Open Thread

I'm in Maine and it is COLD....Chat away... Read the rest of this post...

It's All Jeb's Fault Now

Yesterday, the NY Times ran a piece that pretty much proclaimed Jeb was a huge beneficiary of the Schiavo politics.

Today, the New York Times has an article with a different take:

Governor Bush, who has become a particular target of the protesters' scorn in recent days, has said that he has done all he can under the law. Advisers to the family were openly hostile to him on Saturday.

"Governor Bush has stopped taking our calls," said Randall Terry, a longtime anti-abortion activist and an adviser to the Schindlers. "But we have not given up hope for a miracle."

We also learn from the Associated Press that according to her father, it's all Jeb's fault (with updated link, thanks Lloydletta):

Bob Schindler also pleaded with Gov. Jeb Bush to intervene by taking temporary custody of their daughter while court challenges are argued.

``With the stroke of his pen, he could stop this,'' Bob Schindler said. ``He's put Terri through a week of hell and my family though a week of hell. I implore him to put a stop to this. He has to stop it. This is judicial homicide.''

So, it's Jeb who is putting them through hell....hmmm....that's not the way this was supposed to play out. Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

have at it Read the rest of this post...

Please bash a House Democrat for Jesus

It's the least we can do on Easter weekend.

Seriously, 47 House Democrats shamelessly voted for that ridiculous Terri Schiavo legislation last weekend, the one that let the Congress enact a legislative coup d'etat and take this issue out of the state courts and throw it into the federal courts in an effort to invalidate the rule of law in America.

47 House Democrats chose to cave on their principles and act like Republicans because they didn't have the balls to stand up for what's right. And what's the result? People like Tom DeLay are running around saying this was a bipartisan effort, and now Republicans are saying that no one can use this issue against them in the next elections since the Dems were on board. From today's Wash Post:

Some Republicans said they do not believe the vote to allow a federal court to examine whether any of Schiavo's constitutional rights had been violated will become a political issue, especially since 47 House Democrats voted for the measure, while 53 voted against....

Democrats struggled with their own internal divisions over whether to join Republicans in urging federal courts to consider the Schiavo case -- or to oppose it as a dangerous legislative overreach. The decision of so many Democrats to support Republican action represented a rare moment of detente between the two otherwise warring parties.

Even House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), one of the most partisan politicians in Washington, conceded, "There's been incredible cooperation by the Democrats and Republicans." Aides in both parties say a shared concern about the fate of incapacitated people could lead to bipartisan legislation addressing their rights.

And did you check out that last line? The Dems are talking about joining the Republicans in putting through legislation to address THIS ISSUE NATIONWIDE?!

Dont. You. Dare.

It's time to beat the crap out of wimpy DINO-Dems every single time they go spineless. It's time to start waking up our party to the reality that WE are still proud of our beliefs, that WE are willing to fight the Republicans even if far too many Dems in Congress aren't, and that WE aren't going away.

Please check out this vote count from the Schiavo vote, find your local members of Congress, and if they voted for this travesty of justice, for this attempt to undermine the foundation of our entire democracy, send them a note and a phone call beating the bejeesus out of them. If you feel you must be nice, that's fine. But I worked on the Hill, and more often than not, wimps like this don't respond to nice phone calls. They respond to irate constituents. Feel free to go irate.

I'm serious. It's time our party stood for something. And if these conservative Democrat frauds are afraid to be Dems by the light of day, they can get out of the party. Because the candidate we run against them next time WILL stand for something and THAT candidate will win the election. Read the rest of this post...

The Saturday Scandal: Pentagon Refusing To Prosecute 17 Soldiers Implicated in Torture and Death

Ah, Saturday! A day for relaxation, gardening, going to Ikea with your partner...and burying scandals you're embarrassed about during a slow news cycle.

This week's Saturday Scandal?

The Pentagon is ignoring the recommendations of investigators and refusing to prosecute 17 soldiers involved in the deaths of three prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's reason? One case seemed fine by them, another one they decided didn't have enough evidence and the third...oh, never mind.

Obviously, Bush is very focused on these torture cases. Want proof? The men in charge of Iraq and Afghanistan at the time got Medals of Honor. The man who helped craft his "torture is cool as long as they don't die" directive is the new Attorney General. And now apparently, even killing them is okay because even if Army investigators say the cases should be prosecuted they'll be let off scott free. Read the rest of this post...

Looking for a gift to give for the person who has everything?

Why not the Fox Blocker? If only this device could automatically detect wingnut material from the other channels as well, but at least it's a start. Read the rest of this post...

Saturday Morning Open Thread

Another cold, gray day in DC...chat away... Read the rest of this post...

F-16 deal with Pakistan to help Texas factory?

Say it ain't so. Read the rest of this post...

Condi wants to spread more democracy and freedom

As long as you are in an oil producing region, apparently. Yes of course that's where we have considerable problems but we've been coddling up to that crowd (and still coddling) for so long, call me suspicious. It also plays into the hands of many around the world who wonder why the US fails to do anything significant about problems such as Zimbabwe, a country with no oil though previously the bread-basket of southern Africa. Hmm, bread just won't do so until they find oil, one can guess that Mugabe can continue starving opposition voters leading up to the election without any repercussions from the US. And if they were to find oil, one could see Mugabe as a new friend right after Big Oil signs their contracts.

And the wingnuts wonder why the world fails to buy in to the "freedom and democracy" spin. Read the rest of this post...

Breaking News! Local Police Force Jeb Bush To Back Down: Police Showdown Averted

Wow. WOW! This is literally out of control. The Miami Herald has numerous sources confirming that Jeb Bush was sending in the troops -- ignoring the rule of law, the Supreme Court and the opinion of the vast majority of Americans -- to in effect delcare martial law and seize Terri Schiavo. (Thanks to blogger Andrew A. Gill for the heads-up on this one.)Think about this. Top far-right religious leaders told Jeb Bush he shouldn't be pushed around by some "piddling judge." Anne Coulter shouted they should send in the National Guard. Silly talk-radio/Fox News rhetoric? Jeb Bush damn near did it. And if the brave men and women of the local police hadn't decided to uphold the law, Bush would have succeeded.

"Hours after a judge ordered that Terri Schiavo was not to be removed from her hospice, a team of state agents were en route to seize her and have her feeding tube reinserted -- but they stopped short when local police told them they would enforce the judge's order, The Herald has learned," reports the Miami Herald.

"Agents of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement told police in Pinellas Park, the small town where Schiavo lies at Hospice Woodside, on Thursday that they were on the way to take her to a hospital to resume her feeding.

"For a brief period, local police, who have officers at the hospice to keep protesters out, prepared for what sources called ``a showdown.''

"In the end, the squad from the FDLE and the Department of Children & Families backed down, apparently concerned about confronting local police outside the hospice," all per the Miami Herald's ground-breaking coverage.

Do we live in some pathetic dictatorship now where judges who don't "cooperate" are threatened and their families are murdered and the rule of law is a joke?

This has nothing to do anymore with what decisions you or I or anyone make at the end of their lives. This has to do with a far-right minority deciding they want to dismantle our form of government, attack the independent judiciary until it is weak, and encourage a governor to send in the troops.

This is outrageous. The mere fact that Jeb Bush could even CONSIDER such a move is outrageous. There need to be Congressional hearings, Bush needs to be censured by the Congress if this proves accurate and a respect for this country's laws needs to be instilled again in our people. This isn't even mob rule, since most Americans think Bush and the Congress and Jeb should BUTT out.

Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

Jesus. Michael is about to post some absolutely shocking news, at least I think so. When is the media going to do the real story here, namely, that 18% of the population is trying to stage a coup overthrowing the rule of law in this country for their own partisan, religious, extremist agenda? These people are a danger to our democracy. And anyone who thinks it's not time to start talking about the early years of the development of fascism in Europe is deluding themselves. Read the rest of this post...