Walker Walks Away

Scott Walker gave up his bid for the Wisconsin Governorship today.

"Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker is pulling the plug on his bid for the governor’s office, leaving fellow Republican Mark Green a clear shot at incumbent Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle in November. He planned to make the announcement early this evening during a speech at a Republican Party congressional caucus in Waukesha where Green was also scheduled to appear. "I give my full support and endorsement to my friend Mark Green," Walker said in a speech prepared for a 5th Congressional District audience at the Country Springs Hotel. He released a copy of his remarks this afternoon to the Journal Sentinel." [JSOnline]

Make no mistake; this is a big win for Wisconsin. But, we have miles to go with Mark Green, who is worse than Walker, if at all possible. The DPW had this to say:

"“The good news for Wisconsin voters is that Scott Walker is out of the race; the bad news is that extreme Mark Green is still in it. Make no mistake; Scott Walker would have been the wrong choice for Wisconsin’s next Governor. But it is hard to recall a candidate as vulnerable and ill-suited to serve as Mark Green. "

Good Riddance Walker...I hope you don't ever run for office again; but that might too much to hope for.

End the War

I apologize for the lack of bloggy-goodness lately. Life has been interesting.

But this got me (and has had me) riled up. This weekend is the three year anniversary of our illegal invasion of Iraq. What have we accomplished? What does the future hold? Why are we still there? These are questions that our leadership cannot, and is not qualified to, answer.

There have been many rallies to end the war all around the world, including Sydney, Australia, Tokyo, and Turkey. Sunday, they protested in South Korea, Sweden, Denmark, and London.

All protesting under one theme: Get the US out of Iraq. I think that it would come as no surprise to most of you that popular world opinion is against this war. Popular opinion in the US has turned against the administration, and against our occupation. Blame can be spread around for this. Bush wanted to take us into Iraq from the moment he took the oath of office (and probably before). Rumsfeld, our Secretary of Defense, has botched the war planning on every level.

From the NYTimes:

"Many who supported the invasion have taken this anniversary to argue that it all would have been worthwhile if things had been run better. They argue that if the coalition forces had been large enough to actually secure the country, to keep insurgents from raiding Saddam Hussein's ammunition depots, to give the people a sense of safety, the country might well be on the road to a hopeful future. We doubt it. The last three years have shown how little our national leaders understood Iraq, and have reminded us how badly attempts at liberation from the outside have gone in the past. Given where we are now, the question of whether a botched invasion created a lost opportunity might be moot, except for one thing. The man who did the botching, Donald Rumsfeld, is still the secretary of defense."

"Chances are that at the time George W. Bush did not have an inkling of how badly he was being served by the decision makers at the Pentagon. But the fact that Mr. Rumsfeld continues to hold his job tells us that Mr. Bush doesn't care, that he prefers living in the same dream world that his secretary of defense inhabits. In their wishful thinking, Mr. Bush and Mr. Rumsfeld undoubtedly tell themselves what they tell us: that the Iraqi people are better off than they were under the brutal dictator, that the Iraqi security forces are gradually learning how to take over defense of their own country and that a unified government is still a good possibility. It's true that many Iraqis are better off. Others are in far worse straits — their homes have been ruined, their relatives killed, their jobs evaporated and their ability to walk the streets in safety obliterated. Women's rights are being threatened in the south, and sectarian warfare has put families with mixed Shiite-Sunni ancestry at risk in their own neighborhoods. It is hard to quantify relative degrees of misery and pain in these circumstances. But unlike the horrors of Saddam Hussein, the horrors of the present can be laid at America's doorstep." [NYT]

There are several conclusions that we can draw from all of this, but I'll leave most of that for the historians. One, Bush got us into this war on false pretenses, and to disasterous results. Two, Donald Rumsfeld is a terrible decision maker, and lives in the same fantasy-world that Bush lives in. They call it "Everything-is-fine-land."

"The most important quote in it was this: "It is impolite to criticize your host; it is militarily stupid to criticize your allies." By that rule, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is not competent to lead our armed forces. First, his failure to build coalitions with our allies from what he dismissively called "old Europe" has imposed far greater demands and risks on our soldiers in Iraq than necessary. Second, he alienated his allies in our own military, ignoring the advice of seasoned officers and denying subordinates any chance for input. In sum, he has shown himself incompetent strategically, operationally and tactically, and is far more than anyone else responsible for what has happened to our important mission in Iraq. Mr. Rumsfeld must step down." [NYT]

Please...let's show our brave troops that we really support them, not with car magnets, but by bringing them home.

Wisdom at Last

On March 1^st, 2006, in Annapolis at a hearing on the proposed Maryland Constitutional Amendment to prohibit gay marriage, Jamie Raskin, professor of law at American University, was requested to testify. At the end of the testimony, Republican Senator Nancy Jacobs said:

“Mr. Raskin, my Bible says that marriage is only between a man and a woman. What do you have to say about that?”

Raskin replied:

“Senator, when you took the oath of office, you swore to uphold the Constitution. You did not swear to uphold the Bible.”

The room erupted in applause.

I received this this in an e-mail, but I found the quote online. You can view this candidates profile here, where he is a candidate for State Senate in Maryland. While the quote above differs just a wee bit from the original on his site, the sentiment is the same. People, let's put religion and prejudice aside, and allow everyone the same rights.

Shoot Harry

You have to check out this online game! Make sure you have LOTS of beer before you shoot, just like Unka Dick!!!

The OK to Discriminate Amendment

A lot has been said in the blogosphere and cheddarsphere about the so-called "Marriage Amendment." I will from now on call this the "Ok to Discriminate Amendment," which passed the assembly last night 62-31. One Republican voted No, and six democrats voted yes.

You all know where I stand on this issue: it's a terrible idea, rooted in fear and bad politics. Republicans are trying to turn out more of the vote in November against Doyle, and now, against common sense. Why do we have to discriminate? Are we really going to amend the Constitution of our state to write in discrimination? This will not defend "traditional marriage." All this does is legalize discrimination against a particular group. I thought all men were created equal, endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I guess I was wrong. Aren't representatives supposed to listen to their constituents? I guess not...only 70% of Wisconsin is opposed to this.

Here, however, is my favorite quote from Rep. John Gard (R-Sun Prairie) : "Schneider confronted Gard in the hallway to criticize the move. "Go to hell, Marlin," Gard responded." Wow...was Gard channeling his inner Dick Cheney? [GB P-G]

Xoff has it right...Be sure to also read NO on the Amendment, and Fair Wisconsin.

My Favorite Headlines: 02/22/06

Bush Out of Loop on Port Deal [NYT] [CBS]

"President Bush was unaware of the pending sale of shipping operations at six major U.S. seaports to a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates until the deal already had been approved by his administration, the White House said Wednesday."

Hmm...so, who was "approving" this deal? Who in the administration was approving this deal, and how did Bush not know about it? And wouldn't they then have to get Congressional approval after "approving" it? This totally doesn't add up, and someone is lying. My bet is on Bush, who was most likely told by Rove and "senior officials" to say that he didn't know about the deal until after. Purely my speculation, of course, but nonetheless, it fits. So if Bush says he didn't know about it until after it was "approved," then my question is, why is he so vehement about vetoing any Congressional attempt to block this terrible deal?

Mosque Attack Pushes Iraq Toward Civil War [Yahoo] [NYT]

"A powerful explosion shattered the golden dome of one of Iraq's most revered Shiite shrines this morning, setting off a day of almost unparalleled sectarian fury in cities and towns across Iraq as protesting mobs took to the streets to chant for revenge and set fire to dozens of Sunni mosques." and "Insurgents posing as police destroyed the golden dome of one of Iraq's holiest Shiite shrines Wednesday, setting off an unprecendented spasm of sectarian violence. Angry crowds thronged the streets, militiamen attacked Sunni mosques, and at least 19 people were killed."

I thought the insurgency was in its last throes? At least that's what they want you to think. Nope, they disguise themselves as police, and then bomb a holy site. I'm telling you that insurgency is dying out! Is it 2008 yet?

Budget Fictions

I rarely do this, because I don't like to just copy and paste, but this editorial from the NYT was just too good to pass up:

"When it comes to President Bush's new budget plan, what you don't know will hurt you."

"Mr. Bush's spending and taxing proposals are a mass of missing information. The cost of keeping the military in Iraq and Afghanistan isn't included. Neither, as it turns out, are the usual projections of the long-term effects of proposals to cut $183 billion from domestic programs other than entitlements."

"The administration's obfuscation is, however, being deciphered by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, an independent watchdog organization. Specialists backtracked through tables of opaque data and deduced the following: Over five years, veterans' benefits would be cut 13 percent, or $10 billion. Despite all the political talk about energy research and alternate fuels, $4.4 billion would be cut from energy programs. Environmental spending, including for national parks, would be cut 22 percent, or $28 billion; housing, fuel, child care and nutrition programs for the poor and elderly would lose 13 percent, or $24 billion. Topping this surreal concoction is a 13 percent cut — $53 billion — in education and job programs by 2011."

"Political realists have already declared the budget dead on arrival on Capitol Hill. That's not enough. The administration's assault on domestic programs should stand as a permanent reminder of the folly of the $285 billion in additional upper-bracket tax cuts the president and the Republican-controlled Congress are aiming for across the next five years. Despite the budget fictions, the damage from the tax-cut mania will haunt future generations." [NYT]

Just take a look at what this budget is, a give-away to his rich corporate buddies and donors, and a screw-the-poor initiative. He comes to Milwaukee touting "alternative energy" and then with the other hand cuts support for it. $53 billion in cuts to education and job programs over the next five years! Has this man no soul? Or did he lose it in a game of poker when he was all coked up?

Veto?

"President Bush said this afternoon that he would veto any legislation seeking to block the administration's decision to allow a state-owned company from Dubai to assume control of port terminals in New York and other cities."

"Mr. Bush's rare veto threat came as Republican leaders and many of their Democratic counterparts called up today for the port takeover to be put on hold. They demanded that the Bush administration conduct a further investigation of the Dubai company's acquisition of the British operator of the six American ports."

"After careful review by our government, I believe the transaction ought to go forward," Mr. Bush told reporters who were traveling with him on Air Force One to Washington, according to news agencies. "I want those who are questioning it to step up and explain why all of a sudden a Middle Eastern company is held to a different standard than a Great British company. I am trying to conduct foreign policy now by saying to the people of the world, 'We'll treat you fairly." [NYT]

Could this be the first veto from Bush??? He would really choose this issue as his first veto in office? Ok, so pretty much every Senator has come out against this idea. And how does the Administration respond? By calling it racism. David Sirota says that this is all about free trade, and that there is a deal in the works for a free trade agreement with the UAE:

"The fact that no politicians and almost no media wants to even explore this simple fact is telling. Here we have a major U.S. security scandal with the same country we are simultaneously negotiating a free trade pact with, and no one in Washington is saying a thing. The silence tells you all you need to know about a political/media establishment that is so totally owned by Big Money interests they won't even talk about what's potentially at the heart of a burgeoning national security scandal."

What happened to "we won't negotiate with terrorists?"

No Safe Port

The rats are in charge of watching the cheese.

"Two Republican governors on Monday questioned a Bush administration decision allowing an Arab-owned company to operate six major U. S. ports, saying they may try to cancel lease arrangements at ports in their states."

"The deal -- which will affect the ports of New York and New Jersey; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, Maryland; Miami, Florida; and New Orleans, Louisiana -- has triggered security concerns among some members of Congress and the public."

Bush has sold and turned over control of US Port Security to a company from the United Arab Emirates, or UAE. Great idea! Let's turn control of six of our most important, and largest ports to a foreign government with documented links to terrorism against our country. How many times did Bush use the term 9/11 in any of his recent speeches, and yet, he can't figure out that the UAE actually had a part in that attack?

"Critics have cited the UAE's history as an operational and financial base for the hijackers who carried out the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. In addition, they contend the UAE was an important transfer point for shipments of smuggled nuclear components sent to Iran, North Korea, and Libya by a Pakistani scientist." [Yahoo] [CNN] [WP] [NYDaily]

Just another way that Bush is making this country less safe.

MY Spring Starts Today

Well, the weather outside is frightful, but that doesn't dampen my spirits today. Whatever the forecast may be, MY spring starts today.

Is Ben crazy? (No more than usual...). Today, pitchers and catchers reported for spring training! It is one of the happiest days of the year, and marks the true beginning of spring. Sure, they practice in warm, sunny climes like Mesa, AZ, and Winter Haven, FL, but that means that better weather, and better days are on their way.

Hope springs eternal.

Cheney's Got A Gun

From David Letterman last night:

Top Ten Dick Cheney Excuses

10. "Heart palpitation caused trigger finger to spasm"

9. "Wanted to get the Iraq mess off the front page"

8. "Not enough Jim Beam"

7. "Trying to stop the spread of bird flu"

6. "I love to shoot people"

5. "Guy was making cracks about my lesbian daughter"

4. "I thought the guy was trying to go 'gay cowboy' on me"

3. "Excuse? I hit him, didn't I?"

2. "Until Democrats approve medicare reform, we have to make some tough choices for the elderly"

1. "Made a bet with Gretzky's wife"

(Sorry, I couldn't resist!)

Cheney Shoots Fellow Hunter

"Vice President Dick Cheyney accidentally shot and wounded a companion during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas, spraying the fellow hunter in the face and chest with shotgun pellets. Harry Whittington, a millionaire attorney from Austin, was "alert and doing fine" in a Corpus Christi hospital Sunday after he was shot by Cheney on a ranch in south Texas, said Katharine Armstrong, the property's owner." [Yahoo]

So, what information did this guy have on Cheney?

The Olympics Are Coming!

The Turin Olympic Games are here!!!!!!!!! (For those keeping score at home, these are the games of the XX Olympiad).

Here's part of the reason that I love the Olympics.

But, for 17 days, we all get to become experts in sports and activities that we may have never even heard of before. I mean, they can include Curling in the Winter Games, but Baseball isn't in the Summer Games?

No, seriously, I love the Olympics. U-S-A! U-S-A!

The Innocent Have Nothing to Hide

Thanx Xoff! The original is at Working for Change.

Errors - HELP!!!

Sorry that I haven't posted a lot in the last few days...I've been having a lot of trouble with my browser(s). I made the mistake of downloading IE 7 (Beta 2), which overwrote my IE 6.x. Now, I can't seem to view anything correctly, because any website with any kind of security doesn't allow you to use a beta browser, including Blogger. So, I've been trying to figure out how I can go back to my original browser, and in the meantime, I downloaded Firefox.

Does anyone have any recommendations for me? (PLEASE leave a comment!!!) It will probably be months before IE 7 is mainstream enough to be accepted by most/all websites. I do like Firefox, however!

Tax Hell

"President Bush had it exactly backwards in his speech Tuesday night when he exhorted lawmakers to keep cutting taxes. He noted that when the going gets tough, leaders are tempted to take stands that are crowd pleasing yet counterproductive, like championing protectionism in the face of global competition. Fair enough." "But then he warned that in today's uncertain times, lawmakers might even be tempted to do something as weak-kneed as "increasing taxes."

"We hope Congress will realize that extending the tax cuts would be an act of political cowardice, not courage. The country is already deep in debt, and the tax cuts are largely to blame. In the next two weeks, the administration expects to hit the nation's legal debt limit — $8,184,000,000,000 — and has told Congress it needs to vote to raise the debt ceiling to nearly $9 trillion, a 51 percent increase since 2001, when Mr. Bush took office. Congress must raise the limit or the government will default. But Congressional leaders are looking for ways to downplay the vote, precisely because it's a disgrace."

"Casting the tax cuts in stone now would be particularly craven because they don't expire for another three to five years. But Mr. Bush and his supporters in Congress are hot to act now. That is because the cuts they want to extend the most — special low tax rates for investment income — overwhelmingly enrich the rich and will be even harder to justify in the years to come, when, by all reasonable estimates, the country's financial outlook will have deteriorated further. The tax cutters are not being brave. They are afraid they won't get their way if they wait." [NYT]

Whatever happened to having a sane tax policy? How did Bush squander the surplus that Clinton left him? Why is nobody else asking him these questions? Wake up America, you may have to accept a bit of sacrifice, and have your tax bill go up by $2. These tax cuts were meant to make the rich richer, and the poor poorer, and they're doing a great job of it.

Hilarious or Ironic?

This has to be one of the funniest (ok, most ironic) headlines I have ever read:

"Bush to Say 'America Is Addicted to Oil' in Speech" or "Bush Will Urge End To Oil Addiction" [NYT] [Yahoo] [CNN]

"President Bush plans to tell Americans tonight that they must not retreat from challenges at home and abroad, that they make the economy of the United States the best in the world, but that they must break a national "addiction" to oil." And "America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world. ... The best way to break this addiction is through technology," Bush will say."

A noble goal to be sure...but, what has Bush done except the OPPOSITE of this statement??? Isn't that the "junk science" that Bush has been touting for the last five years?

All the more reason why we should be a wary audience for the State of the Union tonight.

Excerpt: "When President Bush gives his State of the Union address tonight, expect to hear a renewed call for setting the administration's first-term tax cuts in concrete, combined with warnings that letting the cuts expire would retard economic growth. Nothing could be further from the truth."

"As proof of tax cuts' ability to spur the economy, Mr. Bush generally cites productivity growth, job creation and the rise in personal income. Productivity has indeed been stellar, and supply-siders claim that is because tax cuts have led to investment, which led to higher productivity. But business investment has been flat for five years. Meanwhile, the benefits of productivity growth have been concentrated among the wealthy. So tax cuts haven't unleashed investment, but they have contributed to inequality."

Breaking: Concealed Weapons Veto Override Falls Short

Score one for common sense:

"The state Assembly today came up short in its attempt to override Gov. Jim Doyle’s veto of a measure that would have allowed residents to carry concealed weapons. The 64-to-32 vote was a boost to Doyle, who mustered enough support from fellow Democrats to fend off a veto override on the measure for a second time. All Republicans voted for the override; they were joined by Democratic Reps. Barbara Gronemus of Whitehall, Mary Hubler of Rice Lake, Marlin Schneider of Wisconsin Rapids and Amy Sue Vruwink of Milladore." [JSOnline]

The United States of Discord

Tonight, Bush will stand before the nation at 8 PM CST and tell us that he has no new ideas on how to fix the problems that face this once-great nation.

Yes, that's right...we will hear the exact same rhetoric that we've been hearing since the 2004 election season began. We will hear about making his 2001 and 2003 tax cuts for the wealthy permanent. We will hear about the state of health care, and how we must dismantle Medicare/Medicaid because it is a social program and too expensive. We will hear about Social Security, and how his private accounts will do nothing to create long-term solvency. We will hear that the war in Iraq will go on forever, and more of our brave service men and women will go on dying and being maimed for a pack of lies.

Topics that Bush will cover, and links:

Here's what Xoff thinks about what Bush will say on Healthcare.
Jeff Hall has a hilarious (and sadly true) cartoon.
The Amtal Rule on Healthcare: We're broke!
The Center for American Progress: What Bush Will Say, What You Should Know. They have great reviews on such topics as:
-Alternative Energy
-Warrantless Domestic Spying
-Making Tax Cuts Permanent
-Katrina Reconstruction
-Healthcare and HSA

Virtual Confirmation

By a vote of 72-25, the Senate voted to cloture today, virtually assuring that Samuel Alito will receive confirmation to the Supreme Court tomorrow.

"Some Democrats and at least one Republican who voted to end debate are certain to oppose the nominee in the actual confirmation vote on Tuesday. But since only a simple majority is required for confirmation, Samuel Alito could be a member of the Supreme Court by Tuesday afternoon." [NYT]

"In the end, only 24 of the chamber's 44 Democrats went along with the filibuster, a maneuver allowed under Senate rules to block a vote by extending debate indefinitely. It was also supported by the chamber's lone independent, Sen. Jim Jeffords of Vermont." [CNN]

"Now, on the eve of what is expected to be the Senate confirmation of Judge Alito to the Supreme Court, coming four months after Chief Justice Roberts was installed, those planners stand on the brink of a watershed for the conservative movement. In 1982, the year after Mr. Alito first joined the Reagan administration, that movement was little more than the handful of legal scholars who gathered at Yale for the first meeting of the Federalist Society, a newly formed conservative legal group. Judge Alito's ascent to join Chief Justice Roberts on the court "would have been beyond our best expectations," said Spencer Abraham, one of the society's founders, a former secretary of energy under President Bush and now the chairman of the Committee for Justice, one of many conservative organizations set up to support judicial nominees." [NYT]

So, here we are...ready to give another Bush nominee a free pass to a LIFETIME appointment. The jury is still out on Roberts, but while he was accomplished, Alito is anything but. He has proven himself to be an ideologue. Then you've got Senators like Herb Kohl. You sir, are a tool. You leave me breathless with disappointment. Even if you vote against confirmation tomorrow, you are still a complete disappointment.

Score another rubber-stamp victory for Bush.