Five day projections on the path of hurricane Gustav have it moving directly toward New Orleans.  It is expected to pick up significant strength during the next 5 days, and may reach category 4 strength by the time it makes land fall.

Given that the Bush Administration is still in charge of FEMA, and given that no indications are currently available that FEMA is making plans to anticipate this storm, it's time to think seriously about moving out.

Update:  With a HT to Wordie.  More urgency from the locals.

Study: New Orleans Repeating Deadly Levee Mistakes - AP Study Shows NOLA Could See Future Threats.

I took advantage of the joys of C-SPAN, and watched most of the Convention last night, free of Babblers.  I did switch over during the elevator music, which, as Mr. Doc observed, eliminated need to buy my own elevator.  (I know, I know, there were probably some outstanding performers that I missed...)

Watching a tall, beautiful, brilliant woman speak to America was thrilling.  Hearing the Old Lion's roar was chilling.  And, seeing the young understudies given their turn to parade before the faithful was intriguing.  But, both last night, and this morning, every time I turned to MSNBC, or CNN for "Convention Coverage" I ended up yelling at the TV.

I heard one of the flood of Blabbering Faces quote Ron Fournier's pieces with the lead in that he is "One of the very best political reporters we have".  And I got to thinking...

I posted a comment yesterday evening, in JapserJohns Diary, that was met with encouragement to write a diary about my suggestion.

One trick that will be noted...

move the selection off AP in your Yahoo down load.  Get your feed from any, and everyone, else.  If their links are not being used, they will notice.

I support a New Group which has formed on the GOP side.

Composed of all of those millions who voted for Mike Huckabee in the recent primaries.  They are demanding R. E. S. P. E. C. T.

After all, there are a lot of people in this country who deny Evolution.  They deserve a hearing, don't they?  

There are a lot of people who voted to return women to their proper place. They must be given a voice, too.

There are a lot of sunny, funny people who have never had a chance to be President. They must all be allowed to pout, and whine until the media discovers a "split in the Republican Party".

There are many folks who lost a lot of weight and walk everyday to keep it off.  Why shouldn't they be given a major voice in Minneapolis?

Hanging on every word this morning, switching channels to avoid the fat women who buy prepackaged food, and those who need a dash of silly to select an insurance carrier, three things have emerged.

First, many in the TM both like and respect Joe Biden, a sentiment which I share.

Second, the Democratic Party, and a lot of Republicans, are very pleasantly surprised by the pick.

But, the third emerging story is disquieting.

In a 3 hour marathon last night, CNN devoted an hour and a half to each of the life stories of the two major candidates for President.

The Obama segment featured clips we have all seen, along with some new, and flattering information.  The only thing they could find to say that smacked of "negative" was a comment from a Chicago print reporter, and Obama biographer, that his initial foray into politics was "cut throat".  That was followed by 3 different people saying "That's the way politics is played".

On his blog, Michael Moore has posted a letter to Caroline Kennedy!  He urges her to "Pull a Cheney"!!

I'll let the inimitable Mr. Moore speak for himself...

Every well informed foreign policy expert, including Senator Obama, is in agreement. The largest, and most dangerous, nation to pose a threat to world peace is Pakistan.  And, the lid has just come off.

Possessing nuclear weapons, involved in a decades long simmering war with India, barely controlling vicious religious violence, and with a lengthy history of bad political leadership, Pakistan is now in the hands of two political factions that will barely acknowledge each others existence.

The departure of Pervez Musharraf has left Pakistan adrift, and giddy with its newly found freedoms.  Freedoms that may pose a danger to the entire world if solutions to the looming economic and political crisis can not be found.

I had to do a fair amount of driving today.  To find the place where the Magic Headquarters Refrigerator was located and to drive it 65 miles to the Obama Campaign Office in Chase City, VA.  While I was noodling through the countryside I passed several gas stations and was taken with the "lower prices".

You can purchase gas in these parts for between $3.55 (Farmville) and $3.74 (Chase City).  I noticed that the futures market on oil closed down at $112 today, $28 dollars below its high in July.  And I got to thinking...

I just returned from the opening of the Obama Office in Chase City, Va.  

Initially, I was confused.  There were far too many "older white women" there.  And a lot of "white, working class males" as well.  

All of which led me to think that I had wandered into the wrong building, "Perhaps this is a McCain office with all the wrong signage", I thought.  There were, after all, far too many eager young people, and WAY too much good food - you know, Democratic Stuff.

Then, I ran into the Party Chairs from the surrounding Counties.  Unless they have all flipped...  I WAS in the right place!

I have spent the past hours pondering Meteor Blades' FP diary on U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Diane M. Zierhoffer, a licensed psychologist who had ordered the torture of a juvenile detainee at GITMO.

My first inclination was to start yelling, "No!  We don't do that!"   Then, I was just sick to my stomach.  The headache followed.  Now, I am so depressed that I don't know what I want to say, but feel I must say something.

I suppose I must start with a common chant among we past, and present, academic Psychologists with the protest, "I'm not that kind of Psychologist."

Here is the script.

Cast it with 7 people who represent every demographic, including one Muslim woman.  (I have added one character, a small child.)

Open with Blowing American flags.  "America the Beautiful" as the back ground theme through out.

Cut to 1st spokesman"

"In 2004 Republicans told us that John Kerry was un-American for wanting to use diplomacy.  Now they are scrambling to find diplomatic solutions to all of the problems they have caused.  Does that make the Republicans un-American?"

CNN is reporting that McCain is "taking a harder line" on the Russians than George Bush.  He had the nerve to say that "If Russian wants to be a part of the civilized world", they can't "invade a sovereign nation" such as Georgia.  Unfortunately he kept mispronouncing the Georgian leader name.  Oops.  Double Oops...

But, as everyone keeps reminding us, "Barack Obama is on Vacation in Hawaii" This oft repeated observation, delivered in an accusatory tone, is supposed to mean what, exactly?

Bush in in Beijing, slapping the flag, McCain is Jonesing after another confrontation with Russian, and Barack is on vacation.

As the "long national nightmare" draws to a close I want to enter a preemptive protest to all future historians.  Do not lay this past eight years of the systematic destruction of American values entirely at the feet of George W. Bush.  To do so would allow the real culprits to escape with their place in this story untarnished by their crimes.

Bush is an insignificant, shallow, foolish man.  A man of no substance.  A cardboard cutout of trivial posturing, sold to an inattentive public, immersed in navel gazing.  He lacks the strength of character, intellect, or moral bearings to have committed the crimes for which his administration will be held accountable for generations.

What's happened to the notion of bowing out gracefully?

What's happened to the good form of the loser jogging to the net to extend a hand to the winner?

What's happened to common sense, manners and just plane good conduct?

When did "Survivor", "Lost", and "American Idol" become the standard for conduct at every level of American society, and why the hell do serious people like Julian Epstein find themselves trying to plaster over the infantile behavior of the Clinton's, and their ridiculous supporters?

I know a lot of you probably saw Ron Suskind on Countdown, last night.  

I suspect fewer of you saw the Washington Journal appearance, this morning.  

Suskind's new book on the impeachable offense of lying us into the Iraq War is making waves around the world.  His documentation of the Bush Administration's abuse of the CIA, hush money to the Chief Iraqi Intelligence official to keep him quiet about the lack of WMD's in Saddam's arsenal, and manipulation of various insiders such as Colin Powell to promote their deceptions, is also creating a fire storm in DC.

Because he has all of the tapes of all of his interviews, White House attempts to deny, or label him as a sleezy muck raker, will not stand up.

Around 6:30pm, Monday, I wrote a diary with the title "OK.  Who's the Racist?".  I can not link to it because, I am ashamed to admit, I deleted it around 6:45pm.  

I deleted the diary because the comments which the diary was generating made two thing clear to me.

One, I had not expressed myself clearly.  My thoughts were incomplete, and not well developed.

Two, I was unable and unwilling to respond to legitimate criticism of my failure with either clarity, or a rational defense of the thesis I had proposed.  I refused to untangle the ideas I had presented.  I demonstrated an absence of any intellectual grace.

I had a hissy fit.

The Danville News, is reporting that our own beloved Virgil Goode, Idiot Savant and Congressman from the Virginia 5th, was a target of the Daily Show.

U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode, R-5th, isn’t laughing at "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" segment that pokes fun at the Rocky Mount Republican.

Goode was featured in a clip on Tuesday night’s episode of the show reportedly riding in a gas-guzzling silver Hummer plastered with his campaign signs and those of other GOP candidates.  

Who to blame?  Who to blame?  Ah, I know.  Let's go after that newly designated Act Blue candidate that's giving me a run for my money!