Senator's Career Is in the Toilet

I have been slow to write about this because I had to make sure I heard it correctly when I first saw it on the news: A pro-family, anti-gay right winger was caught soliciting sex from an undercover cop in an airport bathroom. Needless to say, I am tickled by the whole thing and I must extend my condolences to the thousands of men that will probably never use a public bathroom again after becoming aware of this scandal.

What I find more odd than the actual event is the fact that members of either party are not exercising more caution as the presidential election season approaches. One would think of all times to keep your nose clean and avoid hookers, pages and users of public toilets, this would be it. I do not blame the GOP for trying to get him to resign...I am surprised that they have not let Cheney loose on Craig.

GONZALES RESIGNS!

First the architect of the Bush administration and now Gonzales? Has the lame duck president been left to the wolves?

I Am Still Kicking...

I know it's been a bit since I have posted, but I will be back in full force soon.

Wal-Mart Adding Clinics to Stores

As a result of slipping sales in the U.S., the retail behemoth is adding doctor visits to its plan for one-stop shopping. Already there are 400 of these supermart-clinics scattered across the country, and Wal-Mart plans on upping that to at least 2,000 in the next few years.

Why are they doing it? To keep their economic base--lower income families--from spending money on going to the emergency room. Since roughly 16% of Americans cannot afford health care, this may be one of the brightest ideas that Wal-Mart has come up with in ages. The doctors will be real doctors: Wal-Mart is simply leasing space to them cheaply. Patients can then go from there and get their prescription filled while buying soup and crackers.

Given that health care is so ridiculous in cost I am all for this. I think it is shameful that a country as rich as this one has 46 million people that cannot afford to see a doctor. My hope is that in time the convenience of going to Wal-Mart clinics will appeal to enough people to were hospitals and clinics are forced to compete more for patients. I am not advocating that the doctor down the street should be forced into bankruptcy, but I have a problem the fact that people have to choose between paying their utilities or getting help that they may desperately need. True, under federal law no emergency room can turn down a patient, but there is an insane price involved in what should be a right instead of a privilege and that is deplorable.

On a side note, I think Wal-Mart should start attaching apartments to the stores, too. That way I would always be within walking distance of a 24-hour store that sells 7 layer dip.

Libby Sentenced!

Former chief of staff to VP Cheney, "Scooter" Libby, will be expected to serve 30 months in jail and will be fined $250,000 (€184,856.03) for his role in the Valerie Plame fiasco. It is reported that President Bush has no intention of intervening with a pardon, though there is some speculation that he will do it as he is leaving office á la former President Clinton.

Terrorist Plot Foiled at JFK Airport

As the title indicates, some would-be terrorists decided to take another aim at New York City. I have not heard whether or not this quartet is connected to any particular terrorist faction, but given that this incident has taken place on American soil, I have to ask the question: if the point of the Iraqi War was to fight terrorists over seas so that they cannot fight us in the United States, then how does the Bush administration explain this incident?

Kudos to the law enforcement agencies in NYC for stopping this plan. I can only hope that the American people will not allow themselves to be duped into another failed foreign policy as a result of this incident.

Man Eats Dog to Promote Animal Rights?

That's right, Mark McGowan protested Prince Philip's hunting and killing a fox by eating a corgi, which is apparently the favorite pooch of Queen Elizabeth II. Yoko Ono joined him in dining on the canine. McGowan, apparently a well-known animal rights activist, has also been documented as eating a swan to protest the monarchy.

Someone explain to me how this makes any sense. I will give him the benefit of the doubt that he waited for the dog to die of natural causes before he and Ono ate it in front of cameras with apples, onions and seasonings, but to me, this has got to be one of the dumbest forms of protests I have ever seen.

Even PETA has not done anything like this yet.

The Heat is On?

The New York Times led today with the news that the White House may be showing signs that it is beginning to cave under pressure from at home to end the war in Iraq. Apparently there is supposed to be a debate to determine whether or not troop reduction should start in 2008...conveniently amidst the heat of the presidential election. The numbers are supposed to drop by 46,000 troops and the fight is supposed to now focus on where Al Qaeda is suspected to be headquartered.

It would have been nice if our royal sovereign, the King/President Bush would have just signed the bill for a time-table instead of reheating Democratic leftovers and trying to pass them off as a new dish. I am pleased, however, that some of Bush's people are backing this idea, including Secretary Rice. If this is pulled off, this should be the first time there was a troop number of that size since 2004.

Maybe that pigeon pooping on him during his last press conference finally convinced him that even animals think his foreign policy is for the birds.

Sheri's Random Rant: The View

I would like to know who is actually watching this show and I demand that these people apologize to me. Thanks to you, that watered-down, four-headed version of Oprah has enough ratings to where I cannot turn the television without hearing about it.

And who gives a damn if Rosie O'Donnell is arguing with some blond Republican? What exactly have either of these people done to benefit mankind? O'Donnell's claims-to-fame are playing a corpulent version of Betty Rubble and arguing with a spoiled, attention-hungry rich guy with the worst hair ever and I have never heard of the other one before...and now they are media darlings?

At least when O'Donnell leaves that putrid excuse for entertainment will go back to the dry bit of airspace it has always been.

King Bush Wins!

The bill has passed. I feel so betrayed. This once great country is at the mercy of a tyrannical president and an impotent Congress. I cannot help but wonder why do I bother to vote.

Democrats Punk Out!

This is a sad day for America; Bush is officially the king of the United States.

The Democrats in Congress disappointed the hell out of me by letting Bush call their bluff with a bill that doesn't have a time-table. They have crippled the opportunity of exiting this disaster of a war. Why not just include a jewel encrusted crown and just make his monarchy official since they are too afraid to take this tyrant on with the bit of Constitutional power that they have?

Is there no one that will stand up to the Bush administration?

Wolfowitz Quits!

It was just too hot in the kitchen for World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz so he's getting out of it:

"Wolfowitz agreed to resign in negotiations with the bank's executive board, pre-empting a growing likelihood that he would have been formally reprimanded or fired, said bank officials who spoke on condition they not be named, citing the political sensitivity of the proceedings."

The end of his reign will occur at the end of June. I will give him credit for resigning; it is a far more dignified way of handling the situation.

Jerry Falwell Dies at 73

Link to WP article.

Sarkozy Wins!..Should I Panic?

Nicholas Sarkozy, son of immigrants but refers to other immigrants as "scum," is now the president of France.

I haven't paid much attention to this race, but what I do know about Sarkozy is not exactly favorable. From what I am understanding, France just elected Dick Cheney sans gun to run their country. But there are two benefits to Sarkozy winning, the first being his pro-American stance means there is a chance for France and the U.S. to get back on good terms with one another politically.

The second is that if he is as volatile as his language, then we get to thumb our noses at France for once.

When Mass Hysteria Clouds Reason

The Virginia Tech massacre was horrible, there is no doubt about that, however, we must still allow reason and logic to prevail over fear.

A high school student's dreams of being in the Marine Corps were dashed after they dropped him due to pending charges stemming from a violent essay he wrote for class. Why did he write a violent essay all of a sudden? Could it have had something to do with the fact that the assignment read "Be creative; there will be no judgment and no censorship." I read part of the essay and personally thought it was pretty ridiculous and he should have gotten an "F" for writing a crappy essay, but to have him face 30 days in a county jail and a $1500 fine when he has been an exemplary student his entire life is ludicrous.

And if anything, this rejection increases the chances that he would act on his words.

SENATE APPROVES BILL WITH IRAQ PULLOUT TIMETABLE

I can't believe it!

The Democratic-controlled Congress just basically flipped Bush's veto threats off by passing the bill anyway:

"The 51-46 vote was largely along party lines, and like House passage of the same bill a day earlier, fell far short of the two-thirds margin needed to overturn the president’s threatened veto. Nevertheless, the legislation is the first binding challenge on the war that Democrats have managed to send to Bush since they reclaimed control of both houses of Congress in January."

Let's ride on a prayer that a miracle will take place and Bush will just give up the ghost and let this mess go.

A Thought on the Osprey

I am a little late on commenting about the controversial MV-22 Osprey - the multimillion dollar helioplane crafted by the Marine Corps, but as they say, better late than never. What I see when I look at the Osprey is millions of our tax dollars to reinvent a propeller airplane. The fuselage is suspended in space like a dangling target. The only person that I would put in the Osprey is Bin Laden.

What I would have liked to see is that money redirected to the R&D of satellite technology that can detect IEDs.

Boris Yeltsin Dies

Yeltsin dies at age 76.

WP article

Civil Rights Movement Veterans and Obama

One of my professors said recently that generals are always still stuck in the last war they fought. I find that to be true for the veterans of the Civil Rights movement as well. I am not alone in my sentiment, I am just one of the few that has the courage to speak up since it is perceived to be ungrateful to say anything about Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton.

But I have to do this.

Sharpton et al have repeatedly criticized candidates like Obama for not being more aggressive in their tactics when it comes to addressing issues like the Imus debacle. Obama criticized Imus--like just about everyone else--but according to the CRM vets, he didn't do it with enough force. Then what exactly should he have done? I freely admit that we have a long way to go as far as civil rights go, but we keep forgetting the progress that has been made. A rally isn't necessary anymore every time we face prejudice and instead of criticizing modern leaders for not having one, maybe our CRM vets should just take the time to realize this and bask in the glory of the fact that we don't have to have a rally every time something goes awry to get something done anymore.

Cartoon of the Day