in west philadelphia, born and raised

Eight U.S. Marines Killed, Nine Wounded in Iraq Eight U.S. marines were killed and nine wounded west of Baghdad on Saturday in the bloodiest attack on U.S. forces in Iraq for months. The U.S. military gave no details of the circumstances of the deaths, which it said occurred in the western province of Anbar, which includes the rebel cities of Falluja and Ramadi. Witnesses said earlier they had seen three U.S. vehicles burning on a road east of Falluja, in Anbar province. It was not clear if that is where the marine casualties occurred. "...juvenile Al Franken level of discourse..." Politics is no longer a noble cause, as it was for John Kennedy, whom I campaigned for in Syracuse when I was 13. [Air America] lacks the propulsive energy of someone like Sean Hannity. Was I the only person in America to suspect that Saddam Hussein was bluffing about his WMD? Terrorist Tape, Political Angst blah blah blah Adam Nagourney blah blah blah ...and i'm off!

i'm sorry about ann coulter.

It's time for the ground war, boys and girls... I don't really have time to update update update, so I'll try to leave links to the important stuff: U.S. Team Took 250 Tons of Iraqi Munitions President Bush says the explosives were possibly removed by Saddam's forces before the invasion. John Shaw said he believed the munitions were moved to Syria in the weeks before the March 2003 invasion. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld entered the debate Thursday, suggesting the 377 tons of explosives were taken away before U.S. forces arrived, saying any large effort to loot the material afterward would have been detected. ...or was it the Russians? FBI Investigating Halliburton Contracts The line of inquiry expands an earlier FBI investigation into whether Halliburton overcharged taxpayers for fuel in Iraq, and it elevates to a criminal matter the election-year question of whether the Bush administration showed favoritism to Vice President Dick Cheney's former company. "The old allegations have once again been recycled, this time one week before the election," Hall said. "The GAO (Government Accountability Office) said earlier this year that the contract was properly awarded because Halliburton was the only contractor that could do the work.

Right.

Republicans for Kerry It's a pretty hefty list, thanks to Kos.

Giuliani blamed the troops for the missing explosives. "No matter how you try to blame it on the president, the actual responsibility for it really would be for the troops that were there," Giuliani said on NBC's "Today" show. "Did they search carefully enough? Didn't they search carefully enough?"

Iraqi Deaths of Civilians at 100,000 The Bush administration has not estimated civilian casualties from the conflict, and independent groups have put the number at most in the tens of thousands. They attributed many of those deaths to attacks by American-led forces, mostly airstrikes, and most of those killed were women and children. The risk of violent death was 58 times higher than before the war, the researchers reported.

President Schwarzenegger? Arnold Schwarzenegger says he would like to at least be able to entertain the thought, but the U.S. Constitution prevents foreign-born people from holding America's highest office. So the Austrian-born governor of California tells Correspondent Morley Safer he favors a constitutional amendment to enable him to run for president.

This is just fucking scary. On April 16, 2003, a mob attacked and looted the Iraqi equivalent of the Centers for Disease Control, taking live HIV and black fever virus among other potentially lethal materials. US troops were stationed across the street but did not intervene because they didn't know the building was important.

Eminem as the October Surprise?

french coffee, homo marriages, and dead babies

Goodness gracious. I don't know if my new mini-ad at the bottom of my sidebar is generating a smidge more traffic, but I seem to have reached some bloggers from the Right. Here's a sampling of their enlightening commentary:

Do you actually believe what you have posted? If you do, do you have a job? If you have a job, are you a teacher?

My God, liberals are idiots.

The only positive thing that a Kerry presidency can bring(other than the total destruction of our country which would mean all liberals would be destroyed also, which I see as a small price to pay)is that we would get his harpy of a wife to keep us entertained for four years. My Lord, how do you people think we got to this great point in our country. Were your parents and grandparents such unabashed pussies?

Yes, Ann Coulter is hot, and she can give me a tongue lashing anytime.

The best way to defeat Islamo-terroism (assuming you ARE interested in destroying the creeps who would beat you to death for not wearing your burka) is to democratize the Middle East.

Yes Virginia, there really IS a right-wing conspiracy to dumb down America and convince its people that freedom is indeed "on the march." The next thing you know, they'll start saying that President Bush was chosen by God. Oh, wait a minute....

Far be it for these people to watch anything but FOX news, as every other media source has been deemed liberal. The Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) recently conducted a survey which concluded that most Bush supporters still believe that Iraq had ties to Al Queda and that weapons of mass destruction really did exist over there.

I like that people think John Kerry will be the one to destroy our country, when we're obviously already in a constant state of panic, fear, and confusion. It's kind of like not facing up to the fact that your mom's an alcoholic and your dad kicks the shit out of you every night. You know what's right and wrong, but you can't sever those ties or face up to the truth because it'll hurt too much.

To answer their questions, YES, I do believe what I've posted. I wonder if they can give me five reasons anyone should vote for Bush. I want a list of what Bush has done for this country in the past four years. I want to know how they can possibly believe Dick Cheney is an honest man. AND, I want to know what the hell they were smoking when they said that Ann Coulter was hot.

The blind patriotism is making my eyes itch already. It's like a broken record...

democracy, freedom, freedom on the march, freedom is not free, islamo-(insert random ideology here), terrorists, the world is better without saddam, kerry's a flip flopper, his record speaks for itself, yadda yadda yadda

How on earth can those people survive without Rush, Hannity, Savage, and FOX?

'Tis a mystery best left unsolved.

ann coulter, and the pie-stain

Ann Coulter got PIED!!!! I love it, even though it only hit her in the shoulder. Granted, pie-throwing is a bit juvenile, but if any of you have ever tried reading one of her hackjob books, you'd totally understand. In her latest column, she lists "oily Jews" as one of the reasons Democrats believe we went to Iraq last year. I used to think she was offensive, but now I'm under the impression that she's just completely insane. There's a slew of fantastic columns by kick-ass broads this week, a mere week and a half before the general election. Molly Ivins has definitely had it with Bushie. Arianna Huffington has referred to Bush as the "anti-Bobby" Kennedy in this election as she analyzes the youth vote this year, and Maureen Dowd thinks that Dubya's willfull blindness to the current situation in Iraq comes from "mistakingly assuming that his desires are God's." Meanwhile, on the stump, Bush said this, on UNIVISION yesterday:

Bush also expressed gratitude to Hispanic families that lost loved ones in the wars in Iraq, adding that they died for a noble cause. "I would tell them the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the war against those who caused the deaths on 9/11 is necessary," he said. "The most solemn duty of the president of the United States is to protect the American people. And the biggest danger we have is that a terrorist group obtains weapons that can cause more damage than a few planes."

(Thanks to Atrios for the heads up) I love that's he's still trying to connect the two. I try to be optimistic, you know? We're at war and he's the president, blah blah blah. However, when he starts pandering to MY people, I'll just come out say that he's a fucking asshole. In other news, in other Catholic news, to be exact, the Vatican has denied that it had contact with Marc Balestrieri, the Catholic lawyer that's trying to get John Kerry excommunicated. "His claim that the private letter he received from (Dominican) Father Basil Cole is a Vatican response is completely without merit," Father DiNoia told Catholic News Service Oct. 19, declining to discuss the matter further. BAM! That bitch just got served. The Stranger had a great Kerry endoresment this week that pretty much summed up the anger most feel towards our bastard president this year. I'll go ahead and just copy it here, in its entirety, because it's harsh, hilarious, and powerful:

George Bush is pure scum. His far-right pandering to his rural Christian rube supporters on gay marriage, his use of the tax code to reward the "I call you mybase" rich at the expense of the middle class, his utter bullshit justifications for a needless war that now appears to besliding,inexorably, into a foreign-policy catastrophe not seen since America's humiliating Saigon '75 exit, all make Bush unworthy to serve as president.

Given Bush's track record, egregious mistakes, and ultra-conservative instincts, the Democrats could have nominated anyone--Tucker "Dick" Carlson, Jenna Jamison, a bloody scab--and we would have endorsed him, her or it. Instead the Ds, somewhat miraculously, did something smart: They nominated Massachusetts Senator John Kerry.

We like Kerry almost as much as we hate Bush. No, really. We mean it. Really. He's tough--his heroic service in Vietnam proves that, especially when compared to Bush, who had daddy pull strings for him so he didn't have to fight in a war he supposedly supported. Kerry is a man of integrity, as his willingness to step forward and speak out eloquently, after his return stateside, against the Vietnam War, shows. He is smart (he tore Bush apart in the debates), informed, and experienced. Only in a debased campaign process would thoughtful deliberation be treated as inferior to chuckle headed simple-mindedness.

Since World War II, the United States has operated as the center of strong international alliances. We need those alliances more than ever as we face the long-term threat of Islamic extremism. But Bush and the Neocon ideologues who run his foreign policy have thumbed their noses at the world, embracing a doctrine of de facto unilateralism and proclaiming America to be unbound by any limitation--legal, moral, (truthful!) or otherwise. That they are shortsighted fools and amoral liars has been proven beyond any doubt by the disgusting photos from Abu Ghraib and by the fact that nearly 90 percent of the cost in lives and money of Bush's misbegotten Iraq adventure falls on the U.S.

With respect to domestic policy, Bush is passionate about only one thing: tax cuts for the wealthy. Those tax cuts have failed to deliver the promised benefits of jobs and a vibrant economy, so what does Bush offer? More tax cuts for the wealthy, and ever larger deficits. Kerry is genuinely concerned for the well- being of working Americans. In the final debate, he highlighted his fundamental differences with Bush by supporting a boost to the minimum wage, which is at its lowest level since 1990 (adjusted for inflation), saying he was "tired of politicians who talk about family values but don't value families." Bush, who doesn't give two shits in a cat's ass about the working poor, had no response. Four more years of Bush is a recipe for (further) disaster. We urge you to vote for the badass from Massachusetts.

And if Bush wins? Let's riot, you motherfuckers.

ann coulter is a worthless wretch, a human stain

It's hard to avoid news channels. Correction. It's hard for me to avoid news channels, especially the cable ones. I've grown accustomed to the collective groan once I have control of the clicker. It's a total trap, like any number of UPN shows, past and present. On the radio these past few days, I've heard Michael Savage call the women's movement "stupid and phony," perpetuated by "worthless wretches." He spoke of the inherent racism within communities of color because "they're afraid of white, heterosexual males." Ew. I'm scared of him....and Dick Cheney. That's about it. Sean Hannity and John Carlson are still yammering away about Cheney's gay-ass, lesbian-dyke daughter, and the fact that Theresa Heinz Kerry is completely unhinged. Some sit-in for Hannity took a call from a black Republican that was convinced "Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton would never leave the Democratic plantation. Obviously, I could go on. "Turn your fear into motivation," said Sean. Personally, I don't buy it, because if I'm not worried about the terrorists crossing our borders and killing me (until I'm dead), then I'll have to go back to that September 10th mentality, where I was the one constantly thinking about killing people. I hate dilemmas. I heard someone say that abandoned, true Republicans should treat this election like masturbation: go into the booth (or your bedroom, if you're voting absentee), pull the teeny lever for John Kerry, revel in that sweet, sweet moment, and tell NO ONE. I like it. I diggit. Try it, folks. It wont kill you. Bush's policies, on the otherhand... 'Fore I head out, I'll say that I'm happier than a drunk pig in a pile of shit (but really, it's Cocoa Puffs) after finding out that the woman I've been corresponding with regarding the Kerry campaign here in Washington happens to be none other than the wife of a rockstar Congressman from Seattle. I love it. Get out the vote, ya pinheads!

vacation's all i ever wanted

One thing before i head off to work: Pat Buchanan wins the award for Douchebag of the Week by claiming that "homosexuality is an affliction, like alcoholism." If its one thing Pat knows about, it's being a homo. Fuck Dick Cheney and his self-loathing daughter. Seriously. Who cares? Let's talk about how miserable Bush's debate performances were. Let's talk about the 1100+ dead soldiers. ...or not. EVERYONE knows she's a homo. Everyone knows Dick and Lynne are assholes. Let's move on.

no links today.....really

I'm back from the Seattle stop in Michael Moore's Slacker Uprising tour. I am not disappointed. I am not a blind follower of the Moorevolution. I think he's done an amazing job mobilizing the lazy arm of the Democratic party, and I know he made F-911 because he actually gives a shit about what happens to our country. The thousands of people that showed up and showed thier support for media reform, the Democratic party, and accountability in the Bush administration were enough to convince me that this country is indeed on the path to a better America. Eddie Vedder opened up the event with three acoustic numbers, including "Masters of War," by Bob Dylan. I got to thinking about high school, when I was a huge Pearl Jam fan, and I remembered the first week of my freshman year at ENHS. That was the year I met Eric Solis, the ornery punkrocker with lots to say. He was friends with Ralphus Cox, one of my favorite people from my 4 years of high school hell. I had the biggest crush on the both of them because they listened to good music, looked ackward, and wore ironic t-shirts to class. One day, during our biology class, Eric saw this folder I'd made whilst in junior high. It was Cobain-themed and he wanted it. He gave me some magazine with Vdder pictures and a copy of a bootleg Pearl Jam concert. We were insta-friends. Needless to say, I kind of dropped Eddie and the boys after the Vitalogy album, but everytime I think of Pearl Jam, I think of Eric. (whenever i listen to speed metal, i think of ralph) He's away now....I don't know where, but I'm guessing he's in Iraq. It fucking sucks and I hope he's OK. That being said, I think Michael Moore did a great job this evening. I will write more tomorrow, when I'm not so tired. Goodnight, all. -denise

let the shitstorm begin...

Andrea Mackris has surely braced herself for the personal attacks, heresay, and Fox-retribution after filing suit against Bill O'Reilly last week. An "ex-pal," whatever that means, has made a public statement saying that she'd always had a crush on Bill, and that her intentions were to write a tell-all book.....because it's that easy to take down Fox News and its highest ratest "news" guy. Then there's the issue of Marc Balestrieri, a lawyer in Los Angeles that's trying to get John Kerry, Ted Kennedy, Tom Harkin, Susan Collins, and Mario Cuomo excommunicated from the Catholic church because they're pro-choice politicians. Mr. Balestrieri heads a conservative, non-profit Catholic group called De Fide.

DE FIDE is a non-profit association founded specifically to use every available means of Canon Law to defend the Faith and Church from Heresy and other grievous crimes. To accomplish its mission, DE FIDE initiates lawsuits in Ecclesiastical Court to protect the rights of the faithful and unbaptized. The Association consists of a consortium of premier Canon Law experts around the world who work in tandem to achieve this goal.On 14 June 2004 DE FIDE filed its first Libellus Litis (Bill of Complaint) in the Ecclesiastical Court of the Archdiocese of Boston. The Criminal Complaint alleges that United States Senator JOHN F. KERRY, as a baptized Catholic, has committed a court-martial offense under Canon Law by professing the Right-to-Murder heresy, commonly known as the "Right to Choose" doctrine.

I don't recall a time when I've been this disappointed in what other Catholics are doing with their time, especially when it's as politically motivated as this. Had they been a beacon for calling out excommunicados, maybe I'd understand. The fact that this is all coming out a few weeks before the elections, during a time when people really are undecided, I'd say it's bullshit. I guess I've been excommunicated. 7:05, time for work.

late night post, only it's not all that late

Tucker Carlson apparently can't accept defeat:

CNN's Tucker Carlson, Jon Stewart Feuding Oct 18, 5:39 PM (ET)By DAVID BAUDER
NEW YORK (AP) - How's this for a feud that straddles the line between politics and entertainment: CNN's bow-tied conservative Tucker Carlson vs. "The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart. Carlson on Monday fanned embers still hot from their "Crossfire" confrontation, saying Stewart looked ridiculous during his CNN appearance and was a sellout for publicly backing Democrat John Kerry for president. Stewart, appearing on the debate show Friday, angered Carlson by saying "Crossfire" is "partisan hackery" that does little to advance the cause of democracy. And that was the mild stuff. "You have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably," Stewart said. Responded Carlson: "You need to get a job at a journalism school, I think." "You need to go to one," Stewart shot back. Carlson complained that for a comedian, Stewart wasn't being very funny. "Come on," he said. "Be funny." "No," Stewart said. "I'm not going to be your monkey." Carlson chided Stewart for lobbing softball questions when Kerry appeared on "The Daily Show" last month. Later, Carlson told Stewart he was "more fun" on his Comedy Central show, and Stewart called him a jerk - although he used a more vulgar term. "I thought that he looked ridiculous," Carlson said in an interview Monday, "and I think the tape makes that clear." Carlson said Stewart continued lecturing the "Crossfire" crew after the show went off the air. "I wasn't offended as much as I was unimpressed," he said. Stewart wasn't talking about the confrontation on Monday, a spokesman said. Comedy Central executive Tony Fox said there may be some regret over the vulgarity, but that Stewart has been a longtime critic of cable news networks and their political argument shows. The comedian hasn't gone out of his way to endorse Kerry. In a public forum last week in New York, he was asked who he would vote for, and he said he'd back the Democrat. Carlson noted that many of the great comedians kept their political opinions to themselves, not for fear of offending anyone, but because it could hurt their art. "You're selling out," he said. "If you are a satirist or an acute social observer, and he is, and all of a sudden you suspend disbelief on someone or suck up rather than prod or poke someone, people will look at you and say, 'Even if I agree with you, I don't like it,'" he said. Fox said "The Daily Show" poked fun at people in power, regardless of their party. Most people who watch Stewart are aware that he leans to the left politically. "I don't think it really impacts the show at all," he said. "The show does what it does regardless of Jon's political persuasion."

I'll bet the Pope would have signed it.

Eighty-five nations endorse U.N. population agenda - but Bush administration refuses to sign

This week, 250 global leaders and 85 heads of state endorsed a statement that would ensure every woman's right to an education, proper health care, and the freedom to make choices about childbearing. The plan originated at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, 10 years ago. In a draft created in 1994, one of the provisions read: "the world's governments and civil society committed to an action plan to ensure universal access to reproductive health information and services, uphold fundamental human rights including sexual and reproductive rights, alleviate poverty, secure gender equality, and protect the environment." George Bush refused to sign the statement because it made references to a woman's 'sexual rights,' a term that has no true definition in the international community. Things are really looking up, my friends. This jackass and his administration are now letting their "faith" get in the way of women's rights. I don't see how anyone can possibly be surprised, as Bush blocked 34 million in cogressionally approved assistance to the United Nations Population Fund. Whatever. I need a drink.

We are where we are because of the chimp

Ok, so of the three MAJOR stories Drudge mentioned last night, only one has an active link pointing to a valid news site. People in Florida have been reporting incomplete absentee ballots, AND a few of the touch-screen voting robots crashed. This is going to be an amazing few weeks. As for the developing exclusive about Jon Stewart, I'll just put it all here, in its entirety, because it's ridiculous. Of course his Crossfire appearance would be painted as unhinged and belligerent. JON STEWART 'DAILY SHOW' IN SURPRISE AUDIENCE -- DROP Sun Oct 17 2004 20:30:24 ETCOMEDY CENTRAL's 'DAILY SHOW' has experienced surprise audience erosion -- despite a publicity push by host Jon Stewart.Stewart, who announced last week that he plans to support John Kerry, pulled 1,040,000 total viewers for the month of September -- down 7% from August, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.Jumbo hype from media writers and a bestselling book apparently have failed to translate into any TV audience improvement. MORE CNN editors were busy this weekend cleaning up a transcript from Stewart's Friday appearance on CROSSFIRE. One CNN executive called Stewart's performace "belligerent."During the live program, Stewart slammed host Tucker Carlson: "You're as big a dick on your show as you are on any show."The awkward exchange came at the end of an 8 minute segment between Stewart, Carlson and co-host Paul Begala.

I wonder where he gets the inside scoop? I wonder if he's had to do the nasty with skeezy Beltway Heathers (The DC press corps clique, typified by an obnoxious in-crowd behavior. A reference to the film Heathers)?

As for those poor SOB's that refused to take fuel that might have been contaminated to Baghdad (in an unarmored vehicle), the military is still trying to decide whether they're in trouble or not. It only makes sense that they be punished for refusing a virtual suicide mission.

God Bless America, motherfuckers.

partisan hackery

Matt Drudge is such a hack on Sunday nights, right before his radio show is about to start over on the east coast. He posts "exclusives," and his oh-so-famous "developing" stories without posting links, so that his readers can assume the worst about the possible article. Today's nuggets:

EXCLUSIVE: CONTROVERSY ERUPTS AS VOTING BEGINS IN FLORIDA MICHAEL MOORE REMOVES C-SPAN CAMERAS DURING SPEECH... DEVELOPING...

JON STEWART 'DAILY SHOW' IN SURPRISE AUDIENCE -- DROP... DEVELOPING...

I'll bet that tomorrow, the Florida controversy will somehow be blamed on the DNC, Michael Moore will be painted as hostile for one reason or another, and Jon Stewarts audience will have gone down because of his Crossfire riff.

Lame.

rock and roll NEEDS to die sometimes

Joss Whedon is involved with the Kerry campaign. I love it. I love it when Dems come out of the woodwork for a good cause. I even contemplated having my own Campaign 2004/Buffy extravaganza, but decided it would be antithetical to my current financial situation. In other news, the New York Times article about President Bush, faith, and uncertainty is a pretty good read, though not as exciting to read it online as in print. One part talks about an Oval Office meeting in which Bush's advisors told him that Sweden's army would be perfect to send out on a peacekeeping mission in Gaza and the West Bank. Hilarity ensues:

''I don't know why you're talking about Sweden,'' Bush said. ''They're the neutral one. They don't have an army.'' Lantos paused, a little shocked, and offered a gentlemanly reply: ''Mr. President, you may have thought that I said Switzerland. They're the ones that are historically neutral, without an army.'' Then Lantos mentioned, in a gracious aside, that the Swiss do have a tough national guard to protect the country in the event of invasion. Bush held to his view. ''No, no, it's Sweden that has no army.'' The room went silent, until someone changed the subject. A few weeks later, members of Congress and their spouses gathered with administration officials and other dignitaries for the White House Christmas party. The president saw Lantos and grabbed him by the shoulder. ''You were right,'' he said, with bonhomie. ''Sweden does have an army.''

Only fancy pants intellectuals take the time to memorize which of our allies have armies. Either that, or they just know it, because they're sharp like that. Back home, at the ranch in England, Tony Blair is beginning to smell like a shit-patty from Crawford, Texas. Several hundred British troops are being moved from southern Iraq to Baghdad, so that they can aide the United States in their takeover of Fallujah. Hot damn. And you know what? Kofi's still pissed. It's time for work...on Sunday. Gross. Volunteer on November 2nd. Seriously.

last night, our dog was dressed like an ice cream cone

It's Saturday, and I'm missing the Howard Dean rally. When I read the article about the 17-troop unit that refused to go on a mission, I really thought it would be talked about a lot more within the blogosphere... They were in Taji, just north of Baghdad, when they decided that their fuel-delivery mission was basically a deathwish. Their truck wasn't safe, and they didn't want to die. The troops are now being detained in tents, and may be charged with the willful disobeying of orders. And, proof that the Daily Show is still the best "news" show around, Jon Stewart schooled Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala on their own show (Crossfire) last night. Wonkette's blog has links to the transcript, as well as various sites where you can download a torrent file of the exchange. It's about fuckin' time someone exposed the "pundit hackery" that those shows thrive on. Watch the entire video, becuase Jon calls Tucker a dick at the end. Good stuff... Well, if anything newsworthy happens today, I'll post again. I have this feeling I'll be doing a lot more posting as the end time draws near. I'm terrified. At least I can think about Bill O'Reilly taking me in his arms and rubbing me with a falafel...? For now, I leave you with this excerpt from one of Bill O'Reilly's fantasies... It's by far the one part that most people are talking about:

"So anyway I'd be rubbing your big boobs and getting your nipples really hard, kinda kissing your neck from behind...and then I would take the other hand with the falafel (sic) thing..."

oh my goodness...

The Smoking Gun never lies. I'd write more, but I'm vehemently defending myself to a family member that's implying I don't care about our troops. It's a talking-point argument, but I'm trying....