Single What? Female...

The debate starts tomorrow people so time to flood your Congressfolk with call and e-mails, faxes and little love notes saying that you want them to vote against Alito. Most likely this is going to go straight down party lines just as the Committee vote did, and sadly there are still more GOPers than Dems, but you gotta make sure that at least they know how their constituents feel about this. Patrick Leahy himself said on the news this morning that he will vote against his confirmation and believe that Alito's voice would be damaging to the checks and balances on the court.

...and if there's a shot that a GOPer in your area might not be too pleased with Alito, get at them, too!!!

In the meantime...speaking of getting at some GOPers...we all know that, particularly under this administration, the Republicans have been abusing their priviledges beyond the usual politicial nonsense, yet here's further proof, or rather, confirmation. Apparently, Congress was working on a budget cutting bill that would have saved us some money on health insurance. The health insurance industry said "wait a minute!" and next thing ya know, the republicans are having a secret meeting to which no Democratic congressfolk were invited, and we, the people, lose $22 billion in savings (out of $26 billion originally planned)...and, of course, this is not the first time that these secret meetings have occured. Of course, folks are bringing it up now because the of the Abramoff scandal...they couldn't possibly have brought this up, you know...SIX YEARS AGO?!?!

And speaking of things the gov't is hiding...those photos of Bush and Jack Abramoff that Time Magazine had found are now being witheld by the White House. They mean absolutely nothing and do not prove at all that Bush knew Jack Abramoff...but they are being witheld...until they can be doctored or shredded or burned or completely wiped out of existence and forgotten...

*and someone please tell Dan Bartlett not to go to this barber again or wear those glasses...he looks like a pasty 12 year old in this photo...rather, like some Karl Rove lovechild...eeek...

other sketchy things the conservatives are up to...did you hear about this UCLA alum who was offering to pay student for tape recordings of classes taught by "liberal" leaning professors? The guy was willing to pay $100 for tape recordings, $50 for handwritten notes and $10 class handouts...and even the conservatives are annoyed with him...well, annoyed that he offered money...

IN THE MEANTIME...it's heavy defense week as Bush looks to defend the wire tapping policy which is now being called a "terrorist surveillance system" (we can thank Alberto "lemme just play with this law here..." Gonzalez for that term). But even Bill O'Reilly on the Today Show this morning was saying "Why he couldn't get the warrant later, I don't know..." Can you hear the whirrrrrrrrrr of that spin machine?

And while in Kansas (a friendly red state), the president's people decided to say "no, he's not living in a bubble! he can talk to the regualr folks!" and allowed him to do a question and answer section. One of the questions asked by a student was why the government was cutting $12.7 billion from financial aid, o which Bush replied: "What we did is reform the student loan program," he said. "We're not cutting money out of it. . . . We're not taking people off student loans, we're saving money in the student loan program, because it's inefficient."

Luckily Harry Reid caught up on this: "The President may think that gutting $12.7 billion from student aid isn't a cut, but our students certainly do,"

AND just so ya know...Bush, who apparently likes to take out his frustrations with exercise, will definitely be pedalling for a few hours tonight as it has been reported that the government was indeed forwarned about Katrina's impact, contrary to Bush's statement of "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees..." 48 Hours before the hurricane hit, the White House recieved detailed e-mails to the Situation Room, describing nearly exactly the impact this storm would have on the Gulf Coast...and again George I'm sure is more worried that this got out...

Something else for him to work out...Apparently the rebuilding in Iraq is "badly hobbled", primarily by "gross understaffing, a lack of technical expertise, bureaucratic infighting, secrecy and constantly increasing security costs..."

okay, can we please get Haliburton out of there and get someone who knows what they're doing?

Amidst all this is the real sad news...that we cna't even go to Canada anymore...

and this is why you must KEEP E-MAILING!!!! E-mail, call, fax, write your friends and family, the press and your Congressfolk and let them know that you are PAYING ATTENTION!!!

I got one word for ya: FILIBUSTER!!!!

Peace --Alex

posted by funkweee @ 9:45 AM