...Or Is This Not Really a Crime?

New word alert! Courtesy of the Washington Post's The Trail. Following a story headlined "For Obama, Friends Like These Mean Playing Defense," comes this 9:56 PM posting from vamonticello:

"What about Hillary, she is married to an abuser, purgery and a serial cheater. She does not have the judgement [sic] to be president."

Ah, yes. Pur•ger•y [perjeree] - noun (pl. -ries) Act of sticking things down one's throat to make one vomit.

I'm guessin' that makes it more Monica's vice than Bill's. Right, Hil? Yup, I think Hil likes it.

...Or Is This Woman After Dorothy's Shoes?

Back in the day, when Mayor Gavin Newsom started marrying same sex couples and found himself taking a ton of horsedoody from anatomically appropriate sources like Barney Frank and Diane Feinstein I wrote this pome:

Why would DiFi trash the mayor
Just for making marriage gayer?
The answer really shouldn't floor us:
Her nickname IS Diane-osaurous!

Now, California's very, very senior Senator has crossed the line to become the tie-breaking vote allowing the nomination of another Bush adminstration racist, sexist, homophobic legal genius to reach the Senate floor whereupon she joined with the Republicans to confirm him- he now has a lifetime pass to screw with the rights of women, minorities, and gays. In celebration, I'd like to offer this little doggerel–

"You'll lack this judge," ole Trent Lott told her
"He lacks his wimmen spry but older.
"He don't like blacks and just hates fags
"But he don't mind some droops and sags
"Nor wrinkles nor some dry foam texture..."
(Mind you this is pure conjecture)
"You do go on" Ms. Feinstein said,
"And it all goes straight to my head.
"But you know, Trent, you are da man
"Just tell me when to raise my hand."
She doddered off to her committee
Feeling youthful, even giddy,
And when the Dems refused to budge,
DiFi made a jerk a judge!

I'd encourage you to follow up on this story in a somewhat less polemic environment... over at Down With Tyranny.

...Or Should We Throw a Licker Tape Parade?

"I took a city that was known for pornography and licked it to a large extent...."

–New York Daily News

That Rudy! He's always been a tongue-in-chic kinda guy!

Thanks to Taegan Goddard's Political Wire.

...Or Is Barack Embracing the Wrong Changes?

HuffPo just made me seriously regret the money my partner and I have been sending to Barack Obama. In an AMERICAblog post, John Aravosis announces that Barack's Embrace the Change concert series in South Carolina will prominently feature gospel singer and Bush supporter (which may be redundant) Donnie McClurkin. Senator Obama is apparently embracing more changes than his constituency had been led to expect.

Wikipedia quotes Mr. McClurkin's autobiography this way:
"The abnormal use of my sexuality continued until I came to realize that I was broken and that homosexuality was not God's intention... for my masculinity." It then adds, "He then describes himself as going through a process by which he became 'a saved and sanctified man'."

Aravosis cites a WaPo piece:
"Gospel singer Donnie McClurkin, who has detailed his struggle with gay tendencies and vowed to battle 'the curse of homosexuality,' said yesterday he'll perform as scheduled at the [2004] Republican National Convention on Thursday, despite controversy over his view that sexuality can be changed by religious intervention. 'I can't let off. I didn't call myself -- God called me to do what I do,' McClurkin told The Post's Hamil R. Harris. The Grammy winner declared, 'If this is a war, we are willing to fight. Not a war of violence, but a war of purpose.'"

Amen to that, sister!

Let's get one last citation in. This is from Keith Boykin's excellent 2005 essay profiling McClurkin:

"'Love is pulling you one way and lust is pulling you another and your relationship with Jesus is tearing you,' McClurkin told the media. He says that God delivered him from homosexuality, and since that time, he has been counseling adolescent boys that homosexuality is merely a lifestyle choice that can be overcome." (Emphasis mine).

We've just sent Senator Obama an email informing him that we won't be contributing in future to his campaign. At this point we've just about had it... and Hillary can have the nomination and we'll just skip the presidential line on our ballots for the first time since 1968.

...Or Are The Kiwis on to Something?

Yup. It's a real billboard from New Zealand.
You gotta admit it's a good picture.
Full disclosure: It's for a Pizza Delivery service.

... Or Beauty Should In Contest Be He?

Just Read It and Weep...

"This is absolutely another wonderful opportunity to enter public service at a different level, focusing on issues like globalization and issues that I think that I genuinely care about and I think have learned a lot about some expertise on now and try to carry that to a new level as we do try to educate our kids for a global economy," he said. "So that's something in the back of my mind that definitely interests me and the opportunity, and I think I would do a good job."

The beauty contest this came from is the race for Congress from the 3rd District of Minnesota. The "MC" was a reporter from from Minnesota Public Radio. The contestant is state representative Erik Paulsen who is described by Swing State Project as "the leading contender to replace retiring Rep. Jim Ramstad. Do I have to tell you he's a Republican?

Our thanks to Swing State and thru them to MNPublius who posted it first.

...Or Will This Make Our Nation Safer?

Homeland Security Sec'y Proposes 'Pay-as-You-Go' Stalls
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff proposed today that all stalls in American airport men's rooms be converted to "pay as you go" operation. "It has come to our attention that all sorts of things are going on in those stalls and they could have a direct effect on our national security," the secretary explained.

Chertoff added that the technology required "is well within our grasp. We can charge by time in use, much the way your basic parking meter works. We can accept cash or credit cards and the transactions will allow us to better monitor who's using these stalls and how long they're staying."

Current plans call for the Minneapolis International Airport to be the site of a pilot program to check out the effectiveness of the system. If all goes smoothly, the new stall doors will be operational, the secretary said, "just in time for the Republican National Convention."

"From what I've seen of these guys on TV, I'd say 'just in time' hits it right on the head, as it were," commented an airport security officer whose undercover work requires anonymity. "We were pretty sure we'd be working big overtime hours while the Republicans are in town."

An endorsement of the project came from an unexpected source. Senator Larry Craig, in an interview with Matt Lauer, said the secretary has his full support in what the senator initially referred to as "the Homeland Security pay-to-play program." After correcting himself the senator added, "Chertoff's right! Men could be building bombs in those stalls just as easily as they could be dropping them!"

...Or We Becoming a 3rd World Country???

OK, I'm cribbing this from Murdoch's latest Goy Toy (WSJ) and I'd sincerely suggest that you head over there to read the whole story, but according to them and the IRS:

"The wealthiest 1% of Americans earned 21.2% of all income in 2005... That is up sharply from 19% in 2004 and surpasses the previous high of 20.8% set in 2000 at the peak of the previous bull market in stocks.

"The bottom 50% earned 12.8% of all income, down from 13.4% in 2004 and a bit less than their 13% share in 2000."

Keep that figure for the lowest 50% in mind the next time you hear some overpaid Fox Noise Reader prattle on about how the top 1% paid 90% of the taxes in this country.

Like Aunt Mary used to say, "The rich get richer and the poor get children."

And our thanks to Senator Clinton, Murdoch's choice for president, for acting out our rage.

...Or Could Debtors' Prisons be the Answer??

Cheney Outlines New "Security for
American Mortgage Borrowers Initiative"

Vice President Cheney this morning announced a new initiative to "aid those made homeless because they defaulted on their mortgages." In a major speech to an association of mortgage lenders, the VP announced a program to provide free housing and "three squares" a day to Americans whose homes were foreclosed on by members of the banking and loan industries.

Under the S.A.M.B.I. program, adult members of families who lose their homes will be provided with compulsory housing at state-run institutions and facilities for periods of time from one to 20 years, depending on how much they owed the lending institution at the time of their default. "We have yet to work out the details," Cheney said, "but we're thinking in the neighborhood of one year for each unit of $50,000 lost by the lender." While being housed, these adults will be offered the opportunity to reduce the balance of their debts by working at tasks assigned by the facility at the prevailing minimum wage. Those who decline the opportunity to work could find their sentences extended indefinitely. "These people obviously lacked the discipline required to function effectively in our society," Cheney explained, "and this will be an excellent chance for them to learn that discipline."

Minor children of defaulters would be enrolled in "excellent residential education facilities" designed to teach them "vocational skills that will prepare them for their roles the future global economy." Among the examples offered by the Vice President were environment recovery efforts in formerly military and industrial tracts, variable and seasonal agricultural harvest skills, meat processing professions with an emphasis on animal intake activities, and a variety of domestic personal service disciplines.

The Vice President summed up the initiative this way, "This is the logical next step after our No Child Left Behind and our bankruptcy reforms. It is the very essence of compassionate conservatism."

... Or Should MSNBC Be Calling This Program "Morning Joke"??

...Is this the REAL Romney?? Or IS THERE a real Romney?

... Or Is There Some Symbolism Goin' On Here?

• The most innovative new product of the year!
• A functional, plastic nutcracker with stainless steel teeth secured inside upper legs to grip and crack nuts in their shell.
• The Hillary Nutcracker will stand upright and has internal stainless steel components and spring.
• Stands Nine inches tall
• Feel the Squeeze with Hillary!
• Available at Amazon.com

Rumor has it Barack Obama's response was "I feel Bill's pain," or not.

... Or Is Something Missing Here?

OK. What do these states have in common?

Arizona
Connecticutt
California
Illinois
Maryland
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
Washington



All Democratic governors? Nope. All went for Kerry in 2004? Nope. Democratic majorities in state legislatures? Nope. They're the states that have thus far indicated their intentions to sue the Bush administration over stealth rules changes that force states to strip some recipients of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) from the rolls. This is in addition to the Decisioner in Chief's unconscionable veto of an expansion of the program.

The question of the hour, day, week is why isn't Oregon on that list. Why aren't 41 other states?

...Or does this give Dancing with the Stars new depth?

The Portland Trailblazers' newkid Channing Frye (left) and terminally hot Jason Przybilla seem confused about who's supposed to lead in this shot from the daily Oregonian.

The possible captions are dazzling...