Bush spent the weekend at Camp David huddled with Miers, who remains his White House counsel and is therefore in charge of the judicial selection process, along with Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr., who originally advocated Miers as the choice to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. As the three talked, White House officials contacted prominent conservatives to test the reaction to various candidates.

One group consulted was the Concerned Women for America, whose decision to oppose Miers last Wednesday became one of the final blows to help kill the nomination. Janet M. LaRue, the group's chief counsel, said it received a call from the White House on Saturday and liked what it heard.

Thank GOD there's no litmus test.

Kimberly, my ex of a few years ago and subsequently married, is pregnant. Congrats, Kim!

The girl is a fundamentalist Christian. Which means this is (a) Wicked Fucking Important to her and (b) this is probably the first of many.

*ducking. (Already called first dibs on being the crazy stoner uncle.)

Ella, my ex of a few yess years ago, was just Friday night proposed to and accepted. Congrats, Ella!

I, your tireless word dangler, am still spending my weekends reading the Washington Post along with every blog that might have an opinion on what thay did or did not say.

Libby was indicted yesterday. Veep-creep Cheney chipped in on how important it is to not jump to conclusions.

"In our system of government an accused person is presumed innocent until a contrary finding is made by a jury after an opportunity to answer the charges and a full airing of the facts... Mr. Libby is entitled to that opportunity."

Funny, that's the same argument you reject in the case of Guantanamo Bay.

Caught my first snowflake on my tongue today. It was about the size of a half-dollar.

First, please do me a favor and watch this. It's a simple, blunt and concice (about two minutes) explanation on how the Rove-Plame CIA leak jeopardized whole swaths of undercover operations, the lives of individual agents and the willingness of agents to put themselves at considerable risk for this country.

What's amazing is that it's not an anti-Bush/Rove rant, it's just a brief breakdown of what all this means and why. No partisanship. Just raw facts.

Angelina Jolie says she wants more kids. Anyone have her publicists number? I want to help.

It seems Exxon -- you'll remember these folks not only as being providers of gas but destroyers and subsequent avoiders of the Alaskan coast -- has posted a quarterly (read; three-month) profit of 9.9 billion dollars. It's a corporate record. How is that possible? I thought all these price hikes were legtimate acts of passing on higher costs.

I mean, I knew that Bush was Big Energy's puppet. I just didn't realize how far they had their hand up our great leader's puckered asshole.

I actually had a few bucks to spend on clothes this week. Purchased some jeans. Some of you might remember me at a size 40. I was pushing 42 at one point. I bought 34's. They're a bit loose.

And Ella, don't fret. In the last three days I've had two coffee rolls, an untold amount of egg+cheese Dunks sammiches and enough candy corn to choke a mule. Trust me. I'm eating. =)

Some of you might remember when Clinton fucked an intern.

Getting laid -- even when you're married -- isn't a crime. But Clinton lied about it. And the right-wing lost their minds. Called it "High Crimes and Misdemeanors."

So what are we to make of Republicans trying to paint potential obstruction of justice and perjury charges as being a whole shitload to do about nothing?

"...if there is going to be an indictment that says something happened, that it is an indictment on a crime and not some perjury technicality..."

     - Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX)

Hypocricy? Political near-sightedness? I like to think of it as chest-thumping, god-fearing conservatives just being themselves.

Because publically exposing an undercover CIA agent as one isn't that important to the health of the nation. But getting your dick sucked is. It has to do with character.

Oh, here is some interesting news. Studies seem to be showing that THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, counteracts the cancer-causing elements in smoked cannabis.

This is a four-parter. It was also written over the course of 36 hours, so bear with me.

(1) The Roman Catholic church held a synod consisting of 250 biships to shore up church policy on things like whether or not priests should be allowed to marry in order to shore up their dwindling numbers. "No."

They also discussed whether or not politicians could be denied communion if they support laws antiethical to the church.

But no blanket recommendation was made on whether the politicians should be denied Communion, with a final proposal saying local bishops "should exercise the virtues of firmness and prudence taking into account concrete local situations."

The issue gained attention during the 2004 presidential campaign when St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke said he would deny the Eucharist to Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, a Catholic who supports abortion rights. Other church leaders said they were not comfortable denying Communion and the U.S. bishops' conference is studying the issue.

The concusion here is clear. If a politician answers to another government -- and Rome is a foreign government -- then they are unelectable. You either answer to the American people or you don't. If your ethical obligations prevent you from fulfilling that duty, then it prevents you from fulfilling that duty.

Transitive property. Learned that one around fifth grade.

(2) Some of you may have heard (and it's funny how many of you haven't) that Judy Miller, a New York Times reporter of considerable and dubious fame, was released from prison after her source in the Valerie Plame/Joe Wilson leak case sent her a letter indicating that she could reveal her source for the leak. That source happens to be "Scooter" Libby, Cheney's right-hand man.

Judy claimed she initially refused to testify about her source for the leak in front of a grand jury because she was not convinced Libby's previous lawyer-delivered 'you may reveal your source' offers were uncoerced. After eighty-five days in jail, Libby personally sent Judy another letter indicating he was OK with her testifying about the leak.

Just yesterday, in responding to her own editor's public and published lament that Judy had blurred the journalistic line by way of personal "entanglement" with Libby, Mrs. Miller insisted that her relationship with Libby was purely professional.

Here's where it gets interesting.

In his letter to the jailed Miller in which he released her from her journalistic obliation to protect her source, Libby felt it was relevant to note that all other journalists interviewed by special prosecutor Fitzpatrick had cleared his name.

Why would Libby feel the need to release Judy from her obligation to protect her source only to preface that release with the observation that nobody else had implicated him?

Even more cryptically, Libby added, "Out west, where you vacation, the aspens will already be turning. They turn in clusters, because their roots connect them."

If Libby had written "the leaves will be changing color soon" who would have thought twice about it? But to talk about the root entanglement angle? Miller's roots are in Washington politics and have been for years. I'd buy it if she was hearing from a distant grandmother with a penchant for horticulture minutae. Not when it's an aside written by a highest-level White House figure under scrutiny and possible indictment to a reporter who apparently has information implicating the same.

For all the neocons rolling their eyes, would they be rolling if this was Clinton's administration?

If this doesn't qualify as a "keep your mouth shut, we're all in this together" code, what would?

Have I mentioned that Fitzpatrick, the special prosecutor, is a Bush appointee? Makes it a real bitch to paint him as a partisan hack with an agenda. Bush himself has commended Fitzpatrick for handling himself and this investigation professionaly.

Call me nuts but I read that bit of poetic license as "everyone else has kept their mouth shut and everything will work out just fine if you keep yours shut too."

(3) Speaking of which, every time I see a Bush/Cheney bumper sticker I coo "you're gonna be indicted." This is accompanied by a little dance.

I'm sure it looks very strange.

(4) Saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was good. No comparison to the original, though. But really they should have called it Michael Jackson Spends Every Scene Looking Alternately Confused, Bemused and Annoyed While Telling Four Very Annoying Kids To Fuck Off.

But if they did that you wouldn't have to see the movie.
_______

"Hey, swings! ... But it still sucks!"

            Ella

Saw Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

I want to kiss whoever decided that them being shot at between stanzas of Girl from Impanea was a good idea.

Not deep by any stretch but yeah, loved it.

Oh, I completely forgot to credit Taylor with the crumbly bumbly definition post. That's all him.

I fucking hate it when people take credit for stuff that they didn't come up with. Don't want to be that guy. =)

Have you ever relied upon someone you know you shouldn't, did anyway, then regreted it? Again.

These lines are extracted from the IM log but not themselves edited in any way.

[18:13] bodhiFive: A friend of mine didn't realize that the screws on either side of a video monitor connector need to be unscrewed in order to remove the plug. She ripped the plug and some of the pins clean off the video card, which is attached to the motherboard. So I'm trying VERY hard to find a half-height agp or pci video card of pretty much any quality to get her going again. Whenever you have a sec.
[18:22] mike: I can give you a card but can't chat now.
[18:25] bodhiFive: Hm. Ok, well I can certainly pay you for it. I've been allocated $60 for the card itself. Just kick me when you have some time. Or email me, either or. MUCH appreciated.

Next day.

[14:37] mike: I'll have to dig up a card for you.
[14:37] mike: They're obselete.
[14:42] mike: I'll send what I can find.
[14:42] bodhiFive: Ok. Thanks Mike. Just please keep me informed because this person is a little impatient despite them being the knuckleheads that ripped out the video connector.

Next day.

[23:04] bodhiFive: You found one???
[23:06] mike: Yeah, I have one.

Later in the day.

[03:40] mike: What exactly is a "half-height" card?
[03:40] bodhiFive: Oh shit.

Then comes the patented 'sorry but it's really your fault,' followed up with the 'I'm pissed at you for accusing me of being unreliable' bit he's well-known for. And I mean REAL well-known. I pointed out his pattern of bullshit and he feigns ignorance. This is amusing because (a) he knows full well and if he didn't (b) he knows precisely who to ask and (c) the answer he'd get.

I remember having a sinking feeling in my stomach when I contemplated even asking him for help. Actually felt a little guilty about that when Mike said he found one and would definitely ship it the next day.

Now I feel guilty for being a chump and relying on him.

I've told him that any contact would need to be predicated on a real apology. This is for my sanity, not my ego. He's pathologically incapable of saying "I'm sorry." So there is no risk of falling for his bullshit again unless I forget.

Again.

This warms my cockles.

"I have a need to ...I wonder what it is. I think it's that you told me ...see, my father must have really instilled on me ...there's nothing worse than the lie. That's our generation. There's nothing worse than a lie, "just don't lie to me, do anything else..." ... So apparently my father wrapped it in solider than other people so when I see the lie ...I don't want it to be that way.

"You said that, do that."

     - Lenny Bruce

This is why I both love and hate politics.

[19:13] jameson: You know what makes me very happy
[19:14] jameson: It makes me happy that I can start buying whole seasons of Magnum PI on DVD
[19:15] bodhiFive: You are truly antiquiated.
[19:15] jameson: Dude, TV doesn't get any better
[19:15] bodhiFive: Yeah, and dance hasn't progressed as an art since Dannie Terrio tore up the small screen.

For all of you who felt that highschool just wasn't your speed despite being bright enough...

Seriously. Read that. And note who penned it.

Crumbly Bumbly ('krum-blee-buhm-blee) adj.: Having a state conducive to becoming crumbly. A thing can be called crumbly bumbly if it's degradation resembles that of cookies but can generally encompass any suitable baked good whose structure breaks down unrecoverably when low-to-moderate axial torque is applied.

Southwest Airlines decided to boot a woman and her husband from a flight because she refused to reverse her "Meet the Fuckers" t-shirt with a picture of Bush and Condoleeza Rice.

I've always been amazed at people who get hung up on language. Almost 2,000 dead, no problem, but "fucker?" That's gotta go.

I'm heading to West Virginia at some point in the near future. You can bet your ass I won't be flying SWA.

If you feel the same way, call their customer support number at 214-792-4223.

Tom DeLay, one week ago:
"My defense in this case will not be technical or legalistic. It will be categorical and absolute."

Tom DeLay, today:
"Mr. DeLay and his aides insisted that the weakness of the case was on full display on Monday when Mr. Earle sought the new money-laundering and conspiracy counts, after Mr. DeLay's lawyer had sought to have the original conspiracy charge dismissed. Mr. DeLay's argument was that the exchange of campaign money in question occurred in 2002 and that conspiracy was not made a part of the relevant criminal statute until 2003."

A legalistic defense keeps looking better and better every day, huh Tom?

But wait, there's more! The Associated Press reports:

DeLay was first charged with conspiracy to violate the state election code, which bans the direct use of corporate money for political campaigns. His lawyers filed court papers Monday attacking that charge on technical grounds.

You may have noticed a comment to a previous post from a person representing STOPTHEACLU.COM. He "skimmed" my entry, replied that I did a "good job" and then pimped his ridiculous blog.

(BTW, I strongly encourage everyone to head to this site. It's funnier than Lewis Black on a bender.)

Through a series of email exchanges this guy admits he didn't actually read my post before congratulating me. This goes a long way toward explaining his entire site, actually.

THEN this half-wit decides to add me to his email spam list, a practice even the most Jolt-addled AOL-connected script kiddie knows not to engage in.

Out of raw curiosity, I head back to his site to see if he's bitched about the exchange. Nothing about our exchange, but the top post is a blurb about a schoolmom who is upset that her son's Halloween celebrations are being tweaked in a perceived nod to political correctness.

The anti-ACLU guy, looking more like Larry Holmes than Sherlock Holmes every minute, starts bitching about how this is all the ACLU's fault.

So here it is.

Open Letter To a Fucking Idiot

The mom writes:
“Ok, obviously they’re trying to avoid an “establishment of religion.”

…and then she provides no proof whatsoever that this has ANYTHING to do with the ACLU and claims it’s “obviously” an avoidance of religious themes.

In nearly every case of Halloween activities being cancelled, it’s due to conservative, Republican Christians complaining about it's pagan themes. In fact I can’t think of a single exception.

There is this neato site called Google.com. Go there. Type in [Christians complain halloween]. 277,000 pages come up.

That you’ve managed to ignore every one of those instances and blame this one on the ACLU absent any supporting evidence that they’ve had anything to do with this WHATSOEVER is Yet Another Testament to your world-class idiocy.

You, sir, are a f*cking moron. Sure, you’ll delete this post, but it’s the kicked dog that yelps, eh?

Here’s an amazing idea — how about contacting the school yourself and asking what happened? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want you to be confused by the truth, but …I don’t know, maybe it would be a good idea to do more than play knee-jerk jester for the dozen or so folks who both read this site and jerk off to Ann Coulter.

Just a thought.

Jobs. Going back to school. Learning guitar, learning drums. Relationships.

Some fucking day I'll be good at something.

Chris Rock says white people say they'd vote for Colon Powel but they don't really mean it. I would. Because the guy has a conscience.

I've had about zero ambition for the last ...three week. It's wearing on me.

Smoking again. It's not hard to quit. Yeah, I can hear the laughter now but it's a hell of a weight control mechanism. I actually ate a 11oz roast beef sandwich the other day. Meat. THAT'S hard to quit. Cigarettes aren't shit.

It's already getting cold. I haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate cold. In fact I can't think of too many things I'd enjoy less than being cold for more than three or four minutes. I'd be out looking at the stars right now if it was warm.

I have two weeks of vacation accrued. Every day I think two things.

These two weeks have to last until September, so don't use them too soon.

You know, I could have had this entire week off.

Addendum - Sen. Orrin Hatch, a former LDS bishop who does not drink, has taken more money from wine, beer and liquor groups this year than any other congressional candidate.

Raise your hand if you're surprised.