Fauxmentum

Democratic leaders are trying to bluff their way to victory with the health care bill:

Democratic leaders scrambled Sunday to pull together enough support in the House for a make-or-break decision on health-care reform later this week, expressing optimism that a package will soon be signed into law by President Obama despite a lack of firm votes for passage.

The rosy predictions of success, combined with the difficult realities of mustering votes, underscore the gamble that the White House and congressional Democrats are poised to make in an attempt to push Obama's health-care plans across the finish line. The urgency of the effort illustrates growing agreement among Democratic leaders that passing the legislation is key to limiting damage to the party during this year's perilous midterm elections.

But House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) pledged to do "everything we can to make it difficult for them, if not impossible, to pass the bill." He also joined other Republicans Sunday in warning that Democrats would pay for the legislation by losing even more seats than expected in November.

The most optimistic talk on Sunday came from the White House. Obama senior adviser David Axelrod predicted that Democrats "will have the votes to pass this," and press secretary Robert Gibbs declared that "this is the climactic week for health-care reform."

But Rep. James E. Clyburn (S.C.), the Democrats' chief head-counter in the House, cautioned that the party has not yet found the 216 votes needed to win approval of the health-care bill passed by the Senate in December.

"We don't have them as of this morning, but we've been working this thing all weekend," Clyburn said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I'm also very confident that we'll get this done."

This is a transparent fauxmentum strategy.  The Dem leadership is looking at a small group of hard-core "No" votes, a large group of committed "Yes" votes (who will later feign surprise when the reconciliation effort falls apart in the Senate), and a swing group that does not want to vote on this at all because they don't want to lose their jobs, offend the leadership, or torpedo the Obama Administration.

The leadership plan is to pretend that any day now they will sound the whistle, announce that the train is leaving the station, and holler "All aboard that's getting aboard".  At the fateful moment of decision (they hope), enough of the swing bloc will opt for placating the leadership and promoting Team Obama, and the bill will pass.

Now, will they blow the whistle without the votes in hand?  I am sure they are bluffing, but I don't know what they will do if their bluff is called.  I Boldly Predict that this will be an interesting week.

Comments

[Al Asad]

The Danube of thought drowns in the shallows.

[Danube of Thought]

"See?"

Actually, Al, what I see is that the Civil Rights Act passed with large, duly-recorded bipartisan majorities on up-or-down votes in both houses of congress. What on earth that has to do with what these people are doing now is beyond me.

Must be the outsourcing.

[Al Asad]

Try diving into the depths of the Blue Danube. Dipping the toes is for children of the intellect.

[bgates]

Dipping the toes is for children of the intellect.

Amputating the feet is for bogeymen of the Democrats.

(Whoa - this is like Mad Libs, but with an actual mad lib.)

[bgates]

Hey, I had a question about this past weekend's time change:

Since "Daylight Saving Time" purports to do something completely outside of the government's power, and really just shifts who gets the benefits of a good at considerable inconvenience to everybody, shouldn't we start calling it "Daylight Saved or Created Time"?

[qrstuv]

Al, if you have a point, make it.

[Clarice]

Neat idea,bgates..

I'm already so sleep deprived, this always puts a crimp in..

[Frau Gesundheit]

DoT - My town full of retired grandees, leftist missionaries and academic snobs *had* a lawn bowling club (when the town was Republican) until someone decided it was too old-fogey. The area is now for toddler soccer and the lawn bowlers moved from our snooty town to Palomares Park in neighboring Pomona! Hah!

[Al Asad]

"if you have a point, make it."

You must be an engineer...

[Clarice]

IBD reports the Hispanic caucus is still verklempt and there's no way to satisfy them without blowing the entire thing up.

http://blogs.investors.com/capitalhill/index.php/home/35-politics/1511-la-raza-not-optimistic-about-health-bill>Free care for the entire world via Mad man Obama?

[Danube of Thought]

The experts are telling us novices that Bowls are highly popular in the UK, South Africa and Oz.

The lawn is directly across the street from the high school I attended in the late 50's. We used to watch those old giddy-duddies and chuckle. We have decided that if the high schoolers give us any trouble we're gonna moon 'em.

[Clarice]

Look at the picture of Obama on Drudge--It's the face of a crazy loser.

[MaryD]

Clarice, can you help me with that wonderful word verklempt? Thanks!

[Janet]

give the Jew hating troll "Dumbass Historical Analogies" for a trillion.

LOL...and happy to hear about the good bill of health for Mrs. Hate.
Also wanted to say Happy Birthday to Porchlight!

[Ignatz]

--Al, if you have a point, make it.--

Cleo like all performance "artists" is his own, self referential, point.

[Clarice]

"verklempt"--choked up with emotion.

[Jim Ryan]

Janet, have you been to the Indian museum food court? Delicious array of various tribes' foods.

[MaryD]

Thanks, Clarice -- You might not think that I could find opportunities to use this word in northern New Hampshire, but I can and I will.

[Porchlight]

Thanks, Janet, and thanks to everyone for the well wishes. My husband and I discovered a new-to-us local sandwich shop that was fantastic. And my parents sent a case of Burgundy. And my one hope was not to have the unthinkably awful bill passed on my birthday. So it's been a great day. :)

[Frau Gesundheit]

Captain, my husband went through the same procedure last year with Kaiser in L.A. The department takes only four patients a day. The care was fantastic. ObamaCarp will end that, I'm sure. Today, Mark Steyn mentioned drive-through surgery coming soon. I hope not.

[Al Asad]

Danube will remain in the shallows. His ideology demands it.

[Janet]

No, I've never been to the Indian museum at all. I hope the weather clears for tomorrow...it's been drizzling all day. If the drizzle keeps up, I'll be the lady with the big hair and the Taco Bell dog poster tomorrow!

[Army of Davids]

Charlie Rangel needs to feel the heat to resign.

Congressman Matheson (D) Utah needs to feel the heat.

I read the Slaughter Solution as a potential constitutional crisis.

[Clarice]

MaryD, If it interests you, get Leo Rosten's dictionary--lots of hilarious words there to be used..Of course, you could always pretend they are Alsatian French.

[Jim Ryan]

the big hair

I'll be the guy where there's a place where the hair is starting to be not there. And the sign I told you about.

The museum is not great. I'm going to try to pop into the food court, though.

[KJjht]

If friends were flowers, I'd pick you.

[Laura]

wish I could go Jim. Give em hell.

And you are right, the museum is not great, however the building is spectacular.

[Janet]

LUN is a Code Red Speakers Rally going on at
10 tomorrow too. Michele Bachmann, Joe Wilson,...
I'll probably just be milling around. I'll look for ya though Jim.

[Danube of Thought]

It's getting pretty hard to keep track, but I think they are going to try to do this thing without the Slaughter maneuver.

The Fox News count is 211-220. I think the Hill has it at 212, and Rove is right around there. Not very good news, because as we've seen so often the high-priced whores hold out to the end haggling about the price, but they always lie down in the end.

[Captain Hate]

Captain, my husband went through the same procedure last year with Kaiser in L.A.

Frau, we belong to Kaiser as well and they coordinate their cardiac care with the clinic at no additional cost to us. For all the wailing and gnashing of teeth re HMOs, we have dealt with giving birth and raising two children (one pediatrician gave an absolutely inspired diagnosis of my younger daughter's joint pains from consuming too much milk), breast cancer and cardiac problems through Kaiser and couldn't be happier. The only "problem" we've had is that a lot of our doctors go elsewhere eventually after we've grown fond of them and the way they work, but they seem to get replaced with equally talented people.

Also thanks to Clarice, CC, Porch, Janet and all well-wishers from the House of Hate.

[Al Asad]

"but they always lie down in the end."

The shallow end?

[Captain Hate]

And happy birthday Porch!

[Janet]

KJjht's comment makes me mindful of a quote from Master and Commander (good movie) -

Capt. Jack Aubrey: "Nonsense! Name a shrub after me. Something prickly and hard to eradicate."

[Porchlight]

Ahhh, Captain Jack Aubrey. I mentioned the sandwich shop we went to for lunch today - there was a young guy in line reading Master and Commander. We chatted about the series. I advised him to always have the next book ready when he finished the one he was on. I envy anyone just starting those books...

[Jim Ryan]

Yes, Laura, the building is beautiful. Most of the collection is held in a warehouse in Maryland, the staff told me, which leaves only a tiny handful of things to be displayed in this building.

[Clarice]

From a friend
Campaign Carl just said it is going to pass.

Karl Rove said 60/40 against - but, he said, don't bet on it.

Hannity says no way it will pass. Says he has the congressmen and their phone, fax and email up on his website who are for and against and he's been getting calls all day from those on the yes side saying they aren't on the yes side.

Rick Santorum says he it will get passed only because Pelosi has "tools" to make it happen.

John Fund says yes, it will pass.

Stupak still says he has 12 votes no. Two days ago he was crying because they were all being taken in one at a time and came out yes votes.

I still say NO.

[Jim Ryan]

Perriello knows he's toast if he votes for it. VA-5 after the 60-40% November '09 and Perriello's Cap and Trade, Stimulus, and Health Care votes? He knows he's toast. He also knows he has a chance to get re-elected if he votes no this week.

We're going to pay him a little visit tomorrow.

[Rick Ballard]

So CDS was designed to provide information regarding the value of the underlying securities and functioned perfectly. That explains everything - of course the US Treasury had to pay off Goldman for the AIG CDS. It's all clear now.

What utter horseshit.

[Jim Ryan]

Ha! Hannity has moved Perriello from probable Yes to lean No.

It's your first term. You know you're toast if you vote Yes. What do you do? Obvious.

[Danube of Thought]

Well, I sure heard somebody say the Hill count was 212 or something. But their latest update shows 37 Dems in the "firm no, likely no or leaning no" category (the max they could tolerate), but another 70--seventy!--undecideds. That seems like quite a target-rich environment to say the least.

[Clarice]

Look at O's face on Drudge. Tell me that's the face of a man who doubled down on a winning bet.

[Jim Ryan]

Did you all see this? Gateway Pundit also has this leak. Obamacare talking points for Congs to use against Tea Party tomorrow.

[Clarice]

I did see it--interestingly thy anticipate tens of thousands of protestors on the Hill .

[Oops, sorry about that.]

If we can have fauxmentum, why not have faux pause?
=========================

[narciso]

Talking points, don't have a darn thing to do with the truth, I know "bug not a feature"

[Melinda Romanoff]

Rick-

Were you directing that at this thread, or another one?

[Rick Ballard]

Sorry - wrong thread.

BTW - I donned a HazMat suit and waded through the sewage on some prog sites and still haven't found any indication that a jackal pack alert has been issued for the 4, no make that 5, oops, no make that 7... whatever the count is as of 10:10PM.

Clarice,

Interesting that Boccieri in Ohio had just washed his hair and couldn't make it to BOzo's speech there. What a leader.

[Old Lurker]

"I still say NO."

Ha, Clarice. You just don't want to have buy the drinks for DoT, TC and me.

[Jim Ryan]

Has a self-executing rule ("deeming passed") been used for the initial passage of a piece of legislation before? Or only to amend previously passed legislation? Or both?

[Old Lurker]

Me, too, Cap'n That's good news.

And Porch, Happy Birthday if it still counts! A case of wine from your parents...cool rents!

[The Gorebellied Fool.]

ccal and DoT, yeah, we love Inhofe. He's been calling AGW a fraud for years. He's really an example of the Miracle of the Rose. He had to call it a fraud because he represents bigtime oil interests. Then, like a miracle, AGW does turn out to be a hoax.
==================

[Melinda Romanoff]

kim-

I finally got a chance to go through the tallbloke, et al.

I still think they are limiting their "system" views just a tad, but that's just me.

Po dug up something from one of your links which led me to an interesting paper buried in the comments when it started to get interesting.

I don't know whether you caught this one.

[Clarice]

Hi,OL. Folks, OL and Mrs OL treated Dr J, Mr, C and me to a great dinner last night. Wonderful people! (But I'm sure you all figured that out already on your own.)

[narciso]

So the servers at CTU were fried by an EMP an idea they borrowed from Goldeneye, I don't know if that is a metaphor for anything

[whiskey]

Obamacare is a done deal, far too many true believers in the Dems for it to fail.

HOWEVER, Reps should explicitly promise (and carry out) the following when they get the majority:

1. House investigations of all "deals," corrupt bargains, judgeships, payoffs, promises and bribes to Congressmen, ex or current, for their votes.

2. Defunding via rules committee of every aspect of ObamaCare possible.

3. Sworn testimony from Obama and Obama officials and Nancy Pelosi and so on regarding racial preferences for medical school and the like -- your Doctor has to be Black instead of the best.

4. Defund all jobs, positions, and stuff that Nancy and Obama promise.

Basically, scorched earth tactics making every Democrat PAY PAY PAY by sweating under hearings, face possible indictments (back home), and look like garbage squared even if they won re-election, and possible jail time if they retired and took a bribe.

[Clarice]

I'm sure the American public is simply waiting for that, whiskey. NOT.
Just promise to repeal anything that's passed.

[The crystal ball is still pretty opaque.]

Yes, that is interesting, MR. Many people now trying to figure out the natural cycles. The earth is a huge analog computer and heat engine taking in energy in the tropics and churning it toward the poles where it is radiated.
===============

[Clarice]

And then there's this:

Democrats in Congress are vowing to pass their national health care plan with a vote in the House possible by the end of this week. But most voters still oppose the plan the same way they have for months.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 43% favor the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats, while 53% oppose it. Those findings include 23% who Strongly Favor the plan and 46% who Strongly Oppose it.
The numbers are virtually unchanged from last week and are consistent with findings in regularly tracking going back to just after Thanksgiving.
Democrats continue to overwhelmingly support the plan, while Republicans and voters not affiliated with either party strongly oppose it.
Opposition continues to stem in part from unchanging views that the plan will drive up the cost and worsen the quality of health care in America. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of voters also believe the health care reform plan now working its way through Congress will hurt the U.S. economy.

[narciso]

whiskey's a bit of a fatalist, from the general gist of his comments elsewhere

[Danube of Thought]

If I were starting over with the Aubrey novels, I'd have the Oxford nautical dictionary and a world atlas at my elbow throughout.

Santorum says unless you have 40 publicly-declared no votes from Dems, it will pass. Well short of that now. If it passes, one of the most sickening aspects will be listening to these fence-sitting weasels explaining how they didn't know how they were going to vote three days before it happened, but then suddenly saw some sort of like.

Passage will ensure that the next three years will produce the most entertaining politics we have ever seen.

[Danube of Thought]

Here's the Hill's latest.

[pagar]

"talking points for Congs to use against Tea Party tomorrow."

Weaselzippers has it a littleDifferently.

"They're too Stupid to Understand What's in the Bill, so Give Them Some Refreshments."

O/T--While you're on their site, take a look at their Recent Article "Religion of Evil". Do not let your young children read it, or any easily upset adult. It makes the Cartoons of What's his name look like a joke.

[Danube of Thought]

From tomorrow's WSJ:

Yes, self-executing rules have been used in the past, but as the Congressional Research Service put it in a 2006 paper, "Originally, this type of rule was used to expedite House action in disposing of Senate amendments to House-passed bills." They've also been used for amendments such as to a 1998 bill that "would have permitted the CIA to offer employees an early-out retirement program"—but never before to elide a vote on the entire fundamental legislation.

(Looks like McConnell was right in his e-mail.)

My very fondest dream would be that these fiends pass this thing using the Slaughter procedure, and that it then be declared unconstitutional and invalid by the Supremes. Preferably on a 5-4 vote...

[I'll call Obama an anti-semite. It's that bad.]

William Jacobsen is good about Obama's hamhandedness over Israel.

DoT, there is a dedicated dictionary of the terms in the Aubrey canon out there. I mean, in here somewhere; I haven't seen it for awhile. Personally, I think Patrick O'Brian owned a time machine. Once upon a time I had a copy of a small tome by a French priest about the Holy Land during the time of Jesus, which had been translated by O'Brian, but I gave it to my brother. The language was a delight.
===============

[Jim Ryan]

Thanks. So there is no precedent in that respect.

[Jim Ryan]

Ah, I see his email to you upthread now.

[Old Lurker]

What was most fun was listening to Mr. Clarice and Mrs. OL talk about the e-friends Clarice, DrJ and I have become and how they wonder if it is safe to let us associate with all you JOMers. I'm not sure who they worried was corrupting whom...

Mr. Clarice observed that the secret to their long happy marriage was to always live in a house where they each had two floors. Mrs. OL agreed to that and added the additional requirement of seperate computers. DrJ refused to contribute to that part of the discussion, suggesting he is one smart dude. But then we knew that.

Sylvia was wrong; it is safe to meet our internet friends face to face. They are every bit as delightful as you thought.

[Frau Gesundheit]

The Dem talking points do *not* include any mention of illegal aliens.

I'll bet the recommendation was for many to be absent from the office -"off doing regular work," the flak catchers will say. That's what we found last September. There were a few exceptions, one being Jean's TN honey, Marsha Blackburn. Oh, don't be shy around any good treats. You'll need the extra energy during the day.

"Fifty-seven percent (57%) of voters also believe the health care reform plan now working its way through Congress will hurt the U.S. economy."
And that despite the media support of All Things Obama.

[Melinda Romanoff]

kim-

Heat at the tropics, but solar/galactic wind at the poles.

The launch Wednesday, hopefully, will put some instrumentation closer to Sol and will garner, I suspect, some interesting core spin within the plasma.

Much to be learned.

Thanks for sharing. I get paid to follow other things, as you might have noticed, so I don't get to see all that I would ordinarily chase. Pity, that.

[Army of Davids]

Too many clues that Democrats are in panic mode on this. Obama has one of his 200 guests faint....again....they will have to resort to the Slaughter Solution or go to a back up plan with no meat on the bones.

The Slaughter Solution is a constitutional crisis waiting to happen IMO.

[Ignatz]

--Sylvia was wrong...--

Now there's one of the immutable laws of the universe.

[cathyf]

Mrs. OL agreed to that and added the additional requirement of seperate computers.

In 2002 we put an addition that I designed on our 1910 4-square. On the second floor, above an existing breakfast room, a big master bedroom. On the side of that, a 2-story addition. First floor of that has an office for me (with 2.5 walls of windows) and a first-floor bath. Up back stairs into (what every woman who lives in a 100-yr-old house lusts after) a 7x10 walk-through closet. And next to the closet, also off of the master BR, an office for DrF with 2 walls of windows.

Anyway, when my best friend took the tour, she got up to our bedroom and said, "Hmmm... I notice that you'll share a bed, but not an office!"

[Danube of Thought]

I pray they use the Slaughter device. I would think it would afford a much better chance for a constitutional reversal than the mandates.

It infuriates me that not only do they refuse to listen to the people (let alone to the minority party), but they are fully prepared to subject this country to years of bitter, divisive struggle--all in the name of "making history." Almost beyond belief.

[hit and run]

OL:
Sylvia was wrong; it is safe to meet our internet friends face to face. They are every bit as delightful as you thought.

Now,wait. I may be the last person you'd expect to rise to sylvia's defense ... but what you describe is exactly what http://justoneminute.typepad.com/main/2009/10/more-on-obamas-nobel/comments/page/5/#comments>she predicted would happen on the first meeting:

And if a adult person is mentally unstable enough to devote much of his day to trolling on right wing blogs, that person is mentally unstable enough to try and carry the charade into real life. And the easiest way to start would be to meet with you, and one of the main posters here, and act like a nice guy and gain trust. What the goal is after that, I don't know. But probably good not to find out. I would just be careful.

Don't let your guard down now!

[Jim Ryan]

I pray they use the Slaughter device.

Indeed. "My opponent voted for Obamacare and tried to hide his vote!" will be often heard next fall.

[Molon Labe]

Whaddya bet the taxes collected in the initial 4 years of Obamacare get spent on something else?

[Jim Ryan]

"It's deficit neutral."

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!

[Ann]

Good point Clarice! Is this the face of a confident, votes are in, time to quit talking, Winner?

LOL, Hit!

[Ann]

Centralcal:

You will love this...small children are afraid of Pelosi Hands:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., right, hands seen on foreground, attends a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, March 15, 2010, following a meeting with children's advocates regarding the health care reform.

[MJW]

In reading the CRS Report for Congress about self-executing rules, it occurred to me that what past self-executing rules did was to amend the bill under consideration, not pass a separate bill. Under this interpretation, perhaps the process amounts to incorporating the Senate bill into a bill containing the House modifications; in effect passing an amended Senate bill. If so, then the entire new bill would have to be passed be the Senate to become law.

[MJW]

...by the Senate...

[daddy]

Speaking of fauxmentum, can you handle some more depressing news? Well here it comes.

Just last week I was hopeful The Aniak "HalfBreed's" High School Basketball Team was going to make the Post Season. Sure "Kyle Koester scored 10 points in the third quarter and powered the Bethel Regional High School Warriors to a 48-38 win over the Aniak HalfBreeds," but what with that merely being a "split of their weekend series with their western Alaska rival," I was still pumped about their Tournament hopes.

I was even more optimistic about the Aniak Women RoundBaller's:

"The "Lady Halfbreeds made the weekend a long one for the Bethel Lady Warriors...The Aniak girls notched a 32-26 win over Bethel in their opener on Friday. Aniak got off to a quick start. The Lady Halfbreeds picked up 11 first-half points from Agnes Nicoli and raced to a 22-14 lead...In the second game, Bethel rallied...and pounded out a 10-8 run...but their offense went cold in the fourth...Led by 17 points from Nicoli and 15 from Morgan, the Lady Halfbreeds closed out their series with a 39-38 win. McElwee went for 12 for the Lady Warriors."

Yet here I sit tonight, and neither squad of Aniak HalfBreed's has apparently advanced to Post-Season play. Bummer. Read it and weep ">http://www.deltadiscovery.com/deltasportsweek/deltasportsweek.html"> right here. And no, it does not give much solace that Chefornak dispatched Kwigillingok after routing Quinhagak, because Tuntutuliak rebounded from their loss to Kwethluk by downing Napaskiak which had slipped by Kasigluk-Akula and rolled over Toksook Bay. And of course on the women's side the Lady Shamen's fell to the Lady Kings of Kwethluk, damn it all.

Anyhow, if you still want to show your support for the HalfBreed's you can purchase their Aniak High School Jersey with HalfBreed logo ">http://www.prepsportswear.com/product/us/Alaska/Aniak/Aniak-Secondary-High-School-Aniak-Halfbreeds/Embroidered-Men-s-Nylon-Jacket.aspx?d=7827&up_ss2=BK&category=262&schoolid=1008&productid=29&pc=black"> right here.

But on the bright side, Happy Birthday Porchlight, and "Yay" First Mate Hate!

[daddy]

Just got my 2010 Census form in the mail today, 15 March 2010.

First sentence:

"The Census must count every person living in the Inited States on April 1, 2010."

Completely impossible, no matter how you read that sentence.

"Question 1: How many people were living or staying in this house, apartment, or mobile home on April 1, 2010?"

Interesting to receive on the Ides of March a question about foretelling the future.

[matt]

can we just make Sh*t up for the census? I want to put my ethnic origin as Kendonesian, just like Dear Leader. After all, we're all Kendonesians now if the health care bill goes through.

@ 6 months ago I registered the web site www.repealobama.com and I think www.repealobama.org

I think it is time to take them active. How can any of these subterfuges be constitutional? If Washington and Jefferson and Hamilton were here now, they'd be reaching for their muskets.Adams would be reaching for his copy of the Constitution and his quill.

Being this far away is frustrating.

Not sure about the Blarney Stone, daddy. Am in the far reaches of Pudong. Probably why the party hasn't found me yet and shut me down.Mao sucks!

see you at Humpy's.

[daddy]

Just some questions.

As you may know, last week a local Alaskan teacher was killed by wolves.

In late 2009 California Dem's Feinstein and Miller pushed a bill ">http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/outposts/2009/08/aerial-wolf-hunting.html"> to outlaw shooting wolves from airplanes.

You may also recall that Sarah Palin bluntly stated at the time that aerial hunting of wolves was sensible, after which the (ADN) Anchorage Daily News, as well as Asley Judd, Larry King, the Huffington Post, Scientific American, and Rodger Schlickeisen, CEO of the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, (just to name a few) said "hundreds" of scientists have criticized the aerial hunting program, and ">http://www.adn.com/2009/02/06/681473/feb-6-aerial-wolf-hunting-teaching.html"> essentially dumped on Palin as a heartless idiot for recommending aerial wolf control.

Well today KTUU (local News Station) says ">http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=12133641"> State Fish and Wildlife guys are trying to shoot the wolf pack from the air, though bad weather is making that difficult.

So, did the Wolf-Hunting Bill not pass?, or is it buried in the HCR Bill?, and where is Ashley Judd and the ADN and Diane Feinstein and hundreds of scientists, and Scientific American, etc to criticize State Wildlife Control for attempting to shoot wolves from airplanes that happen to eat NEA members?

And why, in the latest ">http://www.adn.com/2010/03/15/1184827/officials-kill-wolves-responsible.html"> 2 stories from the ADN about the spotting of 2 wolves from airplanes and then the shooting of 2 wolves, is the ADN so very uninformative as to tell usthe particulars of whether the 2 wolves spotted from airplanes were also shot from airplanes? Is it just because the topic somehow isn't of interest to them anymore, now that someone's been killed?

And my last question: Should heartless, ignorant Sarah Palin be holding her breath for apologies?

[hit and run]

Obama not breaking a promise,http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100316/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_sunshine_open_government>now that would be news:

WASHINGTON – Federal agencies haven't lived up to President Barack Obama's promise of a more open government, increasing their use of legal exemptions to keep records secret during his first year in office.

An Associated Press review of Freedom of Information Act reports filed by 17 major agencies found that the use of nearly every one of the law's nine exemptions to withhold information from the public rose in fiscal year 2009, which ended last October.

Among the most frequently used exemptions: one that lets the government hide records that detail its internal decision-making. Obama specifically directed agencies to stop using that exemption so frequently, but that directive appears to have been widely ignored.

Major agencies cited that exemption at least 70,779 times during the 2009 budget year, up from 47,395 times during President George W. Bush's final full budget year, according to annual FOIA reports filed by federal agencies. Obama was president for nine months in the 2009 period. ...

The FAA claimed the same exemption to hold back nearly all records on its approval of an Air Force One flyover of New York City for publicity shots — a flight that prompted fears in the city of a Sept. 11-style attack. It also withheld internal communications during the aftermath of the public relations gaffe.

In all, major agencies cited that or other FOIA exemptions to refuse information at least 466,872 times in budget year 2009, compared with 312,683 times the previous year, the review found. Agencies often cite more than one exemption when withholding part or all of the material sought in an open-records request.

For those keeping score at home,that's a 49% increase.

[narciso]

They haven't developed the 'what if machine'
have they daddy, also reference the episode
about the tanker full of dark matter, and
and the clique of suddenly Penguin culling Penvironmentalists that Leela happened upon

[Jane]

it is safe to meet our internet friends face to face. They are every bit as delightful as you thought.

I'll second that. (And it's my own damn fault that I wasn't the first to me Mr. & Mrs. Lurker.)

And Capn' I failed to extend my congrats to Mrs. Capn yesterday. SO Big congrats!

I want a million people to show up in DC today. The problem of course is tea partyers work for a living.

[Jane]

If you can't be in DC today, Honk against Obamacare.

[J]

With this one act we will know if the USA is lost or still free. If the dems decide to proceed, against the people's will, and inflict this abomination on the USA, we will know that, as far as obama and company are concerned, the USA is no longer a free country, it is theirs to rule.
If the abomination is scraped and everyone goes back to the designing table, including the republicans, and the politicians LISTEN TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, we still have a free country.
I think the dems are going for ruling, not governing.

[daddy]

Jane,

Thanks for anyone who's going, and apologies myself for not being there. Will work on Travels, but only after we get a resolution on this awful HCR issue as everything else seems so inconsequential besides that.

Morning Narciso,

Just fired off the Palin Wolf Hunt comment, cleaned up a bit, to AT, so we'll see. The current complete silence from Sarah's multitudes of critics, who were so happy to blast her over aerial wolf kills prior to anyone being eaten, is a thing to behold is it not? And yes, it is reminiscent of that fabulous episode where Bender gets reprogrammed as a Penguin.

As for the American Census of 2010, the official form allows me the opportunity to be any race of human on Earth, except American. Interesting isn't it. In every other country in the world I am not defined as Irish or Native America or African American or Spanish or Latino or Asian or Polynesian or Japanese or Fijian etc. Over there, I'm simply an America, and well liked or hated for it.

But over here I'm anything but. Niter's.

[Captain Hate]

Thanks again guys. I hope you noticed at AoS that the Cleveland Clinic, site of Mrs Hate's treatment *and* BOzo's latest sob story, is working with the "victim" to get financing assistance for her and specifically states she will not lose her home over this. Is there any one of Barelosi death rationing sob stories that has a bit of truth to it? Or that DMV care would improve?

Regarding yesterday's Strongsville rally, today's picture in the Plain Dealer shows Cleveland mayor Frank Jackson in the crowd behind Il Douche, although he could easily be confused for a homeless person that they put a suit on. My point is that if only 200 people attended this thing, were there any people that were just ordinary citizens.

I'm wondering how Kucinich will vote on this; at yesterday's rally Bammy called him out after one of his constituents urged him to vote yes and I'm pretty sure that techniques like that don't work too well on the dwarf. In fact acting as if he doesn't know what his constituents want will probably infuriate him. What has me more concerned was the botoxed mafia crone giving him the anti-war forum where Patches made an ass out of himself; Dennis loves a soapbox from which to spew.

[narciso]

No, there is nothing to it, Capt,just like that gal from my neck of woods, "Peggy the Moocher" is probably still waiting for her free gas, and her mortgage

[rse]

I guess now that enforcing diversity will be one of the primary occupations of the Justice Dept it's important to use the Census to get an accurate count of the %'s that must be mandated.

[pagar]

" and the politicians LISTEN TO THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE"

" Top Democrat Says "American People Don't Care How We Pass Health Reform"..."

I don't see how this get resolved as long as voters continue to elect Democrats.

[hit and run]

Jennifer Loven not lovin' Obama,http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100316/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_long_view>now that would be news:

WASHINGTON – Just back from a recent day trip to Georgia, President Barack Obama walked into the Oval Office and told his senior staff to get a grip.

"We all rise and fall together," he declared that afternoon, as Washington neared fever pitch over tensions on his team. Keep your eyes on the prize, Obama directed, not on the daily ups and downs.

It was classic Obama, again summoning one of his favorite tenets in a crisis: the Long View. ...

But for Obama, it's been a crucial prescription he reaches for when times get tough, whether during his come-from-behind White House bid, the recent imbroglio over chief of staff Rahm Emanuel or policy setbacks in his often embattled presidency. ...

To be sure, Obama is not above short-term gain: ...

Still, for the most part he's refused to get mired in and panicked by the inevitable low points in politics. That set Obama apart during the campaign and helped him succeed. ...

And if Obama presides over major losses for his party in the elections, he'll be at another defining, perhaps devastating crossroads.

A look at Obama's past indicates how he might tackle such moments.

He is not inclined to believe the game is up — whether it's his own White House chances or the health initiative — even when it looks that way. His confidence, ambition and even temperament don't allow him to assume his goals are out of reach.

I mean,really,about the only thing this piece is missing is a haigiographic quote from 0-for-a-zillion political consultant Bob Shrum.

Kidding. It's in there too!

"What's in today's papers is not the president's focus," longtime Democratic consultant Bob Shrum wrote in The Week magazine. "Obama takes the long view and plays a long game."

Ahhhh. I bet Jennifer smoked a cigarette after sending that off to her editor.

[Jane]

For the life of me I can't figure out what these people are so attracted to. Is it his coolness? His blackness?

[narciso]

Ah hit, these folks make the old Pravda look refreshingly honest by comparison, the Post actually put this as their headline in a news story

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/15/AR2010031503742.html

[narciso]

Now if he would just threaten to support them, if they didn't pass his bill, this would make more sense

[Captain Hate]

Jennifer Loven is emblematic of the witless idiocy that passes for journalism. If brains were dynamite she couldn't generate enough force to blow her nose.