Thursday Morning Open Thread

Rise and shine!

Comments

[bunky]

Russ Feingold is soooo manly.

[bgates]

It's gotta be Thursday morning somewhere.

You out island shopping, TM?

[daddy]

Morning Jane,

No Ted Steven's updates. I've been out of the local Talk Radio loop entertaining a visiting niece, but nothing has popped up on the ADN, local political blogs, or News at 11 mentioning any changes in his current status. Will advise whenever it does pop up.

And by the way, the visit of the 4 Global Warming Senators to Alaska has been cancelled due to having to pay homage to Teddy Kennedy.

[Frau Skeptisch]

From Fox news site:
'SANTA FE, N.M. -- New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and former high-ranking members of his administration won't be criminally charged in a yearlong federal investigation into pay-to-play allegations involving one of the Democratic governor's large political donors, someone familiar with the case said.
The decision not to pursue indictments was made by top Justice Department officials, according to a person familiar with the investigation, who asked not to be identified because federal officials had not disclosed results of the probe.
"It's over. There's nothing. It was killed in Washington," the person told The Associated Press.'

[Jane]

I don't think it is morning - and I betcha that Obama is going to let those proscutors off the hook Daddy.

[Porchlight]

Obama's great uncle not really sure what to make of ObamaCare

L. O. effin L. Even this guy's own family isn't all that impressed by him.

[daddy]

"and I betcha that Obama is going to let those proscutors off the hook Daddy."

That's as sure a bet as the one you can't get Dick to accept about Novak/Armitage.

[hit and run]

Thusday Mourning, of course.

Sack cloths and ashes until the funeral.

[matt]

Asked what he thought of re-naming the health care plan Kennedycare while on vacation on Martha's Vineyard, the president said "we'll cross that bridge when we come to it".

[Melinda Romanoff]

Ooooh. Good one matt.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Dinner!

[MjM]

hey, bunky, I gotta know: what precipitated those feelings for Rusty?

[Andrew_M_Garland]

Socialism:

From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs, unless he needs a lot of healthcare.

[Thomas Collins]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO GLENDA!!!

[Pofarmer]

Socialism:

From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs, unless he needs a lot of healthcare.

It's not socialism, it's fascism. Everything for the good of the state.

[daddy]

Can I swerve back into HoneyBee's this evening?

Instapundit links ">http://www.popsci.com/environment/article/2009-08/ccd"> this PopSCI story telling us that the probable cause of the loss of 30 percent of US Honeybee's since 2006 has to do with the importation of Australian Honeybee's in 2005 which contaminated their DNA.

Two days back the BBC Science page carried ">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8217401.stm"> this story telling us that the loss of 20 percent of UK Honeybee's last winter was because "Bees are suffering from viruses, a parasitic mite and changes in the weather. "

I don't know squat about HoneyBee's. It would be interesting to find out if the UK HoneyBee's are also suffering supposedly due to recent importation of Australian HoneyBee DNA. That is not mentioned as a potential killer in the BBC story. Instead the BBC story tells us that the highest losses were recorded in the north of England, where 32.1% perished, and the lowest in eastern England, where 12.8% did not survive. Unfortunately the BBC story doesn't tell us if the weather was colder or warmer. It does however include these following 2 paragraphs:

"The survey showed an improvement on the previous year, which the BBKA put down to the period of really cold weather in the winter which encouraged the bees to "cluster" together, helping them to survive.
It also said the good weather in early spring enabled them to forage for nectar and pollen."

So if I understand this correctly, really cold winter weather which happens in the north of England in winter is good for the bee's survival, yet that's where most of them died. Further south, where it's warmer, and therefore worse for HoneyBee survival, is where they somehow survived a whole lot better. And in America they die because of Australians, who BTW just told the Kyoto Global Warming boys to pack sand.

If anyone out there can unravel this mystery, t'would be like honey to my ears.

[hit and run]

Good morning JOM!

It's Friday. And it's going to be a very, very good Friday, too.

[Jack is Back!]

Good morning all. The sun is low over the silvery Atlantic and the forecast is 92 and 80% humidity as the thunderheads gather in their convoy off the gulf and head our way.

Danny is well out to sea and headed to Martha's Vineyard for a backyard beer with the One. I am headed to our regular Friday game at our Creek course where we have coolers full of ice towels on every other hole. You'd be surprised how many ice towels you go through in 18 holes.

Cheers to all.

[hit and run]

It's going to be an epic day in JOM history.

Lunch starts at 1130, no colon in that time for a reason.

IYKWIMAITYD

[Jane]

I will have to live thru you Hit. I woke up with a ridiculous cold, aching biceps and a dentist appointment at 10:30.

Yuck

[bgates]

Progressives are furious over the news that government interrogators would sometimes joke about subjecting captured terrorists to the sensation of drowning while trying to uncover information that would prevent the murder of hundreds or thousands of people.

[bgates]

It looks like I got a few details wrong in that last post.

Replace "captured terrorists" with "a young woman",
strike "sensation of",
replace "uncover information that would prevent the murder of hundreds or thousands of people" with "prevent embarrassment",
and replace "government interrogators" with "Ted Kennedy".

Oh, and replace "furious over the news" with "think it's kind of endearing".

[fdcol63]

I'm not furious that High Value Detainees at Gitmo were waterboarded or subjected to EITs.

But I am enraged that they just thought they were going to die.

[Extraneus]

Employment opportunities are out there.

PJTV UNDERCOVER, Public Interest Payday: Crowder Exposes Health Care Activists (And Gets a Job)

[bunky]

MjM: you know, how tough he can be on the terrorists.

[pagar]

Progressives aren't at all interested in preventing the murders of hundreds or thousands of people, just look at the the millions of deaths caused by their abortion policies. Here's the thoughts of one of them now.

Obama Worried Born Alive Infants’ Protection Act Would Be Too Burdensome on Abortionists, 2002 Transcript Shows

A vote for any leftist is a vote to encourage murder.

[centralcal]

Megyn Kelly on FNC just said Scott Rasmussen will be on at 10:15 to say that his latest polling has Obama approval "down more than ever."

[gmax]

Let it be said that the Bronx Bombers are quite happy to see the Texas Rangers leave town. After dropping 2 out of 3 to the Rangers, they note that no other team in the last two months has won a series from them in Yanqui stadium. If the the Rangers are the wildcard, the matchup will be with the Yanks as currently configured.

The rookies that dot the Ranger lineup, portend great things in the future, and they are pretty darn good right now.

[bgates]

Let it be said that the Bronx Bombers are quite happy to see the Texas Rangers leave town.

First time I read that I thought Chuck Norris was trying to extradite Bill Ayers.

[bishop]

Of course, he was given carte blanche on the stimulus, the 'nationalization of banks, and auto companies' and he still hasn't delivered. Now some might say he
has but that's not at all clear.

[MayBee]

clarice- is your son affected by the fire at all?

[Melinda Romanoff]

Monin' all-

I meant to LUN this last night. John Batchelor on Rahm reinvigorating the GOP.

(Via naughty Theo)

[Melinda Romanoff]

Sorry, Good Morning, all.

[Sue]

C-cal,

I don't know what Kelly is teasing, but Ras's numbers are out and they remain steady, 50% approve, 49% disapprove. -8 in the misery index (I keed, I joke, but you know what the number means).

[Ranger]

Socialism:

From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs, unless he needs a lot of healthcare.

Posted by: Andrew_M_Garland | August 27, 2009 at 09:43 PM

You forget that Lenin revised the definition:

From each according to his abilities, to each according to his work.

See how that covers the health care angle without having to change any words.

[Ignatz]

Please disregard my comments concerning having a little respect for the dead re Teddy the other day. I almost noted at the time an exception for really, truly evil people. This Hotair story , probably already linked, about that monumental ass joking routinely about Chappaquidic is beyond the pale.

[Ranger]

BTW, the 'blame the people for the failure of the great leader' crowd gets another member today, Michael Kinsley:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/27/AR2009082703254.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns>Change We'd Rather Do Without

Why does this happen? Some people (including me) say the voters are immature... It's just a guess, but my own suspicion is that the raucous town hall meetings that blindsided pols and press alike reflect the voters' true feelings -- misinformed, perhaps, but sincere -- and their previous passionate demands for what they now passionately oppose -- in a word, "change" -- were empty ritual.

...

This is only as long as your discontent can remain abstract, of course. When you are asked to approve of even moderate but genuine change, the status quo starts to look pretty good.

[bishop]

Really, I recall from some of Batchelor's other offerings on the "Daily Beast" that his view was to acquiesce on all aspects of the agenda, that was Nicole Wallace (who was talking up Gary Sinise as future GOP superstar,)Meghan MacCain, Mark Mackinnon.
I think that happened inspite of Emmanuel
and his Hippocrates oath denying brother, not because of it.

[MjM]

Bunky - well sure, but not as tough on as he is on the First Amendment.

[Extraneus]

I'm starting to think maybe Krauthammer should leave the room.

[gmax]

Hey Kinsley

When you lie to the American people ( like damn every Democrat Party politician since George McGovern proved truth did not work ) that is what happens when the voters figure it out. When you say you are going to be post racial, and then stupidly say something that proves you aren't, when you say you will be transparent, but lock every door and draw the shades on the inner workings of govt, when you say you will reach across the aisle and then cram down bill after bill without debate or any cross aisle support, well that just gets to voters.

They were misinformed alright, by Barack Obama and shills in the media like you.

But right now, not so much. Sucks to be a liberal, lying about what you believe and your polices everywhere except on college campuses and at private parties of wealthy party donors, when you think you are in safe company.

[Original MikeS]

Ras's numbers are out and they remain steady...

That's OK with me. If he would stay on vacation and stop the change toward a progressively larger more intrusive government, I think his poll numbers would stabilize. What's been hurting him most is telling the same lies over and over. If he doesn't get some new lies, or if he stops hiding, his approval ratings will resume their nosedive.

[centralcal]

Yup, Sue - Megyn overstated just a tad!

[bishop]

The problem that Krauthammer, seems to
elude, is why didn't they do this in the first place. Why would they pick the public
option, draconian rationing, a betrayal of the Hippocratic oath; it's a 'bug not a feature" and that's what Sarah zeroed in
on

[bishop]

I know you're all on pins and needles, about Crist's choice for the Senate, yawn,
I know the excitement is overwhelming

[Melinda Romanoff]

bishop-

I just thought it a particularly good piece on Rahm's methods, not necessarily the reason for a surge of nostalgia for the GOP. I personally think the resurgence has more to do with progressives eviscerating the Democratic Party from inside.

I probably should have prefaced my link with that thought.

[Original MikeS]

For a decade or so, Democrats have resisted practical, less costly, and less intrusive health care reform proposals than the central planning approaches now under discussion.

To a large extent, the recent upsurge in medical costs is a result of Dem resistance to computerized medical records, tort reform, reforming insurance regulations and mandates, personal deductions for health insurance costs, etc., over the last ten years.

[Extraneus]

This is what Krauthammer could be focusing on, as opposed to predicting the inevitable bipartisan takeover of the insurance industry.

Study: Health Care Reform Mandate Will Punish Employers, Kill Jobs

Under the provision, known as the play-or-pay mandate, another 10.2 million employees will face stunted wages and the loss of their benefits as employers try to find ways to fund the mandates.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

If anyone out there can unravel this mystery, t'would be like honey to my ears.

I don't think the Flight Surgeon would like to hear about you putting honey in your ears, Daddy.

[Porchlight]

This Hotair story , probably already linked, about that monumental ass joking routinely about Chappaquidic is beyond the pale.

Thanks for linking that, Ignatz. Even I was surprised at the awfulness of it. And I had just finished reading Michael Kelly's terrific 1990 piece in GQ, too, which leaves no doubt as to TK's monumental ass-ness. So I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was.

[glasater]

Went to our local townhall meeting yesterday afternoon and while there were no SEIU and ACORN in attendance--Planned Parenthood was there in full force plus government option folks.
There were a few students from one of our local private liberal arts colleges that serves up the "mush for brains" kids but they were pretty docile.

One thing that I found out about reconciliation from the congresswoman was the example of the Bush tax cuts passed in that format. Those tax cuts "sunset" in ten years.
If healthcare does go to reconciliation--by default the law would also sunset in that timeframe.
I would think that the whole HCR bill if it came to reconciliation and how the D's want to implement it would have some serious constitutional problems if it were challenged.

[Jack is Back!]

I doubt the Dems want to take on reconciliation since it leaves the Republicans blameless and in the driver's seat for the 2010 elections.

OT:

What do you all think the odds are that Obama will use his Teddy eulogy as a "Wellstone" moment? I believe he will invoke Teddy and health care reform in more than one sentence - he will get pretty demanding that we do this as a testament and memorial to Kennedy's commitment to health care for all, blah, blah, blah.

IIRC the Wellstone eulogy backfired on them and Coleman got elected, right? It also forced one John Kerry (who served in Vietnam) to call Trent Lott and apologize for him being booed by the crowd. Walter Mondale was unavailable for comment.

[gmax]

100% he is a democrat and thus has a tin ear and thinks every microphone is a campaign opp.

[maryrose]

Porchlight:
Just read the Kelly piece and came away thinking"the rules do not apply to any narcissistic Kennedy" and that women were treated as objects all too frequently.

[Porchlight]

maryrose,

One thing that was interesting is that one associate seemed to think the problem was mainly his alcoholism. But not all alcoholics treat women that way. So it must have been a combination of factors that he could mostly keep under control, except when he was drunk, which was frequently.

Also he was a creep, of course. Lest anyone think I am trying to make excuses for him.

[matt]

just finished the Kelly article as well, and he was one hell of a journalist. No much room for doubt of the facts. I once saw teddy leaning on an aide 2 sheets to the wind in the basement of the Capitol, so had seen it myself. That he was allowed a hall pass as probably one of the scummiest members of the Senate in history makes me sick to my stomach.

I have a draft in my blog that I'm contemplating called "The Mary Jo Kopechne Right to Life Bill". Am going to think long and hard on that one.....but after reading again and again about our so called leaders, I think it is time to say enough is enough.

[Porchlight]

just finished the Kelly article as well, and he was one hell of a journalist.

Yes he was. What a great loss. To steal a smarter person's thought, a Michael Kelly could get us through a time of no Ted Kennedys better than a Ted Kennedy could get us through a time of no Michael Kellys. As has been painfully evident these last few years.

[boris]

fabulous furry freak brothers

[PeterUK]

Remember,Kennedy was married.
“Bennett and Kennedy were married on November 29, 1958, in Bronxville, New York. Her brother-in-law, John F. Kennedy, dubbed her “the dish”, due to her good looks and fashionable style. They had three children: Kara Kennedy Allen (born February 27, 1960 in Bronxville, New York), Edward Moore Kennedy, Jr. (born September 26, 1961), and Patrick Joseph Kennedy (born July 14, 1967).

In July 1969, Ted Kennedy was involved in a car accident off Chappaquiddick Island that killed his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne.[5] Bennett Kennedy, who at the time was pregnant and confined to bed in the wake of two previous miscarriages, attended the funeral of Kopechne and stood beside her husband in court three days later, when Ted Kennedy’s pleaded guilty to having left the scene of an accident.[6] She suffered a third miscarriage shortly thereafter.”

[matt]

makes you wonder about the miscarriage, doesn't it, PUK?

[glenda]

Now the truth is known to everyone who will listen why Joan Kennedy died of alcoholism.
What a tool!
And my CT friends, here, use those Dodd anecdotes from Kelly against him in his re-election campaign. He(Dodd) not only has his hands under the table for money and other payoffs, it seems he was involved in a few date-rapes, also!

[PeterUK]

Matt,
My first thought.
Ted Kennedy did so much for the poor and disenfranchised - except give them any of his money.
Seems to be the case with millionaire socialists. One might even think it is a sleight of hand to distract the peasants.

[pagar]

"It ain't America no More!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_...h? v=_2I77Af9Iso

If this link will play, it will terrify you.

[pagar]

OK, that didn't work,
so we'll try this one.

>Fascist Rent-a-Cop Strong Arms Protester Holding Joker-Obama Poster!!!

It ain't America no more! is a very scary incident.

[Jane]

Now the truth is known to everyone who will listen why Joan Kennedy died of alcoholism.

I don't think she is dead. I think she was in Hyannisport of Wednesday.

[bad s##t]

Since only the Kennedy financial advisers know the details of the mostly blind trusts, it’s impossible to know what made them more than double in value over a single year.

Was Hillary advising the "blind" trusts"

LUN

[matt]

no, that would have been Goldman Sachs, bad....their best customers always get the big returns.

[Melinda Romanoff]

matt-

No, it's not Goldman, and never will be.

They're not Irish, and for a Southie like Joe Kennedy, that would make all the difference.

[glenda]

Jane--re:Joan...I guess I believed she was due to all the carp she has endured. I saw her in the gallery at today's service...she looked uneasy, sitting with some children-I'm sure her grandchildren. I hope she writes a book, if they let her out of her lockbox!