It's a balmy 15 to 25 below zero in Chicago tonight and tomorrow...

With the wind chill. It's really "only" going to be 5 degrees F as a high on Friday here, so I guess I shouldn't complain. But hey, anyone who's grown up in the midwest knows that it's not cold enough until you can complain to a friend from "somewhere else" how much meteorological hardship we endure as hearty midwesterners :-) And if you're really cool, you mention how it's really not that bad, and in fact, we Chicagoans walk around with our coats open in such relatively balmy weather (because we're so cool).

Consider this another open thread. Read the rest of this post...

Christmas eve eve open open thread thread

Chestnuts... Read the rest of this post...

Dems considering throwing pro-choicers to the wolves

Or something like that.

I really mean it. If this party deserts us, and if these non-profits continue to under-serve us, we will band together and destroy them all. Read the rest of this post...

Bush to renominate wacko judges

If the Democrats in the Senate, and our highly-paid non-profits, don't step up to the plate and start fighting back on this "judicial activism" crap, then it's time we stopped funding any of them and start creating our own party and our own organizations from scratch. The republicans have created an issue out of a non-issue, and in doing so will only move the country even further to the right. And with several - SEVERAL, folks - Supreme Court nominations coming up, we are going to be screwed for decades if our putative defenders don't wake up now and starting kicking the gop in the balls. Read the rest of this post...

Why do trolls hate our soldiers?

I just had to post this response to a post below that we got from a troll. The initial post was about how the murderers of the 19+ US soldiers in the latest attack in Iraq are claiming they used plastic explosives. I asked if these might be the same plastic explosives that Bush lost several hundred tons of this past spring. What does the flag-waving, Bush-voting, war-loving troll respond? Does he worry about the murder of scores of US soldiers? Does he fret that perhaps official incompetence may put more US soldiers in harm's way?

Oh no. The GOP trolls apparently find the murder of American soldiers an ample opportunity to laugh and joke about Bush's re-election.

It would be funny, if it weren't so sad, how so many flag-waving Republicans really hate this country.

Here's what troll-boy had to say:

Like most activists, your views are completely astray from anything close to maintstreem politics. Instead of complaining, perhaps you should do something about the problems yourself (and no, complaining does not count!).
Waaa waaaa waaaa, diaper-baby upset cuz Kerwwy wost, boo hoo!
Save it it activist/washington post cwy-baby!!
Alex | Email | Homepage | 12.23.04 - 1:30 pm | #

Read the rest of this post...

Would those be the same plastic explosives Bush lost in Iraq last April?

Just asking. Read the rest of this post...

Former Human Rights Campaign press secretary coming back, sort of

Salem News:

"David Smith, Kennedy's communications director for the past 15 months, is leaving to consult for the Human Rights Campaign, a Washington-based homosexual rights advocacy group for which he used to be press secretary."

I like David. This is good news, I believe. Read the rest of this post...

Gregoire Looks Like the Winner....Finally

This is why Republicans hate it when the votes are counted.

The Seattle Times reports:

Dino Rossi's bid to become Washington's first Republican governor in two decades unraveled in a big way yesterday.

After winning the first two counts in the state's closest race ever, Rossi fell behind Democrat Christine Gregoire by 10 votes in what was supposed to be the final day of an unprecedented statewide manual recount.

And he could drop even more after the state Supreme Court yesterday rejected a Republican attempt to block King County from reconsidering more than 700 ballots that the county said had been mistakenly disqualified.

So, following the hand recount, Christine Gregoire is now AHEAD by 10 votes. And, as noted, the Washington State Supreme Court issued a ruling yesterday that unanimously says count all the votes. What a concept.

The Repubs. in Washington State are probably trying to figure out if they can get their case to the U.S. Supreme Court. There, they could probably win.

But, the clear message from Washington State is to stay strong, don't give in to the Republican bullying and COUNT ALL THE VOTES.

Congrats to Christine Gregoire. Read the rest of this post...