Deep Within the AutumnForest

Here's a bit:

As his presidency nears its end, a reflective President Bush suggested Tuesday that he regrets some of his more blunt statements on the war on terrorism over the last eight years and said he wishes he had not spoken in front of a "Mission Accomplished" banner only a month after U.S. troops in Iraq were deployed.

"I regret saying some things I shouldn't have said," Bush told CNN's Heidi Collins when asked to reflect on his regrets over his two terms as president. "Like 'dead or alive' and 'bring 'em on.' My wife reminded me that, hey, as president of the United States, be careful what you say."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/11/bush.post.presi
dency/index.html

*falls off couch*  Wait there's more: 

"Bush expressed regret that Republican presidential nominee John McCain did not win the presidency but called the election of Obama "good for our country."

"The election of Barack Obama is an historic moment for our country. There are a lot of people in America who did not believe they would ever see this day. It is good for our country that people have hope in the system and feel vested in the future and President-elect Obama has a great opportunity," Bush said. "I really do wish him all the best. I am just as American as he is American, and it is good for our country that the president succeeds."

MoonOwl

I'm listening to the Vet questions and I wanted to pass on some information on Flea Stoppers.

Here's the link:


http://www.fleastoppers.com/


I found this product many years ago and it works really well.  We've put this product down on our carpets before we've moved into our homes over the years and it delivers on it's claims.

We first used it when we had fleas in the house and it took about about 3 weeks to be totally flea-free. Since then, as I said above, we always pretreated before we moved in to a new home and have no problems w/fleas.

The way this product is formulated it sinks down past the pile as you broom it in so you can clean your carpets and it's still working.

I use no flea products on my pets themselves and we haven't had a problem since.  It works longer than the label states too.  In our last home we didn't have to reapply for 5 years. Not one, as stated. We've been in this home 5 years also and still no fleas.

FleaStoppers isn't cheap, but I consider all the monies saved by not buying topical stuff for my pets and feel it is a reasonable price.

Just thought I'd pass that on.
MoonOwl

Here's a bit from The Telegraph:

Sarah Palin's attacks on Barack Obama's patriotism provoked a spike in death threats against the future president, Secret Service agents revealed during the final weeks of the campaign.

The Republican vice presidential candidate attracted criticism for accusing Mr Obama of "palling around with terrorists", citing his association with the sixties radical William Ayers.

The attacks provoked a near lynch mob atmosphere at her rallies, with supporters yelling "terrorist" and "kill him" until the McCain campaign ordered her to tone down the rhetoric.

But it has now emerged that her demagogic tone may have unintentionally encouraged white supremacists to go even further.

The Secret Service warned the Obama family in mid October that they had seen a dramatic increase in the number of threats against the Democratic candidate, coinciding with Mrs Palin's attacks.

http://tinyurl.com/6saz8t


Wasn't that her 'unofficial' mission?  Rile the Conservatives?  She certainly didn't stop her speeches to say "Not Cool".  At least not while she was here in Florida.  Once again, they wonder why they lost? duh.  I guess we should be happy she didn't call him the Anti-Christ?  Just leave that to their supporters to come up with all on their own.

MoonOwl

Here's a bit:

TONY Blair could face the prospect of an International Criminal Court investigation for alleged coalition war crimes in Iraq.

The court's chief prosecutor said at the weekend that he would be willing to launch an inquiry and could envisage a scenario in which the British Prime Minister and US President George Bush could one day face charges at The Hague.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo urged Arab countries, particularly Iraq, to sign up to the court to enable allegations against the West to be pursued. Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations said that his country was actively considering signing up.

The US has refused to accept the court's jurisdiction and is unlikely to hand over any of its citizens to face trial. However, Britain has signed up and the Government has indicated its willingness to tackle accusations of war crimes against a number of British soldiers.

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/03/18/117415
2881638.htm

MoonOwl

Here's the link:


http://www.change.gov/


There is an option to write in and I thought I'd post this so those that have something to say can go ahead and say it.

I'm sure President-Elect Obama would love to hear what you are thinking.

Make your praise or peeves known.

TGIF!
MoonOwl

Soon we will be done with campaign ads!!!!!!!  Thank Goodness!

We should really work on passing a law that ads that contain bogus information should never make the airwaves.  Hard facts only.  Like that's gonna happen.

Anyways, Cheers to the end of the ads.  Until the next election..

MoonOwl

Here's a bit:

WASHINGTON (AP) — That smiling guy walking down the street? Odds are he's a Barack Obama backer. The grouchy looking one? Don't ask, and don't necessarily count on him to vote on Tuesday, either.

More John McCain supporters feel glum about the presidential campaign while more of Obama's are charged up over it, according to an Associated Press-Yahoo! News poll released Saturday.

The survey shows McCain backers have become increasingly upset in recent weeks, a period that has seen Obama take a firm lead in many polls. One expert says the contrasting moods could affect how likely the two candidates' supporters are to vote on Election Day, possibly dampening McCain's turnout while boosting Obama's.

While 43 percent of the Democrat Obama's backers said they are excited over the campaign, just 13 percent of McCain's said so, according to the survey of adults, conducted by Knowledge Networks. Six in 10 Obama supporters said the race interests them, compared to four in 10 backing McCain, the Republican senator from Arizona.

On the flip side, 52 percent of McCain supporters said the campaign has left them frustrated, compared to 30 percent of Obama's. A quarter of McCain backers say they feel helpless, double the rate of those preferring Obama, the Illinois senator.

More McCain supporters also feel angry and bored, while Obama's are likelier to say they are proud and hopeful.

All of this is a bad sign for McCain, according to George E. Marcus, a political scientist from Williams College who has studied the role emotion plays in politics. Negative feelings about a campaign can discourage voters by making them less likely to go through what can be a painful process: Voting for someone who will lose.

http://news.yahoo.com/page/election-2008-political-
pulse-voter-emotions

Judging by the heightened flinging of insults and garbage I've noticed from McCain supporters, this poll has a point.

MoonOwl

I read this article over the weekend:

Brown lawn means jail time

http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/article8
47365.ece

Then low & behold I just saw this:

Man jailed for brown lawn gets help from neighbors

http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/article8
50257.ece

Well, there ya go. Perhaps the spirit of America isn't dead after all?

Cheers to Andy Law for doing something about it besides bytch at the injustice of it all.

MoonOwl

Here's a small bit:

"There were no fireworks so a lot of people probably missed it. We even forgot to mention it here on The Swamp when it happened though we saw the reports. Anyway, on the last day of September, the national debt hit $10 trillion plus.

President Bush signed legislation in July that raised the debt ceiling to $10.615 trillion. Meanwhile, the financial bailout legislation passed by the Senate last night would raise the debt ceiling further to $11.315 trillion.

Here's something else worth knowing. The gross national debt as a percentage of the gross domestic product has, under the Bush Administration, hit a 50-year high. The following two charts illustrate the trend nicely:"

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/200
8/10/national_debt_topped_10_trilli.html

10 Trillion and counting.....
MoonOwl

In my daily surfs I come across all sorts of stuff.  Some turns out to be true and some turns out to be bunk.  I came across this one and thought I'd post it.  I've heard that 03/09 is the date for the "Amero" to make its debut.  If that itself isn't bunk.  But this one I just had to share w/all the hubris about the "Rescue Plan"  Here's a bit :

US Ships 800 Billion AMEROS to China; Prepares to De-Monetize the US Dollar

The US Secretary of the Treasury has informed the China Development Bank that the US has shipped $800 Billion of a new currency called the Amero, which is to be based upon the merging of the economies of The United States, Mexico and Canada into what is termed as The North American Union.

The current American debt obligation to China, currently based on the US Dollar, is now estimated to be the staggering sum of $2.5 Trillion, and which this new Amero will be exchanged for $400 Billion of this debt as the current American currency is set to be devalued by 50 percent before the end of the year.

http://halturnershow.blogspot.com/2008/10/us-ships-
800-billion-ameros-to-china.html

Shall we all hope this is just another bunch of bunk?  I guess we'll know soon enough.
MoonOwl
:

  

Here's one for mmustangg.  A bit:

When a Democratic takeover of Congress put Christopher Dodd in charge of the powerful Senate Banking Committee, Connecticut's senior senator eagerly met with reporters, outlining his generally pro-industry positions, but pledging to put consumers — and the long-term health of the economy — first.

"At the end of my tenure on this committee," Dodd said in early 2007, "I want it to be said that the safety and soundness of our financial institutions was not weakened on my watch."

A year and a half later, Dodd acknowledges that the nation's finances are in an "economic maelstrom." And while Washington engages in an urgent search for after-the-fact fixes, there is also plenty of finger-pointing, and there are enduring questions about whether campaign cash — millions and millions in campaign cash — blinded Dodd and other overseers to the excesses of industry.

http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-dodd0929.artse
p29,0,3321771.story

As of right now, the bail out has failed. 

All responsible for creating the need for the bailout should be held to account. Which ever side of the aisle they reside.

MoonOwl

Here's a bit:

"On Wednesday, the House passed a mammoth defense bill by a 392-39 vote. It's expected to clear the Senate with little difficulty next week.

It was part of a trillion-dollar stop-gap measure to keep programs running through next March, allowing lawmakers to skip town without passing a final budget. The Associated Press reports, "The legislation came together in a remarkably secret process that concentrated decision-making power in the hands of a few lawmakers."

In keeping with the tradition of recent years, Bush held a gun to his own head and threatened to pull the trigger if his demands weren't met. According to the AP, "To earn President Bush's signature rather than a veto, House and Senate negotiators dropped several provisions he opposed. They include a ban on private interrogators in U.S. military detention facilities and what would have amounted to congressional veto power over a security pact with Iraq."

In other words, Congress also maintained recent tradition, swearing not to give Bush a blank check and then whipping out their pens and signing a blank check."

http://www.alternet.org/workplace/100524/wi
th_all_eyes_on_the_bailout%2C_house_passes_trillion-dol
lar_defense_bill/

MoonOwl

Here it is. The Ciip of Rep. Burgess speaking is at the link:

Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) reports from the floor of the House that the Republicans have been cut out of the process and called unpatriotic for not blindly supporting the fraudulent bailout. He says the only debate has been about what talking points to use on the American people. The most ominous revelation is when he claims the Speaker has declared martial law.

“I have been thrown out of more meetings in this capital in the last 24 hours than I ever thought possible, as a duly elected representative of 825,000 citizens of north Texas.” Said Congressman Burgess.

Burgess asks the Speaker of the House to post the bailout bill on the internet for at least 24 hours instead of passing the largest piece of legislation in US financial history in the “dark of night.”

The most frightening part of Rep. Burgess’ one-minute floor speech is when he says, “Mr. Speaker I understand we are under Martial Law as declared by the speaker last night.”

http://www.dailynewscaster.com/2008/09/28/rep-m
ichael-burgess-we-are-under-martial-law/

Say What?  Where?  In DC?  Nationwide?  Rep. Burgess doesn't sound like he's joking.  Misinformed perhaps?  Just in time for the Army to hit the streets? 

Interesting.  I guess if he's indeed correct, we'll know by tomorrow?
MoonOwl

Here's a bit:

WASHINGTON -- Automobile-finance companies lead a growing list of liquidity-starved industries trying to get in on the huge government rescue plan targeted originally at cleaning up bad mortgage bets.

As Congress crafts a $700 billion federal government plan to buy up financial companies' troubled assets, auto-finance-company lobbyists are pressing for specific language including them in the plan, according to a lobbyist for one of the Big Three auto makers.

Other businesses, such as student and credit-card lenders, also could eventually access the program. To permit that, House and Senate versions of the bill written overnight -- with lobbyist input -- now include language broadening the types of assets eligible for sale under the plan, from "mortgage-related" to "troubled assets." The bill now goes by the acronym TARP, for Troubled Asset Relief Program.

http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB1222128510994
65403-lMyQjAxMDI4MjIyMzEyMjM4Wj.html

Here they come....
MoonOwl

Here's a bit of an article I found and thought I'd post it here instead of continually dragging another blog off topic:


"According to the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman newspaper, Emmons did not mince words when Palin asked her "how I would deal with her saying a book can't be in the library" on Oct. 28, 1996, in a week when the mayor had asked department heads for letters of resignation.

"She asked me if I would object to censorship, and I replied 'Yup'," Emmons told a reporter. "And I told her it would not be just me. This was a constitutional question, and the American Civil Liberties Union would get involved, too."

The Rev. Howard Bess, a liberal Christian preacher in the nearby town of Palmer, said the church Palin and her family attended until 2002, the Wasilla Assembly of God, was pushing to remove his book from local bookstores.

Emmons told him that year that several copies of "Pastor I Am Gay" had disappeared from the library shelves, Bess said.

"Sarah brought pressure on the library about things she didn't like," Bess said. "To believe that my book was not targeted in this is a joke."

Other locals said the dust-up had been blown out of proportion.

"That was many years ago and Sarah never had any intention to ban books," said David Chappel, who served as Palin's deputy mayor for three years. "There were some vocal people in the minority, and it looks like they're still out there.""

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080912/ap_on_el_pr/palin_
librarian


Sounds like a bit more than just wanting to know the procedure of banning books.  But, I'm a peabrain so what do I know...

MoonOwl