Craig Crawford's Trail Mix

Craig.... ROFL!
sometimes I think you like all the fighting that goes on here..... you naughty boy..... :0)

I don't know what the answer is to getting our economy moving again.... but I am enjoying the debate.....

and everyone here in NH has all the shovels they need.... thank you...

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/gop-gripes-carry-little-weight.html#comment-193501

In full transperancy - I am front row - just to the right of Craig.
And we had winning seasons

Bringing this forward from last thread

Blue,

It is always claimed that unions "priced themselves out of the market". On the surface this appears to be true except they were fighting to keep wages and benefits at the same growth level as corporate profits.

Unfotunately, at the same time the unions wanted more, the corporations with the assistance of Republican controlled government were trying to be competitive on a global market with dropping tariffs and outsourcing which allowed for huge populations willing to work for much lower wages to manufacturing products that were imported cheaply thus undercutting the whole of the US manufacturing market.

Whole industries disappeared such as electronics and textiles and the people who used to shop at Sears started buying at Wal Mart. There has been a steady undercutting of the American worker and the destruction of the middle class created after WW II.

For the first time in our history, the generation now reaching adulthood not only does not have the buying power of the previous generation but is no longer as well educated in a market that demands more and more education just to survive because the industries that used to employ those with HS or less abilities are totally gone.

For those who like to get into the nitty gritty of taxes vs spending, here is a page just loaded with charts and data.

http://home.att.net/~rdavis2/taxcuts.html

Then you can go here and watch the left and right slug it out on what is a "supply side" cut and what is a "demand side" cut

http://swampbubbles.com/bubble/john-f-kennedy-taxes

"It's stimulation time." Is that a nod to the request by Larry Flynt?
http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/stories/2009/01/08/flynt_porn_bailout.html

Batteries not shovels~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

we could grow the snacks for kids on the National Mall. a field of carrots surrounding the Washington Monument would look nice.

Cows don't stay milked and grass doesn't stay mowed.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/gop-gripes-carry-little-weight.html#comment-193521

Bob

I hope not.

lol
BTDT and I don't think the back can take it.

Jack

Craig
When you live in my neighborhood you have to be optimistic.

I've got an abandoned house in forclosure next door to me. I've had to run off homeless drunks who have broken into it. secured it and called the city to turn off the water when it started pouring out of the house and running down the side walk.

Right now I am steeling myself to call Countrywide and see if they own it yet and will do something about the problem. Hell if they can't get rid of it give it to me. At least I can legally do what I've been doing. Instead of just bulling ahead and daring someone to call me on it.

But I am optimistic, I would buy that house and another one down the street if I can get the banker in an optimistic mood. With his money I can be damned optimistic.

Now I wonder if Country Wide has a "Damn what do we do with this pile of crap" department and do they have a listed tellephone number

Jack

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 (UPI) -- A virulent computer virus has infected as many as 15 million computers around the world so far, according to various estimates.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/01/26/Virus_strikes_15_million_PCs/UPI-19421232924206/

Maybe they should just plant barley grass or alphalpha sprouts and let the 3rd-graders graze on the Mall. No upkeep and it feeds the children.

That Little League picture was great and I wouldn't have expected anything less than Craig playing for a team sponsored by fried chicken. If the C'listers every put a team together, we'll have to sponsor ourselves, but I motion that we have a faux sponsor; fried baloney, of course.

jamie & diva - It seems both of my conspiracy theories were wrong this morning...unless your posts were disinformation to throw me off the trail.

re: Nationalizing the troubled banks,
Here a good nonliberal arguement for it.

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/01/nationalize-now/

When He was proposing it last fall I thought he was over the top. But if the alternative is pouring more sand down the same rat hole..............

Jack

whsky - I saw a news report on the local news about scammers renting forclosed homes. The woman lost her deposit/rent money, but she wasn't clued in by the fact that he had to open the door with a screwdriver when he showed her the house.

"we could grow the snacks for kids on the National Mall. a field of carrots surrounding the Washington Monument would look nice."

hey Craig.... great idea.... and it could supply us with protein too when the Mall is infested with rabbits digging up those carrots....

new Democratic campaign cry...... a rabbit in every pot!

There's a story on Bloomberg about how difficult financing is going to be for this renewable push. Buried in the story is this graph -

"In 1999, then-Governor Bush signed a Texas law requiring utilities to buy renewable power from small generators. In 2005, the Texas legislature increased the quota to 5,880 megawatts by 2015 and 10,000 megawatts in 2025. "

This is how Texas became the #1 wind power producer in the U.S. This is how the Germans became the world leaders in solar. This is how the Danes became the world leaders in wind production.

Obama Green-Energy Dream May Lag Development Pace of Bush Years
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=apZ0RwiGvPbU

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/shovel-on-america.html#comment-193528

Part of the idea behind the creation of the mall was to have a commons area where livestock could graze.

There is a reason many of our states are called "Commonwealths". We need to get back to the idea of that society where the community works together to fill the needs of society as a whole. All those founding fathers from MA, PA, and VA were probably just commies and didn't know it.

One more item in that Bloomberg article -

Renewable energy is “very capital-intensive,” Redmond said.

The only energy project that isn't “very capital-intensive,” is putting in a wood burning stove.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/shovel-on-america.html#comment-193526

Batteries not shovels == Oh KGC! You naughty girl! LOL.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P2ak2vb2Zv0/SXqeZzIqoyI/AAAAAAAABw4/IZeMoih9GZw/s400/004.JPG

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P2ak2vb2Zv0/SXqeZ7B-Y9I/AAAAAAAABww/OBHbhJWGVlU/s400/006.JPG

Chad Meyers on CNN -

Ft Smith , Ark. to Louisville, Ky. may get up to 2 inches of ice.

Buckle up those chin straps boys and girls.
And the ice skates

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/shovel-on-america.html#comment-193540

California should be almost totally solar and wind if they can figure out two things ... how to develop a storage system for when the sun doesn't shine or the wind doesn't blow and how to modernize the grid in order to distribute that power.

It is insane to use water for power generation that is desperately needed for fish, farms, and faces.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/shovel-on-america.html#comment-193539

Tastes like Chik'n?

Tens of thousands more layoffs are announced

By JEANNINE AVERSA, AP Economics Writer

Monday, January 26, 2009

(01-26) 08:43 PST WASHINGTON (AP) --

It's already been a lousy year for workers less than a month into 2009 and there's no relief in sight. Tens of thousands of fresh layoffs were announced Monday and more companies are expected to cut payrolls in the months ahead.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/01/25/financial/f210113S23.DTL&tsp=1

shovel...

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/shovel-on-america.html#comment-193546

Yep, Bob, and it's comin' right at us.

gordo -
When you finally spin out , try not to take too many innocent victims with you. I mean it'll just be buried in with all the day care killers, AK 47 sprayers, and mall shooter-uppers. In other words no one may notice.

Wow.

"Iceland's coalition government collapsed Monday, leaving the island nation in political turmoil amid a financial crisis that has pummeled its economy..."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090126/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_iceland_crisis

Poor Bjork.

Patsi -

Go buy food, Nashville is in the zone.

some great ideas here today. makes me think we should draft our own Stimulus Package -- for starters, i would make Colorado Bob climate czar with massive funding for renewable energy. and turn the washington monument into a big ole wind machine. loved your commonwealth ideas, jamie. and rebellious with the rabbit protein -- genius!

From the previous thread:
http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/gop-gripes-carry-little-weight.html#comment-193507

RRenee - It's not about simply education. Early childhood feeding programs can start children on the path of good eating habits -- not just telling them the best way to eat. Children in child care are a captive audience and completely dependent on the caregivers for the food they eat. We regulate what the caregivers serve to them by only reimbursing for healthier foods/menus. The other bonus is that children who do participate in these programs tend to bring those lessons back to their families. We need to increase those programs.

GOES Eastern US SECTOR Infrared Image

http://www.goes.noaa.gov/ECIR4.html

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/shovel-on-america.html#comment-193547

Hydro-electric dams don't consume water; the water just runs through the dam, spinning turbines in the process.

Patsi - don't forget - the traditional southern storm preparation involves buying milk, eggs and bread - just in case you feel the need to survive on French Toast. If you're buying bread, as for me, I'd recommend your favorite peanut butter and preserves (which are much easier to deal withand tase better than jelly.) Jam is another option worth considering.

"Go buy food, Nashville is in the zone."

What's the original link, C-Bob? I missed it.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P2ak2vb2Zv0/SXqeZnT-KTI/AAAAAAAABwo/zQdWKSBlzl8/s400/007.JPG

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMUgNg7aD8M&feature=related

Craig -
When I was looking into the solar water a few weeks back, I came across a federal loan program that was set-up for state and local government refit projects. It was interesting in one respect. The loans were paid back with difference in savings.
In other words, if a building is saving $500 a month in energy use , that money goes to pay back the loan. The bills don't change (until the loan is paid back), but the debt load doesn't either.

GORDO...you type so well for a guy in a straitjacket.

Patsi-
Chad Meyers on CNN -

Ft Smith , Ark. to Louisville, Ky. may get up to 2 inches of ice.

Buckle up those chin straps boys and girls.
And the ice skates

--------------------
Renee -
Helpful tips for those about to lose power ?

LL -
And who knew you could post from the dust bin of history ?

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/shovel-on-america.html#comment-193561

No peanut butter -- recalled due to salmonella outbreak.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P2ak2vb2Zv0/SXqe_SI6PtI/AAAAAAAABxI/6ypTbnX_Ig8/s400/010.JPG

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P2ak2vb2Zv0/SXqd8dAzoCI/AAAAAAAABwY/QGlYPwQnBM0/s400/011.JPG

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/shovel-on-america.html#comment-193556

When you consider that the majority of the brain cell development and the synapses between them develop between birth and five, it is an absolute crisis that so many children living in poverty start school without having adequate nutrition and stimulation. (Both parents working without excellent childcare when children are in their infancy probably doesn't give them a good start either).

It's hard enough to pull yourself up out of poverty without starting behind the eight ball to begin with.

"Ft Smith , Ark. to Louisville, Ky. may get up to 2 inches of ice."

Oh Lord....thanks for the info, C-Bob....the little outdoor cat I have sort-of adopted is going to be mad, but I'll have to drag her inside and keep her here.

Something else that has to change.
Crapping in one's hand , holding it up to a camera, and being hailed as a genius.

The drizzle has begun here.

I support the troops, I just don't support the war.

I support the President, I just don't support his plans.

A difference of no difference, just depends on who is talking.

We can still crap in our hands, and film it, but the days of calling it genius are over.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/shovel-on-america.html#comment-193568

CBob
Dust bin. Looney bin. All the same in this particular case.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/shovel-on-america.html#comment-193573

Well there goes 90% of cable news

Jack

been drizzling here all day still too warm for snow or ice that is supposed to be taken care of by evening time when the sun goes down.

Old Sea -

This made the news last night -

Cape Cod Controversy

Cape Cod, Mass. is a high-profile vacation spot but a controversial energy proposal may be approved. As Priya David reports, the construction of high-standing windmills has many up in arms.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4752300n

Speak of the devil... I got a question for you Jack, got a minute?

Not so fast Jack...I think the Cable News business model involves crapping in your hand and FLINGING it at the camera.

pogo...
do not treat ice lightly.... it is not the same as snow.... not even a 2ft snowstorm can compare.... god... I really feel for you guys right now....

yes... buy food... non perishables.... buy extra paper goods.... buy batteries.... make sure you have flashlights.... most flashlights and radios work with D batteries.... buy matches..... buy candles (but be careful not to leave them burning if you leave the room for any length of time)....

for those on individual wells..... have some way to store as much water as you can.... hardware stores usually carry big plastic containers that can carry 10 gallons of water (they are very heavy when filled)....

hopefully you have an alternative source of heat.... if not.... seek someplace that has it..... get any blankets out of storage....

make sure you have enough food and water for pets....
if you have a generator..... buy as much gasoline as you can now.... fill the gas tank in your car.....

I will be praying for you all.....

The morning news said the storm was taking a southern track. through Missouri. Looks like True Believer will also get hit down in the Ozarks.

Stock up on easy to prepare items,
fuel for the kerosene space heater and Coleman lantern.
Batteries for the flashlight so you can have instant light in the dark.
Put the cell phone on the charger.

If you live away from city water and have a well. Fill all containers you can find with water. fill the bath tub with water so you can flush.
Remember , if it is yellow let it mellow, if is brown flush it down.

Jack

OK Jack, YHM again

Whats the question?

One thing about the ice storm It could be worse

It could be here

I support head injuries, I just don't support going through the windshield.

Sorry , my inner Dada shows it's self.

Too boring for a message board. I sent you an email, might be in your spam box.

Jack...part of the deal of living down here in Florida is that you have to live with the guilt of rooting for every hurricane to hit someone else. It's an awful sentiment, really, but everyone feels it.

LL...
I know how you feel..... when I heard the words "ice storm" on CNN.... I instantly started to pay attention and then was totally relieved to know they weren't talking about the northeast....

one good thing about it hitting in southern states is that they won't have back to back big snowstorms and then get plunged into arctic air afterwards as we were.....

Obama's Showdown over Nuclear Weapons

Shortly after taking the oath of office on Tuesday, he turned what had been a campaign promise into an official presidential commitment: the new Administration "will stop the development of new nuclear weapons," the White House declared flatly on its website, with no equivocation, asterisks or caveats.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1873887,00.html?xid=rss-topstories

Ms. Cracker -
What's the term for a farmer who has a bunch of city folks sign on for his produce ?

I've been wracking my brain for the exact term.

What's the term for a farmer who has a bunch of city folks sign on for his produce ? not bankrupt or.....

CSA community supported agriculture

believe me, Renee, I give ice all the respect it's due. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. I still prefer PBJ to French toast if I'm gonna have to hunker down.

CB, my neck supports head injuries.

Thanks Cracker -
That's the term.

Well, as Will Durst said, " The solar system shrank by 11% under George Bush. "

diva - PB was not recalled, at least none that you are likely to buy - unless you buy PCA Peanut institutional butter in 5 or 35 pound containers (which is a whole lot of PB). PB paste (that BS crap that you find in snacks that PB should be in) is what was recalled.

http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/peanutcorp01_09.html

Pogo
lots of manufacturers buy from PCA so stay away from anything that has peanut butter in it --over 125 and still counting products recalled so far

For those PB addicts among us - and really, who isn't? - browsing the links at the bottom of this page gives you a good idea what to avoid - and you can go further into the website to figure out more specifics.

http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/salmonellatyph.html

What did we do before the internet, anyway?

One more thing .... For all the gardeners.
Try using a used water bed heater under your seedlings to get them started this spring.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/shovel-on-america.html#comment-193606

Live in ignorant bliss?

KC, I'm already safely PBed up. Only one of the products you can buy is actual peanut butter (that comes with apple slices) - and none of them are Skippy, Jif, or any of the others that I've ever seen, much less bought. The danger is with PB served in institutional settings - which I literally never have - and all those good tasting peanut butter flavored snacks, granola bars, ice cream and such that ARE sold commercially. Caution is fine, but you can't have my Jif Extra Crunchy (which I've eaten about 1/4 of with no ill effects).

jack, to the extent we didn''t luck into all those things we know and worry about - yep.

Any ideas, Jack?

One more thing .... For all the gardeners.
Try using a used water bed heater under your seedlings to get them started this spring.

what a smarty!

Or a pile of BS
Chicken sh8t is too hot to use in my experience but once composted grows great strawberries.

http://extension.missouri.edu/xplor/agguides/hort/g06965.htm

Jack

Here's a link to the Excell spreadsheet of all the PB products recalled. There are 389 of them - 2 are PB that you might inadvertently buy - and they appear as 31 line items and they are all the same product (PCA) with different brand names (King Nut, PCA and Parnell's Pride) and come in containers of from 5 to 1700 pounds that end up in the other products and on sandwiches in institutional settings, so beware. 2 brands, King Nut and Parnell's Pride may be in grocery stores, so keep an eye out for those - the offending ones are from lots beginning with "8".

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/peanutbutterrecall/PeanutButterProducts2009.xls

Yum

patsi - that means you a 5 item ice storm survival grocery list - and it sounds to me like you've just taken ice storm survival to a new and higher level. (And it sounds like you're going to need to duoble the milk)

Patsi, you HAVE a five item . . .

"jack, re declaring yourself to be a proud lab rat,
Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud."

Patd

the lowly never get to fly with the eagles.

But then again, they don't get sucked into jet engines either.

Jack

yes..... I sure do loves me the internets... it can lead to informational overload at times.....

OTOH.... Rick likes Austin peanut butter crackers..... he takes them for snacks in his ski bag..... thanks to KGC's alert last week.... we threw out several packages....

Patsi.... and anyone else in the path of the ice storm..... please take care....

Some people, in this case our new First Lady, just can't catch a break.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/17938.html

Yeah, I was a PB cracker regular until last week, too. I'll be glad when this, too, passes and I can get back to indulging in stuff that's bad for me.

It looks like Nashville will get freezing rain, but is not in the main path of the ice storm. (Keeping fingers crossed.)

Hey Pogo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7VsoxT_FUY

Old Turbines Get a Second Wind Through Remanufacturing

Wind energy technology has advanced so much in recent decades that a handful of larger, more efficient turbines can now do the same job as hundreds of smaller turbines, allowing utilities to squeeze more electricity out of the same area of land.

That means that many owners of wind farms built during the California wind rush of the 1980s are starting to upgrade their equipment — and in the process, they are expected to send thousands of worn-out, old machines to the scrap heap over the next five to 10 years.

http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/old-turbines-get-a-second-wind-through-remanufacturing/?emc=eta1

kc, I can't open youtube here. I'll have to check it when i get home. What is it?

Here's one worth at least a chuckle.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/26/alberto-gonzales-i-dont-t_n_160955.html

Alberto Gonzales thinks Holder won't prosecute him because his actiosn were backed up by legal opinions from the DoJ. Now let me think - what did Gonzo do for Bush - oh, yeah, he was head of DoJ. I'm sure those legal opinions weren't politically influenced.

Baaaad to the bone

Figured it out, Jack. Thanks.

Pogo...

On Gonzalez, I agree he was the biggest stooge of Cheney and David Addington -- and I wish the three of them could be prosecuted together.

But unfortunately the sad truth (at least from what I've read) is that as long as DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel wrote findings blessing military commissions, rendition, extreme interrogation, and warrantless electronic surveillance...all the bozos will be in the clear.

If W had stupidly pushed ahead and rammed the surveillance program through after Ashcroft refused to sign the finding in his hospital bed, we'd probably have a prosecution to look forward to. But I believe he sent the finding back and allowed the DOJ lawyers to amend it to their satisfaction -- so he could get the signature.

More from the dumbest rock in that much talked about "box of rocks" -

January 26, 2009, 11:18 AM
Inhofe and “Environmental Thuggery”

http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/oklahoma-paper-inhofe-calls-obama-moves-environmental-thuggery/

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/shovel-on-america.html#comment-193575

The comment about "I support our troops but I don't support the war"... it seems to be presented as a dichotomy. However, it's spot on. I asked my Mom one day what she actually meant by "support our troops" and what she actually was doing to "support" the troops (after seeing all her yellow ribbon magnets and "I support our troops" bumper stickers on her car). She didn't answer.

Anyway I said that the best way to support or troops is to end this ill-advised war and bring the troops back safely, with good health care and benefits, and assistance with sicknesses or financial concerns. The best way to support them is to get them out of this morass once and for it.

"my lawyer said I could" is not a defense.

Flatus

$300 ? wow

I was looking at all the seasoned tree tops on the farm from where we cut the logs off it last summer and thinking about getting a crew to cut them and bring the wood to KC I don't think I could get that cheap a shipping just 150 miles. That was back when fuel was high.

Jack

Cbob- thanks for the link! I know you are dark green, so am I (just think about what witches worship). Honestly, what is your gut reaction to watching that creep? He has just been handed a gift from Bush, that's all. It's all about the money for them. Just like oil. It might not feel right to be against it, that's what they are banking on.

Sorry, haven't been focusing on the tv news of late. Don't know how I missed it all but regardless , I have. Could someone please tell me what PB product is safe and what is not?

Peter Pan and Jiffy
Good

Cbob- PS- What the hell is she burning if she is saving 30,000 a year in electricity? It's a bunch of bunk.

Thank you Animal Control I make PB cups with skippy. Is that OK?

I always knew Bush was a terrorist, and this proves it.
His last gesture to his official White House photographer was a fist bump:

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2009/01/bush_gives_fist.html?s_campaign=8315

LL, that may provide a rationale, but it does not change something that is not legal into something that is - particularly when the employees in the OLC ultimately report to the AG. It might immunize the other Bozos, but I think Gonzo would have a difficult time explaining why his own employees' opinions, undoubtedly solicited by him, could provide him legal cover if the incoming AG were inclined to pursue prosecution. Will they, I doubt it, but that defense is pretty flimsy for Gonzo.

OSH

Pogo posted this link earlier
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/peanutbutterrecall/PeanutButterProducts2009.xls

all of the products that have been recalled

Okay, America's sick-o-meter just broke its needle.

Someone is actually going to market a doll of the murdered Orlando toddler, Caylee Anthony:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-bk-caylee-anthony-doll-012609,0,523114.story

OSH, Skippy is not on the list. It should be fine unless I'm reading the list wrong.

Pogo...the saddest and most pathetic thing was Gonzalez' trajectory: He was a marginalized White House Counsel who ceded the job to Cheney's lawyer (Addington) just as GWB had ceded much of the job of president to Cheney. Then even after he was universally recognized as at best as an ineffectual stooge (by the WH staff) and at worst an abject failure (by everyone else)...they go and make him the nation's chief law enforcement officer. Just appointing him to that job, itself, ought to be a prosecutable offense.

LL, I couldn't agree more.

The smuggling tunnels are back up and running in Gaza
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/24/AR2009012401857.html?wprss=rss_world

Some of them were never even shut down

Jack

Obama Administration To Engage In "Direct Diplomacy" With Iran

Wonder if the topic of state sponsored public execution of homosexuals, by hanging, will be brought up?

Thank you KGC and Pogo!

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY (KENYA)

OFFICIAL REPORT
Wednesday, 5th November, 2008

PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES

3275:

"Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the President-elect, Mr. Obama, is a son of the soil of this country. Every other country in this continent is celebrating the Obama win. It is only proper and fitting that the country which he originates from should show the same excitement, pomp and colour. I, therefore, seek leave of the House that we adjourn to discuss the issue."

3277:

"... we now have an African American of Kenyan origin being President-elect."

http://www.bunge.go.ke/downloads/Tenth%20Parl%201st%20Session/Hansard/5.11.08A.pdf

==========================

"... a son of the soil of this country."

"... the country which he originates from ..."

" ... of Kenyan origin ..."

==========================

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P2ak2vb2Zv0/SXqeZzIqoyI/AAAAAAAABw4/IZeMoih9GZw/s400/004.JPG

"Okay, America's sick-o-meter just broke its needle.

Someone is actually going to market a doll of the murdered Orlando toddler, Caylee Anthony:"

Nancy Grace has asked for the first one off the line

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/shovel-on-america.html#comment-193520

Is that Craig to the far left of the front row?

Ping - you did have me scared for a while there. I'm glad you were kidding, and hope you enjoyed the result!

As a Californian who hates this drought business, I would like to see more jobs created in the de-salinization industry.

I've really been out of the loop for a couple of weeks or so (probably longer). Haven't even been on the internet. Reality bites. But hoping things are better than they sound.

Bad news: we're back to 1931. Good news: it's not 1933 yet
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/ambroseevans_pritchard/4339501/Bad-news-were-back-to-1931.-Good-news-its-not-1933-yet.html

Technology Gets a Piece of Stimulus
"The $825 billion stimulus plan presented this month by House Democrats called for $37 billion in spending in three high-tech areas: $20 billion to computerize medical records, $11 billion to create smarter electrical grids and $6 billion to expand high-speed Internet access in rural and underserved communities."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/technology/26techjobs.html?_r=2&ref=politics

This was posted in the last thread just as the thread ended. It's written from the heart by a GOOD friend of mine Rita... from Seattle. I think it's worth reading...

"THIS IS A STORY

This is a story about a mother who feels her voice goes unheard, her rights and her daughter's' taken away. Not having her younger daughter's marriage be legal. Marching in the streets for rights all people should have. Fighting the medical system to care for her son-in-law with no insurance. Fighting the welfare system to help buy food for her oldest daughter's family whose husband is out of work due to medical reasons from having no insurance. This is a story about a mother who lost her faith in mankind and the welfare system that had helped her in the past as a single mom. Now holding her granddaughter in her arms she worries this nation will not be a place for her to find her dreams.

This is about seven years of depression, about a nation being lied to again and again. About living under a shrouded veil of mourning. Of not even being able to take a vacation without feeling the fear our nation's leaders are trying to make us feel.

This is a story about a man who brought back hope, who has talked of change, whose face is not one we have seen the likes of in the highest office before. How he talks with eloquence, intelligence and calm, no fear of the oil and gun company's. It's about the people who came together, who fought to put that face in the office, and take back their rights, how they stopped living in fear. This story is about a night that we all felt the shroud lift. The depression lifting, hope returning for a mother and her daughters and her grandchildren. This is a story about the night a mother got her faith & fight back, to continue marching in the streets, to make this the country she knows it can be. A country where you can be anything you want to be. This is a story about a night a mother felt heard."

Copyright - 2008 Rita Blood

it is past midnight here, and I have insomnia. Lots of changes going on... best one, my virus or whatever it is/was is finally going away after a month. Job's going well... am very impressed with Obama... and it looks like I am buying a cheap apartment. It's in a building that is 70% immigrants so I should fit right in. It's on the 16th floor.

We'll see how it goes. If I get it, it will be the first (and most likely last time) I will own property.

Tom

P.S. If you feel like it, check out my Facebook profile.. http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1441770734

i have a myspace profile too, but now I am sort of hooked on Facebook. Anyway, it's http://www.myspace.com/eurotom

As someone who tries not to hurt other people's feelings (like my can be easily) I feel disheartened with the fighting here. The problem for me is that the people who are fighting each other are all part of a group of people that I either highly respect intellectually and/or is someone i really like. I just hate to see how the things disintegrate in discussions.

One more thing... thanks for the kind words regarding my niece... I just got this email from my sister:

"Anna has Follicular Lymphoma which is an incurable cancer that resides in the lymph nodes. It is incurable at this time but is 100% treatable. She will have to get one injection a week for 4 week of a medication called Protuxson I think. She has no symptoms and feels good. She also had a bone marrow biopsy which also shows the cancer in the bone marrow which I guess is normal for Follicular Lymphoma however, it has not affected her blood and her blood is good. The goal is to put the cancer into remission which can last for years and even decades. Hopefully they will eventually have a cure. She will be going down to the Mayo Clinic on Thursday for a second opinion and then start her treatments which are not supposed to make her sick or lose her hair or anything like that. The doctor says the medication is well tolerated. From what I am hearing that she will be fine after treatment but we are all still scared of what this all means."

While the family is scared, my niece is very practical and calm about this. I think that is a good thing and I am proud of her. I guess that's part of an Uncle's job.

xoxoxoxo

Chloe!! So good to hear from you! Congratulations, so very happy for you and your family!

Anybody out there make British style Curry? Do you put a bit of cream in it?

Hey Sea. Thanks ... Hope you're doing well.

I got to scan some of the posts and have enjoyed reading yours, as well as the others. Looking forward to catching up on things soon. Right now all I can catch up on is work and sleep. So I'm off to do my chores. ugh...

A late entry, but one that always is a winner.

Fred & Ginger

Hmmm before I go back to bed, I got this FREEDOM WORKS message.

Stop the Left's Multi-Billion Dollar Handout to Liberal Allies

We knew it was coming, and it’s finally here.

After weeks and weeks of anticipating when and how the newer, stronger Democrat-led Congress would first strike against our individual liberties and expand the size of our already bloated government, the wait is over and we now know what we are up against.

This week both the House and Senate will be moving a massive $825 billion economic stimulus package full off wasteful spending, and worse still multi-billion dollar handouts to their liberal allies. Specifically, radical Left-wing groups such as the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) could have access to billions of dollars should this stimulus plan pass.

Take Action NOW!

[snip]

This is a group created by Dick Armey. I don't think their notion of "Freedom" works at all. The whole economy is in disaster mode and around the globe it is just as bad or worse. Wars out of control, total disinterest in regulating industry and finance... I could go on... but if that is FREEDOM.. well it's a weird definition of it.

Well, don't wear yourself out taking care of everyone else! Looking forward to seeing you regularly.

read the list wrong and you might get sam n' ella.......

I just walked by the tv and the headline on the msnbc show said, "Rahm Emmanuel's knuckle cracking habit".......(no, really.....)

Dick Armey.......sounds like an obscene military unit.

---Dick Cavett

OSH

Chicken Tikka Masala has cream in it --the British version of curry
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Tikka-Masala/Detail.aspx

The $825 billion stimulus plan will probably deliver steady employment for the next 30 plus years. For a guide one only has to look at the time it took to complete the Blue Route outside Philadelphia and the Big Dig in Boston. The problem isn't there won't be steady employment, the problem is the time it will take to complete the projects are on par with the 30 plus years of steady employment. The benefits to the country will be very slow in coming.

The problem isn't there won't be steady employment, the problem is the time it will take to complete the projects are on par with the 30 plus years of steady employment

what does that mean?

Bush to SoetorObama: I Can Release Your Records.

Country to Bush: You are hereby released. Scram.

Take a powder.

Beat it.

Take it on the lam.

Make like a tree and leave.

Make like horsepoop and hit the trail.

Make like a shepherd and get the flock outa here.

Citigroup bought a new 50 million dollar state of the art jet with our 45 billion dollar bailout. Glad they are putting our money to good use.

Geithner Sec of Treasury confirmed 60 to 34. A couple of Dems had the balls to vote against his confirmation ie Feingold, Harkins. Just to remind you I am a Dem but I hate koolaid.

See you later alligator.

KGC- Thank you for the recipe. I cheated and used Patak's paste, it was great!!

Don't leave mad, just leave.

After 'while, crocodile:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI4qO5Y9M1Q

flake off, square.........split........

Hit the road, toad..........

jump out the back, jack.....make a new plan, stan.......drop off the key, lee...........hop on the bus, gus.......

Act like a banana and split

Jesus and Christ

(are we actually going to start the couplet stuff again?)

toot-a-loo!

Hit the road jack and don't you come back no more.

Don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya.......

See you later, alligators.

Adios muchacho.

Scat.

50 ways to leave

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTiyLuZOs1A

Hit the road Jack

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8Tiz6INF7I

Hasta luego.

And exactly the type of stuff for which Maureen Dowd has lost much of her credibility.

If hillary put a burr under cornyn's saddle, that's all the more reason for clinton love to flower........

AMF

GTFOOH!

lol

At least he is off Palin

Still a woman though.

Jack

It seems to me that Paterson was trying to get what contributions he could from his choice of an appointee...how exactly is that different from Blagojevich? Except that somebody taped Blago admitting it.

I can't believe this huge amount of blame (in NY) is being cast at Caroline Kennedy for the senate seat debacle. Paterson was trying to play politics and screwed it up.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/polltracker/2009/01/most-new-yorkers-blame-kennedy.html

Mo Dumb and O Dumber

Obama said "get in their faces"

well dont wait for maureen to confrim these things. my sources are better.

Has it occured to anyone that the phrase "Clintons never forget" might have been an expression of gratitude rather than a threat?

Maybe in that little encounter, Hillary was actually THANKING the guy for backing off, ex post facto.

But..oh..no..somehow that doesn't fit into the Don Corleone narrative.

Drama. Bullshit. Like someone who is as much of a pro as Hillary would actually deliver a "threat" in the very public Capitol Rotunda. Give me a break.

Carolyn McCarthy, progressive?

by Practical Progressive, Fri Jan 23, 2009 at 06:28:25 PM EST

Carolyn McCarthy is an admirable advocate for gun control and has created much good out of a family tragedy that would have immoblized most others in the same position.

A progressive though? Not so much. . .

She ran on the Democratic line in 1996 but only after the New York GOP rebuffed her when she announced her intentions to challenge then-Rep. Dan Frisa in a primary. The Democrats wisely recruited her and she flipped the seat in the 1996 election. That didn't stop her from having conversations with the GOP about returning to her roots in 1998. Furthermore, though she was caucusing with the Democrats in Congress, she didn't officially change her voter registration from "R" to "D" until 2002. Six years after she was elected.

The fact that she waited until 2002 is somewhat ironic considering she was one of 82 House Democrats to support the 2002 Iraq War resolution. Now many luminaries in the party, along with some committed progressives like John Kerry, made that mistake, so I'd be open to cutting her some slack.
http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/1/23/182825/572

Still looking for a progressive candidate....try Carolyn Maloney

To heck with HIllary. I'm still pissed at Carolyn. :-)

take heart, PUMAS, this aint over yet

'Michigan Man, 93, Freezes to Death Inside Home

Monday, January 26, 2009'

Gov Granholm should resign immediately

Sad no sense of humor.
I guess being the butt of jokes will do that to you.
Better call your posse.

Lard is right. The "Clintons never forget" line is strictly Godfather dialogue. Not believable. I love the way "journalists" report that "sources" say some BS (that makes the "journalist's" point) and people go ga-ga.

WOW! Hillary murdered Vince Foster! A source said so!

WOW! Barack Obama was born in Kenya! A source said so!

Good luck with that.

Patsi,

I am sure AT&T already has all phone calls taped but it may be difficult to retrieve what you will need.

I agree with you re: Blago. I also think Blago should have due process before being impeached. If all our politicians had their phones/houses taped, they could probably all be impeached. If he actually didn't offer anyone a pay for play but just wanted to is he quilty of breaking the law?

My bet is that when he does get his day in court he will win, that is if he has any lawyers left to take his case.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/shovel-on-america.html#comment-193740

It was a joke ... Do you wear your nerve endings three feet from your body all the time. That much angst must be hard to bear.

Thanks's

"I am sure AT&T already has all phone calls taped but it may be difficult to retrieve what you will need. "

ROFL! True, Carol!

Lardo

I prefer the Hillary that collects her enemies testicles and hangs them from the veranda like wind chimes.
I would say hang them from her belt but the wife says that is a male thing. So swinging from the front porch it is.

Then again maybe she was baking cookies and was assuring him that she would remember to bring him a dozen.
Hey, It could happen

Jack

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/shovel-on-america.html#comment-193749

"It's not personal, Sonny. It's strictly business."

PUMA???

Jack...

I like to think more like fishnet sack full of uncloven garlic, hanging from a pegboard in the kitchen, right next to the kids' report cards.

That said, all this shit about what was said or not said in a public space in the Capitol is just made up crap, until proven otherwise.

Look back at the provenance...it was the Glen Thrush guy from Politico stroking the Madam Secretary blogster, and vice versa. It was hard to hear who actually hear what. And after that, of course, it just enters the echo chamber of legend.

Not journalism. At all.

Party Unity My Ass.

It was started by a Republican but latched on to by women who for one reason or another felt Clinton had gotten the shaft by the party and therefore refused to even consider voting for Obama even though Clinton had endorsed and campaigned for him.

Some claimed to be Clinton supporters despite the fact that they spouted the whole far right spiel. Some just because they disliked the way Palin was treated .... Just part of the past election wars.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/shovel-on-america.html#comment-193755

Thank you. I guess that just makes me a suspected fellow traveler. :-)

SEE THE SMILEY IT'S UP THERE AFTER THE PERIOD.

I once stood at a urinal in the Russell Senate Office Building and heard what I swore was one base-closing commissioner (taking a piss right next to me) and another base-closing commissioner (taking a crap in the stall) cut a deal to close about five Navy bases, keep a few others open, and keep it all under the radar.

But it was all in code. Foot-tapping bullshit. Basically unreportable.

Just like whatever happened with Hillary out in "public" this week was.

Only difference: Standards about what is "reportable" are much, much lower.

Thanks for explaining that Jack. But....since when is politics a rational thing? :-)

Karen

I'm perfectly rational, it's those people on the other side that act in an irrational manner. ;-0

Jack

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/shovel-on-america.html#comment-193774

Lots of us struggle to have civil discourse, as long as you are around.

Theme Music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZHAhBsVGcs

"Not journalism. At all"

Lardo

It is blogging and as the Madam Secretary blog freely admitted in the post it was just idle speculation. In fact her whole blog is rather chatty.
In many ways like Craig in this blog imo.

Jack

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/shovel-on-america.html#comment-193777

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/shovel-on-america.html#comment-193779

Jack...problem is when "idle speculation" suddenly becomes "carved-in-stone truth" and "awaaaayyy we go", to quote Jackie Gleason.

Roddenberrys' remains to go into space together next year.

http://www.comcast.net/articles/entertainment/20090127/People.Roddenberry/

I didn't realize that Majel had passed away in December.

Michael Corleone: "I don't feel I have to wipe everybody out -- just my enemies."

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/01/shovel-on-america.html#comment-193777

Thank you. It takes two to tango and there are certain dances that really, really upset the spectators.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s48wDOalMLw

I didn't exactly beat up on you either, even if the PUMA thing is like nails on the blackboard for me ... too many echos of past nastiness.

Aim and pull the trigger

"all this shit about what was said or not said in a public space in the Capitol is just made up crap, until proven otherwise."

Absolutely true. In the entertainment industry we learn to recognize tabloid BS quickly.....

The truly stupid thing about the PUMA legend is that some believe that the way many of us felt toward the end of the campaign was merely about Hillary. It was about realizing that sexism is the most serious and deep bigotry left in America.

Deeper and uglier. Far more difficult to combat, because unlike blacks or gays, we are ridiculed for even mentioning the word sexism.

Knowing that I have now breached the blog rules by discussing such a trivial matter, over and out.

http://rense.com/1.imagesH/worship2_dees.jpg

"breaking down on camera, on the eve of NH, was just down right shabby, and would have made any true feminist cringe with disgust. "

First, for you to use "true feminist" in any post is laughable. Second, she did not "break down." That is yet another tabloid mentality meme.

I used to just write you off as obtuse. But you are truly stupid.

Now I really do have to leave, because as usual, you started the bigot-speak. And I can't stop from responding. So I leave you to it.

Boy, I have to echo ETom's statement re the fighting here. I just don't get it. Some of you seem so sure in your opinions, and I find it hard to believe you don't ever question yourselves. You are so intelligent in other ways.

I also don't believe it pops up from booze, but that's what it looks like. In the midst of posts, suddenly one nasty shot comes from nowhere, just like in a bar and as impossible to see coming.

I have a feeling there have been some plain old-fashioned hurt feelings, and no one wants to admit it.

Oh, well, that and ten dollars will get me a cup of coffee, right?

Anyway, what someone says he/she heard/saw is laughable as fact. I wouldn't believe Hillary was actually in that spot that day, much less that she said such a thing. On the other hand, maybe the story is true. So what? I react to that story the same way I react to Gordo and Kenya and Indonesia. There are too many people with too many scores to settle and with too many hidden prejudices to pay any attention to the rumors and/possibilities.

Remember that guy they executed in Texas several years ago because the eye witness would not change her stance? Eye witnesses aren't the be all and end all.

There is very little we can REALLY know about politicians and other celebrities - and neighbors and friends and relatives. If anyone wants to hate Hillary,
be my guest, but don't expect me to take your interpretations into account when I form my opinions.
Hearsay isn't fact.

I love you guys and gals...
off to work

More like Fredo, Craig, withput all the cocktail-waitress banging.

The "big sisters" are they Back Channel Goon Squad, not you, beth.