Sojourners : Election 2004

Sojourners : Election 2004

AlterNet: Election 2004: Deserter's Delight

AlterNet: Election 2004: Deserter's Delight: "I know you and I have had our differences in the past, and I realize I am the one who started this whole mess about 'who did what' during Vietnam when I brought up that 'deserter' nonsense back in January. But I have to hand it to you on what you have uncovered about John Kerry and his record in Vietnam. Kerry has tried to pass himself off as a war hero, but thanks to you and your friends, we now know the truth."

AlterNet: Conservatives, Repent!

AlterNet: Conservatives, Repent!: "The Swift Boat Liars are of interest only as a perfect case for those in media studies to see exactly how this stuff spreads, although it does dig up yet again the issue of how George W. Bush spent the Vietnam War. Here's a review of the state of play on that story. USA Today recently rehashed the remaining questions:"

"People, G-O-P-eople"

The highlight of the $5 million star-studded fundraiser for John Kerry in Los Angeles last night may have been Barbra Streisand's defeat-Bush version of her song "People."



Here are the lyrics as transcribed by the press pool reporter at the fundraiser. All together now:


People

I mean G-O-People

Who'd believe there's such people in the world

Bush sees a

Lotta Condoleeza

They're dividing the planet's oil

According to Richard Poil

And they're all just trainees

Of Cheney's

Now Rumsfeld

We must get rid of Rumsfeld

He's the spookiest person in the world

As for Powell

He's neither fish nor fowl

He's in the back of the room

While they're all fiddling with gloom

No one's minding the store

What's more

Let's discuss this war we're lost in

Don't ask what it's costin'

What's a trillion or two to rule the world.

The Senate

Oooo how I want the Senate

All we need is two people in the world

I see a

Antonin Scalia

How I dread every time he sits

Scared out of my Wolfowitz

Time those neocon guys

Were gone byes

??? (pool reporter's note)

While the globe is frying

And the fishes are dying in the world

And their solution

For all the pollution

Is just to bear it and grin

And practice not breathing in

But things are gonna be great

Just wait

When the White House stationary

Reads President John Kerry
We'll be the luckiest people in the world

Quote of the day

"Cheney brought my mother up to the casket, so she could pay her respects. She is in her 80's, and she has glaucoma and has trouble seeing. There were steps, and he left her there. He just stood there, letting her flounder. I don't think he's a mindful human being. That's probably the nicest way I can put it."

Ron Reagan, in an upcoming interview with the New York Times Sunday Magazine

Some humor . . .



Ariel Sharon came to Washington for meetings with George W. and for a state dinner. Laura Bush decided to bring in a special kosher chef and have a truly Jewish meal. At the dinner that night, the first course served is matzo ball soup.



George W. looks at this and, after learning what it is called, tells an aide that he can't eat such a gross and strange-looking brew. The aide says that Mr. Sharon will be insulted if he doesn't at least taste it. Not wanting to cause any trouble (after all, he ate sheep's eye in honor of Arab guests), George W. gingerly lowers his spoon into the bowl and retrieves a piece of matzo ball and some broth.



He hesitates, and then swallows. A big grin appears on his face. He finds that he really likes it, and digs right in and finishes the whole bowl.



"That was delicious," Bush says to Sharon. "Do you Jews eat any other part of the matzo, or just the balls?"

WSOCTV.com - Charlotte News - Autopsy: Statesville Man Choked On Vomit During Arrest

WSOCTV.com - Charlotte News - Autopsy: Statesville Man Choked On Vomit During Arrest: "STATESVILLE, N.C. -- An autopsy shows that an autistic man choked on vomit as he was being taken to jail by Statesville police.
Sidney Templeton's mother called police for help on Saturday when he became agitated about a new caretaker. Authorities said he fought with officers, though his mother says she never saw that.
Templeton was being taken into the Iredell County Jail when he struggled with officers and, in the words of Sheriff Stephen Hampton, had a 'medical emergency.'
Doctor Patrick Lantz performed the autopsy on Monday. He said Templeton apparently threw up and inhaled some of his vomit."

Not Even a Hedgehog - The stupidity of Ronald Reagan. By Christopher?Hitchens

Not Even a Hedgehog - The stupidity of Ronald Reagan. By Christopher?HitchensThe fox, as has been pointed out by more than one philosopher, knows many small things, whereas the hedgehog knows one big thing. Ronald Reagan was neither a fox nor a hedgehog. He was as dumb as a stump. He could have had anyone in the world to dinner, any night of the week, but took most of his meals on a White House TV tray. He had no friends, only cronies. His children didn't like him all that much. He met his second wife—the one that you remember—because she needed to get off a Hollywood blacklist and he was the man to see. Year in and year out in Washington, I could not believe that such a man had even been a poor governor of California in a bad year, let alone that such a smart country would put up with such an obvious phony and loon.

The Village Voice: NY Mirror: La Dolce Musto by Michael Musto

The Village Voice: NY Mirror: La Dolce Musto by Michael Musto
Dear JOHN KERRY: Keep on standing back all slack-jawed and vague-ish, kid. Let DUBYA self-destruct with his empty, Stepfordy ravings about making the world safe from terror—other people's, that is. Let the revelations keep coming—like how we were the terrorists in Abu Ghraib and how our lamented hero Pat Tillman was actually killed by our own other heroes in inept, I mean friendly, fire, not to mention how all of this was provoked by nonexistent weapons! (No wonder GEORGE TENET was canned, I mean stepped down for personal reasons.) And let Dubya's continued hate crusade against gay marriage take an interesting turn as cynics melt at the sight of perfectly nice queers hugging (and flirting with Hugh Jackman) on TV and wonder how stealth-bombing this would be consistent with our self-appointed role as fiery freedom fighters.

Yahoo! News - Bald Is Hair Color in Montana

Yahoo! News - Bald Is Hair Color in Montana: "HELENA, Mont. - Bald is a hair color in Montana. Montana's Web site lists 'bald' as an option when applying online for a fishing license. "

Texas Talk



George Bush and Dick Cheney are enjoying lunch at a fancy Washington restaurant.Their waitress approaches the table to take their order. She is young and attractive. She asks Cheney what he wants, and he replies, "I'll have the heart-healthy salad." "Very good, sir," she replies. Turning to Bush, she asks, "And what do you want, Mr. President?"



Bush answers, "How about a quickie?"



Taken aback, the waitress slaps him and says, "I'm shocked and disappointed in you. I thought you were bringing a new administration that was committed to higher principles and morality!" With that, the waitress stalks off in a huff.



Cheney leans over to Bush and says, "Mr. President, I believe that's pronounced 'quiche.'"

Health News Article | Reuters.com

Health News Article | Reuters.com: "Vaccine Critics Attack Mercury Report"

OSC Orders Congress to Investigate HHS, CDC and FDA Wrongdoing Regarding Mercury in Children's Vaccines, Says National Autism Association

OSC Orders Congress to Investigate HHS, CDC and FDA Wrongdoing Regarding Mercury in Children's Vaccines, Says National Autism Association: "WASHINGTON, June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- National Autism Association announced today that Scott Bloch, Office of Special Counsel (OSC), is calling for further investigation into the link between neurological disorders and Thimerosal, a mercury preservative found in childhood vaccines. In an OSC press release, Bloch states that the allegations of wrongdoing towards Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA), ' ... raise serious continuing concerns about the administration of the nation's vaccine program ... '"

President Bush: Flip-Flopper-In-Chief - Center for American Progress

From the beginning, George W. Bush has made his own credibility a central issue. On 10/11/00, then Governor Bush said: "I think credibility is important. It is going to be important for the president to be credible with Congress, important for the president to be credible with foreign nations." But President Bush's serial flip-flopping raises serious questions about whether Congress and foreign leaders can rely on what he says.

AUTISM link to Michelangelo

Times of India - India



LONDON : Renaissance-era artistic genius Michelangelo might have had Asperger's syndrome, a milder form of autism which causes sufferers to have difficulties...

<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/713524.cms
>

Effects of autism on families

Effects of autism on families: "According to Wakely, previous research has suggested that siblings of children with autism can feel lonely and neglected, but that positive outcomes are possible too, with some siblings showing higher maturity and better social skills."

Salon.com Books | Busting big fat liars

Salon.com Books | Busting big fat liars: "The right-wing media warfare naturally is most visible during presidential election years. 'I've been saying for six months, no matter who was running for office this year, the right has a system in place to caricature that person,' says Brock. 'This is what I realized after 2000 -- that what happened to the Clintons during the '90s really had very little to do with the Clintons because the same thing happened to Gore in 2000. And then it happened to [Sen. Tom] Daschle when the Senate changed hands in 2001, and it happened to the mourners of [the late Sen.] Paul Wellstone in 2002. It goes on and on.' After witnessing how this Republican 'noise machine' again worked so well in shaping the caustic and undermining press coverage of Al Gore's presidential campaign in 2000, Brock is trying to awaken the public from slumber about these techniques."

gq plus @ gq.com: "Four years into an embattled Bush administration, Colin Powell is hard at work at something he's never had to worry about before: salvaging his legacy. "

A major scandal is going down this week at the Supreme Court, and I thought you'd like to see the hilarious little movie that exposes it:



http://www.justiceisduckblind.com



Here's the skinny: The Supreme Court is hearing a case involving Vice President Dick Cheney. They're trying to decide if Cheney should have to give up the members of his secret Energy Task Force, which he has kept hidden from the public. (Hmm, I wonder why. Could it be that he loaded the Task Force with his oil buddies?)



This is where it gets funky. Among the judges hearing the case is Antonin Scalia -- who recently went on a duck hunting vacation with Cheney, flying down to Louisiana at taxpayer expenses aboard Air Force Two. Despite this very cozy state of affairs, Scalia has stubbornly refused to withdraw from the case.



Check it out -- and sign on to the petition calling on Cheney to come clean about his Energy Task Force.



http://www.justiceisduckblind.com/petition.asp

Salon.com Arts & Entertainment | Bunless burger vs. the fluffernutter: "Fast-food restaurants are launching new 'healthy,' diet-friendly foods -- including a McDonald's adult happy meal. How do they stack up to some of our lunchtime favorites?"