Deep Throat

Please pardon my Boomer obsession with the 60's and 70's, but the revelation of Deep Throat today put closure on what was one of the defining moments of my generation.

I heard the news and couldn't believe it, I didn't believe it until Bob Woodward confirmed it, later today. Then I saw the pictures of this frail man barely able to steady his walker. Could this be the man that brought down the most powerful person in the world, the President of the United States? He looked like any other great grandfather. He could have been a guy that fought at Iwo Jima or stormed the beach on D-Day, but his role in Watergate did what no foreign enemy has ever done, he paralyzed the presidency and the executive branch of our government and made them accountable.

So is he hero or traitor (as Pat Buchanan labeled him)? I'm sure there will be countless debates about that over the next several weeks. I make him a hero. Whatever his motives, misguided or not, he had the courage to risk his career and maybe life to oppose Executive Branch tyranny by helping two reporters expose the White House spying on its "enemies." It speaks well for Woodward and Bernstein an Bradlee to keep their secret for thirty some years. Now that's protecting a source.

Will there ever be another Deep Throat? I sure hope so. The government has way too much power concentrated inside the Beltway. Nixon and his inner circle thought they were above the law, they could strong arm their way to get their agenda and use every dirty trick to succeed. Sound familiar? Someone had the courage to say "this is wrong." Mark Felt had that courage.

Watergate has one downside for the press. Ever since The Washington Post broke the story, every media outlet is looking for that one source to help give them the scoop of the century. Many times that person or source is unreliable, or the media does a lousy job of verifying and cross referencing, then we get the flops of Newsweek, or CBS. But don't underestimate the power of a free press. Now could we get a little more information on the Downing Street Memo?

Digging up Bones

A couple of posts back, Red Dog posted the following:

They're Stealing our Burn Center!
The Burn Center loses a doctor and decides it can't attract another one so DRMC will close the Burn Center to admissions after May 31. The Burn Center has and always will be a losing proposition economically to the citizens of Washington County. Now, the University Mecical Center is looking into providing the service on their campus in Jackson, but can't do it without $10 Million from the Legislature. Wouldn't $10 Million help DRMC in a search for a doctor? This, of course, begs the question, If the Legislature would fund the money, why hasn't DRMC asked before? Missed opportunities. The Burn Center will be gone and Washington County taxpayers will be better off because of it.

Red Dog loves it when he digs up a bone, even if it is by accident. The answer is, they never asked. Humphreys says he talked to other Congressmen, agencies and the Guv'ner's office. Well, Red Dog sniffs a rat or maybe doggy pooh. The statement from Humphreys, printed in the DDT, doesn't match the quote. All it probably boils down to is that the Board of Trustees and Humphreys decided they had had enough of the Burn Center and voted to kill it. Dr. Love leaving was the deciding factor and a convenient excuse. Truth be known they haven't even looked for a replacement plastic surgeon.

The DDT goes on a tear against the local congressmen for not supporting the Burn Center. I guess they never called one of them to find out, huh? Mr. Humphreys releases a CYA statement that the DDT was "misleading and inappropriate" toward our congressmen, then he throws in some patient safety crap just to cover up what's between the lines.

Two things: DDT - I'm not a journalist and I don't like to tell people how to do their job, but ... could you do some real investigative reporting before you take people to task for not doing their job? Mr. Humphreys - why don't you just be forthcoming and explain that you do not want the Burn Center because of the drain on hospital resources? It's really very simple.

Dammit! I said I hated local politics. I think it's just incompetence and dishonesty and it can come from anywhere.

Table Scraps

We don't need any FDA study into Viagra. Our mommas told us that messin' around would make you go blind. Just give me enough so that I only need glasses.

Bring our troops home!

Should the "Guv'ner" reimburse the State for use of the state plane to attend his PAC fund raiser in D.C.?

Leave PBS and NPR alone!

Give President Bush the right to make bad appointments, his track record is already established: Sec. of State, Sec. of Defense, Attorney General, Sec. of Treasury, Federal Reserve Board Chairman, etc.........John Bolton fits perfectly.

If the Downing Street memo is correct, President Bush should be impeached!

If the media has such a liberal bias, why are its owners such big Republican supporters? General Electric, Disney, Rupert Murdoch, etc.

Do you think the Beef Plant could house inmates? Maybe it could replace the Capitol Building.

Is the Blues Festival still on? Just checking. No surprises again, please.

Prediction: Greenville will have one casino, the one by the bridge. Technically I guess that is Washington County. When? Within five years.

Why does DRMC still need to build a new campus in South Greenville, and how much will that cost the taxpayers?

Just some food for thought

Stayin' Home

Guv'ner declares "Pork Alert"
It is most unusual for a Republican these days to use that four letter word "Pork" in a sentence, but that's just what "The Guv" did, and I will add, with some justification. Our Legislature decided to give "The Guv" his Momentum Mississippi an extra helping of pork chop and turned his $20 Million project into a $120 Million giveaway. Apparently "The Guv" slammed "Speaker Boss" McCoy and "Speaker Boss" took offense and threw one back. Now, Boys, take that outside! This three act comedy has gone on too long, won't somebody with some leadership take control in Jackson? Maybe "Momma Tuck" can rub their noses together and end this side show. Can't we get the funding for education done before school starts back?

They're Stealing our Burn Center!
The Burn Center loses a doctor and decides it can't attract another one so DRMC will close the Burn Center to admissions after May 31. The Burn Center has and always will be a losing proposition economically to the citizens of Washington County. Now, the University Mecical Center is looking into providing the service on their campus in Jackson, but can't do it without $10 Million from the Legislature. Wouldn't $10 Million help DRMC in a search for a doctor? This, of course, begs the question, If the Legislature would fund the money, why hasn't DRMC asked before? Missed opportunities. The Burn Center will be gone and Washington County taxpayers will be better off because of it.

Everyone Who is Anyone?
EXTRA! EXTRA! DDT declares if you weren't there, You are a Nobody! At least we know the count, 800 by one account over 1000 by another account. So there you have it Greenville has 800 - 1000 somebodies. Oh, excuse me, there was somebody from New York there and , Oh, yeah, somebody from Cleveland there. Ah, I know I'm being tacky, but what the hell. It's just a freakin' movie theater. Somebody wore orange and somebody had on a green shirt, give me a break. It's sure slow around the newsroom these days, huh? Anyhow, my sarcasm aside, Good Luck, Benjy! To the DDT, I was almost ready to compliment you on the "new" DDT, I will wait awhile now. Champagne and popcorn do not mix well.

Some Wins, A Lot of Losses

Sometimes I get surprised, Monday night I got surprised. Fourteen Senators, seven Republican and seven Democrat worked out a compromise over judicial appointments. It was the right thing to do and took a lot of courage on the part of these senators. Just as it looked like the Senate would become just like the House of Representatives, these legislators took control of the process and preserved the right to filibuster and gave the President an up or down vote on most of his appointees and prevented the Senate from being slowed down (as if they need any more slowing). The big winners John McCain and the American public, the big losers Bill Frist and James Dobson. Frist could not hold the party together to invoke the "nuclear option". McCain was able to keep the Senate relevant, it's called "compromise." Maybe the Senate will become more moderate and more productive because of it, or maybe it will slip away into partisan politics as usual, but at least for now, this body is functioning as it should. Bill Frist has now become irrelevant.

Other losers on Monday were Tom Delay and President Bush on embryonic stem cell research, the winners are those patients with debilitating diseases and their families. The American people favor the research and the government should be funding it so standards can be established for the handling of these embryos. Fifty Republican Representatives voted with an overwhelming majority of Democrats to pass this bill. Not enough to override a veto, but enough to make a point.

American consumers again come up losers against Finance Companies. It wasn't enough that the poor consumer can no longer declare bankruptcy and start over, but these corporations have no security over our private information and have been sloppy in protecting our information from falling into the wrong hands. While several bills have been introduced to place controls on our personal information, the Republican-bribed Congress has refused to act. Many of the names sold in the last round of "leaks" were former MCI employees, talk about pouring salt into the wound!

State of Mississippi taxpayers continue their losing streak, the MCI settlement for about ten cents on the dollar and $34 Million (+/-) of that money to pay off the Beef Plant debt. The Special Session cost, $100 Million to a Steel fabricator, and still no budget. Give Haley a win by default of the Legislature. I really don't think any of them should be re-elected.

Victims of severe burns lose. What few beds were available at the Mississippi FireFighter's Burn Center will be lost. It's a shame that this was a once viable alternative for severe burn victims, but that was 30 years ago. The good news is that the county will be able to save the $1 to $2 Million annually that it was having to subsidize. Hopefully, UMC will be able to provide this service, these specialized units are few and far between.

Losers continue to plague Greenville, it seems we can't have a decent public event or have a successful city clean up without losers shining their asses.

Damn! The more I write, the more depressed I get. I guess it's just hitting closer to home. I need to start looking for more winners.

Republican Malaise

A deal seems to have been made to avoid the "nuclear option" in the U.S. Senate. Fourteen Senators representing both sides have reached a compromise to allow "up or down votes" on some nominees but not all and the Republicans would not seek to eliminate the filibuster. Now either we really have some good statesmen that worked out the deal or the leadership of both parties still could not count their votes. At least there is a solution to this bottleneck and maybe the Senate can get on with taking care of the nation's business. So far we only have legislation that favored "big business". I believe that the latest polls show that the American people are fed up with Congress and that so far the Republican controlled Senate and House have not acted responsibly nor have they addressed the issues the general population is concerned with. As long as the Republican majority is held hostage by its minority evangelical christian base, don't expect much to happen.

It will be interesting tomorrow to see how the debate goes in the House over the stem cell research bill. More than likely the bill will pass the House since many Republicans are supporting the legislation. Senator Frist has indicated that he may not bring the bill up for discussion. How's that different from a filibuster of judges? Doesn't it deserve an "up or down vote" as well? Talk about hypocrisy! After all, stem cell research has far greater long range potential than some judge who practiced law without a license being confirmed, doesn't it?

The Bush White House continues to attack Newsweek blaming them for the loss of lives in Afghanistan in the anti-American rioting, despite what President Karzai says. Who you gonna believe, the White House or your lying eyes? Let's see we haven't exactly been told the truth about Abu Ghrab, Pat Tillman, WMD's, Social Security, Medicare Drug Plan, just to name a few.

The Bush favorability ratings are at the lowest ever in his term. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch. His Social Security reform is dead. He has no energy policy. If it weren't for his bad foreign policy, he wouldn't have one at all. It looks as if he will have the opportunity to veto the highway bill and maybe an outside shot at a stem cell research bill. Both of these vetoes will likely spend up all his political capital and he goes quietly into that horrible fate of being "the lame duck President". Good Night, Karl Rove wherever you are!

Dog Tags and Pedigree Papers

deltasol wrote:
So at least here in the nation's capital, getting your drivers license is a big enough hassle already; don't complicate my day even further with this McCarthy-esque tactic to increase our security.Also, the last time I checked, I was an American. I don't want my every move tracked. I don't want my whole life sitting in any more databases than it is right now. I feel as though the government is taking away all my freedoms in order to "protect" them. National ID cards will not stop illegal immigrants from coming in...it's just another example of Big Brother watching us in the Bush administration.

Back on the "Real I.D." Act and its twin brother "The Patriot Act". The "War on Terror" has become a war on American individual freedoms and it looks as if we are headed for wearing a mark on our foreheads to show our allegiance. Deltasol, you are correct, the government is taking away our freedoms in order to "protect" them. This administration is the Master in invoking the 'fear factor' so that we can be protected from terrorists. With the 'newspeak' conjured by this administration, along with the blatant lies for justifying its actions, the average George thinks everything is lovely. Take my picture, register my gun, search my library and medical records, search my house with a self written warrant, all in the name of protecting me. I can do with less protection from the government, thank you.

The attack on the Judicial System is undoubtedly one of the most sinister ploys from the Extreme Right. When the individual citizen can no longer depend on the courts to uphold his/her individual rights, we might as well flush the Bill of Rights and the Constitution down the toilet. George Orwell had it right, it justs looks as if his calendar was about 21 years off.

Finally Fleas

I know I promised Fleas of the Week, but honestly in my relaxed state, I didn't read a newspaper or watch news on television while I was gone. So I will give a somewhat cursory look at the Fleas since the last time.

1. Vincente Fox - Are we sure he isn't "Curveball"? The guy is a "dork" and certainly has no PC. He insults us by calling us 'vigilantes' (Bush agreed, by the way) and now he makes a slam at the Blacks. His idea of economic development is to send his citizens illegally across our border to work for slave wages and have them send that money back to Mexico so they can pump up their economy. Ross Perot was right that sucking sound is not only our jobs leaving for Mexico, it's the Mexican Presidente.
2. Newsweek - There seems to be a new standard in journalism, "Print the Scoop, We'll Scoop the Poop Later." One of Red Dog's pet peeves is laziness in the national media and the disregard for accuracy. You'd think after the Dan Rather fiasco, that the Press would be more sensitive to getting the facts.
3. United Airlines - Defaulted on their pensions. Not the last company to do so, the Automobile Industry is watching ever so close. The taxpayers take it on the chin, but the retirees are knocked down for the count. Let's see, the scorecard so far is Bush's Big Business Buddies 125 and the hard working little guy 0. But hey, you got your tax cut!
4. Mississippi Special Legislative Session - The Guv'ner calls a special session which we thought would be to pass a budget. It's not even on the agenda, what gives? Sounds like some favors to be handed out first with letting the Meat Plant off the hook, throwing more money at his buds in Momentum Mississippi, maybe making up for his idiotic veto of the Vulnerable Adult Bill. We need to fund MAEP so stop screwing around.
5. The Future is Now - Wow! Five, count 'em Five casinos. Just what we need in good 'ol River City. The payday loan companies are already salivating at the opportunity to expand operations in the "Blues Quarter". Maybe GHEC can get permission and a grant to offer Casino Management courses, God knows the existing ones need it.

Hey, a good thing. Kudos to the Supreme Court for allowing us to order wine from any winery in the country. And to think James Dobson said they were useless! Hah, we need more Judges that appreciate good wine, maybe we'd get better rulings.

KEEP SCRATCHING!!!!!

Just Resting under the Porch

It's good to get away sometimes and just relax, especially when that time involves grandchildren. Red Dog travelled to Eastern Oklahoma over the weekend with a mission, a T-Ball game and a Dance Recital to attend. Now T-Ball is something I definitely know something about, having had all boys, I spent many hours at the ball park. But let me tell you there is nothing as great as watching your granddaughter perform in a dance recital. She's a pro I tell you and not even four years old! Okay, I'm prejudiced. Actually, I am a seasoned dance rectial attendee, last year I had the priviledge of attending my oldest granddaughter's first dance recital, that was my first as well. I told my boys that if I had known then what I know now about dance recitals, I'd had them in tutus instead of cleats. (Not really). The choreography of a three year old's dance and a five year old's T-Ball game is about the same. Some get it, some aren't quite there yet, but they are CUTE! Oh yeah, my grandson hit three 'ropes' from the "T", scored three runs, made a great assist in the field, and no one kept score. I do, however, have pictures.

National, State, and Local

Ok. The Federal Government is telling the States that they can't issue driver's licenses without several forms of I.D. being verified. The States (some) are telling the Federal Government to shove it, they are not in the business of citizenship verification. They only want to know if the person behind the wheel can parallel park or not. Sounds like one for the Supreme Court. Any bets on how they will rule? This is nothing but a National I.D. Card, so if the Feds want one then they should pay for it and issue it.

Mark it on the calendar, Red Dog actually agrees with the Guv'ner. The $100 million windfall from the MCI settlement should not become part of the general revenue for the Legislature to spend. Pay back the $50 million raided from MDOT and pay off the damn Beef Plant. Then go back and fully fund MAEP. The Special Session will be next week, let's hope those clowns can get their act together.

Red Dog doesn't mind providing a forum to discuss local issues, I just don't have the desire to deal with mayor bodyguards, or trying to find out who Local Reflector is, or worry over the local press. If you want to make a point for discussion, there are a couple of ways to do it. One, use the comments section under any topic, anyone can comment there and I will take those that are important and open them up as a topic with one of my posts. The other way is to use the "E-mail Me" link on the right side and send me your comments. I offer this to anyone who wants to post a topic to generate discussion. Two rules apply, I determine what ultimately gets posted from the e-mail and I will never divulge your e-mail address. I will use something like "Guest Writer Comments". For those of you having withdrawal from the more local blog, start one of your own, I'm sure Local Reflector will help you and I will help publicize your blog in anyway I can.

I will be back Monday, keep the discussions going. If I get a chance, (and hopefully a computer) I will try to at least provide Red Dog's Fleas of the Week (actually the last two weeks) by the weekend.

Remember: Big Dogs eat first, but little dogs get to bury the bone.

Red States, Blue States, Brown States

How about a topic that seems to be neither a Republican nor a Democratic issue? Illegal Immigration.

One reason there is not much debate over this issue is that Congress is apparently having trouble deciding where they stand on the issue, or do they? It seems that each party wants to tap into the new wave of illegals crossing our southern border to lure them into their political base, plus they want to appease the big business "fat cats" that want to exploit their labor. The policy for illegal immigration is that there is no policy. You know it's weird when you have John McCain and Ted Kennedy co-sponsoring a bill on illegal immigration.

I was recently in Southern California and I can tell you that the economy there really depends on Hispanic labor, much of it illegal immigrant. Also, the California state budget is in the tank, even the "Governator" has trouble finding his position on the issue.

The Federal Government is going to spend $1 Billion of your taxpayer money to fund hospitals for emergency care for illegal immigrants, think about that. We have about 45 million citizens that do not have health care. Illegal immigrants can attend state universities without paying out of state tuition. An illegal immigrant can work in this country for 18 months and draw a lifetime benefit from our Social Security. So, where is the debate in Congress? Well, the answer is apparently in the "True I.D." Act about to be passed with the appropriation bill to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. On which there is no debate and get this, it is another unfunded mandate to the state governments.

Don't you just love it dogs, you can drive to Indianola now with four forms of I.D. in hand to renew your driver's license, wait in line for 8 hours and you still won't get your driver's license renewed in that visit. What this bill does is make the DMV into an arm of the CIA, FBI, ICE and any other Federal agency that wants to get you in their data base. This is a "National Identification Card" process, all being passed Congress with no debate, no filibuster, just part of the "must pass" legislation. Of course this is the third emergency funding bill for the DOD for Afghanistan and Iraq, didn't we think we would be there for at least three years and shouldn't this have been included in the regular budget, where it could have been debated? Red Dog's logic is that if I am an illegal alien, I'm not going to get a driver's license, what do you think?

The "War on Terror" is a hoax. We can't or won't secure our borders and we continue to trample the freedoms of our own citizens. We don't know who is in our country or for what purpose unless they come through a port of entry. Well, 3 million cross our borders illegally each year and we don't know who they are. Hell, Bin Laden could be living in Memphis.

Dog Pound

Okay One Line Wonderdogs, This spot's for you!

How can you call this a debate when it's all loaded with one sided opinions ?You have an idot Red Dog trying to play politics.
And what was your opinion?

You must have held the door shut for Bill Clinton & Monica so he couldn't have been intrupted.
When will you people get over the fact that Bill Clinton isn't President anymore? "W" is screwing the whole country!

OH God !!!! another liberal I thought this was a red state ?
Oh, and how many liberals do you know? And, what is your definition of a liberal? Is the red state for "red ink" in the state's budget or the redneck of its Guv'ner? Oh, and I thought Communist China was a 'red state' too. Wake up, Dog!That's where we are heading.

Red Dog comments sounds like a line from the movie Deliverance.Ummm you weren't wearing the overalls were you and grunting ?
Ummm, that would be me strumming the banjo while you were squealing. Do you still go to sleep listening to banjo music?

Please show me some rearch on that Red Dog. Am sure you can provide that little bit of tat bit .
Can anyone interpret this comment? I'm sure this writer at least made it to the 9th grade, 5th grade?.

Please take a look at Bennie Thompson's voting record ?What's his link to the ACLU ?
And what do you have against the ACLU? I know Bennie voted against "Tort Deform", The Bankruptcy Bill and the Energy Bill. How have Thad and Trent voted?

Okay, knock your lights out and keep your one line comments in The Pound!

Okay, Dogs...........I'm Baaaackk!!

Ol' Red Dog's computer took a bad case of distemper and was on life support for awhile, but that's behind me now, I hope. It took a couple of specialists to get Red Dog back, but whatever magic they performed sure bailed me out.

Take it from Red Dog, some sage advice, back up those files now, before you log off. I've been going to do that for sometime, but always put it off until 'the next time'. Well, there's nothing more sickening than for your computer to lock up and when you have to do a hard start you get a message to the effect "The operating system cannot be found on any files". That my friends, I don't wish on anyone.

Of course it's the pictures that you can't replace. The thought of losing those pictures of the grandkids is just too much. You can bet that Red Dog has a current backup of those pictures on CD now.

Thanks for your patience and your comments. I am pleased that you were able to keep the last string going and hopefully those that come back will engage in the discussion or debate on other issues.

Now, to the Trogs (short for Troglodytes). Take your "one line wonder" comments to a chat room where you might just be the most intelligent species there. Red Dog doesn't need for everyone to agree with him, but if you disagree, tell us your argument so we can debate it intelligently. The rules of the blog are: I am the only one allowed to say "You are an idiot".

One liners will get you a few minutes or couple of hours of exposure on this blog, but when Red Dog gets here, they will be zapped! I would prefer not to talk to "Anonymous" all the time. If you want to make up a name, the comments section will allow you to do that. That way, I'll know when I am talking to the same person, it helps to keep the same train of thought going with a contributor. "Local Reflector" and "Delta Hornet" are two examples. Come on Dogs, be creative.

I will be making up for lost time today and tomorrow, because I will be out of town again this weekend. I may or may not be checking the blog. I plan on being back Monday.

Say it Ain't So!

I thought I would log on and if anything just hit me I would put together some comments on the media, in general. Usually I go to the Delta Scoop blog to see if anything has happened since the morning visit. I was excited to see that LR had posted something for Tuesday until I started reading. LR, say it ain't so! Local Reflector is packing it in and taking what I consider a valuable tool for people to express opinions on local issues. The problem is, LR's readers haven't taken advantage of the blog to openly discuss those issues.

As LR pointed out, the difference between LR and Red Dog is that LR provided a service, a forum to discuss the local issues under the veil of anonymity. LR would give a thought, opinion, ask a question, looking for intelligent discussion about the local scene. I never saw him do anything to offend but he did challenge people on their comments when required. Red Dog, on the other hand, writes to give you my opinion and take on the world. You don't have to agree with me and you can challenge me if you want. I blog for my own personal, selfish reasons. I refuse to talk about the mayor's bodyguard, I don't care if she has a whole squad guarding her, it's not important. The economy of Greenville and it's future, and what some of the solutions might be are important. Yet, most of what was posted on Delta Scoop were nothing but vicious attacks on people under the shield of being anonymous. Mainly in the form of a one or two liner statement that was often misspelled, incoherent, babble.

LR, I thank you for what you tried to do. It's puzzling to me, as well, but not too surprising. As I wrote in one of my comments to you, Greenville is like moving into a time warp. I don't care how many times I leave and come back, it's just like the movie "Groundhog Day". If you ever feel the need to "editorialize" feel free to send me an e-mail and I will put it on Red Dog Bites. Hell, it doesn't even have to be "leftist, liberal or lascivious".

The Best of Luck to You!

Your friend,
Red Dog