I am not saddened by the passing of Tim Russert, as I made known in the first diary announcing the news.  (If you have TU status, you can see my comments, and maybe even help to ban me for being uncouth.)  I did not wish him dead, but I do not mourn the loss of someone who gave much aid and comfort to the Bush administration over the past several years.  As a reminder of what the world has lost, please consider the following:

CNN is apparently selling t-shirts with headlines from its web site on them, such as this.  Odd, but I guess they can try to make a buck like anyone else, right.

I just sat down at my laptop and see a whole bunch of references to Eliot Spitzer and some kind of 'scandal'.  I'm sure I'd have gotten to the bottom of this sooner, but I was out golfing with Mark Foley, David Vitter, and Don Sherwood.  I wasn't planning to go at all, but they called me in at the last second when Larry Craig wouldn't come out of the locker room and Clarence Thomas was in some heated discussion at the clubhouse bar.

I've been stuck for the past two months on the graveyard shift, and end my work day listening to the 'Boomer and Carton' show on WFAN, formerly the home of wrinkled racist Don Imus.  The co-host Boomer Esiason is a former NFL quarterback and current analyst/broadcaster who projects a mostly positive attitude, but he's got an Achilles heel: anyone who isn't a wingnut.  A week or so ago, when someone mentioned that George Clooney was their favorite actor, he asked "Nothing bothers you about him?  Questionable politics, maybe?"  And this morning, when his co-host mentioned that Alex Rodriguez was recently talking with Warren Buffett, Boomer grumbled about Buffett's desire to "raise my taxes".  

He never goes too far with these statements, because he is apparently smart enough to know that nobody cares what an average ex-jock has to say about politics.  But it's sad to see that a guy whom I used to be a fan of (Jets!) is just another mouth-breathing wingnut.

I've been a bit giddy this morning.  It started with too much caffeine to get through the graveyard shift, and it ratcheted up with Al Gore winning the Nobel Peace Prize.  But it totally bubbled over when I read Paul Krugman's latest column in the no-longer-gated NY Times.

Thomas Friedman is a dangerous man.  His words are read by people in newspapers across the country, and heard by many more when he appears on 24/7 "news" channels as some kind of expert (on what, I do not know).  What I don't understand is why he is taken seriously, given how wrong he has been.

(I received this comm recently, and should have shared earlier!)

HYDE PARK - U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-Hurley, is hosting a discussion on
media consolidation at 6 p.m. Nov. 21 at the Henry A. Wallace Center.

The panel discussion will include Michael J. Copps, a Federal Communications
Commission commissioner, as well as various local community leaders.

The talk will address the impact of media consolidation on local communities
with a focus on the Hudson Valley.

I JUST got off the phone with a reporter from the Times Herald-Record, who was following up on a tip I phoned in about the Kelly robo-calling.  He says I was far from the only one, and that a story might make the paper tomorrow.

KEEP UP THE PRESSURE ON THE MEDIA.  THIS STORY IS FOR REAL AND IT HAS LEGS.

http://www.recordonline.com/...

My wife got a flyer from work with the following:

Orange County Town Hall
Congressional Forum

Medicare, Social Security & Retiree Issues

Invited Candidates
Congresswoman Sue Kelly (NY-19)
Democratic Challenger John Hall (NY-19)
Congressman Maurice Hinchey (NY-22)

Sponsored by:
New York State Alliance for Retired Americans
New York StateWide Senior Action Council

Friday, November 3, 2006
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Dennis Cosgrove Community Center
8 Wes Warren Drive, Middletown, NY
(Town of Wallkill)

For further information-- (518) 783-6231

If you can, BE THERE!

I voiced an interest in working my town's polling place on election day at a recent town Democratic Party meeting.  A few days later, I got a call telling me where and when to show up.  Very anticlimactic, but I'm excited about being involved.

I'm pretty sure that our town is still using the mechanical lever machines, since New York has not complied with HAVA yet.

Anyone have any advice for me to prepare for a day at the polls?  I'm going to bring a digital camera to record anything out of the ordinary, but any other suggestions?

I got this by email a few days ago.  Should have posted it then, but better late than never.  If you are in the area and can make it, please help to pack the house for John!

Oct 16: Farm Bureau Forum
The Town of Warwick and the Orange County Farm Bureau are holding a candidate forum. John Hall and Sue Kelly have accepted invitations.

Come early - seating limited.

When: Monday Oct 16

Pre-debate Rally: 6pm

Debate: 7pm to 9 pm

Where: Warwick Town Hall, 132 Kings Highway, Warwick NY 10990

The tightening race for NY's 19th district is getting very interesting with the revelation that incumbent R Sue Kelly served on the Page Board from 1999 to 2001 (her office says it was unsure of her service dates).  The Times Herald-Record just published this article, which reads in part:

Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz., said this morning that a former page he sponsored warned House leadership of inappropriate advances by former Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., at least six years ago.

That's significant because Kelly was head of the board that oversees the page program from early 1999 to early 2001. Questions will now focus on how House leaders responded to the warning by Kolbe's page and whether word of the incident ever reached Kelly.

If you can, throw some support to John Hall