Washblog

It was an ornamental dagger which she told him might come in handy in Congress.
The three pictures together reveal the unusual shape of the dagger sheath, which any one of the pictures doesn't.

This year Jim had to explain that the lawsuit "Boehner vs. McDermott" that he's been fighting for 10 years, appeal after appeal, finally ended. As you probably know, it's a punitive suit. Jim was a whistle-blower of sorts, turning over to the media an incriminating tape of the Boehner-Gingrich cabal given him.

"They got me," he said. Apparently they ruled that by sitting on the Ethics Committee at that time, he had given up his rights to Free Speech. This same court of Appeals he said, is on a par with those that Supreme Court Justices Alito, Roberts, Thomas came from.  

The final judgment is still pending.

Jim said he had already paid legal fees of a half million, and the total would probably be 1.1 million. He was profoundly grateful to us, his supporters, for pouring money into his Legal Defense Fund. But obviously he needs more. My husband and I have donated every few months - NOT counting the total raised from my 2006 theatrical fundraiser, Uncaged Cabaret.

In spite of the stress relating to the lawsuit and hostility from Republicans  since he spoke out against Bush's lies leading up to the Iraq invasion, he said he wants to run for re-election and continue to represent us. That got a big applause.

Jim said he looks forward to having a larger Democratic majority in 09. He sits on (or is it chairs?) the Ways and Means committee, which means he will be working out the details on a universal health care bill.

Another presentation: A woman took the stage to say that she could not vote for him, since she's not in his district. But she COULD influence an association she belongs to. She proudly presented Jim with a check from the National Realtors Association. We weren't told the amount, but it must've been sizeable.

The potatos were small, I had two.