Go With ‘As It Stands’ to a Haunted House This Halloween

What happened one Halloween in 1959 when one of my schoolmates disappeared inside an old haunted house in an unfamiliar neighborhood?

His screams were chilling and the Witching Hour pressed near…

The answer lies in Sunday’s Times-Standard OP ED Section, and in this blog.

 

 

Thousands attend Colbert, Stewart rally in Washington

I would have liked to attend this rally to restore SANITY and FEAR! What a hoot. Imagine being out there with that diverse crowd that loathes the Washington establishment and the mainstream media. People of all colors and screeds have gathered to show their disgust with both.

USA boosts airport security because of bomb scare: ‘Dry run for terror attack?’

This just in from Reuters & other News services:

Feds boosting airport security in wake of terror scare

Al Qaeda behind airport scares, U.S. says; security tightened; Yemen investigating

FedEx spokesman: Suspicious package that originated in Yemen confiscated in Dubai

White House confirms 2 suspicious devices found on U.S.-bound cargo planes originated from Yemen

CNN: Suspicious packages on cargo flights intended for Chicago synagogues

East Midlands airport, Britain's largest air freight terminal, remains sealed off - guardian.co.uk

U.S. official to CNN: Don't know if this was trial of security system or bomb attempt

Package on cargo plane in U.K. made from converted ink toner cartridge had white powder, wires sticking out - Sky News

Guest Opinion: Michael Moore on voting and protecting progress

Friends,

There she was, thrown to the pavement by a Republican in a checkered shirt. Another Republican thrusts his foot in between her legs and presses down with all his weight to pin her to the curb. Then a Republican leader comes over and viciously stomps on her head with his foot. You hear her glasses crunch under the pressure. Holding her head down with his foot, he applies more force so she can't move. Her skull and brain are now suffering a concussion.

The young woman's name is Lauren Valle, but she is really all of us. For come this Tuesday, the right wing -- and the wealthy who back them -- plan to take their collective boot and bring it down hard on not just the head of Barack Obama but on the heads of everyone they simply don't like.

Teachers union? The boot!

Muslim-looking people? The boot!

Thinking of retiring soon? The boot!

Living in a house you can no longer afford? The boot!

Doing a bit better with your minimum wage? The boot!

Stem cell research, the bullet train, reversing global warming? Ha! The boot for all of you!

What? You like your kids being covered by your health plan 'til they're 26? The boot for them and the boot for you!

In love with someone of your own gender? A double boot up the ass for every single one of you sick SOBs!

Hoping there's a few jobs left here in the U.S. when you graduate? How 'bout just a nice boot to your head instead?

And most importantly, the last boot is saved for the black man who probably wasn't born here, definitely isn't a Christian and possibly might be the Antichrist sent here to oversee the destruction of our very way of life. A boot to your head, Obama-devil!

Yes, one big boot is poised to stomp out whatever hopey-changey thing we might have had two years ago and secure this country in the hands of the oligarchs and the culture police.

And if they win on Tuesday, they plan to show no mercy. They will not speak of bipartisanship or olive branches or tolerate any filibuster threats. They will come in and do the job with a mandate they'll perceive the electorate will have given them. They will not fart around for two years like the Democrats did. They will not "search for compromise" or "find middle ground." They will not meet you halfway on the playing field. They know that touchdowns aren't scored at the 50-yard line. Unlike our guys, they're not stupid or spineless.

Make no mistake about it, my friends. A perfect storm has gathered of racists, homophobes, corporatists and born agains and they are on fire. Two years of a black man who secretly holds socialist beliefs being the boss of them is more than they can stomach. They've been sick to death since the night of 11/04/08 and they are ready to purge. They won't need a rope and tree this time to effect the change they seek (why bother when a nice shoe on another's skull will do just fine, thank you).

They simply need to get their base to the polls (done), convince enough people Obama is responsible for the fact they don't have a job or a secure home (done), and then hope enough of us Obama-voters are so frustrated, disappointed and downright mad at the Dems (done) that we'll either stay home Tuesday or, if we vote, we won't be carpooling with 10 others to the polls.

Done? Or not?

These Republicans mean business. Their boots are all shined and ready. But they've got one huge problem:

The majority of Americans don't agree with them.

The majority want the troops home. The majority want true universal health coverage. The majority want the thievery on Wall Street to be stopped. The majority believe that global warming is happening, that social security shouldn't be privatized and that unions are a good thing.

Too bad the majority party has done precious little to bring about the change for which the majority voted. Yes, change takes time. But try telling that to someone who hasn't worked in two years. Or who hears the knock of the foreclosure sheriff at the door. The booted-up minority knows how to make hay in a situation like this. All they need is us, the disappointed, dismayed, disgusted us.

What say you? Stay home and punish the weak-kneed, sell-out Democrats? Or spend every free moment you have between now and Tuesday trying to protect what little progress has been made so we can live to fight another day (even if it is with "allies" like a Democratic Party that will more than likely still not get the message of what they need to do -- and has, in fact, spent much of the past two years giving progressives the boot)? Perhaps our job, post-election, is to provide a gentle but swift boot in the bee-hind of the party whose mascot is an ass.

Right now, we've got 112 hours. Seems like enough.

Yours,
Michael Moore

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce funnels foreign oil money into political campaigns to get rid of Democrats

Mother Jones reports:

“As we reported earlier, European companies are using political action committees to spend quite a bit on lawmakers who have blocked climate legislation in the Senate. But as Wonk Room reported over the weekend, foreign oil and gas interests have also directed quite a bit of cash to the US Chamber of Commerce, which is running a $75 million campaign focused on ousting congressional Democrats.”

Inquiry: BP, Halliburton knew well cement was 'unstable'

None of the revelations in this following news story surprise me. I’ve said it before (column link below) 

“Deepwater Horizon disaster was no accident - it was a certainty”

BP and Transocean, another partner, 'misinterpreted or chose not to conduct' key tests, inquiry reveals

Excerpt:

“BP and its cement contractor, Halliburton, knew weeks before the Deepwater Horizon explosion that the cement mixture they planned to use to seal the new well was unstable but still completed the work, staff for the presidential commission investigating the accident said in a letter Thursday.”

Worth A Try: Press Pound to Escape Political Robocall Lists

The National Do Not Call Registry doesn't cover political messages, and you've probably noticed that lately.

One reader suggests that pressing pound (#) during robocalls can get you off at least that caller's list, but an expanded button combo might work better.

The way I figure it, anything is worth trying to discourage those disruptive calls in the evening. Good luck, and let me know what happened.

FBI Sting Operation Nets Wannabe D.C.-Area Subway Bomber

So far, the FBI has been able to catch wannabe bombers (think Christmas Square bomber) and now this Ahmed jerk.

It’s just another reminder of the world we live in now. Regardless of the counties we conquer and occupy, we aren’t going to stop extreme Muslims from attacking us, or the rest of the Western world.

Jihad, a religious war, was declared prior to 9/11, and is being waged every day and moment throughout the world. The U.S. needs to back out of the counties it currently occupies with military forces, and to increase peaceful diplomatic efforts across the globe. We need to use economic means to achieve goals instead of using our military might to make everything right. We also need to put more money towards national security at home, and that’s only possible if we quit pumping billions of dollars into countries we occupy, and bring our troops home.

The argument that troops on the ground are needed to enforce our will worldwide doesn’t hold up under the technology we have available to us. Drones have proven to be effective. We control the skies and the sea with our technology. Mix economic sanctions in and you have (what should be) a model for 21st geo-politics.

As It Stands, meanwhile let’s hope the quality of wannabe Muslim terrorists attacking us doesn’t improve!

Justice Department says he thought he was working with al-Qaida

“A Pakistani-born U.S. citizen was arrested Wednesday on charges of planning bombings at Metrorail stations in the Washington, D.C., area after an FBI sting operation, the Justice Department announced. "Farooque Ahmed, 34, of Ashburn, Va., was arrested today for attempting to assist others whom he believed to be members of al-Qaida," the department said in a statement.”

Honus Wagner: Nuns auctioning rare baseball card

Sister Virginia Muller had never heard of shortstop Honus Wagner.

But she quickly learned the baseball great is a revered figure among collectors, and the most sought-after baseball card in history. And thanks to an unexpected donation, one of the century-old cards belongs to Muller and her order, the Baltimore-based School Sisters of Notre Dame.

The sisters are auctioning off the card, which despite its poor condition is expected to fetch between $150,000 and $200,000. The proceeds will go to their ministries in 35 countries around the world.

The card is part of the T206 series, produced between 1909 and 1911. About 60 Wagner cards are known to exist.

A near-mint-condition T206 Wagner card sold in 2007 for $2.8 million, the highest price ever for a baseball card. Muller remains aghast that the 1 1/4-inch-by-2 1/2-inch piece of cardboard could sell for even a fraction of that.

 

Technical Glitch disrupts Air Force nuke communications says spokesman

Brief equipment failure affected 50 missiles, but officials say weapons never 'totally out of the control' of crews

An equipment failure disrupted communication between 50 nuclear missiles and a launch control center over the weekend, although the Air Force never lost the ability to launch the missiles, officials said.

Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Todd Vician said the break occurred early Saturday at Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming and lasted less than one hour. The White House was briefed about the failure Tuesday morning.

Photo – Getty Image