The other day I was riding down some highway, somewhere, and a very large candy apple red truck with one inhabitant (and no payload) passed me in the fast lane. There was a sticker in the back window, the first line of which read HOW TO ANNOY A LIBERAL... but he was going too fast, so I couldn't read the rest of it.

It struck me that he was managing to annoy this progressive person even without benefit of bumper sticker by adding to global warming by driving a vehicle that gets about ten miles to the gallon

Following this line of thought, here are other ways to Annoy A Librul:

In the Bush Administration, everything is political- especially statistics. The Labor Department has just released a group of statistics intended to pacify the unhappy masses and persuade them that Happy Days Is Here again, despite the mortgage meltdown and $4 plus gas.

The statistics make little sense, but Wall Street is SO happy. The stock market went up! Isn't that wonderful?

(see below for link and discussion)

We DON'T support Donna Edwards, running for Congress in Maryland!

There are a lot of diaries on this blog about how awful Congress is and what can be done to insert a spine and a brain into this quivering pack of fools.

One idea often bandied about is to primary the worst incumbents. Fair enough, but do you think the Obamaramas and the Clintonistas can be lured away from their snowball fight to support a progressive woman who is out there, fighting the good fight?

We are so used to the Republicans goosestepping in unison through the tulips, Party Discipline foremost in each shriveled heart, that is surprising to see them try not to fight each other.

See this article:
http://news.yahoo.com/...

The AP reports that McCain is pleading for party unity!
Who would have thunk?

(more fun below)

I write to Senator Feinstein on what seems to be a monthly basis, on the issues of the hour. She answers, usually a month later, and often after the issue has become irrelevant. However, this letter from Feinstein, dated 1/29/08, still seems to have some relevancy, so I post it for the edification of fellow Kossaks:

Dear _________:Thank you for writing regarding the Bush Administration's request for legislation that would provide immunity for telecommunications companies ...

(more below)

Peregrine falcons are the fastest living thing- they can fly at speeds over 100 mph. They are graceful and amazing to watch. In the late Sixties and early Seventies, peregrine falcons nearly went extinct,for more info:go heredue to the effect of DDT on egg production, and have only come back [even after DDT was banned] due to a concerted effort on the part of scientists, enthusiasts and- falconers.

Humans have captured and trained falcons to hunt for thousands of years. In the USA, a small minority continues this tradition. Falconers must serve an apprenticeship and be  licensed.

The environmental community is not united around the impact of falconry on the environment and falcons. Some feel that falconers cause no harm to the falcon - others are concerned that such a beautiful wild animal is captive for human enjoyment. At any rate, capturing wild falcons has been illegal since the early '70's. There is now pressure to lift the ban.

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Cal State 9 is a five branch credit union in Central California. Started 60 years ago by University of California employees, it was a profitable, well run credit union until very recently. [see this article]
Then the CEO (now former CEO) started lending money on subprime mortgages....

The following was sent to me: it contains the latest Republican
talking points on the So Cal fires.

The So Cal fires are creating a problem for Republicans. First, people are angry because resources that could have been used to fight fires were diverted to Iraq. Second, although my reading has convinced me that global warming has only a minor role in the fires [and idiotic land use policy has a major role ] the

more below--

In an effort to boost the spirits of Kossaks, and because I did a search and couldn't find this posted, check out this AP Report:

Richard Roberts, according to the suit, asked a professor in 2005 to use his students and university resources to aid a county commissioner's bid for Tulsa mayor. Such involvement would violate state and federal law because of the university's nonprofit status. Up to 50 students are alleged to have worked on the campaign.
[read below for more inflammatory stuff]

the square in front of City Hall is filled with people. I see someone who works in the same office building as I do.
"One of my co-workers is out there somewhere"
"One of mine, too"
They are mostly younger people, some pushing baby carriages. The icecream cart pusher walks along with the crowd, hoping for a few sales. Mostly Latino, but a few blacks, a few other nationalities. The Carpenter's Union is out with a banner, so is the Wobblies. Signs, in English and Spanish: "We are all legal" "We want to vote" "No human being is illegal"

Most people like spring. Spring is new beginnings, warmth, flowers and Easter baskets. But- people involved in animal rescue brace for spring. Spring means shelters filling up with unwanted pets, scrambling to find more room for fostering and vet bills going through the roof. Spring is kitten season.

Although cats can have offspring year round, they tend to have kittens in the spring. These kittens are commonly dumped on overloaded shelters. With no adoptive home in sight for most, they are quickly euthanized. Millions of cats are euthanized each year.

Animal shelters are the canary in the coal mine of municipal government.  

UPDATE: This is the Union side of the controversy:
http://www.goiam.org/...

"Washington, D.C., February 01, 2007 – More than 2,700 Machinists union members at Harley-Davidson in York, PA, were forced out of their workplace today after voting to reject a contract that union leaders called a betrayal to workers at the iconic company.

"Harley-Davidson has no business behaving like they’re on the brink of bankruptcy," said Tom Buffenbarger, international president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM). "When Harley was flat on its back in the 1980’s, it was union members who refused to let it die. Harley went on to become an international success story but they’ve obviously forgotten how they got this far."

Unlike most other US vehicle manufacturers, Harley Davidson has consistently made money every year for at least the last ten years. Even Harley is not immune from health care woes, as can be seen from this press release:

In my mailbox this evening was a six by nine envelope with return address "SENATOR JOHN McCAIN." Not used to getting missives from the lunatic right, I opened it. Inside was:

A petition to Senator Barbara Boxer!

Wow. A petition to Senator Boxer from a wingnut? Not only that, said wingnut (in conjunction with one Joseph Lieberman, hiss, boo) wanted Boxer to favorably view legislation on (drum roll, please) GLOBAL WARMING
(more under the flip...)

Diebold is, of course, one of the least loved names around here. A major contributor to Bush & Co., Diebold has managed to manuver itself into numerous government contracts despite making an inferior, easily hackable product.

Diebold hired a firm of attorneys named Jones, Day.

Like many large firms, Jones, Day hires part timers, works them to death for the duration of a large case, and then lays them off. Somehow, these part timers are supposed to feel loyal to the employer that is exploiting them.

Stephen Heller was one of these serfs.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/...

In the midst of all the rejoicing, kudos for those who ran and lost.

For those who, last year, when it all looked kind of hopeless, came forward for the Blue Team. And ran a classy race. Maybe they made a mistake or who, but who among us is perfect?

[more below the fold]

The problem has been that the MSM is not covering the robocall issue- although they are starting to be aware of it. The more the robocall issue is pushed on the Web, the more likely that it will migrate to radio, TV and newspaper.

Netscape is not the most popular portal, but it does have some traction- and the robocall issue is listed on the front page, although you have to scroll a little to get there.
The Netscape portal opens with news of the day, rated by viewers.

Go here:

http://www.netscape.com/...

the robocall issue is 1/2 way down the page. If we rate the robocall issue up, it will be the first thing Netscape people
see when they open the browser

A couple of days ago, I blogged about a demonstration that, to me, did not work. This is about one that did.

(1) Someone found out that a developer had purchased a small plot of waterfront land and was planning to crowd many houses on it, skirting the law about coastal access.

(2) The someone and friends forced an evening hearing about the zoning change requested by the developer, and passed out a few hundred leaflets around the neighborhood, informing the citizenry.

(3) Informed, unhappy citizens crowded the meeting, forcing

There were about two hundred people walking down the street to
rally in front of the Federal Building. Grey haired hippies
and little kids waved banners, urging peace and stopping the killing. The signs and banners were obviously the results of
days of work and very artistic. Two groups pulled eight foot tall paper mache statues of Martin Luther King and Mohandas Ghandi.

(more after the fold)