The Mudflats

Tiptoeing Through the Muck of Alaskan Politics

Open Thread

snowopenthread

And the sun slowly returns. We may be getting three more months of winter, but wer’e not going to have three more months of dark!

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Date
February 3rd, 2010

Author
AKMuckraker

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85 to “Open Thread”


  1. 1
    michiganderNo Gravatar says:

    Good morning Mudpups. Pretty picture. Hoping the sun will peek out for a bit here in MI, it has been so cold and gloomy )o:

  2. 2
    IrishgirlNo Gravatar says:

    Morning michigander. Yes, lovely picture AKM. It’s cold and wet here in Dublin.

  3. 3
    michiganderNo Gravatar says:

    http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/ae332/rainiebird/winter10102.jpg

    Irishgirl, click the link above if you want a bit of a morning laugh (o:

  4. 4
    benlomond2No Gravatar says:

    …..darn,,, it was sunny with some passing showers here on the Central Coast in Cal…almost t-shirt weather !…. :)

  5. 5
    Kath the ScrappyNo Gravatar says:

    Love the picture!

    Hey, before I sign off for sleepyland, here’s a good Youtube. Even the YoungTurks are busy dissecting $P money & laughing:

    How Much Did Palin Spend Buying Her Own Books?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2prdoDiCKB4

  6. 6
    OMGNo Gravatar says:

    This tidbit, by a very conservative writer on the Frum Forum, calls Palin “dim-witted”!

    http://www.frumforum.com/todays-gop-more-out-of-touch-than-ever

  7. 7
    sudsyNo Gravatar says:

    I miss our old, democratic Alaska. I remember when we respected all life trying to make it through a harsh winter. We didn’t have this unspeakable greed for hanging dead animal heads and secreting their bones and things in our homes; what abherrant behavior. That was before the pipeline and the attendant oil politics we threw people like that in jail for fishing and hunting violations. When do we get our state back again? Everybody voted in Palin because of her staged looks hairdo and dental work and then we found out Cheney was blackberrying her and telling her what to do I guess. Please do not vote for repubs for old times sake. It was better here in Alaska before these creeps took over the country. We have these hard-hearted types (and proud of it) that came after the 1964 earthquake. Let’s not vote for them if they weren’t here before the earthquake and the pipeline they don’t get a vote. As far as I’m concerned they are outside Alaska’s principles and values and I want my state back. Yup. We’re still here repub/fed “programs” notwithstanding and we want “our” state back.

  8. 8
    sdragonNo Gravatar says:

    Thought of the day, made me chuckle.
    Women are angels
    And when someone breaks our wings…..
    We simply continue to fly…..
    On a broomstick…..
    We are flexible.

  9. 9
    LiladyNYNo Gravatar says:

    #5 @Kath the Scrappy Says:

    That was an awesome video. I especially like this: “She’s making mad cash off your a**.” LOL

  10. 10

    sdragon: wonderful thought for the day.

  11. 11
    LiladyNYNo Gravatar says:

    sdragon ~ love it. That’s going to be my Facebook status today! : )

  12. 12
    sudsyNo Gravatar says:

    I was comparing and contrasting the native alaskan view of necessary hunting activities versus the apparently ego-driven aggegating of hunting memento’s, hanging animal heads etc. My grandfather never hung one animal head or antlers etc. He had ample opportunity. Contrast that with the insatiable desire to capture all wild things like the johnny come-lately’s. They have no idea how exactly their values contrast with those who were here first. Now based upon their self-authenticated insatiable destructive ways they think they are chosen by God to run the world. Hardly likely. I’m not buying it. Not with devalued dollars or anything else. And they can take their ill-gotten trophies and stand down for a while. I am sick of them. Have a nice day.

  13. 13
    sdragonNo Gravatar says:

    Yea, my broomstick is always fired up & ready to go.

  14. 14
    CO almost nativeNo Gravatar says:

    It is sunny and in the upper 40s today- we could use more snow, but I’m not enamoured with the gloom that comes with it. Good morning, all!

  15. 15
    lilybartNo Gravatar says:

    So, does anyone have any rumors about what story Shannon is going to break today on her radio show?

    Dying for some good — bring down the grifter news.

  16. 16
    PollyNo Gravatar says:

    Winter always go by so fast for me. I have so many projects keeping me busy. I just got back from a family emergency in sunny CA. I looked forward to coming back to the cool refreshing air, white snow, wide open spaces, and scraping the frost off of my car windows in the mornings.

    No one asked me about Palin, which was nice, and someone was reading “Game Change” on the airplane. I feel that she is turning into a “tabloid” personality. With revealing books written by authors like Dunn coming out soon, I hope her “influence” is further diminished. I guess we will know more after the Teabag Convention this week.

  17. 17
    pvazwindyNo Gravatar says:

    1 michigander Says:
    February 3rd, 2010 at 4:26 AM
    Good morning Mudpups. Pretty picture. Hoping the sun will peek out for a bit here in MI, it has been so cold and gloomy )o:

    ******************************************
    And when the x appears in Grand Haven darkness will cover the Great Lake State.

  18. 18
    michiganderNo Gravatar says:

    pvazwindy, do you mean x as in Scarah??? Is she coming here? If so I will have to by out the Lil Miss Scary dolls (see above link #3).

  19. 19
    StarNo Gravatar says:

    Good Morning ~ AKM…Mudpups…Neat picture..
    Lilybart~ keeping my fingers crossed here!!!

  20. 20
    A fan in CANo Gravatar says:

    Was watching a morning news show and saw the Olympic uniforms. Guess what? Brain is on them, yep they have a moose symbol. He sure gets around.

  21. 21
    pvazwindyNo Gravatar says:

    February 3rd, 2010 at 7:17 AM
    pvazwindy, do you mean x as in Scarah??? Is she coming here? If so I will have to by out the Lil Miss Scary dolls (see above link #3).

    *********************
    yowsa

  22. 22
    nswfmNo Gravatar says:

    Interesting book review. Maybe the Palin kids should read it.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/08/AR2010010801307.html

  23. 24
    BuffaloGalNo Gravatar says:

    wow.

    On Hardball last night a rep. for the Family Research Council called for the criminalization of gay behavior. Outloud . On MSNBC. The wingnuts are just going for broke , unhinging their jaws and letting all the crazy come flying right out.

    http://is.gd/7CFB6

  24. 25
    OMGNo Gravatar says:

    All I can say is wow at this post.

    http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/35702_We_Got_Mail!

    When the GOP allowed itself to be overrun by the extreme right, and Fox promoted hate speech from its broadcasters, they unleashed a dangerous monster.

  25. 26
    BuffaloGalNo Gravatar says:

    Alaskans Ready to Move On from Palin Mania

    http://tinyurl.com/ydmhvsy

    >>> It is not exaggerating to say that these days you have a better chance of a moose sighting than seeing Sarah Palin here.

    “She’s been invisible,” said Anchorage Daily News columnist Julia O’Malley. “Unless you count the book signings.”

    Well, there is one other way to catch her. “We see her on Fox,” said state Rep. Les Gara, an Anchorage Democrat. <<<

  26. 27
    LiladyNYNo Gravatar says:

    #24 & #25

    How these people look at themselves in the mirror each day with not a shred of shame is a mystery to me. Sarah Palin too. Also.

  27. 28
    LiladyNYNo Gravatar says:

    #26 @ BuffaloGal

    My favorite quote from the article:

    Palin has “what any politician out there would kill for,” said Andrew Halcro, . . . .”And that is the ability to make substance irrelevant.”

  28. 29
    IrishgirlNo Gravatar says:

    #25 OMG That is some vile stuff they are spewing!

    Michigander, thanks for the morning laugh!

  29. 30
    1smartcanericanNo Gravatar says:

    Lovely picture AKM. And sdragon, my broom is always at the ready also :)

  30. 31

    Buff @ 24: re making me illegal.

    Let them just TRY and arrest me. What a sh*tstorm there would be. That will never happen. Ever. All they are doing is solidifying their bigotry and creating an island for themselves. They are becoming the minority in the public opinion polls, and they can’t stand it so they turn up the rhetoric and say that I should be arrested for being gay? Puh-Leeze. We’ll end up with another Matthew Shepard situation before they all shut their stinking pie holes. The people they are talking to are LOONS. Loons with guns. I’ll never live in a state that filled with “those” people. Ahhhh…. it felt good to call them “those”, instead of being called it myself.

    Hey you idiots, DON’T tolerate me, please. Just stop thinking about me. I promise if you stop thinking about me and what I might or might not do in my own home, then I won’t think about what you do in your own home. At least until you make the newspapers again, doing exactly what you told me not to so. Isn’t that so embarrassing?

    Clearly my headache today is making me cranky. And who better to aim my punk-stick than at those retards. Yep, I said it. They are.

  31. 32
    LiladyNYNo Gravatar says:

    (((R’ipley)))

    Here you are loved and safe and never never judged!

  32. 33

    PS: I trust that all you Mudpups can read typonese. sorry… my s’s ended up in weird places or missing altogether, and some words didn’t make it past my elbows from the brain apparently. You catch my drift ;)

  33. 34
    1smartcanericanNo Gravatar says:

    What does the governor’s race look like this year in Alaska?

  34. 35
    OMGNo Gravatar says:

    BuffaloGal@26…Great article. I forwarded the link to Huffpo and Andrew Sullivan.

  35. 36
    BuffaloGalNo Gravatar says:

    R’ipley @ 31 – I hear ya. I would like to know how they picture all of their changes being put in to action. Do they really believe they could start putting gay folks in jail ? I’d be daring them on a daily basis and flying a giant rainbow flag out front. Asshats.

  36. 37
    reneeNo Gravatar says:

    This is a sad reflection of what people think I guess. I got this forward from a fellow Christian and I almost responded but I will share it instead because it really ticked me off. Sorry this is long guys/cut and paste. It just makes me mad. I am both religious and Democrat. Sometimes I think there is a disconnect that people think you can be a lefty and religious. This was a letter by a Dr. who even added a picture supposedly (smiling). I think it is a stereotypical view point tinged with an uncomfortable tone.

    “During my shift in the Emergency Room last night, I had the
    pleasure of evaluating a patient whose smile revealed an expensive
    shiny gold tooth, whose body was adorned with a wide assortment of
    elaborate and costly tattoos, who wore a very expensive brand of
    tennis shoes and who chatted on a new cellular telephone equipped with
    a popular R&B ringtone.
    While glancing over her patient chart, I happened to notice
    that her payer status was listed as “Medicaid”! During my examination
    of her, the patient informed me that she smokes more than one costly
    pack of cigarettes every day and somehow still has money to buy
    pretzels and beer.
    And, you and our Congress expect me to pay for this woman’s health
    care? I contend that our nation’s “health care crisis” is not the
    result of a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. Rather,
    it is the result of a “crisis of culture”, a culture in which it is
    perfectly acceptable to spend money on luxuries and vices while
    refusing to take care of one’s self or, heaven forbid, purchase health
    insurance. It is a culture based in the irresponsible credo that “I
    can do whatever I want to because someone else will always take care
    of me”.

    Once you fix this “culture crisis” that rewards
    irresponsibility and dependency, you’ll be amazed at how quickly our
    nation’s health care difficulties will disappear.”

  37. 38
    reneeNo Gravatar says:

    “I meant that you can be a Democrat and be religious.”

  38. 39
    D.P.No Gravatar says:

    Worth repeating, Palin’s expertise. It is quite an impressive amount of expertise, too.

    Speaking of which, and even more expertise, how come the rest of the media has not covered the story of what Fox — Palin’s natural new home — really does?

  39. 41
    lilybartNo Gravatar says:

    renee: that is a disgustingly little racist screed you got! I see lots of obese white people and obesity is driving our health care costs. And how many smokers are there in KY and GA and other tobacco states who are WHITE and costing me a lot of money in higher premiums with their preventable lifestyle diseases. UGH

    a ring tone costs what, .99 on itunes?

    I do think there needs to be incentives for people to care about their own health, but who can pay for mutlitple surgeries if you are in an accident or have cancer? THAT is what puts people into bankruptcy.

  40. 42
    jc in coNo Gravatar says:

    #40 lilybart, It makes me think about the caliber of people that congregated at palin’s klan rallies and many of the most vocal teabaggers. A majority of them don’t appear to participate in any type of healthy lifestyle. The norm appears to be lily white, overweight probable smokers that enjoy deep-fried twinkies.
    If they’re not attending a rally they probably spend most of their time sitting around in their barcaloungers absorbing fux news drivel 24/7.

  41. 43
    IrishgirlNo Gravatar says:

    Andrew Sullivan takes a major swipe at Granny Paylin!

    http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/02/palin-emanuel-pot-kettle.html#more

    *Palin, in contrast, called her own campaign prop “her retarded baby” in private, according to an eye-witness account from the father of her own grandson who lived in her house for months and knew her intimately. “I was just in shock the first time I heard it,” Levi Johnston told CBS. Unlike Sarah Palin, Johnston has not been caught in multiple indisputable lies. I believe him over her. In fact, in any factual dispute, I believe anyone over her. *

  42. 44
    bethNo Gravatar says:

    @ 24 – Surprises me not in the least that an arm of Focus on [their idea of] the Family would spew such irrelevant ‘reasons.’

    If I’m not mistaken, those ‘reasons’ have already been tried in similar discussions and found to be totally unsupportive of the position being argued.

    Yup, as I look at the numbers of women and of people of color serving in uniform, it’s a pretty safe bet to say the [exact same!] ‘reasons’ given, now, for not allowing LGBT to serve openly, are not only unfounded, they’re complete a$$hattery.

    R’ipley in CT @ 31 – {{{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}}} Hope the headache eases. I hope, too, you can take heart in knowing that what Peter Sprigg (and his ASSociates) are pushing (criminalization of “all homosexual activity”) would land me, a hetero, in trouble with the law, too, and also. My spouse of 34 years and I, quite frankly, enjoy celebrating each other just fine, thank you very much, Mr. Sprigg et al; just FINE…and part of the enjoyment would fall into your category of “homosexual activity” – except for some minor details in ‘equipment,’ our “activity” in this area is identical to that of the dreaded and loathsome ‘homoseck-tual’ “activity.” Sorry, hate to dissapoint you, but we don’t particularily want to have, you, Mr. Sprigg -or any other ‘mental voyeur’- in our bedroom [or any other private place where we choose to express our delight in each other!] either.

    Your calling them what they are, retards, is totally appropriate, Rip; their ‘thinking’ is, to quote Mirriam-Webster: “slow or limited in intellectual or emotional development or academic progress.” Then again, the “intellectual” aspect of normal development and progress towards understanding of issues, doesn’t seem to have ever been one of their strong suits; their mindset doesn’t allow for any growth, whatsoever. beth.

  43. 45
    honestyinGovNo Gravatar says:

    24 BuffaloGal Says:
    February 3rd, 2010 at 8:25 AM
    wow.
    On Hardball last night a rep. for the Family Research Council called for the criminalization of gay behavior. Outloud . On MSNBC. The wingnuts are just going for broke , unhinging their jaws and letting all the crazy come flying right out.
    ————————–
    I know of someone who has a bigger Podium to stand on and who could mock them mercilessly… ala Jon Stewart style. Better to laugh at them to show their stupidity rather than accept their viewpoints as legitimate.

    You need to forward the story on to the Wanda Sykes Show….?

    The researchers from her show will have probably heard of this since it made MSNBC but it couldn’t hurt to give them a heads-up.
    I’d love to see Wanda do a bit on them. She would roast them over a fire real good. Maybe even add a helping of those mashed potatoes S’error likes to eat.

  44. 46
    in exile (SC version)No Gravatar says:

    Hi all,
    Regards to Michigander (great picture!), sdragon (put it on my friend’s FB – hubby just left her), R’ipley (extra hugs) and Renee (I’m a leftist Christian myself).
    I just came across this article on Twitter from ‘News Hounds: We watch FOX so you don’t have to’ (LOVE the title)
    Anyway, take a look at the latest from Hannity’s show:
    Hannity and Miniter Stir Up Racism

    On Hannity, Richard Miniter “Asks” If Obama Reflects On Islamic Scripture
    Reported by Ellen – February 3, 2010 – Comments (10)

    Sean Hannity’s latest effort to find any excuse whatsoever to attack President Obama was over a clip of Obama saying that he starts each morning reflecting on a devotional received from Josh DuBois, head of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. That led Hannity to baselessly speculate that DuBois might be “a replacement for Jeremiah Wright.” Seizing on the fact that Obama mentioned that sometimes the passage includes quotes from other faiths, guest Richard Miniter asked, “The question is, what are the other faiths? Is he talking about Islam?”

    “Looks like we might have a replacement for Jeremiah Wright,” Hannity said snidely at the beginning of the segment, which was Part 2 of the night’s “Great American Panel.”

  45. 47
    BlooperNo Gravatar says:

    My apologies if this has been mentioned already, but I saw some jaw-dropping news in the adn today: http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/matsu/story/1121874.html

    To sum this story up, Houston, Alaska (a stone’s throw away from Wasilla) police officers guned down innocent shelter animals because they were too cheap to properly and humanely euthanize them. Stay classy, Houston!

  46. 48
    in exile (SC version)No Gravatar says:

    (the link doesn’t go to FOX, it goes to News Hounds)

  47. 49
    in exile (SC version)No Gravatar says:

    OMG – on the Daily Dish I saw this – more on the ‘retarded’ flap.

    Palin, Emanuel. Pot, Kettle. by Andrew Sullivan

    . . .While I’m at it, does anyone actually believe that Palin’s name for the child of miraculous provenance was found by her deep knowledge of ancient Norse as she claims in her magical-realism novel, “Going Rogue”?

    “The medical term for Down Syndrome is Trisomy-21 or Trisomy-g. It is often shortened in medical slang to Tri-g. (bold added by me)

    “Is it not perfectly possible that the very name given to this poor child, being reared by Bristol, is another form of mockery of his condition, along with the “retarded baby” tag? And does the way in which this poor child was hauled around the country on a book tour, being dragged out in front of flash photographs in the middle of the night, barely clothed, suggest someone who actually cares for children with special needs, or rather sees them as a way to keep the spotlight on her?

    “C’mon, Levi. Write that book. Expose this fraud.”

  48. 50
    in exile (SC version)No Gravatar says:

    oops – thanks to PalinTruthWatch for the Andrew Sullivan link!

  49. 51
    nswfmNo Gravatar says:

    BigPete, between that article and your Beach Boys song/commentary on lynnrockets, you have put me in a much better mood! I’m going to have a smile on my face today that I’ll be making up stories as to why!

  50. 52
    in exile (SC version)No Gravatar says:

    Demand Question Time – there’s now a coalition collecting signatures!
    I signed, here is the page that comes up next:
    _________________________________________________________________
    Thanks for signing the Question Time petition!

    The more people who sign this, the better the chances of it actually happening. So please tell your friends about http://www.demandquestiontime.com.

    And if you’re on Facebook, join the Demand Question Time group, And follow us on Twitter at @demandQTime.

    Best,

    Micah, Mike, David, Mindy, Jon, Glenn and the rest of the DemandQuestionTime coalition.

  51. 53
    BuffaloGalNo Gravatar says:

    in exile @51 – the Demand Question Time project is getting such good response that the site keeps crashing. David Corn mentioned earlier that they’re getting 20+ signatures a minute. So if you try to sign but can’t get through, keep trying! Journalists are getting fired up again . I like that !

    And , speaking of those on a quest for truth, justice and the American way, here’s a link to Granny Pants Aflame and her USA Today op-ed.

    http://tinyurl.com/yfobfwf

    She’s trying to spin her $115K speakers fee as non-profit income while also attempting to make the case that there is no big money involved in the nobel tea party movement. No astro-turfing here, she says. Nuthin but hard workin’ patriots spreading the message telepathically and also too perhaps over apple pie at the sodey fountain diner.

    I loathe me the crazy lady.

  52. 54
    Enjay in E MTNo Gravatar says:

    @ Renee #37 & Lilybart #40

    Bet that Dr. didn’t think about some of his government funded med school loans and hospital fellowships etc. that put him on the path to 6 figure salary, he must be an arrogant surgeon.

    Either way, his “perceptions” and attitude will probably keep that person from seeking further medical assistance. I wish the hospital would force that Dr to take sensitivity classes.

    “There by the Grace of God”

  53. 55
    Rob in CaNo Gravatar says:

    Max Blumenthal has done a little research in the background of James O’Keefe. It’s not pretty.

    http://www.salon.com/news/james_okeefe/index.html?story=/news/feature/2010/02/03/james_okeefe_white_nationalists

  54. 56
    OMGNo Gravatar says:

    Rob in Ca @54…this article needs broad distribution as it shows the dangers unleashed by the far right in the country and more evidence of Fox’s biased broadcasters.

  55. 57
    LiladyNYNo Gravatar says:

    #51 ~ DemandQuestionTime

    Signed with great pleasure and am sending it to my friends and linking on my Facebook page! Super idea!

  56. 58
    in exile (SC version)No Gravatar says:

    42 @Irishgirl
    Sorry for posting the same thing as you – but wasn’t that amazing?
    And the end of the article blew my mind.

  57. 59
    IrishgirlNo Gravatar says:

    No problem *in exile* – it was amazing! :)

  58. 60
    in exile (SC version)No Gravatar says:

    Shannyn just tweeted that she had ‘breaking news from AKM’ at the beginning of her (Shannyn Moore) radio show, 1080 KUDO. The link is http://bit.ly/hDX48 (if that doesn’t work, it’s on her Twitter.)

  59. 61
    MoonNo Gravatar says:

    Rob in Ca @ 54, Thank you for posting the link to the Salon article. It’s shocking what that little twit has gotten away with. I agree that article needs to be broadly circulated. I’m horrified by O’Keefe’s actions and FOX’s roll in giving him a platform to legitimize him.

  60. 62
    MoNo Gravatar says:

    wow, tnx Rob. Max Blumenthal uncovers the putrescence again. Am I alone in seeing a resemblence to Lee Harvey Oswald in that weasel O’Keefe?

  61. 63
    honestyinGovNo Gravatar says:

    As …in exile (SC version) Says: just said….
    February 3rd, 2010 at 11:44 AM

    As a reminder…. Shannyn Moore ended her show yesterday with
    ” We will ‘ break a story ‘ in the first hour of the Show tomorrow ”

    Show is on 3:00- 6:00 EST.
    We will find out soon enough.

    http://www.kudo1080.com/
    You can email her questions as well.
    shannynmoore@gmail.com

  62. 64
    Rob in CaNo Gravatar says:

    Regarding the Underwear Bomber, here is a link to what the judge said at the sentencing of the Shoe Bomber.

    To those who continue to question the judgement of trying this criminal in a civilian court, the words of Judge Young are a compelling argument in favor of our American system of justice!

    http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/01/31/reid.transcript/

    WIth these words in hand, you can go toe to toe with any Republican who is trying to undermine the President by politicizing this criminal.

  63. 65

    Listening for Shannyn….can’t wait to hear what it is. Perhaps my wish for an Alaskan to step up and slap Mrs. Palin back to the 16 century will come true.

  64. 66
    antiAntiNo Gravatar says:

    It’s Shannyn !

  65. 67
    IrishgirlNo Gravatar says:

    A big day she said. Suck it up Buttercup

  66. 68
    antiAntiNo Gravatar says:

    NewPOST – the envelope

  67. 69

    oooohhhh AKM will be on… how wonderful.

  68. 70
    antiAntiNo Gravatar says:

    Mudflats is talking to Shannyn now – giving history of the envelope

  69. 71
    michiganderNo Gravatar says:

    inexile #59 I am guessing the breaking news has something to do w/the mysterious envelope…. o:

  70. 72
    InJuneauNo Gravatar says:

    michigander–It does, check the new post: http://www.themudflats.net/2010/02/03/the-envelope-please/

  71. 73
    CO almost nativeNo Gravatar says:

    Who is Richter Investments? Can the Palins claim they didn’t know (yeah, right) that the property taxes have not been paid, or the assessments updated?

  72. 74
    InJuneauNo Gravatar says:

    That would prob. be Scott Richter (w/o his ex-wife at this point I would guess). They’re all (the Palins and at least one Richter) partners in this property I think.

  73. 75
    CGinWINo Gravatar says:

    If you don’t like the prospect of the Tebow Superbowl ad, you may just love the Raging Grannies of South Florida.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oNWi8fXOfg&feature=player_embedded

    Possibly NSFW, especially if you work for CBS ;-)

  74. 76
    sauerkrautNo Gravatar says:

    Shannyn just made a joke about iPad… hahahahaaa… yeah, I know. I shouldn’t laugh.

    All bets are off on election contributions… so, people who contribute to AK candidates in AK can now give as much as they want without paying attention to the current limits? Does the SCOTUS opinion trump state laws on contributions for state races?

  75. 77
    ReneeNo Gravatar says:

    Just did a search think this letter was or is old news. Dr. Roger Starner Jones, is apparently a real Doctor. Not sure. Just see on a bunch of blogs. Not sure-just sad though.

  76. 78
    txindygirlNo Gravatar says:

    God bless Andrew Sullivan.

  77. 79
    bethNo Gravatar says:

    copied/pasted in # 37: ““During my shift in the Emergency Room last night, I had the pleasure of evaluating a patient…” writes the “Doctor.”

    Since the ‘author’ wishes everyone to take ‘the Doctor’ at his/her word -without any coroboration/identification of who, what, where, or when this ‘abuse of the system’ took place) so the reader/audience can check on *any* of the details surrounding the incident, I can’t help but add to what ‘the Doctor’ wrote:

    ““““
    The patient had been transported by ambulance from a major car accident; the driver of the other vehicle had run a red light and t-boned my patient’s car. My patient had a compound fracture of both her right tibia and fibula. While waiting for the orthopedic surgeon to arrive and an operating suite to open for the surgery she’d need, we got to talking, this woman and I.

    I asked where she’d been headed when her car was hit – she’d just been to the post office to mail off completed applications (with all of the accompanying transcripts, affadavits, etc.) to the 4 schools who’d expressed an interest in hiring her…now that she’d earned her BA, with honors, in special education. (She’d been a para-legal, by trade, before going back to school and being forced onto medicaid…)

    I commented on her many tattoos and she said she’d gotten each of them for the price of a home-cooked meal; come to find out, her batchelor brother-in-law owns a tattoo parlor and, although he doesn’t advertise it, his clientele includes some of the better-known names in our town. Who’d a thunk that the guy who put that cheesy (client-requested!) “Mom” on Alderman ___’s arm could also do such intricate, artistic work!

    As she was being prepped for surgery, she asked I take special care of her new shoes and her new phone – they’d been Christmas presents from her college track coach and her siblings, respectively. She laughed when she popped of the gold cap on her tooth, and asked I take particular care of it, too. Her best friend had given it to her as a joke for her birthday, yesterday (it was one of those you can pick up at the ‘have everything’ stores for about twenty-bucks) and, since, she had planned on meeting her best friend for dinner after going to the post office, she’d ‘worn’ it so she could embarrass her best friend by flashing a big grin at her, across the table, when she ordered her meal.

    Alas, things never turn out quite the way we plan them…

    ““““`
    Hey, if the ‘author’ can create what “the Doctor” did in the ER “last night,” I can certainly create what Paul Harvey would’ve called: “The rest of the story,” no?

    Oh, wait, including details (like the above) would not make “the patient” into the beastly, abusive, one-size-fits-all, low-life, “them” tha ‘author’ wants people to take away from the unverifyable, typical rant/story of -and about- “OTHERs”. I forgot: we *must* stereotype “them” to have control. My bad. [/snark] beth.

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    txindygirlNo Gravatar says:

    Blooper@46, I saw something about this, but i was too afraid to read past the headline. stuff like this stays with me for days. how people can be so cruel to animals is beyond me. i imagine they don’t treat their children much better – and that’s a horrible tradgedy.

  79. 81
    txindygirlNo Gravatar says:

    @ Renee #37, this is what’s known as anecdotal evidence.

  80. 82
    blooperNo Gravatar says:

    txindy: Yup, I hear you. It definitely filled my ‘outrage’ quota for today. I’m glad that at least there was a pouring of outrage on the comments section of that story.

  81. 83
    ElizabethNo Gravatar says:

    R’ipley in CT: If the horrible day envisioned by the right wingers should ever come, I, and lots more, won’t have your back. We’ll be standing right next to you making them arrest us too.

  82. 84

    Hey: What do you guys know about the Todd Palin emails that says he gave oil company secrets to state lawyers? Also, MSNBC just said he played a much larger role in Alaska policy than previously thought. What do you think about that Sarah, huh?