Mike Signer for Lt. Governor, Virginia

Yet another attempt to revive the blog....

SO I have decided to throw my support toward a candidate in a state in which I do not live. That's right. I actually don't even TRAVEL to Virginia because it's a pain in the butt for me to get there.

But there's this guy named Mike Signer. He's really, really smart. And committed to making the world a better place. I really believe that. And so I'm trying to get involved in his race. Here's my shpiel:

I am, along with members of Foreign Policy Professionals for Obama, hosting a fundraiser for a Democratic candidate for Virginia Lt Gov, under the theme of the importance of electing foreign policy/national security progressives to state-level office because today’s state legislator is tomorrow’s Member of Congress!

Mike Signer was a foreign policy advisor to John Edwards during the last Presidential campaign, speaking frequently and passionately about the importance of how America engages the world. Mike also has a very strong background on Homeland Security; he was deputy counselor to former Governor Warner on Homeland Security and National Guard policy. He also served as senior policy advisor and director of the Homeland Security Presidential Transition Initiative at the Center for American Progress, and is a principal at the Truman National Security Project.

The event will be the evening of June 1 on the rooftop terrace of the Universal South building at 1825 Connecticut Ave, and we are asking for donations of $100, $250, or $500. Larry Korb and Rudy deLeon will be speaking, along with the candidate.


If you would like to be a part of this, please email me at jboxt1@gmail-dot-com, and donate to the campaign using my name, either directly (www.mikesigner.com/newleadership), or through me (which I wouldn't mind at all!) by going to Paypal and paying my email address.

If you are in the DC area and would like to come, I think that would be great!

One month, three days

Is it me, or is the fact that baseball is the most vulnerable that I've ever seen it an attractive thing? I'm actually looking forward to the baseball season this year - mostly because I want to see how the league reacts en masse to the whole steroids scandal. Will players totally drop the juice, and see their stats decline as well? Will there be a new, breakout player who is clearly juice-free? Will an oldie but a goodie step up and blow folks away?

And this year's Nationals have all the feel of the Cleveland Indians in "Major Leagues" to me.

I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it.

Hey Dems: Do The Right Thing

It seems to me that the following story is an example of how NOT to conduct Congressional business in an era - real or merely proclaimed - of bipartisanship, not to mention fiscal responsibility and economic hardship.

Fiscally-moderate Dems like myself are likely to get a little peeved if this is the "new" status quo....

CongressDaily
Blue Dogs Register Unease With Handling Of Omnibus Bill
Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2009
by Humberto Sanchez and Christian Bourge

In a sign of possible intraparty tensions to come, some members of the Blue Dog Coalition today raised objections to the $410 billion omnibus spending bill that House appropriators are trying to pass by week's end. As the House began debate, Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., raised a point of order arguing that the package likely contains unfunded mandates in violation of House rules. He said House members had less than 48 hours to vet the bill's 9,000 earmarks and therefore cannot know all that is in the bill. "We have to pile through ... to see if there might be anything untoward," he said. Although the House overruled Flake's point of order, 234-177, eight Democrats joined Republicans to express their qualms with the handling of the bill incluing four Blue Dogs. Reps. Allen Boyd of Florida and Dennis Cardoza of California were seen huddling with Majority Leader Hoyer on the floor, and Boyd later voted with Flake. He told CongressDaily the two were discussing the need for regular order, which Boyd considers necessary because changes were made without full debate. "There is not any issue that wouldn't be resolved by regular order," said Boyd. Other Blue Dogs who sided with Flake included Reps. Mike McIntyre and Heath Shuler of North Carolina and Gene Taylor of Mississippi.

The House proceeded to consider a rule for passing the omnibus, which would complete appropriations for FY09. The rule passed, 398-24. The bill includes a provision canceling an automatic cost of living increase scheduled in FY10 for members of Congress. During debate on the rule, House Appropriations Chairman David Obey said Congress must pass the bill to ensure that the federal agencies have the needed resources to carry out the provisions in the $787 billion stimulus package. "It provides the base funding for programs that are funded in the recovery act, without which the additional recovery funding could not succeed," Obey said. "The bill also funds numerous critical programs not funded in the recovery act. We only touched about 25 percent of government accounts in the recovery act." He and other Democrats argued former President George W. Bush was responsible for delaying FY09 appropriations work because he refused to negotiate with Democrats unless they cut spending to his requested levels. House Republicans questioned the need for the omnibus package in light of the recent passage of the stimulus plan. House Republican leaders have called on Democrats to implement a spending freeze and extend the CR, which funds the programs covered under the nine bills at FY08 levels.

Signaling a Change.

It is incredible to me to that in the state of Maryland, one of the most intelligent states in the union (a point that is backed up by data), there is no law that mandates the use of turn signals while changing lanes.

(I should now immediately apologize to the thousands of people I have yelled at in the last eight years. My old friend Andy coined this phrase, one that I have since used liberally: "Blinkers aren't optional (expletive)!! Itslaw!!")

It is even MORE incredible to me that there are OPPONENTS of this soon-to-be-law in Maryland. Here's to YOU, Mister McDonough of Baltimore County: you care so much about the civil liberties of we Marylanders, that you would publicly, ON THE RECORD, oppose a new turn signal law lest police feel emboldened to pull us over under the GUISE of a turn signal infraction and, say, find dead bodies in our trunk.

For years I have posited that DC-area drivers are some of the worst in the country; I am comforted in knowing that legally speaking, we have an excuse.

At least for now.

One last name change.

I'm not inflexible, and I'm willing to change when a better option avails itself to me.

And so, thanks to Team CalTort for "The SoapBoxt."

20 Funny Things My Kids Do.

1) Pick their nose – in public and in private. They do it with such nonchalance – I’m sometimes a little jealous.
2) Eat dessert midway through dinner. And then finish dinner. I can’t get my head around chocolate chip cookies and fish sticks.
3) Pee in their pants. Admit it – you wish you could sometimes.
4) Mimic their mother’s mannerisms.
5) Mimic their mother’s speaking habits.
6) Mimic their mother in general. Mini-Hers.
7) Have animated conversations with inanimate objects. It’s considerably less funny when I see adults doing that.
8) Wear their clothes backwards and/or inside out.
9) Every once in a while, Tahlia (my older girl) makes very adult observations – often more adult than most people I know.
10) Get lost on a bed with more stuffed animals than you can count (feel free to mentally reference Drew Barrymore in E.T.)
11) Watch the same movie time, after time, after time. On the same day.
12) Fart and then immediately say “Excuse me!” And then giggle uncontrollably.
13) Run with complete and reckless abandon. All elbows and knees.
14) When they meet someone new, they quickly turn and stick their heads between my knees, which might be the kids’ version of “home base.”
15) They lick their ice cream bowl. My two year old’s head practically disappears in the bowl, only to reappear, completely glazed over in a vanilla sheen.
16) They lie. Now, that might not sound funny, but since I know they’re doing it, it’s manageable. “Honey, did you wash your hands?” “Yes.” “Honey, did you wash your hands.” “I did! Really!” “Honey?” (She then turns around on a dime, and proceeds to march to the bathroom, with a sheepish grin on her face).
17) Lay their coats on the floor, upside down, in order to put them on. A feat of graceful physics.
18) Teeth-brushing is always a visual treat. The only thing funnier is when they run up to me and breathe directly in my face to prove they’ve done it correctly.
19) They laugh uncontrollably at physical humor. Fall down on your ass, and they’re in stitches for hours.
20) There are moments when they act like best friends, and sit for hours playing, hugging, and laughing. It isn’t particularly funny, but it always makes me smile.

Wait - you mean Israel was right?!?

Everyone who said Israel was rattling sabres (as if people use sabres anymore - really now) may have something new to think about.

What I want to know is this: do the same people believe that the Financial Times is now also under the woolen blanket of the Zionist-controlled media?

Or perhaps - PERHAPS - Israel has been right all along to be screaming bloody murder about the Iranians and their ultimate goals?

And more importantly - do we continue to poo-poo the Israelis, or do something to avoid a nuclear armageddon??