Swamp Thing

We are going to win this sucker

Word is spreading--we are going to win this sucker. Bush's poll numbers are climbing as are the poll numbers supporting the war. SwampThing's shoulder hurts from patting itself on the back... See the story at the examiner.com -The surge is working. What now?

Hounds

Swamp Thing knows that the shy readers who come to this little oasis pack it in and pack it out. But, someone sent an email--a Jim Williams of the Intelligence Innovation Division. (Let's not say more.) His email  expresses his " ...profoundest gratitude for covering, at no small risk , the issue most disturbing to us Virginians, to wit, the temerity of some of our Loyalist neighbors to actually complain about our legal, nay, natural (italicized), right to let our hounds, painted or otherwise, run over the whole of the commonwealth if that it what it takes to flush out coons and other varmints."

Democrats are willing to risk another intelligence failure rather than offend MoveOn.Org--Somebody here needs to Get Smart.

A stupid game of chicken is playing out in Washington over limitations on our intelligence apparatus. The Democrats' who are so invested in losing this war are now pressing for wiretap warrants for all but
known terrorists.  The White House's inability to go to the American public in outrage  is hampered by negotiations over production of documents in a congressional investigation of the warrantless wiretap
program.

Here's an excerpt from today's WSJ Opinion page: "Mr. Bush's January decision to subject these wiretaps to the supervision of the special FISA court has eroded intelligence even further. In many cases, the National Security Agency now needs a warrant to tap even foreign-to-foreign contacts that happen to be
routed through U.S. telephone switches. No wonder Osama bin Laden thinks America is a "weak horse." Our politicians are behaving with all the gravitas of Don Adams listening to the phone in his shoe in
"Get Smart."

Democrats are the worst actors here because they won't even agree to mere six-month legal fix before they leave town this weekend for their August vacation. The White House has already compromised far too much and is only asking for two main temporary changes: Allow foreign-to-foreign calls to be tapped without a warrant. And if Democrats won't give the phone companies retroactive liability protection, then at least give them prospective immunity so they can cooperate from now on.

But even this is proving to be too much for Democratic leaders, who are apparently worried more about MoveOn.org than they are about another intelligence failure. They say they want to fix the foreign-to-foreign problem. But they're worried that a suspected foreign terrorist might call someone in the U.S., either a citizen or permanent resident, and so they have been insisting that any wiretap on that terrorist's communications require a warrant from the FISA court.

Thus if Ayman al-Zawahiri calls a terror cell in Detroit to give the green light for an operation, the NSA had better get a warrant before it listens in. Warrants for wiretaps on such calls originating overseas have never been required on FISA, for the obvious reason that foreign enemies don't deserve the same due process protections as U.S. citizens. What Democrats are seeking is an entirely new restriction on the executive branch's ability to gather intelligence during wartime.

By our deadline yesterday evening, Democrats were also still insisting on limiting warrantless wiretaps to known "foreign terrorists." Admiral McConnell, the DNI, wants to be able to listen in to the larger universe of "foreign targets" as well, because America's enemies include state actors and others who may not be terrorists or linked to al Qaeda. In other words, Democrats want the NSA to get a warrant even to listen to, say, North Korean spies."

Read the entire  editorial.

"The Gospel of Freedom"-- A Good Movie for Kids

It's a movie about liberty, of all things. It takes the unusual viewpoint that a free market creates liberty and points to entrepeneurs who have made thriving businesses out of such things as cow manure. This movie is not B--------t.  See a review The Gospel of Freedom.

Surely them raccoons are gonna git us now...

If bureaucrats in the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries have their way the rights of hunting dogs to run freely over hill and  dale will be restricted. Apparently, some landowners are unhappy with packs of spray-painted hounds running freely and loudly during the fall. See this article Hunting dogs may tress in Virginia - for now on the questions of whose hand whipped the hands that nipped at the heels of some developer and whose hand stayed the hounds that bay for the soul of old Virginia.... At the rate things are going around here the only sports left  in Virginia will be kicking or throwing a ball around. If you deplore the shape of things to come--contact the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.  I believe that the mother of Albert Pollard, the Democratic candidate for the open House of Delegates seat,  was just named to the Board.

But, just for the fun of it here's another link from The Onion about hunting dogs on the loose in Bammy. Check this Alabama Braces for Raccoon Attacks After Coonhounds Go Missing.

Virginia League of Conservation Voters Endorses Albert Pollard for State Senate

Richmond, VA…The Virginia League of Conservation Voters has endorsed Albert Pollard for state Senate in the 28th District.  The Virginia League of Conservation Voters is the statewide nonpartisan political voice of Virginia’s conservation community.  VALCV is dedicated to getting candidates elected who promote conservation and balanced growth.

“Albert has always been a strong advocate for our environment and will continue to work hard for legislation clean up the Bay.  He has always been a strong supporter of VALCV and we in turn support his candidacy for State Senate.” said Lisa Guthrie, VALCV Executive Director. 

      “I have never met anyone as capable as Albert is of standing up to the crowd in Richmond and getting real results for our state and its environment.” Guthrie continued. 

For five years straight, Albert received a near-perfect rating from the Virginia League of Conservation Voters in VALCV’s annual legislative scorecard.  More information about legislative scores or conservation candidates can be found at www.valcv.org.

“To have the support of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters means a lot to me and this campaign because conservation and working to prevent sprawl are important issues to the voters of the 28th Senate District.  With their support I will be able to fight for the issues that matter to the voters and help preserve our quality of life.” said Pollard. 

For more information on Albert’s accomplishments for the environment, please see his website www.pollardforsenate.com.

    Pollard is running for the 28th Senate District seat held by Senator John Chichester, who has decided to retire after serving Virginia for 29 years.  Pollard represented the 99th House of Delegates District for six years.  The election will be held November 6. 

Republicans and Independents hold event for Albert Pollard

Former Republican Governor Linwood Holton hosts successful event for Pollard in Irvington

    Irvington – On Saturday at the home of Bob Lee and Suzy Stephens in Irvington Governor Holton, Virginia’s first Republican Governor, kicked off a group named “Republicans and Independents for Pollard” to support Albert Pollard’s bid for State Senate. 

“Regardless of party, I support candidates who will do the right thing for Virginia and that is why Albert if the right person for the job.” said Governor Holton.  “I worked hard to create a system where party labels don’t stop qualified candidates from getting elected.  Albert is the right man for Virginia – regardless of your party label.”

Gov. Holton told the story of when he was first campaigning back in the 60’s and having asked someone why they were going to vote for him the person replied “You have shaken my hand 5 times this week and asked for my vote.  Anyone who works that hard deserves my vote.”  Governor Holton followed by saying “That is how hard Albert has worked representing our values -- and he will do so again.” 

Over 200 self-ascribed Republicans and Independents attended the event in Irvington to show their support of Albert Pollard’s run for State Senate. 

Pollard said, “It is an honor to have Governor Holton host an event for my state senate campaign, the problems that face Virginia do not know partisan boundaries and we must work across party lines to fix our broken system.” 

“Unfortunately, often partisan battles are about power but not about fixing the problem, I pledge to use common sense and not to get caught up in the bickering.  Making Virginia a better place is not about party politics, it is about finding the right solutions.” continue pollard. 

    Pollard is running for the 28th Senate District seat held by Senator John Chichester, who has decided to retire after serving Virginia for 29 years.  He represented the 99th House of Delegates District for six years and prided himself in working across party lines.  The election will be held in November. 

Report: Man with Almost No Brain Has Led Normal Life

This item qualifies for this blog because the man with the itty bitty brain is a civil servant.  Probably works for the DMV Francaise.

"French doctors are amazed that a 44-year-old civil servant with an abnormally small brain has led a normal life with a slightly lower than normal IQ, according to a report on Physorg.com." Here is the story at foxnews.com  .

Pelosi, "the reformer" signs whopping farm subsidy bill

-- The Speaker of the House who promised the most ethical congress in history is now confronted with the lowest approval ratings for congress in history.  SwampThing notes that Congress was  able to beat President Bush by getting lower ratings with much greater speed than he has been able to achieve in seven years of office.

Pelosi is now getting failing marks from her San Francisco congressional district where local activists are steamed that she approved the humongous porking farm subsidy bill.  Hey, ethical, schmethical...it's all about keeping freshmen Democrats from rural districts in office....ka-ching.... here's the article in the San Francisco Chronicle.

USDA gives new meaning to "Death Benefits" as over a billion dollars paid to dead farmers

Does it come as a surprise that the USDA does not review their files to make certain that agricultural subsidies are properly made? According to the Washington Post, there is no review in over forty percent of the cases. A report on the waste will be released in the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday. Here's an excerpt from the Post story:

"In a selection of 181 cases from 1999 to 2005, the Government Accountability Office found that officials approved payments without any review 40 percent of the time.

The report cited a 1,900-acre soybean and corn farm in Illinois that collected $400,000 on behalf of an owner who lived in Florida before his death in 1995. The company did not notify the government of the death but certified each year that the dead shareholder, who owned 40 percent of the company, was "actively engaged" in managing the farm.

Most estates are allowed to collect farm payments for up to two years after an owner's death, giving heirs time to restructure their businesses and probate the will. After that, local USDA officials must certify every year that the estate is still farming and has remained open for reasons other than simply collecting subsidies.

But the GAO report found that the Agriculture Department depends on heirs and businesses to alert the agency to deaths and does not use other sources, such as Social Security records, to confirm eligibility. The report was prepared at the request of Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), a frequent critic of large subsidies to wealthy farms. It is expected to be publicly released Tuesday at a Senate Finance Committee hearing."