Attention Kossacks:
Let the wild rumpus commence.

From the 1913 Webster's Dictionary, by way of Wiktionary:

reform (plural: reforms)n, Amendment of what is defective, vicious, corrupt, or depraved; reformation; as, reform of elections; reform of government.

There's Meta-more.

As reported in the NY Times, A Federal Appeals court in NY just gutted the FCC's ability to fine broadcasters for "fleeting expletives" uttered over the air.

The case at hand was NBC's broadcasting of a Bono expletive during the Golden Globes a few years back. But it also means that, among other things, broadcasters will no longer have to arbitrarily alter reality to bleep things like American soldiers reacting extemely negative to incoming fire, as PBS had to do two years ago.

Monday's New York Times has a "view from the ground" article bylined from Baghdad:
Doubts Grow as G.I.’s in Iraq Find Allies in Enemy Ranks

I sure wish this had been around for our Congressmen to read before the vote on the supplemental.

The wheels of Congress turn slowly, but two HUGE roadblocks to rebuilding have finally gone away.

Tucked into the new supplemental funding bill are provisions waiving both the 10% local match on federal money AND the repayment of federal emergency disaster loans.

We've got a problem in 2008, and it has nothing to do with the top of the ticket.

In 2006, there were three main issues that brought independent voters to Democratic candidates, and in turn brought Congressional Democrats to power:

Iraq, Congressional corruption , and Katrina.

Three solid, clear issues that attracted those results-oriented, possibly one-time independent voters and turned an election. So where are we on those results?

Let's just say that after all that's happened this month, I'm thinking Congressional Democrats won't be seeing many of those independent voters again...

Remember all those promises about rebuilding the Gulf Coast?

I'm calling bull. More than a year and a half has passed, and the money's still not there.  Not in Mississippi, not in Louisiana, and not in New Orleans.

And just suppose you've managed to survive those 20 months in a FEMA trailer without going totally batshit crazy. Now you get to hear that FEMA wants to start charging you rent.

What's next in the Iraq chessgame?  Send up a stonger funding bill? Send up one without any strings? Send up the same bill?

Well, at this point, it's worth remembering that Congress doesn't have to do anything. Only Congress can initiate spending bills, and if they don't... the money starts to run out.

In fact, doing nothing kicks off a timetable that's much more definitive than the one just vetoed. Still, the assumption is that Congress just won't go there.

Why?  Because everyone's afraid of blowback in 2008.

Forget for a moment that there's a good chance that all those one-time independent and crossover '06 voters will walk away by 2008 if the Democrats don't change the course of the war. Let's look instead at this fear of a fallout.    

How likely is it that there'll be any political fallout from "de-funding" an unpopular conflict?  Step into the Wayback machine for a look at what happened the last time that happened...

The Decider, having Decided, has dropped a blackball on the supplemental funding bill. The assumption is that Congress will eventually send up another one.  

At this point, it's worth remembering that Congress doesn't have
to do anything. In fact, doing nothing kicks off a timetable that's much more definitive than the one just vetoed.

But what about the political fallout of "de-funding" even an unpopular war?  Step into the Wayback machine for a look at what happened the last time that happened...

Earlier in the week, this diary questioned the thoroughness of the background checks on Seung-Hui Cho's firearm purchases.  Today, the  New York Times  confirms those suspicions.

Ain't this grand...  the shooter was known as a stalker. UPDATE: in 2005, he underwent a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation.

Most of the Mardi Kossacks know my feelings on the insurance industry and its jaw-dropping, dishonest and in some cases, arguably fraudulent response to Katrina. Well apparently, at least one Voice of the Industry kinda gets it too... While I don't agree with everything he says (many homeowners settled their claims because they were simply too exhausted to fight), here is the bulk of an open letter to the industry... It may land me in diary jail, but it's just too good to cut short... emphasis is mine- cs

I've recently returned from a week in Bay Saint Louis. These are more thoughts on what I found there.

I've recently returned from a week in Bay Saint Louis. These are some thoughts on what I found there.

Apparently, it's fine for the GOP to show a basic lack of compassion and decency towards the survivors of Katrina... you just can't call them on it.

One of the more onerous strings on federal Katrina Relief money is that they are subject to the Stafford Act: local communities must find 10% in matching funds before they see a dime of the federal grants. The act was designed to prevent fraud in small scale-disasters, but it's frequently waived in large ones: it was waived for NY after 9/11 and waived for Florida after Hurricane Andrew.

It hasn't been waived for Louisiana or Mississippi, so one of the "workarounds" the locals have come up with is using their community block grants for those much-needed matching funds.

The Republicans would like to stop that, and last week, Rep. Tom Price of Georgia tried to amend the low-income housing aid package to make it so. Rep. Gene Taylor rose to speak against the move... and got banned for his trouble.

From the Dripping With Irony department:

Thanks to the legal legwork of Kenneth Starr in l'affaire Clinton a decade ago, there's a chance the White House's executive privilege defense against Congressional subpoenas may not hold up if it gets to court.

The DOJ document dump in the attorney case may already contain enough evidence of potential wrongdoing to make Executive Privilege a non-starter.

The State of Louisiana fired back today in what's become the ongoing saga of Allstate vs. Everybody Who Got Their Ass Kicked in Katrina- or didn't.

crossposted at bluehousediaries

What is the deal with AllState? And why would anyone in their right mind still do business with them?

The pattern of bad behavior that has plagued  Mississippi has jumped the border...