Bugman's Aide Guilty

Well, Tom Delay [or as I prefer to call him, the bugman] has just inched a bit closer to prison. Prosecutors announced today that Tony Rudy, one of the bugman's top aides when he was House Majority Leader, has agreed to plead guilty to fraud charges and violating the one-year lobbying ban on former government workers.

According to papers filed in U.S. District Court, Rudy took payments from Jack Abramoff and then helped to stop a gambling bill opposed by Abramoff's clients. When working as a lobbyist, Rudy helped arrange a golf trip to Scotland for Rep. Ney and others. Rudy is expected to enter his plea today in a scheduled court hearing.

One-by-one, the bugman's criminal friends are going down. It was bad enough for the bugman when Abramoff went down. Even though the bugman denies it, they were friends and Abramoff knew some of the bugman's dirty little secrets. Well, it gets even worse for the bugman now. Rudy worked in the bugman's office. If anybody knows where all the bodies are buried, it would be him.

Things just got hotter for the bugman. You know that part of the plea deal was that Rudy would be honest about others for the prosecutors. Bugman already has pending state charges in Texas. If we are lucky, he may soon have federal charges to deal with also. I can hardly wait!

Not A Horse Race

For the last few elections, the main-stream media has been doing something that really pisses me off. They have been reporting on our elections as though they were horse races.

The media is quick to tell us who is ahead and who is behind. They even drag out polls to back up their assessment of who's winning or losing. But, does this tell a voter anything he needs to know before voting? Not unless the voter is so shallow that they only want to vote for a winner. However, most people do not vote this way. Most people want to vote for someone who'll do a good job.

But how do you find out who'll be the best man or woman for the office? Don't count on the media to tell you. You will get no info on a candidates beliefs, relevant experience, or solutions to the country's problems. Of course, any scandal will be covered. The media love those as much as they love polls.

Others have made this same complaint, but nothing has changed. It is far easier to report a "horse race", than to give voters what they need. Since the media refuses to fix this problem, I suggest we help them out.

I propose a new law. We should make it illegal to take or report on a poll in the last 60 to 90 days before an election. Perhaps if the "horse race" information is not available, the media will go back to reporting on issues and qualifications. At least, I hope they would.

You gotta be kidding!

It's not often I find myself shouting at the TV screen, but last night was definitely one of those nights. Speaking about the immigration bill that has sparked nationwide protests, Bush acted like a giddy teenage girl while talking about the "tamper-proof" identification cards that will be given to temporary workers.

I simply chuckled to myself at his first mention of the cards, but as he kept repeating the words "tamper-proof," my blood started to boil. Finally, after the fifth or sixth mention, I was on my feet.

"What fucking planet are you on, Georgie?!" I yelled. "Tamper-proof ID cards my ass! It's about as hard to tamper with an ID as it is to counterfeit money! I'll bet your cards aren't on the street for a full day before one is 'adjusted' to fit someone's needs! What a jackass!"

Realizing that Georgie's stupidity is nothing new, I calmed down and took my seat again. I mean, hell, living in Texas, I've had to put up with this man for half of my life. I shouldn't be surprised at his lack of common sense.

I should have changed the channel, though, because when he started talking about how easy it will be for cardholders to go back and forth across the border, I was right back on my feet again.

"Oh, come on! I've crossed the border, and even as a citizen with a valid ID, I didn't find it to be an easy or pleasant experience! Yeah, sure Georgie, it may make it easier crossing if they hire a COYOTE to bring them back! Fuck!"

I don't know how the hell he does it, but Georgie certainly has mastered the art of bringing the bitch out of me!

Bugman Wants His Gun

Do you want the bugman, Tom DeLay, carrying a firearm? Because of his legal problems here in Texas, Fort Bend County Justice of the Peace Jim Richard suspended the bugman's right to carry a concealed weapon. The Texas Department of Public Safety had presented a copy of the bugman's indictment to the Justice of the Peace and asked that the license be suspended. Neither the bugman nor his attorney were at the January 26th hearing.

But now the bugman wants his gun back. On March 14th, the bugman's attorney filed court papers to appeal the suspension of the license. Once again, the bugman thinks the laws are for others and should not apply to him. After all, he has already told us, "I am the government".

Some people want us to believe that the poor bugman is being mistreated by that mean old prosecutor in Travis County. At the latest "War on Christians" rally, Rev. Rick Scarborough compared the bugman's troubles to Jesus' crucifixion and said "God always does his best work after a crucifixion". What is wrong with these people?

The bugman is not a martyr and he is not being mistreated. He is a criminal who is being called to task for his crimes. Texas law says no gun permit for those indicted or convicted of a crime. This law applies to everyone, bugman included.

Tuesday Idiot Blogging

CC: Acme Pizza, Euless, can I help you?

customer: Um, yeah. Can you tell me how much tea comes in your quart?

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CC: Acme Pizza, Euless, can I help you?

customer: Is this the Euless store?

Bush Wanted War

Is there anyone out there who doesn't believe that Bush wanted the Iraqi war? Well, we have a new bit of evidence with the release of the British memo about the meeting between Bush and Blair about three months before the war began.

The memo says Bush not only wanted the war, but discussed several ways to get it done, such as painting a plane with U.N. markings and flying it over Iraq. If Saddam fired at it, he would be violating a U.N. resolution. The only reason you would trick someone else into firing the first shot in a war would be because you want the war to happen. When Bush tells us he did not want war, HE IS LYING.

Another point made in the memo is just how out-of-touch from the real world our president is. In the memo, Bush is heard saying that the war would only last a few days and he further believed that Iraq's ethnic and religious divisions would not be a problem. He could not have been more wrong.

Bush lied to us to get in the war, and he's still lying. The first lie was because he wanted to go to war. The second lie is because he doesn't know how to get us out of the war. It is time for americans to stop listening to the liar in the White House. It is time to bring our troops home.

Granny Recruitment

Associated Press

Saugus,Calif.- Sonia Goldstein was flattered by the nice recruiting letter asking her to consider becoming one of "the few, the proud." But at age 78, she believes she's just a little old to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps.

"I couldn't believe it," Goldstein told KCAL-TV on Friday. "My girls were sitting here...we were in hysterics, we laughed so hard."

The letter told her the corps could use her unique language skills, but also warned that life as a Marine would test her physical and mental abilities "beyond anything you've ever known."

"There I am with my walker. I can't maneuver from here to there without it," said Goldstein, who added that her only language is English.

"I'll do whatever I could for this wonderful country we live in," she said. "But you know, this is kind of stretching it a little bit."

The marines ordinarily recruit people 18 to 27, said Maj. Joseph Kloppel, a corps spokesman. He said the letter must have been sent by mistake.

"Seventy-eight is obviously too old," Kloppel added.

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Well, hey! If the Marines need any cooks, I have an 80-some-odd-year-old grandmother who can cook a mean roast!

Stealth Candidates

Last night, I was discussing with another blogger just what should and what should not be in the democratic platform or in approved democratic resolutions. My web friend thinks they should leave out controversial items like "gay marriage", so their candidate doesn't have to defend these issues on the campaign trail, especially in very conservative areas. I don't agree.

I believe this is why the democrats have not done well in the last few elections. A few years ago, the party became infected with the idea that in order to win they must hide and not talk about some of their more controversial beliefs. They believe the only way to win is to move toward the right wing [even Hillary is guilty of this].

This explains why they took liberal candidates like Gore and Kerry and completely stripped them of their liberalism, thus creating a "stealth candidate", devoid of detectable beliefs. They then expect these "stealth candidates" to attract votes. It just doesn't work that way! People will always choose the devil they know over the devil they don't know.

George Bush didn't win in 2004 because most of the voters agreed with his programs. He won because the voters didn't have a clue who Kerry was or what he believed in. They may not have liked Bush, but at least they knew him. The democrats will keep on losing until they learn this lesson.

Americans expect a candidate to stand on his own two feet, tell them what he thinks, and be willing to defend his beliefs. They don't understand or trust a candidate who hides his beliefs or appears to have none.

I hope the democrats can cure themselves of this disease soon. The country really needs a second political party.

Clueless in D.C.

Well, it looks like Georgie has given up in Iraq. He told us a couple of days ago that the war would last into the next president's administration. Oh, he's still spouting the party line about how we're winning but the media won't tell us about it, but it looks like the truth may be sinking in to Georgie's thick skull.

Georgie has recognized the mess we have in Iraq, and he doesn't have a clue what to do about it. The only thing he can think of to do is to let more of our soldiers die over the next two years until a new president is elected. He is out of ideas, which is probably good, since the only ones he had were all bad anyway.

Georgie doesn't have the maturity or the honesty to admit the horrible mistake he has made. His pride will kill many over the next two years.

Let us impeach this fool and bring our soldiers home. It is past time.

In Memorium

Cuban musician Pio Leyva, of the Buena Vista Social Club, died Wednesday of a heart attack. He was 88-years old.

He will be greatly missed.

Who Is Chris Bell ?

Who is the democratic candidate for governor? Do you think the people of Texas know? Just out of curiousity, I asked friends and others today who the democrats were running for governor. Most of them could not tell me his name [his name is Chris Bell]. The ones that did know his name were reduced to silence when I asked what Mr. Bell believes in.

This is a big problem for the democrats this year in Texas. People just do not know who Chris Bell is. We found out in 2004 that people will vote for a person they don't really like before they vote for a person they don't know. Evidently, the democrats failed to learn this lesson.

This year it's a four-way race for governor and all three of the other candidates are much better known than Chris Bell. Unless the democrats can find a way to remedy this, they might finish the race as far down as third or fourth place. But, the democratic party in Texas is just a pale imitation of a real political party. They've gotten so used to losing that they have come to expect it and don't seem to have a clue how to turn it around.

As you may know, I am a Kinky Friedman supporter. But I am still saddened by the pitiful plight of the democrats in Texas. We now live in a one-party state.

Left-Wing Swift-Boaters ?

I am a supporter of Kinky Friedman for governor of Texas. I became familiar with Kinky when I purchased his album [Sold American - Kinky Friedman & the Texas Jewboys] in the early seventies. I have read and own most of his books. I have come to know Kinky through his work and his appearances over the last thirty years, and I just like this guy. Kinky is the kind of guy I'd like to drink a brew with and discuss the world's problems.

Do I agree with Kinky on everything? No. But I've never seen a politician who I agreed with on everything. At least I know who Kinky is and what he believes, and I will feel comfortable voting for him.

Now, the Burnt Orange Report has started the slime campaign against Kinky. In an article posted on 3/21/2006, Ryan Goodland and Phillip Martin have accused Kinky of being a racist. This is probably one of the worst things you can be called in this country! This is the kind of slimy attack that the republican "swift-boaters" used against Kerry. I had hoped that we left-wingers were a little better than that. I guess I was wrong.

I don't believe for a minute that Kinky is a racist. The only evidence they present to prove this is a joke that Kinky told. He was asked, "What would you do with sexual predators?", and Kinky answered, "Throw'em in prison and throw away the key, and make'em listen to a Negro talking to himself". It's not very funny as a joke, but as proof of racism, this is some pretty slim evidence. In fact, the evidence is so slight that I believe this qualifies as slander.

If the democrats want to slander my candidate, that will not make me change my vote. It might, however, keep me from voting for democrats further down the ballot. I am a left-winger, but that does not mean the democrats own me or my vote. I just expected better from Burnt Orange Report.

Praise Jesus!

The poor little oppressed Christians in Plano can breathe easier now.

In a move that showed a complete lack of balls, Plano ISD Superintendent Doug Otto revised school policy to allow a student Bible study group to post their profile on the district's website. The decision came in the face of a lawsuit filed on Monday by a local conservative non-profit organization.

Being in a state that is run by athiests, satanists, pagans, and abortionists, it's nice to see the enlightened ones finally win one over the God-haters that run our system. The way we segregate the poor Christians here in Texas is disgusting.

I say we should take it all the way and donate half of our school hours to the pursuit of better Christian living.

Just a thought.

Over 2600 Will Die This Year

No, I am not talking about the Iraqi war. According to the Human Factor & Ergonomics Society, people who drive while talking on the cell phone will cause 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries in the United States this year. The Harvard Center for Risk Analysis says the death toll may actually be as much as 8,000. Isn't the loss of from 2,600 to 8,000 people enough for the government to take some action?

I know some state governments have passed some laws requiring that cell phone use in a car be done with the "hands-free" variety of phone. These laws will not work because they ignore the real problem. This assumes the problem with a cell phone comes because it is being held. This is just not true. The New England Journal of Medicine says, "units that allowed the hands to be free offered no safety advantage over hand-held units". It is the conversation itself that provides the distraction to driving.

HFES says, "Drivers look but don't see, because they're distracted by the conversation." They go on to say that these cell phone drivers are "less adept than drunken drivers with blood alcohol levels exceeding 0.08". These drivers have an 18% slower reaction time, and it takes them 17% longer to get back up to speed after slowing down. And this is not just new cell phone users. The National Public Services Retail Institute claims, "Prior experience with cellular phones appears to bear no relationship to the distracting effect of cellular phone use".

I am sick and tired of these cell phone drivers making the highways more dangerous for everyone. I know that some of you are going to claim you know how to talk on the phone and drive at the same time, and pose no risk for the rest of us. Bullshit!!! I've never met a drunk who thought he was too impaired to drive either.

Tuesday Idiot Blogging

Running a pizza joint, I get the fun and joy of hearing at least one idiotic thing a week (from both customers and employees). I've decided to dedicate my Tuesday posts to share some of these stories with you. Today, I'll share a phone order I took a couple of years ago. It went a little something like this:

customer: I'd like to order a lasagna.

CC: Sure, would you like a garlic bread or a salad with that?

customer: What's the difference?

CC: (after a few seconds in shock) Huh?

customer: What's the difference?

CC: (after a couple more seconds) Um, one is a wheat product and one is a vegetable product.

customer: Oh. I'll take the wheat one.

True story, I swear!

Compassionate conservative ?

Well, King Georgie has shown us again what a compassionate conservative he is. Yesterday, Georgie was speaking in Cleveland, Ohio. When the question & answer period went a little longer than he expected it to, Georgie popped off and said, "Anybody work here in this town?". I know he meant it as a joke, but that is a part of the country that is hurting because of his policy of outsourcing american jobs.

In fact, while Georgie has been in office, the unemployment rate in Cleveland has climbed from 4.5% to 5.8%. In the entire state of Ohio, the rate has gone from 4.0% to 5.3%. Obviously, the "great economy" touted by Georgie only applies to his rich buddies. The poor, working class and middle class in this country are all worse off since Georgie took office, and are still losing ground every day. Of course, the figures above do not count those who have exhausted their benefits or those who have just given up on trying to find a job.

Georgie and his crowd ascribe to Reagan's "trickle-down" theory. This means if you give rich people more money, some of it will trickle down to the middle and working classes. Baloney! Money does not trickle down in our society. It rushes upward. When the poor and working classes get some cash, they must spend it because they need so many things. The money still winds up in the pockets of the rich, but it has made everyone a little better off. Because of the "trickle-down" theory, the outsourcing of american jobs, the refusal to raise the minimum wage, and a general lack of empathy for anyone who is not rich, Georgie is destroying our country.

With his economic policies, Georgie has made life harder for most americans. How can he possibly turn around and make jokes about nonexistent jobs? Is this how a conservative shows compassion? Will he go to Rwanda next and tell genocide jokes?

He drank, but he didn't swallow

Thanks to a certain independant, politics in Texas has finally gotten fun. Being owned by the Republicans, the going ons at the Capitol in Austin haven't been worth paying attention to (remember redistricting?). Instead, its been my source of depression.

Kinky has changed all of that though. Known throughout Texas for many years for his music, books, and his friendship with the great Willie, he is now attempting to add politics to his resume. I open-heartedly accept this move. We need some shaking up around here, and I trust that he will do just that.

I don't agree with everything Kinky has to say, but he hits a lot closer to home than either candidate for the major parties. And with two Republicans running this year, he may actually have a chance.

Campaign season is back, and this year, it will finally be worth paying attention to. Now, if I could only find my voters registration....

New Cowboy

What in the hell is Jerry Jones doing? Yesterday, Jerry held a press conference and introduced Terrell Owens as the Dallas Cowboys new wide receiver. Yes, this is the same Terrell Owens that all true Cowboy fans hate. This is the same Terrell Owens that disrespected the Cowboys and their fans by dancing on the midfield star. This is the same Terrell Owens that proved to be a cancer in the locker room of two other NFL teams. Does Jerry know what he is doing?

I must admit at this point that I am a fan of Jerry's. He's never been afraid to spend money or to step out on a limb if he thought it would make the Cowboys better. I know that he is just trying to make the Cowboys a better team, but I feel he's really stepped out on a long and rather weak limb this time.

However, there is a possible upside here. Terrell Owens is a great wide receiver. In fact, he may well be the best wide receiver in the league. If Jerry can keep Terrell happy off the field, this could turn out to be a brilliant move. Theoretically, this is a better team than last year. Will it all work out for the best? I honestly don't know. I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed and trust Jerry one more time.

What Happened to Obama?

After the last election, democrats were thrilled to have a new and rising star in their ranks, Senator Barak Obama of Illinois. He seemed destined for leadership, possibly even the presidency, and he was a liberal. Democrats just couldn't say enough nice things about the senator.

How is he doing? Not very well. He starts off his tenure as a senator by deserting his party and voting for the republican anti-bankruptcy bill. How could a liberal vote against ordinary americans and for the banks & credit card companies? Is he a liberal? It's easy to say you're a liberal, but it's not real unless you vote that way. I think his problem may be that he's a child of privilege and doesn't really understand what it's like to be poor or working class in this country.

Senator Obama also supports the continuation of the Iraqi War, even though it has degenerated into a civil war with our troops in the middle. He is not alone in this belief as many of his fellow democrats have shown that they are also spineless. I guess liberals just aren't what they used to be.

Senator Obama is young and he's certainly not the worst senator [think Frist or Brownback]. Perhaps he can make a comeback and start to fulfill the high hopes democrats had for him. I hope so. But for me, he's lost that initial luster.

Leave me alone!

Happy Drunken Irish Day

Now that I got that out of the way, I have a bone to pick. Apparently, I have a stalker. To be more honest, I have a COMMITTEE of stalkers.

Let me start at the beginning. At the age of twelve, my father took me to the Texas Domocratic Convention (he was a delegate) to see the wonderful Ann Richards speak. The experience as a whole was greatly impressive. I declared to my dad that day that as soon as I was of age, I myself would be a delegate for the Dems. Sure enough, time flew, and I found myself at the 2000 Texas Dem Convention representing district 10. Things had changed drastically since my childhood. It didn't take me long to figure out that I was too liberal for the so called "Texas left-wing." I left disillusioned and party-less. Voting for the Dems is something I have yet to do.

That being said, today I received my 5th survey from the DNC. The last one I got was yesterday. Apparently they consider me to be a local Democratic party leader. This tells me that they don't even bother to read their mail, because I have sent every single one back (with them paying the postage, of course) letting them know exactly where I stand with them.

The best thing: they give me only 72 hours to respond. They feel that I should stick to their timetable! Ha!

Damn it! Save a fucking tree already and leave me alone! Either that, or become a left-wing party again, because until that happens, trees will die and postage will be wasted on feeble attempts to bring me back to a party I never really belonged to in the first place.

Three Years and Counting.....

This coming sunday marks the third anniversary of the Iraqi War. Have we accomplished anything at all? If our purpose there is to defeat terrorism, then the war is a complete failure. By destroying all Iraqi authority, we have created a perfect breeding and training ground for the terrorists. We have also removed all restraints on long-simmering religious and ethnic hatreds in Iraq. This has placed us smack dab in the middle of a civil war. If you watch the main-stream media in this country, then you are getting only part of the story. It is really much worse. In the final analysis, I believe the Iraqi War has helped the terrorists. It has also turned most of the world against us. I cannot see how this war has made our country any safer.

If we are fighting now to help the Iraqis, then again we have failed completely. We have not kept our promise about helping to rebuild the country and most Iraqis are still without basic services. They also live in constant danger of being kidnapped and shot or blown up. We are not protecting them and the Iraqi police are ineffective. In fact, a large segment of the police are insurgents and the rest are little more than targets. We also hear a lot about the new "democratically elected" government. Of course, I don't know how democratic an election could be when all candidates had to be approved by the occupying Americans. This government won't last one day if American troops leave.

I hear many people [even democrats] say we can't leave now because it would be bad for the Iraqis. I have news. It is already terrible for the citizens of Iraq and our staying is not making it any better. Has anyone thought to ask the Iraqis what they want? In recent polls, a huge majority of Iraqis want us to leave immediately. I agree with them. It is time to admit this was a colossal mistake and bring our troops home. NOW.

Introduction

CC McGoon reporting for duty. Just so ya know, I'm jobsanger's daughter (and though he wont admit it, I'm also the best thing thats ever happened to him). Living in Texas, I find myself pretty fucking pissed at what we call our government, so if youre offended by cursing, please find your way out of my fucking blog. Were not here to impress. However, if you need a place to throw a hissy fit when the powers that be try to bring you down, welcome. You just might be my kind of person.

March 16, 2006

Hello out there! This is my first blog and my first attempt at blogging, so if you do accidently drop by and read the blog, cut me some slack. I hope to get better over time. This is not meant to be a news blog. This is an OPINION blog. This is my place to gripe, whine or blow my top when I get disgusted with politics, religion or culture in general. I am a left-winger who is not afraid of the "s" word. If you prefer to call me a socialist, that is fine with me. I am not a religious person, but I believe all people should be free to practice whatever religion they wish or none at all. I don't get upset until you start pushing it down other people's throats. I am a political Independent, since I see both the republicans and democrats as being corporate owned. Although I am male, I am pro-choice and consider myself to be a feminist. I believe in EQUAL RIGHTS FOR EVERYONE [no exceptions]. That should give you some idea of where I'm coming from. If you do read this blog, I hope you enjoy it and come back from time to time. Thanks!