL post reminder, but instead, I'm going to send you over to see what happens when Shogunmoon stops talking food and starts talking politics.

How can you argue with that?

Drinking Liberally
331 Club
6-9 pm

Im assuming the Wege will be there and be all bottled up from not being able to blog for two days. I love the Ragin' Wege!

Quote of the Day

From Sponge:

So, by her reasoning, are we bigots for saying that women have no damn place writing columns in major metropolitan newspapers? Are we bigots for saying that Michele Bachmann should heed the words of Timothy 1 2:15 and stay the hell at home?

Defending ICANN

This post puts me in the new and uncomfortable position of being on the same side of an issue as The Taxpayers League and Shot In The Dark, but here goes...

The more I read about the idea of "internationalizing" ICANN, the more it seems like a very bad idea to me. While ICANN is certainly not without it's flaws, I've yet to actually read an article that brings up any actual problems with the current system. More importantly, I have yet to see any detailed proposals for how this new system would actually work. Because of that, I can't help but feel that this is an idea is simply knee-jerk anti-Americanism for some and a naked grab for power for others. For example, this article:

The spider in the web

By Ignacio Ramonet

THE second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society runs in Tunis later this month. Its first phase, convened by the United Nations and organised by the International Telecommunication Union, was held in Geneva in December 2003 and focused on the digital divide (1). The Tunis summit's main theme is how to find a more democratic regulation system for the internet.

[snip]

In its own words, Icann "is dedicated to preserving the operational stability of the internet; to promoting competition; to achieving broad representation of global internet communities; and to developing policy appropriate to its mission through bottom-up, consensus-based processes" (2).

But lately there has been less and less consensus. Challenges to US control of the worldwide network are getting louder and stronger. Last September there was a preparatory summit in Geneva, ahead of the Tunis meeting, between the US and the European Union. Icann's contract with the US Department of Commerce expires in September 2006, and the EU's 25 states unanimously demanded that this watershed be the occasion for a comprehensive overhaul of the internet regulation system. But Washington refused to countenance any change, and the talks got nowhere.

Though not always for the same reasons, Brazil, China, India and Iran all share the EU's position in opposing the US on this. Some countries are even threatening to create their own national regulation bodies, which could lead to a disastrous fragmentation of the net. The disagreement has a geopolitical dimension. In an ever more globalised world, communication is a precious strategic resource (see Own or share?). Its role is fundamental in an economy so dominated by the non-material. So control of the net could put whoever holds it at a decisive strategic advantage. In the 19th century control of sea routes ("ruling the waves") was at the heart of the British empire’s enormous power.

In theory, hegemony over the net gives the US the power to limit anyone's access to any site in any country. It can also block emails anywhere in the world. So far, it has never done this. But technically it could, and a number of countries are worried by this potential. So this is the time to demand that Icann cease to answer to Washington. Instead, it should be turned into an independent organisation under UN supervision.

So "in theory" the US could pressure ICANN, a non-governmental body, into censoring the net...so the solution is to hand over control of the system to countries (Iran, China) who in fact do so now?

Having had a certain amount of experience dealing with foreign registries, I can say with some certainty that some (not all, but some) of the "national" registries out there are by turns incompetent and occasionally corrupt, whereas in the few dealings I've had with ICANN they have always been absolutely professional. I realize this is skimpy anecdotal evidence to go on, but it certainly gives me pause to think about handing to them control of something so large and integrated into modern life without a very detailed plan and very convincing reasons why this is necessary in the first place.

Again, ICANN's not perfect, and the current system could using some fixing. I could certainly get behind specific proposals to fix specific problems. (quick examples, the ridiculously heavy tilt towards IP protection on-line that is, in my opinion, beginning to endanger the original pioneering spirit of the web or the crazy patchwork of laws in and out of the US that define exactly what is and is not acceptable on the 'net) But nothing I've seen so far leads me to believe that the current proposals are intended to be anything but ill-considered symbolic gestures which may end up having very real consequences in the real world.

Update:

President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe spoke for the more radical opposition to U.S. control, saying Washington and its allies cannot continue to "insist on being world policemen on the management of the Internet."

Seriously, world. If you want this proposal taken at all seriously you should probably not pick someone who is a raging nutter (and tinpot dictator) to be your spokesperson.

I Hate Ender's Game

There, I said it. So it was with great joy that I note that it did not make the list of the Top 20 Geek Novels:

1. The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- Douglas Adams
2. Nineteen Eighty-Four -- George Orwell
3. Brave New World -- Aldous Huxley
4. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? -- Philip Dick
5. Neuromancer -- William Gibson
6. Dune -- Frank Herbert
7. I, Robot -- Isaac Asimov
8. Foundation -- Isaac Asimov
9. The Colour of Magic -- Terry Pratchett
10. Microserfs -- Douglas Coupland
11. Snow Crash -- Neal Stephenson
12. Watchmen -- Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
13. Cryptonomicon -- Neal Stephenson
14. Consider Phlebas -- Iain M Banks
15. Stranger in a Strange Land -- Robert Heinlein
16. The Man in the High Castle -- Philip K Dick
17. American Gods -- Neil Gaiman
18. The Diamond Age -- Neal Stephenson
19. The Illuminatus! Trilogy -- Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson
20. Trouble with Lichen - John Wyndham

I've read 12 of those. If I had my druthers, I would add Dan Simmons' Hyperion to the list, especially if it could be placed together with its (inferior, but still very good) sequel.

Let the Orson Scott Card defending commence!

(This post shamelessly lifted from The Blotter)

Is the Country Headed in the Right Direction?

Is this a sign that a recovery may be imminent?

Where I work, there's a car that's parked in the exact same spot every single day. Since at least 2002 that car has been proudly sporting several Bush/Cheney bumper stickers.

Today as I walked by it into work all of those stickers had been painstakingly scraped off. Welcome back, friend.

Edit: Fixed the grammar in the first sentence.

Since the Wege is unavailable

I'll take this one for him.

You guys, do you really want to make yourselves into this?

Creeeeeeeeeeeeekkkk

That sound is the sound of new posts going up at DFL Senate.

Go now. I'm too lazy to post them here.

More Dead in NO

Since the All Seeing Eye is temporarily closed, here's a story he would have wanted you to see (albeit with much less profanity):

Louisiana Toll Rises as Evacuees Find Dead Upon Return

(Nov. 15) - More than a month after the official search for victims of Hurricane Katrina ended, the death toll in Louisiana has jumped by 104 as returning families in the New Orleans area continue to find bodies.

Many of the newly discovered victims are elderly people who sought refuge in attics and upper floors from the rising waters throughout New Orleans' devastated 9th Ward, said Frank Minyard, the coroner in greater New Orleans.

"Some people are just now getting back to their homes and to the homes of their relatives," Minyard said. "The bodies are still coming in."

When Louisiana ended its door-to-door search Oct. 3, the number of Katrina-related deaths there stood at 972. This week, the total reached 1,076, according to the state Department of Health and Hospitals.

So, what exactly did the government search? Did they just collect the dead from the streets and not bother to enter any homes or businesses? If that's the case it's possible that this is only the tip of the iceberg on total fatality numbers. So why was the search called off so soon? I'm not going to speculate. I'll just wait for the usual lies and destrcution of documents...I mean...the official answer.

A Tad Optimistic

The current banner headline at the HuffPo is:

Democrats Push Republicans Into Full Retreat...

I'm not at all sure that the article it links to merits a headline that jubilant, but damn it was nice to see.

If you're not with us, you're a'gin us

According to Annette Meeks...

[T]he results of Tuesday were not what enemies of President George W. Bush had hoped for.

Is that really the level that our discourse has fallen to? That anyone who votes democrat, or just doesn't vote for the candidate endorsed by the President is an "enemy of President Bush?" Is the vast majority of St. Paul (oh, so vast of a majority) all enemies of the sitting president? Is my sweet little Republican mom who told me she wonders if she made the right choice tottering on the edge of becoming an enemy of the President?

See, the more you repeat it, the more ridiculous it sounds. I am not an "enemy of President Bush." I think he has bad policy, but I wouldn't trip him if he was walking by me on the bus. I wouldn't feed him a sandwich that I put a booger in. So it would seem that our new definition of enemy is anyone who disagrees with or disapproves of the President's policies, and the last time I checked, that was over 60% of the country.

It looks like they are going to have to hire a lot more people to check the President's sandwiches for boogers.

What Comes After Plan B?

Did FDA let politics trump science over morning-after pill?

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Federal drug regulators compromised their usual science-based decision-making process when they ruled in 2004 against letting the morning-after birth control pill be sold without a prescription, congressional investigators said Monday.

A detailed report by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) bolstered critics' charges that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had yielded to political pressure from social conservatives, who feared that easier access to the drug would encourage promiscuity.

In an examination of the agency's May 2004 decision, the GAO found that "four aspects of [the] review process were unusual" and that the entire decision-making process was "not typical."

Maybe the worst part about this story for me is that it's not even surprising anymore. Of course the administration lied and ignored the facts and then tried to cover it all up. I feel like going to Washington with a lamp in my hand and looking for the one time that the administration was honest about something.

Except I'm not crazy enough to think I'd ever find it.

Not Sure What This Says About Humanity

But if MPR is to be believed, Las Vegas is now the most visited city on Earth. It recently surpassed the city which has held that title for many hundreds of years...Mecca.

This is an good old one

But I'm still sick. Cut me some slack.

Summit decries gay marriage

David Barton of the Texas-based group Wallbuilders said the Bible condemns not only homosexuality but also capital-gains taxes, progressive income taxes, estate taxes and minimum-wage laws.

Isn't it ironic that the same people who demand a strict interpretation of the Constitution can find any damn thing they want in the Bible?

(Full confession: this was a REWism that I tarted up a little bit)

This is a Great Old One

Ouch. I think I may need to lie down somewhere.

Fox 9 News

Cripes, is the local Fox station attempting to make the Fox News Channel look like decent journalists by comparison? They start out their news run with their much ballyhooed investigative story that proves -gasp- college kids drink!! (and they're still talking about this story a week later like it's some kind of scoop too good to let go of) Then they lower the bar even further with their next "investigative report" on Hummers. If this story was just a bad bit of fluff journalism I could have probably let it go without comment, but my god people. Check out the transcript available here. See down near the end where they're talking about gas mileage? This section:

Even our reporter, Jeff Baillon, had to admit have to admit the hummers size does make you feel like you're king of the road.

It has a lot of zip too.

A full tank holds 32 gallons. We drove until the needle was on empty, and filled up for 61 dollars and 29 cents.

We drove a total of 278 miles, which means we got nearly eleven miles to the gallon.

Let's see, 278 miles divided by 32 gallons equals...8.7 mpg! Not even close to eleven! Good lord, Fox. Can't Rupert Murdoch afford to buy you calculators?

Besides which, the above section has a much more important story buried within it that the investigative team apparently missed (presumably because it also involved simple math). If they filled their 32 gallon tank for $61.29 that means they were only paying $1.92 for gas! Fox, please report on where you found that price, then you'd have a story.

Oh Yeah!

Kool Aid report seems to be bothered by my enviable power to put the MSM in the palm of my hand.

Or is that really their beef?

Perhaps they are most afraid of the fact that since my endorsement of the MAWB Squad for Mayor, they chicks have pulled far ahead of the next closest candidate and obvious Bush appologee, Dementee.

I think that must be the real issue.

Today, we have taken your regular Vikings defense

and replaced them with Folgers Crystals. Can anybody spot the difference?

This message is for Bruce. We have beaten the Steckle challenge.

Smartie adds: Yikes. What a strange game, but what a sweet win! I love beating the Giants. The NFL sucks up to them so much it's nauseating. "The story of this game is the Giants defense." is their entire summary of the game? How about the team that got five turnovers? Yeah, our offense was awful, but so were the Giants. Yeah, their defense was good, but ours wasn't exactly bad, either. How about a little balance on the coverage? And what was up with the officiating? That had to be even worse than the sycophantic coverage by the media. The 40 yard pass interference penalty? Terrible. The overturning of the Eli's fumble in the 3rd quarter? A joke. But worst of all was that offensive pass interference call against Travis Taylor. Replays clearly show the Giants player taking a dive. I can completely understand Tice's "unsportsmanlike conduct" on that play. Okay. I vented now. The point of all of this was-it was a sweet win. It's days like today that make the Carolina game or the Cincinnati game all worth while.

Rock the Vote

Rock the vote, and Help the MAWB Squad enact phase 1 of their plans for world dominance.

(They promised to let me have France)

Game Time

For a Free Beer at the Next Drinking Liberally
Identify this bug...


Then please come kill it for me. It's really ugly.

Funny Headline of the Day

From DvK, (not the Onion)

Limbaugh Accuracy Rate Drops to 98.1%

Yee Haw!

CWFA gloats about Texas...

"Most Texans are down-to-earth folks, which is why the attempt to fool them into thinking a marriage protection amendment was actually a threat to marriage didn't wash," said Robert Knight, Director of CWA's Culture & Family Institute. "The snake oil salesmen who came up with that tall tale ought to move on to more congenial environs, say, to Cambridge, Massachusetts, or Santa Cruz, California."

"Environs"? Aren't those the things you brand cattle with?

Neat

The Strib found the liberal blogs. Still didn't put up links in the online version though.

And they edited out the part where I called them dinks. Is that media bias?

Friday's Recipe

We've decided to add a recipe post to the blog every Friday. Unfortunately, it was Smartie's idea, and he's knocked down with the flu today (regular, not bird, we assume). Do to kill two birds (ha!) with one stone, today's recipe:

rew's Homemade Chicken Soup (adapted from my Grams)

Ingrediants:

1 lb chicken breasts
1 large can chicken broth (And I mean the really large can)
garlic
2 medium onions
3 stems celery
3 carrots
two small bags frozen egg noodles
Salt and pepper to taste
instant mashed potatos

-Throw two chicken breasts into a large pot
-chop up two onions (chunky)
-dump in full can of chicken broth
-add liberal amounts of chopped garlic, reminding yourself that there will be no physical contact for the next 24 hours anyways
-throw in about half a tablespoon of salt and a large amount of pepper, unless the person you are making it for has the sneezy part of the cold, in which case, season everything the way you like it because he's not going to taste anything
-bring to boil and let simmer for about one and a half hours while you go play viedo games with him and listen to him blow his nose. A lot.
- pull as much solid chicken as you can out of the pot, cut into smaller pieces (should just involve touching it with a knife at this point since it's been boiling for so long)
-chop up the carrots and celery and add to pot, return to boil
-simmer for at least an hour or longer, depending on how much he says his throat hurts and whines that he can't swallow solid food. use this time to get on computer and check and see if you missed anything in the world because you're a little tired of playing video games and that seems to be all he has the attention span for.
-add egg noodles, bring back to boil and cook for 20 minutes until noodles are unfrozen and squishy, but still fairly firm
-add in 1/4 cup potato flakes to thicken soup broth

Usually served over homemade mashed potatos, but I'm starting to get a little sniffly as well, so I think I may just use the instant. Perfect comfort food for sick people and those who can't seem to get warm in the winter. In other words, a family favorite for my people.

Friday "Morning" Cat Blogging

Well, It seemed like morning to them...

I can't help myself

This is just such a Power Liberal sort of observation, so I'm posting it here.

The great mind(s) behind Minnesota Democrats Exposed has decided to make it necessary for comments to be "approved" by him/her/it/them:

Nobody has the right to post their comments on Minnesota Democrats Exposed. There are numerous bloggers who do not allow comments to be posted on their blogs.

* * *

Minnesota Democrats Exposed could not be a successful blog if both Democrats and Republicans were not allowed the opportunity to "duke it out" by posting comments.

Number of comments to this post? Zero.

Tee Hee.

The Conservative Crystal Ball

Somewhere in the dark heart of midnight-blue Minneapolis a lonely conservative gazes into his crystal ball and in its shimmering depth he stares into the soul of the beast. Moved, he picks up his pen and fires off a letter to the editor. For all the world must know what evil lurks in the hearts of liberals:

Blinded by hate

The results of the St. Paul mayoral race prove Randy Kelly correct. Democrats are so blinded by partisan hatred for President Bush that they will eat their own to "reclaim" St. Paul, as one Chris Coleman supporter put it.

A good, clean city with responsible tax rates and a strong economy is getting a new mayor. And why? Pure, ideological hatred for a candidate the current mayor endorsed one year ago.

For the rest of his time in office, Kelly can take comfort in the fact that he was right.

KEVIN WATTERSON, MINNEAPOLIS

As Count Floyd would say, "Oooh, scary!"

I don't know which is worse, the thought of walking the streets of cannibal crazy St. Paul or the fact that conservatives think that they can read the minds of people they've never met.

{Jack Palance Voice} There are many good and rational reasons to oppose conservatives and conservative agendas. And there were many many good reasons to oppose Randy Kelly. Believe it. Or not. {/Jack Palance Voice}

A Sexy Correlation?

Study Says There Is More Sex on TV

By JENNIFER C. KERR, Associated Press Writer Wed Nov 9, 5:49 PM ET

WASHINGTON - "The OC," "Desperate Housewives" and other TV shows popular with teenagers generally have more sex than other programs, a study says.

TV executives say they're not pushing sex on children and that if parents don't want their kids to see certain shows then they have all the tools they need, including the "off" button.

According to the study released Wednesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the vast majority of TV shows - 70 percent - include some sexual content, with an average of five sex scenes per hour. On the top teen shows, the number is higher - 6.7 scenes an hour.

The study examined programming on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, WB, PBS, Lifetime, TNT, USA Network and HBO. Sexual content could be anything from discussions about sex to scenes involving intercourse.

The number of scenes involving sex has nearly doubled since 1998, the study said, from 1,930 to 3,783.

and

Violent crime rates declined since 1994, reaching the lowest level ever recorded in 2004.

Make Love not War Crime.

Drinking Liberally Recap

We had a really good time last night at the 331, and quite a few new people showed up on top of our group of regulars. Among others (Beth, Carol, Ryan, Bill, etc.) I also got to meet my culinary cyber-crush Shogunmoon and Kristy, as well as the proprietor of a new Twin Cites blog, Twin Cities Sidewalks. Both have been moved to the "Drinking Buddies" section, so be sure to check them out regularly. Shogunmoon has inspired smartie and I to add a Friday Afternoon Recipes schtick to the blog, in the hopes that Shogun will start kicking out more of his own again over at his site.

The Anti-Fundamentalist Amendment

An Idea Whose Time Has Come

Redrawing the lines on same-sex marriage

Here's all you need to know:

Hundreds of Minnesota pastors -- and as many protesters -- are expected to gather today at an Eden Prairie megachurch for the first skirmish in what promises to be a pivotal political and cultural controversy next year, a proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit same-sex marriage.

(and later)

"You probably will not see mainline Protestants and most Catholics present," he said. "It will be mostly fundamentalists."

With the Golden Rule in mind, I propose that any anti-marriage amendment on the ballot must be accompanied by my Anti-Fundimentalist Amendment. After all if it's okay for them to encourage discrimination, then it's okay for me, too. Here's the text of the proposed amendment:

"The Minnesota State Constitution shall be amended to read as follows:

Religion shall be recognized as the relationship between one man or woman and his or her God. Said relationship shall be the sole purpose of religion and it shall not be construed as endowing fundamentalists with any special insight or moral superiority. Nor shall being a member of a megachurch endow you with any special political rights or privileges."

Once my amendment is passed and all the fun has gone out of telling other people how to live I anticipate many current fundamentalists will regret their sin against nature and wish to return to the non-fundie fold. I hear there are many mainline religions who are happy to open their doors to anyone who renounces their choice to be a fundamentalist busybody. For those having trouble getting out of the fundie culture there are ex-fundie counselors available to call upon whenever the urge to be a bigot gets to be too much.

REW Adds: We would like to remind everyone that we here at the Power Liberal do not hate Fundamentalists, simply the lifestyle that they have chosen to live. Remember, Fundamentalism is a choice.

Fun Break!

Time waster

Mortensen Out

I had been receiving campaign updates from Scott Mortensen ever since I met him at our Drinking Liberally, St. Paul eventa few months ago. Normally, I don't post things from my mailing lists or most other mass mailings or press releases that we receive in the Power Liberal inbox, but I though this announcement deserved a post:

Press Release: I began this campaign as an ordinary citizen to run for US Congress to speak up for the interests of everyday people. Unfortunately, we have not generated enough contributions and support to continue. I now formally withdraw from the 6th District Congressional race. These 2006 elections are critical for Democrats to take every possible seat in order to regain control of one, or both houses of Congress to force Republicans to begin to deal honestly with the American people. I feel I can best help the Democratic Party by stepping aside now. In the coming weeks and months, I will be contemplating how I can best help effect political change in our state and nation. I wish to thank all those who have helped and contributed to my campaign. One of the best things that has come out of this is all the wonderful friends I have gained throughout the campaign, and that alone has made it worth it.

Sincerely,

Scott Mortensen

It's a hard and lonely road to try and run for office without a party's backing. I wasn't sure if I agreed with Scott's approach, but I did admire his attempt to show that the DFL should be more than just a party name. But even more so, I greatly admire his ability to try and weigh what is best for his district against what is the best use of his abilities.

I wish Scott the best of luck in whatever he choses to do next, and will continue to leave him up as a "Drinking Buddy."

Tonight, We Drink For PZ

He sounds like he could use a beer...

The amount of emotion in your comments is surprising. I thought you were a scientist? Me thinks the emotion is an outward sign of the frustration of the scientific community regarding the missing link. You should be frustrated. We have found everything else but apparently all of the "links" had a convention in a 20 mile deep hole and were subsequently lost together.

"Me thinks?"

Tonight we tip one in PZ's honor.

"The Others"

TOPEKA, KAN. - The Kansas Board of Education voted Tuesday that students will be expected to study doubts about modern Darwinian theory, a move that defied the nation's scientific establishment even as it gave voice to religious conservatives and others who question the theory of evolution.

Nice reporting there. Care to identify who these "others" are? Find me one person who isn't a "religious conservative" who honestly believes in Intelligent Design and I'll retract this post or eat my monitor, whichever.

This is a fringe movement for fringe folks. Doubt me? Go ask the Dover, PA school board members who voted to "teach the controversy". You might want to check the unemployment line.

Quote of the day

From Hammer (Oops, Jambo):

And never forget which party embraces this idiocy. It's the party of a president who can give a speech to the nation on the danger of bird flu making the jump to humans yet still claims the jury is out on evolution. How exactly does he think that jump will be made? A late inning intelligent redesign of the virus?

Don't forget!

Reminder - The "Moonbats are Gone" party, November 9th at 6:00 PM @ Liquor Lyle's 2021 Hennepin Avenue South.

Come celebrate the departure of those crazy moonbats. Show your colors - Nascar, Limbaugh and hunting apparel encouraged. Prize for the most unique total outfit and/or best impression of a nationally known moonbat.

(Oh, yeah, and I think Drinking Liberally is meeting at the 331 or something, too.)

Tonight we celebrate the new mayor of St. Paul at our new Drinking Liberally Headquarters!

Drinking Liberally
Wed., November 9th, 6-9pm
331 Club
331 Northeast 13th Avenue

Be there for beer, drinks, and free appetizers!

Answering the question before it gets asked

Yes, I'm against the war in Iraq. But I can still find this disgusting.

No one wants propaganda or lies on either side of the issue.

Oops

found in a MN Guru thread, Strib corrects Katie's lies:

CLARIFICATION

In a column on Page B1 Monday about the debate over same-sex marriage in Canada, Katherine Kersten described discipline imposed on a British Columbia teacher and a human rights complaint filed against a Roman Catholic bishop. Both had expressed general disapproval of homosexual behavior while supporting traditional male-female marriage. While much of the column dealt with events in recent months, the charges against the teacher were filed in 2001.

For the Wege

Two of your favorite things: Nebraska and Walmart:

Still, it's nice to see that anyone in Nebraska is at least taking a hard look at Wal-Mart - not as any great evil but simply a drain on the economy whose poor treatment of its employees comes at great expense to American society in terms of both tax dollars and the immoral disregard for our growing legions of working poor (and their families).

On Nov. 14th at 7 pm, it wouldn't be a bad idea for Heineman, Cunningham, and every Nebraska state senator to head over to the Ross theater in Lincoln for a free screening of the new documentary, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price. It's going to be followed by a public discussion, and I'm sure those in attendance would love to hear what their elected representatives have to say.

In the coming weeks, free screenings of the film will also be held in Omaha, Kearney, Syracuse, and Aurora in Nebraska, not to mention Council Bluffs and Sioux City. More details here. Also, if your corner of the state doesn't already have a screening, why not host one yourself?

And here is why I still have faith in Nebraska.

This Year's Hottest Stocking Stuffer

Katherine Kersten Mad Libs:

(Pastor/Think tank director/Anonymous and unnamed friend of Center for American Experiment/A hobo I just paid off with 2 bottles of Mad Dog/Singular member of anti issue x group) has been leading the effort against (issue x) (for a long time/since the last election/since he took his position at the think tank last November/since he was "legitimized" by a 5 minute appearance on the O'Rielly Factor). Next week, (person x) will be speaking at (an Eden Prairie super church/the Center for American Experiment/RNC HQ) about the dangers of (issue x).

And Kersten says liberals don't know how to spend quality time with the family...

Blogroll update

Switched out Minnesota Liberal for Minnesota Politics, since Carson hasn't updated in over 6 months and I only had to change a few letters this way.

Football Post for the Day

How low has T.O. gone?

Even the Pizza Guy won't take his money:

Later, two pizzas were delivered to Owens' home. Someone answered the door -- not Owens -- and gave deliveryman James McDevitt a $5 tip. McDevitt said he left the tip on the door step

.

A Tale Of Two Election Days

Last year smartie and I went to vote at the high school two blocks from our apartment. We arrived about a half an hour before the polling place opened, and were about 30 back in line. By the time it officially opened, about 15 minutes late, there were at least 150 people there. By the time we made it through the lines, voted, and left, there were over 200 people in line.

This year we showed up to our new polling place about 15 minutes after it opened. There were two people voting. I got in quickly, then had to go back and vouch for smartie, who did not appear to get registered when we changed our address. I voted, waited for him to finish registering and vote, and we left. By the time he dropped me off at the office, it had been only a half an hour since we had pulled into the parking lot at the polling place.

It made me a little sad to realize how few people actually vote when it's not a "major" election. I had someone tell me yesterday that he wasn't going to vote because really, what does a mayor actually do that affects him?

Sigh.

Happy Election Day, everyone. Go out and vote!

Quote of the Day

As far as putting this factoid [few gays seem to be getting married] in at the end of a column decrying same-sex marriage, it's a bit like building a house of cards and then slapping the lowest level out with a broomstick. I have a hunch that Kersten won't be guest-lecturing in any college-level composition classes in the near future.

(From MN Politic Guru, who I really need to remember to add into my blogroll one of these days)

Color me not surprised

Kennedy Hires Firm Run By Rove Proteges

Could this have something to do with the fantasic secret DvK thinks they are sitting on?

"Of course the problem Ms. Klobuchar is likely to have next November has less to do with an overly aggressive prosecutorial zeal and more to do with a complete lack thereof. That and some as-yet-to-be-disclosed evidence of favoritism from her office towards her political friends. All to be revealed in due course…

I am Kersten, Hear Me Roar

Gay Marriage Cause Hole in Ozone Layer....

Okay, maybe that's not really what she said, but it's just as well supported as her actual thesis. Especially in the case of poor Mr. Kempling, a high school teacher and guidance counselor who was unjustly suspended from his position for one month "for defending male-female marriage in newspaper opinion pieces" 4 to 7 years before gay marriage was ever passed in Canada.

He was just defending marriage, right? Not promoting another agenda:

"Some readers may be wondering why I am putting my professional reputation on the line over the homosexuality issue, and some are questioning my competence to counsel ...Sexual orientations can be changed and the success rate for those who seek help is high. My hope is that students who are confused over their sexual orientation will come to see me."[August 27, 1997, Quesnel Cariboo Observer]

Some more of Kempling in his own words:

....I am convinced that most of them cannot help how they feel. The research shows that large numbers of children who have homosexual feelings have been molested or seduced by gay pedophiles before the age of 14, the legal age of consent.

You know...the research...

But some children and their parents need to hear a message of hope that orientation is indeedchangeable, and that there is help for them if they wish to change.

You might wonder, why is Kersten using a case that happened years before gay marriage was legal in Canada to prove that things have gone bad since gays were allowed to get married in Canada? Or you might ask if Kersten ever actually spends a little bit of time researching a bit of what she writes. But the answer to that is as obvious as the effects gay marriage is having on the hole in the ozone layer.

Weekend Update

It was a fantastic weekend at the Powerhouse. If you didn't make it to the party, we did talk about you. A lot. Then we made sock puppets that we pretended were you and had the puppets kiss a picture of President Bush.

Flash brought us an American flag, which he and I quickly mounted and displayed. I can only assume that's why some people didn't make it, as they must have showed but thought he had the wrong house.

Yesterday Smartie and I went to the Vikings/Lion's game. Kudos to the organization for announcing the players this week. We were worried for a bit that they were going to skip that part again like they did at the Packers game. While everyone and their mother is busy fawning over Brad Johnson, I'm going to just say "Way to not lose the ball." It's easy to be a good quarterback when your defense gets you two additional chances to score by getting turnovers less than 15 yards from you're end zone.

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate Johnson (okay, yeah, I kinda do). I just can't believe how fickle the Minnesota fans are. He was an adequate quarterback, nothing more. Anyone looks good when they do almost nothing but hand off the ball. Two pickoffs and I guarantee the dome would have been chanting for Shawn Hill.

But that's just me. I could just be cranky because Moe Williams wasn't playing. I miss Moe Moe.

Dear Tim O'Brien and the Star Tribune

Thank you so much for your offering, Blog House, in today's paper. I enjoyed getting to read a bunch of Minnesota blowhards I don't normally read because they annoy me so much. (Ringer being an exception, of course, because I like his prose style. And because I have a secret shameful crush on Joe Mayo.)

I just thought I'd point out something you must have missed in your obviously extensive blog research. Did you know that in the predominately blue state of Minnesota, you actually have local liberal bloggers who talk about politics? It's true!

PS - Way to not provide links to the blogs in your online version. Dink.

Don't Forget

Party at the Power House tomorrow, 1-4 pm.

We have the entire Fencepost, including the wife and MNobserver, the Wege, Scooter, Flash, possibly some of the DB crew, Tild, and maybe Doug if he doesn't freak out now that all of the conservatives have backed out due to familial obligations.

Email for directions. We're going to drink beer and drunk dial the NARN.

A Few Words From Klingon Kersten

On Stardate 11.2.2030 thousands of Neo-Minneapolis students took a day off in the midst of mid-term crunch. They walked out of class and gathered at Lunar University to attend a boisterous rally protesting the Crab Nebula treaty which prevented a major conflict with the Romulans.

For many kids, it seems to have been a relatively risk-free adventure. Officials say that students who had a note from their parents can make up the work they missed. While some parents apparently threatened "spacing," others no doubt experienced a vicarious tingle at seeing their offspring repeat the antics of their own pro-war protests in the '90s and '00s.

But before we laugh off this attempt at skip day, we should take a closer look at the most serious folks in the rally crowd. The event was organized by the Lunar Objectivist Society, which prominently displayed its big green dollar sign banner.

Just what is the Lunar Objectivist Society? According to the organization's website, it is the off-earth branch of the Committee for a Bourgeois Elite, which seeks to "win support for the ideas of genuine Randism among higher-class people." A CBE website says its goal is to advance "the struggle to overthrow the rule of big government and global worker's rights." Its "recommended reading" includes Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" and "I Can't Think of A Single Mistake I've Made," the biography of George W. Bush along with tracts celebrating the achievements of Randian revolutionary "Dick" Che-Ney.

Did the children know what sort of organization was using them? Didn't Starfleet have a responsibility to investigate and inform them? Perhaps folks like Neo-Minneapolis Governing Council Members T'Paku and Dean Zimmermann, who joined rally organizers and students at a news conference on Tuesday, should have done so.

I have a suggestion. Before letting these kids rejoin their classes without penalty, assign them to read about the fate of people who end up in nameless CIA prisons created by Bush, Rumsfeld, Che-Ney and their followers for being the wrong religion or nationality. Then we should kill them. Klingon Kersten out.

Friday Morning Cat Blogging

"You are getting sleepy..."

God Hates Cures

From Lifenews:

South Carolina Catholic Diocese Won't Support Race for Cure re Abrotion
Charleston, SC (LifeNews.com) -- The Catholic Diocese of Charleston and Bishop England High School will no longer support the local Race for the Cure there because the Komen Foundation in other parts of the country have given donations to Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion business. The annual race, sponsored by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research Foundation is expected to have as many as 6,000 participants in Charleston. Race organizers told local media that some students at the Catholic high school will participate on their own. However, the high school will no longer give community service credits to students for their involvement. The local affiliate requires proceeds from its race to go toward breast cancer screenings, but that's not the case with other affiliates.

More MN Publius

Cause he's just so fun...

(Although I do think I like the title Dartmouth Lad)

Busted

The cat seems to be out of the bag.

I blame Scooter.

Cleversponge on the "Ginsburg Precedent"

Sponge has some good stuff about the constant yelling on the Republican side about letting Alito through cause they didn't fight Ginsburg, and why this isn't the same thing:

Ginsburg's record on the appeals court was a moderate one. She was nominated after President Clinton consulted with Republican leadership. She has one of the most conservative records in the SCOTUS as it relates to overturning acts of Congress (you know, acts of the people).

Clinton nominated a "liberal" on the suggestion of a "conservative".

No such comity exists today; the "Ginsburg Precedent" does not apply to the current situation.

More at the Sponge Pad.

Twas the Night of the Power Liberal

Much like, I'm sure, thousands of other blogs who are celebrating their one year anniversary today, the Power Liberal first turned on the power exactly 365 days ago. This also makes this our one year anniversary with the Drinking Liberally Crew.

Gather round and I'll tell the story:

Twas the day after election,
Smartie and I were glum
"How could America twice
Elect a man who's so dumb?"

Out of anger and frustration
We hurried to Nye's
To drown all our sorrows
In barleys and ryes.

We were joined there by Cockroach
And his brilliant wife
As we clamored and struggled
To get on with our life.

But it was not nearly enough
To be brooding in twos
So we ran off to Williams
To gather a crew.

"We are here!" we all bellowed
"We're the liberal drinkers!"
But the real group had stayed home
Too depressed to drink. Stinkers.

Come smartie and Cockroach,
Come Wifey and rew...
Don't let them all stop you,
There's still work to do!

So we planned out a strategy
Of cunning and deceit.
Let us start up a blog
For the liberal elite.

We'll name it kind of like Powerline
The hits just won't stop,
Cause when done alphabetically
We'll be on their top!

So home we all ran
For a first post that night.
Happy Power to all
as we continue the fight.

(Many apologies to that guy who actually wrote "Twas the night before Christmas")

One Year Ago Today

President Bush was reelected.

Thanks to Lorkia, I just read this for the first time.

Sigh.

Sidebar update

I finally got rid of the poll, and finally remembered to update MN Publius.

And, seeing his top post, I'm so glad I chose this momement to do so.

rew's quote of the day

From Pharyngula:

Since when is knowing what's in your pants a loss of innocence? Does Ms. Cottingham think her daughter never, ever looks down?

Almost makes me forgive him for hating knitters...

This is what the center is really thinking

From Flash:

But the caterwauling that is going on right now makes this pro war supporter think that maybe I was duped, maybe there was a manipulation of the data. Maybe there was a concerted effort to fool enough Americans into thinking that SoDamn was a direct threat to American's at home?

If the Right would have simply said to the Left, OK, go for it, but you'll be cutting your own throat? I would have simply shook my head at the desperation of the Left, but now I shake my head at the Right, wondering, "What are they afraid of?"

Watch it, Flash, they're about to take away you're Moderate cred...

Taking one for the Team

Don't worry, Wege, I'm on it...

The Target "scandal" gets some new life from Savage Love's Column today. He sources the site that must not be named:

"Well, as John Aravosis revealed on Americablog.org last week, Target's politics are as red as their bulls-eye logo. The chain allows its pharmacists to refuse to dispense birth control and emergency contraception to female customers if the pharmacist objects on religious grounds. What's worse, the company claims that any of its employees have a right to discriminate against any of its customers provided the discrimination is motivated by an employee's religious beliefs. Read all about it at www.americablog.org and www.plannedparenthood.org."

I think others have worked to make it perfectly clear why this has been blown out of proportion, so I won't bother. I'm going to concentrate on the second part of the "Hetero Alert."

Second, more troubling news from Tucson, Arizona, where a 20-year-old rape victim called dozens of pharmacies in town before she found one that stocked emergency contraception (EC). "When she finally did find a pharmacy with it, she said she was told the pharmacist on duty would not dispense it because of religious and moral objections," reported the Arizona Daily Star. Emergency contraception, the story continued, "prevents pregnancy by stopping ovulation, fertilization, or implantation of a fertilized egg. The sooner the emergency contraception is taken after intercourse, the more effective it is."
....
As for Fry's Pharmacy in Tucson, the shop that wouldn't dispense EC to a freakin' rape victim, the fundamentalist pharmacist claims its her "right" not to do her fucking job. Well, you have a right to free speech. Call Fry's at 520-323-2695 and ask them why the fuck a pharmacy that won't dispense EC keeps the drug in stock. Do they do it just to torment rape victims? ("Oh yeah, we've got EC - but you can't have any. Don't you know that Jesus wants you to bear your rapist's child?")

These two situations are not the same, and should not be seen as the same. Do I agree with Target's policy as it was applied? No. But in the second case, this was the only pharmacy that even carried the drug, and they still refused (and, the question does need to be asked, if they are refusing it to a rape victim, exactly who are they stocking it for?).

Target needs to be encouraged to re-evaluate and be certain of a plan of action that ensures an issue like this does not occur again. But, as this was the first instance out of however many Targets there are in the nation, and the complainant stated it was not in fact an emergency when she was attempting to fill herprescriptionn, I'm allowing them a chance to admit error and correct it. The Tucson situation, on the other hand, is unforgivable.

Quote of the Morning

From Billmon:

The Republicans have been in power so long now they've started to take on the pompous self-righteousness of those who believe power is their due. Frist's sound bite was particularly funny:

"They have no convictions, they have no principles, they have no ideas."

No convictions? That's, ahem, not something the Majority Leader may be able to say about himself much longer.

UPDATE: TBogg gives Billmon a run for his money in the "best quote" category.

Auditioning for Powerline?

What is it with Republican lawyers and their casual relationship with the truth? I knew lawyers are supposed to be untrustworthy and all that, but I thought they were at least supposed to be good liars. David Rivkin, Jr. and Lee Casey can't even do that right.

From the OpEx in today's Strib:

WASHINGTON -- Special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald's indictment of I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby should be the final proof that the system of "special prosecutors" is bankrupt and ought to be abandoned.

Fitzgerald, a highly respected federal prosecutor from Chicago, was given the task of investigating whether Bush administration officials had violated the Intelligence Identities Protection Act by "leaking" the identity of CIA employee Valerie Plame.

It is clear that, at least by sometime in January 2004 -- and probably much earlier -- Fitzgerald knew this law had not been violated. Plame was not a "covert" agent but a bureaucrat working at CIA headquarters. Instead of closing shop, however, Fitzgerald sought an expansion of his mandate and has now charged offenses that grew entirely out of the investigation itself. In other words, there was no crime when the investigation started, only, allegedly, after it finished. Unfortunately, for special counsels, as under the code of the samurai, once the sword is drawn it must taste blood.

The article goes on from there, with not a single factual statement to trouble its beautiful prose. But really, why read on? There's enough bulls$$t in that last paragraph to fuel a dozen Powerline posts.

First off, I'm not even a lawyer and I can tell you there's a difference between "can prove a crime has been committed" and "no crime has been committed". Just because Fitzgerald didn't hand down any indictments (yet) on the leak doesn't mean it didn't happen. And it's doubly hard to prove these kind of things when your witnesses lie to you under oath.

Second, "covert agent" doesn't mean James Bond. Just because Plame was a bureaucrat doesn't in any way affect whether or not she was covert.

Third, where was all of this outrage over perjury charges, or more specifically about prosecutors changing from investing from one case to another back in, oh, 1998? Ken Starr's investigation was into Whitewater, but all the impeachment proceedings came about because of the Paula Jones civil suit-a completely unrelated case which Starr seized on because he had absolutely nothing else. Fitzgerald's indictments directly stemmed from the case he was prosecuting. Or should the laws be selectively applied for Republicans?

The whole rest of the piece is lies and half-truths which are even less correct. If Powerline ever needs a break from making stuff up to cover for the crimes of this administration, they should give these two a call. They have little respect for the truth and even less shame. Sounds like a match!

Whoa

Is this the Democrats? Where have you all been hiding?

Democratic leaders had threatened to close the chamber each day until Republicans agreed to look into how Bush administration officials handled the intelligence used to argue for war.

"I demand, on behalf of the American people, that we understand why these investigations aren't being conducted," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, said from the floor as he invoked Senate Rule 21.

That rule bars the public from the chamber until a majority of members vote to reopen the session.

The move caught the chamber's GOP leadership by surprise, and Frist said Democrats had "hijacked" the Senate with a "pure stunt."

"thinking great and ineffable thoughts"

I have to be honest, he's no John Roberts, but he's almost cute in a Woddy Allen-ish sort of way...

Sam Alito's Year Book Picture

Feeling Groovy

I can't believe I missed Sticks getting his inner Garfunkle on...

I am just a blogger and my story's seldom told
I write in momma's cellar with a pocketful of loose change, there's no dollar bills
I am a "hack," still a man writes what he wants to write
And then deletes the rest (hmmmm....mmmm......)

Raising the level of political discourse

True class...

Let it be known:
Your childish bully tactics will not be tollerated. You will be removed if you interupt or make any sign of threats or your usual bully tactics. This event is open to the public, but that does not mean your antics have to be allowed.

Consider this a friendly request. Go organize a DFL forum to attack the people you want to attack. Stay away from the event, it is not for you to display your loonacy. Go spin your little dreams some where else.

I assume this is the "moonbatty" post that he found so threatening it merrited such a frothy response.

It's hard to be a girl these days....

Must not deviate from strict social conservative viewpoints....

Wis. School: No American Girl Fashion Show

The American Family Association has called Girls Inc. "a pro-abortion, pro-lesbian advocacy group." Girls Inc., which has more than 1,500 centers across the country, says it provides a variety of programs to educate and encourage girls and does accept lesbian sexual orientation. Alexander Kopelman, director of communications, said it does not include abortion in its programming, though it does not control what leaders say if girls ask about it.

Money raised through ticket and raffle sales at the planned fashion show was to go toward a new playground and a refurbished library at St. Luke School.

"It's a bargain we'll just have to pass up," wrote Frank Malloy, St. Luke pastor. "The cost is too high. Our integrity isn't for sale."

American Girl spokeswoman Julie Parks said no other groups have canceled because of the issue, and the company said some groups "have chosen to misconstrue American Girl's purely altruistic efforts." The fashion shows include the company's popular historic dolls being carried by girls who dress up in the same outfits.

or the premptive strike...

A new vaccine that protects against cervical cancer has set up a clash between health advocates who want to use the shots aggressively to prevent thousands of malignancies and social conservatives who say immunizing teen-agers could encourage sexual activity.

Although the vaccine will not become available until next year at the earliest, activists on both sides have begun maneuvering to influence how widely the immunizations will be employed.

Groups working to reduce the toll of the cancer are eagerly awaiting the vaccine and want it to become part of the standard roster of shots that children, especially girls, receive just before puberty.

Because the vaccine protects against a sexually transmitted virus, many conservatives oppose making it mandatory, citing fears that it could send a subtle message condoning sexual activity before marriage. Several leading groups that promote abstinence are meeting this week to formulate official policies on the vaccine.
....

"Some people have raised the issue of whether this vaccine may be sending an overall message to teen-agers that, 'We expect you to be sexually active,' " said Reginald Finger, a doctor trained in public health who served as a medical analyst for Focus on the Family before being appointed to the ACIP in 2003.

"There are people who sense that it could cause people to feel like sexual behaviors are safer if they are vaccinated and may lead to more sexual behavior because they feel safe," said Finger, emphasizing he does not endorse that position and is withholding judgment until the issue comes before the vaccine policy panel for a formal recommendation.

(via Northstar Politics)