(no subject)
* Thank you Mr. President, for calling Congress on time wasting symbolic legislation while pretending not to have time for things we actually need like financing the government, infrastructure spending, and job creation.
* It was a major source of relief to me at the time of President Obama's inauguration to once again have a President capable of reading and understanding intelligence and foreign policy briefs, and the judgement and sense to chose quality experts with the right language skills and contacts on the ground in the case of a major international crisis. While I have not always agreed with every single decision the president has made domestically, I am beyond impressed by the skill and nuance with which he has navigated events in the Middle East starting with the summer of protests in Iran all the way through more current events like those in Libya. As I said at the time, these are incredibly tough decisions and I am very glad it's not my job to make them. I do not understand how intellectual and academic light weights like Rick Perry can look at the effectiveness and clear intelligence, judgement, and academic skills he has brought to this series of events and not recognize the amount of study, research, and weighing of expert opinion that was behind them. It just seems ludicrous that Rick Perry and the Conservative echo chamber are demanding he prove his already well established academic credentials, when none of the leading Republican candidates can show an intelligence, academic skill set, or level of intellectual curiosity even close to the President's.
* I am surprised and pleased that Men's Warehouse joined the businesses supporting today's general strike. A number of businesses not closing for the strike went cash only to deprive the credit card companies and big banks of most fees. I haven't time nor energy to track down a list, unfortunately.
* I did watch some of the general strike footage, but I couldn't watch past nine, so I missed anything that happened after.
* There are now three women willing to talk about their sexual harassment suits if the confidentiality order is lifted. A man who was a pollster for the restaurant association and now works for Rick Perry has come forward with his own eye witness testimony of harassment he witnessed and saying he is the source that leaked to the press. Herman Cain has gone from yesterday's claims of democratic character assassination to demanding Rick Perry's apology without any apology for impuning Obama's campaign with zero evidence. FOX News is calling it "electronic lynching," because telling facts about a Republican is identical to and just as bad hangings and beatings and all the other KKK terrorism against innocent people of the last century to FOX's way of thinking.
* I am still appalled that so many people are pretending that Clarance Thomas was somehow a hero rather than a national disgrace, and Anita Hill wasn't a brave whistle blower who endured not only pretty disgusting sexual harassment, but a humiliating national grilling by misogynistic white male senators, which she got through with a dignity and grace that moves me to this day. WTF! As Ms. Hill is one of my personal heroes, I am pretty freaked out. (Some of you may remember my posting on the anniversary of the hearings. Normally I'd dig up a link, but I'm doing bits of writing between chores.
* It is inevitable that someday, Bernie Sanders will retire. I think our country will be the worse for it. I wish him a long, healthy, vigorous life.
* As important as publicizing child abuse is, I simply did not have enough emotional cushion left to deal with the graphic footage of the family court judge beating and verbally abusing his intellectually challenged daughter today, and I rather wish it hadn't been what was playing when I turned on the TV.
* I am so fucking glad, I mailed my ballot the day after I got it. There is no way I could have sorted it in the midst of all this mess. To the rest of you who live in the Us, don't forget early voting if you live in an early voting state, or to go next Tuesday if you don't. Make sure to have valid photo ID, as some states are requiring it this election. yes, I know this isn't a presidential or a Congressional mid term, but local elections matter too and in some states there are anti-infrastructure bills to vote against, important recall elections, and referendums effecting things like union rights. Vote lest you loose the right.
* While the only packing that's happened so far is in Squirrel's room, where Hector fears to tread, he's clearly picked up on the stress and general atmosphere, and it's stressing him out in turn, as a cat who was literally abandoned to starve once upon a time. Sometimes, that birmin is way too bright for his own good. As of this evening, the other cats seem to be catching some of the stress from Hector. They aren't escalating that much, as Hector gives many false alarms, but there is a general air of heightened alertness amoung the felines as a group.
* I was going to try to ebay some bpals tonight, but by the time I was finished cataloging, I simply didn't trust myself not to make errors on the listing. Let's hope I'm more together tomorrow. i also failed to get very far at autoclaving, as after the first two batches, the cats decided i really needed to be sitting still and petting cats and I didn't have much go left in me anyway. so, only three batches, and as it's pretty wet, it's a particularly big job.
I know, I suck. I'm just so damned tired.
* Our favorite (and current) wife of "Uncle" Charlie, really my father's bff from back when they were a couple of punks back in Jersey, contacted me today. They were too ill to travel for the funeral, and I very much missed them. Uncle Charlie and the "cousins" were closer than kin in so many ways. It's good to be more directly in touch. They live in Maine, and she is frail, so I am unlikely to see them in person again, but it is good to here from them just the same. My father's chosen family, much better than blood, who my mother loved enough to keep long after she let most of his blood relations go. I generally think of them anyway this time of year, of all of us sitting at the long table in their old house and Uncle Charlie's gleeful atheism, his joyful jests over good food and company. I think of all the fun I had in that house and all the laughter. I never got to the beach house in Maine, but I have seen my Mother's watercolors. And now I am weeping again, for doors long closed as well as the newest loss.
* I was trying to figure out how to review the incredibly grim and profound YA novel, My Life and Regrets, about a man and two teens living in a car, when I woke up and realized it didn't exist. Doh! I'm usually a lucid dreamer, but I'm mildly feverish from the autoimmune thing and it takes my already intense dream life up a notch.
* I like this: http://www.roerich.org/images/paintings/700043_043.jpg (from http://www.roerich.org/collections.html)
* It was a major source of relief to me at the time of President Obama's inauguration to once again have a President capable of reading and understanding intelligence and foreign policy briefs, and the judgement and sense to chose quality experts with the right language skills and contacts on the ground in the case of a major international crisis. While I have not always agreed with every single decision the president has made domestically, I am beyond impressed by the skill and nuance with which he has navigated events in the Middle East starting with the summer of protests in Iran all the way through more current events like those in Libya. As I said at the time, these are incredibly tough decisions and I am very glad it's not my job to make them. I do not understand how intellectual and academic light weights like Rick Perry can look at the effectiveness and clear intelligence, judgement, and academic skills he has brought to this series of events and not recognize the amount of study, research, and weighing of expert opinion that was behind them. It just seems ludicrous that Rick Perry and the Conservative echo chamber are demanding he prove his already well established academic credentials, when none of the leading Republican candidates can show an intelligence, academic skill set, or level of intellectual curiosity even close to the President's.
* I am surprised and pleased that Men's Warehouse joined the businesses supporting today's general strike. A number of businesses not closing for the strike went cash only to deprive the credit card companies and big banks of most fees. I haven't time nor energy to track down a list, unfortunately.
* I did watch some of the general strike footage, but I couldn't watch past nine, so I missed anything that happened after.
* There are now three women willing to talk about their sexual harassment suits if the confidentiality order is lifted. A man who was a pollster for the restaurant association and now works for Rick Perry has come forward with his own eye witness testimony of harassment he witnessed and saying he is the source that leaked to the press. Herman Cain has gone from yesterday's claims of democratic character assassination to demanding Rick Perry's apology without any apology for impuning Obama's campaign with zero evidence. FOX News is calling it "electronic lynching," because telling facts about a Republican is identical to and just as bad hangings and beatings and all the other KKK terrorism against innocent people of the last century to FOX's way of thinking.
* I am still appalled that so many people are pretending that Clarance Thomas was somehow a hero rather than a national disgrace, and Anita Hill wasn't a brave whistle blower who endured not only pretty disgusting sexual harassment, but a humiliating national grilling by misogynistic white male senators, which she got through with a dignity and grace that moves me to this day. WTF! As Ms. Hill is one of my personal heroes, I am pretty freaked out. (Some of you may remember my posting on the anniversary of the hearings. Normally I'd dig up a link, but I'm doing bits of writing between chores.
* It is inevitable that someday, Bernie Sanders will retire. I think our country will be the worse for it. I wish him a long, healthy, vigorous life.
* As important as publicizing child abuse is, I simply did not have enough emotional cushion left to deal with the graphic footage of the family court judge beating and verbally abusing his intellectually challenged daughter today, and I rather wish it hadn't been what was playing when I turned on the TV.
* I am so fucking glad, I mailed my ballot the day after I got it. There is no way I could have sorted it in the midst of all this mess. To the rest of you who live in the Us, don't forget early voting if you live in an early voting state, or to go next Tuesday if you don't. Make sure to have valid photo ID, as some states are requiring it this election. yes, I know this isn't a presidential or a Congressional mid term, but local elections matter too and in some states there are anti-infrastructure bills to vote against, important recall elections, and referendums effecting things like union rights. Vote lest you loose the right.
* While the only packing that's happened so far is in Squirrel's room, where Hector fears to tread, he's clearly picked up on the stress and general atmosphere, and it's stressing him out in turn, as a cat who was literally abandoned to starve once upon a time. Sometimes, that birmin is way too bright for his own good. As of this evening, the other cats seem to be catching some of the stress from Hector. They aren't escalating that much, as Hector gives many false alarms, but there is a general air of heightened alertness amoung the felines as a group.
* I was going to try to ebay some bpals tonight, but by the time I was finished cataloging, I simply didn't trust myself not to make errors on the listing. Let's hope I'm more together tomorrow. i also failed to get very far at autoclaving, as after the first two batches, the cats decided i really needed to be sitting still and petting cats and I didn't have much go left in me anyway. so, only three batches, and as it's pretty wet, it's a particularly big job.
I know, I suck. I'm just so damned tired.
* Our favorite (and current) wife of "Uncle" Charlie, really my father's bff from back when they were a couple of punks back in Jersey, contacted me today. They were too ill to travel for the funeral, and I very much missed them. Uncle Charlie and the "cousins" were closer than kin in so many ways. It's good to be more directly in touch. They live in Maine, and she is frail, so I am unlikely to see them in person again, but it is good to here from them just the same. My father's chosen family, much better than blood, who my mother loved enough to keep long after she let most of his blood relations go. I generally think of them anyway this time of year, of all of us sitting at the long table in their old house and Uncle Charlie's gleeful atheism, his joyful jests over good food and company. I think of all the fun I had in that house and all the laughter. I never got to the beach house in Maine, but I have seen my Mother's watercolors. And now I am weeping again, for doors long closed as well as the newest loss.
* I was trying to figure out how to review the incredibly grim and profound YA novel, My Life and Regrets, about a man and two teens living in a car, when I woke up and realized it didn't exist. Doh! I'm usually a lucid dreamer, but I'm mildly feverish from the autoimmune thing and it takes my already intense dream life up a notch.
* I like this: http://www.roerich.org/images/paintings/700043_043.jpg (from http://www.roerich.org/collections.html)
