Thursday, September 25, 2003

David Limbaugh Full of Shite?

What is the world coming to... What WILL we tell the children? How WILL we explain to them that the very Christian Limbaugh is bearing false witness?

The Party of Personal Responsibility

Ah, a lovely tale from Arizona...

Jim Irvin, the embattled Arizona Corporation Commissioner who faces an impeachment probe, resigned Tuesday afternoon. He is also suing the state to cover for his legal fees in a civil trial in which he was slapped with a $60 million judgment for trying to influence a takeover bid of Southwest Gas.

Irvin’s lawyer, Jeff Walsh, said Tuesday afternoon the resignation takes effect immediately. Walsh said Irvin "has found it increasingly difficult to pursue his legal remedies in the courts and, at the same time, defend himself in an impeachment process.”

The announcement came as Irvin’s attorneys prepared to file a claim against the state to recover legal fees and to shield him from being financially liable for actions while in office.

...

The House's impeachment investigation has centered on Irvin's role in the 1999 takeover bid of Southwest Gas by Southern Union. Officials say Irvin and Rose worked behind the scenes to scuttle Southern Union's bid in favor of a smaller bid by a company called Oneok. Rose stood to make millions as a consultant if Oneok's bid succeeded.

Southern Union sued, and late last year a federal jury hit Irvin with a $60 million punitive-damages award, one of the largest civil penalties in history.

Even Fox has him at 50

Timber...

Holy Crapetan

So, I'd previously read Digby's post having a bit of fun at William Saletan's expense I thought it was a joke though -- you know, a kind of "shorter William Saletan" post. Then I discovered Saletan actually wrote this paragraph:

If you want to see the tricks of the right exposed, read Somerby. If you want to hear the tricks of the left exposed, listen to Limbaugh. But if you don't want to get trapped inside either wing's echo chamber, read Slate.

And, if you want to find out the tricks of William Saletan, read the Slate corrections page...

Time to Profile Whitey

Evidence that not only does racial profiling of minorities happen, but that it isn't, as our friendly neighborhood bigot Dinesh D'Souza would call it "rational," but an ineffective law enforcement tool. Minorities are stopped and searched more often, even though stopping and searching whites has a much higher payoff.

Get Up Get Up Get Get Down

9 1 1 is a joke in yo town!
Today:



Q Sir, in February of 2001, your Secretary of State said that the sanctions against Iraq had prevented Saddam from developing any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction. A year-and-a-half later, before the U.N., you called Saddam a grave and gathering danger. And I'm wondering, what changed in that time? Was it the nature of the threat? Did you get new intelligence? Or did 9/11 put a new -- set a new playing field for those --

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, the Secretary of State said the same thing, as well, that Saddam was a threat. Nine-eleven changed my calculation. It made it really clear we have to deal with threats before they come on our shore. You know, for a long period of time we thought oceans could protect us from danger, and we learned a tough lesson on September the 11th. It's really important for this nation to continue to chase down and deal with threats before they materialize, and we learned that on September the 11th.


You better wake up and smell the real flavor
Cause 911 is a fake life saver

A Letter from a Dixie Chick

Here. She's good.

More Moon

The author of the recent Salon article about Moon has some more things to say.

Maybe it's time to bring back Moonie Mondays.

Arnold Yesterday

Link.

We should model ourselves after Texas.


If I were a candidate, I might use that in an ad...

(thanks to reader sl)

Marshall Plan

For a little perspective, in current dollars the Marshall Plan cost about $80 billion over four years. (other sources put it anywhere between 75-100 billion)


Compare that to what we're spending in Iraq.

Compare them both to what we're spending in Afghanistan.

Moon Bush in England

This sounds fun.

New Jobless Claims Sort of Down

Wampum has the details.

UN (mostly) Pulling Out

Sandbox is all yours, George.

Busy Day...

You can get much bloggy goodness from the links to the left.

Wednesday, September 24, 2003

Bush 3/17/03

Link.

In the case of Iraq, the Security Council did act in the early 1990s. Under Resolutions 678 and 687, both still in effect, the United States and our allies are authorized to use force in ridding Iraq of weapons of mass destruction. This is not a question of authority, it is a question of will.

Last September, I went to the U.N. General Assembly and urged the nations of the world to unite and bring an end to this danger. On November 8th, the Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 1441, finding Iraq in material breach of its obligations and vowing serious consequences if Iraq did not fully and immediately disarm.

Today, no nation can possibly claim that Iraq has disarmed. And it will not disarm so long as Saddam Hussein holds power.


No Guns, No Cash

Oops.

Oops 2.

California Debate

Arnold, Arianna, and Camejo really are just a goddamn freak show. As much as McClintock is repellent, he's at least behaving himself. Bustamante's playing the honest statesman game, which probably won't win him any points, but won't lose him any.

The moderator is, uh "fair and balanced," and I don't mean that in a good way.

Bugger

Panic setting in:

We are slowly becoming frantic. I hear people saying they are going to begin hurting themselves or others if they can't go home. The helplessness our soldiers are feeling is indescribable, it is past the point of "suck it up and drive on." We just want somewhere to drive on to.

The UN Speech Through the Fabulizer

David E. of Fablog translates Bush's speech for us.

The Arnis Unveils a Cunning Plan

Here we go:

Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled a plan yesterday that aims to clean up government by banning fund raising during budget deliberations and taking redistricting away from the Legislature.



Nor do we find him forward to be sounded,
But, with a crafty madness, keeps aloof,
When we would bring him on to some confession
Of his true state.