Oyster Roundup!
~Thick and fast they came at last, and more, and more and more!
A Mudflatter recently asked me what an “Oyster Roundup” was, and I thought it might be time to give a refresher. In the epic poem “The Walrus and the Carpenter” from Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass, the two main characters walk along the beach and entice young naive oysters from their beds to “take a walk”. (Pay no attention to the buttered bread and pepper, oysters!) As Carroll describes the exodus of the oysters from the sea, he says “Thick and fast they came at last, and more, and more and more!” That particular line reminded me of how it often feels when there are oodles of interesting stories, and not enough time to do a full post on each. And then THAT made me equate these little slurpable story nuggets to metaphorical oysters. And that’s how we get the oyster roundup. Don’t worry if you didn’t get it either. It’s one of those things that just made sense to me. But now you know.
So grab your buttered bread and pepper and get ready for the Oyster Roundup.
Bristol Palin Goes Meghan McCain?
If we believe this interesting report, Bristol Palin may be the first of the Palin children to get out from under the thigh-high shiny high-heeled boot of Mommy Dearest. Apparently all it took was a stint in Los Angeles for the Dancing With the Stars “star” to realize that the world is large and diverse outside the city limits of Wasilla Alaska, and outside the barbed wire confine of her mother’s brain. Yes, folks… Bristol may be (looks around and whispers)… a liberal. She may actually not be terrified by… (looks around again) … gay people.
But, lest we get too excited, she has not lost all Palinian tendencies. Her young son is reportedly being used as leverage against Granny. The Palin family continues to be a drama in a yet-to-be-determined number of acts.
Do You Kiss Your Mama With that Mouth?
The latest insufferable Republican presidential hopeful was recently invited to Las Vegas to speak to a couple groups. Donald Trump wowed the crowd, no question about it. For instance, when discussing what sort of diplomacy he would use in relating to the Chinese government to impose a tarriff on goods imported to the U.S., he opined, “Listen you motherf—ers we’re going to tax you 25 percent!” I wonder how that translates in Mandarin?
And what about oil prices? Why doesn’t OPEC simply lower prices? Mr. Trump notes, “We have nobody in Washington that sits back and said, you’re not going to raise that f—-ing price.” Ahhh, yes. I bet that would work.
But we have to forgive the Donald for his obscenity-peppered speech. After all, a presidential candidate knows his audience. I’m sure he looked at this crew and thought to himself, “the more f-bombs, the better.” Who was the group? (wait for it) The Spring Mountain Republican Women’s Club, of course. You can listen to the unbleeped speech at the link above.
We’re not quite finished with the Donald. He showed up at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Saturday night, and turned out to be the butt of many jokes. Go figure.
But the best part was that
“After giving a brief interview with a group of several media outlets, Trump — who was invited to the event as a guest of the Washington Post — walked away to a chorus of audible boos from the media members on the press line. (And it wasn’t because they wanted to hear Trump talk more.)
Ahhh… a chorus of audible boos. It’s like music to the progressive ear.
This one even surprised me. Sarah Palin has appeared on stage with some pretty edgy, Teabaggy, fringy people before. But this time, she has reached the zenith of crazy. Palin will be doing an innocuous sounding “Tribute to the Troops” but will be appearing at the event with the man who is known in my house as simply “the crazy guy.” If someone says, “Which crazy guy?” the appropriate response is, “THE crazy guy.”
Meet Ret. Lt. General Jerry Boykin. That’s the Tree of Liberty behind him and hovering above the glowing masses who stand ever-present to absorb the wingnuttery. But, don’t take my word for it. Please enjoy the following video about how the country is turning toward Marxism by redistribution of wealth, censorship of the left-wing mainstream media, hate crimes legislation designed to censor pastors from talking about the evils of homosexuality and the evils of Islam, the United Nations controlling your ability to own a gun, and the establishment of a constabulary force like Hitler’s brown shirts that are going to take over the country and control the people via health care legislation that no one in Washington has read.
Hey, don’t look at me. I’m just the messenger. And I can’t help but think that this may all be a strategy by Sarah Palin herself to look comparatively sane.
Looking for something to do on the evening of May 3? Come on. It’s a Tuesday. May Day festivities are over. Cinco de Mayo still two days away. It’s the perfect time to head to the Anchorage Museum of History and Art and check out Episodes 2 and 3 of Bears of the Last Frontier that will air on Nature. These episodes will introduce you to urban bears, and bears of the North Slope. Join bear biologist Chris Morgan on his year long motorcycle adventure into Alaska’s bear country.
Screening info:
WHAT: Screening of Nature: Bears of the Last Frontier
WHEN: Tuesday, May 3rd at doors open at 6:30PM; showing at 7:00PM
WHERE: Anchorage Museum auditorium, 625 C St. (Use the 7th Street entrance), Anchorage (map)
RSVP: http://action.sierraclub.org/site/Calendar?view=Detail&id=153962
Questions: Contact Lindsey at lindsey.hajduk@sierraclub.org.
Particularly timely and apt that Boyken is mentioned today, of all days, in the OR. It was *his* mission to track down bin Laden… beth.
““““““““““““
General Casts War in Religious Terms
The top soldier assigned to track down Bin Laden and Hussein is an evangelical Christian who speaks publicly of ‘the army of God.’
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has assigned the task of tracking down and eliminating Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein and other high-profile targets to an Army general who sees the war on terrorism as a clash between Judeo-Christian values and Satan.
Lt. Gen. William G. “Jerry” Boykin, the new deputy undersecretary of Defense for intelligence, is a much-decorated and twice-wounded veteran of covert military operations. From the bloody 1993 clash with Muslim warlords in Somalia chronicled in “Black Hawk Down” and the hunt for Colombian drug czar Pablo Escobar to the ill-fated attempt to rescue American hostages in Iran in 1980, Boykin was in the thick of things.
Yet the former commander and 13-year veteran of the Army’s top-secret Delta Force is also an outspoken evangelical Christian who appeared in dress uniform and polished jump boots before a religious group in Oregon in June to declare that radical Islamists hated the United States “because we’re a Christian nation, because our foundation and our roots are Judeo-Christian … and the enemy is a guy named Satan.”
Discussing the battle against a Muslim warlord in Somalia, Boykin told another audience, “I knew my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol.”
“We in the army of God, in the house of God, kingdom of God have been raised for such a time as this,” Boykin said last year.
On at least one occasion, in Sandy, Ore., in June, Boykin said of President Bush: “He’s in the White House because God put him there.” [/snip]
Full article, here: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1016-01.htm
Published on Thursday, October 16, 2003 by the Los Angeles Times
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And we all thought terrorists are scary.
Nice roundup. I was highly annoyed the whole time that Bristol was on Dancing with the Stars and as a result, I’m no longer watching the show. However, if the result is that the young woman had her eyes and heart opened to at least try to understand people different than herself, then I guess it was worth it. Good for her, standing up to her mother. Maybe she will break the cycle of nuttiness that seems to be part of the Palin family.
I wasn’t watching TV until after the President made the announcement about Bin Laden. But I did hear fireworks in the neighborhood and wondered what was up. Now I know. Interestingly enough, our family was set to travel on September 12, 2001. Of course, we didn’t, but flew out on the first flight out of Seattle on that Friday. And now with this latest news, we are preparing to travel again. I’m not sure how I feel about it- a little apprehensive. But 9/11 didn’t keep us at home and this won’t either.
leenie17 –
In your two comments above 12.0 and 11.1.1. I am heartily in agreement.
The simple fact is that the right wing thirsts for outrage. But of course what you report on is only the propaganda.
We are faced with what will probably become, if it hasn’t already, the greatest crisis we will ever face as a species. So far we have done exactly nothing of any importance to address the problem. We are burning more oil, coal and natural gas today than we were a year a go, because there are no workable alternatives.By that I mean simply, the political will to act in favor of the common good.
How do we make that happen?
Bin Laden is Dead. Trump is already demanding to see the long-form death certificate.
Well said—LOL.
Speaking of crazy…
At the annual NRA conference in Pittsburg, members (including NRA Board members) claim that the President doesn’t believe in the Second Amendment. They can’t offer any evidence of this, can’t provide any examples of legislation that he’s proposed and can’t deny that gun laws have actually become LESS restrictive since Obama became President, but they “don’t FEEL good” about him.
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/05/01/nra-barrett-obama/
Well, I believe that every single member of the NRA is a terrorist preparing to kill hundreds of innocent people at shopping malls and churches this coming weekend. No, I have no evidence of this belief. I have nothing at all to prove that what I’m saying is true. In fact, I have evidence of exactly the opposite – that the vast majority of members of the NRA are honest, law-abiding citizens who would never dream of harming an innocent human being. But I FEEEEELLL like they’re all terrorists so it MUST be true!
It’s no more absurd than what they’re actively promoting among their members. This from the NRA website: “On the Second Amendment, Don’t Believe Obama ”
Interesting how the fear ginned up by these provably false and malicious claims is providing a healthy revenue stream for the NRA membership bank account and the weapons manufacturers and dealers who have all been making money hand over fist since the President took office.
When Clinton was first running for President, one of my friends told me “if Clinton is elected, they’re gonna come and take away your guns.” He was completely serious. Well, Clinton was elected. Twice. Nobody came and took away anybody’s guns.
Now the same story with Obama. And still just as wrong.
This is nothing more than a (highly successful) marketing ploy by manufacturers of guns and ammunition. They scare the stupid into stocking up on extra guns and ammunition. Works every time.
On a very superficial note, I just have to say that Michelle Obama looked stunning last night. That hairdo was soft and very flattering with the curls down the side, and she was the epitome of class and elegance.
And she can take a joke, too, unlike one of the audience members who will remain nameless (but who looked like he was severely constipated the whole night)!
Leenie yes. the FLOTUS was gorgeous and a class act. i got tickled when the President told the story about him giving the children candy and Michelle “snatching the candy from their little hands”.
i have to say that in the last few weeks i have felt embarrassed for my city. i know it is irrational. Trump does not represent N.Y.S. nor New York City. i have talked to a few of my neighbors and they say they feel the same. ashamed and angry. i think Trump has diminished himself though i am sure he wouldn’t agree with me.
all in all though the weekend has been serendipitous. Friday was a wedding royally done. British style.
Saturday was a dinner and a royal butt kick. American style.
not bad. not bad at all.
Sadly, I think Trump is more an example of the Ugly American than a representation of NY in particular. He epitomizes the worst stereotypes of our country with his greed, his arrogance and his complete and utter lack of class.
He’s a rich version of that embarrassing tourist standing in the middle of the Roman Coliseum, dressed in a loud flowered shirt, plaid shorts, white socks and sandals, carrying the largest camera he could find with a foot-long lens, just to impress people with how smart/successful/talented he is. As the people around him are rendered speechless by the history and magnificence of the place, he’s loudly complaining about the lack of clean bathrooms and the gas that last night’s dinner gave him, wondering why they don’t just tear down this old place and put up a nice new resort with a casino and a place where he could see some dancers with enhanced racks and skimpy costumes. Now THAT’S entertainment!
Give that man a few millions bucks from Daddy’s estate and you’ve got Donald Trump.
Say it ain’t so…Sarah Palin high-tailed it over to the MSNBC after party with daughter Bristol after sliming the whole Corespondent’s Dinner thing during her paid speech. Wasn’t it Sarah Palin who also used to bash the idea of the Georgetown cocktail circuit? So she’s now hobnobbing with the east coast elites but telling her fans how despicable they are.
http://barbaricthoughts.com/2011/05/pictures-and-twitter-report-of-palin-at-the-msnbc-after-party/
And she was the first to arrive.
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2011/04/white-house-correspondents-dinner-party-photos-201104#intro
She seems to be embracing the world that she loves to condemn.
Without a doubt. The bots are getting suspicious.
They are slow. 😉
interesting… every single comment that wasn’t WORSHIPFUL of Scarah had been wiped out,, the remainings comments were attacks on “Liberals” as trolls, or praising GAWD for sending Sarah to lead us……. excuse me while I get some Tums…. 🙂
I think Donald Trump is jeolous of our President. Barack’s mom was an anthropologist–Wonder if Trump can pronounce “anthropologist”? Or know what it is? He can’t stand the fact that a black man is more intelligent than he is. Also that his wife is highy intelligent and a black woman.
“…the United Nations controlling your ability to own a gun, and the establishment of a constabulary force like Hitler’s brown shirts that are going to take over the country and control the people via health care legislation that no one in Washington has read.”
What scares me, as it pertains to the above statement regarding Boykins’ views, is that these people project onto Democrats everything they themselves do — or plan to do.
I watched the video. If this and Fox were my only sources of information (and if I’d lost the ability to think), I’d be stockpiling arms too. What is wrong with these people?
This is brilliant.
“About an hour before Barack Obama came to the microphone and, in a manner of speaking, deftly slit his throat, cut out his entrails, set him ablaze and scraped what was left off the presidential shoe, Donald Trump was having a grand old time at Saturday night’s White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner……”
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-05-01/obama-seth-meyers-joke-about-trump-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/#
Priceless. Thanks, Irish Girl. Made my May Day.
I’m certain that all it takes to have OPEC opening up the taps and reducing oil prices, and China giving us products for next to nothing, is some pompous @ss with a Tribble on his head cursing at them.
Yeah, that’ll work real well.
It’s taken 2+ years of hard work by the current administration to convince just a small part of the world that we’re not really as arrogant and hostile as we’ve seemed to be over the past eight years, and we DON’T really want to take over the world after all. So, sure, let’s put Trump in the White House and see how fast he can completely destroy what’s left of this country.
How DOES he find suits that can fit his body and his enormous ego at the same time?
“Tribble” ! From now on I’m going to imagine his headpiece making that tribbly sound. ha!
I have a cat that makes the trible sound. Her name is Luna. she is far better looking than that thing on Trump’s head! lol
“is some pompous @ss with a Tribble on his head ” ROFLMAO!!!!! Excellent, Leenie!
“Tribble on his head” – you’ve nailed it. WIN! I’m so stealing this.
LOL!! I could never quite put my finger on it, but Tribble describes it perfectly–the right color, the right texture. Now all we have to do is figure out what that noise is coming out of his A$$, uh — err — mouth.
Except, as I remember, Tribbles gave a sense of deep contentment to everyone who held them, which was one reason the durn little critters were so dangerous! If Trumpie-poo was lucky enough to have a real Tribble on his head, he’d be a much nicer person.
Fair point, but, think about it.
No matter how much happiness mojo you might have been blessed with, a short time perched on The Dome of the Donald would suck all that mojo right outta you like the last drop of a McDonald’s chocolate shake on a hot July day!
Where else? China. I read somewhere that he has a business that sells ties and other accessories, all made in China.
love myself some Sarah Jones.
“Obama has always laughed at the birthers. Tonight, he laughed in Donald Trump’s face.
Donald Trump has a new daddy, and his name is President Barack Obama.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~http://www.politicususa.com/en/obama-trump-bitch
Nooooooooo, not the crazy dude.
It is Sunday mornin ya know. Blue sky, sunshine, sacred day…
Well, the background to the video is appropriate – hot, glowing, skies; “tree” resembling a nuclear blast; charred humanoid shapes – the souls of the damned?
So we have a trifecta of crazy this morning. T.Rump, The Grifter and General Nuthatch. Will they have big enough jars to pickle these science experiments of crazy in when their day comes?
And I’ll believe Bristol is freethinking and not tied to Mother Just Us when she shows me her old face.
Mayhaps we have a quad-fecta of crazy if the guy at the museum teaches bears to ride motorcycles.
When will the Wasilla-billies just go away?
The retired whack job general never mentions that he enjoys a military pension, and health care provided by the U.S. Taxpayers. That redistribution is ok when it’s flowing in his direction I guess. Just the rest of the Rethugs. A huge hypocrite.
Makes you wonder if his service was in Nam. Maybe there is something true about Agent Orange destroying brain cells.