Friday - May 13, 2005

Fisking Congress

There’s nothing I detest more than reading minutes of the Congressional Record. Occasionally though, I read a speech and can’t resist laughing at some of the antics of our CongressCritters. Today’s laugh is being provided by Representative Doris Matsui (D-CA) whose husband served in Congress for 26 years before expiring a few months ago. Robert Matsui died suddenly in January of this year and was buried January 8. The next day, Doris was on the phone calling all of her friends to let them know she was going to run for her late-husband’s seat. Doris has been a lobbyist for decades and even served in the Clinton administration. Get the picture?

Well, anyway, Doris won her husband’s seat in the special election and joined the Congress just a week ago. Yesterday, she stood up and made the following speech (as recorded in the Congressional Record). Comments in the text are from yours truly ....

REPUBLICAN ABUSE OF POWER IN SENATE—(House of Representatives - May 12, 2005)

(Ms. MATSUI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. MATSUI: Mr. Speaker, the power grab Senate Republicans are about to take is not about seven judges; it is about clearing the way for a Supreme Court nominee who only needs 51 votes instead of 60 votes.

Senate Republicans do not want a David Souter, an Anthony Kennedy, a Sandra Day O’Connor, a Ruth Bader Ginsberg or a Steven Breyer, all of whom were confirmed with nearly unanimous, bipartisan support.

If President Bush is successful with this extreme power grab in the Senate, he will be able to appoint extreme, right-wing judges to the court.

President Bush wants to turn the Senate into a second House of Representatives, rubber-stamping his agenda, and that is simply not what our Founding Fathers envisioned when they created two distinctly different congressional chambers.

Mr. Speaker, Democrats will fight to protect our constitutional checks and balances and basic fairness for the American people.

Doris Matsui (D-CA) Babbling Bombastic Bubblehead From Kalifornia

Posted by The Skipper     on 05/13/2005 at 12:16 PM   
Filed Under: • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists • Politics •  
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McCain-Kennedy Just Stabbed Us In The Back

While no one was looking yesterday, Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Teddy Kennedy (D-MA) submitted a bill in the Senate to grant amnesty to illegal aliens and allow more to come into the country as “guest workers” ....

Washington Post - Friday, May 13, 2005

A bipartisan bill introduced in Congress yesterday seeks to revise the current immigration system by allowing millions of illegal immigrants in the United States to apply to be temporary guest workers and permit residents of other countries to seek the same status if they can prove that a job is waiting for them.

The new visa program proposed by Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) would allow immigrant workers to leave and enter the United States as they please over the three-year life of the temporary visa.

McCain said current immigration policy is “unacceptable,” in part because it forces Mexican nationals and others illegally seeking to enter the United States to rely on human smugglers or risk their lives crossing the desert alone. In addition, he said, porous borders are “leaving Americans vulnerable” to terrorism.

Under the bill, millions of illegal workers and immigrants who want jobs in the United States could eventually gain citizenship. Illegal workers in the United States would pay $1,000 each to apply for H-5B visas that would require them to work for six years before seeking permanent residency. Foreign nationals would pay $500 each and would have to prove that an employer has a job waiting for them. Both would be required to pass a battery of police background and medical checks.

After working for three years, foreign national visa-holders could ask for three-year extensions and, in the meantime, apply for green cards. If the illegal immigrants continue working, pay an additional $1,000, study English and break no laws for six years, they could qualify for permanent residency. Ultimately, that could lead to full citizenship. In the meantime, visa-holders could leave and enter the United States legally.

McCain said he asked the Bush administration to embrace the proposal. The senator said he did not get a firm answer, but was told that the bill is “in accord with the president’s principles.”

Posted by The Skipper     on 05/13/2005 at 09:57 AM   
Filed Under: • Illegal-Aliens and Immigration • Politics •  
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   Thursday - April 21, 2005

The Perfect Politician

We are stretching the limits of the space time continuum here in Central Texas. We have invented a politician that can be two places at once. 

Posted by Yellow Dog     on 04/21/2005 at 02:44 PM   
Filed Under: • Politics •  
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Must. Not. Puke.

Giving Voice to our Values

Posted by Drew458     on 04/21/2005 at 02:17 PM   
Filed Under: • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists • Patriotism • Politics •  
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   Tuesday - April 19, 2005

Tom DeLay – The Sharks Are Circling

I am probably more interested in this story than other readers, because it is of “local interest” in Austin, Texas. Due to the way the Texas legal system works, it is the Travis County (Austin) DA’s job to prosecute wrongdoing perpetrated by state officials, if it involves election law. In most states, this job would fall to the State Attorney General, but we do things a little differently here in Texas. I could get called for jury duty if Travis County DA Ronnie Earle (barking moonbat and gooberhead emeritus) finally brings DeLay, or some of his cohorts, to trial.

Travis County Texas is a small island of liberalism, in a huge ocean of conservatives. Travis County barely voted for Kerry in 2004. Ronnie Earle has been the DA here since 1976. He squeaked into office in 2004 with 89.2% of the vote. I voted for him because there was no Republican running against him. He has gone after a number of politicos in his time. He has missed a few, like US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R) and bagged a few, like former Texas House Speaker Gib Lewis (D). In spite of our political differences, Ronnie Earle is a damned good lawyer, and not a man to be taken lightly.

People are saying that this all is partisan politics. That is 100% correct. The politics here in Texas are about as “hardball” as it gets. The problem is that DeLay decided that he could play catcher without putting on his cup. He has caught too many fastballs with his gonads. He has pushed the ethics envelope once too often. He is practically useless as a catcher now.

The Republican team is spending too much time icing down DeLay’s gonads. It is time for him to step down.

Posted by Yellow Dog     on 04/19/2005 at 05:25 PM   
Filed Under: • Politics •  
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   Monday - April 18, 2005

Ann Coulter on the Cover of Time?

Ann Coulter, everyone’s favorite pistol packing mama, may be on the cover of Time. I wonder if I could get her to walk on me with those heels.

*throws himself on the floor, licks her shoes and grovels*

Drudge says…

SOURCES: COULTER TO BE ON COVER OF TIME MAG
Sun Apr 17 2005 06:38:51 ET

Ann Coulter epitomizes the way politics is now discussed on the airwaves, where opinions must come violently fast and cause as much friction as possible, TIME’s John Cloud claims in this week’s cover story.

No one, right or left, delivers the required apothegmatic commentary on the world with as much glee or effectiveness as Coulter, Cloud writes (on newsstands Monday, April 18).

It is almost impossible to watch her and not be sluiced into rage or elation, depending on your views. As a congressional staff member 10 years ago, Coulter used to help write the nation’s laws.

Now she is far more powerful: she helps set the nation’s tone. TIME’s Cloud had unprecedented access to Coulter.

He goes more than 6,000 words.

And he appears to come away liking her.

“On TV or in person, you can trust that Coulter will speak from her heart. The officialdom of punditry, so full of phonies and dullards, would suffer without her humor and fire. Which is not to say you don’t want to shut her up occasionally,” Cloud notes.

Developing…

Posted by Yellow Dog     on 04/18/2005 at 11:35 AM   
Filed Under: • Celebrities • Politics •  
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“None Like It”

Castro hails Cuba elections as world-class

Millions of Cubans elected municipal assemblies across the communist-run island Sunday in local elections President Fidel Castro defended as ‘’the most democratic in the world.’’

After voting at a Havana school, Castro told journalists that Cuban elections are impartial and free of fraud.

‘’This election is the most democratic in the world, there is no doubt,’’ Castro said. ‘’No other country has a system like this.’’

More than 8 million Cubans on Sunday were electing 169 municipal assemblies across the island.

Under Cuba’s one-party system, city and provincial leaders, as well as representatives of the National Assembly, are elected by citizens on a local level. Anyone can be nominated to these posts, including non-members of the island’s ruling communist party.

Critics of Castro argue that tight state control, a heavy police presence and neighborhood-watch groups that report on their neighbors prevent any real political freedom on the island.

No other country has a system like this, that’s for sure! 

Posted by Drew458     on 04/18/2005 at 10:03 AM   
Filed Under: • Politics •  
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   Sunday - April 17, 2005

God, Guns & Rock ‘N’ Roll Update

U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and House Majority Leader Tom DeLay spoke to the NRA convention in Houston yesterday. Kay Bailey had the quote of the day.

“The French government has raised its terror alert from ‘run’ to ‘hide,’” she joked, bringing a round of laughter. “The only higher levels in France are ‘surrender’ and ‘collaborate.’”

I normally vote Republican, but I am beginning to think that Tom DeLay is a gooberhead. He sticks his foot in his mouth every time he opens it. He is becoming kind of an embarrassment.

Kay Bailey is as sharp as a tack however. I expect her to run for Governor of Texas and unseat that 100% certified Texas Aggie gooberhead, Rick Perry. She could be the first woman President of the United States. Did you know that she was once a University of Texas cheerleader? What a babe!

A lot of DeLay’s problems are due to Travis County District Attorney (Democrat and gooberhead emeritus) Ronnie Earle. He has a long history of foaming at the mouth and yapping at the heels of Republicans. Here is what Kay Bailey has to say about him.

Ms. Hutchison, once a University of Texas cheerleader, hasn’t campaigned for Mr. Phelps. But she says Austin voters should elect someone with the “highest integrity” because the county district attorney has jurisdiction over elected state officials.

“Ronnie Earle’s record is spotted with controversy, allegations of misuse of power and corruption,” she charged. “This should not be tolerated in a prosecutor with such awesome responsibility.”

I think that most of DeLay’s problems, are his own damned fault. He seems to going out of his way to shoot himself in the foot. I hope that flintlock they gave him at the NRA convention wasn’t loaded.

Weigh in on this subject readers… DeLay, gooberhead or not?

This UT cheerleader is not Kay Bailey. She is a babe however.

Update: Newt Gingrich seems to leaning toward the “Yes, he is a gooberhead” point of view. Blood is in the water and the sharks are circling. Barb, what kind of sharks are those?

There was fresh criticism Tuesday of embattled House Majority Leader Tom DeLay from a prominent member of his own party. In an exclusive interview with CBS News Correspondent Gloria Borger, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said it’s time for DeLay to stop blaming a left-wing conspiracy for his ethics controversy and to lay out his case for the American people to judge. “I don’t want to prejudge him and my hope is that Tom will be able to prove his case,” said Gingrich, who engineered the Republican takeover of the House in 1994. “But I think the burden is on him to prove it at this point.” Is he doing that? “I don’t know yet. I think the jury’s out,” said Gingrich.

“DeLay’s problem isn’t with the Democrats; DeLay’s problem is with the country,” Gingrich continued. “And so DeLay has a challenge: to lay out a case that the country comes to believe, that the country decides is legitimate. If he does that he’s fine.”

Update: I went looking for a picture of a Longhorn cheerleder. I couldn’t find one that is as much of a babe as the Tennessee Volunteer that is posted above, so I’ll just leave her there. I did find a picture of another one of my favorite Republican cheerleaders. I am seeing a pattern here. Cheerleader, Governor of Texas and then President of the United States…

You heard it here first.

Kay Bailey Hutchison is still kind of a babe for a woman her age, I think.

Posted by Yellow Dog     on 04/17/2005 at 12:33 PM   
Filed Under: • Eye-Candy • Politics •  
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   Saturday - April 16, 2005

Life in Prison Without Parole… IN TEXAS???

This blogging experience is getting off to a bad start.

I pick up Friday’s copy of the Austin American Statesman, and there on the front page, is a headline informing me that the Texas Senate has approved Life Without Parole as a sentencing option. WTF! We were doing so well with the Death Penalty. Why should the taxpayers of Texas have to pay to support the sorry bastards until they die of their own accord? Our representatives should be trying to figure out a way to put in a lethal injection express lane.

The Texas Legislature meets once every two years. That is way too damned often.

Posted by Yellow Dog     on 04/16/2005 at 09:55 AM   
Filed Under: • Judges-Courts-Lawyers • Politics •  
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   Thursday - April 14, 2005

Dirty Pictures

WARNING! The pictures below are not safe for work. Not because they contain nekkid women (they don’t) but because they contain images that might induce heart attack, stroke, apoplexy and/or extreme rash in sensitive people. They are (horrors) Federal Budget Graphs! All information below comes from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and are for the 2002 budget.

First, where does our government’s money come from? Take a look and see. Do you want to talk about corporations not paying their fair share? How about social security payments into the system? Take your choice ....

Second, where does the government spend money? The first thing that should jump right out at you is that the President and Congress decide how to spend only 35% of the total budget each year (the red and blue pie slices). Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Nearly two-thirds of the budget is already allocated each and every year for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, interest on the national debt and other mandatory entitlements and guess what .... those pie slices are growing at astronomical rates each year. Now, we can either keep increasing revenues to make up the difference or start cutting our military or other “discretionary” spending like federal housing, welfare, national parks, environmental cleanup, highways, airport screeners .... you get the picture.

There! Now you can see graphically where the problem is, can’t you? What, are you blind? Look again. No, I’m sorry if you’re having a stroke. Just keep looking until it sinks in that this is pure evil ....

Posted by The Skipper     on 04/14/2005 at 12:27 PM   
Filed Under: • Economics • Politics • Social-Security •  
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   Saturday - April 09, 2005

Saturday News Brief

■ General Motors pulls all of its ads from the Los Angeles Times. The Times is in denial, claiming GM is over-reacting.

GM’s move came a day after the L.A. Times published a column by its Pulitzer Prize-winning auto critic, Dan Neil, about the automaker’s brand strategy.

The column’s headline called the Pontiac G6 “a sales flop.” It also said the automaker should “dump” Chairman and Chief Executive Rick Wagoner and “let the impeachment proceedings begin.”

GM spokeswoman Ryndee Carney said the move to withdraw advertising was not spurred by any specific story but by “concerns over accuracy and misrepresentations with the paper’s editorial coverage over a period of some time.”

The woman who claims she bit into a human finger while eating chili at a Wendy’s restaurant has a history of filing lawsuits - including a claim against another fast-food restaurant.

Anna Ayala, 39, who hired a San Jose, Calif., attorney to represent her in the Wendy’s case, has been involved in at least half a dozen legal battles in the San Francisco Bay area, according to court records.

She brought a suit against an ex-boss in 1998 for sexual harassment and sued an auto dealership in 2000, alleging the wheel fell off her car. That suit was dismissed after Ayala fired her lawyer, who said she had threatened him.

The Postal Service said the price of a first-class stamp would rise to 39 cents from 37 cents early next year if the increase is approved by the Postal Rate Commission, an independent body that oversees the post office.

The increase comes as part of a broader 5.4 percent rate rise that the Postal Service will apply to most packages.

The stamp price increase is needed to cover a $3.1 billion payment that Congress requires the Postal Service to make to its employee pension fund. The agency has sought congressional action to eliminate that requirement. If that happens, postal officials said, the rate increase request will be withdrawn.

But defense attorney David Oblon argued nine years was far too long given Jaynes was charged as an out-of-state resident with violating a Virginia law that had taken effect just weeks before. He planned to challenge both the constitutionality of the law and its applicability to Jaynes.

Posted by The Skipper     on 04/09/2005 at 03:46 AM   
Filed Under: • Economics • Judges-Courts-Lawyers • Politics •  
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   Friday - April 08, 2005

The Governator Takes on The EPA

I wish him lots of luck on this one.  Ah-Nuld wants to relax EPA rules that stand in the way of developers trying to build more housing for the Californicators populating that state.

Tip to the Guv:  call them.  Warn them.  Then start picking them off one by one starting at the top.

You’ll have more housing built than you can shake a stick at.

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 04/08/2005 at 04:03 AM   
Filed Under: • Environment • Politics •  
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Another Take On The DeLay Story

If you recall, Tom DeLay recently made a comment about activist judges related to the death sentence they pronounced on Terri Schiavo.  He said this:

“the time has come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior” and that Congress should “look at an arrogant, out-of-control, unaccountable judiciary that thumbed their nose at Congress and the president.”

Dems got unhinged.  Coupled with the other two stories floating around about him, they are smelling blood.

But is everything they are doing based on fact or just a typical smear campaign.

And just WHO ARE the people behind this campaign? 

That’s why you should read this story.

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 04/08/2005 at 04:02 AM   
Filed Under: • Politics •  
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Yeah, I’d Like To Know, Too!

Some people in Washington are curious to know why the latest presidential commission found details on failures of our intelligence community leading up to Iraq that were not found earlier.

Yep, inquiring minds sure would like to know:  “what did they know and when did they know it?”

Read about it here.

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 04/08/2005 at 04:00 AM   
Filed Under: • Politics •  
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