Replies: 44 Comments

Comment #1: JimB said on 10/8/06 @ 1:16pm ET...

Go Tigers. A good sign.

Comment #2: Reed31463 said on 10/8/06 @ 5:55pm ET...

Repugs Spending Spree

I wonder how much of this money spent includes payoffs for electoral fraud activities? The States involved in the money dump look particularly vulnerable to election fraud.

Additionally, it looks like Cook changed some of his assessments based upon some of this money spending activity.

On Topic- Average Joe's upsets Global Gym.

Comment #3: Reed31463 said on 10/8/06 @ 8:02pm ET...

Action Message

Stand Up

First go to the link in the article and remind Congress of their failures. I wrote,

Your 109th Congress has crossed a line. The Military Commissions Act of 2006 directly affronts Hamdan v Rumsfeld and completely ignores Geneva Common Article 3 which specifically outlaws inhumane treatment of prisoners.

The precedent is already set by the US judiciary and the American Bar Assoc. at the Nuremberg Trials. Attempts at legislating immunity to crimes against humanity are not a satisfactory defense to war crimes in international courts.

The Supreme Court sent their warning and your Congress failed to hear it. I hope you feel good about being part of a criminal cabal.

Only by standing up now and not backing down can we win the votes of those who also are troubled by the Bush lies, but who need to see our strength before trusting us with the necessary corrective power.

Comment #4: Reed31463 said on 10/8/06 @ 8:25pm ET...

Crossposted at soapbox4truth.

Impeachment is not limited to the president and must be used in order to permanently remove this cabal. If Democratic leaders fail to address the impeachment issue then they will in effect shelve Congress's only true Constitutional check on Judicial and Executive power.

Unfortunately today, Impeachment is largely misunderstood. I believe the best way to educate the voters on the impeachment process is to draw the parallel between Grand Jury proceedings and the Impeachment process. Gaskells Political Dictionary defines impeachment thus:

Impeachment. Any officer who abuses his authority, is liable to impeachment. The lower house acts as grand jury, the upper, as petit jury. The great political excitement incident to reconstruction culminated in the impeachment of Andrew Johnson in 1868. Articles of impeachment were agreed upon March 3, and presented to the Senate two days later. The trial began March 23, Chief-Justice Chase presiding. The specific charge was the removal of the Secretary of War, Stanton, in violation of the tenure of office act. After a long and exciting trial, he was acquitted, a few Republican Senators voting with the Democrats for acquittal.

Comment #5: koryannder said on 10/8/06 @ 9:21pm ET...

I heard a rumor today - is there any truth in the notion that Laura is leaving George over his long-standing affair with Condi? Hope so - that would be frosting on the cake.

As for impeachment; in order of their damage to the country:

First, Cheney
Second, Gonzales
Third, Rumsfeld
Fourth, Rove
Fifth, Hastert
Sixth, Bu$h

THEN the entire Board of Governors of the FED, the staff of the FDA, and much of the Republican membership of Congress who are beholden to Abramoff. Make for a busy year. When the ENTIRE Government is corrupt, it takes more than a new broom. It takes GUTS the Democrats probably don't have. But one could wish - - -

Comment #6: Nolip said on 10/8/06 @ 10:19pm ET...

"When the congressional Democrats failed to pursue impeachment as the necessary response to the Iran-Contra revelations of rampant illegality in the Reagan White House – rejecting the advice of Henry B. Gonzalez, the wily Texas congressman who alone introduced the appropriate articles in 1987 – they thought they were positioning the party for victory in the coming presidential election. Instead, Vice President George Herbert Walker Bush, having recovered from the gentle slap on the wrist he received from Congress for his own involvement in the scandal, was elected to the presidency in 1988 by a landslide, and expected Democratic advances in Congress failed to materialize.

"Pulling punches in a political battle usually results in a knockout, with the party that holds back collapsing to the mat and struggling, often for a very long time, to finally get up again. And the Democratic Party of the George Herbert Walker Bush years, with its inexplicable penchant for pulling punches, runs the very real risk of being flattened not once but repeatedly if it fails to confront the issue of rampant wrongdoing on the part of the Bush administration."

The Genius of John Nichols

Comment #7: Reed31463 said on 10/9/06 @ 1:30am ET...

Great find Nolip.

Of course, whether or not we would be in this Constitutional Crisis or not had Impeachment carried the day, is all just pure speculation. But undoubtedly, the players would not be the same.

Now that the 109th Congress has crossed the line by trying to redefine Geneva and create an illegal legal defense fund for war crimes prosecution, when will "the fighters for the constitution" render their first war criminal to The Hague to face a war crimes indictment? I would hope that it will occur before the war criminals launch their attack upon Iran.

Unrelated find,
A culture of hypocrisy & corruption.

Comment #8: Chemung said on 10/9/06 @ 2:31am ET...

Comment #3 Reed31463 Thanks for mentioning this, but the most outrageous thing recently has been the last minute get-outta-town legislation that buried an article designed to indemnify the Bush Administration against prosecution for War Crimes past and present.

W MUST be sleeping better these days.

See this CNN Story that someone captured and posted on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoRjbIQMXGQ&eurl

Comment #9: koryannder said on 10/9/06 @ 4:34am ET...

My comment #5 above. 1 through 5 to be arrested simultaneously by Federal Marshals and charged with being "Enemy combatants," hence held incommunicado without access to attorneys or even their families, while the cases for impeachment and following criminal prosecution are prepared. I will admit it is chopping logic, but have not the activities of these people, their utter disregard for the Constitution, their sneering assault on everything that has made this Nation great, their deliberate fostering of the bankruptcy of the Country taken as a whole PROVED that they are enemies of the United States of America? As for leaving Bu$h in place, without his support group, he might have to BE President, which he has never really been. He'd probably quit, in which case he could be arrested by the Police of whatever jurisdiction he flees to, and tried as an uncommon criminal! That would leave Condi Rice in the Presidency - and being a black woman, that would sort of upset the vile "Base" of the Party! We could REALLY be in for some "Interesting times!" (I admit that the above scenario is next to impossible, but wouldn't it be nice if the intestinal fortitude to do it were available?)

Comment #10: unspun said on 10/9/06 @ 9:43am ET...

Congressman Conyers: Change of Pace for a Plea borne of Desperation and Despair--speaking as a Military Parent: Please do all in your power to unite the Democratic Party, and any republicans that may have a shred of sanity and decency left. Unite them to STOP THE SLAUGHTER of US Troops in Iraq! US Military announced the DEATHS of NINE US TROOPS over the weekend

Iraq Crisis Worsens/US Troops Paying the Price of Bush Incompetence: US troops continue to be slaughtered-- at an increasing rate & Republicans are blathering about "staying the course":

From DarkSyde's Kos Diary: "Short version: We're now smack dab in the middle of a raging Civil War...The U.S.-led coalition said it killed 30 fighters in a battle with the country's most powerful Shiite militia...These guys aren't Al-Qaeda, they're not Baathists, they're not fundamentalist Sunni insurgents: They're SHIITE MILITIA, many of which AMERICAN TAXPAYERS PAID TO ARM AND TRAIN...They're standing up alright, THEY'RE STANDING UP TO US." Meanwhile, Back in Iraq

Could British troops have stopped the US Civil War? Or any other country's troops for that matter? I don't think so. Also, I don't believe that it's possible for the US to stop Iraq's civil war, short of using the same brutal tactics of intimidation that Saddam Hussain used in Iraq or that Marshall Tito used in Yugoslavia. In all their "wisdom”, Bush & Co opened Pandora's Box in Iraq, and have proceeded with a criminal ignorance and incompetence to make things there increasingly worse on a daily basis. This alone should be enough to impeach him, Cheney, and anyone else responsible for this mess.

On a lighter note: Go Tigers!!

Comment #11: Reed31463 said on 10/9/06 @ 11:48am ET...

Completely off topic:

Looking up in the sky this morning led me to this topic which has been lightly covered here. Do you remember deep blue skies? Take a look again, because they do not exist anymore.

Heavy heavy aerosol activity today. These are not normal water vapor trails. Water vapor defracts sunlight into a rainbow. These vapors defract light into a silvery blue haze.

Aerosol Crimes

Comment #12: MAX 1 said on 10/9/06 @ 12:05pm ET...

Just some observations:

1.~ Pakistan houses and helps arm the Taliban, so that they go into Afghanistan to fight Americans

2.~ Afghanistan's democracy is in dire straights of becoming a lost cause and word is that the Afghan people might prefer the Taliban to be in control.

3.~ North Korea tested their Nuclear weapon today and has enough material for at least 8 more tests.

4.The death rates in Iraq aren't on the decline. Both civilian and military, up, up, up.

Points 1+2+3+4 = ARE WE SAFER YET?

Comment #13: Frosted Flake said on 10/9/06 @ 12:32pm ET...

Whitehouse statement on North Korea

What? I'm supposed to have something bright to say about this?

How 'bout, Nice job, Mr. President.

What? You wanted me to come up with "The Solution"? Well, sorry, but, China provides most of the support North Korea gets. North Korea is a wholey owned subsidiary of the Chinese Communist Party and the demonstration model of the communist world view. The withdrawl of Chinese support would cause the collapse of the North Korean regime. This would in turn demonstrate the unworkability of the Communist model, which would in turn compel the Communist Chinese to admit the obvious, that they are not communist and haven't been for decades. This being the last remaining plank the CCP stands upon, the addmission would threaten the primacy of the CCP through the demonstration of its' lack of belief in everything the CCP ever said it ever believed in.

Therefore, it will be very interesting to see what China does about thier pet. When a dog cannot be housebroken, he gets put outside. Same story when it is a country that cannot be housebroken. But China has internal political problems that MAY prevent China disciplining her pet, and if so, that will make it very difficult for anyone else to discipline North Korea without addressing China at the same time.

Note that China aspires to superpower status, which is status difficult to obtain peacefully.

Question on background : I seem to recall a town in North Korea being blown to bits because a trainload of dynamite, etcetera. Trainloads of dynamite being fairly rare, and invariably have a reason to exist when they do, the question arises, could the nuke test have been faked? At a glance, this seems unlikely, but it is not technicly difficult, only logisticly difficult. Historlical precident includes the battle of the crater At Petersburg, Virginia, 1865, involving four tons of black powder. And there is the battle of the Somme in 1916 which opened with 17 mines of sizes up to about 100,000 pounds of assorted explosives. Here is video (3/4 meg) of the first of them, a fourty ton blast. Sorry about the quality, but it is 90 years old. These things I bring forward for examination with the intent to demonstrate that the North Korean nuke test, sized at between 10 and 15 thousand tons, is not even remotely likely to have been faked. There is, first, the 500 to 750 truckloads of dynamite needed, and , second, the need to aquire, move and install it without it being noticed. Perhaps by siesmologists. This would be harder to accomplish than just setting off a nuke. And the benifit would be...can't think of one.

Taking, for pedagogical purposes, a glace in another direction, I note the only identifiable reason for the invasion of Iraq is the invasion of Iran. Contrasting this and that, Iran has no nukes, but has oil ($). North Korea has no oil ($), but does have nukes. And the reason the President is focused exclusively on the mideast is....

I appreciate this forum.
Frosted Flake.

Comment #14: Frosted Flake said on 10/9/06 @ 12:45pm ET...

Whoops, I misspoke. On review, I note the film referanced above was a twenty, not a fourty ton blast. One truckload, not two.

The mine took seven months to lay, being 75ft deep and 1,000ft long. It was prepared with a 40,600lb ammonal charge by 252nd Tunnelling Company. The resultant crater was 40ft deep and 300ft wide.

Comment #15: Genghis Khan said on 10/9/06 @ 3:16pm ET...

For the love of Christ...

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS "CHEMTRAILS"!

Hyperparanoid ignorant films notwithstanding, aerosol dispersal at high altitude and speed results in ZERO effect. Lasting contrails are subject to atmospheric conditions which vary greatly from one altitude to another. I've made enough contrails myself (lasting and otherwise) to know better.

Please stop posting this nonsense here.

Comment #16: Genghis Khan said on 10/9/06 @ 3:25pm ET...

Keep your Jesus off my penis...

Comment #17: MAX 1 said on 10/9/06 @ 5:06pm ET...

Have we forgotten? The US granted N Korea nuclear funds.

The US Government has announced that it will release $95m to North Korea as part of an agreement to replace the Stalinist country's own nuclear programme, which the US suspected was being misused.

Under the 1994 Agreed Framework an international consortium is building two proliferation-proof nuclear reactors and providing fuel oil for North Korea while the reactors are being built.

In releasing the funding, President George W Bush waived the Framework's requirement that North Korea allow inspectors to ensure it has not hidden away any weapons-grade plutonium from the original reactors.

President Bush argued that the decision was "vital to the national security interests of the United States".

Comment #18: Rusty said on 10/9/06 @ 6:46pm ET...

The trip Alma and Tahoe took to Washington to participate in WCW's Day of Mass Resistance has generated impressive results. Since they protested in front of the White House:

Bush's job approval has plummeted to 33 percent.

Democrats have doubled their generic ballot lead over RePugs from 11 points to 23 points.

Dennis Hastert has fled to a spider hole somewhere in Illinois.

Lieberman's lead over Lamont is down to 3 points.

Time magazine portrayed Republicans as an elephant's ass on this week's cover.

Newsweek featured a wild-eyed Republican sexual predator on this week's cover.

Jeb Bush was nearly lynched in Pittsburgh.

Karl Rove's top aide was forced to resign.

The RNC had to dump $8 million more into Congressional races so Republican candidates can try to explain to voters why they haven't all been arrested and locked up.

Good work, Alma and Tahoe!

Comment #19: Genghis Khan said on 10/9/06 @ 7:09pm ET...

Fantastic link, Max!

Comment #20: Alma said on 10/9/06 @ 8:32pm ET...

#18 Rusty,

LOL!!! Thank You Much, but I think we have to share credit with other people and events too.

Not least of which are all the good folks that post here, and a prolific kos-cb-soapbox poster that I know. :)

Oh, and I guess we should thank the repugs for shooting themselves in the foot.

You all would have really enjoyed the speeches and protest.

Comment #21: Reed31463 said on 10/9/06 @ 9:42pm ET...

Of course I am hyper-paranoid and ignorant. I post possible theories which may explain my observations of the skies. My mind is completely unstable and I jump to illogical conclusions based upon emotional reactions. I do not know scientific method even though I am a biologist. There is no "credible" scientific research into the observations and sampling methods used. I believe the 2000, 2002, & the 2004 elections were completely legitimate. I believe the war in Iraq and Afghanistan is just fine. I believe no one expected the levies to break in New Orleans. I watched the WTC's collapse under their own weight after the trusses failed, completely demolishing the center core structure, which in turn, superheated the steel upon compression. I know cell phone calls were made from flight 93, even though the technology did not exist until last year.

If we spent even 5% into scientific research for beneficial and benevolent means instead of pouring it into a worthless overseas war and secret military programs that create death and destruction, this world would be much better place.

I ask, who are the paranoid, who are the disillusioned, and who are the sane? Because right now, a lot of things seem upside down.

How the hell have you been GK? Haven't heard from you in a while and I have been worried & thinking about how you and your brother Lou are doing. I truly wish circimstances were different.

Don't get to wrapped around the axle about what may or mat not be occurring in the skies. If people are paranoid about it. So be it. Some people believe in astrology. I think those people are kooky, but it gives them something to think about.

Comment #22: tahoebasha1 said on 10/9/06 @ 10:49pm ET...

#18 - Rusty -- #20 -- Alma,

Of course, WE generated all those results -- how could anyone think otherwise?

Apart from the fact that flying is no longer "fun," i.e., taking off your shoes and walking barefoot on a cold concrete floor, producing your personals in plastic bags, taking off any jackets and emptying your pockets into a bin and being in long lines in order to go through this process, I have to say that it was worth every penny we spent.

First, it was so exciting to meet and greet as we did for the first time. Our first day was a little laid back.

October 5th, the next day was the day of the WCW rally. We (Alma, Alma's daughter, Kate, and me) walked from our hotel to the site of the WCW -- Lafayette Park -- across from the White House on the other side of the mall. It was about 1:00 p.m. when we arrived. The crowd was somewhat sparse at that point, however, speeches were already underway. We noted right away, there were no provisions, i.e., porta-potties -- an obvious deterrence. The weather, from when we had arrived the day before, had turned somewhat chilly and gloomy. Nonetheless, there was great spirit and energy in the air. There were mounted police at the edge of the park watching. There were two men dressed in black on top of the White House observing the event with grand binoculars. The crowd was diverse and of mixed backgrounds and economic statures. It was a wonderful crowd, which continued to grow as the afternoon wore on.
It was exciting all the way around. The general age level was probably around 40-ish and upwards, but there were also children with their parents.

There were some costumed people walking around, one was "death" with a sign -- a very good sign (not really good, but accurate), demonstrating all the death.

There was a rather small group of musicians who kept the beat up as people were talking. But it added so much to the momentum of the energy of the speakers and the crowd. The spirit was HIGH.

There were many good speakers, and a couple of poets whose words were so profound that some were in tears.

A guy with a Veteran's for Peace hat was walking by -- I walked up to him and thanked him for everything that he and his group were doing -- Alma joined in. Unbeknownst to either of us, he turned out to be one of the speakers and a dynamic one at that.

There was also a very good guitarist with wonderful words in his song as well.

David Swanson (afterdowningstreet.org)
was there, as well. He was very articulate and made no bones about it that there is no way we are going to drive out BushCo., nor do we really want revolution, but he espoused our remedy -- IMPEACHMENT. He was very well received.

And so it went. It went on for quite a long time. The speaker for WCW for D.C. was also dynamic and his energy was non-stop.

Finally, the time came for us to cross the street to the pavement directly in front of the White House. The speaker advised us that we had to turn in our signs -- they would NOT be allowed across the street. So, we all turned in our signs, regrettably. As we all commenced crossing the street, 6 motorcyle Park Police charged up on the left of us and four mounted Park Police charged up on the right of us -- as though awaiting a riot. We were also told that we could only be within certain paramters of the sidewalk.

And, so, as we arrived across the street, we were handed "Crime Scene" yellow tape, you know, the kind that they put around a crime scene. We formed a elongated circle with the tape (within the parameters), as three Police Park policemen were at the middle, one end and the other end. We marched with the tape, we chanted, "Guilty", "Where is our Democracy?", "Bush has got to go -- the World Can't Wait" etc. and it went on and, to the point, where prisoned-suited Bush, Condi, Rumsfeld, Cheney like images with chains all about them were enshrined in our oblong circle, as we continued to chant. It was quite spectacular. (Bush attempted to be affectionate of Condi in some instances. LOL.)

And, then, as dusk began setting in, each of us held on to the Crime Scene tape and sprawled and aligned ourselves down Pennsylvania Avenue (on the curb) as far as we could go.

Alma, Kate and I looked at each other and agreed that we were in the "right" place and had done the "right" thing. It was a statement!

More info: www.worldcantwait.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3096&Itemid=243

Comment #23: Genghis Khan said on 10/9/06 @ 10:59pm ET...

Carnicom is a crackpot. Aerosol dispersal at high altitude is inefficient and generally useless as targeting and viable concentrations of agents can NOT be achieved. The levels and types of pollutants Carnicom measures can be explained by normal terrestrial industrial pollution (I agree about that problem...).

Mentioning chemtrails here distracts from the legitimacy of Congressman Conyers' blog. Let's stay on-target.

I'm OK. Lou, of course, continues to be an unwelcome guest. Every day I can put one foot in front of the other is a good day. For longer walks I'm starting to enjoy the whine of electric motors driving wheels (and I get better hockey seats that way!)

Interesting discovery of a suspect protein.. click my name.

Comment #24: tahoebasha1 said on 10/9/06 @ 10:59pm ET...

I returned to work today. It was very interesting.

An attorney and his assistant who are not part of my firm (who are totally anti-BushCo) asked me about my trip. I told them. The attorney said, "Thank you for what you are doing." I wasn't expecting that, and I said, "You know, it's for all of us, whatever in my tiny way I can do." It made me feel very good to hear that.

In addition, I had an LTE published yesterday and my daughter has disseminated it around and has received very positive feedback from those who received it, as well as those I disseminated it to.

I realize these are tiny little victories, but I feel very good about them and wish, within my limited means, I could do even more.

But, maybe, the whole point is: Just do what you in your own way can do.

There are no guarantees with anything in this life, but I do know that (pardon the hackneyed cliche) "a winner never quits and a loser never wins."

My sole and fervant hope is that we can, all of us, get back OUR America, the one that we believe in.

Comment #25: MAX 1 said on 10/9/06 @ 10:59pm ET...

Reed,
Have you see PBS's The Dimming Sun? Could the use of CHEM-TRAILS possibly be to stave off the effects of evaporation so as to fool us into believing that because of the (false)fact that evaporation of land based water isn't on the rise, global warming can't be real?

BTW, I really enjoyed your #3 and passed it along to the appropriate parties. I hope you don't mind that I copied and pasted. LOL EXCELLENT WORK.

Comment #26: Jay Lechnyr said on 10/10/06 @ 1:04am ET...

I find it amusing that so many people seem to claim that these so called "chemtrails" do not exist because they are such an inefficient means of targeting people. By what logic does one assume that people are the target? It is much more likely that the "target" is the atmosphere while any effects upon people would be an unintended consequence.
Proponents and detractors alike should realize that any such program is far more likely to be an effort to change some aspect of high altitude atmospherics than any malevolent conspiracy against people. For instance, if you were to learn that it was some bizarre means of preventing a massive ozone hole over the United States, and that it was working, would you still think badly of it? What if you learned that it was "supersecret" because the people responsible knew that public knowlege would lead to billions of dollars in lawsuits or the like - but not to do it would lead to the destruction of much of our breadbasket - would you still think badly then?

Although entirely hypothetical, that scenario is one of a large number of entirely benevolent - or at lease benign - scenarios that are equally, if not more, possible as any malevolent conspiracy theory attached to the phenomena.

What I find interesting about the phenomena is that when people who claim they "found out the truth" about chemtrails, they usually clam up and ask their peers to do the same. A few of these former "crackpots" have become quiet advocates. This sudden agreement with the intentions and legitimacy of this "project" among former "conspiracy theorists" is a cue we should all consider.

Is it real? Maybe, maybe not. Is it some terrible program unleashed upon people? By all indications I've seen, absolutely not.

My apologies for the off topic post. Getting back on target: I see democrats taking the house this november, but not the senate. This is exactly enough neccessary to launch immediate impeachement hearings. But I also know that this is exactly what the Democratic leadership does not want. They fear being painted as the bad guys. I'm absolutely certain that it was Newt Gingrich who gave orders to Kenneth Starr to hound Clinton for the rest of his presidency. I'm certain it was Newt who masterminded the proceedings that republicans have called Clinton's impeachment ever since. The Republican leadership already impeached a president over lying about cheating on his wife while the Democratic leadership has not the stomache to try impeaching a man who's lies are responsible for the slaughter of over an quarter million people.

And we're called a "fair and just" society?
Mr. J.C. Please prove me wrong. You're respected enough make a difference in the house. Please, for the love of GOD, get Bush impeached. Even if they cant get him dethroned, at least get him centured.

Tell them to do it for their country if not for their conscience.

Comment #27: Rusty said on 10/10/06 @ 6:23am ET...

Packing devastating 150 mile-an-hour lies, Hurricane Foley wreaked havoc on Washington D.C. last week, leaving its fabled Rovian levees in ruins, triggering panic at the White House and RNC, and forcing the evacuation of thousands of frightened Republican politicians.

Left behind to fend for themselves in the initial aftermath of this Category Five storm, hordes of Republican staffers, consultants, strategists, defense attorneys, pundits, hookers, and lobbyists tried to flee across the 14th Street Bridge to safety, but they were shot at and turned away by alert Arlington County deputies, who hadn’t seen so many criminals in one place at one time since the State of the Union Address.

Unlike most hurricanes, which lose their lethal power once they move inland, Hurricane Foley gained strength as it howled through dozens of congressional districts, knocking out electoral power in hundreds of Republican campaign headquarters, disrupting Focus on the Family relief convoys, generating flu-like symptoms in some of the dazed Republican evacuees, and rapidly converting millions of evangelicals into lifelong Democrats.

In the ensuing chaos, roving bands of Republicans have sought shelter in TV and talk radio studios, and are hurling accusations at Sponge Bob Square Pants, George Soros, Bart Simpson, and other notorious leftists, who had obviously known that Hurricane Foley had been coming and coming and coming for years but waited until a month before Election Day to leak “those naughty e-mails” to the liberal media so all the America haters could embolden the terrorists and ban the Bible and raise taxes and start endless investigations.

Despite the efforts of The Immaculate Dobson and Damage Control Central at the Republican National Committee to conceal the destruction wrought on the GOP by Hurricane Foley, shocking evidence of the carnage is evident in reactions all over the country. By Sunday night, only Jenna Bush and some lady in Idaho still believed J. Dennis Hastert’s assertion that Hurricane Foley struck with no advance warning. Condi Rice tried to help out by observing, “Who could have foreseen that a Republican pervert obsessed with the Republican penises of young Republican pages would try to e-mail them to solicit sex?”

Pondering what might have been as he stared at the ass end of an elephant on the cover of Time Magazine, Karl Rove put Alberto Gonzalez’s September 11, 2006 memo advising President Bush to declare congressional pages enemy combatants back in his briefcase, called Condi, and told her to shut the hell up or she’d be a Hooter’s waitress by this weekend.

As Rove struggled to coordinate relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Foley, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow explained this morning that rescuing hundreds of Republican politicians trapped in the debris was being delayed because of the massive communications problems involved in trying to prove to the American people that elusive left wing culprits were responsible “for this tawdry frenzy of character assassination good Republicans have been subjected to by liberal Hollywood elitists and shadowy North Korean sympathizers.”

As Hurricane Foley swept across the Midwest, leveled Republican strongholds in the Rocky Mountain states to dust, and threatened to turn Arnold Schwarzenneger into a Dead Girly Man Walking, President Bush staged a photo op yesterday at the Richard M. Nixon Elementary School in Rockville, Maryland, where he demonstrated strong faith-based leadership by showing a class of first graders how to delete e-mails from Republican congressmen. “We’re going to fight these perverts in grade schools so we won’t have to fight them in Congress,” Bush vowed.

According to White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett, this is the first phase in the Bush Administration’s comprehensive National Strategy for Victory in the War against E-Mails. “Senator Ted Stevens will take charge of this crucial national security program as soon as he leaves the Senate,” Bartlett announced. “As America’s foremost expert on the Internets, Senator Stevens has the credentials and experience to ensure that our children will soon be safe from the Axis of E-Mails.”

Comment #28: Nolip said on 10/10/06 @ 6:52am ET...

Support shifting to Democrats, poll shows

Comment #29: Nolip said on 10/10/06 @ 6:54am ET...

GOP braces for loss of 7 to 30 House seats

Comment #30: Nolip said on 10/10/06 @ 7:17am ET...

Bush Approval Withers Under Iraq, Foley Pressure

Comment #31: Nolip said on 10/10/06 @ 7:19am ET...

Poll: GOP Put Politics Over Safety

Comment #32: tahoebasha1 said on 10/10/06 @ 8:18am ET...

Dang -- error!

In my #24 above, the cliche is: "a winner never quits and a quitter never wins."

Comment #33: unspun said on 10/10/06 @ 10:30am ET...

Tahoe, Re: #24: I'd like to add my heartfelt "Thank You" too, both to you and to fellow CB'er and SoapBox'er, Alma. Each individual who takes action against the attacks on our liberties by the current Administration is a Patriot, and deserves recognition as such. Again, thanks & keep up fighting the good fight.

Comment #34: unspun said on 10/10/06 @ 10:47am ET...

Faux Republican Propaganda Network Puts CYA of Republican Party before the National Security of America!: Fox's John Gibson Happy that N. Korea Tested Nuke

Fauxing the News, Part II: Faux again misidentified the Party affiliation of candidates running in the November election during one of their "news" reports. Previously Faux identified Foley as a Democrat several times. Now, they identified Lincoln Chaffee as a Democrat and his Democratic opponent as a Republican. Either Fox has total incompetents doing their graphics, OR--they are deliberately trying to influence an election--what do you think? Fox Mis-labels Chafee as a Democrat

Congressman Conyers, I am not a lawyer, so I will ask you this: If Fox News is deliberately mis-labeling the party affiliation of candidates in a deliberate attempt to influence November 2006 elections, would that action violate any federal laws?

Comment #35: unspun said on 10/10/06 @ 11:03am ET...

Follow-up on #34-- More MIS-LABELING of Party Affiliation - this time On the BALLOTS IN OHIO!!
..."The review was prompted by last week's discovery that 1,500 ballots in Ohio's 7th House District race listed the wrong party affiliations for the candidates."... Review Finds Mistakes on 5,100 Absentee Ballots

I smell essence of Karl Rove in the air--something wicked this way comes. There is a kos diary discussing this issue, for anyone interested, it's: Fox News Not the Only One Mis-Labeling Candidates

Comment #36: Reed31463 said on 10/10/06 @ 12:14pm ET...

It is good to hear that you take long walks. Do you have some one that can assist you on bad days? If not, sometimes carrying a pencil and a notepad can be a comfort. But you probably already know that.

It is outstanding news about the identification of TDP-43. It opens up the door to many possibile treatments that could essentially allow the return a normal existence. Such strategies could involve the development of a medication that allosterically inhibit the tagging of TDP-43. Or another possibility: a medication that removes the barrier that prevents the accumulation of tagged TDP-43.

Of course you are right about chemtrails being a distraction, but so is sports entertainment Go Tigers. I recognize that this is a US Congressman's weblog and may be read by people from around the world. Therefore, I try to refrain from posting comments that are inflammatory, slanderous, unfounded, and contain exaggerated claims. However, I do know that something is happening in the skies because I am pretty sure water vapor at high altitudes does not last all day and spread out in sheets, but what it is and what it's for is largely unknown.

Comment #25: MAX 1,

No I have not seen that. Somewhere near the 1 hr and 20 min mark, possible reasons for the alleged activity are glossed over.

Copy and paste away!

Comment #37: Reed31463 said on 10/10/06 @ 2:21pm ET...

BTW, for those residents of Michigan, today is the last day to register to vote for the national election. The best way to do that is at your local Secretary of State's branch office, because it is MI law that your drivers license address and your voter's registration address must match.

Comment #38: koryannder said on 10/10/06 @ 2:49pm ET...

GK #15 & 23; No Chemtrails, eh? And furthermore, Aerosols are a poor way to target people, etc.

"There are none so blind as those who will not see."

But perhaps a little DATA?

1. Do commercial airlines put Chemtrails behind them?

NO.

2. What kind of aircraft DO emit Chemtrails?

Mostly KC 135's

3. Oh - do they have identifiable markings?

NO - they are uniformly white, without identifying marks.

4. What happens if you call the nearest control tower and ask about them?

They will tell you there are NO aircraft in the area, even though the white planes may be leaving X's and tic-tac-toe grids all over the sky.

5. What physical evidence is there that these things exist?

Sometimes plastic strings (that can remove paint!) Mostly aerosols, NOT common air pollutants. (see below)

6. Has there been any medical effect ascribable to these things?

YES. See William Thomas, "Chemtrails Confirmed" ISBN 1-893157-10-5 Also see below.

7. Any personal observations?

YES. Following are my own experimental and observational data which at least cause one to wonder.

Every year, our water plant publishes a complete chemical analysis of the town's water supply. The town is supplied entirely from a surface water source, so naturally any air pollutants which survive treatment are present in the water. (And, since it is a surface source, it is usually very low TDS). Three years ago, we started getting Barium in our water supply, which never happened before. Hmmmm - a "Normal" Air pollutant? I think not - especially since We live more than a hundred miles downwind of the nearest industrial area - and Barium, being a VERY heavy material would have fallen out long before it reached us, if there were any Barium emissions from industrial processes, which is doubtful. Any Barium obviously fell out from Chemtrails, which are notorious for that chemical, as well as Titanium and Aluminum. Okay - I decided to DO something about it. In a heavy rainstorm after a day of satutation with chemtrails (ever notice it seems to rain the day after these assaults, no matter what the forecast may be?) I collected several gallons of rainwater in SCRUPULOUSLY clean containers (I'm a water chemist, among other talents, so I KNOW about contamination!) and gently evaporated it to about a half pint. A laser beam through the concentrate plainly showed a Tyndall effect, even though the liquid was not cloudy. Microscopic examination showed Aluminum particles in the 2 - 3 micron range. Chemical analysis confirmed Aluminum. No Iron. That is important, because the "Dust Pollution" crowd claims that the Aluminum was dust - but the only possible dust that contains Aluminum is Bauxite, which also contains iron. We carefully covered the specimens and waited awhile. In about a week we had a nice crop of fungus which ate the aluminum! (I suspect Mycoplasmas, although I am not a Mycologist.)

An interesting fact - in the <5 micron range, particulate matter breathed into the lungs cannot be cleared; it stays. Leading to what? Diminished vital capacity and a susceptibility to Upper Respiratory Infection.

SO?

DATA. When I moved here twenty years ago, the local fishwrapper came out three times a week. Obituaries were published once a week, and there were never more than three, frequently none. Now, the paper only comes out twice a week (but it's a bigger paper) and obits are published in every issue - never fewer than six, and sometimes more than ten! Average week is about twelve. In those twenty years, the population has about tripled, while the death rate is up by a factor of at least six! And what do people die from? Aside from the occasional traffic accident or rare murder, the deaths are uniformly "Upper Respiratory Disease!" Hmmmm - what was that about "Inefficient targeting?" Anyway, for further data, read the book. Thomas is NOT a crackpot!

I could go on about mycoplasmas and fungal infections in the lungs which are intractable, but won't - it's kinda gruesome. Chemtrails ARE real - and MY objection to them is largely based on the fact that they are burning scarce and expensive petroleum to lace the skies worldwide (well - NATO-wide; Bulgaria NEVER had Chemtrails until it joined NATO. The day after it joined, suddenly chemtrails! Interesting that the atmospheric conditions changed so much so soon) - and using MY tax dollars to pay for it! I do OBJECT. (Oh, yes - my friends in New Zealand claim that it is NATO plus the British Commonwealth. They don't like their skies obscured, either.)

Anyway, I wrote the following song about it, to the tune of "Red Sails in the Sunset"

Chemtrails in the sunrise,
Polluting the sky
Aluminum dust motes
Are wandering by

They're loaded with Barium,
Titanium as well,
Unmarked white 'planes carry 'em,
And that's illegal as Hell!

They spread out all over
Obscuring the sky,
Chemtrails in the sunset,
I do wonder why.

Comment #39: Genghis Khan said on 10/10/06 @ 4:15pm ET...

Barium Stearate MSDS

JP8 Jet Fuel

Cloud seeding

Aluminum Oxide MSDS

HAARP

If the military *is* spraying something into the air, it's not an attempt to poison, alter, or control the human population (MUCH easier ways exist to do that). Be more concerned about fuel dumping than barium stearate or aluminum oxide (AlO3 is also found in shampoo, folks...).

Comment #40: Genghis Khan said on 10/10/06 @ 4:20pm ET...

Water vapor does spread out and stay in the sky all day. It's called a "cloud" and it has myriad forms depending on altitude, atmospheric conditions, and method of generation (natural or unintentionally man-made). Check WW-II footage for huge sheets of long-lasting clouds made by B-17 formations enroute to Berlin...

Get some pilot training and you'll never see "soft fluffy clouds" the same way again.

Comment #41: Genghis Khan said on 10/10/06 @ 4:21pm ET...

Back on-topic:

Andrew Tennenbaum knows polls...

Comment #42: Rusty said on 10/10/06 @ 4:58pm ET...

I don't know much about chemtrails, but I do know if the Dems still can't take control of Congress after all this, I'll be leaving a ballistic chemtrail behind me from here to the outer reaches of the solar system.

Comment #43: koryannder said on 10/10/06 @ 7:48pm ET...

GK - I repeat. "There are none so blind as those who will not see." READ Thomas' book, unless you are so purblind that you will consider NO contradictory data, in which case you might as well be a Republican

Comment #44: kingsrook5 said on 10/17/06 @ 5:22am ET...

Congressman Conyers,

If you don't mind, could you post a diary addressing your thoughts on whether or not we are ready to combat attempts to steal a fair number of these elections? I realize public awareness of this practice as a reality has come a long way in the last 2 years but I hear there won't even be any exit polling this time around! If we have a HUGE, unexpected Democratic turnout how will anyone even know without exit polls? And what's to stop the machines from being hacked? I'm not saying we shouldn't be doing everything we can to turn out the vote. I'm just wondering if there's anyone ready to organize a Ukraine style protest to an attempt at a stolen election. Are we ready for Blackwell this time around? I know Sherrod Brown (Ohio Senate contender) has said he is ready. What about the rest of the challengers? Have you considered sending out a letter asking challengers not to conceed until all votes are counted and all reports from on the ground poll-watchers, etc are in?