Friday, September 30, 2005Holy Sh*t!8 comments on this post God, have mercy!I was just at the Fox News website and the question in the top banner was: "Was Katrina God’s Wrath for New Orleans’ Sin?"
This is not a joke! It is the topic of tonight's Hannity & Colmes program on Fox News! Watch it at 9pm (and pray for divine intervention)!
By Robert - 9/30/2005
LETS GO TRIBE!11 comments on this post The Cleveland Indians go into the last weekend of the season tied for the Wild Card with the Red Sox. There are a lot of talks about whether the White Sox (Cleveland's opponent for the final 3 games) will play the games full-go, or whether they will rest some key players. The White Sox claim they will go all out, but of course they are going to say that. Then I came across this: Selig has 'faith' ChiSox will use starters. Also, all the ESPN guys are talking about how the White Sox must give their all, to uphold the integrity of the game.This is all total nonsense. The schedule falls the way it does....and sometimes teams get lucky. Teams get breaks via injuries, weather, travel schedules, and re-shuffling of pitching rotations. But if you heard the national sports media, you would think the Indians should not accept the wild card if they beat the White Sox this weekend. Hearing Red Sox fans speak about this was just pathetic....but they are Red Sox fans, so the bar is pretty low.  So the regular season all comes to an end this weekend, or Monday if there is a tie (actually is Tuesday possible if there is a 3-way tie?). I have heard that Jacob's Field is sold out all weekend, so it should be good times back in Cleveland. I have officially been a part of the bandwagon for 2 months, so I hope the ride continues. Go Tribe!Unrelated: Kate Moss checked into rehab for her coke habit at a Wickenburg, Arizona clinic. Wickenburg is about 45 minutes north of where live. I drove thru Wickenburg on a drive to Las Vegas. It was so bad there. Maybe that is how the clinic works - you clean yourself up, so you get to leave Wickenburg. Either way, I don't really care, but I just thought it was a good way to get her picture in The Chief Source archives.
By Chuck - 9/30/2005
The Triple Crown of Republican Corruption18 comments on this post
They did it! Both the House and the Senate of the Republican-led Congress and the President's office are ALL being run by actual criminals. I am not much of a historian, but has this been matched? Consider....
 House Leader has now been indicted for criminal conspiracy Tom Delay; plus Tom has a series of other legal/ethical problems. Okay, so you may point out that Delay has temporarily replaced.......well, Delay was replaced by another corrupt Republican - Roy Blunt - who is married to a lobbyist, his parents are lobbyists, and he is closely tied to the same money laundering scheme that forced Delay to resign. These Republicans have no shame.  Senate Leader Bill Frist is under a formal investigation for illegal stock trading. It looks like Frist is going to be indicted. These illegal stock sales can often gets confusing, so people seem to tune out. I will make it simple: it is stealing money. It is no different from stealing money from a person's wallet. To me, this is the same (or worse) then any looting that occurred in New Orleans.  Then there is the Executive Branch. The Karl Rove scandal is heading back into the spotlight. Judith Miller has been released from jail and has agreed to testify. She will reportedly cite Scooter Libby (yes, Scooter) as one of the leaks. Scooter (yes, Scooter) is Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff. Then there is Rove, Bush's top advisor, who has his hands all over this, and may soon be facing a criminal indictment for outing Plame. (note: I am just focusing on current criminal investigations of the executive branch.....personally, I see a case for war crimes against Bush/Cheney directly, and homicide charges for the New Orleans response.)
By Chuck - 9/30/2005
John Roberts Confirmed3 comments on this post
Roberts becomes nation's 17th chief justice. The vote was 78-22. Democrats split 23 for, 22 against. This was a foregone conclusion. As mentioned earlier this week, he is a moderate conservative - yes, moderate, much like neo-cons, don't think women should work, either. Now the big fight is about to unfold as Bush is set to announce a new candidate. One rumor I heard is Harriet Miers. Miers has never been a judge. This seems to make her a top candidate: 1) she has no record for Democrats to attack and 2) Bush loves people with no experience at the job he appoints them for......example: FEMA head Mike "Brownie you're doin a heckuv a job" Brown.
This also got me to thinking, maybe Brownie could have been the new Chief Justice. The Chief Justice is the administrator of the court. Just think, Brownie used to be the administrator of Horse Judges, so maybe Chief Justice would have been a perfect fit!
By Chuck - 9/30/2005
Thursday, September 29, 2005Support Our Ribbons!13 comments on this post Apparently, while I was out of the country, a law was passed that all owners of a sports-utility-vehicle must champion a social cause by placing a color-coated, ribbon-shaped magnet/sticker on their back hatch.I am guessing that with most of these ribbons (like the pink breast cancer awareness one or the red AIDS awareness one) that the proceeds are donated to the corresponding causes. They seem to me to be a great way to raise much needed funds and spread much needed awareness.  However, the majority of the ribbons I see on the roads are not pink or red. They are yellow. I saw a car yesterday with three yellow "Support Our Troops" ribbons! That's a lot of support!...Or is it? How is it, that with so many of these patriotic ribbons telling us all what to do, that the next logical question never seems to get asked: HOW exactly does one best support our troops? Hold that thought...getting back to the proceeds:  I went searching for these ribbons on starsandstripes.com. Apparently when you buy one, an undisclosed "portion" of each sale is donated to the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund. The fund then provides educational scholarships to the children of soldiers. The only catch is, for a kid to be eligible for penny number one, his parent needs to die, get permanently disabled, become a POW or go MIA. Even then, the checks range from $500 to just $2,000.I don't want to demean any well-intentioned, much needed contributions, but I have to ask: Is this really the answer to the question? How much comfort can a soldier take in knowing that if he dies fighting, his kids will get their college textbooks paid for (maybe)? Does this, mixed with hanging a flag out front and saying some bed time prayers, really constitute 'support'? Or does it constitute self-deception and the easiest way to clear one's conscience?  I have another idea. Unfortunately, unlike the ribbons, it involves thinking, admitting our mistakes and taking action. My alternative type of support would involve researching which politicians/parties are actually cutting/fully funding soldiers' and veterans' benefits and related programs... It involves accepting the reality that there were no WMDs, that Saddam was not in cahoots with Osama and that therefore, the soldiers were put in harms way under false pretenses... It involves promising to them never to let this happen again... It involves voting accordingly, placing their welfare as a higher priority then say...Stem Cells. It does not involve vague, hollow gestures which carry the illusion and warm fuzzy feeling of a meaningful contribution. I hate to say it, but as I see it, these ribbons are doubling as blindfolds.
By Robert - 9/29/2005
Sad, Racist, Republican... Bill Bennett7 comments on this post
"Bill Bennett's Morning in America airs on approximately 115 radio stations with an estimated weekly audience of 1.25 million listeners. " - Media Matters.com
By Kyle - 9/29/2005
Wednesday, September 28, 2005Tom Delay Charged With Conspiracy9 comments on this post
He must step down as Republican Majority Leader...
 This is really big news. The story is developing. The full story is at CNN.com
By Kyle - 9/28/2005
2 comments on this post
 From CBS News: "The teams working in St. Bernard Parish, which is now an enormous toxic waste dump, are waking up with sore throats and other respiratory ailments. Privately, the EPA testers have told them that all the pollutants and environmental toxins are way off the scale. No one is looking to stay there long." From the AP: "Hurricane Rita rattled even more debris out of New Orleans yesterday, as federal officials began bracing for another possible wave of oil, chemical, and hazardous waste spills... Meanwhile, the putrid soup of chemicals and bacteria that had settled into a thick sludge was sloshing again yesterday in the Ninth Ward." I haven't seen much on the environmental damage done by the hurricanes. Most of the coverage has focused on either personal human stories, personal pet stories, Bush photo-ops or gas prices. (amazing how long the war in Iraq has been absent) I understand the desire to repopulate the area, but they need to make sure the air, water, and ground are safe first. Children are always the most vulnerable and protecting their health needs to be as high a priority as rebuilding their house. It will be interesting to see how the EPA performs in the coming months. Stephen Johnson of the EPA is a qualified administrator and isn't another "Brownie."
By Kyle - 9/28/2005
Tuesday, September 27, 2005Federal Response to Katrina9 comments on this post
Bankruptcy Bill Update: As I have mentioned before, Democrats are trying to pass a law that exempts Katrina victims from the new Bankruptcy Bill. The Democrat proposed exemption has been blocked by Republican James Sensenbrenner (R-WI). Sensenbrenner says that people proposing this help for Katrina victims should be shut up. Actually, more specifically, he really had the balls to say: those fighting for Katrina victims, "ought to get over it."
 Helping Minorities: As Katrina showed, we still have a major problem in America regarding race and poverty. Affirmative action is one way the government has tried to help the problem. So, I find it laughable that the Bush Administration has decided to give Katrina contractors an Affirmative Action exemption.The Blame Game: Murder suspect (if I were a federal prosecutor) and shamed ex-FEMA Director, Mike "Brownie" Brown, testified before Congress today. He decided to play the blame game. Amazingly, he refused to really blame himself or FEMA, as he only could fault the Louisiana Governor and New Orleans Mayor. He even had the nerve to claim "I think I did a pretty darn good job" at FEMA. The only person dumb enough to think that is Bush......remember Bush said, "Brownie your doin a heckuv a job." Oh, by the way, Brownie is still getting $150,000 from FEMA, despite openly lying on his resume.
By Chuck - 9/27/2005
A Moderate Republican12 comments on this post
John Roberts is going to be easily confirmed to the Supreme Court. The Roberts nomination is seen as a slam-dunk, because Roberts is considered moderate. He has not harbored some of the radical stances of other Republican judges (i.e., Janice "Government is Slavery" Brown and Emilio "Pro-Rape" Garza).
 So lets take a look at what Roberts believes, which will allow us to understand what a moderate Republican looks like. 1) John Roberts is NOT SURE "whether encouraging homemakers to become lawyers contributes to the common good." 2) He has denied existence of a gender gap. 3) Also, Roberts asserted that the Equal Pay Act, which requires men get the same pay if they do the same work, is 'radical'.Summary of Roberts and women's rights: Stay in the kitchen woman! Now consider this, again: by most accounts, John Roberts is considered a moderate/mainstream Republican jurist. That says all we need to know about where the Republicans stand on women's rights.
By Chuck - 9/27/2005
Monday, September 26, 2005Exitus acta probat?17 comments on this postWhat do Karl Rove and George Washington have in common? Both of their names pop-up when you go to Wikipedia and type in: "The ends justify the means." Hold that thought… Time for a hypothetical scenario...  The FBI gets an anonymous tip that a terrorist, travelling alone, is boarding a specific Greyhound bus headed for Chicago. They apprehend the bus just as it's about to leave the terminal, evacuate the 100 passengers and search the baggage. In a green polka-dot bag in storage they find: detailed blue-prints of the Sears Tower, receipts for large amounts of fertilizer and guides on building demolition. Unfortunately Greyhound doesn't mark the baggage with corresponding seat numbers and there is no record of which or how many bags each passenger stowed. The only certainty is that the green polka-dot bag was stowed by someone on that bus. Every passenger denies ownership and is taken into custody for further questioning. By law the authorities can only hold a person for a week (hypothetical) without pressing charges, so for the next 7 days the FBI grills them, one-by-one and does extensive background checks. Of the 100 people, 30 are model citizens, children, elderly etc. and are virtually waved of suspicion. Despite all the background checks though, not a shred of evidence is found to incriminate any of the remaining 50 (although 20 of them admit to being practicing Muslims). Since the FBI is unable to legally hold the passengers any longer, nor do they have a solid case against anyone, they are left with only two options for each individual passenger: release him and send him on his way to Chicago or declare him an 'enemy combatant' and send him to GITMO for further (unconstitutional) detention. You, yes YOU, are the hypothetical head of the hypothetical FBI! What do you do?
By Robert - 9/26/2005
What does Karl Rove do exactly?2 comments on this post Karl Rove is one of the most influential people in the country, but we never see or hear from him. On 2/8/05, President Bush promoted him to "Assistant to the President, Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor." That sounds like a pretty important position. I'd imagine a lot of his ideas are being implemented. Doesn't he owe us a little insight once in a while like an occasional interview, questions from the press, or something unscripted and spontaneous like a debate? Watch the Prime Minister's questions on C-Span to get an idea of what I have in mind.This past Saturday Rove was in North Dakota to give a speech to the Republican state committee, raise some money, and meet with Governor Hoeven (R) about running for senate in 2006. Of course, he took no questions from the press during his visit. This story got me thinking. With all that is going on in our country right now, doesn't he have other things he should be working on? Maybe Karl Rove's only job is political strategy for the Republican Party. So why are the American people paying his salary?
By Kyle - 9/26/2005
Saturday, September 24, 2005Still Abandoning the Poor2 comments on this post
Recently, an anonymous commenter spoke of the wonderful job the Republican Governor of Texas and Mayor of Houston are doing in preparing for Rita - I just sort of accepted that they were doing a good job. Then I wondered what is really going on in Texas. Sure, we see the traffic jams and millions of people on the run: but they have cars! Again, just like in New Orleans, what about those without cars? Well, I decided to tune out my fears, and just assumed something was being done - besides, I have more important things to worry about, like talking about Bush falling of the wagon.
Then I heard Texas has not been helping evacuate the poor. This startled me, so I did some research. Here is what we have: 
Okay, so Texas officials aren't doing a great job. Again, the poor have been abandoned. So, once again, shame on America. Fortunately, it appears that Rita is weakening, so the death toll should not reach absurd numbers, like Katrina. Unfortunately, the fact that Katrina-level crisis will be avoided will allow Americans to go to bed thinking we have learned from the heinous crimes and tragedies of New Orleans.
By Chuck - 9/24/2005
Friday, September 23, 2005Paineful advice to both sides of aisle9 comments on this postThat isn't a misspelling in the title. The following is my advice to modern day, self-proclaimed liberals and conservatives based on excerpts from The Rights of Man. The book, written by Thomas Paine during the American Revolution, provides a much needed political realignment. LEFT: STOP ATTACKING POLITICIANS...START EXPLAINING PRINCIPLES & IDEALS: "It is proper to observe that there are two distinct species of popularity; the one excited by merit, and the other by resentment." RIGHT: STOP CRITICIZING CRITICISM...START CRITICIZING NEGLIGENCE & ABUSE: "The defects of every government and constitution, both as to principle and form, must on a parity of reasoning, be open to discussion as the defects of a law, and it is a duty which every man owes to society to point them out."  This advice is not easy for either side to swallow (Actually swallowing it is not the problem. Keeping it down is the tough part). Acknowledging it is one thing, exercising it is another.I believe that this process needs to start with the left. If the left will stop diluting (even poisoning) their doctrine with resentment and personal attacks, then the right won't expend so much energy defending their party like an automaton. I will close with a piece of advice that both sides of the aisle should keep in mind... When describing the attitudes of the British public during the American War, Thomas Paine paints a picture of a nation dangerously polarized. A deep, unhealthy division between men that blinded reason on both sides. Here he explains how the common man chose his political party: "The case was not, which they liked the best, but which they hated most; and the least hated passed for love." Sound familiar?
By Robert - 9/23/2005
National Enquirer: Bush is drinking again13 comments on this post Opening Statement:If I had to make a conclusion, I would say I think this story is bogus. So I don't want right-wingers telling me that 'I will believe anything' or saying how crazy I am. I am NOT saying this is true. Mostly, I thought the National Enquirer story was interesting and fun to talk about. Consider: can anyone tell me they don't look at those magazines when checking out of the grocery store? All that said, I have compiled 5 reason to believe he is drinking. I have 2, much more convincing, reasons to think he is not drinking. Reasons to believe Bush is drinking 1) He is an alcoholic. Moreover, he never received therapy or treatment for his problem. 2) He is under a HUGE amount of stress, especially since his second term has been a total disaster - topped off by his total failure to properly respond during Katrina - and his approval ratings are embarrassing. 3) Okay, so the story is from the National Enquirer. However, it is actually much more reputable then given credit for. Here is an article from Slate about its accuracy. Also, Wikipedia describes the Enquirer positively: "despite the sensationalistic perception, the Enquirer is also well-regarded for its very thorough research." The Enquirer played a vital role in the Lewinsky scandal. 4) Bush admits to drinking nonalcoholic "near beer". This is a major No-No for alcoholics, as scientific research supports the notion that it causes relapses. 5) Did anyone see how happy he was when he talked about having "maybe too much fun" when he used to visit New Orleans (note: this is the least relevant of my points). Reasons to believe Bush is not drinking 1) It is still the National Enquirer. 1) He looks good. I think his physical appearance has actually improved during his Presidency. For this stuff to be true, I would assume his appearance would start to fall off, but he remains in great shape. Conclusion Again, if I had to conclude, I would say he is not drinking. I don't see how it could be hid. That said, I never understood how Clinton's affair with Monica stayed quiet for so long.
By Chuck - 9/23/2005
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September 28, 2005: "I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could -- if that were your sole purpose,