Happy 25th Barbara & Jim

And they said it wouldn't last.

Pass the Jug To the Republicans Max. They Need to Get Courage Somewhere.

"Senator Max Baucus (D - Montana) had launched a spirited debate against Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker on Heath Care Reform. In the process, his tired, angry, articulate tirade was such that online Conservatives activists elected to make a charge that Max Baucus was drunk.
The fact is that Max Baucus was not drunk and correct in his attack against Republicans who did not break ranks to join Democrats in backing Health Care Reform. Rightpundits explains that Baucus' "core argument is that those who oppose healthcare reform are somehow lacking courage.."
Baucus is right for a very basic reason.
We've had the same Health Care System for 60 years and over 30 million Americans are without insurance. It, by nature of what it takes to mount a change to a culture takes courage to do so." Max Baucus not drunk on Senate Floor - war of words SF Chronicle.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/abraham/detail??blogid=95&entry_id=54204#ixzz0azfD2oDi

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/abraham/detail??blogid=95&entry_id=54204#ixzz0azdErxOp

See, also, Sister Jennifer explains it all for you.

It's Not Too Late to Give These Gifts.

from Sojourners Verse and Voice:

Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.

--Oren Arnold, American editor and freelance writer

Thanks to Rev. Sandi

Donovan Makes Us Sing

Window Peeking is Bettter Than Peking Duck Says Justice Alito.

"In a public ruling made this week while peering into the home of 28-year-old resident Laura Daltry, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito stated that "in no way whatsoever" is the right to privacy explicitly upheld by the U.S. Constitution.
‘After careful consideration, it is this justice's finding that there is no specific mention of the right to privacy in any of the 27 amendments,’ Alito whispered, before furtively looking around and then jimmying Daltry's bathroom window ajar with a penknife. ‘A rigorous originalist interpretation of the pertinent statutory language has yielded the conclusion that privacy is not now, nor has it ever been, a federally protected liberty.’"  See, Right To Privacy Not Guaranteed By Constitution, Says Supreme Court Justice Peeking In Bathroom Window
Thanks to Tony.

A Christmas Prayer-No Wonder Jesus Loves the Little Children.

"Dear Santa, this year please send clothes for all those poor ladies in Daddy's computer,

Amen."

Thanks to James T.

Don't Cross Swords with Musashi, Don't Spit Into the Wind, and Don't Mess With Me.

Thanks to Aarika

Ellie & Friend

Give Her The Gift That Keeps On Giving This Christmas

Thanks to McGraham

We'll Miss You and Your Music Too Rano. I'm Glad You're at Peace.

Rano Paul Papini, 54, of Kansas City, Missouri, died peacefully after a valiant battle against pancreatic cancer on December 3, 2009 in Tubac, Arizona, in the company of his loving family.  He is survived by his wife, Rita, daughters Amber Papini and Gia Papini Lee, his mother, Ruth Papini, sister, Claire McJunkin, brother, Penn Papini, and a grandson, Arthur Rano Lee.  A celebration of his life will be held for family, friends and fans at 1pm on Thursday, December 10th, at The American Restaurant in Kansas City, where he played the piano with verve and flair for over 20 years.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Rano Papini Memorial fund in support of the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, http://www.pancreatic.org/memorial/rano (310) 473-5121.

Too Cute-Surprised Kitten.

I Miss You Sweet Mary. Here's To The Old Days.

Toy Trains

We Miss You Bennett and Your Beautiful Music.

Bennett Ryel was a marvelous young man who brought joy to all who knew him. He died after a courageous battle with cancer.
Thanks to Lainie and Ellen for the information and a special thanks to Bennett's friends Jennifer & CJ who stood by him and cared for him during the dark times.

Discipline Is the Key to Stop Kids from Growing up to Be Tree Huggin', Peace Lovin', Pot Smokin', Lazyass Hippies like Todd Snider.

Some fun from Todd Snider

A classic from Todd Snider---with a funny story on the front end. The song is called "Conservative Christian, Right Wing Republican, Straight White American Male"

Thanksgiving

"This nation is affluent and has more than it needs. The realization that what we have is a free gift can deepen our desire to share this gift with others who cry out for help. When we bless the fruits of the harvest, let us at least realize that blessed fruits need to be shared." Henri Nouwen
Thanks to Rev Sandi

Arlo Guthrie Alice's Restaurant
Uploaded by shawshawshaw. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

How Else Are They Gonna Learn? But How Biga Ole Girl Was She?

"The Texas granny who got Tasered was one thing. But a 10-year-old girl? It happened in Ozark, Ark. Heckuva story here from 40/29.
It appears the mom of an unruly child gave an Ozark cop the OK to Taser her kid and he did so after she kneed him in the groin. The police chief has backed up this use of force against a child.
Happily, there is at least one rational adult in Ozark, the girl's father.
"I would like to say Ozark police Tased this little girl right here. Ten years old and [they] shot electricity through her body, and I want to know how the heck in God's green earth can they get away with this," said the girl's father, Anthony Medlock.
Medlock said his daughter Kiara was at her mother's house when Ozark police Officer Dustin Bradshaw shocked her in the back with a Taser and arrested her.
'If you can't pick the kid up and take her to your car, handcuff her, then I don't think you need to be an officer,' Medlock said.
Medlock said his daughter does show signs of having emotional issues, but she 'doesn't deserve to be treated like a dog. She's not a tiger.'" From Ozark cop Tasers 10-year-old,  Arkansas Times Blog Posted by Max Brantley  
(The officer and child pictured here are for illustrative purposes only and are not actually Kiara or officer Bradshaw)

Jesus, Our Savior, Prince of Peace, We Honor Your Birth.

Kinky may have been right. "We Jews believe it was Santa Claus who killed Jesus Christ." from They Ain't Makin Jews Like Jesus Anymore, by Kinky Friedman

Gus October 8, 2002 - November 15, 2009. The Sweetest Creature I Ever Met.

Eulogy & more to follow. TFD now.

Fayetteville's Cpl. Aaron Mankin

See,The Hero Figure Marine Aaron Mankin, who was severely wounded in Iraq, talks about the fears and hopes he has for his baby daughter. As told to Jennifer Wolff

Rogers Was Always a City of Tolerance- a Dyke Lumber Co. Thrived for Years.

While much of our country is still divided over equality for gay people, Rogers was ahead of its time on this issue. According to the Rogers Historical Museum, the women pictured here formed the "Dyke" Lumber Company and the business thrived. No one thought anything about it. "They're just folks like the rest of us," commented J. Wade Sikes, when an outsider raised questions. There was never any discrimination.
See, http://rogersar.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/343

The Grand Mystic Royal Order Of the Nobles of the Ali Baba Temple of the Shrine

If You Can't Find the Book You Want You're Probably Shopping At the

Another Dancing Yewt.

Thanks to Chris.

New Mexico's Elizabeth Lambert - Tough But No Bold Annie Quill

Nat Stuckey Has Been Gone for Over 20 Years and We Still Miss Him.

You sang the truth Nat.  Ann & the rest of us loved you for it.  Here are two of my favorites. 

Clan Snoddy sings this each time they try to dry out.


I used to sing this one to Ranger Alden Tucker.  Ranger Dr. Bill King loved it.  Ranger Tucker was mildly amused.  

Virg n Mary Dancing in their Yewt.

Thanks to Ken

Fall in The Ozarks With Fuzz Lingle & Ellie.

Thanks to Lynn

To The Williams Boys-Don, Hank, and Tennessee.

If It Please The Court

Nashville Cats

One of Uncle Greer's Favorite Arrangements of Alexander's Rag Time Band. Mine Too.

Makes The Methodist Love The Baptist-Not Sure It Works The Other Way.

My Favorite Wedding Song, Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor-They Don't Make Um Like This Anymore.

New Cut Road

Orve Victimized By Internet Predator-Please Help.

Our beloved Orve, a contributor to this blog is being harassed by a woman he met on the internet.  She is constantly making lewd comments, telling poor Orve the many things she would like to do with him.  Orve admits that this was fun at first, but she just won't stop. It goes on every day, several times a day.  Please help Orve make this woman stop.  She is pictured here and her first name  is Julie. Additional information about her may be found at:
http://www.oddcast.com/home/demos/tts/tts_example.php?sitepal

Has anyone run across her before? Any suggestions on how to handle it?
Thanks in advance for your help.

Florida Beat Arkansas By Using A New Twist On The Aggies's 12th Man Tradition.

Thanks to Karen.

A Christmas Story

Your Tax Dollars at Work.

Thanks to the other Bruce.

The Amazing Ms. Sharon and Niewidoczny the Wonder Dog

The Decline of the Family & The Solution

The decline of the family is related to industrialization, a mobile society, and the inability of a family to make it on one income. I bemoan the loss of traditional families. Extended families with aunts, uncles, and grandparents are even better for kids. The community or "Village" can share child care and take some of the burden off parents. This disturbing clip shows how far we have moved away from the ideal, but offers hope.

Glenn Beck's Tears-He Cries for His Country With the Help of Vick's Vaporub.

Thanks to Karen

Real Courage

"I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do." Atticus Finch.

DEMOCRATIC SUPERMAJORITY!!!!!

Well as usual Jon Stewart hits the nail on the head:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-september-30-2009/democratic-super-majority

Paul, Eileen, & Friends Circa 1969-Judge Henry May Not Have Been Proud Then, But He Was Later & IS Now.

Is Obama The AntiChrist? Inquiring Minds Want To Know. Don't Be Left Behind!

How to talk to complete idiots

See, also, How to talk to complete idiots
Three basic options. Choose wisely, lest you go totally insane

By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist

We'll Miss Ye Aunt Dorothy

Better than a shoot-out

The paid obituaries in the Democrat-Gazette sometimes dispense with the traditional obsequies in favor of plain talk. For those who don't subscribe, a remembrance of a Levy gal:

COLORADO SPRINGS - Dorothy Viola Southern, formerly of North Little Rock, passed away in Colorado Springs on July 9, 2009. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Angela Hill and son, Ronald Whitley, and survived by her children, Steven Grant of Colorado Springs, Linda Novak of Nashville and Pam Boyd of Dallas who are glad that she died peacefully and not in a shoot-out. Undoubtedly, she was quite a character, feisty, passionate, out-spoken and known for many shenanigans in her 83 years. In spite of her nine marriages and mostly turbulent life, Mom was a dedicated and conscientious mother to her five children.

Born in Levy to Sylvia and Chester Thorn on February 11, 1926, she married at the age of 13, had two children by the age of 16, was a jack of all trades, and lived in 12 states before she died. She was most proud of her career modeling shoes with her tiny little size-4 foot.

Her children have never ceased to marvel at her tenacity, work ethic, ingenuity, and sense of humor that she kept through it all. (Unfortunately she never learned the art of contentment or anger management which she desperately needed. But, understandably, she got off to a rocky start and really never had a fair chance.)

She sincerely delighted in (well, except sometimes when she was living near them) her 11 grandchildren, Ronnie Whitley, Heather Whitley, Christopher Grant, Tonia Bruce, Kim Vance, Chanin Koehn, Michael Novak, Susannah Hill, Justin Hill, and Hudson, Sydney, and Pammy Boyd. She also had four great-grandchildren who are only familiar with the urban legend of their crazy grandmother. Many nieces and nephews live in the Little Rock area, and who sometimes remember her fondly as their unusual and unpredictable Aunt Dorothy.

Almost to the end she was still making people laugh, cussing people out, and looking for the perfect husband.

Arkansas Times Blog, Posted by Max Brantly

Don't Kill The Lawyers Yet

Bashing the lawyers
BY BRUCE MCMATH SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
I see that the Democrat-Gazette has picked up the "It’s the greedy trial lawyers’ fault" chorus. This oldie goldie public relations ditty is periodically re-released by the liability insurance industry when it needs a scapegoat to cover high and rising insurance premiums, in this instance medical malpractice.
Hearing this refrain brings to mind the Shakespearean quote, "First, we will kill all the lawyers," which one often sees derisively displayed. What is rarely noted is that Dick the Butcher, who uttered those words, was a scoundrel and a rogue. The lawyers he would kill were members of society standing firm against chaos and tyranny.
Today, Dick the Butcher takes the form of "think tanks" funded by the liability insurance industry, pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturers, and others who desire to be freed of their responsibility to consider the consumer or society’s interest, not just their profits. While they accuse the "greedy trial lawyers," it is the law and individual rights at which they are aiming. The goal is to replace the common law with immunizing legislation purchased with political favors.
Convincing the average citizen that it is in his interest to restrict or eliminate his common law rights when injured by another’s conduct would obviously be difficult if honestly presented. The clever use of lawyers, with their unpopular image, as surrogates for those rights makes it feasible.
The trial lawyer’s image, at least in part, is derived from the fact that the law works on the dark side of human conduct-from insurance companies and financial institutions that bilk the old and unsophisticated to corporations that knowingly sell defectively designed vehicles because the market cycle demands a new product on time; from the sexual misconduct of ministers to an industry selling addictive toxins under false pretenses.
People don’t want to hear about these things, they don’t want to think they happen. However necessary the work, that trial lawyers make their livings dealing with such maters makes them easy public relations targets.
It is well and good to encourage morality and ethics in corporate and individual conduct, but society can never assume that it will universally take place. The genius of the free-market system is that it harnesses the inevitable impulse to pursue self-interest. This, however, is also its great weakness.
There will always be those, especially in the corporate setting, who will have trouble discerning the proper limits of this pursuit. Only a system of justice that makes a reckoning a probability can provide the moral corporate employee or officer the rationale to insist upon restraint in corporate behavior. Adam Smith’s invisible hand must, in fact, be a pair of hands if society is to uniformly benefit-one hand to do the nation’s commerce, the other to wash the former of its excesses and transgressions.
Our civil judicial system and the common law upon which it is based make it possible for our diverse, complex, democratic, free-market society to function. Unnecessary personal injury, fraud on consumers and investors, and conversion of the environment and other community resources all represent a cost to society, not just to the individuals who are the initial victims. Civil lawsuits measure the losses caused by destructive conduct and shift the loss to the source; they don’t cause that loss. This function will always make the law unpopular with those held responsible, and the latter will never cease to try and blame trial lawyers for the harm caused by their own conduct.
Medical malpractice insurance premiums are currently rising for two basic reasons. One is cyclical and relates to the interplay of the insurance industry‘s underwriting and premium practices and the difficult investment market the industry currently faces. The second is a long-term problem:
There is far too much malpractice.
A Harvard medical study has reported that less than one in 10 acts of malpractice is ever compensated. Other studies have confirmed this, and that most acts of medical negligence are from repeat offenders. Medical malpractice results in real losses to real people, medical bill and lost wages, loss of life or quality of life-losses not caused by lawsuits but measured by them.
The civil justice system is telling us that our health care system has problems. For sure, there is room for improvement in the civil justice system.
However, improvements there would on balance uncover more, not less medical malpractice costs. We can cut the tongue out of the messenger by closing the courthouse door on victims and pretending that these losses are not happening, or we can get serious about addressing the real problems.
Unfortunately, the solutions are not simple. They are entwined in issues related to the regulation of the insurance industry and the practice of medicine. They relate to how we pay for and ration health care; false economies of staffing; and inadequate pay for medical support staff.
Perhaps this inherent complexity explains the willingness of some to latch on to simpler explanations. That solutions will involve challenging a lot of special interests explains why we are going to continue to hear that it is the "greedy lawyers’ fault."
Bruce McMath is a past president of the Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association and a past member of the Board of Governors of the American Association of Trial Lawyers. He is a partner in McMath Woods, P.A., in Little Rock.

Your Insurance Company Needs You! Please Help Now.

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

Thanks to Judge C.

Oh dear...this does not look good!

From Politico on Mike Ross's personal finances....

Protect my insurer's profits!

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

Arkansas Has A Whore House In It.

"Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln and Rep. Mike Ross are doing the bidding of the insurance industry to block the public health insurance option. But a majority of all Arkansans, and 80% of Arkansas Democrats, support a public option. Lincoln and Ross are out of touch with their constituents, and out of touch with the Democratic Party."  Tell Blanche Lincoln and Mike Ross to Act Like Democrats

Wow is really all you can say.

I would like to think that Jimmy Carter is still wrong though, that the folks in these pictures are not actually the reason Obama is having trouble on Healthcare. These folks are always there, they were Jim Holt voters in 04 and they were McCain voters in 08. BUT, its still pretty shocking. I mean, its the President of the United States we're talking about here.

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/its-not-racism-its-being-american-gop.html

The mans got a point....

Well, I'm still new here, so I'm going to stick with the YouTube---another good one here. This man actually succeeded (along with his fellow "plump" people in arms) in getting Jimmy Dean Sausage to reinstate their 16 ounce packages. Democracy in action.

Mrs. Betty Bowers On Bible Interpretation & Republican Science.

Ode To Joy-Clap Yo Hands!

Rugby? or Squash?

all those posts are confusing. can we just talk about baseball???

George Brett has kindly offered to kick it off:

Dick Cheney became President on September 11, 2001..

Thanks to Gene.

All Ireland Finals-Rebelettes Take Camogie, Cats in Hurling

Camogie
"Cork 0-15 Kilkenny 0-7: IT WAS a grind more than a fluid performance but that was still enough for Cork as they eventually pulled away from Kilkenny to claim their 24th Gala All-Ireland senior camogie title at Croke Park.Cork were never really firing on all cylinders but they still held too much class and experience for the youthful Cats."


Hurling

"Kilkenny 2-22 Tipperary 0-23
WHERE do you honestly begin when trying to describe the events at Croke Park last Sunday?
We knew it was a dream final pairing, the two best counties in the country clashing in hurling’s showpiece event.
But what we witnessed was quite simply the stuff of fairytales. In what is the GAA’s 125th year there was no better way to celebrate than this captivating clash between Kilkenny and Tipperary."

The Truth About the Public Option for Health Care

Thanks to Sara

Cameron's First Day at School.

He's the one on the left. The other one is Mom.

Vacation & Highway 57 from Pump Boys & Dinettes

The Fighting Irish- Americans With Roots in County Clare-Muhammad Ali & Buster Kilrain.

"Muhammad Ali was greeted with a roar to rival the Rumble in the Jungle when he took a few frail steps on Turnpike Road yesterday, from where his great-grandfather Abe Grady set out for the New World almost 150 years ago" Muhammad Ali the Irishman given hero's welcome in Ennis, County Clare by David Sharrock
And here's Steve Earle with Buster Kilrain's story.

Next Sunday 12.45pm. Dublin Time Kilkenny v Tipperary in The All Ireland Finals in a Sold Out Croke Park.

Sunday's All-Ireland hurling final will be a sell-out, according to Croke Park officials.

"In fact both Tipperary and Kilkenny have been back to us looking for more tickets. There is an ancient rivalry between Tipperary and Kilkenny and the fact that Kilkenny are going for the four in a row also adds to the interest," said GAA ticketing manager Ronan Murphy.

"Throughout the country the demand for tickets has been very strong."

And he added: "We had more people attending the two (football) semi-finals than we had at the equivalent games last year. Our ticket packages this year have been hugely successful and overall we are delighted with how tickets and attendances have gone in both hurling and football championships."

My Thoughts About . . . Robert McGehee's Ramblings.

Robert is a FOV, and has other Snoddy connections, being friends with Virg's Parisite cousins Sally C, Edye, Dorothy & Jake. He is smart & right thinking no matter what Dot & Jake may think.
Give his new blog a read at http://mcgeheesramblings.blogspot.com/

Fare Thee Well

Tim Wise on the Creation of Whiteness (It Ain't Tide What Done It) & Comments By James T. & Judge C.

This is a clip from The Pathology of Privilege: Racism, White Denial & the Costs of Inequality, the newly released video from the Media Education Foundation. The video is of a speech given by Tim Wise at Mt. Holyoke College, October 1, 2007.

"How refreshing a preacher (in form) with a relevant message. But I am skeptical that Virginia and the South invented racism. May have employed it as argued but racism is a versatile and ancient tool for the manipulation of the masses that draws upon a fundamental human characteristic – the ability to draw and redraw the line between “us” and “them”. Them can be based on color, culture, religion, costume, school, geography - you name it. It is a genetic characteristic reflecting we are social animals that require cooperation to provide for ourselves and to compete with others as well.

In the same vein, while the Southern elite were motivated by the economics (as always) of slavery, poor Southerner’s fought for their states (not the confederacy – itself a temporary alliance for the expediency of conducting the war) for the same reason Lee did and the same reason young men by the millions died in the first world war, a war fought between competing empires seeking nothing more than advantage for its own capitalist and elites in the exploitation of world markets and resources, that being they were born on the opposite side of boarders. A young man who died for France could if born a hundred yards further to the West have just as well died for Germany; the abstract concept of patriotism; us vs. them. Racism was needed to justify and legitimate slavery, it was not necessary to motive people to the war and many who fought for their southern state were not believers in racism or slavery. It was enough to be a Virginian or an Georgian…which tells one enough about the problem with a believer rather than a thinker.

It is characteristic that the Machiavellian elite professes and calls upon the mythology of the masses; their beliefs, prejudices and patriotism. But they usually have more practical considerations in mind. They are thinkers and the masses they manipulate and exploit are believers. It is ever present and plainly visible everyday in the political processes all around us and throughout time. The most fundamental corruption of our society and people has been a relapse into being believers, turning on a cultural heritage marked by skepticism. A generation ago, a politician thumping a bible would be looked upon with high suspicion." James T. Bruce

"True re the origins of racism. Look at Shakepeare's racist remarks in Othello." Judge C.

"It is also important to point out that Brabanzio seems to view allowing those of a different race “access” to their society would lead to a slippery slope, as he states on one of the important quotes from "Othello" by Shakespeare, “For if such actions may have passage free, / bondslaves and pagans shall our statesmen be” (I.iii.98).

Nicole Smith Myriad Articles, http://www.articlemyriad.com/188.htm.

And so here we are gentlemen just as predicted.?" James T. again