Oh Dexter, you're not doing it just to soften the blow?

--Tracy Lord

Steve Terrell, we who are about to rock salute you!


Former state Sen. Roman Maes might have lost the Democratic primary to freshman Sen. John Grubesic, D-Santa Fe, last year, but that didn't keep him away from the Roundhouse for long.

According to the Secretary of State's web site, Maes, former chairman of the Senate Corporations and Transportation Committee, is now a registered lobbyist for Microsoft, Valor Communications, St. Vincent Hospital and Santa Fe County.


Two things:

#1. Being a Republican during election time in Santa Fe is kinda like watching Survivor. If you're into that sort of thing, you'll find plenty of entertainment, at some point there's voting going on, and what you think will not change the outcome at all.

#2. Even though he's on the other side of the aisle, I feel for John Grubesic. Can you imagine how he must have felt? He goes to all the trouble to knock off an incumbent, and now he's gotta see him on a regular basis in the Senate? This is like The Philadelphia Story with Roman Maes as Cary Grant, Santa Fe County as Katharine Hepburn and John Grubesic as the guy who got the shaft in the end. And did you notice two of the big clients Maes is representing? Santa Fe County, and St. Vincent's Hospital (which is in Santa Fe). Uhh...didn't he lose that job in the election? That must be the greatest vote of confidence ever, having Santa Fe County basically say, "We don't know what the people in this county were smoking...heh ..actually it's Santa Fe, we do know what they're smoking. Anyhow, they chose John, but for our money it's Roman all the way. I can just see the conversation:

John: Roman! What are you doing here?

Roman: Oh, Santa Fe County is paying me to make sure their interests are heard in the Legislature.

John: Isn't that /my/ job? I mean, I am the State Senator from the area.

Roman: And I'm sure you're going to do a bang up job of it, too. Look, I gotta run. I'm going to be late for this luncheon Dede Feldman's hosting.

John: Lunch, what lunch? HEY....WAIT!

And to top it off, Roman's probably making more money as well.

If I was John Grubesic, oh, you'd have some great headlines:

Donegal Express to State: We're Good

Recommends Cutting off all state funding to Santa Fe County

Well Well Well...Water

Senator shows no interest in seeking Estancia Basin water

And that would be week 1. I'm vindictive like that.

Houston, we have a problem.

--Jim Lovell

Yesterday was also the day of Nasa's Day of Remembrance.

Let us reflect on those who have given their lives in the US Space program. From Apollo I to the Shuttle Challenger to the Shuttle Columbia, tragedy has stalked our first faltering steps into space.. The individuals in the space program are involved in a great and noble mission. Throughout the ages, explorers have understood the risks of venturing into unknown territory. As man pushes into the frontier of space, it is certain that more tragedy will lie ahead. All the same, there are triumphs to come as well.

In the meantime, let us remember.

January 27, 1945

Poland

This article is posted by a participant of the January 27, 2005, BlogBurst to remember the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, sixty years ago, on January 27, 1945.


Sixty years ago today, the town of Oswiecim was liberated by elements of the 60th Army of the First Ukrainian Front. This ended nearly six years of occupation by the German Reich. With the liberation of Oswiecim was the capture of a chemical factory and the freeing of a number of prisoners from a local "prison camp".

Today, Oswiecim is better known by its German name.

Auschwitz.

From the town's official website:

The soldiers found 4,800 seriously ill prisoners of 18 nationalities. A part of the prisoners went out of the camp unaided after the information that the Germans had left Oswiecim. A lot of the prisoners went to the Convent of the Seraphic Sisters to find temporary help and care there. The first people who went to the former camp to help look after the men in Block 10 were 4 girls and 4 men from Oswiecim. The men in Block 10 had lived in terrible conditions. The group cleaned the rooms and the beds and brought the food. The dead ex-prisoners were taken to Block 11. The group worked during the day and during the night they were changed by the Seraphic Sisters.
It took many months for the last of these concentration-camp survivors to recuperate enough to begin the painful search for lost loved ones. The following never started:

270,000 Jews.
75,000 Poles.
23,000 Gypsies.
15,000 Soviet POWs.

Along with the victims, let us also remember those who risked much in trying to bring some comfort to those unfortunates.

A very important role in helping the prisoners was also played by the activists of the Polish Scouts (the local ones and the ones from Silesia) and the railwaymen. It should be emphasized that a lot of effort and heart was put into the help actions by the residents of Oswiecim, including women and children. Those, who took a very active part in the action, were the local clergy - the priests of the Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Oswiecim, the priests from the nearby villages, the Salesians and the Seraphic Sisters, who put bread under the piles of stones, in the ditches and on the walls for the prisoners working outside the camp, at the slaughterhouse in Dwory or near the convent. Apart from bread they left pork fat, butter, cheese, garlic, onion, sausages, sugar and the bottles of coffee; and for the workers of the Buna-Werke in Dwory they mainly sent bread and butter with the help of one of the civil workers. They also delivered food, medicines, vitamins and injections to the camp (by the people from Oswiecim working there). The nuns' underground work did not escape the Germans' attention. Because of this activity they carried out a lot of research in the convent in Oswiecim.

Nor should we forget the heroic example of the saint of Auschwitz, Saint Maximilian Kolbe.

Finally, let us never forget what happens when faith in the state supplants faith in God.

The first duty of a revolutionary is to get away with it.

-Abbie Hoffman

Hat tip to Bitchitude for this:


My political frame of mind is one in its own, I admit. When I see shit like THIS I have no qualms about stepping up to the plate and speaking my piece.

I am truly embarrassed and ashamed to say I ever lived in the State of Washington. I am horrified at the rampant ignorance these spoiled pukes displayed in their blatant presentation of said ignorance.

Go ahead, click the link. You know you want to look. Here's the AP caption:

Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Due, right, a U.S. Army recruiter, is surrounded by protesters at Seattle Central Community College, Thursday, Jan. 20, 2005, in Seattle. After about a 10-minute standoff during which protesters tore up U.S Army literature, the protesters were successful in getting Due and another recruiter to leave their table under escort by campus security officers. Several hundred students walked out of classes at several Seattle colleges and universities to protest the inauguration of President Bush.

Subtitle (Hat Tip to The Donegal Express):

Waaaahhhhhhh!

First thought on my mind? What are these people so /happy/ about? What, are you proud of your bravery in standing up to "the military"? Oh please, do you really think this guy couldn't have whipped all of you if he wasn't a civilized human being? Let's be honest, the only one in the entire lot that looks like he could take a punch is that big chick in the white shirt in the back left corner. She might go toe to toe for a couple minutes, maybe.

Secondly, let me break the news to you:

You're attending Seattle Central Community College! Way to go. You've obviously all made some smart life choices to get to that plateau. I can just see how that went down. "Harvard, Yale, MIT, USC, or Seattle Central Community College?" I guess U. Dub's loss is their gain.

Whenever I see junk like this, I always think WWFRD? Yes, What Would Frank Rizzo do? I'll tell you what he'd do.

First, he'd respond to the problem, and start arresting some punks. Then, when the administration would whine and complain, he'd promptly release them.

For the next five months, not one cop would respond to a call within five blocks of the college within two hours. He'd let the place slide into the Seventh level of Hell. Muggers, thugs and vandals would flock to the safe zone that would be in effect. In short, that neighborhood would look like Escape From New York. And then, when there's all sorts of wailing and nashing of teeth, he'd just say, "I thought we were fascist thugs who were oppressing your students?"

Ok, maybe Frank Rizzo wouldn't do that, maybe that's me. But it does make me think of something he /did/ do.

While Rizzo was mayor, the Pope visited in 1979. As I'm sure you all realize, this invited every nutjob left winger hater out of the woodwork. The Pope was going to give a speech in town, I can't remember at which indoor venue, and dozens of these pieces of sewage bought front row seats. Word on the street was they were going to bring some toys (more puppets and drums), and try to drown out the Pope.

What did Frank Rizzo do?

Frank Rizzo went down to the local Union Halls and got about three dozen of the boys together. We're talking huge dudes that were either Polish, Irish, or Italian, and of course, Catholic. The kind of guys Harry Truman would have remarked about, "All they do is drink, fight amongst themselves and go to Mass." Frank Rizzo then got these guys tickets in the row right behind the left-wing maggots.

Oh, there was no protest that night. Go figure.

Crazy bellringer was right, there's money to be made in a place like this..

--Joe

Joe Monahan clues me in:

Late last year the phones were ringing and the buzz was on: former Bernalillo County District Attorney and now top crime adviser to Big Bill, the irascible Bob Schwartz, was off and running for a second time for the city of ABQ's top job. But now, according to deep insider sources, Schwartz will be a no-go in the October mayoral face-off after a sit-down with the Big Guy himself.

I can't blame Bob. I mean, he's Governor Richardson's Crime Czar, or something. Do you know what kind of money that gig pays? And seriously, like anyone is expecting /results/? What, someone is going to shove a microphone in his mug, "Bob, you're the Crime Policy Advisor, yet we still have crime. How can you explain your failure to end it?" I can think of harder work than drafting some five-point plan, testifying at a couple subcommittee meetings, then doing the round of local news shows.

I'm jealous, really. I want to be a Czar. I mean, I don't have to be the Czar. I could deal with being /any/ Czar. Anything at all, please, come up with a crisis for me. I could be the..the..."motorboat accident prevention" Czar. I could do this! "I'm only going to take a few minutes of your time, as I know you're very busy journalists. Next week the MAP Office will be releasing our five-point outline for combating Motorboat Accidents. As Czar, I'll be available for the next three weeks to expand on the synergy we hope to develop by sponsoring our advertising campaign with the Ad Council and Victoria's Secret. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to listen to the steel drum version of "Montego Bay" and dance like a white man who's been pounding Cuba Libre's all day. Thank you. No questions will be taken at this time.

The bigger question is, of course, is there any chance for entertainment? Ladies and gentlemen, I submit for your consideration Margaret Aragon de Chavez.

The novena begins...now. Dear Lord, please give this to me. Please, please please, I need something to make my humdrum life worth living. Please speak to Mayor Chunky's ex-wife and convince her that running would be a good idea. It would be the most perfect thing ever.

To the best of my knowledge, Albuquerque is the only city in America to have a "first lady". For the entire time she was married to the mayor, she insisted on being called "First Lady Margaret Aragon de Chavez." I'm guessing someone talked her out of "uberwoman". Please God, I need this. I've even gotten her campaign music picked out.

When it was announced that she and they mayor were divorcing, my first thought was, "Who will get custody of 'Reading Albuquerque'?"

To give non-New Mexicans and idea of the scope of this...imagine Teresa Heinz-Kerry running for office, but without the restraint and humility. Game on!

So please, just this one thing, ok? Amen.

I've looked at so many women. I've seen everything, and felt nothing.

--Homer Wells

From The Rocky Mountain News


About 100 abortion foes joined Sillstrop to grieve at a Memorial Wall for the Unborn in a graveyard at the Sacred Heart of Mary Church. They carried candles and brought flowers for an estimated 5,000 fetuses who have been buried at the church since 1996.

Catholic Church officials and volunteers plan to bury the remains from another 1,000 fetuses Sunday. The burial coincides with the 32nd anniversary today of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion.

The fetal remains came from the Boulder Abortion Clinic. Unbeknownst to Dr. Warren Hern, director of the clinic, the Crist Mortuary of Boulder had been picking up fetal remains and delivering them to the church.

Ok, let's see if we can all follow the story. Women go to "clinic" flush their babies down the toilet. Clinic contracts "waste disposal" to local mortuary. The mortuary then gave the cremated baby remains to a local Catholic church, which gave the remains of dead babies a decent burial.

Of course, this is "controversial". Drop a crucufix in urine: "art". Bury murdered babies: "controversy".

Thus sayeth Dr. Warren Hern:

"I am appalled that the Catholic Church again has shown its willingness to exploit the private grief and pain of women seeking legal abortions in order to advance its political goals," Hern said in a written statement. "I am also appalled that the officers of Crist Mortuary, which performs important work requiring public trust . . . have publicly admitted that they have collaborated with this cynical exploitation of private grief for political purposes."

Damn. I hope that interview was conducted over the telephone, or email. Either that, or I hope the reporter had a good face shield. I almost got hit by the spittle and foam all the way out here in Santa Fe. Let's review the inanity...

Firstly, the good Doctor is upset the Church is "exploiting" the private grief and pain of women seeking legal abortions in order to advance its political goals. This sentence in and of itself is like the Comstock Lode of blather.

"the private grief and pain of women"
What, did the Church rifle through the clinic's records and mail the women involved? Did they get a "we're burying the child you aborted on X date"? And what's with this grief and pain stuff, I thought this process was a medical procedure, like removing tonsils? I mean, it's not a person, right? It's just a sack of cells, right? So what's to grieve over? Yo Doc, did you ever mention to any of these women the whole "grief and pain" thing before you started hackin' and slashin'? I mean, you did tell them this would be a traumatic event that they would carry for the rest of their lives, didn't you? Or did you just exploit their fear and confusion to make a quick buck?

"seeking legal abortions"

Well that's the whole point, isn't it? The Church believes flushing babies down toilets is...you know...wrong. I mean, that's like saying "legally owning slaves" or "beating his wife, within the limits of the law". What? Just because you can say, "Right now, it's legal" the Church should just say "Aww hell, got us there. We better just pack up two thousand years of moral teaching and beliefs. The Supreme Court made a decision in 1973."

"in order to advance its politcal goals"

Well? You people get all whiny whenever they have moral goals. We hear, "Don't go forcing your morality on us!" Now it's "political goals". So, what goals are the Church allowed to have, anyhow? Oh that's right, none. You just want it to go away. I mean, is this going to be added to the litany, "Those wackos, outside with their signs and rosaries. Can you believe they try to get women to give their children up for adoption, and bury the ones that get away? Lunatics!"

Don't those nutjobs realize? Moloch must be fed.

Then Dr. Hern gets all whiny about Crist Mortuary. It has to be the irony of all ironies that the mortuary's name is very similar to "Christ". How dare they take those ashes and...let them be buried in a Catholic cemetary! There are some perfectly good landfills in Boulder. Don't they have plants that could use some fertilizer?

If you're planning on dying in that neck of the woods, please contact these people. I thank you.

This wasn't some sort of political stunt. It's what Catholics call a Corporal Work of Mercy.

Boys and Girls, remember your ABC's.

Abortionists Be Creepy.

I don't wanna put any undue pressure on you guys, but Coach Gennero's last words were, win or I'll die.

--Coach Rigg

The Eagles won. Am I happy? Ask me in two weeks, ok? Right now, it's all abou the Lombardi Trophy. Can they do it? I dunno.

Siouxie and the Banshees are singing "Kiss Them For Me".

I'm going to white man dance.

You take your football down here real serious, don't you?

--Paul Crewe

14-3, Eagles. Damn, they're starting to make me believe again. Damn, 14-10. I can't take this. I really can't take this. This team just rips your heart out, year after year after freaking year. If they lose, I'm going to do so serious drinking.

If they win, woo hoo! I'm going to do some serious drinking.

Inauguration Haiku

Originally Published on The Wide Awakes

George Bush wins again
Hippies pout like large babies
Like we really care

Somebody get this to Bob Casey Jr, Quick!

Originally published on The Wide Awakes

State Treasurer Robert Casey Jr.
State Treasurer’s Office
Harrisburg, PA

Dear Treasurer Casey:

Can I call you Bob? Thanks!

Dear Bob:

It has come to my attention that you are considering running for the United States Senate in 2006. I am writing you this letter in the hopes you will reconsider. Let’s talk straight, from one former Pennsylvanian to another Pennsylvanian.

What are you thinking?

While I respect your ambition, I must question your timing. Rick Santorum is popular in our state, which is not as blue as the past few Presidential elections would lead people to believe. You know as well as I do Senator Santorum’s political history. He was elected to the House from a district that was sixty-eight percent registered Democrat. After the 1990 census, he was redistricted, with seventy-four percent of the voters being registered Democrats. He won again. I know, I worked on his campaigns in 1992, and his Senate bid in ‘94 when he defeated “rising star” Harris Wofford (otherwise known as “The Democrat to get the second-biggest lift to his career from John Heinz’s death"). Santorum has got money, experience and a well oiled machine at his disposal. Let’s compare what you have going for you.

Bob, I love you like a brother, but let’s be honest. You are not liked by your side. This is a bit of a step up from your father, who was hated by his own side, but still…

You were supposed to be the shoe-in for Governor, but the party let Ed Rendell challenge you in the primary. Who came to your aid? You’re sitting in the Treasurer’s office because they kept you out of the governor’s office. Now, many of these same people are whispering in your ear, trying to convince you to run for the Senate. Let’s be honest here, Bob. They hate Rick Santorum more than they dislike you. You’re a handy tool, nothing more.

Of /course/ the state Democrats will look the other way on your strong anti-flushing babies down the toilet stance. Of course they are saying nothing about your support of the Second Amendment. They want to use you to their own ends. They want to run the Casey name in front of the voters, nothing more.

Now Bob, let’s suppose you would win, which is unlikely. What would the future hold? The Democrats in the Senate would give you a chairmanship, most likely. Yeah, you’d be chair of the “fetch me a cup of coffee, decaf, with low-fat cream” Committee. Do you honestly think you will have any chance to get your agenda heard? Tell me, Bob, who will your strongest ally be: Barbara Boxer, Dianne not-so-Feinstein, or Chuckie Schumer? Remember, Zell Miller will be retiring. Do you really want to spend the next six years as Ted Kennedy’s designated driver?

After serving your term in the Senate, do you know what your reward will be?

They will be coming for you.

As soon as Rick Santorum is safely out of the way, the knives will come out. The Democrat Party will not let someone defending the unborn stay in office. Barbara Heifer Hafer is chomping at the bit. She was “principled” and left the Republican Party so she wouldn’t have to wait for Arlen Specter to retire. You can bet the sharks will be circling in 2012. Who will your friends be then? Who will have your back, Bob?

Bob, the Democrats worked your dad, God rest his soul. They humiliated him nationally in ‘92. Do you really want to be their lap dog? There’s a better way, Bob. We both know you want to be Governor. Your dad was a credit to the office, and I’m certain you would be no less. Why don’t you join the team, and come on over for the big win. Follow in your father’s footsteps, Bob. They were leading out of the Democrat Party.