imkittymyers at hotmail dot com
Saturday, April 24, 2004
THEY GAVE THEIR LIVES, TOO
I’ve been torn on this issue of posting the pictures of the flag-draped coffins of our returning heroes. The Pentagon has had a strict, long standing policy of not allowing the public display of such photos. A photographer was fired for giving these photos to a news outlet (can’t recall which one), but you must have seen these pictures by now. They’re everywhere.
And now it has been learned that some of the photos are not casualties from the Iraq war.COLUMBIA CREW MISTAKENLY IDENTIFIED AS IRAQI WAR CASUALTIES:
‘Many news organizations across the country are mistakenly identifying the flag-draped caskets of the Space Shuttle Columbia's crew as those of war casualties from Iraq.’
Notice in the above photo how we honor our fallen soldiers: we meticulously wrap each coffin in Old Glory and salute.
Now notice how Kerry honored our fallen soldiers, his “band of brothers,” 30 years ago.
After Kerry served with his “band of brothers” but a few months in Vietnam, he came home and immediately protested against the war, thereby giving aid and comfort to the enemy and disrespecting those very “brothers” he claims he so dearly loves. He lied to Congress about atrocities that his beloved “brothers” supposedly committed in Vietnam on a daily basis! This same man now is doing everything to become Commander-in-Chief.
NO REGRET, NO CONTRITION … TO THIS DAY!
I decided to post the picture of the coffins to illustrate the difference. Kerry may have done some time in Vietnam, but he’s no hero and he does NOT deserve to be president.
U.S. Soldiers Re-Enlist in Strong Numbers: FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) - Despite the shrapnel wounds Staff Sgt. William Pinkley suffered during his tour in Iraq, the 26-year-old is joining other soldiers who are re-enlisting at rates that exceed the retention goals set by the Pentagon.
As of March 31 - halfway through the Army's fiscal year - 28,406 soldiers had signed on for another tour of duty, topping the six-month goal of 28,377. The Army's goal is to re-enlist 56,100 soldiers by the end of September.
…
At Fort Campbell, soldiers from the 101st spent seven months in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 attacks. The entire division of about 20,000 soldiers was sent to Iraq last year for major combat, and the last planeload returned home in March. A grueling year in Iraq claimed the lives of 61 Fort Campbell soldiers, and hundreds more were wounded.
In the six-month period ending March 31, the 101st topped its goal of re-enlisting 1,591. It got 1,737 to sign up for another tour of duty.
Fort Campbell leaders said their numbers debunk the theory that yearlong combat-zone assignments - not typically used since Vietnam - and the casualties in Iraq would discourage soldiers from re-enlisting.
Friday, April 23, 2004
AMERICA TRUSTS BUSH
Analysis: Bad news means good politics for Bush: Despite the snarky, rather vile heading, this is good news.
‘Despite the sobering news accounts and cloudy short-term outlook, polls released by Gallup and ABC News/Washington Post this week showed the incumbent Republican with a small but clear advantage over his Democratic challenger, John Kerry. Indicators show the public's faith in Bush's handling of the economy is on the rise and voters continued to express support for the president in what has consistently been his strongest issue: national security.
…
"Despite the recent violence in Iraq, Americans are firm in their support for the president's policies," Dowd said, citing Gallup numbers that show 58 percent of those questioned believe recent events mean the United States should intensify its military effort, not scale it back.’
“I DON’T OWN AN SUV”
KERRY IN EARTH DAY GAS-GUZZLER PUZZLER: ‘On Earth Day, Democrat John Kerry reluctantly admitted to having a gas-guzzling SUV in the family - but blamed his wife.
"The family has it. I don't have it," Kerry said yesterday.
But at first, Kerry - quizzed by reporters on a conference call - tried to deny any links to a gas-guzzler on a day when he was touting his credentials as an environmentalist.
"I don't own an SUV," he initially insisted - but 'fessed up when asked if his wife, ketchup heiress Teresa Heinz Kerry, owned the Chevrolet Suburban seen at their Sun Valley ski lodge.’
Pat at Kerry Haters covered this story, too, plus a whole lot more!
WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE: Kerry believes that HE would be a far better war president that our already experienced President Bush. Why? Because Le Fraud would ask other countries and the U.N. for their help. He says this with a straight horse face, as though Bush had never thought of it himself, let alone tried. The problem is the hatred of America, and John Gibson has just come out with a book on the subject.
‘As of the day after 9/11, our friends in Western Europe were saying, "It's America's fault" and "America deserved it" and "Americans just don't get it." In the run-up to the Iraq war, our friends in Western Europe and the Arab world were saying George W. Bush was more dangerous than Saddam Hussein. On the eve of the War, polling showed great majorities in the Arab nations we consider friends (Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia) and a sizeable minority in France (33 percent) were hoping Saddam would win the war.’
Charles Krauthammer writes in Kerry Adrift: ‘"If I'm president," John Kerry said, "I will not only personally go to the U.N., I will go to other capitals." For Kerry, showing up at Kofi Annan's doorstep and sweeping through allied capitals is no rhetorical flourish, no strategic sideshow. It is the essence of his Iraq plan: "Within weeks of being inaugurated, I will return to the U.N. and I will literally, formally rejoin the community of nations and turn over a proud new chapter in America's relationship with the world."
…
What does Kerry think France will do for us? Perhaps he sees himself and Teresa descending on Paris like Jack and Jackie in Camelot days. Does he really believe that if he grovels before Jacques Chirac in well-accented French, France will join us in a war that it has opposed from the beginning, that is now going badly, and that has moved Iraq out of the French sphere of influence and into the American?’
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST
SCANDAL CLAIMS ANOTHER USA EDITOR: I thought it was about time I post something about the scandal that could bring down USA Today. When their high profile reporter was discovered to have been a fraud, Editor-in-Chief Karen Jurgensen retired. That was on Tuesday. And now, another biggie bites the dust.
‘A second top editor resigned from USA Today yesterday as fallout from the scandal involving former star reporter Jack Kelley continued.
Hal Ritter, managing editor of news, submitted his resignation to Publisher Craig Moon. He had been in his current position since 1995 and had worked at the paper since it was founded in 1982.
…
The news came on the same day of a blistering report in which an independent panel bashed USA Today for a "corrosive atmosphere" that allowed Kelley to get away with fabricating and plagiarizing stories for more than a decade’
This matters because if one big newspaper is infected with this problem, how do we consumers trust any of the others? The NY Times has already cleansed itself … finally! … of Jason Blair. Or has it been cleansed? How do we know for certain? Papers nowadays rarely put up much of a pretense concerning political bias. I mean, it’s something we’ve all know for years. Why be coy? Just be honest and state your leanings. But they can’t quite do that, and now we learn we can’t trust their reporting. Where is the honesty in the news?
Tom Selleck
James Wood
Charlton Heston
Dennis Miller
Bo Derek
Mel Gibson
Let’s not forget Jim Caviezel who played Jesus in “Passion”
Robert Davi
Kelsey Grammer
Bruce Willis
Carmen Electra
Jon Mayer
Gary Oldman
Arnie
Chuck Norris.
Travis Tritt
Reba McIntire,
Heather Locklear
Rick Schroder and that Hispanic guy who used to be on "Law and Order"...
TED NUGENT!!!!!!!!!!!!........
Ben Stein
Kurt Russell
Pat Sajak
James Woods
I think Regis Philbin is also.
Fred Thompson
Add the statuesque and very lovely Susan Anton to the list.
And bless Jimmy Stewart and Sonny Bono
Loretta Lynn, Charlie Daniels, Lee Greenwood (I suspect Jeff Foxworthy is, too).
Joan Rivers.
Drew Carey
Shannon Doherty
Penn Jillette (of Penn and Teller fame).
Dennis Franz is one of the good guys so are Robert Stack, Lou Ferrigno, Joe Mantegna, Lee Purcell, Anne Lockhart,
Ruth Buzzi,Roger Mosley Jr., Donald Bellasario(Bellasarius Productions; JAG, Magnum PI, Airwolf,Quantum Leap), Jerry Mathers, Erin Gray, Leslie Eastherbrook, Tom Wopat, the Mandrell Sisters and Ron Masak.
ROBERT CONRAD (Wild,Wild West and Black Sheep Squadron).
Delta Burke and Gerald McRaney, Robert Conrad, Scott Baio, Susan Lucci, Mary Hart, Jason Priestley, Dennis Miller, Jan-Michael Vincent, Sybil Danning, Nikki Fritz, Tracy Scoggins, Tony Danza, and Bob Hope. :)
Danny Aiello
Add Jamison Parker
Susan Howard
What is this list? It’s a list of entertainment people who are definitely, or very likely, to be Republican and/or conservative, or at least not Democrat and/or liberal. If you know of any others, please let us know! That’s what the comments are for! Or, you can e-mail me at Myerskatt@aol.com.
Thursday, April 22, 2004
LETTER HOME FROM IRAQ
Rush Limbaugh: ‘Remember those pilots who carried an American flag onboard during the opening sorties of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and then sent the flag to me? … The man who sent it stays in regular contact, updating me on Iraq. Today, he forwarded me a letter home to the wives of the men in a Marine unit by their CO. Aside from the true power or the truth of this note, the interesting thing is that Al-Jazeera films hospital patients and reports they're civilians injured by Americans. In fact, they are the enemy, and as you'll read here, they're being crushed.’
From that letter, written by a Marine C.O.: ‘The news looks grim from back in the States. We did take losses that, in our hearts, we will always live with. The men we lost were taken within the very opening minutes of the violence. They could not have foreseen the treachery of the enemy and they did not suffer. We can never replace these Marines and Sailors but they will fight on with us in spirit. We are not feeling sorry for ourselves nor do we fear what tomorrow will bring. The battalion has lived up to its reputation as Magnificent Bastards. Yesterday made everyone here stronger and wiser; it will be a cold day in Hell before we are taken for granted again.’
Listening to Kelsey Grammer: It looks like we might have another Hollywood name to add to the lists of conservatives in Hollywood. ‘"I didn't mind waving the flag a little bit " he allows. He does mind the poisonous political atmosphere, the class-hatred themes in the rhetoric of Ted Kennedy and other Democrats.
"That stuff is so repugnant to me."’
James Hirsen writes a newsletter called THE LEFT COAST REPORT.
Tinseltown Sidesteps Campaign Finance Reform
While non-profit organizations remain muzzled by campaign finance rules, Hollywood is free to shoot its mouth off. Tinseltown isn't expressing itself with conventional campaign advertising. No, it's doing it with agenda-driven movies.
In addition to Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11: The Temperature When Freedom Burns," a bunch of other Bush-bashing films are due to arrive in multiplexes soon.
In last week's Left Coast Report, I wrote about Hollywood's unprecedented interest in Richard Clarke's book "Against All Enemies," which led to a deal with Sony. Although it's unlikely that the flick will be ready in time for this year's election, who knows, Tinseltown might be able to work some of its leftist magic.
Another attempt to bypass the regs and exert influence is the upcoming piece of propaganda called "The Hunting of the President," a celluloid presentation of the book with the same name. It's about Hillary's vast right-wing conspiracy theory and the lefty explanation for Willie's impeachment. Hollywood Clintonista Harry Thomason is producing the handy little election-season contribution to DNC.
Then there's "Silver City," a movie in which the central character is a born-again Christian who's part of a prominent Republican family. The character just happens to struggle with verbal fluency. The movie's director, John Sayles, acknowledges that the protagonist of the flick is modeled after the prez.
Also on the Hollywood campaign agenda is a "documentary" recently screened at the South by Southwest Film Festival. It's based on the book "Bush's Brain." The thing is a less-than-flattering account of the relationship between the president and his chief political adviser, Karl Rove.
The Left Coast Report is dreaming of a big ol' red states' box-office mutiny with no bounty.
A CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT IN HOLLYWOOD!
Robert Davi's Minority Take
In preparation for his role on NBC's "Profiler," Robert Davi spent time at FBI headquarters at Quantico.
You may remember Davi as the villain Franz Sanchez in the 1989 James Bond film "License to Kill." He also played the role of Heidi Fleiss' boyfriend in the USA network original movie "Call Me: The Rise and Fall of Heidi Fleiss."
I appeared with Davi on a recent installment of MSNBC's "Scarborough Country" and was encouraged to find out that he's part of Tinseltown's insurgent right.
"I know a couple of my friends - quite a few - there is a conservative movement in Hollywood, and we kind of stay amongst ourselves," he admitted on the show.
Davi spoke of the fact that people seem to separate the war in Iraq from the war on terror. He disagrees with the distinction because "the war on terrorism is part of the war with Iraq."
Davi added: "We have to protect America. And I think that, thank God we have this administration and this president."
Not exactly your typical Hollywood chatter. Then again, he is not exactly your typical Hollywood guy. He recently saved the daughter and house of a neighbor after a fire broke out in a Los Angeles suburb.
Larry Logdson, a high school teacher, was grateful that Davi had the courage and presence of mind to pull his 10-year-old girl out of their family home and fight the flames until the fire truck arrived.
The Left Coast Report advises, if you live in Tinseltown, be sure that at least one conservative lives in the neighborhood.
Bovine Intervention: Frankly, this is all a lotta hot air, if y’get my drift, but read it for the laughs! How the writer kept a straight face …
‘The real culprits behind global warming apparently aren't the herds of SUVs stampeding along America's highways -- but 190-million cows contentedly chewing their cuds -- and emitting clouds of foul-smelling methane from their mouths and tailpipes.’
BOOKMARK THIS ONE!
Friends of Saddam has been listed on Luciannce’s Must Reads this morning. This is probably just one reason why:
'The Oil-for-Food Scam: What Did Kofi Annan Know, and When Did He Know It?
The tale has been all very interesting, and all very complicated. For those who look yearningly to the UN for answers to the world’s problems, it has provoked, perhaps, some introspection about the pardonable corruption that threatens even the most selfless undertakings. For those who believe the UN can do nothing right, Oil-for-Food, whatever it was about, is a delicious vindication that everyone and everything at the world organization is crooked, the institution a fiasco, and politicians who support it fit for recall at the next electoral opportunity. ...
Oil-for-Food tainted almost everything it touched. It was such a kaleidoscope of corruption as to defy easy summary, let alone concentration on the main issues. But let us try.
... (more at link) An excellent overview of the whole tangled, corrupt mess.’
Gotta love it! Post a comment on FOS and you’ll see this warning: ‘(If your comment generally dismisses the whole investigation as a "right-wing, anti-UN witch hunt," I will ban you. Save it for dKos.)’
"Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one and indivisible."
Today may be Earth Day (big deal), but YESTERDAY was San Jacinto Day! And I forgot:( I impressed LoanCat with my love of most things Texan (couldn’t stand the humidity) that she personally requested that Governor Rick Perry make me an Honorary Texan. I received the certificate, complete with Gov. Perry’s signature and seal, in the mail on Monday. The honor was a complete surprise to me! So what does this have to do with San Jacinto Day?
In LoanCat’s words: That's the day when Sam Houston beat Santa Anna and [Texas] independance was validated, so to speak. It used to be a special day in Houston (parades and all). Few people remember this date although it really is more significant than the Alamo. It is a day that should be more in Texans' minds and celebrated more than it is presently!
As an honorary Texan, I didn’t get off to a good start.
Thank you, LoanCat!
THEY’RE GANGIN’ UP ON ME!
Yesterday was special for another reason: Pat at Kerry Haters has made me a co-blogger. I can now post my Kerry items there! Check it out! Thank you, Pat!
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
THEY LOVE FREEDOM, TOO
Your everyday cheering Iraqis.
Here's a blog you'll love by an Iraqi who is grateful to everyone who is helping to free his country.
'IRAQ THE MODEL
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
'This is my daily ‘routine’ thoughout 35 years; wars, meaningless death of innocent people, armed people terrorizing us, relatives and friends get killed or disappeared, close gunshot or explosions awaken me from sleeping, our laughs and talks get lost amid sounds of jetfighters in the sky and noise of tanks in street reminding me where I’m I and where I live. It seems that it’s not allowed for me to live a normal life like others do. …
[The US and allies] deserve the respect of the world and so do the people who support them. They always give me hope to go on no matter how difficult it seems.'
READERS TURN:
Litter mail:
Mike has a couple of questions from reading this:
[The article] includes a definition of a GOP Moderate as one who is "fiscally conservative but open on social issues. They don't take a united stand on such issues as gay rights or abortion, but are generally strong on the environment and funding for education and health care."
I wonder what the definition of a Democrat Moderate would be?
Maybe that term is an oxymoron? Or maybe there is there such an "animal" and we just don't know about them because of the liberal bias of the press, which creates and uses labels for political groups based on their viewpoint of what constitutes the mainstream.
Why are the numbers of GOP Moderates declining, especially in the House?
Is it simply because of re-districting as suggested in the article, or should it be the expected, long-term result once a party becomes the majority and controls the House? Or could the real cause be that the electorate is exhibiting a growing preference for representatives who can clearly communicate their core values and consistently vote that way (fewer self-identified "moderate" voters and more Republican voters)?
Mike would like to know what YOU think:
BROTHERLY LOVE?
Abandoned Brothers
By Don Bendell
Don Bendell, who served as an officer in four Special Forces Groups, is a top-selling author of westerns, science fiction, and non-fiction Vietnam books. He is a 1995 inductee into the International Karate Hall of Fame.Write to him at don@donbendell.com.
I WATCHED KERRY WITH amazement a few months ago when he replied to reporters' questions about Bush's Air National Guard service. Kerry said he would not comment on anyone's decision back then to "join the Guard, go to Canada, be a conscientious objector, or go AWOL."
Nor was I the only veteran amazed at this performance. One hundred and forty Medal of Honor recipients were in the National Guard. Six thousand seventy-seven members of the National Guard or Reserves died in Vietnam, and John Kerry simply disrespected them all for political expedience. By this, he added to the tendency of born again liberal hawks to refer to the president as a draft dodger and deserter, in contravention of all available evidence.
READERS TURN:
Drudge …
Liberal talk radio must find new Los Angeles, Chicago stations
Tue Apr 20 2004 19:14:50 ET
It was on, then it was off, then it was on again, and now it will be off again.
Al Franken and the gang at Air America Radio, the recently launched liberal talk-radio network that became embroiled last week in a financial dispute with the owner of its Chicago and Los Angeles stations, will broadcast over WNTD-950 AM in Chicago for the last time on April 30, the CHICAGO TRIBUNE is reporting in fresh runs.
MORE
TRIB reporter John Cook: "The network also said it will remain off the air for the time being in Los Angeles, where it was yanked off its station there, KBLA-1580, last week by owner Multicultural News Radio. "The announcement settles an acrimonious legal and public relations battle between Air America and Multicultural. It also means that Air America must seek new homes in the nation's second and third-largest markets less than three weeks into its short life."
Developing...
I guess if they want to hawk Bob's book they had better get jobs at Barns & Noble :)
READERS TURN:
A HULL OF A HAUL is one helluva frightening story!: ‘A Turkish ship headed for New York - and stuffed with thousands of Kalashnikov assault rifles and AK-47s - was seized en route in Italy, authorities said yesterday.
The ship's deadly hoard of more than 7,500 terrorist-grade rifles and machine guns worth more than $6 million was discovered illegally hidden under piles of properly labeled arms in several massive cargo containers, Italian officials said.’
READERS TURN:
This is rich. Her Royal C (translate that “C” anyway y’want!) gave an interview in which her brass was on full display by telling the press what to do, bashing Bush and admitting they're running Kamp Kerry.
Sen. Clinton: Newspapers Should Press Bush for Info: ‘"It's difficult for editors and publishers here to get to the bottom of stories. This administration, to an extent I haven't seen before, tells the press to go away -- and they do, like most people do when told that more than once. ... Many in this administration are quite expert at saying nothing despite your best efforts to get them to say something." …
Asked if she regretted voting in the Senate for the president's war resolution, Clinton said, "I don't regret the vote. I regret how the president used that authority." She said Bush had made "stunning mistakes," and called it "insulting that Osama bin Laden is still around to taunt us." …
Asked … if Kerry, unlike Al Gore, will make her husband, former President Bill Clinton, a strong part of his campaign, she replied, "He has and he will."
READERS TURN:
THAT BOOK!!!!
I haven’t heard, but I can’t imagine that John Façade Kerry could be too pleased with Bob Woodward’s book. It’s turning out to be a classic ‘You can’t judge a book by its cover,’ or in this case, by its hype.
PLAN OF ... SALES: ‘How did Woodward deceive the audience of "60 Minutes" and the entire press corps? He made people believe "Plan of Attack" rivaled Richard Clarke's bestseller in Bush-bashing - by pulling out a few isolated sentences from the book's endless 465 pages to make it appear as though "Plan" were a startling indictment of the war in Iraq.
"Plan of Attack" is indeed a startling book - startling because it offers a persuasive portrait of an extraordinarily serious Bush administration and the 17-month process that led to the war. …
‘… Woodward makes some major news on the "lies about weapons of mass destruction" issue. But the liar in question isn't President Bush - it was chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix. …
So what if he distorted the contents of his own book? He knows perfectly well that nobody actually reads him.’
NETWORK NAIFS BUY BOGUS BUZZ: ‘ON Monday's "Nightline," ABC's Terry Moran related how the White House likes Bob Woodward's new book, since "It portrays a president who's deeply engaged, who is challenging his subordinates, who is very concerned about Iraqi civilians and most importantly politically for the administration, a president who did not distort the pre-war intelligence about weapons of mass destruction, but who was given this intelligence from the CIA."
But those aren't the parts of the book that interested the networks earlier in the day: All led with the supposedly controversial and "explosive" revelations in "Plan of Attack," from how Saudi Arabia's ambassador allegedly promised lower oil prices to benefit Bush's re-election to how Bush "diverted" funds from Afghanistan to Iraq war planning. …
Two reporters - John King CNN's "NewsNight" and David Gregory on the "NBC Nightly News" - did point out a crucial fact: Woodward's book is recommended reading on the Bush campaign Web site. Indeed, it tops the list, ahead of the books by Karen Hughes, Mary Matalin, Lynne Cheney, John Podhoretz, David Frum and Sean Hannity (see Georgewbush.com/KerryMediaCenter/#books).
READERS TURN:
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
And more from ScrappleFace ...
Bush Admits Mistakes, Apologizes: Once Bush got started, he confessed several mistakes. 'I frittered away months trying to convince the United Nations that it should free the Iraqi people from a brutal dictator who never fulfilled the terms of surrender from the Gulf War and who continued to fire upon Coalition aircraft patrolling the no-fly zone.'
Scott Ott at ScrappleFace has done some fine reporting. Such as ...
NPR Launches Hostile Takeover of Lib Radio Network: As posted earlier here, Air America Radio barely launched before it was docked.
'Assets include former comedians Al Franken and Janeane Garafalo, as well as several small bottles of spring water and a full pallet of Mr. Franken's book, "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right." '
COLLEGE DAZE ...
Just a reminder that for all things John Facade Kerry, you can't beat Pat's Kerry Haters. Like Kerry's College Tour a Bust: Kerry's college tour is a FLOP.
HELP!
One of Litter’s faithful readers, SweetHeart, has a problem and I thought someone might have an answer for her. I told her I'd pass along all replies to her via e-mail, And THANKS!
‘Just in case others might be experiencing the same problem I'm having thought I would be more specific in the problem I'm having getting your Blog.
Did try both addresses you gave me, no luck. Trouble is, Your Blogspot comes up but only the blog*spot and Kitty Litter banners appear. Also, no right hand scroll bar is there in order for me to scroll down to see if text postings (you've never had a bottom scroll bar). I also tried reloading and refreshing page several times.
Now, here's what I can do to get the text, but of course no photos or capability to open links or view cartoons. I copy your blog to my clip board and paste into a new document.
Possible reason for text not showing: When I first visited your Blog, your text was in the center of the page and width of sentences ran well across the page. A short while back the text appeared on the extreme right side in a narrow column. A couple of weeks or so ago, this column started moving towards the left.
It is my suspicion that it has moved so far left it is off my viewable screen. Since your Blog has never had a bottom scroll bar, cannot test this theory out.
So if any others are having this problem you might want to let them know that they can at least get the text -- and if anyone knows how to fix this for me would love getting that information.’
READERS TURN:
THE ONLY POLL THAT COUNTS …
Is the one in November. Two articles this morning about the numbers game: one good and one doom’n’gloom. So which one do you believe? Me, I trust Bush. It’s my impression that he leaves the matter of polls to others. He’s a man on a mission, and I trust him.
Dubya In Trouble(?): I’m linking this Dick Morris article through Lucianne so you can read the L.dotters’ responses because, as usual, they’re priceless.
‘BOTH of the polling organizations that track the presidential race in daily surveys have concluded that the contest has settled into a stalemate. Scott Rasmussen reports that for eight of the last nine days, President Bush has gotten 45 to 46 percent of the vote, while Sen. John Kerry ranged from 44 to 46 percent. John Zogby shows Kerry ahead by three and reports little movement either way.'
A typical L.dotter reply:
Reply 12 - Posted by: Italiano, 4/20/2004 7:51:12 AM
Check Morris' archives. From week to week, he goes from "Dubya in trouble" to Dubya in a landslide." Maybe I'd be more concerned if the Democrats had a credible candidate. They don't yet.’
Poll Shows New Gains For Bush: The president has had a difficult period: casualities in Iraq; the 9/11 Inquisition; the media dragging John Façade Kerry through the campaign; and now Bob Woodward’s book blitz. So you’d think that he would be doomed, right? The fact that this poll says he isn’t translates into a greater strength than Kamp Kerry and his sycophant media had envisioned.
‘President Bush holds significant advantages over John F. Kerry in public perceptions of who is better equipped to deal with Iraq and the war on terrorism, and he has reduced the advantages his Democratic challenger held last month on many domestic issues, according to a Washington Post-ABC News Poll.’
READERS TURN:
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO BOB
Bob Woodward’s War Stories: ‘The chattering class is focused firmly on a new book by Bob "Watergate" Woodward, which purports to be a behind-the-scenes look at how - and why - America went to war in Iraq.
"Plan of Attack" has won major publicity via carefully leaked tidbits and anecdotes. Careful readings of the book itself had to wait, since it wasn't widely available until yesterday. …
‘Woodward says that Bush had pretty much cut Powell out of the decision to go to war - an assertion that the secretary of state flatly denied yesterday: "I was as committed as anyone else to seeing an end to this regime, the destruction of this regime that put people in mass graves," Powell told The Associated Press.’
Colin Stands Tall With Dubya: ‘DESPITE what his enemies leaked to the New York Times, Secretary of State Colin Powell is not in any trouble with President Bush for talking to Bob Woodward for Woodward's critical new book, "Plan of Attack" (Simon & Schuster).
"Powell is totally supported by the president," a D.C. insider said. "Not only did the president authorize Powell to speak to Bob Woodward, he encouraged him." …
‘One indication of Powell's standing with Bush is the fact that his former deputy, John Negroponte, was named U.S. ambassador to Iraq yesterday.
"The president picked Negroponte, who is currently the UN ambassador and got his job from Powell. Negroponte was Powell's deputy in the late '80s and is very close to him still. This shows how much the president wants Powell involved in the Iraq stuff - he picked his close friend."
READERS TURN:
SINCE YOU MENTIONED IT ...
Getting Trumped: John Crudele writes in the business section of the NY Post. Today’s column is how, in an uncontrollable burst, he gave The Donald the business at a ball game.
‘I first met Donald Trump about 15 years ago. I didn't meet his hair until a decade later. I have never told this story before because I thought it was awkward (and because it made me look bad). But now that even Donald is talking about his hairstyle on national TV, it's time. …
‘It was orange - fittingly, sort of the color of a brand-new basketball.’
READERS TURN:
Monday, April 19, 2004
Since Litter isn't always about politics, how about a breather with this ...
Bill Croke lives in, and often writes about, Cody, Wyoming. His byline usually appears in The American Spectator. I had never heard of Al Perkins, but I never miss Bill Croke’s columns.
‘To use a cliché, Al Perkins "goes way back." I didn't know how far until I later checked his website (even solo studio musicians have websites) and discovered that he got his start playing guitar in a rock and roll band called "The Mystics" in Odessa, Texas, in 1963. What I didn't need the website to tell me was that Mr. Perkins was the premier pedal steel session player in the Los Angeles "Country Rock" renaissance of the early 1970s. In fact, he has played with everybody from Emmy Lou Harris, to the Eagles, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Stephen Stills and "Manassas," and The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band.’
Anybody else ever hear of Al Perkins?
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Ever since I discovered Pat’s blog Kerry Haters, which he continually updates, I decided to defer to Pat for all things John Façade Kerry. Well, almost. Occasionally I’ll post an article or two, like today. A while back I offered an e-mail which detailed Kerry’s homes, complete with pictures and financial info. This morning I discovered there is an error in that info, specifically pertaining to the Italian mansion which Kerry supposedly sold to George Clooney. From Urban Legends:
'[A]ccording to the London Times, the Italian villa bought by actor George Clooney was sold a year before John Kerry announced his intention to seek the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination, and it was owned not by John or Teresa Kerry, but by Mrs. Drue Heinz, a relative of Teresa's through her marriage to John Heinz.'
Today I read a great article, The Flying Squirrel, by Howie Carr, a Boston reporter who has been chronicling Kerry’s career for years. He writes about Kerry’s hypocrisy when paying his taxes:
‘ON the issue of affluent Americans paying more income taxes, John Kerry is, as always, consistent in his inconsistency.
On the campaign trail, he's in favor of raising taxes on everybody who makes over $200,000 a year. Unless, of course, he's the one being asked to pay more, in which case, forget about it.
We know this because of a little whoopee cushion recently inserted into the income tax forms of his home state of Massachusetts.
Weary of liberals always clamoring for higher taxes on other people, an anti-tax group managed to place a line on the tax form giving Bay Staters the option of paying at the old, since-repealed 5.85 percent rate, rather than at the current 5.3 percent rate.
For two years now, John Kerry has had the opportunity to pay his "fair share." But like some Benedict Arnold CEO, the Democratic Party candidate for president has taken the money and ran.’ …
‘You can learn a lot about a politician by studying his tax returns. In John Kerry's case, one thing you can quickly figure out is what years his name actually appears on the ballot. If it's an election year, he makes charitable contributions. Last week, for example, he claimed $43,735 in charitable donations for 2003, more than he'd given in the prior two years combined.
In 1990, running for reelection to the Senate, he donated $1,835 to charity. After winning, he ponied up a total of $975 in the next three years.’
In this same article, Carr specifically lists Kerry’s homes.
‘Still, to understand the Kerry tax situation, you would need to study his 65-year-old wife's returns. But the widow Heinz files separately and adamantly refuses to release her tax records.
What is undisputed is that Kerry's jet-setting lifestyle is completely financed by Teresa Heinz Kerry's late first husband, a Republican senator from Pennsylvania.
His trust funds throw off millions in dividends and capital gains - what liberals often disparage as "unearned income." No such outcry has arisen in the case of Teresa. But even with her stonewalling on the release of her income tax returns, a glimpse into her financial worth is available in her tax bills that are public, for the five mansions she owns:[I’ve included the pictures which are not part of Carr’s column.]
On Nantucket Island, for a $9.1 million beachfront "cottage," technically owned by Windy Point Trust, she pays $23,552.09 a year in property taxes
In Pittsburgh, she owns a $3.1-million home on Squaw Run Road, a name that would definitely not be tolerated if a Republican lived there. The taxes are $14,632.80.
In Georgetown, her O Street mansion is worth $4.3 million, and costs her $41,627.14 annually in D.C. property taxes.
In Boston, she purchased a palace on Beacon Hill with an assessed value of $6.4 million, and was kind enough to put her 60-year-old husband's name on the deed. Annual property taxes: $62,794.08.
In Idaho, she hobnobs with her fellow Beautiful People in the only county in Idaho to vote for Al Gore in 2000. Her rebuilt barn, "outsourced" from the U.K., is assessed at $2.7l6 million, and her annual real-estate taxes are $30,728.78.
[The assessed values differ somewhat from the information in the Urban Legend article, but not by much, except for the Idaho vacation home. The value in Carr’s article gives the assessed value of one building, a “rebuilt barn,” and I believe there are other buildings on the property. The value listed in Urban Legends is $4.916.]
Carr’s article continues …
‘That's close to $175,000 a year in property taxes alone, but Teresa has no cash-flow woes.
Much has been written of the senator's 42-foot Hinckley powerboat, which cost at least $800,000. Less noticed has been Teresa's much more expensive plaything - a Gulfstream V private jet. It's named the Flying Squirrel, not after Bulwinkle's pal Rocky, but after her favorite ski run in Sun Valley.’
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., gives a TV interview in his plane on the tarmac of Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C. Wednesday, March 24, 2004 upon his return from vacation in Ketchum, Idaho. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
‘Aviation industry sources say the Flying Squirrel is worth about $35 million. It's the deluxe model .
"To charter a Gulfstream V costs $5,000 to $6,000 an hour," says one pilot. "Hers has everything - plasma TV, two bathrooms, fancy mahogany and burlwood paneling, gold-plated fixtures."
The only possible aviation upgrade, in other words, would be Air Force One. Which would certainly reduce the Widow Heinz's household expenses.
Maybe then her husband could afford to pay his "fair share" of state income taxes.’
Pat has listed this article on Kerry Haters, but he’s got much, much! more as well, often with great pithy insights. Check it out.
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Sunday, April 18, 2004
I always like to hear GOOD news about the war. Lord knows we can't depend upon the media! Most of the time it comes from soldiers who are over there. Our very own LoanCat has a relative in Iraq, and he sent her the following e-mail:
hey everyone
i just wanted to tell yall that i am doing well. ive been very busy over the past couple of days. cant say why sorry. things around here are getting interesting, these people cant realize that we are not going home any time soon. o well im sure the news has lead yall to belive that it is getting very dangerous around here i am about 5 min from baghdad and 5 min from falijugh. from what i understand this is the craziest place to be. just to let yal know the truth they have tried, but have not been successful. we are to strong and are to many. i think over the next couple of weeks u will notice a drastic change over here. they are starting to fold and it wont be long till they are to weak to fight. so dont always listen to the news they just report the bad and for some reason seem to leave out the good that we have done. i have come to realize that we are not leaving anytime soon i am very comfortable with ! that, and am willing to stick it out. hey i get paid to work out and do things things that not many people are willing to do or are not capable of doing. i take great pride in my country and my job as a UNITED STATES SOLDIER. ok, i hope u all had a great easter i wish u all the best and miss u all very much. see yall soon.
SPC ZAPIEN, LUIS A.
MILITARY POLICE CORP.
God bless you SPC Luis Zapien!
Don't forget the best Kerry coverage can be found at Kerry Haters.
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9/11 WIDOW BREAKS RANKS WITH JERSEY GIRLS IN BID TO END BLAME GAME
‘… Bauer has broken with some widows of her home state. She rejects the notion that President Bush must say he's sorry for the butchery that changed her life.
"I don't think the president needs to apologize" for the terror attacks, as some insist, …
The girls are credited with forcing the testimony of National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, whom they proceeded to slam on TV for failing to stop the hijackers.
No wonder the girls are being circled, like cats around a chew toy, by giddy Democrats desperate to commandeer the widows' grief in a bid to re-take the White House. The New York Times reported that Sens. Ted Kennedy and Charles Schumer even asked the ladies to press for public questioning of Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
Last week, Dorothy Rabinowitz of the Wall Street Journal warned that the country was rapidly approaching "Jersey Girl fatigue." …
"The only person I'm angry at is Osama bin Laden. He's the one who executed this tragedy."’
I have a question and I’d like your opinion. Zappa’s girl friend, whom we adore, is in the Army Reserves (works for them full time, too) and believes she’ll be doing her tour of duty by next January. Nurse G and I had lunch with Sargette yesterday and casually talked about what it was like being in the Reserves and dealing with Zappa’s anarchist views. Then I asked her for whom she’ll vote this year and she replied, “Well not for Bush!” Sargette knows my politics; she wasn’t trying to antagonize me, and she didn’t. We get along very well. When I asked her why she mentioned that old line about the war being for oil. I didn’t respond; I just let her answer stand. My question is, How do you respond to that?
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