My favorite MLB Baseball Team

Since I said that I do not root for Minnesota teams to win, I have had a couple of people wanting to know which teams I do root for. Well, this is my Baseball team. Houston has been overachieving this year and hopefully can keep this up. They are in 3rd Place. A game and a half behind the division leader Chicago Cubs. The 'Stros also have an early MVP candidate in Lance Berkman. If Roy Oswalt can get back into form, the team could easily be either the division winner or the wild card entry in the NL playoffs.

It might also make fans happy and distract them from issues that the fans have with the team. The steroids issue hit the team in the face with Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte being in the Mitchell Report. Also, there are rumors out there that Jeff Bagwell, the player that could be the first Astro in the Baseball Hall of Fame will be getting caught up in this steroids issue. The team owner, Drayton McLane seems to be more interested in making money than fielding winning teams right now. Fans aren't real sure that Ed Wade is going to be a good GM. At least he will be a better one than Tim Purpuya. The minor league sysytem isn't exactly stocked with an overabundance of Blue-Chip prospects. Houston has a starting center fielder that has finally started to hit over .200! And finally, the young starting pitching hasn't amazed anybody with their 4.00+ ERAs. Yep, the team needs to do something just for the fan's psyche.

Have A Happy Memorial Day

I hope everybody has a safe and happy Memorial Day. Please remember what we are commemorating on this day. The pic should help you out in that regard.

Miscellaneous AADD Blog Stuff

I know I'm not "North Dakota's Most Popular Blog" or "North Dakota's Most Influential Blog". Hell, I'm not even in the Top 10 in either category. But that doesn't mean that once in a while I don't like to toot my own horn.

In the Past 4 days, this blog has had visitors from the following countries:

Mexico
Chile
Taiwan
Australia
Turkey
Portugal
Spain
United Kingdom
Netherlands
Germany
Austria
Czech Republic
Poland
Belarus
Denmark
Canada
United States

So, I have written something that has been viewed in 17 countries over the past 4 days. You know, 20 years ago that would have been a big accomplishment. To me, that is an accomplishment. Most have come back to read my views more than once, so I might be doing something right.

When I started this blog, I figured I might get 5 to 10 people to read it a day. Now on a good day, I get hundreds. Like I said, I'll never be a big blog that has thousands upon thousands reading what I have to say, but I believe that I will not stop blogging for many years. It is fun being able to exchange ideas with others around the nation and world just because of different life experiences that we each can share. And it is always interesting to me to hear differing viewpoints because of some piece of information that I might not have thought of or thought was unimportant. While I might not be an insider or hellbent on saying that everything is one political party's fault, I hope that I have kept you interested in my posts and unique viewpoint of the world around us.

With that in mind, the blog might be changing. I have asked a couple of people out there to submit posts on this blog. It might happen or it might not. I believe it is always better to seek out divergent viewpoints and make up your own mind rather than just take the word of one individual. Hopefully, that will be coming to this blog. I can guarantee you that three rules will always be followed on this blog from this point forward, no matter who is writing posts here:

#1) We will not celebrate anyone getting killed or has contracted an illness or has major medical concerns that come to light.
#2) We will always try our damnedest to blog about political items with just enough lighthearted stuff to make it fun
#3) We will NEVER EVER support any Minnesota sports teams besides the Wild! In fact, we will always celebrate a Minnesota loss (even the Wild)!

In closing, I just want to take the time and say "Thank You" to everyone that has stopped by this Blog and read what I have to say. It might not always be coherent or what you like, but I do appreciate that you took the time to read it. I am always taking suggestions on how to improve the site, so your suggestions are always welcome. Peace Out and NANU NANU!

And yet another faultline in the War On Terror

ABC News -

The FBI is unable to protect the United States from another major attack by al Qaeda or other Middle Eastern extremists, an FBI counterterrorism official says.

One key problem: In the FBI section dedicated to tracking international terrorists like al Qaeda, close to four out of every 10 supervisory positions are vacant, according to prepared testimony from Bassem Youssef, unit chief for the bureau's Communications Analysis Unit.

As a result, the FBI has recruited managers who have "no experience in counterterrorism and who did not even want to work in these positions," Youssef alleges in material prepared in advance of a congressional hearing this afternoon.

An FBI spokesman Wednesday morning declined to answer questions about Youssef's prepared testimony, noting the bureau was preparing a statement to respond to issues expected to be raised at the hearing.

The bureau's well-publicized troubles hiring and promoting talented foreign language speakers has also crippled its counterterrorism efforts, Youssef warned. FBI managers "rely exclusively on translation services" to understand communications from Middle Eastern terrorist operations, and FBI personnel "continue to make major mistakes" because they lack expertise in Arabic, he said.

As one consequence of these shortcomings, the bureau has "irresponsibl[y]" misidentified threats, Youssef said, adding that he was prepared to testify on the topic.

As another, Youssef said, it has come to depend too heavily on technological solutions, including aggressive electronic surveillance, which has "the potential of undermining American civil liberties."

The bureau said in January it had 46 agents and 285 language analysts who speak at least conversational Arabic.

"We have enough language qualified personnel to do our job, but that doesn't mean we don't want more, and we are continuing our recruiting efforts in this area," spokesman Richard Kolko said then.

I believe that 285 language analysts that speak Arabic isn't enough for the amount of information that the government has to go through. But it is this Administration's MO that we can do everything on the cheap. That would explain the 40% of the supervisory positions being vacant. Yep. The War On Terror is the highest priority. We can see that everytime we get to peer behind the veil of secrets that the Bush Administration keeps in place.

This will cause problems in Georgia!

Atlanta Journal-Constitution -

A Roswell newspaper is defending a controversial cover illustration that placed Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama in a rifle's cross hairs.

An influential liberal blog featured a post Tuesday on the provocative cover art, triggering a flood of complaints to the Roswell Beacon, a nascent free weekly distributed to about 65,000 north Fulton residents. The article was published May 15th.

A diarist named "spiralstairs" wrote on Daily Kos, "The article itself is not offensive, but the cover is beyond the pale. As indicated by the article, there are some serious racists in the area, and Obama's candidacy has brought out the worst in a lot of people. The last thing we need is a newspaper to suggest assassination with an incendiary cover such as this."

Readers — Kos receives more than 1.3 million visits a day, according to sitemeter.com — were encouraged to contact the newspaper and its advertisers. By day's end, Holiday Inn announced it would no longer do business with the Beacon, though the paper's publisher, John Fredericks, said editorial decisions would not be influenced by "liberal blogger thuggery."

"Good, bad or ugly, we tell the truth," he said.

Fredericks and senior editor Tim Altork said there was little internal debate over the appropriateness of the imagery, though they were aware it was likely to create a stir.

"We knew we were on the provocative edge," Altork said. "But it's a very fair piece, a smart piece."

The article was pitched and reported by veteran freelance journalist Alan Sverdlik, who said he was curious how law enforcement agencies were handling the increased number of threats lodged against Obama by white supremacist groups, some of whom are based around north Fulton. Sverdlik said Tuesday he had not seen the cover and had no input in its development.

If I was an editor of a paper south of the Mason-Dixon Line, I know that this image would never grace the paper. This is inflammatory and brings rushing back memories of assassinations during the civil rights marches down south including but not limited to Martin Luther King Jr. Nothing like painting a bulls-eye on the black Presidential candidate. Especially when you know that there are racist groups that get your paper every week. This paper should be on Olbermann's Worst Person In The World segment!

Only from Hagee: Hitler was an agent of The Lord

From Huff Po -

John Hagee, the controversial evangelical leader and endorser of Sen. John McCain, argued in a late 1990s sermon that the Nazis had operated on God's behalf to chase the Jews from Europe and shepherd them to Palestine. According to the Reverend, Adolph Hitler was a "hunter," sent by God, who was tasked with expediting God's will of having the Jews re-establish a state of Israel.

Going in and out of biblical verse, Hagee preached: "'And they the hunters should hunt them,' that will be the Jews. 'From every mountain and from every hill and from out of the holes of the rocks.' If that doesn't describe what Hitler did in the holocaust you can't see that."

He goes on: "Theodore Hertzel is the father of Zionism. He was a Jew who at the turn of the 19th century said, this land is our land, God wants us to live there. So he went to the Jews of Europe and said 'I want you to come and join me in the land of Israel.' So few went that Hertzel went into depression. Those who came founded Israel; those who did not went through the hell of the holocaust.

"Then god sent a hunter. A hunter is someone with a gun and he forces you. Hitler was a hunter. And the Bible says -- Jeremiah writing -- 'They shall hunt them from every mountain and from every hill and from the holes of the rocks,' meaning there's no place to hide. And that might be offensive to some people but don't let your heart be offended. I didn't write it, Jeremiah wrote it. It was the truth and it is the truth. How did it happen? Because God allowed it to happen. Why did it happen? Because God said my top priority for the Jewish people is to get them to come back to the land of Israel."

The sermon, which was first posted by Bruce Wilson on his site, Talk To Action, adds another element to Hagee's controversial stance on the state and history of Israel. It also may provide a new round of political headaches for McCain who has admitted that seeking out Hagee's endorsement was a mistake, but still declared himself "glad to have" it.

A spokesman for Hagee confirmed the authenticity of the remark, which can be found at around the 1:08 mark of his sermon "Battle For Jerusalem."

So let me get this straight here just for my own bewilderment. I can't believe that I'm typing this, but Hilter was a servant of God that just happened to help get the people of Jewish faith back to Israel. So if Hitler was, according to Hagee, a "hunter" from God, then we all have been holding Neville Chamberlain to an unjustly harsh judgment in the annals of time due to his appeasement of Nazi Germany in the late 30's. In Hagee's world, Chamberlain should be commended for helping the scriptures come true and allowing Hitler to invade Poland and Czechoslovakia. That way, the Jewish members of the world were able to get the land from the allies in what is now Israel. And that brings up another question. If Hitler was on a mission from God, then wouldn't those that stood against Hitler be standing against God and his wishes? And from my knowledge of Christianity, if you are standing against God, then you are standing with Lucifer. So this crackpot is telling me that America stood with Lucifer in World War II when we fought against the Nazis? And we have a Presidential candidate that is actually saying that he values the endorsement of said crackpot? And the politically religious people are supporting that candidate? I have said that the GOP followers are a bunch of sheep. I guess that this is just one more example of that truth. And what does this mean for Christianity? It means that the Catholic Church was responsible for World War II. And they have not been held accountable for it.

Dummies in US House want to sue OPEC

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation on Tuesday allowing the Justice Department to sue OPEC members for limiting oil supplies and working together to set crude prices, but the White House threatened to veto the measure.

The bill would subject OPEC oil producers, including Saudi Arabia, Iran and Venezuela, to the same antitrust laws that U.S. companies must follow.

The measure passed in a 324-84 vote, a big enough margin to override a presidential veto.

The legislation also creates a Justice Department task force to aggressively investigate gasoline price gouging and energy market manipulation.

"This bill guarantees that oil prices will reflect supply and demand economic rules, instead of wildly speculative and perhaps illegal activities," said Democratic Rep. Steve Kagen of Wisconsin, who sponsored the legislation.

The lawmaker said Americans "are at the mercy" of OPEC for how much they pay for gasoline, which this week hit a record average of $3.79 a gallon.

The White House opposes the bill, saying that targeting OPEC investment in the United States as a source for damage awards "would likely spur retaliatory action against American interests in those countries and lead to a reduction in oil available to U.S. refiners."

We are building Empire with this idiotic bill. So now other countries must conform to the laws of the United States? You want to look at illegal activities, look at the companies that operate in the United States, but let's not decide to investigate other countries. We have enough problems at home.

I hate it when I agree with Dear Leader's Administration. But they are 100% right in their analysis. Doing this is just asking for oil supplies to dry up from those countries and have gas shortages here in the United States. If people want oil production from the United States, then come up here to Western North Dakota. We have oil in the ground and are willing and able to have more oil drilling up here. But to do this just to anger other countries for petty political games is just wrong on so many levels. Until we ramp up domestic production of oil or our economy doesn't require oil to run, we are susceptible to the whims of oil producing countries like Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Russia, and yes even Iran.

Please stop the excuses for Hillary's loss

I am watching Dan Abram's Verdict on MSNBC. I'm just too lazy to turn the channel. I am listening to a Hillary supporter talk about how sexism has caused Hillary to lose the Democratic election and also that Michigan and Florida popular votes should count and how that should be the determining factor in who is the Democratic nominee for President. Also, how every state should have the right to vote and have their say. Boy, where in hell to start to refute these statements?

OK, let's start with sexism. I'm sorry, but if Hillary is going to act like she has during this campaign and use the fact that she is a woman to her advantage by appealing to those that are the same sex as her and also use her husband's roles as Governor as Arkansas and as President of the United States as part of her 35 years of experience of fighting for the American people, then she has no right to use sexism as an excuse for her losing right now. I am sure that there is sexism in the Democratic process. I am sure that some people supporting Obama have dismissed her because Hillary is a woman. Just as there are some supporters of Hillary that have dismissed Obama because he is black. The fact that Hillary is the most polarizing figure in the Democratic Party might have some bearing on the fact that people are voting against her.

Then there is her voting record. Democrats are against the War In Iraq by an 80-20 split. Who voted to give the President the ability to declare hostilities in Iraq? It wasn't Barack Obama. Could that be a reason that people decided not to vote for her? I would say so. Would a possible reason that people don't want to vote for Hillary is the fact that they are tired of the Clinton/Bush family stranglehold on the Presidency? I say so. Would it be plausible that people are scared that if Hillary is President the GOP would decide to just start the attacking the Clintons again and not worry about policy and working for the American people? I believe so. Could it just be that some Democrats think Hillary isn't Presidential material? Yes, and that is my reason. That and I think she is a smug and arrogant person. Doesn't matter to me that she is a woman. I think that she would be a President comparable to W. the last 8 years. We don't need that IMO. That is why I don't support Hillary. No sexism here.

Michigan and Florida. I would fine each state party $10 Million. Then if they pay that to the National Party, then 1/2 of their delegates would be seated at the national convention in Denver. Otherwise, they broke the rules and should not be given a reprieve. And as for Hillary and her "We will not disenfranchise any voter in the United States" line of bullpucky, we all know that is wrong. In Michigan, 60% voted for her. Ok, if she is claiming that popular vote there, then let's go back and get the popular votes for the 4 caucus states that Obama won that aren't included in popular vote totals. And then, the question is what do we do with the 40% that voted non-committed? Should it be given to Obama since he is the only other candidate that is still in the race? And if not, then how do you divide it? You can't let one candidate have a state count and another not. Also, if every person's vote counts, then why did Hillary herself say that they can hold the primary in Michigan and Florida but they won't count because we have to follow the rules? It must be nice to have selective morals.

And the every state voting argument that has come from her, that is a bunch of pucky as well. Just remember what her adviser, Terry McAuliffe said. We had a 27 state campaign planned. We thought that after Super Tuesday, she would have had the nomination wrapped up, and go into general election mode. So if that scenario would have come to pass, I don't see her saying that every state needs to have their votes cast and the Super delegates need to decide who the most electable in November. She would say that she was the nominee and that is that. I also see her saying that the other Democratic nominees need to stop running and support her.

Hillary's 2008 run is a study in horror for future Presidential candidates. She thought that she had the nomination won before Iowa and acted like it. She came in to this race the Queen and will leave it as the jester. That is not because of sexism, that is because she had an overinflated image of herself. That goes double for her campaign staff. The sooner that Hillary gets out of this race and starts the critical self-analyzation of what she did wrong, the sooner we won't have these BS statements of why Hillary lost. Or how every vote counts even though nobody thinks that. This race has been run and the Queen is dead. Long live the King.

Midweek Music Videos - Lorrie Morgan Edition

AS GOOD AS I WAS TO YOU








IF YOU CAME BACK FROM HEAVEN








WATCH ME





Bonus Video:



GO AWAY

Looking At Blog Links

The Best Blog that I am reading right now just for a look at human events and everyday things that the writer goes through is The Rural Bus Route. I like reading Jay's exploits. And I know that I'd be doing the exact same thing with the sidewalk chalk that he did.

If you haven't checked out The Broken Soldier blog, You must go and read it. Jimison is a veteran from our current conflicts and is having a little problem getting his broken body fixed by our federal government. The injuries are from his service in a war zone. If I could, I would have every member of congress read what Jimison has been put through just to show those idiots that we need help in getting our veterans help.

I have also started reading the DailyKOs site again. Sometimes there are real good blog entries there, sometimes not so much. It is nice to see all the diverse opinions just from progressives. Not all of them do I agree with, but the open exchange of ideas makes it a blog to visit.

Finally, every morning, I read Balloon-juice. John Cole is a reforming Republican. He and his merry band of bloggers are usually correct on their criticisms of people IMO. A very good political blog that mixes in some West Virginia/Pennsylvania sports into the mix.

BTW: I also go to Green960.com and listen the The Rachel Maddow Show podcasts that they have. Hopefully soon, she gets here own TV show on MSNBC soon.

America as a country needs to learn from this history lesson

AP -

DAEJEON, South Korea - Grave by mass grave, South Korea is unearthing the skeletons and buried truths of a cold-blooded slaughter from early in the Korean War, when this nation's U.S.-backed regime killed untold thousands of leftists and hapless peasants in a summer of terror in 1950.

With U.S. military officers sometimes present, and as North Korean invaders pushed down the peninsula, the southern army and police emptied South Korean prisons, lined up detainees and shot them in the head, dumping the bodies into hastily dug trenches. Others were thrown into abandoned mines or into the sea. Women and children were among those killed. Many victims never faced charges or trial.

The mass executions — intended to keep possible southern leftists from reinforcing the northerners — were carried out over mere weeks and were largely hidden from history for a half-century. They were "the most tragic and brutal chapter of the Korean War," said historian Kim Dong-choon, a member of a 2-year-old government commission investigating the killings.

Nice to see that the American government in the 1950's that was so conservative and proper allowed this to happen. Military officers even were present when these things happened. And if you think that this cannot happen today, just look at what the Bush Administration has done since 9/11. Laws and the Constitution have been broken. The military is using illegal techniques in the detention and questioning of detainees, the government is sending prisoners to other countries for them to be tortured, the military lies to the public about what has happened in certain incidents, and everything is wrapped in secrecy and national security. Americans have got to do what Reagan said about the Russians to their own government, Trust what they say but verify.

The Newest American Rock Star: Barack Obama

65,000 people to attend a political rally in Oregon?! Barack Obama has obtained rock star status. And this is the person that conservatives want to run against? Are they nuts?

Now Senator McCain Is Psychic!

Raw Story -

John McCain, looking through a crystal ball to 2013 and the end of a prospective first term, sees "spasmodic" but reduced violence in Iraq and Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden dead or captured and government spending curbed by his ready veto pen.

The Republican presidential contender also envisions April's annual angst replaced by a simpler flat tax, illegal immigrants living humanely under a temporary worker program, and political partisanship stemmed by weekly news conferences and British-style question periods with joint meetings of Congress.

In particular, he sees a world in which:

_ "The Iraq war has been won. Iraq is a functioning democracy, although still suffering from the lingering effects of decades of tyranny and centuries of sectarian tension. Violence still occurs, but it is spasmodic and much reduced."

_ The Taliban threat in Afghanistan has been greatly reduced.

_ "The increase in actionable intelligence that the counterinsurgency produced led to the capture or death of Osama bin Laden, and his chief lieutenants," McCain said. "There still has not been a major terrorist attack in the United States since Sept. 11, 2001."

_ A "League of Democracies" has supplanted a failed United Nations to apply sanctions to the Sudanese government and halt genocide in Darfur.

_ The United States has had "several years of robust growth," appropriations bills free of lawmakers' pet projects known as "earmarks," public education improved by charter schools, health care improved by expansion of the private market and an energy crisis stemmed through the start of construction on 20 new nuclear reactors.

_ Democrats are asked to serve in his administration, he holds weekly news conferences and, like the British prime minister, answers questions publicly from lawmakers.

McCain also pledges to halt a Bush administration practice of enacting laws with accompanying signing statements that exempt the president from having to enforce parts he finds objectionable.

"I will respect the responsibilities the Constitution and the American people have granted Congress," the senator said, "and will, as I often have in the past, work with anyone of either party to get things done for our country."

I wonder if in October, he will include solving World Hunger and bringing in 6 new states into our Union. This is a campaign pledge that won't come to pass and everybody and their dog knows it. Then why would he say these things? To get some news coverage? Fear? I couldn't tell you, but maybe the campaign can use the "Senior Moment" excuse again and forget this was ever done.

More From The 180 Degree Express

AP -

Democrats accused Sen. John McCain Friday of hypocrisy on the question of whether the United States should negotiate with terrorists and dictators, saying the certain Republican nominee had previously been willing to negotiate with the militant Palestinian group Hamas.

In an op-ed published Friday in The Washington Post, former Clinton State Department official James Rubin said that McCain, responding to a question in a television interview two years ago about whether U.S. diplomats should be working with the Hamas government in Gaza, said:

"They're the government; sooner or later we are going to have to deal with them, one way or another, and I understand why this administration and previous administrations had such antipathy toward Hamas because of their dedication to violence and the things that they not only espouse but practice, so ... But it's a new reality in the Middle East. I think the lesson is people want security and a decent life and decent future, that they want democracy. Fatah was not giving them that."

It appears that John "Crooked Talker" McNasty has done another U-Turn in his quest to play to the social conservatives. It is sad, but that is a sure-fire way of losing the election and he is playing right into it. Soon, he is going to look like the 2008 version of Bob Dole and will not be the President. That for me is a good thing, but it is going to be painful to watch.

Midweek Music Videos - GWAR Edition

WARNING: Videos may contain disturbing images and crude language



HAVE YOU SEEN ME?







THE ROAD BEHIND







IMMORTAL CORRUPTOR







PENGUIN ATTACK

Now I want to ask about the Dinosaurs!

AP -

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican's chief astronomer says that believing in aliens does not contradict faith in God.

The Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, said that the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones.

In an interview published Tuesday by Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Funes said that such a notion "doesn't contradict our faith" because aliens would still be God's creatures.

So, the dinosaurs are not mentioned in the Bible and are irrelevant, but Space Aliens are OK. I cannot figure out the Catholic leadership no matter how hard I try.

ND coffers at $1 Billion

GrandForksHerald.com -

BISMARCK – The North Dakota State Treasury currently has a record balance of $1 billion according to State Treasurer Kelly Schmidt.

"The current balance is a reflection of the strong economic growth that North Dakota is currently experiencing,” Schmidt said. Investing the money for maximum return is the job of the state treasurer according to Schmidt. The investments are expected to bring in $10 million more than the same period last biennium.

You know something, with the State Treasury at $1 Billion, maybe it is time to eliminate the state income tax fully. And with the investments booming in the state's favor, it shouldn't be too hard on the state's bottom line. Maybe the State Treasurer from Minnesota needs to give Bismarck a call to help get their state out of $900 Million deficit.

Awwwwww! Hagee is reconciling with Catholics

AP -

WASHINGTON - John Hagee, an influential televangelist who endorsed John McCain, is apologizing to Catholics for referring to the Roman Catholic Church as "the great whore" and calling it "the apostate church."

Hagee's support for McCain has drawn criticism from some Catholic leaders.

McCain has said he does not agree with some of Hagee's past comments.

In a letter to William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Civil and Religious Rights, Hagee wrote: "Out of a desire to advance a greater unity among Catholics and Evangelicals in promoting the common good, I want to express my deep regret for any comments that Catholics have found hurtful."

I am happy that Pastor Hagee says that the Roman Catholic Church isn't the "Great Whore" anymore. I would like to hear him speak about what has changed. I haven't seen nor heard any major movement on the Roman Catholic churches part to change his thinking. Why do I think that this has come about due to pressure from the GOP and the McCain campaign? Could it be that the honorable (Cough) John Hagee is doing this for political reasons? Nah, couldn't be. We all know that the word of God is the only thing that these pastors and reverends care about, not the favor of politicians. At least in theory, that is the way it is supposed to be.

Rove refuses to testify to congress under oath

Raw Story -

A House Judiciary Committee deadline passed Monday with former White House adviser Karl Rove standing by his refusal to testify about allegations that he pushed the Justice Department to prosecute former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman.

In his latest offer to settle the matter, Rove sent the panel a letter offering to respond to questions in writing, according to his attorney. But he reiterated that he would not testify publicly and under oath.

Committee leaders did not immediately answer questions about how they will respond. Earlier this month, they threatened to subpoena Rove if he did not agree to appear voluntarily by Monday.

The dispute is the latest in a standoff between President Bush and Congress over testimony from current and former White House staffers on a variety of issues.

The White House has balked at requests for staff testimony, arguing that the administration has no obligation to respond to congressional demands for the details of internal deliberations.

Democrats say Bush is taking the most expansive view of executive privilege since Watergate and that the executive branch cannot ignore Congress' demands for information. The panel is suing to get documents and testimony from former White House counsel Harriet Miers and Bush's chief of staff, Josh Bolten.

Rove had previously offered to discuss the Siegelman matter with committee members privately, without a transcript and not under oath.

I'm going to change a Republican talking point slightly so it can be used here. If Karl Rove has done nothing wrong, then there should be no problem in his taking an oath and talking about what he did. There should be no expectation of privacy. Mr. Rove was not the President of the United States, so executive privilege does not apply. Subpoena his happy ass and have him sit in the chair at a hearing and force him to use his 5th Amendment rights. If Rove uses executive privilege, the ask him point blank if he talked to President Bush about Governor Seigelman. If he says that he did, then make the case that the President was involved in framing of a Democratic governor. If he says that he did not, then it proves that executive privilege does not apply and continue roasting Turdblossom. I am tired of this unitary executive position of government that the GOP has been pushing. First step of stopping this nonsense is getting Rove to testify on this subject.

New Electric Company show coming

Awesome! I loved this show when I was a little kid and now, maybe my son will like the new version.

newsvine.com -

LOS ANGELES — In an updated blast from the past, PBS will air a new version of the 1970s children's series "The Electric Company."

Production on the 21st century model of the PBS show for 6- to 9-year-olds was set to begin Tuesday on the streets of New York City and in a New Jersey studio, according to producer Sesame Workshop.

The series, aimed at reducing the literacy gap between low- and middle-income families, will promote the idea that "reading is cool" with help from online and community-based activities, Sesame Workshop said in an announcement Monday.

"The literacy crisis today is as pervasive and alarming as it was in 1971 when we created the first version of `The Electric Company,'" said Scott Cameron, director of education and research for Sesame Workshop (which is the nonprofit educational organization behind "Sesame Street").

I think it would be neat to have flashbacks or something to pay homage to the first version.