I had bet my partner bush would blame Clinton for the bridge collapse, he blamed the Dems instead.  it's God's will that it's the dems fault..The Radical Fringe toons (new one every day)  http://www.comicssherpa.com/site/feature?uc_comic=cscwc - sign up for free e-mail subscription

The Radical Fringe toons:
http://www.comicssherpa.com/site/feature?uc_comic=cscwc

I'd love to send this to some of my friends.

wasn't there some news that Blackwater might be bought by the Chinese?  Would they still have the land in LA and CA  if sold to a foreign country?    How would that work since it is illlegal for them to exist on American soil?

Can you beleive this bastard? The days just aren't going fast enough to get rid of this child king. He doesn't even care about the loss of human life - all he can do is say "Mommy- the democrats pulled my hair...."

Thank God there are places to let steam off in blogs-  I did call my Fox watching ill informed mother who hadn't heard anything about the bridge - yet Fox was on in her room....incredible but Thom. you have answered many of our cries about when will the republicans get it--- and as you say-- when it affects them-- God pray this is it.

PS Where is Al Franken this morning! - we need to hear from him!

private has incentive to profit in a direction we do not want to work   Heartland Institute guy is mentally retarded!

Of course Corporate MSM coverage is going to be wall to wall on the tragedy of the bridge collapse.

Pushes every other story of import off the screen, like Karl Rove displaying his contempt for our Congress today by not obeying the command he received to apear in front of that body.

Interesting thing happened with White House Aide, J. Scott Jennings, who *did* show up.

He made a point of stating that he was 'only 29 years old.' at the outset of his non-testimony, as if, for some reason that meant a young shark like that swims in Karl Rove's waters is a frail and gentle creature that should be treated gingerly, because, like, if he was questioned too harshly, he might break down and cry, being that he's such a sensitive guy that knows how to quote Homeric verse describing a tough situation, instead of just saying 'rock and a hard place'.

I'm so impressed.

Not. 

Sara Taylor played this meek and mild Scarlett O'Hara, 'delicate flower' bit last month as well when she non-testified to Congress and presented herself repeatedly as a humble little girl who might have been in over her head, just like poor little Monica Goodling.

Right, and the main requirement that Big Dick Cheney was looking for in his Chief of Staff position when he was looking to fill it was that they had to be a 'nice guy, beloved by children and small animals' which is how Scooter Libby's supporters portayed him.

What is up with these people? 

They want to run the world, but yet can't stand up to a few impertinent questions?

What wimps. 

~Nyc Alberts, Digital Components
I'd Rather Be A Matin' Than A Hatin'

Thom,

Both you and your guest missed some important points regarding this policy proposal.

1) The reason there is a proposal on the table to help fund SCHIP with cigar tax funds is that the Democrats enacted PAYGO, which means that to pay the expansion of this vital program, these folks actually have to find a way to pay for it rather than to just whip out their Visa as Congress has done for the past six years.

2) This proposal is not just some wild scheme that the Democrats pulled out of their arses. It was initiated by lobby groups in Washington representing medical insurance companies. The righties will insist on making it seem like those tax-and-spend Democrats are to blame. But the truth is that this proposal CAME FROM INDUSTRY ITSELF. In fact, kids, it was a REPUBLIGOAT, not a Democrat, who introduced this thing.  

3) These dunderheads need to stop quoting the $10 per cigar figure like it's gospel. It's simply not the most common scenario for this proposed tax. It's the ceiling, not the required minimum. Using that figure as the quoted norm for this proposal is absurd.

http://www.ketchupisavegetable.net
http://www.leftblogistan.com

The market place will control peoples behavior.

The state should'nt regulate things like day cares. Regulations like how much staff per child or requiring straps on changing tables. The market will take care of it.

Scenario: Mom 1: "I take my child to Acme day care. They only drop children on their heads twice a week, not like XYZ day care where they drop them on their heads five times a week." Mom 2: "Well I take my child to XYZ day care, because they charge $10.00 less than Acme."

The market place can take care of everthing! 

 I suspect the "negotiations" on the new FISA bill are a sham. It doesn't matter what the bill says or how many safeguards are built in. The whole point, the ONLY point is to get a FISA bill in front of George Bush that he can add a signing statement to. The end result will be unlimited domestic spying without any oversight. And the Roberts Court will back Bush up.

-Mark 

http://bluehorde.blogspot.com

Pat Tillman was not so much a celebrity as an IMAGE..a positive one, that people could relate to. Calling him a celebrity in this day and age just cheapens him, I think...like drapes him with bling bling and tawdryness.  He is the first person to die that we really can put a face to in this war...and now with three bullet holes in this face...the American public can finally visualize what is happening, what we have wrought.  It is more substantial than "Celebrity".

You gotta be kidding me. 

I buy my cigarette tobacco by the pound in New York City, and it costs less than $20.00 a pound, with all Federal, State and Local taxes paid, whereas marijuana retails in the United States for a minimum of $5k a pound.

What's really being taxed here?

~Nyc Alberts, Digital Components
I'd Rather Be A Matin' Than A Hatin'

and all the things Thom listed, but ALSO, caused from no PUSHBACK from the Dems.

Alright, so Christy Harvey really makes one think.  Which is a big boon for me, as I try to avoid that as much as possible.  Here are the reasons:

1) She reminded me that two days ago some chick wearing high heels and a rather large cloud of Chernobyl perfume fell over while entering a convenience store that I frequent in order to secure Milwaukee's Best Light.  The lady lost her shoe, halfway ripped her skirt, and was very appreciative when I helped her recover the shoe and reorient the mat.  Samaritans live life large.  Like people who eat Purina One.

2) I also am once again struggling with the fact that I'm not an homosexual male, and still have to tolerate voices like hers.  Insights abound, and our collective personal journey is blah blah whatthehell shell mell what's going on I hate my parents and here's what I think about China and Pittsburg.  Like that.

and finally,

3)  Jello shots will never die.  Despite Bill Cosby's sweaters.  Keep the jello alive, Christy.  *fist in air*

    - Tromper 

jj Gudat
" Since When? " : "I want it, I want it" is a childs song on an alblum produced by Marlo Thomas!!
    Who gave it to Bush? Why and since when does the House and Senate ask how high? when he sings it. Exactly who do you WORK FOR Bush or 'We the People'? 

 Iraq spending:  $10 billion/month, $323 million a day, $13.4 million an hour, $224,014 a minute,  $3,734 dollars every single second - from source:

http://foxattacks.bravenewfilms.org/blog/5301-the-iraq-war-totally-the-b...

I work for MN/DOT, and we have gone from a very vibrant department, recognized world wide for our leadeship, to what amounts to a second rate follower with a very demoralized and overworked workforce. This is the result of the politics of our Governor and Lt. Governor/Transportation Commissioner. The four years under that moron Ventura did not help matters any either.

Our department staffing - with the exception of management, of course - has been cut to the bone over the past 8 years. We do not have the manpower to properly live up to our mission statement, if it still actually exists; I have not heard a word about it in years. In the winter, we have about 100 snowplows sitting idle statewide because we have'nt the people to drive them. Management's idea for making up the deficit of drivers is to get desk drivers to plow snow. Our Bridge inspectors have been complaining for a few years now that we are in a crisis relative to the conditiion of our bridges, with no funding to properly maintain them. In the meantime Pawlenty keeps borrowing money for huge highly visible construction projects, and patting himself on the back for all of the projects we have going while leaving a financial time bomb for the next Governor to deal with. Our roads are like swiss cheese and many will need major repairs when we finally get someone who is willing to fund their maintenance. Our Union, AFSCME, has been trying to get the message out, but mostly they preach to the choir. A very small choir at that.

A majority of the citizens of this state wanted to see a gas tax increase - we have not had one since 1988. Our legislature passed it in the transportaion budget. Our illustrious Governor vetoed it because he has taken a pledge to the Minnesota Taxpayers' League, a cabal of rich folks mostly from the western suburbs of the Twin Cities, who probably wouldn't know a tax if it bit them. Because of this veto, MN/DOT is operating under a 'lights on' budget for the next two years. This has also cost MN/DOT matching funds from US/DOT. To see him stand there and talk about his concern and how we need to have inspections statewide, just pisses me off. It is so cynical. He has not cared up to now, but since he is hoping for national office, he is trying to shine up his image. Don't forget, this is the guy who forced an unprecedented shutdown of the Government  two years ago.

Fellow Air Americans, DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THIS MAN, if he were to be elected to the White House - a residence to which he reportedly aspires - we'll see more of the same that we have had for the past 7 years. All he cares about is his rich base of supporters. Watch this guy in the coming years and just say NO.

Illinois does not have budget problems now because of the  corruption that the Heartland Institute guy mentioned (largely Republican corruption in recent memory).  Thirty years of Republican state government starved this state.  Under Dems, things are looking up.  But cleaning up after elephants is not pretty.

Second, this guy and others are engaging in post hoc propter hoc reasoning.  There was no indication of structural problems with the bridge, he says, therefore inaction was justified.  Well, obviously it had structural problems so, if his allegation is true, then it's time to change the definition of structural problems!