Saturday, December 30, 2006

Saddam's Last Words Belie His Previous Published 'Letter'

Defiant until the end, Saddam Hussein last words were curses directed at Persians, spies, traitors and Americans, the New York Times reports.

Not exactly the sweet words earlier reported by mainstream media.

Howling Latina wept as she saw a picture of Saddam Hussein next to the rope that would soon end his life, as posted earlier this evening on the Web site of a national newspaper and thankfully taken down.

If the United States is going to go around making sure that every tyrant is brought to justice by the noose, why not start with Castro and have the Miami Cubans try him and execute him?

And what about all those kinds words from media pundits, including the Washington Post on the subject of Pinochet, another bloody tyrant? Why no justice for U.S. client-state tyrants?!?

Hell, there is not one single national leader today that does not have the stench of the death of thousands on their blood soaked hands.

Hat tip to Firedoglake for being one of the few progressive bloggers to condemn Iraq's kangaroo trial of Saddam with its ignoble preordained verdict and ending.

Update: Mosquito Blog has also brilliantly posted on the subject.

Friday, December 29, 2006

The Brits Get It Right!

As a follow up to Howling Latina's post where she called the authenticity of Saddam Hussein's recent letter into question, here's a former letter by Hussein of April 20, 2003 as published by the Guardian Unlimited.

Unlike the US media with the latest alleged Hussein missive who report it as gospel, the Brits prefaced their news story back in 2003 with reasonable doubt and wrote: "Full text: the Saddam Hussein 'letter'. And this was also followed up with additional context in the very first paragraph: 'This is a translation, from Arabic, of a letter to the Iraqi people allegedly written by the former Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein

Now, after reading the earlier letter, side-by-side with the latest published drivel, it hardly seems plausible that both letters were written by the same man; in fact, they appear to have been penned by rhetorical opponents with two very different worldviews.

Here's the transcript of the earlier letter; read it and then make your call. Meanwhile, Howling Latina is in Egypt and sure as hell hopes there is no violence in the streets as a result.

From Saddam Hussein to the great Iraqi people, the sons of the Arab and Islamic nation, and honourable people everywhere.

Peace be upon you, and the mercy and blessings of God.

Just as Hulaku entered Baghdad, the criminal Bush entered it, with Alqami, or rather, more than one Alqami.*

They did not conquer you - you who reject the occupation and humiliation, you who have Arabism and Islam in your hearts and minds - except through betrayal.

Indeed, it is not a victory while there is still resistance in your souls.

What we used to say has now become reality, for we do not live in peace and security while the deformed Zionist entity is on our Arab land; therefore there is no rift in the unity of the Arab struggle.

Sons of our great people:

Rise up against the occupier and do not trust anyone who talks of Sunni and Shia, because the only issue that the homeland - your great Iraq - faces now is the occupation.

There are no priorities other than driving out the infidel, criminal, cowardly occupier. No honourable hand is held out to shake his, but, rather, the hand of traitors and collaborators.

I say to you that all the countries surrounding you are against your resistance, but God is with you because you are fighting unbelief and defending your rights.
The traitors have allowed themselves to declare their treachery, even though it is shameful, so declare your rejection of the occupier for the sake of great Iraq, for the
nation, for Islam and for humanity.

Iraq - together with the sons of the nation and the people of honour - and we shall restore the stolen relics and rebuild Iraq which they (may God bring shame upon them) wish to split into pieces.

Saddam has no property in his own name and I defy anyone to prove that there were palaces except in the name of the Iraqi state. I left them a long time ago to live in a small house.

Forget everything and resist the occupation, because error begins when there are priorities other than the occupier and his expulsion. Remember that they are aiming to bring in those who will fight one another so that your Iraq will remain weak and they can plunder it as they have been doing.

Your party, the Arab Ba'ath Socialist party, is proud that it did not extend its hand to the Zionist enemy and did not give in to the cowardly American or British aggressor.
Whoever stands against Iraq and plots against it will not prosper in peace at the hands of America.

Greetings to everyone who resists, to every honourable Iraqi citizen, and to every woman, child and sheikh in our great Iraq. United, and the enemy and the traitors who came in with him will flee. Know that the one with whom the invading forces came, whose planes flew to kill you, will send you nothing but poison.

God willing, the day of liberation and victory will come, for us, for the nation, and above all for Islam. This time, as always when right triumphs, the days to come will be more beautiful.

Take care of your possessions, your departments, and your schools. Boycott the occupier. Boycott him, for this is a duty towards Islam, religion and the homeland.

Long live great Iraq and its people.

Long live Palestine, free and Arab from the river to the sea.**

God is greatest.

May the despicable ones be despised.


"Meet the Press"

In a look back at the life of former Pres. Gerald Ford, Russert will interview Tom Brokaw of NBC News and best-selling author Bob Woodward of the Washington Post. Both men extensively covered Ford throughout his chronicled career.

Later, in roundtable interviews, Russert will ask questions of Michael Beschloss, presidential historian of NBC News, E.J. Dionne and Eugene Robinson, Washington Post columnists, Kate O'Beirne, Washington editor of National Review and William Safire, New York Times columnist about the 2006 election results and what they portend in 2007 and 2008 for would-be presidential hopefuls.

In other words, blah, blah, blah, blah, Hillary, blah, blah, blah, blah, Obama, blah, blah, blah, blah, Edwards, blah, blah, blah, blah, McCain, blah, blah, blah, blah, Giuliani and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah Romney.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Did He Really Say That?


Call me a cynic, but Howling Latina is more than a tad bit skeptical of the news that Saddam Hussein is calling for world peace just as he's about to be executed.

This is the same man who belligerently told the Iraqi court time and again that it had no constitutional authority to try him but suddenly on the eve of his demise has had a change of heart and now calls for his followers to make nice with his enemies.

Sure!

And there is a tooth fairy and Easter bunny, there were weapons of mass destruction, ties to Al Qaeda, mission was accomplished, Rumsfeld was staying; and a president with actual brain cells in his head lives in the White House.

Saddam Hussein urged Iraqis to embrace "brotherly coexistence" and not to hate U.S.-led foreign troops in a goodbye letter posted on a Web site Wednesday, a day after Iraq's highest court upheld his death sentence and ordered him hanged within 30 days.

[...]

One of Saddam's attorneys, Issam Ghazzawi, confirmed to The Associated Press in Jordan that the Internet letter was authentic, saying it was written by Saddam on Nov. 5 — the day he was convicted by an Iraqi tribunal for ordering the 1982 killings of 148 Shiite Muslims in Dujail.

[...]

"I call on you not to hate because hate does not leave space for a person to be fair and it makes you blind and closes all doors of thinking," said the letter, which was written in Arabic and translated by the AP.

How very convenient! Sounds more like a letter written by Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan than Hussein!

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Poetic Justice, Law of Karma, Divine Retribution...


A hidden gem in the New York Times story about immigration is the story of poetic justice, law of karma, divine retribution, whatever!

It looks like Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. of Wisconsin, "the departing chairman of the Judiciary Committee and an architect of the House immigration approach" wasn't offered any "senor position on any major committee in the new Congress."

Wah, ha, ha, ha, ha. Oh how the haughty and mighty have fallen.

Sensenbrenner, if you recall, was the chairman who turned off the mike during a Judiciary Committee hearing on the Patriot Act while Democrats were on the floor talking.

Oh yes, he walked off with a wide smirk on his face, knowing that poor Democrats couldn't do a thing about it; that same self-satisfied smirk we'd grown to love and hate during his stint as House manager during the Clinton impeachment.

It was all about the rule of law during the 90s when Clinton was president; but when poor Conyers wanted to investigate voter fraud or any alleged Republican wrongdoing, well, he had to make do with a tiny room in the basement.

Yes, one reaps what one sows; and it's reaping and weeping time for Herr Sensenbrenner.

Two-Term Governor Talks in Virginia


The Virginian-Pilot reports today that Gov. Tim Kaine and "top Republican lawmakers" are mulling over the possibility of two consecutive term governors in Virginia's future.

Virginia is the only state that bars its governors from seeking back-to-back terms. Governors may sit out a four-year term and run again, but no one has done so since Mills Godwin was re-elected in 1973.

Del. Bob Purkey, R-Virginia Beach, has tried for 15 years to erase the restriction, which he say s harms the state's ability to make long-term plans and negotiate with businesses interested in moving to Virginia.

The measure has failed each year, however, because legislators fear it will give governors too much power. House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, said a deal is possible this year because Kaine has signaled a willingness to give legislators new appointment powers.

Sad to acknowledge, but it's all part of the ol' Byrd machine, which couldn't cotton any one person having more power than they did for longer than one term. Nonetheless, Kaine shouldn't give up ANY of the governor's power.

Democrats are on a statewide roll. Why should we give up power that likely will remain in our loving hands?!? Tell the Repubs to take a long walk off a very short pier, governor. Don't do it!

Latinos Leaving the Area


With the recent real estate bust in the region, Latinos are having a hard time finding a job in construction and are going home.

The Washington Post reports today that "stories of departing workers abound. Some workers say they're headed home; others, spurred by rumors of construction jobs, try their fortunes in the Carolinas, Georgia, New Orleans."

One out of three immigrants work in construction.

The effects of the slowdown are also rippling through Hispanic-owned businesses. "A lot of my customers have gone to Florida, to the Carolinas," said Carlos Castro, owner of the Todos Supermarket chain and chairman of the Hispanic Business Council in Prince William County.
Jolly! Jolly! Jolly! Let's see the "tough on immigration" nincompoops in Prince William County make up the lost revenue from Latinos after they're gone.

Bye-bye, Latino mercado and bodega. So long cheap handyman and cleaning lady. Hasta luego sales taxes from all those purchases by my 'amigos.' Hello vacant strip malls.

Former President Gerald Ford Dead at 93



The Associated Press reports that former Pres. Gerald Ford, the 38th president after Nixon resigned and the only unelected leader in US history, died on Tuesday according to his wife.

"My family joins me in sharing the difficult news that Gerald Ford, our beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather has passed away at 93 years of age," Mrs. Ford said in a brief statement issued from her husband's office in Rancho Mirage. "His life was filled with love of God, his family and his country."

The statement did not say where Ford died or list a cause of death. Ford had battled pneumonia in January 2006 and underwent two heart treatments — including an angioplasty — in August at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Ford was the last Republican candidate for president that Howling Latina supported; and he was a decent man from the old Republican guard of centrists who did not cultivate a racist Dixie strategy.

In fact, Ford lost TEXAS!

With James Brown dying on Christmas Day and now Ford, more and more of American icons from the 70s are dying off. Apropos to Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, a time for everything.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for PEACE!

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Cuban Miracle, Castro Cured?!?


The surgeon flown from Spain to Cuba, and who many believed was sent in a last ditch effort to save Castro's life, has disabused this notion and instead pronounced Castro cured, the German Press Agency via Raw Story reports.

A renowned Spanish physician...examine[d] ailing leader Fidel Castro [and] said Tuesday on his return to Madrid that Castro is not suffering from cancer and another operation would not be necessary. Jose Luis Garcia Sabrida, chief surgeon at the Gregorio Maranon Hospital in Madrid, told a press conference that Castro was not suffering from any "malignant disease."

Describing Castro's health condition as stable and that the Cuban leader was "mentally fit," Sabrida said. "He says every day that he wants to return to work. But his doctors have urged caution."

Oh yes, cured if he ever had cancer. But if Castro has some other malady, guess the tidbit of news about Castro being cancer free is well, pretty meaningless, especially if one wishes to sparse about the meaning of 'malignant disease.'

Previous rumors by the CIA claimed Castro was suffering from Parkinson's disease; and of course, if true, that would mean that Castro is absolutely free of cancer, in great mental shape and anxious to return to work. Right up to his last dying breath.

Vote for George Allen


Show the very popular junior senator from Virginia some love before Sen.-elect Jim Webb is sworn into office. This will be our absolute last chance to vote for Allen.

Click and vote, right now. Allen is behind; please help. He must not lose AGAIN!

Monday, December 25, 2006

Va. Minimum Wage Increase Proposed



The Washington Post reported last Wednesday that Democrats will introduce in the next legislative session in Richmond a bill to raise the minimum wage in Virginia from a measly $5.15 to $6.15 next year and $7.25 by the end of 2009.

Virginia has always followed the national minimum wage but with the national wage at the $5.15 level since 1995, it's way beyond time for the people's representatives to do something that helps the working class.

"How many CEOs have gone without a wage hike in the last 10 years?" asked Del. Albert C. Eisenberg (D-Arlington). "It's not just about economics. It's about justice and fairness."

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) said he supports an increase, but the proposal is expected to face resistance from the business community and the Republican-controlled General Assembly. A House subcommittee killed a similar proposal this year. ."

Just let the Republicans kill the bill to give Virginians a raise and then try to run for office in the fall. That should go over real well in deep red districts where a lot of folks work 40 hours a week for $210.00.

Kaine, Warner and Webb, the new dynamic trio, will clobber these mean-spirited legislators over their clueless head for denying poor workers a raise with their corporate-bought vote.

Howling Latina also hopes that Bush is dumb enough to veto the national Dem's pay raise so Virginia GOPers can be directly linked to the menace-in-chief at the White House and lose a bunch of seats equal to the thumpin' congressional Republicans took last fall.

Is Castro On His Death Bed?



The Associated Press reported yesterday that a surgeon was flying from Spain to Cuba for a possible emergency procedure on Castro.

Barcelona-based El Periodico said Dr. Jose Luis Garcia Sabrido, chief surgeon at Madrid's Gregorio Maranon hospital, was taken to Havana, the Cuban capital, Thursday on a Cuban government chartered flight. The newspaper said he took with him medical material not available in Cuba.

Although aware of Castro's condition, Sabrido was to examine him in person before deciding whether the Cuban leader should undergo more surgery, El Periodico said.

Castro reminds Howling Latina of an old werewolve movie where the beast has more than nine lives and silver bullets kept missing.

For crying out loud, just go, man, just go.

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Oops...

In an earlier post, Howling Latina linked an article in the Roanoke Times about Common Cause asking Congress to investigate Republican Rep. Virgil Goode and attributed the date to Dec. 24.

Well, contrary to the date listed at the heading, it seems the article is an old news story going back to June 20, 2006; an alert reader pointed it out.

It's hard to fathom why a newspaper would use a current date at the top of a headline of an old news article; but that's exactly what happened; live and learn.

Be that as it may, the latest brouhaha presents an excellent opportunity for House Dems to investigate the Goode matter as opposed to Republicans who just allowed every shape and form of shenanigans to go on without batting an eye or even an eye lash, from Duke Cunningham to Virgil Goode.

Meanwhile, the Detroit Free Press reported yesterday that Muslims overwhelmingly voted for Sen.-elect Jim Webb in Virginia on Nov. 7. According to Imam Mahdy Bray, a Muslim activist, "50,000 Muslims went to the polls -- 47,000 of them vot[ed] for Webb."

Keep pissing off folks, dear Republicans: Blacks, Latinos, Jews, Indian Americans, American-Indians; just keep those hits-a-coming!

Goode To Be Investigated


As everyone by now knows, Rep. Virgil Goode. R-Rocky Mount is a certified a-hole; but what people may not know is how stupid Goode is as well.

Goode is to be investigated; and not just for being a racist; or even for being an idiot; although these two items alone were enough to sink the former Virginia junior senator.

After publicly and unrepentantly decrying Rep.-elect Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) for having the temerity to use the Koran during his swear-in ceremony, looks like good ol' Virgil forgot what should have been the first order of business for someone with a Cunningham past.

Don't make waves, and for Pete's sake, don't make national headlines, especially with the Democrats the new lords of the House with the master set of keys in Congress.

You may be a private bigot and believe "that Muslims should not be elected to Congress," as the Washinton Post reported, but for crying out loud, when a memo to a constituent is leaked, blame it on an overly ambilitious staffer ALA Sen. Mel Martinez, say you're terribly sorry and put the mess behind you. Didn't that nasty business of Sen. George Allen Macacawitz teach you anything?

Well, apparently not. Goode's idea of giving an account is to go on Fox News and repeat his mantra: "I do not apologize, and I do not retract my letter."

Oh Virgil Virgil! You've done got yourself on the radar screen of every American Muslim and every American progressive that hates bigots. Hell, if you thought Al Weed was a big pain in the tush during the last campaign, you ain't seen nothing yet; fun and games are really about to get started.

The Roanoke Times reported yesterday that "[a] government watchdog group is asking the House ethics committee to investigate the dealings between a corrupt defense contractor and U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode."
Common Cause made the request following an announcement this week that the ethics committee was launching a probe into a bribery scandal that put former California Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham in prison.

[...]

That prompted Common Cause to ask the panel to "immediately add to itsto-do list" other members of Congress that it linked to a Capitol Hill ethics scandal, including Goode and Rep. Katherine Harris, R-Fla. "Certainly there appears to be a cloud over his [Goode's] head and that's why we need an ethics committee investigation," Common Cause spokeswoman Mary Boyle said. "If he was an innocent bystander as he says, then he would be cleared."
You see, Virgil, Americans are waking up, just like you admonished; only what they're learning is not that a bunch of Muslims are landing on our shores but a bunch of bigoted crooks are in our halls of Congress.

You know that sweet deal you gave MZM and all that $$$ they gave you?!? Well, it's all going to be investigated; every last dot, comma and penny; and Howling Latina will safely predict that Mitchell Wade will make a most compelling witness when newly elected Congressman Ellison asks to have a few words with him; you know, American to American.

And Virgil, here's the best part; with each new drip of news and revelation, expect the Roanoke Times to keep your loyal constituents oh-so-well-informed.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Merry Christmas "Meet the Press"


This Sunday "Meet the Press" will have two wonderful guests: Rick Warren, author of "The Purpose Driven Life," which Howling Latina can boast she has read and Jon Meacham, editor of Newsweek Magazine and author of "American Gospel."

Enjoy the Spirit of the Christ-child over the holidays and every day.

Hasta Luego, Mis Amigos









Howling Latina will soon be off to visit her daughter in Egypt. She plans to visit the Nile, some of the historic shrines of the Christian faith as well as a few of the pyramids, but staying away from Mecca. She understand this is the time of year for the annual Muslim pilgrimages.

She leaves next Wednesday, but with Christmas and preparing for the trip, expect posting to be light for the next week or so. Anyway, HL hopes to have some pictures, even though she's absolutely horrid with a camera.

Wish her luck and safety!

Moratorium NOW!

In huge news for people who oppose the death penalty, Maryland's highest court halted executions by lethal injection; and with the recent election of Martin O'Malley as governor, the political weather in the Old Line State is calling for clear skies for opponents.

Howling Latina previously wrote about O'Malley's opposition to the death penalty; and after the recent Court of Appeals ruling that "requir[es] the state to submit its execution procedures for public review," as reported by the Baltimore Sun, O'Malley could simply refuse to "submit the execution protocol for legislative review."

Now, contrary to gnashing of teeth by the Sun, HL thinks that's a lovely idea. After all, before Ehrlich was sworn into office, Maryland had a death penalty moratorium. And let's not forget, a plurarity of Marylanders support life in prison rather than the needle.

The Washington Post reported yesterday that O'Malley has asked "Ehrlich to leave the issue for the incoming administration."
"I'm sure all of this will spark a renewed debate as to whether all of the money we spend prosecuting death penalty cases might be better spent fighting violent crime and saving lives," O'Malley said.
Forget the Sun's insane idea of "push[ing] for reform of the current method of lethal injection." Get rid of the death penalty, once and for all. If O'Malley pushes for anything, it should be a moratorium that halts state executions in that state FOREVER.

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Congressman Chris Van Hollen to Lead DCCC


Rep. Chris Van Hollen from Howling Latina's old stomping ground in Maryland (when she was voting for moderates like former Republican Rep. Connie Morella) is the new chair for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Van Hollen came to Congress when he beat out Morella in a newly created district by the Democrats in 2002. Interestingly, good ol' Rahm Emmanuel came to Congress that very same year, too. Now ain't that SPECIAL!

Let's hope Van Hollen does as well as Emmanuel and Dems pick up even more seats in '08. From what HL has been able to observe, he's a pretty sharp cookie and at one time considered running for the Senate seat recently vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Paul Sarbanes.

Maryland Court Orders Lethal Injection Review

The Maryland Court of Appeals in 4-3 decision, ruled that "lethal injection protocols are subject to Maryland's Administrative Procedures Act, meaning that they must be developed under the oversight of the attorney general's office and a legislative committee, and that the public must be given a chance for review and comment."

Gov.-elect Martin O'Malley who is Catholic and a death penalty opponent told reporters recently that he wanted to wait for the state's highest court to rule and offer "guidance" on how to proceed before offering any comments on the subject.

At one time, Maryland had a death penalty moratorium.

Back in 2000, former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke and the late Howard "Pete" Rawlings placed a full-page ad in The Baltimore Sun and urged then-Gov. Parris Glendening to immediately implement a moratorium; a few months later, Glendening ordered a study to examine racial bias; and after a University of Maryland report showed that death row inmates were predominantly black and/or poor, Glendening issued the long-awaited moratorium in 2002.

On the one hand...on the other hand scenario, a few months after the moratorium, Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich won the governor's race; and when he took office in January, he immediately lifted the ban. Favorably for abolitionists on the other hand, Ehrlich was recently booted out of office.

At the time of the ad, O'Malley endorsed the ad and told the Associated Press, "I am not in favor of the death penalty. I don't think as people in a civilized society we can support capital punishment...You don't promote respect for life by making us participate in the death penalty."

Amen, Brother O'Malley; and let's not forget that in Maryland, 63 percent of voters "want to replace the death penalty" with life in prison without parole. Voters in the commonwealth of Virginia hopefully one day will join their sage brethren across the Potomac and come to understand that it costs more to execute than to offer alternatives to the ultimate punishment.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Was Paul Gay?


Scholars have questioned whether the "thorn in the flesh" Paul speaks of in 2 Corinthians 12:7 refers to temptation of the flesh from the perspective of a gay man.

Beliefnet.com, a world-renowned Web site, has an article by Bishop John Shelby Spong. First, the passage from the New Testament and Paul's lip and then Spong's thoughts:
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
Howling Latina decided to write about the subject of Paul's sexuality because during worship service yesterday, she mistakenly ended up at the wrong church, next door to the one she normally attends. And when the pastor briefly mentioned Paul's affliction during his sermon, for whatever reason, a thought popped in her mind, "Paul was gay."

As a follow-up to her discovery and quite naturally, she googled Paul + gay + thorn, and voila, an article by Bishop John Shelby Spong appeared before her eyes. The good bishop came to the same conclusion as HL.

Spong writes in quoting Paul:

"You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first; and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus" (Gal. 4:13). The word angel can also be translated messenger. Paul is the possessor of a condition that he believes to be incurable. It is a condition for which people might scorn or despise him. I have heard and read of commentators who suggested that this physical condition was some kind of chronic eye problem. This is based, I suspect, on Paul's words to the Galatians that they would have "plucked out their eyes and given them" to Paul (Gal. 4:15). But chronic eye problems do not normally bring scorn or the activity of despairing, and through the eye, which Paul called "the window of the body," life and beauty as well as death and pain enter the human experience. Paul, in these words to the Galatians, told them that he had now "become as they are," one in whom "Christ has been formed," and assured them that they "did him no wrong" (Gal. 4:12, 19). That refers to an inner healing not an external healing.

In an interview with the Atlanta Constitution more than 10 years ago, Spong is also quoted as saying:

With Paul, you start out with the data that he's an unmarried man. That was very unusual in Jewish society. He has a very negative attitude toward women. He talks about a war that goes on in himself between what his mind wills and what his body wills. He talks about having a thorn in the flesh that keeps him from achieving the kind of peace and goal that he hopes to achieve. And then you read Paul and get this terrible internal struggle . . . the words of self-loathing, 'Oh wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death?' You recognize that as a faithful Jew in the first century, he took seriously the Torah and the Torah said that homosexuality was vile and depraved and worthy of death. Then the fantastic thing that comes through Paul is the realization that Paul is loved just as he is . . . because, you see, what Christ means to me is that there's nothing you can be, and nothing you can do that will ultimately separate you from the love of God.

Yes, it makes perfect sense that Jesus would choose a man like Paul to be one of his disciples; it's people who are subjogated by the Pharisee-like masses and their "laws" that need a counselor, intercessor and advocate the most.

Happier Days in Court for Virginians


With the Democrats set to take over the Senate in a couple of weeks, the Washington Post reports that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit might take a moderate turn.

The horror, the horror, lock up the children!
The 15-member court has three vacancies, and a fourth judgeship will open in July. That would leave the bench with six Republicans and five Democratic appointees by summer. In addition, one of those six Republican appointees has announced plans to take senior status as soon as a replacement can be confirmed.

Senior judges receive full pay and hear cases but can take a reduced workload
and are not considered active-service members of the court.
It all started when Bush named Scalito to the Court and Judge Luttig got tired of waiting around for a Supreme spot, took the $$$ and instead headed for the hills of the corporate world.

Of course, Virginia bloggers will recall that one of the vacancies exists because when poor Judge Francis Murnaghan died, those pesky obstructionist Democrats wouldn't let Bush appoint party blowhard and petty thief Claude Allen to the bench.

Well, if all goes well, Democrats will block any other eminently qualified nutwing like Allen; and when we win the White House in '08, it'll all be over but the crying and ranting.

Oh if only Howling Latina were a little fly in the smoky Republican backrooms right about now; she guesses those brave GOPers who endured the wrath of Rush are starting to look mighty smart right now.

The sheer hubris of Republicans to think they were going to be in power for generations on end; as if they could ever be equal to Democrats during the last half of the 20th century.

One thing is for sure: nothing ever last forever; especially when you're as devoid of solutions as Republicans and can only think as far ahead as your next talking point. Forever was a measly 16 years.

Hell, it's morning in America, again. Fox just fired Judith Regan for making anti-Semitic remarks. Guess all those rabid cable boys are now on notice!

WAH, Wah, wah


Poor presidential would-be hopeful who refused to rule out serving out his entire term in the boring Senate, George Allen Macawicz is now leaving Congress for some other sunny 'unnamed' opportunities.

That's right, now that he's joined millions of other Americans, unemployed Georgie is pondering "some very interesting and exciting opportunities," according to the Roanoke Times.

And oh yes, like all losing candidates, Allen promises to keep a watchful eye on Virginia.
"The point is to still be out there advocating for ideas -- I call them missions -- that I think are so important," he said, citing education, innovation and
economic competitiveness as examples.

"I have too much experience, too much care about the future of Virginia and our country just to passively be outside the stadium when you want to be advancing those ideas," Allen said.
Boy, talk about an "egomaniacal jerk" of Powerline's upside world of Republican bullshit rhetoric.

Well, thank God and Greyhound Allen is gone; and taxpayers will no longer be footing the bill for his phony cowboy boots, cowboy hat and his phony baloney cowboy shtick.

From On High, This Sic is for You!


About six days ago, From on High studiously corrected Howling Latina's grammar while to date allowing a terrible miscarriage of English justice to go unremarked.

Indeed, Del. Vincent F. Callahan, Jr. has made a super-duper, major typo. Or...he is cravenly trying to create with Virginia tax $$$$ another PUBIC bureaucracy under HB1710, the Virginia PUBIC Building Authority.

Señor Callahan, think of the innocent CHILDREN!

Either that, or add an l to pubic.

Hat tip to Waldo Jaquith.

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Howling Latina Reports -- Sort of...


Praise the Lord! It looks like Virginia's 1st District will have a Democratic candidate running against Del. Scott Lingamfelter.

Beam Me-up Scottie, who cavalierly dismisses the angst of my poor friends and neighbors in Fauquier and Prince William County as they daily commute hours on end, will have a strong candidate with $$$$ to make it a race.

More details after the candidate announces; but suffice it to say, the horrid transportation problem in Northern Virginia and Lingamfelter's alarming non-response IS AN ISSUE ABOUT VIRGINIA FAMILY VALUES.

More News (Update) - The Daily Whackjob hilariously whacks rumor mongering blog whores, from the right and supposedly from the center.

Two More States Halt Executions



After the latest botched execution in Florida last week, Gov. Jeb Bush suspended all state-sanctioned killing.

Here are some of the gruesome details on how Florida administered the purported humane way to kill death row inmates, as reported by the Associated Press:

Angel Nieves Diaz...executed for killing a Miami topless bar manager 27 years ago, was given a rare second dose of deadly chemicals as he took more than twice the usual time to succumb. Needles that were supposed to inject drugs into the 55-year-old man's veins were instead pushed all the way through the blood vessels into surrounding soft tissue. A medical examiner said he had chemical burns on both arms.

"It really sounds like he was tortured to death," said Jonathan Groner, associate professor of surgery at the Ohio State Medical School, a surgeon who opposes the death penalty and writes frequently about lethal injection. "My impression is that it would cause an extreme amount of pain."

On the very same day, a federal judge extended a previously court-ordered California moratorium and ruled that lethal injection as carried out in that state constituted cruel and unusual punishment under our Constitution.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Judge Jeremy D. Fogel of the U.S. District Court for Northern California, cited in his ruling seven instances (out of 11 lethal-injection executions carried out by the state since 1996) where "inmates may have been conscious and in pain as they were dying -- or at least the record-keeping was so slipshod that prolonged consciousness could not be ruled out."

Most of the states that use lethal injection, apply the same three-dose concoction as Florida and California. This three-drug cocktail is supposed to first drown out the pain, then paralyze the person and finally induce a lethal heart attack. Medical studies have shown, however, that the drug can wear off before the inmate is dead, "subjecting them to excruciating pain."

As more and more news stories of botched executions and death row inmates who have been wrongfully convicted and executed make headlines, the heartening news for abolitionists is that for the first time in decades, a 2006 Gallup poll shows a majority of Americans prefer life in prison without parole as an alternative to the death penalty.

It appears more and more Americans are perceptively concluding that there is nothing more heinous than for the government to kill in our name as the condemned die an agonizingly slow and merciless death.

Earth to On High...Come Back Down to Earth

Howling Latina has been busy with scholarly work examining soon-to-be Sen. George Felix Allen's demise with his lame attempt at image restoration. She titled her 23-page discourse, "How George Allen Lost His Mojo."

In the meantime, she notes that From On High stole a phrase from one of her posts and callously added the "sic" epitaph after a line to show the blogosphere how grammatically challenged HL is.

Here's her grammatically offending line:
"The United States has the dubious distinction of being the number one country in prison population as well as prison rate (sic), ... "
Hmmm...a quick LexisNexis search finds gasp, similarly offending sentences:

From the Associated Press in a May 24, 2006 article:
Auditor-General Bob Sendt said the return-to-prison rate in NSW was 44 per cent, the highest recidivism rate in Australia.
And from Agence France Presse's translated wire story:
Russia has the highest prison rate in the world, surpassing the United States, with 685 of every 100,000 Russians currently in prison and where up to 10 people are often incarcerated in a single small cell.
Granted, they are not word-for-for identical but...in all three sentences, "prison rate" either precedes or follows a proper noun.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Lefties, NEVER EVER GIVE UP!


The message of the recent stunning victory in Texas by Rep.-elect Ciro Rodriguez, a "Democrat's Democrat," is for lefties to never, ever, give up!

As most of the country yapped about how Rodriguez was a terrible candidate, could never win an election, bladdy, yaddy, bladdy, yah, he convincingly won over a seven-term GOP congressman in yesterday's run-off election in TX-28.

The added good news is that soon-to-be former Republican Henry Bonilla's desperate late campaign claim of Rodriguez ties to terrorist fell on deaf ears, as it should have.

Like the little boy who cried wolf one time too many, 'the scare America first crowd' is losing elections faster than you can say, Barack Hussein Obama. Howling Latina can safely bet the GOP terrorist meme will soon be retiring, along with a few more Republicans.

The Associated Press via the Kansas City Star writes a nice background piece on the newly elected congressman.

Born in Mexico, Rodriguez was educated at St. Mary's University and Our Lady of the Lake University. He worked as a social worker and continued to serve the Latino community as an educational consultant, school board member, state representative and ultimately, congressman.

Suffice it to say that Rodriguez is a liberal, Liberal, LIBERAL! Now there is a bona-fide resume worthy of public service.

Bienvenido, Mi Nuevo Amigo Rodriguez


Welcome to the House, Ciro!

In a stunning come from behind victory, Cirrrrro Rodrrrrrriguez defeated seven-term Republican Rep. Henry Bonilla yesterday in Texas' run-off election in the 23rd district.

The Houston Chronicle reports that "Bonilla fell short," oh, by around 10 points.

If you recall, the new district came about after the Supreme Court ruled that "Texas Republican leaders breached the Voting Rights Act by slicing 100,000 Hispanics from the district in their 2003 remap."

"I think we have a real mandate," Rodriguez said. "We needed to make sure we worked on raising the minimum wage. We're also going to take care of
prescription-drug costs. And, by God, we're going to do the right thing by our
veterans."

The DCCC poured $$$$ and volunteers wisely observing that new district lines gave Rodriguez an excellent chance to win in a run-off. As a former congressman, Rodriguez is well known in the region; and it didn't hurt that rock star Willie Clinton stopped by this weekend to cheer foot soldiers on to victory.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch of sour grapes, Bonilla blamed the "court ordered changes" for his loss.

Hmmm...Howling Latina doesn't remember Bonilla bemoaning his new safer district lines when Tom DeLay's gerrymandering scheme gave Republican extra seats in Congress from Texas in 2004. All the three-judge panel did as the Chronicle writes is "put Democrats on equal footing with Republicans."

HL has closely followed the Rodriguez race; back in March when Rodriguez was running against DINO Rep. Henry Cuellar in TX-28, she was a staunch supporter, even Spanish phone banking for him.

In absolute delicious irony, two of the defeated congressman from Texas in '04 are now back in the House as part of the new Democratic majority, Nick Lampson from DeLay's old district and Rodriguez, an unrepentant liberal.

Wah, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Blog about that one, DeLay

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Another Hypocrite Bites The Dust




That's right, another Christian pastor bites the dust...and another one...and another one.

The Denver Post reports that a teary pastor of a megachurch in Denver has resigned. Guess Howling Latina doesn't have to tell you, boys and girls, the reason why.

That's right, he is G-A-Y.

In a tearful videotaped message Sunday to his congregation, the senior pastor of a thriving evangelical megachurch in south metro Denver confessed to sexual relations with other men and announced he had voluntarily resigned his pulpit.
Oh yes, less than a month ago, Rev. Paul Barnes was preaching and praying over the horrid news that Rev. Ted Haggard was a gay druggie who regularly used the service of a male whore.

Now, the 54-year-old Barnes joins Haggard as a fallen evangelical minister who preached that homosexuality was a sin but grappled with a hidden life. have struggled with homosexuality since I was a 5-year-old boy," Barnes said in the 32- minute video, which church leaders permitted The Denver Post to view. "... I can't tell you the number of nights I have cried myself to sleep, begging God to take this away."

Well, at least the good reverend had the decency to stay out of the gay ballot melee this past fall, the Post notes.

There's a lesson in this for you homophobic GOPers, and especially for the wingnut Virginia bloggers who are so obsessed with whether this candidate or that one is gay.

Who gives a rat's ass, besides GOPers and their merry band of so-called Christian homophobics?!?

It's a condition, like the color one one's skin, eyes or hair. No one wakes up one morning and suddenly decides to become gay and says to themselves, "What a lovely idea, I think I'll starting liking members of my own sex!"

There is no shame in being gay; you're either born gay or you're not; and that's just the way it is.


Sunday, December 10, 2006

U.S.A. Is Number One


The United States has the dubious distinction of being the number one country in prison population as well as prison rate, Reuters reports.

That's right, America, home of the brave and land of the free leads China and Russia, according to the "International Center for Prison Studies at King's College in London."

The U.S. incarceration rate of 737 per 100,000 people in the highest, followed by 611 in Russia and 547 for St. Kitts and Nevis. In contrast, the incarceration rates in many Western industrial nations range around 100 per 100,000 people.
The prison population has escalated exponentially after folks like soon-to-be former Sen. George Allen got tough on crime and started locking every lawbreaker up. One out of 32 Americans is either "behind bars or on probation."

Ryan King, a policy analyst at The Sentencing Project, a group advocating sentencing reform, said the United States has a more punitive criminal justice system than other countries.

[...]

"We send more people to prison, for more different offenses, for longer periods of time than anybody else," he said.

What a waste of human capital. Now ain't we proud of ourselves?!?

Stupid Democrats...

Howling Latina dutifully notes that Democrats are just as stupid as Republicans.

Mason Conservative broke the news that Rep. William "Dollar Bill" Jefferson, as he's fondly called by Skeptical Brotha and others, beat Karen Carter in the Louisiana Congressional run-off race.

Shameless oppportunist and a crying shame! Good thing Democrats are a majority in the House; or Jefferson might be tempted to bolt out of the Democratic party after Pelosi tossed him off the Ways and Means Committee.

Update: The Virginia Progressive had an earlier post.

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Bonilla Labeled a 'Cocunut'


Oh dear, it looks like Republic Rep. Henry Bonilla might lose the run-off race against former Democratic Rep. Ciro Rodriguez.

Apparently, Mexican-Americans think Bonilla is too conservative and a coconut to boot. That's an ethnic slur, which the Houston Chronicle helpfully explains to mean someone who "ignore[s] their roots - brown on the outside, white on the inside." The Mexican version of Oreo..

P]laintiffs' attorneys in the redistricting case that forced a Nov. 7 special election in the 23rd District say the trend is clear. One of the reports they wielded, prepared by an American University history professor, showed Bonilla's share of the Hispanic vote dropping from about 30 percent in 1996 to below 10 percent in 2002. In the latter election, he ran against Laredo Democrat Henry Cuellar, a popular former state lawmaker and Texas secretary of state, and eked out a 51.5 percent victory.
In the meantime, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Commitee smells blood in the political waters of Texas and is busy circling with their sharks by way of $$$, consultants and volunteers.

Bonilla was one of the legislative giants who voted against the minimum wage increase; and according to the Chronicle, recent anecdotal evidence suggests that the new geography is not kind to Bonilla; his district is now 65 percent Hispanic.

If the lunchtime crowd at Don Pedro Mexican Restaurant on S.W. Military Drive is any indication, Bonilla has his work cut out for him in his new turf.
Naturally, Bonilla has opted to go negative, claiming that Rodriguez loves terrorists, of course. You know, like all the Democrats. This is not a good sign for someone who supposedly is way ahead. The Big Dog, Prez "C" is coming to town today to campaign for Rodriguez, Burnt Orange reports.

"TX-23, make it 30," please. Strike another blow at disgraced Tom Delay's gerrymandering shenanigans.

Riveting Inhumanity by the Commonwealth


The Washington Post has a riveting article that details every horrific aspect of the gruesome task of executing condemned felons by the commonwealth of Virginia.

Howling Latina remembers editing a book by a sociologist/professor who'd witnessed the execution of a condemned serial killer in Florida. Like a majority of murderers, this convicted killer had suffered untold agony and torture as a child while an indifferent society looked sideways.

The Post reports:

Candy Couch, [a] candle shop owner, had seen other men put to death, but they had been flat on their backs, feet facing her, arms splayed on a gurney, waiting for the needle. She rarely saw their eyes before the life drained out of them. But this man, her fourth, stared her down as he walked to the electric chair.

"He's staring at me," Couch said. "Oh my God, he's looking right at me."

For nearly 100 years, broad public support for capital punishment has helped the Virginia Department of Corrections maintain a rotating list of about 20 to 30 volunteers, although only six are required to witness each execution. Some come only once. Others repeatedly return. One man, a paint store salesman from Emporia, has seen 15 men executed.

Witnesses aren't paid. No special skills are needed. The death house doesn't require much from volunteers beyond state residency, a basic criminal background check and an ability to sum up in three lines or less on a written application why they want to watch convicted killers die. Some say it's their civic duty to watch; that it's no different than sitting on a jury or voting. Others say they're just curious to see whether death equals justice.

Howling Latina thinks that every person who supports the death penalty should be forced to join a pool from which witnesses are randomly selected and made to watch the ultimate act of brutality and outrage by the government. Can there be anything more ghastly that strikes against the very consciousness of the human spirit?

Well, according to Little Miss Candlemaker, not only should the condemned be killed, but hell, they should suffer a little along the way. "She is not religious, but she believes in God and Old Testament eye-for-an-eye justice." The crown to her glory will be when gets to see someone actually fry in the electric chair. Forget the Master's words on the subject of forgiveness; too much of a burden; besides, she ain't really churchly.

State sanctioned murder is an aberration to the vital principles that make each of us human; and for all those phony Republicans who profess to surrender to the teachings of Jesus, liars, Pharisees, every one of you; and yes, this post is especially for Mr. Scott "One-Hundred Percent Pro-life" Lingamfelter.


Kick His Butt Out


Contrary to Mason Conservative, the issue of Del Bennie Lambert. Sen-elect Jim Webb and party loyalty is far from analogous; and if there was any lynching done, it was by Senate Republicans to any individuals who opposed his royal 'high-niness,' King George Dubya.

Not only should Democrats not publicly support members of the opposing party because it is slimy, but as the Washington Post reports, Democratic by-laws strictly prohibit it.

According to the Virginia Democratic Party bylaws, "No Democratic committee member or officer of any Democratic committee shall publicly support, endorse, or assist any candidate opposed to a Democratic nominee." Those who violate the rule should be removed from office, according to the bylaws, which office holders and committee members pledge to uphold.
Lambert was elected by Virginians; but the Democratic Party doesn't have to claim him as one of its own. For as Del. A. Donald McEachin (D-Richmond), an early Webb supporter and rumored candidate for Lambert's Virginia Senate seat accurately observed, what Lambert did was unconscionable:
"I don't think one can hold such a position of high regard such as the state Senate of Virginia, be a Democrat, endorse a Republican who is bad on issues that affect the African American community, and expect there are not going to be consequences," McEachin said. "Congress turned completely blue because of Jim Webb's election. For him to stand in the way of that was, quite frankly, tragic."

Tragic is an understatement. Allen was and is a racist, through and through; and if George Allen had been reelected, Bush and his merry band of lying crooks would still be crying "stay the course" and trampling over our civil rights.

If McEachin elects to run against Lambert, Howling Latina will be sending her campaign contribution, however, small, to his campaign.

Every Republican is welcome to support Lambert over McEachin; but you can bet your last conservative talking point left over from Allen's losing campaign, Lambert will not win; and no amount of GOP $$$$ will change this inalienable fact.

As for MC, your argument, like most GOP lines of reasoning is spurious, at best. Lambert certainly has the option to run as a Republican, as Webb did, but until then, the situations are not even closely similar.

Picture Webb as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs under Pres. Ronald Reagan making commercials and running all over Virginia trying to elect Edythe C. Harrison, whoever the hell she was, when she ran against Warner in 1984.

Yep, not a pretty picture. Obviously, the best person won that year, same as a few weeks ago.

Why was Bush Senior Crying?!?

Eleanor Cliff of Newsweek wrote a sizzling, dynamite article about Junior, Senior and Jeb. It is must read for all.

Here is one seminal paragraph from her article:
On the eve of a report that repudiates his son’s leadership, former president George H.W. Bush broke down crying when he recalled how his other son,Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, lost an election a dozen years ago and then came back to serve two successful terms. The elder Bush has always been a softie, but this display of emotion was so over the top that it had to be about something other than Jeb’s long-ago loss.

Howling Latina beseeches you, click, read and find out what was going on.

Scott Lingamfelter Must GO!


As a one-time Republican, yes, Howling Latina was once a registered Republican in Maryland during the '80s, she feels she can give sound advice to poor GOP moderate souls in Northern Virginia that are about to be swept out of office next year.

And yes, that especially includes luckless Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis who barely won last time around.

Today the Washington Post highlights the intrasingence from one of the battiest of batwing legislators in Richmond. HL's own delegate, Scott Lingamfelter.

GOP chairman, Ed Gillespie, is speaking soothing words to the party's warring factions, sensibly urging dialogue and compromise and warning against division. At the same time, though, one of the hard-liners, Del. L. Scott Lingamfelter,who represents Prince William and Fauquier counties, answered Mr. Gillespie with a cold splash of reality. Writing in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Mr.Lingamfelter, who has voted to block new funding sources for transportation, warned of "liberals" seeking "to craft a socialist solution for you and me."
Well, GOPers, find a moderate Republican, oh, someone like Dell Ennis of Fauquier or former Republican Del. Jack Rollins of Prince William County in Scott Lingamfelter's district or sacrifice Northern Virginia and statewide office to Democrats.

It is way past time for Scottie of phony family values (who couldn't give a rat's ass whether mommie or daddy are stuck in traffic for hours and have no time to spend with Sussie and Danny) to GO!

"Meet the Press"

Iraq, Iraq, Iraq!

It's "Meet the Press" Iraq Sunday.

Fresh from his stint as co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group, James Baker will join his other co-chair, Lee Hamilton and talk with moderator Tim Russert about the group's recommendations for the insoluble quagmire in Iraq.

Joining the fun, Ken Adelman, former member of Secretary Rumsfeld's Defense Policy Board will enlist Eliot Cohen, military historian and professor of international studies at John Hopkins University, Richard Haas, president of the Council on Foreign Relations and Thomas Ricks, military correspondent of the Washington Post and author of "Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq" to talk about how the United States got itself into this unholy mess and how it might be able to extricate itself from it.

If you recall, when Ricks' book first came out last summer, the administration with Rumsfeld leading the GOP charge, labeled the reality-based community "a new type of fascism” and folks who foolishly continued to believe their lying eyes as suffering from "moral or intellectual confusion."

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Dick & Lynn to be Grandpa & Grandma


Oh blessed union and blessed childbirth!

The Washington Post reports the stork will soon be visiting the home of Vice President Dick Cheney's daughter, Mary Cheney, and her almost-spouse.

Mary Cheney, the vice president's openly gay daughter, is pregnant. She and her partner of 15 years, Heather Poe, are "ecstatic" about the baby, due in late spring, said a source close to the couple.
Don't worry about the union being sinful in disobedience to God's laws; according to the story, Cheney considers the union a marriage, even if it's not legal, so it's okay.

However...as the Post points out, last month, "Virginia voters passed a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and civil unions."

Poe may want to insist the happy couple move to another state, as thousands of gays have recently done. "[S]tate law is unclear on whether Poe could have full legal rights as a parent of Cheney's child."

Oh dear...any suggestions, grandpa?!?

Lingamfelter is Full of Crap


Scottie must be getting a tad nervous, it seems every time Howling Latina turns around, he's submitting some doggerel, er, I mean op-ed to the Fauquier Times-Democrat.

Maybe he's afraid the paper might endorse his opponent, if the Democrats can get someone like let's say Sheriff Charlie Ray Fox to run against him next year.

In any event, Lingamfelter has been warned time and time again by Gov.Tim Kaine to quit impeding progress. Expect a blaze of negative news stories out of Richmond if Lingamfelter continues to block passage of Kaine's transportation plan for traffic relief in Northern Virginia.

The Post reports:

It is also about politics. Kaine, who campaigned on linking transportation to development, said during a recent swing through Northern Virginia that he understood the frustration of the Prince William supervisors, but he had another suggestion.

He said Prince William voters should consider replacing two of their legislators, Republicans Jeffrey M. Frederick and L. Scott Lingamfelter,who as members of the House Finance Committee helped defeat the major transportation tax increase proposals before the House of Delegates in September.

Lingamfelter said his vote was motivated by his desire to keep a promise to voters he made not to raise taxes. Frederick said Kaine's tax-increase schemes were the same failed approach to transportation that got the state in its current mess.

While Lingamfelter is busy anointing himself as the true heir of Ronald Reagan and rehashing of all things, former Pres. Jimmy Carter's pardon of draft dodgers, Prince William County continues to grow by leaps and bounds, commutes keep getting longer and longer and folks are getting fed up.

Yes, the 1st District has been very favorable to Lingamfelter with its gerrymandered district lines, but if Scottie doesn't do something about traffic congestion, Democrats are going to keep winning seats in Northern Virginia and statewide office, and things may not look so rosy for him after the 2010 census. Should Fox accept the challenge and run next year, we can safely predict we'll be waving good-bye to Scottie.

In the meantime, Howling Latina was glad to read that Prince William County is thinking of placing a residential building moratorium until the traffic mess is straightened out. All seven county supervisors are on record in support of the freeze proposed by Supervisor W.S. Covington III (R-Brentsville).

Now try to explain that one to your Rotary pals, Scottie.

"Be Fearless," Sen. John Warner Beseeches



Robert Gates won unanimous support from the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday, the Washington Post reports; and the current chairman, Virginia's senior senator implored Gates to forget the niceties and speak truth to power.

"You simply have to be fearless -- I repeat, fearless" in counseling the president on Iraq and other critical Pentagon matters, advised the committee chairman, Sen. John W. Warner, (R-Va.).
In other words, no more toadying and medals of freedom for sucking-up.

Gates assured the Senate panel that he had "no intention of coming to Washington 'to be a bump on a log and not to say exactly what I think, and to speak candidly and, frankly, boldly to people at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue."

He also pointed out that he was coming to Washington without resigning his post as president of Texas A & M and "emphasized that he did not seek the job of defense secretary, saying, 'I don't owe anybody anything.'"

Well, let's just see how well Mr. Gates gets along with Cheney and whatever neocon foot soldiers still remain at the White House.

In the meantime, the Associated Press reports that White House Press Secretary Tony Snow claims Bush is "already...taking the advice of Warner who is quoted as telling the president that he "has a 'moral obligation' to seek input on a new Iraq strategy from Democrats who are about to take control of Congress."

Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Virginia GOP bloggers.

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Barack Hussein Obama for President


The name that can never be spoken has been uttered; and Howling Latina feels better already!

Conservative batwings claim there is a media conspiracy to hide from the public Obama's middle name; you know, because of the unfortunate middle name is forever linked to Saddam.

Apparently, some folks might get confused and think Saddam somehow escaped from prison, crossed the Atlantic and is now thinking of running for president of the United States.

Oh yes, the batwings point to all the hoopla about Sen. George Felix, Allen, Jr. and how he disliked his middle name, which as Peggy Nixon so brazenly pointed out, gasp, shhh...it was given to him in honor of his very Jewish grandfather.
"During 2006, we were treated to the bizarre need for Democrats to refer to Senator George Allen as "George Felix Allen" to highlight his Jewish heritage. Apparently, the left can't abide jewish heritage in Republican Senate candidates and they felt the need to run huge profiles in the Washington Post about George Allen the Jew a/k/a Senator Allen.
Well dear readers, whoever you may be, this is where the similarity ends. Never, ever, ever, ever has Obama denied his Kenyan roots; and that makes all the difference in the world between the honorable Sen. Barack Hussein Obama and the soon-to-be former Sen. George Felix Allen, Jr.

Friday, December 01, 2006

Hispanics Want to Move the TX-23 Runoff Date


Gov. Rick "Hairspray" Perry set Dec. 12 as the runoff election day between Republican Rep. Henry Bonilla and former Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, D-San Antonio. However, the Associated Press reports that Hispanics want the date moved a week later.

You see, Dec. 12 is the Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe, patron saint of Mexico and Latin America.
The League of United Latin American Citizens has said the election should be set for Dec. 19. The group contends the earlier date discriminates against Hispanics to help Bonilla, whose support among Latinos has been eroding.
States like Texas with the exalted "history of voting discrimination against minority groups" must obtain "DOJ approval, known as preclearance, of election changes or decisions under the Voting Rights Act."

In other words, Texas has to get approval for EVERYTHING having to do with their elections.

Of course, Texas is now claiming they had absolutely no idea, none, that Dec. 12 was a "holy day" for Hispanics.

Yep, that's kinna like holding elections in New York City during Roshashana, Egypt during Ramadan or Italy on Christmas Day and then claiming ignorance.

Luis Vera Jr., national counsel for LULAC and Rodriguez's campaign treasurer in the runoff, is asking DOJ to reject that date.

"The vast majority of Hispanics in South Texas are Latinos and they honor that day," Vera said. "They way it works, they go to Mass, go to work and then go to Mass. They fast. They pray. They are in church all night. There are a lot of activities going on. Voting is way at the bottom of the list."

Well that's the point, my dear amigo!

"Meet the Press"

This Sunday, Tim Russert's guest will be National Security Adviser Steven Hadley to do a little esplainin' about that nasty Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki memo that was making the media rounds a few days ago.

Russert will also interview Armed Service Committee Chairman for the next month or so, Sen. John Warner of Virginia as well as Ranking Member and soon-to-be Chairman Carl Levin of Ohio.

The Senate Armed Services commitee is to begin hearings on Tuesday on the nomination of Robert Gates to replace outgoing Secretary of Defense Ronald Rumsfeld; the nomination is expected to win wide approval.

Former Pres. Jimmy Carter and author of the latest book, "Palestine Peace Not Apartheid," will also be sharing with 'Timmie' his views on the Middle East and how one might resolve the perpetual on-going conflict.

Howling Latina safely guesses that Carter will not advance the notion of invading any more sovereign Middle East nations to bring chaos, er, freedom to the region.

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