Date

Worst Congress Ever

susan — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 00:07:52 -0600

by susan
I'm a victim of All Souls day, Dia de los Muertos, Halloween. Too many mini-Hershey bars and scary political ads. So much to write about in this era of Republican rule, but when there are a hundred pigs runnning loose in the pasture, which one do you go after first?
So I'll take a pass today and simply encourage you all to read the

Commander in Chief?

susan — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 11:39:04 -0600

by susan
Draft-duckin' Dubya thinks he can take the high road over John Kerry's off-handed quip that those who drop out wind up in Iraq. Actually, those who never start . . . well, never mind. It is beyond the pale that this man who has caused the deaths of over 2800 American troops thinks that John Kerry is the one who owes them an apology. And now those troops are taking orders from the Iraqi government.

Birthday blues

barbara — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 12:01:00 -0600

by barbara
November 2. My birthday, shared with such notables as Patty Wetterling, Marie Antoinette, Daniel Boone, Warren Harding, James K. Polk and k.d. lang. This Scorpio loves birthday pie. Custard. With raspberries.
November 2. Mexicos Dia de los Muertos. Day of the Dead. A time to celebrate those who have gone before us, as they say. Consumable goodies for this occasion include sugary skulls and coffins"treats for the anticipated one-day visit of the dear departed. Some families even gather at cemeteries to remember. Its a festive holiday. I like that. Maybe Ill do lunch with my dead parents at Fort Snelling.

Be afraid . . . be very afraid

susan — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 00:03:54 -0600

by barbara
Today, it finally came, on eagle's wings. Or maybe it was a condor. Do pigs fly?
As I approached my little car, parked in the driveway, I noticed something nasty dripping from the roof, down the window and beyond. I drew closer, and saw that it was a vast green pool of god-knows-what, filled with gory chunks of something that had been recently alive.

Why Did Mass Culture Turn on Republicans?

lynnell — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 00:38:50 -0600

by Lynnell Mickelsen
Matt Taibbi at Rolling Stone says the right-wing talkers are basically toast. As evidence, he looks at the dust-up between Bill O'Reilly on David Letterman's show last week.

Al Gore, Pink Slips and Ted Haggard. (Not in that order, but . . .)

susan — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 05:08:16 -0600

by susan lenfestey
Quick takes: A caffeinated response to this morning's news.
Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee inserted a clause in a huge military authorization bill, signed into law two weeks ago by the Patriot-in-Chief, to terminate the office overseeing the reconstruction of Iraq. According to the NY Times, the office, headed by Republican lawyer Stuart W. Bowen Jr., had sent American occupation officials to jail on bribery and conspiracy charges, exposed disastrous construction projects by firms like Halliburton and Parsons, and discovered that the military could not account for hundreds of thousands of weapons shipped to Iraqi security forces. His reward for vigilance in the face of chaos? A pink slip.

This is another test

susan2 — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 14:29:03 -0600

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie consequat, vel illum dolore eu feugiat nulla facilisis at vero eros et accumsan et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit praesent luptatum zzril delenit augue duis dolore te feugait nulla facilisi.

this is a test

barbara2 — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 14:33:59 -0600

Calm Down Already! Forget the faux crises. Get ready for the real one.

lynnell — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 21:05:53 -0600

by Lynnell Mickelsen
I got a few calls over the weekend from nervous Dem friends, who wondered if a) Kerrys badly told joke; b) Mike Hatch "losing it" and calling a reporter a Republican hack/whore; c) Judi Dutcher not knowing what E85 was in the MN lieutenant governor debate meant that Dems were doomed, doomed, doomed yet again.
"Why do our own candidates always screw us?" moaned one pal.

What's wrong with this picture??

barbara — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 09:59:05 -0600

by barbara
What hath we wrought? department: Iraq is poised for an unprecedented uptick in deadly violence on the heels of the Saddam Hussein verdict (guilty, death). The country that Bush and Company attacked, destroyed and elevated to Mother of All Chaos is approaching the apex of instability (read: full-blown civil war).

Cause and effect, or vice versa?

barbara — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 15:41:53 -0600

by LeftyMN
Economist Emmanuel Saez (Univ. of California, Berkeley) reported on a study showing that in 2004, the richest 1% of American households held 19.8% of the nations wealth, up from 17.8% in 2003. Meantime, the Federal Reserve and Census Bureau report that median family income rose 1.6 % between 2001-2004 when adjusted for inflation. (From 1998 to 2001, the median family income grew by 9.5%, adjusted for inflation). Between 2000 and 2005, workers with four-year college degrees saw their wages fall 3.1% (adjusted for inflation).

Mrs. Betty Bowers' Words of Christian Concern for Ted Haggard's Delicious Disgrace

lynnell — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 19:16:53 -0600

by Lynnell Mickelsen
As someone who grew up evangelical, I've been having my own little schadenfreude festival over Ted Haggard's little revelations. Which is why I was so delighted to get the following missive from Mrs. Betty Bowers, America's Best Christian ("So close to Jesus Im still returning the lingerie he bought me for Christmas") regarding Pastor Ted.

U.S. Democracy Restoration Project, aka Vote Democrat!

barbara — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 09:53:27 -0600

by barbara
Looking for reasons to vote Democrat tomorrow? Try these for starters:
Ahmed Chalabi
Al Qaeda
Angela Merkel
Ann Coulter
Bill Frist
Dennis Hastert
Dick Cheney
Donald Rumsfeld
Eavesdropping

Update: Democracy Restoration Project, aka Vote Democrat!

barbara — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 15:43:42 -0600

Why vote Democrat? Here are some of your suggested additions for the list begun in an earlier post (below):
Alberto Gonzales
Diebold
Florida, 2000
Harriet Miers
Intelligent Design
John Ashcroft

MN voters, listen up!

susan — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 18:05:47 -0600

by susan lenfestey
A letter to MN voters:
I know many of you are torn over tomorrow's race for governor -- and that many of you are supporting Peter Hutchinson. Mike Hatch was certainly not my first choice, and if Peter had run as a Democrat, I'd have supported him. (Disclosure: I consider Peter and Karla to be friends, and this has been awkward.) This is not because I'm hidebound to the DFL, but because I'd like our side to win for a change, and to stop the dismantling of our state by Pawlenty and the dissembling tax-slashing, fee-adding, social conservatives he represents.

Today we change America

susan — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 02:15:47 -0600

by susan lenfestey
Grandiose? You betcha. And maybe we can't do more than make a dent. But many dents a mighty nation makes. Or a mighty dented nation. I'm trying to prepare myself for every outcome.

Vote D, my friends, vote D!

barbara — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 07:04:29 -0600

by barbara
Didja sleep last night?
Is your gut a mess?
Has election run-up
Caused too much stress?
Vote D, my friends, vote D.
Does the sight of George
And his sidekick, Dick,
And "stay the course"

Tempus fugit

barbara — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 17:24:00 -0600

by barbara
So. Im home for the duration. I voted. I can prove it. A tiny round sticker on my T-shirt covered sternum says, "I voted."
I filled in circles with a pen in one of the silly little side-by-side, ticky-tacky, semi-partitioned "voting booths." No touch screens. Nothing glitzy. Just fed my hand-marked ballot to a machine, which sucked it into its interior.

Killing Time

susan — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 17:33:43 -0600

by susan lenfestey
I don't know about you, but the waiting is killing me. E-mails are coming in with predictions, all of them mixed, as I suspect the results will be. Some good people going down, some wackos going to Congress, some great victories ahead.

Hutchinson's folly

susan — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 02:00:34 -0600

by susan lenfestey
It looks like Peter Hutchinson got enough votes to take the election from Mike Hatch. And Hatch, says, Pol. Scientist Steve Schier, shot himself in the foot in the last week. Well, yes. He's a loose cannon.

We blue 'em away!

barbara — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 08:07:40 -0600

by barbara
Holy ballot box, Batman! Look what we did!
We held our breath until we turned blue!
I am totally overstimulated. Can you tell?
Where to start? NY Times? Star Tribune? Billings Gazette? Richmond Times-Dispatch? Kos? Firedoglake? Crikey!

Good Riddance Rummy!

susan — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 11:58:11 -0600

Incoming: Rummy resigns. Talk about a change. Time to go before the new Congress tells him to, to walk while he still has legs. (Unlike the thousands of American soldiers who no longer do, thanks to his lethal mismanagement.)

Rummy Redux

susan — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 13:46:12 -0600

Doing a bit of self-pleasuring here, so to speak, watching the wheels fall off the Decider in Chief's war-wagon. With post-election rigor mortis upon me, I'm glued to CNN.
I just watched a rattled and testy Bush-man act as if this is no big shake-up, that he'd been considering the ouster of Rummy for a while now, even though he assured several reporters last week that Rummy would be with us until the end of his term. It's said that even Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joints Chief of Staffs, didn't learn of Rummy's departure until 10 a.m. today.

One down, and counting . . .

susan — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 15:21:55 -0600

He's back!
Two press conferences in one day, and it's a struggle. Our Boy-in-Chief is reading scripted comments, with difficulty:
"Bob Gates is a patriot, visionary, and schtrategic thinker." "Don Rumsfeld is the longest serving member of my cabinet." Oh my, he's listing all of his accomplishments with a straight face. "He's overthrown two dictators, liberated 50 million people, and made us all safer." Funny, why aren't we feeling all that trickle-down safety?

Adios swamp rats!

susan — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 21:25:36 -0600

Bigger than Rumsfeld, bigger than the House, we are hearing now that George Allen will likely concede to Jim Webb tomorrow around noon, unless something highly unexpected turns up.
That's Democratic control of the Senate folks. And not Democrat control. As a friend wrote today, " I heard Bush's press conference today, and he is clueless and perhaps on the verge of a meltdown. I hope Nancy Pelosi says to him that the name of the party is the Democratic Party, not Democrat Party, spoken like a swamp rat, and she would like the respect accorded to it that it deserves."

Peter's folly, finale

susan — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 22:30:53 -0600

Before heading out for a for an election-eve rally, Man and I scarfed down a little Chinese take-out. Of course I had to crack open the fortune cookie. The plastic strip inside read: A cheerful message is on its way to you. And so it was.

Barbara's big wet blanket

barbara — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 08:54:44 -0600

by barbara
Listen! Can you hear it? Democrats are still celebrating, far and wide and hard. Hearts are light. Joy abounds! And with good reason.
We scored some amazing victories on Tuesday. We threw the rascals out. Well, a fair number of them. Enough to tilt the balance of government, nationally and locally. Woo hoo!

Waiting for Burns and Allen

susan — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 09:51:45 -0600

It's another gorgeous global warming day in MN, and I am not going to spend it sitting inside rambling on this site as I did yesterday. No sirree, going to get my lard-ass off this chair and go breathe some of that fresh Blue air. Much as I'd like to see Carbuncle and Macaca concede, I'll offer it up.

Hope is on the way

barbara — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 08:45:47 -0600

by barbara
I finally figured out whats been bugging me since the election.
It seems I have misplaced my capacity to hope. Make no mistake, thats what the Democrats stunning array of victories represents. Real hope, I hope, to the extent I can hope. (The late Donald Rumsfeld was my speech coach.) When this country arguably voted George W. Bush into office for a second term, hope went underground. And it has burrowed nigh unto China in the time since then.

Post-election musings

lynnell — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 10:28:48 -0600

by Lynnell Mickelsen
Yeah, I know. Im a little late to the post-election reflection party. Elections wear me out. I needed a few days to recover, catch up on sleep, laundry, grocery-shopping, bill-paying, dog-poop scooping and all the other life essentials that get lost in the final weeks of campaigns

The Folly of the Independence Party

susan — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 16:15:52 -0600

by susan lenfestey
Kevin Chavis, or someone using his name, commented on my post about Peter Hutchinsons failed race for governor, Hutchinsons folly, saying the blame for Hatchs loss lies not with Hutchinson, but with Hatch. "You simply cannot explain away Pawlenty's election by blaming Hutchinson, Pentel, or anyone else. You should start by blaming Hatch for being a sad candidate to gain independent voters."

Family fun

barbara — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 11:02:37 -0600

by barbara
Patti Davis wrote in Newsweek the other day about George W. Bushs daddy issues. If anyone understands that topic, it would be Patti. Ronald Reagans prodigal daughter has spent most of her adult life struggling with her fathers legacy. Havent we all?

Who's More Stupider?

susan — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 12:39:17 -0600

by Susan
Jack Maloney of St. Paul had this to say about me in today's Star Tribune.
In her Nov. 5 apologia for John Kerry's latest gaffe Public scrutiny -- of the trivial, Susan Lenfestey argues that "[Kerry's] implication is that if you are a mediocre student, as George W. Bush was at Yale, you make stupid mistakes...."

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He threw her under the bus

barbara — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 21:17:26 -0600

by barbara
Know what? Ive had it. And now I will speak of it. The letter Mike Hatch wrote to his "supporters" was the last straw. In my little quarter-acre of the world, that man is burned toast. Read on.

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Bill Speaks. You listen. (Marching orders for the new Congress.)

lynnell — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 11:07:58 -0600

by Lynnell Mickelsen
Daily Kos "Bill of Portland, Maine" offers the following marching orders to the new Democratic majority in Congress.

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Iraq according to Abizaid

barbara — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 15:45:21 -0600

This just in from the New York Times, with between the lines analysis provided by LeftyMN. Read on

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Bush Serves in Vietnam, Finally

susan — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:39:09 -0600

by susan lenfestey
In the All Things Come to He Who Waits Department, George Bush is doing his first tour in Vietnam this week, about forty years after his generation was called to serve.
The Commies we had to stop, lest they topple democracies all across Southeast Asia, are now a Capitalist's dream team.

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Friday's mixed load

barbara — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 12:42:52 -0600

gathered by barbara
WARNING: The videos linked in the following posts about the UCLA debacle are not for the faint of heart and definitely not for children: From Americablog, Firedoglake and Digby. The appalling story of UCLA police repeatedly using a taser on a student of Middle Eastern descent in the school library. Student didnt comply with request for ID, and the rest of the story is horrifying. Read on

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Me and George in Indonesia

barbara — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 07:01:43 -0600

by becca young
(Proud Georgia Democrat!)
(Barbara's note: Becca travels to Indonesia on a regular basis to monitor tsunami recovery for the Presbyterian Church. I have a hunch that her travels there stand in stark contrast to those of George Junior. W is expected in Indonesia on Monday as part of revisiting the southeast Asia that is near and dear to his heart. As noted by Susan, this includes Vietnam, which he side-stepped 40 years ago.) Read on.

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Come out, come out, wherever you are

barbara — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 08:50:01 -0600

by barbara
Crikey! Let's see if I've got this straight:
Richard Armitage (Bushs former Deputy Secretary of State): "Iraq is as bad as it looks, and Afghanistan is worse than it looks." Armitage also told Seymour Hersh that bombing Iran and expecting the Iranian public "to rise up" and overthrow the government, as some in the White House believe, "is a fools errand." Read on.

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Picture of the Day

susan — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 23:25:54 -0600

Things to be thankful for. (But not gonna happen.)
Artwork on loan from Firedoglake
(click photo to enlarge)

Picture of the Day, Runner Up

susan — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 23:57:14 -0600

From bomber jackets and flight suits to the "ao dai." Maybe the new Dems should pass a bill making the Decider wear this beautiful billowing silk robe for the rest of his term. Look closely. The smirk is gone, the wrist is limp, and Swaggerman has morphed to Girlyman. If clothes make the man, let's swaddle the whole cabinet, starting with the Vice-Carbuncle. Maybe something in blaze orange.

One Marine's Homecoming

susan — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 00:53:48 -0600

The stillness of the utterly crushed . . .
This was passed on to me by friend Deborah Morse-Kahn, forwarded to her by her friend Tom King, written by his friend, Ric Gillespie. It packs a special wallop as we all begin to gather for this Thanksgiving holiday.

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Remembering JFK

susan — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 17:13:18 -0600

by susan lenfestey
Is there anyone my age, give or take, who doesnt get a jolt each time November 22 rolls onto the calendar?
Its often said that we all remember exactly where we were when we heard that JFK had been shot -- what we were doing and thinking at that moment. Thats the bonding of shared memory " what Pearl Harbor was for the Greatest Generation, what 9-11 is for this one. Its the point in time indelibly etched in our psyche, the pin in the middle of our memory map from which we make our way, attached as if by string to that center.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

barbara — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 06:54:07 -0600

by barbara
Thanksgiving morning. Early. Its still dark outside. The days of rising in the wee small hours to put the big bird in the oven have faded into history, I guess. Ive poured myself a glass of eggnog, minus booze. I suppose I could finesse the 5:00 start for cocktail hour to a.m., just this once. But I will salute the dawn with an unadulterated dairy product. Read more.

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And Susan Makes Two

susan — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 11:18:12 -0600

Susan the lugubrious here, thankful for all of you who have found your way to the quiet little clothesline. (We're reviewing what works, what doesn't, and will be making changes to how comments are posted, some formatting issues, adding links and other improvements and would love feedback from our readers. Don't hold back.)

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As you were

barbara — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 08:49:15 -0600

by barbara
And so another morning dawns. Thanksgiving is history yet again. Full bellies and tender recollections. It was a day to suspend judgment and petty family squabbles. A day for the world to lay down its arms and set aside bitter rivalries, giving thanks for life and freedom. A night to toddle off to bed for sweet dreams. Also for reflections on the sweet potatoes from hell, concocted by cousin Margaret, whose attempts to channel Lynn Rosetto Kaspar are a dismal failure. Read on.

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How 'bout a little Indonesian voodoo?

barbara — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 09:32:16 -0600

by becca
(writing from Indonesia)
The direct cost to the Indonesians for the (Bush) visit was quoted at 6 billion Rupiah " and at the current exchange rate of 9000 Rupiah to the dollar, it comes to $700,000 dollars . . . to Indonesians who make an average of about $2000 a year, imagine what that kind of money sounds like to them. One of the protest signs in the demonstrations, directed to President Susilo, read, "6 Billion Rupiah for George Bush " None for Me. Why, Sir, Why?" Read on.

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Thus endeth Thanksgiving weekend

barbara — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 12:33:57 -0600

by barbara
Its a bittersweet thing when Garry goes home. My "little brother" spends every holiday with us, giving us some quality time together. The quality varies, depending on " ummmm, the variables. Garry is a sweet, kind, gentle and altogether compliant man. He has a boatload of friends. He has a job in the community. He plays softball, volleyball and basketball. And he has mental retardation. Read on.

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Co-dependent Nation

lynnell — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 22:15:28 -0600

by Lynnell Mickelsen
Is it just me or is anyone else in this country getting that co-dependent "dont call Iraq a civil war because Dad will get mad" vibe?
Atrios, Josh Marshall, McJoan at Kos and others are tracking the few media types brave enough/sane enough to call the obvious civil war in Iraq a civil war. So far theres only a few, namely Solomon Moore at the LA Times, Michael Ware on CNN and NBC News. Everyone else seems to be waiting to see what Dad will think.

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How many steps will it take?

barbara — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 10:37:46 -0600

My name is Barbara and I am a co-dependent. I grew up in a home with two alcoholic parents. They divorced when I was 12 and they remarried (each other) when I was 21. It wasnt a good idea the first time around. It was an extremely bad idea the second time. In 1985, I orchestrated a family intervention with my father. He agreed to go into treatment for three weeks. He emerged sober. And he stayed sober for a couple of years. But he never worked a program, as we say, and he became one more sad statistic in the Dry Drunk Hall of Fame. Read on.

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