.comment-link {margin-left:.6em;} <$BlogRSDURL$>

The Donnybrook
Thursday, November 30, 2006
 
An Even Scarier Angle To The Whole "Ex-Russian Spy Killed By Radioactive Sushi" Story...

Brad DeLong connects the dots and further delegitimizes our ridiculous color-coded terrorism alert system...
Someone with access to fresh Polonium 210 (read: less than a year old, hot from the reactor) decided to use it to bump off an enemy. And the terrorism alert status hasn't risen a notch? Pull the other one.
...then, Andrew Sullivan provides a little context...
If Putin ordered the hit, it means we have a head-of-state prepared to use nuclear material to kill enemies, and spread it globally. If someone in the Russian nuclear network did it without Putin's permission, we have an even bigger problem on our hands. Here we were worried that Saddam could hand off nuclear material to rogue actors. And we didn't think of Putin.
Comforting, don't you think? Apparently, the Bush Administration only concerns itself with alleged terrorist activity when Muslims are involved...

|
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
 
Most Overrated/Underrated Movies Of All Time?

I heard Premiere Magazine is doing their own list of the most overrated flicks of all-time, so I figured I'd do my own.

For disclosure purposes, I haven't read their list because I didn't want to muddy the waters or bite any of their ideas. Here we go...

Overrated

American Beauty
Jurassic Park
The Departed
Titanic
Reservoir Dogs

Underrated

The Color of Money
GoodFellas (sounds crazy, but it always takes a back seat to The Godfather)
Rocky III
Raising Arizona
American Splendor

|
 
Vazzup!!! Funkyzeit Mit Bruno, Ya Ya!!!

If you thought Borat was funny, you're gonna loooooooooove Bruno.

Sacha Baron Cohen's "Borat" may have grossed more than $100 million at the box office, but can the British comedian pull off another "mockumentary," this time in the guise of a gay Austrian fashionista?

Universal Pictures has bet $42.5 million that he can.

Before "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" became a box-office sensation, Universal agreed to pay the hefty premium for the actor's next film, "Bruno," which it will market and distribute. 20th Century Fox, the studio behind "Borat," turned down the project, deeming it too expensive.
For more than you'll ever need to know about Bruno, click here.

Also, to see what happens when a flamoboyantly gay guy travels to Alabama, click here...

|
 
Senator-Elect Jim Webb (D-VA) Learns What A Horse's Ass Our President Can Be...

What an adolescent douche George Bush is.

From The Hill:
At a private reception held at the White House with newly elected lawmakers shortly after the election, Bush asked Webb how his son, a Marine lance corporal serving in Iraq, was doing.

Webb responded that he really wanted to see his son brought back home, said a person who heard about the exchange from Webb.

“I didn’t ask you that, I asked how he’s doing,” Bush retorted, according to the source.

Webb confessed that he was so angered by this that he was tempted to slug the commander-in-chief, reported the source, but of course didn’t. It’s safe to say, however, that Bush and Webb won’t be taking any overseas trips together anytime soon.
What exactly is the penalty for knocking out the President of the United States?

|
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
 
In Which I Declare Total Victory Over DrFrankLives...

I didn't start this fight, but I damn well intend to finish it.

So, prepare to surrender the next 3 minutes and 49 seconds of your life over to the Dark Lord himself while suffering through Dokken's "Breaking the Chains".



Things to watch for:

Don Dokken's candy-striper-in-bondage outfit, his Boston terrier eyes, the surreal "Got this letter" sequence that kicks off at about 1:15, and the super-short robe he's wearing at about 2:46.

George Lynch's complete inability to mimic guitar riffs that he presumably wrote himself.

Lynch's oh-so-clever use of his guitar to "break the chains" imprisoning his bandmates.

The 80's were so deep...

|
 
The Search Continues...

Since I'm always looking for good music advice, let's take this opportunity to come up with some ideas that haven't been mentioned on this site yet. I'll give a few good ones, then you can hook me up.

*Standard Donnybrook rules apply: No country, classical, jazz or gospel.

"Burning Of The Midnight Lamp" by Jimi Hendrix
"How About That?" by Bad Company
"Vehicle" by Ides of March
"I'm Shipping Up To Boston" by Dropkick Murphys (The Irish song from "The Departed")
"Glamour Boys" by Living Colour

|
 
Funny Prank Calls From An 8-Year-Old Irish Girl...

These things are a riot.

My favorite is when Lil' Becky calls a demolition company to see what it would cost to have her school blown up, with her teachers still inside.

I'd like to see an American kid try this gag without having the FBI show up at their doorstep.

Fill yer boots, man!!!

|
Monday, November 27, 2006
 
How Rudy Giuliani Could Virtually Assure Himself The Presidency...

Run as an independent. Period.

The political truth is that the conservative Republican primary voters that will ultimately decide who gets the GOP nomination are NOT going to vote for a twice-divorced, pro-choice, pro-gay rights, pro-gun control former mayor of New York City.

BUT, plenty of Republicans (and Democrats, for that matter) would gladly vote for him in 2008, as evidenced by a recent Quinnipiac poll showing Giuliani as the most popular political figure in America, just ahead of Democratic Sen. Barack Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain.

Put simply, Rudy doesn't need either of America's major political parties. He's more popular than both of them. And by avoiding a primary, he can set his sites not on early primary states like South Carolina, New Hampshire and Iowa, but rather critical general election swing states like Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania.

If Rudy thinks he can win over hardcore socially conservative Republicans, then he's drunk the Kool-Aid of his own grandeur more freely than I could've thought, even after witnessing him donning the ol' kneepads for Dubya at the 2004 Republican National Convention.

Opinions?

|
 
Baseball Hall Of Fame Voting Begins Today...

So, who makes it?

Here's the slate of candidates. I'll put my picks in bold.

Harold Baines
Albert Belle
Dante Bichette
Bert Blyleven
Bobby Bonilla
Scott Brosius
Jay Buhner
Ken Caminiti
Jose Canseco
Dave Concepcion
Eric Davis
Andre Dawson
Tony Fernandez
Steve Garvey
Rich "Goose" Gossage
Tony Gwynn
Orel Hershiser
Tommy John
Wally Joyner
Don Mattingly
Mark McGwire
Jack Morris
Dale Murphy
Paul O'Neill
Dave Parker
Jim Rice
Cal Ripken, Jr.
Bret Saberhagen
Lee Smith
Alan Trammell
Devon White
Bobby Witt

Let the debate begin...

|
 
The Dance Continues...

DrFrankLives fired a shot across the ol' bow with his ABBA video, so I shot back with a little Frank Stallone.

In response, he pulled out the nukes and dropped a red-headed, mall-crawling disaster on his blog. Very scary.

Now, DrFrankLives goes into EXILE...


|
Thursday, November 23, 2006
 
Dr. Masse's NFL Dream Team
I'm bored and don't have the NFL Network so figured I'd come up with my NFL Dream Team....I put the team most people associate the chosen player with next to their name.
UPDATE....I created an opponent for the dream team. It's at the bottom of the comments. What a game it would be!

Quarterbacks
Starter: Joe Montana, 49ERS
Reserves: John Unitas, Colts; John Elway, Broncos

Running Backs
Tailback: Walter Payton, Bears
Fullback: Jim Brown, Browns
Reserves: Barry Sanders, tailback, Lions; Jim Taylor, fullback, Packers

Wide Receivers
Starters: Jerry Rice, 49ERS; Don Hutson, Packers
Reserves: Lance Alworth, Chargers; Paul Warfield, Cris Carter, Vikings

Tight Ends
Starter: Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs
Reserves: John Mackey, Colts; Ozzie Newsome, Browns

Offensive Line
Tackles: Forrest Gregg, Packers; Anthony Munoz, Bengals
Guards: John Hannah, Patriots; Larry Little, Dolphins
Center: Chuck Bednarik, Eagles
Reserves: Jim Parker, guard, Colts; Gene Upshaw, guard, Raiders; Jackie Slater, tackle, Rams; Art Shell, tackle, Raiders; Mike Webster, center, Steelers

Defensive Line
Defensive Ends: Reggie White, Eagles; Deacon Jones, Rams
Defensive Tackles: Joe Greene, Steelers; Randy White, Cowboys
Reserves: Bob Lilly, Cowboys; Buck Buchanan, Chiefs; Willie Davis, Packers

Linebackers
Lawrence Taylor, Giants
Dick Butkus, Bears
Ray Nitschke, Packers
Reserves: Jack Lambert, Steelers; Willie Lanier, Chiefs; Ray Lewis, Ravens

Cornerbacks
Deion Sanders, Falcons
Dick Night Train Lane, Lions
Reserves: Mel Blount, Steelers, Lem Barney

Safeties
Ronnie Lott, 49ERS
Emlen Tunnell, Giants
Reserves: Ken Houston, Oilers, Mel Renfro, Cowboys
Kicker: Adam Vinatieri, Patriots
Punter: Ray Guy, Raiders

Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Vince Lombardi, Packers
Offensive Coordinator: Bill Walsh, 49ERS
Defensive Coordinator: Bill Belichik, Patriots
Other assistants: Chuck Noll, Steelers; Tom Landry, Cowboys; Paul Brown, Browns

|
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
 
Answer: Secretary Of Education, Margaret Spellings

Question: Who is the Jeopardy contestant that got her ass handed to her by Lenny from "Laverne and Shirley"?



The truth is stranger than fiction, folks...

|
 
I'm Doubling Down, Baby...

DrFrankLives thinks he's found a perfectly cheesy video.

He's posted the borderline-unwatchable "Fernando" by ABBA. Nice try, but even those dorky Swedes can't eclipse the glory that is...........

FRANK STALLONE!!!


|
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
 
Outgoing Republican Congress Decides To Shirk Its Few Remaining Responsibilities...

Not content with being the least productive Congress since the "Do-nothing" Congress that Harry Truman locked horns with, the lame duck Republican majority has decided to adjourn with several spending bills left unpassed.

Why would they do this, you ask?

So they can accuse the new Democratic majority of over-spending once they pass the bills in 2007, of course! Never mind the fact that the Republican party and President Bush didn't see a single spending bill they wouldn't pass over the last 5+ years.

They're also trying to drop a bunch of work in the Democrats' laps so they have less time to focus on their priorities, i.e. raising the minimum wage, implementing the 9/11 Commission's recommendations, etc.

Quite a grown-up approach to government, don't you think?

P.S. In case you were wondering, Representatives and Senators make $165,200 a year. I thought that question might come up...

|
 
The Game Of The Week...

...and sadly, it's being overlooked.

It's the 10-1 Garnet Valley Jaguars facing the Upper Moreland Bears for the PIAA District 1 Championship this Friday night at 7:30pm in Willow Grove, PA.
GO JAGS!!!!!

P.S. This post would've looked a lot better if I could've found some GV logos or something. No such luck...

|
 

|
 
Andre Waters 1962-2006



Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer has a heartfelt column this morning about #20...

|
Monday, November 20, 2006
 
Anyone Else Hoping For Thanksgiving Throwbacks?

Throwback sports uniforms are almost always cool. Almost.

A few hideous exceptions aside, the NFL has a great record of trotting out some cool throwback uniforms for it's Thanksgiving Day games.

Toward this end, consider this post a wish list for the old-school gear I hope to see on Thursday.

The Broncos' classic "Orange Crush" uniforms...



...even the Cowgirls have a cool throwback they trot out once in a while...



...and yes, I would be ecstatic to see the Buccaneers bring out Bucco Bruce for one last nacho-tinted embarrassment...


|
 
A Disastrous Sports Weekend...

After this abomination, I merely wanted to bury my head in the ground and sleep all the way to 2007. Chuck Amato should be fired yesterday.

However, after this, I looked like Bill Bixby right before he became Lou Ferrigno. The green contacts were in my eyes, but my shirt buttons hadn't quite flown off yet.



Could more bad things happen to a better guy?

Donovan McNabb is officially the anti-George W. Bush...

P.S. In a horrifyingly ominous turn of events, I bought my first McNabb jersey this year. As you can see in this photo, it's the black alternate jersey.

Wanna guess which jersey the Eagles were wearing yesterday for the first time this season?

|
Friday, November 17, 2006
 
Old School Video With An Old School Question...

The Dire Straits' "Walk Of Life", complete with some killer old school sports bloopers.



With made me think of a sports-related question:
If you could get your hands on any one piece of sports memoribilia, what would it be?
After much deliberation, I've come up with the ball that Tug McGraw threw to strike out Willie Wilson to win the 1980 World Series for the Phils.

|
Thursday, November 16, 2006
 
"Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies."

That classy question was asked by CNN's new resident conservative blowhard/guy that tries to act like he's "one of us", Glenn Beck.

He asked it of Representative-elect Keith Ellison of Minnesota.

Why did he ask it? Because Ellison is a Democrat and the first Muslim ever elected to Congress.

Thank God we've got CNN to act as a progressive counterbalance to Fox News...

|
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
 
A Question For Any Political Dorks In The House...

Which politician (newly-elected or otherwise) are you most curious to observe once the new Congress is sworn in on January 3rd?

I'm going with Democratic Senator-elect Sherrod Brown of Ohio. This guy is an across-the-board progressive that got elected in a pretty conservative state.

More than that, he spent his seven terms in the House of Representatives focusing specifically on improving conditions for American workers. He led the fight against CAFTA last year, and mustered more votes against a free trade agreement than any other.

Brown, along with the other new Dems in the Senate, will actually be looking out for the little guy for a change.

About farking time!

|
 
An Inside Look At Fox News's Post-Democratic Victory Strategy...

Here's a telling internal memo obtained by Huffington Post:


Fairly unbalanced, don't you think?

|
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
 
They Look Great, Don't They?

"They" being your newly-elected Democratic Senators...



From left to right: Jim Webb (VA), Bernie Sanders (VT), Amy Klobuchar (MN), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Jon Tester (MT), Sen. Chuck Schumer (NY), Sherrod Brown (OH), Ben Cardin (MD), Sheldon Whitehouse (RI), and Bob Casey, Jr. (PA)...

|
 
South Africa Legalizes Gay Marriage...

That's right. A nation that, until 12 years ago, denied blacks the right to vote is now extending more civil rights to homosexuals than the United States.
South Africa became the first country on the continent to legalise same sex marriages as the government vowed to to banish discrimination in its all forms after the downfall of apartheid.

After an often heated debate, 230 lawmakers gave their final approval to the civil union bill while 41 opposed it. There were three abstentions.

"In breaking with our past ... we need to fight and resist all forms of discrimination and prejudice, including homophobia," Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula told MPs in Cape Town.

"When we attained our democracy, we sought to distinguish ourselves from an unjust painful past, by declaring that never again shall it be that any South African will be discriminated against on the basis of colour, creed, culture and sex," she added.

After the end of the apartheid era in 1994, during which black South Africans were denied the vote, a new constitution was drawn up specifically banning discrimination on the grounds of race, gender and sexual orientation.
The government of South Africa learned from its past experiences with inequality.

So has ours, but will we continue to evolve? I hope so...

|
 
Another Great Cartoon...

...marking the one week anniversary of the Democrats' electoral ass-whipping of the GOP...


|
 
This Just Can't Get Any More Embarrassing...

Eddie Van Halen's 15-year-old kid is Van Halen's new bass player.
Eddie Van Halen has brought his 15-year-old son, Wolfgang, into Van Halen as the veteran rock band's new bass player, a spokesperson told Billboard.com.

Father and son, along with Eddie's drummer brother Alex, have been rehearsing for a 2007 tour, but it is unknown who will serve as the band's vocalist. (Wolfgang's substitution for original bass player Michael Anthony was first reported by news Web site TMZ.com a week ago.)

Rumors continue to swirl that original singer David Lee Roth, who was replaced by Sammy Hagar in the mid-1980s, will return to the fold, despite years of enmity. Roth, who has recently worked as a radio DJ and a paramedic, told Billboard.com in May that he saw it "absolutely as an inevitability."
What's lost in all this bullshit is that Michael Anthony's backing vocals were as big a part of Van Halen's sound as Alex's drums, Sammy or Dave's vocals, or even Eddie's guitar.

Man, I hate this...

|
 
The Cartoon I've Been Waiting To See For A Week...


It's funny, until you realize that #6 is an actual line of spin being used by some Republicans...

|
Monday, November 13, 2006
 
Thank God For Our Liberal Media...

What would we do without them?

Compare, if you will, the cover of Time magazine after the Republican party's 1994 takeover of both houses of Congress...



...and the cover of Time magazine, after the Democratic party's 2006 takeover of both houses of Congress...


|
 

|
Thursday, November 9, 2006
 
87% Of Jewish Voters Went For Democrats In Midterm Elections...

I'm constantly hearing charges of anti-Semitism being thrown at the Democratic party by Republicans.

They're usually unfounded and transparent, since the GOP is desperate to make inroads into the Jewish community, which has skewed Democratic for a long time.

Well, in Tuesday's midterm elections, Jewish voters went Democratic by an almost 7-to-1 margin.

How do conservatives respond to this?

|
 
"I've never been with anything less than a "9", so fine..."

This one goes out to Donald Rumsfeld, even though he is guilty of every bad thing being said about him...


|
 
And The Last Domino Falls...

The election night annhilation of the Republican Party is complete now that Jim Webb has won in Virginia.



Big congrats to all our Democratic Senators-elect, Representatives-elect, and Governors-elect.

There's way too many of them to congratulate by name!

|
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
 
Rumsfeld Cuts And Runs...

Obviously, he saw the subpoena power on the wall and decided to head for the hills.



Bye, fucker. Thanks for the shitty war planning!

|
 
Jon Tester Takes Montana!!!



Let this be a warning to all Republican officeholders:

No matter how red your state is, if you've sucked from the Abramoff teat, you've got a target on your ass.

The Senate is now even. It's down to Virginia.

Give it up, Macaca...

|
 
Anybody Seen My Conservative Tormentors?

O, Jamz, Murali, R.W., Anthony, Bubble Busters, etc. where art thou?

Hell, my own brother hasn't had the stones to show his phony redneck face around here today.

Oh well. More Ricky pics!!!






|
 


Note to political newcomers: For your first race, don't take on Ed Rendell...



Go home, Tommy boy. You're NOTHING compared to your old man...



Carrying a cute kid doesn't make you any less of a LOSER, Curt...

|
 
Just So Everybody Knows...

I have NO plans of being gracious today.

Over the last 6+ years, I've endured more political disappointment than I ever thought I would in my whole lifetime.

Today, you fuckers pay.

Strap in, kids! It's gonna be a long one!

I call it "Tears Of A Clown"...

|
Tuesday, November 7, 2006
 
Speed thee to the private sector, ASSHOLE!!!

Bye, Lil' Ricky!!!

Go home to Virginia, you prick!!!

UPDATE: Curt Weldon's crazy ass is out of a job, too. Congrats, Admiral Sestak!

Heath Shuler WINS!!! Vernon Robinson LOSES...AGAIN!!!

2nd UPDATE: Wake County voters say "YES" to school bond issue. They make me proud...

3rd UPDATE: Write it down: Dems take the HOUSE!!!

Those of you who assume the South is the fulcrum of political power in the U.S. are sorely mistaken.

141 years later, the North prevails again...

4th UPDATE: Geez, even the female Santorum got her ass kicked tonight!!!

5th UPDATE: South Dakota voters said "NO" to their state's heinously restrictive abortion ban. Good for them...

6th UPDATE: Anyone wanna guess tomorrow's Republican spin? R.W., I'll open this one up to you...

7th UPDATE: Harold Ford goes down swinging. A valiant effort that was, unfortunately, not enough to overcome the racist bullshit thrown at him...

8th UPDATE: On a local note, Democrats increased their majority in the North Carolina General Assembly, and some terrific Democratic judges destroyed the competition...

|
 
Bill Clinton Stumping For Jim Webb...

DrFrankLives posted this first, but I had to get it out to more people.


|
 
Chris Matthews Weaves A Tapestry Of African-American Stereotypes...

In contrasting two African-American Senate candidates, Democrat Harold Ford and Republican Michael Steele, Motor Mouth Matthews sounded more like a frightened 90-year-old white lady that just saw her first black guy.

It's probably the dumbest goddamned thing I've seen in the most fucked up political season of my lifetime.
But Michael Steele has ran a first-rate campaign. He's a gentleman of the first order. You talk about meeting -- I've met him at so many football games and baseball games, and he's always great to hang around with him, but that's all I really know about him. But the commercials have been so positive. He's so -- I hate to say this because this sounds so damn ethnic -- unthreatening, which a lot of white voters like to see from an African-American. Unthreatening. You almost have to be castrated to take the fear away from some people. And this guy comes on as a funny guy, a lighthearted, positive guy. And the people go, "God, this guy is a guy I'd like to have living next door," although that may be pushing it in some cases.
I assume his next pieces of evidence for Steele's electibility are his ability to speak well and lack of a criminal record...

|
Monday, November 6, 2006
 
The Donnybrook Mid-Term Election Prediction Thread...

It's time. I want everyone to put up their dukes and come out guessing.

The rules are simple: Guess the number of House seats, Senate seats, and Governorships that are going to change hands tomorrow, be they controlled by Democrats or Republicans.

Tom over at Election Predictions is still doing a great job with his picks. He sees a little more of a Democratic wave than I do.

I hope he's right!

Make your predicitons simple, just like this:
House: Democrats pick up 22 seats
Senate: Democrats pick up 5 seats
Governors: Democrats pick up 7
Bring it...

|
 
Having Trouble Getting Your Week Going?

Dr. Don E. Brook prescribes a little King's X to kick off the rust.

This one's goin' over your head...



The greatest band you're probably not listening to...

|
 
A Congressman Who Actually Understands His Constitutents?

Miraculously, they may still exist.

Gene Taylor, a conservative Democrat from Mississippi who lost his home in Bay St. Louis, has a unique perspective on Hurricane Katrina and the failure of many insurance companies to live up to their customers' needs.

Hopefully, after tomorrow he'll be in a better position to help all the victims of Katrina and push for regulation of the insurance industry.

Check out his story here...

|
 
Your So-Called Liberal Media: Part 271681

I try to pin my hopes on MSNBC becoming a kind of counterbalance to Fox News's blatant Republican bias now that CNN has gone off the deep end.

Unfortunately, as time goes by, I realize they're just as shitty at reporting the news as the worst news outfits in this or any country.

Case in point:

MSNBC's Contessa Brewer refers to the Pennsylvania Senate race, a race in which Democrat Bob Casey currently has a 13-point lead over Sen. Rick Santorum, and a race that has never been consistently closer than 8 points, as "tight, right down to the wire".

Mere moments later, she refers to the Tennessee Senate race, a race in which Republican Bob Corker has a 12-point lead over Democrat Harold Ford, and a race in which both candidates have been trading leads over the last 2 1/2 months as "all but over".

My fortune for a competent media...

|
Friday, November 3, 2006
 
Republicans No Longer In Love With New York City?

Remember that wave of love for NYC that enveloped the entire country right after 9/11?

It's officially gone.

In Wyoming, it's once again cool to hate on New York and New Yorkers!



I hope you all have a great weekend!

Except you people from New York. You're values are way too fucked up.

Get bent this weekend, you weirdos...

|
 
Here's Your Regular Friday Joint...

"I'm Not In Love" by 10cc...



I'm shamelessly lifting this next idea from PSoTD out of sheer frustration at his site now being firewalled at my office. Sorry, bro.

Question Of The Week: Which celebrity would you love to wipe the smile off of?

I'll go with two here: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

You people aren't angels, you're not deities, you're not even terribly bright.

Angelina, we know you railed Billy Bob Thornton in a limo, wore his blood on a necklace and made out with your vampire brother.

Brad, we know you're just about as dumb as dirt.

Good day, sir...

|
 
It's Time To Update The Republican Scumbag Blotter...

Rep. Don Sherwood (R-PA): My first addition is more of an update, really. Sherwood first hit the blotter when it came out that he had been engaged in a long-term extramarital affair and had allegedly choked his mistress, in spite of being a leading crusader for "family values" in Congress.

He warrants mentioning today because he's been paying his ex-mistress a significant amount of hush money to keep her quiet until after Election Day.
A Republican congressman accused of abusing his ex-mistress agreed to pay her about $500,000 in a settlement last year that contained a powerful incentive for her to keep quiet until after Election Day, a person familiar with the terms of the deal told The Associated Press.

Rep. Don Sherwood is locked in a tight re-election race against a Democratic opponent who has seized on the four-term congressman's relationship with the woman. While Sherwood acknowledged the woman was his mistress, he denied abusing her and said that he had settled her $5.5 million lawsuit on confidential terms.

The settlement, reached in November 2005, called for Cynthia Ore to be paid in installments, according to a person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal is confidential. She has received less than half the money so far, and will not get the rest until after the Nov. 7 election, the person said Thursday.
Democrat Chris Carney will be taking Sherwood's seat in 4 days. To my knowledge, he's never choked anybody.

Rev. Ted Haggard: Rev. Haggard is considered one of the most powerful members of the American conservative evangelical movement.

He's virulently anti-gay rights and has been a vocal organizer of the anti-gay marriage movement, but is now being accused of paying for a little man-on-man action on the side.
The president of the National Association of Evangelicals, an outspoken opponent of gay marriage, has given up his post while a church panel investigates allegations he paid a man for sex.

The Rev. Ted Haggard resigned as president of the 30 million-member association Thursday after being accused of paying the man for monthly trysts over the past three years.

Haggard, a married father of five, denied the allegations, but also stepped aside as head of his 14,000-member New Life Church pending an investigation.
Hypocrisy, thy limits knoweth no boundaries.

P.S. Let's this be a warning to everyone: Anyone who uses the Bible as a weapon rather than a source of spiritual guidance is probably hiding something they're not terribly proud of...

UPDATE: It looks like Rev. Haggard is admitting to some of the claims leveled against him. This is gonna be interesting...

2nd UPDATE: The good Reverend has admitted to buying meth, but not using it. He also admits that he contacted his accuser, a former male prostitute, for a massage, not sex.

Anybody believe this shit?

|
Thursday, November 2, 2006
 
Michael Scott Still Has Nothing On David Brent...

Don't get me wrong, I love the American version of "The Office" as much as anybody, but the British version was probably the funniest show in the history of television.



Did I overstate that?

|
Wednesday, November 1, 2006
 
Liberal Blogger Takes A Beat Down From Three Of Republican Senator George Allen's Thugs...

Bad polls must really be getting to Macaca's staff.

For his trouble, the blogger in question is today being labeled a "protester", a "heckler", and now thanks to our ever-vigilent and always sensible media, a potential terrorist.



P.S. You people that hang on to some false notion that CNN is a liberal network really need to come out and see the sunlight once in a while...

UPDATE: Speaking of Republicans with violent tendencies, it looks like Rep. John Sweeney (R-NY) has a bit of a problem on his hands. Allegedly, his wife called 911 because the distinguished gentleman was "knocking her around the house".

His opponent in New York's 20th district is Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand.

|
 
While Bush Is Whipping Up Phony Outrage, Here's A Real Reason To Be Pissed...

How about a foreign leader ordering our troops to call off their search for a fellow soldier who had been kidnapped?

Does that piss anyone off?
Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki demanded the removal of American checkpoints from the streets of Baghdad on Tuesday, in what appeared to be his latest and boldest gambit in an increasingly tense struggle for more independence from his American protectors. The 172nd Stryker Brigade took down a checkpoint in the Karada neighborhood of Baghdad yesterday in response to the prime minister’s orders.

Mr. Maliki’s public declaration seemed at first to catch American commanders off guard. But by nightfall, American troops had abandoned all the positions in eastern and central Baghdad that they had set up last week with Iraqi forces as part of a search for a missing American soldier. The checkpoints had snarled traffic and disrupted daily life and commerce throughout the eastern part of the city.

The language of the declaration, which implied that Mr. Maliki had the power to command American forces, seemed to overstep his authority and to be aimed at placating his Shiite constituency.
Care to explain this one, Mr. Bush, or are are you still pretending to be upset about John Kerry?

6 days and counting...

UPDATE: Andrew Sullivan explains the abandonment of a kidnapped American soldier way better than me:
While the media is obsessed parsing the ad libs of someone on no ballot this fall, something truly ominous has just happened in Iraq. The commander-in-chief has abandoned an American soldier to the tender mercies of a Shiite militia. Yes, there are nuances here, and the NYT fleshes out the story today. But the essential fact is clear. In a showdown for control of Baghdad, the Iraqi prime minister took orders from Moqtada al-Sadr, and instructed the U.S. military to withdraw from Sadr City. The American forces were trying both to stabilize the city but also to find a missing American serviceman. He is still missing.

The U.S. military does not have a tradition of abandoning its own soldiers to foreign militias, or of taking orders from foreign governments. No commander-in-chief who actually walks the walk, rather than swaggering the swagger, would acquiesce to such a thing. The soldier appears to be of Iraqi descent who is married to an Iraqi woman. Who authorized abandoning him to the enemy? Who is really giving the orders to the U.S. military in Iraq? These are real questions about honor and sacrifice and a war that is now careening out of any control. They are not phony questions drummed up by a partisan media machine to appeal to emotions to maintain power.
Still no word from President Bush or any Republican candidates running for office.

Or from my conservative readers, for that matter...

|

Powered by Blogger