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: 2 0 54 4452

Articles from The Liberal Doomsayer

Friday Videos 2007-07-27 23:25:00 To make note of the fact that the charges against the assailant of Ray Davies were dropped today (two hearings had been scheduled for the guy who shot Davies in the leg; the guy was also charged with snatching the purse of Davies' date - next time, let the guy have the dough, OK Ray?), here's "Till The End Of The Day" from the '60s (sorry about the quality, but I think this is one of their best songs).Kaiser Chiefs ("The Angry Mob")......Elvis sings "Viva Las Vegas" of course, from the legendary songwriting team of Mort Shuman and Doc Pomus; the latter would have been 82 today......Thompson Twins ("Doctor, Doctor" - actually, based on the way the stock market has been acting sick over the last couple of days, I think it needs a "house call" in whatever form that may take)... ...

Mitt's "Chain" Stupidity 2007-07-27 16:36:00 I have to pick my spots when it comes to saying anything about Willard Mitt Romney, I know; he just provides so much nonsense to refute that I can’t possibly answer all of it.Instead of refuting his idiotic criticism of the tax proposals of John Edwards in this story, though (a “new bike”?), I want to take issue with what he said about illegal immigration, to wit…"I ... don't think it makes sense to have an immigration policy that says that if an illegal couple — a couple that comes across the border illegally — has a child here, that child becomes a U.S. citizen, that then the whole family gets to come in, if you will, through 'chain migration'," he said.I conducted numerous searches using the terms “chain” and “migration” in the context of illegal immigration into this country, and I found nothing, which isn’t surprising (the term actually reminds me of that scene in the Woody Allen movie "Take The Money And Run" where the members of the work gang are all try ...

Get Something Cheap From Costco 2007-07-27 15:15:00 A thought for today, based on this story…Why is it so apt that this person requires some kind of mechanical device to assist or replicate the function of what otherwise would be performed by a normal human heart? ...

Where The Rubber Meets The Road (7/27/07) 2007-07-27 15:01:00 As reported in last Sunday's Philadelphia Inquirer, here is how Philadelphia-area members of Congress were recorded on major roll-call votes last week.(Back after a one-week hiatus...)HousePolice, firefighter unions: Members granted, 314-97, limited union rights to police, firefighters, corrections officers and other public-safety personnel in all states. It authorizes bargaining over wages and benefits but which bars strikes and lockouts.A yes vote was to pass the bill (HR 980).Voting yes: Robert E. Andrews (D., N.J.), Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.), Michael N. Castle (R., Del.), Charles W. Dent (R., Pa.) Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), Jim Gerlach (R., Pa.), Tim Holden (D., Pa.), Frank A. LoBiondo (R., N.J.), Patrick Murphy (D., Pa.), H. James Saxton (R., N.J.), Allyson Y. Schwartz (D., Pa.), and Christopher H. Smith (R., N.J.).Voting no: Joseph R. Pitts (R., Pa.)Not voting: Joe Sestak (D., Pa.)So just remember – in addition to everything else Joe Pitts opposes, he also opposes the right of al ...

The Drug Isn't The Only "Pill" Here 2007-07-27 14:11:00 I don’t think I’ve ever posted on this topic, but I honestly don’t understand how pharmacists are allowed to get away without selling the Plan B “morning-after pill” that has about an 89-percent success rate in preventing conception when taken within a 72-hour timeframe after intercourse.Oh, I’m very familiar with the religious and moral beliefs on the part of people who object to Plan B. And that’s a little surprising to me, actually, since the people who feel this way are usually anti-choice zealots who believe that a woman’s uterus is community property. They of all people should be happy to hear about something that reduces the possibility of an abortion.I was reminded of this by this story of a lawsuit by pharmacists in Washington State who object to filling prescriptions for the pill on moral and religious grounds (I don’t know of anyone in any occupation, by the way, who has ever filed suit for being told to do their job unless some kind of discrimination or ha ...

A Lesson In Right-Wing Bias 2007-07-27 11:39:00 The photo above is of a scenic spot in the Cayman Islands, a favored location for corporate cheats who wish to dodge paying U.S. taxes. It definitely pertains to this article from Dan Morgan of the Washington Post that appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer yesterday.The story has to do with a bill sponsored by the U.S. House that ran into a host of objections from Republicans and ended up facing the inevitable veto threat from President Clouded Vision (who just seems permanently attached to that veto pen any more, by the way...and here's more).As the Inquirer notes…In addition to paying for traditional farm programs, the bill provides billions of dollars over the next decade for conservation, research on biofuels, and nutrition programs such as food stamps. There is new money for organic farmers, fruit and vegetable snacks for schoolchildren, and rural development.At a Capitol Hill rally Tuesday attended by dozens of farm-state lawmakers, lobbyists and representatives of advocacy gr ...

The Expert In "Clouded Vision" 2007-07-27 10:42:00 Here’s a test…“Now, I know that the car bombs that take place tend to cloud people's vision.”I don’t have to communicate to you the name of the person who uttered that brainless quote, do I?Despite that, I’m actually going to look seriously for a minute or two at one of Dubya’s familiar refrains when he speaks in front of typically sympathetic audiences (or, in the case of some of our military, audiences who have no choice but to listen and go along with the blinkered musings of this intellectual pigmy).That quote and other typical partisan nonsense (along with his typically lame attempts at humor and endless acknowledgements of his friends) can be found in the transcript of his speech at the Marriott Downtown in Philadelphia yesterday, but he also spoke about the apparent success that has transpired from “the splurge” in Anbar province.This New York Times article confirms that the preznit has a little something to crow about here (of course, give him an inch and he ...

Wednesday Videos 2007-07-25 22:42:00 Collective Soul (Ed and Joel from the band, anyway, performing an acoustic version of "Heavy" at a promotion for WMMR here in Philadelphia)......Happy belated birthday to Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth ("Dirty Boots" - ah yes, the "club days" live again)......Happy belated birthday also to John Hall, former lead singer of Orleans and now a U.S. House rep from New York's 19th district (appearing in the following clip with former president Bill Clinton; click here to learn more)......and 42 years ago today, Bob Dylan "went electric" at the Newport Jazz Festival with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, driving some folkie purists into hysterics, and with that in mind, here's "Idiot Wind" live from 1976 (a tune from "Blood On The Tracks"; hard to find something live from 1965 to put up, but this shows Dylan in good voice - well, for him; many great things about the man, but let's face it, there are better singers out there). ...

Gimme Some "Factor" Friction! 2007-07-25 16:48:00 (By the way, no posting tomorrow, in case I forget to mention it later.)With this post title, I mean to restate my loathing and disregard for Bill O’Reilly (yes, I know; take a number and sit down).Not because he is a shameless, abusive propagandist. Not because he is a pompous, intellectual wastrel of a human being. Not because he is a falafel-abusing egomaniac (link here - #4 on list).No, no, no.It is because, despite my attempt to goad him (here) into decrying me as some type of liberal vermin in his demented eye, he has steadfastly refused to do so.Gosh, I almost feel insulted.Well, would it help if I published a list of his advertisers (here; hat tips to kos and Prof Marcus…what a shame; I thought favorably of Dell computers up to this moment – you can also click to a petition telling these folks what you think of their support for this nematode).I should probably back up a bit here and note that this latest dustup started when O’Reilly and fellow traveler Michelle Malkin ...

Giving Progressives A Bad Name 2007-07-25 14:43:00 This column by Mark Schmitt appeared in the New York Times yesterday; I wasn’t familiar with Schmitt, but the bio with his column states that he is a senior fellow at the New America Foundation.The group (as noted here) is, “a nonprofit, post-partisan, public policy institute that was established through the collaborative work of a diverse and intergenerational group of public intellectuals, civic leaders and business executives” that seeks to “bring exceptionally promising new voices and new ideas to the fore of our nation’s public discourse” (and the fact that the group is to be headed by the fine New Yorker writer Steve Coll is promising).Given all of this, it sounded as if Schmitt’s column would be worth my time. Unfortunately, it was not (and here are some dubious excerpts)…While the absence of policy detail in the Republican presidential campaign is remarkable, Democrats go too far in the other direction. Their campaign has entered the season of plans, the period ...

Get God Out Of The Picture 2007-07-25 13:27:00 (When it comes to the Iraq war, that is…).I bring you this excerpt from today's New York Times in an article by Jim Rutenberg and Alissa J. Rubin (try not to gag)…In sessions usually lasting more than an hour, Mr. Bush, a committed Christian of Texas by way of privileged schooling in New England, and Mr. Maliki, an Iraqi Shiite by way of political exile in Iran and Syria, talk about leadership and democracy, troop deployments and their own domestic challenges.Sometimes, said an official who has sat in on the meetings, they talk about their faith in God.“They talk about the challenges they face being leaders,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss private conversations. “They, of course, also share a faith in God.”I don’t know about you, but I don’t know of anyone who “share(s) a faith in God,” who also initiates a pre-emptive war based on lies that ends up getting over 3,600 of our people killed as well as many more than that in ...

Edwards Marginalized Again 2007-07-25 10:08:00 For someone who runs a political/news blog (primarily) like this one and supports the Democratic Party, I’ll admit that I probably should have been watching the YouTube debate on Monday night among the Democratic presidential candidates. However, it is practically impossible for me to watch prime-time TV of any kind for a variety of reasons, so I have to rely on other sources.So to try and determine what exactly went on, I first read this blog post from Dick Polman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Aside from noting that John Edwards was asked a question about gay marriage, I could detect no other mention of Edwards in Polman’s summary.Polman’s post, aside from that, belabored the point that Hillary Clinton didn’t define “liberal” in a way that satisfied him somehow, and also noted again that she is somehow emerging as an anti-war hawk in the eyes of our august corporate media despite the fact that she mistakenly voted to authorize the war (though she had a lot of company, incl ...

Dumbya Alert 2007-07-24 17:06:00 As noted here, President Brainless is scheduled to appear in Philadelphia this Thursday at the Marriott to speak at the “Thomas Jefferson Freedom Break- fast” (the real Jefferson, no doubt, would have no time for Dubya whatsoever).The Marriott Downtown is located at 1201 Market Street (you would be a few blocks south of the Convention Center and the Reading Terminal Market if you want to get there to protest…just a thought).Should be a nice day, but hot, so bring lots of fluids so you don’t get dehydrated.(And I’ve been falling down on my quota I know, so I’ll try to make up for it here: Impeach Bush/Cheney and Impeach Bush/Cheney.)(And of course, if President 25 Percent Mandate somehow finds himself in need of porn – hard to want to imagine that, I know – he should thank Mitt Romney for that, as noted here and here. ...

Some People Can’t Afford A Computer 2007-07-24 16:38:00 (Which means "right off the bat" that they could never read this, but it still needs to be pointed out...).As noted here, J. Russell George, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, stated recently that the Internal Revenue Service screwed up in a major way when it eliminated the TeleFile program for filing tax returns in 2005.(I realize this probably isn’t a burning hot issue because tax returns are probably the last thing on people’s minds this time of year, but it’s important to note this anyway.)See, the IRS decided that maintaining the TeleFile program (by which someone files their returns by phone) was too costly to maintain, and they thought that when the program was eliminated, everyone would then turn automatically to filing returns via the Internet. Well, as a result of this miscalculation, low and middle income taxpayers are paying millions of dollars in fees to file their tax returns, as noted in the story.And it’s not as if the illustrious (warning: sarca ...

"Fun" For The Whole Family 2007-07-24 15:55:00 I posted without saying much regarding the Senate “race” between incumbent Repug John Sununu in New Hampshire and former Dem governor Jeanne Shaheen yesterday, but based on this story, maybe I should pay a bit more attention to that state…BOSTON – A planned Republican fundraiser in New Hampshire aims to promote gun ownership in America by letting supporters fire powerful military-style weapons – from Uzi submachine guns to M-16 rifles.The Manchester Republican Committee is inviting party members and their families to a “Machine Gun Shoot” where, for $25, supporters can spend a day trying out automatic weapons, said organizer Jerry Thibodeau.“It's a fun day. It's a family day,” said Thibodeau of the Aug. 5 event. “It's quite exciting.”…“It is downright offensive,” Chris Pappas, the Manchester Democratic party chairman, told the Union Leader newspaper.I agree, of course.I know the motto of the state is “Live Free or Die,” and I admire the mentality of r ...