In The Weeds

"Who, day and night, must scramble for a living, Feed a wife and children, say his daily prayers? And who has the right, as master of the house, To have the final word at home?" -Fiddler On The Roof Ok, admittedly it may be a bit too patriarchal for modern times, but as I was reading the story today about Obama firming up his transition budget on the HuffPo , for some reason the tune "Tradition" popped into my head. Traditionally , the transition period between administrations can be one area where lobbyists can really insert themselves in the process and set the tone as to how much influence they will have going forward while the new president is distracted with finding his footing. Not this time. Obama brings with him the strictest ethics rules on transition in the history of the country: • Federal Lobbyists cannot contribute financially to the transition • Federal lobbyists are prohibited from any lobbying during their work with the transition. • If someone has...

According to an article in today's Washington Post, while the financial system was in meltdown, the Treasury secretary " ...in the midst of this late-September drama, ... issued a five-sentence notice that attracted almost no public attention..." "Some congressional staff members have privately concluded that the notice was illegal. But they have worried that saying so publicly could unravel several recent bank mergers made possible by the change and send the economy into an even deeper tailspin..." "...The change to Section 382 of the tax code -- a provision that limited a kind of tax shelter arising in corporate mergers -- came after a two-decade effort by conservative economists and Republican administration officials to eliminate or overhaul the law, which is so little-known that even influential tax experts sometimes draw a blank at its mention. Until the financial meltdown, its opponents thought it would be nearly impossible to revamp the section bec...

Also known as "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot". (Or "Lies and the Lying Liars That Tell Them") Hats off to A. F. for so succinctly putting it. Rush's name could be subbed for that of Michael Savage. Or Michael Graham. Or Laura Ingram. Or Howie Carr. Or Jay Severin. I do not have the time to type all the possible names right now. But we know who they are. ( I can always add them when the time permits.) I think the majority of the country, when faced with the seriousness of real life, realize that the lies, hate and bile that these blowhards spew from their self-appointed soapboxes have really become a caricature of reality. They have been Palinized!

Last night when the race was called everyone else in my house had long since fallen asleep . As I did during the 2007 Red Sox World Series victory, I savored what was a surprisingly emotional moment in the quiet solitude of a slumbering household. As I sit here muddling through the work day coping with my post-election euphoria-hangover ( I was up well after 1AM watching the saturated coverage of the moment) what happened yesterday is starting to sink in. It has been a long time since a presidential election did not feel either fixed, stolen or tempered by the apathy of a disaffected electorate. The current (P)resident (with a silent P)in my opinion was never elected to his first term by the people, thereby rendering illegitimate this current mess of a "Presidency" , if we could go so far as to call it that. Under his "leadership" our government has been akin to a taxpayer-funded ATM, and the "friends of W" have the P.I.N. Bush was simply the door man ...

They have to get it while the getting is good!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Simple. Brilliant. Effective. Made for Republican minds!

Barack on The Early Show discusses leaving the trail to visit his ailing grandmother:

Can't say he even has the slightest clue what he is talking about. Palin is currently not qualified for the job she seeks in Ahnolds current opinion, but she will "get there "by January 19th. Yeah and monkeys might fly out of my butt. In the 2 months since she was haphazardly selected as running mate she has not even been able to nail down an understanding of what her job description entails . Sure knows how to shop though. And wink. Oh yeah and field dress a moose while shooting wolves from a helicopter and getting de-witched. What a train wreck this choice has been for McCain.

Or Voter Fraud 101. The party that puts "Country First" continuously makes me wonder which country they are talking about. Apparently the GOP plans to descend to levels previously unmined in the vein of dirty politics.

Appears that the Republican fraud machine is in full effect in the early voting in West Virginia. ACORN is simply a distraction for the media to feast on while in the background they are manipulating votes to the results that suit them . Reprehensible. Please ask for a paper ballot when you vote ! We cannot afford to do nothing. The phone number for the WV SOS office for voters in WV: (877) FRAUD-WV Also, we should all take a moment to write to the WV SOS to let them know how outraged we are to hear about these problems: wvsos@wvsos.com

Paging all centrist/moderate Republicans! Don't let your party be hijacked! Join with General Powell and make "Country First " more than a weak political slogan.

“When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.” -Sinclair Lewis Read the article the link in the headline points to.

So the hits keep on coming for JSM. It certainly smelled from the first time I saw the video when "Joe the Plumber" engaged Barack about the tax plans of each candidate. So many things to take issue with ...where does one start? But this is the best: http://www.eisenstadtgroup.com/2008/10/15/joe-the-plumber-wurzelbacher-related-to-charles-keating-oops/ Pathetic.

Looking over the debris of yet another overseas crash in the markets has become as much a part of our daily ritual as pouring that morning cup of coffee...do the Republicans hope the masses will become desensitized to it so soon? I think that is what the "Feather-rufflin' dontcha know " team of "mavericks " is counting on of late. So much so that the McPalin camp is able to rouse up crowds with demonstrable anger reminscent of 1930's Germany. Country First! (Deutschland Uber Alles!) One has to wonder ...when are they planning their Krystal Nacht? November 1st? In other news this article does a great job at illustrating the "legacy" of the Bush years:

So I have been experiencing the proverbial "baptism by fire" these past 4 weeks. I am coaching a little league baseball team for the first time. Well maybe that statement is not totally accurate. Years ago,( about 24 or so, not to be too too exact) I assisted coaching my brother David's Minor (or was it Major?) team as Pitching/Catcher coach. It was a lot of fun and actually led me to my first paying job, at a time when I had no social security card , and the economy in the early 80's was pretty bad and very few prospects for summer employment. Nice memories.  I have to say it is quite a trip to suddenly be "in charge" of directing a dozen or so 6 and 7 year olds , trying to help them develop whatever knowledge you can impart to them , and instill in them your love of what is arguably the greatest game ever invented.  The biggest eye opening thing for me has been just how simple the phrase "keep it simple" has to be with this age group. Whatever dr...