Judiciary squabble:
Word- Most Americans could care; remain unaware
I heard a journalist on a political talk-show saying that, through calling for the all-night session regarding the Judiciary this week, the Republicans had hoped to at least educate the public on the meaning of "filibuster".
Another journalist on the panel said (basically) "Fat chance".
If you're a political junkie like me, (especially if you loved "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"), you already know what a filibuster is.
I agree, though, that if you don't already know or care, this whole session was for naught.
It was just a stage for the melodramatic children from the GOP who wasted what could have been
a far more productive last few hours to debate and formulate some meaningful legislation.
A Washington Post article asked: "Why do some Washington stories take off like a booster rocket while others seem to fizzle?"
The article drives home the point that the average American didn't even know or care about this yak session.
Note: Be sure to read the above-mentioned article as it progresses to talkng about the current contretemps over the Senate intelligence committee memo. It's amusing and compelling (if you're a political junkie like me, at least).
Republicans Got Nowhere With Their Drama-Queen Act
Rick Santorum literally said there would be "payback" when a Democratic president (President Dean;) starts to
nominate judiciary candidates.
This anti-filibuster filibuster only shows how much our Senators resent one another...but that's nothing new.
Call me jaded. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that a high-strung GOP Senator hauled off and physically went
for the wrinkly throat of a fellow Senator.
Bush has set the tone for this animosity.
I hope he's proud of the political atmosphere he has led to this frenzied state.
What Kerry's doing bugs me
I like John Kerry, but I resent the fact that he plans to use his wife's money (as much as he can) to fight the little people making donations from hard-earned money out of their own pockets to the candidate of their choosing.
I really do resent that.
A candidate using his own wealth does nothing to promote the cause of healthy democracy or
to spark new voters.
I suppose Howard Dean put him in this corner...and Kerry took the bait.
Kerry comes out looking bad.
Dean wins again.
"My father crapped bigger ones than George Bush"
Ronald P. Reagan
Ronald Prescott Reagan for President '04
Bankruptcy in America
Continuing the record-setting pace of recent years, personal bankruptcies rose 7.8 percent in the 12 months ending Sept. 30, according to data released Friday by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
The past four years:
FY........Business..NonBusiness....Total
2003.....36,183.....1,625,813......1,661,996
2002.....39,091.....1,508,578......1,547,669
2001.....38,490.....1,398,864......1,437,354
2000.....36.065.....1,226,037......1,262,102
See U.S.Courts.gov
I found this to be a most unusual story
"Get Him, Lenny!"
Democratic Leaders and MSNBC--Time to Stop Giving Bush Honeymoon!
MSNBC posed a question to potential television-poll-participants today...
"Is George Soros' political gift ($millions$) to democratic organizations going to help or hurt the Democrats?
What a conservative-leaning crock of crap!!!!
As if $15 million won't help, regardless of the donator.
Give us a break!
And when is the last time we were asked if the $24 million Bush raised at a black-tie gala in DC would
help or hurt him?!?
MSNBC, shame on you!
NBC doesn't have enough Jim Miklaszewski's.(see reference below)
MSNBC cowers in the heavy shadow of their corporate-sentries.
They are lame, to put it in the simplest terms.
Self-respecting journalists who work for NBC/MSNBC should be embarrassed.
When is NBC/MSNBC planning to stop giving this guy his undeserved honeymoon?
When he's lobbed the first nuke into the Middle East and has killed hundreds of thousands?
Thanks to his wealth, he may have educational degrees, but we all know what a simp he is...and what an easy shill he is for those who subscribe to the Three Ps...Profits, Poverty, and Power.
He's a man who was never personally successful at anything in his life until money made him the little king and footsoldier of God that he apparently always wanted to be. Now he's ruining our Union.
He's a man who subscribes to an ideology that is crucially damaging to the vast majority of citizens of this nation.
We have a President who'd willingly carry on an unnecessary war of distraction while the ugly greed that is sated by policies that enrich the wealthiest is fed..while loyal grunts in Iraq die or face lifelong disability from injury and the poorest among us are virtually forgotten...while our civil liberties are systematically being stripped away.
MSNBC headline:"How to talk to your kids about Kobe Bryant"!??!
Dear God...what are they thinking?
How about "How to talk to your kids about GW Bush"??!!
Wake up!
It's time for our journalists AND our Congresspeople to tell it like it is..
time to stop pussy-footing their way around this fascist Bush administration.
Time to start saying what they mean.
The Republicans are trying hard (and often successfully) to make Democrats look like nothing more than
"hate-speechers". Well, why don't our Democratic leaders haul off and show the other side what it really means
to rip apart the Bush policies...with the gloves off.
If they are going to be accused of it, they'd best do a damned effective job instead of looking like they're still
courting the worst President in American history.
"Get him, Lenny!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reference to Jim Miklaszewski from Deborah Mathis' Nov 11th column:
" WE CAN'T RIGHT-WING JUGGERNAUT STOP THE PRESSES"
"...Thank heavens there are still those like Jim Miklaszewski of NBC News, who are not cowed by this machine and don't let the racket drown out the little voice that reminds journalists what they're there for: Get the story. Get it right and get it true.
He was excoriated for reporting, with videotaped footage, the carnage at Baghdad's al-Rashid Hotel in the wake of a bombing that coincided with Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz's visit - indeed, his residency at the very hotel that was struck.
The knee-jerk reaction was to accuse Miklaszewski of accentuating the tragic in order to mock George W. Bush's sunny focus on the region.
Fortunately, not only did Miklaszewski stick to his guns, but so did network executives.
That's too rare a stance these days. Other journalists - lesser journalists, maybe - would be so worried about having their credentials yanked or not being invited to the Christmas party or press picnic that they would be scrambling to kiss up to the White House...."
Wilson's Wisdom: Beware of the white-collar redneck
I'm not worried about the guy waving his Confederate flag next door. I'm more worried about someone else.
by Rabbi Marc Howard Wilson
Rabbi Wilson is right.
Symbols are symbols, but the real danger lies in those with the real influence.
"...the rancor should not be over wooing pickup-truck rednecks. It should be over the courtship of the white-collar rednecks, the ones who really wield the influence."
Cloning Christ
I first read about this on Jewsweek. From the 'Yada, yada, yada blog': "..And you guys were worried about The Passion. Take a look at the book, soon to be a motion picture, Cloning Christ...."
The main character is Dr. Max Train, a leading genetic scientist from Syracuse, New York.
I live in Syracuse, NY..hmmm..that increases my interest in the story...
The book is written by authors Peter Senese and Robert Geis, who have joined forces to create "Cloning Christ".
Their website calls it "a brilliantly written theological thriller which provokes the question of how genetic science and faith may co-exist in today's world. The intricately developed plot, with originally created characters who are cast behind the backdrop of an assortment of scientific and religious perspectives held by people of the world today, challenge the reader at every turn to think through these current issues as the fast-paced thriller evolves into a story of good versus evil."
Cloning Christ is in development to be made into a motion picture, production scheduled to begin in the late spring of 2004.
It's the story of a genetic scientist - Max - a man who lived a 'perfect' life. Highly respected in the field of genetic research, his work led him to discover the secrets of man’s DNA sequence code. Happily married to Lisa Train, the loving mother of their four-year old daughter, Annie, Max lived the life most people aspire to have. Thankful in his blessings, Max’s devout love of God led him to live a righteous life. Max was a Believer.
Then a nightmare so chilling and cruel became Max’s cold reality as all he loved and cherished was brutally taken from him. When Max enters an ancient cave hidden from time near Mount Olivet, he discovers what may be the True Cross of Jesus, and painfully confronts his faith in God. This is only the beginning of Max's journey into chaos he could never imagine in his wildest nightmares....Other people are aware of his find, including a corrupt cardinal close to the pope, who is fanatically afraid that Train will use the DNA from any flesh or hair remaining on the cross to try to clone Christ....With the possible True Cross in his possession, Max dashes across the globe in an attempt to flee the dark clouds of evil endlessly chasing after him and the artifact that may in fact change the world forever. Confronted with his desire to accept God – unable to accept the dark past that turned his life into a living nightmare – Max begins a dangerous global journey back to the loving hands of the Christ.
This may, indeed, be a controversial movie, but the subject matter is quite interesting...provocative at best.
Often, when an author (or authors) attempt to transcend religion, they wind up inadvertenly insulting the faithful masses.
I have yet to read this book, so I am no authority.
I'll have to put it on my list of "to-reads".
Take This Test!
http://www.politicalcompass.org/
The social dimension of politics is important. That's the dimension that the mere left-right scale doesn't adequately address. So Political Compass has added one, ranging in positions from extreme authoritarian to extreme libertarian.
My result was here:
Close to this fellow:
NOTE: Don't spoil the results by reading the Analysis section before you take the test.
John Stewart Honored by Jewsweek
The Jewsweek Jewriffic Awards
Also, do not miss this honorable mention:
4. Best opera honoring a sleazy Jewish talk show host: London audiences have been privileged to have "Jerry Springer -- The Opera" at the state-funded National Theatre since April. This week, however, the man himself paid them a visit and had this to say at a lavish party honoring him after the show: "As an opera, it's perfect."
A new blog
Take a drive by And then..., an interesting new blog.
Best line from article about Senate debate on Judiciary nominations:
"Republicans displayed large charts with judicial nominees' photographs, which looked like posters of missing children."
Best Whine:
"It's not right to be coming down and mentioning senators by name and using words like `sanctimonious hypocrisy.' "
The sanctimoniously hypocritical Sen Don Nickles crying about a comment made by the bluntly honest Sen Tom Harkin
Republicans Are Trying to Gut Medicare
Thanks to the GOP's truly evil efforts, health care may soon be out of reach for many older Americans.
"If we're an arrogant nation, then they'll resent us. I think one
way for us to end up being viewed as
'the Ugly American' is to go around
the world saying "we do it this way, so should you."
Gov. George W Bush during the 2000 Presidential debates
