It was meant to do one thing, and one thing only: provoke a reaction, either positive or negative. Mostly I hoped for positive, but expected negative. Surprisingly, I got a fair amount of positive reactions. Which gives me hope that there aren't so few of us Progressives here after all. My thanks to all those who replied, even -- hell, especially -- those who brought the trash-talk. If I struck that nerve of yours, it means I'm on the right track. And that you're not so far gone that you don't even pay attention.
And now the news.
As you've probably read by now, the Senate caved on warrantless spying and retroactive immunity from prosecution for the telecommunications companies that helped the regime spy on you. What so utterly fucking pathetic is that Harry Reid is pictured looking like he hasn't got a clue -- the perfect representation of granny-boy. Biggest lie to come out of his mouth yet:
"Holding all the Democrats together on this," Senator Harry Reid said of the FISA bill, "is not something that’s doable."
Oh yes it was fucking DOABLE, you little turd. YOU had the power to keep this horrendous legislation from even coming up for debate. YOU could have brought up the Senate Judiciary Committee's bill, which had no immunity in it. But no, YOU had to go ahead and ignore that one in favor of some shit legislation you KNEW would pass and that you KNEW was unacceptable. Who's "bright" fucking idea was it to make you Senate majority leader? And how can we remove you from that position? I want to know.
And where the hell were our two prima donna candidates?
Among the presidential contenders, Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, voted in favor of the final measure, while the two Democrats, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, did not vote. Mr. Obama did oppose immunity on a key earlier motion to end debate. Mrs. Clinton, campaigning in Texas, issued a statement saying she would have voted to oppose the final measure.
Clinton and Obama want us to believe they can be trusted to uphold the Constitution of the United States as president. But neither of them will do it now, as senators. Why should anyone vote for these losers? What use are they? Why shouldn't we all cast our ballots in the remaining primaries for Edwards, or Kucinich, and to hell with the ego-driven no-shows?
In (perhaps) better news, Donna Edwards defeated incumbent Albert Wynn in the Maryland 4th District primary. At least he has "grace" enough not to pull a LIEberman, if you can call it grace.
"The deed is done," Wynn told reporters at a Lanham union hall where his supporters had gathered after the polls closed. "I think the only thing that remains is to support the winner."
Yeah, Albert, act like someone just committed a crime by voting you out of office. Asshole. Anyway, congratulations to Ms. Edwards on her win. I just hope she does well in the general, and that she follows through on her campaign promises. We've been burned before by false promises. I'm not saying Ms. Edwards will pull that, but it's kind of hard to be optimistic after so much disappointment. You can tell I've had a bad morning, right?
The writers' strike is officially over.
The walkout, which began Nov. 5, proved to be far more economically damaging than the studios had expected, shutting down more than 60 TV shows, hampering ratings and depriving the networks of tens of millions in advertising dollars.
Labor experts said the crippling effect of the strike helped writers achieve gains they might not have otherwise attained.
The new contract gives them residual payments for shows streamed over the Internet and secures the union's jurisdiction for programming created for the Web.
This puts me in a better mood. This is the power of unions, dear readers. This is what makes me proud, what should make us all proud, to be an American. They didn't get everything they wanted, to be sure.
Writers were unsuccessful, however, in their efforts to shorten the 17-to-24-day window that studios have to stream their shows for promotional purposes without paying residuals. Many writers complained that most viewers watched repeats online within days after a program was initially broadcast.
But make no mistake: the writers' strike showed that corporations can be made to do the right thing, when good people stand up and assert their rights.
The wife of CNBC personality Seth Tobias has been cleared of suspicion in his death, which means she can inherit a cool twenty-five million dollars.
After a five-month investigation into the bizarre death of CNBC commentator Seth Tobias, Florida police closed the case Monday, clearing his wife of any suspicion and setting her up to inherit $25 million.
Since he was found dead in the swimming pool of his Florida mansion around midnight on Sept. 4, 2007, Tobias' four brothers have claimed his wife, Filomena Tobias, lured her husband to his death by drugging him and enticing him with sex with a male prostitute.
Tobias was the founder of the $300 million hedge fund Circle T and made a name for himself through appearances on the CNBC financial programs "Squawk Box" and "Kudlow & Company."
Finally, a new species of dinosaur has been found. The duck-billed creature, in an artist's rendering, kind of looks like it has a chicken-like head. Paleontologists believe the bizarre bony structure on its head allowed it to make some kind of musical sound.