Writer's strike looming

The writer's strike is looming and if they can't agree to a deal by midnight tonight, a meeting will be set for tomorrow for members of the WGA with regards to a strike. It will affect all shows, especially the late night programming that is usually aired daily. Most of those will be forced into reruns until the strike ends.

Starting the season right...

Coach Joe B. Hall speaks...

Steve Beshear will put Kentucky first

Steve Beshear has pledged that we will always know where he stands and that he will always put Kentucky first.

Honest Change

Just over another week! I am posting a video daily until the election!

Coach Joe B. Hall for Senate?

Coach Joe B. Hall for Senate? This draft campaign just got underway. How do you feel about it?

MItch McConnell is vulnerable

The following is from a diary posted on Kos:

A new Herald-Leader/Action News 36 Election Poll is out and McConnell continues to slip. Among the worst news for McConnell was that 46 percent of respondents disapproved of his performance compared to 45 percent who said they like what he’s done — the first time an independent media poll has shown the senator with a higher percentage of disapproval.

McConnell’s numbers are slipping and it’s because of national security and national defense, Lt. Col. Andrew Horne is the best candidate to counter the Republican’s arguments on the war in Iraq. Who else can stand with our Democratic Presidential candidates on the issues other than Lt. Col. Andrew Horne?

This Poll is very encouraging for Lt. Col. Horne; a person who has run only one race is now within 11% of McConnell. This shows that the people of Kentucky are ready for change. Also encouraging is Horne’s low disapproval rating of only 9% compared to a 46% disapproval for McConnell’s. In fact, Horne has the lowest disapproval of any candidate mentioned in the poll this shows Horne is in great position to Ditch Mitch.

This election is a huge, tough, hard fight. This fight is for people like Lt. Col. Andrew Horne with a national profile, people like Andrew who give the Democratic response to President Bush, people like Andrew who have been to Iraq and have seen the situation on the ground.

We need a new face in Kentucky politics one without baggage, not the career politicians who runs for office every year. We need a unifying candidate for all Democrats across the state. We need Lt. Col. Andrew Horne.

It should be noted that while I admire and respect Col. Horne, I have not endorsed anyone in the 2008 Senate race.

St. Louis Cardinals

Add the St. Louis Cardinals Fan application.

BR 302

The following bill, which has been prefiled, must be passed.

BR 302 - Representative Mary Lou Marzian (10/09/07)
A JOINT RESOLUTION relating to the inclusion of the Holocaust in the school curriculum.
Direct the commissioner of education to convene a work group to review Holocaust curricula developed by other states and review the Kentucky core content to determine places where the study of the Holocaust may be included; require the work group to develop a curriculum guide that teachers may use to teach the history of the Holocaust; require the work group to submit a final report and curriculum guide to the commissioner of education and the Kentucky Board of Education no later than March 1, 2009; require the changes to the Kentucky core content be disseminated to local schools to be incorporated into the school curriculum for the 2009-2010 school year; specify that the Department of Education shall disseminate the final report and the curriculum guide to local districts and schools prior to the 2009-2010 school year.

I expect unanimous passage of this bill.

The Ann Coulter Song

You have to watch this video by Leah Kauffman!

The Armenien resolution controversy and more

Several Jewish groups are not a fan of dividing Jerusalem as Olmert wants to do.

Ministers of the current Israeli government publicly have floated their intention to divide and surrender the Jewish People’s capital city and discard our holiest site -- the Temple Mount," reads a letter to groups invited to join a conference call Thursday on the issue of Jerusalem. "We are forming umbrella organizations in the United States and in Israel as well as an international coordinating committee. We have a mandate, an agenda and clear principles."

The letter was signed by Jeffrey Ballabon, an Orthodox Jewish activist in Republican Party politics and Rabbi Pesach Lerner, the chief executive of the National Council of Young Israel. Among the organizations participating or likely to participate are Young Israel, the Orthodox Union, and the Zionist Organization of America, as well as some pro-settler groups.

The congressional resolution to label what the Turkish people did to the Armeniens is drawing a lot of conflicted feelings.

And, despite the overwhelming support of Jewish committee members for the resolution, nowhere was the anguish more palpable than in the comments of some of these lawmakers, as they struggled to balance their Holocaust-related sensitivity to the issue of recognizing genocide and concern for maintaining strong ties with Turkey, a friendly pro-American pro-Israeli Muslim beacon in a hostile neighborhood.

Weighing additionally in the considerations of the Jewish members was an 11th hour plea from Turkey's Jewish community, which fears a rise of anti-Semitism should the resolution pass. Plus, in recent weeks, Turkish spokesmen have noted the outspoken role of some Jews and Jewish organizations in the campaign to pass the resolution and have suggested that relations with Israel could be affected, although Israel has been supportive of Turkish calls to resolve the issue through an international commission.

"This has been tough for me," said U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.), the chairman of the committee's Middle East subcommittee, when announcing his vote in favor of the resolution. "I'm a big fan and supporter of Turkey."

Ackerman looked across at four nonagerian and centenarian survivors of the genocide who had flown in for the hearing -- two from his district. His New York Democratic colleague, Eliot Engel, also contemplated the women as he announced his position: "With a heavy heart, I will vote for this resolution."

The measure is losing support in Congress though and yet even more support.

In lighter news, Evan Bayh will campaign in Iowa for Sen. Clinton. Could Bayh perhaps be named as the next VP candidate?

The French supporting Israel? Wow, there's a shock there. It's a positive change.

Israeli officials quoted Sarkozy as telling Olmert that he considers Israel's creation a "miracle" of the 20th century. Though the French president had a Jewish grandfather, he described his pro-Israel sentiments as less a matter of ancestry and more an acknowledgment of the country's role in introducing democracy to the Middle East.

During his meeting with Olmert, Sarkozy reiterated his strenuous opposition to Iran acquiring nuclear weapons and said Israel's security is a "red line" that must not be crossed. But France has yet to support the idea of preventive military action as a last resort for blocking Tehran's atomic ambitions.

In a further departure from France's traditional equivocation on Middle East affairs, Sarkozy came out against the Palestinians' demand that their refugees get a "right of return" to land now in Israel. According to Israeli officials, Sarkozy said it is unreasonable for Palestinians to expect statehood in the West Bank and Gaza Strip while wanting their compatriots resettled in the neighboring Jewish state.

Talkin' Illinois Politics...

Since I plan to move to Chicago sometime late next year, I figure I should start looking at some of the campaigns up there...no, I am not renaming the blog anytime soon.

This is despicable. How do you expect to get elected to Congress after saying Israel should negotiate with Hamas? That's not a person I want in Congress. Doesn't anyone remember the rule: You don't negotiate with terrorists. It's an unwritten rule but it's still a rule.

At a Daily Kos meeting last Thursday, Seals told audience members that Israel should negotiate with Hamas (reminding you that Hamas is a recognized terrorist organization that even Fatah wants nothing to do with because of all the damage they're doing to Palestinians).

I'm surprised that someone like Jeffrey Schoenberg would support Dan Seals after such comments were made.

State Sen. Jeffrey Schoenberg, a prominent Illinois Democrat and Jewish leader, is not thrilled with the development.

"I've known Jay Footlik for a number of years. He did a fine job as the Jewish liaison in the Clinton White House, but Dan Seals has clearly demonstrated an ability to make a strong case for his legislative agenda, including his unshakable support for the state of Israel."

Seals lost a campaign in 2006 and he had a campaign message against the likes of Bush and Hastert. Clearly, it did not play well in Illinois' 10th congressional district or he would have been elected and not lost by 7% of the vote.

Under President Bill Clinton, Jay Footlik became one of the architects of Clinton's policy towards the Middle East. By far, it's the closet thing we have had to a peace plan between Israel and the Palestinians. Footlik seeks a firm deadline for withdrawing from Iraq. He believes in universal healthcare. He would like to see an America free from dependence on foreign oil.

Mark Kirk is the type of incumbent congressman who will use his money to turn Dan Seals into someone with the reputation of Cynthia McKinney--and believe me, their policy towards the Middle East are very similar. This proves to show even more that Dan Seals cannot win in IL-10.

Congressional campaign rematches almost always turn out the same except that things are different when it's a presidential election year. After a while the rematches get old. We have the ninth district in Indiana as a prime example...I'm pretty sure it's the 9th that has featured a match-up between Baron Hill and Mike Sodrel for the past few campaigns.

Please sign!

NJDC Petition to encourage the media to stop inviting Ann Coulter to appear on their programming.

Ann Coulter

Ann Coulter can fricking go to the frickin' eternal barbeque for all anyone frickin' cares about her. Seriously, why is still allowed to fricking spout off to the media?

The fact that she can spew hurtful things on national television is a disgrace!

Where does she get off on spouting anti-Semitic garbage? Sure, she's a media whore but the fact that no member of the GOP has condemned her and the fact that they have stayed silent means that they have "silently" endorsed what she said.

The ADL has condemned her.

The Anti-Defamation League strongly condemns Ann Coulter for her anti-Semitic comment that Christians "want Jews to be perfected" in an interview with Donny Deutsch on CNBC's "The Big Idea." During her October 8 appearance, Coulter suggested that Jews should convert, adding that, "we just want Jews to be perfected, as they say. … That's what Christianity is."

Ann Coulter may be a political pundit but she clearly knows very little about religious theology and interfaith issues. Coulter's remarks are outrageous, offensive and a throwback to the centuries-old teaching of contempt for Jews and Judaism. The notion that Jews are religiously inferior or imperfect because they do not accept Christian beliefs was the basis for 2,000 years of church-based anti-Semitism. While she is entitled to her beliefs, using mainstream media to espouse the idea that Judaism needs to be replaced with Christianity and that each individual Jew is somehow deficient and needs to be "perfected," is rank Christian supersessionism and has been rejected by the Catholic Church and the vast majority of mainstream Christian denominations.

Clearly, Ann Coulter needs a wake-up call about the power of words to injure others and fuel hatred. She needs an education, too, about the roots of anti-Semitism and the shared values of Judaism and Christianity. Christians and Jews have worked tirelessly for more than 40 years to overcome the past and to promote a more tolerant and pluralistic vision for the future and especially for America.

Donny Deutsch is to be commended for his immediate and forceful denunciation of Coulter's statements, for calling her remarks personally offensive, and for rightly characterizing her suggestion that Jews are inferior to Christians as anti-Semitism.

The NJDC has condemned her and asked the media to stop inviting her on their shows.

Today, the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) called on mainstream media outlets to stop inviting Ann Coulter as a guest commentator/pundit and strongly condemned recent comments that Jews should be “perfected” by accepting the New Testament and that America would be better off if Judaism were “thrown away” and all Americans were Christian.

“While Ann Coulter has freedom of speech, news outlets should exercise their freedom to use better judgment,” said NJDC Executive Director Ira N. Forman. “Just as media outlets don’t invite those who believe that Martians walk the earth to frequently comment on science stories, it’s time they stop inviting Ann Coulter to comment on politics.”

Enough is enough! Ann Coulter is anti-American is she continues to spew such garbarge from her mouth. And the media should be boycotted if she is allowed to do so on TV.

Official Birthday Thread

You know what to do...

Other news...

I've been so busy as of late that I really haven't had the greatest time in the world to blog.

A few weeks back, Senators Evan Bayh and Hillary Clinton held a joint news conference.

Citing Hillary Clinton's devotion to the middle class, Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) endorsed Hillary Clinton for president. "Hillary Clinton is a seasoned, experienced leader who will be ready to lead this country on Day One," Bayh said during a news conference with Clinton.

Bayh, who previously was in the running for the Democratic nomination, is from a Republican-leaning state. Clinton said his endorsement "underscores my commitment for running a national campaign." She compared her presidential run to her previous Senate races, where she campaigned all over the state, including "red New York."

"I believed that I was running to be the Senator for the entire state,” Clinton said, “not a segment of the state, not a set of constituencies in the sate, but the entire state. I feel the very same way about my campaign for the presidency."

The Clintons and Bayhs have a long history together, dating back almost 20 years to when Bill Clinton and Evan Bayh served as governors of Arkansas and Indiana. Now Hillary Clinton and Bayh both serve on the Senate Arms Services Committee and have traveled to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan together.

The question that remains is, does Bayh have vice presidential aspirations? When a reporter asked Clinton and Bayh if the Indiana senator would be a good VP candidate, Bayh appeared as eager as the reporters to hear Clinton's answer. He nervously said to the reporters, "thank you all for coming," and then allowed Clinton to respond.

"It goes without saying that his record of public service is extraordinary," Clinton replied, "and I have the highest personal and professional regard for him."

Democrats around the state are rallying for the slate of candidates.

My 2008 Presidential Endorsement

As many of you know, I was one of many grassroots leaders of Americans for Bayh from late 2004 to sometime in 2006 when Sen. Bayh ended his run for president in December 2006.

I've taken the last several months figuring out the rest of the Democratic field and I finally made an endorsement a few days ago, which I have since emailed to my political contacts. This was made tough by candidates dropping out left and right. I think it is a safe bet right now that Al Gore is not running.

As one knows, I am Jewish and very passionate about issues relating to Israel so I have been busy (during free time) with regards to finding out where the candidates stand on Israel and other relevant issues. On domestic issues, I am in agreement with much of the field but foreign policy is an entirely different story. I have read through the position papers and Sen. Clinton's is one that I find myself in high agreement with.

I have come to the decision of makinng my endorsement in support New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to be the next President of the United States. I have no reservations about this decision and I hope that she names Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh as her choice for VP. I am pleased and honored to join a long list of names such as Bayh, O'Malley, McGovern, and Clark to name a few.

When all is said and done, she will win the Democratic nomination and the presidency.

Saturday Night Live - Iran So Far Digital Short Lyrics

To start the season off, in the September 29th season premiere episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by Lebron James with musical guest Kanye West, we got this latest gem from Andy Samberg featuring Adam Levine, Fred Armisen, and a cameo appearance by Jake Gyllenhall.

Andy Samberg:
They say true love comes only once in a lifetime
And even though we're from opposite ends of the earth
My heart tells me you're the one for me

Mahmoud, I remember when it started, saw you on the news
You hating gays, I was eating food
I was feeling you, and even though I disagree with almost everything you said
You ain't wrong to me, so strong to me, you belong to me
Like a very hairy Jake Gyllenhaal to me
Mahmoud, make my heart beating out of my chest
my mind says no but my body says yes
You ain't no threat, the only threat I see, is the threat of you not coming home to me
Our love for each other is like when atoms collide
Can't express how I feel, and yo Adam let's ride

Adam Levine:
And Iran, Iran so far away is your home, but in my heart you'll stay

Andy Samberg:
He ran, for the president of Iran
We ran together to a tropical island
My man, Mahmoud is known for violence
Smiling, if he can still do it then I can
They call you weasel, they say your methods are medieval
You can play the Jews, I can be your Jim Caviezel

S&M, listening when we're wrestlin'
You can be the port that I put my vessel in
So I try to be concieving but you can still see me
With your sleepy brown eyes, butter pecan thighs
And your hairy butt... Yeah.

Adam Levine:
And Iran, Iran so far away
Come home, and in my arms you'll stay
Used to look at the stars and dream
Around the world the same stars we're seeing
And a twinkle in your eyes Mahmoud

Andy Samberg:
Talk smooth to me, in the night sky
With you pants high waisted, damn so fly
We can take a trip to the animal zoo
And laugh at all the funny things that animals do
Like Eugene, you got me straight trippin' boo
Hope you look at my eyes and say I'm trippin' too
You say Iran don't have a bomb but they already do
You should know by now, it's you

You crazy for this one Mahmoud
So give us another Holocaust all you want
But you can't deny that there's something between us
I know you say there's no gays in Iran
But you're in New York now baby
So time to stop hiding and start living, ONE!

George McGovern endorses Hillary Clinton

Former Senator and 1972 Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern has endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton.

George McGovern, the former South Dakota senator and presidential candidate, endorsed Hillary Clinton in Iowa City on Saturday.

"I think that if we can elect her president, she'll be a greater president even than her brilliant husband," McGovern told the crowd gathered in a hot barn at the Johnson County Democrats' annual barbeque.

Organizers estimated 1,800 people showed up for the event, calling it the biggest crowd in the barbeque's history and noting they had to run out twice for more food.

McGovern talked about the challenges Clinton and her then-boyfriend Bill Clinton faced when they helped run his organization in Texas during his 1972 presidential campaign, predicting he would have an easier time selling her in Iowa than she did selling him in Texas.

He praised Sens. John Edwards and Barack Obama and said he hoped to live to see America elect a black president, but said, "We have an old rule of courtesy in the United States: Ladies first."

Clinton thanked McGovern and went on to deliver a stump speech that touched on health care, rebuilding the middle class and investing in clean energy, before ending with a direct appeal to Iowans to support her in the caucuses.

"Take a hard look at my candidacy. Judge me for who I am. See what I stand for and what I have done for 35 years," Clinton told the audience, many of whom sat on bleachers or folding chairs fanning themselves. "Let's start right here in Iowa and go all the way to the White House."

Seth Rogen hosts Saturday Night Live

The very talented actor-comedian Seth Rogen hosted this past Saturday's episode of Saturday Night Live with musical guest spoon. While none of Rogen's crew with Judd Apatow cameoed, we were treated to a guest appearance of the original Weekend Update anchor, Chevy Chase.

Seth Rogen is everywhere these days. Chances are you saw him this past summer in Knocked Up or SuperBad. If you didn't, you likely saw him in Anchorman, The 40 Year Old Virgin, or the two short-lived sitcoms, Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared.

As far as Spoon goes, what band would name themselves after an eating utensil?

Now, the sketch by sketch analysis.

Cold Open: Kevin Federline (Andy Samberg) brags about his parenting skills after he gained custody of his two children from Britney Spears. He goes on to offer parenting advice despite his being considered a slacker.

Monologue: Seth Rogen wrote his monologue in the mid 90's after he wrote SuperBad with Evan Goldberg. It was very entertaining especially since he lost a friend to the war on North America from the Zorcons. Steven Seagal (Bill Hader) cameos.

Veritas Ultrasound HD (Commercial): The usual post-monologue commercial. Taking off on all the commercials for HD televisions and satelite, here comes the first HD monitor for ultrasounds. No more grainy black and white images on that monitor. Now, with a sponsorship from the NFL, you can find out what your unborn child will look like in a Colts helmet!

2007 National Douchebag Championships: Jason Sudeikis hosts this championship featuring Bill Hader, Seth, and Will Forte. The judges include Sharon Osbourne (Amy Poehler), Gene Simmons (Fred Armisen), and last year's winner, Andy Samberg.

MacGruber: As is the case with the past few times, MacGruber comes in three's and just once, can we get Richard Dean Anderson to cameo?!? In the first one, while being trapped in an abandoned silver mine, his lack of hair is a priority rather than saving himself. Also in this first short are Maya Rudolph and Seth Rogen.

Jeremy and Sasha: Bill Hader and Amy Poehler play the parents of two very creepy children (Seth, Kristen Wiig). At the end of the sketch, Will Forte jumps out the window from the 15th floor.

MacGruber: Take 2. In a deserted tower, the new girlfriend (Kristen Wiig) is introduced to the family but so much for their life.

Fred Thompson '08: Fred Thompson (Darrell Hammond) talks about his low poll numbers and his interest in running in 2008. Sam Waterston (Fred Armisen) gives a stump speech using all the terms from the long running television series, Law and Order. As a satirical note, the ad was created by Dick Wolf.

MacGruber: For this third take, MacGruber is too focused on plastic surgery to his face than worry about the deserted monestary.

Spoon sings "The Underdog."

Weekend Update: This was a bit too long and what was up with "Anita Hill? I need a vacation." Lou Dobbs (Darrell Hammond) talks about the American and Canadian dollar and then rips all the Canadians involved with Saturday Night Live. Later, Willie Randolph (Kenan Thompson) and Omar Minaya (Fred Armisen) try and explain the collapse of the New York Mets. There was another "Really?" bit about Larry Craig. But the highlight came with Chevy Chase making his first appearance in quite some time and he started out by saying "I'm still, and you're still not." Chase talked about both the Democratic and Republican candidates for president in 2008.

America's First Colonists: I can't help but think that Seth Rogen had something to do with this sketch since it was about the failure of one of America's first colonies, Stonetown, due to everyone getting high on weed.

Rowlf & The Swedish Chef: The chef (Andy Samberg) convinves Rowlf (Seth Rogen) to not play "The Rainbow Connection." As such, they jam to Bobby Darin's "Beyond the Sea" instead.

Spoon sings "You Got Your Cherry Bomb."

Mad Joe Dixon: Seth and Maya star in this sketch which was very poorly done, and the final sketch is almost always that type of case.