Truth Surfer

"Our Country is Democratic", on any given day...can America say the same? The war on terror cannot be fought a la carte. Nor can it be fought by resorting to methods that contradict the very values and motivations the Bush administration professes to spread around the globe. If it is serious about fighting the war on terror, it must put politics aside. Allies in the war on terror do not have to agree on domestic issues or political ideology; they must be united only in their dedication to protecting the lives of their citizens, Venezuelans and Americans alike. Los Angeles Times

Why Democrats Lose, Part #$%!&!!!!! And another thing.... How much longer does this country have to be held under the thumbs of the leg-breaking, fight-fixing Republicans and the Dempublicans who help them? I mean, “culture of corruption” ?!!?!? How damned effete. CALL THEM CROOKS . Jesus, show just SOME sign that you people give a damn about the damage being done. You so-called “leaders” of the used-to-be party of the people just look like washed up old boxers who eat the canvas on rigged fights, while the bookies on K Street collect bigtime on the action. Madman posted up on Liberal Street Fighter

"The whole purpose of Veterans for Peace for me is to try to prevent the next war," War colors Memorial Day I watched Baghdad ER on TV last night... Been a while since I've watched any war movie as I find it too hard...but I'm glad I did, it re-affirmed the insanity of what this war (or any war) is all about. Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms Lyrics These mist covered mountains Are a home now for me But my home is the lowlands And always will be Some day you'll return to Your valleys and your farms And you'll no longer burn To be brothers in arm Through these fields of destruction Baptism of fire I've watched all your suffering As the battles raged higher And though they did hurt me so bad In the fear and alarm You did not desert me My brothers in arms There's so many different worlds So many different suns And we have just one world But we live in different ones Now the sun's gone to hell And the moon's riding high Let me bid you farewell Every ...

Kenny Boy got a dose of reality... Mr. Fish - The Unicorn of Enron "I firmly believe I'm innocent of the charges against me. We believe that God in fact is in control and indeed he does work all things for good for those who love the lord." ( more )

It's Friday and I just want to get this out of my system and enjoy the long weekend. Now go have fun! New Zogby Poll shows the cost of Freedom Under Bu$hCo: 75% said they trust government less than they did five years ago 5% said they think corporations do right by the consumers they are in business to serve 25% feel the reporting is fair and accurate in the newspapers or television. Liar Liar Pants On Fire ...T here's lots more where that came from! Bu$h Joke President Bush said today he has nothing but respect for Mexico and its people and he will always speak the truth to them. Here's my question: When can we get that deal?"---Jay Leno Visions Of Bush Ten Signs of the Impending US Police State. Call Me, we'll do lunch? A New Turning Point in Iraq ! ‘He wouldn’t have taken my phone call a year ago,’ Bush said Monday of the new Iraqi parliament speaker. ‘He’s now taken it twice.’ Wow, and it cost only $200 billion and thousands of maimed and dead American soldi...

A MN Twin's Meal Deal : Let Them Eat Free Dog! As a special thank you to fans, everyone attending Friday's game will receive a voucher good for a complimentary soft drink and hot dog. The voucher can be redeemed at Metrodome concession stands on Friday or during any remaining 2006 Twins home game."

Should a President be interfering...is it a 'Constitutional Crisis' or Hastert's corruption? House Speaker Denny Hastert has demanded that ABC News retract the story in the item below. ABC News said...no. Is it any wonder that Hastert and other House members are sweating out the FBI's raid on William Jefferson's Congressional Office: To quote one federal official: "Whether they like it or not, members of Congress, including Hastert, are under investigation." Read the full ABC News story here

Why this: "The president directed that no one involved in the investigation have access to the documents under seal and that they remain in the custody of the solicitor general. Bush's move was described as an attempt to reach a cooling off period in a heated confrontation between his administration and leaders of the House and Senate." Ahhh, I get it now , According to 'Comments from Left Field' it's all about protecting the guilty: Turns out, we now learn, Hastert's under investigation for putting the clamps down on a Native American tribe's casino bid shortly after receiving 26 Big Ones from a fundraiser held by Jack Abramoff (who was representing competing tribes opposed to the new proposed casino). This also explains Hastert's recent support for "English only" legislation --- apparently he believes, under that bill, no one can legally utter quid pro quo. See no, speak no, hear no truth.

Free Fact The average American household consumes 26 gallons of gas each week. Free Q uote "But, listen,let's review the rules. Here's how it works: the president makes decisions. He's the decider. The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Just put 'em through a spell check and go home." Stephen Colbert lampooning the president Free Poll There is a new poll up today on the front page of Kos.Don't see any change from yestarday other than it added the words 'St. Paul'. Now go vote! While ahead yesterday, we were behind today or at least last I looked. I don't think they'll use it to decide where the 2008 DNC convention will be, but why not show some support. Wouldn't it be great to have the convention in our backyard? Free Rumors Rumors have been circulating wildly about the possibility of Mike Hatch dropping out of the governor's race. Checks and Bal...

Bu$hCo is a bullet train, at full speed, running down a track littered with foriegn bodies,. They stroke the engine with the fire of 'their' democracy, racing full out toward the black void of the precipice...or something like that... Isn't it time we signal for a stop?

Read this account ...at KOS Look out for the willies- it's not for the faint of heart... "Thank God for giving us George Bu$h." My question is: Why resist the Hitler youth comparison ? . It's a hybid para- military based religion ... Believe or die... G*d says so . This is what happens when the Christian far right doesn't get the Armageddon they were promised by Bu$hCo . Yes the end times are here...or they'll make damn sure they are... Praise the Lord and pass the ammo A Self Fulfilling Prophecy According to the gospel of South Park, Jesus himself uses a G36 rifle, which is later dual wielded by Santa, an odd thing because the weight and recoil of the rifle makes firing one gun in each hand impossible (unless you really are Jesus!). However dual wielding any weapon is never recomended for proper use and only seen in fiction. Just ask any christian.

Not to keep beaning the batter in the head with a foul ball, but...got this email and thought it was worth sharing...it does have some new crap! "This is crap. The way it is funded is serious crap. A tax that only affects Hennepin County is crap. The proposal that passed does not give any special buy in or pay back for the team, more crap... So what's the crime rate in Hennepin County? Hasn't it risen every year as the funding for education goes down. Who needs public transit and affordable housing anyway? It's all crap. Yeahhhhhhhh, Minnesota will now have a 'nuevo' Twins stadium that will have gastronomic food choices. No dome dogs for the rich! And CEO's can enjoy (and afford) the heated seats and climate controlled corporate boxes . What a load of crap. I would support a publicly funded stadium like the Romans. Yeah that's the ticket... Bring back classical Roman culture. Let's see if they give these MN legislative morans a thumbs up or fed them...

I guess I missed the big announcement . Oh well, no harm done, I still have my towel.

I wonder if Minnesota's Congressman John Kline (R) supports the Official GOP's Spanish-language Website ? Strangely both Kline and Powerline are quiet on this verses the bill making English the official language of the USA. "My Congressman, Col. John Kline, is a long-time advocate of legislation establishing English as the country's official language. The principle is sound, but the question is, will the legislation make any difference? To the extent that we still hear, "Press 1 for English," the answer may be No." Powerline: Pander \Pan"der\, n. Pandering:To play the pander for. [1913 Webster] to pander to To appeal to (base emotions or less noble desires), so as to achieve one's purpose;to exploit (base emotions, such as lust, prejudice, or hate).

B y The Royal Decreed of the Order of Truthsurfers , I give the following DFLers the first ever Minnesota’s ‘Spit In Your Eye’ award for gifting billionaire Carl Pohlad with a stadium at our hard working expense…way to stick it to the very people you represent! T Bonoff, T Clark, Foley, Higgins, Hottinger, Dean Johnson, Gov. Steve Kelley, Kiscaden, Kubly, Langseth, S. Marko, J. Metzen, S. Murphy, Saxhaug, Scheid, Skoe, Skoglund, Sparks, Stumpf, Tomassoni, Vickerman and Wiger. "Tiger Randall's threat to spit in the pitcher's eye as he rounds second base may have to be taken seriously after all. He's already droolin' tobacco juice all over his jersey..." Baseball players spit more than any other professional athletes. They even spit more than boxers, who at least try to hit the buckets in their corners most of the time . Baseball players spit anytime, anywhere--before, during and after the game and while the TV cameras are on them... Now, the before mentioned D...

This week closes out a particularly hard week with being so very busy, fighting the flu and caring for family. It got me to thinking about those less fortunate and I realized that unlike 'them', it is possible for me to 'get out of the state I'm in'. So without further ado, I give you Friday's less Fortunates" All Far Right Bloggers Bite me or cry me a river...it's all the same to them: 'Reading far-right blogs, one would never have guessed that the GOP holds the White House, Supreme Court, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, State Senate and State Assembly. Some have struggled to understand why those on the right could be so unhappy with their nearly ultimate power over State Government and their absolute power over the Federal Government.' hat tip to the Wisconsion Coneheads Saying ""We are citizens of this planet." won't get you far with the current administration. Hopefully extra-terrestrials from Remulak don't crash-land their U...

Every four years the Republican & Democratic National Committee holds a convention to select the Democratic Party’s Presidential and Vice Presidential nominees. Delaegates from each of the states gather amid much fanfare. Minneapolis has bid several times for these conventions, most recently in 1908 for the 2000 events and for the 2004 Republican convention but has remained barren since 1892 when it hosted the Republican National Convention. Minneapolis and St. Paul announced their combined bids for both the Republican and Democratic 2008 National Conventions. It seems like we have pretty good odds this time to see at least one of the conventions staged in Minnesota. Minneapolis and Denver have officially submitted their proposals to host the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Those states that may yet still submit, although the deadline is today, are Las Vegas, New Orleans and New York. US Senator Smilin' Norm Coleman (R-MN) will be hand delievering the bid for the GOP con...

While the U.S. Senate debates making English the national official language, Minnesota lawmakers are celebrating Syttende Mai , Norwegian Independence Day, by wearing red, white and blue buttons with American and Norwegian flags. Wonder if today they’ll recite the pledge to allegiance in Norwegian. In any case, the Senate better make it quick, as according to the Census Bureau more Americans are speaking Spanish . About half of all the states have passed language laws in the last decade. But mostly, they are symbolic rather than substance. Usually the laws simply designate English as the official language, without prohibiting the use of any other language. In other cases, so many exceptions are included — from election ballots to health and safety needs — that English is the legal language in name only. Meanwhile, the language and culture of Latin America have flooded the nation through the force of sheer numbers. Around the globe, more people speak Mandarin Chinese — 885 million — t...

The Fence - 2000 miles of steel Follow the Money: Wonder who will get the no-bid contract to build the fence? Halliburton? What ought to shock and terrify every American is that KBR, a Halliburton subsidiary, was awarded a $385 million contract to build "temporary detention facilities" in case of an "immigration emergency". Don’t be afraid, be prepared?! What will the fence do? Here: Simple, it makes American citizens feel protected, and gets people elected, without actually stopping the flow of migrant workers There: Crossings will become more dangerous. More deaths will be attributed to drowning, dehydration, and being run over by automobiles as illegals moved into the desert to avoid official ports of entry. Look for more immigrants to take more risks because of the fence. How will we maintain it? It will be like constant bailing of water in a sinking ship to keep the fence from being torn down, cut open, or trampled over. Naturally, it will take more contra...

A Tale of Two Bozos.... Say Kids, What Time Is It?... Lew Anderson, who died Saturday at age 84, was known most recently for his big band's regular Friday night gig at Birdland, but in the 1950s, he burned his way into the psychic landscape of millions of boomer kids like me as Clarabell the Clown on the "Howdy Doody Show." For those too young to remember, Clarabell dressed in a striped clown suit, big clown shoes, and a clown nose, and armed with a trademark bottle of seltzer to facilitate carbonic interplay, Anderson was a jolly, unpredictable presence on the Howdy Doody set. Bu$h Clown and His Circus Now a days, the Howdy Doody Show is no more. Taking it's place is the surreal media attempt at nightly news that is orcharested by big corporate oil profiteers. Bu$h has taken the place of Clarabell, but while unpredictable, he's not so funny. 'The plutocratic autocracy that is the Bush White House has been imperiously dismissive of America's Constitutional...

Howard Dean advocates a rational approach to immigration : "...the President tried to hide the truth about his guest worker program, which would force immigrants into indentured servitude and fail to protect U.S. workers and their wages. For what little substance the President did offer, he left out critical answers on practicality and cost, at a time when our national debt and budget deficits are at record highs and our national guard is stretched thin. What's worse, the President failed to denounce the House Republicans' plan to criminalize immigrants, families, doctors, and even clergy, leaving many to question whether or not he will stand up to the extremists in his party." a reference to the Sensenbrenner bill, which passed in the US House last winter. " ...Democrats have been consistent and will continue to fight for comprehensive immigration reform that is both tough and smart. That means reform that strengthens our borders. It means reform that protects U...

Great Quote on what's wrong with using domestic spying: Systems setup to stop the "bad-guys" invariably get used against the "just-as-bad-guys", the "almost-as-bad-guys", the "bad-looking-guys", the "we-think-they-must-be-bad-guys" and the "if-they-oppose-us-they-are-bad-guys". Is There an Echo in the White House? Bu$h chose Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden to lead the CIA. Mr. 'data miner' Hayden headed up Bu$hCo's domestic surveillance programs at the NSA. National Insecurity ! Coleen Rowley (Minnesota's CD2 Congressional candidate) at Huffington Post : "There is a more fundamental problem with the administration's willingness to invade privacy and trample civil liberties in the name of national security. Many Bush administration tactics, including use of rendition and black sites, third party data collection , warrantless surveillance , and treatment of U.S. citizens as enemycombatants , are o...

While it's tempting to play like the NSA and spy on others, I don't have the suggested 'business attire' so I'll stick to my circle of friends. US Senator Norm and Laurie Coleman Cordially invite you to join them in welcoming Mrs. Laura Bush For an evening in support of Mark Kennedy Candidate for United States Senate Tuesday, June 6 "The Blue Room" 4:30 p.m. - Reception "The Red Room" 6:00 p.m. - Dinner The Depot 225 Third Avenue South Minneapolis, Minnesota For more information Please call 651.644.2506 or email rsvp@markkennedy06.com All attendees must be paid and registered by June 1 Business Attire Suggested

ROCKIN' IN THE FREE WORLD (Neil Young) 'For once we agree'... It will work any day of the week.

Gently toward the jail cell... I haven't seen this anywhere else...yet... TruthOut.. Rove was indicted... Late Friday... Resignation early next week, It's like a tiny piece of sweater yarn that you pull on, then the rest of the sweater starts to unravel before long there istoo much damage and the sweater must be tossed.

Coleen Rowley says we can follow ideals and fight terrorism without trading away constitutional rights…. This is a huge issue, because if you fall into thinking that we cannot combat terrorism using our criminal justice system and all the rights and protections it affords, you open the door to all the extraconstitutional -- or more bluntly, illegal -- methods currently in vogue: the use of renditions, black sites and torture; lack of due process; and warrantless NSA monitoring on American soil . Enormous problems loom once we decide it's OK as a blanket measure to go around the constitutional rules and down this slippery slope.

Even though it's Friday, there's still too much left unanswered, still I got a few theories....in the meantime, have a nice weekend... Baby Death Rate in USA I'm going with Modern World's theory on why: Because of some unholy confluence of conservatism, free-marketism, and general head-up-ass-ism, this country has never made health care for all a national priority. Things like this are the result, and it infuriates me. Next time some right wing asshole starts talking about the scary, scary dangers of socialized medicine, just remember: among industrialized nations, only Latvia has a higher death rate for newborns than the United Fucking States of America. For a nation as advanced and wealthy as we are alleged to be, that’s unspeakably obscene. Incredible Florida Bird Flu Pandemic Two words: Bu$hCo sponsored. Yep that's my theory: Any idiot can tell by the way they've posed the flamingo's bodies. Bu$hCo and Cockroach Pheromones When talking about roaches Bu$...

Millions of domestic calls …this can’t be good: The National Security Agency has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans , using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth, people with direct knowledge of the arrangement told USA TODAY.... "It's the largest database ever assembled in the world," said one person, who, like the others who agreed to talk about the NSA's activities, declined to be identified by name or affiliation. The agency's goal is "to create a database of every call ever made" within the nation's borders, this person added....

To paraphase the below May 9 letter from Senator Johnson to Speaker Sviggum: GET TO WORK ! It's why you were elected, what you get paid for, and what the voters want...sigh...for a change. It continues to be my sincere hope we adjourn the 2006 legislativesession ahead of the constitutionally mandated adjournment date of Monday, May 22nd. I trust you share this goal as we agreed in principle that adjournment would be preferred by May 17th. I stand by that commitment. Unfortunately, the actions of the House of Representatives today do not convey that sentiment. The House received the Senate message regarding the supplemental! funding bill. At that point, you could have appointed conference committee members and the Senate would have responded in kind. The committee could have met as early as tomorrow and finished their work by this weekend. Without a conference committee, it is impossible to reach the necessary compromise. Similarly, the House could have appointed con...

Although a little old fashion, it appears that letter writing is coming back in style. Iran's President Mahmound Ahmadinejad sparked this craze by his letter to Bu$h. In his letter, Mr Ahmadinejad criticises the US invasion of Iraq and urges Mr Bu$h to return to religious principles. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice dismissed the letter as "offering nothing new" and the White House said there would be no formal written reply I can understand that. I mean what would they say, 'yes we did illegally invade Iraq' (they did) and 'yes we don't uphold christian principles' (they don't). The letter itself is 18 pages (hey maybe he writes BIG!) but then again, maybe Bu$hCo has done a lot of things to write about. I believe the inspiration for the letter was from Michael Moore who has written several letters to Bush. But regardless, it's inspired me to do more than just blog against this administration. I'm going to dust off my pen and ink a ...

Wow- Now 31%. - down 3% this week alone! Which begs the question: Who are the folks within the 31% Are they insane? Don't they follow the news ?

...One For Americans, Another For The Preznut It must be nice to be above the law . "...President Bush doesn't bother with vetoes; he simply declares his intention not to enforce anything he dislikes. Charlie Savage at The Globe reported recently that Mr. Bush had issued more than 750 'presidential signing statements' declaring he wouldn't do what the laws required. Perhaps the most infamous was the one in which he stated that he did not really feel bound by the Congressional ban on the torture of prisoners.

A standing ovation, cheers, clapping, foot stomping and real smiles! Coleen Rowley took to the stage at the CD2 convention after her unanimous DFL endorsement by the delegates this afternoon. The time for change has come… Coleen Rowley …Agent for Change and our next CD2 Congresswomen! I'll give more specifics in the next day or two. But before then (1) Check out her new website done by Bill Hillsman . It's a winner! http://www.coleenrowley.com/ and (2) While you're there become a card carrying 'Agent for Change' and ' give '.

Have a great Cinco De Mayo and Weekend... Here's the hoot: Tomorrow: Five top reasons to attend the CD2 Convention this weekend at Faribault HS : Less crowded and fewer candidates names to know than CD5 Chance to see CD2's new field office in Northfield Looks like we'll be out by afternoon (the same day!) Better looking Sargeant of Arms than other CDs and the number one reason: Chance to be an 'Agent for Change' Tomorrow Redux: Truthsufer wanted to remind everyone: Free Comic Book Day is THIS SATURDAY! Bring your friends, your family, your friends' family, and your family's friends! Pack those stores!If you're not sure which stores in your area are participating, head over to the Free Comic Book Day website and check the FCBD Locator at www.freecomicbookday.com Yesterday: We don’t have protest songs..much…anymore … Don't let the music die . Kent State, May 4, 1970 Neil Young, Ohio. Tin soldiers and Nixon coming, We're finally on our own. This ...

Foster Chase, a gay student from UNC-Chapel Hill, has written about his from-the-inside experience at the weekend convention of the Log Cabin Republicans. He covers a lot of area and some of it is down right surprising, like the revelation that 24% of gay voters went for Bush in 2000... and in 2004. What does that mean? Do they really think he'll help them, their causes and issues? Why? Chase even addresses conflicts between the group and the GOP base but he also looks at the LCRs. It's an interesting must read .

Quote of the week: Bibi (granny) Riverbend's mother’s second cousin “For the first time in many years, I fear death. All people die eventually and I’ve had a longer life than most Iraqis- today children and young people are dying. I only fear death because I was born under a foreign occupation… I never dreamed I would die under one.”

Before Liberation : Iraq women attending college in 1964 After Liberation : Iraq women attention college in 2006 Thank You Mr. Bush, Can I have another?

As this Kos event was early in the morning, something Kos had as much trouble with as the rest of us who were there, the crowd was only around 40. I say only, not because 40 is a small number, but rather because it is small compared to the more than 100 that was at Drinking Liberally last night. From watching what was said at New Patriot , it seems like it was a similar stump. For the record, I think this guy is right on. The DNC, needs to, no, must get out of DC and get into every part of this country. The technology that is allowing this revolution of political activism is in it infancy, but we need to keep plugging away at it to help build the as solid of a Democratic community as we can. Another point that he made, that actually surprised me a bit coming from him, but something I too agree with, is the need to not let single issue groups trump true coalition building. It is a challenge to do this in a big-tent party like the Democratic Party, but we must learn how to allow ...

According to Forbes.com , The Minnesota Twins are worth 216 million and have an operating income of 7 million. Also, 25 of the 30 Major League Baseball teams had operating profits from last year. All in all, the business of baseball is booming for owners. In 1984 Carl Pohlad brought the Twins for 44 Million. Carl is currently listed as 78th in wealth within the U.S. His net worth is 2.8 BILLION +. It's good to know the hard working Minnesotan taxpayer can help him out in his time of need. I mean why wouldn't we build a new stadium for a business that is turning a profit for a billionaire and his friends but is revenue neutral for the community and state. Would it be too much t0o ask our leaders in the House and Senate to fix transportation, education, and medical needs before they enrich already really, really rich people who probably pay less proportionally in taxes than me! Baseball owners continue to slam the ball out of the park. Team values increased an average of 15% fo...

He was for it before he was against it. Apparently George Bush has decided that this year it's more important to kiss xenophobic, conservative asses than hard-working, Latino asses.

Must Go Events! officail blurb: "Crashing The Gate - Netroots, Grassroots and the Rise of People-Powered Politics" Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, creator of www.dailyKos.com, and Jerome Armstrong, creator of www.myDD.com, are coming to Minneapolis/St. Paul on May 2nd and May 3rd to promote their book "Crashing The Gate". The book describes the rise of the "new, nationwide, reform-minded progressive movement that is both populist and patriotic at heart and that is already changing the political, media, and activism landscapes in profound and long-lasting ways. “ Jerome and Markos have been at the forefront of this sea change and have helped to significantly shape the direction of this new movement. 331 Club 331 Northeast 13th Avenue Minneapolis May 2nd from 6 to 8 PM Breakfast event at the Louisiana Cafe at 613 Selby Avenue St. Paul May 3rd from 7-9 AM. For more information go to www.crashingthegate.com

Hey today is a great day to sit at the Twins new outdoor stadium and watch the game.