More Then Half of Americans Wouldn't Vote for Senator Clinton

"More than half of Americans say they wouldn't consider voting for Sen. Hillary Clinton for president if she becomes the Democratic nominee," according to a new poll, McClatchy Newspapers reports. The poll by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research found that 52 percent of Americans wouldn't consider voting for Clinton, D-N.Y,"

GOI: This is what I've been saying all along--she's not electable--she's too polarizing a figure. That number includes a whopping 48% of the all important independents who wouldn't vote for her--and that includes this liberal leaning independent.

Democrats have been very myopic of late in nominating their candidates for president. They are great at picking a good candidate of the liberal base but not so good at nominating someone who has a chance in the general election.

This isn't about who is best for the Democratic party--that should be saved for the party chairperson. We need to nominate someone who can best bridge the divide in this country not further it.

The Democrats are big dreamers and that is usually a great thing--we have great ideas and potential but don't be fooled into thinking that the dream of another Clinton could materialize because it won't. For one, (as I've said many times before) Senator Clinton is no Bill Clinton despite sharing his last name. Second, I honestly believe that America is tired of either a Bush or a Clinton in the White House. Senator Clinton represents the status quo and typical polarized politics. The '08 election is a perfect chance for the Democrats to show and prove to the American public that we represent the new politics of fresh ideas that can unite the country--not further divide it. It is high time that the Democratic party bring in fresh voices and new faces to help energize the party and America--to show that we can produce leaders of the future and not reheat the same, aging out of touch leaders of our past. They have done us well but it is time to retire them.

Look at it this way--Senator Clinton is to the Republicans that another Bush (say Jeb) would be to the Democrats. Whether it is entirely accurate or not Senator Clinton comes off as laden with baggage and her traits of being combative, defensive and stubborn do not help make her palatable to the growing, independent American middle. She just can not connect with people on a personal level. It's not about "who would you rather have a beer with" likability. Rather can her personality attract people to really listen to her instead of making people blow her off as cold and distant from the average Americans' desires in a leader.

The chances are very high that a Democrat can win the White House this election cycle so let's not blow it by nominating Senator Clinton.

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The "Surge" Update and China's Poison is our Food

President George W. Bush pleaded with Americans Thursday to give time for his troop "surge" in Iraq to work amid signs of increasing skepticism in his Republican party.

Bush, speaking at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, said the US military was at the "beginning stage" of its offensive in Iraq as the last of the 30,000 extra troops he ordered into Iraq arrived this month.

GOI: If we're in the "beginning stage" then the "middle stage" should begin about September when things will be "reassessed" and the "final stage" should take place the day that Bush walks out of the White House. You watch--it'll happen.

GOI: In other news, China is still literally sending us poisoned products:

By ANDREW BRIDGES
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Farmed seafood joined tires, toothpaste and toy trains on the list of tainted and defective products from China that could be hazardous to a person's health.
The Food and Drug Administration announcement was only the latest in an expanding series of problems with imported Chinese products that seemingly permeate U.S. society.

Beyond the fish, federal regulators have warned consumers in recent weeks about lead paint in toy trains, defective tires, and toothpaste made with diethylene glycol, a toxic ingredient more commonly found in antifreeze. All the products were imported from China.

GOI: Antifreeze?? Oh that's nice. I guess that's a new flavor. You know, mint, regular or antifreeze. At what point does this become an issue of national security?? One would think that the safety of the American people would be an issue of national security. That being said, why should we be surprised when this lack of government regulation is coming from a government that is run by a president who's party has outright disdain for the idea of government in the first place!! As Thom Hartmann says, (and I'm probably paraphrasing a bit here) "You can't govern if you're against the idea of government." It sounds like the FDA under the Bush Administration is running it via "faith based" methods and I guess that's what they're trying to tell us--pray to "God" that you're food is safe.

This from the same government that brought us the FEMA Katrina nightmare.

This is what we get when we spend a major chunk of our federal budget on an endless war and a ballooning military industrial complex. This is what we get when we farm out jobs to a country that has nearly no standards, uses child labor and no worker rights. I'm tired of people whining about how much American union workers get paid--you get what you pay for, o.k.?? Do we want quality products that are made by Americans under strict regulations or cheap junk from a country that couldn't care less about our safety and that of our children? I think the answer is obvious.

This is what happens when we let the market forces of the multi-national, uber-corporations run rampant.

Here's a thought--if it's costs too much because it's made in America under rigorous standards then maybe you don't need it.

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Apparently Ann Coulter is Pro-Terrorism

Have you heard the insane Ann Coulter's newest verbal diarrhea?? She wished that John Edwards would be "killed in a terrorist assassination plot." Hmm--and here I thought that conservatives like her were anti-terror. Silly me. Of course we all know it's just a bumper sticker phrase for them and tool to exploit for elections.

Elizabeth Edwards actually called up Hardball on MSNBC to talk to Coulter and took the high road asking her to stop the hate. That is highly commendable but it won't work because hate and vitriol is all that Coulter knows.

Why does the MSM let this loony on their shows if they have "learned their lesson" with the Don Imus affair?!! I'll tell you why--they know that she will say absurd, shocking things that will bring attention and ratings to their shows and thus more money for the corporate elite.

They are willing to take that chance in the name of profits because if a "flap" arises over comments like this then they'll simply not have her back. Thus they won't be out any money or experience much loss of viewers because they'll hold some other shiny object in front of our eyes to distract us. That is how stupid and clueless this country has become.

The MSM use to be the champions of the people who didn't have a voice and who were not being heard by their politicians. Now, however, they have become bottom feeders who add fuel to the fire of lowering the bar of political discourse in this country. This is because they are now more worried about making obscene amounts of money then representing the rational, logical, sensible side of America.

And they wonder why the blogosphere is so popular.

I'm starting to believe in the premise behind the movie Idiocracy that we are becoming dumber and dumber as a society and as a result we are become lazier and and more irresponsible when it comes to the things that matter.

At least though the Edwards campaign is getting donations because of her hateful drivel.

The other upside is that Dems win when she speaks because it just shows how crazy the right wing has become.

The REAL news of the day--the Cheney subpoena is mostly being swept under the rug. Speaking of which the Congress has yet to hear from the Vice President's office. Cheney is an arrogant son of a bitch to not even respond one way or another to a legislative subpeona.

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World Refugee Day 2007

Well today is World Refuge Day and I can not help but feel ashamed. Ashamed that America takes in next to no Iraqi refugees despite all of our talk about defending the Iraqi people.

The state department announced in April that it had only taken in one Iraqi. That is nothing short of pathetic. Why even let any in then? Allowing just one Iraqi in is a slap in the face.

We are the ones who broke their country and yet we refuse to take in the innocent and most vulnerable of them. It is a very personalized example of the hypocrisy and heartless nature of our foreign policy in regards to Iraq.

America allows Cuban citizens into the country without hardly any restriction because they are considered, "political refugees" from a Communist country. And yet, we refuse to let hardly any Iraqi citizens into America from a country embroiled in a civil war that we helped create!!!!

How can we hold our heads up high anymore and be proud to be an American when we treat the world like this? Sweden is taking in many Iraqi refugees and yet they have nothing to do with our war there. And we take in one, ONE refugee in the entire month of April.

We might as well put up a new sign on the Statue of Liberty that says:

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

P.S.-Unless your Iraqi. Oh yeah and no Mexicans.

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Cheyenne Moutain

We went on a mini-vacation down to Manitou Springs/Colorado Springs this past weekend and it was lots of fun. These pictures were taken of the rock formations called, "The Garden of the Gods."



The round looking mountain in the middle that is in the distance is Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA where NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) was located up until a few years ago. During its Cold War-era reign, the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center collected data from a worldwide system of satellites, radars, and other sensors and processed that information in real-time. Operations were conducted 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in the Air Warning Center, Missile Warning Center, Space Control Center, Operational Intelligence Watch, Systems Center, Weather Center, and the Command Center.

While most of the day-to-day operations have since moved to nearby Peterson Air Force Base, NORAD still maintains the Cheyenne Mountain Directorate for use in the event of an emergency.

The facility is one of the most unusual installations in the world - apart from the fact that it is housed 2,000 feet (600 m) underground, it is also remarkable in that it was a joint and bi-national military organization comprising over 200 men and women from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Canadian forces.

The entrance to the facility is marked by two 25 ton blast doors and the entire underground base was designed to withstand up to a 30 megaton blast within 1 nautical mile. Twelve of the fifteen buildings are 3 stories tall, the others are one and two stories. These buildings are all free standing and mounted on 1319 giant springs each weighing 1,000 pounds (450kg) to help it withstand a nuclear blast and/or earthquakes. The springs allow it the entire complex to move 12 inches in any one direction.

Blair Knew U.S. Had No Post-Invasion Plans for Iraq and Committed Troops Anyway

Nicholas Watt, political editor
Sunday June 17, 2007
The Observer

Tony Blair agreed to commit British troops to battle in Iraq in the full knowledge that Washington had failed to make adequate preparations for the postwar reconstruction of the country.

In a devastating account of the chaotic preparations for the war, which comes as Blair enters his final full week in Downing Street, key No 10 aides and friends of Blair have revealed the Prime Minister repeatedly and unsuccessfully raised his concerns with the White House.

He also agreed to commit troops to the conflict even though President George Bush had personally said Britain could help 'some other way'. Sir David Manning, now Britain's ambassador to Washington, says: On his return to London, Manning wrote a highly-critical secret memo to Blair. 'I think there is a real risk that the [Bush] administration underestimates the difficulties,' it said. 'They may agree that failure isn't an option, but this does not mean that they will avoid it.'

GOI: And people wonder why us Scots want our independence from England. These two deserve each other--Bush and Blair. Tony should move down to Crawford and they can cut brush together and "play war" on Bushy's Playstation 3 and yell at Laura to get them more juice boxes.

Hopefully The Hague has other plans in store for the dynamically dysfunctional duo--we can only hope.

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End the Space Shuttle Program

We must end the space shuttle program and I believe that we should obviously still invest in satellite technology but I believe that now is the time to end the program that has been languishing for years. Every launch now seems to find damage to the shuttle that increases the chance of disaster during re-entry.

The cost of maintaining the space-shuttle program is beyond expensive (around $500 million each launch!!)--sucking up funds that could be better used to fund programs that are more critical to the 21st century namely fighting global climate change. It is money that could also be better spent in beefing up our social security program or funding a universal health care system.

The other program that needs to be abandoned is the International Space Station. Nothing much has been accomplished there and it basically only serves as a destination for the space shuttle to keep the bloated program going.

Now I'm all for private corporations taking over space programs with some government regulation but a government program just costs too much. The bottled water alone for these space flights costs tax payers almost half a million dollars a day!! Then there is the hauling of cargo that costs approximately $20,000 a pound.

The future beyond the shuttle program doesn't look to improve. The purported shuttle replacement (the X-33) has turned out to be a boondoggle. It was finally scrapped but only after it sucked $1.3 BILLION dollars (said in my best Dr. Evil voice) out of our pockets and away from other more important programs. Not even the Air Force will sponsor it.

No, it's time to end the program. It was important during a time when satellite technology was developing and critical during the cold war but now we have cheaper ways of delivering satellites into orbit with no risk to human life.

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The Sopranos Finale

Bada bing, bada boom--more like bada bing, bada dud.

That was the WORST ending of a TV show that I have EVER seen. I have been a loyal Sopranos fan for ages and pretty much only subscribe to HBO for The Sopranos and Real Time with Bill Mahr. However, I am thinking of ending our subscription due to this horrible, lazy, "cop-out" ending. It ended abruptly--so abruptly that I thought our satellite feed went out and that we missed that last, crucial moment. I screamed thinking I had missed the "money shot" and left me cursing at DIRECTV.

I'm not going to give anything away if you haven't seen it yet but it blows--big time. In fact, you might as well just read a recap or have me tell you what happened because it's not worth your time. It will just insult your intelligence and loyal viewing of what use to be a great show. I think they got tired of writing at the caliber we've come to expect from the show and just blew us all off with this ending.

Some people are trying to defend the ending but I do not think it's defensible unless you are o.k. with mediocre writing. It use to be a show that portrayed men of conviction and courage but the ending certainly was not that courageous or full of conviction. It was a severe let down and left my wife and I dropping the "F bomb" and expressing our anger and frustration for about an hour after the show.

I do not feel satisfied. I have been a loyal fan since the late first season and feel that they owed us a spectacular solid ending. Never-the-less, instead we are left with an ending that gives one the impression that they were afraid to end it in a shocking, "in your face" bold manner--something the show was known for.

And don't give me that crap that they were trying to be artsy about it. It was flat out dumb, lazy and very unsatisfying. And that we are to use our imagination which is a stupid conclusion if you ask me because I watch t.v. to watch someone else's imagination to show me something fantastic that I could have never imagined.

If I was meant to use my imagination then why even do the series at all?!! I might as well have just gotten stoned and thought up my own mafia fantasy!! I mean, COME ON!!!!!! Show me your genius that you get payed so much money for and give me something spectacular to end things with.

A good mob movie should be like a good Shakespeare or Greek tragedy where everyone is either dead or dying.

Some people think the ending hints towards a Sopranos movie which I think would be a bad idea. Television shows rarely lend themselves to make good movies.

Thanks HBO for hooking us into this show and then leaving us wanting much more. You assholes. You're like that tease of a girl who will get you going and then leave you with blue balls with out a glorious release and ending.

In a series that was all about the mafia and plenty of "bangs" and "whacks" it ended up going out with a whimper and the fans were the ones whacked. I give you 8 years of my life and countless amounts of $$$ and you give me THIS in return???

So here's my Sopranos answer to HBO: Fuck you you fucking fucks. If you gave that kind of ending to Tony he'd shoot ya dead in da head. Ya heard?

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Edwards/Obama Ticket?

As you know I've been a Barack Obama supporter since before he officially threw his hat into the ring. I was first introduced to him, as many, via the 2000 Democratic National Convention. His fiery speech gave me chills of inspiration and it touched me deeply hitting at my core. He was reaching me in a way that most Democratic candidates have never done--except John Edwards. And there in lies my dilemma. I am now leaning away from Obama and toward Edwards. Which somewhat pains me because I really like Barack but I just don't think he's ready to lead this country.

I am impressed with Obama's ability to rally people and convey a passionate vision for the country. However. I have been sorely disappointed with his lack of command and his timidity during the last two Democratic debates. He seems to lock up and have trouble with substance, plans and concrete ideas that are bold, full of conviction, practicality and honesty about what it will take to realize those things. He started his campaign with plenty of conviction (as all campaigns do) but I think that he has since settled into thinking too much of how things might poll and relying too much on his advisers.

The debates are important to me because it gives me a chance to see candidates respond to live questions as well as immense pressure and Obama does not like to be pressed it seems. At least from the two debates I've seen him in. He seems to be in over his head when pressured and falls back on scripted responses that are full on promises but short on substance. A president must remain cool under pressure and be able to think fast and come up with the right answers. It's a tall order to be sure but we are talking about the most powerful and important job in the country (and perhaps the world seeing how America is still the only "Super Power." Although China is getting there). After 8 years of a president who has been "learning on the job" (and doing very poorly at it I might add) I am leary of another "on the job training" candidate. I like a candidate who is tried and true and polished in their platform.

Anyway, because of Barack Obama's inability to come up with solid answers to unscripted questions and scenarios tells me that he does not have a very strong and experienced command of the issues. This is all leading me to think that he would be an excellent vice-president and I would love to see him run with John Edwards.

Edwards has everything that Obama has and the depth in platform and ideas that Obama seems to lack. Edwards is someone that I've liked for awhile too. I was very impressed with the way he ran his campaign in 2004 and was greatly inspired when I saw him speak in Denver at a campaign rally as part of the Kerry/Edwards ticket. I remember at the time that I couldn't help but think that the ticket was backwards. I knew that John Kerry was not as strong a candidate as Edwards and perhaps that was a bit of fore shadowing for the collapse of John Kerry.

Edwards ripped Darth Cheney a new one in the vice-presidential debate as well and I was just blown away at how politically savvy and yet sincere he was about the issues--and he still is.

The other thing that I like about Edwards is that he is honest and perhaps painfully so to some people. I, like some were dismayed when he voted for the war but for me he made up for it by admitting he was wrong. Honesty--something you rarely (if ever) hear from a presidential candidate. I like people (and especially candidates) that can admit when they are (and were) wrong. It lets me know that they are not just worried about their political ambitions and, "What polls well" or will it make me look weak. It makes them look human and able to relate to the average man who makes mistakes everyday.

He like most politicians has big ideas but is very straight forward and honest about them and what it will take to see them happen. He knows that his universal health care plan will require raising taxes and It is so refreshing to hear a politician admit that. I'm sick of these wishy-washy Democrats who won't say the word "taxes." Americans have become spoiled and lazy expecting the best of everything without having to pay for it. Well you know what? It takes money to have a well run government that can fulfill it's obligations to the people and that means taxes but targeted taxes.

We cut taxes for the middle class and raise them for the wealthy who can absorb them easier then the average worker who is living pay check to pay check. The wealthy owe a debt of gratitude to this country that enabled them to make all that money they have or inherited. So they only make 5 million a year instead of 10 million a year--big deal. They can afford the cut more then anyone else--and that is what John Edwards understands and is not afraid to say.

He understands that the backbone of this country is the middle-class and that by helping the poor we all improve. He is a true populist and that is something that this country sorely needs after Bush's war in Iraq and years of Republican rule have left this country broken and falling behind the rest of the world in social issues.

I think the issue that is tipping me over toward John Edwards is his health care plan and especially his mentioning the need to have mental health issues treated with the same attention as any other biological disorder. As some of you know I live with many mental health issues which has greatly affected our finances and any candidate who can address the mental health care crisis in this country definitely has my ear.

So, for now I am taking down the Barack Obama for president button on the blog.

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Alcoholic Beer or "Near Beer?"

I was watching the live feed video from the G8 summit yesterday and saw President Johnny Walker drinking what looked like a beer. I've often thought that he was off the wagon but here's the question.

Is that non-alcoholic or alcoholic beer? I guess the "official" line is that it is "near beer" (non-alcoholic). Never-the-less
according to spokesperson Dan Bartlett Bush was resting in his room after the drinking session with a "stomach ailment" that the spokesperson said was "not serious."

Sounds like a classic hang over to me. I bet you anything that he was hugging the toilet puking out what little guts he has left.

But even if it was non-alcoholic why is he even drinking "near beer??" It's not 100% non-alcoholic anyway--it's about 0.5% alcoholic. For some people even just the look or smell of a "near beer" can cause a relapse. He obviously hasn't grasped the Step 1 of alcoholics annonymous that says basically, "I admit that I am powerless over alcohol." Besides It's a terrible temptation and recovering alcoholics are advised to not drink them. That being said, since when did Bush take anyone's advice or done anything responsible??
I wonder if the brand was Busch (pronounced Bush). It's terrible beer and seems to be the official beer of rednecks--which would fit since George W. Bush is the King of the Rednecks. I know that there are some Redneck Democrats but not many I would surmise.
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Paris Hilton Free After Only 5 Days

LOS ANGELES - Paris Hilton was released from a Los Angeles County jail early Thursday because of an unspecified medical problem and will fulfill the reminder of her sentence in home confinement, a sheriff’s spokesman said.

The 26-year-old hotel heiress was sent home shortly after 2 a.m. fitted with an electronic monitoring bracelet. She had spent five days at the Century Regional Detention Facility in suburban Los Angeles for violating probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case.

James: What a joke. If this is was you or I we'd still be sitting there starring at the concrete walls and bared door. Ya think her multi-multi millionare father had anything to do with springing the spoiled heiress?? Of course. I guess prison is now the new rehab for celebrities.

What a hardship to have to serve ones time in a mansion.

According to TMZ reports Paris was having trouble sleeping, eating, was constantly crying and cracking from the stress. I bet you anything that was the "medical condition." That and/or she "threatened" suicide which still shouldn't get her out of prison but simply placed under suicide watch either still in prison or in a mental health facility.

Maybe she'll make a new "amateur porn flick" titled, "Four Nights in Jail" as a sequel to, "One Night in Paris" which made her "famous."

She'll probably now complain that the ankle bracelet that she now has to wear clashes with all of her designers shoes and will therefore get it removed. Then again maybe they can get one in pink since the LAPD will do anything for her. Either that or she'll get it removed because it leaves a red mark and causes her "stress" and makes her cry, not eat and lose sleep.

Maybe she'll do a spin off from her t.v. show, "The Simple Life" calling it, "The Criminal Life."

She must have fallen apart when she found that prison cells were nothing like a Hilton hotel room--with not even a mini-bar!! Maybe she told the prison officials that she doesn't look good in orange and since they didn't have jump suits in pink she developed this "medical condition."

I'm not the least surprised that Hilton couldn't back up her "tough talk" before heading into jail:

I did have a choice to go to a pay jail,” said Hilton, without giving details. “But I declined because I feel like the media portrays me in a way that I’m not and that’s why I wanted to go to county, to show that I can do it and I’m going to be treated like everyone else. I’m going to do the time, I’m going to do it the right way.

UPDATE: TMZ is saying that the apparent "medical condition" was that she was having a "break down." Duh. That's what prison is supposed to do--break you down!!!

I wouldn't normally blog about her and her ilk but this one really pissed me off.

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Low Recruits in a War Where We Need Troops and Yet We Discharge Homosexuals

In last nights debate Wolf Blitzer mentioned how Arabic translators have been kicked out of the military for being gay. He asked if (because of that) should we not allow gays to openly serve in the military. Rudy Giuliani and I believe Mitt Romney said that this is not the time to look at the policy since we are in a time of war.

The implication being that addressing the issue would be such a "distraction" that it would hurt our mission in Iraq--which is of course going so well anyway. This is typical Neo-Conservative flawed logic because if this war is so important then obviously we need those gay Arabic translators enough that we should wave the law to help the war effort that is so "critical to our security!!" Then again I don't expect these type of Republicans to be able to see or understand the obvious. Maybe it's not flawed logic after all since they don't seem to have any logic to flaw in the first place!!!

And as if it would take that much work to over-turn the law and reinstate those soldiers in the first place. If our Pentagon is that inept that it can not adapt to change to help our security then we are in serious trouble people.

The president of the gay partisan group Log Cabin Republicans [Patrick Sammon] agrees that it would not be difficult to implement the change in a time of war:

Sammon noted the military was desegregated during the Korean War, and commanders today could incorporate gay service members in a similarly effective and competent manner.

In a time when we need recruits we shouldn't be turning people away. Hell. Is some cases we are waving criminal records to recruit people but we won't take those dirty gays.
All these Republican candidates wield the heavy club of fear mongering to tell us how important winning this war is. Yet, YET they are willing to compromise that war, our security and intelligence gathering in Arabic countries because of something so trivial as "gayness."

The other Republican candidates didn't respond much better. In the words of Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese:

Every single Republican candidate for president just looked the American people in the eye and voiced their support for a policy that is more concerned about the sexual orientation of an Arabic linguist than it is our military’s ability to decode the next piece of intelligence from terrorist groups,” he said.

To quote Barry Goldwater, "You don't have to be straight to shoot straight."

NOTE- Government studies show “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has cost taxpayers an estimated $364 million.

Dollar Bill Jefferson Should Resign

On Monday a Federal Grand Jury indicted Rep. William Jefferson (LA) on 16 counts including racketeering, solicitation of bribes, honest services fraud, money laundering, obstruction of justice, violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and conspiracy.

These are the kind of charges that one would expect for a mafia boss. Jefferson seems to be following in a long line of corrupt Louisiana politicians and giving Tony Soprano a run for his money.

Following the indictments Jefferson resigned from his only committee assignment but that's not good enough--he needs to resign. The Democratic Party needs to show that they do not do business as the Republicans have done in the last Congress. If Jefferson is convicted on all charges he could receive a maximum sentence of 235 years in prison!! If he is indeed convicted then he should serve the maximum because the charges are so many and so agreegious.
However, I do not believe that he should be explused before he is convicted as despite all the evidence he is allowed a fair trial and forcing him out of the House based on an indictment alone is going to far. That being said, he would do everyone a lot of good by resigning completely as a member of Congress.
Republican hypocrisy?? What a shock:

The move by House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) to seek Jefferson's expulsion based solely on an indictment -- rather than a guilty verdict -- is not only wrong in principle, but it is also hypocritical. In September 2006, after Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) pled guilty to influence peddling, Boehner was asked on Fox News Sunday if Ney should resign from Congress. Boehner, who was then Majority Leader, said Ney shouldn't be forced to leave office. "That's a decision that he and his family are going to have to make," Boehner told host Chris Wallace. When former Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) resigned from Congress last year after being criminally-indicted for money laundering, Boehner sang his praises, saying "he has served our nation with integrity and honor, and I'm honored to call him my colleague and friend." Many conservatives in Congress who are now pushing for a hasty expulsion of Jefferson were the same lawmakers attempting to change House ethics rules in 2005 so that indicted members could continue to hold leadership posts. They eventually reneged after "the so-called DeLay Rule" was heavily criticized.

GOI: If the Democrats try to defend Jefferson in a similar way then I will move even further away from that party toward independence. I'm already a registered independent anway.

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Romney and Most Christian Conservatives Want it Both Ways

I was thinking this morning about Mitt Romney and his Mormon religion. As some of you might know I was raised Mormon but have since left the church and am now basically a Buddhist. So I know a lot on the Mormon faith.

I find it interesting that Romney gets a pass on his religion as JFK did being Catholic and while I think that is the way it should be I find Romney playing both sides of the street and taking advantage of that courtesy. Let me explain.

Romney says that religion shouldn't be an issue when running for president but then inserts religion back into his campaign when he panders to Christian groups!! This is typical Republican exploitation of religion. They take advantage of religious freedom to try and use religion to advance their political agenda. However, when you dare criticize these types of tactics they scream at the top of their lungs that their religious freedoms are under attack!!! As well as coming full circle yelling that their religion is no bodies business but theirs!!! They misinterpret criticism and a differing opinion for repression of their faith.

Another example is when politics is preached from the pulpit. Then when they are threatened with the government repealing their tax exempt status for doing so they again claim their religious freedoms are being repressed. They use religion as a wedge and exploit peoples respect for religious tolerance.

Well I for one am sick of backing down from this game. If these candidates are going to talk about their religion then I am going to judge their religious beliefs as much as I would their beliefs on Iraq, terrorism or domestic issues.

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Where is Condi Rice our "Russia Expert??"

Have you heard about the tension regarding Russia protesting the Bush plan for a missile defense shield in Europe?? So much for Condi Rice and her "expertise on Russia."

Then there is the pesky issue that the people of the Czech Republic are not happy in the least about being the base of the radar system for this so-called "shield."

Sixty-one percent of Czechs oppose the proposal to locate the site an hour southwest of Prague, opinion polls show.

GOI: To put a finer point on it large protests are planned to greet Bush in Prague regarding this issue and already one protest has taken to the streets:

Hundreds of protesters carried an effigy of Uncle Sam and staged a mock trial of US President George Bush today in demonstrations against his visit in the Czech Republic and US plans to build a missile defence system.

Chanting “Shame on Bush!” and waving cardboard rockets, they rallied peacefully on a square near the medieval Prague Castle before Mr Bush’s evening arrival and scheduled speech tomorrow to an international conference on democracy and security.

Opponents contend the shield – which the US says would help protect both it and Europe from a rocket attack by Iran – could make Czechs a target for terrorists and re-ignite Cold War-era tensions between Washington and Moscow.

“We had Russian troops here for more than 20 years, and I was against that, too,” said Karel Janko, 63, a businessman protesting what he called “America’s misguided motives” behind the missile shield.

GOI: Support isn't much better in another key missile defense system country, Poland where 10 ballistic missile interceptors are to be located:

In Poland, which Bush will visit on June 8, opposition to the missile defense system rose to 57 percent in April from 55 percent a month earlier and 32 percent in December, base

GOI: I guess we have to fight them in Europe too so that we don't have to fight them at home. You know this whole plan for a missile defense shield reminds me of an over-bearing father forcing his children to stop crying and fight like a man because it's for "their own good."

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JFK Terrorist Plot Foiled by Good Police Work

By ADAM GOLDMAN
Associated Press Writer

PHOTO: AP/Seth Wenig

NEW YORK (AP) -- Federal authorities said a plot by a suspected Muslim terrorist cell to blow up John F. Kennedy International Airport, its fuel tanks and a jet fuel artery could have caused "unthinkable" devastation.

But while pipeline and security experts agreed that such an attack would have crippled America's economy, particularly the airline industry, they said it probably would not have led to significant loss of life as intended.

GOI: This plot was broken up by good, old fashioned police work and good intelligence--NOT because of the Iraq war or anything we're doing over there. I am convinced that if we leave Iraq and invest all that money into our police forces, other first responders and intelligence agencies that we could intercept a HUGE majority of terrorist plots. I have confidence that if some DO slip through the cracks and get into America that we will stop them. There is no way that we can stop everything though and we must understand that is the reality of our times. No threat can be stopped 100%.

This crap that the terrorists will follow us home rhetoric is inaccurate and insulting to our police forces and intelligence agencies. I'm sorry if I do not trust people who have been wrong on just about everything else they've said. Bush needs to stop reading, "My Pet Goat" and crack open the story of, "the boy who cried wolf." It also gives the picture that the terrorists are going to get in a bunch of pirate ships and sail the seven seas to reach America and invade us. Total scare tactics as usual.

Terrorists will get through on rare occasions but over-all we can shut them down from hitting us here.

That is where our concentration should be--not over in the middle of someone's sectarian civil war half a world away. Being there isn't protecting us from terrorists but rather creating MORE terrorists. We are inspiring them--we need to bring our troops home, beef up our borders, police forces, other first responders and rebuild our army.

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Man Eats Dog

LONDON - A British artist has eaten chunks of a corgi dog, the breed favored by Queen Elizabeth II, live on radio to protest the royal family's treatment of animals.

GOI: This is the ultimate in irony, flawed logic and stupidity. The man protests the treatment of animals by the royal family by eating a dog?? That's the kind of logic that says it's o.k. to kill an abortion doctor to keep him from "killing" babies.

I swear sometimes I much prefer the company of animals then human beings.

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