Sniffling, coughing, the first signs of the flu big eating at me, along with a mild fever, I was on the way into work and was listing to NPR's Morning Edition, and yes, I almost wrecked the truck!

Guess what, WTW fans! Here's your chance to be so annoying to dear old falafel it's not even remotely funny!

Just wanted people to know that I have undertaken the duties of administering WTW.  An odd choice, to be sure, since I know very little about the web and blogging, but I'll do my best.

If anyone has been delaying submission of stories or diary entries while waiting to see what happens with he site, delay no more.  Its operating as it always did, and I'll be checking it every so often to take care of admin details.

I also encourage visitors who don't usually submit to consider creating an account and submitting their ideas.  Diary entries are automatically displayed within the Diaries section, and may be moved to the front page.  Regular stories are evaluated by site members after submission.

This is the chronological sequence of my e-mail communications with a retired Army colonel on whether it is traitorous to publicly call for removing American troops from Iraq, as Representative Murtha did. The e-mails between us are verbatim; nothing added, deleted, or altered, with the exception of removing any reference to his name and the URL for his blog.

I think it time I addressed something, and as one might could guess, yep, Christmas, or whatever it's come to be called....

I think someone hurled the old Mandarin curse at me long ago, and darn gosh, these are some interesting times as of late...

This is it, guys, my last post over here at WTW. I am sad to be leaving, but at the same time, I just don't fit here any more.

I spend as much time these days cussing out the left as the right, and have found little companionship when someone wants to be even-handed about dealing with the political arena.

And so, I'm going away. I've started a new blog called Right as Rain, which I think is pretty derned catchy. Of course, I expect you all to come and comment on my new drivel, and grace me with your intelligent debate and musings.

I'm also going to be cataloguing my training to fight MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) competitively, so it's not going to be all-politics all-the-time.

Come along for the ride if you like, don't if you do not. I love you guys either way.

See you soon,
~A!

Some of you may know this, others may not, but I have announced that I am running for the Wisconsin State Assembly in Fall 2006.

I'm throwing my hat in for a couple of reasons, but one of my biggies is this: Campaign Finance Reform.

Many people remember white phosphorus from high school chemistry--it's that innocent white powder that immediately burst into flames when exposed to the air. Not the kind of stuff that people would want to have poured over their skin, huh?  And pouring stuff like that over people's skin, well that's not the kind of thing America does, that's the kind of thing that Saddam would have done.  That's why we invaded Iraq if I remember correctly (wasn't there a small window in there somewhere when that was the motive?).

Coming on top of known torture in Iraq, known torture in Afghanistan, known use of other countries to conduct torture for us, and now formerly-secret bases in Thailand and East Europe, we get the BBC story below indicating some believable evidence that we have used chemical agents in our bombs in some areas of Iraq.

And 35% of the country STILL thinks Bush is good.  I guess free market philosophy and tax cuts for the rich outweigh just about everything else in several million minds.

The honor roll of major "Republican Fundraisers" 2003-2005:

Tom DeLay--Indicted in Texas, involved in the national investigation of Jack Abramoff

Michael Scanlon--Former associate of both DeLay and Abramoff, and implicated in the Abramoff investigation re Indian affairs; author of now-famous e-mail saying ""The wackos get their information through the Christian right, Christian radio, mail, the internet and telephone trees. Simply put, we want to bring out the wackos to vote against something and make sure the rest of the public lets the whole thing slip past them."

Jack Abramoff--Indicted and/or under investigation for fraud, money laundering, and a host of other potential wrongdoings

Tom Noe--subject of a three count indictment against him for allegedly laundering $45,500 into President Bush's re-election campaign; central figure in Ohio's "coingate" scandal where millions of the state's Workers' Comp funds have gone missing after being "invested" in Noe's rare cin business

John Colyandro--indicted in Texas on conspiracy and money laundering; executive director of Texans for a Republican Majority, a political-action committee founded by DeLay

Jim Ellis--indicted in Texas on conspiracy and money laundering; head of DeLay's national fundraising committee, Americans for a Republican Majority

Warren RoBold--indicted in Texas on conspiracy and money laundering; Republican fundraiser in Washington

Grover Norquist--implicated in investigations of Abramoff, possibly DeLay as well

Joe Allbaugh--widely believed to be moving force behind having Bush appoint Michael Brown to head FEMA

David Safavian--federal indictment for obstructing Senate and executive branch investigations into whether he aided Abramoff in efforts to acquire property around the nation's capital controlled by the General Services Administration

Adam Kidan--indicted along with Abramoff on fraud and conspiracy

Andrew J. Futey--Ohio Republican lobbyist fined and put on probation for role in getting state investment business for a stockbroker

Robert Brownell--charged in Wisconsin with money laundering and conspiracy to commit mail fraud

Ralph Reed--implicated in investigation of Abramoff and Indian tribes; former head of Christian Coalition

Katrina Leung--indicted by feds as spy for China

Sherry Schultz--indicted in Wisconsin for role in scheme to fundraise for two state representatives while paid by state

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?????The Party of Moral Values?????
Significant accomplishments of the last three 2-term Republican presidents:

Richard Nixon--Watergate

Ronald Reagan--IranContra

George W. Bush--"Iraqgate" Manipulation of intelligence, "cronygate" appointment of Michael Brown to FEMA, David Safavian to federal procurement, Gail Norton to Dept. of Interior, and on and on

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