9.10.2009

At the 5:00 minute mark.



To my progressive friends: STFU! No soup for you!
To my Republican friends: What can I give you?

Am I being a little dramatic? Probably, but I'm getting real tired of the "let's work together" shtick. The Republicans have shown that they are not honest partners and that they have no interest in being such. Quit giving them a place at the table when they have consistently proven that their goal is to set the table on fire. Case in point:


The bottom line is that, once again, this is either brilliant Obama-fu or a capitulation to the shrill minority and the moneyed interests. The brilliant Obama-fu would be that now, the public option, as Obama has said he wants it, becomes almost the default policy. The co-op and the trigger now need to prove they are better options.

Still, I feel like progressives get the short stick again. But maybe that's our role in this administration. We are the midfield playmaker. We make the last pass in the face of a brutal tackle. Yeah, we get the cleats to the ankle, which hurts hella lot, but we make the play that results in the winning goal. I still have faith that Obama is giving us a wink as he throws us under the bus and that the wink means it will be worth it and we will get what we want. Ever the optimist.

Update: Here we go. Maxine Waters floats the bubble - anyone got any better ideas than the Public Option? Damn, I'm good. Now there will be discussion of the co-op and trigger options and it's up to us to eviscerate them as the bad ideas they are. Wonder Blogger Powers, activate: form of a reasoned rebuttal!

9.07.2009

Game On!

Obama at Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Day BBQ, "And I continue to believe that a public option within the basket of insurance choices would help improve quality and bring down costs."
While I'm not as reassured as this, I am much more hopeful than I was a week ago that the Health Insurance Public Option will not be abandoned and that President Obama will fight for it and is actually already pretty confident that it's in the bag, which is especially heartening since it looks like a significant percentage of the public is in favor of it, see here and here.

Of course, what that really means is keep it up, contact your Rep., your Senators and the White House and demand that we get substantial Health Care Reform this year and that it must include a public option. Do it tomorrow, cause this debate is essentially over on Wednesday when Obama gives his Health Care speech.

BTW, full video of the speech can be found here and the Fired Up! story begins around 30:40. I never get tired of hearing it.

8.19.2009

Barney Frank!

I would have gone a step further and asked her to actually explain how health care is like Nazis. The hilarity that would ensue.



Longer version, full of Barney Frank awesome.

8.14.2009

super kitty!

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7.11.2009

View 4

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View 1 from the balcony of hotel. Ocean City, MD.

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7.07.2009

Reload

FreshSnaps has been neglected. In 2007 I posted 280 times, in 2008 110 times and so far in 2009 just 38 times which would put me at a grand total of 74 posts. Pathetic. So, what to do? Earlier this year, or maybe it was last year, I was talking with a friend of mine about FreshSnaps and she asked me what this blog was about, what was its focus. I didn't have an answer because, really, I have always seen it mostly as a vehicle for whatever thing/subject caught my fancy or got me riled up or on which I felt I had some insight. All well and good but I feel that I have too many audiences (in my head, realistically, I think my total returning viewership is somewhere around 10). And sometimes I don't post something because I worry it might offend or bore one of my audiences.

My solution? MORE BLOGS!

Shutter Wide Open - All things photography and especially my photos (no posts yet)
The Rising Fifth Estate - Politics, policy and the media (no posts yet)
Del Ray, Virginia - Local stuff (no posts yet)
Bulging Onion Bag - All things soccer, emphasizing DC United (the class of MLS) and USMNT with occasional forays into Caps hockey. (no posts yet)
The Jester's Knives - the "book" I've abandoned, time to revive it.
Flat Black Ops - a tongue in cheek clearinghouse of conspiracy theories. This is a collaboration with my friend Adam which I abandoned. Shame.
Hakuchis! Let's Go - Peru and things mystical/spiritual with an emphasis on the Andean worldview.
I, for one, welcome our robot overlords - Technology, science, science fiction (no posts yet)
Given That Our Blood Is Just Like The Atlantic - Biology, evolution, environmental science (no posts yet)

And finally, FreshSnaps - the emphasis here will change a little bit, this will become a gateway for the other sites, I'll post links to things I have put up on the other blogs. It will also be a place for quick, observational posts and links to other things that don't need much explanation (think I Can Has Cheezburger)

Pretty ambitious, I know, but I think I can make it work, especially if I start soliciting contributions. And, really, there are a bunch of interesting things I've left out: language and literature, music, art, gardening, biking, travel, pop culture. But those will have to wait for now.

Oh, and why this newfound dedication... Mom, of course. We had a little email exchange this morning that got me fired up to get back into this. Maybe tomorrow I'll post that conversation, I think I had some good insights there.

7.05.2009

Mittens... not meowing or attacking me.

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5.15.2009

Ah, Milady Dame Peggington Noonanshire.

You never fail to disappoint. Idiot. Seriously, I can't ever read her column in its entirety. I end up yelling at my computer. Not necessarily because I disagree with her (although I always do) but because she is so undeservedly smug and so completely clueless.

I've been saying this for years.

China's economic juggernaut is built on a house of cards or more specifically a house of dirty carbon emissions. A house that is very soon going to crumble like a, well, like a house of cards. The only thing that is going to save the Chinese economy (and it might just be enough) is calling in all of the American debt they own.

4.26.2009

Suck on that, NYC!!

DC teams went 3-0 against NYC teams.

DC United comes from behind to tie in the last minute and then win in injury time. VAMOS UNITED!

The Caps dominated the Rangers in game 6 of the series to tie it and force a winner take all game 7.

And finally, the lowly, woeful Nats beat the Mets.

Good day for DC teams.

4.17.2009

Milady Peggington Noonanshire!

Peggy Noonan - former speechwriter for Ronnie Raygun and G. H. W. "Read my lips" Bush, current columnist for the Wall Street Journal whose entire shtick is breathless wonder of the little people. Her "ouvre" is released on Fridays and as usual Wonkette is there with the scathing, hilarious review.

4.08.2009

For F%#$s sake...

DC United stadium deal in PG County is officially dead. NoVA United here we come... or at this rate, St. Louis United.

4.07.2009

Today was a good day.

Civil Rights in my time

First, there was Majority Leader of the Iowa Senate explaining why he would not co-sponsor a bill to amend Iowa's constitution to ban gay marriage (in case you missed it, on Friday, the Iowa Supreme Court emphatically ruled that the state gay marriage ban was unconstitutional).

Then, there was the news that Vermont became the 4th state to recognize gay marriage and the 1st to do so legislatively.

Finally, there was the news that the DC city council approved a measure to recognize gay marriages from other states.

Senator Franken
Norm Coleman (political career: Democratic mayor of St. Paul - 1993, Republican Mayor of St. Paul - 1997, beat Walter Mondale by ~3% after the great Paul Wellstone was killed in a plane crash 11 days before the election to become Senator - 2002) had his last best hope backfire when the last outstanding ballots netted almost 100 more votes for Al Franken. The only thing Norm has left is an appeal to the MN Supreme Court which is not likely to rule in his favor. Yay! Welcome Senator Franken!

Pus Limpbough gets pwned
Next up, lickspittle Rush Limbaugh gets pwned by Marty McFly (around 5:50 of video) and then by a Republican caller to his Hour of Hate (I love how at the end of this exchange, after Pus has hung up on the caller, he basically says, 'That guy said torture was wrong, he definitely wasn't a Republican.' Good job, Pus, that will bring everyone flocking back to the Republican party).

Biden off the leash
It sounds like Biden was given the go ahead to go after Darth Cheney and he didn't disappoint, "...but [Cheney] is dead wrong."

On a more somber note
The right wing echo machine is finally getting some scrutiny in the corporate media following the spate of politically motivated shootings here and here.

Speaking of the media
Maybe they are coming around to the idea that the failed policies of the previous administration are at least partially their fault. The Washington Post discredits one of its own op-ed writers (dumbass George Will) in a story about climate change (although I think it's telling that the bloggers STILL had to correct some errors by the "reporters"). Also, the WSJ pointed out that, hmm, it seems that the current economic collapse was at least partially caused by Bush's tax cuts for the rich. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, people!

So refreshing!
And finally, I've been looking at pics of Obama's European trip and surprise visit to Iraq. The troops seem to like him.

Oh yeah
In case you missed it, the same Spanish judge who brought Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet to justice is looking into charging 6 former Bush administration officials with war crimes.

3.25.2009

WTF! The stupid burns on so many levels

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Spring cleaning at work

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2.22.2009

Guiness pre fish and chips

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2.16.2009

birthday pic

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2.14.2009

Gen X: The pastrami in the sandwich

Look, let me start out by acknowledging a few problems with what is to follow:

1)I have done little to no research for this piece. So, what follows should be taken with a grain of salt and with the understanding that this is currently mostly an opinion piece
2)There is disagreement on the very definition of Gen X. Specifically, what years constitute Gen X, Baby Boomers and Millenials. Therefore, it is difficult to definitively assign data to one generation or another. There is overlap.
3)Generations do not have a spokesperson, in other words, there are no statements that one could point to and say this is what this generation has agreed on.
4)The 3 generations in question have influenced and continue to influence events as they happen.
5)I am of Gen X, I am biased.

So, given those caveats, here are my basic premises:

1)The current state of technological advance, specifically computers and the Internet, exists solely because of Gen X and these technological advances wield exceptional influence.
2)Racism, sexism, sexual orientation discrimination still very much exist, but Gen X is responsible for at least starting the endgame of making these criteria of evaluation irrelevant.
3)For better and worse, Gen X is responsible for the current state of entertainment (music, books, movies). Entertainment is more than entertainment, it is both a window onto how we view the world and a driver of how we react to the world.
4)Despite the media and despite corporate mouthpiece dissension, climate change is known to be a problem and despite their obstruction, it will be fixed.
5)Depending on which dates you use (see #2 in the problems section) America has just elected the first Gen X president. I believe Obama is a good representation of us. The Baby Boomers are not going to fade quietly but he embodies the direction we will go from this point onward.

I plan to address each of these in more detail and will probably come up with more topics along the way but I want to lay the foundation of the discussion with these observations. Gen X begins any conversation with a chip on each shoulder, on the left shoulder is the Baby Boomers and on the right is The Millenials. With, say, 75 million in each, individually they dwarf the roughly 45 million Gen Xers. Yet, Gen X exerts disproportion influence on the other generations. Gen X is the pastrami in the sandwich, the other two are just bread. Thick, flavorfully influential pieces of bread, no doubt, but Gen X makes the sandwich. In the next installment I'll try to begin to prove these claims.

2.13.2009

ESPN, what do you think, maybe a little promotion?

Wednesday's most watched program by men ages 18-49 in some of the largest markets? That's right, the USA-Mexico World Cup qualifying match. Hmm, men 18-49, that's a pretty lucrative demographic, right?

:(

Hopefully, this is just an attempt to pressure the DC government into action, if not DC United is moving to PG County. That makes me sad because I will be going to far fewer games. For two reasons, logistically it would make the commute time an hour to an hour and a half. The other reason is more emotional, I want DC United to play in DC. C'mon, Mayor Fenty make good on your promise to give us a stadium.

2.10.2009

2.06.2009

Ronnie Raygun's birthday

It still amazes me that Chimpy was able to make me detest him more than I detested Reagan. But he really put in the effort and poor Ronnie, whose birthday is today, has been bumped down to #2 on my Most Detestable President/Person List. Happy Birthday, loser!

Teacher in Texas fired for being an atheist

That's right, a teacher was fired for being an atheist. And supposedly christians are the ones who are being persecuted? pshht. I'm pretty sure it is illegal to fire someone for their religious views and, yes, that includes the lack thereof.

2.05.2009

More Hammer

In a bid to communicate directly to the American people, President Obama (still feels good to write that) published an op-ed in the Washington Post.

Here's the first line, "By now, it's clear to everyone that we have inherited an economic crisis as deep and dire as any since the days of the Great Depression." BAM! Hammer blow to the Bush FAIL administration.

Further on, "In recent days, there have been misguided criticisms of this plan that echo the failed theories that helped lead us into this crisis -- the notion that tax cuts alone will solve all our problems; that we can meet our enormous tests with half-steps and piecemeal measures; that we can ignore fundamental challenges such as energy independence and the high cost of health care and still expect our economy and our country to thrive." BAM! Hammer blow to the fiscal conservatives who say we can pull out of this with tax cuts and smaller government.

Then, "I reject these theories, and so did the American people when they went to the polls in November and voted resoundingly for change." BAM! Hammer blow to those who think they can ignore the president's mandate. Obama: "I won."

Lastly, "The writer is president of the United States." BAM! BAM!



BAM!

1.30.2009

Son of a...

Poplar Point is dead again. How is it that DC government falls all over itself to build a baseball (possibly the most boring sport in existence) stadium with taxpayer money and can't even let someone else build a stadium for a team that has won more championships than all the other DC teams combined.*

*This may not technically be true. The Redskins won 3 (1982,1987,1991), the Bullets (now the Wizards) won 1 (1977), and the Senators (now the Minnesota Twins) won 1 (1924). DC United has 4 MLS Cups (1996,1997,1999,2004), 2 US Open Cups (1996, 2008), 1 CONCACAF Champions' Cup (1998) and 1 InterAmerican Cup (1998).

History Lesson

Obama doesn't play that game. Here comes the hammer.

After giving concessions to Republicans in the form of tax cuts (which DO NOT WORK as advertised if the current economic situation is any indication) in the Stimulus Bill, ALL of the House Republicans voted against it. And now the Obama Administration has said they will release job figures state by state. What these numbers will most likely show is that A) job loss disproportionately affects Republican states and B) that by voting against the Stimulus Bill House Republicans voted against their constituent's best interests. This is what America has needed to do for years, expose the mendacity of Republicans. Go get'em.

On a related note, Americans United for Change is releasing a couple harder hitting ads about the same issue but they are tying House Republicans to Rush Limbaugh and his "I hope Obama fails" comment.

Also, clammyc over at Daily Kos has a diary listing (which you should really go read) what Republicans have voted against, here it is:

* An increase in the maximum benefit under the former food stamp program (now called the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program or SNAP);
* An expansion of broadband internet access to rural areas of America;
* Programs to improve infrastructure and develop rural communities;
* Improvements to the criminal justice system;
* funding for science and technology research;
* Funding for the Community Oriented Policing Services;
* Funding to repair, maintain and renovate the Department of Defense (DoD) facilities;
* Energy efficiency projects and modernization of heating/cooling and electrical systems at the DoD;
* Improving Army barracks;
* Energy related research and development (renewable energy programs and expansion of existing weatherization activites);
* Funding for the Army Corps of Engineers (remember the levees in New Orleans that weren’t funded?;
* Modernization of the nation’s electrical grid;
* Construction and repair of Federal facilities;
* Funding for clean water programs and water infrastructure projects;
* Capital improvements and maintenance for Forest Service and National Park Service, the Superfund program and wildland fire management;
* Funding for the Department of Health and Human Services;
* Funding for labor and employment training programs/Department of Labor;
* Renovations to elementary and secondary schools;
* Pell Grants and other student financial assistance;
* Educational programs aimed at elementary and secondary education;
* Defense construction projects – including hospitals, barracks and day care centers;
* Funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to be used on maintaining VA medical facilities and cemeteries;
* Funding for Information Technology projects at the State Department;
* Funding for highway construction;
* Funding for housing assistance programs administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development;
* Grants to states and cities for community development;
* Refundable tax credits for middle and lower income families;
* Increase tax credit for higher education;
* Extension of tax credit for renewable energy production;
* Increase the earned income tax credit for lower income families with three or more qualifying children;
* Increased funding for emergency unemployment benefits for those who exhaust the amount of benefits they collect;
* Temporary increase in amount of unemployment benefits;
* Assistance to states for spending on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program;
* Extension of Medicaid coverage to certain unemployed workers;
* Assistance with COBRA premium payments for certain unemployed workers; and
* Incentives for health care providers to use "health information technology" which would reduce health care costs for providers and lower premiums.

Frost on ice

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Ice on grass

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Morning ice.

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1.27.2009

Mark my words

Beckham is gone.

And another article. The only thing the LA Galaxy has to keep Beckham there is LA and, honestly I think Milan can hold its own in that contest.