ThinkFast: May 8, 2008
ThinkFast: May 8, 2008
Marriott International is considering opening a hotel in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone in response “to a request from U.S. government officials who are eager to help revive Iraq with foreign investment and economic activity.” The company’s chief executive, Bill Marriott, is said to be “considering the deal but is concerned about safety issues.”
According to Pentagon records, “[m]ore than 43,000 U.S. troops listed as medically unfit for combat in the weeks before their scheduled deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan since 2003 were sent anyway.” Veterans groups say this “reliance on troops found medically ‘non-deployable’ is another sign of stress placed on a military that has sent 1.6 million servicemembers to the war zones.”
At Fort Bragg yesterday, Army Secretary Peter Geren said “that the Army has appropriated $248 million in emergency funds to fix problems found during inspections of 148,000 rooms at bases worldwide over the past two weeks.” At the same time, “military leaders concede the housing situation as a whole is deplorable despite the millions spent over the decades” to fix the old structures.
Yesterday, Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) called on Office of Special Counsel chief Scott Bloch to resign, “one day after nearly two dozen FBI agents raided OSC headquarters” in a probe of Bloch’s activities. “[I]t’s hard to believe he can continue to operate effectively,” Davis said.
Humanitarian groups have said that “[e]ntire sections of Baghdad’s embattled Sadr City district have been largely abandoned by civilians fleeing a US-led showdown with Shi’ite militias.” The agencies have reported that “[l]acking adequate food or medicine, many of the evacuees and those still besieged in their homes are seeking help.”
“The White House and Senate Republicans signaled Tuesday that they would allow an up-or-down vote on Republican FEC nominee Hans von Spakovsky, clearing the way for possible confirmation of other nominees to the agency.” Democrats had demanded the chance to vote on Spakovsky separately from other judicial nominees.
In March, consumer borrowing rose “at the fastest pace in four months, more than double the increase of the previous month, in what was seen as a sign of rising economic stress.” The increase in consumer debt also hit $15.3 billion at an annual rate in March, “much bigger than the $6 billion increase that economists had been expecting.”
“Americans rank last in a new National Geographic-sponsored survey released Wednesday that compares environmental consumption habits in 14 countries,” as U.S. residents were the “least likely to choose the greener option in three out of four categories — housing, transportation and consumer goods.”
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt “acknowledged gaps in the capability of U.S. hospitals to deal with a mass-casualty terrorist attack or other disaster” yesterday, but supported President Bush’s proposed deep cuts in Medicaid funding. House Democrats called the cuts “irresponsible” because they would further weaken emergency rooms.
And finally: Yesterday, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) appeared on “The Daily Show,” where he joked that his Secret Service Code name is “jerk.” During the taping, McCain pretended to walk off the set when host Jon Stewart “pressed him on whether President Bush is more of a liability for him than the Rev. Jeremiah Wright is for Obama. Then McCain fiddled with his microphone and mouthed ‘technical difficulties’ into the camera.”
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.
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“Lost” emails. Executive privilege. Can’t remember. Don’t know. Lies, lies, and more lies.
Imagine if George W. Bush and Dick Cheney had a say in our government until the days they die. Well they do. One of Bush’s famous executive orders has given them the right to control what we know about this administration not just until they die but FOREVER!
Read Orders and Acts and Lies. Oh my!
When are these cowards who are supposed to represent us, you know, We The People, going to do something for this country?
May 8th, 2008 at 9:00 amEPA Might Not Act To Limit Rocket Fuel in Drinking WaterWASHINGTON –
An EPA official said Tuesday there’s a “distinct possibility” the agency won’t take action to rid drinking water of a toxic rocket fuel ingredient that has contaminated public water supplies around the country.
Democratic senators called that unacceptable. They argued that states and local communities shouldn’t have to bear the expense of cleansing their drinking water of perchlorate, which has been found in at least 395 sites in 35 states — or the risk of not doing so.
The toxin interferes with thyroid function and poses developmental health risks, particularly to fetuses.
Benjamin Grumbles, assistant administrator for water at the Environmental Protection Agency, told a Senate hearing that EPA is aware that perchlorate is widespread and poses health risks.
But he said that after years of study, EPA has yet to determine whether regulating perchlorate in drinking water would do much good.
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/05/07/8782/
**South Sacramento County used to be home to McDonnell Douglas, Aerojet and Mather AFB. The entire area is contaminated. What did we do? Develop it – 20,000 plus homes!
May 8th, 2008 at 9:04 amOil Giants to Settle Water Suit
Some of the nation’s largest oil companies have agreed to pay about $423 million in cash to settle a lawsuit brought by more than a hundred public water providers, claiming water contamination from a popular gasoline additive.
The companies also agreed to pay 70 percent of the future cleanup costs over the next 30 years. The defendants that agreed to the settlement include BP, Royal Dutch Shell, ConocoPhillips, Chevron, Marathon Oil, Valero Energy, Citgo and Sunoco. Six other companies named in the lawsuit, including Exxon Mobil, did not agree to the deal, said Scott Summy, a lawyer at Baron & Budd.
In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs, which include 153 public water systems in New York, California and 15 other states, claimed that the additive, a chemical called methyl tertiary butyl ether, or M.T.B.E., was a defective product that led to widespread contamination of groundwater. The suit contended that the chemical was used by oil companies, even though they knew of the environmental and health risks that it posed.
Low levels of M.T.B.E. can make drinking water supplies unpalatable because of its “offensive taste and odor,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The agency has also found that the compound caused cancer in laboratory rats that were exposed to high doses.
Since the mid-1990s, hundreds of lawsuits have been brought against oil companies for their use of the chemical. This deal, if approved, would be the largest settlement to date.
But after being widely adopted, it was found to corrupt groundwater. Even in small amounts, the additive makes water smell and taste like turpentine.
The use of M.T.B.E. is now banned in 23 states, including New York and California.
In 2003, the Republican-dominated Congress tried to pass a provision that would have shielded M.T.B.E. manufacturers from litigation, but failed because of strong opposition in the Senate. A second attempt to add a lawsuit shield also failed during discussion of the 2005 energy bill.
http://biz.yahoo.com/nytimes/080508/1194772938648.html?.v=3
“Exxon’s position is very simple,” he said. Our conduct was lawful.” Needless to say, they don’t feel they have done anything wrong. Gee, not a big surprise. The other top 7 oil companies, however, agree that they have contaminated our groundwater. How big of them.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/servicerpt/mtbeban/ This link shows the other states who have banned MTBE.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:06 amMsJoanne,
an Executive Order may be changed or eliminated by a subsequent Executive Order.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:06 amCommon Herbicide Disrupts Human Hormone Activity In Cell Studies
A common weedkiller in the U.S., already suspected of causing sexual abnormalities in frogs and fish, has now been found to alter hormonal signaling in human cells, scientists from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) report.
The herbicide atrazine is the second most widely used weedkiller in the U.S, applied to corn and sorghum fields throughout the Midwest and also spread on suburban lawns and gardens. It was banned in Europe after studies linked the chemical to endocrine disruptions in fish and amphibians.
The UCSF study is the first to identify its full effect on human cells. In studies with human placental cells in culture, the UCSF scientists found that atrazine increased the activity of a gene associated with abnormal human birth weight when over-expressed in the placenta. Atrazine also targeted a second gene that has been found to be amplified in the uterus of women with unexplained infertility.
Ingraham intends to determine precisely how atrazine affects human and other mammalian endocrine cells and why these cells are particularly sensitive to it. She notes that bisphenol A, a compound in many hard plastic consumer products, is also an endocrine disrupter and is now under increased study for its safety. In April, Canada announced a decision to ban sale of consumer products with bisphenol A.
In the human placental cell culture studies, the scientists found that a 24-hour exposure to atrazine activates a cluster of genes involved in hormone signaling and steroid synthesis.
They report, “Endocrine-related cell types with a capacity for steroid generation appear to be especially sensitive (to Atrazine), as demonstrated by the “exquisite” cellular specificity of the atrazine response.”
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507084013.htm
May 8th, 2008 at 9:09 amYesterday, Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) called on Office of Special Counsel chief Scott Bloch to resign
That egotistical POS has steadfastly refused to resign for years. He’s eating at the Golden Corrupt, owned by Dubya, and the easy salary is too hard to give up.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:10 amHousing meltdown first, credit card meltdown next. What happens to these people who can’t afford to live once they’re maxed out? Life on the streets. Welcome to America.
And anything that starts off with Chertoff has to be bad. Any day that starts off with these neocons in charge is bad to worse.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:11 amResearchers Target Tumors With Tiny ‘Nanoworms’
Scientists at UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara and MIT have developed nanometer-sized “nanoworms” that can cruise through the bloodstream without significant interference from the body’s immune defense system and—like tiny anti-cancer missiles—home in on tumors.
Using nanoworms, doctors should eventually be able to target and reveal the location of developing tumors that are too small to detect by conventional methods. Carrying payloads targeted to specific features on tumors, these microscopic vehicles could also one day provide the means to more effectively deliver toxic anti-cancer drugs to these tumors in high concentrations without negatively impacting other parts of the body.
“When attached to drugs, these nanoworms could offer physicians the ability to increase the efficacy of drugs by allowing them to deliver them directly to the tumors,” said Sangeeta Bhatia, a physician, bioengineer and a professor of Health Sciences and Technology at MIT who was part of the team. “They could decrease the side effects of toxic anti-cancer drugs by limiting their exposure of normal tissues and provide a better diagnosis of tumors and abnormal lymph nodes.”
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506200531.htm
Great day for medical researchers…. The future is looking brighter on treatment for cancer..
May 8th, 2008 at 9:12 amMarriott can have its handshake deal with Botch, but President Obama will promptly call it off once sworn in.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:12 amBnF, of course Executive Orders can be changed, but WILL they be changed?
Absolute power corrupts, absolutely.
I would trust Obama to do the right thing, anyone else, in a word; NO.
Do I trust the security of our elections? No.
Do I trust the intelligence of our country to not pick the white guy? No.
Do I trust that someone won’t try to harm Obama? No.
These orders ARE in place NOW. Who knows what the future holds but do you really think the PNAC crowd is going to give up the power that took 20 years to obtain?
May 8th, 2008 at 9:14 amAccording to Pentagon records, “[m]ore than 43,000 U.S. troops listed as medically unfit for combat in the weeks before their scheduled deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan since 2003 were sent anyway.”
To Repukes, supporting our troops is nothing more than a slogan or magnetic ribbon.
They didn’t serve.
Their children aren’t serving.
They oppose quality settings for living.
They oppose quality settings for medical treatment.
They oppose a fair GI Bill.
But, they support an illegal invasion; as long as it’s not them doing the fighting.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:15 amEvery time you post, anymouse, I flag. I won’t stand for any gloating over pissing away American resources to give Iraqis the American corporate culture they don’t want.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:15 amThe company — like many big industrial conglomerates — sees the Middle East as an area of growth.
We’re already aware of the reason for overthrowing Saddam – to “Americanize” against their will the Iraqi people in order to sell them shit, among other dubious reasons (i.e. lies).
You’re a pathetic, shit-stained fool.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:21 amThere’s a pool of sewage in Baghdad so big it can be seen as a big black spot on Google Earth.
That should be good for business.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:21 amBut..But…MsJoanne, we’re the richest, most prosperous, greatest nation on the face of the earth. Why look at people living on credit when there’s some other godforsakenthirdworldcountry?
Stop calling us out AmeriKKKa haturs. Like what we do to AmeriKKKa or leave it.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:22 amFreedom Rebel, another fine post! Thank you!!
Consider that this is happening here where we have a wee bit of EPA left (not much, granted, but it’s still here). Imagine other countries that have no such thing in place.
One can only imagine what corporations are doing to so many places around the world.
It’s unimaginable. Water is the one resource we cannot NOT have. The next war will be for water and the survival of billions of people.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:22 amOne of Bush’s famous executive orders has given them the right to control what we know about this administration not just until they die but FOREVER!
I guess that Bush really isn’t thinking clearly. Doesn’t he realize that if he writes an executive order, the next president can write an executive order undoing what he did?
May 8th, 2008 at 9:25 amSurvey shows US honey bee deaths increased over last year
This is the second year the association has measured colony deaths across the country. This means there aren’t enough numbers to show a trend, but clearly bees are dying at unsustainable levels and the situation is not improving, said vanEngelsdorp, also a bee expert with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
LINK
Study: Flowers Losing Smell
“The scent molecules produced by flowers in a less polluted environment, such as in the 1800s, could travel for roughly 1,000 to 1,200 meters [3,300 to 4,000 feet]; but in today’s polluted environment downwind of major cities, they may travel only 200 to 300 meters [650 to 980 feet],” said study team member Jose D. Fuentes.
LINK
Are GM Crops Killing Bees?
The problem, says Haefeker, has a number of causes, one being the varroa mite, introduced from Asia, and another is the widespread practice in agriculture of spraying wildflowers with herbicides and practicing monoculture. Another possible cause, according to Haefeker, is the controversial and growing use of genetic engineering in agriculture.
LINK
May 8th, 2008 at 9:26 amAt the same time, “military leaders concede the housing situation as a whole is deplorable despite the millions spent over the decades” to fix the old structures.
Anyone want to bet that Bush has privatized the maintenance of all military housing? I can’t think of anything else that could be wrong. After all, there didn’t seem to be these problems until Bush took office.
I wonder how much of our government Bush has privatized without our knowledge. I truly admire Obama for being willing to take on this mess. He’s going to have to take the first six months he is in office just to get a handle on how much Bush has screwed the pooch with our government.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:28 amThanks, Exxon, for your outstanding patriotic stance on not helping to pay for the cleanup of the water you polluted.
You still haven’t paid for the Exxon Valdez fiasco, have you?
Yet, you made over $40 BILLION profit in the last quarter.
Would you please explain what part you do play in this? Are you confident your mission is benefiting anyone but yourself? Corporate greed has been admired by the present administration.
That’s about to change. Companies like you should be banned from doing any business whatsoever within America’s shores.
Is it time to Nationalize Big Oil? Big Pharma? Insurance? If they can’t even pretend to be consumer oriented, what purpose do they serve in a democracy?
May 8th, 2008 at 9:29 amIs America now ‘Of the CEO, By the CEO & For the CEO?
Uh anymouse, your little minor insignificant detail doesn’t change the fact that you’re trollshit intent on bankrupting America…duh.
I’m tired of you Hitler-esque right wingers, incapable of making any decent decisions, obeying your egos by forcing yourself into these threads with the intent of “educating” the educated.
America is losing its standing because of mush-brains like anymouse. Go to MySpace and brag about ‘24′ and Paris Hilton, maggot.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:30 amBriseadh na Faire Says
May 8th, 2008 at 9:06 am
an Executive Order may be changed or eliminated by a subsequent Executive Order.
_______________________________________
I believe it can also be nullified by legislation from Congress (of course, that won’t work until Bush is out of office, because he would veto any effort by Congress to do that). It can also be overturned by the Supreme Court (but probably not THIS Supreme Court).
I suspect that the next resident of the White House will have a lot of slime like this to clean up.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:30 am#19 Ms_Joanne Says:
Freedom Rebel, another fine post! Thank you!!
One can only imagine what corporations are doing to so many places around the world.
It’s unimaginable. Water is the one resource we cannot NOT have. The next war will be for water and the survival of billions of people.
Thank you Ms. Joanne, I knew you would appreciate that one after your great blog about water.
I couldn’t agree with you more. I would hate to see what kind of chemicals these big companies are dumping into their lakes and rivers. The contamination last for so many generations without the proper clean up. That doesn’t even include all the birth defects and rise in cancer that is attributed to this.
Have a great day!!
May 8th, 2008 at 9:30 amI watched this hearing last night on C-Span, but wasn’t able to find any reference to it this morning in either the NYT or Washington Post. This is a press release from Sen. Whitehouse’s website. It was an amazing hearing, and a reminder once again of the enormous damage this administration has wrought.
Washington, D.C. – At a hearing this morning chaired by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), a top Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official refused to respond to concerns raised by scientists and policymakers that political considerations have dictated decision-making at the agency.
http://whitehouse.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=297411&
May 8th, 2008 at 9:31 amAs long as we’re there, trollshit, we are pushing the American corporate agenda, no matter how stupid outside corporations are to confide in Botch.
You post, I flag. You’ll be out here soon, trollshit.
Duh.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:32 amMissMolly, I believe that Congress only has 30 days to turn over an EO once it is signed. After that, it takes a president to write another order revoking or revising a prior one.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:32 amIs it time to Nationalize Big Oil? Big Pharma? Insurance? If they can’t even pretend to be consumer oriented, what purpose do they serve in a democracy?
Way past time.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:34 amanymouse will go to Baghdad, but only when the Disney rides open.
Life is a fantasy, & so is being Republican.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:36 amMs_Joanne Says:
These orders ARE in place NOW. Who knows what the future holds but do you really think the PNAC crowd is going to give up the power that took 20 years to obtain?
If someone had told me 8 years ago that a clandestine (at that time) cabal (PNAC) would be able to hijack our country and run roughshod over our civil liberties and constitution, with little or no congressional response, I’d have suggested some serious therapy for them.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:37 amThis is like some totally unbelievable movie script coming to life before our very eyes.
Impeach, I agree with Big Oil, for sure.
Insurance should go away completely. That shouldn’t be a part of anyone’s life, ever.
Pharma’s I don’t think should be nationalized. I think they can do good work (although, not many are doing R&D of late, they are doing licensing where small companies do all the research and then big pharma buys them as the trials look promising.
What needs to be nationalized is a greater level of R&D from our government. That is what made America strong.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:38 amMs_Joanne Says:
Do I trust that someone won’t try to harm Obama? No.
This is my biggest fear. There are still too many racist nuts in this country. There are also the rabid Hillary supporters to worry about.
On the subject of Hillary. I wonder if she will tell her supporters to back Obama and I wonder if they will back him if she asks. I fear that she has so poisoned the well with her supporters that many will do what they are saying they would do, vote for McCain if Hillary loses.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:38 amAnd so not being militarily capable of bringing Iraq under their wing, the republicans will attempt to force feed the Iraqis right wing American corporate greed.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:41 amBut will this work? Bet not.
Bombs may get in their way.
Instead of “room service” you get “boom service.”
Will KBR be doing the wiring for the “hot tub?”
Amenities will include complimentary Kelvar vests with the Marriott logo.
Group activities will include “duck and cover” “hide and go, well, just hide” and the increasingly popular yoga class, “kiss your a$$ goodbye.”
Guests surviving 6 nights will receive a 7th night free.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:41 amFBI withdraws digital library’s national security letter
May 8th, 2008 at 9:42 amThe Associated Press – 12 hours ago
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – A nonprofit digital library has successfully fought an FBI attempt to seize information about one of its users, and is calling on other groups to challenge government agencies attempting to obtain online customer information …
Internet Archive proclaims victory against secret FBI demand for … CNET News.com
Internet Archive Challenges FBI’s Secret Records Demand PC World
Slashdot – Free Internet Press – Wired News – San Jose Mercury News
all 64 news articles »
that mcSAME appearance on the daily show was sad…
the guy’s just a loon… sorry… that grin, the mumbling, even the humming…
now, HIM i almost feel sorry for…
and the beautiful cindy on the today show this morning… gad, what a flake…
May 8th, 2008 at 9:46 amjohn’s just “a ball of fire”, says she…
Obama enacts stronger “federal hate crimes legislation” to “reinvigorate enforcement at the Department of Justice’s Criminal Section.”
May 8th, 2008 at 9:47 am-Because Bushsitco corrupted the Justice Dept to a degree America has never seen. This will take years.
• Obama creates “a fund to help people refinance their mortgages and provide comprehensive supports to innocent homeowners.”
-Bushitco found $30 Billion to help a bad lender, but opposes help to real Americans; the homeowner.
• Obama, following through on his pledge to “meet with the leaders of all nations, friend and foe,” signs a non-agression pact with the Hitler of Iran.
-Bushitco’s joke of a Sec/State won’t negotiate with Iran, mainly because she doesn’t know how to speak.
• Obama doubles foreign aid to $50 billion to cut “poverty around the world in half by 2015.”
-Bushistco just spent $60 Billion in handing out weapons to the people who attacked us on 9/11.
• Obama removes our troops from Iraq, leaving a power vacuum filled by Iran.
-And saves thousands of lives in the process.
• Obama enacts socialized medicine, destroying small businesses with taxes to pay for illegal alien healthcare.
-When America is too poor to cover it’s citizen’s health, Corporations will rule the Country.
• Obama enacts amnesty for illegal aliens.
McCain tried to do this last year, right?
• Obama enacts legislation demanding carbon friendly cars, hammering the final nail in the coffin of the US car industry.
The auto industries coffin was nailed shut by SUV’s.
• Barack Obama enact laws to reinforce affirmative action by funneling money to “women and minority-owned businesses.”
-Rather than multi-billion dollar greedy corporations.
• Obama repeals the Bush tax cuts.
Which only benefited the top 1% of Americans anyway.
• Obama enacts the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to entrench the power of the homosexual lobby.
The military is ready to jettison DADT. Homos will now take over the world as we know it, starting with you, dipshit.
What id we miss?
at this time yesterday a.m., gas here was $3.64/gallon.
by 1700(5p.m.), it went to $3.89/gallon.
those so called “stimulus” checks are going straight to the oil companies.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:47 amleftwinghack:
May 8th, 2008 at 9:48 amYou crack me up. My favorite is that silliness about the “homosexual lobby”
leftwinghack Says:
Can’t wait!! we the people
This idiot troll thinks we are stupid. He posts his opinion of what Barack Obama has on his website and expects us to believe that is what Obama means. Personally I think every one of the points it posted will be a good thing for this country. It’s spin on Obama’s positions are just that, spin.
That’s all the Republicans have any longer, spin. Don’t you love Limbaugh saying, now that Operation Chaos has failed to take down Obama, that it worked exactly as intended. He’s saying that Obama is the weakest candidate and that’s who he wants to run. Limbaugh is a prick and the next 8 years are going to be very hard on him.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:48 amBriseadh na Faire Says:
Instead of “room service” you get “boom service.”
Will KBR be doing the wiring for the “hot tub?”
Amenities will include complimentary Kelvar vests with the Marriott logo.
Group activities will include “duck and cover” “hide and go, well, just hide” and the increasingly popular yoga class, “kiss your a$$ goodbye.”
Guests surviving 6 nights will receive a 7th night free.
Absolutely hilarious. Thanks for a much needed laugh amongst all the crappy news :)
May 8th, 2008 at 9:48 amThe US auto industries coffin was nailed shut by SUV’s.
No shit to that, and the fact that they pandered to the stupidest segment of the car buying public – people who thought they needed an 7500lb piece of overpriced shit…
May 8th, 2008 at 9:50 amBy 2050, a fourth of all the people of Eastern Europe will have vanished. Ukraine will lose one-third of its population. Russia, 150 million at the breakup of the Soviet Union, 142 million today, will be down to 108 million.
Must crush your white-supremist heart, huh pussy?
May 8th, 2008 at 9:51 amBilbo Hussein Baggins Says:
Limbaugh is a prick and the next 8 years are going to be very hard on him.
Bilbo, speaking of hard ons, did Rush find his Viagra yet, or does the poolboy still have it?
May 8th, 2008 at 9:52 amkaty Says:
and the beautiful cindy on the today show this morning… gad, what a flake… john’s just “a ball of fire”, says she…
Just what this country needs, a botox enhanced Stepford Wife first lady.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:52 amTrollshit logic 101
It’s good news if the citizenry is opposed.
It’s good news if the blood spills and the deficits balloon.
It’s good news if a foreign country becomes yet another corporate sweatshop at the expense of America’s well-being.
(Oh, you’re leaving now? Too early, we couldn’t get enough of you this morning.)
May 8th, 2008 at 9:53 amSounds like the white race is doing plenty of whimpering.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:54 amMich. Dems agree on a delegate split, need national party’s OK
BY TODD SPANGLER • FREE PRESS WASHINGTON STAFF • May 8, 2008
Michigan’s lost Democratic delegation may be a step closer to this summer’s convention in Denver.
The delegation, stripped of its convention credentials when state party leaders scheduled a Jan. 15 primary in violation of national rules, could finally be seated under a compromise the state party’s executive committee endorsed Wednesday night.
Under that proposal — hammered out weeks ago by Sen. Carl Levin, Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger and National Committeewoman Debbie Dingell — Sen. Hillary Clinton would get 69 of the state’s delegates and Sen. Barack Obama, 59.
The compromise would cut only slightly into Obama’s lead. The Illinois senator has 1,846.5 delegates to Clinton’s 1,696, according to the Associated Press.
The proposal also would seat the state’s 29 superdelegates.
The proposal essentially splits the difference between the 73 delegates Clinton won under state party rules in the disallowed primary — Obama had taken his name off the ballot — and an Obama proposal to award each candidate half the delegates.
[...]
National party officials have made it clear the campaigns needed to agree on a Michigan solution — but the longer-shot nature of Clinton’s candidacy could put pressure on her to accept a compromise.
Obama’s camp was talking to Michigan officials about how to seat the delegation, with the 69-59 split clearly under consideration because it would give Clinton some due for winning the state.
“It’s clear if this is going to get settled from a negotiation standpoint, it’s going to require us being generous and offering to give her some delegates,” said Obama’s campaign manager, David Plouffe. “We’re actively reviewing that proposal.”
It was still unclear whether Clinton’s team would accept such a proposal. She earlier rejected the 69-59 plan.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080508/NEWS07/805080447/1009/NEWS07
“… it would give Clinton some due for winning the state.”
SHE F’N CHEATED!!! how can it be a “win” if her’s was the only name on the ballot???!!!
i really don’t understand this thing…
May 8th, 2008 at 9:59 amBilbo Hussein Baggins Says:
On the subject of Hillary. I wonder if she will tell her supporters to back Obama and I wonder if they will back him if she asks. I fear that she has so poisoned the well with her supporters that many will do what they are saying they would do, vote for McCain if Hillary loses.
While Hillary states she’ll endorse Obama publicly if (when) he’s the nominee, she secretly enjoys giving John McCain clout, so she can prove herself right in claiming “Obama can’t win.”
May 8th, 2008 at 9:59 amI have a theory I would like to run by you folks.
My theory is that the Republicans have no intention of allowing John McCain to be their candidate. I think they are using him as their sacrificial lamb or lightening rod right now. But, at the convention I’m betting they will say that McCain is too sick (he does have Cancer, something the MSM is ignoring) and then they will pick Romney/Huckabee. And how clever that will be. Romney/Huckabee will come out of the convention fresh and new and there will only be two months left for the Democrats to expose them. In the meantime Obama will be taking a severe beating by the Republicans.
This is why I would like to see both Obama and the DNC aiming their ads at the Republican party and all the damage they have done to this country rather than aiming at McCain. If they aim all their ammunition at McCain, they will have to start over with Romney. If they aim their ammunition at the Republican party and the damage they have done, they will be ahead of the game.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:01 amUnited States Maneuvers to Carve Up Bolivia with Autonomy Vote
link
This administration is up to so many shenanigans it’s almost impossible to even coming close to keeping up with it.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:03 amIf Billary won’t bow out, maybe she’ll finally be forced out:
Superdelegates await Clinton’s next move
Feinstein said she called Clinton two days ago but hasn’t yet heard back from the New York senator.
Another prominent Democrat on Capitol Hill said Wednesday that some of his superdelegate colleagues feel the burden of deciding a presidential candidate has shifted toward them.
Rep John Lewis, D-Georgia, who originally supported Clinton but later threw his support to Obama, said “there are quite a few people who are having what I call an ‘executive session’ with themselves. People see the end is near.”
Asked if members are now ready to publicly come out for a candidate, Lewis said “individual members of Congress are contemplating doing something like that I think within the next few days.”
LINK
So they’d hate to offend her by telling her she’s finished? Well, if she’s too stubborn and you want to avoid splintering the party, tell her it’s over.
SHE’S FINISHED.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:03 amBilbo, so the rules at the Republican convention allow them to ignore the delegate count entirely and choose new candidates as if the primaries never occurred?
May 8th, 2008 at 10:05 amHumanitarian groups have said that “[e]ntire sections of Baghdad’s embattled Sadr City district have been largely abandoned by civilians fleeing a US-led showdown with Shi’ite militias.” The agencies have reported that “[l]acking adequate food or medicine, many of the evacuees and those still besieged in their homes are seeking help.”
So taking care of the Green Zone and the Iraqi government offices is a priority over Iraqi citizens needing food, water and medicine. Many of them are children, I would consider that a bigger priority. A US Embassy can be rebuilt so can Iraqi government offices, but the children can’t be replaced.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:07 amkaty Says:
“… it would give Clinton some due for winning the state.”
SHE F’N CHEATED!!! how can it be a “win” if her’s was the only name on the ballot???!!!
i really don’t understand this thing…
I really don’t understand it either. I will be very disappointed if the DNC allows any kind of settlement that includes anything other than apportioning the delegates 50/50. If they accept any other compromise they are opening themselves to chaos. The next election we will have states holding their conventions in October of the year prior to the election.
What I don’t understand is why people don’t get it. Rules are rules. There are way too many people out there who think that rules are to be followed if they agree with them and rules are to be broken if they don’t. Of all the things Hillary has done, this is the one that rankles and scares me the most. We already have had a president for 8 years who ignores rules and laws, do we want another President who does the same/
May 8th, 2008 at 10:07 amI heard on tv this morning that Hillary may end up as Senate Majority Leader and therefore Obama would need to, as the talking heads put it, “beg” Clinton in order to get anything done.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:08 amBut, DNFP, you’ve got West Virginia..and Kentucky..and South Dakota..and..and Guam!!
!!!
May 8th, 2008 at 10:09 amWe already have had a president for 8 years who ignores rules and laws, do we want another President who does the same
If we’ve learned on thing from Shrub’s admin, it’s that rules are for losers.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:09 amMcWars Says:
But, DNFP, you’ve got West Virginia..and Kentucky..and South Dakota..and..and Guam!!
!!!
Excuuuuuse me? Oregon. Do not forget (or snub) Oregon.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:12 amMcWars Says:
Bilbo, so the rules at the Republican convention allow them to ignore the delegate count entirely and choose new candidates as if the primaries never occurred?
First, I don’t think that McCain will have the “winning” delegate count before the convention. Second, I’m fairly sure they can vote any way they want when the convention gets under way. But, that does bring up an interesting point. I’ll see what I can find out.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:13 amHow about letting the telecoms write their own immunity/amnesty proposal for Congress?
Yeah, that sounds like a REALLY good idea to me!
May 8th, 2008 at 10:14 am“[m]ore than 43,000 U.S. troops listed as medically unfit for combat in the weeks before their scheduled deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan since 2003 were sent anyway.”
problems found during inspections of 148,000 rooms at bases worldwide over the past two weeks.
Support the Troops!!
Buy more plastic, made in China stickers!
Go shopping!
**banging head on keyboard.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:16 amgummitch Says:
Excuuuuuse me? Oregon. Do not forget (or snub) Oregon.
Amen… God I love voting in Oregon. I sat in my easy chair filing out my ballot. I put it in the secret envelope and signed my mailer. Then when I went to the library to pick up my current stack of books, I dropped my ballot in the ballot box.
No muss no fuss. If Congress would pass a law for all states to have vote by mail, it would go a long way towards stopping all the election fraud we have been suffering through. I don’t see any downside to vote by mail.
But, then, we have to keep an eye on those pesky scanners that tally the votes. I guess they could probably be hacked too. But, there would always be the paper evidence in case of a recount.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:16 amSure thing, Bilbo. Your contention is certainly not out of the question. It may end up being a good call.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:16 amoh yea… TP brings up the mcSAME appearance on the daily show, but didn’t
mention what jon stewart SAID OUT LOUD: mcSAME’s VP choice should be
hillary rove cLIEberman!!!
mcLOON said it wasn’t a choice…
May 8th, 2008 at 10:18 amgummitch Says:
Excuuuuuse me? Oregon. Do not forget (or snub) Oregon.
We here at the Clinton camp aren’t having a primary in Oregon..full of ELITISTS and Hopium addicts.
We here at the Clinton camp are going full speed to the White House. Is Oregon with us or against us?
May 8th, 2008 at 10:20 am#57, Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says:
I have a theory I would like to run by you folks…
I’ve suspected the same since early March. Too many Repukes & Neocons don’t trust McCain. Way too many.
As far as rules & the RNC go, they never met a rule they couldn’t break.
I’m not sure it would be Romney /Huckabee. Perhaps McCain’s VP pick would elevate, depending on whom that is, & then that person would pick a new VP.
One thing’s for certain…nothing’s for certain with the RNC.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:20 amimpeachcheneythenbush May 8th, 2008 at 9:31 am
The most assinine thing I saw was Inhofe’s comments about the EPA Administrator Johnson’s standard of .075 ppm versus a standard between .06 and .07 that was presented by the EPA scientists. The chemical involved doesn’t matter here. Inhole said that since the .075 number is only half of the range the scientists gave that it was somehow a better decision.
What the scientists gave to Johnson was a range where the standard should be. Allowing more than .07 ppm is not good, while a standard of less than .06 ppm doesn’t seem to have scientific benifit. Johnson decided to allow more pollution at the .075 ppm, benifiting not the people but the corporations.
I was also intrigued at the dance around the basis for overriding scientific decisions when the law prohibits the use of economic or political considerations. Of course it all comes back to executive privledge, the Bush administration’s excuse to keep their illegal collusions to favor businesses over people from the public.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:21 amBurning strawman, isle 73, please avoid at all costs.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:21 amanymousse; why don’t you go play in the freeway?
May 8th, 2008 at 10:22 ambilbo – there is NOTHING that would surprise me about the “republicans”…
May 8th, 2008 at 10:24 amyour theory is not inconceivable…
There’s a difference between the laws in place to uniformly count votes in a general election — something those disenfranchised voters relied on — and a presidential nominating process, where states know ahead of time that if they hold their primaries early, according to DNC rules, they will be penalized. Voters who casted their ballots in the offending states, many of them were probably aware of that.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:27 amPharma’s I don’t think should be nationalized. I think they can do good work (although, not many are doing R&D of late, they are doing licensing where small companies do all the research and then big pharma buys them as the trials look promising.
MsJoanne – I worked for one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies for over 15 years. Take my word for it…they should be nationalized. They spend far less on R&D than they do on marketing and sales. Oh yes…and lobbying the Congress. In addition, the lion’s share of basic research and a good deal of the applied science takes place in universities (funded via federal grants –taxpayer monies) and direct federal funding of the NHI. The pharmaceutical companies participate in joint ventures with both entities and wind up with licensing agreements which they charge back to the consumer in the cost of the drugs.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:29 amso the whimpering white race is still here whinning
May 8th, 2008 at 10:29 amWe’re witnessing two trolls playing in the sandbox…or completing a drug deal under the bridge.
They report. You flush.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:30 amBilbo, I have thought the same thing. There are more Rovian politics going on behind the scenes.
I, too, think McCain is a strawman. We can attack him til the cows come home but he is not going to be their candidate.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:31 amImpeach, I defer to your wisdom.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:31 amanymouse19 Says:
Isn’t it ironic that the party that claimed in 2000 that it wanted “every Florida vote to count” now wants to count none of them?
The real irony is that, like you, Florida politicians are incapable of learning.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:37 amAnymouse – we follow RULES in the Democratic party, that’s why there is a dispute about Michigan and Florida. The Republicans have been about nothing else but breaking not only rules, laws, treaties, etc.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:39 amThis may come as news to Republicans, but rules have consequences. The good people’s representatives in Florida and Michigan were all well aware before the pimaries began what the penalty for moving up their primary dates would be. Now that they’ve been sanctioned they are whining about it, and the candidate who’s behind in the primaries is whining along with them. Well, when one’s child whines, does one reward the child for it? I don’t think so. This is why Democrats are the grown-ups: we don’t coddle whiny little rule-breakers of any political stripe.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:39 am73 ICTB
Yep. Socialize the risks, privatize the profits.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:41 amAnd maybe that’s why the Republicans are so worried about what’s coming in November. Their little tea party is over, and they are now going to be told they have to pay for their tea.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:41 amMaybe Marriot will put up the 43,000 troops that need their much deserved R&R.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:42 amTP, don’t you have anymouse traps to put out. This one is leaving droppings all over the place and is just a nuisance.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:43 amThis is why I would like to see both Obama and the DNC aiming their ads at the Republican party and all the damage they have done to this country rather than aiming at McCain. If they aim all their ammunition at McCain, they will have to start over with Romney. If they aim their ammunition at the Republican party and the damage they have done, they will be ahead of the game.
Great post! As some of us realize, no matter which marionette the repukes prop up as their candidate, they will be nothing more than a shill for the corporations that have taken over the country. So pounding the republicans will pay off regardless of which scumball actually runs.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:44 amNow that we have “cleansed” Sadr City, we can put up condos and Starbucks.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:48 ammary Says:
United States Maneuvers to Carve Up Bolivia with Autonomy Vote
link
This administration is up to so many shenanigans it’s almost impossible to even coming close to keeping up with it.
The U.S. has been disrupting South and Central America since the 50’s, including overthrowing democratically elected governments and replacing them with military dictatorships. There are times I think we didn’t destroy the Third Reich, but merely replaced them.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:50 amMaybe GE or Haliburton can rebuild the Hanging Gardens. Greed is the great noble cause behind the Iraq invasion and occupation.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:51 amThe Bush administration has more than a sprinkling of old Iran-Contra criminals in its administration. That in itself seems criminal, but the media considers it not worth mentioning.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:55 amimpeachcheneythenbush – of course you are right. I guess now we just find out a lot quicker. I remember when it was considered crazy to believe that we had anything to do with the trouble in Chile, but, whaddya know, we did!
May 8th, 2008 at 10:56 ammary Says:
United States Maneuvers to Carve Up Bolivia with Autonomy Vote
Asswipe bush could declare that Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela are more Axisier and Eviler than his original Axis of Evil countries.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:57 amGummitch,
May 8th, 2008 at 10:57 amWhat’s the landscape for your Primary shaping up to be?
Any numbers or projections you feel are on target or accurate?
McWarz Says: We should jail the media for being in cahoots with Bushit. Hang em all and nationalize the media too.
Ahmmm, I believe the media has been ‘Republicized’, eh?
May 8th, 2008 at 11:00 amZimzone Says:
Gummitch,
What’s the landscape for your Primary shaping up to be?
Any numbers or projections you feel are on target or accurate?
The most recent poll I’ve seen that was credible was Obama 51%, Clinton 39%, but I’m not finding the source right this second. I’ve seen other polls that skew 2:1 in favor of Obama. “tens of thousands” of new Democrats registered in the weeks before April 29 (last day for registration), so polling is probably not very accurate right now. Most of the polling is done by telephone to registered voters, which eliminates all the new people and, perhaps more importantly, virtually eliminates young people who do not have landlines.
Anecdotally, that young vote has swelled the new registrations and they’re signing up for one reason: to vote for Barack Obama. They probably won’t check another box on the entire primary ballot.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:07 amMan.
It sure feels good to know that these guys are so effective at making America safer.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:09 amMcWars Says:
There’s a difference between the laws in place to uniformly count votes in a general election — something those disenfranchised voters relied on — and a presidential nominating process, where states know ahead of time that if they hold their primaries early, according to DNC rules, they will be penalized. Voters who casted their ballots in the offending states, many of them were probably aware of that.
Florida voter here, and everyone I know were quite aware of the situation. I blame this debacle on our own state Dem party allowing themselves to be pressured into an early primary. The State Chairwoman of the party claimed that the “nominee” would ensure the seating of our delegates; this, of course, with the assumption that one of the candidates would reach the “magic number” without Florida’s delegates. As far as I am concerned, neither Florida nor Michigan’s delegates should be seated because it sets an extremely bad precedent for the future.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:11 amBilbo Hussein Baggins Says
May 8th, 2008 at 10:07 am
What I don’t understand is why people don’t get it. Rules are rules. There are way too many people out there who think that rules are to be followed if they agree with them and rules are to be broken if they don’t. Of all the things Hillary has done, this is the one that rankles and scares me the most. We already have had a president for 8 years who ignores rules and laws, do we want another President who does the same?
____________________________________________________
Of course, everybody knows that Hillary would be enforcing the “rules” as ardently as anyone else if she had not done well in Florida and Michigan.
In no way do I think Clinton should be rewarded for campaigning in Florida despite a promise not to and keeping her name on the Michigan ballot when other Democratic candidates removed theirs. Cheating should never be rewarded.
I think the Democratic Party should have worded their rule that no primary held before February 5 (except for the small number of states authorized to be exceptions) would be RECOGNIZED by the DNC. In other words, have as many non-binding beauty contests as you want before that date, but only primary/caucus/convention results Feb. 5 or later would count.
This would mean that in the eyes of the DNC, Florida and Michigan have yet to hold their primaries, and must hold them before whatever cutoff date the DNC has decreed.
I can hear the arguments now. The states will say they shouldn’t have to bear the expense of another election. Tough. That’s the penalty for breaking the rules. Hold caucuses if you think that would be cheaper. The candidates (particularly Hillary, whose campaign is hurting for money) will claim they shouldn’t have to spend money campaigning in these states. Tough. If you were following the rules, you haven’t campaigned in these states yet. If you HAVE already campaigned in either of these states, the money you spent is YOUR penalty for not following the rules.
We really do need a Michigan and Florida delegation in Denver. The voters of those states don’t deserve to be shut out because of what bone-headed party leaders did. However, there should be no delegates in Denver who got there as a result of cheating.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:14 amThe entire primary system needs to be scrapped and rebuilt from scratch. I’m partial to the rotating regional primary system, personally. Much of the current b.s. about Michigan and Florida stems from the arrogance of voters in Iowa and New Hampshire, and the partys’ willingness to truckle to them.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:16 amperhaps more importantly, virtually eliminates young people who do not have landlines.
Zimzone – I had to laugh. I’m 60 years old and gave up my landline well over 2 years ago. So I never get called for polls — also no sales calls, etc. LOVE IT!!
May 8th, 2008 at 11:18 amGummitch, when I was out in OR recently, there was some local radio host who was trying to take Operation Chaos to a local level. Any thoughts on that?
May 8th, 2008 at 11:22 amMs_Joanne Says:
Gummitch, when I was out in OR recently, there was some local radio host who was trying to take Operation Chaos to a local level. Any thoughts on that?
Not just the host, but one of the editors of the Oregonian, the one who writes the predictable and lockstep neocon columns on the OpEd page, David Reinhard. He was taken to task for it, and actually published a snarky semi-retraction. I honestly don’t think it’s a credible threat in Oregon. The Clintons have, I think, largely abandoned the urban core because we’re so damn liberal that she doesn’t have a chance. They’ve used the same strategy they did in NC, and focused on the rural areas, especially in the southern part of the state. The reality, though, is that the upper Willamette Valley and, especially, the Portland metro area is the heart and core of the Democratic Party in this state, and has all the population.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:31 amnoticed here and another thread:
McWars
McWarz
not sure what to make of it though…
would either care to explain?
May 8th, 2008 at 11:38 amjb says @ 10:51
maybe GE or Halliburton can rebuild the Hanging Gardens.
______________________________________________________________
Sounds like a good idea. A garden in which to hang the war criminals in. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Feith, Perle, Rice, Powell, Kristol, Limpdick, Coulter,et al, all dangling from trees.
I like that.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:40 amThanks, Gummitch; I knew you’d have good information on this.
BTW, I miss Oregon. Lived outside of Gaston, perhaps 25 mi. West of Portland for a time. Oregon rocks!
May 8th, 2008 at 11:41 amkaty Says:
noticed here and another thread:
McWars
McWarz
not sure what to make of it though…
would either care to explain?
I noticed that too.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:49 amThanks to all the good posters here at TP for flagging the crap out of someeffingRodent and having TP admins remove his blather before I had the chance to pollute my morning with it.
HT to all!
May 8th, 2008 at 11:56 amIn regards votebymail, Snohomish County, WA where I reside does it, and even has an in person audit available, even on Saturdays…
May 8th, 2008 at 11:57 amMcWarz sounds like Mr. Pee, smells like Urine, looks like Urine, I ain’ta gonna take a drink.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:58 amDumb Questions about Gasoline:
*) The gas companies are reaping record profits and yet they have tried to refuse to clean up their environmental damage (instead let someone else – who is not reaping the record profits – pay for that either to clean it up or in their medical bills). Is this equal justice ?
*) 2 presidential candidates are calling for a gas tax holiday of some sort. Both of these candidates are senators. They want it to start Memorial Day (in just a few weeks).
This would require a law passed by congress. Has anyone introduced such a bill ? Admittedly, as it is financial, there may be a requirement for the bill to be introduced into the House. So have either one contacted their House cohorts to get something started ? Is there any chance that such a bill can go through in a couple of weeks (even ignoring the arguments against such a bill promoted by the third candidate) ????
May 8th, 2008 at 12:23 pmNomination Endgame Fuels Behind the Scenes Push for Obama-Clinton …
ABC News – 1 hour ago
By JONANN BRADY With pressure growing on Sen. Hillary Clinton, DN.Y., to end her presidential campaign, “intermediaries” have resumed discussing the possibility of an Obama-Clinton “dream team” ticket.
NO. DAMMIT, NO. JUST PLAIN NO.
some elaboration – you can’t polute a “CHANGE” ticket with old-style rovian-tactics politics…
NO.
May 8th, 2008 at 12:25 pmI absolutely agree, katy. I no longer find that ticket feasible.
Hillary should aspire to move higher within the Senate, or she should run for NY Gov.
My preferred ticket when Obama’s the nominee? Obama-Richardson.
May 8th, 2008 at 2:00 pmObama – Edwards (If he’d even do it.)
May 8th, 2008 at 4:52 pmAnybody else pick up on this>>>
Clinton Rejects Latest Michigan Delegate Plan
May 8th, 2008 at 5:16 pmimpeachcheneythenbush Says:
The U.S. has been disrupting South and Central America since the 50’s, including overthrowing democratically elected governments and replacing them with military dictatorships. There are times I think we didn’t destroy the Third Reich, but merely replaced them.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:50 am
More like since the 1820s:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munroe_Doctrine
The doctrine, theorethically in place to prevent meddling of the European powers in the American continent, specially in a colonistic point of view, has been used time and again by the USA to expand its own colonial power all over the continent. Really altruist, isn’t?
May 9th, 2008 at 7:11 am