Author Archives: liberalgeek

My Take on Falwell

I just saw that while I was doing other things, I was called out by Hube.  Hube and I had a huge debate about Louis Farrakhan a few weeks ago when I said that I didn’t hate Farrakhan.  Hube thought that it would be OK to hate him.  Today Hube called me out for being happy about Falwells death.  This despite any commentary by me.

I will set the record straight.  I am no fan of Jerry Falwell, but I am saddened to see anyone die.  Falwell created a debate about issues that I may not have felt as strongly about without his vitriol to create the contrast.  I also blogged about his Liberty University and the feelings that it evoked in me.  I have tried real hard to control the anger that welled in me when I heard him speak and when he used Christianity to create fear, uncertainty and doubt.

Larry Flynt and Jerry Falwell together broke new legal ground and paved the way (partially) for what we are doing here today.  For the record, Larry Flynt also appreciates this aspect of Falwell’s legacy.  Call me old-fashioned, but I am going to let Jerry rest without me spitting on his grave.  I only hope that Pat Robertson lives long enough for me to savage him for every moronic, hateful and licentious remark that he makes for the next 20 years.

Gonzo’s Aide Resigns

For guys with no guilt, they sure are acting guilty.  The number 2 guy at Justice, Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, has resigned his post.  Much like Wayne Smith, he has college aged children to support, so this makes financial sense.  I suspect that he will have a lobbying job right after he leaves the position at the end of the summer.

It is expected that this will be first departure of a series of department heads stepping down, according to the article.  Gonzo might be the only guy left soon.

Masters of Our Own Domain

In anticipation of the onslaught of new readers/commenters/tormentors with our upcoming ad campaign, we have registered a domain name for the blog.  We are now DelawareLiberal.net.  Your old delawareliberal.wordpress.com address will continue to work, but now when you are telling someone that they need to  read this really cool blog, you can say “just go to delawareliberal.net.”  Note it isn’t .com.  I’d like to say that it is because we are too cool for old .com’s, but it’s really because someone beat us to the punch.

This will also make it easier if we decide to expand the blog and run it somewhere else where we can do more advanced blog stuff.

Wolfowitz and His Love Affair with The World Bank

So you have probably already heard the one about the corrupt anti-corruption World Bank head, Paul Wolfowitz.  Paul, it seems knew that what he was doing would be seen as a conflict of interest.  There are a few interesting things about this situation:

  • I think this reveals this administration’s disdain for accountability, despite beating the accountability drum so loudly and often.  How can one justify giving a huge pay hike to your lover, while preaching against these very offenses in other countries.
  • There is a deal afoot, it seems that if Wolfie agrees to go quietly into that dark night, the World Bank won’t revoke the tradition of letting the US choose the head of the organization.  I wonder if they would let us have the privilege back if we have adults running the country in three and a half years?
  • Finally, from the woman’s standpoint, if you can’t get a nice hefty raise out of being with Wolfowitz (biblically) then what the hell is he good for?  This could have a real detrimental effect on the Wolfowitz/Female relations.

Good Thing These Kids Didn’t Have Guns in Their Bookbags

Some patently stupid administrator and his idiotic teachers decided that it would be “helpful” to stage a fake gunman attack on their sixth grade class during a week-long field trip.  The kids were hiding in a room, in the dark, believing that there was a lunatic from the NRA asylum coming to kill them.  The parents were not amused.

I do wonder whether stupidity like this would happen if some of the kids had guns in their bags.  Colt 45, now with more teacher-stopping power!  I wonder if that is how the Murfreesboro, TN school board spent the referendum money they got last time?

Looking at their student code of conduct, this drill could fall under the prohibition of gang activity or association.

Former Powell Aide Calls BushCo activities High Crimes and Misdemeanors

Lawrence Wilkerson, the former aide to Colin Powell called Cheney and Bush’s actions high crimes and misdemeanors. For those of you playing along at home, those are the grounds for impeachment in the Constitution.

You compare Bill Clinton’s peccadilloes for which he was impeached to George Bush’s high crimes and misdemeanors or Dick Cheney’s high crimes and misdemeanors, and I think they pale in significance.

I do love when they start eating their own.

Iraqi Parliament: Yankees Go Home

Well, this should do it for Chris. 144 members of the Iraqi Parliament signed a petition on Tuesday calling for a timetable for withdrawal. The measure is non-binding, but does represent the first time that the majority of the body have achieved this feat. Looks like it takes a while for their legislative bodies to come around to public opinion, too.

For at least two years, poll after poll has shown that large majorities of Iraqis of all ethnicities and sects want the United States to set a timeline for withdrawal

We need to start planning for our departure.

House Bill Should End Warrantless Wiretaps

The House has passed their version of the intelligence reauthorization bill. There is an amendment to the bill that:

state[s] that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) shall be the exclusive means by which domestic electronic surveillance for the purpose of gathering foreign intelligence information may be conducted, and makes clear that this applies until specific statutory authorization for electronic surveillance, other than as an amendment to FISA, is enacted.

This should put an end to the illegal wiretapping that these crooks have been engaging in.  Then again, I never cease to be amazed at how unbound by the rule of law these guys are.

Around the Horn Friday: Taking the Wind Out of NRG’s Sails Edition

I have been pretty scarce this week. My corporate overlords decided that there were too many people in the office so they fixed the problem. Remind me to short our stock. Anyway, I am back with this post and hopefully I’ll be posting more next week.

Last weekend, the fightin’ 41st traded in a drunk Republican for a wind-friendly Republican. There was quite a bit of analysis out there including Paris Hilton Dave Burris, Nancy at Delaware Way and Kavips.

Dana is mad at legislators for not being green enough to mandate recycling.

In a rare sign of unity, Ryan Mc and Ryan S. both are united in dopiness. I suspect it is a sign that the further we get away from the civil rights movement, the further away from the civil rights movement we get…

There was some wind power news this week,as the PSC accepted the staff recommendations. Nancy wants us to apply pressure to legislators with ties to DelMarVa. Tommywonk recaps where we have been in this fight, and how to keep it going. Dave at FSP points out the national attention that we are getting in this fight and why this is unique.

On the Red Clay S.D. referendum next week, Kilroy is having dreams about it. Mike Matthews is revealing how useless Fulcher is on the subject. Read down the comments on that one to see Protack, Hube, Dan and G. Rex go at it. G is the biggest dope of all.

Joe at Merit Bound Alley has coverage of the crackdown on fortune tellers in Philly. I love this story. Those fortune tellers should have seen it coming.

Mike Mahaffie has a post about jackasses. I’m with you Mike. Please don’t call me a jackass.

Kavips covers the questions that are still unanswered with the surge escalation, the oil and Darth Cheney.

Duffy has a neat story about Jack Chick tracts and the first one he got.

I’m not sure, but I think Paul Smith is handing out those tracts. This post annoys me on many levels.

Finally, blogarella has a teary remembrance of how great things were with Pete duPont at the helm.

Oh, and MOT Newbie still has nothing to offer

And that’s the news that I see fit to print. Let me know if you have a line on a good job for a geek.

Around the Horn Friday: Special Election Edition II

It must be a sign of how much the Mexican immigrants are influencing our country, when we have an election on Cinco de Mayo. The downside is that the bars will probably not be open until after the election. Sorry John, if you want to drink, you’ll have to head down to OCMD.

Big shout out to Kavips who was moderated up as a recommended diary with the “Halliburton’s Very Dark Secret” entry. This is a nice little feat. Congrats kavips. Oh and a nice bit of reportage. This also gave me some smackdown ammo with our newest commenter, Chris.

Tommywonk brings us the good news on the progress that we are making on getting clean energy here in Delaware. Then he has a post on how Delmarva is playing hardball to get what they want. Tommy, thanks for your leadership on this.

Mike Protack also has a post up in favor of wind power and against Delmarva’s stupidity.

Over at DWA, Mike Matthews has dug himself a hole during his trip to Ireland. Who knew that the phone company would charge even when the person you are calling refuses to take your call… Either way, there was a lot of cross-posting of his call for help from Jason and Nancy (nice montage). Looks like we have mostly dug him out, but at what cost?

Speaking of Nancy, she has some nice coverage of the freeway blogger and his impeach signs. Good stuff.

The jolly green blogger, Dana, has a screed on how the Democrats are a bunch of sissys for not just letting the money run out for Iraq. I like Jason’s point. We wouldn’t even be in this position if the greens hadn’t chosen idealism over pragmatism. Hope you love your President, Dana. You picked him.

On a lighter note, Mike Mahaffie is geeking out on his GIS conference. I can relate. I may even try to squeeze in a geocache this weekend in honor of your geekiness.

Speaking of geeking out, Duffy scooped Hube on some cartoon cum movie character. Is this the same Ironman that smoked Bakersfield?

Over at Gazizza, Paul Smith tries to prove that not only is he weird, but he is a hopeless romantic (unless you make his glasses dirty, then he becomes Ironman).

Kilroy has a post about a complete outrage. There is a bill in the house to require high schools to report the names of all graduates to the house. Do we really have time for this crap, but not to apologize for slavery?

Over at JttR, Ryan tries to explain why he was hatin’ on the Enlightenment last week. I still don’t buy it.

Hopefully, we’ll see a return of First State Politics next week, as Dave finishes his final push for winning back the 41st. Celia the Blogmistress has a post about why Dave might not rest until Monday. She’s the bloggiest.

Get out and enjoy the weather this weekend. Looks like it will be a great one.