Dancing with Myself

Friday Fishwrap

Congratulations to former Vice President Al Gore on his Nobel Peace Prize. 

Barney Frank had a news conference yesterday where he complains about how tough his job is and how mean everyone is to him.  Grow up, Barney.  Maybe we're just tired of being pandered to by the Democratic Party.  Maybe we're tired of being talked to in such a patronizing tone. 

Nancy Pelosi whines about the demonstrators in front of her house.  She nostalgically remembers the days when she could just have them all arrested, but damn that First Amendment.  I remember Nancy when she was just a money person for the Democratic machine.  As a payback for all of her good work, Sala Burton annointed Pelosi from her deathbed to take over after her death.  Either that or one of Nancy's friends held Sala's dead arm and pointed it towards Pelosi.  I hadn't known that House seats could be inherited before that.

In 2006, we gave money, time and sweat to defeating Republicans.  I believe we were successful.  What's been our payback?  Nada.  Zip.  Nothing!  The war not only continues, but it has surged!  Hillary doesn't think she was wrong to vote Bush a blank check on the war in Iraq.  In fact, she just voted him more power to take on Iran.  I've said it several times:  Hillary's not opposed to the imperial presidency, she just thinks the wrong person is emperor.  God, I wish Al Gore was running.

Let's face it, kids, we're not getting jackshit from the Democrats for at least another couple of years, and don't hold your breath after that.  The Democrats are taking millions from the same people that own the Republicans.  Anyone thinking they're going to do anything different should wish in one hand and piss in the other and see which one fills up more quickly.

God save the queens. 

I -HEART- Jon Stewart

His analysis of General BeTrayUs is spot on! 

Maybe It's Just Me, but...

I just watched Senator What's His Name, the senior Republican senator from Virginia, in an interview with JoAnn Woodruff.  He really sounded like a blithering idiot.  He's all smoke and no fire.  He don't know shit.  He is so last century.

Ricochets

What's up with Black kids killing each other in such record numbers?

81 in Oakland so far this year.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Blacks murder each other 94% of the time, and the Black murder rate was 6 times higher than Whites in 2005. I'd be willing to bet it's even higher this year.

Former Congressman Ron Dellums, aka The Great Black Hope, was talked into moving back to Oakland to run for mayor because the quality of life for Blacks was deteriorating, or so claimed a bunch of young Black professionals who felt they were losing their influence in Oakland to a coalition of Whites and Hispanics.  Jerry Brown may have been a liberal, but he sure did love himself some business interests, and seemed to have nothing but disdain for the Black political establishment.  I'm not sure if that's true, but that was how he was perceived by Blacks.

So, the first thing Dellums did was to lie about being a lobbyist in Washington.  Narrowly winning the election, his first official act was to ask for his salary to be doubled.  Next we had a garbage strike/lockout leaving much of Oakland without garbage collection for over a month.  Meanwhile, young Blacks are killing each other in record numbers.  So much for the Great Black Hope.

This is a crisis, not just in Oakland, but in every major American city.  Check out the papers in Philadelphia and New Orleans.  Everyday there's a new headline.  Where's the leadership?  Where are the Black churches?  Too busy worrying about a bunch of lesbians who want to get married, I'll wager. 

Shame on them.  Shame on the Black community.  I wouldn't care so much, but I'm worried about getting hit by a ricochet as they go around murdering each other.

Glenn Greenwald Speaks For Me

Here here.  Well Said.

Maybe it's just me, but...

Doesn't Judith Miller look much better since her face lift?  She still takes no responsibility for being a cheerleader for the Bush Administration rather than a reporter, but I did like how she's identified by Frontline as a "freelance reporter." 

Senate Republicans Defeat Raise in Minimum Wage

Once again, Republicans in the Senate showed their true colors by defeating the first raise in the minimum wage in over ten years which was passed by the House earlier this week.  Low-life bastards.

War Is Hell

People go to war, not just armies.  Hezbollah has been operating with the full support of the Shiites of Southern Lebanon for all of its 24 years.  Weeks ago, the Lebanese in southern Lebanon were in the streets dancing at the prospect of bringing death to the Jews.  It didn't go that way for them.  It did, however, go exactly the way the Hezbollah imagined it.  For Hezbollah to win all they need do is to not be completely wiped out.

The Hezbollah have nothing to lose.  The infrastructure of Lebanon does not belong to them.  The economy of Lebanon does not belong to them.  The only thing the Hezbollah possess is an agenda based on an extreme Islamist ideology.  However, like it or not, the Hezbollah is the army of the people of Shiite Lebanon. 

The Hezbollah depend on the infrastructure of Lebanon to supply their forces and the move their rockets around.  They hide their missiles in homes, businesses, even mosques.  The Lebanese are not owning up to that.  As I watched the news last night on television, I heard no one take any responsibility for beginning this war.  To listen to the Lebanese, they were all sitting around watching television when suddenly Israel started bombing their villages.  They are all innocent and it's all the fault of the Israelis.   I think not.

I do feel sorry for the children of Lebanon, just as I feel sorry for the children of Israel.  War is hard on children.    Unfortunately for the children of Lebanon and Israel, the adults in charge of the Hezbollah have treated them as expendable pawns in their game of war.  It was the Hezbollah who used women and children to shield their war machine.  The civilians in southern Lebanon blessed the Hezbollah and their promise to bring death and destruction to the people of Israel.  They have no reason for complaint.  This is their war.  War is hell.

Sorry if the truth makes you uncomfortable.  I offer no apologies for my support of Israel.  I am uncomfortable with the company it places me in this country, but I supported Israel long before Bush was President.   As long as the Palestinians and their Arab and muslim allies wish death and destruction to ALL Jews and Israelis, I stand fast with Israel.

NOT Your Everyday Fender Bender

The Castro in San Francisco was the scene of a freak accident Thursday afternoon.  SFGate has the details and some incredible photographs.  Unfortunately, one man was killed.  It is in the face of such dramatic tragedy that ordinary people often display incredible courage.  Go read the tale of one such pilgrim who when challenged with horendous circumstances behaved heroically. 

Chutzpah

Chutzpah is a Yiddish word for "insolence, audacity and impertinence."  An example of chutzpah is Sen. Frist and House Speaker Hassert blaming the Democrats for the ugly, punitive immigration bill passed by the House of Representatives in December.  "If only the Democrats weren't so mean-spirited," exclaimed Speaker Hassert, oblivious to the chutzpah of his statement, "we would have passed a kinder and gentler bill."  Okay, what they really said was that the Democrats lacked "compassion."  That's chutzpah compounded.