Republican Class at its best.

Fred Barnes, the far right wing conservative who is used to balance out the just regualr right wing conservative Mort Kondracke on FOX “News::

BARNES: I mean, I’m glad you brought up the question of white guys, because there was a lot said about angry white men, and that this was the work of an angry white man. It wasn’t the work of an angry white man at all. It was a Muslim terrorist.

I find that logic interesting. While I don’t deny that the man engaged in what can be considered terrorist activities, what does his religon have to do with it? I have seen nothing that says he is a member of ANY known terrorist group. From all accounts he was a run of the mill nut case angry at the world, who happened to be Muslim. That doesn’t stop Barnes from his bigotry.

Will he refer to Timothy McVeigh as a Christian terrorist?

Will he refer to abortion bomber Eric Rudolph as a Christian terrorist?

Will he refer to Susan Smith as a Christian terrorist?

Will he refer to Jeffrey Dahmer as a Christian terrorist?

Will he refer to David Koresh as a Christian terrorist? (heck no, they are too busy accusing Reno of that)

I doubt it.

Ahhhh FLorida. You'll never change.

Wellstone's body isn't even cold yet and the jackals are already attacking his possible replacement, Walter Mondale. Of course the arguments are laughably pathetic and outright false. First they are questioning his "readiness" since he hasn't held office since 1981. This is absurd on so, so many levels. (This has been covered extensively in other blogs, so if you'vew already heard it, I apologize)

We have a president whose only public office was Governor of Texas, the 13th most powerful position in the state. Before tat his resume consists of a string of failed businesses.
Elizabeth Dole, jobless since 1995 when she was head of Red Cross. Before that she was "Assistant to President Reagan for Public Liaison." Ooooohhhhh!

And do we even have to go into the entire 1994 Republican Congress who used their utter lack of government experience as a badge of honor?

Mondale is a former 2 term senator, Vice President, and Ambassador. Saying that he is in any way "not ready for the job" is just laughable.

And then there are people questioning his age. Coming from the party of ole Strom, a man who literally has been found lost wandering the halls of the senate (I am not joking), I find that extremely funny.

Another attack is the old standby. Lie. The oh so sleazy Newt Gingrich on Meet The Press:
"Walter Mondale chaired a commission that was for the privatization of Social Security worldwide. He chaired a commission that was for raising the retirement age dramatically. He has a strong record of voting to raise taxes. I think that what you'll see on the Republican side is an issue-oriented campaign that says, you know, if you want to raise your retirement age dramatically and privatize Social Security, Walter Mondale is a terrifically courageous guy to say that.

There are so many lies and distortions in that paragraph its hard to know where to start.
First, the whole notion of Privatization" is a REPUBLICAN one, not a democratic one. Now that the stock market tanked and they realized the issue was a dead one, they not only dropped it, but tried to rewrite history and deny they were ever for it! (Josh Marshall is the one who covers that in depth)


And second, and more importantly, it’s a lie, as the Washington Post pointed out.


Best part of the article is this little tidbit:
Reached on his cell phone this afternoon, Gingrich's spokesman, Rick Taylor, said: "I wasn't aware of the dissent. But I haven't had a chance to talk to the speaker about it." Taylor said he would seek an explanation and call back later. As of late Monday, Taylor had not called back.
I bet his phone is broken or something….

And it didn't stop with Gingrich, The National Review repeated the same bogus crap too. They said, and I quote:
"a major advocate of President Bush's position on Social Security”
He's in favor of private accounts for Social Security and raising the retirement age."

Of course every word of that is complete and utter bullshit. And the author gave a weaselly halfhearted semi-apology(I didn't lie, I'm just stupid, and its you guys who are the jerks!).

Apologies like that remind me of Barbara Olson (current resident of Hell) and her "apology" for insulting the former Presidents dead mother. She called Clintons mother a "barfly who was used by men" and then, get this, apologized by saying "I did not intend to demean Virginia Kelley or her memory". Classic.

Paul Wellstone is dead. A sad, horrible day.

Ed’s TV roundup. Friday’s.

This is a tough one. Being a single, young, smart, funny, and stunningly attractive h8terosexual male, I am rarely around on Fridays to watch TV. I have on occasion caught a few shows So I’ll do what I can.

Hack
Never seen it But I want to for 2 reasons. 1 is that I have a feeling it is the worst show of the new season (think A-team in a cab, without BA Barakus), and 2. Andre Braughers ass has tripled in size since H0micide.

Robbery Homicide Division
I caught one of these episodes on USA networks (prime time doesn’t really exist anymore) and it was ok. A “gritty” police drama. Nothing extraordinary. It does film in High Def video which is kinda cool.

48 Hours Investigates
What’s the Frequency, Kenneth? The further evidence of news being turned into feel good ratings p8ff pieces. Turn on the BBC news instead and actually experience, you know, the REST of the world for a change (here’s a hint: They don’t like us)

Providence
My mom likes it, Its got Trapper John who is cool (read about his anti Scientolgy exploits), the chick is h0t, but….
They massacre my favorite Beatles song (Shawn Colvin? Please), the storylines are insipid family drama crap, and Syd’s new fiancée is the d0rk groom from father of the Bride, who I just want to smack.

Dateline NBC
See 48 hours above. No difference, except for the robotic Stone Phillips who couldn’t report his way out of a paper bag.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
The law and Order Universe will control us all one day. This is the one from the freaky rap1st from OZ, teamed with the daughter of the currently decapitated Jayne Mansfield. Take law and Order, replace m2rders with sex crimes, add in all sorts of moral angst and “I promise you I’ll find out who did this” and “how could anyone do such a thing” lines for the detectives, and that’s the show. There, I’ve just saved you an hour. No thanks needed.

20/20
See a trend here? Fridays suck. No ones home. That’s where crap shows that cost nothing to produce (“news” shows) get dumped.

America's Funniest Home Videos
Above rule applies regarding cost. Imagine the worst scripted “jokes” from the Academy awards (“So, what exactly does a gaffer do Salma?”) and that describes every second between the videos. Other than that, there’s no way I can criticize videos of people getting hit in the cr0tch with various objects. That’s comic gold.

That Was Then
No idea. Some time travel feel good stuff. I heard its already canceled.

Firefly
This is embarrassing. Joss Whedon, the uber genius behind Buffy, is the creator of this show, its sci-fi, and I have yet to see it. I am not proud. I am just not home, and I forget to tape. I am trying to download all the episodes on so far (hint: if it’s a sci-fi show, a geek has put it up on the net) and catch up, but until then I don’t know. It looks coo, and I’d watch anything Joss Whedon would do.

John Doe
It sounded kinda cool in the promo’s, but when I actually saw an episode, it was just a warmed over McGyver without the heartbreakingly brilliant Richard Dean Anderson.

The entire WB lineup:
I’m not going to even pretend I know whats on. Sabrina is hot though. I’d love to see her pull a Jessica Biel
And slut out somewhere in order to show you’re “range”.
In the meantime, enjoy this picture of her dressed as Princess Leia slave girl from Return of the Jedi:

Remember my rhetorical question yesterday about whether there was anything Bush wouldn't manipulate for political gain? Now he's using the government and MY tax dollars to promote Republican candidates, and throwing pork at Republican idistricts (all the while saying we need hte tax cut permamnent)
From the Washington Post:
President Bush has harnessed the broad resources of the federal government to promote Republicans in next month's elections. From housing grants in South Dakota and research contracts in Florida to Air Force One rides and photos in the White House driveway, Bush has made Republican success on Nov. 5 a government-wide project.

More than 330 administration appointees, some of whom were told by White House officials that they needed to show their Republican credentials, have taken vacation time and are being flown by the party to House and Senate campaigns in states where control of Congress will be decided. The appointees will organize volunteers, work the phones and go door to door.

Ed’s TV Roundup Thursday’s

Survivor.
What can you say? The first and still the best reality show out there. Throw together 16 people, starve them and make them lie and doublecross each other. Add in a few hotties with big fake can’s, and you have yourself a show. So many great survivor memories, Elisabeth with an S when she was trembling uncontrollable and her hair was falling out due to malnutrition, when he passed out and fel headfirst into a fire, burning himself all over. And this year has been great as well. Robb (2 B’s dude) and his Tommy Lee impersonation, Erin and her fantastic body, Penny with her perfect teeth, Ghandia with her psychopathic breaks from reality, the sleazy former Skinemax “actor”, and Jan’s wide eyed crazy look. Its all good. Watching them fight and starve an struggle, is just good TV.
By now Survivor has gotten a formula. Soon we will have the “gross eating” challenge, then a merge, etc, etc.. And I have the added pleasure of being in a survivor pool with over 100 bucks to the winner.

Friends
Yeah, yeah, its cool to hate this show, but darn it, I still think its funny. Its definitely running out of steam, and the wild and wacky twentysomethings are ramming into walls at high speed (Phoebe looks like someones old aunt). Ad they have definite acts of desperation in their storylines now with the whole Rachel Joey thing, ANOTHER new baby, blah blah blah. They feel the need to have every episode be “a very special episode”. But its still funny. The whole masturbating to sharks joke last week was funny. My brain says no, but my heart says yes….

Scrubs
I have avoided this show for a few reasons; 1. I never knew when it was on, and 2. It was a medical show, which I hate. However now that they are behind friends I did catch a few episodes of it and its really funny, in an absurdist way. And the chick on it is hot (not the latina one, she’s a beeyatch).

Monk
I am a sucker for a good mystery show. Not a “cop” show mind you, bu a mystery show. There is nothing like watching BBC America when they have a marathon of Morse, Dagliesh, Poirot, etc.., and PBS’s Mystery is great too. This is in that vein as well. Eccentric, OCD ridden detective with keen sense of perception solves crimes every week. Its nowhere near as good as their British counterparts, but its still good, and Tony Shalhoub, if he keeps this up, will be able to atone for the horror that was “Wings” in about 14 years. Its not “tape worthy” and it has the dstinction of being a USA network show that ABC decided to add to its prime time lineup, so you can see it on either network.

Will & Grace
Eh. Someone has got to tell Eric McCormack that the man is not funny. At all. Debra messing is cute ina flat chested sort of way, but otherwise the shows just not for me.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
See my take on Miami’s show. Its also starting to have the characters personal lives creep into the show, which is unfortunate. When the dead people are more interesting than the live people on a show, play to your strengths.

Push, Nevada
Even the promise of a million dollar prize to viewers who can figure out the mystery was not enough to save this crud. Its already canceled. Which continues my theory that ever since Ben affleck (who produced the show) let Disney cap his teeth for Armashitton, his careers been in the toilet.

ER
Other than one person, I know of noone who watches this show anymore. Its on its dying breaths. I barely even watched it when it was popular.

Without a Trace
Without an Audience

The entire WB lineup:
Haven’t a clue.

WWE SmackDown!
Ever since Superfly Snooka left my life, wrestling is a cruel mistress not worth visiting.

Is there anything, anything out there that "change the tone" Bush won't manipulate for cheap political gain?

The Washington Post reports that a group of 12 House Democrats on Monday sent a letter to Health and Human Services secretary Tommy Thompson questioning why scientific information has been removed from HHS Web sites--including information about the effectiveness of condom use in preventing HIV transmission that has been taken off the sites of the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The lawmakers, led by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), also questioned why a study by the National Cancer Institute showing that abortion does not increase a woman's risk of developing breast cancer was taken off the NIH site.

Ed's TV Roundup Wednesday’s

Wednesdays are tough. There are at least 5 good shows on in the 9 o’clock hour. I tape one, watch another, and click to a third at commercial breaks. It’s a heady time for a TV enthusiast such as myself.

Enterprise
Well I am a fan of the Star trek shows, I might even go as far as referring to myself as a Trekker (But a Trekkie? NEVER!). This new incarnation brings the show back to its roots, literally. It’s a prequel that follows the very first Enterprise at the dawn of space travel. The show takes place before the original series even. (but no mention is made on how the fashions and technology of the times eventually devolved into a psychedelic 60’s motif with one color felt outfits)
It’s pretty good if you’re into Sci-fi but it does have its shortcomings. Following the success of all the T&a syndicated shows of late, this show feels the need to inject sex and sex appeal into every show. But being a star trek show it makes it difficult. So they come up with any excuse. For instance, now when someone goes to a foreign planet they must decontaminate by rubbing each other down with some kind of space oil, while in their underwear. Makes absolutely no sense but hey we get to see the hot Vulcan in her underwear. And there is the other problem. They follow Deep Space 9’s lead and add a hot chick. But then inexplicably make that hot chick a Vulcan, whose entire existence is made up of no emotions. So no she never gets laid, and no, she never flirts, or anything. However apparently the Vulcans, despite being able to control their emotions, have no problems with Vulcan breast implants. So the Producers are forced to come up with increasingly interesting ways of having a non emotional Vulcan show off her ta ta’s.
Otherwise the show is pretty good, with Scot Bakula being a good choice as captain, and some interesting shows.

60 Minutes II
Charles Grodin? I think not.

Birds of Prey
A perfect example of how to screw up a sure thing. This is based on the comic book of the same name by DC Comics. It’s a superhero story where the protaganists are Huntress, the daughter of Batman and Catwoman, and Oracle, former Batgirl and daughter of Commisioner Gordon, who was paralyzed by the Joker.
Why? WB owns the rights to Batman, so they devised a show that is a superhero show, takes place in Gotham City, has great special effects, and they got RID OF BATMAN.

In the show it seems that after catwoman was murdered and Batgirl paralyzed, Batman disappeared. Just left. The show takes place 7 years later. Despite the fact that Batman would never do such a thing, you are left to watch the show with one thought on your mind.

Where’s Batman? Is he dead? Why did he leave? Is he EVER going to show up? And why in Christ’s name would they devise a show like this and NOT HAVE BATMAN IN IT?? It would have been a slam-dunk. A dark, weekly Batman show.

Boy did they screw this up.

Dawson's Creek
Jumped the shark.

The West Wing
One of my favorites naturally. It does tend to get preachy and condescending when it starts to deal in “issues” and I miss Emily Proctors character, not because I liked her character, but because she is smoking. Her character was very one dimensional. They cast would be engaged in a debate about an issue and then they would pull her character out of a closet, have her say “the Conservative position on this is X” and then she would leave. Also, Martin Sheens denture overbite is distracting.
Other than that, its pretty good.

P.S. Make sure you watch because soon Rob Lowe will disappear from the show, and his career will follow shortly after.

The Bachelor
Good stuff. A bunch of nasty vindictive women fighting over a guy. I love reality shows. Ever since Big Brother 3 went off the air, I’ve had a gaping hole in my heart that has yet to heal (Danielle is a bitch infinity).

The Amazing Race 3
Normally good but this year the contestants are boring.

Presidio Med
Hate medical dramas. Hate chick shows. Combine the two and this is what you get.

MDs
Like I said, medical dramas + me = hate

Law & Order
Haven’t watched it in years. Probably due to me overdosing on it on A&E a while back. Its still a good how though.

The Twilight Zone
Havent watched it. its in the 9 o’clock hour.

My Wife and Kids and George Lopez
First rule of TV. If it’s a sitcom and its on ABC, it sucks.

Ed’s TV roundup. Tuesday’s

Tuesdays is about one thing:

Buffy Buffy and more Buffy.

Hands down the best show on TV right now, and one of the best shows ever on TV period. Never Have I seen a show combine such diverse elements from dramas, horror shows, Soap operas, Comedies, pop culture, even Musicals for gods sake, and combine it into such an amazing whole.

The cast is top notch. From Sarah Michelle Gellars Buffy (who can be equally funny and heartbreakingly sad within minutes) to her Mentor Giles (Anthony Stewart Head, with a pitch perfect mentor/father figure persona, who is sadly only on 10 episodes this season) To Vampire Spike (when not being out and out funny, comes across as a tortured Vampire whose soul has just been restored to him and the resulting guilt and grief has driven him mad) To “sidekick” Willow (who after going insane with grief last year when her Lover Tara was killed ended up torturing and killing the man responsible, is now a sad grief stricken character).
The characters strengths are their growth. Watch an episode from season 1 and one from today and they are barely recognizable.
The amazing part of the show is how it creates its own mythology. The show consists of long spanning story arcs that play out over an entire season. Sometimes longer. (The hints of Willows lesbianism were hinted at in season 3, her coming out at season 6.) The show uses its horror roots as a metaphor for the alienation of teenage angst. But that’s just the beginning, It deals effectively with moral ambiguities, ethical dilemmas, good vs. evil, etc.., all the while being a damn entertaining show. I defy you to watch the episode “The Body” and not be moved.
For a much better take on the show I urge you to read this.

Smallville
Part 2 of Tuesday’s one two punch. Smallville is no Buffy but its still a pretty good show. The concept is simple. What was Superman like before he was Superman? The shw chronicles the formative years of Clark Kent growing up in Smallville, dealing with his emerging powers, and the fallout that it has on his life, especially since he must keep it hidden from the people he cares about (think Dawsons Creek meets Superman). Not content to keep things simple, the show tinkers with eh Superman myth in some interesting ways. Lex Luthor is now Clark’s high school friend, having been banned there as punishment by his Billionare Father.
Adding to the twists is Kryptonite. Instead if a lonely ship landing in smallvile, it was an entire meteor shower of Kryptonite (that killed the parents of would be girlfriend Lana Lang). This was the cause of many of the first seasons problems. Every week there would be a new high school kryptonite mutated bad guy that Clark must face yet still keep anyone from seeing him use his powers. It got stale. Luckily so far this year the show has gotten better. With the ship Clark was delivered in holding the key to who he is (the word Kryptonite has never been uttered on the show once) still keeping quiet (the key is missing, its a long story) the show is now centering on Clarks love for Lana being threatened by his need for secrecy.

It’s a fun show that keeps getting better. And the woman who plays Lana Lang, Hubba hubba. Worth the price of admission.

Just Shoot Me
This used to be a very funny show, the only reason being David Spade. It has jumped the Shark in the last few years and I haven’t watched much of it.

Jag
I’ve caught a few reruns on USA from time to Time. Its OK. Its got a distinct “Magnum P.I.” feel to it. Its Matlock goes to the Navy basically. A little overly jingoistic, but not all bad. If anyone can tell me how long this shows been on the air, you’ll win a prize.

The Guardian
Never saw it. Another Touchy feely law drama.

Judging Amy
See above (although I have seen a few episodes due to the novelty of it being set in Hartford)

Frasier
A show in its 10th season that jumped the shark at around season 4. They should put it out of its misery. Kelsey Grammer is too huge a talent to be wasted on Television.

According to Jim
Imagine the crappiest Jim Belushi movie (K-9 2 perhaps). Now imagine seeing it every week!

In-Laws, Hidden Hills, Less Than Perfect
I had no idea these shows existed until I checked the schedule.

Life With Bonnie
Always thought she was funny, but the show was too Cosby cute for me.

8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter
Hot daughter in a thong therefore I stop while clicking by, otherwise, don’t waste your time.

Haunted
A weak attempt to try and grab the Buffy demographic. CSI meets Sixth Sense. Junk.

Gilmore Girls
This is a good chick show. Its one of the few mother daughter shows where the mother and daughter actually get along, as well as both being hot. It’s a cut above the usual stuff, but its on during Buffy, so good luck.

Ed's TV round up. Monday's

Everwood.
The only show on Mondays I try and watch regularly. It's definitely a family drama in the "Seventh Heaven" vein, but its actually pretty good. The writing is a cut above the typical "family relationships in crisis" stuff that's all over the WB. The story is simple, kinda. A rich Manhattan Neurosurgeon Andrew Browns wife dies in a car accident and he reevaluates his life. Remembering a conversation he had with his wife about what hey should do if she dies, he moves them all to Everwood Colorado, because she stopped there once as a child and found it to be as close to Heaven as she had ever seen.

The show revolves around The doctor starting a free medical clinic in town, thus competing with the local doctor (a one dimensionally written jerk) named Harold Abbott (who also happens to be the father of local hottie Amy who Ephram Brown (the son) has a thing for. I know, its all complicated). It also focuses on him trying to reconnect with his family, Ephram and daughter Delia. It has every element to make it a corny pile of crap, but for some reason, It just works.



7th Heaven
I've never really watched the show, but now tat I am watching Everwood, I end up seeing this since its on right before. I've always pegged it as saccharine family junk, but my friend Woody says it is a subversively entertaining show. And I have to admit the handful of episodes I've watched confirm it. There is just something not right about it. It might be the fact that the relatively non hot daughter, whose name escapes me, spends her entire time juggling supermodel boyfriends. Now don't get me wrong the girl is kinda cute, but she's just not THAT cute. Also, the younger daughter speaks like a smart aleck twentysomething writer, not an acual kid.

CSI Miami.
The problem I have with this show is the same problem I have with the other CSI show. Strong on science, weak on law. For a show that goes to extremes to be scientifically accurate, they have this infuriating habit of having no idea how criminal law works. No suspect EVER asks for a lawyer, and there are numerous instances where the CSI's just break the law with no consequence. Perfect example. An episode of the other show involved dandruff as a key piece of evidence. Marg Helgenberger's characters runs into a suspect in the hall, and after seeing the dandruff, proceeds to take a sample, without once asking permission. This sample naturally is the key evidence they need to prove their case. That drove me nuts. They constantly ask suspects, who know they are guilty, if they can inspect their house (they ask this permission usually as they are halfway through the door) and then proceed to find the evidence they need immediately. If I am a killer and the cops come sniffing, then NO you can't search my closets, and NO you cant see whats inside my trunk. It just doesn't follow any kind of logical sense, and with a show that is entirely based in logic, a crime show, it is a fatal flaw.

It is a hugely overrated show.
I will give CSI: Miami props for one thing. Hiring Emily Procter, a smoking hot Southern Blonde who was being wasted on West Wing.

Boston Public:
I am on a strict no David E. Kelly Diet. His cutesy high concept plotlines are tired and worn out.

Girl's Club :
See above.

Third Watch :
Crap.. A poor mans ER, and even ER s*ucks these days.

The King of Queens and Yes, Dear (Or simply King of Queens 2.0) :
Essentially the same show and the same level of crappiness.

Everybody Loves Raymond :
I had the misfortune to be stuck on a flight from London to Boston and the only thing on was this. Man it sucks. His Kermit the frog voice and "befuddled" persona drives me up the wall. And since that is essentially the entire show, the show s horrible. I'm sure some late thirties couples out there with a few kids thinks its just the cats meow, but those are most likely thirty something couples with kids who have absolutely no sense of humor.

Crossing Jordan:
I've never sat through an episode. It's basically Quincy in hotpants. I've seen Quincy. I'd like to think I know Quincy. You young lady, are no Quincy (and you're not even that hot).

Plus its got Jose Ferrers son. That just can't be good in any situation.

The entire Monday UPN lineup:
I'm white Irish Catholic.

Drew Carey:
Jumped the shark a long, long time ago. After their gimmicky "improv" episode, drew gets stranded in China episode, The spot the mistake April fools episode, etc...., I gave up. Besides, he's a Republican.

Ed’s TV Round up. Monday

Yes the new fall season is upon us and I am in pop culture heaven. Here is my breakdown of the new fall season. Why? Because I feel like it.


Until the Simpsons comes back here are my grades so far.

Alias
Alias is a great show. Basically it’s a good old-fashioned spy show.
Spy/college student/hot mamajama Sidney Bristow thinks she is working for the CIA until the real CIA tells her she is working for SD-6 a mercenary splinter group from the CIA, So Sydney now works for SD-6, but is really working undercover for the CIA, and everyone else who works at SD-6, save for a few, still think they are working for the CIA, and Sydney’s friends think she works for a bank, except for her friend Will who knows she is working For SD-6 and the CIA. Got it?
It’s got fast moving, labyrinthine plot lines, a hot, hot lead actress, and writers who pride themselves on figuring out ways to put her into slutty undercover outfits each week (Last seasons finale was a masterstroke. They need Sydney to break into an installation, and the only way to do that was from the building next door which, lo and behold, just happened to be an S & M club). It also has great subplots. This year introduced Sydneys long lost and thought dead mother, who is an evil former Soviet spy murderer, or is she?
Alas with shows like this (not unlike Buffy) they are hard to jump into mid stream. But its worth it for those that do.

Soprano’s
Meanwhile over at HBO there is the Soprano’s. Not much to say here that isn’t already common knowledge. I like the show, but so far this year have been unimpressed, with the show being nothing but uninspired plot threads, and writing that is somewhat noticeable less subtle and understated as it should be (The ”Columbus Day” episode being a perfect example).

Angel.
The spin-off to Buffy. Being a proud Buffy fanatic, I watch and enjoy this show a lot. While it’s nowhere near as good as Buffy (Joss Whedon passed most of the writing and producing reigns off a while ago), its still quite good. The show was very shaky in its first few years as it was finding its voice (neat encapsulated episodes following a high concept “Vampire detective agency” storyline) but has come into its own by becoming more like Buffy (Yes I am fully aware of the contradictory nature of that sentence). It added long running themes and arching storylines over a season, added a son for Angel, who was turned against his own father by a man whose family Angel killed before he had a soul. It suffers from a somewhat weak supporting cast and especially this year, and unsure footing on what it wants to do, but I think its still a worthwhle show.

Becker
Sucks. Always has always will.

Bram and Alice
Sucks so bad it makes Becker look good. It’ll last a month. (But what do I know? Becker is already on its 4th excruciating year)

Charmed
A cheap Buffy knockoff. So bad I am disgusted I even uttered the B word in conjunction with that pile of crap.

Boomtown
It has a Wahlberg. I have better things to do with my life.

American Dreams
I tried, I really tried to watch it, for the simple fact that the lead actress is hot. But I hate period family dramas about coming of age in the sixties. And at the end of episode one, using the Kennedy Assassination as a cheap excuse to drum up sympathy and emotion, as opposed to drumming up real sympathy and emotion through the use of good writing, strong characters and engaging actors, was strike 3 in my book.

Law and Order: Criminal Intent.
2 Law and Orders is quite enough.

TBOGG is hands down the funniest damn blog I read all day. Sometimes approaching Onion greatness. THe man needs a comments section. Badly.

I know what your thinking. It's from the Onion or something. No, this is gods honest truth. From Newsweek no less.

A direct quote from the Juice:
“Look, you’re talking about a guy, Johnnie Cochran, who is a pretty smart guy,If he said maybe I did it, then maybe I did it.”

Oh man thats rich. Atrios scored big.

A sad, sad day.

Osama who?

With Dubya spending so much time worrying about Reagans old pal
Saddam, Al Queda and Bin laden kill over 180 people.

Oct. 14 — The government has to "assume" al-Qaida was behind the
weekend bombing that killed more than 180 people on Indonesia's
resort island of Bali, U.S. President George Bush said Monday. His
comments reflected those by Indonesian officials who blamed the
attack on locally-based Islamic militants, allegedly with the
backing of al-Qaida.


Oct. 14 — There were more signs Monday that the al-Qaida terror
network was stepping up activity around the world. More than a year
after the terrorist attacks on the United States, an Arabic cable
network carried a statement attributed to al-Qaida leader Osama bin
Laden that hailed two recent attacks in Kuwait and Yemen. Meanwhile,
Indonesia's defense minister said al-Qaida was likely behind a
fierce explosion in the vacation island of Bali that left scores
dead.

Duechebag.

Republican Sen., James Inhofe of Oklahoma exhorted those gathered to vote liberals out office. He called it "doing the Lord's work."

Allow the President to invade a neighboring nation whenever
he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you
allow him to do so whenever he may choose to say he
deems it necessary for such purpose ­ and you allow him
to make war at pleasure.... If, today, he should choose to
say he thinks it necessary to invade Canada, to prevent the
British from invading us, how could you stop him? You may
say to him, 'I see no probability of the British invading us'
but he will say to you 'be silent; I see it, if you don't.' "The
provision of the Constitution giving the war-making power
to Congress, was dictated, as I understand it, by the
following reasons. Kings had always been involving and
impoverishing their people in wars, pretending generally,
if not always, that the good of the people was the object.
This, our Convention understood to be the most oppressive
of all Kingly oppressions; and they resolved to so frame the
Constitution that no one man should hold the power of
bringing this oppression upon us. But your view destroys the
whole matter, and places our President where kings have
always stood."
-- Representative Abraham Lincoln, in a letter to his long-time law partner William H. Herndon, denouncing the trickery of President Polk in provoking the Mexican War of 1848.

Funny.

Some Ex Presidents sit on their ass and give million dollar speeched to the Japanese, and some win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Michael Kinsley has been on fire. In his latest column he rips Bush on Iraq. Best part:
The Bush campaign for war against Iraq has been insulting to American citizens, not just because it has been dishonest, but because it has been unserious. A lie is insulting; an obvious lie is doubly insulting. Arguments that stumble into each other like drunks are not serious. Washington is abuzz with the "real reason" this or that subgroup of the administration wants this war. A serious and respectful effort to rally the citizenry would offer the real reasons, would base the conclusion on the evidence rather than vice versa, would admit to the ambiguities and uncertainties, would be frank about the potential cost.

Why hasn't Ed been posting in a while? Simple. Sims Online Beta.

In these politically charged days of "either you support us or you support the terrorists" type jargon spewing from the right, I felt they should be reminded of their former leaders words.

"The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the nation as a whole. Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly as necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile. To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else." ---Teddy Roosevelt

He's got my vote.

Conason's online journal at Salon has a great gotcha piece about Toricelli. With all the Republicans crying foul and screaming at the top of their lungs about the horror of having to actually face an opponent in an election,. Joe points out to them that Republicans did the exact same thing in the Minnesotas governors race in 1990. An the Democrats didn't object. Why are so many Republicans becoming such crybabies?

Bill Sammons is back!!!

The oh so impartial journalist (Excuse me while I stifle a laugh) is back with a hard hitting puff piece about How unbelievably awesome a job Bush is doing!!!

Here is a direct quote in the book from George "change the tone" Bush from the book:
President Bush watched in disbelief when New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton went to the Senate floor and brandished the infamous NEW YORK POST 9/11 headline: "BUSH KNEW".
“What bothered me was the fact that somebody would be so irresponsible and kind of stirring up a bunch of wonderful Americans that somehow I wouldn’t have done what was necessary," Bush reveals in a new book set for release. "Yes, it bothered me.”

Gee Mr. President, maybe while you were busy being all disbelieffy maybe you should have turned up the volume and heard what the Senator had to say. Here are her exact words:
"I am simply here today on the floor of this hallowed chamber to seek answers to questions. Questions being asked by my constituents. Questions raised by our newspapers in New York, such as one headline ‘Bush Knew.' The president knew what?
"My constituents would like to know the answers to those questions. Not to blame the president or any American. But just to know. To learn from experience. To do all we can to ensure that a 9/11 never happens again.

Ooooooh. That was so divisive!! I mean it wasn’t as bad as accusing Decorated war heroes as not caring about the security of the American people, but hey, no one can be THAT divisive, right!

I'm sure some of you may be thinking, why would a Journalist print something so blatantly misleading and biased? Well this isn't a Journalist, this is Bill Sammons. His modus operandi is to portray Republicans as good and Democrats as bad, regardless of the actual facts. He then sends them out in these quickie books that are sold at Freerepublic.con and other such bastions of psychopathic insanity.

Thats just freaky.

Only ten years old and alrady has a f*cked up sense of his physical self. Poor bastards gonna be a mess when he grows up.

I got this from www.nevertrustamonkey.com. It's just funny.

Osama who?

Thats the new talking points coming from the White House.

They have ceased to mention him by name because it does nothing but bring up the fact that Mr. "wanted dead or alive", as Bush once referred to him, is, as far as we know still at large. Instead the new boogeyman is Saddam.

Also they had this classic Ari Fliescher back and forth (thanks to Atrios):
Bush, White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said in a morning briefing, "is now supporting a bipartisan compromise on homeland security."

Keith Koffler, White House reporter for Congress Daily, was puzzled. "How many Democrats support this bipartisan bill?" he asked. "I'm not aware of any more than one Democrat."

"Well," Fleischer replied, "that certainly does make it bipartisan."

A passage from Bush’s' famous ""can't get fooled again" speech in Tennessee is yet another lame attempt to try in vain to make up ANY excuse to invade Iraq. This time it was because of repression of women:
And all our history says we believe in liberty and justice for all, that when we see oppression, we cry; that when we found out that young girls in Afghanistan could not go to school because they were in the clutches of one of the most barbaric regimes in the history of mankind, we acted not only to uphold doctrine and to fight the war against terror, we acted to liberate people. Our history shows that we're not a nation which conquers; we're a nation which liberates.

From The Bush state Departments Human rights report on Saudi Arabia's treatment of women:

The Government prohibits or restricts freedom of speech, the press, assembly, association, religion, and movement.
Other continuing problems included discrimination and violence against women, discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities, and strict limitations on worker rights.
Women of many nationalities were detained for actions such as riding in a taxi with a man who was not their relative, appearing with their heads uncovered in shopping malls, and eating in restaurants with males who were not their relatives. Many such prisoners were held for days, sometimes weeks, without officials notifying their families or, in the case of foreigners, their embassies.
A woman's testimony does not carry the same weight as that of a man. In a Shari'a court, the testimony of one man equals that of two women.
Women may not marry noncitizens without government permission.
women are prohibited from marrying non-Muslims.
Government policy permits women to attend cultural and social events at diplomatic chanceries and residences only if they are accompanied by a father, brother, or husband.
The Government restricts the travel of Saudi women. They are not allowed to drive inside the country and are dependent upon males for any transportation.
Women play no formal role in Government and politics and are actively discouraged from doing so.
Women must enter city buses by separate rear entrances and sit in specially designated sections.
[Women are] are excluded from studying such subjects as engineering, journalism, and architecture.
women's testimonies in court are equal to half those of a man.

If it happens in Iraq, we must invade and “liberate”, if it happens in Saudi Arabia, we invite their ambassador for lunch on the ranch.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am a strong proponent of trying to change the policy of foreign countries through diplomacy and increased trade. It’s starting to work in China, it would work in Cuba if we ever eased sanctions, and it is working in Saudi Arabia, who despite the horrendous abuses listed above, has made positive strides in Human Rights.

It’s just more evidence of Bush’s utter failure of any kind of consistency in his foreign policy and Iraq. It started with his State of the Union Speech where he laid down the law “you are either with us, or with the terrorists”, and then completely did an about face (Bush was “disappointed” with Arafat yet Hussein is a murderer and must go, Saudi’s are our buddies while they have telethons to support terrorist bombers)

David Bonior and Jim McDermott are fools. Now I won't go as far as to question their patriotism and call them traitors, I leave that job to our change the tone President, but when they appear on This Week FROM Baghdad and make comments like "I think you have to take the Iraqis on their value -- at their face value.", it does nothing but make them look like what they are.

Clueless idiots being used as puppets by a brutal dictator.

Damn it just gets weirder in the Garden state. In the span of a half an hour I received 2 email bulletins from ABC. the first saying that Congressman Frank Pallone was chosen to take over for Toricelli, and then, a half hour later, another email bulletin saying it may not be Pallone because, get this, he forgot to check with his wife first.

Hey, at least it ain’t Florida.

It’s time for the unqualified art major to give his take on Iraq. Something I am sure all of you have been waiting desperately for. Blogs offer a great way to vent to nooene in particular. So here is my completely stream of consciousness, badly written “anything to pass the time before Buffy” entry into the Iraq debate.

I've always bee on the fence about the whole Iraq issue. Yes Hussien is a bad guy. Yes he is trying to obtain weapons of mass destruction ever since the ones Reagan sold him were destroyed in 91 and the subsequent inspections. Yes we need to get rid of him. But to me there seems to be a bigger downside than an upside as far as a full-scale invasion is concerned.

. Despite the lies Bush spreads, Hussien is not 6 months away from getting Nuclear weapons and poses no immediate threat to the United States. He poses the same threat he ahs for the alst 10 eyars, in which a strict no fly zone and tough sanctions kept him in check. That doesn’t mean we should ignore him, but it means there is no reason for a full scale invasion and thousands of American dead so Dubya can avenge his daddy. What would be the fallout if the United States decided, with no proof of an imminent threat, to pre-emptively declare war against a sovereign nation? The floodgates will open. Pakistan could invade India, North Korea invade South Korea, etc., all with the excuse that “hey, if the U.S. can do it, so can we.” Not to mention the fact that it would galvanize the entire Arab world against us at a time when we could use all the help we can get from them. And it doesn’t stop there; if the U.S. acts unilaterally it will alienate and anger our European allies. (If any of you are the least bit interested in politics, you know this as the case against war has been made by people much smarter and more qualified than me, some random bored guy with a blog. )
And for those who say, “who cares what the Germans think”, remember there are known Al-Qaeda cells in Germany and many other Nato countries.

I mean, what are the reasons Bush has given for invasion? He doesn’t really have any compelling ones so every week they come out with a new one and see if it will stick. If it doesn’t , they discard it and try and come up with another one
Bush said he was six months away from having Nuclear capabilities based on a report by the IAEA. Not true. When the press corp pointed out this fact, the Bush people said oh wait you were mistaken we were referring to a report in 91. Also not true. No report exists that says that.

Then there was the one that said Hussien was somehow working with Al Qaida. A cheap attempt to try and graft the war on terror to Iraq. Proof? Sorry, none. Now yes there may be, as the Post reported, some Al qaeda seeking refuge in Iraq, but they also have been seeking refuge in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, even Germany and Spain. Should we bomb Munich? No. Unless there is a direct link between Hussien and Al qaeda working together, and there isn’t, that’s not enough of a reason to invade.

All of this has the net effect of making us look like complete and utter clueless shitheads in front of the rest of the world. But that sadly is something of a Bush specialty while President. Thank god he hasn’t puked on anyone yet. Bush even referred to Saddam last week as, no kidding, “the guy who tried to kill my daddy.” Not exactly full of a Churchillian "We shall fight on the beaches" flair but we can safely say Dubya's graded on a curve.

What makes Iraq, part one in the three part axis of evil, warrant an invasion, and North Korea, part 2 in the Axis of evil, an official U.S. envoy sent to open talks?
The only thing any of this makes clear is that Bush’s foreign policy is a complete and utter mess.

And unless Bush can come up with a clear and decisive reason to risk the lives of thousands of U.S. troops, I don't support an invasion. And contrary to what some pundits out tehre say, that does not make one a traitor or an appeaser.

What the hell is going on in New Jersey? It looks to me like it boils down to the Republicans getting exactly what they wished for, and now crying foul.

As for the Torch, good riddance, the guy was crooked.

A judge has ruled on the Noelle Bush controversy. The ruling says that not drug treatment staff do nothave to answer police questions about a piece of crack they found in her shoe.

It makes sense. People who need drug rehab shouldn't have to worry about being snitched on by the people that are treating them if they have a relapse.