Club on the Hill

There's a new club on the Hill and it's down right exclusive. Not white? not male? not "Christian"? not Republican? why then you need not apply. (Note: it could help your cause if you are a former alcoholic)

The most recent member to make the news was Randy Cunningham. He's in deep doody with everyone from the IRS to the attorney general. Let's just say it doesn't pay to say "Show me the money" and then grant favors. To those of you who are still confused, it's called bribery. Other illustrious members include:

1. I. Lewis Libby: author of smutty romance novels set in Japan, side-kick and lead henchman for Dr. Evil (aka. Dick Cheney), alleged leaker of information of double agent Valerie the Flame Plame
2. Tom DeLay: former bug/pest exterminator (yes, I too wonder how he managed to not exterminate himself), former alcoholic turned born-again Christian (of the GWB variety), potential jailbait for playing at fuzzy math with campaign donations to his own private and personal PAC
3. Bill Frist: alleged medical doctor who from video footage determined that Terri Schiavo's doctors erred in their diagnosis (no surprise, he was subsequently proven wrong), Martha Stewart wannabe who sold his HCA stock right before it tanked (wonder if his future jailhouse buddies will make him a chic knitted poncho), purported Republican presidential candidate for 2008 (What does Jeb have to say about that)
4. Karl Rove: political wunderkind (evil genius?), suspected (and soon to be indicted?) outer of Valerie Plame, assassinator of character (remember John McCain's "illegitimate black daughter" that ended his bid for the presidency and Max Cleland, a quadriplegic Vietnam vet, who is "best friends" with Osama)
5. Dick Cheney (aka Dr. Evil): former alcoholic (with multiple DUIs) who lives in a bunker - 'nuf said

Any other members to indict? oops. I meant induct. Let me know...

A Farewell to Arms

I grew up in a state where students routinely miss class in the fall to go hunting. As such, I am not entirely unsympathetic to those who want to own rifles so they can kill an occasional deer (although I wonder how many deer there are left to kill since they keep getting hit by cars or starve as more McMansions come up).

I also come from a state renowned and reviled for the Michigan Militia. To this group I am far less sympathetic. What do they need their guns for? They certainly aren't killing deer in their fatigues. Are they waiting for the Canadians to invade? Honestly, haven't they watched South Park? And even if those dastardly Canadians did manage to cross the border, we have a National Guard (they can't all be in Iraq), which I am sure are more capable of defending our country than a rag-tag group of guys running through the woods playing a grown-up version of G.I. Joe?

The 2nd Amendment has been controversial since I can remember (which is basically middle school government class). After all what does it all really mean?

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Supposing that it does mean people can own and keep guns for their own person protection. Why do people need concealed weapons? Personally, I don't feel protected knowing someone has a pistol tucked into his cowboy boots. (Granted the cowboy boots alone make me really uncomfortable.) And what do people need machine guns for? They were not designed to protect people? They were meant to kill people aefficientlyly as possible (no reloads makes that easy).

To those politicians who vote down bills banning automatic weapon ownership, I want to know why! Under today's laws, convicted criminals can legally own automatic weapons. All that talk about how "guns don't kill people, people kill people" smacks or NRA propaganda (I wanted to use a bad word, but restrained myself) . But ignoring it for the moment, how can anyone justify putting such devices of mass destruction (I like to call them D.M.D though some might dare call them W.M.D and they exist right here in America!) in the hands of people known to be violent? Perhaps we already know where our next war will be fought.

My First Retraction and Hopefully my Last

My last post on the potential for a return of Japan-bashing to the US was in retrospect off base. There is a possibility for Japan-bashing to arise in places like Michigan and towns whose fortunes are dependent on the auto industry. But things are very different now than they were a decade ago. Japanese auto companies are now building more cars in the US than ever before and as a result employing more American workers. The potential collapse of GM and Ford and their network of suppliers and the businesses that depend on them do however pose a threat. The implosion of the manufacturing industry may feed the flames of growing isolationist and protectionist sentiment in Washington and across the country. Chuck Schumer and Lindsay Grahm's proposal to add tariffs to Chinese imports if they do fully adjust their currency is just one such example.

What's so wrong with judicial activism?

Conservatives complain about judicial activism all the time. It came up most recently with the Terri Schiavo case, probably because the court simply didn't rule the way DeLay and the religious right wanted. But generally whenever issues like abortion and homosexuality are discussed, the specter of judicial activism is raised by Republicans. They cite cases like Roe v. Wade and Lawrence v. Texas. And now the Bush's Supreme Court nominations, John Roberts, the short-lived Harriet Meyers, and Scalito (oops. I mean Alito. aka. I'm a sell out - rearrangement of Samuel Alito), the topic has resurfaced again. But is judicial activism really that bad? Perhaps having the judiciary take "active positions" on items allows the country to make the right decisions on topics that are either overly politicized or that the public is not ready to make.

One case in point is Brown v. the Board of Education, which ruled that "separate is not equal" and effectively provided the Civil Rights movement with the legs it needed to end of segregation and discrimination. The real question is whether or not the American public was ready to address the issues of discrimination, race relations, and segregation in 1954. Given that major Civil Rights legislation was not passed (as in by Congress) until the 1960's, Brown v. the Board of Education was clearly "legislating" and based on their arguments and interpretation of the constitution many have suggested this as a case of extreme "judicial activism". But was it the wrong decision? No one can say no to that. I don't mean to suggest that judges should create new laws as they please, but controlled "judicial activism" could be a good thing.

Also interestingly, Bush won in 2000 on a Supreme Court decision. Since when the Supreme Court was given authority to appoint a President is news to me. In light of this, it seems odd that Republicans are so averse to "judicial activism" it has helped them seal their position of power in Washington for over the past 5 years.

The Return of Japan Bashing...

With GM posting record losses and the Big Three losing market share to Toyota and Honda, one can't help but wonder if the Japan-bashing days of the 1980's could come back. Here are some reasons why...

GM lost $1.6bn in the 3rd quarter alone this year. That's $1,600,000,000. That's a lot of zeros. In aggregate, losses for the year are expected to run to something in excess of $4bn dollars, which is significantly larger than the GNP of some countries (as an example consider Bermuda). Ford's losses were much smaller, but they have troubles of their own with falling market share and a growing number of pensioners. When companies start losing money they start cutting jobs.

Today, GM announced cuts of 30,000 workers in North America (likely to be mostly Union workers - in fact over 20% of Union jobs will be cut). This is on top of cuts announced by Ford and cuts Delphi and Visteon will need to make to shore up their businesses. The UAW is taking big hits (including those in my hometown), but it remains to be seen who they will take their anger out on.

To add fuel to the fire, according to the WSJ, Toyota is set to increase production by over 10% next year and will overtake GM as the leading auto manufacturer. The glory days of Detroit which seem to have passed decades ago, may finally, actually be gone.

I wonder how Michigan is going to survive this. The fortunes of the state follow the fortunes of the Big Three and these days that has just been down...

Rivalry Weekend

It sucks to be on the losing end of rivalry weekend each year, but as a Spartan fan, you can't seem to end up anywhere else. Besides which, since when have Michigan St and Penn St had any sort of rivalry. I bet it was made up when Penn St joined the Big Ten. Incidentally, though less pertinent given their season this year, isn't it strange how Penn St used to be a kick ass team until they joined the Big Ten? The only plus side to this day was the fact that Michigan lost and maybe we'll have a BIG TEN vs. PAC TEN match up - the way it's supposed to be. I hate the BCS. Talk about destroying college football.

So here's my football wrap.

1. Tennessee lost to Vanderbilt. Peyton Manning's alma mater lost to a bunch of spoiled rich kids from Vandy? What's up with that? And what is a Volunteer? (in the context of a mascot I mean.) I could really use some help with that one.
2. Michigan lost to Ohio State. Although I am from the state of Michigan, I am certainly not a Michigan girl. (Take care to note that distinction.) Honestly listening to these sports commentators go on-and-on about Henne is getting down right irritating. The fairy tale of the borderline, decent QB becoming a super star (e.g., the Tom Brady story) is getting way to much play. Regardless the game was interesting, and Henne does have a Brady-esque clutch quality about him (remember the last second win over Penn St earlier this year?). Still I wonder whether Lloyd Carr is going to be around next year. Fans are calling for his head and he is 1-4 against Tressel (I think). John Cooper got the diss at Ohio State for losing to Michigan far too many times despite beating just about everyone else. Lloyd's gotta wonder...
3. Illinois lost to Northwestern. Poor Illinois. Will they ever get a break. It's a testament to how old I am that I can remember a time when they were good. Poor Ron Zook. Each time he loses he can only talk about how much better they are since the last loss.
4. Indiana lost to Purdue. Apparently I am not old enough to remember a time when Indiana was good. Well there is always basketball... wait, they fired Bobby Knight... well, I guess there is always next year then.
5. Michigan State lost to Penn State. This is the game that killed me. Every time there was a chance for a come back, there was a fumble or an interception or shitty special teams. Shitty special teams suck! Supposedly Smith mocked the kicker for his dare I say it piss poor performance, and although I am not a John L. fan, the guy had to have deserved it. In today's game along he missed a field goal, had one blocked, and on another there was a fumble with the ball holder. Just thinking about the games lost because of said kicker drives me crazy. But I am going to stop now because he's probably just a 20 year old kid who wants to drink himself into oblivion (god knows I'd want to). The only bright spot for Michigan State is Drew Stanton. But he had four interceptions today, which is four too many. Still as I tell my self every year. There is hope. This is a guy who can rush for 100yds a game and throw for over 300. If there is anyone who can save the Spartans, it's Stanton. And if JoePa has taught us anything, it's that miracles can happen.

Pride and Prejudice: my first movie review

As a huge Jane Austen fan, I own all of her books, and in the case of Pride and Prejudice actually have two copies, I was pleasantly surprised to see there was yet another Austen adaptation in the works. The story of Lizzy and Mr. Darcy has by some accounts been done too many times, but can a girl really ever get enough of it?

Overall the movie was an A for adequate. For those who haven't read the book so many times that it has fallen apart or seen the faithful BBC version, the movie was probably great. But for those of us who appreciate the witticisms of Mr. Bennett the sneaky, flirtatiousness or Mr. Wickham, and supreme silliness of Lydia, the movie was less enjoyable though significantly better than the black-and-white version with Lawrence Olivier.

Some of the things I liked about the movie were:

1. Mr. Bingley though I am sure some will disagree with me. In the book and the BBC movie, he is kind of a well-meaning idiot. But in this movie he was an idiot (actually he refers to himself as an "unadulterated ass") and funny. My favorite part was when he and Darcy were standing by the pond practicing his "will you marry me" speech to Jane. Hysterical!
2. Jane Bennett! They finally found a pretty Jane and one who is prettier than Elizabeth.
3. Mr. Darcy and for this I am sure to incur the wrath of my friends. Yes, Colin Firth is hot. And yes, he played Mr. Darcy twice! and well. But why did he "stare" all the time. He was too broody. This Mr. Darcy is just socially awkward and perhaps a bid haughty. It was easier to empathize with him.

Now on to the many things I disliked...

1. Weird statue. What was up with the weird bust of Darcy at Pemberley. It looked like the eyes were following Lizzy across the room. Creepy.
2. Ugly Colonel Fitzwilliam. The book describes him as "thirty, not handsome, but in person and address most truly the gentleman." I don't care he is supposed to handsome. Make him handsome! not fat with funny hair.
3. Lady Catherine arrives. It seemed rather unrealistic for Lady Catherine to show up at the Bennett household in the middle of the night. Just did not ring true.
4. The pig-sty house. The Bennet's are not rich, this we know. But the book never begins to suggest that their house is in a mud pit shared with pigs (they even do a close up of pig testicles in the movie - weird and gross!). For the Bingley's to even invite them to a ball, the Bennet's must have had a decent enough property.
5. The Orlando Bloom look-alike (a.k.a Mr. Wickham). I enjoy looking at Orlando Bloom as much as the next girl, but he's too pretty to be Mr. Wickham. Mr. Wickham is supposed to be deliciously handsome (hehe!), but he is also in the army. Yeah. The casting just didn't do so much for me. In addition, Lizzy for a time engages in a deep flirtation with Wickham. This is not even alluded to in the movie. Where was the Lizzy-Wickham love?
6. Fishy faces. Keira Knightly looked like a fish for most of the movie, especially during the ball scenes. Part of it may have been the make-up, but she kept sucking in her checks and pouting her lips. It was very distracting.
7. Wardrobe Malfunctions. With one or two exceptions, Lizzy wandered around in what looked like dyed burlap sacks. When invited to dine with Lady Catherine, Charlotte told her to simply wear the best outfit she had. So lo and behold, Lizzy shows up in a green burlap sack. No wonder, Lady Catherine was so dismissive.
8. Proposal in the rain. I was so not a fan of the proposal in the rain sequence. Where did the rain come from, why was Lizzie running in the rain, where did the pavilion come from, how did Mr. Darcy know where she was (stalker much?)? Too many questions which led to an altogether ripped out of cheesy romance novel scene. Austen deserves better.
9. I can't sleep. So now Austen has been reduced to scenes where the protagonists are running around in open fields in their nightdress and coincidentally happen to meet each other. This scene was not in the book! This scene was stupid. Read point #8.
10. Because there always has to be a 10. Mrs. Darcy, Mrs. Darcy, Mrs. Darcy. What about this scene wasn't painful and cringe worthy?

So what did you think?

Are the Tides Turning? Part II

Ever watched soaps? A soap title could aptly describe the situation in Washington these days... As The World Turns so do the Days of Our Lives. As the World has been turning, fault lines appear to be dividing the Republican dynasty. Like any great soap family, they can only take so much before turning on themselves in stories that revolve around sex, lies, money, and death.

"Conservatives", never particularly fond of McCain's style of maverick, have been reduced to calling him a RINO (Republican in Name Only). Remember the early Bush years when McCain was attached to Bush's hip and trotted out for photo-ops like a show pony? Well with Bush in a pickle, McCain has gotten too big for his britches. Can you believe he actually thinks it's wrong to torture people? Landsakes! The Bushies are going to have a tough time getting McCain back into show pony mode now.

Senate Democrats together with the support of key Republicans of the likes of Lisa Murkowski (nepotism is my middle name) and John Sununu (my daddy was some one too) may be able to block an extension of the Patriot Act. Georgie has to be depressed about this one. Fellow members of his "my daddy was in politics" club have left him high and dry.

Twenty-two, count 'em, twenty-two House Republicans broke ranks to reject a spending bill than included significant cuts in health care, education (apparently there is a new plan to leave kids behind), and programs for the poor. This break in Republican unity is particularly meaningful because it occurred in the highly partisan House (a.k.a. Land of DeLay).

Despite some weakening amongst the rank-and-file, the Republican leadership has still managed to hold the line to a large extent. It is expected that Congress will block Democrats attempts to extend a temporary tax on Big Oil's profits as Republicans seek to further line the coffers of the J.R. Ewings of the world. And John Murtha's remarks on the Iraq war were sharply dismissed and attacked by many Republicans today.

Still, the air is laden with intrigue: who told Bob Woodward about Valerie Plame? how prevalent was graft in the Iraqi reconstruction process? did we really use white phosphorous? These stories and more could lead to a collapse of the House of Cards.

The IRS Unleashed

I don't get a chance to watch the news all that often. But tonight I decided to kick back and watch the Rather network. They mostly covered the same old same old. North Koreans killing and beating defectors. (Although shocking to actually see on TV, if we were honest with ourselves we would know that this has been going on for years, and by not seeing the actual images we have chosen the comfort of denial and ignorance.) The next story on the discovery of prisoner abuse by Iraqis' in Iraq was inevitable. Honestly, can we really even pretend to be surprised by this? After all, we did set the unfortunate precedent with Abu Ghraib.

The last story was the most upsetting partially because it points to continuing malfeasance within the current administration. The All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California is under investigation by the IRS because of an anti-war sermon given by the church's former rector. In his sermon, he said

"President Bush has led us into war with Iraq as a response to terrorism. Yet I believe Jesus would say to Bush and Kerry: 'War is itself the most extreme form of terrorism. President Bush, you have not made dramatically clear what have been the human consequences of the war in Iraq... Mr. President, your doctrine of preemptive war is a failed doctrine. Forcibly changing the regime of an enemy that posed no imminent threat has led to disaster." - Rev. George Regas, former rector

Because visiting clergy had the gall to question Bush prior to the 2004 election, the IRS is now threatening to revoke the church's tax-exempt status. The IRS claims that the church interfered in the political campaign, even though it is clear that Regas never once suggested who parishioners should vote for.

This investigation by the IRS smacks of hypocrisy. It serves as yet another means for the current administration to stamp out dissent and those who speak against them. If the IRS were as very concerned with the political statements coming out of the pulpit (as they claim to be), why have they not threatened to revoke the tax-exempt status of those churchs that preached against Kerry as an enabler of murder and tried to deny him communion. Given recent events from the Valerie Plame incident (for which the administration still has not 'fessed up), it is hard to believe this investigation is just a coincidence.

Bush & Dick's ratings are still in the toilet. Although I relish their current discomfort, for whatever its worth, I do have a few words of advice. Instead of trying to muffle the opposition, engage in some real debate on the issues. Instead of rehashing the reasons for going to war, just admit mistakes were made. To err is human, and if Bush were more willing to admit to his mistakes and short comings ever so occasional, I am sure his approval ratings would rise.

In case you are interested in the details, here's a link to the story.

The Conservative Challenge - Stop #1 Sean Hannity

I am on a mission to visit the major sites of crazy-conservative journalism (I use the phrase crazy-conservative to differentiate from the more tolerable kind of conservative like William Kristol). Stop #1 was Sean Hannity's web page.

Overall, I am compelled to give the website an D-. There is little to no content (depending on how content is actually defined) on the website. As much as I despise the spread of Hannity style propoganda, I was disappointed by the distinct lack of Hannity-esque quotes. There goes my opportunity to mock him without watching his show (I can't bear to be evenly remotely responsible for bolstering his ratings).

Still there is some scope for amusement. The highlight of the website has to be the advertisement for Hannidate. Definately check this out if you need a laugh, or if you enjoy spending time with people who's IQs are significantly below your own. In the event that you are a conservative who stumbled onto my blog, apologies. Hannidate clearly performs a great public service by eliminating you from our dating pool. Check it out! I hear O'Reilly is a frequent visitor. For a "serious" journalist who provides "fair and balanced" reporting, it seems rather odd for Hannity to be sponsoring a dating service under his name. But then I never did profess to understand the pysche of a crazy-conservative.

My next stop will be the Blonde Blowhard (aka. Anne Coulter). It could be awhile. This stint alone requires me to spend some time in detox.

The DDD

The newest member of DDD (Dumb, Dumb, and Dumber and no that's not Delta Delta Delta) was inaugurated today. At an event today, Gerald Walpin in introduced "Mitt" Romney, and in the process said,

"Today when most of the country thinks of who controls Massachusetts, I think the modern-day KKK comes to mind — the Kennedy-Kerry Klan."

So according to Governor Romney, the comment was "ill-advised". Yup. You can say that again Governor.

Interesting, Mr. Walpin is a member of the Federalist Society. Other members of the Federalist Society include Judge John Roberts (who you might remember as our new Supreme Court Chief Justice), Ken Starr (of the Watergate/Lewinsky-gate affair), Justice Antonin Scalia (Supreme Court Justice), former Governor John Engler (look what he did for Michigan - nothing!), former Attorney General John Ashcroft (yes, of the Patriot Act notoriety), and many others!

Governor Romney is reportedly considering a run for President. Here's to hoping he finds some new friends before that.

Book Recommendaton #2: Attack of the Pink Books

Have you noticed the plethora of pink books that assail you every time you visit a bookstore? They are impossible to miss.

It used to be that the "romance novels" were always kept in the back of the store, their bodice ripping covers hidden as they were stacked on the bookshelves. But at some point recently, these books have made a comeback. They are no longer your traditional romance novels with sex and heavy breathing instead they are slightly more sophisticated books about the "plight" of the modern woman looking for success and love, usually in all the wrong places. There are no scantily clad men and women on the cover. They are still loud and proud, but in a more tasteful don't be embarrassed for picking me up type of way. As far as I can tell they are usually pink or some other relatively bright color with fun stenciled lettering and sketches of women on the cover.

I confess that every once in awhile I have been known to pick up such a book. Although in my defense, on a few occasions I thought I was purchasing a legitimate novel only to discover that I had fallen into the black whole of "chick lit". Here are some of the silly pink books I have read in the past year...

1. The Devil Wears Prada: Everyone was talking about this book, so I thought I should read it too, especially since it is going to be turned into a movie starring Meryl Streep as the evil, fashion editor, boss and Anne Hathaway as the wide-eyed, magazine assistant. I did not like the book. The narrator is boring and the boss is a total caricature. Apparently, the author based the story on her real life experience working with Anna Wintour. I sincerely hope the movie will be better.
2. The Nanny Diaries: Yet another book that everyone was talking about that ended up sucking. It's essentially just like The Devil Wears Prada but instead of being a magazine assistant, the narrator is a nanny.
3. Last Chance Saloon: So I bought this book because the cover looked fun. It was used, so it was super cheap - huge plus! It's really a stereotypical chick lit novel (girls searching for success and love). If you have already read Sushi for Beginners, this is essentially a rehash. So don't waste your money.
4. Can You Keep a Secret: My sister bought me this book. I read it on a roadtrip to a wedding in Toronto. It was actually funny. I hate to admit it, but I almost laughed out loud a couple times. (Shameful, I know!) Then a girl friend of mine borrowed it. And then she loaned it to another friend. If there are actually any pink books worth buying, this would be one of them.
5. Hand-Me-Downs: So I bought this book with/for my little sister for our trip to Italy. It is about the youngest of three sisters who is sick of hand me downs and living in the shadow of her older more successful sisters. But then she falls for her sister's ex-boyfriend... the hand-me-down boyfriend. The book was pretty ridiculous. But as the older sister, I would have been the swinsuit model, so that's kind of cool.

Hopefully, I haven't committed a major faux pas by letting you know of my less than intellectual reads. But perhaps you will think better of me if you know that I am currently reading Everything is Illuminated and The English Patient. The pink books are just a great guilty pleasure.

Random Musings

There are a couple other of things that have been bothering me lately. Unfortunately, I don't understand any of the issues well enough to really say something substantive. But dammit. These things bother me and they should bother you too!

1. Why do oil companies have record high profits when the average consumer is groaning under the weight of their energy bills? Are they price gauging us? They told Congress they weren't. But then Congress is slimy (they get plenty of campaign donations from energy companies) like a spineless jelly fish. I think the energy companies are in bed with Cheney (and I mean that figuratively and not literally in case there was any confusion which is actually quite understandable).



2. France is the land of Rousseau, Montesquieu, and Voltaire. They made us the Statue of Liberty. Yet they are bow embroiled in the social ills of bigotry and racism. Although there have been disturbances in the past, the drama being played this week is surprising. Perhaps because in America we talk so openly about racism and cultural tensions, I mistakenly assumed that other countries would do the same if they had these problems. However, it is apparent that the French were simply living in denial and now their problems have boiled over. So much for placing preservation of "the society" above the rights of the minority?



3. How does Condolezza Rice afford Ferragamo shoes? Perhaps we can use her salary to pay down the national debt. I didn't realize civil servants (although servants is perhaps an oxymoron) lived in such luxury.



4. How could Bree do the "nasty" with George on the last episode of Desperate Housewives? She has great hair and could do much better, not to mention that her husband just died because George poisoned him. And quite frankly, George is just freaky - the psychotic version of "The 40-year old Virgin".

Ridiculing the Ridiculous - Take I

Just some amusing things I have been reading and hearing...

"What I am hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas... Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality... And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underpriviledged anyway, so this is working out well for them." - Barbara Bush (as quoted in Vanity Fair)

So I don't even know where to begin with this one, it is so utterly ridiculous. However, I did learn where GWB got his intelligence from.

In other breaking news... Paris Hilton apparently crashed her Bentley into a parked truck. Now that's hot!

Are the Tides Turning?

Democrats every where want to know... has the time finally come? Bush's approval ratings are below 40% which means Cheney's must have entered negative territory. And the election results are in!

• Democrat Jon Corozine is Governor of New Jersey. So he's a big spending, fat cat banker, but he's a Democrat. We'll take him.


• Democrat Tim Kaine is Governor of Virginia. Let the invasion of the red states begin! The Republican loss is made all the more poignant by the fact that Bush made an 11th hour trip to campaign with his candidate (who's name isn't worth remembering. Ahh the glee I feel.) This election also means that we might have a centralist, southern Democrat (ala Clinton without Sex-gate) run for president. What a relief. Because there is no way Hillary can carry a red, southern state


• Democrat (oh, erm. I mean Republican) Bloomberg re-elected as Mayor of New York. Once a Democrat always a Democrat. If Bloomberg wants to play at being a Republican more power to him, I suppose


• And the Democrat, Mayor of St. Paul lost his re-election bid to another Democrat - why? because he made the mistake of endorsing Bush. Okay. So he probably wasn't a Zell Miller and he just did what everyone else did, but hopefully this will make Democrats think and stop giving in to everything the administration asks for


• The California results aren't in yet, but it looks like there might not be an hasta la vista for the Terminator if his propositions don't pass. I wonder who'll be the next governor. Maybe one of the guys from the West Wing if we are lucky.

Now I would be happy if Ohio and Indiana would become a happy blue states like the rest of the MidWest. Why do they insist upon being Republican? Sure conservative values are important, but when has the current administration helped either in terms of jobs or the general economy the current administration. Stop believing the Cheney propaganda! You are not better off with this administration.

It would also be fabulous if Kwame Kilpatrick lost his re-election bid for Mayor of Detroit. Detroit is already the butt of enough jokes without a mayor known more for his gold chains, parties, womanizing, and abuse of petty cash. Can we have a Coleman Young again?

Also for the very few of you who read this... please know that it was Bush who turned me into a rabid liberal. Before I was quite happy in the malaise of upper-middle class Republican-dom.

Quality TV?

So for some off reason I decided to watch *Elimidate* last night. Yeah, quality TV -- I know. (In my defense, I was bored.) Of course, they find the most intellectually challenged segment of America to participate on the show and if injections of plastic have been made into their bodies, the more the better. Clearly, the conversation on the show is not meant to be intelligent. But I was surprised when a cheap version of Anna Nicole Smith (yes, apparently one can look cheaper than Anna Nicole Smith) said that she "George W is soooooooo hot" and "I would Lewinsky George Bush". Ew. Ew. I feel like I need to wash my ears out with soap.

I Likely Like Wordly Words

I like words that end in ly. I was once told by my boss that these words (apparently they are called adverbs) are really meaningless. Basically, they are a replacement for the word also know as "um". So which ly words am I really fond of? There are so ridiculously many that it can be hard to count.

* exceedingly - as in, "What an exceedingly marvelous event"
* terribly - as in, "I found it to be terribly dreadful"
* ridiculously - as used above
* extremely - as in, "She's extremely charming, but..."

Oh and the list can go on and on. But tacking on ly words is more certainly a great way to expand your vocabulary.