More trouble for DeLay

Ricky Santorum, trying to save HIS ass, calls on DeLay to come clean (Ricky is trying to seem like a moderate now that his state went blue the past election). And Chris Shays said he should step down as Majority Leader. The man is wounded and the rats are fleeing the ship. Read More......

GOP congressman wants Don't Ask Don't Tell repealed - says gays should be allowed to serve

Wow. And she's Cuban-American - we could certainly use more pro-gay Latino friends. Cool. Read More......

Open thread

I'm messing with the comments, in case you couldn't tell... Read More......

Catholics, Condoms and AIDS - Immoral Doctrine

I know everyone is probably tired of hearing about the pope. One of my biggest beefs with this pope was his failure to deal in a rational way with the issue of condoms to prevent the spread of AIDS. It has nothing to do with birth control. It is about saving lives.

So, today, there is a long story in the New York Times about picking the new pope. What struck me most was this passage:

A reporter asked Cardinal Francis George of Chicago in a news conference last week whether the church would consider approving the use of condoms to prevent AIDS in places like Africa.

"Your solution is to exterminate the poor?" he said, referring to the births that contraception would prevent. "The doctrine of the church isn't going to change, and so you work with it as best as you can."

Are you fucking kidding me? Does Cardinal Francis George not understand that condoms save lives? NOT using the condoms is CAUSING the extermination of the poor around the world. His line of thinking is so contrary to what most of the humans in the world would consider moral, it is beyond comprehension.

By the way, Cardinal, the doctrine of the church is man-made and it CAN be changed. Read More......

Open thread

I see Santorum is sweating, more to come. Off to a vast left-wing conspiracy booz thing. Read More......

Back In The Saddle Again

I've finally overcome my numerous computer troubles -- your generosity helped me (attempt to) retrieve data lost on my collapsed hard drive, rebuild my system, install new protection and finally buy that back-up harddrive (a Maxtor One Touch II) to make sure any problems in the future are less devastating.

Of course the new virus and firewall software I bought (Norton) was recommended by my internet provider and STILL isn't compatible. (To send email, I have to lower my firewall each time.) But I'm sure I'll have my problems worked out in the next year or so.

My only regret? I couldn't afford to go Mac.

Thanks again to everyone who chipped in. I feel really behind in my comments, so now about Terri Schiavo.... Read More......

Great, and funny, summary of the Press Club panel with GannonGuckert

It's good. Read More......

Top Right Wing Priority: Saving Tom DeLay

UPDATE: Democrats.com thinks Rove is behind the attacks on DeLay, I think they're likely right.

The Washington Post reports on a major plan by GOP House Members and the right wing allies to save Tom DeLay. They are going on the offensive:

Allies and friends of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (Tex.) have concluded that public attention to his ethics is unlikely to abate for months to come, and they plan to try to preserve his power by launching an aggressive media strategy and calling in favors from prominent conservative leaders, according to Republicans participating in the strategy sessions.

The Republicans said the strategy combines leaks from DeLay allies about questionable Democratic trips and financial matters; denunciations of unfavorable news stories as biased, orchestrated rehashes; and swift, organized responses to journalists' inquiries.

The resistance was launched two weeks ago when DeLay flew back to Washington from Texas during Easter recess to speak to a group of about 30 conservative leaders who had gathered in the conference room of the Family Research Council for a call to arms on his behalf.

Good. Strategize away. Keep putting DeLay out there. Make him a bigger name then he is. Tie him to the Congress and the Right Wing Nutball agenda.

DeLay's plan, according to the Post, "is trying to lock in support by sowing the message that an attack on him is an attack on the conservative movement, and that taking him out would be the Democrats' first step toward regaining control of the House and Senate." The more time the GOP and their nuts spend defending DeLay, the less time they have to enact their agenda. And, the more attention they focus on DeLay, the more of a symbol he becomes for the Republican's corrupt leadership which is bankrupting America.

I go back to Lindsay Graham's quote in the Washington Post last week:

Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) says Democrats suffered major setbacks in the 1990s when an ethics-challenged leader -- House Speaker Jim Wright (D-Tex.), who resigned in 1989 -- became a larger symbol of his party than its platform issues. "That's a cocktail for disaster," Graham said. If a political leader's personal problems are coupled with "some policy decisions that are disconnected to the public, then you've got an opening" for trouble, he said. "If we don't watch it, it could happen to us."

If the GOP wants DeLay to be their symbol, Americablog will do our part. We want EVERYONE to know about DeLay's ethical history and his crazy agenda. Read More......