After over 600 years of international fame, it is still a heady thing to be generally accepted in the DKos community.  For every negative retort to one of my comments, I am showered with dozens of recs for others.  In the words of Steve Buscemi in the "brilliant" thriller, Armageddon, "I'm a fucking genius!"

Months ago, some noobie labeled me a troll.  Imagine!  Ecstasy cannot describe my visceral reaction.  Oh, an opportunity for a new post beyond Comptroller of the Customs of the port of London!  I annointed myself Admiral of the kos Troll Fellowships.

Ok, I'm sick of looking at that little brat in the red sweater.  I guess since the 1980s the appropriate thing would be to give him a "time out."  In my day, any adult in the neighborhood would have used more impressive measures to wipe that snotty look off his over-privileged face (the sweater, pudgy cheeks and good haircut are the give-aways).

Flame me, if you will.  But first, you must prove what my inner thoughts are regarding "impressive measures."

The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties hearing on detainee treatment will feature David Addington and John Yoo (under subpoena to appear) at 10:00 am (EDT)and still ongoing.

It'll be on c-span 3

Yesterday the FBI raided the office and home of Scott Bloch, Special Counsel in the Office of Special Counsel (OSC).  According to news reports, Bloch's staff was told to log-off computers.  Computers and documents were seized.  While the FBI had no comment, staff at the OSC believe the raid is related to a 2005 investigation of allegations that Bloch retaliated against whistleblowers.  Additionally, the FBI presumably is investigating Bloch's purging of computer files in 2006.

You know who I'm talking about.  Yes, you -- Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Franks, Angles, Saxons and Vandals (the Jutes are jerks, I don't want to include them).  You think you are just sooo great because you took over your little fiefdoms after the Fall of the Roman Empire.  Big whoop.  Sure, sure -- you guys eventually traded your paganism for Christianity -- but we all know that was a power grab.  No one actually believes you went to church while pillaging and burning.

Fine you guys built some monastaries, wrote manuscripts, built Romanesque cathedrals out of stone -- but what have you done for me lately?

Howdy, friends.  This diary might get zilch traffic because I didn't put anything sexy in the title.  Well, don't come crying to me when you want to liveblog the next Sean Hannity, Lou Dobbs or John Gibson interview with Ann Coulter.

There's a lot of folks here who have been posting great Liveblogs or have volunteered to continue one, but have gotten concerned about logistics.  I am not the uber-veteran here, but have done enough to learn from the experts like donnamarie.  If you think you want to Liveblog something in the future -- save this diary somewhere for reference.

I have been humbled in my year and a half stint here at DKos.  Among the 160k+ users there are an incredible number of "educated" (meaning well-informed) diarists with esoteric specialties.  I learn every day.  I'm a decades old genius, my writings translated into the world's languages, and yet, I approach politics from my gut.  Hundreds of folks here can beat me to a pulp with well researched issues and facts.

That being said, I'm writing this diary anyway.  If I can write about a baby squirrel and get away with it -- why not try again.

This diary is going nowhere but, what the hay, I can publish it anyway by clicking a button.  Last week I spent time with my best friend at his primitive Sears kit cottage on a lake.  He's a Republican and he hates squirrels.

I was schlepping a bucket of water up to heat water for dishes when I heard:  "Hey, check this out!"  WTF?  The bucket weighs about 30 pounds and I was carrying it up a 92.5% rocky slope.  O.k., I needed a break.  I followed his pointing finger to some movement on the ground.

I honestly don't expect this diary to go anywhere.  I'm just watching a load of laundry flapping in the cold spring wind outside of my window. You would think I could turn this diary into an environmental analysis.   You would be wrong.  I practice environmental law but am scared, albeit  respectful, of numbers and science.  I have no links to carbon footprint data or scientific studies related to electricity or fuel economy.  I'm just aware that a personal pleasure is also a tiny bit of conservation and the effects of sunlight.

If I've knocked a good diary off the recent diary list -- chastise me for this fluff.

Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I'm thinking that either ct has been overwhelmed cleaning out trolls, was kidnapped or out on a binge yesterday.  You decide.  Now, it might be just a koinkeedink that on the very day we learned that Lieberman was full of shit about his website being hacked, DKos had two -- count 'em, two disappearances from the intertoobz.

I don't know about you, but I needed some Blood Pressure Medication.

SUPER IMPORTANT UPDATE: Please be alert for the super secret surprise party for jotter!  Bring gifts.

Seventeen years ago, I wrote a diary which immediately hit the rec list on Daily Kos.  It received univeral praise and only 12 of my comments were TR'd.  While I attended to questions by my new fans, wouldn't you know it, 4 knock-off diaries appeared on the recent diary list.  I understand emulation, but blatant goddammed rip-offs are another thing.

UPDATE: Reluctant h/t to the insufferable Jeff Lieber regarding the refinement of my title.  I changed it because I don't want to be the butt of his next screed.

PLEASE GO TO Liveblog: Part 2, # 6.  Do not post anymore comments in the Mothership.  Recommend the Mothership only.

The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is conducting a hearing titled: "Iraq After the Surge: What Next?" today beginning at 2:30 EDT.  The two witnesses are General David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker.

THIS IS THE MOTHERSHIP FOR THE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE HEARING.  If you are interested in reading the comments on the Senate Armed Services Hearing, please follow this link.
Please do not post pictures as they slow things down for those on dial-up.

The hearing can be viewed/heard at
cnn.com (the least troublesome for me)
C-Span 3
msnbc - homepage

I don't know how to start, so I'll let Peter, Paul and Mary speak for me:

Where have all the good trolls gone?  
Long time passing.
Where have all the good trolls gone?
Long time ago-o
Where have all the good trolls gone?
Back to freeperville
Almost ev'ryone.
When will they ever learn?
When will they e-e-e-ver learn?

Sing along now, second verse . . . .

THANK YOU FOR RESCUING IGTNT!  Please see Update below re: another diary which could use your attention.  

Today's IGTNT: Across Space & Time will have slipped off of the recent diary list by the time I publish this diary.  I am not actually challenging, rather than begging you to at least visit the diary to rec it.

Do not Recommend this diary. Please recommend IGTNT: Across Space & Air.  Thank you.

IGTNT diaries honor our war dead -- in the current conflicts and those past.  Tonight, SisTwo pays tribute to Army Spc. Joshua Molina who died in Iraq.  She also remembers a Korean war soldier and a WWII soldier whose remains have been found, identified and returned home.

IMAGINARY TEXAS LOGO
      HERE

Plese go to EquationDoc's Texas Caucus Open Diary 7

Please post comments on this diary instead of Rieux's Texas Caucus Open Thread Mothership, so people on dialup can more easily follow the results and post comments.

Do not rec this diary, rec Rieux's Texas Caucus Open Thread Mothership so it will stay on the rec list.

I am asking yet again for you to take a moment and visit tonight's IGTNT: Taps Times 4000.  Two young men are being honored by SisTwo.  We are now up to 4,004 lost American lives in an unjust invasion and occupation.  Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis are forever lost to their families.

Do Not Recommend This Diary.  Recommend IGTNT: Taps Times 4,000..  Thank You.

While I am a world renowned genius, I can't add to the political intuitiveness of many of the DKos diarists.  Repetition is painful here, I know, however, I have determined that no one else has published a mock Middle English free verse analysis of our latest political ooopsie.

Please feel free to provide your own brilliance in prose or verse.

First, I must say that I am an ardent supporter of Barack Obama.  Second, I know that a majillion diaries have already been posted on this topic -- pro and con.  Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, pastor of Senator Obama's church, is now front and center and cannot be ignored.

I've read multiple pro-Clinton and pro-Obama diaries, reviewed the video and confess to not listening to blathering bobble-heads.  The first cogent analysis has come from a commenter/blogger on Talking Point Memo.