Zed!

And Happy Birthday to me!

Typical piece in the NYT this morning whining about the fact that the dirty fucking hippies don’t want to debate on Fox. Shorter: It’s all MoveOn’s fault.

Happy Birthday Twisted Martini!!

Happy birthday, Twisted. :)

I want to hear Levin explain his vote on the supplemental funding bill. I was very unimpressed with what Webb had to say. (I’d also like to hear from Byrd.)

Hey Twisted Martini,

Happy Birthday to you!
Hope it’s a good one.

And good morning Christy!

Woo-hoo! More plugs for my photos :)

I was really happy with that picture. The bird posed for me for some time, but it was consistently in the shade– that particular shot was taken during the extremely brief period when it came into the light and it was by far the best of the bunch.

This is probably a metaphor for something political.

It’s been awesome so far…it’s my 40th, so 5 of my 6 brothers came into town for parties, golf and the Indy 500. Doesn’t look good for the race though, it is pouring at the track!

I’m wondering about these draw down rumors. Is the Sept plan to declare victory and begin to go home? I kind of wonder if there were any backroom deals on this. (One can always hope.)

well Good Morning Christy and Firedogs,

started this thread a little early Christy ? – a gift to the birthday boy no doubt, sparing him all the lurid details I was to provide downstairs (but everyone loves that danish cousins in a hammock on moorea story !)

Happy Birthday Twisted – enjoy your day !

CBL, I’ll make a point of going back and reading the entire thread!

Barbara Kingsolver, author of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle NOW up on C-Span2 !

Good Morning!
and Happy Birthday Twisted!

The one brother who couldn’t come was on a business trip. I had his wife take some pictures of him I stitched him together in photoshop, printed him lifesize and mounted him on foamcore. He’s taken a beating over the last 2 days!

Good morning Redd and friends.

Beautiful bird!!!

Just watched the video of Card getting his honorary degree at UMass. It was a thing of protest beauty, did us proud.

I assume that Fitz’ honorary went very differently.

Back on the road to drive home to MA from PA. We’re not buying the house we thought we would and have to start looking over again. Oh well.

Been missing being on the threads but lots to do when I get back too.

Can’t imagine back to the days when I watched the news on teevee or read the papers and thought that was that. This is the new life line!

Have a good one everyone.

Deb

Happy B’Day Twisted!!!

40? You’re still a pup—lots of activism time left for you.

Have a great one.

Bonne Annee, Twisted Martini, from Paris, where it is chilly and rainy. From here, I can say that the talking head line up looks really boring, and nothing is happening in the US that looks even remotely worth attention. I was out of internet touch most of last week, and when I checked in, on news pages or here, all I can say is that we have a lot of work to do to repair the injuries we have caused ourselves.

On the bright side, Europe is gathering itself into a position to take our place as moral leader of the world. In Strasbourg, there is a large site with beautiful buildings devoted to the new Europe. One of the buildings is the Conseil de Europe, where people work every day on the protocols for the New Europe.

The International Herald Tribune reports that Europe is investigating Google concerning its retention of private data, and Google is cooperating, as it must, because there are 400 million Europeans, many more than in the US, and broadband is everywhere here. In the apartment we have rented in the 18th Arr., there is broadband and wifi, and a computer for our use. I can see at least four other wifi ports and I am in a building not really good for transmission.

Progress is slow on these changes, as there are many speed bumps, but it is inexorable. One of the main reasons I say that is the gradual incorporation of immigrants into these countries, which will broaden the cultures and make the unification moves easier. I only hope that the French will remain French, including the greatest cheesemakers in the world. I am heading out to forage for dinner, I am thinking an aged chevre, or a middle-aged sheep cheese, to go with my baguette, haricot verts, which I cannot afford in the States, and a nice piece of lamb. Did I mention the Bordeaux?

realworld @ 10

I’m wondering about these draw down rumors. Is the Sept plan to declare victory and begin to go home? I kind of wonder if there were any backroom deals on this. (One can always hope.)

Interesting concept. I’ve imagined the WH saying: “Just give us until September …” But then what? I can’t imagine Bush doing an immediate pullout.

Waccamaw @ 13

Barbara Kingsolver, author of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle NOW up on C-Span2 !

Oh my! It’s wonderful to see her and hear her voice for the first time. I think she is a fellow Cherokee. Well, she lives in Virginia now, maybe it’s possible to meet her.

The book is about growing one’s own food or buying locally to get healthier produce and be less dependent on oil. She said they did make a few exceptions, such as for coffee, which was necessary for their marriage :)

We need our own Democratic dialogue TV. I understand totally why the networks, conceived as non-partisan entities but now defacto center-right, except Fox which is hard right, are uncomfortable with this. But Democrats need a Democratic TV network; where we could talk together, argue out and explain our positions to each other. We certainly don’t need Tim Russert or Fox News as our filter on what happened Thursday.

A couple of things: This just about warmed every cell in my patriotic little body. (The ruckus is midway thru @ about 2:37), as well as this from a local TV station.

Also, per C-SPAN Book TV, Al Gore is scheduled to be on at 10:00 MST (Noon, EST) to discuss ‘Assault on Reason.’

Wigwam @ 6

I want to hear Levin explain his vote on the supplemental funding bill. I was very unimpressed with what Webb had to say. (I’d also like to hear from Byrd.)

We have to remember that Jim Webb has a son on active duty in Iraq, and from the point of view of whatever private agony he is going through, it is not entirely fair to dump on him for his vote for the funding bill. At the very least, if we are going to question his vote, he needs an opportunity to explain it.

Ergo, maybe we should invite him to answer some tough questions here at FDL. He may not take you up on it, but we can try.

Good Morning Christy, 5:45AM here on the Best Coast and Pumkin Head will be on in 15 minutes (I like seeing him early, then he doesn’t deface much of the day). I agree with you that I am interested to hear what Gov Richardson has to say. He strikes me as much more actually actual than many purported candidates. Unfortunately he is probably much too real, not glamourous enough and too honest to actually ever hope to be prez.

He should be interesting also cause of where he is from. New Mexico isn’t a state that is much of a launching pad for the Presidency, but today it is a real relevant place what with the immigration debates, Domenici/Iglesias and voter suppression all being prime N.M. topics.

I think it is bullshit, just another shiny ball Friedman unit.

Twisted –

I was going to make the point that I was the very critter who scares the crap out of ‘em – right up until meeting the husband – a freewheeling, sexually autonomous beast – single and sampling sexual tastes while traveling the planet – Gilead my ass, they’d have put me in guantan no-mo!

oh gawd, she’s rambling – but also would have hit on the point many of us progressive gals make about how the combination of passion, wonkiness, and snark in our progressive fellas is so very, um, intoxicating :)

give me those Pew numbers daddy !

happy birthday, tm! to my horror, 40 is a great young number.
commencement is this great season for hypocrisy and luncay, isn’t it? the speaker up at west point was none other than dick cheney, the crazy old uncle of american politics and statesmanship. i couldn’t keep up counting the lies he was telling the graduates.
oh god, what have we become.

Twisted Martini @ 9

It’s been awesome so far…it’s my 40th, so 5 of my 6 brothers came into town for parties, golf and the Indy 500. Doesn’t look good for the race though, it is pouring at the track!

Happy B-day Twisted! You planning to go? I haven’t decided yet, but don’t need to. I live within a ten minute walk of one of the express-bus routes, so if it stops raining for an hour or so, I may go hop on one. No need to get there early, ’cause I always scalp a ticket – the later, the better (cheaper).

egregious @ 20

Waccamaw @ 13

Barbara Kingsolver, author of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle NOW up on C-Span2 !

Oh my! It’s wonderful to see her and hear her voice for the first time. I think she is a fellow Cherokee. Well, she lives in Virginia now, maybe it’s possible to meet her.

The book is about growing one’s own food or buying locally to get healthier produce and be less dependent on oil. She said they did make a few exceptions, such as for coffee, which was necessary for their marriage :)

Here’s a bit of biographical info on Kingsolver.

The last I heard she & her family were in Arizona.

egregious -

Re. Kingsolver………I learned of her at the Lake and she is fulfilling every expectation! Absolutely, positively next on the “book buy” list.

Good morning!
It’s 3 AM here in Hawaii, and I’m about to go to bed! I’ve been at a jam session at a friend’s home since 9 PM and just got home. Sunday is PENTECOST so its a good day to wear red, just like the Scarlet Tanager– and you can be at your best Code Pink at the same time.

Christy, I am hardly ever up at the time your threads are fresh, so a warm aloha for all the great posts you write. I love the way you care for our country and our Constitution, and I wish all my friends and relatives would read your posts as often as I do.

Aloha,
Bob in HI

Waccamaw @ 30

egregious -

Re. Kingsolver………I learned of her at the Lake and she is fulfilling every expectation! Absolutely, positively next on the “book buy” list.

Thanks to whomever suggested this yesterday and she lives near me in Southwest Virginia. Im going to have to get this book. Everything I believe in!

jayt @ 27

Twisted Martini @ 9

It’s been awesome so far…it’s my 40th, so 5 of my 6 brothers came into town for parties, golf and the Indy 500. Doesn’t look good for the race though, it is pouring at the track!

Happy B-day Twisted! You planning to go? I haven’t decided yet, but don’t need to. I live within a ten minute walk of one of the express-bus routes, so if it stops raining for an hour or so, I may go hop on one. No need to get there early, ’cause I always scalp a ticket – the later, the better (cheaper).

We’re still waiting…we have tix in turn 1, but we won’t head down there unless it looks they can get it good and dried out. Was at your folks’ store the other day too!

dreamcatcher @ 23

Wigwam @ 6

I want to hear Levin explain his vote on the supplemental funding bill. I was very unimpressed with what Webb had to say. (I’d also like to hear from Byrd.)

We have to remember that Jim Webb has a son on active duty in Iraq, and from the point of view of whatever private agony he is going through, it is not entirely fair to dump on him for his vote for the funding bill. At the very least, if we are going to question his vote, he needs an opportunity to explain it.

Ergo, maybe we should invite him to answer some tough questions here at FDL. He may not take you up on it, but we can try.

webb also voted against reid-feingold. i’ve heard him say several times that he is against withdrawal timelines.

snowbird42 @ 32

Waccamaw @ 30

egregious -

Re. Kingsolver………I learned of her at the Lake and she is fulfilling every expectation! Absolutely, positively next on the “book buy” list.

Thanks to whomever suggested this yesterday and she lives near me in Southwest Virginia. Im going to have to get this book. Everything I believe in!

Update: Here’s her website. She’s one of the few I’ve actually encouraged everyone I know to read. In fact, I loan out ‘Pigs in Heaven’ and ‘The Bean Trees’ and uh, the other one whose title escapes me….’Animal Dreams!’

Was at your folks’ store the other day too!

cool! Hope you didn’t drop my name, and if you did, sorry about that extra surcharge.

Twisted and jayt -
so very sorry to see the Indy weather maps – am married to a lifelong gearhead and even with the 2 other races on today, he is already sulking X(

non fans – there are 3 girlz in the field this year

Morning Christy and all,

It’s Memorial Day weekend, and I am burned out — don’t want to think about the war, the arguments, etc. But maybe you could repost the links to the websites where one could donate time or money for injured/suffering soldiers, veterans, or their families? Thanks.

Party pics

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I……p;y=sl6woq

(I’m in the green shirt)

dmg @ 27

happy birthday, tm! to my horror, 40 is a great young number.
commencement is this great season for hypocrisy and luncay, isn’t it? the speaker up at west point was none other than dick cheney, the crazy old uncle of american politics and statesmanship. i couldn’t keep up counting the lies he was telling the graduates.
oh god, what have we become.

It is certainly no accident that in the past couple of days, the WH has made a concerted effort to revive the “Saddam caused 9/11″ meme. Bush, Cheney, and Minority Leader Boehner have all sounded this theme. Boehner even managed to cry a few tears before the cameras.

What this means is that they are rapidly running out of arguments for continuing the quagmire and need to fall back on these fabrications because at leat 40% of the public still believes that Saddam attacked WTC, and they are trying to tweak this number on the upside. This is an attempt to try to turn the tide back to the days when nearly 80% believed Bush’s lies about 9/11.

For the record, in the past both Bush and Cheney have publicly disavowed the claim that Saddam attacked the WTC. But the beauty of a lie is that you can always revive it when you need it, since it does not have to conform to fact.

America was in uproar last week when Jimmy Carter described George Bush’s foreign policy as the worst in history. He broke an unwritten rule – past presidents don’t attack incumbents. But speaking his mind is what the 82-year-old does and, after the publication of his incendiary book on the Middle East, Gaby Wood finds him unrepentant

Jonathan Demme tells me he thinks of his film, about which he has not really spoken before, as reminiscent of the classic western High Noon, starring Gary Cooper. ‘My sense of that is, Carter put his badge on to come forth into the community to talk about justice as it pertains to Palestine, and, as in High Noon, almost everybody fell all over each other in their desire to distance themselves from his message of peace. He soldiered on, without allies, with mounting foes.’ Carter, Demme says, is ‘a tough son of a bitch. You know, he’s got a gorgeous smile, and he’ll cry at the drop of a hat if something touches him, but he is one tough dude.’

http://observer.guardian.co.uk…..78,00.html

I got a funny card from my parents last night…

Cheney says to Bush “Did you hear we’re getting over 100 Brazilian troops to help us?”

Bush says, Wow, that’s fantastic!…How much is a brazillion?”

dreamcatcher @ 23

Wigwam @ 6

I want to hear Levin explain his vote on the supplemental funding bill. I was very unimpressed with what Webb had to say. (I’d also like to hear from Byrd.)

We have to remember that Jim Webb has a son on active duty in Iraq, and from the point of view of whatever private agony he is going through, it is not entirely fair to dump on him for his vote for the funding bill. At the very least, if we are going to question his vote, he needs an opportunity to explain it.

Ergo, maybe we should invite him to answer some tough questions here at FDL. He may not take you up on it, but we can try.

I really like that idea. I’m convinced that he’s a good guy, whose heart is in the right place. But I’m very confused by his vote. Here is what he said by way of explanation:

From the outset, we are a minority of 49, given Senator Lieberman’s position on the war. This reality dictates our conduct. On the one hand, I find myself unable to vote against a measure that is necessary to fund our troops who are now in harm’s way. On the other, I will not relent from my continuing efforts to bring this occupation to an end. [emphasis added]

But, as I asked in the previous thread, why not reframe that as follows?

I find myself unable to vote for a measure that funds keeping our troops in harm’s way indefinitely.

I expect that even his son wouuld approve. (But maybe I’m missing something here.)

theExile @ 24

I am interested to hear what Gov Richardson has to say. He strikes me as much more actually actual than many purported candidate…New Mexico isn’t a state that is much of a launching pad for the Presidency, but today it is a real relevant place what with the immigration debates, Domenici/Iglesias and voter suppression all being prime N.M. topics.

i’m in, and of, new mexico. richardson won here the last time with close to 70%–but that was mainly due to a complete collapse of the gop’s effort to field a plausible candidate; their selection–an old-time, old-line family fixer, whom i’ve known since i was a kid–always came across as and afterthought.

to me, his biggest problem–apart from a quiet buzz that he’s a psychological spousal abuser–is that he’s a from an old-time, pri, latifundia family in mexico: he’s an aristocrat to his toes, though he has mastered the vato/vecino mannerisms. he kinda carpet-bagged his way into new mexico politics…

dreamcatcher @ 40

dmg @ 27

happy birthday, tm! to my horror, 40 is a great young number.
commencement is this great season for hypocrisy and luncay, isn’t it? the speaker up at west point was none other than dick cheney, the crazy old uncle of american politics and statesmanship. i couldn’t keep up counting the lies he was telling the graduates.
oh god, what have we become.

It is certainly no accident that in the past couple of days, the WH has made a concerted effort to revive the “Saddam caused 9/11″ meme. Bush, Cheney, and Minority Leader Boehner have all sounded this theme. Boehner even managed to cry a few tears before the cameras.

. . . .For the record, in the past both Bush and Cheney have publicly disavowed the claim that Saddam attacked the WTC. But the beauty of a lie is that you can always revive it when you need it, since it does not have to conform to fact.

This is a disinformation campaign trick. We’ve got to learn more about disinformation and how to block it, because the Republicans do it all the time, and we keep stumbling around like we haven’t heard that trick before. Its not just a thing about framing. We need to get better at exposing their dirty tricks.

Bob in HI

Good Morning Christy.

Hey Twisted. Have a great one. 5 bros showed up eh? didn’ set out 40 flamingoes, did they? 40 sparrows might be good. i kinda like them this week more than i used to.

Gotta love that UMass grad film! Bless ‘em!

Kingsolver made me cry. What a story. I have read also Jane Goodalls book Harvest for Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating
This one will make you question what you eat and want to change.

Injustice permeates the Bush, Blair and Howard world:

Howard jeered at Aborigine ceremony

Aborigines are Australia’s most
disadvantaged group [AFP]

John Howard, Australia’s prime minister, has been heckled as he acknowledged that some of Australia’s Aborigines still live on the fringes of society 40 years after a vote recognising them as full citizens.

An indigenous woman shouted at Howard after a speech on Sunday: “We have been genocided by your government and your court.”

The outburst was greeted with loud applause by the audience of about 400 people at the ceremony in Canberra to mark the 1967 referendum.

Something strange is going on with comments…

*crickets*

servers hiccuping?

Sorry about the server issue, gang. Things are back on track and I have a fresh thread ready for the reading up top.

This just in from “Putty-Putt”-land

I watched This Week with Stephanopoulis and was not only irritated but also incensed. The euphemsitic way to refer to illegals is to call them ‘undocumented workers’. A poor working class, Gutierrez said, is needed in America to do the jobs Americans won’t! That implies to me a slave class. What is wrong with this picture?

wgg: tokin lib’rul @ 44

theExile @ 24

I am interested to hear what Gov Richardson has to say. He strikes me as much more actually actual than many purported candidate…New Mexico isn’t a state that is much of a launching pad for the Presidency, but today it is a real relevant place what with the immigration debates, Domenici/Iglesias and voter suppression all being prime N.M. topics.

i’m in, and of, new mexico. richardson won here the last time with close to 70%–but that was mainly due to a complete collapse of the gop’s effort to field a plausible candidate; their selection–an old-time, old-line family fixer, whom i’ve known since i was a kid–always came across as and afterthought.

to me, his biggest problem–apart from a quiet buzz that he’s a psychological spousal abuser–is that he’s a from an old-time, pri, latifundia family in mexico: he’s an aristocrat to his toes, though he has mastered the vato/vecino mannerisms. he kinda carpet-bagged his way into new mexico politics…

Richardson bombed-BIGTIME