For nearly 12 years, Earthjustice and its allies in the Appalachian coalfields have been standing up to save the mountains, streams and communities in Appalachia from the devastation of mountaintop removal mining.
On Jan. 13, 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency made history by announcing its decision to veto the water pollution permit for the largest proposed mine in West Virginia, Arch Coal’s Spruce No. 1 mine. In its announcement, the EPA said that it received a tremendous public outpouring of comments on this decision—50,000 in total—and those comments helped seal the deal for the agency to do the right thing. Earthjustice supporters alone sent 38,000 comments to the EPA.
This is a huge victory for the people and future of Appalachia (hear how the EPA’s decision will impact the people of Appalachia)—and this victory is yours, too!
You stood up for environmental justice, you spoke out for clean water, you rose up for America’s majestic mountains—you made this victory happen.
Thank you so much for taking action. This victory shows that our voices indeed make a difference. If ever you have doubted that your one voice or letter can make a difference, take heart now. Together, we can save mountains.
Sincerely,
Earthjustice
Because the earth needs a good lawyer
P.S. In making this decision, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and her EPA colleagues exhibited courage, dedication and fortitude—and she deserves our thanks. If you can spare a moment, please thank Administrator Jackson for doing the right thing:
On the subject of adorable animals, International Fund for Animal Welfare is rescuing animal victims of the floods in Queensland, Australia. If you can contribute, please visit:
I just saw a promo for Palin’s appearance on Greta tonight over at Gryphen’s. Did she even listen to the speech? She was nasty and angry as always. I guess you really can’t teach an old female dog new tricks.
Looks like my response to you got stuck in moderation, so I’ll try again. Watching that clip, I am comforted that she hasn’t been off learning how to play nice because I think she would be more of a threat if she could do that. I also found the lead-in by the fair & balanced station to be quite biased.
Looks like my response to you got stuck in moderation, so I’ll try again. Watching that clip, I am comforted that she hasn’t been off learning how to play nice because I think she would be more of a threat if she could do that. I also found the lead-in by the fair & balanced station to be quite biased.
Off topic abit, but everyone needs to read Andrew Halcro’s opinion today on his blog….it’s about Sarah Palin. Well thought out and well written as always. I think it should go national.
I just saw that article and was going to post it here as well. I can’t imagine how anyone could actually defend cancelling that man’s policy for underpaying 2 freakin’ cents!
I hope that SOMEONE can get the company to quickly reinstate his insurance so he can get the treatment he needs.
AKM- please forgive this miserable creature, but I have to ask. Does the Mudflats accept money orders or personal checks? Credit cards and Pay-Pal aren’t really an option for me.
But we created this mess and have no one to blame but ourselves. We created a politician that was never forced to describe or defend her populist policies. We by default trained Sarah Palin that knowing nothing is as good as knowing something.
A well thought out and presented piece. Thanks for the link. Let’s all send this to Huffpo, Sullivan and who ever else we can think of that will give it some attention.
I tried but mine bounced back. Thankfully, you’re on the case. I did send it to The Daily Beast and Huffpo so fingers crossed that at least one picks it up.
Brian looks very cute and cuddly, but I’ve been burned before . . . can one of you Alaskans tell this Florida native if moose (mooses?) are hostile? (I don’t expect to run into a moose in Florida, but visiting Alaska is on my bucket list and I’d like to be prepared.)
In return, I will advise that, if you ever visit Florida, do NOT pet the alligators.
I’ve got a sister in/on Marco Island. Have you met her yet? just kidding about meeting her. She is there,really. Welcome from overcast Iowa where the state is about 100% white and I’m not talking only population.
My only experience with Iowa is when we went to Omaha a few years ago to see the Seminoles play in the College World Series. Our plane landed just as the Noles were being eliminated by LSU, so we hit the casinos in (I think) Council Bluffs. I lost some money, but I always do, so I don’t hold a grudge. Hope to make it out there again some day.
Moose are usually quite calm. I’ve had one walk by eight feet away calm as can be, just me and the moose passing on the street. If you know how to read animals you can tell if a moose is calm or edgy,
On the other hand, one of their instinctive reactions to a surprise is to charge, knock you to the ground, then stomp on you until the threat is gone. Moose can be 1400 pounds. They have sharp hooves and they know how to use their weight. This doesn’t happen often, but when it does it’s really serious.
So it is best to admire them from a long way off, or from inside a vehicle.
Want to thank Zyxomma for the link–I was all over trying to get info. that showed how off the wall Michelle B.’s charts were. I wonder how her people come up with that sh*t? I love crows too. There is a prof at UW that specializes in “crow studies”–emailed him a couple of times, but can’t remember his name (names escape me more and more). Anyway he was nice about answering my questions.
I’m surprised some RWNJ hasn’t undertaken to off Brian as a spy for Libs. They can always claim he’s a menace to America and democracy.Hell,they don’t need a reason. Those are lovely lashes and soft,beautiful eyes,all the more reason for a RW death squad to saddle up and mete out justice.
We don’t have crows here in Interior Alaska. I sure do like the ravens. They are so entertaining. Yes, I feed them. Depending on what I put out for them, they either share or it’s Raven Wrestling. One time it was Raven Rugby. Lots of fun to watch. They are so smart. I’ve watched them tease my dog and my cat, swooping them and knowing that the poor land based animal couldn’t possibly do them any harm. Just teasing for the fun of it.
That moose is so dang cute! I’m sending him/her a big moose smooch. He’s got Bambi eyes, except he’s a moose – not a Disney creation… he’s the real thing. Adorable eyes. Seems young, no?
Can’t deal with rightwing poop-spin today, so I’ll leave those with stronger stomachs or higher callings to sift through the verbal compost of our most unfortunately obtuse politicians.
Gosh, that was a good read, and the comments were funny.
One poster reminded us that Michelle was the woman who tried to really lay a big kiss on George W. Bush at one of his SOTU speeches. I’d forgotten about that, but it caused quite a lot of comment back then. I hadn’t made the connection from that incident to her. Wow – she is really a power groupie, isn’t she?
I really like him too. In fact I’m jealous of my fellow NYers because they’ve got Weiner but I’m stuck with Chris Lee. Weiner may be a tad abrasive at times, but he’s smart and has all his facts at his fingertips. And he’s not afraid to show his passion for doing the right thing.
Lee has as much personality as a tepid bowl of Cream of Wheat. I sent him an email last week, expressing my disappointment that he voted for repeal of health care reform. I got a response that had all the usual Republican talking points and resorted to the typical fear mongering.
He’s not my representative, either (Carolyn Maloney is fine by me, and authored the credit card bill of rights for us), but next time he’s having a meet-up, I’ll let you know. Go to his Facebook page, and he’ll let you know about it, too.
Unfortunately, I’m on the other end of the state so attending Congressman Weiner’s meet-ups are not an option for me, although I’d love to meet him someday. I do, however, thoroughly enjoy his appearances on Rachel Maddow’s show and the Sunday morning political shows.
Moose are such odd, gangly, silly looking ungulates. They seem so harmless, but you don’t want to mess with a Momma Moose. And I’ve had friends die in collisions with them, it seems like a ridiculous notion but they are a cause of death many times over in Alaska.
One moose has enough meat to feed a family for a winter. It takes five caribou to provide the same amount of meat. I prefer caribou, but moose have made a comeback in my region. I’m grateful that our conservation measures worked.
Is anyone watching Flying Wild Alaska? That show has blown SPA out of the water (not that I watched any of her shows) but it has already covered so many salient points about remote, Bush Alaska life.
From the lack of infrastructure to the social ills such as suicide and preventable deaths. It has such a considerate production value, seeking to educate and do the land and people justice – rather than just glorify the host Family themselves. I beg to differ on Discovery’s tag line for them though, they aren’t an ‘unconventional’ family, in fact, they are a normal family in an extraordinary land. And their hearts, god bless them, seem to be in the right place.
Thank you for discussing the show. SP has had me so put off Alaskan reality shows (just watched bits and pieces of it) that I couldn’t bring myself to watch this one. However, thanks to your discussion, I will.
You won’t be sorry ks – it is a visual delight. Our lands, are way of living – so indescribable, now has an easy reference point!
Flying Wild Alaska, that skin care company out of Chevak and maybe Don Rearden’s “The Raven’s Gift” now available on http://www.amazon.ca can slowly undue the damage that quick and easy users like Sarah Palin has inflicted on Alaska’s reputation.
10:40: Despite my inability to get my mind around anything substantive in the speech, on the whole I found Mr Ryan’s easy-going, intelligent recitation of conservative talking points sort of appealing. The man’s a contender.
10:38: There’s a great sitcom waiting to be made starring Paul Ryan and Bobby Jindal aggressively grinning at each other.
10:37: What is this challenge he keeps talking about? And what does the distinction between “spirit of initiative” and “political clout” mean in practice? Does anyone else get the sense that this speech could have been given at any time during the term of any Democratic president after FDR?
10:37: Ryan has carved out a clear ideological difference between Republicans and the president. His speech is clear and vague at the same time, in short, an almost perfect response.
10:36: All joking aside, Mr Ryan is a serious politician, willing to put forward specific proposals. He is the antithesis of Eric Cantor. Unfortunately I think Congress is filled with more Cantors than Ryans.
10:35: Ryan talks sort of like Mr Schuester from “Glee”
10:34: Our government is like a hammock?
10:33: I am sincerely trying to listen to Mr Ryan’s speech so that I can say something semi-intelligent about it, but I am hypnotised by his lilting cadence and handsome bloodshot eyes.
10:32: What in this long laundry list of governing principles does Mr Ryan think Mr Obama disagrees with?
10:32: I can’t add and subtract “principles” Mr Ryan. If you’re going to focus on the budget, give me numbers.
Gee, sounds very similar to this post-speech analysis:
Former half-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) spoke at a California university fundraiser last week, which generated some controversy due to her excessive speaking fees. Now, it appears the event has become controversial for an entirely different reason.
The local Fox affiliate overheard a variety of journalists reflecting on Palin’s remarks on a live mic, with reporters unaware that they were being recorded. The result was some unexpected candor.
“I feel like I just got off a roller coaster, going round and round,” one reporter is heard saying on audio captured by Fox40 News. “S— flying out everywhere.”
“She didn’t finish a statement,” another reporter says.
“Did she make a statement?” another asks, drawing laughs.
“I don’t know how we’re gonna make a story out of that,” a voice is heard saying.
“Now I know that dumbness doesn’t come from just sound bites,” yet another reporter says.
I am shocked and delighted that the MSM has not tried to publicize Palin’s reaction to the SOTU. Now that they have Bachmann to concentrate on, Sarah is yesterday’s news. As long as they have at least one dingbat to draw attention to, I guess they are happy. Sad for intelligent women everywhere.
I guess Michelle Bachmann has decided to fill the void in February. She can be our resident crazoid for the month. Honestly, it’s difficult to tell Sarah and Michelle apart – which the vaguely disturbing realization that Michelle might be just a tad bit more looney. That is a feat to be wondered at in and of itself. They are both astonishingly ignorant and considering Bachmann was a tax attorney, you’d expect her to know more, but she doesn’t.
And Bachmann is a full on dingbat, so they get their dose of crazy for ratings, AND she is a congresswoman who did not quit, so has more cred than Miss Wasilla.
What a wonderful picture! I just want to kiss that great big schnoz! More painting today. The living room is taking 2 coats of paint because I am switching from a flat finish to satin. The satin finish looks cleaner and glows. The color is called picnic sun. It’s a lovely pale yellow and cheers me up. I am itching to get it done and move on to painting the bedroom.
A CNN poll shows that the SOTU was viewed favorably by the majority of viewers. However, it’s interesting to note that the majority of viewers were democrats. The country has become so partisan that many will not support nor listen to a president who is not of their party.
Exactly, check Fox News. I just responded to your question OMG.
Would you add your link please? I actually can deal with Bachmann a little better than hockey mom. I saw Anderson Cooper talking about Bachmann’s history lesson and she is tied at this point.
Perhaps FOX realized what the rest of has known for quite a while: Palin has little knowledge, let alone expertise. And now that her numbers have fallen, plus her “reality” show exposed her lack of Alaska-ness… enough said. 😉
Things have been mighty quiet on the Sarah Palin front. Perhaps she has taken her advisor’s advice and decided to just shut up for awhile. At any rate, it’s been nice and quiet.
However, having said that, the news last night is all atwitter here in Phoenix of a certain truck with Alaskan license plates with the letters T R I P P on them in a driveway in Maricopa, AZ ( a few miles south of town). Perhaps Sarah and family are helping Bristol move in???
Wonder how the child custody courts feel about snot-nosed-DWTS-loose-morals Bristle taking her son out of Alaska and thumbing her snot-nose at child visitation rights due to Levi.
Hope Levi retains a lawyer who specializes in child custody matters. That child deserves to know his father.
She spoke at a fund raising event for a Christian school in Lubbock on Monday. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7396515.html Press not invited. Seems like she could have made it to NY in plenty of time to be right there in the studio with her buds and give her opinions on the SOTU speech.
Oh my Bob. I have a connection to that place from like a thousand years ago. That is too weird. First Bristol is my virtual neighbor and her mom visits one of my old stomping grounds. Freaky.
She was in Waco,TX a few months ago and the press was told they had to buy tickets to cover her. Some newspapers & tv stations balked, said no, they should get in free and didn’t cover her, so she didn’t get much coverage. Palin seldom gets much coverage when she comes to TX but people think otherwise. The press won’t play her game.
I have been feeding crows. There I said it, whew. Last year, during my recovery, I happened upon some youtubes about crows and there began my fascination!
I just saw a PBS/Nature program on crows, which was OK, but the comment sections were where the real action and insights were. So I began my courtship of the lovely crow. They apparently love my mid-winter delicacies: raw groundbeef, cooked shortbeef ribs, peanuts and soaked dog kibble (the good kind).
Two stop by every morning at the same time, I say hello, they eye me then fill their beaks and fly off to return later. The last two days, after they leave… about 30 min. later they bring their extended family of around 11 who politely broadcast their arrival then sit patiently in my tree, on my neighbors roof and on my 3rd flr. balcony where I leave the food.
It’s a cool feeling to see them only 3 or 4 feet away and also see them thinking- “So far it seems like we can trust her”. I hope I’m not upsetting nature’s balance or anything just showing them my appreciation of them and their survival in the urban plains of Chicago.
Just thought I’d share because they make me smile even though my dog isn’t too happy.
(thatcrowwoman, your little buddies here in Chicago look and sound great… Caw Caw Caw)
P.S. does this mean I’m officially losing it? Am I morphing into crazy “crow-lady” instead of crazy “cat-lady”? (If you have to ask… OMG, I am the crazy crow-lady!)
Thank you for feeding the crows! I think they are just wonderful, too. We didn’t have any down here for several years because of West Nile, but they are making a comeback.
Make sure you say hello to them every time you visit. crows can talk! I had a crow look right at me and say ” hello pretty bird” That was at the Ohio Wildlife Center. some Native Americans believe crows caw the law and are there to keep you on the straight and narrow with regards to the laws of nature.
I love crows. They’re quite fascinating.
I get a flock of 10 – 20 each morning, asking for peanuts. If I sleep in late, they sit in the tree right above my bedroom and caw like crazy until I come out with their food.
My mother once rescued a crow with a broken wing. It lived in a cage in the house for a while until she got tired of cleaning up after him. He barked just the the dog, it was hard to tell them apart. He flew away after his release and was only seen occasionally hanging around looking for food she threw out for the rest of the birds she fed. So your not alone Dreamgirl in the crow department. Truthfully I’d rather feed the crows then feed the trolls. LOL
I adore crows (and ravens). Corvids are SO smart, so friendly, and altogether wonderful. Good on you for feeding them. (Of course, I feed starlings.) Caw! Caw! Caw!!
I was hoping for a link to Bachman’s response to the President’s speech. I didn’t realize it was only on the Internet. I guess the networks decided that Michelle is not ready for prime time.
CNN carried Bachmann’s response. I saw links to it over on Twitter. It’s probably up on their site. There’s a transcript rolling around out there ,too.
It’s much too early in the morning for me to be attempting to digest any Bachmann. I may give it a go later in the day . She gives me the willies.
I posted a link on the last mudflats post late last night/early this morning – well, the link was to an article on HuffPo which had some excerpts of her speech. I agree, though, CNN should have some links. After all, it did carry her speech.
Good fact check and important to be able to refute the lies she spewed out. I expect the Cons will be repeating a lot of this nonsense all over the place.
I got an email today I’d like to share:
Dear [Zyxomma],
For nearly 12 years, Earthjustice and its allies in the Appalachian coalfields have been standing up to save the mountains, streams and communities in Appalachia from the devastation of mountaintop removal mining.
On Jan. 13, 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency made history by announcing its decision to veto the water pollution permit for the largest proposed mine in West Virginia, Arch Coal’s Spruce No. 1 mine. In its announcement, the EPA said that it received a tremendous public outpouring of comments on this decision—50,000 in total—and those comments helped seal the deal for the agency to do the right thing. Earthjustice supporters alone sent 38,000 comments to the EPA.
This is a huge victory for the people and future of Appalachia (hear how the EPA’s decision will impact the people of Appalachia)—and this victory is yours, too!
You stood up for environmental justice, you spoke out for clean water, you rose up for America’s majestic mountains—you made this victory happen.
Thank you so much for taking action. This victory shows that our voices indeed make a difference. If ever you have doubted that your one voice or letter can make a difference, take heart now. Together, we can save mountains.
Sincerely,
Earthjustice
Because the earth needs a good lawyer
P.S. In making this decision, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and her EPA colleagues exhibited courage, dedication and fortitude—and she deserves our thanks. If you can spare a moment, please thank Administrator Jackson for doing the right thing:
http://action.earthjustice.org/site/Advocacypagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=1091&autologin=true#startform
Wow. Wow. Wow.
Just saw where 42 million watched President Obama’s speech last night. Kind of makes the viewership at FOX pretty small, doesn’t it?
On the subject of adorable animals, International Fund for Animal Welfare is rescuing animal victims of the floods in Queensland, Australia. If you can contribute, please visit:
https://www.ifaw.org/ifaw_united_states/donate_now/australia_floods.php?msource=DR110113009#x
Those eyelashes look like they could use some ‘mooscara’. Sorry, couldn’t resist!
The Fix (Washington Post) will not be joining his colleague in Palin-free February.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/eye-on-2012/on-sarah-palin.html#more
The good news is that he promises not to cover every tweet or FB posting but I’m saddened by his praise of the fraud’s star power.
I just saw a promo for Palin’s appearance on Greta tonight over at Gryphen’s. Did she even listen to the speech? She was nasty and angry as always. I guess you really can’t teach an old female dog new tricks.
Looks like my response to you got stuck in moderation, so I’ll try again. Watching that clip, I am comforted that she hasn’t been off learning how to play nice because I think she would be more of a threat if she could do that. I also found the lead-in by the fair & balanced station to be quite biased.
Looks like my response to you got stuck in moderation, so I’ll try again. Watching that clip, I am comforted that she hasn’t been off learning how to play nice because I think she would be more of a threat if she could do that. I also found the lead-in by the fair & balanced station to be quite biased.
Off topic abit, but everyone needs to read Andrew Halcro’s opinion today on his blog….it’s about Sarah Palin. Well thought out and well written as always. I think it should go national.
I agree. It was a great piece.
It was a great piece.
Although to my way of thinking, McCain’s responsible for his fair share. Bless his heart.
Here’s an example of a Death Panel–you know, the one that the GOP supports:
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/01/26/insurance-company-veteran-cents/
I just saw that article and was going to post it here as well. I can’t imagine how anyone could actually defend cancelling that man’s policy for underpaying 2 freakin’ cents!
I hope that SOMEONE can get the company to quickly reinstate his insurance so he can get the treatment he needs.
AKM- please forgive this miserable creature, but I have to ask. Does the Mudflats accept money orders or personal checks? Credit cards and Pay-Pal aren’t really an option for me.
dear miserable creature you can contact akm by e-mail: [email protected].
this way she can contact you privately.
muchas gracias for the info. I’m not normally miserable,only when I channel my inner kung-fu guy.
Andrew Halcro at his stunning best. This is worth reading.
http://www.andrewhalcro.com/who_is_responsible_for_sarah_palin
But we created this mess and have no one to blame but ourselves. We created a politician that was never forced to describe or defend her populist policies. We by default trained Sarah Palin that knowing nothing is as good as knowing something.
_______________________________________________________________________
wow!
A well thought out and presented piece. Thanks for the link. Let’s all send this to Huffpo, Sullivan and who ever else we can think of that will give it some attention.
Sent it to Sully.
I tried but mine bounced back. Thankfully, you’re on the case. I did send it to The Daily Beast and Huffpo so fingers crossed that at least one picks it up.
Brian looks very cute and cuddly, but I’ve been burned before . . . can one of you Alaskans tell this Florida native if moose (mooses?) are hostile? (I don’t expect to run into a moose in Florida, but visiting Alaska is on my bucket list and I’d like to be prepared.)
In return, I will advise that, if you ever visit Florida, do NOT pet the alligators.
LOL. Tallahassee that is one of Brian’s baby girls. she has a twin.
here are pics. AKM took last week. you will love them:
https://themudflats.net/2011/01/17/open-thread-the-twins-return/
Oh . . . My apologies to Brian. (I’m new to this site.)
And thanks for the pictures, bubbles. They ARE cute, but it sounds like it’s best to admire them from a distance.
I’ve got a sister in/on Marco Island. Have you met her yet? just kidding about meeting her. She is there,really. Welcome from overcast Iowa where the state is about 100% white and I’m not talking only population.
Dude, I wish I could afford Marco.
My only experience with Iowa is when we went to Omaha a few years ago to see the Seminoles play in the College World Series. Our plane landed just as the Noles were being eliminated by LSU, so we hit the casinos in (I think) Council Bluffs. I lost some money, but I always do, so I don’t hold a grudge. Hope to make it out there again some day.
Moose are usually quite calm. I’ve had one walk by eight feet away calm as can be, just me and the moose passing on the street. If you know how to read animals you can tell if a moose is calm or edgy,
On the other hand, one of their instinctive reactions to a surprise is to charge, knock you to the ground, then stomp on you until the threat is gone. Moose can be 1400 pounds. They have sharp hooves and they know how to use their weight. This doesn’t happen often, but when it does it’s really serious.
So it is best to admire them from a long way off, or from inside a vehicle.
Thanks for the advice, slipstream. I will add binoculars to the list of things to pack when I come up there.
What a sweet face! Those beautiful eyes!
Comments are priceless.
Meant for OMG @ 18.
Want to thank Zyxomma for the link–I was all over trying to get info. that showed how off the wall Michelle B.’s charts were. I wonder how her people come up with that sh*t? I love crows too. There is a prof at UW that specializes in “crow studies”–emailed him a couple of times, but can’t remember his name (names escape me more and more). Anyway he was nice about answering my questions.
she is adorable. what a gorgeous creature.
Now Bubbles stop that. We haven’t even met and your making me blush. Or were you complimenting the Mooselet?
LOL
I’m surprised some RWNJ hasn’t undertaken to off Brian as a spy for Libs. They can always claim he’s a menace to America and democracy.Hell,they don’t need a reason. Those are lovely lashes and soft,beautiful eyes,all the more reason for a RW death squad to saddle up and mete out justice.
We don’t have crows here in Interior Alaska. I sure do like the ravens. They are so entertaining. Yes, I feed them. Depending on what I put out for them, they either share or it’s Raven Wrestling. One time it was Raven Rugby. Lots of fun to watch. They are so smart. I’ve watched them tease my dog and my cat, swooping them and knowing that the poor land based animal couldn’t possibly do them any harm. Just teasing for the fun of it.
Ravens are in the crow family, Corvidae. They are so smart. Have you seen this?
Crow and Kitten make friends: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JiJzqXxgxo
Nature is so cool.
That moose is so dang cute! I’m sending him/her a big moose smooch. He’s got Bambi eyes, except he’s a moose – not a Disney creation… he’s the real thing. Adorable eyes. Seems young, no?
Can’t deal with rightwing poop-spin today, so I’ll leave those with stronger stomachs or higher callings to sift through the verbal compost of our most unfortunately obtuse politicians.
I love the sweet ears.
Best picture of the day for sure!!!
While Bachmann claims the Tea Party mantle, it sounds like many in the Tea Party beg to differ:
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/01/25/bachmann-speech-criticized/
good one at Lynnrockets, as usual…
http://lynnrockets.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/did-we-just-witness-the-dawning-of-the-age-of-bachmann/
Gosh, that was a good read, and the comments were funny.
One poster reminded us that Michelle was the woman who tried to really lay a big kiss on George W. Bush at one of his SOTU speeches. I’d forgotten about that, but it caused quite a lot of comment back then. I hadn’t made the connection from that incident to her. Wow – she is really a power groupie, isn’t she?
Another poster said she had a Vulcan grip on Dubya’s arm. She’s either a power groupie or very restrained cannibal.
I hope you’ll take a minute to enjoy this clip from Rachel Maddow’s show last night:
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/01/weiner-i-needed-a-drink-after-paul-ryans-speech-video.php?ref=fpb
One of the commentators refers to MB as BatshitBarbie… BwaHAHahahaa, the truth can set one free and apparently also make one LOL!
One commentator calls Michelle Bachman – Batsh*t Barbie… Bwahahahaha…. Spot on.
Rachel is a class act. Thanks for the links.
I really like Weiner! May he live long and prosper and always be involved with the Congress.
I really like him too. In fact I’m jealous of my fellow NYers because they’ve got Weiner but I’m stuck with Chris Lee. Weiner may be a tad abrasive at times, but he’s smart and has all his facts at his fingertips. And he’s not afraid to show his passion for doing the right thing.
Lee has as much personality as a tepid bowl of Cream of Wheat. I sent him an email last week, expressing my disappointment that he voted for repeal of health care reform. I got a response that had all the usual Republican talking points and resorted to the typical fear mongering.
He’s not my representative, either (Carolyn Maloney is fine by me, and authored the credit card bill of rights for us), but next time he’s having a meet-up, I’ll let you know. Go to his Facebook page, and he’ll let you know about it, too.
Unfortunately, I’m on the other end of the state so attending Congressman Weiner’s meet-ups are not an option for me, although I’d love to meet him someday. I do, however, thoroughly enjoy his appearances on Rachel Maddow’s show and the Sunday morning political shows.
Lovely, lovely e-y-e-l-a-s-h-e-s (yes, they’re l-o-n-g) on a beautiful creature. Thanks, AKM.
Moose are such odd, gangly, silly looking ungulates. They seem so harmless, but you don’t want to mess with a Momma Moose. And I’ve had friends die in collisions with them, it seems like a ridiculous notion but they are a cause of death many times over in Alaska.
One moose has enough meat to feed a family for a winter. It takes five caribou to provide the same amount of meat. I prefer caribou, but moose have made a comeback in my region. I’m grateful that our conservation measures worked.
Is anyone watching Flying Wild Alaska? That show has blown SPA out of the water (not that I watched any of her shows) but it has already covered so many salient points about remote, Bush Alaska life.
From the lack of infrastructure to the social ills such as suicide and preventable deaths. It has such a considerate production value, seeking to educate and do the land and people justice – rather than just glorify the host Family themselves. I beg to differ on Discovery’s tag line for them though, they aren’t an ‘unconventional’ family, in fact, they are a normal family in an extraordinary land. And their hearts, god bless them, seem to be in the right place.
I agree. It is a good representation of real life here. The coverage of a suicide was especially raw and really rang true.
Thank you for discussing the show. SP has had me so put off Alaskan reality shows (just watched bits and pieces of it) that I couldn’t bring myself to watch this one. However, thanks to your discussion, I will.
You won’t be sorry ks – it is a visual delight. Our lands, are way of living – so indescribable, now has an easy reference point!
Flying Wild Alaska, that skin care company out of Chevak and maybe Don Rearden’s “The Raven’s Gift” now available on http://www.amazon.ca can slowly undue the damage that quick and easy users like Sarah Palin has inflicted on Alaska’s reputation.
http://alaskadispatch.com/culture/books/8373-the-ravens-gift-details-a-fictional-pandemic-in-rural-alaska-
I’ve been compiling reactions to Obama’s speech on http://politico-junkie.blogspot.com/
If you have some time read through the (rather entertaining) comments on The Economist’s live blog:
http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2011/01/barack_obama
Examples (about Ryan’s speech):
10:40: Despite my inability to get my mind around anything substantive in the speech, on the whole I found Mr Ryan’s easy-going, intelligent recitation of conservative talking points sort of appealing. The man’s a contender.
10:38: There’s a great sitcom waiting to be made starring Paul Ryan and Bobby Jindal aggressively grinning at each other.
10:37: What is this challenge he keeps talking about? And what does the distinction between “spirit of initiative” and “political clout” mean in practice? Does anyone else get the sense that this speech could have been given at any time during the term of any Democratic president after FDR?
10:37: Ryan has carved out a clear ideological difference between Republicans and the president. His speech is clear and vague at the same time, in short, an almost perfect response.
10:36: All joking aside, Mr Ryan is a serious politician, willing to put forward specific proposals. He is the antithesis of Eric Cantor. Unfortunately I think Congress is filled with more Cantors than Ryans.
10:35: Ryan talks sort of like Mr Schuester from “Glee”
10:34: Our government is like a hammock?
10:33: I am sincerely trying to listen to Mr Ryan’s speech so that I can say something semi-intelligent about it, but I am hypnotised by his lilting cadence and handsome bloodshot eyes.
10:32: What in this long laundry list of governing principles does Mr Ryan think Mr Obama disagrees with?
10:32: I can’t add and subtract “principles” Mr Ryan. If you’re going to focus on the budget, give me numbers.
Gee, sounds very similar to this post-speech analysis:
Former half-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) spoke at a California university fundraiser last week, which generated some controversy due to her excessive speaking fees. Now, it appears the event has become controversial for an entirely different reason.
The local Fox affiliate overheard a variety of journalists reflecting on Palin’s remarks on a live mic, with reporters unaware that they were being recorded. The result was some unexpected candor.
“I feel like I just got off a roller coaster, going round and round,” one reporter is heard saying on audio captured by Fox40 News. “S— flying out everywhere.”
“She didn’t finish a statement,” another reporter says.
“Did she make a statement?” another asks, drawing laughs.
“I don’t know how we’re gonna make a story out of that,” a voice is heard saying.
“Now I know that dumbness doesn’t come from just sound bites,” yet another reporter says.
I am shocked and delighted that the MSM has not tried to publicize Palin’s reaction to the SOTU. Now that they have Bachmann to concentrate on, Sarah is yesterday’s news. As long as they have at least one dingbat to draw attention to, I guess they are happy. Sad for intelligent women everywhere.
We are starting early on the “Ignore Palin in February” promotion! LOL! SARAH WHO?
I guess Michelle Bachmann has decided to fill the void in February. She can be our resident crazoid for the month. Honestly, it’s difficult to tell Sarah and Michelle apart – which the vaguely disturbing realization that Michelle might be just a tad bit more looney. That is a feat to be wondered at in and of itself. They are both astonishingly ignorant and considering Bachmann was a tax attorney, you’d expect her to know more, but she doesn’t.
Between Michelle and SP, I think is the more looney of the two. She has a crazy look in her eye. SP seems “calculating” than looney.
Sad that the powers that be that fund these dingbats are giving all women a big shove down from the “glass ceiling’.
Sp, Batsh*t Crazy and Virginia Fox all give women a poor image.
Ah, yes, the infamous Virginia Fox recently described as being the “go-to” person for the insurance industry by a former CEO of major insurer.
And Bachmann is a full on dingbat, so they get their dose of crazy for ratings, AND she is a congresswoman who did not quit, so has more cred than Miss Wasilla.
this is fun
What a wonderful picture! I just want to kiss that great big schnoz! More painting today. The living room is taking 2 coats of paint because I am switching from a flat finish to satin. The satin finish looks cleaner and glows. The color is called picnic sun. It’s a lovely pale yellow and cheers me up. I am itching to get it done and move on to painting the bedroom.
Sounds delightful! Just like you – cheerful and bright.
Awww… shucks. What a lovely thing to say! thank you.
That color is also going to look great next spring and summer when your flowers bloom outside the windows!
A CNN poll shows that the SOTU was viewed favorably by the majority of viewers. However, it’s interesting to note that the majority of viewers were democrats. The country has become so partisan that many will not support nor listen to a president who is not of their party.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/25/cnn-poll-more-than-half-of-speech-watchers-have-very-positive-reaction/
That’s the Bush-Cheney legacy compounded by the McCain-Palin campaign: polarization and the almost complete lack of civility.
er – not to mention the idolization of stark stupidity.
Exactly, check Fox News. I just responded to your question OMG.
Would you add your link please? I actually can deal with Bachmann a little better than hockey mom. I saw Anderson Cooper talking about Bachmann’s history lesson and she is tied at this point.
Umm, well. . . I never listened to the SOTU until this President, actually.
Awwwww……….I just want to nuzzle that muzzle! What a cutie pie!
A wonderful visage to view to start the day. Thanks!
I posted this question on an earlier thread…didn’t FOX uses Palin’s expertise to dissect the speech last night?
It appears that they didn’t. I wonder why? 🙂
Perhaps FOX realized what the rest of has known for quite a while: Palin has little knowledge, let alone expertise. And now that her numbers have fallen, plus her “reality” show exposed her lack of Alaska-ness… enough said. 😉
She will be on Greta. I was looking at Fox News to get an idea of their reponse on the SOTU.
Things have been mighty quiet on the Sarah Palin front. Perhaps she has taken her advisor’s advice and decided to just shut up for awhile. At any rate, it’s been nice and quiet.
However, having said that, the news last night is all atwitter here in Phoenix of a certain truck with Alaskan license plates with the letters T R I P P on them in a driveway in Maricopa, AZ ( a few miles south of town). Perhaps Sarah and family are helping Bristol move in???
She’s waiting to hear from her boss, Lord Voldemort.
Here’s to a Bellatrix Lestrange-free February!
Wow–those are some lovely eyelashes to go with those big brown eyes.
Wonder how the child custody courts feel about snot-nosed-DWTS-loose-morals Bristle taking her son out of Alaska and thumbing her snot-nose at child visitation rights due to Levi.
Hope Levi retains a lawyer who specializes in child custody matters. That child deserves to know his father.
If I remember correctly, the truck with T R I P P plates is Bristol’s. She said she is living in Arizona now. How long until she has to get AZ plates?
She spoke at a fund raising event for a Christian school in Lubbock on Monday. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7396515.html Press not invited. Seems like she could have made it to NY in plenty of time to be right there in the studio with her buds and give her opinions on the SOTU speech.
Did she bring cookies?
Oh my Bob. I have a connection to that place from like a thousand years ago. That is too weird. First Bristol is my virtual neighbor and her mom visits one of my old stomping grounds. Freaky.
Ugh. I can’t imagine anyone would be happy to have that circus moving into their neighborhood.
She was in Waco,TX a few months ago and the press was told they had to buy tickets to cover her. Some newspapers & tv stations balked, said no, they should get in free and didn’t cover her, so she didn’t get much coverage. Palin seldom gets much coverage when she comes to TX but people think otherwise. The press won’t play her game.
I was replying to G Katz about “press not invited.” Sh/h stated that in my comment.
I thought that, too, when I first saw this picture. I also love the knot in the middle of her forehead! LOL… she’s just lovely.
Must
Hug
Thaaat
Mooooooose !
Lovely eyelashes, and what a sweet face.
She is beautiful, AKM.
This Moose-child has the softest, sweetest expression in her eyes. Awe inspiring.
AKM – beautiful photograph, beautiful eyelashes – ooo, those eyes are heartbreakingly lovely.
I have been feeding crows. There I said it, whew. Last year, during my recovery, I happened upon some youtubes about crows and there began my fascination!
I just saw a PBS/Nature program on crows, which was OK, but the comment sections were where the real action and insights were. So I began my courtship of the lovely crow. They apparently love my mid-winter delicacies: raw groundbeef, cooked shortbeef ribs, peanuts and soaked dog kibble (the good kind).
Two stop by every morning at the same time, I say hello, they eye me then fill their beaks and fly off to return later. The last two days, after they leave… about 30 min. later they bring their extended family of around 11 who politely broadcast their arrival then sit patiently in my tree, on my neighbors roof and on my 3rd flr. balcony where I leave the food.
It’s a cool feeling to see them only 3 or 4 feet away and also see them thinking- “So far it seems like we can trust her”. I hope I’m not upsetting nature’s balance or anything just showing them my appreciation of them and their survival in the urban plains of Chicago.
Just thought I’d share because they make me smile even though my dog isn’t too happy.
(thatcrowwoman, your little buddies here in Chicago look and sound great… Caw Caw Caw)
P.S. does this mean I’m officially losing it? Am I morphing into crazy “crow-lady” instead of crazy “cat-lady”? (If you have to ask… OMG, I am the crazy crow-lady!)
Thank you for feeding the crows! I think they are just wonderful, too. We didn’t have any down here for several years because of West Nile, but they are making a comeback.
Make sure you say hello to them every time you visit. crows can talk! I had a crow look right at me and say ” hello pretty bird” That was at the Ohio Wildlife Center. some Native Americans believe crows caw the law and are there to keep you on the straight and narrow with regards to the laws of nature.
I love crows. They’re quite fascinating.
I get a flock of 10 – 20 each morning, asking for peanuts. If I sleep in late, they sit in the tree right above my bedroom and caw like crazy until I come out with their food.
Crows are great!
They’re quite demanding sometimes! They Caw Caw Caw at my dog when she’s on the balcony when I set out the food.
I was surprised to find out the name for a flock of crows is “a murder of crows”. How charming.
My mother once rescued a crow with a broken wing. It lived in a cage in the house for a while until she got tired of cleaning up after him. He barked just the the dog, it was hard to tell them apart. He flew away after his release and was only seen occasionally hanging around looking for food she threw out for the rest of the birds she fed. So your not alone Dreamgirl in the crow department. Truthfully I’d rather feed the crows then feed the trolls. LOL
I adore crows (and ravens). Corvids are SO smart, so friendly, and altogether wonderful. Good on you for feeding them. (Of course, I feed starlings.) Caw! Caw! Caw!!
I was hoping for a link to Bachman’s response to the President’s speech. I didn’t realize it was only on the Internet. I guess the networks decided that Michelle is not ready for prime time.
Look at that sweet, thoughtful expression – how could you possibly think Michelle Bachmann could figure in there?
Here’s a link to the transcript :
http://t.co/noOUCGs
gak
CNN carried Bachmann’s response. I saw links to it over on Twitter. It’s probably up on their site. There’s a transcript rolling around out there ,too.
It’s much too early in the morning for me to be attempting to digest any Bachmann. I may give it a go later in the day . She gives me the willies.
Me, too!
Yes.
Ain’t that the truth! ‘Repeal’ the president, the founders ended slavery, good grief.
I posted a link on the last mudflats post late last night/early this morning – well, the link was to an article on HuffPo which had some excerpts of her speech. I agree, though, CNN should have some links. After all, it did carry her speech.
If you have the stomach:
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/michele-bachmanns-tea-party-response-state
And here’s the fact-checking of the fact-free Bachmann speech:
http://politicalcorrection.org/factcheck/201101250021
Good fact check and important to be able to refute the lies she spewed out. I expect the Cons will be repeating a lot of this nonsense all over the place.
That’s why I love you, Zyxomma. You are right on it!!
I love you, too! {{{{{{{{{{ Gramiam }}}}}}}}}}
It’s been a long since I’ve heard Michelle Bachmann say anything truthful. I think it was last year when she said, “Hi, I’m Michelle Bachmann.”
I highly recommend that everyone look at the link Zyxomma just gave us. It is stunning to see how Bachmann twisted facts and how she outright lied.
Or that it just wasn’t news.
I regret watching it at Crooks & Liars this morning.