Bus Fumes

Sooooo...

• The media thinks President Chicken Little is too thin-skinned...
  
  
• Pajamas Media thinks his speeches and interactions are in bad form...
  
  
• The UK papers think he's bloodless and pine for W...
  
  
• A military wife explains why he doesn't "get" the military...
  
  
• Harper points out that the "Barack Wall" is being built around the area where the memorial will be held at Ft. Hood to protect his pathetic hide...
  

... but they all missed this, which made my head explode this morning:

President Obama invoked the Fort Hood shootings in an emotional appeal to Democrats to pass health care reform today, contrasting the sacrifices of soldiers with political positioning.

The impassioned pitch to the entire Democratic caucus came hours before the House vote tonight on the signature issue of Obama’s presidency, with Democratic leaders struggling to keep members from conservative districts on board.

“He was absolutely inspiring. In a very moving way, he reminded us what sacrifice really is,” said New Jersey Rep. Rob Andrews, estimating the persuader-in-chief turned several votes.

“Sacrifice is not casting a vote that might lose an election for you; it is the sacrifice that someone makes when they wear the uniform of this country and that unfortunately a number of people made this week,” said Andrews.

“It made a lot of people feel a little less sorry for themselves about their political problems,” he added. “This is an emotional time for a lot of our folks politically, but this is politics and I think he correctly pointed out what’s a heck of a lot more important.”

The Chicken-in-Chief can't be bothered to get his ass down to Fort Hood to show one iota of compassion for the dead, the wounded or their families and fellow soldiers, but he can invoke them for his own political purposes???

I. Am. Outraged.

Drive-Bys

Driving in Illinois? Here's the latest idiocy they're ticketing for:

An increasing number of drivers are being cited for windshield and window obstructions, which can include anything an officer deems to "materially obstruct" a driver's vision. The only exceptions are government-issued items such as I-PASS boxes and parking stickers.

Yep. That pine-scented air freshener hanging from your rearview mirror can net you a ticket and a search. Whether you're coming for a visit or live in the state, take 'em down.

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Well, finally!

Yusuf Ishaq said he resented hearing Hasan called a "devout Muslim" because his actions contradict that. "The man is mentally sick," said Ishaq, of the Bridgeview mosque. "We condemn his actions. ... Islam does not permit what (he) did."

"....We have chosen to be a part of this community," Mustapha said. "We have first, second and third generations that grew up with no other homeland but the United States. We are a part of this country and serve it honorably. We are Americans; we are most concerned about this country."

In the Chicago community, anyway, this is a step in the right direction. More, please.

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Did you recently refinance your mortgage using Counselor's Title Company? If so, you may be in for a world of hurt. And if you're considering refinancing, read the article anyway. Make sure you are protected.

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Because I needed to hear something heart-warming today:

When Lake Park closes the competition with a near-perfect show, Marian's hopes sink.

Near midnight, a voice bellows the results on the PA system, counting down from 12th place. The announcer says that second place goes to Lake Park. Marian Catholic has won the state championship.

The kids try hard not to erupt. "Shhh, shhhh, shhh," they say to each other, having been instructed time and again that it's not about winning.

Then, a surprise: Lake Park band director Chiodo instructs his students to face the Marian students and play a chorale in their honor. Tears flow from both bands, and from Bimm as well.

The audience files out, and Bimm speaks to his kids.

"Being named the champions today is a huge honor," Bimm says. "But I want you to think about something. ...

"There were some pretty not-happy faces when we finished the performance, because some of you didn't perform as well as you wanted to."

The lesson of the night, adds Bimm, came from Lake Park's impromptu salute.

"With great dignity, they turned around and played for you," Bimm says. "We should try to be like them."

Yeah. It made me tear up a bit.

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Gotta head for the shower. I'm meeting Mr. Bill to go see "Mojo Mickybo" this afternoon.

Yes, I know. It's going to inspire me to keep a sharp eye out for another cheap flight to Ireland... which I miss already.

Drive-Bys

This has to be some kind of record:

Owens Breaks 4 Campaign Promises in first hour in Congress

And how do you think the good folks who voted this stellar representative are going to feel about that?

And that healthcare bill he's so wild about now? Whether or not you like it, if you don't buy a $15,000 policy and cover your spouse and your children, you can be fined up to $250k and go to jail.

And if you still think that bill is a good idea, get a load of this:

(A tip of the cap to Mog for the video.)

Truly frightening, folks.

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Our former Commander in Chief, Chimpy McBushHitler Halliburton, shows far more grace and concern than the current one. But, since Totus is ill, perhaps he can't be trusted to go off-message and inappropriately jocular again.

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Let's remember what's really important here -- the people who lost their lives, the wounded and their families, friends and comrades.

Drive-Bys

You know, maybe if we had a little more of punishment like this for petty offenses there might not be as many escalating offenses:


(Photo: Bedford County District Attorney/Associated Press)

It's a thought.
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Haaaaaaaaahahahaha! Little Levi cried "Unfair!" to Conan... and gets Shat Upon again:



Karma's a bitch, kiddo.
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Pelosi actually does as promised?

Congressional Hispanics agree that illegal aliens should not be covered under Obamacare?

The DEA makes it easy for old and dying people to get their pain meds?

To quote Balki Bartakamous, "Dun't be ree-dic-cue-los!"


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The new teaser is out for "Despicable Me". I can't wait for this to come out:


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Giggle of the Day:


see more Epic Fails

At The Crossroad...

... of Rage and Heartbreak...

...I think I'm going to follow Michael Yon's advice when it comes to discussing the horrific events of yesterday at Fort Hood:

First reports are notoriously wrong. The shooter already has been killed then resurrected by the media. Some media are in a frenzy and so the reports are particularly untrustworthy at this time. Now is not a time to psychoanalyze the attacker by using a media-supplied telescope that already said he was dead, and that there were multiple attackers. Media: STOP, please. There will be time to pursue answers and justice after Christmas. We must remember that family members lost loved ones just before the holidays. Justice and answers will come with time.

Most important is to remember that we have just lost a dozen people. Others are wounded. Children and other family members will need care and thoughtful attention.

And pray. I can do that.

Drive-Bys

Given the current state of the economy, I figured this must be a joke. Nope. Luxury ice cubes at $8 a pop. Words fail...
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"Levi Says Tonight Show 'Shat' on Him"

Heh. It's called karma, Levi.
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This crazy story about bare bears got me to reminiscing about the Fuzzy Wuzzy bath soap I begged for as a kid. Vile stuff, actually. And lookie -- you can get new and improved Fuzzy Wuzzy soaps here and here.



Remember now?
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Well, phooey. Another Chicago classic is going down the tubes.
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Planning on traveling by plane over the holidays? Then you might want to read this warning that flights may be cut. Overbooking is always a problem, but it sounds like it may be far worse than normal this year.
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If you're coming to Chicago, be sure and schedule a little time for a walk around the Aqua Building. This photo doesn't do it justice, as it seems to undulate like water as you walk around it. Truly spectacular!
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Quote of the Day:

I’m sorry, but I don’t care how if you can do pushups with your tongue. When you dress like Mr. Furley it kills it, man.

Too funny!
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Okay... the Dems' healthcare bill is now over 2,000 pages and includes even more governmental controls, which you know will just pile on the administrative costs. Their "uninsurables" plan requires a six month wait.

The proposed GOP plan would reduce premiums and cut the deficit. They're not saying "no." They're saying "Let's try this first."

The GOP plan makes one hell of a lot more sense to me. I just wish they'd pushed for this years ago.
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Giggle of the Day:


see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Stopping Traffic

My heart goes out to those who were wounded or lost their lives at Fort Hood today, those who live and/or work there, and their families. This is simply heart-wrenching.

Please send up a prayer for all of them.

Drive-Bys

Why do I love me some Mamacita? Because she tells it like it is:

Well-behaved children are the most wonderful, beautiful things in the universe. Children who are not, are the opposite of wonderful and beautiful. Parents who do not require proper behavior in public from themselves and from their children are ____________________ well, you fill in the blank yourselves, why dontcha. There are many synonyms for “assholes” in any Dollar Tree thesaurus.

Bring it on.

Bravo!
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Data on stimulus data doesn't add up?

Governor Quinn follows in the Blagoviator's footsteps and keeps free rides for seniors even though the RTA is financially strapped?

Unemployment numbers will continue to look like absolute crap for some time to come?

Pelosi once again displays disdain for the voting public?

To quote Gomer Pyle,


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Having more than 3 cats requires a kennel license? Why can't we apply this to people, as well?
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Becky made me spew my morning chai all over my monitor.
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I know what Eric should be for Halloween next year:


see more Lol Celebs

And here's a little article on the history of zombies for you, too.
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Two little pieces of good news on the food front.
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Is It Me...

Conversation with my No. 2 Boss a few moments ago:

No. 2: "Is it warm in here?"

Me: "Dude! I'm 51 years old and just beginning to know what a hot flash is. Do you really think I'm the right person to ask???"

No. 2: "I was afraid you were going to say that..."

So I admit it -- I'm going to start with the premise that, until and unless someone under the age of 40 tells me it's warm first, yes, it's me.

I'm so not mentally ready for this.

Whoa, Nelly!

I awoke from a very strange dream this morning. There was a leak in my living room and my books were getting soaked. As I was frantically trying to rescue them, the Princess Mom came into the room and started giving me grief about the state of my underpants, paying no attention whatsoever to all the water flowing into the room.

(Not underWEAR -- underPANTS. She said it over and over again in the dream.)

And really, my underpants were just fine -- clean, unfrayed, no holes.

It must have been her x-ray vision* at work, because I was fully clothed in the dream, too.

I'm sure good old Sigmund Freud would have a field day with this...
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*I don't know about your mom, but MY mom sure had it.

Drive-Bys

Soooooo... how's that stimulus plan working out for you? Big government continues to scare big business out of heavily-taxed states, that's for sure. Even The L.A. Times is finally getting the picture:

In what respects, then, does California "excel"? California's state and local government employees were the best compensated in America, according to the Census Bureau data for 2006. And the latest posting on the website of the California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility shows 9,223 former civil servants and educators receiving pensions worth more than $100,000 a year from California's public retirement funds. The "dues" paid by taxpayers in order to belong to Club California purchase benefits that, increasingly, are enjoyed by the staff instead of the members.

Not on the government's payroll? There's hope for you yet. After all, the Dem's healthcare bill will create 111 new government bureaucracies that'll need staffing. That's the ticket!
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Saw this, and thought that maybe it's something "The Bride" might be wanting to order ahead for my BlogDaddy for Christmas. It's right up his alley.
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I saw this, and thought it was a common sense aproach to a real problem. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not one of those Global-Warming-Sky-Is-Falling-We're-All-Gonna-Die nutjobs. I do, however, really hate to see the amount of waste we produce willy-nilly every day. So this is teaching responsibility and good stewardship, without going overboard on the dogma.

Good show.
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It's incidents like this that illustrate why it's a crying shame that CTA took conductors off the El trains:

Screaming "the train took my baby,'' a mother watched in horror as a CTA train pulled away from a North Side station with her baby and stroller stuck in the doors.

The train dragged the stroller until it hit a barrier at the end of the Morse station and the 22-month-old girl flew onto the tracks, missing the third rail, police said. The mother jumped onto the tracks, scooped up her child and handed her up to someone on the platform, he said.

Thank all that is holy that the baby is okay. But this is just not good.
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Police are accusing a 22-year-old upstate New York man of hanging his girlfriend's four-month-old kitten with a belt and making a video of the animal struggling.

You know my philosophy -- the punishment should equal the crime. Literally.
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I wondered about this. Didn't you? (Ugh!)
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If you heard loud weeping and gnashing of teeth from the eastern shores, it's not that he's upset about potential voter fraud; oh, no! Jimbo just got this news:


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Just a quick note that the boots that I ordered from Endless.com yesterday arrived today. They clearly run a size small, so I'm sending them back. Start to finish, my dealings with this e-tailer have been wonderful -- free overnight shipping; free return shipping; easy-to-use and liberal return policy.

As soon as my refund hits the debit card, I'll be ordering another pair in a larger size.

No, they didn't pay me to say this. Yes, I'll order from them again. This is how you succeed in business.
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On the Radio...

... in my head:

... and...

Signs

Once again The Lipstick Mystic (via the RedEye) believes yours truly has a much more interesting love life than reality:

Leo
July 23-Aug. 22

You're pushing ahead with a romance. [Lies! I'm behaving myself and waiting patiently.] Mars is turning you into a dominatrix. You want your lover to obey you and satisfy your every demand, but your honey could be preoccupied with an ex. Give him or her time to end that old relationship.

Sure thing. In the meantime, I just ordered some new winter boots illustrative of my demure and girly nature. Behold.
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Want your weekly horror-scope? Drop me a note in the comments and I'll post your sign's for you.

Quick Stop

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

(Smile!)

Drive-Bys

The Kraken Black Spiced Rum? Sounds like something a certain pirate I know would love! (Not that I'd want to be a bad influence or anything...

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I'm guessing these educators sprung as fully-formed 40 year old prigs from their parents' loins. Clearly they were never children, who are more bloody-minded than most adults when it comes to costumes.

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It's no secret that I consider bacon one of nature's perfect foods. Which is why I regret like hell missing this bacony blowout.

It's also why I'm adding this Bacon and Bourbon Pecan Pie recipe and this recipe for Maple-Bacon and Pumpkin Cheesecake with Templeton Rye Bacon Walnut Glaze to to my list of must-tries.

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This is the stupidest bit of jurisprudence I've seen in a long, long time. She knowingly legally waived those rights long ago. Why in the world the judge gave her a do-over after 20 years is beyond me.

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McDonald's blew it here. They should have hired those kids for their next ad campaign instead of having them arresting for a harmless and creative bit of fun. Sheesh. Some people have no sense of humor.

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Why do my friends and I call it Therapy Night?

U-Turn

I got on the train at Ogilvey Transportation center, headed for home. I was reading Mercury Falls* until Clyborn, at which point I made my first mistake, and thought, "I'll just rest my eyes* for a minute."

Next thing I heard was the dulcet tones of the canned voice saying, "Next stop, Norwood Park."

Oh, good. Norwood Park, Edison Park, Park Ridge, Dee Road, Des Plaines.

Snooze.

"Next stop, Fox River Grove."

Oh, fuuuuhhh-- oops.

One cup of cold coffee flavored with vile French vanilla creamer and a bag of even viler Jay's Cheeze Wheels later, I was headed in the opposite direction... with Batman sitting in the seat across the aisle from me, entertaining a couple of Valley Girls.

Oh, right. It's Halloween week.

Robert Kroese would see the synchronicity... and cackle with glee.

Off to bed...

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*A ripping good read so far!

Whiplash

see more Political Pictures

I giggled myself silly.

Pub Crawl

Where were we? Oh, yeah... Darkey Kelly's and The Ha'Penny Bridge Inn in Dublin, The Danny Mann in Killarney, O'Connor's Traditional Pub in Killarney and An Pucan in Galway.

Next stop, Richardson's Pub in Galway. The first song, Come Out Ye Black and Tans, is sung in every bar, pub and trad session across Ireland:

words by Dominic Behan, music traditional

I was born on a Dublin street where the Royal drums do beat
And the loving English feet they tramped all over us,
And each and every night when me father'd come home tight
He'd invite the neighbors outside with this chorus:

Oh, come out you black and tans,
Come out and fight me like a man
Show your wives how you won medals down in Flanders
Tell them how the IRA made you run like hell away,
From the green and lovely lanes in Killashandra.

Come let me hear you tell
How you slammed the great Pernell,
When you fought them well and truly persecuted,
Where are the smears and jeers
That you bravely let us hear
When our heroes of sixteen were executed.

Come tell us how you slew
Those brave Arabs two by two
Like the Zulus they had spears and bows and arrows,
How you bravely slew each one
With your sixteen pounder gun
And you frightened them poor natives to their marrow.

The day is coming fast
And the time is here at last,
When each yeoman will be cast aside before us,
And if there be a need
Sure my kids will sing, "Godspeed!"
With a verse or two of Steven Beehan's chorus.

The second song, Red is the Rose, is a gorgeous love song:

Chorus
Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows
Fair is the lily of the valley
Clear is the water that flows from the Boyne
But my love is fairer than any.
Come over the hills, my bonnie Irish lass
Come over the hills to your darling
You choose the rose, love, and I'll make the vow
And I'll be your true love forever.

'Twas down by Killarney's green woods that we strayed
When the moon and the stars they were shining
The moon shone its rays on her locks of golden hair
And she swore she'd be my love forever.

Chorus

It's not for the parting that my sister pains
It's not for the grief of my mother
'Tis all for the loss of my bonny Irish lass
That my heart is breaking forever.

Chorus

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Trying to cut through the accents to hear enough of a snippet of each of these to locate the lyrics, I felt a bit like Whoopi Goldberg in this movie in scene where she tries to figure out the lyrics to "Jumpin' Jack Flash":



Yes, it's a stupid movie. Yes, it ALWAYS makes me laugh.

The Zonker Dialogues

Jawja Blown-eyed Blodger Zonker used to have a blog, and is still active in blogmeets and the like... but I haven't seen or heard from him in a while. (Okay, he occasionally pops up over at T1G's joint, but other than that, I've had to depend on others to let me know he's still among the living, and still his sassy own self.)

Until yesterday, when I was so strongly reminded of Z-Man that the following email correspondence ensued:

Me: I thought of you this morning when I spotted not only the shortest dwarf I've ever seen (a female, under 3' tall), but also a midget who was Indian. At first I thought it was a 9 or 10 year old kid, until I saw his luxuriant black mustache and crows feet!

Both of them were headed into the old Mercantile Exchange building (2 S. Wacker Dr.) right across from my office building.

Bizarre.

Z: I'm touched that you thought of me. Sort of...

;)

Me: I almost chased the little guy in your honor...

Z: From experience, I assure you...they are remarkably fast. Plus there's the question of what to do in the event that you actually catch one.

Me: I figured I'd FedEx him to you and let YOU figure it out...

Z: Tsk, tsk. Attach a radio collar and release it back into the wild. After all, we want to show our love for all of Mother Earth's creatures...



ps - I think my favorite part is the Bobcat Goldthwaite-like character that appears around 0:25. TFF.

Me: Ooo! Like Hatchlings on Facebook! I can do that... And I'll watch out for Bobcat Goldthwaite lookalikes.

Smooches!

I can guarantee you he's the only person in the world I could have that particular conversation with!

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Update:

Z: Hatchlings on Facebook? Geez, I am completely out of touch with FB at this point.

And it's not a Goldthwaite-lookalike...not exactly. More like a Goldthwaite-soundalike. Scary!

Me: Hatchlings is just another one of those games that's designed to hook anyone who's even slightly OCD into obsessively combing through Facebook for new eggs to hatch and for ones you already have to feed the critters that hatch. It's kind of like the high school parenting class where you have to haul a sack of flour around with you everywhere and pretend it's your baby, multiplied to the nth power. Large guilt pangs when you don't feed them and they "run away". After trying to keep about 50 of them fed while still looking for new ones, I had an epiphany: it's as unnatural to try and keep one of those online critters as a pet as it would be to breast feed a wolverine, and I happily released them all...

Bus Fumes

Audrey Bethel is a far more forgiving woman than I would be.

First her mother invades the privacy of her adult daughter not once, but twice.

Then she promises herself she'll never breach her daughter's privacy like that again.

Then she confesses her breach of trust to her daughter, who forgives her.

THEN, she decides she needs to deal with her own angst, derived from breaching her daughter's privacy, and write a long article about the whole thing, including intimate details of her daughter's health scare, show it to her editor, who wanted to publish it... and then asked her daughter if that would be okay.

Call me crazy, but Joyce Maynard is a narcissistic bitch who doesn't deserve her kid's forgiveness over this. Unfortunately, HIPPA doesn't cover a family member with a big mouth and no moral compass.