Iraqi's enjoy "Bush Style Freedom"
Students having a University approved picnic were attacked and beaten by the University morality police in Basra.

"They focused on the women," said Saeed's friend, Osama Adnan. "They were beating them viciously."

"Without any discrimination," Saeed added.

A spokesman for the militant young Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr and his Mahdi Army

"conceded that students were hurt and the beatings "went beyond what was legitimate." But, he added, "They say freedom means they can do what they want. This is not freedom. Freedom does not mean you can transgress traditions."

The video they distributed to show what freedom is 'not', shows some men dancing and a few women without their heads covered. And most shocking of all, a man pushing a woman on a swing.
How many people have died or sacrificed limbs so that the Muslim equivalent of really nutso Pentecostals can rule Iraq?

A meme for MeMe from EllenEllen

You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be?

I want to be Pride and Predjudice.


Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?

Probably more than one but the one that comes to mind is Gilbert Grape.

The last book you bought is:
Go Dog Go
Vincent knows it by heart and anticipates his hug for "Bundle up, so you don't freeze."



The last book you read:

Aside from "Where the Wild Things Are" and "The Rainbow Fish", I read "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night"

What are you currently reading?

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell

Five books you would take to a deserted island:
One huge book on how to survive on a deserted island.
The Collected Works of Jane Austen
There are so many books about what a shit Bush is but, I think Lies and the Lying Liars that Tell Them because I could laugh and be glad I'm on a deserted Island.
The Shipping News (I can read it over and over)
The collected Harry Potter Books because I've never read them

Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 people) and why?
I don't know 3 people with blogs that haven't already done this so maybe Jess will answer it in the comments.

A year ago.
Incredibly cool. And you can call me
Sweetmom.

Ricky, your mom is right.
Give her a grandchild already.

This year has gone by fast.
Turn the volume down if you don't want to hear a squealing Sweetmom.

Bush is Back On Vacation in Crawford?! Good Lord, the Republicans love blowin our tax dollars. How much do you think it cost for him to fly to DC to sign that Schiavo Law that he could have just as well sat in Crawford and signed, and then fly his grandstanding ass back to Texas?

I think it's really ironic that these Republicans are so desperate to keep Terri Schiavo alive and so desperate to cut her Medicaid. She's also the beneficiary of one of those "frivolous lawsuits" that they're determined to put a stop too.
They are so disgusting. There are no depths to which they will not stoop.

Is She Still Alive?!
Fuckin Phyllis Schlafly, man! I thought she was dead for sure!
This idiotic conservative atmosphere must have rejuvenated her creepy old bones. We're living a Southpark Episode y'all.
I have to credit the old bitch (in some part) with making me see the wisdom of feminism at an early age. I was 11 or 12 when I first saw her on a talk show, squealing loudly in an attempt drive logic from the brains of her audience. It was something like (shrieking, standing at the edge of the stage, lording over the audience member) "Do you want your daughter to be drafted, to go to war, to be in a foxhole being shot at?!!!??" The lady in the audience calmly answered "No. I don't want my son there either. It seems we should fight the draft and not equal rights for women." She never stopped shrieking nonsensically for the whole show and she scared me to death.
She's Baaack
I stumbled on this while checking up on our Ok-Texas Morman Rep. Istook.
She loves him I'm sure. I'll just tackle this one little thing that Phyllis said.
"The Justice Department implied that public buses and subways can ban ads that encourage illegal drugs only if they simultaneously ban ads discouraging illegal drugs. That argument defies common sense."
Liar, liar, liar!
The ads encourage legalizing marijuana which is quite different from encouraging people to shoot up and go to jail.
Actually your statement implies that we have ads that say "Way to go Marijuana, keep trying, you can do it." and these ads can be countered (under those god-awful 1st Amendment Rights) only by signs that say "Don't even bothering trying Mary Jane, you can't get me high."
Common Sense should slap you in the face to see if you recognize it.

Remember Ernest Istook?
He's one of the guy's that represents me in D.C.
He's the morman from Texas that screwed a bunch of his fellow republicans out of money for their state projects last year because he doesn't like trains. He really doesn't like trains. As chairman of the House Transportation Appropriations Committee he hemmed and hawed over whether to give California the money it needed to extend light rail lines in LA. He didn't wanna, didn't wanna, didn't wanna, did. Two days later got a bunch a money from those west coasters for his re-election campaign.
We don't have to worry about him wielding all that power this term as the Republicans have him sitting in the naughty chair, VICE-chairman of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee.
I wonder how he likes reading quotes like this, "The leadership also stripped Rep. Ernest Istook (R-Okla.) of his cardinal status as punishment for attempting last year to dump transportation projects in 21 GOP congressional districts."

Someone sent this to me with the question
"Do you like him better drunk?"

Not even when I'm drunk.
(scroll down about 26 from Tom Green)

Honestly I can't tell the difference.