Friday Fish Wrap: August 21, 2009

If there is any sure takeaway message for the week, it’s this: Obama needs to understand once and for all time that the Republican party just isn’t that into him. They don’t want to play bipartisan any more than they want to date Fidel Castro. Well, perhaps we should excude Larry Craig from this. But, really, can Obama get over this?

Any hope of gaining bipartisan support for the health care reform bills circulating through Congress lies only in guaranteeing the right wingnuts that the current bills are actually ‘secret code’ for the complete abolishment of Medicare, Medicaid and the privatization of Social Security. With that kinda reform, Grasshole and his buddies will be all over it.

Bob Cesca, of Huffington Post, suggests that the real reason for this could be that Obama/Emmanuel realize that unless they have the high-stakes Trifecta of a Kennedy/ Byrd able to show up for voting in a few months, a full boats of Democrats that they absolutely count on, or a couple of Republicans that will turn toward the light, then they don’t stand a chance. In other words, it’s all tactical. I sure hope so.

Meanwhile the uber-right continues it’s relentless, well-funded media barrage and assault against the facts, supported by the most conservative of the conservative of foundations. It’s packs of lies on silver platters for the gullible. And, unfortunately, the gullible are falling for it by the thousands according to an NBC poll.

Sigh.

It’s been a challenging week in the Maven household, since we’re in the midst of remodeling. The takeaway here: don’t assume anything is straight, in plumb or a standard size. Oh, and old homes have ‘issues’. It’s the usual of change one thing and six other things pop up screaming.

Sigh.

The better news: I got a lot of regular bike riding in by going early in the a.m. It’s so cool and nice. The air is still and the world is peaceful. I’m well over 2,100 miles on the current bike, and my legs are feeling like ‘ski legs’.

Hmmm.

Lesson learned: People with ‘issues’ will read those ‘issues’ into anything you write or say. It’s rather like giving people astrological horoscopes with the sign hidden. If they want to believe it’s all about them, they will.

Sigh.

Finally, got the new website up for work. It rocks! Check it out: www.nvwetlands.com. Give a big hand to Kristy Crabtree of Westward Strategy for her invaluable help and patience. Now, I’m actually blogging for dollars! LOL.

Yea!

Boycott Whole Foods! Yes, you heard this right, Whole Foods groupie that I am. John Mackey is, apparently, an idiot. He writes in the Wall Street Journal that Obamacare will be the ruination of us. Geezo, John … in these perilous economic times, I’m one of those that can actually afford your prices at Whole Paycheck, and now you go out of your way to piss me off. Not too smart, since Winco is right across the road.

WTF?

Hike not on the Iranian borderlands. Three total nimrods hiked into Iranian space the other day, and got nabbed as spies. Meanwhile, thousands are peacefully hiking around places like … Yosemite, southern Utah ( and getting picked up by spectacular helicopter rescues ) and the Sierras. Yup, we’re just three freelance journalists gettin’ a little sun. I say leave ‘em there.

Duh!

Finally, for all of you Atheists, Freethinkers, Agnostics (get off the damn fence!) and Secular Humanists out there, I just watched a great movie tonight: ‘Water’.  It’s a great movie, and has John Abraham in it. The cinematography and editing is carefully crafted and superlative. The performances are true. And it’s a fine indictment of how religion can hold an entire culture and county hostage.

Have a good, safe weekend.

maven