Long week at work plus the splatter of urine on the Constitution puts TTP in the mood for a bit of relaxation.

Who’s with me?

We don’t blame the Democrats for being frightened. The Republicans have made it clear that they’ll use any opportunity to brand anyone who votes against this bill as a terrorist enabler. But Americans of the future won’t remember the pragmatic arguments for caving in to the administration.

They’ll know that in 2006, Congress passed a tyrannical law that will be ranked with the low points in American democracy, our generation’s version of the Alien and Sedition Acts.

It is impossible to read about the rush to tyranny embraced by the right wing fanatics- fanatical to avoid defeat in November, fanatical to spare themselves and their dear leader from being tried for war crimes, fanatical to not lose their place, on their knees, gulping lobbyist juice and getting more corrupt and depraved by the minute- no, its impossible to read about the actions of these craven cowards without wanting to gag, or shoot someone.

So, read someone a bit more articulate than I. I’m frankly all out of words.

QUFU, Shandong Province, Sept. 28 — Grand ceremonies were held on both the Chinese mainland and Taiwan on Thursday, the 2,557th birthday of Confucius, to commemorate the great ancient Chinese thinker and philosopher revered around the world.

US slides down competition league

By Philip Thornton, Economics Correspondent
Published: 27 September 2006

The United States has lost its top slot in a global ranking of economic competitiveness published yesterday because of mounting concern among businesses over its budget deficit and crumbling faith in its institutions.

The harsh verdict comes a week after the International Monetary Fund highlighted a US slowdown as the biggest threat to the world economy.

This is so not good.

Childhood friend to sell Bob Dylan tape
PATRICK CONDON

MINNEAPOLIS – As teenagers in northern Minnesota in the late 1950s, Ric Kangas and Bobby Zimmerman would spend hours playing guitar and singing. During one of those sessions, Zimmerman asked his friend to record it.

In early October, Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas will offer the tape at auction. Kangas said one Dylan expert appraised the tape at about $100,000, but Kangas has no idea if it will fetch that much.

Willie Nelson’s public statement regarding being caught with a bag of marijuana last week:

“It’s a good thing I had a bag of marijuana instead of a bag of spinach – or I’d be dead by now.”

My review of the new Bob Dylan here at Ink 19.

“My name is John Batiste. I left the military on principle on November 1, 2005, after more than 31 years of service. I walked away from promotion and a promising future serving our country. I hung up my uniform because I came to the gut-wrenching realization that I could do more good for my soldiers and their families out of uniform. I am a West Point graduate, the son and son-in-law of veteran career soldiers, a two-time combat veteran with extensive service in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Iraq, and a life-long Republican. Bottom line, our nation is in peril, our Department of Defense’s leadership is extraordinarily bad, and our Congress is only today, more than five years into this war, beginning to exercise its oversight responsibilities.”

More here.

Pretty, except for that ugly reflection in the window…!

Snakes fell on Lyman Hepworth’s head when he opened the door to a pump house near the small house the couple planned to buy.

Turns out the property was a winter snake sanctuary, likely a snake den or hibernaculum where snakes gather in large numbers to hibernate for the winter, said Lauri Hanauska-Brown, a biologist with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.