Ryan files suit to get back part of pension

Whoa.... He has got some nerve... From the Chicago Trib (registration required, yada yada):

Former Gov. George Ryan filed a lawsuit Wednesday against state retirement officials, battling to keep a pension of more than $60,000 a year that Ryan says he earned before the scandals that led to his wide-ranging fraud convictions in April.

I guess the cigarettes in prison are going to cost a lot more then he anticipated....

Bush Wants a Bigger Military?

Earlier this week Bush said he wants a bigger military. More specifically he want a larger Army and Marine Corp. I wonder how he thinks he is going to do that?? Apparently there are not people lining up to spend Christmas in Fallujah. Why draft them of course. I hope they draft the Bush twins first. They probably need somewhere to go anyway after they got thrown out of Argentina.

Net Neutrality

I saw this on Youtube. It is a little video clip that demonstrates the importance of Net Neutrality to the freedom of the Internet. Cute.

Iraq is Out of Control

Things just keep going from bad to worse in Iraq. Meanwhile Bush continues to just ignore the dire situation, and nut jobs like McCain and Lieberman think we need to actually send more troops to Iraq. We can only hope that McCain is the Republican nominee in '08 - that would assure a Democratic victory in the presidential race....

Shimkus on Foley Cover Up

Good job Southern Illinois on re-electing John Shimkus. Apparently he could not tell the Democrat on the page board about Foley - because he was a Democrat, of course. Nice oversight...


"Dale's a nice guy, but he's a Democrat, and I was afraid it would be blown out of proportion."

So What Does Belleville Think About Power Deregulation?

I really don't know, since I have been stuck in Washington DC for the last two weeks - but based on the feedback in the Belleville News "Republican", I would say that most are not too happy. Hats off to all the working people getting the power lines fixed. Maybe we should ask why our power infrastructure is almost as bad as it is in Baghdad?? I am guessing the Ameren stock holders have been doing ok....

McCoy on Bolton

Our favorite cartoonist had such an enlightening cartoon today. I guess he is mad that are benevolent diplomat, JOHN BOLTON, is not going to be representing us in the UN. Since he was perhaps the worst diplomat in the history of the planet - I say good riddance...

Hope Everyone is Warm in Belleville

I am stuck in DC and could not make it back for the weekend. From the pictures, it looks like the weather is not so great. Whatever you do, don't go nuts and shoot each other.

Minimum Wage in Illinois

I saw this over on Thinkprogress:

FACT CHECK: Raising The Minimum Wage Will Spur Job Growth In Illinois

Imagine that - paying working people is good for the economy... Who would have guessed.

Bush Bikes as Iraq Falls into Hell

I hope he doesn't hurt himself...

Bush transforms into avid mountain biker

Bombs kill 22 after deadly day in Iraq

So, Since the Dems Won, There Must Not Be Election Fraud - Right??

I saw a good analysis of the exit polls compared to the vote count for the 2006 election. Apparently the the exit polls showed a much bigger lead then the actual vote totals.

Landslide Denied: Exit Polls vs. Vote Count 2006

Laughs With Letterman

"Donald Rumsfeld has resigned and the new Secretary of Defense is a guy named Robert Gates. He's a close friend of the Bush family...yeah, that always works out pretty well. Rumsfeld took it pretty well. He said he's eager now to move on to try and legalize torture in the private sector."

---David Letterman

Fox News Spinning Dem Wins

Don't think for a minute that just because the Dems now have a chance to get started fixing the nearly hopeless mess we are in, that the well funded wing nuts on the right will roll over and go away. The people over at Fox are busy trying to paint the 06 elections as a win for the "terrorists". From the Huffington Post:

FOX NEWS INTERNAL MEMO: "Be On The Lookout For Any Statements From The Iraqi Insurgents...Thrilled At The Prospect Of A Dem Controlled Congress"...

Now We Can Laugh!

Rummy is booted - Bolten looks unlikely. Now we get all the laughs :-)

Now Bush Wants to be Bipartisan?

One week ago - Bush was telling us a vote for a Dem was a vote for the terrorists. Now he wants to be bipartisan? Well, we have six years of your messes to clean up - and a budget to balance. So for now, I say - screw you. Let the subpoenas begin.

Dems Win Big!

Sen House Gov
Dems: 51 234 28
Reps: 49 201 22
D+/-: +6 +29 +6

Well, let the celebration begin! Finally we can start to unscrew everything that the far right zealots have done to our country. Congrats to all the local candidates that won! In reflecting what our responsibility is now, I would offer you these thoughts I saw over on democratic underground:


by The Witch:

Dear dismayed conservatives:

I hereby make these promises to you.

We will protect your lives and livelihoods.

We will listen to and respect your beliefs.

We will never try to force you to change your religion, sexual orientation, or first language.

We will do our best to reduce the number of abortions in our country.

We will have no tolerance for corruption and cronyism, even in our own party.

ESPECIALLY in our own party.

We will never tell you that you are unpatriotic.

We will never tell you that your opinion doesn't count.

We will never waste your lives for power.

We will hold our leaders to a high ethical standard and when they succumb to lust for power, WE WILL HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE.

If we forget this, please, please, please, remind us.

We need you to do this. You are America as much as we are.
Let's go.

Election Returns for the County

Nationally - things are looking good for the Dems. You can check out the local results at:

The County Election Results Web site

It looks like Kos is already calling it for Blagojevich.

Big Business Buying Judges

It is almost time to get out and vote and it could not be more important to know what the republicans are doing with the judicial races. They are helping corporate America buy them. The McGlynn-Stewart race is a perfect example.



As of today - the Belleville News "Republican" is reporting that McGlynn has received $2.2 million from big business interest, compared to Stewart's $984,000.

Sick of Listening to Your Rebuplican Friends Talking Points?

Bill Maher suggests a few responses:

Belleville News "Democrat" Republican Endorsements Stun Residents

Not!! It was very predictable that they would endorse a bunch of republican thugs. They even endorsed John "Do nothing but rubber stamp for Bush and cover up for the gay pedophiles" Shimkus. I find it amazing that a local paper can act like such a shill for these guys... Why don't they just change the name of the paper to Pravda?

Only One Week Until Elections

There is only one week until the mid-term elections. The dems are not doing too bad - but it is still kind of hard to understand how there still could be so many republicans doing well enough to win this year. Let's review - we are mired down in two wars, one of which it is not real clear why we are even there (that would be Iraq for you right wingers). We have expanded government to the point where it is bigger then ever. Our deficits have never been bigger. We are exporting all our jobs. We are letting all of our domestic businesses hire illegal aliens for almost nothing. Our health care is a joke. Oil companies are rolling in money from record gas prices that are breaking the back of the middle class. All of this under a republican house, senate and president. And how do we feel about it??





We still want to send some back... What will it take??

"Stay the Course" - Yea, Right

McCoy Spewing Crap Again

I am just disgusted at the kind of things the Belleville News "Republican" allows McCoy to put it the paper. Obviously anything that comes out of McCoy is a lie. The real truth about Bin Laden is something more like this:

The St. Louis Post Dispatch Endorses Stover!

This is great news for Southern Illinois! Hopefully, the people in our neighboring countys take note!

Post Endorses Stover

From the article:

"Still, Mr. Stover is a credible alternative for voters looking for an independent, progressive voice in Congress. He asks voters if they've "had enough" of Republican control, of a misguided war, of threats to abortion rights, of unfair trade policies, of big pay raises for Congress and tax cuts for the wealthy and no increase in the minimum wage. Regardless of what Mr. Shimkus told Mr. Foley, Dan Stover is the better choice."

Illinois Voter Database Hacked

Check this out on ABC:


Chicago Voter Database Hacked

It is also interesting to note that Diebold voting machines can be hacked too - as I have blogged about before.

The voting machine I used when I voted early was a Diebold Accuvote TSX - but it did have a paper trail. Unfortunately, I have no idea who I voted for, since I was not able to look at my paper trail. Read more about it here:

Black Box Voting

Stem Cell Research

I found this add for Claire McCaskill on YouTube:

Keep in mind, it is not just Talent that is against the kind of research. It is all of the science hating Republicans, including Dennis Bielke. While Democrats like Al Gore are trying to encourage using science to try and solve big problems like global warming, the Republicans would prefer to just ignore the facts and throw "Global Warming Beach Parties".

More Republicans Involved in Child Sex Scandal

Oh great - our family values Congress involved in even more gay child sex:

"Rep. Jerry Weller, R-Morris, through his election attorney, moved Thursday to inform the House that a former male page or intern may have been the subject of inappropriate attention from another lawmaker"

Shimkus is doing a great job overseeing this board eh??

Olbermann on Fire Over Bush Torture Bill

Earlier this week Bush signed a bill that makes torture perfectly legal and even makes it impossible for him to be held accountable for anything that has already occurred on his watch. It also gets rid of Habeas Corpus for US citizens.

Check out this video clip for Olbermann's commentary

Of course, you would never know this from reading our crappy local paper. Here is what they printed about this back on page A6:



That is it - the whole thing. No continued on another page. Just cut off in mid-sentence. "Uhhhh - the mean old terrorist loving Democrats said something about this - but no room to print that". Can a paper be that bad? Or do they do this intentionally?? No need to look past A4 where they blame Bill Clinton for N. Korea getting nukes to get the answer that.... Incidentally Glenn - it was Rumsfeld's company that sold them the reactor.

Got a Bielke Sign in Your Neighborhood?

The answer is probably yes. You can not swing a dead cat with out hitting one in St. Clair County. After reading the article about Bielke and Wyvetter Younge in the Belleville paper, I started wondering where he got the $65,000 (almost 4 time what Younge has) to run for the Illinois State General Assembly. Why would he even want to pay that much for a job that earns only $66,000 a year? The answer can be found over at FollowTheMoney.org. The list of his contributors reads like a who's who of the rich developers, builders, car dealers, oil and gas companies and even the President of the Belleville Shoe Factory (He was the one that landed all the CENTCOM contracts for boots - hooray for war, I am going to buy me a legislator!).



Bielke pictured with John "Who needs Habeas Corpus, go ahead and torture them" McCain

In addition to being in the pockets of big business, he also supports everything that has got this country so screwed up. His campaign funding is a microcosm of what is going on at the national level - war profits and taxpayer waste being funneled into the pockets of the GOP. So, if you are able to navigate your way through his wealthy, elite funded signs and get to the polls, remember what his party has done to our country.

Olbermann on That Quaint Constitution

Just What Kind of People Bankroll Shimkus?

I have wondered where Shimkus gets so much money for his campaign. He has over 10 times what Danny Stover has. Craig Schelske is a conservative activist that runs a PAC called CraigPAC. Mr. Schelske is a a real "family values guy" that is going through a divorce with his wife, Sara Evans from "Dancing with the Stars". Apparently she took exception to him having pictures of himself having sex with other women and watching porn in front of their 2-7 year old children. Apparently he also was putting ads on the Internet asking for threesomes and anal sex. So who does his family values PAC donate money to?? People that cover up for Republican gay pedophiles of course:

Belleville News Dem Drops Bombshell on Eckert!

I saw this in our illustrious paper today:

"Mayor Mark Eckert often stresses the importance of buying in Belleville so that the sales tax revenue stays in the city, yet state records show his political action committee spent $395 on party decorations at a Fairview Heights store."

They can smell a scandal when they see one! And where else would they find one?? It is not like a Congressman from a neighboring County is covering up for gay pedophiles....

UPDATE: This story was so important to the Belleville News "Democrat", that they had to run it twice in the same paper. It is on the front page above the fold, and on page B3 - both are the exact same story, only in one Mayor Eckert is putting together a warchest and in the other it is a "campaign fund". Now that is journalism....

In other news, the BND covered the campaign between Rep. Wyvetter Younge and Dennis Bielke. Apparently he has spent $55,000 to try and buy this seat. Rep. Younge has spent about $7,500. I wonder where he gets all his money, and I wonder whose interest he will serve?? By the way, if you have been driving around much, you will see that apparently Dennis Bielke has spent $55,000 on signs. Now that is the kind of person I want in Springfield....

Shimkus says GOP mishandled page scandal

"I think there's stuff that everybody would have done differently"

Ya don't say... A little different?? A gay pedophile was trying to molest a page that Shimkus was in charge of - and in hindsight, he would have done things "a little different"?? The article goes on to say "The Illinois Republican kept the two other House Page Board members, including the panel's sole Democrat, in the dark when he confronted Foley last fall." But of course - there was no cover up.... This is the way they are supposed to do things in Congress.... Right??

Shimkus to Testify Tomorrow

I just heard on Air America's Rachael Maddow Show the John Shimkus will have to testify at the House Ethics Committee inquiry into the Foley gay pedophile sex scandal tomorrow. I hope that it does not cut into his campaign schedule (haha). I believe the Republicans are holding closed hearings (to protect their own of course) so who knows what will come of it.

Shimkus/Stover Poll

I just saw this poll over on Dkos

IL-19

Shimkus (R) 53
Stover (D) 36

If this is accurate - this is unbelievable... I guess having lived in Southern Illinois all my life and knowing the level of cluelessness - it is not so surprising. It probably does not help that Shimkus has about 10 times as much cash on hand. It is mind numbing that you could have someone ahead in a poll that chose to protect a pedophile in the interest of partisan politics.

Bush Craps on Religous Right to Help Shimkus

If you know anyone in Madison County or the rest of district 19 - you need to share this with them, especially if they vote for Republicans because of their faith. Keith Olbermann does a preview on a new book that uncovers what the Bush administration really thinks about the Christians...

Tempting Faith

The books written by a very senior former administration official talks about how they met with religious leaders in district 19 specifically to get Shimkus re-elected, even though they don't give a crap about their religious agenda. While this is no surprise for most if us, it will hopefully open the eyes of the evangelicals that blindly support Republicans.

Belleville Dems Meeting

The next meeting will be held at Tim & Joe's in Belleville at 7:00 PM on Wednesday - October 18th. More information is available at:

The Belleville Democrats

The Cost of War

I often wondered how long it would be before Bush was responsible for more Iraqi deaths then Saddam. Now it looks like we know:


Study: War blamed for 655,000 Iraqi deaths

This is about 2.3 percent of their population. Relative to our population, this would be the equivalent of 7.5 million Americans. While seeing the cost in dollars ($333 billion and counting) is bad enough, seeing the cost in lives is mind numbing.

All Good Political Scandals Should Involve Hookers

And this would not be an election year without one:

New D.C. Sex Scandal Looming?

I suppose a gay pedophile sex scandal is just not enough for the GOP.

"Investigators are reportedly examining charges that a defense contractor provided hookers to [Randy "Duke"] Cunningham as part of an influence-peddling scheme."

GOP Loses Ground Over Iraq Developments, Hill Scandal

While this is good news, it is not over until all the electronic votes have been manipulated:


Democrats' Midterm Momentum Mounts, Poll Finds

The more that Americans see the GOP for what they are, the more they will see that they are not serving the interest of the people.

U.S. Casualties in Iraq Rise Sharply

It is hard to believe that we are in the middle of such a disastrous war that is bankrupting our nation, destroying our military and killing our soldiers and it barely makes any news. Today the Belleville News "Republican" managed to find some space on page 5 to talk about how bad things are in Iraq. The Washington Post found some space on page 1:


U.S. Casualties in Iraq Rise Sharply

You would think that this alone would be enough to convince Americans to throw these jerks out of office, but if it takes a gay pedophile sex scandal too, so be it.

Shimkus says Foley was a 'slimeball'

And now from the Belleville News Republican:

Shimkus says Foley was a 'slimeball'

And Shimkus really set things straight with the predatory pedophile:

"I said, 'That's fine. Stay away from this page, and stay away from the pages.' And that really ended the debate."

How could Foley have kept up the cybersex?? Shimkus told him not to! And this is rich:

An editorial in the conservative National Review on Wednesday stated House Speaker Dennis Hastert should not be the one resigning over the handling of the Foley allegations -- it should be Shimkus.

Even the far right neo-nazis want Shimkus to hang out to dry. For once I agree with them.

New York Times Slams Shimkus

From the New York Times:

There are more unanswered questions. When John Shimkus, the Illinois Republican who is chairman of the House Page Board, learned of the Foley problem, he informed the House clerk, but not the Democrat on the committee, or anyone in the Democratic leadership. It is unclear why he withheld the information. The pages’ well-being should have been his primary concern, not partisan politics.

Shimkus denies early knowledge of problem messages

Shimkus gets on local radio and lies his ass of to try and squirm out of the cover up:

Shimkus denies early knowledge of problem messages

Shimkus: screw the kids, and it's the Dems' fault

Looks like Shimkus is really taking the high road on this one... Not!!


Shimkus: screw the kids, and it's the Dems' fault

The word "scum bag" comes to mind....

In other news - - Fox "news" is trying to make this look the Foley pedophile thing is linked to the Democrats.

More on the GOP Pedophiles and the People that Protect Them

There is a ton of information flying around on what Shimkus's involvment in the cover up of the Foley scandal.

From Media Matters:

"Instead, they left it to the panel chairman, Rep. John M. Shimkus (R-Ill.), to confront Foley."

From over at AmericaBlog:

GOP Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) let Foley spend "a lot of time" with pages

Shimkus's Faith Based Oversight

It is just too easy to get mileage out of this one. I saw this over on Jesus' General Blog:


Shimkus's Faith Based Oversight

If this does not get the bum voted out in November, all hope is lost for Southern Illinois.

Saudis build 550-mile fence to shut out Iraq

Things are going so well in Iraq, the Saudis decided to build a gigantic fence on thier border with Iraq. My guess is they just don't want their people to immigrate to Iraq to enjoy the freedom that is on the march there.

Saudis build 550-mile fence to shut out Iraq

I would say that if Congress was doing a little more oversight of this mess and a little less IM'ing the 16 year old pages for sex, they might be aware of how bad the situation is over there.

More on the GOP child sex scandal

More on the GOP child sex scandal:

Rep. Foley Quits In Page Scandal

Hopefully this will spell the end for Shimkus and Hastert.

Shimkus Involved in Gay Child Sex Cover Up

I saw this over on AmericaBlog:

Shimkus Involved in Gay Child Sex Cover Up

I hope the good people in Madison and Clinton County do not re-elect this creep!! This whole sex scandal started back in 2005 - yet Shimkus kept his mouth shut about it...

Danny Stover Info

A note from David Kiley. Keep in mind, this is for Clinton County too:

Here is a link to a flyer for Danny Stover (Il-19 Congressional candidate).

http://www.stoverforcongress.us/public/FundraisingInvite3a.pdf

If you live in or near Collinsville, Springfield or Mt. Vernon,
pleast print, post and distribute copies where ever you can.

If you don't live near any of these towns, print the donation page and send a contribution.

Danny needs all of our help in these few final weeks to stop Bush by defeating Shimkus.

Thanks,
David Kiley

McCoy Is a Lying Sack of Crap

"I'm coming to this briefing to underscore how important I think this subject is. I believe that the Bush Administration will spend more time on terrorism generally, and on al-Qaeda specifically, than any other subject."
— Clinton National Security Adviser SANDY BERGER, to Condi Rice, January 2001

And then there is this:

Clarke's memo, described below, "urgently" requested a high-level National Security Council review on al-Qaeda and included two attachments: a declassified December 2000 "Strategy for Eliminating the Threat from the Jihadist Networks of al-Qida [sic]: Status and Prospects" and the September 1998 "Pol-Mil Plan for al-Qida," the so-called Delenda Plan, which remains classified.

They never had a meeting - Bush could not bother. I am sure he had vacations to attend to. That is fine Glenn, just make stuff - no one at the News Democrat cares....

The News Democrat has hit a new low!! (and that was a low bar)

The op-ed section of the News Democrat has hit a new low. It has become a mouth piece for knuckle dragging cretins. Today the first bit of wisdom came from someone from Lenzburg. That person stated:

"I have watched this great President battle Democrats and terrorists to keep this country safe."

I guess he has to "battle Democrats and terrorists" because they are pretty much the same thing. Apparently in Lenzburg they have not read the rehashed (from 2004) intel report which states that what Bush is doing is actually making things worse. I guess people in Lenzburg know more then the CIA.

Iraq is 'cause celebre' for extremists

And then, of course, there is a political wizard declaring they are disgusted with "Dick Turbin" because he is so desperate for power, he is willing to throw in with the terrorists, as if this would be some brilliant political strategy on his part.

The question I have is "How does crap like this end up in my paper?" Does the Jeff Couch, who is the executive editor, really think that this is the type of political discourse we should be promoting in our community?? I know they get lots of well written, thoughtful letters offering alternative opinions. I know because I write them and he deletes them. I would guess there are some he gets from Republicans that are well written, perhaps promoting fiscal responsibility. But he chooses these for our paper. The media control by the right wing has got to end, because this kind of garbage will do nothing other then promote ignorance.

Bush dismisses bloodshed in Iraq as ‘just a comma’

I saw this over on Crooks and liars:

Iraq bloodshed as ‘just a comma’

I would think this is quite an insult to those that lost children or family in Iraq. They are just a comma. I would hope if I have a loved one blown to pieces to go find non-existent weapons of mass destruction they would be a more important semaphore - like maybe a period or an exclamation point.

Deal on detainee treatment quells GOP revolt

I saw this over on CNN:

GOP Reaches Deal On Torture

I find it disgusting that the level of political discourse has lowered to the point where we are trying to figure out what kind of torture is ok. Is this really what is most important for us? Not the deficit? Not health care?? Not jobs?? We need to vote these bums out.

Bush Compound At Kennebunkport Could Be Submerged By Global Warming

How ironic:

Bush Family Compound At Kennebunkport Could Be Submerged By Global Warming

I suppose the Bush twins will have enough cash to buy something that is on a little higher ground - once they get that "death tax" repealed.

Tea-Bag Mail Protest Worries Post Office

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Illinois' lieutenant governor is urging people to mail tea bags to two electric utilities to protest rate increases - an idea that leaves the post office cold.

The Postal Service on Wednesday encouraged people to make their point instead with empty tea bags, saying lumpy bags could harm its equipment and create security scares by leaking brown residue.

Quote of the Day

"I'm sick of Karl Rove's bullshit."
-- Bill Clinton

Topinka focuses on women's health

I just about choked on my coffee when I saw this in the local paper:

Topinka focuses on women's health

It seems to me the Republicans are the ones that want pharmacy's to have a choice on which medication they can dispense to women - because they care so much... What a bunch of hypocrites.

From the Sun Times:

"Conservatives have opposed easier access to the morning-after pill for numerous reasons. Some equate it to early abortion, although research indicates the medication works mainly by delaying ovulation and won't do anything if a woman is already pregnant."

Every Now and then - Bush Speaks the Truth

"You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror."

Interview with Katie Couric (CBS News), White House, Sep. 6, 2006

9/11 - It was all Clinton's Fault

I had a discussion with Gene Robke this morning (he is a frequent contributor to the Belleville News Democrat). He pointed out that although the right wing Clinton bashers are all on the bandwagon now trying to blame Clinton for 9/11. History tells a different story. When Clinton was trying to pass anti-terror legislation, the GOP was trying to stonewall it.

Republicans Sabotaged Clinton's Anti-Terror Efforts

In August 1998, when [Clinton] ordered missile strikes in an effort to kill Osama bin Laden, there was widespread speculation - from such people as Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) - that he was acting precipitously to draw attention away from the Monica S. Lewinsky scandal, then at full boil. Some said he was mistaken for personalizing the terrorism struggle so much around bin Laden. And when he ordered the closing of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House after domestic terrorism in Oklahoma City, some Republicans accused him of hysteria.

Diebold Voting Machines

This should be a concern in St. Clair County because of the "Help America Vote Act". The County uses Diebold machines now, but only to supplement the other machines. I believe the ones the County was forced to install by the HAVA are not the AccuVote-TS voting machine - but I will look into it more. The analysis that is done in this video is extremely credible. Ed Felten worked on this research. He is faculty at Princeton University and has been a very well respected computer security expert for years. He has written several books on computer security. I would recommend everyone absolutely refuse to vote using anything made by Diebold.

Update: The machines we are using are the AccuVote-OS - made by none other then Diebold.... Arrrgggggghhh!!!!

More Disgusting Cartoons From the BND

The intent of this blog was not to rail on the Belleville News Democrat or Glenn McCoy. It seems the closer it gets to the election, the more they both want to slime Democrats by declaring them bed fellows with the terrorists. Once again McCoy has not let us down. Now we are actually dating Bin Laden.

Dating Bin Laden

Not only that - but when that dirty Bill Clinton was in office - he was too busy with Monica to bother with Bin Laden. Well - it seems to me when Clinton was lobbing cruise missiles into Afghanistan, the right wing echo chamber was screaming "wag the dog - no war for Monica". Meanwhile, when Bush was briefed on August 6th, 2001, that "Osama Bin Laden Determined to Strike With In The US", he could not even bother to cut his vacation short. Then again, he could not do that for Katrina either so no big surprise.

So Glenn - screw you. Democrats are not terrorists, we are the ones trying to take them out.

Incidentally, on the morning of September 11th, 2001, what was Bush Sr. doing??

On The 9/11 Disaster

In case you missed Keith Olbermann's commentary last night

Not much more to add after that.

McCoy's Sickening Cartoon

After reading today's Belleville News Democrat, it is clear where Glenn and, by virtue of the fact that they pay him (although I am sure it can't be that much), the Belleville News Democrats stands when it comes to their opinion of what Democrats in this country represent. McCoy and the BND did a cartoon that depicted a depressed donkey - representing a Democrat, sad that he could not raise money for the "terrorist legal defense fund" while sitting in front of the demolished World Trade Center. The right wing windbags in this country have finally resorted to claiming that the Democrats and the terrorist are actually one in the same. There could be nothing more offensive, and nothing further from the truth. McCoy and the rest of the right wing hacks that he parrots are reaching the bottom of the barrel in their attempt to demonize the Democrats. I refuse to lower my level of political discourse to such a sewer. And I refuse to repost his disgusting cartoon. Just try and recognize what the political right is doing here - they are trying to make Democrats and terrorists one and the same - so maybe they can just outlaw all political dissent, or maybe even the party itself - after all, they are terrorist lovers right?? Well, Democrats are not terrorists lovers. Most thinking, reasoning people realize this (apparently McCoy does not fall in that category). Democrats are your sons, your daughters, your neighbors, your co-workers. They support the military, they support the troops, they pay taxes, build buildings, go to church and teach your children. They are not terrorists and they don't support any kind of terrorism. The fact that this kind of accusation is even thrown around, and on the 5 year anniversary of September 11 no less, is a clear indication that the political right in this country has no limits on the depth to which they will sink to try to stay in office.

You can go see McCoy's sickening cartoon here - try not to vomit on your computer.

There is a much better tribute to 9/11 here

The Best War Ever

Bill names courthouse for Limbaugh Sr.

Legislation has been introduced into the U.S. Senate proposing to name Cape Girardeau's new federal courthouse after the late Rush H. Limbaugh Sr.

"It is only fitting that the new federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau be named after this great hero of American jurisprudence," U.S. Sen. Kit Bond said in a joint news release with U.S. Sen. Jim Talent. The two senators introduced the legislation Thursday.

Sen. Talent shows his colors

The citizens of Cape Girardeau must be proud....

Glenn McCoy's Insightful Cartoons

It is always great to get up on a Sunday morning and read Glenn McCoy's insightful cartoons. Today he was thoughtful enough to point out that the "liberal main stream media" really ought apologize to poor old Karl Rove for implicating him in the CIA leak case. Never mind the fact that he is so wrapped up in the scandal he had testify to a grand jury no less then 5 times. Never mind that fact that he was intimately involved in the campaign to smear Joe Wilson by outing his CIA wife (who was trying to get intel on Iraq and WMD). Never mind the fact that Karl Rove has made a career out of sliming Democrats and that entire books have been published describing his political dirty tricks. But because he somehow managed to escape indictment (so far anyway) - they should apologize. Thanks for highlighting this huge injustice Glenn, you are truly a treasure for our county and the Belleville News Democrat. (Dear god - someone take away Glenn's crayon!!)

In a Pivotal Year, GOP Plans to Get Personal

Republicans are planning to spend the vast majority of their sizable financial war chest over the final 60 days of the campaign attacking Democratic House and Senate candidates over personal issues and local controversies, GOP officials said.

GOP Plans to Get Personal


Oh goody - they are all about substance. After all, with 2 wars in progress and the biggest deficit in the history of the nation, this is what we need to focus on...

Illinois Guard faces equipment problems

Five years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that struck the East Coast, the Illinois National Guard does not have all the equipment it deems necessary to rapidly respond to a disaster at home. Far from it. Called to duty by President Bush to help fight the global war against terrorism, Illinois guardsmen have left more than $40 million of equipment in war-torn Iraq.

Illinois Guard faces equipment problems

Gov. Ryan Sentenced

Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan, promoted as a Nobel Peace Prize candidate for his vigorous opposition to capital punishment, was sentenced to 6-1/2 years in prison on Wednesday for corrupt dealings while in office.

Aren't the Republicans just grand

Good News - Poll shows Blagojevich leading his challengers

We are still a couple months out - but this is a good sign.

Blagojevich leading

Former Gov. Ryan Out Polls Bush, Even While Awaiting Sentence

I saw this over on the St. Louis Post web site. Amazing...

Ryan out polls Bush

New Blog

This is a new blog that is being set up to support Illinois Democrats in St Clair County. St Clair County is in southern Illinois and includes the cities of East St. Louis, Belleville and O'Fallon as well as the Scott Air Force Base, which is home to Air Mobility Command Headquarters and U.S. Transportation Command Headquarters. The intent is to support the Democratic Party's efforts to continue their excellence in leadership in the community by helping them get re-elected in the upcoming elections.

You can read more about St. Clair County at:

St. Clair County