All This Gay-Bashing and Anti-Abortion Talk. . .

Makes me really want an anal massage. That's right, an anal massage from Target for 36 bucks. Too bad I'll have to wait 4-8 weeks.

Abortion Clause Snuck Into Spending Bill

Why am I not surprised? From the NY Times, of course:

House and Senate negotiators have tucked a potentially far-reaching anti-abortion provision into a $388 billion must-pass spending bill, complicating plans for Congress to wrap up its business and adjourn for the year.

The abortion language would bar federal, state and local agencies from withholding taxpayer money from health care providers that refuse to provide or pay for abortions or refuse to offer abortion counseling or referrals. Current federal law, aimed at protecting Roman Catholic doctors, provides such "conscience protection'' to doctors who do not want to undergo abortion training. The new language would expand that protection to all health care providers, including hospitals, doctors, clinics and insurers.

"It's something we've had a longstanding interest in," said Douglas Johnson, a spokesman for the National Right to Life Committee. He added, "This is in response to an orchestrated campaign by pro-abortion groups across the country to use government agencies to coerce health care providers to participate in abortions."

The provision could affect millions of American women, according to Senator Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California, who warned Friday that she would use procedural tactics to slow Senate business to a crawl if the language was not altered.

"I am willing to stand on my feet and slow this thing down," Ms. Boxer said. "Everyone wants to go home, I know that, and I know I will not win a popularity contest in the Senate. But they should not be doing this. On a huge spending bill they're writing law, and they're taking away rights from women."

I had an argument with a friend today about the possibility of Roe v. Wade being overturned. I said that it never would be and she told me I was very wrong. She said that while the Supreme Court may never officially overturn the decision, they could limit it and restrict it until its not worth the ink it's written with (is that real phrase?). She then rattled off like eight different things to prove me wrong. I guess that's what I get for arguing abortion with someone who dedicates a large chunk of their life to reproductive rights.

And now there's this. While this isn't the worst thing in the world, I'm afraid it's only a small sign of things to come.

Looks Like We Know Who's Really In Charge Here

From the NY Times, via Wonkette:



Can't you just hear the bitchy "Ehhh" that Bush must have let out when he got crushed?

Impeach Blair?

You heard it here first, folks. I haven't seen this anywhere else yet, so I may have gotten the jump on all those other sucka bloggas. From The Guardian:

The parliamentary motion to impeach Tony Blair for "gross misconduct" over the war against Iraq will be published next Wednesday, the day after the Queen's speech.

It will be the first to be tabled in 198 years, since Lord Melville, a close friend of the then prime minister, William Pitt the younger, faced impeachment for misusing public money in running the Admiralty.

Senior parliamentary officials, including legal advisers to the Commons Speaker, Michael Martin, on Wednesday night approved the wording of the text as meeting parliamentary rules, allowing the motion to be tabled on the first day of the new session. The Tory chief whip, David Maclean, has paged every Tory frontbench MP telling them not to sign it.

Damn it's getting late.

Rick Santorum: Virginian Scum?

So apparently our favorite gay-bashing Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum doesn't really live in Pennsylvania. It seems he decided he could best serve his constituents from a small town in another state. From the Post-Gazette (a Penn. paper):

The senator's office issued a statement two days ago saying he and his wife, Karen, are withdrawing their children from the cyber school. But that doesn't mean they'll be attending any of the brick-and-mortar schools of the Penn Hills district either. The commute from the Santorum home in Leesburg, Va., would be onerous.

All of which begs a much bigger question: Is Rick Santorum R-Pa. or R-Va.? No one should represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate because he once lived here or because he visits all 67 counties every year. A traveling salesman can do that.

Article I of the U.S. Constitution says, "No person shall be a Senator ... who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen." Rick Santorum last won election in November 2000, when he owned the house at 111 Stephens Lane in Penn Hills plus a house in Virginia. Where he was an "inhabitant" at the time only he can say.

He faces re-election in 2006, but if that election were held today, the two-term Republican would be hard-pressed to convince voters that he inhabits a house on Stephens Lane. Sure, he and his wife pay taxes on the house. They also use the address for voter registration, but so do two other people. When a Post-Gazette reporter visited the house last Friday, a young man came to the door and declined to comment. He wasn't Rick Santorum.

But wait, it gets better:

It gets worse. The two-bedroom house that the Santorum children called home for education purposes and that gives Mr. and Mrs. Santorum the right to vote in Pennsylvania lacks an occupancy permit. And the property tax break from the homestead exemption claimed by the Santorums on the Penn Hills house is allowed under law only if the dwelling is their "permanent home."

It's a strange case of political turnabout. In his initial House race against Rep. Doug Walgren in 1990, challenger Santorum attacked the incumbent from Mt. Lebanon for buying a house and raising his children in McLean, Va. Now Rick Santorum of Leesburg, Va., is saying that he is and he isn't a resident of Pennsylvania.

See, this last part about how Santorum attacked his opponent is just another example of how damn (I'm trying not to curse so much on the site) hypocritical the Republican Party is. And no one calls them on it! No one! How much you wanna bet that this story never goes national? I really hope I'm wrong about that, but just wait and see.

Sorry. . .

There haven't been too many posts today. I was in prison all day where I do a discussion group with inmates, and tonight, well tonight is Friday night and I have a friend up so I doubt I'll have too much time for the blog. I'll be back tomorrow.

I Finally Decided To Post. .

On the UN "Oil-for-Food" scandal. Though I never doubted for a second that there was, and still is, plenty of corruption within the UN, I just felt uneasy relying on US news sources for information that is so clearly helping the Bush administration retroactively prove their case for war. It is not because I have it out for Bush, it's just that I don't like the fact that the government can now point to this scandal as reason enough for their actions, which in turn lets the American public forget that they were systematically lied to. That is something we should always remember when Bush is at the podium. Now the BBC has reported this:

The oil-for-food programme was a scheme administered by the UN allowing Iraq to export oil despite the sanctions.

The revenue went into accounts controlled by the UN and was supposed to be spent on food and medicines to improve living conditions in Iraq.

The scheme ran for seven years, ending with the fall of Saddam Hussein's government.

UN officials have been accused of either turning a blind eye to abuses, or in some cases of being corrupt themselves.

It has been described as the biggest financial scandal in history.

According to US senate investigators, Saddam Hussein embezzled $21bn by evading UN sanctions over a period of years.

That figure released earlier this week is double previous estimates.

Good God, Will They Ever Learn?

A little bit of an update on my post about the boy who cried wolf.

Also, I think that is the first time I have ever used the phrase "Good God." Just wanted to note that.

The New MoMA. . .

Costs 20 fucking dollars! That price is outrageous. Still, I can't say I wasn't drooling while reading this.

Have a problem with the price? Check out FreeMoMA.org

By the way, I highly suggest registering with NY Times' website. It's free, it's quick, and it allows me to link more Times stuff.

And Since I'm Doing Hollywood News. . .

Not that she's Hollywood (more like Anaheim), but Trishelle from the "Real World" has stooped to auctioning herself off. I wonder which Trishelle will show up to meet the guy who bid on this: the Trishelle who looks half-decent and goes out clubbing, or the Trishelle who looks like someone hit her in the face with a TV and did the little interview things on the show. I'm praying for you, guy.

Just For Fun

Jared Leto and Scarlet Johansson. I was wondering who was the more boring of the two, but I guess this picture answers that one.



And Mandy Moore is looking a little too skinny for my taste and- wait a second, is that a nipple?

1/3 Of Bush "Pioneers" Awarded Key Posts

Not that this is anything new. Clinton did it, Bush the Elder did it. But isn't it the height of irony that when Clinton was in office the GOP were up in arms over his giving jobs and lodging in the Lincoln Bedroom to those who fundraised for him. In fact, Bush the Younger made this a key point in his 2000 campaign. The whole article is here.

One-third of President Bush's top 2000 fund-raisers or their spouses were appointed to positions in his first administration, from ambassadorships in Europe to seats on policy-setting boards, an Associated Press review found.

The perks for 246 "pioneers" who raised at least $100,000 also included overnight stays at the White House and Camp David, parties at the White House and Bush's Texas ranch, state dinners with world leaders and overseas travel with U.S. delegations to the Olympics and other events, the review found.

. . .In addition to the appointments, at least three-dozen pioneers or others at their companies had front-row seats as Bush assembled his first administration and set policy priorities. Energy, Treasury and Commerce were the most popular transition teams among Bush pioneers.

Tom Kuhn, head of the Edison Electric Institute, was on Bush's energy transition team. So, too, was 2000 pioneer Kenneth Lay, a longtime Bush friend and donor who now faces criminal charges in the Enron scandal. He was not on the list of top Bush re-election fund-raisers.

Allan Hubbard, president of the E&A Industries chemical conglomerate, was invited to take part in Bush's August 2002 economic summit in Texas, as was Floyd Kvamme, a California high-tech executive named to the President's Committee of Advisers on Science and Technology.

I'm not saying that Democrats are any better about this, but I think it's interesting to note that Bush appointed 24 of his top donors as ambassadors, while Clinton only appointed five. Ok, so maybe they're a little better.

In Case No One Reads the Comments

Here is a comment posted by my dear old friend Paul Torrisi:

First of all this is not anonymous I just don’t have an account. My name is Paul Torrisi and I am responding to “BBC- Afghanistan 'could become drug state'”. First of all I would like to respond to "The BBC's Roland Buerk in Kabul says it is easy to see why 2.3m people - a tenth of the population - is involved in opium, when a farmer can earn more than 10 times as much growing poppies than cultivating wheat." This is the same situation that the US ran into when "fighting" the cocaine production in Columbia with coffee farming switching to grow cocaine. It is impossible to expect people to produce one crop over another just because we tell them to, especially when one is worth ten times more than the other. Not to mention the reason they cannot sustain on producing grain alone is our fault. If we did not subsidize so much, the world price of grain would not be so low, and they could earn a sustainable wage. This is not about greed, the Afghan opium farmer, except for the drug lords, are not getting rich off opium production they are merely putting food on the table for their families. Instead of playing fair on the global economy, our farmers make a “living wage” producing grain while the rest of the world goes into poverty. This is a problem we are causing all over the world and we deserve the out growths. Let the Columbians grow cocaine. Let the Afghanis grow opium. They have got to put food on the table somehow. It is our fault that things are so bad and they have found the way to make us pay for it…get our kids addicted to drugs that fill their pockets at the same time. Until we agree to buy and sell things at a fair world price meaning not dump our massive surpluses on the third world and drive out their farming and agricultural sectors, let them grow the crops we don’t. There is another option we could start to grow opium, cocaine, marijuana and do it with our amazing American efficiency and drive the prices so low that even the third world won’t be able to compete. Then we will have full control and that is what this government wants isn’t it.

In the future, long comments such as this one should be e-mailed to me. I'll then put them up as individual posts.

Links-O-Rama

Ok, due to the fact that I've had a pounding headache for the last two days, I'm gonna take a little time off from the blog. I'm leaving a whole bunch of articles for you to sift through yourselves. Have fun. Oh, and I should say that I do not necessarily agree with every article I link.

Articles
BBC- Afghanistan 'could become drug state'
BBC- Clinton library open for business
DesMoinesRegister- Harkin: Vilsack gaining support for DNC chair
NYDN- It's Curtains for Clerks
WP- A Pair of Dethroned Kings
WP- Bush Plans Tax Code Overhaul

Opinions
Timothy M. Gay "Intolerance Is Not a 'Value'"
Tom Engelhardt "The Carthaginian Solution"
Barry Yeoman "Dirty Warriors"
Robert Reich "Raiders of the Lock Box"

And just for fun: The Depressed Democrats Guide to Recovery

It Reminds Me of the Boy Who Cried Wolf

From the Washington Post:

The United States has intelligence that Iran is working to adapt missiles to deliver a nuclear weapon, further evidence that the Islamic republic is determined to acquire a nuclear bomb, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said Wednesday.

Maybe if Powell hadn't gone to the UN saying that Iraq had WMDs, people would more readily believe him when he says this about Iran:

"There is no doubt in my mind -- and it's fairly straightforward from what we've been saying for years -- that they have been interested in a nuclear weapon that has utility, meaning that it is something they would be able to deliver, not just something that sits there," Powell said.

Personally, I believe him. But the fact that there are a number of people in the international community who do question his statements shows just how weak our credibility is right now.

More here.

The 2004 Elections Are Not Over Yet!

There are still two congressional seats in Louisiana left unclaimed. The races there are so tight that there will be run-off elections on December 4th. If you have any interest in going down there and helping out, please check this out. Put all that pent-up aggression from the Presidential Election into something worthwhile.

The Cleansing of the CIA Continues

I kind of missed the boat on this one, but here is a brief article summing up the issue.

Basically, Goss sent an e-mail to his minions telling them that they should support Bush, and that left-leaning workers would be left out in the cold. Such action was deemed necessary after a year of continual CIA leaks of material damaging to Bush. Of course none of it had any effect on the election, but a lot of the higher-ups are still pissed. Thinking about all the negative reports that were leaked and how little damage they did has lead me to come up with a new nickname for W: Teflon Bush. Kind of lame, I know, but fitting, especially with the reference to John Gotti (two Gotti posts in two days, bizarre).

ALL HAIL TEFLON BUSH!

It's late, I'm writing a paper, please cut me some slack.

In The 24 Hours That I Have Been Monitoring My Site. . .

I have gotten 256 hits. Not bad for the first day. Keep checking back, because I'll be updating periodically throughout the day, everyday. And tell your friends, loved ones, neighbors, and everyone else you know. I really dig this whole blogging thing.

Mandatory Sentencing and the War on Drugs

Nothing has destroyed the checks and balances system more than mandatory sentencing. Take this depressing case, where the judge adamantly oppossed the 55-year sentence he was forced to give a 25-year-old low-level pot dealer. From the NY Times:

Judge Cassell said that sentencing Mr. Angelos to prison until he is 70 years old was "unjust, cruel and even irrational," but that the law that forced him to do so had not proved to be unconstitutional and thus had to stand. The sentence was all the more ironic, he said, because only two hours earlier he had been legally able to impose a sentence of 22 years on a man convicted of aggravated second-degree murder for beating an elderly woman to death with a log. That crime, he argued, was far more serious.

. . . The question of Mr. Angelos's sentence was at the center of a debate as to whether it was fair to send a minor drug dealer to prison for 55 years when a murderer, rapist or terrorist, according to the same sentencing directives, would ordinarily receive no more than about 25 years.

During a court hearing in September, Judge Cassell posed a question to the opposing legal teams in the case: "Is there a rational basis," he asked, "for giving Mr. Angelos more time than the hijacker, the murderer, the rapist?"

On a different note about drug sentencing, check out this story about a judge who gave a pot dealer the choice between prison and the army. I thought this kind of stuff only happened in the movies.

The ACLU Must Be Destroyed

Hey, he said it, not me. I can't wait for the bumper sticker. Apparently some people are upset over this. Here's a nice cut from Joseph Farah's column:

The ACLU is never going to change. It is an anti-American organization. It is a group that seeks to destroy all that makes America a unique experiment in freedom. It is an organization in league with all of America's enemies. It is an organization that hates God, hates what is right, decent and morally upright. It is an organization in league with the Devil, as far as I am concerned.

And the ACLU is an organization that needs to be isolated, exposed for what it is, recognized for what it is and destroyed if necessary.

Instead, because most Americans have a live-and-let-live attitude, we "tolerate" the ACLU. We wink at it. Maybe we laugh at it. But the ACLU and its allies continue to push our society, to transform it, to remake it in its own twisted image.

. . .Let me ask you a question: Would you rather live next door to a family that hosts a Boy Scout troop or a family of homosexual activists? Would you rather live next door to a family of people who attend church or synagogue every week, or would you prefer to live next door to the local head of the ACLU?

Well with the amount of homosexual activites that have reportedly gone on in both the Boy Scouts and the Church, I don't see why the options have to be mutually exclusive.

Someone's A Joker

Best comment I have received so far:

"I'm a long-time reader of the Vertical Railroad but lately you've gotten way too conservative for me."

Which reminds me, if you guys have any good articles or reports, please send them to me at daweiner@vassar.edu

Thanks

Carpetbagger vs. Carpet Bomber?

Tongues are wagging that Colin Powell will challenge Hillary Clinton for her senate seat in 2006. From the NYDN:

"This is an idea that has great potential," newly minted state GOP chairman Steve Minarik told the Daily News last night. "Colin Powell would have tremendous star quality, and I plan to talk to him about this."

Minarik noted that Powell is a New York City native, while Clinton is a transplanted former First Lady with no roots in the state.

A Clinton-Powell contest would be the political equivalent of a heavyweight title fight. Clinton is popular in New York but is loathed in the "red" states, while Powell is widely admired and respected nationwide and around the globe.

Apparently the GOP is trying to hinder Clinton's 2008 presidential bid by defeating her in 2006. Why? If Clinton wins the Democratic nomination in '08, Republicans won't even have to rig the election that year. Unless Clinton makes Bill her VP and then promises to resign once in office, there is absolutely no way she can win.

Stocking The Cabinet Continues

I'm pretty sure that in order to be the Secretary of Education, your name needs to be a pun. Margaret Spellings replacing Rod Paige? I feel like I'm in an episode of Muzzy with all these names synching up with their professions/characters. Actually, Bush's second choice for education secretary was Samantha Phys-Ed.

There Is Nothing More Upsetting. . .

Than the killing of Margaret Hassan. It is now even more evident that despite the fact that a majority of Iraqis want the U.S. out of their country, there are at least a few groups operating on their own with their own agenda. These groups do not care about their Islamic brothers and sisters, they do not even care about their religion. They only care about power. How else can you explain the hundreds of Iraqi patients who poured out of their hospital to protest the kidnapping of this fine woman who adopted not only their country, but its citizens as her own? How else can you explain the murder of this charity worker who not only had nothing to do with this war, but vehemently opposed it? How else can you explain the murder of this Muslim woman during the holiest of holy festivals, Ramadan?

Hassan's death proves that diplomacy will not work. That is, it will not work with the real enemy, Osama bin Laden, Al Qaeda, and their ilk. We must do everything we can to stop these madmen, not only for us Americans, but for the citizens of this world.

This may sound somewhat right-wing of me, and it may be, but I honestly believe that force is absolutely necessary wherever it is needed, the whole world over. Do I believe that it was originally needed in Iraq? Hell no. Do I believe it is necessary in Iraq now? Sadly, I think so.

From the London Times:

At some point in the past week a gunman blindfolded her, led her into a room and murdered her with a single shot. His accomplice filmed the killing in the hope that the act would be relayed around the world as another blow in the fight against the infidel.

In life Mrs Hassan, 59, was outspoken, tough and fearless. Despite her slim frame she could intimidate a large American soldier as easily as a petty Iraqi bureaucrat. But moments before her death, as she was paraded before the camera, she appeared frail and worn down by weeks in captivity and apparently resigned to her fate.

Al-Jazeera, the Arabic news channel that was given the video and has aired the beheadings of several Western hostages, refused to broadcast what must rank as a new low even by the barbaric standards of Iraq’s insurgency: a woman executed during the holy festival of Ramadan.

The rest of the article is here.

Somehow, I can't help but blame Bush for this woman's death. Tell me if I'm wrong to do so.

Oh, and a nod to Andrew Sullivan for helping to get the London Times to put their stuff online, for free no less.

So Bob Saget. . .

Performed here (Vassar College) last weekend. He was decent, right on at some points, pretty lame at others. But what may be the lamest event of the night is pictured right here. I thought "The Shocker" (and for that matter, Collegehumor.com) was only a state-school phenomenom. You got to love Saget's face in this picture, though.

Sagat's Best Line: "I actually changed my name from Somosexual."

Oh, Danny Tanner, oh

Stay tuned for a nice, fat post on the new head of the CIA Porter Goss and his attempts to whip those left-leaning, tree-hugging, NPR-listening, Volvo-driving, pansey-ass liberals at the CIA into the Bush-lovers they're supposed to be. I totally see where Goss is coming from. I mean to me, the CIA is like the Sierra Club, PETA, and MoveOn.org all rolled into one.

Only Because It Brings A Smile To My Face

Seems like those Gotti boys aren't so tough after all. But then again, I never thought they were tough, especially not after watching the one and only episode that I have seen where one of them is basically in tears because his brother used his hairspray. What bitches!

You Got To Love. . .

The balls of Republican lawmakers. They preach about morality and ethics, and yet, continue to support those who are neither moral nor ethical. Take House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, for example. Earlier this year he was rebuked THREE TIMES IN ONE WEEK by the bipartisan House Ethics Committee, making for a combined total of four rebukes in his career. And this guy is their House Majority Leader? Now the House Republicans pushed through a amendment to a law THEY CREATED stating that members indicted by grand juries can still retain their leadership posts. Talk about ethical people in leadership positions. But it gets better. This proposed change just happens to benefit Mr. Delay, for he is at the heart of a fundraising scandal which has already seen the indictment of three of his political associates. More here.

I Only Wish Bush Outsourced Cabinet Positions

Here's another interesting read on the increasing homogenization of the White House, as well as government on a whole.

Bill O'Reilly Finally Has A Good Idea. . .

Though it will never happen. Not in a million years. O'Reilly, in a moment of either pure insanity or possible pandering to the left to help his political aspirations, has this to say:

"And now I'm going to be controversial. Now, I know the word is Condoleezza Rice (search ) will get the job. And she is absolutely brilliant and very loyal to President Bush, but I would replace Secretary Powell with Bill Clinton.Yikes! The former president probably wouldn't take the job, but if he did, countries like France, Germany, and Spain would like the move, perhaps cooperate more with America. Add Canada and Indonesia to that group as well.

Mr. Clinton is a smart guy, knows the players and the issues, and has clout, especially in the Palestinian-Israeli arena. So there you go, bold move, little downside, maybe big benefits. But I'm sure President Bush isn't going to do it."

It always sends a chill up my back when O'Reilly says something right.

William Safire. . .

Is retiring . Despite the fact that I hate his column with a passion and that I sometimes think he must be braindead to write what he writes, I will kind of miss him, in a weird, masochistic way. He is a necessary evil at the Times, and I doubt whoever replaces him will be nearly as good at playing that role.

More to come later.

Fuck, where am I gonna live now?

'Outer Borough' Finally Attracts The 'In' Crowd
Staten Island, here I come!

Big Dick Cheney?

I figure this page needs a picture or two, so here is one worth a thousand words.

Since I am loathe to give Cheney or the Bush administration any unnecessary kudos, I'm partial to the idea that Cheney is wearing a colostomy bag.

This is slightly old. . .

But it's relevance will only grow with time. Last Thursday, Veteran's Day, the NY Times published excerpts from letters that families received from their child/sibling/parent fighting in Iraq. Each of these letters was the last one that these families received from their loved one before they were killed. I have republished one these letters here. All of them are heartbreaking in their own way (the ones written by 18 and 19 year olds hit me especially hard), but this one is by far the most upsetting:

Excerpt of a letter from Army Pfc. Jesse A. Givens, 34, of Springfield, Mo. Private Givens was killed May 1 when his tank fell into the Euphrates River after the bank on which he was parked gave way. This letter was written to be delivered to his family if he died. Melissa is his wife, Dakota his 6-year-old stepson and Bean the name he used for his son, Carson, who was born May 29.

My family,

I never thought that I would be writing a letter like this. I really don't know where to start. I've been getting bad feelings, though and, well, if you are reading this. . . .

The happiest moments in my life all deal with my little family. I will always have with me the small moments we all shared. The moments when you quit taking life so serious and smiled. The sounds of a beautiful boy's laughter or the simple nudge of a baby unborn. You will never know how complete you have made me. You saved me from loneliness and taught me how to think beyond myself. You taught me how to live and to love. You opened my eyes to a world I never dreamed existed.

Dakota . . . you taught me how to care until it hurts, you taught me how to smile again. You taught me that life isn't so serious and sometimes you just have to play. You have a big, beautiful heart. Through life you need to keep it open and follow it. Never be afraid to be yourself. I will always be there in our park when you dream so we can play. I love you, and hope someday you will understand why I didn't come home. Please be proud of me.

Bean, I never got to see you but I know in my heart you are beautiful. I know you will be strong and big-hearted like your mom and brother. I will always have with me the feel of the soft nudges on your mom's belly, and the joy I felt when I found out you were on your way. I love you, Bean.

Melissa, I have never been as blessed as the day I met you. You are my angel, soulmate, wife, lover and best friend. I am sorry. I did not want to have to write this letter. There is so much more I need to say, so much more I need to share. A lifetime's worth. I married you for a million lifetimes. That's how long I will be with you. Please keep my babies safe. Please find it in your heart to forgive me for leaving you alone. . . . Teach our babies to live life to the fullest, tell yourself to do the same.

I will always be there with you, Melissa. I will always want you, need you and love you, in my heart, my mind and my soul. Do me a favor, after you tuck the children in. Give them hugs and kisses from me. Go outside and look at the stars and count them. Don't forget to smile.

Love Always,
Your husband,
Jess

I have plenty to say about this letter, but at least for now I will let it speak for itself. I do feel, however, that I should point out that Jesse Givens was killed on May 1st, the same day that President Bush declared that all major combat in Iraq was over.

So Condi will take Colin's spot. . .

But who will replace Ms. Rice as Bush's National Security Advisor. While multiple names are being floated around Washington, the safe bet is Stephen Hadley. Stephen Hadley, Stephen Hadley, hmmm. . . where have we heard that name before? Oh riiiiight, he was the fall guy for Bush when the whole "Iraq trying to buy Nigerian uranium" thing (aka, the "yellowcake" debacle) blew up in his face. No, still doesn't ring a bell? Wait a tick, it must be because he is one of the prime suspects for leaking CIA-agent Valerie Plame's name to that upstanding journalist Bob Novak, a treasonous offense. Still nothing? Well read this and this, maybe they will help jog your memory

Actually, my favorite reading on the subject has surprisingly come from CNN. Check out this little excerpt:

The moves drew initial negative reaction from a former secretary of state who served Bush's father.

"I do not believe that you should have in the secretary of state someone who has spent their last four years in the White House next to the president," Lawrence Eagleburger told CNN's "Paula Zahn Now." "I do believe you need tension between the State Department, the Defense Department and the National Security Council.

"If the rumors prove correct and her deputy becomes national security adviser, everybody is going to speak the same language," he said. "Whatever influence, for instance, Colin Powell had is going to be much less under these new circumstances."

Well, that's my first-ever post on this blog. Do come again. And tell your friends.