Consumer (Lack of) Confidence

In today's Christian Science Monitor, the Consumer Confidence report shows that American's are simply not all too confident in the economy, and becoming less so. The report for March shows that 55% of American's are confident in our economy, down from 62% in January. Ouch.

Think there's a disparity between blacks and whites?

The National Urban League released a report stating:

• Teachers with less than three years of experience are twice as likely to work in predominantly minority schools as they are in predominantly white schools.

• On average, blacks are twice as likely to die from disease, accident and homicide than whites; the life expectancy for blacks is 72 years, or six years less than that of whites.

• The average prison sentence for a black person is six months longer than that for whites.

The Hamas Dilemna

Look, I don't know the answers on Hamas. But, I will say this, the leader of Hamas, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, was a real (pardon my Freedom Fries) sick fuck.

Evidence of that is the foiled suicide bombing yesterday in Israel. The 16 year old kid wearing a vest filled with explosives "has the intelligence of a 12 year old" according to his brother, Hosni, in a report filed by the AP.

His family went on to say that the 16 year old is "gullible and easily manipulated"

Really? Like most teenagers in the world?

His brother stated, "The ones who sent him are stupid, because the army will give him two slaps and he will tell them who sent him".

Oy vey.

Can We Afford Rabid Religion in our Highest Offices?

Irrespective of your personal beliefs, true separation of Church and State is something we should all be focused on... daily.

So, here's one that should give you pause:

President Bush denounces gay marriage in address to evangelical Christians.

Robert Novak is one sick and unpatriotic human being.

Aside from printing the name of a deep-cover CIA analyst, Robert Novak now tries to introduce racism as a motivation in the Richard Clarke 9/11 testimony on today’s CNN’s Crossfire:

Robert Novak to Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL), “Do you believe, watching these hearings, that Richard Clarke has a problem with this African American woman, Condoleeza Rice?”

Congressman Emanuel, “Say…say that again?”

Novak, “Do you believe that Dick Clarke has a problem with this African American woman, Condoleeza Rice?”

Congressman Emanuel, “No…no…no…Bob, give me a break, no”.

Novak, you should retire you unpatriotic freak.

Tom Delay to STEP DOWN?

WHAT?!

Today's Roll Call (subscription) states, "House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) has begun quiet discussions with a handful of colleagues about the possibility that he will have to step down from his leadership post temporarily if he is indicted by a Texas grand jury investigating alleged campaign finance abuses.

Republican Conference rules state that a member of the elected leadership who has been indicted on a felony carrying a penalty of at least two years in prison must temporarily step down from the post."

Sign the FCC petition

Want to sign the petition to stop the FCC from dictating our viewing and listening standards? Click here to sign the petition.

The New York Times had an interesting piece of advertising.

A US business group made up of current and former CEO's from companies like Eastman Kodak and Bell Industries took the ad out.

The ad stated, (the case for invading Iraq) "was built entirely out of falsehoods", and "It's past time for finger pointing. "It's time for someone in this government to step forward and take personal responsibility for the deadly deceptions used to mislead this great nation into war. And that someone must be George W. Bush."

The over 500 member strong Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities has plans for more ads in the future.

1 out of 10 is possible for the Bush Administration

This from Paul Begala:
Bush Administration Said….

1) Iraq a threat to the U.S.

2) Saddam had ties to al Qaeda.

3) Iraq tried to buy uranium in Africa for nuclear bomb

4) Iraq has stockpiles of chemical weapons

5) Iraq has stockpiles of biological weapons

6) Iraq has “unmanned aerial vehicles” that could attack U.S.

7) American soldiers will be “greeted as liberators” by the Iraqi people

8) Total cost of the war will be $1.7 billion

9) Occupation won’t require lots of troops

10) Democracy will flourish

Analysis of Bush/Cheney "Troops" Ad

The Bush/Cheney campaign is really going to town. We keep waiting for the Kerry ads. In the meantime, we will offer the analysis on the latest “Troops” attack ad from Bush/Cheney.

The ABP has hyperlinked it’s sources.

Ad; “Few votes in Congress are as important as funding our troops at war. Though John Kerry voted in October of 2002 for military action in Iraq , he later voted against funding our soldiers”.

It is true that Kerry voted to grant President Bush authority to use force. And, it’s also true that Kerry voted against the $87 billion package for additional funding of the war. At least, he voted against this one vote of $87 billion, but approved the $87 billion, and in fact co-sponsored a bill to approve the $87 billion. More on that below.

However, the ad goes on to say that Kerry voted “no” on “body armor for troops in combat”, voted “no” on “higher combat pay”, and voted “no” on “better health care for reservists and their families”.

This is where the ad takes mind-bending liberties (thank God for the First Amendment, eh?). Kerry could not get a budget estimate that he felt was reliable from the White House or the Pentagon. Kerry stated during the debate on the vote that the $87 billion figure was not adequate. He also stated that the Bush administration put 40,000 plus American soldiers in Iraq under-equipped (as was earlier stated in the much heralded testimony by Army General John Abizaid, Chief of the U.S. Central Command). He actually wantedmore and accurate information from both the White House and the Pentagon before he could approve the vote. Kerry also did not feel the American government could not pay for the $87 billion with out going further in the red.

In turn, Kerry had co-sponsored a bill with Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) and six other Senators to approve the $87 billion and to pay for part of it by reversing the Bush tax cut for the wealthiest American’s making $400,000 or more a year. That measure was rejected 57-42.