Monday, December 31, 2007

Picture of the Year 2007

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

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

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

Happy New Year!

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

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Firefighters confront Giuliani about 9/11


Via FireDogLake.

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

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

Thursday, December 27, 2007

One week until Iowa (with polling goodness)

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

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

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

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

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

Suck it, CNN!

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

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

NORAD tracks Santa

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

Monday, December 24, 2007

Volunteers wanted for Kucinich in New Hampshire

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

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

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

Join us!

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

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

SalLiccione2001@yahoo.com
(203)434-6348

David@HomesRealEstate.com
(203)512-8885

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

Sunday, December 23, 2007

A classic Holiday video

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

Saturday, December 22, 2007

The only way to deal with Bush

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Friday, December 21, 2007

How to fix the Primary Shuffle

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

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

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

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

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

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

Regional Groupings Under the NASS Plan

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Democrats spot a backbone

One man can make a difference.

Thank you Senator Dodd.

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

Chris Dodd for Majority Leader!



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

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Reid backs down...for now

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

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

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

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

Who knew these entities were at such risk?

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

At least this time it was for the GOOD guys.

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

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

Monday, December 17, 2007

Harry Reid: bad and getting worse

Somebody, please tell me.

Why is Harry Reid being such an asshole?

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

Poll by Markos:

Ned Lamont on Lieberman's endorsement of McCain


(h/t to Scarce for the video)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday, December 16, 2007

The Kiss: Part Deux?

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

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


Pub Quiz photos

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

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

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

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

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

A crowd of roughly 40 contestants listens raptly.

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

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

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

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

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Online call for Cheney impeachment

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

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

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

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

WexlerWantsHearings.Com

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Have some fun with us at the Pub Quiz!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here's an example:



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

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

THEN we'll party like it's 2009!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Marching for impeachment

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

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

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

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

Monday, December 10, 2007

Lamont campaigns for Dodd in Iowa

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

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


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

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Apparently, torture is ON her table

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

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

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

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

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

[..]

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

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

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

Saturday, December 08, 2007

Oh, the humanity!

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

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

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

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

Why am I not surprised?

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

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

Merry Christmas, assholes!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Amann plans to explore run for governor

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

[..]

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

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

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

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

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

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

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

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

[..]

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

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

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

Yes. That is scary.

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

Let's start with this:

Your very OWN plushie Ebola virus!

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

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

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

Infect your whole family!

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

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

Ebola Bob!


Congratulate an Aussie

Yay! Australia! Oi Oi Oi!

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

For instance:

- We want change, and they want change.

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

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


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

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

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

Congratulate an Aussie Blogger this week!

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

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

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

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

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

Men at Work - "Land Down Under"


Midnight Oil - "Beds Are Burning"

Monday, December 03, 2007

Chris Dodd on Imus this morning

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

Why?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday, December 02, 2007

My Oscar (Jr.) Moment

Finally, official recognition!

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

Saturday, December 01, 2007

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

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

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

Allegedly.

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

(Kindly don't whack me)

Friday, November 30, 2007

"Yeah, baby!"

"Shall we shag now, or shall we shag later, baby? Yeah!"

Revelations about Rudy Giuliani possibly using public funds to arrange a bit o' surreptitious shagging have put the candidate in the unenviable position of having to admit his tawdry extra-marital affair wasn't on the taxpayer's tab.

Which still makes him an adulterous lying sleazebag.

At the very least.

And further allegations have surfaced that may indicate Giuliani used the City's Emergency Control Center for the occasional quickie. Hey, it was the safest place in New York before 9/11, and a two-minute ride from City Hall.

"Hey baby, how'd you like to see my secret lair? Yeah! I can control the entire city from there! Does that make you randy? Do I make you horny, baby, yeah, do I?"

Ew.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

The Republican "Youtube" debate

I can't believe I watched the whole thing!

Actually, I was over on FDL, live commenting with the rest of the FireDogs, and had a great time. "Great" in the manner of watching a really awful yet horrifying movie, like "The Ring", except where the ghoulish little girl is played by Fred Thompson.

...and making cynical, yet snarky comments about it. Fun.

Here's a list of conclusions I've deduced about the Republicans:
* There's no tiny bit of the Constitution that's more important than the 2nd Amendment

* It's entirely possible to be positioned as both Pro-Life and Pro-Death

* These guys spend a lot of time reading the Holy Bible...like, a LOT

* Republican You-Tubers are possibly the scariest collection of NASCAR rednecks to ever see the inside of a drunken barn dance

* Brown people are the biggest threat to this nation and they must be stopped, even though nobody else is going to pick our lettuce

* Anderson Cooper asked a good question about Rudy's illicit hotel expenses, then meekly accept a lame-assed answer rather than following up with anything interesting

* Taxes will never be increased to pay for this ridiculous war as long as there are countries still dumb enough to lend us money

* I have no doubt that these awful white men are convinced they'll win based solely on their appeal to the batshit crazy segment of the voters
My conclusion to the entire evening is this: as a nation, we will be well and truly fucked if ANY one of these guys manages to slither their way into the White House next year! I have no doubt about that whatsoever. Whatever it will take to get a Democrat into the Oval Office, we've got to be prepared to do.

And by that, I mean we have to make sure we win by a large enough margin that there's no way possible the Republicans can steal it from us again. Because if we don't win by a landslide, we'll lose.

Again.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

"Honk For Peace" screening this Friday

(Photo Copyright 2007 Angela J. Cranford - used by permission)

If you missed the world premiere of Honk For Peace early this month, here's another chance to see it on the big screen, the way it was meant to be seen!

This Friday, Nov. 30th 7:00PM at the Bethel Cinema (269 Greenwood Ave., Bethel, CT) HFP will be shown as an official entry in the Connecticut Film Festival.

(Photo Copyright 2007 Angela J. Cranford - used by permission)

Photos by Angela Cranford. She does freelance photography of all sorts - events, fashion, sports, still life. Angela kicks ass (photographically speaking). Hire her. She can be contacted through her website. Great photos there, too.

TRex has his own blog!

Finally!

Fellow FireDogLake alumnus TRex (short for "Thesaurus Rex") has taken a giant step out on his own with the creation of his new blog, "I Am TRex", located at http://www.iamtrex.com/

Many who were on the campaign trail last year during the exciting senate Primary and General Election will remember TRex, who spent considerable time in Connecticut covering the campaign for FireDogLake. TRex's biting wit (what other type of wit could a giant dinosaur possible have?) and satirical posts have been a mainstay at FDL for a long time. His "Late Night" and "Late Late Night" posts were often a final stop on my blogging rounds.

In his own words, here's why he's starting the blog:
I was finding that my tendency to speak my mind and damn the consequences was running counter to the goals of a high-traffic group blog. FDL is going to be heading into an exciting new phase of its existence and I wish them nothing but the best.
Holy shit! Having read many of his posts over the last several years, I can only imagine the stuff he's going to put up on his new blog now that he has complete free rein.

...and I'm looking forward to it!

Go over to I Am TRex and see his new home!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Hastert is History

Woohoo! They're dropping like flies!

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert officially resigns as of 10:59PM CST tonight.

Why the strange time? Does Jupiter enter Virgo exactly at that moment, which apparently bodes well for washed-up politicians who are skulking out of office well before their term expires? Somebody who knows astrology, please comment.

More to the point, this gives me an excuse to repost this classic video of Senator Lieberman lying like a moth-eaten rug about his statements regarding the Hastert-Foley sex scandal.

Watch how he starts lying even BEFORE I manage to get the question fully out of my mouth! He sees me, and his rotten little brain starts chugging away at the lies so quickly that he can't even contain them! It's impressive how he manages to lie so many times in a single sentence! If there was a liar's hall of fame, they'd have to build an entire wing dedicated to Joe Lieberman's Lies. "Nobody wants to get us out of Iraq more than me!" LIES, I TELLS YA, ALL LIES!!!

Ahem...

...sorry about that little outburst.

Here's the video.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Public Enemy #1

Maybe I'm mistaken, but I'd bet God would forgive him if he'd fumbled the paddles long enough for Nature to take its course.*

Oh, well...

Cheney's heart restored to normal rhythm

(* = relax, this is satire)

Dodd submits a Youtube question for GOP debate

In anticipation of this week's Youtube-sponsored Republican debate, Sen. Chris Dodd asked his own question. Nice move. Hopefully they'll include the question and we'll see how awful the GOP handles questions about Constitutional protections. (h/t Scarce via My Left Nutmeg)

Thanks a "Lott"

I just wanted to use that headline before anyone else thought of it!

Oh, and in case you haven't heard, Trent Lott (R-MS) will resign his senate seat by the end of 2007 so he can become a highly paid lobbyist in only one year instead of two years as the new law specifies which takes effect January 1st 2008. It's nice to know he cares about the important stuff!

Sunday, November 25, 2007

The War on Paultards

I'm not a frequent reader of Wonkette, but occasionally something comes to my attention that's just too interesting to ignore. It seems that the editorial staff over there has appointed one of their commenters as the "Angry Commenter General" in the "War on Paultards".

We've all heard bits and pieces of Ron Paul's fabled internet candidacy, and how there are many seemingly intelligent people lining up to support him. His ubiquitous, handmade signs are popping up all over, and plenty is being made on his recent online fund raising "success". I think Paul is being cleverly marketed as a "rogue" Republican, who is more of a third-party kind of guy. Kinda like Nader, without the liberal leanings.

Collector's Item?

Before he is forever consigned to the "dustbin of doomed candidates", I think it would be worthwhile to see his policies deconstructed in a particularly forceful (and foul-mouthed) manner.

From Wonkette:
An Open Letter to Paultards: Check Your Motherfucking “Facts” or Shut the Fuck Up.

by NICK FARR, Wonkette Commenter General, Anti-Paultard Alliance (an unpaid position… in case that wasn’t clear, Nick! - Ed.)

There are three things that supporters of Ron Paul seem to have in common:

1) Fundamental mistrust of the government and peripheral institutions.
2) Lack of willingness to understand history, basic economics, government finance, accounting and monetary policy.
3) A pathological belief that Ron Paul will fix everything if/when he is elected President.

What do these three things add up to? An absolute fucking inability to engage with reality.

To some degree, every politician claims they’ll change things. They’ll overlook some inconvenient facts while promising supporters how fucking great it’ll be when they’re elected. They don’t just make shit up, pander to conspiracy theorists and somehow pull a few million dollars out of stoner zombies and gun-nut paranoids on a goddamned pseudo-holiday from another fucking country....
Read the rest here.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Why Australia matters

In a significant upset during the Australian elections, Labor-candidate Kevin Rudd became the new Prime Minister after longtime Bush-ally John Howard's Conservative-coalition party was stunningly defeated.

Rudd has promised to immediately sign the Kyoto Protocol on global warming and withdraw Australia's combat troops from Iraq. This would mean the United States will be the final industrialized nation to have NOT signed the global warming treaty.

And it makes things very lonely for President Bush and his US-led Coalition loose grouping of a couple countries in the fraudulent War on Terror.

Rudd is 50, a former diplomat who speaks fluent Chinese, and apparently listens to the Australian people when they say they want to stop global warming and get out of George Bush's bogus war.

In contrast, President Bush is 60, a former drunk who speaks with a phony Texas twang, and laughs at Americans who are against global warming and the bogus war in Iraq.

You know what? It must be nice having a leader who listens!

Being American, I tended to know very little about the outside world; but I've made great strides in recent years. For instance, I now know that Australia isn't just "Men At Work", Vegemite and Steve Irwin (R.I.P.).

So, in honor of the fine and outstanding Australian people who chose to be represented by a progressive party, here's a strip from my favorite online comic from The Land Down Under, a somewhat twisted and politically incorrect weekly geekfest known as "Bigger Than Cheeses" (as in, "bigger than Jesus", but different, get it?):

click to enlarge

Kind of sick, I know. But funny. You gotta hand it to those Aussies...they never let political correctness get in the way of having a laugh!

Friday, November 23, 2007

Milford Inauguration Night

This is the video of the inauguration of Milford's elected officials, on November 19th. The Democrats won majorities in all the elected town boards, although the voters didn't seem willing to abandon their "nice guy" candidate, Mayor Jim Richetelli.

Which is OK, since nothing gets done in this town without approval by the now Democratically-dominated Board of Aldermen. This week's Aldermanic organizational meeting may shed a little light on a local Republican party in disarray, since they couldn't decide on a Minority Leader, necessitating several hours of discussion that would have been avoided had they been unified in their leadership. They claim to want the position shared between two(!) aldermen, which makes very little sense to me. But I guess it's very difficult to give up the power they've enjoyed for so many years, so this may be a way to show the Democrats that they'll be difficult to work with.

So much for all the "good feelings" and the promise to work together that they gave immediately after the election!



All the winning candidates are listed in the video and sworn in, even if I couldn't capture everyone's face (those stupid poinsettias on the stage blocked some of my view!) City Clerk Alan Jepson's entire speech is included, because he discussed a lot of things that are notable before he swore in the elected officials.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Public Campaign Financing in Connecticut

We've all heard bits and pieces about this program, which provides public funding for candidates for state office. The official name of the program is "The Citizens' Election Program", and I decided to learn more about it.

On Tuesday I attended one of the (free and open to the public) Citizen’s Election Program public training seminars at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. The seminar is one of many that are being scheduled to teach citizens about how public funding for state elections works. It was run by the SEEC (State Election Enforcement Commission) and hosted by SEEC Executive Director Jeff Garfield.

Approximately 80 people attended the seminar, including quite a few legislators who will be using the funding for their reelection campaigns. But the main purpose of the training is to educate regular citizens about the program and to encourage them to run for office. Helpful hint: if it's held in an LOB hearing room, get there early enough to secure a seat at the center hearing tables, rather than in the gallery areas. Those chairs are really comfortable!

Public funding boils down to this: any citizen who declares their intent to run for state office can qualify for state funding by raising a minimum dollar amount and number of small-dollar donations from their district.

For example, if you want to run for the State Representative, you need to collect a minimum of 150 contributors of amounts between $5 and $100 from your district, along with a total of $5000 in maximum $100 donations from citizen donors anywhere, even if they live outside your district. The donations are limited to citizens only, no PACs or lobbyists allowed. If you meet this criteria by the specified date and you have all your paperwork submitted, you'll then receive $25,000 in state election funds.

The minimums for State Senator are 300 small-dollar contributors and $15,000 total, which would then make you eligible for $85,000 in funding.

Here’s the cool part – if your opponent opts out of public funding and relies only on his own fundraising for his money, once he exceeds the amount you received from the state you’ll be eligible for additional matching funds. This has an effect of “leveling the playing field” as far as money goes, and helps keep well-funded candidates from out-spending their opponent.

Of course, keep in mind that this is a very simplified description of the program, and there are many little regulations and details that must be addressed, so don't think that this is an exhaustive outline of the program by any means! Primaries, special elections, minor party and petitioning candidates all have varying funding opportunities. Click on the links included here to get detailed info.

The program is financed by the Citizen's Election Fund, which receives funds from the sale of abandoned property in the state's custody, along with private donations. So there's no additional tax burden for this program. I think they said that presently the fund is around $15 million.

Before the seminar I met briefly with Tom Swan, Ned Lamont's 2006 campaign manager and director of CT Citizen Action Group (CCAG), and he gave me a very informative brochure put out by Common Cause Connecticut. The brochure spells out the basics of the program in a few pages, and is available online as an Adobe pdf file HERE.

I've heard that there's a lawsuit that was brought against this program, most likely by special interest groups and incumbents who think it unfairly challenges their seats. Especially those seats that were paid for by special interest contributors and PACs.

But I can't help but believe that this will only help ensure cleaner elections and encourage citizen participation in state government. This is a good thing. Be sure to let your legislators know that you support the Citizen's Election Program, and that you expect them to fight for it!

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Maybe there's enough oxygen after all

Several months ago Chris Dodd famously stated that he didn't support impeachment of the President because "...impeachment proceedings suck all the oxygen out of the room".

That position, coupled with Nancy Pelosi's apparent lack of motivation to seek accountability from the current regime, frustrated me to the point that I had to create this video:


Yesterday, after hearing from former Bush mouthpiece Scotty McClellan about how he was intentionally misled in his statements to the public by the President and his henchmen, Sen. Dodd may have finally seen the light.

From the article in Editor & Publisher:
(McClellan said) "I had unknowingly passed along false information. And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration "were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice President, the President's chief of staff, and the president himself."
So now, Chris Dodd apparently has come to the conclusion that Bush may have lied to us after all! I'm sure the Senator needed to clutch at the curtains to prevent himself from keeling over from the sheer enormity of the realization!

In response to this revelation, Chris Dodd is now calling for an investigation of the President. I know that nothing good ever happens quickly in Washington, but this took even longer than any of us expected.

Of course, Dodd is starting with a polite request to the brand new Attorney General (and Bush appointee), the Most Honorable Michael Mukasey (or as I like to refer to him, "The Abu Gonzales Mark II"), whom I'm totally convinced will respond by immediately launching an exhaustive and thorough investigation that will require all the principals involved to answer all the tough questions honestly.

Just look at adorable li'l Judge Mukasey, shown here with the man Sen. Dodd wants him to investigate. Look at how Mukasey's eyes glow with the burning ambition to see that the letter of the law is upheld! See how his American flag pin is displayed at a jaunty angle on his lapel! That tells me in no uncertain terms that THIS is the man we can all count on to get to the bottom of this inquiry, no matter WHAT the president tells him to do!

If THAT doesn't make you feel better, you're probably a COMMIE or something!

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

My love letter to Google

I love you, Google.

I'm usually not the type of blogger who falls so easily for a ginormous online corporate entity, especially when I didn't possess the foresight to purchase large amounts of your stock during the IPO, which would have pretty much made it unnecessary for me to continue working for a living...but that's beside the point.

You've always been a good friend to me, Google. That's what counts! There are other search engines out there, but they always seem to let me down. I know I can always count on you, Google, for lots of traffic to my website.

I appreciate all those little things you do for me.

When I look at the referring pages on my site meter, eight or nine times out of ten people are visiting directly from a Google search page. Sometimes as the result of very odd and occasionally disturbing search inquiries.

Simple things, like "CT Bob", or "Ned Lamont", or "dump Lieberman". But also really bizarre things like "Don't taze me, bro", or "Larry Craig sex", or "short ride", or "douchebag" (hey, I can't be responsible for the things that people search for!)

But you do so much more than that. Like making me the number one result when people search for the phrase "primary schedule". For that, you're the tops in my book! These days, people LOVE searching for the primary schedule.

And the result is an article I posted wayyyy back in November of 2006! Shortly after the election I found information on the 2008 presidential primaries and posted it. Months later I realized that a large percentage of my hits were the result of that one post. So I started updating it as the primaries began being shifted around in their states' efforts to "front load" the schedule.

The primary schedule began to take on the characteristics of a weather map. I needed to update the information almost weekly in order to keep it current. Nowadays I simply post the latest update date on the top of the post to let people know there have been changes. People are confused about the ever shifting primary dates, so they look to Google for answers.

And Google sends them here.

The article was a post from a year ago, and it's still generating over 1,000 hits a week. You know us bloggers...we LOVE hits!

So anyway, that's why I love you Google.

Just one thing...please don't ever break my heart.

I'd hate to have to take up with Yahoo!

Sunday, November 18, 2007

What d'ya think of my new logo?

Yesterday I was Googling around the Internet, looking for examples of signs that are unique to Connecticut. You know, something that I could modify to make a logo that indisputably says "Connecticut Bob". Sort of like the famous road sign image on My Left Nutmeg below:



So I came across this lovely image of an original Connecticut Turnpike sign, which longtime Nutmeggers will remember from years gone by:

Which was in use here during the late 1950's until the 1980's, when the last of the highway tolls were removed and the turnpike became a freeway called I-95 and I-395.

I took the image and did some crude photoshopping (actually, it was crude "LViewing", my crappy 16-bit image editor that is much simpler to learn and use) and viola! The trick, she is done!

UPDATE: Commenter John Blossom improved upon my original stolen design, and I edited it slightly more, to get this:

I think the "BOB" needs to be rotated slightly to align it vertically, but I haven't figured out how to do that in PS7. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Who knows? Perhaps I'll set up a "Connecticut Bob" store, and T-shirts, baseball caps, and refrigerator magnets will be available in time for Christmas!

Eh, probably not.

But I still like the new logo.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

It's official: I'm sick of Facebook

When Facebook first swept the local blogosphere, I rushed to join the crowd and create an account. "Ooh, ooh, look, there's a shiny new thing on the internets, and I absolutely MUST be a part of it!"

In the months since, my email has been deluged by "friend requests", "group invites", and similar things of admittedly minute importance like "so-and-so has written a message on your wall" or "a caption was added to a photo".

Every single time, I'm forced to login to Facebook immediately to address whatever pressing need is at hand. Facebook apparently thinks it's equally as important as my online banking account, which makes perfect sense. I mean, it's just as critical to protect my list of five favorite movies or secure my uploaded photos as it is all my money and personal identity information. How silly of me.

Somebody just sent me a "friend request", what should I do? Quick, I gotta login and see who it is! Oh, it's somebody I don't know. Not in the least. But I don't want to be rude and give this person the brush off. What if they're a total psycho looking for reasons to find new victims for their serial killing spree? I don't want to be the asshole who triggers a wave of violence through my thoughtless actions! I better "accept" the request.

Great. Now I've got a "friend's list" full of psycho killers! Just what I frickin' needed!

OK, that might be a little harsh. I just took a closer look at my friend's list, and can see there's a lot of people on it that I know from real life, not just strangers. I'm sure very few of them are psycho killers; and besides, if they're on my friends list they probably won't be incandescent with rage at being rejected and plot to murder me.

Trust me, I give my real friends plenty of valid reasons for that!

Anyway, I think I'm done with the whole Facebook thing. I've always considered it more of a waste of time than anything really useful. I've got email and cell phones and messages on my blogs (and others) and a million other ways to be "social". I simply don't need to "social network" on Facebook to remain that way.

(And don't even get me started on MySpace!)

Friday, November 16, 2007

They call me an "Angry Liberal Blogger"

From CNN.com:
WASHINGTON, Illinois (CNN) -- Ty Ziegel peers from beneath his Marine Corps baseball cap, his once boyish face burned beyond recognition by a suicide bomber's attack in Iraq just three days before Christmas 2004.

He lost part of his skull in the blast and part of his brain was damaged. Half of his left arm was amputated and some of the fingers were blown off his right hand.

Ziegel, a 25-year-old Marine sergeant, knew the dangers of war when he was deployed for his second tour in Iraq.

But he didn't expect a new battle when he returned home as a wounded warrior: a fight with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"Sometimes, you get lost in the system," he told CNN. "I feel like a Social Security number. I don't feel like Tyler Ziegel."

[...]

In Ziegel's case, he spent nearly two years recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas. Once he got out of the hospital, he was unable to hold a job. He anticipated receiving a monthly VA disability check sufficient to cover his small-town lifestyle in Washington, Illinois.

Instead, he got a check for far less than expected. After pressing for answers, Ziegel finally received a letter from the VA that rated his injuries: 80 percent for facial disfigurement, 60 percent for left arm amputation, a mere 10 percent for head trauma and nothing for his left lobe brain injury, right eye blindness and jaw fracture...

(read the rest by clicking on the CNN link above)
"Angry"?

You bet I'm angry!
Almost beyond words.

"Liberal Blogger"?

Yeah, I tend to be, but in this case who GIVES a fat rat's ass?

THIS is what our nation is doing to our brave and honorable military personnel. Anyone who ISN'T angry about this has no humanity whatsoever.

As a nation, we seem to have ALL the money in the world to wage an immoral war, but not even close to enough to properly care for these horrifically wounded veterans.

Will we EVER be able to fix our nation in the wake of such wanton recklessness?