Golly gee wilikers...after listening to NPR for a decent chunk of the day & doing some searches in the intertubes, Mr. Alvin Greene made quite the splash on Countdown last night - kind of like the runs in a terlet! Damn, I really don't know which possibility is worse - that Mr. Greene is some sort of GOP plant because they were feeling randy enough to spend thousands of dollars on a "Dem" candidate they knew wouldn't win = OR = that Mr. Greene hasn't been planted by ANYONE, and this guy is the best that the South Carolina Dem "establishment" could come up with.
Most of today's "this day in history" items are darn depressing; we've got depressing news by the metric ton these days! So, I'm noting just one absolutely fun faboo wonderful birthday that will hopefully bring a smile & giggles to all. Gene Wilder is 77 today; bring on the laughs!
Just so you know, Gene Wilder wasn't just funny for Mel Brooks! :D
Let's Countdown - 53 days since the explosion & sinking of the Deepwater Horizon off - shore oil facility in the Gulf of Mexico.
#5 "BP Oil Leak: Day 53" AKA "There Will BP Blood" AKA "Pump Up the Volume" AKA "Private DICK" AKA "Oiligarch" - It will take WEEKS to get necessary resources to the Gulf to store all the captured oil spilling from Deepwater Horizon. I’m going to briefly bring up a point I made the other night & follow up with a question. BP/BS has GOT TO KNOW how much oil flows through those pipelines under "ideal" conditions. I know there are variables such as depth, water pressure, etc., but why is it so sparkin’ difficult to be able to get a reasonable estimation of how much oil is leaking?! If they can’t or won’t, they deserve the tanking stock they’re getting, and they should all be sacked, and they should be the way of Arthur Andersen TOMORROW.
Rep. Ed Markey is still begging BP/BS for permission to launch a concerted official effort to determine the flow rate. Alabama fire chiefs are alleging that BP/BS is keeping away trained responders from damaged sites. Prime Minister David Cameron is telling BP/BS head honchos that it’s in everyone’s best interests that the company remains financially sound. Well, some "house cleaning" in the top ranks might just do that or at least be a start! And, don’t give ‘em any damn pensions or exit "packages," either! Speaker Pelosi is all over the dividend – in – escrow plan, but she wants some damn guarantees that BP/BS will compensate EVERYONE so grievously wronged by this negligence – to be charitable about it. The BBC reports that BP/BS might very well suspend 2nd quarter dividend payments. HAPPY FRIDAY TO ME; IT’S "MY GUY!"
President Obama is meeting with BP/BS execs on Wednesday. Can we get the families of the 11 who died in that meeting, too? It sounds like Richard doesn’t necessarily believe BP/BS will use any dividend suspensions to take care of the damage that’s been caused; I agree. GET IT IN WRITING! The replacement of the current cap has been moved to next month. Here’s a link to the Daily Beast column that Richard referred to & wrote a couple weeks ago. President Obama is heading back to the Gulf on Monday & Tuesday. DICK, unlike his spawn, has been strangely silent during these last 53 days. Uh, are people actually COMPLAINING about this fact? I miss him about as much as I miss having food poisoning. Kate Sheppard is an environmental reporter for Mother Jones magazine; she, among other things, talks about how that infamous 2001 energy meeting relates to Deepwater Horizon. And, why the spark can’t this administration DEMAND to know about that meeting, what happened in that meeting, what "suggestions" came out of that meeting, etc.?! The new commission created because of Deepwater Horizon might have subpoena power – meaning they might just be able to get their little mitts on what happened behind closed doors during those 2001 energy meetings or at least drag people forward to testify in front of hearings.
#4 "It Ain’t Easy Being Greene" AKA "Politico: Rawl Campaign Asks Experts to Review SC Sen Ballot" - At least 25 precincts report more votes for Alvin Greene than were cast ALL TOGETHER. OOPS! There are apparently some "irregularities" in absentee ballots, too. All righty, either SC uses TurdBlossom counting, or something is ROTTEN in Columbia. Rep. Jim Clyburn’s primary opponent may have either asked for "guidance" or got money from the same GOP peeps that work with Rep. Joe "You Lie!" Wilson?! South Carolina HAS an official Dem party chairperson?! Golly! Dick Harpootlian is the gentleman who used to be in charge. Who’s in charge now? THAT’S who we should be talking to. And, to go briefly off – topic, but why does it cost over $10,000 just to FILE to be a candidate in an election??!! I mean, if politicos just want rich people to run, win, and be in office, do they have to be so damn obvious about it? Do they not know the definition of "subtle"?! Has Senator DeMint commented publicly about what’s going on with Mr. Greene? I’d still like to see Rep. Jim Clyburn on the show to discuss this stuff!
** An NBC affiliate in Flint, MI got a visitor from a raccoon! I guess the little critter should count itself lucky it wasn’t featured in Roger & Me, or it would’ve gotten clubbed. A whole mess of Brits in London applied to be beer tasters. Was Tony Hayward one of them? And, does the winner have to memorize a song similar to THIS CLASSIC? ;D **
#3 "Status Update" - OK, can I handle a whole segment on GWB’s Facebook page???!!! Now, those books behind GWB CANNOT be his; they look entirely too big with entirely too many words and probably not very many pictures. And, My Pet Goat’s not back there as far as I can see! OK, I cracked. I’ll do nearly anything for this diary series, but I WILL NOT LISTEN TO GWB ON FACEBOOK! Lucky David Weigel probably has gotten an eye & ear – full of this crap in prep for this segment. Keith, please give him battle pay for that fact! Is there a waterboarding apparatus at the George W. Bush Freedom Institute? Before y’all even ask, put a visit to said institute on the list of things I WON’T DO for this diary series! ;D Keith & Dave discussed GWB’s "legacy" in education reform & NCLB. Y’all should read what Senator Kennedy had to say about that in True Compass!
WPITW – Keith has put himself on the list because he said what BillO’s helping to shill is a pyramid scheme when it’s really a get – rich – quick scheme. O...K... Chris Wallace is pimping his employer to get Helen Thomas’ seat in the White House press room. Yep, I’m going to pimp another Richard Wolffe Daily Beast column about the musical chairs being played to see who will get that; it is a HOOT! Lonesome Rhodes is back to attacking politicians’ families again.
Fridays With Thurber – Oh good grief, I better get out another dose of the ice bucket & cold shower for Keith’s attire (or lack thereof) for this segment.
All right...all right...remember "family friendly" atmosphere, OK? PLEASE?! ;D "Guessing Game" Someone may or may not have left some things behind in a hotel room.