Fellow FOKRs, tonight's "this day in history" & SPARK cupboards are overflowing, so let's dive right in!
I'm going to save 1 "this day in history" item until just before the meat (or tofu for vegetarians in da' house) of the diary, but here are some others. On this date in 1492, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain issued an edict expelling Jews unwilling to convert to Christianity.
Richard Chamberlain is 77 today {damn drool}!
Christopher Walken is 68 today! He's a hoofer at heart!! :D
I could go on & on with "this day in history," but we'll get on with SPARK now. ;D If one of you is this lucky soul, and you win big, don't forget your humble diarist! I'll just cover my ears while I listen to you brag about beating Butler University. ;D Today's BRILLIANT criminal left a heck of an I.D. behind at the scene of the crime. If you have a bee hive or hornet's nest on your property, DO NOT do what this guy did to get rid of it! Just when you thought Rep. Louie Gohmert couldn't get more bat$hit... Finally, here's an "AAAaaaWWWwww" from the animal kingdom! :D
Now, one last "this day in history" item. On this date in 2003, a show debuted on MSNBC in Phil Donahue's old time spot. The host was primarily known for sports anchoring, and the show began as a partly light - hearted romp through some of the news of the day with silly segments, some cheesy effects, and puppets on popcicle sticks. After this, Countdown with Keith Olbermann was never the same again - and neither was our country.
Keith will be back on the television machine in late spring on CurrentTV, and, as I've said, I WILL find a way to diary both shows. :D
On with The Rachel Maddow Show!
"Urchins of the World, Unite!" AKA "Working Hazard" - So, Maine's bat$hit Governor had a mural that was pro - worker taken down; part of that mural had dejected child laborers on it. Child labor laws date back to around the 1840s when someone somewhere decided that kids should maybe - just MAYBE - spend some time in school. Governor LePage is all set & ready to let the air out of some of those child labor laws by not allowing kids to earn minimum wage & a change in how many hours they can work. This change in law will have ripple effects on employees & potential employees in Maine.
Some Dems in Maine are working to create a recall law to get Governor LePage the spark outta Augusta. Recall efforts in WI are doing quite well, thank you very much! Union - busting's going on in New Hampshire, too. Isn't New Hampshire the "Live Free or Die!" state? How 'bout that MI ad??!! OK, I'm just waiting for some bat$hit GOBP Governor to ask, "Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?" Seriously!
Ohio Governor former FAUX News dude signed a bill into law stripping away most union rights. If enough signatures are gathered in the next 90 days against the bill, said bill will go on the November ballot, and "we, the people" will get to vote on it! :D State Rep. Armond Budish gets to talk about what's going on in his fair state. Resources to help poor & middle - class families are going to help make the rich & big corporations more rich because they've been just too picked on by too many people.
"Not Drowning - Waiving!" - Remember when President Obama dared GOBP Governors to try to come up with better HCR in their fair states? Well, the ideas are flowing like molasses in January. ;D Vermont is trying {insert hushed tone here} single payer! Golly, Birkenstocks, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, now single - payer HCR...I might have to rethink my relocation plans! ;D A GOBP mayor there even supports it??!! Uh - oh, he'll be outta the GOBP in 5...4...3...2...
"Somebody Else Can Do That" - SOD Gates vowed in a hearing today that no American boots on the ground would be in Libya as long as he's SOD. As to whether we should help arm the rebels, he said training & organization would do them a world of good, but it ain't gonna be us. Adm. Mike Mullen also said as much today in another hearing. Colonel Jack Jacobs is in studio to chat Libya. We're gonna help with "electronic attack," refueling planes in the air, search & rescue, intelligence, surveillance, and reconn support. Well, the CIA needs SOMETHING to do there! So, are we gonna hire some hackers to help with that "electronic attack" stuff? Libya state TV is still on the air. There will probably HAVE TO BE "people on the ground" if Kodaffy goes, but, again, Colonel Jacobs said it doesn't have to be Americans.
"Fuel Me Once" - We get another segment about deepwater drilling. Newspapers in that part of the country were damn DAMN happy when the Department of the Interior approved a permit for drilling in the Gulf. Some blowout preventers might spark up even when SOP continues to be SOP; as said last night, the suckers need to be redesigned!
Frances Coleman works for the Mobile Press - Register in Alabama. She sounded a bit concerned about that blowout preventer report. BP's not really popular in that part of the country. ;D