The fake bumper sticker says, “No More Joe,” and is pictured alongside a Lieberman sticker.

“Did Joe Lieberman’s voice really come out of George Bush’s face?” she said. “It’s so silly.”

“Did Joe Lieberman’s voice really come out of George Bush’s face?”??? If you can take that political ad literally, I wouldn’t quite understand what the point of it would be. One day Bush woke up and sounded like Lieberman in not just rhetoric but in voice pitch? The faux bumper sticker, on the other hand, presents the basic problem that I don’t understand how you can proport that there’s a bumper sticker that says “No More Joe” and not literally mean that there’s a bumper sticker that says “No More Joe”.

I saw two competing articles about the Democrats. One that said that there’s a bunch of “populists” or liberals running: Montana, Connecticut, Virginia. Another that said that there’s a bunch of “centrists” running: Tennessee, Missouri, Arizona. Why, even the “centrists” that are running are sounding populist themes of sort, and the same in some respect for that other group. I suppose they’re not necessairly mutually exclusive ideas of where the Democrats are heading, but they do denote a valuable counter-point to the conventional wisdom being tossed out on how Lieberman spells the doom of a “big tent” Democratic Party. And…

It’s worth mentioning that Lieberman states the belief that Al Gore’s eventual slogan “The People Versus The Powerful” politically cost the campaign. I simply disagree, believing that it’s the only thing that kept the moribud Gore — Lieberman ticket alive… a slogan, a message, anything that connects — however facially, with the electorate. Thus I’m in the sort of minority opinion that Ralph Nader’s candidacy ended up helping Gore, as it forced Gore to political definition. But for Lieberman, it was a cost of his political soul to even throw a political token to, quote-in-quote “populism”.

I hear that the political death of Lieberman spells doom for bi-partisanship. He works with Bush; we need Democrats who can be congenial in working with Bush for government to operate just as we need a Lincoln Chaffee to be able to work with Clinton in order for government to operate. But if the Democrats win the Senate in 2006, the Democrats would be giving us all a Harold Ford, Jr… a “Gang of 14” member waiting to happen.

Harold Ford has been making a living by courting Tennessee voters with frequent Fox News appearances. He lives in Tennessee. Lieberman lives in Connecticut. He seems to believe the general gist of, or rather more strikingly wants to force the general gist of into existance, say:

CAMERON: Antiwar liberals say Lieberman is out of step with his party and should be ousted. The problem, of course, is that that will invite Republican criticism that Democrats are the party of cut and run, unserious about security — by definition a weak position in a wartime election.

In Washington, Carl Cameron, FOX News.

And…

BRIT HUME: Well, it tells us that even in relatively dovish Connecticut where Joe Lieberman, if nominated, would be an odds-on favorite to win re- election, his own party may deny him that nomination, which gives you an idea of the extent to which the Democratic Party has drifted to the left because of Iraq.

What has happened is that all the antiwar sentiments of a huge part of that party’s base have been awakened by this war. They are emerging as the dominant force within the Democratic Party, pulling the party to the left on that and other foreign policy issues.

And the result is that a war that is going badly in the eyes of the public has been redounding amazingly in recent weeks to the benefit of the president who took us into that war, a remarkable achievement for the Democratic Party.

“To the benefit of the president”. That Fox News roundtable, sooner or later as it must, rebounds over to Hillary Clinton:

KRISTOL: Well, you could or you couldn’t. But she went out of her way to say that she wouldn’t, having left it ambiguous, because she might be running for president and she doesn’t feel you can take on the left-wing base of the Democratic Party.

So we have a Clintonian Bush administration and a McGovernite Democratic Party. What a wonderful situation.

This for saying she’ll back the Democratic nominee, whether or not Lieberman runs as — quite literally a member of the Lieberman Party.

Ugh. There’s really only three entertaining races at the moment. Entertaining being an operative word that does not necessarily mean relevant to actual issues. As those things go, this one is the only one that matters at the moment.

Members of the Korean Democratic Women’s Union met in front of the statue of President Kim Il Sung on Mansu Hill on Friday to vow to uphold the Songun leadership of Kim Jong Il faithfully as instructed by the President. Pak Sun Hui, chairperson of the KDWU Central Committee, made a report at the meeting to be followed by speeches.
The reporter and speakers said that the President, basing himself on the immortal Juche idea, set forth the unique line of attaching importance to arms and military affairs that the victory of revolution and independence and sovereignty and prosperity of the country and nation are ensured by arms. And he led the Korean revolution to victory and glory, putting forward the women as the pillars driving one of the two wheels of revolution.
The destiny of the country, the final victory of the Juche cause and the bright future of building a great prosperous powerful nation are guaranteed by the Songun policy, they said, expressing their firm determination to become the devoted standard-bearers remaining intensely loyal to the policy pursued by Kim Jong Il.
Present at the meeting were Kim Jung Rin, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, and women’s union officials in Pyongyang.

You gotta love North Korean state media! My favourite flavour of story is where world leaders bow before and honor either the current Dear Leader or the Previous Dear Leader. This is followed in line by such stories as the one above, where North Koreans bow down before one or the other Dear Leader.

The vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front issued a statement on July 8, the 12th anniversary of demise of President Kim Il Sung, according to Internet site Kuguk Jonson. The statement said that Kim Il Sung is the distinguished leader unprecedented in history and the great revolutionary, outstanding statesman and peerlessly great sage who enjoyed profound respect and praises from all people for his feats and high prestige.
Kim Il Sung was highly lauded as a veteran statesman in the world and the greatest man representing the 20th century as he made undying contributions to the human cause of independence through his energetic external activities all his life, it noted, and went on:
The Juche cause, the Songun revolutionary cause started by Kim Il Sung in Mt. Paektu has been successfully carried forward by Kim Jong Il, the sun of the 21st century and the peerless Songun brilliant commander.
Kim Il Sung will always live in the hearts of the Korean nation and humankind as the sun of Juche thanks to Kim Jong Il possessed of intense loyalty to Kim Il Sung and extraordinary political ability.
The Korean people will further glorify the undying feats performed by Kim Il Sung in accomplishing the cause of national reunification and give further spurs to the nationwide grand march for reunification under the uplifted banner of “By our nation itself” and thus bring earlier the day of reunification without fail when all the fellow countrymen will live together after putting an end to the U.S. colonial domination and military occupation.

I hear this whispering hope about one of his sons, who loves Western Culture and travels around to various world ski resorts to soak stuff in. The hope is that maybe this will seep in a bit, and when Kim Jong Il dies, maybe he will open up the state a bit. This forgets that Kim Jong Il loves vast swarths of Western Culture hisownself, in his own inimitable manner. He has a film studio where he had a kidnapped director make him movies. And he has a vast Swedish Porn collection, a fact that always puts his infatuation with Madeline Albright into a curious perspective.

You know, something about Lieberman’s opening to his debate with Lamont — coupled with his “There you go again” comment, has me thinking.

I know George Bush. I have worked against George Bush.
I have even run against George Bush. But, Ned, I’m not George Bush.

Why not just run a political campaign where you use old political zingers? Next he should use Mondale’s “Where’s the Beef?”, which considering that one of his arguments is that Lamont is a one-note candidate without any substance, fits into his arsenal.

I imagine, fairly or unfairly, Schwarzenegger just repeating his catch-phrases in a campaign for governor. Be like him!

The subtext of the debate, for all the Lieberman haters, is that he was aggressive with Lamont where he wasn’t in his debate with Dick Cheney. The problem comes in that where you might have excused his debate performance with Cheney as simply showing his personality, that pin is pricked when Lieberman tried to throttle Lamont. So when Bush apparently whispered in Lieberman’s ear at that famous State of the Union kiss, “Thanks for your patriotism”, Lieberman’s definition of patriotism continues to be Bush’s, and we move on to that Wall Street Journal editorial and various utterances about how “we undermine Bush at our peril.” Lamont says that he stummered a bit at the start of the debate due to the fact that his preparation took a look at his Cheney debate, something I don’t quite understand seeing as Lieberman had already shown signs of what he was going to do with Lamont.

One other note is that I see a creeping in of an old Republican canard used by liberal Democrats: Sore Loserman. I expect and hope that travels around when he issues his signatures to get on the ballot the day after he loses the primary.

An Open Letter to the Horse Thief.

Dear Horse Theif:

Over a dozen horses have been placed in this location and they were all removed within 24 hours. We suspect it’s the same person who is doing this, as well as removing other horses in the area.

What gives?

By removing the horse you are depriving both children and adults of the joy of spotting this horse and noting part of this city’s history.

No amount of pleasure you get by stealing our horse could afford the joy you are taking away from the community as a whole.

Further, if you are walking around with a tool capable of cutting wire rope, I’m going to venture to guess that you can afford to walk into a Dollar Tree and buy your own horse.

So please do, because installing these horses, including hardware, costs nearly $3 a horse.

Personally, I’m a student who is not working, so this is a big sacrafice for me. A sacrafice that I’m willint to make to benefit the community, but not to benefit you personally. In the last case I used my birthday money, so you should feel pretty bad about your actions.

Leave the horses alone.

Kim.

…………………………

Lordy, lordy, lordy. This note was tied next to one of those damned minature horses that are tied around to street corners around Portland. To that person who seemed to be watching from the parking lot, waiting in her car, as I transcribed this letter to my notebook, in the happenstance that you are reading this, I am uninvolved in anything here.

But I really don’t know who’s side I’m supposed to take here. Stealing those minature horses strikes me like stealing gnomes, and we all love the Gnome Liberation Army. But there’s a twist here that makes it a little less sanguine: gnomes are private property stolen on private areas. In this case, the horses are left in public areas. What the heck are they doing there?

I have seen the horses “providing joy” to both children and adults. To me they just bring confusion and bafflement. Again: what the heck are they doing there?

This letter has proven most useful in answering that question. Apparently they are left by a college student, with a suggestion that there are compatriots in on this of one sort or the other. But it leaves more questions than answers. (1) What a strange hobby. Let the buyer beware, I guess. (2) What history, exactly, is it telling of Portland? Horses used to be what automobiles are today, and were left on the sidewalk? Was there a horse racetrack in the vicintity? A manufacturer of minature horses? What?

I sort of defend Lieberamn with his guise of running as a, quote-in-quote “Provisional” is it? Democrat. It’s the first promise of his upcoming Independent bid for Senate: he will caucus with the Democrats. The law specifically tells him that he can’t call himself a Democratic candidate, thus the qualifier, suggesting nothing but that promise.

I wonder if all politicians will double-dip like Lieberman plans on in the future: run as a member of whatever party in the primary, and if you lose just run as an Independent. WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

In the meantime, the quote from last night’s debate between Lieberman and Lamont that seems to be getting the most play is Lieberman saying “There you go again”. Evoking Reagan. In a debate for the Democratic Primary. Reagan. Republican hero Reagan. Not as popular amongst Democrats as amongst Independents, not as popular amongst Independents as amongst Republicans, who revere him.

Yep. He’s looking ahead to when he can wedge into Arthur Schlesinger’s candidacy. Here’s to a great three way race in November! I guess.

What’s impressive is that I noticed this admist the ridiculous deluge of comment spam that I have to deal with these days. It is for things like this that I do not just turn the comment section off. If anyone can help Rich out, there you go.
………………………………………

Hello, I am a paper ephmera dealer from Lancaster County Pennsylvania and I believe I may have come across original late 1800’s cabinet photos of skull and bones members at YALE. Individuals were photographed with SKULL & BONES tie clasps in clear view. There are other photos of other individuals with other types of tie clips some are the same, so I think that perhaps they too were members of possibly another group at YALE. The photographer was PACH BROTHERS who i know did the yearbooks and such at YALE during the late 1800’s and the photos were pencil numbered indicating to me that they were going to be used elsewhere (perhaps in a yearbook?) My question is do you have any idea of HOW I can identify these people if they were members of skulls and bones. No names are on the photos. If anyone can help me figure out how to identify these people, pleasde email me at ksavi@comcast.net ….Thanks …..Rich

Memphis-area megachurch has erected a Statue of Liberty lookalike — holding a cross instead of a torch — to remind Americans of their “spiritual liberation” and to show that Christianity should guide the nation.

Some area residents have complained to local newspapers that they think the 12,000-pound structure is “ridiculous.”

Here’s how weird I am. The first I heard of this Statue of Liberty I thought of Franz Kafka’s sword-wielding Statue of Liberty in his book, Amerika. It’s a good book, probably the only thing Kafka wrote that could be considered… um… not entirely depressing.