Cheers and Jeers: Monday

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Monday December 15, 2008 · 5:59 AM PST

2008/12/15 · 05:59

From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE...

Kossack noweasels went to college in Vermont in the 1970s and then became a journalist. She went to law school in Virginia in the 1980s and has been a lawyer ever since. She says that "The best days practicing law have been those when, in any small or large way imaginable, I have been able to do something---anything---to achieve justice. Sadly, those days have been few and far between; but each one has been sweet and heartening." Today noweasels faces tough, un-weaseloutable questioning in our latest edition of Yes, We're All Staring At YOU!

Cheers and Jeers: How long have you been blogging and what brought you to Daily Kos?
Noweasels: I started reading blogs in 2002 or 2003. I found a lot of what I was reading interesting, but I was disappointed in the "comments"---people seemed to be talking at each other. Sometime around then, I started reading Daily Kos. I was amazed at the quality of the writing and the expertise the writers seemed to possess. But what I liked the most were the conversations that the commenters were having. I registered. Then I got caught up in a bunch of big messes at work, and didn't read for a while. By the time I got involved again, I had forgotten what name I had used to register. I started reading Raising Kaine in 2005 while supporting Tim Kaine for Governor, and did a little bit of blogging there during the Draft Jim Webb days. From there, I came back to Daily Kos, where I registered again and wrote some truly terrible diaries. A few months later, I read beautiful and heartbreaking diaries by TXSharon and va dare. We started emailing. va dare talked me into taking a shift at Top Comments. With her help, and that of Carnacki, beninSC and gloriana, I got some confidence, learned how to write and edit coherent diaries, learned how to post pictures (and, from Turkana, how to embed videos) and developed some true cyber and real-life friends, including Elise, teacherken, OPOL, and my cousin, cskendrick. I've barely missed a day since then.

Where were you when the networks called the race for Barack Obama and how did you react?
I was on the George Washington Parkway, just north of Old Town, Alexandria, trying to get home in time for the acceptance speech, and I heard the call on NPR. I started dancing around. My passenger, Kossack dogkeeper, said---paraphrasing---"For heaven's sake, get your hands back on the wheel, I don't want to get killed before he speaks!"

You are one of the people who work diligently on the "I Got the News Today"---aka IGTNT---diaries that memorialize our fallen soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. That's got to be tough to do on such a regular basis. What motivated you to start helping with them?
I think the most important part of this question is that I am just one of the people who work diligently on IGTNT. This series was started in 2004 by Kossack 'i dunno,' and it was carried on, without much help, for a long time, by Sandy on Signal and monkeybiz, both of whom still write marvelous diaries. There are a bunch of diarists who have joined up since then---blue jersey mom, greenies, Chacounne, twilight falling, SpamNunn, joyful, a girl in MI, SisTwo, JeNoCo, moneysmith, MsWings, mediaprof, and roses.

There are so many things that angered me about these wars; perhaps what angered me the most were the attempts by Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld to sanitize them, to pretend that real people weren't being maimed and killed. I was livid that the flag-draped coffins were hidden from public view and furious that no one seemed to be paying attention to the real sacrifices made by our soldiers, sailors, Marines, Airmen and National Guard---and their families. I am the daughter and granddaughter of military men; my ancestors have served in every war since the Revolutionary War. I believe that the least we owe those who serve and die, and their families, is a public remembrance. I was---and am---so grateful to have a place here at Daily Kos where we can honor the sacrifices of these men and women by telling their stories.

Are there ever responses from friends or family to the IGTNT diaries?
Yes. I and the other diarists have received heartbreaking emails from family members and friends of those who have been profiled---including, in one case, a lovely email from a fellow Kossack whose cousin had been killed. The one that has stuck with me was a beautiful email and photo I received from the sister of Sgt. Phillip R. Anderson, which I wrote about.

What kind of music makes you feel invincible to the GOP horde?
I still love the music I loved during high school: The Byrds; Buffalo Springfield; The Youngbloods; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; Bob Dylan; Joan Baez; the Beatles; John Lennon and George Harrison. I was at the Concert for Bangladesh and would have been at Woodstock had my parents not sent me to a convent/summer camp in Maine to keep me from going. This music still makes me feel optimistic and energized to work to get good things done.

What excites you most about the Obama presidency...and what concerns you most about it?
As has been pointed out to me on numerous occasions by wise people on this site, I am often hopelessly naïve. Right now, I remain excited about all of the Obama Presidency; about having a brilliant and talented and trustworthy young man with solid principles and awesome political skills leading our country. It will be a bit strange being older than the President of the United States, but right now, I'm waiting to see what happens and staying hopeful. I am particularly hopeful about the appointments he'll be making to the Supreme Court.

What's the one book every Kossack must read?
I was an English major---with a minor in Medieval history, because I'm practical---so this is a tough one. I'll say Catch-22 and Bleak House, anything by David Halberstam or Molly Ivins (who I was lucky enough to know), Common Ground by J. Anthony Lukas, The Long Grey Line by Rick Atkinson, and Gideon's Trumpet by Anthony Lewis. And if you haven't read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, please do. It's brilliant.

If you had $700 billion to rescue America's economy, how would you allocate it?
The first thing that comes to mind is going to a single-payer system, which would put so much money back in the hands of Americans---and American companies---and would help solve the health-care crisis our own nyceve writes about so eloquently and so often. Hiring out-of-work people to rebuild New Orleans and to retrofit our crumbling infrastructure; hiring out-of-work people to rebuild our schools; providing a bunch of money to increase the pay of good teachers and those who want to be; funding entrepreneurs who have good ideas for new sources of energy; expanding unemployment benefits and providing tax breaks to struggling companies who treat their employees well. And, of course, I'm in favor of greatly increased benefits and assistance for our veterans. Companies receiving money should have to sign detailed agreements about what is to be done with it, and when---and they should be held to those agreements.

Finish this sentence: In the kitchen I make a mean...
Daube provencale. I love to cook. My dream job (if I can't be a ballerina, which seems unlikely at this point) would be "celebrity chef with cool restaurant," where all Kossacks would get the best tables, and author of best-selling cookbooks, with good back stories, a la M.F.K. Fisher and Julia Child. I do an awesome pot roast, fantastic roast chicken and turkey, wonderful turkey meatloaf and pea soup, yummy turkey and vegetarian chili, mouthwatering multi-grain bread, and, for dessert, chocolate chip cookies, soufflés and carrot cake. Unfortunately, unlike Kula2316, I do not train for marathons; I just eat.

No waffling here: dogs or cats?
Unanswerable. I joined Madison the German shepherd in great love for Jane the Cat (and, before Jane, Sam the Scaredy Cat). There simply aren't animals I don't love, with the possible exception of snakes, of which I am terrified.

I have one question left, but my butler, Armando, is standing under the mistletoe again. Please ask and answer the final question yourself...
Hahahaha . . . You let me have the last question and I'm asking two. (I didn't go to law school for nothing, if you get my drift.) First: Is it true that you sat at the judge's table at the 1983 World Artistic Rollerskating Championships in Fort Worth, Texas? Yes, and you have not lived until you have heard the Indian National Anthem played on a rink organ. Second: Do you actually talk the way you write? Sadly, yes. Jeepers.

Cheers and Jeers starts in There's Moreville... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]

Cheers and Jeers for Monday, December 15, 2008

Note: Our regular note is on vacation. It is being replaced with a note from a temp agency.

Temp Note: Come back in 15 minutes. I'm on my break.

By the Numbers:
Days 'til inauguration day: 36
Days `til Boxing Day: 11
Percent of Americans who hold a favorable view of unions: 59%
(Source: Gallup via The Week)
Number of "shovel-ready" projects in Maine awaiting federal stimulus money: 45
Estimated number of jobs the projects would create: 7,000
(Source: Portland Press Herald)
Number of Atlantic hurricanes expected next year: 7 (3 major)
(Source: Colorado State University forecasters)
Barack Obama's shoe size: 13½

New England 49 Oakland 26

Monday Brain Dropping by George Carlin:

When you're young, you don't know, but you don't know you don't know, so you take some chances. In your twenties and thirties you don't know, and you know you don’t know, and that tends to freeze you; less risk taking. In your forties, you know, but you don't know you know; so you may still be a little tentative. But then, as you pass fifty, if you've been paying attention, you know, and you know you know. Time for some fun.

Puppy Pic of the Day: Breakfast, interrupted

CHEERS to making it official. Get out your hankies, kids. You may need 'em today because by the time the sun goes down, the electors will have gathered in their secret electoral lairs and cast their votes for Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States:

Electors have just two chores: to cast their ballots and to sign six "Certificates of Vote" used to report the results. Governors and secretaries of state will handle the rest of the proceedings. ... That leaves two more steps in the election cycle. Mr. Cheney will open the certificates before a joint session of Congress at 1 p.m. on Jan. 6, and Mr. Obama will be sworn in at noon on Jan. 20. And then it will be over.

And then, starting January 21, be sure to catch CNN/MSNBC/Fox News's ongoing coverage of Campaign 2012: Race for the White House! Go Thompson!

CHEERS to the best parting shot ever. President Bush couldn’t leave well enough alone---he just had to swoop into Baghdad one more time to prove that the country is still so unstable that he can only arrive under super-secret cover. Well, this time he got a surprise. An Iraqi reporter delivered a message on behalf of the planet's collective human, animal and flora populations. As he threw his shoes at Commander Codpiece, he shouted: "This is a farewell kiss, you dog!" But what was really telling was this: the Secret Service agents, who normally are trained to take a bullet for the president, weren't even willing to take a shoe for this one. Back to your bubble, boy!

JEERS to regulation run amok. Over the weekend we got a Hallmark Christmas card in the mail featuring a free-floating, cut-out paper star that's attached inside with a thin piece of wire and some tape. That's enough, apparently, to make some federal law kick in that requires a disclaimer on the back of the card that says: "WARNING: May contain small parts. Keep away from small children." Either that or the fact that when you open it an anvil falls out.

CHEERS to freedom's Kevlar vest. On December 15, 1791, the Bill of Rights went into effect. To mark the occasion, today President Bush promised that, once he leaves office, he'll take five minutes to sit down and read it. Y’know...just to see what all the hubbub's about.

CH'CHING! to entrepreneurship 101. College students in the D.C. area are renting out their dorm rooms to people coming to town to attend Barack Obama's inauguration. They're charging $500 (bottom bunk) to $1,800 (top bunk) per night. Or it's free if you agree to take care of their dirty laundry. Fair warning: you'll need a U-Haul to get it to the laundromat.

CHEERS to the last stinky person standing. Not that we Mainers like to brag or anything, but...Bob Crowley from South Portland just won a million bucks on Survivor:

With his patience, stamina and cleverness, the bowtie-wearing 57-year-old teacher beat out 17 other folks from around the country. ... He proved he could survive in the wilds of Africa, foraging for food, and that he could play the head games so crucial to "Survivor." ... Host Jeff Probst called Crowley "one of the most likable winners" the show has ever had. He is also the oldest winner the show has had.

He cruised to victory after passing the ultimate test: unlocking the front door of a Wal-Mart on double coupon day and living to tell about it.

CHEERS to happy gays. On December 15, 1973, the American Psychiatric Association declared that homosexuality is not a mental illness. But to this day they still declare that being a Log Cabin Republican is "puzzling."

JEERS to the dick of the day. USA Today has a noxious biweekly lovefest called "Common Ground," in which damaged right-wing Christian bloviator Cal Thomas essentially bullies "liberal Democrat" Bob Beckel into buying the myth that we're a center-right nation. See of you can figure out which one of 'em said this:

It is politics, which at its most practical is about seeking consensus and common ground. That means a president will, at times, disagree with his base, which is akin to jilting a lover. The scorn is deep and unforgiving. Perfect example: the reaction of the left's Net roots folks---Daily Kos, MoveOn.org and the like---to Obama's Cabinet choices. You don't have to look very hard to find indignant bile. But Obama isn't in awe, or fearful, of these folks because he has built his own Net roots machine. These left-wing blatherers don't own him.

If you said the liberal Democrat, you win a rum ball! And if you also guessed that the liberal Democrat is a senior political analyst at Fox News, you win two rum balls! Which is two more balls than Bob Beckel has.

CHEERS to Rage Against the Machine raging against the machine. One of the many ways our federal torture agents torture detainees is to blare loud music at them, which pretty much drives them insane. But some of the musicians who make that music are pissed about it, and want 'em to stop:

[Tom] Morello, of Rage Against the Machine, has been especially forceful in denouncing the practice. During a recent concert in San Francisco, he proposed taking revenge on President George W. Bush. "I suggest that they level Guantanamo Bay, but they keep one small cell and they put Bush in there...and they blast some Rage Against the Machine," he said to whoops and cheers.

Oh, I'd be much more vicious than that. Guard, cue up Chocolate Rain and loop it!

Two years ago in C&J: December 15, 2006

JEERS to the butcher of 10 Downing Street. The reality-based community in Britain dropped a steaming turd on Tony Blair today:

The Government's case for going to war in Iraq has been torn apart by the publication of previously suppressed evidence that Tony Blair lied over Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction. A devastating attack on Mr. Blair's justification for military action by Carne Ross, Britain's key negotiator at the UN, has been kept under wraps until now because he was threatened with being charged with breaching the Official Secrets Act. [...]

His hitherto secret evidence threatens to reopen the row over the legality of the conflict, under which Mr. Blair has sought to draw a line as the internecine bloodshed in Iraq has worsened.

"Hello, Tower of London? I’d like to reserve a cell for one, please. Yes, the Wanker Turret would be perfect."

CHEERS to immune systems of steel. Senator Tim Johnson's condition is improving as he recovers from Wednesday's cerebral hemorrhage. But, to be perfectly honest, the one-armed pushups are a little show-offy.

And just one more...

CHEERS to Milk. In 1978 I was in 9th grade and quickly realizing that it was socially acceptable to declare open season on gay people---i.e. people like me. I lived in Germany then---attending an American school---and had no idea of the upheaval being caused half a world away in San Francisco, where Harvey Milk became the first openly-gay elected official in the country and was assassinated shortly thereafter. I wouldn’t come out for another fourteen years, and it would be another half a dozen before I understood the impact Milk had on the gay rights movement. So what a thrill---and relief---to be able to rate director Gus Van Sant's amazing movie five-tiaras-out-of-five. Milk captures the exuberance of the gay community just before AIDS began decimating it; shows the power of grassroots and shoe leather-based organizing; and pays tribute to a man dedicated to busting down closet doors and demanding a seat at the political table when it was dangerous to do so. Sean Penn channels Harvey, and the Academy would be wise to recognize his jaw-dropping performance. Milk is a movie that makes you proud to be a progressive (gay or otherwise), and it'll frequently move you to tears. Other than that, I have no opinion on it one way or the other.

Oh, and because you've been such a sweet audience, here's bonus puppy pic, courtesy of Joe Biden. Aww. Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today?

Today's Shameless C&J Testimonial:

He's a huge, strangely dressed man who sneaks into people's homes at night, then yells, "Cheers! Jeers! Cheers! Jeers!" at the top of his lungs. Who wouldn't be afraid of Bill in Portland Maine?
---CNN

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