Responding to the House's passing new SCHIP legislation, Bush said that Congress needs to "stop wasting time and get essential work done on behalf of the American people."

If the difference between Republicans and Democrats wasn't already stark enough, this statement puts it into blinding relief.

Why is this a "waste of time?"  Bush says it's because he will just veto the legislation again.

So there you have it:  Democrats are standing up for the rights of parents and children and Bush is the oppressor.

Let's take the president's statement to its logical conclusion.  If you can't afford to stuff the pockets of corporate healthcare then your child isn't worth anyone's time.

Have money?  Okay, your child can live a healthy life.

No money?  Your kid can go to hell and die.  God bless.

Speaking of the divine, Bush's statement is, frankly, a godsend to everyone who opposes him.  Anyone who supports Bush's position should now be asked, simply, if they believe children are worth protecting.

Presented is an idea for a protest.  The beauty of it is that you can participate in it no matter where you are, and your voice will be heard as loudly as any other participant's.  Perhaps this idea has been suggested, already.  I do not know.  Nevertheless, I put it forward, now, as I believe it is entirely appropriate, given the circumstances.

Just another reminder of the callousness of this administration:

Declaring that freedom is "untidy," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Friday the looting in Iraq was a result of "pent-up feelings" of oppression and that it would subside as Iraqis adjusted to life without Saddam Hussein.

---snip---

Looting, he added, was not uncommon for countries that experience significant social upheaval. "Stuff happens," Rumsfeld said.

CNN, April 12, 2003

First, let me introduce to you our gracious host, a real modern-day Nero:

(All pictures below the fold to conserve however much of my bandwidth I can.)

A suggested way of countering the Administration's spin.  I don't understand why the Democrats continue to flee from this issue.  The majority of the country is now against this war.  The Democrats should stand up and represent our position.

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The Bush Administration's Iraq policy is an unmitigated disaster, and yet neither President Bush nor any of his advisors has expressed even the slightest bit of willingness to truly confront this problem of their own creation.  Instead they spout slogans and platitudes.  "Stay the course".  "Support the troops".  "The insurgency is in its last throes".  "This is a noble cause."  In the same way that the reality on the ground did not match what we were told, before the invasion, about Iraq's WMD program, the reality on the ground during the occupation has not matched the Administration's rhetoric.

Before I begin, I want to thank georgia10 for posting the well-thought-out, eloquent diary.  This is a sincere thank-you (emotional context doesn't translate well over the internets).  I agree with the three principles contained therein.

I feel there are a few things that need to be added to that list, and that those things need to be addressed to the members of this community who have been around for a longer period of time.  Newer folks should think on these things too, because they will, one day, be old-timers.

Date:  4/18/05
Time:  7:30 PM
Location:  Tawes Theater, Washington College, Chestertown, MD

You can read more about it here.

This is a public event, presented by the college, with limited seating.

Is it any coincidence that in the week the wingnuts have been running their victory lap (referential pun intended) that the sport of the wingnuts would make this announcement?

I think not.  Especially not in light of the terms in which NASCAR's president puts the decision:

Read:  "With the Republican party in control of all three branches of government, we realized we could safely resume making money by selling space for liquor companies to advertise to alcoholics and children."

Values, indeed.

Not only do they want to take away a woman's right to choose after conception, they want to take away her right to choose before conception.  Some wingnuts are even doing so against the laws on the books, and conservative activist judges are legislating from the bench, giving pharmacists the right to tell a woman that she can't have any say-so in determining whether or not she wants to get pregnant.

In the days following Kerry's evocation of Mary Cheney's name during the debates, much attention was paid to the "outrage" that the Right "felt" over what Kerry did.  They literally accused Kerry of outing an out-of-the-closet lesbian in order to score political points.  The media focused on the Right's reaction, disregarding the thinly-veiled homophobia evinced by the way in which conservative commentators and representatives phrased their statements, as well as the fact that the Cheneys had hung their daughter out to dry when Alan Keyes called her a selfish hedonist.

Can there be any correlation between the rise of the wingnuts and the fact that the number of foreign nationals applying to U.S. graduate schools has declined in the years since 9/11?

I woke up at 6:15 this morning, a full hour and fifteen minutes before my alarm.  Wide awake, I trepidatiously slid out of bed, and crept over to my laptop.  The gray flicker of the screen, and the slow whirr of the hard drive cast a pall over my curtained bedroom as I waited for Windows to load.  Once my internet connection established itself, I clicked on my browser and brought up the electoral count on Yahoo.  The news, as everyone on here knows, was not good.

Feeling excited about tomorrow?  Feeling a little down, perhaps?  Got something on your mind that you just can't shake?  Lean on the shoulders of your fellow kossacks and let it out.

No matter if you're a volunteer knocking on doors or a voter sitting at home, waiting for the polls to open, tomorrow, this community has come together to support our cause.  Now, in these last few hours, let's come together and support those of our community who need support.

Got something joyful to share?  Got a gripe to let out?  Let the dKos community be your army of Frasier Cranes.

The October Surprise we didn't need.

Not in the knock-'em-down, steal-their-lunch-money sense, but still, it's a sign that they're scared since they're feeling threatened by 11 year olds

Don't ya just hate when the shirt you're wearing bunches up into a perfect, rectangular shape?

Apparently the Iraqis aren't the only ones fond of leaving dangerous stuff just lying around