Monday, July 24, 2006

Get Out Of The Way.

You've undoubtedly heard the old adage that if you "can't lead, learn to follow or get the hell out of the way."

How sweet the sound of late as we hear Newt Gingrich ramping up the volume on his "World War III" nonsense, Secretary of State Ferragamo yakking about not wanting a ceasefire in the Mideast crisis between Israel and Hezbollah, and King George's shallow, idiotic comment that once that Syrians tell Hezbollah to "stop this shit... it's all over."

Well, for some actual irony, let's look at who's "leading" our country. In case you need more than the hour-to-hour reminder you get from briefly scanning the headlines, it's a do-nothing moron who's never amounted to anything in life on his own; a man who has made a political career of siding with people who intentionally fuck up government to reinforce the underlying theme of their political commentary that government cannot solve problems because it is the problem.

Once you recognize that, and take it at face value -- and you must at this point -- you can clearly see that our government, which is formed from a group of wholly incompetent, malevolent nincompoops, is meeting all of its stated objectives.

By now, you can tick off an easy list of utter failures, all of which are the direct result of the GOP and the entire Rogue's Gallery of players they've assembled:
Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert
Election Fraud 2000
Energy Fraud in California
Intifada II
9/11
Repeated Economic Failures
Tax Breaks for Energy Waste
Explosive Growth of Government
Afghanistan,
Iraq
Phoney Unemployment Numbers
Slow, Unabated Collapse of US Manufacturing
Slow, Excruciating & Protracted Death of US Automakers
FEMA Fraud to Buy Votes in 2004 FL Hurricanes
Election Fraud 2004
Katrina
Fristy
Monumental Breakdown of the WTO
Etc.

At one time, I thought it was all part of a grand scheme. Now, however, I strongly believe every one of those failures was simply the result of rampant, unchecked, ham-fisted stupidity and negligence.

At some point, it's going to be clearly spelled out so it becomes obvious to even the moron contingent that these people are quite simply incapable of governing at any level. And if you have to justify that belief with some kind of proof, it will be the resounding proof demonstrated in every case I've listed, that these "leaders" justified their acts by blaming government for not being a solution.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

And This Started When?

It's like going to the doctor, who upon hearing your symptoms, is puzzled at your delay making the appointment.

Israel has been bombing the shit out of Lebanon for five days now, and the government of the U.S. is now mobilizing... to send a cruise ship to pick up some of the 25,000 Americans still stranded there.

I'm not up on the math, but I'm pretty sure one cruise ship is not going to make much of a dent in those numbers.

Fewer than 100 Americans have been evacuated from Beirut up to this point. Perhaps their last name was Bin Laden, and they received favorable treatment.

One must wonder how long this goes on before this wholly inept government of ours has a brush with another Katrina Clusterfuck.

I think that would officially be Clusterfuck 77.

Friday, July 14, 2006

AP Hastert Story Not the Whole Story.

While this may seem to set aside rumors that the condition is not as serious as it could be, think back to the number of times the media has mentioned Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert's diabetes.

OK. Done thinking? You're just now finding out?

The story does not mention that he is considered an "insulin diabetic" by those close to him, and that he is known to give himself a shot before binges on sweets. This is fact.

Not a guy you want two heartbeats away from the nuclear codes?

Come on!

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Precisely.

I've already been notified that the link to the "Red Buttons With A Blonde Babe" photo is now working.

Exactly. See what I mean?

He's either having coffee with Ken Lay in the basement of the White House, or he's been killed.

God Damn it.

Fuck The Poseidon Adventure, Part II.

Yeah, that's right. I said it.

I'm bitter that Red Buttons, the immortal redhead Renaissance man of Vaudeville, born in 1840, is dead.

Now I'll never know what happens to Gene Hackman in the sequel.

God Damn it.

Anybody who looks at the photo link here will see an important clue into his death, too, btw.

The link is dead. Just like Red Buttons.

God Damn it. Where does the madness stop?

Comedian Red Buttons Dead at 87.

Another reason to drink.

I thought this guy was going to live forever.

The world is about to end.

Hastert Hospitalized.

For a grossly overweight diabetic who is known to give himself the odd insulin shot to ward off the after-effects of overeating and sweets binges, I'm not surprised at this.

One other thing to consider: He would not be entitled to such care had he not entered "government service" as a Congressman.

Oh, yes. And there's that other thing of Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert holding a position against regular people like you and me getting this type of "whatever-it-takes" care.

You know, you and I would probably have a limb amputated before it got this serious.

But not Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert.

Diesel Smoke & Mirrors.

When I read the posts from a campaigner recently that they had been test-driving this great new Jeep Liberty Diesel model that gets such great mileage, it was the first I'd heard of it.

Like many, I've been yearning for Diesel engines to make a comeback since GM thoroughly botched its Diesel strategy in the '80s. Diesel is a cleaner fuel, and the turbo models are probably the most efficient engines ever put under the hood.

Well, then there's the whole thing about NOLA being the main terminal for Diesel shipments in the U.S., but that's a whole other problem...

So it's with great pain that I offer my opinion of the cute little Jeep Liberty that's now being advertised as getting an incredible 26 mpg!

Another brilliant advertising strategy is that it will give you an incredible 500 miles between fillups!

Well, if you run the 20.5 gallon tank down to empty, and you drive at a constant speed of 55 mph, that's true.

But we've found over the past 20 years that EPA estimates on the car stickers are a joke. Overall mileage on any vehicle is more likely to trend toward the lower city driving figure. Look it up.

To all of this, I simply say, Big Fucking Deal. This is a big fucking disappointment.

Now, making a Jeep that gets a nominal 20 mpg is not such a big deal, but if you've ever driven one, you know they're like heavy trucks. You'll likely never get 20 mpg in the larger Cherokee models (which aren't really all that big inside). Ever.

So what's the issue here? Is it that Daimler is misguided in putting Diesel into the Jeep line? Is the Liberty, let alone any Jeep, the wrong line to spark the Diesel craze again in the U.S.? Why don't we see U.S. cars and trucks making a leap over the 30mpg range when turbo Diesels are used? Is it just not possible?

Why is it only going into the 4x4 models, which naturally require more engine?

Well, you just have to wonder what is holding these guys back. Europeans, after all, are driving some great sports cars and sedans that are turbo Diesel-powered animals getting around 50 mpg. That's right. 50.

We'll just have to wait a little longer for these guys to get their shit together, I guess.

And without meaningful CAFE standards, which Republicans abandoned more than a decade ago, automakers and Big Oil, led by Chief Sandwich and Coffee Fetcher and Speaker of the House Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert, will continue to hold all of us hostage.

Speaker Hastert Hails Rapture.

How's that look in a headline?

There are about 300 press releases in Hastert's multi-million dollar press operation's archive with the word "hail" in the headline.

It just seems fitting that he would "hail" the end of the world as we know it, as it appears to be unfolding in the Middle East.

At some point today or tomorrow, I'm counting on someone in the GOP to blame Bill Clinton for this. At about the same time, you'll hear anger from the GOP when Democrats accurately state that this is a direct (albeit somewhat delayed) result of the Bush administration's refusal to get involved in Middle East negotiations.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Thank Gog.

The scourge of internet gambling is finally behind us!

Anybody think the gambling lobby bought and paid for this legislation?

Gee. I dunno.

Monday, July 10, 2006

Don't Be Fooled.

There is an old saying about the one who will suffer a fool.

That was my immediate reaction to the story of Pete Hoekstra's story that the Bush administration may have broken the law in its pursuit of "the terrorists."

Don't buy it for a minute. Since the days of Reagan, when it became sacrilege, above all, to speak ill of another Conservative. This is most likely just a ruse to pacify the voters until after the November elections.

Call me cynical, but I've seen this movie before.

When I see indictments handed down in the months before such an important election, I may begin to believe it.

Otherwise, I will not suffer the rambling of fools.

Diplomacy in the Bush II Era.

Never mind the "legacy" he's trying to work on now. We have plenty of evidence of the legacy of this president who has taken advantage of every possible loophole to naked power and secrecy.

And now we have this little bit of cheery news.

Wonder how Poppy feels about that?

Friday, July 07, 2006

Heh.

This is very funny. Like I believe he's really laughing inside.

Cocksucker.

What sounds like "Prick" and starts out with the same sound as the word, "Prick?"

Tom DeLay. Prick.

Go Home!


President Bush,

Go home to Connecticut. Chicago does not like you.

Your pal,
HRC

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Just How Far?

Just how far can a group of political neophytes go when given a little power? History (at least what I've seen during my tenure, at any rate) says pretty far.

The difference here, of course, is bandwidth. Give them a "management" spot, and it's all over.

All of a sudden, you have totalitarianism. Unbridled power. Shit!

This was the result of my posts at SBC last week before I hurriedly packed and ran off for a long weekend.

Interesting bit of paranoia buried somewhere in the middle: one of the instigators of this nonsense accuses my friend Karie of LiberILView, of "tipping me off" to the discussion. Actually, that is not at all true. The example (my post in the recent John Laesch cumfest over at SBC) referred to a post in that diary.

Once again, these people show how clueless and paranoid they really are. Not all of them, mind you. Just enough to create a need for me to exercise my omniscience and omnipresence.

What they actually forgot was that I was also an admin of SoapBlox-Chicago, which I am happy to kiss off, along with Karie and Alison. All I had to do was curiously search for the word "policing" in the diaries after a disenfranchised recipient or two of the email (posted here, below) sent me a copy.

Footnote on Libel.

Even though it falls on deaf ears and cannot penetrate the skulls of those for which this is intended, here is a bit of information for the folks who have told me that leaking certain details of John Laesch's alleged drinking problem (which I've been told only seems to become apparent when in the vicinity of bare-chested young women) is potentially libelous.

The burden of proof is on the public official (or party nominee, in this case). The public official must prove malice aforethought.

Which. Is. Nearly. Impossible.

And quite impossible in this case. I simply don't want an asshole supplanted with another asshole. People need to know who and what they are voting for.

In case anyone is wondering, there's plenty more where this came from.

"User Standards."

Among the "found items" of late, lookie here what I got while I was out of town:

From: "Carolyn Shannon" (chicagoliberal@gmail.com)
To: "Steve Aldrich" (saldrich@gmail.com), (et al.)

Subject: user standards on SB/C
Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 11:27:52 -0500

In the past few months there have been a number of false accusations posted on SB/C, and a number of unsubstantiated rumors. Unfortunately for SB/C, these accusations and rumors have been allowed to stand. That needs to change.

- Jennifer Cifuentes falsely said John Laesch was fired from the Gill campaign. She was never sanctioned for this.

- Ms. Cifuentes suggested Laesch was dishonorably discharged from the military. No action was taken on this.

- Mrs.Kanhai-Zamora accused the Laesch campaign of racism without giving any specifics. No action was taken on this.

- HRC has been posting the anonymous, unsubstantiated "beat up a stripper" accusation since April on SB/C, and has been allowed to repeat this without sanction.

- HRC has 'cast aspersions' towards local and State level Dem Party officials and cast them in a negative light, allegingthat these individuals 'failed to fully investigate and discover' the facts and background of Laesch before and after he became a candidate.
(quotes are mine: ~H)

"This should have been taken care of by the party months ago in their vetting process of candidates. Problem is, the tasteless dislike of Ruben (which I feel in my Birkenstocks is race-related), helped carry these ninnies into their frenzy for a nice white boy with blonde hair."

We currently do not have any policy regarding banning users. That has to change.

A pretty large number of people have repeatedly asked SB/C to police itself. Why is this not happening?

You have invited us to be a administrators, and we take that responsibility seriously. Specifically HRC's behavior has been, and is disruptive to Soapblox/Chicago and affects our ability to engage in discussion. This adversely affects our ability to attract people to our site. We know several people, for example, who refuse to link to Soapblox/Chicago because SB/C will not police itself. This is not about disagreement, as has been repeatedly noted by many at SB/C. This is about honesty and smearing people intentionally because you do not agree with them. As for myself, I have indeed posted here less often than I would because there are no standards or policies regarding trolls who pass themselves off as progressives, or people who post untruths and are not removed.

This is not the Wild West anymore. If SB/C is to grow then policies concerning trolling, rumors and falsehoods must be put in place, and now.

Steve and I think HRC should be banned, and we are asking for a formal decision on this.

On SB/C, if you make a criminal or personal accusation you have to be able to prove it *at the time you make the accusation*. If you don't, that should be grounds for account suspension. One of the primary purposes of this blog is to be a source of news, to "influence the media narrative." But an unsubstantiated rumor isn't the source of news, it's political manipulation. An anonymous, unsubstantiated accusation of criminal activity by a national candidate must be taken very seriously – it would not meet even the loosest journalistic standard. And frankly, why in the world would the Democratic party or its candidates want to participate in a blog, or link to it, when such activity regarding an elected candidate is allowed to stand? Why would even a Democratic candidate for County Clerk, for example, want to post here when unsubstantiated rumors and even outright lies are allowed? We know at least one State Senate candidate has stated he refuses to be associated with SB-Chicago because of this lack of policing by the administrators. SB/C is hurting itself by doing nothing. And that's the danger of these type of trolls. They masquerade as people like us, and then they use that trust to manipulate us.

Because of this and previously unpoliced comments, this blog is gaining a reputation as a site where people can make false or unsubstantiated claims and they get play. Is that going to be allowed to stand? Is that the image you want for SB/C?

When bloggers blog on a site, they are supporting that site. If that site allows people to post unsubstantiated attacks on candidates, they may come to attack candidates that these bloggers support. This could force the blogger to support unsubstantiated attacks on their own candidate through their support of the blog. Serious bloggers are going to avoid sites that do this. If a blogger posts a news or information diary on a blog and that blog also supports undocumented and unsubstantiated slander, those slanders discount the veracity of the actual news pieces.

Would the Sunlight Foundation, which has high standards of truth and verification, continue to link to a blog that has no such standards itself? Doing so would negatively affect their credibility.

We don't care what bloggers do on their own sites, but on this site, which is a community site with specific goals, there absolutely must be some standards, and some consequences.

Thanks for your consideration.

Carolyn Shannon (CarolynS)*

Steve Aldrich (SAldrich)**

This is (was) a confidential email to the administrators of SoapBlox Chicago by two publicly elected precinct committeemen who have no stake whatsoever in the SoapBlox Chicago blog, save for that fact that they are also "admins" of the site.

... and the fact that they both are working for the Laesch campaign. Golly! I almost forgot that part.

* (D) St. Charles 9th Precinct.
** (D) Aurora Ward 5, 6th Precinct.

I guess that would be the little detail that keeps getting left out of things.


Shocking. Just shocking revelations by two more little pishers who "admin" a website that is now actively discussing an "elect and impeach" strategy, and alternately, a "Dump Blagojevich" campaign.

What the fuck is next with these "Progressives," anyway?

I love when this happens: Proof, once again that stupidity, gall, and tyranny know no political boundaries.

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Oh, My Goodness.

It seems "folks" over at SBC (link is now missing from my blog) are cumming (sic) up with their own definitions of libel again. My, oh, my.

Even mental masturbation has its limits, though.

I should also mention that the other software I use to track usage shows that the Hastert office has hit 50MO several times today (lookie here). Guess they know I know a couple things...

Hi!!

Well, before launching into something that may potentially harm a couple of hard-working members of the Kane County political organization (they're elected Democratic precinct committeemen) let me just say that they stepped into the limelight together, and that they are, in fact, elected officials of their (and my) political party.

And they're very, very conniving individuals who ought to have their names known.

Goodness! Don't know if I can stay up long enough to get it all down. It's all kind of alarming to me, still!

Tonight, tomorrow. Whatever.

Back in Black.

What a wonderful Independence Day vacation.

Just got back, and after checking mail already see that there are at least a couple of asses that need a good kicking.

More later.

Going Nuclear.

Will North Korea actually drive the U.S. back to the U.N.?

Great question. But you have to wonder if the Bushies are serious when they use the argument that the "whole world" spoke out today against N. Korea.

That's actually the purpose of the United Nations, which is why I have no problem with that response.

But knowing this pack of unique assholes is another thing; I have a bigger problem with our reaction to the missile tests -- which we saw coming for at least a week -- and not that of the United Nations.

We should defer this sort of thing to them. And if that's what Rice and Company did today, incompetent as they are, that's OK. But to the Bushies, this is all just another political game. So stay tuned.