Friday, April 28, 2006

 

Busy Week

It's been one of those weeks for me. The semester is winding down and I've got a number of items due. I spent the last week reading case studies concerning the use of instructional technology and trying to determine the best solutions to them. Yes, I know it sounds glamorous, but I assure you it's not the picnic it appears to be.

Anyway, I came across something today while I was searching for something else and I thought it was worth sharing. It's a passage from the Bible and it comes from Proverbs 6:16-19 which says:

I'll leave you to interpret that as you may.

Have a great weekend!

Monday, April 24, 2006

 

How Low Can He Go?

Poor, poor Georgieboy. His approval rating is beginning to resemble the weather forcast for Illinois in December. He's currently at 32% and falling.

How long before he breaks through into the twenties? Anybody care to make a prediction? I say July. What say you?

Friday, April 21, 2006

 

An Admission

It was reported today that a CIA officer was fired for leaking information to Dana Priest of the Washington Post concerning secret US prisons overseas. Allegedly, the officer failed a polygraph test and has admitted to "unauthorized discussions with the media in which the officer knowingly and willfully shared classified intelligence including operational information."

I don't have any comments on the case, but I do believe that this is a blatant admission of the existence of said secret prisons and, indirectly, the torture that was alleged to have taken place at these sites. It shames me to think that my country has stooped so low. As the saying goes, a fish rots from the head down. I blame our Republican leadership. Come November, they must be replaced.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

 

Albatross!


How bad had it gotten for Georgieboy? Check out the latest poll numbers from (of all places) Fox "News."

33%!? From Fox!? Holy shit! That's got to be like 25% from any real nonpartisan group. And what's worse? Even Rumsfeld is polling higher than Bush! Rumsfeld, for fuck's sake! He's polling at 35%. Honestly, how bad do you have to be doing to be polling BELOW Donald Rumsfeld? Unbelieveable.

And if you don't think people are taking notice of how poorly ol' Georgieboy is doing, you should see the latest political ads here in Illinois. Our incumbent Democratic Governor, Rod Blagojevich (D) has rolled out some new ads concerning his opponent, Republican Judy Baar Topinka. They run in two short segments, usually with another commercial in between. In the first one, Topinka is shown alongside Bush and Rove and the voice over calls her George Bush and Karl Rove's handpicked candidate. It goes on to quote her praising Bush and ends with the phrase "What was she thinking?" The second ad quotes Topinka endorsing Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy and calling a raise in the minimum wage a "give away." It too ends with the phrase "What was she thinking."

Bush has become an albatross around the neck of the Republican party. They're running away from him in droves. Topinka's staff has even publicly stated that they don't want to be seen with Bush. The year of the Democrat marches on!

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

 

What He Said

From the latest issue of Rolling Stone, Presidential historian, Sean Wilentz, offers his assessment of the tenure of George W. Bush. In short: WORST. PRESIDENT. EVER. Needless to say, I couldn't agree more.

Read the whole thing. It's worth your time.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

 

Down, Down, Down

The latest SurveyUSA Poll shows just how bad things have gotten for poor old Georgieboy. Eighteen months after his "mandate" and he can only manage a positive net approval rating in four states - Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Nebraska. Even his home state of Texas gives him a -6% net approval rating (46-51). Nevada, a state that went for Bush in 2004, now gives old George a -31% net approval (34-65). And what of those swing states Florida and Ohio? Florida is at -24% and Ohio is at -29%. In fact, of the thirty-one states won by Bush in the 2004 election, twenty-seven now give him an approval rating below 50%. Cough...Cough...Buyer's Remorse!..Cough...Cough!

November, 2006, is looking better and better. I've been saying it all year, this is the year of the Democrat.

Monday, April 17, 2006

 

Harbinger?

Twenty-eight months after his indictment and seven months after his trial began, former Illinois Governor, George H. Ryan (R), has been found guilty on 18 counts of racketeering, mail fraud, false statements and tax violations. Also found guilty was Ryan's close friend and lobbyist, Lawrence Warner. Warner was found guilty on 12 counts of racketeering, mail fraud, extortion, money laundering and evading cash-reporting requirements. It was a long, drawn-out trial but according to Assistant U.S. Atty. Patrick Collins, it had to be that way.

This is a good sign. Not because a Republican was found guilty, but because it shows that corruption in government will not be tolerated. As the Abramoff scandal grinds on at what appears to be a snail's pace, I think it's important to keep the Ryan trial and Collins' comments in mind. These are complicated crimes where there is no smoking gun, persay. Patience is important.

Whether it involves Democrats or Republicans, corruption needs to be rooted out and stopped. When our elected officials are putting their special interest groups ahead of the good of the nation, America loses. Today, the state of Illinois won. Hopefully this will be a harbinger of good things to come.

Sunday, April 09, 2006

 

WWJD? An Easter Story for Democrats

Have you ever really asked yourself, "What would Jesus do?" Well I think I've found the answer. Coincidentally, it has to do with the story of Easter. And if you didn't think Jesus was a liberal before, you will when you're done with this.

Today's Bible lesson, Brothers and Sisters, comes from the book of Matthew, chapter 21. It tells the story of Jesus as he entered the city of Jerusalem.

This took place on the Sunday before the crucifixion and the branches they are referring to are palm branches. Thus the reason for what is now known as Palm Sunday.

At this point in the story, it is important to understand that all of Jerusalem, including the temple, was under the control of Rome. In Jesus' time, the temple was surrounded by three courts. The outermost court was the court of the Gentiles and was open to any non-Jew who wished to worship. During the Passover, there were many sacrifices made at the temple but in order for the sacrifices to meet the requirements, they had to be purchased from the Roman temple vendors. In addition, visitors to the temple were required to pay the temple tax in the accepted Jewish currency, Consequently, there were Roman money changers in the temple as well.

So, back to the story...

Now you may be saying, "So what?" And I can't say that I blame you. I thought the same thing when I first read this passage. But last week, my wife's Sunday school class covered this exact Bible passage in a discussion about expectations. Each lesson in their series begins with a number of questions put forth for debate. This week, the first question of this lesson was as follows:

Naturally, the majority of the people in her class indicated that a good Christian would exhibit all of these characteristics. However, according to the David C. Cook Bible-n-Life series of books, none of these are characteristics of good Christians as is exemplified by the Bible verse from the book of Matthew. In fact, the Bible verse shows that Jesus didn't respect those in power because he believed that what they were doing was unethical. And to counteract this he rebelled. He dissented. He stood up in the face of what he thought was unjust. In short, Jesus was a activist.

If this doesn't fly in the face of the Republican party's McCarthyistic agenattitude, I don't know what does. I find it ironic that the party who claims to be the party of morals, ethics, and all things Christian, would have denounced Jesus as unpatriotic. He would have been barred from attending a GOP event; he would have been smeared in the media for his dissenting views; and he would have been labeled as a member of the far left and associated with the likes of Michael Moore. Hell, if he really was married as some have claimed, his wife may have been outed by a member of Cheney's cabinet. I think it's safe to say, Jesus would not have been a friend of the White House.

So the next time you're confronted with the question "What would Jesus do?" You can rest assured, he would have dissented against an unjust authority. Maybe the religious right is on to something. Maybe we all need to be a little more like Jesus, after all.

Friday, April 07, 2006

 

Squirming Scotty

As I watched Scott McClellan's press conference today, I was reminded of the old Abbot & Costello "Who's on First" routine. If only it were as funny as the original. I know it's long, but it's worth it just to see Scotty squirm.

It must be hard for Scotty to face the press when he knows the ship is sinking.

Thursday, April 06, 2006

 

The Other Shoe

Remember this?

Today, the other shoe dropped.

So now we know. It was all a big show. Bush knew all along and he put politics above integrity. Shameful. Truly shameful.

If this were any other administration I'd say this would be unthinkable, but with this group it's just par for the course. The question now is: Will the Republicans put their party above the country and defend him or will they develop a sense of decency and hold him accountable? Let's just say I'm not going to hold my breath.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

 

No Shit?

Who would have thunk it?

Link

That damned Al Gore. Turns out he was right after all.

Six years later and George W. Bush is still getting his ass kicked from that first debate.

Monday, April 03, 2006

 

Sunday Morning Talk Shows

Talk about opposites. Check out these transcripts of the right way and the wrong way to give an interview.

The right way: Sen. Russ Feingold on Fox News Sunday - Straight forward, decisive, concise

The wrong way: Sen. John McCain on Meet the Press - Flip-flopping, mealy-mouthed, uncertain

Remember when the Republicans held the upper hand? Oh, how times have changed.

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