November 2008 archive

Good bye George. My only regret as to your leaving is that the American People didn’t get to kick you out “in person,” but have to use McSame as proxy

Not just the Worst President Ever. But the the worst of everything about America. Swaggering, arrogant, and PROUD of being dumb. Greedy and cruel, a President for less (as we are about to find out) than half of America. Uniter my chapped ass. You were President of the worst half of America, representing only their interests and their world view, which explicitly explains (along with the dumb thing) why you were….and hopefully always will be….the Worst President Ever.

Your crimes (actual and symbolic) are too numerous to list, but we will be trying after tomorrow, as we push to Impeach!!! you one more time to prevent you from pardoning Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Donald Rumsfeld, Alberto Gonzales and the rest of the crooks and liars and thugs and cronies you surrounded yourself with in your apparent quest to destroy all that IS good about America. Just like you pardoned (effectively) Scooter Libby for covering up the Plame Treason. Remember that one George? Where yer boyz outted an entire CIA anti-nuke counter terrorism network….while you were attempting to terrify us using the threat of nukulur terrurists?

Ah, the good old days!

Oddly enough, researchers at Ohio State University have discovered a simple means of increasing voter participation.  I encourage anyone and everyone who has not yet voted to perform this simple technique…call it the scientific version of knocking on wood.

Visual Imagery Technique Boosts Voting, Study Finds

Registered voters who used a simple visual imagery technique the evening before the 2004 election were significantly more likely to vote the next day, a new study found.

Science Daily

Reservists’ Rocky Return To Job Market

60 Minutes Report Also Examines Costs Borne By Employers Of Deployed Citizen Soldiers

Coming Home

Citizen soldiers returning from active military duty are entitled by law to get back their old jobs or at least the same salaries, but many are still having trouble. Leslie Stahl reports.

Hope And Change

Without Fear

One More Day

Republicans Scrambling to Save Seats in Congress



By CARL HULSE

Published: November 2, 2008

WASHINGTON – Outspent and under siege in a hostile political climate, Congressional Republicans scrambled this weekend to save embattled incumbents in an effort to hold down expected Democratic gains in the House and Senate on Tuesday.

With the election imminent, Senate Republicans threw their remaining resources into protecting endangered lawmakers in Georgia, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Oregon, while House Republicans were forced to put money into what should be secure Republican territory in Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Virginia and Wyoming.

Questions persist about Palestinian’s encounter at border crossing

Mohammed Omer says he was physically abused by Israeli security while returning from Europe. Israel An Israeli inquiry ruled his assertions to be false. The U.N. calls for further investigation.

By Ashraf Khalil

November 3, 2008

Reporting from Jerusalem — What exactly happened to Mohammed Omer?

The Gaza-based journalist walked into the Allenby Bridge border crossing between Jordan and the Israeli-controlled West Bank one day early this summer. There, the 24-year-old says, he was sexually humiliated and physically assaulted by Israeli security — while an escort from the Dutch Embassy waited for him outside.

The Israeli government released a statement soon afterward acknowledging that Omer and his luggage were searched “due to suspicion that he had been in contact with hostile elements.” It denies that Omer was ever forcibly disrobed and states that “at no time was the complainant subjected to either physical or mental violence.”

The report cites “doubts as to the sincerity of the situation” and concludes that all of Omer’s claims in the June incident were “found to be without foundation.”

USA

Effectiveness of AIG’s $143 Billion Rescue Questioned



By Carol D. Leonnig

Washington Post Staff Writer

Monday, November 3, 2008; Page A18

A number of financial experts now fear that the federal government’s $143 billion attempt to rescue troubled insurance giant American International Group may not work, and some argue that company shareholders and taxpayers would have been better served by a bankruptcy filing.

The Treasury Department leapt to keep AIG from going bankrupt on Sept. 16, and in the past seven weeks, AIG has drawn down $90 billion in federal bailout loans. But some key AIG players argue that bankruptcy would have offered more structure and greater protections during a time of intense market volatility.

AIG declined to comment on the matter.

As some of you know, ol’ Crusty lives out in  the wilds of rural North Carolina. Though born and bred in and around NYC, this old urban burnout has somehow found his way out to the woods, where the oak grove that surrounds my house pelts the roof and the deck with acorns every year, where an afternoon on the deck lets me see hawks circling patiently, squirrels having throw-down turf fights over piles of acorns, and buzz-bombing by hummingbirds pissed that I’m sitting  too close to “their” feeder (hummingbirds are vicious, territorial little critters, don’t kid yourself 😉

Sunday the doorbell rings. Now, you need to understand, doorbell ringing  on  Sundays out our way means one thing: Christers wanting to come in and read the Bible with me. We’re having none of that at Chez  Crusty, and Lurlene The Hell Hound knows it, so she goes into her defensive position at the front door barking like mad.

I peek out as my wife restrains Hell Hound, and I see this sweet white lady of a certain age, with about a half dozen Obama buttons on her chest. She smiled tenatively, obviously feeling anxiety and maybe even some fear. I smiled and shouted to Hell  Hound:

“It’s OK, baby! You settle down now — she’s a Democrat!”

Ice broken, she and I shared a laugh.

“I stopped by to encourage you to come out and vote on Tuesday.”

“Been there, done that. We did early voting on Saturday.”

“Oh, OK. Um, did you ….?”

I gestured at my pickup and my wife’s Honda, copiously pasted with Obama stickers. She smiled again.

“Well great, then you’re all set then! Thanks for voting!”

We smiled and waved and sent the little old white lady Obama worker on her way. Out our way, her action — walking down long driveways and knocking on the doors of strangers’ homes — is an act of genuine courage for anyone, but especially for an Obama worker. I don’t know her name, and never will, but I salute her, and hope Obama wins if for no other reason than to reward her simple, unadorned courage.

Bev Harris of Black Box Voting sent out a BBV ALERT that some who didn’t receive or know about might find very useful for tomorrow, watching the video’s had me thinking why do we tend to make things more complicated than they really need to be. I thought I’d share, adding a few more important links, if nothing else it educates on how we process our votes, something I’m afraid many need to better understand especially with these modern voting machines that aren’t much more safisticated than those you use daily, that freeze up, can run slow, or can be hacked from wherever.