Note the correct year, y'all! That's one thing that's gone right for me today! I've not had a great start to the new year, but instead of going into all the gory details, let's focus on the positive...well, maybe just the OK... No...I'll call it positive. ;D
2009 was a year of dizzying highs, horrible lows, and everything in between for so many people on so many levels; 2010 will be more of the same & then some, I'm sure. I can think of no other group I'd like to experience these highs, lows, and everything in between other than YOU! It's sure to be a bumpy ride.
And, in a brief look ahead to the not - too - distant future, April Fool's Day (a damn appropriate date!) will be this diary series' 2nd birthday. It's been a long time since I've been around 2 - year - olds. Will this diary be potty - trained yet, or can I throw tantrums AND...well...you know? I'd love to have a new logo for a new diary year, but y'all with the graphic skills have some time to work your magic. So, just keep this in back of your mind. ;)
Let's note a couple of "this day in history" items. On this date in 1995, the 104th Congress convened, the first entirely under Republican control since the Eisenhower era; Newt Gingrich was elected speaker of the House. And, if Dems aren't careful, we won't have QUITE a 1994 come Election Day, but it sure as $hit won't be purty! On this date in 2008, the government reported that the nation's jobless rate hit 5 percent in December 2007, a two-year high, fanning recession fears. 5%...wow... we'd be dancing in our short shorts for a 5% rate these days!
Finally, happy 50th birthday to Michael Stipe, lead singer of the group R.E.M.! 50...ugh...OK, I feel old now. My favorite R.E.M. song is too sad for me after today, so let's listen to this!
Let's Countdown!
#5 "The Politics of Terror" AKA "Fighting Fear" AKA "Scaredy – GOP" - Ah, how ‘bout that first segment title? Kind of brings back the good ‘ol days, yes?! *&^%$#@! And, how damn odd is it that Senator Jim "Waterloo" DeMint is bringing back the "Dems won’t keep us safe" memo when HE’S THE ONE holding up the nomination for one of the positions trying to keep this country safe? Boss Limbaugh ain’t the only one who needs his head extracted from his hind quarters.
A lot of airports still aren’t implementing increased security measures in light of the Christmas Day incident in Detroit. HHS Secretary Janet Napolitano wants every country & every airport to get on board. Yea, good luck with that, honey. President Obama is back from Hawaii. Couldn’t he have brought some of that Hawaiian weather with him {check local listings from frigidity in your area}?! There’s a big meeting in the works about the attempted attack & other security issues at the White House tomorrow; I hope we don’t get any gate – crashers. OK, now I know why SC GOP Senator Jim "Waterloo" DeMint is REALLY holding back the nomination of the TSA head; refer back to the photo of the nominee. Even former GWB administration people are telling DICK to stick his comments about the use of the word "terror" where the sun don’t shine; $hit, I hope they don’t get any hunting trip invites! And, how ‘bout that John Brennan dude?! Damn {insert standing "o" for him here}!
GWB’S last CIA guy took some blame over the weekend? What the spark?! {insert giggling like a little girl & clapping here!} RICHARD WOLFFE! Honey, after the day I had today, you are a sight for sore eyes. Richard claims the White House sees what happened on Christmas Day as lapses in intelligence information rather than less – than – stellar airport security efforts. Oh, I don’t know about that. Granted, I don’t travel by plane nearly as much as a lot of other folks do, so I may be talking out of my hind quarters about this. But, it seems to me that I’ve been reading & seeing in the news a whole lot over the past couple of years about various government agencies able to smuggle potentially threatening material aboard airplanes. All this "no liquids" & taking your shoes off hasn’t done diddly poo except to give us the APPEARANCE of safety. If we want REAL airline safety, do what Israel does; and, the chances of the people of this nation going along with Israeli airport security measures are about the same as me friending St. Sarah from Wasilla on my Facebook page. There’s apparently still a whole lot of inter – agency rivalry going on even in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. This Nigerian guy’s father went to the CIA in an American embassy in another country to express concerns about the stability of his son. The CIA in that embassy didn’t bother to share that information. Richard said it himself; there are no absolute fail – safe methods. If someone wants to bring something on a plane to blow it up, someone will find a way to bring something on a plane to blow it up.
And, once again, Richard explained yet another consequence of the previous administration’s Iraq obsession. Airports in places where AQ (the people who ACTUALLY ATTACKED US ON 9/11) were re – grouping had Swiss cheese security, and said security (or lack thereof) was completely ignored. OK, I’m sorry, but what makes Arianna Huffington qualified to talk national security? At least Richard Wolffe has some White House creds & good sources in the current administration. And, she has... ??? Keith seemed a bit flustered by Richard’s last comment concerning whether security people would be capable of withholding information just to see how "the opposition" reacts. Dear Keith, that doesn’t surprise me a bit – especially when some of the people withholding or lying about that kind of information stand to make a great deal of money when events literally & metaphorically blow up around the world. OK, we have a new feature; it’s "special comment quickies" – for lack of a better word! Well, after said quickie, will we still be respected in the morning? HA! OK, serious up, now.
*"Special Comment Quickie"* Keith’s words here remind me of his great pre – July 4th "special comment" asking GWB to resign & the connection with how John Wayne reacted when his POTUS candidate of choice, Dick Nixon, lost. John Wayne wanted JFK to do well because JFK was the President of the United States; that meant JFK was John Wayne’s President, too. So, he supported him – unlike DICK. And when you think about what DICK’s reaction would’ve been to VP Al Gore if he’d made any comments vaguely resembling DICK’s since the Obama administration began, it just makes the head spin Linda Blair – Exorcist – pea soup style. Keith had some pretty good stingers about some "media," too!
#4 "Flight 253" - I didn’t know this guy had gone into the airport bathroom before trying to detonate the explosive in his underoos! Yea, why not do it in there where you know you’re by yourself & won’t be stopped? Maybe, he & Richard Reid WANTED to be stopped in some warped kind of way because they knew they’d be known around the world & achieve hero status to others like them. Maybe, they felt in some sparked up way they would take out more people sitting with the passengers instead of in the bathroom? Who knows. We get Evan Kohlman to shed some light on this mindset; I’m glad I don’t have to make a living doing something like Mr. Kohlman! He thinks this Nigerian guy may have indeed have had second thoughts. And, Mr. Kohlman kind of sort of echoed my thoughts. AQ could give a tinker’s damn if the bomb actually goes off like it was supposed to. Look at all the publicity they & this guy are getting. "My guy" is sure getting a lot of attention tonight! Mr. Kohlman doesn’t think it’s "in anyone" who’s a part of our government to deliberately put lives at risk. Read what I said above in response. If someone somewhere did indeed drop the ball, Mr. Kohlman thinks people should be fired. Don’t hold your breath on that score.
** A guy driving a pick – up truck in TN tried to steal a Coke machine. Well, I can understand being desperate for a Diet Coke but damn! Dubai blew up lots of fire crackers to celebrate their big ‘ol building. Keith, Keith, Keith, Keith, KEITH! It’s not the damn "Willis Tower," dear; it has been & always will be THE SEARS TOWER! I don’t care what’s on the damn sign! I’m set in my ways on this issue. Marriage equality? Hell yes! "Willis" Tower?! SPARK NO! **
#3 "Rush to Stupidity" AKA "Hawaiian Punchline" AKA "Unstable Condition" - Boss Limbaugh heaped all kinds of praise on Hawaii’s highly – unionized way – progressive health care system & claimed there was not a damn thing wrong with the state of health care in America. Hell no, there’s not – if you have money.
And, I got on the 2010 naughty list right quick because my absolute first reaction to the news of Boss Limbaugh’s potential heart attack was, "He has a heart?!" Yep, I’m bad. Dems are going to skip the "traditional" conference committee process in order to get HCR passed. Uh, how exactly will THAT happen? The House will apparently "amend" the Senate bill then send it back to the Senate. And, they think the Senate will pass whatever is amended why?! Apparently, this effort is being tried to prevent further GOP procedural obstructionism in the conference process. But, I ask again, who in the name of Hades thinks THIS Senate will pass any bill that might be amended by the House??!! Someone ‘splain this decision to me like I’m 4 years old, OK? Happy New Year to Ezra Klein! He called Boss Limbaugh’s comments "selfish" and "wrong." LOVE IT! Mr. Klein doesn’t appear to be thrilled that the conference committee is going to apparently be scuttled, either. This decision apparently isn’t sitting well with "progressives" in the House. I really can’t believe "Speaker" Pelosi gave up the conference committee process. SERIOUSLY?! Someone better explain why this decision shouldn’t pi$$ me off.
*** "My guy" got breaking news creds! Honestly, I’m not being snarky in this question. Why would anyone be surprised that someone somewhere might deliberately withhold information to see how "opposition" might react? Am I that damn cynical & jaded in believing that a whole lot of people in government care more about their pocketbooks then they do about "we, the people"? ***
WPITW – The Rasmussen pollster guy insists he’s no partisan hack. Gretchen Carlson is still talking ACORN on FAUX & Friends. Brent Bozell brilliantly stuck his foot in his mouth to Ed Schultz!
#1 "Huminology" - Brit Hume doesn’t think Buddhism offers redemption & forgiveness like Christianity does. And, we get a Buddhism "primer" from Don Imus. Um... should I get an oogy feeling in my stomach on THAT score or not? ;D Happy Damn New Year to Dan Savage! And, he of course made a great comment about "moderate Christians" decrying what’s said in their name by the likes of Brit Hume, Pat Robertson, Fred Phelps, et al in the fashion of where "moderate Muslims" are whenever "radical Muslims" try to kill people.
And, Keith’s been reading my mind & maybe – just maybe – my posts! Y’all don’t hear a whole lot about Buddhist fundamentalism because one of the main ideas IN BUDDHISM is balance, moderation, the middle path, not going to extremes in either direction, etc. For further Buddhist education, come sit at the 1 – day retreat I lead at the Zen Center in which I practice the day before the Super Bowl – HA! Brit Hume’s on his second marriage???!!! LOVE IT!!!! And, Keith nailed his last thoughts about any possible Brit "conversions" from Buddhism to Christianity. If anything, the opposite usually occurs, but that’s not even entirely correct, either. Most Buddhist traditions, including the tradition in which I practice, do not discourage people from continuing other faith traditions in concert with Buddhist practice. If you want to remain a practicing Catholic & sit & study with a Buddhist group, the Buddhists will not tell you to stop being Catholic. I think I teach a "Foundations of Zen" class in the near future, too!
The Rec List???!! Man, y'all have no idea how much I needed this today - thank you!