Michael Moore, nuts...but what about DNC Fowler?

Well, this ain't funny Moore, but neither were the comments overheard on a flight from Denver to Charlotte by former National Chairmen of the DNC, Don Fowler, and Congressman John Spratt of South Carolina.

On www.atlasshrugs2000.typepad Pamela Geller"s blog, shows the video with the following information on it. While checking out YouTube, the video seems to have disappeared, but the following is still posted. Sorry for my redundancy, but anyone with any decency at all would never wish what happened in Katrina to happen again.

For example, they made fun of Sarah Palin for several minutes, Fowler calling her "Dan Quayle" on steroids and Spratt creatively describing her as "just terrible." They both agreed that, "Other than the simple fact that she's a female," she has nothing to offer.

So you see, it's funny. That New Orleans will get a hurricane. That's funny because it is due to hit when President Bush is scheduled to speak. Isn't that cool?

Update today...surprise, surprise

http://www.redstate.com/diaries/absentee/2008/aug/30/fowler-fouls-hurricane-is-gods-favor-to-dem/

BREAKING: Statement from SCGOP Chairman Katon Dawson

"The outrageous behavior of two of the Obama campaign's highest profile supporters in the south is despicable, a cynical politization of life and death. I call on Barack Obama to immediately denounce Fowler and Spratt and demand sincere apologies from these members of the Democratic leadership."

then the "jeeper's jerk", Michael Moore states in an interview...

Michael Moore: Hurricane Coming During GOP Convention 'Proof There Is a God in Heaven'
Controversial filmmaker admits he's delighted to see a natural disaster potentially interfere with the Republican event.

By Jeff Poor
Business & Media Institute
8/30/2008 12:13:18 AM

Sometime you really have wonder at what cost some are willing to see their political ideology advanced.

To liberal documentary filmmaker Michael Moore, the bounds are seemingly endless. Moore has made a recent career out of attacking President George W. Bush, bashing conservatives and criticizing business. His latest outrage occurred on MSNBC’s August 29 “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” and when he commented about the coincidental timing of an unfortunate disaster – the potential for Hurricane Gustav to make landfall at the beginning of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn.

“I was just thinking, this Gustav is proof that there is a God in heaven,” Moore said, laughing. “To have it planned at the same time – that it would actually be on its way to New Orleans for day one of the Republican Convention, up in the Twin Cities – at the top of the Mississippi River.”

After that comment, Moore backed off a bit and did say he hoped nobody got hurt and he hoped everybody is taking cover. However, he failed to make note of the $43.625 billion in damage the last hurricane to strike New Orleans caused – Hurricane Katrina in 2005 – and the billions of dollars the storm cost taxpayers.

Moore also took the opportunity to take a dig at President George W. Bush and the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain.

“I can’t see what you showed,” Moore said to “Countdown” host Keith Olbermann about a video clip including Bush and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. celebrating McCain’s birthday. “I don’t know if you showed the cake there that they had there, three years ago today – with McCain and Bush. When Marie Antoinette – when she said, ‘Let them eat cake,’ I think she was speaking figuratively. They literally were while New Orleans was drowning – eating cake. So, it’s, um, I don’t know – let’s hope things get better.”

Is the CHANGE the Democrats are seeking, include the misery of millions of others? What more do they want? Oh, I bet it is total annihilation of conservative thought.

Olbermann, whose opinions tend to fall on the same far left end of the ideological spectrum as Moore, said it was even weirder than Moore observed. Olbermann said “one of” Focus on the Family preachers connected to Chairman Dr. James Dobson’s was allegedly calling for everyone to pray for rain during Sen. Barack Obama’s Democratic convention speech.

Moore told Olbermann he feared McCain would continue the wars that we are in and would start a new one with Iran. He defended Iran’s aggressive tactic with nuclear weapons by suggesting that if Iran invaded Mexico and Canada, as we had with Iraq and Afghanistan, even he and Olbermann would “build whatever we could do defend ourselves.”

Both Olbermann and Moore were full of praise for Obama’s speech and Moore chalked McCain’s selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to cynicism on part of the Republican Party.

Moore has been a crusader for socialized health care in the United States, especially with his 2007 documentary “SiCKO.” Moore depicted the health care systems used in Canada, France, the United Kingdom and the communist nation of Cuba as what the United States should have – an expensive taxpayer-funded health care system.

Less we forget...OUR Social Security

Just in case some of you young whippersnappers (& some older ones) didn't know this.

It's easy to check out, if you don't believe it. Be sure and show it to your kids. They need a little history lesson on what's what and it doesn't matter whether you are Democrat of Republican. Facts are Facts!!!

Our Social Security

Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, introduced the Social Security (FICA) Program.
He promised:

1.) That participation in the Program would be Completely voluntary,

2.) That the participants would only have to pay 1% of the first $1,400 of their annual Incomes into the Program,

3.) That the money the participants elected to put into the Program would be deductible from their income for tax
purposes each year,

4.) That the money the participants put into the independent 'Trust Fund' rather than into the general operating fund,
and therefore, would only be used to fund the Social Security Retirement Program, and no other Government program, and,

5.) That the annuity payments to the retirees would never be taxed as income.

Since many of us have paid into FICA for years and are now receiving a Social Security check every month -- and then
finding that we are getting taxed on 85% of the money we paid to the Federal government to 'put away' --
you may be interested in the following:

Q: Which Political Party took Social Security from the independent 'Trust Fund' and put it into the general fund so that Congress could spend it?

A: It was Lyndon Johnson and the democrat controlled House and Senate.

Q: Which Political Party eliminated the income tax deduction for Social Security (FICA) withholding?

A: The Democrat Party.

Q: Which Political Party started taxing Social Security annuities?

A: The Democrat Party, with Al Gore casting the 'tie-breaking' deciding vote as President of the Senate,
while he was Vice President of the US.

Q: Which Political Party decided to start giving annuity payments to immigrants?

A: That's right! Jimmy Carter and the Democrat Party.

Immigrants moved into this country, and at age 65, began to receive Social Security payments!

The Democratic Party gave these payments to them, even though they never paid a dime into it!

Then, after violating the original contract (FICA), the Democrats turn around and tell you that the Republicans want to take your Social Security away!

And the worst part about it is uninformed citizens believe it!

If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of awareness will be planted and maybe changes will evolve.

Maybe not, some Democrats are awfully sure to keep it 'as is' and even 'some' Republicans!!!! scary stuff huh?

But it's worth a try. How many people can YOU send this to?

Actions speak louder than bumper stickers.

CONGRESS GIVES THEMSELVES 100% RETIREMENT FOR ONLY SERVING ONE TERM!!

'A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.'
Thomas Jefferson

McCain's veep choice is historic and hardly known

Just in from AP

AP
By STEVE QUINN and CALVIN WOODWARD, Associated Press Writers 19 minutes ago

JUNEAU, Alaska - In two short years, Sarah Palin moved from small-town mayor with a taste for mooseburgers to the governor's office and now — making history — to John McCain's side as the first female running mate on a Republican presidential ticket.
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She has more experience catching fish than dealing with foreign policy or national affairs.

Talk about a rocketing ascent.

In turning to her, McCain picked an independent figure in his own mold, one who has taken on Alaska's powerful oil industry and, at age 44, is three years younger than Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and a generation younger than McCain, 72.

Palin's selection was a jaw-dropper, as McCain passed over many other better known prospects, some of whom had been the subject of intense speculation for weeks or months. "Holy cow," said her father, Chuck Heath, who got word something was up while driving to his remote hunting camp.

Palin had been in the running-mate field but as a distinct long shot.

She brings a strong anti-abortion stance to the ticket and opposes gay marriage — constitutionally banned in Alaska before her time — but exercised a veto that essentially granted benefits to gay state employees and their partners.

"She knows where she comes from, and she knows who she works for," McCain said in introducing her to an Ohio rally. "She stands up for what's right, and she doesn't let anyone tell her to sit down." He said: "She's exactly who I need."

Said Palin: "I didn't get into government to do the safe and easy things. A ship in harbor is safe, but that's not why the ship is built."

Democrats seized on the gaping experience gap and said McCain now has no business questioning the seasoning of their nominee. Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York said McCain was taking a "roll of the dice" and declared that Palin's "lack of experience makes the thought of her assuming the presidency troubling."

Palin lives in Wasilla, a town of 6,500 about 30 miles north of Anchorage, with her husband, Todd, a blue-collar North Slope oil worker who won the 2007 Iron Dog, a 1,900-mile snowmobile race. He is part Yup'ik Eskimo. The two have spent summers fishing commercially for salmon, an enterprise that once left her with broken fingers aboard their boat.

Typically seen walking the Capitol halls in black or red power suits while reading text messages on Blackberry screens in each hand, Palin made a recent appearance in fashion magazine Vogue.

"At first they had me in a bunch of furs," she said of the photo shoot. "Yeah, I have furs on my wall, but I don't wear furs. I had to show them my bunny boots and my North Face clothing."

Palin's clean-hands reputation has come into question with an investigation recently launched by a legislative panel into whether she dismissed Alaska's public safety commissioner because he would not fire her former brother-in-law as a state trooper. Trooper Mike Wooten went through a messy divorce from Palin's sister.

The governor denied orchestrating the dozens of telephone calls made by her husband and members of her administration to Wooten's bosses. She says she welcomes the investigation: "Hold me accountable."

Palin, who led the Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter at her high school, could help McCain's standing with social conservatives who have been skeptical of him.

McCain Chooses the Right One, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin!

As if you didn't know by now, John McCain just made history today by adding Alaskan Reformer, and Governor, Sarah Palin to his ticket.

Had you listened to the announcement, you REALLY could hear and see the excitement in the air.

As I am on "antenna" in the wilds of the Mississippi Delta, where no cable exists, I wasn't privy to McCain, himself, speak...but had known that the announcement should come at mid-day today, checked fellow bloggers, who knew before I did, who the pick would be.

Enough of that said...KUDO'S to McCain for his deliberate selection.

Palin is a maverick, who set her path early to reform the status quo in her own state! She called for and got the Public Safety Commissioner fired when he would not fire a state trooper, her brother-in-law.

AP put its much better than I can

MCCain chooses Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin

By LIZ SIDOTI and BETH FOUHY, Associated Press Writers 4 minutes ago

DAYTON, Ohio - John McCain picked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a maverick conservative with less than two years in office, as his vice presidential running mate Friday in a startling choice announced on the eve of the Republican National Convention.


At a raucous rally in the swing state of Ohio, McCain introduced Palin as the political partner "who can best help me shake up Washington and make it start working again for the people who are counting on us."

"I am honored," she said moments later in her first turn in the national spotlight.

In a fast-developing presidential campaign, McCain made his selection six days after his Democratic rival, Barack Obama, named Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, as his running mate.

The contrast between the two announcements was remarkable — Obama, 47, picked a 65-year-old running mate with long experience in government and a man whom he said was qualified to be president.

McCain, 72, chose a 44-year-old running mate who until recently was the mayor of small-town Wasilla, Alaska — and made no claim she was ready to sit in the Oval Office.

It wasn't a point lost on Obama's campaign.

"Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency," Adrianne Marsh, a spokeswoman for Obama, said in a written statement.

Unlike Biden, who attacked McCain sharply in his debut last week, Palin was indirect in her initial attempts to elevate McCain over Obama.

"There is only one candidate who has truly fought for America and that man is John McCain," she said as the Arizona senator beamed. McCain was a prisoner of war for more than five years in Vietnam.

Palin made an immediate play for support from Democratic women, mentioning that she followed in the footsteps of Geraldine Ferraro, who was the Democratic vice presidential running mate in 1984.

She also referred favorably to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who drew 18 million votes in her unsuccessful run against Obama for the Democratic nomination.

"But it turns out the women of America aren't finished yet and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all," she said.

Palin has a strong anti-abortion record, and her selection was praised warmly by social conservatives whose support McCain needs to prevail in the campaign for the White House.

"It's an absolutely brilliant choice," said Mathew Staver, dean of Liberty University School of Law. "This will absolutely energize McCain's campaign and energize conservatives," he predicted.

With his pick, McCain passed over more prominent contenders like Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, as well as others such as former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, whose support for abortion rights might have sparked unrest at the convention that opens Monday in St. Paul, Minn.

The timing of McCain's selection appeared designed to limit any political gain Obama derives from his own convention, which ended Thursday night with his nominating acceptance speech before an estimated 84,000 in Invesco Field in Colorado.

Public opinion polls show a close race between Obama and McCain, and with scarcely two months remaining until the election, neither contender can allow the other to jump out to a big post-convention lead.

At 44, she is younger than two of McCain's seven children.

She is three years Obama's junior, as well — and McCain has made much in recent weeks of Obama's relative lack of experience in foreign policy and defense matters.

In its formal announcement, the campaign pointed to her powers as head of the Alaska National Guard and the mother of a soldier herself as evidence that she "understands what it takes to lead our nation..."

McCain has had months to consider his choice, and has made it clear to reporters that one of his overriding goals was to avoid a situation like 1988, when little known Sen. Dan Quayle was thrown into a national campaign with little preparation.

A self-styled hockey mom and political reformer, Palin was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, population 6,500, until she became governor.

Palin flew overnight to an airport in Ohio near Dayton, and even as she awaited her formal introduction, some aides said they had believed she was at home in Alaska.

She became governor of her state in December, 2006 after ousting a governor of her own party in a primary and then dispatching a former governor in the general election.

More recently, she has come under the scrutiny of an investigation by the Republican-controlled legislature into the possibility that she ordered the dismissal of Alaska's public safety commissioner because he would not fire her former brother-in-law as a state trooper.

Palin has a long history of run-ins with the Alaska GOP hierarchy, giving her genuine maverick status and reformer credentials that could complement McCain's image.

Two years ago, she ousted the state's Republican incumbent governor, Frank Murkowski in the primary, despite having little money and little establishment backing.

She has also distanced herself from two senior Republican office-holders, Sen. Ted Stevens and Rep. Don young. Both men are under federal corruption investigations.

She had earned stripes — and enmity — after Murkowski made her head of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. From that post, she exposed ethical violations by the state GOP chairman, also a fellow commissioner.

Her husband, Todd Palin, is part Yup'ik Eskimo, and is a blue-collar North Slope oil worker who competes in the Iron Dog, a 1,900-mile snowmobile race. The couple lives in Wasilla. They have five children, the youngest of whom was born in April with Down syndrome.

Scruggs and Biden Connection

For those of you who don't know who Dickie Scruggs was, and I say was, because he is now serving time in Federal Prison as inmate number 12734-042. Well, he and his co-defendants were indicted last November, and convicted this year on charges of attempting to bribe a Lafayette County judge.

Involved in the scheme were his son, Zachery Scruggs, a practicing attorney with his father's firm, (entering into the Federal Bureau of Prison's system yesterday, August 25th in Pensacola, Florida for a 14th month stint); Timothy Balducci, a former partner of Scruggs, who remains out, as he is providing evidence to the Feds because of "knowing where the bodies are buried"; Sidney Backstrom, inmate # 12737-042 and release date of 8/15/2010, and at the time a law partner of Scrugg's firm; Joey Langston, an attorney and Steve Patterson, the former State Auditor for Mississippi (who incidentally had to resign from office for a little fraud he committed while in office (he was running a car tag on his Land Rover which didn't match the county in which he lived); the two who also remain out until the Feds are through with them.

Well, that's a little background for this post, but more importantly..."What is the Scruggs and Biden Connection?"


Recently noted in the news was the return of campaign contributions made by some of these scurrilous individuals to Joe Biden's run for President. and just days ago, he returned some of the monies to these individuals, or to charities.

In a post on Insurance Coverage Blog, dated August 22, 2008, David Rossmiller, asks that very question.

http://www.insurancecoverageblog.com/archives/industry-developments-biden-gives-back-scruggs-money-does-this-mean-he-will-be-the-veep-nominee.html

Somewhere between dusk and dawn on the 22nd and 23rd, Obama announced Biden as his choice for veep...I only wish I had been a betting man/woman to have made some quick mullah on that one.

Born Far Too Late commented in that very blog, and apparently was witness to Biden's game,

"It wasn't that unusual to see Biden with Joey Langston at his summer home near Pickwick and playing golf at the area course."

Wonder if Joey has sold his winter home in Colorado? But more on that later


On August 20th, Dan Morain of the LA Times, posted in the Top of the Ticket column
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/08/biden-giuliani.html

Biden’s July expenses included giving refunds of $2,300 to the man known as Mississippi's best-known attorney, Richard “Dickie” Scruggs, and Scruggs’ son, Zach Scruggs.

Scruggs, a longtime major donor to Democrats nationally and the brother-in-law of Republican Trent Lott, gained fame and wealth by suing asbestos manufacturers and tobacco companies.

His fortunes turned downward in March when he pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe a judge who handled a suit over how to divide $26.5 million in legal fees from an $89-million settlement over Hurricane Katrina claims. He reported to prison earlier this summer to begin a five-year sentence.

See, even Morain had the edge and could have made money on Biden as the choice for veep.