Open Thread – Creepy Moose Art
It’s been a long night. Still awake as I type this at 3:15am Alaska time. I’ll post on my evening’s activities tomorrow, but for now I thought I’d share this little bit of oddity in art.
I remember a few years ago when these (there are more of different species) popped up downtown in a little plaza outside a coffee shop. Fortunately I was in the passenger side of a car when I first spotted them, because had I been driving, there very well could have been a wreck. These sculptures appear to be made out of bronze, and are slightly larger than life-sized on a human scale. It’s the sort of thing I’m wondering if I ought to be looking at just before bedtime… I wonder if this is what comes to haunt moose hunters in their dreams?
If any Alaskan Mudflatter can tell me some terrific story behind them or what they symbolize, or some kind of meaning that will make me like them, please do. Because deep down, I want to find a way to love them. But for now….they’re just plain creepy.
I get creeped out by those statues every single time I see them down town…eeek.
Geoffrey Dunn on Huffpo, Sarah Palin as Pinnochio
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/geoffrey-dunn/pinocchio-in-drag-sarah-p_b_211192.html
More info on the artist.
http://www.anchorage.net/1166.cfm
Was going to link Shannyn’s tale of last night, but won’t spoil your story AKM, as I see you were there and no doubt will have your own inimitable take o the occasion.
Unarmed moose?
UK Lady Says:
June 4th, 2009 at 3:41 AM
Geoffrey Dunn on Huffpo, Sarah Palin as Pinnochio
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/geoffrey-dunn/pinocchio-in-drag-sarah-p_b_211192.html
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Good article UK Lady
Its like Equus.
Crystalwolf
LOL, specially liked the graphics.
UK Lady,
I can’t wait until he writes his book…Where is Shannyn’s post?
Crystalwolf
On Huffpo, but didn’t link as it is obvious that AKM was at the same event and will be doing a post about it later. Didn’t want to spoil it for AKM>
We have to be vigilant and keep up the pressure on Fox. This is simply unacceptable.
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/06/03/limbaugh-still-wants-obama-fail/
Thanks UK lady, I will look for it…
Morning Austintx
~a adderall cloud…heh! Isn’t one of the Reagon’s nice? I thought I heard him on Air America before?
You can file a complaint against Fox News, Clear Channel Communication, O’Reilly, Beck, Limbaugh and others of their Ilk with the FCC:
http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm
Remember what a huge outcry did to Don Imus regarding his insensitive remarks.
On the statue – ck. with the cafe? that it is in front of. That , or the city art commision? and see who did the art?.
artist Rachelle Dowdy?
http://artsceneak.net/vl05su07.htm
(scroll down the page a bit)
LiladyNY Says:
June 4th, 2009 at 4:38 AM
You can file a complaint against Fox News, Clear Channel Communication, O’Reilly, Beck, Limbaugh and others of their Ilk with the FCC:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks for that link…!
Stapletongue doesn’t want to share Mrs Palin’s schedule, but you can see she’s going to have one very busy Saturday and have Saturday night and Sunday off. Maybe a dog barbeque if the weather is nice?
11:00 Auburn Founders Day parade, starring former 3rd place Miss Alaska
12:00 Ceremony at end of parade (outside City Hall) including brief (oh, yah) remarks from Mrs Palin
12.30 Garden party fundraiser
2:00 Exclusive fundraiser at Seward House; for your $250 you get a speech from Mrs Palin, an introduction to Mrs Palin, and a happy snap with Mrs Palin. Sold out.
No more festivities until Sunday and the IGHL Gala, scheduled to commence at 5 p.m. The IGHL website has a countdown clock so that you don’t get confused.
http://www.auburnpub.com/articles/2009/06/04/latest_news/latestnews02.txt
the problem child Says:
June 4th, 2009 at 3:54 AM
Unarmed moose?
Yes. We have the right to bear arms, not the right to moose arms! If I see an armless bear statue, I’m going to call my Congressman
LiladyNY Says:
June 4th, 2009 at 4:38 AM
You can file a complaint against Fox News, Clear Channel Communication, O’Reilly, Beck, Limbaugh and others of their Ilk with the FCC:
Thanks for the link!!
I wonder what unethical inappropriate issues are tangled up with all these “arrangements”.
Also too, when was the lot purchased, who sold the lot to the Palins, who was the realtor, what was the price paid and what was the lots value at the time.
Also too too, wonder how legal it is to get rid of city building codes.
Would the law firm mentioned below be associated with Van Flea?
(Kate in Canada posted this in March)
Brad DeLong, at U of C Economics Department wrote this blog item last October that sums it up very well.
http://delong.typepad.com/egregious_moderation/2008/10/wayne-barrett-s.html
THE $12.5 MILLION sports complex and hockey rink that is the lasting monument to Palin’s two terms as Wasilla mayor is also a monument to the kind of insider politics that dismays Americans of both parties. Six months before Palin stepped down as mayor in October 2002, the city awarded nearly a half-million-dollar contract to design the biggest project in Wasilla history to Kumin Associates.
Blase Burkhart was the Kumin architect on the job—the son of Roy Burkhart, who is frequently described as a “mentor” of Palin and was head of the local Republican Party (his wife, June, who also advised Palin, is the national committeewoman).
Asked if the contract was a favor, Roy Burkhart, who contributed to her campaign in the same time frame that his son got the contract, said: “I really don’t know.”
Palin then named Blase Burkhart to a seven-member builder-selection committee that picked Howdie Inc., a mostly residential contractor owned at the time by Howard Nugent. Formally awarded the contract a couple of weeks after Palin left office, Nugent has donated $4,000 to Palin campaigns.
Two competitors protested the process that led to Nugent’s contract. Burkhart and Nugent had done at least one project together before the complex—and have done several since.
A list of subcontractors on the job, obtained by the Voice, includes many with Palin ties. One was Spenard Builders Supply, the state’s leading supplier of wood, floor, roof, and other “pre-engineered components.”
In addition to being a sponsor of Todd Palin’s snow-machine team that has earned tens of thousands for the Palin family, Spenard hired Sarah Palin to do a statewide television commercial in 2004.
When the Palins began building a new family home off Lake Lucille in 2002—at the same time that Palin was running for lieutenant governor and in her final months as mayor—Spenard supplied the materials, according to Antoine Bricks, who works in its Wasilla office.
Spenard actually filed a notice “of its right to assert a lien” on the deed for the Palin property after contracting for labor and materials for the site. Spenard’s name has popped up in the trial of Senator Stevens—it worked on the house that is at the center of the VECO scandal as well.
Todd Palin told Fox News that he built the two-story, 3,450-square-foot, four-bedroom, four-bath, wood house himself, with the help of contractors he described as “buddies.”
As mayor, Sarah Palin blocked an effort to require the filing of building permits in the wide-open city, and there is no public record of who the “buddies” were.
The house was built very near the complex, on a site whose city purchase led to years of unsuccessful litigation and, now, $1.3 million in additional costs, with a law firm that’s also donated to Palin collecting costly fees from the city.
More Alaska slapstick
Palin commissioners, Begich clash on gas line progress
Gov. Sarah Palin’s administration is unhappy with comments Sen. Mark Begich made in a recent speech, which included remarks on the state’s efforts to get a natural gas pipeline built in Alaska.
We’re just frustrated that Alaska has not moved forward with regards to the gas line,” Begich said during the Monday speech. “Why aren’t the bulldozers pushing dirt? There’s no easy answer. But I join a growing chorus, both here and in Washington, who are frustrated with the lack of progress on this project.”
That comment prompted Revenue Commissioner Pat Galvin and Natural Resources Commissioner Tom Irwin to send Begich a letter expressing their surprise and dismay.
Irwin and Galvin also offered to provide Begich with more information on the project and said that progress on the gas line is the result of bi-partisan actions taken on behalf of the state Legislature and U.S. Congress.
Begich’s press secretary Julie Hasquet responded:
“[Senator Begich] appreciates the letter from the state commissioners promising new information about progress on the project, but we had a hard time finding any new information or progress,” Hasquet said. “The senator will continue working in Washington and with the project sponsors to get the project off ‘high-center.’”
http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=10474295&nav=menu510_2
Anti-Abortion Groups Dodge Fallout From Tiller Murder
One reason for the relative hush is that movement veterans recall how, in the 1990s, attacks on abortion providers gave rise to new laws protecting their businesses from protests and aggressively going after radical anti-abortion activists. In 1994, after a wave of attacks on abortion clinics, President Bill Clinton signed the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act to ban protests that restricted doctors and patients from entering clinics. Four years later Attorney General Janet Reno set up a task force to monitor violence against abortion providers — a strategy that The New York Times asked current Attorney General Eric Holder to revisit.
Anti-abortion leaders quickly got out front to denounce the idea of a large-scale response to Tiller. Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, the head of the Christian Defense Coalition, staged a protest outside of the Supreme Court asking Barack Obama and Democrats “not to repeat the mistakes of the Clinton administration in the mid-’90s and use this tragedy for political gain.” One of the chief worries among activists — whether Obama will revisit a pledge he made to Planned Parenthood during the 2008 campaign and push for the Freedom of Choice Act, a bill that would roll back Bush-era federal restrictions on abortion.
http://washingtonindependent.com/45500/anti-abortion-groups-dodge-fallout-from-tiller-murder
17 Aussie Blue Sky Says:
June 4th, 2009 at 5:01 AM
Stapletongue doesn’t want to share Mrs Palin’s schedule, but you can see she’s going to have one very busy Saturday and have Saturday night and Sunday off. Maybe a dog barbeque if the weather is nice?
**********************************************
Taking a cue from PO , methinks sarah and Toad are having a date nite in NYC and taking in a Broadway play on Saturday nite and sleeping in on Sunday.
Say NO to Palin in Politics Says:
June 4th, 2009 at 5:11 AM
I wonder what unethical inappropriate issues are tangled up with all these “arrangements”.
Also too, when was the lot purchased, who sold the lot to the Palins, who was the realtor, what was the price paid and what was the lots value at the time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well…Kristen Cole I think is a Realtor, or her mother is….! Her mom is the one that got in trouble for embezzling from TRUST FUNDS!!!!
They ain’t creepy; they is great art. I’d like one for my front yard.
Asked if the contract was a favor, Roy Burkhart, who contributed to her campaign in the same time frame that his son got the contract, said: “I really don’t know.”
Palin then named Blase Burkhart to a seven-member builder-selection committee that picked Howdie Inc., a mostly residential contractor owned at the time by Howard Nugent. Formally awarded the contract a couple of weeks after Palin left office, Nugent has donated $4,000 to Palin campaigns.
___________
Can you say… pay to play?
Sure you can.
Where are Brian, Brenda and the Twins today?
19 Say NO to Palin in Politics – Great post !! And let’s not forget Scott Davis , Todd’s racing partner. This from a puff piece in the NYT back on 1-12-09. “The snowmobile jockeys were the wildest of the wild, and hardly anybody could get the better of Scott Davis………… By age 49, Davis amassed a small fortune in the concrete business……..” Gee whiz – Anyone wanna bet on who poured the concrete at the rink and “Casa de Palin” ?? Was there “clear and transparent” bidding for that large commercial job ??
were these emails requested by Branchflower “ever” turned over? and the delay tactics roar on……..now to be handed off to another judge. this situation stinks.
http://www.nowpublic.com/world/palin-abused-power-violated-state-ethics-law-troopergate-investigation
“The report sayd the state attorney general’s office never turned over emails requested for the invesigation.
“Although I do not assert any bad faith on the part of the Attorney General’s offive of the AAG (assistant attorney general) I have been working with, it does seem there has been an unusual delay in material that was requested by me in writing two months ago,” the report says.”
I love the message here –
http://andrewg.tv/blog/index.php/inspiration/
Awesome.
Perhaps the Ethics Committee should evaluate the veracity of Governor Sarah Palin’s financial disclosure reports. They may not contain true disclosure information when it comes to Arctic Cat income.
or would this fall under an IRS or FBI investigation?
HA! good for Begich!
gee could the slow going have anything to do with TransCanada pre-filing a year behind Denali?
“we had a hard time finding any new information or progress,” Hasquet said. “The senator will continue working in Washington and with the project sponsors to get the project off ‘high-center.”
All I can think when I look at that “art” is….
You are what you eat!
Anxiously waiting…thanks to you, Shannyn and Gryphen!!!
Say NO to Palin…..don’t forget about the $25,000 gift to a church in Palin’s name by the State of Alaska. For an afternoon program studying to be spiritual warfare soldiers, or something like that. See palingates under religiongate for the letter documenting that gift.
Thur. morn, 6/4/09, Huffpost blog re: Pinnochio Palin:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/geoffrey-dunn/pinocchio-in-drag-sarah-p_b_211192.html
Where’s the beef?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGWHJCmYkxs
Definitely a caricature from a dream. Armless moose coming at ya! Anyone have those dreams where you try so hard to run, and you are only edging along a few inches at a time, like stuck in tar or something? LOL
Am really looking forward to AKM’s post tonight.
Pres. Obama is at the pyramids!!!
I know the names of the “ethics” drones have been posted , but what do they do in the real world as occupations ??
Thanks Snoskred for the link to the dancers in post 29. Made my morning! Where was the Saquatch festival?
Moose-man is growing on me- before guessing what the artist tried to do I’d like to see the others in the series. What I see in it is a take on the “ordinary shaman”- our animal spirit or animal self. But to be this, does the moose have surrender his horns, or does the human get mooseness but not acheive the horns- or something? Not a horned god W/O horns. No genitals either? No horniness, just a sort of amiable schlepping along? But then there’s that enormous nose…
And would I be disturbed by this sculpture if the body was female?
Um- I like Brian better just as he is, thanks.
Good thought, Rubber Room.
artist is Rachelle Dowdy, they are Public Art pieces in cast concrete. The moose (pictured) is a set of four Alaskan animal/human hybrid sculptures. They are very fun to walk amongst or sit and have a cup of coffee with. Rachelle’s work (she lives in Ester) often has animal forms with a human element.
I’d love to hear what Andrew Halcro has to say about the pipeline, Palin and the “feds” getting involved.
http://www.andrewhalcro.com/the_treble_damages_bombshell
“Representative Ralph Samuels solicited a bombshell response on this issue when he asked Department of Revenue Commissioner Pat Galvin a very likely hypothetical question.
If Denali and AGIA/TransCanada get to a point where a future legislature realizes it is necessary to adopt either new tax rules or fiscal certainty terms to move the pipeline forward, and even though the change in law is available to both projects but at the end of the day it allows the Denali project to move forward; does that trigger treble damages?
Here is Galvin’s response:
“Yes. We do owe them treble damages. Absolutely. We’re not going to try to advance a competing project. We bought them into this process and we’re going to stick by them or we’re going to pay them treble damages.”
Palin says that Senator Begich is ill informed if he thinks the progress on the gas pipeline is slow. However, as an Alaskan who pays attention, I can tell you that there has been no information released to the public reporting on progress made on the pipeline. As far as we know, after the big signing with Trans-Canada nothing has happened. I hope Senator Begich can get things moving off of the starting line where it has languished for countless months. We hear NOTHING! It isn’t slow it’s non-exsistant! The Feds need to take over this project if there is to be any hope for it.
finally found Andrews post on the Denali pre-filing last June…..no wonder Palin has been bad mouthing the “Feds”. She’s going to try to blame them for her pipeline failure, always gotta have someone to shift the blame onto.
http://www.andrewhalcro.com/fercs_bombshell_sucking_the_oxygen_out_of_the_room
“I’ve never seen a public meeting end on such a dramatic note as Monday mornings legislative session featuring two officials from the Federal Energy Regulatory Agency.”
I love that Begich left a slap mark on GINO’s face… and it was hard enough to probably leave a mark on Megaphone Stapletongue and ThyWillbeDone MsAllister’s, too!
I loved the video,Snoskred. Thanks.
Okay how about this for the moose statue. It is a blend of the animal and human worlds. It represents the fact that we walk the earth together…each separate, but forever intertwined. It has a moose head and a human body and no arms/hoofs because we are each incomplete without the other. The civilized world and the natural world blended together to make a stronger union than each alone. (I should be a politician.)
Or maybe, he’s just moosing for a cup of coffee. Instead of a lounge lizard, he’s Java the Moose. He also reminds me of the Grateful Dead…gotta keep truckin’ on. The body language suggests he is one cool, laid back moose/dude.
With that being said, I do find it a bit on the creepy side.
Are the other statues similar?
I like the moose art. I followed the link some kind mudpup posted earlier, and it said the artist was trying to show the human/animal connection. As well, she was posing the animal/human forms doing the tourist shuffle. When you see all four of the sculptures, that shuffle really stands out. Good sense of humor.
anon blogger: do you have more about that “gift” to a church?
armless bear statue
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wonderlane/3312835567/
Court Tears Apart Gov. Sanford’s Stimulus Refusal
Chief Justice Jean Toal said the case boiled down to a policy fight and that Sanford had already lost that fight when the Legislature overrode his veto and passed a budget law requiring the governor to use the funds.
Charnes, [arguing Sanford's side of the case], said the Legislature was trying to force the governor to do things he disagrees with. It “is saying they have the authority here to compel the governor to assure the United States of America that the state of South Carolina will comply with basically every conceivable federal law and federal regulation that applies,” he argued.
“Are you suggesting that the state of South Carolina does not have to comply with federal law?” Associate Justice Donald Beatty asked.
“Well, of course not, your honor,” Charnes responded.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/04/court-tears-apart-gov-san_n_211282.html
From justafarmer: http://artsceneak.net/vl05su07.htm
Thanks for the link, justafarmer.
pearl89, I like your comment about blend of human/animal worlds. If you go to the link above and scroll down a little, you can see the other forms, although not very clearly.
Jane in NC,
Thanks for that link. There is a photo of the goose and fox, too. You really can see the “tourista” look. I picture hands clasped behind back while the “tourist” looks with wonder at AK’s beauty.
Every time I hear the ignorant, hate-inciting comments from the likes of Hannity, Limbaugh, Beck, O’Reilly, Buchanan…I think that they are not only right wing extremists disguised as talk-show blow-hards (being given airtime for their prejudice platform), but are really members of some organized supremacist group. Just my intuitive opinion. There is no comparible argument that can be made for the left.
Here’s more Rachelle Dowdy art links …
http://www.dowsingdame.com/Authors%20&%20Illustrators%20Bios/Authors%20&%20Illustrators%20Bios.htm
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wonderlane/3312835103/
anadventurer @ 47
Here’s a Kos article about her giving state funding to a Pentecostal Christian Center in Juneau.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/4/586412/-Sarah-Palin-used-AK-tax-dollars-to-fund-dominionist-churches
Wow…I am waiting on Mr. Dunn’s book!!
Mentioned on Huff Post:
Award-winning investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker Geoffrey Dunn is at work on a book about Sarah Palin and her role in American politics, to be published by Macmillan/St. Martin’s in 2010.
I have the coolest President in the world! So do most of you guys!!
David Axelrod (Chief of Staff) is with him in Cairo and sent out an email inviting everyone to hear today’s very inspirational speech at the University there. The reason he sent the email is pretty simple: The time difference, preventing many from seeing it live. I don’t think I’ve gotten an email from him (or any in the administration) before. I guess he thought this was worth a “heads up”. He was right.
If you weren’t up at like 3AM for the live version, tune in to either MSNBC for snippets and commentary (they just ran the whole thing, might do so again later), or go to http://www.whitehouse.gov for the uncut video.
What I caught was incredibly thoughtful, and was VERY well received: Being friends is much nicer than being enemies and extremists must not interfere with that ultimate goal. I agree. A few extremists should not characterize an entire nation or region. One bad apple and all that…
Seems my mom told me that as she sent me off to kindergarten, but in these days and times, it’s the adults who need to hear it.
People freak out if a Muslim happens into their path here, thinking they are ALL lunatics. Truth be told, as Axelrod said, they are alot like us… they just want to work hard for a good life, hopefully passing a better one onto their children.
I wish Michelle and the girls would have went along, but so far, I think the girls are in school (where they should be, I suppose
) and Michelle is at home.
Reason I say this is that he also got a PERSONAL TOUR of the Pyramids and surroundings! His entourage was present, but it was just them with a guide. Man, that would be awesome! As some of you know, crowds can really ruin it for me… The Vatican was gravely disappointing for me because of the constant crush and rudeness of the crowds.
He was casual (a polo and khaki’s) and just LEARNING something in his “free” (ha ha) time. I hope he goes again and the girls can weasle out of school for a couple of days to join him and Michelle. It would be a once in a lifetime experience for them to get such a personalized and up close tour without the distraction of being a “commoner”. Those are very lucky little girls!
A COUPLE OF DAYS, mind you… NOT a couple of MONTHS. And they would have to bring schoolwork to do on AF1. (Look at ME, raising the President’s girls! LOL!
Poor little Piper!
It’s just so cool to see a President interested in the culture and history of other nations, aside from the Diplomatic Relations and Business of the JOB. He asked QUESTIONS, even! I don’t recall EVER seeing Bush wanting to grab a little culture or knowledge ANYWHERE.
Some of you know about my excitement to see the excavations, museums and monuments in Greece in September. It’s kind of nice to see our President having a similar interest while he visits Egypt.
Hey, you guys! Our President is JUST LIKE ME!!!!
As I ramble, hope some of you caught the Brian Williams special over the past 2 nights. It was really interesting to go “Inside the Obama White House”. If you missed THAT, you can go to http://www.whitehouse.msnbc.com, I think, to view dozens of hours of footage. If that doesn’t work, I’m sure msnbc.com has a link.
What I found most “real”… The President wishes he could just run to the drug store and pick out his OWN shaving cream without 15 vehicles and a whole entourage in tow.
He’s just a regular guy.
Really!
This just in…… arrested for hateful and inciting language. One down and ? more to go
http://dc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/146466/index.php
Two other random unrelated thoughts: someone asked what the Personal (sic) board members do when they aren’t bowing and scraping….might be an interesting story…just who are the members? what is their background? I’m thinking such a story wouldn’t even need snark, I’ll bet a statement of facts would be damning enough.
Second, last night I was thinking about the mostly ineffective Leg and I imagined a PR stunt by the people that involved bringing all kinds of balls to the capital and speeches about who elected them and representing the people etc might look like. Hmmm….fourth of July is coming up. Just a wild thought
yes, I probably could be doing better things with my time
redwoodmuse
The first thing I thought of (shows where MY mind is this morning! ha, ha — and I’m an old codger, too!) when I saw that statue was…
…I glad it was a stylized presentation and not “anatomically correct”. Oy.
Seattle has its own big bronze statue, but it’s totally human — in front of the Seattle Art Museum there’s the “Hammering Man” — and it moves!
What’s the descriptive name of figures that have animal heads and human bodies (Thoth and Anubis forms), or human torsos and heads and animal bodies (mermaids/men, sphinxes, satyrs and centaurs)? (I know it’s not “anthropomorphic”) — just curious.
Re: Aussie Blue Sky post:
So NOW anti-abortion leaders are terming Tiller’s murder “a tragedy”?! Does anyone actually buy that they consider it a tragedy?! That’s hardly what they were saying five minutes ago! And the further hypocrisy of them demonstrating in front of the Supreme Court to urge OBAMA not to use the Tiller’s murder for political gain! OMG, isn’t that exactly what THEY are doing?!
I think I’d better go for a walk. This has angried up my blood something fierce!
Anti-Abortion Groups Dodge Fallout From Tiller Murder
One reason for the relative hush is that movement veterans recall how, in the 1990s, attacks on abortion providers gave rise to new laws protecting their businesses from protests and aggressively going after radical anti-abortion activists. In 1994, after a wave of attacks on abortion clinics, President Bill Clinton signed the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act to ban protests that restricted doctors and patients from entering clinics. Four years later Attorney General Janet Reno set up a task force to monitor violence against abortion providers — a strategy that The New York Times asked current Attorney General Eric Holder to revisit.
Anti-abortion leaders quickly got out front to denounce the idea of a large-scale response to Tiller. Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, the head of the Christian Defense Coalition, staged a protest outside of the Supreme Court asking Barack Obama and Democrats “not to repeat the mistakes of the Clinton administration in the mid-’90s and use this tragedy for political gain.” One of the chief worries among activists — whether Obama will revisit a pledge he made to Planned Parenthood during the 2008 campaign and push for the Freedom of Choice Act, a bill that would roll back Bush-era federal restrictions on abortion.
Hot Damn !! Got an e-mail from the Whitehouse. Guess I’m on the list from when I sent them an e-mail about PO’s school in Hawaii sending the pkgs. to Ann.
Hello –
As a Senior Advisor to the President, I’m here in Cairo, Egypt where I watched President Obama deliver an unprecedented speech calling for a new beginning for the United States and Muslim communities around the world.
We all know that there has been tension between the United States and some Muslim communities. But, as the President said this morning, if all sides face the sources of tension squarely and focus on mutual interests, we can find a new way forward.
The President outlined some big goals for this new beginning in his speech — including disrupting, dismantling, and defeating violent extremism. It was a historic speech, and since many Americans were asleep at the time it was given we wanted to make sure you had a chance to see it:
Majority-Muslim countries around the world are filled with extraordinary people who simply want to live their lives and see their children live better lives, just as in America. Indeed, part of what makes America great is having nearly seven million Muslim Americans living here today and enriching our culture and communities.
We can extend that kind of relationship abroad. It won’t always be easy, but if we make an effort to bridge our differences rather than resigning ourselves to animosity, we can move toward a more peaceful world over time.
Thank you,
David Axelrod
Senior Advisor to the President
The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111
ReplyForward
UPDATE:
YAHOO! The girls and Michelle are meeting Our President in PARIS tomorrow! It’s not quite the Pyramids of Egypt, but they’ll likely get a great tour of the Louvre or something!!!! And, lookie there! NO time off school!!!!
OTHER UPDATE:
The Brian Williams special will be aired in its entirety tomorrow, June 5, 8-10PM. I believe on MSNBC, but might be REGULAR NBC. Check your local listings, set your DVR’s. I found it really interesting to see what REALLY goes on “behind the scenes.” Hope you do, too!
I really, really struggle to understand the reasoning behind the feral anti abortionists. Are they so ill informed that they don’t understand these procedures. Do they think these unfortunate women aren’t suffering enough. Do they really think anyone would willingly destroy what would be a healthy bouncing baby late term?.
Two years ago my sister in law was ecstatically pregnant for the first time. Around her fourth month the baby was diagnosed with severe abnormalities. My brother and her were distraught, my sis in law had a termination and the whole family were truly grieving. No winners there, but no question of there being any outcry towards them or the wonderful medical staff that helped them through it.
I am happy to tell you that on Christmas Eve just gone, she presented us with the most gorgeous little boy, we are all totally besotted with him, but still have a sadness for the one we lost.
There is a petition site in regard to: Sarah Palin’s Latest Target: Energy Efficiency
http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFMzN/zJcW/APqvt
I know it’s a lost cause because she listens to no one, but please go and sign. Thank you.
Wow austintx, that is sooo cooool! Will you print it out and frame it?
About the moose statue: It reminds me of a vacation we had in the Albuquerque-Santa Fe area at Christmas-time. The some of the Native American Pueblos feature dances that in their ancient culture must have been part of a winter solstice ritual. It that area, winter is cold, bleak, the crops have been gathered, so they depend on hunting to supply food. The dances vary from pueblo to pueblo (they don’t use the word ‘reservation’), but many featured animal dances, where the men wear the head and skin from animals that they hunt. They have already assumed the spirit of the animal (we saw a deer dance, but there are others as well), and the purpose to ask to spirits to make sure that there will be food to eat as well as many more deer for future year. Their costumes are more elaborate, including bells strapped to their ankles that jingle while they dance, but that’s what this moose statue brings to mind. Even though today they drive their pickup trucks to the supermarket, they return several times a year to review old traditions; the statue looks like a modern version echoing some of the sentiments expressed so beautifully by Pearl189.
AKM, I do not find the Moose Art creepy. I look at it and it makes me feel like it is a melding of animal and man, that one cannot live without the other, each should nurture the other. Living as one instead of Man vs Animal
Don’t know that I am explaining this very well or that this is what the artist was trying to get across. But if more people thought that way there would be less mass killing in the name of ‘sport’.
This is not good…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/02/may-ratings-mayhem-fox-ne_n_210500.html
“Fox News Wins Ratings Race (Again)
Fox News retained its #1 spot, averaging more total viewers in Monday-Sunday primetime (1.959 million, up 24% over May 2008) than CNN (767,000, down 22%) and MSNBC (756,000, up 10%) combined.”
62 UK Lady Says:
June 4th, 2009 at 9:43 AM
Wow austintx, that is sooo cooool! Will you print it out and frame it?
**************************************************
Great idea !! Right after I forward it to the redneck , Fox lovin’ , Rush listenin’ branch of the family tree.
I started Googling various Palin-related stuff this morning to find out more about Cat-Gate background, and found a site that shows the chronology of Palin’s Wikipedia updates between 2006 and September 2008. Interesting stuff.
http://keating5.net/2008/08/31/sarah-palins-wikipedia-entry-gets-overhaulwe-have-the-original/
But what I wanted to drop in here was a write-up by Amanda Coyne of what is now The Alaska Standard, when she wrote for the Anchorage Press. Wow, the fangirl drool practically oozes off the page…
http://web.archive.org/web/20061212025848/www.anchoragepress.com/archives-2006/coverstoryvol15ed33.shtml
Like I’ve said before/elsewhere, it’s fun to look at this information in hindsight. Sometimes it helps sort out what we know now.
UK Lady Says:
June 4th, 2009 at 9:40 AM
I really, really struggle to understand the reasoning behind the feral anti abortionists. Are they so ill informed that they don’t understand these procedures. Do they think these unfortunate women aren’t suffering enough. Do they really think anyone would willingly destroy what would be a healthy bouncing baby late term?.
Two years ago my sister in law was ecstatically pregnant for the first time. Around her fourth month the baby was diagnosed with severe abnormalities. My brother and her were distraught, my sis in law had a termination and the whole family were truly grieving. No winners there, but no question of there being any outcry towards them or the wonderful medical staff that helped them through it.
I am happy to tell you that on Christmas Eve just gone, she presented us with the most gorgeous little boy, we are all totally besotted with him, but still have a sadness for the one we lost.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
UKLady, I don’t know if you can watch it there, but there is a guy on the “WE” channel and I think its “john Edwards cross country” and he is a medium….he see’s dead people.
Some people don’t believe this, I think he’s the real deal, anyway he has gave readings to women and told them he see’s so many children, and they say no I only have one child and he will tell them you lost a child, and they will just be shocked and say they had a abortion, and he will tell them the child is with them. I think for a woman who has been in the circumstances of your SIL know this could be some comfort for the family.
He has written many books, that are really good.
Those anti-abortion people are crazy! Don’t forget to look up RM to see yesterday’s show it is up now.
Mudpup mailappa (sp) posted this link a day or two ago, the terrible anguish women face at the Kansas clinic…
http://www.aheartbreakingchoice.com/kansasstories.html
Jon Stewart takes on Dick Cheney. This is good.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/04/dick-uncut-daily-show-cal_n_211240.html
Just further evidence that all art is subjective. I may not like it, but that shouldn’t in any way go to prove or disprove the fact that it IS art, it’s just art that doesn’t appeal to me. Growing up in and near San Francisco, we were for a period of time inundated by the works of Benny Bufano. I found much of it ridiculous, but he was pretty much the adopted artist of the time and place, and no criticism was welcomed. It’s all still there, though! I had a cousin by marriage, Elek Imredy, whose work is considered to be national treasures in Canada. Some I like, some I don’t, but it’s still art…
TBNT: that link from justafarmer also states:
“Dowdy’s sense of humor has a serious side, as she explains that the pieces express the interconnectedness of the animal and human natures. This theme resonated with the 8th World Wilderness Conference, which commissions sculptures as permanent markers of its conventions in consenting host cities.”
UK Lady said: “I really, really struggle to understand the reasoning behind the feral anti abortionists. Are they so ill informed that they don’t understand these procedures. Do they think these unfortunate women aren’t suffering enough. Do they really think anyone would willingly destroy what would be a healthy bouncing baby late term?”
I don’t get their reasoning, either. Being ill informed is part of the problem for both pro-choice as well as anti-choice folks, I think. I truly believe that most people haven’t done any research as to why someone would choose to have a late-term abortion, but your comment very eloquently expresses at least one reason.
This is a pretty good article from HuffPost about this issue:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jodi-jacobson/late-term-abortions-facts_b_210614.html
austintx: You are HILARIOUS! I got the same email and summarized it briefly above, but for some reason my super long, windy posts have to go through AKM first. I hope it’s not because I’ve been bad!
NOTE TO AKM: I promise to behave if you’ll let me have “real time” communications here. I’m sure others are confused that some posts appear, but some do not, since I refer back (eg; the UPDATE I just posted a bit ago, in follow up to my lengthy post at 9:23AM).
I signed onto the email list on January 20th right after the moment they “refreshed” the site and went live with the OBAMA site. They went live at exactly the moment he became President, per the Constitution. We all know, of course, that he wasn’t sworn it at exactly that moment, but the CONSTITUTION says he was already President before the swearing in.
Some, over at the “other” sites are still bemoaning the swearing in for the language issue, that was out of order. They continue on to say that since a BIBLE wasn’t used the second time around, that doesn’t count, either.
Do they EVER just let it rest and ACCEPT?
There is a magic length at which the spam filter will think you are spam. I am powerless against it. Sometimes people just end up in there for no reason whatsoever. I go through the spam queue several times every day to liberate posts that are in there by mistake. I’ve discussed this a bit in the FAQ tab up top. I’m heading over there now to let the prisoners out!
It’s never anything personal…. AKM
mwThatOne,
I saw that, and it is one of the things I admire about the artist and her work. I guess I didn’t express myself very well. But, I also liked her sense of humor which is apparent in the poses of her sculptures.
One of my friends had a bunch of artists here in Spokane use oil barrels to jump start their creative juices. The completed works were displayed downtown for an incredibly brief moment. My favorite piece was a barrel which seemed to be dripping oil from the lid all down the sides. On top of the lid there were glued literally hundreds of toy soldiers, seemingly in chaos. Makes a pretty powerful statement when you think about it.
Crytalwolf – Thank you so much for the kind thoughts and link.
TBNT Judy – Truly, education is the best gift to give a child after love, even late education is worth such a lot.
And Jon Stewart just plain ROCKS!
UKLady: My heart breaks for your family’s loss, but rejoices in the blessing now just 5 months old.
Had Dear Boyfriend’s son and girlfriend (now wife) chosen the choice offered, we all would not have gone through an entire year with poor little Baby Angelica living in a hospital with un-developed lungs.
She spent a total of ONE night in her own bed and finally perished, never once having a full lungful of air. It was tragic, sad and unnecessary. As an asthmatic, I can’t even IMAGINE the constant distress for that baby. Can’t imagine. I still cry for her little life, which could have been spared. And like crystalwolf says, I believe the little one could have still been with their family, without the anguish.
TBNTJudy: JS was hilarious last night! I loved the interview section about fathers “screwing up” their kids. CLASSIC!
Also, I bet Fox’s ratings are attributed MOSTLY because the “nasty libs” were tuning in to see the spin on Tiller’s death. It wasn’t because they have such a loyal and devoted audience. It’s because the LEFT wants to see what kind of hate they are spewing.
Jane in NC Says:
9 at 8:33 AM
armless bear statue
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wonderlane/3312835567/
AARGGGH! Must be Obama’s fault!!!!! (Begins furiously typing a protest letter)
Reading about the President’s words in the middle East makes that “proud” feeling come back again. It seems that his approach is to appeal to the moderate Muslims. Good approach.
Also giving away an American car. Priceless!
I don’t think we’ll see any shoe throwing.
Entertaining blog over at dailykos called ‘I can’t quit Sarah Palin’.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/6/4/738810/-I-cant-quit-Sarah-Palin
69 Jim Says:
June 4th, 2009 at 10:09 AM
Just further evidence that all art is subjective. I may not like it, but that shouldn’t in any way go to prove or disprove the fact that it IS art, it’s just art that doesn’t appeal to me. Growing up in and near San Francisco, we were for a period of time inundated by the works of Benny Bufano. I found much of it ridiculous, but he was pretty much the adopted artist of the time and place, and no criticism was welcomed. It’s all still there, though! I had a cousin by marriage, Elek Imredy, whose work is considered to be national treasures in Canada. Some I like, some I don’t, but it’s still art…
**********************************************
Yes , I agree about all art is subjective. But I have never understood why people pay the crazy-ass prices for “works” by Damien Hirst. I’ll give him credit for being the first person to toss a shark in a tank full of formaldehyde and call it art , but 17 mil. dollars ?? Don’t know what he got for the calf he did the same thing with.
http://glassbox-design.com/2008/damien-hirst-tiger-shark-sells-for-17-million/
Palin is getting media savvy. First twitter, youtube, then facebook, now she’s combining it all on her new venue: youtwitface
samper and UK Lady, I don’t know where I would be without Jon Stewart. He does not back down when he is interviewing some of these whack jobs, and he does it with grace and humor. We don’t have enough reporters out there asking the tough questions and demanding the answers in the face of all the side stepping that goes on. Most of these interviewers just let the nutjobs slide.
And samper, I hope you are right about Fox ratings. I, for one, can’t stomach watching that channel.
Never had heard of adderall until Palin, and I just looked up side effects to see about the weird liking lips thing she does:
FDA pregnancy category C. This medication may be harmful to an unborn baby. It could also cause premature birth, low birth weight, or withdrawal symptoms in a newborn if the mother takes Adderall during pregnancy. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment. Amphetamine and dextroamphetamine can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Do not use Adderall without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
Long-term use of Adderall can slow a child’s growth. Tell your doctor if the child using Adderall is not growing or gaining weight properly.
This made me go hmmmmm……
Gino’s (dumb,dumb & dumber speech from last night)
Palin: Government wants to ‘control the people’
http://tinyurl.com/pp53uk
DrChill said: “Palin is getting media savvy. First twitter, youtube, then facebook, now she’s combining it all on her new venue: youtwitface
”
ROFLMAO!!! I have been Chilled!
I like it. It’s very…Sarah…mean and stupid.
dr.chill, priceless.
austintx said: “Yes , I agree about all art is subjective. But I have never understood why people pay the crazy-ass prices for “works” by Damien Hirst. I’ll give him credit for being the first person to toss a shark in a tank full of formaldehyde and call it art , but 17 mil. dollars ?? Don’t know what he got for the calfhe did the same thing with.”
Makes me think of a Northern Exposure episode in which Chris in the Morning (D.J.) was auditioning cows for just the right one to be flung from a home-made catapult as an art statement. After much protest from Cicily residents, he ended up flinging Maggie’s unwanted baby grand piano. What a sight to behold!
hey everyone. gotta run feed sister’s cat. she is sitting on a beach somewhere in the turks and caicos islands,drinking a cocktail with an umbrella in it. called and said she is thinking about me….uh huh.
TBNTJudy Says:
June 4th, 2009 at 10:04 AM
Jon Stewart takes on Dick Cheney. This is good.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/04/dick-uncut-daily-show-cal_n_211240.html
—-
Indeed !
OMG this is gold.
Do I dare?
Do I DARE to click on the tiny url posted by crystalwolf?
Do I DARE think I have the kind of constitution that AKM and Shannyn have to sit through this drivel all in the name of enlightening us ALL?
I DARE!
I DARE in the face of having a full stomach that could be expelling soon.
I will report back. However, if I don’t make it back, please have the “feds” storm my house to save my life from physical trauma brought on by the palin (no caps, no quotes, no respect).
I’m going in…
Pray for me.
And remember… If I’m not back in reasonable time, SEND IN THE “feds” (no caps, per palin)!
Bubbles: HILARIOUS! Umbrella drinks are the “IN YOUR FACE” drinks of folks on vacation towards those who are not!
Help me out here….Didn’t Palin admit to getting a D in Economics?
In this speech, she blasts the economic policy of President Obama and actual experts. She makes some slam about, this is basic economics 101.
Really? She would know?
Oh, and Bubbles?
She’s more concerned about her cat than about you at this point… just wants to make sure she won’t walk in to find a corpse with the hangover she can anticipate!
Nothing worse than finding a corpse while hungover!
‘Alaska governor Sarah Palin let loose Wednesday on the Obama administration for enacting fiscal policies that “fly in the face of principles” and “defy Economics 101.”‘
[See http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/06/04/palin-government-wants-to-control-the-people/?eref=politicalflipper
Y’all think Sarah projects too much?
They have Econ 101 in the JOURNALISM curriculum?
OK, NOW I’m going in…
Pray for me!
crystalwolf: I finally got up the courage, and your link doesn’t work!
Can you direct me otherwise? I’ve got my UZI cocked and loaded!
(That’s what “gun folk” say, isn’t it? I’ve never even HELD a gun, much less shoot one!)
TBNTJudy Says:
June 4th, 2009 at 11:08 AM
Makes me think of a Northern Exposure episode in which Chris in the Morning (D.J.) was auditioning cows for just the right one to be flung from a home-made catapult as an art statement. After much protest from Cicily residents, he ended up flinging Maggie’s unwanted baby grand piano. What a sight to behold!
That was one of the funnist ones, the piano flung in slow motion! lolololol!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HaHa I remember that one!
Now when ever I think of that show, I think of Janine turner…a MAJOR wingnut and GINO double major wingnut!
And Brian…
samper Says:
June 4th, 2009 at 11:20 AM
crystalwolf: I finally got up the courage, and your link doesn’t work!
Can you direct me otherwise? I’ve got my UZI cocked and loaded!
(That’s what “gun folk” say, isn’t it? I’ve never even HELD a gun, much less shoot one!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The link didn’t work???
Sorry here it is:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/06/04/palin-government-wants-to-control-the-people/?eref=politicalflipper
bubbles – Are you on the forum ?? I would like to PM or e-mail you.
Everyday, I thank Palin for giving her time and lots of effort, also too in her dedication to getting our Pres Obama elected.
Dr. Chill – ROFLOL – you should take that over to ‘the other side’, I see you battling it out over there bravely. It would be sure to go down well
bubbles – Aw! bless you, and ho is the shrimp?.
Ooo, zyggy, you’ve got it down…
UK Lady Says:
June 4th, 2009 at 11:40 AM
Dr. Chill – ROFLOL – you should take that over to ‘the other side’, I see you battling it out over there bravely. It would be sure to go down well
===
Oh thats not me… Its some other drchill…
THAT drchill would never make jokes about Palin…
Jokes like:
So Todd comes to the guy’s camp out with Sarah and Bristol, and his pal says “TODD! I said bring S’MOREs!”
The other guy wouldn’t say things like that… nope.
Thanks Mad City Chick – the Kos link is good.
crystalwolf said: “HaHa I remember that one!
That was one of the funnist ones, the piano flung in slow motion! lolololol!
”
Now when ever I think of that show, I think of Janine turner…a MAJOR wingnut and GINO double major wingnut!
And Brian…
And, remember Chris flinging his dead friend in the coffin in slow motion? Don’t even get me started about the funniest episodes.
I know about Janine Turner. Made me really sad to find out about her. I like to think that Maggie lives on in spite of Janine, and the moose, also, too.
Dr. Chill – You are naughty!, butI like it
That joke is a cracker!, probably even funnier if you know what a Smore is – is it a biscuit?
oooooo good one for Scarah to keep in mind before spouting off about the “Feds”.
“Are you suggesting that the state of South Carolina does not have to comply with federal law?” Associate Justice Donald Beatty asked.”
bubbles, I was wondering about the shrimp, too.
Dr.Chill, glad you liked the stewart link.
You guys hold down the fort. I have to go to the office
did you guys notice how Davis covered his rear by telling the investigator he was “unaware” if Palin benifited by wearing the AC gear……..I do hope he and the gov realize they were under oath to tell the truth.
Seattle loves statues — they even dress them for the weather. But they have one that sends children away screaming, too. And I don’t mean our sacred Troll Under The Bridge. Although this one, too, is in Fremont. Come to think of it, they’re all in Fremont.
Anyhoo — group of statues, waiting for bus. Tucked in among them is a dog. Unexceptional. Until you are right in front of the group, and look down. The dog has an old man’s face. And the old man is really pissed, at you in particular.
Children scream. First time I ran into it — me too.
UK Lady Says:
June 4th, 2009 at 11:50 AM
Dr. Chill – You are naughty!, butI like it
That joke is a cracker!, probably even funnier if you know what a Smore is – is it a biscuit?
———————————–
Surely you mean a cookie!! Haven’t you picked up the lingo yet?
Say No – C. Diva posted on the Cat thread that the investigator informed her that MRS. DAVIS embroidered the names on the coats………..hmmmmm
UK Lady said: “That joke is a cracker!, probably even funnier if you know what a Smore is – is it a biscuit?”
You crack me up, UK Lady. And I know we crack you up, too, what with the language barrier and all
A s’more is a roasted marshmallow with chocolate sandwiched between to graham crackers. At least that is what I grew up with. S’more stands for some more, as in give me some more.
Now, I’m reaaalllllyyyyy going…
oops. That would be “two” graham crackers.
UK Lady–S’more: a dessert made from a toasted marshmallow (or two) stuck between halves of a graham cracker with a piece of chocolate bar (usually Hershey’s, which is marginally chocolate if you ask me, but it does melt well). These are a common item at Girl Scout (Girl Guide to you) camp and other situations in which one would find oneself armed with marshmallows, graham crackers, chocolate bars, and a marshmallow toasting implement in the vicinity of a campfire. There are now heretical devices that one can use in the kitchen to make these as well (ain’t never going to find one in my house, I’ll tell you what!).
I didn’t know what it was either!
Duh!
trisha
So, the person who said this is now criticizing PO’s economic plans?!? (This is still horrifying.)
You lot are great, the only people that can make me laugh and dribble at the same time.
I hope Diva has her lawyer review the investigators findings and ruling. I think his argument is weak, using words like “his speculating on the possible benefits would be conjecture”, ha, I wonder what a judge would say if a defense lawyer said that in court.
Fine there nothing in the contract just because they were sly enough to keep it out but it’s obvious to the world that Palin benefited Todd, her family member by garnering them millions in free advertising. Just imagine if Todd’s team had won. Then would the investigator treat this more seriously? someone should figure out the value of free advertising she gave to Arctic Cat, was this a gift to them? Do they have to declare it as a gift? It was done purposely, it was no accident. When was the contract signed? has it been renewed?
If the contract says Todd is required to wear AC gear, is that not obvious that it carries a strong benefit for AC? so all of a sudden piper and Scarah are fully decked out walking billboards and he thinks there is no exchange of benefits? It’s so rank.
We know dang well she didn’t do it just to be nice, of course there were hidden strings attached or handshake agreements. Did the investigator ask the governor about verbal agreements? and what were those 9 questions he asked, from what I gathered he only used 2 of her answers.
I’d say it was definitely to Scarah’s advantage and self interest to “help” promote her husbands sponsor.
how much was that little ATV?
how good is this lawyers track record…….
# TBNTJudy Says:
June 4th, 2009 at 11:48 AM
crystalwolf said: “HaHa I remember that one!
That was one of the funnist ones, the piano flung in slow motion! lolololol!
”
Now when ever I think of that show, I think of Janine turner…a MAJOR wingnut and GINO double major wingnut!
And Brian…
And, remember Chris flinging his dead friend in the coffin in slow motion? Don’t even get me started about the funniest episodes.
…and she is like… “palinized wingnut”!!!! 
I know about Janine Turner. Made me really sad to find out about her. I like to think that Maggie lives on in spite of Janine, and the moose, also, too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The piano falling apart in slow motion…that was art! lololol!
Yeah I was sad to see that about Janine too
You wanted some background on the artwork. The pieces are by Fairbanks artist, Rachelle Dowdy. Here’s a link with background info on the artwork donated to the city by the 8th World Wilderness Congress.
http://www.anchorage.net/1166.cfm
I think after reading the context you’ll find your own way to love them. I think they’re quite wonderful and love watching pedestrian interactions.
Not for the faint of heart…I myself haven’t listened to it…
Dennis Zaki added audio to Shannyns huffpo blog article.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shannyn-moore/palins-foreign-policy-the_b_211231.html
Dear mudmates, OT for the US, but just wanted to offload a bit, I am a bit anxious, our government is in total meltdown at this hour. We have been to vote today in local and Euro elections. It has been a terrible month for Labour in general and the PM Gordon Brown in particular. This last few days though have been unbelievable. Today and tonight has been ‘the day of the long knives’. Don’t like the man at all, but everone is resigning and we don’t have a credible government. A round robin letter is doing the rounds for signatures telling the PM to go. Open civil war in the party. He was supposed to be doing a reshuffle of his cabinet tomorrow but the members are all quitting.
All of tomorrows newspapers headlines are screaming for PM to stand down. Not sure if he will, but don’t think he has much choice. I have never seen this before! Who the hell is running the country?
I remember reading a while ago on this or Diva’s site about some of the “wildlife management” techniques that were being recommended by SP’s appointees in the Commission. There was mention of spraying wolf dens with poison, if I recall. Maybe I just imagined it, but I remember really thinking how horrible it would be for some poor family of wolfs, or bears, or whatever, sleeping in their home and getting gassed. It is sort of Nazi-like. Well, my conservative brother-in-law, who hunts, but is a science teacher and a pretty cool guy sent this link, and it just too sweet not to pass along:
http://www.crownofmaine.com/paulcyr/stories/bear-monitoring-2009/
Good news, it looks like Coleman may finally be getting sick of the courts
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/6/4/738759/-MN-Sen:-No-Federal-appeal-for-Coleman,-sources-say
Of course I am a cynic and think it is more likely that the repugs have backed off spending good money on going to the SCOTUS when they have all but given up on filibustering Sotomayor.
bird at 114 — funny!
for some reason makes me think of the ’90s movie ‘mars attacks’, when the woman’s head got grafted to the body of the small yappy dog.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJBhdKrwTOc
Before I said the moose man makes me think of Tuckin’ by the Dead, but now I think he is more of a Feelin’ Groovy kinda mooseman.
UKLady…I’m so sorry to hear what’s happening in your country…! Do they not have some emergency plan for this? The Queen…Even???? Someone must step up to the plate,surely?
Is the PM going to step down?
Must see on Phils blog especially for Alaskan’s!!!!
http://progressivealaska.blogspot.com/2009/06/ray-metcalfe-on-political-personal.html
Oh Crystalwolf!, That comment went into spam and I didn’t know it was back till you answered. Thanks for answering. You probably have as much idea as me what will happen here. I have never known aything as bad as this. Chaos! I think Gordon Brown will be forced out kicking and screaming to be honest, We will then get a leader elected by the Labour Party who are in at the moment, but only coz the general election is not till next year. The cabinet are all resigning so that he can’t do the reshuffle he was supposed to be doing tomorrow. It is all vicious. It just feels as if the lunatics have taken over the asylum.
Re: Limbaugh crap – here’s a great statement from Think Progress:
Limbaugh’s hope that Sotomayor will allow the anti-choice stance of the Catholic church to influence her rulings in the court room is a direct contradiction of his insistence last week that Sotomayor’s nomination must be stopped by conservatives because, as he argued, she would allow her personal experiences to influence her rulings from the bench …
Apparently in Limbaugh’s view, when judges allow their religious backgrounds to directly influence their rulings in ways conservatives view favorably, it’s blind justice. When judges remark that being a minority can give individuals perspective on the impact of their rulings, it’s racism.
UKLady: Godspeed!
I’m confident the government there has a “Plan B” to rely on. Certainly the Queen has some kind of jurisdiction to ensure a smooth running of government, no?
I hope I speak for all of us when I say I hope your situation improves DRAMATICALLY and VERY soon!
Sadly, I am not ‘in tune’ with your dilemma. As a self absorbed American, all I can think about is keeping palin OUT of DC and my forthcoming holiday in Geece.
I’m very shallow and I apologize!
samper Says:
June 4th, 2009 at 3:05 PM
UKLady: Godspeed!
I’m confident the government there has a “Plan B” to rely on. Certainly the Queen has some kind of jurisdiction to ensure a smooth running of government, no?
I hope I speak for all of us when I say I hope your situation improves DRAMATICALLY and VERY soon!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UKLady, I have to agree with Samper here…I hope things improve ASAP for all of you going through this, I can imagine how alarming it must be!
GReece… I’m EDUCATED, dammit!
Samper
Thanks for your concern. You all have enough on you plate without thinking about what is happening here.
The Queen is a ‘lovely old duck’, as we say affectionately here, but really is only a Titular Head of Government. She can show her displeasure, which never happens, except she did last week. She was ticked off that a member of the BNP (nasty racist bunch), got an invite to her garden party via someone else. She had the PM in for a ‘chat’, and complained that the country was going to the dogs. Recession, government scandals i.e. moat cleaning, Party infighting/backstabbing and although that was bad she was absolutely putting her foot down at having a BNP nobody in her garden. That’s the Brits for you.
LOL, Geece sounds like lovely ‘unusual’ place for a holiday
I just read on Huffington Post that Rep. Harry Crawford and legislatures sent a letter to Gino today telling her they were over-riding her on the energy stimulus money that they were accepting it…Now that they see how Big daddy court ruled in S.C.
Wow, UK Lady, I’m with samper and Crystalwolf. Hope things improve soon. FWIW, I think we are all impacted by what happens in your country just as you would have been impacted, and still could be impacted, if SP got within a whisker’s distance to the White House. I won’t even go into the prior administration’s effect on us ALL. Solidarity, my friend.
TBNT Judy
Thanks, for what it’s worth, I would be more scared if Palin got anywhere near high office in the US than if the whole of our government decided to have a mass hissy fit and quit. Not that we are too far off that scenario right now.
I cannot believe that I am the only person to realize that that statue is BULLWINKLE! Look around for Rocky.
It’s probably a covert reference to being able to “see Russia,” since Boris and Natasha are never far from Bullwinkle.
UK Lady, what did you all think when Tony Blair got so chummy with GWB? I never could understand that friendship, but then I don’t know very much about Blair.
TBNT Judy, Personally I never could stand Tony Blair, and was outraged when we all realised we’d been sold a crock of sh*t in respect of going to war with Iraq. We all called him Bush’s Poodle. Now it becomes clear we were also complicit in extraordinary renditions and torture I am apoplectic with rage, as are most pople who are actually taking notice. Like America not everybody gets involved or cares. The more I learn, the worse it seems.
Night for now, will check in tomorrow. And with the next saga of the UK.
Sweet dreams, UK Lady (and UK Man). Parting is such sweet sorrow, but I can wait until the morrow for the answer to this question…
First, and a big wink here, I have the most beautiful standard poodle in the world who would never even CONSIDER consorting on any level with GWB. Perhaps Blair is a PINO (poodle in name only)?
Second, what was it about Blair that you didn’t like from the get-go? Were all his policies as bad as the consorting with GWB? I mean, good grief. I think of your Labour Party as being similar to our Democratic Party. What went wrong? This inquiring mind wants to know.
UK Lady – Hey since this is open thread……..read this in my NYT yesterday. Sounds like this fella was a hoot.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/arts/03larue.html?_r=1
What an interesting person, austintx. Thanks for the link.
Everybody was reading AKM’s story here on Mudflats and was making comments. It is also posted on HuffPo as well. Take a moment to chat it up over there as well. Huffpo readers want your opinions or insights as well.
Here’s the link.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/akmuckraker/screw-political-correctne_b_211635.html
113 Say NO to Palin in Politics Says: June 4th, 2009 at 11:53 AM
did you guys notice how Davis covered his rear by telling the investigator he was “unaware” if Palin benifited by wearing the AC gear……..I do hope he and the gov realize they were under oath to tell the truth.
________
He’s unaware?
It’s his job to become aware, ain’t it? Perhaps he ought not try to hard to give Palin a pass. Makes him look like a downright incompetent “investigator.”
Time for someone to review his “work” on this particular matter.
I am too lazy to take the time to see if someone provided an answer to your question, but I have it. The strange moose (and other wildlife) art was donated to the city of Anchorage in 2005 by The WILD Foundation. It was a gift to the city for hosting the 8th World Wilderness Congress, which is held every four years throughout the globe, and this was the second time it was held in the United States. Unless you were involved in it – I was the official photographer for the event – you would not have known of it. Despite it lasting eight days and having well over a thousand attendees from all over the world, it was ignored by the Anchorage Daily News. I never saw any other press coverage of it, print or electronic, in the local media.
South Carolina’s Supreme Court ordered Gov. Mark Sanford on Thursday to request $700 million in federal stimulus money aimed at struggling schools.
from Yahoo:
The governor said Thursday he will not appeal the Supreme Court ruling and plans to sign paperwork to request the money Monday. [Casey Edwards] beamed as she told reporters she “was very excited that our schools and our teachers and our education system will be getting the funds that are so desperately needed here in South Carolina.”
Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., the No. 3 House Democrat, inserted an amendment in the federal law with Sanford’s anti-bailout stance in mind, saying legislators could go around a governor’s refusal. While the legality of that was questioned, U.S. District Judge Joseph Anderson on Monday cited it in saying it was clear Congress intended to allow legislators to get around governors who didn’t want the money.
That evolution of the SP wikipedia pages that were edited are some interesting little tidbits. Too bad they can’t be updated with her latest BS.
Alaska Democrats announce intent to override Governor Palin. WooHoo!
http://alaskareport.com/news39/x71251_override.htm
I haven’t read the comments since early am….so sorry if this is a repeat.
curiouser, if it’s a repeat, it’s still worth the repeating!
Okay, that only sort of made sense. How about this:
Even if it is a repeat, it’s such good news that it’s fine if we see it twice. (how’s that?)
Nan
probably needing sleep – y’think?
curiouser Says:
June 4th, 2009 at 9:44 PM
Alaska Democrats announce intent to override Governor Palin. WooHoo!
————————————————
Alaska Report was having ‘issues’ it said, and wouldn’t load for me.
How many more Republican votes would be needed than those already declared? And will the drama queen go to court?
TBNT Judy – Tony Blair was generally thought of as a bit of a self serving showman. For instance the Labour Party are generally anti-royalist, but when Princess Di was killed, his eulogy was sychophantic and hammy.
The description of him as Bush’s poodle was in no way meant to cast aspersions on poodles (I think they are brilliant dogs), more a way of saying he was unquestioningly loyal. There were many, many cartoons in our papers with Blair depicted as a poodle.
Although it is thought in the US that Democratics equate to Labour and Republicans to the Conservatives, that doesn’t really translate so easily. To me it seems more like Labour are very left leaning D’s and Conservatives are more like what you call RINO’s or Blue Dogs. The conservative wing of the R’s are more like our fringe parties, not really taken too seriously so far, thank heavens.
And finally, austintx, Danny La Rue was much loved, a wonderful showman who’s ‘Audience with Danny La Rue’ shows were a must see. He will be missed.
Just for the info of all –
Open threads are open for discussion about anything, anywhere. If you do not live in Alaska and there is something local going on which you want to discuss you can feel more than free to do so.
Nothing is considered off topic.
If you have any issues with comments seen here in the comments section, *please* contact AKMuckraker immediately at her yahoo email address which can be found on the about/contact page on the blog.
Thankyou Snoskred – duly noted. Thanks for editing my post, I didn’t want to bother AKM, am probably just being over sensitive. Maybe.
Thank you, UK Lady, for that education. When you say that Labour are similar to very left-leaning Dems, do you mean the fringe Dems? Still trying to understand. So, it seems that your Conservatives are equivalent to what I consider moderates, including both Dems and Reps. Is that a fair assessment? If so, I’ve been rooting for the wrong party over there.
As for the poodle thing, no worries. I was just teasing you
. I knew you would not cast aspersions on them.
TBNT Judy – Not so much fringe dems, it is more like our two main parties seem to start somewhere around left leaning dems (labour) and finish with Blue dog Dems to Moderate R’s, RINO’s? (Conservative). The likes of the BNP (British Nationalist Party) are like your Beck/Hannity/Coulter R’s, they stand no chance thank heavens . I personally voted Liberal Democrat (third biggest party) this time, as they seem the best of a bad bunch, they are probably nearest to moderate Dems.
Okay, UK Lady. Now I get it. I’m going to display my ignorance once again when I tell you I didn’t even know there was a Liberal Democrat party in England. I don’t think I’m listening to the BBC enough. I used to catch it on early morning radio, but I don’t anymore. What I found so interesting is that the news is world news, rather than the narrow segment we get on most of our news programs. PBS stations tend to do a much better job, but we still don’t hear the kinds of things you do.