Monday Musings: December 28, 2009

The kids left for home in the Bay Area early this morning, and we’ve spent the day picking up, putting away and trying to use up leftovers from parties and dinners. I really do feel like after several days of non-stop eating,  I could easily never eat again. Maybe just tea and the occasional bowl of cereal. Ugh. But we really had a wonderful time together.

I emailed foster dog Mom, Joy, about ‘Slick’. It’s a no go. I was wiping tears away while writing the email. But here’s the deal, I’m sad because he’s so damn perfect … the perfect dog for me/us … except that he doesn’t cotton to cats and isn’t likely to change.

Joy said that he’d be relentless with Ladybird and we just can’t do that to her. We both adore that furry neck warmer.

That said, I’m mounting a campaign to get Slick adopted by the right person/s who don’t have a cat. I will post additional information - Joy was incredibly forthcoming with me about him - so that hopefully the word gets out. This very special guy deserves a wonderful home for the new year.

We all went to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie yesterday. It is a stinker of monumental proportions. If you’ve never read Sherlock Holmes or seen the earlier Basil Rathbone movies - and are a fan of violent graphic novels with action heros then you might like it.

It was one of the most boring screenplays I’ve ever sat through. I couldn’t believe Ridley Scott was capable of something like this.

Picture this: We watch Holmes/Robert Downey Jr. mentally visualize/plan each move he’s going to make to beat the tar out of some adversary, and then have to watch it again as he does it.

Jeeze, Ridley - we get it.

Stinker. Phew!

Hey, it’s time to change all your passwords. As I’m going through the online bank accounts and such, I’m changing the passwords and security questions. I use a rather simple protocol that’s easy for me to remember since it follows three simple rules.

The bad guys might still be able to get your stuff, but at least make them work for it.

The latest airborne terrorist bomb plot gets even stupider. Evidently, the suspect was a spoiled rich guy who just didn’t have enough to make life interesting. Dad told the embassy who put him on a watch list. Watch lists are, apparently, meaningless.

Mr. Maven said he’d heard on NPR that there are some half million - give or take - souls on this watch list. The idea is that it would be too hard to stop all these people from coming in.

Not. Let’s see the world has a few billion people, so what’s the problem with saying ‘no’ to a half million. Just say ‘no’. Make them prove that they deserve to get a Visa. And, from certain parts of the world, none of this multiple entry Visa crap. One. Let’s see if you can behave yourself.

So this putz proceeds to carry some actual explosive powder on his person - through security no less. So much for the fancy machines. I’ll even bet he took his shoes off.

Where are we going next with this airport security? I say NAKED.

Let’s all march NAKED through airport security. Dressing rooms on the other side. Heck, I’d do it, mastectomy notwithstanding. Nearly did once, when I tired of the asinine machines in the Reno airport years ago when we were still allowed through to meet incoming passengers - my husband the airline captain in this case. I had a faux fur coat and high heels on. I put my car keys through the belt.

The effort fetched me some eyerolling from Captain Maven, although once home he thought it swell.

Oh, here’s a newsflash: The GOP has been found to be deficit hypocrites. Yup, an analysis by the Associated Press has found that when the GOP really wanted something badly - like a couple wars or a prescription drug expansion for that evil government program Medicare - they were just fine with exponentially increasing the size of the deficit against the weak protests of Democrats.

Call it ‘inconsistancy’ or hypocrisy - it all amounts to the same thing. And, they financed this stuff out of the deficit unlike Dems who at least make a stab at financing it out of taxes or something a bit more sustainable.

What is it that makes the GOP so good at dealing with alternate realities?

The Guv and his bride goeth to court. I can’t wait to hear all the nasty little details. He said. She said. He texted - more than 800 times. Seems rather open and shut.

Again, just what is it that makes the GOP so good at living within alternate realities?

I agree with local columnist, Cory Farley, in that my innate optimism is taking quite a beating these days.

As if to prove my point, Sen. John Ensign waxes all noble about the solemn oath taken by legislators to only enact those measures allowable within the bounds of the Constitution.

So that, of course, means that the whole vote on health care reform is bogus and illegal since the founding fathers didn’t specifically mention health care reform. They also failed to mention things like interstate highways, nuclear energy, equal access to education, the Voting Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security or the lightbulb. No matter.

Read what burbled up out of dear old solemn John (from Talking Points Memo):

During the debate today on the health care bill, Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) declared that Congress is not empowered by the Constitution to reform health care at all — and that Senators are violating a “solemn oath” by passing such a bill.

“When each one of us comes to this floor after we’re elected, we raise our right hand, put our hand on the Bible, and take an oath to defend and protect the Constitution of the United States. We in no way take an oath to reform health care, or do anything else that we think is good to do,” said Ensign. “Anything on health care or any other good provision that we want to do around here has to fit within the powers that are listed within the constitution of the United States. That’s the oath, the solemn oath that each and every Senator takes. And that’s what each and every one of us needs to think about when we’re voting on this constitutional point of order.”

Or this, given to the Wall Street Journal, regarding the mandate to buy health insurance:

“What’s next?” said Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), who’s leading the challenge. “Will we consider legislation in the future requiring every American to buy a car? Will we consider legislation in the future requiring every American to buy a house?” he asked, according to the Wall Street Journal.

I guess he figures that his oath to uphold the Constitution is just way more important than his oath to be faithful to his wife. See this is the same kind of wingnuttiness that is oozing out of The Family digs over on ‘C’ Street. If this doesn’t scare the crap out of you nothing will.

Considering the generous subsidies and tax breaks that have been given out right and left by Congress to help sell more gas guzzling automobiles and make sure every square mile of bucolic landscape could be torn up to install more sprawling suburbs … well, they may as well have legislated buying cars and tract homes.

Again, I say, what is it that makes Republicans so easy with the inconsistancies, deceits and hypocrisies that abound in their alternate reality?

I’m going to quit here before I completely depress the crap out of myself before the new year even begins.

Cheers

I think I’ll go soothe myself by skiing tomorrow.

maven