I think he might actually be wasted in this picture.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Ted Kennedy to the rescue...
It seems that despite the fact we don't know who the nominee is yet democrats are already setting up their playbook with Mr. Ted Kennedy who doesn't think that, well he just plain doesn't think. Hey Ted remember the date July 19th and a area called Chapaquitic? I thought so, I'm planning something special for your anniversary.
I think he might actually be wasted in this picture.
I think he might actually be wasted in this picture.
Monday, July 04, 2005
Google won't accept me, oh well...
Site content, oh brother, oh well at least the site stays pure for now. Here's a list of things that they don't accept on their site...
Site may not include:
Excessive profanity
Violence, racial intolerance, or advocate against any individual, group, or organization (losers, so much for free speech huh?)
Hacking/cracking content
Illicit drugs and drug paraphernalia
Pornography, adult, or mature content
Gambling or casino-related content
Excessive advertising
Any other content that promotes illegal activity or infringes on the legal rights of others (broad ain't it?)
Pop-ups, pop-unders or exit windows that interfere with site navigation, obscure Google ads, change user preferences, or are for downloads. Other types of pop-ups, pop-unders, or exit windows may be allowed, provided that they do not exceed a combined total of 5 per user session
Excessive, repetitive, or irrelevant keywords in the content or code of web pages
Deceptive or manipulative content or construction to improve your site's search engine ranking, e.g., your site's PageRank
Incentives (monetary or point-based) to users to click on links or ads while visiting a site containing Ads
Sales or promotion of certain weapons, such as firearms, ammunition, balisongs, butterfly knives, and brass knuckles
Sales or promotion of beer or hard alcohol
Sales or promotion of tobacco or tobacco-related products
Sales or promotion of prescription drugs
Sales or promotion of products that are replicas or imitations of designer goods
Site may not include:
Excessive profanity
Violence, racial intolerance, or advocate against any individual, group, or organization (losers, so much for free speech huh?)
Hacking/cracking content
Illicit drugs and drug paraphernalia
Pornography, adult, or mature content
Gambling or casino-related content
Excessive advertising
Any other content that promotes illegal activity or infringes on the legal rights of others (broad ain't it?)
Pop-ups, pop-unders or exit windows that interfere with site navigation, obscure Google ads, change user preferences, or are for downloads. Other types of pop-ups, pop-unders, or exit windows may be allowed, provided that they do not exceed a combined total of 5 per user session
Excessive, repetitive, or irrelevant keywords in the content or code of web pages
Deceptive or manipulative content or construction to improve your site's search engine ranking, e.g., your site's PageRank
Incentives (monetary or point-based) to users to click on links or ads while visiting a site containing Ads
Sales or promotion of certain weapons, such as firearms, ammunition, balisongs, butterfly knives, and brass knuckles
Sales or promotion of beer or hard alcohol
Sales or promotion of tobacco or tobacco-related products
Sales or promotion of prescription drugs
Sales or promotion of products that are replicas or imitations of designer goods
I am taking the last 23 hours of the 4th off...
I will leave you all with some patriotic quotes I have found. Enjoy our nations 229th birthday everyone. America kicks ass and owns all, and in the words from the theme song from Team America: World Police "America FUCK YEA!!".
... ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.
~ John F. Kennedy
A politician will do anything to keep his job -- even become a patriot.
~ William Randolph Hearst
Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.
~ Adlai Stevenson
Patriotism is easy to understand in America; it means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country.
~ Calvin Coolidge
I think patriotism is like charity -- it begins at home.
~ Henry James
A man's country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is a principle; and patriotism is loyalty to that principle.
~ George William Curtis
A man's feet must be planted in his country, but his eyes should survey the world.
~ George Santayana
Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it.
~ George Bernard Shaw
Breathes there the man with soul so dead, Who never to himself hath said, This is my own, my native land!
~ Walter Scott
A thoughtful mind, when it sees a Nation's flag, sees not the flag only, but the Nation itself; and whatever may be its symbols, its insignia, he reads chiefly in the flag the Government, the principles, the truths, the history which belongs to the Nation that sets it forth.
~ Henry Ward Beecher
"The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men." -- Samuel Adams
"A thoughtful mind, when it sees a Nation's flag, sees not the flag only, but the Nation itself; and whatever may be its symbols, its insignia, he reads chiefly in the flag the Government, the principles, the truths, the history which belongs to the Nation which belongs to the Nation that sets it forth." -- Henry Ward Beecher
"God bless America, land that I love,
Stand beside her, and guide her,
Through the night, with the light from above,
From the mountains, to the prairies
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, my home sweet home,
God bless America! My Home Sweet Home!" --Irving Berlin, God Bless America
"We can't all be Washingtons, but we can all be patriots." -- Charles F. Browne
"Patriotism is easy to understand in America; it means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country."-- Calvin Coolidge
"True patriotism hates injustice in its own land more than anywhere else." -- Clarence Darrow
"Our country! In her intercourse with foreign nations, may she always be in the right; but our country, right or wrong!" -- Steven Decatur
"And I'm proud to be an American,
Where at least I know I'm free,
And I won't forget the men who died,
Who gave that right to me
And I'll proudly stand up next to him to defend her still today,
Cuz there aint no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA" -- Lee Greenwood, Proud To Be An American
"I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." -- Nathan Hale's last words before being hanged by British.
"Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace--but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" -- Patrick Henry
"When I die, I desire no better winding sheet than the Stars and Stripes, and no softer pillow than the Constitution of my country." -- Andrew Johnson
"American Girls and American Guys
We'll always stand up and salute
We'll always recognize
When we see Old Glory Flying
There's a lot of men dead
So we can sleep in peace at night
When we lay down our head." -- Toby Keith, Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue
"Justice will be served
And the battle will rage
This big dog will fight
When you rattle his cage
And you'll be sorry that you messed with
The U.S. of A.
'Cause we'll put a boot in your *ss
It's the American way" -- Toby Keith, Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue
"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty." -- John F. Kennedy
"(W)e here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom; and that this government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." -- Abe Lincoln in the Gettysburg Address
"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." -- Abraham Lincoln
"We must always remember that America is a great nation today not because of what government did for people but because of what people did for themselves and for one another." -- Richard Nixon
"Our citizenship in the United States is our national character. Our citizenship in any particular state is only our local distinction. By the latter we are known at home, by the former to the world. Our great title is AMERICANS…" -- Thomas Paine
"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." -- Thomas Paine
"Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return." -- Colin Powell
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." -- The Pledge Of Allegiance
"You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children (America), the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children's children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done." -- Ronald Reagan
"And how stands the city on this winter night? More prosperous, more secure, and happier than it was 8 years ago. But more than that: After 200 years, two centuries, she still stands strong and true on the granite ridge, and her glow has held steady no matter what storm. And she's still a beacon, still a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the pilgrims from all the lost places who are hurtling through the darkness, toward home." -- Ronald Reagan
"In closing, let me thank you, the American people, for giving me the great honor of allowing me to serve as your president. When the Lord calls me home, whenever that day may be, I will leave with the greatest love for this country of ours and eternal optimism for its future. I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead" -- Ronald Reagan
"Americanism means the virtues of courage, honor, justice, truth, sincerity, and hardihood -- the virtues that made America." -- Teddy Roosevelt
"Yonder are the Hessians. They were bought for seven pounds and tenpence a man. Are you worth more? Prove it. Tonight the American flag floats from yonder hill or Molly Stark sleeps a widow!" -- John Stark at the Battle of Bennington in 1777
"I venture to suggest that partiotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime." -- Adali Stevenson
"In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, brave, hated, and scorned. When his cause succeeds however, the timid join him, For then it costs nothing to be a patriot." -- Mark Twain
"I shall know but one country. The ends I aim at shall be my country’s, my God’s and Truth’s. I was born an American; I live an American; I shall die an American." -- Daniel Webster
"Sure I wave the American flag. Do you know a better flag to wave? Sure I love my country with all her faults. I'm not ashamed of that, never have been, never will be." -- John Wayne
"The things that the flag stands for were created by the experiences of a great people. Everything that it stands for was written by their lives. The flag is the embodiment, not of sentiment, but of history." -- Woodrow Wilson
... ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.
~ John F. Kennedy
A politician will do anything to keep his job -- even become a patriot.
~ William Randolph Hearst
Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.
~ Adlai Stevenson
Patriotism is easy to understand in America; it means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country.
~ Calvin Coolidge
I think patriotism is like charity -- it begins at home.
~ Henry James
A man's country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is a principle; and patriotism is loyalty to that principle.
~ George William Curtis
A man's feet must be planted in his country, but his eyes should survey the world.
~ George Santayana
Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it.
~ George Bernard Shaw
Breathes there the man with soul so dead, Who never to himself hath said, This is my own, my native land!
~ Walter Scott
A thoughtful mind, when it sees a Nation's flag, sees not the flag only, but the Nation itself; and whatever may be its symbols, its insignia, he reads chiefly in the flag the Government, the principles, the truths, the history which belongs to the Nation that sets it forth.
~ Henry Ward Beecher
"The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men." -- Samuel Adams
"A thoughtful mind, when it sees a Nation's flag, sees not the flag only, but the Nation itself; and whatever may be its symbols, its insignia, he reads chiefly in the flag the Government, the principles, the truths, the history which belongs to the Nation which belongs to the Nation that sets it forth." -- Henry Ward Beecher
"God bless America, land that I love,
Stand beside her, and guide her,
Through the night, with the light from above,
From the mountains, to the prairies
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, my home sweet home,
God bless America! My Home Sweet Home!" --Irving Berlin, God Bless America
"We can't all be Washingtons, but we can all be patriots." -- Charles F. Browne
"Patriotism is easy to understand in America; it means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country."-- Calvin Coolidge
"True patriotism hates injustice in its own land more than anywhere else." -- Clarence Darrow
"Our country! In her intercourse with foreign nations, may she always be in the right; but our country, right or wrong!" -- Steven Decatur
"And I'm proud to be an American,
Where at least I know I'm free,
And I won't forget the men who died,
Who gave that right to me
And I'll proudly stand up next to him to defend her still today,
Cuz there aint no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA" -- Lee Greenwood, Proud To Be An American
"I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." -- Nathan Hale's last words before being hanged by British.
"Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace--but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" -- Patrick Henry
"When I die, I desire no better winding sheet than the Stars and Stripes, and no softer pillow than the Constitution of my country." -- Andrew Johnson
"American Girls and American Guys
We'll always stand up and salute
We'll always recognize
When we see Old Glory Flying
There's a lot of men dead
So we can sleep in peace at night
When we lay down our head." -- Toby Keith, Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue
"Justice will be served
And the battle will rage
This big dog will fight
When you rattle his cage
And you'll be sorry that you messed with
The U.S. of A.
'Cause we'll put a boot in your *ss
It's the American way" -- Toby Keith, Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue
"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty." -- John F. Kennedy
"(W)e here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom; and that this government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." -- Abe Lincoln in the Gettysburg Address
"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." -- Abraham Lincoln
"We must always remember that America is a great nation today not because of what government did for people but because of what people did for themselves and for one another." -- Richard Nixon
"Our citizenship in the United States is our national character. Our citizenship in any particular state is only our local distinction. By the latter we are known at home, by the former to the world. Our great title is AMERICANS…" -- Thomas Paine
"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." -- Thomas Paine
"Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return." -- Colin Powell
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." -- The Pledge Of Allegiance
"You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children (America), the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children's children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done." -- Ronald Reagan
"And how stands the city on this winter night? More prosperous, more secure, and happier than it was 8 years ago. But more than that: After 200 years, two centuries, she still stands strong and true on the granite ridge, and her glow has held steady no matter what storm. And she's still a beacon, still a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the pilgrims from all the lost places who are hurtling through the darkness, toward home." -- Ronald Reagan
"In closing, let me thank you, the American people, for giving me the great honor of allowing me to serve as your president. When the Lord calls me home, whenever that day may be, I will leave with the greatest love for this country of ours and eternal optimism for its future. I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead" -- Ronald Reagan
"Americanism means the virtues of courage, honor, justice, truth, sincerity, and hardihood -- the virtues that made America." -- Teddy Roosevelt
"Yonder are the Hessians. They were bought for seven pounds and tenpence a man. Are you worth more? Prove it. Tonight the American flag floats from yonder hill or Molly Stark sleeps a widow!" -- John Stark at the Battle of Bennington in 1777
"I venture to suggest that partiotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime." -- Adali Stevenson
"In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, brave, hated, and scorned. When his cause succeeds however, the timid join him, For then it costs nothing to be a patriot." -- Mark Twain
"I shall know but one country. The ends I aim at shall be my country’s, my God’s and Truth’s. I was born an American; I live an American; I shall die an American." -- Daniel Webster
"Sure I wave the American flag. Do you know a better flag to wave? Sure I love my country with all her faults. I'm not ashamed of that, never have been, never will be." -- John Wayne
"The things that the flag stands for were created by the experiences of a great people. Everything that it stands for was written by their lives. The flag is the embodiment, not of sentiment, but of history." -- Woodrow Wilson
ACLU vs. Minuteman Project...
This was a good article I found comparing one of my favorite organizations against my most hated organization, enjoy...
George Putnam
Saturday, July 2, 2005
It is this reporter's opinion that the Minuteman Project is not a call to arms, but rather a call to patriotic American voices seeking a peaceful, respectable solution to the chaotic neglect by members of our local, state and federal governments who have taken an oath to apply U.S. immigration law and protect the sovereignty of the United States of America.
The Minuteman Project is a call to bring national awareness to the decades-long careless disregard of effective U.S. immigration law enforcement. It is a reminder to Americans that our nation was founded and governed by the rule of law, not by the whims of mobs of illegal aliens who stream across U.S. borders. The Minutemen and women are willing to sacrifice their time and comforts to do what their government has refused to do: Stop the illegal invasion – the tens of millions of invading illegals.
Imagine our amazement to discover that the ACLU chapter in New Mexico has suspended an entire chapter of the local organization because a member of the board of directors is reported to be leading the state's Minuteman group! The state organization has suspended its Las Cruces chapter after learning that a member of the group's board, Clifford Alford, is heading the formation of a Minuteman group in New Mexico.
The ACLU actually mobilized nationally against the Minuteman Project. The organization stationed its own volunteers on the border in order to watch the border monitors watch the illegal aliens, reporting any civil liberties violations to authorities.
This reporter has had a lifelong battle with the ACLU, which maintains that it is wholly nonpartisan, advertising itself as an objective organization – neither liberal nor conservative, Republican nor Democrat – that is devoted exclusively to protecting the civil liberties of all Americans.
But the facts indicate otherwise.
Roger Baldwin, founder and leading force in the ACLU until his death in 1981, asserted the partisan nature of the ACLU agenda. Said Baldwin, "I am for socialism, disarmament, and ultimately for abolishing the state itself as an instrument of violence and compulsion. I seek social ownership of property." And he concluded with "COMMUNISM IS THE GOAL."
So, what a bombshell when a member of the board of New Mexico's ACLU (the same organization that has mobilized nationally against the Minuteman Project) is discovered to be the head of the formation of a Minuteman group in New Mexico.
The president of the ACLU's southern district chapter says he doesn't know how the local board will respond to being suspended. "We are not 100 percent happy with it," he says. The ACLU would like Alford to resign, but believes it's up to the local board to seek his removal.
Roger Baldwin, how does the ACLU handle this one? As for the ACLU, is your destination unknown?
George Putnam
Saturday, July 2, 2005
It is this reporter's opinion that the Minuteman Project is not a call to arms, but rather a call to patriotic American voices seeking a peaceful, respectable solution to the chaotic neglect by members of our local, state and federal governments who have taken an oath to apply U.S. immigration law and protect the sovereignty of the United States of America.
The Minuteman Project is a call to bring national awareness to the decades-long careless disregard of effective U.S. immigration law enforcement. It is a reminder to Americans that our nation was founded and governed by the rule of law, not by the whims of mobs of illegal aliens who stream across U.S. borders. The Minutemen and women are willing to sacrifice their time and comforts to do what their government has refused to do: Stop the illegal invasion – the tens of millions of invading illegals.
Imagine our amazement to discover that the ACLU chapter in New Mexico has suspended an entire chapter of the local organization because a member of the board of directors is reported to be leading the state's Minuteman group! The state organization has suspended its Las Cruces chapter after learning that a member of the group's board, Clifford Alford, is heading the formation of a Minuteman group in New Mexico.
The ACLU actually mobilized nationally against the Minuteman Project. The organization stationed its own volunteers on the border in order to watch the border monitors watch the illegal aliens, reporting any civil liberties violations to authorities.
This reporter has had a lifelong battle with the ACLU, which maintains that it is wholly nonpartisan, advertising itself as an objective organization – neither liberal nor conservative, Republican nor Democrat – that is devoted exclusively to protecting the civil liberties of all Americans.
But the facts indicate otherwise.
Roger Baldwin, founder and leading force in the ACLU until his death in 1981, asserted the partisan nature of the ACLU agenda. Said Baldwin, "I am for socialism, disarmament, and ultimately for abolishing the state itself as an instrument of violence and compulsion. I seek social ownership of property." And he concluded with "COMMUNISM IS THE GOAL."
So, what a bombshell when a member of the board of New Mexico's ACLU (the same organization that has mobilized nationally against the Minuteman Project) is discovered to be the head of the formation of a Minuteman group in New Mexico.
The president of the ACLU's southern district chapter says he doesn't know how the local board will respond to being suspended. "We are not 100 percent happy with it," he says. The ACLU would like Alford to resign, but believes it's up to the local board to seek his removal.
Roger Baldwin, how does the ACLU handle this one? As for the ACLU, is your destination unknown?
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Canadians are losing it now too...
This story is more funny than anything.
Sunday, July 3, 2005 10:19 a.m. EDT
Canada's Ambassador Declares War on Fox News
Canada's ambassador to the United States has launched an all out war on Fox News Channel.
Ambassador Frank McKenna has undertaken a public relations effort to reach the more than one million Canadians living in the United States, a group he calls the "Canadian diaspora."
McKenna says the effort is to boost support for Canada here, and to counter what he says is the "Fox factor," referring to the Fox News Channel, America's most popular cable news network, and its most highly-rated show, "The O'Reilly Factor."
McKenna told the Toronto Star that he wants to arm Canadians with facts that will enable them to debate Americans and to lobby when Washington makes decisions that can hurt Canadians.
But most importantly he says Canadians in the U.S. should counteract Fox News, alleging that the network often spreads disinformation and creates a false picture of his homeland.
"We know we're a bit of prey for the Fox News type of shows," he told the Star.
The ambassador said he has sent out 6,000 pieces of literature to Canadians in his battle with Fox, and plans to mail to some 100,000 Canadians in the weeks ahead.
McKenna said he launched this campaign because "having dinner every month or two with some interesting people is not enough to move" Washington.
The ambassador hopes that his new network of Canadians "will be in the millions."
"Then all of a sudden we've multiplied our efforts exponentially and we have a lot more people out there armed with information," he said.
Calling on Canadians wintering in Florida, retirees in Arizona, Hollywood comedians and actors, investment bankers in New York and professors and students at universities across the United States, McKenna said they should carry these messages to Americans:
Canada is the largest source of imported crude oil in the U.S., bigger than Saudi Arabia or the yet untested reserves of Iraq.
Canada has rotated 13,500 troops in the war on terror, has committed $300 million to rebuilding Iraq and is about to deploy a reconstruction team to Afghanistan.
None of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists entered the U.S. from Canada.
Canada-U.S. trade supports more than five million American jobs.
Said McKenna "We have to be very careful about overblown rhetoric. We don't get a lot of attention here, but we can get attention here for the wrong reasons.
"We have to be careful that we're not sanctimonious. We have to recognize the United States has assumed a different role in the world than us and it's a role we're not prepared to play.
"So we shouldn't be so judgmental about a country that has chosen to play that role."
But as far as Fox News is concerned, that seems to be a different story.
I think Canada has more pressing issues facing them than the "propaganda machine" known as Fox News. Also as a sidenote, weather it be talk radio or TV, in a free market people in the US will ALWAYS choose conservative programming over liberal program (see Error America vs. conservative talk radio. And Fox News vs. CNN, ABC, NBC, etc). I challenge anyone to prove me wrong in this theory.
Sunday, July 3, 2005 10:19 a.m. EDT
Canada's Ambassador Declares War on Fox News
Canada's ambassador to the United States has launched an all out war on Fox News Channel.
Ambassador Frank McKenna has undertaken a public relations effort to reach the more than one million Canadians living in the United States, a group he calls the "Canadian diaspora."
McKenna says the effort is to boost support for Canada here, and to counter what he says is the "Fox factor," referring to the Fox News Channel, America's most popular cable news network, and its most highly-rated show, "The O'Reilly Factor."
McKenna told the Toronto Star that he wants to arm Canadians with facts that will enable them to debate Americans and to lobby when Washington makes decisions that can hurt Canadians.
But most importantly he says Canadians in the U.S. should counteract Fox News, alleging that the network often spreads disinformation and creates a false picture of his homeland.
"We know we're a bit of prey for the Fox News type of shows," he told the Star.
The ambassador said he has sent out 6,000 pieces of literature to Canadians in his battle with Fox, and plans to mail to some 100,000 Canadians in the weeks ahead.
McKenna said he launched this campaign because "having dinner every month or two with some interesting people is not enough to move" Washington.
The ambassador hopes that his new network of Canadians "will be in the millions."
"Then all of a sudden we've multiplied our efforts exponentially and we have a lot more people out there armed with information," he said.
Calling on Canadians wintering in Florida, retirees in Arizona, Hollywood comedians and actors, investment bankers in New York and professors and students at universities across the United States, McKenna said they should carry these messages to Americans:
Canada is the largest source of imported crude oil in the U.S., bigger than Saudi Arabia or the yet untested reserves of Iraq.
Canada has rotated 13,500 troops in the war on terror, has committed $300 million to rebuilding Iraq and is about to deploy a reconstruction team to Afghanistan.
None of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists entered the U.S. from Canada.
Canada-U.S. trade supports more than five million American jobs.
Said McKenna "We have to be very careful about overblown rhetoric. We don't get a lot of attention here, but we can get attention here for the wrong reasons.
"We have to be careful that we're not sanctimonious. We have to recognize the United States has assumed a different role in the world than us and it's a role we're not prepared to play.
"So we shouldn't be so judgmental about a country that has chosen to play that role."
But as far as Fox News is concerned, that seems to be a different story.
I think Canada has more pressing issues facing them than the "propaganda machine" known as Fox News. Also as a sidenote, weather it be talk radio or TV, in a free market people in the US will ALWAYS choose conservative programming over liberal program (see Error America vs. conservative talk radio. And Fox News vs. CNN, ABC, NBC, etc). I challenge anyone to prove me wrong in this theory.
Saturday, July 02, 2005
a rant, that is not mine for once...
I was thinking about ranting before the 4th of July here but I saw a post on Anti-Strib that did a much better job than I could, and I agree 100% with this. Here it is:
THE DARK CLOUDS ARE GATHERING IN LIBERALISTAN
What do the 4th of July, Dick "Insert Foot In Mouth" Durbin, the Kelo case decision from the Supreme Court, Liberal war casualty moaning and Live Eight all have in common?
They all are occasions, people or incidents where the Liberal left will, or has, taken it for granted that freedom is free.
This 4th of July, the Liberals and their media lapdogs will continue to whine about casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. I would rather hear the good old American call for some pay back. Did everyone forget that thousands of Marines died in one month at the Chosin Resevoir in Korea to free the poeple of South Korea. How about the couple thousand that died during a Nazi torpedo boat attack off the English coast while simply practicing the Normandy Invasion landing techniques. I seem to remember 6,000 Marines dying in a week to get Iwo Jima as a backup landing field for the B-29's during the final push to victory in WWII. How about the hundreds of thousands on either side who died in a civil war that finally reunited our country forever in 1865. The War on Terror, to date, has cost less in lives than the Marines have given in a matter of hours on any of a number of islands all over the Pacific to defeat Japan. I am assuming today's Liberal scumbag would deny the whole world freedom if the cost in lives was more than 1 person. Step one in Liberal playbook - Take freedom for granted and move straight to forced socialist utopian implementation.
Dick Durbin and his big mouth only reinforce my belief in Liberal cowardice and ingratitude. The FBI has accusations from the terrorists themselves, claiming to be tortured by female gaurds rubbing breasts on them while being forced to sit partially clad in very cold air conditioned rooms. Dr. Dumbass Durbin calls our boys in Guantanamo, Nazi and Stalinist torturers, and demands kinder and more gentle treatment for the prisoners. I am glad Uncle Dick was not the one fighting off Banzai charges during the battle with Japan. Another idiot who doesn't understand what Tracy has explained before; America has the moral high ground because we are trying to defeat oppression worldwide from the same accusatory jizzbags.
The Supreme Court's liberal justices recently ruled against The Constitution Of The United States, by deciding that any government entity can seize your land against your will for any public purpose. The kicker is that taking your property and building something that pays higher taxes to that same governmental body qualifies as a public purpose, or public good. That's right, Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a tool of the corporate and governmental conspiracy to take your home for joint redevelopment projects, whether you like it or not. Your money and earnings belong to them, so why not your property too? The freedom of private property rights was over rated anyways. They take it for granted that the right to property, and ease of access to available property makes America unique. A true freedom not enjoyed to the same extend anywhere else in the world.
The Live Eight concert is my favorite. Bono from U2 has decided that we don't need to give charitably individually to help the impoverised around the world. He thinks he should throw a concert this week to beg our government to tax the shit out of us and redistribute the resulting revenue to the same cycle of violence and socialism dictators in Africa who ruined the damn continent in the first place.
There will never be a violence free world. The only reason half the world doesn't attack the other half is that they are already Christian, capitalist and democratic, or they fear we will kick the hell out of them for fucking with our economy and allies. We keep a strong military to help free people so they can institute democracy and become one of our allies, and there in scare the shit out of all the dictators oppressing their people to keep them from practicing Christianity, capitalsim and democracy.
By taking freedom for granted the Libs will take your paycheck, slander your families in the service, depose you from your property to boost property taxes, beg for even more government paycheck theft to help fucked up African dictators in debt to the World Bank through embezzlement, They simply have forgotten that millions of Americans have died bearing arms to provide them with an extra day off next week to BBQ with their families, instead of standing at flag waving attention during a dictator imposed national pride parade rally. I can't believe these freaking morons actually worry about the influence that the Pledge of Allegiance has on their children.
Have a happy Independence Day, and remember that most Liberals you will meet this weekend have no idea how this became possible and that they are doing everything possible to fuck it all up.
Have a nice weekend everyone, I won't be posting that much the next 2 days so Happy 4th everyone!
THE DARK CLOUDS ARE GATHERING IN LIBERALISTAN
What do the 4th of July, Dick "Insert Foot In Mouth" Durbin, the Kelo case decision from the Supreme Court, Liberal war casualty moaning and Live Eight all have in common?
They all are occasions, people or incidents where the Liberal left will, or has, taken it for granted that freedom is free.
This 4th of July, the Liberals and their media lapdogs will continue to whine about casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. I would rather hear the good old American call for some pay back. Did everyone forget that thousands of Marines died in one month at the Chosin Resevoir in Korea to free the poeple of South Korea. How about the couple thousand that died during a Nazi torpedo boat attack off the English coast while simply practicing the Normandy Invasion landing techniques. I seem to remember 6,000 Marines dying in a week to get Iwo Jima as a backup landing field for the B-29's during the final push to victory in WWII. How about the hundreds of thousands on either side who died in a civil war that finally reunited our country forever in 1865. The War on Terror, to date, has cost less in lives than the Marines have given in a matter of hours on any of a number of islands all over the Pacific to defeat Japan. I am assuming today's Liberal scumbag would deny the whole world freedom if the cost in lives was more than 1 person. Step one in Liberal playbook - Take freedom for granted and move straight to forced socialist utopian implementation.
Dick Durbin and his big mouth only reinforce my belief in Liberal cowardice and ingratitude. The FBI has accusations from the terrorists themselves, claiming to be tortured by female gaurds rubbing breasts on them while being forced to sit partially clad in very cold air conditioned rooms. Dr. Dumbass Durbin calls our boys in Guantanamo, Nazi and Stalinist torturers, and demands kinder and more gentle treatment for the prisoners. I am glad Uncle Dick was not the one fighting off Banzai charges during the battle with Japan. Another idiot who doesn't understand what Tracy has explained before; America has the moral high ground because we are trying to defeat oppression worldwide from the same accusatory jizzbags.
The Supreme Court's liberal justices recently ruled against The Constitution Of The United States, by deciding that any government entity can seize your land against your will for any public purpose. The kicker is that taking your property and building something that pays higher taxes to that same governmental body qualifies as a public purpose, or public good. That's right, Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a tool of the corporate and governmental conspiracy to take your home for joint redevelopment projects, whether you like it or not. Your money and earnings belong to them, so why not your property too? The freedom of private property rights was over rated anyways. They take it for granted that the right to property, and ease of access to available property makes America unique. A true freedom not enjoyed to the same extend anywhere else in the world.
The Live Eight concert is my favorite. Bono from U2 has decided that we don't need to give charitably individually to help the impoverised around the world. He thinks he should throw a concert this week to beg our government to tax the shit out of us and redistribute the resulting revenue to the same cycle of violence and socialism dictators in Africa who ruined the damn continent in the first place.
There will never be a violence free world. The only reason half the world doesn't attack the other half is that they are already Christian, capitalist and democratic, or they fear we will kick the hell out of them for fucking with our economy and allies. We keep a strong military to help free people so they can institute democracy and become one of our allies, and there in scare the shit out of all the dictators oppressing their people to keep them from practicing Christianity, capitalsim and democracy.
By taking freedom for granted the Libs will take your paycheck, slander your families in the service, depose you from your property to boost property taxes, beg for even more government paycheck theft to help fucked up African dictators in debt to the World Bank through embezzlement, They simply have forgotten that millions of Americans have died bearing arms to provide them with an extra day off next week to BBQ with their families, instead of standing at flag waving attention during a dictator imposed national pride parade rally. I can't believe these freaking morons actually worry about the influence that the Pledge of Allegiance has on their children.
Have a happy Independence Day, and remember that most Liberals you will meet this weekend have no idea how this became possible and that they are doing everything possible to fuck it all up.
Have a nice weekend everyone, I won't be posting that much the next 2 days so Happy 4th everyone!
My CD reviews as promised...
Ok the first one is Seether Karma and effect. Overall great CD here's how I break down the tracks:
Track 1- "Because of Me" Good song, a lil too headbanger but good lyrics to back it
up, listen to it a few times and then you will understand how dark it really is.
Track 2- "Remedy" Best song on the album nasty riffs (again) that seriously kick ass and gets the most playtime. One of the best songs of 2005 so far.
Track 3- "Truth" Nasty song (anyone notice a theme here? but I digress) but has some meat too. Refrain kicks some major ass, and the background lightens up and comes back in seamlessly.
Track 4- "The Gift" Starts off very light almost acoustic, and almost falls into the category of wuss rock, I usually skip this track.
Track 5- "Burrito" Ah back to the nasty riffs and headbanger stuff I sort of like, good intro and overall great song.
Track 6- "Given" A little wussy, but then the refrain kicks in and back into the good old nasty stuff, a little hard to understand sometimes but song is listenable.
Track 7- "Never Leave" Starts off acoustic, and goes into wussy stuff, even the best of bands are allowed a few bad tracks per album.
Track 8- "World Falls Away" Nice song, very good message, for recluses like I was (and still kinda am). Very catchy too, gotta like that.
Track 9- "Tongue" Wussy, skip it.
Track 10- "I'm The One" Hard ass rock song, probably the 2nd nastiest song on the album behind Remedy. All you need to know is the first verse of the song to show how nasty (and good) it is:
Here she's coming and she's drunk again
She's only seventeen
Her daddy said "well that's enough of that come be my little queen"
And now he's touching her wrong again
He's gonna give her disease
He never wanted it anyway
He only does as he please wow,damn that's really something, still 1000% better than rap though.
Track 11- "Simplest Mistakes" Nasty again (these guys are good at it though) and the background riffs are amazing but the lyrics are kinda a let down.
Track 12- "Diseased" starts off very slow but seriously picks up and good lyrics to back it up. Good ol' screaming at the end too
Track 13- "Plastic Man" starts off acoustic and it's a letdown for the album.
So lets review everyone: 13 tracks, 4 wuss tracks and 9 nasty listenable tracks, that means a nearly 70% chance that you will hear a good song on this album (if you like my style of music). Worth the buy, even with the 4 wuss tracks I still give it a 10/10.
Onto Audioslave Out of Exile. First some background; this is one of the bands that got me turned onto music. Their first album was amazing and kicked some major ass, all 13 tracks got airtime on our local rock station. That is beyond rare, that is unheard of. The band is Chris Cornell backed up by Rage Against the Machine. The riffs you will hear on the albums you will hear nowhere else (until they release their other 15 tracks they have in the can already). This is a top 5 band today period(possibly even #1 ahead of my precious Linkin Park). Seether is close but needs 1-2 more kick ass albums before I can put them that high. now to the songs:
Track 1- "Your Time Has Come" Great sond, very catchy, very anti-war (I think refering to Nam but I could be wrong) but good, I can put politics aside for music and this is no exception
Track 2- "Out Of Exile" starts off slow but picks up and some major kickass riffs, a little slow but Chris saves it with his lyrics.
Track 3- "Be Yourself" Very catchy, great song (best one on the album I think)
Track 4- "Doesn't Remind Me" ok song, kinda wierd (might have been smoking the peace pipe on this one) but it's not bad but not good.
Track 5 - "Drown Me Slowly" Overall good song and dark but good lyrics.
Track 6- "Heaven's Dead" This is a song I will knock because it flat out sucks, he's done so much good though that he's allowed a bad track.
Track 7- "Worm, The" Strange song, but catchy and good
Track 8- "Man Or Animal" Great song, moves fast and is one of the better ones on the album
Track 9- "Yesterday To Tommorrow" Starts off kinda techno but has good lyrics and a very catchy refrain.
Track 10- "Dandelion" I don't like this song, nothing to say
Track 11- "#1 Zero" starts off slow and takes awhile for the lyrics to start and the lyrics are kinda lame
Track 12- "Curse, The" Finishes strong (unlike Seether) with a good riff and ok lyrics, not a great song, but not bad either.
So to review: 12 track, 3 bad songs, 5 good songs, 4 ok songs. So that's a 75% rate that you won't hear something "bad" and once again another 10/10, worth the buy. Not as good as their first album but that was a tall task to live up to anyway.
Good God, I've spent nearly an hour on this post. Enjoy my reviews everyone (for the love of God I put a lot of effort into it!)
Track 1- "Because of Me" Good song, a lil too headbanger but good lyrics to back it
up, listen to it a few times and then you will understand how dark it really is.
Track 2- "Remedy" Best song on the album nasty riffs (again) that seriously kick ass and gets the most playtime. One of the best songs of 2005 so far.
Track 3- "Truth" Nasty song (anyone notice a theme here? but I digress) but has some meat too. Refrain kicks some major ass, and the background lightens up and comes back in seamlessly.
Track 4- "The Gift" Starts off very light almost acoustic, and almost falls into the category of wuss rock, I usually skip this track.
Track 5- "Burrito" Ah back to the nasty riffs and headbanger stuff I sort of like, good intro and overall great song.
Track 6- "Given" A little wussy, but then the refrain kicks in and back into the good old nasty stuff, a little hard to understand sometimes but song is listenable.
Track 7- "Never Leave" Starts off acoustic, and goes into wussy stuff, even the best of bands are allowed a few bad tracks per album.
Track 8- "World Falls Away" Nice song, very good message, for recluses like I was (and still kinda am). Very catchy too, gotta like that.
Track 9- "Tongue" Wussy, skip it.
Track 10- "I'm The One" Hard ass rock song, probably the 2nd nastiest song on the album behind Remedy. All you need to know is the first verse of the song to show how nasty (and good) it is:
Here she's coming and she's drunk again
She's only seventeen
Her daddy said "well that's enough of that come be my little queen"
And now he's touching her wrong again
He's gonna give her disease
He never wanted it anyway
He only does as he please wow,damn that's really something, still 1000% better than rap though.
Track 11- "Simplest Mistakes" Nasty again (these guys are good at it though) and the background riffs are amazing but the lyrics are kinda a let down.
Track 12- "Diseased" starts off very slow but seriously picks up and good lyrics to back it up. Good ol' screaming at the end too
Track 13- "Plastic Man" starts off acoustic and it's a letdown for the album.
So lets review everyone: 13 tracks, 4 wuss tracks and 9 nasty listenable tracks, that means a nearly 70% chance that you will hear a good song on this album (if you like my style of music). Worth the buy, even with the 4 wuss tracks I still give it a 10/10.
Onto Audioslave Out of Exile. First some background; this is one of the bands that got me turned onto music. Their first album was amazing and kicked some major ass, all 13 tracks got airtime on our local rock station. That is beyond rare, that is unheard of. The band is Chris Cornell backed up by Rage Against the Machine. The riffs you will hear on the albums you will hear nowhere else (until they release their other 15 tracks they have in the can already). This is a top 5 band today period(possibly even #1 ahead of my precious Linkin Park). Seether is close but needs 1-2 more kick ass albums before I can put them that high. now to the songs:
Track 1- "Your Time Has Come" Great sond, very catchy, very anti-war (I think refering to Nam but I could be wrong) but good, I can put politics aside for music and this is no exception
Track 2- "Out Of Exile" starts off slow but picks up and some major kickass riffs, a little slow but Chris saves it with his lyrics.
Track 3- "Be Yourself" Very catchy, great song (best one on the album I think)
Track 4- "Doesn't Remind Me" ok song, kinda wierd (might have been smoking the peace pipe on this one) but it's not bad but not good.
Track 5 - "Drown Me Slowly" Overall good song and dark but good lyrics.
Track 6- "Heaven's Dead" This is a song I will knock because it flat out sucks, he's done so much good though that he's allowed a bad track.
Track 7- "Worm, The" Strange song, but catchy and good
Track 8- "Man Or Animal" Great song, moves fast and is one of the better ones on the album
Track 9- "Yesterday To Tommorrow" Starts off kinda techno but has good lyrics and a very catchy refrain.
Track 10- "Dandelion" I don't like this song, nothing to say
Track 11- "#1 Zero" starts off slow and takes awhile for the lyrics to start and the lyrics are kinda lame
Track 12- "Curse, The" Finishes strong (unlike Seether) with a good riff and ok lyrics, not a great song, but not bad either.
So to review: 12 track, 3 bad songs, 5 good songs, 4 ok songs. So that's a 75% rate that you won't hear something "bad" and once again another 10/10, worth the buy. Not as good as their first album but that was a tall task to live up to anyway.
Good God, I've spent nearly an hour on this post. Enjoy my reviews everyone (for the love of God I put a lot of effort into it!)
Friday, July 01, 2005
SCOTUS opening...
I have to say I'm surprised that someone retired before Rhenquist. Anyway, this is the only post I'll do on the topic (plenty of other blogs will cover this) and later tonight I will do a CD review on 2 recent CD's I've bought. I will not comment on this until Bush has nominated O'Connor's replacement.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Judge not lest ye be juged democrats...
Well, after all the democrats yelling about election fraud after Bush won in 2004 this is very refreshing, very refreshing indeed.
Five East St. Louisans were found guilty on all counts they faced in federal court Wednesday for participating in a vote-buying scheme to get Democrats elected during the Nov. 2 election.
When added to the guilty pleas of three committeemen and an election worker in March that resulted from the same FBI investigation, it's the largest bust of vote fraud in the city's recent past, and, perhaps, ever.
While much of the bluster during the monthlong trial concerned shaky witness testimony, it was the secret recordings that ultimately doomed the five, according to the lone juror who agreed to talk afterward.
"The recordings were the evidence that really struck me the most," said Lamont Reed Jr., 23, of East St. Louis.
Advertisement
Reed, a student at Southwestern Illinois College, said other jurors shared that opinion, though "certain people took time to convince."
The jury deliberated for more than five hours and asked to hear recordings and see transcripts of the recordings before reaching a decision.
Defense attorneys vowed to continue the fight through motions, and possibly appeals.
"All I can say is it's not over," said Paul Sims, who represents Democratic precinct committeewoman Sheila Thomas.
The most prominent of those convicted Wednesday is East St. Louis Democratic Party leader Charles Powell Jr., 61. He was found guilty of participating in a conspiracy to commit voter fraud. He was caught on tape Oct. 13 telling the Democratic committeemen to calculate their budget requests from the county Democratic Party based on $5 per vote.
He declined to comment after the verdict.
Convicted of joining that conspiracy and also aiding and abetting voter fraud were:
Thomas, 31, who also served as the party secretary for the city's Democratic Party.
Kelvin Ellis, 55, former head of Regulatory Affairs for East St. Louis.
Yvette Johnson, 46, an election worker for Ellis.
Jesse Lewis, 56, a precinct committeeman.
Witnesses testified that all five paid voters or directed others to do so, with the price ranging from $5 to $10, although Powell was not charged with abetting voter fraud.
Prosecutors said the conspiracy's purpose was to maximize the turnout for prominent Democrats, including then-Belleville Mayor Mark Kern, who was elected St. Clair County Board chairman in the election; state Sen. Barack Obama of Chicago, who won a U.S. Senate seat; and U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, who was defeated by President George W. Bush.
Kern could not be reached for comment but has denied any wrongdoing.
During the trial, prosecutor Mike Carr questioned witnesses about $79,000 transferred from the county Democratic Party to most of the city's 44 Democratic precinct committeemen just before the election. Those convicted on Wednesday received a total of $7,900 on Oct. 30.
The longstanding St. Clair County Democratic chairman, Robert Sprague, personally handed the checks to the committeemen, testimony stated. He could not be reached for comment.
While jurors were still deliberating, attorney Bruce Cook said he believed changes were in order in the way the party's campaign money was handled in East St. Louis, no matter what the jury's decision. Cook represents Powell and has been active in the Democratic Party in the past.
"I am going to recommend that a blue-ribbon panel of Democrats work to enhance our base, which is mainly the working poor," he said. "And that they do it within the confines of not tempting organizers to do something illegal."
Those measures, such as hosting more dinners and picnics, or hiring additional campaign workers, would end up costing the party more money, he said.
U.S. Attorney Ron Tenpas was asked if the verdict would deter vote fraud in future St. Clair County elections.
"We hope it will have a substantial effect," he said. "We'd like to think that any time you successfully bring a prosecution that it will deter crime."
Responding to allegations by the defense that the charges from a Republican U.S. attorney were prompted by politics, Tenpas said: "The fact that the jury unanimously brought back verdicts of guilty on all counts shows what prompted this - the actions of the defendants."
The trial had been liberally attended by those supporting the five accused and their political rivals.
Will McGaughy, a Democratic precinct committeeman who had been politically allied with Powell's opponents, said he believed the case would do some good.
"Whether (the defendants) did it intentionally or not, this will open up the eyes of others and make them think twice," he said.
Witnesses said repeatedly at the trial that vote buying has been going on for decades in the city and it's not hard to find examples. In 1931, when the standard price for a vote was $2, five voters were convicted of taking money in exchange for voting.
But a quick look at past investigations showed none has led to nine or more convictions.
A sentencing date for the five who were convicted on Wednesday was not immediately set. All are free without bond except for Ellis, who is detained while awaiting trial on tax evasion counts and charges that he attempted to have a witness in the vote fraud investigation killed.
Each charge carries a maximum of five years in prison. U.S. District Judge G. Patrick Murphy will probably have a wide range of possibility for punishment, including probation.
But before that, Murphy must consider motions by the defense for a directed verdict of not guilty, which would trump the jury's finding. Murphy indicated he wanted several days to consider that.
Attorney John O'Gara, who represents Ellis, said he and others may file for a new trial based on the testimony from the government's witnesses.
Defense attorneys directed much of their efforts throughout the trial at discrediting those witnesses: FBI agent John Jimenez; former East St. Louis Deputy Police Chief Rudy McIntosh, a Democratic precinct committeeman who worked in secret with the FBI; and Dannita Youngblood, a City Hall employee who worked for Ellis.
Reed, the juror, agreed that they appeared to have credibility issues, but said he found them to be believable nonetheless.
Jimenez, the FBI agent who helped build the case, said authorities had caught Kern on tape agreeing to buy votes, but recanted the next day.
"Jimenez shocked me," said Reed, speaking to reporters outside the courthouse. "As an FBI agent, he should be sure of his answers. One day he says yeah, we got him. The next day he says something completely different."
Five East St. Louisans were found guilty on all counts they faced in federal court Wednesday for participating in a vote-buying scheme to get Democrats elected during the Nov. 2 election.
When added to the guilty pleas of three committeemen and an election worker in March that resulted from the same FBI investigation, it's the largest bust of vote fraud in the city's recent past, and, perhaps, ever.
While much of the bluster during the monthlong trial concerned shaky witness testimony, it was the secret recordings that ultimately doomed the five, according to the lone juror who agreed to talk afterward.
"The recordings were the evidence that really struck me the most," said Lamont Reed Jr., 23, of East St. Louis.
Advertisement
Reed, a student at Southwestern Illinois College, said other jurors shared that opinion, though "certain people took time to convince."
The jury deliberated for more than five hours and asked to hear recordings and see transcripts of the recordings before reaching a decision.
Defense attorneys vowed to continue the fight through motions, and possibly appeals.
"All I can say is it's not over," said Paul Sims, who represents Democratic precinct committeewoman Sheila Thomas.
The most prominent of those convicted Wednesday is East St. Louis Democratic Party leader Charles Powell Jr., 61. He was found guilty of participating in a conspiracy to commit voter fraud. He was caught on tape Oct. 13 telling the Democratic committeemen to calculate their budget requests from the county Democratic Party based on $5 per vote.
He declined to comment after the verdict.
Convicted of joining that conspiracy and also aiding and abetting voter fraud were:
Thomas, 31, who also served as the party secretary for the city's Democratic Party.
Kelvin Ellis, 55, former head of Regulatory Affairs for East St. Louis.
Yvette Johnson, 46, an election worker for Ellis.
Jesse Lewis, 56, a precinct committeeman.
Witnesses testified that all five paid voters or directed others to do so, with the price ranging from $5 to $10, although Powell was not charged with abetting voter fraud.
Prosecutors said the conspiracy's purpose was to maximize the turnout for prominent Democrats, including then-Belleville Mayor Mark Kern, who was elected St. Clair County Board chairman in the election; state Sen. Barack Obama of Chicago, who won a U.S. Senate seat; and U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, who was defeated by President George W. Bush.
Kern could not be reached for comment but has denied any wrongdoing.
During the trial, prosecutor Mike Carr questioned witnesses about $79,000 transferred from the county Democratic Party to most of the city's 44 Democratic precinct committeemen just before the election. Those convicted on Wednesday received a total of $7,900 on Oct. 30.
The longstanding St. Clair County Democratic chairman, Robert Sprague, personally handed the checks to the committeemen, testimony stated. He could not be reached for comment.
While jurors were still deliberating, attorney Bruce Cook said he believed changes were in order in the way the party's campaign money was handled in East St. Louis, no matter what the jury's decision. Cook represents Powell and has been active in the Democratic Party in the past.
"I am going to recommend that a blue-ribbon panel of Democrats work to enhance our base, which is mainly the working poor," he said. "And that they do it within the confines of not tempting organizers to do something illegal."
Those measures, such as hosting more dinners and picnics, or hiring additional campaign workers, would end up costing the party more money, he said.
U.S. Attorney Ron Tenpas was asked if the verdict would deter vote fraud in future St. Clair County elections.
"We hope it will have a substantial effect," he said. "We'd like to think that any time you successfully bring a prosecution that it will deter crime."
Responding to allegations by the defense that the charges from a Republican U.S. attorney were prompted by politics, Tenpas said: "The fact that the jury unanimously brought back verdicts of guilty on all counts shows what prompted this - the actions of the defendants."
The trial had been liberally attended by those supporting the five accused and their political rivals.
Will McGaughy, a Democratic precinct committeeman who had been politically allied with Powell's opponents, said he believed the case would do some good.
"Whether (the defendants) did it intentionally or not, this will open up the eyes of others and make them think twice," he said.
Witnesses said repeatedly at the trial that vote buying has been going on for decades in the city and it's not hard to find examples. In 1931, when the standard price for a vote was $2, five voters were convicted of taking money in exchange for voting.
But a quick look at past investigations showed none has led to nine or more convictions.
A sentencing date for the five who were convicted on Wednesday was not immediately set. All are free without bond except for Ellis, who is detained while awaiting trial on tax evasion counts and charges that he attempted to have a witness in the vote fraud investigation killed.
Each charge carries a maximum of five years in prison. U.S. District Judge G. Patrick Murphy will probably have a wide range of possibility for punishment, including probation.
But before that, Murphy must consider motions by the defense for a directed verdict of not guilty, which would trump the jury's finding. Murphy indicated he wanted several days to consider that.
Attorney John O'Gara, who represents Ellis, said he and others may file for a new trial based on the testimony from the government's witnesses.
Defense attorneys directed much of their efforts throughout the trial at discrediting those witnesses: FBI agent John Jimenez; former East St. Louis Deputy Police Chief Rudy McIntosh, a Democratic precinct committeeman who worked in secret with the FBI; and Dannita Youngblood, a City Hall employee who worked for Ellis.
Reed, the juror, agreed that they appeared to have credibility issues, but said he found them to be believable nonetheless.
Jimenez, the FBI agent who helped build the case, said authorities had caught Kern on tape agreeing to buy votes, but recanted the next day.
"Jimenez shocked me," said Reed, speaking to reporters outside the courthouse. "As an FBI agent, he should be sure of his answers. One day he says yeah, we got him. The next day he says something completely different."
Our state government is retarded...
For those of you who live outside MN (tshsmom is an exception obviously) you probably have no idea what I'm talking about. Well, tommorow, or tonight at midnight, the government will partially shut down because the GOP and DFL can't reach an agreement on the state budget. I'm taking no prisoners on this one, both sides are to blame for this mess, nothing can get done with the houses divided so evenly, Republicans have the Senate by like 2 seats and the DFL has the House by 3 seats. Get over yoursleves and get this goddamn thing done guys! This is insane, our local government is a microcosom of what's going on in DC. Both sides will not negociate with each other, so there's only one soultion. I need to make sure our side beats the other side (fairly mind you, I wish I could literally do it...) so bad in the next election cycle that they won't get in the way of progress, because we all know that the Democrats are the party of "NOOOOO" and really have no original idea themselves, outside of socialized medicine, and literally refuse to do anything or come up with new ideas in every level of government. After 2006 they shouldn't be much of a problem though... tshsmom, feel free to comment on this considering your the only one who knows what the hell I'm talking about.
My dream could come true...
This is very encouraging for people like me who are technically a moderate as defined by the Republican party.
Thursday, June 30, 2005 1:38 p.m. EDT
Karl Rove Coaching Rudy Giuliani?
White House political guru Karl Rove is reportedly coaching former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani on a campaign strategy to use against Hillary Clinton when she runs for president in 2008.
"Giuliani has been working closely with Rove to build a presidential platform against presumed Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton," reports Radar Magazine, citing "well placed sources."
"There's been talk on Capitol Hill for months about Rove's 'secret meetings' in New York with Giuliani," claims "a D.C. operative."
There's a catch, however.
Radar says Rove doesn't see Rudy at the top of the GOP's 2008 ticket, but rather as "the kind of middle-of-the-road Republican (i.e. pro-choice and not anti-gay) who would look good in the VP slot next to a fire-breather like Bill Frist."
I want to see him run for Prez!!!!
Thursday, June 30, 2005 1:38 p.m. EDT
Karl Rove Coaching Rudy Giuliani?
White House political guru Karl Rove is reportedly coaching former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani on a campaign strategy to use against Hillary Clinton when she runs for president in 2008.
"Giuliani has been working closely with Rove to build a presidential platform against presumed Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton," reports Radar Magazine, citing "well placed sources."
"There's been talk on Capitol Hill for months about Rove's 'secret meetings' in New York with Giuliani," claims "a D.C. operative."
There's a catch, however.
Radar says Rove doesn't see Rudy at the top of the GOP's 2008 ticket, but rather as "the kind of middle-of-the-road Republican (i.e. pro-choice and not anti-gay) who would look good in the VP slot next to a fire-breather like Bill Frist."
I want to see him run for Prez!!!!
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Stupid news: Edition 4
This falls into the category of you can't make this shit up.
Cops Called After Another Employee Noticed Driver Speeding
Jun 28, 2005 11:56 am US/Eastern
MORRISTOWN (AP) You can't drive with alcohol in your system, even if the vehicle is a four-ton ice-cleaning machine at a skating rink.
Zamboni operator John Peragallo was charged with drunken driving after a fellow employee at the Mennen Sports Arena in Morristown called police and reported that the machine was speeding and nearly crashed into the boards.
Police arrived after Peragallo had parked the machine after grooming the ice during a break in a public skating session.
Police said Peragallo's blood alcohol level was 0.12 percent. Levels of 0.08 percent and above are considered legally drunk.
Zamboni privileges were revoked for Peragallo, 63, of Randolph, who has worked for the Morris County park system since 1994.
Also, we just got issued a Torando Watch, fun evening ahead...
Cops Called After Another Employee Noticed Driver Speeding
Jun 28, 2005 11:56 am US/Eastern
MORRISTOWN (AP) You can't drive with alcohol in your system, even if the vehicle is a four-ton ice-cleaning machine at a skating rink.
Zamboni operator John Peragallo was charged with drunken driving after a fellow employee at the Mennen Sports Arena in Morristown called police and reported that the machine was speeding and nearly crashed into the boards.
Police arrived after Peragallo had parked the machine after grooming the ice during a break in a public skating session.
Police said Peragallo's blood alcohol level was 0.12 percent. Levels of 0.08 percent and above are considered legally drunk.
Zamboni privileges were revoked for Peragallo, 63, of Randolph, who has worked for the Morris County park system since 1994.
Also, we just got issued a Torando Watch, fun evening ahead...
This is getting sadistic...
Ok, looking out west there is another M****F*cking line of storms headed our way. This is getting beyond nuts. I don't remember anything like this EVER since I've lived here (we moved here in 1990). And a few weather channel guys say there is a chance of a tornado outbreak in Minnesota (once again, I don't remeber that happening ever, or at least in 10 years). Ok God, enough with the weather, we get it dude! Send some of this shit out west where they need the rain. I'll post about this later tonight, if the power is on (yes they're supposed to be that bad).
good quote from Regan...
With the 4th of July less than a week away I thought it would be a good time to post something about freedom.
"Freewdom is never more the one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same or one day we will spend our sunset years telling children and our children's chidren what it was once like in the United States where men were free.
What the hell why I'm at it I'll throw in a FDR quote.
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." This was said in 1933, as true then as it is today.
"Freewdom is never more the one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same or one day we will spend our sunset years telling children and our children's chidren what it was once like in the United States where men were free.
What the hell why I'm at it I'll throw in a FDR quote.
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." This was said in 1933, as true then as it is today.
site look...
Ok, for those of you who check my blog daily (there's at least 40 of you) I have changed the format of my blog a little, as you can obviously see. I got a defective link that was screwing things up and this is the only way I could get it to work, I've been messing around with this damn thing for nearly 2 hours and just figured it out. Enjoy the new look everyone!
dems are losing it...
I had to do a double-take on this one, its amazing how desperate and how low they have sunk, then again I wouldn't expect anything less from the people who blame america first and compare Bush to Hitler.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005 11:39 a.m. EDT
Dems Eye Impeachment Strategy
Left-wing Democrats in the House are working on a plan to compel the House Judiciary Committee to launch an impeachment inquiry into what they say are "high crimes and misdemeanors" committed by President Bush in the run-up to the Iraq war.
"If you read the record of the writing of the Constitution, ‘high crimes and misdemeanors’ had a very particular meaning at the time of the drafting of the Constitution," Rep. Zoe Lofgren said at a forum held by Rep. John Conyers earlier this month.
"It certainly didn’t mean lying about sex," she complained, in quotes picked up by the Hill newspaper. "But it might well mean lying to the Congress about a large public purpose such as Iraq."
Driving the push for an impeachment inquiry is the so-called Downing Street memo, which Democrats say shows Bush lied about pre-war intelligence.
"We would like to see a member of Congress look into whether or not the president committed impeachable offenses," said John Bonifaz, a constitutional lawyer who co-founded the group AfterDowningStreet.org. "We’ve been having that discussion with a number of [congressional] offices," he explained.
Bonifaz has a receptive ear in House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who talked about "the case" against Bush last week and praised the Downing Street Memo as "very important" new evidence.
"The case is that going into the war was a grotesque mistake," she told the left wing web site Raw Story. "It was predicated on a lie . . . the intelligence did not support the claim, the threat that they said."
Persuading the House to investigate allegedly impeachable crimes by the president may be a tall order, however, since the GOP-controlled Congress isn't likely to be convinced by arguments from partisan Bush-haters.
Still, Democrats like Rep. Barbara Lee are searching for a way to get the impeachment ball rolling.
A co-chairwoman of the Out of Iraq Caucus and a member of the International Affairs Committee, Lee is circulating a letter calling for a resolution of inquiry. Such a resolution, the Hill explained, would be referred to the committee of jurisdiction, which would then have to vote it down in a set number of days or it would proceed to a floor vote.
Rep. Conyers himself has so far been cautious, at least in public. "My inclination at this time is not to do something like [impeachment]," Conyers told The Hill - explaining instead that he wants to investigate further.
Yea, to bad the "evil" Republicans control the White House, House, and Senate for the first time since like 1928, if they didn't this could gain momentum. This is just a desperate strategy by a desperate group of people who haven't figured out that they are totally out of touch with the American people.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005 11:39 a.m. EDT
Dems Eye Impeachment Strategy
Left-wing Democrats in the House are working on a plan to compel the House Judiciary Committee to launch an impeachment inquiry into what they say are "high crimes and misdemeanors" committed by President Bush in the run-up to the Iraq war.
"If you read the record of the writing of the Constitution, ‘high crimes and misdemeanors’ had a very particular meaning at the time of the drafting of the Constitution," Rep. Zoe Lofgren said at a forum held by Rep. John Conyers earlier this month.
"It certainly didn’t mean lying about sex," she complained, in quotes picked up by the Hill newspaper. "But it might well mean lying to the Congress about a large public purpose such as Iraq."
Driving the push for an impeachment inquiry is the so-called Downing Street memo, which Democrats say shows Bush lied about pre-war intelligence.
"We would like to see a member of Congress look into whether or not the president committed impeachable offenses," said John Bonifaz, a constitutional lawyer who co-founded the group AfterDowningStreet.org. "We’ve been having that discussion with a number of [congressional] offices," he explained.
Bonifaz has a receptive ear in House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who talked about "the case" against Bush last week and praised the Downing Street Memo as "very important" new evidence.
"The case is that going into the war was a grotesque mistake," she told the left wing web site Raw Story. "It was predicated on a lie . . . the intelligence did not support the claim, the threat that they said."
Persuading the House to investigate allegedly impeachable crimes by the president may be a tall order, however, since the GOP-controlled Congress isn't likely to be convinced by arguments from partisan Bush-haters.
Still, Democrats like Rep. Barbara Lee are searching for a way to get the impeachment ball rolling.
A co-chairwoman of the Out of Iraq Caucus and a member of the International Affairs Committee, Lee is circulating a letter calling for a resolution of inquiry. Such a resolution, the Hill explained, would be referred to the committee of jurisdiction, which would then have to vote it down in a set number of days or it would proceed to a floor vote.
Rep. Conyers himself has so far been cautious, at least in public. "My inclination at this time is not to do something like [impeachment]," Conyers told The Hill - explaining instead that he wants to investigate further.
Yea, to bad the "evil" Republicans control the White House, House, and Senate for the first time since like 1928, if they didn't this could gain momentum. This is just a desperate strategy by a desperate group of people who haven't figured out that they are totally out of touch with the American people.
American people waking up
This poll confirms what I've been yelling about the last 30 months.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005 10:53 p.m. EDT
Poll: Media Weakening U.S. Defenses
A new poll by the Pew Research Center shows that a rising number of Americans are now concerned that media criticism of the military is hurting the U.S.'s ability to defend itself.
Nearly half - 47 percent - say that by criticizing the military so frequently, news organizations are weakening the nation's defenses.
Forty-four percent say, on the other hand, that the media's criticism keeps the nation militarily prepared.
More than two-thirds of Republicans - 67 percent - objected to the way the press covers the military, while only 36 percent of Democrats disapproved of the media's anti-military coverage.
The number of those now saying that the press is anti-military has increased dramatically since the 9/11 attacks, when only a little more than a third of those surveyed thought the press was too critical.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005 10:53 p.m. EDT
Poll: Media Weakening U.S. Defenses
A new poll by the Pew Research Center shows that a rising number of Americans are now concerned that media criticism of the military is hurting the U.S.'s ability to defend itself.
Nearly half - 47 percent - say that by criticizing the military so frequently, news organizations are weakening the nation's defenses.
Forty-four percent say, on the other hand, that the media's criticism keeps the nation militarily prepared.
More than two-thirds of Republicans - 67 percent - objected to the way the press covers the military, while only 36 percent of Democrats disapproved of the media's anti-military coverage.
The number of those now saying that the press is anti-military has increased dramatically since the 9/11 attacks, when only a little more than a third of those surveyed thought the press was too critical.
removing the poll...
Ok, I have applied and they say it will take 2-3 days for it to take hold. Thanks for the input everyone, even the ones that thought I was a capitalist pig, eat me you socialist bastards.
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