Mucho appreciado to FOKR Kevin Holsinger for adding a seasonal touch to the "normal" diary logo. :D Here are more appetizers!
Let's get historical for previous November 23rds, and the cupboard's pretty bare on this subject. On this date in 1954, the Dow Jones industrial average finally surpassed it's pre-crash high - 25 years after Black Tuesday - when it closed at 382.74. Boris Karloff was born on this date in 1887. He's most known, of course, for being the "monster" in the Frankenstein movies, but he narrated the television version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! :D My favorite Marx brother, Harpo, was born on this date in 1888. This clip from A Night at the Opera is just about near the top of the list as my favorite.
Now, we have to say grace again - my diary...my "grace"... ;D
On with The Rachel Maddow Show!
For those of you who like your stuffing IN your bird...
To thank Melissa Harris Perry for pinch - hitting for Rachel tonight & with the knowledge that life is uncertain, here's dessert first!
"Everything Old is Neocon Again" - Ugh...more of last night's MENSA meeting? OK...if we must. Participants were asked about what sort of national security issues they would've liked to have been asked about; their answers make me think they were under the influence of triptofan already! TRMS peeps would've liked to have heard about Europe's debt crisis, Yemen, or the 100 combat troops now in Africa to fight "the Lord's Army" or whoever the spark those lovely folk are. They're afraid Muslims will invade Mexico? O...K... They liked to talk bomb...bomb...bomb...bomb bombing Iran, too. Well, just for that, they get a helping of wallpaper paste..er..uh...mashed potatos - which I despise.
Paul Wolfowitz got to ask a question last night? PAUL SPARKIN' WOLFOWITZ?! Holy Mary Mother of Gawd {insert retching noise here}... DAVID SPARKIN' ADDINGTON, TOO??!! Did CNN decide last night was war criminal night???!!! *&^%$#@! Should I have heard of Fred Kagan? I don't remember him. Any remaining journalist creds that CNN might have had before last night are L...O...N...G gone. Steve Clemons gets to follow up THAT motley crew. He deserves more pie! :)
Mr. Clemons made a great point - no Senator Lugar, no Senator Hagel, etc. No room for smart in this current GOBP! He also would've liked to have heard about drought in Africa in addition to the other issues Melissa brought up.
"Achtung Baby" - A Mercedes Benz executive went to Alabama. I hope he/she doesn't look Mexican because he/she might be arrested! That company almost didn't locate there because of that lovely Confederate flag display. Yea, if anyone knows about violent racial history, it's the Germans. 41,000 jobs were brought to the state. The exec WAS arrested because he didn't have his passport on him?! WOW! You don't even have to look Mexican?! $HIT! There's even more fear & suspicion in AL now since that horrible immigration law came to pass; said law is subject to 3 DOJ investigations. GOBP in AL that supported the bill are falling all over themselves to say the arrest was all just a silly misunderstanding.
Does anyone like sweet potatoes?
"Brave Newt World" - Newt being nice to "brown people" might - just might - cost him the GOBP nomination that I never thought he'd get anyway. I like the New Yorker cover! :D Newt tried to show off his family values bone fides in the immigration debate; insert family values joke here! ;D Even GWB suggested a form of amnesty for illegal immigrants currently in this country. OK, any time microchips get inserted into the conversation, I get nervous. Rinku Sen is in studio to discuss immigration & families in this country. Families get split up in worse case scenarios - for parking tickets. If you're an undocumented immigrant, don't try to defend yourself in any sort of an abusive relationship because you'll get kicked out of the country! *&^%$#@! Guest worker programs usually protect employers more than employees, so that program should probably get revisited. These workers should have their own visas, have the right to organize (UH - OH!), etc. ;D
"WhattSaMatta U" - Conventional wisdom dictates that having a college degree is supposed to help you get a job easier than simply having a high school diploma. Now, with all the student debt, conventional wisdom ain't so conventional. What the college experience is supposed to be kind of flies in the face of what the college experience sadly is in some places - like at Penn State University. The UC - Davis English Department is demanding the Chancellor's resignation...Gary Snyder's old stomping grounds! HOW 'BOUT THOSE ENGLISH FOLK!! :D That deserves pumpkin cheesecake!
Lamb Chop gets college time! :D Many of the student protests involve big - time tuition hikes. The university where I work & teach raises its tuition every year but not anywhere close to the double - digit increases being seen. Hell, it does up around 2 or 3%.
"Don't Judge a Book" - For Mittens being the "inevitable" nominee, his support hasn't really blossomed - at all. Remember, we're also talking about a guy who tried to get this gig in 2008, and he's still not too damn popular! The Pew Research Center indicates in a poll that Mittens' faith might be a problem in the primaries - well duh! Melissa thinks Mittens should be able to identify with other "threatened" groups like Muslims & undocumented immigrants?! Oh honey, he's too rich for that. I had no idea she had Mormonism in her background; ya' learn something new every day! :D
We get a Thanksgiving Eve Debunktion Junction!!!! Let's celebrate with more dessert! :)
Yep, we know President Obama pardoned a couple turkeys today - no, not members of the previous administration. GWB's Daddy actually began the practice? Golly! And, here's the Pamela Gellar thing again. We get a response from Butterball here, though! The turkeys Ms. Gellar talked about are the ones that get shipped overseas. But, I'm sure she couldn't be bothered with that detail.