FITZ!

tee hee…it’s good to be first

anyway, mornin chrity, will be back to join in the discussion when the author gets here, in the mean time;

Christy Hardin Smith @ 130

perris — here’s our first post on the Gore speech and here is a direct link to the Gore speech in its entirety. HTH!

looks like none of these links are still hosting the speech christy, they’re all broke and the c&l link of highlights is dead also

sorry about the typo on your name cristy, am typing lying down in bed on ie and I can’t edit with this browser

Mornin pups

I was away from the laptop most of yesterday and jsut catching up on the front pages now.

I read Matt O’s post about the IG for Iraq and want to add that the head of GSA is trying to interfere with the GSA IG’s office she thinks he ought to be a team player in her atempts to “streamline” how she gives out contractts.

It seems he has some funny idea that competative bidding might be a good thing to continue instead of no bid contracts to campaign contributors.

What a joke.

And of course the Homeland Secuity IG went to Capital Hill how many times? asking for funding to do oversight of the Katrina debacle and was ignored. Gee, do you think that might have had something to do with him quitting shortly after?

Like the federal judiciary, the IG system, which is designed to do oversight and review has been under attack since day one of the Shrubya administration.

Few voters (as opposed to news junkies like us) even know we have a federal IG system or what it does. That needs to chnage.

Are you feeling any better Christy?

Morning, Firepups,

Clear and cold here in central Jersey. Wish I could be here for Book club this afternoon, but have chamber music concert tickets in NYC today, and a play date with Mr. NJP.

Haven’t been around much lately–has the dust settled since the language contretemps?

I made a big batch of cornbread to go with our turkey chili last night, and I’m warming it up now. Coffee’s just about ready, too. Who needs a mug?

WAY WAY WAY OT but, I just wanted to share something interesting with the firedogs.

Saturday night I spent with my family, celebrating a couple winter birthdays. One of the things we always talk about are the “old days,” which mean different things to different people. (Quick background, my mom was an aunt at the age of nine because of how spread out she and her four siblings are in age. So my cousins from one of her older sisters are 20 years older than I am.)

Anyhow, we started talking about my mom, whom passed away in November 1992. And like I always do, I get sentimental, kicking myself for having not been able to visit my mother at her burial site, which is incredibly beautiful.

Mountain View Cemetery is absolutely gorgeous. In fact, it houses some of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most notable figures, including Ghiradelli, on an area called “Millionaires’ Row.”

Not sure why this hadn’t dawned on me before but there’s actually a tomb for the Bechtel family on site as well.

So I found it a bit interesting that my mother rests peacefully on the same grounds of the Bechtel family, who’s corporation I wrote about here at FDL.

Sorry to talk about such an off-topic story. Kind of a “well that’s interesting” story that just clicked in my head.

OT

I just came back from lunch with my sister here in Floerence and I asked her if she feels if we will ever get all our rights back… travel on planes without being suspected of being a terrorist and wanded when we go into public buildings… we used to walk right thru Palazzo Vecchio but now they have the wands and xrays and the big side entrance is now closed… so no convenient and beaustiful short cuts now.

Can we ever get this national security state paranoia off our backs? If I don’t have picture ID I can’t get upstairs to my dentist in Roc Center… This really really sucks.

Can’t we just declare victory on the GWOT and take our toothpaste on board again?

perris @
2

tee hee…it’s good to be first

anyway, mornin chrity, will be back to join in the discussion when the author gets here, in the mean time;

Christy Hardin Smith @ 130

perris — here’s our first post on the Gore speech and here is a direct link to the Gore speech in its entirety. HTH!

looks like none of these links are still hosting the speech christy, they’re all broke and the c&l link of highlights is dead also

perris – try this listing of al gore’s speeches and interviews (2002 – present) i made for some friends of mine. you’ll have to scroll down to the speech you want: “Restoring the Rule of Law”… but the link is still good (i just tested it).

new thread

Good morning, everyone, from gray, drizzly Savannah. Here are today’s NYT columnists, from behind the firewall:

http://select.nytimes.com/2006…..amp;emc=th
David Brooks, “Teaching the Elephant.”

http://select.nytimes.com/2006…..amp;emc=th
Nicholas Kristof, “A Modest Proposal for a Truce on Religion.”

http://select.nytimes.com/2006…..amp;emc=th
Frank Rich, “Has He Started Talking to the Walls?”

njprogressive has the coffee, but I’ve brewed a big old pot of tea if anyone wants…

Christie & Jane, I hope you will consider inviting Neil Chenoweth to discuss his book Rupert Murdoch, the untold story of the World’s Greatest Media Wizard. While it has been out for years, it is unique in its examination of the nexus between high finance, political power and big media. I think it might make for a good Sunday book salon. However, because of the time difference you might consider moving it to 8 PM.

I loved this book, planning a picking up a few more copies for holiday gifts.