HOW I'D LOVE TO BE A WHITE HOUSE MOUSE

Today especially. I'd tune in to the talk over the beers.

Why has there been no mention of the fact that Mr. Gates could have been affected by jet lag?

Not to mention the fatigue experienced by someone traveling those miles from here to China.

I've done it. And at the time I was 75 y's o ---- you don't recover in a day.

Mr Crowley suppposedly had the expertise to deal with such a situation a a police officer, not Prof. Gates. So why is Gates being belabored for his behavior and not Crowley?

Sorry folks, racial male profiling is still a factor in policing in America. Good for Obama for saying what was in his heart - his friend was mistreated and falsely arrested.


My view of this tempest anyway. And they would not even need to be sharing a beer. That is a euphemism for having a casual get together regarding something and I also get the faint connection to the past president. You remember, don't you........


graysmoke

CATERING TO THE CRAZIES

It would suit me fine if the other cable networks would refrain from regurgitating the Glen Beck vomit. Should we be thankful such venom is out in the open courtesy of Faux News? Well, I guess that is one way of weathering such drivel. But I wish I could redact at will on the rebroadcasting of the BS.......yes, I do use the remote and either change channels or use the off button, however there are a scary number of listeners out there in cableland that believe this s-h. And they hope to infect more voters with their disinformation.

So, for all you out there that agree, boycott that station and encourage others to do likewise.


graysmoke

HATCHet MAN

This morning on MSNBC's morning news show with Andrea Mitchell, one of the guests was Sen. Orrin Hatch. It seemed one of his main objectives in this appearance was to do a real hatchet job on nominee Sonia Sotomayor. Now Orrin is an old hand at this and can deliver his rejections with polish and aplomb. Still.....the negativism was boldly obvious. And while he was at it he pulled out a machete to apply to the health reform efforts, just so he can keep in condition, after all he may be needed for eight years. And I wish Orrin a long life so that he can witness Sotomayor have a brilliant career on the Supreme Court.

HayDay in the MEDIA

Print and cable have both locked into deriding Obama for his "Stupidly" remark when asked about the Gates incident. They also seem to have their negative spin machine set on "HIGH" in regards to health care reform. Seems maybe the corporations have them in their pocket now, wonder how much cash they have spread around? Every headline and most voice comments are "framed" negatively..........this has been noticeably heightened for about two weeks now.......see how they take advantage. While the President was on his trip, there must have been some conferences maybe initiated by the pharma groups (after all look at the amount of advertising bucks they spend on the air and in print) and media wouldn't want that to disappear would they?

Is money going to win the reform battle over the needs of the American public?

Stay tuned, keep reading and needle Congress some more, even then it will be a battle royal. Millions of dollars are on the line .

Fight for reform.

graysmoke

The Rottweiler Method

The repugs are hanging on like Rottweiler's or Pit Bulls in their determination to defeat any health care reform. They do not want any interference with the private corporations continuing to gouge the American citizens to the max for coverage, and controlled coverage at that.



The private plans determine what health procedures they allow or give permission (!!!) for you to have. And they are not doctors, yet you hear just the oppposite from the repugs. That the government, forbid, would determine what coverages you receive, and I do not find that true with Medicare which I have had for near twenty-two years now and I resent anyone who calls the program an entitlement, we paid from our earnings every payroll period during our working years and now we pay a monthly premium, for Medicare and also for Part D, so get off the entitlement slamming.



The R's are determined to derail the reform and just as much for political purposes as for protecting the corporate profit makers.



Keep the pressure on for reform, let the R's go to Hades.



No problem with healthcare there, everyone treated the same.





I see where Senator Hatch has abandoned pursuit of bipartisan bill, well that was not sincere from the outset. Typical hypocrisy.





graysmoke

A TIME TO ENDURE

We have had fifteen days plus of temperatures over 100 degrees, many over 110, so what to do besides witnessing one's pet plants struggle against such odds, many have burned out.

It is a good time for poetry to come to the rescue. I have a number of favorite poets. One is James DePreist, more famed perhaps for his career as a conductor of various international and national symphony orchestras. Mr. DePreist's talents extend even further, indeed a man for all seasons. I was fortunate to hold season tickets for the Oregon Symphony when he was conducting there.

He has two slender books of poetry published, circa 1986 and you may be able to find copies at the famous Powell's book store.

To me his poetry is so evocative of the feelings, sensing, and intuitiveness that makes us human so it is impossible to pick a favorite. I will just quote an example from time to time.

This one is from his first book " The Precipice Garden" --

WE ARE HEIRS TO UNSEEN

legacies of power that hover

above the hurdles of reason;

patient power,

unknown

and

unretrieved until

awake

we close our eyes and see

the gift; embrace with faith

this more real realm.


&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Thank you Mr. DePreist for nourishing my soul today.



O.O.

SCARE SQUAD

All those House Of Reprehensibles and Sinators, that are busy trying to scuttle the health reform plan are scared of losing the campaign contributions made to their treasure chests from the insurance, Pharma, and connected businesses that want bias to their agenda in return, and that is what is happening--------

Chief fear captain is Mitch McConnell, I really don't know which politician is the oiliest, he or Lindsay Graham. I think I will puke if I ever hear Graham mention again that he is a military you-know-what ever again, he managed to get that out several times during the Sotomayor hearings. The man has no honor. Neither of them do.

The scamming done in the Senate Committee (Kennedy's)-- where the republicans offer amendment after amendment only to delay the markup and development process-- is laughable, they are not going to vote for it with or without those time consuming amendments.

Why are the democrats leaning over backwards to try to gain bipartisanship......well I am beginning to see that this is another sleight of the political hand being used, particularly by Baucus, because he is so beholden due to his huge campaign donations from the interested parties, to not take positions that they have objections to. Transparency is hidden behind any number of shells. But if you watch the proceedings as broadcast by C-Span, without being told what is said by the media pundits, you can figure it all out.

Keep the pressure on them - voters must prevail on this - it is not socialistic - another fear button ----

Be aware of who is manipulating whom and why.


graysmoke

REPUBLICAN RELICS

On display at the Sotomayor Senate Judiciary committee hearings are a number of thick-skulled repug neanderthals. Let's give top billing to Senator Sessions, then tied for second, Orrin Hatch and Jon Kyle. They are still in the dark, unaware that they have become extinct. Cornyn qualifies too as a member of that classification.

Their fossilized condition is fully revealed by the lines of questioning that they follow when it is their turn. They think they are still relevant. But their line of what passes for thinking, confirms that their party is comatose.

Senator Lugar what are you going to concoct from the ashes, better get on it right away.

The antiquity of repug views demonstrate their inability to effect change either congressionally or personally.

Quick someone to the rescue before more skulls thicken beyond rescue, Coburn's is on fast pace.....he wants to know if he has a right to any self-defense under the constitution......Senator Coburn, the goal of self-defense is to prevent having harm come to myself or my loved ones and not to inflict the worst damage possible to the perpetrator(s).You do not need a gun to do this.....

And also, Sen Lugar please inform these neanderthals that our law derives from guess what, ENGLISH common law, nothing home grown about it so drop the attacks about judges informing themselves regarding the content of laws in other countries.

graysmoke

FINGERING CHENEY

Not surprising at all, there were not any lengths that the group promoting war with Iraq, Wolfowitz, Perle and company, would not go to. And their old buddy Cheney knew just how to cover. For instance, instead of the CIA doing the jobs that Congress supposedly was not briefed about, he arranged for his buddies at Blackwater to be the actual actors. That will be his dodge, he is slime. Slick as that proverbial greased pig. I wonder how much we were really bilked out of, remember Chalabi and that curve ball episode, part of the whole farce, only those were our US military men and women getting killed over there for their nefarious plans. More deaths than were caused by Twin Towers attack --- how does that compute? Not to mention the maimed and killed innocent Iraqis. Such a stain as this will take decades to fade. Cheney deserves to be indicted. He worked outside the laws of the land.



graysmoke

ERIC CANTOR

Let's give him the Oscar for the Republican that has learned more since January 20.2009 than any other, he knows how to fix EVERYTHING!!!!!

Now it is funny that these same R's that claim they know better than the Democrats on anything and everything, sat on their hands for eight years, while their Bush ran this economy off the cliff.

I don't think they deserve any consideration, I have been watching the hours of the Health Reform hearings that Sen. Dodd is chairing while Kennedy is out, and the R members on that are using the :
"drown it in amendments approach."

BEGONE ALREADY!!

You had your eight year turn, and it was and is disastrous, get out of the way.



graysmoke

A FISH OUT OF WATER

Does Sarah have those waders on to make her way through the BS she slings all over the place?

Honestly, what qualifications does she think a President should have?
She has no higher education that would qualify her, she has no job experience that would qualify her, and she doesn't strike me as the studious type, she can't even get it right about the Constitution, guess those prestigous schools she went to figured there wasn't enough interest to teach some important areas of knowledge that are commonly available down here in the lower forty-eight.

Come on down Sarah and choose a college and get some education........you need it so .......
Bet you couldn't even maintain a C average. Or do you rely on the help your kids need with their homework.





graysmoke

WONDERWOMAN

The lady from Wasilla, haven't you heard, John and Cindi are going to create a new brew and label it Wasilla Wonderwoman----Cindi's idea for perking up business in the distributorship that keeps her wealthy enough for John Boy.

But with Palin's garbled announcement about resigning (quittin') the Alaskan governorship yesterday they are going to hold off on this. The opportune time may come later.....whenever Sarah figures out what she is going to do. Ah she is so right for the R's, she can run a marathon with her mouth without ever exercising a single brain cell.....well, maybe we can call her Marvel Woman?

It gives me the shivers just thinking about the possibility of this egocentric personality ever financing her way into the WH or even the VP res.

I can stand a shiver though, here where I live our high today was 112 degrees, Not an Alaskan temperature I can assure you, maybe SP should come here and get her brain defrosted.



graysmoke