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?

Come Celebrate The Late State of the Union.

Oh, this is funny! Arianna is at her wicked best.

I'm up for a party on 1/31, are you?

Let's see, we have the economy growing fast enough to "employ every man and woman who seek(s) a job," freedom has marched all the hell the way around Iraq a couple times now, we've had the living BeJesus scared out of us any number of times in SOTU's since 2001, and we've been to Mars. What's it going to be this year?

Wait... We didn't get to Mars?

What about Bush's quote, "Much remains for us to explore and to learn?"

Well, There You Go.

As we used to say down on da sowt side. Take a look at this delicious little comment from the Soapblox.

If this is true, and someone wants to maintain the challenge to Zamora was not premeditated, then why did the objection take such a weird, circuitous route?

And if this is true, we have another Karl Rove. Pretending to be a Democrat.

If this is true, how high up the Laesch Ladder will this go? Can you say "tampering?"

Aw, Shucks.

Lookie! Somebody's stuck working on his extended holiday vacation.

Oh, sweet Jesus, I meant to say Christmas vacation.

One defibrillated heartbeat away from the Executive Branch. Two weeks away from a major stroke. No wonder he's being so quiet! Wonder if he's pounding down the sweets this week?

Oh, my.

(Hat tip to Karie)

Coach? Come on.

In high school, we would have called somebody dancing around this issue a "pussy."

That Hastert can't show the nuts to call Ney in and tell him he'd better damn well give up the chairmanship and lie down, is about all I need to confirm my suspicions that Hastert is either a big pussy, or that he's implicated in the Abramoff deals, as well.

Maybe it's both.

Making Me Sick.

I sure hope I don't have to spend the next couple of weeks ragging about dirty Democratic politics, but it's beginning to look pretty ugly and dirty this year.

Now it's looking like the name of the person who filed the objection to Zamora's petitions did not request the copies of them in the first place, that they were requested by someone else, possibly under an assumed or name that differs with voting records.

Here's the story on the rejected petitions in Kendall County. Once again, the Kendall County Record, Plano Record, Oswego Ledger-Sentinel is the only paper with the story. They do a pretty good job of it.

Over at the Soapblox, Clint Raulsten of John Laesch's campaign does a pretty good job of imitating the killer in a Columbo episode. "I didn't do it, but I have lots of details and theories, and we have the next steps planned."

There are a couple of remarkable things going on here. Feeley is the name of the man who objected to at least one of the petitions in Kendall. Bridget "Feeley," not Bridget "Stencel" is living at the address of the person who requested copies of Ruben Zamora's petitions for review. Mr. Stupec, who is listed as the person who filed the objection to the petitions, supposedly told the Laesch campaign after filing his objection he thinks a challenge in the primary would be a bad thing.

Bullshit.

I can already see a lot of people sitting this November out if this candyass stuff isn't sorted out right now.

Who's behind this? Or could it be these guys?

Gee. I just don't know.

Hard News To Swallow: More Petitions Challenged.

All challenged by a faction of "Progressives" in Kendall County. All the challenged petitions were candidates -- 11 in all -- for committeeman posts in precincts where the faction had its own candidates. I spoke with one of the people challenged, who said the notice of the hearing was delivered by a Kendall County Sheriff's deputy.

That's chickenshit, and the blame goes to the challengers, who chose to make themselves look like, well, assholes. Certified mail is also accepted.

What's more, people were given less than 48 hours notice in some cases, that they had to attend or forfeit their petition. Nearly all the petitions were forfeited because people didn't have adequate notice to attend and challenge their challengers, my source tells me.

In once case, a petitioner whose petition was cited for failure to include a disclosure form, was rebuffed by the chairman of the elections board after he claimed he was told at the time of filing that all of his papers were in order. That seems to be counter to Illinois Compiled Statutes.

Guess that's another way to keep the one-party rule in Kendall.

I should receive a fax of one of the official notices later today that might shed some light on all of this.

The story was in last week's Oswego Ledger-Sentinel, and will be posted today or tomorrow.

Here is more from the Ledger-Sentinel from the 2004 creation of the Progressive Council.

I don't know what you think, but I think this stinks. One of the petition challengers is a current officer of the regular Kendall County Democratic party. That's bullshit.

Zamora Petitions Challenged.

I've now heard several rumors about this challenge to Ruben Zamora, candidate for IL CD 14. None of my rumor-mongering friends avoid a connection to his primary opponent, John Laesch. And none are very damned happy about it, either.

I received this email from Ruben yesterday:

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Tommorrow we celebrate the birth of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He inspired me as a young man and still does today. I will forever be indebted to him and his legacy.

I hope you and your family take a moment to remember this great man.

Challenged!
Yes, I have been challenged. It did not come from Hastert's campaign... I have already been to Chicago twice and am expecting at least two more visits. I have retained the best lawyer and we will prevail. The challenge is premeditated, but I will not step aside, nor will I give up the fight.

I made a promise to the voters of this district and I intend to stay on the ballot and fulfill that promise, namely, to run an issues-oriented campaign. I have instructed my staff to stay on task and we will let the judicial system take care of the rest.
I am need of help, not only to help pay for my lawyer, but also to print campaign materials and run my "temporary" office.

I am planning to be in Chicago this week and will fill you in on the results. Despite rumors to the contrary, I and my campaign are up and running, and look forward to attending forums, debates, and other events in the district. If your group would like to meet me, please contact me ASAP because my schedule is filling up quickly.

Please be sure to attend:
1. Candidates Forum
January 16, 2006
7:00 - 9:00pm
Bartlett Community Center
701 South Bartlett Road - Bartlett

2. An Open Discussion with Senator Obama on his work in the U.S. Senate
Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006 @ 10:30 a.m.
College of DuPage - McAninch Arts Center - mainstage
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
Parking will be available in Lot O on College Road
(I may not be there)

3.Aurora Democratic Party, Monday January 23rd, 7:00 p.m. at the Mexican Driving School located at 73 S. LaSalle

4. Zamora "New Year Party" Fundraiser
January 28th, Sandwich, IL 6-9 PM
900 Church Street (Route 34)
???630-859-1030, 630-786-3037

I will update this update soon!
Continued thanks from my campaign to you.
Ruben

Doesn't look good to me. Zamora confirms the rumor that the challenge was planned. That's been consistent with what everyone has shared with me. Most believe that the challenge is not coming directly from Laesch, but at the direction of people who are working for him, in an effort to challenge party leaders throughout the district to escalate their rhetoric or step aside.

Laesch already comes off as kind of a smartass kid, so I'm not sure this is a good tactic.

If you can make one of the Zamora events, please do. It would be nice to hear from those who attend, either by email or in the comments. You can post anonymously, of course, if you like, although anonymous comments are probably not treated as seriously as those signed by the author.

When Is A Holiday No Holiday?

Ah, a nice relaxing weekend (sorry about the absence). Now back to work.

On the holiday.

I've always thought it was terrible that only small sections (mostly the financial sector) of the country give employees King's birthday off. What's the point of making it a Federal holiday? Remember the flap caused when the "folks" in Arizona wouldn't go along with it to even make it a Federal holiday?

Wish I was in the U.S. House. The people in charge there gave the good old boys another two weeks off this month, all in a failed attempt to keep an indicted Leader in the good old boys club.

Real Ethics Reform Under Hastert?

Any notion that real, meaningful ethics reform under Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert's so-called leadership must be considered as thin as the inside of one of Hastert's arteries.

David Dreier is going to be a good Team Player on this trick until enough members of the media are mouthing the words "Congressional Ethics Reform" in their stories. As with anything else with this crowd, they're hoping the more the words are spoken, the more the overwhelming majority of the Moron Contingent in our society will transform it, somehow, into truth.

If the Coach, anyone on his Team, or any of the Back-Benchers were serious about reform, it would have happened long ago.

As it is, McCain's own reform legislation became watered down to suit the interests of DeLay and his minions, Hastert included.

Accept none of the lies that are unfolding about Hastert taking hold of this debacle.

The anti-government zealots (Hastert included) have no control over this beast at this point. Their staffs are intentionally weak on policy matters so as to claim the need for lobbyists who can better explain issues that matter to you and me.

This Coach is about to enter his worst season in history, one that will tar his legacy and justly prevent his name from ever appearing with the name of truly great House Speakers who came before him.

Feel The Love.

I'm feeling pretty good today, having reached or neared two important milestones that keep me surging forward.

One big one is that I've cracked the top 10,000 blogs at the Truth Laid Bear, which makes me a proud Slimy Molusc in the ecosystem. Seems pretty insignificant (it is, I suppose, but I may be obsessive at times). 50 Miles Out started, of course, at somewhere around 40-something-thousand just a few months ago, so I'm actually quite full of pride to now be in the top quarter ranking.

Whatever that means. Honest to God, I don't know how they come up with the daily visits (?!) but 50 Miles Out also passed 7,000 visitors today by my Sitemeter counter, ramping up on the way to the first 10,000. I restrict viewing of that info, btw, because with so relatively few readers it does tend to show a bit too much information about visitors.

I honestly had no idea what to expect when I finally plunged into this. It's been a great release of many years of utter frustration at being manhandled by ignorant Cro-Magnons, Eminent Liars, and so forth.

I am very grateful for my regular readers and the many links I've been given by some other great bloggers here in the great Land of Lincoln. Thank you all so very much.

It's going to be an exciting and fun year for Liberalism and the great majority of us who live in the fullness of reality, so please keep coming back.

I also have a few more things coming right around the corner that should keep the makers of Nexium flush until well after the November elections.

Ticket Fixer, Speaker of the House.

Fixing a ticket is one thing. Government haters like Tom DeLay will tell you that candy-ass local politicians do it all the time.

Shielding someone with a problem from taking responsibility is another.

Further endangering the public -- when you hold a special role of protecting it -- is despicable.

Maybe that's not the case. Maybe all of this is just part of the status quo in Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert's America.

Robertson Apology Not a Surprise.

Newwww. Not at all. That's because he was being cut out of a $50 million deal to build a "Christian Heritage Theme Park" in Israel for those ugly comments about Ariel Sharon being "smote down" (or somesuch nonsense) because of God's anger at Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza.

What utter weird, nonsensical, fantastic, bullshit.

Actually, pretty much what we've expected from the loopy televangelist for many, many years now.

The "biblical heritage park," as I understand it, would be built on land that is thought to be the site near where Jesus Christ preached his gospel of love and salvation through forgiveness. It will include outdoor amphitheaters, a garden and nature park, a Holy Land exhibit, an auditorium and a media center.

I guess all Robertson's other financial dealings, the diamond mines and all, weren't enough.

Let's see... what was it that I remember from Bible school about Jesus and the money changers at the temple? Was it... ?

No. That's not it. Maybe more clues could be found here.

Separated At Birth?

Terry Jeffrey, noted "Conservative" Fathead and over-educated idiot, and Robert "Rusty" Stevens, better known as Larry Mondello for three seasons of "Leave it to Beaver," as well as his role as "Cletus" in the hilarious 1962 "My Three Sons" episode: "Bub Gets a Job."

You Decide.

Rice to Iran:

Let's get it on at the U.N.

Actually, I don't have a problem with that, except that crazy bastard Bolton will probably do his Condi Rice impression for the world. (Warning: watch your volume!)

In Other News...

The Federal Government is giving you your money back!

Then the IRS is sodomizing little people again instead of going after the large-scale tax schemers. Hundreds of thousands of refunds frozen -- Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson says two-thirds of those who complained were entitled to full refunds. Oops!

Note: I am not at all surprised.

Mileage ratings will now be more realistic

Well, more or less. Sort of. If you've car-shopped lately and then been disappointed by the mileage after the purchase, you're not alone. If you're buying a hybrid (which now I see is not that efficient in climates where temperatures reach extremes in either direction) the government estimate will now be at its absolute worst.

Note: When you check out Consumer Reports mileage estimates, look at what they got in their test. It's always shockingly different (lower, you think?) than the City/Hwy sticker. Believe those guys. I've never bought a car that got anything close to the median of City/Hwy. It's usually right around the City figure over the long-term.

Toyota is Kicking Detroit's Ass Again.

Ford is still on Mars.

The article lacks its print counterpart's accompanying photo of a Ford executive proudly standing in front of its new "Super Chief," a big fucking concept truck that's said to be the centerpiece of their plan to dominate market share. Brilliant.

Well, not really, but the car buffs are drooling over its interior. Which, you know, is the really important reason one buys a big God-Damned truck.

Oh, yes. There's this laughable bit:

Running on hydrogen, the supercharged V-10 engine provides up to 12 percent fuel economy improvement on an energy equivalent basis versus a non-supercharged gasoline V-10 – and nearly 500 miles per fill-up. In addition, when operating on hydrogen, the Tri-Flex V-10 generates 99 percent less CO2 emissions than when running on gasoline.

Note: I am not impressed by anthying increased by only 12 percent, unless it's my annual God-Damned salary. And CO2 emissions reductions? That's what you would expect from Hydrogen, stupids.

Boy, if we had some oversight in our government, and we really had the nerve to regulate the industry...

Who Is Meddling With Police Records?

When "J. Dennis" Hastert's youngest son was arrested in the Spring of 2001 and charged with DUI (among other charges), "The Coach" issued a statement that said the situation was "regrettable," but that Ethan still had his father's love and support.

As it should be. That is good fathering.

Recently, however, it has come to our attention that someone else close to the Speaker was involved in an accident and taken into custody, although not only was a statement not issued... the police report cannot be found published anywhere in the local media.

Now, that's curious. But is that all there is to it? Not at all.

A former local official tells me that while the words "strong smell of alcohol" appear on the report (either an incident report--which means nothing--or an official report which should have been available to the press with the rest of the blotter), no field test was done.

Now, that could be a mistake. Could be, except for the fact that someone put in a phone call to a close friend of the family who either advised the police or the family... or both. That would stand apart from police procedure, wouldn't it?

But who would that hurt, really. Come on! A victimless "crime?" Not exactly.

My source tells me that there was another vehicle involved, and at least one of the people in that vehicle was not at all happy about the situation. Which makes it all curiouser and curiouser... because no mention has been made in the local media.

Perhaps the young attorney (also close to the family -- how convenient!) who was dispatched to the police station on Christmas eve can shed some light on this.

A lot of conjecture, sure. But all of it is important, for it is not at all the incident that's important. There were plenty of other DUIs reported by Kendall County police around the holidays. This one was not. And it appears that only the person's name and the family's connections made the difference.

And like so many other cases you can think of, it isn't the crime or act that's important; it's the coverup.

Hastert's Rules Committee: Soviets.

Someone may want to maybe... open a history book (too bad there aren't any former history teachers in the House) and look at the symbol most prominently featured on the House Rules Committee's site.

Maybe it was intentional, considering the clamp Hastert's minions have on our Democracy.

Jesus! One would think a handsome, swishy and stylish guy like David Dreier would know better.

Maybe they ought to think again before they post the symbol of the Soviet military on their web pages.

Just What The Hell Is This?

I snapped this (no pun intended) from a Flash thing at whitehouse.gov.

Maybe my mind was on something else, but doesn't this look like the President is sitting approximately where the anus would be on this gargantuan spread eagle? Take a look at the original, perhaps.

You'll also be treated to the return of the Presidential Smirk in at least one of the staged photos with seniors (check out the upper right rail).

Paul Bremer Memoir on Fresh Air.

Take a listen.

If Paul "Jerry" Bremer (who was also "Doin' a Heck of a Job" at one point) was a GOP Congressman, I would have to create a class lower than "Waterboy" just for him.

Calling him "wishy-washy" would be a huge compliment. Listen to how he explains the missing $9 Billion (That's BILLION WITH A B... AND THAT'S YOUR MONEY). It's at 33:55 if you can't stand to listen to the whole thing.

Incredible. He doesn't know if it "went missing."

He doesn't know. Says we "may not have had proper accounting for it."

I guess that means we just fucking lost it, then. Well, in that case, that's OK.

Now, if I were starting a government, say, well, here or abroad, I think I would want to have a strong kind of... let's call it a legislative body, with a strong leader who could demand inquiries of such things on behalf of the people.

Would we call that a Democracy?

Hastert's Fragile House of Cards.

Tumbling now, in a news story near you.

From an editorial in the venerable Louisville Courier-Journal: Good Riddance.

Lyn Sweet had an interesting piece in the Sun-Times yesterday, making the remark that all the reform squabbling has been hard on Hastert.

To which I say, "Good!"

And now, from the pale, congenitally insane point of view: It's CBS News's fault.

The House GOP Hierarchy.

Obviously, you got yer "Coach."

Then, you have all yer Team Players. Those would be all the Gingrich-baptized bomb-throwers who've invaded legitimate public service and turned government against itself. The Hannity clones and the like who have fatted the Limbaugh-O'Reilly-Wall Street Journal Lie Machine. Those people.

It's a lot to keep up, so far. Still with me? Did that make sense?

The Team Players would be anyone who works for the Gingrich-DeLay-Hastert vision. Think J.D. Hayworth. LINK WARNING: HAYWORTH'S VOICE WILL BE EMITTED FROM YOUR COMPUTER.

Then you have your Back-Benchers. Like Little Snowflake. His hometown was named after his great-great grandfather (whose name was Benjamin Snowflake, I believe). How quaint.

That's not so bad. My own ancestors were also hard-working founders of their communities. But as you go through Snowflake's bio, you see he's never worked a day in his life. He is a child of privilege seeking power to pass on more privilege and power to the next Snowflake generation. He was still in his twenties when he was named Executive Director of the Goldwater Institute, for Christ's sake.

The Back-Bencher is just a Team Player in disguise. He wants the Republican vision of wealth and power, but he's willing to disguise it to get to the power position, where he'll someday be annointed Team Player. He's willing to carry the water, but don't confuse him with the Water Boys.

There were once plenty of Good Guys in the House GOP. But now the Good Guys have been turned into the Water Boys. Think Chris Shays. I really like Chris Shays; don't get me wrong. You can tell he's a model public servant by his home page. It's all about the constituent meetings. Right up front.

But he's been reduced from a position where he could actually do some good, to having to be a pain-in-the-ass for the Leadership (mainly), and used as an occasional Water Boy when he's told to do his duty for the Party.

So there you have it. Yer Coach; Yer Team; Yer Back-Benchers and Yer Water Boys.

That's the cartoonish House GOP Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert has created.

This is Just SO Adorable.

They talk like sailors! With their little white, starched hats and their short bellbottoms!

"Stay the course!" is a naval term, you know. Ronald Reagan made it popular, so it's natural that Republicans use it whenever possible. Reagan at least had a boat and enjoyed sailing, though. King George I was a Navy Ace, so it was natural that he'd use the term. But little George went AWOL... from the Texas Air National Guard. Guardsmen normally make fun of sailor talk.

So it's pretty funny (adorable, as I said) that little Jeff Snowflake is saying House Republicans "...need a new course."

I said the other day that these guys are doomed to fail. It's not going to change. Not with back-benchers like Snowflake trying to take over. Republicans will take years to reform their party.

By the way, read Little Snowflake's bio. It's just adorable!

It's also why I refer to him as a back-bencher.

I'll give you a better breakdown of the GOP (as it exists today) in a while.

How Can Anyone Believe Denny Hastert?

Reform must be an important issue for J. Dennis, because the staff used the word five times in four itty-bitty, short little paragraphs.

Wonder what reforms he's talking about?

Probably more great ideas, like having the ethics committee approve trips beforehand.

Nice try.

Monitor Reporter Abducted in Iraq.

Good God.

Jill Carroll, a brilliant young writer for the Christian Science Monitor has been reporting from Iraq since 2003.

She was abducted Saturday.

Hastert Attempting to Rig Leadership Vote.

This is as clear as can be. John Boehner is the choice of moderates? Don't count on it.

Boehner got his start with the Gingrich Gang in the early 90s. It's highly likely that Hastert encouraged him to run -- as a Moderate -- to split the vote. With the party split, it could signal Blunt's election to Leader. Enough Moderate Republicans would vote for Boehner, but it's likely more would prefer someone else.

As far as Boehner's credibility as a "clean" candidate for the job is concerned, let's not forget his ethics problems, dating back to his handing out tobacco lobby checks on the floor of the House while it was in session.

And then there's the Abramoff connection to his own PAC.

Blunt is Hastert's choice, to be sure. But the election of either Blunt or Boehner as Majority Leader means nothing will change.

Nothing.

Sick Dick.

It was nice to see CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta correct statements made about the Vice-Monster's trip to the hospital in the middle of the night.

The Cheney Monster's spokespeople had issued a statement in which his EKG was referred to as "normal" (which is a lie) and that the Vice-Monster had driven himself to the hospital. Right.

Dr. Gupta politely pointed out that Cheney's EKG "is unchanged," that he wears a pacemaker (let's stop calling it a portable defibrillator) because of his abnormal EKG. Also, Gupta mentioned that Cheney was likely driven to the hospital by his driver, and did not call for an ambulance.

See? These guys just can't stop lying to you.

The condition he went to the hospital is normally referred to as "congestive heart failure" (see "Heart Failure").

In addition to eating live babies and causing misery to those around him, Cheney smoked cigarettes until his first heart attack at age 37, in 1978.

US Auto Industry Execs: Dumb-fuck Central.

And what is it with these guys??!

I'd like to see at least the same efforts put into fuel efficiency and transformation of the industry to focus on easing the demand on oil.

Please.

Instead, what we get is an industry that spends millions to lobby Washington to keep CAFE standards miserably low.

Regulation, boy... I dunno.

Sadly, It's Another Very Bad Weekend.

The Pentagon has announced the loss of a Blackhawk carrying 12. Presumably, they were all our personnel.

In addition, five others were reported killed in various incidents this weekend.

Only a Matter of Time.

Yes, it's only a matter of time before a number of things begin to come unhinged for Hastert and his bully buddies.

You had to know this was only a moment away, too.

Yum.

Conason

Once again, it just doesn't get any better than Joe Conason.

If you didn't know, joeconason.com has been up for some weeks now. Go there and read!

If you don't have a subscription to salon.com, get it now!

And if you're not reading Conason on a regular basis, you are missing out on writing from one of the best commentators and investigative journalists of our time.

Bush: Erratic, Crazy, Proud.

Would you put this photo up on the web as part of your PR?

I don't think so.

Hastert: 108,000 Jobs=Roaring Economy.

What the fuck is with this guy?

I used to think Ron Bonjean wrote all this nonsense. Now I think Denny Hastert is as blind and stupid as he seems.

108,000 new jobs in a month is nothing more or less than anemic.

He's Doin' a Heck of a Job!

I Guess That's What You Call Pathological Liars.

Even now, DeLay himself and Hastert's Bonjean can't stop lying.

"During my time in Congress, I have always acted in an ethical manner within the rules of our body and the laws of our land. I am fully confident time will bear this out," DeLay wrote.

And then there's Bonjean, the former braintrust that bungled Lott's Leadership position with the way the Strom Thurmond comments were handled:

His spokesman, Ron Bonjean, said the petition drive "is consistent with the speaker's announcement ... that House Republicans would revisit this matter at the beginning of this year."

So that's why Denny postponed the opening session until the end of the month?

I'll Tell You What...

If I had an attorney in my family to bail me out, I'd be out whooping it up tonight.

Better yet, if I had a politically connected former government official watching my back all the time, I wouldn't worry about my family and friends being out there breaking the law or getting into various situations, either.

Man, oh, man.

Ah... The Smacking Sound of Republicans Eating Their Own.

Ronald Raygun is spinning like a trout lure.

Now, what did I tell you all the other day?

Enjoy!

President Rudy?

Right.

Just keep repeating this, sports fans.

Justice To Indict Half-Dozen Congressmen,Half-Dozen Or More Cong. Staff In Abramoff Scandal.

Perhaps more Executive Branch officials will be indicted, as well. In all, 60 will be investigated. All by the end of 2006.

So says former House Counsel, Stan Brand, predicting the scope of damage, on yesterday's Diane Rehm Show.

If you're not listening the Diane Rehm's show on 89.5 WNIJ (Northern Public Radio in DeKalb reaches quite far, I've found), you're missing some really great quality radio programming and stimulating discussion.

Why does 91.5 WBEZ hate the Diane Rehm Show?

OK. That went too far.

Freak Show.

People actually watch this.

You know, tune in to John Gibson and follow what he has to say.

What a country.

Hastert's Mighty Press Operation Silent.

I'd be quiet, too, if I didn't want people to notice things like this.

Chickenshits.

Wow. $70,000.

Golly. Goodness!

You could do an awful lot with $70,000. That's a lot of drink money.

That's a lot of bail money!

You could pay for a lot of fundraiser dinners with that!

You could probably pay for three letters to a Cabinet member with that.

Whew! Denny Hastert Takes a Dump.

This would be funny if it weren't so pathetic.

Really, boys. Just giving the money away and then saying, "Well, it was all legally donated to us," is just too fucking pathetic.

It's almost as bad as the old, "Some Democrats took money from him, too," defense.

I have not heard a single rebuke of super scum bastard Abramoff since all this blew up in GOP faces.

Come to think of it, though, why would Denny Hastert issue a rebuke of Jack "MoFo" Abramoff when he's about to start singing?

Hmmmm. There's a tasty new year party treat.

Horrible!

The news as I awoke this a.m. to rush off to the airport (to wait... and use the free wireless) was just horrible.

How could the message get so screwed up? How could anyone let such a horrible build-up go on for 3 hours?

Abramoff Deal Will Be Very Bad Deal For Denny.

Oh, yeah. Anyone out there thinking that Hastert won't be hurt because of his squeaky clean image should think again.

The image is clean because the details have been kept from you.

Illinoisans: Think "Paul Powell."

While I doubt there are shoeboxes full of cash to be found at the Plano estate, you're going to start seeing two things while Hastert's Do-Nothing (Good) Congress is out on "DeLayed" holiday this month.

First, you're going to start seeing rats who are not tainted by Abramoff getting together and talking about how to take their party back. That's bad for Hastert, who would undoubtedly be jettisoned in the maelstrom. I don't think those efforts will succeed, though.

Second, you and I have just started the first year of the worst years of Denny Hastert's political life. A good deal of his dirty back-stabbing political deals are going to start unraveling out of the grips of his handlers.

Watch, learn, enjoy!

Blogger Explosion.

Sorry for (obviously) being away from the throttle of this thing for too long not to notice the structure has become completely corrupted or something.

My lovely stock template is back, but I don't have the mental faculties to remake all the links tonight. I've been drinking, and on east coast time, since Sunday.

See you all tomorrow, and will write again soon...

Oh, yes. You all should be reading more on the story I've been alluding to. Very soon, I understand.

Twelve Alive!

CNN is now breaking the story that 12 miners have been found alive!

I am ecstatic, having known a number of fellows who've worked in the mines over the years. Have been watching this rather closely from the road.

Coal mining, if you didn't know, or just didn't believe it, is probably about the worst job you could imagine. I realize that almost half our electricity comes from coal, but sending men underground to work in the cold, in a shaft that could collapse or emit toxic levels of invisible gases... well, it's just dreadful to think about the risks.

Let's see if there's some more coverage of the company that owns this mine to see what standard operating procedures are, and how this happened.

Flaky Blogger.

What else is new. I've been down for quite some time. Sorry about the gap...

Is It Legal To Conceal Open Records?

That's a good question. The answer, according to the Illinois Attorney General's office, is "NO."

And why is this important? It seems there's been some hanky-panky with a routine situation right in Kendall County over the holidays. And the hanky-panky is a cover-up. In classic fashion, the incident is not the issue; it's the cover-up.

Sources tell me that an incident was not reported recently -- not because the local media withheld the story -- but because the incident is being kept under wraps.

And who is behind it? I won't give it up, but the last name begins with Hastert. At least two others with ties to the Speaker are also allegedly implicated in the scheme.

By the way, I hope everyone took my advice yesterday.

Happy New Year!

Ah... Time for a Drink.

Well, God Damn It. It's 5 o'clock somewhere, so let's get going. We're kicking off 2006 -- the year Democrats finally free our Democracy held-hostage -- in grand style!

The drinking theme is important two ways today. I'll share some thoughts with you on the subject later. Think unreported news item of the holiday past.

In the spirit of the holiday, however, I offer this suggestion for the rest of December 31.

These are absolutely lovely at any hour.

Please stay at home if you start drinking at noon (I will, because I am).

Please do not drink and drive.

Willy Nilly

I've seen posts from Willy Nilly in various places, but just added the "World of Willy Nilly" to my list of Illinois blogs.

I keep holding out hope for Peoria Pundit, Bill Dennis -- a fine journalist and a true idealist (we certainly need more of those) -- but Willy's sentiments on the LaHood gang more closely resemble mine.

Good stuff, Willy. Drop me an email sometime.

Are My Adoring Readers Still Out There?

I'm ready for my close-up...

So I might be a card-carrying Hastert-Hater, but I still honor Christmas, for Christ's sake.

I'm baaaaaaaack. I'm black. And I'm still pissed at this government masked as a democracy that we have running things.

More on the way.

Holy Cow.

Is Barron's calling for the impeachment of the president?

You take a week or two off during the hallowed holidays, and look what happens, for Christ's sake?!

Willful disregard of a law is potentially an impeachable offense.