LTS is on Hiatus

My dear friends and readers…

As you know I have been a strong supporter and blogger for Governor Bill Richardson for a very long time. I believe with everything that I am that Bill Richardson is by far the best candidate for president that our country has seen in years.

I have been offered the opportunity to take my support to the next level and help Governor Richardson in a more substantial way, coordinating volunteers for the campaign. This is a really exciting opportunity, and I am proud to answer the call. So, for now, I feel an ethical obligation to refrain from blogging altogether. I will be back when the campaign is over. Until then, you can email me at cvalentecompton@richardsonforpresident.com to volunteer!

Cara
aka Liberaltruthsayer

Conservative Christian Rubber Lover Dead at 41

The latest chapter in the continuing saga of Christian Conservative Super Freaks may be the most amusing yet. Unfortunately for Rev. Gary Aldridge his happy ending culminated in a tragic one. Just as Larry Craig and Ted Haggard, Aldridge will "go down in history," but won't get a "crack" at rehab to redeem himself.

Rev. Gary Aldridge was found dead in his home Sunday after failing to show up for church services. He was hogtied and wearing two full wet suits, with flippers, mask, and at the risk of being indelicate, well, just click here for further details...

Word to the wise, if you are a hellfire and damnation right wing christian, yet like to get a whole lot freaky in the boudoir, make sure you have a trustworthy companion with you (so much more fun with two than one) who can hear your muffled cries as you try to utter your safety word...

Some fun safety words for superfreaky religious nuts...

Praise Jesus!

Hallelujia!

Swaggart

Leviticus

Ann Coulter

And, kids, don't forget the buddy system!

The Most Hideous Under-reported Story of the Week

Few people have ever heard of Carlos Arredondo. I came across a little blurb on Daily Kos earlier this week, and it was a pretty ignored diary, but then Wonkette paid it a little attention, with a link to Crooks and Liars. After following the story around I became pretty enraged. In fact, it really depressed me.


Carlos is a dad in mourning. His brave young son, Lance Cpl. Alexander Arredondo, gave his life in Iraq, and Carlos went to DC to protest the war. He had a memorial to his son with him, and this enraged a bunch of fat Nazi assholes who call themselves "Gathering of Eagles." They knocked Arredondo down, kicked him repeatedly, and tore up photos of his son. The Gathering of Eagles calls themselves patriots, but what they really are is a band of neanderthal bullies who have no understanding of what patriotism really means.

I know these photos are already on the web but I think it is important to put them out there again and again, so here goes...

The Bitch is Back

Ok, I have been a slacker of late. I admit it. My heart just hasn't been in it...



Oh I know, we have had some great stuff to work with, we liberal bloggers. And I admit, I have spent a fair amount of time giggling about (ok really just laughing hysterically for long, protracted periods of time until my sides hurt) Larry Craig, and thought about writing. After all, how rich does the bounty have to be for me to jump in and wallow in it. How is that for a mixed metaphor?

Ewww...put the little dog down, Senator.



And OJ! Heaping gifts upon gifts. Where was I? I wasn't blogging! I was sitting on the sidelines though, waiting for the white Bronco low speed chase to resume.


He just can't help himself.

So how could I have squandered this precious time, and all the riches that the universe could bestow on me? I have no excuse. I was just lazy. But I am back. Now, all I ask is that the universe keep spitting out these tasty nuggets; the skeevy republican closet jobs, the Britney Spears drunken sprawls, the really juicy chunks of Bush speak.

Such a pretty girl.

And I think I can rest easily, because we all know that Bush speak, perverted prudes and celebrity skanks are flowing like water these days!

Stocks: More Market "Correction"

Yes, the blow-dried stock girl on CNN was calling it "market correction."



Remember "The Shining" and the chilling scene where Grady, the former caretaker and troublemaking dead guy says this to Jack?...



"My girls, sir, they didn't care for the Overlook at first. One of them actually stole a pack of matches and tried to burn it down. But I... CORRECTED them, sir. And when my wife tried to prevent me from doing my duty, I CORRECTED her."





Correction. Yep, that sounds about right.

Amy Winehouse "I've Not Quit Rehab"

Last week it was reported that she was hospitalized for exhaustion. Yes, I can see how that happens, shooting up on an empty stomach is really tiring. Amy, you are fantastic, but you need to eat something. Something large.

Apparently, rumors started circulating that she had bailed on treatment after leaving to go get a guitar from her home. She reportedly is headed back...read more here.

Desperate Man Throws Sick Wife Off Balcony

Kansas City, MO...

This is a human being, just like you and me. He is being held in a jail cell for the murder of his wife.

She was gravely ill, and had no insurance. Their assets were dwindling, and her medical care was costing them hundreds per week. Unable to provide her with any further medical care, this by all accounts loving husband gave her a kiss and dropped his 75 lb wife four stories to her death.

Coincidentally, today there will be a free screening of Michael Moore's expose on the health care industry, "Sicko", provided by Heartland Health Care for All, and will include personal appearances by locals in the documentary. If you happen to live in the area, even if you have already seen this brilliant film, go, and drop a few bucks in the hat to help these good people do their good work.

Good God, how far we have gone astray.

Shrubette Engaged

Demure and delicate Jenna Bush, daughter of our beloved (shit I really can't type that with a straight face) Pretzledent, is engaged. Aw!

A nation of horny frat boys weeps.

Oh the joyous anticipation of the honeymoon photos...doubtless there will be countless Kodak moments of her face-down drunk on the beach, doubtless nude.

I wonder if the "Girls Gone Wild" crowd will cover the bachelorette party!

Oh and of course, the children that will come of this beautiful union, bundles of joy all...

Ohhhh the children....

He looks just like his grandpa!

He has his mother's eyes.

My Experience at Yearly Kos

Wow. That is all I can really say right now. I have finally caught up with sleep, yay! Oh and my sprained ankle that was aggravated by the miles of walking through airports, convention centers, and up flights of stairs for my "HOTEL" room, is finally walkable and the swelling has gone down! YAY AGAIN!

It was a wonderful experience. I have to say a few things about the people helping Bill Richardson with this event. Joaquin and Andrea from the Richardson staff did an incredible job of getting us organized, and were so great at networking and just were full of energy and fun. I am so glad I got to spend some time with them.

My favorite part, though, was meeting Ken Camp of America for Richardson and Washington for Richardson. He and I have been in contact for several months, and I knew he was a great guy, but had NO IDEA. Ken is the kind of person that you feel like you have known for years, like one of your kid brother's college buddies or something. He helped me get my ginormous bag up to my penthouse suite at the Chinatown Hotel, was game for trying Greek food with me, and was an all around great guy to be with. We talked about our spouses, our kids, our extended families...it was just wonderful. It was just like being with an old friend. I hope that Ken and his family can come visit us in New Mexico soon, and I would love to haul the rugrats up to Washington, too.

Of course, seeing Governor Richardson was terrific, he did great in the Presidential Leadership Forum, and even better in the break out session, where Kossacks got to ask questions. It was really an amazing event.

I am looking forward to next year's convention, which will be called "The Netroots Nation".

Rep. Bob Allen Splains it All

It makes perfect sense. Former Florida Co-Chair for McCain and current State Rep. Bob Allen offers a perfectly good explanation for his astounding arrest last month for offering to perform the job we call blow on an undercover cop in a public men's room AND pay him $20 for the honor...he was scared!

"This was a pretty stocky black guy, and there was nothing but other black guys around in the park," Allen, who is white, told police in a taped statement after his arrest. Allen said he feared he "was about to be a statistic" and would have said anything just to get away.

For MORE lurid and hilarious details, see this article...Click!

It makes sense, though, who among us hasn't been in the same situtation, frightened by a large black man, and offered to perform services and pay to do so?

Senator Allen, I wish you luck in the private sector.

Live from Yearly Kos

Howdy from Chicago, which I will always call Sweatsville. Jeez, what is up with the humidity???

So I am sitting here in a blissfully air conditioned convention center with my pal Ken Camp from Washington for Richardson and America for Richardson. Don't we look fabulous?

We are live blogging here from the glorious "Bill O'Reilly fan club" aka the Yearly Kos Convention and manning the Bill Richardson for President booth. We have a hearty supply of biscochitos, the official cookie of the state of New Mexico, tons of campaign lit and swag, and a nearby Starbucks, so we will be fine!

Bullies in the Sandbox

From the AP...

DETROIT (AP) - Democrats John Edwards and Hillary Rodham Clinton consider themselves among the top presidential candidates.
They were caught by Fox News microphones discussing their desire to limit future joint appearances to exclude some lower rivals after a forum in Detroit Thursday.
Edwards says, "We should try to have a more serious and a smaller group."
Clinton agrees, saying, "We've got to cut the number" and "they're not serious." She also says that she thought their campaigns had already tried to limit the debates and say, "We've gotta get back to it."

Hmm...how, oh I don't know, UNDEMOCRATIC. Look, no matter who the party's nominee is, I will be gung-ho for, but right now I would like for the field to remain large. I know the top tier candidates enjoy a distinct advantage over the rest of the field, but it is far too early to narrow the field. It's a big sandbox kids, play nice.

Another Christian Conservative Bites the...well, you know...

Bob Allen (R-Water Sports Enthusiast and self loather)

Titusville police say they have arrested Florida State Rep. Robert "Bob" Allen, of Merrit Island, on second degree misdemeanor charges for soliciation for prostiution.Allen, 48, was arrested Wednesday afternoon at Veteran's Memorial Park on East Broad St. in Titusville. The park was under surveillance by a detail of undercover police officers. Officers say they noticed Allen acting suspicious as he went in and out of the men's restroom 3 times. Minutes later, he solicited an undercover male officer inside the restroom, offering to perform oral sex for $20. Officers realized he was a public figure after the arrest.

Allen, a Republican, represents District 32 of the State House of Representatives. The district spans parts of Brevard and Orange counties. Allen was first elected to the office in 2000.

Well, who could blame the guy, after all? Visiting dead soldiers really gets Republicans hot.

Breaking News! Osama Still At Large

US Intelligence reports show that Osama and his band of thugs are still determined to attack within the United States. Should someone wake Bush at this point?

If You Build It, He Will Come

Des Moines, IA--Governor Bill Richardson stopped along the campaign trail yesterday to visit the site of one of the all time greatest films, Field of Dreams, which according to Richardson he has seen 18 times, about half as many as my brother David has, and about twice as many as I have.

He also says that if he were president he would pardon Shoeless Joe. Atta boy, Bill. Just don't pardon Bush or Cheney or Rove, k?

Bill walks in 4th of July parades

Governor Richardson was in New Hampshire over the holiday, and here is a great video....

Scooter Skates

Yep, that's right, Scooter Libby has narrowly escaped learning just how bad his nickname would have served him in prison.

For the shameful story click here...

Gotta Love This...

The resemblance is really quite chilling.

One Crazy Summer

Well it is officially summer and the heat is making everyone insane I think. The Supremes decided that 50 years of struggle for civil equality was enough and called do-overs on Brown v. Board of Education. I am getting really sick of this court.

Also, second quarter fundraising totals are being released, on the subject of lunacy. Obama raised something over $32.5 million, Hillary Clinton about $21 million...are they talking about actual MONEY? Insane. Bill Richardson raised a cool $7 million. Now that may seem like chicken feed compared to his rivals' huge warchests, but it is a respectable amount and proves that he is able to increase his fundraising and poll numbers at the same time. I keep saying he is the one to watch in this race.

In other crazy news, some guy in New York strangled and beat a peacock for impersonating a vampire.

Get ready for a hot, wild one kids. It's only July 2.

The Supremes Strike Down "Bong Hits for Jesus"

Reached for comment, Jesus was quoted as saying sadly, "Dude, that's bogus."

More at HuffPo.

Go Directly to Jail, Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200

Scooter, seen here, rethinking his poorly chosen nickname.

A federal judge on Thursday ordered I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby to report to prison while his attorneys appeal his perjury and obstruction convictions.

Libby's attorneys asked that the order be stayed, but U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton denied the request and told Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff that he has 10 days to appeal the ruling.

read all about it!!!!

Richardson Was GREAT on Meet the Press

Sorry peeps for my protracted absence. I have been in the midst of moving off the mountaintop and into the city so I can reconnect with the human species. In the midst of that I have had two laptops and a PC crash, and my beloved grandmother, Lee, passed away. It has been a rough few weeks.

So, I noticed that some of my brothers and sisters of the blog have been less than kind to my man, Bill Richardson, in my absence. This displeases me (in my head I sound like Don Corleone when I say this). Much of the fuss has been about Richardson's performance on Meet the Press Sunday with Tim Russert.

Seriously?

I watched that interview on Tuesday, once the dust had settled after this hectic weekend, and I didn't think he did a bad job at all, in fact I thought he handled most of the questions deftly. Here is the complete transcript:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18818527/

Of course, no matter how many times he answers the same old tired questions he will always be asked about them. I think that frustration and exasperation showed a bit. In my opinion he has answered the Gonzales, Whizzer White, and baseball draft questions satisfactorily. He was honest, and apparently honesty is not appreciated in today's political climate. I think that people want him to change his story so they can pounce on him as a flip-flopper and a liar. There is no satisfying this crowd.

What makes me really angry is Russert put up a bunch of statistics that made New Mexico seem like a poor cousin of the third world. Russert said, "This is New Mexico’s scorecard, and you are the governor. Percent of people living below the poverty line, you’re 48. Percent of children below, 48. Median family income, 47. People without health insurance, 49. Children without health insurance, 46. Teen high school dropouts, 47. Death rate due to firearms, 48. Violent crime rate, 46. You’re the very bottom of all those statistics of all 50 states, and you’re the governor for five years." When Richardson tried to answer the question Russert cut him off and said, "But these rankings are troubling." Yes, New Mexico is a state with poverty and crime, but great progress has been made, and the thanks belongs largely to our brilliant Governor. Thanks to Bill Richardson every child under the age of 5 is covered by health insurance. Richardon's pro-growth agenda has created 82,000 jobs, and that number should impress anyone, especially given New Mexico's population, which is not much over 1.5M. Many of these jobs are high paying jobs, because Governor Richardson has offered tax incentives to companies that were willing to bring jobs to the state that paid over the prevailing wage. Speaking of wages, Richardson has been instrumental to New Mexico raising the minimum wage...but I digress, back to the interview.

Russert slams Richardson for getting the name of a Marine killed in our war of terror wrong and using a conversation he had with the marine's mom on the campaign trail. This is really hideous, Richardson is nothing less than a hero. When he learned that the death benefit to reserve soldiers was only $11,000, he was horrified and raised it to $250,000. Richardson is a HERO for this. 36 other states have followed his lead, and now the federal government is, too.

And, as if this really matters at all, with all of the serious issues facing America today, there is the Boston Red Sox/New York Yankees issue, clearly the most salient and relevant issue of our time, and Russert devoted a lot of time to this. Listen, it is possible to be both a Sox fan and a Yanks fan as LONG AS YOU DO NOT LIVE IN EITHER PLACE. Let's talk about things that really matter. Let's talk about jobs, health care, energy, the environment, and the war. In all these areas Richardson has the best plan, if only we will listen.

Obama on the Kansas Twister

Ten thousand dead?

How I Have Let You Down

Bad! Bad! Lazy blogger!

Well, yes I am, but I have had a lot going on lately. These things include an impending move, a head cold, the death of a friend, my usual "four kids" busy life, and trying to keep up with the activities on the Snarkiest Spot on the Blogosphere...Daily Kos. I have been writing diaries for Governor Richardson, and some other topics as well, and it has consumed a lot of my online time, and mental energy. In between I have been trying to improve my Scrabble game, with not much success.

So here I am. I have some great stuff today that I am going to get on here. I can't believe I have neglected you in light of the Gonzo scandal, the Republican War Revolt, and the Wolfowitz Girlfriend Promotion Scandal. I am so sorry.

Bear with me for the next few weeks with the move, I may be sans internet service for a few days as service from one place will disconnect before I get fully moved into the second place.

Governor Bill Richardson Calls for US Leadership and Action to Stop Darfur Genocide

Richardson tells Global Darfur Days rally time is running out- waiting just means more people will die

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today challenged the Bush administration to take significant and meaningful action to help end the deadly violence taking place in the Darfur region of Sudan. The Governor told the crowd of people attending the Global Darfur Days rally in San Francisco that the people of Darfur want to know when the world is going to help.
"Time is running out for the people of Darfur. The people there cannot wait much longer, for waiting means more death, more broken families, more children without a future," said Governor Richardson. "This is a defining moment for the United States. We have an opportunity to lead the world in taking action to end the killing in Darfur and we must not blow it."
The Governor, who is seeking the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination, is the only candidate who has toured the troubled Darfur region of Sudan, negotiated the release of hostages and prisoners from Sudan, and brokered a cease-fire between rebel groups and the Sudanese government.
Governor Richardson outlined his strategies for US leadership on Darfur:
First, America must make peace in Darfur a much higher priority. I agree with Save Darfur--we need full-time, high-level US diplomacy dedicated to ending this crisis.
Second, America must engage Sudan's economic and political partners--China Pakistan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the Arab League to build a multilateral coalition with real leverage. That could begin by endorsing the Arab League's commitments on Darfur--to aid the African Union's mission, to fund development in Darfur, and to support the UN hybrid force in Sudan.
Third, we should deploy a UN peacekeeping force to eastern Chad to prevent a regionalization of the conflict. America should join other wealthy countries to fund refugee camps in neighboring countries and assure that those weak states bend to accommodate, but do not break from the pressure.
Fourth, we should use our full diplomatic weaponry --offering incentives for compliance and threatening multilateral sanctions for resistance to both the Government of Sudan and the various rebel groups.
Fifth, we must develop agreed upon negotiating positions among the rebel factions, to assure that any common resolution won't be quickly undone by one dissatisfied rebel group.
Last, America should join the International Criminal Court.
"It's time for America to live up to its own ideals. It is time to do the right thing. It is time to Save Darfur," added the Governor.
Governor Richardson has dealt extensively with Africa and Sudan during his career, as a Congressman, US Ambassador to the United Nations, Secretary of Energy, and even as two-term Governor of New Mexico:
In 1996 Governor Richardson secured the release of pilot John Early of Albuquerque, NM, and two Red Cross workers who were being held hostage by Sudanese rebels,
In September, 2006 Governor Richardson negotiated with President al-Bashir and secured the release of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist (and New Mexico resident) Paul Salopek and two colleagues from Chad. The trio had been arrested and charged with espionage,
In January, 2007 Governor Richardson met in relocation camps with Sudanese people displaced by the fighting, and negotiated a cease-fire between the government and rebel leaders in Darfur.

Here is the complete text of the Governor's remarks today in San Francisco:
Global Days for DarfurSan Francisco RallySunday, April 29, 2007

Thank you for being here and showing your support for this urgent and worthy cause. I can tell you from experience the Sudanese people appreciate everything you do, they are crying out for help, and they are calling for the international community, and specifically for the United States to help stop the killing and restore peace in Darfur.
It is time for the United States to answer that call.
Throughout my career- as a Congressman, Ambassador to the United Nations, Secretary of Energy, and Governor- I have worked to bring people together to solve crises, to reach agreements, to get things done. I understand tough, direct diplomacy and international leadership. That's exactly what is needed here.
This is a defining moment for this country. The United States has an opportunity to lead the world in taking action to end the killing in Darfur and we must not blow it.
I have been to Sudan and to Darfur a number of times and I know the region well. In 1996 I worked with Sudanese President al-Bashir to secure the release of three Red Cross workers who had been captured by rebels. Last fall I convinced Bashir to release an American journalist and his two Chadian colleagues who had been arrested and charged with spying.
And in January, at the request of Save Darfur, and with their help, I returned to Sudan. I saw with my own eyes the frustration of the African Union force commander who is desperately undermanned and outgunned. I negotiated a fragile cease-fire among several rebel groups and the government forces and pushed Bashir to allow UN peacekeeping forces into Darfur.
We set the stage for an ongoing dialogue that could have, and should have reduced the violence and moved the peace process forward. Unfortunately, there was no on-the ground diplomatic follow-up and that cease-fire did not hold. The US Government dropped the ball- again.
We've wasted time hemming and hawing and hand-wringing about what we should do, when the truth is we need to act. We need to lead. We need to do everything we can to stop the violence.
Time is running out for the people of Darfur. The people there cannot wait much longer, for waiting means more death, more broken families, more children without a future.
400-thousand killed. Two-point-five million people displaced. Estimates are the killing could reach 100-thousand per month if the world does not act. That is not acceptable.
You know, the people of Darfur are remarkable. In the As-Salaam Camp near El Fasher, I met women who had lost everything- their husbands, their homes, and all their possessions. Many wait for weeks, sometimes months, under tents in stifling heat, to be processed into the camp, where they are issued a small plot of land and some meager supplies.
Despite the tragedy they have faced, despite what they have lost, they have incredible spirit- an optimism that you would not expect.
But they asked me a tough question. They want to know why the United States is not doing more to help, why we're not mobilizing the world to come to their aid. I couldn't answer that question.
My friends, we cannot let them down. This is a great human tragedy, time is running out, and we have to act.
America should have been engaged long ago, but continuing a pattern of intermittent and inconsistent, indirect and occasional involvement is not the America that we expect and we need a better, more urgent response.
Even tough guys will listen when you hold a big stick in one hand and have a carrot in the other. Talking to people is no guarantee of success, but refusing to talk is a guarantee of failure.
As Nelson Mandela once told me "If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner."
The White House has for months been working on a plan for Darfur, but for years has failed to assert its influence among our allies and friends to bring an immediate halt to this conflict. The administration's recent announcement falls woefully short of actions backing up words. We need a strategy that's aggressive, bold, and realistic and has a chance of achieving a workable and durable political settlement to this tragedy.
Time is running out.
First, America must make peace in Darfur a much higher priority. I agree with SaveDarfur--we need full-time, high-level US diplomacy dedicated to ending this crisis.
Second, America must engage Sudan's economic and political partners--China Pakistan, Malaysia, Saudia Arabia, Jordan and the Arab League to build a multilateral coalition with real leverage. That could begin by endorsing the Arab League's commitments on Darfur--to aid the African Union's mission, to fund development in Darfur, and to support the UN hybrid force in Sudan.
Third, we should deploy a UN peacekeeping force to eastern Chad to prevent a regionalization of the conflict. America should join other wealthy countries to fund refugee camps in neighboring countries and assure that those weak states bend to accommodate, but do not break from the pressure.
Fourth, we should use our full diplomatic weaponry--offering incentives for compliance and threatening multilateral sanctions for resistance to both the Government of Sudan and the various rebel groups.
Fifth, we must develop agreed upon negotiating positions among the rebel factions, to assure that any common resolution won't be quickly undone by one dissatisfied rebel group.
Last, America should join the International Criminal Court.
It's time for America to live up to its own ideals. It is time to do the right thing. It is time to Save Darfur.
You can help. Keep the pressure on Congress. Keep the pressure on the White House. We must keep raising our voices until the people in Darfur can hear us.
Time is running out for the people of Darfur. Fortunately, time is also running out on this administration.

Governor Richardson on returning from North Korea

We are so lucky here in New Mexico to have this brilliant man, the good news for the rest of the country is Richardson is running for President!

Say Hey...Did I Drop Acid This Morning?

This commercial is just plain strange.

CNN Sucks

Breaking news! I get these alerts of breaking news from CNN in my email, because I am a hopeless news junkie. This is the garbage I have gotten this week...

BREAKING NEWS!
-- The local prosecutor who charged three Duke lacrosse players with raping a stripper apologizes to the athletes, The Associated Press reports.
(WOW!)

BREAKING NEWS!
-- An explosion has occurred in the cafeteria of Iraq's parliament building where members of parliament were having lunch and there are casualities, according to Iraqi state television.
(OK, that is real news...thanks for the information).

BREAKING NEWS!
-- Kurt Vonnegut, whose novels included "Slaughterhouse Five" and "Cat's Cradle," has died at 84, his wife tells The Associated Press.
(Sad, true, but at 84...hardly shocking, or breaking.)

BREAKING NEWS!
-- MSNBC is canceling its simulcast of Don Imus' radio show after he made racially charged remarks about Rutgers women's basketball team.
(Who really needs to know this???)

BREAKING NEWS!
-- David Evans, one of the three men exonerated today when the final charges in the Duke lacrosse sex case were dropped, said they went "to hell and back" and he hoped changes to the legal system would be made as a result of their case.
(Shocking!)

BREAKING NEWS!
-- Defense Secretary Robert Gates extends Army unit tours of duty to up to 15 months and says they will be given 12 months at home after a tour ends.
(Oh my goodness, some actual NEWS sneaked through the system!)

BREAKING NEWS!
-- North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper drops all sexual assault and kidnap charges against three men stemming from a Duke lacrosse team party.
(Ah nice, local news. I don't live in NC though!)

BREAKING NEWS!
-- Larry Birkhead is the father of Anna Nicole Smith's baby, a court in the Bahamas rules. Birkhead said he hopes to have custody soon.
(All those sleepless nights I have spent worrying about this are over!)

BREAKING NEWS!
-- Controversial radio host Don Imus will be suspended for two weeks starting Monday April 16, NBC reports.
(Again, friggin wow.)

Does anyone care about the fact that the network news media has been almost singularly focused on Imus this week?

It seems to me there is plenty of real news going on without me needing alerts about Anna Nicole's baby or the Duke Lacrosse team.

Richardson's North Korean Breakthrough

The following is an email I got from Governor Bill Richardson today...lts...

After years of confrontation with virtually the entire world, the regime in North Korea yesterday took its first steps away from its policy of nuclear confrontation.
The North Koreans agreed to begin shutting down their Yongbyon atomic reactor, the facility that provides fuel for their nuclear weapons, and say they will allow UN weapons inspectors back into the country for the first time in five years.
The world is a safer place today, and I am proud to have played a role in securing this agreement.
I was in Pyongyang this week to secure the remains of six American servicemen who died during the Korean War.
This is a very positive gesture on the part of the North Korean government. Hopefully it will help heal the wounds from the Korean War and start a process to bring closure to the thousands of American families awaiting word about their loved ones who perished.
My years of experience dealing with North Korea and my knowledge of the region allowed me to help facilitate this new resolution to end their nuclear weapons program.
It will take a while for the media to understand the impact of this historic accord. NBC's Andrea Mitchell was the only network journalist in North Korea with us, and she has been leading the way with forward-looking coverage of this week's events.
Click here to watch MSNBC's coverage of North Korea's breakthrough announcement.
The bottom line is that diplomacy works - there is no other lesson to draw from this monumental breakthrough. And we desperately need someone in the White House who understands this and can restore American international leadership.
In today's world, we have to be willing to engage our adversaries in tough and direct talks that lead to resolution, not more confrontation and isolation. I don't have to tell you that there are trouble spots all over the world that could use some of this tough and smart American diplomacy.
I'm running for President, in part, to keep our country safe and secure. I'm proud that yesterday in North Korea I was able to make a contribution to real progress toward that goal.
Sincerely,
Governor Bill Richardson

Sweet Jesus! Get a Load of Those Milk Duds!!!

It's Sacri-licious!

Great article HERE

"Dear Easter Bunny....It would be so nice to find one of these in my basket this year. Also, come of those new orange creame Cadbury Eggs. Yum. Love, LTS"

Skankbeast Limpballs Slurs Edwards AGAIN!

Rush Limbaugh, the drug addled nazi gasbag, took Ann Coulter's penis out of his mouth long enough to unleash another attack on John Edwards today, this time to posit that The Edwards's announcement that Elizabeth's "incurable cancer" would not derail the campaign was staged to give the campaign a boost. Now, I am a Richardson girl, but this makes my blood boil.

How long is this asshole going to be given a forum?

Here is a transcript: (source Media Matters)

LIMBAUGH: We will get to your phone calls here in a jiffy, folks, but first, three sound bites here. Two from John Edwards and Elizabeth Edwards, and then one from [Newsweek chief political correspondent] Howard Fineman.
Now, I made mention mere moments ago that the new website Politico has broken two scoops this week, both proving to be untrue. The first was that [Attorney General] Alberto Gonzales is going to quit and that the White House had asked Republicans out there to find potential replacements. The second one was just this morning, that Edwards was going to suspend the campaign. And just the opposite happened.
Now, I'm going to play these two bites. Edwards and -- John Edwards and Elizabeth Edwards to set up Howard Fineman, who commented on this later, because it provides perhaps a little insight into what happened.
Ben Smith is the blogger at The Politico who broke the story this morning that Edwards is going to suspend the campaign. He's got egg all over his face, and he's just put a post on his blog. "Hey, look, I talked to a source really close to 'em, and the source said they were going to suspend the campaign. And, you know, we were astounded. We were shocked by this. We apologize for this, but I trust this source. I'm not going to reveal the source's identity, but this source has never gotten anything like this wrong."
So you'll hear Howard Fineman's bite, and it might give you some insight here into what went on. Here, first, is Senator Edwards himself responding to a question, "What does this mean for your campaign? Are you going to suspend any activities, fundraising, travel?"
[...]
LIMBAUGH: Now, Howard Fineman -- I played those two bites to set this up. This is Howard Fineman on PMSNBC [sic] after the announcement that Elizabeth Edwards' cancer has returned but that Senator Edwards will continue his presidential campaign. This is Howard Fineman to Chris Matthews [host of MSNBC's Hardball].
FINEMAN [audio clip]: I think this is somewhat of a surprise. I think there were some websites here in Washington that were predicting that he would suspend or even drop out. That turned out not to be the case. This is an ongoing story, and this is a metaphor for how they want to fight for the country. They're willing to take the public-relations risk of analogizing their own family situation and the bravery that they've shown and the guts that they've shown to the kind of leadership that they want to offer the county. That's pretty bold, but that's the world that we live in now, Chris, where people's personal lives are analogized to their political beings. And that's what we're seeing with the Edwardses. I thought that was -- looked at politically -- diagnosed, if you will, politically, that was a 10-strike of a press conference. They showed guts. It was nothing short of remarkable and somewhat unexpected, and it's always great when something unexpected happens around here.
LIMBAUGH: Yes, it is great when something unexpected -- it's fabulous when there's a surprise. Isn't it sort of boring when we find -- what, Mr. Snerdly? Of course I know how that sounds. Of course I know. It sounds slavish. It sounds absolutely slavish.
But lookit -- he's right. There's been a -- people are sharing -- in the old days, this announcement would not have been public, and it certainly wouldn't have been tied to a campaign. It's a different era now. This is -- I'm telling you, this is to jump-start the campaign. This is to see if it'll jump-start the campaign. And we'll find out the next three or four days or whatever, week, if that happens.
But this business about this being a surprise makes me think that the leak that was planted today was purposely wrong to create surprise, to make sure everybody thought, "Oh, we know what's coming." And then have it blown away. The campaign's -- "Ooh, the campaign's going to go on. Oh, well, we thought it was going to be suspended."
You know, we all get all these press releases in advance of the State of the Union address. We all know what's going to be said before it airs. There's no surprises. This was a surprise. May have been done on purpose.
[...]
LIMBAUGH: The whole crew on the other side of the glass, apoplectic at a comment I just made before the break. And the comment about which they are apoplectic is when I responded to Howard Fineman. Howard Fineman, talking about how everybody was expecting Edwards to announce his campaign was going to be suspended because of a report on the Politico website this morning that that was the case. And he went on to say, "This was a total surprise. It was a 100 percent, total surprise." And I, reacting to that, said, "Yeah, it was a total surprise. And I wouldn't be surprised if whoever the source is purposely leaked something not true to The Politico in order to set up the surprise."
Because Fineman's right -- what good's watching a press conference when you know what's going to happen? Every time there's a press conference of something -- be it a presidential press conference, State of the Union address -- there's always the text of the speech or whatever before it goes out. Other than a, you know, a news conference, which is ad-libbed, you don't know what the questions are going to be. But, you know, we all know what's going to happen before it happens. That's the way public relations works.
Then all of a sudden, they set this up. This was a giant surprise, and everybody in Washington -- Fineman was talking about it -- everybody, CBS. CBS broke into programming at 11 o'clock when the Politico thing hit to announce that the Edwards campaign was going to be suspended. Now everybody in Washington and in the drive-by media circles is wondering how the hell this happened. Because it's so unusual. When something leaks from a source close to the campaign about what's going to be at a press conference, that's generally what happens.
Now, I have here the latest blog from Ben Smith at The Politico. I'm going to read it to you. It's called "Getting It Wrong."
"A single, confident source close to John Edwards told me this morning that Edwards was suspending his campaign, and I posted it to the blog at 11:06. My source and I were wrong. The source, whose anonymity I agreed to respect, spoke of the kind of grim prognosis Elizabeth Edwards herself just described hearing before a second round of tests came back. I trusted the source, somebody I've known for several years, and who has always been reliable. And with less than an hour before Edwards was to announce, I unwisely wrote the item without getting a second source. When the campaign pushed back harder than I'd expected, I added that information to the original item, but didn't undo the damage. My apologies to our readers for passing on bad information."
Is it not reasonable to think that perhaps the source purposely passed on something just to set up the surprise that Howard Fineman, drive-by media extraordinaire, thinks is just jolly? Thinks this is great, that something that -- we love surprises in these things.
This is not a criticism. This is -- look, this is P.R. This is how you play the media. People on the other side of the glass -- "I can't believe it. The left-wing blogs are going to be all over this. Limbaugh said that the Edwards campaign lied to The Politico." [inaudible] You know, in public relations and politics, just what is a lie and what isn't? It's all a game.
I want to go back and I want you to listen to this Howard Fineman bit one more time, and I want to ax [sic] you as you listen to this if there's something about it -- and I referred to it as "slavish" -- but is there something else about this that strikes you?
Now, let me put this in context. This is Howard Fineman reacting to the news he's just learned in a press conference with John and Elizabeth Edwards that she has incurable cancer. It has spread to the bones. It is Stage Four. Life expectancy here -- survival rate of five years, 20 percent. Survivable rate of five years. She's got -- cancer's treatable, but -- we've all just heard this press conference, essentially saying that she's dying and Edwards is going to keep the campaign going. She's going to be part of it.
See if there's anything that jumps out about -- there's not a secret sentence here that will give it away. There's not a single -- I'm not asking you to listen for something specific. Just the whole bite, and the concept and the tone of it. Is there something here that sort of makes you curious, raises red flags or whatever? Here it is.

Media Matters lists a variety of places where you can vent your anger...and I will here too....

Contact: Rush Limbaugh
rush@eibnet.com
Contact: Premiere Radio Networks
Premiere Radio Networks Premiere Radio Networks, Inc. 15260 Ventura Blvd. 5th Floor Sherman Oaks, CA 91403 Main: (818)377-5300 Fax: (818)377-5333 Toll Free: (800)533-8686
Contact: The Rush Limbaugh Show
1-800-282-2882 rush@eibnet.com fax: 212-563-9166 The Rush Limbaugh Show 1270 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020

Sluts R Us Redux: Newtie Speaks

"Hey...it's not the size of the boat, its the motion of the ocean!"

Newt Gingrich, republican candidate for president, has said he doesn't think that candidates' personal lives should be brought into the debate.

Oh really?

That's pretty funny stuff coming from Gingrich, who lead the witch hunt against Bill Clinton. Clinton was on trial for being on the receiving end of the game "Head of State" and at the time old Newtie was banging more than just a gavel. He was engaged in an affair with a staffer while married.

Curiously, only the republicans on the field seem to have issues with infidelity and divorce (multiple for each candidate) but one of them will be sure to get the "Focus on the Family" award and endorsement.

Across the aisle all of the candidates for the democratic nomination have been married just once.

Bush to Congress: No Subpoenas

The rest of the story....

David Iglesias, Come to the Light!

rico.....suave....

Ok, so David Iglesias may be jobless at the moment, but I think that he will miss a HUGE opportunity if he doesn't come over to the left. We liberals will welcome with open arms this gorgeous hunk of special prosecutorness, am I right ladies?

Here is his side of the story...

Why I Was Fired by David C. Iglesias

With this week’s release of more than 3,000 Justice Department e-mail messages about the dismissal of eight federal prosecutors, it seems clear that politics played a role in the ousters.Of course, as one of the eight, I’ve felt this way for some time. But now that the record is out there in black and white for the rest of the country to see, the argument that we were fired for “performance related” reasons (in the words of Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty) is starting to look more than a little wobbly.

United States attorneys have a long history of being insulated from politics. Although we receive our appointments through the political process (I am a Republican who was recommended by Senator Pete Domenici), we are expected to be apolitical once we are in office. I will never forget John Ashcroft, then the attorney general, telling me during the summer of 2001 that politics should play no role during my tenure. I took that message to heart. Little did I know that I could be fired for not being political.

Politics entered my life with two phone calls that I received last fall, just before the November election. One came from Representative Heather Wilson and the other from Senator Domenici, both Republicans from my state, New Mexico.Ms. Wilson asked me about sealed indictments pertaining to a politically charged corruption case widely reported in the news media involving local Democrats. Her question instantly put me on guard. Prosecutors may not legally talk about indictments, so I was evasive. Shortly after speaking to Ms. Wilson, I received a call from Senator Domenici at my home. The senator wanted to know whether I was going to file corruption charges — the cases Ms. Wilson had been asking about — before November. When I told him that I didn’t think so, he said, “I am very sorry to hear that,” and the line went dead.

A few weeks after those phone calls, my name was added to a list of United States attorneys who would be asked to resign — even though I had excellent office evaluations, the biggest political corruption prosecutions in New Mexico history, a record number of overall prosecutions and a 95 percent conviction rate. (In one of the documents released this week, I was deemed a “diverse up and comer” in 2004. Two years later I was asked to resign with no reasons given.)When some of my fired colleagues — Daniel Bogden of Las Vegas; Paul Charlton of Phoenix; H. E. Cummins III of Little Rock, Ark.; Carol Lam of San Diego; and John McKay of Seattle — and I testified before Congress on March 6, a disturbing pattern began to emerge. Not only had we not been insulated from politics, we had apparently been singled out for political reasons. (Among the Justice Department’s released documents is one describing the office of Senator Domenici as being “happy as a clam” that I was fired.)

As this story has unfolded these last few weeks, much has been made of my decision to not prosecute alleged voter fraud in New Mexico. Without the benefit of reviewing evidence gleaned from F.B.I. investigative reports, party officials in my state have said that I should have begun a prosecution. What the critics, who don’t have any experience as prosecutors, have asserted is reprehensible — namely that I should have proceeded without having proof beyond a reasonable doubt. The public has a right to believe that prosecution decisions are made on legal, not political, grounds.

What’s more, their narrative has largely ignored that I was one of just two United States attorneys in the country to create a voter-fraud task force in 2004. Mine was bipartisan, and it included state and local law enforcement and election officials.After reviewing more than 100 complaints of voter fraud, I felt there was one possible case that should be prosecuted federally. I worked with the F.B.I. and the Justice Department’s public integrity section. As much as I wanted to prosecute the case, I could not overcome evidentiary problems. The Justice Department and the F.B.I. did not disagree with my decision in the end not to prosecute.

Good has already come from this scandal. Yesterday, the Senate voted to overturn a 2006 provision in the Patriot Act that allows the attorney general to appoint indefinite interim United States attorneys. The attorney general’s chief of staff has resigned and been replaced by a respected career federal prosecutor, Chuck Rosenberg. The president and attorney general have admitted that “mistakes were made,” and Mr. Domenici and Ms. Wilson have publicly acknowledged calling me.

President Bush addressed this scandal yesterday. I appreciate his gratitude for my service — this marks the first time I have been thanked. But only a written retraction by the Justice Department setting the record straight regarding my performance would settle the issue for me.

David C. Iglesias was United States attorney for the District of New Mexico from October 2001 through last month.

Richardson Calls for Withdrawl from Iraq

SANTA FE (AP) - Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Richardson is again calling for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, says the troops have done all they can and it's time to bring them home.

His comments came the day before the fourth anniversary of the start of the US-led war in Iraq. Richardson also is asking Americans to say a prayer for U-S military personnel serving their country and for the family and friends of those Americans who have died in the conflict.

Richardson says President Bush is deaf to the will of the people. In his words, "This is not presidential greatness. This is a great tragedy."

Support Bill Richardson for President Website

There is a brand new website up in favor of Governor Richardson's candidacy for the White House...Support Bill Richardson for President. I received an email from its creator, Jonathan Strong in Washington, DC. today directing me to it. I love Jonathan's message, that Richardson has the "Experience, Brains and Guts" necessary to lead our great nation. He also has some great bumperstickers!

Be sure too put this great site in your favorites, and add it to your blogrolls!

Sluts "R" Us

One thing that we liberals have had to hear ad nauseum is how the conservatives have a lock on morality and marital fidelity and "family values" (the phrase that makes me most violently ill). How many of us heard our republican relatives admonish us for supporting Bill Clinton? "If his wife can't trust him, how can I?" was the talking point I heard time and again...

Well kids, the ho is on the other foot now. Three of the main contender for the republican nomination in 2008 are admitted, repeat offending, unrepentant adulterers. Let's review...

Rudy Guiliani, here doing his famous "Birdcage" act, was famously thrown out of the Mayor's residence for his very public affair, which has led to a very public estrangement from his children.

Here is why LTS adores politicians, they tend to talk with their hands a lot. Here Newt seems to be describing what he brings to the party. Sad.

Yes, friends, it is widely known that during the impeachment hearings against Bill Clinton for crimes involving an act known as "Head of State" Newtie was banging more than a gavel. He is also fondly remembered for serving his wife divorce papers in the hospital while she was suffering from cancer. What a wiener. A small, pathetic, limp little wiener.

Um, yeah. I don't think I even need to elaborate here...eeeewwww.

The other day I was chatting with a relative who had given me much crap during the Clinton years, and I must say when she was extolling the virtues of Newt to me, I just couldn't a resist the query...

"But if his wife can't trust him, then how can you?"

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I Don't Even Know What to File This Under....

...but I ran across the strangest website tonight while scoping out photos for the old blog. Here it is...

Patriot Portrait Collectibles

Indignico, Inc.'s website offers a variety of portraits of republicans and sad clowns (no, I am not being snarky, honestly!) and promises "Quality you can feel." I am going to take their word for this.

Here is Bush...hey, they caputured his suave, sexy side!

...and Unca Dick, looking especially snarly!

I told you there were clowns...

even SCARY CLOWNS!!!!

I once bought "The Pop-Up Book of Phobias" and they have a very nice section on coulrophobia, the fear of clowns. The pop-up effect was pretty cool stuff.

I thought that this site might have been snark, but it seems like a genuine merchant. I went to their eBay auctions (there is a link of course) and you can get your very own John Ashcroft for about $500 with the "Buy It Now" feature. Sweet.

Scariest Photo Ever

I was over at Wonkette the other day checking out her loverly site, and I happened on this photo.

I swear, the hair on the back of my neck stood up.

I have walked alone on the mean streets of some of America's largest cities at night, St. Louis (now that is one scary town), San Francisco, Seattle, Albuquerque...and never felt frightened like I would if I were walking through a park in broad daylight and saw THIS.

This picture reminds me of the nightmare you have when you are a kid when you happen upon aliens who want to eat your brains, and they chase after you with jars for the harvest, chanting "Marshmallows! Marshmallows!" and you try to run but you are waist deep in sand.

Yikes.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson Signs Landmark Clean & Renewable Energy Bills

New independent poll cites Governor Richardson as a strong leader
on issue of global warming

SANTA FE, NM -- Governor Bill Richardson has signed two bills that enact major cornerstones of his clean energy agenda and make New Mexico one of the top two states for renewable energy requirements. The first law requires New Mexico utilities to produce 15% of their energy from renewable sources, such as wind, solar, or biomass, by 2015 and 20% by 2020. The second law creates a Renewable Energy Transmission Authority to develop clean energy resources and market them to other states.

“In the absence of federal leadership, I feel a real sense of urgency to take action at the state level to fight global warming and strengthen our energy security,” said Governor Richardson. “Ramping up our use of renewable energy and reducing carbon-based emissions is the first step. These strategies also help to protect the environment, create high-tech, high-wage jobs and grow our economy.”

The results of a new poll, conducted in New Mexico on behalf of the National Environmental Trust by Research & Polling, Inc.*, show a majority of respondents- 57% - say Governor Richardson is a strong leader on the issue of global warming. Governor Richardson is the only person perceived as a strong leader on this critically important issue by a majority of poll respondents.

59% of those polled believe global warming is a serious problem, and a large majority believes the new Democrat controlled US Congress should take the lead in addressing global warming, renewable energy, and environmental protection. In the absence of federal leadership on this issue, Governor Richardson has taken aggressive action to make New Mexico a leader in reducing carbon-based emissions and increasing the use of renewable energy.

In 2004 Governor Richardson signed New Mexico’s first Renewable Portfolio Standard into law. This mandated that 5% of New Mexico’s electricity come from renewable sources by 2006, increasing to 10% by 2011. The Governor’s initiative that he signed into law this week dramatically increases these requirements and continues New Mexico’s leadership in the area of renewable energy and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

In the past few weeks alone Governor Richardson has signed a major, five state climate change agreement, announced a new Tesla electric car plant for Albuquerque, and a biodiesel plant in Clovis, NM.

US Near the Bottom of World View

As you can see from the graph on the left the United States is viewed to have a mostly negative impact on the world, according to a poll conducted by the BBC World News Service.

The poll asked 28,000 people in 27 countries to rate a dozen countries plus the EU in terms of whether they have a positive or negative influence.

According to the graph, only Iran and Israel are believed to have a more negative impact on world affairs than the US, China is viewed to have a far more positive role in the world.

China.

I would have liked to see these numbers during the Clinton Administration. Bush and Company have done more damage to the US than any other administration. Worst president ever? Do we really even need to speculate anymore?

Scooter Libby Guilty on Four of Five

"Oh, shit. I'm going to the pokey!"

Today I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby was convicted on four out of five charges related to the leak of CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity. Libby, who lamentably is headed to prison with one of the worst bottom nicknames in the history of the federal prison system, is screaming appeal, of course.

The only thing that remains to be seen is how long he is sentenced to serve and how long before Bush pardons his sorry ass.

LYINSAXASHEET

Yep, Faux News has done it again. Why bother with revisionist history when you can revise the here and now?

A Letter to Hillary Rodham Clinton

Dear Hillary,

I am sad to be writing this, because I do so without any malice whatsoever. Frankly, I have been a fan of you since 1992, and have hated how you were smeared by journalists and right wing nutjobs and the truly crazed hatebags, like Ann Coulter. Not that I haven't disagreed with you from time to time, (read Iraq) but I have generally respected and admired you for standing up to the VRWC for so many years.

I am asking you to stop your campaign for the democratic nomination.

Ok, you are saying, Right. Who is this stupid LTS? telling ME that I need to withdraw. True, I am a lowly blogger, but I have literally dozens of readers! That's some serious street cred there. I also have been a campaign vet going back to the Dukakis era, ok yeah I am an idealist. I come to you with this plea from a very pragmatic place.

My fear is that if you get the democratic nomination you will put into motion two really disgusting and cataclysmic forces. First, the republican far right will go into full feces flinging smear and destroy mode. They will paint you as a flip-flopping, Marxist, murdering harlot. The Robertsons and Dobsons of the world will beseech God to eradicate the world of you. It will, in short, get very ugly. Now I know you are tough, I know you can handle that. Part two is even more odious, however.

Ralph Nader has already declared that if you are our party's nominee he will jump in and run. This is disastrous. Nader sucks the air from the room and enough of our loose leaves from our branches of liberalism over to the dark side. He will make a race that shouldn't even be close another electoral college nightmare (do you remember 2000 and 2004?)

I know you love America Hillary. I believe in my heart that you are a good, intelligent person (sidebar: but what is up with you hanging with Rupert and Newt? I hope you took a long hot shower!) so I implore you to do what is right for America. We cannot take a repeat of the past two elections. I, in turn, will teach my children about your great sacrifice for our country, and to honor you as you rise to greatness in our Senate.

Yours very truly,

Liberaltruthsayer

Coming soon....A Letter to Barak Obama!

I am Outraged, and You Should Be Too....

I received an email from long-time and highly recognized columnist Don Williams whose columns in the Knoxville News-Sentinel have been strongly critical of the Bush Administration for years. His column is no more. Following is the entire text, along with the content of the last column which the paper refused to publish. Please join me in expressing your opinion to the editors, Don was kind enough to include their email information!

LTS

The editors declined to publish this last column. It is available, however, at http://www.opednews.com/ , where lots of writers converge, www.moosemeals.com/oped.htm , where you may hear podcasts, and at http://www.newmillenniumwritings.com/ . If you’d like to write a letter to the editor, see instructions at the end of this. Or contact me at donwilliams7@charter.net . The column is no longer available at http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/opinion . The main number at the News-Sentinel is 865-523-3131.

My Last Column in the News-Sentinel
by Don Williams

Dear Reader,
Barring a change of heart on someone else’s part, this is my last column for the Knoxville News-Sentinel. Here’s what I know about the reasons why. On Monday, Editor Jack McElroy informed me he would be cutting my column to once every other week. On Tuesday I let him know I could not go along. It would mean letting too many people down, and waiting for the other shoe to drop, along with readership, would compromise my independence. So ends a 21-year association.
I won’t defend my record. Fan mail, awards and readership polls speak for themselves. My column draws more readers than most, as I can prove. This isn’t about quality or popularity.
Jack said he was trimming my sails because I don’t write enough on local issues. Some readers might remember this notion came up in 2004, after I wrote a series of columns opposed to the re-selection of George W. Bush, whom this paper endorsed. Shortly afterward, Jack asked me to begin writing about local issues.
In a widely read column that ran Feb. 4, 2005, I tried to put a smiley face on this development. Naively, I didn’t regard it as an attempt to “muzzle” me. I promised readers that, “should the time come that I can no longer go along with Jack’s request, I’ll recognize it and act according to my conscience.”
I believed then that going along would be easy. Most local issues worth writing about are tied to Washington. Our quality of air and water, the well-being of our soldiers and veterans, the role of Oak Ridge and TVA in nuclear weapons technology, healthcare of the disadvantaged, rights of people with alternative lifestyles, integrity of our elections, separation of church and state, health of public lands and much more around here are affected by national policies. I’ve tried to cite such local angles in about three-fourths of my articles since 2005. Even when I didn’t say so explicitly, I believe these issues were implicit, especially in columns my critics write off as “Bush bashing.”
Those are at the heart of my predicament, I believe. In 2001, months before 9/11, as Bush was rolling back environmental regulations, holding secret meetings with energy, religious and military strategists, busily appointing foxes to guard all the henhouses where treasured eggs are stored, I thought it should be obvious to anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear that George W. Bush was a disaster for our world, our country, our communities. As I’ve written in several columns over the years, had Bush set out with a goal of destroying the world, he could hardly have done worse than he’s done. Sadly, history bears me out.
Name an issue I’ve been very wrong on. Name a prediction I didn’t nail since 2001. The list of things I got right is a long one, and I’ll put my record up against any columnist in the country, liberal or conservative. Loss of civil liberties, outright torture, electoral malfeasance, war-profiteering, use of depleted uranium, banned weapons, strip-mining, species decline, media manipulation, broken treaties, soaring deficits, efforts to hide the truth about global warming, Dick Cheney’s many conflicts of interest, and the sad decline of our nation’s reputation have been borne out by clouds of witnesses.
To downplay such disasters the way most media do is akin to complicity in the Holocaust, for the destruction of this good earth is an ongoing holocaust in which millions of people and fellow creatures suffer and die. History proves the silence of good people makes a culture complicit in its own destruction. So I leave you with a question that courageous women and men from ages past have asked:
What then must we do?
To obscure America's fingerprint on global warming, the death of maybe a million people in the Middle East, the creation of millions of refugees, the maiming of millions more, the possibility of a trumped up war with Iran, is simply wrong. I won’t be a party to it. I often wonder how Bush apologists sleep at night. That’s a problem I’ll never have.
In keeping with the promise I made in that Feb. 4, 2005, column, I’m ending my News-Sentinel career rather than “go along” this time around. Pardon me if I don’t get all teary-eyed. This is not a time for making nice, it’s a time for taking stands. I’ll sail my opinion out on the Internet. I’ll write for other publications. I’ll finish books. If you’d like to come along for the ride, get in touch.
Finally, I’ve loved writing a weekly column these 21 years, mostly from home the past 11, and I’m letting go with no bitterness and little regret. Rather, I feel the way I’ve come to feel when my name’s held up to ridicule on the Letters Page. Why, looky here, Mama, I made the honor roll.

---

Don Williams is a prize-winning columnist and the founding editor and publisher of New Millennium Writings, an annual anthology of literary writing. His awards include a National
Endowment for the Humanities Michigan Journalism Fellowship, a Golden Presscard Award and the Malcolm Law Journalism Prize. He is finishing a novel, “Red State Blues,” set in his native Tennessee and Iraq. His book of selected journalism, “Heroes, Sheroes and Zeroes, the Best Writings About People” by Don Williams, is now available for ordering. For more information, email him at donwilliams7@charter.net. Or visit the NMW website at http://www.newmillenniumwritings.com/.

To write a letter to the editor follow these guidelines, which appear on the Letters Page:

* Letters must contain your street address and phone numbers, and if you have an online signature that would help, if emailing.
* Must be original material, or all sources cited.
* No more than 200 words.
* Mail to:
Letters to the Editor
News-Sentinel
PO Box 59038
Knoxville, TN 37950
* Email: letters@knews.com

Note: It's been my experience the NS does not typically run letters that have been copied to me, as I've been CC’d several others that never ran. Either way, I appreciate your support.

Thanks for reading. My editors' email addresses are letters@knews.com, editor@knews.com, canady@knews.com, and avent@knews.com . They've been having trouble receiving emails, however, so it may take several efforts should you try to reach them that way.

All my best,
Don

LTS NOTE/UPDATE:
In response to the comment by Jack, I have chosen to edit his email from this blog.
Jack, I am sorry for the error, and hope you have not been inundated by emails, and thank you for stopping by and pointing the error out to me.