Just in case y'all need a reminder, here's reason #1,994,647,921,245 why I'm ready to get the spark out of this state yesterday. With everything that's going on in the world today, guess what the big headline in The Indianapolis Star was today? Bob Knight was sacked from IU ten years ago today, and the Star is asking everyone if they remember where they were & what they were doing when they heard the news. *&^%$#@!
Let's get to some other "this day in history" items. If my Dad had the power to make this event a national holiday, he would be SO on that score because on Sept. 10, 1934, Roger Maris, the professional baseball player who held the record for home runs in a single season from 1961 to 1998, was born. If my Dad could've had Roger Maris' baby, he would've done it - SERIOUSLY! ;D The Roger Maris Museum is in a strip mall, and when he & my Mom were in the area in Fargo, ND, they stopped by. He spent 5 HOURS there!
Director Guy Ritchie is 42 today. If memory serves, his ex - wife is...uh...er...gee...the name escapes me. DAMMIT! The memory's one of the first things to go when you get older. ;D OH YEA! NOW, I REMEMBER!
And, in a statement that I don't think is a huge stretch, September 10, 2001 was the last day of the United States government & the world as we knew it - or at least THOUGHT we knew it because the next morning, on a bright beautiful clear Tuesday morning, 19 murderers from Saudi Arabia crashed 3 jets into the two World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon, and were on the way to Washington DC when the passengers & crew of United Flight 93 fought off the attackers & crashed the plane into a field in Pennsylvania. In such an emotionally - charged ugly atmosphere we find ourselves in today just before another 9/11 anniversary, try to not give into nor pay attention to the ugliness, the hate, etc. Be kind to someone. Be compassionate to someone. Go out & do some positive interaction in your community. In a beautiful coincidence of timing, I will be at the Indianapolis Zen Center tomorrow to teach a Foundations of Zen class; I can think of no better way to spend tomorrow afternoon than to talk about Buddhist practice, compassion, and dignity.
Let's Countdown...
#5 "Burning Question" AKA "American. Soldier. Muslim." AKA "The Politics of Hate" - Dammit Keith! You had me nearly jumping up & down hooting & hollering with your intro until you said, "...unless he does." NOT NICE! Well, even if tomorrow’s shameful plans don’t come to fruition, violence overseas over merely the prospect is already killing & injuring people & putting lives at risk. I listened to President Obama’s presser today; he done all right! I really didn’t want anyone to ask about "he who shall not be named," but I guess that would’ve been too much to hope for.
The prevailing memo coming from Gainesville, FL is that no Korans will be burnt tomorrow evening if there is a meeting in New York City concerning the Park 51 center. Ya’ know, it doesn’t really matter at this point if the Korans are burned or not; the damage is done. Anger, bitterness, and mistrust is rampant, "he who shall not be named" got lots of good publicity that’ll probably increase the size of his congregation & fill the offering plates, and the "usual suspects" got to make political hay out of all of it.
An AQ website called on American Muslims to go down to Gainesville & go a little "eye for an eye" on the "honorable" reverend. Capt. Shahriar Chowdhury is a veteran of the Iraq war, is a Muslim American, and is DAMN CUTE! Hubba – Hubba! OK...shallow comment done – maybe! ;D His family has a long history in the military & in law enforcement – including on September 11, 2001. Thankfully, Capt. Chowdhury thinks most Americans don’t think we are at war with the Islamic faith. Can he make a trip down to Gainesville to have a little chat with "he who shall not be named"? TWO DREAMBOATS IN ONE SEGMENT???!!! Be still my heart! And, I’ve talked to the second dream boat via email {insert image of me giggling like a little girl here}! It’s Richard Wolffe!
Yea, President Obama’s tightrope concerning issues like what’s been going on lately has gotten even tighter, and "my guy" reminded us yet again of a fact that should have "normal" people’s heads imploding. Some people are claiming that President Obama is some sort of hidden secret Muslim; these same people questioned then – candidate Obama’s relationship & association with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his CLEARLY NOT MUSLIM pastor! Which one is it, ya’ nimrods?! Ya’ can’t have it both ways! The GOBP is having their own oogyness concerning the political atmosphere. Keith asked a question about the potential about someone being killed or hurt as the direct result of the growing Islamophobia in this country. Keith, your memory can’t be that bad; someone’s already been hurt. Remember that New York City cab driver? I can’t even think about a copycat potential right now.
#4 "The Whistleblower" AKA "Choice Words" AKA "Decision 2010" - Senator George Voinovich has decided to sign onto the tax breaks for small businesses long proposed by President Obama. I’m not sure I’d necessarily call Senator Voinovich a whistleblower, but at least he EVENTUALLY left the dark side. Plenty of GOBPers before now have clearly stated their intent to block any & every idea or policy coming from this White House. People in this country had barely begun to come down from the high of President Obama’s inauguration when Boss Limbaugh said he hoped President Obama would fail. Here’s what the Senator told the Washington Post about GOBP shenanigans:
We don’t have time for messaging. We don’t have time anymore. This country is really hurting.
Senator Alexander & Governor Barbour are still trying that TurdBlossom math to justify letting tax cuts for the richest among us be permanent. The American people are with the President on this score to the tune of 59% to 37% on ending tax cuts for the most wealthy. Alex Wagner is back, and she’s talking Oreos – HA! ;D But, she mentioned my favorite Senator in the respect that he thinks those tax cuts for the most wealthy should stay in place. Well, of course he does; thanks to the Little Mrs.’ WellPoint stock, they are among the most wealthy Americans now! Can Ms. Wagner go back to talking Oreos again – preferably the Double Stuffed ones?
** AAaaaaWWWwww! Look at the little monkey riding the little piggy – TOO CUTE! The Apple Daily people are having some fun with Pirate Rupert. So, is Pirate Rupert a Jet for life? ;D **
#3 "DADT" - A judge in CA has ruled in a lawsuit brought on by Log Cabin GOBPers that DADT is unconstitutional! OK, we can cheer for a little bit but don’t expect the jollies to last terribly long. Keith mentioned the current ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee is already guaranteeing to stall legislation that would send DADT the way of Crystal Pepsi. Isn’t Senator McCentury the ranking minority member of that committee? From yesterday’s ruling,
Among those discharged were many with critically needed skills. According to the Government’s own data, many of those discharged pursuant to the Act had education, training, or specialization in so – called ‘critical skills,’ including Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, or Korean language fluency; military intelligence; counterterrorism; weapons development; and medicine.
This decision won’t affect policy immediately; the DOJ can appeal – and probably will. HA! I was correct; Senator McCentury IS that ranking minority member.
What is he so afraid of? Nevermind...don’t answer that. Here’s Lt. Dan Choi! He’s a happy guy! He called the DOJ "stupid" for the possibility of them appealing the ruling, but, honey, they will; I KNOW they will. This administration, sadly since nearly the beginning, has been trying to play both sides of the fence on this issue. By trying to please everyone, they’ve ended up pleasing no one. President Obama on the first day of his administration could’ve issued an executive order stopping military discharge on the basis of DADT pending review of the policy; Congress wouldn’t have had to act or anything! Lt. Choi had some nice choice words for Senator McCentury, too, AND Dems quaking in their boots over the possibility of DADT being overturned!
{Fridays with Thurber is on the intertubes on Countdown’s website! I hope this change isn’t going to be a permanent thing.}
#2 "Deadly Blast" - San Bruno, CA, the site of that horrible gas explosion, is a mere couple miles away from where Hubby & I stayed the last time we were in San Francisco; it’s near South San Francisco & just north of the airport. Look at those pictures! A 60 – year – old gas pipe exploded; residents in the area had complained of a gas smell for the past few weeks.
WPITW – Christine O’Donnell has sex on the brain – A LOT – especially concerning Senator Mike Castle. Ya’ know, back in the day, if a woman had used this kind of language talking about a man, she would’ve gotten the FemiNazi tag lobbed at her from Boss Limbaugh! The NRA & $t. $arah from Wasilla have endorsed her. A gentleman in FL stole some old valuable coins after spilling them. He then tried to sell said coin from the place where he’d just stolen it from. BRILLIANT! OK, I know we have some FL peeps in the F.O.O. ranks. What the spark is going on down there?! The principal of a TX high school suspended a student for having blood – shot eyes because he’d smoked pot – except he hadn’t been smoking pot. His father had been stabbed the day before, and he’d been crying. The suspension will stay on the student’s record – CLASSY!
#1 " ‘Not Apologizing’" AKA "Steeped in Madness" - Keith...Keith...Keith...you demoted Fridays with Thurber to the intertubes to make room for this YUTZ?! BOO! WRONG! {insert annoying buzzer here} Phil Davison wants to be treasurer for Starke County, OH. Oh, you included Ms. Obtuse Angle in the segment demoting Mr. Thurber, too – another YUTZ! Keith, we know these "people" have bats in their belfry! She’s ditched out on a previous promise to debate with Senator Harry Reid. Mr. Davison lost. OK...bailing out on this segment; I feel brain cells dying.
Keith, I am damn damn damn damn DAMN disappointed in you with this last segment. The night before the anniversary of the most devastating attack on our country’s soil – an attack in which you lost friends & over 3000 families & friends lost someone dear to them – a few words about the occasion would’ve been welcome & appropriate – especially in the suspension of the live Fridays with Thurber, which has become a very dear & popular segment. In light of the horrible sad & angry atmosphere of these days, Fridays with Thurber would’ve even been a welcome rest from all that even without words about the significance of tomorrow. However, you did neither & chose to devote an entire segment to more ignorance & lunacy of those who have sought to make political hay out of what happened that horrible day. Ironically enough, in just last night’s diary, we had some discussion about "if it bleeds, it leads." This last segment succumbed to that memo. OK, I’ve said my peace; flame me if you will.