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Post by doctork on Jun 3, 2009 20:35:57 GMT -5
I'm checking a few internet boards while I watch the 6 pm evening news on NBC. So I thought I'd just note a few items that struck me.
Nancy Reagan's appearance at the White House - to help Obama sign a bill and unveil a statue of her husband - was quite touching.
The disappearance of Air France 447 is very sobering. I have never been afraid of flying, and I know many more people who died in car crashes than plane crashes, but it still is very strange for a big jet to just drop out of the sky, without even time for a "MayDay" call.
An online acquaintance (he posts on a board I visit frequently) lost his sister-in-law in the crash, so Air France flew him from his home in Sweden to the service at Notre Dame in Paris today. It's so sad.
Our first lady spoke at a DC high school graduation today - because the kids had written and asked her to do so, and because she wants to do things that make her feel more a part of her new home town. Michelle Obama also spent time with Nancy Reagan while Mrs. Reagan is in town. If the guys can't be bipartisan, at least the First Ladies can!
Sunrise today was at 5:07 am, and sunset will be at 9:07 pm. nearly 16 hours daylight for us, but down in Seattle, they have a day that's about 8 or 10 minutes shorter.
What's your local news? Or what items from the national and international news have struck you?
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Post by Jane on Jun 3, 2009 21:26:28 GMT -5
Doom and gloom. Seven GM plants in Michigan closing. Fortunately, only one local dealership is going out of business.
Dueling gay seminars. One, church sponsored, "how Jesus can make you stop being gay, get married and live happily ever after", one at the university, "No way." Guess which one I believe?
Watched Brian Williams special at the White House. Love Obama more every day. CNN asks, "Can Obama win hearts and minds in the Mideast?" Yes, he can.
Took Tom to Willie Wonka at the Civic. Tom bought all the special effects. Fun!
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Post by ozski on Jun 3, 2009 21:56:08 GMT -5
In my neighborhood: (more or less)
Sunrise 6:11; sunset 8:49.
Trying not to watch too much news. I find a lot of it heavily laced with a biased slant, either to the left or to the right. I would just like it reported straight-up, in the middle, thanks.
My state lost a prominent abortion provider Sunday past. Gunned down (deplorable) in his house of worship (likewise deplorable). He was one of the nation's few late-term/partial birth abortion providers (also, deplorable).
I think I will stick with UncleJay's Explains the News from now on. He has yet to make me cry.
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Post by doctork on Jun 4, 2009 1:36:41 GMT -5
I too was horrified by the assassination of Dr. Tiller. No matter how one feels about the issue of abortion, murder can't be the answer. An example of why the local news is usually happier, but not always.
Yup, stick with the Comedy Channel and TVLand mostly, and then if you gotta tune in to the news, pretend you're watching a horror movie: cover your eyes and ears, hold the remote tight, and then just peek out between your fingers. Anything bad, click the "All Off" Button immediately.
Or just tune in for the last 5 minutes of Brian Williams on NBC when he does the "Making a Difference" piece at the end. It is always an inspiring and happy story about the many creative ways people find to "Pay It Forward."
Or watch only CBS "Sunday Morning," which I still call "Charles Kuralt" even though he left the show 15 years ago and died just a few years later. Charles Osgood does just a brief recap of the week's news and then launches into neat human interest stories. I really like Bill Geist and all those off-beat stories he does. You know - world's largest ball of string, the Cadillac Ranch, monster trucks, Woodstock 40 years later
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Post by doctork on Jun 4, 2009 23:18:12 GMT -5
I think you all are aware that I am not fond of the TSA. Today in Congress, the House debated the TSA re-authorization bill which contains an amendment to ban the use of MMV - WBI (MilliMeter Wave or Whole Body Imaging) for primary screening at 19 airports, when it was originally intended only for secondary screening of those who alarm the metal detector (as an alternative to the pat-down, passengers choice). IMHO the images produced are very graphic (one can, ummm, "tell a man's religion") and far more invasive than is justified for use or every passenger. Also, one must hand over everything in your pockets before entering the WBI - a wonderful opportunity for thieves to steal your wallet while it is out of your sight.
I belong to a group that is unhappy with this tactic, as it does not detect explosives, is too invasive, and the TSA has enough trouble already doing its primary job. So we have all emailed and spoken with our own Representatives.
Today the House voted 310 - 118 against the primary use of WBI, in a huge bipartisan rebuke of TSA overreaching. There is still a ways to go - it would have to pass the Senate also to become law, but still - it restores my faith in democracy and the primacy of the Bill of Rights.
We can make a difference! Yes we can!
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Post by doctork on Jun 5, 2009 20:41:38 GMT -5
Today the news is all about tomorrow's 65th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.
My late father-in-law was a medic during the invasion, so when my husband's cousin married a French woman in 1998, we all went over for the wedding, and took a side tour of the Normandy beaches. The kids missed a little school, but I didn't want school to interfere with their education, so we arranged for them to write reviews of their trip, and to make up the assignments they missed.
The beaches were incredibly beautiful and it was hard to believe they had once been the setting for such massive loss of life. Since it was so soon after the 50th anniversary, there had been a lot of recent historical installations. One we really enjoyed was the Museum of the Battle of the Falaise Gap - there were audio tours in numerous languages, and a cool model of the battle that showed all the forces moving around as the history of the battle was narrated. You could see it as well as hear about it.
And then there was the American cemetery - thousands of white markers lined up row after row. A very sobering experience.
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Post by gailkate on Jun 5, 2009 23:12:09 GMT -5
A letter in our paper today. It's a window into tragedies most of us know nothing about. I admire the courage of the mother who wrote it.
ABORTION DOCTOR SLAIN A personal story may give a little perspective
Regarding the murder of Dr. George Tiller, the antiabortion zealots would like everyone to think late-term abortions are never performed for a good reason. (The woman's life, health and wellbeing and severe fetal defects are not considered good reasons.)
Perhaps a real-life example will help everyone (at least the decent people) understand this issue.
When I was five-and-a-half months pregnant, I started filling up with huge amounts of fluid. The doctor said it indicated a severe fetal abnormality. Since I was a devout Catholic, abortion was not even considered.
I spent the next two and a half months in considerable physical and mental pain. At eight months, the doctor said there was no point in continuing the pregnancy and the suffering I was enduring, so he decided to induce labor. If the fetus was actually OK, the slightly premature birth would do no harm.
A cute red-haired baby girl, looking quite healthy, was born, although weighing only 4 pounds. An examination showed her esophagus was solid instead of hollow and her intestines were just a fibrous mass. She could not eat. It took her a few days to starve to death.
Late-term abortions are performed to prevent such needless tragedies.
MARIE ALENA CASTLE, MINNEAPOLIS
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Post by doctork on Jun 7, 2009 11:52:52 GMT -5
Sadly, I think this is a fairly typical picture of who terminates a pregnancy in the third trimester. The pregnancy is much wanted, but there is significant risk to the mother's health and the fetus is non-viable. Occasionally the fetus is normal but the mother is at risk of death as the pregnancy advances - commonly due to maternal congenital heart disease which unexpectedly decompensates severely in pregnancy, as pregnancy greatly taxes the heart.
For such women with heart disease (or kidney failure or advanced pulmonary disease), if the pregnancy is terminated and the underlying disease treated, she can later go on to have a family. If the pregnancy were not terminated, both mom and baby would die.
One of the challenges of obstetrics is that you actually have two patients. Fortunately, women of childbearing age are usually healthy and resilient, but if not, it is a wrenching situation.
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Post by doctork on Jun 7, 2009 12:11:36 GMT -5
I'm watching ABC This Week, not so remarkable this week as last. But CBS Sunday Morning was great - there was a feature on Tim Horton's restaurants, a big Canadian chain, little known in the US except in a few states. Since we live near the border, we're free to zip up to British Columbia for coffee and doughnuts, maybe some of Tim's sandwiches.
The story was called "Doughnuts to Dollars" of course!
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Post by Jane on Jun 7, 2009 14:06:39 GMT -5
I read about Dr. Tiller's memorial service in the NYTimes today and found it very moving. There was a large wreath surrounding a sign which read, "Trust Women." Amen.
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Post by doctork on Jun 8, 2009 0:37:51 GMT -5
I bought today's NY Times, but didn't see the story about Dr. Tiller's memorial service. I suppose that could be a function of the deadline for west coast editions.
The local paper ran a number of stories about the 10th anniversary of the Olympic Pipeline explosion which happened June 11, 1999, which was just before we moved here in July. A pipeline burst sending 237,000 gallons of gasoline out into Whatcom Creek. The fumes ignited and the resulting explosion killed 3 young people - 2 ten year old boys playing by the creek (Wade and Stephen), and an 18 year recent high school grad (Liam) who was fishing there. The creek runs right through the middle of our city, so it destroyed a lot of property as well as causing the 3 deaths.
The parents of one of the boys are a prominent local family, owners a large car dealership. Frank and Mary King have fought tirelessly for reform of regulation of such pipelines so they would be safer.
Somewhat surprisingly, I discussed this catastrophe with a friend who is an oil & gas attorney with a large DC law firm. He said that such explosions are fairly common, but the pipelines usually traverse very rural areas so that when they explode, "not so many" people are killed and environments damaged.
The Kings donated $400,000 to help build the new Wade King Elementary School here in Bellingham, and also donated about $4 million to Western Washington University to build a new student recreation center, also named after Wade. He had been a very athletic boy who loved baseball. Because so many college buildings are named after older folks, and today's WWU students don't remember the explosion, the Kings also commissioned a life-size statue of Wade, with his mitt and baseball. It stands in an alcove at the entry to the rec center, so the students would know he was a child. His mother said "He didn't get the opportunity to go to school, but we're hoping his legacy will carry on in all these other students for years to come."
Ten years later, the damage to the creek has largely healed due to nature's recuperative powers and the restoration efforts of local environmental advocates. It's still a very painful memory for our community.
Rest in peace Wade King, Stephen Tsiorvas, and Liam Wood.
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Post by doctork on Jun 12, 2009 20:53:51 GMT -5
Today is the day!
That is, today all TV watchers have to abandon their "rabbit ears" and switch over to the new high definition. I don't understand why this changeover has to happen, but I am very suspicious that it was a plan designed to give a few people a whole lot of money.
It seems rather arrogant for Congress to pass legislation that just assumes that everyone will 1) subscribe to cable or 2) buy a new fancy TV. Then there was that poorly managed "converter box" business, where the coupons were delayed in the mail and by the time they arrived, they had expired. Or the coupon was received, but there were no converters available because they were sold out.
And then around here, I am seeing daily news reports that many parts of King County (Seattle and major urban environs) and many other areas cannot receive broadcasts even with the converters. *Shrug* - I guess they are just supposed to buy the new expensive TVs and subscribe to cable service. Hello! Haven't those inside the Beltway noticed that there is a recession on, Big Time?!
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Post by doctork on Jun 15, 2009 1:53:38 GMT -5
There are a lot of news stories about the problems in the US auto industry, sometimes referred to generally as "Detroit." News stories can be so dry, but I thought this photo essay really hit home: www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1882089,00.html Conan O'Brian included a joke about this in his monologue, when he reported that three Guantanamo detainees were sent off to Bermuda. The punch line was "Immediately the entire population of detroit announced that they are members of Al Qaeda." That doesn't seem so funny when you look at the photos.
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Post by Jane on Jun 15, 2009 11:55:57 GMT -5
Detroit is just as dismal as portrayed. They've had a long spell of bad governement, reaching back into the 70's and the infamous Coleman Young. After the latest mayor was jailed, a city councilman served out his term and then Dave Bing was elected. He seems honest, at least, and perhaps that will make a difference.
Detroit is almost 100 percent African-American and poor. Jobless rate is the highest in the country. Schools graduate 27 percent of their students. Houses are left vacant, burned down and then left to molder. The cultural icons of the city (an absoulutely wonderful art museum, a fine symphony etc) are almost exclusively supported (and paid for) by suburbanites while the residents of Detroit complain about "outsiders" trying to run their city.
It's very sad. I lived there from 1969-1980, and I loved the city--love it still. It's tragic to see it all diminish so.
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Post by doctork on Jun 15, 2009 22:55:15 GMT -5
I saw a feature about Dave Bing recently. He's a former sports star who is working for no salary (I suppose he is already wealthy from his previous career) and he appeared honest and hard-working. I hope that he is able to overcome all the many obstacles between Detroit today and all that it could be (and used to be).
It is really a shame that the pictured theater and train station have been allowed to deteriorate so badly; in many cities, those have been restored very successfully. Usually they are eligible for historic preservation status which allows a lot of tax advantages.
Meanwhile here in Bellingham there has been a debate about establishing a sanctuary for AWOL soldiers. The city council meeting to discuss the proposition was packed and SRO the entire extended time (over 3 hours). I've been kind of busy (!) so I didnt pay all that much attention. The headline was billed as "Support our troops - all of them."
I think this harks back to the Viet Nam War and all the young men who went to Canada rather than face the draft. Presently, Canada is not welcoming current US soldiers who go AWOL, and there is no draft, so it's different.
I'm not sure what to think. Some of the "extensions" and use of the IRR (Individual Ready Reserves) are in effect back door draft measures, but theoretically at least, our armed forces are "all volunteer." OTOH, over 40,000 members of the armed forces have been dismissed because of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," including dozens of Arab linguists whose skills are critically needed.
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Post by gailkate on Jun 15, 2009 23:35:32 GMT -5
Over 40,000? I didn't realize it was that bad. I know that people are very disappointed in Obama's failure to do something about the policy, but I don't think he has the power, does he? As I recall, this is a law that Congress enacted when Clinton tried to abolish discrimination in the military. I think it will take another piece of legislation to overturn it.
Ah yes, Detroit. I have many connections in the past, though I never lived there like Jane. Bing might be a godsend for the people and that fine old city. I saw him in a PBS interview (probably the same thing you saw, K) and felt something teetering on hope. But I just don't know what miracle he could pull off, with what's left of the auto industry collapsing. He may restore some integrity and pride, but how can he come up with jobs?
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Post by doctork on Jun 17, 2009 23:11:42 GMT -5
I dunno, but I think that cheap real estate and a ready supply of unemployed but skilled workers might attract some new businesses. It's still a great central location within the US with easy transportation connections and an established hub airport, also located on the Great Lakes shipping lanes, and right on the border with the our (US) largest trading partner - Canada.
If the likes of Amory Lovins could inspire and spearhead alternative, more efficient automobile development, Detroit could not only prosper, it could make a great leap forward. Not my area of expertise, but according to Mr. Lovins, the only thing that has prevented better automobiles (80-90% energy efficient instead of 40%) is the huge industrial complex predicated on the gasoline combustion engine. That industry is collapsing, so the possibility of a "phoenix from the ashes" exists.
This reminds me of that saying about the Chinese pictogram for "change" - it is "danger" + "opportunity."
As I said though, "I dunno nothin' bout autoMObiles Miss Scarlett."
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Post by doctork on Jun 18, 2009 12:25:13 GMT -5
He's the guy who very nearly assassinated President Reagan, and also severely disabled James Brady in the same attempt.
Now the judge is allowing him to get out of the hospital more, and even get a driver's license. Supposedly this will enhance his life and make him healthier. I know he was severely mentally ill, and thus remanded to in-patient care at a psychiatric hospital. But shouldn't he have life "in prison" (or confinement in the hospital) for his crime? He gets treatment for his illness, but still does his time as a life sentence is how I understood it. However, it seems as though because he was mentally ill, it is as though he didn't do the crime at all. There must be something I don't understand.
As far as the 40,000 number gk, I'm not sure, but it sounded reasonable when I heard/read it. I'm not sure of the reliability or the time period covered - just that the actual number is "a lot" at a time when the military has struggled for enough qualified recruits. The number of "dozens of linguists" in critically important languages is accurate. I pay closer attention because it applies to places I go to, and people I know affirm the information is accurate
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Post by gailkate on Jun 18, 2009 13:46:04 GMT -5
Who is "he"? I might not be fully awake after a stupefying nap (it's [glow=red,2,300]humid[/glow] here) but I'm lost.
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Post by doctork on Jun 18, 2009 21:38:45 GMT -5
Wake up! Hinckley is the crazy guy who shot and nearly killed President Reagan early in his first term. He was found "not guilty by reason of insanity" or something similar, and was sent to Saint Elizabeth's Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Washington, DC. Now he can get a drivers license and go out on passes and roam the city. Don't you feel safe? I don't. DC is my hometown and my daughter lives there.
That facility was closed down as a mental hospital and all the patients were moved to a new building. However, IMHO it remains a facility for the criminally insane because it is now headquarters for the TSA!
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Post by gailkate on Jun 18, 2009 23:18:05 GMT -5
K, did you ever have reason to learn the term in medias res? It means "in the middle of things" and it's used especially in a literary context. Shakespeare was a master at starting in the middle of a story - no long narrative about the murder of Hamlet's father, just Hamlet full of doubt after it's all over.
So when you started with "He" I thought you were referring to something that had been said earlier, but I couldn't remember what that might have been. I thought you'd been talking about Detroit. However, you had changed the subject, starting in medias res.
I'm not sure I'm scared of Hinckley. In fact, I hesitate to admit this, but I don't know that someone should get life in prison for attempted murder. If he hadn't been diagnosed as criminally insane he would definitely not have gotten life, so isn't the question whether he's still dangerous? Undoubtedly there are far more dangerous people prowling the streets of Washington, crazies by night and TSA agents by day.
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Post by doctork on Jun 19, 2009 1:28:44 GMT -5
K, did you ever have reason to learn the term in medias res? It means "in the middle of things" and it's used especially in a literary context. Shakespeare was a master at starting in the middle of a story - no long narrative about the murder of Hamlet's father, just Hamlet full of doubt after it's all over. So when you started with "He" I thought you were referring to something that had been said earlier, but I couldn't remember what that might have been. I thought you'd been talking about Detroit. However, you had changed the subject, starting in medias res. I'm not sure I'm scared of Hinckley. In fact, I hesitate to admit this, but I don't know that someone should get life in prison for attempted murder. If he hadn't been diagnosed as criminally insane he would definitely not have gotten life, so isn't the question whether he's still dangerous? Undoubtedly there are far more dangerous people prowling the streets of Washington, crazies by night and TSA agents by day. I changed the "Subject" from "Re; I see by the news" to "John Hinckley" but I did start the paragraph with "He." Oh well, sorry for the confusion. I asked the question about Hinckley because I don't know the answer. I thought there was an especially severe (maybe federal?) penalty for attempted assassination of the president - mandatory life sentence. The woman who tried to assassinate Gerald Ford (no mental health issue raised) was just recently released from prison, as in her case California's "life sentence" seemed to = 30 years. There are case reports of alleged murderers who are crazy, get treatment so they are sane enough to stand trial, and then they are executed, so I thought the prevailing attitude was that criminals serve out the sentence for their crime, regardless of mental status. IIRC, DC does not have the death penalty, so that was not a consideration. I don't know how dangerous Hinckley is, but it's plain to see that mental illness is not really a barrier to acquiring guns in the US, so I don't think he can be certified as "not dangerous." Are high profile crimes like Hinckley's, or Charles Manson's treated differently because of their notoriety? If so, is that appropriate to "set an example?"
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Post by gailkate on Jun 19, 2009 10:31:09 GMT -5
All good questions to which I don't know the answer either. You may be right about assassination attempts carrying a heavier sentence, though it's odd that the Feds wouldn't instantly claim jurisdiction.
Why didn't they teach us important stuff like this in civics? I'd probably have paid a lot more attention if something like the jurisdiction in capital and non-capital crimes had been taught. I can think of a lot of less dramatic things that still weren't real to me, but that's another thread. I'm trying not to ramble.
I don't know what they teach now. We'd lived through JFK when I took civics, but educators have probably been adjusting topics at a furious pace given all that's happened in the last 45 years. And as for Manson, my feeling is pretty uncivilized. Insane or not, he has no rights. Forget hundreds of years of law, whatever might technically apply. He has no rights.
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Post by doctork on Jun 19, 2009 12:09:33 GMT -5
Clearly Manson is staying in prison regardless of parole hearings that apparently must be held from time to time. He too has a "life sentence" just like the woman who tried to kill Ford. But she played the role of the "sweet little old lady," (she's now quite elderly) so she got out on parole, and with time enough of following the rules, I guess she gets finished with parole too.
I don't get why "Life sentence" doesn't actually mean spending the rest of one's life in prison. No wonder many promote the death penalty, as it appears to be the one way to ensure the criminal is really not getting out of prison ever - except in a box.
[N.B. - I am opposed to the death penalty]
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Post by doctork on Jun 19, 2009 12:23:06 GMT -5
Yesterday was the 25th anniversary (?if this is the right term) of the assassination of Alan Berg in front of his home in Denver's Congress Park neighborhood. He was killed by right wing nutjobs, white supremicist types who were an offshoot of the Aryan Brotherhood.
Berg was a 50-year-old attorney and the host of a popular morning radio talk show with a liberal orientation. This was long before the advent of right wing radio talk shows like we have today, though his assassination may well have been a precursor of the events we see today, like the Holocaust Museum tragedy and the killing of 3 police officers in a Pittsburgh suburb.
I used to listen to Berg most mornings as I drove between home and the various hospitals where I made morning rounds. Yes he was liberal, but I remember more how personable he was - often speaking of his dog "Fred the Airedale." (I wonder what happened to Fred?)
Has it really been 25 years? Yes it has, but seems like since we haven't learned the lessons of history, we are doomed to repeat them. I suppose this is exemplified by DHS Secretary Napolitano's memo warning about dangers of right wing nutjobs as domestic terrorists (she need not have singled out Iraq and Afghanistan veterans IMHO, but never mind).
Or maybe if we are to live in a free society, we have to accept some risk. I subscribe to this theory personally, as I would rather take a small risk of the plane blowing up than have to get government permission in order to travel domestically.
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Post by doctork on Jun 20, 2009 19:10:39 GMT -5
In Seattle, KUOW has NPR News right after the APHC show ends at 5pm local time.
The lead news story was from the NY Times, saying that David Rohde, one of their reporters who has been covering Afghanistan and Pakistan has escaped from the Taliban, who had held him captive since November. The story said "NYT kept it quiet." They sure did, because Rohde is the best reporter over there and I followed him closely. I wondered what had happened to him when his stories stopped appearing. I am glad he is OK.
Next news item was a teaser for the local news, which will follow NPR's national coverage. So very Seattle - somebody is stealing plants (garden plants) in Seattle. Details at 11....
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Post by jspnrvr on Jun 30, 2009 19:44:03 GMT -5
Well, Al Franken is the new United States Senator for Minnesota. God bless and save Minnesota and the United States of America. God bless and save us all.
"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard." H. L. Mencken
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Post by Jane on Jun 30, 2009 19:51:33 GMT -5
What this country needs is more SNL alums in the halls of Congress!
However, he can't possibly be funnier than Gov. Sanford.
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Post by sailor on Jun 30, 2009 20:07:17 GMT -5
What this country needs is more SNL alums in the halls of Congress! Yeah, let's get Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd in the harness pulling for the US of A. Even if Dan is a Canadian I don't think anyone will mind. Mike
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Post by doctork on Jun 30, 2009 20:08:46 GMT -5
I am relieved the issue is finally settled. Whether R or D, right or left, it was not proper for the state of Minnesota to have 8 months with only 1 senator, while legal wrangling moved along slow as molasses in January.
More SNL alums inside the halls of Congress sounds good to me. I am reminded of someone who questioned whether Sonny Bono was a suitable Congressman, given his entertainment background. After all, what could he know about democratic government (small d, he was actually R)? His response to the doubters: "I've written 7 Top Ten songs. I think I know what the people like as well as anyone!"
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