Source: Wall Street Journal

During arguments in a campaign-finance case, the court's majority conservatives seemed persuaded that corporations have broad First Amendment rights and that recent precedents upholding limits on corporate political spending should be overruled.

But Justice Sotomayor suggested the majority might have it all wrong -- and that instead the court should reconsider the 19th century rulings that first afforded corporations the same rights flesh-and-blood people have.

Judges "created corporations as persons, gave birth to corporations as persons," she said. "There could be an argument made that that was the court's error to start with...{imbuing} a creature of state law with human characteristics."

After a confirmation process that revealed little of her legal philosophy, the remark offered an early hint of the direction Justice Sotomayor might want to take the court.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1253140882...

Just learned that the White House is extending contracts to Blackwater and other mercenary units. Meanwhile, Halliburton and KBR are still making money hand over fist doing the jobs that our military is supposed to do - and our soliders continue to suffer for it.

I know this whole concept of privatizing the military started in the mid 90s. Maybe we can't kill this policy immediately, but it's time to start sharpening the knives.

It's time to insist that our military sustain itself once again. For starters, no more private security contractors being deployed on missions that our soldiers are supposed to handle. If the Pentagon needs to solicit advice from retired Special Forces and SEALs, that's fine, but that shouldn't mean allowing mercenaries to play soldier under the US flag without accountability to anyone, especially if their CEO has delusions of holy war or some other damn fool idealistic crusade.

Basic food and drink are another sensitive issue. I know the military relies on the private sector for MREs to nourish soldiers in combat zones, but do you mean to tell me there isn't anyone in the US military who is capable of making a pizza? Why outsource this to corporations in the form of lucrative contracts that you and I have to pony up the money for in taxes?

Then there's armor and weapons for our troops. Private-sector companies like VLTOR, Pinnacle Armor, Propper, Blackhawk, Lewis Machine & Tool, EoTech, Aimpont - God bless 'em for trying to keep our soldiers safe, but there have been too many instances where soldiers received gear not because it's the best for their needs, but rather because of who knows who at the Pentagon or the White House. And again, as a result, our troops have occasionally suffered because of inferior gear.

I could go on, but I think my fellow DUers see where I'm going with all this. We want our military to be strong, but it will be its strongest when it is self-sufficient, when its commanders are able to meet the needs of the enlisted men and women on the front lines without lobbyists, corporate reps, or corrupt politicians tying their hands.

We need to insist on a military that can fend for itself. A national platform plank in 2012 might be a good way to get that message across.

What say you?

Physicists at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratories, operating on a grant from the Republican National Committee, have discovered the heaviest element yet known to science.

The new element, dubbed sarahpalinium (Sp), exhibits a nucleus with properties that have yet to be discovered in any other atomic nucleus, including the presence of two new hadrons: youbetchatrons, which are made up primarily of charm quarks; and nordstrons, which appear to be made up of strange quarks which constantly interact with campaign funds. These hadrons, which have not yet been counted, are buffered in the nucleus by one neutron, one lieutenant neutron, 20 deputy lieutenant neutrons, 40 assistant deputy lieutenant neutrons, and 15,000 employee neutrons, giving sarahpalinium an atomic mass of no less than 15,062. These hadrons are held together by elementary forces called morons which occasionally emit radiation in the form of alpha, beta, and inwhatrespectcharlie particles.

Sarahpalinium is orbited by an indeterminate number of lepton-like particles called peons, with only one peon occupying the innermost shell (the "Todd shell") and exercising an unusual influence over the sarahpalinuium nucleus. Beyond the Todd shell is a shell with five peons (the "Track/Bristol/Willow/Piper/Trig shell"), and a third shell with 9,780 peons (the "Wasilla shell").

Sarahpalinium impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A tiny amount of sarahpalinium can cause a reaction that would normally take less than a second to take as long as four years to complete.

Sarahpalinium is inherently unstable, possessing a half-life that will expire on July 26, 2009. At this point, sarahpalinium will either wink out of existence or develop a controversial fourth peon shell that some physicists claim may contain all remaining matter in four-dimensional spacetime, which means that the very universe may indeed revolve around sarahpalinium.

Link to follow...

The spirit of the times may alter, will alter. Our rulers will become corrupt, our people careless. A single zealot may become persecutor, and better men be his victims. It can never be too often repeated that the time for fixing every essential right, on a legal basis, is while our rulers are honest, ourselves united. From the conclusion of this war we shall be going downhill. It will not then be necessary to resort every moment to the people for support. They will be forgotten, therefore, and their rights disregarded. They will forget themselves in the sole faculty of making money, and will never think of uniting to effect a due respect for their rights. The shackles, therefore, which shall not be knocked off at the conclusion of this war, will be heavier and heavier, till our rights shall revive or expire in a convulsion...

Societies exist under three forms, sufficiently distinguishable. 1. Without government, as among our Indians. 2. Under government wherein the will of every one has a just influence; as is the case in England in a slight degree, and in our States in a great one. 3. Under government of force, as is the case in all other monarchies, and in most of the other republics. To have an idea of the curse of existence in these last, they must be seen. It is a government of wolves over sheep. It is a problem not clear in my mind that the first condition is not the best. But I believe it to be inconsistent with any great degree of population. The second state has a great deal of good in it...It has its evils too, the principal of which is the turbulence to which it is subject...But even this evil is productive of good. It prevents the degeneracy of government, and nourishes a general attention to public affairs. I hold that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing...

What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that the people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take up arms...The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.

Thomas Jefferson

*sigh*

I'm gonna say it again...

GET OFF YOUR ASS.

This exhortation may seem harsh, but my challenge to you as disaffected Democrats is actually not that hard to do.

I believe the only way to retake the party from the forces of compromise is from the ground up. This is what I've been saying since early 2006. We started in 2003-2004, but the effort got bogged down when the party establishment stepped in and started dictating terms. Then came November 2006, and the Democratic Party actually retook the House and Senate. They even made inroads across the nation in what were once considered solid Republican strongholds.

Now we've got Barack Obama in the White House, which is a definite improvement over John McLame and his sidekick, Slappy the Dodo Bird. But we still have a list of demands. And if you're not satisfied with what Obama, Pelosi, and Reid and doing in terms of policy, you've gotta get off your ass. Just like I did.

I want every disaffected Democrat who is thinking of leaving the party to instead run for some sort of Democratic office within the next two years. Precinct, city, county, state, Federal, I don't give a damn. Following my own advice, I became a precinct chair and an election judge. I'm organizing a caucus in our state party. I've been writing county and state resolutions as though I was afraid of losing the ability to use my hands. Where I go from here is anyone's guess.

But I'm only here because I got off my ass.

This is where you come in. Stack your county and state party organizations with progressive grassroots activists. If you have a chance to get in the national structure, do it.

In short, I'm calling upon you to DU the Democratic Party itself.

It's not that hard to do. I promise. Check your county party HQ and learn what forms you need to officially file to run for whatever office you seek.

There is so much energy and potential here on DU. Over on "that other site," it seems like all they know how to do is bitch and complain. I know we do a lot of that, too. But I want to see DU transform into something more than just a left-wing version of "those guys." I want us to grow the next crop of Democrats who will chart our party's course from the White House to the court house to the school house to the dog house. This is doable. Take a look at how many members we have, all the energy we possess, all the passion, all the outrage, all the drive to make this nation a better place.

Who's with me? Together, we can send shockwaves through the Democratic Party establishment. We can become the party itself.

The mid-terms will be here before you know it. Get busy. Let's seal the deal once and for all and make the Republicans a permanent minority.

Put simply, we got our asses kicked last night. Instead of capitalizing on the gains we made statewide with the election of Nick Lampson, Ciro Rodriguez, and a slew of new local Democrats in Dallas County and Hays County, Republicans have staged a massive counterattack and blunted our momentum.

No Larry Joe Doherty. No Eric Roberson. No Rick Noriega. And, worst of all, no more Nick Lampson. His district is back in Republican hands ever after suffering from years of DeLayism.

The good new for North Texas is that Carol Kent managed to unseat Tony Goolsby, Chris Turner defeated Bill Zedler, and Robert Miklos beat Mike Anderson by only 527 votes. We have at least three new Democrats in the state house, and now there's talking of trying to unseat Tom Craddick as Speaker of the House. If the state legislature remains majority Republican, however, three new House seats may not be enough.

We still remember what happened with the 2003 redistricting debacle. Texas Democrats are still reeling from this injustice, but our state party has been unable to sustain their momentum from 2006. What this means is that as of this morning, Texas Democrats are in big trouble - and the 2010 census is just around the corner. If we want to avoid a replay of 2003, we need to figure out what our major malfunction is, and fast.

On a happier note, however, let me take you back to a hotel bar in Dallas back in 2004. ginbarn and I were at a Kerry rally, and ginbarn struck up a conversation over drinks with Ken Molberg, who was then co-chair of SD16. Ken inspired ginbarn to seek election as a state delegate and gave her a quick tutorial on the whole process, from the precinct convention to the state convention. It worked. ginbarn wound up at the 2004 state convention in Houston as an alternate, but got promoted to full delegate status in short order. The same Ken Molberg who helped inspire my wife to become a full-fledged Democratic activist has just been elected as judge of the 95th Civil District Court.

Hearty congratulations and thanks to Ken!

From what I've seen of the draft platform for 2008, Barack Obama deserves better than to be represented by such a piece-of-shit platform. I'm sorry if that grates against some DUers' sensibilities, but I thought the objective was to win in November.

It all starts with the Preamble, weakly stating that "It is time for a change" and "We can do better" while bleating how America "defeated fascism," blissfully unaware that a fascist has been occupying the Oval Office for around eight years now, with an even bigger fascist is destroying our energy policy and serving as the PNAC's mouthpiece for Bush's delicate ears. And the platform calls the occupation of Iraq "ill-considered." Somewhere in the corridors of power of the Democratic Party, the balls never dropped like they should. (Lest you think that comment sexist, may I remind you that Cindy Sheehan has always spoken about Iraq with more conviction and forthrightness than most elected Democrats ever have?)

Okay, here we go. Right into Chapter I, "Renewing the American Dream:"

For months the state of our economy has dominated the headlines–and the news has not been good. The sub-prime lending debacle has sent the housing market into a tailspin, and many Americans have lost their homes. By early August, the economy had shed 463,000 jobs over seven straight months of job loss. Health, gas and food prices are rising dramatically.

But the problem goes deeper than the current crisis. Families have seen their incomes go down even as they have been working longer hours and as productivity has grown. At the same time, health costs have risen while companies have shed health insurance coverage and pensions. Worse yet, too many Americans have lost confidence in the fundamental American promise that our children will have a better life than we do.

We are living through an age of fundamental economic transformation. Technology has changed the way we live and the way the world does business. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the advance of capitalism have vanquished old challenges to America’s global leadership, but new challenges have emerged. Today, jobs and industries can move to any country with an Internet connection and willing workers.

Leadership on these issues has been sorely lacking these past eight years. In the 1990s, under Bill Clinton’s leadership, employment and incomes grew and we built up a budget surplus. However, our current President pursued misguided policies, missed opportunities, and maintained a rigid, ideological adherence to discredited ideas...blah, blah, blah...will the Platform Committee PLEASE get to the fucking point, already?! Don't they realize how little time we have to effect any real change in how America does things? Enough with the spiel of telling the party faithful what every single American who isn't a moron already knows, people. Give us the plan so we can get on with our lives.

Now we come to the statement on "Affordable, Quality Health Care Coverage for All Americans." Paragraph after paragraph dealing with health insurance, and only a pittance of support for medical research that might actually cure diseases and disorders so we don't have to keep paying more and more co-pays into our health insurance plans. Ritalin is not a cure for ADHD, nor is insulin a cure for diabetes. Could the Platform Committee please see the forest for the trees, here...?

And here we have the energy policy. 25% of our electricity from renewable sources by when? 2025? Sorry, that's too long. The Chinese will already have a moon base by then. Speaking of the Chinese, while they try in their own ham-handed way to deal with their own greenhouse emissions, let alone clearing Beijing of smog so our Olympic athletes don't start coughing and wheezing, our government needs to start taking the lead on global warming and pollution and making corporations fall in line instead of dictating policy. And I don't want to see any mention of cellulosic ethanol when we're starting to see food riots in some corners of the globe because impoverished moms can't buy corn to feed their babies due to the corn being converted into ethanol to go into some Republican soccer mom's Ford Excursion for $3.80 a gallon. At least the platform mentions a desire to "crack down" on energy speculators, but it stops short of outlawing the practice. You cannot kill the Hydra by merely chopping off a couple of heads and crossing your fingers.

Looks like firearms have their own paragraph. Have Democrats on Capitol Hill learned their lesson since DC v. Heller? Let's find out: We can work together to enact and enforce common-sense laws and improvements, like closing the gun show loophole, improving our background check system and reinstating the assault weapons ban, so that guns do not fall into the hands of terrorists or criminals... Say goodbye to all those electoral votes in the southern and western states, Platform Committee - you've just branded as a criminal or a terrorist any law-abiding American who owns a semi-automatic rifle or pistol that holds 11 shots instead of 10. Great job! Ever hear of the PUMA acronym? You've just introduced us to SAMA - Second Amendment, My Ass!

The paragraph on "Faith" makes no explicit mention of preserving separation of church and state. Enough said on this topic.

Immigration. Okay, here we go: For the millions living here illegally but otherwise playing by the rules, we must require them to come out of the shadows and get right with the law. We support a system that requires undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine, pay taxes, learn English, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens. They are our neighbors, and we can help them become full tax paying, law-abiding, productive members of society. So now we're buying into the "English as our official language" meme that the Republicans have been harping on for so many years? Sure, I want to see illegal immigration reduced, but the Founding Fathers never mentioned anything about making all Americans learn one common language.

I think my rant has gone on long enough for now. This platform, as it currently stands, is repeating the mistakes of the past while making too many concessions to the Republicans. Is it too much for me to ask that the Democratic Party produce a DEMOCRATIC platform?!? I want Obama to win in November - and this draft platform is nothing but an impediment for him.

Source: SCOTUSblog

Details to follow. Scalia wrote the majority opinion.

The Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to possess a firearm.

Read more: http://www.scotusblog.com/wp /

I can already hear the knives being sharpened, so I'm just going to lay the cards on the table:

Do you remember that feeling on November 7, 2006, when you realized for the first time that Democrats had regained control of the House for the first time since 1994? Did you cheer? Did you weep with joy? Did you shake hands, slap backs, hug necks? Did you shout until you were hoarse?

I was there at the Adam's Mark hotel in downtown Dallas, watching the results come in with my fellow Democrats in one of the meeting rooms. Then came the "Breaking News" banner on CNN as we all watched, announcing that the House had turned blue for the first time in 12 years. My wife was sobbing with joy, and I grabbed her and held her close. Then I ran around in circles like an idiot until I collapsed on the floor. Not everyone was as demonstrative as I was, but it was okay. We were victorious. We were one united party. The Democrats were back. The Bush administration was going to be held accountable for its actions. And the White House was ours for the taking in 2008.

So here we are in 2008, and - well, gee, guess what? Instead of taking the fight to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, we have succeeded only in taking the fight to each other. Instead of John McCain scrambling to hold his own against the Democratic nominee, he is settling into cruise control as Clinton and Obama continue to duke it out, with allegations of political shenanigans levelled at supporters of both candidates nationwide.

And all the while, the Democrats on Capitol Hill have been collectively too chickenshit to issue subpoenas for Bush's henchmen, let alone actively work for Bush's impeachment. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has not only stated that impeachment is "off the table," but is also working behind the scenes to derail any calls on the House floor to put it back on the table.

In other words, while the whole world is watching, the Democrats have fallen victim to a bait-and-switch that rivals the sales pitch for the invasion of Iraq in magnitude. We have been talked into plunging ourselves into a civil war within our own party. And George W. Bush is leaning back in his Oval Office chair, confident and smug in the realization that Democrats are not pressing him on his legalization of torture, his revocation of habeas corpus, his illegal wiretaps, his abandonment of our military vets, his refusal to intervene in a growing crisis over rising gasoline and food prices, and so on. The Democratic Party, as a whole, has announced to the world that they're letting an incompetent frat boy get away with his crimes against America so that they can instead pass the time shouting slogans and insults at supporters of a primary candidate who isn't theirs.

While all this brouhaha has been going on, I kept myself busy by remembering the endgame. I introduced a resolution to our state Democratic apparatus that, if passed, would demand that the next Democratic President shall not in any way pardon Bush, Cheney, or Rumsfeld. That resolution passed the county level and is now headed for the Texas state convention in June. Will it pass at the state level? I sure hope so. Will it make it all the way to Denver for the national convention? That would be marvelous. Will the next Democratic President, be it Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, actually heed this advice and hold the Bush junta responsible for its crimes? O, joy immeasurable. But at least I have tried to keep my eye on the ball while too many people at the county convention were content to shout at each other and pull little political stunts to undercut each other.

Once upon a time, we used to be one party. We had a common vision and a shared goal. Now just look at what we have become. Take a good, hard look.

We've heard our candidates talking about finding their own voice. Now our party needs to find its own voice - a mighty roar that will drive neo-fascism out of Washington, DC once and for all.

Both of you had your chance to stick it to the Bush junta by denying Mukasey the AG position. You could have ended it today. And both of you blew it. You kissed Herr Decider's ass and gave your assent to the wholesale violations of the Fifth Amendment and the Eighth Amendment by giving legal clearance to the torture technique known as waterboarding.

We want no such people as you in the Senate if you're going to fold up like yesterday's newspaper.

As far as I'm concerned, you are no longer Democrats. You are traitors to the party you have called home for so many years, professing loyalty while poisoning it from within. God have mercy on you both.

I know some of his henchmen probably lurk on DU once in a while, so here's a picture of my gift to Karl:



It's an oversized calculator. This way, Karl can use it to calculate the difference between "his" math and the math.

You'll notice that the display says 3,693. At the time this picture was taken, that's how many troops we've lost in Iraq.

But be of good cheer, Karl - when we're done with you, you can also use the calculator to compute how many days until you're released from prison...

Moderators, pay careful attention - in no wise am I encouraging independent or third-party candidates to run against these Democratic incumbents. This is strictly Democrat vs. Democrat, and I say let the battle for the party begin!

Disclaimer: This is not a complete list. Updates and additions are welcome.

(AL-5) Robert "Bud" Cramer
Voted for Military Commissions Act (8/27/06), voted against McGovern Amendment (5/10/07), voted for Bush's demands for warrantless wiretapping (8/4/07)
Primary Challengers: NONE AT PRESENT

(AR-2) Victor Snyder
Voted against McGovern Amendment (5/10/07), voted for Bush's demands for warrantless wiretapping (8/4/07)
Primary Challengers: NONE AT PRESENT

(AR-4) Mike Ross
Voted for Military Commissions Act (8/27/06), voted against McGovern Amendment (5/10/07), voted for Bush's demands for warrantless wiretapping (8/4/07)
Primary Challengers: NONE AT PRESENT

(CO-3) John Salazar
Voted for Military Commissions Act (8/27/06), voted against McGovern Amendment (5/10/07), voted for Bush's demands for warrantless wiretapping (8/4/07)
Primary Challengers: NONE AT PRESENT

(FL-2) Allen Boyd
Voted for Military Commissions Act (8/27/06), voted against McGovern Amendment (5/10/07), voted for Bush's demands for warrantless wiretapping (8/4/07)
Primary Challengers: NONE AT PRESENT

(IL-3) Daniel Lipinski
Voted against McGovern Amendment (5/10/07), voted for Bush's demands for warrantless wiretapping (8/4/07)
Primary Challengers: MARK PERA

(IL-8) Melissa Bean
Voted for Military Commissions Act (8/27/06), voted against McGovern Amendment (5/10/07), voted for Bush's demands for warrantless wiretapping (8/4/07)
Primary Challengers: RANDI SCHEURER

(KY-6) Ben Chandler
Voted for Military Commissions Act (8/27/06), voted against McGovern Amendment (5/10/07), voted for Bush's demands for warrantless wiretapping (8/4/07)
Primary Challengers: NONE AT PRESENT

(LA-3) Charles Melancon
Voted for Military Commissions Act (8/27/06), voted against McGovern Amendment (5/10/07), voted for Bush's demands for warrantless wiretapping (8/4/07)
Primary Challengers: NONE AT PRESENT

(MN-7) Collin Peterson
Voted for Military Commissions Act (8/27/06), voted against McGovern Amendment (5/10/07), voted for Bush's demands for warrantless wiretapping (8/4/07)
Primary Challengers: NONE AT PRESENT

(MS-4) Gene Taylor
Voted for Military Commissions Act (8/27/06), voted against McGovern Amendment (5/10/07), voted for Bush's demands for warrantless wiretapping (8/4/07)
Primary Challengers: NONE AT PRESENT

(ND-0) Earl Pomeroy
Voted for Military Commissions Act (8/27/06), voted against McGovern Amendment (5/10/07), voted for Bush's demands for warrantless wiretapping (8/4/07)
Primary Challengers: NONE AT PRESENT

(SD-0) Stephanie Herseth Sandlin
Voted for Military Commissions Act (8/27/06), voted against McGovern Amendment (5/10/07), voted for Bush's demands for warrantless wiretapping (8/4/07)
Primary Challengers: NONE AT PRESENT

(TX-28) Henry Cuellar
Voted for Military Commissions Act (8/27/06), voted against McGovern Amendment (5/10/07), voted for Bush's demands for warrantless wiretapping (8/4/07)
Primary Challengers: NONE AT PRESENT

(UT-2) Jim Matheson
Voted for Military Commissions Act (8/27/06), voted against McGovern Amendment (5/10/07), voted for Bush's demands for warrantless wiretapping (8/4/07)
Primary Challengers: NONE AT PRESENT

-----

As you can see from the list presented above, out of 15 turncoat Dems, only two of these turncoats have Democratic primary challengers. Clearly, our party still has a world of work to do - and not much time left to do it.

So, if your Congressperson is one of the individuals listed above, and there isn't anyone challenging that individual for that seat in Congress, it's a sign that you should find an honest Democrat who is willing to run against them - or possibly run against them yourself.

This is especially for all the DUers in line to get their copies of the final Harry Potter book, along with those who can't make it to the bookstore tonight at midnight. Enjoy! - derby

Chapter 13 - HARSH BUD

Voldecontin looked away from Larry and began examining his own body. His hands were long and bony, his fingers like used hypodermic syringes; his black robe draped around his body like the velvet bag that hid his most precious Afghani stash. He bent over and looked at his reflection in the bottom of the bonglike cauldron that spawned his new body. Perfect. Voldecontin's eyes had the same dilated pupils as always, and his face had the same gaunt look as that of an Oklahoma meth dealer. He took not the slightest notice of Wormfood, who lay twitching and hallucinating on the ground, because a familiar sensation was creeping through the Dark Lord's body - Voldecontin, for the first time in 13 years, had the munchies.

The Dark Lord turned to face Larry, still too stoned to get out of the Bean Bag Chair of Ereisawelba, who could only stare at his mortal enemy in a mellow stupor.

"Yes, Larry Potash," Voldecontin hissed, "you recline upon the remains of my late father, foolish Nelson that he was. But look! My real family arrives..."

The air was suddenly full of the swishing of cloaks and the smell of sandalwood incense. Between graves, in every nook and cranny, wizards in day-glo tie-dyed cloaks were Happenating. One by one, they moved forward - slowly and cautiously, as thought they could hardly believe their eyes. Then, one of the Toad Lickers knelt at the feet of Voldecontin and kissed the hem of his robe.

"Dude, I'm not holding right now," snapped Voldecontin, "I just returned from the Dead, man!"

"Sorry, Master," muttered the Toad Eater. "How was Garcia? I hope they played Truckin'..."

"Later, Lucious. Got any Doritos? Gimme some Smokin' Cheddar BBQ and you're forgiven, man..."

"I gave him my entire stash of Wild White Nacho," Wormfood told Lucious.

"Out of the mistaken belief that I had X on my person," Voldecontin snapped at Wormfood, "not out of personal loyalty. I mean, dude, that was harsh bud. Still, I forgive you, man, because you did hit me up with some khat to take the edge off, and Lord Voldecontin always rewards his servants..."

"Uh, hey guys?" Larry shouted. "Can we, like, get back to me for a second? This novel isn't named after you, you know..."

Voldecontin turned and pointed his wand at Larry, shouting, "Bushio!"

Larry instantly started convulsing in mental anguish and torment as the curse took effect. As the Toad Lickers laughed, Larry's head was involuntarily filled with the thoughts and memories of George W. Bush, announcing the deployment of troops into Iraq, shredding the documents proving that he approved of the leak of Valerie Plame's identity to Bob Novak, hunched over the naked body of Condoleezza Rice as he...as he...

Instantly, Larry came to, screaming in horror. In addition, he mentally registered that his penis had sucked into his pelvic cavity in an act of self-defense.

But he had no time to catch his breath. Voldecontin had pulled Larry out of the Bean Bag Chair of Ereisawelba and roughly thrust Larry's wand back into his hand.

"Surely you were told, Potash," Voldecontin hissed, "that the gold-colored Morroccan bush infused with chimera blood and Jim Morrison's ashes yielded only two sweet leaves before the DEA seized it in Phoenix, Arizona. One of those leaves wound up in your wand, and I've got the other leaf in mine." Voldecontin traced the tip of his wand across the joint-shaped scar on Larry's forehead. "And now, I'm going to waste you, Larry Potash, and my army of Toad Lickers will wreck havoc on all the Nelsons and Half-Nelsons of this world..."

And with that, Voldecontin raised his wand, but Larry was ready. Pointing his wand at the Dark Lord, he cried out, "Psilocybinus totalus!" as Voldecontin shouted "Draconis pursuto!"

A jet of neon green light issued forth from Voldecontin's wand just as a jet of red emanated from Larry's - they met in midair - and suddenly, Larry's wand was vibrating and yodeling and breaking the Ten Commandments in full technicolor glory. Larry looked up in pure astonishment and saw Voldecontin staring into Larry's eyes with the same look of disbelief on his face - their wands were connected to each other with a single stream that was neither green nor red, but pure Acapulco Gold. Suddenly, the Toad Lickers were all thrown back by the loudest sound they ever heard - a Neil Young "shoegazer" guitar solo that threatened to continue for as long as the two dueling wizards kept their wands locked together.

"Dude, Larry," cried Voldecontin, "I'm one with your navel, man! I can feel your belly button lint wrapping itself around me, and that's just groovy..."

"You know you're grossing me out, don't you?" shouted Larry.

And as the duel intensified, the sky dissolved into undulating shades of red, yellow, and sky blue that melted all over the dueling wizards as it soaked the skin off their bones and turned them into beings of pure light and understanding who suddenly realized what an electron looks like from the inside out...

"My God, man," Larry laughed through joyful tears, "It's fuckin' BEAUTIFUL, man...!"

"Larry!" Voldecontin cried out, "I LOVE YOU, MAN..."

Will the house-pixie Dooby arrive on the scene in order to supply Larry with his special "Pixie Stix?" Is Voldecontin gonna meet his connection, and can we tell by his blood-stained hands? Or should we just go ask Alice? Turn on, tune in, wands out, dudes...!

Source: Raw Story

Former White House Counsel Harriet Miers has again rejected calls from the House Judiciary Committee to comply with a subpoena for her testimony on the firing of 9 US Attorneys in 2006 and 2007. The Committee had set a deadline of 5 PM for Miers to explain how she would comply with the subpoena.

"In light of the continuing directives to Ms. Miers and as previously indicated to your Committee, I must respectfully inform you that, directed as she has been to honor the Executive privileges and immunities asserted in this matter, Ms. Miers will not appear before the Committee or otherwise produce documents or provide testimony as set forth in the Committee's subpoena," wrote Miers' attorney, George Manning, in a letter delivered Tuesday to Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), Chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

Read more: http://rawstory.com/news/2007/BREAKING_Mie...

---

Yeeee-HA!! Let the Miers Arrest Clock begin!

http://rog.thoughtbludgeon.com/mp3/tracker...

Dear Cindy:

First off, I just have to say how much of an inspiration you've been to me. I only wish half the Democratic activists and party officers had as much spine and gumption as you do. You stood up to George W. Bush and exposed the soft, cowardly jelly hiding behind that macho, faux-Texan exoskeleton. For that alone, you would have my thanks. But you also revitalized an increasingly impotent peace movement in America with your simple courage and with your desire to honor your son, Casey. And I love you all the more for it.

And I would be so happy, if Nancy Pelosi won't deliver on articles of impeachment, to see you run against Pelosi for her seat in the House of Representatives...

...but only, I repeat, only as a Democrat.

I know that a lot of Democrats on the Hill done you wrong. They done me wrong, too, as well as our troops who are pinned down in Iraq and forced to fight in a theater that their fellow Americans do not want them in.

But I'm also a Democratic precinct chair. And I'm trying to implement the lessons learned in Camp Casey in my role as a precinct chair, because it is my intention to help transform the Democratic Party from the ground up, not merely attack it from without and hope it begs for mercy.

I know that, if you're elected as an independent, you'd sooner caucus with a day-old tuna sandwich than you would with the Republicans. But that's not the point. The Democratic Party is the oldest surviving party in the United States, and even with all of its shortcomings, it's still the best hope we have for rescuing America from the disgrace that Herr Decider has visited upon our nation.

For a long time, I've been telling my fellow Democrats to get off their asses and get on the front lines of the Democratic Party if they don't like where their party is headed. It's a lesson I learned from a heart-to-heart talk with my mentor when I expressed my frustration at some Democrats' apparent inability to get things done. So I got off my own ass, started working within the party instead of against it, and I'm actually beginning to see a little progress taking place. And all because I started standing up and speaking up in Democratic Party meetings.

Cindy Sheehan, I love you and support your work, and I want nothing but the best for you and your family. You continue to inspire me every day.

But I know where I'm needed the most. My beloved party is standing at a crossroads in our nation's most desperate hour. And that's why I'm supporting Democratic candidates in 2008 - and only Democratic candidates.

And if you ever decide to run as a Democrat in 2008, you've got my enthusiastic support.

God speed, Cindy. I know you'll do what you believe is right.