Monday, December 31, 2007

Picture of the Year 2007

Any time you get to see a United States Senator's mug shot, it's a pretty darn good picture. I love the US flag lapel pin.

But when said senator is posing for the photo because of his alleged rampant proclivity for anonymous men's room sex, that gives the picture a certain cache that won't be exceeded. Not for a LONG time.

(...and I'm very proud of myself for not resorting to silly puns anywhere in this post!)

Happy New Year!

May this be the year we get
our nation back on track!

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Firefighters confront Giuliani about 9/11


Via FireDogLake.

Rudy won't let us forget about 9/11.

They won't let Rudy forget about his blame for compounding the tragedy on 9/11.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

One week until Iowa (with polling goodness)

And (of course) that means it's time for a poll. But wait, don't just ignore this one...

It's not just ANY poll...it's a poll with a twist!

Instead of voting for who you THINK will win, vote for the Democrat whom you'd LIKE TO SEE win.

For the Republicans (and this is a much more critical question) it's which candidate SCARES the living bejeezus out of you the MOST?

Ha ha! You'll never see a poll from the MSM ask THAT question!

Suck it, CNN!

UPDATE: The Poll is done, and the RESULTS are posted here!

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

NORAD tracks Santa

Hope everyone enjoys a festive holiday, courtesy of Robot Chicken and the Dept. of Homeland Security.

Monday, December 24, 2007

Volunteers wanted for Kucinich in New Hampshire

(A request from the Connecticut HQ of "Dennis Kucinich for President":)

In this season of miracles, consider volunteering some time working for the presidential candidate who represents your core values.

We have a group of people traveling the four hours from Connecticut to Manchester NH to volunteer for democracy and for Dennis Kucinich's defense of democracy - for the final four days in advance of the New Hampshire primary.

Join us!

We have accommodations awaiting us in the homes of local volunteers, and expect to be doing visibility, going door-to-door discussing the issues, distributing material and then poll-spotting, providing transportation for elderly voters and finally - joining together with hundreds of like-minded people on primary night to continue working to defend America and our Constitution.

The principal contacts for this four-day event (Saturday-Tuesday; January 5th-8th) are Sal Liccione and David A. Stevenson:

SalLiccione2001@yahoo.com
(203)434-6348

David@HomesRealEstate.com
(203)512-8885

Join us for ANY portion of the four days that you are able to.

Sunday, December 23, 2007

A classic Holiday video

This one has been around for a few years, but it's still great. Music by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, with a stunning Xmas light show accompanying it. This holiday season I keep seeing those lame Miller Brewing Co. ads on TV ripping off the concept, but it's no match for the original video:

Saturday, December 22, 2007

The only way to deal with Bush

The Senate Democrats must be thinking this:
We've tried reasoning with George Bush.

We've tried appealing to his sense of civic duty to work with them.

We've even threatened to filibuster some of his more outrageous requests.

Nothing seems to ever get through to him!
George Bush is a stubborn man. There's no doubt about that. But being stubborn by itself isn't necessarily a good trait.

Perhaps it's traditional in the part of Connecticut/Maine/Texas/where ever he's supposedly from. However, it's not very helpful for the leader of a fractured government.

So, in order to keep George Bush from appointing ONE lousy Republican to one lousy position, they're going to have to keep Congress from recessing for the holidays. They've even offered to let him appoint a frickin' buttload of his political cronies to positions of importance without ANY dissent, if he'd just give up on this one toxic asshole.

But George Bush has the same reasoning facilities of a man suffering from the neurological symptoms of tertiary syphilis. He simply CAN'T comprehend the idea of compromise.

And even if he COULD understand it, he's too fucking stubborn to admit it!

From CNN.com:
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The last political scuffle of the year between the White House and the Democratic-led Congress played out on the floor of the Senate Friday morning -- even though nearly all the senators had left the Capitol for the Christmas holiday earlier in the week.

In a session that lasted under a minute, Sen. Jim Webb, D-Virginia, opened and then immediately gaveled closed the Senate.

His sole reason for doing so was to block President Bush from naming controversial "recess appointments" -- a constitutional mechanism that allows the president, during congressional recesses, to fill top government posts for up to one year and avoid Senate confirmation.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced late Wednesday he would keep the Senate open with a series of "pro forma" sessions through mid-January.

Tense talks had just broken down with the White House on a deal that would have allowed the president to make dozens of those appointments if he agreed not to appoint one controversial official, Steven Bradbury, to be the permanent head of the influential Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department.

Bush declined to accept the Democrats' offer, and Reid refused to approve Bradbury because of Democratic concerns about Bradbury's involvement in crafting legal opinions for the administration on interrogation techniques of terrorism suspects.

Similar sessions were conducted for the same reason over the Thanksgiving recess.

Webb won't be the only senator tasked with presiding over the shortened sessions. Other Democrats -- including Sens. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Ben Cardin of Maryland and Chuck Schumer of New York -- will share the duty.
"George Bush: Ruining Christmas for people everywhere, even in Congress."

Friday, December 21, 2007

How to fix the Primary Shuffle

This coming year's election cycle is unique, in that many states have moved their primary dates earlier than ever. This is an effort to give their state's voters more of a say in who will be selected for each party's nomination.

The problem we're seeing is that by front-loading all these primaries into early February (22 states, nearly half of the delegates will be selected on February 5th) the candidates don't have time to campaign in all those states and the voters are short-changed out of meeting prospective nominees.

The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) has put together a plan of rotating regional primaries. Here is how they envision it working, from the NASS.org website:
Under the NASS plan, party primaries/caucuses would be grouped by region beginning in 2012.

* A lottery would be held to determine which region would begin the sequence the first year of the plan. The next presidential election year, the region that held the first position would move to the end of the sequence, and the other regions would move forward.

* Iowa and New Hampshire would retain their leading positions in the presidential selection process based upon their tradition of encouraging retail politics.

* Primaries/caucuses in each state of a given region would be scheduled on or soon after the first Tuesday in March, April, May or June of presidential election years.

Regional Groupings Under the NASS Plan

East:
Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

South: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming and Guam.
This system will allow each region to be spotlighted during each of the months, so candidates may make more effective use of their time and give voters in each region an opportunity to see them and make a more knowledgeable choice.

It will also give lesser known candidates a chance to build their support and give each region more choices. And the rotating regions will keep any one area of the nation from dominating the entire process. For instance, a West region candidate such as a California senator might not do so well in the Southern region, but knowing that the West region's primaries are coming up may help keep that candidate in the race longer than under the present arrangement.

It's not a perfect system, but compared to what currently exists it's significantly better. Ultimately, the voters will benefit by having more choices.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Democrats spot a backbone

One man can make a difference.

Thank you Senator Dodd.

PS - Does anyone else find it absolutely fucking UNBELIEVABLE that Chris Dodd was compelled to filibuster his OWN PARTY because of the poor leadership that's been Harry Reid's modus operandi?

Chris Dodd for Majority Leader!



And here's Senator Dodd thanking supporters for their help:

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Reid backs down...for now

Late yesterday, Senate Majority Leader and indisputable asshole Harry Reid grudgingly agreed to table the FISA extension bill discussion until after holiday recess.

Apparently the senator doesn't want to endanger his holiday travel plans to Aspen or Fiji or where ever by being tied up with nonsensical legislative issues.

The immediate outcome will allow more people to find out about the issue and give us time to bring public opinion to bear on the matter of retroactive telecom immunity for possible crimes they may have committed in enthusiastically abetting the President with his illegal wire tapping operations on innocent private American citizens.

Many Republican senators spent yesterday moaning about how we're standing in the way of the war on terror, and how we want to block continued monitoring of international communications, which couldn't be further from the truth. They also made a show about how these potential lawsuits may bankrupt these telecoms. I don't really know how easy it is to bankrupt corporations that earn $3 billion dollars a quarter, but apparently all it takes is any kind of legal action more serious than an elderly person bringing a trip-and-fall lawsuit.

Who knew these entities were at such risk?

Anyway, Harry Reid behaved true to form and rolled over...yet again.

At least this time it was for the GOOD guys.

And don't forget to thank the man who stood up for what's right. Because if it wasn't for Chris Dodd's outstanding and ballsy leadership, we'd already have telecom immunity.

One man can make a real difference. Let's hope the voters in Iowa and New Hampshire are aware of that.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Harry Reid: bad and getting worse

Somebody, please tell me.

Why is Harry Reid being such an asshole?

Let's fix it; Chris Dodd for Majority Leader!

Poll by Markos:

Ned Lamont on Lieberman's endorsement of McCain


(h/t to Scarce for the video)

This video is from the senate primary debate back in July, 2006.

Ned Lamont made this statement in response to Joe Lieberman's endorsement of Republican John McCain today.

From NedLamont.com:
During our debate last year, Senator Lieberman intoned that he wanted to “elect a Democratic President in 2008,” and that my election would “frustrate and defeat our hope of doing that.” With his endorsement of John McCain today, it is now clear that Joe Lieberman is the one working to defeat our hopes.

Last year, Senator Lieberman pleaded with voters to consider his full throated support for the invasion of Iraq as merely a “single issue” in the context of an otherwise progressive agenda. His endorsement of Senator McCain reminds us that the war in Iraq is actually Lieberman’s predominant issue, trumping all else – or maybe he is looking forward to joining Sen. McCain in a duet rendition of “Bomb, Bomb, Iran.”

A McCain presidency would make privatizing social security more likely, investing in our middle class less likely, and tipping the balance of the Supreme Court for decades a near-certainty. The court is one vote away from overturning Roe v. Wade and further expanding the power of the Presidency at the expense of our civil liberties and constitutional freedoms. It is ironic that Lieberman’s fellow Connecticut senator, Chris Dodd, is today courageously leading the congressional charge against illegal wiretaps, not to mention bringing America’s combat role in the Bush-McCain-Lieberman war to an end.

With voters just weeks away from making their first decisions, Democrats are lucky to have many extraordinary candidates running for President. I am disappointed that Senator Lieberman does not feel the same way.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

The Kiss: Part Deux?

Will Joe Lieberman show some love to John McCain?
Stay tuned...

Yes, he did...a big, sloppy one.


Pub Quiz photos

Last night's "Pub Quiz Part Deux" was a lot of fun. Maura's questions ranged in degree of difficulty from esoteric to you gotta be shittin' me! but we all had a good time anyway. The beer flowed nicely, which is to be expected from a nice Irish pub like Murphy's Law; and there were plenty of tasty munchables, too.

Branford Boy (representing his team, the "My Left Nutmeg Old Farts") spent a good portion of the evening muttering one-liners in response to many of the questions.

Here's some random photos. Sorry I couldn't get more good ones, but I was the A/V geek last night and needed to work the techie stuff.

Jim Himes addresses the room, with CGG, Gabe, and Irish Patti in the foreground.

Maura asks her questions. Did I mention that some of them were a bit difficult? None the less, she did a great job emceeing and running the event.

A crowd of roughly 40 contestants listens raptly.

CGG (Melissa) was instrumental in getting so many people to the event tonight.

Between quiz rounds, Jim enjoys a beverage while discussing 4th CD issues with Fairfield Rep. Tom Drew.

Branford Boy celebrates his team's come from behind victory. See what happens when you make goofy faces at my camera?

Speaking of goofy, here's your humble narrator hamming it up, with his lovely, somewhat less-goofy wife CT Joyce.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Online call for Cheney impeachment

As we all know, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly obstructed the will of the people by her refusal to consider an impeachment inquiry into the Bush/Cheney administration.

House Democrat Bob Wexler (D-FL) has tried to get the op-ed pages of the major newspapers to publish his argument in favor of initiating hearings, but they all refused. So he's taking his case to the internet.

From The Raw Story:
The House Judiciary Committee has before it a resolution introduced by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) calling for Cheney's impeachment and accusing the vice president of a raft of high crimes, including manipulating intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war, obstructing federal investigations and conspiring to expose the identity of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said impeachment in strictly off the table, and the Judiciary Committee seems unlikely to move forward with any hearings. Wexler encouraged impeachment supporters to sign a petition on his new site to allay the notions of Democratic leaders that impeachment supporters are little more than "a fringe, marginal group of people."
Visit the website below to show your support for the immediate, lawful investigation into the Bush/Cheney administration, and contact Nancy Pelosi's office to let her know that she isn't properly representing you.

WexlerWantsHearings.Com

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Have some fun with us at the Pub Quiz!

Listen, I'm sure whatever it is you think you'll be doing this Saturday night, it won't be NEARLY as much fun as you joining us for the Pub Quiz, Part Duex for Jim Himes for Congress in beautiful downtown Bridgeport at the world-reknowned Murphy's Law Pub!

So here's a suggestion...BE THERE!

For a measly suggested contribution of 25 buckaroos (or, considering how poorly the American dollar is doing these days as a result of Republican policies, $24.67 Canadian) you'll accomplish TWO things:

1) You'll have a rollicking good time, and
2) You'll help save America from craptastic leadership!

Plus, you'll be part of a well-organized and thrilling multi-media extravaganza! Spazeboy (and me, to a lesser extent) have been very busy putting together a round of video questions for the trivia quiz!

You'll have all the excitement of a real-life pub quiz AND get to watch TV at the same time!

Here's an example:



So, sign up here http://www.actblue.com/page/pubquizdeux and come join us for a rousing evening of fun, laughter and trivia (with a healthy dose of spirits, I'm sure) from 7PM until 10PM at Murphy's Law, located at easy-as-hell to get to 239 Fairfield Ave, Bridgeport. Here's a MAPQUEST MAP for all you navigators out there, and there's a wonderful modern parking garage located just down the block!

We've got less than a year to go to retire "Both Ways" Shays! Let's get rid of him AND Bush at the same time!

THEN we'll party like it's 2009!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Marching for impeachment

Tom Swan posted this on My Left Nutmeg, and it deserves to be seen:
Destruction of torture tapes and the misrepresentation of Iran's nuclear weapons program were this weeks flavor of criminality by the Bush administration. My friend John Nirenberg has decided that he could not sit silently anymore and that he would walk from Boston to DC to deliver petitions to Nancy "off the table" Pelosi demanding that Congress hold Bush and Dick accountable. Check out John's blog on his march and think about stopping by to give him a warm CT welcome this holiday season:

http://www.marchinmyname.org/?page=1

Peace
Today (Tuesday) John is marching through Old Lyme, tomorrow he'll arrive in Westbrook, then on Thursday the 13th he'll be in New Haven. From there, he expects to arrive in Stamford by the 16th and NYC by the 19th.

Go to his blog and show your support for this worthwhile cause. Try to meet him along the way and buy him a cup of coffee or lunch. Sign the petition. And maybe march along with him for a bit to show some solidarity.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Lamont campaigns for Dodd in Iowa

Ned Lamont has been lending his support to Chris Dodd's campaign in Iowa all weekend. The former Democratic senate candidate appears in this brief video, discussing why voters should select Chris Dodd.

From the Iowa Independent:
The Chris Dodd campaign sent netroots hero and 2006 Senate candidate Ned Lamont. "You're working for the most qualified candidate in the race other than me," Biden kidded Lamont, as he worked the crowd and offered as many hugs as handshakes.


(Despite the date listed, it was recorded this past Saturday)

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Apparently, torture is ON her table

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who famously stated when she became Speaker early this year that impeachment for President Bush is "off the table", apparently believes that torture belongs ON the table.

From the Washington Post via The Raw Story:
Two senior Republicans and Democrats in Congress -- including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- were briefed on the CIA's program to use waterboarding on terror suspects in September 2002 and did not object, according to Sunday's Washington Post.

In the long-ranging article, which seemingly takes the lawmakers and the Bush Administration to task by discussing the practice's emergence in Nazi Germany and other totalitarian states, a Pelosi aide said the Speaker remembered discussion of "enhanced" interrogation techniques and "acknowledged that Pelosi did not raise objections at the time."

"In September 2002, four members of Congress met in secret for a first look at a unique CIA program designed to wring vital information from reticent terrorism suspects in U.S. custody," the Post wrote. "For more than an hour, the bipartisan group, which included current House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), was given a virtual tour of the CIA's overseas detention sites and the harsh techniques interrogators had devised to try to make their prisoners talk."

"Among the techniques described, said two officials present, was waterboarding, a practice that years later would be condemned as torture by Democrats and some Republicans on Capitol Hill," the Post added. "But on that day, no objections were raised. Instead, at least two lawmakers in the room asked the CIA to push harder, two U.S. officials said."

[..]

Only Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) -- then the second-ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee who would supplant Pelosi in 2003 -- formally objected. Harman, who was set to lead the House Intelligence Committee when the Democrats retook the chamber in 2006, was pushed aside by Pelosi when she took over as Speaker, in what was seen as an element of personal rivalry.
This last bit is a supposition by the Post's reporter, but it does seem entirely plausible. Pelosi seems to be driven by some kind of personal ambition that is at odds with the majority of Democrats in the House; and indeed, she sometimes appears to have an agenda that is in direct opposition to what the majority of Americans want.

This is just a single telling example of the character of the Speaker. Congress has less than a year to begin acting less like politicians and more like leaders. Don't think for a moment that in the 2008 election the massive anti-Republican sentiment against the President is going to carry on down to the Congressional level. It's certainly not going to be a slam-dunk.

Especially if people like Nancy Pelosi continue to act contrary to our expectations.

Saturday, December 08, 2007

Oh, the humanity!

By now you've probably heard of the Ron Paul campaign. Kind of hard to miss, actually. Lately they've been pushing for something which is essentially a publicity stunt, in the form of a giant blimp to advertise their candidate to the masses.

Well, with me being the incorrigible jester I tend to be, I thought it would be fun to have a go at what the proposed blimp would look like.

Here's how I think the Ron Paul Blimp is going to look:

(On the plus side, it'll be shown on all the newsreels for decades to come)

Why am I not surprised?

For the umpteenth frickin' time, our scrotally-deficient (*) Democratic majority in Congress is going to let us down again. The new war funding bill is going to be presented early next week.

No timeline, no firm benchmarks, and all the money George Bush could ever dream of to continue this insanity. It's the old "ask for the Moon and they'll settle for giving you what you want" tactic.

Merry Christmas, assholes!

From The Washington Post:
House Democratic leaders could complete work as soon as Monday on a half-trillion-dollar spending package that will include billions of dollars for the war effort in Iraq without the timelines for the withdrawal of combat forces that President Bush has refused to accept, House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) said yesterday.

In a complicated deal over the war funds, Democrats will include about $11 billion more in domestic spending than Bush has requested, emergency drought relief for the Southeast and legislation to address the subprime mortgage crisis, Hoyer told a meeting of the Washington Post editorial board.

If the bargain were to become law, it would be the third time since Democrats took control of Congress that they would have failed to force Bush to change course in Iraq and continued to fund a war that they have repeatedly vowed to end. But it would also be the clearest instance yet of the president bowing to a Democratic demand for more money for domestic priorities, an increase that he had promised to reject.

"The way you pass appropriations bills is you get agreement among all the relevant players, among which the president with his veto pen is a very relevant player," Hoyer said. "Everybody knows he has no intention of signing anything without money for Iraq, unfettered, without constraints. I think that's ultimately going to be the result."

The Democrats plan to take a three-step approach to completing the deal. House leaders are considering an initial allotment of about $30 billion, ostensibly for the war in Afghanistan and some other military needs, which all sides in the deal recognize could be shifted to fund the Iraq war.

Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) then would allow Republicans to increase that amount to avert a filibuster of the spending bill in the Senate. The goal of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is $70 billion for the war, more than the $50 billion short-term funding that House Democrats initially proposed but far less than the $196 billion Bush has sought.

The Senate-passed bill would then go to the House for final approval.

McConnell was the first to suggest the outlines of the deal, which would allow Congress to pass the 11 remaining appropriations bills for fiscal 2008. Hoyer said Democrats are ready to accept that bargain.
Great. Just great.

So if we give the Republicans what amounts to a blank check, they'll promise not to filibuster this awful fucking bill to begin with.

We suck. Completely and totally. If there's any doubt why so many new voters are registering as "unaffiliated", this is the reason. Nobody wants to belong to a party of suckers!

(* = by this, I'm including the women legislators by implying a lack of ovarian fortitude, too. If that's not politically correct enough for you, that's too bad. I'm fucking pissed!)

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Amann plans to explore run for governor

In today's Milford Mirror, local reporter Jill Dion writes that House Speaker James Amann is looking into a potential run for governor:
Amann said he expects to announce next month that he is forming an exploratory committee to study his chances of winning a gubernatorial race. He said this week that he hasn't yet made a firm decision. He plans to first discuss it some more with his wife, Terri. "I think I'm ready for it," Amann said. "I know in my heart I have good ideas for the state. I do have some unbelievable support already. I draw from Democrats, Independents and Republicans."

[..]

"We have a number of candidates in the Democratic party who people are talking about for governor; as I travel, Jim Amann's name is among the names mentioned," DiNardo said. "The name most dominant is Dick Blumenthal. There are some definite indications he will run. I do believe there is a very good chance Dick Blumenthal will be running in 2010."

Amann, however, "has as good a chance as any," DiNardo said. He has name recognition throughout the state, not just in Milford. "He's absolutely a strong name," DiNardo said. "Jim has done a lot of good things in the House. I'm sure people recognize that. He certainly has the qualifications."
It'll be interesting to see what develops here. With Blumenthal almost a lock to run at this point, we may be heading for another Democratic primary in 2010.

More as this story develops...
(h/t to Tessa and Mike for calling me with this!)

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

In case you didn't have enough to worry about...

Today there's been yet another outbreak of a form of the naughty Ebola virus in Africa. Emerging viruses are bound to be discovered due to the superior disease tracking that's now being used, but that doesn't lessen the severity of this, or other outbreaks. From the Sun-Sentinal:
GENEVA -- A new form of the deadly Ebola virus has been detected in an outbreak in western Uganda that has so far killed 16 people, the World Health Organization said Friday.

Tests conducted by a national lab in Uganda and confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that the virus belongs to a different subtype than the four already known, said WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl.

"We are very concerned about this because it does not present (symptoms) in exactly the same way as other Ebola strains," he said, adding that the new subtype appeared to be associated with vomiting, which does not usually occur in Ebola patients.
Ebola is known as a "retro-virus", meaning it evolved "backwards" from a more complex life form. Ebola is made of a single strand of RNA, which invades the host cell and takes over its functions, which then creates new virus particles.
Ebola typically kills most of those it strikes through massive blood loss, and has no cure or treatment. It is spread through direct contact with the blood or secretions of an infected person, or objects that have been contaminated with infected secretions.

[..]

"This could be a milder strain of the disease, but we still need additional information to confirm that," Formenty said.

The three main subtypes usually kill 50 to 90 percent of infected patients. A fourth subtype, Reston, does not cause any symptoms and is not fatal.
The Reston outbreak is especially worrisome, because even though it wasn't fatal to humans, it was devastating to monkeys. And the scary part is, it appears to have been transferred by air, not direct fluid contact.

If Ebola Zaire ever mutates to that point, the entire planet could get sick within a matter of weeks, with an over-90% death rate.

Yes. That is scary.

But no matter. We're approaching the holiday season, and a spirit of joy and giving should soon alleviate those worries. That's why I've decided to start featuring wonderful gift ideas here at ConnecticutBob.Com

Let's start with this:

Your very OWN plushie Ebola virus!

This lovely, hugable soft creature is a replica of the Ebola virus, magnified over a million times!

And you'll get a million times the hugs from your special loved one when you give them Ebola!

Available online (along with other popular bugs, such as plushie "E. Coli", plushie "Syphilis", and plushie "Chicken Pox") from GIANTmicrobes.com

Infect your whole family!

UPDATE: We got our 300,000th hit today! Woo-hoo!

And, since I'm such a big Ebola fan, here's the new logo for my new website:

Ebola Bob!


Congratulate an Aussie

Yay! Australia! Oi Oi Oi!

We have a lot more in common with our antipodal cousins who reside in that wonderful land down under than you might think.

For instance:

- We want change, and they want change.

- We want to bring our troops home, and they want to bring their troops home.

- We want to fight global warming, and they want to fight global warming.


The difference is, they DID something about it. They defeated John Howard's Liberal Party (not what we'd consider liberal here), and voted for Kevin Rudd's Labor Party.

Kevin Rudd, the new Australian Prime Minister, has sworn to make it a priority to bring their troops home from Iraq, and sign onto the Kyoto Protocol. Now, the United States is isolated as the only developed nation which has not agreed to the pact.

So, to reach out to our neighbors down under and let them know we appreciate what they're doing, let's all do the following:

Congratulate an Aussie Blogger this week!

Go to this link "Australian Blogs" and peruse the list to find a suitably progressive blog. Then post a comment telling them how much you admire their nation's efforts to set things right and bring about the changes that were so sorely needed.

Then comment about your experience here or email me about it. I'd love to post a follow-up in about a week or so to share your stories.

(The blog I chose welcomed my comment and is listing Connecticut Bob on their blogroll, and I'm linking to them; you'll be able to figure out who it is by their name!)

And here's a couple of 1980's vintage music videos to celebrate their culture. Sadly, I can't think of any newer music from Oz, but I'm sure it's good. Feel free to post links to good new Aussie music.

Oh, and you guys can have Rupert Murdoch back...he's worn out his welcome here.

Men at Work - "Land Down Under"


Midnight Oil - "Beds Are Burning"

Monday, December 03, 2007

Chris Dodd on Imus this morning

I just heard Dodd's interview on Imus, and I have only one thing to say about this:

Why?

Is Senator Dodd trying to appeal to a mythical "middle", which apparently consists of retired farmers and machinists and NASCAR dads and individuals who think it's absolutely OK to insult minorities?

Or is it a misplaced sense of "loyalty" to an old friend, where Dodd will stand by his wrong-headed buddy no matter what, just like Jimmy Amann "sticking with" lapsed Democrat Joe Lieberman during last year's senate race?

Whatever the reason, I can't see this helping Chris Dodd all that much. In fact, he's inadvertently given his political rivals some powerful ammunition to hurl back at him during the next debate, considering they themselves will probably decide to forgo appearing on his program.

I understand that the senator is desperate for national exposure, but it's obvious to the entire progressive/liberal/not-wacko segment of the Democratic Party that appealing to Imus's largely conservative/Republican audience will only serve to damage him among the Democrats in Iowa and New Hampshire.

It's a bad move at this time, when he needs to appeal to Democrats.
(If I got it wrong, someone PLEASE explain it to me!)

TOTALLY OFF-TOPIC NEWS:
Sometime tomorrow we'll hit 300,000 visits since this blog started back in May, 2006! Thanks for reading!

Sunday, December 02, 2007

My Oscar (Jr.) Moment

Finally, official recognition!

For the whole story, including the text of my uplifting
acceptance speech, visit Hollywood Bob!

Saturday, December 01, 2007

Rell sets election to fill DeLuca's (cement) shoes

(From Capitol Watch, via CT Local Politics)
He's officially gone as of yesterday, and Governor Rell set the special election for Senator DeLuca's vacated seat in the 32nd Senate District for January 15th.

As you probably know, Sen. DeLuca resigned after a scandal in which he was going to allegedly have some alleged mobsters pay a visit to his alleged granddaughter's husband and allegedly beat him up.

Allegedly.

So, here's a video, which is a completely fictional parody of how the alleged Senator may have spent his alleged last day in office. This video bears no resemblance whatsoever to any persons living or dead or alleged.

(Kindly don't whack me)