Motley Moose – Archive

(cross posted at kickin it with cg)

President Obama plans to sign an executive order on Monday overturning the Bush administration restrictions on federal funding for stem-cell research.  The White House sent out an e-mail yesterday saying it was planning a ceremony “on stem cells and restoring scientific integrity to the government process. At the event the president will sign an executive order related to stem cells.”

The move will spark delight among scientists who have long campaigned for the Bush policy to be overturned, but will likely be condemned by conservative right-to-life groups.  Obama spelled out his campaign policy on stem-cell research last August in a list of answers to the Science Debate 2008 scientific lobby group.

“I strongly support expanding research on stem cells,” Obama wrote. “I believe that the restrictions that president Bush has placed on funding of human embryonic stem-cell research have handcuffed our scientists and hindered our ability to compete with other nations.”

I love it here at the Moose. Interacting with you guys gives me, well…a  thrill up my leg. There, I said it. Because of the high regard I hold you all in, I wanted you to be the first to know:

I’m Going Galt.

I guess making threats against the President’s life can get you in trouble.

Who would of thought?

What the heck is this?

That Which I Should Have Done I Did Not Do (The Door)

Ivan Albright

1931-41

Oil on canvas; 97 x 36 in.

The Art Institute of Chicago,

Mary and Leigh Block Charitable Fund (1955)

I have taken to throwing myself under the bus lately and tonight is no exception.  Somewhere in my mid-late 30’s I was walking around in The Art Institute.  I came upon this painting and my world stopped.  A large painting, I paused to take in all the detail and for the first time in my whole life, a painting ‘hit me’.  Like a ton of bricks.

(Cross-posted at The National Gadfly)

(cross posted at kickin it with cg)

A woman has been arrested in Mecca in Saudi Arabia for driving a car.  

Arab News reported that the woman was arrested after her four-wheel-drive Lexus crashed into another vehicle. Investigators are looking into the incident, and the woman has been handed over to the Prosecution and Investigation Commission.

Women are prohibited from driving on all public roads in Saudi Arabia, a ban that has triggered several high-profile protests by women’s rights activists.

CNN notes that more than 125 women last year signed a petition sent to Saudi Interior Minister Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, asking that the ban be overturned. That ban has even, in some cases, been extended to golf carts – a vehicle some women used to get around their transportation limitations.

Back in late January, it was reported that Saudi Arabia was to lift its ban on women drivers later this year – however apparently this has not come into affect yet.

The woman’s name and nationality have not been announced.  

Barack Obama is a goddamned genius.

Every day this tiff with Limbaugh continues is a win for Rush, true.  His fanbase may be growing in size.  It is absolutely growing in ardor and intensity.  Limbaugh is amped up, as if on steroids.  There is a power vacuum in the Republican party and in the conservative movement.  Limbaugh has been singled out the President and good old Rush has risen to the occasion.  He will tell truth to power!

And it’s goddamned hilarious.  For every foot soldier he collects he’s probably scaring off two moderates, maybe three.  And this is far more devious than anyone realizes.

My wife spoke to me this evening about my blog.  She finally read one of my posts.  As fate would have it, the title that lured her in was “My Rape Story“.  I asked her what she thought of it and she proceeded to tell me how pissed off she was that I had not shared this with her first.  I was devastated.  I had shared it with her, but never in my life had I revisited all the details – until this post.  I thought to myself that I have just opened up the single most painful experience of my life and all she can think about is ‘first dibbs’!

Or, it’s all Obama’s fault.

The revisionists are already busy.

“WIRE: ‘Obama Bear Market’ Punishes Investors as Dow Tumbles 20%…” blares Drudge.

“Obama’s Radicalism Is Killing the Dow“, says a headline in the Wall Street Journal.

“This Is Obama’s Market, Good and Bad”, writes John Tamny of Real Clear Markets. His article finishes with the statement that, “Whatever direction he takes, it should be clear that today’s stock market is the Obama stock market, so it’s up to him to decide its basic direction.” This article was published on November 25, 2008.

These claims all have one thing in common. They hope to shift the blame for all bad economic news onto Obama so they can claim the market shows his policies are wrong. In order to achieve their goal, they cherry pick the data points and twist recent history to fit their argument.

I subscribe to aniBOOM and should check out their toons more often. Every so often I see something like this, which for me, is a perfect description of our paradigm.

This week has been very amusing for me. Watching the pugs eat their own has been an absolute delight. I believe I have mentioned my affinity for Zombie movies. Heh. This week has been one long and glorious zombie movie. I am calling it “Living the Night of the Dead”.

Thursday March 5, 2009 in 100 seconds.

Happy birthday sweetheart. I love you with all of my heart.