Gallimaufry

Today's Web Trawl

Someday the Web may not be quite so text dominant.  It's hard to imagine how they'd send smells though...

A leg up on the tricky science of earthquake prediction.  If the earthquake is going to occur near a shoreline anyway. 

Tristero has further dispatches from the War on Fucking. 

And he has something to add about the shamelessness of the current administration.  Remember kids, this is the Secretary of HUD talking, in public, for quotation.

From Firedoglake, your daily quota of schadenfreude.

Posts of this sort are why I've asked (twice) Michael Berube to marry me.  And I'll keep asking until he says yes.  I'm such a sucker for a man who makes me laugh.

Wow.  Just, wow.

Dominic and Loki have never sent me any of these for Mother's Day.  Sob.  But one year they did give me a dead fish wrapped in newspaper.  The little sweethearts!

Good Stuff I've Read Recently

The National Review said today that the CIA is full of lefties and it's a shame they got rid of Goss so soon because he'd only just started to root them out.  No, really.  My question is:  who's living in Bizarro world?  Me or National Review? (via Digby)

Bush approval rating hits new low! (via everybody)

It's all about the black lesbians.

It's Jets vs Sharks!

It's not just the US that's into white supremacy.  Gosh, I feel all better now.

It's all over the blogosphere rumor mill that Rove may be indicted.  I'm linking to Echidne's post because I like the photo she included.  Boy do I like that photo.

Friday Cat Blogging

That's about as cute as they get together.  They're not really what you'd call best friends.

Just an Old-Fashioned Log Post

They started out as lists of cool things seen on the web so you could share them with folks, ya know.  So interesting/cool stuff I've seen.  No politics today.

For some people, anticipating pain is as bad as actually feeling it.  Research on the dread phenomenon.

Cherry harvest expected to be especially big this year.  Yay!  (My fellow Seattlites can find out about local farmers' markets here.)

They're redoing the old 60s TV show, The Prisoner.

Wow.  Look at all the colors, man.

Reviews of chocolate stores.

Where the well dressed hippie teenager shops.  They've even got plus sizes!  (Courtesy of my niece.)

999 foods highest in calcium (per 200 calories).  We're gettting there ladies.

Quotes from the Founding Fathers on Christianity and religion.

A really cool bookstore in San Diego.  They carry F&SF and mysteries.

Friday Cat Blogging

Don't faint or anything.

Here's Dominic with the collar he had to wear for a week after surgery

And here's Loki looking adorable as usual

Damn You All

The sun came out this afternoon so I went for a brisk walk in the park and sat in the sun for a good long time.  Came home smiling and feeling just great.  Then I read that cloture passed, 25 to 75 (which must be wrong because one senator abstained, but that's what everyone is posting).  So debate on a right wing misogynist nut who thinks that we need an imperial presidency has been cut off and the vote will be tomorrow.  Only one of my senators voted to continue the debate and you can believe the other is going to get blistering mail.  As soon as I no longer feel like killing myself.  Or better yet, most of the senate.

I'm pretty much convinced that this spells the end of democracy in the US in my lifetime.  They're already not counting the votes and now there's a real majority on the Supreme Court to let them continue and appoint whomever they want as president, senator, dogcatcher.  Don't think it can't happen where you live.  I live in a  blue state and our duly elected Democratic governor barely managed to take office.  I cannot see how the Democrats ever again expect to win a national election.  I can tell you that Maria Cantwell has now and forever forfeited my vote and support as the Washington senator who voted against continuing debate.

That Whole Filibuster Thing

Being, as I am, reluctant to have a right-wing, misogynist who thinks the Executive branch deserves more power appointed to the Supreme Court, I've already called both my senators with my views.  When Jordin tried to call Senators Murray and Cantwell just now, he discovered that their voice mailboxes in both Washingtons are full.  However, don't let that stop you any more than it did him.  Fax numbers for all senators are here. Email addresses are here.  Do not give me any guff about this being the wrong fight.  They're already not counting all the votes; we've already got a nigh-Imperial presidency; what more, after the Supreme Court, is there left to lose?  Call, write, and/or fax your senators and do it now.   

Once Again

Molly lays it out for the Democrats.  Hilary and her cynical hypocritical attempts to be "centrist" and "moderate" are the wrong way to go.  Listen to ths

What kind of courage does it take, for mercy's sake? The majority of the American people (55 percent) think the war in Iraq is a mistake and that we should get out. The majority (65 percent) of the American people want single-payer health care and are willing to pay more taxes to get it. The majority (86 percent) of the American people favor raising the minimum wage. The majority of the American people (60 percent) favor repealing Bush's tax cuts, or at least those that go only to the rich. The majority (66 percent) wants to reduce the deficit not by cutting domestic spending, but by reducing Pentagon spending or raising taxes.

The majority (77 percent) thinks we should do "whatever it takes" to protect the environment. The majority (87 percent) thinks big oil companies are gouging consumers and would support a windfall profits tax. That is the center, you fools.  WHO ARE YOU AFRAID OF?

Yeah, they're afraid of the Republicans' noise machine, but you know, that's defeatable too.  The Republicans are in trouble right now.  It would be nice to see the Dems take the ball and run it back for a TD.

Help Russ Feingold

Below is the text of an email I got from Feingold/Progressive Patriots.  They want us to sign a petition to ask for an investigation of Bush's warrantless wiretapping.  I not only signed, I sent them money.  Do the same if you can.

Begin email

Dear Mary,  

A few weeks ago, the President confirmed news reports that he
directed the National Security Agency to wiretap the phones of
American citizens without court permission as required by law. When I
stood up against the PATRIOT Act, it was because I feared that the
government would use the few questionable provisions to harm our
rights and freedoms.  Now, in light of the disclosure of the
government's warrantless wiretapping, I am more resolved than ever to
keep the PATRIOT Act from being reauthorized without fixing these same
broken provisions.  In addition to fixing the PATRIOT Act, however, we
also need to hold this administration accountable for these apparently
illegal wiretaps, and to discover the facts about how President Bush
justifies taking these drastic actions in violation of existing law.
That's why I need your help calling for a full, unfettered
investigation of the administration's wiretapping of American
citizens: 

http://www.progressivepatriotsfund.com/wiretapping

I want to be clear here: we should do all we can to keep our country
safe from terrorists, whether they're in the United States or outside
our borders.  But these wiretaps are being conducted without any
meaningful court oversight, apparently in violation of the law.  And
we need to learn what the Bush administration knew, and when they knew
it.  Please sign my petition, urging an investigation into this
program: 

http://www.progressivepatriotsfund.com/wiretapping 

Just as I fought to protect our rights and freedoms when I felt that
parts of the USA Patriot Act endangered them, I also pledge to take a
leading role in investigating these illegal wiretaps.  You helped keep
the PATRIOT Act from being reauthorized, and now, I need your help
again to protect our civil liberties. 

Sincerely,  

Russ Feingold
United States Senator
Honorary Chair, Progressive Patriots Fund 

p.s. Please sign the petition today, and ask your friends to do
the same!       

---------------------------------------------------------
Authorized and paid for by the Progressive Patriots Fund, 
Daniel D. Hannula, Superior, WI, Treasurer
---------------------------------------------------------


PO Box 628008 Middleton, WI 53562 | phone: 608/831-1308 | fax:
608/831-1348 

end email
email: [email protected] | http://www.progressivepatriotsfund.com
To unsubscribe, send an email to purge-progressivepatriotsfund-news-686065I@news.progressivepatriotsfund.com

What I Saw

The IRS seems to be targeting a number of progressive churches for investigation regarding their possible involvement in politics.  At least one church is fighting back; not only have they gone public, they've hired the lawyer who used to head the IRS exempt organization division.

Sneaky?  Communities on the US borders have been complaining about the Bush administration's plans to require a passport of anyone crossing the border.  It costs nearly $100 to get a passport.  Currently, people have to show proof of citizenship, like a birth certificate, and a picture id, like a driver's license.  So now the government is proposing a special Travel Card for this purpose; it'll probably 'only' cost around $50.  But the description of the card is making is sound to me very much line a national ID card.  I deeply resent that this administration makes me feel like a nutbar conspiracy theorist.

The TSA doesn't harass only you; now they're harassing the airlines as well!  Of course, they only want money from the airlines...

The White House is stonewalling press requests for information about which White House aides met with indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.  Be nice if somebody asked formally; like with a subpoena.  The fact that Scotty originally said he'd seek out more information and then told the press he wouldn't get into staff-level meetings suggests to me that some high-level staff may be involved. 

Avedon makes a pretty convincing case for Al Gore for the Democratic nomination in 2008.  If only they'd hire her as a speechwriter or something.