Now THIS is a useful site!

My Life Is Beer!: Beers From United States

The outing of Valerie seemed intended to send a not-so-subtle message to other potential critics, "Mess with us, and we'll mess with your family."

A bit more personal note on this fiasco.

A neighbor's view of Valerie Wilson's 'outing'

But House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wisconsin, who shepherded the bill through the House, said sunset provisions were not necessary because there was no evidence the Patriot Act was being misused and lawmakers could provide sufficient oversight.

Oh. My. God. It's worse that I ever could have imagined.

One amendment that did pass overwhelmingly requires the FBI director to personally approve any FBI requests for bookstore or library records of suspected terrorists. Sponsored by Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, it passed 402-26.

Yeah, because I can seriously picture the freaking director of the FBI taking stock of each and every request for his sig that hits his desk.

Director: "More papers to sign, Jerry?"
Secretary: "Yes, sir, right where I've put the sticky arrows."

-janelane, expatriate

I think one thing that is overlooked in this is that Sensenbrenner is considered to be the right's answer to, well, I have a hard time thinking of anyone as far to the left as Jim is to the right, not even Ted. He's the one who held up the Intelligence Act because he wanted to attach immigration riders to it. He's the same one who, when presented by Amnesty International quoting FBI documents abouts abuses at Camp X-Ray, Abu Gharib and Bagram, simply didn't want to hear it, gaveled the meeting closed and walked off.

His saying there was no evidence saying it had been abused is like Bagdahd Bob saying that the Americans are losing.

RE: Patriot Act Extended

Wow. I don't even have any idea what to think about this one other than maybe that Jesus would be just as happy tossing this as he was tossing over the moneychangers. This is nuts!

Welcome to Jesusland!

"The president has said repeatedly, "I am a man of my word,' " Wilson added. "He should stand up and prove that his word is his bond and fire Karl Rove."

Good call Joe.

Joseph Wilson Calls on Bush to Fire Rove

The case is among the most serious legal clashes between the media and the government since the Supreme Court in 1971 refused to stop the Times and The Washington Post from publishing a classified history of the Vietnam War known as the
Pentagon Papers.

Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia have shield laws protecting reporters from having to identify their confidential sources. Legislation to establish such protection under federal law has been introduced in Congress.

This presents an interesting case. If DC has a protective clause specifically indemnifying reporters, that should fall into federal jurisdiction, meaning the requested information would have to fall into some other jurisdiction?

I'm still finding this whole case a bit odd, especially when the person who broke the story, Bob Novak, "the Angel of Darkness" isn't under this kind of order. Does that mean he rolled over or has he not been asked?

Prosecutor Demands Time Reporter Testimony

At a time when the United States is tightening its borders, how could a man toting what appeared to be a bloody chain saw be allowed into the country?

Well he's an American nutjob so it's okay.

Man With Chain Saw Allowed to Enter U.S.

] The first, of a buffalo, restores the animal to the
] five-cent coin. That symbol of the Plains appeared on the
] back of every U.S. nickel minted between 1913 and 1938,
] when the modern Jefferson head piece was introduced. The
] new buffalo nickels will be produced during the first
] half of 2005.

I wouldn't bring this up, but I saw my first one of these today.

The buffalo is anatomically correct.

New nickel unveiled - Sep. 16, 2004

] Jones, a private tutor, said intelligent design is not
] really being "taught" in class. "They're reading a
] statement about it," she said.

I'm not sure there's actually anything to "teach" in intelligent design. The whole idea is "Gee, this is really complicated so someone had to do it, but we're not going to talk about who."

That's not science. Science is all about how things work. This is anti-science. "Intelligent Design" says this is too big for us to wrap our little brains around." That's not just stupid, it's un-American. When Superman gets brought up on "Truth, Justice, and the American Way," that American Way is hard work, honest effort and being smarter than the next guy who didn't work as hard or didn't put out the effort.

This makes us dumber, and condemns everyone under it to that.

Evolution Dominates Campaign in Pa. Town

] Bush watched goose-stepping soldiers and flags emblazoned
] with the Soviet hammer and sickle that recalled the days
] of communist rule. He sat beside Putin on a reviewing
] stand next to Lenin's tomb.
]
]
] White House counselor Dan Bartlett said Bush was not
] uncomfortable with the trappings. Bartlett said it
] "demonstrates how far we've come in the world"

Yep, just shows Bush is more at home in a dictatorship where they aren't asking him questions like, "Do you think Iraq exported their nuclear program to North Korea?"

ABC News: Bush Salutes Soviet Victory in Red Square