The Rise of Boy Ingemunson.

Well, well. Dallas Ingemunson's little Boy wants to follow in his father's footsteps. And Daddy sure is piling on the cash. Not his cash, though. That's not the Republican way we've come to know and love.

It's other people's money. To the tune of more than $113,000 at year-end.

Boy's opponent for Kendall County State's Attorney in the March primary is an assistant State's Attorney in the Kendall County State's Attorney's office and has already received the endorsements of most of the county officials, notably Treasurer Jill Ferko, who beat the "establishment Republican" candidate in 2002.

If the money spent so far is any indication, though, Ingemunson's family pursuit of power means they'll stop at nothing to win.

As a Democrat, I'd like to see at least one D in Kendall County government (which would be a first in history, honestly). But as a spectator in a race where there is no Democrat with the nerve to run, I'm backing Weis.

And opposing Dallas Ingemunson, Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert's original benefactor.

Fire Fran Townsend.

First of all, the president's Homeland Security Advisor is terrible in front of a camera. Second of all, she's conveying the message that the post-Katrina problem was local, and those who didn't get out of the way were their worst enemy.

Don't point fingers and lay blame, she says.

Take a clue from your own "Disparage Others After They Disparage You" playbook, honey.

That's a stunning jacket, by the way, isn't it?

Scott McClellan: Voice of Experience.

From the Voice of Experience category today, Scott McClellan recaps on the way Dick "Dick" Cheney and his staff decided to handle press coverage of his accidental shooting of a hunting companion and campaign donor over the weekend:

``I think you can always look back at these issues and look at how to do a better job,'' McClellan said when asked if he was satisfied how the situation was handled.

Wow. I've got to keep that one in my back pocket for when I need a lame excuse.

Fox Will Be Fox.

I love the titles under the talking heads on Fox today:

"Cheney Not First VP to Shoot Someone"

"Gerald Ford Said To Be Dangerous On Golf Course"

"VP Aaron Burr Shot Alexander Hamilton In Duel"

OK. OK. How about some more? How about...

"Nixon Was Also Drunken Lunatic"

"Elder Bush Shot By D.C. Mistress During Eighties"

"Quayle Never Shot By Anyone"

Chicago Tribune Readers Say the Funniest Things...

The comments field on the Cheney story is simply dripping with my tears of laughter.

One genius says:

Give me a break this is so stupid. If the guy died then it would be a big deal but the guy is not that injured. Im not even Republican and think people are making a big deal out of this because they have nothing else to do but come up with ways to find wrongs. Far worst things have gone unreported through many Presidents including Clinton.
Posted by: Scott | Feb 12, 2006 10:19:56 PM

You know, Scott is absolutely right. The guy is only in the intensive care unit this morning, and expected to be released today, according to CNN.

Jesus. This is such a big deal! The guy was only in intensive care for two days.

And Scott is right. Far worse things have happened.

President John Tyler's cabinet was nearly wiped out by cannon fire during a drunken party to christen the USS Princeton, and history books don't even tell the story!

Cheney apologist sure has a funny ring to it, doesn't it?

And If You're Still Up...

Check out "CNN Presents" at 1:00 a.m. Central Time, Monday.

I'm watching 'Dead Wrong:' Inside an Intelligence Meltdown now, and it's absolutely spellbinding.

Sobering Numbers.

Ilona has a great read over at Soapblox/Chicago with some sobering statistics about U.S. casualties in Iraq.

Just as she leads with "three cheers to Esquire" magazine for the story, I say Three Cheers for Ilona.

She's just started a blog, btw. The latest on my blogroll. Check it out.

She has a snappy-looking blog template, too, albeit the wrong color.

Dick Cheney. Gun Owner. NRA Member.

Shoots his quail hunting buddy's face off.

Jesus.

More than wondering if this is "Cheney's Chappaquiddick" (as it happens, the incident was reported a day after the real-life event), I'm wondering just what the hell you say to your friend after you've "peppered him pretty good" (yuk, yuk) about the face, neck and chest with your fucking shotgun.

How about these:

"Hope your your fucking face grows back..."

"Sorry I shot your face off..."

"Hope you're back hunting quail with us really soon..."

"Thanks for your campaign contributions, sorry I almost killed you..."

Look at these guys in the picture. What the hell are they thinking? "Oooooo. It's a gun! Gosh, it's beautiful." What the hell is it with these guys?

Losing Support, Hastert the Weak Caves on Patriot Act.

Another sign of disarray among the GOP House ranks, Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert waited a full day after the White House and Senate Republicans announced their agreement on changes in the Patriot Act before giving it his blessing for the House.

If anyone needs more proof of disarray and weakness among Republicans, I don't know what it form it would come in to make it any clearer.

Here's a Topic for a New Senate Hearing.

Why is Norm Coleman such a prick?

Coleman is trying to out-lawyer Michael Brown, who has already revealed that the White House knew the severity of the destruction in NOLA after Katrina and did nothing.

It's All Over, Except For The Crying.

One of Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert's mentors, Dick "Dick" Cheney, really has his dick in the wringer tonight.

CNN is reporting that Scooter "Scooter" Libbey told the grand Jury that he was "authorized by his superiors" to leak classified information.


The National Journal goes a step further and puts the finger on Cheney.

How un-American is that, anyway? To have the Vice President of the United States authorizing the dissemination of classified information to the news media in order to destroy someone's credibility?

Let's hope Patrick Fitzgerald doesn't fall for the Nuremburg defense ("I was only following orders") and starts piling up the indictments.

Any chance we could see a "Vice President Denny Hastert" soon?

HaHaHahahahaha. Not a fucking chance!

CNN Finally Reporting My Sept. 1 Report.

When I reported to you, gentle readers, on September 1, 2005, that "Haley Barbour is a Lying Sack of Shit," Katrina was a fresh breeze still blowing up our skirts (not at all unlike what Haley Barbour does for a living).

CNN's Internet Reporter, Abbi Tatton, reported on the blog report today (not my blog, of course) but another blog with the NOAA storm path prediction model graphic I selected that week.

...proving once again that I am smarter than the average bear.

I Guess You Could Say That.

Incredibly, or maybe not so incredibly, this is the image I came up with moments ago while doing a Google image search for "bush speech" to go with the previous item.

Also less than incredible is the fact that the link comes from a soldier's page at Fort Bragg's site.

I never really thought about it, but I guess one of the president's speeches is kind of like having to watch a spindly dog try to fuck a monkey.

I'll never look at it any other way again.

Ruling With The Iron Grip of Fear.

One thing about this president is clear as a tinkling bell on a winter morning: George W. Bush and his incompetent tribe are such simpletons, you can always see the next move coming.

Today, we learned about a terrible plot, thwarted by a "southeast Asian nation," to use Asian shoe bombers to take over jetliners and fly them into buildings in L.A.

That's making a nation gripped with fear almost forget the false alarm in the Russell Senate Office Building last night.

Hastert Rewards DeLay With Cherry Post.

This is simply incredible. Instead of being banished after an indictment for money-laundering, among other charges, DeLay is now on the committee that will provide the oversight for the Justice Department's investigation of Jack Abramoff.

Batshit Crazy.

That's a term my father used to use for when things go really, really wrong. (That's two reallys)

I had my own encounter (the first and only, thank Gog) with radical fundamentalist Islamists when I was in college.

Not long after the hostages were taken at the US Embassy in Tehran, a group on my college campus sponsored a public meeting to discuss the situation from the perspective of followers of Ayatollah Khomeini.

What I witnessed that night was the craziest thing I've ever seen. It still stands today as my benchmark under the heading "Totally Batshit Crazy, Out of Fucking Control."


I noticed that several of the leaders of the group that sponsored the event were obvious imports. It was obvious because they made no secret of the fact that they were new to the campus, they wore jackets of other universities.

Before the meeting even started, there was bickering going on between factions of Iranian students. The opening speaker started off by issuing a tirade against the Shah. Certainly not a problem among the dozens of U.S. students attending. But the reaction to everything by the speaker met with constant heckling and shouting from a group of Iranian students who opposed the Ayatollah's return to Iran.

Before long, the long dufflebags I observed in the AV room adjacent to the stage in the auditorium where the meeting took place, were unzipped and pipes and baseball bats were being used on anyone and everyone in the room. I ran out like a chicken. No kidding. I wasn't going to get my brains beat out for being curious.


My "fight or flight" instincts prevailed. What I gained from that encounter is still a salient message today.

These guys probably didn't take dufflebags full of pipes and baseball bats to their meeting because they feared for their safety. They came loaded for bear. They felt they had been oppressed under the Shah, and in fact, they were.

But that didn't give them the right to beat the living hell out of anyone. I'm not sure, but I don't think there's anything in the Koran about justifying violent public outrage for, well, anything.

Nor does it give the people the right to make fun of or denigrate someone else's beliefs.

Here's a simple rule that's prevented me from going totally Batshit Crazy from time-to-time.
Don't get all wrapped up in your religion as if it's more important than anything else in the world. Someone else might have the same idea, but about a set of beliefs that's a little different from yours.

We have plenty of examples of this in our own culture. Let's not be stupid.


Oh, yeah. There was justice that night. The Office of Public Safety and the local police came and beat the living hell out of everyone remaining at the scene and put them all in jail for being Batshit Crazy In Public. I think that was the statute, anyway.

"Book of Daniel" Online...

This could be the start of something big.

While I was out (actually, I think right before I was away), NBC announced it was cancelling the new series "The Book of Daniel" because of low ratings and the public outcry the program stirred.

Don't believe for a minute it was ratings. "Cheers" had terrible ratings, but executives believed in the product and found ways to make it run on top for 11 seasons.

As the product of a Protestant household, and the former frequent date of a few "PK's" in my younger days, I don't think there was anything wrong at all with the program. It tells it much like it really is... in the real world.

Of course, "the church" today -- however you construe that term -- wants it all. Don't question the doctrine, the dogma, the belief in magical powers and all.

NBC has since announced that it will stream the final, unaired episodes of "The Book of Daniel" at nbc.com.

Do yourself, and the future of media, a big favor. Go over to nbc.com and view the final episodes. Then follow up with a letter to the network. Tell them you'd like them to resurrect (no pun intended) the series and offer it strictly over broadband and through iTunes.

You'll be helping to shape the media of the future. Where loudmouth assholes like Radical Fundamentalist Cleric James Dobson and his crew have no say in what you want to buy from the media.

Garrison Keillor.

Just read today's column in Salon or in print.

Keillor is undeniably one of the great voices of our time.

Not One Balanced Budget.

For those of you who have friends who like to argue with us "tax and spend Liberals," here's a factoid for you to kick around.

George W. Bush and the Gingrich-DeLay-Hastert Congress have not given you one, single balanced budget. Ever. Period.

What they have given you, however, is a national debt that will swell beyond $12 Trillion by the time Bush is gone in 2009.

What the...

Can someone explain how in the world the unemployment rate dropped 2/10 of a percent with 193,000 jobs created last month?

I'm on free wireless for a little while longer (another advantage of visiting Charlotte). Wish I had time to find a Robert Reich commentary somewhere.

What??

Did anyone hear Bush's Porter Wagoner quote earlier today in Nashville?

How cool would it have been to give a State of the Union speech in a Porter Wagoner outfit?

Jesus. How fucking insane is that?

GOP "Morning After" Screwing.

With George W. Bush's "major speeches," it's always worse the morning after, when the whole crew takes the "message to the people."

Here comes the real screwing. Don't buy it.

Here's the lyrics to the theme song:

Shake it up, shake it down
Move it in, twist it round, disco lady
Shove it in, pull it out, slide it in round about, disco lady
Jump on top, then go down
Astro-Glide all around, disco lady

Coverup: Kendall County Accident.

If you were involved in an accident in Kendall County on New Year's Eve, I would like to hear from you.

Same goes if you know someone who was in an accident; if the vehicle was struck by a pickup truck, please contact me at your earliest convenience.

Please don't drink and drive.

Cheers!

GOP Lie Machine Revs Up for More.

This seems to be everywhere today, which is part of our problem.

In our retail and services economy, media players lick their chops for nonsense like this.

And all it does is feed the juggernaut and propel us into a new round of senseless ad wars.

How many billions of dollars do people have to spend before we, as a nation, as the most powerful economy in the history of the world, realize the waste of it all?

Why in the world would I -- if I were a GOP supporter -- spend my money to spread this message around?

The "middle class tax cut" would easily be eaten away by such frivolous spending in our household.

And why would I not see that only those with money and a lust for power would play a part in this ugly game?

He Forgot About Mars.

The President of the United States would not forget a plan like Mars. Nosir.

If you're going to re-hash five years of nonsensical speeches made for TV, you should remember Mars.

Note to CNN:

Jesus Crimony. Fire JC Watts.

Who on planet earth had the idea to hire him as a "political analyst" in the first place?

If he has something important or some perspective to add to the discussion, that's one thing. Puking out talking points is another.

Start over.

Summary of Tonight's SOTU.

The Classic Rock side of me says go with Three Dog Night.

The angry part says go with the Rollins Band version, which is just so much more fun.

If you don't have iTunes, please get it. It's so much fun.

The title of both, and the one-word summary of tonight's speech:

Liar.

Nearing My Summary of the SOTU Adress.

The Temptations, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Ball of Confusion.

OK. I just can't do it anymore...

I've finished the text of Chaucey Gardener's speech.

Nothing but a bunch of corned beef hash from March 19-20. Leftovers. Re-hashed shit that's just bad for you.

Most of the proposals are either laughable, or are completely unworkable.

This is a great line: "...For all Americans, we must confront the rising cost of care, strengthen the doctor-patient relationship and help people afford the insurance coverage they need."

Notice how he's going to help you "afford the ...coverage." Sounds like more HMO/Medicare coverage to me.

Chauncey's energy challenges are so great at this point that developing the technology to generate ethanol from wood chips in six years is like a farmer asking for rain some time in the future.

This president has so badly miscalculated, so badly managed, so badly led, so badly prioritized that we will likely take a generation to fix the damage done.

Cutting the Deficit in Half by 2009.

What Mr. Chauncey Gardener means by that is that instead of overspending us into oblivion by blowing $400 Billion Dollars past what we take in in taxes each year, he'll only blow past it by about $200 Billion by 2009.

OK. Maybe $250 Billion. Nobody's perfect.

More emptiness.

Bush Calls for Renewed Patriot Act.

I think this calls for the Stones.

Leadership?

This president wants to talk about leadership?

We gotta get outta this place.

Cindy Sheehan is Arrested at Capitol.

Dirty sons of bitches.

Whiskey River, Take My Mind.

Tonight's Theme: Music.

With my occasion now over, and this looking like a big night for the Democratic message, I've decided to set a cheery tone tonight with posts that use either a song title or lyric. I'll try to link them to iTunes whenever I can.

Oh, yeah. This should make up for all the nasty stuff last night.

Bush's Buddy.

Wonder if the president will bring this up tonight.

Good old Vladduhmurr. I'm glad George W. Bush was able to look into his soul and see this coming.

A Large Vessel of Emptiness.

While the press is waiting breathlessly to find out who will sit on either side of Lorr Bush tonight (it is rumored, alternately, to be Mrs. Alito or someone who has a business in the energy sector), let's take a moment to reflect.

Try to list as many of the empty challenges Bush has issued to Congress in his past four addresses (no fair if you copy and paste the text of all four speeches).

To round out the emptiness in this vessel, now list all of the "hard work" that Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert has done to make things better for all Americans in his time as Speaker.

Bush Fatigue.

Even the White House got a bad case of Bush Fatigue while preparing a story for the website.

Looking for information about the tonight's State of the Union speech, if you follow the "more information" link, you get a canned piece about the history of the annual address.

WH Insiders Release SOTU Practice Tapes.

You get just enough of the flavor of tomorrow night's speech from this. Surprisingly, a number of speakers were at the dry run.

Sheesh. This is sickening. Playing the terror card.

And This God-Damned Sonofabitch...

Would have been blown out of his fucking house slippers if Al Gore had rightfully occupied the White House.

Instead of taunting us with, "Missed me..."

Presidential transition taken into account, a Kerry White House might have gotten the job done by now.

Don't even fucking get me started.

And this crazy motherfucker would have had his limbs run through a fucking chipper before being sealed into a septic tank on a small farm in southern Illinois to be shat upon by the well-fed brasseros eating black beans, rice and molé three times a day.

I'll tell you what the God-Damned State of the Union is...

Celebrating Lie Fest Eve.

Sorry about the anger, gentle readers.

H is a bit hot under the undies tonight (relax) over revelations today that we were all right about the Beirut bombing link to Reagan's utter stupidity (uh, and the intelligence of electing a career mediocre actor as POTUS).

I'm just waiting for some smug little Dorkville creep to say something snotty at the bar tomorrow night, as the SOTU plays, like "Get over it..."*

I have just fucking had it.

Start your protest tomorrow night.

*I am not watching this little bastard's speech. We have a function at a restaurant Tuesday night in Kendall County, and yocals will undoubtedly be at the bar whooping it up.

Don't Confuse The Two.

This one is a Lying Motherfucker, not the Lying Cocksucker mentioned in the previous post.

Wonder if this one will lie some more and deny Weinberger's de facto indictment of Reagan on the Beirut bombing.

Jesus. Next we'll probably find out North and Reagan are linked to drugs, or something totally insane, like the introduction of crack cocaine to the U.S. drug market.

Fucking Lying Mobsters: The Reagan Years.

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Who Ya Think's Gonna Sit With Lorr?

Miss Eleeto, 'course.

Jesus. I hope she doesn't start bawling.

Are we expecting anything other than something just below mediocre, anyone?

I'm not giving him that much credit, this time around.

NOLA.

I had to send my images to someone who actually knew how to use Quicktime, so these images have been delayed for quite some time. I know I've received plenty of emails asking when the images would be up. Hopefully, starting now.

A once-beautiful and unique American city is wiped out. As I mentioned Saturday night, I looked at these for the first time on the plane and had hoped to post Sunday.

Unfortunately, time, and my software got away from me. Photoshop exploded and refuses to re-install, and I did not have a "photo stitcher" program with me.

Here's the first panorama (you need Quicktime for this).

There are two shots in the middle of all of this mess that were ignored by the software (for whatever reason). You get the idea.

That is, indeed, a barge on top of at least one house on the far right. The house is literally under the bottom of the barge, and not at all visible. The barge apparently came through the levy breach and is sitting clear of the levy itself.

Notic that the only buildings that still stand (everywhere you pan here was once homes and trees) are next to the barge. Ironically, winds and water blew well past the barge and protected these two structures.

This was shot one month ago. The devastation is just breathtaking.

Hastert's $Trillion Medicare Nightmare.

The corrupt practices that were honed to perfection during the Gingrich-DeLay-Hastert reign of terror were at their zenith in the passage of the Medicare Part D Nightmare that has just now been unleashed on seniors.

The only two questions that remain are:

"When will the criminals in Congress be held accountable?"
"When will the Medicare program that's been horribly broken by Hastert and his cronies be fixed?"

An excellent compilation of information that may get you thinking about these questions is here.

Steve and I may not see eye-to-eye on a couple of candidate issues, but this is a must-read for everyone.

The Hastert-Menard Link.

Word comes to me that Mr. Menard, who owns the Menards chain of home improvement stores, is very close to Mr. Hastert (Massuh Hassut, I've decided to call him). In fact, I'm told they have vacationed together.

Little wonder then, that the Hastert Highway, which Denny has been pushing for his political cronies since he first got into the state legislature, has a final plan that goes right next to the Menard's warehouse in Plano.

What great planning!

Calling All Accident Victims.

If you were involved in an accident in Kendall County on Christmas Eve, I would like to hear from you.

Same goes if you know someone who was in an accident; if the vehicle was struck by a pickup truck, please contact me at your earliest convenience.

Please don't drink and drive.

Cheers!

Say Helloooo to Denny.

This is not the first time someone from His Fatness's address has visited. Nor is it the first time today.

Say hello to the USS Hastert, the worst Speaker of the House in our history, everyone!

Kendall County Clerk Interprets His Own Law.

It appears that last Friday, as Ruben Zamora supporters spread out all over the district to verify voter registration information, they were not welcome to access this public information in Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert's home county.

A campaign insider shared this, among other interesting things:

The county clerk would not let our supporter check the files without a "court order." ... Every other election office opened their doors and were very gracious. (Aurora, Kane County and Dekalb) There were 58 voter registrations to be checked (in Kendall) but we did not need them, after all.

So maybe Kendall County Clerk Paul Anderson can explain why he violated the law by not allowing inspection of these public records?

Voter registration is, in fact, a matter of public record. It is open for inspection at any time (except during the month prior to an election day) during the county clerk's regular business hours.

As a matter of fact, Zamora only needed to issue a "written request" to keep Anderson and his deputies at work until he was done, whatever that entailed.

That is the law in Illinois. Check it out.

Harry Truman.

It's time for one of my favorite quotes, although the actual phrasing varies, depending on the person who tells recounts it. Truman was talking about Nixon, at the time.

You can fill in the blank yourselves, gentle readers:

"___________ is a shifty-eyed goddamn liar. . . . .He's one of the few in the history of this country to run for high office talking out of both sides of his mouth at the same time and lying out of both sides”

I take great offense, btw, at the historically inaccurate spelling of the term, "God-Damned."

The Name Game.

Springer On The Radio had a very funny parody song of "The Name Game." It still makes me laugh.

This name game is pretty serious, though.

See, you have all of these Feeleys. First, there was Bridget, who requested copies of Zamora's petitions under the name Bridget Stencel. Anyone can request copies of petitions. Not so remarkable unless you add in the timing of the request.

Then Patricia's name shows up on the Laesch campaign as its treasurer. And, of course, if you've been keeping up with what I've already tipped you off about in the Kendall County petition challenges, there's Jim Feeley, the Sergeant of Arms of the Kendall County Central Committee, who objected to at least one petition of the 11 committeemen that were thrown off the ballot a few weeks ago.

Ah, remember those were "Progressive Democrats" who filed objections to the Democratic candidates for committeemen in 11 precincts.

And Jim Feeley is a "Progressive Democrat" in Kendall County, which meets, oddly enough, on the same night, at the same time, as the Kendall County Democrats. Very odd for a group supposedly promoting the Democratic party to have such a regularly scheduled conflict. And how very odd for an officer in the regular party to make a commitment to both groups.

And John Laesch, who I understand does not attend Kendall County Democratic Party meetings, also is one of these "Progressive Democrats" in Kendall.

Take a look at their candidate list here. Odd, how slanted it is toward PDCKC members; plain old Democrats have nothing in the information field next to their names.

By now, you're wondering the same thing as me: not whether or not Jim Feeley can be at two meetings at the same time, but how he and his wife (who are well-connected Democrats with ties to Chicago Alderman Richard Mell, the governor's father-in-law) and their daughter, Bridget, got involved in all of this without thinking that someone would notice.

Now, this pair of Ducos. I sure would like to know if one used a party organization to simply tout the other's boss for a cheap endorsement, while Ruben Zamora would be presumably flopping around trying to save his campaign and pay his attorney fees. And it sure would be interesting to hear why at least two prominent members of the Laesch campaign, one Mr. Duco included, attended the petition challenge hearing before the Kendall County Elections Board.

Oh, yes. There's just one more thing, as Columbo might say. Those papers filed in Kendall County at the same time the objection went out on Zamora were all notarized by one Patricia D. Feeley. So all 11 of the candidates can look no further than the Feeleys to thank for the challenge, which took 11 regular Democrats off the ballot in favor of these "Progressives."

How convenient all of this is.

So. Here We Are.

We are now at the intersection of Conjecture and Incredible Coincidence.

Both campaigns verified that the email was authentic. The Zamora campaign asked pointedly if anyone from their campaign had shared it. The answer is "no."

John Laesch responded by offering me a good schooling in public relations. In that email, Laesch states, "I did write the e-mail, but I don't think that it is in anyone's best interst to get this information on the streets."

Thanks for the lesson.

And of Zamora, Laesch also says, " If you take every race in 2002 and 2004 and compare three factors (money raised, total votes and % increase), you will learn quite a bit. Zamora did OK for the amount of $ he raised. Prior to my stepping in this race, he had not yet raised $5K and probably would not have done too much better than last time (we will never know).

"I believe that bringing to light the issue of ethics in public forum does not help our party or Zamora's future poltical (sic)ambitions."

That was interesting. We will never know? Sounds pretty sure. Pretty cock sure.

And bringing to light the issue of ethics? Come now. Let's turn for a moment to a different ethical question for a moment.

What if a candidate received an endorsement, then the endorsement was withdrawn? Wouldn't an ethical candidate want to clarify the situation for the same public which had received their press information about said endorsement?

Here's another bite of a followup email from a source close to the Laesch campaign:

Interesting that he hasn't retracted the story about Laesch getting a PDA endorsement. PDA cancelled plans to endorse Laesch when it turned out that the local chapter which voted for the endorsement had never had a public meeting and had ignored numerous emails asking for the meeting times and locations.

Who, I inquired, would be responsible for such a gaffe?

When I directed an email to the contact for this PDA group for clarification, I received the following terse response:

...Our chapter of the PDA, which is the Progressive Democrats of the 14th Congressional District, did endorse John Laesch and that endorsement is not, nor will it be, withdrawn. Many members of our group are currently working with the Laesch campaign and we will continue to do so. The state chapter of the PDA, Progressive Democrats of Illinois, has decided not to endorse a candidate in the primary for the 14th congressional race. The national chapter is currently deciding whether to endorse, and if so who to endorse. I hope this will clear some points up for you, let me know if you have any other questions.
Jessie Duco

Now the coincidences are stacking up, I thought. So I sent another email back to Jessie Duco, which read, essentially:

You didn't really answer my question. Perhaps it's better if I pull a quote from another email I recently received about John Laesch's candidacy:"

( see above quote )

Is this true? If it is, are you planning to respond somehow? If it's not, why would someone say that about an endorsement by a Democratic group?

One more question -- Are you related to Matthew Duco, John Laesch's communications director?

That email hasn't been answered, yet. If you're out there, Jessie, I'd still like to know.

Meet Joe Stupec.

Joe Stupec's letter to Hiram Wurf was sent to me within about an hour of my request for information and clarification of the issues. Mr. Stupec also followed it up with an addendum, which updated this letter (sent to Wurf on Jan. 20), and answered a couple of my questions, however indirectly.

Dear Hiram:

I've read your insightful comments regarding Mr Zamora's campaign and I must say I agree with them. I've chosen you to be the first to get this update because I believe you to be very fair and honest.

I thought you'd like an update on today's hearing but first some background on me if you don't mind.

I have never (I'm ashamed to say) been involved in politics before but the state of the nation has deteriorated to a point where I can no longer sit on the sidelines with a clear conscience. When I was looking around for a candidate to back, my logical choice was Rubin Zamora. I voted for him last time, he's from my town and I had heard him speak on Air America's Mike Malloy show. My decision was made until I heard John Laesch also on Malloy's program. To reconfirm my decision I wrote a few e-mails to John because my main concern is with church/state relationships. Since John touted his Christian background I thought I'd test him on that issue and he came through with flying colors as far as I was concerned. He invited me to a get-together and my wife and I attended. We felt very comfortable with his team and so we decided we'd cast our lot with John. I had nothing against Rubin, and still don't, it just worked out that way. Essentially a flip of a coin. So I guess that made me a "Laesch supporter" although I considered myself merely a Democratic supporter. This occurred around Thanksgiving time of last year..

Ok, I'm getting to the "challenge". I would go to Laesh's office from time to time and from the beginning the emphasis was on getting signatures for John's petition to get on the ballot. There was never enough and they were collected until the deadline. In addition to collecting signatures, much time was spent verifying signatures to be sure they were of registered voters, proper signatures and addresses and anything else to be sure the lists were valid. To be honest I don't know the exact number of signatures collected. After they were submitted I never asked. I would guess 3000.

As any efficient organization should do, I believe, when it was learned that Rubin only submitted 1,332 signatures it wasn't rocket science to think it a good idea to verify his names to be sure he was over the 863 minimum to actually be on the ballot. Not expecting to get the results we did, to my surprise we found more than enough names to show that Rubin was sloppy enough to not verify his signatures to guarantee his viability or he just decided to submit what he had in the hope that nobody would notice. So there you are, I did notice and so I was faced with the question- What is the right thing to do? This was in no way a "fishing expedition". The audit was done professionally with full confidence that the challenge would be vindicated as we had enough to show he was below the minimum. There's no way I would have challenged Rubin if he had been above the minimum. What would be the point? I decided the best thing to do was to file the objection and let the Board of elections decide. When I decided to get into politics I had no idea I'd be faced with such a conundrum but I'm determined that everything must be on the up-and-up no matter who's campaign or who's party I find problems. I haven't seen or heard all of the vitriol that has been generated but the fact is that the challenge has been vindicated in that as of today's hearing Rubin was shown to only have 837 valid signatures with 20 more still under review. That means that 495 or 37% of his signatures were not valid. Again, that is as of 3 pm today.

I'm writing this before the final decision takes place this Saturday at 2pm because Mr Zamora has been given another bite of the apple and he has until then to try to resurrect enough of the now rejected signatures to get himself above the minimum number of 863. That's 26 people he has to find to get notarized statements from that they are, in fact, the proper person at the proper residence. I have no doubt that will happen. Rubin has 2 high powered attorneys and they won't allow anything else to happen. I wish him luck.

Here's a scary thought which helped me decide to go forward. What if there had been no challenge, Rubin advances beyond the primary and then the Hastert campaign found out Rubin wasn't a valid candidate?

Here's the headline:

BREAKING NEWS: IT'S BEEN REVEALED ZAMORA DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH SIGNATURES TO BE ON BALLOT. HASTERT DEMANDS HIS WITHDRAWAL FROM CAMPAIGN!!

So there you have it.....the rest of the story. No fishing expedition, no secret plot to remove a perfectly good Democratic candidate from a ballot, no trying to give John Laesch a free ride to the general election and certainly nothing personal on my part against Rubin. In fact as of 3pm Saturday the pall of illegitimacy should be removed and we'll have no fear of it being used against him. I feel I've done him a service although he may find it hard to see. I've already told him that if he's successful in the primary that I'd be calling him to ask how I could help. You see I have my sights on Dennis Hastert, not Rubin Zamora and I hope he realizes that. It sounds hoaky but whoever gets past the primary is going to need, every last friend and Democrat to defeat the Republican. I'll watch the primary with interest knowing I cannot lose it no matter who "wins" it.

Thanks for your time. I hope you can pass this along to help cool this environment and get our eyes on the prize again.

Joe Stupec

Admirable, at the same time, incredibly naive. You can draw your own conclusions. Everyone who is interested in what happened is entitled to an explanation, whether you see a connection to Laesch or not.

On a personal note, you should be aware that Mr. Stupec is in his sixties. While he has opened this can of worms himself, please respect his privacy and leave him alone.

The glowing truth of the matter is that no one's numbers are questioned unless the petitions are found by the SBE to be inadequate, or if someone challenges them. And again, there's the timing of things that begs the question, "was this orchestrated somehow?"

Whether he was talked into it or not, Mr. Stupec's naive approach to the perceived "problem" with Ruben's candidacy did no one any favors.

Mr. Laesch, however, indicated before the challenge was decided by the mediator, and since, characterized Zamora's as both "illegal," "unethical" and "fraudulent," and told me in an email recently that the petitions were under lock and key by Mr. Stupec and Patricia Feeley.

There's that name again. Feeley.

Was Laesch Behind Petition Challenge?

Ruben Zamora's supporters jumped at the fact that no one has been shy about describing the objector to the petitions, Joseph Stupec of Aurora, as a Laesch supporter.

Laesch, himself, refers to Stupec as a "firm supporter."

But try to connect Mr. Stupec to the Laesch campaign, and you get flat denials. And some confusing information.

Clint Raulsten, who posted (in peace) a number of outrageous comments at SoapBlox/Chicago, had plenty of details for a guy who wants to claim he's not in on the objection. In fact, Raulsten stated a number of times that his candidate had actually wanted a Primary race, and thought it would be good for the party.

That, however, would seem to be counter to information that's since been shared with me. The following is Laesch's response to a representative of Progressive Democrats of Illinois, who sent the campaign an email asking why he was challenging Zamora's signatures.

It's important to note that I did not receive any information from any of the recipients of this email. No one from either campaign has supplied me with information. All of the recipients I queried did authenticate it, however.

From: "John Laesch"
To: xxxxx
CC: xxxxx
Subject: RE: Signatures challenge
Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 23:55:53 -0600

xxxxx,

Thank you as always for your support of Progressive causes and candidates. Perhaps PDI members are working for the wrong candidate.

I have not challenged Ruben's signatures. Joe Stupec, a firm supporter, has issued a challenge. After the challenge was filed, I took the Christmas holiday to review Zamora's signatures personally and compare them to a voter file (this consumed a week of my valuable time). Zamora does not have enough signatures to get on the ballot and there are clear signs of unethical signature gathering procedures. There are near-full pages all written in the same handwritting. This is illegal, unethical and not representative of our party. I will furnish copies of these petitions to you if you wish.

With all due respect to Mr. Zamora, we need to do better.

I am supporting Stupec's challenge based on ethics. I don't understand how someone who has been running for Congres for the past two years can fail to get on the ballot and a guy who has been campaigning for 4 months can:

- Collect 1925 signatures
- Raise more money
- Earn more endorsements
- Earn national media (and we'll do it again here shortly)

I don't care if the challenge goes forward or there is a primary - I plan on going to Washington in Jan 2007. I have a brother stationed in Iraq and betting on a Zamora for Congress effort is not good enough. If your brother was in harms way, I promise that you would not bet on a guy who gathered a mere 87,000 votes and 600-some signatures in front of grocery stores.

Zamora is diverting my time and resources away from a real race against DH. If you want to see a liberal Democrat defeat the Speaker of the house, then I would like to welcome you aboard.

Respectfully,
John Laesch

Now, there's plenty in that email that is important. First of all, you can see from the tone in this that Laesch is not at all happy about having a "diversion" in March. The followup thread to this email reveals that Mr. Laesch is rattled by questions about the challenge. More on that later.

Second is the outright claim of support for the objector's challenge, which would mean Mr. Raulsten was lying on behalf of his candidate (not a good idea). Make what you will of the rest.

Now, what about timing? Laesch claims he "took the Christmas holiday" to review the petitions himself, which should raise eyebrows. What Laesch (a son of missionaries) defines as "the Christmas holiday" is open to speculation. It would appear to be, perhaps, weekend-to-weekend since he says it consumed "an entire week of (his) valuable time."

When you consider the fact that the petition challenge was filed on the Tuesday after Christmas, that would not be a good thing for Mr. Laesch, as his campaign manager also said Mr. Stupec came to them after filing the objection.

It would appear that the claims distancing the campaign from Mr. Stupec's objection don't add up.

Laesch Will Have a Primary Opponent.

Whatever you make of the challenge to Ruben Zamora's petitions, one thing is all but certain. We will have a Prmary race in IL CD 14. This is the first in (my) memory for the Democratic party in this heavily and reliably Republican district.

How exciting. There are two Democratic candidates vying for the right to challenge the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

That's the fight we need to take back to the Republicans, I thought. Remember Tom Foley and the whispering campaign about his sexuality? Republicans used a lie about Foley to not only take control of the House, but to defeat Foley in his home district. It was a humiliating experience for all Democrats.

Let's get Hastert, I thought. This is exactly what we need I thought. No whispering campaigns, though. We don't play that game. We'll sing in unison and raise the volume during the Primary.

At the very least, this might generate some great national press attention.

But all of that changed around 1 p.m. on December 19. The filing deadline was about 4 hours away when a copy of Ruben Zamora's petitions was requested by someone named Bridget Stencel of Chicago.

This caused a great deal of confusion for some time, because no one in the Blogger Intelligentsia could locate a Bridget Stencel at the address on record with the objection. Someone pointed out, however, that a Bridget Feeley shows up at the North Francisco address on file with the Board of Elections.

Remember that name, Feeley. It's important.

No matter the name, many Zamora supporters and plenty more Democrats wanted to know who this person was who requested the copies of the candidate's petitions. Everyone wanted to know who Joe Stupec, the challenger, was.

Above all, everyone wanted to know about their affiliations. When Joe Stupec turned out to be a Democrat, and a supporter of John Laesch, the questions boiled down to one word: What?!

The Challenger Speaks!

After receiving a couple emails earlier today from the person who challenged Candidate Ruben Zamora's petitions, I now have a better picture of the challenge.

Thanks to Mr. Joe Stupec, the challenger, for responding with so much information, and so promptly.

More later. I need some time to sort through all the info.

There is plenty more that's already written for the blog (it needs to be checked thoroughly before posting), and now there's more still after hearing from Mr. Stupec.

BULLETIN: Hastert, Cronies Invent Perpetual Motion.

It's true! Unlike the hundreds of others before them, Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert and his corrupt cronies have invented the first Perpetual Motion Device. The device can be found working today -- and quite well, at that -- in the nation's capital.

For centuries, inventors, dreamers and assorted kooks have gone so far as to give their lives attempting to perfect the Perpetual Motion Machine, or create a free energy source.

Hastert and other Republicans in the U.S. House have done it in about a decade. Here's how it works.

The "K Street Project," born in the mid-90s, was the embryo for the device. Staff from Congressional offices and families alike are mingled with their counterparts in the Washington lobbyists, thereby creating a permanently established source of fuel for the device.

The fuel is further manufactured in and of itself by the sources indicated above, then those same fuel sources, as well as the Congressmen themselves, return to their home districts and convince state and local governments to join the device.

This joining of energy source particles is handled mainly by both unwitting and corrupt county boards who are convinced at some point that they must employ one of the lobbying firms in order to get whatever it is they need by their Congressmen.

Incredible, isn't it?

There's one catch. Since taxpayers are paying Congressmen, and paying the expense -- at least in the long term -- for lobbying activities over the past 10 years, and are also now paying for their local and state governments's lobbying bills, it is unknown whether this source of income is inexhaustible.

Laesch Connections Run Deep.

John Laesch, candidate for IL CD 14, has connections that run pretty deep. Among endorsements the first-time candidate has garnered: AFL-CIO, UAW and PDA (Progressive Democrats for America). You don't get endorsements without trying hard.

And he has a pretty impressive organization, with names that are linked to all kinds of other powerful organizations like the DFA, and Richard Mell the powerful Chicago 33rd Ward alderman (and Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's father-in-law). You need connections like those when you're a candidate for the U.S. House.

But it appears the Laesch campaign may be trying some things too hard.

Laesch's opponent in the March Primary, Ruben Zamora, has run against Hastert once already. And Laesch and his campaign people have been harshly critical of Zamora, mostly in private, for a number of things related to his virgin run for office (Zamora got his name slated on the November ballot after no Democrat could be found to run in the March Primary).

Laesch has a track record, of sorts, as the campaign manager for Dr. David Gill's 2004 run against Tim Johnson in IL CD 15. Some Zamora supporters pin Gill's loss on Laesch, which is hard to prove. After all, Laesch was not the candidate. And so it goes.

When Zamora's petitions were challenged a week after filing, some Zamora supporters cried foul, and on SoapBlox/Chicago, Laesch's Campaign Manager, Clint Raulsten, vehemently denied a purported connection to his candidate. With some interesting details thrown in for good measure. In other posts, including this one, Raulsten gave plenty of details.

So it was no surprise to me that a number of people began privately sharing information with me, your humble blogger, after a casual mention that for someone with no connection to the petition challenge, he was sure looking as guilty as a character in a Columbo episode.

The information I have makes a number of connections to this petition challenge, and others.

Fate Smiles At Destiny.

Someone sent me an email today with that in the signature. That's Natalie Merchant, don't you know.

What a fitting bit of irony.

Until now, I've shared clips from the Zamora campaign, and nothing from John Laesch's camp.

That is about to change, and it may come as no surprise that at least one of the camps doesn't think it's beneficial to have this little behind-the-scenes view of John Laesch out in the public eye.

It seems, after all the ballyhoo of denials that the Laesch campaign was not supporting the challenge to Zamora's campaign, there is plenty of information that doesn't support that defense.

Stay tuned.

Visit Ellen.

I added Ellen of the 10th to the blog roll some time ago, then forgot to share.

If you're not reading Ellen Beth Gill's blog now, take a look at this.

We're thinking along the same lines, it seems.

Gonzales: War-time Spying Legal.

Wait just a minute, there, Generalissimo Electrocuto Gonzales. Just because you say it's legal doesn' t give you the final word on the Presidential Decree to Spy on Americans. The Attorney General of the United States is not charged with the responsibility of interpreting the law; your job is to uphold it.

Pot smokers: You're screwed under the Generalissimo's fiat. Rembember that thing we've been spending money on for 25 years? The War on Drugs?

War on Drugs, War on Terror, War on the Constitution... Whatever.

Bird Feeding Facts.

Anyone know the principal difference between cardinal feed and woodpecker feed?

One is mostly nuts.

Avian fact for the day.

Zamora Is In.

Just received from the Zamora campaign:

Good news!

There will be a congressional primary on March 21. The voters will have a choice.

We received the official recommendation from the hearing officer late Monday evening. The petition challenge was not sustained. We have enough signatures to stay on the ballot. The recommendation is official, pending the State Officets Election Board ruling on Friday.

A huge thank you to all of you who signed affidavits, who collected affidavits, and who pitched in to help us gather the evidence we needed to prove the validity of our petition signatures. Thanks to all of you who were willing to help, but could not reach me (due to the incorrect phone number listed in a previous email). Thanks for the outpouring of support. I am truly humbled.

Now, it's time to work on the good stuff, getting our message out to the people of the 14th District. This is why we fought the petition challenge instead of folding. There are people out there who need representation. The disadvantaged and marginalized people may have had their signatures challenged as invalid, but they are a valuable part of my campaign.

There's more at the campaign's website.

"Earmark Reform" Only Part of a Gigantic Problem.

If it didn't total more than a Trillion dollars since the Gingrich-Livingston-DeLay-Hastert juggernaut first breathed life in 1994, this would be funny.

I would say it's only a tiny part of the problem if a Trillion dollars was not such a nebulous, mind-boggling number to the likes of me.

The issues that make up the ClusterFuck Estate created by Gingrich (and today promoted by his stooge and understudy, Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert) are manyfold. Each is so gigantic in girth alone it's a nearly insurmountable obstacle.

Multiply the length and depth and scope by the sheer weight of it, and you can clearly see it will be a miracle if any re-incarnated Bill Clinton can ever save the economy, our public policy principles and the public's trust in government.

Not that that wasn't the goal all along -- to utterly trick the public into believing once and for all, as the GOP crudely and cynically continues with Katrina response, that government is not the answer.

No, friends: this is the message Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert and his puppeteers want you to believe. Because that message of fear and failure is the foundation for the rest of their plan to de-construct government and the Federal institutions Liberals have proven necessary to keep equality thriving in our society.

Put all of these things together, and you have a lot of campaign issues, based simply on current events. I don't need to qualify any of these items; every one turned out to be a cynical joke, or an utter failure.

• Social Security "reform"
• Medicare "reform"
• Campaign Finance "reform"
• Corporate "reform"
• Securities Industry "reform"
• Cutting Taxe for Growth
• Right-sizing Defense
• Operation Iraqi Freedom
• Afghanistan
• North Korea
• Iran

Now we're about to get sucked into a whole new, distracting whirlpool of deceit, called "Earmark Reform," and "Lobbying Reform," and "Tax Reform," and "Pension Reform."

All the above problems can be summed up in two words: Republican Party. Because no one can blame a single Democrat. No one.

Nothing has even gotten to the floor of the House unless Denny Hastert saw in the final analysis an overwhelming, Republican-only win that showed Democrats to be "the other side."

Democrats have been the slaves on Hastert's Plano Plantation.

Why does Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert hate our Constitution and the uniquely American principles of justice and equality for all citizens so much that he would carry the banner for these criminals?

Excrement? Meet Circular Fan!

Here we go with the CNN / Time / AOL story. Trickling out now...

Ah, Clarity...

I've been sitting on a plane (what seems like) most of the day. Funny thing about being chained to your laptop for so long.

Sometimes you tend to see so many things in life, I dunno... so much clearer.

Going to be an interesting week for Democrats in IL CD 14, let me tell you.

Very interesting.

Did I mention it's a great day to be a Liberal in Kendall County?

Novak: Hastert and Earmarks Root of Corruption.

"Believe it or not," as the handsome Jack Palance once intoned.

Here is something I never thought I'd see. The rats are now turning on the ship's captain to gnaw his legs off before the ship sinks.

The handsome, cap-toothed, foul-tongued Robert Novak says he agrees with John McCain that earmarks are behind the corruption of lobbyists.

Does Novak not know about the quarter-Billion-dollar boondoggle Hastert earmarked for us, in the form of the "Hastert Highway?"

As I've said recently, if you want to keep talking smack and at least help me make part of my point, I won't disabuse of your own nonsense.

Dan Bartlett is a God-Damned Liar.

Notice how Bartlett this morning danced around the issue by trying to refute something no one has even hinted?

No one has concluded that Bush and Abramoff are "doing something nefarious together." That's one of Bartlett's trademark tricks.

It is an outright lie, however, that Bush "doesn't have a personal relationship with him (Abramoff)." It is widely known that they are connected, and that the WH not only said recently that there are no pictures of the two together, but that Bartlett and others tried desperately to prevent both discovery and publication of the photos we now know exist.

And where's Denny in all of this? Up to his fat little neck!

Hastert Pressured to Step Down.

And it's happening regularly, from what we hear.

Hastert, who has been virtually invisible under the leadership of DeLay and Gingrich, has been able to fly low below the radar of the press. But now that other notable Republicans and his own hand-picked committee chairmen are being indicted, the feeling is that it may not be long before "the coach" himself is tarred by the scandal. By association alone.

And with the press having found their both their testacles and scrotums intact in the past few weeks*, and with it getting so close to a vote that could decide Hastert's future as Speaker, there are some who would rather The Large One take a pass this time.

And where is the greatest pressure coming from?

Right at home. At this point, however, everyone knows there's no way for Hastert to either step down, withdraw his name for Speaker, or otherwise shrink from his position without making the GOP look even worse.

*Rumor has it that Tim Russert also recently found his ass, but the find was disqualified when it was learned that he used both hands.

Zamora's Challenge Not Yet Over.

Insiders tell me this evening that Ruben Zamora's petition challenge went well yesterday.

Volunteers poured in Friday to help, and it appears that nearly all the information was accepted by the mediator.

A few outstanding issues were expected to be decided on by the mediator (most likely) early tomorrow.

"Democrats" challenging the petitions of Democratic candidates.

Nice, isn't it?

The Laesch campaign, for the record, has vehemently denied they had anything to do with the challenge.

Odd, I find it, that so many have now related to me the fact that there were Laesch supporters at a hearing two weeks ago in Kendall County, where "Democrats" (who call themselved "Progressives") had the petitions of 11 Democratic candidates for precinct committeeman thrown out.

New Orleans Pics Sunday.

A friend in LA government drove over to NOLA before Christmas and sent me a compiled CD of images from the trip. Also a member of the reality-based community, she sent a long note along with it.

It was both good and bad that I saved them for my 4 hour trip to SF today. Bad, because I got hooched on the plane after opening the letter and following along on the CD, and good... Did I say there's a good part?

It is hard to believe this is America. It is worth noting the pictures (which I'm stitching together, and looking at again, now that I'm somewhat among the living again) are strikingly similar to images I saw on CNN this past week as Anderson Cooper and Co. followed up on their earlier reporting.

Anyone who believes their government has acted accordingly to respond to Katrina (the worst tragedy on American soil in my lifetime) is mistaken. Congress, in its utter failure to oversee FEMA and the other Federal agencies that simply did not respond to the needs of citizens, should be turned over this fall on the basis of this, alone.

Shame on you, Denny Hastert. Have you seen this in person?

Posting images on Sunday.

I have to drink again.

It's a Great Day to be a Liberal.

A photographer friend snapped this photo on the edge of some Kendall County woods this morning.

We had a just a bit of snow last night and it's cold and beautiful out here today. Beautiful, clear cyan sky and sunshine.

It's a great day to be a Liberal in Kendall County!

Give Me Some Dick!

Yeah, baby!

Durbin on a possible filibuster of Borkalito.

Hastert Will Clean Up Washington.

Wait. Scratch that headline! It should be:

I AM TOO STUPID TO BREATHE.

Believing that would be like saying that your new kennel of foxes is going to help you raise chickens.

Arianna Huffington has never been a fan of Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert, but she lays it on good in today's column.

Blunt Truth.

Roy Blunt tells Time he has the votes to continue to be Hastert's Leader.

John Boehner is just another lying, partying God-Damned crook, disguised as a "Gentleman from Ohio."

I guess those months of bragging about the K Street connections behind Boehner's money machine, followed by his claim to be "Mr. Clean," coming to the rescue of the Party, just didn't pan out.

We'll see in a couple weeks. I'm already wondering who the next Speaker will be.

Gas Prices About to Leap Again.

Oil closed over $68 again today. If you'll recall, the last time we went over $70/barrel was at the height of Katrina.

Better fill those tanks today/tonight before we get smacked with another .25 increase at the pump.

Of course, we could all hope our government leaders step in and do something about it.

Or not.

GOP Very Worried.

Their grip on power may be loosening.

This is sweet.

Today's Market No Surprise.

The Dow took a quick peek at 11K, but has retreated steadily since.

Today, the numbers are off in triple digits.

If you're not reading James Howard Kuntsler, take a look at his first column of 2006.

There's always room to disagree with some of what he writes. But if you want the brutal truth of the economy George W. Bush has created, and the level of disrepair everything the "MBA President" has created, you'll agree with him and become a regular reader like me.

So why in the the world does Denny Hastert want you to sink what's left of your Social Security into this market?

Thank God George W. Bush Is Our President.

And that he has Generalissimo Electrocuto Gonzales at his right hand.

Gonzales at this moment is announcing the indictment of a "cell" of "ecoterrorists" on the west coast.

Fact: These people are loopy, hippie fringe types who are guilty of perpetrating acts of criminal destruction of (both private and government) property and vandalism.

Fact: No one has been harmed as the result of their crazy activities.

Fact: No legitimate environmentalist or environmentalist group supports these nuts and their activities. None.

This smacks of yet another attempt by this administration (the day after the latest Bin Laden tape) to make Americans think they're somehow safer with Bush and Gonzales both defining and prosecuting the law.

To charge these people under terrorism laws is yet another egregious act on the part of your government.

Call on the Speaker of the House of Representatives to publicly decry this abuse of power by the Justice Department.

Hastert's Offices
D.C.: 202-225-2976
Batavia: 630 401-1114
Dixon: 815-288-0680

Dear Governor...

As I see that a number of state employees visit here every day, I'm hoping one will be kind enough to pass this along to you.

Having grown up in a scenic part of the state (who hasn't, really, eh? this is a beautiful state!), I have a fond appreciation for the scenic route. Even if it means spending an extra hour on the road. All of us could use an extra time out now and then.

The next time you're headed home to Chicago, take your lovely wife, Patti, along for the ride. And take this scenic route.

Start your trip around 2:30 in the afternoon, if you can. You have a cellphone. You deserve it!

Take I-55 up to Bloomington and make your way east to Gibson City. I'm a strong believer that government leaders should use the infrastructure they're sworn to uphold, so you should get off the expressways every now and then.

Once you're at Gibson City, take a left on Illinois Rt. 47 and go north. It's a very nice road most of the way, and even though it's pretty dreary outside right now, you might like it enough to take it in the summer when there's corn in the fields. It's a beautiful drive during growing season.

You'll find, I'm sure, that you'll make really good time on 47. That is, until you get to Morris. From there, much of the road up to Yorkville will be pretty easy to navigate again.

After that, however, you'll see what people in the second fastest-growing county in the country deal with every day.

It's not a bottleneck, like we're used to on the expressways. No gapers. No car fires or road rage.

It's a highway that's been ignored for decades. It's just plain gridlock, due to neglect. Much of it has been intentional.

Keep going, please! As you head north out of Yorkville (this is Tom Cross country, so talk to him about this) you'll find that things don't get much better. IDOT has added a number of traffic lights. On open highway! As you should be there around 4:00 if you timed it right, you should be seeing lots of truck transportation up and down the route. These are guys who, in most cases, have about an hour left to unload and get back to their terminal... OK. Let's not talk about it.

Don't get off Illinois Rt. 47! Drive north through Sugar Grove, (you're going to start moving now, unremarkably, because now you're driving on one of four lanes). Look to your right as you go past the expansive Waubonsee campus on your right, just before you get to I-88. Notice all the open land on that stretch?

Now, if you want to be home before 7 for time with the kids before bed, you've got to turn around and head south again to take 88 into the city. If you don't mind getting home until 9 or so, keep going on 47 and take 90 into the city.

Next morning, over coffee (this is why I think you should take Patti along), ask your wife if she thinks 47 needs to be widened from Morris to I-88. Probably not your usual coffee conversation on a Saturday, but ask her anyway. She's a sharp young woman.

Then think about all the manufacturing locations and technolody centers that could be built all around the Waubonsee campus, and all the way down to the northern edge of Yorkville. You know, that's not far from NIU...

Remember, there's $209 million from Denny Hastert just sitting out there to study a highway that we don't need...

Ruben Zamora's Campaign Needs Your Help.

Let me repeat something I said over on the Blox yesterday: I am officially neutral in this race.

I do, however, support the notion that we should have lots of ideas presented for the voters, so they can choose a Democratic candidate in the primary.

Rather than post the entire letter here, I'll send you over to SoapBlox/Chicago, where I've already published Zamora's plea for assistance.

If you're serious about supporting democracy, chip in. There's a bit of work to be done.

Not. One. Dime.

Kevin Drum has this up on Washington Monthly. "A Radical Plan to Abramoff-Proof Politics."

What would be better than having Carville and Begala back in the spotlight together with another major issue?

Well, with the AFL-CIO coming out today demanding that the House take up Universal Healthcare, maybe we'll win with our own Harry and Louise this time around. The Harrys and Louises I know sure as hell are mad about their Medicare being fucked up (thanks to J. Dennis Hastert). Let's queue it up, boys...

Hello, Osama! Thanks, Denny!*

That we are watching yet another video of Osama Bin Laden today, living and breathing and threatening every one of us, is unmistakably part of the legacy of the worst Speaker of the House in our history.

Anyone who does not believe that Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert is largely responsible for Osama Bin Laden's current state as a solid element of the universe -- as opposed to now being a gas or liquid -- is kidding themselves.

In his unfailing support of this Imperial Presidency, Hastert has altered the position of Speaker of the House to that of personal secretary to the King. And in his dogged pursuit of a leadership position that requires no confrontation (he loathes it), he has miserably failed to uphold his Constitututional duty to protect our freedoms by allowing the Executive Branch carte blanche

As another writer put it, Hastert's main job has been to fetch sandwiches and coffee for corporate executives during their legislation-writing visits to the Capitol. That's only part of the job description of Speaker, as it now exists.

Had Hastert alone been the one to tell George W. Bush in the winter of 2001, "you know... I think we should finish the job in Afghanistan..." we may have succeeded at Tora Bora.

Now we have Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran... AND Bin Laden, who by now should be sealed in a septic tank with his followers and shat upon for all eternity.

*Denny Hastert is pictured here riding in his antique fire engine, one of nearly 20 antique vehicles he's collected for years, which are housed at his rural estate outside Plano, Illinois.

The Inside Dope: Republican Medicare Part D prescription plan a prescription for disaster

The Inside Dope: Republican Medicare Part D prescription plan a prescription for disaster

You Nag It On.

This contributor may finally turn out to have some productive input at Soap Blox Chicago.

Goody! He's not hectoring other Democrats, for once! Nice piece.

I can't wait for a look into the lair of the "teddy bear."

Master Hastert's Conundrum.

Gosh! Running a plantation is hard work. That's a theme with Republicans when they control your government ("Hey! This is hard work! Just wait!")

Plantation Boss Hastert has handed yet another bit of hard work yesterday, as Democrats staged their opening assault with a series of brilliantly-dubbed measures to curtail the influence of some 37,000 lobbyists whose job it is to influence Congress.

The first, the "Tony Rudy Rule," would have Congressional staffers wait two years after leaving a government position before they can join a lobbying firm. That's a good start.

The problem Master Hastert has, however, is not so much the Democrats. It's the fact that he's been trumped yet again on a major issue that is singing to voters at the moment. And right out of the gate, his horse fell flat on its face.

Republicans, even the ones Hastert has surrounded himself with on the veranda, can't agree on what reforms are OK and which are not.

By the way, nobody tops the "Ralph Reed Reform" (meant to provide transparency in government and allow the public to see exactly what their reps are doing in Washington). That ought to put an end to that smarmy little bastard's career.

Open Letter to Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Governor Blagojevich,

I noted in today's State of the State address some mention of other highway projects, including the expansion of I-55 from Weber Road to IL 126. That's great news for the folks in this area who travel I-55, myself included.

I am already on record stating that you had plenty of good things for Illinois legislators to work on in the coming year. One way, I believe, to help make your Capital Construction Program further work in the second-fastest growing county in the U.S. would be to sign an order that would stop the "Prairie Parkway" and re-purpose the $209 million earmarked by Mr. Hastert for "study" of the plan.

Mr. Governor, we don't need to waste another $209 million to "study" the parkway site for another three years. Seventy-percent of area motorists believe the answer to the clogged highways in Kane and Kendall Counties is to improve existing roadways. We've already told IDOT that in their own survey -- and in greater numbers in town hall meetings all over the area.

IDOT has not been listening. And now there's money talking.

Those who have a financial stake in the plan have already renamed their vision "The Burnham Parkway," and are revamping their website to "inform" the public of a plan that's been railroaded through by Republicans for seven years.

That's wrong, and it's another misplaced priority, largely supported by Mr. Hastert and his monied friends who have had their eye on commercial development in the outer corridor for decades.

It's wrong when we have Kendall County fast becoming a large block of bedroom communities with little manufacturing, and little effort by local authorities to change that. Local governments are beginning to acquiesce to a highway they don't need or want, simply because they see it as a "done deal."

But I refuse to give up. The citizens in this area would overwhelmingly support a plan to expand IL Rt. 47 from I-88 in the north to I-80 in the south, the most direct route between the two interstate highways. To further interleave with your plan for jobs and infrastructure and seal local support, make the properties adjacent to this corridor a manufacturing and technology tract, with incentives available for new employers.

Illinois Route 47 has been ignored by IDOT for years (of Republican leadership in the state). Mr. Hastert is known by many to have said that Route 47 expansion would mean the elimination of quaint towns like Elburn and Yorkville (his hometown). In fact, Elburn is not involved, and as far as Yorkville is concerned there are now plans underway to improve IL 47 through the city, which the city fathers now support.

Mr. Governor, set aside the Prairie Parkway plan now under study by IDOT.

We don't need a new highway that swallows up thousands of acres of prime farmland and valuable space in two of the fastest-growing counties in the country. Kane and Kendall would be far better off with new manufacturing sites and the improvement of important, existing roadways. We might just save a billion dollars, too.

And we would all be far better off "studying" new transportation methods and using federal transportation dollars to link the newest "neighborhoods" of the city of Chicago with CTA and Metra.

Thanks for your valuable time.

Yours,
HRC

...Or If You Just Can't Wait

Grab the press release on the State of the State from Illinois.gov.

Just listening so far to the Governor's tax credit proposals, and talk of improving jobs and creating a massive public works effort (and the horrible response from Republicans) I think he's onto something.

There are plenty who will say, "He's going to have to raise taxes! How is he going to pay for this??!!"

Fact is, Illinois income tax is ridiculously low. Two and one half percent to fund a state the size of Illinois -- especially with all cuts in funding at the federal level -- is nothing short of stupid.

These are tax credits and works programs that make sense.

The Case for Funding of Public Broadcasting.

If you're watching the State of the State (as I am, while I listen to WBEZ), you'll notice Rich Miller really is sunburned. Holy cow! You would have made an excellent, jolly looking Santa a month ago, Rich!

Public Radio & Television are the only outlets covering this event live. What a shameful statement about Chicago broadcast media!

The applause is tepid, thanks to our good friend, Tom Cross & company.

We already know we're going to hear plenty of bitching from them.*

*Judy Baar Topinka is right up with Lynne Martin, in my book, for giving women a bad image.

In Case Your Radio Reception Sucks...

(Like mine does...)

Listen along with me to the webcast of Gov. Rod Blagojevich's State of the State Address. Going on right now (noon)!

One of the hot spots: Blagojevich is expected to ask for some of the most stringent mercury emissions standards on coal-burning power plants in the nation.

Question: Why shouldn't we do that? Illinois, as a proud major coal producer, should be at the forefront of emissions standards technology.

Speaker Quiet.

Now that's he's acting as the real Speaker of the House, he sure is keeping quiet.

This article in yesterday's WaPo was not much of a surprise, nor was the television coverage yesterday on Hastert's current status.

I've known for years that Hastert hates confrontation, and will avoid it at all costs. That is one of the qualities that has earned him "Worst Speaker in History," as far as I'm concerned.

The Speaker had no compunction about firing right back at Jimmy Carter at one time when Carter sent him a private note pressing him to "go along" with his programs. That's quite a contrast to what we have today.

Denny: Take Notes.

Next time Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert and his government-wrecking crew start bashing the ACLU, or Liberals, keep this article in mind.

I am not impressed with Hitchens' joining in. Over the past five years or so he's either been drunk or totally unpredictable. I think that's a warning sign for the liver. Not sure.

Liberals: Fighting to stop government interference
in the lives of ordinary people.

Now, there's a slogan, eh?

Avoid the Nonsense.

Rather than listen to Ron Christie blathering on CNN (he's the latest to be trotted out by the Philistine Enhancement Project), trashing Hillary Clinton for her comments earlier in NOLA, take a break and read the text of Al Gore's speech from yesterday.

Like nearly every one I can think of from the end of September 2000 -- when Gore first hit his stride as a candidate -- forward, it's honest and it's inspiring.

More Gore speeches (as well as this one) here.

One Woman's Two Cents.

On the Zamora ~ Laesch race.

Apparently, this post was misdirected to the Soapblox software site. oops (when I send you, the gentle reader, to SoapBlox, it's the one I have listed over on the right under Illinois Blogs).

Anyway, the author also emailed this to me, and the fine folks at SoapBlox/Chicago pointed out they thought it had been intended for the Chicago site.

Interesting stuff. I wondered about some of the chronology of events in Laesch's bio, myself.

Might be good if someone from John06 could speak up, either at SB/C or here.

Why "Shoot a Camel in the Butt..."

As Chauncey Gardener is known to have said, when you can kill a bunch of innocent people while bombing a dinner party!

Whooppee!

Hell, it's not like there weren't a whole bunch of bad guys invited to the dinner!

Why kill only a few when you can get all Pakistanis completely pissed off at you?

Lott Never Leaving.

Senator bravely chooses self over party, nation. Will be shoe-in to retake Leaderhsip.

Good Gog.

Lott says he will devote time to rebuilding inherited family summer home in Pascagula that was destroyed by Katrina; will live in preferred house in Jackson, MS until job is finished. Mostly, will pretend to represent public at large while focusing on himself and his inherited fortune.

Said he learned "government can't do it all," after Katrina. Going to see to it government is bankrupt by the time he turns the lights out.

Cracker.

Cheney Returns To Mayhem, er, Work.

If this doesn't scare the living Hell out of you, nothing will.

Couldn't he just go to Lichtenstein next time Hastert goes on a family reunion trip disguised as an official visit?

Maybe send him to Nigeria to talk about oil?

Your Tax Dollars At Work.

Lazy Bastards! Get back to work!!

Wonder if blog-checking (or general fucking off and internet surfing) is now classified as, like, a G-19 job grade or something. I'm gonna have to check that out, because I sure see a lot of this in sitemeter.

Dumbing It Down On Talk Shows.

I watched about two minutes of Larry King last night, deeply offended that both the show thinks it in our best interest to bring public policy discussion to a celebrity gab fest, and that the Bush administration is dumbing down torture and spying by having Attorney General Electrocuto Gonzales make the talk show rounds.

It's bad enough that broadcast executives give credence to morning show "beauties" like Paul Zahn and Debra Norville and give them prime-time slots.

Conversely, I was a real Charlie Gibson fan (he was once a very able, tough interviewer in the early Nightline days) until about a year into his stint on GMA. Now I think he's worse than David (Duh) Hartman ever was.

What next, Oprah doing a tough, question-answer coffee club talk with Cheney?

Where are the I.F. Stones? The Jack Andersons? The Sy Hershes?