Ho Ho Oh NO!

Yep, it's time for the Drinking Liberally Holiday Party...

It's Time To Get Back to Santa's Good Graces...

Drinking Liberally will be celebrating the Yule with beer, laughs, and a visit by Santa Wege!

Drinking Liberally Holiday Party
Thursday, December 14th, 6-9 pm
(Laughing Liberally Video at 7pm - laugh at political jokes or find coal in your stocking!)
331 Club, 13th and University in Northeast Minneapolis

Please bring one new unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots, and you will receive a free beer!

Ho Ho Drink!

Many happy returns to Tild for the photo!

Harry Potter, Ph.D?

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
-Arthur C. Clarke, "Profiles of The Future"

First came invisiblity.

Now scientists have achieved some success at levitation?

(also, if half of the spam in my inbox is to be believed, someone has also mastered the "Growth Charm", if you know what I mean and I think you do.)

At the Oak Tree Cafe, Drinking Vilsack Gin

So, Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack has announced his intention to run for President in '08?

I don't really know anything about Vilsack, so I can't really say how I feel about him as a candidate...but one thing I do know is that he should hire a new PR firm.

Check out his website: Vilsack for President

Go ahead, I'll wait....

Now, maybe it's just me, but this:



Looks a little too close to this for comfort:



No word yet on whether he thinks warrantless surveillance or suspension of habeas corpus is a good idea, but I have my suspicions....

rew ads: are we sure he's not fattening us up for the slaugher?

oh...this could be dangerous

(via Eva)

'therapeutic abortion?"

Someone should tell the archbishop it's not a trip to the spa and a seaweed wrap...

Holidays and Family

Last week was the official begining of the holiday season, a time for family and celebration.  And have we got an offer for you inside...

Flash points out that President Bush tries so hard to avoid things he doesn't want to hear, that even questions about the family can go horribly wrong:

I can think of a dozen responses the President could have given, none of them as confrontational as the one he chose. So much for his 'pledged to work with the new Democratic majorities in Congress'.

Closer to home, we never seem to stop talking politics, even around the Thanksgiving dinner table.  Sara Reller gives the dinnertime report:

Sitting around  in SD13 with family members even born-again Christian, promarriage, prolife members were disappointed in Dean Johnson's loss and the imminent pork shortage. Also over heard was talk of the college in town (Ridgewater College) closing because the town would not be able to survive. Pretty much the dumbest thing that happened in the 2006 election was voting out the Senate Majority Leader in the party that was obviously going strong who loved the area he was from and brought home all kinds of breakfast meat for a junior member of the minority party from rural Minnesota. Talk about a slam to the local economy.

The holidays are more than just a time for family, it's a time for Santa, too.  Vlog Santa is back and fighting the War on Christmas.  This year he is offering personal video greetings to all the good little girls, boys, nitwits and hippies of the world.  So, if you were going to send a Vlog Santa greeting, which local politician would you send it to?  Give us a good enough case and enough votes, and we may fork over the $25.  Consider it our gift to you in these joyous times.

Don't listen to Elton John - Atheists Kill More Than Christians!

God Bless Us, Everyone...

Atheism Has Fueled Greatest Mass Murders In World History

By Rev. Louis P. Sheldon
Chairman, Traditional Values Coalition

November 28, 2006 - As we approach Christmas, the one day a year that we set aside to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are hearing noises among intellectuals and rock stars about the "dangers" of Christianity to world peace and cultural tolerance.

The most recent attack on organized religion came from homosexual rock star Sir Elton John, who thinks that organized religion - specifically Christianity - turns people into "hateful lemmings." According to John, "I think religion has always tried to turn hatred towards gay people. Religion promotes the hatred and spite against gays." His solution: "ban religion completely, even though there are some wonderful things about it."

Atheist Richard Dawkins, writing in his new book, "The God Delusion," claims that many of the world's conflicts around the world are due to the murderous religious impulses. Columnist Robert Kuttner claims that "The Crusades slaughtered millions in the name of Jesus. The Inquisition brought the torture and murder of millions more. After Martin Luther, Christians did bloody battle with other Christians for another three centuries."

Dinesh D'Souza, a Fellow at the Hoover Institution recently pointed out the glaring errors in such statements in the Christian Science Monitor. He noted, for example, that the Spanish Inquisition sentenced to death approximately 10,000 individuals. Some historians claim another 100,000 died in jail.

One of liberalism's favorite anti-Christian boogeyman is the Salem witch trials. How many actually died as a result of those trials: fewer than 25.

And what of the Crusades? Most Americans probably have a negative view of the Crusades as an attempt by Christians to conquer peaceful Muslims. The opposite is true. British historian Paul Johnson has observed: "The Crusades, far from being an outrageous prototype of Western imperialism, as taught in most schools, were a mere episode in a struggle that lasted 1,400 years, and were one of the few occasions when Christians took the offensive to regain "occupied territories" of the Holy Land." The Crusades were launched to regain land conquered by Muslims and to prevent Muslim armies from invading and conquering any more nations! It was a defensive war against Muslim imperialism.

The Christian-haters should turn their attentions to militant Islam and Atheism as the most serious dangers to the world.

The fact is that while religious wars have been fought for centuries, militant atheism has slaughtered more people than religious zealots ever have. The greatest mass murders in history have been committed not by Christians but by Communists Joseph Stalin and Mao Tse Tung. More than 100 million have died at the hands of these militant atheists since the early 20th century.

And, one of the first genocides committed in the 20th century was by Turkish Muslims against Armenians between 1915 and 1918. An estimated 1.5 million Christian Armenians were killed during that slaughter.

Elton John, Robert Kuttner, Richard Dawkins and others may want to do more fact-checking before they launch into new tirades against Christianity.

The fact is that Christians have been at the forefront of expanding and defending human freedom around the globe ever since the First Century Church was founded. Christians, for example, were the ones who campaigned against the gladiator games in ancient Rome as well as against the slave trade in Britain and in the United States. It has been our Christian compassion that has led us into wars around the world to defend the downtrodden and to preserve freedom for individuals. (Alvin J. Schmidt, Ph.D., clearly explains this in his excellent history book, "How Christianity Changed The World.")

Elton John's ability to speak freely and attack Christianity in Britain is due to the fact that Britain has based its laws upon the Ten Commandments and Christian principles about free speech and freedom of conscience. John might not fare so well under Sharia law nor would his music be freely marketed under a Communist dictatorship.

As we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, all of us should keep these truths in mind.

The Salem Witch Trials as an "Anti-Christian Boogeyman"?

Dennis Prager - Hateful and Wrong

In a recent Townhall article Conservative Talk Show Host and Columnist Dennis Prager states that Congressman-elect Keith Ellison (MN 5) should not be allowed to take the oath of office on the Koran because "he will be doing more damage to the unity of America and to the value system that has formed this country than the terrorists of 9-11."

Besides playing on the racist fears of his readers by comparing taking the oath of office on the Koran to "a racist elected to Congress" being allowed to "choose Hitler's 'Mein Kampf,' the Nazis' Bible,"  Prager is completely wrong when he states that "all elected officials take their oaths of office with their hands on the very same book."

In our country's history, four presidents have been inaugurated without swearing an oath on the Bible.  Franklin Pierce was affirmed, and swore no oath, Rutherford Hayes initially had a private ceremony with no Bible before his public ceremony, Theodore Roosevelt had no Bible at his ceremony, and Lyndon Johnson used a missal during his first term.

Despite Prager's insistence that "for all of American history, Jews elected to public office have taken their oath on the Bible, even though they do not believe in the New Testament," it is clear that he is wrong.  Linda Lingle, Governor of Hawaii, took the oath of office on a Torah in 2001.  Madeleine Kunin, a Jewish Immigrant and Governor of Vermont "rested her left hand on a stack of old prayer books that had belonged to her mother, grandparents, and great grandfather" as "a physical expression of the weight of Jewish history."

And in North Carolina, the Notary Public has a written code for swearing in:

"A person taking an oath should place one hand on the Holy Scriptures. This book will vary depending on the person's religious beliefs: Christians should use the New Testament or the Bible; Jews, the Torah or the Old Testament; Moslems, the Koran; Hindus, the Bhagavad-Gita; etc."

Perhaps Prager would be best benefited if he spent less time writing columns, and more re-reading Article VI of the Constitution:

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

Hotdish Monday - Jesse "the cop" Ventura?

Coleen Rowley takes one last look at the 2nd District race, speculation begins regarding Tim Walz's 2008 challenger, and Jesse Ventura has a potential run in with the law...

Coleen Rowley explains her loss to Republican John Kline (MN 2) in today's Pioneer Press editorial page, putting the blame firmly on the media who refused to cover real issues in the race.

For a long time, I thought our independent news media would conduct "reality checks" on the falsehoods in Kline's negative ad campaign. But it just didn't happen. No media took Mr. Kline to task for saying he was "too busy" to engage in the normal public debates, or to answer voter guide questions. And no media made much effort to expose the distortions Mr. Kline was making in his ads or mailers. When they were mentioned at all, it was to say that our "race" (grouping us together) was one of the most negative in the country, ignoring the fact that all of the negativity came from Kline's campaign.

Rowely addresses a need for media to "referee the facts," in the next election cycle.

Speaking of 2008, one local political blogger is already suggesting Republican challengers to take out Congressman-elect Tim Walz.

Walz is a colorful character, but he will be vulnerable come 2008. I would encourag the also-colorful and amusing Republican state senator from Owatonna, Dick Day, to challenge Walz. He was elected to the Minnesota Senate in 1990 and has served as minority leader. He has fairly high name recognition in the state (for a state legislator) and has proven himself to be a tough and savvy legislator. He's very well liked and well known in Owatonna. He would prove to be a tough challenger to Walz.

Walz cannot go without a strong challenger in 2008. We need a Republican who can beat him. Dick Day could pull it off.

Draft Dick Day for Congress!

Walz may not be sworn in yet, but it would appear that it is never too early to start planning.

And for those of you wondering what former Governor Jesse Ventura is up to, he may be traveling to Muncie, Indiana to be a reality-show police officer.  Having been highly impressed by his performance as an FBI agent in the X-files series, I can think of no better cop, personally.

Will a stint in the Surreal Life house be far behind?

"Sorry We Didn't Believe You"

Madison, WI apologizes and give restitution to a rape victim they originally told they didn't believe.

However, some have issues with giving money because they might have to pay others that they turned away from pressing charges.

"The $35,000 is a problem to me because I heard two people speak of three rape victims that I think could come back and say, 'You owe me money as well,'" said Alder Judy Compton.

Lovely...

Post-Thanksgiving Thankfulness

I am thankful there are more women in Senate...

okay, who leaked?

Rightwing discovers Colbert is not really a conservative...

Seriously - what gave it away?

Seriously?

Not even certified as a OBGYN?

Pearson also acknowledged yesterday that Keroack is not currently certified as an obstetrician-gynecologist. That is not a requirement for the job, but HHS officials had cited Keroack's expertise in defending his selection.

Keroack was certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1995, but that credential expired after 10 years.

(Via Feministing)

Pro-Life: Anti-Baby Killin', or Just Women Punishers?

From Alas:

Almost none of [the pro-life movement's] policies make sense if they really see no difference between the death of a fetus and the death of a four-year-old. However, nearly all their policies make sense if they're seeking to make sure that women who have sex are punished. After years of seeing this pattern repeated again and again, it's difficult to take them at their word.

(Hat Tip Pandagon)

Repetition Repetition Repetition

Pawlenty '08,  plagiarism, and religious conversions?  Though we've seen it all before, it's all a little different...

Now RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman is adding to the Pawlenty '08 chatter.

As for talk that Pawlenty should enter the '08 presidential primaries or be considered for the second spot on a national GOP ticket, Mehlman told reporters: "Gov. Pawlenty is a fantastic leader, and he's reform-minded. If he has a desire to run for national office, he'd be very effective at it."

The Star Tribune is caught plagiarizing again.  Surprisingly, this time it wasn't Katherine Kersten doing it.

Finally, DFLer Savteer Chaudary now isn't the only election winner being being  pushed to convert to Christianity.  Now Jan Markell, Christian Radio host and founder Olive Trees Ministry, is calling Congressman-elect Keith Ellison "risky" and hopes he will convert to Christianity.

I sincerely pray we can trust Mr. Ellison with some of America's top secrets and in our war on terror, more appropriately called our war with radical Islam...I want to trust Keith Ellison, but there is something within me that tells me that is risky. We can pray for him, however--that he would have wisdom, sound judgment, and that he would see the errors in his Islamic faith. Who knows who might cross his path and lead him to faith in Jesus Christ.

"Floaters and Nursing Homes"

A CoCo quest to obtain Plan B in Colorado Springs

Michele and Marcus - A Congressional Package?

At First...

She said she was called by God to push for the ban, and then God told her to run for national office. "God then called me to run for the United States Congress," she said.

Bachmann, who had kept religion out of the congressional race, went on to say she is "a fool for Jesus," and she and her husband fasted and prayed for three days before she decided to run.

11/08

One of Bachmann's biggest sources of support was her husband, Marcus, her five children ages 24 to 12 and a number of her 23 foster children. "It's been a life-changing 22 months for us as a family," she said.

11/14

His Republican colleague from Minnesota, Rep.-elect Michele Bachmann, marveled at the domed ceiling in the Cannon House Office Building and visited the National Archives on Sunday with her husband.

"That was such a thrill for us," she said.

11/15

The state's only new Republican lawmaker, Rep.-elect Michele Bachmann, is also trying to land a spot on Transportation, as well as the Financial Services Committee.

Bachmann said it was an amazing experience attending the White House reception Monday night.

"My husband and I felt like we were from 'Green Acres,' walking into the big city," Bachmann said.

11/16

"When I come here on January third to take my oath, I'll be pledging to uphold, protect and defend the Constitution, and I've never seen it," said the first Republican woman elected to Congress from Minnesota.

So there she was in line with her husband, Marcus, brimming with optimism about taking her place in Congress, albeit under a Democratic majority largely opposed to her conservative positions on tax cuts, abortion and same-sex marriage.

11/20

Shopping help comes from another quarter, as well. Before Vice President Dick Cheney's visit this past summer, Bachmann's husband, Marcus, hit the stores -- "he's got a good sense of style" -- and came home with "a sleek, simple hourglass dress with a yoke collar in winter white." He even bought a matching coat and shoes. "I just slipped it on."

I don't know which is more disturbing - the nearly daily Michele Bachmann article, or the realization that the 6th elected Congressman Marcus, too.

Sore Losers

Classy



As Lakeville Dad states - "proud" constituents of Kline wouldn't send an annoymous mailer.

How I would have emailed if I emailed...

Like this:

Dear Judith Regan:

I'm leaning towards believing your explanation for why you would publish that murderer's confession. Please consider putting your money where your mouth is and donate ALL NET PROCEEDS from the sale of OJ Simpson's book to organizations that help women escape from living in abusive relationships.

[If you agree, please send an email in support of this idea to Regan in care of the NY Post.]

Ingredients Added With Loving Care

What goes into a Marty Seifert Hotdish?

A little hamburger:

"You might as well as put a giveaway sign on the front door, because people will only pay so much for a hamburger and french fries in a town of 300 people.  It's the corporations like McDonald's and Wal-Mart that love minimum wage increases. They get to snuff out Grandma's restaurant because they can't afford to pay these higher minimum wage mandates."

A little lard:

"Eat a spoonful of lard."

A handful of circus peanuts:

Essentially, the author of the circus bill, Republican Rep. Marty Seifert of Marshall, obliquely told his colleagues he wanted to change his own bill and knew of no opposition to the idea.

In reality, his amendment changed the circus bill enough to allow the abortion bill to be attached, though an actual vote on the bill was delayed until Monday.

And some muddy waters...

Mix well and let boil for two years.

McCain - Playing to the conservative roots

Glory be! John McCain must be sucking up to the conservatives he ticked off with his gang of 14 stuff:

MCCAIN: I don't think a constitutional amendment[banning abortion] is probably going to take place, but I do believe that it's very likely or possible that the Supreme Court should - could overturn Roe v. Wade, which would then return these decisions to the states, which I support.

STEPHANOPOULOS: And you'd be for that?

MCCAIN: Yes, because I'm a federalist. Just as I believe that the issue of gay marriage should be decided by the states, so do I believe that we would be better off by having Roe v. Wade return to the states. And I don't believe the Supreme Court should be legislating in the way that they did on Roe v. Wade.

Roe V Wade should be overturned? So much for that moderate conservative...

C is for Crazy

Wow

The sender, Barbara Joan March of Bridgeport, Conn., pleaded guilty to 14 counts of "mailing injurious articles." The 14 recipients included the nine justices; the chiefs of staff of the Army, Navy, and Air Force; and the director and deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The packages, containing either candy or baked goods, were laced with rat poison.

All mail received at the Supreme Court is screened, and the tainted packages never reached the justices, said Kathleen Arberg, the court's public information officer. The danger posed by the packages was immediately apparent. Each contained a typewritten letter stating either, "I am going to kill you," or, "We are going to kill you," and adding, "This is poisoned."

The letters carried various return addresses of people who had earlier connections with Ms. March, including seven who attended college with her. The F.B.I. determined that Ms. March wrote and sent the letters, typing a number of them on a typewriter at a public library near her home.

hat tip squarestate

Politics and Religion

Congresswoman Elect Michele Bachmann puts religion on the back burner as she finishes her Washington Orientation, but her Christian backers are unconcerned:

In her first week in Washington, Bachmann has talked more about tax cuts and education than her social conservative positions.

Her religious allies say they don't mind.

"That's what she needs to do, but we know where she'll come down on these other issues," said the Rev. Louis Sheldon, chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition, which is gearing up for a fight with Democrats over what he calls anti-Christian hate-crime legislation protecting gays and lesbians. "We can hardly wait to talk to her as 'Madame Congresswoman.' "

In lieu of this, Bachmann is not the one making religious headlines today.

Newly elected Secretary of State Mark Ritchie joins California Secretary of State-Elect Debra Bowen as two of the three Unitarian Universalists newly elected on November 7th:

Two Unitarian Universalists were elected secretaries of state Tuesday. Debra Bowen, a member of the UU Community Church of Santa Monica, is the newly elected California Secretary of State. She's been a state legislator since 1992. Mark Ritchie, a member of First Universalist Church of Minneapolis was elected as Minnesota's new Secretary of State.

For 20 years Ritchie has been president of the Minneapolis-based Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, a nonprofit organization working to foster long-term sustainability for Minnesota's rural communities. Two years ago he took a leave of absence to lead National Voice, a new national coalition of more than 1,000 non-partisan organizations that registered and turned out more than 5 million new voters nationwide-one of the largest non-partisan voter mobilizations in history.

And in the Minnesota Senate, DFLer Savteer Chaudary received a post-election email from his opponent that involved not only a concession, but a request that he "Take some time to get acquainted with this power-filled Jesus."

I've enjoyed much of this race, especially the people I've met...even you! I see your deficits--not all of them, and your potential--but not all of it. Only your Creator knows the real potential He's put in you. Get to know Him and know yourself...you'll be more interesting even to you!

The race of your life is more important than this one--and it is my sincere wish that you'll get to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He died for the sins of the world, yours and mine--and especially for those who accept His forgiveness.

The Greatest Threat This Nation Faces

Gay penguins.

There, I said it.

I'm glad there are some concerned parents who are not afraid to stand up against the gay penguin menace.

Gay penguin book shakes up Ill. school

SHILOH, Ill. - A picture book about two male penguins raising a baby penguin is getting a chilly reception among some parents who worry about the book's availability to children - and the reluctance of school administrators to restrict access to it.

The concerns are the latest involving "And Tango Makes Three," the illustrated children's book based on a true story of two male penguins in New York City's Central Park Zoo that adopted a fertilized egg and raised the chick as their own.

Those two penguins were not acting according to natural instinct. They were using their adorableness to undermine the very fabric of Western Civilization. Gay penguins, YOU'RE ON NOTICE!

Getting to Know Dr.Keroak

Our new deputy assistant secretary for population affairs.

(The DASPA oversees a number of Health and Human Services programs, including the Office of Family Planning.)

Eric Keroack, medical director of A Woman's Concern Health Centers, a pro-life counseling organization, said sexual activity today is comparable to warfare.

"Sexual activity is a war zone," he said. "What we have is this ongoing war. So we're constantly coming up with better equipment," he said, referring to contraceptive strategies and abortions.

"And the truth is that somewhere along the way people die in war," Keroack added. He acknowledged that deaths from abortion-related complications are rare, but that "they die emotionally."

Also a full time medical director at a Crisis Pregnancy Center in Boston, one has to wonder if he's supportive of these measures:

According to a recent Planned Parenthood email, a 17-year-old girl mistakenly walked into a crisis pregnancy center thinking it was Planned Parenthood, which was next door. "The group took down the girl's confidential personal information and told her to come back for her appointment, which they said would be in their 'other office' (the real Planned Parenthood office nearby)."

When she showed up for her nonexistent appointment, she was met by the police, who had been erroneously tipped that a minor was being forced to abort. The crisis pregnancy center staff followed up this harassment by staking out the girl's house, phoning her father at work, and even talking to her classmates about her pregnancy, urging them to harass her.

I contacted Jennifer Jorczak of Planned Parenthood of Indiana to verify this story, and while she was unable to provide details out of respect for the patient's privacy, she confirmed that everything in the initial action alert email was true.

Friday Morning Cat Bachmanning

A Little Cat, a Little Bachmann. Thanks Fark!

Over-Estrogened

Since I may have accidently over-estrogened the site the last few days, this link is for smartie.

Memories...

OPEN DOOR
The door is locked.
CROWBAR DOOR
What do you want to do with the crowbar?
USE CROWBAR ON DOOR
You hit the door with the crowbar. It bounces off.
OPEN DOOR WITH CROWBAR
You hit the door with the crowbar. It bounces off.
LEVER DOOR OPEN WITH CROWBAR
I don't understand the word 'lever'.
STUPID MACHINE
I don't understand the word 'stupid'.

Give me a number

How many babies do I have to have to make people like Phillip Longman shut up? Because I will totally do it...

When the Ladies get Defensive...

We LOVE Sex!

Pro-life people, in fact, love sex; ask the mothers and fathers of large families who make up a good base of the pro-life community. It's a bit silly to accuse them of having sexual hang-ups.

More 2008 Speculation

While some are still pushing Pawlenty for 2008, locally the push-back among Republicans is that he's not a conservative.

On the list of Republican contenders for President in 2008, we get to add Health and Human Services head Tommy Thompson.  In light of the possibility, Tom has a flashback to 2004.

The Republican National Convention is still over a year and a half away, but the Anti-War Committee has already applied for protest permits, worried that they may get held up in legal challenges.

And Election Day 2008 is even further down the road, but speculation has begun that the Democrats will expand their lead in the Senate due to how many seats up for re-election are currently held by Republicans.

Who ever is running, hopefully they will think about the impact their stump speeches will have on party goodwill on a very long campaign trail:

The orientation week, which ends today with a bipartisan breakfast, has been a reunion for Klobuchar and her fellow Democrats. They were thrown together at joint fundraisers all year, to the point of becoming perhaps overly familiar with each other's stump speeches.

More than once, Klobuchar recalled, Ohio Sen.-elect Sherrod Brown told her "if I have to hear that Zamboni line one more time, I'll walk out the door."

One Week Later, The South Dakota Abortion Ban

It has been over a week now since Referred Law 6 (the South Dakota Abortion Ban) was defeated at the polls, negating the most restrictive anti-abortion law in the country, and while the celebration continues, the implications are just now beginning to be felt.

Sarah Stoesz, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, places the victory solidly in the hands of the South Dakotan voters.  "[This victory] was truly a grassroots effort," said Stoesz. "We had a coalition of men and women, faith leaders, business professionals and healthcare professionals that came together and sent a strong message to their legislators - don't use our state to push an extremist agenda."

Even as the vote is over and the voice of the citizens of South Dakota is being acknowledged, the impact is just being realized and understood.

"The ballots cast across the nation spoke so unambiguously about abortion that even the most intransigent anti-abortionists should be able to construe the message: Voters do not want Big Brother opening the doors of private homes - or the doctor's office - and coercing people's most personal medical decisions," states a Los Angeles Time editorial.

The editorial, summarized on the Kaiser Network, a non-partisan network that promotes health issues, also points out the rejection of parental notification laws in California and Oregon, as well as the defeat of Kansas Attorney General Phil Kline, best known for having subpoenaed abortion records.  "Government shouldn't interfere with private lives,"is the conclusion the Times draws from the results of the elections nationwide.

As for South Dakota, changes are already being felt, as the state moves up one step from last place to number 49 in the IPAS project "Mapping Our Rights," leaving Ohio and Kentucky tied for the 50th spot.  It may not be much, but change often begins one small step at a time.

Borrowed Baby Blues

Today I am learning that if I ever want to have kids, I need to learn to write faster. Those little boogers don't nap nearly as long as I was told they would...

Hotdish Wednesday - Rumor Day

Like a middle-school girl's locker room, we have nothing but whispered rumors, name calling and general craziness in the hotdish today. If that's your favorite food, come on in...

The 2008 Democratic Convention has been narrowed down to New York and Denver, and with a newly elected Democratic Governor in Colorado, you would think they'd be pulling ahead. But have they already made a decision? A nonchalantly worded article in Newsweek seems to think so:

The westward trend is clear. For the first time, leaders of the House and Senate are from the Far West. Democrats put Nevada in a crucial early spot in the presidential-selection process, and will hold their convention in Denver.emphasis added

Looks like our sister site is going to be putting a lot of Minnesota fellows up on couches soon.

Speaking of our good friends in Colorado, we would like to apologize to them for hogging up way more than our fair share of the Center for Independent Media's mention in the vast leftwing conspiracy. I'm sure if they work very hard and investigate the right people, they too can have lots of error-filled info put up about them, too.

Finally, some name calling, Rush Limbaugh-style:

"In Minnesota they elected the first Muslim to Congress, and now the guy's being trashed by Al-Qaeda. I've always believed if you just reach out to your enemies and show them the hand of friendship, we can all sing kumbaya, but they still want to nuke us."

Catholics Have No Rhythm

Still against birth control, the bishops decide it's not really a "rhythm method."

The document, titled "Married Love and the Gift of Life," was introduced by the USCCB Committee for Pro-Life Activities and explains the church's position against contraception. The document is "short, simple" and claims that approved "[n]atural [f]amily [p]lanning" methods are based on signs of fertility and not the calendar-based "rhythm method," the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

So, if you don't want to get preggers when you're married, be sure to save room for the Holy Ghost...

(ten points to the person who identified the movie - smartie and I were trying to comeup with it this weekend)

Stuff on my cats in sinks?

The best of all worlds...


Now lets have a fight about Christmas versus holiday....

A Little Something For Everyone

For the Democrats, we have PZ Myers, evolutionary boogey-man:

Biology professor P. Z. Myers at the University of Minnesota, Morris, has demanded “the public firing and humiliation of some teachers” who express their doubts about Darwin. He further says, “It’s time for scientists to break out the steel-toed boots and brass knuckles, and get out there and hammer on the lunatics and idiots.”

For Republicans, AAA quoted in Slate.com:

Many conservatives, such as Minnesota Republican Andy Aplikowski of Residual Forces, view this both as cutting and running and letting the terrorists win. "They will definitely get us killed before they tax us to death. That's right Democrats, you have just waived the white flag in the battle for America's security," he writes.

And for those of you in the middle, some 2008 speculation from the Independence Party:

On the Independence Party side there are a lot of strong possibilities. Jim Gibson has expressed an interest in making another run, and federal office is his best fit, so I would expect him to run for either congress or US Senate in 08. Tim Penny is always a strong possibility to re-enter the game. While I don't expect the quick turn around Tammy Lee would be a very good candidate. Who knows maybe Kelly Doran wants a ticket onto the stage again, if he has a few more dollars to blow through he would seem to be a good fit with the Independence Party.

I don't expect a quick turnaround from Robert Fitzgerald or John Binkowski, and I don't expect Jack Uldrich, Jim Moore, or Dean Barkley to take a stab at it again.

The early best guess is Jim Gibson, although I would only put that at about a 20% chance as there are a lot of solid possibilities out there, not to mention newcomers I am not yet aware of.

Are there any bridges more painful?

Out of deep concern about our country and the breakdown of civil political dialogue, Anthony Signorelli wrote a book entitled Call to Liberty: Bridging the Divide Between Liberals and Conservatives that will hit libraries and book stores next Monday. He offers fresh ideas and a mediating language that can bring people together around common principles. St. Joan of Arc Church is hosting a book launch celebration on Tuesday November 14th, 7-9 p.m.

Anthony Signorelli will present his newly published book:
Call to Liberty: Bridging the Divide Between Liberals and Conservatives

Tuesday November 14th, 7-9 p.m. at St. Joan of Arc Church
4537 3rd Avenue South - Minneapolis
one block east and north of the intersection of 35W and 46th St. exit in south Minneapolis

Bob Hill, host of Minnesota Matters on AirAmerica Minnesota, will emcee.
Tony will make an interactive presentation for about an hour, take questions from
the audience, and wine, soft drinks and appetizers will be served afterward.
There is no cost to attend the event.

******************************************************

To learn more about the author, the concepts discussed in the book, or to read Tony's log, visit the website at www.calltoliberty.net

I believe this bridge requires a very large amount of steel.

Hotdish Monday - Pawlenty for President?

Not even one week has passed since Election Day, and all ready the talk is growing - does newly re-elected Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty have 2008 ambitions?

Thanks to an editorial by former MNGOP chair Ron Eibensteiner, what was previously though of as Vice Presidential aspirations may potentially be something bigger:

With a similar message of optimism in America's future, freedom, economic growth and belief in traditional values, Pawlenty today has effectively picked up the Reagan mantle. With the national Republicans losing sight of the Reagan legacy, many voters have turned away. Only by remaining true to the Reagan legacy can the Republican Party bounce back in 2008. Republicans should seriously consider Pawlenty for president in 2008.

Of course, PawlentyforPresident.com was purchased by Pawlenty's former technology director quite a while ago, along with McCain-Pawlenty.com.  And so far no one has snagged "Draftpawlenty.com" which should be the first move after Eibensteiner's editorial plea.

So is Governor as far as he intends to go this cycle?  He's giving that an empathetic 'yes'.  But with Minnesota conservatives calling for current MNGOP chair Ron Carey's head after losing nearly every race but governor, Eibensteiner took no time in vocally jumping back into party politics. 

Perhaps Eibensteiner's the one looking for a new job...

In Case of Rapture

Please Break Glass:

"Because of the high traffic demand that the rapture will place on RR, the site needs to be mirrored as many times as possible. "

Now, call me crazy, but I kind of assumed electricty itself would be sketchy during the end of days...

Good to see they have their contingency plans worked out.

Smilin' Norm's Run to the Center

Following last Tuesday's elections REW and I were placing bets on how long it would take Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman to begin establishing his "centrist" credentials and breaking with the GOP in preparation for '08.

Looks like both she and I underestimated Smilin' Norm. Over at Three Way News Hammer has already cataloged several Coleman flip-flops.

Coleman on the filibuster and Coleman on ANWAR

Heck, it took him about 30 years to turn on the Democrats. After being a loyal Republican for ten years, and a reliable pro-Bush voice in the Senate for four, he turned on the GOP less than a week after their first bad election. That has to be some kind of land speed record for selling out one's party.

And, to Hammer, I offer a third option. Coleman has neither lied nor betrayed his principles. Smilin' Norm's only real principle has always been doing what's best for Smilin' Norm. In adherence to that principle, he's been unerringly faithful.

Update: One of the Five Best Bloggers in Minnesota has some thoughts on this from the angle of who the DFL could run against Coleman. I'm not all that enthused about any of those choices for one reason or another. Out his list and at this time, I guess Mike Ciresi would be the best choice. REW (another of the Five Best Bloggers in MN) suggested yesterday that Dean Johnson, outgoing DFL Senate Majority Leader would make a good candidate. I dismissed it yesterday, but it's an interesting thought. The only real knock against him is that the GOP would have a ready made attack ad with the whole "sanding off the truth" incident. Still, '08 is a long time from now...

rew ads: Looks like Normie is trying to set himself up as part of a new gang of 14:

Coleman pointed out that to block a GOP filibuster, Democrats will need 60 votes, not the 51 votes they will have next year.

"If you want to get to 60, you're going to have to get a small group of people you can work with," said Coleman, a former Democrat. "And I'm going to be one of those."

Think the cranky conservative bloggers in our midst are going to put up with that?

First 25 callers get a free Reagan mask!

Gosh, this sounds like fun...

I bet they'll eat nothing but crappy takeout...

I really don't know what to say about this

I swear I passed it once...

You Failed 8th Grade US History

Sorry, you only got 5/8 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade History?

I've just realized my children are going to be smarter than me.

I'm officially part of the machine!

Or so says FrontPage's Affiliate.

Besides the fact that they are using MDE and Shotinthedark posts as info, they have more than a few other issues. Obviously, there's the repeatedly disproven "Media Matters" connection.

Then there's the fact that they think I'm a dude, or that I "blog" at Drinking Liberally.

But the worst is that they took a Smartie quote and attributed it to me:

Robin Marty: His writings appear on the Power Liberal, Drinking Liberally, and DFLSenate blog sites. On October 5, 2006, Marty wrote that "National Security advisor Condelezza [sic] Rice was clearly warned about Al Queda attacks before 9/11 and failed to do anything about it and then lied to the 9/111 [sic] commission about it, and lied about lying about it until official records contradicted her."

Seriously, they worked that hard to find a post with Smartie mispelling stuff, but can't be bothered to click on my profile?

It's not like I don't write stuff that the conservatives see as crazy liberal boogey-woman stuff...


UPDATE: "mispellings" on this page are an attempt to pull back the Horowitz tracker...

Blog fight!

Throw down!

One blogger explains being rejected by the Pawlenty team:

Oh, and I was blogging on behalf of a different candidate than they wanted, but I was pretty much urged not to blog for Pawlenty by his people, so that's fine. I took the hint. If they didn't want my help, fine. He was willing to do what ever he had to to win I'm not their hand picked person who is fully in tune with what they want to say, and exactly how they want it said.

While a new blogger admits he was the chosen one:

I got the call from the Pawlenty for Governor Committee last Saturday evening. Did I know of anyone who might want to join Governor Tim Pawlenty on his upcoming campaign bus tour? Maybe I would be interested? The invitation was hesitant, almost apologetic, as if I was being asked to drive over to Eagan to mow the governor's lawn. By the way, the bus leaves tomorrow at 5:00 pm, and the tour won't be over until 10:45 pm on Monday, almost 30 hours later!

How could I say no?

Are they going to rumble?

Friday Cat Blogging?

Forgot all about it. Thanks, New Patriots!

Let the Speculation Begin

(cross-posted on Minnesota Monitor)

Election day is here and gone, and some are still catching up on their sleep from a long campaign. 

Others are speculating for 2008...

Presidential names are already being dropped.  For the Republicans, Rudy Giuliani's campaign may have already gained a new member with the rumor that RNC Chair Ken Mehlman will be joining him in January.  And Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) had already mentioned a possible run on election day, stating that the "2008 election for president will be for all the marbles, as far as I'm concerned, especially about the immigration issue."

On the other side, Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack has already announced, meaning it's only a matter of time before the rest of the leading Democrats chime in.

For Minnesota, the silver-lining of Tim Pawlenty being one of the few Republican's being re-elected in the state is that some conservatives see it of a sign that he's ready to move on to a position as running-mate for '08.

As for the senate in '08, the oddest rumor we've heard so far is if you mate two local blogs, you could end up with a Bachmann/Dutcher race.

Is www.dumpbachmannvmachine.com up for sale?

Lovely

When this:

"I am never going to run for a political office again," Rowley said, in an interview, conceding defeat.

"I think for politics you do have to have a certain amount of Prom Queen appeal," she said. "I'm very blunt. And I don't think, in that sense, I'm the ideal candidate."

Translates into this:

'Agent of Change' trounced by pro-war Republican
Anti-war Democrat blames drubbing on her plain looks

On Voting Machines...

I hope I can safely write this post now without being accused of conspiracy theorizing...Can we as a country please get rid of electronic voting machines? Is there any reason why the most important single civic activity that most of us will participate in is subject to snafus, glitches, doubts and questions?

Why should we subject ourselves to this every two years when we had a perfectly functional voting system in this country that had worked for 200+ years?

If we absolutely need machines to help speed the process, is it too much to ask that they leave a paper trail? There are several ways to go about this already available. One is the "optical scan" type machines already in use in some parts of the country. Yes, these machines aren't perfect and sometimes miscount votes-but they leave a paper trail which can be counted by hand if need be. If touchscreen voting is the wave of the future why not have the machine print out a filled-in paper ballot once the voter has made his or her choice? The paper ballot could be placed in a lockbox at the polling place and these paper receipts could then be hand counted if there was any question of the totals later. Another option is "vote by mail" as they already do statewide in Oregon.

Whatever the system ultimately chosen, now would be the time to start trying to implement it. Nobody doubts that the 2008 presidential race is going to be contentious. We don't need more reasons to mistrust our government, and we don't need any more stories like this.

Sorry

Busy Helping Joe out with this today.

The "What If" Game

Charlie is finding himself wondering what would have happened if El Tinklenberg had won the endorsement...

I've been playing the "What if" game, too. But I've been playing it with Becky Lourey.

Could Lourey have beat Pawlenty? Well, there definitely would not have been "Hack-gate" last week. I also doubt there would have been half a million dollars in last minute ad buys from mysterious donors with ties to pharmaceuticals and auto dealers.

Would she have been able to raise the kind of money Hatch raised? I don't really know, but I do know I did not see a lot of Hatch spending the large amounts he was supposed to have. He ran a frugal campaign, but what benefit did that bring?

Sara notes Hatch's inability to reach out or work with people, especially volunteers, media and bloggers. As she notes, volunteers were sent to the DFL rather than handled internally, media was nearly shut out, especially (and understandably) in the end, and no blogger could get an interview. You never saw him in the Pulse or City Pages as you did Lourey. Instead, you got a lot of fundraisers.

In the dream world, we could do it over again. Or even imagine what would have happened if Lourey had been chosen as his Lt. Governor, a marriage made in heaven. At the very least, she wouldn't have choked on E-85 questions.

But Hatch declared her too liberal, and chose to surround himself only with the people he felt comfortable with and who shared his centrist ideas while locking out all of the people who could have opened him up to the left. And he became the only DFLer on the state ticket to lose.

Kind of makes you think a little, doesn't it?

From Policy and a Pint

  

I never bask

Smartie says rest and bask - I say keep going.

We have lots of new coverage at MinMon, including a post of clips that couldn't go in real stories.

Now for a little talk...

At about 5:00 pm yesterday, I got an email that simply said "surf's up." I didn't believe it at the time, and honestly, I'm still pretty amazed by everything that's happened. (Or, as President Bush is saying right now, "We took a thumpin'."

We have the house, we have the senate once Allen realizes that you can't fight the recount in Florida in 2000 and now expect people to believe you when you call for recounts in 2006, and now, in the beginning of the rats deserting the ship (or being thrown overboard) Rumsfeld is resigning. Locally we've elected almost a full slate of DFL state candidates, and solidly have both the house and the senate.

But it's never too soon to look at what is coming up ahead. Is the gay marriage ban dead now that Bachmann is going to DC, or will this just encourage someone to pick up her mantle with the idea that it's a good way to advance your career? Dean Johnson being defeated may make Joe Gisme the perfect person to continue the battle, and may make the new majority leader (whomever she may be) Leery about standing up, even with a bigger DFL chorus behind her.

And South Dakota defeated their abortion ban, but that could also be seen now as a flagship example for bringing the decision to the people versus having the court rule on the constitutionality of things, so that win could be a loss as well. And with Pawlenty in a second term, we have to consider the other "life affirming" bills he would try to pass that erode a woman's personal rights, especially as he preps his conservative resume for a potential V.P. run in 2008, although he should be tempered by woth a DFL Senate and House.

In short, there really isn't time to bask. But there is a time to drink. Drinking Liberally is tomorrow night, 6-9 pm at the 331 Club on 13th and University in Northeast Minneapolis. Come and celebrate, and come and plan.

Good Job Everyone

Dems take the House and, once the lawyers clear away, the Senate. In Minnesota we barely missed the governship, but we picked up large gains in the House and Senate. Wave? I think that's fair to say.

So take a day everyone and bask in the glow. A good day for the Democrats and a good day for America. Party at DL at the 331 Club tomorrow night.

Election Day Coverage

I will be doing updates on various races today, so check back in for "color" commentary. (You can have any color you want...as long as it's blue!) My posts will appear below this one.

For the best online election coverage in the state I encourage everyone to hit the link below and head over to Minnesota Monitor where they will be doing live reports from the campaigns and polling places throughout the day and up-to-the-moment results as they come in this evening.

MINNESOTA MONITOR

Cutting and Running

Leaving MPR now. Heading over to the DFL party. This will probably be my last post tonight. You've been great.

Not Sure If I Believe This

But MPR's aggregator site is currently projecting large gains for the DFL in both the state House (15 pickups) and the state Senate (7 pickups).

The Way It Looks Now (statewide)

DFL Candidates in all the "down ballot" races (Sec. of State, AG & Auditor) with a solid lead.

Hatch has an early lead, but that race is much tighter. Looks like that one is going down to the wire.

Looking Good, Mr. Ellison

Hennepin County's website gives Ellison over 57% of the vote so far. Fine and Lee are tied at close to 20%. Approximately a quarter of the precincts reporting so far.

Update: I hear the this race has now been called for Ellison. The only surprise? Tammy Lee ended up with much less support than I expected-only third place so far.

Go Klobuchar!

MSNBC and CNN have already called the race for Klobuchar! Polls have only been closed for ten minutes. That was quick.

Pennsylvania Expels Santorum

Something to cheer about.

Just as long as you don't read too much into that headline....

It's Early Yet...

But I must say that this is encouraging:

GOP incumbent behind in Indiana House race

A Republican incumbent trailed Tuesday in early results in a much-watched U.S. House race in Indiana, which may be an early indicator of voter sentiment that could swing control of the chamber.

With 15 percent of precincts reporting in Indiana's 8th Congressional District, Rep. John Hostettler trailed Democrat Brad Ellsworth 70 percent to 30 percent.

Policy and a Pint

So I'm here at the MPR Policy and a Pint event. I've seized an empty seat in the blogger section and everyone's too nice to kick me out so far...so hopefully I can bring everybody updates from here for the bulk of the evening.

The Most Important news of the Day

Say it ain't so, Brittany!

One Last Negative Ad (humor)

I know you all are sick of the negative ads, but don't you think it's important to get informed about the race for pre-school president?

Billie is a capital "L" Loser. Cast your gold star for Jimmie Jones!

Mr. Bitterness

A major Republican wave is coming in? And your "credible source" is National Review?

Are they serving Velvet Crushes (that's Kool-Aid and gin) over at KvM headquarters today? And has anyone told Gary there's a two drink limit?

There are two parties?

But Fox can only bear to name one of them, I guess:



Hmm, which party has the solid lead? Could be either one. Who knows? They report (half the story) YOU DECIDE.

h/t-The Carpetbagger Report

Rox the Vote

If you think getting to your polling place is a pain, maybe you need to think about what real sacrifice is.

Rox Populi has over 2,800 reasons why you need to go vote today.

Stay the course isn't a strategy and it's not working. We need change.

You Know What To Do!

You can find your local polling place by clicking here for the Secretary of State's poll finder.

Or, you can click here for the Star Tribune's "My Vote" which will help you find your polling place and also give you a customized sample ballot.

Now you have no excuses. Go vote.

Tales From the Freeway

Yesterday there were Kennedy, Wilde and Hutchinson signs over the freeway on my way home from work. Overnight, the Kennedy/Pawlenty people must have staged a major offensive because this morning they occupied all of the major overpasses on 394.

Although I am still a little confused by the guy holding a Pawlenty sign in one hand and a Mark Ritchie sign in the other. Bi-partisanship, I guess.

Some Rash Predictions

Here's my completely unscientific and probably laughable predictions for tomorrow.

CD1-Tim Walz by 3. MNGOP finally updates their "Republicans Love Rochester" site with a post that simply says "NOT!". Gil is breaking his term limit pledge to run this year, he's wishy washy on Iraq, DM&E and other important issues and he's resorted to using MDE smear tactics to try to hold his seat. The final straw was the junior-high school council tactic of accusing Walz supporters for egging his campaign headquarters. Sad.

CD2-John Kline by 5 or 6. This one hurts. Rowley is a much better candidate than she is usually made out to be, but to win this one she needed to run a perfect campaign. Her early stumbles cost her dearly. Still this race isn't going to be a blowout, with Rowley garnering numbers similar to Kline's initial total in '98. I think Kline shouldn't get too comfortable. Rowley will be back in 2008.

CD3-Jim Ramstad by 14. What can I say? Nothing against Wendy Wilde, but I've seen little to indicate discontent with Ramstad beyond the general disgust with the GOP.

CD4-Betty McCollum by 29. Was anyone sweating this race? Didn't think so.

CD5-Keith Ellison by 18. It would have been 30-35 without Tammy Lee.

CD6-My upset special-Wetterling by less than 1%. Can't say why, just a feeling I have.

CD7-Collin Peterson by 24. I can't even remember who his challenger is without looking it up. Not a good sign.

CD8-Jim Oberstar by 26. Cheers to the GOP for not just running a no-name candidate in this district. Jeers to that candidate being Rod "uff-da" Grams.

Guv-Hatch by 2. If this was just a straight referendum on Pawlenty's leadership or lack thereof this would be a wider margin. Here in reality, though, the GOP GOTV efforts will close the gap.

Senate-Klobuchar by 14. If Kennedy's campaign is all about cookies, then I guess the DFL machine must be an EZ-Bake Oven.

Also, special to District 59A-Diane Loeffler by 40. Zoom!

Polls open at 7:00 Tuesday morning. Get out and vote.

Update: I didn't realize until this morning that there were no 3rd party candidates in 59A. I'm changing the line on this race to Loeffler by 60. Zoom! Zoom! (If I were a betting man, I'd probably still take the over on this one.)

Happy Election Eve

Like the night before Christmas, but with more coffee and less wrapping, we find Election Eve is upon us again.

Unless Smartie's going to pop one up, Powerliberal is closed until Wednesday, as I will be at MinMon tracking races. Once again, MinMon is going to be having liveblogs from the campaign trail, race tracking, gossip from around the state and the election widget. One thing that I won't be able to widget is the South Dakota Abortion Ban results, but here is a link to the SD SoS Homepage which should provide up to the minute results, assuming their site isn't run by Kiffmeyer, too.

From 7 to 11 Smartie and I will be at MPR's policy and a pint election party, where I will be a little disembodied voice on the radio at some point during the evening. There may also be awkward video shown, which will unfortuately prove that Smartie and I have very little decorating skills. We would like to say now that we know our curtains are hideous, but they came with the house and we were lazy.

Get out and vote!

Smartie Adds: I will be doing some posting and election coverage tomorrow. I'll be keeping an eye on various issues in Minnesota and elsewhere in the country that I find interesting, but for the most complete and up to the moment election coverage check out MinMon.

Throw the bums out.

So Much for Right to Privacy

You would think Bill O Reilly of all people would want to honor that right...

From AP

Pedro Irigonegaray, who represents Tiller and the clinics, said it was "preposterous" that the information would come from an insider at one of the clinics.

"This has been our concern from the beginning, that if he ended up with these records, that just this type of event would occur. Our worst nightmare has happened," Irigonegaray said. "Women in America deserve better than this."

A picture you won't see on KvM

From I Don't Hate America

Whore or Hack, Is Hatch In Hot Water?

Cross Posted on Minnesota Monitor

Like a game of telephone played by third-graders, the "he said, he said" nature of the Governor's race is degrading quickly.

Thanks to a moment on the campaign trail vaguely reminiscent of Cindy Brady on the televised quiz show, a whirlwind of media has now surrounded DFL Gubernatorial candidate Mike Hatch and his running mate Judi Dutcher. 

Hatch has now called Stanley Hubbard a "political hack" and is accused of calling Forum Communications reporter a "republican whore."

Hatch claims he called the second reporter a hack, too, and asks the reporter to release the tape, but the reporter and the Forum capitol bureau chief refuse.

And we still have four more days...

It's not surprising that Hatch would be a little short-fused these days; with the race neck and neck, having a PAC drop $500,000 worth of advertising on you in the last week of the election has to be frustrating, and to have one of the original founders of the group be the head of one of your news networks is even worse. 

Followed that up with a reporter who is claiming Hatch called him a whore, and the bad press seems insurmountable.  Especially when the same newspaper who makes that claim also was scheduled to have its slate of newspapers endorse Tim Pawlenty for Governor yesterday.

It's a fine moment in Minnesota media.  If a paper picks up the story and runs with it, they can alleviate that pesky  charge of liberal bias.  If they don't pick up what at this point has become mostly a "he said he said" story, they are a tool of the DFL.

And meanwhile, the Republican will point out that no one supports politicians that swear.

Unless, of course, it's the president.

Why we are back...

Some of you may have noticed that smartie has been quiet for awhile, and I have not had much to say other than newsy bits over here for the last month or so. Then, suddenly this week we came back.

Well, I cannot speak for smartie (I try to, but I shouldn`t), but I have been ramping up to this...

Happy Anniversary, Powerliberal!

Yup, two years ago today was the day after the 2004 election. Smartie and I went looking for Drinking Liberally, couldn`t find it, came home and I started a blog.

A lot has changed in two years - both on this blog and in the outside world. And I realized that Powerliberal got really boring lately. We used to be fun, we used to be snarky, we used to be cranky and we used to link to the Concerned Women for America a LOT.

I was missing the Bitchy Little Girl with the Chip On Her Shoulder. And I've realized I need her more now than I ever did.

So without any further ado - anniversary snark links:

I don't think MPR understands what Fence-Sitting means.


Even better, they say the author: "[I]s a radical, vowing allegiance to no particular party. Interested in the governor's race and the Senate race, he looks to find some sanity in races that are being diluted by partisan bickering and smear tactics.

I guess I'm non-partisan then, too.

Speaking of MPR, Bob Collins is confused as to the "Stan Hubbard is a political hack, and he hires political hacks," comment yesterday.

Well, Stan Hubbard does give a lot of money to anti-Hatch PACS. Maybe even more, had the org not purposefully held off their donations so they wouldn't have to report them. And Cindy Brucato isn't exactly non-partisan. I just know Hatch better not be knocking on my John Mason. He was my first elementary school crush...

And PZ asks the obvious question - "Does anyone else get the impression that these conservative Republican wankers are all virgins living in their parents' basements?"

For Ted Haggard, maybe it would have been better if that were true...

Freaky Friday

In today's Freaky Friday File: Robots designed to look like humans.

Here are some clips from a Japanese robot show. The first is of a Japanese speaking robot, the second an English speaking "Actroid" robot.

Kokoro Dreams

Actroid

If you watch closely you see that they're even designed to mimic human behaviors like blinking and breathing. Have we hit the Uncanny Valley yet?

Drinking Liberals - I call upon you!

Don't let them silence the noise and/ or the funk...

Let's show them what the wrath of Drinking Liberally looks like (ie: we sure can send emails, right?).

Hello Ladies!

I missed you...

The Hewlett Foundation's answer to global warming? Abort babies.

The Truth About Mike Hatch

Revealed in this hilarious new video!

If Pawlenty had the guts to really make a commercial like that, I might consider voting for him.

(just kidding)

Hat tip: Pharyngula

Yay, are we done now?

As a combat veteran, I want to make it clear to anyone in uniform and to
their loved ones: my poorly stated joke at a rally was not about, and
never intended to refer to any troop.

I sincerely regret that my words were misinterpreted to wrongly imply
anything negative about those in uniform, and I personally apologize to
any service member, family member, or American who was offended.

It is clear the Republican Party would rather talk about anything but
their failed security policy. I don’t want my verbal slip to be a
diversion from the real issues. I will continue to fight for a change of
course to provide real security for our country, and a winning strategy
for our troops.

Can we talk about this, now?

The Prettiest Women in Politics...

Good to see they're finally getting along...

Where's Wege?

Trapped - he sent this message in case his fans come by...

Here's the deal: the server I'm on (not the server farm) is down. It also happens to be the very same server that hosts virtually every Democratic party and related website in Santa Clara, CA. No one knows what's going on, but the ISP owner has conceded that this very well might be a denial of service attack.

I'd appreciate it if someone would post this at their blog so at least my MN readers know what's going on. I'll probably be back online in an hour or so, or not at all for maybe a matter of days.

The ISP owner says he has NEVER experienced anything like this in the four years he's been in business, and he's very concerned that this is in fact an attack. Not to blow my own horn, but if you were going to shut down ONE MN liberal blog and one only just before the election, which one would YOU shut down? Now disqualify yourself and think about this again, trying this time to think like Michael Brodkorb....

Powerliberal would never be shut down, we're too pretty to put away...

But the GOP *is* a Joke

The US Army yesterday abandanonded one of their soldiers to the tender mercies of a Shiite militia.

At least 103 Americans died in Iraq last month.

Everyday Iraq becomes an increasing violent and chaotic hellhole, a fact even the military admits:



And what do all the useful idiots of the GOP care about? Something stupid John Kerry said.

The only real question is: Why did anyone ever take you people seriously? Anyone who blogged about John Kerry-don't bother commenting here again. You don't deserve to be listened to. You are morally and intellectually bankrupt.