Please explain yourselves.
(This is an open thread.)
Sunlight Cure for Murkiness
ABC breathlessly reports that Speaker Nancy Pelosi "was briefed on the use of 'enhanced interrogation techniques' on terrorist suspect Abu Zubaydah in September 2002, according to a report prepared by the Director of National Intelligence's office and obtained by ABC News," thus insinuating once again that Pelosi has known about waterboarding all along.
The only problem is that the update to their story effectively admits there's no real evidence to make that claim—and Marcy details the disparities between what information is actually available and what's being concluded and reported here.
On the other hand, Pelosi did say at a news conference last month: "In that or any other briefing, we were not, and I repeat, were not told that waterboarding or any of these other enhanced interrogation techniques were used. What they did tell us is that they had some legislative counsel…opinions that they could be used, but not that they would."
So, there appears to be some parsing going on here; the truth may be that Pelosi was not told that waterboarding had been used, but had been told other EITs had been, which would still make her recent statements not entirely truthful, ahem.
Then again, maybe she's telling the truth. Or maybe Nancy Pelosi really was briefed on waterboarding—but I wonder if our media could possibly wait until there's actual proof of that before reporting it for the third, or fourth, or wevthefuck time?
All of which prompts me to second Spencer who advocates "the case for an independent commission to investigate the Bush administration, the CIA, the Justice Department, the Defense Department, the State Department and Congress about torture. No more lies, no more obfuscation, no more cant, no more excuses, no more torture." Which, naturally, will never happen.
I'll just be over here dancing in the dark.
I Am an American Citizen and I Want Dan Choi in the Military
November, 2002: "Nine Army linguists, including six trained to speak Arabic, have been dismissed from the military because they are gay. The soldiers' dismissals come at a time when the military is facing a critical shortage of translators and interpreters for the war on terrorism."
June, 2005: The Army begins recruiting Arabic translators on Craigslist, desperate for specialized linguists after having prioritized institutional homophobia above national security.
July 2006: Sergeant Bleu Copas, a decorated soldier, graduate of the Defense Language Institute in California, and highly specialized Arabic translator is dismissed from the military for being gay, one of more than 11,000 service members who had already been dismissed under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, 55 of whom, including Copas, had critical language skills.
December 2008: In an interview with The Advocate, then-president elect Barack Obama says (emphasis mine): "I think there's increasing recognition within the Armed Forces that [DADT] is a counterproductive strategy—ya know, we're spending large sums of money to kick highly qualified gays or lesbians out of our military, some of whom possess specialties like Arab-language capabilities that we desperately need. That doesn't make us more safe, and what I want are members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who are making decisions based on what strengthens our military and what is going to make us safer, not ideology."
May 2009: "An Arabic translator and Iraq veteran who came out on national television received notice Thursday that he will be fired from the military under the Pentagon's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy. … Dan Choi is a West Point graduate and officer in the Army National Guard." The blogger who disclosed the firing, Aaron Belkin, directly rebuked President Barack Obama, who as the commander-in-chief of the nation's armed forces can ultimately be seen as responsible for the man's dismissal. … Belkin acknowledged that the policy preceded Obama, but said a group of experts in military law say that President Obama could nix the policy by executive order. Previously, Washington insiders have said that any such change would have to be approved by Congress, because the gay ban is part of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
I'm decidedly unthrilled about the president even having the power of executive order, but, as long as the president has the power, and as long as the president is using it, I can think of few things more worthy of his proverbial pen-stroke than discontinuing the threat to national security that is the practice of discharging critical military personnel because they are gay.
"A new study, about to be published by a group of experts in military law, shows that President Obama does, in fact, have stroke-of-the-pen authority to suspend gay discharges," Belkin writes. "The 'don't ask, don't tell' law requires the military to fire anyone found to be gay or lesbian. But there is nothing requiring the military to make such a finding. The president can simply order the military to stop investigating service members' sexuality."
Obama's executive order would not get rid of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," but it would suspend the practice of firing servicemembers who come out as gay. Belkin argues that by suspending the policy, those who support it will see that serving with other gay men and women doesn’t have a deleterious effect on military morale.
"I spent a day with Dan Choi last month, and he is not someone we want to fire from the military," Belkin remarked. "He loves the armed forces. He served bravely under tough combat conditions in Iraq. His Arabic is excellent, and he used his language skills to diffuse many tough situations and to save lives, both Iraqi and American. All of his unit mates know he is gay, and they have been very supportive of him. But he doesn't want to live a lie."
Especially since his administration has "quietly shelved the president's campaign promise to repeal the 16-year-old 'don't ask, don't tell' policy."
The article notes that Obama's decision to push the repeal the DADT down the road has "the tacit acquiescence of Washington's gay lobbying establishment," which I know to be true and with which I strongly disagree. I can dig picking your battles, but it seems a painful irony to abandon the battle on behalf of the people who put their very lives on the line for us every day, who risk life and limb and the possibility of coming out of the service a totally different person than they went in, and only want in return the same rights for which they are willing to sacrifice their lives.
That this battle, the one to give soldiers the freedom to be who they are and the rights they protect for others but not themselves and the equality they have been denied, is the one deemed unworthy of spending political capital to engage, to fight, to win, is anathema to my sense of fairness and decency.Choi, a 2003 West Point graduate and fluent speaker of Arabic who served an extended combat deployment in Iraq, received his notice Wednesday.
How dare we let them stand on the line for us and slink away from a fight for them.
The letter told him that because of his public expression of his homosexuality, "I have negatively affected good order and discipline in the New York Army National Guard, the entire New York National Guard," Choi said. "That's what the letter says."
…He said the policy is "forcing soldiers to lie, forcing them to hide. It's not only morally bankrupt, it goes against everything in a soldier's training that says, 'Have courage. Stand up. Don't hide. Be honest.' "
Dan Choi says he wants to deploy again.
Question of the Day
What's your favorite kind of weather?
We've got a darkening sky here and the wind is picking up. The air coming through my office window smells like imminent rain, and it has the hint of electricity that generally precedes the arrival of a devilish storm.
I am inordinately fond of a bright sunny day, not hot, but a cool, crisp day of sunshine in the spring or fall, and I love padding around in socks on hardwood floors with wet and curling hair on a gray, drizzly Sunday afternoon after going out for tea, and I even frequently love the snow. But there's something about summer storms I find invigorating; the air before a storm fills my lungs deep like no other kind of weather.
Silent Prayer
President Obama observed the National Day of Prayer today in much the same way as most of his predecessors did: he signed a proclamation. (I didn't even know that the NDP was today, but then, as a Quaker, every day is a day of prayer.)
That, of course, was not good enough for the Pharisees.
Conservative Christian leaders who popularized the event are regarding it at a snub, calling it a "boycott." ... During the Bush administration, the first Thursday in May -- the National Day of Prayer, as mandated by Congress -- included a ceremony in the White House East Room with prominent evangelicals. It was headed by Shirley Dobson, wife of Focus on the Family founder James Dobson.Mr. Bush of course made a big deal out of the day because he is, what a pastor friend of mine called, a "loud pray-er;" one of those people who like to wear their holiness on their sleeve, and anything he could do to keep in the good graces of the Religious Right -- at least in public -- was part of the plan. So it's not surprising that they're now all worked up that Mr. Obama isn't being as obsequious to them as his predecessor.
There's no White House ceremony this year.
One prominent religious right activist, Concerned Women for America's Wendy Wright, said, "President Obama may have problems believing in the Christian faith, he should at least honor the traditions and foundation of our country."If I believed that there was such a place, I would hope that there is a special place in Hell for the smug and sanctimonious twits like Ms. Wright. First, the "traditions and foundations of our country" include separation of church and state. Second, to impugn Mr. Obama's faith for political gain is beneath contempt. (Then again, that is a skill the CWA excel at.)
The National Day of Prayer may be sanctioned by an act of Congress, but in the case of the Religious Right, I propose a National Day of Shut The Fuck Up.
HT to Steve.
Cross-posted from Bark Bark Woof Woof.
American Mothers Hate American Children
That's the only possible explanation for this madness:
Comedian Ellen DeGeneres and her actress partner Portia de Rossi topped a poll that asked American moms which celebrities they would feel most comfortable leaving their kids with.Don't American moms know that gaybysitters will RECRUIT THEIR CHILDREN and TURN THEM GAY?! The radical gay agenda is WINNING, people!
DeGeneres and de Rossi, who married in August when same-sex marriages in California were briefly legalized but who have no children, beat Angelina Jolie and partner Brad Pitt with their eclectic brood of six in the ParentDish.com poll of more than 10,000 moms.
The TV chat show host and de Rossi took 31 percent of votes.
*snicker*
(That sound you hear is 30 million wingnut heads exploding.)
I Write Letters
Dear Romantic Comedies,
Please consider me a secondary signatory on my colleague Ms. Snarker's letter.
Please also be advised that people of color, same-sex fanciers, trans and intersex people, people with disabilities, fat people, disfigured people, dwarves, people with speech impediments, poor people, socially awkward people, people with boring jobs, the hair-impaired, and people with visible scars also fall in love.
Thank you and have a nice day.
Sincerely,
Liss
QCoFM
Grumble
The thing that bothers me about all the stories in the mainstream media—like Time's "Republicans in the Wilderness: Is the Party Over?"—is that, when I read them, I don't feel like there's a lot of serious assessment of a failed ideology going on; I feel like I'm reading groundwork being laid to celebrate the awesomest comeback evar!
Daily Kitteh
Note the following:
1. Obvious interruption in playing with psychedelic string toy to initiate grooming process.
2. Precise securing of tail with right paw.
3. Ridiculously cute tongue working on those hind claws.
4. Laser-red demonesque eyes making it clear that any interruption of the process will be met with displeasure.
From the Mailbag
Shaker roro80 sends along this piece of important NOOZ, and quite rightly summarizes it as "a heart-warming tale from CNN about how even though the author is a 'man's man' and feels guilt for nothing (unlike the lady-creatures—oh, sorry 'puritan chumps'), he still lowers himself to enjoy lady-like pleasures. Which he definitely doesn't feel guilt about. Because guilt is for girls."
Shaker Francesca forwards the link to this post (may be NSFW) featuring some "edgy" (totally sexist) can packaging. I particularly like, ahem, the one with two spouts, as well as the design at the very bottom, which inventively makes two cans better than one! *headdesk*
Shaker Hayley sends this story (and I know someone else sent it as well, but I can't remember who it was; my apologies) about the Girl Guides of Canada introducing a new merit badge to promote positive body images. I love the badge and the idea behind it—although I'm not sure that equating, even indirectly, being fat with being a three-eyed alien ("There are different activities for each age group, with younger girls earning their badge by completing tasks such as creating a craft called an Awesome Alien. 'They create a funky alien that may have three eye balls or two right hands. It's about celebrating differences,' said [Rebecca Tye, girl program co-ordinator].) is a particularly great message.
Shaker Miranda sends this link, about German Chancellor Angela Merkel's image being used in an underwear advert, with the note: "As if being unnecessarily grabbed by Bush wasn't enough." Seriously.
Shaker Gnatalby forwards this indescribably awful story [trigger warning] with the note: "Yeah, I'm pretty sure this should be headlined 'Rape for Debt Payoff'." Indeed it should. But instead, it is of course headlined "Sex for Debt Payoff"—because everyone knows that "sex" for a woman is being "offered up as a prostitute [and] treated like a piece of property" by your boyfriend, who grants access to your sleeping body without your consent as payment to a man to whom he's indebted and then sits in a chair doing nothing while you scream in protest. Fucking hell.
Shaker Katie emails the unfortunate news that the Texas State Senate has approved a law that "would ask women seeking abortions to first have and view an ultrasound." They also passed a proposal to create a "Choose Life" license plate.
But, in good news from Texas, Shaker Abby emails this story about the University of Texas unveiling a statue of Barbara Jordan on campus last week. Says Abby: "Her statue is the first one of a woman on the campus. This is a result of a student-run initiative of the women's organization Orange Jackets. Teaspoons!" Woot!
Shaker Audrey forwards this story [trigger warning] of being All In, in which a male bus driver in Tokyo reported that his route was being used by a 73-year-old man to regularly molest a 14-year-old mentally disabled girl on his bus, and was told by the management of the bus company that he should consider "how he felt about not working for them anymore." Given the choice between allowing the girl to continue to be sexually assaulted and losing his job, the driver installed a video camera, captured the man in action, and turned the video over to police, resulting in the arrest of the perpetrator, who confessed to the crime and said: "I did it because I thought she wouldn't tell anyone about it," underlining the importance of the driver being All In.
Shaker knitmeapony sends a lovely little bit of teaspooning found in Chicago's Red Eye: "An article that's your bog-standard boring 'here's how to be in a committed relationship' sort of story. With one photograph—of a gay couple, looking perfectly banal. A gay couple. As a boring relationship, non-LGBTQI-focused story illustration. Presented without comment, without snarky language, without air quotes. Just a normal couple in their kitchen, talking about normal, boring relationship stuff. It's kept me grinning for half the morning."
And Shaker Siobhan emails: "Tolkien was RIGHT!"The extinct hominids commonly known as hobbits may have been small of body and brain, but their feet were exceptionally long, and they were flat.
Hee.
Obama and Teh Gayz Open Thread
As Gay Issues Arise, Obama is Pressed to Engage
In the words of David Mixner, a writer, gay activists are beginning to wonder, “How much longer do we give him the benefit of the doubt?” Last weekend, Richard Socarides, who advised President Bill Clinton on gay issues, published an opinion piece in The Washington Post headlined, “Where’s our fierce advocate?”The title of the article kind of irks me (my life isn't an "issue," thankyouverymuchkthx), and I dislike how people upset over Rick Warren are described as still "seething;" nothing like being made to look irrationally angry, right? The article also makes it seem as if queer people are the only people upset over Obama's treatment of "our" issues; somehow straight allies are always vanished in pieces like this.
The White House, aware of the discontent, invited leaders of some prominent gay rights organizations to meet Monday with top officials, including Jim Messina, Mr. Obama’s deputy chief of staff, to plot legislative strategy on the hate crimes bill as well as “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Among those attending was Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, who said afterward that while the gay rights agenda might not be “unfolding exactly as we thought,” he was pleased.
“They have a vision,” Mr. Solmonese said. “They have a plan.”
While Mr. Obama has said he is “open to the possibility” that his views on same-sex marriage are misguided, he has offered no signal that he intends to change his position. And as he confronts that and other issues important to gay rights advocates, he faces an array of pressures and risks.
Still, Obama moving slowly on any issue important to LTBTQI folks is pretty much what I expected, so it's not like I'm suddenly all bent out of shape over it because of all the recent Homomentum. It's been there.
Discuss.
(By the way, the photo included with the story makes me want to puke. We won't just protest same-sex marriage, we'll rub it in your fucking face that we can do it any time, anywhere!)
Lost Open Thread
Last night's episode will be discussed in infinitesimal detail, so if you haven't seen it, and don't want any spoilers, move along...
Shaker Gourmet: Sweet Potato Bean Burritos
Our recipe this week comes from Shaker Ezekiel!
If you'd like to participate in Shaker Gourmet, email me (include your Shaker name!) at: shakergourmet (at) gmail.comSweet Potato Bean Burritos
Bean Mixture:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup water
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Sweet Potato Mixture:
4 medium sweet potatoes, cooked
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce OR 2 jalapeños
1/4 c fresh cilantro
12 whole wheat tortillas
4 ounces shredded Mexican cheese
4-6 oz cheddar cheese to top burritos
DIRECTIONS
--Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
--Heat oil in a medium skillet, and sauté onion and garlic until soft. Stir in beans and water, and heat until warm. Stir in the chili powder,cumin, and soy sauce. Let this bubble away while you get the sweet potatoes ready will cook for at least 15 minutes until water is reduced.
--Peel the potatoes (if you hadn’t done so already) and place them in a large bowl. Mash away. Chop up the chipotle peppers and add them to the potatoes. It’s good if some adobo sauce stays on them. Add the cilantro and combine it all together.
--Divide bean mixture and mashed sweet potatoes evenly between the tortillas add cheese and roll the tortillas. Place them on a greased baking sheet.
--Top with cheese. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Serve,topped with salsa and/or sour cream.
Babies! Babies! Get'cher Babies Right Here!
by Shaker Siobhan, who is thrilled to contribute to her very favoritest blog.
Yesterday the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform approved a bill for paid parental leave for Federal Employees—4 weeks leave following the birth, adoption or fostering of a child. This move means the US might just leave the company of Lesotho, Swaziland, and Papua New Guinea (the only other countries in the world without parental leave for their government employees) and join the rest of the world. If it manages to pass the House and Senate.
The GOP, the same party that brought you welfare queens, homeless people who wanted to be homeless, and reproductive-choice activists teaching our toddlers how to have sex, are now offering us—wait for it—
Federal workers stocking up on babies to accumulate paid leave.
Yup, you heard me right.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) has found the loophole in the law.Issa is concerned that federal employees could adopt children year after year after year, all the while collecting those four weeks of paid annual leave.
Because it's just so damn easy to have/find babies. They require so little investment, so little time and effort to care for, not to mention that having/obtaining them is a pain- and hassle-free process. Who WOULDN'T just grab themselves a new baby at every opportunity in exchange for a month off of work!
Workers "could have one adoption or one foster child per year, resulting in every year you get a new foster child, every year the husband and wife if they are both federal workers would take four weeks off with pay, because they have simply taken in a new foster child," he said before the vote.
Possibly the reason Republicans don't support paid family leave is because, without it, the wimmenz can't as easily come back to work after having/adopting babies—and, when they do come back, they might do crazy things like introduce Paid Federal Family Leave Bills, as did Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.):"I had a child when I worked for the state government, and I was terrified I'd be fired," Maloney said before the vote... "No federal employee who's a new parent should be forced to choose between their paycheck and their newborn -- or newly adopted -- child in those vital first few weeks home," Maloney said. "As the nation's largest employer, the federal government can -- and should -- lead the way on this issue."
Awesomely, the rest of the "protect family values" party besides Issa is silent:Republicans had nothing at all to say about the measure, leaving it to their leader to play the Scrooge who uses money as a hammer against the family value of mothers and fathers staying home with their newborns or newly adopted children.
Where, oh where is the GOP PR Machine of yesteryear? Maybe they would have prevented one of their "leaders" for coming out with this ridonkulousness during NATIONAL FOSTER CARE MONTH. But Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-IL) knows what month it is:"I would be delighted if federal workers or any other workers…adopted one of these children every year... As a matter of fact, I'd give them a Medal of Honor if every year they found that they could adopt another child, because there is a tremendous need for children to be adopted."
Hear hear. And if they do, they'll have a job to come back to.
DOS: Out
The distinguished actor David Ogden Stiers, best known to me (and probably most members of my generation and older) as the stuffy, fussy, brutally witty Charles Emerson Winchester III of the 4077 M*A*S*H unit, has quite casually come out of the closet:
In a recent interview, the Emmy-nominated actor, 66, told the Oklahoma City blog gossip-boy.com, "I am [gay]. Very proud to be so."Stiers says he didn't publicly come out sooner because he feared it might hurt his career, and although he says he hasn't personally "witnessed such things occurring in a long, long time," he notes:
"I should say in regards to this that many of my fears were in modern times self-invented. I've been working internally on whether they were the problem, or if I just continued using them as an excuse. … I enjoy working, and even though many have this idealistic belief that the entertainment industry and studios like Walt Disney are gay friendly," they weren't always, he said. "For the most part they are, but that doesn't mean for them that business does not come first. It's a matter of economics. ... A lot of my income has been derived from voicing Disney and family programming."Totally aside from whether discrimination still happens (because we know it does, especially for actors who aren't as well-established as Stiers), it's worth noting how discrimination lingers: Once that fear is in you, it stays. Bigotry is never a one-time tax; it reverberates for a very long time, and its targets pay the price for years to come.
Stiers explains why he's coming out now:
"I wish to spend my life's twilight being just who I am," he said. "I could claim noble reasons as coming out in order to move gay rights forward, but I must admit it is for far more selfish reasons. Now is the time I wish to find someone, and I do not desire to force any potential partner to live a life of extreme discretion with me."Love and peace to you, Mr. Stiers.
Radio Shakesville Update (Harry Krishna Edition)
The latest edition of Radio Shakesville has been described by critics and fans alike as "a podcast" and "an hour long." If you haven't already downloaded it, you can do that here. Or here through iTunes. Or here through Feedburner. You can also look here for a complete list of songs in this show and decide beforehand that, wow, this is a bunch of crap and not download it at all. Or you can ignore the list and be surprised by the crap.
For those who enjoyed the Women in Music episode (and really, I need a better title for that series) part two is in the works, so if you'd like to call in with a request, give me a ring. The number is (641) 715-3900, extension 44515. If you enjoyed this episode, that's a fun way to make the next one even better.
Of course, if you thought the episode sucked, you can call in and tell me that too.
Speaking of the request line, if you'd like to hear something not related to women in music, or if you'd just like to dial in and tell me I'm an asshole, feel free to do that too. If you don't call I'm going to have to go with Butch Pornstache's request for "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" on a constant loop, because, as he said, "that one really gets the ladies wet."
And to everyone who has called in, and everyone who has downloaded it and enjoyed it, thanks so much.
Blotter Blogger
OK -- So, readers of my home blog may recall my penchant for the police and sheriff's blotters in my local newspaper (if you have no idea what I'm talking about, please read this post).
Last week, I was talking to 'Liss on the phone and we fell into the inevitable "reading each other things that we find hysterically funny from our respective hometown newspapers" routine (my thing: the police blotter -- her thing: the Quicklys) -- so I thought I'd share some of the recent blotter entries with you (because they're just too good to keep to myself). Please note -- blotter entries are verbatim, bolds included. Personal commentary in italics.A tie was found burnt in the middle of North Jacob Miller Road on April 9. There were no other signs of a fire or problems in the area. (This is definitely in the top ten for my all-time favs, but read on to see why I think it may not make the final cut. Even though it's probably not the Best Blotter Entry EVAH, it does have a very nice Twin Peaks-ish ambience going for it.)
Drum Roll, Please! -- My current front-runner for Best Blotter Entry EVAH (although it will, most likely, be knocked off its pedestal as the saga of my little town unfolds) is:
Tips and the jar they were in were stolen April 6 from an espresso stand in Discovery Bay. (Liss: "When they find the $33 in small bills and change on grandad's dresser, they'll be like -- 'Well phew! At least we know he didn't steal it -- because he doesn't have the jar'.")
Sunglasses, a flashlight and other items were stolen from an unlocked 1996 Geo Metro in the 500 block of 22nd on April 27. (Soooo disappointing -- probably left the Metro unlocked hoping that someone would steal the CAR.)
A 41-year-old man called police to report that his 47-year-old live-in girlfriend was "running her mouth" on April 27. Police made a report of the verbal dispute. (No comment, lest my Beloved turn me in for "running my mouth".)
A 44-year-old Port Hadlock woman and her 20-year-old son got into an argument about who would pay for the gas related to a landscaping job they were doing in the 1500 block of Lawrence on April 29. Police took a report.
A Hadlock woman called to complain about her 15-year old daughter not behaving on Jan. 18. She called back before a deputy arrived and said to disregard her issue.
(RE: The two entries above -- please refer to my first blotter post, which contains one of my favorite blotter entries ever -- the woman who called 911 to report that "her relatives were annoying her". I will simply repeat: REALLY?!? You can call 911 for this? I have so not been taking advantage of my tax-payer dollars.)
On the night of April 29, a 23-year-old transient woman said she was robbed of $40 in the parking lot of an apartment building on Gaines. Police and a witness were unable to locate the suspect. At 3:40 a.m. the next day, police were called back to the same building, where a resident complained that the woman, who used to live there, was keeping people up by using the laundry equipment. (Because, apparently, reporting these two things in the same entry maintains Cosmic Balance -- since we all know that transient-being-robbed is offset and utterly neutralized by transcient-keeping-people-up-by-using-laundry-equipment.)
A 53-year-old man parked his 2003 Chevy truck in front of a food vendor in the 2400 block of Washington at noon on April 30 to have lunch at a nearby restaurant. The food vendor asked him not to park there, police said, but he declined the suggestion. When he returned, he found a chunk of asphalt on top of his truck with a note telling him not to park there. Police are investigating. (This entry drives me to distraction -- was the chunk of asphalt wrapped in the note? Was the note held down by the asphalt so that it wouldn't blow away? Inquiring minds need to know. Oh, and "he declined the suggestion"? Priceless.)
OK -- the next three are filed under -- WTP?
A 27-year-old man reported that a painting he had on display in a Water Street coffee house was stolen May 3, but it might have been a misunderstanding, police said.
A pistol was found at Snow Creek and turned over to authorities April 26. It had not been stolen.
A Quilcene woman returned home April 29 from a vacation and found her house in disarray. She determined a relative was responsible and declined to pursue charges.
(And on that last one -- So, not only can I call 911 when my relatives annoy me, but also when my house is in disarray?)
Meth was said to be a problem in Hadlock on April 24, a woman told deputies. (Well, I should say so.)
Carpentry tools and power tools were reported taken from a weekend cabin back in February. (Reported in the May 5 paper, but apparently, the blotter was so thin this week that we needed to include a three-month old report. Maybe someone complained -- "Hey! I didn't see my report in the blotter three months ago! Unfair! 15 minutes! I was told 15 Minutes of Fame in the brochure!")
A Hadlock woman said a truck turned a corner April 25 and a sheet of glass flew off and broke into the roadway on First Street. The woman said she swept the glass off the roadway and the owner denied losing anything from the vehicle, but a half hour later the woman flipped off the driver, and that caused a brief argument to ensue requiring deputy patrols. (I love my little town, where professional police reporting includes the phrase "flipped off the driver".)
A prowler was said to be outside a home in Ludlow on April 5 and making coyote noises. A deputy saw no sign of a prowler. (It probably _was_ a coyote (or a dog who was part coyote -- heh-heh).
A dead raccoon was found March 30 in a trap left in the woods at Middlepoint and McCurdy Point Road. (Liss: "You had me at "A dead racoon . . . ".)
A woman said two Mormons came to her door Jan. 21, and she was concerned that they might not be real Mormons.I heart my tiny little town with a passionate and righteous fury.
[sorta cross-posted at Teh Portly Dyke]
Quote of the Day
"If we're going to let the bloggers run the country, then the country's best days are behind us."—Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), after bloggers responded to the announcement earlier this week that Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) would replace Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA) as the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee by pointing out that "that Sessions had a record of racial insensitivity that stopped his appointment to the federal bench in 1986."
Just out of curiosity, and because I quite obviously share his feelings about those dirty pajama-wearing hippies, I went to Senator Graham's website to see if he had any petitions I could sign to ban blogging or forcibly relocate bloggers to Halliburton-built detention centers, and I was desperately disappointed to be greeted with this at the top of the page:
Obviously, those traitorous anti-American blogging scum have infiltrated his site without his knowledge. Hopefully someone will let him know!
Women Suck
Following immediately on the heels of GOP Senator John Thune's naked bigotry against potential gay nominees to SCOTUS, former RNC chair and senior Bush advisor Ed Gillespie visited "The Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer yesterday afternoon, where he helpfully explained that Obama should be looking for the most qualified candidates—which probably doesn't include women.
Blitzer: …remember the president, your President, the President Bush, uh, he did find a woman, Harriet Miers—Nowhere in the whole country. Not a single woman even close. Imagine that.
Gillespie: I remember it well. Yeah, sure, I was there.
Blitzer: —to be his nominee, and that didn't exactly work out. Did he get gunshy after that?
Gillespie: He did not get gunshy after that, uh, but I think that, you know, in the next round of, uh, the selection process, uh, the person who emerged as clearly most qualified—really head and shoulders above,uh, others—were [sic] Samuel Alito, and there wasn't really a woman who was of a comparable experience and skill and temperament and intellect.
Alito was only appointed three years ago, so Gillespie—particularly because he is not adding any qualifiers like "there weren't any conservative women"—is implying here, and none too subtly, that if Obama nominates any woman, she will be unqualified, because the Bush administration just searched high and low three years ago (and four years ago, when John Roberts was appointed) and found no one.
Keep it up, GOP. Keep it up.
