And, of course, as the #1 Ronald Reagan Groupie, she brings her sweetheart, love bunny touchstone to the forefront, letting us all know that, according to her, if only we had Ronny's steady hand to guide us today, the world (well, her world) would be Shangri La.
...
I knew a woman like Pegs. All she talked about was her dead ex and how great he was. Well, she's still alone with her memories. What a waste of newspaper space.
I fundamentally disagree with Dick Cheney. Not surprisingly. You know, I think that Vice President Cheney has been at the head of a movement whose notion is somehow that we can't reconcile our core values, our constitution, our belief that we don't torture, with our national security interests. I think he's drawing the wrong lesson from history. The facts don't bear him out. I think he is... that attitude, that philosophy has done incredible damage to our image and position in the world. I mean, the fact of the matter is, after all these years, how many convictions actually came out of Guantanamo? How many... how many terrorists have actually been brought to justice under the philosophy that is being promoted by Vice President Cheney? It hasn't made us safer. What it has been is a great advertisement for anti-American sentiment, which means that there is constant effective recruitment of Arab fighters and Muslim fighters against U.S. interests all around the world. [my ems]
Of all the wise observations in Ecclesiastes about seasons -- times to be born and to die, to weep and to laugh, to love and to hate -- the wisest for this moment in history may be the one about speaking and keeping silent. It's tailor-made for U.S. Republicans in the party's far-right wing, and for their fans at home and abroad.
In short, it is now time for the rabid right to shut up.
Four months ago, they were told unequivocally that their time in power -- the eight years they used so spectacularly to transform prosperity into ashes and peace into war -- was over. Finito. Goodbye.
But they don't seem to get it.
Barely into Barack Obama's early attempts to clean up their messes, they've re-emerged into the sunshine, crowing from the roof of the roost as if they still ruled it.
...the enthusiastic reaction in Calgary to Bush's first post-presidential speaking engagement was probably not one that caused hearts across Canada to swell with pride.
Since memories are obviously short, it may be useful to review the legacy of the recent adventure in lunatic right-wing extremism.
And review it she does...
In a just world, they'd be in some dark hiding place, grateful not to be in the slammer. In a just world, they'd hang their heads in shame.
In a just world, they'd realize the time had come for them to shut their malicious mouths.
Canadians are too polite. I'd have written the next line, which she did not:
And if they did not take advantage of the opportunity to shut their malicious mouths, there are plenty of volunteers more than willing to shut their malicious mouths for them.
It's late in the evening and I'm sitting in my motel room not really watching NCIS reruns. Mrs. G and the pups are asleep and I'm a little bored. It's raining and I don't feel like going to the supermarket for a snack or anything, so I'm just sorta noodlin'...
There was some discussion in 'comments' on this post the other day about the efficacy of different types of weapons for personal defense. Here's my 2¢.
Too much firearm is worse than too little. A .22 Magnum in the right hands is deadlier than a .454 Casull in the wrong ones and a hell of a lot less dangerous to the surrounding countryside. If the noise or blast or recoil of a weapon scares you and makes you flinch or blink, buck in anticipation of the recoil (low and to the left), or jerk the trigger (high and to the right), the weapon is not right for you and is useless to you. You will likely miss the target and it may kill you.
You don't need something that will stop a charging rhino after going through two or three engine blocks to stop a burglar or other miscreant. You need something that is comfortable for you to hold and something you can practice with without discomfort. You also need training, lots of practice, and the mental fortitude to overcome a normally laudable reluctance to kill another human being. All the training and accuracy developed by shooting at paper targets goes for naught if you can't bring yourself to shoot the sonofabitch that's trying to hurt you. It's something to think about. The term 'deadly serious' is exactly what I'm talking about.
Keep in mind that we're not talking about pin-point accuracy over long distances here. For info on that, see your Marine recruiter. We're talking about stopping somebody 5-10 feet away from you from getting up close and personal enough to hurt you. 'Up close and personal' is where you have to stop him.
Q: Is a TV set or stereo worth a man's life?
A: That's a question the person must answer for himself before he breaks into my house. I have no idea what his intentions are, and will shoot first and ask questions later.
Light weight and concealability are important if you're going to carry it around, legally of course. Nothing freaks people out in the supermarket checkout line like a visible handgun, and since everybody has a cell phone these days you are liable to get to watch your groceries roll down the parking lot and get tenderized by passing traffic while you are prone and spread-eagled with a cop kneeling on your back while he checks on your carry permit.
On the flip side, if you know someone is going to try to hurt you, screw the permit. Emergency knows no law. You will at least be alive to answer the illegal carry charge.
Generally speaking, my favorites for carry are the .38 Special, which comes in many varieties and sizes and ammunition is available everywhere, and, a little more esoteric, the .32 H&R Magnum. Small in size and weight, and a little rocket ship of a round. Loud, too!
That said, my absolute personal favorite handgun caliber is the .44 Special such as the short barrelled Charter Arms Bulldog for concealed carry. Relatively low velocity, but a punch like a Louisville Slugger.
I had a Ruger Blackhawk in .44 Magnum once. It was fun to shoot .44 Specials out of, but I sold it after the first time I fired a cylinder-ful of.44 Magnum rounds. Ear-splittingly loud and it tore the web of my hand to shreds. If I ever need that much firepower, I'll call an air strike!
I haven't said anything about semi-automatic or autoloader pistols because, though I'm familiar with them, I think they're too complicated and I don't really like them. They most definitely have their place, military and law enforcement, but for casual use, I'm just an ol' fart wheelgun man. If I can't protect me and mine with 5 or 6 rounds, I probably couldn't with 9 or 14 either. Just a personal preference. If I had any interest in goin' looking for gun trouble, which I don't, I'd carry the biggest gun that held the most bullets. Shit, I'd carry three of 'em!
Which brings me to the title of this post. Let's have some fun!
The late Bill Jordan, old-time U.S. Border Patrolman, innovative pistolero, and author of No Second Place Winner about gunfighting, which I've read several times, when asked what was his favorite weapon in a shootout, answered that if he had ever known ahead of time that he was going to be in one, it would be a 12 gauge shotgun! I'm down wid dat!
On the theory that wretched excess is barely enough (thanks to Mario Batali), enjoy this video. Disclaimer: I hate Blackwater, but they do know weapons.
To all those governors who are rejecting stimulus money (but only the portion of it that could help the people who really need it); why don't you reject all the money you get from the federal tax system too, since you're so worried about federal spending and shit:
Gord touched on this a couple weeks ago. These motherfuckers' (Palin, Jindal, Sanford, Barbour) states live on the federal dole as it is. If they're gonna get all sanctimonious, they shouldn't take any of it and support their-damn-selves. Until then, they should shut the fuck up and help their people. You know, the ones who put them in office.
Several observers think Cheney may be starting to feel the heat from Democrats' efforts to investigate the Bush Administration's counterterrorism policies - policies Cheney advocated, and for which his proteges allegedly provided the legal basis. But if he was trying to deflect attention from Bush-era policies, Cheney's aggression will likely have the opposite effect. "If his goal was to tamp down talk of a truth commission, he has probably exacerbated the problem," a veteran Republican told TIME.
Keep talkin'. Dick.
Update:
Juan Cole on what The Dick 'accomplished' in Iraq:
Cheney avoids mentioning all the human suffering he has caused, on a cosmic scale, and focuses on procedural matters like elections (which he confuses with democracy-- given 2000 in this country, you can understand why). Or he lies, as when he says that Iran's influence in Iraq has been blocked. Another lie is that there was that the US was fighting "al-Qaeda" in Iraq as opposed to just Iraqis. He and Bush even claim that they made Iraqi womens' lives better.
The real question is whether anyone will have the gumption to put Cheney on trial for treason and crimes against humanity.
Perhaps The Dick will see that the end is near and do the right thing for the first time in his life: poison himself in der Dickebunker and have his minions burn his corpse in the courtyard. If he'll do that, I can live with being cheated out of revenge justice.
... The Times needs good ideas, not bad ones, on its op-ed pages. There are none to be had in the modern conservative movement, which is not the same as saying that all good ideas are liberal and progressive ones (although most are). Therefore, neither Kristol nor Douthat nor any other rightwing nut deserves regular access to the Times op-ed pages.
Why is it, when a woman gets an order of protection against a man, it's like signing her death warrant?
We had another woman on Long Island killed by a former lover yesterday. Somehow, our authorities are misunderstanding a key word in the phrase "order of protection". It's become painfully obvious the only thing the cops will do is put up yellow tape around the place where they found your body.
Ladies, if you fear for your life after dumping some abusive asshole, buy a gun. Seriously. Take out an order of protection and then buy a gun and learn how to use it, proficiently. If the motherfucker comes back, kill him and deal with the consequences later. It's not worth your life, and the lives of your kids, to wait for the cops to come when your ex shows up with murder on his mind.
Fred the Cat voices what I've wanted to blog about since we heard about the tragic, untimely death of Natasha Richardson.
...
So the reason I, Fred the Cat, am sharing this with you is just to remind you about the old saying, Make every minute count. Don’t take anything for granted. Hug your honeys.
...
Indeed. You never know when you'll meet up with the proverbial bullet-with-your-name-on-it. Live every day like it might be your last.
After today's meeting between veteran advocacy leaders and the Obama administration, the White House announced that it will be abandoning a plan to make veterans use private insurance for war-related injuries.
The 11 leaders of veterans advocacy groups left today's meeting feeling relieved that veterans' health care wasn't going to be further jeopardized. Journalists caught up with Norbert Ryan, president of Military Officers Association of America, after the meeting. Ryan told reporters, "Our voices were heard. They made the right decision on this."
To pee on Barry's sunshine, but over the past few weeks, it's becoming evident his financial folks might be in a bit over their depth. Either that, or they've been trying to protect their pals on the Street:
...
Anyway, I guess no one could have predicted that Geithner and Summers would screw the pooch, except for everybody who was horrified that Obama put Geithner and Summers in such sensitive positions. Should've left 'em out in the wilderness where they belonged. And now they're even lying about the position and lying about whose fault it is. Creeps. They should be fired immediately.
Dodd did not indict the administration in his comments today. He didn't name any names and he said that he didn't think AIG was on the radar at all at the time. He was being a good soldier, as he was when he agreed to the changes thinking he was compromising. But at some point he may have to name names since somebody in Washington is determined that he take the fall for these bonuses and the press is on the hunt to prove that the Obama administration has been lying about when they knew about it.
...
I'm sorry, but the minute AIG accepted taxpayer funding, the board and all the officers should have been out and the books laid bare. A lot of bad shit's been hidden in this big deal and the bonuses could be just the beginning.
Like any good college radio station, we do our best to play requests, but the Emmylou Harris tune you asked about, 'High Powered Love', which I posted on November 22 of last year, and which was here at YouTube by neddysea, has been 'removed by the user', probably at the 'request' of a phalanx of attorneys. Sorry.
The AIG debacle is a slap in the face to American labor, which was asked to sacrifice so automakers could survive.
What we're essentially being asked to believe is that employment contracts involving hardworking men and women on Detroit's assembly lines are somehow less legally binding -- less "sacred" in the current rhetorical argot -- than those protecting a bunch of cowboy securities traders living in Connecticut. When Larry Summers, Obama's chief economic advisor, piously tells us that the administration's hands are tied because we all must abide "by the rule of law," perhaps it's time to ask: What rule and for whom?
For years, the smart guys on Wall Street have convinced a growing number of Americans that organized labor is an impediment to economic progress, an unacceptable "cost" in a globalized system of production, a quaint social fossil from the era of mills and smokestacks. If there's a lesson to be gleaned from the current crisis, however, it's that when the chips are down, organized labor is a far more responsible social actor than the snatch-and-run characters who fancy themselves financiers.
An Obama administration proposal to bill veterans' private insurance companies for combat-related injuries has prompted veterans groups to condemn the plan as unethical, and powerful lawmakers on Capitol Hill have promised to oppose it.
The proposal -- intended to save the Department of Veterans Affairs $530 million a year -- would authorize the VA to bill private insurance companies for treatment of injuries and medical conditions related to military service, such as amputations, post-traumatic stress syndrome and other battle-related conditions. The VA already pursues so-called third-party billing for non-service-related conditions.
Veterans groups said the change would abrogate the government's responsibility to care for the war-wounded. And they expressed concern that the new policy would make employers less willing to hire veterans for fear of the cost of insuring them, and that insurance benefits for veterans' families would also be jeopardized.
Veterans groups described the plan as a puzzling political misstep by the new administration in its relations with the 25 million Americans who have served in the military. Obama heard firsthand about such objections Monday when he met with leaders of the groups at the White House.
So...is a traumatically amputated limb suffered in service to one's country a 'pre-existing condition' worthy of denying benefits? Sounds like a can o' worms to me. Among other things.
Quite simply the most ridiculous and mean-spirited cockamamie idea I have heard yet from this administration. It must not happen, and I have faith that it will not.
C'mon, you guys, this is a misstep worthy of the Repugs' "no pull trigger, no get food, make 'em pay for their own rides home and their meals in a roach-infested moldy chow hall" mentality.
The photo accompanies a story about Carpinteria (CA) High School's recent internecine strife about using Native American images for its football team, but I like the message.
Many spectators waved signs that read, “Warrior Spirit Never Dies!” The crowd cheered 76-year-old Evangelina Diaz, a Carpinteria resident of Yaqui descent, who proclaimed she was “a warrior — not a victim!”
Fuckin' A, lady!
Just as a meaningless aside, when you're in Carp check out El Taco Grande. They have an al pastor plate that is simply to die for!
