I'm Shocked!

http://rawstory.com/2009/09/analysis-finds-holes-in-us-iran-story-us-may-have-pretended-to-know-about-facility/

I don't know who these "US Intelligence" officials are, but suspect they are the same people Cheney & Rummy used to send to "advise" Bush and that they were kept by Obama in the spirit of bipartisanship. I was suspicious of this story right off. Our "intelligence" organizations need a big fat enema. Ditto the Defense Dept.

Senate Committee Sucky Vote ok by Chuckie

Schumer is all over the news trying to spin the latest Demo FAIL on health care. He is unhappy about an ad castigating Baucus for his lack of support of a public option. Why? Sadly, Schumer is a weenie and is into weeniness. I thought New Yorkers were supposed to be tough.

For more than a week there has been what I thought was a lone male Wood Duck among the Mallards in the pond. This morning, there were two males and two females, swimming in a group separate from the Mallards. I gather this small group is heading to SoCal or Mexico for the Winter, but they are welcome to stay.

Defense Chief Says Iran Faces ‘Severe’ New Sanctions
By BRIAN KNOWLTON (NYTimes Online Yesterday)
Emphasizing his strong preference for a diplomatic solution, Robert M. Gates said that Iran faces “severe additional sanctions” over its nuclear program.

Shouldn't this kind of pronouncement be made by the of Sec of State -- if not the President himself? I thought the Defense Dept carried out policy as opposed to setting it. Maybe he thinks he's Rumsfeld. Maybe he is.

US might have been involved in 2002 Chavez coup: Carter

I wonder what kind of talking points the right will issue to its teabagging Greek chorus regarding Jimmy Carter’s claim that the US was involved in the short-lived 2002 Venezuelan coup. Chavez has been sold as the Western Hemisphere’s Ahmadinejad to people who have no idea why the Venezuelans would elect a dark-skinned mixed blood ex-coup leader over the traditional light-skinned political aristocracy. To them this is the man who called Bush the devil and shut down media outlets that didn’t agree with him.* (Even my liberal friends get their panties in a bunch over this one.)

Why would they not applaud a U.S. backed coup in Venezuela [correction on re-edit]? Which they cannot – because they cannot be seen agreeing with Jimmy Carter even on what is a matter of fact. (OF COURSE the U.S. was complicit in that event. Venezuela has oil, remember?) So the meme would have to involve some sort of denial (“There you go again Jimmy") with sympathy for the brave people of Venezuela who sought to liberate themselves from an insane dictator (the devil himself!). The conversation would need to shift from the actual charge (what we did) to calling for sanctions against Venezuela (what they did). Socialism will be mentioned. Communism will be mentioned. Imperialism, probably not.

*Should any US media outlet openly and brazenly aid and abet a coup against the US government, it would be shut down immediately and the owners held on treason charges – something those who decry Chavez for being anti free speech should keep in mind. GWB continuously used religious references, (Crusades, evil doers) before destroying the nation of Iraq without cause.

Wandering through Wednesday...

My erstwhile husband claims he was hospitalized as a child after having been bitten by a garter snake. I have no reason to doubt him, but still have never considered garter snakes dangerous. The one I saw in the garden yesterday did alarm me though -- damn thing was so much larger than the little slithery ones in Stinson. But since it was between me and the tomatoes, I soldiered on.

I'm reading a book entitled "American Lightening" (by Howard Blum) about the 1910 bombing of the Times Building --the labor movement, the Owens Valley water project, DW Griffith, Billy Burns, Clarence Darrow etc. etc. How could I grow up in a labor family in Los Angeles and not have known this stuff? Unfortunately it is written in this faux-breezy style one usually finds in an as-told-to (though it isn't). The subject matter however trumps the garbage writing.

So I see Jimmy Carter is getting a lot of shit for telling the truth. Again. Now I have no doubt that Dick Army (FreedomWorks), Glenn Beck (Fox) and I suspect Rove and the usual suspects would be mounting Teabagging Parties and Million Moron Marches, replete with outrageous lies and slander, regardless of who the Democratic President may be. But. Having a BLACK president to beat up on rallies a whole segment of the population that is uneducated, frustrated, looking for someone to blame and is also racist. Every dog has his day, be he a pro-lifer, anti-commie, whatever, and now the racists have theirs. Hey -- it's OK to hold sign saying Africa has Lions and the White House has a lyin' African. I mean some of those signs people were carrying in DC last weekend were outrageous -- how can anyone say that Carter wasn't right on, and where, as they say, is the outrage? So now Carter will get beaten up, even by so-called liberals, and we will say we had a National Conversation. What a crock.

Yes, that pun was intentional.

Public Option, RIP

What we will end up with is the same (or worse) expensive and inadequate for-profit insurance system we had before only now buying their shitty policies will be mandatory. And if the Dems don’t back down on preexisting conditions, the policies will be priced to reflect that. They will, of course back down. It is what they do. This entire process is being manipulated back to front by the health care industries and their stone-hearted whores in D.C. Obama’s speech may have impressed Ed Schultz and company, but for me it was just another pretty speech. It’s getting so the only real straightforward action this country can perform is bombing Third World Countries and even then we have to throw in a wedding party or two. I suspect the only way the health care crisis in this country can now be tackled is by gradually expanding Medicare to cover more people – newborns to age five, for example, lowering age from 65 to 62 – and going on from there. Of course, having said that, I suspect the minimum age will soon be raised instead. Cost cutting measure, you know.

Matt Taibbi breaks down, step by step, the sabotage of the “reform” process:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/29988909/sick_and_wrong

Feed my Head

It was nice to have all the sibs (minus Kelly) together for a round of Dead Skunk. Claudia and I flaked on the Sisters routine, leaving the talent responsibilities to the brothers, but the distaff side was made up for by Kennedy, who is teh pleasure. MC Christopher held it all together, in addition to setting up the sound system. I remember when a sound system was a mike and an amplifier instead of boards with knobs and switches resembling Mission Control Center. And kudos to the very awesome Dee (and her posse). Next year maybe she’ll do "Un bel di, vedremo."

Those who received an e-vite already know the menu. If you did not receive an e-vite then you just didn’t make the cut. Try to improve yourself.
Kalua Pig, Lomi Salmon, Grilled Garden Corn and Island Fruit Salad
We’ve discussed the pig; pig sandwiches are now a staple at the Diamond D. If we ever run out, I’m sure George will do another one. Lomi Salmon I could also eat daily for the rest of my days. There is a tiny bit left, which I intend to take care of within the hour.
Just writing this is making me hungry. Think I’ll go fry up some cracklins.

Happy Camp Luau/Open Mic/Engagement Party/Reunion. Part One: The Pig

OK, this isn't exactly how our Luau Pig looked. First of all the apple was green; also, the pig was cut up before being placed on the table. But this IS how it looked before being chop chopped and George did use La Caja China. It differed from any Hawaiian Luau Pig I've had in that it was good. I'm a big fan of pig, so was obviously in pig heaven. (Sorry...)

Big Foot Days

Greetings from the Diamond D Ranch, where the men are all strong and the women are all beautiful. Not so much the rest of Happy Camp, where I am told that should I find a man with teeth, I should consider him a keeper. And so, hoping to find such a specimen, I joined my family for the Happy Camp Big Foot Days Parade.

Now, I don’t own a car, but if I were driving one in a parade, I would naturally wash it first. Wouldn’t you? No? Then y’all come and join in!

I swear this town pulled its parade participants out of a halfway house. The Big Foot Queen’s only qualification seemed to be that she filled out the pink dress provided for the occasion; the Indian float featured young boyz with feathers in their headbands looking like those stereotypes that would get any other group beat up if they tried it. Best of all was Big Foot In A Cage, who would occasionally escape and attempt to terrorize the children – who seemed either medicated or naturally stuporous, although they would on occasion wander into the street to pick up candy thrown by the paraders. Throwing candy seems to be a tradition here, giving the young’uns a head start on their dentally-challenged adulthood.

And since the assembled townspeople looked like a casting call for Deliverance, I despaired of finding the toothy man of my dreams and went home. With my candy.