Newsweek Bombshell: Palin & her family were warned of "emotional child abuse" by a Judge.

------------
'TROOPERGATE'
Warned by the Court
A judge repeatedly told Palin and family not to badmouth her sister's ex
By Mark Hosenball | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Sep 9, 2008 | Updated: 7:36 p.m. ET Sep 9, 2008

http://www.newsweek.com/id/158140
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This is a bombshell news in Palin's prior behavior in a matter involving emotional child abuse of children entangled in her sister's divorce from Officer Wooten, also knows as the Trooper in Troopergate.

"Court documents show that Judge Suddock was 'disturbed' by the alleged attacks by Palin and her family members on Wooten's behavior and character. "Disparaging will not be tolerated—it is a form of child abuse," the judge told a settlement hearing in October 2005, according to typed notes of the proceedings. The judge added: "Relatives cannot disparage either. If occurs the parent needs to set boundaries for their relatives."

"It is the mother's responsibility to set boundaries for her relatives and insure they respect them, and the disparagement by either parent, or their surrogates is emotional child abuse,"He added that: "If the court finds it is necessary due to disparagement in the Mat-Su Valley for the children's best interests, it will not hesitate to order custody to the father and a move into Anchorage."

The judge called Sarah Palin and her family's behavior a form of child abuse and almost awarded custody to Wooten:

"Court records obtained by NEWSWEEK show that during the course of divorce hearings three years ago, Judge John Suddock heard testimony from an official of the Alaska State Troopers' union about how Sarah Palin—then a private citizen—and members of her family, including her father and daughter, lodged up to a dozen complaints against Wooten with the state police.

As the divorce case dragged on, the judge's concern about family "disparagement" appeared to deepen. In an order signed Jan. 31, 2006, which granted Palin's sister and Wooten a final divorce decree, Judge Suddock continued to express concern about attacks by Palin's family on Wooten. The judge even threatened to curb Palin's sister's child custody rights if family criticism of Wooten continued."

The shine is off the lipstick and it's starting to smear badly... And this story is fair game because any matter of Child Abuse in any way shape or form certainly indicates the CHARACTER of a person. To shock and offend a judge, in a custody battle (these people generally have seen it all) is really crossing a line of note.

PS. Josh Marshall asks:

"If her behavior was so abusive and over-the-line before she became governor (this was in 2005), can there really be much doubt she would have used all her power of office to get him fired?"

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/215229.php

Hmmmm....

There is a leaked video on You Tube from CERN (LHC Black hole simulation Large Hadron Collider CERN) there is more to this than meets the eye, the black hole is not the concern, it is the revelation that may shatter our perception of reality.

The link is on http://godparticle.net which has insight into the revelation. Do you really think they would spend 6 billion dollars just to find a particle? The truth is related to energy, the ability to turn mass on and off, and the revelation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFYlbsTlCk0

What if the universe is an information matrix and we try to hack it? Weird things could happen. Maybe there is unknown threat we cannot even conceive. Everyone should look for anomalies in their daily experience.

LHC Black hole simulation Large Hadron Collider CERN

Stranglets and Weird things and anomalies

#2 'Maybe there is unknown threat we cannot even conceive.'

Try the 'living' and the 'dead' colliding, Richard? Imagine the emotional energy invested in those quarters......oh but it seems like halves and yet is thirds!

Why the con, CERN?

I had to leave
once I realized
that knotty I was
blocking your view
of the black forest

UT

The knot be my crime
Organic malfunction, true
The Piper stamps PAID

It was the wink in my eye,
never you,
palfree ;)

You made me feel at home.
This place ain't home without you.
Black Forest gateau

do you want 4 more yrs of the same?...high gas prices, mortgage crises, $12B a month wasted in iraq and none for schools and highways and over passes here at home..etc.

Hurricane Ike Update
by millwx
Daily Kos

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/10/43836/5450/808/593130

"...the gist of it is quite simple: Ike is a 'major' threat to Texas, with the threat focus still on the central Texas coastline. But we're still 'just' far enough out, and Ike is rather large, so the entire Texas coastline needs to remain on alert. There is a late northward turn expected from Ike, which brings the storm to near Corpus. The precise timing and degree of the turn will determine where Ike comes in... and that's why some uncertainty remains. But, clearly, the focus and confidence on the mid-Texas coast is increasing. As is the confidence that Ike comes in as a major hurricane. Let's hope that part is wrong."

Nothing to worry about if there is a God.

Just some drama and comedy.

~~~
Welcome back Keith!

love
bonnie

Get lost Bonnie, you idiot Concern troll, you stored so much shit up in your head, your ego must be stinking to high heavens.

Hi Heath,

thanks for your great feedback as to my comments, it means much coming from you, who, I think, is much better in the writing than I am. I think this is about as much blogging as I can handle right now, but I appreciate your encouragement very much...

thanks heath :)))ruth

re #13...what is that Irvine? are you having some kind mental stroke? a very strange comment indeed!

how about that CERN

I am loving the fact that they keeping saying they are looking for the god particle.

it is like the absolute wanted to use this human vehicle of mankind to build itself this MACHINE so it could watch a mini big bang...god is looking for the god particle.....and having a bang of a time!!!

ruth:)

Hi Ruth,

"God looking for the God particle" lol

Well, they are certainly going to find something; their first little experiment did succeed today and they danced on the table like little children :)

But let me tell you a little secret, the primordial force is a feminine one, the sacred feminine and I wonder, I really do, whether that will reveal itself through such an ego-busted machine :)

Love, Mieke

Hi Keith, with your haiku's you would not make a bad figure at all at that twitter community that is building itself up right now:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/magazine/07awareness-t.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2

Hi Bonnie, how are YOU my dear :)

Love, Mieke

I must say, Irv, you are normally the perfect gentleman!
What happened at the time?

Of course there is a God, but that does not stop the mysteries of the universe and may in fact, increase phenomena in one's life.

the repubs are about greed and power...and they are good at deception and the politics of "tearing down your opponent." and millions of dummies fall for it...

the republicans are a party of fear! fear! fear!

how ironic that they keep using 9/11 to stir up fear! when 9/11 happened on their watch...

SP will give first TV interview on 9/11... how convenient, how shameful...

in america today...the words Republicans and Bush/McCain are like curse words!

Hey Richard ... cool video and website!

I can feel it in the air, the waning of summer, even as this afternoon is bright with sun and a nice breeze ... autumn is approaching.

Keith,
HI!

"The first thing I looked for
in my old garden was
The Cherry Tree"
~ag~

UT has deep roots to weather each season and still provides lovely branches to swing on and over

love always
from ~~ Kate

nature girl...

how are things down in the sunshine state? i hope you'al swing democrat this time...and kick those nasty republican butts! whoa!

hey diablo,
at least FL has the voting machines fixed
no more hanging chads
;)

the only thing we wanna see hanging in FL this round is to see the repubs hang their collective heads in crushing defeat on nov. 4th...damn!

Hi Kate,

how are you?

After a couple of days of rain ahead we will have the prospect of a real Indian Summer here in Europe as from Sunday next.

At least in Holland and in Germany. Am going on a walking holiday again. Perfect weather for walking: around 19 degrees Celsius, some sun some clouds, but dry.

Nature at the end of summer is something special in my view.

One can smell autumn already in the air but sun shining through the trees make wander paths look golden. Meandering through it all always brings such feelings of peace. And this is my intention, whether walking a labyrinth or paths in nature, am always walking for peace and in peace :)

Love, Mieke

sign me up Mieke for the walking holiday!
- oh, I would love that so much, and to walk with you, would be wonderful :)

Isn't it heavenly to feel the cool - ness of Autumn's season, and the crisp look to the blue sky, the intense colors of the leaves ...

I will hop a plane to be there
;)

(oh, but I must go to Atlanta, GA on the 23rd,
and then to Mexico ...

Well, if that could be possible one day :)

But we are already walking together. If souls are focussed on that heavenly feeling, they are walking together, always.

Busy schedule, dear lady. have fun :)

Love, Mieke

Check it

http://www.iftheworldcouldvote.com/

spread it around

peace comes from peace

derek

Hi Kate

Hi Keith

love

derek

Hey Mieke
Maybe you will find yourself walking on the milky way...........

love and peace

derek

Dear God,

If you wood...

Could you, please,

bliss America!

Bro Tree

My dearest friends,

Thank you for the warm return and welcomes!

My 50th year, awryte!

My country used to change all the time, now we do it for convenience.

My people used to be called a tribe, now we call our higher selves.

My God used to hear my every prayer, but now only happens once in a while.

Remember the day--your first reaction surprised the shit out of me2.

#33 Yeah, that's what the cake was for.
'Cleave the wood and you will find Me'

Blissings Bro,

Edmundo

Hi, Ed!

Remember that story from the Bible?

The one where The Spirit of The Lord was flying over a town razing hell?

Well...What I'll never forget about it was the judgment call!

"Enough is enough!" Yup! You heard it here first, thank God!

Now change my what? Oh yeah...my soul is already unborn.

We mere mortals can only take so much, you see?

On "In the Seventh Year" - a powerful column by Roger Cohen in the NY Times

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/11/6559/93448/321/594618

I propose a 3-minute silence, wherever you are, for the victims on 911 and all those who lost their lives as a consequence in the last 7 years.

Peace.

hello granpaw!

What is this "victory" McCain talks about?

BBC: No victory in Iraq says Petraeus

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7610405.stm

Hurricane Ike Update
by millwx
Daily Kos

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/11/91435/7614/584/594371

Hurricane Ike is serious business now. Not that we had been taking the storm lightly before now, but it's really heating up. ...

[...]

Ike has only just started to get the press in the MSM. So, I don't think the nation is tuned in very well yet. I guess the MSM just doesn't care so much if we can't have a New Orleans redux. But this is really turning into a serious situation. Readers of this diary series now know that I try not to overhype these storms, like some media-types and big name "hot shot" forecasters do. And there is still some opportunity for Ike to be more bark than bite. I'm not sure there's much room for Ike to not hit the U.S. as a significant hurricane, but of course, anything's possible in the weather. Short of that, Ike could come in weaker than expected or, the best shot for the "more bark than bite" scenario is for the storm to strike a lower population region of the coast. Of course, those affected would see plenty of "bite", but in terms of the large-scale impact, that's the best chance of minimizing impact - Ike staying away from major metro areas.

[...]

Whew, long write-up this morning. Sorry if it got a bit disjointed... writing my thoughts as I'm viewing new data, so occasionally my ideas may shift slightly in mid-paragraph. But the basic points are as follows:

1) Ike should intensify and make landfall in the mid or upper Texas coast Saturday morning.

2) Ike is a large storm with a huge wind field. That means that locales up through southern Louisiana and down beyond Corpus Christi will see significant impacts. But that also means that effects of Ike will begin reaching the coast well in advance of "landfall". So, preparations should come to completion today or, at the latest, very early Friday morning.

3) Ike's breadth and the coastline shape will also yield larger storm surges - to the right (north) of the landfall location - than would be normal for a storm of its intensity. Although, keep in mind that coastline shape is considered in the flood maps shown and linked above. So, only Ike's size and "fetch" could make the surge worse than innundation maps indicate (which is another reason why I showed the Cat 4 maps... the innundation should not exceed those maps... unless Ike comes in as a strong Cat 4, with a direct strike, at high tide - I'd surely hope no locale could have such terrible luck).

4) Please remember to heed the official National Hurricane Center warnings. I appreciate all the support from the dKos community with these diaries, but NHC is the official word on this. If you're in harm's way or have loved ones who are - make sure you follow NHC's warnings and advice.

5) Be prepared. The lone saving grace in hurricanes is that we can see them coming, unlike tornados. Certainly, the forecasts do change - and have, a lot in the long range - with Ike. And 48hrs out, there can still be some modest shifts. But, certainly, the general idea of where landfall will occur is in pretty good focus. So, with proper preparations, much threat to life and property can be minimized. Obviously, if you own a place precariously perched in Galveston, well, perhaps there's not too much that can be done if a large storm surge comes in. But, in general, good preparation can mitigate many effects from the storm. That's not to say it can mitigate all effect. Heaven knows... just ask the folks in Baton Rouge, still powerless after Gustav. So, I'm not trying to minimize the impact folks experience. My point is simply that preparation is critical to mitigating some of the potential consequences of the storm's impact.

[...]

On Morning Of 9/11 Attacks, McCain Immediately Began Making The Case For Iraq War»

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/09/11/mccain-iraq-911/

"I must say, Irv, you are normally the perfect gentleman!
What happened at the time?"

18. Posted by Ed

Times are uninspiring (for me.) Restless, impatient -- being exposed to too much idiocy(by choice) than I normally handle.

Of course, my 'behavior' is a side-effect of that.

ed are u calling out "Mr. CS?" damn!

for u doodooman!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6ie7VbSZ0A&feature=related

#45 Idiocy is such a strong word, Irv. Why stress yourself and make your time here shorter? Why stress others who need that time, too?

That seems to me a vicious circle. Make your time longer and you won't need to be so impatient.

You will unfold that tight coil of potential only as the clock ticks.
Not to say anything has been wrong up to now.....or right. But, yes, I am calling you out, and, you, by the same token are calling me out. That's a deep calling across our own inherited 'idiocy.'
You don't crack a nut with a sledgehammer. The heart is too sweet to be wasted. You don't crack a nut till it's ripe.

Thank you for calling ME out ;)

Yo Diablo are these some of girls freinds from the Love Ranch.

derek

Dear Ed
Sir you are a true gentleman who
knows his own sweet heart.
You waste none of it.

Love
b

Here's another Brittney cover for ya Diablo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6GqWpuefc8&feature=user

derek

To the likes of Diablo at IB:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/11/104434/453

yo doodooman...damn!

#50 The true function of a nut is to crack from within. Tree grew from a nut!

Head-butts all round. Soft is the heartwould :)

Thank you, UT and the bonnie heather.

Treasure white blossoms
Dread fallen foliage fatigue
Bless rotten apples

Oh, where are my red stick lips???

You can hang a man on a tree ------------~~~
.

It's still a tree -----------------------~~~

.

-----------------------------------------~~~

Soon be Christmas, Keith.

why is this ill-fated war off the front burner?

Mr. 'bama...are you asleep at the switch?

dummies need to be reminded that McCain is not about change...he's about changing his mind about everything if it means political advantage...

he's an extention of bush-whacked...can we afford
four more years of these nightmarish, power-greedy republican fonies?

http://www.youtube.com/user/TadManly

My fellow Houston-ites, be afraid very afraid.

Hurricane Ike Update

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/12/45152/5821/144/595812

Heed the warnings, be prepared!

I will get back to you all later...

Tsunami Ike

by DarkSyde
Daily Kos
Fri Sep 12, 2008 at 07:51:03 AM PDT

Update 11:21 EDT DS: Holy smokes! Check out what I think is the Galveston sea wall live cam at CNN.

Don't think of Ike as a Cat 2 or 3 hurricane, think of it as a tsunami 200 miles long with hurricane winds above. In terms of pure energy, due to storm's size and the scope of its windfield, Ike is now stronger than Katrina and may strengthen more:

"For example, Hurricane Katrina hit Mississippi as a strong Category 3 hurricane, yet its storm surge was more characteristic of a Category 5 storm. Dr. Powell came up with a new scale to rate potential storm surge damage based on IKE (not to be confused with Hurricane Ike!) The new scale ranges from 1-6. Katrina and Wilma at their peaks both earned a 5.1 on this scale (Figure 2). At 12:30pm EDT [Thurs], Ike earned a 5.2 on this scale, the second highest kinetic energy of any Atlantic storm in the past 40 years. Hurricane Isabel of 2003 had the highest."

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/show.html

Latest NHC Advisory:

"A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA TO BAFFIN BAY TEXAS. HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE COAST IN THE WARNING AREA LATER TODAY. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AN PROPERTY IN THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION."

In some places the water could come in one giant smooth pulse of annihilation, in others it will rise in the form of 20 foot battering waves, on top of the official storm surge height. The surge warning extends up and down the entire Texas coast and into central Louisiana. From the Galveston National Weather Service:

"All neighborhoods... and possibly entire coastal communities... will be inundated during high tide. Persons not heeding evacuation orders in single family one or two story homes will face certain death. Many residences of average construction directly on the coast will be destroyed. Widespread and devastating personal property damage is likely elsewhere. Vehicles left behind will likely be swept away. Numerous roads will be swamped... some may be washed away by the water. Entire flood prone coastal communities will be cutoff. Water levels may exceed 9 feet for more than a mile inland. Coastal residents in multi-story facilities risk being cutoff. Conditions will be worsened by battering waves. Such waves will exacerbate property damage... with massive destruction of homes... including those of block construction. Damage from beach erosion could take years to repair."

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Most coastal residents are taking this threat seriously, but not all. It's critical to understand that if present projections hold, the storm bearing down on gulf coast could be the worst for Texas in a generation. Millions of homes and businesses, that aren't destroyed, could be left without basic services for weeks. As of 8 AM EDT (7 AM CDT) Reports indicate the evacuation has so far been swift and efficient, traffic is moving reasonably well, fuel can still be found, roads are open, and if you need a ride call 2-1-1. Central and East Texas may briefly experience hurricane or tropical force winds and torrential rain, but San Antonio, Austin, Kerrville, Fredericksburg, Marble Falls, College Station, etc., are mighty attractive places to compared to the gulf this weekend, and they’re all full of some really friendly people. If you live on or near the gulf coast, take the hint, take the family, take the pets, hell take a long weekend. And Get Out.

Houston area interactive evacuation routes; Houston Roadway traffic cams; Daily Kos Liveblog Mothership: Hurricane Ike; Millwx weather diaries.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/12/10513/3964/578/595378

"
My fellow Houston-ites, be afraid very afraid.

Hurricane Ike Update

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/12/45152/5821/144/595812

61. Posted by John on September 12, 2008 09:05 AM."

whohahahahahahahahahahahahhaaaaa....realy??????????whohahahahahahahahaaaaaa......

yo doodooman...did u check out the vid in 60?

dude...that is simply amazin'...the ladies wud luv it...i know kate will...and mieke and tammy and maybe u, too?

Yo
I was born in Texas City Texas. A little town between Houston and Galveston on the Galveston Bay.

I grew up on Galveston Island. I was there during Alicia 25 years ago. The house we were staying in on the west end was completely destroyed, it just vanished. This storm is full of fury.

I am watching it closely and in touch with relatives still in Houston.

derek

Hey Diablo
I have sen this video many times. It still gives me chills.

derek

Hurricane Ike
by DarkSyde
Daily Kos
Fri Sep 12, 2008 at 08:02:50 PM PDT

A catastrophic hurricane is closing in on the fourth largest metro area in the US. The center of Ike is now within 50 miles of the coast. The storm is moving at 10 to 15 mph. Because of the population density and the forward motion of the storm, tiny variations in the track between now and landfall will make an enormous difference in terms of damage. Residents just east of the eye wall are looking straight down the barrel at full throated Category 3 winds; 120 to 130 mph sustained, gusts could top 150. Hurricane force winds are in effect over one hundred miles away from the storm's center.

But the story of Ike will be stamped into the geological record by what looks to be a record or near record storm surge. East of the eye, sea levels may rise 20 feet or more above normal. Whipped by winds out of the east, water could rush inland for a mile or more from Galveston Bay, into communities southeast of Houston. The bay coastline from Texas City through Seabrook and La Porte are at extreme surge and flood risk. Large battering waves, perhaps as high as 25 feet in some spots, will race across the top of that turbulent, elevated ocean surface. There are reports that sections of Galveston Island and Port Arthur are now flooded and the water continues to rise. Conditions to the west of the eye are predicted to be roughly half to two-thirds as bad. Latest NHC Advisory:

"COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING OF UP TO 20 FEET...WITH NEAR 25 FEET IN SOME AREAS...ABOVE NORMAL TIDES ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF WHERE THE CENTER OF IKE MAKES LANDFALL. THE SURGE EXTENDS A GREATER THAN USUAL DISTANCE FROM THE CENTER DUE TO THE LARGE SIZE OF THE CYCLONE. WATER LEVELS HAVE ALREADY INCREASED TO 9 TO 12 FEET ABOVE NORMAL ALONG MUCH OF THE NORTHWESTERN GULF COAST."

Links to follow: Houston, Galveston, and Port Arthur weather; Daily Kos Hurricane Ike links; WeatherUnderground.

Hurricanes are heat engines. All things being equal, warmer oceans mean larger and more intense tropical cyclones. We can't say for sure if any one storm's characteristics are the result of climate change, any more than we can be sure if a single bad roll at the craps table is a result of loaded dice. But a cluster of bad throws provide compelling evidence for a fix. While we wait to see how many of the thousands of residents who chose to gamble and remain in Ike's surge prone areas have rolled snake-eyes, we're forced by real world events to ask again: what are our priorities?

The loss of even a single life is incalculable. But the wind damage from a Cat 3 hurricane, when distributed over an enormous, densely populated area, may well add up to tens of billions of dollars. The region being hardest hit is also home to some of the largest energy production, distribution, and refining facilities in the country. In short, hundreds could die, thousands of homes and smaller buildings might be wrecked, basic utilities will be out of commission for days or weeks, and already sky high fuel prices could soar nationwide.

The one or two trillion dollars we will spend in Iraq, or the trillions more dumped into the coffers of billionaires and multinational corporations by way of tax cuts and sweetheart deals, would easily pay for the physical damage and personal financial hardship wrought by a dozen Ike's. With that kind of dough, there would be more than enough left over to build modern levees, towering sea walls, emergency response infrastructure, and fund clean energy programs addressing anthropogenic climate change and a nationwide addiction to foreign oil.

The benefits of proper disaster management and alternative energy extend well beyond climate change or hurricanes, to every facet of foreign and domestic policy, into every nook and cranny of America. The singular response of Republicans so far, and I'm sad to say way too many Democrats, is to bang the hollow drum of offshore drilling for the few scattered lodes of domestic oil that haven't yet been mined, all to allow multinational energy companies sell it to the highest bidder on the international market. To say our elected leaders have their priorities fucked up beyond all belief is too kind.

I really enjoy your video Diablo, Thanks to share!

Wild without fears!
Wild without anti-love walls

Yes,
Thanks again!

The Fool says to the Wise Man

Always eat slow enough to not cough: and pray.

Landfall

by DarkSyde
Daily Kos

Hurricane Ike unofficially made landfall at around 2:30 AM local Texas time right on top of Galveston Island. Media teams reporting from the island seem to be doing OK, just keep in mind there won't be reports from any that aren't doing well. The worst of the surge is probably past the coast, but it will taper off slowly. It's unclear exactly what's happened or is happening around the eye, and won't be until daybreak at the earliest. Until then, there's wallop in the mail for the greater Houston area as Ike looks to rip right through the city center. Latest NHC Advisory:

REPEATING THE 200 AM CDT POSITION...29.2 N...94.7 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD ...NORTHWEST NEAR 10 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...110 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...953 MB.

Links to follow: Houston Chronicle Sciguy Eric Berger; Houston, Galveston, and Port Arthur weather; Daily Kos Hurricane Ike links; WeatherUnderground.

As the eye makes its way over land, tracking toward downtown Houston, winds in Ike's wake will reverse. Barrier islands like Galveston will be engulfed by wind and water from the other side[s], and towns on the east side of Galveston Bay will now be lashed by wind, storm surge, and waves slamming in from the opposite direction. The downwind side will be less intense, but those sides are usually less protected than the beachfront.

What is it like inside a home near the coast under assault from 100 mph hurricane winds in the wee hours? You don't usually run your generator right away while the storm's still blowing hard, assuming you even have one. So it's pitch dark, the power is out, windows are boarded. You have no internet, no cell phone, no refrigerator or AC, the landline is deader than a doornail. A battery powered radio or TV is your only point of contact with the outside world, and since it's wall to wall hurricane coverage on the one or two shitty channels you can barely see on the tiny black and white screen through the snowy static, it's not a hell of a lot of comfort. You conserve your batteries, sit mostly in the dank dark, and listen: It's loud. Wind screams in pulses to a chorus of driving rain rising and falling from whisper to piercing hiss, there's a constant hailstone pitter-patter of debris, punctuated by frequent ringing bangs when larger chunks smack into the sides and roof. If there are stands of trees nearby, you can hear them thrashing violently. Every now and then a sharp crack will signal a snapping trunk or large branch.

In the dim beam of a flashlight or flickering light of a candle, you can see the walls and ceiling flexing with each mighty gust, at times it's almost as if the interior of the house breathes, rafters and beams groan and complain under the shifting strain. Pets cower and leap into your lap. You worry that the roof has been holed somewhere. You worry that even a small breach will open wider and allow the wind purchase against the underside. You worry the roof will peel off your house like a freaking can of sardines. It goes on for hours and hours, it goes on regardless if you are mentally and physically worn out, it goes on as you doze off for jagged, stormy catnaps.

I imagine hundreds of thousands of people are experiencing something like that right now. In a Cat 1 or 2 windfield, at a safe elevation, barring a tornado or large crashing tree, even an older wood frame home is likely to hold together well enough to provide critical shelter from the elements. But among those riding out Ike are reportedly thousands who chose to remain behind in the most vulnerable, low laying regions.

There are reports of widespread flooding and fierce but isolated fires on Galveston. There is a disturbing lack of news coming from the east and west ends of the island, and extending through Gilchrest, High Island, and up to Sabine Pass. But I know of no reports of serious injury or fatality at this time. Since reporters on Galveston Island, as well as some near Beaumont and Port Arthur, are still able to broadcast their segments, we have good reason to hope that each and every one of the folks hunkering down in the hardest hit areas are OK. It is our deepest wish that the only epic stories that will emerge over the days ahead are the kind involving property damage, passed down to grandkids for decades to come, by those who successfully rode out Hurricane Ike through a dark, howling Texas night.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/13/0135/74480/1003/597003

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/09/12/us/0912-IKE_index.html

photos of Galveston Island as Ike was approaching, yesterday.

reality has a funny side even in the face of oncoming disaster -- from a piece about diehards (ever think about what that word really means?) who said they're not evacuating from Galveston Island:

"...Back at the Poop Deck [a biker bar near the shore in Galveston], as Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” played in the background, the crowd talked about the possibility that sections of the sea wall might collapse. Some said they were too drunk to leave the island. Others said they were too scared. But all of them said they were not leaving.

"A patron on her cellphone stood up and announced, “Hooters is now officially topless,” explaining that the roof had blown off.

"Charley Campbell held up a Miller Lite and said he was here to watch the rat race. Asked whether he meant people who were scrambling to get off the island, he said no and pointed to three rats sprinting across Seawall Boulevard, which was flooding. He added, “Even the rats have more sense than we do.”"

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/13/us/13galveston.html

BREAKING: Serial blasts in Delhi during the Ganesh festival.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/homepage/i/int/news/world/1/-/news/1/hi/world/south_asia/7614280.stm

Hackers attack Large Hadron Collider

Hackers have mounted an attack on the Large Hadron Collider, raising concerns about the security of the biggest experiment in the world as it passes an important new milestone.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/09/12/scicern212.xml

The Origins of the Universe: A Crash Course
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/opinion/12greene.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Ike update in pictures, of the damage in and near Houston, and Galveston:

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/09/13/us/0913-IKE_index.html

The Poop Deck Bar was damaged, but still stands.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-India-Blasts.html

...an AP filing on the Delhi blasts.

Heath
Galveston was my first connection to the vast ocean.
I grew up in Houston. I was born in a hospital on Galveston Bay.

I am watching this like a home movie. Where is the pier to he Poop deck? It looks like some kind of old oil rig out there.
To see water going over the sea wall..........and West Beach. My childhood beach.
In HD
under water
it's been this way before
and probably again
it's really just a sand bar
with trees
and
memories

derek

Sit in monster-position
A giant in a jardin
Where only silence is eye "seeing"

A sense of penetration
A place of deep-time
A time of knowledge-substantial

Spirit-flute-canalisations
Forcing empty-winds blowing
Toward a call without sound...

Palin is a scary woman!

Sit in monster-position
Hairs flying
A breath-smell calling

Sit in monster-position
There is another calling
Calling from the shore

A giant-self between two worlds
Where billion spinning-forces hide inside visibility without end

Should I hang up?
How strange this voice is
But commun is too...

I'm watching video of houses and buildings and beaches I use to recognize. I spent my summers there on West Beach, Pirates Beach and the State Park. All that is there is a sliver of the road. Water on both sides, wow.
Knowing what use to be there, I can't believe my eyes. That sliver of road had neighborhoods on one side. They are gone.

derek

dear Derek

a more on-the-ground report:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/us/14scene.html

"...Along Broadway and 29th, two teenagers kayaked on their way to check on a friend’s house. Another boy walked up 21st street with a fishing pole. “I’m not trying to catch anything,” said Nick Parker, 11. “I’m just making sure there are no water moccasins.”

"He explained that he and his parents waited too long to evacuate and were trapped in their home. The water flooded their basement, he said, but no one was hurt. “Mostly, I’m here looking for someone else to play with. Hurricanes are boring. Maybe it’s time to open the schools back up.”..."

your memory poem is lovely.

love, h

what's causing all these deadly hurricanes?

a) is it global warming?

b) is it a natural cycle in nature?

c) or is it God being very angry at the bushmen in washington?

damn!

Hurricane Aftermath: Good News, Bad News, and No News
by DarkSyde

Glass and metal rained down off skyscrapers in the Houston metro area in the early morning hours of Saturday, dozens of nearby streets are flooded, several key refineries are shut down. Millions of local residents are without power. Tonight an eerie, dark calm is setting in on what is usually a well lit, bustling beehive of urban activity. Total damage from Hurricane Ike is estimated at 10 - 20 billion, but could go much higher.

The good news: although Galveston took a direct hit (Actually because it took a direct hit), thanks to a fortunate wobble or two in Ike's track as he closed in on the Texas shore, and the famous sea wall, much of the island town was spared a tragic repeat of the Great Hurricane of 1900. Those of us following this storm were plenty worried that fatalities would reach into the hundreds. The bad news: there are several storm related deaths reported so far.

But there's little news at all, nothing but a few sketchy second and third hand accounts, coming out of the unprotected far west and east ends of the battered barrier island. Coast Guard helicopters and emergency rescue teams have been working steadily in those places, the ones they can reach, reportedly plucking survivors from ragged rooftops and bare floor-plans standing on stilts in muddy flood waters. No one can say for sure, but if those suburban communities from Gilchrist, Sabine Pass, and through Port Arthur look anything like this video shot [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/26690481#26690481] (I think) over the west coast of Galveston Bay near Richwood and Lake Jackson, the damage could be widespread and devastating. We have to assume most residents in those island communities evacuated, but we probably won't see the full extent of the damage, or know the fate of any one who hunkered down in some of the hardest hit areas, until tomorrow.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/14/0927/54257/825/597181

Pre-traumatic stress disorder

Young man
How hold are you?
There is a call for you, coming!

You are training yourself
Pushing hard, very hard
But young man, where are you going?

You are led with despair stress-combat energy
Soldier where are you going, hooked that way?
Where is your war-field?

Show me,
So I could come with you
I have my guns full of empty-bullets...

The question is...why are the Republicans shielding Palin from the public, this fly-by-night, joanie-come-lately flash in the pan whom we know little about?

can you not see that these power-greedy maniacs are playing a con job on you?

which of you...who professes to be intelligent...will vote for this flash in the pan unknown quantity?

if people vote with any common sense at all, they would not let themselves be played for a fool by these power frauds neocons!

by the way...have you registered to vote yet? make sure you do and make your vote count...cause we can't afford four more years of this nightmare!

Palin is a scary woman!

American Polls are not accurate!!
If we really want to know the accurate number of voters who will be voting for each candidate we should do Internet Polling! So many americans no longer have land lines.. I don't and I haven't for many years. I know that young voters use cell phones not land lines. So, if we really want an accurate Poll someone should create a way to allow those of us who want to voice our intentions to do so here on the internet. I think McCain / Palin will be very surprised to see how many of us will be casting our votes for Obama /Biden!

Zetta / Mrs. Doodleman

morning all,

boy just when you think things can't possibly get any worse or any more absurd, especially, since John McCain picked his Palin, you get the news of Lehman's Losses and not the trickle down effect but the tumble down effect of the US financial system.....this is a very sad day for America.

Oh, you know I am wondering where Caroline Kennedy is and Maria Shriver....the popular Democratic Women who sooooo strongly endorsed Barak Obama over Hillary Clinton as their Democratic nominee for Presdent, are? Especially, now, when the republicans have thrown a Palin into the ring. Yes, where are these powerful voices who could do so much to help their favored presidential pick in these difficult times.

Well, this is my advice to all those who strongly endorsed Barak Obama for their Party's choice for President.....get you behinds out on the campaign trail and work for his election....NOW. he needs your voices....so Caroline, Maria....where are you...Palin is stealing the show and you two could steal some of that show back for your Candidate...when you both endorsed him so powerfully for you Party's nominee you also took on a responsibility to work for his election...I say get to it...before it is too late.

ruth

palin is not stealing the show...granny...the more she gets exposed, and she will...the more people will find out how bery scary she is? does any sane person in this country really want her to be prez? shame on these Republicans who will their soul for the lust of power....

Dems Must Give Voters Explicit Permission To Like Palin
by Sean Quinn
FiveThirtyEight

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/09/dems-must-give-voters-explicit.html

You know Scott, I just returned from Switzerland (I did not visit DK) and judging from discussions with my friends, the Swiss seem to be more aware of the US situation than the average American.

Does the American voter know why over 4000 young Americans had to die in Iraq?

Do they know why between 500000 and one million Iraqis had to die, many of them women and children through “collateral damage”?

Do they know that 9/11 had absolutely nothing to do with Iraq and that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis?

Do they know that things are getting worse in Afghanistan and the Taliban is alive and well?

Do they know why we hear so little about Osama Bin Laden and his whereabouts? Wasn’t he responsible for taking down the twin towers in New York?

Do they know that all the above happened under the watchful eyes of the pretzel choker and the quail(men)hunter and that McCain is promising more of the same?

McCain and Pain for more of the same.

Skep, welcome back, I hope you had a pleasant trip.

Let's hope the insanity ends in 8 weeks. Let's also hope we won't have reckless October surprise(s) from the out going Bush administration, given they sense McCain is going to lose anyway with/without their actions/inaction.

under Macain/Palin...what u see on Wall St. is what u can expect more of if they get in...

macain is no gentleman..he'll play dirty and sell his soul to win...

if this dino from zona had any care for the american people, he would recognize that he's too old to run for the highest office...this dude should go to the caribbean or tahiti to retire and adopt more needy kids to live in the many house he owns he does not know he has...

this dude admits he knows nothing about the economy, so how can he get this country outta debt and be fiscally responsible? damn! also, since he voted with bush most of the time, why did he not try to fix the economy when he had a chance to do something in washington? all this fart knows to talk about is pork barrel spending! go figure! go retire ole man!

so dummies, remember...when u go and cast a vote for macbush, u are really voting for that scary unknown entity from Wasilla...whoa!

The population of NYC is under 9,000,000, Miami...under 5,000,000, and Chicago under 3,000,000...

if you are a mayor of one of these cities, you are a major league mayor with major responsibilities...damn!

the population of Wasilla, Alaska at last census was just over 5,000. That is some major league executive experience....

whoahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaa.....whoahahahahaaaaaa..........

the economy has been shamefully neglected by george wacko bush and john macain for almost 8 yrs while they remainly fixated and obsessed with iraq and draining billions of precious dollars each month there..

now the chickens are coming home to roost and john macain promises more of the same...yeah right...

and btw...where are the three handicapped amigos in all this?

I just got home from the Obama rally in Pueblo Colorado.

YOBAMA

derek

admin what's up?

******

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/09/palinology.php

********

Not everything about Palin is crazy though:

"The only good news I've seen so far: The biggest political rally in Alaskan history was an anti-Palin demonstration.

http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/09/14/alaska-women-reject-palin-rally-is-huge/

Not that the news media will cover it."

this scary woman wants to con her way into the vice presidency by avoiding questions from reporters...

wait a minute here...would u vote for someone this shady?

if u do, u are also a sucker who falls for telephone and internet scam jobs....and it is fools like u who will decide this election...and that is even scarier...

I disagree with Diablo. Palin is a *KNOWN* "scary entity."

McCain/Palin LIE about... just about anything!

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/15/212231/278/1020/600045

Liiiiiiiaaaaars

"Yet another lie. Yet another easy debunking. Yet another time to ask the question: why on earth would they even bother lying on this stuff?"

"I mean, c'mon. We've already gone past Mencken's prophecied point, happily electing an outright moron, but is it truly necessary to make Orwell obsolete as well? This one is just stupid -- lying for the sake of lying. Lying, frankly, like a child.

McCain and Palin don't just lie about big things, like tax policy, Iraq and the economy. They even lie about petty trivialities -- any tiny little thing is fair game, if it lets them preen for a moment in front of their audiences."

This is interesting!

Did you know that the Boeing 727 airliner (727PX), which ferried Senator John McCain on four occasions during his Presidential run in 2000, also flew Saudi Royals out of the U.S. right after 9/11?
http://www.madcowprod.com/02272008.html

If the information is correct, I guess the lobbyists on his 2000 campaign got promoted to the big league after McCain endorsed and embraced Bush.

Ruth!

If that is you over at Townhall, I apologize for saying anything!

I am buzzed sister, and then whatever righteous fury I may legitimately have, literally,

goes to the dogs.

I am sorry.

9/16 Daily Kos Research 2000 Tracking Poll:

http://www.dailykos.com/dailypoll/2008/9/16

Obama 48, McCain 44

Greg Dworkin:

Today's results, coming on the heels of yesterday's Wall Street meltdown, show Obama at 48 and McCain at 44. Sarah Palin's fav/unfav continue slide (45/44 today, 52/35 on 9/11), and (I suspect) the economics issue pushes the culture war to the back burner. In that suspicion, I am not alone. EJ Dionne notes:

"For some time, McCain's strategists figured they could deflect attention from the big issues by turning Palin into a country-and-western celebrity and launching so many ill-founded attacks on Obama that the truth would never catch up. The McCain strategists' approach reflected a low opinion of average voters, and some Obama supporters began worrying that their opinion might be right.

But those so-called average voters understand the difference between low- and high-stakes elections. They develop a reasonably good sense of who is telling the truth and who is not. And though it sometimes takes a while -- and a shock like this week's economic news -- these voters almost always turn on politicians who manipulate cultural symbols as a way to escape the consequences of their policies."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/15/AR2008091502472.html

Speaking of economics, keep an eye in the coming days on the 30-44 year olds. This cohort has been trending McCain, but jobs and the economy are going to get their attention. And, watch also the women demo, currently +12 for Obama. Watch them all, as trends tend to filter down everywhere.

It will take a bit of time to filter this week's events down to state level (where it counts), but the regional breakdowns continue to suggest McCain runs better in the South than elsewhere. Obama is currently +9 in the midwest.

Enjoy the data, and have at it.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/16/7616/37921/734/600331

it is such a shameful and disgusting sight to watch scary Palin avoid taking questions from reporters...as she rushes off the podium in her big, ugly eye glasses...

if she's so damn qualified and ready to be prez...should the dinosaur croak...why is she so afraid to talk to reporters?

these con men neocons want to rob us of the presidency once again...hell...say no to the bums and throw them under the damn bus...

David Waldman: Shocker! Palin won't cooperate with investigation.

Surprising precisely no one, Slick Sarah Palin is weaseling out of her promise to cooperate fully with the Troopergate investigation.

"McCain campaign spokesman Ed O'Callaghan told a news conference Monday that the governor, the Republican nominee for vice president, will not cooperate as long as the investigation "remains tainted." He said he doesn't know whether Palin's husband would challenge a subpoena issued to compel his cooperation.

The campaign insists the investigation has been hijacked by Democrats."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26727937/

Hijacked by Democrats, despite a 12-0 vote to launch the investigation, and a majority vote in a Republican-led committee to authorize subpoenas.

Duh. Another ridiculous lie to add to the pile.

But more to the point, it doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to see that Palin's setting up a Dick Cheney play here. Turns out that's just one more thing she's disguising with lipstick.

Arianna Huffington:

The Palin Doctrine: Why the Neocons Are So Excited

"Sarah Palin may not have known what the Bush Doctrine was, but we're getting a pretty good idea of what the Palin Doctrine is. Or will be -- because it's still currently under construction. And what is it going to look like? Let's just say, it's going to seem familiar.

According to London's Daily Telegraph, the architects of the Palin Doctrine are a group of people who have been singularly wrong about virtually everything in the last decade -- the neocons, who have been briefing Palin for weeks.

As predicted, the fact that she didn't know anything wasn't a bug, it was a feature. She's perfect for the neocons: likeable on the outside, a blank slate on the inside. To borrow from an old cliché, if Sarah Palin didn't exist, the neocons would have had to invent her.

[...]

The Daily Telegraph details how the neocon talent scouts spotted their political Eliza Doolittle back in the summer of '07. The love connection began, appropriately enough, on a love boat:

"Sources in the McCain camp, the Republican Party and Washington think tanks say Mrs. Palin was identified as a potential future leader of the neoconservative cause in June 2007. That was when the annual summer cruise organised by the right-of-centre Weekly Standard magazine docked in Juneau, the Alaskan state capital, and the pundits on board took tea with Governor Palin."

[...]

She's already passed her first test with flying colors: being willing to link 9/11 with Iraq, something not even the president is still willing to do. Last week, she told a group of Iraq-bound soldiers that they were going to "defend the innocent from the enemies who planned and carried out and rejoiced in the death of thousands of Americans."

[...]

Of course, the neocons know they already have an ally at the top of the GOP ticket. McCain may have been a reformer on campaign finance, but when it comes to foreign policy, he has always been solidly in the neocon club. He loves to burnish his foreign policy bona fides by talking about how he wanted to fire Donald Rumsfeld months before Bush did. But he doesn't talk a lot about how, in the days immediately after 9/11, he was part of the neocon crowd itching to get into Iraq.

[...]

Six years later, demonstrating how little he's learned from the debacle in Iraq, McCain hired Randy Scheunemann, a neocon darling who helped form The Committee for the Liberation of Iraq in 2002, as his campaign's chief foreign policy advisor.

As TPMMuckraker noted in July, "Of all the hawkish Washington foreign-policy types pushing both before and after 9/11 for war with Iraq -- a war that an overwhelming majority of Americans now considers a mistake -- Scheunemann, though not a marquee name, was among the most energetic and influential. And in the invasion's aftermath, he consistently opposed steps that might have helped stabilize the country."

And now, according to the Daily Telegraph, Scheunemann is briefing Sarah Palin.

[...]

McCain's selection of Palin may have been reckless, but it was anything but random. The neocons' view of the world may be disastrous, dangerous, discredited, and deadly -- but it's far from dead. Their patron saint, Dick Cheney, the scowling embodiment of the Neocon Doctrine, had way too much baggage -- and way too low approval ratings -- to mount a run for the White House.

That's why the Palin pick was so brilliant. On the outside, she's exponentially more likable and talented at connecting with people than Cheney ever was. But on the inside, once she graduates from the neocon finishing school, she'll be a complete and total Dick. Cheney. With lipstick."

morning all,

i was over to huffpo and discovered this little gem...

Why Isn't Obama Ahead?
Paula Poundstone |

It may be that the relentless, senseless flea attacks in my house are getting to me. It may be that the mornings in Santa Monica are often overcast and that I'm extremely light sensitive, or that, when I tried to go over the state capitols with my son in the car this morning, he began kicking my seat, and deep down I know that I learned the state capitols when I was a kid and it hasn't made any difference in my life at all (I'm still being assaulted by a ten year old after all.) It may be these things that are making me ill at ease, but I don't think so. Why isn't Obama leaps and bounds ahead? Where am I living? Who are these voters? Night after night I watch the news with speeches and ads by John McCain saying that he's an agent for change--after voting with Bush ninety percent of the time. If I see a small bottle that says, "drink me," should I? I keep thinking of Fredo in The Godfather saying, "I'm smart."

I relate to her wondering.....

really, it is like the Universe is giving us all the help it can...I mean this financial downfall couldn't have come at a better time from a Democrats point of view. Who has been in charge for the last eight seven and 1/2 years? Who called the American people whiners...Who keeps telling us our economy is strong even though our debt is truly unimaginable?

and the Candidates are still so close they are almost an intimate couple.

this shouldn't be, should it?

Obama, should be well ahead of Mr. Same and Ms. Lame....I mean, even the Universe has dropped the subtlity and just threw us one, right between our eyes, with this financial report....and still...we hold on tight.....once, a long, long, time ago, we were smart, it is just that it was so long ago that it is hard to recall what it looks like , sounds, like, feels, like. We have been dumbed down, to almost a pancake.

ponderings...ruth

Palin Put Alaskan Women and Kids at Risk in Pursuit of Vendetta

ABC News:

"Evangelicals and social conservatives have embraced McCain's vice presidential pick for what they call her "pro-family," "pro-woman" values. But in Alaska, critics say Gov. Sarah Palin has not addressed the rampant sexual abuse, rape, domestic violence and murder that make her state one of the most dangerous places in the country for women and children.

Alaska leads the nation in reported forcible rapes per capita, according to the FBI, with a rate two and a half times the national average  a ranking it has held for many years. Children are no safer: Public safety experts believe that the prevalence of rape and sexual assault of minors in Alaska makes the state's record one of the worst in the U.S. And while solid statistics on domestic violence are hard to come by, most - including Gov. Palin - agree it is an "epidemic.""

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5804581&page=1

Terrible. But all was not lost in Alaska. There were dedicated public servants who made the reduction and prevention of violence against women a priority.

"Some members of Palin's administration were focused on the issue of sexual violence. Officials in the Department of Public Safety were devising an ambitious, multi-million-dollar initiative to seriously tackle sex crimes in the state..."

Whew! Thank God.

"...but Palin's office put the plan on hold in July."

Damn! Why the hell would she do that?!

"Days later, Palin fired its chief proponent, Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, after he declined to dismiss a state trooper Palin accused of threatening her own family members. Palin has said she fired Monegan because she wanted to move his department in a "new direction," and he was not being "a team player on budgeting issues." The dismissal is now at the center of a hotly-contested investigation by the state legislature."

Yes, that's right. In her effort to "protect her family" from domestic violence, she fired the state's leading advocate for domestic violence prevention. Because he wouldn't agree to fire her ex-brother in-law, State Trooper Mike Wooten, on her say-so.

How she hoped to protect her family by making it more difficult for Wooten to pay his bills, nobody has yet figured out.

But in the meantime, the victims of Alaska's absolutely scandalous rate of violence against women and children -- not to mention the one guy who actually cared -- are paying the price for a governor who puts her obsession with using the trappings of high office to settle personal scores ahead of protecting public safety.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/16/11402/8612/999/600050

Nate Silver: Palin's Favorability Numbers Eroding

As voters have taken a second look at Sarah Palin in venues like the Charlie Gibson interview and even Tina Fey's SNL sketch, they may not be as enamored of what they're seeing.

The Research 2000 poll for Daily Kos now has Palin's favorability-unfavorability scores at 45-44 -- just a +1. Six days ago, when the poll, launched, she was at a 52-35, a +17.

And I know that some of you don't like or don't trust this poll -- for reasons that I think are a little silly -- but there is a similar decline in her numbers in the Diageo/Hotline poll. Her favorability numbers in yesterday's Hotline poll -- today's isn't out yet -- were a 48-36, or a +12. But a week ago, on September 8, she had been at a 48-24, a +24.

Whether this ultimately has any effect on the Presidential race remains to be seen; Obama's position has improved in the national trackers, but not so much in the state polls. But it seems possible to me that John McCain's recent bounce has had more to do with John McCain -- whose speech at the convention was as underrated as Palin's was overrated -- and less to do with Palin than is generally acknowledged. And if people are voting based on the bottom of the ticket, it seems furthermore that she may yet wind up being a net liability for him.

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/09/palins-favorability-numbers-eroding.html

Mark Sumner: How John McCain Invented Cell Phones and WiFi

Now that John McCain has at last turned in his answers to Science Debate 2008 (after peeking at Barack Obama's answers for a couple of weeks) there are some interesting tidbits hidden among his rambling responses.

http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php?id=42

Take this reply to a question about maintaining America's lead in innovation.

"I am uniquely qualified to lead our nation during this technological revolution. While in the Navy, I depended upon the technologies and information provided by our nation’s scientists and engineers with during each mission."

Let's stop there for a second. Here John McCain insists he's uniquely qualified to discuss technology because... he used some. Forty years ago. This is the same kind of high standard by which he assured us that Sarah Palin knew more about energy than anyone else in America, and Phil Gramm was one of the smartest people in the world on the economy. At least he didn't claim any MacGyverite tech affinities developed in Hanoi.

Okay, let's continue.

"I am the former chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. The Committee plays a major role in the development of technology policy, specifically any legislation affecting communications services, the Internet, cable television and other technologies. Under my guiding hand, Congress developed a wireless spectrum policy that spurred the rapid rise of mobile phones and Wi-Fi technology that enables Americans to surf the web while sitting at a coffee shop, airport lounge, or public park."

And, stop. There you have it, people. John McCain not only invented cell phones, he tossed in wifi as an afterthought.

Let's go back and see how McCain's hand guided that development.

With the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the Senate passed the first major revision to telecommunications law in 62 years which provided the foundation for much of the cell phone and Internet regulation over the next decade. The bill passed 81-18 and was signed into law by President Clinton. McCain voted against the act.

In 2002, McCain authored the "Consumer Broadband Deregulation Act of 2002" which eliminated the requirement of the 1996 law that telecommunication companies provide access to competitors. It didn't pass.

In 2003, the Internet Tax Freedom Act was passed, putting in place a moratorium on taxes for activities on the Intenet. The bill had 11 cosponsors – McCain wasn't one of them. He did vote for the bill, but since it passed 97-3, that's definitely "guiding" with a small 'g.' Granted, this wasn't directly a bill about wireless, but since McCain doesn't seem to have authored any law on wireless technology, I'm having to search for connections.

Of pending legistlation, McCain is not a sponsor of the "Connect the Nation Act" – though Senator Obama is. McCain is not a sponsor of Senator Rockefeller's call for a universal next generation broadband by 2015 – though Senator Obama is. And of course, McCain isn't a sponsor of the "Internet Freedom Act" that would ensure net neutrality – though Senator Obama is. That last is no surprise. McCain has repeatedly opposed net neutrality, saying that companies have a right to restrict speed or even limit access to sites "when you control the pipe you should be able to get profit from your investment."

So, McCain's "guiding hand" seems to consist of opposing the legislation that laid the groundwork for the communications we have today, and authoring failed legislation designed to benefit big carriers. Of course, we should probably be glad that John McCain really didn't invent the cell phone or wifi, otherwise we'd all be getting our wireless services from one monolithic company free to restrict our access to only the pages that pay for the privilege. And we'd all be using "Jitterbugs."

Update: Not only did John McCain invent the cell phone and wifi, he was the first to tie them together in his other invention the Blackberry.

'"He did this," Douglas Holtz-Eakin told reporters this morning, holding up his BlackBerry. "Telecommunications of the United States is a premier innovation in the past 15 years, comes right through the Commerce committee so you're looking at the miracle John McCain helped create and that's what he did."'

http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/0908/HoltzEakin_McCain_helped_create_BlackBerry.html?showall

So now we know what McCain has been doing while missing all those votes in the Senate. He's been moonlighting as a Canadian MP -- RIM, the company that makes the Blackberry, is headquartered outside Toronto.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/16/63238/2462/721/600320

John McCain Apparently Invented the BlackBerry
by Jonathan Singer

And a meme takes hold.

AP:

"Move over, Al Gore. You may lay claim to the Internet, but John McCain helped create the BlackBerry.

At least that's the contention of a top McCain policy adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin. Waving his BlackBerry personal digital assistant and citing McCain's work as a senator, he told reporters Tuesday, "You're looking at the miracle that John McCain helped create.""

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080916/ap_on_el_pr/mccain_blackberry;_ylt=AhOaelqAC.WmXP7X0TN4DVKyFz4D

Perhaps the only upside for John McCain right now is the fact that most voters are not likely paying attention to the daily back and forth of the campaign at this juncture and are instead focused on the situation with the economy, and as such this particular story may not trickle down from the Beltway down to the electorate. On the other hand, this story perfectly fits into the meme that has been developing in recent days, namely that McCain and his campaign will say anything -- even lie through his teeth -- in order to win the Presidency.

We saw how damaging (even if untrue) that meme was for Al Gore eight years ago. So with the McCain campaign fully feeding the current story line by releasing untruthful ads, flat out lying about issues ranging from Sarah Palin's background to Barack Obama's policies, and now claiming that McCain helped create BlackBerrys (weren't they developed by a Canadian company?), it may get real hard for McCain to shake the "liar" label.

http://mydd.com/story/2008/9/16/114041/181

This is a pretty impressive list.
http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php?id=7

Thank God for Science and Reason!

Palin, by refusing to be open to scrutiny, appears to be like someone with very bad breath and rotten teeth who is self-conscious about opening her mouth in public....eeeuuuhhhh!

hello

A good conversation between a liberal columnist and a conservative one:

http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/the-voters-burden/

hello

Main Agar Kahoon

...
tum huwe meherbaan
toh hain yeh dastaan
ab tumhara mera ek hai kaarwaan
tum jahaan main wahaan
...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hpNgA2wHT0

hello to derek and heath
I love you both,
~ Kate

love you back, Kate