Harold Ford Jr. to Debate Bob Corker Tonight

Harold Ford Jr. will debate Bob Corker tonight in Memphis at 7pm Central. It will be broadcast live locally on Channel 3, WREG-TV, as well as on C-Span-TV.

You can also watch the debates live on www.wreg.com.

Bush, Al Qaeda Agree - We've Got to Stay the Course

Al-Qaeda letter: "Prolonging the war is in our interest."

Bush: "Well, first of all, I do think Iraq is a central front in the war on terror and so does Osama bin Laden.

Guess What - Condi Says Iraq "Making Progress"

Unfreakingbelievable! Who the hell do these people think they're kidding?!

"Wearing a helmet and a flak jacket and flanked by machine-gun-toting bodyguards to defend against insurgents, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice came here Thursday, insisting that there were new signs of progress in Iraq and that the Bush administration had never sugarcoated its news about the American occupation."

Things are so good that the Secreatry of State has to wear a flak-jacket?

"It began inauspiciously when the military transport plane that brought her to Baghdad was forced to circle the city for about 40 minutes because of what a State Department spokesman later said was either mortar fire or rockets at the airport."

So the airport, probably the second (and only other) safe area in the country besides the Green Zone, was too dangerous to even land a plane. Oh yeah, we're making progress.

"On Thursday evening, during her meeting with President Jalal Talabani, the lights went out, forcing Ms. Rice to continue the discussion in the dark. It was a reminder of the city’s erratic — and sometimes nonexistent — electrical service."

So, to summarize, the Secretary of State travels to Baghdad, on a trip that has to remain secret for precautionary reasons. Her arrival is delayed because the airport is taking fire. When she gets there she has to wear a flak jacket because things are so dangerous. And then, when she's meeting with the President of Iraq, the freaking lights go out. Condi, what do you think you're doing when you're telling us that progress is being made there? You're sugarcoating your news!

Breaking News: Key Rove Aide Resigns From White House Over Abramoff Scandal

Susan Ralston, Karl Rove’s key aide in the White House, submitted her resignation today “in the wake of congressional report that listed hundreds of contacts between disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and the White House.”

Everywhere you turn, the corruption of the Republican Party is in your face. Whether it's the moral bankruptcy displayed by the Foley scandal and (more importantly) its cover-up, whether it's the daily lies this Administration tells the American people about how swimmingly things are going in Iraq, or the selling of access and favors to despicable people like Jack Abramoff. It's unbelievable that anyone would vote for a Republican. Why would you?

Alternative Energy News - October 6, 2006

• The city of Tucson, AZ has announced that it intends to convert the vast majority of its diesel fleet to B20. The B20 use will reduce the City’s consumption of petroleum diesel by about 200,000 gallons per year. The City’s cost of B-20 currently averages about 5 cents per gallon less than regular diesel fuel.
• Iowa is expected to be the site of one of the first commercial-scale biorefineries to produce fuel ethanol from crop waste.

Harold Ford Jr. Isn't Taking Any More Crap

The Democrats are doing a great job of staying out of the way in this Mark Foley scandal/cover- up. But this is how Democrats can effectively use this issue to show how Republicans are morally bankrupt and are full of crap when they try and claim "family values" as their own.

In TN, How does Harold Ford, Jr. beat back an NRSC ad that notes he once partied with Playboy bunnies?

"I'm not going to take a lecture on morality from a party that took
hush money from a child predator."

Patty Wetterling, one of the nation's most respected and effective child advocates, is the DFL-endorsed candidate in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District. She will be giving the Democratic response to W's radio address on Saturday. She also has a great ad highlighting the hypocrisy of the Republican Party.

Alternative Energy News - October 5, 2006

• Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) expects to purchase more than 52,000 Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) Green Tags starting in 2007. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's list of top renewable energy purchasers, the announcement would place REI among the 20 largest purchasers nationally.
• Thanks to Tom Gray of the American Wind Energy Association for posting in yesterday's comments section.

Alternative Energy News - A New Angry Progressives Initiative

In one of my first posts, I listed the exploration and promotion of alternative energy as one of five targeted progressive ideas to make America a better place. In that vein, I'm starting something new. Each day I'll be providing you with links to articles related to energy conservation and alternative energy. My hope is that you'll see that ordinary citizens, state and local governments, and the private sector are collectively making progress in this endeavor.

• Grocery giant Safeway is purchasing 174,000 megawatt-hours of wind energy, making it California's largest corporate purchaser of green wind energy. The purchase is enough to power Safeway's corporate headquarters, all of its San Francisco stores and its 269 U.S. fuel stations for two years. Safeway's actions reflect Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's signing of AB32, which aims to reduce the state's global-warming pollution by one-quarter by 2020.
• Gaithersburg is about to become the first city in Maryland to introduce biodiesel for its entire vehicle fleet, after switching last month to a biodiesel blend for its 98 vehicles, including trucks, street sweepers and industrial mowers.
• Thanks to Gov. Jon Corzine, NJ plans to overhaul its energy policy with the aim of dramatically curtailing energy use while promoting an aggressive effort to rely on alternative fuels, such as solar and wind power.

To take the next step, this country needs a commitment from the federal government. And for that, we need a Congress and President with progressive ideas, not people bought and paid for by large oil companies and the Saudi Royal Family.

Reading This Site is a Start - But Are You Registered to Vote?

If not, go to Go Vote to register.

Here are the deadlines for registration:

10/7: MS, NV, RI, SC
10/8: AK, TN, WA
10/9: AR, AZ, HI, LA, WY
10/10: CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MI, MT*, NM, OH, PA, TX, UT, VA, MO
10/13: ID, NC, NY, OK
10/14: DE
10/17: MD, ME, MN, NJ, OR, WV
10/17: MD, ME, MN, NJ, OR, WV
10/18: MA
10/19: WI
10/20: NE
10/23: CA, KS, SD
10/24: CT10/27: AL, IA, NH, VT
Election Day Registration: ID, ME, MN, MT, ND, NH, WI, WY

Tell NRCC Chairman Tom Reynolds To Donate Mark Foley's Money

While some Republican candidates are getting rid of money donated to their campaigns by former Rep. Mark Foley, the National Republican Congressional Committee will continue to use that money to for attack ads in the last 5 weeks before the midterm elections.

Nick Lampson, the Democratic candidate in the Texas Congressional District 22, is urging the NRCC to donate the $2.7 million war chest that Mike Foley had amassed to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Click here to sign a petition NRCC Chairman Tom Reynolds to do just that. And then check out Reynolds's opponent, Jack Davis.

One Thing to Say About Foley

I'm not sure what to add to the current state of affairs in regards to the Mark Foley-Congressional Page scandal. The man has done wrong, and he will pay the price.

I do want to say one thing about the cover-up, however. This situation is yet another, and quite possibly the worst, example of how Republicans care about nothing, NOTHING, more than power. They have been willing to lie the country into war in Iraq. They constantly lie about the economy and keep people in poverty, all the while giving more and more to people who already have more than enough. They sell their votes to the highest bidder. They demonize people who are different from them. And now, it appears they have been willing to protect a child predator, and further endanger children, in order to keep a congressional seat.

The Republican Party does not care about protecting this country. They do not care about helping people. They do not care about anything except for enriching themselves and their sponsors, and keeping themselves in power.

It's time for a change.

Joe Sestak, Harold Ford, Jr. -- New Polls Looking Good

After 2000 and 2004, I'm out of the political prediction business. What I do know is that the 7th congressional district of Pennsylvania has been represented by the same Republican for 20 years (Curt Weldon). I also know that Tennessee hasn't elected a Democrat to the Senate since a guy named Al Gore won re-election 16 years ago. These are 2 of the races we here at AngryProgressives have been following closely and the latest polls have us excited. The races are both in a statistical dead heat, but for the Dems that's good News. Check out the Corker-Ford Poll here and the Sestak-Weldon Poll.