Meteor Blades' overnite open thread included a poll asking whether the readers believed Osama Bin Laden/Usama Bin Ladin was dead or alive. As of this writing, astonishingly, only 16% believed him to be dead!!! I hope at least a few will follow me into the great unknown below as I attempt to put this issue into a truly "reality-based" light.

It sure didn't take long for Sen. Clinton to decide she regretted her bizarre comment in Sioux Falls today. But "regret" does NOT equal an apology. This short diary is more about political posturing than about Sen. Clinton; she simply was the catalyst for something I've been wanting to say for some time.

Unfortunately, I got a late start on this; there aren't a lot of links. But this isn't a 'breaking' or 'news' story; it's an extremely personal (and, I'm afraid, long) one. Regardless, I feel compelled to share it; it's the most vivid childhood memory I have, the primary event that 'shaped' me, politically, and this is the day, and the blog, where this story belongs, IMNSHO.

Diary inspiration here, here, here, here, here.

Back in my drinking days in Tennessee, during a discussion on the 2nd Amendment in a bar (admittedly not the brightest place to engage in such a discussion; again, this was during my drinking days), I remember a redneck once proclaiming, in a very animated fashion, that, "...to get a Voter's Registration Card, you should be required to show up at the Voter's Reg Office in a Sidewinder-equipped Huey." Since (a) I presume he wanted the ability to vote himself, and (b) I seriously doubt he owned any sort of helicopter, much less a missile, it's safe to assume he was engaging in hyperbole. But, very likely, not by much.

Please make the hop (unarmed, preferably) for a treatise on the only Amendment Bush hasn't rent asunder.

I studied statistics (long ago) in college. I never used those skills very much in an official capacity, but did seem to develop a knack for spotting oddities/anomalies in statistically-oriented reports, graphs, and such. A diary Friday (sorry, I've been through too many the past few days to locate which one - if it was yours, please speak up) linked to the following:

http://www.cnn.com/...

and it didn't take 60 seconds for me to start asking questions. I'm hoping that in this diary we can develop a better understanding of the reasons for the oddities I see.

Hop the orange rainbow below and see if there's any insight you might be able to add.

Sorry if this is a bit of a lightweight diary; I don't write many. But I am PISSED. I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore.

Take what? Being labeled a 'surrender monkey'. Having to listen to chickenhawks claim that by doing their JOB, Congress is 'surrendering'. From the WH. From New York (originally run with this POS beside it). From California (sorry, can't find that link now).

Problem stated. A possible counterattack strategy after the flip.

The FBI has begun a preliminary investigation into possible ties between Osama Bin Laden and the NYC Mafia families:

Though there is no direct evidence yet of organized crime collaborating with terrorists, the first hints of a connection surfaced in a recent undercover FBI operation. Agents stopped a man with alleged mob ties from selling missiles to an informant posing as a terrorist middleman.

This was apparently simply a sting operation, and just the beginning of the investigation. Who knows where this could lead?

One brave young man from here in Hamilton, Ontario, however, was unwittingly handed a huge task; one it's unlikely any of us would accept, on any day of the year, for all the U$D in China. His task: becoming a hero. On Labour Day.

CHEERS AND JEERS FRIDAY:  Last Call(ed) Edition

"You're gonna love this diary". Hopefully, anyway. Really. At least, if you're old enough to have kids approaching their teenage years (note you don't need kids this age...). Sorry, youngsters. We old farts have to remember the good-old-days sometime, and today seems particularly appropo.

Follow me over the rainbow fold and I'll explain what this has to do with why "...you're gonna love this diary"!

Note: No quotes or citings here, just an anecdotal story of a personal friend's experience. He said to feel free to disclose his name, but I see nothing that might add to the topic. I'm willing to do so for good reason, and I do intend to report back to him on the results of this posting; he has (too) little interest in 'politics'. ;(

A friend of mine in his 50's has found himself the victim of a combination of 'odd' circumstances, exacerbated by the callous ruthlessness of this administration and its inability to accept that 'exceptions' are the rule.

See the flip for a list of events which have spelled "Hell" for my friend:

The Leger Marketing survey pegged Liberal Support nationally at 39%, compared with 27% for the Tories, 16% for the NDP, and 12% for the Bloc Quebecois

The poll for The Canadian Press of 2,006 voters across Canada was conducted Dec. 2-7 and has a margin of error of +/- 2.2%, 19 times out of 20 <95% confidence limit>.

Some analysis on the flip.

In the course of my normal, daily 5-mile (urban) walk home last night, a new angle on an interesting dichotomy I've pondered for years concerning the cars driving by as I walked suddenly hit me between the eyes like a baseball bat (another head injury...). Once again, it's all about `framing'.

"The Little Chicken"

"The sky is falling!" Little Chicken said,
As he brought the heavens down upon his head.
"This great evil we must defeat!"
As he marched to the devil's beat.
"Democracy we must defend!"
As he schemed to bring it's end.
"We must export democracy!"
...Now there's none left, at home, for me...

May 9, 2003