The Times UK Online:

Washington hit by curse of the kid bloggers

As the leader of the Republican party in the US Senate and a possible presidential candidate, Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee has a reputation for sober rectitude. The same cannot be said of his son Jonathan, a Vanderbilt University student who recently appeared on the internet wearing six cans of beer strapped to his belt .

Nor has Jonathan's brother Bryan done much to help his father's attempts to strike a reasonable note about US involvement in Iraq. "I was born an American by God's amazing grace," wrote Bryan Frist in an online profile. "Let's bomb some people."  

But it gets better...

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More from Michael Collins and "Scoop" Independent News:

Pre-Certification Swearing in by Hastert
Terminates All State Legal Authority Over Elections

The People's House is now the Speaker's House.

"If they can do that, they can do anything. Why even have an election? They could just swear in whoever they want because the election need not be final."
- Paul Lehto, Attorney for Plaintiffs Aug. 25, 2006

San Diego Superior Court Judge Yuri Hofmann rendered his decision in the election challenge in California's 50th Congressional District. He dismissed the request for a recount and for discovery of the facts of the Busby-Bilbray election stating specifically that "Once the House asserts exclusive jurisdiction and selects a candidate, the court no longer has jurisdiction" (emphasis added). The judge argued that the June 13 swearing in alone was sufficient to establish Bilbray's "election." The event had the power to take away any and all citizen rights and immediately rescind authority over their own elections.

Requests for a recount resulting from major problems with the election were deemed insufficient and the rights of voters to due process were cast aside in deference to Speaker Hastert or any future Speaker. The induction of Republican Bilbray was just seven days after the election and a full 17 days before the election was officially certified by the San Diego Registrar.

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This is truly outrageous.  Our "liberal" media missed the story, but luckily, on the other side of the planet, Michael Collins of the "Scoop" Independent Media in New Zealand points out to us why the Democratic party and citizens alike must keep a very close eye on the upcoming elections:

It appears the US media overlooked one of the great political stories of the year. In what is becoming something of a pattern, here's a brief chronology:

On June 6, 2006 Republican Brian Bilbray allegedly slightly outpolled Democrat Francine Busby in the special election for California's 50th Congressional District, despite Busby's lead in the polls going into the election. There were immediate cries of foul following the election due to major irregularities, including electronic voting machines sent out to the homes and cars of volunteers for up to 12 days prior to the election, and irregular election results like huge mega-precincts of absentee ballots where turnout was thousands of percent more than registered voters.

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CA-50: Christine Pelosi will be liveblogging from Busby HQ tonight

(via Kos)

Dear Friends and Bloggers,

I wanted to write a quick note of thanks for your engagement in my race -- I've seen great posts sorting out fact from fiction on all the desperate Republican attacks, and just as importantly we've seen a huge surge in volunteers over the past few days thanks to all of you as well as the DC CC, DNC, Louise Slaughter and Jane Harman. Thanks from the bottom of my heart.

We've got 300 volunteers lined up right now, and to give it everything we've got on Monday and Tuesday we need 400. I hate to ask, but if any of you can help us get there, we'll all be eternally grateful out here.

Anybody in the San Diego area who wants to help can let us know by emailing us at volunteer-at-busb yforcongress.org or calling us at (760) 479-0114.

Thanks either way, and onward!

Francine Busby

Remember, if Bilbray is elected-we get a man who is hooked into the Tancredo-Tanton immigration wing and California can't be represented like that. Read this article for more information. The Republicans have outspent the Democrats 2-1 to win this seat so they feel it's a big one.

via Meet the Press

Harwood: "...It all comes down to turnout. Republicans have outspent the Democrats two-to-one in this seat, and they focused, in particular, on the early voting to try to juice that turnout that might not come naturally on Election Day because conservatives are so dispirited."

You can still donate here.

Ex-GOP attacks Bilbray

Human Events:

With five days to go before the too-close-to-call special U.S. House election in California's 50th District (San Diego), Republicans were rocked last week with a hard-hitting denunciation of their nominee, Brian Bilbray from a fellow Republican. "I proudly swore an oath to defend and protect the Constitution of California and the United States," Steve Baldwin, a former state assemblyman from San Diego and longtime conservative activist, wrote in an e-mail to fellow GOP activists in the 50th District, "That's why I'm appalled and deeply saddened to learn that Brian Bilbray is making a mockery of his oath to his fellow citizens (an oath that's taken with one hand on the Bible)."

Nothing to see here folks

Atrios:

Kudos to Jay Tea for recognizing that the manufactured Busby flap is in fact manufactured. Yes, it's the kind of thing her political opponents will try to make something of....read on"

Support Francine if you can. It's almost time.

CA-50: Get-Out-The-Vote for Busby

Swing State Project:

This, as they say, is it, folks. If you live anywhere remotely near CA-50, please, please, I implore you: Spend a few hours between now and election day helping out Francine Busby. (Note to DC-area folks: You can help out, too! The DCCC is doing phone-banking. Scroll to the bottom of this post.) In a race this close, the importance of the ground game cannot be overestimated. Here's where you can help:...read on"

You can support Busby here with a little jack.

Pelosi and Busby ask for Jefferson to resign

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has formally asked Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) to resign from the powerful Ways and Means Committee... Here's the letter.

Francine Busby did also:

Busby: "Americans deserve the highest standard of ethical conduct from our members of Congress. We must fight corruption in both parties to make Congress work for the people of this country. Mr. Jefferson should do what is in the best interest of the people of his district and resign from Congress immediately.

You can support Busby here.

Francine Busby leads so far

via The National Journal (reg req.)

Run-Off Election Matchup                                   Fav / Unfav
 Now          4/20                 Busby         53% / 37%
 Busby           47%         43%              Bilbray        48% / 39%

Bilbray          40            45

Griffith            1            na

King               1            na

Other/undec  11            12

Click here to show her some support