got gas?

http://www.rvi.net/~mdhorban/hybridmotorcycle.htm

the next time bush mentions pakistan, remember this

Pakistan is ruled by a military dictatorship in cahoots with violent Islamist extremists. The military has no interest in democracy at home, so why does the outside world expect it to help build democracy next door?
--source

the culture of corruption

Federal investigators appear closer to bringing charges against Ohio Congressman Bob Ney, but Ney says he does not expect to be indicted.
--source

FARPOINT.FACTOID

the nation's debt just passed $8,363,350,223,844.91

The estimated population of the United States is 298,675,618

so each citizen's share of this debt is $28,000.86.

The National Debt has continued to increase an average of $1.95 billion per day since September 30, 2005

PER DAY!!

the iranian letter

can be found HERE.

take the money and run

May 8 (Bloomberg) -- Republican lawmakers, facing the prospect that their power to cut taxes may soon be curbed, plan to extend breaks that mostly benefit the wealthy and Wall Street at the expense of reductions for middle-income households.

Six months before elections that may return a Democratic majority in at least one house of Congress, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee and House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois are focusing on extending the 15 percent rate on investments and repealing the estate tax. They won't push extensions of lower rates for all taxpayers and expanded breaks for married couples and families with children, which expire after 2010.

``In politics, timing is everything; you do what you can when you can, and this is what's queued up right now,'' says Arizona Senator Jon Kyl, the No. 4 Republican in the Senate. Given the federal budget deficit, it would ``be hard to generate public support overnight'' for making permanent the other tax cuts, he says.

Democrats say the Republicans are favoring tax breaks that do little for middle-income Americans; 50 percent of all U.S. households earn between $26,859 and $120,100, according to the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan research institution in Washington.

--source

a sign of the times

First, Nielsen Media Research reported that Fox News' overall prime-time lineup dropped 17% last month compared with a year ago (MSNBC grew 16% during the same period, while CNN plummeted by 38%).

-source

the numbers

WASHINGTON — President Bush's approval rating has slumped to 31% in a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, the lowest of his presidency and a warning sign for Republicans in the November elections.

--story

woooPIE!

i guess george would feel right at home lying about the fish he's caught

U.S. President George W. Bush told a German newspaper his best moment in more than five years in office was catching a big perch in his own lake.

"You know, I've experienced many great moments and it's hard to name the best," Bush told weekly Bild am Sonntag when asked about his high point since becoming president in January 2001.

"I would say the best moment of all was when I caught a 7.5 pound (3.402 kilos) perch in my lake," he told the newspaper in an interview published on Sunday.
--story

7.5lb perch huh?

Of all species of perch that might be found in a Texas lake (outside of California where there are some odd species) for which a record is kept the very heaviest ever caught is a 4 pound 3 ounce (1.91 kg) Yellow Perch caught by a Dr. C. Abbot in May of 1985 in Bordentown, NJ. The number two Perch is a white one met its end on July 4, 1984 when a Mr. Ray Johnson yanked it out of the Yuba Reservoir at Fayette Utah, at a grand total weight of 2 pounds 11 ounces (0.9 kg).
--source

watching seabiscuit on abc

i know what toby mcguire was doing when he first met seabiscuit. i've got that same Qness. i know you can talk to the animals. they'll listen. rather, it's you who don't listen to them. unless you do, then you know what Qness would be then.

i'm starting the.Hithchiker. in word. hopefully this will be the one that makes it out the door. i'll get about a 1000 words before i approach someone at the globe.

Question of the Day

Why is it that the newspapers call warriors against the Sudanese government "rebels," while warriors against the Iraqi government are labeled "insurgents"? Certainly both of these groups deliberately kill civilians. Perhaps "insurgents" operate from underground, whereas "rebels" organize proper armies and control territory? If this is really the distinction that matters, then why did TP hear a reporter on today's All Things Considered refer to Maoist forces in Tibet as "insurgents"?
--today's papers

CLERZ WORKS!

if you ever need a good eye drops solution, and you wear contacts, get CLERZ. it's FAB.

this 'unexpected' resignation oif porter goss?

if the bushites are ready to name a successor as of monday, how surprised were they really? this is negroponte's heavy hand. a micromanager that will no doubt fuck it up like he did with iran contra.

Letter Of The Day

Recently no less than eight retired U.S. generals have publicly called for the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for malfeasance in conducting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those who have never served in the military probably do not appreciate how monumental this is. It just isn’t done. What, then, does this mean?

I have seen this done only a couple of times in my 52 years. Generally these men are acting as a voice for those active-duty officers who do not feel able to voice their opinions for fear of reprisals. And it also means that many active-duty officers have contacted these retirees begging for help. These retired generals risk cushy and lucrative jobs at major defense-contracting firms by voicing the concerns of active-duty brethren. Significant weight should be given to their words.

George Bush and his administration are rapidly losing the support of the military. A recent Stars and Stripes poll (the paper for the military) shows over 63 percent wanting Rumsfeld’s resignation. It took 10 years for it to get this bad in Vietnam, and that was with draftees. The military must be near mutiny.
— Larry Wohlgemuth, Ankeny.

attribution

iow: HE LIED

MADRID (AFP) - A former Middle East specialist of the US Central Intelligence Agency has condemned what he called an organised campaign of manipulation by the Bush administration to justify the Iraq war.

--more

saddam would be proud

Torture and inhumane treatment are "widespread" in U.S.-run detention centers in Afghanistan,Iraq, Cuba and elsewhere despite Washington's denials, Amnesty International said on Wednesday.

--story

the 10 worse corporations

http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=393

Joke of the Day

A few days after President Bush said he wants the national anthem solo en ingles, the WP notices: "The State Department posts four Spanish versions of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' on its Web site."

notice the bushites never hold up afghanistan

because they would be lying if they were.

from today's papers:

"The Taliban and Al Qaeda are everywhere," said one shopkeeper. "It is all right in the city, but if you go outside the city, they are everywhere, and the people have to support them." This TPer recently flagged the Taliban's rise in the south, noting a vehicle ban they just ordered.

people often ask "who's your idol?"

and now i can say for sure, without hesitation, his name is jethro gibbs. the fictional character played by none other than the illustrious mark harmon on cbs' excellent crime-drama NCIS, done to sweet perfection, his character is every bit the actor who plays him.

name something that can't be called an 'it'

an it.

because, if an it called itself and it, it wouldn't be an 'it'.

the house members who voted against the lobbying reform bill

the good housemembers who had the guts to vote what the majority of Americans demand. congrats to you members who knew better than to let party loyalty get in the way of Good American Lawmaking.

jim kolbe - AZ
joe hefley - CO
chris shays - CT
jim ramstad - MN
kenny hulshof - MO
walter jones - NC
charles bass - NH
jeb bradley - NM
steve chabot - OH
todd platts - PA
mark green - WI
f. james sensenbrenner - WI

source: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=110&chamber=H&congress=1092&printer=1

history is on my side

USA Today fronts a poll showing President Bush's rating at 34 percent, a record low for the poll. The paper points out that since 1950, Gallup (which conducted USAT's poll) has clocked six times when a president's approval rating was below 50 percent in the spring before a midterm election. His party lost control of the House all six times.
--

today's papers

thought it was something else didn't ya

The graduation of nearly 1,000 new Iraqi army soldiers in restive Anbar province took a disorderly turn Sunday when dozens of the men declared that they would refuse to serve outside their home areas, according to U.S. and Iraqi military authorities.

--source

Letter of the WeeQ

Regarding “Authorities Harass Bush Protesters” (April 25 letters): Once there was a saying, “The cat can look at the king.” Now, in the United States of America, ordinary citizens are not allowed to look at the president. Why?
— Luna Daly, Fairfield.

attribution

but pigs might fly?

that's the headline over this letter to the editor in the des moines register today:

President Bush announced his administration is going to get tough on the oil industry over high gas prices. If you believe that, you’ve been smoking something strange. Bush and Dick Cheney are the oil industry. They get campaign contributions by the tanker truck.

Here are a few things that are more likely to happen before Big Oil is curbed. Pat Robertson will come out in praise of Playboy magazine; Tom DeLay will run for president on the Democratic ticket; Iowa basketball coach Steve Alford will shave his head for next season.

In other words, don’t hold your breath.

Letter of the Day

The April 24 article, “U.S. Facing Sticker Shock for Iraq War,” does indeed contain some shocking numbers and information. The total to date, prorating for 2006, is about $220 billion for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

So what does this mean to Iowans? Based on IRS data, Iowa contributes about 0.7 percent of the total paid into federal funds. These Iowa contributions are from individual income taxes, corporate income taxes and excise, gift and estate taxes. That 0.7 percent sounds like a pretty small number. But 0.7 percent of $220,000,000,000 (somehow, writing it out with the zeros makes it look a little more daunting than writing $220 billion) is about $1,540,000,000.

And this is for the cost through the end of April. Obviously, these amounts will continue to grow, even if it were announced tomorrow that we are going to start an immediate withdrawal of the troops.

What could this state do with an extra $1.54 billion? Perhaps be less concerned with how to fund education, including pay for public school teachers. And we could have the world-class research facilities and personnel to make Iowa the clear leader in alternative energy sources.

Of course, what’s immeasurable are the loss of human life — American, Iraqi, Afghans and others — and the potential positive contributions of all those lives to the future of this world. Surely it would dwarf the cold numbers above.
— Wayne Woodworth, West Des Moines.

attribution

i wonder if anybody is studying this

what the effects of the new medicare prescription drug benefit is having on title XIX patients. have those rolls increased at all? i'll bet they have. simply because all the providers have got it hooked in to devising a 'plan' and you get money from the government as payment for methadone. which is cheap as hell to manufacture. so yea, any study in progress or recently done about this?

bush: i am above your petty laws

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/04/30/examples_of_the_presidents_signing_statements/

and from today's papers

And in other papers ... Yesterday's Boston Globe had a big takeout on the president's fondness for "signing statements":

President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the Constitution.

Among the laws Bush said he can ignore are military rules and regulations, affirmative-action provisions, requirements that Congress be told about immigration services problems, "whistle-blower" protections for nuclear regulatory officials, and safeguards against political interference in federally funded research.

Judging from a quickie Nexis search, the number of front-page stories the LAT, NYT, and Post have had on the president's signing habit: one

.

Quote of the Day

"What kind of insult is this? Instead of buying us off and treating us like we're a bunch of whores, just solve the problem.
--Rush Limpbagh

attribution

speaking about the $100 giveaway plan by the republicans in the House to stave off gas relief. kinda interesting that he would say such a thing to his own party.

ya know what causes so much wait time on these sites?

where you sit there forever waiting for the page to load? fuckn ads servers are crappin out.

son of a bitch

he's asking vinnack for VP. hot DAMMM... and you can tell i saw it first here.

i'm sitting here watching the west wing, and i'm thinking....

jus why don't they grow some bold balls and have santos offer vinnack (sp?) the VP role. that would have ramnifications far beyond the audience.

it's what dictators are made of

WASHINGTON -- President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the Constitution.

--more

wanna bet we don't see a bit of that at the pumps?

Saudi King Abdullah ordered petrol prices in the oil-rich kingdom slashed by more than 30 percent, according to a copy of the decree carried by the official SPA news agency.

"In order to improve the living standards of citizens and for the public good, we have ordered that the price of one litre of petrol for the consumer be changed to 0.60 riyals (17 cents) instead of 0.90 riyals (24 cents) until 10/12/1427," the decree said, referring to the last month of the Muslim lunar calendar which would coincide with next January.

The decree, which becomes effective on Monday, also cut the price of one litre (0.26 gallon) of high octane petrol by 25 percent to 0.75 riyals (20 cents) and that of diesel fuel by almost 35 percent to 0.25 riyals (6 cents) per litre.

-=-source

we have no authority on this issue

Military officials claim that of the almost 500 suspects being held at Guantanamo, 150 are ready for repatriation as soon as their return can be negotiated with their home countries. Talks with these countries, especially Saudi Arabia and Yemen which account for almost half of the detainees, have been "complex, time-consuming and difficult." The State Department's human rights bureau is insisting on guarantees that prisoners will not be tortured upon their return and will be treated in accordance with international humanitarian law. Enforcement seems to be the sticking point—officials have no way of monitoring the prisoners. One proposal had the Red Cross visiting prisoners but when the Saudi government refused to allow the Red Cross access to its prisons, the proposal was scrapped.

Letter of the WeeQ

Regarding “Term Limits Lose Appeal Among Those in Congress” on April 16: The quoted congressmen decided against “retiring” early because they “need more time to earn seniority and bring money to their districts.”

Excuse me? When did that become the raison d’être for serving in Congress? I’d gladly give up the Iowa pork in exchange for lawmaking for the general welfare of the American people.

— Kathy Collins Reilly, Des Moines
attribution

Quote of the Day

comes to us from another letter writer:

Marijuana may be a gateway to illegal drug use the way beer is a gateway to alcoholism. Most alcoholics probably started with beer, but most beer drinkers do not become alcoholics.
— Gail Halloran, Iowa City.

attribution

Letters of the Day

yes, lets stop the hypocrisy!

Regarding “A More Wicked Weed” (April 23): The Iowa crime-lab officials who stated that marijuana today is 10 times more potent than it was 30 years ago are mistaken.

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy made this claim in 2002, but retreated sharply in 2005, when it stated in a newspaper advertisement that today’s marijuana is, on average, only twice as strong as that of decades past.

Claims of vastly increased potency are based on research from the 1970s using a small number of poorly stored samples in which THC had degraded before testing.

More important, there is no scientific evidence demonstrating greater risks of addiction or health problems from higher-THC marijuana.

The Marijuana Policy Project strongly opposes children smoking marijuana, but we don’t think that exaggerating the dangers will help young people or their parents. The best way to keep our kids away from marijuana is to tax and regulate it like alcohol and tobacco.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, more teens today smoke marijuana than cigarettes, which proves that the most effective way to keep a substance away from children is to put it behind the counter and require valid identification for purchases.

Factually inaccurate articles like this destroy any chance we have at a reasonable and informed debate about our nation’s marijuana policies.

— Rebecca Greenberg, Marijuana Policy Project, Washington, D.C.

and

The problem with marijuana is an unregulated market. Remember alcohol prohibition in the 1930s? You had high-potency forms of alcohol being made in people’s bathtubs, only bathtub gin was often toxic. Even at today’s higher standards of potency, marijuana still hasn’t produced a single death in recorded history.

If you want to have any kind of control you have to legalize and regulate the commercial production and sale [of marijuana].

All the exaggerated scare stories have only increased interest in, and experimentation with, marijuana. I’m sure all the pot dealers want to thank the Register for the free advertising.

If your kid experiments with alcohol, at least your kid isn’t going to be stigmatized for life by a drug conviction. The chances for intervention and treatment are better when society recognizes that people need help instead of locking them up and labeling them as rejects for the rest of their lives.

So, go on keeping marijuana illegal and forcing it into the black market. See where it has gotten you?

— Carl Olsen, Des Moines.

and

Marijuana today is 10 times stronger than that of previous generations?

Having smoked the “wicked weed” of the ’70s and today myself, I can assure you this is not true. The super high-potency strains that came from places like Thailand and Panama were much more potent than any of today’s marijuana.

The reason teens prefer marijuana over alcohol is because it is easier to get than beer. Most pot dealers don’t check IDs like liquor and convenience stores do. As long as marijuana continues to be illegal, this trend will continue.

It seems funny to have a state government that controls the distribution of a dangerous drug, such as alcohol, turn around and throw people in jail for possessing marijuana. Especially considering all the people who die of alcohol poisoning. It is not possible to die of THC poisoning. Let’s stop the hypocrisy.

— Lee Selly, Des Moines.

attribution

wonder why i hate george bush junior as much as i do?

CLEVELAND -- Managers at a downtown mall stopped a performance by a band whose members wore T-shirts critical of President Bush.

Mifun, an Afro-beat band, had been playing for about 20 minutes Friday as part of a jazz festival when the sound system was cut off at Tower City Center.
"They didn't like that all the band members wore a T-shirt with a picture of George Bush with a line through it," said band leader Jacob Fader, 28, of Cleveland Heights. "They said we either remove the shirts, turn them inside out, or get off the stage. I said that doing so would be against our core principles and free speech. We told the audience what happened from the stage after the microphones were cut. The crowd booed."

Tower City general manager Lisa Kreiger said the band's attire was distracting and inappropriate.
"The purpose of the show was to provide musical entertainment," she said.

Fader said the band was stopped during a performance of "Supercrush," which he described as a "song about how the Bush administration separates the wealth, causing the elimination of the middle class."

"When my father started to say that it was wrong to silence us, a security cop told him to shut up," Fader said. "My dad said he had the right to free speech and the security guy said, 'Not in here you don't.'"

--source

talk about gestapo technics. adolf would be so proud of kreiger. even that name sounds nazi.

what? no republican protesters?

Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Burlingame), a Holocaust survivor and human rights advocate, was one of the lawmakers who were willingly arrested. Lantos was taken into custody by the U.S. Secret Service along with Democratic Reps. Jim McGovern and John W. Olver of Massachusetts, James P. Moran of Virginia and Sheila Jackson-Lee of Texas. Also arrested were six members of religious and humanitarian aid organizations.
--story

so george bush junior is making us safer eh?

then what the hell is this about?

The WP fronts the latest annual State Department Country Reports on Terrorism that reveals the number of terrorist attacks increased four times in 2005 to a total of 11,111, which resulted in the death of 14,600 noncombatants.

--story

Letters of the Day

today there are 3 winners:

Driver education teaches students not only the rules of the road but also the hazards. They often are shown pictures of horrific crashes and mangled bodies.

Do schools use the same philosophy in sex-education classes? Are they shown pictures of the final days of a 25-year-old man dying of AIDS? If not, why not?

— Jack Banghart, Des Moines.

and

I agree with Jim Nussle: We need an inspector general. Maybe an inspector general could figure out what Nussle and the Republicans did with President Clinton’s surplus.

— D.A. Benda, Toledo.

and

G.W. Bush: “I listen to the voices.” The only voices Bush hears are the ones in his head.

— Keith Nichols, Perry.

attribution

a new source for decent music

Imogen Heap performed on the tonite show. her singing wuznt all that (it was good), but it was her being the only member of her 'group' and doing it live. very kewl.

i'm going to mexico

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Owning marijuana, cocaine and even heroin will no longer be a crime in Mexico if the drugs are carried in small amounts for personal use, under legislation passed by the Congress.

Police will not penalise people for possessing up to 5 grams of marijuana, 5 grams of opium, 25 milligrams of heroin or 500 milligrams of cocaine, under a bill passed by senators late on Thursday and earlier approved by the lower house.

- source

ever see double without reason?

i'm seeing double now, and i'm not sure why, but it's sure disconcerting. calld the doctor's office, and of course, they would like me to come in.

Letter Of The Day

I am pleased to see that the Iowa Legislature finally banned anti-gay demonstrators like Fred Phelps from protesting within 500 feet of funerals. But where were they for almost 10 years when Phelps and his clan protested funerals of gay people and people with AIDS? Where were they when Phelps and his clan protested graduation ceremonies of gay high-school students?

Where are they now as Phelps, the Iowa Family Policy Center and the rest of the pro-bully lobby continue to protect bullies in Iowa schools?

Don’t our young people deserve the same protections from name-calling, violence and harassment as our veterans and their families?
— Brad Clark, Des Moines.

attribution

will the elevation of snow to a somewhat prominent state

what will tony's cost to get that post be the 10% of Americans who believe fox is the only source for news. even that 5% that watch it for masochistic value.
'

well, DUH

if the media isn't playing it, then it doesn't seem to matter to the American people. we need to make everyone aware of the scandal.

The scandal surrounding disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff has been a Washington obsession for months, but Republican lawmakers who returned from a two-week recess this week said they felt free to pass a relatively tepid ethics bill because their constituents rarely mention the issue.
--source