What A Week

So the week starts off with the incompetent little Attorney Generallissimo quitting the ship, and then we get a GOP Senator from Idaho who is staunchly anti gay marriage, anti gays in the armed services, voted to impeach Clinton, and has run as a "family values" conservative, getting outed for trying to solicit gay sex in an airport mensroom. Excuse me for gloating but teehee. Foley, Vitter, Rev. Haggard, and this guy, can't conservatives keep it in their pants? These clowns who crucified Bill Clinton, well it looks like the chickens have indeed come home to roost. One more nail in the GOP coffin.

Genealogy, And Family History

I've been researching a few branches of my family tree lately, a task I have done in the past, but which is much simpler now with the many tools available online. I always knew that the English and Scottish branches of my family came to America in the early 17th century, but I had never really dug into their lives before that. Interesting stuff to find out why your ancestors decided to seek a better life. Mine were small farmers and landholders who saw an opportunity for a better life and some upward mobility in the colonies, not so different from the later immigrants to Ellis Island or todays immigrants from Latin America. The promise of a better future for oneself and ones family is a powerful motivator. That is the main reason why I can't support those who wish to close the borders. I know amnesty to people who have broken the law isn't right, but can you blame people for doing what millions of our forebearers have done as well? I'm all for new immigrants doing what past immigrants have done, learn English, obey the law, pay taxes, and be good citizens, but I also think it should be easier for folks to become citizens. Immigration is a tough issue, it always has been, but for this country to remain a beacon to poor immigrants, we have to welcome those who sincerely desire citizenship.

Obligatory Dog Pics

I love dogs.

The Architect's Legacy

The Machiavelli of Mayberry, Reichs Chancellor Karl Rove resigned today. Ironically I received the September issue of The Atlantic Monthly last week and the cover article was "Lessons of a failed presidency, Why Karl Rove couldn't deliver." Talk about timing, it was a well written piece by the journalist Joshua Green. Rove's brand of electioneering was simple, brutal, and effective. His lust for power and subsequent hubris with members of Congress and even others in the White House made him a hated figure even among House GOP leaders. Will Rove leaving affect anything at this lame duck stage of W's presidency? I doubt it, but it sure feels good to see the co*****ker leaving in a bit of a disgrace. In some ways we as Democrats should be grateful for a guy like Rove, he may have set back the conservative movement by decades, his brand of neoconservatism is now firmly in the minority in the GOP. Rove will go down as a political genius who used his power to allow the most unqualified person of the past century to become President. Rove who saw the election of 2000 and 2004 as turning points in US electoral history didn't realize that although they stole an election in 00 and smeared and scared one in 04, they were anomalies, Bush campaigned as a moderate and governed like anything but, he was on his way to one term wonderland, when 9-11 hit, and we all know the rest of the story. So goodbye Mr. Rove, I'm sure the subpoenas are coming, your years of power are now over, and with the election of 08 hopefully the country will continue our natural progression towards he center-left.

Breeders Gone Wild!

This is the Duggar family. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar just welcomed their 17th child into the world. They are Fundy Christians who are in a sect called Quiverfull, which eschews contraception or family planning and believes you must procreate as much as possible, its God's will. The Duggar's are , surprise, homeschoolers, and Jim Bob has run for statewide office in Arkansas as a GOP family man. I have nothing against these folks personally, but man thats weird. Michelle Duggar is 40 years old and has been pregnant for over 11 years of her life! Am I the only one who finds this creepy?

Dr. Strangelove Type Moments

So in the last week a Democratic frontrunner, Obama, says that he would possibly invade Pakistan, and use nuclear weapons. A GOP bottomfeeder, Tom Tancredo says he would nuke Mecca and Medina, the Holy Cities of Islam. WTF? Have we lost our minds? I think these two need to sit in a room and watch Kubrick's masterpiece and realize how much they are sounding like our pal Gen. Ripper here. One would expect asinine statements like this from a moron like Tancredo, but what the hell is Obama thinking? Trolling for those reactionary, "turn the Middle East into a glass factory" votes Barack? I was going to send this guy a contribution until this broke, I think I'll take a wait and see attitude now.