Open Thread
2 09 2009
When the clouds started to dissapate, there was no doubt I was getting close to home. After 10 days of trying to recalibrate my internal Alaskan thermostat to temperatures well into the 90s, and humidity the same, the snow-covered mountains looked positively inviting. I kept thinking of those old York Peppermint Patty commercials about the cold artcitc breeze blowing through your hair.
Snow-capped peaks and impossibly blue water. Yup…almost there.
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:49 AM
I would like to see her (SP), testify in NY on the death panel. She initiated it. She needs to explain it. Also, explain why over 200 of her own residents died, waiting to be seen. It wasn’t because of the government; it was because of her lack of action, care and concern; as the Governor. But the government had to step in and clean up.
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:52 AM
Quote by Dan Savage on Keith O’s show. Really well said, imo:
>>When you have a party that claims to speak for God or says God is on its side, the rhetoric heats up and the anger heats up, because it’s not just a battle about ideas and positions and what’s good for the country and bad for the country. It’s a battle about what God wants and what God doesn’t want. And it’s easier to demagogue about your enemies and to despise them and to dehumanize them in this really personal and vicious way. And the religious right is fomenting this kind of hatred in this country at our peril. I really do think that the Michele Bachmanns of the world and the Glenn Becks of the world are actively and consciously, or subconsciously, trying to get — I’m just going to say it — trying to get the president killed. This kind of rhetoric — this paranoid style on the religious right, from Birchers to birthers — doesn’t usually end well. And somebody’s got to put the brakes on it. Unfortunately in the Republican Party, there’s no adults left in the room. There are only the Michele Bachmanns and the Glenn Becks and the Rush Limbaughs running the show.<<<
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:53 AM
@Women who runs with Wolves, I remember your story from the first time that you posted it here. As adults, we have to think back to how humiliating, especially humiliating, that story is for a girl. That kind of incident promotes unkind remarks and teasing that will follow her for the rest of her time in school. The adults did not act appropriately.
I am reminded of the Supreme Court case that was settled late this spring. It involved a girl who was accused of having two tylenols in a zero-tolerance school. Acting on a single, unsubstantiated tip from another kid, the teacher strip searched the 13 year old girl, humiliating her. The Supreme Court found in favor of the girl, saying that the school did not act out of reasonable suspicion of drugs– one remark from another kid shouldn’t have prompted that action. (Besides, we stopped hiding our tylenol in our panties years ago, LOL).
I am no legal expert, but I think one good route for your complaint would be the ACLU. I am trying to remember your original story and sensitivities; was the girl Native American? That could be an important part of the case, too. I am also trying to think of other organizations that champion just causes, like Center for American Progress or CREW, even one of the woman’s organizations like NOW. The fact that an adult photographed the girl in the midst of her distress is an invasion of privacy. The adults did not do their jobs and should be held to account. If the local authorities won’t respond, I think that a national organization should be approached. Be sure to let the school know how you are proceeding (copy them on all correspondence), and be sure to tell them that you have access to the national press– they wouldn’t like that unwanted attention and publicity.
I am very good at writing complaint letters; I got my 39 cent refund when I was over charged at the supermarket. (Back in the day when it didn’t cost an arm and a leg to mail a letter). I hate injustice at any level. My tactic is to be short, to the point, document the incident, and have a clear resolution in mind. It may be monetary damages for the girl, official reprimand for the adults, a fine, a suspension, a hearing, a dismissal for them. They should held accountable. Lots of luck! My thoughts are with you and the poor girl.
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:55 AM
Claw Washout Palin Says:
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:49 AM
I would like to see her (SP), testify in NY on the death panel. She initiated it. She needs to explain it. Also, explain why over 200 of her own residents died, waiting to be seen. It wasn’t because of the government; it was because of her lack of action, care and concern; as the Governor. But the government had to step in and clean up.
==================================================
Yes, I fully agree. She derailed the whole thing and is she going to walk away from it now having caused all of that damage.
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:57 AM
Yes, Buffalogal,
Some sane person needs to take charge of the Republican party and give them some direction.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:03 PM
I’m talking to myself here.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:06 PM
Health Care talking points and keeping the focus. Copy and paste and start sending to all of your e-mail contacts no matter their party or who they voted for.
http://americanhatriots.wordpress.com/health-care-talking-points-keeping-the-focus/
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:08 PM
BuffaloGal: That’s what I’m afraid of, that some nut would do something foolish. I grew up during the years of President Kennedy’s, his brother Bobby and Martin Luther King’s assassination. Cheney keeps talking about terrorist threats coming from outside but I think we have to worry more about the terrorists from within.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:14 PM
http://healthcareforamericanow.org/
Great resources, documents, immediate connections to political offices, etc.
Check this site out.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:17 PM
http://americansunitedhcr.wordpress.com/
Link is to the information for the rally in DC on 09/13/09, which is also Grandparents Day. This took off when it was suggested by Robert Reich in a recent column. If you can be there, please go and show your support!
Where: Washington, D.C.
When: September 13, 2009
Time: 12Noon – 5pm
Gathering spot: Gather near the Lincoln Memorial and march to the steps of the Capitol Building via the National Mall. Our rally and march will be peaceful. We will meet opposition with silence. We will not incite or invite violence. Our goal is to let congress know that Americans need health care and insurance reform.
Former Labor Secretary, Robert Reich, has lent his support to Americans United for Health Care and Insurance Reform:
8/20/2009 8:58am
Dear Julie,
I’m not an organizer, have “no efforts,” and have no particular preference for one day over another. I just want Congress to know how many Americans want universal health care and will settle for no less than complete coverage and no less than a public insurance option, to keep private insurers honest. So I’m happy to lend my support to whatever you are doing. (I hear that right-wing tea-partiers are planning a DC rally for September 12, which may cause the media to treat any progressive march that day more as a controversy than as an affirmative statement of conviction, but that kind of strategizing is beyond my pay grade.)
All best to you,
Robert Reich
This group is not affiliated with Organizing for America or the Democratic National Committee. We will rally with other groups on September 13th, but we are not affiliated with any other groups, special interests or lobbying forums.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:19 PM
Doesn’t this sound familiar?
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/10/death-of-a-president200910?currentPage=4
“In that third year of the Kennedy presidency,” Manchester wrote, “a kind of fever lay over Dallas country. Mad things happened. Huge billboards screamed, ‘Impeach Earl Warren.’ Jewish stores were smeared with crude swastikas.…Radical Right polemics were distributed in public schools; Kennedy’s name was booed in classrooms; corporate junior executives were required to attend radical seminars.” A retired major general ran the American flag upside down, deriding it as “the Democrat flag.” A wanted poster with J.F.K.’s face on it was circulated, announcing “this man is Wanted” for—among other things—“turning the sovereignty of the US over to the Communist controlled United Nations” and appointing “anti-Christians … aliens and known Communists” to federal offices. And a full-page advertisement had appeared the day of the assassination in The Dallas Morning News accusing Kennedy of making a secret deal with the Communist Party; when it was shown to the president, he was appalled. He turned to Jacqueline, who was visibly upset, and said, “Oh, you know, we’re heading into nut country today.”
Manchester discovered that in a wealthy Dallas suburb, when told that President Kennedy had been murdered in their city, the students in a fourth-grade class burst into applause. For Manchester, who revered Kennedy, such responses, encountered throughout Dallas, were deeply offensive and would influence the book he was about to write.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:19 PM
It’s been such a weird day, wading through everything. Bachmann’s out there calling everyone to fast, fall to their knees and slit their wrists so as to become blood brothers against health care reform. The wingnuts that listen to Bachmann, Palin and Beckbaughannity insanity are calling on everyone to keep their children out of school on Sept 8th so they will not be mind controlled by the President’s chat to kids about…. doing well in school. A punch got tossed and a guy was decked at a townhall. And the list goes on and on.
Then, to top it off, my neighbor, who happens to have THE loudest family on the planet, is blasting classic rock so loudly that my ears are about to begin bleeding. He is “of that right wing ilk” and he’s now making me dislike some of my favorite songs from my teens.
The world has gone amok. AMOK I say!
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:23 PM
96 GreatGranny2B Says:
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:29 AM
@#91 – I think you are spot-in thinking it might be Meg Stapleton posting as Aunt Edith.
——————————————-
Now GG2B… I was not really implying that I truly believed that this was Meg.
It was just weird and funny how the name and connections were there. If I 100% believed it I would have to believe in some of these crazy whack-a-doodle conspiracy theories that these PalinBots believe in… that would make me as loony as them. It was just REALLY WEIRD…. and a coincidence.
And it is really hard believe that Meg is ‘ smart ‘ by the way she has acted as spokesperson but even she would not be dumb enough choose a name like that…. I THINK..? They set the bar pretty low though. I may have to go back and re-read the other posts on VF by auntEdith. She posted a few times…. and I think she will continue to post.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:28 PM
SameOld @110 – I was thinking that very thing today but didn’t want to post it. It felt too awful. I hear you, absolutely.
MadCity Chick @108 – Thanks for the link – I did a broadcast of it on the PalinTruthWatch twitter – http://www.twitter.com/palintruthwatch
I need to respond to a few other posts of today. Things are unfolding so fast lately, aren’t they? Difficult to keep up! I’ll be back to do that as soon as I catch up the twitter account and the website.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:33 PM
Irishgirl: It seems they have put muzzles on the few sane, moderate Republicans. God forbid, if anything happens to our President, you can be sure the Republicans and Fox will be very vocal in trying to distance themselves from the aftermath. I pray the Secret Service does a good job of protecting him.
BuffaloGal: We’re supposed to have separation of Church and Government. That is what the “founding fathers” proposed in the Constitution. Michelle Bachman is a fundamentalist, who is trying to ram her brand of Christianity on to the rest of us. She needs to be voted out of office. Russ Limbaugh needs to go to re-hab and Glen Beck needs some serious counseling or maybe he should start drinking again. I’ve never seen a grown man cry so much.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:42 PM
@81 ds55, regarding Palin’s passport—I hear ya’. But, somehow her fans believe it’s the evil dems who are “making stuff up”….just like we twisted all her words in her Couric interview. Basically, they are just nuts.
They are going to be sorely disappointed when “The Choosen One” doesn’t rise up out of the mist to wipe out every religion on the planet except Christianity. (read that one the other day from a fan). They must think she is JC in the flesh.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:46 PM
@112 – Okay, sorry if I misunderstood and misimplied anything. i do agree that in some respects, Meg hasn’t appeared to be smart and quick enough on some things, so maybe she isn’t that poster. No matter who it is, she’s pretty angry at Levi, eh?
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:46 PM
@110 SameOld
Wow…that’s frightening. I cannot believe how similar that sounds to today.
It’s sad that we haven’t grown at all as a nation. Or rather, it’s sad that the GOP hasn’t grown as a party since then. Same old hate, lies and racism. Pathetic!
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:08 PM
SameOld @ 110 –
That just gave me chills.
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:09 PM
I’m heading up to the chat tree house for a few minutes. I have the first “soup of the season” simmering on the stove and it smells so good I just don’t want to do anymore news research today. The bay leaves and onions are just starting to fill the house. Eventually it’ll be a bean and potato soup and, life will be good.
For anyone wanting to chat for the next half hour, :
http://www.themudflats.net/forum/index.php?action=chat
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:15 PM
HonestyinGov @ 91,
In defense of Edith (but not Meg S):
Didn’t Edith Bunker have a heart of gold? It was Archie who was the grumpy get-off-my-lawn-guy. Edith, for all that she was “dumb,” was always able to get Archie to do what she wanted… or was able to inadvertently one-up him.
I think it’s $arah who thinks she’s channeling Edith. Acts dumb (like she thinks “ril mirikins” are) but wants the rest of us to think she is truly smart on the inside. Of course, we all know she’s a “ril mirikin” from her core to the bumpit on the top o’ her head! (Thanks to Lori in CA, Not That Sarah, or who ever it was that invoked the bumpit in some post a while back. I can’t walk past the display at Walgreens without cracking up!)
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:16 PM
passed ?
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:16 PM
SameOld @110: Kennedy was our first Catholic President and Obama is our first African-American President. I just pray history doesn’t repeat itself.
Senator Ted Kennedy endorsed Barak Obama because he saw something of his brother in him. I was just a kid so I wasn’t aware of nasty politics and dangers to the President. I thought he was not only popular but loved by the country and the world. How naive I was.
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:31 PM
@BuffaloGal, I tried to send you a message on twitter, but it’s not going thru.
If you get a chance, can you repost the email that goes to PalinTruthWatch twitter acct, or add me: srjones66@twitter plz?
Thanks!
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:40 PM
#98 Watching From New Jersey said: I signed the petition. Thank you for the link.
You’re welcome! There are over 9500 signatures now. That’s a little over 2000 more than when I signed it a couple of hours ago.
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#110 Doesn’t this sound familiar?
Yes, SameOld, It does and it scares me to death. I really believe something bad is going to happen if all of these lies, hate and rascism continue.
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:42 PM
@123 not that sarah – I’m following you on Twitter. resend? thanks!
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:43 PM
over at huffPost with re: to Sarah going to Hong Kong…to give speech, & to not speak on behalf of other Repug women:
“Her Yourbabycanread.com DVD was scratched so she couldn’t finish writing her speech.”
September 2nd, 2009 at 2:00 PM
thnx BuffaloGal!
September 2nd, 2009 at 2:31 PM
I didn’t see this posted yet. Please join the online vigil!
Dear MoveOn member,
The health care debate is the biggest political story of the year.
But what the media and Congress seem to forget is that it’s not just about politics or policy minutiae. It’s about real people who are really suffering under our broken health care system—and can’t afford to wait any longer for real reform.
That’s why, today, MoveOn members are holding health care vigils across the country—including a virtual vigil online for those who can’t make it to an event. These are shaping up to be our biggest and most powerful events of the year.
And all day today, we’re holding an online virtual vigil where you can read about other MoveOn members who can’t afford to wait, see their faces, and even hear their stories. Plus, you can add a candle to the online vigil for yourself or someone else you know.
Many of those who need health reform the most can’t make it out of the house to attend vigils in their communities. This virtual vigil is a place for everyone to meet up and share stories about why health care reform is so important.
Check out the virtual vigil by clicking here:
http://pol.moveon.org/vv/?id=17115-8064101-zxzXzmx&t=6
Hope you can join us at one or both events, and thanks again for all you do.
–Nita, Carrie, Kat, Ilyse and the rest of the team
September 2nd, 2009 at 2:34 PM
Women Who Run With The Wolves
Are you on the forum? If so, I’d appreciate it if you dropped me a line in PM.
Nan
September 2nd, 2009 at 2:57 PM
@Nan 130. I am not on the forum….I forgot my password, it’s been a long time. I am not getting any PM’s either. I will see if I can remember how to get back on the forum….if not, maybe AKM can help me figure it out.
@Martha Unalaska Yard Sign and Saurkraut….I am back her briefly. Martha you can only imagine how this has affected small town life here for me and my daughter. It’s stressful being the bad person, when all one is doing is trying to stand up for what’s right. Small towns.
September 2nd, 2009 at 3:11 PM
Great site, Amy!! I have sent it to many on my e-mail list.
http://pol.moveon.org/vv/?id=17115-8064101-zxzXzmx&t=6
September 2nd, 2009 at 3:21 PM
.
Warning to all Alaskans and other people who smell different from us here in the “Aloha State”: Racist local politicians are fighting BO on buses. That’s defined by how local you smell. So, poi up, brah!
Six months in jail if not.
.
September 2nd, 2009 at 3:39 PM
Women Who Run With Wolves–I can’t imagine how horrible the experience must have been for your daughter and her friends. If you get back on the Forum and want any help, let me know, not that I’m sure I could do anything, but I can think of things!
September 2nd, 2009 at 3:52 PM
See, organized protests can work:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-rucker/eleven-more-companies-dit_b_275756.html
September 2nd, 2009 at 4:41 PM
@ InJuneau…..It was not such a horrible experience for the girls who were not peeing in a cup in the back of a moving van. They all thought it was funny, Not realizing that the girl who had to go to the bathroom was hiding her tears and crying while she was trying to pee in the cup. Of course this young lady brushed off this episode and laughed after it was done, she didn’t want to humiliate herself anymore. What tells another story though is the video and still pics. that were taken of her. She’s crying, she’s shaking and she has beads of sweat on her forhead, clearly in distress. What’s truly amazing to me, is that these coaches are mad at me because I am wanting accountability for this terrible lack in judgement, and the head coaches verbally abusive behavior towards not only my child, but also other kids on her team whom she does not want around. She’s just mean.
September 2nd, 2009 at 5:38 PM
Women Who Runs With The Wolves: I just find it so unbellievable that they aren’t fired. What about the other mothers? Aren’t they outraged as well?
For them to take pictures and video of this child has got to be a violation of her privacy and rights. I suggest you see a good lawyer and sue the school since they are responsible for their employees. It is absolutely OUTRAGEOUS!
September 2nd, 2009 at 5:47 PM
Women Who Runs With The Wolves: I’m so upset I misspelled unbelievable.
If the school gets sued and it hurts them financially, believe me, those coaches will be fired and they’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again. They should have been suspended or dismissed when the school first heard of this incident. The coach is not just mean but cruel and shouldn’t be around children with her attitude.
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:25 PM
@Woman Who Runs: I guess I missed your story the first time. What an obnoxious person that coach is. I’ve occasionally supervised kids on trips, and it can be a problem when, say, a kid “has to go now” because they didn’t TCB at the last stop. But if there’s bushes available, why not. More to the point, taking pictures is unbelievably awful (and possibly child pornography).
I’m a guy, with sons, but I did have a stepdaughter during middle & high school, so I know (as do most parents) that those years are an emotional roller-coaster for girls. Embarrassment lurks around every corner, and it will happen, and — generally — it will pass. But nobody needs adult authority figures enhancing the embarrassment.
I can’t comprehend that all the other parents are not incensed.
Best wishes, and don’t ignore the child pornography angle.
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:44 PM
@133 cosa: That is one of the more amazing proposals for municipal legislation I have ever seen. I don’t think even Singapore (a “fine” city) has a B.O. ordinance. How would someone be convicted? Without some kind of objective standard, the ordinance would have to be unConstitutional because of violating due process.
Anyhow, methinks your boy Tam has a little problem with the truth, when he claims that he first heard the term “wetback” applied to illegal Chinese immigrants (to Hong Kong, I believe?) in “Flower Drum Song”. How old is this fella? I’m 61, and I’ve never seen Flower Drum Song, much less developed my vocabulary from it. On the other hand, although I grew up in Wisconsin, far from the Rio Grande, I knew what “wetback” meant by the time I was in high school.
BTW, I’ve been on Da Bus quite a few times. I might quibble with the Hawaiian Time schedule, but I’ve never noticed any particular pungency.
September 2nd, 2009 at 9:04 PM
I hope people realize that when they post ‘alarming’ and ‘distressing’ items at Mudflats and then comment about how alarmed, distressed, scared or terrified they are that they make other people alarmed, distressed, scared, etc.
September 2nd, 2009 at 10:07 PM
I am so sick of Alaskan media, (meaning KTUU and the Daily News) and their shameless support of all things Palin. There I said and I feel a little better.
September 3rd, 2009 at 1:27 PM
One needs to remember one thing about Levi’s comments. Some of his comments come from his own observations and others come from his close relationship with Bristol. Bristol’s feelings and observations relayed through Levi may be more damning. Those that want to discount Levi need to realize that Bristol has probably told him an ear full over the years. Would love to see Bristol write a book!