Melder's Musings

It just gets sicker at the hospice in Florida...

One of the protestors, who allowed his 10-year-old son to be arrested, is a registered sexual offender in Florida.

In other, but related, news from Florida: some 1,800 registered sexual offenders are unaccounted for by the state.

Hooray for Jeb!

The stream of misinformation about the Terri Schiavo case continues at an unrelenting pace.

Some on the right are even suggesting Terri is capable of voluntarily moving her head to greet people that enter her hospice room and to take communion.

As a professor once told me, the only defense is the truth. I encourage everyone to read the truth as collected by the University of Miami.

Starkville's current Ward 3 Alderman (and former City Administrator) P.C. McLaurin faced off against his Republican challengers tonight.

The event was part of a series of candidate forums sponsored by the Starkville Daily News.

The Republicans spent a lot of time complaining about closed government. I'm shocked to know that one of them is an attorney. Starkville city government is very open. You just have to get off your duff and get the information yourself.

Ms. Outlaw (the City Clerk) will help you find anything you want. She works at City Hall. She's in the first office on your right as you go through the main entrance.

McLaurin will be hard for these guys to beat. If the only thing they can try to hang him on is their own ignorance or laxity, he'll be really hard to beat.

Results are in from the Student Association elections at MSU.

The results are no surprise to anyone. The Greek candidates have, once again, won convincing margins.

The only items of interest in this race:

1. Voter turnout may be at an all-time low. Estimates put it between one-third to one-half of last year's participation. This is with additional polling locations.
2. At least two spots on the ballot were uncontested.
3. One of the candidates, who won his race, is actually out of town interning.

Perhaps, finally, students are beginning to realize just how useless this organization really is.

His blog gives him away, if his sordid political past does not.

For a self-proclaimed Democrat, Joe Jackson takes the most hard right stances on issues I've ever seen...apart from Zell Miller.

Democrats across Mississippi have seen through him. He recently made an unsuccessful attempt to become the chairman of the Oktibbeha County Democratic Executive Committee.

That's in the wake of a lot of side-swapping during the last Gubernatorial election cycle down in Rankin County.

Both preceded an unsuccessful attempt in 2002 to influence leadership in the MSU College Democrats.

My advice to Joe: stop. Whether it's a lousy attempt at political hanky-panky, or self-deception, just admit the truth and move on.

As you've read by now, I (along with a few other bloggers) believe that three local attorneys were hatching a scheme to control local government and abuse party titles.

A story in the March 24 edition of the Columbus Commercial Dispatch adds some fuel to that fire.

* * * * *

Two candidates withdraw from municipal elections

By Valerie Clark
Dispatch Starkville Bureau
vclark@cdispatch.com

STARKVILLE -- Two candidates who qualified to run for public office this spring have withdrawn their candidacy.

Local attorney Brian Kelley, who qualified to run as a Democrat in Ward 4 against incumbent Lee Beck, a Republican, has opted not to seek office.

Kelly said he decided to end his candidacy because two of the partners in his law firm also were running for public office.

Jeff Hosford qualified to run as a Republican in Ward 7, and Scott Ross is running against West Point Mayor Kenny Dill.

"It was too big of a burden on the law firm with all three of us running at the same time," Kelly said. [emphasis added]

Kelley said he still would like to run for office sometime in the future.

Former Mississippi State football player John Bond is running in Ward 4 as a Republican, and MSU student Richard Corey is running as a Democrat.

[story continues]

* * * * *

In other news from the Ward 4 race, the two active candidates (John Bond has yet to do anything that suggests he's actually campaigning) answered a series of questions that appeared in the Columbus Commercial Dispatch yesterday.

Incumbent Lee Beck came out like an Alderman who hasn't been paying much attention over the last for years. Two quotes of note:

1. "Starkville is a growing, booming town, and I want to be a part of it."
2. "Signs should welcome visitors to Starkville and the university, rather than simply boast of the town being a certified retirement community."

Beck's first quote suggests he hasn't been a part of what's happened in the last four years. If that's the case, then where has he been?

As for the signs, they already exist. Large, oval-shaped, maroon signs read "Welcome to the City of Starkville" and tout the city as the "Home of Mississippi State University." They can be easily seen on Highways 12, 25, and 82.

Richard Corey, on the other hand, expressed clear plans and intentions for the city.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am most certainly biased (as I am toward all Democrats), but I encourage you to read the interviews and form your own decision.

Your not-so-humble servant is always happy to see his effort get some play on other sites.

As the Terri Schiavo case continues to dominate all media, my two cents is getting referenced on Waypath.com.

In their own words, "Waypath is a Blog Discovery Engine that lets you find new blogs you want to read. Use Waypath to hear the voices that matter to you among the millions in the blogosphere."

Examples of bad taste:

• Carrying bottled water and loaf bread to a woman who can't eat.
• Raising money to send a pizza and blender to a hospice where a woman is dying.
• Blocking access to a hospice and causing a family to arrive one minute after their loved one has passed.
• Forcing a Circuit Court Judge to leave his Southern Baptist congregation and live with armed guards.
• Causing an elementary school to close for at least a week.

These are just some of the things protestors in front of Terri Schiavo's hospice have done in the last week. Conservative Republican protestors.

On a related note, Michael Schiavo (Terri's husband) has asked and the Pinellas County Chief Medical Examiner has agreed to perform a full autopsy. The coroner will use his entire staff for the procedure and publicly release the report. Michael Schiavo is taking this extraordinary step to again prove the Conservative Republicans wrong. They've accused him of abusing Terri and causing her condition. The autopsy will also prove just how brain dead Terri is. As MRIs from the late 1990s indicate, where there was once cerebral tissue there is now liquid.

In our current state of political discourse, the word terrorist is brandied about too much. People on both sides of the left/right, blue/red, liberal/conservative split in this country like to call people on the other side terrorists.

It seems to me that conservatives use the term to describe liberals more, but after all, I am biased.

That said, let's examine what a terrorist actually is. Anyone who encourages or uses violence to achieve a political goal is a terrorist. That begs the question, then, Who is Randall Terry? In short, he's a terrorist. The leader of Operation Rescue, he advocates the murder of OB/GYN doctors and the use of violence to disrupt women's health clinics. That's terrorism.

Laying his pipe bombs aside (at least temporarily), Terry is now the "spokesman" for the Schindler family (Terri Schiavo's parents and siblings). You can connect all the dots here.

Terry, and many like him in the extreme far right, are seeking donations to keep Terri Schiavo alive. These various organizations are collecting these donations through their various websites. Meanwhile, the Schiavo family says that their website is the only legitimate place to make such donations.

This situation has reached a new low. Terrorists are speaking on behalf of families, and "religious" organizations are collecting money for a cause they've not been authorized to (I call that stealing).

Folks, it just keeps getting deeper for the Republicans, especially Tom DeLay. Today's news is so shockingly hypocritical, I couldn't even make it up if I tried.

In case you haven't been paying attention, here's a few quick reminders:

1. Tom DeLay claims to represent so-called "Family Values" in Congress.
2. Tom DeLay has been a major force for so-called "Tort Reform" in Congress.
3. Tom DeLay has been on the forefront of keeping Terri Schiavo on life support.

Keeping that in mind, a story in yesterday's Los Angeles Times is almost unbelievable. If you don't want to read it, here are the highlights:

1. Tom DeLay refuses to speak to his mother or siblings today.
2. Tom DeLay sued a bearings manufacturer for a quarter million dollars after a device his father manufactured malfunctioned (the bearings company made one component of the doomed device).
3. Tom DeLay opted to take his own father off life support after only days of hospitalization.

The conclusion (to those of us capable of thinking without a talking points memo) should be obvious.

If you read my earlier post, you know that while Tom DeLay and George W. Bush were going out of their way to "save" Terri Schiavo, a newborn in Houston, Texas, was disconnected from a respirator and allowed to die. The child's mother had asked doctors to keep the respirator connected in the hope that the baby would be strong enough to breathe without assistance in a few days.

That child died because of a law in Texas that allows doctors and hospitals to turn off life support when they feel the effort has become futile. That law, the Advance Directives Act, was signed in 1999 by...guess who...George W. Bush.

Thankfully, this story is actually getting some major media coverage. ABC is running a story today.

On another (but related) note, many people still misunderstand exactly how incapacitated Terri Schiavo is. She cannot eat. She cannot chew. She cannot swallow. The "feeding tube" is inserted directly into her G.I. tract and pumps a specially balanced liquid formula that her body can easily digest. The right-wing nutjob protestors that tried to carry bottled water and sliced bread to her ought to be slapped.

As this is written, President Bush has just signed a bill passed by an extraordinary late night session of Congress that will move Terri Schiavo's case to the federal courts. Before I proceed, keep two facts in your mind. One, this case has already been heard by the entire Florida judicial system, including some 19 different judges. Second, the U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear the case.

That said, the following words are not mine, but rather those of another liberal blogger. I agree with them wholeheartedly.

"I did not see the Republicans in Congress, or the President, or his brother passing legislation to save this BLACK MEDICAID BABY IN TEXAS from having life support removed. Could it be that intervention would happen only if you are a doctor or a hospital that could be sued for wrongful death? So that's when you revive a person...after they are hopeless; a permanent vegetable; to save your self from wrongful death suits? Or is it that your parents are major Republican contributors that entitles special intervention? Could it be that this was a minority Medicaid child, so no harm, no foul? When exactly are non-Republicans entitled to the Republicans Right to Life?"

One of the biggest noise makers in Congress about Terri Schiavo is House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. DeLay's district includes part of Houston.

Now, here's a story from the AP about that baby...


Houston baby removed from life support
04:53 PM CST on Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Associated Press

HOUSTON--A critically ill 5-month-old was taken off life support and died Tuesday, a day after a judge lifted an injunction preventing doctors from halting care they believed to be futile. His mother had fought to keep him alive.

Sun Hudson had been diagnosed with a fatal genetic disorder called thanatophoric dysplasia, a condition characterized by a tiny chest and lungs too small to support life. He had been on a ventilator since birth.

Wanda Hudson unsuccessfully fought to continue her son's medical care. She believed he needed time to grow and could eventually be weaned off the ventilator.

The mother could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.

Texas law allows hospitals to end life support in cases such as this but requires that families be given 10 days to find another facility to care for the patient. No hospital was found to take the baby.

The ethics committee at Texas Children's Hospital reviewed Sun's case before recommending that life support be stopped. Hospital officials also recommended the case be taken to court and offered to pay Hudson's attorney fees.

* * * * *

I do take some relief in this fact: the U.S. Constitution forbids the passing of a law that affects only one person. If the federal judge that will hear this case fails to recognize the right to privacy (granted to us by the Supreme Court decision in Row v. Wade), perhaps he'll at least remember that part of the Constitution.

The Republicans are definitely enjoying a fantasy, but it's not the kind people write to certain magazines with. That fantasy is all about the oil under ANWAR in Alaska. For those playing the home game, that's one of the last remaining virgin (I'm sorry, I have to keep the sex theme going) territories in the United States. It's a massive wildlife reserve, home to an untold number of species.

In describing the oil under ANWAR, Republican politicians use three expressions: could be, possibly, and potentially. That's right...they're not even sure there's a producing quantity (that's "awl bidness" lingo for enough to turn a profit).

Another part of this fantasy is that the world oil markets are running out of supply. That's not true. As the Saudi ambassador asked in a press conference recently, they can give us all the oil we want, but what will we do with it if we can't refine it? No refineries have been built in the U.S. in thirty years. All existing refineries are at capacity, many are experiencing equipment failures (as thirty-year-old refineries do from time to time), and all are preparing the shift from winter-blend fuel production to spring-and-summer-blend (which will really slow down output and raise prices). Oil pumped from the earth (i.e. crude oil) has to be altered and made useful (i.e. refined). Let me make this clear: it's not a raw material supply issue. It's a production issue.

If you need more evidence, take my employer. I work for an energy resources company with prospects in Texas and Oklahoma. We're not looking for oil. We're looking for natural gas.

Don't forget, the Bushies say the Saudis (whose Princess contributed money to some of the 9/11 hijackers) are our allies in the "War on Terror."

We're told by the Bushies that this is a national security issue. If we really want to secure the country, we'll start putting more incentives into the research of petroleum alternatives. Biodiesel (made mostly from corn) is extremely promising...and we can grow all the corn we want. Oil will eventually run out.

The Republicans will likely continue pushing this oil-laden fantasy for some time, but it's not one that gets me excited by any stretch of the imagination.

Those are words from a talking points memo issued by the Republican party to its members in the Senate about the Republican-made circus surrounding Terri Schiavo.

More words from that same talking points memo: "...this is a tough issue for Democrats."

All of the votes taken on the legislation I posted earlier have been voice votes. For those playing the home game, that means there's no record of how individual members voted.

One more point of Republican Hypocrisy, this one from folks in Florida, is that this case also presents States' Rights issues. As much as I dispise that facade, it's one Republicans say they believed in. They used to hide behind it to keep institutional racism legal.

If that doesn't prove the real intent of the Republicans, I don't know what else to present.

On another issue, we're told over and over again by the highly emotional and terribly uninformed people on the wrong side of this issue that Terri will be starved to death. This simply isn't so. True starvation would take upwards of a month. Removing Terri's feeding tube takes away a very carefully balanced formula, thereby throwing off her electrolytes. That will take a week or two and cause a sudden (and in her case, painless) heart attack.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have some experience in similar matters. I watched a stepmother lie needlessly preserved in a vegetative state ten years ago. I also know all too well about electrolyte imbalances. Each time I've been hospitalized for problems with my diabetes, it's a lack of electrolytes that nearly killed me. Starvation is another matter entirely.

Finally, I encourage everyone to watch how quickly this issue disappears from Republican radar screens. The Congress is set to adjourn for the next two weeks, and this is their way of taking advantage of the news cycle on their way out of town. We'll hear about this all weekend, then something else will come up next week (probably more Presidential snake oil shows on Social Security...but hopefully more ethics violations by Tom DeLay) and Terri's name will disappear from Republican Congressional lips.

-Melder

Republicans are using the full weight of the U.S. Congress to stop the court-ordered removal of a feeding tube from Terri Schiavo, a woman that doctors and judges have repeatedly declared to be in a "persistent vegetative state."

This follows legislative action in both the House and Senate.

I don't think the Republicans are particularly concerned about this issue. It's another opportunity to drive a wedge between the two parties on "moral" grounds. Consider these questions: Why aren't Republicans issuing subpoenas to every other incapacitated person in long term care? Why have Congressional Republicans waited this long to get involved in this case? Terri Schiavo has been incapacitated for nearly 15 years. Who will pay for the expense of taking this woman from her hospice in Florida to Capitol Hill, and all the equipment and personnel that requires?

Most importantly, this is further proof of Republican hypocrisy. For generations, Republicans have campaigned on the rights of the individual and limited government. As anyone can see, this clearly blows both of those planks right out of the platform.

Personally, I believe in the right to die. Terri Schiavo, according to her husband (and legal guardian) expressed a desire not to be artificially kept alive. Granted, cutting off food and water is a particularly harsh way to end a life, but these are decisions that should be made by individuals, their families, and their doctors. Congress (which seems to enjoy superficial issues lately) should have better things to do.

Yesterday, the House Republicans voted to reject increased funds for veterans' health care in the war supplemental and today they voted to actually cut veterans benefits in their budget resolution.

The budget resolution passed, primarily along party lines, by 218 to 213.

The GOP budget resolution contains reconciliation orders requiring the House Veterans' Affairs (VA) Committee to cut benefits or to tax veterans by increasing their fees. For fiscal year 2006, the VA Committee must identify $155 million in benefits cuts or increased fees; and $798 million over the next five years.

The amount available for veterans medical programs, including construction, and benefits administration is $127 million below the amount the Congressional Budget Office estimates would be necessary to maintain the level of services that exist in fiscal year 2005. Over five years, the Republican budget resolution cuts almost $16 billion from these discretionary programs.

To quote Rep. Lane Evans (IL), the senior Democrat on the Veterans Affairs Committee, "This is Wrong."

For my fellow Yellow Dogs, I found this blog entry particularly valuable in our current situation.

-Melder

As this is written, the House Judiciary Committee is considering a resolution calling for a more thorough investigation into the circumstances behind the admittance of Jeff Gannon/Jeff Guckert into the White House Press Corps.

For those playing the home game, Gannon/Guckert was recently discredited as an uberpartisan working for Republican websites. In addition, Gannon/Guckert is the registered domain owner (or was, until this story broke) of several pornographic websites, including one that fronts for an "escort" service. Reportedly, Gannon/Guckert recruited active duty military men to pose for some of his sites.

Some outlets report that Gannon/Guckert is a longtime "friend" of White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan (who would have issued Gannon's/Guckert's pass). McClellan's sexuality has long been questioned in his native Austin, Texas. He is also the son of the state's comptroller, who is thought to be running in the 2006 Republican primary for Governor. Gannon/Guckert also has connections to John Thune, the man who defeated Tom Daschle.

The dirty details aside, this story raises some serious security questions (especially in the heavily secured world we live in today). Gannon/Guckert used a fake name (James Guckert is his real name...I think) and, according to some reports, a fake social security number to gain White House access. Gannon/Guckert had daily access to top administration officials, including the President, and attended CIA intelligence briefings.

Even Republicans should be able to admit that in addition to being a huge embarrassment, this was a massive security breech. The safety of the White House was compromised. Has anyone else been able to walk around that building using a fake ID? Any President, regardless of party, deserves more security than that.

A Brief Study of Contrasts...

In Mississippi, Republicans refuse to raise one of the nation's lowest tobacco taxes. Democrats wanted the money to help fund Medicaid. Nearly one quarter of the state's population receives help from that program, many because of their addiction to tobacco products and the subsequent health problems that addiction causes.

I should point out here (in case you haven't been paying attention) that Republican Governor Haley Barbour made his fortune as a lobbyist for big tobacco companies in Washington.

Meanwhile in Texas, Republicans there will raise taxes on cigarettes and snack foods (among other things) in order to revamp that state's school funding system.

The increase sought in both states was $1.00 per pack.

Don't misunderstand me. I'm not endorsing what the Repulicans did in Texas. I'm just pointing out the contrast. If Republicans in Texas really wanted to fix the school funding crisis, they would completely restructure the entire "independent school district" system. Having eight separate school districts within one city (San Antonio), with eight separate finance and administration systems is a big part of the problem...but only one part. Republicans in Texas should actually consider what members of both parties in Mississippi were looking into (but are no longer, at least for this session): consolidation.

...and then there were two.

Rumors began circulating that the aforementioned Brian Kelley had dropped out of the race for Ward 4 Alderman in Stkarville.

Officials at City Hall confirm these rumors.

For the record, that leaves Richard Corey as the lone candidate on the Democrats' side. John Bond will face the incumbent Lee Beck in the Republican primary.

That leaves one of Kelley's law partners, Jeffrey Hossford, running for Ward 7 Alderman in Starkville. The other, Scott Ross, continues his campaign for Mayor of West Point.

Call it a hunch. Three Golden Triangle Area (Mississippi) attorneys seem to be in a cohesive effort to grab elective office.

Now, here are the facts to support that hunch (some courtesy of the Starkville Daily News):

• Scott Ross is running for mayor of West Point.
• Brian Kelley is running for Ward 4 Alderman in Starkville.
• Jeffrey Hossford is running for Ward 7 Alderman in Starkville.
• The three together make up the firm of Ross, Kelley, and Hosford, P.L.L.C., in West Point.
• Ross, now running as a Democrat, has previously contributed one thousand dollars to Republicans.
• Kelley waited until the deadline to file. People close to the candidate tell me he was waivering on his party choice.

Now, my analysis:

Considering the ward, Hossford probably could not win in the already crowded Democratic primary. Rumors abound that Ross will fire a number of West Point city employees.

Based on timing and the information I have assembled, I pronounce all three as the worst kind of political opportunists. All the principles of a firm don't run for office at the same time unless there's shared interest, and I highly doubt it's civic interest. Local Democrats are wise to do whatever it takes to keep these guys from carving up the Golden Triangle for whatever purposes they have in mind. Luckily, we can knock two of them out in the primaries.

-Melder

Often when Republicans criticize Democrats, they like to assoicate us with Hollywood. As I'm sure you've heard or read before, Democrats are supposedly anti-God, along with all of Hollywood.

The case before the Supreme Court on a Ten Commandments display in Texas has brought a new round of that tired, old, and false complaining. But as it turns out, shameless Hollywood promotion is the reason the massive display on the Texas Capitol Grounds is there in the first place.

Unfortunately, we have to rely on media outside of the mainstream for the truth. One report comes from NPR. The other comes from a British newspaper.

Enjoy,
-Melder

The following is a story that I found interesting. I'm not attaching any opinion to this. I'm just relaying the story.


Republican media adviser found dead

By Stephanie Mansfield
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Republican media adviser R. Gregory Stevens, who recently served as co-chairman of the Bush/Cheney Entertainment Task Force, was found dead Saturday in the Hollywood home of
actress Carrie Fisher.

"He passed away here, and in a place where he was loved," Miss Fisher said yesterday from her home in Los Angeles.

Mr. Stevens, 42, was scheduled to attend the Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday night and was staying with Miss Fisher at the time of his death. The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office said yesterday that the cause of death was unknown, pending results of toxicology tests.

His body was found in a guest room by Miss Fisher midmorning Saturday.

"I'm sorry I found him, but he was happy here," the actress said yesterday. "People want to find a scandal in it, but there is none. I don't get it. Nobody does."

Mr. Stevens, who was an associate of the Washington powerhouse lobbying group Barbour, Griffith & Rogers, also helped orchestrate the firm's star-studded party for watching the
inaugural parade and was known to have deep roots in the Hollywood community.

"He was very popular, and had tons of connections in Hollywood," said Haley Barbour, one of the firm's founding partners, who resigned to take office as governor of Mississippi in 2004.

"They found him fun, engaging, energetic. Just the way people in Washington did," Mr. Barbour said yesterday from his Jackson office.

A flamboyant personality and bicoastal bachelor, Mr. Stevens was regarded as something of a misfit in the corridors of the buttoned-down lobbying firm, and yet "had a large circle who he
touched. His life was a journey, not a destination," said one member of the firm. "He was always fun and entertaining."

Miss Fisher said she attended a star-studded pre-Oscar party Friday night at the home Creative Artist Agency chief Bryan Lourd, the actress' former husband. She said Mr. Stevens arrived around 11:30 p.m. as she was leaving.

Other party guests included Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, Robin Williams, Jamie Foxx, Julia Roberts, Penelope Cruz and Pierce Brosnan.

"He was in good shape," Miss Fisher recalled. "Tons and tons of people saw him. He was Greg."

She said Mr. Stevens returned home shortly afterward, and the two watched the 1942 classic film "Mrs. Miniver," then went to bed. The next morning they had planned to have brunch and
tango lessons with other houseguests.

Miss Fisher said she went to his room and Mr. Stevens was lying on his back in the bed. She said authorities confirmed that he had been dead for "several hours."

Barber & Griffith Chief Executive Lanny Griffith and firm President Robert D. Wood were en route to Los Angeles on Saturday morning to join Mr. Stevens when they heard of his
death through an e-mail.

Miss Fisher, the daughter of Hollywood legend Debbie Reynolds and actor Eddie Fisher, is best known for her performance as Princess Leia in the "Star Wars" trilogy, and is the author of several books, including "Postcards From the Edge" which became a successful movie starring Meryl Streep.

She and Mr. Stevens had been close friends for the past seven years.

A native of San Clemente, Calif., Mr. Stevens began his career working for the California Republican Party, and later worked on the Bush/Quayle 1988 presidential campaign.

After President Bush's election, Mr. Stevens served as White House liaison to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, where he managed all White House transition issues, according to his official biography.

From 1992 to 1994, Mr. Stevens was an associate with Black, Manafort, Stone and Kelly, an international public affairs and lobbying firm. He advised foreign and domestic clients, and
worked on presidential elections in Angola, Kenya, Nigeria, Thailand and the Philippines.

"His real strength was as a campaign guy," Republican strategist and Mr. Stevens' former boss Charlie Black said yesterday. "He liked the foreign business."

Mr. Stevens served on the 2001 presidential inaugural committee, where he recruited numerous celebrity performers. For the most recent inauguration, Mr. Stevens reached out to
Hollywood, trying to invite numerous celebrities to perform.

Before his death, Mr. Stevens said he was unhappy that the Republican National Committee was not more active in establishing ties to Hollywood.

Barbour, Griffith & Rogers will hold a memorial service Wednesday.

If there's anyone in Washington I'd love to see gone, it's Tom DeLay.

After the unfair (my district is number 11), unnecssary, and unresolved Congressional redistricting in Texas, I've made it one of my many missions to do everything in my power to see this man removed.

Today seems to be a bad one for Tommy, and perhaps the first of many to come. Some of his buddies are on trial, and he's having to work for votes again.

Keep up with the latest here, and stay tuned. This will be interesting.

-Melder

Oh, no!

The MSU College Republicans, with their plans exposed, are like rats on a sinking ship. They're looking for any way out.

They've also forgotten one of the primary ways by which honorable people conduct themselves. Specifically, if you don't like what I said, then talk directly to me. Then again, honor among Republicans is like WMD in Iraq. It just ain't there.

You can read all about it on another blog here.

That said, here's all the additional respsone I care to give. As a loyal Democrat, I will accept any candidate who wins our primaries...so long as he or she was elected by our voters.

-Melder

I'm on another of my long drives through the south this week, enjoying a break from work, recharging my liberal connections, and stirring up the occasional pot.

Look for more as the travels continue...

-Melder