Friday, March 31, 2006

Fristy Hastert Hates Military Memorials.

There you have it. The headline has all the deserved O'Reilly Spin to it.

Why does Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert hide from requests to honor our fallen soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan?

DeLay House of Cards Begins Its Tumble.

Beyond the guilty plea, notice the part about cooperation.

Oops! I think someone stepped on your dick, Tommy Boy.

Thursday, March 30, 2006

Hastert's Drumbeat Press Operation.

The Drum beats...

Republicans good...

Democrats bad...

Ugh! College good! Democrats bad!

There simply is no end to the depths Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert will stoop to in making the Speaker's office just another operation of the RNC.

What a pathetic waste of taxpayer dollars.

Tell Two Friends.

You know that old line, "tell two friends to tell two friends..."

50 Miles Out is nearing an important milestone, and daily reads are consistently growing.

Frankly, I can't believe it. But please help keep the numbers up. Regardless of whether or not you like what you read here, I want you to think. And it appears many of you are coming back every day, thinking about what I've written, and you all keep coming back.

I love that. Keep stopping by, and tell two friends. At work or at home, 50 Miles Out attempts to keep you up-to-date, and chuckling at the worst U.S. House Speaker in history.

And I've got plenty more stuff to share with you.

Hastert's Congressional Genocide Caucus.

Guess maybe they were for genocide before they were against it.

Now they're for it again.
THE CONGRESSIONAL GENOCIDE CAUCUS: Earlier this month, the House approved $173 million in funds for the African Union's (AU) modest peacekeeping force in Darfur, $50 million more than President Bush requested in his FY06 budget. Unlike previous votes on Darfur, however, which were mostly symbolic and which passed with overwhelming support, the recent House vote actually garnered significant opposition from conservatives.


Notice in the role call that Boehner, Blunt, Hyde, Biggert, Johnson, Manzullo, LaHood, Shimkus, Weller, all voted against the measure.

So it appears that all of the Republicans in the Illinois Congressional delegation are against adequately funding the African Union's peacekeepers.

How do you run from this, Denny?

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

The Little Blog That Wasn't.

I guess no one has advised Ron Bonjean to update the "Speaker's Journal" feature on Hastert's website.

Remember, Bonjean was quick to lie about the 80,000 visitors Hastert's blog captured during the first week of its existence (a laughable proposition). If that's really the case (not that he lied about it -- we know that much), there's no excuse for the stagnant state of the Speaker's Journal. Gosh. There's probably been enough going on in D.C. to blog about since January 19, the date of the last entry.

There's an unwritten rule among bloggers, Ronny Boy. If you can't think of anything for two months, hang it up.

Hastert Shows His Yellow Stripes.

It's pretty telling when there's a national debate going on over border security (and national security, in general) and you're the last to comment.

That's pretty much what happened today when the pretend "Speaker" issued this statement about the Senate measures to promote border security, the House approach, and of course, how wrong the Democrats are. About everything.

But that's the approach you have to take when you're a chicken. And when you're a follower, whose Leader is gone, under indictment.

How Greedy Can One Person Be?

Ask Paul McCartney.

What a bastard. As if he really needs to sue for financial damages.

Want Good Journalism?

Ironically, look to the east. Like the Mother Land, Great Britain.

This lede from the BBC nails it like no one else can.

Disgraced former US lobbyist Jack Abramoff has been jailed for nearly six years for conspiracy and fraud.


Now, why in the world we have to go to Tabloid Land to get clear language like that is beyond me.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Cooper, King, Roberts.

Damn. First time I've seen these three men on a live spot together.

Damn.

CNN has begun to finally transform. If you don't watch Anderson Cooper at night, you're missing some very good programming. I hope he can keep it up.

Watch for John Roberts to knock off Paula Zahn's useless gabfest.

Maybe Paula will have to actually start working for a change. I had high hopes for her when she landed on her feet at CNN, running, during 9/11.

CNN's ability to grab Roberts gives them real, credible anchor potential that they haven't had since the venerable Bernie Shaw.

Damn.

Hastert Statement On Evans Is Telling.

Take a look at the statement from Hastert on 24-year Congressman Lane Evans's surprise announcement today that he is retiring at the end of his term, after battling Parkinson's Disease for eight years.

Without much reading between the lines, you can see the anticipation, the hope for Andrea Zinga's election in the fall, the short and sweet "good riddance" to another Democrat "on the other side."

For those of you who have not seen Andrea Zinga in action, and think Jean Schmidt of Ohio the only member of the FCB Coalition in the House, think again. Zinga is one FCB, and now she's even closer to a House seat than any God-fearing Democrat would like.

Please, please come up with a good replacement for Evans.

Doesn't Change Anything.

Anyone who thinks the shakeup at the White House today means anything at all should check themselves into the brain injury clinic immediately.

Picking another insider to follow Card is like Hastert trading staff with DeLay, Lott, Blunt, etc.

How very clubby it all is.

Ah, Paris In Springtime...

Well, actually, it's sort of more like Tianenmen Square all over again.

Keep your eyes peeled on this one, kids.

The French government really stepped on its weenie on this one.

George Washington U has an excellent piece on Tianenmen.

Another Indicted Felon Dead.

Reagan era relic, hawk, and indicted co-conspirator of the Iran-Contra deal (and fellow traitor of Ollie North) Caspar Weinberger is Dead.

Thanks to Weinberger's wisdom and sage advice, we're no longer waging war in Iraq.

No, wait a second...

GAO Undercover.

Thank God for the GAO.

Oh, yeah. You're not a bit safer than you were before "9/11 changed everything."

How does Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert explain all of this? His Congress is supposed to provide the oversight for spending, then follow up on the processes their approved expenditures create.

Moussaoui Confesses.


"I Was Easter Bunny." Courtroom drama brings gasps from juror, gallery.

White House responds to terror suspect's further admissions that he killed Santa Claus and buried the Lindbergh baby.

"Nineteenth Hijacker" also said he knows the whereabouts of O.J. Simpson's "other gloves" and was the one who dined at McDonald's with Kato Kaelin the night of murders, not O.J.

Further tesitmony (below) causes stymies baffled Justice Department lawyers, causes additional courtroom furor:
I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.
See how they run like pigs from a gun, see how they fly.
I’m crying.

Sitting on a cornflake, waiting for the van to come.
Corporation tee-shirt, stupid bloody tuesday.
Man, you been a naughty boy, you let your face grow long.
I am the eggman, they are the eggmen.
I am the walrus, goo goo g’joob.

Mister city policeman sitting
Pretty little policemen in a row.
See how they fly like lucy in the sky, see how they run.
I’m crying, I’m crying.
I’m crying, I’m crying.

Yellow matter custard, dripping from a dead dog’s eye.
Crabalocker fishwife, pornographic priestess,
Boy, you been a naughty girl you let your knickers down.
I am the eggman, they are the eggmen.
I am the walrus, goo goo g’joob.

Sitting in an english garden waiting for the sun.
If the sun don’t come, you get a tan
From standing in the english rain.
I am the eggman, they are the eggmen.
I am the walrus, goo goo g’joob g’goo goo g’joob.

Expert textpert choking smokers,
Don’t you thing the joker laughs at you?
See how they smile like pigs in a sty,
See how they snied.
I’m crying.

Semolina pilchard, climbing up the eiffel tower.
Elementary penguin singing hari krishna.
Man, you should have seen them kicking edgar allan poe.
I am the eggman, they are the eggmen.
I am the walrus, goo goo g’joob g’goo goo g’joob.
Goo goo g’joob g’goo goo g’joob g’goo.

Why Is It Worse When It's White Collar?

As the television droned on a few minutes ago, I caught the CNN reporter saying "terribly difficult decision" and "tuned in." She was talking about GM cutting seven percent of its white collar workforce after losing billions of dollars last year.

So why is this so terrible? I don't remember it being such a "terribly difficult decision" when tens of thousands of blue-collar union workers were eliminated, largely because GM and Delphi wanted to get the wage levels down.

Who was responsible for the dumb designs, the overmarketing of inferior products, or price point decisions that didn't go over well with the consuming public?

It wasn't the union employees, who GM has finally agreed to provide with a decent severance package, rather than the wholesale layoff that was originally planned.

Other industries have shed as many employees as GM is now cutting back in its non-union management and administrative posts. And those moves were largely to shore up sagging profits, not billions in losses.

Build a better God-Damned car, focus on what we need (not the big fucking gas guzzlers the Moron Contingent wants), and hit the price point. I'll take my commission in Euros, thank you.

Monday, March 27, 2006

Had Enough?

Normally, when I see Newt Gingrich quoted somewhere, or see his demonic presence on television, my immediate reaction (once I get over the shock) is to ask when this over-educated idiot crawled out from under his rock.

Today, I was surprised to read this Time piece, in which Gingrich surmises that Democrats could win back the House today, simply by using this simple two-word slogan.

Heh.

They Just Love to Fuck With Jobs.

Years ago, a good friend in the Securities industry described how Wall Street analysts and their ilk like to "play the game."

"They just like to fuck with people," she said, matter-of-fact-like.

And boy, was she right. Once you hear that, and learn to understand and appreciate it, a lot of things in the world begin to make sense.

So today, when I saw this piece by Wall Street shouter and MSNBC maniac, Jim Cramer, I began to see why my Apple stock has been tumbling the past few weeks.

Wall Street just loves to fuck with Steve Jobs, it seems. Boy, is that too bad. Apple has the world holding its breath half the time these days waiting for the "next big thing." And it just keeps delivering.

If I had the money lying around right now, I believe I'd be throwing it at AAPL while things are on the low side.

Disclaimer: I am not involved in any way in the Securities industry, and this is not a recommendation to buy or sell a particular stock...

Will Hastert Fall to Boehner's Weak "Reform?"

Good question. One thing we should acknowledge is that Hastert is not going to take the fall for a failure to reform, here in his own district. Ain't gonna happen.

I've said before that Republicans and the RNC will protect Hastert like linebackers covering the first girl quarterback in the NFL.

It's a coin toss whether or not Boehner's idea of reform (which is to say, do nothing) will win over. And Hastert's ideas (not original thoughts, I assure you) won't even come close to fixing a monumental problem that Hastert himself is too blind to see.

You all (house.gov types dropping in today) might benefit by reading this from Bob Schiefer. I mean, I know you all have nothing but contempt for a free press, but take it for what it's worth.

Having the Proper Response.

It's so important, you know, having the proper response to any argument. But once and for all, it's time for Democrats to cinch up their nuts and get a response to such idiotic blanket statements such as, "The Democrats have no plan..."

And while Sens. Arlan Specter and Tom Tancredo are eating each other over immigration and amnesty issues (which is just fine with me, although I like Specter), Democrats wisely lay in wait.

The only statements to the press that I've read are from Sen. Kennedy, who correctly pointed out that we've spent $20 billion over the past 10 years alone on chains, fences and other programs that didn't work.

But what is the proper response?

It starts with the standing of Democrats in the House, which is now a dozen year-old phenomenon. They have no voice. Republicans, now more than ever, are committed to seeing little, if anything at all, ever come out of the Democratic caucus and onto the floor for debate.

In the Senate, you've got the same thing going on with Fristy. He simply does not allow Democratic voices to be heard.

So, in short, the proper response is, "We have plans and we have voices. But the Republicans who control the Legislative Branch -- both houses of Congress -- won't allow us to get our message to you. So here we are..."

Remember that next time the RNC pulls a stunt such as belittling a very qualified black man in Tennessee who wants to become Senator there, by creating a website that refers to him as "Fancy" (a racially charged term in the South) and points to how much he spends on a hotel room in the big city. And all the while, the RNC does not promote a reasonable point of view.

Remember that the next time the RNC sends out a mailing that says Democrats will "ban the Bible" if they regain power.

Remember that the next time Fristy stands in front of the camera with that silly, wholly inappropriate little grin on his goofy face.

Remember that when Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert has Republican Congressmen stand in front of a gas station to shill for an energy bill that lines the pockets of campaign donors, while cynically claiming it's the first step to lowering gas prices, and does nothing but the former while increasing dependence on gasoline and oil.

Remember how Hastert reluctantly promoted "reform" in Congress years after taking the helm -- and millions in contributions from his own fat-cat donors -- and ended up the head of a Congressional party that elected a scumbag, back-slapping, ethically challenged guy like John Boehner to be at his right hand.

Remember that when guys like Rush Limbaugh, who has been married and divorced three times, a publicly admitted drug addict, goes on and on about how gay marriage will ruin the institution of marriage, and that drug traffickers should be executed.

Remember that when Hastert implies that a billionaire who supports Democrats may be involved in overseas drug trafficking, while he has made a career of hiding drug charges and DUIs within his own family.

There's your response.

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Tilting at Windmills.

There's a big windmill at the Fabyan Park Museum in Geneva. Every time I see it, I think of my school days and all of the musicals we put on.

These lyrics seem appropriate today.

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go
To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far


To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell
For a heavenly cause

And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star


Headed to the 'Mill today.