Dick Cheney's "Dangerous" Son-in-law, PALS Bingo, and a Little of This 'n That

Art Levine has an interesting piece in Washington Monthly on Dick Cheney's "stealthy" son-in-law. Seems that Elizabeth Cheney's husband is the chemical lobby's very best friend, even to the possible detriment of homeland security. Levine goes as far as to say, "A flippant critic might say the father-in-law has been prosecuting a war that creates more terrorists abroad, while the son-in-law has been working to ensure they’ll have easy targets at home." Make sure you give this one a read.

Notice the steep stock market drop yesterday? The Gun Toting Liberal sure, and he blames Wal-Mart shoppers. He closed by firing this shot, "Just a couple of miles down the road from nearly every home, there lies a Wal-Mart, where you can shop at midnight with your hair sticking up in all directions in your slippers, and since everybody else in the building is in the same shape; there’s nothing to feel “uncomforatable” about, right? After all, it’s “convenient”, and “capitalistic”, and that’s what is MOST important; the “bottom line”, right?"

and.......

"But, HEY… you’ve saved a nickel on that can of Pork And Beans by shopping with China’s NUMBER ONE CUSTOMER, right? Proud of yourselves? How’s that portfolio look NOW? Thanks so much for crashing that 401-K I worked my BUTT off to grow…"

Human Rights Watch talks about being "disappeared" in secret prisons. It goes into the rare inside view given by former detainee, Marwan Jabour.

Here's part of their scary description of his story:

"His clothes were taken from him when he arrived, and he was left completely naked for a month and a half, including during questioning by women interrogators and filming. He was chained tightly to the wall of his small cell so that he could not stand up, placed in painful stress positions so that he had difficulty breathing, and told that if he did not cooperate he would be put in a suffocating “dog box.”

During the more than two years that he was held in this secret prison, Jabour spent nearly all of his time alone in a windowless cell, with little human contact besides his captors. Although he worried incessantly about his wife and three young daughters, he was not allowed even to send them a letter to reassure them that he was alive.

“It was a grave,” Jabour later told Human Rights Watch. “I felt like my life was over.”

On the 2008 Democratic Presidential front.........

Presidential hopeful Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) says we're on a "Collision Course with Iran" in a piece picked up by the Progressive Dems of America blog. He's questioning the Bush administration's use of "anonymous sources" for its information on Iran's nuclear program and its influence in Iraq.

As we all know, Hillary Clinton is attempting to become America's first female president. And Barrack Obama is attempting to become America's first African-American president. So here are a couple of interesting items.........

Ari Melber from the Huffington Post wonders why a new poll showing big numbers for Barrack Obama amongst African-Americans has been largely ignored. After all, mainstream media was all over an earlier poll that suggested that Hillary Clinton had a huge lead in this category. Hillary's husband is still immensely popular with African-Americans. So polling of this group will probably be used frequently as some sort of gauge for this race.

Meanwhile, Courtney Martin of Alternet asks "Does Being a Feminist mean Voting for Hillary?" Judging by her comments and the comments of AlterNet's reader's, Hillary's support from femininsts isn't as secure as one might think. Still, polls continue to show that Hillary is the front runner with the help of huge support from single females.

Sarah Wheaton of the New York Times blog, "The Caucus," says that Hillary is "playing the Gore card." Until recently, environmental issues have not been a big priority for Sen. Clinton. But she's making a smart move by participating in the Apollo Alliance's attempt to bring unions and environmentalists closer together. However, she's being accused of pandering by progressive commenters.

Not that I put much stock into the comments section of any blog, but could this be another sign of trouble for Hillary from the left wing of the party? If so, we know this wouldn't matter in a red state like Georgia where most Democrats are centrists or conservatives. But on a national level, could this be something for her to worry about?

Closer to home.........

The NYT talks about Paula Deen's soon to be released memoire, "Paula Deen: It Ain't All About the Cookin.'" Paula's from my neck o' the woods in the Albany area. And, of course, many of you are familiar with her wonderful restaurants in Savannah. So I'm always buying her cookbooks that feature many dishes that were common in my mother's kitchen like "copper pennies" and "pecan tassies."

Paula is an excellent role model for many people including those suffering from agoraphobia, single mothers, and those who must lift themselves up by their own bootstraps. And since the recent, almost simultaneous, passing of my own mother and grandmother, her mantra of the kitchen being the heart of the home and constant preaching of food, families, and memories ring very true for me.

And I would like to remind those looking for a way to do some good and have fun at the same time that PALS (Pets Are Loving Support) Bingo will be going strong once again this year. Atlanta's wonderfully entertaining Bubba D. Licious (Ms. Tammy Wynnette's long lost twin) will be back in her role as M.C.

Georgia's largest monthly bingo game usually attracts several hundred players a month and benefits one of my favorite charities, which helps support the pets of people who are suffering from critical illnesses and disabilities. Sometimes these pets are the biggest daily support system that these people have to count on. Make sure to peruse the PALS website for other opportunities to help.