We are receiving reports that the U.S. Congress will pass a bill declaring that the pope is forbidden from entering the Kingdom of Heaven until Tom Delay declares that he is in fact dead. Many religious scholars are expressing concern over the federal government's intervention in a matter that has previously been under divine jurisdiction. However, there is a consensus among political experts that it was only a matter of time before the Congress would choose to play a role in determining who can enter the after life and when they can do so. Although several doctors have declared that the pope died shortly before 2 PM Eastern Time, House Majority Leader Tom Delay continues to insist that the fight for his right to live must go on.

Joe-  

Your comments that people are "eager to see Terri Schiavo die" are absolutely shameful.  Recently, my 56 year old mother fell ill with brain cancer.  After a ten month fight with cancer, blood infections, and two massive strokes, my family determined it was time to end her agony.  With my sister and I at his side, my father instructed the doctors to stop the nutrition.  He said "selfishly I want to keep her alive forever, but I have to think of what's best for her, not what's best for me."  

Now, are you suggesting that I was eager to see my mom die? Are you suggesting my father and sister were eager to see my mom die? If so, sir, than I am honestly sad for you.  How could a person be filled with such rage and hatred that he would suggest that others are eager to see their loved ones die?  

For you to say you don't understand how anyone could disagree with you on this issue shows a stunning lack of ability to appreciate the gravity and complexity of these decisions.  

Sincerely,
The guy who was not eager to see his mother die

I came home today expecting to see DailyKos and all like-minded blogs ON FIRE. Afterall, Paul Wowlfowitz was nominated for President of the Work Bank today.  This flies in the face of everything America has stood for over the last 200 years- decency, respect for our soldiers, respect for the world, peace over war...it goes on and on.  But I see one lousy post on the front-page of DailyKos?  Maybe we are all just in shock and have been rendered speechles but where is the call to arms?  Where is the fight? This is one of the most outrageous moments of the Bush Administration- no small feat.  Get angry and fight the way republicans would fight.  In case you need a little help lighting a fire under your ass, here is a match and some lighter fluid, courtesy of Paul himself:

How would Jesus have ruled today if he sat on the Supreme Court?  Would he have condoned putting 14 year-olds to death?  I'm going to go out on a limb here and say "no."

I just received a response to my Sinclair boycott letter from Pepsi.  Keep writing- they are listening! See the letter below.

By any reasonable standards, this has been an atrocious month for Bush and America.  Yet, somehow, we have been forced to be on the defensive this entire month.  It's simply astonishing.  Consider what has happened this month:

*July Employment Report finds that the economy only created a dismal 32,000 jobs.

*Najaf crisis reaches critical mass.

*64 American soldiers have lost their lives in Iraq in August.

*Commission investigating Abu Gharib finds that Rumsfeld's incompetence helped pave the way to torture.

*A non-partisan report finds that the middle class tax burden has increased while the wealthy are paying a smaller slice of the pie.

*Oil prices hit record highs on an almost daily basis.  

And yet, all the media talks about is "sensitive" war, Bush V. Kerry on authorization of war, and Swift Boat Liars.

What the hell is going on here?  
     

Big John and Me...and 2000 of our closest friends.

I had the distinct honor this morning of attending a John Kerry speech in NYC.  It was billed by the campaign as a major speech and was quite clearly intended as a preemption to the Repub convention.  

First the trivial.  The speech was given at Cooper Union, which has been host to some of the country's most historic speeches- most especially, Abe Lincoln's legendary "Right Makes Might" speech (GWB ought to take a listen to that one).  Just behind our next president, there was a statue of honest Abe himself.  And I'm telling you, I could not stop looking at the statue and saying "holy sh*t, he looks just like Kerry."  It's kinda Eerie.  Has Abe Lincoln returned in the form of John Kerry to save America once again?  Something to ponder.  

Okay, now to the specifics.  This speech was beautiful, and frankly, much of it was the speech Edwards should have given at the convention.  

He had some great lines about the swift boat crap: "My duty, as I understand it, is to be a President and commander-in-chief who finds the truth and tells the truth instead of misleading the American people, hiding behind front groups, saying anything and doing anything to avoid the real issues that matter like jobs, health care and the war in Iraq. "

And he went out of his way to pre-empt the convention: "Next week at Madison Square Garden, the Republican convention will focus on slogans, excuses, and attack politics. And mark my words, they'll bend over backwards with last minute proposals and last minute promises to make up for all they haven't done and to pretend they're not who they are. In fact, pretending to be something they're not may be the single most consistent thing about them, because that's what they've been doing all along."   (NICE!)

But it was the main theme of the speech which I believe has to become the rallying cry or the BIG THEME for the next two months.  He said this, over and over:  "Every step of the way, George W. Bush has put the narrow interests of the few ahead of the interests of most Americans."   "On almost every issue before us, we face the same fundamental choice - between the narrow interests of the few and the future of the vast majority of Americans."  

He then gave example after example after example...the narrow interests of oil companies over the need for energy independence, the narrow interests of the rich over health care for the many, the narrow interest of big polluters over environmental protection, the narrow interests of his base over the need to provide stem cell research for so many, tax cuts for the few versus tax cuts for the middle class, etc, etc.  This, to me, is such a perfect way to frame the discussion, because absolutely every policy from the Bushies has placed the interests of the few above the greater good.  I hope the Kerry campaign will take this one and run with it.  

Some final thoughts. As I sat watching Big John give this speech, I was hit with one over-riding feeling:  THIS IS A SERIOUS MAN FOR SERIOUS TIMES.  This man was born to be commander-in-chief at a time when the issues are complex, the stakes are high, and the need for maturity is so great.  Indeed, as I watched him speak, I could only think "there is no man I would rather have with his finger on the button."  People will gripe and complain about Kerry's overall performance, but I honestly believe that when the American people get to see this calm yet strong man for all he is at the debates this fall, they will agree: John Kerry was made for this hour and for this war.  

"Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it."  Abraham Lincoln, 1860, Cooper Union