Date

Election 2008: An alternative to the pathetic passel of presidential candidates?

barbara — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 06:48:04 -0500

barbara writes (finally)

I had a great idea this morning. I think I might offer myself as Stephen Colbert’s running mate. I know, I know. Why sell myself short? The thing is, I just don’t have time to do a presidential run right now. My platform will be refreshingly simple. Popcorn for breakfast. Plus, I need a salary and benefits and free housing once Cheney is ferreted out of the place. Ewww. Okay, that’s a deal breaker. Never mind.

In case you didn’t know, Stephen Colbert is planning to run for president in both Republican and Democratic primaries in his native state of South Carolina. This is no small commitment. The filing fee on the Democratic ticket is $2,500. On the Republican side, it’s $35,000. (No typo.) Apparently you cannot be a Republican candidate unless you have sufficient funds to buy your way in. Be that as it may, Colbert told Tim Russert, "I don't want to be president. I want to run for president. There's a difference."

Faux News covered Colbert’s candidacy in its entertainment section. I hate that this tool of the Republicans diminishes this man’s deeply-felt desire to serve that way. Faux quotes Colbert thusly: "After nearly 15 minutes of soul-searching, I have heard the call.” >>Read some more – it’s good for you.

Happy Birthday Dear Barbara.

susan — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:27:03 -0500

Happy Birthday, Babs!! Hoping that David's tests today give you the present you deserve.
Meanwhile, tried to come up with reasons to be happy on your birthday.
Hmmm. Weather's been great. If this is how the world ends, not with a bang but clear blue skies, what's the problem?
Springsteen's in town for your day. His latest CD is Magic. An omen?
More, you betcha.

We interrupt this message . . .

susan — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 17:16:11 -0600

Got it right Barb -- Pakistan's exploding, Feinstein and Schumer caved on Mukasey, the mideast stepped one giant step closer to the brink, David's in the fight of his life . . . Wait, We're livin' in the future and none of this has happened yet.
Sorry, I've been in a Springsteen fog since Friday night. Livin' in the Future is track 3 from his latest album Magic. And yeah, that's me as a sixty-year-old groupie. Don't ask.

Subprime America -- let me count the ways

susan — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 01:13:47 -0600

I've been thinking a lot lately about the trauma of losing your home, and how those who lost theirs to fire in San Diego were treated so much more sympathetically in the media than those who lost theirs to floods in New Orleans.
That got me to thinking about the great silent losses that are sweeping the country, with no 24 hour coverage from Anderson Cooper, or visits from President Bush or temporary shelter being offered in the local sports arena.
And that's the huge number of people losing their homes to foreclosure. A total of 446,726 homes nationwide were involved in some sort of foreclosure activity between July and September of this year, up 100 percent from the same period a year ago. That's one foreclosure for every 196 households nationally -- but higher in certain states like good old Florida with one in 95.
More, of course.

Saturday ramblings: Chaos revisited

barbara — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 10:10:04 -0600

barbara writes

Hi, everyone. All three of you at this point, I suspect. Full disclosure: I’ve been a maxi-slacker. And just so you know? I’m missing the Clothesline more than you can imagine. “Well, then, why don’t you DO something about that?” I hear you ask. Okay, okay. Working on it.

You know that thing where you connect with an old friend after a long separation? How you can pick up where you left off? Sadly, that’s pretty much the situation here with local and national issues.

People are still dying in droves in Iraq. But Junior assures us that Iraqis are lovin’ their freedom. Afghanistan continues to struggle to right itself in our wake and we’re dying there, too. Six more Americans yesterday. And Pakistan? Oy! Send in the body bags. More stuff follows.

The 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month

susan — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 01:10:58 -0600

Leftymn writes:

And so began the Armistice for the War to end all Wars…World War I, November 11, 1919. To most living Americans, this day is simply Veteran’s Day. Today, most banks will be closed, and you may not receive mail. We will remember the men and women who served in the military, engaged in fighting the wars this country’s government required them to fight. Read on.

Why do bloggers blog?

barbara — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 09:33:54 -0600

barbara writes

Cardinal rule of blogging: Do not regurgitate information from another blog.

Exception to rule: When a distinguished blogger (oh, yes, Virginia, there are distinguished bloggers!) encapsulates the blogging ethos in these times that try our hearts and souls and patience.

Point of the rule exception: America is in the throes of a journalism vacuum. Our local Star Tribune is an excellent example of a formerly fine publication that has opted to forfeit substance in favor of hyper-local mediocrity.

Net result (pun intended): Americans are in a semi-Pravda environment. We are being fed information and misinformation by a press that is often tightly controlled by government – both local and national. For those who really want to know the truth, it’s imperative to cast one’s news net beyond the MSM. But you already know that. It’s why you’re here on your daily round of the blogosphere. There’s more and it’s really good!

And so it begins some more

barbara — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 10:07:24 -0600

barbara writes

So, we’re off to see the wizards . . . the wonderful wizards of Mayo, or so we hope. Hope. The four-letter word that’s getting a real workout around here lately.

It’s a surreal experience, this cancer thing. For starters, David feels good almost all the time. He’s not wasting away before my eyes. All of which makes it hard to fully grasp the enormity of the esophageal cancer lurking in his body.

We have only had a distant glimpse of the mighty machine that is Mayo Clinic. I say “machine” because, so far, we have yet to deal with its medical people face to face. That comes tomorrow. And tomorrow and tomorrow, definitely creeping in this petty pace from day to day. More

Cyber Trash

susan — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 23:31:18 -0600

Last week a friend from college came for a visit. We’d lost contact over the intervening 40 years, but through the miracle of the Internet she tracked me down. We agreed, via email, that we should meet for one last laugh before we –um, log off. So she booked a flight online and emailed me her itinerary. Using our cell phones, we managed to hook up, so to speak, at the luggage carousel. In other words, technology played a big part in our reunion. Yep, lots more.

When is Noose Not That Sort of Noose?

susan — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 10:15:26 -0600

At the risk of sounding like an insensitive clod, if not a racist and a hypocrite, and losing all street cred with my peeps, I think the noose incident at Minneapolis Community and Technical College is overblown. And for once, I agree, in substance if not tone, with Katherine Kersten.

As Kersten tells it, a student newspaper editor, frustrated by his reporters not getting their articles in on time, "joked with other staff about various tongue-in-cheek motivational messages -- an ice pick, a bloody knife and other fanciful instruments of discipline. Keith impulsively sticks a mock noose made from his sweatshirt drawstring to the ceiling, with a note about the hazards of missed deadlines.
The drawstring was there a few minutes, he says, and he tossed it in the wastebasket before he left."

Full disclosure. Things look different when you know the players involved. And I know, barely, the kid who did this.
More.

We gather together: Random musings

barbara — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 10:41:02 -0600

barbara writes

Even though I’m more aware than ever before of the love of friends and family, that doesn’t close down the snark machine in my head. The same head that is full up and rising with random thoughts as we move into Thanksgiving and beyond.

Let’s just think of the following as turkey turds:

The Current Occupant now declares that Pakistan’s Musharraf is One Swell Guy. Says Musharraf "truly is somebody who believes in democracy." The mind reels. And yet not, for it depends what one means by “democracy.” BushCo’s democracy operates separate and apart from America’s Constitution, carefully constructed separation of powers, civil liberties and any possible definition of decency and honor. The “leader” of the free world wears tailored suits and the ubiquitous American flag on his lapel. It’s a chameleon thing. Who is more dangerous – Musharraf of Pakistan or George II of Crawford? More musings.

read more

Down under rises up

barbara — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 09:12:30 -0600

barbara writes

Feast your eyes on this excellent headline from today’s NY Times: Australian Victory Ends a Conservative Era. You already know where I'm going with this, don't you?!

Our mates from down under have given the deplorable John Howard the boot. He has lost his PM position and may well lose his seat (so to speak) in Parliament, too. Howard’s “center-right Liberal-National Party coalition,” which is actually conservative (go figure), got flushed down the loo in yesterday’s election. “Center-left Labor Party” leader Kevin Rudd is the incoming PM and man of the hour.

Rudd has promised to remove Australia’s combat troops from Iraq. And he is keen on getting Australia signed on to the Kyoto Treaty. I think Rudd and Junior will not be pals. Huzzah! More deeply insightful musing.

Zogby Poll: Hillary a Loser for Dems

susan — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 00:03:16 -0600

General election match-ups show the New York Senator would lose against every top Republican

Unlike many of my lefty-leaning pals, I've harbored a bit of a soft spot for Hillary. I met her a few times back in the day, and found her much warmer and more appealing than her public image. She shone with intelligence, but also had a self-deprecating humor, and a great laugh. And I'd like America to join the civilized world and elect a woman president.
That said, what I'd really like is for Hillary to drop out of the race. I'd like her to put her country ahead of her ambition. I'd like her to acknowledge that her candidacy will thrust the nation into even more divisive hell. I'd like her to recognize that there are many other ways she can serve the nation. See Bill. See Al Gore. And yeah, I'd like a unicorn for Christmas.
MORE.

God-Fearing Repubs Share Christian Vision of Immigration

susan — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 11:09:00 -0600

Be really afraid.

I once said that I'd vote for Chumpy the Chimp over any of the Republican presidential candidates, but what I didn't realize is that all of those contenders are not even in the same league as Chumpy. They're mean nasty demagogues, stirring up a cauldron of hatred with lip-smacking relish. No, I take that back. The most sympathetic of the lot is Mike Huckabee, whose Adam-and-Eve-era viewpoints are anathema to me, but who showed compassion towards the children of illegal immigrants.
MORE.

Hillary, Part 2.

susan — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:53:33 -0600

Breaking: As I finished writing this, my news screen filled with the story of a bomber taking two hostages in Clinton's NH campaign office. She's cancelled her speech to the DNC, and Obama closed his NH office as a precaution. Drudge report will probably suggest that she staged it.
~ ~ ~
A few days ago I wrote about the Zogby poll showing that Hillary Clinton would lose to any of the Republican presidential nominees. Okay, that poll was taken before the shameful display the Repubs put on in their last "debate" and maybe things have changed. (And by the way, could we please stop demeaning the art of debate by calling these media shams what they are? Why don't we just call it American President and let J-lo and Simon Cowell vote them off the show?)

But "anonymous" wrote the following comment:

I'm trying to get over this here, that Hillary Clinton should take one for the team. No one else, just Hillary Clinton, sometimes known as Senator Clinton. We haven't seen a Folk Devil this hated since FDR.
It does seem to get down to a horse race, doesn't it? Isn't this why we have so much trouble with the MSM, that it/they can't seem to get to issues, only the score?
My response: