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The Hackenblog
| "It's morning in America, Hackenbush, and you work the nightshift."
Saturday, November 8, 2003 "The Bush administration tries to shut down pictures as effectively as it has stonewalled Congressional committees and the bipartisan commissions looking into intelligence failures surrounding 9/11. On the day of the Chinook's fall, the president stayed off-camera on his ranch in Crawford, resting up for his next round of fund-raisers, and sent out only a written statement of grief. Reuters reported on Monday that journalists seeking access to Ramstein, the American air base in Germany to which Private Lynch was first taken, had been told that the defense department would not lift its policy prohibiting photographs of flag-draped coffins, even for the Chinook casualties. The president did not go to the funerals of the nine fellow soldiers who died in the same ambush that led to Private Lynch's capture; he hasn't gone to any funerals for soldiers killed in action, The Washington Post reports. "Two weeks ago, after spending the day visiting the wounded at Walter Reed, the same hospital where Private Lynch recuperated upon returning to the United States, Cher, of all people, crystallized the game plan. She called into C-Span to tell of her experience talking with 'a boy about 19 or 20 who had lost both his arms' and then asked: 'Why are none of Cheney, Wolfowitz, Bremer, the president — why aren't they taking pictures with all these guys? Because I don't understand why these guys are so hidden and why there aren't pictures of them.'" What does it say about the bush admin when Cher has more moral courage than they do? Posted by Ginger Mayerson @ 10:32 PM PST [Link] "Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (Md.), the House's second-ranking Democrat, hoped to use funds from a $138 billion spending bill now before Congress to upgrade the computer system at St. Mary's College of Maryland, modernize laboratories at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, and support a nonprofit group that repairs the homes of poor, elderly and disabled Marylanders. "Now those local projects, along with hundreds of others in districts represented by House Democrats, are jeopardized by an unusually nasty political battle that threatens to upset the traditional bipartisan comity of the House Appropriations Committee. "Rep. Ralph Regula (R-Ohio), who chairs the subcommittee that controls spending on education, health and jobs programs, recently stunned Democrats by announcing plans to reject every 'earmarked' project they are seeking in the final, compromise version of the bill, which funds the departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Labor. "His reason: When the House passed the bill on July 10, all 198 Democrats present voted against it, several of them saying it shortchanged education programs. The bill passed, 215 to 208. "Regula defended his decision in a letter to Rep. David R. Obey (Wis.), the committee's ranking Democrat, saying: 'It is not unique for chairmen -- and ranking members, for that matter -- to use a member's support, or lack of it, as a factor in sorting through the thousands of program and project requests received during the year.' "Last year's bill included 1,859 local projects -- sometimes called 'pork' -- requested by House members, with a value of $896 million. By tradition, the projects have been divided fairly evenly between Republicans and Democrats. "Some say the rapid growth of such lawmaker-backed projects has injected a political element into the awarding of grants that are supposed to be based on merit and evenhanded formulas. Before Republicans took control of Congress in 1995, the Education-HHS-Labor bill was largely free of the earmarks. "But the decision by Regula, a moderate Republican with a history of working collegially with the other party, has infuriated Democrats. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) called the action an 'abuse of power.' Obey said Democrats were being punished for voting their consciences in July. "And Hoyer said: 'To tell the 130 million people represented by Democrats that they are shut out from getting health and education projects is consistent with the undemocratic, autocratic, confrontational process that's being followed by House Republicans.' "But Regula has held his ground. He said in his letter to Obey that the several hundred million dollars initially set aside for Democratic projects will be directed to school-related programs across the country. "Hinting that the nine Republicans and one independent who voted against the bill would also go without their projects, he wrote: 'I am certainly not trying to intimidate members.' "But that is exactly what Democrats say Republicans are trying to do." That's because that's what Regula is doing and it really sucks. You can bet the Republican earmarks won't be touched, no matter what Regula threatens, the bastard. Only power matters to Republicans, not even what it's used for, just wielding it. Is it 2004 yet? Posted by Ginger Mayerson @ 07:39 PM PST [Link] "School Board member Rita S. Thompson (R), who lost a close race to retain her at-large seat, said yesterday that the new computers might have taken votes from her. Voters in three precincts reported that when they attempted to vote for her, the machines initially displayed an 'x' next to her name but then, after a few seconds, the 'x' disappeared. "In response to Thompson's complaints, county officials tested one of the machines in question yesterday and discovered that it seemed to subtract a vote for Thompson in about 'one out of a hundred tries,' said Margaret K. Luca, secretary of the county Board of Elections." *snip* "Meanwhile, attorneys for local Republicans and GOP candidate Mychele B. Brickner, who lost her bid to chair the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, went before a Circuit Court judge yesterday morning, asking him to keep 10 voting machines under lock and key and not to include their tabulations in the results. The machines, from nine precincts scattered across the county, broke down about midday Tuesday and were brought to the county government center for repairs and then returned to the polls -- a violation of election law, Republicans argued." Hey, things are looking up! If this can happen to Republicans, there's a chance the e-voting issues will actually be addressed. Yay! Posted by Ginger Mayerson @ 05:51 PM PST [Link] Friday, November 7, 2003
"The comment drew an immediate and strong reaction from Schwarzenegger's staff, with spokesman Rob Stutzman accusing Lockyer of violating his confidential attorney-client privilege with the incoming governor. *snip* "It was then the attorney general's turn to respond, with spokesman Nathan Barankin saying he couldn't understand why Schwarzenegger was so upset. Lockyer only becomes his lawyer, Barankin said, after Schwarzenegger takes office Nov. 17." Groping for answers. Is it November 17 yet? No, it is not. See? There's an answer already. Posted by Ginger Mayerson @ 03:19 PM PST [Link] Thursday, November 6, 2003 Does anyone know how many laughs Barbara and James got out of James playing Ronnie on TV? I wonder. And Judy Davis as Nancy (nee Davis [oh! eeerie!]). Lawdy, what a performance we have missed. CBS should have fought this to the mat; they have the money and the clout to do so, the cowardly bastards. Posted by Ginger Mayerson @ 04:12 PM PST [Link] "Thousands of Alameda County voters cast ballots Tuesday on computer software that state and county elections officials say was never certified for a California election. "The same problem existed for last month's recall election. "State and county officials were dismayed last week to learn that Diebold Elections Systems Inc. altered the software running in Alameda County's touchscreen voting machines yet neither submitted it for state testing nor even notified state authorities of the change. "'We were upset to say the least,' said Elaine Ginnold, the county's assistant elections registrar. "Alameda County voters won't necessarily have to worry about their votes being properly counted. Elections officials at the California Secretary of State's Office performed tests on the software last week and gave Alameda County a green light to use it in Tuesday's election, despite the lack of a formal certification." Posted by Ginger Mayerson @ 01:05 PM PST [Link] Today's Ronald Reagan history lesson: 1. First to turn America into a DEBTOR nation 2. First to increase DEBT faster than growth of national income in eight years 3. First to increase DEBT faster than growth of gdp over eight years 4. First to double the deficit in just eight years 5. First to "almost" triple the national DEBT in just eight years 6. First to increase SPENDING by 80%--over 8 years. 7. First to SPEND more in eight years than was spent in prior 50 years. 8. First to have "real" INTEREST RATES of 8% after averaging 1% over 35 years. Click here for Number 9-68 Reagan Facts brought to you by BartCop I think you have to be mostly crazy and have memory problems to be a Republican, really I do. Posted by Ginger Mayerson @ 11:51 AM PST [Link] Forget the ShoePhone! "The phone uses the body to make and take calls. "A tiny microphone worn on the wrist like a watch picks up your voice, New Scientist magazine says. "To hear the person at the other end, you place your index finger in your ear. "Makers NTT DoCoMo say the caller's voice is turned into vibrations sent through the bones of the hand. "The finger brings the vibrations directly to the eardrum as audible sound. "The phone, from Japan and known as the Finger Whisper, does away with a keypad and the need for dialling. Numbers are called by tapping the finger in rhythm or by speaking to the wristband. "Incoming calls are signalled by a gentle vibration and the phone is answered by tapping thumb and forefinger together." I was waiting for implants, but this might even be better. And I thought people raving into their cel phones already looked pretty silly; this is a whole new level of entertainment. Thank you, Japan! Thank you! Posted by Ginger Mayerson @ 08:30 AM PST [Link] Wednesday, November 5, 2003
"Don't be surprised if you can't find any music by the Rolling Stones in your local record store during the coming months: In late October, many retailers pulled the band's albums from their shelves after the Stones struck a deal to sell their four-disc Forty Flicks DVD set -- which includes concert footage and two Stones documentaries -- exclusively at Best Buy." The Rolling Stones who? Don't look at me, I only like the Let it Bleed album. Posted by Ginger Mayerson @ 04:56 PM PST [Link] "Some Houston voters have had more than long lines to deal with today. "Those who showed up early at the Holiday Inn at 7787 Katy Freeway found election judges scratching their heads over a glitch that later turned out to be a case of operator error. Worried about a malfunction, election judges passed out sheets of paper torn in half, along with sample ballots, and instructed voters to write down their votes. "David Puckett said he sat down on the floor and spent 25 minutes scribbling his choices while other voters just took the time to write in their votes on the top races before dropping their homemade ballots into a pasteboard box. He said an election judge told him to write on the back of the paper if he ran out of room and then told him he might need to vote again this afternoon if the eSlate machines come back up. Then, Puckett said, the judges decided a second vote wasn't such a good idea. "'They're making up rules as they go,' he said. 'It's unbelievable.' "Elections officials were conferring this afternoon on whether to count the ballots written on scraps of paper, and that has Puckett worried." Should voting really be harder than making a deposit to an ATM? Posted by Ginger Mayerson @ 04:34 PM PST [Link] Tuesday, November 4, 2003 I woke up thinking about Gov. Dean's comments on neo-Confederates voting for him. I think we can all relax: The neo-Confederates aren't coming back to the Democratic Party until the Democratic Party comes back to them. I can remember the Dixicrats and I was happy the neo-Cs had a home of their own and stayed in it. The neo-Cs vote what they want and vote against what they don't want and the hell with everything else. They are not pragmatists. They vote as purely for their opinions as any Green, Progressive, or Libertarian ever did. The neo-Cs are in the Republican Party because the Republican rightwing tells them what they want to hear. The neo-Cs might vote for a man with a military bearing because of Iraq. Geography, I think, is not so much a factor. I don't think the neo-Cs voted for Clinton. I don't have any numbers, but I'm pretty sure the neo-Cs didn't vote or voted for Bush I. At best, if bush really pisses the neo-Cs off, they'll stay home and not vote in 2004. As far as I can see there is no way in hell the neo-Cs are going to vote for Gov. Dean as his platform is now. Does Gov. Dean have any actual Southerners working on his campaign? Has he spent any actual time south of the Mason-Dixon line? Maybe he should; he might find the real opposition to everything he stands for and everything he's ever believed. Trust me, Dems, our political party is safe from the neo-Cs. It's our country and our future that are in danger. *End of sermon* Pragmatic note to all Dems: The deep South is probably lost in 2004. I just don't see any of the Gulf states turning Blue unless the Black, Hispanic, and female vote is really energized and the neo-Cs stay home. Jesus loves Southern Liberals but even Molly Ivins can only vote once. However, the Red States in the West and North might vote Dem due to bush's bumbling on the economy and Iraq, especially if we get much more "progress" on both, God help us all. Posted by Ginger Mayerson @ 08:23 AM PST [Link] Monday, November 3, 2003
"Schwarzenegger named Donna Arduin, a former budget director in Florida who is already conducting an audit of California state spending, to be his Director of Finance. He also named former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, a close friend who mounted a failed bid to be the Republican nominee for governor, to be his Secretary for Education." Hm, all the way from Florida, is she? And this is what the Golden State can look forward to: "'Donna Arduin and the Republican governor she represents have cut the budget to the bone, if not into it,' said Florida state Rep. Doug Wiles, a Democrat. 'Services are being starved.' "Social programs also took a hit, with cuts to benefits for the poor and elderly including the elimination of funding for dental and vision plans. Poor patients who go to an emergency room will have to pay $15 each visit." I guess the poor and helpless are fair game. Social Darwinism on the Left Coast. Sigh Posted by Ginger Mayerson @ 04:04 PM PST [Link] Art Deadlines free list is up for November. Lots of good stuff. Posted by Ginger Mayerson @ 03:32 PM PST [Link] I'm so sick of Paul Wolfowitz and Rightwingnut verbal abuse. (Originally seen on See the Forest, but his links are Bloggered.) The next time someone says some variation on: "Would you rather have Saddam Hussein still in Iraq?" Ask them: "Have you stopped beating your wife/child/lover/parent/* yet?" I learned this from Ann Coulter, so it might not destroy your opponent, but it will buy you a little time. Or you can say: "I would rather the integrity, if not humanity, of my country had not been debased by invading another nation based on lies, misinformation, and pure stupidity. If we're going to take on tyrants, there are worse ones who are currently far less well contained than Saddam Hussein was. The difference is that the neocons like those tyrants." And then stare the bastard down. Grrrr. Posted by Ginger Mayerson @ 03:30 PM PST [Link] Sunday, November 2, 2003 Busy weekend, no blogging, sorry. However, I did tidy up some typos and goofs in "Darkenss at Sunset and Vine" (DASAV [see above]), so now it's more pleasant to read, I hope. If there are more changes, I'm mention them here. GM Posted by Ginger Mayerson @ 02:19 PM PST [Link] |
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