Perfect Timing?????

With President Bush's poll numbers at an all time low, you'd think his staff would try to do things to win over supporters. However, that is NOT going to happen today. Bush will arrive at the Columbus airport today at the beginning of rush hour traffic and parts of our already congested highways will be closed. Thanks.

The Columbus Dispatch has the story:

President Bush’s visit today will raise big bucks for Republican Sen. Mike DeWine — and cause big headaches for rush-hour motorists.

Portions of roadways, mostly on the North and East sides, will be closed around 5 p.m. for undetermined periods while Bush’s motorcade travels from Port Columbus to Powell for the highdollar fundraiser at the home of Randy and Sara Wilcox.

The president’s visit could bring much of northern Columbus to a standstill at a time when motorists will be eager to start the Fourth of July weekend, some of them by heading to the Ger- main Amphitheater on Polaris Parkway for a 7:30 p.m. concert featuring Chicago and Huey Lewis & The News....

Just in case you wanted more info about getting a picture with Bush-----
....the price for a photo opportunity with Bush at a VIP reception is $10,000....

Amazing.

Always a Bridesmaid....

Why did Ohio lose the new Honda plant? The Plain Dealer offers some analysis which can be summed up from the final paragraph of the article:

...Ohio still makes more automobiles than every state except Michigan. But given the dismal state of Ohio's economy, the recent failures to build upon that foundation have become an unacceptable embarrassment.

One word describes the leadership in the Ohio government-------INEPT.

Marine In Fahrenheit 9/11 Dies in Iraq

This just in from the Washington Post:

A Marine and one-time recruiter who appeared in Michael Moore's documentary film "Fahrenheit 9/11" has died in a roadside bombing in Iraq.

Staff Sgt. Raymond J. Plouhar, 30, died Monday of wounds suffered while conducting combat operations in Iraq's volatile Anbar province, the Defense Department said Tuesday...

...He is survived by a wife and two children, ages 5 and 9. They live in Arizona.

Ohio News

1. The management at central Ohio's favorite restaurant, Wendy's, has announced some layoffs in the corporate office. Wendy's plans to cut 375 jobs. From the Columbus Dispatch:

Wendy’s International Inc. plans to slash as many as 375 jobs, with most of the cuts aimed at the company’s Dublin headquarters, where 650 people work.
The fast-food company offered voluntary retirement to 175 fulltime employees in May, and those who accept will make up a portion of the job reductions.
Wendy’s, which has struggled for more than a year to boost sales, said the cuts are part of a plan to save the company $100 million annually....

2. Ohio has lost its bid to get a new Honda manufacturing plant and with it go 1,500 new jobs. Dispatch:

Ohio has lost the derby for Honda’s new assembly plant and the 1,500 jobs that go with it.
Honda will build the $400 million plant in Greensburg, Ind., rejecting Ohio sites in Fayette and Van Wert counties and a site in Illinois, an industry source said yesterday.
A second source familiar with the project confirmed that the plant will end up in Greensburg, where work building 200,000 cars a year is expected to begin in 2008.
Losing out on the plant was bad news for Ohio, which has lost 200,000 manufacturing jobs this decade.....

***In other news........
MSNBC has the picture of Republican Rep. Bob Ney with Tigua tribal leaders. The MSNBC story is here.

There is some good news for Ohio State Buckeye Basketball Fans. The Toledo Blade is reporting that Greg Oden will play for Ohio State next year instead of going to the NBA. Go Bucks!

Buckeye Football News: A.J. Hawk is up for an ESPY Award. The story is here. Vote for A.J. Hawk for the Under Armour Undeniable Perfomance Award (Scroll Down on the voting page.). Vote for A.J. Hawk!

Bob Ney

Republican Rep. Bob Ney is still denying any wrongdoing in his public life. Ney states that Jack Abramoff is lying. Guess we will wait and see. Meanwhile, Ney's opponent, Democrat Zack Space are running neck and neck. WTOV has the story.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer has more on Ney including this:

Ohio Republican Rep. Bob Ney didn't recall meeting with members of the Tigua tribe of Texas when Senate investigators questioned him during a probe of rogue lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

But leaders of the El Paso tribe who lost $4.2 million to Abramoff remember details of their get-together in Ney's Capitol Hill office and even took pictures with Ney....

....In an interview on Monday, Hisa said he found it "strange" that Ney told Senate investigators that he didn't remember meeting with the tribe and wasn't familiar with the Tigua.

Ney accepted $32,000 from the tribe and had agreed to put legislative language in a bill to reopen a closed casino it owned. The measure never became law because it lacked Senate support. E-mails disclosed last week by the Senate committee show that Abramoff and Ney knew in July 2002 that the Tigua's provision was dead in the Senate, but didn't tell the tribe until that October....

Keep denying it, Bob.

The Correct Words

This just in......
Rush Limbaugh Artificially Inflated with Viagra
CBS:
Rush Limbaugh was detained for more than three hours Monday at Palm Beach International Airport after authorities said they found a bottle of Viagra in his possession without a prescription....

(Liberals don't need Viagra.)

>I just read an article at WCPO about some Ohio candidates for statewide office and I did not like the choice of words in the posting. Here is the paragraph:

She (Brunner) is among a handful of pro-abortion rights Democratic women candidates in the state -- including state Rep. Barbara Sykes of Akron for state auditor and Franklin County Mary Jo Kilroy for congress -- who are being helped by the powerful EMILY's List fundraising network.

Pro-abortion rights????? Pro-choice would have been better. No one is really for abortion. We are pro-choice. It is important to give women a choice and to keep abortion safe, available, and rare. It is astounding to me that some of the media subscribe to the right wing vocabulary list!

I'll sum up the WCPO article this way:

Democratic candidates Jennifer Brunner, Mary Jo Kilroy, and Barbara Sykes are pro-choice and they are backed by the large and powerful EMILY's List.

Doesn't that sound better???

***Note: Barbara Sykes, Democratic candidate for State Auditor, has a great quote:
“We should not have to rely on newspapers to find out Ohio is investing in RARE COINS AND BOTTLES OF WINE. An Auditor should perform the duties of their job thoroughly, regardless of party affiliation.”- Barbara Sykes

Murtha

It has started. The Republicans and their right wing supporters have started to smear Rep. John Murtha (PA-D) for his remarks about Bush's Iraq War. The same group that attacked Sen. John Kerry in the 2004 election, is now spreading lies about the military service and personal life of Murtha. Raw Story has a collection of articles about the new attacks on Murtha. Here is one quote from the article:

"...Republicans like their soldiers serving, silent and standing for photo ops, not talking back," Marsh wrote at her blog. "When a vet speaks out he's targeted. Murtha is just the latest."

I once read that once a Marine you are always a Marine. I think it is time for all Marines to come to the rescue of the man in Washington, DC who understands them better than anyone else. Show your love and respect for Rep. John Murtha by writing or talking about him in a positive way. If you are serving away from home, in your next letter, e-mail, or telephone call, let your family and friends know that you respect and support Murtha. He is the only one telling the truth about Iraq.

Hidden Meanings in Hometown Favorites

Sunday's Columbus Dispatch had a full page feature called Hometown Favorites. The article reported results of the Best of Central Ohio 2006 Reader Survey.

*Here is one of the results of the poll for the People.
CIVIC LEADER
1. Michael Coleman (Democratic Mayor of Columbus)
2. Karen Hollbrook (President of The Ohio State University)
3. Matt Habash (Democrat and President of Columbus City Council)

My conclusion is that people in the city have a more positive opinion of Democrats than Republicans.

*Now for the Things section of the poll. Here is a highlight.
POLITICAL SCANDAL
1. Tom Noe's coin dealings
2. Bob Taft's ethics violation
3. Bob Ney's Jack Abramoff connection

My conclusion for the political scandal results could be stated this way---They are all 3 Republican scandals!

In summary, it appears that the readers felt positive about Democrats and their leadership but negative about the Republican scandals. Will these opinions carry over until November???

DeWine: Another Bush Lapdog

Republican Sen. Mike DeWine of Ohio is another lapdog for Bush. DeWine only has to get his orders from Frist and Lott and he falls in the party lockstep. Since Bush took office, Ohio has suffered miserably. Why? Our Republican senators and representative don't vote to support Ohioans, they vote to support the Republican Party and their corrupt leaders. Now DeWine has launched his campaign and he has gone on the attack.

Republicans want us to stay in Iraq forever. The only chance we have to change course is to elect Democrats. DeWine is out of step with Ohioans.

Calling All Marines

Dear Marines,
It appears that Representative John Murtha of Pennsylvania is going to be smeared by some right wingers. These right wingers are planning to "swift boat" Murtha. As you know, Murtha is a decorated Marine and a Viet Nam War Vet. He will need your help to stop the smears. How can you help?

Contact Amanda Prewett Doss of Texarkana, TX, as she will start something called http://www.murthalied.com/ and http://murthamustgo.blogspot.com and murthalied@cox.net

Let these people know that when you attack one Marine, you've attacked all the Marines.

Signed,
S.L.

STAY AND PAY IS THE REPUBLICAN WAY

The Republican Party's solution for Iraq is stay and pay. What does that mean?

If we stay in Iraq, our sons and daughters will pay with their lives.
If we stay in Iraq, our country will continue to pay out large sums of money (over $290,000,000,000 so far).

The Republicans want to Stay and Pay. Stay and Pay is the Republican Way.

Unfortunately, the chickenhawks of the Republican Party have no experience in war. They are willing to say you are guilty of treason if you question the reason for this war. Karl Rove, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Rick Santorum, and the rest, never went to war. They've never had to make snap decisions on the battlefield. They've never seen a friend killed in front of their eyes. They've never had to worry if they'd see their family again. They've never lost sleep because of what they've seen in war. No--they've never been to war, but they are willing to send you and your kids to war. And when you return from war, they'll cut your benefits and make you pay for your own food if you land in a military hospital.

The Republican plan of stay and pay is wrong. It is time to get to work on bringing our troops home. If the Republicans won't do it, then vote them out of office.

GOP to Minimum Wage Wagers: No Money For You!

The Republican Party has defined itself this week by their votes.

1. Republicans are against an increase in the minimum wage. If you are struggling to feed your kids and keep a roof over their heads, the GOP wants you to keep you struggling.

2. If you want an end to the war in Iraq, don't look to the Republicans to do anything about it. The Republicans voted to keep the war going and there is no plan as to when our kids can come home.

3. The Republicans voted to cut estate taxes. This will help those very wealthy types who can now give more money to the Republican Party. The GOP wants to keep their friends close. This allows people like Paris Hilton to inherit her money without paying too many taxes.

In summary, here is what the Republicans have shown us---
>Raise the minimum wage? Republicans are not going to do it.
>Bring the troops home? Republicans are not going to do it.
>Provide tax cuts to the wealthy and their estates. Republicans will do it.

I cannot understand how anyone can support the Republicans.

Decisions, Decisions

As long as the Republicans control the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, the following things will remain the same:

1. Bush's war in Iraq will continue and you'll continue to pay for it.
2. More of our young people will continue to be killed and wounded. At this point, over 2500 have been killed in Iraq.
3. The Republicans will not raise the minimum wage. Your kid will never move out of the house.
4. The No Child Left Behind Act will continue to go unfunded.
5. The military will continue to get more aggressive in recruiting. Now they've raised the maximum age for enlistment.
6. The Republicans will play politics with voting. Yesterday, the GOP voted to delay the renewal of the Voting Rights Act! INCREDIBLE!
7. The religious right will influence your daily life. (Pat Robertson and his friends will decide what your kids will learn in school.)
8. Bill Frist will continue to diagnose comatose patients via video tape.
9. The corruption will continue. The Republican fundraiser scandals will go unchecked and probably get bolder.
10. The Republicans, who still believe the world is flat, will do nothing to stop global warming.

The choice is yours.

Amnesty For Terrorists? Are You Kidding Me?

Americablog found this and posted it. Two U.S. soldiers were found brutally murdered in Iraq. Now 19 Republican senators want to give amnesty to terrorists who killed American troops. Americablog found the voting record at the U.S. Senate web page.

The 19 Republican Senators voting for amnesty were:

Allard (R-CO) Bond (R-MO) Bunning (R-KY) Burns (R-MT) Coburn (R-OK) Cochran (R-MS) Cornyn (R-TX)

DeMint (R-SC) Enzi (R-WY) Graham (R-SC) Hagel (R-NE) Inhofe (R-OK) Kyl (R-AZ) Lott (R-MS)

McCain (R-AZ) Sessions (R-AL) Stevens (R-AK) Thomas (R-WY) Warner (R-VA)

These Senators should be ashamed of themselves. If one of them is your senator, call them and give them a piece of your mind.

The Democratic Underground has a link to a video called "Just A Number" at Peace Takes Courage.

More Ohio Corruption

Here we go again: In today's Columbus Dispatch, readers are notified that more people associated the the Republican Taft administration have been charged by a federal grand jury investigating the problems in the Ohio's Bureau of Workers' Compensation. The Dispatch lists those people charged during the ongoing investigation of the BWC. For complete details see the Dispatch:

Thomas Noe (Coingate and Republican fundraiser: indicted on 53 felony charges, trial this fall)
Terrence Gasper (former CFO of the BWC: pleaded guilty to state and federal charges)
Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, Republican (ethics charges: pleaded no contest)
Brian Hicks (former chief of staff for Taft: ethics charge, pleaded no contest)
Cherie Carroll (Hick's former assistant: ethics charge: pleaded no contest)
J. Douglas Moorman (former Taft aide: ethics charges, pleaded no contest)
Michael Lewis and Daniel O'Neill (brokers who did business with the BWC: indicted yesterday)


Remember: a suspect is innocent until proven guilty.

Incompetence

This morning, there is news that North Korea plans to do a "test" of its missile system. While this administration got us into an unnecessary war, the enemy we should have watched has gotten stronger. If anything happens to the U.S. or one of our allies, the Bush administration is to blame for its incompetence.

McHenry (NC-R-10th): Chickenhawk

Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry, a brand new congress member from North Carolina, gave a speech the other day about "staying the course" in Iraq. When I looked at McHenry's bio on his congressional web page, I didn't notice anything about time served in the military. Obviously, McHenry must think it is okay for others to serve and sacrifice while he sits at home attacking Liberals. Mr. McHenry says that Liberals advocate "cut and run." No, Mr. McHenry, is wrong. Many Liberals and others advocate bringing our troops home or at least to redeploy. If Mr. McHenry is so pro-war, why isn't he enlisting in the military? He is still within the acceptable enlistment age. Someone should send him enlistment papers.

Murtha Smacks Down GOP Chickenhawk

Rep. John Murtha is a giant of a man. A decorated Marine, he speaks with authority when he speaks about our men and women in uniform. His military experience has given him the right and the moral authority to speak about the administration's policies in Iraq.

From Raw Story: (Visit Raw Story for the video)

Representative John Murtha (D-PA), in an encounter during House debate with Louis Gohmert (R-TX), challenged Gohmert with questions relating to his service, or lack of service, in the US Military.

Transcript:

Rep. Gohmert: Let me close by saying some have not had nice things to say about our colleague Mr. Murtha, and others wanting to pull out of Iraq quickly. I understand the faithful visitation that he does routinely. So i say thank god for his big heart. I say thank god for his compassion. Thank god for his visits to the wounded. Thank god for his ministering to grieving families. But thank god he was not here and prevailed after the bloodbaths at Normandy and in the Pacific or we would be here speaking Japanese or German. Thank you.

Rep. Murtha: Was the gentleman at any of those locations? Either at normandy or any of those locations?

Rep. Gohmert: You want to know which locations?

Rep. Murtha: Yeah. Normandy?

Rep. Murtha: I say were you there?

Rep. Gohmert: No, sir. I wasn't.

Rep. Murtha: Were you in Vietnam?

Rep. Gohmert: No, sir.

Rep. Murtha: Iraq?

Rep. Gohmert: No. I have been over there. I haven't been fighting.

Rep. Murtha: Boots on the ground?

Rep. Gohmert: I do admire the gentleman's compassion and all he has done for our wounded. He has done a great service that would be you, Mr. Murtha.

Incredible News

***After losing 2,500 of our men and women in Iraq and having over 18,000 wounded, Sen. Ted Stevens (AK-R) suggested that we grant amnesty to those in Iraq who have killed Americans. Here is his statement from the Miami Herald:

''I really believe we ought to try to find some way to encourage that country to demonstrate to those people who have been opposed to what we're trying to do, that it's worthwhile for them and their children to come forward and support this democracy,'' said Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska. ``And if that's amnesty, I'm for it. I'd be for it.''

Incredible! How could Stevens or anyone make a statement like that?

***Ohio Republican News: Looks like some Republicans are sick and tired of the Ohio Republican corruption: Cincy Post--

Democratic gubernatorial candidate U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland has collected nearly $1 million in campaign donations from former supporters of the Republican governor's administration that he has derided on the campaign trail, a newspaper reported.

The donors - all of whom supported Gov. Bob Taft in 1998 - include government contractors, vendors and attorneys seeking state legal work, according to a review by the (Toledo) Blade. Their contributions helped Strickland take a fundraising lead on Friday's filing deadline over his opponent in the race, Republican Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell.

Since Taft's no-contest plea and conviction last summer on ethics charges, Strickland and the Democrats have made him and several convicted aides the subject of their campaign attacks, drawing distinctions between their political style and strategies and what they call the Republicans' "culture of corruption."

What is the expression.....abandoning a sinking ship....?

It is clear that those donors and others realize that a Gov. Blackwell would be no different that a Gov. Taft. Blackwell has been in the Ohio government for years and he knows how the corruption works in the state because he has seen it. Didn't he fix the elections? Now these former GOP donors want to get on the winning side of the Democrats. They know that with a Democrat running the state, progress can actually be made and their businesses and organizations will prosper.

Bush Wants YOUR Sacrifice and Patience

Yesterday, the President said the following, as quoted in the New York Times, "The challenges that remain are serious," Mr. Bush said, "and they will require more sacrifice and patience."

According to the Iraq Coalition Casualty site, we've lost 2500 of our men and women in Iraq. How many more will have to die for Bush's blunder? Visit the Memory Hole for pictures of the flag draped coffins and the wounded that your government doesn't want you to see. Visit the HBO website and read the Last Letters Home: Voices of American Troops from the Battlefields of Iraq. Isn't it time to bring our sons and daughters home?

Republican Election Strategy

More and more evidence is coming out on how the Republicans will conduct their campaign to keep control of the U.S. House and the Senate:

1. They will say 9/11 9/11 9/11 9/11 9/11 9/11 9/11 9/11 9/11 9/11.
2. As a poster over at Americablog indicated, the Republican Party will threaten to sue TV/radio stations that broadcast MOVE ON.ORG ads.
3. The Republicans will buy every flag in the country and put them behind every Republican candidate.

However, the Republicans will NOT discuss an exit strategy from Iraq, their failure to plan for the insurgents, and why they still haven't captured Osama Bin Laden.

Guess what folks? We got confirmation on the Republican strategy: Found at Think Progress:

On Thursday, the House of Representatives will hold a debate on the Iraq war. Media reports say Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) “hopes to match the serious, dignified tone of deliberation that preceded the Gulf war, in 1991.”

ThinkProgress has obtained a “Confidential Messaging Memo” from Boehner instructing his caucus to conduct a very different kind of deliberation. Here’s a quick summary:

1. Exploit 9/11. The two page memo mentions 9/11 seven times. It describes debating Iraq in the context of 9/11 as “imperative.”

2. Attack opponents ad hominem. The memo describes those who opposes President Bush’s policies in Iraq as “sheepish,” “weak,” and “prone to waver endlessly.”

3. Create a false choice. The memo says the decision is between supporting President Bush’s policies and hoping terrorist threats will “fade away on their own.”

You can read the confidential memo for yourself HERE.

Rove Attacks Rep. Murtha and Sen. Kerry

Karl Rove, college drop out and receipient of 3 draft deferments, was trying to smear Rep. John Murtha (PA-D) and Senator John Kerry (MA-D). Capitol Hill Blue has Rove's quote from the Washington Post: Rove... accused Democratic critics of the war like Sen. John Kerry and Rep John Murtha of cowardice, "cutting and running." Said Rove, according to The Washington Post, "They may be with you for the first shots. But they're not going ... to be with you for the tough battles."

According the Murtha's website:
U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha has dedicated his life to serving his country both in the military and in the halls of Congress. He had a long and distinguished 37-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring from the Marine Corps Reserve as a colonel in 1990; and he has been serving the people of the 12th Congressional District since 1974, one of only 131 people in the nation's history to have served more than 30 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and one of only 224 Members of Congress who have served 30 or more years....

This is from Kerry's official website:
...John Kerry volunteered to serve in Vietnam, because, as he later said, "it was the right thing to do." He believed that “to whom much is given, much is required.” And he felt he had an obligation to give something back to his country. John Kerry served two tours of duty. On his second tour, he volunteered to serve on a Swift Boat in the river deltas, one of the most dangerous assignments of the war. For his leadership, courage, and sacrifice under fire, he was decorated with a Silver Star, a Bronze Star with Combat V, and three Purple Hearts...

Why does Rove feel the need to attack distinguished American military veterans? Does he feel inadequate?

Why do the Republicans claim to support the troops, but once they are not in Iraq or on the battlefield, they attack veterans and cut their benefits? We all support the troops, but the Republicans have failed to demonstrate their respect by protecting, respecting, providing veterans' benefits (The Republicans now have hospitalized vets pay for their own food!) and honoring the American military. When Rove attacks Murtha and Kerry, he dishonors all vets. The Republicans are willing to send our young men and women to war, but they refuse to help them and respect their views once they are off the battlefield.

I Miss Bill

I saw a bumper sticker the other day that read "I Miss Bill."

Do you remember when Bill Clinton was President? Those were the days. Crime was decreased because people had jobs. Education actually had federal funding. Social Security was secure. Unemployment was very low. We had peace and prosperity. People had health insurance because they had jobs. Veterans' benefits were actually provided to veterans. College graduates got jobs and didn't have overwhelming college loan debts. The corruption only came from the Republican side of the aisle (Wait! It still does!). We had an administration that protected the environment. Our President was intelligent and spoke in clear, concise sentences. It seems so long ago.

Ohio Newspaper Editors: Duh! What voter fraud?

Don't you just love it when an article confirms your opinion of someone? Editor and Publisher spoke to some Ohio newspaper editors about the Rolling Stone article about Ohio election fraud to get their opinion. I could have told you what they would say before they said it. First, the newspaper editors are conservatives because they never, ever would say anything that would cause them to lose advertising dollars or readership. Second, they do not have the courage to do real investigative reporting about the Ohio government (other than the Toledo Blade on Coingate) because it would have brought the Taft government to its knees.

According to the article, the editor of the Plain Dealer didn't even read the Rolling Stone article. What a surprise! We have another person in power who refuses to learn the truth.

News from Columbus Ohio

**Yesterday, Republican Sen. John McCain was the commencement speaker for the graduation ceremony at The Ohio State University. 7,643 degrees were awarded at the spring ceremony. Ohio State has graduations four times per school year, at the end of each quarter.

**Anyone who went to school in Columbus Ohio in the 60's, 70's, and 80's will mourn the passing of Flippo the Clown. Flippo, Marvin Fishman, hosted the "Early Show" on WBNS-TV and was a favorite of college students here in central Ohio.

Another Loss

Ohio has lost another young person in Iraq. Announcement from DOD:

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. 1st Class Daniel B. Crabtree, 31, of Canton, Ohio, died in Al Kut, Iraq, of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. Crabtree was assigned to the Army National Guard's 2nd Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group, Columbus, Ohio.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Crabtree had been a police officer before joining the military. LINK

The American military deaths in Iraq is rapidly approaching 2,500 and still there is no exit strategy.

If you will be in Columbus, Ohio, you may want to stop and view the EMPTY BOOTS:

Ohio Statehouse West Lawn
High St. Downtown Columbus
(from Broad to State Streets)
Opening Ceremony 11:00 am Monday, June 12th, 2006
Exhibition will run through Wednesday, June 14th, 2006

American Friends Service Committee’s widely-acclaimed exhibition on the human cost of the Iraq War, makes a 3-day stop in Columbus as part of a 70 city international tour.

Ann Coulter is the Face of the Republican Party

Ann Coulter is the face of the Republican Party. Remember that every single time you think of Republicans. Here in Ohio, Rod Parsley's World Harvest Church, invited Ann Coulter to speak at an information meeting several months ago. When you invite, schedule, and sponsor someone like Coulter, you are associating yourself with her beliefs. Therefore, it would be safe to assume that most members of the World Harvest Church agree with Ann Coulter. There is a picture of Ann Coulter with Alan Keyes and Rev. Rod Parsley.

With all that Coulter has said in attacking the widows of 9/11, we have not heard any Republican leaders objecting to her views. Do the Republicans agree with her? Do they support her views? Do they agree with the names she has called these widows? I think that Republicans agree with Coulter. By not condemning her views, the Republicans show us that they support Coulter. This is why the Republican Party is so out of touch with mainstream Americans.

Another Day, More Ohio GOP Corruption

There is an interesting article about how the Ohio GOP rigged the 2004 election and this time the names include both Tom and Bernadette Noe. Media Monitors has the story and here is an excerpt:

...The dirty tricks in Lucas Country started long before election day. For instance, the Democratic headquarters was broken into and key voter data was stolen.

In the months before the election, when voting rights activists tried to challenge the Republican Secretary of State, Ken Blackwell's partisan handling of provisional ballots in court, Tom Noe intervened on Blackwell's behalf. Blackwell also served as co-chair for the Ohio Bush-Cheney campaign,

While Tom handled the court business, Bernadette worked to reverse the Ohio tradition of allowing provisional ballots to be cast in precincts other than the one in which voters were registered and helped disenfranchise many inner-city Toledo Democratic voters.

On November 2, 2004, during the election, inner city voting machines broke down and polls opened late. The Toledo Blade reported that the sole machine at the Birmingham polling site in east Toledo broke down at about 7 am, and that per order of Secretary Blackwell, there were no paper ballots available for backup....

And...The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that GOP candidate for governor is trying to discourage voting. Won't these Republicans ever stop trying to interfere with the citizen's right to vote? Will Republicans continue to lie, cheat, and steal in order to keep control of Ohio and the country??? It looks like the GOP will go to any lengths, to stay in power. When will Ohioans throw the Republican bums out of office?

Olbermann and Letterman

Last night both Keith Olbermann and David Letterman had a few things to say about Ann Coulter's book and her recent remarks.

Crooks and Liars has the video from Keith Olbermann of MSNBC's Countdown.

David Letterman (sorry I don't have the video) said the following about Coulter (I'm paraphrasing): Al Gore's new movie "An Inconvenient Truth" is in the theaters. Gore is going to do a new movie about Ann Coulter and it will be called "An Inconvenient Bitch." I guess you can say Letterman has no love for Coulter.

Ohio Republicans Messing With Voting

Ohio's voting fiasco has come to the attention of the New York Times.

...The latest sign that Republicans have an election-year strategy to shut down voter registration drives comes from Ohio. As the state gears up for a very competitive election season this fall, its secretary of state, J. Kenneth Blackwell, has put in place "emergency" regulations that could hit voter registration workers with criminal penalties for perfectly legitimate registration practices. The rules are so draconian they could shut down registration drives in Ohio....

...But there is one clear way that Ohio's election system is corrupt. Decisions about who can vote are being made by a candidate for governor. Mr. Blackwell should hand over responsibility for elections to a decision maker whose only loyalty is to the voters and the law.

Ohio is a shining example of Republican corruption. Congratulations, Republicans, for corrupting everything you touch!

Raw Story: Ohio's two Republican Senators DeWine and Voinovich wanted to bring the ban on gay marriage to a vote. DeWine and Voinovich must feel like their being attacked by gays so much so that they would waste valuable time to vote on this Republican political ploy. Shame on DeWine and Voinovich! Don't they know there are more pressing issues in this country than banning gay marriage???? For heaven's sake, Ohio has lost 110 young men and women in Iraq. Why aren't they debating the reason for the war? What about doing something for the gulf coast? How about those Ohio jobs we don't have? Why aren't they talking about rising college tuition?

A.M. Horror Show

It was like watching a horror show---right wing skank, Ann Coulter, was on the Today Show. Coulter was her usual frightening self. She looked a little hung over and the dark roots of her hair needed a touch up. She seemed unable to comprehend some of the questions Matt Lauer asked. I did hear the Today Show crowd boo her a couple of times.

Is Coulter the only woman who still supports the Republican Party?

Operation: Wasting Time

You know things are tough for the Republicans when they start having debates on topics that only distract people from the tough issues of the day. All the Republicans are doing now is wasting time, money, and energy. As Senator Reid of Nevada said today, according to Raw Story: According to Reid, the Republicans will be debating...

A new energy policy? NO.

Will we debate the raging war in Iraq? NO.

Will we address our staggering national debt? NO.

Will we address the seriousness of global warming – NO

Will we address the aging of America? NO.

Will we address America’s education dilemma? NO.

Will we address rising crime statistics? NO.

Will we debate our county’s trade imbalance? NO.

Will we debate Stem Cell Research? NO.

But what we will spend most of the week on is a constitutional amendment that will fail by a large margin, a constitutional amendment on Same Sex Marriage—an effort that failed to pick up a simple majority, when we recently voted on it. Remember, an Amendment to our Constitution requires 67 votes.....

It is no wonder that the Republicans have lost the support and the respect of the American people. They are clearly out of touch.

My husband and I have been married for over thirty years. During those years we've never ever felt like our marriage was being attacked by gays. (Where the heck do these Republicans come up with these issues????) All the Republicans are trying to do is distract us from the real problems in our nation. These Republicans are trying to appease the far right religious extremists in this country. Shame on the Republicans.

Republicans: Incompetent

Today President George W. Bush and his Republican Party will start attacking gays. Will Vice President Cheney be in the Rose Garden when Bush gives his speech for an amendment to ban gay marriage? It is clear that the Republican Party and their leadership just don't understand the real problems facing Americans today. The Republicans would rather fly flags and attack gays instead of showing real leadership by working on problems this nation faces. Shame on this Republican administration and their elected officials. Yesterday, Democratic Senator Joe Biden of Delaware said it best as he spoke with Tim Russert about the Republicans. Here are some excerpts: (Transcript from Meet the Press, June 4, 2006)

MR. RUSSERT: The president used his radio address yesterday, and tomorrow in the Rose Garden, to talk about a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

SEN. BIDEN: You know, think about this. The world’s going to Hades in a handbasket. We are desperately concerned about the circumstance relating to avian flu—we don’t have enough vaccines, we don’t have enough police officers—and we’re going to debate, the next three weeks, I’m told, gay marriage, a flag amendment, and God only knows what else....

and....

SEN. BIDEN: A fascinating thing Katrina did. Katrina not only blew away the Gulf, it blew away the illusion that these guys were competently able to deal with the real problems that Americans face. And I think this just highlights the fact they have no intention, they have no plan, to deal with health care. They have no plan to deal with our national security. They have no plan to deal with the energy crisis. They have no—I mean, gasoline’s going up an incredible amount. I’ve got a bill, along with others, saying, look, make every single automobile company—by the year 2008 or 9, depending on which one you pick—have flex-fuel automobiles. Make every gas station in America have to have a flex-fuel pump. That would fundamentally begin to alter importation....

Incompetent: The word accurately describes the Republicans. The control the entire federal government and the state of Ohio and they've achieved absolutely NOTHING.

Republican Hypocrisy

1. Republican Sen. Norm Coleman voted against port security 5 times. What a jerk! LINK

2. This week both the Republican controlled Senate and the House will debate protecting marriage and flag burning. These are the top two most important items on the Republican agenda. Are they nuts???? The country is going down the tubes with rising interest rates, loss of jobs, lack of funding for No Child Left Behind, a senior drug benefit program that rewards drug companies, rising college tuition, poor port security, a plan to cut air traffic controllers and hire people at minimum wage, rising gas prices, a heavy dependence on imported oil, an FDA that is controlled by right wing zealots, a failure to assist in the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast, etc, etc, etc. No wonder 70% of Americans believe this country in on the wrong track.

Need more info about GOP corruption? Try these sites:
http://www.slate.com/id/2110601/
http://www.benfrank.net/nuke/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=304
http://liberalslikechrist.org/about/gopcorruption.html
http://www.campustimes.org/media/storage/paper371/news/2005/11/17/Opinions/Gop-Corruption.Threatens.The.Nation-1107929.shtml?norewrite200606041431&sourcedomain=www.campustimes.org
http://www.politicalcortex.com/keyword/GOP%20corruption
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2006/06/04/MNGAKJ85GJ1.DTL&type=politics
http://www.rushlimbaughonline.com/articles/republican_corruption.htm
http://www.opednews.com/votergate2004.htm
http://corruptrepub.blogspot.com/2005/08/target-corrupt-republican-ohio.html
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/news-story.php?story=166155

Get a Daily Dose of Stephanie Miller and Keith Olbermann

I start my day by listening to the Stephanie Miller Show. Stephanie's radio program is part of the Jones Radio Network. If Stephanie's show is not available in your area, visit http://www.stephaniemiller.com for more information.

Keith Olbermann's Countdown on MSNBC is part of our regular viewing habits in our house. Last night, Keith, put the smackdown on Bill O'Reilly. Apparently, O'Reilly continues to blame WWII American troops for a massacre that took place in Malmedy, France. The massacre was done by the Nazis. O'Reilly, who professes to not spin, is just plain lying about Malmedy. Why does O'Reilly hate American troops? I think that every VFW branch in the USA should write and call O'Reilly and force him to correct his mistake. To view the Keith Olbermann tape from last night, visit Crooks and Liars: Olbermann exposes O'Reilly on Malmedy.

Did Ohio Republicans Fix Elections in 2004?

The article, Was the 2004 Election Stolen? has been posted at the Rolling Stone website. As a person living in Ohio, the center of Republican corruption, I believe that it is very possible. Here is an excerpt from the article:

....The reports were especially disturbing in Ohio, the critical battleground state that clinched Bush's victory in the electoral college. Officials there purged tens of thousands of eligible voters from the rolls, neglected to process registration cards generated by Democratic voter drives, shortchanged Democratic precincts when they allocated voting machines and illegally derailed a recount that could have given Kerry the presidency. A precinct in an evangelical church in Miami County recorded an impossibly high turnout of ninety-eight percent, while a polling place in inner-city Cleveland recorded an equally impossible turnout of only seven percent. In Warren County, GOP election officials even invented a nonexistent terrorist threat to bar the media from monitoring the official vote count....

...A review of the available data reveals that in Ohio alone, at least 357,000 voters, the overwhelming majority of them Democratic, were prevented from casting ballots or did not have their votes counted in 2004(12) -- more than enough to shift the results of an election decided by 118,601 votes.(13) (See Ohio's Missing Votes) In what may be the single most astounding fact from the election, one in every four Ohio citizens who registered to vote in 2004 showed up at the polls only to discover that they were not listed on the rolls, thanks to GOP efforts to stem the unprecedented flood of Democrats eager to cast ballots.(14) And that doesn?t even take into account the troubling evidence of outright fraud, which indicates that upwards of 80,000 votes for Kerry were counted instead for Bush. That alone is a swing of more than 160,000 votes -- enough to have put John Kerry in the White House (15).....

Do yourself a favor and read the article at Rolling Stone.