And a loving thank you to my veterans -- family members and others who touched my life: Walter R. Daniels and his brothers True and Al; George Freeman II; George Freeman III; Greg Daniels; Gene Voda; Em Voda; Lou Voda, Lee Voda, Lloyd Burkhardt; Jerry Higgins; Jim Voda; Bob Voda, Rocco Granato, Rocco Granato II, Frank Browder.
And always in memory: Philip Ferro, who died in Vietnam.
"We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm." Winston Churchill. I know, I know -- it's usually attributed to George Orwell, but it's been said in many similar ways and I'm going with Churchill at the moment.
Lady Thatcher. In the early 90s she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor the United States of America can give to a foreigner. Her health has been poor lately, and I wish her recovery and a long life. She was the reason I first read "The Road to Serfdom" by Hayek and I'll always be grateful for the inspiration.
In 1984 or '85 Mrs. Thatcher, as she was then, spoke in Seattle. George and I took my mom to hear her, and it was a privilege indeed.
And who can ever forget the magnificent hat she wore to her friend President Reagan's funeral?
George attended a continuing ed class yesterday for Ski Patrol, brushing up on the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs). He was working on a volunteer acting as a heart attack patient when the instructor said, "Now you have to give him a shock".
Whereupon George leaned over the guy and whispered "Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize".
They weren't the only ones. I thought it was a story from The Onion that somehow got onto the real news sites. (Update: One of the commentators said the same thing.)
By: Michael Barone Senior Political Analyst 10/09/09 12:07 PM EDT
The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Barack Obama is astonishing. The best grade even the most sympathetic grader could give him in this, his ninth month in office, is “Incomplete.” Predictably, many conservative commentators have reacted negatively to the Nobel committee’s decision. But, more interestingly, so have many liberals. Some juicy examples:
● Mickey Kaus (who calls on Obama to politely decline the honor).
● Peter Beinart, former editor of the New Republic (“this is a farce”).
Strange -- worth keeping an eye on. Seems to me that fiddling around with the immune system is less predictable than some would like to think, particularly under intense time pressure.
From the Globe and Mail:
Distributed for peer review last week, the study confounded infectious-disease experts in suggesting that people vaccinated against seasonal flu are twice as likely to catch swine flu.,,
So far, the study's impact is confined to Canada. Researchers in the U.S., Britain and Australia have not reported the same phenomenon. Marie-Paule Kieny, the World Health Organization's director of vaccine research, said last week the Canadian findings were an international anomaly and could constitute a “study bias.”...
Dr. Rubinstein, who has read the study, said it appears sound.
“There are a large number of authors, all of them excellent and credible researchers,” he said. “And the sample size is very large – 12 or 13 million people taken from the central reporting systems in three provinces. The research is solid.”
Sumo, a Maltese terrier, is reported to have bitten him in the stomach in their apartment in the capital, Paris. Mr Chirac's wife, Bernadette, said the dog had been treated for depression after finding it difficult to come to terms with leaving the Elysee Palace...
Apparently tiny Sumo, Mr. Chirac's "beloved dog" didn't reciprocate the affection. "Treated for depression" was odd enough, but this has been clanging around in my mind even more:
In January this year, Mr Chirac had to be hospitalised after the dog sank his teeth into an unnamed body part.
Perhaps the former president is in the habit of calling his earlobes Alphonse and Gaston, and refers to his belly button as Pierre. Maybe he hadn't gotten around to designating his left thumb or big forehead -- but it's more likely the coy omission refers to "that certain part of the male body" which a former American president* is said to have called "Old Jumbo".
The little mutt probably mistook it for a Snausage.
The dog is now said to be enjoying life on a farm in the French countryside.
Pick only one: Groceries, toiletries, or foundation garments.
(CNSNews.com) -- Documentary film director Michael Moore, who has become a millionaire thanks to the profits from his movies, told CNS-News.comthat “capitalism did nothing” for him.
I am recycling this post from July 2006. Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner
It's a day for guilty pleasures. Banana split from Dairy Queen, knitting (husband has camera so I can't download pictures just yet), "Dirty Dancing". A young Patrick Swayze -- doesn't get much better than that.
This is one heck of a sexy movie, even now. The movie music is good too -- I like everything about it. Don't know why it is, but despite several viewings, I've never seen this film in the company of anybody else human. It's always me with a few of my dogs, some munchies, and some alone time. Today I have a big fan whirling away at the foot of my bed -- this is where I watch TV. Six of my dogs and one cat have jumped up to be in the line of breeze; the other four dogs are flaked out on the wooden floor nearby. They appear to be comatose. Did I mention it's HOT?
The dancing's hot too. I've always had a weakness for men who have a strong rascal component, guys who have a streak of the rebel to them*. Maybe that's an almost-universal female taste -- this movie has a strong fan base, from what I understand. Or maybe I'm overanalyzing it. Maybe it all has to do with Patrick Swayze with no shirt on. Could be.
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*Keith Richards, let's say -- the archetype. Nick Nolte. Nicolas Cage (not so much lately, though). Dick Dale (you either recognize this name or you don't, but he was something). And Russell Crowe, yes. I know I could get argument on this, but lately I've had a tiny crush on Dog the Bounty Hunter. I mean, he's just goofy-looking, as if he needs a hair stylist, and what's with the bicep decorations? But he loves his (apparently much-younger) wife Beth and works with her (she's tough her own self), and he loves his family too. And he works for truth and justice. What's not to like? That show is a real guilty pleasure and I'm certain it will run its course, like measles, and disappear when summer wanes. (It did -- note from 2009.)
We need to control our borders and I believe "undocumented workers" should be called what they are: "illegal aliens". But -- if I were a Mexican I would get across that border any way I could and I'd work like the devil to make a better life for my family.
This story in the Latin American Herald Tribune gave me a lump in my throat. Imagine believing you had reached the land of opportunity and it was all a cruel scam.
MEXICO CITY – Hundreds of farm workers in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur are being exploited by employers who trick them into believing they are in the United States and keep them in line with threats of deportation, the state’s official Human Rights Commission said.
Commission chairman Jordan Arrazola told capital daily Milenio in an interview published Friday that the recruiters involved in the scam are members of the CTM, one of Mexico’s most powerful labor unions.
“They make them (the workers) believe they are in the United States and don’t let them go out, they practically have them locked up,” Arrazola said.
“The foremen threaten to report them to ‘la migra’ (U.S. immigration authorities) to get them deported,” the official said.
CBS News has learned that up to 60,000 people have cancelled their AARP memberships since July 1, angered over the group's position on health care. ... Many are switching to the American Seniors Association, a group that calls itself the conservative alternative...
I don't know much about it yet but will find out. Mostly my interest would be in the geezer discounts so it seems one group would be as good as another.
At the intersection of Taliban and NOW, Mohammad and Betty Freidan are weirdly entwined by a 21st Century fashion edict.
In Somalia, al-Shabaab has banned the bra as unIslamic and is reportedly accosting women who wear them. Of course we all wonder ---
HOW CAN THEY TELL?
And in a frenzy of multi-tasking, those busy little bees of al-Shabaab have declared gold and silver teeth to be un-Islamic, and have been grabbing citizens on the street and removing the offending chompers with pliers. Reuters
Coincidence abounding -- I had a really good long chat on the phone with Judi and we were talking about movies. She and her sister Penny had just seen "Julia" and liked it. Judi mentioned particularly how the real Julia Child was so life-loving she would have liked to have known her. I had it in mind to say that it would be great if somebody would make a film about Harry and Bess Truman based on the wonderful book about Bess that was written by their daughter. Judi and I both read that book and loved it. But the conversation richocheted around, as our conversations do -- and somehow it never came around to that.
After we'd hung up I thought, "Dang. I forgot to mention the Harry and Bess Truman thing." I went right to email intending to write to Judi -- and there was an email from Deborah with some nice Harry Truman stuff -- and this seriously wonderful picture which I cannot look at without a cheek-rounding grin. Channeling Nancy Drew I deduced that this is a reproduction of an actual book cover.
Sure enough, there the book is on Amazon. And of course I ordered it, and if it's as good as I think it will be, I'll send it along to Judi and then to Deborah if she might want to read it also. Free shipping with Amazon -- can't beat that. You really can't.
Harry Truman is a hero to me and -- I say this with all sincerity -- I named one of my dogs Harry Truman in heartfelt tribute. I have been thinking of renaming Belle, my gorgeous Aussie shepherd, and calling her Bess, since it gets tiresome being asked again and again and again if she is named after the Disney princess.
I've been tempted to say she's named after Belle Cora, particularly after reading an essay by one Dr. Weirde titled "For Whom the Belle Toils" detailing the history behind the graveyard at San Francisco's Mission Dolores. Buried there are "the Gold Rush era's most notorious madam, Belle Cora, and her gambler lover, Charles Cora, whom she finally married two hours before his neck was stretched by the Vigilance Committee." This has absolutely nothing to do with Bess or Harry Truman.
I wanted to know something about the author (of the book I was talking about before) and came across a nice op-ed he wrote for the New York Times about President and Mrs. Truman's trip. The whole thing is below the break.
It tells the neurologists that they must be alert for an increase in a brain disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), which could be triggered by the vaccine.
GBS attacks the lining of the nerves, causing paralysis and inability to breathe, and can be fatal.
The letter, sent to about 600 neurologists on July 29, is the first sign that there is concern at the highest levels that the vaccine itself could cause serious complications.
It refers to the use of a similar swine flu vaccine in the United States in 1976 when:
More people died from the vaccination than from swine flu.
500 cases of GBS were detected.
The vaccine may have increased the risk of contracting GBS by eight times.
The vaccine was withdrawn after just ten weeks when the link with GBS became clear.
The US Government was forced to pay out millions of dollars to those affected.
Concerns have already been raised that the new vaccine has not been sufficiently tested and that the effects, especially on children, are unknown.
So yesterday I attended a Town Hall Meeting held by our congressman, Gary Larsen.
The Lyndon LaRouche folks were represented by two glassy-eyed carriers of signs showing President Obama with a Charlie Chaplin mustache. (What's that? It was a Hitler 'stache? Oh. Okay.) Everybody pretty much ignored them.
Representative Larsen, who is a courteous man, stated that it is wrong to compare our president to a monster like Hitler, who was evil and killed millions, and seemed to imply it should not be allowed. The audience applauded wildly. The LaRouchies stood their ground, seemingly deaf, showing no trace of embarrassment.
A woman nearby, noticing I didn't applaud Larsen's statement, asked, "Doesn't that offend you?" Maybe it does -- but censorship offends me more. There is no right to not be offended -- by batshit crazy LaRouchies who put mustaches on photos of the president, newspapers that publish cartoons of Muhammad, people who burn flags, or by actual Nazis who march through Skokie.
The First Amendment is there precisely to protect rights to unpopular speech. Speech that is politically correct, nice and noncontroversial, needs no protection, now does it?
"Sunlight is the best disinfectant.” U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis. Just so.
A terrier named Willow has been taught to read. I'm sure Willow's speed and comprehension could be increased with a week or so at Evelyn Wood's, and then she could read the Health Care/Insurance Reform Bill in its eleven-hundred-page entirety and tell members of Congress what's in it before they vote to approve it.
But how? Even if Willow already knows Speak! we cannot understand what she says. Or can we?
There are those who suggest that we accept the status quo -- a dog who cannot communicate as humans do -- but I say the stars are aligned for reform and we must look to green technology. The Japanese have invented a gadget that interprets canine vocalizations -- barks and growls -- and translates them into speech. I believe it's called the Bowlingual.
A Missouri car dealer is giving away an AK-47 with the purchase of a truck. Last year he gave away a handgun, but I guess this year he felt a greater statement is required. The vid is from CNN -- the reporter seems unhappy and characterizes the offer as "irresponsible".
When FDR was imposing all manner of authoritarian moonbattery to prolong the Great Depression, businesses were strong-armed into displaying the Blue Eagle, which meant they had knuckled under to a long list of exceedingly intrusive government demands regarding operation, production levels, prices, working conditions, et cetera. FDR and his thugocracy did all they could to discourage people from doing business with anyone who failed to climb aboard the Blue Eagle bandwagon.
The symbol was prominently displayed at GM and Chrysler dealerships, but at Ford dealerships, it was nowhere to be seen. Henry Ford derided the Blue Eagle as "Roosevelt's buzzard," and refused to allow bureauweenies to tell him how to run his company.
Today, Ford is the only Big Three company to resist "bailout" nationalization. Maybe there's only been one truly American car company all along.
Just a small note to remind ourselves that the UAW still holds Ford. For now.
Still, this is a kick-ass commercial. It will make your eyes get misty. And if it doesn't, then you are worse than Hitler.
FEMALE CALLER (31:50): He (Michael Jackson) is truly the soundtrack of my life. I also have a theory about Sarah Palin as well and I’m going to put it out there on radio, hopefully someone can investigate.But, I think maybe she did something to Michael Jackson. Maybe there’s a scandal there. Maybe she’s stepping down because something’s about to come out. I don’t know, but I’m gonna just put it out there on your show so we’ll see.
SHARPTON: All right, thank you for your call, Ashley. That’s interesting. I’ll put it out, we’ll see. I don’t know.
Mulling that over, I turned to the Seattle Times and found a letter to the editor from a Mr. Noel Freedman of Stanwood, Washington who has some uncomplimentary things to say about Sarah Palin, including
...[S]he should have had the decency to wait until Michael Jackson's funeral before burying her own career.
Now it makes sense. Her resignation was a diversion. Karl Rove is probably involved somehow. Halliburton too. The truth is out there, people.
"The magic of doggy goodness". By Jonah Goldberg, National Review Online.
Here's a little bit -- but you really should read the whole thing. As much of a jerk as this Zorn guy must be, I bet his dog loves him anyhow. I can tell you that my dogs evidence strong feelings of jealousy and sometimes depression, and I've seen them act abashed and embarrassed when they do something silly and we laugh -- and is there anything, anywhere more down-deep joyous than a dog whose people are throwing a ball or a frisbee?
Dogs let us love them.
Eric Zorn, a writer for the Chicago Tribune, recently mocked a local woman, Jess Craigie, who dove into near-freezing waters to save her dog from drowning. Zorn wrote, “Note to Jess Craigie: Your dog still doesn’t love you.”
Zorn’s source for this dog slander is Jon Katz, who despite his name has written mostly wonderful stuff about dogs. Zorn uses an unfortunate quote from Katz to peddle the fashionable notion that dogs are, in the words of science writer Stephen Budiansky and others, “social parasites.” According to this theory, canines are evolutionary grifters that have fooled humans into believing they are our friends.
...Indeed, if embracing modernity means I have to accept such unlovely idiocy, count me out. I’ll be elsewhere. If you need me, just follow the sound of the barking.
I was talking about this recently with my brother Greg, but I can't remember exactly why. Anyway, here are the rules from EditPros, citing Chicago Manual of Style and the AP Stylebook. Do I win a buck from Leigh? I always remember it by thinking "keeping up with the Joneses."
(Sometimes people announce the arrival of George and his brother by saying "The Freemen are here." Manifestly untrue as to one.)
Plural for names ending in 's' The AP and Chicago stylebooks are in agreement here; to form plurals of common nouns as well as proper names ending in "ch," "s," "sh," "ss," "x" and "z," add "es". Examples: "the Martinezes" and "the Williamses".
Plural possessive for names ending in 's' The AP and Chicago manuals agree that the plural possessive of proper nouns ending in "s" is formed by adding only an apostrophe to the plural form. The Chicago manual shows these examples: "The Rosses' and the Williamses' lands" and "the Joneses' reputation".
The Chicago Manual of Style and the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook offer differing recommendations regarding possessive forms of proper names ending in "s".
NAIROBI, KENYA - Somali pirates today voted in a secret ballot to organize under a labor union agreement and enter into collective bargaining negotiations with the Somali warlords. Representatives for the pirates say the recent outbreak of on-the-job deaths left the group no choice but to organize and demand a safer workplace and higher pay. Officials in the warlord's pirating headquarters could not be reached for comment.
"We do all the work and take all the risks, but it's the fat cats back in Mogadishu that are cashing the big checks." said Timiri al-Haribiti, a skiff driver and grappling hook thrower speaking through a translator. "We just want our fair share."
Union organizers say higher pay is merely the beginning of their demands. "It's clear that we need better escape boats." said former AFL-CIO executive Martin Sweeny, who helped the pirates to organize at the urging of actor Johnny Depp. "We could use some body armor, too."
The new union, the International Brotherhood of Maritime Vessel Abductors, will structure itself as a trade union, establishing apprenticeship programs, providing journeymen for other trades and defining strict job description parameters to specialize skills. "Whether we need to secure a rope ladder, or tape up some hostages, we'll have a well trained man ready to do the job." said Sweeny.
Susan Boyle's story is a parable of our age. She is a singer of enormous talent, who cared for her widowed mother until she died two years ago. Susan's is a combination of ability and virtue that deserves congratulation. So how come she was treated as a laughing stock when she walked on stage for the opening heat of Britain's Got Talent 2009 on Saturday night? The moment the reality show's audience and judging panel saw the small, shy, middle-aged woman, they started to smirk. When she said she wanted a professional singing career to equal that of Elaine Paige, the camera showed audience members rolling their eyes in disbelief. They scoffed when she told Simon Cowell, one of the judges, how she'd reached her forties without managing to develop a singing career because she hadn't had the opportunity. Another judge, Piers Morgan, later wrote on his blog that, just before she launched into I Dreamed a Dream, the 3000-strong audience in Glasgow was laughing and the three judges were suppressing chuckles. Read the whole story. "The Beauty that Matters is Always on the Inside".
Belle and I discussed our concerns in the car before we printed our signs. We are veterans at this tea party stuff, having attended the very first one in Seattle in February. Today we were in downtown Mt. Vernon, Washington with friends and neighbors -- patriots all.
Belle was not the only Canine American demonstrating. Lovely Betsy the St. Bernard encouraged passers-by to "Bark for Freedom". Her owner's sign says "Big Government = Less Freedom".
Belle's sign says "Less Pork...More Kibble". She's beautiful and brainy, that dog.
My sign says "Give Me Liberty...Don't Give Me Debt." (The reverse says "Deficit Spending is Nuts -- Dems or GOP. STOP IT.") Both parties had a hand in this.
There was a fair amount of talk about the 10th Amendment speech by Texas governor Rick Perry.
Below the break, more pictures -- our encounter with Miss Betsy Ross and other patriots.
When Jan Griffith's beloved dog, Sophie Tucker fell overboard from her family's yacht she feared her pet had drowned.
But Sophie Tucker, a grey and black cattle dog, wasn't going to give up that easily.
The determined pet swam six miles through ferocious shark-infested seas to an island, where she survived for more than four months by hunting wild goats for food.
I've seen news reports that Mrs. Obama "forgot to curtsey to the Queen". Rubbish. Michelle Obama and I are United States citizens. We are Americans. We do not curtsey to royalty.
I saw a video that purported to show President Obama bowing to King Abdullah. This is pretty silly. I've included the video below the break. Seems to me that the two were presented to one another previously and didn't just happen to meet for the first time at the photo site. At just under one minute something happens, but it doesn't look much like a bow to me. The context is wrong, anyway.
Barack Obama and I are United States citizens. We are Americans. We do not bow to royalty.
I'm reading Jonaha Goldberg's book "Liberal Fascism" so was checking around, googling his name. I wouldn't have bought the book but lately I've been resolved to kick my reeely reeely noxious book-buying habit so am going to the library. I picked up the book and thumbed through it -- it doesn't seem to me to match its cover, to its benefit. I'm enjoying it.
So this article was on The Corner, Jonah Goldberg.
Too Good To Check I get a lot of email lately saying the Corner is too dour. Well, lighten up:
I am auntie to little Smarty, my friend Carolyn's amazing dog. He appeared today in the Skagit Valley Herald, showing only part of what he does for a job -- he is a dog of many talents. Here's the whole article, plus photo:
Second-graders Olin Benson, left, and Connor Jacobsen enjoy some lap time with Smarty recently. Teams with Dogs on Call, a local all-volunteer organization, visit the Mount Erie Elementary School classroom every week to help with lessons. The organization takes certified person-dog pairs and matches them to volunteer opportunities in the area, including visiting nursing homes and being reading partners at schools.
Kimberly Jacobson
Ananda Small shakes Houdini’s paw as she hands him a treat.
The Mount Erie Elementary School second-grader got to pet the large, black poodle as a reward for finishing her writing assignment.
Every week Small looks forward to visits from her four-legged friends.
“I like them because we get to do fun things with them like math with them and projects,” she said.
Two weeks ago, students in Tracy Catlin’s classroom were comparing and contrasting Houdini with the much smaller Smarty.
“Smarty is about the size of a Chihuahua. Houdini is bigger than a coyote, almost as big as a wolf,” said Tommy Peak, pointing to his list of similar and different characteristics.
Wal-Mart in Arizona has eliminated the use of plastic bags. I don't know if it's going to be policy in all locations.But the concern is based on bad science:
Scientists and environmentalists have attacked a global campaign to ban plastic bags which they say is based on flawed science and exaggerated claims.
The widely stated accusation that the bags kill 100,000 animals and a million seabirds every year are false, experts have told The Times. They pose only a minimal threat to most marine species, including seals, whales, dolphins and seabirds…
Clenched fist hits President Obama upside the head, signaling perception of weak horse. Positive actions on the part of the U.S. would include that we STFU about Iran's nuclear ambitions.
...Obama doesn't believe in threats. He believes that we should speak nicely to our enemies, and carry no stick.
Shortly after the release of the videocast, Iran's energy minister, Parviz Fattah, said that his country would "finish and operate" the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear plant by the end of this year. He, along with a leading adviser to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, stressed that this nice talk from the American president had to be followed by positive actions. Obama would like mutual respect--but the Iranians smell weakness.
...and I know that everybody has pretty much seen this already, and I know I can go to hell for thinking it's funny -- but I watched it again and snorfled and spat my coffee.
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No laughing matter [Mark Steyn] In turbulent times, it's good to know some things never change. After a week in which President Obama thanked himself for inviting him to the White House, compared AIG executives to suicide bombers, and did the first Presidential retard joke on national TV, I was impressed to find that Slate is bravely keeping up its Bushism Of The Dayfeature.
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"Will we chart our own course, or will Washington engineer it for us?”-- Sarah Palin, explaining why she is turning down part of stimulus funding.
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On March 20, 1854, fifty-eight civil rights activists called for all opponents of slavery to unite in a new organization, to be called "the Republican Party." This name had a past as well as a future, since Thomas Jefferson and many other Founders had called themselves "Republicans."
Someone may want to remind the Republican National Committee, whose website makes no mention of this.and many other Founders had called themselves "Republicans."
AIG and "shariah-compliant finance" lawsuit from the Thomas More organization -- "[T]he federal government is now the owner of a corporation engaged in the business of collecting religious taxes to fund interests adverse to the United States, Christians, Jews, and all other 'infidels' under Islamic law". AIG's advisor:
Dr. Usmani is the son, student, and dedicated disciple of Mufti Taqi Usmani, who is the leading Shariah authority for Shariah-compliant finance in the world and the author of a book translated into English in 1999 that includes an entire chapter dedicated to explaining why a Western Muslim must engage in violent jihad against his own country or government.
Today is the feast of St. Joseph, and it is the day the swallows return to Mission San Juan Capistrano. The mission site has a lovely account of the legend of the swallows. Here's a little bit:
The very next morning, the padre discovered the swallows busy building their nests outside the newly restored sacristy of Father Serra's Church.Another favorite spot was the ruins of the Great Stone Church, which was once lined with hundreds of swallows' nests.
Fr. O'Sullivan noticed that the small birds migrated south in the autumn and returned to the Mission in spring on St. Joseph's Day, March 19th.Upon their arrival, the swallows immediately went to work patching up their old nests, building new ones, and disputing possession of others with 'vagrant sparrow families' as they may have taken up illegal quarter there during the swallows' absence.
With a great flutter of wings, the swallows would peck at the soil, fly with a bit of it from the old Mission lagoon to the northeast of the buildings.Using the water they made a paste of the earth in their beaks, amid more fluttering of wings at the pond's edge.They then flew to the eaves of the Mission to deliver their loads of mud plaster for the walls of their inverted houses, and, as O'Sullivan observed, "receive the noisy congratulations of their mates".
"Bills of attainder, ex post facto laws, and laws impairing the obligations of contracts, are contrary to the first principles of the social compact, and to every principle of sound legislation. ... The sober people of America are weary of the fluctuating policy which has directed the public councils. They have seen with regret and indignation that sudden changes and legislative interferences, in cases affecting personal rights, become jobs in the hands of enterprising and influential speculators, and snares to the more-industrious and less-informed part of the community."
The wild women of my family got together on Friday the 13th to get in touch with our bad selves. Casting all caution to the wind, we went to a place where you paint ceramics. Pictures below.
We gathered to remember Auntie Ev -- it was good to see the cousins. We talked about putting together a Voda Family Cookbook, and I'd really like to do that. So I'll email people and get us started.
Evelyn Marie Voda was my godmother. She was born in 1917 and she died this month. She was always a beautiful woman. I remember when we'd get together, the family with cousins and aunts and uncles -- we'd arrive and some cousins would come up to greet us and we'd always know Aunt Ev had been there because each child would have on his head a bright lipstick kiss. She was always, always beautifully put together, and she was always gracious and affectionate.
My mom would tell of the good times they had during the War, when Mom lived with her older brother Lee who was recently married to Ev. If you look at the picture below right you can see Ev with her white gloves. Mom said Ev was so fastidious that she would wash her one pair of gloves each night and put them out to dry so she would be immaculate when she left for work in the morning. Mom said she never, ever missed a night.
For years she worked at Disneyland, in the lost child center. We'd stop by to see her and she'd be all dressed in her uniform, and she would often give us a little something from her pocket. She always remembered that I liked a special licorice from Main Street. There are more pictures below the break.
It was. He was repeating the speech President Barack Obama had just read from the same teleprompter.
Mr Cowen stopped, turned to the president and said: "That's your speech."
A laughing Mr Obama returned to the podium to take over but it seems the script had finally been switched and the US president ended up thanking himself for inviting everyone to the party.
Mr Obama is an accomplished orator but is becoming known in America as the "teleprompt president" over his reliance on the machine when he gives a speech.
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Director of Homeland Security.
Janet Napolitano: "I presume there is always a threat from terrorism. In my speech, although I did not use the word "terrorism," I referred to "man-caused" disasters."
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UPDATE: The White House has backed off from this. You have to wonder what the thinking was that led them to propose this in the first place. Was it a trial balloon to see what the reaction would be? Could they really think the people wouldn't go ballistic and think this administration should go to Oz to seek a brain and a heart? Seriously, what were they thinking?
Commander-in-Chief.
WASHINGTON, March 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The leader of the nation’s largest veterans organization says he is “deeply disappointed and concerned” after a meeting with President Obama today to discuss a proposal to force private insurance companies to pay for the treatment of military veterans who have suffered service-connected disabilities and injuries. The Obama administration recently revealed a plan to require private insurance carriers to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in such cases.
“It became apparent during our discussion today that the President intends to move forward with this unreasonable plan,” said Commander David K. Rehbein of The American Legion. “He says he is looking to generate $540-million by this method, but refused to hear arguments about the moral and government-avowed obligations that would be compromised by it.” (Yahoo News.)
I spent some time this past weekend with Greg and Lisa and had a chance to catch up with their spoiled rotten much loved imported dogs, Sasha and Jasper. Lonnie, who loved them and was a daily part of their lives when they were Washington state dogs, had asked for some pictures, so here they are.
Lonnie -- thank you again for your help in getting these wonderful dogs to their second good home. They are well cared for and so well loved by all of us.
At the intersection of Taliban and NOW, Mohammad and Betty Freidan are weirdly entwined by a 21st Century fashion edict.
