August 8, 1974

34 years ago today, the second worst president in history announced his resignation in the wake of all three articles of impeachment passing in the House. At noon tomorrow, it will be the actual anniversary of the moment his resignation took effect.

I remember being a teenager, watching the proceedings on a little 13" black & white TV in my room. The weather outside wasn't perfect, but it was still summer and I knew that in a month I'd be back in high school. I hated the idea of wasting a day of my precious school break to watch TV. Nevertheless, I felt compelled to watch it, knowing even then it was a moment in history.

Back in those days, it seemed there were earth shaking events occurring with startling regularity every few months. My formative years were marked by the televised images of JFK's funeral, the daily nightmare of Vietnam, the devastating Apollo 1 fire (on my birthday!), Martin Luther King's and Bobby Kennedy's shocking murders, an astronaut taking that dramatic first step on the Moon, and the growing spectacle about something called the Watergate Scandal. My memories of these events are set in fuzzy black & white images.

There are arguably greater threats to our nation now than there were in the turbulent late 60's and early 70's. I don't know for sure, because it's hard to have a clear perspective when you're right in the middle of history-making events while they're happening. It might take another 20 or so years before we have an accurate frame of reference to compare this decade with the one above. But there's no doubt that we are in an historic time, and the course our nation chooses over the next several months will certainly have repercussions that will echo for decades.

For this reason it's good to study history, just to provide some insight as to what is happening today. I'm convinced that the crimes of the Bush administration are at the very least comparable to those of Nixon's (and certainly more far-reaching than the charges brought against Bill Clinton, even though he deserved to be impeached), and yet we'll probably not ever witness a photo taken that resembles the circumstances of the one at the top of this article.

But I can still dream, can't I?

John Quinn update

OK, this is funny.

I never claimed that video bloggers aren't occasionally annoying in their own way. But from the follow up video below, you can see just how the heckler deals with the situation when the tables are turned.

The video blogger follows Quinn out of the hall and asks him questions. He starts whining to the police, repeatedly, that he's being "harassed", when in fact the video blogger is simply exercising the exact same First Amendment rights that Quinn himself took advantage of when he disrupted Sen. Obama's speech.

I'm astounded by the utter hypocrisy of these pseudo-patriots like John Quinn who interrupt speeches to scream about the flag and then demand that anyone who opposes them be silenced or arrested. Hey asshole, it's STILL a free country!

And maybe you should try that shit at a McCain rally and see if you get even a fraction of the leeway you were given the other day. If you're LUCKY, you'll ONLY be shouted down by the rabid crowd. I've heard of hecklers being physically assaulted in those instances.



(Video by blogger interrupted)

Howard Dean on McCain

BigDavefromQueens over at DailyKos credits Howard Dean with coming up with the best line of the year regarding the election. He stated:

"The John McCain of 2000 wouldn't even consider voting for the John McCain of 2008."

Dave then goes on to list all the reasons why this is effective:

1. It's true.
2. It's funny.
3. It links McCain to Bush's Third Term.
4. It shows McCain's lack of integrity.
5. It reminds people that John McCain is the world champion flip flopper.
6. It reveals how unelectable McCain's 2008 stands on position are.
7. It reminds people of McCain's radical associations.
8. It eviscerates his prior claims of independence and bipartisanship.
9. It's pointed without coming across as negative.
10. It serves as a gateway to a litany of talking points.
11. It demonstrates that John McCain will say or do anything to get elected.

We all remember Big Dave (who dropped the "big" from his handle and is now known as simply "DaveFromQueens") as one of the most colorful characters on the scene during the Lamont-Lieberman race. Dave would often show up at Lieberman events wearing his Bush mask and confront the senator. Here's my favorite image of Dave:

Intellectual dishonesty

Whenever I appear at a political event as part of the media, I make no effort to hide my identity or attempt to execute some hidden agenda. I wear my ID badge on my media tags and never hesitate to reveal my name and website when asked. Even at those events where I'm clearly not in agreement with the prevailing political philosophy, I play it straight and do my job.

Which is why this guy annoys me so much.

Apparently, some idiot received a press pass for the media platform at a town meeting in Ohio where Barack Obama spoke yesterday. The guy decided it was his duty to interrupt the presidential candidate while he was speaking and scream that he absolutely needed to recite the Pledge of Allegiance right NOW! Much to his credit, Barack Obama didn't try to shout the guy down; in fact, he led the entire gathering in the Pledge, which was very classy and served to diffuse what could have been an ugly incident.

Now, I don't have a problem with somebody on the floor of a public meeting wanting his opinion to be heard (although it's rude to shout like a maniac when someone else is talking), but I do strongly object to this guy's use of the media riser to make his point.

The media riser is a platform that's supposed to be used solely by people from the media (and political blogs these days) for covering the event, not for making political statements. By applying for and receiving media credentials, in effect the guy is saying that he is there for the purpose of reporting or photographing the event. If he insists on making a spectacle of himself, he should wait in line and get in with the rest of the private citizens, and not use false pretenses to give himself a very visible stage from which to spew his hidden agenda.

I use the word "agenda" because of what happened afterwards.

When the speeches ended, the other "honest" media on the platform asked him who he was and what motivated his outburst. The guy was very indignant and refused to identify himself or explain his motivation, except for some awkward rationalizations that public meetings should always start with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Well, a little digging by the Cleveland Plain Dealer (photo credit above) exposed why he was so reticent to identify himself. His name is John Quinn of Parma, OH and (surprise, surprise!) it turns out he's a registered REPUBLICAN!

Obviously, the GOP is so threatened by Obama's candidacy that they've taken to sending in covert operatives under the guise of media to try and precipitate some kind of embarrassing incident. This is just another example of the sort of dirty tricks the GOP has long been associated with. Back in 1972, Nixon's Committee to Re-Elect the President (C.R.E.E.P.) made dirty tricks part of the political lexicon once the Watergate hearings exposed their methods.

But the GOP of the 21st century is now taking dirty tricks to the level of an art form. They learned their lessons well from Karl Rove. Don't be surprised to hear about more and more of these kinds of things happening as we get closer to the election. If there's one thing I know about the GOP, it's the fact that they'll never pass up a chance for intellectual dishonesty if they think there's any advantage to be gained by it.

Here's the video; you watch it and decide on this guy's motives:

Sen. Lieberman knows how to multitask

Audio from the "Chaz & A.J." show on WPLR-FM 99.1 yesterday.

I'm wondering if this is a metaphor for his career after January?

Himes-Whitnum debate video

Here is the entire 28 minute video from Cablevision's News 12 "Focus On Connecticut" program of the Jim Himes-Lee Whitnum debate, taped a week ago in Norwalk.

With just about a week to go before the August 12th primary, I think it's important for this debate to be available to voters who might not have Cablevision. I did wait until after the weekend so News 12 could show the program repeatedly.

Anchorman Tom Appleby did a terrific job moderating what was a difficult debate. And if you aren't already subscribed, you should order Cablevision to receive their outstanding local coverage that isn't available through any other source.

I won't be watching

I've written about the Bejing Olympics several times; here, here, here, here, and here, among other places.

As you might gather, I'm no fan of China's government.

I am, however, a major sports fan.

So it's going to be very painful for me to NOT watch the upcoming Bejing Olympics over the coming two weeks, starting this Friday. But I'm choosing to forgo watching the events because I don't want to be even the tiniest bit in agreement with what I expect will be an exhibition of Chinese nationalism and propaganda that will rival the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

The Chinese government may be our nation's favorite source for cheap goods and such, but they also lead the world in repression and human rights violations. As bad as the U.S. has gotten in recent years, I think we'll be getting back on the right track starting early next year, when President Obama and a Democratic Congress will work together to correct some of the worst excesses of the Bush/Cheney regime.

China has complained bitterly about the criticism of their actions, of course. They are experts at playing the "victim". I've seen countless examples in the media of our need to avoid "hurting the feelings" of the Chinese people; as if the whole world is mean and unfair, and poor little China is just trying to get along as best they can.

Sorry, I won't buy it.

However, I don't expect China to change anytime soon. Not as long as we continue giving them tacit approval of their awful policies in exchange for cheap toys and dog food that occasionally won't poison our children or our pets. And an uncritical media is accepting China's censorship and restrictions because their corporate owners will get a windfall of viewers and advertising dollars.

Will my little protest make any difference in the larger picture? Of course not.

But I will be able to sleep a little better at night. And the NY Mets are still on the air, so I'll get my sports fix by screaming at my TV and spewing vial abuse at their awful bullpen (they blew yet ANOTHER 2-run lead in the 9th last night!)

My interview with Chris Shays

It hasn't happened yet, but I'm working on it.

For several months now I've been going back and forth with the Chris Shays (CT-4) people to try to set up a video interview with the congressman. I'm currently trying to interview all of our state's representatives, having already taped Chris Murphy (CT-5), and I've been in touch with Rosa DeLauro's (CT-3) staff about scheduling an interview.

Chris Shays offered to sit for an interview with me after one of his 4th District "town meetings" in Bridgeport last April, when he mistakenly accused CT Blogger and myself of being paid video "trackers" for the Jim Himes campaign. In fact, we're both independent "People-Powered Media", but that doesn't preclude us (or Fox News, for that matter) from having opinions or favoring one party over another.

But Chris was gracious when we corrected him and afterwards he made it a point to apologize to me and CT Blogger personally for singling us out and making his comments, saying that he normally would never do something like that. He seemed genuinely sorry, so I asked him if he'd be willing to do a one-on-one interview with me. He immediately agreed and invited me to come to his Bridgeport home as soon as he could schedule it. I exchanged email addresses with one of his staff and thanked him.

Over the next several weeks we exchanged emails trying to find a time slot that was mutually convenient for the both of us. Chris of course was busy with Congress being in session, and I had professional and personal commitments that made it difficult for us to sync up. Eventually I think we both sort of put the interview on a back burner.

Then last week at Jim Himes's Bridgeport "town meeting", I noticed to my surprise that there was a video tracker there from Chris Shays's campaign. So I went over and introduced myself. The camera operator's name I didn't get, but his supervisor's name was Sean and he took my card and said he'd try to have someone get in touch with me.

When I got home that night, I looked up the email exchange I'd had several months ago with the Shays people and found the name of Dave Natonski, Shays's press secretary, and I renewed my request for an interview. I'm waiting to hear back from him.

Hopefully we'll manage to schedule something later this month, because after Labor Day all the campaigns will kick into full swing and it'll be much more difficult to schedule an interview. I understand that Chris might be somewhat reticent to be interviewed by someone who runs such an obviously left-leaning blog, but he can rest assured that I'll be fair and play this one straight. Despite what some may think, I truly believe that democracy is best served when people know as much as possible about the candidates.

I guess it's safe to open my mail now

Ever since the anthrax scare that started in the days immediately following the terrorist attacks, I've been afraid to open my mail.

So I've been having CT Joyce open it! Nyuk! Nyuk! Nyuk!

But seriously ladies and germs...

Today the news said that the guy likely responsible for mailing the deadly anthrax spores killed himself as authorities were closing in to finally arrest him.

It's been nearly SEVEN years since the attacks, and the suspect lived and worked in this country. No wonder George Bush hasn't been able to find Osama bin Laden!

Another disturbing fact is that the guy was an anthrax researcher and he apparently was a nasty bit of business indeed. From the Associated Press:

The scientist, Bruce E. Ivins, worked at the Army's biological warfare labs at Ft. Detrick, Md., for 18 years until his death on Tuesday. He had a long history of homicidal threats, according to papers recently filed in local court by a social worker.

Let me get this straight. The guy was a scientist who worked with anthrax just about every day, and he had a history of making homicidal threats since college, and they only get around to investigating hims NOW?!?

You gotta be fucking kidding me!

It's a miracle this administration manages to do ANYTHING right!

Loafergate

Regular guy and humble "average Joe" Republican presidential candidate John Sidney McCain III is revealed to be a pampered elitist when it comes to his footwear, according the the Huffington Post.

Photos show the snooty millionaire wearing a pretentious pair of Ferragamo loafers priced at a dizzying $520! McCain's carefully crafted "every man" media image is in serious danger of being being blown out of the water by these photos.

Perhaps John Sidney the Third should have encased his feet in a pair of shoes that would be more in line with the fairy tale concocted for him. Here's an image of a similar set of footwear that many of his penny-pinching constituents can afford:

Other than lacking those Sterling silver buckles, they're identical. Fourteen bucks at Walmart. I wonder how many voters in middle America wear shoes like these instead of those $520 foot-caressing hand-crafted Italian leather loafers?

Only $14. With the other $506 he'll save, maybe he can help pay down the trillion dollar cost of the war he so lovingly embraces.