Craig Crawford's Trail Mix

Good article:

I'm Black and for Hillary. Get Over it.
By Tara Roberts | TheRoot.com

"I'm tired of race being the overriding defining piece of my identity, of black women's identities. Like Sojourner Truth said years ago, "Ain't I a woman?"

http://www.theroot.com/id/45321

yeah, but.........Matthau and Burns were funny and weren't war-mongering freaks......

Lieberman and McCain could be the "Moonbeam Boys"

If I needed someone to cover my six, it sure wouldn't be Sen Lieberman

Sunjshine Boys
It focuses on aging Al Lewis and Willy Clark, a one-time vaudevillian team known as "Lewis and Clark" who, over the course of forty-odd years, not only grew to hate each other but never spoke to each other off-stage throughout the final year of their act. Clark,

I think McCain and Lieberman are more like the Odd Couple.

they remind me of those two cranky old men in the audience during "the muppet show" who would heckle everyone.

Craig, are you inserting the delays in an effort to cut down the effects of knee-jerk reactions to others' posts?

I read about a piece of software that based on the commenter's IP address, will strip all the vowels from the message then post it without delay.

The time required for the reader to mentally insert the vowels supposedly defuses the volatility of the exchange.

Vowels......vowels?? we dont have to show you no stinkin' vowels....

Good Morning Craig, Everyone:

How nice it is to wake up with Chris Matthews blathering uncontrolably about the lack of an African American presence during his youth until he volunteered in the Peace Corps and who knows, maybe it was the first time Christopher [Chris Jansing loves calling him that] saw an African person of color for the first time Halfway through his interview with Joe Scarborough I thought he was going to cop a mia culpa for everything from growing up without experiencing African American culture in his youth, to being a clumsy dancer with Ellen and the "alledged breast groping" of Helen. It was not to be as Chris put his foot down and said "I will not play Margaret Meade for you Joe". Wow! Chris showing off his macho bonofides. I am mildly impressed ChrisSincerely,HeatherP.S. I hope This Posts and the scroll box shows up in comments

Craig... McCain / Romney -- Does that scare the Dem party?
And please - do not use the term Hawk... Better defined as Strong on National Security... But continue to use but be fair and of BHO use the term "Sitting Duck" to best describe

Flts, Strgn hs x gd pnt. w dnt nd n stknk vwl
hv x gd dy (Some times y is not a vowel)

The Gov Richardson endorsement of the Obama campaign is good news for them unfortunately it is coupled with the story the Obama campaign released a picture of Rev Wright with President Clinton (taken in 1998)

If the Richardson endorsement was meant to help turn the page on the Wright story then flinging poo at the Clinton's just flipped it back.

Strgn wrt, "Vwls......vwls?? w dnt hv t shw y n stnkn' vwls...."

Y'v gt tht rght!

I think if McCain puts ole Joe on the ticket he's toast with his own party - even Obama could beat him at that point.

:-D

I posted this on the other thread - Richardson endorsement does O' no good at this point - might have put him over the top in TX popular vote - but there is no remaining race it will help. Richardson has become irrelevant - plus he all but endorsed him a couple of weeks ago anyway.

Awwwww:

:'( :'( :"(

Sorry Craig I tried

--Heather

I got called away abruptly yesterday after posting my info on CBob..... minor family emergency.... all is ok now.....

just want to say that I LOVE CBob.... after lurking here for a few months with the beginnings of this blog..... it was a question he asked to Nash concerning the past maple sugaring season that finally got me to post.....
I was warmly welcomed by CBob, Nash, Colleen and Bowmanc.....

I LOVE this blog...... I will continue to post here.....

there's been lots of people coming and going since my first post 2 1/2 yrs ago.... I've had a few fights..... but as anyone can see.... I come here to share my opinions and have a good time with people I like......

the only one I don't like is Brian..... you can put me squarely in the "glad to see he's gone" camp.....

I will miss all of you who are choosing to go.....
shortly after 9/11took a sabbatical few months ago, Dexter wrote a post about what he liked about each one of us and then ended it with "I love all of you, but won't put a one of you up on a pedestal"..... those are my sentiments too....

glad to see there's lots of new people around here.... I think they lend a lot of energy and interesting perspectives to this place.....

ok.... that's my 2 cents....

Heather

Chris Matthews tries to speak for a whole generation. I am the same age and went to integrated schools from nursery school on --the first integrated nursery school in St, Louis and went to primary schools in Ohio and Kentucky both integrated and highschool as well. Matthews does not speak for anyone but his racist self and his racist family that paid to send him to all white schools.

Heather.....good reading on your blog......tried to comment there, but somehow couldnt get thru the process......
thanks.......

I give up, regrettably I cannot do anything right these days, if I am not offending people with my comments, its not being able to do things correctly, Its very frustrating.

My Humble apologies to all.

Sincerely Heather

Lieberman with McCain....

hmmmmmm......

I know that all politicians have egos the size Mt. Everest......
but I think Lieberman's takes the cake.....

I like the idea of bi-partisanship...... but azzkissing the opposing party's presidential nominee takes it to a new level, IMNSHO

This is funny:

"The meaning of this photograph of then-President Bill Clinton and Rev. Jeremiah Wright, provided to the New York Times by the Obama campaign)?

Zip.

It means nothing.

The former president shook Wright's hand = Obama's 20-year relationship with him? Preposterous. I can't even believe anyone had the temerity to push the photo. The audacity of hope, I suppose."

Rest is here including a little note on Richardson endorsement - he makes a good point that at the very least it helps O' have a little better week. I'm sure the media will be happy to make this into a big deal - they are desperate for him to have some good news.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/03/the-meaning-of.html

Png, y tw

sorry about people coming and going......old friends drop off and new friends appear.....but the blog abides......this is the one place where I consistently feel at home on the internet, so this is where I check in.

Thanks, CC.......Nice place you got here.........

Stugeone,

Here is Corey's blog

http://themitchellblog.blogspot.com/

Craig, The blog roll might have Corey linked to Dexter by mistake.

Dexter's is http://dextersviews.blogspot.com/

i guess as a white guy '' who works for a living ' i have to prove that i'm not a racsist by voting for obama'
'typical white 'people are automaticaly assumed guilty
of racsism until proven innocent' i' have heard about black anger and resentment all week' well i'm starting to get a little pissed myself
for 30 years i've been paying taxes'' a full 1/3 of my salary goes federal and state goverment'
a lot of that money went to pay for affirmitive action programs'' public housing ' food stamps'free medical care for poor blacks '' and that's ok i can understand
that' being told now by white liberal elitist thats not enough' the only way to atone for our forefathers sin of slavery is to elect a black president'' even though i don't believe he is qualified''' well i have two words for
that' i think you know them

nothing comes up new till I post something.....then new posts show up.....

just testing that.....

Combined -- they're 138 years old. That's a lot of necessary nap time....

Weell siincee yoouu guuys aareen't uusiing theem, II'll giivee aall thee hoomeeleess aa plaacee too staay.

"they remind me of those two cranky old men in the audience during "the muppet show" who would heckle everyone."

ROFL! Exactly! Thanks for the laugh, Mary....

"My Humble apologies to all."

None needed. You haven't offended anybody!

Jamie.......i get corey's blog......
dexter's is the one which doesnt come up.......

John R

The times I was in black churches were usually all those events in the religious lives of friends such as weddings, deaths etc. Then there were by invitation or Choir performances etc.

So no i didn't emerge with my hat tilted over one eye, but sure did a lot of clapping, singing, and smiling.

Converted to Judaism in my 30s so very little "church' time since.

Mornin' y'all!
Heather, don't worry about making mistakes, I still make them all the time. And add that to the fact that I can't spell, it's a great combo.

Nothings got me fired up yet this morning, but I do want so more info on the passport deal, most of what I read doesn't give much info.

Funny post, Craig!

I still think JMc may pick Liebermann for the VP spot. And although it may seem funny now, we won't be laughing in November.

By the way, Richardson is endorsing BHO today...many in New Mexico are not happy about that.

This will fire you up, unless you don't like Western Swing

Asleep at the Wheel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOPNJhmnvYw

I don't see where Lieberman adds anything to the McCain ticket. At all. Maybe a cabinet post for him. McCain needs to go with one of the up and comings.

=========

Bill Richardson endorses Obama (with a letter to supporters complimenting the Clintons as well):

During the last year, I have shared with you my vision and hopes for this nation as we look to repair the damage of the last seven years. And you have shared your support, your ideas and your encouragement to my campaign. We have been through a lot together and that is why I wanted to tell you that, after careful and thoughtful deliberation, I have made a decision to endorse Barack Obama for President.

We are blessed to have two great American leaders and great Democrats running for President. My affection and admiration for Hillary Clinton and President Bill Clinton will never waver. It is time, however, for Democrats to stop fighting amongst ourselves and to prepare for the tough fight we will face against John McCain in the fall. The 1990's were a decade of peace and prosperity because of the competent and enlightened leadership of the Clinton administration, but it is now time for a new generation of leadership to lead America forward. Barack Obama will be a historic and a great President, who can bring us the change we so desperately need by bringing us together as a nation here at home and with our allies abroad.

Earlier this week, Senator Barack Obama gave an historic speech. that addressed the issue of race with the eloquence, sincerity, and optimism we have come to expect of him. He inspired us by reminding us of the awesome potential residing in our own responsibility. He asked us to rise above our racially divided past, and to seize the opportunity to carry forward the work of many patriots of all races, who struggled and died to bring us together.

As a Hispanic, I was particularly touched by his words. I have been troubled by the demonization of immigrants--specifically Hispanics-- by too many in this country. Hate crimes against Hispanics are rising as a direct result and now, in tough economic times, people look for scapegoats and I fear that people will continue to exploit our racial differences--and place blame on others not like them . We all know the real culprit -- the disastrous economic policies of the Bush Administration!

Senator Obama has started a discussion in this country long overdue and rejects the politics of pitting race against race. He understands clearly that only by bringing people together, only by bridging our differences can we all succeed together as Americans.

His words are those of a courageous, thoughtful and inspiring leader, who understands that a house divided against itself cannot stand. And, after nearly eight years of George W. Bush, we desperately need such a leader.

To reverse the disastrous policies of the last seven years, rebuild our economy, address the housing and mortgage crisis, bring our troops home from Iraq and restore America's international standing, we need a President who can bring us together as a nation so we can confront our urgent challenges at home and abroad.

During the past year, I got to know Senator Obama as we campaigned against each other for the Presidency, and I felt a kinship with him because we both grew up between words, in a sense, living both abroad and here in America. In part because of these experiences, Barack and I share a deep sense of our nation's special responsibilities in the world.

So, once again, thank you for all you have done for me and my campaign. I wanted to make sure you understood my reasons for my endorsement of Senator Obama. I know that you, no matter what your choice, will do so with the best interests of this nation, in your heart.

Sincerely,

Bill Richardson
==============

Richardson's first rationale: Obama can bring us together as a nation at home and with our allies abroad.

Hillary Clinton cannot do that. She is reviled by too many in the GOP, and pursuing a scorched earth/kitchen sink policy that's made her very divisive within her own party.

The GOP desperately needs to lose the White House and spend time in the wilderness to rebuild and heal their own party.

They will not do that if Mrs. Clinton is in the White House. They will fill her and our every living day with rancor and bitterness. They do not want to hear her crowing that "it takes a Clinton to clean up after a Bush."

Obama is a different story. He is renewal, a fresh start and has the judgment and intellectual capacity to choose good advisors and make sound decisions.

Jennbe

If not for honest people in the state department we wouldn't know about it. I would be interested to know who has the staff augmentation contract and supplied the people that did the deed
Jack

Jaamiiee, yoouu'ree toooo gooood!!

"She is reviled"

And so it begins again.

Put this up yesterday, but the conspiracy theorists about the Obama passport security breech are out today at Talking Points Memo

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/

See "Nuggets"

post hoc ergo propter hoc - "after this, therefore because of this".

A logical fallacy where one assumes that one thing happening after another thing means that the first thing caused the second.

Stugeone,

The blogroll link for Dexter is wrong. It goes to Corey instead. Craig will need to fix it.

Dexter's is http://dextersviews.blogspot.com/

He will need to change to that.

Thanks Bowman, not my normal flare, but a good pick me up. Jack, that's why we need more info......

I am a Roosevelt died in the wool democrat, but this year for the first time in my life i am just done. Stick the fork.
I am still trying to decide to not vote at all ,or go for mc cain and the liberman thing.
The passage in the Oobama book on page 401 i think it is (I WILL STAND WITH THE MUSLIMS SHOULD THE POLITICAL WINDS SHIFT IN AN UGLY DIRECTION) thats what did it for me.
I will also add that Senator ROCOFELLER is in for trouble in his run for office in WVA since he came out to endorse Obama, those people in WVA are calling their newspapers asking who is running against him, so they can vote against him. So I THINK IT IS NOT GOING TO BE PEACHES AND CREAM FOR THEM IN WVA.
I don.t care a hoot about what the preacher said, but I do give a hoot what Obama has to say. TOO say I will stand with the very people who are against us is to much for my AMERICAN mind to deal with..
I hope you will accept my comments on here. I will try not to be a bother but just wanted someone in the know to know how this AMERICAN mind was feeling.

Whiskyjack

The monitoring system for the state dept. was put in place when someone accessed Bill Clinton's passport info....and if we ask our politicians to make their tax returns, diary entries, etc. public info, what is the big deal? At this point, what is to hide? I have a passport and the info is less detailed than my tax return. The IRS can literally enter your home and freeze your assests...this has been going on forever!

Based on the recent attacks by the rightwing noise machine, it looks like Obama is reviled as well.

OK everyone...I am listening to my Elton John One Night Only CD getting ready for the concert in New York on April 9 for Hillary! Is anyone else going?

While our posts are being delayed, can you also take out the typos and stupid statements? I need all the help I can get!

Passport file. On the face of it, doesn't seem as if there was nefarious intent to damage the candidate.

If people really thought about the capability of governments, not just ours, to eavesdrop on our daily activities they would never skinny dip, do more than hold hands outside, talk on the telephone or partake in conversations such as this.

The overwhelming number of 'events' that are captured multiplied by the number of people in our country make it highly improbable that any of us will become targets of those with a prurient interest in our activities.

Now, a governmental interest, that's a different story.

The Richardson endorsement certainly focuses attention on John Edwards. Did anyone see his appearance on Jay Leno?

" the concert in New York on April 9 for Hillary! Is anyone else going?"

Only in my dreams!

Heather....
It seems you are apologizing for someone taking a cheap shot at you over your "religious" post.....

hey.... if someone found that post offensive.... that's their problem..... you weren't deliberately insulting anyone....

blogging can be a hazardous activity at times...... you might find growing a thicker skin helps....

dog..... that was an eloquent letter by Richardson (my first choice for the Dem nominee).... thanks for posting it....

mornin' all.

Dog, it looks pretty even to me.

http://www.pollster.com/08-US-Dem-Pres-Primary.php

And if his pastor is any indication (yeah, I know, AFTER his sermons were posted on YouTube Obama repudiated his views) the only renewal and fresh start I'm seeing is renewal and fresh start of the racial tensions of the 60s.

jamie, I saw these two folks about 20 years ago that employed that logical fallcy to blame cancer rates on the use of refined sugar in the American diet. They showed how beginning around the turn of the century cancer rates increased proportionally with the increased consumption of refined sugar. Of course, the same relationships existed between cancer rates and indoor toilets, the use of the automobile, the use of electricity in homes, all of which were ignored in their false cause/effect analysis. And just the other night, the lights in my back hallway went out just after lightning struck very near our house - I've got to replace that weak breaker some day.

I am confused about the Passport controversy as well. If the push is to be transparent, why is this so shocking?

Also: Joe S. this morning that your education history would be within your Passport files (unless I misunderstood what he was talking about.) Why would your education history be included? It isn't on the application that I can see...

Ally

If there was ever a good reason to vote against HRC, Elton John might be it.
But just for you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3ppoX4bVTQ

Jack

i got a passport a couple years ago'' had to send in birth certificate and fill out form' there is no information
that is not easily avalible elsewhere'' its all on public record somewhere

So, in summary, let's look at how Obama smeared his own elderly but very much alive grandmother, calling her:

"a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe."

Well, no, according to Obama's 1995 book, it is not at all true that she "once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street." Instead, she once confessed her fear of one aggressive black beggar who didn't pass by her but instead confronted her, demanded money, and then gave her -- an intelligent, level-headed woman who had worked her way up to a mid-level corporate management position -- good reason to believe he would have violently mugged her if her bus hadn't pulled up.

Rocket man
From the big glasses era.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nyha5dFtog4
I found a recent one to and it was just sad.

Jack

Krugman has a Times op-ed likening our current economy to that leading up to the Great Depression. He's spot on:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/21/opinion/21krugman.html?ref=opinion

Okay,

Does anyone have a copy of "Dreams of My Father" handy? If so, what is the language on page 401?

It looks as if Iodine may be circulating an urban legend, but I would like to verify.

iodine,

You must not be from WV. Jay Rockefeller at present is unopposed - at least the Republican party hasn't put forward a candidate. His last opponent - Jay Wolfe - got 37% of the vote - which was a remarkable feat. So far, he's not running. The stronger statewide candidates are running for 2 seats on the WV Supreme Court of Appeals - one seat is an open seat and the other is occupied by the current Chief Justice.

McCain will probably do pretty well here - Bush did win here in both his campaigns. My prediction - Hillary wins the WV primary by 11 pts, Rockefeller wins his seat unopposed, McCain wins here in the general by 4 pts.

(From Pat Buchanan)

"How would he pull it off? I wondered.

How would Barack explain to his press groupies why he sat silent in a pew for 20 years as the Rev. Jeremiah Wright delivered racist rants against white America for our maligning of Fidel and Gadhafi, and inventing AIDS to infect and kill black people?

How would he justify not walking out as Wright spewed his venom about "the U.S. of K.K.K. America," and howled, "God damn America!"

My hunch was right. Barack would turn the tables."

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=25634#continueA

Jack:

OK...now you're just being mean! Elton John represents my childhood. I remember my Mom and her friends drinking Gallo wine in our living room and listening to Helen Reddy and Elton John and discussed the feminist movement. Good times!

Elton John is also a champion of the LGBT community...

I could come up with nefarious intent over the passport snooping - since tey are contracted workers as opposed to political appointees I just don't know who they thought they could benefit by doing it - Hillary or McCain. I do think they were trying to hurt Obama - probably trying to show how limited his travels have been.

I retract my statement about the Passport controversy in the respect that I DO think it is shocking that low-level contract employees have access to the Passport records of Presidential candidates. It seems like you would need some high-level of security clearance for such access. That part DOES scare me. The records themselves I don't see as terribly controversial...

The Art of Forgiveness...How I learned to Forgive.

Today is Good Friday and I thought I'd share an experience of my childhood today.

One would think that attending Catholic Parochial school I would have a keen intuitive insight as to what forgiveness truly means, well, I was 10 years old before I finally understood what that concept meant.

In catholic school with the Nuns or with priests in mass forgiveness was always taught in abstract or in bibical terms, rarely was it taught through human experiences in real life.

I truly understood what the concept was from of all places that bastion of Sodom and Gomorrah Hollywood, at least at a time some decent movies were made. I am referring to William Wyler's 1959 version of Ben Hur, even to this day a powerful classic movie. The acting of Charlton Heston in the movie was powerful and extrodinary in the title character as was Stephen Boyd's.

Heston plays a wealthy Jewish Prince Judah Ben Hur, Boyd a arrogant corrupted Roman soldier named Messala. Due to a set of unfortunate circumstances Messala sends his childhood friend [Heston/Judah Ben Hur] to the galleys while there he sends Heston's sister and mother to prision where they contract leprosy. Judah swears vengence against Messala they both wind up in a chariot race Messala is trampled by the horses.

Seeing Messala close to death Judah [Heston] despite all the grief, torment and suffering Messala caused him and his family, Judah forgives him despite his anger.

The scene then shifts to Heston witnessing Christ's crucifixion, afterwards Heston's sister hide in a cave where the rain, and water mixed with Jesus' blood wash over them and cure them of leprosy.

It was then I learned what forgiveness is and how difficult it can be to acheive in many cases because of pride. The movie was a powerful visual aid for this 10 year old girl, and it still serves me well as an adult woman and mother.
Please view this as an inspirational post and not preaching or condescension, that was not my intention

Sincerely,
Heather

Pogo,

Don't forget the great cancer scare of the the very early 1960's. Cranberries cause cancer.

"Chris Matthews blathering uncontrolably about the lack of an African American presence during his youth until he volunteered in the Peace Corps and who knows"

Well that is outright laughable. Matthews is from North Philly. North Philly is and was mostly Black.

Pogo,

It's starting to look as if a lot of diseases and conditions may be connected to all the various chemicals human beings have been pouring into the environment, but I doubt sugar has much to do with it other than being overweight with bad teeth. :-)

I know we are all shocked about passports and private information and contract labor...geez, have you ever called your credit card company and talked with someone from India about your credit? Low level employees? As I have stated before with global mass consumerism (forget Nafta), pretty soon everyone will be low level employees! Who should have access to this stuff to do the grunge work...Condi Rice?

mqw

If there is anything to be gained from those files it might have to do with where he was and on what dates. Other than that, I can't think of anything useful that as you say is available elsewhere.

Ally,

You just come right over here and we will stack up all the remaining snowballs in the country to throw at Jack. How dare he intimate that Elton John is anything other than the greatest!!!!!!! :-)

Well except for Don't Go Breakin My Heart with KiKi Dee. There are limits to may adoration.

Ally, I'm actually impressed that the system tracks unauthorized intrusions that closely. I may be wrong, but I think that the passport stamps into & out of foreign countries are entered into the database whenever you come back into the US. I don't know of any other info that isn't pretty easily obtained other than that, and maybe SSN.

And Craig, love the Sunshine Bouys post - you sure it wouldn't have been more apt to make it the Golden Girls? I can see Lieberman as Estelle Getty to McCain's Betty White.

Richardson is endorseing Obama. What an idiot, and I kind of liked him.
If Obama gets the nomination and he won't but if he does I will vote for McCain or not vote at all.
This whole thing is sick, sick, sick.
I am so appalled at Richardson I even sent him an email. One voice in the wind but it made me feel better. haha
This passport thing is just a ploy to get off the Wright issue. Those people working with passports often excess passports for no special reason. But the media now is focusing on it and not the "judgment" of Obama.

I'm going to Elton John on April 23 here in Tallahassee! He was supposed to play here last Saturday night but it got postponed because he was ill.

Nefarious or just foolish, the passport contoversy, the anticipated Richardson endorsement continues to keep Sen. Obama front & center in control of the 24/7 news cycle.

obama is running for president o the united states' he is a senator'where he has been and when should already be public' didn't he write a book that stated where he has been

Just sent Hillary a few more bucks - in honor of the Richardson endorsement.

:-D

I just read Richardson's comment on this and I cannot believe it. Now I am glad I wrote him.
Craig, PLEASE help what is going on? Am I the only one sane? Is this the way politics has always been but I just am noticing it? I guess I should go back to watching Mash or movies. This whole thing makes me so upset. Now what is Edwards going to do?
Hillary is so strong and will be so good. I do believe being a woman is such a up hill battle in every part of life more so than being black.

BW

"private information and contract labor"

What I find more dismaying is that all of these jobs were at one time full time employees of the government or a company with job security and benefits.

Now they are by contract, often temporary, dependent on screening outside the firm where they are being used with little or no opportunity for upward mobility ... a permanent servant class feeling lucky just to have a paycheck. But that's what you get with an overcrowded world filled with the minimally skilled and equipped with international instant communication

Welcome to a world well on its way to living in the third world.

And as long as we are making releigious posts, today is also a good day to remember Judas. As a child, the impact of Judas and betrayal was very heavy on me. It was perhaps one of the biggest lessons of my religous upbringing. And forgiveness followed, but I remember the sting of Judas.

jamie, I'm fairly well aware of chemical related cancer - my current focus is toxic torts. AS to sugar - you're right on IMHO - bad teeth, fat asses.

LOL about the Elton/Kiki song - I saw them perform that at the U of AL way back when (admitting that I once was a fan of Elton - loved Madman... - but then he once was a piano playing rock & roller), and it took a week to get that insipid song out of my head - and now it's back. Gee thanks. It was the last Elton concert I ever went to. Ooh, ooh, nobody told me (nobody tooooold me...).

this passport business is all one big smokescreen to get the media off rev.wright and obama's dumbass remark about typical white people'' it was'nt right for someone to look at his record of travel abround but its not a national security issue'' or a clinton conspiracy

Jamie: I actually have a lot of snow left in my yard, if you can believe it. You may need to come over here for the snowball making!

We have a 1976 VW Beetle Convertible and the rule is: Only 70s music is allowed to be played in Daisy (that's her name.) So it really makes my kids nuts to travel with me and listen to Donna Summer, ABBA, Elton John and others I won't reveal in an attempt to preserve any scrap of dignity I may still have after revealing these music choices on the blog.

Pogo:

Thanks for the updated pollster graph - it's been awhile since they updated it.

Notice the SHARP upturn in Hillary's line

and the now starting to curve down line of Obama

:-D

US passports are an odd lot. You get your application from the Post Office, it is processed by the State Department, upon entering the US it is scanned by a Immigration Inspector. The other forms that everyone has to complete, the Customs Declaration Forms (CF-6059)

Blond

If you want to get into the religious weeds, Judas is actually one of those logical conundrums that no one can explain and makes the whole tale a little hard to hold together.

Without him Jesus could not have become Christ via crucifiction and resurection, so was Judas damned from the time of his birth i.e. "predestination" or is he actually sainted as the means of arrival at ultimate forgiveness of original sin?

Chase that one around in circles for awhile.

It's almost enough to turn you into a "heck if I know" agnostic.

Carol:

I sent Richardson a little note too - telling him that thanks to him I justed donated more money to Hillary's campaign.

I followed up my contribution to Hillary with a note letting her know it was in honor of the Richardson endorsement.

I encourage others who can to send her a few bucks and then go to the contact us page to let her know it's in honor of Richardson. The Clinton campaign staffers I'm sure will get a laugh out of it.

Ally,

Look what you can hop in Daisy to go see this summer

http://www.mamma-mia.com/movie.asp?sec=movie

US passports are an odd lot. You get your application from the Post Office, it is processed by the State Department, upon entering the US it is scanned by a Immigration Inspector. The other forms that everyone has to complete, the Customs Declaration Forms (CF-6059). Your travel itinerary is retained by ICE and State.

If Obama gets the nomination and he won't but if he does I will vote for McCain or not vote at all.

Apparently that is the feeling of 1 out of every 5 D, so you won't be alone.

Here's a good one-
http://youtube.com/watch?v=KfRFJSLOFiI

My sister went to this concert at MSG.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h15xIoVwWw&feature=related

A compliation of Statler & Waldorf on the Muppet Show.

So the State Department realized they had a problem with Obama's passport file when a reporter started asking questions?

Who told the reporter?

Like I said on the last post, if it was Hillary's Passport File you would all be screaming and accusing the Obama campaign.

It was a big deal when Bill Clinton's file was accessed and so they now put in place a system to notify those who should have followed up on this to do so.

Since his passport goes back to when he was a youngster it also includes everything about is personal life as well.

It was also said though I don't know if its true but the person in charge of the contract workers on the first two breechs has ties to Bill Clinton who gave her an ambassadorship to Paraguay when he was President.

Since Bill had his records accessed maybe he used this woman Hardy to have people look into Obama's file. After all they are playing by Rove's rules and using scorched earth tactics.

Lets wait and see if this goes back to Bush or Clinton since a Clinton appointee appears to be involved.

Well, Bushco is nothing if not consistent - in its protection of illegal activities by its benefactors.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/20/bush-administration-tryin_n_92667.html

BTW, Fry, nooooooo, not cranberries.

Jamie: I am so excited for Mamma Mia. I saw it on Broadway and loved it (and so did my boys but they would NEVER admit it.)

JennBe: Completely dreamy! Have fun on the 23rd! If he is sick for the Hillary concert that would suck as we are flying in from Iowa.

" "Dreams of My Father" handy? If so, what is the language on page 401?"

Don't have the book, but I'd bet my right arm Obama never said anything of the sort.

All this passport talk made me want to see if mine had my SS# on it and now I can't find it. That will drive me crazy the rest of the day -

Lieberman's voice is like the voice of the actor that played ALF's father. Anyone else ever notice that?

----- it's not a very far drive.

UhOh, Jack...you may have stepped into it. My usually passive daughter would probably go fisticuffs for Elton John.

Jamie...you nailed it! And seems appropriate for the political goings on.

Wendy!, you're welcome, but I wouldn't call one poll a trend - particularly since it is a rapid reversal from the same poll 3 days before. What is interesting about it is that it is Gallup and is almost a mirror of their poll from 4 weeks before, which in their subsequent polls does show HIllary gaining support and Obama losing it, but the rapid swing makes me wonder if it's a sampling issue or an actual trend being reflected.

My point to dog was that the revulsion angle being floated by the Obama campaign is not born out by the polls. And it is looking more and more like Obama's pronouncement that he will get Clinton's supporters if nominated, but she may not get his was simply his arrogance speaking - and was wrong.

Yes, anon paranoid....Bill Clinton was behind the whole thing. He was also seen on the grassy knoll and in Area 51. I know that because I stole Bill's passport records after flying a black helocopter over your house. PS -- aliens are looking for you....

One of the best scenes from a movie ever (Almost Famous.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qn3tel9FWU&feature=related

Sing along!

AP, according to NYT this morning, The Obama campaign is pointing the finger at Bushco, not Clinton's campaign.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/20/state-dept-punishes-aides-for-obama-passport-breach/index.html?hp

If you're going to impugn Clinton, please provide a link to your source. Tracking down ambassadorships isn't all that difficult.

Jamie,
Without him Jesus could not have become Christ via crucifiction and resurection

Well that isn't exactly so. Yes Judas did give up information where Jesus could be found on a particular day. However Jesus' fate was sealed long before he ever enter Jerusalem, the Sunday prior to his execution/crucification. So if Judas hadn't given up Jesus, the Jewish High Priests would have found someone else who would. Let there be no doubt Jesus was marked man.

the anti-clinton people went to court to find out where clinton was and when for every day as first lady for eight years' it was very important for them that she account for every second she was first lady'and cryed foul until it was released'now they want the phone records of every call she made'what 's next her 5th grade report card.

To all the Clinton supports out there this is a SOS.
Your campaign is running out of cash and the debt is rising.
New COO is on board to get the camp on track .
If this attempt at resusitation fails then the next step will be a call to Dr. Jack Kevorkian.

Obama campaign is pointing the finger at Bushco, not Clinton's campaign.

The only thing that could be learned is where he traveled to and what port of entry he returned through. Here is the passport application. You'll find no big secrets here.
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/79955.pdf

Heather, long originally-written posts are fine, didn't mean to scare ya. It is the lengthy copy-and-pastes from other sites that I like to avoid. As a courtesy to other sites we should provide the link and just a few lines of text. And by the way, the scroll-down box only auto generates for an especially long url address so that it does not carry over to the sidebar on the right.

Jamie, fixing the Dexter link in Blogroll now. Thanks.

Any regulars with a blog who would like to be added, email your link to cqtrailmix@verizon.net

Fry,

I had to leave before Chris Matthews' segment with Morrning Joe finished, but in the part I saw, he spoke of his classrooms in Catholic grammar schools, as we called them, then high school and college.

He said he never had an African-American classmate from the time he entered kindergarten right through grad school. The only thing I'd question there is that Chris actually made it through grad school.

Although you say he's from a "black section" of Philly, from my experience that's not terribly far-fetched. I'm a few years older than Chris, but I'm sure our school years over-lapped. In my Catholic grade school, I had one black teammate, who was in 8th grade, when I was in the 7th. To the best of my memory, he and his sister, were the only black students in the school.

In our Catholic high school, I'm guessing we had fewer than a dozen African-American students among a total enrollment of about 500. Of those 12, the 3 that I knew closely, as either teammates or classmates, were not Catholic. That's no big deal, but just reinforces that in the 50's and 60's my Catholic experience was primarily lily white.

I'll admit Troy, NY isn't Philadelphia. I'm just saying it could happen. Also, Chris wasn't saying he hadn't met or seen black people in Philly, just that he didn't get to know anyone the way you'd know a classmate.

not sure why the Comment posting is delayed, folks. hoping it works itself out. if not, i'll see if CQ IT can look into it

a-p

The monitoring system was put into place BECAUSE of prior access to Bill Clinton's passport info. What could anyone garner from that info anyway? More smoke and mirrors to deflect from the "typical white woman" remark. Being in the public eye is a wonderful thing, isn't it?

AP, you conveniently failed to mention that Harty is a career state department employee with a 27 year tenure in the department who joined the state department under Reagan just after her graduation from college and was named to the post of Assistant Secretary over Consular Affairs that she retired from in February by Dumya. If you're gonna look at conspiracies, please look at the most likely sources.

Burrito,

RE: Lieberman

Yes, a guy at work always calls him Willy because of his voice match with that character from Alf.

Harty.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maura_Harty

pogo bin agogo...

Its been on the news that the contractors came from the Consular Corp. The person at the Consular Corp was a appointee of Bill Clinton.

As I said above: Lets wait and see if this goes back to Bush or Clinton since a Clinton appointee appears to be involved.

I'm sure it will be on the news most of today and they may bring the person up again. However, if you really want to know look up the ambassador to Paraguay under Bill Clinton. I believe the last name is Hardy and was mentioned again a couple times already.

Yes Patsi, for all we know right now it could go back to Bill or Bush, but the contractors came out of the Consular Corp and from what has been reported the person in charge of the contractors who were caught ties back to Bill.

But than the Clinton's are saints to you and can do no evil. I bet if they killed kittens in front of you you would deny that they did even if you saw it with your own eyes.

BlondeWino....
Yes your social security number is also in those records as well as a lot of personal information you would not want made public.

There was a lot of speculation about where the photo of Obama in native garb was taken. Many kept saying Kenya, however Williams from the clinton campaign insisted it was Somali. That's what I heard at least. And I believe it was indeed Somali and may have been in Obama's file as well since the State Department keeps records of photos also.

I am another 1 of 5 D who will vote for McCain rather than Obama

Milquetoast

Craig...must be the contract labor reading our posts...they sure are delayed.

Blame the State Dept foulup of Dick Cheney trying to help out his cousin.
After all, he did commend Cuz Barack on his very important speech.
Blame Richardson for disloyality to the Clinton.
Blame John Edwards...... when that endorsement comes.

pogo
Yes I am from WVAbut now live in Fla.
Don't know where you get it that Rockefellar is unopposed, according to the Beckley Post Herald, Fletcher and Hendricks are running against him.
I still think it was a bad move for him to endorse Obama, he can say what he wants about that, that he has not made up his mind but he was on Wva tv endorsing him then sent my family a letter saying that he was uncommitted, so you go figure.
Maybe I just don't get it, if thats true enlighten me.

EdVB

Matthews was not very clear and even when pressed that his education was until graduate school entirely Catholic schools. I think it is entirely believable that someone going to Catholic schools in the fifties and sixties would have an all white experience,.

But if you were attending public schools, the during the same time period.,experience would be different and more integrated. Matthews tried to make the argument that all people his age had the same experience growing up and that is not true.

Here's the link to the Ambassador.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maura_Harty

Now its coming out that Condi Liar says that Hillary's file was accessed in 2007 and she wasn't told either.

However, the person in charge of the contractors so far is still tied to Bill.

Like I said we will have to wait and see who the contractors were tied to. Until then I will with hold judgment but I wouldn't put it past the Clinton's.

FD

Yes, but Judas was the one pointed out at the Last Supper, so again "prophecy/predestination". For that matter if a diety is all knowing, isn't that diety ultimately responsible for all evil as well as all good and then you can toss free will into the mix, but again isn't just creating the choice that can be made sort of a catch 22?

Now Hillary has been notified that her passport records have been searched.

What it sounds like to me is when the operators in charge of the "non pub" book would look up the telephone numbers for famous people.

Nefarious plots are rarely either nefarious or plots.

Fry, I agree - it's not the big deal that Obama is making of it - to change the subject from his boneheaded statements this week. Even Joe ain't buying his crap this time.

Mcw, with regards to this post Posted by: mqw | March 21, 2008 8:36 AM, I am a black guy and I didn't vote for Obama in the TX primary because he was black.

You don't need to vote for him to prove you aren't racist. Stop being so defensive. What they "typical white person" refuses to do is to recognized that black people got screwed over. Affirmative Action was a lame attempt to try to right 350 years worth of shit sandwiches.

If black people whined as much as whites did about "Reverse Discrimination", this country would be a far different place than it is. Some could argue that the anger and fear the white majority is showing when a black person expresses anger at how they were treated is a clear indication that you recognize the wrongs you exacted and are afraid of the deserved retribution.

AP
My basic operating mode for things I don't know that much about is
"never attribute to evil when stupidity will suffice."
Stupidity is the human condition.
Evil needs to be proved

Jack

George

Kevorkian is also running for President. And JMc was in a similar situation for campaign funds...and look where he is now! And finally, all the money BHO has poured into the campaign and he is still is not convincing half of the dems to vote for him...in fact, 20% will vote for JMc if he is the nom. Sure is great to be dem, isn't it!

Apparently Senator Clinton's passport files have also been breached.

Breaking news: Obama campaign acccuses Clinton
of breaking into her own files.

No big deal or not, it's still BS that some contract employee could access his or anyone else's file for shits and giggles.

mathews'' typical white liberal elitist hypocrite'

Welcome, George err Brian...nice to have you back.

Here's what I said about Bills file.

Like I said on the last post, if it was Hillary's Passport File you would all be screaming and accusing the Obama campaign.

It was a big deal when Bill Clinton's file was accessed and so they now put in place a system to notify those who should have followed up on this to do so.

Now they are saying all three candidates files were accessed.

So explain to me why they would need McCain's personal file since he is the Republican Nominee. A major investigation needs to be started immediately so we can all know who's behind this.

It is to unbelievable that all of a sudden the State Department is now saying the other candidates files were also breech last year and this year.

Too much of a coincidence.

KGC & EdvB

Chris Matthews looking at his own catholic
education, probably correct that in early 60s no
minority students in catholic schools in Philly.

Here in CT at that time having gone first to catholic
grade school, then both catholic & public high schools,
not until the public high school, was there a mix of
students. The Catholic schools were just starting to
try to integrate their school systems, would think similar
in Philly. Not even sure what Chris Matthews was
trying to establish by his comments this a.m.

Hillary Clinton causes flooding in Midwest.

Hillary Clinton causes the cherry blossoms to not bloom when all the tourists are in DC.

Hillary Clinton caused the Temple Owls to lose.

AP, like I said, post a link. You're throwiing out innuendo without any source to back it up. The ambassador to Paraguay appointed by Clinton in 1997 was Maura Harty. She served for 2 years and was Assistant Secretary over Consular Affairs under Bush. There are a number of hits for Consular Corp. Without more specificity it is impossible to confirm or deny what you're suggesting. Post the source of your innuendo, please.

iodine - I went to the WV Republican party website - they don''t list a candidate for the Senate. I agree with you on the Obama endorsement, but Rockefeller is pretty bulletproof. I'll check the Beckley papers to see what they say. What part of WV, btw (Beckley area, I'mm guessing)? I'm in Clarksburg.

The essence of the Easter Story is the:
Personal agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.
The betrayal by Judas and the denial by Peter.
The crucifixion.
The Resurrection.
We are seeing it played out in this Democrat race.
The beauty of this remarkable ordeal is that the end is very near.
A mighty machinery will be brought down and an underdog insurgency will be risen.
The old ,old story of Easter.

Wendy:

The Richardson endorsement matters because it means he won't be endorsing Clinton (which may have helped her a bit). It also looks like Edwards is going to stay on the sidelines till this thing plays out.

And although the Clintons are masters of the news cycle - nothing has happened yet that will prevent Obama from continuing to win more states, delegates and votes.

(btw, Tapper is in the tank for Clinton)

Obama wants this "race discussion" to take place and it is taking place, but I think that the anger will get into the way, as we have seen on Tv, and on various blogs. What is the answer? Maybe we need to start with some questions.

1. What is the goal of this discussion?
2. Is the goal of the discussion the same for Blacks as it is for non-Blacks?

If you remember the legal case John Edwards mentioned frequently about the little girl injured by the pool drain, then you will be sad to hear that she has passed away while undergoing her latest round of treatment for the complications

http://www.startribune.com/local/16894946.html

So George

Who gets nailed to the cross?

Jack

Just to keep from getting beat up by patsi's daughter
Elton John with the muppets
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-36u4xUCF0

EdVB,

I was just commenting on Heather's 8:09 AM post.

On this explains Matthews' claim.
La Salle College High School founded in 1858 is an independent, Catholic, college preparatory school for boys

Not even sure what Chris Matthews was
trying to establish by his comments this a.m.

Posted by: Coreen

Doing what he always does, trying to make himself "everyman." But it is always a stretch. He ends up with these examples completely disproving his point. During 2004, he constantly quoted his brother to bash Kerry implying his brother , a Viet Nam vet had some inside knowledge which is a load of horse pucky. And imo not representative of Viet Nam era veterans in general. It is among the worst kinds of journalism.

Well have to go. Hope everyone has a Happy Easter.

"Or maybe they would come across as some sort of outdated vaudevillian act, like Walter Matthau and George Burns "

That is kinda my opinion. They just keep Lieberman around to make the democratic left howl, probably let him make a seech like they did Zell. BTW where is Zell these days?

Jack

No. 2 most popular story on Yahoo:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20080320/cm_thenation/1300860;_ylt=Ap7JxuNKmxEtKnZuagCJmz4DW7oF

No. 1 is about the Richardson endorsement.

Happy days are here again...

And let's see - we had a rough patch during which Obama made a major speech on race - that most people in this country believe was a significant step in the right direction. All things considered...not too shabby.

In other news today the economy's slump continues
to inflict harm on working America. Would think this
would be more important to most americans, but
apparently not to the media.

CNN poll says 30% of Americans say the slowdown is
forcing them to cut back on food, medicine & other daily
neccessities, 31% limiting spending on utilities, and so
it goes.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/20/news/economy/cnn_poll_cutting_back/index.htm

"it's still BS that some contract employee could access his or anyone else's file for shits and giggles"

Yes, and very stupid on the contract employees part. That is why they were fired and their security clearances revoked.
Now they have to go out and find jobs like regular folks.

Jack

Two ex-employees of Sioux Manufacturing Corp. revealed in a 2006 whistle-blower lawsuit that the company had been shorting the quality of the Kevlar in more than 2 million combat helmets sold to the Pentagon during 1994-2006, and in February 2008, Sioux agreed to pay $2 million to settle the dispute. The company did not contest that the Kevlar threading was lighter than the contract required, but the Pentagon said it knew of no troop injuries linked to the substandard threading. In August 2007, however, while the Pentagon was still investigating, the U.S. Air Force nonetheless contracted with Sioux to produce new Kevlar combat helmets. [Air Force Times, 2-18-08]

BlondeWino,
Whatever the outcome in November , the more important issue is the defeating of the attempt to fix the Democrat Nomination race.
The process started with Howard Dean overthrowing Terry McAuliffe as head of the DNC.
The party will be stronger going forward.

Bear

"shits and giggles" ... It's all data entry. If there is a file anywhere, someone with fingers and a keyboard put the information in and can access it for edits.

You can put in safeguards such as notification when some "celebrity" file is accessed which they seem to have had,

As more and more people have access to more and more data on every human being on earth, the whole idea of "privacy" becomes non viable.

You either have to head for the hills, get totally off any grid, find a new identity and lead a subsistance existance or just come to terms with the loss.

Personally, I'm trying for being so stultifyingly boring that no one in their right mind would want to know what I'm doing beyond buying broccoli at Safeway. :-)

(btw, Tapper is in the tank for Clinton)

Posted by: warren | March 21, 2008 12:19 PM

Really got some proof of that. Tapper has posted a number of damaging claims about both Clintons that have turned out to be false. If he is in the "tank" for anyone it is Obama.

Of course live by the sword of the media and die by it.
It has nothing to do with Clinton.

Google top stories are the passport breach, the floods and the lawsuit against the DNC by the Florida Democrats.

Jack
The resurrection element is the Democrat Party free from the negative influence of Bill Clinton.
Al Gore and John Kerry will be very happy indeed.

Warren,

That Yahoo story was discredited yesterday. Posting it again doesn't change the fact that it is still at best half true and 100% slanted.

Dear Craig:
Thank you so much. That makes me feel so much better I was worried I was upsetting you and others but now you have removed that burden, Much appreciated
(((((((Craig))))))
Sincerely,
Heather

all I know is that I have waaaaay too much snow left in my yard this close to April...... yup.... it MUST be Clinton's fault...... (and if you ask which one, I'll tell ya both).....

Clarence Page of the Chicago Tribune.... and a black man (am I a racist for mentioning this?)..... said on this morning's Diane Rehm Show that if Barack Obama becomes the Democratic nominee and then tries to make race an issue in the general election.... it is his opinion that Obama will lose....

and BTW..... the other 2 panelists, Tony Blankley and Ken Walsh, agreed with him.....

PS
--comment correction
In an earlier blog i typed Helen instead of Ellen
releating to Chris Matthews awkward dancing
--Heather