What Kind of Liberal Am I?

Found this handy little quiz today, and found out my rating as a Liberal. You, too, can take the quiz at the link below:

My Liberal Identity:

You are a Working Class Warrior, also known as a blue-collar Democrat. You believe that the little guy is getting screwed by conservative greed-mongers and corporate criminals, and you’re not going to take it anymore.

Take the quiz at www.FightConservatives.com

Impeaching the Bastards

Would it surprise you to know that 45% of Americans support impeaching the Chimp? It's true, see the poll here. And 54% favor impeaching The Dick. My, my, my.

I say let's do it.

Happy 4th of July!

Oh.My.God.

From Daily Kos: "A file photo of Commander Cuckoobananas..."

Ireland, ho!

It is truly hard to believe, but it's now just a week till we leave for Ireland and our brother's wedding. I'm not sure that Tara knows quite what she's getting into. Let's just say that the fact that they'll be living 2,000 miles from the nearest relative will be quite beneficial. I wish them well as they begin this new phase of their lives. Welcome aboard, Tara! We truly are glad to have you.

Now, about the trip. My sister and my friend, Rita, and I will be spending a week in Ireland, including 3 two-night stops: Ennis (close to the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren), Adare (a fairy-tale village of thatched roof cottages, where the wedding takes place), and Killarney (probably the most "American" of towns in Ireland. As my Irish friend Andrew says, "It's rather shamrock-y." I don't know if we'll want to be known as Americans when we'r there. Maybe we can pass as Canadian?) On the other hand, Killarney is close to some of the most beautiful scenery in all of Ireland.

So, we're counting the days, checking the weather reports and I know I'm revising my carry-on bag contents daily. Armed with a couple of books, a few snacks and whatever liquids allowed these days, I'm sure we'll be fine.

The trip will be computer-less...somehow shlepping the laptop across the ocean does not thrill me. So we'll take copious notes and do a full report when we're back. We will, however, be photographing the bejesus out of the place (including the wedding), so that should make for interesting blog fodder.

4 Homers In a Row

More of this tonight, please!

Talk About Doomsday...

Now for something completely scary. If you don't worry about this, then you don't have a pulse. From today's Boston Globe:

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is writing a new plan to maintain governmental control in the wake of an apocalyptic terrorist attack or overwhelming natural disaster, moving such doomsday planning for the first time from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to officials inside the White House.

The policy requires all government agencies to have clear lines of succession if top officials are killed and be prepared to operate from a new headquarters within 12 hours of a catastrophe. They must be prepared "to lead and sustain the nation during a crisis" -- a charge ranging from "providing leadership visible to the nation and the world" to "bringing to justice perpetrators of crimes or attacks."

The policy replaces a Clinton-era "continuity in government" post-disaster plan. The old plan is classified, but security specialists and administration officials said the new policy centralizes control of such planning in the White House and puts a greater emphasis on terrorism spurring the catastrophe.

Bush quietly signed the new policy on May 4. The unclassified portion of his "homeland security-national security presidential directive" -- a special kind of executive order that can be kept secret -- was also posted on the White House website on May 9, without any further announcement or press briefings.

Oh.My.God.

UMass Comes Through

Andrew Card, former WH chief of staff was booed lustily when he was awarded an honorary degree at my "alma mater" - the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Nice job, folks.

State of the Nation

All's happy in Red Sox Nation, in case you were wondering. As of today, we're eight games up in the American League East. Yesterday's game was one for the ages.

For 8.5 innings, it was probably one of the quietest (even boring?) games this season. Red Sox were going quietly into the loss and our ace, Josh Beckett, had been taken out of the game early due to a finger "avulsion." (If you know what that means, you're better than me...I had to Google it, which brings you to some of the most hideous medical pictures. Be careful if you go there.) Orioles were leading 5-0 when we came to bat in the bottom of the inning.

With one out, the catcher drops an easy pop-up. From there, all hell breaks loose. Papi doubles home the first run, the bases were then loaded and the pitcher walks a run in. Then Varitek doubles a couple more runs in - score now 5-4. And finally, with Julio Lugo at the plate and the bases still loaded (2 outs), he hits a high chopper to the first baseman (Kevin Millar!), who fed the ball to the pitcher covering first.

OOOOPS, the pitcher misses the catch, crossing first base with an empty glove. Two runs score. Sox win 6-5! If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I never would have believed it.

Things are looking great this season, to say the least. Still a long way to go, but we appear to be positioned well for the long haul.

Go Sox!

Mother's Day

At least this year I wasn't wished "Happy Mother's Day" by some unsuspecting waitstaff or sales clerk. Happens 'most every year and when you are child-free, and it makes for an interesting dynamic.

Should I simply thank the person for their good wishes and return same? Sometimes I do. Should I announce my child-free state and embarrass them? Depending on my mood, this can happen as well. I have to say that there also have been times when the "Happy Mother's Day" comes with a free gift. For instance, one time I received a silky-soft jewelry bag that I carry to this day. So I'm not immune from a little freebie while I play-act at being someone's mom.

And, just for fun, here's a little history of Mother's Day from Wikipedia that makes me wish Mother's Day was less commercial and more in keeping with the original design:

Julia Ward Howe wrote the Mother's Day Proclamation in 1870, as a call for peace and disarmament. Howe failed in her attempt to get formal recognition of a Mother's Day for Peace. Her idea was influenced by Ann Jarvis, a young Appalachian homemaker who, starting in 1858, had attempted to improve sanitation through what she called Mothers' Work Days. She organized women throughout the Civil War to work for better sanitary conditions for both sides, and in 1868 she began work to reconcile Union and Confederate neighbors. In parts of the United States it is customary to plant tomatoes outdoors after mother's day (and not before.)

When Jarvis died, her daughter, named Anna Jarvis, started the crusade to found a memorial day for women. The first such Mother's Day was celebrated in Grafton, West Virginia, on May 10, 1908, in the church where the elder Ann Jarvis had taught Sunday School. Grafton is the home to the International Mother's Day Shrine. From there, the custom caught on — spreading eventually to 45 states. The holiday was declared officially by some states beginning in 1912. In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson declared the first national Mother's Day, as a day for American citizens to show the flag in honor of those mothers whose sons had died in war (with specific reference to The Great War, now known as World War I). Nine years after the first official Mother's Day holiday, commercialization of the U.S. holiday became so rampant that Anna Jarvis herself became a major opponent of what the holiday had become. Mother's Day continues to this day to be one of the most commercially successful U.S. holidays.

So, I hope the rest of you Moms were treated well by your young'uns...and the service person nearest you.

How Low Can He Go?

Beating up on the Chimp these days is just way too easy, and even I have not wasted time on him lately.

But today's poll from Newsweek seems like a good time to renew acquaintenances with the ninny who is our fearless leader. Apparently, the Chimp has sunk to a new low in approval: 28%.

"It’s hard to say which is worse news for Republicans: that George W. Bush now has the worst approval rating of an American president in a generation, or that he seems to be dragging every ’08 Republican presidential candidate down with him. But According to the new NEWSWEEK Poll, the public’s approval of Bush has sunk to 28 percent, an all-time low for this president in our poll, and a point lower than Gallup recorded for his father at Bush Sr.’s nadir. The last president to be this unpopular was Jimmy Carter who also scored a 28 percent approval in 1979. This remarkably low rating seems to be casting a dark shadow over the GOP’s chances for victory in ’08. The NEWSWEEK Poll finds each of the leading Democratic contenders beating the Republican frontrunners in head-to-head matchups."

Couldn't happen to a finer bunch of dopes.

My iPod Shuffle Makes Me Crazy

The idea of an iPod Shuffle is so intriguing. I love the ability to carry around 250 or so songs in all kinds of unique combinations of playlists. Of course, it would be better if it actually worked. I received one as a gift for Christmas and I'm now on my FOURTH one - having returned three of them after they stopped working. Arggghhhhh.

So tomorrow I make another trek to the Apple story to visit my own person genius, Omar. Yes, they really call their techies geniuses. And, yes, his name is Omar. We're on a first name basis now, since my last visit was just last Monday.

I suppose I'll go back to my Zen MP3 player which isn't nearly as sexy looking, nor as small. But it has worked without a hitch for at least 3 years - and I've never had to return it - not once.

If anyone has had similar experiences, or can recommend another iPod that has better reliability, I'm all ears.

My Dinner With David

When I attended college (mostly spent in a pot-induced haze), I was a student member of the university's Speakers Bureau. Each student was asked to host a speaker during the course of the year. As luck would have it, I was assigned David Halbertstam, author of "The Best and the Brightest," a Pullitzer-prize winning book about the JFK/LBJ team that got us entangled in the Vietnam war.

So what did I do? I cooked the only thing I could afford and had experience with...a spaghetti dinner, and invited him to the ramshackle house I shared with three other students and a drunken sot named Scott (That's a story for another day.) This thrilling dinner date took place around 1976, after Mr. Halbertstam was already well-known, probably more regularly dining with major politicians and other hoi poloi. And here he was, stuck eating a cheaply made spaghetti dinner, surrounded by a bunch of semi-conscious students. As I think about it now, I don't recall having a lucid conversation with the man; didn't ask any questions, simply fed him and the friends I had coerced into joining us, and delivered him to the speech on time. Can't imagine what he must have thought, or how many dozens of these dinners he had to sit through. But I recall Mr. Halberstam as being friendly and relatively easy to be with as he sat in our messy house in his business suit.

It makes me sad to read that David Halberstam died in a car accident today. Since our dinner together I have often enjoyed his commentaries on some of the more erudite talks shows, like Charlie Rose or NPR. (A favorite quote from David was when he was going through a long story explaining how he had a 'small epiphany' about something and it's been a favorite phrase at our house for years. How the hell does one have a small epiphany?)

Recently, I discovered he was a huge baseball fan, and if I had only known that in 1975, we would have had more to say to each other. RIP, Mr. Halberstam, and sorry for being such a crappy hostess. Wish we could have a do-over.

BTW: THE RED SOX SWEPT THE WEEKEND SERIES WITH THE MFY's!!! Last night, they hit 4 freakin' home runs in a row. Way happy today. GO SOX!

The Zimmers : Talkin' Bout My Generation

This is one of the most popular videos on YouTube this week. From what I've read, this is the grand finale to a documentary in the UK about the forgotten elderly. It renews your faith in the aging process - enjoy!

Human Kindness...Pass it On

I'm avoiding news programming since I saw the coverage last night of the "multi-media" manifesto of the Virginia Tech killer. That NBC saw fit to show the home-made video and images of that sad, lost soul is beyond me. We don't usually get so emotionally involved in the news that we feel the need to turn the TV off altogether, but we did.

So, today in my minimal web browsing today I tried to avoid anything related to the shooting, but a headline caught my eye: "Ex-classmates say gunman was bullied." How freakin' sad is it that something so simple as showing kindess and care for a young Korean immigrant might have prevented these senseless murders?

It reminds me, once again, that the casual, thoughtless comment ("nappy-headed hos" anyone?) is indeed hurtful and has the potential to do deep, significant harm. This world is hard enough to get through for those of us with decent mental health. But, we shouldn't compound the problems of others who could be less healthy by making their lives even more difficult through verbal abuse or taunting.

Could it be that all the money, anti-depressents and therapy matters less than simple, human kindess? Well, that's so easy we don't have any excuses not to comply then, do we? Do we?

War Zones

Looking across the conference room today, I noticed a young colleague wearing a "Virginia Tech" sweatshirt. Since the company I work for employs a great many engineering types, I figured this was her alma mater. I asked her, "Did you know anyone who died?" She shook her head sadly, and said, "No, but my best friend did." It breaks my heart to know about the sadness enveloping that particular college campus this week.

At the same time, equally sad is the senseless violence going on in Iraq. Today, more than 180 innocent people, out and about doing their shopping, were killed. I truly am not minimizing the Virginia Tech incident. But imagine if this was happening EVERY day? This is what is going on in Iraq and it needs to stop.

Red Sox Pizza Party 4/16/07

The most fun I've ever had at the gym was watching this event unfold before my very eyes, while on the treadmill. Enjoy!

RIP, Kurt

Sadly, it's been years since I've read any Vonnegut novels, but his death this week reminded me that I really enjoyed them. Might have to move them up on my reading list. In the meantime, check out these quotes, as my homage to one of the greats.

Be careful what you pretend to be because you are what you pretend to be.

Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before.

I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can't see from the center.

If people think nature is their friend, then they sure don't need an enemy.

If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind.

It is a very mixed blessing to be brought back from the dead.

Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.

Maturity is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter could be said to remedy anything.

People don't come to church for preachments, of course, but to daydream about God.

Still and all, why bother? Here's my answer. Many people need desperately to receive this message: I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people do not care about them. You are not alone.

The year was 2081, and everyone was finally equal.

True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.

We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be.

We could have saved the Earth but we were too damned cheap.

What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.

Who is more to be pitied, a writer bound and gagged by policemen or one living in perfect freedom who has nothing more to say?

Lena Horne -- STORMY WEATHER

I think this is probably the forecast for our weekend.

Enough.

Just When You Think It Can't Get More Bizzare...

...the National Security Advisor is looking for a war czar:

WASHINGTON - President Bush's top national security adviser said Thursday that there is an urgent need to name a high-powered White House official to oversee the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

My reaction to this is to wonder which of our presidents is whirling faster in his grave: Lincoln? Eisenhower? FDR? LBJ? Call me crazy, but isn't this what being "Commander-in-Chief" means? Or,at the very least, isn't this what the Secretary of Defense does? Maybe they should give Cheney something to do so he doesn't have to lurk in the bushes doing his Peeping Tom act.

Good Lord

A Most Remarkable Story

Came across this story from the Washington Post, which I believe was published yesterday in their Sunday Magazine, that I found fascinating.

Seems there was an experiment conducted this past January in the DC subway system during a normal weekday commute. What would happen when a world famous classical violinist, Joshua Bell, played for spare change in the subway station, using a Stradavarius violin, delivering some of the most beautiful classical music?

Would people notice? Would a crowd gather? Would people stop in their morning commute to enjoy something of exquisite beauty? What do you think?

Check it out here. And, if you go to this page, you can hear the performance from the subway tunnel, too.

Cartoon du Jour of Scandal du Jour

Here's where I got it. You can check out more....

Poor Mitt

This is fabulous.

The Massachusetts Republican party isn't very large, nor successful in elections across our fair state. But, we do have to unfortunately claim Mitt Romney as our most recent governor. It's hard to believe that voters in this state allowed him to muscle his way to the front of the line in 2002, simply to line himself up to run for president in 2008. Surprisingly enough, none of our former Republican governors (the three preceeding Romney) are endorsing him - they're going for McCain or Guliani.

But, we are finding that the Massachusetts Republican Party might have some balls after all - some of them are launching an "anti-Mitt" website. Yup, you heard me right. It's not Democrats who are doing it, but his own party. What a hoot.

BOSTON --A group of Massachusetts Republicans is planning to launch a Web site on Monday that highlights flip-flops in the record of their former leader, presidential contender Mitt Romney.

The so-called Massachusetts Republicans for Truth is also pledging to run radio and television ads across the country as Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, seeks the 2008 GOP presidential nomination.

He has acknowledged changing from a supporter of abortion rights to an opponent, and recently signed a no-new-taxes pledge that his gubernatorial spokesman had previously labeled "gimmickry." During a 1994 Senate race, Romney also pledged to be more effective in fighting for gay rights than his opponent, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., although today Romney highlights his ardent opposition to gay marriage.

Let me just say that Romney was a ridiculous governor, rarely showing up for anything unless there was a television camera involved. My hope is that the rest of the country understands that he literally is as in-credible a candidate as any in the GOP.

Janis Joplin Shows Women the Way

Lucky for me, I was too young to realize that women weren't supposed to be rock stars...and I was able to take Janis a bit for granted back in the day. Bobbers and I saw a special about Janis the other day and it inspired me to post this. It will break your heart.

Janis Joplin ( part 2 )

This is the second half of the 20/20 piece...the sadder part, to be sure.

Guilty On All Counts

When your name is Libby, Libby, Libby
You must go to jail, jail, jail
Because you told lies, lies, lies
And you're guilty, guilty, guilty...

Well, it ain't great poetry or even a decent marketing jingle, but it sums up my feelings. As you can imagine, I'm glad the Administration has to take some sort of punishment for the lies they told to cover-up their war on those who opposed them politically. It is also fascinating to hear conservatives say that "there was no underlying crime" here. Sounds like 1997-98 Clinton administration talk to me, no?

As citizens perhaps we could hope that Washington politicians would learn from this...and that attention could actually turn toward governing, instead of throwing one another under the judicial bus. Too much to hope for, I guess.

Although it is admittedly partisan, Democratic Chairman Howard Dean sent this link to a video message about the results of the trial, as compared with the pressing problems on Washington's plate today. Special attention is paid to the problems with the hospital care of our veterans. For those who believe that the Chimp Administration gives two hoots about "supporting the troops," it's quickly becoming clear that they don't.

Just like tax cuts, how do you justify cutting Veteran's benefits in the middle of the war? This link shows the Democrats were concerned about this way before the recent problems at Walter Reed were discovered. This quote comes from an article on cnn.com from 2005:

The governor of Pennsylvania on Saturday said the federal government must do a better job helping America's war veterans and criticized proposed budget cuts affecting them.

"During this time of war, it is absolutely the wrong time for our federal government to step back from any of its commitments to our veterans. To do so would be penny wise but pound foolish," said Gov. Ed Rendell in the weekly Democratic radio address.

"In today's parlance, the cost of health care for these vets may be half a billion dollars but their sacrifice for our nation, priceless," he said.

Time to get back to business and get this war stopped and help our troops recover their physical and mental health, and that of their suffering families.

And no Libby pardon. Ever.

My Lucky Day

In Massachusetts, one of the state lottery games has a pot of $344 million tonight. Did I buy a ticket? Of course I did. There's nothing better than the dreams we come up with when pondering such a windfall. So, what would I do with it? The question is...what wouldn't I do? Family and friends, get in line for your handout!

Three Amigos

Summer is coming. Here's proof:

Where I Like It Best

Last Saturday, Bobbers and I enjoyed seeing Rickie Lee Jones in concert at Harvard University's Sanders Theatre. It's a great venue, built in 1870 as a memorial to the Harvard students who lost their lives in the Civil War. In the lobby of the building, on marble tablets, you see lists of those killed at Gettysburg, Antietam, Vicksburg...as well as every war since then.

And yet the music created there is sublime. The acoustics are fabulous and its one of our favorite places to enjoy a show. Last weekend was no different.

Rickie Lee is on tour to support her newest album, "Sermon on Exposition Boulevard," reviewed quite well by Jetison himself. A bit of my favorite song (Where I Like It Best) is below.

"How do you pray in a world like this
You know, I see the people on TV
And they close their eyes and they bow their heads
And they say "Let us pray"
And it feels so cold and meaningless
And I wanted to pray
And I said
Tell me father
Tell me mother
Heavenly mother
And they said

When you pray
Pray alone by yourself
In the secret room of your heart
Don't go out into the church filled with people and pray
God hears every secret that you say
See all those people praying on TV and the churches
They like to make a big parade out of what they're doing
They think God hears them louder if they say it
Over and over and over and over and over again

But I say, God, but I say this
You are the prayer
Your eyes are the prayer
Your hand on your cheek
You are the prayer
Those words you want to speak
They are the prayer
That dance you make
When you're by yourself
Just before your mother calls you on the phone
You are the prayer
I tell you what
You gotta take it back from them
Because the prayers belong to you
All you gotta do is say hey hey
I'm down here too, I'm down here too
I'm down here too
And I hear you in the trees
And I hear you
And I'm near you
I wonder why there's so much suffering?

I want to say thank you, thank you
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you
I wanted to say thank you, thank you
I wanted to say
I wanted to say
You are where I like it best
You are where I like it best
You are where I like it best

That's the Lords' prayer
"You are where I want to be"
So, amen, just amen
Amen, all by myself, amen, amen
I'm so lonely, just amen
And I'm rising, rising, just amen
You can look through my eyes
Hear through my hear
Look through my eyes"

Perfect lyrics for a Sunday - my own personal moment of reflection.

Running?

I've never been a runner. For far too long in my life, I've lived by the mantra, "Why run when you could walk? Why walk when you could stand still? Why stand still when you could sit?"...You get the picture.

In spite of my sedentary adulthood, as a teenager I enjoyed participating in team sports: softball and volleyball (mostly because girls weren't given any other options). While I wasn't a gifted athlete, I was a great teammate, and was often elected team captain. In fact, the summer before I entered high school I played on three softball teams simultaneously: a town team, my school team and my church team. (Yes, I did attend church once upon a time.) As soon as I learned to drive, however, sports dried up for me.

Nowadays, I regret that I never kept up an active life and I am trying to make up for it. Initially exercise started as purely a health requirement - something to do because I must. But after a couple of years, I grudgingly must admit that I feel better after a workout and sometimes even like it (especially when I swim). It's not that I do a lot...but I do at least an hour of aerobic exercise three times a week, and do a Pilates class at work during my lunch hour once a week. Along with eating more healthy food, I'm gradually turning things around in spite of my aging body.

Every once in a while, you need a dose of inspiration to keep you moving, and I got one just when I needed it. Last week I was walking at a pretty good clip around the track when I noticed a woman running ahead of me. She wasn't young - I would guess late 60's, early 70s. But, she was running. *gulp*

It made me think: will I ever run again? Can I even run? I thought how sad it would be if I started to stop doing things. What other experiences have I given up, I wondered? And isn't it time to double-check that I'm not becoming totally decrepit? So, at some point, I've resolved to run again - even if it's for short spurts over short distances.

Here's my message for fellow middle-agers: it's time to stop stopping...and start living.

The Most Unkind Cut of All

I've ranted and raved about the ridiculous Iraq War for the five or so years since this entered (or was forced upon?) entered our consciousness. And I certainly admit that there are some who honestly think the war was truly worth it.

But there is something that we will all agree on regardless of our political stripe. And this is it: those who serve in our armed forces should be treated well when they return from their tour of duty overseas, especially if they are wounded. Over the weekend The Washington Post ran a feature story about the deplorable conditions at the famous Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington.

From the story:

"Behind the door of Army Spec. Jeremy Duncan's room, part of the wall is torn and hangs in the air, weighted down with black mold. When the wounded combat engineer stands in his shower and looks up, he can see the bathtub on the floor above through a rotted hole. The entire building, constructed between the world wars, often smells like greasy carry-out. Signs of neglect are everywhere: mouse droppings, belly-up cockroaches, stained carpets, cheap mattresses.

This is the world of Building 18, not the kind of place where Duncan expected to recover when he was evacuated to Walter Reed Army Medical Center from Iraq last February with a broken neck and a shredded left ear, nearly dead from blood loss. But the old lodge, just outside the gates of the hospital and five miles up the road from the White House, has housed hundreds of maimed soldiers recuperating from injuries suffered in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."

And I suppose it's one thing to have a crumby, rundown building. It's quite another to hear how the administrative arm of the hospital is failing these soldiers:

"On the worst days, soldiers say they feel like they are living a chapter of "Catch-22." The wounded manage other wounded. Soldiers dealing with psychological disorders of their own have been put in charge of others at risk of suicide.

Disengaged clerks, unqualified platoon sergeants and overworked case managers fumble with simple needs: feeding soldiers' families who are close to poverty, replacing a uniform ripped off by medics in the desert sand or helping a brain-damaged soldier remember his next appointment.

"We've done our duty. We fought the war. We came home wounded. Fine. But whoever the people are back here who are supposed to give us the easy transition should be doing it," said Marine Sgt. Ryan Groves, 26, an amputee who lived at Walter Reed for 16 months. "We don't know what to do. The people who are supposed to know don't have the answers. It's a nonstop process of stalling."

What are the long-term implications for the soldiers and their families? Suicide. Overdoses. Anger. At the very least, frustration. Apparently, soldiers get the best possible care to keep them alive while they're in the war zone - in fact, more wounded soldiers are making it through alive by the expert - and even miraculous - care they receive when they are evacuated to a medical hospital. But afterwards? The soldiers are left to question why the military bothers to save them so heroically, when they are treated so poorly when they come home.

We are a better country than this. I clearly don't have an answer to how to solve this problem. The neglect of our veterans is a bi-partison issue with ALL the politicians in Washington DC responsible. Let's hope this journalistic breakthrough brings hope to these kids who didn't ask for anything except to be treated well by their government.

Joni Mitchell - A Case of You

I do believe this is one of my favorite songs; enjoy!

For the Record

Hard to believe, but we finally got a chance to get the snow-blower out yesterday! Had about 8 inches of snow - no big deal by New England standards, but a real pain in the butt. The all-day event included rain, sleet, and awful little ice pellets. Today was no better, with temperatures not passing 20 degrees, but at least it was sunny..

This Cracked Me Up

I was driving home from work today and cruising through the radio channels. Passed through an NPR show ("The World") when I heard a guy singing hip-hop...






in French.

Hysterical. If you want to hear it, go here.

The Secret Dick

If you haven't been reading about how the Scooter Libbey trial is shining a spotlight on the role of The Dick, you should be. Here's a really scarey story from today's Boston Globe that demonstrates the dangerous role of the VP. It kinda knocks your socks off to actually read it, especially considering that 90% of the country has no clue:

What didn't he touch? It's almost like there was almost nothing too trivial for the vice president to handle," said New York University professor Paul Light, an expert in the bureaucracy of the executive branch.

"The details suggest Cheney was almost a deputy president with a shadow operation. He had his own source of advice. He had his own source of access. He was making his own decisions," Light said.

Red Sox

As we anticipate spring training beginning later this week, I thought it might be nice to look backwards...it's amazing how many of the Sox have moved on. Time to bring home another championship, boys!

What a Face!

You gotta love this face, eh? In a little over 10 days from now, we'll get to see him in a Sox uniform. Can't come soon enough.

iPod Shuffling Along

One of my Christmas presents from Bobbers was an iPod Shuffle - this 1.5"-long machine holds about 240 songs and has been much more fun to have than I would ever have imagined. **geezer alert**

Another gift was the CD of last summer's documentary about Leonard Cohen called "I'm Your Man." In the CD, various young artists, most notably Rufus and Martha Wainwright, cover a bunch of Leonard's songs. This has inspired me to delve into some of the original albums of this rather iconoclastic singer/songwriter who is incredibly difficult to pigeonhole. You'd probably find his music filed under "folk" at the CD store (are there any of those any more?) Yet, his demeanor harkens back to the pre-Dylan folk music days. In fact, in my imagination, I think of him wearing a smoking jacket and sipping brandy before retiring to his bed each night.

I haven't listened to all 4 of the CDs as yet, but it's been a pleasant diversion during this (finally) cold winter season. Hence, the post from YouTube of one of his most famous songs..."Halleluia" below. Cohen's probably not for everyone, but I find his music to be unique and entertaining.

Leonard Cohen Hallelujah

Happy 2nd Blogbirthday

In case anyone's interested, in late January I hit the two year mark for this here blog.

Whooooohoooo.

Quick and Easy Question for You

My few readers (if you're still out there) are likely not as interested in presidential politics as I am. (Although I do have to admit that this year its gotten way too early - even for me.)

Anyway, I have just one question for you: are any of you looking forward to voting for Hillary Clinton? If anyone answers this question, I'll post my theory. Well, hell, I'll probably post my thoughts anyway.

I'm genuinely interested in hearing from anyone who plans to vote for the Senator from New York.

OK, Alright, I Know....

I know, I've neglected this blog terribly over recent days. Am I blogged out? Has Bush's downfall also meant that I have nothing to say? (Ha!) I don't know, but until I can come up with something more original, I'll be posting less regularly. I'm not of the mind that posting for the sake of it is a good thing. Wouldn't that just be masturbation?

Short Takes

Interesting times, indeed...here's a catch-up on the news of the day:

• I don't care how naive this may sound to the more jaded among us, but I, for one, will be thrilled to hear the Sargent-at-Arms tonight when the Chimp makes his entrance for the State of the Union: "Madame Speaker!................." I am old enough to remember when such a greeting was unthinkable. Now I can't wait until the person being introduced to the House of Representatives is a woman, or a person of color. I just hope Nancy can keep from putting devil ears over the chimp's head while he's speaking.
• On the same note, I'm fairly certain I won't be supporting Hillary's bid for the presidency. I agree with those who say that a Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton series of presidencies is just not good for America. The same goes for Jeb if he were to decide to run. It's unfortunate, but if her name was anything but Clinton, I'd probably be voting for her and thrilled to have a viable female candidate run. Right now, it's Edwards and Obama for me.
• Second best event tonight will be hearing Jim Webb's response to the State of the Union. This new senator from Virginia is royally pissed. Can't wait ::rubbing hands in glee::
• My infatuation with Patrick Fitzgerald continues, and it appears that we may have Fitzmas after all. Did you see today's unraveling at the Libby trial? Apparently Grumpy McVP was more involved in the outing of the CIA agent after all. Bwahahahahaha. I would pay a LOT of money to watch him being grilled on the witness stand. Finally, there is someone who will force him to answer at risk of perjury. Just when I thought all was lost in this country. This is all occuring at the nick of time.
• Yesterday's news, you ask? The Chimp's poll numbers have dropped BELOW those of Richard Nixon during Watergate. Damn. (Strangest coincidence....just as I typed this, I heard on the teevee that E. Howard Hunt of Watergate fame died today.)
• I attended a business breakfast today in Boston, with a keynote address by our new governor Deval Patrick. I have to say that he's rather impressive - he probably has been in contact with nearly every citizen of our commonwealth in the three weeks or so since he's taken office. Can't say the same for our former goofball governor, Mitt Romney (aka The Hair)
• A non-political note? It's only about 3 weeks till spring training. Wahooooooooooooo!

Rest Easy, Indian Hill Under Control

For my fellow Cincinnatians, here's the latest from Indian Hill, which appears to be running amok.

No Urge to Surge

I'm rifling through our taped TV shows tonight so I don't accidentally stumble on the Chimp when he explains, yet again, what the hell he's going to do in Vietnam...er, I mean Iraq. He's taken about a month to "consult" with everyone...from the Iraq Study Group, to senators and members of Congress. Even appointed a new Secretary of Defense. And all he can come up with is to throw more money at this thing. I don't want to minimize the number of people he's sending, but according to recent reports, we've had the same number of servicemen in Iraq at any given time over the past few years. Nothing new here, except more money and death.

I guess I could watch with the same feeling one gets when watching a train wreck. But I do believe I have better things to do.

This country needs an intervention.

Now.

Miscellaneous Musings on Presidential Funerals

Although I didn't plan to, I ended up seeing a fair amount of TV coverage of President Ford's funeral. I guess it's hard to miss, since it seemed to go on for weeks. Same thing happened when Mr. Reagan left this world a few years ago. At that time I recall thinking the whole event was excessive.

It got me thinking...who was the most recent president to die (other than the disgraced Mr. Nixon) and what was his funeral like? It's hard to believe, but if my research is correct, it was Lyndon Johnson in 1973. The picture above is from his funeral. Here's a bit of the obituary from the New York Times:

SAN ANTONIO, Tex., Jan. 22--Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th President of the United States, died today of an apparent heart attack suffered at his ranch in Johnson City, Tex.

The 64-year-old Mr. Johnson, whose history of heart illness began in 1955, was pronounced dead on arrival at 4:33 P.M. central time at San Antonio International Airport, where he had been flown in a family plane on the way to Brooke Army Medical Center here.

A spokesman at Austin said that Mr. Johnson's funeral would probably be held Thursday at the National City Christian Church in Washington. He said the body would lie in state at the Johnson Library in Austin from noon tomorrow until 8 A.M. Wednesday, with an honor guard, and then would be taken to Washington, where it will lie in state at the Capitol rotunda until the funeral. Mr. Johnson will be buried at the L.B.J. Ranch.

Death came to the nation's only surviving former President as the nation observed a period of mourning proclaimed less than a month ago for former President Harry S. Truman.

I thought the last sentence rather interesting, no? And I was very surprised that LBJ was ony 64 when he died - in fact, he looked like he was 104.

OK, so I guess the funerals are as they should be - with all the pomp and circumstance we've come to expect in the services for these last two presidents.

So, having settled that critical conundrum, can you imagine anything stranger than being a former president during these events? When you pay your respects at the Capitol, you know that you too will be lying in state there. You must wonder about your own funeral, although since these memorials are planned years in advance, this must be an easy transition to make. You can just imagine Jimmy Carter, George HW Bush and Bill Clinton eyeing each other and thinking who would be next. Every cough or stumble might signal the upcoming honoree.

And what about the Clintons, especially if Hillary ever becomes president herself? Chelsea must quake in her boots thinking that she potentially could have to endure going through two of these events, all by herself.

Oh well, let's hope it's a long time until the next one. (Another Googled fact is that, yes, Lady Bird Johnson is still living, at the age of 95 years old.)

Photo credit: Marion S. Trikosko; link

A Look at 2006

A sure-fired way to get rid of the doldrums in January: an amaryllis or two...

March: A visit to the sculpture garden at the DeCordova Museum, Waltham, Mass. If you ask me, this winter tree is a beautiful enough sculpture:

March: My best friends from high school, Janet (below, left), and her daughter, Amanda, visited us during their whirlwind tour of the northeast looking at colleges. Where did Amanda end up? I don't know, but Fordham University was the lead school last I heard from my New Mexico pal.

April: Bob and I enjoyed a walk through Boston's public garden on a spectacular early spring day.

Late May saw us travel to Portland, Oregon, to visit my brother and his soon-to-be wife, Tara. Here are some of the highlights (or at least some of my favorite pictures):

My August birthday celebration featured a Red Sox T-shirt of one of my favorite new players, Jonathan Papelbon. Hey, how many days till spring training?

Our favorite Labor Day celebration is our visit to the Tanglewood Jazz Festival. Hard to see it here, but this is Elvis Costello playing with a jazz pianist Marian MacPartland. Nice, except the weather in the Berkshires was a bit chilly. This is Seiji Ozawa Hall, a beautiful place, both visually and acoustically.

Our Tanglewood trip is almost always followed by a visit to our favorite local museum in North Adams, Massachusetts: the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (or Mass MoCA). Below is a self-portrait of the two of us in their large fesitival installation:

And this rather interesting installation that is way too hard to describe but was more interesting than you can believe. It involved projectors and lighting and some willingness to play along...This is Bob and me where I touch his heart from 10 feet away.

Late September was bad at the office, but we salvaged a beautiful day at the Cape, visiting our friend, Joan (center). My best pal, Susan, is on the left and my great buddy, Ethel, is on the right:

Columbus Day: We took at day-trip to Newport, Rhode Island, flew some kites, did a little shopping and had a great dinner at a local restaurant. This is sunset in Newport Harbor - a favorite picture:

In October, my friend, Julie, suggested we take in the Topsfield Fair, one of the oldest of its kind in the country. We saw farm animals, kids' 4H displays, tacky, tacky souveniers and food that would give you a heart attack. Here, Julie seems to enjoy my skepticism at looking at the rather large cows. (We did miss the 29-inch high horse, supposedly you had to pay $1 to see it, even though one of us just walked up and saw it when its keeper wasn't looking. And NO, it wasn't moi or Julie.)

November brought us many happy events, not the least of which was the Democrat takeover of Congress (sorry, I can't resist a political comment), but it also included Bob's birthday:

Mary Lou's Birthday, November 22: The girls in our family, minus 1

Thanksgiving and Jennifer's wedding are documented on my flickr site (see the left column to see them in detail). But I especially liked this one:

Christmas 2006: Our tree was especially nice this year and has held up really well ...even tonight as I type.

Our friends, George and Sharon, bring their daughters every Christmas for a visit when they come to see their own family. We were lucky to have a concert this year by Amelia (almost 5) and Zhen (nearly 10):

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

He Even Lies About His Bedtime

Well, ol' Saddam finally got what he deserved last night. But the Crawford Village Idiot supposedly didn't even take note of it.

Before the hanging was carried out in Baghdad, Mr. Bush went to sleep here at his ranch and was not roused when the news came.

This was 9 pm Central Time, folks. Do you really think he was tucked in for the night? Highly doubtful, but he's trying to portray a "what? me worry?" persona. I have a feeling that he was watching the whole thing, with his Father Complex all hanging out. "He tried to kill my Daddy. But, I killed him!"

Probably gave Laura the night of her life.

Yuck.

He Was Jerry Ford; and You're Not

You've all heard by now that Gerald Ford died last night. I was in college when he succeeded Tricky Dick as President. At the time, nearly all young Americans were fixated with scorn and anger at Nixon and we had spent at least a year (probably more) awaiting his leave-taking from the White House. When it finally happened, the day before my 20th birthday, I accepted it as a personal gift as I left my teens behind.

But I also recall that I was just a little disappointed with Jerry Ford and his blandness. With his elevation to the presidency, there was a total transformation of the White House. It became a much more approachable and more modern place. There were normal teenagers in his family and this President actually cooked his own breakfast. It seemed as if one of our suburban neighbors had been named president.

And then, of course, came Saturday Night Live and Chevy Chase's hilarious imitations of Mr. Ford. I remember watching this brand new show in a pot-smoking haze and although it may be hard to believe, this show was revolutionary for depicting a president as a bumbling fool. And I have to say, even though I have always been a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat, his wife Betty has always been a particular favorite of mine. She always seemed a lot more left-leaning and I suspected had a great influence on him. I heard tonight that we can thank JerryFord for putting Justice Stevens on the Supreme Court. Certainly wouldn't hear of that kind of moderation these days.

So, rest in peace, Mr. Ford. It is a successful person, never mind President, who in death is described as decent, honorable, a man of integrity, capable, humble, kind, sincere and wise. His wife and children can be very proud.

UPDATE: This morning, I woke up to news reports that President Ford told Bob Woodward that he would not have gone to war in Iraq, back in 2004! This on top of Nancy Reagan's mini-swipe at the Chimp for not supporting stem cell research (in her remarks noting the passing of Jerry Ford). The cheese really does stand alone these days, doesn't he? Damn.

Christmas: The Prequel

It's a mellow night here on Russell Avenue. Bought a SHIT-load of great food, the house is decorated, the presents all bought (but not all wrapped as yet). The strange thing about December 23, 2006 in Massachusetts, is that it was 53 degrees today - it sure is strange to do Christmas shopping wearing a light jacket and with the smell of spring in the air. Will we pay in January? Who knows?

Had a great swim today, haven't been to the Y for a couple of weeks due to a nice head cold and the other pre-Christmas duties. It was a little crowded at the pool, but since I didn't have any other plans today, I just relaxed and went with the flow. I shared a swimlane with a woman somewhat older than me who swam in a bright red suit - perfect for the season, I told her. She complained the whole time about what a job it was to exercise and when I turned at the deep end I would see her with her head laying down on the side of the pool. It was strange because she wasn't a bad swimmer, but she sure was fighting it.

Me, I love to swim. I give myself a situation or a problem to solve and noodle on it the whole hour I swim back and forth. When times were tough at work in the fall, I solved a prickly problem during my laps. Today, I figured out the last coupla presents for Bobbers. In upcoming swims, I will probably plan our trip to Ireland this June for my Brother's wedding. For some reason, I don't have the same kinda luck with problem-solving when I'm on the treadmill - I find that dreadfully dull unless I can watch tv or focus on a visual.

Just enjoyed our dinner appetizer of fried calamari, among the many treats I bought at Trader Joe's yesterday. I'm watching "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" on tv...and remembering what a B-i-t-c-h that Nurse Ratched is. I think she's probably the meanest villain EVER. I don't think I'll watch it much longer because it will spoil my Christmas buzz. McMurphy just figured out that he's not getting out when his jail sentence expires. *click* I've turned the station. Ahhh, "Hitch," a much better choice for blogging and sipping wine.

Ahhhh well, I wish everyone a wonderful weekend - more to come, I hope.

Christmas Giving

Want to do something nice for a veteran? Here's your chance. Working Assets, along with other partners, is collecting donations to provide calling cards for wounded veterans:

Working Assets, Veterans for Peace, CODEPINK, Iraq Veterans Against the War and Gold Star Families for Peace have teamed up on a project to thank our veterans by sending them phone cards loaded with 125 minutes of domestic long-distance calling time. We'll purchase these cards and deliver them to VA Medical Facilities all over the country on December 18th. (If you want to join in delivering the cards to a VA hospital near you, just click on the link you'll see after making your gift.

$10 will cover the cost of phone cards for three veterans. $20 will buy six phone cards. $33 will buy ten cards. $100 will buy phone cards for 30 veterans to call home over the holidays. 100% of your gift will go directly to buying phone cards -- so please give as generously as you can.

It will make you feel great, I guarantee you.

The Christmas Story

For some bizarre reason there isn't a survey I don't like. I'm one of those very strange people who don't mind expressing an opinions (hence, the blog). So, if you don't want an opinion, don't ask, ok?

In keeping with all my opinions, here's a Christmas meme (thanks to Susan!) :

1. Eggnog or hot chocolate?

I worship eggnog, but my arteries don't. (You'd think I'd like the Eggnog Latte at Starbucks, but it sucks. Big time.)

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree?

Santa doesn't wrap presents! Everybody knows that!

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?

White outside. Colored lights inside on the large tree in the living room; white on the smaller tree in the dining room.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?

Nope.

5. When do you put your decorations up?

Later than most people, but not on Christmas Eve I (at least not yet).

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?

Don't have any specific favorites from days of yore. In recent years, I've made Jambalaya on Christmas Eve - it's starting to be our tradition.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child?

It may be strange, but a favorite memory for me was the weeks leading up to Christmas. My dad was a jeweler, and worked non-stop from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Truth be told, I don't think we saw him much over those 4 weeks - he even worked Saturday AND Sunday all day. During that time, the house was totally run by my mom and us kids. The best part about it was having breakfast for dinner - pancakes, scrambled eggs. Part of this is because my mom was the World's Worst Cook, but also because my dad was a real "meat and potatoes" guy and I suspect she wanted time off from the regular routine as much as we did. In later years, we found out that all the overtime Dad put it in actually provided us Christmas itself. My mom would 'charge' all our toys and gifts early in the season and pay them off at Christmas with the extra pay. How did he do it? I'm not sure I could ever be so selfless. Thanks, Dad.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?

I really don't remember, although I think Patty vanden Eynden from down the street had something to do with it.

9. Do you open gifts Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?

When we were little kids, we opened Christmas Day, when we were teenagers, it all moved to Christmas Eve. For all my married life, it's been Christmas morning.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?

I do it all...I'm thinking of adopting a teenager to take over soon.

11. Snow- Love it or dread it?

Now that I don't have to drive in it much anymore (telecommuting, what a concept!) and we bought a snow blower, I really like snow. I've really tried to make an effort to enjoy each season as it comes and not to complain too much about it. To me, one of the pleasures of winter is the beautiful sky - best enjoyed while shoveling snow in late afternoon.

12. Can you ice skate?

Nope, the one and only time I tried to ice skate, I fell and someone behind me skated over my hand. Kinda turned me off a skating career. Although I have to say it looks like great fun...especially at Rockefeller Center.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?

I don't have a particular stand-out gift as a child, but I have to say that two Christmases ago, I got a bunch of presents from Bobbers that were out of this world. Everything was well-thought out and bought with love. Especially important was the fact that all the gifts were purchased a mere two months or so following his major heart surgery - very impressive. (I still - to this day - marvel at how he slogged through the mall with all that heavy stuff when he wasn't supposed to be carrying anything really heavy at the time. Wouldn't that be just great to have your husband keel over buying Christmas presents for you?)

14. What's the most exciting thing about the holidays for you?

Catching up on sleep, watching movies, hanging out with friends, cooking some great meals.

15. What is your favorite holiday desert?

1) A desert I can make: Garbage candy -- one part white chocolate, one part peanuts, one part pretzels; 2) Grammy's fudge (although I don't get to have it often). As my cousin, Susan, said on her blog, "My uncle makes the most awesome, decadent, melt in your mouth fudge you will ever taste, using my Grandma's recipe. (Funny note: the recipe has this instruction on how long to stir it: Until your arm falls off. I miss Grandma)." Me too, Susan, me too! Except, isn't she called "Grammy?"

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Watching "White Christmas" (favorite song: "Sisters") and "It's a Wonderful Life" (favorite scene: when George Bailey just barely prevents himself from heaving the newel post knob; second favorite scene: when he tells off Zouzou's teacher: "What kind of teacher are you, anyway?"; third favorite scene: "Hello, 5 and Dime! Hello, Savings and Loan! Hello....everything else....!")

17. What tops your tree?

A green and gold painted aluminum star from Pier 1.

18. Which do you prefer- giving or receiving?

Well, I must confess I really like....receiving!

19. What is your favorite Christmas song?

"I'll Be Home for Christmas" sung by just about anyone. So very bittersweet. Second favorite: "The Christmas Song" by Mel Torme.

20. Candy canes?

Nah, not so much.

Now what about the rest of you?

Iraq Study Group

In listening to the accounts of the today's release of the Iraq Study Group's report, it occurs to me that I believe we heard the same "blah, blah, blah" before. Remember the "9/11 Commission" report? What ever happened to that? Our government officials (right and left) seem to have ADD. They get all excited on the day of the report (prompted by TV cameras) and then drop it when there's actual work to be done.

Let's just say I'm not holding my breath expecting big change. But, by God, I hope change comes, and quick.

Bush loses another ally as UN ambassador Captain Kangaroo resigns in face of Senate hostility

Have you heard the latest?

"The White House yesterday bowed to Senate opposition and gave up its attempt to keep its controversial UN Ambassador, Captain Kangaroo, in his job - the latest sign of President George Bush's diminishing authority. Mr Bush issued a statement denouncing the senators, including a Republican moderate, who had blocked Mr Bolton's confirmation process in the chamber's television affairs committee.

"They chose to obstruct his confirmation, even though he enjoys majority support in the Senate, and even though their tactics will disrupt our diplomatic work at a sensitive and important time," Mr Bush said. "This stubborn obstructionism ill serves our country and discourages men and women of talent from serving."

So how does the Senate feel about Mr. Green Jeans?

New World Record

Yesterday, Bobbers and I made a concerted effort to accomplish more than we usually do on our lazy Sundays. Part of the plan included various household chores, a swim at the Y, preparing for some snow (where are those damn shovels?), general housekeeping and buying our Christmas trees. We always buy our tree from the Westboro Civic Club ("Hey, don't call us the Rotary!") and we were able to walk up to the first row of trees, pick out our baby tree for the dining room, and a medium-tall tree for the living room within 10 minutes! But for the brief stop at the grocery, and having to follow a giant SUV slowly up a hill with it's own tree tied to its top ("It's not a nuclear weapon, for God's sake!" ) we would have accomplished all our chores by 3 pm. Phew!

Now Ill have to see whether we actually get the trees up and the house decorated anytime soon...next Sunday we may have to clear a path to the decorations down the basement. Stay tuned for my breathless updates on our Christmas plans! I know you're all a-twitter!

Call Me Magellan

You all need to be the first to know.

I'm forming an exploratory committee to decide whether I'm going to run for President. Hey, if Tom Vilsack, Barak Obama, John McCain, Mitt Romney (oh, please!), Evan Bayh, Mike Huckabee, Chris Dodd, Duncan Hunter, John Kerry, Sam Brownback (who?), Bill Richardson, John Edwards, Chuck Hagel, Joe Biden, Al Sharpton, Wes Clark, Tommy Thompson, Newt Gingrich (oh, barf!), Hilary Clinton and Rudy Guiliani (::rolling eyes::) can do it, why not me?

Anybody wanna go explorin' with me?

I Officially Hate Blogger Beta

This evening I wrote a great response to a great post by my favorite hubby without logging in first. The freakin' thing ate the whole post. Argghhhhh. I think this so-called beta version of Blogger is what has prevented me from posting in recent days. It feels overly complex and that's a damn shame. The best part of Blogger was its simplicity. I suppose there are improvements in Blogger Beta, but I haven't found them. AND I can't post Youtube video any more.

Bah. They can keep the freakin' thing.