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Abu Nidal organization hijacker from 1986 dronezapped in Wazoo
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 6: Politix
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-Lurid Crime Tales-
Martha Coakley's Convictions
Attorney General Martha Coakley--who had proven so dedicated a representative of the system that had brought the Amirault family to ruin, and who had fought so relentlessly to preserve their case--has recently expressed her view of this episode. Questioned about the Amiraults in the course of her current race for the U.S. Senate, she told reporters of her firm belief that the evidence against the Amiraults was "formidable" and that she was entirely convinced "those children were abused at day care center by the three defendants."

What does this say about her candidacy? (Ms. Coakley declined to be interviewed.) If the current attorney general of Massachusetts actually believes, as no serious citizen does, the preposterous charges that caused the Amiraults to be thrown into prison--the butcher knife rape with no blood, the public tree-tying episode, the mutilated squirrel and the rest--that is powerful testimony to the mind and capacities of this aspirant to a Senate seat. It is little short of wonderful to hear now of Ms. Coakley's concern for the rights of terror suspects at Guantanamo--her urgent call for the protection of the right to the presumption of innocence.

If the sound of ghostly laughter is heard in Massachusetts these days as this campaign rolls on, with Martha Coakley self-portrayed as the guardian of justice and civil liberties, there is good reason.
Posted by: Fred || 01/16/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  She has convictions? Who new?
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 01/16/2010 18:46 Comments || Top||


Perry official plans to plead guilty in vote-fraud scheme
A longtime Perry County official indicted in a vote-fraud scheme plans to plead guilty, according to a court document.

The attorney for Chester Jones, a circuit clerk and former state representative, filed a motion in federal court Wednesday seeking a hearing for Jones to enter the plea.

Jones was indicted last year with former Perry County Judge-Executive Sherman Neace on charges that they took $7,500 meant for use in efforts to increase voter turnout in November 2008 and instead used the money to buy votes for themselves.

The motion by Jones' attorney said he plans to plead guilty to a charge that he and Neace, aided by each other, schemed to defraud the county Democratic Party and mailed a false campaign-spending report to cover up their misuse of the money.

The state Democratic Party had sent the money to the local party for get-out-the-vote work.

The indictment said that after the local party got the money, Jones had 75 checks issued, each for $100, and left the recipient line blank. Jones and Neace then used the checks to bribe voters, the indictment said.

In 2008, Neace was running for magistrate and Jones was running for a seat on the county school board.

Neace pleaded guilty earlier, admitting he passed out checks under the guise of hiring people do to election work, when in fact he didn't expect them to do any work, according to a court document.

Neace and Jones tried to cover up the vote payments with fake labor contracts saying the people who got the checks would work for 10 hours at $10 a hour on jobs such as driving voters to the polls, according to court documents.

Neace served three terms as judge-executive before losing in 1998. He later went to prison after pleading guilty to selling the county used cars at inflated prices while he was judge-executive.

No date has been set for Jones to plead guilty.
Posted by: Fred || 01/16/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


Caribbean-Latin America
Exiled Haiti president 'ready to return'
(CNN) -- Exiled Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide has announced that he is ready to return home to help rebuild his earthquake-shattered country.

The former president has been living in South African since fleeing Haiti during a violent uprising in 2004. Aristide told reporters gathered at a hotel near Johannesburg's international airport that he is ready to return from exile as soon as today. "To symbolize our readiness we have decided to meet not just anywhere but here in the shadow of the Oliver Tambo International airport," he said. "As far as we are concerned we are ready to leave today, tomorrow, at any time to join the people of Haiti, to share in their suffering, help rebuild the country moving from misery to poverty with dignity."
What part of "Get the hell out and stay out!" couldn't he understand?
Probably beats bartending at that hotel near the J'burg airport.
"Hi guys! I'm back! Didya miss me? Say, who fixed up the place while I was gone?"
Posted by: Fred || 01/16/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  10:1 odds the Obama State Dept says he should be reinstalled. Next bet? 6:1 they say Mel Zelaya should be President
Posted by: Frank G || 01/16/2010 0:22 Comments || Top||

#2  #1 - that's about as likely as Bernie Madoff being pardoned & made Sec Treas.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 01/16/2010 0:37 Comments || Top||

#3  so, even money if Obama can work in a kickback...
Posted by: abu do you love || 01/16/2010 0:49 Comments || Top||

#4  As long as he brings back the money he stole from the Haitian economy on his way out so he can pay for reconstruction, why not?
Posted by: gorb || 01/16/2010 1:34 Comments || Top||

#5  Never let a good crisis go to waste.
Posted by: AlanC || 01/16/2010 9:04 Comments || Top||

#6  3:1 Barry wants to make Haiti the 58th state...
Posted by: tu3031 || 01/16/2010 10:33 Comments || Top||

#7  I hope he's bringing a machete.
Posted by: imoyaro || 01/16/2010 11:22 Comments || Top||

#8  He's tanned, he's rested, he's ready...

/deadpan
Posted by: Pappy || 01/16/2010 12:42 Comments || Top||

#9  Don't forget to bring your "necklaces."
Posted by: regular joe || 01/16/2010 14:08 Comments || Top||

#10  You mean we should send Jack Traficant down there?
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain || 01/16/2010 14:14 Comments || Top||

#11  Aristide did more damage to Haiti than the earthquake, it just doesn't show as much. Bringing him back is like inviting a hurricane to strike before the clean-up is done.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 01/16/2010 14:18 Comments || Top||


Economy
Obamas bank tax welcomed in Europe
[Iran Press TV Latest] US President Barack Obama's proposed 9 billion dollar a year tax on 50 US banks aimed to derail 'obscene bonuses' is being championed by European leaders.

The proposal aims to curb huge bank profits after many of the country's financial institutions collapsed last fall.

"We want our money back, and we're going to get it," Obama said on Wednesday as he disclosed a "financial crisis responsibility fee" for megabanks responsible for last year's financial collapse.

On Friday, Prime Minister Jean-claude Juncker of Luxembourg backed Obama's plan by saying he "is doubtless right to propose the measures he has."

"We have to see in Europe, not collectively but on a country-by-country basis, whether we can act in the same fashion," he said.

The 16 European ministers are to discuss the issue at their Monday meeting in Brussels.
Posted by: Fred || 01/16/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The Contrarian Indicator has spoken.
Posted by: gorb || 01/16/2010 1:35 Comments || Top||

#2  Zero is acting like a Loan Shark that he is.
Posted by: Blackbeard Omomock5867 || 01/16/2010 1:51 Comments || Top||

#3  It's not a tax, it's a fee, dammit, A FEE!!!!
Posted by: Uncle Phester channeling Robert Gibb || 01/16/2010 10:02 Comments || Top||


Fifth Column
Scott Brown Files Criminal Complaint against Dem Party- CLAIMS DEFAMATION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Felix Browne
January 16, 2010

MEDIA ADVISORY FOR TODAY

Dan Winslow, counsel for the Scott Brown for U.S. Senate campaign, will hold a media availability to announce the filing of a criminal complaint against the Massachusetts Democratic Party regarding a recent mailing paid for and sent by the Massachusetts Democratic Party. Winslow will make a statement and take reporters’ questions at MassGOP Headquarters in Boston TODAY at 4:00 PM.

Massachusetts GOP Headquarters
85 Merrimac Street, 4th Floor
Boston.

BOSTON – Republican Senate hopeful Scott Brown has filed a complaint with the State Ethics Commission after a report that a union backing rival Martha Coakley used state resources to urge workers to volunteer for Coakley’s campaign.

The report by FOX25 said the Service Employees International Union used state computers and e-mail addresses to direct state employees to volunteer for Coakley, the Democratic state attorney general.

Coakley’s campaign referred questions to the attorney general’s office. A spokeswoman said the attorney general’s office has received the letter from Brown’s attorney and will review it before commenting.

The SEIU did not immediately return a call for comment.

Republican Scott Brown charged Saturday that a Democratic mailing against his U.S. Senate campaign violates a Massachusetts law prohibiting false statements against a political candidate.

The cover of a four-page mailer sent by the Massachusetts Democratic Party says, “1,736 women were raped in Massachusetts in 2008. Scott Brown wants hospitals to turn them all away.”

Brown is a state senator, and in 2005 he filed an amendment that would have allowed workers at religious hospitals or with firmly held religious beliefs to avoid giving emergency contraception to rape victims. The amendment failed, and Brown voted in favor of a bill allowing the contraception. He also voted to override a veto issued by his fellow Republican, then-Gov. Mitt Romney.
Posted by: 3dc || 01/16/2010 19:13 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  SEIU is beginning to show their criminal nature--AGAIN. When is ACORN going to weigh in under different names? And the dead voters mysteriously show up. And Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck appear to vote? And will the Black Panthers show up at the polls with clubs on Tuesday. I sense the voters will wring their "collective" necks if this happens.
Posted by: JohnQC || 01/16/2010 19:33 Comments || Top||

#2  I'm just glad he is fighting back. This crap has gone on far too long from the left.
Posted by: DarthVader || 01/16/2010 19:46 Comments || Top||

#3  And who's gonna investigate it? The attorney general?
That's a nice little hole card they got up their sleeve...
Posted by: tu3031 || 01/16/2010 21:07 Comments || Top||

#4  It probably won't get investigated, but at least he's not sitting there and taking it like a lot of Repubs do. (Besides, Coakley doesn't need one more bit of bad publicity...)
Posted by: Cornsilk Blondie || 01/16/2010 22:40 Comments || Top||

#5  Question,

What the HELL business does SEIU or UAW or any other union have in supporting or opposing any political candidate or cause?

Unions were derived to support and protect their workers from abusive companies right? Yet they have so much corrupting influence in our government that they are replacing the 'people' as the source of the government's power.

Take for example Healthcare - The voters were expressly excluded - but the Unions were allowed to participate and dictate the terms.

Unions should be banned from participating from the political process - no giving support, no contributions, no 'bundling', nothing. Any 'political' power they derive should be only via their members.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 01/17/2010 0:40 Comments || Top||


NJ court orders out of state websites against H-1B visa program shut down + all names
Posted by: 3dc || 01/16/2010 17:39 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  On Dec. 23, Middlesex County Superior Court Judge James Hurley ordered firms that register domains and provide hosting services -- GoDaddy Inc., Network Solutions, Comcast Cable Communications Inc. and DiscountASP.Net -- to disable the three sites, ITgrunt.com, Endh1b.com, and Guestworkerfraud.com. Facebook Inc. was also ordered to disable ITgrunt's Facebook page.

Sounds like NEW JERSEY Judge Hurley's a little big for his britches. He has no f*cking power to slam websites outside NJ. Perhaps the concept needs to be explained to him? Maybe before the hack retires
Posted by: Frank G || 01/16/2010 17:46 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
MA Sen Poll: Brown Leads By 3 - Absentee voting 58-42
In one of the final public polls we should see before Tuesday's special election on Massachusetts, American Research Group (600 LVs, 1/12-14, MoE +/- 4%) finds Republican Scott Brown with a slight edge over Martha Coakley.

Special Election Matchup
Brown (R) 48
Coakley (D) 45
Kennedy (I) 2
Und 5

Coakley loses one-in-five Democrats to Brown, while the Republican state senator has 94 percent of Republicans behind him. Brown has a commanding 58-37 advantage among "unenrolled" voters, mainly independents and those who prefer not to register affiliation with the major parties.

A trend worth noting as well: 9 percent of voters say they'd already cast a ballot through absentee voting. Brown leads Coakley among this group 58-42.
Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 01/16/2010 19:23 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This is earth shattering that he is this close, and maybe winning in the bluest of the blue states.
Posted by: DarthVader || 01/16/2010 19:49 Comments || Top||


Hope And Change's Backlash
At 3min 11sec, not enough time for a large popcorn, but an interesting little movie nonetheless....
Posted by: Uncle Phester || 01/16/2010 17:07 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Good, effective, PO'ed
Posted by: tipover || 01/16/2010 20:40 Comments || Top||


Intrade - Brown Leads Coakley 54-48.5
currently. These are money speculators, not partisans. She's down 12.5, he's up 13. Can you smell the desperation?
Posted by: Frank G || 01/16/2010 15:38 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Frank, You read my mind. Earlier this week I picked up that Coakley was at over 80. I was discouraged at that point, but what a difference a few days make.
Posted by: Tom- Pa || 01/16/2010 15:50 Comments || Top||

#2  yep - lib paper Cape Cod Times endorses Brown
Posted by: Frank G || 01/16/2010 15:56 Comments || Top||

#3  What's most shocking about this whole thing is that Coakley was the best the donks could come up with. Next most shocking thing is that Brown could break through the MSM protective screen and let the people of Massachusettes know she is that bad.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 01/16/2010 16:02 Comments || Top||

#4  heh - she's down 15.6 now. See "rock, sinking"
Posted by: Frank G || 01/16/2010 16:22 Comments || Top||

#5  Adds up to more than 100%. Makes sense when vote fraud is taken into account.
Posted by: Iblis || 01/16/2010 16:38 Comments || Top||

#6  they're prices, not %'s.
Posted by: Frank G || 01/16/2010 16:39 Comments || Top||

#7  They already counted defeat. I see Drudge has Reconciliation in the headlines. I can feel the Country's blood pressure rising.
Posted by: Tom- Pa || 01/16/2010 16:48 Comments || Top||

#8  This is the most amazing election I've ever seen.

I'm a 40 year resident of MA and as a conservative/libertarian the one silver lining has always been that no one bothered to spend money on advertising so we weren't bothered at election times.

JUST TODAY I'VE GOTTEN 6 SOLICITATIONS FOR MY VOTE!!!!!

3 robo calls for Brown, 1 from Ayla, 1 "poll" and 1 from a doctor blasting Obamacare.

2 robo calls from Coakly one (lying) about abortion and one that I didn't listen to. AND one piece of hate male that was almost exactly like that parody. Bush is mentioned more prominently and more often than Brown.

Just incredible!!!!
Posted by: AlanC || 01/16/2010 17:08 Comments || Top||

#9  Drudge is saying that the Democrats are threatening to invoke reconcilliation so they won't need 60 votes (51 will do).

I already consider Pelosi, Reid and Obama as traitors to their Oath of Office for representing the Unions instead of the American people and making a mockery of the Constitution.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 01/16/2010 17:15 Comments || Top||

#10  It's the Boston Tea Party.
Posted by: newc || 01/16/2010 17:48 Comments || Top||

#11  I think he's gonna win. And by more then you think. Same old shit or make history? Which way would you vote?
Posted by: tu3031 || 01/16/2010 18:17 Comments || Top||

#12  re: my #8 add two more to my total. One for Brown from Curt Schilling (robo call) apparently Coakley labled him a Yankees fan.

One 10 minutes ago from Coakley and the first word was Bush as in "Bush and Cheney's failed economic policies are supported by Scott Brown"
Posted by: AlanC || 01/16/2010 18:53 Comments || Top||

#13  The voters are really, really, really p!ssed--Tired of corruption, excessive spending, misguided priorities, lies, radical politics, sweetheart deals, payoffs, vote buying, etc., etc., ad nauseum.
Posted by: JohnQC || 01/16/2010 19:08 Comments || Top||


2010 California Senate: Three GOP Hopefuls Narrow The Gap With Boxer
California Senator Barbara Boxer is now the latest Democratic incumbent to find herself in a tightening race for reelection.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely California voters finds Boxer with narrow leads over her three leading Republican challengers, including newcomer Tom Campbell.

As in much of the country, the story may turn in part on the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats, even though support for it is higher in California than nationally.

In California, 49% favor the health care plan, while 48% oppose it. But as in other states, the emotion is on the side of the opponents: Just 25% of California voters Strongly Favor the plan while 39% Strongly Oppose it.

Perhaps even more significantly, 55% of California voters rate the U.S. economy as poor, while just seven percent (7%) think it's good or excellent. Golden State voters are evenly divided over whether the economy is improving: 36% say it's getter better, while 35% say it's getting worse. Twenty-five percent (25%) believe it's staying about the same.

"Any incumbent who polls below 50% at this point in the season is considered potentially vulnerable," noted Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports. "However, vulnerable incumbents still have the power of their office and still have a decent chance of winning. The Democratic leaning political gravity of California will certainly give Senator Boxer a boost in that effort."
Posted by: Beavis || 01/16/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "'Scuse me Ma'am Senator Bitch?"
Posted by: Frank G || 01/16/2010 0:23 Comments || Top||

#2  That's "Senator Bitch" to you Frank.
Posted by: AzCat || 01/16/2010 1:24 Comments || Top||

#3  The economic downturn in California will certainly doom any candidate with a "D" after their name, denoting the Democratic Party. As some other blogs have pointed out, the "D"s see a light at the end of the tunnel, the train is heading straight at them.
Posted by: Blackbeard Omomock5867 || 01/16/2010 1:28 Comments || Top||

#4  I'll bet she want's Coakley to win, as that would make her The Second Stupidest Woman in the Senate.
Posted by: tu3031 || 01/16/2010 10:36 Comments || Top||

#5  Don't be too optimistic. The unions, led by teachers and prison guards have a lot of power and are tied to the donks. They will put up a real fight and there are fewer and fewer American Caliphornians to oppose them.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 01/16/2010 11:46 Comments || Top||

#6  More than 40% of California ballots are voted absentee. No way any Republican can win against that level of fraud.
Posted by: Iblis || 01/16/2010 16:39 Comments || Top||

#7  "More than 40% of California ballots are voted absentee. No way any Republican can win against that level of fraud." Add to that the number of "found" ballots right after the election that somehow put the Doemoncrat over the top (see Marin and SF county votes). The Dead people and homeless vote seems to always break towards demoncrats.
Posted by: Cyber Sarge || 01/16/2010 18:59 Comments || Top||

#8  There are still conservative voters in California and the State has suffered under years of rule by liberal Democrats. The State is bankrupt. You basically have a "failed state."
Posted by: JohnQC || 01/16/2010 19:36 Comments || Top||


Hoyer: Democrats aim to clinch healthcare deal this weekend
Democrats are hoping to finalize a healthcare reform deal this weekend, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said on Friday.

Hoyer said that on the heels of several days of marathon negotiations to hammer out a final healthcare bill, Democrats hope to announce a final agreement within the next 72 hours.

"I think we're getting very close," Hoyer said during an appearance on CNBC. "I would certainly hope that within the next 24, 48, 72 hours, we have a general agreement between the Senate and the House."

Hoyer was among a handful of House and Senate Democrats huddled at the White House over the last two days to conduct talks on the health bill, talks which Hoyer said kept him awake until 2 a.m. Friday.
Democrats are also feeling the pressure from the Massachusetts Senate special election, which will take place Tuesday. That race represents the 60th vote in the Senate.

A poll that came out late Thursday night showed Republican candidate Scott Brown leading Democratic Attorney General Martha Coakley 50-46.

Democrats also benefited from a breakthrough in their talks after striking a deal with labor groups to include an excise tax on high-end insurance plans that carved out some exemptions.
Posted by: Fred || 01/16/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  guess the Dems have internal polling in Mass. that makes this urgent business.
Posted by: abu do you love || 01/16/2010 0:34 Comments || Top||

#2  All this backroom shit is just going to make sure that large numbers of them don't get re-elected.
Posted by: 3dc || 01/16/2010 12:55 Comments || Top||

#3  In other words, "Let's pass this stinking pork-stuffed turkey with special interest trimmings" before anyone can do anything about it.
Posted by: JohnQC || 01/16/2010 19:16 Comments || Top||

#4 
Posted by: 3dc || 01/16/2010 19:33 Comments || Top||


Nelson: Medicaid exemption was only 'placeholder'
Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson (D) is asking Senate Democrats to remove from their healthcare bill a guarantee that his state would not have to pay for its new Medicaid patients.

Although Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) added the exemption to the bill to court Nelson's much-needed vote in December, the Nebraska senator stressed on Friday that his party should instead nix his own "special deal."

He said the exemption was always envisioned as a "placeholder that would be removed" once the House and Senate combined their bills; a stepping stone for a better provision that would allow any state to opt out of the healthcare legislation's proposed Medicaid expansion.

"I believe I have been clear that my intentions during all stages of negotiations were not that the State of Nebraska be given a special deal, but rather that all states be given the same tools to address an unfunded federal mandate," Nelson said in a letter to Reid.
Funny, that's not how it came out ...
Nelson's position switch on the so-called deal -- which Republicans have derided as the "Cornhusker Kickback" -- follows weeks of intense political pressure from all sides in the healthcare fight.

At the beckoning of Nebraska's governor, Nelson initially asked Democrats to create an "opt out" clause for states whose financial situations may have precluded their participation in the expanded entitlement program.
The governor didn't ask for the opt out for Nebraska, and said so ...
Democrats instead offered solely Nebraska an exemption from that expansion, which ultimately won Nelson's vote.

But the deal proved instantly and politically noxious to both Nelson's own constituents and party members. Republicans frequently cite the exemption as evidence that Democrats have filled their healthcare legislation with nefarious projects. Some Democrats, similarly fearful of what the Medicaid expansion might mean for their states, have even asked for its exclusion from the final bill.
Posted by: Fred || 01/16/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Heh. Whattsamatta, Ben? Sick of the fact that you can't go out for dinner in Omaha anymore without some pissed off constituent getting in your face?
Posted by: tu3031 || 01/16/2010 21:14 Comments || Top||


Dodd: Thought of Scott Brown blocking health reform 'sickens'
Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) said Friday that it "sickens" him that Massachusetts GOP Senate candidate Scott Brown could block healthcare reform if elected.

Dodd, a longtime friend and ally of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), blasted the Republican candidate to permanently fill Kennedy's seat over Brown's stance against the health bill before Congress.

"Health care was the cause of my friend Ted Kennedy's life," Dodd said in a fundraising letter for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC).

"So it sickens me that the Republican running to take Ted's place is vowing to be the 41st vote to kill health care reform," Dodd added.

Brown has made health reform a centerpiece of his underdog Senate campaign. If elected and sworn in quickly enough, Brown could give Republicans 41 seats in the Senate, conceivably enough to sustain a filibuster against the health bill if the GOP sticks together.

"This seat represents more than Ted's progressive legacy. This seat is the tipping point between a Senate that can pass President Obama's agenda, and one frozen into inaction by Republican obstruction," Dodd said. "Scott Brown is the face of that obstruction, and that's why we must help Martha."
Sure. C'mon up and put another nail in Martha's coffin, Chris. All the boys are gonna be here...
Posted by: Fred || 01/16/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Electorate: Thought of Sen. Dodd continuing in office 'sickens'
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 01/16/2010 0:47 Comments || Top||

#2  Come one, come all, Get your ringside seat to the New Milleniums greatest event, the implosion of the Democratic Party. First on the list of Blue States is Massachusetts,followed by California,then Nevada then....

- It's practically standing still now. They've dropped ropes out of the nose of the ship, and they've been taken a hold of down on the field by a number of men. It's starting to rain again; it's—the rain had slacked up a little bit. The back motors of the ship are just holding it just, just enough to keep it from — It burst into flames! It burst into flames, and it's falling, it's crashing! Watch it! Watch it, folks! Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Get this, Charlie! Get this, Charlie! It's fire—and it's crashing! It's crashing terrible! Oh, my, get out of the way, please! It's burning and bursting into flames, and the—and it's falling on the mooring-mast and all the folks agree that this is terrible, this is the worst of the worst catastrophes in the world. Ohhhhh! It's–it's–it's the flames, [indecipherable, 'enty' syllable] oh, four- or five-hundred feet into the sky and it ... it's a terrific crash, ladies and gentlemen. It's smoke, and it's flames now ... and the frame is crashing to the ground, not quite to the mooring-mast. Oh, the humanity and all the passengers screaming around here. I told you, I can't even talk to people whose friends are on there. Ah! It's–it's–it's–it's ... o–ohhh! I–I can't talk, ladies and gentlemen. Honest, it's just laying there, a mass of smoking wreckage. Ah! And everybody can hardly breathe and talk, and the screaming. Lady, I–I'm sorry. Honest: I–I can hardly breathe. I–I'm going to step inside, for I cannot see it. Charlie, that's terrible. Ah, ah—I can't. I, listen, folks, I–I'm gonna have to stop for a minute because I've lost my voice. This is the worst thing I've ever witnessed

Morrison's phrase "Oh, the humanity" has become an American idiom, most often used in a satirical way to ridicule, diminish and trivialize emotional displays the speaker deems overly sentimental
Posted by: Blackbeard Omomock5867 || 01/16/2010 1:19 Comments || Top||

#3 
Posted by: DMFD || 01/16/2010 5:56 Comments || Top||

#4  Nothing like a 'countrywide' sickening I always say?
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/16/2010 7:50 Comments || Top||

#5  ...fill Kennedy's seat...

Um, Chrissie-poo, I thought Scott Brown made it pretty clear that this is the "peoples" seat. Maybe you missed that part about the US not having a landed aristocracy?
Posted by: AlanC || 01/16/2010 9:01 Comments || Top||

#6  I say let it be Kennedy's seat, and let it stay empty. Massachusetts would still be over-represented with one voting Senator.
Posted by: Glenmore || 01/16/2010 10:39 Comments || Top||

#7  Show some respect folks. He's the only surviving piece of bread from the Waitress Sandwich.
I'm sure that's traumatic for him...
Posted by: tu3031 || 01/16/2010 10:42 Comments || Top||

#8  Somebody give him a barf bag and tell him to STFU.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 01/16/2010 12:19 Comments || Top||


Pelosi: Claims about GOP midterm momentum are 'hype and hyperbole'
Republican claims about increased momentum for this year's midterm elections are just "hype and hyperbole," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) claimed Friday.

In a fundraising e-mail to Democratic supporters, Pelosi said that the Democratic agenda is moving the country forward and the Democrats toward victory this fall.

"Republicans are in full blown 'spin mode' attacking the President and claiming he has lost support," she wrote. "But that is just hype and hyperbole. You and I know better -- together we are moving America forward."
Pelosi's claims come as Republicans and Democrats have begun the beginning of this election year sparring over which party is in worse condition. The e-mail was circulated by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).

Republicans have cited falling polling approval ratings for the president as well as weakened polling numbers on key issues such as healthcare reform. As a result, most Republican leaders have claimed they can take back the House as early as this year.

Democrats are banking on the passage of healthcare reform legislation as well as a renewed focus on job creation and budget cuts to propel them toward victory in the fall.

Both parties have also sparred over how retirements will affect their ability to win races in the fall. Ten Democrats have announced their retirements so far as opposed to 13 GOPers.

Though it will affect the upper chamber, the hotly contested Massachusetts special Senate election to be held Tuesday will likely be judged as a bellwether of voters' attitudes heading closer to the main election season.
Posted by: Fred || 01/16/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Republican claims about increased momentum for this year's midterm elections are just "hype and hyperbole

Then why haven't you sent in The One to stump for him?
Posted by: gorb || 01/16/2010 1:32 Comments || Top||

#2  Just keep believing that Nan.
Posted by: DMFD || 01/16/2010 5:55 Comments || Top||

#3  Plasticized whistling moron, meet graveyard....
Posted by: Uncle Phester || 01/16/2010 9:59 Comments || Top||

#4  Leaking botox rots your brain. It primarily attacks the cognotive and perception of reality areas.
Posted by: tu3031 || 01/16/2010 10:45 Comments || Top||

#5  ...compounded by living both in the Bay and in the Beltway.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/16/2010 11:54 Comments || Top||

#6  Time to put the bong down!
Posted by: TZSenator || 01/16/2010 15:50 Comments || Top||

#7  "hype and hyperbole" ...and Clue moonbat Nero fiddles as Rome burns.
Posted by: JohnQC || 01/16/2010 19:22 Comments || Top||


Barney: If GOP wins seat in Mass., health care dead
A senior Massachusetts lawmaker says if Republicans win a special Senate election there next week, President Barack Obama's health care overhaul is dead.

Democrat Barney Frank told reporters Friday: "If Scott Brown wins, it'll kill the health bill."

The Massachusetts congressman said Democratic candidate Martha Coakley should have campaigned harder for the seat held for decades by Edward Kennedy. Nonetheless, Frank said he thinks Coakley will win Tuesday's contest. Latest polls show a close race between Brown and Coakley. Kennedy died last summer of brain cancer and Democrat Paul Kirk was appointed to fill the seat on an interim basis. Brown has said he would be the 41st vote against the health bill.
Posted by: Fred || 01/16/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  and so we hope...
Posted by: abu do you love || 01/16/2010 0:15 Comments || Top||

#2  Better get a wooden stake and some garlic just to be sure.
Posted by: DMFD || 01/16/2010 5:54 Comments || Top||

#3  The Massachusetts congressman said Democratic candidate Martha Coakley should have campaigned harder for the seat held for decades by Edward Kennedy.

Funny, I don't recall Barney having too many, if any, tough races in his political career.

Posted by: Raj || 01/16/2010 8:23 Comments || Top||

#4  Hope Brown remembers Pim Fortyn, and has proper security.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 01/16/2010 8:25 Comments || Top||

#5  We know, Barney. That's the reason Brown's got a really good shot at winning up here. The peasants are revolting.
Posted by: tu3031 || 01/16/2010 10:55 Comments || Top||

#6  I hope this arrogant stooge is right. I notice that the short AP article is from yesterdays Boston Globe.(NYT) The headline read "Lawmaker: If GOP Wins Seat, Healthcare Dead". You'd think they would put Barney's name in the headline?
Posted by: Tom- Pa || 01/16/2010 11:25 Comments || Top||

#7  RE: #5
Coakley: "Yeah, they stink on ice".
Posted by: whitecollar redneck || 01/16/2010 13:03 Comments || Top||

#8  I read recently that only 30% of Massachusetts voters think their own healthcare system (similar to the Feds I think) works very well. So saying a national version of the same might be dead might actually convince patriotic voters to vote for the lefty GOP candidate.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 01/16/2010 13:45 Comments || Top||

#9  Yup Barney, you are fortunate to have a ring side seat to the beginning of a voter revolution.
Posted by: JohnQC || 01/16/2010 19:25 Comments || Top||

#10  HET-HOLAND ! Republican Party of Germany : former Socialists and former Kommunuists and former : NAZI'S : Support : BARNEY ! Europe to the : RESCUE ! OBAMAITES : READY ! California : Glendale : Armenians : Serbians : Florida ,etc. : Support : Porn613 : Virvera 3 Way Fuck : Liberal : Constitutional : EU : STYLE !!
Posted by: Jomoper McCoy2284 || 01/16/2010 23:44 Comments || Top||


Democrat Snyder drowning in new poll
This might be the worst poll yet for Democrats.

A new SurveyUSA poll conducted for the liberal website Firedoglake shows Rep. Vic Snyder (D-Ark.) trailing former U.S. Attorney Tim Griffin (R) 56-39. And those numbers get worse, 58-35, if Snyder is to support the final version of the healthcare bill.

In November, Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling had Snyder with a one-point lead on Griffin.

So Snyder begins the year either in a dogfight or with a severe deficit, and he refused to bank any money in the off-year, as he always does.
56-39 is a 'dogfight'?
No, silly, the one point lead back in November is the dogfight.
Look for this seat to start moving into the "lean Republican" ratings.
Posted by: Fred || 01/16/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Snyder announced his retirement yesterday.
Posted by: DoDo || 01/16/2010 10:33 Comments || Top||

#2  Pelosi: Claims about GOP midterm momentum are 'hype and hyperbole'
Posted by: armyguy || 01/16/2010 10:47 Comments || Top||


Kennedy's widow featured in new Coakley campaign ad
Edward Kennedy's widow, Vicki Kennedy, has made a TV commercial championing the Democratic candidate running to fill his Senate seat. The last-minute appeal on behalf of Martha Coakley underscores Democratic worries about losing the race.

The Democrats must hang on to the Kennedy seat to maintain the 60-vote margin they need to pass President Barack Obama's overhaul of health care despite Republican opposition.

Last week, Coakley said she thought it would be impossible for Kennedy to tape an ad on her behalf, given the short time before Tuesday's election.

Republican Scott Brown is claiming momentum, and state and national Democrats are now rallying behind Coakley.

Businessman Joseph L. Kennedy -- no relation to the senator -- is also seeking the seat as an independent.
Posted by: Fred || 01/16/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Most people up her see her as "Ted's second wife". There was never a connection to the public. This won't influence too many people.
Ted was seen as the last of the Holy Trinity. He's gone. I think the rest of the clan are seen as flawed, self serving lightweights riding on the coat tails of the "legacy".
Posted by: tu3031 || 01/16/2010 10:30 Comments || Top||

#2  would be nice if Joseph Kennedy pulled more brain-dead Donk votes than Martha...just out of reflex voting
Posted by: Frank G || 01/16/2010 10:55 Comments || Top||

#3  It's possible. A lot of the (real) Kennedy's core constituency are now in nursing homes. 1960 was a long time ago.
Posted by: tu3031 || 01/16/2010 10:59 Comments || Top||

#4  another Coakley ad I caught at JWF:
Posted by: Frank G || 01/16/2010 11:29 Comments || Top||

#5  "Kopechne's Revenge" has a nice ring to it....
Posted by: Uncle Phester || 01/16/2010 16:39 Comments || Top||

#6  Well, Frank G., Coakley thinks Schilling is a Yankees fan, too.
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 01/16/2010 18:54 Comments || Top||


Obama's TSA Nominee Characterized Groups That Were Domestic Security Threats as 'Anti-Abortion' and Having 'Christian Identity'
(CNSNews.com) - Erroll Southers, who President Barack Obama has nominated to head the Transportation Security Administration, described groups that were a domestic security threat as being "anti-abortion" and "Christian-identity oriented."

The TSA, an element of the Department of Homeland Security, is responsible for the security of the nation's transportation systems, including commercial air travel. Southers made the remarks in question in a 2008 video interview with the Videojug.com Web site.
Posted by: Fred || 01/16/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  the only thing you can do is shake your head and possibly weep.... this is beyond ludicrous.
Posted by: abu do you love || 01/16/2010 0:21 Comments || Top||

#2  All I want to know is where the hell does Zero's Administration find all these monkeys ?
Posted by: Blackbeard Omomock5867 || 01/16/2010 1:45 Comments || Top||

#3  FWIW, he didn't describe them as 'having a Christian identity,' he described them as BEING Christian Identity.

CID. As in The Order. I would qualify such groups as domestic security threats.

BUT- CID groups are deeply isolated; they are socially unacceptable, and CAIR won't sue you if you insult them. I have a feeling that Mr.Southers embodies the 'cultural cringe' in the government that won't look the threat in the face.
Posted by: Free Radical || 01/16/2010 6:29 Comments || Top||

#4  Surprise meter please.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/16/2010 7:45 Comments || Top||

#5  #2 All I want to know is where the hell does Zero's Administration find all these monkeys ?
Posted by: Blackbeard Omomock5867 2010-01-16 01:45


#4 Surprise meter please.
Posted by: Besoeker 2010-01-16 07:45


My sentiments exactly.
Posted by: WolfDog || 01/16/2010 11:27 Comments || Top||

#6  When you have a slime-ball as "President", the rest of the slime feels no fear of finally coming out of the woodwork. These people make up at most two or three percent of the population, but 95% of Obumble's "friends".
Posted by: Old Patriot || 01/16/2010 14:52 Comments || Top||


Boston paper: Dem operative admits to cheating on Brown '04 state Senate race
The Boston Phoenix revealed a disturbing piece of information about the 2004 special election which sent GOP'er Scott Brown to the Massachusetts legislature. The article is about the conscience clause debate in the state, which embroiled not only Mr. Brown but also his daughters. After attacking Mr. Brown for introducing a bill with a conscience clause amendment as pay back to the Catholic Church for backing him in his 2004 election, the Phoenix gives a piece of information from an unnamed Democratic source about how dirty the 2004 special election for the state Senate appears to have been.(bolding is mine) :

In 2004, Brown won a special election to become state senator, despite the state Democrats scheduling the election to coincide with the Presidential primary, when Democrats would be flocking to vote for John Kerry. (As one Democratic operative recently put it to me: "We cheated, and he still beat us.") Brown then won a re-match in November, on the same ballot as Kerry vs. Bush.

There were at least four contributing factors to Brown's victories in 2004. 1) Brown is an outstanding campaigner (a fact the Democrats seem to have forgotten until about a week ago). 2) Brown, a state representative at the time, had a strong voter base compared to his opponent, who did not hold an elected office. 3) That Democrat, Angus McQuilken -- although one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet -- as a candidate is about as inspiring as a low-fat Twinkie. 4) That was the year that Massachusetts allowed men to dress up in tuxedos, put rings on each others' fingers, and smooch.

It should be noted that The Phoenix is indeed a liberal outlet. The paper, in fact, endorsed Ms. Coakley on Wednesday, so this article goes to show just how demoralized Coakley supporters have become.

The Brown campaign is looking for history to repeat itself in the election on January 19, and so far, the players involved have done a remarkable job mimicking the 2004 special election. Notice how the state Democrats may have used their power in controlling the scheduling of the election to give them the best advantage. While 2004 may have worked out in the end for Mr. Brown, does he presently have the perseverence and prudent strategy to deal with any possible post-election shenanigans?
Posted by: Fred || 01/16/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


Dem Rep. Vic Snyder of Arkansas Retiring
HT Mary Katherine Ham at WS Don't know if Snyder's seedy, but he's a Donk, so I like my odds. Looks like another GOP pickup. Rats - Ship - Sinking
Posted by: Frank G || 01/16/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  From a post above:

A new SurveyUSA poll conducted for the liberal website Firedoglake shows Rep. Vic Snyder (D-Ark.) trailing former U.S. Attorney Tim Griffin (R) 56-39

And another one's down, another one's down.......



Damn, they're going to have to jack up the suspension on that bus again.
Posted by: AlanC || 01/16/2010 9:13 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Jyoti Basu not dead yet
Kolkata: The condition of veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu continued to be “very critical' here on Friday with his kidney and heart functions deteriorating.

According to a medical bulletin by the hospital on Friday evening, his ventilation requirement has increased.

The condition of Mr. Basu, who was admitted with pneumonia to a city hospital on January 1, became very critical on Thursday.

Hospital authorities said his renal functions “received some support by dialysis' conducted on Thursday. A second dialysis was done on Friday.

“The situation is still critical. But some clinical parameters are fine,' A.K. Maity, one of the specialists on the medical board constituted by the hospital to monitor Mr. Basu's condition, told journalists outside the hospital.

“He is in renal failure and dialysis is being carried out to remove toxins that have accumulated in his body,' Dr. Maity said.
Posted by: john frum || 01/16/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:



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Sat 2010-01-16
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Fri 2010-01-15
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Thu 2010-01-14
  Hakimullah Mehsud drone zapped?
Wed 2010-01-13
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Sun 2010-01-10
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Sat 2010-01-09
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Mon 2010-01-04
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