Bits of Tid: September 21, 2007

I'm More Popular than Brownback Edition

• Yours truly is one of Michigan Liberal's newest front-pagers!
• 7.4% unemployment sure sucks. Good news? One of Granholm's community-based economic-development initiatives has won an award.
• Many believe a state government shutdown would be worse news for Mike Bishop and the Republicans than for Granholm, Dillon, and Democrats.
• The AFL-CIO now has a black woman as its Executive VP. Also, be sure to check out their political-mobilization plans.
• Staying with the AFL-CIO: Gary Peters is the first Congressional candidate ever to earn their endorsement so early in an election cycle.
• I'm not done with the AFL-CIO yet. Professor Jennifer Lawless shares her thoughts on why we don't have more women in public office.
• Kathy at Stone Soup Musings, on Republicans:

They argue that no amount of money is too much to spend in Iraq, but when it comes to meeting the needs of people here at home - the ones who send their tax dollars to Washington to pay for their war - they snap their wallets shut and expect the rest of us to follow along. ...

So you see, it's okay for us to send money to Washington so they can continue their war indefinitely - a war that enriches Republican profiteers and CEO's of defense contractors - but we get nothing in return, not even some change to spend on our schools, infrastructure, health care, etc.

• Rep. Peter King (R-NY): "We have too many mosques in this country." Uh, Congressman, what if someone said we have too many churches? You wouldn't like that, would you? Me neither. So put a cork in it.
• It appears Iceland and Grand Rapids have a similar goal: go fossil-fuel-free.
• My item on GR's efforts to go 100% green got a nod in this week's Eco-Diary Rescue on Daily Kos.
• A couple quick items from CMU: Central might have a new Executive VP/Provost and a new VP for Finance and Administrative Services soon. I say 'might' because the last attempt to get a new Provost didn't work out so well. A search for the College of Business Administration dean went on for a couple years. lso, Cesar Chavez's granddaughter is coming to speak at CMU next month.
• Finally, with a hat tip to the MDP, I conclude with a picture of Sam Brownback delivering a campaign speech See if you notice anything in particular.