The Weekly Rewind

End of the week.

Time for The Weekly Rewind.

Without further ado... here we go;

Applaud: to Ned Lamont. Word on the street is that he pummled Joe Lieberman (“D”, really R-CT) in last night’s debate. (Heh heh heh). You can read the debate’s transcript HERE.

Heckle: to North Korea. I think we all know why. If not, I’ll just say this; Dr. Strangelove is alive and well and living in Pyongyang…

Applaud: to Rod Nordland. A former bureau chief for Newsweek, stationed in Baghdad, has accused the U.S. military of “censoring many [embedded reporting] arrangements.” Supposedly, before the military will go on the record, they want to know what your views on a story will be, as well as “what you intend to write, and what you have written from embed trips before.” Mr. Nordland continues to say that if the military doesn’t like what you’ve done before, they won’t allow you to travel. (This should surprise me, but coming from the military under this administration; it doesn’t. Makes you feel proud doesn’t it??)

Heckle: to the American Family Association. The ultra-rightwing group is suing Michigan State University in an attempt to ge them to stop offering health insurance to the partners of gay workers. Why? They claim that it’s in violation of a 2004 state constitutional amendment that banned gay marriage. They say it’s a violation “in substance if not by label.” Uh…okay

Applaud: to Republican in-fighting. Earlies this week, we saw Sens. Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Rick Santorum (R-PA) clash over the definition of amnesty, with Santorum stating: “If I am [mischaracterizing it], then so are…a lot of other folks who read that bill and see it for what it is.” Specter response? “Sen. Santorum is entitled to his views. … ‘Amnesty’ is a buzz word that is used in derogation…I think we’re moving past that.” (Whenver they fight amongst themselves like that it brings a little, and smug, smile to my face)

Heckle: to the same-ol’ song and dance. U.S. job growth for the month of June was, once again, weak and below expectations. (Color me… NOT surprised…)

Heckle: to $75.78 a barrel. That was the closing price of one barrel of crude oil today, a record-high. Naturally the oil companies are blaming the “unrelenting demand for oil” in the U.S. and Asia, as well as the nuclear standoff with Iran (cuz that’s such a hardship at this particular moment) that was pushed further by North Korea’s missle tests.

Applaud: to the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. They awarded conservative tool Ann Coulter this year’s Sitting Duck award for “Easiest Column Target.” The society imparted the honor on her for “cheapening political discourse in America.” There apparently was some reluctance in bestowing the honor on her as they know, as does every other person on this planet with a brain of their own, that Coulter is desperate for any kind of attention.

Heckle: to THIS practice. I have daughters and I do worry about them and boys, but this practice seems a tad extreme. And can I say, even though I’m not a female; “Ouch!”

Applaud: to GOP-led election shananigans being nixed. U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks ruled Thursday that ex Rep. ‘Smilin’Tom DeLay, (R-TX), can’t be replaced on the November ballot simply because he moved from Texas to a Virginia condominium that he has owned for over 12 years, so that means that DeLay (flashback: he left office in June after winning the Republican nomination despite having been indicted on money-laundering charges, but was still facing a tough re-election bid) will remain on the ballot. (Lame attempt to circumvent the law there guys. Moving and proclaiming yourself a Virginian, as DeLay did, does not make you a Virginian. Here’s a strategy; take your lumps in the election you dickhead. If you wanted off the ballot, you shouldn’t have run for re-election in the first place…)

Heckle: to something like this being this damn easy. A computer consultant working for the government to rate the security of FBI computers, and using programs that can be found on the Internet, was able to hack into the FBI’s “classified” (and I use that term very loosely) computer system and get passwords of 38,000 employees. Including FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III’s.

Applaud: to the end of drinking the kool-aid and the beginning of using their own brains. A push on Capitol Hill for more tax cuts “is waning.” Why? Because constituentsd have begun questioning congress about the deficit and whether these tax cuts would do anything more for the middle class than make them feel like they got screwed with their pants on… (Ok, I made that last part up. Finally!! A blip of intelligence and independence from the lemmings… praise the Lord!!!)

Heckle: to piss-poor management of high-level government jobs. Two examples of this: almost a year after Homeland Security Tool (”Secretary”) Michael Chertoff announced the creation of a Cabinet-level cyber-security czar, the position remains vacant. Add to that the fact that Richard Stickler, the man President Bush chose to oversee federal mine safety laws has gone to work at the Labor Department despite not yet winning Senate confirmation, and you have a political boondoggle of potentially catastrophic proportions. (Let’s think about these for a moment; First the lack of a cyber-security czar. One of the worst thing that could happen to this country would be an attack on the world wide web that would cripple so many vital things in this coutry that we would come to a standstill. The other issue, allowing someone to work at a job even though they haven’t been confirmed is one more example of this adminstration and their flagrant disregard for the rules. What wonderful examples they’re giving us and the rest of the world. How much longer is Dubya in charge?? November 2008 cannot come soon enough…)

Applaud: and it pains me to do this, but applaud to Sen. John Kerry (D-XX) for calling for the reopening of the CIA’s “bin Laden unit.” Yes, I know it’s an election-year move and is aiming at strengthening his political standing, but at least someone is saying what we’re all (should be) thinking.

Take 'em as you will... what are YOU... you, yes you, the little guy in Vegas... don't hide from me, I know you're there... what are YOU applauding and heckling this week??