Date

Forecast: More snow

barbara — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 14:04:25 -0600

by barbara
Turns out the bleak mid-winter rains in Minnesota finally morphed into snow last night. Nearly a foot in some parts of the state. Not so much in the Twin Cities metro. Thus it was that I wakened this morning to a landscape transformed from beigey blah to a snow-basted confection. What to say about that? Shall I rhapsodize about the magical whiteness? Easy enough to do. Whose woods these are I know. Theyre ours. Replete with multiple pairs of cardinals, cameos by chickadees, and assorted drop-ins that include nuthatches, finches, juncos, woodpeckers, bluejays, squirrels, rabbits, neighbor cats and the like. Oh, its a winter wonderland, all right. But my metaphor muse insists on a different interpretation. And the darker side of my nature seems bent on complying.

Ford Gives Us Another Day Off

susan — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 14:09:59 -0600

by susan
We are basking in the warm Minnesota sun -- the New Year's eve snow still clumped on tree limbs but dripping steadily from the eaves, and it won't be long until we're back to a soggy brown winterscape. We usually get back to "normal" on January 2, resuming our humdrum lives with inflated good intentions that will melt away as quickly as this snow.
But thanks to Gerald Ford, this year is different. He didn't accomplish much as our so-called "only" unelected president, other than offer a sort of antidote to the demented paranoia of Richard Nixon's final days -- a congenial bumbler, with malice toward none. Transcripts of Nixon's meetings with advisors are filled with expletives and slurs, both personal and racial, but it's hard to imagine Gerald Ford working up to anything much stronger than a "gosh darn."

Five-sided flim-flam HQ

barbara — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 20:18:59 -0600

by barbara
"The Pentagon cannot tell us what the war has already cost, will not tell us what it might cost in the future and has ignored congressional requests and legislation asking for honest budgets, transparent reports on spending and projections of future costs."
Have you had enough? If that snippet from Tuesdays Chicago Tribune (thanks for the link, Lefty!) makes your blood boil (mine just passed hard crack stage), read the whole story. It requires registration. Do it! Its easy.
Every American citizen needs to read and inwardly digest every word of this piece. Deception, smoke and mirrors, fraud, dishonesty, corruption and greed. Mismanagement, cooking the books, failure to disclose. Sound familiar? Yes, Virginia, the United States of America is being run like Enron. We are being flim-flammed and bamboozled by the president and his merry men. (Read on -- there's more!)

A bright new day for America

barbara — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 15:46:48 -0600

(Photo from C-Span)
by barbara
History is made every day. But todays signature piece is the election of Nancy Pelosi as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. The first woman to ever hold that position. The woman who, as Pelosi herself said, was supported by people who gave her the confidence to move from the kitchen to Congress.
I watched it happen on the tube. A major concession for me. First time I've turned on the TV in 2007. One of half a dozen times or so over the past 15 years. First time I heard Pelosis voice. I justified the time spent watching history by multi-tasking. Putting away Christmas decorations. Folding laundry. In my case, moving from the kitchen to the basement.

Poison pen strikes again

barbara — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 08:27:37 -0600

by barbara
By now, you probably know that George W. Bush, president of the United States of America, signed a new postal reform bill into law on December 20. Then, Junior added one of his infamous signing statements. This one allows him to open peoples mail under emergency conditions. "People" would be citizens of the United States. "Open mail" means spying on citizens via intercepting U.S. mail.

Bully boys and consequences

barbara — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 09:24:57 -0600

by barbara / See update!
Anyone know if theres an edition of "Impeachment for Dummies"? My Google quest for information about grounds for impeaching George W. Bush and his handler, Dick Cheney, yielded multitudinous returns.
Just so you know?
-- Impeachment: 8,010,000 entries (to be fair, this spans much of American history)

Learning to Love the Surge

susan — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 02:06:09 -0600

Dear Preshdnt Bush,
Listen, dude, I'm starting to like this surge thing. Maybe it's because it sounds sort of sporty, like doin' the wave in a stadium, or on the field, say in rugby -- the surge. Scrum? Well, whatever, it's sporty, like I said. Sounds like it won't last long, and I like that.
It's got a good oil thing going on too -- a surge, like a gusher, meaning S-U-C-C-E-S-S, like I don't need to tell you. I mean, this is definitely a very cool word choice. Think surge in power, personal or electrical, or a surge of energy or excitement, any sort of surge. (Except surge in violence, that's a no-think zone.)

Now is the time for all good men and women . . .

barbara — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 09:02:23 -0600

by barbara
-- Contact the U.S. House of Representatives
-- Contact the U.S. Senate (upper right corner of home page)
-- Contact the White House
-- Sign petition at MoveOn.org
Bob Geiger describes the First Warmongers penchant for surging as his latest "screw you" message to American voters. Maybe that explains why every time Bush says anything, I long for a cigarette, even though I quit smoking 30 years ago.

Today's the day!!

barbara — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 10:28:43 -0600

by barbara
"Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country." ~ Hermann Goering

Did you hear the one about . . . ?

barbara — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 22:08:33 -0600

by barbara
It will not surprise you to know I couldnt watch it. Him. Whatever. Couldnt even bring myself to listen.
So I read the advance text of the First Repeaters speech. Here are some nuggets culled from the whole:
Our enemies would have a safe haven from which to plan and launch attacks on the American people. On September the 11th, 2001, we saw what a refuge for extremists on the other side of the world could bring to the streets of our own cities. For the safety of our people, America must succeed in Iraq. (snip) Ah, crikey, hes doing the ghost of Christmas past yet again. Give it a rest, George. We remember.

I'm a Democrat, and I Have a Plan

susan — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 02:36:51 -0600

by susan
I did watch -- it. Him. I think it was the first time I've made myself do that. Felt like it was a bit of history that I should see --popping the cork on the end of the world or something. He read the whole thing, clearly rehearsed, and you could see his beady eyes furtively moving along with the text. He stumbled a bit (hey, reading is hard work) but not badly, and got to say "nuk-u-lear" twice, though it seemed to me the second time he really tried to get it right. He didn't sit at his desk, he stood in front of -- books. Get it? Just so we'd know he's been readin' and thinkin' 'bout this problem.

Speak truth to power abusers

barbara — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 10:16:46 -0600

Bob Geiger has another good post. Condoleeza Rice is slated to appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today. Some of the committee members: Russ Feingold, Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, John Kerry, Barack Obama and Chuck Hagel. I believe its fair to say that the atmosphere in that hearing may be tense.

Quotes du jour

barbara — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 10:57:00 -0600

"I've seen embattled administrations, and this isn't one of them."
~ Dick Cheney
"Silence is betrayal. Speak out. Tell your elected leaders to block this misguided plan that is destined to cost more lives and further damage America's ability to lead. And tell them also, that the reward of courage is trust."
~ John Edwards
"The question now is how to minimize the damage before countless more Americans and Iraqis are slaughtered to serve the president's endgame of passing his defeat on to the next president."

Willful way with words

barbara — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 14:05:26 -0600

by LeftyMN
(Photo of poet Wilfred Owen)
"During the battle of the Marne in September 1914, France's Marshal Ferdinand Foch declared: 'My center is giving way, my right is retreating, situation excellent, I am attacking.' Thus wrote George Will in Sunday's Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Foch did attack. And his "Fochian panache" resulted in a win of sorts, "followed by four years of carnage that destroyed empires, including the Ottoman Empire, a shard of which became Iraq."

Truthiness

susan — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 14:42:52 -0600

Don't be misled. It's not about memoir.
by susan
I spent the past two days in a memoir-writing workshop, discussing such things as finding a voice, narrowing the scope, dealing with relatives who will be hurt, angry or litigious and of course, the truth. Three people growing up in the same house at the same time will have three very different versions of what went on there. Whose truth are we telling? What is reality?

This Day in History

susan — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 14:58:36 -0600

On this day in 2002, GWB choked on a pretzel while watching the NFL playoffs on TV. He lost consciousness and sustained minor facial damages. (Aren't you glad you came to the Clotheline?)

Dumb and Dumber

susan — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 20:30:17 -0600

Oh my. Rendered speechless. Watch (if you can) the twitchy leader of the free world on 60 Minutes. It's painful to see, again, how limited this man's cognitive abilities really are. Watch. Nothing more to say. Pass the pretzels.

The lie of the land

barbara — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 10:11:40 -0600

Stunning! Just like that, the world is transformed. Well, southern Minnesota, anyway. We woke up this morning to more than half a foot of pristine, fluffy snow on treetops, roofs and roads. It covers up a winters worth of drab and dreary brownness. From the cozy comfort of my office, its simply beautiful. But as I read about slick highways, multiple accidents, snapped trees and power outages related to this big Midwestern storm, it occurs to me this is an apt metaphor for the Bush administrations way of dealing with almost everything. You say there is no snow in Alabama? Youre just not paying attention.

Little Incurious George

barbara — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 10:18:24 -0600

LeftyMN steered me to this HuffPost by Jane Smiley. I cant possibly improve on this. Click on the photo for an up-close look at the petulant prez. Heres an excerpt and a link to the whole post:
Back in the year 2000, when George W. Bush lost the popular vote and was shoe-horned into office by the Supreme Court in spite of clear conflicts of interest on the part of Scalia and Thomas, the psychology of Little George was known to only a few. To most of us he seemed like a doofus--a more or less well-meaning guy who enjoyed running things like baseball teams and the State of Texas if not too much work was involved. Had been an alcoholic and a drug user, but had apparently come clean in some hazy, quasi-religious way--that was his personal history to many Americans (if not to all those who met with Karl Rove behind closed doors and heard the truth). At any rate, I remember thinking that Bill Clinton had done such a good job over the years getting the budget into a surplus and winning good feelings around the world that it really didn't matter who of the four who were running (Gore, Bradley, McCain, Bush) might win. They all seemed about the same in lots of ways. What we really needed was some respite from Clinton's own penchant for mischief. I liked Clinton. I remember that The New Yorker magazine asked me for my take on the Lewinsky scandal, and I said that on balance, in spite of the brouhaha, I still preferred a president who would make love, not war. Clinton was a flawed human being, that was evident, but he knew it. He never didn't know it. And he was always trying to make amends. But he was exhausting--or the media made him exhausting. I thought we were due for a rest. Little did we know, of course, that the neocons thought we were due for a war. Read the rest.

Trouble in Valhalla

barbara — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 20:30:26 -0600

Jane Hamsher is the heart and soul of the amazing Firedoglake blog. Ive never met her, but I want to be just like her when I grow up. I want her to outlive me and speak passionately at my memorial service when I shuffle off this mortal coil. Failing at that, I would be delighted with an FDL post. Jane is the mother of us all.
Today, Jane revealed that she is facing her third bout with breast cancer. She will undergo surgery on Thursday in Santa Monica. She's surrounded and supported by her amazing colleagues at FDL, along with other notables in the blogosphere (e.g., John Amato, Digby, Arianna). But she could probably use a little help from the rest of us. Here's what I'm hoping.

What hath George wrought?

barbara — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 08:50:59 -0600

Posted today on Juan Coles Informed Comment. Read the whole post and follow the links if you can bear it.
Reuters reports that the death toll from the bombings at Mustansiriya University on Tuesday rose to 70, with 180 wounded. A lot of them were 17 and 18 year-old girls. I report these attacks every day, and have seen some violence in my time, but this one is tough. You think about 70 families in black, their little girl's or little boy's pieces laid quickly to rest. And the wounded. How many disfigured or left incapacitated for life by a raging fireball enveloped by black smoke?

Name Game: Obama-rama

susan — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 14:43:29 -0600

Sometimes there's more dirty laundry than the laundresses can handle, a damp and fetid heap so repellent that we just have to close the door and pull on yesterday's socks. Or, as I used to do, filch from a sibling's drawer.
Today, in acknowledgment of Barack Hussein Obama's hat toss into the ring, we filch from Eric Feezell at The Morning News.

Mondale Rips Cheney

susan — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 14:00:26 -0600

by susan
Recently, my NYC sister sent me this note.
A few days ago I looked up Mondale's and Coleman's debate in 2002, that brief, horrible sad time after Wellstone's plane crash, and I found the part where Mondale says, "It's not about the tone, Norm. It's the principles we care about, the ideas we'd bring to Washington that divide us . . . " or something along those lines. (Norm had been repeatedly saying, "you're using that tone again. . ." and "See? That's just the tone we want to avoid in Washington." )

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Reversal of Fortune: Norm vs. Fritz and what a difference four years makes.

lynnell — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 16:25:41 -0600

by Lynnell Mickelsen
Oh man, I cant believe how the brief mention of the debate between Walter Mondale and Norm Coleman, right after Wellstone was killed in the plane crash (see Susan's post below) brings back such a rush of memories. And it makes me realize how much has changed in four years.
You know, if I have to find one of the darkest moments during the Bush administration"and geez, there have been so many--it was probably the 2002 election. And for those of us in Minnesota, it was Wellstone's death, the well-spun right-wing uproar over his memorial service (all about tone, once again) and then watching the slimy, obsequious Mother of all Windsocks, Norm Coleman take the Senate seat.

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It all counts

barbara — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 19:55:46 -0600

by barbara
Saturday, nineteen Americans died in Iraq. If you caught the news quickly enough, you know that twelve perished in a helicopter crash, five were killed in Karbala and two deaths resulted "from other attacks."
Turns out Saturday, January 20 was just the third-deadliest day in George W. Bushs war. Close, but no cigar. And now the deaths are simply footnotes. Old news.

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State of the Onion

susan — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 18:15:50 -0600

by susan
Taking a show of hands here, who's going to belly up to the telly and watch god's (or Cheney's) messenger tell us how it's going here in the republic? In years past I could not, make that COULD NOT, watch the little monkey mangle the language and maul my spirit, but this year I'm tempted. Why? Not sure.
Maybe it's because I got a little frisson of pleasure, albeit tamped down by despair, watching his twitchy 60 Minutes interview in which no "sentence" contained more than three words and he looked full of bad stomach acid and faux bravado. The swagger and sneer has a new look to it, maybe what approval ratings in the toilet will do to a guy. The man appears to be unraveling at a whole new clip and I have a sort of macabre fascination with it. Besides, it's history in the making, even if it's our nation in the unmaking.

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Ah, Normie lad, we hardly know ye

barbara — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 07:58:13 -0600

Coleman haiku du jour:
I oppose the war.
Hold it! I adore the war.
Is today Tuesday?
Americablog, whose writers are in DC, Paris and other un-Minnesotas, seems to have a very clear picture of our Normie:
3 more Republican Senators come out against Bush escalation plan for Iraq
by John in DC - 1/22/2007 08:25:00 PM

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Weasel in the Bush

susan — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 00:26:35 -0600

by susan lenfestey
The post mortems are piling up here. Well, not really. So, did any body watch the weasel? I did, and he was less twitchy and psychotic than in previous appearances, but no less vacuous and dissembling.
It was fun to see Nancy Pelosi call things to order (after the boy prez turned around and pretty much said, "You gonna get this started?", perhaps his shining moment of the evening.) and to see her thoughtfully chew her lip throughout the speech while Cheney popped a god-knows-what in to his mouth -- a lozenge? A Tums? Read on.

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Old wine, new skins

barbara — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 11:04:19 -0600

by barbara
(NOTE: It's Wednesday. Is MN Senator Norm Coleman for or against escalating the war in Iraq today?)
I listened to Berkeley linguist, Dr. George Lakoff, on NY Public Radio this morning. He was invited to do a brief post-mortem on Bushs SOTU speech.
Lakoff started by saying that the speech was in post-Rovian mode, by which he meant that the Rovian elements are sneakier than in earlier times.

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Caution, Viewer Discretion Advised

susan — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 21:20:33 -0600

by susan
(click on photo for full pucker factor)
Bring her home!
As Barbara pointed out in her comment on my last post, not everyone knows Michele Bachman, newly elected Congresswoman from the northern outlying suburbs arching across the top of Minneapolis/St. Paul. In Barb's words, "she is a relentless homophobe, women's rights-o-phobe, warmonger and over-the-top fashionista." She started her rise in politics by pushing her local school district to teach "intelligent design." You get the picture. Well, even if you don't, see above.

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Tale of two congressmen: Compare and contrast

barbara — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 08:42:00 -0600

by barbara
My "representative" in the U.S. Congress is John Kline. He is arrogant and condescending. He is in thrall to George W. Bush. He has voted against every humane initiative Democrats have brought forward since the great bipartisan era began earlier this month. On-camera, he is a dignified old white guy with body posture acquired in the military.
It is reported that off-camera, he has a mean mouth (e.g., ripped a new hole in the body of a constituent at a community parade), sanctions vicious campaign materials and generally does not play well with others who are not exactly like him. Asking John Kline to champion social or civil justice issues is an exercise in futility. He does not listen to voters unless they are reliably Republic. I could line all of Minnesotas litter boxes with John Klines canned responses to requests for his help. Lest there be any doubt, I do not like this man. I do not trust him. That is my lede, and Im sticking to it.

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Get ready, get set . . .

barbara — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 15:43:34 -0600

by barbara
Congressman John Conyers (D-MI), chair of the House Judiciary Committee, is preparing to put impeachment back "on the table."
The congressman, a veteran of the Nixon impeachment hearings who recently published a book on Bush's crimes, today announced plans to have his Judiciary Committee hold hearings on Bush's rampant use of so-called "signing statements." These are the documents the president has claimed give him the power, as a commander-in-chief, to ignore laws duly passed by the Congress.

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Package deal

barbara — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 10:27:57 -0600

by barbara
(Is Norm Coleman for or against escalation in Iraq? Do not check your calendar--check your watch.)
David Swanson posted an interesting piece today, entitled "Dont Let Dick Cheney Get Me!!" Read the whole thing. Here are some excerpts.
This country has learned to be afraid of Dick Cheney. The number one reason a significant minority of Americans still hesitates to get behind impeachment of Bush is fear of Dick Cheney. This will remain the case even should Cheney die, I am convinced. Certainly it remains the case no matter how many times I explain the following six reasons why it's INSANE, but I'm going to try one more time.

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Just for today . . .

barbara — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 12:28:48 -0600

by barbara
(This just in: Norm Coleman was seen on the U.S. Capitol steps, sucking his index finger and then raising it high over his head. Whatll it be today, Norm?)
Just for today, I am going to try to turn my attention away from Republicans and Iraq. There are lots of other things to worry about and hope for besides . . . oh, you know. Here are some random stories, found below-the-fold this day.

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King George's latest decree

barbara — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 11:38:11 -0600

by barbara
Dammit, hes at it again. George W. Bush has found one more way to disregard checks and balances and drive another stake into the heart of democracy. Hyperbole? Read on and you tell me.
The New York Times tells us today that Bush "signed a directive that gives the White House much greater control over the rules and policy statements that the government develops to protect public health, safety, the environment, civil rights and privacy.

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First Frat-Boy has a little fun, heh-heh-heh

barbara — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 10:43:51 -0600

by barbara
It seems that the First Prankster was visiting a Caterpillar factory in Peoria, IL yesterday. Gosh, thats where my aunt and uncle live and they say no one interesting ever comes there. I guess they're right. Anyway, heres what did happen. Read it and weep, bearing in mind that this is the President of the United States of America:
According to the full accounting in the Peoria Journal Star, He (Bush) even took a brief spin on a D10 bulldozer. "If you've never driven a D10 - it's a cool experience," he said to the laughter of the audience. But wait. Theres more!

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Molly Ivins: January 31, 2007

barbara — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 20:09:22 -0600

by barbara
I left my computer to have dinner and while I was gone, something terrible happened. Molly Ivins died. She was my hero. We knew she was terribly ill with a third recurrence of breast cancer. But something there was about Molly that made at least some of us believe she could overcome anything. This time, it didnt happen.
Im not going to regale you with Molly Ivins minutiae. She was an immensely funny columnist who wasn't afraid to take on the powerful and faux powerful. I believe it is fair to say she was not particularly fond of George W. Bush. If you want to know more about her, read it here or here. Chances are, every MSM venue will have a piece about her. Most blogs as well. Here's the thing . . .

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