Then today, I once again got up late with Bill (or, as I referred to my partner in the Knitting News, Bill-at-home to distinguish him from the other Bills who were on the mailing list) getting up early, so I didn’t have much computer time (my own choice, it was nice to just relax with a cuppa and then get ready for my day at the office (not that I am efficient, I still had to call B-a-h to read me a list that I was supposed to take to work but left on the table where my books and mail and whatever ends up).
Tonight, we chose to break our habit of Netflix and Bill is reading and listening to music. I chose to catch up (in addition to not posting my morning news-read and (sometime) comments, I had not had time to read my Sunday Washington Post or New York Times).
My mistake, the addiction is still there and I was jones-ing to draw attention to items I usually send via email:
First, I missed some e-mail reader input:
CLSB sent a Slate article on health care: Do American Doctors Get Paid Too Much?
And David sent an email from San Francisco where he is visiting his brother about a Chronicle letter to the editor (in its entirety): “Rep. Joe Wilson’s outburst durning President Obama’s speech was outrageous. If I had been there, I would have thrown my shoe at him.”
And, favorite Frank Rich’s NYT editorial was another excellent piece (but aren’t most of his?): Obama’s Squandered Summer “Obama recently stated, ‘My job is not to be distracted by the 24-hour news cycle.’ … After a good couple of years of living with the guy, we know the drill that defines his leadership, for better and worse. When trouble lurks, No Drama Obama stays calm as everyone around him goes ballistic. Then he waits — and waits — for that superdramatic moment when he can ride to his own rescue with what the press reliably hypes as The Do-or-Die Speech of His Career. Cable networks slap a countdown clock on the corner of the screen and pump up the suspense. Finally, Mighty Obama steps up to the plate and, lo and behold, confounds all the doubting bloviators yet again by (as they are wont to say) hitting it out of the park.
So it’s a little disingenuous for Obama to claim that he is not distracted by the 24-hour news cycle. What he’s actually doing is gaming it for all it’s worth. “ Meanwhile, according to Rich, a certain damage has been done – to Obama and to the country.”
And my sometimes-she-is-spot-on and sometimes she-is-over-the-top-trying-too-hard-for-cleverness Maureen Dowd was the former, as she wrote about racism in the recent political actions: “Surrounded by middle-aged white guys — a sepia snapshot of the days when such pols ran Washington like their own men’s club — Joe Wilson yelled “You lie!” at a president who didn’t.
But, fair or not, what I heard was an unspoken word in the air: You lie, boy!
The outburst was unexpected from a milquetoast Republican backbencher from South Carolina who had attracted little media attention. Now it has made him an overnight right-wing hero, inspiring “You lie!” bumper stickers and T-shirts.
The congressman, we learned, belonged to the Sons of Confederate Veterans, led a 2000 campaign to keep the Confederate flag waving above South Carolina’s state Capitol and denounced as a “smear” the true claim of a black woman that she was the daughter of Strom Thurmond, the ’48 segregationist candidate for president. Wilson clearly did not like being lectured and even rebuked by the brainy black president presiding over the majestic chamber.
I’ve been loath to admit that the shrieking lunacy of the summer — the frantic efforts to paint our first black president as the Other, a foreigner, socialist, fascist, Marxist, racist, Commie, Nazi; a cad who would snuff old people; a snake who would indoctrinate kids — had much to do with race.” Which I immediately linked to another Sunday NYT’s article (Politics and the Age Gap) about how Obama and health care aren’t making it with those who have government-run coverage, the voters over 65 who, covered by Medicare, are speaking out against reform (and, as one blogger noted, some were even using their government-paid wheel chairs to attend the weekend protest against Obamacare.
Joe.My.God posted his weekly must read, “This Week in Holy Crimes:” Over the last seven days....
California: Pastor James Ray Guerrero charged with molesting "two young relatives" beginning when the boys were 11 years old.
Italy: A yearlong Associated Press inquiry uncovers 235 male victims of priest molestation.
Connecticut: Father Michael Jude Fay dies in prison 18 months after being convicted of stealing $1.3 million from his congregation. Fay spent the money on luxury trips, imported cars, jewelery, and shopping sprees at Saks, Nordstrom, and Bergdorf's.
Ohio: Pastor Hence Hamblin charged with gross sexual imposition for fondling underage female.
Florida: Pastor Rodney McGill sentenced to 20 years in prison for mortgage fraud.
Arizona: Pastor Charles Carfrey sentenced to two years in prison for sexually abusing congregants, including an underage female.
Mexico: Pastor Jose Marc Flores Pereira surrenders after hijacking an Aeromexico jet, telling authorities he was "on a divine mission" to protect the country from earthquakes. A total of 104 passengers and crew were on board when Pereira took over the plane by falsely claiming he had explosives.
Kentucky: Registered child molester of an 11 year-old boy, Pastor Mark Hourigan to be ordained as the preacher of a local Baptist Church. Parishioners unsurprisingly described as nervous.
Pennsylvania: Pastor Dennis Spangler charged with exposing himself to 13 year-old boy.
Washington DC: Pastor Jennifer Michelle Brennan charged with ten counts of sex with a minor. Brennan is a "youth minister," of course.
This Week's Winner-
Tennessee: Pastor Henry "Defender of Marriage" Lyons has been defeated in his bid to retake the presidency of National Baptist Convention. The three-times married Lyons was convicted in 1999 of stealing $4M from the organization, but totally wanted to run the show once again. He used the stolen money to buy luxury homes and support his mistresses (plural!), but after five years in prison he felt God had called him to lead the 7.5 million member organization one more time. Almost 20% of National Baptist conventioneers agreed and supported Lyons' failed bid.
J.M.G also posted a link to a YouTube video: A musical montage of hate
And the weekend rally in DC has some passing or posting a photo to show just how many teabaggers there were.
Unfortunately, the image used is years old, as the American Indian Museum should be in the photo if it was taken this past weekend. While there was a crowd, it stretched from the capitol grounds to 3rd Street, not to 17th Street as the photo shows.On the gay-related news, I didn't even have to go to the blogs, the NYT editorial touched on the problems LGBT people have with employment discrimination: "It is remarkable how little progress gay people have made securing the basic protection against discrimination on the job. In 29 states, it is still legal to fire workers for being gay."
And, finally, my only rarely-aroused sports interest noted that while the WaPo almost could have tweeted their coverage of my alma mater's 28-7 win over Syracuse, the NYT gave the early-in-the-season seventh place Nittany Lions a quarter-page article. Seems like my political-preference-paper was, at least this past weekend, my athletic supporter too.
Maybe it's the fall-like weather (doesn't start until next week, right?), but sleeping in has taken some time away from my news peruse. Maybe I'll get back to it once I catch up on my sleep.
now i am imagining the origami involved in creating an athletic supporter from the NYT.
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