Wednesday - October 12, 2005

The Line Starts Here

_{Mike Thompson, Detroit, Michigan, The Detroit Free Press}

Posted by The Skipper     on 10/12/2005 at 06:33 AM   
Filed Under: • Humor •  
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   Tuesday - October 11, 2005

Most Ridiculous & Boring Item Of The Day

Gore/Bore & Obama/YoMamma in 2008 ...? I can’t wait! Bwah-hah-hah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha ....

They See Al Gore by a Nose in 2008
(US NEWS)

Is Al Gore coming back? If allies we talked to have their way, the former veep will be the next president. “It’s Gore Time,” says a political strategist and fundraiser who is opening a bid to get Gore into the race. Gore friends see his recent political and business moves as proof he’s preparing to run.

Allies say that in speeches, Gore has found his voice to address domestic and world issues. And in raising money for his Current TV network, which targets the critical youth market, Big Al has built an issue base and donor network that’s competitive with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton ‘s.

Our source--a top aide in the previous Bush administration--is planning meetings with Gore’s team to push an early entry while Clinton runs for re-election in New York. It doesn’t end there: The Gorebots want him to pick Sen. Barack Obama, the youthful Illinois African-American, as his No. 2.

Posted by The Skipper     on 10/11/2005 at 12:53 PM   
Filed Under: • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists •  
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Not Enough

_{Bob Gorrell, National/Syndicated}

Posted by The Skipper     on 10/11/2005 at 06:17 AM   
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Yankees Choke

It’s official. The NY Yankees choked on the big one again. Final score in Game 5: Angels-5 Yankees-3. Angels win the series, three games to two. So long, Yanks! (say hello to Vilmar on your way out)

In the American League, the Championship Series will be between the Los Angleles Angels and the Chicago White Sox (first game Tuesday night on FOX). In the National League, it’s going to be a knock-down, dragout fight between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Houston Astros (first game Wednesday night on FOX).

World Series Prediction: The St. Louis Cardinals vs. the Chicago White Sox - the Cards will take the Sox in seven close games. Remember, you heard it here first.

Posted by The Skipper     on 10/11/2005 at 01:09 AM   
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Most Ridiculous Item Of The Day (so far)

Paging Jim West and Artemus Gordon. You have a call on line three ...

Police: Man Takes Train With Bow and Arrow
MONTCLAIR, CA (AP)

In a confrontation reminiscent of the Wild West, police shot and wounded a man who allegedly took over a freight train with a bow and arrow. Juventino Vallejo-Camerena boarded the Union Pacific train Sunday night as it was stopped for a signal and threatened the engineer and conductor, the only people on board, police Capt. Keith Jones said. The crew members escaped and called police.

The man was aboard the train in western San Bernardino County when officers arrived. The man cocked the bow and pointed the arrow at officers, who opened fire, Jones said. Vallejo-Camerena suffered gunshot wounds to the left wrist and forearm that were not life-threatening, Jones said.

He was treated at a hospital, then booked into jail for investigation of train robbery, assault and resisting arrest. It wasn’t known when he would make his first court appearance. Union Pacific representatives did not immediately return calls for comment Monday.

Posted by The Skipper     on 10/11/2005 at 12:59 AM   
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Whining Complainers: Foreign Version

Did I miss something in recent weeks? When did the whining complainers who bitched about aid arriving too little, too late for Katrina victims suddenly move to Pakistan? Is there absolutely nothing that will make these pathetic losers happy? Within hours after the earthquake tragedy in Pakistan, the US military was flying in relief supplies and promising more on the way. “Not good enough”, says Pakistan’s opposition leader. That kind of statement is is what firing squads were invented for ....

West’s Response Condemned As Slow And Inadequate
(THE INDEPENDENT - UK)

Western governments rushed to step up their pledges for the earthquake relief effort after their initial response to the disaster was condemned as slow-moving and financially inadequate. The United States, which was under pressure to increase a pledge of $500,000 (£280,000) considered almost derisory by many Pakistanis when it was made over the weekend, announced it intended to give $50m in emergency aid.

The gesture, intended to make up for the resentment caused by an initial pledge which, along with the British offering of £100,000, was labelled as “peanuts” by Qazi Hussain, the leader of the Pakistani opposition party Jamat Islami, was greeted as a major boost to the struggling relief effort. Britain, too,increased its initial pledge to £1m for the effort, which the Government stressed would again be increased in coming days.

“The magnitude of this disaster is utterly overwhelming,” Ryan Crocker, the American ambassador, said from Pakistan as he received an American transport plane full of blankets, plastic sheets and jerry cans. “We have under way the beginning of a very major relief effort,” he said. But, in a clear echo of the international response to the Boxing Day tsunami in south-east Asia, the generous donations of private businesses and individuals have caused eyebrows to be raised over government pledges which, initially at least, were regarded as relatively low.

So far, international donors have announced tens of millions of dollars in aid. But, again echoing the tsunami relief effort, aid agencies were quick to draw attention to the shortfall which almost always occurs between pledges made by governments in the immediate aftermath of a disaster and the total money that eventually arrives.

As well as the American and British pledges, the European Union has deployed aid workers to stricken parts of Pakistan and allocated €3.6m (£2.47m) in initial aid. In the Arab world, Kuwait has donated $100m and Yemen has said it will send two aid planes. South Korea, for its part, announced it would provide $3m in aid, while a 46-member search and rescue team including 18 medical officers from Malaysia was due to leave yesterday for Pakistan. Malaysia has also pledged $1m in aid. Australia lifted its contribution from $380,000 to $4.2m, with the possibility of more if it was needed.

Of course you realize the biggest problem with this is the mainstream Leftist media reporting it. They’d rather print damning stories like this with complaining from one or two sources than print stories about the lives being saved and the people who actually are grateful for any kind of help they can get. Watch the mainstream Leftist media over the next week or so and see if what I say isn’t true. Remember, you heard it here first.

Posted by The Skipper     on 10/11/2005 at 12:34 AM   
Filed Under: • Media-Bias •  
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   Monday - October 10, 2005

Stoopid Person of The Day (so far)

Some people just never learn ....

Agence France Presse published a photo of Katrina hurricane victim Latesha Vinette holding her new Red Cross debit card, a picture instantly redistributed on public wire service web sites. The balance on the card dropped to ZERO within minutes, as hundreds of fraudsters went on shopping sprees with the card number. A few hours later, Vinette was paged over the Reliant stadium speaker system to receive a call from Mastercard, which wanted to know about cash-advance requests totaling $65,237.00, and attempts to use the card to buy a Ferrari and hundreds of other goods on eBay.

_{(--thanks to Rancino for another gem)}

Posted by The Skipper     on 10/10/2005 at 06:49 PM   
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CENTCOM Briefing

The recent earthquake in Pakistan that killed over 30,000 people has devastated that country. Now help is arriving from an unexpected quarter. Unexpected, that is, if you are an America-basher (I’m not naming names here but France, Germany, Russia, Iran, Syria and a few others come to mind). In the history of the world, how many standing armies would continue to fight a war against a deadly determined enemy with one hand and with the other extend aid, support, supplies and needed humanitarian assistance to a country close by which is full of people who hate the country the army came from? Answer: never before.

But that’s America. We aren’t over there just to kill people. We’re there to kill bad people. The rest of the population can expect a helping hand and any assistance we can offer in their time of need.

To all of the Muslims around the world and especially in the Middle East, I have only this to say: This is what we are and we aren’t going to change - our troops are the finest people in uniform today. Even now, there are thousands of American troops shuttling supplies to the stricken region and airlifting Pakistani troops into isolated regions to bring medical help and food as well as help dig out the survivors. What are Osama bin Laden and his murderous Al Qaeda thugs doing to help the stricken people of Pakistan? Absolutely nothing. They know only how to murder and destroy. America offers friendship and a helping hand. The choice is yours: death and destruction from Osama .. or .. friendship and assistance from America. Choose wisely ...

October 10, 2005
Release Number: 05-10-32

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FIRST U.S. HUMANITARIAN AIRLIFT REACHES ISLAMABAD

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A United States Air Force C-17 delivered the first relief supplies here within 48 hours of the devastating earthquake that has left thousands dead and thousands more injured and displaced.

The aircraft and its crew from the 7th Airlift Squadron, McChord Air Force Base, Wash., delivered 12 pallets—weighing almost 90,000 pounds—of food, water, medicine and blankets from Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan.

With only a few hours notice, Airmen and soldiers at Bagram, successfully worked to palletize the humanitarian relief supplies and prepare them for the flight. Three aerial port specialists were also on the flight to coordinate and manage the cargo once it arrived at Islamabad.

“This was a total team effort,” said Col. Mike Isherwood, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Vice Commander. “Our hearts go out to all those affected by the earthquake and we are thankful we were able to help out.”

Pakistan Army Brig. Gen. Imtiaz Sherazi, director of logistics, is coordinating the relief efforts as supplies arrive and ensuring rapid distribution of assistance to areas that need it most.

Said General Sherazi, “These items are very valuable to us because there are lots of people in great distress.”

As relief efforts are ongoing worldwide, United States Central Command will continue to identify and provide additional capabilities for airborne reconnaissance, heavy lift ground equipment, medical support, shelters, rations and water to aid and assist the people of Pakistan.

October 9, 2005
Release Number: 05-10-30

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

STATEMENT FROM THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ON THE SOUTH ASIAN EARTHQUAKE

“On behalf of the men and women of the Department of Defense, I express my condolences to those affected by the earthquake in South Asia.

“The Department of Defense is working closely with the State Department, and affected governments, to provide assistance to ease the suffering and assist in search and rescue operations.

“General John Abizaid, the Commander of the United States Central Command, and others have been in touch with military officials in Pakistan, and is moving five CH-47 and three UH-60 helicopters into Pakistan immediately.

“Additional capabilities for airborne reconnaissance, heavy lift ground equipment, and medical support are being identified and dispatched from within the Central Command region.

“Today, I will designate a dedicated Task Force commander in the region to work with the affected governments, to help assess their needs, and to draw on U.S. military capabilities from inside or outside the affected region as may be available and required.

October 9, 2005
Release Number: 05-10-29

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COALITION SENDS HELICOPTER SUPPORT TO ASSIST PAKISTAN EARTHQUAKE RECOVERY

KABUL , Afghanistan - At the request of the Pakistan Government, Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan will send U.S. Army helicopters and support personnel to assist with emergency recovery operations due to the earthquake in Pakistan

Following Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice’s statement of support for relief, recovery and rescue operations, five CH-47 Chinook helicopters and three UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters with their associated crews should arrive Monday. They will provide rescue, recovery and logistics assistance.

CFC-A is in contact with the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad to provide planning assistance and technical guidance as required.

This support will not degrade the Coalition’s operations in the Global War on Terror.

_{(-- thanks to SPC Flowers at CENTCOM for keeping us up to date)}

Posted by The Skipper     on 10/10/2005 at 05:13 PM   
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Bomb The Smurfs?  Why not?

via Dave

Unicef bombs the Smurfs in fund-raising campaign for ex-child soldiers
telegraph
The people of Belgium have been left reeling by the first adult-only episode of the Smurfs, in which the blue-skinned cartoon characters’ village is annihilated by warplanes.

The short but chilling film is the work of Unicef, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and is to be broadcast on national television next week as a campaign advertisement.

The short film pulls no punches. It opens with the Smurfs dancing, hand-in-hand, around a campfire and singing the Smurf song. Bluebirds flutter past and rabbits gambol around their familiar village of mushroom- shaped houses until, without warning, bombs begin to rain from the sky.

Tiny Smurfs scatter and run in vain from the whistling bombs, before being felled by blast waves and fiery explosions. The final scene shows a scorched and tattered Baby Smurf sobbing inconsolably, surrounded by prone Smurfs.

The final frame bears the message: “Don’t let war affect the lives of children.”

Bwaaaaaaaaa.  I like Dave’s take on it:

Chilling?  Are they kidding?  I’ve been waiting my entire life for someone to get the nerve up to wax the Smurfs.  I can’t be the only one here who spent every episode rooting for that cat Azrael to pluck out the little blue f**ks one by one.

What has their merry little hippie commune given the world anyway?  The sing, they dance, they do shrooms, and they smurf that little tart Smurfette in her smurf day in and day out.  And don’t even get me started on that gray-haired know-it-all.  I think we can all agree it’s been a long time coming for someone to give Smurf Village the “Belgian Congo” treatment.  Who better to kill in cold blood than Belgians?  If only they weren’t blue, but black, I bet the Belgians would really get a thrill.

Honestly, I don’t think they went far enough here.  Bombs from the sky?  C’mon, how about some nice poison gas?  You know, the kind Saddam “Completely Innocent” Hussein used to choke Iranian and Kurdish tykes in their own bodily fluids?  I won’t be happy until Brainy Smurf blisters yellow from mustard gas.  Okay, I guess technically he’d turn green, what with that “yellow and blue make green” bit going on.

Posted by Drew458     on 10/10/2005 at 12:31 PM   
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British Rabbit Terrorists?

Put on your sleuthing caps, everyone! I think I have discovered a new terrorist cell, operating right under our very noses on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. Two recent stories caught my eye and, taken seperately, are completely innocent but when you put them together, they paint an ugly picture of a blossoming terrorist cell that rivals Al-Qaeda. For our first piece of evidence, I present the followng obscure news story from last Friday ...

Locals Petrified Of Wallace And Gromit
(Sky News)

Animated favourites Wallace and Gromit have become surprise victims of a local superstition - about rabbits.Posters for their new film, The Curse of the Were Rabbit, have been banned from the Isle of Portland in Dorset.For more than 100 years the word “rabbit” has been considered bad luck in the area because burrowing caused by rabbits has caused land slips in the area’s famous quarries.

Locals refer instead to “underground mutton”, or, more prosaically, “furry things”. The unofficial ban on the word came to light when publicists tried to put up posters for the new film featuring the clay duo. Authorities on Portland, which is connected to the rest of Dorset by a causeway, warned that the advertisements should not appear there because they could offend local people. Stone from Portland’s quarries is world-famous and was used to build St Paul’s Cathedral as well as many other London landmarks.

But in the past, quarry workers were so superstitious that if they saw a rabbit they would stop work and go home for the day. A crane operator was killed 100 years ago when the ground gave way because of rabbit burrows and his crane tipped over. Sailors also used to consider it unlucky to see rabbits before they set sail. The only poster for the film on Portland is on the road off the island and says: “Something bunny is going on”.

Mayor Tim Woodcock said: “There certainly is a feeling against the word rabbit, especially from the older residents. “It is a local superstition but like any superstition, people take it seriously.” Portland residents wishing to see the film will have to travel to nearby Weymouth instead.

Nyeahhhhh, what’s up, Doc? So they don’t like rabbits? They are so afraid of them, they can’t even say the word. They want it banned from their sight. Yep, sounds just like a certain “Religion Of Peace” to me ... weirdos freaking out and banning things that haven’t harmed anyone.

So now we come to the second clue in our little mystery. Read the story below from today’s news and tell me if you see a connection here ...

Fire Destroys ‘Wallace and Gromit’ Warehouse
BRISTOL, England (CNN)

The company behind the new “Wallace and Gromit” film said Monday its “entire history” has been destroyed in a fire at a warehouse containing props and sets. The roof and three interior walls of the Aardman Animations building in Bristol, west England collapsed after the blaze tore through the Victorian building, fire officials said The fire broke out at about 5:30 a.m. (0430 GMT), with flames reaching 100 feet into the air. The cause of the blaze was being investigated.

A spokesman for Aardman said the building housed props and sets from the company’s history, including its first three “Wallace and Gromit” films. No one was in the building when the fire broke out. Aardman said the sets and props from its latest film, “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit,” were not caught in the blaze. Aardman has used stop-motion clay animation to create a series of acclaimed films, including three shorts featuring cheese-loving inventor Wallace and his resourceful dog Gromit.

The sets from those shorts—“A Grand Day Out,” “The Wrong Trousers” and “A Close Shave”—are all thought to have been destroyed, along with those from “Chicken Run”—Aardman’s first feature-length release. “Curse of the Were-Rabbit,” Wallace and Gromit’s first full-length feature, was released in the United States on Friday and topped the U.S. box office over the weekend. “Today was supposed to be a day of celebration, with the news that ‘Wallace and Gromit’ had gone in at No. 1 at the U.S. box office, but instead our whole history has been wiped out,” Aardman spokesman Arthur Sheriff said. “It’s turned out to be a terrible day.”

Sheriff said the warehouse contained sets, props and models from the company’s productions, from the children’s cartoon character “Morph” through the Oscar-winning, anthropomorphic “Creature Comforts” series to the Wallace and Gromit films.

So there you have it! I rest my case. I demand Scotland Yard investigate these fanatics on Portland Isle. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out they wear rabbit-fur towels on their heads. No sir! Not a bit surprised. Where will they strike next? Warner Brothers studios, home of Bugs Bunny? Yeegads! We better stop these rabbit terrorists over there or else we’ll have to fight them over here. C’mon Elmer Fudd, you’re either for us or you’re against us!!

Posted by The Skipper     on 10/10/2005 at 12:01 PM   
Filed Under: • Humor • Terrorists •  
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Let The Beatings Begin!

CNN, BBC, AP, Reuters, every news organization on the planet, including Al-Jazeera, is reporting the recent police beatings in New Orleans that was recorded on videotape and broadcast to the entire known universe. Like AbuGhraib, the media just loves it when a few of the good guys are caught doing bad things. Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that they rarely, if ever, report on the millions of police officers who do their job honorably, fairly and justly every day of the year. And while we’re on the subject, what happened to all the good cop shows that used to be on TV? On a side note, do I really need to remind everyone that a large part of the New Orleans police force is more corrupt than the criminals they are pursuing - and their bosses at City Hall are even worse. I know. I’ve lived there (of course, after writing this I probably won’t be welcomed back any time soon).

New Orleans Officers Plead Not Guilty
Three charged with battery on 64-year-old man
NEW ORLEANS (CNN)

Three New Orleans police officers pleaded not guilty Monday to battery charges based on a videotape showing two patrolmen repeatedly punching a 64-year-old man accused of public intoxication and a third officer grabbing and shoving an Associated Press Television News producer who helped capture the confrontation on tape. After a brief hearing, at which trial was set for January 11, the officers were released on bond. They quickly left in cars without commenting.

They were suspended without pay Sunday, police spokesman Marlon Defillo said. The police promised a criminal investigation. “It’s a troubling tape, no doubt about it,” Defillo said. The confrontations come as the department—long plagued by allegations of brutality and corruption—struggles with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the resignation last month of Police Superintendent Eddie Compass. The APTN tape shows an officer hitting the suspect, Robert Davis, at least four times in the head Saturday night outside a French Quarter bar. Davis appeared to resist, twisting and flailing as he was dragged to the ground by four officers.

Another of the officers then kneed Davis and punched him twice. Davis was face-down on the sidewalk with blood streaming down his arm and into the gutter. Then a fifth officer ordered APTN producer Rich Matthews and the cameraman to stop recording. When Matthews held up his credentials, the officer grabbed the producer, leaned him backward over a car, jabbed him in the stomach and unleashed a profanity-laced tirade. “I’ve been here for six weeks trying to keep ... alive. ... Go home!” shouted the officer, who identified himself as S.M. Smith.

In addition to Smith, the other officers charged were identified as Lance Schilling and Robert Evangelist. Smith is an eight-year veteran of the force, while Evangelist and Schilling have served three years each. “The incidents taped by our cameraman are extremely troubling,” said Mike Silverman, AP’s managing editor. “We are heartened that the police department is taking them seriously and promising a thorough investigation.” Police said Davis, of New Orleans, was booked on public intoxication, resisting arrest, battery on a police officer and public intimidation. He was treated at a hospital and released into police custody.

A mug shot of Davis, provided by a jailer, showed him with his right eye swollen shut, an apparent abrasion on the left side of his neck and a cut on his right temple. Davis, who is black, was subdued at the intersection of Conti and Bourbon streets. Three of the officers appeared to be white, and the other is light skinned. The officer who hit Matthews is white. Defillo said race was not an issue. Two of the officers in the video appeared to be federal officers. Numerous agencies have sent police to help with patrols in the aftermath of Katrina, and Defillo said it would be up to their commanders to decide if they would face charges.

Under normal circumstances, it takes unusually offensive behavior to trigger an arrest on Bourbon Street. But New Orleans police have been working under stressful conditions since the hurricane. About 300 officers apparently either died, abandoned their posts or disappeared for some other reason. Those who stayed slept in their cars and worked 24-hour shifts after the storm. Three-quarters lost their homes and their families are scattered across the country.

“Our police officers are working under some very trying times,” Defillo said. “So it’s a difficult time, but it doesn’t excuse what our jobs are supposed to be.” Conditions have improved—officers now have beds on a cruise ship—but they don’t have private rooms and are still working five, 12-hour days. Compass, the police superintendent, resigned September 27. Despite more than 10 years of reform efforts dating to before he took office, police were dogged by allegations of brutality and corruption.

On Friday, state authorities said they were investigating allegations that New Orleans police broke into a dealership and made off with nearly 200 cars—including 41 new Cadillacs—as the storm closed in.

Posted by The Skipper     on 10/10/2005 at 11:38 AM   
Filed Under: • Crime •  
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Republican Party Death Watch

The Washington Post is celebrating this morning with a front page headline story detailing the impending doom of the Republican Party. They are gleefully reporting that in several states Republicans are “extremely worried” because key candidates are “dropping out”. The WaPo describes it as “election anxiety” among Republican leaders in Washington. Personally, I know why the good people are dropping out ... the Republicans are becoming Democrats with their recent spending sprees and if that’s not enough the Demoncrats just keep screaming, pounding their shoes on the table and shouting “WE WILL BURY YOU!” Me, I wouldn’t want any part of that bulls**t. The Demoncrats will return to power by default because no one can work with them in Washington and no one wants to, e.g., they win by driving the other party out of town, not by offering better solutions. Excuse me while I go check Expedia for airline tickets to New Zealand and Australia. G’day, mate ....!

For GOP, Election Anxiety Mounts
Candidates Need Convincing for ‘06
Washington, DC (WASHINGTON POST)

Republican politicians in multiple states have recently decided not to run for Senate next year, stirring anxiety among Washington operatives about the effectiveness of the party’s recruiting efforts and whether this signals a broader decline in GOP congressional prospects. Prominent Republicans have passed up races in North Dakota and West Virginia, both GOP-leaning states with potentially vulnerable Democratic incumbents. Earlier, Republican recruiters on Capitol Hill and at the White House failed to lure their first choices to run in Florida, Michigan and Vermont.

These setbacks have prompted grumbling. Some Republican operatives, including some who work closely with the White House, privately point to what they regard as a lackluster performance by Sen. Elizabeth Dole (N.C.) as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the group that heads fundraising and candidate recruitment for GOP senators. But some strategists more sympathetic to Dole point the finger right back. With an unpopular war in Iraq, ethical controversies shadowing top Republicans in the House and Senate, and President Bush suffering the lowest approval ratings of his presidency, the waters look less inviting to politicians deciding whether to plunge into an election bid. Additionally, some Capitol Hill operatives complain that preoccupied senior White House officials have been less engaged in candidate recruitment than they were for the 2002 and 2004 elections. These sources would speak only on background because of the sensitivity of partisan strategies.

Historically, Senate and House races are often won or lost in the year before the election, as a party’s prospects hinge critically on whether the most capable politicians decide to invest time, money and personal pride in a competitive race. Often, this commitment takes some coaxing. That is why Dole met twice with Rep. Shelly Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and a third time with Capito and her father, former governor Arch A. Moore Jr., in an effort to persuade her to take on Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D). Bush won 56 percent of the vote in West Virginia last year, making many think Byrd, who will turn 88 next month, can be halted in his bid for a record ninth term. But last week, Capito said she has decided to stay put and seek election to a fourth House term.

Last month, White House political strategist Karl Rove flew to Bismarck to implore the North Dakota’s popular Republican governor, John Hoeven, to challenge Sen. Kent Conrad (D). Rove could argue with some compelling numbers: Bush won 63 percent of the state’s presidential votes last year, and Hoeven trounced his Democratic opponents in 2000 and 2004. But the governor said no thanks, and Republicans concede they have no strong second choice. Perhaps no state has frustrated the GOP elite more than Florida, where Sen. Bill Nelson (D) is trying for a second term after winning his first with 51 percent of the vote. After failing to persuade Rep. Katherine Harris to stay out of the race, GOP leaders began a public search for an alternative candidate. State House Speaker Allan Bense was courted by Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) before bowing out. Dole took a private plane to New York in an unsuccessful attempt to persuade conservative commentator and former Florida representative Joe Scarborough to make the race.

Many Democrats and some independents revile Harris for the role she played, as Florida secretary of state, in favoring George W. Bush in the 2000 recount process. But she has enough hard-core conservative fans to scare away other Republican Senate hopefuls, and Democrats are gleefully watching the dispute roil their rivals. No Republican who has opted out of a 2006 candidacy has publicly cited the level of support from national Republicans or the general political environment as a reason. Potential candidates have a variety of factors figuring into whether to make a race. Still, to some analysts, the decisions suggest deeper currents at work.

“Is it poor recruiting or a bad environment? Probably both,” said Jennifer Duffy, who tracks Senate races for the independent Cook Political Report. A senior Republican familiar with the recruiting process agreed that the climate has shifted for the GOP because of a confluence of problems from Iraq to Hurricane Katrina and high gasoline prices: “Looking at polls from June or July and then looking at them now, the deterioration is really bad.”

Posted by The Skipper     on 10/10/2005 at 08:52 AM   
Filed Under: • Politics •  
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Boobie Prize

_{Robert Ariail, The State, South Carolina}

Posted by The Skipper     on 10/10/2005 at 01:24 AM   
Filed Under: • Humor •  
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   Sunday - October 09, 2005

Good Advice

_{(-- thanks to Rancino for today’s lesson)}

Posted by The Skipper     on 10/09/2005 at 06:00 PM   
Filed Under: • Humor •  
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DISCLAIMER

THE SERVICES AND MATERIALS ON THIS WEBSITE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE HOSTS OF THIS SITE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF SATISFACTORY QUALITY, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICE OR ANY MATERIALS.

Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:

1. Keep a firm grasp of Right and Wrong
2. Stay involved with government on every level and don't let those bastards get away with a thing
3. Use every legal means to defend yourself in the event of real internal trouble, and, most importantly:
4. Keep talking to each other, whether here or elsewhere

It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.

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