I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues

I hope Sinbad kicks his ass.

Elton is making his second appearance next month in my fair city of Missoula, MT and has demanded $75K for his HIV/AIDS foundation or he doesn't play. Unfortunately the meatheads at the University of Montana (where the concert is being held) have given in to his extortion request. That's a lot of money in a place like this that could help a lot of people right here in the community. Give Hillary a big kiss for me, Reg.

End of rant

Let me add the $75K is in addition to Elton's performance fee.

Over and out.

Swampland is raising the bar by the day. Though revolutions inevitably bring equally brutal tyrants to power, I for one would love to watch it sweep across the Potomac, wiping out the lot of you (and I say this as a native Washingtonian). Nothing would be finer than to see all the Saabs, Beemers and Benzs afire. Sadly, the coming inferno will most likely torch the innocent and weak, while you f'ing swine skate. Here's wishing you end up on assignment in Basra--write some wistful hackery about St. Mac then you pukes.

This blog is as stimulating as a pap smear.

In 30 hours this tape will self destruct. As my Aussie mates would say, "GET F-CKED!"

So what's the Australian term for "Prozac?"

Does this mean you are going to start paying attention to the FEC?
Maybe we'll get ONE mention of McCain flouting campaign finance laws?

Not holding my breath.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article3631718.ece

London Times IS reporting on what is happening in Iraq.

I guess this is why the blog is called Swampland.

I feel dirty after reading this BS...

So what's the Australian term for "Prozac?"

Fosters, mate.

(Actually, all the Aussies I know hate Fosters.)

Also: I can't wait to see Sinbad and Elton fight!

Get back, honky cat.

You actually get paid to write this crap?

Jayackroyd:
Thank you for the London Times article!
This is not a small matter. This is a HUGE FREAKING deal:
"Iraq’s Prime Minister was staring into the abyss today after his operation to crush militia strongholds in Basra stalled, members of his own security forces defected and district after district of his own capital fell to Shia militia gunmen."

Why is TIME not reporting (at least, not reporting more) on this?

well, cliff, I'm gonna follow Malcolm's advice from a while ago, and see what is on the TIME mid-east blogs.

Although I think this Joe's bailiwick.

You actually get paid to write this crap?

Well, anything to distract us from the fact that the civil war we're in Iraq to prevent is raging out of control and that the success of the surge that has kept Iraq out of the headlines since six months prior to the General's August report delivered September 11th was due entirely to the negotiated cease fire with Al-Sadr and had little to do with the troop buildup or the fact that McCain is so confident that the American people don't know what the heck is going on that he's willing to refer to just about anybody as Al Qaeda® as long as it will further the notion that we have to stay in Iraq to fight the Iranians and LOOK WE CAN MAKE FUN OF HILLARY and all that bad stuff will go away!

Tom T:

Saturday Night's all right for fightin'

I just checked the Middle East blog, and there was some good stuff about Hamas and Hezbollah training kids for war, but nothing on anarchy in Iraq.
Maybe that's just an assumption on that blog, that Iraq is a constant Charlie Foxtrot?

Well, it's hard to say.

I was in midtown today, and the NewsCorps' building scroll reported large scale shelling of the green zone.

Something sound vaguely familiar......

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/27/puerto.rico.governor/index.html

Acevedo and his associates also are accused of defrauding the Puerto Rican treasury of $7 million "by fraudulently pledging to abide by a voluntary public funding law" in his gubernatorial campaign, authorities said. In exchange for the pledge, $7 million in public funds went to Acevedo's campaign, according to the indictment.

Hmmm...

Why does that scenario sound so familiar......

oh yeah.....

http://firedoglake.com/2008/03/26/holding-mccain-accountable-for-campaign-finance-violations/

Saturday Night's all right for fightin'

Yeah, you're right -- that would have been better.

Good-bye Norma Jean

woulda been worse.

Sorry, I listened to the worst of Elton in my youth.

'though I still like Love Lies Bleeding.

When I first saw the headline, I thought it said "nothing unawful about Elton John Performance." Now, THAT would have been newsworthy.

'though I still like Love Lies Bleeding.

Yeah, me too. Yellow Brick Road was the first album I ever bought. That ten minute Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding opener was great. Ballad Of Danny Bailey is a good one too.

Hey, they've got it on Project Playlist. Link

Will Bunch of Phila Daily News blog Attytood pointed out a further twist on the story Paul Dirks referenced above. Bunch is an Obama supporter and -- as so many of us are -- very suspicious of the Justice Department.

"Puerto Rico's governor and four Philadelphians, including prominent fund-raiser Robert M. Feldman, were charged this morning in San Juan with federal campaign-finance related crimes.
The investigation of Gov. Anibal Acevedo-Vila, a Democrat who faces re-election this year, was triggered by the FBI's Philadelphia City Hall corruption probe in 2003.

The actual charges won't be outlined until later today, so we won't know what the feds are basing the case upon. Acevedo-Vila, in case you're keeping score, is a prominent supporter of Barack Obama in Puerto Rico, which doesn't hold its primary until June.

Like the headline of the post states...show me the money. If Feldman and his co-indictees violated campaign finance laws or committed other crimes, they should be prosecuted and punished, just as some of Feldman's pals in Philadelphia City Hall were. But the history of the Bush Justice Department suggests we need to watch them every step of the way, even as they watch our public officials and pols."

http://www.attytood.com/2008/03/show_me_the_money_1.html

There is a Philadelphia connection, which is why Bunch brought it up.

"Sweet chocolate biscuits"

Sorry....another obscure Elton reference.

Burn down the mission if we're gonna stay alive.

The Clintons has a fraud case process: use link

Below is the case number of the actual case against Bill and Hillary Clinton for campaign finance fraud.
'
www.lasuperiorcourt.org

Choose Civil - then Case Summary - type in the Case Number BC304174

Case Summary

Case Number: BC304174
PETER F PAUL VS WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON
Filing Date: 10/14/2003
Case Type: Fraud (General Jurisdiction)
Documents Filed | Proceeding Information
Parties

CLINTON HILLARY RODHAM - Defendant/Respondent

CLINTON WILLIAM JEFFERSON - Defendant/Respondent

D. COLETTE WILSON ATTORNEY AT LAW - Attorney for Plaintiff/Petitioner

DOYEN MICHAEL R. - Attorney for Defendant/Respondent

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON FOR U.S. SENATE - Defendant/Respondent

KREEP GARY G. - Former Attorney for Pltf/Petn

LEVIN JAMES - Defendant/Respondent

02/28/2008 Notice of Ruling (on Ex Parte Application for Extens ion of Time to Serve Pleading )
Filed by Attorney for Pltf/Petnr

02/28/2008 Summons Filed (ON FIRST AMENDED COMPLAINT )
Filed by Attorney for Plaintiff/Petitioner

02/21/2008 Order-Case Management
Filed by Court

02/21/2008 Ex-Parte Application
Filed by Attorney for Plaintiff/Petitioner

02/21/2008 Notice of Ruling (on Ex Parte Motion for Order Short ening Time & on Motion to Discharg e Gary G. Kreep as Counsel of Reco rd )
Filed by Attorney for Pltf/Petnr

02/21/2008 Statement-Case Management

I do not know why for the life of me, Andrea Mitchell dug up old tapes or writings on Rev. Wright 10 days after the fact, when she did not do the First Reporting on Hillary's Bosnia Fabrication, although she was on the trip with her, and only reported on this after it became public knowledge that there was no sniper fire and after Hillary had told this tall tale, 3 times. So why is Andrea so compelled to keep bringing up Rev. Wright, when we are electing a President, not a Reverened! Is she a Hillary surrogate instead of an unbiased reporter? Makes you wonder. Hillary states she would not meet with her enimies, yet she met with Richard Mellon Scaife, her arch enemy who accused her and Bill of murders and conducted a witch hunt against her during their White House Years. Did Andrea report on that? And, then there is speculation that Hillary might have exagerrated her story about Chelsea's jog near the Twin Towers on 9-11. Has anyone took a look at the video done by Date Line to see what Hillary really said, not the transcript put out by Media Matters but the actual video? Where is the reporting on that? Then there is exaggeration about Nafta, Ireland and there are more to come, the unraveling of Hillary. In her desire to make Barack look unelectable, it looks like, instead, the Chickens are Coming Home to Roost!

Perhaps Mrs. Andrea Greenspan is trying to salvage her husband's legacy from the Clinton years.....a legacy which is quickly fading because of Greenspan's tacit approval of the housing bubble.

I checked out the FEC's information on their website myself.

Sounds to me like Elton John is more like example #2 (artist, fundraising) than example #1 (student, volunteer services):
http://www.fec.gov/pages/brochures/foreign.shtml
Volunteer Activity
Generally, an individual may volunteer personal services to a federal candidate or federal political committee without making a contribution. The Act provides this volunteer "exemption" as long as the individual performing the service is not compensated by anyone. 11 CFR 100.74. The Commission has addressed applicability of this exemption to volunteer activity by a foreign national, as explained below.
In Advisory Opinion 1987-25, the Commission allowed a foreign national student to provide uncompensated volunteer services to a Presidential campaign. By contrast, the decision in AO 1981-51 prohibited a foreign national artist from donating his services in connection with fundraising for a Senate campaign. [2]

http://ao.nictusa.com/ao/no/810051.html
(full statement, this is a clip from it):
Accordingly, the Commission concludes that a foreign national artist would be prohibited by 2 U.S.C. SS 441e from donating his uncompensated volunteer services to the Committee to create an original work of art for the Committee's use in
fundraising.

To clarify a bit more...
Elton John is helping to raise funds in connection with his professional capacity as a performing artist, as in example #2. He is NOT merely showing up, giving a speech extolling Clinton's many fine qualities, riding a bicycle, or doing anything other than what people normally pay high ticket prices to see.

Connect the dots and draw your own conclusions.