Gonna be a long Monday
Sittin’ all alone on a mountain
By a river that has no end
Gonna be a long Monday
Stuck like the tick of a clock
That’s come unwound – again
– John Prine
Sittin’ all alone on a mountain
By a river that has no end
Gonna be a long Monday
Stuck like the tick of a clock
That’s come unwound – again
– John Prine
Just skim some off the campaign contributions: WashPo
As if the whole idea isn’t bad enough on it’s own:
These GOP thieves all need to get kicked to the curb…
Is this above board theft, or sloppy burglary?
I think Congressional salaries should be tied to the federal minimum wage. If it goes up, then theirs can go up… proportionately. And retroactively, since obviously, the mininum wage has fallen a bit behind.
On the other hand, maybe it’s those paltry congressional salaries that drives them to be so desperately poor that they are forced to accept charity from industry PACS, whom they then naturally feel some sense of obligation towards…
See, publically funded elections would make their insufficient salaries go so much further… right?
</snark>
congressional salaries to the minimum wage. I am convinced that this would insure that the minimum wage is a Living One, and as a bonus, it might even spark a transition to public servants serving the public instead of corporations.
For example, if the congressional salary is to be four times the minimum wage, the congress would be empowered to decide whether to vote for a Living Wage for the lowest-paid workers, or care for their own families and themselves on $20/hour.
You both definitely have my vote for that!
And of salaries, here’s an interesting comparison.
Well, some make $13,700 an hour while a full-time worker earning minimum wage cannot afford a 1 bedroom apartment anywhere in US at market rates,…
Some gravy.
BTW: I’ll be using my bicycle at lot from here on in. Oil prices hit $71.40 per barrel today. Be prepared for prices going higher, and if we attack Iran, we’re in deep, deep cold shit.
Full Article
What an amazing writer she was, sharp, insightful and witty.
K-I-S-S-I-N-G…AP/Yahoo
Why, he’ll do just about anything to be Preznit, won’t he?
It’s both disgusting and amusing how the GOP grovels before that Bible-banging sack of poo Pat Robertson.
I wanted to call this one the Falwell fellatio routine. Oops, I just did. š
I cannot imagine how there are any Democrats left who are still tricked into believing this man is a moderate. I keep trying to explain to them…::sigh:: McCain is a wingnut in and of himself, no matter how much he used to like to talk moderate, and he’s a total kissass to the Big Daddy Wingnuts.
Me too Indy, I keep telling people it’s not what these bastards say but check how they vote..and McCain was always in the ultra conservative voting camp.
We’re not the only people noticing the similarity with the push to war in Iraq; looks like folks in the UK have too: The Guardian
Yep.
About abstinence-only programs making their way into mainstream medicine via medical student “education” funded by the Congress and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Ah, my tax dollars at work, supporting the Religious Reich. via Feministing
link to WaPost article… may be behind free registration.
Richard Holbrooke’s take on the spate of former generals opposing Rumsfeld is incredibly insightful and informative. It’s worth a read.
The calls by a growing number of recently retired generals for the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld have created the most serious public confrontation between the military and an administration since President Harry S. Truman fired Gen. Douglas MacArthur in 1951.
[snip]
First, it is clear that the retired generals — six so far, with more likely to come — surely are speaking for many of their former colleagues, friends and subordinates who are still inside.
[snip]
Second, it is also clear that the target is not just Rumsfeld. Newbold hints at this; others are more explicit in private. But the only two people in the government higher than the secretary of defense are the president and vice president.
[snip]
This has put President Bush and his administration in a hellish position at a time when security in Iraq and Afghanistan seems to be deteriorating. If Bush yields to the generals’ revolt, he will appear to have caved in to pressure from what Rumsfeld disingenuously describes as “two or three retired generals out of thousands.” But if he keeps Rumsfeld, he risks more resignations — perhaps soon — from generals who heed Newbold’s stunning call that as officers they took an oath to the Constitution and should now speak out on behalf of the troops in harm’s way and to save the institution that he feels is in danger of falling back into the disarray of the post-Vietnam era.
[snip]
If more angry generals emerge — and they will — if some of them are on active duty, as seems probable; if the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan does not turn around (and there is little reason to think it will, alas), then this storm will continue until finally it consumes not only Donald Rumsfeld. The only question is: Will it come so late that there is no longer any hope of salvaging something in Iraq and Afghanistan?
link
ROME – The conservative religious group Opus Dei has asked for a disclaimer on the upcoming film based on the best-selling novel “The Da Vinci Code.
Opus Dei, portrayed as a murderous, power-hungry sect in the novel by Dan Brown, wrote in an April 6 letter to Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE – news). that a disclaimer would show respect to Jesus and to the Catholic Church.
Give me a freaking break. All I know is that Little Ricky Santorum is a proud member of Opus Dei. The more you learn about this organization the freakier it gets. They are truely bizarre.
also in today’s news:
There’s been speculation that Alito along with Scalia & Thomas might be Opus Dei members. There’s even suggestions (not as credible, IMO) that Judge Roberts might be a member as well.
Intrepid ‘journalist’ Robert Novak has also been rumoured to be a member.
Tourist district littered with debris as Nepal protests grip the capital
here is a little round-up of the news in the world of oh shucks for us all. HOpe your Easter was good. Have to get showered and off to work. hugs and hope to catch up with you later on.
here
Thanks!
And in other developments..
Roosters give up on foreplay
You have just confirmed my already low opinion of roosters…and my hens agree:
So I guess it is hard to find a good rooster these days.?…
A tiny desert owl is about to be taken off the federal government’s endangered species list, drawing praise from developers but protests from environmentalists. The cactus ferruginous pygmy owl is only about 6 inches long and weighs in at less than 3 ounces, but has been at the center of a battle between environmentalists and developers for more than a decade.
Astronomers tracking Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 report that the near-Earth object continues to break apart, with at least 20 fragments now approaching the planet for a close encounter next month. In the process of breaking up, pieces of the comet actually have grown brighter as they approach Earth and the sun. More here and here.
Scientists have found that organic nitrogen (such as amino acids from the breakdown of proteins in soil) is more important for plant growth than previously thought and could contribute to maintaining biodiversity in grasslands. Until recently it was generally believed that the most important source of nitrogen for plants was inorganic nitrogen.
Researchers in the United States and France believe ultra thin layers of graphite may be the basis for new electronic devices, after finding the material has electron transport properties comparable to those in carbon nanotubes. More details here.
They’ve done the seemingly impossible in Mexico City: They’ve cleaned up the city’s famously polluted air, at least somewhat. It’s still bad, but it used to be the worst on earth. Details here.
The remarkable luck of NASA’s Mars rover mission continues as the ailing Spirit rover reached a safe site to weather the Martian winter. At first, controllers tried to move Spirit up a north-facing slope so its solar panels could gather maximum sunlight during the approaching winter. When that attempt failed, they quickly designed an alternate route. Meanwhile, the Opportunity rover finished examining sedimentary evidence of ancient water at a crater called Erebus, and now is rapidly crossing flat ground toward a much larger crater called Victoria. [Cool photo of what’s believed to be water-deposited rock layers is at the link.]
Prozac, estrogen fertilizer, pesticides, anti-bacterial soap and countless other chemicals pour into the ocean off southeast Florida, shot through sewer pipes and washed off lawns, golf courses, roads and farms. Data indicate they’re likely to be harming coral reefs.
Since I’m getting ready to pick up my taxes, cry, sign them, and mail them, I really like the idea of shifting away from taxing income and instead taxing fuel and vehicles…and making those folks driving Hummers and Suburbans pay the price instead.
Thanks for the roundup, KP!
Can I get a convertible?
Link
come in red? š
“I’ve got a dinky little wang” laments Rummy.
“Shuck this” says Bush.
Har Har – Thanks SN. I would never have made it through today’s news bucket without your contribution.
Damn those roosters!
Today is tax drop dead date. Thinkprogress provides this link. GO see how Cheney beats Barbara Bush.
That’s some double dipping. Profit from the war through Halliburton – stock options increased in value, 3,281%. That $2.3 mil check is like a half a cent to average Joe and Jill.
Well the rich get richer on the backs of the poor.
What’s the word? Disgusted that NOT a cent went to a single Katrina charity. And he’s the vice.