The Liberal Doomsayer My blog deals primarily with national politics in the U.S. as well as, on occasion, local politics in Pennsylvania. From time to time, I may have something to say about sports and entertainment as well. I try to interpret information that shapes the news and provide context to current events. I am definitely left of center politically, but as far as I'm concerned, neither major party is perfect. Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 35 0 59 4457

Articles from The Liberal Doomsayer

Can You Feel The Excitement? 2007-10-04 09:28:00 I think I have a treatment available to anyone out there in need of relaxation, and you don’t even need Diazepam. This will mellow you out faster than a Kenny G retrospective.It’s called The Fred Thompson Campaign For President.As the New York Times notes here…Twenty-four minutes after he began speaking in a small restaurant the other day, Fred D. Thompson brought his remarks to a close with a nod of his head and an expression of thanks to Iowans for allowing him to “give my thoughts about some things.”Then he stood face to face with a silent audience.“Can I have a round of applause?” Mr. Thompson said, drawing a rustle of clapping and some laughter.“Well, I had to drag that out of you,” he said.And so charismatic and personable too, isn’t he? I guess he acquired a lot of people skills working in front of a TV camera for all those years...Mr. Thompson told few jokes and, while an easygoing presence, did not appear to have much interest in the small talk that is a st ...

No Hope For Casey 2007-10-03 15:30:00 And based on this story, the same for Baucus, Bayh, Bingaman (happy birthday, schmuck), Carper, Conrad, Dorgan, Inouye, Johnson, Landrieu, Levin (the guy who once came up with this, by the way, back when he acted like an adult), Lincoln, McCaskill, Mikulski, The Nelson Brothers, Pryor, Reed, Salazar, Tester and Webb also…I found out about this from The Daily Kos, and they noted that every single Republican voted against the Feingold amendment also. Hell, at least THEY can show unanimity for a cause, however unholy it is, as opposed to those idiots I try to help in my way (who seem to be stuck on this 28 or 29 number).And remember how happy we were to see Casey, Webb, Tester and McCaskill win so the Dems could get the Senate? All four sold us down the river again here on the war.Can someone explain to me again exactly why I should support the Democratic Party? ...

Ready For Your Close-Up, Dubya? 2007-10-03 14:34:00 Much like a trained seal trying to balance a beach ball on its nose in lieu of not knowing what else to do, our now-and-forever red state president open up his demagogic playbook again in a speech where he took another shot at “Hollywood values.”And I guess that’s a funny remark for people such as Robert Duvall, Ron Silver, Kelsey Grammer and Cicely Tyson, among other actors who supported Dubya in ’04.It’s really not worth my time to list all of the problems facing our nation and the world once more, and it really isn’t worth your time either for me to make you read about what you already know. It’s just sooo depressing to watch Incurious George continually try to present himself as an adult in a job for which he has continually been overmatched, imagining “issues” handed to him straight from the Republican National Committee while everything else disintegrates around him, and he remains oblivious.I’ll tell you what then, Dubya, as long as you think we should take y ...

What’s Some Stray Missiles Between “Friends”? 2007-10-03 12:34:00 According to this McClatchy news story, the Israelis have acknowledged that “its air force had struck an unspecified military target deep inside Syria in September.”And that’s about it. However, the McClatchy story offers this possibility…One of the latest theories is that North Korea told the United States it had sold nuclear technology to Syria , which prompted the U.S. to tell Israel that North Korea had sold nuclear technology to Syria , which prompted Israel to attack the North Korean technology in Syria . Follow?And as far as I’m concerned, telling Bushco about stuff like this is as good as telling the Israelis anyway.Personally, I think something else is going on here, as noted here by Daniel Levy of The Century Foundation via Ezra Klein, as follows (dated 9/7 right after the story broke)…There has been huge speculation in Israel, throughout the summer, regarding Syrian rearmament and possible military intentions. This might have been a way of dipping one's toe in t ...

Another Reason For Single Payer Care, Eh? 2007-10-03 11:32:00 To recap, here is the summary of what was accomplished in the settlement last week between General Motors and the United Auto Workers Union in the UAW’s 41-hour strike last week…The agreement, which ended a 41-hour strike against GM, shifts $51 billion in potential healthcare liability off GM's balance sheet, puts new workers on a lower pay scale, freezes wages but guarantees bonuses, promises to keep investing in U.S. production and limits how long idled workers get nearly full pay in a so-called jobs bank.However, this article from the Canadian Press tells us of the following impact on the Canadian auto industry as a result……the U.S. deal represents "a very dark day for the Canadian automotive sector," in the initial reaction of leading industry analyst Dennis DesRosiers."GM and very shortly Ford and Chrysler will have created about a $25-per-hour cost advantage to build vehicles in the U.S. instead of Canada," DesRosiers said shortly after last Wednesday's agreement.By the ...

Tuesday Videos 2007-10-02 23:03:00 Incubus ("Oil And Water," live at the 2007 KROQ Weenie Roast - not the whole band)......and Happy Birthday to Sting ("Russians" - don't need to add much, do I?).For more videos, please check the WeShow link from the home page. ...

Darrell Issa Threatens Henry Waxman 2007-10-02 22:20:00 Backgrounder is here (h/t Atrios) - sometimes their antics are so galling that mere words don't suffice when trying to describe them. ...

Methinks Thou Doth Protest Too Much 2007-10-02 17:56:00 I hate reading stuff like this (guess I’m just an old, moralistic, liberal stick-in-the-mud today).I have a question for Tara Kissane, the Director of Visual and Performing Arts for the Higley Unified School District in Mesa, AZ; did you actually ask any of the kids whether or not you should stop the production of “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged),” as noted in the story? Did they appear to be confused, scared, or offended somehow?As noted in the story…The play was produced by a New York-based touring company, Windwood Theatricals. Paul Bartz, the producer, said he was surprised to learn the performance was stopped.“It's a matter of interpretation, but they're surely not seeing anything on that stage that they're not seeing on television,” Bartz said Tuesday. “You might liken it to a 'Saturday Night Live' sketch on Shakespeare.”The group's Web site says it's a “whirlwind roller coaster tribute to the immortal bard. Three actors take on the d ...

Bucks, PA Dem Mash-Up 2007-10-02 16:41:00 I apologize for being a little late with this item, but Patrick Murphy came up with a great idea for those victims of flood damage in Bucks who need to file a claim with the national flood insurance program...On (9/27), Murphy pushed for a new federal office to help direct home owners and business owners through the often confusing national flood insurance program.The new federal post, which Murphy called the National Flood Insurance Advocate, would be an independent office within the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The new office is modeled after the Taxpayer Advocate Service, which helps Americans with tax questions within the Internal Revenue Service.“This office would fight for weary, rain-soaked families and businesses looking to rebuild,” Murphy said on the House floor Thursday afternoon.The office was included as an amendment in the Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act of 2007, which House members were expected to vote on late Thursday.This makes a whole lot mor ...

Whoops, She Won't Do It Again...Maybe 2007-10-02 15:27:00 I really don’t want to spend much time on this since it isn’t really my thing, but I received some interesting information that could pertain to the child custody dispute going on between Britney Spears and Kevin Federline from a lady named Bonnie Russell who, as noted here (last entry under “R”) publicizes the work of attorneys (mostly in a positive light, but not in the case of Ron Lais, who now resides at a correctional facility at taxpayers expense).The following is noted in the FindLaw article about the Spears/Federline case (describing a condition Spears must meet to regain custody of her two boys set by Superior Court Commissioner Scott M. Gordon)…The commissioner did say Spears must meet eight hours a week with a parenting coach, who will observe and report back to the court about her parenting skills.Both parents are prohibited from making derogatory remarks about each other in their children's presence, and from using corporal punishment to discipline them.(PA fami ...

Killing For Peace? 2007-10-02 13:05:00 The New York Times informs us here that…The United States maintained its role as the leading supplier of weapons to the developing world in 2006, followed by Russia and Britain, according to a Congressional study to be released Monday. Pakistan, India and Saudi Arabia were the top buyers.The global arms market is highly competitive, with manufacturing nations seeking both to increase profits and expand political influence through weapons sales to developing nations, which reached nearly $28.8 billion in 2006.That sales total was a modest drop from the 2005 figure of $31.8 billion, a trend explained by the strain of rising fuel prices that prompted many developing states — except those that produce oil — to choose upgrading current arsenals over buying new weapons.I’m honestly not trying to single out Times reporter Thom Shanker here, since this is good factual reporting on an issue that is vastly under-reported as far as I’m concerned.But assuming our goal is to aid forces le ...

Don't Know Much About History 2007-10-02 11:02:00 (Apologies to Sam Cooke…)In today’s News for Republicans, John McCain, enjoying that “bump” all the way to third place past Willard Mitt Romney in the contest for the Repug nomination for president, travels to Florida (noted here) to address “a broad spectrum of issues” according to U.S. News and World Report stenographer Liz Halloran.I hope that while McCain is traveling to Florida, he has a chance to read the U.S. Constitution; it most certainly does not specify that America is a “Christian nation” (here).And Rudy! is no doubt still basking in the love shown for him by South Philadelphia cultural troglodyte Joey Vento of Geno’s Steaks, seeing as how they both share such a love and respect for immigrants.As noted in the Inquirer story…Vento, who got national and international attention last year for posting a sign in the window declaring, "This is America. When ordering, please speak English."There are many reasons why this is the wrong attitude, but here are just ... History

"Talent On Loan From God," Huh? 2007-10-02 08:31:00 Check this out, Flush - another "phony soldier" for you (h/t The Daily Kos).Update: He should never have been on the network to begin with (here)... ...

Monday Videos 2007-10-01 22:44:00 Sixx:AM ("Life Is Beautiful," thanks to da Phils - still don't know yet if it will be San Diego or Colorado visiting on Wednesday)......and Happy Birthday to Mariska Veres of The Shocking Blue ("Venus," their Top 40 hit in about 1970, I'd say - wow, did you catch all that subliminal advertising going on also? Really deep, maan; looks like a few of them were on mushrooms or something).For more videos, please check the WeShow link from the home page. ...

A Judge Of History 2007-10-01 16:20:00 The New York Times informed us yesterday that the Supremes returned to do their business today, this being the first Monday in October and all that.As noted in the editorial…The case that will most test the court’s ability to rise above partisanship is a challenge to Indiana’s voter ID law. Indiana is one of a growing number of states that require voters to present a government-issued photo ID. Such laws have been billed as anti-vote-fraud measures, but there is little evidence of vote fraud at the polls. The Republicans who have pushed these laws are trying to make it hard for poor and minority voters, who are less likely than other groups to have drivers’ licenses — and more likely to vote Democratic — to cast ballots. The court has traditionally championed voting rights, but a conservative majority may boost Republican chances in 2008 by endorsing this disturbing barrier to voting.Of course, the Repugs scream about fraud at the polls to distract from the matter of voters ... History