Republicans bring the lumber

I was watching a Daily Show clip where Jon Stewart was making fun of the latest version of the republican contract on America when I noticed that the Repugs had chosen a lumber yard as the setting for their pronouncement.   Behind the assembled party leaders (including the self-proclaimed young guns) were stacks of boards.

I thought, "Republicans Got Wood!"

Which I believe has sexual overtones.  Look it up in the urban dictionary.  Heh heh, I said "dic"tionary.

 Wow, those sex haters are always thinking of ways to frame things in a sexual way, and not usually a very nice sexual way.  You may remember reading in this blog that repugs described our president (the tall black guy) as trying to ram, jam, cram various socialist, communist, fascist policies down their poor innocent throats.

Wow, that reminds of when George Allen said he was going to knock the democrats soft teeth down their whiny throats.  Ya'll remember that?  And he's working on a comeback.  This should be fun.

Just so you'll know, from now until the erection, oops, I mean election, I'm only going to watch Bones reruns, no political shows for me.

That's Bones, not Boners.  Ya'll behave now.

9-12-10

Let's see, that's 9% nitrogen, 12% phosphorus, 10% potassium in a bag of fertilizer.

Clearly I've been too immersed in horticulture lately.

Back in August I enjoyed writing 8-9-10 on that day.  And I always like writing 9-9-nn.  9-9-10 was fun this year.  It's my birthday you know.  My mother never could remember if my birthday was 9-9 or 9-10, so over the years I've extended my birthday celebration for a whole week.  There's still time to get a little gift for me.  Fertilizer is always a nice.

I hope you had a nice day on 9-11-10.  I was working at my outdoor job and paused to think about what a beautiful day it was, just as it was on 9-11-01.  I hope families of victims are finding ways of coping.  I can't imagine living with the pain of losing a loved one in such a horrible way.  

Maybe some people are exploiting the day engaged in fearmongering and extremism because it's an election year.  Maybe they won't do this again next year.

Maybe if we called what they do extremism they'd shut up and sit down.

Just an idea.

20 year olds dying for us

I've been troubled for the last seven years about our national propensity for war-making.  I believe that the Afghanistan and Iraq wars were part of the Bush team's campaign strategy.  I never saw any reason for the US to attack Iraq or Afghanistan, and remember cringing every time someone said, during the 2004 presidential campaign, that "you don't change commander-in-chief during wartime."  I can't think of a better reason to change commander-in-chief than getting us into illegal and immoral wars.

What does it say about our national character that these wars go on and on and we hardly pay attention to them any more?  What does it say about us that so many Americans profess fear and loathing of muslims; that a church in Florida is going to burn Korans on Sept. 11?  What kind of people pay more attention to Palin word-salad tweets and McCain senile blatherings, and for god's sake, Gingrich gasbaggery, than they do to Americans dying and making war on civilians on a daily basis? Why does the media think we want to hear about the former and don't care about the latter?  Sadly, the media may be right this time. Why don't we care?

I feel helpless about this.  I've called the offices of my elected representatives, and sent e-mails asking them to vote against war.  I've written letters.  I've thought about standing on a busy street corner with anti-war signs, but I'm too shy.  I admire war protestors.  Are there any left?

Some time ago I decided I'd read the In Memoriam lists posted on the blog Crooks and Liars, taken from the Sunday news show This Week.  I slowly read each name, age, hometown.  I think about the person's parents, kids, husband, siblings.  What must they be feeling?  Is it any comfort that their loved one died in service to our country?  I hope it is or how else can they eventually get on with their lives.

This past week, In Memoriam listed 26 names.  There are six 20-year-olds listed.  Twenty-year olds who will never have children (most likely, but I know they may have them already), will never see their brothers and sisters get married and have kids.  Will never buy a house, or a new car, or graduate from college.  Enjoy their grandkids, have a cold beer.  You get the idea.

Twenty year olds dying cause we're scared of muslims.  

What's wrong with us?