Weary

Just so weary of Congress and Democrats and Republicans and Joe Lieberman.

Weary of all the lying bullshit.

Weary of the corporate MSM.

Weary of it all.

Bleeh!

That's all. Just bleeh!

Senate Again Fails District Residents

More than 600,000 residents of the District of Columbia have no representation in Congress and the Senate obviously prefers it that way. Had the measure passed, President Bush would have vetoed it anyway, and the lackluster Democrats are powerless to do anything about it.

This is America?

WASHINGTON -- The drive to give the 600,000 residents of the District of Columbia a vote in Congress failed in the Senate today, falling three votes short of the 60 needed to begin debate.

But backers of the bill, which included a representative for largely Democratic D.C. and a new one for largely Republican Utah, pledged to try again, if not in this session than in a new Congress where Democratic gains could spell the difference.

"I feel strongly about D.C. voting rights," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). Noting that there are "a lot of other things crying for attention" in the Senate, he said he chose to bring the issue to the floor because D.C. residents were fighting and dying in Iraq without a voice in Congress.

"This is fairness," Reid said. "It's the right thing to do."

Although the bill passed the House, President Bush had threatened to veto it.

Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) strongly opposed the measure, calling it "clearly and unambiguously unconstitutional" and saying the remedy for disenfranchisement of the district's residents is to amend the Constitution to make D.C. a state.

Yes, Frank, They Will and Have

The title to this post is the answer to a questioned posed in the title of Frank Rich's latest column in The New York Times: Will the Democrats Betray Us?

Where were the tough questions of Petraeus and Crocker during the hearings? Why were they not required to swear to tell the truth?

Where is the leadership from the opposition party?

The Democrats continue to do what they do best: roll over in the face of adversity and offer their exposed bellies.

As a party, the Democrats are impotent.

Homeland Security Failures

The Department of Homeland Security has failed to produce a comprehensive plan in the event the United States suffers another major terror attack or natural disaster. What else do we expect from this government?

The agency has proved far better at developing security plans than at implementing them. Even so, it has yet to meet Congress’s demand for a comprehensive, national plan to respond to another major terrorist attack or Katrina-size disaster. Critical barriers remain in such basic areas as emergency communications, computer integration, border defense and an effective program for information sharing among the various intelligence-gathering agencies.

These failings were at the heart of the 9/11 disaster. And there’s no reassurance to hear Homeland Security officials defend their slow progress, arguing that there has been no similar attack since. As another grim anniversary approaches, the G.A.O. assessment is an urgent reminder of how much more still needs to be done.

The Fattest Rebels

Our cousins to the south - Mississippi - have been dubbed the fattest in the land.

JACKSON, Miss. - Experts say Mississippians need to skip the gravy, say no to the fried pickles and start taking brisk walks to fight an epidemic of obesity.

According to a new study, this Deep South state is the fattest in the nation. The Trust for America's Health, a research group that focuses on disease prevention, says Mississippi is the first state where more than 30 percent of adults are considered obese.

Aside from making Mississippi the butt of late-night talk show jokes, the obesity epidemic has serious implications for public policy.

If current trends hold, the state could face enormous increases in the already significant costs of treating diabetes, heart disease and other ailments caused by the extra poundage.

"We've got a long way to go. We love fried chicken and fried anything and all the grease and fatback we can get in Mississippi," said Democratic state Rep. Steve Holland, chairman of the Public Health Committee.

Poverty and obesity often go hand in hand, doctors say, because poor families stretch their budgets by buying cheaper, processed foods that have higher fat content and lower nutritional value.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee — a self-described "recovering foodaholic" who lost 110 pounds several years ago — explained during a Southern Governors' Association meeting in Biloxi last weekend that there are historical reasons poor people often fry their foods: It's an inexpensive way to increase the calories and feed a family.

Mississippi is one of the poorest states in the nation, and the Delta is the poorest region of Mississippi.

Dr. Marshall Bouldin, director of the diabetes and metabolism center at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, told the Southern governors that if the Delta counties were excluded, "Mississippi would wind up being about 30th in diabetes problems in the United States."

Mississippi's public schools already are taking steps to prevent obesity.

NY Times: Prosecute or Impeach Gonzales

An editorial in The New York Times calls for the Justice Department to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the apparent lies and/or truth twisting of the incompetent Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. If Solicitor General Paul Clement fails in his duty, says the Times, Congress should impeach Gonzales.

Asking the impotent Democrats in Congress to take any kind of action, let alone impeachment, is like asking the leopard to change its spots - it can't be done.

Time and again the Democrats have backed down from the important fight. Why should anyone think they will start doing their job now?