Existential Ennui

~ Searching for Meaning Amid the Chaos

Existential Ennui

Tag Archives: energy

First Ever (but not last) Stupido Award of the Day, Week, or Month

08 Friday Jul 2011

Posted by Sherry in Economy, Election 2012, Energy, Environment, Essays, GOP, Michelle Backmann, teabaggers, What's Up?

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Chris Christie, economy, energy, GOP, Joe Barton, Michele Bachman, Orin Hatch, Stupido Awards, taxes, teabaggers

A few minutes in my reader each day usually leaves me foaming at the mouth at the utter idiocy that passes for lawmaking in this country. Never has a country suffered such buffoonery as we endure.

Each day I find examples on the federal and state level of excessive stupidity that somehow managed to get elected and purport to “govern” us, those they so lovingly call the American people.

They presume to know what I, (an American person) want, believe, and support. Mr. Boehner for instance tells me that I don’t want higher taxes, while Mr. Reid tells me I do. I am simultaneously for and against the debt limit being raised.

So today we have a large contingent of lawmakers, (and any others that fit the bill), all vying for your vote as the STUPIDO of the day, week, or month. (I suppose we could find a new array every hour, but that would be taxing our sanity.)

First up to bat is Joe Barton, (R-TX). This dimwit in the US House wishes to repeal the light bulb efficiency standards law enacted bipartisanly back in the times of Dubya. Contender Barton mumbles something about government over reach in interfering with states, and something unintelligible about mercury (about which he has already established a lack of credentials) in his fight to cost the taxpayers both jobs and money.

Joe Blowheart wants us to lose 12 billions in energy savings, so he can poke a stick at somebody (presumably Democrats). By the way, the manufacturing industry approves wholeheartedly the move over to high efficiency light bulbs.

Joe Barton–a worthy candidate for the Stupido award.

P.S. Joe jackass was the one who apologized to BP for expecting them to pay for the clean-up of the Gulf oil disaster.

♦

 Candidate number two is the dear “being gay is a choice” presidential wannabe, Michele *forget I said that* Bachmann. Michele can’t decide what is more important to the future of America–jobs and the economy, the hated “Obamacare” or as she terms it,”the most important issue facing the country in the next 30 years–gay marriage.”

While most GOPers manage to hide their delight at the stagnant economy, Michele doesn’t bother. She understands that the American people are happy remain unemployed and lose their jobs if it means that it gives her a better chance at winning the top spot.

When asked if she found it ironic that as the economy floundered her chances improved, she admitted that that might well be, “at least I hope so.“

♦

Contendah numeral three: Orin Hatch the booby from Utah says he is just really sick and tired of the poor whining about how the rich get all the breaks. Time for the poor to step up and pay their fair share of the taxes in this country.

Hatchet brain of course doesn’t know what he is talking about.

♦

Fourth offering: NJ State Senate Prez, Stephen Sweeney. This dunderhead cut a deal with Chris Christie, the rotund and all-around arrogant bully Governor, that screwed with unions pensions and health care in the state. Sweeney thought Christie would honor their deal. But then Christie is a GOPer and Sweeney shoulda known better.

Gov Chris used his line-item veto to slash and cut Sweeney into tiny pieces, punishing every Democratic move in the budget.

So Sweeney has been calling Christie names ever since, but I suspect it won’t be enough to save him from the Democrats who were appalled at his treason. Sweeney did a deal with the devil and is shocked that the devil didn’t play fair.

Is he your choice?

♦

So dat’s it folks. You got four choices here. Vote and tell me who should win the Stupido Award! Vote often. No ID required. Ballots will be judged on creativity! Write-ins welcome. My decision is not subject to logic.

Related articles
  • NJ Senate President Irate Over Christie’s Late Budget Cuts; Calls Gov. ‘Bully And A Punk’ (newyork.cbslocal.com)
  • A political odd couple build each other up in NJ (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

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And the Beat Goes On

30 Saturday Apr 2011

Posted by Sherry in Budget, Corporate America, Economy, Energy, Entertainment, fundamentalism, GOP, Humor, Satire, teabaggers, What's Up?

≈ 17 Comments

Tags

Buck Rogers, economy, energy, energy tax credits, Entertainment, fundamentalism, GOP, Pat Robertson, sci-fi, taxes, teabaggers, wacko religious right, Wal-Mart

Well, it IS the weekend, and it’s not like I’ve squandered the entire morning. I have a load of wash under my belt, and new bedding down. But I have to admit, I’m feeling rather lazy.

That’s one good reason to slip over to Infidel753 and save yourself time and trouble. He’s really got a smashingly good list of links that will keep you busy for several hours. I saw a good half-dozen that I need to take a look at.

Like a wack-a-mole, Pat Robertson keeps popping up with more unGodly, mean and hateful rhetoric. Today he tells us that Amerika has turned into Sodom and Gomorrah. No prayer in schools, abortions, homosexuals running rampant, and our Christianist principles all gone amok since they were lovely laid down by our Christian forefathers. It’s just a mess, and Pat just knows there are at least 10 righteous Americans (Abraham bargained God down to 10 righteous in S & G to save it from destruction).  What Pat knows about Sodom and Gomorrah would fit on the end of one nugget of brimstone. Shaddup already.

♦

The President is calling upon Congress to end gas and oil company tax breaks. Given their outrageous profits the last few years, it would seem that the President is on the side of both right and the public here. It shall be interesting to see how the sycophant GOP will respond as it seeks to protect its interests. Expect the usual “drill baby drill” rhetoric along with whining about “too much regulation.”

♦

I have more beefs against Wal-Mart than you can shake a stick at. The problem for us is that living on a tight budget, their prices cannot be beat. But we have weaned ourselves off to the point where we don’t get our groceries there, except for one or two things that we can’t get elsewhere. Still, it means that we are spending more than $400 a month elsewhere, and that is an accomplishment.

Whether you hate them for their union-hating methods or because they destroy small-town businesses, read this report from AlterNet and you will be confirmed in your determination to shop elsewhere.

♦

If you are like me, many days, you don’t have much time to read really good but long articles. There is a service that picks the best of the weeks long reads and presents them to you with the length, and if one strikes your fancy, perhaps you can find time for just that one. Anyway, you can sign up for this service here. It’s called “Longreads”.

♦

Heads up all you old sci-fi nuts. TMC is running the old old old Buck Rogers series. I mean the one from the 40’s. I mean with Buster Crabbe. I mean the worst worst graphics ever known to sci-fi movie-making. Well, excepting perhaps the Attack of the Shrews. That was pretty darn awful. Anyway, look it up in your guides or on-line. We caught the very first episode last week. I’d never seen it. Buck was in dirigibles before he was in space. It was hysterical, and I roared the entire time. Cool people watch really bad sci-fi! (I think they are on Saturday night. We TIVO everything so I’m not exactly sure.)

♦

GOPer’s have tons of excuses why they can’t tax the rich. Chris Christie came up with the latest: tax the wealthy and they will just up and move to another state. Well, studies show that that just ain’t the case. Political Irony has the story and the facts.

♦

And that’s all ya need for today. Go out and smell the daffodils.

What’s on the stove: hotdogs, backed beans, cole slaw.

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Bad News is Everywhere

15 Tuesday Mar 2011

Posted by Sherry in Corporate America, Energy, Essays, GOP, Humor, Japan, poverty, Satire, War/Military, What's Up?, World Political Affairs

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

corporate elites, energy, environment, GOP, Japan, Libya, Manning, Michigan, Military, nuclear energy, Qaddafi, wikileaks

Word out of Japan is not good. Meltdown remains a real possibility. I understand radiation levels are increasing even in Tokyo, though they are no way alarming at this time.

Still, this scenario must be horrifying to those living and present on the island. Historic memories are recalled, and this must heighten the fear.

I am nearly numb from the pictures and the numbers. Severe quakes still continue to come ever few hours. People are washing up on shore in numbers that sear the mind. One can but wonder how relief workers can carry on. I have no words, just prayers and agonized thoughts.

♦

Meanwhile, things continue to be bleak for rebels forces in Libya. Qaddafi’s mercenaries are gaining ground at every turn it seems. Promises of amnesty are seen for what they are, mere lies. No one doubts that Qaddafi intends to destroy everyone connected with the rebel uprising. While everyone seems on board with a no-fly zone, none is so far implemented.

If Qaddafi gets away with this slaughter, they other tyrants will become emboldened that they too can simply murder opposition without concern for anything more than words from the International Community. This is simply immoral.

I have no doubt that there are no easy solutions, but we cannot merely sit back and watch this horror. The countries of the world must address this issue of rogue states and decide on a strategy and then implement it. Otherwise, these things will continue as they have so far decade after decade.

♦

Pfc. Bradley Manning is incarcerated at Quantico, Va, for allegedly turning over WikiLeaks material. I have no opinion on that frankly, although I’m predisposed to think that the more we the public knows the better. The whole idea of “secret” smacks to me of convenience whereby leadership in any country can do all manner of things intolerable to average folks in the name of “national security.”

In any event, what is happening to Mr.Manning is unconscionable and immoral. He is being kept in solitary confinement, being allowed to “walk around a room in shackles for one hour per day.” His clothes are taken from him and night, and not returned until he is “inspected” the next day. I don’t know if he is allowed any media material, books, TV or the like.

What I can tell you is this. When I was a law student, I did an in-depth study of the death penalty in Michigan, my home state. I learned that the death penalty was deliberately avoided in favor of solitary confinement, for the precise reason that it was considered more cruel.

After using it for some years, the head of the penal system begged the legislature to allow some time in general population for those prisoners. Solitary confinement tended to produce death or insanity within about three years.

Efforts to see Manning by many, the latest I believe being Dennis Kucinich, have been rebuffed.

If we are a compassionate people, a moral people, we should be contacting our representatives in Congress.

♦

It gets more and more painful to report how Republican legislators and their Rethug Governors are putting in place a world that is safe for corporate greed to have the day, and at the same time tax the poor.

In Michigan, the GOP passed legislation allowing the Governor to declare “economic states of emergency” in any town and move in, cancelling contracts (labor), seizing assets and selling them, and firing elected officials.

Further cuts are made against the poor and working class by cancelling a $500 child tax credit, credits for seniors and other such things, all the while cutting corporate taxes by 86%. Yes, you read that right. When added all up, the taxes fall most harshly on the poorest, while the richest people in the state suffer only 0.1% increase.

This is what you get from Republicans. They do the bidding of their corporate masters.  

♦

And just because the news is so god-awful terrible today, this:

Related Articles
  • More on Manning (feministphilosophers.wordpress.com)
  • How far – and how fast – will Qaddafi’s forces push into Libya’s ‘liberated’ east? – CSMonitor.com (csmonitor.com)

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The World Went On Without ME?

10 Tuesday Aug 2010

Posted by Sherry in Catholicism, Energy, Environment, Essays, fundamentalism, Humor, Italian, Newt Gingrich, Pasta, racism, Recipes, Satire, Vegetables, What's Up?, Zoology

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Catholicism, corn, energy, environment, fundamentalism, Internet, Muslims, Newt Gingrich, pasta, racism, Recipes, right wing, Zoology

It always comes as a bit of shock to me when the world doesn’t grind to a halt when I am somehow incommunicado. Yet, it seems that everyone went blithely on, mostly unaware that I was not producing fine literature for you to consume every day.

I shall remember this! Vengeance is sweet. When you least expect it, I shall get my revenge on everyone who actually lived life just fine thank you, with nary a thought about poor little old me. So, harrumph!

Not sure how things are around your neighborhood, but it’s intolerably hot and humid here. Everyone is grouchy.

Did I mention that it was hot? Dinner is a nice big romaine salad with feta and a ranch steak sliced on top. Some bread sticks. It’s all I can manage. It’s hot. It’s muggy. It’s miserable. Fans going everywhere. It’s hot.

Epicurious has a really nice recipe that seems perfect for the day. Pasta with corn pesto. Not too much effort, I’d make it except for the pasta in the morning and just reheat for a nice light meal with a salad and roll. Did I mention that about the only crop we got from the garden this soggy year was corn? Well, we put up 39 servings, which should take us through pretty near to next season.

I kept ready more hate stuff about Muslims and felt compelled to write our local Mosque here in Cedar Rapids (which has a really historic role in America by the way) and to the Imam who is in charge of the  proposed Islamic Center in NYC. I received lovely replies from both. Please consider just offering a word of support to your local Islamic community. And you can write to the Cordoba Initiative (for the NYC Islamic Center) at the following places:

FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cordoba-Initiative/134998249864725?ref=ts
BLOG http://cordobainitiative.wordpress.com/
TWITTER http://twitter.com/cordobainit
WEBSITE www.cordobainitiative.org

It is essential that we combat this war of hatred being waged by a very few fundamentalist Christians and their instigators, the far right politicos, who are willing to risk violence in pursuit of votes.

Apparently there is quite a juicy article in Esquire this month by one of Newt (slippery) Gingrich ex-wives. It’s pretty much what you would expect of a right wing spouter of “family values” who tells his wife he need not live by what he preaches. He’s indispensable you see, and can be forgiven his many peccadillo’s. Of course he’s a fine Roman Catholic now, having annulled all the trouble away. (H/T) to Right Wing Watch)

There’s a weird little article at the NYTimes Science section on ugly animals. We are predisposed to like furry binocular visioned animals and dislike others. Some pics and some talk about how we just don’t like the creepy among us.

Did I mention it’s hot? I thought I forgot. Mauigirl recognized just how hot it was and escaped to the cabin in the woods. I live in the woods, and did I neglect to say it’s hot? She has some venting to do. It’s worth reading. So go there, and read about how the US is falling to wrack and ruin while European countries PLAN FOR A FUTURE–we’re too busy playing gotcha politics. Nero fiddled? The grasshopper played? Remember any of this folks?

I seem to have become generic again. My feather is missing on comments I leave. What gives WordPress?

Jan at Yearning for God fell and has some minor damage. Stop by and give her a hello. I’m sure it will help her feel better!

NCR‘s Melissa Musick Nussbaum has an older but still important post on sticking with your church even when the fit has become uncomfortable. Food for thought.

See the right wing is evil. More so than you think. Given their rich only, racist rhetoric, that seems most apparent. And as much as the scrabble about our “freedoms being trampled” it seems they are the ones always doing the trampling. Witness how they are trying to manipulate DIGG to reflect greater traffic on right wing sites and burying liberal voices. I guess their freedom is my stifled voice.

Well, since I have just noticed that it’s HOT, I’m going off to shower, and get under a fan for a while. Keep cool.

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Short Takes on the Day, 09/03/09

03 Thursday Sep 2009

Posted by Sherry in Astronomy, Barack Obama, Captioned, Education, Energy, Environment, Geology, GOP, Humor, Knitting, Sarah Palin

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

anniversary, astronomy, Chevron, Crafts, education, EFM, energy, exobiology, GOP, Humor, knitting, Levi Johnston, Obama, oil companies, right wing, Sarah Palin

Well, I’m about churched out, at least yakking about it for a while. I know my readership is kind of split between those that like religion posts and those that would rather not, but I’m back on more secular ground today, and we are going to hop around and see what’s afoot.

***

First on the agenda is that the Contrarian and I are celebrating ten years of wedded bliss today. That means dinner out which is about all we do. We could say we celebrate every day, but seriously we don’t lack from spending time together so it’s not that big a deal to either of us. We got a lovely card from CEC. It was lovely to be remembered.

Last night I had my first EFM class, and I came home with HOMEWORK!. Not that I didn’t expect it. I’m eagerly looking forward to this wonderful opportunity to explore the bible in even greater depth than I have so far.

Now, on to the goodies!

***

sweaterI’d describe myself as a novice but competent knitter. I have made two sweaters, both of which I still wear. I have yarn and a beginning for another, as well as a couple of other projects, and I’m getting that knitting urge once again, so I expect to start soon.

Vicki, over at knittingdragonflies, has turned me on to a totally new concept to me, the top down method. Most sweaters, as I’ve seen are started from the bottom and knitted in sections that you then piece together. This method obviously starts from the top, and I think is done in one piece. I’m interested and intrigued. If you are slip over and get your instructions. Happy crafting!

I admit, it’s been a long time since I posted a craft link! Hopefully I’ll find a tasty recipe or two as well. But you know me, I can never pass up the chance to slander a Rethug along the way, and the choices are sooooooo many!

***

planetsAs many of you already know, my point in these Short Takes is to make you the darling of the cocktail and dinner party, and the go to person at the water cooler. My goal is to give you that eclectic education that makes you look smart and so with it among your peers, and indeed makes you stand above to be admired and fawned over as the person who just knows everything.

So you probably need to know that the Kepler, as in Johannes Mission is a creation of NASA designed to find habitable worlds around distant stars. Word is that they are finding it might be possible to locate exomoons around some of those planets. So we have a double chance of finding habitable orbs in the sky. The technology hopes to allow the scientific ones the ability to detect the imperceptible wobble that occurs when a planet is pulled by both its sun and its moon.

All this is of course important because the need to transport to another world becomes increasingly attractive as the GOP continues to ramp up the craziness that has attacked them for the past twenty years or so. Sane humans may have no choice but to leave to preserve said sanity as it were. The only small problems left to address will be things like faster than light travel, and incidentals like how to create food replicators ala Star Trek. We are clear that we can’t live any kind of civilized life without them!

***

schoolchildrenMore wingbat shittery from the Rethugs and their spokesmorons. It seems that President Obama has done a piece that school districts can optionally play to their kids when they return to school. It’s all about working hard and being good students and learning some stuff. Pretty much what you would want you kids to know huh?

Not so, the right wing nut cases. No, this is “indoctrination” and right out of Maoist dogma. All the usual players are weighing in and that means you know its bunk. But no doubt they will convince their duped minions to raise the usual hue and cry.

Increasingly mainstream America looks with tired disbelief at the robotic lock-step ranting of the mostly evangelical ultra right.

But it does point up something. With only the promise and the verbal ranting on abortion and gay rights, you can convince the religious right to ignore its own self interest and vote for those who economically and politically destroy them. And better yet, the actual politicians can continue their own personal lascivious living. Getting caught means only having to say you are sorry and the devil made you do it.

***
funny pictures of cats with captions
see more Lolcats and funny pictures

This pretty much sums up my knowledge of how cars work. From toasters to nuclear power plants, if it needs electricity or runs on a motor, I prefer to think of it as magic. I work under the theory that there is only so much room in my noggin, and I don’t clutter up the space with stuff I don’t need to know. Plug it in, turn the key, work.

amazon_oil_0815***

It is undoubtedly true that the way to potty train a dog is to keep it kenneled and take it out at regular intervals. The animal will not “foul” its sleeping quarters.

One might assume that oil companies, specifically Chevron,  operate on the same principle. If Ecuador is any evidence, they have fouled that country mightily with their obscene practices.

After doing their best to cast dirt on the litigants and the judge, they are prepared to accept that they are going to be held liable to the tune of 27 billion.  The people there are suffering from increases in cancer, miscarriages, birth defects and other problems.

This is of course the ugly American syndrome for which we are so famous. We screw other people in other countries for our personal benefit. Chevron, I suspect would not even have qualms about doing the same in the good ole US of A. Good reason to keep them out of the drilling business in Alaska and off shore.

***

levi-johnston-0910Okay, don’t get me wrong, I’m no fan of Levi Johnston. He strikes me as a fairly vacuous human being, who hasn’t given much thought to much beyond his own nose yet in his short life.

But, given that he was the almost son-in-law of our dear Sarah (The Quitter) Palin, he remains in the news.

With competing desires to sell books and make some money, they undoubtedly will both view this feud as helpful to their respective endeavors. If they should join forces, they would only need another 3/4 of a brain to be an intact human being.

Still, if you have the desire to read about Mr. Johnston’s take on Mrs. Palin, no better place can be found than Vanity Fair, the best of the scrumptious interview mags. (I still have my copy of the one they did on Johnny Depp a month or so ago, and I’m not letting go of it anytime soon.)

No doubt half of what Levi has to say is pure bunk, but then that means half is scintillating gossipy goodies. You can pick and choose which you want to believe of course.

Which all goes to show ya that the human species is a hardy bunch. As the evidence builds that a huge portion of the US public is stone cold crazy as loonies, these two prove that life does indeed go on in the human zoo.

Until next time!

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Short Takes on the Day 10/10/08

10 Friday Oct 2008

Posted by Sherry in Bush, Energy, Humor, John McCain, Literature, Uncategorized, US Parties-Elections, Veterans, Voting, War/Military

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Bush, energy, Humor, Literature, McCain, Military, PTSD, Sarah Palin, Veterans, voting

Voter suppression is key to Republican success  and has been for several cycles now. Since they are the minority party in terms of voter identification, it makes sense for them to do everything possible to keep the numbers of voters low. Of course, morality isn’t part of their vocabulary. There have been numerous posts in the blogging world about the problem and the various nefarious ways in which Rethugs are trying to cheat their way into the White House. The American Prospect  has a fine article on the issue, but more importantly a number to call if you are threatened or hear of things that don’t seem quite right to you. Make sure you are armed to protect everyone’s right to vote this November. Voter protection hotline (866-Our-Vote). Lawyers should probably contact their local Democratic Party to volunteer.

I don’t know if you have seen the trailers for the new movie by Oliver Stone about our favorite boy idiot, George W. I don’t care if it’s good or bad, I can’t wait to see it and guffaw at the bumblings of the boy who shocked his mom when he announced, “they want me to run for President.” To her credit Barbara didn’t ask “of what?” Instead she said, “you’ve got to be kidding.” Saying that was no doubt a feat, given that she was fighting swallowing her dentures. Robert Scheer,  gives us his take on the Bush years and why McCain would only brings the same mindset to the White House.

The McCain campaign saw it’s wannabe first lady make a major gaffe, and one that strikes home for me at least. She, quick to assure America that her hubby didn’t suffer from PTSD caused by his time in Vietnam, claims that the reason is simple. He was trained not to get it.Whereas, the poor draftees were not trained and therefore got it. Veterans are upset, as you might expect. Cindy, fluffy head, please don’t tread in areas where you have no knowledge. Are you truly suggesting that draftees and others who don’t attend elite military academies aren’t trained? And psst, hubby was an abysmal 884 out of 889 in his graduating class. Ummm, what might that suggest little air head?

This is without linkage. I heard this last evening on something or other. I believe it was another of those Hannity puffy piece interviews at Foolish Noise. Our intrepid wannabe supreme commander claimed, (and I know I have heard him claim it in other places) that Ms. Palin is “a universally acknowledged expert in the area of gas and oil energy.” Now, my simple question would be this: Please give me the names and dates of all the international energy conferences at which she was asked to speak as said expert. Should be easy enough, no? Oh I forgot, she only got a passport last year. Okay, well then, those in the lower 48. My email is troyspeyton at att.net, just in case you have trouble locating me. I’ll let you know readers, should I receive a reply. No I won’t hold my breath either.

Okay, if that wasn’t your humor treat for the day, then perhaps this will do. Once upon a time there was a radio talk show host, who was of the rightwing wingnuttery persuation. He wrote a book, and gee, he had his agent lug it around the greater New York landscape attempting to sell the fine literature to a publishing house. He was a great writer, having written his little ditty in a month or so. Trouble is, nobody was buying it, and the agent? he gave up trying. The name of the Pulitzer in waiting?  “How Sarah Palin Won the Election. . .and Saved America.”  The trouble was, they kept taking it to the section on politics/current events instead of comic humor. Yeah, it would have sold in the humor section. Or perhaps fantasy?

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Lil Bits of Rancor or Not 9/19/08

19 Friday Sep 2008

Posted by Sherry in Archaeology, Cakes, Cookies, Election 2008, Energy, Environment, fundamentalism, Gay Rights, Greece, John McCain, Poultry, Spain, Tex-Mex, Uncategorized, US Parties-Elections, Voting, World History

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Archaeology, cake, chicken, cookies, dessert, Election 2008, energy, environment, fundamentalism, gay rights, Greek history, John McCain, Sarah Palin, Spain, tex-mex, voting

Starting out with good news, it appears that the bloom is definitely off the flower as regards the Palin candidacy. The cracks are there, and the buckling is starting to occur. Nearly 1500 gathered to denounce her candidacy in Alaska (that is a huge number for Alaska folks). The media seems to be ready to fight back at last, and there are plenty saying that only the most rabid racist hate mongers among us will be voting for that ticket in November.

Oh, I just love Tex-Mex if you hadn’t heard. And one of my favorites at the restaurant anyway is Chimichangas. Baking Delights  has a wonderful recipe that doesn’t require deep frying which is such a mess and since her brisket recipe was SOOOOO GOOOOD, I’m assuming this will be a hit too. These are for chicken but I’m sure you could substitute about any meat you like.

In a tour de force, the NYTimes  has vetting Ms Palin themselves, and boy what they have turned up is enough to curl your nose hairs as they say. It’s all cronyism and strong arm tactics and plenty of secrecy. Sound familiar? Believe me this is one damning article and you should read it. I’ve been saying that Palin would be relegated to a closet in a McCain administration. I may have been very wrong. It may be McCain who is shoved in the corner. This woman is an egomaniac on a mission to be president herself.

Oh boy, and don’t miss Frank Rich’s op ed in the Times  on the 13th. It is simplya scathing indictment of Palin and the weak McCain who now holds onto her coat tails hoping she can drag him into the White House.

We seem ruled by polls these days. And they seem to go up and down and round and round with little agreement. Distributor Cap NY  tries to make some sense out of them, and tries to explain to us how they should be viewed. I’d take a look and read his analysis and then you will understand why they are not the things to place too much credence in.

The mere mention of the word chocolate and I am there! So here is a lovely recipe, reprinted at Epicurious  from Gourmet Magazine. Chocolate-Glazed Chocolate Tart  is easy to make and will soothe the savage beast of a chocolate addiction. Don’t miss it.

There is a new website called Women Against Sarah Palin. You should take a look. Impressive response by women in America. They have an email and you can give you views of Ms. Palin some of which will be printed on their site. Email them at womensaynopalin@gmail.com. Please do so and make your voice heard. The tide is beginning to turn. We need your help.

Remember when Sarah and John told us that she was qualified to handle the economy since Alaska produced 20% of all US energy? WRONG. According to experts, even under the broadest definition, Alaska contributes at best 7.5%, and under traditional definitions, they produce only 3.5%. They lie it seems about everything. Alaska is 9th in production behind states like Texas and Wyoming. This was fact checked by the Washington Post  and brought to us by Ezra Klein.

Garrison Keillor gives us his take on the remade Republican party. Just forget the past  (and our responsibilities for it) and write a “new narrative” as the people who are going to clean up the mess we made. As always, nobody says it quite like Mr. Keillor. Enjoy the ride.

More bad news for McCain. It seems his pundit buddies, Richard Cohen, and now David Brooks are jumping off the trackand saying, “gone too far there John, we’re done with ya.” His colossal dishonor in picking Palin is just a tad too much for even some of his former supporters.

Joseph Welch? Remember him? He is the guy who finally put an end to the McCarthy hearings with the well placed words, “Have you no sense of decency sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?” History News Network  says this campaign of McCain’s is simply stunning in its use of lies and deception. If this works, then there facts and issues no longer matter at all, it’s just about skillful manipulation of facts to distort character. The answer, a well placed Welch remark in the debates. I hope it happens, and I’ve been predicting that Obama will push the buttons of Mr. McCain until he erupts. And that shall be that as they say. End of campaign.

If you are tired of the old rhetoric of gotcha politics, head over to Institute for America’s Future where they make a fine attempt to actually discuss the issues. There is a forum there as well. I haven’t had time to look it over very carefully but I got the tip from Hullabaloo.

Maureen Dowd  has a not to miss article this week. She slams dear Sarah for her non-thinking approach to running the world. Just platitudes and well, Sarah is sounding more and more like Dubya than Dubya did. Not a McCain clone at all, she’s a carbon copy of our dumb boy Bush himself. And we know where that got us don’t we?

I know you, like me, are always desperately happy to learn more about Troy. No not where I live, but where the whole Trojan Horse thing came about from. You know, Homer, Illiad? Ringing a bell? Sure, I knew it would. Well there are ongoing excavations going on there, and so I thought you would appreciate an update. Go to rogueclassicism  and read all about what they are learning these days.

A reader of this blog, Shannon, brought this to my attention, and I think it’s one of those things that we all should bookmark and read whenever we get depressed during this never ending election cycle. Anne Lamont offers us sage advice on how to deal with the insanity generated by the McCain campaign.

Two excellent entries from Scandalous Women today. One is a scandalous biography ofthe woman pope, Olimpia Maidalchini. No she wasn’t elected pope, but her brother was, and the word is she wielded the real power. And the second, right below, is a list of 100 of the best history blogs. So if you love history, check that out.

Lots of baking in the fall, as the kitchen is cool. You might want to try these Pistachio White Chocolate Cookies. These seem rather unusual and well, nuts and chocolate just go together. You can of course substitute white chocolate for any of your liking. I generally prefer bittersweet myself, but heck,  who are we kidding, there is no bad chocolate.

We of the liberal persuasion all know that if Barack Obama had Sarah Palin’s “qualifications” or did the things she and John do, he and his family would be vilified in ways that are too disgusting to relate.  Acts of Hope  has a fine piece that she got from Tim Wise on what it means to be White Privileged. If you haven’t had a chance to read it, stop by now and do so. It is very true. And I need to thank a number of folks like FranIAm  who have done similar whatif’s.

I’d recommend Susan Posner’s column, The Fundamentalist  this week at American Prospect.  She has a good perspective on the evangelical wacko right and how they have infiltrated and control the McCain campaign platform. They see Palin as their best hope of controlling McCain, whom they have always been suspicious of. They see her choice as their return to firm power. I suspect they are right. Let’s hope they don’t win.

Good news for gay marriage proponents. Prop 8 in California is losing steam and now trails by 17 points in the polls. I find this so wonderful and delight frankly in the fact that the wingnuttery right is gnashing their teeth over this development. They continue to tout that they are giving voice to the majority, but I submit that this isn’t the case! Bravo to Californians.

We reported yesterday that Old McCain got confused when being interviewed by a Spanish radio stationperson and didn’t apparently know who Jose Luiz  Rodriguez Zapatero was. Randy Scheunemann claims that of course that is wrong, he knew perfectly well who he was, but in his own bumbling round about way, he was just suggesting that he was going to continue the snub that Bush has started for the Spanish leader, when Zapatero withdrew his troops from Iraq. Well, okay, if you want to buy that rhetoric which is obviously silly, go ahead. So McCain is once again promising a continuation of Bush policies. That works! (So why did he say he would be happy to meet with Zapatero merely five months ago?) I just want to thank McCain now for screwing up relations with another ally. Good going there big guy. Ain’t senility a bitch?

Sorry, but the old dude is not to be believed. In trying to drum up voter support for his off shore drilling mantra, the dull one touts that oil rigs are safe and come through hurricanes just fine, and “fish love them.”No explanation for the latter remark of course, just the usual nonsense that pops into the old guy’s head. But the bit about oil rigs having no problems with hurricanes is simply absurd. Hurricanes Rita and Katrina destroyed 113 rigs off shore, and three rigs simply disappeared and their whereabouts is unknown. Untold spills were also the result. As they say, yes, and telephone wires are essential to the habitat of birds too. Caretakers, come in and clean up another one for da loony boss.

Okay, so I have to finish with AA. Today is a special, his love letter to  his wife. I know you will enjoy it, and you will recognize perhaps some things about your own spouse. Might be a good time to mention one or two. 🙂

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