Bush bad for Guard

Check this out: One thing all 50 governors at the National Governors Association meeting can agree on is that George W. Bush is bad for the National Guard (Army) (Air) (National Guard Association). Their concern? That Bush is "... stripping the National Guard of equipment and personnel needed to respond to hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, forest fires and other emergencies."

In a letter they will deliver to Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld the governors go on: "Unfortunately," the letter said, "when our National Guard men and women return from being deployed in foreign theaters, much of their equipment remains behind." The governors said the White House must immediately re-equip Guard units "to carry out their homeland security and domestic disaster duties."

In addition, the article goes on to say it was only a public outcry and disagreement by the governors that stopped a Pentagon budget proposal to cut the Guard from 350,000 personnel to 330,000.

And to prove my longstanding belief that the active Army doesn't do anything better than the National Guard I offer this: "The Army cannot account for over half the equipment that Army National Guard units have left overseas," Comptroller General of the United States David M. Walker said. "And it has not developed replacement plans for the equipment, as Defense Department policy requires."

Given that the verdict of the governors is unanimous, why would anyone think that the Bush administration is a friend of the National Guard?

Reagan Legacy Project -- why does it exist?

My recent copy of the American Legion magazine contained an ad for a sterling silver proof of the proposed Ronald Reagan dime.

After seeing this ad, I did a little digging to refresh my memory about the Reagan Legacy Project, a program sponsored by Americans for Tax Reform. This group's stated goal is to ensure that President Reagan is memorialized in every state. After that, every county, and so on.

Here's my question: If Reagan was so great, why do his supporters have to work actively to get airports and federal office buildings (here, here, here) and so on named for him? Oh, hell, just go here and see a list the Reagan Legacy Project has put out. If he was that great, shouldn't people want to memorialize him without an organized effort by people who support him totally and refuse to acknowledge his failures?

Check out this story from The Nation so see some of what I mean. Reagan told war stories he claimed to have been part of which were actually movie plots. He claimed to have been at the liberation of Aushwitz. He falsely stated that trees caused air pollution. He opened his 1980 presidential campaign in the Mississippi county where civil rights workers (two black, one white) had been murdered in the 1960s. His theme? State's rights. The neo-racists who supported him got the message. Reagan drove up budget deficits and exploded the national debt.

And of course, Reagan should have been impeached for the Iran Contra affair. He was barred by Congress from aiding the Contras in Nicaragua, so he found an extra legal means to continue his policy. At the same time, Reagan found a way to secure the release of American hostages in Lebanon. How'd he do it? For those of you who don't recall, he sold TOW missiles to Iran, violating his public policy of not negotiating with terrorists. He then gave some of the money from the sale of the missiles to the Contras.

What Reagan did was clearly illegal and unconstitutional. As proof, I'd remind you that one of the chief executors of this policy was Oliver North. North's secretary, Fawn Hall, said something in a Congressional hearing that pretty much summed up the administration's policy: "...And sometimes you have to go above the written law, I believe..."

Reagan was faced with the choice of admitting his illegal actions or pleading a faulty memory that was so bad he'd have to be senile. He went with senility. See here, here and here for more on what I mean. Reagan is given credit for helping end the Cold War with his "tear down this wall" speech. In truth, Gorbachev in the Soviet Union had plans to tear down the wall, but he couldn't appear to be giving in to Reagan -- Reagan's speech actually DELAYED the teardown of the Berlin Wall.

Reagan can also take blame for his silence on AIDS after the disease was first diagnosed and it was clear an epidemic was at hand.

Reagan was also a poor Governor of California. Among other things, he was responsible for the largest tax increase in the state's history, which had to be scaled back by his successors. How's that for the legacy of an alleged fiscal conservative? He also lauded the actions of police after they fired on a crowd of demonstrators, killing one, with more than 100 injured and wounded.

Reagan was also a secret informer on his friends in Hollywood during the anti communist witchhunts of the 1950s.

So all in all, I don't think Reagan merits all the monuments proposed by the legacy project, including replacing Franklin Roosevelt,one of the three greatest presidents, with Reagan on the dime.

Bush's idea of renewable energy research

George W. Bush makes a state of the union speech in which he gives lip service to renewable energy. Then he lays off the staff at the Department of Energy's renewable energy research laboratory in Golden, Colorado. Then he decides to visit the lab. Presto! $5 million of Bush's layoff producing $28 million cut is restored so that the workers would be around to serve as window dressing for this blatant photo opportunity.

Remember when Al Gore was falsely accused of spending hundreds of thousands of tax dollars to open a dam on the Connecticut River and create a stream high enough for him to travel down in a canoe so that he could stage a photo op? The story was bogus, but members of the media repeated it as part of their 2000 "Gore is a liar" falsehood. Can I expect that the Bush deceit will receive the same scrutiny? Nah.

How you know the Dubai Ports World deal is bad

Check out this article from March of 2004 in which then-CIA Director George Tenet is quoted as telling the National Commission On Terrorist Attacks that there was an incident in which the CIA did not target Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan even though they knew where he was. Why? because he was playing host to about half of the royal family of the United Arab Emirates.

Why would we allow people who are this friendly with bin Laden to take charge of the management of US ports? Only someone who didn't take an interest in the safety and security of Americans would do that, right?

Bush Backs Dubai Port Deal

From CNN: It's official -- taking care of cronies and making money counts for more than national security.

Read more here: Bush cronies involved in awarding sweetheart deal to company to which they have ties.

Read more here: David Sanborn used to work for Treasury Secretary John Snow when they were at CSX. Sanborn now works for Dubai Ports World, the Arab company buying into management of strategic US ports. Sanborn is slated to become head of the US Maritime Administration, which has authority over ports. Do we really trust the guy who has a vested interest in the outcome to be above board in handling the deal and honest in complying with laws and regulations?

Randi Rhodes said it best today -- I heard her say to Bush the terrorist threat level is always currency green, and the greener the better.

Another Bush Flip Flop

Bush on 14 January 2005: "...We want to increase the Pell Grants by $100 a year over — $100 per year over the next five years..."

Bush, on 2 February 2005: "...We’ll make it easier for Americans to afford a college education, by increasing the size of Pell Grants." Predictably, Bush's Fiscal Year 2007 budget freezes Pell Grants for the fourth year in a row.

And as Elena Rocha shows at Think Progress, Pell Grants don't even begin to cover the cost of attending college, the cost of college is rising, and millions of low and moderate income Americans who are otherwise qualified to go to college are unable to go because they can't afford it.

As always, there's a huge gap between George W. Bush's "rhetoric" and his deeds.

The photo, by the way, depicts US Senator Claiborne Pell, for whom Pell Grants are named. Pell is a rich, well-connected man who used his influence to make the lives of average Americans better, something a certain rich, well-connected Republican occupant of the White House would do well to emulate.

THIS is outrageous

This is the flag you could soon see flying over America's east coast ports. Why? Because Team Bush has made Americans "safe" from terrorists by allowing a company from the United Arab Emirates to buy into the operation of ports in New York City, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New Orleans, and Miami. The deal is worth $6.8 billion.

Here are some things I know about the United Arab Emirates. If I could find this out in ten minutes on the Internet, how come those administration officials who had to approve the sale, including the secretaries of Homeland Security, State, Defense and Treasury, don't? Worse, if they know and decided to approve the sale anyway, I think it's fair to question their motivations -- in other words, how much are Bush and his cronies and their lobbyists getting paid?

Several 9-11 hijackers spent extensive time in UAE.

Only three nations recognized the Taliban government of Afghanistan as legitimate. Among those three was the UAE.

The FBI says the money transferred from al Qaeda to the 9-11 hijackers was sent via the UAE's banking system.

The UAE was the conduit for transferring illegal nuclear components to Iran, Lybia and North Korea.

The Treasury Department reported that after the 9-11 attacks the UAE did not cooperate in international efforts to locate and seize Osama bin Laden's bank accounts.

Thankfully, a group of Democrats and Republicans in Congress is calling for Treasury to suspend approval of this treasonous transaction until Congress investigates the national security implications. An investigation along those lines is required by law but has not yet been conducted.

I want any slavering Bush supporter who believes Bush is even slightly interested in protecting America from terrorists to explain to me how giving a bin Laden-friendly nation like the UAE control of America's vital ports makes us safer.

How To Talk To A Felon If You Must

We've always known Ann Coulter is a douche. Now she's also committed felonies. Coulter gave a false address on her Florida voter registration application, which is a crime. Last week she also knowingly voted at the wrong precinct in a local election, another crime.

The funny part about Coulter's predicament is that back in 2000 she was dismissive (to put it mildly) of problems with voting in Florida's presidential election, and she falsely accused Al Gore of fraud.

So in addition to being a douche and a felon, Ann Coulter is also a hypocrite.

Sherrod Brown, proud black man

Listen to this audio clip supplied by Oliver Willis. On Tuesday Rush Limbaugh opined that Ohio Democrats were anxious for Paul Hackett to leave the race for Mike DeWine's US Senate seat to clear the field for Congressman Sherrod Brown. According to Limbaugh Ohio Democrats were anxious to support Brown because he's a black man. Further according to Limbaugh, the New York Times is worthy of condemnation for not reporting the fact of Brown's blackness.

There's only one problem with Limabugh's thesis -- the photo accompanying this post is a picture of Congressman Sherrod Brown, Democrat of Ohio. As you can clearly see, Brown's not black.

I suspect that Limbaugh heard "Sherrod" and immediately assumed anyone with that first name MUST be African-American.

Once again the truth detector who boasts of talent on loan from God shows himself to be averse to the truth and a talentless hack.

Good luck to Congressman Brown, no matter what his skin color, in his quest to unseat Mike DeWine.

Cheney Admits To Drinking Before Shooting

Think Progress has the story on Cheney's admission that he was drinking, as well as his host's constantly changing version of events.

Is it just me, or do people in the Bush Administration consistently engage in the behavior they used to blame on Bill Clinton? In psychiatry terms, that's called projection.

Cheney Shooting -- The Gift That Keeps On Giving

According to this post, it's entirely possible that the delay in reporting Dick Cheney's shooting of his hunting partner was because Cheney and his friends were attempting to hide Cheney's extra-marital relationship with the US Ambassador to Switzerland.

I don't care whether the Cheney has a girlfriend story is true. I do care that the media is finally subjecting Bush and Cheney to the kind of scrutiny that used to be reserved only for Bill and Hillary Clinton.

What A Wanker Is Sean Hannity

I listened to Sean Hannity's radio show for about a minute this afternoon. The first caller said "I don't see why everyone's so concerned about Cheney shooting someone in Texas. After all, Bill Clinton got off a shot in the Oval Office and no one cared." Hannity agreed with him that Clinton was evil and deserved to be scrutinized and punished. The next caller complained that no one shows the President and Vice President respect and no one honors their privacy "like I was taught to do when I was young." Hannity agreed with him, too -- apparently no one noticed the incongruity between the points the two callers made, or didn't care.

Hannity then went on to state that he didn't understand why there's so much media attention being focused on Cheney's shooting of a man with whom he was hunting. Hannity ascribed it to members of "the liberal media" complaining that they weren't notified first. He also offered his opinion that "this is an 'inside the beltway' story. In mainstream America, no one is paying attention to this."

Well, let me state that no amount of Republican spin will change the facts that Cheney shot a guy, then waited a day to notify someone, then refused to be interviewed by local police. In addition, no amount of spin will change that the White House staff refuses to answer questions, and that any information they do proffer is conflicting -- even five days later, the story isn't consistent.

Let me also state that where I work -- for the military in rural, low population VERMONT, which is definitely "outside the beltway," everyone I know has talked about Cheney's accident, and opinions do not favor him.

So Hannity, as always, is wrong. That's why Sean Hannity is a wanker.

What liberal media?

Here's the screen grab I took to show today's CNN poll:

Funny, I don't recall any polls asking if late night comedians were too tough on John Kerry, or Al Gore or Bill Clinton.

How come the supposedly liberal media keeps excusing Bush's and Cheney's illegalities?

Who's laughing now?

In 2004 Dick Cheney mocked John Kerry for going goose hunting, despite the fact Kerry is a long time hunter:

"My fellow sportsmen, this cover-up isn't going to work," Cheney said, speaking to supporters in an upscale Toledo suburb that borders the Ohio-Michigan state line. "The Second Amendment is more than just a photo opportunity."

Well last weekend Cheney shot his hunting companion.

To my knowledge, the only man John Kerry's ever shot is the enemy combatant at whom he was aiming.

Before Bush Republicans against warrantless spying

Thanks to Matthew Yglesias at Talking Points Memo Cafe for pointing out this Free Republic article from 2000. Seems that back when Bill Clinton was President, conservatives decried the loss of civil liberties they said was possible because the FISA Court had the ability to "secretly" approve surveillance on potential threats to national security. Now of course, with Dear Leader Bush in charge, the same conservatives who previously said FISA was TOO SECRET now say that the administration can conduct surveillance without warrants, without permission, without oversight, without informing ANYONE.

Flip, flop.

Imagine if Al Gore or Bill Clinton had done this...

Dick Cheney shot a guy. yeah, I know it's an "accident" but Cheney shot the guy just the same.

Does anyone doubt that if Al Gore or Bill Clinton had done this they'd be ridiculed for being poor shots, or they'd be investigated by the likes of Dan Burton?

I'm sure that since Cheney is the perpetrator, this act will be pretty much ignored by the supposedly liberal media.

Republicans are "pro National Security?"

I really like this post I read on Main and Central. How can the Republicans claim to be "strong" on National Security? Look at this evidence to the contrary:

DUGWAY BIOLOGICAL WARFARE CENTER

9 nabbed inside top-secret Dugway The process for vetting workers at one of the most sensitive military sites in the country comes down to trust of contractors, subcontractors and "subcontractors of subcontractors," federal officials said Friday, a day after nine undocumented immigrants were arrested at Dugway Proving Ground. Contractors employing foreign nationals at the base are supposed to identify those individuals for additional background checks. But the discovery that nine undocumented workers were able to enter and move freely about parts of a base dedicated to research into biological and chemical weapons defenses revealed a troubling flaw to that system. If a contractor fails to identify workers as foreigners, Dugway spokeswoman Paula Nicholson said, no check is conducted. "I'm sure we are going to look at things, to investigate what to do to make sure this doesn't happen again," Nicholson said. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Agent Adam Parks called the issue "troubling." "Just by saying you're working for a subcontractor, you can access one of the most highly top secret installations in the country, dealing with weapons of mass destruction," Parks said. "Once inside the perimeter, they had their identification and would go to work, not monitored. They didn't have an escort or anything like that."

AIRPORTS

"Operation Tarmac" is an ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement initiative that targets employers and unauthorized workers who have access to sensitive areas at commercial airports in the United States. Agents have identified over 5,800 unauthorized airport workers, arrested more than 1,100 unauthorized immigrant workers at airports, and obtained 775 criminal indictments. Among the cases: l March 25, 2005 - Agents arrested 14 illegal immigrants working at Logan International Airport in Boston. All the workers were employed by a contract company that provided services for Logan Airport. The workers had badges that allowed them access beyond where passengers are screened. The investigation is ongoing. l March 8, 2005 - Agents arrested 27 illegals working as aircraft mechanics and in other aircraft maintenance jobs at the Piedmont/Triad International Airport in Greensboro, N.C. At least two of the workers had FAA mechanic's licenses to work on aircraft. Twelve individuals have been indicted in this case on a range of criminal charges, including knowingly hiring illegals.

NUCLEAR PLANTS & RELATED INDUSTRIES

"Operation Glow Worm" is a joint operation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to screen the workforce at the nation's 104 nuclear power plants. Numerous unauthorized workers have been arrested and warning notices have been issued to those employing unauthorized workers. Among the cases: l Sept. 15, 2005 - Agents arrested three illegal workers when they attempted to enter the outer secure area of the Omaha Public Power District's Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station to perform contract work at the plant. The three men, all citizens of Mexico, had been hired by an independent contractor to perform maintenance work at the nuclear facility. l March 2005 - Agents arrested six illegal immigrants performing maintenance at the Crystal River Nuclear Power Plant in Citrus, Fla. All were employees of a Texas-based specialty contract company. At least one was later indicted on criminal charges. l March 18, 2005 - Agents arrested an undocumented worker who performed contract pipe insulation work at the Duane Arnold Energy Center Nuclear Power Plant in Palo, Iowa. He was later indicted for using and possessing fraudulent documents and making false statements to federal agents.

CHEMICAL PLANTS

l May 20, 2005 - Agents arrested 60 illegals who performed contract work at 12 sensitive facilities, including seven petrochemical refineries and two power plants, located in California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. The workers were employed by a company that provides workers to the petrochemical industry, the nuclear industry and other energy sectors.

l Jan. 14, 2005 - Agents arrested 17 at the Shell chemical refinery at the Port of Mobile, Ala., as part of an ongoing probe into petroleum industry subcontractors. All the workers were employed by a subcontractor. One had an outstanding criminal arrest warrant.

DEFENSE FACILITIES

Oct. 5, 2005 - Two illegals (from Indonesia and Senegal) who served as language instructors at the U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C., were arrested and criminally charged with using false documents to gain employment and making false statements. A third was charged with being in the country illegally. Among their clients: U.S. Special Forces.

Oct. 4, 2005 - Seven illegals were arrested at the U.S. Air Force Base in Mountain Home, Idaho. The men - six from Mexico and one from Canada - were working for Nutek Construction, which was sub-contracted to build housing on the secure air base.

Aug. 26, 2005 - Agents arrested six Mexican nationals at the Fort Irwin U.S. Army base east of Barstow, Calif. The men were working illegally for Laurence-Hovenier, Inc., a construction company building military housing at the base. The workers, most of whom had security badges authorizing them to enter the base, were identified after agents audited the hiring records of more than 700 Laurence-Hovenier workers. The audit found that more than 40 percent of the employees on the company's payroll might not have been authorized to work in the U.S.

July 26, 2005 - Agents arrested six working at the Homestead Air Reserve Base in Homestead, Fla. The men, who were contracted by a Texas-based corporation, were working on a major runway-resurfacing project. Officers working at the Air Reserve's main gate noticed irregularities in the documents presented by the three men and called Immigration and Customs Enforcement for follow-up.

SEAPORTS

Oct. 5, 2005 - Agents arrested seven Mexican nationals working illegally at a Pacific American Service (PACAM) warehouse and distribution center for goods brought into the United States through the Port of Oakland. PACAM'S bonded facilities are located in northern California, close to the San Francisco and Oakland ports, railyards and international airports.

Be careful what you say...

It's plain from this story that the Bush administration will accept NO criticism. A Department of Veterans Affairs nurse in New Mexico, Laura Berg, wrote a letter that expressed dissent with the administration's policy in Iraq. The VA's response was to investigate Berg for sedition.

The definition of sedition is overt acts that advocate the overthrow of the government. Suggesting in writing that the administration is not pursuing a wise policy can hardly be descibed as calling for an insurrection. Or at least it couldn't before Dear Leader Bush took over and changed the rules.

New York Times gets it right for once

In this editorial, the New York Times explains why President Bush and his administration can't be trusted to police itself or tell the truth.

After years of fawning over Bush, the Times finally gets it right.

Pardon me if I don't cry, Mrs. Bush

According to this CNN story, reporters interviewing First Lady Laura Bush asked her whether Senator Hillary Clinton's criticism of President Bush's administration is "just politics, fair game or out of bounds." Mrs. Bush says Senator Clinton's criticism is "out of bounds," and goes on to say:
"Of course I think it's out of bounds," the first lady said. "But I think it's politics, it's certainly politics."

The CNN article goes on "Bush pointed out that former Presidents Bush and Clinton and her husband are part of a unique club that also includes the wives.

"We know what it's like to live in that house. We certainly know what it's like to have your husband criticized," she said. "So I think there's a certain empathy that we might have for each other that we wouldn't have maybe for somebody else who said something like that."

Well, excuse me for not crying, Mrs. Bush. First, I'd point out that President Bush employs as his Deputy Chief of Staff and chief political strategist Karl Rove, without question the most vile operative in the history of American politics (and that's saying something). Rove bugged his own office in order to make it look like the opposition was spying on him, and the one thing that every Texas Democrat in statewide office or running statewide has in common is that Rove used an FBI agent to falsely investigate them and smear them with bogus criminal charges.

Hillary Clinton and President Bill Clinton unquestionably suffered far more in the way of personal attacks and unwarranted criticism that the Bushes, and probably more than any other President and First Lady. The Clintons were falsely accused of murder, drug running, bribe taking, rape, lesbianism, influence peddling, pardon selling, treason, animal cruelty, and child neglect. Their personal lives were pored over by their enemies with what can be described only as unconcealed glee. In one particularly nasty attack, opponents of the Clintons falsely and anonymously appealed to racists by falsely suggesting that Bill Clinton had fathered a baby during an affair with a black teenager. The Clintons, to their credit, bore the brunt of these undeserved attacks far more gracefully than the Bushes have ever done. Just this week Ann Coulter suggested that killing Bill Clinton would be an acceptable act.

And it's worth pointing out that Hillary Clinton is a US Senator of the Democratic party and she holds a position in the Senate leadership -- she's supposed to criticize a Republican President.

So, no, I don't agree with Laura Bush's comments about Senator Clinton's criticism of President Bush. And I won't be paying any attention to her crocodile tears.

Bush goes "Bust"

This is some serious bullshit. On Thursday a bust of George W. Bush was unveiled at the National Guard Memorial Building in Washington. In this work of art, Bush is depicted wearing a FLIGHT SUIT!

Are you kidding me? George W. Bush snuck into the Air National Guard to avoid active duty in Vietnam. Then he didn't even bother to show up for drill. The he snuck into an early release from his military obligation so he wouldn't have to be bothered serving on weekends while he attended Harvard Business School.

Worse, he mocked American servicemen everywhere when he wore a flight suit as he landed on the deck of the USS Lincoln in a fighter plane and swaggered around like he was the pilot.

Worse, he did that while he was posing for the craven "Mission Accomplished" photo opportunity he intended to use in his 2004 campaign.

This guy is shameless. He lies and cheats routinely. He fails constantly, yet manages to be propelled upwards despite his own incompetence. What the hell are the leaders of the National Guard Asociation of the United States doing unveiling the bust of a guy who was not present for duty when he was a member of the Guard? Those military "leaders" and the president they wrongly honor are making fun of my brothers and sisters in uniform and me, who show up for duty, go overseas to fight, and don't quit early because serving is inconvenient.

Like I said, this is some bullshit.

I wouldn't elect him dogcatcher

Senator John McCain has a temper. His unwarranted attack on Senator Barack Obama is totally in keeping with his prior bad acts.

Remember when Senator John Tower was nominated for Secretary of Defense by the first President Bush? A member of the military told what he knew about Tower's alcoholism -- that he had seen Tower arrive drunk when he came to an airbase for an inspection tour. McCain obtained this service member's confidential medical records, including psychiatric information, and read them into the record from the floor of the Senate.

That's right -- "Mr. Character," "Mr. Straight Talk" committed an act that would have gotten him sued and/or proscuted if he hadn't been on the Senate floor.

Anyone thinking of supporting McCain for President would do well to consider his constant support of President Bush, something akin to the "Animal House" "Thank you sir may I please have another" line. Anyone thinking of supporting McCain should remember that he'll retaliate against his perceived enemies in the meanest way possible. And anyone thinking of supporting McCain would also do well to consider why he'd stoop so low as to smear a fellow Senator and do it so publicly.

And where's the allegedly liberal media in all this? Sucking up to McCain by either lying to make Obama look bad, or making it look like both McCain and Obama are equally culpable.

Attorney General's Privilege?

Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez talking yesterday before the Senate Judiciary Committee:

“President Washington, President Lincoln, President Wilson, President Roosevelt have all authorized electronic surveillance on a far broader scale.”

First, note that I didn't say "testifying." That's because he wouldn't allow himself to be sworn in. Why? Because then the penalties for perjury would be in play for any untruths he uttered.

Second, I wonder how so many of these Presidents cited by Gonzalez were able to conduct warrantless surveillance on communications systems that didn't exist until after they were dead?

Third, it’s a sad day when the Attorney General of the United States has to in advance take precautions such as not being sworn in because he knows that he’ll likely say something that’s not true.

Stealers, not Steelers

I've always liked baseball. I'm not a big football fan, so generally I don't watch the Super Bowl. I decided I would watch last night, and I was stunned to see the officials make bad call after bad call, all of which went for the Steelers. I appreciate the stress that officials are under and maybe they think they did a credible job, but what I saw was just awful.

In the first quarter Seattle's Hasselbeck avoided pressure and hit Darrell Jackson in the back of the end zone with a beautiful pass. The Pittsburgh cornerback immediately whined to back judge Bob Waggoner that he should call offensive pass interference on Jackson. After debating with himself for a few seconds, Waggoner called the penalty, negating Seattle's touchdown. When did the players start officiating the game? Waggoner should have told the Pittsburgh player to shut up and play.

Then there's the first quarter Ben Roethlisberger "touchdown" run where not one replay shows him crossing the goal line. I thought that to score a touchdown you had to actually get into the end zone. Apparently that's not true for the Steelers. That the league representatives who reviewed that play didn't reverse the call should make everyone question their motivation.

In addition, there was the Ike Taylor interception of a Hasselbeck deep in Pittsburgh territory. Hasselbeck stopped Taylor at the Pittsburgh 29 with a prefect tackle at his Taylor's knees. Somehow the ref decided to penalize Hasselbeck for illegally "blocking" Taylor across his knees, giving the Steelers an additional 15 additional on the return and setting up another score. How can you "illegally block" the guy who has the ball?

Like I said, I don't watch much football and it didn't matter to me who won yesterday. I suspect that Seattle could have beat Pittsburgh. But there's no way they could beat Pittsburgh AND the officials.

NOW Let's hear Republican activists scream about "Stupid Voters"

Republicans are apparently now so used to rigging elections that their US House members couldn't correctly vote for a new Majority Leader.

Think Republicans will say "stupid voters don't deserve to have their votes counted," like some GOP activists did when discussing presidential elections in Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004?