Ta-Ta, Katherine - Hello, Michele!

Although I am thrilled that we finally have a Dem majority, I have been despondent over losing my muse, my homegirl, the lovely Katherine Harris. How many happy hours we spent together - she making a total ass of herself, me enjoying it. But now, there is a ray of light breaking through my dark clouds of despair. Over at FireDogLake, Phoenix Woman has brought to my attention a new and exciting Congresswoman, Michele Bachmann from Minnesota, who began making waves immediately upon being elected by attempting to sexually harass the President. Wow! That got my attention right away. Way to make a first impression!

But it only gets better.

She is a fierce evangelical Christian conservative in a way that makes James Dobson look like a lesbian Unitarian minister. She is a tireless advocate for creationism, insisting that it be taught in science classes so the little kiddies can 'make up their own minds'. Of course, as much time as she spends trying to 'improve' Minnesota's educational system, she would not be caught dead putting her own brood into the public schools. Nossir, all of her biological kids were home-schooled.

According to her Wikipedia bio:

During a debate televised by WCCO on October 28, 2006, news reporter Pat Kessler quoted a story that appeared in the Minneapolis Star Tribune and asked Bachmann whether it was true that the church she belonged to taught that the Pope was the Anti-Christ. Bachmann answered that her “church does not believe that the Pope is the Anti-Christ, that's absolutely false… I'm very grateful that my pastor has come out and been very clear on this matter, and I think it's patently absurd and it's a false statement.” Bachmann is a member of a church that is part of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, whose doctrine teaches that the Roman Catholic papacy is the Anti-Christ identified in Scripture. Bachmann came under scrutiny for campaigning at the Living Word Christian Center in the 3rd district of Minnesota, where the pastor endorsed her from the pulpit, violating the church's tax-exempt status. In her speech, she claimed that "God called [her] to run for Congress." She also professed her belief that wives are to be submissive to their husbands.

And she loves teh gays:

"This is not about hating homosexuals. I love homosexuals," Bachmann concludes. "But should we allow them to teach sinful ways [to] our children?"

There's a lot more where that came from. Almost too good to be true. Katherine Who? Miz Harris comes off like a more liberal Cynthia McKinney next to her. You better believe I'll be keeping Michele on my speed-dial.

She is golden, I tell you. Golden.

Pottersville Props!

My cohort in first-klass snark and a mighty warrior in the progressive trenches, JurassicPork of Welcome To Pottersville (BTW, one of the best blog names ever and a near neighbor to Hooterville) was interviewed by Simon Owens of Bloggasm, a media blog. The discussion is (surprise!) blogging, and JP has an interesting take:

Simon Owens: Do you think that the political blogosphere will remain mostly a “commentary” type of media, or do you think they have the capacity to do some major investigative reporting? What kind of resources would they need to do this?

Jurassicpork: With very few exceptions, such as Media Matters and Newshounds, to name but two, I don’t think one major blogger and not many B listers got into this game to act as a watchdog or minder of the watchdogs of democracy, as Helen Thomas calls the press. I believe that the political blogosphere originally started as a platform for commentary, which it still is essentially. Don’t forget the provenance of the word “blog”: It’s a contraction for “web log” or an online diary. Diaries are typically journals of private thoughts.

However, for the first time in our nation’s history, we’re in a position to judge the probity and efficacy of the mainstream media. Blogs have broken us out of the capricious and often exclusionary forum of letters to the editor or even emails to your favorite program. And the longer we do our thing, the more people discover us.

(true!)

All the same, the impression I get is that bloggers in general are not comfortable with having to be arbiters of what’s true or not true. And now I’m about to say something very surprising. It’s not our job to tell the truth. I can picture the expression on your face right now. But I’m right in that it’s not our job to tell the truth. That’s why we have a Fourth Estate. It’s their job to tell the truth instead of being mere mediums and stenographers for the government. It’s only our job to seek the truth. And if the MSM doesn’t do its job which it largely isn’t, then we will have to seek it out that much more diligently. And in some notorious cases, we have “scooped” the media.

Otherwise, there’s no blogger out there who can approach the likes of Ron Suskind, Seymour Hersh or David Brooks in terms of access or sources. And that’s the way it ought to be.

Still, the MSM largely disrespects us and even resents us for being so critical of the way they do their jobs, which is alarmingly similar to the arch, “We’re in charge and we know what we’re doing” attitude of the government. And they forget that we’re an increasingly large part of their customer base.

Very well put - and since I hold the MSM at least partly responsible for this mess we're in because they have not held up their end of the bargain, I think it's important for bloggers to hold their feet to the fire.

And JP was nice enough to list Hooterville as one of his five favorite blogs! I will try to keep up with posting, even with my book sucking up most of my thinking lately.

Moral Victory: Lt. Ehren Watada!

Little by little, bit by bit...flashes of sunlight are appearing through the dark, oppressive clouds of the Bush Administration.

The court-martial of First Lieutenant Ehren Watada, who refused to deploy to Iraq because he believed that the Iraq war was illegal, had been charged with missing a troop movement and with two counts of conduct unbecoming an officer, based on his public statements criticizing the war and President Bush, has ended in a mistrial.

Because Watada neither caused nor agreed to the mistrial, it is possible that he may not be retried because of double jeopardy.

The Army, of course, plans to retry Watada in March. But in asking for a 'do-over', the prosecution may have made a fatal mistake. At issue was a pretrial stipulation in which Watada admitted to the fact of failing to deploy, but did not admit guilt for that fact because he felt justified by his belief that the Iraq conflict was illegal. "The judge was concerned that the stipulation amounted to a confession by Watada to an offense to which he intended to plead not guilty," said Fort Lewis spokesman Joseph Piek.

The implications of this trial may go far beyond that of Watada and into the realm of the debate on free speech in the military.

But regardless of the outcome of the trial, the moral victory already belongs to Lt. Watada and his refusal to commit war crimes. When we ask ourselves "Could another Holocaust happen here?", if the answer is "Hell, no!", it will be because of people like First Lieutenant Ehren Watada, a real American patriot.

Here's a great article by ElectronicIraq, with lots of links.

And of course, the website by Watada's supporters Thank You, Lt. Watada.

I Love Ted Kennedy. So There.

People sure like to make fun of Ted Kennedy, but I love him. He just nails the
Republicans on the minimum wage.

"What is it about working men and women that you find so offensive?"

Once More, With Feeling: 'Twas the Night Before Fitzmas...

...and through Hootervill-age,
A hope was held out for an end to the pillage.
An end to the theft of American dollars,
An end to the demonization of scholars.

The people of Hooterville wished and they prayed
For justice and peace to be no more DeLayed.
They longed for the day that their country would be
No longer a captive of venality.

For many a year now, the Hooterville people
Have cried, "What's the matter with all of you sheeple?
How can you just sit there and let this go on?"
But, sadly, their outrage was met by a yawn.

And those who were stealing from those who have least,
Rampaging like some kind of greed-maddened beast,
Were holding us up, shouting, "This is a heist!
So put up your hands in the name of our Christ!"

Then, what to our wondering eyes should appear
But a man speaking words that we so longed to hear:
"It's time for the Piper at last to be paid"
And Hooterville happily hip-hip-hoorayed.

Indictments all round for the scum who would claim
That they'd never known Wilson or Valerie Plame
And all along, vengeance had been the sole reason
To 'out' our own agent, and so commit treason.

For war must be waged, and their coffers be filled -
Who cares about mothers whose sons have been killed?
Who cares for the dying, the crying, the hurtin' -
Just look at those profits for ol' Halliburton!

It's time for the hammer of justice to fall;
Time we put a stop to it once and for all.
A stop to corruption, and cronies, and lies.
Let's stop before one more American dies.

And what do I want 'neath my own Fitzmas tree?
A Scooter, a Rover, maybe a Cheney!


(I keep trotting this old chestnut out, but it's kind of timely just now.)

Let's Talk Health Care.

Today, I found out that what I thought was the flu was actually a kidney infection. Not bad enough to go to the hospital, thank God, but pretty darn painful.

I'm one of the lucky ones. For now.

I have Screen Actors Guild insurance, which is fairly comprehensive. It used to be free if you made a certain amount of money yearly through SAG. A few years ago they started charging a premium. Extremely low - $150 a quarter - but a premium nonetheless, no matter how much money you made through SAG. Every year, we've been making less and less money through SAG. Barring a miracle, in a few years we won't make enough money to qualify for that plan. Of course, since we're vested, we can self-pay about $900 a month.

Yippee.

It might as well be $9000 a month as far as our ability to pay that goes.

Along with that, my GP who I've been going to for 18 years has decided this year to close his regular practice, and open up a 'boutique' practice, with more personal service and no waiting to get in. All this for the modest fee of $1800 a year - double that for the 2 of us. On the one hand, I'm crushed. I started going to him when he was a new young doctor - we had kids around the same time, and he's been there for me through a lot of medical issues over the years. On the other hand, I can't say I blame him. Doctors are forced to see so many patients that it gets to be like a treadmill. There's no time to actually be a doctor, hardly - to be able to actually spend the time with a patient. Can you blame him for trying to find a little quality in life? If I could afford it, I'd sign up for his service, but I can't.

I have a wonderful OB/GYN who I was able to call today. Thank goodness it was close enough to being GYN that I could call him. I've been going to him almost as long as to my GP, and I'm worried that he, too, will 'wise up' and pack it in. He's one of that rare breed that goes beyond the call of duty. He's no warm-and-fuzzy, cuddly type - he's better. He is always there, always concerned about doing his very best to care for his patients, as is his staff (including his head-nurse wife). You can tell a quality doctor by his or her staff, and he's had the same fantastic people since I've known him.

But if the so-called "health-care industry" has its way, people like my doctors are going to be just ground under, used up, and thrown out. All to fatten the bottom line of people who aren't even involved in health care, except to find new and creative ways to deny it to people who need it.

And I am, as I said, one of the lucky ones. We have got to get these leeches out of the system.

Live-blogging SOTU

I've been woefully lax.

I wouldn't be surprised if I've lost all my readers. But, as you know, I've had lots on my plate. Yesterday, I got the flu bug that I've been fending off for the last few weeks, and have been in bed all yesterday and today. Since I'm just laying here in bed, I thought I'd live-blog on my laptop. I'm listening with Mike Malloy to keep from screaming.

It's just incredible. Barely had he opened his mouth when he came out with that Luntzian phrase 'Democrat majority'. Then he went on to talk about "No Child Left Behind" and subtly espouse vouchers.

6:50 - Well, let's see - he's talked about health care. And his solution is to eliminate 'junk lawsuits'. Meaning, of course, closing off any avenues for redress after the overburdened health care system denies you care.

Private health accounts. Why do they get to profit from our misery?
What else? Oh yes, the economy is just peachy keen. Isn't that swell?

The Senate must give my judicial nominees their eager support and an immediate up-and-down vote. That's their job. My job's to give the orders, your job is to do what I say, see? Order-giving is hard work. Don't make my job any harder by arguing with me. It ain't no use.

And one of the most jaw-dropping statements of all - that "Yet one question has surely been settled — that to win the war on terror we must take the fight to the enemy." It has not, you cretin!!! Quit lying!

6:56 - Nucular, nucular, nucular. Sunni extremists?

Oh god. He's talking about an African. Yay Mtumbo. 'Son of the Congo'. Sounds a little too 'Little Black Sambo' for my taste, but that's just me.

And notice that he said "Global Climate Change" instead of Global Warming. The devil's in the details, folks.


Now he's praising a former gas-station attendant-turned-hero-soldier. Isn't that wonderful?

"We've been through a lot together"? You've put us through hell - that's what you mean.

7:05 - It's over. Nothing about Katrina. The silence screams. Waiting for Jim Webb.

7:17 - Jim's up. Missed first part, but got there in time to hear him mention Katrina.

He's talking about the difference between what constitutes a 'good economy' for the rich - high Dow - and what it means for the rest of us. He mentioned that it takes an average worker a year to make what an average CEO makes in a day.

"The President took us into this war recklessly. He disregarded warnings from the national security adviser during the first Gulf War, the chief of staff of the army, two former commanding generals of the Central Command, whose jurisdiction includes Iraq, the director of operations on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and many, many others with great integrity and long experience in national security affairs. We are now, as a nation, held hostage to the predictable – and predicted – disarray that has followed."

And he does not shrink from mentioning the Robber Barons. Here's the text of Jim Webb's response.

On C-Span, they're trying to find people who agree with Bush. The only one was what sounded like a very young guy saying, in effect, "I support Bush because he knows more than we do".

How Britney of him.

Here's the full text of the KKofK's SOTU. I can't do it any more.

Update - I just noticed, when I checked the transcript on Raw Story, they have written "Democratic majority" instead of what he said, which was
"Democrat majority". Check the tape!

Have You Ever Kept A New Year's Resolution?

Every New Year, we're awash in resolutions. This New Year, I'd like to ask a different question: Have you ever made one that you've kept?

I have. I made a resolution one year - can't remember which - to make sure I appreciated my life and the people around me as if it would be gone tomorrow.

I can honestly say that I have learned to do that. My life is so much richer because of it, and less stressful, too - I don't get aggravated at so many petty things, and I don't think I'll get caught wishing I had said "I love you". I make sure it gets said.

I wish I could be as successful with some of my other resolutions, such as losing weight. However, if I had to pick just one to keep, gratitude would be it, and I'm glad I have.

How about you? I'd love to hear yours - inspire me!

Merry Christmas From Hooterville and Pottersville

At long last, the day has arrived! My talented friend jurassicpork over at Welcome To Pottersville has been working on a very special Christmas post, and I did the Photoshopping for it.

It is awesome, if I may be so bold, and I really enjoyed doing the pix.

Go to Pottersville to visit George Failey and all his friends!

(and many thanks to the love of my life, my husband David, who surprised me with a shiatsu chair massager this morning - a lifesaver after this effort!)

An Alternative To The Bush "Library"

Apparently, the plans for a Bush Presidential Library are not going so well. One of the schools considered a front-runner for the honor of hosting the rich ($500 million dollar) legacy of the Worst. President. Ever., Southern Methodist University, seems to be ambivalent about accepting that prestigious prize. SMU's Perkins School of Theology sent a letter from its faculty, administrators and staff to the president of the university. According to the letter, they

...regret to see SMU enshrine attitudes and actions widely deemed as ethically egregious: degradation of habeas corpus, outright denial of global warming, flagrant disregard for international treaties, alienation of long-term U.S. allies, environmental predation, shameful disrespect for gay persons and their rights, a pre-emptive war based on false and misleading premises, and a host of other erosions of respect for the global human community and for this good Earth on which our flourishing depends.

And these are Texas Christians!

Of course, many people have pointed out that perhaps a library is not exactly the most fitting tribute to a President who has never darkened the door of one, nor sullied the pristine purity of a book by opening it.

So I think I've come up with the perfect solution.

How about the "George W. Bush Presidential Video Game Arcade and Total Fitness Gym™"?

Now, that would be worth spending $500 million dollars on!

Instead of a boring, stuffy ol' 'liberry' full of dumb ol' books nobody's ever gonna read anyway, the George W. Bush Presidential Video Game Arcade and Total Fitness Gym™ would be filled with awesome action-packed video games like "Pre-Emptive Strike", "Quail Hunters", and "Shock 'n' Awe" where you could shoot-'em-up to your heart's content, and when you've cranked yourself up into a homicidal frenzy, you can work off all that excess energy on one of the thousands of stationary bikes lined up in the Hall of Cycling. Heck - who knows - you might find yourself spinning your wheels right next to the Bicycler-In-Chief, who now boasts a resting heart rate of 7.

Plus, unlike other Presidential libraries, this one will pay for itself! It's guaranteed to be thronged with eager customers, and filled with the the happy sounds of booms, crashes, and screams!

And that's just in the Hall of Cycling.

Chuck Norris Facts

I know this is totally off-topic, but this is the funniest site I've seen in a long time. I have gotten a 'kick' (get it?) out of Chuck Norris since the 70s, but there seems to be a resurgence of all things Chuck, and my 15-year-old son turned me on to this great site of Chuck Norris facts.

Here are a few:

• When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.


• Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.


• There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live.


• Outer space exists because it's afraid to be on the same planet with Chuck Norris.


• Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.


• Chuck Norris is currently suing NBC, claiming Law and Order are trademarked names for his left and right legs.


• Chuck Norris is the reason why Waldo is hiding.


• Chuck Norris counted to infinity - twice.


• There is no chin behind Chuck Norris’ beard. There is only another fist.


• When Chuck Norris does a pushup, he isn’t lifting himself up, he’s pushing the Earth down.


• Chuck Norris is so fast, he can run around the world and punch himself in the back of the head.

• Crop circles are Chuck Norris' way of telling the world that sometimes corn needs to lie down.

• The quickest way to a man's heart is with Chuck Norris' fist.

• Chuck Norris can hit you so hard that he can actually alter your DNA. Decades from now your descendants will occasionally clutch their heads and yell "What The Hell was That?"

• Time waits for no man. Unless that man is Chuck Norris.

• Chuck Norris was the fourth wise man, who gave baby Jesus the gift of beard, which he carried with him until he died. The other three wise men were enraged by the preference that Jesus showed to Chuck's gift, and arranged to have him written out of the bible. All three died soon after of mysterious roundhouse-kick related injuries.
  

• Chuck Norris is not hung like a horse... horses are hung like Chuck Norris.

This is just the tip of the iceberg that is Chuck Norris Facts. Go now.

Yes, I know he's a right-winger. It's still funny.

Had to add this one:

• Kenny G is allowed to live because Chuck Norris doesn't kill women.

Weblog Awards - Hooterville Is A Finalist!

I have no idea how I managed to make it to the finals (along with nine other blogs - all conservative but me) for a Weblog Award, but since the unlikely event has happened, I'd like to invite anyone so inclined to head on over and vote for me. I'm nominated in the "Best of the Top 1751 - 2500 Blogs" category (as rated by TTLB Ecosystem). Also, Blue Gal is a finalist in the "Best of the Top 3501 - 5000 Blogs", so if you happen to be over that way, send her a vote, too! She is also the lone liberal in a sea of conservatives.

Here's how it works - you are allowed to vote once every 24 hours (in each category) and the voting is open until December 15. That gives us smaller blogs a chance.

I haven't had time to check out all the blogs, but if the ones in my category and Blue Gal's are any indication, they do tend to swing to the right. So here's an opportunity to strike a blow for freedom, and get the liberal voice out there.

It's time to take it to The Man!

Bye Bye, Bolton!

Woo hoo! John Bolton has bolted!

About damn time.

Frat Boys

A friend of mine, Chris Miller, is the ultimate frat boy. The frat boy's frat boy. Look up 'frat boy' in the dictionary and you'll find his picture there.

A former National Lampoon and Saturday Night Live writer, he wrote the movie 'Animal House', based on his own fraternity experiences. We became friends through our kids - his son and my stepson have been best friends since preschool; they are now college sophomores. He has an encyclopedic knowledge and appreciation of jazz, rock, blues and reggae, is a science-fiction fan, as am I, and is one of the few people I knew who actually knew of and appreciated Don & Dewey, who I played with for years. Cool guy.

When the Kowboy was first running for office in 2000, I remember talking with Chris about him. From what I had learned about him during the primaries, I was underwhelmed. "He's just an overgrown frat boy," I said to Chris.

"Hey!" he said. "What's wrong with frat boys? I was a frat boy!"

"Nothing is wrong with frat boys as long as they're in college, where they belong," I replied. "But would you want a frat boy like you and your buddies were back then to be in charge of the free world?"

He thought about that for a minute. "You may have a point," he said.

He has just written a book called The Real Animal House: The Awesomely Depraved Saga of the Fraternity That Inspired the Movie, and he e-mailed me yesterday to tell me that he was going to be on the O'Reilly Factor that night to talk about it with none other than the Splotchy One himself. Apparently BOR was hidden away in an undisclosed location (perhaps the S-Ps were after him) but nevertheless he intended to poke his liver-spotted puss out long enough to interview my pal.

Now, I must admit that I am not exactly what you'd call a regular Factor watcher. In fact, I can say with some accuracy that my retinas have never been assaulted with that particularly grisly visage on the TV. I'm careful to limit my exposure to him to the clips that Stephanie Miller plays in the morning - sloppy seconds is all I can handle from him. But for Chris I would heroically make an exception.

It was worth it, though - this was an O'Reilly I had never seen before. He was practically babbling. It became embarrassingly obvious that the secret desire of BOR's shriveled little raisinish heart was to have been a cool frat boy in college, instead of the antisocial, irritating, splenetic little weasel that he must have been. He was lovin' on Chris like a drunken co-ed. I was waiting for him to ask Chris for his phone number, or did he maybe wanna hang out sometime, y'know - get crazy.

I hope nobody has the heart to tell him that Chris is an S-P.

On second thought, I hope somebody does.

OT: My Daughter's Blog

My daughter, Nancy Leigh, has become a blogger. She has a blog called Animal City. At 7, she can log in to Blogger, research a subject on Google, write a post about it, and publish it. She loves animals, and she also loves blogging. She asked me to ask my friends to stop by and visit her, maybe leave a comment. So I am passing it along from her. Thanks!

Update: Thanks so much to everyone who commented on Nancy Leigh's blog! She is so excited when she sees a new comment! She will go and visit you soon.

Welcome, "Crooks and Liars" Peeps

Many thanks to Mike from Mike's Blog Roundup at Crooks and Liars for the mention! And just in time for my Blog-i-versary, too! Please feel free to pull up a chair and kick back here in Hooterville - we're glad you're stopped by, and you're welcome anytime.

Outlaw War Profiteering!

Yesterday and today, Randi Rhodes has been talking about something that has been on my mind for a long time.

As in World War II, we need to take a stand - make war profiteering illegal. President Roosevelt said, "I don't want to see a single war millionaire created in the United States as a result of this world disaster". Harry Truman referred to war profiteering as 'treason'. And in 1953, at the height of the Cold War, President Dwight Eisenhower, a real war hero, said, "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed."

I concur.

According to the Nation,

When he heard rumors of such profiteering, Truman got into his Dodge and, during a Congressional recess, drove 30,000 miles paying unannounced visits to corporate offices and worksites. The Senate committee he chaired launched aggressive investigations into shady wartime business practices and found "waste, inefficiency, mismanagement and profiteering," according to Truman, who argued that such behavior was unpatriotic. Urged on by Truman and others in Congress, President Roosevelt supported broad increases in the corporate income tax, raised the excess-profits tax to 90 percent and charged the Office of War Mobilization with the task of eliminating illegal profits. Truman, who became a national hero for his fight against the profiteers, was tapped to be FDR's running mate in 1944.

In 2003, United for a Fair Economy did a study of defense contractor CEO pay that is worth taking a look at. (Download the .pdf here.) There is a direct correlation between the size of campaign donations and the size of defense contracts. The study found that:

Median CEO pay at the 37 largest defense contractors rose 79 percent from 2001 to 2002, while overall CEO pay climbed only 6 percent, according to a new report from United for a Fair Economy, More Bucks for the Bang: CEO Pay at Top Defense Contractors, by Chris Hartman and David Martin.

Median pay was 45 percent higher in 2002 at defense contractors than at the 365 large companies surveyed by Business Week magazine. The typical U.S. CEO made $3.7 million in 2002, while the typical defense industry CEO got $5.4 million.

The jump in median defense contractor CEO pay far exceeded the increase in defense spending, which rose 14 percent from 2001 to 2002.

Compared with an army private’s pay of $19,585, the average CEO at a major defense contractor made 577 times as much in 2002, or $11,297,548. This is also more than 28 times as much as the Commander in Chief’s salary of $400,000.

The study also looked at the size of campaign contributions by the largest defense contractors and found a strong correlation between campaign contributions made by a company in the 2000 and 2002 election cycles and the value of defense contracts awarded to that company. Ninety percent of the difference in contract size can be accounted for by size of contributions. For example, top arms contractor Lockheed Martin was also the top campaign contributor among defense firms.

The 37 companies included in the CEO pay study were all the publicly-traded corporations with at least $1 billion in total defense contracts from 2000 through 2002. The list includes well-known defense contractors like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, and General Dynamics, as well as some companies not usually associated with military spending, such as FedEx and Dell Computer. Compensation was defined as salary, bonus, “other compensation,” restricted stock awards, long-term incentive payouts, and the value realized from the exercise of stock options.

People, let's be real.

That's what's put us in Iraq, that's what's keeping us in Iraq. This is 'War A-Go-Go', as Country Joe said, and 'there's plenty good money to be made supplying the army with the tools of the trade'.

How ironic that the Kowboy Koward of Krawford is making his first trip to Vietnam right now. As we muddle and muck through this terrible quagmire, American soldiers' lives are still being traded for profits. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to get a law passed today against war profiteering, but I can guaran-damn-tee you that the contractors would be out of there so fast it would make your head spin.

And our kids could come home.

What if they gave a war and nobody came?

Hooterville Blog-i-versary! Let's Party!

Wow - with everything that's been going on, I forgot about my Blog-i-versary yesterday. Hooterville is 2 years old!

I'm having my party here, and you're invited!

What a difference a year (or two) makes! When I started this blog, I was in the depths of despair. The theft of 2004 left me shaking. I had never written before, but I had to find some way to deal with the helplessness and frustration that was paralyzing me, making it difficult to even get out of bed in the morning. Through blogging, I was able to meet people who felt the way I did, and people who were doing something about it! You guys energized me and motivated me.

Fast-forward two years - we just took back the House and Senate, I've become an active participant in my local political community as well as online, I'm writing a book, and I've made some wonderful friends all over the world - all due to blogging.

I know that we have a lot of work ahead of us, and it's not going to be a 'cakewalk' with 'flowers and chocolates' (sorry, I couldn't resist) but I think we've earned the right to feel good about the work we've done together for the last couple of years.

So, this year (as last year) my blogiversary is dedicated to you, my blog compatriots. I'd like to take this opportunity to give shout-outs to some of my fave blog-friends and sites (I'd need a whole new blog to list them all) - thanks for my sanity!

Helen Wheels @ Just Ain't Right
DivaJood @ Journeys With Jood
Karena @ Karena's Blog
Blue Gal @ Blue Gal
Maryscott @ My Left Wing
Old White Lady @ It's Morning Somewhere
Wanda @ Words On A Page (not forgotten!)
Sue Woo @ Susie's Sharp Points
ae @ arse poetica
John and Mike @ Crooks and Liars
Princess Sparkle Pony @ Princess Sparkle Pony's Photo Blog
G @ Library Bitch
kissfan @ Truespeak
Star A. Decise @ The Enigmatic Paradox
Crabbi @ A Curmudgeonly Crab
The Fat Lady Sings @ The Fat Lady Sings
Kvatch @ Blognonymous
jurassicpork @ Welcome To Pottersville
Howie @ DownWithTyranny
Catherine @ PovertyBarn
Cookie Christine @ It's Recess-time Somewhere
Station Agent @ Ice Station Tango
Rainbow Demon @ =Coffee House Studio=
Frederick @ Mccs1977
quakerdave @ The Quaker Agitator
greensmile @ The Executioner's Thong
Yoga Korunta @ Yoga Korunta
my comrades @ Comments From Left Field
my blogfather, Mr. M @ Comments From Left Field
my comic compatriots @ 'Left Toon Lane

and everyone else on my blogroll - all personally selected and approved of!

Thanks, friends.

PS - even though Blue Gal is miserably ill, she is all about the linky love, so - double-back atcha, and friends, go visit her and make her feel better...

Moving Along With My Book - Would You Like To Help?

Hi friends -

Here's an update on my upcoming book. After Nov. 7, to my great satisfaction, I found that I needed to retool the focus of my book, as there were many people who actually did 'vote for their best interests!' While that group of people who continue to support their oppressors has not changed, the number of people who stood up for democracy has increased to the point to where they couldn't completely steal the election.

So, I have decided to concentrate on conservatism itself - why it's bad for America. I believe conservatism is built on myths, but they are very deep-rooted myths about society and about human nature.

My working title is "Glass Houses, Fun-House Mirrors, and the First Stone - Why Conservatism Is Bad For America". Since this is a book which has come about completely through blogging, I invite any of you (my blog friends) who would like to weigh in on the subject to do so, and I will happily acknowledge you in the introduction, or wherever your input is used. I would love to have you guys come along with me on my book-journey!

The first thing I'd like to put out is for the cover. My best friend from the 5th grade, who is an incredibly talented illustrator, will be submitting the cover art. My idea is this - on the cover will be a picture of a fun-house, with at least three distorted mirrors. In front of one mirror you'll see a Democrat - shown in the mirror you'll see a terrorist. In front of another, you'll see a chicken-hawk, but the mirror will reflect some military hero - who that would be is open to suggestion.

So this is what I'm looking for - ideas of mirror-pairs, seen through the distortion of the conservative mirror.

Any thoughts?

Excuse Me, But Was That A Threat?

In his Veteran's Day (augh!) radio address, many people noticed that, in addition to kicking Rummy to the curb, the Kowboy Koward of Krawford slipped a few zingers into his speech. Among them was this little gem:

Whatever your opinion of the outcome, all Americans can take pride in the example our democracy sets for the world by holding elections even in a time of war.

WTF?

Now, why on earth would you say something like that unless it was at issue? Is this what the writery folk call 'Chekhov's Gun'? There has never been a time that we have not had elections in a 'time of war' (again with the 'war' frame, even though we're not technically at war.) John Nichols writes that even during the Civil War, when Lincoln was urged by his party to suspend elections, he refused. Instead, he ran for re-election, facing strong opposition both within his own party and from a Democrat who was a decorated general.

“We cannot have free government without free elections,” he said. “If the rebellion could force us to forgo or postpone a national election, it might fairly be claimed to have already conquered and ruined us.”

So what's this talk about suspending elections, if it's never been done before?

Are you threatening us, Dubya?