'Best of TBH Politoons'
Tonight
Erin Hart Show
Please join
Erin Hart
9pm to 1am PST tonight & Sunday, and also Monday on 710 KIRO
as she sits in for Mike Webb.
Also, Erin fills in on Boulder's Progressive Talk AM760.net on Dec 27th and 28th, from 5am to 9am PST.
It's the holiday extravaganza. Rummy is running or withdrawing or is a
RUSE? And the NSA is spying on EVERY call overseas, so that means your Aunt
Minny in Vancouver and Brother Bob in Afghanistan or Argentina. Sigh.
And yes, we will address the war on Christmas--is there one? Are the
churches being deserted on Sunday for good reasons or bad? And what about
all who do not celebrate Christmas--how do you feel?
Plus has shopping gone too wild? Are experiences better than gifts? Are
donations given acceptable? Have you had your Scrooge moment?
Sunday night we are joined by Faith Forward and the Anti-Defamation League
to talk about the meaning of tolerance and anti-discrimination against all.
Then Marty (or is it Martha?) from
BartCop
Entertainment will be stopping by with
loads o'links & hot blogs.
And the year in review--King George's anno horribilus--let's look back,
shall we?
We check in with Media matters and probably the Nation. Plus movie reviews
from the family, Pedro leaps into the season and sticks his toes into a lake
for the first time--getting so big and so brave. And so gentle with little
children. Hooray for woman's best friend.
Enjoy all--count your blessings and join us. Merry Christmas to all and to
all a Good Chanukah! Enjoy and In Joy, to all of you who have supported
this show and liberal talk radio, our deepest thanks.
May 2006 bring us much relief, joy and our country back in safe hands.
Audio streams live - 710KIRO.com.
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
America's Republican problem: Bush is only a symptom of a virulent infection (bostonphoenix.com)
Only George W. Bush could get away with violating the spirit of the Constitution and the letter of federal law by spying without authorization on American citizens here at home and still see his poll numbers take a slight jump. After all, he has played the terror card often and adeptly since September 11.
A Quotation by Tom Delay (House floor speech, November 16, 1995)
From 1995: "The time has come that the American people know exactly what their Representatives are doing here in Washington. Are they feeding at the public trough, taking lobbyist-paid vacations, getting wined and dined by special interest groups? Or are they working hard to represent their constituents? The people, the American people, have a right to know." -Tom DeLay (R-TX), House floor speech, November 16, 1995
LARRY MARGASAK: Donors underwrite jet-setting, luxury travel for DeLay, aides (Associated Press)
From 2005: "Donors underwrite jet-setting, luxury travel for DeLay, aides . . . at least 48 visits to golf clubs and resorts; 100 flights aboard company planes; 200 stays at hotels, many world-class; and 500 meals at restaurants, some averaging nearly $200 for a dinner for two. Instead of his personal expense, the meals and trips for DeLay and his associates were paid with donations collected by the campaign committees, political action committees and children's charity the Texas Republican created during his rise to the top of Congress." - AP, 12/20/05
Matthew Rothschild: UMass Dartmouth Investigates Report of Snooping on Student (progressive.org)
[Brian Glyn] Williams teaches a course on the Middle East and terrorism, and he has his students do research on the Internet and in the library. If the government is going after students who are checking out Mao's "Little Red Book," Williams asks, "What about our kids who take courses on terrorism and look at websites on Al Qaeda, bin Laden, or Zarqawi? I'm in a conundrum. Do I have the right to ask them to explore these issues if it could make them marked for investigation?"
MIKE MILIAR: MISFIT TOYS: Hacking Santa (bostonphoenix.com)
After hours of toying around and having overcome several near-disastrous setbacks, McCormick had a Bad Santa of his very own, one who uttered wicked witticisms - in a voice sounding suspiciously like McCormick's - such as "I save the best toys for the rich children; poor children can't be trusted with nice toys," and "I can give you free stuff because I skimp on elf health care! HO HO HO!" before jiggling merrily with a tipsy twist.
Harry Shearer: Crystal Clear Press Releases (huffingtonpost.com)
Hint: Preston Padden of ABC gave the game away years ago when he told a Congressional hearing that broadcast networks would very likely want to use their digital channels for more than one stream of programming. NOTE FOR LAZY JOURNALISTS: A digital channel can contain one high-quality HD channel, or up to six, lower-quality SD (standard definition) channels. Ask yourself: what entertainment company would consistently prefer to have one profit center on its channel, rather than up to six?
BARRY CRIMMINS: The bonfire of the inanities: Seriously, could it get any worse? (bostonphoenix.com)
In mid December, Wally O'Dell, a big GOP fundraiser who promised to deliver Ohio's electoral votes for Bush, resigned as CEO of Diebold, the company whose electronic balloting machines at least in part delivered Ohio to Bush. O'Dell left over allegations of insider trading. The same week, a Florida county announced it would no longer use Diebold machines because they're vulnerable to backdoor hacks and could be used to manipulate vote tallies.
Animated Singing Santa Hack
Hubert's Poetry Corner
THE SON ALSO RAISES
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny & pleasant.
The kid & I did a little more shopping - we hit the mall around 7pm. No problem finding a parking place, no lines at Borders Books. Hell, there wasn't even a line at Big Lots!
A 'normal' Friday night there is busier.
Didn't catch any new flags today, but wasn't online as much as usual.
Appears in Media at Last
'Impeachment' Talk
Suddenly this week, scattered outposts in the media have started mentioning the "I" word, or at least the "IO" phrase: impeach or impeachable offense.
The sudden outbreak of anger or candor has been sparked by the uproar over revelations of a White House approved domestic spying program, with some conservatives joining in the shouting.
Ron Hutcheson, White House correspondent for Knight Ridder Newspapers (known as "Hutch" to the president), observed that "some legal experts asserted that Bush broke the law on a scale that could warrant his impeachment." Indeed such talk from legal experts was common in print or on cable news.
Newsweek online noted a "chorus" of impeachment chat, and its Washington reporter, Howard Fineman, declared that Bush opponents are "calling him Nixon 2.0 and have already hauled forth no less an authority than John Dean to testify to the president's dictatorial perfidy. The 'I-word' is out there, and, I predict, you are going to hear more of it next year - much more."
Media Matters recently reported that a January 1998 Washington Post poll conducted just days after the first revelation of President Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky asked about impeachment.
'Impeachment' Talk
Older Than You Might Think
Festivus
The celebration of Festivus is alive and well in northwestern Pennsylvania, nearly a decade after the bizarre "holiday" garnered pop culture notoriety on the TV comedy show Seinfeld.
Residents were preparing to celebrate "the festivus for the rest of us" Friday with a night of airing grievances, feats of strength and, of course, the aluminum Festivus pole.
Many people learned of Festivus through Seinfeld but its roots actually go back several decades, when writer Daniel O'Keefe's father started it. He was looking for something more from the holidays, something that wasn't political or religious.
O'Keefe wrote The Real Festivus: The True Story Behind America's Favorite Made-Up Holiday and co-wrote the Seinfeld episode.
Festivus
Enjoy Ratings Spikes
Leno & O'Brien
NBC's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" are ending the year on a high note, with Leno scoring his biggest weekly margin of victory over CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman" among adults 18-49 in more than a year and a half.
O'Brien, meanwhile, hit season highs in total viewers and adults 18-49.
The December 13 episode, where Leno hosted Steve Martin, drew the show's largest audience in more than two years.
Leno & O'Brien
NBC Acquires Majority Stake
MSGOP
NBC Universal has acquired a controlling interest in MSNBC, the struggling all-news cable channel, from its partner in the venture, Microsoft Corp., the companies said Friday.
NBC, a unit of General Electric Co., will wind up with an 82 percent stake in the cable news network, though NBC and Microsoft will continue to share ownership of the channel's Web site, MSNBC.com. After two years, NBC will have the option to buy the remaining 18 percent stake.
Spokeswomen for the companies declined to disclose financial terms of the transaction. A deal to restructure ownership of MSNBC had long been rumored to be in the works.
MSGOP
To Make Broadway Debut
Cyndi Lauper
Pop star Cyndi Lauper will make her Broadway debut next year in "The Threepenny Opera," playing the prostitute Jenny in the satirical musical about a highwayman and his sweetheart.
The role of Jenny was originally slated to be played by "Sopranos" star Edie Falco, but she dropped out earlier this month and opened the way for Lauper -- best known for such 1980s hits as "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "Time after Time."
"The Threepenny Opera" was first seen on Broadway in 1933. The musical by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill is a satire of thieves, prostitutes and dashing highwayman Mack the Knife.
Cyndi Lauper
Wedding News
Dern - Harper
Actress Laura Dern, star of such films as "Rambling Rose" and "Jurassic Park," has married her longtime boyfriend, singer-songwriter Ben Harper, Us Weekly magazine reported on Friday.
The couple, who began dating in 2000 and have two children together, son Ellery, 4, and daughter Jaya, 1, were wed on Thursday in a sunset ceremony attended by more than 150 friends and family at a private home in Los Angeles, according to the magazine's Web site.
This is the first marriage for Dern, who was engaged to actor Jeff Goldblum in the mid-1990s and was later engaged to performer-filmmaker Billy Bob Thornton before he broke up with Dern in the spring of 2000 to marry actress Angelina Jolie.
Dern - Harper
Divorce News
Ruzan - Myers
"Austin Powers" star Mike Myers and his wife, Robin Ruzan, are ending their 12-year marriage, a spokeswoman said Friday.
"They remain committed and caring friends," publicist Ina Treciokas said in a statement.
Ruzan - Myers
Arrested in Drug Sting
Brad Renfro
AActor Brad Renfro was arrested in a sting operation after he allegedly tried to buy heroin near downtown's Skid Row, police said.
Renfro, 23, was booked for investigation of felony attempting to possess heroin, Detective Ron Hodges said.
Renfro, the star of the 1994 film "The Client," was caught during a random sting operation Thursday that resulted in the arrests of 14 other suspects, Hodges said.
Brad Renfro
Special Rules For Special People, Part 2
Victoria Osteen
The wife of the pastor of the nation's largest church said she chose to leave an airplane after a disagreement with a flight attendant, disputing accounts that she was asked to go.
The FBI has said Victoria Osteen was asked to leave after failing to obey crew instructions. The Continental Airlines flight Monday from Houston to Vail, Colo., was delayed an hour as a result.
A statement from Continental said the situation was resolved and a spokeswoman would not elaborate. The FBI reviewed a report from the airline and determined that no illegal activity had occurred, FBI spokeswoman Luz Garcia said.
"She failed to comply with the flight attendant's instructions, and they were asked to leave the flight," Garcia said Tuesday.
Victoria Osteen
Faces January Trial
Richard Hatch
The man who won $1 million on the first "Survivor" show is facing a January trial date on tax evasion charges. U.S. District Judge Ernest Torres on Wednesday denied three motions filed by lawyers for Richard Hatch, the Newport man who sometimes competed naked on the CBS reality show.
A federal grand jury indicted Hatch in September on tax evasion, wire fraud and mail fraud charges. Prosecutors say Hatch failed to pay federal income tax on his $1 million "Survivor" prize and other income.
In addition to the tax charges, federal authorities said Hatch created a charity for troubled teenagers, then used donations for his personal expenses.
Richard Hatch
Pleads Innocent
Howie Day
Howie Day was arrested at Logan International Airport for rowdy behavior on a Boston-bound flight after he became intoxicated from a mix of alcohol and a sleeping pill.
The 24-year-old pop singer pleaded innocent to a charge of interfering with a flight crew at his arraignment Friday in East Boston District Court. He was released on personal recognizance and refused to comment to reporters afterward. He's due back in court March 16.
Day, who is from Brewer, Maine, was returning home for the holidays and took a pill to help him sleep on the flight from Dallas, said his lawyer, Paul Kelley.
"He had a couple of drinks. The pill interacted with the drinks and he became intoxicated. He feels badly if he inconvenienced anyone, or caused any discomfort," Kelley told reporters outside court. "He has and will apologize, and our hope is that we'll be able to resolve this thing as promptly as possible."
Howie Day
Man Jailed for Over a Year Saw No Lawyer
Texas Justice
A man was jailed for more than a year without ever seeing a lawyer as he waited for a repeatedly postponed court hearing, gaining release only after a cellmate told an attorney about the case.
Walter Mann Sr., 69, was released Dec. 16 after a year and three months - more than twice the time he would have served if he had been convicted in his contempt-of-court case.
Mann's legal troubles began in 2002, when his 13-year-old son assaulted him and was sent to a juvenile detention center. Mann, who was unemployed and on disability benefits, was ordered to pay $50 a month for the boy's housing but never did, according to court records.
The judge then incarcerated him in September 2004 for three warrants alleging that Mann wrote bad checks. Then he waited more than a year as his contempt case was postponed again and again.
Texas Justice
Wants To Be King George
Prince Charles
Prince Charles has reportedly discussed rejecting the title King Charles III when he accedes to the throne because of its associations with Britain's bloody past.
The Times said the move away from Charles stems from its associations with Charles I, who was beheaded in 1649 following the English Civil War at the start of Oliver Cromwell's short-lived republic.
The executed monarch's son, Charles II, spent 18 years in exile and returned to Britain in 1660 but was nicknamed "The Merry Monarch" because of his string of mistresses.
Charles is also associated with the Catholic Bonnie Prince Charlie, an enduring Scottish romantic figure, who claimed the throne in the 18th century. A spokesman for Clarence House, Prince Charles's official London residence, was quoted as saying: "One of the questions that we have asked is what he (Charles) will be known as. The decision will be taken at the time."
Prince Charles
Scientists Find Cache of Bones
Dodo Bird
Scientists said Friday they found a major cache of bones and likely complete skeletons of the long-extinct Dodo bird, which could help them learn more about the lost creature's physique and habits.
The find is significant because no complete skeleton of a single Dodo bird has ever been retrieved from a controlled archaeological site in Mauritius. The last known stuffed bird was destroyed in a 1755 fire at a museum in Oxford, England, leaving only partial skeletons and drawings of the bird to go on.
The bird was native to Mauritius when no humans lived there but its numbers rapidly dwindled after the arrival of Portuguese and Dutch sailors in the 1500s. The last recorded sighting of a live bird was in 1663.
Dodo Bird
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