Look people...that unmarried Limpbaugh took Viagra on vacation to a sex tourism haven is nobody's business. His RIGHTeous listeners don't care that he prepared himself for fornication with Viagra. And being as racially tolerant as they are, they certainly don't care that 86% of Viagra-powered Limpbaugh's potential Dominican fornication partners are Black (or mixed). Nope, it's not news at all that Limpbaugh took the SEX AID Viagra to fornicate with Black sex partners. After all, it's not like the Domincan Republic is one of the busiest sex tourism sites in the world or anything. Let's leave him, his Viagra and his sex tourism travel plans out of our minds completely. His erectile dysfunction and penchant for paid sex are PRIVATE matters. For decency's sake, let's just leave Viagra, misdemeanor parole violation and prostitutes out of it. UPDATE: I was selected as an Editor's Choice letter on Salon !

Salon, and others, are picking up on the story that Dubya is taking Air Force One, AIR FORCE ONE, down to Crawford for a day trip, so he can vote. Appears his able staff forgot to request an absentee ballot. Courtesy of Google, I discovered ballpark estimates of the operating costs of a production 747 200 (the base model of the current Air Force Ones). $8,400 an hour (in 2000)... (UPDATE: RNC talking heads have estimated costs as much as SEVEN TIMES normal 747 operating expenses... That's $55,000 an hour, people) Mind you, that's gas and ground expenses BEFORE we started getting pimped at the pump. That does not include Secret Service costs, per diem, yada, yada... Extra special security considerations, and probably a press flak or two (priceless pictures of democracy at work dontcha know. $8,400 ($55,000) an hour... for 6 hours round trip, so this dim idiot can fill in some circles and cast a ceremonial ballot for another Republican... in a PRIMARY! Call me crazy, but ca...

Reading this AP article , I am starkly reminded of the 80s supergroup The Thompson Twins and their smash "Lies." Just so we're clear, Bush claimed that "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees." Now the AP has footage of him ON VIDEO TAPE in a meeting where the levee breaches were discussed in depth. Is there ANY CHANCE that a lie of this magnitude... one that affected hundreds of thousands of citizens on OUR OWN SHORES does not rise to the level of an impeachable offense? Under oath or not, this is far more scandalous than "I did not have sex with that woman." We will see how much traction this story gets in the future, but given that Katrina was a big part of Dubya's slide into the abyss, his 34% can only get lower now.

Salon has long been a favorite site of mine. Among the best on-line investments I've made. Tim Grieve makes an excellent point about to coverage of American tragedies in his post here . On another point, I hope to be getting back in the groove on my postings. It's been far too long and too much stuff has been happening. Crooks and Liars and Steve Gilliard have the Wal-Mart DVD flap. Being a web-head, I happen to agree with Steve (for once). There's NO WAY, there could have been a relational match in those titles without some intentional keyword fixing. In Wal-Mart's defense, the site is huge and it could easily have been the work of an isolated person, but the relation was totally intentional.

I'm an early adopter (My wife would say, "Gadget geek"). As such, I've been burned a few times (MiniDisc, Atari Lynx, ReplayTV, DAT), but have also been on the cutting edge of a lot of cool new technology. I am also an avid film enthusiast. I love DVD and even went so far as to eBay a laserdisc player for some stuff that was (and is) only available in that format. As HD content was set to debut, I knew I would be on board, and when the next gen gaming systems came out, blu-ray support clinched the deal for a PS3. Through all the rabid, fanboy flamewars on hidefdigest, aintitcool and others, my satisfaction in my choice has steadily grown. Here's why: HD-DVD and Blu-ray offer IDENTICAL picture/sound quality on go-forward releases (VC-1 and TrueHD). I am astounded at how gorgeous the pictures are. Simply stunning. Blu-ray has the edge in studio support. Universal's HD-DVD-only stance hurts, but blu-ray has Fox, Disney, MGM and of course, Sony/Colum...

As I find myself considering the bravery of a woman's simple act of quiet defiance, I am called to ponder the cowardice of this administration's denial of Geneva protections to "terrorist" detainees. On a day when our nation mourns the passing of a civil rights icon, I am reading revelations of CIA-run prisons in foreign countries . Prisons, one presumes, where Abu Ghraib tactics are used to extract information from detainees with no regard for the very rights we purport to protect. I joined others in taking another blogger to task for his use of stunningly racist imagery in an attack against a Black Republican candidate. It's possible that there were more posts to that thread than any other in his site's history. Today, I find myself wondering if there will be a similar outrage over the far more serious accusations of government mandated torture centers across the globe. As Dubya blithely tramples his promise to fire anyone invloved in the Plame leak, Fitzger...

Others have memorialized this woman for her legendary stand against racism and oppression. The Detroit Free Press is blogging the funeral here . For my part, I will commemorate her passing with this simple photograph.

For a while now, the GOP has been floating the "legal technicality" defense regarding the Plame Investigation (now indictments). Basically, the leak had no teeth, so Fitzgerald chased down a lesser charge to cover his tracks. However, to paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld, "You go with the indictments you HAVE, not the indictments you might want." During Fitzgerald's press conference, it became clear that he was intensely interested in only bringing indictments that he felt confident in prosecuting successfully. Interestingly, he made some crucial points about the indictments he did issue. National security was at the heart of the leak charge. CIA operatives have dangerous jobs and about the only security our nation can offer NOCs is that their identity won't be revealed. The leak was despicable and our safety has been threatened because of it. He also subtly implied that the specifics of the law may be too vague and narrow as written. The indictments are for ...

Following up on yesterday's post about Lott's predilection for the taste of his own foot, comes this one ... Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time for an intervention...

So Trent "Foot in Mouth" Lott posits "In a month, who will remember the name Harriet Miers?" Hmmm, maybe her most important client, the President of the United States?!?! Damn, Lottie, the man promised to build you a nice, new porch and all you can do is pimp-slap his personal attorney. Didn't losing your Senate Majority Leadership during " Operation Credit Strom " teach you anything about sound bites? Sheesh. Still, I can't help thinking progressives lost their best shot at a moderate in this woman. We ultimately discovered very little about Miers, but her positions on Roe in particular were hardly set in stone. Further, the granite tough united front of the GOP was fissuring to say the least. A few more weeks of of fringe Right bickering and sniping, followed by a week or so of confirmation hearings would have shined the spotlight on Dubya's eroding influence. As others have noted, it would have been a true watershed moment had Democrats sup...

I play referee between two respected blogger/pundits. They happen to be Black. Steve Gilliard kicks things off with a post that defies description . Robert George weighs in after dropping hints to Andrew Sullivan and, one imagines, a few others... My comments to Steve Gilliard are here . To Robert George here . It seems to me that Steve has pushed the envelop too far, yet again, while Robert has played to "liberals are racist too" card, one more time. The posts are racking up on both sites... Definitely worth a look see...

Gotta hand it to Tom Delay. He takes a heckuva mug shot . In fact, he's positively beaming. This, in stark contrast to the permanent scowl that normally graces his pix. This is actually a great move on his part. Knowing that the pic would inevitably race across the Internet, he threw on a grin that would feel welcome at a TRMPAC corporate shindig. Subliminal message, "I'm happy cuz I'll be exonerated soon!" Don't take this the wrong way, Tom, but I hope you're way wrong...

Despite my description, there has not been a lot of pop culture of late. Dubya's cronies have kept me busy with other things. However, I do want to briefly comment on one of my fascinations... comic books. Specifically, the current Supreme Power spin-off feature centering on Nighthawk. Marvel's Squadron Supreme started as a barely-veiled anti-Justice League. Hyperion and Power Princess were Supes and Wonder Woman. Dr. Spectrum filled in for Green Lantern, Whizzer (WHIZZER!) for the Flash and Nighthawk for Batman. They eventually expanded to include analogues for Green Arrow, Black Canary, Zatanna, and even Firestorm among others. The problem was they always went up against the Avengers, so they always had their asses handed to them. A while back, they were given a 12-issue maxi-series that featured the team in their "own universe" where THEY were the champions. Interestingly, the plot turned on mind alteration, and the subsequent schism in the team after the technolog...

I've been off this topic because "revelations" have been flowing like California mud slides. The blogosphere has been chock full of analysis and the MSM have been elbowing each other like dateless, 39-year-olds with cake buzz at a bridal bouquet toss. But as the grand jury clock ticks its last tocks, the cross hairs appear to have settled on the VP's office. Scooter Libby in particular... but Cheney has NOT been excluded from the possibility of indictment. How big is this? To put things in perspective, the word TREASON and Vice President are being mentioned in the same sentence this week. TREASON. Ken Starr investigated everything from cronyism to "suspicious" land deals to Vince Foster to Lewinsky and all he came up with was a soiled dress. Fitzgerald's investigation pulls back the curtain on a deliberate, coordinated effort to manipulate facts in an attempt to garner support for a WAR! A war that has cost tens of thousands Iraqi lives, thousands of Ame...

No one really knows who this woman is! I don't mean to minimize her credentials, but doesn't she strike you as the out-of-town cousin who sits at the kiddie table for Thanksgiving dinner? A nice enough person to be sure, but not quite ready to sit with the grown-ups. This is a woman who has followed Dubya around like a puppy dog since his days as Governor. Do you think she realizes that he's only in office for three more years? If she's ANYTHING like the frat-boy idiot prince leading the country, then sitting with a bunch of learned jurists in black robes can hardly have the appeal of worshipping at the feet of the most intelligent man she's ever met. Which is kind of a good thing as far as I'm concerned. It means that she might just quit after he leaves town. And that would give President Wesley Clark a chance at appointing a justice.

Lots to talk about. I've been reeling from a successive volley of GOP-scandal body blows to rival the beleagured Roy Jones, Jr. I didn't post anything about the Bennett fiasco for a few reasons. As personally repellent as I found the comments (in their proper context thank you.), I was even more blown away specious Right wing attempts to explain them away. To begin, Bennett's "thought exercise" is hardly a tour de force of logic. Since there are criminals in every racial population, killing the babies of one population will reduce the crime rate in the same way that removing all red cars will reduce the automobile emissions rate. So let's be clear, Bennett's real problem is that HE introduced race into the argument. Neither the caller, nor the author of Freakonomics (whose book was under discussion) mentioned race as a factor in the premise of relating abortion to crime rate. In fact, as others have discussed, the author used Scadinavian data as part...

DeLay says he's the victim of a partisan fanatic . The investigation is meritless, no proof, yada, yada, yada... Further, he explains that Earle's "witch hunt" will cost the Texas tax payers millions of wasted dollars. The indictment hinges on the transfer of identical amounts ($190,000) to and from DeLay's TRMPAC and the Republican National Committee. Subsequently, $190,000 went to the election coffers of several of DeLay's buddies. So here's and idea... Why not just explain the money transfer fully in a way the average American can understand it? And while you're at it, please explain how a man who so tightly controls every aspect of a huge political machine that he has become arguably the most feared/revered man in American politics DID NOT KNOW that these idential amounts were flowing in and out of his cherished organization. Wouldn't that be for the best? Not that I'm asking you to Do Ronnie Earle's job, but in the interest of fai...

DeLay as been indicted . On the karma scale, this is one step below Karl Rove getting a subpoena over the Plame scandal. It couldn't have happened to a more deserving guy. First Katrina, then Frist, now DeLay... Not the best month for the GOP. More later after I scour the blogosphere. Special shout outs to Ragged Thots visitors; I appreciate the link back, Robert.

A discussion I'm having with a poster on another board . This guy is a real hoot. There are posts in between, but you can follow us.

To whom it may concern: I am a telegenic, articulate, working, married father of two who owns his own house and a small business. Before you come knocking on my door, there are a few ground rules. Rule No. 1 No discussion of "The Party of Lincoln" without claiming Strom Thurmond and Jesse Helms too. I know American history well enough, thank you. I also know that Thurmond was only a Democrat until the party decided to stand up for the rights of Black people. Then he jumped ship (while denying his own half-Black daughter) and led the drive to keeping a strong segregated state. Leave Lincoln in his grave (besides, we both know he didn't really emancipate very many don't we?) Rule No. 2 Liberal is not a bad word. It does not mean that Democrats love big government and spending tax dollars foolishly. That's Bush's job. Nor does it mean that I have been stroked and manipulated by a Leftist cabal that wants to think for me. Convince me on the merits of what YOU ...