Date

Next best thing to Calvin Ball

barbara — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 16:28:59 -0600

barbara writes

I swore I’d never go again. So much for high-minded principle. Yesterday, I went to the DFL’s senate district endorsing convention. For those of you out-state, let it be known that Minnesota Democrats call ourselves DFLers (Democratic Farmer Labor party, and yes, barbara would be rendered mute without parentheses).

We endorsed candidates for the state house of representatives (you go, Mike Obermueller!). We also engaged in a butt-numbing review of more than a hundred resolutions to be forwarded to the state convention for consideration. And then, the pièce d’insanité. (Note to other erudite liberal elitist snobs: Do not be running for your French dictionary. It’s Franglais, okay?)

You thought Texas had bragging rights to the most convoluted delegate selection system? Nuh-uh. Minnesota — land of Humphrey, Freeman, Wellstone and lutefisk—has adopted a peculiar process known as the walking sub-caucus. I have a theory that it was created in the wee small hours by a bunch of grog-sucking pols who were looking for a way to break up the tedium of Minnesota winters. How else to explain it? Here’s how it works.

The curse of Bush

barbara — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 07:33:48 -0600

barbara writes

Junior endorses McCain. Reminds me of the curse of the Klopmann diamond. Turns out the curse is that Mr. Klopmann goes with it. Just sayin'. See enlarged photo, suitable for framing.

Side by side

barbara — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 09:06:32 -0600

barbara says

I am now live-blogging the video link Paul provided. It's Junior endorsing Saint John. Funny how Junior manages to be the alpha male in this piece. Saint John plays George to Junior's Gracie. And btw, anyone notice that Junior seems particularly antsy these days? What's up with that?

So Junior blesses Saint John's candidacy and being. Saint John is . . . a saint. Junior knows him, respects him. Says he and Mrs. Junior have even spent time in Saint John’s home. (barbara says: So have house flies.)

St. John says Junior is someone for whom he has great admiration, respect and affection. (barbara says: Praise the lord and pass the barf bags!)

Saint John says he was proud to campaign for Junior's election and re-election. (barbara says: Not only does he not know much about economics, he does not know much about Diebold.)

Saint John appreciates Junior’s service to our country. (barbara says: After Junior’s great escape from military service, this has manifested itself how??)

"I intend to have as much possible campaigning events and, uh, together as is the keeping of the president's heavy schedule." (barbara says: Saint John is channeling Junior-speak.) Oh, la, how jolly. There’s more!

The Butterfly Effect: If Junior flaps his jaw in the White House . . .

susan — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 23:37:50 -0600

Folks, it's been a little bleak around the Clothesline. Barb and Dave have that cancer demon to defeat, and Barb's brother is ill, and my niece and her husband and their families just went through the excruciating ordeal of watching their newborn son Sam, a twin, slowly die from complications related to twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, and there are still grave concerns about the other wee twin, Will. And then there's -- everything else.

Including Junior's bizarre press conference (posted by Barb below) endorsing John how-many-ways-would-you-like-me-to- kiss-your-fanny McCain, which made me think of the Butterfly Effect, and how the ripple from one very limited monkey-man's mouth grew to create a hurricane of trouble for millions of people all over the world. And there's McCain, shit-eating grin and all, standing there next to Junior, and I start to see the Butterfly effect all over again, starting with the supreme court, flutter flutter flutter.
More on butterflies -- and a screed on Dems to boot.

She's back and she's indignant

barbara — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 10:32:10 -0500

barbara writes

A funny thing happened to me on the way to the Clothesline. Well, not so funny, actually. David and I made a hurry-up trek down to Mayo. Still trying to get a handle on esophagus spasms – an issue that seems to have no handle. But the good news is that I had The Clothesline waiting for me when I got back.

The political arena is the premier location for hanging out dirty laundry. Think Spitzer. Vitter. Craig. Abramoff. Bush. Bush. Bush. Then there’s the matter of faux dirty laundry, as pegged to the line by a couple of presidential wannabes. Yes, Hillary and John, I’m talkin’ about you. Druther not have your disgusting grubbies in my back yard. Hang on! There's more.

Conversation 'r Us

barbara — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 12:22:09 -0500

barbara writes

Gonna be gone again for a few days. So this is an open invitation to converse among yourselves until I return.

Here are some conversation starters:

Spitzer: Man or Myth?
Spitzer: Conspiracy Theory re timing of disclosure
Spitzer: WTF was he thinking?
Spitzer: Enough, already

Obama's pastor: Man or Myth?
Obama's pastor: Wherein we acknowledge that ordination does not preclude braying ass syndrome.
More great ideas.

Master of the obvious

barbara — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:29:06 -0500

barbara writes

WARNING: The following post may not be appropriate for bears of little brain, terror-mongers and Republicans. But I repeat myself.

It is something of a family joke that I used to tell my children, “You know, it’s not right to label people. In particular, it’s wrong to label someone a ~~a**hole~~ bad person. Let’s try this. Let’s just say that SOandSO is exhibiting ~~a**hole~~ bad person-like behavior, okay?”

I just sneaked a peek at Huffington Post and what I saw there prompts me to say that Richard Bruce Cheney is a card-carrying ~~a**hole~~ bad person. Actually, a ~~a**hole~~ bad person exhibiting ~~a**hole-like~~ bad person-like behavior.

What now? Well, on ABC News today, the Grim Veeper lobbed a couple of gems for our consideration.

Asked what impact 4,000 dead Americans in Iraq might have on the U.S., Cheney (who seems to favor his view of the obvious), said:

”It obviously brings home I think for a lot of people the cost that’s involved in the global war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan….It places a special burden obviously on the families….The President carries the biggest burden, obviously.”

Read on.

The Butterfly Effect, Part 2

susan — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:43:38 -0500

Well, I'm back. Went from a week in the mountains of Michoacan, Mexico, where I saw millions of over-wintering monarch butterflies stirring to life in the spring sun and immediately having sex, to a week in the flatlands of southwest Florida, where I saw millions of over-wintering old white people doing pretty much the opposite.

The trouble with going away is coming back. The nation took another turn for the worse since I left and in my opinion there’s no excuse for having daylight savings time when there's 5 inches of new snow on the ground. It throws my circadian rhythms to the howling dogs of the night.

While I was away the nation entered a great discourse on race. That is, Obama gave a great speech on race, and the pundits loved it -- even as they rushed to point out that it won't make any difference, that he's pretty much screwed. And most Americans got into it about as deeply as Fox news would take them, which is sort of like picking the lint off a sweater vs. knitting one. As one Fox "news" entertainer asserted in a huff, arguing that Barack's comments insulted all white people, "I've read the whole sound bite!" More, you betcha.

An apron retrospective

barbara — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:49:19 -0500

barbara writes

Friend Marion wondered whether we ever hang aprons up on the clothesline. Sent me a piece about 'em, just in case. The answer is yes, we do hang aprons, beginning today.

Funny. Right around the first of the year, I decided I needed an apron. A bib-type. Kinda French cheffie lookin' for those mac and cheese creations, you know?

I made a couple of aprons in junior high sewing class. One of them was made of dotted Swiss. Totally impractical, but very pretty.

Anyway, the piece starts here and finishes up under the fold, so to speak.

Do you think our kids and grands even know what an apron is?

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears. Read on!

read more