Today was a red-letter day for Democrats here in Springfield, Missouri. Today was the day of our annual labor day parade and from what previous participants told me, it was one of the largest turnouts ever.

I volunteered to march in the parade with the Democratic nominee for state representative of the 137th district, Charlie Norr, where I live. As I walked to meet the group I was marching with I was amazed at the number of union workers that had turned out. There were workers from the Teamsters, numerous building trades, UPS, and Roadway just to mention a few. This is addition to all the Democratic candidates that participated in the parade.

The parade route was only a couple of miles long and although the sides of the streets weren't overly packed it was when I reached the end of the route, a local park, that I was truly amazed at the turnout. There had to be between four and five thousand people.

I just received an email from U.S. Congressman John Conyers asking me to be become a citizen cosponsor for House Resolution 635.
From Congressman Conyers:

I have conducted an exhaustive study on this subject and believe that we must begin the process to investigate this administration for possible impeachable offenses.  As former congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman noted at the forum, a groundswell of public support is necessary for impeachment proceedings to succeed.  There was overwhelming public support for pursuing a case against Richard Nixon, while these same conditions did not exist when the Republicans tried to impeach President Clinton.  Public opinion is on our side and now is the time to make a difference.

Here we go again. I just found out about this AOL poll on whether Alito should be confirmed. At this point it's running in favor of Alito, but I'm sure that we can change that.

To vote go here: AOL Poll

I probably wouldn't bother with this but I was channel surfing and heard Hannity bragging about how Alito was winning and it got my dander up.

I realize that online polls are pretty much worthless but I couldn't resist this one.

The question asked is "Do you approve of President Bush's overall performance?

At this moment the poll is at 46% for Bush and 53% against, with seventythree people weighing in on the issue.

Show my conservative city that we don't think much of Bush's performance Ozarks Poll. The poll is on the left-hand side of the page and is highlighted in blue. I've been watching the numbers on the pool and it's obvious that there are some Bushistas out there trying to push up the Republican numbers. We're still winning by a huge margin but maybe we can push them off the map in the poll's last hours.

This diary is going to be short, I usually leave the writing for those that have a better talent for the job.

We are taking our eyes off the ball. 2 or 3 days ago at least half the diaries were about the the Downing Street Memo now scroll down the right side of the page and suddenly we're blathering because some punk draft dodger called us names.

Remember what the prize is, finding out the truth about the Iraq war. Forget about Rove, let's refocus on the real issue.

In today's St. Louis Post Dispatch there are 3 editorials that deal specifically with the ongoing effort to end Medicaid in Missouri.
The first editorial states:
But even as they cut off health care for the neediest of their fellow Missourians, state lawmakers made sure they got theirs. Lawyers, executives, engineers and entrepreneurs in Missouri's Legislature wanted no part of measures that would have cut their own taxpayer-subsidized health insurance. The House voted down a proposal to increase lawmakers' monthly insurance premiums by $115. A similar proposal was dead on arrival in the Senate
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/editorialcommentary/story/190C6164F26D299E86256FF5 00598D2E?OpenDocument
To sum it up our state legislators are blasted for their own selfishness concerning their personal state subsidized health care plans and the callousness that they have towards the poor in the state.

I've hearing some of the spots for Will Durst on Air America and it got me thinking. A lot of the reich wing strategy is to keep us off balance by keeping us pissed off, and one of the best ways to defeat this is with humor, to make them look like the fools they really are. So if there has already been a thread that has been collecting repub jokes let me know, otherwise if anyone has any good jokes feel free to jump right in.
I'm usually only good at telling jokes and not making them up, but I have one really bad one to ante up.
Republicans are proof of two things,

1. That evolution is really true
   
2. That everything really is bigger in Texas
   

and now the punch line,
Did you ever see 2 bigger cockraches than George Bush and Tom Delay
Ok, I know don't quit your day job!

There is an article in today's New York Times about 2 Texas businessmen that were indicted in the oil for food scandal. The article can be found at http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/14/international/middleeast/14cnd-food.html?hp&ex=1113537600& en=b044dee6eae6276b&ei=5094&partner=homepage
The 2 that were arrested were David B. Chalmers, a principal of Bay Oil U.S.A. Inc., and an associate of the company, Ludmil Dionissiev.
I'm still fairly new to Kos and not sure how everything works over here but I know how you guys exposed Jeff Gannon.
Can some of you guys do some digging to see if there is any connection between these guys and any republicans in high places. I'm sort of operating on the premise that all corrupt Texans know each other, it may be a stretch but it might yield some results.

I don't know about anybody else but I think that the reich wingers have about driven me to the edge. I'm tired, worn out, frustrated and discouraged from all the crap that the republicans are throwing our way.
I hate to sound whiny, but what the fuck are we going to do? We now have an attorney general who advocates torture, next week we'll most likely have an ambassador that wants to blow the top 10 stories off the UN building. The legislature is almost completely under control of the corporations and the laws are being changed daily to favor them. And our economy is on the verge of going south any day.
I just wish that I would wake up one day and go to my computer and read some good news.
Sorry for the whine, but I know that Kos is one place that I can spout off and you guys will know where I'm coming from.

After watching endless reality shows such as The Swan and Extreme Makeover where the elite shower the unwashed masses with a few crumbs in an act of gratuitous giving, I have come to the conclusion that it's time to turn the tables.
The Concept.
Take a multi-millionare and deposit them in a single wide trailer in Middle America and have them pull themselves up by the bootstraps while working at a local fast food restaurant for $6.00 an hour.
The show will be taped in the manner of Big Brother and other similar shows.
The Rules.
All necessities will be provided, a single wide trailer with no screens, a food stamp card, a month's rent, 2 pairs of jeans and 3 t-shirts, a 1983 Buick with 2 bald tires, a ticket for a free Happy Meal, and a carton of Marlboros.
No contact with anyone from former life for one year.
No access to assets of any kind from former life for one year.
Winners will be awarded a new dose of previously unknown humility and sense of humanity.
Losers, well they get to stay in an endless cycle of poverty and degradation.
Vote for your favorite millionare republican for the first round of contestants.