February 2009
January 2009
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I’d been weaning off the pain meds but my leg chose today to remind me who’s boss. At least the weather is gorgeous.
air mouse + 24” monitor / stuck in bed with a broken leg = big win (http://tinyurl.com/bapoty)
“I wish I had the balls to first spend six long years madly cheering on an Iraq war that not only reintroduced Sharia law to the streets of Baghdad, but radicalized the entire Islamic world against American influence—and then write a book blaming the spread of fundamentalist Islam on the ignorant consumers of the middle American heartland, who bought too many Hummers and spent too much time shopping for iPods in my wife’s giganto-malls.”
—Taibbi - Flat N All That (via sconover)
OMG burrito nom nom nom
“Told ya so.”
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Tim Burke, chairman of the Hamilton County Democratic Party as well as chairman of the Hamilton County Board of Elections
Only one voter fraud case found | Cincinnati Enquirer | Cincinnati.Com
I welcome the immanent apocalypse! My mom is on Twitter! (Hi @marychaffee!)
“John Mica (R-FL), ranking member of the Tranportation Committee and the House’s leading pro-transit Republican, called this “an amendment we have to support.” The Appropriations committee, he said, “took one of the most important parts out: that’s the rail and transit.” Transit infrastructure creates jobs, he said. “Support the Nadler amendment!”
Transportation Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN) said, “we heard very clearly from the major transit agencies in this counrty. They have options for buses. They have options for railcars that could be exercised within days.” Manufacturers can ramp up production and create jobs all across the county…
Oregon’s Peter DeFazio: “Americans are loving their transit systems to death. There’s $160 billion of deferred maintenance on these systems… there are 10,000 options for new buses, buses made in America. They can’t be executed because our transit systems don’t have the money.” Rep. Gene Green (D-TX), mentioned light rail in Houston. “This bill must be a jobs bill. The [Chicago Transit Authority] head … said she could spend $500 million tomorrow” putting people to work, added Dan Lipinski of Illinois. “Nothing will create more jobs than funding transportation infrastructure,” said Staten Island’s new Congressman, Democrat Michael McMahon.” —Nadler transit amendment passes on voice vote
Transportation Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN) said, “we heard very clearly from the major transit agencies in this counrty. They have options for buses. They have options for railcars that could be exercised within days.” Manufacturers can ramp up production and create jobs all across the county…
Oregon’s Peter DeFazio: “Americans are loving their transit systems to death. There’s $160 billion of deferred maintenance on these systems… there are 10,000 options for new buses, buses made in America. They can’t be executed because our transit systems don’t have the money.” Rep. Gene Green (D-TX), mentioned light rail in Houston. “This bill must be a jobs bill. The [Chicago Transit Authority] head … said she could spend $500 million tomorrow” putting people to work, added Dan Lipinski of Illinois. “Nothing will create more jobs than funding transportation infrastructure,” said Staten Island’s new Congressman, Democrat Michael McMahon.” —Nadler transit amendment passes on voice vote
“Advocates for greater investment in public works projects have expressed disappointment that less than a third of the current proposal — which could be approved by the House on Wednesday — would be spent on infrastructure, and an even smaller part of that would go toward traditional concrete-and-steel projects like roads and transit. … The current stimulus plan is weighted toward tax cuts, aid to the states, and an expanded safety net for people struggling to make ends meet. Much of the infrastructure spending it does contain would be in unusual areas.”
—U.S. Infrastructure Is in Dire Straits, Report Says - NYTimes.com
“There’s one morning call that gives new meaning to talking heads. Politico reveals that “every workday for nearly a generation,” James Carville, Paul Begala, Rahm Emanuel and George Stephanopoulos have a four-way phone confab. “I refer to it as the 17-year-long conference call,” said Emanuel, Obama’s new chief of staff, who calls in at 6 a.m. “You can tap into it anytime you want.” Politico says “Washington’s prevailing political and media interpretation [to the day’s news]—at least on the Democratic side—is being hatched on these calls,” which are constantly ongoing among the four power players. Carville’s wife Mary Matalin said the foursome “talk like they are girls.”
—‘Washington’s Longest-Running Conversation’ - The Daily Beast (via sconover)
playing Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe — great silly fun
Other than “Rear Window,” what movies should I rent for an “I broke my leg” movie night?
“Reflecting the vast diversity of our national media, Richard Cohen now joins fellow Washington Post columnists Ruth Marcus, David Ignatius, David Broder and Fred Hiatt — as well as virtually every other Beltway journalist — in demanding that Bush officials not be prosecuted even if they committed felonies. The only political leaders any of them ever want to see pay a price for wrongdoing are those who get caught in titillating sex scandals (Bill Clinton, Eliot Spitzer) or other fun and tawdry episodes that are easy and entertaining to report (Rod Blagojevich, Duke Cunningham). Actual abuse of power and the commission of true felonies should be ignored and forgotten when committed by the Serious and powerful leaders of the royal court they serve. As usual, the most striking aspect of all of it is how unapologetically eager “journalists” — of all people — are to argue on behalf of the powerful political leaders over whom they actually still claim to serve as “watchdogs.”
—Richard Cohen fulfills the role of the American journalist - Glenn Greenwald - Salon.com
uploading more broken leg pix to http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexchaffee/sets/72157612841983653/ (the pix aren’t broken, the leg is)
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