Tip to Cabinet Nominees: Pay your taxes

(moar funny pictures)

Several high profile stories have plagued Obama cabinet nominees recently, and they seem to revolve around their lack of paying their taxes in a timely manner.

Both former Sen. Tom Daschle (Obama's choice for Health Secretary) and Timothy Geithner (Treasury Secretary) have not only neglected paying a portion of their taxes, but the non-payment was only discovered during the highly-detailed economic vetting process.

This kind of pisses me off.

Not so much because some wealthy politicians apparently got confused when dealing with our nation's complex tax code, but the fact that if they weren't up for Cabinet positions, the non-payments would probably have gone undiscovered.

I'm sure the $34K that Geithner neglected to pay, and the $128K oopsie by Daschle are but microscopic droplets in our nation's tax pool, but still! There is something terribly wrong with our tax system when these "droplets" are not even missed by the government.

Maybe it's time to revamp our tax code to make it simpler. There must be other nations out there which have vibrant economies while utilizing a simple taxation system, but I can't think of any right now. Probably because I'm under the influence of Ny-Quil and a rather fine doctor-prescribed single malt scotch.

OK, so a doctor didn't really prescribe booze for me, but I'm just trying to defeat this awful cold I picked up recently. Hmmm...I wonder if standing outdoors last week in a 5-degree wind-chill all day long had anything to do with me getting sick?

(BTW, I despise everything about the concept of "lolcats"! But I'm semi-delirious right now, so I don't make much sense)

DeLauro witnesses Equal Pay become law

Rosa DeLauro was instrumental in getting this bill passed. Bravo (brava?) to her and all her colleagues who worked so hard to see it reach fruition!

From Scarce over at My Left Nutmeg:

President Barack Obama, center, signs the Lilly Ledbetter Bill with Lilly Ledbetter, fourth from the left, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009, in the East Room at the White House in Washington.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama signed an equal pay bill into law Thursday, declaring that it's a family issue, not just a women's issue.

The president picked the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act for the first piece of legislation to sign as president.

He appeared before a packed East Room audience for a ceremony, and Ledbetter stood at his side.

His entrance in the room was met with hearty cheers from the many labor and women's groups represented there. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the first woman speaker in the history of Congress, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, were present.

Gee, women are now legally entitled to equivalent pay that a man would get for the same job. We're just over a week in, and this is an example of the CHANGE that Barack Obama promised he'd make when he became president.

Somehow, I just couldn't imagine this sort of thing ever being passed by a Republican-majority Congress or signed by former president George W. Bush (goddamn, it feels so good to write the word "former" for that last bit!)

My favorite cake

Chocolate mousse birthday cake. Mmmm-mmm good!

MN Senate recount LIVE on TheUptake

For all you politics junkies out there, TheUptake.com is covering the Coleman v. Franken Election Ballot Counting trial, starting at 2PM Eastern and running until 6PM today, then 10-6 each day thereafter until the trial ends.

This is some great drama, as witnesses are now being called and questioned under oath. Including Norm Coleman's 27-year old campaign director Kristen Fuzer (pictured).

The new catch phrase for the trail is "It's above my pay grade."

And it's very strange to see Norm Coleman himself sitting behind the plaintiff's table. It's almost as if he's on trial.

Watch the live streaming video action HERE.

And a very useful "cast of characters" for this trial is located at The Daily Kos.

Dick Cheney left behind

There was something very familiar about seeing poor ol' Dick Cheney in a wheelchair.

Caused, no doubt, by a groin pull from his trying to carry huge boxes of classified documents down to the nuclear-powered shredder they have in the basement of the White House.

Then I realized it reminded me of a scene from an old movie.

So I made this video. Extra points if you know the movie's title; which should be easy if you're a fossil like me (but it's not bothering me or anything!)

The Biggest Day of the Year

The biggest day of the year! No, I'm not talking about that little Inauguration thingy that happened last week, although that was nice too.

I'm talking about my birthday. (Speaking of which, the little honey above graced the calendar during the month I was born. Google image search rules!)

Yes, it's not just ANY birthday...it's the big five-oh!

Believe it or not, on Tuesday, barring some unforeseeable calamity, of course, I'll have officially occupied this planet for a half-friggin'-century!

Some people might panic or become depressed by their impending step over the threshold to middle age, soon to be followed by the inevitable slow downward progression of decrepitude, and eventually ending in death, but not me! No sirree!

If anything, I embrace my impending oldness! I welcome the supposed wisdom that accompanies the vast sum of life experiences I've had. I even look forward to qualifying for a membership in AARP and spending hours watching QVC in search of discounts on hard-to-find but useful household items!

...ah, who am I kidding? I'm plunging headlong into the least desirable advertising demographic and it sucks.

On the plus side, maybe the telemarketers won't bother calling so much anymore.

Yup, that's me...

Good ol' "Mr. Glass Half-Full!"

Science Returns!

What a day for putting politics in the back seat and bring science front and center in health care. Not only did President Obama signal that he will lift the ban on federal funding for stem-cell research in the U.S (a kick for the economy, seeing that the research was being done overseas), the FDA approved human tests on use of stem cells to treat spinal cord injuries.
This opens the door to more research on finding treatments or cures for diabetes, heart disease, cancer, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis and leukemia. It's a shame Christoper Reeve isn't here to sign up for the study.

Also, the President signed an executive order today to restore U.S. funding to international family planning organizations that provide pregnancy termination services or counseling. It's important to note that funding doesn't fund abortions -- ALL funding was pulled from the organizations for ALL services -- including women's health care, HIV prevention, contraception, and a number of other services to poor people all over the world. Now, poor women will not be second class citizens when it comes to U.S financial contributions to their care.

And it's only the third full day of this administration.......

Inauguration Parade Video Diary

This is the video from the big day!

I tried to observe as much as possible during the day, and focus on the little details of the event. I probably would have done a better job if I wasn't freezing my butt off!

More DC photos

A few more photos from Monday night.

The back of the Capitol Building at night. We walked across the exact spot where the helicopter landed to pick up Bush and fly him away the next day.

Joyce and Mike Brown at the Connecticut Delegation Reception in the Russell Senate Office Building.

Rep. Joe Courtney and me at the reception. BTW, I'm not wearing the hat indoors because I'm trying to look cool; everyone had to pile their coats on a big table, and I was worried it would get crushed if I left it there.

Joyce with Annie Lamont. We had a nice talk with Annie and she caught us up on what the kids are up to.

Sen. Chris Dodd and I spent a few moments together.

Finally, here we are with Rep. Jim Himes. We wanted to visit all our Congressmen's offices over in the Canon HOB, but because it took us two hours to get into the Rayburn HOB to visit Rosa's office, we ran out of time.

Meaning of Roe

(Bumped to the top of the page, because this is important - CTBob)

Today is the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Fortunately, with President Obama, we are reasonably safe for the next 4 years, but must keep our flank guarded for legislation that tries to take away women's rights. And, I think it really is that simple. I don't know if I would choose an abortion, and have never had to confront that issue. But, I am certain that I am not so full of myself as to think I can make that decision for another woman. And I am certain that I don't want a bunch of men making those decisions for women.

I chose this image because I have yet to meet a woman who found the decision to terminate a pregnancy a simple one that follows a straight path. It is a complicated process, and one that we cannot make for others.

Abortion should be safe, legal and rare. Period.

And on this day, we need to embrace the true meaning of being pro-life. It means being in favor of stopping torture, and ending poverty, and practicing tolerance, and overcoming bigotry and hatred, and providing health care to all Americans, and halting war. That's what being pro-life means to me, and I am proud to be pro-life. How about you?

Photos part 1 of 3

I'm grouping these photos in three posts of five each, to make it easier to upload them. I'll work on the video and hopefully have it up shortly. As usual, click on any photo to see in their glorious full size!

Watch out for the flakes! Maura, Gabe and Melissa on the Metro. We arrived at the East Falls Church station around 6:20AM, and to our surprise there were still a few spaces left in the parking lot. We entered the platform and the first train pulled in, so absolutely full of people that nobody could get on.

An empty train pulled in from the other direction, and Maura decided to jump aboard to the end of the line, just four stops away. It turned out to be a good idea, because we had seats for what turned out to be nearly a two-hour train ride into DC.

By the time we went through East Falls Church again, the train was fully packed and nobody else could board. It was a smart decision on Maura's part.

A woman on the train was sporting a Michelle button.

At 8:30 we were in the Federal Triangle, waiting to clear security to get onto the parade route.

At about 10AM we cleared the metal detectors and the TSA workers, shown here checking bags. The ground and fences outside were littered with small flags because they didn't allow sticks into the secure area. Many people simply stripped the flags off the sticks and kept them to wave during the parade.

Photos part 2 of 3

Putting on the toe warmers. They didn't work as good as the hand warmers, but they were better than nothing.

The motorcade coming from the White House going toward the Capitol. People were waving and yelling "Bye-bye!". Someone said they recognized Cheney in one of the limousines. That's the FBI building on the right.

Looking back south from the top row of the bleachers at the 10th St. entrance. There were plenty of portolets available, and already long lines had formed for the two food and beverage vendors. There's the National Museum of Natural History in the background.

Joyce on the bleachers. The cold wasn't so bad until the breeze picked up after lunchtime.

Did I mention it was cold out there? This guys obviously thinks so.

Photos part 3 of 3

Rooftop spectators viewing the parade across the street.

A black-clad ninja scans the crowd with a pair of giant binoculars from atop the Dept. of Justice Building. The fellow next to me pointed at him and yelled, "It's Batman!"

There were several layers of security along the parade route. Camo'd National Guardsmen, DC Police, all branches of the military, and many other groups helped maintain security.

After the oath of office, the presidential helicopter flew overhead carrying Bush and Cheney away. The crowd roared with joy, and people in our bleachers started singing "Nah nah nah nah, hey hey hey, good-bye!"

More rooftop ninjas scanned the crowd for signs of trouble. The crowd was uniformly well-behaved and very happy, despite the cold.

OK, I'll be the first to admit that I blew it. I only had my Fuji J10 digital camera with me, which I used to shoot pictures and video. I didn't think it would be easy to get my big Canon video camera through security. Did I mention how cold it was out there? Working a camera while wearing gloves is hard. And I found out that when I use the full optical and digital zoom together, it turns the image into a blurry fucking mess.

I was shooting video right until they approached, then I switched to picture mode to capture this bit of digital magic, and then I turned it back to video to capture them walking away. So when I edit and post the video, at least you'll get to see them a bit. Plus you'll hear the sound of the crowd cheering, which is cool.

In the future I'll commit to one mode of shooting only, either pictures or video. But at least I have this to remember the historic event.

Before and After

We arrived at the Federal Triangle metro station at 8:30AM. We walked out to the 12th Street entry gate to this crowded scene. That's the IRS building in the background. Security was only letting about 100 people at a time through the entry gates so they could pass through the magnometers without crowding the TSA workers.

After being jostled and squeezed by the crowd for about a half-hour, one of the security workers yelled (without a megaphone) that the 10th Street entrance was wide open. We decided to give it a shot, so we squeezed out of the rabble and walked the two blocks to the other gate. The crowd WAS much smaller, and it only took about 20 minutes to clear security and gain access to the parade route.

Our bleachers were located right at the intersection of 10th and Pennsylvania Ave., right by the Department of Justice building and across the avenue from the FBI.

And then at 5:30PM, thoroughly frozen, we walked right through the gates to the Metro. Because so many people had already left, the Metro was hardly crowded. After about a 15 minute wait to allow the train platform to empty, the police let us enter the station. Just as we got to the platform, our train pulled in and it had room for us to board. 25 minutes later we were at East Falls Church, where we drove to an Applebee's for dinner.

We were able to watch the end of the parade live on TV from our table.

How cold was it?

According to what people were saying, the temperature topped out at 33 degrees. But with the wind chill, it felt as cold as 5 degrees. And when you're out in the breeze for more than eight hours, it feels even worse.

The ground was littered with the plastic wrappers from chemical hand warmers. People brought blankets (I didn't know they could) and food (I really didn't know that!), so we used a special Inaugural edition of the Washington Post as seats on the metal bleachers, and we feasted upon Tic-Tacs most of the day. The two food vendors nearby had lines that were at least an hour long, and they ran out of hot chocolate and coffee by noon.

These three photos probably tell the story of the cold more accurately:

8:30 AM


11:30 AM


3:00 PM
About a half hour after the President walked by and 80% of the spectators left, we were able to buy a hot dog at one vendor. The food gave us just enough energy to watch about 40 more minutes of the parade, but we called it a day at about 5:30.

Home at last

It took us until 2:30 to hit the road today, and we just got home. After unpacking the car and having a bite to eat, I'm barely awake enough to see. So I'm going to put up most of my pictures sometime tomorrow.

In the meantime, here's one quick photo of a guy in our bleachers, and an observation:

Yes, that's a battered copy of "The Catcher In The Rye" that he was holding the entire time!

For anyone who isn't familiar with the significance of this book, you should know that both Mark David Chapman and John Hinckley were fanatical about it. So here we are, just as the new President and his family come strolling down Pennsylvania Avenue, and this fellow is clutching a well-worn copy of the most subversive/anarchistic novel of its time. Talk about a bizarre moment!

Obviously, I kept half an eye on him until well after the President went safely by. But it was a bit unsettling, to say the least.

I Assure You, We're Open

(from Monday, in front of the Smithsonian)

It's just shy of noon on the 21st. Today is the first full non-Bush day America has seen in eight long years. I'd probably be a bit happier about it if I wasn't slightly hungover.

I'm at the internet cafe trying to post stuff, but it's very slow going. If I can't post my photos today, I'll try to get some of them online tonight.

Thank you Kirby for holding down the fort! You did a fantastic job yesterday with the updates and your original posts. Communications got difficult later in the day, and by the time the President and First Lady walked by, I couldn't dial out. After that, Joyce and I left the parade about half-way through and headed back to VA. I crashed hard about 8PM and slept for a couple hours, then Maura, Melissa and us talked and laughed for hours. I think I finally got back to sleep around 2:30 this morning.

I'm going to try to post photos now, but again, if they don't work I'll post them later.

And let's hear a round of applause for Kirby!!!!

And I leave you tonight.....

With the two most adorable, well-mannered children in America. Sasha is just scrumptious! I hope her joy permeates the walls of the White House for everyone to remember that this presidency is really about the world we leave to the next generation.

Thawing Out?

I hope Bob thaws out enough this evening to post his photos of the day and to let us know if the president got out of the limo near his seat at the parade! In the meantime, here is what the inauguration looked like from space

Governing Delayed

With the delay in the parade, and the fact that the President must sit in the reviewing stand for the whole thing, the executive orders initially said to be signed today may be put off to tomorrow. Here's the link on the new White House Web site directly to executive orders; we can see them right after they are signed.

Pardon Me?

Much to the amazement of many, including, I'm sure many Connecticut bloggers, it looks like this turkey and two border patrol agents are the only ones getting pardons from GWB. None were made public today -- so this will be an interesting footnote to a scandalous presidency.
And, in other random observations online -- a number of people commenting tongue in cheek that seeing Darth Cheney in a wheelchair was not nearly as satisfying as we thought it would be. Although, there appeared to be a chill between these two departing executives -- with the only apparent contact being a quick handshake at Andrews before W took off for Texas. Hmmmmm.

Obamas Walking

The president and first lady got out of the limo and walked for a bit. It was hard to tell where this happened on the parade route, and we will hear from Bob as to whether it was near him or not. The parade was delayed after Senator Kennedy collapsed at the luncheon following the outdoor ceremony -- to make sure he was OK before having a celebratory parade.

The invocation by Rick Warren was more about him than about the moment -- and it was totally eclipsed by the benediction by Rev. Lowery of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference -- full text here

Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around -- (laughter) -- when yellow will be mellow -- (laughter) -- when the red man can get ahead, man -- (laughter) -- and when white will embrace what is right.

Gone! Finally Gone!

And the Bush error is over.

Obama is President

Just got a call from Bob who is in his bleacher seats on Pennsylvania Avenue waiting for the parade with CT Joyce and Gabe...the parade is still about 2 hours away. He said after Obama took the oath, a roar just rolled up the Avenue. They are sitting right across from the J Edgar Hoover building.

They are freezing -- and I didn't have the heart to tell him I was sitting here in front of the fire. Maura and Melissa had tickets at the Capitol, and CTBlogger is somewhere in DC.

Whitehouse.gov posted a serious makeover about 44 minutes ago, and change.gov is now shuttered. Go take a look.

Word from Bob

Bob reports in from the parade route -- he is cold, and says the security is amazing. He's with Gabe and Melissa -- Maura is at the Capitol, and I am sure he will have terrific pictures to post later.

Looking for Live Stream?

Since the traditional cable news site will be over run with traffic today, thought you'd like to know there is a nice, high quality stream on the front page of the NY Times

The Day is Finally Here!

It is hard to believe that after all this time, the day for Barack Obama to become 44th president of the United States is here. Bob is on the spot in Washington DC and I am here in CT with a dear friend sitting on the couch. Will keep you posted.

Maura got a Capitol ticket -- and deservedly so. More to come.

Monday in DC photos

It's closing time at the local Starbucks and because I don't have internet access at Maura's, I only have a few minutes to post these photos.

The Green Man graces the outside of the Environmental Protection Agency. Nice touch.

Joyce, Maura, Melissa and me at the East Falls Church metro station around noon.

John Mellancamp on the big screen during a rebroadcast of yesterday's concert.

A cool entry way in a government building on 12th St.

The Jumbrotron on the Mall, with the Capitol in the background.

Rosa with Joyce and me in her awesome office. She's got the coolest pictures and memorabilia from a long career in the House.

Dennis Kucinich with me in his office in the Rayburn House Office Building.

Joyce in the rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building after the CT delegation reception.

Mayor Dan Malloy and his wife Cathy with me at the reception.

Ned Lamont with Mike Brown at the reception.

The Obama metro tickets.

OK, they're kicking me out. I'll be live-blogging style posting via Kirby tomorrow if communications goes well.

The "Aso" Cafe

Last night we went out to a great local Mexican restaurant with Maura and her friends Doug and Terry. We had a wonderful dinner, and during the meal Maura told us how the restaurant was infamous as being the only eatery in northern Virginia where George W. Bush had a meal during his presidency.

The place took the chair where W sat his ass, and painted it up in patriotic colors. I noticed the date was 9-24-01. I pondered this for a moment.

Then I got enraged. Here's George W. Bush, less than two weeks into the worst crisis of the last 60 years, taking the night off to go have a taco. Hey, I know tacos rule, but I'd rather he spent the time maybe figuring out how to cope with the still on-going after effects of the attacks.

We saw the sign appropriately reflected the last day of Bush's regime.

(In all fairness, the "El Paso Cafe" is a wonderful restaurant, with great food and live strolling Mexican music playing guitarists.)

300 miles in four pictures

Leaving yesterday morning from Connectictut.

The Delaware Memorial Bridge(s).

The Baltimore Tunnel. (I loved HBO's "The Wire")

On the Beltway. Looks like Tuesday is gonna be a bad day for driving!

More tonight.

DC logistics

"Chance favors the prepared"

And being prepared means having a plan, with plenty of room for alternatives if things don't work out perfectly, and leaving enough time for things to go wrong.

First, the plan.

We're staying in Falls Church VA, so we're fairly close to the Metro's Orange Line. We're arriving late today (Sunday), and tomorrow we're going into DC on the metro to visit and to get our bearings. When we get to the station, we'll buy the Inauguration Day fare cards so we won't have to wait in long lines to purchase them Tuesday morning. We'll learn how the system works on the ride into DC, and see our destination station in Federal Trianagle.

Plus, we'll walk around and take pictures that might be impossible later because of Tuesday's crowds. While we're there, we'll look at alternate metro stations for the trip back, because as crowded as the trains will be getting INTO town, the stations near the Mall are gonna be insane trying to get OUT of town! We'll figure out which alternate stations will be within a reasonable walk in case it's too crowded to get back to the Federal Triangle station.

I'm also printing out a bunch of the inauguration maps that I collected so we'll have the best available info on street closures and pedestrian access routes. Tuesday morning I'll check TV and online reports of traffic and any delays.

Finally, we'll allow plenty of time to get into the city on Tuesday. There's no reason not to leave a 7AM or earlier to be in the parade bleachers by 1PM. Worst case, we'll spend a few hours in the cold people watching and taking pictures. We'll be dressed the same as we do for skiing, which is another activity that requires hours in the freezing cold. Fortunately, the temperature isn't expected to get much lower than 30, so it shouldn't be too bad. We're passing on the fancy clothes, and going more for the L.L. Bean/Survivorman look, with pocket hand and toe warmers, ear muffs, and warm hats.

Speaking of hats, I'm wearing my brown fedora to the inauguration. I feel that the "hat look" is well overdue to come back into style, after nearly 50 years since JFK ruined everything by not wearing a hat to his own inauguration!

(Yes, I know this is a popular myth...I'm simply using an historical fiction to embellish my writing. Sheesh, everyone's a critic!)

So that's the plan. The nice thing about a plan like this is that we can change it last minute if we need to. We'll adapt to whatever obstacles or changing conditions we encounter, and we'll look forward to a fun and memorable experience.

We hope!

CTNJ reports on the Gaza protest

Christine Stuart of CT News Junkie was one of the few (or, more accurately, the one) reporters who thought it might be worthwhile to write about Friday's peace protest in Hartford.

From the CT News Junkie story:

More than 40 people braved biting cold temperatures Friday afternoon to protest Israel’s offensive against Gaza’s Hamas rulers.

Shouting “Gaza, Gaza don’t you cry. Palestine will never die,” the protesters waved a Palestinian flag as they paraded down Main Street for a meeting with US Rep. John Larson’s District Chief of Staff John Rossi.

Margaret P. Levy of West Hartford said the demonstration was planned several days ago, despite the freezing cold temperatures. “People are getting killed everyday. We don’t want it to be said we stood silent.”

About 12 of the protesters made their way up to Larson’s Main Street office a few blocks from where they started their protest and were ushered into a conference room where they discussed their strategy while they waited for Rossi to join them.

“It’s so hard to get our voices heard,” Liz Aaronsohn, the daughter of a Rabbi, said as she turned to the lone reporter in the room.

It kind of bothers me that this event wasn't important enough for Connecticut's corporate media to cover. I don't know when it became OK for us to turn our backs on a people who are suffering at the hands of one of our allies, but it strikes me as simply very, very wrong. Read the rest of the article at CTNJ.

BTW, Liz Aaronsohn was that nice lady who I interviewed at the New Haven protest on another freezing cold day a couple weeks ago. Here's my video report with Liz's interview.

Sign of the times

I shot this picture yesterday. This Milford resident is so obviously thrilled that Obama is going to be our next president that the sign was left up since before election day.

My Obama/Biden sign was stolen after merely a week back in October, so it's cool to see "that one" proudly displayed.

In other news, wrongly-accused parade disruptor Ken Krayeske will be in DC to cover the inaugural parade.

With me & Joyce.

(God help us!)

In case you misremember, I interviewed Ken just days after his wrongful arrest and detention at the hands of the Police during Gov. Jodi Rell's inauguration parade two years ago. Here's the classic video:

Relive past inauguration speeches

Hulu.com is a really great online video resource. They have a big library of TV shows, movies, and various videos that are available for viewing. You occasionally have to sit through a 15- or 30-second commercial every so often, but overall I think it's worth it.

Hulu has a section with Inauguration speeches from every president since FDR, and a few more radio addresses and silent newsreels from before that. You get a real historical perspective from listening to some of these historic speeches. Go to Hulu.com/inaugural-speeches for the library of inauguration speeches.

You notice a lot of interesting things when you watch the speeches. Here's an image from JFK's inauguration, with a remarkably awkward moment when Nixon lunges across LBJ to shake Kennedy's hand right after the speech. You miss things like that when you focus only on the "Ask not..." portion of the address.

Sully has the Right Stuff

This guy is the Chuck Yeager of the 21st century. Capt. C.B. "Sully" Sullenberger is the sort of aviator we all hope is holding the controls when something goes wrong.

Talk about a scary incident. This could have ended about a dozen other ways, all of them bad. The fact that Sully and the crew performed perfectly is a testament to their training and experience.

The immediate and coordinated response by first responders and private citizens is truly impressive. Within minutes there were ferries and emergency boats on the scene. Compared to the disbelief and stunned reaction to 9/11, everyone involved immediately recognized and responded without delay to the emergency. If anyone has learned the lessons of 9/11, it's the people of the metropolitan area.

TRex quoted a friend over in his rarely-updated blog:

I was just talking to my friend Christa earlier tonight. She’s a transplanted Noo Ywahkah living on the west coast and she said, “Oh, honey, listen. If I’m trapped under 30,000 pounds of concrete, breathing through a straw, hanging on for dear life, I wanna hear some Brooklyn and Jersey accents calling down to me, y’know? ‘Yoo hang awn down deyah, honey, we gonna gitcha outta deyah, arright?’ All rescue workers everywhere should have to talk like they’re from New York.”

That about sums it up perfectly. Everyone did an outstanding job yesterday. It's good to feel good about a jet crash for a change.

I'm totally buying this stuff

Stephen Colbert discusses all the neat Obama merchandise that is commemorating the upcoming inauguration. Mass-marketing genius P.K. Winsome (SNL's Tim Meadows) joins Stephen to discuss the wonderful items that Obamiacs everywhere can buy.

(I like the "Zenith of Change" plate best - not safe for microwave)

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

P.K. Winsome - Obama Collectibles

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

"Atypical Behavior"

I believe that's the clinical term for what I exhibited recently, when I passed up an opportunity to have my face plastered on the front page of the local weekly paper, the Milford Mirror!

I got a call from my friend Jill Dion about last week's contentious Board of Alderman meeting, when I was appointed to the MGAT (Milford Government Access TV) Committee. Jill and I spoke for a while, and she wanted to come over and take my picture to accompany the article. Here's how she reports it (from the Milford Mirror):

Adams, however, doesn’t appear eager to push his political views in the wrong place. He even turned down an interview to delve more deeply into his politics and the controversy over his appointment.

Yes, I know there are mouths agape all over the local blogosphere right now. I actually turned down an in-depth interview, with photos!

For someone like me, who typically indulges in excesses of self-promotion that would embarrass P.T. Barnum, this is a first!

But doing what I can to ensure good government access is all I'm interested in. Yes, I have political opinions, but they won't have anything to do with the work I'll be doing on the committee.

More from the article:

Republicans were not happy that not one GOP was named to the five-member panel, but they seemed most perturbed that Adams was among the Democratic appointments.

As the GOP aldermen tried to stall Adams' appointment, Republican Alderman Scott Willey pointed out that when the Republicans controlled the Board of Aldermen, they tried to balance boards and commissions with Republicans and Democrats.

The new MGAT committee has three Democrats and two unaffiliated voters on it.

“I look at this brand new committee, and there’s not one Republican on it,” Willey said. “It seems there should have been room for one if not two Republicans.”

Willey referred to Adams’ blog, and said Adams “is about as partisan as you can be for the Democratic party.” He suggested the Democratic slant might show up on the city’s public access channel.

I'm opinionated and can be a little caustic on occasion, sure, but I don't know if being labeled "partisan" is entirely fair.

My opinions are centered around getting better government. I've mentioned before how, on this blog, many Democrats have been the subject of my disapproval. In fact, I tend to be much tougher on the Democrats, because we've all learned to count on less from the Republicans over the last eight years. We almost expect the Republicans to screw things up. (I'm speaking on a national level, of course; our local Republicans are good, upstanding, extraordinary lawmakers. All of them.)

Democrats are supposed to be the ones who are going to rescue our nation now, and when I see ineffective leaders like Harry Reid bumbling his way through the legislature like Don Knotts in "The Incredible Mr. Limpet", I feel obligated to express my displeasure.

But anyway, I'm only interested in helping provide complete transparency to the workings of our local government. The more easily people can access the goings on, the more likely they'll be informed and involved.

And obviously, isn't that what we ALL want to see?

Friday: "We Refuse To Be Enemies" March

Press Release: On Friday, January 16, "We Refuse to Be Enemies" and other groups opposed to the attacks on Gaza and to last week’s US government full and unconditional support of Israel in this adventure, will conduct a non-violent demonstration and march from the Federal Building on Main St. in Hartford to Congressman John Larson’s Hartford office.

We Refuse to Be Enemies is a locally-based coalition of Jews, Muslims, and Christians working for peace and justice in the Middle East.

Our three goals are as follows:

1) To speak against the totally uneven situation of violence in Gaza, and against the 18-month humanitarian crisis there, about which almost all the world’s leaders except our own have expressed outrage.

2) To educate the public about the fact that both houses of Congress, including our entire CT delegation, voted last week, with no debate, and hardly any media coverage, strongly and without question to take Israel’s side, refusing to even consider that there could be a Palestinian perspective that also needs to be taken into account. In fact, Rep. John Larson was a co-sponsor of the House version of the bill, which some congressional staffers are referring to as “the AIPAC bill.”

3) To affirm our commitment to refusing to be enemies, and to urge our government to demand an immediate cease-fire on both sides, including the release of Gaza from the strangling blockade it has endured for 18 months.

Note from Rafik Beekun:

If your lands are stolen from you, if you suffer ethnic cleansing, torture and imprisonment, if you are under occupation for 60 years, if you are blockaded and starved, if your water is stolen from you, if no supplies are let in, if you cannot trade, if hundreds of millions of dollars of your taxes are withheld by occupiers, if you are hemmed in into a walled ghetto, and periodically bombed, if any protest is brutally repressed, if your children are slaughtered without remorse, if you have to go through all kinds of gates to get outside, and if these gates can be closed on a whim, then it is wrong for you to defend yourself, and you are the attacker while the occupier with its F-16s, its tanks, its missiles, its nuclear arsenal and submarines, its phosphorus and cluster bombs is “defending itself”, and the US stands by your occupier 100%.

Start: Jan 16 2009 - 3:00pm

March & Vigil to Rep. John Larson's Hartford Office.
Friday, January 16, 2009

3 PM - Gather at Federal Building
450 Main Street
Bring Signs, Props, Photos of the Israeli Massacre of Gaza.

March and Process to Rep. Larson's Office, 221 Main Street

* Deliver Open Letter to CT's Congressional Delegation (currently in process)
*
* Set up meeting with Rep. Larson

We Refuse to Be Enemies is calling for a mass nonviolent protest march and vigil from the federal building in Hartford to Rep. John Larson's office on Friday, 1/16 from 3-4PM.

Larson was the house co-sponsor of the "AIPAC Resolution" passed Jan. 9 that blames Hamas and justifies the Israeli govt for the Massacre in Gaza.

When our entire Congressional Delegation co-signs the Massacre, we must refuse to be silent, we must refuse to allow this heinous propaganda to go unanswered.

Sponsored by:
We Refuse to be Enemies

Co-Sponsored by:
Middle East Crisis Committee
Council on American Islamic Relations -CT
Islamic Center of New London
ANSWER CT
Socialist Action
Queers Without Borders
American Friends Service Committee
Hartford Catholic Worker
People of Faith CT

Other co-sponsors in formation.

Facebook Link

Inauguration Maps and Links

Here are some info and inauguration maps links I've found that might come in handy if you're heading down to DC for the inauguration.

Details are being released slowly; partly because of security concerns, and also because plans are coming together slowly. Bookmark this page and check back often as the big day approaches:

1/18 Update: ABC News 12 has a few good inauguration maps. For more inauguration maps be sure to check out the links below!

1/17 Update:
Google DC street closures is one of those inauguration maps that will be useful in discouraging you from driving in. I'm just sayin'.

Inauguration Map Links is another compilation of maps that you'll find helpful.

Events Calendar - find stuff to do during the inauguration week

1/14 Update: Four new websites
WTOP radio 103.5FM for updates and traffic reports.

Trafficland DC - Shows a map with clickable traffic cams, so you can see current conditions at many Mall area and parade route locations.

Inaugurationplan.blogspot.com/ has some great info.

Inauguration Survival Guide - local resources, info

1/13: The Inauguration of Barack Obama Website - the "official" website of the inauguration.

Inauguration Central - is the Washington Post website for loads of info.

Presidential Inauguration '09 - is the District of Columbia website.

Metro Inauguration Website - for all the important info on taking the Metro into town, including the three closed stations and special notices.

Secret Service Info - these are the people who keep our President safe, so you can assume they have good info available.

Vehicle Access map - good resource if you're dumb enough to try and drive in.

Click on any image to enlarge, or right-click and Save to save it to your computer.

If you have official tickets to the ceremony, this map shows where you can enter the grounds.

Here's the map of road closures and entries onto the parade route.

This map shows the locations of the bleachers along the parade route. The next map is even better.

This map from the Washington Post rocks! It's probably the best map I've found so far. Print it out in landscape format (printable version HERE!) and bring it with you on Tuesday. You'll thank me for this.

I'll add more links and stuff over the next few days.

DC Parade Tickets

Just received my bleacher seat tickets for the Inauguration Parade!

Last Friday they announced they were putting 5,000 bleacher seats on sale at 1PM through Ticketmaster. So I went to the Ticketmaster page a few minutes before 1 and waited for the screen to say tickets were on sale. During the last minute I refreshed the screen every five seconds.

At about 1:00:25 (yes, that's 25 seconds after 1PM) it gave me the ticket ordering screen. I quickly filled out the online form and submitted it. After about a minute it came back and said my tickets were ordered. Woo-hoo!

Just for the heck of it, I went back about a minute later to see if I could order again. The screen showed tickets were unavailable. Later on, I read that the tickets all sold out in the first two minutes.

Our plans for the big day are coming together nicely. We'll get into DC via the Metro early on Tuesday and watch the swearing in from the Mall, then go to the bleachers and take our seats for the parade that will start at the conclusion of the ceremony. We figure we'll spend at least six hours out in the cold, so we'll be dressed warmly.

Later today I'll post some maps and links that might be useful for people attending the event.

50 Most Loathsome of 2008

This is a real gem.

The Buffalo Beast (thebeast.com) has compiled a list of their "50 Most Loathsome Americans of 2008", and it's a brilliantly caustic survey of our best and brightest from last year, along with our worst and dimmest.

The list is brutal but non-partisan; Democrats such as Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton get the same treatment that non-Democrats Sarah Palin and John McCain receive (well, Palin maybe a bit more). Along with a nice mix of sports figures, celebrities, criminals, and various cultural icons (or cultural by-products). Each person is presented with charges that characterizes their loathsomeness, an exhibit that proves the charges, and a summary judgment/sentence.

Here's a line from a devastating critique of Caroline Kennedy which, while I don't necessarily agree with it, I find terribly amusing:

A limp, lifeless, murmuring slouch whose dearth of vivacity makes John Kerry look like Richard Simmons, Kennedy has the apparent focus and charm of a shock therapy victim on Haldol.

The writers for The Beast seem to have a nice handle on the kind of laser-beam cynicism and sarcasm that discourages even the possibility of contradiction. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia receives this metaphorical beating:

The bullet-shaped conservative justice should have stuck to his old policy of not allowing anyone to record him, because the more we see of him, the worse he seems. Scalia drew back the curtain on his legendary mind last April on "60 Minutes," revealing the legal acumen of a gibbon with a Magic 8-ball.

Ouch!

Of course, Joe Lieberman deservedly gets the full treatment from The Beast. The graphic that accompanies this section is hysterical.

13. Joe Lieberman

Charges: A fickle, flabbery fiend reviled by both parties, Lieberman somehow finds himself more powerful than ever, failing forward by virtue of the Democrats’ unfalteringly chumpish lack of discipline. After promising that he was “not going to go to…the Republican convention, and spend my time attacking Barack Obama,” Lieberman went to the Republican convention and attacked Barack Obama. But that was just the beginning of his descent into a self-dug hole of betrayal that should have proved inescapable. Lieberman thought it was “a good question” to ask if Obama was a Marxist. He campaigned not just with McCain, but with Palin and down-ticket Republicans, another thing he said he wouldn’t do. But the most loathsome trait Lieberman exhibits is that most loathsome of all: Smearing dissent as treasonous. The kind of suppressive asshole who would accuse you of helping terrorists by beating him at checkers should not be Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, and is not someone worth rewarding for his own dissent.

Exhibit A: “In matters of war, we undermine presidential credibility at our nation's peril.” “Sen. Obama doesn't come to this debate with a lot of credibility.”

Sentence: Lieberman awakes to find himself in the body of an impoverished Iraqi living in a small apartment with 12 family members and no electricity. Shocked by this inexplicable turn of events, he stumbles outside and cries to God, looking up just in time for the white phosphorous to hit him in the face.

As predicted, Harry Reid folds

In the "No Shit, Sherlock" Dept., we have Majority Leader Harry Reid displaying his consistently weak pimp hand today when he acquiesced and decided to allow Roland Burris to be seated in the Senate. Not only does he look bad yet again, but he's sending Senate Republicans a strong signal that they can always count on him to fold when the going gets tough. This bodes poorly for the upcoming battles we'll surely see in the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Illinois senior senator and Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin said the Senate would accept Burris' credentials.

"The Secretary of the Senate has determined that the new credentials presented today on behalf of Mr. Burris now satisfy Senate Rules and validate his appointment to the vacant Illinois Senate seat. In addition, as we requested, Mr. Burris has provided sworn testimony before the Illinois House Committee on Impeachment regarding the circumstances of his appointment," the two said in a statement. (from CNN.com)

Gee whiz, Harry Reid collapsed like a bad souffle. Why am I not surprised?

In fact, I'll bet the souffle can kick Reid's ass.

Word from Chicago

I have it from an unimpeachable insider in Chicago that the lawyer to watch in the Blago mess is one Sheldon Sorosky. While the other attorneys will be in the spotlight, Shelly is the real fixer of the team. He was a successful prosecutor who became a defense attorney. While he has been considered the small-time member of the team, my insider tells me it was he who convinced Blago to make the Burris appointment (which was a stroke of brilliance, handing Harry Reid the loaded, cocked pistol) and is waiting out Fitzgerald to find out what he really wants in all of this. As is noted here, watch for Sorosky's name on court filings and for reports on his representation before the bench, as that will give you the best bead on where things are headed. Locally, he's known for representing politicans and those associated with them, often getting his clients' charges dismissed or getting them acquitted while others in the same case take the hit. Keep your eye on him.

Countdown to DC

Just 10 days and counting.

We're gonna be there.

We're going to drive down to Warshington (h/t John McCain) for the big show.

The Inauguration of President Obama.

I'll be blogging intermittently during the two preceding days, and I'll have some Inauguration Day photos and video late in the day on the 20th.

We'll be there, to report on this historic event.

...and, perhaps, to enjoy a slightly alcoholic beverage or two!

Blagojevich Impeached

UPDATE: The Ill. Supreme Court ruled that the Sec. of State doesn't need to sign the certificate in order for the appointment of Burris to be legal. Surprisingly, they didn't order the SoS to sign the certificate, and because the US Senate rules state that the paperwork must be in order, this appears to be a standoff.

This little development has the stink of Harry Reid all over it. He's probably hoping to stall Burris long enough to remove Blago from office, and then maybe get a favorable ruling that turns over the appointment.

It's the kind of chickenshit maneuver that I've come to expect from Harry.

(Weirdly, my Firefox spellchecker DIDN'T have a problem with "chickenshit", but I can't type "Barack" or "Obama" without it freaking out!)

-----------------------------------

The vote was 114 to 1 for impeachment. The only surprising thing about it is that it took so long for the Illinois legislature to get their act together.

Of course, had they acted earlier, the selection of Roland Burris by Blago to succeed Barack Obama in the Senate would have more likely been blocked. As it stands now, once the Illinois Supreme Court rules that nothing about the Burris appointment was done illegally, Harry Reid and the Senate will have little choice but to seat Burris.

And about that one dissenting vote:

Rep. Milt Patterson(D-Chicago) was the lone vote against impeaching the governor. Patterson, from Chicago's Southwest Side, said after the roll call that he didn't feel it was his job to vote to impeach the governor. He declined comment on whether he approved of the job Blagojevich is doing.

Now, can we just get the Al Franken issue resolved and NY State seat filled so they can get to work? It's not like they don't have some important stuff that needs to be addressed.

Opinion ISN'T "The News"

I'd like to take a moment to discuss what this blog is about, just in case there's anyone who doesn't "get it".

(And doesn't that "CNN font" look cool? I've been dying to find an excuse to use it.)

Anyway, a political blog is usually, by its nature, a place for opinion and commentary. It's not necessarily "news" in the traditional sense; although there ARE news blogs, notably the stellar "CT News Junkie" for instance.

But most political blogs are simply commentary and opinion. And, through the comments sections, they often act as a forum for the exchange of ideas.

Sometimes quite vehement exchanges.

There are usually two kinds of comments on a blog post. First, you get the "I agree, you make perfect sense to me" comments. Then there are the "you must be smoking crack to have that opinion!" comments.

And of course, there are also the rare "you are a (hypocrite/racist/anti-Semite/hypocrite(I see that one a lot!)/liar/traitor/etc)" comments.

Unlike most other local blogs, I don't put the comments into pre-moderation, or require you to set up a user account. I allow people to post anonymously and immediately, although I do ask them to use a handle so I can tell them apart. I can be less than charitable with anonymous commenters sometimes because if I get three anonymous slams in a row, I tend to see them as the same person. I've been wrong on occasion and lashed out at them, but generally I let their remarks stand. Once in a while I will delete a comment if it contains a personal attack against another commenter, or "hate speech", or threats. I try to explain why the comment was deleted.

My recent articles about the Gaza situation has stirred up a lot of strong responses in the comments. People are very divided on the conflict, and I think the responses I'm getting are somewhat indicative of the public opinion. There are a significant number of "why do you love the terrorists?" comments, along with plenty of "thank you for speaking the truth" comments. I see many more comments via email than appears on the blog. I think that's because people feel slightly uneasy with publicly agreeing with my position, because they don't want to risk being labeled "Hamas sympathizers" (or worse!)

Which, as any of you would know if you've been paying attention, is exactly what I'm NOT saying. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think this is a conflict that can't be solved militarily, and in fact will turn into an even bigger threat if it continues.

But if I'm going to err, I'd rather err on the side of peace.

Film tax credit threatened

Christine Stuart over at CT News Junkie takes a look at the future of the film tax credit for the new legislative session.

(According to a state press release) it looks like the chairs of the legislature’s two budget committees are taking a hard look at the benefit of the state’s film tax credit enacted in 2006 and backed by former Speaker of the House James Amann.

“The goal is to objectively determine if the state comes out ahead when the giveaways are matched up against the new business they generate,” Sen. Eileen Daily, D-Westbrook, said in the press release.

The film tax credit is a discounted tax rate for TV and film production that takes place within the state. The press release (linked here), which is admittedly incomplete, says productions spent over $600 million in the state and created an estimated 2,040 freelance jobs. The release also details an estimated $1.4 million in payroll taxes against roughly $90 million in tax credits.

The important thing to consider is that the payroll tax isn't the only way the state benefits from the increased TV/film productions. There's also the purchases of materials, hotel rooms, food & beverage, etc. that generates taxes that otherwise wouldn't be made. Hiring local workers not only provides payroll taxes, but it cuts down on the need for unemployment benefits, adds state income tax, and increases skills of the work force. Production companies are looking to move permanently to Connecticut which will provide more jobs and add to the tax revenues, albeit at a reduced tax rate.

But considering these economic boosts wouldn't occur if the tax credit wasn't in place, you have to ask if getting 70% of the tax rate for real addition productions isn't better than 100% of the tax rate for no additional production.

Last year CT Voices for Children (a very worthwhile organization) made some news by publicly criticizing the value of film tax credits enacted by the legislature in 2006. The executive director complained that the danger is the film tax credit is uncapped and “as a result, there is no limit to the revenue loss Connecticut might face through these two credits.”

The irony here is that by focusing on the 30% lost revenue for the credit, she's ignoring the additional 70% tax revenue generated by productions that otherwise wouldn't move here. Sure, there are some permanent production companies here that are benefiting greatly from the tax credits, such as WWE, which has their headquarters in Stamford. But before making any changes to the program we need to take a close and detailed look at ALL the data, not just cherry-picked data that doesn't show the whole economic picture.

If the press release is widely distributed without a fair report following it, many people will focus on the figures of $1.4 million gained against $90 million supposedly lost. These numbers are very far from the real economic situation, and if they are used to repeal this program without a fair examination, Connecticut may lose more real income than it saves.

One thing that the tax credit doesn't guarantee is the quality of the films made in Connecticut, as the image above from the filming of "Righteous Kill" demonstrates; a very average cop drama that wastes the talents of two Oscar winners that had scenes filmed here in Milford.

Who wouldn't want to?

Play poker with Harry Reid, that is?

If he ever showed up at any of the hold-em tables in Atlantic City, he'd go home wearing nothing but his boxers and a glum look.

(Not that his glum look is anything new!)

Jane Hamsher over at FireDogLake has a great article about just how awful our Senate Majority Leader is at trying to bluff:

Rather than call for a special election in Illinois, Reid sends a letter to Blagojevich signed by everyone in the Democratic caucus asking him to step down. They assert that they will not seat anyone he appoints.

Harumph!

Blago wipes his ass with it and appoints Burris anyway.

Burris holds a press conference and announces he will be in D.C. on Tuesday to be sworn in with the rest of the Senate. Bobby Rush plays the race card. Reid does not see the handwriting on the wall.

He counters by calling Secretary of State Jesse White, who has already said he won't sign Burris's certification, and encourages him. What White is doing is most certainly outside his legal authority -- the Secretary of State doesn't have veto power. But Reid not only gives White a high five, he tells him they'll use this to keep Burris from being seated.

Then he smugly chortles about how he'll manipulate Senate procedure and punt to the Rules Committee, and assures everyone that they will drag things out for months if necessary until Blago is impeached and his successor appoints someone else. And he does it in the press.

This is a perfect example of how poorly Harry Reid plans, and how he doesn't anticipate the consequences of his actions. To wit:

Upon reading this, (Republican Sen.) Cornyn announces that Franken won't have a signed certification either, and the GOP will use it to keep him from being seated...

Upon hearing this, Reid could stand up to Sen. Cornyn and tell him that if the Republicans block Franken from being seated, Reid will work overtime to see that not a single GOP initiative gets passed.

Or, he could fold like a cheap patio chair. Let's see what he does:

Reuters: "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid yielded to Republican threats and agreed on Monday not to immediately seat fellow Democrat Al Franken."

Wow, who saw THAT coming?

Blago laughs out loud. This is amateur night in Dixieland.

Indeed.

The entire article deserves a read, and Jane expertly details the reasons why Harry Reid would be the absolute worst poker player in the world.

I'm "all-in" on that one.

"Let Gaza Live!" protest Friday in New Haven

(A Palestinian father carries his wounded baby daughter into a hospital in Gaza City on January 4, 2009 as Israeli troops continue its ground assault in Gaza. The half dozen hospitals in Gaza cannot cope with more patients and casualties are overflowing out of regular wards into corridors as Israeli troops push deep into Gaza. At least 40 people have been killed since Israel launched the night-time offensive yesterday after eight days of air strikes in which at least 485 Palestinians died and more than 2,400 were wounded, Gaza medics said. Photo: AFP/Getty)

"Let Gaza Live!" March & Vigil, New Haven, Friday, Jan. 9, 5:30PM

Contact: Stan Hellar, Middle East Crisis Committee, 203-934-2761, 203-506-0953 (C)
Frank O'Gorman, People of Faith, 860-841-5006 (voicemail)

Hundreds will march and rally in New Haven Friday January 9th at an event called "Let Gaza Live". The protest is in response to the Israeli bombings and ground war against the Gaza Strip.

People will gather at 5:00 PM at the Center Church on the Green in New Haven, 250 Temple Street. The group will march after 5:30PM on downtown streets (on the sidewalks) and gather again at the church for a vigil. Speakers will include Nada Khader of Wespac Foundation (NY), the poet Remi Kanazi, and Adam Shapiro, International Solidarity Movement. There will also be Islamic and other activist speakers.

The rally is sponsored by the Council on American Islamic Relations, the Palestinian American Congress, the Middle East Crisis Committee, ANSWER CT, People of Faith CT, Queers Without Borders, the CT Coalition for Peace and Justice, We Refuse to be Enemies and International Socialist Organization-New Haven.

Mongi Dhaouadi, Executive Director of Connecticut CAIR said, "If targeting kids and innocent civilians in UN schools is not a war crime, I don't know what is! Our political leaders must break their deafening silence and call for an end to the killing of innocent and defenseless people in Gaza."

Leaders of the rally are angry at the silence of CT Congressional leaders about the Gaza attacks or their open support for Israel's offensive. Stanley Heller, Chairperson of MECC said, "I went to the office of Rosa DeLauro on January 6, after the massacre of 40 at the UN school in Gaza. I was told DeLauro still had not made any statement about the Gaza situation. This is shameful. She should be condemning the Gaza massacre and siege."

"Christians throughout Connecticut stand in solidarity with the impoverished Palestinian refugees imprisoned in Gaza who are being massacred by the Israeli government. Peace will only come to Palestine when the immoral Israeli apartheid occupation, funded by US tax dollars, is dismantled," said Frank O'Gorman, director of People of Faith CT.

People of Faith is an interfaith organization that works in collaboration with faith communities, organizations and people of goodwill to articulate faith-based values as a foundation for progressive politics and to mobilize constituents for social justice and peace activism.

More News on the MGAT situation

The story about the committee appointment hit the New Haven Register today, with the agonizingly pithy headline, "Appointment to cable access board generates static"

Did I say pithy? The next time I see reporter James Tinley, I'm going to ask him if they have a special course in journalism school dedicated solely to constructing those silly pun-filled headlines!

Actually, I kid...I'm often guilty of doing the same thing on my blog. It's really hard to resist doing, especially after all the NY Post headlines that I was subjected to during the formative years (in my case, that would be the teens through the 40s!)

Anyway, this is the reason I just ran out in the rain to grab a copy of the New Haven Register:

MILFORD — The appointment Monday night of a left-leaning political blogger to the Milford Government Access Television Board riled Republicans, creating the only dissension among aldermen during the appointments of more than 50 people to various boards and commissions.

Bob Adams, known by his blog readers as CT Bob, was a late addition to the agenda and replaced Republican Stephen Spector. Democratic Town Committee Chairman Richard Smith claimed Monday night that Spector should not have been on the agenda because aldermen never agreed to it. MGAT board members are chosen by aldermen.

So it looks like Mr. Spector is actually a Republican, not a Democrat, as was posted on the agenda I saw. Not that it makes a great deal of difference in this case, because I don't see partisan politics as having any place in this committee. We're tasked with bringing government to the home viewer, and that means what goes on in the meetings will be on the TV. That's basically it.

After a brief debate, in which Adams’ blog was referenced by Alderman Scott Willey, R-4, Adams was confirmed by a 9-6 vote along party lines. Adams was the only nominee, of almost 60, who was not confirmed unanimously.

Republican aldermen complained that Adams was added to the agenda only the day before Monday’s meeting. Smith called the Republican objections “silly.”

“My readers know that I can be opinionated, but they also know that I want true transparency in government,” Adams said following his confirmation Monday night.

Adams wrote on his blog ctbob.blogspot.com Tuesday: “For the record, I’m going to play this completely straight, and the only agenda I’ll be serving will be to help provide complete transparency to the legislative process through public access TV. My political opinions will be limited to what you read on this blog.”

Mayor James L. Richetelli Jr. originally had the power to appoint the MGAT members with aldermanic approval, but aldermen voted last month to give themselves the sole say in MGAT board appointments.

Richetelli said he was pleased the people originally involved in bringing local government access to Milford were still on the board, but was upset there were no Republicans selected. The board now has three Democrats and two unaffiliated members.

“This was seen as the Democrats first chance to fill a board and they showed they talk a good game of bi-partisanship...but showed their true colors and appointed no Republicans at all,” the mayor said.

Smith said the GOP made a big deal out of the Adams appointment, but quietly took care of “their own housekeeping,” by not reappointing Republican Tom Zawislinski to the police board.

Smith said he believes Zawislinski was not reappointed because the GOP was unhappy with him.

“I was fine with Tom, and I believe he wanted to stay on the board. It was the Republicans’ decision to keep him off. ... I don’t think Tom is too happy,” Smith said...

The article continued with the Zawislinski story from there.

James covered the story quite fairly, but I wish he'd gotten some quotes from Alderman Willey, because I'd really love to know what it is specifically that he doesn't like about my blog.

And the phrase "left-leaning political blogger" always brings an image to mind of some scruffy-looking guy lurching awkwardly down the sidewalk because one leg is way shorter than the other, while clutching a battered laptop in his hands and looking for a coffee shop with free Wifi so he can spread his wicked lefty views across the blogosphere.

But maybe I'm taking the metaphor too literally?

We won't have Dick to kick around much longer

There's something so ugly about Dick Cheney's desperate attempts to explain all the illegalities and excesses of the Bush administration that we need to keep these video records of him so that when things get tough during the upcoming Obama administration (and at times they undoubtedly will get tough) we can remind ourselves just how awful Dick Cheney and George Bush were for our nation.



(Video from FireDogLake)

I thought it would be simple

Now I kind of know how Roland Burris feels.

Last night was my city's appointment of new members to various committees. So I voluteered for a committee position that involves tech stuff like video, which I enjoy. This pales when compared to the much more notable selection of Justin Rosen to fill the remainder of Alderman Barbara Lambert's term, who is stepping down because she won Jim Amann's former seat in the State Assembly.

(photo by Tessa Marquis)
Congrats to Justin, although I'm sure he's totally sick of hearing his name mentioned with his age (which is 21, if you hadn't heard). I'm sure he's going to be a great addition to our Board of Alderman.

So a seat on the newly formed committee to manage "MGAT" opened up, which is the Government Access Television channel. Apparently one of the people who managed it before it became an official board is also a City employee, and from what I've heard you can't be on a city committee in that case.

Rich Smith, the Democratic Town Committee chairman, called me recently to ask if I was interested in the spot. I told him sure, and assumed it would be a simple task to be confirmed, based on Mayor Jim Richetelli's comments in this New Haven Register article by James Tinley:

Despite some heated moments in 2008 between Republican Mayor James L. Richetelli Jr. and the Democrat-controlled Board of Aldermen, neither side is expecting any controversy to arise from the appointments.

“Usually, it goes pretty smoothly,” said Richetelli.

That should have tipped me off right there! While they sorted out some procedural issues regarding my late addition to the agenda, the maybe 60 or so other committee members who were ALL unanimously elected by the alderman were fidgeting while my appointment was being debated. Then I heard my blog being discussed!

Everyone was waiting to be sworn in so they could go home, and here I was holding up the works! Each time I heard my name mentioned, I sank a little deeper into my chair. All my friends were laughing and pointing at me; I don't know how many times I was referred to as a "trouble maker", "leftist agitator", or worse!

And those were my friends!

Here's Mike Brown's write-up of the event from My Left Nutmeg:

(Cheers for another extreme left-winger, hate-mongering infidel crashing the gate. - promoted by Scarce)

CTBob appears to be a lightning rod for partisan division in Milford. The Board of Alderman voted along party lines (9-6) to appoint Robert A. Adams, a blogger, to the MGAT Commission - Milford Government Access Television Commission.

Bob was a last minute entry; and this seemed to start the rankling. Then Alderman Scott Willey (R) stated that he had been to CTBob's website. (my note: Oh, Shit!) He noted the "extreme left wing" commentary and wonder if that would be the new tone of MGAT. Bob was thrilled to hear about the increase in traffic to his website. (my note: not really!)

We can only hope that MGAT will improve with someone like Bob on the commission. No more endless video of small children pledging allegiance to the flag. No more grandstanding by the Mayor, presenting awards to children for sports events - this took up the first half hour of last night's meeting. Unfortunately, I think Bob actually likes all that stuff. (my note: not really!)

Alderman Willey also seemed to be perturbed that the commission was made up if three Democrats and two persons who were unaffiliated - no Republicans. The source of this fracas can be traced back to when the MGAT commission was approved as a Aldermanic Board appointment, and not as a Mayoral appointment as the ordinance was originally written by the City Attorney. Elections have consequences.

It should be noted that Alderman Willey recently referred to the Democratic Aldermen as socialists, trying to turn the government in Milford to something akin to that of the former Soviet Union. The subject of this particular revelation was a "Fight the Hike" resolution passed along party lines, urging UI and the General Assembly to reduce electric power rates in the State. (Sounds like the Communist Manifesto to me.)

Congratulations Bob we expect big things from you on this commission - like ambushing State Reps at the train station and videos of paper machete heads - kissing.

For the record, I'm going to play this completely straight, and the only agenda I'll be serving will be to help provide complete transparency to the legislative process through public access TV. My political opinions will be limited to what you read on this blog, or if you have the bad luck to engage in a discussion with me. But as far as the MGAT thing goes, I'm going to be totally apolitical.

Fortunately, MGAT's cameras were there recording the evening's events, and I'm hoping to have some video up sometime in the near future that shows the raking over the coals that I endured to get on the committee. That way you'll be able to enjoy it as much as me.

Jim Himes, Congress to be sworn-in live on C-SPAN

(Jim Himes listens to citizen's concerns at an open forum in Bridgeport last month)

Tomorrow is the culmination of roughly two years' work by many, many dedicated volunteers, contributors, and paid staff, who toiled endlessly to elect a Democrat in the 4th CD.

Jim Himes will complete the Connecticut Democratic Delegation in the House when he's sworn-in live on C-SPAN, starting at noon tomorrow.



Jim spoke to me briefly at the JJB Dinner (above) nearly two years ago, and for many people it was their very first glimpse of the man who would ultimately defeat Chris Shays.

This is an email message from Jim:

Thanks to your dedication and commitment over the course of our campaign, I will be honored to take the oath of office tomorrow to represent Connecticut's Fourth District in the 111th United States Congress.

You can watch the en masse swearing-in of all freshman members of the new Congress live on C-SPAN tomorrow, Tuesday, January 6th at 12:00 noon.

As 2009 begins, I believe both the incoming Obama Administration and both parties in Congress understand the magnitude of the economic crisis we are facing. As we get to work immediately tomorrow, I need to continue to hear your thoughts, opinions, advice, and criticism.

In the coming days and weeks, I will be opening district offices in Bridgeport and Stamford, an office in Washington D.C., and an official Congressional website where you will be able to communicate with our office. These are just some of the many ways for us to stay in touch as we move forward together. I hope we will continue to do so.

Unelectable?

There are reports that the Senate Majority Leader has discussed his preferences for Barack Obama's Senate replacement with Illinois Gov. Rod Stupidovich. Er, I mean Blagojevich.

If this is true, it would mean that Harry Reid should disqualify himself from the confirmation process, because it would indicate a clear conflict of interest.

From the Washington Post:

Illinois's embattled governor said through his spokesman Saturday that Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) has a conflict of interest regarding the Senate seat being vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

Reid telephoned Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) in early December to discuss the seat, said Lucio Guerrero, a gubernatorial spokesman. Guerrero said he did not know firsthand which candidates Reid supported during the call, but added that he knows Reid's candidates did not include Roland W. Burris, the man Blagojevich picked.

Senate leaders have vowed to oppose the appointment of Burris.

Of course, Harry Reid denies the report. It might be interesting to see if the FBI was wire tapping Gov. Blagojevich's phones in early December when Reid supposedly had the discussion about the seat. If I was Blago, I'd request the FBI release the tape. It would be interesting to see what happens then.

From the Chicago Tribune:

Reid and his top deputy in Senate Democratic leadership, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, also rejected reports that Reid, in a telephone call to Blagojevich prior to the governor's arrest, expressed doubts about the electability in 2010 of three African-American contenders to fill the vacancy— Chicago Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr. and Danny Davis, and state Senate President Emil Jones Jr.

Reid accused Blagojevich of "making all this up" and denied saying "who not to appoint." Durbin, on ABC's "This Week," likewise pointed the finger at the two-term Democratic governor.

I can't really say that I care much for Harry Reid (as you may have gathered from my numerous rants on this blog), but I would absolutely hate it to be true that he may be blocking Burris simply because he didn't get his way on the selection.

There's one way to put this all to rest. And that is to seat Roland Burris, and if at some point he is found to be dirty, impeach and remove him.

That's why we bother to actually write down our laws, rather than just make them up as we go.

Gaza protest video from today

I decided to peel myself out of the recliner today (after all, the good game won't start until 4:30, Eagles at Vikings) and head down to New Haven to shoot some video at the Gaza protest.

Maybe fifty people were there at any point in the proceedings, but on a Sunday in New Haven, that's a huge crowd. I spent about an hour taking pictures and interviewing people who showed up.

Generally the mood was of concern and outrage at the events of the last week. I also met and spoke with Melinda Tuhus from The New Haven Independent, who was also interviewing people.

One of the things I've noticed about interviewing people today is that they have very specific and detailed reasons for protesting Israel's actions in Gaza. I asked Melinda how she managed to edit down their typical three-minute long answers into usable sound bites; she said she was using her recording simply to replay while she makes notes. I did manage to pare down the video into something just over four minutes long, but it was a challenge. Here it is:

Harsh Realities

Correction: The Raw Story tonight posted that the video that was claimed to be of an Israeli attack appears to have been in error. The footage was actually taken on September 23, 2005 at the Jabalya refugee camp, described as a bombing of a parade that killed at least 15 Palestinians. Israel denied responsibility, and the ruling Palestinian Fatah blamed Hamas.

Normally, The Raw Story is very good about their reporting, but apparently they were duped by a false attribution. As bad as the tragedy and the video of it was, I'm at least somewhat relieved it didn't happen as a result of the current incursion.

But today's reports of the Israelis possibly using cluster munitions in populated civilian areas is very disturbing. I think I'll probably wait until there's a video with a "CNN" logo in the corner before I post it, however.

The 41 Most Powerful People in the World

I'm referring to, of course, the Senate Republicans.

This minority of GOPers has the amazing strength to block any Democrat they wish from being seated in the Senate.

Case in point: Harry Reid (the "Nutless Wonder") has sworn to block the legally appointed replacement for Barack Obama's senate seat, Roland Burris, because he fears Senate Republicans will make it difficult for him to legislate.

Burris, who on the surface seems rather pompous, meets the legal requirements to be a Senator, and after a week of intense vetting which has shown absolutely NO connection with Blago's "pay for play" shenanigans, should be seated. The reason Blago even had the opportunity to choose Burris is because Reid is too much of a scaredy-cat to allow a special election in Illinois. As a result, Blago got to make his choice. And the guy is clean.

But the very threat of GOP politicking is enough to make our esteemed Majority Leader hike up his skirts and stand on a chair, shrieking like a 1940's housewife scared by a mouse. He'll cave to the GOP, as usual.

Next case in point: Al Franken has a 225 vote lead in what is being referred to as the most open and transparent recount in history. On Monday the Minnesota Sec. of State will likely certify the election. But the Republican governor might withhold his signature until after all of Norm Coleman's legal challenges are exhausted.

Which will leave Minnesota with one less senator for months, unless Harry Reid decides to seat Coleman as the interim senator until the courts decide who won. This would give the GOP an insurance seat for any future filibusters, and there's no doubt they'll frequently resort to this tactic (as opposed to the Senate Dems, who can't seem to get together to agree that the Sun rises in the East, let alone anything that requires unanimity.)

And if his track record is anything to believe, Reid just might seat Coleman.

I'm willing to give our new President the full 100 days before I start bitching about any things he does wrong.

However, Harry Reid has continually let us down.

He deserves no such leeway.

Protest for peace in New Haven Sunday

Boy, I've opened up a big-assed can of worms by publicizing the peace protests that People of Faith CT are organizing. I'm frankly quite astounded at how many people are fervently supporting the bombing and incursion into Gaza, while offering nothing in the way of a peaceful solution.

Has six years of our nation's illegal occupation of Iraq so dulled our sense of morality that we can't see the overwhelming brutality of this invasion? The Bush administration's refusal to commit anything in the way of diplomacy to the conflict is both typical and tragic. George W. Bush gave Israel tacit permission to continue their assault on the civilians in Gaza by his inaction.

The four-day old baby on the news tonight who was wounded in the attack and needed to get emergency medical treatment in Egypt didn't look much like a terrorist to me.

Start: Jan 4 2009 - 12:00pm

THE ISRAELI GROUND INVASION HAS BEGUN—
EMERGENCY PROTEST TOMORROW, SUNDAY, JAN. 4
12 NOON, FEDERAL BUILDING,
141 CHURCH STREET
NEW HAVEN, CT
Call 203-606-0319 to help today

After heavy artillery firing by Israel into Gaza neighborhoods, a massive troop invasion has begun.

The ANSWER Coalition, Muslim American Society Freedom, Free Palestine Alliance, National Council of Arab Americans, and Al-Awda - International Palestine Right to Return Coalition are calling on people across the country and around the world to take to the streets to show solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza and to demand an immediate end to the murderous attacks carried out by the U.S.-backed Israeli military against the people of Gaza.

The ANSWER Coalition is calling on everyone to an emergency protest at the Federal Building, 141 Church St. between Elm and Chapel St., in New Haven, CT, 12 Noon.

Volunteer help needed! Forward this alert as widely as possible. Call 203-606-0319 for more info.

Endorsed by People of Faith CT and Queers Without Borders.

Franken expands lead with absentee ballots

Breaking News! Minnesota Sec. of State Mark Ritchie just announced that the election will be certified on Monday. While he didn't say how they would rule, it should be obvious given today's developments.

During the initial tally of the disputed absentee ballots today, Al Franken has extended his lead from 49 votes to 223 (now 225) votes. This figure might change slightly as the evening goes on.

TheUptake.com is providing excellent streaming video coverage and commentary of this critical and historic event. They are doing amazing work and I strongly encourage you all to send them a donation if you believe in the total transparency of democracy that their ground-breaking coverage is providing.

The Minnesota canvassing board will continue to assess the situation tonight, and reconvene on Monday. But the number of additional votes that the initial tally shows may indicate a bulletproof lead, despite Norm Coleman's desperate attempts to challenge the results.

My guess is that the media will pick up on the new numbers and there will be a growing call for Norm Coleman to drop his challenges. The total transparency of the entire process should help defuse concerns over the fairness of the recount, and The Uptake deserves a share of the credit for bringing the recount to the people.

If Albert Einstein were alive today and helping with the recount, he'd probably use his superior intellect to sway the Minnesota GOP to drop their desperate challenge:

MMIX

Every new year I'm faced with a serious problem.

Well, maybe not a serious problem, but it's something that nags at me more than I'd like. And it's this: I totally obsess over writing the correct year whenever I fill out the date.

You know how you write a check sometime in January and accidentally put the previous year in the date field? Well, about 15 years ago I got the bright idea to try and be consciously aware of doing that whenever I write the date. It took about eight years before I managed to get through the entire year without ONCE filling in the wrong year.

Since then, I've had about four or five perfect years, including the last two. You can't possibly imagine the pressure I endure when December rolls around and I know I've only got one more month to make it through! There are times when I nearly wrote the wrong year because I was trying so hard NOT to write the wrong year!

The first time you try to do it, you might get through January before screwing up; unless of course you're one of those wackos who does everything right the first time, no matter what!

In that case, you can't possibly relate to this. No, I'm speaking to YOU, the one who has a bunch of canceled checks with the year scribbled out/clumsily erased/written over. YOU'RE the one who can identify with me, not that "Perfect Pete" over there!

After a few tries, you'll find you can get to March or April before messing up. You should be prepared to throw a mini-tantrum when that happens, because you'll be very upset with yourself. But be sure to resolve to try harder the following year, and you'll eventually be rewarded with success. Once you get close to New Year's Eve, you should set your checkbook aside and leave any bills unpaid until after the First. Because screwing it up in December is brutal, just brutal. Trust me.

Believe me, the first time you manage to do it, you'll feel like you accomplished something amazing. Something that means absolutely nothing beyond the satisfaction of personal accomplishment (unless your job is doing something like putting expiration dates on foods or medicines; then you'll probably enjoy it because you get to stay employed!) But personal satisfaction is often it's own reward.

I sometimes wonder if the Romans ever had that problem. Like, when they accidentally chiseled CCXIII rather than CCXIV into a tablet? I bet they were pissed when they did that, because you can't erase or backspace over chisel marks.

Anyway, that pretty much wraps it up. I hope you have a very Happy MMIX!

Milford to develop "green fleet"

The city's Board of Alderman are working on a draft resolution meant to implement the resolution passed in September of establishing a comprehensive policy to purchase more fuel-efficient city vehicles.

While the image above is just a parody, we might be seeing hybrid or alternatively-fueled vehicles being used by the city in the near future. James Tinley reports in the New Haven Register:

“Everyone seemed to be on board and in agreement that the city needs to lead by example,” said aldermanic Chairman Ben Blake, D-5. “The city needs to show it’s making headway.”

Blake said the draft ordinance is only for “discussion purposes” at this point and he is not sure when a final draft will be ready for a vote by the Board of Aldermen.

“I don’t see it something that is so distant in the future. In fact, I’d say it will happen in the relatively near future,” Blake said.

Even when a policy is formalized, Blake said changes are expected as newer technologies emerge or the needs of the city change.

“This is something that is going to be a working, living document,” he said

I like the idea of making the resolution flexible, to take into account new and changing technologies as they develop. It'll be interesting to see where we go from here.

News on the Hartford protest

HASAN QUDDIM leads a chant in front of scores of protesters along Main Street in Hartford Friday. (ROSS TAYLOR)

UPDATE: There's a very detailed write up with photos at RealHartford.

The Hartford Courant covered the protest against the violence in Gaza, with a video clip via Fox 61 and a write up.

There were people from both sides represented, and the emotional protest, while loud at times, remained peaceful. From the Courant article:

At the rally in Hartford Friday, Sameh Dardona, from Gaza, said he last visited his homeland two years ago. Dardona, an engineer at United Technologies, was getting married in Gaza, but because the border was closed, he was forced to sleep for eight days in an Egyptian shelter.

He stayed in Gaza for two months, witnessing the deaths of his countrymen and the shelling of mosques. He said his family's house was also fired on even though his relatives were innocent bystanders. He called the deaths of Palestinians irresponsible. "It's just massacring civilian people," he said.

Liz Aaronsohn, a professor at Central Connecticut State University had another way to describe it: "This is another Warsaw ghetto, except it's Jews this time causing the genocide," she said. Aaronsohn, who said her father was a rabbi, added, "Judaism teaches you that you don't cause suffering like that," she said.

Mongi Dhaouadi, executive director of the Connecticut chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, called on the U.S. government to end the bombardment of the Gaza strip, restore the flow of humanitarian aid to the region, broker a cease-fire and consider cutting off military aid to Israel.

Some members of the Connecticut Congressional delegation have spoken about the crisis.

Sen. Joe Lieberman said the conflict stems from the rockets and mortar rounds "fired indiscriminately and unilaterally by Hamas, with the intention of murdering innocent civilians."

"After repeated warnings," he said, "Israel is now exercising its legitimate right of self-defense to stop these terrorist acts."

Rep. Rosa DeLauro said Friday that the United States should support the return to a cease-fire, but only if Hamas ceases its rocket attacks.

Sen. Chris Dodd, a senior member of the foreign relations committee, also condemned the Hamas attacks. "But there is no military solution to the conflict," he said in a statement, adding that he supports an interim truce and negotiations.

Sen. Dodd sums up the problem right there. There is likely a solution to this conflict, but it will require good faith negotiation, not military force.

The situation is very tense right now, with Israeli tanks and troops gathered at the boarder of Gaza. Israel has stated that it will precede any ground attack with a massive aerial bombardment. This will absolutely lead to significant civilian losses, regardless of how carefully the bombings are targeted.

Another Gaza protest today in Hartford

Groups to Protest Gaza Massacre, Friday, 1/2, 3PM, Hartford

Contact: Stan Hellar, Middle East Crisis Committee, 203-934-2761, 203-506-0953(cell)
Frank O'Gorman, People of Faith, 627-2290, 841-5006 (voicemail)

Political Interest. Interview/Photo Opportunity.

Several human rights and political groups will be holding a demonstration at 3PM on Friday, January 2, in front of the Federal Building, 450 Main Street, Hartford, to protest the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Sponsoring organizations include the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Palestinian-American Congress, the Middle East Crisis Committee, and People of Faith CT.

"In this Christmas season, Christians throughout Connecticut stand in solidarity with the impoverished Palestinian refugees imprisoned in Gaza who are being slaughtered by the Israeli government," said Frank O'Gorman, director of People of Faith CT. "Peace will only come to Palestine when the immoral Israeli apartheid occupation, funded by US tax dollars, is dismantled," he continued.

"At the demonstration we will call for Connecticut's Congressional delegation to speak out now against the killing. The violence is being described in the media as a 'war', but the Israelis so overpower the Palestinians in the means of violence and the number killed that the event has to be described as a massacre. We will be calling on President-Elect Obama to break his silence about the Israeli attack," said Stanley Hellar, MECC chairperson.

(CT Bob here: I don't necessarily agree that Barack Obama should publicly comment on the volatile situation in Gaza until after he becomes President. We still have a sitting president who should do his goddamned job and speak up about this situation. Anything Obama says right now might be blamed for further escalation of the conflict. I think our current president should be the one to lead us on this.

After all, that's what he's supposed to be getting paid for!)

People of Faith is an interfaith organization that works in collaboration with faith communities, organizations and people of goodwill to articulate faith-based values as a foundation for progressive politics and to mobilize constituents for social justice and peace activism.

Happy New Year!

Truer words have never been spoken!

Happy New Year from your favorite angry bloggers!

(And thank god Christmas is finally over! This could have been me!)

Blago scores a point

You gotta give Rod Blagojevich credit here. The guy really knows how to give the Democratic establishment fits.

A couple days ago Blago defied basically EVERYONE and appointed Roland Burris as Barack Obama's replacement in the Senate. Burris is a longtime Illinois politician and former Attorney General who has a penchant for losing elections. All early indications is that Burris is the sort of career political hack who makes my skin crawl; he even built himself a ridiculous mausoleum that has his "accomplishments" chiseled into the granite.

But unless his vetting turns up something that will obviously disqualify him, I'm beginning to think that he should be seated.

Here's the facts: Blago is still governor. Burris so far hasn't been implicated in the scandal. We were once a nation of laws, although we've gotten pretty far from that for the last eight years; we need to set an example and start following the letter of the law if we want our nation to survive. And if Burris isn't connected in any way to the "pay for play" scandal, I don't see why he isn't legally entitled to the seat.

Of course, Harry Reid (or, as I like to refer to him, "The Nutless Wonder") has said he would work to block Burris's confirmation. That's vintage Harry Reid for ya, all talk and no action. Just wait and see; when the Illinois Supreme Court certifies the appointment, as Burris asked them to do, Reid will decide that it'll be simply too divisive to pursue any attempt to keep him out.

Again, this is a perfect example of how the Democrats have let themselves fall behind by not being proactive. The Illinois legislature should have removed Blago from office immediately. Or pass a law to reform the succession process BEFORE Blago appointed someone. But they couldn't get their act together.

Roland Burris looks like a very weak choice for Obama's replacement. But if he survives the extremely thorough vetting that I HOPE he gets, he should and will be seated.

And the Democrats will look bad regardless.