AddieStan

Aided by an apparently disinterested mass media, the House yesterday passed a bill that, according to the Associated Press (AP), will "greatly increase" the funds available to the national intelligence director, John Negroponte -- by how much, you and your blogstress, dear reader, are forbidden to know. Seems the cost of the bill is classified. That this story has shown up in only a handful of outlets today reflects the media's aiding and abetting, whether by default or cowardice, the Republicans' not-so-secret plan to keep all manner of things secret from the people of the United States. From the AP via the Seattle Times : Democrats expressed outrage that the Republican-led House Rules Committee would not allow any of their five proposed amendments to be considered by the full House, including measures to expand congressional oversight of President Bush's warrantless surveillance program and the intelligence on Iran. Mad enough yet?

Your blogstress appears to stand corrected on her verdict of Treasury Secretary John Snow as a dullard. Apparently, the former railroad captain is an object of some fascination to those obsessed with monetary policy, as is your cybertrix's foxy (but, alas, spoken for) friend, Glenn Kellis, who writes: I was chuffed to read your reference to the mind numbing John Snow. Might you be taking a slight interest in monetary policy? If you are you may have noticed the US dollar is in a hell hole swan dive. See this chart . The Mogambo has some interesting things to say this week. And sorry to be a jerk and point out that CSX and the railroads in general have been kicking ass for quite some time, mainly because they transport a lot of raw materials and commodities like coal, timber, iron, add the like which are being exported to China and India at record rates. Here's a glimpse at their ass-kicking. Well, as soon as your Webwench can schedule some quality time for consuming bon-bo...