Cain't win fer losin'.



The best laid schemes of mice and men .... you can read the links to Rosa Luxemburg Nomarchy left for a tale of "for the public good" gone awry.

TOP 10 BEST AND WORST NETWORK TV SHOWS FOR FAMILY VIEWING

http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/grassroots/main.asp

Thanks. I couldn't go on without your support.

Expect more of the same high quality personality critiques in the future.

Every single time I see those worthless, opportunistic..... (well, you know the rest)

Is he like Huggy Bear or Rooster?

By the way lil bart, you left out the addition where I hoped he gives his wife crabs too.

And every single time ..... you know the rest.

Indeed I did.

It's not crabs.

DATE TO SAVE

Dating to Save People from Hell



http://datetosave.com/christian_dating_tips.shtml

Hey, watch your language around here, wouldja.

You're supposed to ask what are they?

[center]what are they? [/center]

Fruit flies. His banana is dead.

lol!!!

wheeeeeew!!!

hey lil bart... Sucker!!!

tanks barto... my cat wondered what the commotion was about. She thought it was funny too.

tanx, buds. I needed a party hat, a joke & some laffs.

Amazing. A guy from the Weekly Standard talking about how Republican have abandoned the Contract for America.

272 former congresspersons have registered as lobbyists since 1995.

A Lobbyist's Progress


From the December 20, 2004 issue: Jack Abramoff and the end of the Republican Revolution.


by Andrew Ferguson
12/20/2004


IN HONOR OF THE TENTH anniversary of the fabled Republican Revolution--for precisely a decade has flown by since Republicans took control of the House of Representatives, following forty years of Democratic darkness--let us pause from our noise-making and silly-hat-wearing to ponder the story of Jack Abramoff and Michael Scanlon. They have lately been much in the news.

Abramoff was until recently a registered lobbyist, and Scanlon offers himself as a public affairs specialist, but more precisely they are what Republicans in Washington used to call "Beltway Bandits," profiteers who manipulate the power of big government on behalf of well-heeled people who pay them tons of money to do so. Sometime around 1995, Republicans in Washington stopped using the term "Beltway Bandits."

But they still exist, and how, and if you're a bandito of the Beltway variety, being "in the news" is a delicate matter. You want to be in the news, but not too much in the news. When the low-circulation, high-impact Washington magazine National Journal labels you, as it did Abramoff a couple years ago, "an object of awe on K Street," then that's exactly the kind of news you want to be in. (K Street, in downtown Washington, is where all the lobbyists have offices, just as securities traders used to be confined to Wall Street and drunks to Skid Row.) And when the low-circulation, high-impact Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call underscores your close connections to powerful House Republicans, as it did for Scanlon a while back, that's excellent news to

be in, too. But when, on the other hand, the high-circulation, high-impact Washington Post runs stories underneath headlines that say: "Lobbyist Quits as Firm Probes Work with Tribe," followed by "Ex-Lobbyist is Focus of Widening Investigations," well, then, you know you are too much in the wrong kind of news.


http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/A...05/022nwtca.asp

That's a good employment program for them.

I was under the impression that Tauzin invented the concept.

Great piece, davey -- great piece. As usual, Andrew Ferguson is stunning. He has the broad masterstrokes and paints in all the little details.

Assorted sniplets from the broad brush (chronologically aligned but taken out of the detailed context):


A+ for contribution to you. You got a good nose.

Sounds like the climate is right for the "reform" of Social Security. That's some cash flow there.

He was on Washington Journal this morning. I'd never heard of him.


He said it took the Democrats forty years to entrench themselves in government with special interest money.

Then he said the Republicans did it in ten.

Add him to your "honest conservative" list. You will not always like or agree with what he says, but I think it can safely be said he is an honest player. With the rare Washington Journal exceptions, we also will not see him in the musical chair TV smarmy snarky shrieky pundit spots.

Cheery up, davey-do. Not too many playas can escape untarnished from those.

Speaking of "phony," guess whose umpteenth "conference" is being (re)broadcast on C-SPAN. Why, if it ain't the American Enterprise Institute.

American Enterprise Institute?


how about that. I saw Perle on This Week this week.

Anyway, I thought "why the hell do you have this guy on at all?" Then I started listening to him and decided the US citizens need to listen to him and his neoconservative buddies... very carefully, and as often as possible.

Ha ha. Suckers..... burned again. Ask Tauzin if he's for it.


U.S.: Drug imports can't be safe and cheap

By MARK SHERMAN
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush dangled his support for legalizing prescription drug imports before voters during this year's campaign, but his administration declared Tuesday it's too costly to do safely.
Regulating the purchase of prescription medicines from abroad would wipe away most savings and diminish investment in new drugs, said a report from an administration task force studying the feasibility of legalized drug imports.

Consumers would be better off increasing their use of generic medicines, which often are cheaper in the United States than elsewhere, the report said.

Proponents of drug imports, including some Republican lawmakers, said the report's conclusions were not surprising because many task force members have been staunchly opposed to importation. "It sounds like PhRMA could have written the report," Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo., said, referring to the drug industry trade group.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DRU...EMPLATE=DEFAULT

Do they ever get tired of bait and switch?

Then they switch to switch 'n bait.

Big Bart claims that the Republicans are going to make additional gains in the House and the Senate in 06, if I understood him correctly. The way he called the Ohio Presidential election, I am taking his predictions seriously.

Either way, I think we'll be eating bait while they be eatin’ caviar.

I recommend taking his predictions seriously. Bart is 1/10th as partisan as he is smart.



Roe roe roe our boats? On the trickle-down stream?

Rhythm's wrong. But like GG sez Bart sez, thoughts that count.

Annenberg group with 527 groups on C-Span 2 now. First hour or so with repugs and after that dems. Keeping them separated. Kinda interesting rundown on their ads from the election.

Maybe I should be more partisan.

Yeah ... but then Arturo would have to change your title. And you're the only one who's ever achieved that rank.

That was smart.

Yeah, that was a good twick.

Experience is the best teacher.

Energy Companies Help Lift Inaugural Fund to $8 Million
By GLEN JUSTICE

Published: December 24, 2004


WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 - Drawing support from the energy industry and other longtime backers of President Bush, the Presidential Inaugural Committee has raised almost $8 million since it began gathering money this month, according to a list it released Thursday.

ExxonMobil, the Occidental Petroleum Corporation, ChevronTexaco and the Southern Company were among more than 20 donors to give the maximum $250,000, which entitles executives to attend the ceremonies, black-tie balls and events with the president. Many others gave smaller amounts in return for fewer perks, like the $100,000 contributed by the military contractors Boeing and Northrop Grumman.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee is seeking to raise as much as $40 million to kick off Mr. Bush's second term, with multiple events leading up to the Jan. 20 swearing-in, and has spent much of December soliciting donors across the country, despite the holidays and the exhaustion brought by an election that raised record amounts.

"There is some donor fatigue," said Brad Freeman, a longtime Bush supporter and fund-raiser who is a co-chairman of the committee. "But they have had a nice rest."

So far, the roster of donors is thick with people and companies loyal to Mr. Bush and the Republican Party, and fund-raisers expect it to grow substantially.

For corporations, the inauguration represents a rare opportunity to write large checks. Though companies are forbidden to contribute directly to candidates or political parties during an election, campaign finance laws do not restrict them from donating to events like political conventions or inaugurations. Roughly half the 52 contributors identified so far are companies, including well-known names like International Paper, Union Pacific and Qualcomm.

Several donors are individuals who also played a major role in this year's election. For example, T. Boone Pickens, a Texas oilman who contributed $250,000 for the inauguration, had given a total of about $5.5 million to the Progress for America Voter Fund and Swift Vets and P.O.W.'s for Truth, two groups that supported Mr. Bush.

Ameriquest Capital Corporation also gave $250,000 to the inauguration. Dawn Arnall, who is co-chairwoman of the company along with her husband, Roland Arnall, gave $5 million to the Progress for America Voter Fund this year. The two were also $200,000 "ranger" fund-raisers for Mr. Bush's campaign.

Another $250,000 donor for the inauguration is Richard Kinder, a former president of the Enron Corporation, who is now chief executive of the Kinder Morgan energy transportation companies. His wife, Nancy Kinder, was a ranger fund-raiser for Mr. Bush and both are members of the inauguration's finance committee.

Though there is no legal limit to the amount donors can give to an inauguration, the committee has voluntarily capped donations at $250,000 per contributor. That apparently does not stop related organizations from each giving the maximum.

For example, Ameriquest, which is a holding company for several financial services firms, gave $250,000, as did Argent Mortgage Company, Long Beach Acceptance Corporation and Town and County Credit, which are each part of Ameriquest. Collectively, the affiliated companies gave $1 million.

Some advocates of tighter campaign finance restrictions say the lack of limits on inaugural fund-raising is a shortcoming in the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, which was passed in 2002 to ban unlimited soft-money contributions to candidates and political parties.

"It's a problem because the opportunity for wealthy donors to funnel huge sums of money to the president and receive recognition from the president could translate into access and influence," said Donald J. Simon, a lawyer who has worked to tighten campaign finance laws.


Can you say "payback, bribe, payoff, ect, ect?
The Republican party is infested with corporate cockroaches. If there were a nuclear war, the only survivors would be ants, cockroaches and Republicans.

Energy Companies Help Lift Inaugural Fund to $8 Million
By GLEN JUSTICE

Published: December 24, 2004


WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 - Drawing support from the energy industry and other longtime backers of President Bush, the Presidential Inaugural Committee has raised almost $8 million since it began gathering money this month, according to a list it released Thursday.

ExxonMobil, the Occidental Petroleum Corporation, ChevronTexaco and the Southern Company were among more than 20 donors to give the maximum $250,000, which entitles executives to attend the ceremonies, black-tie balls and events with the president. Many others gave smaller amounts in return for fewer perks, like the $100,000 contributed by the military contractors Boeing and Northrop Grumman.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee is seeking to raise as much as $40 million to kick off Mr. Bush's second term, with multiple events leading up to the Jan. 20 swearing-in, and has spent much of December soliciting donors across the country, despite the holidays and the exhaustion brought by an election that raised record amounts.

"There is some donor fatigue," said Brad Freeman, a longtime Bush supporter and fund-raiser who is a co-chairman of the committee. "But they have had a nice rest."

So far, the roster of donors is thick with people and companies loyal to Mr. Bush and the Republican Party, and fund-raisers expect it to grow substantially.

For corporations, the inauguration represents a rare opportunity to write large checks. Though companies are forbidden to contribute directly to candidates or political parties during an election, campaign finance laws do not restrict them from donating to events like political conventions or inaugurations. Roughly half the 52 contributors identified so far are companies, including well-known names like International Paper, Union Pacific and Qualcomm.

Several donors are individuals who also played a major role in this year's election. For example, T. Boone Pickens, a Texas oilman who contributed $250,000 for the inauguration, had given a total of about $5.5 million to the Progress for America Voter Fund and Swift Vets and P.O.W.'s for Truth, two groups that supported Mr. Bush.

Ameriquest Capital Corporation also gave $250,000 to the inauguration. Dawn Arnall, who is co-chairwoman of the company along with her husband, Roland Arnall, gave $5 million to the Progress for America Voter Fund this year. The two were also $200,000 "ranger" fund-raisers for Mr. Bush's campaign.

Another $250,000 donor for the inauguration is Richard Kinder, a former president of the Enron Corporation, who is now chief executive of the Kinder Morgan energy transportation companies. His wife, Nancy Kinder, was a ranger fund-raiser for Mr. Bush and both are members of the inauguration's finance committee.

I guess they survived the crash pretty well.


Though there is no legal limit to the amount donors can give to an inauguration, the committee has voluntarily capped donations at $250,000 per contributor. That apparently does not stop related organizations from each giving the maximum.

For example, Ameriquest, which is a holding company for several financial services firms, gave $250,000, as did Argent Mortgage Company, Long Beach Acceptance Corporation and Town and County Credit, which are each part of Ameriquest. Collectively, the affiliated companies gave $1 million.

Some advocates of tighter campaign finance restrictions say the lack of limits on inaugural fund-raising is a shortcoming in the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, which was passed in 2002 to ban unlimited soft-money contributions to candidates and political parties.

"It's a problem because the opportunity for wealthy donors to funnel huge sums of money to the president and receive recognition from the president could translate into access and influence," said Donald J. Simon, a lawyer who has worked to tighten campaign finance laws.

obvious access. anything you want. How faith based folks can follow these obvious corporate whores is beyond me. I guess they have been bought too. Power and money integrated into evangelical Christianity. I guess Satan's having fun now!!! $$$$$$$$$$$$

"What we have here are the 'haves' and the 'have mores'. Some call you the elite, I call you my base."


I bet Bush eliminates the Endangered Species Act too, so his corporate allies can rape and pilliage what's been off limits for sooooo long. I bet they orgasm just thinking about all the money they'll make. Lowlife vermin. Like locusts.


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/24/politics...html?oref=login

Can you say "payback, bribe, payoff, ect, ect?
The Republican party is infested with corporate cockroaches. If there were a nuclear war, the only survivors would be ants, cockroaches and Republicans.

You ought to boycott power to get 'em back. Spend that money on Dem backers. Maybe see a movie and sue somebody.

Then I'll boycott all phone companies, the water company and gas stations. They are well aware that they have us by the balls.





Like Kerry?


or Hillary Clinton?







I rarely go to movies, and I'm definitely not suing anyone.


I thought about suing for the last Rainier Wolfcastle, I mean Swartzenegger movie I saw.

I'll send you some dixie cups and string, and you can start your own phone company.




"how do you sleep at night"

"on a big pile of money, with many beautiful ladies"

Just asking....

College Republicans' Fundraising Criticized


Front Organizations Were Used in Direct-Mail Campaign That Collected Millions

By Thomas B. Edsall
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 26, 2004; Page A05

The College Republican National Committee is under fire for using front organizations to collect millions of dollars in contributions, including money from elderly people with dementia.

Whoo hoo!!

Give me a "V"!

V!

Gimmee and "A"!

A!

Gimmee an "L"!!

L!

Gimmee a "U"!!

U!!

Gimmee an "E"!!

E!!

Gimmee an "S"!!

S!!


"What does it spell?"!!!


LOWLIFES!!

What does it spell??


LOWLIFES!!!

During the 2004 campaign, the group sent out direct-mail solicitations under such letterheads as "Republican Headquarters 2004" and "Republican Election Committee."


One four-page letter asked prospects to send $1,000 together with an American flag pin for President Bush to wear to "Republican Headquarters" to ensure that Bush knows "there are millions who are giving him the shield of God to protect him in the difficult days ahead."

In small print at the bottom of one page, the letter notes: "A project of and paid for by College Republican National Committee."

Many donors complained that they thought the money was going directly to the Republican Party, and not to the college group, which is no longer affiliated with the GOP. The controversy over the letters has produced angry responses from leaders of state College Republican chapters, including those in Washington state, North Carolina and New York.

The University of Washington College Republicans approved a resolution calling on Eric Hoplin, chairman of the national committee, "to take full responsibility for his actions," acknowledge that those actions have substantially harmed the College Republicans grass-roots organization and "promptly resign."

Dan Centinello, New York College Republicans chairman, complained that the national leaders have not taken prompt and decisive action to correct the situation. "I don't want to see hard work by all of us be tarnished by a fundraising scandal," he said.

Internal disputes over fundraising tactics have been brewing among College Republican groups for at least three years, but they surfaced in late October, after the publication of damaging news reports in the Seattle Times and the Durham Herald-Sun.

The Times reported that a number of elderly donors gave far more money than they could afford.

"I don't have any more money," Cecilia Barbier, 90, a retired church worker in New York who made more than 300 donations totaling nearly $100,000, told the paper. "That was all the savings. . . . Now I'm scrounging."

Monda Jo Millsap, 68, of Van Buren, Ark., told the Times that she emptied a savings account, then got a $5,000 bank loan to give a total of $59,000.

In the immediate aftermath, Hoplin e-mailed top state officials of the organization, telling them not to speak to the news media. "We need the story to go away," he wrote. "The story is full of lies and distortions written by a well-known liberal who is out to get us. If the press asks you about it, tell them you have no comment."

LOL!!! Get out of here!! Scam the elderly and then blame the liberals? lol!!


Hoplin declined to be interviewed for this report. He told the Minneapolis Star Tribune, "We've come to discover that there are a few donors who have been confused, a few donors who have some form of dementia, who aren't entirely sure of the amount of money that they're giving -- and how often they're giving." He said that donors who believe they were misled will have their money refunded.

Late last month, the College Republican executive board approved a verbal resolution proposed by Hoplin to review and likely cancel the organization's direct-mail contract with Virginia-based Response Dynamics Inc., according to sources who attended.

The College Republicans once were an arm of the Republican National Committee. In anticipation of the 2002 McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, it became independent and formed in April of that year what is known as a 527 organization under the tax code. Since then, the College Republicans have raised $14.8 million, largely through the direct-mail program run by Response Dynamics.

Ron Kanfer, who operates Response Dynamics, defended the company's solicitations. "When you mail out a million letters and somebody does something inadvertently and it's pointed out, they get a refund," he said. He added that all fundraising letters from the College Republicans are approved by top officials of the group.

Kanfer noted that since Response Dynamics took the account, "the College Republican budget has increased twenty-five-fold." The mailings, he said, use "the same lists that every Republican fundraiser basically mails -- gun owners, pro-life activists, businessmen who don't like attorneys. It would be absurd to think we have lists called 'dementia people.' "



http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...-2004Dec25.html

I think all of those "republicans" are suffering from a form of dementia. Young and old.

[[shakes head]]

Got in an argument about the death penalty yesterday. My sis-in-law who usually quite reasonable. No one agreed with her. Sad.

I feel bad about my bit in it, tho.



She accused everyone (including my mom-in-law) of having only a single POV, but truth is, she was the one guilty of it. She quoted all the usual right-reactionary talking points.

So very sad.

I wonder if that was not the point of the whole obsessive Scott Peterson nonsense, to harden people to accept the death penalty.

It has become a very scary Country. I fear for the children.

You should kick that sister in law out of the family, or at the least, not invite her to family gatherings where she might disagree with you all. Why would you even think about letting such an obviously moronic and intolerant bish into an elite discussion anyway?