Trent Lott: "...being obstructionist...it's working for us."

If you can't vote on measures like gay marriage or interfere in the personal medical decisions facing families across this country then what's the point of voting at all? It's already bad enough that congress has to work more than 3 days a week now that the Dems are in charge. This sucks. I don't wanna play anymore.



Here's a check list of their inaction in action.

* Senate Republicans have obstructed almost every bill in the Senate – even ones with wide bipartisan support.

* So far, in the first half of the first session of the 110th Congress, there have been THIRTEEN cloture votes on motions to proceed – each one wasting days of Senate time.

* In comparison, in the first sessions of the 108th and 109th Congresses combined, there were a total of FOUR cloture votes on motions to proceed.

EIGHT times Republican obstruction tactics slowed critical legislation

* Fulfilling the 9/11 Commission Recommendations (Passed 97-0, Roll Call Vote #53)
* Improving security at our courts (Passed 93-3, Roll Call Vote #133)
* Water Resources Development Act (Passed 89-7, Roll Call Vote #162)
* A joint resolution to revise U.S. policy in Iraq (Passed 89-9, Roll Call Vote, #74)
* Comprehensive Immigration Reform (Passed 69-23, Roll Call Vote #173)
* Comprehensive Immigration Reform (Passed 64-35, Roll Call Vote #228)
* CLEAN Energy Act (Passed 91-0, Roll Call Vote #208)
* Funding for the Intelligence Community (Passed 94-3, Roll Call Vote #129)

FOUR times Republicans blocked legislation from being debated

* Senate Republicans blocked raising the minimum wage. (54-43, Roll Call Vote #23)
* Senate Republicans blocked ethics reforms (Rejected 51-46, Roll Call Vote #16)
* Senate Republicans blocked comprehensive immigration reform (Rejected 45-50, Roll Call Vote #206)
* Senate Republicans blocked funding for renewable energy (Rejected 57-36, Roll Call Vote #223)

FOUR times Republicans stopped bills from reaching a vote

* Senate Republicans blocked funding for the intelligence community. (Rejected 41-40, Roll Call Vote #130)
* Senate Republicans blocked raising the minimum wage. (54-43, Roll Call Vote #23)
* Senate Republicans blocked ethics reforms (Rejected 51-46, Roll Call Vote #16)
* Senate Republicans blocked funding for renewable energy (Rejected 57-36, Roll Call Vote #223)

TWICE Republicans blocked bills from going to conference

* Senate Republicans blocked appointing conferees on the 9/11 Commission Recommendations (6/26/07)
* Senate Republicans blocked appointing conferees on ethics reform (6/26/07)

Read more about their excellent work here.

Al Qaida regroups on Pakistan border

This is depressing...

US:Al Qaida regroups in new sanctuary on Pakistan border

By Jonathan S. Landay

Posted on Wed, June 27, 2007

WASHINGTON - While the U.S. presses its war against insurgents linked to al Qaida in Iraq, Osama bin Laden's group is recruiting, regrouping and rebuilding in a new sanctuary along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, senior U.S. military, intelligence and law enforcement officials said.

The threat from the radical Islamic enclave in Waziristan is more dangerous than that from Iraq, which President Bush and his aides call the “central front” of the war on terrorism, said some current and former U.S. officials and experts. Bin Laden himself is believed to be hiding in the region, guiding a new generation of lieutenants and inspiring allied extremist groups in Iraq and other parts of the world.

Al Qaida, its allies in Afghanistan’s Taliban movement and Pakistani radicals “have free rein there now,” said Marvin Weinbaum, a former State Department intelligence analyst who's with the Middle East Institute, a Washington policy organization.

read more

from the always excellent McClatchy Washington Bureau

The Culla Belly - It's award winning

My wife and I are about to have a kick ass baby boy so I'm always on the lookout for the hot new baby gear that I can't afford. I saw this on Daddy Types it's a co-sleeper/bassinet thingy designed by Manuela Busetti | Andrea Garuti. Pretty sweet right? It won 1st place at the Premio Lessone - Playing Design International Design throw down.

I believe it's only a concept right now so I can only assume that I can't afford this one.

Even Brit Hume gets it...

...and that's a pretty rare phenomenon. Only Weekly Standard comedian Billy Kristol had the balls to defend Cheney's decision to exempt himself from an executive order to safegaurd classified national security information. Kristoll was the only Fox pundit who would play in the fantasy sandbox of the vice president's. Think Progress has the video.

Kristol said the exemptions for the president and vice president were “reasonable enough.” He called it “a pain in the neck” to have “some bureaucrat” from the National Archives “come and inspect your safe to see whether you’re locking it up properly each night.”

NPR’s Juan Williams snapped back, noting that there is no text in the executive order that actually exempts Bush or Cheney. “This is all a dodge, this is a game,” Williams said, in order to “keep Dick Cheney in some kind of secured undisclosed bunker of his mind so he can’t let the American people know what’s going on with their government.” Williams charged, “He won’t tell people who’s visiting his house, who’s visiting his office. Scooter Libby is letting people know who works for the CIA as an agent. This is ridiculous.”

Homemade Cleaning Supplies

You know that fresh scent that dances ever so gingerly the air after you clean your house. Mmm mmm fresh. Well it turns out that those are harsh chemicals that can lead to allergies, asthma and worse. And all this time I thought it was pine.

Here's some tips on how to make your own non-toxic cleaning supplies at home.

All-purpose household cleaner
Dissolve 2 tablespoons of baking soda in 1 pint of warm water. Use in a spray bottle as an all-purpose cleaner. Use pure vinegar to clean and shine bathroom fixtures and stainless steel.

Window cleaner
Mix equal parts of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle.

Bathroom cleaner
For cleaning your tub or tile, apply vinegar to a sponge and wipe the surface. Then sprinkle baking powder on the surface and rub with a damp sponge, followed by rinsing.

Air freshener
Mix 1 pint of water with 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vanilla extract in a spray bottle. Spray into the air around your home to freshen. For a stovetop air freshener, place 1 tablespoon of whole cloves, 2 cinnamon sticks and 1 teaspoon nutmeg in a pot of water. Simmer uncovered for an hour or two.

Surface disinfectant
Mix ¼ cup vinegar and 2 tablespoons baking soda with 1 quart water.

These tips are from Hilary Basile, a writer for MyGuidesUSA.com.

Hilary Basile is a writer for MyGuidesUSA.com. At MyGuidesUSA.com, you will find valuable tips and resources for handling life’s major events. Whether you’re planning a wedding, buying your first home, anxiously awaiting the birth of a child, contending with a divorce, searching for a new job, or planning for your retirement, you’ll find answers to your questions at MyGuidesUSA.com.

Source

Friends in high places or friends in places getting high

State chairman for Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign, Thomas Ravenel, was indicted Tuesday on federal cocaine charges.

I'm shocked to find out that there is illicit drug use going on here. It makes me miss the days when his associates were only involved with mob ties and bribes. Oh the shame of it all.

It's not an iPhone. It's a big ass table.

The Sarcastic Gamer put together a great parody of the Microsoft Surface trailer. Funny stuff.

A Crucial Meeting for Darfur

Ask Secretary Rice to Seize the Day (on Monday)

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's meeting with top officials from France, China and other key nations next Monday offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to help end the Darfur genocide.

Each country attending has great influence over Sudan. By working together, their influence could be enough to reach a crucial turning point in world diplomacy on Darfur.

Add your name to a petition urging Secretary Rice to use this opportunity to convince China and France to join forces with the U.S. on Darfur.

I have lots of clouds here which I found hiding in a bag of cotton balls

One of my favorite directors takes us on a tour of his crib Gondry style courtesy of SuperDeluxe. His fridge is cold because he made it when a woman broke his heart. And he has the obligatory Scarface dvd.



These Michel Gondry dvds are worth having in your collection.

• The Work of Director Michel Gondry
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
• The Science of Sleep
  

A Tragic Legacy

Glenn Greenwald, former constitutional law and civil rights litigator, Salon.com contributor and author of "How Would a Patriot Act?", has a new book coming out next week. "A Tragic Legacy" examines the good vs. evil mentality that dictates White House policy. You can pre-order the book from Amazon here.



This is from Glenn's blog:

The central purpose of the book is to examine what has happened to the United States for the last six years under the Bush presidency. That is the "Bush legacy" -- our national character and national identity have been fundamentally degraded, our moral standing and credibility in the world eroded to previously unthinkable depths, our government engaged in the very behavior which, for decades, we have collectively deplored, our trust in America's governmental and journalistic institutions reduced virtually to zero, and our country placed on a plainly unsustainable course as a result of the militarized, imperial role we are choosing to play in the world.

At the heart of this process lies a binary moralistic view of the world, one which seeks to define every conflict and political challenge, both foreign and domestic, as a battle of Good versus Evil. The crux of this mindset is the continuous identification of an Enemy, one which embodies Evil and which must be stopped, typically destroyed, at all costs. No competing considerations, no rational arguments, no counter-balancing objectives, not even constraints of reality or resources, can compete with the moral imperative of this mission. The mission of destroying Evil trumps all.

Epoq Video Player Watch

Have ADD? This won't help. Watch MP4 videos, look at photos and listen to MP3s all on your watch 007 style. Or in the case of this photo, Optimus Prime style.

It ships July 07 but you can pre-order it here.

The Alien Abduction Lamp

A light bulb inside the metal UFO lights up the beam and the windows. The glass of the beam is frosted to distribute light in all directions

It's still only a concept but I'm into it.

RX2008 for Prez

That must've taken forever. Nice work.

Clean up your act

Yanko Design has a couple of great redesigns of the vacuum cleaner. My favs are the Rideable Vac and the Bean Vac.

StopIranWar.com

General Wesley Clark and VoteVets.org have joined together to try and help stop the seemingly unstoppable war with Iran.

As the Pentagon changes our military leaders from Generals to Admirals (Iraq is nearly landlocked so why would we want a Naval officer in charge? Because Iran is not!) it looks like the warnings of people like former weapons inspector Scott Ritter are coming true...again.

General Clark is taking on the challenge as well speaking out against the continued bad decisions of peeps like Joe Lieberman, who's still sore at the troops for making him look like the asshole that he is.

Chris Matthews' chin. Fred Thompson's balls.

Matthews did it again. He got all wet-legged over an old man that may or may not smell like Aqua Velva. Chris has crazy daddy issues.



Glenn Greenwald talks about these political man-crushes in a more thoughtful and adult way then I ever could.

It's a Brodeo!

New Image Art Gallery is having a Brodeo! It's a group show with Evan Hecox, David Ellis, Bast and more. The show will be up until July 7, 2007. This is from the website...

A Group Exhibition Taking their cues from the worlds of street, skateboard culture, design and fine art Brodeo is a survey of contemporary male artists running the gamut of abstraction, design, figuration and street art as they spin the world around us into an object of perception. As some of the finest of their fields this show exhibits a wide range of sensibilities and approaches to current trends in the Contemporary art and design worlds.

McSweeney's needs you!

Put on your literary hat and make your way on over to McSweeney's. They're having a big sale to help pay for a distributor's bankruptcy that bit them in the collective ass. They've got great books, art, etc by the likes of Marcel Dzama, Michael Chabon, Dave Eggers, David Byrne and a bunch of other like-minded folks. The book covers are worth the price alone. For those of you that really want to help out check out the ebay auction for the rarities.

Stop all the downloading!

I found this on the Beastie Boys site. I have no idea what it is but it made me laugh. Hopefully it'll make you laugh too.

New Wave Redux

There's nothing like curling up on your favorite piece of bent plywood with a good book. This furniture looks amazing but it seems a bit...oh i don't know...uncomfortable? Don't take my word for it though. You should buy it and then have me over to try it out. Come on. Don't be so stuck up.

Check out Aswoon for more designs.

This Bomb is Fabulous!!

According to a CBS report the Pentagon was actually considering building a "gay-bomb" and I'm not talking about Queer Eye for the Straight Girl here...heyohh!

"The Ohio Air Force lab proposed that a bomb be developed that contained a chemical that would cause enemy soldiers to become gay, and to have their units break down because all their soldiers became irresistibly attractive to one another."

"The notion was that a chemical that would probably be pleasant in the human body in low quantities could be identified, and by virtue of either breathing or having their skin exposed to this chemical, the notion was that soldiers would become gay."

Is it possible to get my taxes back?

Blackspot Shoes: The Anti-Brand

Save your sole...

For years the old pattern went on. People were jaded by megacorporate control of so much of their lives, but couldn't see how they might take some power back. We decided to launch a counterattack. The result is the world's first global anti-brand: Blackspot Shoes. Earth- friendly, anti-sweatshop, cruelty free, and pro-grassroots, Blackspots are the only rough-and-ready shoes designed to give toxic megacorporations what they need the most: a swift kick in the brand.

Metal up your Assad!

Check out the other crushing force in Iraq. Can't stop the rock.

Vice Magazine talks to the Beautiful People

Vice Magazine interviews some members of the social networking site Beautiful People. Funny stuff.

I think you know where the front office is

Spicoli lives!

Umbrella Market is selling this righteous tee by artist Jeremy Fish.

How about a "Where'd you get this jacket?" design. Are you with me?

The Neocon Buy List or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Short America

I am a lousy investor and am known as a financial disaster to those in the know. But after seeing that Dick Cheney's Halliburton stock has risen over 3000% since he and Bush have taken office it made me think. The best thing to do for our financial portfolios is to invest in the companies that our leaders have connections to. Radar Online has a great article on the spoils of war and how the people that got us into this mess are cleaning up.

Do we really want to up the crazy ante here?

When Bush was first elected I thought some of the talk about him ruining the country was overblown and paranoid. After nearly 8 years of expanded executive powers, sidestepping the constitution, politicizing the justice dept, an unfinished mission in Afghanistan, invading Iraq based on cherry-picked intelligence, the occupation of Iraq, mismanaging and losing billions of tax dollars by way of unregulated privitization, outing an undercover CIA agent, expanded corporate welfare, cutting health care and benefits for our military, burying scientific studies about global warming, spying on American citizens and a variety of other doozies I now see that I wasn't paranoid enough. I think I am now though.

And with all of that it seems the Republican strategy for 2008 is to up the ante on crazy. (Actually, the new strategy is to distance themselves from Bush by repeatedly calling him a liberal. I shit you not. But that's for another post.)

The canidates now tout how they want to expand Guantanamo, build a wall around the country and ratchet up the torture. They even want to introduce X-treme Interrogation as a sport at the X-Games. And Giuliani just had a reporter arrested at the last debate. What what what? In Rudy's eyes the best path to liberty is through the criminal justice system.

I love that their ideal candidate is the guy from Law & Order. It turns out that Jack Bauer is a Socialist. If they hate Hollywood so much why do they always nominate actors?

So seriously is this the right direction for the country over next 4 years. I'm thinking...no. If you must vote Republican because you've bought into their marketing strategy then please consider Ron Paul. He's the only one that stands by true conservative principles and not the manufactured, focus-group tested principles of the other candidates and Fox News. Although, despite what you might hear a vote for Kucinich wouldn't kill you either.

No Drought About It. We’re Screwed.

Ok. Maybe we’re not screwed yet but with officials in Los Angeles asking for residents to cut water “by 10% amid a drought of historic proportions.” It sounds like we’re on our way though.

Here’s the bad news:

Less than three inches (eight centimeters) of rain have been recorded in downtown Los Angeles between January and May, the lowest level of rainfall since 1877.

Here’s the good news:

Water in reserve will meet customer demands this year because last year’s snow pack surpassed the average by about 145 percent, according to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the Metropolitan Water District.

Here’s more bad news:

The shortage could become even more acute as the city braces for an expected hot summer and if the drought persists through next winter, authorities will be forced to introduce water rationing.

One thing we’re being asked to do is water our lawn less. I’m starting to think (and I know I’m not alone or first on this) that we should get rid of our lawns all together. Use rocks, cactus, succulents, gravel and fake grass. I’m looking to do the fake grass thing but it is expensive in the short term. From $4 to $8 a square foot I think. But you never have to water it again. Never have to mow it again. When it gets dirty or fouled by a dog or a drunk college kid all you do is hose it down. Bob’s your artificial uncle.

here’s some links of suppliers…all with catchy names.

L.A. Grass

SYNLawn

Synthetic Turf Source

Class it up yo

How do you expect to get laid with that wack ass futon and those tired chili pepper lights strung across your bedroom ceiling? You need to get yourself right. You need to get Innovative Decorative Home Furnishings!

Big thanks to Matt for turning me on to this. I believe he bought some infinity mirrors for his bedroom.

Tesla Roadster - 100% Electric

Coming in at just under $100 grand ($50 grand per passenger) this little electric minx runs over 200 miles per charge and goes 0 to 60 in about 4 seconds. They should start showing up on the streets this Fall, most likely with George Clooney and Leonardo Dicaprio behind the wheel…lucky bastards. If you’re in California though you can catch an early glimpse while it’s on display at auto shows this month.

It looks like Tesla is going to be able to make a boat load off of their batteries (or Energy Storage Systems) to boot. Companies are already approaching them about the technology.

If they go public I’m going with them. So you shouldn’t until after I do. Then you can have at it. Thanks. Are we still good here?

Save Internet Radio!

Save Internet Radio

The future of Internet radio is in immediate danger. Royalty rates for webcasters have been drastically increased by a recent ruling and are due to go into effect on July 15 (retroactive to Jan 1, 2006!). If the increased rates remain unchanged, the majority of webcasters will go bankrupt and silent on this date. Internet radio needs your help! The Internet Radio Equality Act has recently been introduced in both the House (H.R. 2060) and Senate (S. 1353) to save the Internet radio industry. Please call your senators and your representative to ask them to co-sponsor the Internet Radio Equality Act by clicking here.