Motley Moose – Archive

Since 2008 – Progress Through Politics

Archive for January 2013

Virginian Shenanigans Begin Again

Virginia, a beautiful State known for her Shenandoah Valley, Shenandoah Caverns and Shenandoah River…is now in the news for her Shenandoahigans. There are currently two underhanded attempts in the works by the State GOP to gain control of power (both at the State and National levels) via the electoral process.

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The first, a last minute power grab at the State level via draconian gerrymandering. The second, a blatant attempt to sway National elections by changing the way Virginia’s electoral votes are distributed.

While the purposeful abuses of the electoral process are horrifying, there is still a chance that neither will become law. One, it appears, may be too damaging to the Governor’s optics, and he may refuse to sign it when it hits his desk… while the other may run afoul of the Voting Rights Act and currently has fellow Republicans stating they will not support it.

In other words…there is yet hope.

Anybody Up Around Here?

Good morning.

Yours truly here is hopelessly a night owl.

Many reasons for why that’s developed over the years but it’s just who I am .

This is a weird topic for my first ever diary here at the Moose.

As I was sitting at the desk I began to wonder just how many meese/meeses? are night owls too.

And more importantly are any of you interested in an open thread, late night hang out, sort of thingy? We tried one for awhile over at the orange, “WAYS-Why Aren’t You Sleeping?” When I say we it ended up being me, jlms_qkw and Frugal Granny most nights with few pop-ins.

Maybe a late-late version of overnight news. Like a “while you were sleeping thing” we could all contribute to so that those early risers have a point of reference to catch up over their morning brew and say hey to us who were creeping ’round making tracks while everyone else was sleeping.

And then there are our friends across the pond. They’re up and about around by now. Would some fresh stuff to hold you folks over until morning when Moose Check-In and F-Bomb appears be of interest?  

Friedai Critters

Those of you who already either know me or know of me know that I am a massive pootie person. We  moved into an apartment and now have a pootie, named Princess Ashley; however I grew up with both cats & dogs and I love both. I do not discriminate against any animal & love animal photos of all kinds. Please enjoy the following and add any photos that you think the community would like to see. Now, enjoy the photos & have some fun.





DC Circuit Court of Appeals overturns Brown v. Board of Education!

In a decision that was both wide-ranging and as intensly partisan and activist as Bush v. Gore, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals today delivered an opinion which, in effect, overturns the landmark Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education, which ruled that segregated schools are “inherently unequal”.

 

 OK, I admit it. My first paragraph (and my title) are pure hyperbole. And quasi-snark. But, in many ways, it is true. And, an indication of just how much the decision in Canning v. NLRB (PDF)reflects both judicial activism and partisanship of the worst kind. Follow me below the squiggle as we go down the rabbit hole on this one.

The Lounge: Tinman's Alabama Memories

Hiya MOOOOOOOSE!  I wrote this originally in the aftermath of the BP oil spill when I was feeling a bit moody.  Reading Cassandra’s excellent piece on succession today http://www.motleymoose.com/sho… motivated me to share some of my Alabama with the herd.

My parents would bus or fly me down south for the summer.  The most fun I would have is when I would go by bus with my Aunt Bobby.  There’s a clue to the first Alabama memory.  They call women Bobby and Coo and those are just my aunts.  Me they called Tin man and they called me that because I would pronounce the word as aunt instead of “aint”.  When I was younger the neighborhood would swarm me and point to parts of their bodies and ask me what it was.  They’d point to their behinds and I’d say buttocks or they’d point to their stomachs and I’d say abdomen, and they’d laugh and say you talk so proper you sound like a tin man.  

Reflections on America: Secession

Moose Photo from Wyoming Lately, there’s been plenty of talk about secession.  Otherwise intelligent folks (bear with me; I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt) seem to feel that they can either petition for their state to secede from the United States, or – better yet – that they can somehow engineer the mass secession (involuntary) of all states that they don’t like in one sweeping move.

Red states or Southern states, states inhabited by rednecks/racists/Christian fundamentalists/poor people/fat people/unemployed people/[insert derogatory southern stereotype here] getting on your nerves? Ditch ’em! Chances are their inhabitants are all “takers”, living off government largesse, draining the country’s coffers of resources that could be better spent elsewhere.  Why should the fine, upstanding, hardworking, taxpaying “real” Americans be subsidizing these folks? Get ’em outta here!

This sort of talk wouldn’t surprise me here in Texas, where our witless governor likes to throw around the possibility of secession as part of his swaggery, been-out-in-the-sun-too-long cowboy schtick. It has about the same effect on his low-information-voter “base” as poking a stick into a fire ant nest: lots of insane running around and pain, followed by nothing useful. My usual response, screaming at the TV, is “FINE! How’s about YOU secede and leave us the hell alone!!”.  But… I digress.

Photo taken by cassandracarolina in 1973 in Yellowstone National Park

The Daily F Bomb, Friday 1/25

F-ing Friday, finally!  Fancy that!

There is always talk about comfort food, that food we grew up on that takes us back to a time when we felt happy and secure and loved. I hope it does not make you uncomfortable for me to ask these. Of course I will start with the food. What is your absolute favorite comfort food? What song or album takes you back to those times when you hear it, that it could be called Comfort Music? What book is your Comfort Book? This one is not necessarily relating to the past: What would your perfect Comfort Room be? A space that would suit you entirely, that you could share or not share as you please?

Was that too serious? One more: Places that have great burgers but no fries. Deal breaker or not?

Now let us go wading in the Twitter Stream:

Now open your history books to page 3,458. There will be a test afterward.

I had a visit, and it was nice

I had a visit, and it was nice,

I had a guest and he was so polite!

I had a friend here, and he spent a lot of time

   talking to my cats, saying special things

About their bellies. 

I made my visiting friend my favorite dinner,

with chile lime barbecue and green beans and potatoes, and cheese and butter,

And before we ate, I thanked the three chickens who died for those wings. I counted.

My friend helped me think about the premises here. “The furnace and water heater vents need more clearance, that could catch your roof on fire.”

“The furnace is wired directly into the house current? Well, do you have a good switchbox? Not to worry.”

“You are worried about your exterior faucet freezing? (metal pipe) ” Not likely a problem unless it gets really cold, then stuff a five gallon bucket full of straw and cover the fixture with that.

I haz friends.

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