Saturday, October 09, 2004

Face-to-face

We were eating pizza at the Incredible Pizza place tonight when in my peripheral vision I noticed two enormous pallid butt cheeks staring at me from a chair at the next table. Upon closer inspection (I couldn't help it) I saw that they belonged to an overweight man in a Hawaiian shirt. A huge gap between the back of his shirt and his trousers framed the hairest butt I've ever seen. A whorl of black hairs poked from the anterior crack - obscuring the elastic of his underwear.

This should be a criminal offense at an all-you-can-eat restaurant. I didn't get my money's worth tonight.
Looking Forward to Visiting DC?

Last week the US House of Representatives - led by its Republican leadership - voted to erase the 28-year handgun ban in Washington DC. Why would the House do such a thing in such a high-crime area? The citizens and city government overwhelmingly opposed the lifting of the ban.

Primarily - this is as good an illustration of how ideologically bound the House leadership - under Tom DeLay - has become. It is more important to the pro-gun interests to beat back gun restrictions than to seek pragmatic solutions to real problems. It doesn't matter to them that polls indicate the citizens of DC overwhelmingly oppose lifting the ban. Damn the citizens! We have a point to make!

This is also a clear illustration of how money politics works. The NRA and the gun industry have purchased most Congresspeople with campaign contributions and fear.

Tuesday, October 05, 2004

Cheney selects himself to succeed himself

During tonights VP candidates debate VP Dick Cheney considered Senator Edwards' application for the VP slot and after a condescending lecture, rejected Edwards. The VP then proceeded to select himself for the slot Edwards is applying for.

This is reminiscent of four years ago when Cheney was asked to head up Bush' VP selection committee and after careful consideration selected himself. At the time Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating was under consideration for the VP slot and went so far as to have a corporation invite Keating and Cheney on a fishing trip to Alaska to help Cheney get to know him better. Cheney dropped out of the trip just before anointing himself.

Now Keating is running an insurance industry lobby group in Washington DC and making a million a year.
Spin on the VP candidate Debate

Just minutes after the debate ended, the Communications director for the Bush-Cheney campaign tells an MSNBC reporter that Edwards supporters are walking around "dazed and in shock" apparently from the onslaught from VP Cheney.

Sen. Patrick Leahy adds some background to VP Cheney's accusation that Sen. Edwards must not be working hard because Cheney has never seen him at the Senate. Leahy points out that Cheney, unlike prior VPs, meets only with Republicans when he visits the Senate. Democrats like Edwards are cut out.




Sunday, October 03, 2004

Istook Going to China

Congressman Istook will lead an Oklahoma delegation to China in November. The delegetion is said to be businesses which have been invited by the Oklahoma State Chamber. While the press release from Istook's office seems to say that Istook asked the State Chamber to organize his trip, sources in the State Chamber say that the trip was the idea of State Chamber President Richard Rush who asked Istook to lead their delegation. The State Chamber arranged for China's Ambassador to the US to officially invite Istook. A caller to the State Chamber last week was told that only invited businesses were allowed to participate.