Dyre Portents The Rantings and Ravings of a Radical Moderate Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 0 0 64 6343

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Political Quiz Results 2007-06-24 19:58:11 Found a link to this "political quiz" via TMV's Center of Attention. Too many either/or questions to be wholly accurate but what they hey...Your Political Profile:Overall: 45% Conservative, 55% LiberalSocial Issues: 25% Conservative, 75% LiberalPersonal Responsibility: 75% Conservative, 25% LiberalFiscal Issues: 75% Conservative, 25% LiberalEthics: 0% Conservative, 100% LiberalDefense and Crime: 50% Conservative, 50% LiberalHow Liberal Or Conservative Are You? ...

The Blogging Will Continue Until Morale Improves 2007-06-24 15:17:39 This post will be randomly updated and bumped up as the week continues and then be deleted prior to my sweetheart's return.I have 5 days days alone due to a teachers conference in Dallas. This will invariably lead to a higher number of blog posts this week. Since I rarely go that long without some sort of supervision invariably I start doing things that aren't tolerated around the house like:Eat nothing but sausage for 24 hours.Get Bandit (her dog) and the cat drunk and see if a catdog really is possible.Have a BBQ and only invite the neighbor's dogs.Do a rain dance so I don't have to mow the lawn.Call local microbreweries and see which ones offer home delivery.Practice raising an undead army on roadkillThe above list will be updated at a whim.Note: Items listed in red may or may not have happened. I reserve the right to maintain plausible deniability at all times.Day 1:9:30am The reality hasn't quite set in due to lack of coffee.10:07am Annoyed cat for half an hour with laser poi ... Blogging

Rice: Sudan must stop trying to limit Darfur force 2007-06-24 13:58:32 By Arshad MohammedReutersSunday, June 24, 2007; 8:30 AM PARIS (Reuters) - Sudan must stop trying to "scale back" a hybrid international force for Darfur, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said as she flew to Paris for talks on the humanitarian crisis in the western Sudanese region.The aim of the force is to stop the violence in Darfur, where international experts estimate 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been expelled from their homes in more than four years of strife. Sudan says 9,000 people have died.Sudan on June 12 agreed to a combined United Nations and African Union peacekeeping force of more than 20,000 troops and police but many diplomats doubt Khartoum will keep its word. moreTo stay up to date on the crisis in Darfur please visit The Blog Coalition for Darfur ...

Iran Cracks Down on Dissent 2007-06-24 13:51:55 From the NY Times:By NEIL MacFARQUHAR Published: June 24, 2007 Iran is in the throes of one of its most ferocious crackdowns on dissent in years, with the government focusing on labor leaders, universities, the press, women?s rights advocates, a former nuclear negotiator and Iranian-Americans, three of whom have been in prison for more than six weeks. The shift is occurring against the backdrop of an economy so stressed that although Iran is the world?s second-largest oil exporter, it is on the verge of rationing gasoline. At the same time, the nuclear standoff with the West threatens to bring new sanctions. The hard-line administration of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, analysts say, faces rising pressure for failing to deliver on promises of greater prosperity from soaring oil revenue. It has been using American support for a change in government as well as a possible military attack as a pretext to hound his opposition and its sympathizers. moreThe regime in Iran has e ...

Gordon Brown named Prime Minister 2007-06-24 11:08:09 From the BBC:Tony Blair has handed the leadership of the Labour Party to Gordon Brown at a special conference in Manchester. He personally thanked Tony Blair who he said had "made Britain stronger, more tolerant, prosperous and it has made Britain fairer". He also praised John Prescott and former leader Neil Kinnock for leading the party "out of the wilderness". He described Britain as a "country of rising aspiration," saying voters had told him they wanted a "higher class" of public services "tailored to individual needs". But he told activists: "The party I lead must have more than a set of policies, we must have a soul." Victory speech He pledged not to return Labour to the past - and said he wanted make education and tackling the housing crisis his top priority. Jus ...

Ron Paul Excluded in Iowa 2007-06-23 00:37:46 From Transworld News:Monroe, Ga. 6/22/2007 7:46 PM GMTGOP presidential candidate Ron Paul has been blocked from an upcoming political forum sponsored by Iowans for Tax Relief and the Iowa Christian Alliance because he is not a ?credible? Republican candidate. At least that?s what Ed Failor Jr., vice president of ITR commented when asked why Paul was left off the June 30 event. Failor told the Des Moines Register ?We invited credible Democratic and credible Republican candidates,? he went on to say ?we had to draw the line somewhere.? While Ron Paul doesn?t have a campaign office in Iowa the decision to leave him out of the event was called ?weak? by Paul?s campaign chairman Kent Snyder. articleConsidering that depending on what pundit one listens to no GOP candidate has a chance of winning therefore Ron Paul is just as inviable as any other candidate. Besides that is no way to treat an internet superstar. ... Ron Paul

Fred Thompson Ready to Run? 2007-06-22 23:57:26 WSMV-TV: Thompson Announcement Set For NashvilleFred Thompson is set to announce that Nashville will be the home of his national campaign headquarters, WSMV is reporting.A source close to the campaign planning tells WSMV that that Thompson planned to announce his candidacy on the steps of the historic Fall School Building Tuesday, but Thompson campaign officials deny that Tuesday's announcement is an official run for the White House.The source tells WSMV report says that the Thompson campaign has obtained the lease for that building to turn it into a national campaign office."Everything's in place for tuesday," the source told WSMV. "There are three major events built around his announcement." But Bob Davis, the Tennessee Republican Party Chairman, and Thompson's former Chief of Staff says "There will not be an annoucement Tuesday." moreThis is the most concrete speculation to date folks. Frankly I'm hoping he won't run. I don't like him and I have no good reason why. What I do ...

'Sicko' leaves top Democrats ill at ease 2007-06-22 16:54:47 WASHINGTON ? With the release of Michael Moore's "Sicko," a movie once again is adding sizzle to an issue that's a high priority for liberal politicians ? this time comprehensive health insurance for all. But unlike Al Gore's film on global warming, which helped rally support on an equally controversial problem, "Sicko" is creating an awkward situation for the leading Democratic presidential candidates.Rejecting Moore's prescription on healthcare could alienate liberal activists, who will play a big role in choosing the party's next standard-bearer. However, his proposal ? wiping out private health insurance and replacing it with a massive federal program ? could be political poison with the larger electorate.At a special screening in Washington this week, politicians, lobbyists, media pooh-bahs and policy junkies flocked to see Moore's film. And its slashing demand for action on an issue that voters care deeply about, and Democrats hope to capitalize on, generated plenty of buzz ...

My First Award 2007-06-21 23:10:09 I am the proud recipient of The Open Minded Blogger's Awardwhich was awarded to me by The Maiden over at Hell's Handmaiden."This award is given to Blogs that demonstrate respect towards others, research and consideration of oppossing views, free-flowing conversation with commenters, and an overall spirit of civility and openess. It is time we recognize such commendable behavior on the internet."I'd like to thank him for the honor.I'll have to post my five later as figuring out exactly who to put into slot no. 5 is proving troublesome. ...

Unity08 and Bloomberg: Perfect marriage? 2007-06-21 20:03:46 From The Politico: Few in the political world are more keenly interested in the ramifications of "Mike's Big Move" -- as New York's Daily News proclaimed Mayor Michael Bloomberg's decision to sever his ties with the Republican Party -- than former Carter White House official Gerald Rafshoon. He and his partner, Hotline founder Doug Bailey, are the proud parents of Unity08, a group conceived to offer an alternative to next year's Democratic and GOP nominees by building a "coalition from the middle" through an online convention. And Rafshoon told Politico that Unity08 has been holding secret conversations with three candidates interested in running for Unity08's nomination.(snip)The party's platform has been focused on offering solutions to globalization, campaign finance reform, the national debt, energy independence and terrorism. Bloomberg touched on some of those issues Wednesday when he told reporters at a New York news conference that "the big issues keep being pushed to the ...

Dept. of Homeland Security Hacked 800 Times 2007-06-20 23:21:53 DHS acknowledges own computer break-ins By TED BRIDIS, Associated Press Writer The Homeland Security Department, the lead U.S. agency for fighting cyber threats, suffered more than 800 hacker break-ins, virus outbreaks and other computer security problems over two years, senior officials acknowledged to Congress. In one instance, hacker tools for stealing passwords and other files were found on two internal Homeland Security computer systems. The agency's headquarters sought forensic help from the department's own Security Operations Center and the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team it operates with Carnegie Mellon University. In other cases, computer workstations in the Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration were infected with malicious software detected trying to communicate with outsiders; laptops were discovered missing; and agency Web sites suffered break-ins. The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Bennie Thom ...

Obama finding new allies: Republicans 2007-06-20 19:21:02 Many cite war in Iraq, spirit of political unity as issues June 19, 2007 BY JENNIFER HUNTER Sun-Times Columnist There is an interesting phenomenon that has arisen over the last few months: a trend of moderate Republicans who want to vote for Barack Obama. It may seem counterintuitive, conservatives supporting a candidate who wants to tax the wealthy and embrace the conventions in the Kyoto Accord, but there is something in Obama's message about ridding politics of partisanship that is appealing to these Republicans. He doesn't carry the baggage of a Hillary Clinton. He is new; he seems authentic -- although his connection to indicted fund-raiser Tony Rezko has made some previous supporters wonder -- and he has more gravitas than pretty boy John Edwards. The Republicans who like him may have supported John McCain in the past, but after eight years of the Bush White House they feel they can no longer support the Republican field. The idea ...

Bloomberg Leaves GOP 2007-06-19 22:50:29 From the NY Times Blog:Michael R. Bloomberg, a longtime Democrat who switched to the Republican Party to run for mayor of New York City in 2001, announced this evening that he is changing his party status and registering as an independent. His office released this statement at 6:05 p.m. (EST): I have filed papers with the New York City Board of Elections to change my status as a voter and register as unaffiliated with any political party. Although my plans for the future haven?t changed, I believe this brings my affiliation into alignment with how I have led and will continue to lead our city.A nonpartisan approach has worked wonders in New York: we?ve balanced budgets, grown our economy, improved public health, reformed the school system and made the nation?s safest city even safer. We have achieved real progress by overcoming the partisanship that too often puts narrow interests above the common good. As a political independent, I will continue to work with those in all political pa ...

Suicide Bomb Teams Sent to the US? 2007-06-18 22:57:52 From ABC News:Large teams of newly trained suicide bombers are being sent to the United States and Europe, according to evidence contained on a new videotape obtained by the Blotter on ABCNews.com. Teams assigned to carry out attacks in the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Germany were introduced at an al Qaeda/Taliban training camp graduation ceremony held June 9. A Pakistani journalist was invited to attend and take pictures as some 300 recruits, including boys as young as 12, were supposedly sent off on their suicide missions.(snip)U.S. intelligence officials described the event as another example of "an aggressive and sophisticated propaganda campaign." Others take it very seriously. "It doesn't take too many who are willing to actually do it and be able to slip through the net and get into the United States or England and cause a lot of damage," said ABC News consultant Richard Clarke, the former White House counterterrorism official. full articleIf true, at least ...

Sudan 'backs UN-led Darfur force' 2007-06-18 12:36:58 From the BBC:Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has agreed unconditionally to a joint UN-African Union peacekeeping force for Darfur, diplomats have said. South Africa's ambassador at the UN, Dumisani Kumalo, said Mr Bashir backed the move after a meeting with Security Council envoys in Khartoum. Sudan agreed to allow the 19,000-strong force earlier in the week but ultimate control has been a sticking-point. Violence in Darfur has killed more than 200,000 people and made 2.5m refugees. An existing AU force of 7,000 troops has struggled to contain the conflict. Much of the violence has been linked to clashes between government-sponsored Janjaweed militias and Darfur's rebel groups. moreI'm not at all inclined to believe he'll keep his word given the history. So pardon me for not rejoicing. Hopefully this time will be different but I doubt it. ...