Just Deserts

When Bush declined to join the International Criminal Court the excuse was that uppity little countries would use the court to harass the US. What they didn't say was that by avoiding the ICC it class the US with other rogue regimes around the world. The 1984 Convention against Torture obligates the signatories to prosecute individuals responsible for acts of torture if they are present in their territory. So it should have been expected that the French would have no choice but to charge Donald Rumsfeld when he landed in France. It will be interesting to see where this goes.

Joe's Back!

And he's working for John Edwards. More accurately for Elizabeth Edwards. This may be a turning point for the Edwards campaign.

Suicide Is Not Painless

The corruption scandal surrounding Iraq procurement is getting so bad that Frank Rich pulls threads together involving suicides and possible homicides made to look like suicides.

Two Republicans to vie for Hankins seat

In today's Tri-City Herald is a report that Rick Jansons will run for Shirley Hankins' 8th LD seat in 2008. Sean McGrath has not formally filed but has said he is also interested in the seat. Shirley hasn't announced yet whether she is in the race as well.

I was interested in who the Republicans would field if Hankins decided it was time to bring an end to her long legislative career. Since the local Republicans have not always been happy with Hankins' aisle-crossing wayss, I expected that the replacement candidate would be more of a party-line clone. I'll have to research Mr. Jansons but I know McGrath certainly is such a one.

I also expect that this may encourage some of our worthy Democrats to consider throwing their hat into the ring. Can Shirley win a contested primary? (Perhaps if it goes to a three-way but probably not if Sean demurs.) And if she doesn't this may be the opportunity for which the 8th LD Democrats have been waiting.

A New Campaign

Just announced!

KENNEWICK, Wash.--Mayor Rob Welch will not be running for re-election at the end of the year.

He made the announcement in front of the Benton County Justice Center earlier today.

Mayor Welch says he is leaving office to focus on a non-profit organization called Adults Protecting the Innocence of Children or APIC. He started APIC with his wife, Sarah. Together, they hope to change child predator laws across the country, keeping child molestors in prison.

Welch says what he'll miss the most about being mayor is helping the residents of Richland.

"The thing I'll miss the most about being the mayor is really the camaraderie that we share as a council and staff," says Welch. And the opportunities that I have almost everyday to go out and meet with citizens and find solutions to everyday issues that they have.

Right now, Welch's name is already on the ballot for next year. However, he is running unopposed. This means, unless there is an unexpected write-in candidate, Welch will be re-elected as mayor. If this happens, Richland City Council will vote as a board and elect a new mayor.

The key line is "un-expected write-in candidate". Well we have just that candidate in Jim McCabe. He is a life-long Richland resident and the proprietor of the McCranium blog.

5 Myths About "Sick Old Europe"

European software dominates the infrastructure of most major companies worldwide including America. Mostly because American software companies can't be bothered to pay attention to the global market. Steven Hill the list of stupid ideas we Americans have about Europe.

Al Gore wins Peace Prize

How about that! He actually won the prize. But does that make him a better candidate?

Right Wing Smear Campaign

There exists a group of people for whom it's easy to tell when they are lying. It's when their lips are moving.

"Here are the facts that the right-wing distorted in order to attack young Graeme:
1) Graeme has a scholarship to a private school. The school costs $15K a year, but the family only pays $500 a year.
2) His sister Gemma attends another private school to help her with the brain injuries that occurred due to her accident. The school costs $23,000 a year, but the state pays the entire cost.
3) They bought their “lavish house” sixteen years ago for $55,000 at a time when the neighborhood was less than safe.
4) Last year, the Frost’s made $45,000 combined. Over the past few years they have made no more than $50,000 combined.
5) The state of Maryland has found them eligible to participate in the CHIP program.
Desperate to defend Bush’s decision to cut off millions of children from health care, the right wing has stooped to launching baseless and uninformed attacks against a 12 year old child and his family."

Such Incompetence

With the Bush administration one always wonders whether it is simply gross incompetence or some sort of Machiavellian savvy. By burning a source of intelligence into the Al-Qaeda organization they seem to be ensuring that their "enemy" will remain strong so they can use it to keep frightening the American electorate.

Nobel Laureate Al Gore

Al Gore is an the short list for a Nobel Peace Prize. It couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

Conservatives Are Such Jokers

Paul Krugman calls out slimeballs like our own Doc Hastings.

"If you’re poor, if you don’t have health insurance, if you’re sick — well, they don’t think it’s a serious issue. In fact, they think it’s funny. On Wednesday, President Bush vetoed legislation that would have expanded S-chip, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, providing health insurance to an estimated 3.8 million children who would otherwise lack coverage. In anticipation of the veto, William Kristol, the editor of The Weekly Standard, had this to say: “First of all, whenever I hear anything described as a heartless assault on our children, I tend to think it’s a good idea. I’m happy that the president’s willing to do something bad for the kids.” Heh-heh-heh. Most conservatives are more careful than Mr. Kristol. They try to preserve the appearance that they really do care about those less fortunate than themselves. But the truth is that they aren’t bothered by the fact that almost nine million children in America lack health insurance. They don’t think it’s a problem."

I sure am glad Paul is blogging.

New Plastic Is Strong As Steel, Transparent

This is some incredible stuff! Someone finally cracked the mother-of-pearl problem. This stuff also uses a "velcro" effect to repair stress damages on the fly. I think our world may have just changed.

Didn't get the memo

Lesson number in the Mafia code is that when you are involved in a criminal enterprise you have to keep your mouth shut. Alfonso Jackson must have missed that class. Just one casual remark and all the HUD contracts of this administration have been called into question.

Tri-City Herald Buries Hastings No-Vote

When a local newspaper runs an AP story in which our own congressional Representative has a major part you would think that he would get a mention in the headline. But not the Tri-City Herald. On the front page of the Thursday October 4th paper is the innocuous headline, "Congress will keep health bill alive". Even on the jump the headline is about Bush. Yet a third of the article is about Governor Gregoire taking Doc Hastings to task over his no-vote on the SCHIP bill. But the editors of the Herald didn't think any of that significant enough to mention in a headline.

When is this newspaper going to stop carrying water for morally dubious Republicans? Your Congressman was the only member of the state delegation to vote with Bush and against children. But your local newspaper buries it. Shame.

The Good Fight

Doc Hastings was the only member of the entire Washington congressional delegation to vote against SCHIP. Let's bring him down!

There is a Democrat running in the Texas 10th CD race that is working to oust a Tom Delay Republican that hates children almost as much as Doc does. When you have reached the maximum you can give to George Fearing, give a few pesos to Larry Joe Doherty. I'm hoping that some of his folks can return the favor.