Jeff Pitchell

Heading out to see this fella live tonight .... I love blues/country blues so hopefully I will like this

Republicans Filibuster Desperately Needed War Funding

Congress left for its Thanksgiving break Friday without passing a bill to pay for the war in Iraq after the Senate deadlocked over a Democratic demand that the measure include a call for most troops to be withdrawn by the end of next year.

As they have all year, Senate Democrats failed to muster the votes to consider a proposal to condition further spending on a timeline for withdrawing troops. The $50-billion bill, which narrowly passed the House on Wednesday, failed by seven votes.

And Republicans in the narrowly divided chamber fell short of a majority for their alternative proposal to send President Bush $70 billion without restrictions.

but further down is the real story ...

The Democratic funding measure received 53 votes, seven shy of the 60-vote supermajority needed to end a filibuster.

Does anyone think that if the parties were reversed here the headline at the LA Times would have been "Democrats filibuster desperately needed war funding" rather than Congress breaks without passing war spending bill

Just asking ...

Warren Buffett for Commissioner of Baseball

Warren Buffett advised Alex Rodriguez to approach the New York Yankees and go around agent Scott Boras, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.

Now if we can get him to take on the job of reforming the tax system ...


Read at ESPN.com

Warren Buffett On Inherited Wealth

"Dynastic wealth, the enemy of a meritocracy, is on the rise. Equality of opportunity has been on the decline," Buffett said. "A progressive and meaningful estate tax is needed to curb the movement of a democracy toward plutocracy."

Compare and contrast with the "I have mine, now go fuck yourself" attitude seen too often lately.

I see the wingnut's heads exploding now ...

Story at reuters.com

Donita Sparks

Sigh

Nice show review over at Conversations with Mud. I really have to start going to clubs again. Anyone within driving distance (I am in hardford, ct) want to be a partner in crime?

Cat Doors Are Dangerous

St. Johns County deputies recently launched an investigation into what they called one of the strangest accidents they've ever seen when a man was found dead after getting stuck in a cat door.

Investigators said 32-year-old Charles Tucker Jr. was using the cat door early Saturday morning as a way to get back into his girlfriend's St. Augustine home after the woman kicked him out.

My cats stay indoors and I am currently single. Now, that could mean that I am a crazy cat person or it could mean that I am just trying to save lives... you decide.

See Darwin in action at WJXT Jacksonville

Yes, the teen is a victim

"It's my understanding he was grooming her and she wasn't grooming him," Davis said.

"I see true victims every day," he added. "This young man is no victim."

Davis also suggested that the boy -- who authorities say is 13 -- may actually be 16 or older -- too old for a state statutory rape count to apply.

"The information I have is that he might be older," said Davis, declining to elaborate. "The kid is sophisticated. He shaves, he has a mustache. I'll be requesting his original birth certificate from the Mexican consulate. I think he had one here, but I don't know if anyone vouched for its authenticity."

A prosecutor and a relative of the boy rejected Davis' claims.

I understand that an attorney has a duty to vigorously defend his client but this is some of the slimiest shit that I have seen in a while.

Even if (a big if) the kid is 16 instead of 13 it still means that the 25 year old teacher, by definition in a position of trust, was having sex with someone over whom she had a huge amount of control. This is not a romeo and juliet situation, this is abuse.

I predict that the fact that the boy is not in the country legally will either come into play in this woman's defense or it will turn out to be one of the key reasons that she targeted him. Abusers target the vulnerable. How much more vulnerable could someone be than a 13 year old kid who could have his entire family kicked out of the country if he told what was going on.

This woman is despicable.

See the story at CNN.com