NAILING ME DOWN FOR MY VIEWPOINTS ON THE WAR

I have been asked over and over about my feelings, my solutions for ending the war, the conflict, the illegal occupation, the travesty that is the Bush legacy. I am frequently asked this because, as a devout liberal, I am assumed to want the troops out immediately, like most others to the left. Especially so since I am leaning to eight more wonderful Clinton years to follow. So, here goes....

I hate the war. I hate the chaos here, and over there. I hate the deaths, both ours, and the Iraqi's (I am a liberal, you know, I do think of more things / losses than our own). I hated the bombings early on (the so called "softening up" of Iraq), which left many defenseless Iraqi's, and their children unable to sleep in fear of what might blow up next, including their own bedrooms. I hate the way we were lied to in order to get into the war. I hate the way we are hated worldwide because of it. I hate the way we went against our friends, and did the wrong thing by invading. I hate the terrorists we created by doing so. I hate the way we failed to let the UN inspectors do their jobs. I hate the $ we are absolutely wasting over there which could go to health care, education, rebuilding of the infrastructure, or paying down of the deficit (not that we would have needed much without the war). But having said all of that, here is my viewpoint from this day forward (because we cannot go back, after all).

There is a great moral conundrum in the Iraq situation. The pro-war position that we cannot abandon the mess we've made does have great certain moral authority. There are now millions upon millions of Iraqis whose lives have been ruined in this war and millions upon millions more whose lives continue to be at risk due to the chaos unleashed by the war and during the time America has been in charge of the country. To abandon them and fail to establish a secure and decent level of civilization is reprehensible. Not to mention pulling out short of accomplishing anything, would be a tragic waste of all those brave men and women who have fallen in our resolve.

So what do we do from here, you ask....change the leadership of this country, for one. No, we need to GET some leadership in the White House. Then we sit down at the first of many Camp David summits with our allies, current, and previously friendly nations, and humbly admit that this country was wrong for the war. We were wrong, we regret the damage we have inflicted, we are now a new nation with a new administration, and we need your ideas, your help and your resources to make things right for Iraq.

And you go from there. And you listen. And you grieve. And you look your member nations in the eyes, and be honest. And you do all you feasibly can to gain the respect and confidence in the other nations who have lost all feelings for us. Their respect, their admiration, their friendship, their vow to help us when needed, like we have done for them in the past. And then you say thanks. Thanks for not turning your backs on us now, like we dumped all over you before going into Iraq.

And that is the "World According to Kimba."

Thanks for reading.

RETIREMENTS MARK TURNING POINT FOR GOP By Daniel Schorr NPR

Intrigued by a wilting GOP legislative branch? With the recent announcement from Trent Lott, just two years into a new political life since aligning himself publically with an old guard segregationist (Strom Thurman), the score is now 6 retiring Republican Senators and 17 retiring Republican House members.

I could put my usual spin / my left leaning views on the reasons why, but it would pale in comparison to an old time journalist like NPR's Daniel Schorr.

Invest 2 minutes and click on the link here, and listen to Mr. Schorr's viewpoints. It will be a valuable introduction to the National Reviews upcoming edition entitled "The Coming Cataclism," noting the failure, and ultimate departures of the old guard GOP legislators.

GETTING AHEAD ON A BODY OF WORK....OR GETTING AHEAD ON TOP OF THE BODIES ?

WHAT DIRECTION IS THE "GOLDEN COMPASS" POINTING OUR CHILDREN IN?

The Golden Compass is a forthcoming fantasy film based upon Northern Lights (titled The Golden Compass in the US), the first novel in Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Materials, slated for release on December 5, 2007 by New Line Cinema The story tells of Lyra's adventure to the far north in search of her friend. The project was announced in February 2002, following the success of other recent adaptations of fantasy epics, and at $205 million is expected to be New Line's biggest budget project ever after a series of box office disappointments in the past year.

In October 2007, the Catholic League called for a boycott of the film.
Several key themes of the novels, the rejection of organized religion and the abuse of power in a fictionalized Catholic Church, are to be diluted in the adaptation. Director Weitz said "in the books the Magisterium is a version of the Catholic Church gone wildly astray from its roots" but that the organization portrayed in his film would not directly match that of Pullman's books. In an attempt to avoid a religious backlash, the Magisterium will instead be a critique of all dogmatic organizations. Weitz said that New Line Cinema had feared the story's anti-religious themes would make the film financially unviable in the US, and so religion and God will not be referenced directly. Attempting to reassure fans of the novels, Weitz said that religion would instead appear in euphemistic terms, yet the decision has been attacked by some fans, anti-censorship groups, and the National Secular Society (of which Pullman is an honorary associate), which said "they are taking the heart out of it, losing the point of it, castrating it","this is part of a long-term problem over freedom of speech." The changes from the novel have been present since Tom Stoppard's rejected version of the script, and Pullman himself believes the film will be "faithful.

As part of a two-month protest campaign, the Catholic League has called for a boycott of the film. They believe that while the religious elements of the film will be "watered down" from the source novels, it will still encourage children to read the series, which League president William A. Donohue says "denigrates Christianity" and promotes "atheism for kids",citing author Pullman as saying that he is "trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief." It is the League's hope that "the film [will fail] to meet box office expectations and that [Pullman's] books attract few buyers."

Director Weitz says that he believes His Dark Materials is "not an atheistic work, but a highly spiritual and reverent piece of writing",and Nicole Kidman has defended her decision to star in the film, saying that "the Catholic Church is part of my essence. I wouldn't be able to do this film if I thought it were at all anti-Catholic".

IS IT ME, OR IS THE SKY FALLING?

Real estate prices have fallen dramatically, with no end in sight. Crude barrel prices are near all time record highs. The national deficit is well passed record highs, and we are sunk into an overwhelmingly costly war overseas with absolutely no end in sight. We owe money to every nation imaginable, and our dollar is now not as strong as the Canadian dollar. Many countries are pushing to stop valuing crude prices in terms of the American dollar, once considered the coin of the realm.

American consumers are in fear of what consumables they are offered for sale in the market place, what with an endless assortment of food being recalled for E-coli or salmonella on a seemingly daily basis. Add to this, tens of thousands of toys are being recalled from our shelves for toys manufactured in China with a glaring disregard for the safety of our children, either for lead paint, or other disarming atrocities which could potentially affect the health of our children.

Black Friday, a day in which American corporations mark the official start of their profit for the year, came and went with a fizzle. Bernanke lowers interest rates in an effort to slow recessionary rates, and spur some life into our housing market, to no avail. New housing starts are all but non-existent, and the last thing you want to be in these conditions is a real estate agent, or a mortgage broker. What's worse is there seems to be no end in sight. Our economy woes are a large snowball, growing in size and volume as it picks up momentum down the mountain. Is it time to look at that snowball, and declare it an avalanche, or can anything truly be done to prevent our economies ultimate fall?

The question is....How can we turn the tide of American confidence in our economy, in our current state of affairs, and in our leadership, in order to bring them back into the marketplace in a big way?

And, if this current trend of money tightening continues, is full blown inflation all but a matter of time?

A LITTLE HARDBALL THROWN AT HUCKABEE

Election time is officially on, folks. Hillary is gay, Obama is an inexperienced fool, and on and on. Surely every candidate has a little something in their closets, some secret shrouded in fear at a time when one disclosure could cost you severely in the eyes of Iowa voters.

Apparently, Mike Huckabee has a little something in his ordained minister's closet, as well. Why haven't we heard of these ethics violations sooner? It's simple. Before he started inexplicably rising in the Iowa polls and becoming an official pain in the Mitt Romney political machine's collective asses, he had no chance. He was no threat whatsoever. Now he is number two in a virtual tie with Mitt (depending on which poll you tend to believe), and it is officially mud slingin' time. Here is a short synopsis from the Politico. Click on the link for the entire report.

An ordained Southern Baptist minister known for his charm, Huckabee rose swiftly through Arkansas politics, culminating with his decade-long stint as governor. But his career has also been colored by 14 ethics complaints and a volley of questions about his integrity, ranging from his management of campaign cash to his use of a nonprofit organization to subsidize his income to his destruction of state computer files on his way out of the governor’s office. Some of the ethics complaints deal with fairly penny ante stuff, and most were dismissed. They did, however, yield five admonitions and $1,000 in fines from Arkansas' Ethics Commission and, perhaps more significantly, a pattern that strategists for two competing GOP campaigns privately predict could become fodder for attacks playing on the culture-of-corruption theme Democrats used to pound Republicans in the 2006 midterm elections.

The ethics commission fined Huckabee $1,000 for failing to report that he paid himself $14,000 from his 1992 U.S. Senate campaign and $43,000 from his 1994 lieutenant governor's campaign. The latter payment — for the use of his eight-seat, twin-engine plane — was reported in a cryptic way that didn’t identify Huckabee and his wife as the owners of the plane.

According to Huckabee’s disclosure reports, he accepted more than 300 gifts worth at least $130,000, ranging from $3,700 cowboy boots to a $600 chainsaw and $250 worth of dental care. Plenty of politicians accept gifts of all sorts, but Huckabee had problems with Arkansas gift rules that bar public officials from accepting rewards for official action and require them to report the value and source of gifts.

In 1998, a former governor’s mansion employee and others sued Huckabee over his assertion that $70,000 worth of furniture donated to the governor's mansion was his to keep, as well as his family’s use of a $60,000-a-year fund. The fund had been used to pay for pizza, a doghouse, a magazine subscription and pantyhose for Huckabee’s wife, Janet, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported. The suit was settled with Huckabee admitting no wrongdoing but acknowledging a "dispute regarding reimbursements” and making clear the furniture was for the mansion.

Before leaving office Jan. 9, Huckabee spent $13,000 in state funds to destroy the hard drives of nearly 100 computers in the governor’s office. He pointed out that he had backed up the data and argued that the hard drive destruction was standard practice to prevent the dissemination of sensitive information related to employees or constituents.

FROM THE RECIPE CORNER

ROAST TURKEY RECIPE 2007

--------------------------------

Take a 200 pound turkey, strip off typical garb (dark suit, red tie and lapel pin)

Marinate for three days in solution of oil, holy water and

excerpts of Scott McClellan's upcoming book calling him a liar

and a co-conspirator against the truth

Stuff with as many veto overrides as humanly possible

Rub skin liberally with record deficits and (un) approval ratings

ROAST ON HIGH HEAT FOR ONE YEAR

Baste with the blood from thousands of our servicemen and weekend warriors (National guard) caused by the ignorant and needless invasion and occupation of a country that posed no immediate threat to us

Serve clouded in secrecy

Recommended side dishes:

Maca-crony and cheese

Buzzard (Cheney) soup

Mashed politicos with gravy

WMD surprise

Faux apple pie

Condoleeza-style Rice

Valerie Plame flambe dessert

Coffee, served with Splenda, not Equal (rights)

Not recommended:

Chip and (French) dip-lomacy

Humble pies

Chocolate S-Chip cookies

IF IT IS TRUE, SHE WILL BE A BOMBSHELL WAITING TO GO OFF IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD

Rumors have been circulating in the Palmetto State, and elsewhere, that Hillary Clinton is having a lesbian affair. Her alleged paramour: a beautiful aide named Huma Abedin.

As you can see from the photo, if Hillary is having an affair with Abedin it would not be evidence of her lesbianism as much as of her common sense and sound judgment.
The hard-to-credit rumor of Hillary’s Sapphic excursions is being stoked by right-wing bloggers. They suggest that this supposed romance shows the candidate is not only a lesbian but consorting with terrorists, given that the Michigan-born Abedin is reportedly from a family brimming with known Muslims.

By the way....

Billionaire Belinda Stronach insists there is nothing true about the rumors she and former President Clinton are having an affair, adding that it's all a Republican plot.
The ultra-wealthy member of Canada's parliament, who switched from the Conservative to the Liberal party, told the Montreal Gazette that the rumors upset her and she doesn't know whether to laugh or cry about the global hullabaloo over her alleged role as Cinton's latest squeeze.

MC CLELLAN GOT UP WITH FLEAS

According to a leaked portion (where have you heard that before?) of his upcoming memoirs, former Press Secretary Scott McClellan appears to hold President Bush partially responsible for statements to the White House press corps in 2003 that later proved to be inaccurate — that Karl Rove, senior counselor to the president, and Mr. Libby, vice president’s chief of staff, never leaked the identity of the agent, Valerie Plame (emphasis added):
"The most powerful leader in the world had called upon me to speak on his behalf and help restore credibility he lost amid the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. So I stood at the White house briefing room podium in front of the glare of the klieg lights for the better part of two weeks and publicly exonerated two of the senior-most aides in the White House: Karl Rove and Scooter Libby.

There was one problem. It was not true."

I had unknowingly passed along false information. And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the Vice President, the President’s chief of staff, and the President himself.

BUSH PARDONS SECOND TURKEY OF THE YEAR

King George II tries to talk another turkey

into taking a cabinet post in his administration.

TAKEN FROM THE HORSES MOUTH

Want to vote for that romantic, ideological candidate Barack Obama, but are worried about the fact that he has almost (one term senator) NO experience at all? Want to vote for him because he is attractive, somewhat charismatic and youthful, but worry he has NO foreign affairs experience at all? Well, let me set your fears aside....he apparently has had some foreign affairs experience. Just let this recent quote from Senator Obamanable sink in....

"Probably the strongest experience I have in foreign relations is the fact that I spent four years living overseas when I was a child in southeast Asia," said Obama, who lived in Indonesia from age 6 to age 10.

"So a lot of my knowledge about foreign affairs isn't just what I studied in school. It's not just the work that I do on Senate Foreign Relations [Committee]. It's actually having the knowledge of how ordinary people in these other countries live," he said.

There you go, folks. Obama is fully trained in foreign affairs because of the intense training he received in Indonesia from the ages 6 to 10. What more could you ask for than an apparent child scholar in foreign affairs from the ages 6 to 10? Apparently, along with the training he received in how to use the potty, was intense training in multi-lateral trade agreements and diplomacy in an advancing world. Who knew? Imagine if JFK had been raised in Istanbul from the ages 6 through 10. Wouldn't the Bay of Pigs gone a much different direction? You cannot discount, or appreciate enough the experience brought about by 5 years of childhood rearing in a third world country., especially the years from 6 through 10. The only possible deficit to his education in Indonesia was knowing what you can say, or not say, to avoid looking like an absolute fucking moron.

And that is "The World According to Kimba"

By the way, I was raised in Vermont from the age of 6 to 10.

Will this get me at least a cabinet post?

WAIT, I CAN'T VOTE UNTIL I'VE SURFED THE WEB

New press release from the Obama camp stating his views....his peculiar views on how he intends to derive on his voting record. Specifically, he wants to listen to the American public over the Internet before coming to any non-time sensitive decisions. For the entire PDF release, click on the following title.

Open Up Government to its Citizens:

"The Bush Administration has been one of the most secretive, closed administrations in American history. Our nation’s progress has been stifled by a system corrupted by millions of
lobbying dollars contributed to political campaigns, the revolving door between government and industry, and privileged access to inside information—all of which have led to policies that favor the few against the public interest.

An Obama presidency will use cutting-edge technologies to reverse this dynamic, creating a new level of transparency, accountability and participation for America’s citizens.
Technology-enabled citizen participation has already produced ideas driving Obama’s campaign and its vision for how technology can help connect government to its citizens and engage citizens in a democracy.
Giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House website for five days before signing any non-emergency legislation.

Establishing pilot programs to open up government decision-making and involve the public in the work of agencies, not simply by soliciting opinions, but by tapping into the vast and distributed expertise of the American citizenry to help government make more informed decisions."

G-O-P POLITICAL PHONE POLL IS PREOCCUPIED WITH G-O-D

Investigations are taking place in regards to the origin and instigator of a recent political phone poll taken in Iowa and New Hampshire involving Mitt Romney's religious beliefs, and the lack of a military background as opposed to war hero John McCain.

BE CAREFUL MITT, THE GOP IS CAPABLE OF ANY DIRTY TRICK...JUST ASK MAX CLELAND, OR JOHN "SWIFT BOAT" KERRY.

WE HAVE ALSO HEARD THE GOP WILL EAT THEIR YOUNG.

As part of the poll, which began Sunday, callers have been asking voters in Iowa and New Hampshire whether they know that Romney is a Mormon, that his five sons did not serve in the military and that Mormons believe the Book of Mormon is superior to the Bible. The callers also inquire whether voters are aware that Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, accepted deferments to avoid military service in Vietnam while he was on a mission with other young Mormons in France.

At the beginning of the 20-minute survey, voters are asked whether they are aware of McCain's decorated military service during Vietnam. That has led many voters to assume the poll was sponsored by the Arizona senator's campaign. But McCain's campaign immediately denounced the effort and insisted it had nothing to do with it."Whoever did this wanted to hurt us by implication," said Mark Salter, a senior aide to McCain. "That's why we were very forceful."

"Whichever campaign is engaging in this type of awful religious bigotry as a line of political attack, it is repulsive and to put it bluntly un-American," said Romney communications director Matt Rhoades. "There is no excuse for these attacks. Gov. Romney is campaigning as an optimist who wants to lead the nation. These attacks are just the opposite. They are ugly and divisive."

MY VIEWS: UN-"REDACTED"

I am sure that there are "the ravages of war", and events that would horrify the average citizen. Thankfully (or cowardly), I will not ever know the ordeal the American troops are going through, in Iraq, or any other military action previous.

I do not endorse, or approve of the action in Iraq, and I have made this fact very clear. I support a partial pull out, and total re stationing of the troops presently in Iraq, to Afghanistan as soon as humanly possible.

Having said all of this, I cannot, and will not support a film that denigrates the American military personnel. Not having watched the movie, but having read about thirty reviews from people who have, The movie "Redacted" seems to do just that. Directed by movie legend Brian Di Palma, and financed by the dot com billionaire turned Dallas Maverick owner, Mark Cuban, the movie apparently......well, read one of the synopsis yourself...

"Based on the recent events surrounding the rape and murder of a 14-year old Iraqi girl, and the killing of three of her family members by four US soldiers and one civilian. The soldiers were sleep-deprived and living on energy drinks and sleeping pills in a situation where anyone outside the fence was considered the enemy. The killings have been the most provocative in a series of war crimes that have tarnished the reputation of US armed forces in Iraq."

If you feel strongly about this...there is a movement to picket and petition against the movie (click here) . Frankly I do not. However, I would like to see some sort of public outpouring, some sort of engagement, some sort of public discourse, some sort of public awareness ABOUT ANYTHING other than Paris Hilton, or TMZ's flavor of the month.

I would like to run into someone who cares for one, or cares enough to follow the political arena regardless of their party affiliations. I would like to run into someone who occasionally watches C-Span, or hell, even one stinking debate. While there ARE rare exceptions, the comments I usually get are..."Where do you find the time to learn about these things...or read up on these things...or write about these things, or why do you even so much as care about these things?

The answer is it is simple. While you know who won Super Bowl I, I know who the fourteenth President was. While you know word for word the final episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond", I have watched the latest ad from Tancredo, and seen Hillary stump in Aames, Iowa.

I guess we all have our hobbies, our priorities, and our own sense of what is important. But no matter if you are a bleeding heart liberal like me, or a blood thirsty, bigoted right winger with the compassion of my right testicle for his / her common man; can't we all agree that despite the bad 1% of the American troops that are bound to be attracted to the military life, our troops are something that we can all be proud of, whether or not you agree with Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, or this war?

By the way...what is "redacted?" - To redact is to edit, or prepare for publishing. Frequently, a redacted document, such as a memo or e-mail message, has simply had personal (or possibly actionable) information deleted or blacked out; as a consequence, redacted is often used to describe documents from which sensitive information has been expunged.

And that is the "World According to Kimba"

Thanks for reading

WHERE HAVE I HEARD THAT "BE AFRAID" CRAP BEFORE?

A KERIC-AL ERROR IN JUDGEMENT

A federal grand jury has voted to indict former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik on charges stemming from the acceptance of free rent and apartment renovations, tax evasion and lying on his application for the job as head of the Department of Homeland Security, two federal sources and a source involved. The government is also expected to charge that Kerik lied on a mortgage application and on his application for the job as head of the Department of Homeland Security.
Kerik's reputation took on heroic proportions in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Side by side with "America's Mayor" Rudolph Giuliani, Kerik was seen as part of the glue that held the city together and soon, owing to the support of Giuliani and a bond he had developed with President George Bush, Kerik was nominated to be "America's Police Commissioner" -- the head of the Department of Homeland Security. in the defense told ABC News.

Kerik's fall from grace began on Dec. 3, 2004, the same day that the president announced his appointment. "Bernie Kerik is one of the most accomplished and effective leaders of law enforcement in America. In his career, he has served as an enlisted military police officer in Korea, a jail warden in New Jersey, a beat cop in Manhattan, New York City corrections commissioner, and as New York's 40th police commissioner -- an office once held by Teddy Roosevelt. In every position, he has demonstrated a deep commitment to justice, a heart for the innocent, and a record of great success," President Bush said.
But by late that same evening, a swirl of allegations of misconduct began to surface. They included the employment of an undocumented immigrant as a nanny and the acceptance of what amounted to large gratuities, according to ABC News accounts at the time and other published reports. Soon Kerik was the subject of a criminal investigation by a New York prosecutor. And within about 18 months after his nomination for the job as head of Homeland Security, on June 30, 2006, Kerik pleaded guilty to accepting more than $165,000 in gifts while a city official and failing to report the money as required. He paid more than $200,000 in fines and was spared any jail time.

BUSH AND HIS ATTORNEY GENERALS

While watching the congressional hearings into the appointment of Mr. Mukasey as the latest of King George II's Attorney general, one might wonder what is the big deal? Why are the Democrats raking this poor guy over the coals in regards to his personal feelings towards torture? Or the President being above the law? or how he feels about individual rights?

Well , to understand the liberals reticence to approve the nomination of Mr. Mukasey, lets take a look at the track record of the other Bush appointed hit men...

John Ashcroft, marked A.G.I for evidence, helped railroad undue restrictions of civil liberties through Congress after the 9/11 attacks. Mr. Ashcroft apparently had some red lines and later rebuffed the White House when it pushed him to endorse illegal wiretapping. Pushed him as in the White House counsel and Karl Rove showing up with legal documents to sign approving illegal wiretaps WHILE ASHCROFT WAS IN A HOSPITAL BED RECUPERATING FROM A SURGICAL PROCEDURE.

That ushered in one Alberto Gonzales, marked A.G. II for evidence. Mr. Gonzales, while he was White House counsel, helped to redefine torture, repudiate the Geneva Conventions and create illegal detention camps. As attorney general, Mr. Gonzales helped cover up the administration’s lawless behavior in anti-terrorist operations, helped revoke fundamental human rights for foreigners and turned the Justice Department into a branch of the Republican National Committee. Mr. Gonzales resigned after his extraordinary incompetence became too much for even the most loyal of conservatives.

So, when the A.G.III in waiting, Mr. Mukasey says he finds certain types of torture, including water boarding "repugnant", but stops short of saying it is indeed, torture, well, a few red flags go of in the committee chairman's head. Mukasey, a well respected judge and barrister who was presumed to have an easy path towards confirmation, stunned everyone during the confirmation process by saying he believes the president has the power to negate laws and by not committing himself to enforcing Congressional subpoenas. He also has suggested that he will not uphold standards of decency during wartime recognized by the civilized world for generations. It was made fairly obvious that Mr. Mukasey, like his predecessor Mr. Gonzales, would enable Mr. Bush’s lawless behavior and his imperial attitude toward Congress and the courts.

There seems to be little chance that Mr. Bush will appoint the sort of attorney general that the nation needs, a job that includes enforcing voting rights laws and civil rights laws and ensuring that criminal prosecutions are done fairly.

So, after another week of huffing and puffing by Senators Kennedy, Biden and committee chair (and fellow Vermonter) Senator Leahy, Mukasey will be in, and the past two weeks will be shown for the rediculous waste of time it truly has been.

My advice to the committee......nominate this guy. And stick to the fights you can win.

IN A PERFECT WORLD....

This nutritious dinner would be six points....

in the Weight Watchers diet plan...

This Imperial Palace (China) Starbucks would serve their coffee in hand painted mugs...
hand painted with their deadly lead based paint...

And Bill Clinton would have been more gracious.....
when old Ronnie asked him to be his Vice President....

OBAMA TAKES OFF HIS MASK

LET'S HAVE A PIZZA POTTY

By now, you’ve probably heard that 5 million frozen pizzas, most sold under General Mills’ Totino’s and Jeno’s labels, have been recalled because of an e. coli contamination problem in pepperoni that was produced by an outside contractor. If you haven’t heard, you can read the Tribune story.

The problem may have come from pepperoni on pizzas produced at a General Mills plant in Ohio, the suburban Minneapolis-based company said. It said the pepperoni itself came from a separate supplier, not produced at the plant itself, but it declined to release the name of the pepperoni distributor.The voluntary recall covers pizzas containing pepperoni that have been produced since July, when the first of 21 E. coli illnesses under investigation by state and federal authorities emerged.

As of this writing, the 21 lab-confirmed cases have affected people in Illinois, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia, South Dakota and Wisconsin. At least 10 people have been hospitalized.

Symptoms of E. coli can include stomach cramps and diarrhea. People typically are ill for two to five days but can develop complications including kidney failure.

OBAMA-NABLE VOTING RECORD

Sen. Barack Obama has missed the most votes of any Democratic presidential hopeful in the Senate over the last two months, including a vote on an Iran resolution he has blasted Sen. Hillary Clinton for supporting.

The Illinois Democrat has missed nearly 80 percent of all votes since September.
The other Democrats in the Senate running for president have missed a high percentage of votes as well.
Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware has missed 68 percent of the votes during the same period, Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut 65 percent and Clinton of New York 63 percent.
Obama's campaign points out that Biden missed the most votes if the whole year is considered, followed by Dodd, then Obama. Obama's campaign argues that looking at the last two months is arbitrary.
Obama missed a vote on a resolution that declared the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, an elite part of the Iranian military, a terrorist organization. He has criticized Clinton for voting for it, saying it would give President Bush a "blank check" to invade Iran.
"This kind of resolution does not send the right signal to the region," Obama said during a presidential debate earlier this week. "It doesn't send the right signal to our allies or our enemies."

The Illinois Democrat has missed nearly 80 percent of all votes since September.

The other Democrats in the Senate running for president have missed a high percentage of votes as well.
Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware has missed 68 percent of the votes during the same period, Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut 65 percent and Clinton of New York 63 percent.
Obama's campaign points out that Biden missed the most votes if the whole year is considered, followed by Dodd, then Obama.
Obama's campaign argues that looking at the last two months is arbitrary.
Obama missed a vote on a resolution that declared the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, an elite part of the Iranian military, a terrorist organization. He has criticized Clinton for voting for it, saying it would give President Bush a "blank check" to invade Iran.
"This kind of resolution does not send the right signal to the region," Obama said during a presidential debate earlier this week. "It doesn't send the right signal to our allies or our enemies." "The most important votes that this Congress did were in the first six months -- ethics reform, minimum wage, Iraq, 9/11 bill, energy," Obama spokesman Bill Burton said. "The last two months have been appropriations bills, and we were here for the Iraq votes."

HAVING A FEELING OF IMPENDING DOOM

Interesting commentary by Gary Duncan in the London Times...for the entire essay, click here.

Conditions in the stricken US housing market worsen

"Three key factors will now be crucial in determining how bad things become in the world’s biggest economy. The multibillion-dollar question is how severe a knock consumer spending, the driving force of US growth, takes from the double whammy of the housing slump and soaring fuel bills.
The blow is certain to be hard. Just how hard, though, will partly depend on how well Americans’ usually resilient confidence holds up. Hallowe’en has passed, but the extent of fear over personal and economic fortunes will be critical. The remaining two factors will play a big role in settling that.
First, does the credit squeeze in the financial markets persist, or get worse, so that banks become much less willing to finance the borrowing that pays for Americans’ high-spending habits.
Secondly, how far and fast can the US Federal Reserve cut interest rates to shore-up confidence, incomes and spending power. A big worry is that the Fed’s scope to act will be hampered by its serious worries over the extra inflationary threat being created by the leap in oil prices, and a slumping dollar. "

"Amid all the uncertainty, what is beyond doubt is that the danger of a deep US downturn is greater now than for a long time. Americans will have much to give thanks for if they can escape that painful fate. "

WARRANT ISSUED FOR A NEBRASKA CHILD CORNHUSKER

Police has issued warrants for 25 year old Nebraska middle school teacher Kelsey Peterson, who has fled Nebraska, reportedly to Mexico with a troubled 13 year old student, and alleged lover, Fernando Rodriguez. Investigations into the pair have shown that Ms. Peterson reportedly gave her 13 year old lover a cellular phone so she could easily reach him, and he had written many e-mails to her calling her his "Baby Gurl" (apparently she was not an English teacher), and said that their relationship was "just not about the sex but that it was pretty good," (apparently only a "C+) according to court documents.

Ms. Peterson reportedly wrote him many letters on a school provided laptop, which included letters professing her love to him. She has been charged with kidnapping, child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. And if they have indeed made it into Mexico, further charges will be levied.
Rodriguez was living at a home for at risk boys in Alliance, Neb. He was sent to the home in December after a judge described the boy as an "uncontrollable" juvenile. The young boy apparently made frequent visits to her classroom, and students have told authorities that he once slapped the teacher across the backsides when she bent over.

If all of this is not enough, Ms. Peterson reportedly is the mother of a young, elementary age child herself, who is reportedly staying with a relative.