Gov't left the barn door open

(Julian Assange; AP photo)
In all the furor over Wikileaks publishing around 250,000 supposedly secret government documents, everyone seems to be missing the point.

As widely reported everywhere except in the Sunday funny papers, Wikileaks is being targeted by the US Government for releasing the documents. The government has gone as far as launching a Denial of Service (DOS) attack on the website in an effort to hinder the exposure of the thousands of embassy cables and memos.

Some are calling for Wikileaks to be declared a "foreign terrorist organization", as the AP reports:

A key Republican Congressman from New York has a new definition for the word "terrorism" that doesn't require the use of violence or even fear.

All that's needed to be a terrorist, according to Rep. Peter King, the incoming chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, is a website revealing inconvenient information.

That's why King sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Attorney General Eric Holder on Sunday, demanding that whistleblower website WikiLeaks be deemed a "foreign terrorist organization" and it's founder declared a terror ringleader.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange reportedly has the hugest set of balls in history, because we all know what happens to people who get on the US government's bad side!

What everyone is failing to ask is "how the fuck did a quarter million supposedly secret documents find their way into Assange's hands in the first place?"

I mean, c'mon people, use your heads! If some nitwit with a website can stumble across that volume of secret papers, what do you think actual hostile foreign governments are doing right this minute? How is it this guy's fault, when all he did was bring attention to the fact that basically EVERY secret the US government has is up for grabs?

If anything, Assange deserves a frickin' medal! Because he's doing us a valuable service in pointing out just how shitty our government is at keeping its secrets. THAT'S where we should focus our attention.

Somebody left the barn door wide open, and suddenly they're all pissed off that the horse bolted on its own.

(Oh, and fuck that asshole King Abdullah! If he wants to invade Iran so badly, he should buy a few thousand more of our jets and fucking do it himself!)

Here we go again

Can we please just get through one goddamned decade without a war happening? I'm really getting sick of this shit.

(He's just so vewwy vewwy ronery!)


And, just in case we're needed...

New Malloy website and Black Friday

Thanksgiving bonus! Two articles in one!

First of all, I ventured out into the "black Friday" shopping madness this morning. Certainly not as early as those dummies in the photo below. I awakened from my turkey coma around 9AM this morning, and only went shopping after having a leisurely breakfast with CT Joyce that included eggs, coffee and a Bloody Mary (the cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast!)

So I went to Home Depot and bought a bunch of LED light strings to replace all those old fashioned bulb light strings that always have a section in the middle that refuses to light up regardless of how many goddamned bulbs I replace! $1.98 for an 18' string of 50 LED lights seemed like a good deal (while supplies last!) Checkout at the self-service register was quick and painless.

Then I went over to Ocean State Job Lot, but didn't find what I was looking for (an outdoor timer for my mom-in-law's lights) and the checkout lines were super long anyway, so I went home.

So I survived Black Friday, because I'm definitely not going shopping again today (unless I run out of vodka.)

Next up, Gov-elect Dan Malloy launched a new "transition" website to listen to constituents. The website is at transition.ct.gov:

This website is a marked contrast to the website that Tom Dudchik over at Capitol Report started recently, which invites a question as to Dudchik's motivation for starting it:

(Trust me, you should click on the image to enlarge)
Just in case you're not sure who created this website, here's a little Easter egg at the bottom of that page:

Hmmm...suddenly Dudchik is all like "whoa, we gotta tell Dan what to do!" when just a month ago he was all like "whoa, Jodi is doing a super-awesome job!".

(For the record, I have no idea what Tom Dudchik talks like, but I'd guess it's probably not very much like the imaginary "surfer dude" voice I'm parodying here...then again, who knows? I never met the dude.)

Happy Thanksgiving

Fear wins the day!

We've officially lost the "War on Terror", since we now have to basically strip-search children.

The goal of terrorism is to create such fear in a nation that they can't continue to operate normally. The terrorists have won!

Let's just all give up and learn how to speak Muslim.

Because, it ain't bombs that's doing it...we're doing it to ourselves.

Dems slam Congressional GOPers for healthcare

(via Bill Sanders)
If you're going to be against health care, then you should give up your government provided health care yourselves, Congressional Democrats said yesterday.

In a letter to future Speaker of the House John Boehner and Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell, the Democrats told Republicans that if they oppose government health care so much, they should voluntarily give up the unbelievably good government health care they currently receive for being legislators.

Via The Raw Story:

“You cannot enroll in the very kind of coverage that you want for yourselves, and then turn around and deny it to Americans who don't happen to be Members of Congress," wrote Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY). “If your conference wants to deny millions of Americans affordable health care, your members should walk that walk.”

Crowley's letter was signed by three other Democrats: Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD), Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) and Rep. Linda T. Sanchez (D-CA). Politico's Glenn Thrush, who first reported on the letter, describes them as "fierce defenders of President Obama’s health care reforms."

The boundless hypocrisy of the GOP will doubtless be proven once again, as they'll likely find some bullshit excuse why they should benefit from the very best health care taxpayers can pay for, while proposing to deny even a minimal amount of coverage to the legions of poor, ill-informed saps who were frightened enough by conservative corporate propaganda into voting for them.

I doubt there's even ONE single millionaire Republican that will have the guts to take up the Democrats' challenge. It's simply too good a deal to pass up, and I never saw a Republican who has ever passed up a chance to effectively make money off the backs of taxpayers.

So, as we head into the new Congressional session, remember while every Republican rails against the health care bill and tries to get it overturned, that not a one of those guys will ever have to worry about paying a single thin dime for their own health insurance!

Don't forget that fact.

"Bedlam" at Bridgeport polls

Rep. Chris Caruso (D-126) discussed the voting problems in an interview with Lennie Grimaldi from OnlyInBridgeport.com, and reporter Brian Smith from DoingItLocal.com. Caruso is calling for an investigation and for Democratic registrar Sandi Ayala's resignation or removal from office because of massive voting problems in the recent election.

This comes on the heels of the City of Bridgeport defying the Secretary of State's call for an additional audit of all twelve of the precincts that were kept open an additional two hours by a judge's order on election night.

2012 Primary Schedule

(Feb. 2008: Obama rally in Hartford w/Sen. Kennedy)
Yes, it's never too early to get a head start on silly season in politics! As of today we're only 14 months away (shocking, ain't it?) So here's the projected 2012 Presidential Primary Schedule.

I expect we'll see plenty of changes between now and the first caucus in the 2012 Primary calendar, but even so, I hope to get the chance to be in New Hampshire again for their exciting primary. The cold, the snow, the slush...ah, it's magic!

(Feb. 2008: McCain rally in Fairfield)
Here's the current rundown of dates, and I'll update them as changes come in:

2012 Primary Schedule

Monday, January 16, 2012: Iowa caucuses

Tuesday, January 24: New Hampshire

Saturday, January 28: Nevada caucuses, South Carolina

Tuesday, January 31: Florida

Tuesday, February 7 (Super Tuesday): Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, Montana Republican caucuses, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah

Saturday, February 11: Louisiana

Tuesday, February 14: Maryland, Virginia

Tuesday, February 21: Hawaii Republican caucuses, Wisconsin

Tuesday, February 28: Arizona, Michigan

Tuesday, March 6: Minnesota caucuses, Massachusetts, Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont

Tuesday, March 13: Mississippi

Tuesday, March 20: Colorado caucuses, Illinois

Tuesday, April 24: Pennsylvania

Tuesday, May 8: Indiana, North Carolina and West Virginia

Tuesday, May 15: Nebraska, Oregon

Tuesday, May 22: Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky

Tuesday, June 5: Montana, New Mexico and South Dakota

Of course, I'll try to get changes updated as soon as possible. It looks like 2012 is going to be front-loaded just as bad as 2008 was, unless states work to restore some sense to the process.

Krayeske seeks to question Rell

Ken Krayeske, activist, journalist and newly-minted attorney, has taken steps to compel outgoing governor M. Jodi Rell to answer questions regarding the "secret list" she allegedly gave to police of persons to arrest should they show up at her 2007 inauguration parade.

To refresh your memory, here's my interview with Ken soon after his arrest:



The Hartford Courant has an update on Ken's battle with Jodi Rell:

Political activist and freelance journalist Ken Krayeske filed a motion in federal court Friday in his effort to question Gov. M. Jodi Rell under oath as part of his lawsuit against a Hartford police officer who arrested him at Rell's inauguration parade in January 2007.

"Governor Rell's first-hand knowledge of her experience at the parade will corroborate Plaintiff Krayeske's claim that he did not enter the parade route, and that the false arrest was a result of his protected speech activities," Krayeske's lawyer, Houston Putnam Lowry, said in the motion.

It seeks an order by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill allowing him to take testimony from Rell in a deposition after she leaves office Jan. 5.

The attorney general's office is expected to file a counter-motion within weeks, before Underhill decides whether he'll permit the unusual deposition, which was sought by Krayeske in an April subpoena.

The Courant article goes on to discuss Krayeske's political activities, including a run for Congress as the Green Party candidate in the 1st CD, and his new career as an attorney.

John Mertens blows it

UPDATE: Here's Dr. Orman in his own words as to WHY he worked to keep the "Connecticut For Lieberman" Party alive...before Mertens decided to use it for his own purposes.

"This is an experiment in democracy. Nobody has ever taken over a fake party from an incumbent senator and tried to turn it into a mechanism for accountability."

- Dr. John Orman (@ 48:40 in the video)

And now, here's the original article from this morning:

(CT News Junkie photo)
Egomaniac and selfish assclown Professor John Mertens has succeeded in losing the "Connecticut For Lieberman" party line on the 2012 ballot because he's such a jerk.

(As a journalistic lead, that statement probably leaves something to be desired; but then again, I really never aspired to be a professional journalist!)

By not garnering at least 1% of the vote in his ridiculous and narcissistic run for senate, Trinity College Professor Mertens has caused the CFL line to miss the qualifying threshold for 2012.

For someone who's supposed to be so smart, he's quite the jackass.

To recap what happened, in 2006 Sen. Joe Lieberman (and it truly pains me that a dedicated public servant like Chris Dodd is forced to retire, while a political hack like Lieberman is free to enjoy the many tasty fruits of Senate life for at least two more years) was defeated by Ned Lamont in the senate primary, so he created a sham party called CFL and, while never actually becoming a member of that party, ran for reelection and won with the help of Connecticut Republicans, who abandoned their own nominated candidate in a massive show of non-support and voted for Lieberman.

Then, as soon as Lieberman won, he dropped the CFL party. Dr. John Orman, a political science professor at Fairfield U., saw an opportunity to take over the dormant party to use against Lieberman in 2012. So he registered as the very first member of CFL and held a convention, gained support from other Democratic activists who also registered as CFL, and he was appointed chairman. His intent was to keep the ballot line active until 2012, when he would use the line to embarrass Joe Lieberman. The way to keep the ballot line active was to cross-endorse a sure-win candidate and easily collect enough votes to exceed the threshold. Working Families Party does this every time with favored Democrats.

Shortly before he died, Dr. Orman transferred stewardship of the party to John Mertens, who was entrusted with the original intent of the newly hijacked party. What he did instead was steal the party that was rightfully pilfered by Dr. Orman, and used to fuel the Trinity professor's giant ego.

Because, let's face it, seeing your name on every ballot in the state (over 1 million of them) is a huge ego boost. And Professor Mertens let himself be seduced by that need to seek attention. For a while he was treated semi-seriously, like a real third party candidate. But every interview seemed to point out the sheer hopelessness of his run, while missing the importance of keeping the ballot line alive.

So now the results are in, and John Mertens blew it. He got about 1/2 of a percentage point, which means the party is officially dead.

Good work, douchebag.