BEND, Oregon (PTSD News) – Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal was injured today when his car was overcome by lava that erupted from little known Mt. Iconic in eastern Oregon. Jindal, who was on an impromptu vacation following his poorly received nationally televised response to President Obama’s budget speech, was flown to Oregon Health and Science University Hospital in Portland where he is listed as in guarded
condition.
“It was so weird, like right out of the X files,” said Oregon State trooper Kyle Wallingford who was first on the scene, “a stream of ash and lava came out of nowhere and hit that poor car like it was aiming for it.” Jindal’s Lexus sedan was completely destroyed.
Our national interests are not served by the war in Iraq. I applaud President Obama’s commitment to a solid plan for withdrawing our troops and ending the war.However, I have reservations about the extended 19 month schedule for the draw down and I am very concerned that the size of the remaining force would still be too great. It will be hard to argue that our military presence is ‘residual’ when it is comprised of as many as 50,000 Americans.
Here's to someone with the guts to tell it like it is, and who doesn't forget why he was elected. If we had awards to give, we'd give him one.
Joe-the-Plumber spoke to 1/4 full room. It was pathetic. I got video of how f**king empty the room was. I tried to make an echo off the walls but I got yelled at. Video to come.One of the draws of this unholy confab was, of course, Mr Potemkin Village himself, Samuel "Joe the "Not Really A" Plumber" Wurzelbackhoe. I heard an offhand comment by Thom Hartmann on his morning show that only a handful of people attended his 'talk' and even fewer (less than ten) walked off with a book signed by him.
At the age of 74 and after 53 years, I have finally quit the Republican Party and have re-registered as an independent voter.Most of us understand that the president's economic recovery program
is not perfect and perhaps has flaws. But we also understand that our
country is in the midst of a very serious crisis. The president
understands the gravity of the problem and is trying to do something
about it.The Republicans in Congress (except for the three who put their
country first and set aside party ideology by voting for the stimulus
bill) have offered no constructive economic recovery ideas except to
continue tax cuts for the rich (if any are left) and offer only
worn-out ideology.I still believe in having political parties that engage in vigorous
constructive dialogue on economic issues, but as President Obama said
recently, "When the town is burning you don't check party labels.
Everybody needs to grab a hose."
(the above from his Oregonian Letter To The Editor of the 22nd)
He's taking what I like to call The Chinuk Prescription: If you're sane enough to leave the Republican Party and can't stomach the idea of being a Democrat, at least register independent.
Moreover I'd add here that if you have senior-age Mayors of small conservative coastal towns deserting your party, you're not getting ahead. This guy supported you since the waning days of Ike.
Republicans never liked thier elders if they spoke sense anyway.
Welcome to reality, Mayor Welch.
...and $140 million for something called "volcano monitoring." Instead ofThe Oregonian's Jeff "Shadout" Mapes:
monitoring volcanoes, what Congress should be monitoring is the
eruption of spending in Washington, D.C.
But forget that for a moment. As I sit typing this in Portland, I'mMan, this stuff just writes itself, kinda.
less than 50 miles - as the ash flies - from an active volcano. I'd
like to know as soon as possible if Mount St. Helens is going to blow
again. It's kind of like how Jindal would presumably appreciate the
most advanced hurricane monitoring possible.
Jindal is getting bludgeoned for his candy-ass response to Obama's speech last night. It's sort of fun seeing Wonder Boy getting criticized so thoroughly from both sides. Honestly, I was surprised to see the reaction this morning. When I watched the end of Jindal's response last night (I couldn't help myself), I didn't think it was a disaster. Sure, he sounded cheesy because of all the "talk slower!" coaching he's received. And sure, Jindal is just naturally geeky. (I don't have a problem with him being a geek, I have a problem with him being a geek who decided to force himself to believe stupid things in order to advance his political career.)The comments are even better and more biting than the above.
Like many other businesses, The Oregonian must cut expenses because of the economy. Regrettably, we will reduce the number of daily comic strips we publish from 33 to about 23 in order to save newsprint and the cost of purchasing comics. At the same time, we will begin publishing the daily comics in color, which we hope adds to your enjoyment of the comics page.Heavy is the head that wears the crown, yes.
During her first two years in office, Palin charged the state almost $18,000 for meal allowances while living in Wasilla and commuting 40 miles to her office in Anchorage. But McAllister said Palin spent $100,000 less than Murkowski spent living in the governor's mansion in Juneau, the state capital, during his last two years in office.
Sen. Kim Elton, D-Juneau, said the governor's staff was comparing "the $17,000 apple to the $100,000 orange ... Yes, $17,000 is less than $100,000 but $17,000 is a lot higher than zero. And if she's going to work out of her home in Wasilla, the choice is between zero and $17,000 and not $17,000 and $100,000."
The governors have collectively expressed a few
concerns with the stimulus money, from general opposition on principle
to a belief that it would be better to reject the funds out of hand
rather than abide by the “strings” that Congress has attached to the
money (by strings, of course, the Governors mean they don’t want to
have to spend money on things like schools and medical costs).To take a phrase from the man the Republican Party saw fit to
nominate as its presidential nominee, this is not “country first.” This
is ideology first.Keep in mind, this is all posturing. Does anyone really believe that
the voters in those six states won’t be stark raving furious if they
continue to lose their jobs and their homes while the residents of 44
other states get some much needed relief?
Well put. The point was never that it was a bad stimulus plan (I think it flawed but it's better than anything else we have going now). The point is it's being opposed simply because it's a popular plan put forward by a popular Democratic President, one who, in our seriously-flawed electoral-college-based vote system, still got elected without having to cheat at it.
The point is to undermine Democrats and return to power.
Do note that the top two names on the list are generally regarded by the conventional wisdom as the up and comers, leading lights, and young turks–and likely contenders for the '12 nomination.
The commissioners insist they are well-versed in rural issues. But it's
also clear that under the leadership of Chairwoman Lynn Peterson, a
transportation expert with urban sensibilities, that the board will
move to seeing the county as a coherent whole rather than a collection
of small cities surrounded by countryside.
There's no denying the success of his tenure, though, both politically and economically. Washington State farmers and manufacturers remember his governorship as a time of new markets opening to new products. His efforts on behalf of our agricultural interests, in particular, helped him make political inroads east of the Cascade Curtain that are still producing benefits to our Party, and created new jobs (good union jobs, mostly) on the docks and ships that are so critical to our economy. Commerce? I think Gary's always spelled it with a capital "C."
There should be no bar to confirmation here. Gary's not the kind of guy who's left a trail of uncrossed 't's behind himself. He's such an Eagle Scout that he actually is an Eagle Scout.
A decade ago, I debated Ballabon in New York. I represented the Democratic Jewish community while he spoke on behalf of Republican Jews. During the debate, Ballabon claimed that, after his most recent job in Washington, he became convinced that Democrats are inherently bad people and Republicans are fundamentally good people.D'ja notice? Democrats are fundamentally bad people. Not Democratic congressmen, not Democratic politicians, but Democrats, without modification.
Nova M Radio Inc., a competitor to troubled radio network Air America, is filing for bankruptcy liquidation, according to the company's co-founder, amid mounting disarray in the small world of liberal talk radio.Anita and Sheldon Drobny, a married couple from Chicago, founded Nova M in 2006 and have been funding the business partly out of their own pockets. Compounding their troubles: Nova M's highest-profile host, Randi Rhodes, vanished from the airwaves earlier this month. Mrs. Drobny also said that her husband is currently hospitalized for problems stemming from the stress of dealing with the network, which has 34 affiliates.
The above, from the WSJ via The POJ, has schadenfreude all over it, no?
Air America has been "troubled" and "beleagured" for over 5 years now.
But it's true; stick a fork in NovaM; it's done, although I thought that Mike Malloy has always been a more valuable talent (and I'm a Randi fan, too). Perforce, the "On Second Thought" radio net.
Randi Rhodes Is On Her Own and Nova M Files for Bankruptcy. It comes to light now that the sticking point between Randi Rhodes and Nova M was her belief that her contract included helping her with legal costs which it did not. She is now rumored to be seeking a local radio gig and many believe she’s trying to get back to her old station – WJNO, West Palm Beach. As for Nova M, it was losing a lot of moolah — $100,000 per month. The founders and corporate officers — Sheldon and Anita Drobny — are filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation for the company. Some of Nova M’s other talent — Mike Malloy, Nancy Skinner — continue in syndication as another person involved with Nova M from the beginning, Dr. Mike Newcomb, is reorganizing the network as On Second Thought Radio Network.
He has the right of it. We've long been a source of tax dollars rather than a destination. The result is poorer streets, poorer transit service (except for lines like the 20-Burnside and the 4-Division, neighborhood routes, such as the one I'd depend on if I could, the 27-Market/Mill bus, only run at times that are not merely incovenient).Fast-growing East Portland is closer to feeling like it belongs.
The City Council just adopted an "action plan" for the area between Interstate 205 and the city limits -- and put $500,000 toward making it happen.
The plan will guide decisions dealing with development, parks, public safety and transportation in eastside neighborhoods. It calls for more sidewalks, street lighting and storefront improvements, for example.
Most of the area was annexed into the city in the 1980s and '90s,
and residents often have said they don't feel like part of Portland.
"There was a sense that annexation was more about pulling additionalJeff puts his money where his mouth is, that's for sure.
taxpayers into the city than really doing anything to benefit the
people," said U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, who prompted then-Mayor Tom
Potter and Multnomah County Chairman Ted Wheeler to launch the planning
effort last year.
Maybe it was the lateness of the hour. Maybe it was the lack of
notice. Maybe it was the absence of a real proposal. Maybe people were
just tired after two-and-half hours of testimony on another issue.But whatever the reason, the Portland City Council's effort to gauge
public opinion about the idea of tolling the Glenn Jackson Bridge
attracted little attention last night.Tolling Interstate 205 is an idea that has gained political momentum
as local leaders grow weary of a shortage of money for transportation
maintenance and expansion.
Well, I'm glad they're getting weary about it. In this era of less and less TriMet service to the underserved Outer Eastside, We've been kind of weary about it for a while.
And that's our trusty City Council, waiting until people were least likely to comment before floating the issue.
And then they wonder why Portlanders are so cynical about their city government.
Oh, what do I think of tolling I-205 (Specifically, the Glenn Jackson Bridge)?
I think they're lucky there's no alternative routes over the Columbia River there, that's what I think.
Beaverton resident P.J. Mulcahy spent $40 to rent the Pettygrove Room at City Hall to give supporters of recalling Adams the opportunity to speak. He complained that city rules limited the number of people allowed to talk to the council.
But, prepare for a right turn ... into The Risible Zone:
Mulcahy bought a replica of the Ten Commandments to the meeting, talked about how lies lead to sin and said Adams was proudly promoting the gay lifestyle through the mayor's office and how the lifestyle was killing people through AIDS and HIV.
Oh, well. So much for that one then.
Thanks for the bizarre sermon, Father Mulcahy.
Judge Michael McShane made the ruling yesterday about the part of the ordinance that requires people to keep their personal belongings within two feet.
"I found that an ordinary person would not understand from the statute that mundane and everyday behavior would be prohibited by the law," McShane tells the Mercury.
"The ordinance encourages arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement," says McShane
A woman with a baby in a stroller who walks away from the stroller for a moment to get the baby strapped into the car would be breaking the law ... Or a window washer who steps two feet away from his bucket while he is washing a storefront ...
Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., joined Oregon Democratic Rep. Peter DeFazio in casting the only no votes from the Oregon delegation against the stimulus bill.
But just as I below in the case of DeFazio, it's not stopping Walden from aggressively pursuing stimulus money - and attaching his name to it. In fact, Walden said in a teleconference with federal forestry managers that he wants to get an "unfair share" of the stimulus money for his congressional district.
The problem isn't Greg voted against it and then decided to take what he was given and do good for his district. That's his job and his duty as a M.C.
The problem is that Greg doesn't have the principle that DeFazio did, and you can count on his marketing in the next election as someone who was really on board with the stimulus.
He was against it before he was for it.
>Hey, you out there in the 2nd District–wouldn't it be nice to have someone in office that says what he or she means and means what he or she says? Greg's doing the right thing now ... but remember he wasn't on board with that county payments thing until he knew it was the difference between his keeping his job and not keeping his job.
He'll only do the right thing for you if he really has to. Rest of the time, he'll do what his party tells him to.
That's the way Republicans roll.
Wyden and U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley were in town to announce Portland's share of President Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan. They called a news conference and invited elected leaders from around the region to share the spotlight. Adams wasn't among them.
"The senator was very clear about the need to focus exclusively on Oregon's economic recovery and not get distracted by side issues," said Josh Kardon, Wyden's chief of staff.
Merkley also has kept his distance, saying Adams "broke trust with the residents of Portland" and that rebuilding that trust and being an effective mayor "will be a difficult task."
Our Mayor has become a joke. At an important media opportunity, the chief executive of Oregon's largest city has become a distraction–a side issue.
Thankfully for him, the recall advocates are an even bigger joke.
President Obama opposes any move to bring back the so-called Fairness Doctrine, a spokesman told FOXNews.com Wednesday.
The statement
is the first definitive stance the administration has taken since an
aide told an industry publication last summer that Obama opposes the
doctrine -- a long-abolished policy that would require broadcasters to
provide opposing viewpoints on controversial issues."As the president stated during the campaign, he does not believe the Fairness Doctrine should be reinstated," White
House spokesman Ben LaBolt told FOXNews.com.
Time to go find something else to whine about, people. Remember, people still respond to the word "socialist". And it drips so sexily off Britt Hume's lips.
There are many ways to honor a person, and I strongly support recognizing Cesar Chavez in a permanent, physical way.
However,
I am troubled by the efforts of the handful of generally well-meaning activists ever since they presented the City of Portland with an agenda of nonnegotiable demands centered on their proposal to rename Interstate Avenue, and here is why:
Right from the beginning, they claimed to represent Portland’s Latino communities, and that is simply not the case. There has been no community process to put the Chavez Committee in charge, and many Latinos wouldn’t follow them out of a burning building….
Even the Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce has had nothing to say about the effort.
The Avenistas’ antics and accusations in front of City Council and at Ockley Green Middle School were an embarrassment to many of us….
The Chavez Committee has also never identified who its members are, apart from the two co-chairs, not even on their website. Anonymous committees cannot possibly represent a community, and carry no weight with me.
The Committee claimed that any cost associated with renaming a street was inconsequential, and that any opposition to their demands was racially motivated, and neither statement is true. The costs are insignificant only if Other People pay the price….
To be clear, we're delighted to see the council at least trying to
follow its own rules this time around. That's a welcome change. Yet, in
its new fixation on following the rules, the council may fail to
address questions the rules can't capture, such as:Why does the name of a street have to be changed at all? Why
wouldn't it be more fitting to name a bridge or a park or farmers
market or something else altogether for Chavez?
My position is that we should rename no streets after anyone else ever again. We have become althogether jaundiced about the whole thing.
The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, to wit the
shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut. It broadly mocks
Washington's efforts to revive the economy. Again, Al Sharpton reveals
himself as nothing more than a publicity opportunist.
ok, the cartoon with the dead chimp and the policeman saying that
someone else would have to write the stimulus bill is shameful.
if you're saying the president is a chimp, because people compared a*wol to a chimp, you're not figuring in the race card, which always counts. i don't want it to count, but it does.
if you're being that racist, you should hang your head in sadness over your own ignorance.
if
you're saying that other people are racist, then you're missing your
mark, because my first thought was that *you* should be ashamed for
putting this out there.
please think long and hard about how this insults so many people, at so many levels.
The finger pointing between host Randi Rhodes
and her network Nova M is over, and so is Nova M. Network GM Eric
Reinert tells R&R that Nova M is no longer an entity and that a new
company called On Second Thought LLC has been formed and is moving
forward. Both Reinart and Rhodes' lawyer Robert V. Gaulin confirm that
Rhodes is no longer associated with the group.
After the uprising of the 17th of June
The Secretary of the Writers Union
Had leaflets distributed in the Stalinallee
Stating that the people
Had thrown away the confidence of the government
And could win it back only
By redoubled efforts. Would it not be easier
In that case for the government
To dissolve the people
And elect another?
Either way, queer-identified lucky new Muddy Waters coffee house co-owner Courtney “Aloe” Johnson and a trio of Muddy Waters employees recently bought the legendary 2908 S.E. Belmont St. coffee haven and flipped it to a self-described “anti-profit” business endeavor:
one where anything that the four owners make above and beyond their
monthly bills is turned over to local charities and community
organizations.
NOVAYeah, it's gotten weird again.
M RADIO HAS NOT YET CORRECTED THE PROBLEM THAT HAS KEPT ME OFF THE AIR DESPITE MY STRONG DESIRE AND READINESS TO BROADCAST MY SHOW. RESPECTING THE EMPLOYER-EMPLOYEE RELATIONSHIP THAT HAS EXISTED BETWEEN NOVA M AND ME, AND EXPECTING THE SOLUTION TO BE QUICKLY ACHIEVED,
DETALIS OF THE DISABLING EVENT WERE WITHHELD IN GOOD FAITH. BUT I CAN TELL YOU THIS MUCH: YOU SHOULD NOT BELIEVE ANY STATEMENT IMPLICATING ME AS BEING IN ANY WAY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DISRUPTION IN THE RANDI RHODES SHOW. THERE IS NO TRUTH TO ANY SUCH MESSAGE. IN FACT, I DID
EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO HELP NOVA M MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR ME TO RETURN.
IN LIGHT OF MOST RECENT DEVELOPMENTS, MY SHOW WILL BE SEEKING A NEW HOME. I WOULD ASK FOR YOUR CONTINUED PATIENCE AND INDULGENCE IN RESPECTING MY RIGHTS DURING THIS TIME. YOUR
UNWAVERING SUPPORT IS CHERISHED. THANK YOU.
RANDI RHODES
At worst, Hillary Transue thought she might get a stern lecture when she appeared before a judge for building a spoof MySpace
page mocking the assistant principal at her high school in
Wilkes-Barre, Pa. She was a stellar student who had never been in
trouble, and the page stated clearly at the bottom that it was just a
joke.
Instead, the judge sentenced her to three months at a juvenile detention center on a charge of harassment.
She was handcuffed and taken away as her stunned parents stood by.
To all of Randi's listeners
You are all correct - I have not had the option to disclose what has been happening between Randi and Nova M... You see, it's in her contract that she has total control, but, after Wednesday night, I want you all to know that Nova M has done everything we can to get her back on the air. All this is her choice; if she wants to tell you all what the issue is, then I hope she does, but I can't according to her contract rules. But I can tell you this I have wanted her back on the air. She's an amazing talent and needs to be heard. Thank you all for all of your support. Randi now has to make her decisions as to what she must do with her career...
Anita Drobny
Co-Founder, Nova M Radio
Blackwater Worldwide is abandoning the
tarnished brand name that has defined the beleaguered company since its
founding more than a decade ago.Blackwater officials said
Friday its family of two dozen business will now operate under the name
Xe, pronounced like the letter "z."The decision comes as part
of an ongoing rebranding effort that grew more urgent following a
September 2007 shooting in Iraq that left at least a dozen civilians
dead.
Well, Mom always said if anything'll tarnish a brand name, it's the wanton killing of people.
Oh, the training centers haven't gone away though. They're now called the U.S. Training Centers. And the logo hasn't changed. So, hey, good times.
But the Senate Select Committee on
Conduct agreed with an opinion from Legislative Counsel Dexter Johnson,
who said Courtney cannot receive a "direct pecuniary benefit" from WOU
as a result of the bond proceeds and that WOU is a state agency, not a
business that operates for economic gain."We
conclude that such a declaration was not necessary in this case,
because we believe Senator Courtney's vote on these bills does not
create a potential conflict of interest," Johnson wrote in his opinion,
which was made public Tuesday.The
two Democrats and two Republicans on the committee said they would
recommend no further action as part of their findings to the full
Senate."All of us have gotten
into the habit of declaring a conflict, whether there is one or not,"
said Sen. Jackie Winters, R-Salem, who is the vice chairwoman.
Two Democrats ... and two Republicans. And, if we gave out a "McCall Republican of the Week" award, Jackie Winters would win it in a walk.
But in her remark you can find the germ of the strategy and tactics of the growing-irrelevant-by-the-day Oregon Republican Party: just make trouble. Make trouble for Democrats, make trouble for working people. Without knowing it, she just made Mr T's mission statement for him.
I wonder how long there will be room in the Republican Party for Jackie; after all, she's apparently sane and has a conscience.
Yeah, with that sort of "Mr T"-brand brainpower running the show, I'm sure that the Republicans will vault right back into the majority.
Monkeys may also fly out my backside.
I shall alert the media if this does occur.
Oregon Republican Representative Greg Walden also criticised the firm,
saying: "Lives were lost and people were sickened because they took a
chance, I believe knowingly, with products that were contaminated."Mr Walden held up a jar containing recalled products - wrapped
in crime-scene tape - and asked whether Mr Parnell would be willing to
eat the food inside.
Apparently that newfound spirit has made him a stronger man, as that can is easily twice the size of his head.
So conservative hill staffers circulate a lie, the politicians
themselves pick up on it and use it in campaign rhetoric, and (taking
the logical leap) outlets like Fox News allow these same politicians
and right-wing media consultants on to expound upon it.
