Saturday, August 12, 2006
More Blogiversary
Our dear friend and spiritual soul, Michael Hawkins, is celebrating his second. Please go over and wish him all the best.
More Dave
I introduced him to my fellow Long Islanders this morning. This afternoon he did an interview at FDL*:
...
"Peter King," Dave told me on the phone, "has forgotten where he comes from, He fights harder for the lobbyists on K Street than he does for the hard-working families on Main Street."
...
*Good links there by the way.
Stupid, stupid people 2
Creature:
Used to be we aspired to be a nation of intellectuals, a nation of inventors and explorers. Now we're just a buncha brainwashed sheep. If we're gonna start rounding up groups of people in this country, we should take the Jesus freaks (I mean the guys in the pulpits) first. They've done more damage than all the terrorists combined.
A comparison of peoples' views in 34 countries finds that the United States ranks near the bottom when it comes to public acceptance of evolution. Only Turkey ranked lower. [my em]
Used to be we aspired to be a nation of intellectuals, a nation of inventors and explorers. Now we're just a buncha brainwashed sheep. If we're gonna start rounding up groups of people in this country, we should take the Jesus freaks (I mean the guys in the pulpits) first. They've done more damage than all the terrorists combined.
Food For Thought
Headline at BuzzFlash:
I'm just sayin'...
Investigators are following the money trail in the bomb plot. If it leads back to the Bush family's friends in Saudi Arabia, don't expect any more news on the matter
I'm just sayin'...
A Convenient Threat
The Boston Globe
The writer then goes on to ask and answer several questions, in this manner:
I am. I'm typing as loud as I can.
DICK CHENEY was certainly farsighted when he declared Wednesday that Ned Lamont's victory over Joe Lieberman would comfort "Al Qaeda types."
Voila! Only a day later, Al Qaeda was revealed as plotting to bring down 10 planes!
I thought that was a nice parody line -- until I picked up yesterday's Wall Street Journal. There, editorial page writer Daniel Henninger, in a column headed, "Democrats Knifed Lieberman on Eve of Airliner Plot," goes beyond parody.
The writer then goes on to ask and answer several questions, in this manner:
With hundreds of millions of ordinary Muslims increasingly disgusted and alienated by Bush's policy, can't we just settle this thing once and for all, with an Armageddon to take out Syria, Iran, Hezbollah, and Al Qaeda, in one fell swoop? (No!)
After more than five years of Bush's blundering grandiosity, a majority of Americans are increasingly skeptical of his policies. America has never faced anything like the hydra-headed threat of Islamist terrorism. Bush's entire performance, from assumption to execution, has placed America at greater risk. To say that is not to abet terrorism, and Bush's critics should be saying it loud and clear.
I am. I'm typing as loud as I can.
Bush staff wanted bomb-detect cash moved
Yahoo! News
Go read the rest. I'm sure you'll feel ever so much safer knowing how much effort the WH and DHS is putting in on your behalf.
WASHINGTON - While the British terror suspects were hatching their plot, the Bush administration was quietly seeking permission to divert $6 million that was supposed to be spent this year developing new homeland explosives detection technology.
The administration also was slow to start testing a new liquid explosives detector that the Japanese government provided to the United States earlier this year.
Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon, a senior Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, said he urged the administration three years ago to buy electron scanners, like the ones used at London's airport to detect plastics that might be hidden beneath passenger clothes.
"It's been an ongoing frustration about their resistance to purchase off-the-shelf, state-of-the-art equipment that can meet these threats," he said.
The administration's most recent budget request also mystified lawmakers. It asked to take $6 million from Homeland S&T's 2006 budget that was supposed to be used to develop explosives detection technology and instead divert it to cover a budget shortfall in the Federal Protective Service, which provides security around government buildings.
Go read the rest. I'm sure you'll feel ever so much safer knowing how much effort the WH and DHS is putting in on your behalf.
Get out
One of our unhinged congressweasels here on Long Island is up for reelection this November and we have a chance to get his Rethug ass out. Dave Mejias is running against Peter King for NY-3, the district next to mine. Please help him out if you can. King is the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee and if you know all the hassles NY has had getting 9/11 money (rightfully due us), you know he's dropped the ball big time, and that is aside from being a Bush suck-boy.
If you live in NY-3, Dave Mejias is your guy. If you live on Long Island, consider volunteering to help his campaign (I'm giving them a call on Monday to see if they can put any of my *cough* talents to use). If you're not a Long Islander, consider sending Dave some scratch if you can.
If you live in NY-3, Dave Mejias is your guy. If you live on Long Island, consider volunteering to help his campaign (I'm giving them a call on Monday to see if they can put any of my *cough* talents to use). If you're not a Long Islander, consider sending Dave some scratch if you can.
Let's face it, Washington has let us down. Between the mess they made in Iraq and their failures at home, both the President and this Congress have proven that they aren't up to the job. ~ Dave Mejias
Friday, August 11, 2006
Downwinders Derail 'Divine Strake' - for now
I actually thought a big non-nuclear explosion out in Middle of Nowhere NV would be OK. Even better if they put Fixer in charge! Boy, was I an idiot. Common Wonders 8/10/06
Not to mention the deaths of John Wayne, Susan Hayward, and Agnes Moorhead, as well as an inordinately high number of other cast and crew members from the location shoot of The Conqueror.
But that was fifty years ago. What possible harm could conventional explosives do today?
I'm no chemist, but I recognize the names of stuff there that can fuck you up. Just f'rinstance, phosgene was a poison gas used in WWI, sulfur dioxide is the silent killer in oil refineries, chloroform is used by the bad guys in movies to knock out the heroine, and all them tetras, monos, and hexas can't be any good for you either.
There are those who say that was the Downwinders' role from the very start of atmospheric A-bomb testing way back when, described as "a low use segment of the population". They get no argument from me.
Mrs. G's niece and her husband and 16-year-old daughter just bought a vacation home in Washington UT, the idiots, exactly downwind from the Test Site. I don't want 'em breathing that shit. They're not 'collateral damage dummies' except to our insane WMD developers, nor is anybody else - or shouldn't be.
Good on 'em. The 'God complex' thing is all too prevalent today and needs to be beaten into the ground at every opportunity, along with the 'God complexed'.
For more info go to Downwinders.org.
Just as an afterthought, the linked article has a little surprise in it for you Hoosiers.
"Everyone in Utah can tell you a story - or take you to a cemetery and show you where loved ones are buried ..."
Alyson Heyrend, a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson, was talking about the experience of being a "downwinder," and she could have been speaking for residents of Nevada, Idaho, Montana and other places as well, where large segments of the population were exposed to fallout from U.S. nuclear testing over the years; suffered dire health consequences and the premture deaths of loved ones despite glib assurances from the government that they were in no danger; who have finally cried, loudly enough to disrupt, at least temporily, the government's oblivious, WMD-smitten agenda, "No more!"
Not to mention the deaths of John Wayne, Susan Hayward, and Agnes Moorhead, as well as an inordinately high number of other cast and crew members from the location shoot of The Conqueror.
But that was fifty years ago. What possible harm could conventional explosives do today?
Divine Strake would have ignited 700 tons of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil, sending up a 10,000-foot mushroom cloud, possibly stirring up radioactive dust at the Test Site and spewing an array of pollutants into the atmosphere: "two tons of cyanide compounds, 25 tons of particulates, a ton of hexachloroethane, a ton each of tetrachloroethylene and tetrachloromethane, a ton and a half of phosgene, nearly a ton of sulfur dioxide, more than 31 tons of carbon monoxide, seven tons of nitrogen oxides, nearly two tons of chloroform, and many other noxious compounds," according to environmental writer Valerie Brown, in an article published recently in the St. George (Utah) Spectrum.
I'm no chemist, but I recognize the names of stuff there that can fuck you up. Just f'rinstance, phosgene was a poison gas used in WWI, sulfur dioxide is the silent killer in oil refineries, chloroform is used by the bad guys in movies to knock out the heroine, and all them tetras, monos, and hexas can't be any good for you either.
Maybe, 61 years into the nuclear age, there's a new player in the game: those whose designated role was to be collateral damage. (my em)
There are those who say that was the Downwinders' role from the very start of atmospheric A-bomb testing way back when, described as "a low use segment of the population". They get no argument from me.
Mrs. G's niece and her husband and 16-year-old daughter just bought a vacation home in Washington UT, the idiots, exactly downwind from the Test Site. I don't want 'em breathing that shit. They're not 'collateral damage dummies' except to our insane WMD developers, nor is anybody else - or shouldn't be.
Did you know that India's first nuclear test explosion, in 1974, was code-named Smiling Buddha (mine)? A God complex exists at the level of national leadership that knows no religious or moral restraint. This is the arrogance the downwinders of Utah, Nevada and Idaho beat back this month, temporarily, perhaps, but on behalf of all humanity.
Good on 'em. The 'God complex' thing is all too prevalent today and needs to be beaten into the ground at every opportunity, along with the 'God complexed'.
For more info go to Downwinders.org.
Just as an afterthought, the linked article has a little surprise in it for you Hoosiers.
Reign of Error
When BuzzFlash says 'must, must read', I obey. After reading, I agree. Philly Daily News.
I get the feeling that, if the terrorists had succeeded in blowing up those aircraft, that Cheney and others would have been on Fake News ten minutes later, saying, "See what those Democrats did by voting for Lamont?"
They must go. November.
THESE PEOPLE have no shame. Their contempt for democracy is so great they will stop at nothing to undermine it. Their adherence to fundamentalist beliefs that blinds them to reality is frightening. They must be stopped.
And that's just the Republicans.
Let's start with Vice President Dick Cheney.
Yesterday, Cheney bashed those who voted for Democrat Ned Lamont in the Connecticut Senate primary, claiming that these votes would encourage "al Qaeda types" to think that "they can break the will of the American people."
The idea is that since 18-year incumbent Joe Lieberman lost based on his support for Iraq, Americans opposing the war are waving a white flag of surrender to terrorists.
This is stunningly ignorant logic, as well as annoyingly consistent with the Bush administration's fundamentalist myth that Iraq had ties to al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden - a claim by now well-discounted, most notably by a presidential commission.
For Cheney - and other Republicans like GOP National Chairman Ken Mehlman - to suggest that those Americans are encouraging terrorism is reprehensible.
But the real terror is this: While our Vacationer- in-Chief and his vice president shut down dissent, and discourage questions about the way our government has directed our intelligence and military resources toward a single target in Iraq, we are no closer to understanding or dismantling the threat of al Qaeda.
Cheney's remarks underscore just how unsophisticated our understanding of terrorism is. We have no more understanding of the global forces at work that lead so many to want to bomb and destroy innocent lives than we did five years ago.
America's latest crisis is not what happened in Connecticut; it's what was going to happen in airplanes over the Atlantic.
The immoral and ridiculous claims coming out of the Bush administration's reign of error could ultimately be responsible for the kind of casualties that al Qaeda can only dream of.
I get the feeling that, if the terrorists had succeeded in blowing up those aircraft, that Cheney and others would have been on Fake News ten minutes later, saying, "See what those Democrats did by voting for Lamont?"
They must go. November.
Finally, The Media Elite Admit the Truth About Themselves
David Sirota
Gee, I guess it would be better left up to rich Republican operatives who know what's best for us ignorant piss-ants, huh? My ass.
The 'elites' are really whinin', moanin', snivellin', complainin', bitchin', kvetchin', and generally not very happy that CT voters actually chose their own candidate, huh?
I liken Lamont's victory to a tiny crack in a motorcycle fender. Left unchecked, the fender will fall apart. The Repugs are tryin' their best to "stop drill" this one, but sometimes that doesn't work and the crack continues to spread until the fender breaks apart. Then you have to get a new fender. I think we're about to throw the Repug fender in the dumpster and install a brand new, bright shiny Dem one.
That won't be a permanent fix, though. We need to correct the underlying cause of the crack or it will swiftly return: the vibration caused by the corruption of Republican politics due to loose, worn out, and missing moral bearings.
I love making motorcycle analogies. I can fix those goddam things, like I wish I could fix politics.
Please read the rest of Mr. Sirota's post. It made me cackle with glee and I think it'll do the same for you.
[...] But this week following the primary defeat of Sen. Joe Lieberman by first-time candidate Ned Lamont, America is witnessing a good-old-fashioned watershed moment: the perfume is off, the restraint is removed, and the ugly, rancid, sweaty-lockerroom stench of truth is there for all of us commoners to waft. Sniff up, contain your dry heaving, and you will finally understand that all the talk of the Establishment's disdain for ordinary citizens is not just talk or conspiracy theory - it's very real, and very powerful.
Take, for instance, New York Times columnist David Brooks's piece yesterday - it is arguably the most brazen admission of elite disdain for democracy that has ever been printed in a major American newspaper. Before you dismiss that as hyperbole, read the third line of Brooks' piece:
"Polarized primary voters shouldn't be allowed to define the choices in American politics."
Yes, you read that correctly: According to one of the most prominent columnists in America, "voters shouldn't be allowed to define the choices in American politics." [...]
Gee, I guess it would be better left up to rich Republican operatives who know what's best for us ignorant piss-ants, huh? My ass.
It is no hyperbole to say that these elites hate democracy and democratic movements - they hate them so much they are willing to break the taboo and scream their hatred for democracy in the pages of the largest newspaper in the world. They hate ordinary people so much they are willing to fabricate storylines wholly unsupported by even a shred of fact. But thanks to the fact that democracy still exists in America and elections still happen here, their hatred is no longer the ideology that gets to govern unchallenged. This week in Connecticut we saw the first rumble. And come election day in November, that rumble is going to be an earthquake no matter how much the elites whine, cry and scream.
The 'elites' are really whinin', moanin', snivellin', complainin', bitchin', kvetchin', and generally not very happy that CT voters actually chose their own candidate, huh?
I liken Lamont's victory to a tiny crack in a motorcycle fender. Left unchecked, the fender will fall apart. The Repugs are tryin' their best to "stop drill" this one, but sometimes that doesn't work and the crack continues to spread until the fender breaks apart. Then you have to get a new fender. I think we're about to throw the Repug fender in the dumpster and install a brand new, bright shiny Dem one.
That won't be a permanent fix, though. We need to correct the underlying cause of the crack or it will swiftly return: the vibration caused by the corruption of Republican politics due to loose, worn out, and missing moral bearings.
I love making motorcycle analogies. I can fix those goddam things, like I wish I could fix politics.
Please read the rest of Mr. Sirota's post. It made me cackle with glee and I think it'll do the same for you.
Friday Cattle Dog Blogging
Princess Shayna is back and smells something fishy about the way the U.S. government is handling the reaction to this foiled British terror plot.
She also wants you to head over and wish her dad's pal Jo Fish a Happy Blogiversary.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Explode. Repeat.
Our pal Mimus Pauly brings up a good point in this post about Scotland Yard arresting the 'shampoo bombers' (©) in England:
I think I remember the Repugs rakin' Kerry over the coals for saying that.
Whoever planned this latest terrorist caper knows exactly what he's doing and his timing is good. If he wants the Repugs to stay in power, and of course he does, he could not have handed them a better excuse for political fear-mongering this close to our elections. I wonder if his name is Qarl Al-Rovi?
1 -- Will Bunch compliments Scotland Yard, and states an infrequently-stated truth:
...Most of the big victories in "the war on terror" have been racked up by cops, not by soldiers. Why, it's almost as if terrorism is a law-enforcement problem -- and less of a threat when it's handled well in that fashion.
I think I remember the Repugs rakin' Kerry over the coals for saying that.
Whoever planned this latest terrorist caper knows exactly what he's doing and his timing is good. If he wants the Repugs to stay in power, and of course he does, he could not have handed them a better excuse for political fear-mongering this close to our elections. I wonder if his name is Qarl Al-Rovi?
Security Theater
[Since I'm in the middle of writing - you never know when inspiration hits - Mrs. F is filling in with a post this afternoon. Her first anywhere by the way. - Fixer]
The news today about the extra airport/TSA security bullshit has pissed me off enough to write my own post.
Early in 2005, Fixer and I were talking about the state of the ceiling between our living and dining rooms. It is sagging and after 40 + years of the house settling, it can't be fixed anymore. Trust me, he has put more plaster on the crack in the ceiling dividing the living room and dining room over the years than one would know existed. Anyway, we agreed the job could go another 12-18 months before it would be a big problem and Fixer offered to take me on vacation during 2006 stating we would celebrate my 45th birthday, then when we got back, we would begin construction, (which would include a complete re-design of the space).
Since I was basically offered any trip I wanted, I started my research of land and sea trips back in late January 2005. I have always been partial to cruising, having been on 25 cruises since August of 1983, and I really wanted to go on a cruise of the Mediterranean.
In May '05, I made a definite decision on the cruise I wanted to go on. The ship was not due to come into service until February 2006, but I figured the itinerary was so interesting it would be worth the wait.
Most of you will recall the scare I had at the beginning of the year. With the news, I had the feeling that we would not make the cruise and I would be requesting a refund. Fortunately, I am ok and the cruise is on. I can't wait!!
We are currently within 45 days of our departure date and I heard the news this morning about the added airport security. Now you will not be able to bring any carry on luggage, NOT EVEN A POCKETBOOK/PURSE??? Where the hell am I supposed to keep my Passport, Travelers Checks/money/charge cards, my airline tickets, camera, laptop, (a must for Fixer) and my jewelry, (a must for me on this cruise), without any carry on luggage. I also heard that you cannot bring anything liquid. Even nursing mothers will have to have their breast milk tasted before they can get on the plane!! I cannot believe this is just about to happen right before we are supposed to fly!! It seems like every time we are close to leaving on a long anticipated trip, the world gets a little crazier.
If I have to check everything, I want to be able to lock the damn suitcase up after I clear security with anything I desire to protect my valuables. Do you think the airline will assume responsibility for the theft of any of the above items?? Do you think my homeowner's insurance is going to want to hear that I left all of those things in an unlocked suitcase that is kept out of my sight?? I think not. I'll not only get screwed without being kissed, but I will lose some very valuable and sentimental things. Could you imagine if I wore all of the jewelry I intended to take? I'd never make it through the metal detector and I'd never leave it behind.
If you can let me know what has to be done to get the sanity back before we leave, I'm all ears!!
- Mrs. Fixer
[Maybe I can shove everything up my ass? - Fixer]
The news today about the extra airport/TSA security bullshit has pissed me off enough to write my own post.
Early in 2005, Fixer and I were talking about the state of the ceiling between our living and dining rooms. It is sagging and after 40 + years of the house settling, it can't be fixed anymore. Trust me, he has put more plaster on the crack in the ceiling dividing the living room and dining room over the years than one would know existed. Anyway, we agreed the job could go another 12-18 months before it would be a big problem and Fixer offered to take me on vacation during 2006 stating we would celebrate my 45th birthday, then when we got back, we would begin construction, (which would include a complete re-design of the space).
Since I was basically offered any trip I wanted, I started my research of land and sea trips back in late January 2005. I have always been partial to cruising, having been on 25 cruises since August of 1983, and I really wanted to go on a cruise of the Mediterranean.
In May '05, I made a definite decision on the cruise I wanted to go on. The ship was not due to come into service until February 2006, but I figured the itinerary was so interesting it would be worth the wait.
Most of you will recall the scare I had at the beginning of the year. With the news, I had the feeling that we would not make the cruise and I would be requesting a refund. Fortunately, I am ok and the cruise is on. I can't wait!!
We are currently within 45 days of our departure date and I heard the news this morning about the added airport security. Now you will not be able to bring any carry on luggage, NOT EVEN A POCKETBOOK/PURSE??? Where the hell am I supposed to keep my Passport, Travelers Checks/money/charge cards, my airline tickets, camera, laptop, (a must for Fixer) and my jewelry, (a must for me on this cruise), without any carry on luggage. I also heard that you cannot bring anything liquid. Even nursing mothers will have to have their breast milk tasted before they can get on the plane!! I cannot believe this is just about to happen right before we are supposed to fly!! It seems like every time we are close to leaving on a long anticipated trip, the world gets a little crazier.
If I have to check everything, I want to be able to lock the damn suitcase up after I clear security with anything I desire to protect my valuables. Do you think the airline will assume responsibility for the theft of any of the above items?? Do you think my homeowner's insurance is going to want to hear that I left all of those things in an unlocked suitcase that is kept out of my sight?? I think not. I'll not only get screwed without being kissed, but I will lose some very valuable and sentimental things. Could you imagine if I wore all of the jewelry I intended to take? I'd never make it through the metal detector and I'd never leave it behind.
If you can let me know what has to be done to get the sanity back before we leave, I'm all ears!!
- Mrs. Fixer
[Maybe I can shove everything up my ass? - Fixer]
The Old Guy Talks To One Of The Crazy Guys
Mike Wallace interviews Amadeena Ahmadinag Ah'madinahed ah, fuck it the president of Iran. CBS News:
If Bush and Ahmadinejad can both get on their meds at the same time, they should talk.
Off their meds, steel cage death match in speedos (shudder!) and leave the rest of us out of it. If they manage to kill each other, Bush will indeed have made the world a safer place.
On what the "conducive conditions" would be for Iran to establish relations with the U.S., the president said, "Well, please look at the makeup of the American administration, the behavior of the American administration. See how they talk down to my nation. And this recent resolution passed about the nuclear issue, look at the wording. They have given us - presented us with a package which we are studying right now. We even gave them a date for our response. Ignoring that, they passed a resolution. They want to build an empire. And they don't want to live side-by-side in peace with other nations. The American government, sir, it is very clear to me they have to change their behavior and everything will be resolved. (George W. Bush) believes that his power emanates from his nuclear warhead arsenals. The time of the bomb is in the past, it's behind us. Today is the era of thoughts, dialogue and cultural exchanges."
The report will be broadcast on 60 Minutes this Sunday at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
If Bush and Ahmadinejad can both get on their meds at the same time, they should talk.
Off their meds, steel cage death match in speedos (shudder!) and leave the rest of us out of it. If they manage to kill each other, Bush will indeed have made the world a safer place.
"Take me to your leader - in that limo..."
Bob Herbert via Tennessee Guerilla Women, writing about Repuglican deceit and contempt for reg'lar Americans:
Ain't that the truth!
"If you landed here from Mars and looked at Congress's agenda," said Jared Bernstein, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, "you'd think that the problem in America is that rich people don't have enough money."
Ain't that the truth!
School Daze
School starts here on Monday,the 14th.Today was 7th grade orientation.Brand,spankin new multi million dollar building.Some observations upon getting back home from said orientation:
1) I don't care how huge the school building is in this county,the parking lots are insanely small and horrifically planned.This always causes pain in the ass traffic and parking issues every single time there's a school event.Even when they divide a single event up to occur at different times,for each grade.Such was the case today.Who is the moron who designs a school to hold 1500+ kids and staff and only designs parking for not even a third that many cars? In this case there's a series of small parking lots connected by a narrow road system,which of course is going to be lined with cars parked up and down from beginning to end so traffic can't flow both ways.There are going to be many days I'm driving Atilla the Fun to and from school because of various clubs and projects,plus my own volunteering,and I'm fully prepared to be in some sort of car accident with a big ass SUV before the school year is over.
2)I wasn't in this school for two seconds before I ran into people praying for the kiddies and the new building.Ok,I suppose that they mean well,as far as the thought goes.But methinks this could lead to more intrusions.I walk into the guidance office and the receptionist's desk has not one,not two,but three of those little Bible Verse O' the Day flip over book/sign dealies sitting on it.Ok,it is her desk,and she was very nice.Then we walk into the cafeteria,which was the info center for all the clubs and afterschool activities along with sign up sheets for parent volunteering duties(I chose the environmental committee and will probably help with the Builder's Club,which does community service stuff,like send care packages to Iraq and Afghanistan)and there are two christian school sponsored clubs.One for athletes,one for future christian homemakers.Quaint,eh? I haven't had the chance to look at the science curriculum yet,and I hope what I saw today has no bearing on which direction that class goes.I'll reserve judgement til then.
3)Met with the Special Ed lead teacher,she seems on top of mostly everything.But,Atilla is not going to be in small class settings for half his classes,something I was not informed of til today.I like a little advance notice,so does Atilla.Large groups are challenging for him,he has difficulty keeping still and will start decompensating into"weird"behavior(hiding on the floor under his desk,speaking and moving really fast,blurting out inappropriate or off topic comments,trying to grab and hold people,you get the idea),which sets him up to be rejected and/or picked on by his peers.Ok,it also doesn't help that I'm overprotective and sort of freaked out that my baby is fast turning into a young man.This is when it kinda sucks to be The Mom.Of course,the year will probably be more difficult for me than it is him,lol.
1) I don't care how huge the school building is in this county,the parking lots are insanely small and horrifically planned.This always causes pain in the ass traffic and parking issues every single time there's a school event.Even when they divide a single event up to occur at different times,for each grade.Such was the case today.Who is the moron who designs a school to hold 1500+ kids and staff and only designs parking for not even a third that many cars? In this case there's a series of small parking lots connected by a narrow road system,which of course is going to be lined with cars parked up and down from beginning to end so traffic can't flow both ways.There are going to be many days I'm driving Atilla the Fun to and from school because of various clubs and projects,plus my own volunteering,and I'm fully prepared to be in some sort of car accident with a big ass SUV before the school year is over.
2)I wasn't in this school for two seconds before I ran into people praying for the kiddies and the new building.Ok,I suppose that they mean well,as far as the thought goes.But methinks this could lead to more intrusions.I walk into the guidance office and the receptionist's desk has not one,not two,but three of those little Bible Verse O' the Day flip over book/sign dealies sitting on it.Ok,it is her desk,and she was very nice.Then we walk into the cafeteria,which was the info center for all the clubs and afterschool activities along with sign up sheets for parent volunteering duties(I chose the environmental committee and will probably help with the Builder's Club,which does community service stuff,like send care packages to Iraq and Afghanistan)and there are two christian school sponsored clubs.One for athletes,one for future christian homemakers.Quaint,eh? I haven't had the chance to look at the science curriculum yet,and I hope what I saw today has no bearing on which direction that class goes.I'll reserve judgement til then.
3)Met with the Special Ed lead teacher,she seems on top of mostly everything.But,Atilla is not going to be in small class settings for half his classes,something I was not informed of til today.I like a little advance notice,so does Atilla.Large groups are challenging for him,he has difficulty keeping still and will start decompensating into"weird"behavior(hiding on the floor under his desk,speaking and moving really fast,blurting out inappropriate or off topic comments,trying to grab and hold people,you get the idea),which sets him up to be rejected and/or picked on by his peers.Ok,it also doesn't help that I'm overprotective and sort of freaked out that my baby is fast turning into a young man.This is when it kinda sucks to be The Mom.Of course,the year will probably be more difficult for me than it is him,lol.
Repug Bullshit Goes Into High Gear
In the wake of Ned Lamont's primary victory, the RS3M* has hit the deck a-runnin', as if they knew the outcome ahead of time. Oh, I forgot - they're good at that...
Ostroy Report
Think Progress
The Dark Lord
These bastards have their script in everybody's hands and everybody lined up in front of the media ready to spew at the first opportunity, don't they?
The flip side: BuzzFlash
Again from Ostroy:
We can only hope.
On a related topic, after the capture of suspected terrorists in England, from Ostroy:
So there you have it. They're slimin' everyone who voted for Lamont, God bless 'em, and by extension everybody who votes for any Democrat as enablers of Bin-Forgotten, Al Qaeda, or any garden variety terrorist who happens along. In other words, they're calling 'em cowards, traitors, and terrorist sympathizers. Par for the Repug course.
This time, a lot more Americans know who the cowards and traitors are, as well as who created most of the new terrorists. If they don't, they at least know that the way things are going in the Iraq occupation is an indication of the Repugs' total incompetence, and Americans don't like to lose. They don't particularly like to be lied to either, especially when the lies cause the deaths of other Americans. They also don't like being spent into the poorhouse to enrich Big Biz.
Nobody likes being called unpatriotic, or worse, for exercising their rights as American voters, either.
The Repugs have succeeded with these tactics before, to the detriment of the world, but I think the scales have fallen from enough Americans' eyes that it won't work this time. It better not. If it does, we deserve to be called stupid.
Ostroy Report
Scared Repugs Ratchet Up the Terrorist Rhetoric in the Wake of Lamont's Victory. Get Ready for Some Serious Ugliness
Unable to regurgitate the old "fringe" rhetoric, they're quickly shifting the Swift Boat's gears back to the Iraq/bin laden/al Qaeda story. The "fight 'em over there so we don't have to fight 'em over here" bullshit. It worked like a charm in '04, and they're banking on Americans being fooled once again. The spin they'll be driving home for the next 2 1/2 months is that a pullout of Iraq will result in another 9/11-like attack here in the States. [..]
Think Progress
Tony Snow: A Vote For Lamont Is A Vote For Another 9/11
The Dark Lord
Sen. Joe Lieberman's loss to an anti-war upstart will only encourage Al Qaeda and other enemies of the U.S., Vice President Cheney said yesterday.
These bastards have their script in everybody's hands and everybody lined up in front of the media ready to spew at the first opportunity, don't they?
The flip side: BuzzFlash
Cheney Goes Into Deep Demagogue Mode: Claims Lieberman Loss is a Victory for al-Qaeda. Bin Laden Reportedly Wanted Bush and Cheney Re-elected Because They So Fecklessly Play Into His Hands. So Wouldn't That Make a Defeat for Lieberman a Defeat for al-Qaeda?
Again from Ostroy:
So there you have it. 2004 all over again. Iraq, Iraq, Iraq, terrorists, Iraq, terrorism, terrorism, Iraq, Iraq, terrorists, Iraq, terrorists, Iraq, terrorists, Iraq, terrorists, terrorists, terrorists....you get the picture. Only this time, most of the country is no longer falling for it (my em).
We can only hope.
On a related topic, after the capture of suspected terrorists in England, from Ostroy:
New Terror Alert: The Repuglican Homestretch Scare Campaign Begins
But make no mistake. Karl Rove, Ken Mehlman and the GOP terror thugs will pounce on this new overseas threat as their pivotal "Aha!" moment to scare the crap out of Americans in their new post-Lamont "Democrats are weak on defense and national security" homestretch campaign:
"See, we told ya so. We told ya that Osama bin Laden (remember him? the guy Bush "doesn't spend too much time on anymore?") was out there plotting to attack Americans. We told ya that that's why we need to "stay the course" in Iraq. To "fight 'em over there so we don't have to fight 'em here." We told ya these namby-pamby anti-war liberals wussies are wrong for America and will not keep us safe and secure like us brave old Repuglican chickenhawks. So we're tellin' ya again, voting for these liberal cowards will mean and end to the Iraq war, a win for Osama and the terrorists, and a new round of bloody murderous attacks here at home."
Anyone want to take bets on when the next U.S. terror alert occurs?
So there you have it. They're slimin' everyone who voted for Lamont, God bless 'em, and by extension everybody who votes for any Democrat as enablers of Bin-Forgotten, Al Qaeda, or any garden variety terrorist who happens along. In other words, they're calling 'em cowards, traitors, and terrorist sympathizers. Par for the Repug course.
This time, a lot more Americans know who the cowards and traitors are, as well as who created most of the new terrorists. If they don't, they at least know that the way things are going in the Iraq occupation is an indication of the Repugs' total incompetence, and Americans don't like to lose. They don't particularly like to be lied to either, especially when the lies cause the deaths of other Americans. They also don't like being spent into the poorhouse to enrich Big Biz.
Nobody likes being called unpatriotic, or worse, for exercising their rights as American voters, either.
The Repugs have succeeded with these tactics before, to the detriment of the world, but I think the scales have fallen from enough Americans' eyes that it won't work this time. It better not. If it does, we deserve to be called stupid.
*Repuglican Spin, Slime, & Smear Machine aka The Mighty Wurlitzer.
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