Sooner or Later, We'll Have A Downright Moron in the White House. H.L. Mencken 1920

“The larger the mob, the harder the test. In small areas, before small electorates, a first-rate man occasionally fights his way through, carrying even the mob with him by force of his personality. But when the field is nationwide, and the fight must be waged chiefly at second and third hand, and the force of personality cannot so readily make itself felt, then all the odds are on the man who is, intrinsically, the most devious and mediocre - the man who can most easily adeptly disperse the notion that his mind is a virtual vacuum. The Presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
H. L. Mencken, Evening Sun on 26 July 1920, in an article entitled Bayard vs. Lionheart (and reprinted in the book On Politics: A Carnival of Buncombe).
Thanks to the Judge for the tip.

50 Years Ago in Little Rock the School Board Had Voted to Integrate.

"For three weeks in September 1957, Little Rock was the focus of a showdown over integration as Gov. Orval Faubus blocked nine black students from enrolling at a high school with about 2,000 white students. Although the U.S. Supreme Court had declared segregated classrooms unconstitutional in 1954 -- and the Little Rock School Board had voted to integrate -- Faubus said he feared violence if the races mixed in a public school." 50 Years After Little Rock, Part One: Retelling, Revisiting and Reliving the Crisis at Central High By: Jackie Jones, BlackAmericaWeb.com

See also, 50 Years After Little Rock, Part Two: Where are They Now? How the Little Rock Nine Have Fared By: Monica Lewis

Virgil believed that the "Negro" children children had the right to go to the same schools as whites, but he didn't like Ike's sending federal troops to our soil. Virg thought he could still remember when the bastards had burned our crops. Virgil was one confused little kid. His lack of knowledge didn't deter him from arguing with whomever had mistaken views. My, how things have changed.

What's Wrong With This Country? Marsha Blackburn & Her Ilk Are Right Up There.

Virgil despises talking heads from either party. He has been trying to become more tolerant, but he simply cannot abide Marsha Blackburn, the RNC's yip dog ho. Thanks to David Shuster for nailing her.
Shuster: "Let's talk about the public trust. . . .What was the name of the last solider from your district who was killed in Iraq?"

Blackburn:"The name of the last soldier killed in Iraq uh - from my district I - I do not know his name -"

Shuster: "Ok, his name was Jeremy Bohannon, he was killed August the 9th, 2007. How come you didn't know the name?"

Blackburn: "I - I, you know, I - I do not know why I did not know the name..." . . .

Shuster: "But you weren't appreciative enough to know the name of this young man, he was 18 years old who was killed, and yet you can say chapter and verse about what's going on with the New York Times and Move On.org." . . . "But don't you understand, the problems that a lot of people would have, that you're so focused on an ad -- when was the last time a New York Times ad ever killed somebody? I mean, here we have a war that took the life of an 18 year old kid, Jeremy Bohannon from your district, and you didn't even know his name.
David Shuster interview with Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)

See, Also, MSNBC asks about "GOP hypocrisy?" in denunciations of MoveOn but silence on Limbaugh's "Senator Betrayus" comments

Planning for Defeat

"The Petraeus-Crocker testimony is the kind of short-lived event on which the Administration has relied to shore up support for the war: the “Mission Accomplished” declaration, the deaths of Uday and Qusay Hussein, Saddam’s capture, the transfer of sovereignty, the three rounds of voting, the Plan for Victory, the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Every new milestone, however illusory, allows the Administration to avoid thinking ahead, to the years when the mistakes of Iraq will continue to haunt the U.S. The media have largely followed the Administration’s myopic approach to the war, and there is likely to be intense coverage of the congressional testimony. But the inadequacy of the surge is already clear, if one honestly assesses the daily lives of Iraqis. Though the streets of Baghdad are marginally less lethal than they were during 2006, sixty thousand Iraqis a month continue to leave their homes, according to the International Organization for Migration, joining the two million who have become refugees and the two million others displaced inside Iraq. The militias, which have become less conspicuous as they wait out the surge, are nevertheless growing in strength, . . ." Planning for Defeat, How should we withdraw from Iraq? by George Packer in The New Yorker

This Is It!

Bruce: “We should have had a pirate party.”

Barb: “Missed it.....guess I'll be walkin' the plank!”

Bruce: “We all are. the only question is how long is it?”

Bush is a Pissant Pimp & The White House is the Pissant Hilton.

"...Mr. Bush, you have hidden behind the General's skirts, and today you have hidden behind the skirts of 'the last question' at a news conference, to indicate once again that your presidency has been about the tilted playing field, about no rules for your party in terms of character assassination and changing the fabric of our nation, and no right for your opponents or critics to as much as respond.

That, Sir, is not only unAmerican -- it is dictatorial.

And in pimping General David Petraeus, Sir, in violation of everything this country has been assiduously and vigilantly against for 220 years, you have tried to blur the gleaming radioactive line between the military and the political, and to portray your party as the one associated with the military, and your opponents as the ones somehow antithetical to it. You did it again today, Sir, and you need to know how history will judge the line you just crossed." Keith Olbermann

Thanks to Dr. Steve & Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Human Beings, Gasoline, Gunpowder, & a Sense of Entitlement.

"Do you see this fine thing? Do you admire the humanity in it? Because the Human Beings believe everything is alive. Not only Man and the Animals but Water, Earth, Stone...Things that come from them. Like that hair. The Man from whom this hair came is bald on the Other Side because I own his scalp...This is the way things are. But the White Man—they believe everything is dead. Earth. Animals. People. Even their own people. If things keep trying to live, White Men will rub them out. That is the difference." Old Lodgeskins on Humanity and the White Men...

"In Alaska… state officials continue to allow airborne gunners to kill hundreds of wolves. Easy targets against the snow, hundreds of wolves have been shot from above or chased to exhaustion and then killed by aerial gunners who land and execute them at point-blank range."
TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT CLICK HERE.

Thoughts From Rev. Sandi

To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past,

to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come,

to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain

you are giving back—

in many ways, it is a feast fit for a king.

The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton

at the end of the feast is you. Frederick Buechner

Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart.

And try to love the questions themselves.

Do not seek the answers that cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them.

And the point is to live everything.

Live the questions now.

Perhaps you will then gradually without noticing it,

Live along some distant day into the answer. Rainer Maria Rilke

Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers,

but to be fearless in facing them.

Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain but for the heart to conquer it.

Let me not look for allies in life’s battlefield, but to my own strength.

Let me not crave in anxious fear to be saved,

but hope for the patience to win my freedom.

Grant me that I may not be a coward, feeling your mercy in my success alone;

but let me find the grasp of your hand in my failure. Tagore

Clancy Brothers with Tommy Makem-The Bold Thady Quill

Here's one of the verses left out of this vocal:

In the year ninety-one before Parnell was taken,
Thade was outrageously breaking the peace
He got a light sentence for causin' commotion,
And six months hard labour for batin' police.
But in spite of coercion he's still agitatin'
Ev'ry drop of his life's blood he's willing to spill,
To gain for old Ireland complete liberation,
"Till then there's no rest for me" says bold Thady Quill

For the full song click here.

See, Hurling, Camogie & Shinny For More on Thad Quill.

Republican Women Consider Using Protection

September 19 Is International Talk Like a Pirate Day .

Also on this day, the New Zealand Electoral Act of 1893 was approved.

In Iraq For Jesus, Freedom, & The War on Terrorism?- Hell No. We’re Fighting For Oil Says Greenspan. George's Economic Policies Suck Too.

“Alan Greenspan, the former chairman of the US Federal Reserve, . . . admitted the Iraq war was largely about oil. A Guardian article says Mr Greenspan sounded more like an anti-war activist than a lifelong Republican. ‘I thought the issue of weapons of mass destruction as the excuse was utterly beside the point,’ he told the paper. The Daily Mail notes that Mr Greenspan has become the ‘highest official in American government at the time of the Iraq conflict to publicly accuse the president, George Bush, of going to war over oil.” Greenspan on Iraq and the UK economy by Matthew Weaver.

"Alan Greenspan, a conservative central banker, has tossed a political grenade into the 2008 elections and it exploded right under his Republican Party."In his memoir, The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World, the former Federal Reserve chairman skewered President George W. Bush and congressional Republicans for what he said was reckless spending and a politically driven economic agenda and said they deserved to lose control of Congress in 2006. By contrast, he praised former President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, and his economic record." Greenspan Memoir Democratic Gift, Republican Grenade By Matthew Benjamin

Gus

Cameron & Opa-Jammin

Bush, The Lying, Phoney, Amoral Sumbitch, "redefines 'victory'"

THE EGO HAS LANDED
How many more of our sons & daughters will die because of this man's ego? His attempt to create an image of a positive legacy by having the final fall of Iraq happen on the next president's watch won't change his real legacy of greed, insanity, & death which will haunt generations to come.

See, also, Troops May Not Shrink to Pre-Surge Level, By ROBERT BURNS (No, MacGraham, not that Bobby Burns) and Same old, same old: Bush recycles tired rhetoric in speech on Iraq

Thanks To John Prine, Walter, James & Gem Sub for Abby & Advise Mrs. Sheila Usk.

Dear Abby:
I hope you can help me here. The other day I set off for work, leaving my husband in the house watching TV as usual. I hadn't gone more than a few hundred yards down the road when my engine conked out and the car shuddered to a halt. I walked back home to get my husband's help.
When I got home I couldn't believe my eyes. He was parading in front of the wardrobe mirror dressed in my underwear and high-heel shoes, and he was wearing my make up.
I am 32, my husband is 34 and we have been married for twelve years. When I confronted him, he tried to make out that he had dressed in my lingerie because he couldn't find his own underwear. But when I asked him about the make up, he broke down and admitted that he'd been wearing my clothes for six months. I told him to stop or I would leave him.
He was let go from his job six months ago and he says he has been feeling increasingly depressed and worthless. I love him very much, but ever since I gave him the ultimatum he has become increasingly distant. I don't feel I can get through to him anymore. Can you please help?

Sincerely, Mrs. Sheila Usk
Sing it John:.

Dear Abby by John Prine-Video by Joe Guse - Funny blooper videos are here

Dear Sheila:

A car stalling after being driven a short distance can be caused by a variety of faults with the engine. Start by checking that there is no debris in the fuel line. If it is clear, check the jubilee clips holding the vacuum pipes onto the inlet manifold. If none of these approaches solves the problem, it could be that the fuel pump itself is faulty, causing low delivery pressure to the carburetor float chamber. I hope this helps.

Walter

Dear Shelia;
Cross-dressing is commonly viewed as a form of transgender behavior. It does not, however, necessarily indicate a transgender identity.
Cross-dressing may arise from a transgender identity, a sexual fetish, as an artifices of homosexuality or in some instances simply as a means of expressing a rebellious impulse. The later by doing something taboo. \
The act of cross-dressing is therefore not subject to simplistic analysis and one must use care to avoid misunderstanding. In your husbands case you should consider all of these possibilities.
If he is expressing a rebellious compulsion then perhaps some psychoanalysis would be of some assistance in uncovering the source of his need in that regard. Certainly you should not prohibit the conduct. To the contrary it is the very forbidden nature of the act that encourages his need to engage in it.
If it is homosexual or transgender in origin then the contemporary scientific view is that it is biological. The test is simple. If he is only handy under a skirt when he is wearing it then he probably is not handy under the hood either and you need a new husband.
If it is neither of the forgoing then is likely a simple fetish, and is harmless enough. The solution is to make sure, when you buy lingerie, that it will look good on him. You might also consider joining in, have you tried wearing boxer shorts?

James The Bruce

Dear Sheila:
The three most important things in a relationship are communication, communication, & communication. Your husband should not have worn or used your things without your permission. Still, sharing underwear & make up can be a bonding experience as Jane, Kristin, and I have discovered. If he is too large & damages the clothing or leaves them dirty or wrinkled, we have another issue. This can be solved by taking one of those family shopping trips to buy him his own clothing. These trips, in addition to meeting his needs & saving your clothing, can add another dimension of depth to your relationship.
As for your husbands lack of candor, I suggest a good spanking. Don't forget the safe word.
Gem

"Global warming impact like 'nuclear war.'"-Will Hemo the Magnificent Save Us By Immolating Himself?

"Climate change could have global security implications on a par with nuclear war unless urgent action is taken, . . " Global warming impact like "nuclear war" - report By Jeremy Lovell

"An Erie cancer researcher has found a way to burn salt water, a novel invention that is being touted by one chemist as the 'most remarkable' water science discovery in a century." Radio Frequencies Help Burn Salt Water

Gen. John Abizaid Speaks.

Virgil is a friend of ole John's. He was at the War College with him. The General, like Virg, is a bright straightforward guy. He says,

On President Bush's increase in troops in Iraq:

"It was clear that putting additional troops in would gain temporary security. What was not clear to me was what we were going to do diplomatically, economically, politically and informationally to make sure that we moved forward in a way that just wasn't temporary. And it appears to me, based on the testimony I heard, that those aspects, all designed to build better governments, haven't necessarily achieved the effect that people would have hoped for."

"All we would do is gain more military time without gaining what we really needed to gain, which is the government starting to come together as a government of national unity."

On U.S. shortcomings in the war on terrorism:

"Outside of military power, we have done very poorly in bringing the economic, political, diplomatic and informational power of the United States to bear on this problem thus far. I don't blame it on any people. I just blame it on a bureaucratic system that has been unresponsive thus far to challenges of the 21st century. We need to change that as a matter of national priority."

And Then There's Shinty.

Bush Supports Larry Craig's Faggotry.

SENATOR CRAIG: How can I despair when a man such as you has my back?

THE PRESIDENT: And here's what those assholes in the press and the Republican sellouts don't seem to get: you've done a service for your country. Why, you've helped prove how disgusting faggotry can be. What a vile, disgusting, deviant lifestyle it is, where grown, married men tap their loafers and wave howdy to other men in public restrooms just for a chance to wash their faces in semen. By perpetuating the worst of homosexuality, you have totally overshadowed the millions and millions of healthy, stable, happy homos who make pretend they are husband and husband, or wife and she-walrus. Bravo.

SENATOR CRAIG: I'm not gay, Mr. President. But thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: Riiiiiiiiight. That's a big 10-4.

Petraeus The Surge Protector.

Virgil Loves Keefe Jackson , Fast Citizens, & Typhanie Monique. So Does Chicago

"Keefe Jackson's Fast Citizens offered inventive scoring and rapid-fire ensemble improvisation in the free-jazz manner. And on the Jazz & Heritage stage, singer Typhanie Monique partnered with guitarist Neal Alger and bassist Larry Kohut to unfurl a beautifully nuanced vocal tone and increasingly accomplished scat singing." Political statement Liberation Music Orchestra weaves haunting poetry. By Howard Reich Chicago Tribune, September 3, 2007

Models Beat Rebels To Win Camogie Title-Cork 1-8 Wexford 2-7. Humans Slaughter Bears

"Wexford claimed their first Gala All Ireland Camogie title in 32 years with a two-point win over Cork in a thrilling game at Croke Park on Sunday."
"[The Polar Bear] has been declared at risk by conservation groups. Yet rich Westerners are paying thousands of dollars for the privilege of shooting an animal whose very existence is already threatened by environmental disaster."
The Camogie match was good sport and a great, historic, victory for Wexford. Cork, with it's fighting spirit & winning tradition will come back.
Killing polar bears, whether with greenhouse gases or with rifles is not good sport. The bears, in spite of their fighting spirit & surviving tradition aren't won't come back without our help & our giving up our addiction to fossil fuels.

Bush At The OPEC Summit-No Wonder Gas Prices Are So High

Six nuclear warheads on air-launched cruise missiles were mistakenly carried on a flight from North Dakota to Louisiana last week.

"A B-52 bomber was mistakenly armed with six nuclear warheads and flown for more than three hours across several states last week, prompting an Air Force investigation and the firing of one commander, Pentagon officials said Wednesday." Nuclear Bombs Mistakenly Flown Over US By PAULINE JELINEK

Virgil has been unable to confirm reports that the plane also carried 20 kilos of Ice Nine, which, if dropped in the Mississippi or the Gulf, would have made the nukes irrelevant.

Wexford and Cork in All-Ireland Camogie Final Next Sunday, September 9.

"Wexford captain Kate Kelly was in stirring form as Stellah Sinnott's charges booked a place in the Gala All-Ireland Senior Camogie championship final for the first time since 1994 thanks to a 2-18 to 0-14 win over Galway in Nowlan Park on Saturday."
FIRST EVER CAMOGIE CD-. The Girls of Wexford goes on sale this week throughout the county. The lead singer is Teresa Shields, who was the goalkeeper on the first ever-winning Wexford team in 1968." To hear the Girls of Wexford song by Teresa and the Stars Click Here.
The Wexford lasses have momentum & spirit, but Cork has the tradition. It will be an exciting match.
This is Laois vs Meath in theJunior All Ireland finals.

Republican President Bush Leaving More of Us: Dirty, Poor, and Despairing.

Kilkenny 2-19 Limerick 1-15-Cats Take Their 30th To Tie Cork.

"Kilkenny claim their 30th All-Ireland Hurling title to draw level with Cork in the all-time standings. Having lead from the second minute, the defending champions played with authority and style to emerge as convincing and deserved winners. After the match, manager Brian Cody dedicated the victory to goalkeeper James McGarry and his family following the death of his wife Vanessa earlier this year."
For some hurling basics, click here.

Arrogance & Ignorance Are A Dangerous & Cruel Combination.

Thanks to Gene.