[Another tip of the pen to Tom… great eyes for catching this so quickly!]

Unity08 writes with pride about its standards regarding donations:

“Unity08 does not accept contributions from special interests or corporations - and contributions from individuals are voluntarily capped at $5,000 (cumulative) per year.”

It also mentions this specific contribution limit in its lawsuit against the Federal Election Commission.

And yet in its 4th Quarter 2006 IRS Form 8872, Unity08 reports accepting a contribution of $23,545 on December 31, 2006. The mailing address of the contributor as given is identical to the mailing address of Unity08. Who is this contributor? We cannot say. The report informs the IRS that this contributor’s name will be “Withheld.”

Also “Withheld” in this report is the name of a person who received a $359 payment from Unity08, also on December 31, 2006. The recipient of this payment is also given as identical to the mailing address of Unity08. And what service or good was this payment in exchange for? We cannot tell: the description provided is “miscellaneous.”

Will Unity08 provide properly thorough and public details of these transactions?

[A tip of the pen to Tom, who brought this to my attention.]

Another question for Unity08:

In its legally-required 4th Quarter IRS Report, Unity08 lists the following mailing addresses:

P O Box 12545
Arlington, VA 22219

The custodian of records, Daniel J. Radek, also has a listed mailing address of

P O Box 12545
Arlington, VA 22219

Peter G. Peterson of The Blackstone Group, Inc. contributed $5,000 and has a listed mailing address of

P O Box 12545
Arlington, VA 22219

Leon M. Wagner of Goldentree Asset Management contributed $5,000 and has a listed mailing address of

P O Box 12545
Arlington, VA 22219

Glenn Dubin of Highbridge Capital contributed $5,000 and has a listed mailing address of

P O Box 12545
Arlington, VA 22219

Alison Mass Bommarito of Goldman Sachs contributed $5,000 and has a listed mailing address of

P O Box 12545
Arlington, VA 22219

Five more contributors have a listed mailing address of

P O Box 12545
Arlington, VA 22219

Also according to the report, Merchant Banking Services, American Express, Beehive Marketing, Verizon, Kinkennon Communications, TigerTel, and Manning also have mailing addresses of

P O Box 12545
Arlington, VA 22219

Exactly how large is this Post Office Box? If these are not the correct addresses, what are the correct addresses? Please post them promptly and publicly.

I would like Unity08 to explain what specific quality control measures will be in place to prevent either the explosive over-use of a P O Box or the glaring errors that cannot be permitted in the nation’s first online presidential nomination — to take place in one year’s time.

Unity08’s Fourth Quarter 2006 Financial Disclosure statement was posted an hour ago by the IRS (I still await factually corrected copies of the IRS reports for the 2nd and 3rd Quarter of 2006). And so it is time for a new round of questions for Unity08 to answer.

How can Unity08 reconcile these two statements?

1. FAQ from unitypetition.com:

“Is anyone being paid for this Unity Petition effort?

No. It is entirely volunteer, from top to bottom.”

2. 4th Quarter 2006 IRS Form 8872:

Recipient’s name, mailing address and ZIP code: Christine McGuire, 8 Sugar Mill Court, Sewell, NJ 08080

Name of recipient’s employer: N/A
Recipient’s occupation: N/A

Amount of Expenditure: $400
Date of Expenditure: 10/12/2006

Purpose of expenditure: Unity Petition Outreach

=====

Recipient’s name, mailing address and ZIP code: Christine McGuire, 8 Sugar Mill Court, Sewell, NJ 08080

Name of recipient’s employer: N/A
Recipient’s occupation: N/A

Amount of Expenditure: $800
Date of Expenditure: 11/01/2006

Purpose of expenditure: Unity Petition Outreach

=====

Recipient’s name, mailing address and ZIP code: Christine McGuire, 8 Sugar Mill Court, Sewell, NJ 08080

Name of recipient’s employer: N/A
Recipient’s occupation: N/A

Amount of Expenditure: $500
Date of Expenditure: 11/15/2006

Purpose of expenditure: Unity Petition Outreach

I need a bit of help. Unity08 has not answered this or sixteen other questions I have posed for them here. If you find yourself as flabbergasted by that as I am, would you be willing to visit my questions page at Unity08 and post a comment asking when the lobbyists and public relations professionals behind Unity08 plan to to answer these questions about inconsistencies in Unity08’s behavior?

And soon (very soon, Ralph), if Unity08 does not answer these questions, I’ll need more than a bit of help. The time is approaching when Unity08’s been given enough time, and it will be time to talk directly to the press. Politics should not be a charade of openness concealing a web of elite maneuvers. It’s almost time to really open things up.

Newmexicobear posted this photo taken in Raton, NM at an election rally back in August of 2004:

J. Clifford designed that one. I have it in my home. If you want it in yours, it’s still available, right here.

Senator Joseph Biden wants you to forget his history as a pro-Bush, pro-war Democrat. So, he’s attacking other Democrats who had more courage than he did back in 2002 and 2003. “You didn’t hear any one of them get in this debate at all until they announced for President,” Biden says.

Oh really? Barack Obama didn’t have a position on the Iraq War until January of this year? Dennis Kucinich didn’t have a position on the Iraq War until December, 2006? Bullshit, Biden. Bullshit. Both of these presidential candidates did the right thing. Barack Obama and Dennis Kucinich opposed the Iraq War from the start, before the war was begun.

How about Joseph Biden? What was Joseph Biden’s original position on the Iraq War? Biden was for the war. Biden supported Bush, and turned his back on the majority of Democratic voters who opposed starting a war in Iraq.

October 10, 2002 press release from Joseph Biden: “On the eve of a momentous Senate vote on a resolution authorizing the use of military force against Iraq, Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. said he would support the measure in order to further U.S. and international goals in Iraq.” Biden praised George W. Bush as coming to a reasonable decision of starting a war in Iraq, saying, “the combination of this resolution, and the President’s own words in his recent speeches give me confidence that most of our core concerns have been addressed.”

Yes, Senator Joe Biden told America that he was confident in George W. Bush’s ability in leading America to war in Iraq. November 8, 2002, Senator Biden proclaimed, “I commend President Bush and Secretary Powell for their skill and perseverance”.

Senator Biden also helped President Bush avoid accountability and scrutiny during the push to start the Iraq War. When Bush declared that he did not want to have to testify about his plans for a war in Iraq, Senator Biden didn’t demand answers. Biden said he thought it was just fine for the President of the United States to avoid giving answers about Iraq. “We have coordinated these hearings closely with the White House and are honoring the Administration’s desire not to testify at this time.”

Time and time again, Joseph Biden failed America by helping George W. Bush push for war in Iraq. Now, Biden accuses Democrats who did the right thing about the Iraq War from the start of being Johnny-Come-Lately?

You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Senator Biden.

“It’s not funny.” — Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick

But yes, yes it is funny. It’s really funny. Boston media reports:

At least nine electronic devices planted at bridges and other spots in Boston threw a scare into the city Wednesday in what a cable network said was a marketing campaign for a late-night cartoon.

Highways, bridges and a section of the Charles River were shut down and bomb squads were sent in before authorities declared the devices were harmless….

At least some of the devices resemble one of the villains on “Aqua Teen,” part of Cartoon Network’s late-night Adult Swim lineup. (The green character in the picture).

The show follows the misadventures of a carton of french fries, a milkshake and a wad of hamburger meat who live together in a run-down suburban house.

It’s super-funny when advertisements for a cartoon starring hamburger meat are mistaken for bombs. It’s funny because… well, because it’s a picture of a wad of hamburger meat (or is that a carton of fries?)! It’s funny because it shows how panicky we’ve all gotten, so panicky that we’ll turn a wad of hamburger meat (or is that a milkshake?) into a full-fledged terrorist attack.

Governor Patrick insists that we all pretend this isn’t as funny as it is, because if we all start laughing in the face of baseless fears, then…

… then …

… then what?

A little over an hour ago, I got an email from the Biden for President campaign announcing that, after Senator Joseph Biden had declared his intention to run for President four or five times, Senator Biden formally declared his intention to run for President today.

The word wow doesn’t exactly describe my reaction. All I can muster is a firm hm.

It looks as if I’m not the only one. The photograph you see above is the one that the Biden for President campaign decided to send along with its announcement email. This photograph is Senator Biden’s opening image for the 2008 race.

Oh, dear. Look at this poor man. He just doesn’t look all that interested. He seems bored. He looks like he wants nothing so much as a nap.

How are we supposed to get excited about the 2008 presidential campaign of Joseph Biden when he doesn’t seem to care much himself? On this first official day of the Biden for President candidacy, all I can manage in Biden’s support is to come up with the following unofficial motto for his campaign: Biden for President 2008: You Don’t Say

Over at the Washington Post, Mary Ann Akers is documenting the outcome of a smear and a spat. The way in which the affair turned out is a sign of a shifting balance of political power in the country.

You see, “journalists” at FOX News spread an unsubstantiated rumor a few weeks ago that Barack Obama was really a Muslim, and not a Christian at all, and as support for this smear (how sad that it’s considered a smear in this country to be a member of the “wrong” religion) the FOX News “journalists” cited the “fact” that Barack Obama attended a Madrassa in Indonesia as a child. No, I’m not going to cite a FOX News webpage as a source — FOX News is not a real source of accurate information, so they don’t get a real link from me.

It turns out, of course, that Barack Obama never attended a Madrassa, and that he is in fact Christian. But that’s not what I’m interested in today.

What I’m interested in is the change in behavior on the part of a Democrat and on the part of FOX News.

Barack Obama, Akers reports, has since given interviews to every major television network — but not to FOX News. Obama’s organization isn’t responding to FOX News “journalists” requests for interviews. And FOX News “journalists” and corporate leaders are whining, whining, whining to Akers and anyone who will listen. “It’s just not fair!,” they pout. Pouty pouty pouty.

Two years ago, it would have been FOX News shutting out Democrats and Democratic politicians stomping feet and having a pout at the exclusion. It is a sign of a shifting balance of power that FOX News is on the outside looking in now, and at least one Democrat has found a spine.

Let’s hope the Democrats are as good at freezing out the unethical corporate players who smear the American people. I’m not holding my breath.

Last week, I introduced two bumper stickers that gave people the opportunity to show support for both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama as presidential candidates, but to prioritize one as president first in 2008, and then another to serve as president in 2016:

Also, for some time now we’ve given people the opportunity to pick one Democratic politician as a presidential candidate, and another as a vice presidential running-mate, like so:

Just in case you’ve been wondering, as I have, how Americans seem to prioritizing one of these two candidates over the other, let’s look at the results. No, they aren’t results for all Americans, or even results for a random sample of Americans. But they are results for a set of committed Americans, those who feel strongly enough in their choice to make a public declaration of it. The results so far:

Clinton-Obama 2008: 98%
Obama-Clinton 2008: 2%

Clinton 2008, Obama 2016: 81%
Obama 2008, Clinton 2016: 19%

Among the committed who endorse both candidates but place a hierarchy of preference, Hillary Clinton is clearly favored as the presidential candidate for 2008. Barack Obama is overwhelmingly preferred as a vice-presidential candidate, or as a presidential nominee in 2016.

Senator Obama may want to think about this as his self-imposed decision deadline of February 10 approaches.

We have just updated the software that supports and runs the blog features of Irregular Times. Everything should look just the same as before — the differences in the software are all behind the scenes and meant to make things run more smoothly and quickly.

In the aftermath of the upgrade, the website seems pretty functional to us. But… there could be problems we haven’t seen yet. If you see any hiccups in how Irregular Times is running, please post a comment and let us know so we can fix it and get everything running the way it ought to be.

Thanks.

My wife works at a public university here in the state of Ohio, and she just received an official notice from her department:

The Department of Homeland Security has requested that the [redacted] University notify all employees hired since April 14, 2006 about requirements related to Ohio Revised Code sections 2909.32, 2909.33, and 2909.34. These provisions were enacted by the legislature to provide an additional deterrent to counter and foil potential terrorism in Ohio.

To “foil potential terrorism in Ohio”? Wow! My wife is a foot-soldier in the War on Terror! Hup, two, three, four! What does she have to do as a state employee to “foil potential terrorism in Ohio”?

On penalty of being fired, she has to fill out a form in which she checks a box if she is a member of any one of 133 designated terrorist organizations. Responses to this form are to be placed on file by the State of Ohio and also kept locally in every employee’s personnel record. If an employee fails to answer questions on this form, the Ohio Department of Homeland Security will process the questions as if the response were “yes.”

This list, in case you were wondering, includes al Qaida. Yes, that’s right. The state of Ohio asks all its employees to check a box to indicate whether they are a member of al Qaida. It’s kind of like those “if you like me, check this box” letters you sent in middle school, except this time it’s the government sending you the note, and you’d better answer damned quick.

This is going to be a big boon in the War on Terror, I can tell you. Right now in Ashtabula, there’s a member of al Qaida working as a file clerk, and he was going to blow up the Kroger around the corner, but wait! The State of Ohio required him to check the box next to “al Qaida,” and now the whole wretched plot will be exposed! Curses! Foiled again!

If we don’t elect a progressive President in 2008, we might well have a rain that lasts one thousand years.

No, I didn’t make a typographical error. I didn’t mean to say that we’re going to have a reign that lasts for one thousand years. I meant rain - as in the water that falls from the sky.

Where I live, it’s normal for the year to be divided into two halves. In one half of the year, it snows. In the other half of the year, it rains. Global warming, however, is threatening to change that. Before too long, even in the northern states of the USA, the rains could last all year long.

Worse than that, the warming that leads to the permanent season of rains will likely go on for a thousand years, even if people find a way to stop polluting the air with greenhouse gases soon. According to a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to be released this week, the warming created by human activity in this century alone is likely to last for one thousand years.

Progressives have been pushing for solutions to the global warming threat for decades. Right wingers have been resisting, saying that nothing should be done.

The prospect of one thousand years without a snowman, or sledding, or snowball fights?? Your kids will tell you that’s a very good reason to act to confront the climate change crisis. If we don’t choose a progressive candidate for President in 2008, that thousand year rain we’re moving into could last even longer.

The CBC was a leaked copy of the report to be issued later this week by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a collection of climate scientists from around the world. According to the IPCC report, due to increased carbon dioxide in the world’s oceans from the atmosphere, those oceans are increasingly acidic. The increased acidity is bleaching out the world’s coral reefs. The IPCC projects that the Great Barrier Reef will be crippled by 2030 even if there is no further rise in atmospheric CO2. But if CO2 levels rise, says the report, the Great Barrier Reef will become “functionally extinct.”

I know that Hillary Clinton has started a campaign to become President. I know that she has some experience, as a Senator and as the wife of former President Bill Clinton. I know that Hillary Clinton has the support of many powerful people, and has been able to raise a lot of money.

What I don’t know is what the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign is about, other than Hillary Clinton herself.

It’s been eleven days since Hillary Clinton formally announced that she will be a candidate, but the campaign has been planned for much longer than that. Some would say that Clinton has been planning her presidential campaign since her re-election to the Senate in 2006. Some would say that she has been planning her presidential campaign ever since she moved out of the White House at the beginning of 2001. The point is that Hillary Clinton has had a long time to plan.

So where’s the message?

Looking at the Hillary Clinton for President campaign web site, I see places to give Hillary Clinton money. I see lots of information about who Hillary Clinton is, and what she’s doing as part of her campaign. What I don’t see is any place that shows what the issues of the Clinton for President campaign are. There is no Hillary Clinton for President issues page.

Issues. Those are the things that a political campaign promises to do for people other than the candidate. What I see from the Hillary Clinton campaign so far is that it’s all about her, and not about America. It’s not about us.

The news page on the Clinton campaign site is filled with information about Hillary Clinton’s campaign activities. There’s no news about the things that matter to Americans. The action center is filled with different ways to give support to Hillary Clinton. There’s nothing to help people find a way to take action to support anyone or anything else.

So, what is the Hillary Clinton for President campaign about, besides Hillary Clinton?