And the Nay's have it...and Savage talks of some birthright? What?

Well, actually I'm referring to Ney, not 'nay'.

Former Republican congressman Bob Ney of Ohio has been sentenced to 2 and 1/2 years in prison for his involvement in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal.

This former public official enjoys long walks on the beach, starry nights, conversation and exchanging political favors for golf trips, sporting event tickets, gifts and campaign donations. He also loves to get letters, which will come in handy during his prison term.

Of course, taking a page out of Mel Gibson's now-popular playbook, he blamed alcoholism (do you have to be drunk to like golf?) and will most likely enter a prison alcohol rehabilitation program, as recommeded by the judge.

And in other news of right-wing corruption....

Right-wing talk-show hatemonger Michael "Angry-man" Savage says that civil rights are taking away the birthright of heterosexual, Christian, white males. Unfortunately for the heterosexual, Christian, white males, he never says what exactly the 'birthright' is, and he never explained why they haven't been missing it.

Here's the exact quote from the January 15, 2007 edition of The Savage Nation:

"But basically, if you're talking about a day like today, Martin Luther
King Junior Day, and you're gonna understand what civil rights has become,
the con it's become in this country. It's a whole industry; it's a racket.
It's a racket that is used to exploit primarily heterosexual, Christian,
white males' birthright and steal from them what is their birthright and
give it to people who didn't qualify for it."

Why does anyone still listen to this guy?

Rush to judgement (pun intended)

I just wasted 10 minutes of my life that I will never get back.

Rush Limbaugh spent 10 minutes of his radio show (and I use 'show' very loosely) attacking Senator Barack Obama because of...........(I know, what could it be? must be serious right? scandal, maybe? something just off-the-wall crazy, right?).......smoking.

Apparently, Obama smokes. He has a vice, and somehow that makes Limbaugh think (and I use 'think' loosely) that someone will have to make smoking "cool" - which would go against the "liberal anti-smoking people"....blah blah blah, rant rant rant, spin spin lie.

What is really sad is the fact that in a day of page scandals, mistresses, weapons of mass destruction, outing CIA officers, hangings, surges and lobbyists, the only thing Limbaugh and his ilk can attack is smoking.

In a day where the current president has done cocaine in his lifetime, along with the keg-stands and driving drunk into some bushes (shrubbery, not other family members) before being elected (read: chosen by the Supreme Court in 2000), I think that smoking is pretty low on the list of offenses for elected office.

And who the hell is Rush Limbaugh to talk about a vice? Hey, Limbaugh, at least Obama's not out doctor-shopping for his fix.

War on Terror going badly? Apparently so...

From Newsweek, Jan. 22, 2007 edition:

"Crumpton [the outgoing State Department terror coordinator] told Newsweek that a worldwide surge in Islamic radicalism has worsened recently, increasing the number of potential terrorists and setting back U.S. efforts in the terror war. 'Certainly, we haven't made any progress,' said Crumpton. 'In fact, we've lost ground.' He cites Iraq as a factor; the war has fueled resentment against the United States."

I think I know the answer to this, but.....

...is Bill O'Reilly losing it?

Seriously? Meltdown, maybe?

After saying that NBC had no conservatives "across the board," forgetting about, oh, say, Joe Scarborough or Tucker Carlson, O'Reilly interviews NBC's Andrea Mitchell, supposedly about her book, and he jumps on her about where the diversity is at NBC.

Now, if you ignore the sheer lunacy and irony of his statement - after all, where the hell is "diversity" at Fox News? - it makes him look crazy, like Keith Olbermann is just getting so far under his skin that he can't control himself anymore. (Go Keith!)

Newsweek's Jonathan Alter recently appeared on MSNBC's Tucker (with Tucker Carlson, sans bow tie), and he said that O'Reilly is basically helping MSNBC by going after Olbermann, similar to the situation where he tried to sue Al Franken...guess who got publicity for that? Hmmm? "Al Franken," you say? I knew you would get that one!

Alter went on to say that O'Reilly was like a "blimp...in one of those parades. He's so full of himself. He's so inflated, it's coming out of his ears. He's so full of it that they can't possibly, you know, bring him down to earth."

I could'nt have said it better myself.

Joe Scarborough vs. Bill O'Reilly

"Let's get it on!"

So Bill O' has gone on another "liberal media" tirade accusing NBC of moving to the left for business reasons...blah...blah...blah, and like most of what comes out of Bill's mouth, it is more "spin" for his ironically-titled "no-spin zone."

Bill accused everyone (i.e. 'everyone') at NBC of being liberal, using an exchange between NBC's David Gregory and ex-Fox News/current White House press secretary Tony Snow as evidence; Bill also used the fact that an NBC called the execution of Saddam Hussein a PR nightmare.

Joe Scarborough of MSNBC's "Scarborough Country" took issue with that - especially since he is a conservative. The ex-congressman says he has always been against "exploding deficits," "wreckless spending," "military adventurism" and "turning Congress into the type of swamp that we Republicans have turned it into over the past six years."

Scarborough added, "That doesn't make me liberal, that makes me conservative. That may make you, though, a suck-up, if you defend the Republicans that have done that to this country and to our party over the past six years."

Interesting to note that Snow apologized to NBC's Gregory for using the term 'partisan.' Not that O'Reilly was worried about accuracy or anything.

Another funny note is how Scarborough said of O'Reilly, "...he's angry at Keith Olbermann. He can't attack Keith Olbermann on the air anymore --"

Your turn, O'Reilly. Time to start spinning.

God tells Pat Robertson that Sean Hannity is hiding WMDs in Thomas Jefferson's Qur'an

Well....kinda.

The January 2 edition of Hannity and Colmes had Sean Hannity saying, during a discussion of Saddam Hussein's execution, "I believe there were WMDs. I believe they were moved."

The evidence he was using to back up his opinion, coincidentally, was also moved, and are now hiding with the WMDs in an undisclosed location. However, Donald Rumsfeld knows where the WMDs and Sean Hannity's evidence are - "in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat."

And of course, now that we know the Fox News version of the "truth" of WMDs, what would make the beginning of 2007 more complete than predictions by the Sister Cleo of the Christian Right - Pat Robertson.

His 2007 predictions include "very serious terrorist attacks," "chaos" and "mass killing" (although not nuclear - or even 'nucular' - as the Lord did not tell him that.)

Let's see...add to that "much more disaster," "the Israeli people...will surrender their birthright in favor of...illusory peace with the Palestinians" and "earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes - volcanic eruption..." ....and erectile dysfunction. Ok, maybe not that last one.

Pat Robertson's predictions are nothing to scoff at...

Here are some of his 2006 predictions so you can see how accurate he really is:

"President Bush is going to strengthen." (Oops, screwed the pooch on that one.)

"The fall elections will be inconclusive, but the outcome of the war and the success of the economy will leave the Republicans in charge." (Damn. That's a big one. Especially with today being the swearing in of the Democratically-controlled Congress.)

"Another liberal judge is going to retire - step down from the [Supreme] Court. We'll have another opening there." (Doh!)

"The war in Iraq is going to come to a successful conclusion. We'll begin withdrawing troops before the end of this year." (What is all this talk about a surge in troop levels?)

Apparently, Robertson was right about a couple of things - the Likud party in Israel losing the parliamentary election and Judge Samuel Alito, Jr. being confirmed to the Supreme Court.

Hey, 2 out of many isn't bad, right.

I'm currently taking down Robertson's Superbowl predictions, so place your bets here.

And in a bit of interesting news, Keith Ellison, the newly-elected congressman from Minnesota who happens to be Muslim, will use the Qur'an in his private swearing-in ceremony - but not just any Qur'an. The specific one he will use formerly belonged to Thomas Jefferson - yes, Judge(mental) Roy Moore, one of the founding fathers you always speak of.

Of course, ignorance abounds as proven by Congressman Virgil Goode of Virginia. Goode warned his constituents that if we do not solve the immigration problem, there will be more Muslims like Ellison in Congress.

Ellison, however, is a native of Detroit, hence, not an immigrant, proving once and for all that Virgil Goode is ignorant, pathetic and touches himself at night causing the baby Jesus to cry.

Also, a little immigrant-problem factoid for Congressman Goode - most Mexicans are Catholic, not Muslim. Oh, but to you, the facts don't matter.

What's that? Huh? Montgomery has a budget, you say?

Apparently we do.

The Montgomery City Council finally passed a budget for 2007, even though the fiscal year already began months ago. It passed with a 5-4 vote (haven't we seen a lot of those lately?).

Now we're just waiting on the lawsuits....not that Janet May pays attention to legal opinions.

(Ps - instead of always having a "more info" section at the bottom, I've started putting links in the story....sometimes.)

"So this is the new year....."

Figured I would use a line from Death Cab For Cutie's song "The New Year" to title this first post of 2007....why not, right?

Anyway, be sure to check out the Capital City Free Press for "Off the record with Joseph O. Patton (and Josh Carples): Resolutions for Everyone." We decided to collaborate on new years resolutions - not for ourselves - but for people like the President, Hillary, Bill O, the University of Alabama, Democrats, the Alabama Legislature, Governor Bob Riley, Mayor Bobby Bright and the City of Montgomery.

Also, my new article - "A new year, a new direction...maybe" is up. In it, I ponder the question, "So was Bush really on a "listening tour," or was he merely "doctor shopping?"

And we ended 2006 saying goodbye to President Gerald Ford, Godfather of Soul James Brown, and Dictator/Murderer/Tyrant Saddam Hussein....and in 2007, two funeral ceremonies and one hanging can be viewed online.

George Clooney calls out Bill O' in an interview

This is from the December 18 issue of Newsweek. It is an interview with George Clooney conducted by Nicki Gostin.

Gostin: You just went to Darfur. Do you worry about the people like Bill O'Reilly making fun of you?

Clooney: Until O'Reilly sticks his neck out and goes where people are shooting, then I'm not going to worry. If you're going to be famous and have cameras follow you around, you might as well go where the cameras will do some good.

Look who else is making money off the fictitious War on Christmas

And in other 'War on Christmas' new....

Most of us already know that the only people making money off the fictitious War on Christmas are Bill O'LIE-ly and Jon Gibson, both of which are on the Fox News Channel (I know, shocking!).

Well, it's time to add another to the list, however, this time, it is an entire web site. The online home of writings by such individuals as Chuck Norris, Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin and "Judge Mental" Roy Moore - World Net Daily.

Yes, www.WorldNetDaily.com has introduced their "ultimate line of magnetic bumper stickers," saying such things as "This is America and I'm going to say it: Merry Christmas."

Oh, but wait, there's more. Call now and you can also get "Merry Christmas: An American Tradition" (and yes, the word "Christ" is in red). And as a special bonus, World Net Daily is also offering, "It is Still a Wonderful Life. Merry Christmas."

So when the pimple-faced teenager making minimum wage at your local big box department store is ringing up your decorations, Natural Light Beer, twinkies and "Girls Gone Wild" DVD and has the gall to tell you "Happy Holidays," feel free to begin foaming at the mouth, and scream in the loudest I-want-the-baby-Jesus-to-hear-this-way-the-hell-up-in-heaven voice, "It's fuckin' Christmas, you bastard! Jesus loves you and you would know that if you had a magnetic bumper sticker from World Net Daily!"

So remember the real reason for the season - sales. So be sure to visit Bill O'LIE-ly's Christmas store online, buy Jon Gibson's book "The War on Christmas" (newly in paperback), and get your magnetic bumper sticker from World Net Daily.

Judge Roy Moore should not be called "Judge"

Yeah, you know him - Roy Moore, the "Ten Commandments Judge." Not the "Upstanding and Fair Judge." Not the "Level-headed and Constitutional Judge." Oh, no, he's the Religion Judge.
And this religious zealot wants his theocracy, and he wants it now!

Moore wrote an article for the bastion of fairness (if you are an extreme, right-wing, religious zealot) World Net Daily. (He contributes along with other big names like Chuck Norris.) His article has the title, "Muslim Ellison should not sit in Congress."

(In a sidenote, the people of Alabama, during the Republican primaries, said, "Christian Moore should not sit in the Governor's office.")

Moore's article talks about the newly-elected Keith Ellison of Minnesota, a Muslim who will soon serve in the US Congress. Ellison has said that he wants to take his oath on the Qu'ran instead of the Bible, and Moore (and others) are freaking out. A Muslim would rather take an oath on a book that he holds sacred and dear than a book Moore holds sacred and dear? Imagine that!

Moore talks about George Washington taking the oath to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. So help me God." And of course, Moore goes on to say that this began "a long tradition...of acknowledging the Judeo-Christian God as the source of our law and liberty." Unfortunately for Moore, history has shown most of our founding fathers to be Deists and Freemasons, not Christians, and especially not religious zealots.

The article goes on to say that "The Islamic faith rejects our God..." To make his point, Moore uses Jaafar Sheikh Idris, the founder and chairman of American Open University, which Moore describes as "a radical Islamic school that has received funding from suspected al-Qaida sources and which supports Islamic law." According to Moore, Idris says, "Islam cannot be separated from the state." Moore goes on to paraphrase Idris as saying "that no Muslim elected to Congress or the White House can swear to uphold the United States Constitution and still be a Muslim, because the law of Allah as expressed in the Quran is supreme."

Now why does this sound familiar? I'll explain.

Moore uses an example that he claims runs a "radical" Islamic school to "prove" that all Muslims cannot uphold the Constitution because they believe that the laws of Allah are supreme.

One could argue, as I will do now, that Moore is no different from Idris. Moore cannot uphold the United States Constitution because he believes that the laws of God (his God, to be specific) are supreme. After all, isn't that why he is no longer a judge?

Now allow me to take Moore's radical beliefs and apply them to all who wear the name "Christian." By this logic, Christians should not be allowed in government because they believe the laws of their God are supreme - not the Constitution.

If you thought Moore was only going to question Ellison's patriotism, you would be wrong, as Moore goes on to say, "Perhaps Ellison is confused about what he believes, or else has another agenda." At that point, Moore continues to use his Idris example to confirm his own prejudice.

And just when you thought that Moore's insane rant was over, he goes on to slander Ellison even more, saying, "But common sense alone dictates that in the midst of a war with Islamic terrorists we should not place someone in a position of great power who shares their doctrine."
You see?! Moore just said that Ellison identifies with the terrorists! That he is a terrorist sympathizer.

Roy Moore loves to talk about God, government and the Bible, but he has yet to show a Biblical passage that shows Jesus demonizing and slandering people. Moore should be ashamed, and he owes Congressman Ellison an apology.

more info:
WND: Muslim Ellison should not sit in Congress

On the radio......Thanks WAUD 1230 am

Today, I had the opportunity to be a guest host on "Inside Auburn," hosted by Lane Powell on WAUD 1230 am in Auburn.

It went well. We got to talk about subjects ranging from the City of Montgomery's 2007 budget to David Duke defending "freedom of speech" in Iran to the fictional War on Christmas.

Lane's got a great show, so if you are in the Auburn area, tune in to the station at noon. Here is a link to the show: WAUD 1230 am "Inside Auburn" with Lane Powell.

Democrats, '08, Oscars, Christmas and another Ted Haggard...and it's not even 9am yet.

Lots of stuff this morning.......

Will Al Gore get an Oscar?

Al Gore is back in the news this week. While some people think he may be gearing up for an '08 presidential bid, the former vice president and winner of the 2000 popular vote is in, what the Associated Press calls, a "fierce campaign for recognition and an Oscar statuette for his global warming documentary" - An Inconvenient Truth.

Gore has said that he is not planning to run for president again, but he also said he has not ruled it out.

Dennis Kucinich is back - and married.

Dennis Kucinich will announce his bid for the presidency today. Apparently, in his last presidential bid, he made more headlines about his bachelorhood than his policies, but that will be different this time as he is married.

Kucinich was one of the earliest anti-war Senators - even before the rest of the country caught on.

If you get offended by 'Happy Holidays,' read this editorial...

An editorial in USA Today titled, "Christmas, pagans and religious divergence," is well worth the read. For the fighters of the fictional War on Christmas (read more about the Battle of Montgomery here), it shows how your holiday has become nothing more than consumerism, and the 'secular' symbols of the holiday - the evergreen tree, wreath, yule log, mistletoe, lights and candles, etc - are PAGAN. That's right, pagan. As other cultures in pre-Christian Europe were celebrating the Saturnalia, Christians at that time were telling their congregations not to get involved in these pagan celebrations....until Christians decided they wanted to have fun at the end of the year as well.

And last, but not least, it's Ted Haggard, part deaux.

Founding pastor of the 2,100 member Grace Chapel - Paul Barnes - has resigned; this following his confession that he participated in homosexual relations. The 54-year-old ex-pastor said he "struggled with homosexuality" since he was 5 years old.

Of course, we must give some credit to Haggard and Barnes...unlike the Catholics, their "significant others" were of legal age....and they actually stepped down from their posts.

more info:
AP: Gore chases Oscar nod
AP: Democrat Kucinich to launch 2008 bid
USA Today: Christmas, pagans and religious divergence
Christianity Today: Dismay as US Evangelical Leader Confesses to Gay Relationship

What do Iran and David Duke have in common?

Answer: They both deny the Holocaust.

Iran is holding a Holocaust Deniers Conference, and America's own ex-KKK (but I'm sure he still shows them some love) member, David Duke, made an appearance, telling the media that he was a "Holocaust questioner," and that he was there "to defend freedom of speech."

First of all, how can you defend "freedom of speech" in a country that does not have anything close to the First Amendment? Can you really have "freedom of speech" in a country where half the population (the female part) has to walk around with their faces covered?

So beyond Duke's apparent stupidity about Iran's imaginary "freedoms" that he is defending, he also questions whether the Holocaust actually occurred.

On a more local note, I'm sure Larry Darby's invitation to the conference was lost in the mail.

More info:
Ex-Klan Chief At Holocaust Conference

A 5-4 vote becomes a 4-5 vote for Montgomery's budget...and bye, bye Bolton

So the news is in:

The City of Montgomery will have to go back to the drawing board for their budget. In a surprise "change of mind" by city council member Tim Head, the expected passage of the 2007 budget WITH discretionary funds has failed.

Head originally voted for the budget. The mayor, Bobby Bright, vetoed the budget - which he had already promised he would do. The city council said they could override the veto with another 5-4 vote, and swing-vote Tim Head changed all that to the surprise of most of the city council.

Of course, in Alabama, everything has to do with race, so the city council has officially divided on the budget issue by race. The blacks voting for it, the whites voting against it. And this is the news in Montgomery, not to anyone's surprise.

In other news, after the departures of Donald Rumsfeld, John Giles, Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh and Ken Mehlman, the newest person to resign is our United Nations representative John Bolton.

If you remember, his vote was stalled in the Senate, so El Presidente Dubya threw Bolton into the job by a recess appointment....but alas, you don't get a second chance on that, so Bolton, who saw the election results and knew his fate was not to keep that job, decided to resign.

So, farewell ye, Bolton. You may now go back to publicly trashing the U.N. without having to worry about the effects on your job.

New stuff at the Capital City Free Press

First, my new column is posted. The title is, "So Now What?"

Here's an excerpt:

"Your senator is your senator, whether your vote assisted the win or not. It is our job to make sure our leaders understand that they represent us. Once the election is over, it is a time to come together and make some necessary changes."

Read the entire article here.


Also, the new article about the 'War on Christmas' and more specifically, the Battle of Montgomery, is also up.

Excerpt:

"Private Jon Gibson was promoted to colonel because of his bravery in the first battle. A journalist on the front-lines of the Fox News Channel, his promotion came after the release of his book, 'The War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday is Worse Than You Thought.'"

Read the entire article here.

Bright brought out his "veto pen"

The 2007 budget for the City of Montgomery has officially been given the 'veto' by Mayor Bobby Bright.

Reasoning:
1. Bright believes that discretionary funds that were added are illegal, and
2. He believes a public hearing should have been held before the discretionary funds were added.

Of course, the initial budget with $2 million in discretionary funds was approved by a 5-4 vote. If the same five vote the same way, they can override the mayor's veto.

Alvin Holmes has chimed in on this, writing a letter to the city council stating that an opinion by former Attorney General Jimmy Evans that a mayor cannot veto a budget except when it applies to city salaries.

But Janet May claims that she doesn't care because she doesn't "put a whole lot of credence into attorney general opinions," because as she understands it, "they issue quite a number of those."

You know who else issues a number of opinions? The Montgomery city council.

(Visit this post for a little more info on this subject.)

more info:
MA: Bright backs vow to veto city budget

Bush purse-snatching and Montgomery purse-snatching

You don't hear this everyday.

Barbara Bush - the twin, not the former first lady - had her purse snatched in Argentina. Yes, they do have bodyguards, and yes, the thief got away.

It is nice, however, to see one of the twins in the news for something other than being drunk off her ass.

And in other news, last night, the Montgomery City Council added approximately $2 million to the budget for the next fiscal year. The extra money was for "discretionary funds," so that each city council member can do "projects" in their districts.

"What projects" you may ask? No one knows. At this point, this is as much a mystery as the location of Barbara Bush's purse.

The vote passed by a margin of 5-4, and the mayor has not said whether or not he would use his "veto pen."

more info:
CNN: Bush daughter purse-snatching talk of Argentina
MA: Montgomery City Council passes budget

Bye bye Johnny; Bye bye Twinkle

And the news is in:

Just months after breaking away from the national Chapter of the Christian Coalition and renaming the Alabama chapter "Christian Action Alabama"...and just after putting out their voter guide showing the relation of stem cells to school board, place 8, John Giles has announced that he will resign from Christian Action Alabama.

His resignation becomes official on December 29, 2006, but rather than say "Bye bye, don't come back now," it was reported that he may still serve on the board or as a consultant.

Also, Represenative Mike Hubbard of Auburn will be seeking the position of Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party. This comes after Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh announced that she will not seek another term. You may remember the name "Twinkle" from my letter-to-the-editor...or from a children's nursery rhyme.

So goodbye to Johnny and Twinkle. You will not me missed.

more info:
WSFA: John Giles Confirms Letter of Resignation from Christian Action Alabama
MA: Hubbard announces GOP leadership bid

Why are we afraid of real news?

There is a war going on and sometimes it seems that all the American people want to see are Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.

Our troops are being shot at, cities are being bombed, and while these are realities for some people as they try to live their day-to-day lives, it may disturb our dinner. Oh no, anything but that.

The reality is: war may cause indigestion.

When CNN aired footage of sniper attacks on Anderson Cooper 360, one hotel chain pulled CNN and CNN Headline News from their guest rooms and lobbies.

Stoney Creek Hospitality Corporation's president James Thompson says of the CNN footage, "It was shocking and repulsive...Their actions supported terrorism."

By showing the realities of war, CNN supported terrorism?! By giving you real news, CNN supports terrorism?

So here's the lesson: real news = the support of terrorism.

And we wonder why the rest of the world thinks Americans are so uninformed. Maybe it's because we are.

more info:
AP: Midwest hotel chain drops CNN over video