Roach Killer to Fix Housing Mess . . . .

Per McClatchy today:

Bush names former pest-control exec as housing secretary
Kevin G. Hall | McClatchy Newspapers - April 18, 2008

WASHINGTON — President Bush's nomination Friday of Steve Preston to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development came under fire for the nominee's lack of housing experience amid the worst national housing downturn in memory.

Critics and some key lawmakers said that Preston, who heads the Small Business Administration, was a lawn-care and pest-control business executive before Bush put him at the SBA in 2006.

"In seeking to fill this important Cabinet post I looked for a leader with an impressive background in finance; someone who understands the important role the housing market plays in the broader economy," the president said. "I sought a reformer who would act aggressively to help Americans obtain affordable mortgages ... and be able to keep their homes."

One key Democrat wasn't impressed. Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, which holds jurisdiction on many housing issues, said the agency needed a strong leader who could keep troubled homeowners in their homes and restore confidence in the sagging mortgage market.

"These priorities call for a leader with expertise in housing issues, yet the president's choice has no apparent housing background, which raises questions," Dodd said in a statement.

_______________


Before the SBA, Preston served as executive vice president of the ServiceMaster Company. Among its businesses are TruGreen ChemLawn, the nation's largest lawn-care company, and the pest-control company Terminix.

Preston steered clear of controversy when he appeared Friday before the cameras.

"As we help people pursue the American dream, we need to have a market to operate fairly and effectively for all Americans," he said. "And our solutions must restore confidence in our markets while not erecting barriers to future entrepreneurs, investors and home buyers."

Well, I guess a bug killer is just the person to fix the US' housing mess.

After all, an expert at dispensing chemicals would be perfect to fix a toxic situation.

Sheesshh, this crew is really scraping the bottom of the barrel to finish out their eight years of destruction . . . .

psssst . . . Do Something!

Robert Greenwald's latest stars condescending rice.

An Academy Award nomination is sure to follow.





Love this guy's work - very powerful.

Go sign the petition . . . .

Bennie Boo-Boo . . . .

Per McClatchy:

Here's another reason why popes don't get married
Lisa Zagaroli | McClatchy Newspapers - April 15, 2008 11:04:31 AM

WASHINGTON — Fallibility even lies with the pope, or his press office anyway.

The daily Vatican press release issued Tuesday noted that Pope Benedict XVI had departed from Rome en route to the United States.

“U.S. President George W. Bush and his wife Nancy will welcome the pope as he descends from his aircraft,” it said.

Oops. The president is married to a woman named Laura.

Perhaps they were thinking of the Reagans?

Way to go with the social graces, Grace . . . .

condescending Strikes Again . . . .

Per Reuters:

Top Bush aides approved interrogation tactics: report
Wed Apr 9, 2008 8:20pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush's most senior advisers approved "enhanced interrogation techniques" of top al Qaeda suspects by the Central Intelligence Agency, ABC News reported on Wednesday, citing sources it did not name.

ABC reported that the so-called "principals" discussed interrogation details in dozens of top-secret talks and meetings in the White House.

Then national security adviser Condoleezza Rice chaired the meetings, which took place in the White House Situation Room and were typically attended by a select group of senior officials or their deputies, ABC said.

"Highly placed sources said a handful of top advisers signed off on how the CIA would interrogate top al Qaeda suspects -- whether they would be slapped, pushed, deprived of sleep or subjected to simulated drowning, called waterboarding," ABC reported.

In addition to Rice, the principals at the time included Vice President Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell, CIA Director George Tenet and Attorney General John Ashcroft, the report said.

_______________


ABC cited a top official as saying that Ashcroft asked aloud after one meeting: "Why are we talking about this in the White House? History will not judge this kindly."

And condescending is lobbying to be st. mccain's VP candidate.

She's gonna need one hell of a makeover to make that one fly . . . .

Great. Just Great . . . .

From Reuters today:

Florida lawmakers pass take-your-guns-to-work law
Wed Apr 9, 2008 - By Michael Peltier

TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) - Most Florida residents would be allowed to take guns to work under a measure passed by Florida lawmakers on Wednesday.

The bill, allowing workers to keep guns in their cars for self-protection, was approved by the Florida Senate by a vote of 26-13. It now goes to Republican Gov. Charlie Crist to sign into law.

_______________


The measure exempts a number of workplaces including nuclear power plants, prisons, schools and companies whose business involves homeland security. (Emphasis mine - Ed.)

Yeah.

Let's be sure to exempt those businesses involved in homeland security.

That would just be wrong.

56 more days 'til we load the U-Haul and get the hell out of here.

But who's counting ? ? ? ?

Oh, Joy. Waiting With Bated Breath . . . .

Get out the popcorn.

Reserve your seats.

Per Reuters today, Bennie's heading our way.

Pope aims to heal sex abuse wounds on U.S. trip
Wed Apr 9, 2008 9:27am EDT

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict will seek to heal wounds from a sexual abuse scandal that shook the Catholic Church in the United States, during his first trip there as pontiff next week, the Vatican's number two said.

"The pope will talk about it -- talk about it in a specific way," Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State, told Fox News in an interview to be broadcast on Wednesday.

"The pope, along with the Church's priests, will naturally seek the path toward healing and toward reconciliation."

The sexual abuse scandal started in Boston in 2002, when Catholic leaders were discovered to have moved priests who abused minors to new parishes instead of defrocking or reporting them to police.

The scandal later spread to almost every U.S. Catholic diocese.

Last July the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to pay $660 million to 500 victims of sexual abuse dating back as far as the 1940s.

The German-born pope, who visits Washington, New York and will address the United Nations during the April 15-20 trip, will raise the sexual abuse of minors in an address at St. Patrick's Cathedral on April 17, Bertone said.

Whoopee.

Hope his fashion sense has improved . . . .

He's Got a Book ! ! ! !

Please don't do him the favour of buying it, even though he says he's not keeping the profits.





It appears the infamous douglas feith attended the same school of memory lapses as al gonzales. The cretin can't even recall passages of his own book 'til Steve Kroft calls him on it.

The fact that he is walking the halls of Georgetown University and not in prison as a war criminal is the height of injustice . . . .

Now, There's a Great Idea ! ! ! !

So this is the kind of quality advisers we could expect from a mccain administration?

Education Week
Published Online: April 3, 2008
AP interview: McCain will seek Jeb Bus's help on education
(Ed. note: This headline is re-printed exactly as the original, miss-spelling of jeb's last name inclusive. Pretty good for a site named "Education Week", eh?)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Republican Presidential candidate John McCain said Thursday he has turned to former Gov. Jeb Bush for advice on education policy and will continue to do so if he wins the November election.

McCain said he's had meetings with Bush for "a couple of years" on education policy and enthusiastically said he would seek his help if elected. The Arizona senator made the remarks after being asked how Bush will help the campaign.

"He has offered to do whatever he says he can and I appreciate it. On the education issue he is already helping out," McCain said. "He's very well respected on many issues, but education is probably one where I think he has a nationwide reputation."

Bush's first priority when taking office in 1999 was a massive overhaul of the state's school system which included using standardized testing to grade schools. Schools were then rewarded or punished based on their grades.

He also put in place the first statewide voucher program, which allowed children to go to private schools with taxpayer money instead of remaining in schools that repeatedly failed. That program, however, was later ruled unconstitutional. Bush also expanded reading and mentoring programs.

Whether schools improved under Bush is a continuing debate. Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test scores would indicate schools improved, and the gap between white students' scores and minorities' scores narrowed. The National Assessment of Educational Progress, the most widely recognized national assessment tool, also showed progress in reading and math scores, particularly among younger students.

But critics, including Democrats and teachers unions, point to other indicators, such as graduation rates and money spent per student, that show Florida schools among the worst in the country. They also said the emphasis on the FCAT means schools now teach to the test.

Thank goodness we'll soon be vacating both the US and Florida.

Now, as additional proof of what a wonderful education system jeb hath wrought in Florida, check out Dave's post over at The Galloping Beaver.

You can't make this stuff up . . . .

Immigration Policy, Dion & Confidence . . . .

As a "newbie" Canadian I am finding it more and more difficult to understand the Opposition's role in federal government.

From todays Globe and Mail:

Dion blasts Tories' immigration proposals

GLORIA GALLOWAY - April 1, 2008

OTTAWA — Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion blasted the Conservative government yesterday over proposed immigration changes that he says will tell many hopeful immigrants they simply “need not apply.”

But Prime Minister Stephen Harper taunted the Liberals for panning legislation they will ultimately have to support if they want to stave off an election. And he said his government is merely trying to deal with a massive backlog of potential immigrants who wait years to fill necessary jobs.

“It is unfair to immigrants, unfair to Canada,” Mr. Harper said. “That is why it is a confidence measure. That is why it is a part of the budget and we appreciate the support of the Liberals to that goal.”

Mr. Dion does not dispute the fact that he and his party may, once again, find themselves backing away from a fight rather than taking on Mr. Harper in an election campaign.

Instead, he said, the Liberals could allow the measures to pass and then try to undo them if they eventually regain office.

“Each time that we vote against something without triggering an election, it's a marker,” he said. “That means that when we will be the government with the help of Canadians, we'll change these bad policies by much better policies.” (Emphasis mine - Ed.)

Personally, a "marker" doesn't seem to change the status quo. Isn't it about time the Liberals actually performed like an opposition party and joined with the Bloc and NDP to bring down the Tory government? What am I missing here?

(While we're on the topic of Canadian politics: What's with the parties arbitrarily appointing someone to run for office in a riding even if they don't reside there? I can't quite grasp that practise, either. But I digress . . . . )

Statistics available on Immigration Canada's own website show that 50 per cent of all applications from skilled workers are processed within 36 months. In the Americas, 80 per cent of all applications from hopeful immigrants are processed in a little over two years.

Other government statistics show that the queues are concentrated in a small number of places. Someone who currently applies to immigrate to Canada from New Delhi will wait 12.8 years. In Manila, the wait is 11.9 years, and in Bogota the wait is 16.5 years.

But those processing times are far above average.

Someone applying to permanently enter Canada from Warsaw or Buffalo, for instance, will have to wait just 1.8 years.

As someone who recently gained Permanent Resident status I find it intriguing that Dion and Company may use this topic to lay down a "marker".

Should be quite interesting to follow this one to the end result.

Let's see if concrete actions match the political rhetoric . . . .

You Go, Girl 2. . . . .

A positive story from AlterNet today:

Congresswoman Fights for Gay and Trans Rights
By Deb Price, Creators Syndicate - March 31, 2008

Middle-schooler Tammy Baldwin faced a problem:

A lady had complained that students trampled her flowers on their way to school. So student council member Baldwin worked with other kids on an outreach team to fence the flowerbed.

Solving problems through public service is deep in the Wisconsinite's "never doubt" DNA.

This year, Baldwin marks her 10th year as the gentle lady from Madison, Wis.

In 1998, the progressive district elected her to the House of Representatives: She was both the first Wisconsin woman elected to Congress and the first person elected to Congress who ran openly gay rather than coming out in office.

With the only other openly gay member of Congress, Democrat Barney Frank, turning 68 and now thriving as a committee chairman, the 46-year-old Baldwin may be the gay community's best shot at having an openly gay senator in a decade or so.

But for now, the Democratic congresswoman finds herself for the first time in the party that controls the House.

Her overriding political passion hasn't changed -- passing universal health care. But being in the majority has opened new possibilities to improve the lot of gay Americans. In this, fortunately for those of us who're gay, Baldwin's girlhood idealism is in full bloom.

She's pushing to extend partner benefits to federal workers. With allies, she's slowly changing the State Department. By taking her partner of 11 years, Lauren Azar, to congressional events, she reminds colleagues that anti-gay policies hurt someone they care about.

But no example is more beautiful than her valiant attempt to keep transgender protections in legislation to protect gay workers from discrimination. After losing that round, Baldwin promised trans people: "You are not forgotten. And our job will not be finished until you, too, share fully in the American dream."

Baldwin acknowledges frustration, but views this session as a "rehearsal" before a gay-friendly Democrat wins the White House. Since Democrats took control after the 2006 elections, the House and Senate have passed hate crimes bills with gay and trans protections, the House passed gay job protections and a House hearing is expected on job bias against trans Americans.

"The issues have gotten their first real airing in well over a decade," Baldwin says. "That's a step forward. And there's a value in members in tough districts having taken these votes. When they survive re-election, they can come back with more courage."

Baldwin keeps a framed observation by anthropologist Margaret Mead in her offices: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has!"

"Never doubt" has become Baldwin's mantra. But she reminds those of us who're gay that daring to dream must be followed by courageous acts, whether putting a partner's photo on our desks or running for office.

"There will not be a magic day when we wake up and it's now OK to express ourselves publicly," she says. "We make that day by doing things publicly ... until it's simply the way things are."

The girl who sewed her own dress for her first day of school has blossomed into an inspiring woman. Never doubt how much more she will achieve.

Being originally from Wisconsin, this Dairy Queen is proud of Rep. Baldwin's work in the US Congress . . . .

Academy Award Performance . . . .

H/T to Bob the Other:





No commentary needed from me . . . .

Save The Park . . . .

Take a few seconds out of your busy day and check out our friend Ross' post here.

Politicians need to know how the public feels - Hopefully, they will heed your wishes.

Thanks for your help and input . . . .

They're Here ! ! ! !

Our trusty neighbour advised us this morning - via his "rigged" iPhone - that our Permanent Resident cards have arrived in the mailbox he has been monitoring for us.

Yippee!!

We're officially Canadian!!

Feels great . . . .

Positioning Politicians . . . .

Via McClatchy today:

Is Lindsey Graham auditioning for VP?
James Rosen | McClatchy Newspapers - March 18, 2008

WASHINGTON — John McCain's trip to Europe and the Middle East was intended to make him look presidential. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., went with him.

Was he auditioning for a prominent post in a McCain administration?

Perish the thought, Graham said before leaving the country. "This will be the 19th (foreign) trip I've taken with Senator McCain since (2003)," said Graham, who has represented S.C. in the U.S. Senate since 2002.

"He's one of my closest friends in the Senate. I think I am someone who is a sounding board for him.

"I've been intricately involved in his campaign — a confidant, if you will. I very much admire him. He's got a lot of courage. My relationship with John is not dependent on a position."

Top.

Bottom.

Missionary.

Doggie-style.

Lindsey's OK with any position.

Good thing.

Hanging around in that repuglican crowd, versatility has to be a plus . . . .

Fair Enough . . . .

From Reuters today:

IRS to start economic stimulus payments May 2
Mon Mar 17, 2008 1:05pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Internal Revenue Service said on Monday it would begin sending out the first of more than 130 million economic stimulus payments on May 2 and expects to complete the first round of payments by early July.

The IRS said the payments -- tax rebates of about $600 for most middle-income individuals and $1,200 for middle-income couples -- will be sent out in the order of the last two digits of the taxpayer's Social Security number. Taxpayers must file a 2007 tax return in order to receive a payment.

Let's see now.

The average Joe Schmoe gets $600.

The hedge funds, banks, lending institutions, financiers, etc., will no doubt get bailed out to the tune of billion$ or even trillion$ for their pie-in-the-sky shenanigans. Plus the CEO's of same keep their outrageous salaries,bonuses and options.

Sounds fair enough . . . .

Ellen Responds . . . .

In answer to the bigot from a post below, Ellen responds:





'Nuff said . . . .

Surprise! House dems Grow Spine . . . .

Well, it's a start, anyway.

From Reuter's today:

House passes spy bill and rejects phone immunity
Fri Mar 14, 2008 - By Thomas Ferraro

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives defied President George W. Bush on Friday and passed an anti-terrorism spy bill that permits lawsuits against phone companies.

But the 213-197 vote was far short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a promised veto by Bush. He has demanded that any telecommunication company that participated in his warrantless domestic spying program secretly begun after the September 11 attacks receive retroactive immunity.

The battle over whether to shield companies has been a key reason why the House and Senate have been unable to agree on a bill to replace a law that expired last month that expanded U.S. authority to track enemy targets without a court order.

'Course, georgie will veto it, but what the hell.

At least the x-ray of the dems will show a shadow of a spine . . . .

"A Three Hour Tour, A Three Hour Tour . . . .

That's one way to handle the boredom on the island, Mary Ann.

From The Globe and Mail:

Gilligan's Island's 'Mary Ann' nabbed on pot possession charge

Associated Press - March 12, 2008

Driggs, Idaho — Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island, is serving six months' unsupervised probation after allegedly being caught with marijuana in her car.

She was sentenced Feb. 29 to five days in jail, fined $410.50 and placed on probation after pleading guilty to one count of reckless driving.

Tell you what, for 69 years old, she's looking pretty damn good.

Must be the herbal treatments . . . .

Missing Digits . . . .

For cryin' out loud.

This crap just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?

From McClatchy today:

Severed fingers of 5 hostages held in Iraq delivered to U.S.
Hannah Allam | McClatchy Newspapers - March 12, 2008

BAGHDAD — U.S. authorities in Baghdad have received five severed fingers belonging to four Americans and an Austrian who were taken hostage more than a year ago in Iraq, officials here said today.

The FBI is investigating the grisly development, and the families of the five kidnapped contractors have been notified, American officials said on condition of anonymity because only Washington officials are permitted to publicly discuss the matter.*

Authorities have confirmed that the fingers belonged to hostages Jonathan Cote, of Gainesville, Fla., Joshua Munz, of Redding, Calif., Paul Reuben, of Buffalo, Minn., Bert Nussbaumer of Vienna, Austria, and Ronald J. Withrow, of Lubbock, Texas.

The first four men were security contractors with Kuwait-based Crescent Security and were captured in a brazen ambush of their 43-truck supply convoy in the southern Iraqi town of Safwa, near the Kuwaiti border, on Nov. 16, 2006.
_______________


U.S. officials in Baghdad would not say how or where the severed fingers were received, citing the ongoing investigation.

* Yeah, far be it for anyone but Washington officials publicly discussing the issue.

They are, after all, the ones that got us into this mess . . . .

Not In That Order, I'll Bet . . . .

The two topics noted in the title of the Reuter's report will no doubt be reversed:

Cheney to discuss peace and oil on Mideast trip
Mon Mar 10, 2008 - By Tabassum Zakaria

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney leaves on Sunday for the Middle East where he will raise U.S. concerns about record-high oil prices and try to push Israeli-Palestinian peace talks forward, the White House said.

Cheney will visit Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank, Turkey and Oman in a trip expected to last about a week or more, his office said on Monday.

"His goal is to reassure people that the United States is committed to a vision of peace in the Middle East," U.S. President George W. Bush said after meeting with Poland's prime minister at the White House.

Cheney will also take the message "that we fully see the threats facing the Middle East, one such threat is Iran, and that we will continue to bolster our security agreements and relationships with our friends and allies," Bush said.

_______________

Cheney also will meet with Saudi King Abdullah when oil prices are hitting record highs, reaching above $106 a barrel last week.

He was expected to reinforce the message from Bush, who had urged OPEC to increase production during his visit to Saudi Arabia in January. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries decided not to boost output.

_______________

"When the president traveled there in January at every stop Iran was of interest and concern. And so I don't expect that that changed in the last two months since Iran hasn't changed its behavior at all," Perino said.

The United States has led efforts to pressure Iran, and the U.N. Security Council voted last week for a third sanctions resolution against Tehran over its refusal to halt its nuclear program.

References to Iran above were emboldened by moi for obvious reasons.

This crowd has ample time to ramp up the anti-Iranian rhetoric to get that war started before they leave office.

dickhead cheney needs more Halliburton stock options for his retirement, you know . . . .