I'm a terrible bowler. Really. I like sports, and I'm capable at most of them, but bowling...it's always been my achilles heel. Habibi and I went bowling when we were dating - he's a terrific bowler - and I think the final score was him: 160, me: 43. Instead of getting better, I got worse as the game went on. People who know me know that I'm fairly competitive, so losing by that score made for a sour afternoon. The only thing worse was when I shot a 9 on a par 3 mini-golf course (with Habibi the weekend we got engaged).
I went bowling about two years ago in Cairo. Now that's an experience. No bowling shoes required, intermitent power outages on the lanes, dirt and dust everywhere. I bowled against one of my best friends, and it was close for about 8 frames. Final score: her - 70, me - 69. I should add that was on lanes with bumpers on them. Painful. Very painful. We bowled again about 3 months ago, and while I forget the final score, she beat me. AGAIN. The weird thing is that I bowled a strike in the first frame of both games...I'm not a closer I guess.
I saw this story on MSNBC this morning, and I tell ya', I felt Sen. Obama's pain. I've been there. Not even breaking 50 with 19 rolls is tough...but it spurred me to think that maybe I could start my own subgroup of Obama supporters. "Bad Bowlers for Obama". There's got to be more than just me who likes Obama and can't break 80 ON A LANE WITH BUMPERS!
In all seriousness, Sen. Obama's bowling episode says a lot to me. He's not afraid to do something he's not especially good at, and he can make fun of himself. His comment that his "economic plan is better than his bowling" makes him seem like a real person. He laughed about his experience and came across looking like a regular guy.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Nats Win!! Nats Win!!
Wow...what a game! Walk off homer by Ryan Zimmerman in the 9th...staduim given rave reviews...the only thing better was the shower of boos directed at the honorary guest who threw out the first pitch.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Iraq: Situation Normal (AFU)
This week, the White House and President Bush continued to paint a rosy picture of Iraq, its government, and the Iraqi Security Forces, both police and the Iraqi Army. Only in the Bush bubble could the United States Military getting involved in a turf battle between competing Iranian sponsored fundamentalist Shia militias be a good thing.
Now, I'm all for fighting Moqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army. But let's have a little honesty from the Bush administration: what our servicemembers have been asked to do is side with President Nouri al-Malaki's Dawa (Islamic Call) Party and Abdul Aziz al-Hakim's SCII (Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, formerly known as the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, or SCIRI) Badr corps in their fight with al-Sadr's Mehdi Army. The SCII's Badr corps are notorious for their desire for a fundamentalist Islamic area in Southern Iraq- the place where women are beheaded and barbers are murdered for being un-Islamic. So, in essence, we are siding with the SCII militia (funded and supported by Iran) against the Mehdi Army, which has been helpful in keeping Baghdad quiet and helping "the surge" to "succeed."
One has to ask, is that really what we signed on to in March, 2003? How many of the 4,000 dead or 30,000 wounded fought for a fundamentalist Islamic theocratic state in southern Iraq? How many Americans can even understand what is happening in and around Basra, can name the major parties and players in this inter-Shia rivalry - and how many believe this actually helps the United States remain free?
I'm happy to see that al-Sadr has called on his troops to stop fighting. It will no doubt be spun as another success in Bush world. But al-Sadr offered these conditions in his surrender: his fighters be released from prison, the Iraqi government offer amnesty to all Mehdi Army fighters, and that his militia retain its weapons. So how, exactly, is that a win for either the Iraqi government or the US? If the whole point of al-Maliki attacking the Medhi Army was to crack down on militias and reduce their influence, how is letting al-Sadr and his followers go home with no penalties and with their weapons a success?
In the reality based world, Iraq is a money pit, something that will be a financial and emotional drain on this country for decades. The US Embassy in Baghdad, overbudget, behind schedule and under daily attack, would have been closed years ago if it was anywhere else in the world. The US military, asked to be the peacekeepers between people for whom grudges last millenia, in a language and a culture they don't understand, and for longer amounts of time, is in danger of being broken beyond repair. The best case scenario for the Iraqi Army - one that the US isn't even sure will pan out - is that they can defend themselves within their border by 2012, and against their adversaries bordering them by 2018. To put it another way, my current 1st grader will be A SENIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL before the Iraqis can defend themselves against any country that attacks them.
I'll say it again: the next President of the United States should appoint one person and one person only as the next Ambassador to Iraq - George W. Bush. He dreams of the romance of war...so let's give him his wish and let him spend his days within the romantic confines of the Green Zone.
Update: Loyal reader "Serving Patriot" gets his $.02 published on another blog. He's a smart guy, war veteran...and handsome too. His thoughts are well worth reading.
Now, I'm all for fighting Moqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army. But let's have a little honesty from the Bush administration: what our servicemembers have been asked to do is side with President Nouri al-Malaki's Dawa (Islamic Call) Party and Abdul Aziz al-Hakim's SCII (Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, formerly known as the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, or SCIRI) Badr corps in their fight with al-Sadr's Mehdi Army. The SCII's Badr corps are notorious for their desire for a fundamentalist Islamic area in Southern Iraq- the place where women are beheaded and barbers are murdered for being un-Islamic. So, in essence, we are siding with the SCII militia (funded and supported by Iran) against the Mehdi Army, which has been helpful in keeping Baghdad quiet and helping "the surge" to "succeed."
One has to ask, is that really what we signed on to in March, 2003? How many of the 4,000 dead or 30,000 wounded fought for a fundamentalist Islamic theocratic state in southern Iraq? How many Americans can even understand what is happening in and around Basra, can name the major parties and players in this inter-Shia rivalry - and how many believe this actually helps the United States remain free?
I'm happy to see that al-Sadr has called on his troops to stop fighting. It will no doubt be spun as another success in Bush world. But al-Sadr offered these conditions in his surrender: his fighters be released from prison, the Iraqi government offer amnesty to all Mehdi Army fighters, and that his militia retain its weapons. So how, exactly, is that a win for either the Iraqi government or the US? If the whole point of al-Maliki attacking the Medhi Army was to crack down on militias and reduce their influence, how is letting al-Sadr and his followers go home with no penalties and with their weapons a success?
In the reality based world, Iraq is a money pit, something that will be a financial and emotional drain on this country for decades. The US Embassy in Baghdad, overbudget, behind schedule and under daily attack, would have been closed years ago if it was anywhere else in the world. The US military, asked to be the peacekeepers between people for whom grudges last millenia, in a language and a culture they don't understand, and for longer amounts of time, is in danger of being broken beyond repair. The best case scenario for the Iraqi Army - one that the US isn't even sure will pan out - is that they can defend themselves within their border by 2012, and against their adversaries bordering them by 2018. To put it another way, my current 1st grader will be A SENIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL before the Iraqis can defend themselves against any country that attacks them.
I'll say it again: the next President of the United States should appoint one person and one person only as the next Ambassador to Iraq - George W. Bush. He dreams of the romance of war...so let's give him his wish and let him spend his days within the romantic confines of the Green Zone.
Update: Loyal reader "Serving Patriot" gets his $.02 published on another blog. He's a smart guy, war veteran...and handsome too. His thoughts are well worth reading.
Opening Day!!!
The third best day of the year...after Christmas and the 1st day of school. Our hometown Nats take on the Braves tonight, the Orioles start Monday at home vs. Tampa Bay, and the World Champion Red Sox take on the Dodgers in California (and not playing at home until the 9th vs. Detroit).
My top 5 favorite baseball movies:
1. The Natural. Simply the best movie about baseball, and not just because it was filmed in Buffalo's War Memorial staduim. All-American Roy Hobbs fights his past, his owner and mysterious women to create the single greatest baseball sequence ever. Rated: Fastball, down the middle.
2. A League of Their Own. Yes, it has Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell - both of whom can be a little annoying....but the movie is solid, Tom Hanks, Geena Davis and Lori Petty are all terrific, and the ball playing is good, too. I can't tell you how many times I've said to my kids, "There's no crying in baseball!" Rated: Fastball, low and outside.
3. Field of Dreams. "If you build it, he will come." A little trippy at times, but some real heartwarming moments. Rated: Slider
4. Eight Men Out. The Black Sox - the worst scandal to hit the game until steroid use became the rage among ball players. Rated: Spitball
5. Bull Durham. Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon and a delightfully loopy Tim Robbins combine poetry, sex and AAA baseball for a solid hit. Rated: Knuckleball
Honorable mention: Major League, The Sandlot, The Bad News Bears (the original), Fever Pitch, Stealing Home, 61*.
My top 5 favorite baseball movies:
1. The Natural. Simply the best movie about baseball, and not just because it was filmed in Buffalo's War Memorial staduim. All-American Roy Hobbs fights his past, his owner and mysterious women to create the single greatest baseball sequence ever. Rated: Fastball, down the middle.
2. A League of Their Own. Yes, it has Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell - both of whom can be a little annoying....but the movie is solid, Tom Hanks, Geena Davis and Lori Petty are all terrific, and the ball playing is good, too. I can't tell you how many times I've said to my kids, "There's no crying in baseball!" Rated: Fastball, low and outside.
3. Field of Dreams. "If you build it, he will come." A little trippy at times, but some real heartwarming moments. Rated: Slider
4. Eight Men Out. The Black Sox - the worst scandal to hit the game until steroid use became the rage among ball players. Rated: Spitball
5. Bull Durham. Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon and a delightfully loopy Tim Robbins combine poetry, sex and AAA baseball for a solid hit. Rated: Knuckleball
Honorable mention: Major League, The Sandlot, The Bad News Bears (the original), Fever Pitch, Stealing Home, 61*.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Remarkable Progress in Iraq for Thursday, March 26
The 20%ers who believe strongly in the Iraq War often complain that the "MSM" isn't really covering the war, that we aren't really getting a true picture of what it's like "over there". I completely agree - things there are much, much worse than we're being told.
So, in their honor, I present what, sadly, will probably be a regular feature here, The Remarkable Progress in Iraq Daily Update.
From McClatchy Newspapers, a roundup of the remarkable progress being made in Iraq yesterday:
"The daily Iraq violence report is compiled by McClatchy Newspapers Special Correspondents in Baghdad from police, military and medical reports. This is not a comprehensive list of all violence in Iraq, much of which goes unreported. It's posted without editing as transmitted to McClatchy's Washington Bureau."
Baghdad
12 mortars hit the Green Zone starting at 10 am until this report was prepared at 2 pm, Thursday, said Iraqi Police. The U.S. Embassy said no one was injured. Update: 1 US Government Official killed
2 mortar rounds fell on Ur neighbourhood, east Baghdad near an open air marketplace killing one civilian, injuring two.
2 mortar rounds hit Karrada Kharij Street, central Baghdad injuring 1 civilian.
17 wounded Iraqi Army soldiers from Basra were taken to al-Yarmouk Hospital for treatment.
Clashes in al-Mansour district, from Iskan neighbourhood to Abu Jafar al-Mansour began this morning between Mahdi Army members and security forces. 3 Iraqi Army soldiers were injured and the clashes continued at the time of publication.
A parked car bomb exploded near the Red Crescent office, Andalus Square, in central Baghdad causing some material damages to its outer wall.
Clashes between Mahdi Army members and National Police in al-Amin neighbourhood started this morning and continue until the preparation of this report at 2 pm. Casualties have not been reported until this time.
The office of al-Da'wa Party in al-Shaab neighbourhood has been torched, causing only material damages.
3 mortars hit al-Alawi bus station, central Baghdad, killing 2 civilians, injuring 15.
Updating Sadr City news, since the fighting started on Monday until now, the toll has reached 38 killed and 47 wounded, Iraqi police said.
Gunmen kidnapped the civil spokesman of the Baghdad Security Plan, Tahseen al-Shaikhli. An armed group attacked his home, took him captive, let his family go and torched his house. They also took a government pick up truck, loaded it with 26 pieces of weaponry belonging to his security detail.
8 Iraqi soldiers were wounded in clashes between Iraqi Army and members of the Mahdi Army in Talbiyah, north Baghdad at around 3 pm Thursday.
Random fire by gunmen passing in a speeding car killed a father and his son, 13 years old in Talbiyah, north Baghdad at 5 this afternoon.
1 civilian injured when gunmen opened fire randomly across Sabah al-Khayat Square in Shaab area in north Baghdad at around 5 pm.
1 mortar round fell in Battawin neighbourhood, which is a largely commercial area in central Baghdad, injuring 2 civilians at 5 pm.
Clashes between gunmen and Iraqi Army in Zafaraniyah, southeast Baghdad at around 5.30 pm left 2 soldiers seriously injured.
2 mortar rounds hit the Ministry of Interior, al-Tasfeerat compound in central Baghdad at 6 pm killing 1 employee and injuring 4.
A mortar shell hit a residential building in Karrada Dakhil, central Baghdad at 6.15 pm, injuring 2 residents and causing material damage.
Clashes broke out between National Police and gunmen in Husseiniyah neighbourhood at around 6.30 pm and the clashes continued at the time of publication.
4 mortar rounds hit the US military base in Rustamiyah at 6.30 pm. No casualties were reported and no comment was available from the US military at the time of publication.
Gunmen target a police patrol at the entrance of al-Hurriyah neighbourhood at 8 pm injuring 1 policeman.
Thursday at 8 pm the Shoala Police Station fell in the control of an armed group.
5 unidentified bodies were found in Baghdad by Iraqi Police today. 1 in Ur, 1 in Zayuna, 1 in Husseiniyah, 1 in Mansour, 1 in Alawi al-Hilla, Sheikh Ma'roof.
Basra
Fighting in Basra between the Mahdi Army and the security forces has been ongoing since early Tuesday, and the toll of the fighting is at least 97 killed and around 300 injured, a medical source in the Directorate of Health in Basra said.
Hilla
Clashes have resumed in the city centre of Hilla city causing the injury of 30 people, 22 of whom were police and army, 8 civilians amongst who was a woman and the death of 1 soldier and 2 policemen.
Clashes in Chiffel neibourhood inside Hilla city continue, and the offices of al-Da'wa Party and the Supreme Council were torched by members of al-Mahdi Army causing the death of 3 policemen and the injury of 4.
Maysan
Gunmen torch Badr Organization Bureau located in Hitteen Square, in the centre of Amara city. They launched 4 RPGs at the bureau, three of which hit the bureau and burned the building to the ground. The fourth hit an adjacent house, injuring one of its inhabitants.
Clashes between Iraqi Army and Mahdi Army members as the regular army was crossing what is commonly known as the Yugoslav Bridge, north Amara. 2 civilians were killed and 7 injured by cross fire.
Salahuddin
Gunmen attack a Sahwa, US sponsored militia, member's house in al-Khadhraa neighbourhood, downtown Samara and kill both him and his son and injured his wife and one of his daughters. Joint forces, Iraqi army and US military announce a curfew in order to search for the armed group, said First Lieutenant Muthanna Shakir. US military did not include this report in their release.
A roadside bomb exploded yesterday, Wednesday targeting a Support Force, CLC, checkpoint on the main road near Awja city injuring 7 Sahwa members and 2 civilians.
A mortar shell fell on Tel al-Jarad, Baiji city, yesterday evening killing a woman Mona Ajaj, injuring 5 civilians, amongst whom were 3 children and a woman.
IED exploded targeting a soldier as he left his home going to work, in Malha neighbourhood, north Baiji, causing his death.
Diyala
5 unidentified bodies were found in a mass grave by security forces in al-Zor area, Muqdadiyah district, 25 km to the east of Baquba.
Local police found 4 bodies in al-Asaiba village, Shahraban district, 8 km south of the town of Baladruz. They were immediately sent to the coroner's department in Baladruz General Hospital, where through procedures the bodies were identified and collected by their families and returned to al-Shamsiyah village, their home town.
A roadside bomb exploded targeting a civilian car in the town of Khanaqin injuring 2 civilians.
The District Commissioner's office in Khan Beni Saad was targeted with mortar fire by the Mahdi Army today. The security forces announced a curfew in the town in order to track the armed group.
Anbar
2 ready-to-use improvised explosive devices were found by Iraqi Police near 40 Street in a garbage container at 7 am Thursday. They were propane gas cylinders (used for cooking) with an addition of TNT explosive material. They were removed safely by the police and a curfew aided the security forces to capture the outlaws and the curfew was lifted at one pm.
5 Iraqi Army soldiers from Anbar were killed in the fighting in Basra. Their bodies were returned to their families today.
Kirkuk
A suicide car bomb targeted an Asayesh, a Kurd security intelligence agency, vehicle killing an officer, Captain Tayib Mahmoud, and injuring 2 of his security detail and 5 civilians in the proximity of the explosion. The incident took place in al-Quds Street, Tiseen neighbourhood, downtown Kirkuk city early Thursday morning.
Gunmen assassinated the Commander of Garmian Peshmerga Forces, of the KDP. The gunmen opened fire upon his motorcade in a town near Daqooq, south Kirkuk, killing him and 4 of his security detail.
2008 McClatchy Newspapers
So, in their honor, I present what, sadly, will probably be a regular feature here, The Remarkable Progress in Iraq Daily Update.
From McClatchy Newspapers, a roundup of the remarkable progress being made in Iraq yesterday:
"The daily Iraq violence report is compiled by McClatchy Newspapers Special Correspondents in Baghdad from police, military and medical reports. This is not a comprehensive list of all violence in Iraq, much of which goes unreported. It's posted without editing as transmitted to McClatchy's Washington Bureau."
Baghdad
12 mortars hit the Green Zone starting at 10 am until this report was prepared at 2 pm, Thursday, said Iraqi Police. The U.S. Embassy said no one was injured. Update: 1 US Government Official killed
2 mortar rounds fell on Ur neighbourhood, east Baghdad near an open air marketplace killing one civilian, injuring two.
2 mortar rounds hit Karrada Kharij Street, central Baghdad injuring 1 civilian.
17 wounded Iraqi Army soldiers from Basra were taken to al-Yarmouk Hospital for treatment.
Clashes in al-Mansour district, from Iskan neighbourhood to Abu Jafar al-Mansour began this morning between Mahdi Army members and security forces. 3 Iraqi Army soldiers were injured and the clashes continued at the time of publication.
A parked car bomb exploded near the Red Crescent office, Andalus Square, in central Baghdad causing some material damages to its outer wall.
Clashes between Mahdi Army members and National Police in al-Amin neighbourhood started this morning and continue until the preparation of this report at 2 pm. Casualties have not been reported until this time.
The office of al-Da'wa Party in al-Shaab neighbourhood has been torched, causing only material damages.
3 mortars hit al-Alawi bus station, central Baghdad, killing 2 civilians, injuring 15.
Updating Sadr City news, since the fighting started on Monday until now, the toll has reached 38 killed and 47 wounded, Iraqi police said.
Gunmen kidnapped the civil spokesman of the Baghdad Security Plan, Tahseen al-Shaikhli. An armed group attacked his home, took him captive, let his family go and torched his house. They also took a government pick up truck, loaded it with 26 pieces of weaponry belonging to his security detail.
8 Iraqi soldiers were wounded in clashes between Iraqi Army and members of the Mahdi Army in Talbiyah, north Baghdad at around 3 pm Thursday.
Random fire by gunmen passing in a speeding car killed a father and his son, 13 years old in Talbiyah, north Baghdad at 5 this afternoon.
1 civilian injured when gunmen opened fire randomly across Sabah al-Khayat Square in Shaab area in north Baghdad at around 5 pm.
1 mortar round fell in Battawin neighbourhood, which is a largely commercial area in central Baghdad, injuring 2 civilians at 5 pm.
Clashes between gunmen and Iraqi Army in Zafaraniyah, southeast Baghdad at around 5.30 pm left 2 soldiers seriously injured.
2 mortar rounds hit the Ministry of Interior, al-Tasfeerat compound in central Baghdad at 6 pm killing 1 employee and injuring 4.
A mortar shell hit a residential building in Karrada Dakhil, central Baghdad at 6.15 pm, injuring 2 residents and causing material damage.
Clashes broke out between National Police and gunmen in Husseiniyah neighbourhood at around 6.30 pm and the clashes continued at the time of publication.
4 mortar rounds hit the US military base in Rustamiyah at 6.30 pm. No casualties were reported and no comment was available from the US military at the time of publication.
Gunmen target a police patrol at the entrance of al-Hurriyah neighbourhood at 8 pm injuring 1 policeman.
Thursday at 8 pm the Shoala Police Station fell in the control of an armed group.
5 unidentified bodies were found in Baghdad by Iraqi Police today. 1 in Ur, 1 in Zayuna, 1 in Husseiniyah, 1 in Mansour, 1 in Alawi al-Hilla, Sheikh Ma'roof.
Basra
Fighting in Basra between the Mahdi Army and the security forces has been ongoing since early Tuesday, and the toll of the fighting is at least 97 killed and around 300 injured, a medical source in the Directorate of Health in Basra said.
Hilla
Clashes have resumed in the city centre of Hilla city causing the injury of 30 people, 22 of whom were police and army, 8 civilians amongst who was a woman and the death of 1 soldier and 2 policemen.
Clashes in Chiffel neibourhood inside Hilla city continue, and the offices of al-Da'wa Party and the Supreme Council were torched by members of al-Mahdi Army causing the death of 3 policemen and the injury of 4.
Maysan
Gunmen torch Badr Organization Bureau located in Hitteen Square, in the centre of Amara city. They launched 4 RPGs at the bureau, three of which hit the bureau and burned the building to the ground. The fourth hit an adjacent house, injuring one of its inhabitants.
Clashes between Iraqi Army and Mahdi Army members as the regular army was crossing what is commonly known as the Yugoslav Bridge, north Amara. 2 civilians were killed and 7 injured by cross fire.
Salahuddin
Gunmen attack a Sahwa, US sponsored militia, member's house in al-Khadhraa neighbourhood, downtown Samara and kill both him and his son and injured his wife and one of his daughters. Joint forces, Iraqi army and US military announce a curfew in order to search for the armed group, said First Lieutenant Muthanna Shakir. US military did not include this report in their release.
A roadside bomb exploded yesterday, Wednesday targeting a Support Force, CLC, checkpoint on the main road near Awja city injuring 7 Sahwa members and 2 civilians.
A mortar shell fell on Tel al-Jarad, Baiji city, yesterday evening killing a woman Mona Ajaj, injuring 5 civilians, amongst whom were 3 children and a woman.
IED exploded targeting a soldier as he left his home going to work, in Malha neighbourhood, north Baiji, causing his death.
Diyala
5 unidentified bodies were found in a mass grave by security forces in al-Zor area, Muqdadiyah district, 25 km to the east of Baquba.
Local police found 4 bodies in al-Asaiba village, Shahraban district, 8 km south of the town of Baladruz. They were immediately sent to the coroner's department in Baladruz General Hospital, where through procedures the bodies were identified and collected by their families and returned to al-Shamsiyah village, their home town.
A roadside bomb exploded targeting a civilian car in the town of Khanaqin injuring 2 civilians.
The District Commissioner's office in Khan Beni Saad was targeted with mortar fire by the Mahdi Army today. The security forces announced a curfew in the town in order to track the armed group.
Anbar
2 ready-to-use improvised explosive devices were found by Iraqi Police near 40 Street in a garbage container at 7 am Thursday. They were propane gas cylinders (used for cooking) with an addition of TNT explosive material. They were removed safely by the police and a curfew aided the security forces to capture the outlaws and the curfew was lifted at one pm.
5 Iraqi Army soldiers from Anbar were killed in the fighting in Basra. Their bodies were returned to their families today.
Kirkuk
A suicide car bomb targeted an Asayesh, a Kurd security intelligence agency, vehicle killing an officer, Captain Tayib Mahmoud, and injuring 2 of his security detail and 5 civilians in the proximity of the explosion. The incident took place in al-Quds Street, Tiseen neighbourhood, downtown Kirkuk city early Thursday morning.
Gunmen assassinated the Commander of Garmian Peshmerga Forces, of the KDP. The gunmen opened fire upon his motorcade in a town near Daqooq, south Kirkuk, killing him and 4 of his security detail.
2008 McClatchy Newspapers
Thursday, March 27, 2008
"Remarkable Progress"
President George W. Bush gave a speech today and said the Iraqi Government is making "remarkable progress" and credited the "surge" of U.S. troops over the past year not only for improving security but for slowly encouraging "a rebirth of civil society."
See, it must be me. Maybe I'm not up to speed on what "remarkable progress" actually means, because I'm thinking "remarkable progress" would not look like this or this or this or this or this.
But, then again, I live here in the "reality based community" as opposed to the Bushies who live in this place:
"That’s not the way the world really works anymore,” the Bush aide told the journalist. “We’re an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you’re studying that reality – judiciously, as you will – we’ll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that’s how things will sort out. We’re history’s actors … and you, all of you, will be left to study what we do.”
My husband told me that he read a comment online somewhere that said that the next President of the United States should make appointing George W. Bush the Ambassador to Iraq the first order of business. Dick Cheney could be DCM. Nothing would be sweeter than letting those two live in the reality based world for a change.
Update: If the events happening at this Embassy were occurring at any other US Embassy in the world, it would have been shut down months - if not years - ago. Unbelievable.
See, it must be me. Maybe I'm not up to speed on what "remarkable progress" actually means, because I'm thinking "remarkable progress" would not look like this or this or this or this or this.
But, then again, I live here in the "reality based community" as opposed to the Bushies who live in this place:
"That’s not the way the world really works anymore,” the Bush aide told the journalist. “We’re an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you’re studying that reality – judiciously, as you will – we’ll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that’s how things will sort out. We’re history’s actors … and you, all of you, will be left to study what we do.”
My husband told me that he read a comment online somewhere that said that the next President of the United States should make appointing George W. Bush the Ambassador to Iraq the first order of business. Dick Cheney could be DCM. Nothing would be sweeter than letting those two live in the reality based world for a change.
Update: If the events happening at this Embassy were occurring at any other US Embassy in the world, it would have been shut down months - if not years - ago. Unbelievable.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
So?
If there is ever a monument built to remember the Bush/Cheney years (besides the trillion dollars in deficits we'll be paying off for ever), I hope it is a big, enormous granite "SO?", for that has been the general attitude of this administration since it took office in January, 2001.
On March 19, ABC news aired an interview reporter Martha Raddatz did with VP Dick Cheney. The highlights (such as they are):
“On the security front, I think there’s a general consensus that we’ve made major progress, that the surge has worked. That’s been a major success,” Cheney told ABC News’ Martha Raddatz.
When asked about how that jibes with recent polls that show about two-thirds of Americans say the fight in Iraq is not worth it, Cheney replied, “So?”
So, indeed. Who gives a shit what the American people think? Not the Bush Administration - just look at the record over the past 7 years.
The Bush Administration pushes for passage of the Patriot Act, thereby giving the government powers to inquire what books the American people are checking out of the library, listen to phone calls, read emails, and enter homes without having to notify the residents that the government has been there.
So?
The Bush Administration pushes the CIA to rework its Iraq intelligence reports to show the presence of WMDs, ignores their pre-war assesments of post-invasion chaos and political obstacles, then blames the CIA for bad intell, tells GEN Tommy Franks to scale down the size of the military invading Iraq, and implies again and again and again and again and again a link between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden when none exists.
So?
The Bush Administration calls for tax cuts during wartime - only the second administration in our history to do so, proposes closing VA hospitals nationwide, cuts medical benefits to veterans, and nickel and dimes the Congress over an additional 1/2 percent pay raise for fiscal '09, finally giving us the additional 1/2% (though not willingly).
So?
The Bush Administration bullies the world into supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, encourages democracy in the Middle East and then punishes the victors by cutting off aid, encourages democracy in the Middle East and then looks the other way when repressive governments punish democracy activists.
So?
The Bush Administration extols its enviromental record while pushing things like the "Clear Skies" and "Healthy Forests" inititiatives - which in reality are anything but, sits idly by while species are nearing extinction, and appoints former gas and oil excutives to positions dealing with the environment and relies on gas companies for advice on global warming.
So?
The Bush Administration appoints anti-birth control activists to head the Family Planning section of DHS - twice - and appoints men who prescribe bible passages to combat PMS to lead the Advisory Committee for Reproductive Health Drugs in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
So? Whacha gonna do in November - get fooled again?
On March 19, ABC news aired an interview reporter Martha Raddatz did with VP Dick Cheney. The highlights (such as they are):
“On the security front, I think there’s a general consensus that we’ve made major progress, that the surge has worked. That’s been a major success,” Cheney told ABC News’ Martha Raddatz.
When asked about how that jibes with recent polls that show about two-thirds of Americans say the fight in Iraq is not worth it, Cheney replied, “So?”
So, indeed. Who gives a shit what the American people think? Not the Bush Administration - just look at the record over the past 7 years.
The Bush Administration pushes for passage of the Patriot Act, thereby giving the government powers to inquire what books the American people are checking out of the library, listen to phone calls, read emails, and enter homes without having to notify the residents that the government has been there.
So?
The Bush Administration pushes the CIA to rework its Iraq intelligence reports to show the presence of WMDs, ignores their pre-war assesments of post-invasion chaos and political obstacles, then blames the CIA for bad intell, tells GEN Tommy Franks to scale down the size of the military invading Iraq, and implies again and again and again and again and again a link between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden when none exists.
So?
The Bush Administration calls for tax cuts during wartime - only the second administration in our history to do so, proposes closing VA hospitals nationwide, cuts medical benefits to veterans, and nickel and dimes the Congress over an additional 1/2 percent pay raise for fiscal '09, finally giving us the additional 1/2% (though not willingly).
So?
The Bush Administration bullies the world into supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, encourages democracy in the Middle East and then punishes the victors by cutting off aid, encourages democracy in the Middle East and then looks the other way when repressive governments punish democracy activists.
So?
The Bush Administration extols its enviromental record while pushing things like the "Clear Skies" and "Healthy Forests" inititiatives - which in reality are anything but, sits idly by while species are nearing extinction, and appoints former gas and oil excutives to positions dealing with the environment and relies on gas companies for advice on global warming.
So?
The Bush Administration appoints anti-birth control activists to head the Family Planning section of DHS - twice - and appoints men who prescribe bible passages to combat PMS to lead the Advisory Committee for Reproductive Health Drugs in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
So? Whacha gonna do in November - get fooled again?
Monday, March 24, 2008
Another Tragic Milestone
Here
NPR's "Talk of the Nation" spends 40 minutes with family members of those lost in this war.
Update: Serving Patriot recommended the Frontline program "Bush's War". Also worth checking out is the NY Times Monday edition.
NPR's "Talk of the Nation" spends 40 minutes with family members of those lost in this war.
Update: Serving Patriot recommended the Frontline program "Bush's War". Also worth checking out is the NY Times Monday edition.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Jim Webb for Vice President
In July, 2006, my family moved to northern Virginia from Cairo, Egypt. Our two years in Egypt were the best of our Navy career - we made friends that will last a lifetime, got to see and do things that most people only dream of, and my husband's job was one brought more personal satisfaction than almost any other tour in his (then) 18 years in the United States Navy. After spending our tour in a vibrant city halfway around the world, we were not thrilled about returning to the DC area for the 4th time.
Our tour in Egypt changed my husband and me, and when we returned here in the summer of 2006, I was fed up with the way things were going in this country. Living in a Muslim country and seeing things through a different set of eyes made me question what exactly our foreign policy was, what it was accomplishing and most importantly, where it would take us in the years to come.
I was following the Virginia Senate race closely, and remember watching the debate between then Sen. George Allen and his opponent, Jim Webb, at a hotel in Tysons Corner. My kids were bugging me to take them to the pool, but I wanted to watch and see what the candidates had to say. I was immediately impressed with Jim Webb and his thoughtful, reasonable responses to questions, as opposed to George Allen's 30 second soundbite answers and standby "I stand strong for freedom" blather.
One afternoon, after getting my youngest son on the bus for afternoon kindergarten, I drove down to Jim Webb's statewide headquarters to volunteer my time. I became one of about 30 "Office Assistants" - all volunteers - who did various office tasks like staffing phone banks, dealing with online requests for voting information and absentee ballots, general computer work, and whatever office assignments came up. I LOVED IT!! The feeling of working - for free - with similar minded Democrats who were at their wits ends with both a sitting Senator and a President who could barely put together two coherent sentences in a row....well, it was awesome.
One of the things I respect most about Jim Webb is how he treated his military service and that of his son during the campaign. He neither ran from it nor made it the centerpiece of his campaign. His campaign literature rarely mentioned the awards he earned in combat: the Navy Cross, the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts. He refused to release the citation he received for earning the Navy Cross - second only to the Medal of Honor for bravery in combat - so the Virginian Pilot ran it in their endorsement of him. Jim Webb missed a traditional Labor Day parade because he wanted to be among the families watching their sons and daughters deploy to Iraq.
People say that George Allen lost because of "Macaca", but I really believe he lost because Jim Webb has a way of speaking for solidly middle class Americans who believe in national service, who believe in being paid a fair wage for a fair day's work, who believe that their government should be trusted and not feared.
I'm proud of my very, very small role in electing Jim Webb to the United States Senate from the great state of Virginia. I consider it one of the best things I've ever done. He's done great work there; the first piece of legislation he introduced was the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act. As another veteran put it, Jim Webb did more in one day to help veterans than George Allen did in 6 years. That's why I supported Jim Webb for Senate in the fall of '06, and that's why I hope that Jim Webb is on both short lists for Vice President.
Here's is Sen. Jim Webb's response to President Bush's 2007 State of the Union address, in two parts:
Our tour in Egypt changed my husband and me, and when we returned here in the summer of 2006, I was fed up with the way things were going in this country. Living in a Muslim country and seeing things through a different set of eyes made me question what exactly our foreign policy was, what it was accomplishing and most importantly, where it would take us in the years to come.
I was following the Virginia Senate race closely, and remember watching the debate between then Sen. George Allen and his opponent, Jim Webb, at a hotel in Tysons Corner. My kids were bugging me to take them to the pool, but I wanted to watch and see what the candidates had to say. I was immediately impressed with Jim Webb and his thoughtful, reasonable responses to questions, as opposed to George Allen's 30 second soundbite answers and standby "I stand strong for freedom" blather.
One afternoon, after getting my youngest son on the bus for afternoon kindergarten, I drove down to Jim Webb's statewide headquarters to volunteer my time. I became one of about 30 "Office Assistants" - all volunteers - who did various office tasks like staffing phone banks, dealing with online requests for voting information and absentee ballots, general computer work, and whatever office assignments came up. I LOVED IT!! The feeling of working - for free - with similar minded Democrats who were at their wits ends with both a sitting Senator and a President who could barely put together two coherent sentences in a row....well, it was awesome.
One of the things I respect most about Jim Webb is how he treated his military service and that of his son during the campaign. He neither ran from it nor made it the centerpiece of his campaign. His campaign literature rarely mentioned the awards he earned in combat: the Navy Cross, the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts. He refused to release the citation he received for earning the Navy Cross - second only to the Medal of Honor for bravery in combat - so the Virginian Pilot ran it in their endorsement of him. Jim Webb missed a traditional Labor Day parade because he wanted to be among the families watching their sons and daughters deploy to Iraq.
People say that George Allen lost because of "Macaca", but I really believe he lost because Jim Webb has a way of speaking for solidly middle class Americans who believe in national service, who believe in being paid a fair wage for a fair day's work, who believe that their government should be trusted and not feared.
I'm proud of my very, very small role in electing Jim Webb to the United States Senate from the great state of Virginia. I consider it one of the best things I've ever done. He's done great work there; the first piece of legislation he introduced was the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act. As another veteran put it, Jim Webb did more in one day to help veterans than George Allen did in 6 years. That's why I supported Jim Webb for Senate in the fall of '06, and that's why I hope that Jim Webb is on both short lists for Vice President.
Here's is Sen. Jim Webb's response to President Bush's 2007 State of the Union address, in two parts:
Friday, March 21, 2008
You know you're biased when your own reporters say so
I'm not a Faux News viewer. I've turned in occasionally this week, not at all surprised to find them spending about 53 minutes out of every hour talking about Barack Obama's minister, with the video on replay every 6 minutes and 30 seconds. EVERY SINGLE HOUR.
So this morning, they were doing the usual Faux News freakout over every word uttered by a Democrat, this time by Barack Obama's comment that his grandmother is a "typical white female." God forfend! Heavens to Besty!! My stars!! !The Faux News talking heads got a serious case of the vapors...
Along comes Chris Wallace, who basically tells them what the reality-based, logical, rational thinkers are all thinking about what Obama said: first, you've taken the words out of context, and second, you're continuing a to beat a horse that you beat to death two days ago, and then again yesterday. So shut up already!
I'm still no fan of the network, but it's somewhat comforting to know that at least someone at Faux has a shred of decency and integrity left.
Steve "This is HUGE!" Douche-y? Not so much.
So this morning, they were doing the usual Faux News freakout over every word uttered by a Democrat, this time by Barack Obama's comment that his grandmother is a "typical white female." God forfend! Heavens to Besty!! My stars!! !The Faux News talking heads got a serious case of the vapors...
Along comes Chris Wallace, who basically tells them what the reality-based, logical, rational thinkers are all thinking about what Obama said: first, you've taken the words out of context, and second, you're continuing a to beat a horse that you beat to death two days ago, and then again yesterday. So shut up already!
I'm still no fan of the network, but it's somewhat comforting to know that at least someone at Faux has a shred of decency and integrity left.
Steve "This is HUGE!" Douche-y? Not so much.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
They shoot stupid women, don't they?
Women's History month has turned out to be a real blast. I mean, first you have the absolute piece of crap the Washington Post editors printed on March 2nd - you know the one they thought would be "funny" - or at least "ironic"? [note to editors: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."*]
Then we have the linguistic stylings of Dana Perino, White House Spokeswoman. You might remember her actually - and in all seriousness - uttering this:
"I was panicked a bit because I really don't know about . . . the Cuban Missile Crisis," said Perino, who at 35 was born about a decade after the 1962 U.S.-Soviet nuclear showdown. "It had to do with Cuba and missiles, I'm pretty sure." So she consulted her best source. "I came home and I asked my husband," she recalled. "I said, 'Wasn't that like the Bay of Pigs thing?' And he said, 'Oh, Dana.' "
Oh, Dana indeed. I mean, my only thought about that at the time was, are you serious? Are you actually that stupid? [And as a Political Science minor, if Dana Perino never actually heard anything about the Cuban Missile Crisis in 4 years of college, she should return her degree, 'cause she obviously didn't earn it.]
So then the President's spokeswoman appeared on Faux News Sunday, and cleared up any question as to her intelligence. Yes, she is indeed that stupid. Sayeth Dana, "Some of the terms I just don’t know, I haven’t grown up knowing. The type of missiles that are out there: patriots and scuds and cruise missiles and tomahawk missiles. And I think that men just by osmosis understand all of these things, and they’re things that I really have to work at — to know the difference between a carrier and a destroyer, and what it means when one of those is being launched to a certain area. "
Oh, puh-leeze. First of all, speak for yourself, sister. Not all of us are morons about military matters - or delight in appearing to be one. But, come on. You honestly don't know the difference between an aircraft carrier and a destroyer? Didn't you ever watch Top Gun??
Here's something I think will really help: when it comes to US Navy ships, size matters. So, like, an aircraft carrier is, like, really big, 'cause, it like, carries, like 5,000 sailors. And, like, airplanes, too! And so a destroyer, which carries, like, 350 sailors, is smaller. Like, you need a big ship (don't call it a boat) to carry more people, and you need, like, a smaller ship to carry fewer people. Got it? And no, submarines are not the same things as like aircraft carriers. Submarines go under the water, not on top.
*"My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
Conservative hypocrisy, take 5,983
So the right wingers are up in arms about the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's horrible comments about America - comments Barack Obama has repudiated, rejected and denounced over and over again.
What I want to know, is when will the attendees of the September, 2007 Values Voter summit - who you can hear rapturously applauding - reject, repudiate and denounce this travesty? How many of them walked out while listening to this? *
"Why Should God Bless America?"
Why should God bless America?
She’s forgotten he exists
And has turned her back
On everything that made her what she is.
Why should God stand beside her
Through the night with the light from his hand?
God have mercy on America
Forgive her sin and heal our land
The courts ruled prayer out of our schools
In June of ‘62
Told the children “you are your own God now
So you can make the rules”
O say can you see what that choice
Has cost us to this day
America, one nation under God,
has gone astray
Why should god bless America?
She’s forgotten he exists
And has turned her back on everything
That made her what she is
Why should God stand beside her
Through the night with the light from his hand?
God have mercy on America
Forgive her sins and heal our land
In ‘73 the Courts said we
Could take the unborn lives
The choice is yours don’t worry now
It’s not a wrong, it’s your right
But just because they made it law
Does not change God’s command
The most that we can hope for is
God’s mercy on our land
Why should God bless America?
She’s forgotten he exists
And has turned her back on everything
That made her what she is
Why should God stand beside her
Through the night with the light from his hand?
God have mercy on America
Forgive her sins and heal our land
I mean, unless I'm missing something, isn't the point of this song not "God Bless America", but "God is Damning America", or at the very least, something we've heard a lot about lately, namely "God Damn America"?
*The answers, of course, are never and none, respectively.
What I want to know, is when will the attendees of the September, 2007 Values Voter summit - who you can hear rapturously applauding - reject, repudiate and denounce this travesty? How many of them walked out while listening to this? *
"Why Should God Bless America?"
Why should God bless America?
She’s forgotten he exists
And has turned her back
On everything that made her what she is.
Why should God stand beside her
Through the night with the light from his hand?
God have mercy on America
Forgive her sin and heal our land
The courts ruled prayer out of our schools
In June of ‘62
Told the children “you are your own God now
So you can make the rules”
O say can you see what that choice
Has cost us to this day
America, one nation under God,
has gone astray
Why should god bless America?
She’s forgotten he exists
And has turned her back on everything
That made her what she is
Why should God stand beside her
Through the night with the light from his hand?
God have mercy on America
Forgive her sins and heal our land
In ‘73 the Courts said we
Could take the unborn lives
The choice is yours don’t worry now
It’s not a wrong, it’s your right
But just because they made it law
Does not change God’s command
The most that we can hope for is
God’s mercy on our land
Why should God bless America?
She’s forgotten he exists
And has turned her back on everything
That made her what she is
Why should God stand beside her
Through the night with the light from his hand?
God have mercy on America
Forgive her sins and heal our land
I mean, unless I'm missing something, isn't the point of this song not "God Bless America", but "God is Damning America", or at the very least, something we've heard a lot about lately, namely "God Damn America"?
*The answers, of course, are never and none, respectively.
Another One Bites the Dust
In the constant drumbeat about how Obama's minister hates America, his wife wrote a scandalous college thesis, and now, that Obama had a nice tricycle as a child and is therefore wholly unfit to be President (click that link at your own peril) and that Obama is "trash" (so sayeth a real whacko who has renamed Harlem "Atlah"), the real story of the upcoming election is truly not being covered: the number of Republicans retiring from the House of Representatives, and to some degree, the number of Democrats running unopposed in both House and Senate races.
Yeah, I know, that's a totally wonky story, and I'm sure my former PoliSci professors will be mighty proud. It's not a headline grabber and isn't a "sexy" political story in anyway what so ever. But isn't the fact that that 1st term US Senator Mark Pryor, a Democrat from Arkansas- a state that went 51%-46% for Bush in '00 and 54%-46% in '04 - is running unopposed in the fall big news? When is the last time a southern state was unable to find an opponent to run against a Democrat - and a first termer at that??!!
What's remarkable about the number of Republicans that are not running for reelection this fall are the number of those Republicans that reside in what could be called "swing districts". Take my neighbor, Rep. Tom Davis, a Republican from Virginia's 11th Congressional District. Well, technically he's not my "next door" neighbor, but he lives about a mile and a half down the road (curiously in another Congressional district - he's in the 11th and we're in the 8th). The 11th CD switched from Democrat (blue) to Republican (red) in 1994, when Tom Davis beat incumbent Leslie Byrne 53%-45% as part of the "Republican Revolution". Davis has held the seat ever since then, until he announced his retirement from Congress in January of this year. He's not ruled out a return to public service, and odds are that he wants to run against Jim Webb in the 2012 Senate race (memo to Tom: good luck with that).
The 11th has seen some real changes since Tom Davis took office, and he and his 2nd wife, state Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis, surely saw that up close and personal when she was handily defeated in the fall '07 election by J. Chapman "Chap" Petersen, 55%-45%. This district will almost certainly go blue in 2008, though for which candidate remains to be seen and won't be known until the primary election in June of this year. Tom Davis is known to be a pretty astute political observer, so when he says something like this: "He's just killed the Republican brand.", it's not hard to understand why he and so many others are not running for re-election on the Republican ticket.
For those keeping score at home, here's a list of Congressmen and women and US Senators not running for re-election this fall:
Barbara Cubin (R-Wyo.), 61, 7 terms
Tom Davis (R-Va.), 59, 7 terms
John Doolittle (R-Calif.), 57, 9 terms
Terry Everett (R-Ala.), 70, 8 terms
Mike Ferguson (R-N.J.), 37, 4 terms
David Hobson (R-Ohio), 71, 9 terms
Darlene Hooley (D-Ore.), 68, 6 terms
Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), 59, 14 terms
Ray LaHood (R-Ill.), 62, 7 terms
Ron Lewis (R-Ky.), 61, 8 terms
Jim McCrery (R-La.), 58, 11 terms
Mike McNulty (D-N.Y.), 60, 10 terms
John Peterson (R-Pa.), 69, 6 terms
Chip Pickering (R-Miss.), 44, 6 terms
Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio), 56, 8 terms
Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.), 61, 9 terms
Ralph Regula (R-Ohio), 83, 18 terms
Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.), 49, 3 terms
Jim Saxton (R-N.J.), 65, 13 terms
John Shadegg (R-Ariz.), 58, 7 terms
Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.), 62, 5 terms
Jim Walsh (R-N.Y.), 60, 10 terms
Dave Weldon (R-Fla.), 55, 7 terms
Jerry Weller (R-Ill.), 50, 7 terms
Wayne Allard (R-Colo.), 64, 2 terms
Larry Craig (R-Idaho), 62, 3 terms
Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), 75, 6 terms
Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), 61, 2 terms
John Warner (R-Va.), 80, 5 terms
Add to that list Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-NY), who represents Buffalo and the western Rochester suburbs, who is caught up in the NRCC financial scandal and was part of the cover up of Mark Foley's page text messaging scandal, and barely got by a virtual unknown opponent in 2006 (winning 52%-48%). That makes two open seats in my part of Upstate NY (the other being the seat vacated by Jim Walsh, who represents Syracuse and parts west through the Finger Lakes) - and I'd give even odds that one of those seats switches to the Dems. In 2006, the Dems picked up two seats held by Republicans, Sue Kelly in the 19th and John Sweeney in the 20th. Both of those seats were hard fought, and the Republicans were not helped by Sue Kelly literally running away from a local TV reporter asking questions about her involvement in the Foley page scandal, and John Sweeney partying it up with local college students and domestic incidents involving his wife.
Yeah, I know, that's a totally wonky story, and I'm sure my former PoliSci professors will be mighty proud. It's not a headline grabber and isn't a "sexy" political story in anyway what so ever. But isn't the fact that that 1st term US Senator Mark Pryor, a Democrat from Arkansas- a state that went 51%-46% for Bush in '00 and 54%-46% in '04 - is running unopposed in the fall big news? When is the last time a southern state was unable to find an opponent to run against a Democrat - and a first termer at that??!!
What's remarkable about the number of Republicans that are not running for reelection this fall are the number of those Republicans that reside in what could be called "swing districts". Take my neighbor, Rep. Tom Davis, a Republican from Virginia's 11th Congressional District. Well, technically he's not my "next door" neighbor, but he lives about a mile and a half down the road (curiously in another Congressional district - he's in the 11th and we're in the 8th). The 11th CD switched from Democrat (blue) to Republican (red) in 1994, when Tom Davis beat incumbent Leslie Byrne 53%-45% as part of the "Republican Revolution". Davis has held the seat ever since then, until he announced his retirement from Congress in January of this year. He's not ruled out a return to public service, and odds are that he wants to run against Jim Webb in the 2012 Senate race (memo to Tom: good luck with that).
The 11th has seen some real changes since Tom Davis took office, and he and his 2nd wife, state Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis, surely saw that up close and personal when she was handily defeated in the fall '07 election by J. Chapman "Chap" Petersen, 55%-45%. This district will almost certainly go blue in 2008, though for which candidate remains to be seen and won't be known until the primary election in June of this year. Tom Davis is known to be a pretty astute political observer, so when he says something like this: "He's just killed the Republican brand.", it's not hard to understand why he and so many others are not running for re-election on the Republican ticket.
For those keeping score at home, here's a list of Congressmen and women and US Senators not running for re-election this fall:
Barbara Cubin (R-Wyo.), 61, 7 terms
Tom Davis (R-Va.), 59, 7 terms
John Doolittle (R-Calif.), 57, 9 terms
Terry Everett (R-Ala.), 70, 8 terms
Mike Ferguson (R-N.J.), 37, 4 terms
David Hobson (R-Ohio), 71, 9 terms
Darlene Hooley (D-Ore.), 68, 6 terms
Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), 59, 14 terms
Ray LaHood (R-Ill.), 62, 7 terms
Ron Lewis (R-Ky.), 61, 8 terms
Jim McCrery (R-La.), 58, 11 terms
Mike McNulty (D-N.Y.), 60, 10 terms
John Peterson (R-Pa.), 69, 6 terms
Chip Pickering (R-Miss.), 44, 6 terms
Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio), 56, 8 terms
Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.), 61, 9 terms
Ralph Regula (R-Ohio), 83, 18 terms
Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.), 49, 3 terms
Jim Saxton (R-N.J.), 65, 13 terms
John Shadegg (R-Ariz.), 58, 7 terms
Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.), 62, 5 terms
Jim Walsh (R-N.Y.), 60, 10 terms
Dave Weldon (R-Fla.), 55, 7 terms
Jerry Weller (R-Ill.), 50, 7 terms
Wayne Allard (R-Colo.), 64, 2 terms
Larry Craig (R-Idaho), 62, 3 terms
Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), 75, 6 terms
Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), 61, 2 terms
John Warner (R-Va.), 80, 5 terms
Add to that list Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-NY), who represents Buffalo and the western Rochester suburbs, who is caught up in the NRCC financial scandal and was part of the cover up of Mark Foley's page text messaging scandal, and barely got by a virtual unknown opponent in 2006 (winning 52%-48%). That makes two open seats in my part of Upstate NY (the other being the seat vacated by Jim Walsh, who represents Syracuse and parts west through the Finger Lakes) - and I'd give even odds that one of those seats switches to the Dems. In 2006, the Dems picked up two seats held by Republicans, Sue Kelly in the 19th and John Sweeney in the 20th. Both of those seats were hard fought, and the Republicans were not helped by Sue Kelly literally running away from a local TV reporter asking questions about her involvement in the Foley page scandal, and John Sweeney partying it up with local college students and domestic incidents involving his wife.
It is going to be a very interesting political year. I guess I'm a pessimist at heart, and coupled with a total and complete belief in "the jinx", I refuse to even venture a guess as to how things will turn out in November - but I will say that i'm feelin' kinda optimistic!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Five Years On
The Iraq War tends to bring up some heated discussion. I prefer reasoned, thoughtful debate free from name calling and patriotism testing.
Here are some worthwhile reads on the 5th Anniversary of the start of OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM - from all points of view.
New York Times
Los Angeles Times
Christian Science Monitor
San Fransisco Chronicle
The Washington Times
The Washington Post
Miami Herald
Here are some worthwhile reads on the 5th Anniversary of the start of OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM - from all points of view.
New York Times
Los Angeles Times
Christian Science Monitor
San Fransisco Chronicle
The Washington Times
The Washington Post
Miami Herald
Happy 5th Anniversary, Take Two
Where were you 5 years ago today? Most of us were probably keeping a close eye on the news, knowing that President Bush's 48 hour deadline for Saddam Hussein and his sons to leave Iraq would soon be coming to an end.
We lived in Norfolk, Virginia at the time, a few miles down Hampton Boulevard from Naval Station Norfolk. My husband's XO tour had him serving on a destroyer in the USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN 76) Carrier Strike Group. Our boys were 5 and 2, then, and on March 19, 2003, they were very much missing their dad, and I was worried about what was to come.
My husband's ship was in the Red Sea, having been among the first ships that transited the Suez Canal about a week earlier after the Turkish government turned down our request (and sizable sum of money) to use their land and air space to attack Iraq from the North. Communications being what they were then, my husband and I were able to send and receive emails back and forth daily. In addition to keeping a set of journals with news clippings from the war (starting with his deployment in early December, 2002 and culminating with his return - on my birthday of all days), for Christmas in 2003, I gave him a journal of our email correspondence during his deployment. Here's our back and forth on March 19-20, 2003 (I have, of course, edited out any information deemed "classified" by me - but left in all the spelling mistakes):
From me to him:
XXXX - I'M WATCHING TV NOW, IT'S ALMOST 10:00PM OUR TIME ON WEDS 3/19 AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE WAR IS BEGINING...PRESIDENT BUSH TO SPEAK TO THE NATION AT 10:15PM TONIGHT...WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I AM THINKING OF YOU AND THAT GREAT CREW AND WISHING ALL OF YOU THE BEST. I KNOW THAT YOU WILL DO THE JOB YOU WERE SENT TO DO AND I KNOW THAT YOU WILL DO THE BEST JOB POSSIBLE...YOU ARE A GREAT MAN AND A TRUE PATRIOT...PLEASE STAY SAFE AND KNOW THAT MY THOUGHTS ARE WITH YOU...I KNOW IT WILL NOT BE AN EASY FEW DAYS BUT MY SPIRITS WILL BE HIGH KNOWING THAT YOU ARE PROTECTING ALL OF US BACK HERE...I FEEL SAFER KNOWING THE USS XXXXXXXX AND HER CREW ARE OUT THERE DOING WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE... TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF XXXX ...NEVER FORGET FOR A MOMENT HOW TRULY LOVED YOU ARE BACK HERE IN THE STATES....
SENDING YOU LOTS AND LOTS OF LOVE
C
And his response:
Hey there,
All is well with us. We're staying busy and keeping up with events. Don't worry about us. We're ready and we know what to do! And we're gonna do it!
Remind those who call not to discuss where we are and what we may/may not be doing over the phone. just let them knwo we're doing great and very proud to be doing our duty for everyone back home. We have not forgotten.....all the way back to 1979 we're owed a payback. Now it is time to get one. Remind people of some forgotten fallen: Desert One, 1980, 8 dead; Beruit, 1983, 283 dead; USS STARK, 1986, 37 dead; First Gulf War, 1991, 165 dead; Khobar Towers, 1996, 19 dead; East Africa, 1998, 6 dead; USS COLE, 2000, 18 dead; Pentagon, 2001, 197 dead. WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN OUR FALLEN COMRADES. Now, we will get our due.
I love you.
Me
[As a personal aside, when I read that, I wonder how in the world anyone could classify either me or my husband "anti-American", but that's more a reflection of the people who utter such nonsense than anything else.]
Reading that, I think it's amazing how much can change in 5 years. My view on the war has certainly evolved, as I'm sure it has for many people who read about what has happened there over the past 5 years. It's sometimes hard for me to grapple with the fact that my husband's actions firing missiles at regime targets may have killed innocent Iraqis. It's been difficult for me not to feel as if I were used - that my support of my husband and his shipmates was used to create an Iraq that has fallen very short of the goals set out in 2003. I look at Iraq today - a government run by theocratic Shia muslims with close ties to Iran, and I think, is that really what I sent my husband off to fight for? Is that what nearly 4,000 American servicemen and women have died for, and what 30,0000 Americans have been wounded for? Is that really worth $1.5 billion dollars per week?
I wonder what Iraq will look like 5 years from now. I do not think the government will be friendly to the United States and Israel, something that the Iraq war planners told us was the goal. I do not think the government will be respectful of women's rights, something also sold to us as a reason for the war. I think Iraq will look much like it does today. I think we will still be having arguments about the number of troops serving there. I think there will still be several hundred (at least) killed there every year, and many more wounded. I think the country will be more fundamentalist, if that's even possible.
I'm not optimistic about the outcome there, and that's a shame, because as the emails I posted show, my husband and I were completely supportive of the war effort and the grand goals the United States had for Iraq. I suspect we are probably more representative of what Americans really think about the war than George Bush and his most ardent followers, who believe as strongly in the Iraq War today as they did on March 19, 2003.
We lived in Norfolk, Virginia at the time, a few miles down Hampton Boulevard from Naval Station Norfolk. My husband's XO tour had him serving on a destroyer in the USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN 76) Carrier Strike Group. Our boys were 5 and 2, then, and on March 19, 2003, they were very much missing their dad, and I was worried about what was to come.
My husband's ship was in the Red Sea, having been among the first ships that transited the Suez Canal about a week earlier after the Turkish government turned down our request (and sizable sum of money) to use their land and air space to attack Iraq from the North. Communications being what they were then, my husband and I were able to send and receive emails back and forth daily. In addition to keeping a set of journals with news clippings from the war (starting with his deployment in early December, 2002 and culminating with his return - on my birthday of all days), for Christmas in 2003, I gave him a journal of our email correspondence during his deployment. Here's our back and forth on March 19-20, 2003 (I have, of course, edited out any information deemed "classified" by me - but left in all the spelling mistakes):
From me to him:
XXXX - I'M WATCHING TV NOW, IT'S ALMOST 10:00PM OUR TIME ON WEDS 3/19 AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE WAR IS BEGINING...PRESIDENT BUSH TO SPEAK TO THE NATION AT 10:15PM TONIGHT...WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I AM THINKING OF YOU AND THAT GREAT CREW AND WISHING ALL OF YOU THE BEST. I KNOW THAT YOU WILL DO THE JOB YOU WERE SENT TO DO AND I KNOW THAT YOU WILL DO THE BEST JOB POSSIBLE...YOU ARE A GREAT MAN AND A TRUE PATRIOT...PLEASE STAY SAFE AND KNOW THAT MY THOUGHTS ARE WITH YOU...I KNOW IT WILL NOT BE AN EASY FEW DAYS BUT MY SPIRITS WILL BE HIGH KNOWING THAT YOU ARE PROTECTING ALL OF US BACK HERE...I FEEL SAFER KNOWING THE USS XXXXXXXX AND HER CREW ARE OUT THERE DOING WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE... TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF XXXX ...NEVER FORGET FOR A MOMENT HOW TRULY LOVED YOU ARE BACK HERE IN THE STATES....
SENDING YOU LOTS AND LOTS OF LOVE
C
And his response:
Hey there,
All is well with us. We're staying busy and keeping up with events. Don't worry about us. We're ready and we know what to do! And we're gonna do it!
Remind those who call not to discuss where we are and what we may/may not be doing over the phone. just let them knwo we're doing great and very proud to be doing our duty for everyone back home. We have not forgotten.....all the way back to 1979 we're owed a payback. Now it is time to get one. Remind people of some forgotten fallen: Desert One, 1980, 8 dead; Beruit, 1983, 283 dead; USS STARK, 1986, 37 dead; First Gulf War, 1991, 165 dead; Khobar Towers, 1996, 19 dead; East Africa, 1998, 6 dead; USS COLE, 2000, 18 dead; Pentagon, 2001, 197 dead. WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN OUR FALLEN COMRADES. Now, we will get our due.
I love you.
Me
[As a personal aside, when I read that, I wonder how in the world anyone could classify either me or my husband "anti-American", but that's more a reflection of the people who utter such nonsense than anything else.]
Reading that, I think it's amazing how much can change in 5 years. My view on the war has certainly evolved, as I'm sure it has for many people who read about what has happened there over the past 5 years. It's sometimes hard for me to grapple with the fact that my husband's actions firing missiles at regime targets may have killed innocent Iraqis. It's been difficult for me not to feel as if I were used - that my support of my husband and his shipmates was used to create an Iraq that has fallen very short of the goals set out in 2003. I look at Iraq today - a government run by theocratic Shia muslims with close ties to Iran, and I think, is that really what I sent my husband off to fight for? Is that what nearly 4,000 American servicemen and women have died for, and what 30,0000 Americans have been wounded for? Is that really worth $1.5 billion dollars per week?
I wonder what Iraq will look like 5 years from now. I do not think the government will be friendly to the United States and Israel, something that the Iraq war planners told us was the goal. I do not think the government will be respectful of women's rights, something also sold to us as a reason for the war. I think Iraq will look much like it does today. I think we will still be having arguments about the number of troops serving there. I think there will still be several hundred (at least) killed there every year, and many more wounded. I think the country will be more fundamentalist, if that's even possible.
I'm not optimistic about the outcome there, and that's a shame, because as the emails I posted show, my husband and I were completely supportive of the war effort and the grand goals the United States had for Iraq. I suspect we are probably more representative of what Americans really think about the war than George Bush and his most ardent followers, who believe as strongly in the Iraq War today as they did on March 19, 2003.
It's over, Obama, so pack your bags, kid
You might have heard about Barack Obama and the momentous speech he gave yesterday. While many people were moved by hearing someone speak so eloquently about where the United States is some 40 years after Jim Crow ended, people like Michelle Malkin, Ann Althouse, and the braniacs at "The Corner" on National Review were not so moved. They did not like Obama's speech, so Barack, hang your hat proudly friend, because if you were not able to move people who would never vote for you, who mock your supporters, who despise your wife, and who belittle your beliefs, then it's just over, dude.
The part I liked most about his speech was this:
"For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle - as we did in the OJ trial - or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina - or as fodder for the nightly news. We can play Reverend Wright's sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she's playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.
We can do that.
But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we'll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.
That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, "Not this time." This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can't learn; that those kids who don't look like us are somebody else's problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. Not this time.
This time we want to talk about how the lines in the Emergency Room are filled with whites and blacks and Hispanics who do not have health care; who don't have the power on their own to overcome the special interests in Washington, but who can take them on if we do it together.
This time we want to talk about the shuttered mills that once provided a decent life for men and women of every race, and the homes for sale that once belonged to Americans from every religion, every region, every walk of life. This time we want to talk about the fact that the real problem is not that someone who doesn't look like you might take your job; it's that the corporation you work for will ship it overseas for nothing more than a profit.
This time we want to talk about the men and women of every color and creed who serve together, and fight together, and bleed together under the same proud flag. We want to talk about how to bring them home from a war that never should've been authorized and never should've been waged, and we want to talk about how we'll show our patriotism by caring for them, and their families, and giving them the benefits they have earned.
I would not be running for President if I didn't believe with all my heart that this is what the vast majority of Americans want for this country. This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected. And today, whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation - the young people whose attitudes and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this election."
Barack Obama is right. We can spend the next 7 months watching an endless run of clips from Jeremiah Wright's speeches - or we can talk about where we see the United States of America and our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan five years from now. We can spend the next 7 months obsessing about whether or not Barack Obama wears an American Flag lapel pin - or we can talk about what kind of America we want to be - one that supports torture, or one that respects the rule of law. We can spend the next 7 months discussing Michelle Obama's senior thesis, written in 1985 - or we can spend talk about the real problems the American economy is facing. We can spend the next 7 months talking about how Barack Obama's middle name is Hussein - or we can spend our time talking about the real health care crisis in this country.
The choice is ours. How do we want to spend the next seven months? I know how I want to spend them, and to those who say they would rather discuss Barack Obama's patriotism, his trip to Kenya, his wife's attitude, I say to them: fine. That is your right. But for those of us who see the direction our country is headed and don't like it, those who see what is happening in Iraq and want to change it, those who know families without health care and want to fix that, those who see injustice and want to help end it - we are simply moving on.
The part I liked most about his speech was this:
"For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle - as we did in the OJ trial - or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina - or as fodder for the nightly news. We can play Reverend Wright's sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she's playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.
We can do that.
But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we'll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.
That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, "Not this time." This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can't learn; that those kids who don't look like us are somebody else's problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. Not this time.
This time we want to talk about how the lines in the Emergency Room are filled with whites and blacks and Hispanics who do not have health care; who don't have the power on their own to overcome the special interests in Washington, but who can take them on if we do it together.
This time we want to talk about the shuttered mills that once provided a decent life for men and women of every race, and the homes for sale that once belonged to Americans from every religion, every region, every walk of life. This time we want to talk about the fact that the real problem is not that someone who doesn't look like you might take your job; it's that the corporation you work for will ship it overseas for nothing more than a profit.
This time we want to talk about the men and women of every color and creed who serve together, and fight together, and bleed together under the same proud flag. We want to talk about how to bring them home from a war that never should've been authorized and never should've been waged, and we want to talk about how we'll show our patriotism by caring for them, and their families, and giving them the benefits they have earned.
I would not be running for President if I didn't believe with all my heart that this is what the vast majority of Americans want for this country. This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected. And today, whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation - the young people whose attitudes and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this election."
Barack Obama is right. We can spend the next 7 months watching an endless run of clips from Jeremiah Wright's speeches - or we can talk about where we see the United States of America and our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan five years from now. We can spend the next 7 months obsessing about whether or not Barack Obama wears an American Flag lapel pin - or we can talk about what kind of America we want to be - one that supports torture, or one that respects the rule of law. We can spend the next 7 months discussing Michelle Obama's senior thesis, written in 1985 - or we can spend talk about the real problems the American economy is facing. We can spend the next 7 months talking about how Barack Obama's middle name is Hussein - or we can spend our time talking about the real health care crisis in this country.
The choice is ours. How do we want to spend the next seven months? I know how I want to spend them, and to those who say they would rather discuss Barack Obama's patriotism, his trip to Kenya, his wife's attitude, I say to them: fine. That is your right. But for those of us who see the direction our country is headed and don't like it, those who see what is happening in Iraq and want to change it, those who know families without health care and want to fix that, those who see injustice and want to help end it - we are simply moving on.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Éirinn go Brágh
A traditional Irish welcome:
"Here's Céad Míle Fáilte to friend and to rover
That's a greeting that's Irish as Irish can be
It means you are welcome
A thousand times over
Wherever you come from, Whosoever you be."
Irish blessings:
"May the roads rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
The rain fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of your hands."
"May you be poor in misfortunes and rich in blessings.
May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.
May good luck be your friend in whatever you do,
And may trouble be always a stranger to you."
Irish humor:
Two men were sitting next to each other at a bar. After a while, one guy looks at the other and says, "I can't help but think, from listening to you, that you're from Ireland "
The other guy responds proudly,"Yes, that I am"
The first guy says, "So am I. And whereabout from Ireland might you be?"
The other guy answers, "I'm from Dublin, I am."
The first guy responds,"Sure and begora, and so am I. And what street did you live on in Dublin?"
The other guy says,"A lovely little area it was, I lived on McCleary Street, in the old central Part of town.
The first guy says, "Faith and it's a small world, so did I. So did I! And to what school would you have been going?"
The other guy answers, "Well now, I went to St. Mary's of course."
The first guy gets really excited and says, "And so did I. Tell me, what year did you graduate?"
The other guy answers, "Well, now, let's see, I graduated in 1964."
The first guy exclaims, "The Good Lord must be smiling down upon us! I can hardly believe our good luck at winding up in the same bar. Can you believe it; I graduated from St. Mary's in 1964 my ownself."
About this time, Molly walks into the bar, sits down, and orders a beer.
Sean, the bartender, walks over to Molly, shaking his head, and mutters, "It's going to be a long night tonight." Molly asks, "Why do you say that, Sean?"
"The Murphy twins are drunk again."
Finally, a little Irish music. The Chieftains are truly a gift from Ireland. From the traditional Irish music they are famous for playing, to duets with musicians from around the globe, the Chieftains are a band to celebrate year round. The Corrs, another Irish band, appeared on the Chieftains 2002 release "The Wide World Over: A 40 Year Celebration" with the song "I Know My Love". Enjoy and Happy St. Patrick's Day!
"Here's Céad Míle Fáilte to friend and to rover
That's a greeting that's Irish as Irish can be
It means you are welcome
A thousand times over
Wherever you come from, Whosoever you be."
Irish blessings:
"May the roads rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
The rain fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of your hands."
"May you be poor in misfortunes and rich in blessings.
May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.
May good luck be your friend in whatever you do,
And may trouble be always a stranger to you."
Irish humor:
Two men were sitting next to each other at a bar. After a while, one guy looks at the other and says, "I can't help but think, from listening to you, that you're from Ireland "
The other guy responds proudly,"Yes, that I am"
The first guy says, "So am I. And whereabout from Ireland might you be?"
The other guy answers, "I'm from Dublin, I am."
The first guy responds,"Sure and begora, and so am I. And what street did you live on in Dublin?"
The other guy says,"A lovely little area it was, I lived on McCleary Street, in the old central Part of town.
The first guy says, "Faith and it's a small world, so did I. So did I! And to what school would you have been going?"
The other guy answers, "Well now, I went to St. Mary's of course."
The first guy gets really excited and says, "And so did I. Tell me, what year did you graduate?"
The other guy answers, "Well, now, let's see, I graduated in 1964."
The first guy exclaims, "The Good Lord must be smiling down upon us! I can hardly believe our good luck at winding up in the same bar. Can you believe it; I graduated from St. Mary's in 1964 my ownself."
About this time, Molly walks into the bar, sits down, and orders a beer.
Sean, the bartender, walks over to Molly, shaking his head, and mutters, "It's going to be a long night tonight." Molly asks, "Why do you say that, Sean?"
"The Murphy twins are drunk again."
Finally, a little Irish music. The Chieftains are truly a gift from Ireland. From the traditional Irish music they are famous for playing, to duets with musicians from around the globe, the Chieftains are a band to celebrate year round. The Corrs, another Irish band, appeared on the Chieftains 2002 release "The Wide World Over: A 40 Year Celebration" with the song "I Know My Love". Enjoy and Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Black is the new President $%&*@!
I'm a big Tina Fey fan, and not just because I can relate to the antics of a bespectacled, slightly nerdy 30-something who happens to be a soduku fanatic. I'm one of the dozens of fans of "30 Rock", which is easily the wittiest and best written show on television.
She appeared on SNL a few weeks back as the "Women's News Correspondent", and had this to say about Hillary Clinton's run for President:
So last night, Tracy Morgan - who is absolutely hilarious on "30 Rock" as the slightly insane star of "The Tracy Jordan show" - had this response:
SNL at it's funniest. Robin Givens as heavyweight champion? Priceless!
She appeared on SNL a few weeks back as the "Women's News Correspondent", and had this to say about Hillary Clinton's run for President:
So last night, Tracy Morgan - who is absolutely hilarious on "30 Rock" as the slightly insane star of "The Tracy Jordan show" - had this response:
SNL at it's funniest. Robin Givens as heavyweight champion? Priceless!
Happy 5th Anniversary!
Five years ago today, Vice President Richard B. "Dick" Cheney was a guest on Meet the Press with Tim Russert. It was 3 days before OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM began, a mere 24 hours before President George W. Bush adressed the nation and gave Saddam Hussein a 48 hour ultimatum to leave the country.
Here's what Dick Cheney said on Meet the Press, March 16, 2003:
Vice President Cheney: "Now, I think things have gotten so bad inside Iraq, from the standpoint of the Iraqi people, my belief is we will, in fact, be greeted as liberators. And the president's made it very clear that our purpose there is, if we are forced to do this, will in fact be to stand up a government that's representative of the Iraqi people, hopefully democratic due respect for human rights, and it, obviously, involves a major commitment by the United States, but we think it's a commitment worth making. And we don't have the option anymore of simply laying back and hoping that events in Iraq will not constitute a threat to the U.S. Clearly, 12 years after the Gulf War, we're back in a situation where he does constitute a threat.
Mr. Russert: "If your analysis is not correct, and we're not treated as liberators, but as conquerors, and the Iraqis begin to resist, particularly in Baghdad, do you think the American people are prepared for a long, costly, and bloody battle with significant American casualties?"
Vice President Cheney: "Well, I don't think it's likely to unfold that way, Tim, because I really do believe that we will be greeted as liberators. I've talked with a lot of Iraqis in the last several months myself, had them to the White House. The president and I have met with them, various groups and individuals, people who have devoted their lives from the outside to trying to change things inside Iraq. And like Kanan Makiya who's a professor at Brandeis, but an Iraqi, he's written great books about the subject, knows the country intimately, and is a part of the democratic opposition and resistance. The read we get on the people of Iraq is there is no question but what they want to the get rid of Saddam Hussein and they will welcome as liberators the United States when we come to do that. "
Well. I think we all know how that prediction has worked out. Or do we? The Washington Post reported Wednesday that only 28% of people surveyed could correctly answer the question of how many Americans have been killed in OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM. Less than 3 out of every 10 Americans know that the American death toll in the Iraq conflict is just shy of 4,000.
It used to be that the war was a backdrop on the nightly news, a casual 30 second mention of "3 soldiers killed" or "28 Iraqis killed in a bombing at a market". We hardly hear that anymore. I'm guessing most people couldn't tell you how many soldiers/sailors/airmen/Marines were killed in Iraq in February, let alone how many were lost in Afghanistan. For as little as we hear about Iraq, we hear even less about Afghanistan.
This weekend in Washington, DC, two competing veterans groups are marking the anniversary of Dick Cheney's famous - make that infamous - statement of March 16, 2003. One the one hand, you have Iraq Veterans Against the War, who are hosting the "Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan Eyewitness Accounts of the Occupations" symposiums. Here's a link to the Washington Post story from yesterday. On the other hand, you have Eagles UP! The money quote from today's Washington Post about this group:
"We're here to protest IVAW," the Iraq Veterans Against the War organization that sponsored Friday's event, David Russo, 47, of New York said in an interview. "We believe what all of them are saying is lies."
Russo, who has not served in the military, added that he and others recently held a rally in Times Square to show support for the military recruiters. "We brought them lunch, cake, ice cream and coffee," he said, adding that people in the station "loved us."
So that's where we are 5 years after Dick's appearance on Meet the Press. On one side you have actual living, breathing war veterans talking about their experiences, and on the other, you have actual living, breathing chickenhawks calling them liars. [Hey, Davey, here's an idea: next time you bring cakes and cookies to the recruiters, why don't you man up and enlist?]
In all fairness to Dick Cheney, the good news is that the Iraqi's are greeting some people as liberators: our enemies. Mission Accomplished!!
Here's what Dick Cheney said on Meet the Press, March 16, 2003:
Vice President Cheney: "Now, I think things have gotten so bad inside Iraq, from the standpoint of the Iraqi people, my belief is we will, in fact, be greeted as liberators. And the president's made it very clear that our purpose there is, if we are forced to do this, will in fact be to stand up a government that's representative of the Iraqi people, hopefully democratic due respect for human rights, and it, obviously, involves a major commitment by the United States, but we think it's a commitment worth making. And we don't have the option anymore of simply laying back and hoping that events in Iraq will not constitute a threat to the U.S. Clearly, 12 years after the Gulf War, we're back in a situation where he does constitute a threat.
Mr. Russert: "If your analysis is not correct, and we're not treated as liberators, but as conquerors, and the Iraqis begin to resist, particularly in Baghdad, do you think the American people are prepared for a long, costly, and bloody battle with significant American casualties?"
Vice President Cheney: "Well, I don't think it's likely to unfold that way, Tim, because I really do believe that we will be greeted as liberators. I've talked with a lot of Iraqis in the last several months myself, had them to the White House. The president and I have met with them, various groups and individuals, people who have devoted their lives from the outside to trying to change things inside Iraq. And like Kanan Makiya who's a professor at Brandeis, but an Iraqi, he's written great books about the subject, knows the country intimately, and is a part of the democratic opposition and resistance. The read we get on the people of Iraq is there is no question but what they want to the get rid of Saddam Hussein and they will welcome as liberators the United States when we come to do that. "
Well. I think we all know how that prediction has worked out. Or do we? The Washington Post reported Wednesday that only 28% of people surveyed could correctly answer the question of how many Americans have been killed in OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM. Less than 3 out of every 10 Americans know that the American death toll in the Iraq conflict is just shy of 4,000.
It used to be that the war was a backdrop on the nightly news, a casual 30 second mention of "3 soldiers killed" or "28 Iraqis killed in a bombing at a market". We hardly hear that anymore. I'm guessing most people couldn't tell you how many soldiers/sailors/airmen/Marines were killed in Iraq in February, let alone how many were lost in Afghanistan. For as little as we hear about Iraq, we hear even less about Afghanistan.
This weekend in Washington, DC, two competing veterans groups are marking the anniversary of Dick Cheney's famous - make that infamous - statement of March 16, 2003. One the one hand, you have Iraq Veterans Against the War, who are hosting the "Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan Eyewitness Accounts of the Occupations" symposiums. Here's a link to the Washington Post story from yesterday. On the other hand, you have Eagles UP! The money quote from today's Washington Post about this group:
"We're here to protest IVAW," the Iraq Veterans Against the War organization that sponsored Friday's event, David Russo, 47, of New York said in an interview. "We believe what all of them are saying is lies."
Russo, who has not served in the military, added that he and others recently held a rally in Times Square to show support for the military recruiters. "We brought them lunch, cake, ice cream and coffee," he said, adding that people in the station "loved us."
So that's where we are 5 years after Dick's appearance on Meet the Press. On one side you have actual living, breathing war veterans talking about their experiences, and on the other, you have actual living, breathing chickenhawks calling them liars. [Hey, Davey, here's an idea: next time you bring cakes and cookies to the recruiters, why don't you man up and enlist?]
In all fairness to Dick Cheney, the good news is that the Iraqi's are greeting some people as liberators: our enemies. Mission Accomplished!!
Friday, March 14, 2008
Yes, They're True
A few of my friends have emailed me and asked if the quotes I have up on the right side of this blog are actually things that online bloggers have said about me. Yup, they're all comments made to yours truly over the past year or so.
For those who are new to the "blogosphere", things can get a little rough at times. There's a lot of "I'm smarter than you" taunting and name calling. For the most part I've gotten off pretty lightly - there are a few people out there who seem to like calling me names and making fun of what I write. But that's part of what goes on out here on the "internets" every day, and I don't take it very seriously.
However. I did, as you can imagine, take the implication that I'm anti-American very poorly. I can't speak for my friends, but I'm guessing that's not a description they would use to define me. I'm as patriotic as the next person - flying my flag, voting in every election, taking part in political campaigns, volunteering my time in the community, and, of course, supporting my husband in his role as a military officer.
Here's my ironic take on patriotism: Before September 11, 2001, outside of our immediate family, most people - including our friends - had a passing interest in my husband's military career. The questions tended to be the "you're moving again?" type of inquiry. We did our thing and most people we knew didn't pay much attention. And before September 11th, I honestly do not recall one time when anyone ever questioned my patriotism, let alone my husband's. I guess it was fairly obvious to most people that a family devoted to military service is probably doing it for love of country.
Fast forward to September 12, 2001. We received many calls from friends wanting to know if we were OK. People wanted to shake my husband's hand and personally thank him for his service (and still do when we visit our families in our hometowns), and our parents and my grandmother began flying a blue-star service banner in their front window. Complete strangers - including people in the blogosphere - have gone out of their way to thank my husband for his service. The downside for us was that now our loyalty to the United States was completely open for debate - by complete and total strangers, who couldn't pick us out of a lineup if they tried - and something we've had to deal with more than once over the past 4 years.
People often say "September 11th changed everything". I think that' s true, but not in the way most people think. My country no longer appears to judge people on their actions, but merely on their words. Patriotism today seems to be determined this way: If you voted for George W. Bush, you're a true patriot. If not...well...despite being a combat veteran...maybe you're not such a good American after all.
I think that's wrong, and I hope that someday soon we go back to the September 10th "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" position on patriotism: don't ask me about my family's sacrifices, and don't tell me I'm not a patriotic American.
For those who are new to the "blogosphere", things can get a little rough at times. There's a lot of "I'm smarter than you" taunting and name calling. For the most part I've gotten off pretty lightly - there are a few people out there who seem to like calling me names and making fun of what I write. But that's part of what goes on out here on the "internets" every day, and I don't take it very seriously.
However. I did, as you can imagine, take the implication that I'm anti-American very poorly. I can't speak for my friends, but I'm guessing that's not a description they would use to define me. I'm as patriotic as the next person - flying my flag, voting in every election, taking part in political campaigns, volunteering my time in the community, and, of course, supporting my husband in his role as a military officer.
Here's my ironic take on patriotism: Before September 11, 2001, outside of our immediate family, most people - including our friends - had a passing interest in my husband's military career. The questions tended to be the "you're moving again?" type of inquiry. We did our thing and most people we knew didn't pay much attention. And before September 11th, I honestly do not recall one time when anyone ever questioned my patriotism, let alone my husband's. I guess it was fairly obvious to most people that a family devoted to military service is probably doing it for love of country.
Fast forward to September 12, 2001. We received many calls from friends wanting to know if we were OK. People wanted to shake my husband's hand and personally thank him for his service (and still do when we visit our families in our hometowns), and our parents and my grandmother began flying a blue-star service banner in their front window. Complete strangers - including people in the blogosphere - have gone out of their way to thank my husband for his service. The downside for us was that now our loyalty to the United States was completely open for debate - by complete and total strangers, who couldn't pick us out of a lineup if they tried - and something we've had to deal with more than once over the past 4 years.
People often say "September 11th changed everything". I think that' s true, but not in the way most people think. My country no longer appears to judge people on their actions, but merely on their words. Patriotism today seems to be determined this way: If you voted for George W. Bush, you're a true patriot. If not...well...despite being a combat veteran...maybe you're not such a good American after all.
I think that's wrong, and I hope that someday soon we go back to the September 10th "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" position on patriotism: don't ask me about my family's sacrifices, and don't tell me I'm not a patriotic American.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Positive vibes for the QB
I'm a lucky person in many, many ways. Besides having a wonderful, caring, loving husband and the two greatest children, I've got the best group of friends in the world. 5 of us met in Cairo, Egypt and dubbed ourselves "The Queens", partly because one of the Queens had a birthday party for her two girls and she got us plastic tiaras to wear, but mostly because, frankly, we are Queens.
One of the Queens (the esteemed QB) is having hip surgery today. She's probably the most determined person I know - she climbed Mt. Kiliminjaro because she wanted to. She's a real inspiration to the rest of us. She began a running regimen after Christmas to train for a 1/2 marathon held locally in late spring. Within a month or so, she was running up to 10 miles a day. Long story short, she twisted her ankle while training and also suffered a left hip fracture, which is being surgically repaired today.
So here's a shout out to you QB! Wishing you a safe and "E" factor free surgery, and a quick and painless recovery....inshallah....
Update: The Queen has been summarily discharged from the hospital and is out tooling around obtaining her prescription meds (you'll let me know if you get any medical marijuana, right?) The surgery went well....hamdulilah...and there are no "E" factors to report. Hopefully she'll stop by and give us the lowdown on getting screwed (twice) while under general anesthesia.
One of the Queens (the esteemed QB) is having hip surgery today. She's probably the most determined person I know - she climbed Mt. Kiliminjaro because she wanted to. She's a real inspiration to the rest of us. She began a running regimen after Christmas to train for a 1/2 marathon held locally in late spring. Within a month or so, she was running up to 10 miles a day. Long story short, she twisted her ankle while training and also suffered a left hip fracture, which is being surgically repaired today.
So here's a shout out to you QB! Wishing you a safe and "E" factor free surgery, and a quick and painless recovery....inshallah....
Update: The Queen has been summarily discharged from the hospital and is out tooling around obtaining her prescription meds (you'll let me know if you get any medical marijuana, right?) The surgery went well....hamdulilah...and there are no "E" factors to report. Hopefully she'll stop by and give us the lowdown on getting screwed (twice) while under general anesthesia.
Memo to Geraldine Ferraro: Please Stop Talking
I'm a news junkie. I read the Washington Post every morning, listen to NPR during the day, read political blogs as often as possible and catch the nightly news reports at dinner time. Last night, of course, the top story on network news was soon to be former NY Governor Eliot Spitzer's fall from grace. As a native New Yorker, I may post on that sometime soon, but for now, I'd like to focus on what I saw on the NBC Nightly newscast.
Ann Curry was hosting, and maybe 10 minutes into the program, she mentioned the controversy surrounding onetime Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro's comments regarding Barack Obama. Here's what she said:
"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."
Her performance on the Nightly News was nothing short of a train wreck. She was absolutely awful - defensive, pushy, arrogant and claimed that she was the victim of a smear by the Obama campaign. In short, she personified every negative quality people think Hillary Clinton has. And Gerry? You're not the victim here - you're the perpetrator.
[As an aside, let me say this: I like Geraldine Ferraro. I was a freshman in High School when she and Walter Mondale ran against Reagan/Bush in 1984. I was a trumpeter in the high school band, and our band was selected to perform at a Reagan rally at the Rochester, NY War Memorial in the fall of '84. Despite coming from a long lineage of Republicans, I knew then that I was a Democrat. I didn't want to go to the rally and asked the band leader if I could skip out on the event. He laughed and told me "You're going." So I went - with my Mondale/Ferraro button proudly pinned to my band uniform. ]
Sadly, Geraldine Ferraro's comments about Obama were not an isolated incident - she's made that point about him specifically over the past few months. She's also made similar comments other black politicians in the past - including in '88 when she said that (in reference to Jesse Jackson's "radical" views), "If Jesse Jackson were not black, he wouldn't be in the race."
I think that's why her comments bother me so much. First of all, they're preposterous. As Obama himself said
"I don't think Geraldine Ferraro's comments have any place in our politics or in the Democratic Party. They are divisive," he told the Allentown Morning Call. "I think anybody who understands the history of this country knows they are patently absurd. And I would expect that the same way those comments don't have a place in my campaign, they shouldn't have a place in Sen. Clinton's, either," he added.
I tend to think Ferraro's smarter than her comments, or at least, she should be. She has to know how her comments will be used by the opposition. The Republicans are sitting back watching us eat our own, taking notes and deciding what to use against us in the fall. I fault the Clinton campaign - why do you have your surrogates attack Obama for being black (Bill Clinton in South Carolina), why do you have your surrogates send out phony emails about Obama's "Muslim upbringing" (staffers in Iowa), and why are you producing things like the "3 am" ad against Obama? You're writing the attack ads that McBush will use against Obama (should he be the nominee) in the fall. Your surrogates are writing the attack lines that McBush will say about him in the fall. The Clinton team has apparently decided on a "scorched earth" strategy - they must completely destroy Barack Obama to win, and if Obama wins, he's such damaged goods that he's doomed to fail in November.
I'm glad Geraldine Ferraro has stepped down from whatever role she had in the Clinton camp. If her performance on the NBC news was similar to the performance she gave on the other networks, then she deserved to be fired, let go, or whatever else the campaign could do to her. And no playing the victim card. You said what you said, and based on what I saw last night, you completely stand by your words. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, and she's been around politics long enough to know that.
Ann Curry was hosting, and maybe 10 minutes into the program, she mentioned the controversy surrounding onetime Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro's comments regarding Barack Obama. Here's what she said:
"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."
Her performance on the Nightly News was nothing short of a train wreck. She was absolutely awful - defensive, pushy, arrogant and claimed that she was the victim of a smear by the Obama campaign. In short, she personified every negative quality people think Hillary Clinton has. And Gerry? You're not the victim here - you're the perpetrator.
[As an aside, let me say this: I like Geraldine Ferraro. I was a freshman in High School when she and Walter Mondale ran against Reagan/Bush in 1984. I was a trumpeter in the high school band, and our band was selected to perform at a Reagan rally at the Rochester, NY War Memorial in the fall of '84. Despite coming from a long lineage of Republicans, I knew then that I was a Democrat. I didn't want to go to the rally and asked the band leader if I could skip out on the event. He laughed and told me "You're going." So I went - with my Mondale/Ferraro button proudly pinned to my band uniform. ]
Sadly, Geraldine Ferraro's comments about Obama were not an isolated incident - she's made that point about him specifically over the past few months. She's also made similar comments other black politicians in the past - including in '88 when she said that (in reference to Jesse Jackson's "radical" views), "If Jesse Jackson were not black, he wouldn't be in the race."
I think that's why her comments bother me so much. First of all, they're preposterous. As Obama himself said
"I don't think Geraldine Ferraro's comments have any place in our politics or in the Democratic Party. They are divisive," he told the Allentown Morning Call. "I think anybody who understands the history of this country knows they are patently absurd. And I would expect that the same way those comments don't have a place in my campaign, they shouldn't have a place in Sen. Clinton's, either," he added.
I tend to think Ferraro's smarter than her comments, or at least, she should be. She has to know how her comments will be used by the opposition. The Republicans are sitting back watching us eat our own, taking notes and deciding what to use against us in the fall. I fault the Clinton campaign - why do you have your surrogates attack Obama for being black (Bill Clinton in South Carolina), why do you have your surrogates send out phony emails about Obama's "Muslim upbringing" (staffers in Iowa), and why are you producing things like the "3 am" ad against Obama? You're writing the attack ads that McBush will use against Obama (should he be the nominee) in the fall. Your surrogates are writing the attack lines that McBush will say about him in the fall. The Clinton team has apparently decided on a "scorched earth" strategy - they must completely destroy Barack Obama to win, and if Obama wins, he's such damaged goods that he's doomed to fail in November.
I'm glad Geraldine Ferraro has stepped down from whatever role she had in the Clinton camp. If her performance on the NBC news was similar to the performance she gave on the other networks, then she deserved to be fired, let go, or whatever else the campaign could do to her. And no playing the victim card. You said what you said, and based on what I saw last night, you completely stand by your words. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, and she's been around politics long enough to know that.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Syracuse Basketball Blows
...it again. By losing to Villanova in the Big East tourney, they just poorly played themselves right out of an NCAA tournament berth. There's no joy in mudville tonight, especially for us 'Cuse fans. 19-13 is a decent record I suppose, but finishing 9-9 in a tough conference (5 Big East teams are in the Top 25) is not going to get you a spot on the tourney bracket. Bummer.
Thanks for stopping by!
Well hello friends! This is my new blog and I'm taking it out for a spin around the block. I've been thinking about starting my own blog for some time now...so fasten your seat belts, it's gonna be a bumpy ride!
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