Before getting on with tonight's diary, I want to do a shameless diary plug for something I'll be posting on Saturday. I have no idea on the timing yet; it'll have to do when I decide to get my sorry bee - hind out of bed. ;D
This Saturday (May 1) will be 49 days since Theodore Olbermann's passing. Long - time F.O.O. might remember that I "performed" a virtual 49 - day ceremony for Keith's mother after she died. So, it's more - than - appropriate that I do one for his father, too. To get an idea of what's happening on Saturday, check out what I did for Marie Olbermann last year. If any of y'all on teh Twitter think Keith would be comforted by this Saturday, invite him to check it out. Again, I don't know the timing yet, but it will absolutely be at some point Saturday.
Shameless diary plug over...
On this date in 1937, German planes attacked Guernica, Spain, during the Spanish Civil War. Pablo Piccasso's painting has to be one of the most famous.
On this date in 1986, the world’s worst nuclear disaster to date occurred at Chernobyl, in Kiev. Thirty-one people died in the incident; thousands more were exposed to radioactive material.
And, in a final item to lighten the mood a little, on this date in 1977, Studio 54 opened in New York City. Now, I hear a lot of CRAZY stuff happened there, but I wonder if it was anything like THIS?!
Step behind the velvet rope, and let's Countdown!
#5 "Arizona Protests" AKA "Raising Arizona" - Protests abound in the "Show Me Your Papers" state after the signing of the "Show Me Your Papers" law the other day by Arizona’s Governor. Even the mayor of NYC is telling people to think twice about going to or doing business in Arizona! Wow, people smeared refried beans in the shape of swastikas on the windows of the state capitol; now, that’s some genius protesting there! The leading Spanish language online paper is calling for
...a boycott of all goods and services from Arizona and pledge to avoid tourism in the state as well.
Truckers from CA are going out of their way to avoid having to drive in Arizona. Wow! Phoenix is on schedule to get the baseball All – Star game in 2011 and possibly the GOP convention in 2012. Hell, if that law’s still in effect in 2012, won’t the GOP feel right at home there?!
Senator McCentury can’t decide if the law is constitutional but still supports the Governor signing it. What is it with Senator McCentury & lady Governors? Tom Tancredo thinks the Arizona law goes too far????!!!! OK, the sky has to be falling somewhere, the Cubbies are so going to win the World Series this year, and I gotta get my fallout shelter ready STAT! Former AZ Governor & current HHS Secretary Janet Napolitano also called the law "misguided." That’s, again, pretty charitable since she vetoed at least a few bills similar to this one while she was Governor. A House Dem aid indicates that Congress won’t get to immigration reform this year. Well, they just might want to reconsider that position. Senator Lindsay Graham (aka Senator McCentury’s "Mini Me") is accusing the administration of playing politics with immigration reform, so he’s going to take his climate legislation support ball & go home. Last month, said Mini Me called out the administration for not moving fast enough on immigration.
Rep. Louis Gutierrez from IL is talking Arizona boycotts tonight. Rep. Gutierrez thinks that money (or lack thereof) might just decide the legislation before any courts do. Money does talk, don’t cha’ know! Even Rep. Gutierrez felt a good deal of discomfort being in Arizona this past weekend. Hells bells, can you blame him?! I wouldn’t feel comfortable in Arizona these days! Any person with any sort of a conscious shouldn’t feel comfortable in Arizona these days. Rep. Gutierrez brought up a great point! How long is it going to be before a veteran from Iraq or Afghanistan or, hell, anywhere, goes back home to Arizona & gets stopped?
Here’s Howard Fineman to talk more politics of what’s going on in the "Show Me Your Papers" state. I kind of like that nickname! I think I may just have to keep using it while this shameful law is in effect there. The Dem "leadership" really doesn’t want to touch what’s going on. Well, of course they don’t; that would require some courage. This issue just might be more of a thorn to the GOP. Yea, they don’t exactly have a touchy – feely relationship with Hispanics or any other minority group for that matter! 48 Dem House districts voted for Senator McCentury in the POTUS election. So, some in the GOP are trying to decide whether to use immigration as some sort of a wedge issue. Oh, Howard made some wonderful points about the GOP & other of tea bagger ilk braying about intrusive government. Well, they go into people’s bedrooms with marriage laws so {insert hushed tone here} teh gays can’t get married. They go into women’s uteruses to talk abortion politics. So, why not demand papers from Joe & Jane Shmo on the street? OK, I have to disagree with Howard’s final point. I don’t think Senator Graham is trying to play both sides against the middle between "moderate" & tea bagger GOPers; I think he’s trying to do whatever he thinks is necessary to ensure that Senator McCentury wins his primary in the "Show Me Your Papers" state.
#4 "Regulating the Banksters" AKA "‘Tarantinoing’ for Wall Street" AKA "Fixing Wall Street Hits a Wall" - GOPers in the Senate think Senator Chris Dodd’s financial reform bill is so bad they don’t even want to begin to debate it. And, said GOPers in the Senate got some help from other Dems, of course. *&^%$#@!Why did Senator Reid just say no? And, Senator Ben Nelson can’t be chucked out on his sorry behind soon enough. Citizens of Nebraska, 1 of your Senators is a national embarrassment almost to Bat$hit Bachmann proportions; DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Senator Dodd is pi$$ed; well, dear, them are your peeps & have been for awhile. Them occasionally acting worse then temperamental 2 – year – olds shouldn’t be a shock to you. Mitchie McConnell thinks that merely beginning debate on this bill would signal to the American people that they weren’t being listened to anymore. O...K... Just what kind of "working out" does Mitchie want – another behind – the – door love fest with the Wall Street execs to get their marching orders? GOPers who supported the derivative language that got inserted in the bill just said no today as well. Now, where have I heard this shtick before, and what’s that definition of insanity again?! GGGGgggggRRRRrrrr... Senator Sherrod Brown’s voice is a little hoarse, poor guy. He’s on the Banking Committee with Senator Dodd. I do have to quibble with Senator Brown’s thought that the GOP is capable of feeling embarrassment about this or any other issue. I have 5 little words to illustrate that point: Vice Presidential Nominee Sarah Palin. ‘Nuf said... Senator McCentury wants Glass – Steagle back? Is Keith $hitting me?!
** Pretty damn good Twit...er...uh...Tweet of the day! Seriously, I wonder how many chicken deliveries have been made to Sue Lowden’s office! HA! The Yankees went to the White House today. Our President talked smack with them today! HELLO?! ;D A whole lot of Mexicans made a big ‘ol sausage link. Don’t take it to the "Show Me Your Papers" state; you’ll get stopped! **
#3 "Palin, Inaccuracy & Incorporated" - A former college student is on trial for hacking into St. Sarah from Wasilla’s private email account. There’s apparently a question as to whether or not this private email account was used for any state business while St. Sarah from Wasilla was still Grandma Gov. TurkeyLover. She claimed in the trial that this account, while not used for state business, was still damaging to her after the hacking. But, some emails demonstrate this account WAS used for state business – OOPS! Don’t worry, y’all; she won’t get no pesky perjury charge against her. That charge would just be for us little people if we did that in court. 3000+ emails released via FOIA contradict St. Sarah’s testimony. Once again, details...details... Someone’s ghost writing a second book for that woman?! Ugh...
David Weigel gets to wax St. Sarah from Wasilla tonight – lucky him! He also doesn’t believe that Grandma ExGov TurkeyLover perjured herself. She’s actually taken questions from actual reporters during this trial!
"Tea Time" Some Washington Times editor actually claimed "Nut cases don’t diminish cause of the tea party". All protest groups have nut cases!
WPITW – Thai Spice didn’t let a guy in with a dog because they thought the dog was gay.
A pro – Stephen Baldwin website wants to help Mr. Baldwin get out of bankruptcy. Alec must be so proud! Senator Chuck Grassley is now taking credit for health care reform passing.
#1 "Fear the Aliens" - OK, if aliens don’t like the Beatles, they are not an advanced life form – well, either that or they’re Rolling Stones fans instead! ;D Stephen Hawking doesn’t think aliens will like us if they show up here. Here’s what he had to say:
If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn’t turn out well for the native Americans.
Well, Stephen Hawking hasn’t seen E.T., then, has he!
And, he has seen Independence Day 1 too many times!!
I wonder if Derrick Pitts is afraid of teh aliens? Well, aliens don’t wanna go to the "Show Me Your Papers" state; that’s for damn sure!