President Cheney's Goose Is Cooked

Sylvie was going to post a thread today but had unexpected guests. I just got back from London not too long ago, so I haven't had time to think of anything. All right, sure, it was London, Ohio, but I was still out all day.

So as a quick solution, I just thought I'd rustle up a link to an article. This one is from the Huffington Post, and is full of Fitzmas/Fitzukkah spirit. Needs a good Cheney/goose graphic to go with it though...

President Cheney's Goose is Cooked

The indictment today of Scooter Libby marks the beginning of the end of one of the most bold and cutthroat rises to power in American history. Dick Cheney was a former congressman from Wyoming, former Secretary of Defense and finally CEO of Halliburton. Not bad for a guy who flunked out of Yale.

Twice. Then one night he gets a call that he had been waiting for all his life. His old boss George senior asks him to pick a vice-presidential candidate to run behind his inexperienced son. We know that Dick wanted to be President himself because he actually ran for that office in 1996 but dropped out before the first primary when he realized that someone of his dull looks and anti-charisma didn't stand a chance. This second time around he must have understood that by hiding behind a glib, telegenic heir to an important political family he could have all the power of the Presidency without that pesky problem of people actually having to like him. So instead of suggesting a VP who might actually help carry an important region or state, Cheney convinced the Bushes to go with him, a guy from a state with a whopping three electoral votes. (Read Dick, by John Nichols to learn more.)

It was a match made in some sort of heaven. One guy burned to have the power of the Presidency, while the other guy just wanted to play one on TV.

Click here for the rest

Update...I've added a funny Cheney picture. It has nothing to do with having his "goose cooked", but I just heard about this one recently, and I found it while I was searching.



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Sitka's musical farewell

Progressive*Avenger wrote on October 29, 2005 01:20 AM:

To the blog at large:

It seems that S*tka/Liber*l, who has been with this community since the very beginning, when this was the only Presidential blog in the world, has been banned from BFA. I guess he was tired of being baited by the one who always brings down the discourse around here.

I hate to see another good soul lost to this destructive force.

Sitka/Liberal asked me to tell you this:

"But could you do me a small favor since I can't post there myself anymore? Could you just tell everyone I said "Happy trails!" and post this link to my last performance?
http://www.hexadecimalx.com/video/noodles10.23.05.zip

It's got little kids dancing and people having a great time to some good songs. It's how I want to be remembered by my old DFA pals instead of as a curmudgeon who's fed up to the gills with the Democratic Party. Music is the real me, not politics."

Since it's a zip file and a huge download, I thought I'd share a few screen captures. I have a thing I need to go to today (it's an Episcopalian thing, and I'll share more about it later) so I wasn't able to listen to the whole thing yet. The one song I recognized was Quinn the Eskimo. Have a great Saturday, Dean people!

Here's the web site of Sitka's band.

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Where's your gravatar?

By now, you may have noticed a lot of pictures appearing in the right column next to bloggers' posts. Here's how you can get yours!

Visit http://www.gravatar.com and enter your email address and password. You will receive an email containing a link to verify your account, and then you can upload your image. The final image is 80 pixels x 80 pixels. Your image will be re-sized, so an image that is square will work best.

Once you upload your image, it must be approved. This is usually done the same day, sometimes within the hour, and then your image will appear on any post here where you've entered the same email address with your comment.

Kudos to Renee for getting this set up, and for her perseverance while the gravatar website was down.

P.S. If you're having trouble finding a gravatar, I've created a few here that you're welcome to use.

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Cheney's Chief of Staff Indicted

Irving Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Chief of Staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, has been indicted on five criminal counts.

Count 1: Obstruction of Justice (18 U.S.C. § 1503)
Counts 2-3: False Statements (18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2))
Counts 4-5: Perjury (18 U.S.C. § 1623)

A PDF file of the indictments can be found on Special Prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald's website and the Smoking Gun has images of the pages.

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Another Reason Not To Get Sick

Teri Mills is a longtime Democracy For America community member. Her guest column on health care appears on Blog for America on Fridays and she blogs at nationalnurse.blogspot.com.

Besides feeling lousy, and not being able to afford a visit to your health care provider or pay for the drugs they prescribe, here is one more reason not to get sick. America is facing a severe shortage of nurses that is only going to get worse. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics found more than one million new and replacement nurses will be needed by 2012. There is already a shortage of registered nurses in 30 states, including California. Another statistic to pay attention to is the number of first-time, U.S. educated nursing school graduates who sat for their licensing exam decreased by 10% from 1995-2004. Doctors and nurses are feeling the effects of the shortage, and if you have been recently hospitalized, you may have noticed the only time you saw a nurse was when you needed a medication or a treatment.

Members of Congress are looking at solutions and have recently introduced the Nurse Education, Expansion and Development Act Nurse Education, Expansion and Development (NEED) Act (H.R. 3569) to hire new or retain existing faculty, purchase educational resources, recruit students, and support transition into the faculty role. In August 2002, the President also signed the Nurse Reinvestment Act, a law that includes scholarship money for new students, a faculty loan cancellation provision, and funds for public service announcements to attract others into nursing careers. Johnson and Johnson's Campaign for Nursing's Future, launched a multimedia initiative to promote careers in nursing that includes paid television commercials, a recruitment video, a Web site, brochures, and other visuals. Top leaders from nineteen national nursing organizations also addressed the nursing shortage in an action plan called Nursing's Agenda for the Future Nursing's Agenda for the Future in April 2002.

Registered nurses have also been asked what solutions they have for the shortage. The majority of those surveyed say that the image of nursing as well as the working environment needs to be improved. This includes the number of patients assigned to each nurse. A 2005 study concurs with the nurses and even finds that improving nurse-to-patient staffing rations to 1:4 in general medical and surgical settings provide the best cost-effective patient safety intervention.

We can do our part too in helping to ebb the shortage by encouraging our children to choose nursing as their career. After all, nursing is the most trusted, respected and honored profession in America. Standing together in support for a National Nurse would also do wonders in putting the nursing profession front and center to educate the nation about ways to stay healthy and at the same time improve the image of nursing.

—Teri Mills, RN, MS, ANP
Democracy for Oregon

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Friday Comics

Tried And Failed
Earnhardt Nation
Just A Theory
Sea Ya!
Next!
Conservative Cannibalism
Under The Bus
Roadkill
Punk'd
Flat-Out Lie
Ignoratio Elenchi
Executive Right To Privacy
Postmodern Vultures
Not Likely
Another Wiener
Journalistic Jihad
Nolo Contendere
-MD
Bush's Service Economy
Greenspan's Economy
China Syndrome
Empty Set


And my favorite for today: Happy Fitzmas


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Funnies

From the About.com Funny Bush Pictures page. Do you have a favorite?

Totally different topic, but if you are wondering what the little avatars in the comments are about, and how to get one, here is the Gravatar link.

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DNC National Organizing Kickoff

Howard sent this message to Democrats nationwide today. (Mine hasn't arrived yet.)

Dear Fellow Democrat,

On November 15th, thousands of Democrats will experience our 50-state strategy up close and in person.

In many places there are vitally important elections in just a few weeks -- but we can't afford to stop organizing and stop building after Election Day. Next year's elections will be a national referendum on the Republican culture of corruption in Washington and in the states. We cannot wait until a few months before the election to get ready -- we need to start organizing right now.

On the evening of November 15th, ordinary Americans will open up their homes to their friends and neighbors for a night of planning and action -- our National Organizing Kickoff.

Will you host an Organizing Kickoff meeting on November 15th? It's easy, and you can get started right away:

www.democrats.org/events/create

Hosts of National Organizing Kickoff meetings can download all of the materials for a successful meeting. Information from the national and state party will include a briefing on our party-building efforts nationally and locally, a survey of the political landscape in your state and information about opportunities to take action locally.

I will be joining all of the meetings that night in a nationwide conference call.

Every one of us needs to take responsibility for the Democratic organization in our neighborhoods, and this is everyone's opportunity to come together and focus. We have to be organized to get our message out -- we need a network in place now to persuade voters and activate our supporters.

It's up to you to make sure that everyone in your neighborhood is plugged in and ready to do as much as they can. Sign up to host your National Organizing Kickoff event now:

www.democrats.org/events/create

To make an impact everywhere we need to organize everywhere. That's what you mandated, and that's why our party has taken the unprecedented step putting organizers on the ground and building state parties across the country.

The event you host will bring everyone up to speed on our progress, our opportunities and the work ahead. Everyone must commit to working on Election Day 2006 -- but the meeting you host now will help create the road map for a year of sustained commitment until then.

As Republican leaders are investigated and indicted, Americans everywhere are tired of politics as usual. The culture of corruption that Republicans have brought to Washington, DC and statehouses across the country is making more and more people realize that we need change.

Hosting a local Organizing Kickoff meeting is the most important step you can take right now to make sure that our party is in a position to change things next year. When you sign up to be a host you will have access to materials to make planning easy:

www.democrats.org/events/create

You'll be hearing more about these meetings in the coming weeks. Thank you for your time and your commitment to the idea that together, America can do better.

Governor Howard Dean, M.D.

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A Small Sliver of Sanity

In 2004 I wrote a letter of protest to my Representative in Congress concerning the nuclear bunker-busters.....or as Republicans prefer to call them, "Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrators". Which, for some reason, always makes me think of Viagra. I didn't expect a positive reply from him. He's a Republican who votes with Tom DeLay 97% of the time, took DeLay's money and had Dick Cheney come to Ohio to campaign for him in the last election.
His reply to me, dated June 2, 2004, said in part...."we must remain aware that we have enemies who would choose to do us harm." He went on to say, "HR 4200 cleared the committee by a unanimous 60-0 vote. On May 20, 2004, it was approved by the full House by a bipartisan vote of 391-34, and has been forwarded to the Senate for final action." I read his reply as the Republican version of "Nyah, nyah, nyah".
Tuesday I clicked on Yahoo news and a wonderful headline met my eyes: "U.S. Drops Plan for Nuclear Bunker-Buster".
The article began: "The Bush administration is abandoning its push to develop a "bunker-buster" nuclear warhead and instead will pursue a conventional weapon that can penetrate hardened underground targets."
Further in the article Stephen Young, a senior analyist for the Union of Concerned Scientists was quoted: "The proposed weapon, more than 70 times the size of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, would have caused unparalleled collateral damage."
I am not only thrilled because this weapon has been scrapped, but because it indicates to me that Bush's falling approval rating is having an impact on his atrocities. Maybe he's no longer sure he has all that "capital" to spend.
Or maybe he's beginning to imagine that he might have need of his *own* bunker someday, and imagining how very inconvenient it would be to have a "Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator" around if that were the case.

Susan Davidson

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Thursday Comics

Miers Reject
Too Late
Conservative Priorities
Avoiding Responsibility
Bugsy Cheney
BushCo's BDSM Tendencies
BushCo Legacy
House Of Horrors
Hard Work
Bush/Cheney 2000
Silenced
Fingered
Stained Credulity
Stained Blue Dress

And my favorite for today (kind of sums it all up): Team Effort

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The Night Before Fitzmas Slumber Party!

You *know* it's your duty to stay awake all night. . . .

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The Miracle of Makeup

Tip of the hat to Barb P.

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Wednesday Cartoons

Paving Material
Chubby-Chaser
Life Of Significance
Headless Horseman of the Apocalypse
Exception Clause
Sic 'em
William Tell, Kinda
Generation Gap
Poe George

And my favorite for today: Working Her Corner

\

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Nonprofit Advocacy Imperiled

Cross posted at Disabled Americans for Democracy

The House will likely vote next Wednesday, Oct. 26, on a provision to be introduced as a managers amendment to the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) in the Federal Housing Finance Reform Act (H.R. 1461) that would dramatically restrict nonprofit advocacy. While it applies only to nonprofits seeking grants under a new Affordable Housing Fund (AHF), the provision sets a dangerous precedent that threatens the speech and association rights of all nonprofits.

The Nonprofit Gag Provision restricts nonprofit entities - it does not apply to for-profit entities - from receiving AHF grants if the organization:
Engages in partisan and nonpartisan voter registration, voter identification, and get-out-the-vote activities;

* Publicly promotes, supports, attacks, or opposes a candidate for federal office, which could be interpreted to include criticism of elected officials who may be seeking reelection;
* Broadcasts any ads public service announcements, grassroots issue advocacy, anything that refer to federal candidates within 60 days of a general election or 30 days of a primary; or
* Lobbies, except if the group is a 501(c)(3) organization it may lobby within permissible limits.

Affiliation with any entity that engages in any of the above activities during the same time period 12 months before applying for a grant or during the grant period will also disqualify the group from receiving money from the AHF.

Read the entire alert, including detailed analysis, at the Justice For All archives.

The long and the short of it is that this proposed gag order is in opposition to the spirit of the current U.S. Law and practice. It would prevent any nonprofit from receiving AHF grants if it were associated in any way with any other entity that engages in political activity, be it partisan or nonpartisan, lobbies the government, etc. Moreover, the term "affiliate" is here given a broad definition that just about covers any conceivible relationship. The inescapable conclusion to be drawn is that the Republican sponsors of this provision want to prevent nonprofit organizations from both exercising their rights of free speech and association and performing advocacy. It is extremely dangerous, and must be defeated.

Contact your Rep as early as possible on the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 26 to register your opposition to this provision.

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Bitter Fruit

As far as I know, Bush has yet to attend a single funeral of one of the 2000 soldiers who died in his war. On Daily Kos, I just saw a link to an interactive photo essay by Paul Fusco, who has attended military funerals in 27 cities. Below are some of the images from this photo essay.








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Dean on the death of the 2000th American soldier in Iraq

The DNC web site has Howard Dean's statement upon the U.S. military death toll in Iraq reaching 2000:

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean today marked the tragic milestone and said Americans deserve better than President Bush's failed leadership in Iraq:

"Today, our nation marks one of the saddest days of the war in Iraq, the loss of the 2,000th American soldier there. Each soldier lost on the battlefield leaves behind a family forever marked by tragedy, and scarred with grief. Their loss weighs heavily on the heart of every single American. Today, we are united in reflecting on the suffering and sacrifice of the brave men and women in uniform and their families.

"Sadly, in delivering yet another speech about the war in Iraq that lacked a clear plan for victory, President Bush failed to mention the tragic milestone we mark today. This is not the type of leadership that the brave men and women serving in Iraq and their loved ones here at home expect or deserve from the Commander in Chief. Now, even though we have lost 2,000 servicemen and women and spent more than $218 billion over the last two years, just 800 Iraqi troops have been fully trained. The need for a clear plan for victory in Iraq cound not be more apparent.

"Democrats believe Americans, particularly Americans serving our nation in the armed forces, deserve leaders who honor their sacrifice by making sure that our armed forces are never sent to war without a clear plan for victory and without the resources to carry out that strategy. That is why Democrats are unwavering in our commitment to pressing President Bush for a clear plan for victory in Iraq. We will honor the service and sacrifices of our soldiers by continuing that effort."

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Don’t know about that Christmas in October thing.

Can anyone tell me what am I supposed to be feeling now ?

How strange this last month has been. Suddenly, (and finally) it is a good time to not be a Republican in this country. What, with Tom Delay getting indicted in Texas, Bill Frist getting in trouble with the SEC for possible insider trading, polls for Bush sinking below the 40 percent line, the conservatives getting all riled up against one another over the Miers’ nomination, and the White House in a state of panic over impending indictments in the Plamegate affair, one could think that we are already just a few days short of December 25th —Fitzmas in October indeed.

But then, this October is also, well, one year after last October. October 2004. Yeah, that October. Do you remember what you were doing at this time of the year last year? Do you remember how you felt?

I felt like Christmas would arrive early then too. I was sure Christmas would magically happen on that morning of November 3rd, 2004, the day after the election and the defeat of the Bush administration. So I was busy doing whatever I could do to make that miracle happen—canvassing on Saturdays (waking up at 5:30 am to catch that damned bus to PA, the long rides back and forth); phone-banking from here in NYC, or canvassing for Barbaro (who was hoping to defeat the only NYC Republican US Representative) in Bay Ridge; going to my DFA meetups in the Village; going to fundraisers hosted by the Billionaires for Bush; and of course, blogging and obsessing over that Internet site I can’t recall the name of just now, but it had that map with the blue states and the red states according to the very latest polls--the Electoral Projector, that’s how it was called. Yep, that one. Every single morning for I don’t know how long, the very first thing I did when I woke up was to click on that site and stare at it dreamingly as I drank my first cup of coffee.

I could just sooooo see it blue!

I was just so hopeful.

Then that morning of November 3rd arrived, and it was not Christmas. Not Christmas at all. More like the opposite of Christmas, whatever that day is called. (The Day every kid is told that Santa Claus doesn’t exist)?

To me, it was the Day of Utter Disbelief. I remember how stunned I felt. That same night, I went to my DFA meetup, and there we all were, all with that same stunned look on our faces. The despair was thick too. And several pairs of red, puffy eyes were all too visible.

And the day after that was even worse because not only it still wasn’t Christmas, it was my birthday. It took three friends of mine to get me out of my house and to drag me to the Japanese restaurant up the street so that they could tried to cheer me up as I cried in my miso soup.

Needless to say, that birthday was anything but happy, and no one dared singing “happy birthday”.

So, what am I supposed to feel now, as things, well, seems to be going better, so much better?

Well, it has been a strange year since. Feels like a millions years. And I realize now, as I am waiting again for Christmas in October, how much energy and hope that last October sucked out of me. How bleak the future has been looking since.

So on the one hand, a part of me feels really good at the news these days. It does look like something big is about to happen. It does look as if the Super Spin Show is finally unraveling, and that even those who never (god forbid!) thought about peeking behind the show’s curtain now have no choice but to see all the tricks, the phoney bells and fake blue skies for what they truly are: a cover-up for this administration utter lack of talent--nay, even worse, for its utter lack of interest in the audience that pays for the show.

But somehow I just don’t feel as happy as I thought I would be. I mean this is coming pretty close to my own private 4 ½ years old political fantasy, one that has sustained me for all those months—something that involves handcuffs and Karl Rove, prison bars and Tom Delay , the sudden and irrevocable disappearance of Dick Cheney (I’m open to the means by which that occurs), and, left alone in the big White House, a lost President resident. Scared. Drunk, maybe; barely able to walk straight. Totally swagger-less , that’s for sure.

Still, and I don’t want to sound like a spoiled brat, but it all feels a bit too late. Twelve months too late, to be precise. I also feel like it’s almost too much. I mean, did we really need to have the whole government collapse in order for everyone to realize that these guys are corrupted, arrogant, incompetent, and dangerous?

Maybe it is just that there was something about believing that we could defeat them—in contrast to having them just falling apart so gracelessly? Maybe I am too demanding, and wanted nothing less that complete electoral defeat. Damn my imaginary electoral map!

But then, there is always next October. October 2006. Yeah. I can see it. I can start to feel it. It will be Christmas soon again next year…

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Tuesday's Comics

Everyone
Gallows Humor
Enemies Of The State
Win, Place, Show
Under The Fig Leaf
Kay Beyotch Hutchinson
Taking Care Of Business
Hell To The Naw

And my favorite for today: Painfully Obvious

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Rosa Parks, civil rights heroine, is dead

From the Detroit Free Press: Rosa Parks, civil rights heroine, is dead

Parks' health had been declining since the late 1990s. She had stopped giving interviews by then and rarely appeared in public. When she did, she only smiled or spoke short, barely audible responses.

In one of her last lengthy interviews with the Detroit Free Press in 1995, she spoke of what she would like people to say about her after she passed away.

"I'd like people to say I'm a person who always wanted to be free and wanted it not only for myself; freedom is for all human beings," she said during an interview from the pastor's study of St. Matthew African Methodist Episcopal Church, a small congregation she joined upon moving to Detroit in 1957.

The following is from the Wikipedia article on Rosa Parks:

Standard accounts of Parks' act of civil disobedience in 1955 refer to her simply as a "tired seamstress." Parks stated in her autobiography, My Story, that it was not true that she was physically tired but was "tired of giving in."

Also, some accounts downplay her prior involvement with the NAACP and the Highlander Folk School, portraying her as an individual with no particular political background or training.

Many accounts fail to clarify: she was sitting in the "colored" section of the bus. With the "white" section full, a white man wanted her to give up her seat. That is, it was not a matter of protest on any level when she sat down; the protest was in her refusal to give up a seat in the "colored" section.

This part I only learned recently. I think it is important for people to be aware that Rosa Parks did not just haplessly find herself in this situation, but she made a conscious choice, agreeing to become the "face of the civil rights movement".

The NAACP had additionally considered but rejected some earlier protesters deemed unable or unsuitable to withstand the pressure of a legal challenge to segregation laws (see Claudette Colvin and Mary Louise Smith). The selection of Parks for a test case supported by the NAACP has been speculated to be in part because she was employed by the NAACP.

Thank you, Rosa, for your inspiring example of courage.

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MViMV Guest Blog

Do you have a question that you want to ask Tom Hughes? (In my best Jon Stewart impression): Oh, I know that you do!

Well, here's your chance...

Who: You, Me, and Tom Hughes
What: Interactive Guest Blog at the My Vote is My Voice Blog
When: Tonight from 8-9pm EDT
Where: http://myvoices.blogs.com/blog/
Why: The MViMV Guest Blogs offer an opportunity to discuss issues, ask questions, and share experiences with political leaders.

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Monday Comics

Other Shoe
The Contender
Probably True
Boy Who Cried 'Wolf!'
Unsinkable
Double-Barreled Weapon
In His Element
Same Difference
Limp Noodle
Continuing Saga

And my favorite for today: Worlds Apart



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UPDATE: COMMENTS ARE BACK ON!! COMMENT AWAY. ~~ puddle

Historic Opportunity

Since Haloscan is broken and we can't comment, it seems like as good a time as any to put this up. Enjoy.

DEMOCRATS SEEKING WAYS TO SQUANDER HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY
'We Will Manage to Screw This Up,' Vows Dean

Andy Borowitz
Oct. 23, 2005

Given a Republican president with plummeting approval ratings and a Republican congressional leadership that is being investigated, indicted, and in at least one case fingerprinted, Democratic party leaders said today that they are "actively seeking" ways to squander their historic opportunity.

At a press conference in Washington, D.C. today, Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean reassured the party faithful that the Democrats would stick to tradition and find some way to blow this golden opportunity.

"People look at the mess the Republicans find themselves in and ask, 'How could the Democrats possibly screw this up?'" Gov. Dean said. "I am here to say, don't worry, we will find a way."

The DNC chief said that the Democrats have already convened a top-level brainstorming session of strategists from the Dukakis, Mondale, and Kerry campaigns to formulate a plan for squandering the opportunity the Republicans have handed them on a silver platter.

According to those familiar with the strategy session, the Democrats have already settled on a new slogan for the 2006 midterm elections, "Read our lips - tons of new taxes," and that most of that new tax revenue would be used to promote the legalization of crystal meth.

While it is still early to be planning how to lose the 2008 election, Gov. Dean said that most preliminary discussions have revolved around nominating the Rev. Al Sharpton for President.

"We're only going for Sharpton because our first choice, Jacques Chirac, was unavailable," Gov. Dean said.

Elsewhere, days after photos of her baby were stolen, singer Britney Spears demanded that the photos be returned at once so she could sell them.

Happy Monday!

Commenting=broken

An update on the situation with comments...they are definitely broken for other Haloscan users as well. If you want to watch for news on the situation, this forum topic would be a good place to check. While you're waiting for that to be fixed, maybe you'd like to check out the arty blog, pyzch (puddle's "baby blog" or Karen*in*MI's namaste. Or any of the other People-Powered Blogs listed here.

And don't forget--Paul Hackett's press conference announcing his entry to the Senate race is today at noon.



P.S. Didn't mean to leave out Underground Railroad from my suggested links. We certainly appreciate Oscar's daily dose of 'toons here. Tell you what--to anyone else who is a front page poster on this blog, feel free to edit this post and add links to Deaniac diaries on My Left Wing, Booman, or whereever else you find them.

Merry Fitzmas to All (we hope!)

As I prepare to go to bed, commenting via Haloscan appears to be messed up. While you're waiting for that to be fixed, maybe you'd like to check out the arty blog, pyzch or namaste.


I just found out over at Democratic Underground that georgia10 set up this Merry Fitzmas Blog. Also, here are some tasty tidbits from a Seattle Post-Intelligencer article entitled Rove not likely to survive inquiry (and do go check out the whole article).

Rove is showing the strain of the two-year inquiry. If he hadn't been so preoccupied, he surely would have limited the damage from the encampment of Cindy Sheehan at Bush's Texas ranch and sent the president off on his Gulf Coast storm watch before pictures of dead bodies flooded the airwaves.

The nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court was well down the track before Rove found out how serious Bush was about appointing his own lawyer, The Washington Post reported last week. By then, it was too late to do much about it.

And Newsweek's online edition has this:

Prelude to a Leak
Gang fight: How Cheney and his tight-knit team launched the Iraq war, chased their critics—and set the stage for a special prosecutor's dramatic probe.

So, ready to play Indictment Bingo? And what favorite Fitzmas tunes do you like to hum while you're waiting for Patrick Fitzgerald to add something juicy to his new web site?

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Spiritual Sunday Smorgasbord

Before leaving for my EFM class, I thought I should put up a new post, at very least linking to Oscar's Word for the Week (which he is more than welcome to just come over here and post his own self). And a link to Pastor Dan's Word for the Week as well as a reminder to check out the many interesting diaries over at Street Prophets. "What are your afterlife plans?" looks especially intriguing, althought I haven't had a chance to read the whole thing yet. I'm amused that the first comment reads "Dinner and a movie?", because, for some reason, that's the first thing that popped into my mind when I read the question. Anyway, it occurred to me to check my email at the howardempowered at gmail.com address to see if anyone had sent in a new post, and found one from Subway, which I've posted below. Anyway, "Spiritual Sunday Smorgasbord" seemed a fitting title for the assortment of stuff in this post. So, Bon Appetit! Enjoy this entry with a fine Merl--with the beverage of your choice.

How To Find God?
Do The Math!

When I was in the third grade we were given something called "The New Math." Having little experience with numbers it really didn't seem any different from "The Old Math" which I hadn't really understood either. (Didn't you just hate long division?)

Well folks, there is a new math in town that's even older than The Old Math and I've been studying it's ramifications for the world we live in. It's called "Fractal Geometry" and it shows on a grand scale that God has essentially created a "paint by numbers" universe.

I was first introduced to fractal Geometry by Dan Winter, creator of "Cardiofeedback." His writings on the subject showed me how fractals are the numerical underpinning of the universe and are evident everywhere you look from the sub atomic to the galactic.

Winter's work shows that the human heart is the "Fractal Attractor" that connects physical existence with the "Magnetic Event" that we often refer to as "The Soul." (This will be the subject of my Tuesday post.")

But on the fun side, fractals can be played with and enjoyed. I am currently playing with a toy called Fractal Explorer 2.02 that allows me to create amazing infinite images. I'm even learning how to create short animated fractal movies. For those of you out there with high speed internet, I have found someone in google that has animated fractals that you can download. These are large files, 30+MB but well worth the free price of admission. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

http://www.fractal-recursions.com/anim.html

Namaste,

Subway

Added note from Renee--my friend Damon, whose nmazca blog I linked to last night, has a page of fractal images here.

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Sunday Morning Open Thread

Governor Howard Dean, Chair of the Democratic National Committee was on This Week with George Stephanopoulos (ABC) this morning. That should bring some discussion.

© John Pettitt / DFA, 2003

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Update from Renee: Joe Rospars has a Kos diary entitled Howard Dean in his own words, with excerpts from the interview.