Remember those Bush officials who said the nation's meat supply is safe? They were lying.

As Probe of Infected Cow Spreads, So Does Worry:

"Already, consumers who ate meat that might have come from the sick Holstein are concerned. Grocery stores were shipped ground beef and beef patties from meat that included the infected cow 11 days before a test for mad cow disease came back positive and the meat was recalled -- it is not yet known how much of the meat was pulled off grocery shelves or has been consumed. "

Because Ashcroft is too busy reviewing you library records!

Now It's a Scandal - New evidence that a House GOP leader offered a bribe.

From Slate's Timothy Noah:

What does a guy have to do to get a congressional bribe investigated? Even making allowances for slow readers, John Ashcroft's Justice Department is taking an awfully long time to decide whether to do anything about the (unsuccessful) attempt to bribe Rep. Smith.

Yes, I felt it, and yes, I'm OK.

Three Killed in Strong California Coast Earthquake

I've been in several minor earthquakes now, and this one -- a long side-to-side motion -- was the most unnerving.

Depends on what the definition of "is" is

Depends on what the definition of "is" is

Powered flight a hoax!

CNN.com - Bush honors anniversary of first flight - Dec. 17, 2003: "One hundred years after the brothers' first flight, a meticulous reproduction of the 1903 Wright Flyer made a valiant attempt to take to the air on Wednesday.
Much like many of the brothers' early efforts, the plane could not get airborne. It struggled down a narrow track and unceremoniously came to a halt in a mud puddle. "

Republican family values

Thurmond Kin Acknowledge Black Daughter: "Rather than wait for the request, the family issued a statement which, in effect, supports her contention that she was born to Mr. Thurmond, then 22, and Carrie Butler, who was 16 and employed by Mr. Thurmond's parents as a housekeeper in Edgefield, S.C."

Bush wins re-election

U.S. forces capture Saddam near hometown

Sigh.

Unelectable.

Biography of President George W. Bush

Hustle and bustle

Andrea and I had a busy weekend. We visited a friend of hers selling Brazilian jewelry at a wine tasting in Livermore. After that, we had dinner in Pleasanton and stuck around for a Christmas parade. Then we went to her newspaper's holiday party. Needless to say, I was very tired.

Hopefully, next weekend will be much calmer.

They can't even tell the truth when the news is good...

(via Atrios):

White House Version of Mid-Air Exchange Disputed

Finally, some common sense in e-voting

Wired News: E-Votes Must Leave a Paper Trail

Sometimes, California politicians can get it right.

DeLay's next fundraiser?

Funny reference to a story in one of my recent posts.

San Diego Fire Warnings Were Repeatedly Ignored

Once again, people get the government they deserve. Or in other words, sometimes, taxes are a good thing.

G.O.P. Leader Solicits Money for Charity Tied to Convention

From today's New York Times:

It is an unusual charity brochure: a 13-page document, complete with pictures of fireworks and a golf course, that invites potential donors to give as much as $500,000 to spend time with Tom DeLay during the Republican convention in New York City next summer and to have part of the money go to help abused and neglected children.

Representative DeLay, who has both done work for troubled children and drawn criticism for his aggressive political fund-raising in his career in Congress, said through his staff that the entire effort was fundamentally intended to help children. But aides to Mr. DeLay, the House majority leader from Texas, acknowledged that part of the money would go to pay for late-night convention parties, a luxury suite during President Bush (news - web sites)'s speech at Madison Square Garden and yacht cruises.

Classy.

Back in the 21st century!

I have phone AND Internet service now. Now my house is truly a home.

Occupational Hazards - How the Pentagon forgot about running Iraq. By Jacob Weisberg

Nice one by Slate's Jacob Weisberg.

Back during the 2000 campaign, George Will and others argued that presidential intelligence didn't matter. This notion was reinforced after Sept. 11, when it became fashionable to argue that Bush's "moral clarity" was preferable to the ability to comprehend many sides of a complicated issue. In fact, presidential intelligence does matter. The intellectual qualities Bush lacks—historical knowledge, interest in the details of policy, and substantive (as opposed to political) judgment—might well have prevented the quagmire we're facing in Iraq right now. A more engaged president—one who understood, for instance, the difference between the Sunnis and the Shiites—surely would have asked about Plan B.

Almost completely moved in

With some help from Andrea, I'm pretty much settled into my new apartment in Sunnyvale. One glitch: I still have no phone service, though Pac-Bell insists they've turned it on. And that, of course, means I have no Internet access.

But why can't the media report on all the copters that aren't getting shot down?

U.S. Helicopter Downed in Iraq, 15 Soldiers Killed

My, what a good idea it was to invade Iraq. Bush is so smart.

Rock the vote

Read about security problems with Diebold's electronic voting machines. They threaten democracy and have the nerve to sue people pointing out that fact.

Where there's smoke...

Andrea and I went to a going-away dinner party last night hosted by Alex and her husband Chris, which was fun. But as we got closer to their house, about an hour away in "The O.C.," we could smell the smoke, see the haze and -- we think -- feel the heat of the Southern California fire.

This morning, that haze and smell had drifted all the way up to Los Angeles itself. Scary.

We visited the new Walt Disney Concert Hall, the fancy new architectural landmark by Frank Gehry. It was awesome and beautiful. We also visited the almost-as-new Los Angeles Cathedral. Andrea and I agreed that it looked a little bunker-ish for a church, which presumably aims to reach out into the broader community. But I thought the inside was really nice, an understaed, spartan arrangement.

It's unfortunate that it took my moving away to inspire us to see Los Angeles' cultural heritage.