Paul Hackett for Congress
Saturday, July 30, 2005
I posted the other day about Paul Hackett an Iraq war vet who just returned and is running for a US house seat in Ohio. The seat was vacated by an appointment made by Bush and the repubs have Jean Schmidt as their candidate. I just watched a video from hardball with her and I cannot believe she is for real. All she did was praise Bush, said he could do no wrong and reiterated all the republican talking points word for word.
Last week Hackett made the following comment and of course Jean the rest of the rabid dogs were all over it. If goes like this:
What prompted the committee's entry into the Schmidt-Hackett race was a comment made by Hackett in a USA Today article published Thursday. Hackett, talking about his service as a marine in Iraq, is quoted as saying, "I've said I don't like the son-of-a-b--- that lives in the White House. But I'd put my life on the line for him." Because Hackett said that, Forti said, "we decided to bury him."
Forti is part of the Delay clan who dumped $500,000 in a commercial trashing Hackett. Now what makes this race so interesting is that it is in a southern Ohio district that is staunchly republican and as red as can be. Hackett out of nowhere has come in and made it a competitive race. The repubs don't want egg on their face, a dem winning a Bush stronghold would be devasting so they are not pulling punches on this one and going after Hackett. I just donated $20 to Hackett's campaign, its not a lot but I'm not from Ohio and the idea that he could win made me donate. The vote is next week on Tuesday, I highly recommend donating a few dollars, help him defeat the repubs in their own backyard and piss off the republican party. If you need more on this race check out http://www.crooksandliars.com/ and watch the interview from hardball. I guarentee afterwards you will realize how important this race is and how this would be sweet revenge on the right.
Posted by mardenhill 7/30/2005 08:33:00 PM 0 comments
Gotta Love WiFi
Friday, July 29, 2005
WiFi rocks, I am sitting here in Panera Bread drinking coffee and blogging, life doesn't get better than this. I am waiting for the people to finish sealing the wood floors before I go and check it out. We are having our livingroom and hallway refinished, the floors underneath were in good condition but needed some loving care. Yesterday the came over, sanded and stained. Today is the sealent and tomorrow the finisher. I can then return on sunday after the place has aired out. Erika went home for the weekend and I am staying at Chris's with the cat. I will try to post a picture this weekend of the floors when they are done, most likley on sunday since I won't be able to upload pics til then.
Posted by mardenhill 7/29/2005 10:19:00 AM 1 comments
Hackett vs Schmidt
A race we should be following. This is the House seat in Ohio between an Iraq War vet and scandal ridden Jean Schmidt who has been receiving money from Delay to help her win. Paul Hackett a vet is running as a Dem and has been the focus of another swift boat smear campaign. People have been saying that Paul wasn't in combat and more lies but all have been proven false. Paul has a great military record and the repubs are scared to death of losing this race. This is what happens when you disagree with this administration, look at everyone who has left the admin, they have been tar and feathered for speaking their mind. You got a vet who will tell the truth about Iraq and possibly be in Washington, what a combination. We need to support this guy, its not our race but its important that he succeeds. Getting back to the picture, Jean Schmidt's campaign manager is into bondage and has a profile out there on AOL.
Why is this important, well Jean is running on a family values platform and all the while has skeletons in her own campaign's closet. Now I have no problem with bondage, but I bet a lot of Jean's voters would so its important to point out the hyprocrisy of the situation. Time and time again, we find all these jesus freaks wrapped up in what they consider deviant behaivor and just use the line, "forgive me, i have sinned" to get out of it. If they want to engage in this behaviour thats fine with me, don't publically rail against it and then do it in private but get all weepy when you are caught. Why don't you see as many democratic sex scandals, yes you have the big ones but for the most part, the dems dont demonize it and if they are caught oh well they admit it and move on. You run on family values and get caught up in a sex scandal then u are fair game and deserve any public humiliation that you receive.
http://stevegilliard.blogspot.com/2005/07/time-to-get-scrunchy.html
Here is a link to Paul Hackett's website:
http://www.hackettforcongress.com/
Posted by mardenhill 7/29/2005 09:56:00 AM 1 comments
Santorum Speaks Again
Hey guess what, our favorite gay bashing, single mother/working mother hating, boston blaming, family values jesus freak is back in the news, he now says he is open to running for president in 2008. Dude, u need to make it thru your own 2006 election before thinking of the presidency. Last time I checked, you were 11 points behind in the polls and there is enough ammo to bury you 10x over.
Santorum Now Open to '08 White House Run
WASHINGTON (AP) - Two days after saying he had no intention of running for president in 2008, Republican Sen. Rick Santorum said Wednesday there was a slight possibility he could run after all.
"There's a remote chance that that could change, but that's not my intention," Santorum told The Associated Press between television rounds to promote his new book, "It Takes a Family."
Separately, he said he wanted to "leave this little window open" because he didn't know what might happen between now and the election, according to a story posted on the Philadelphia Inquirer Web site.
http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/business/article.adp?id=20050727181409990014
Posted by mardenhill 7/29/2005 09:32:00 AM 1 comments
WineCam News
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
I just got this email from winecam today and it is good news but also a bit disturbing. I had no idea that my rep Andy Meisner was a co-sponsor of the bill but I am glad that he has had a change of heart. I have called his office along with sending him emails regarding this issue and was under the impression he was on my side. The form letters he has sent me twice were fence riders but now I know his true feelings. I like to think that my contacting him helped sway his position and I plan on keeping up the pressure. As for Betty Mercer from Safe And Responsible aka Wholesalers front grp is still on my hit list. I have emailed her 3x now and still no repsonse. I plan on harrassing her until she answers me, and if that takes multiple email addresses and phone calls then so be it.
NEWS from WineCAM
THERE'S GOOD NEWS FROM LANSING:Legislators begin to “reconsider” their supportfor a wine shipping ban
The political tide is slowly turning in favor of direct wine peshipments to Michigan consumers, according to a report published by a Lansing “insider” news service.
Gongwer News Service (www.gongwer.com) said in a copyrighted article that “a storm of protest has engulfed” the legislation to ban winery-to consumer shipments. They noted that at least 10 newspaper editorials had criticized the ban, and that many of the bill’s legislative co-sponsors were having second thoughts.
"I did co-sponsor it, but I will say I'm keeping an open mind for a compromise to be reached," said Rep. Andy Meisner (D-Ferndale), noting the considerable negative reaction to the bill. Meisner told Gongwer that he was hearing similar sentiments from other legislators.
"Boy oh boy," said Rep. Shelley Taub (R-Bloomfield Hills), when asked if she was reconsidering her co-sponsorship of the ban. She said she has been "kind of surprised" by the ferocious criticism the bill had drawn, and expected the final product would allow some direct shipment.
Gongwer quoted WineCAM’s Lansing lobbyist, Gary Naeyaert, saying that most legislators “are coming to the conclusion that we want to find that middle ground between unlimited, unregulated shipping, which nobody advocates, and a total ban on all shipments, which very few advocate,"
WHAT WE NEED TO DO NOW:Keep up our calls, letters, faxes and emails – and ask our friends to do the same
There’s a reason the tide is turning – and WE are a big part of it! Thousands of Michiganians have already contacted state legislators to say that we want the right to order directly from our favorite wineries.
But we can’t stop now. We need to keep the pressure going until every legislator hears from dozens, even hundreds, of constituents who don’t want this shipping ban passed.
If you haven’t contacted your legislators – or aren’t sure who they are – click here to find contact info for your Representative and here for your Senator. We’ve been told that the BEST way to contact them is to telephone their offices directly and ask them to return your call. Next best are letters and faxes. Emails also work, but they’re the least effective.
If you’ve already contacted them, don't hesitate to contact them again to ask if they’ve decided how they’re coming down on the issue. If they reply with the totally-discredited “protect our children” line, let them know that both the courts and Federal Trade Commission have rejected that argument – and you won’t accept it for an answer, either.
But even before you do that – please forward this email to a half dozen Michigan friends who enjoy wine, and ask them to do the same. And please ask them to sign up as supporters at the WineCAM web site: www.winecam.org/support.htm.
Posted by mardenhill 7/27/2005 11:20:00 PM 3 comments
Chumeia Pinot Noir
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
I just opened this bottle yesterday and it is great, I just finished a glass before typing this. I got the bottle from Simply Wine in Birmingham, yeah they opened a 2nd store the 1st still in Ferndale. Ed the owner recommended this one and I have to tell ya, he knows what he is talking about. Its a $15 pinot noir from California that will knock your socks off. I am a big fan of Oregon pinots but they tend to be pricey so I don't get them all the time. New Zealand pinots are good but still a little thin so the next best thing is California. You can still get some expensive pinots from Napa but look elsewhere for excellent wines and great prices.
"This Pinot Noir is very deep and dark with more concentration than the previous vintage. This wine will take some time to unwind in the glass, but when it does, look out and hold on!"
Winemaker Lee Nesbitt
Detailed Wine Information
Acidity: .69
Alcohol: 14.0%
Bottling Date: March 03, 2005
Harvest Date: September 1, 2003
Oak: French
Release Date: April 30, 2005
Sugar: .08%
Time In Oak: 14 Months
Varietal: 100%
Vineyard Notes: Silva Vineyard, Edna Valley
Winemakers Notes: Pinot Noir can be a very challenging to make, let alone make well. We feel that the initial selection of quality fruit makes a winemakers life easier. Such was the case with this Pinot Noir. Primary fermentation was monitored for 14 days at 80f. Gentle, cold pressings followed to ensure finesse in the wine. The wine was barrel aged in one year old French oak for 14 months. Cooperage included Damy, Cadus and Remond.
Year: 2003
http://www.chumeiavineyards.com/catalog/index.jsp
Posted by mardenhill 7/26/2005 10:08:00 PM 1 comments
Motorola Q
Posted by mardenhill 7/26/2005 05:00:00 PM 0 comments
Motorola Q
Good news for Good Technology and more bad news for Blackberry. No one cares anymore about Blackberry's they are yesterday's technology. Good Technology will end up working with Motorola and allow their software to run on the new Q phone. The phone will run Windows Mobile on it and just like the iPaqs, Axim, Seimens and Treos you would be able to access your work email. Well provided your office is running a Goodlink server and you have $330 a year to spare. Good Technology separated themselves from Blackberry by getting out of the hardware side of things and started licensing their product instead. I checked out the Q phone, its pretty cool go to www.motorola.com to see it. Treo's are still the best handheld for all in one, but this will give the Windows side of the handhelds a run for their money and I can't wait to see it.
Motorola takes on BlackBerry with Q
But iTunes phone is still under wraps
Ken Young, vnunet.com 26 Jul 2005
Motorola has unveiled a range of wireless devices for the second half of the year, including a BlackBerry-like phone with a full Qwerty keyboard.
The Motorola Q is based on the ultra-thin design of its popular Razr phone and is roughly half the weight of other Qwerty handsets. It uses Microsoft's recently launched Windows Mobile 5.0 software.
The company also unveiled its Razrwire sunglasses that offer wireless hands-free connections to Bluetooth-enabled devices. In partnership with Oakley, the glasses will be available in early August.
Motorola also launched Ojo, a video phone that supports a greetings and mail, and Rokr, a family of music phones with dedicated music keys, music player interfaces, extensive memory and long battery life.
But some analysts questioned Motorola's strategy. "It is interesting that the long awaited iTunes phone has been further delayed," said Jerome Buvat, strategic business consultant at Cap Gemini Telecom, Media and Entertainment.
"And there is a growing demand for simple phones, so I am not sure that pursuing a cutting edge phone strategy is the right way to capture market share. "
Posted by mardenhill 7/26/2005 04:51:00 PM 2 comments
Treasongate by the Numbers.....
Monday, July 25, 2005
http://democrats.senate.gov/leak.html
CIA Leak Case By the Numbers
Number of days after the article outing Ambassador Wilson's wife appeared that the White House required its staff to turn over evidence relating to the leak: 85
Approximate hours between then-White House Counsel Alberto Gonzalez's advance notification to White House Chief of Staff Andy Card that he would require staff to turn over evidence relating to the case and formal notification to staff of that requirement: 12
Minimum number of times an Administration official leaked classified information about the identity of Ambassador Wilson's wife: 11
Minimum number of times after the beginning of the Justice Department's investigation that White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan claimed Karl Rove was not involved: 5
Number of press conferences since evidence linking Karl Rove to the leak was made public where Press Secretary McClellan has refused to comment on the case, citing an ongoing criminal investigation: 7
Minimum number of hearings held by Senate Republicans to investigate accusations against President Clinton involving the "Whitewater" case: 20
Total hearings held by Senate Republicans to investigate the leak of the covert identity of Ambassador Joseph Wilson's wife: 0
Posted by mardenhill 7/25/2005 04:30:00 PM 2 comments
Willie Wonka
Erika and I went and saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory last nite at the AMC 30 in Sterling Heights which now has an IMAX theatre. The screen is not a dome just a large screen but it was still worth the extra couple bucks that they tack on to see a movie in there. I am not saying every movie should be viewed on the IMAX screen but this was one that was made for it. Tim Burton is the only director that could have pulled this off, he did a great job at telling the story and separating it from the original movie. For starters, Willie Wonka was more excentric and the storyline dove into Willie's childhood. The Umpa Loompas were not as clownlike, they were more just little people that sang songs and danced around. The only problem with the movie was the close resemblence to Michael Jackson with Willie and the pale face. Some of the dialog screamed Jackson but I think its because we just spent the last year with him on trial. We went to the 9:45pm movie and there were parents who brought kids, I was a bit suprised seeing that we didn't get home til midnight. If you havn't seen it, go, Johnny Depp is great in it, you barely recognize that it is him.
Posted by mardenhill 7/25/2005 11:05:00 AM 2 comments
Bob Schieffer to the Rescue
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Well Bob knows whats up, this morning on Face The Nation, Bob called out Gonzolas regarding Plamegate. Gonzolas received notification that he needed to provide the Justice Dept with all info but took 12 hrs to notify the administration. So how many documents were destroyed before everyone was told to hand it over. Hey guess what, we may have another Enron on our hands, how much do u want to bet there was a document destroying party that nite.
As White House counsel, [Alberto Gonzales] was the one first notified that the Justice Department, at the request of the C.I.A., had opened an investigation into the outing of Joseph Wilson’s wife. That notification came at 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 29, 2003, but it took Mr. Gonzales 12 more hours to inform the White House staff that it must “preserve all materials” relevant to the investigation.
On CBS’s Face the Nation, host Bob Schieffer noted that this time gap would have “give[n] people time to shred documents and do any number of things.” Gonzales argued that he asked for and received permission from the Justice Department to wait until the next morning to order White House staff to preserve all documents regarding their contacts with journalists about Valerie Plame. But he did tell one person the night before…
SCHIEFFER: Let me just ask you the obvious question, Mr. Attorney General. Did you tell anybody at the White House, get ready for this, here it comes?
GONZALES: I, I told one person, ah, in, in the White House of, of the notification, and, and —
SCHIEFFER: Who?
GONZALES: and immediately — ah, I told the chief of staff. And immediately the next morning, I told the President and, shortly thereafter, there was a notification sent out to all the members of the White House staff.
Posted by mardenhill 7/24/2005 05:33:00 PM 3 comments
Busting Republican Lies
Lets look at some of the facts, the CIA called for an investigation right after the leak was published by the traitor Bob Novak, if Valerie wasn't undercover or important to the CIA I doubt they would have went forth with it. Valerie was undercover, not just some deskjockey and no, her neighbors did not know what she did.
CIA's Tenet was 'furious' over leak, Schumer says
Former agency chief called Justice Dept. to investigateBy DOUGLAS TURNER News Washington Bureau Chief7/23/2005
WASHINGTON - Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., revealed Friday that two years ago he discussed the blown cover of CIA operative Valerie Plame with then CIA director George Tenet and that Tenet "was furious."
Tenet promptly called the Justice Department to demand an investigation into who in the Bush administration leaked Plame's identity to columnist Robert Novak, Schumer said at a hearing held by House and Senate Democrats.
Novak revealed Plame's identity in July 2003 in a column in which he said she played a key role in having her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, sent to Niger to investigate reports that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had tried to buy materials for a nuclear weapon there.
The Democratic panel heard from five former CIA operatives who said the disclosure of Plame's classified identity was a breach of the law that forbids government officials from revealing the identity of an undercover intelligence officer and a violation of trust that has harmed America's intelligence-gathering capabilities.
"What is important now is not who wins or loses the political battle or who may or may not be indicted," said Jim Marcinkowski, a central intelligence agent in the 1980s.
"Rather, it is a question of how we will go about protecting the citizens of this country in a very dangerous world. The undisputed fact is that we have irreparably damaged our capability to collect human intelligence and thereby significantly diminished our capability to protect the American people."
Another former CIA operative, Larry Johnson, said "we must put to bed the lie that (Plame) was not undercover. For starters, if she had not been undercover, then the CIA would not have referred the matter to the Justice Department."
Johnson said that "despite the repeated claims of representatives for the Republican National Committee, the Wilsons' neighbors did not know where Valerie really worked until Novak's op-ed appeared."
Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., said Bush is "affirmatively" required by several presidential directives to discipline any official in his administration who had a role in leaking classified information.
Bush cannot wait for an indictment and trial to determine whether leakers committed a crime, Waxman said. Presidential directives mandate he discipline all who had a role.
Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper has revealed that Bush's deputy chief of staff, Karl Rove, and Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby Jr., had told him that Wilson's wife worked at the Central Intelligence Agency.
Rove has not disputed that he told Cooper that Wilson's wife worked for the agency but has said through his lawyer that he did not mention her by name.
Bush, who once said he would discipline anyone who leaked the information, now says he will wait to see who is convicted in the investigation run by special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald.
Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, D-Fairport, said at worst the leak is treason and at best, an abuse of power.
Posted by mardenhill 7/24/2005 03:08:00 PM 2 comments
Rove & Novak Sitting in a Tree.....
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Hey look, its our 2 favorite republican goons posing for the camera back in 2003, the best part of it all is the button that Rove is wearing. It states "I'm a Source not a Target". Hmm, whats that supposed to mean, I have a feeling it was a jab at the whole investigation back in 03, a chance to mock the whole Valerie Plame outing. Well buddy, guess who's laughing now. Good ole Benedict Novak and Rove posing together, letting us know that they're on top and we are just a bunch of trash. Well boys, I think the tables are turning, both of you should and hopefully will go down for your treasonous act.
Posted by mardenhill 7/21/2005 09:11:00 AM 1 comments
CNN vs Fox
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Bill Hemmer has moved to Fox News, come August he will be working the afternoon shift. Good riddens, he was such a tool on CNN in the morning and I am glad he is gone. The article said that CNN wanted to send him to the White House as a coorespondent but Bill didn't want to move to DC so he left and went to Fox. Bill was a conservative host and was a jackass on most interviews. Soledad is currently on the morning along with the newcomer Miles O'Brian. I wasn't sure what was going on, it was Miles in for Bill and then the opening was changed to just Miles. He is a good interviewer, he actually asks real questions and treats the morning show like an actual newscast. Both Jack McCafferty and Toure are gone from the morning, I liked watching them not sure why they're gone. While we are on the topic of cable news shows, I have to say I love the Tucker Carlson show The Situation on MSNBC. Its on at 9pm and he has Rachel Maddow from Air America and some lady from daytime MSNBC discussing current events. The show is fastpaced and Rachel does a great job for the left. Tucker does a better job than he did on Crossfire, I think that show was just getting old. Check it out next time you are channel surfing at 9pm.
Posted by mardenhill 7/20/2005 03:37:00 PM 0 comments
Direct Shipping Update
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
This is from a wine blog that I read, the guy who writes this is right on and has been reporting on the Michigan situation for months now. I am still waiting for a response from Betty Mercer, looking thru his article, it seems like he was able to call her out on her lies. I know that I will not hear from her, but still sending emails makes me feel like I am doing something. The technology for direct shipping and verification is here, so it all goes back to profits and the complete control of wine on behalf of the distributors.
http://www.fermentations.typepad.com/
Technology Combats Wine Wholesaler Hypocrisy
I'm not convinced that facts and reason drive the debates that ensue when a state begins to reconsider their wine shipping laws. Both California and Michigan have taken up the issue of direct shipping in the wake of the May Supreme Court decision that found discriminatory wine laws unconstitutional. In both cases, lobbying and the power of wholesaler money has resulted in taking facts and reason off the table. In California, wholesalers successfully prevented most other states' retailers from shipping to California. In Michigan, that State's wholesalers have purchased the introduction of a bill to ban all shipping.
Nevertheless, those who would propose liberalizing wine shipping laws are obligated to address arguments against direct shipping of wine. Today, there is really only one argument against direct shipping that needs to be addressed: The bogus claim that direct shipping threatens youth who, it is said, are likely to use the Internet to access alcohol.
Most recently Betty Mercer, Executive Director of the alcohol wholesaler funded front "Coalition for Safe and Responsible Michigan" testified that 10% of America's youth obtain alcohol via the Internet. She made this claim in front of the Committee of Regulatory Reform as she testified in favor of a wholesaler-purchased bill that that would ban all direct shipping in Michigan. What makes her claim really ugly is not so much that is completely false, but rather that she KNOWS it is false. I know this because I spoke with her on the phone and explained that this claim is a complete misinterpretation of a study that was conducted over a decade ago and I pointed her to the documents that confirm this.
This episode in hypocrisy is par for the course, but it also points to the urgency of combating this notion that direct shipping of wine will endanger America's youth.
This is why a national wine organizations embrace of technology that makes it simple to identify exactly who is ordering wine is important to the debate over Direct Shipping.
WineAmerica is a national organization representing over 800 wineries in nearly every state in America. They recently partnered with IDology to offer its members access to IDology's IDlive system of verifying the age and identity of those ordering through the telephone or over the Internet. The IDlive system strikes at the heart of the argument that alcohol sales can't really be monitored, the claim that comes up in ever debate on direct shipping.
The irony of wholesalers arguing that minors are endangered by direct shipping is huge when you consider that alcohol wholesalers are intimately connected to the sale of nearly every bottle of alcohol that teens drink since nearly ever drink that goes down the throat of minors and in some cases results in deaths through auto accidents at one point or another goes through the hands of wholesalers.
IDlive will give proponents of on-line wine sales and direct shipping of wine a real world technology that can be held up against the claim that Internet wines sales will entice minors to buy wine via remotely.
Whether politicians will embrace the meaning of this great new technology is unknown. However, it's a key tool in combating the hypocrisy of the likes of Betty Mercer and the wholesalers who pay her and those other around the country who aren't worried about minors, but rather about coffers.
Posted by mardenhill 7/19/2005 08:40:00 AM 3 comments
Poll Numbers on Rove, Doesn't Look Good
www.dailykos.com
Republicans not buying Rove spin by kos Mon Jul 18th, 2005 at 17:18:32 PDT
ABC News poll.
First of all:
Should Karl Rove Be Fired If He Leaked Classified Information?
Yes No
All 75% 15%
Republicans 71 17
Independents 74 17
Democrats 83 12
And then this:
Skepticism about the administration's cooperation has jumped. As the initial investigation began in September 2003, nearly half the public, 47 percent, believed the White House was fully cooperating. That fell to 39 percent a few weeks later, and it's lower still, 25 percent, in this new ABC News poll.
This view is highly partisan; barely over a tenth of Democrats and just a quarter of independents think the White House is fully cooperating. That grows to 47 percent of Republicans -- much higher, but still under half in the president's own party. And doubt about the administration's cooperation has grown as much among Republicans -- by 22 points since September 2003 -- as it has among others.
These results mean two things -- first of all, the efforts by the GOP and their allies to muddy the waters and turn this into a partisan issue are failing.
Second, this illustrates a growing disconnect between the GOP elite and the rest of the country. While the party leadership, conservative punditry and wingnutophere place the elephant above the stars and stripes (see last night's rant), it's clear that the vast majority of the Americans still place their country first. And that thankfully goes for the Republican rank and file.
Most people -- Red, Blue, or Independent -- still know the difference between right and wrong, and aren't willing to let partisanship cloud their judgment.
Posted by mardenhill 7/19/2005 08:34:00 AM 4 comments
More RNC LIES!!!!!!
Sunday, July 17, 2005
For starters, Ken Mehlman, the Republican National Committee chairman is a big giant jack ass. The guy makes Ed Gillespie look good, its that bad. Ken was on Meet the Press and as usual gave the republican talking points the whole time, would not deviate and put up the biggest bullshit front ever seen. Ken continued to spin it that Friday's evidence exonerated Rove and that everyone owes him an apology. He said it so many times that it lends creedence to the theory that the story is fake and was planted to take the heat off of Rove. All day friday the talking heads went round and round with the document and continued their assult on Joe Wilson. Here is an exerpt from this morning's meet the press, pretty interesting if you as me. Just wait Fitzpatrick, you are next for the republican smear machine.
Ken Mehlman: Would not Pledge not to attack Fitzgerald if he indicts any White House official
Mehlman appeared on MTP
Video
Video
Russert: You say you have tremendous confidence in Pat Fitzgerald.
Mehlman: I do.
Russert: If in fact he indicts White House officials, will you accept that indictment and not fight it?
Mehlman: Uh, first of all, I'm the chairman of the Republican National Committee. I'm not an attorney for anybody. Uh, the fact is, uh, I look forward to his getting to the bottom of this. I can't speak for.
Russert: But, but if he indicts White House officials, will you pledge today because you have tremendous confidence in him that you will not criticize his decision?
Mehlman: Uh, again, I'm not going to speculate. I have tremendous confidence in him. I look to him to get to the bottom of this. Whatever he does, I can assure you people are going to follow and are going to look to abide by, but --
Podesta: Say yes
Mehlman: I think it would be inappropriate for me as the RNC chairman to say what legal strategy people may take in the future.
Russert: But if you have tremendous confidence in him, then you will accept and respect his decision?
Mehlman: I look forward to hearing what he has to say and I intend to respect what he has to say, but again I'm not going to speculate on what he might do.
Think Progress
Posted by mardenhill 7/17/2005 03:50:00 PM 2 comments
Baby Who?
Friday, July 15, 2005
There are some people who should just get it over with and let us live a life without their misery and Pete Doherty is one of them. He broke up the Libertines, not that they were anything special but his continued drug abuse is a page out of every other rock star tradegy we have been thru in the last 50 years. Pete, you suck, your new band is crap and if you are going to continue to cancel shows and and put out mediocre music, OD so we can move on. You screwed Oasis the other day by no showing and now you are pulling your tour. You are nothing special, you are not the Kurt Kobain of the new Millenia, we are tired of your antics it has been done before. It pisses me off that the kids of England look up to this piece of trash and accept this as rock n roll. Liam and Noel never behaved like this, they were smart with how they marketed themselves and delivered.
BABYSHAMBLES POSTPONE TOUR
BABYSHAMBLES have postponed their summer tour.
The band were due to undertake a jaunt round the country to promote forthcoming single Fuck Forever, however this afternoon the promoter informed agents that the tour was postponed.
A spokesperson for the band said the reason is so the band can complete their debut album.
The dates will be rescheduled as soon as possible.
Posted by mardenhill 7/15/2005 09:34:00 AM 1 comments
The Reunion Continues......
PIXIES TO MAKE FIRST ALBUM IN 14 YEARS
Reformed alt-rock legends PIXIES are planning to record their first album in 14 years.
The band’s frontman Black Francis has confirmed the band, who got back together last year to huge acclaim, are preparing to make their first studio album since 1991’s ’Trompe Le Monde’.
He told The Sun: “It's all hugs and kisses, I'm pleased to report.
"We have been discussing recording a new album lately. As happy as we are with the success of the reunion tour, we really want to make a record for the right reasons, whether it is successful commercially or not."
He added: "We would be satisfied if it played like our other records, never chart-topping but always in print."
Since the band got back together they have recorded two songs - ’Bam Thwok’ - which was rejected for the ’Shrek 2’ soundtrack and then released as a download-only single, and a cover of Warren Zevon’s ’Ain’t That Pretty At All’, which appeared on ’Enjoy Every Sandwich’, a tribute album to the late singer.
Pixies headline this year’s Carling Weekend: Reading and Leeds Festivals between August 27 and 29.
Black Francis releases a new solo album under the name Frank Black next week (July 18). ’Honeycomb’ is the first record he’s done alone since 1996’s ’The Cult Of Ray’.
Posted by mardenhill 7/15/2005 09:27:00 AM 1 comments
Principessa Gavi
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Once upon a time in a land far away, there lived a fair young princess named Gavia, daughter of Clodimir, king of the Franks and son of Clovis I. As young maidens are wont to do, she fell in love with a handsome young man who served as a guard in her father's court. The couple sought the king's permission to marry, but he refused to have his daughter wed out of her class. He forbade them to see each other. Desperately in love, the young couple eloped, fleeing to a distant part of the kingdom and settling in a sleepy village on the other side of the alps.
For a long time, they eluded the king's troops who scoured the land in search of the newlyweds. Alas, one night after enjoying a generous amount of a charming local white wine, the groom became loose-lipped and confided their story to the local innkeeper. The innkeeper nodded and feigned sympathy, but after sending the groom off to bed he sent word to the king and collected a handsome reward. Troops gathered up the couple and brought them back to the king to face their punishment. By this time word of the romance had spread throughout the kingdom, and there were intercessions on Gavia's behalf by Alamasunta, Queen of the Goths, as well as Pope St. Hermistas. The King, of course, upon looking into his lovely daughter's eyes, could not help but forgive her. He blessed their union, and as a wedding gift he bequeathed them the town which they had chosen to settle in. In her honor he gave the name Gavi to the town as well as the charming white wine that was responsible for her husband's indiscretion. It is said today that the romance lives on in each glass of Principessa Gavia Gavi.
PRINCIPESSA GAVIAGavi D.O.C.G.
Considered the premier dry white wine of Italy, Principessa Gavi compares favorably with the world's noble wines. Superlative with a distinct personality, Principessa is fruity, fresh and crisp with a gentle acidity and balanced finish.An ideal accompaniment with all shellfish, it also marries well with fish, veal and grilled chicken, as well as with the delicate flavor variations of Japanese cuisine.
Gavi Wine Information
Gavi comes from the Piedmont area of Italy, and is made primarily with the Cortese grape. The two wines coming out of this region are Gavi and Cortese di Gavi. This is Italy's most expensive white wine shipped to the US. Gavi, for Italians, is the standard "Bianco" (white). Gavi tends to have a straw color and a neutral, mild aroma. It is very acidic. Its unassuming flavor is usually fruity, persistent, dry and balanced. Gavi goes very well with fish.
Gavi is best drunk young - it peaks after a year, and it is only drinkable for another 2-3 years after that. Gavi should be drunk at 48F.
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I was down at Simply Wine in Ferndale and the owner recommended this bottle to me, I had no idea what it was but he said just drink it and let me know what you think. The bottle was about $13 and let me tell ya, it rocked, its very fruity, dry and crisp. Its not as bold as a Sauvignaun Blanc from New Zealand but it has its own characteristics that makes it so good. I just found the website with all the history and some other sites that talked about the style and grape. I am still learning about Italian wine, there are so many grape varieties out there that it will be like going back to school. I was at an Italian restaurant in Ann Arbor where I had a red wine flight which was ok but not spectacular. Some of them are good but too many taste the same which is quite boring. I will continue experimenting and discover those super tuscans that people seem to rave about.
http://www.vinibanfi.com/gavia.html
http://www.simply-wine.net/
Posted by mardenhill 7/14/2005 09:08:00 AM 0 comments
Karl Rove, Our Favorite Punching Bag
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
This was posted yesterday but I didn't get a chance to post it here. I think its safe to say that Karl will not face jail time over this, probably get a slap on the wrist but its still fair to hold him to the fire over this. If we don't this just sets the presidence that its ok to leak and weasel your way out of it. There is a bunch of legal hairsplitting going on, the argument that Karl never said the name, just Joe Wilson's wife and he was trying to prevent false information being included in the Times article. Say I was a mob boss and ordered a hit on joe schmoe's wife, I didn't give her name but acknowledged that it was Joe's wife, the hitmen if they do not know already can go out to public records and look up the name and address. They carry out the hit, can I be held liable for ordering it? Why yes, I never said her name but I implied and gave enough info to trace it to the person, this is the same thing Karl did, he aluded to the person and the reporter connected the last part of the puzzle.
This is why the investigation needs to go on, if Karl didn't leak it, or if he did but got the info from someone else in the administration (i.e. Cheney) then this needs to be made public. The outing was a political payback, a smear campaign against Joe Wilson for coming public about the lie Bush was pushing between Saddam and Niger. The repubs have been spinning this so much, you would think Karl was the victim here, he was burned by the reporter and big bad Joe Wilson got away with slandering the prez. Its amazing how low the repubs will stoop to smear a whistleblower.
I find this interesting, I am upset none of the MSM have picked up on it, this info would paint a better picture of what kind of character Karl Rove really is.
http://www.mydd.com/story/2005/7/11/155029/380
Rove was caught for leaking to Novak in '92 and was fired by Bush Sr.
by janfrel From the diaries--Chris
I had forgotten about this:
Rove fired from Bush Sr's '92 campaign over leak to Novak. Karl Rove was fired from the 1992 re-election campaign of Bush Sr. for allegedly leaking a negative story about Bush loyalist/fundraiser Robert Mosbacher to Novak. Novak's piece described a meeting organized by then-Senator Phil Gramm at which Mosbacher was relieved of his duties as state campaign manager because "the president's re-election effort in Texas has been a bust." Rove was fired after Mosbacher fingered him as Novak's source.
Rove was the "only one with a motive to leak": Mosbacher says: "I said Rove is the only one with a motive to leak this. We let him go." The motive in question? Mosbacher had given Rove only a quarter of the $1 million spent on direct mail contracts for the 92 campaign; Rove, who in 1988 had the entire direct mail contract, therefore had an axe to grind with Mosbacher. Novak's column stated: "Also attending the session was political consultant Karl Rove, who had been shoved aside by Mosbacher."
Mosbacher still says Rove did it: Although Novak and Rove continue to deny Rove was the source of the leak, Mosbacher recently stated "I still believe he did it."
(Sources: "Karl and Bob: a leaky history," Houston Chronicle, Nov. 7, 2003, ; "Genius," Texas Monthly, March 2003, p. 82; "Why Are These Men Laughing," Esquire, January 2003)
Update (Chris): Rep. Slaughter points out that Bush promised to fire whoever was responsible for the leak:
During a White House Press Briefing on September 30, 2003 President Brush said the following in response to a question regarding the leaking of Valerie Plame's identity, "... if there is a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is. And if the person has violated law, the person will be taken care of." When asked at a post G-8 Summit News Conference on June 10, 2004 if he stood by his statement that he would fire whoever was responsible for the leak, Bush said, "Yes. And that's up to the U.S. attorney to find the facts."
We know that Rove was responsible for the leak. Now, let's see Bush keep his word.
Posted by mardenhill 7/13/2005 09:06:00 AM 1 comments
One More Reason Napster Sucks
Monday, July 11, 2005
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/07/09/napster_rochester_survey/
Students who are forced to pay for the Napster service at college are not even buying music from it, they are turning to iTunes and Musicmatch. Napster 2.0 launched too late and their rental service is going nowhere. No one wants to rent music and pay every month or face losing it. Plus it only works on the inferior mp3 players out there, no ipod here. iTunes on the other hand is going like gangbusters, they just announced their latest campaign for the 500 millionth song downloaded, 10 free ipods, 10,000 dowloads and a trip to see Coldplay in Europe. Right now the current tally 491,009,225. iTunes did do the free song with Pepsi and is currently doing the Slurpee promotion but 500 million is a lot of tracks expecially when the record labels laughed at the idea of digital downloads. I am interested to see what the prize for the 1 billionth will be, that will be something to see.
Posted by mardenhill 7/11/2005 05:03:00 PM 0 comments
Detroit Uncorked
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Erika and I plan on going again this year, if anyone is interested let me know. Last year we had a great time, sampled a ton of wines, and afterwards went to Agave on Woodward. We havnt been back there since but this would be a good reason to go back again. While on the wine subject, I got a letter back from State Rep Andy Meisner who stated that he supports direct shipping and is working on the issue. I plan on pressing him more to make sure he sticks with it.
A special ticket pre-sale for the second annual Detroit Uncorked, being held Friday, October 7 from 6:30-9 p.m. at Ford Field in Detroit is underway FOR DWO MEMBERS ONLY. Considering that tickets for last year's event sold out in advance, this is a great opportunity for DWO members to secure their place at the Midwest's premier wine event before tickets go on sale to the general public on July 15.
We're pleased to announce that Ford Motor Co. is our presenting sponsor once again, and that proceeds from the event will go to The Children's Center, a Detroit-based charity that serves kids and families at risk. The event will feature 800 wines from around the world, light hors d'oeuvres, entertainment, a silent auction and more.
DWO members will also receive $5 off the regular ticket price of $75.
Click here to purchase your tickets now.
http://www.detroitwine.org/join.html
Posted by mardenhill 7/09/2005 06:23:00 PM 2 comments
4th of July Weekend
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Erika and I have had a busy week, sorry for not posting. On Thursday we had a rehersal dinner downriver and then the wedding on Friday. That nite Alison, Erika and I headed out for Delaware to visit Erika's aunt and uncle. The drive was long, 12 hrs and we hit a ton of traffic crossing the Chesapeake Bay bridge and all the way into Delaware. The house is great, its on the Delaware Bay within a strip of 30 other houses overlooking the water. The beach is a bit rocky and not really for swimming but the view was fantastic. It was great to wake up to the sound of the water and the sunrise.
We went swimming down on one of the public beaches and did some body boarding and surfing. I did get one good run on the body board but lost my sunglasses in the process of bringing the board back out to the others. Yes this is my 2nd pair I have lost in the water which really sucks, I was forced to shell out some dollars for a new pair. I had made my run and was walking back into the water to drop off the board will the intention of retiring to the beach when I was accosted by a wave that ripped my glasses off.
We had Maryland crab which was fun but a pain to eat. You had to break off the legs, open the shell and all that, very messy. We had lots of great wine, her aunt is a big fan so we sat back and drank most of it.
Alison bought a surfboard which was the worse part of the trip, we had to strap it on the top of the vibe and the whole way home it vibrated. We had to tailgate semi's to prevent the board from making noise. We did stop at Ikea in Baltimore to pick up our entertainment center for the livingroom, now we just need to wait for our floors to be refinished at the end of the month.
Posted by mardenhill 7/07/2005 05:38:00 PM 3 comments
