Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

She burned that motherfucker down, and I am so here for it. Thank you, Caroline Kennedy.

Fundamental belief of white supremacy: white people are presumed innocent, minorities are presumed guilty.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Celebrate the fucking wins.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

This chaos was totally avoidable.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it is not glory.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

He really is that stupid.

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

I swear, each month of 2025 will have its own history degree.

Washington Post Catch and Kill, not noticeably better than the Enquirer’s.

People are complicated. Love is not.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

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155Comments

  3. 3.

    gizmo

    Football? While the PGA golf championship is being played as we speak? Get your priorities in order….

  6. 6.

    geg6

    Happy day! Stillers! Going to the game tonight to see how the scrubs look. Traffic should be horrible with the game, a Keith Urban concert at the Arena, and Netroots Nation opening with the Big Dog tonight. I’ll be at NN all day tomorrow. If anyone is interested, I’ll let you know what it’s like. I’ll be there for the Specter/Sestak showdown but not sure which other sessions I’ll catch. I plan to head to Station Square later tomorrow night where the pitiful wingnut copycat NN is being held simultaneously. We plan to taunt them unmercifully.

  7. 7.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    “think happy thoughts”

    Okay. . . there’s a strong possibility that the state of Michigan won’t arbitrarily decide to deny me my unemployment payment next week! and. . .

  8. 8.

    Apsaras

    Glenn Beck would tell you that the black kitten is looking at that water and thinking “Aw, yiss. Reparations”

  9. 9.

    lawnorder

    My first kid took 36 hours but most of those were spent waiting on the doc deciding to induce it or not. Is not that bad if you get good anesthesia though it wears off after a few hours. Just boring and hard to wait patiently.

    I’m told I almost smashed my husband’s hand telling him to get that %^&^% anesthetist here NOW in one of those times were it wore off :p

  10. 10.

    Violet

    Oh, my goodness, those two kittens are so sweet they make my teeth hurt! Sending good luck to Krista and hope that she’ll have her new baby soon.

    It’s raining here. This is a very good thing. Second day in a row. Modern day record.

  11. 11.

    Robertdsc-iphone

    Fuck bipartisanship. Fuck the lying shitbag GOP. Fuck Rahm. Fuck our weaksauce appeaser of a President.

    Failure we can believe in.

  13. 13.

    EthylEster

    A happy thought for Krista at this point would be something along the lines of “Let it be over.”

  16. 16.

    geg6

    Oh, and I forgot to say that I hope Krista has her little bundle of joy soon! Poor thing. I can’t imagine. And we have one of the many reasons I never had any. I would want me some Michael Jackson level anesthetics. And they really don’t do that any more, I’m told. Not even for caesarians. Barbaric!

  18. 18.

    geg6

    Fern: But I’d be concious! Concious would not be a very good idea, IMHO. Not for me. Not a concern for me at this point in my life, though. Too late, thankfully.

  19. 19.

    YellowJournalism

    My first was 18 hours. I had one of those wonderful, wonderful epidurals, but it made my lips so dry. I know now for this second one to stock up on chapstick and some magazines for the downtime.

  20. 20.

    Xel

    “According to Redkitten’s (aka Krista) facebook page, an hour ago she was still in labor.”

    Man whaaaaat?

    As for health-care reform: the blue dogs know they will have to vote for a bill when it comes through, seeing as 2010 would be a repeat of 1994 otherwise, and they’ll be the first ones to go. So instead of trying to act as if only a small minority of the anti-reform crowd are worthy of being challenged, why not make sure that every senator and representative are aware of the fact that their careers will be righteously destroyed at the first opportunity if they pay the villagers any respect?

    The whiny tics of nervosa you see in some independents will *not* be reflected in any punishment for the democrats in the midterms if reform passes (which it most likely will).

    Failure to reform will harm all democrats (the blue dogs will be the first ones out) and will be a testament to the failure of American meritocracy.

    You need to make sure that after the recess, the DNC feels indifference and contempt towards the sad little lady who wept about her country being taken from her. Only her vote in the midterms counts, and if reform passes all her tantrums were for naught. Please, I’m begging you in the name of all that is still good – get reform, take the first step in helping out your trouble families and humiliate the white trash for us in Europe who support your struggle.

  22. 22.

    gypsy howell

    True story:

    With kid #1, after my husband made a huge scene about getting me my epidural RIGHT GODDAMN NOW, my (male) ob/gyn sat at the end of my bed, patted my husband’s hand and said, “Now, now, labor is a very painful thing.”

    At which point I shot up in bed and screamed “What the FUCK do YOU know about it?”

    Epidural administered immediately.

    ….

    Good luck Krista!

  27. 27.

    R-Jud

    21 hours of labor on nitrous oxide only (which was actually fun) to 8 cm. Then it stalled, so they jacked me up with hormones to hurry things along, which got hugely painful, which led to an epidural, after which the baby freaked out and then blam! C-section with general anasthesia.

    I am reasonably sure this kid we brought home is mine, as she often makes this profound, pondersome expression that looks just like me.

    Unfortunately she usually makes it just before pooping.

    Anywho, fingers crossed for Krista, Mr. Krista, and the nipper.

  28. 28.

    jlo

    That damn slow poke Candian Socialized Health Care system still won’t let the baby out, eh?

  29. 29.

    jlo

    That damn slow poke Canadian Socialized Health Care system still won’t let the baby out, eh?

  30. 30.

    donovong

    @lawnorder: That sounds an AWFUL lot like our two experiences – especially the punishment that was meted out from my wife upon my hands for having gotten her into the situation.

    Thinking good thoughts for Krista (and staying the hell away from her!)

  31. 31.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    @geg6: I always said that until they fit me with a zipper aint going to happen. That and a child birth video I was shown as a teenager in the 70s, decided then dogs and cats would it be it. (Much to my Mother’s chagrine)

  34. 34.

    JGabriel

    According to Redkitten’s (aka Krista) facebook page, an hour ago she was still in labor.

    Poor Krista. And poor baby – that child will, for the next two decades, suffer the anger of someone put through more than 24 hours of labor.

    Ouch.

    .

  35. 35.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    @JGabriel: Hey my mother was in labor for a WEEK and I turned out okay (I think) I was also a month late and all my skin and fingernails were falling off, my Mum also had a heart attack during labor, that is the reason there is only one of me, there was no way in hell she was gonna do that shit again.

  36. 36.

    pcbedamned

    Was just checking in to see if our newest baby Canuck was here…
    Not sure where she is in NS, but I bet she’s glad she’s not here in Ontario where it’s after 6:30pm and still a crazy 27*C with a humidex of 34*C (sorry, we’re metric and I don’t know what that is in *F without looking it up…)
    Here’s hoping she is enjoying an epidural, and whatever crap passed for T.V. :-)

  37. 37.

    Jason Bylinowski

    Picture is so cute that brain has lost ability to form articles.

    —

    & Good luck to Krista from me as well. My second child was a real tough experience because my wife had a fibroid tumor and it basically ruptured (or whatever) during delivery and led to her having a long and slow recovery. Of course, we were well-prepared for that possibility, so at least it wasn’t a surprise, and thus I’m sure that Krista will be much better off in the long run. Fingers crossed.

    —

    Since John’s doing an open thread right now, I have a question: is there anywhere on the net (e.g. a forum, blog, etc) to really have a political dialogue/discusison/debate? You know, a blog or something that has just as many on the right as it does on the left. Because one thing I’m noticing as I delve deeper into the whole blog scene is that everywhere you go, you get these little compartments of people. And nothing against that either (I love places like BJ and Wonkette specifically because of the partisanship on display, as well as the intelligent & effing hilarious commentary)…..but doesn’t it seem like we’re missing out on things by simply listening to the preacher, no matter how good that preacher might be? Last week has taught me a hard lesson about how extremely divided the populace is, and although it didn’t really surprise me, it did make me want to reach out to some of these people who are having (what is in my view) a problem perceiving reality. I’m sure that sounded really crappy & elitist, but that’s not how I mean it.

    One of the coolest things I ever did in my life happened when I was 15 or so; my local Catholic church in Griffin Georgia put on a roundtable discussion and invited the entire town to discuss some of the issues that were going on (we had a spat of race relations issues that were actually making a lot of people very nervous); anyway, I could write a book on it and something tells me no-one feels like reading my book right now, but what followed that weekend was a really great series of conversations with people from all the various churches in town, some of whom were not exactly famous for their excitement about Catholics. I learned some stuff about Evangelicals & Black Holiness folks, and they learned a lot of stuff about us Catholics. Of course it was just a small sampling of the population but it felt awesome to be a part of such a group. I’d like to do something like that again, and the net would be the perfect place to do it.

  38. 38.

    Indylib

    @geg6: Nope, no feel happy drugs for C-sections, though I have to say the no-pain drugs were pretty welcome. I don’t want to contemplate anything that resembles “natural” C-sections. I had drugs during both of my non-c-section deliveries, alas, they were also not of the feel good variety.

    Good wishes, Krista, hope things are speeding up for you!

  39. 39.

    Xel

    http://www.poligazette.com

    Might serve you. Michael van der Galien is just dull and there are some quite unimpressive cons writing there as well, but Jason Arvak is a good if tendentious person and writer.

    The Moderate Voice is also a good spot.

    Furthermore, a good idea is to check out forums that cater to a non-political yet well-educated crowd and then see if their forum has a specific, political subsection.

  40. 40.

    demkat620

    Oh, no baby yet? Oh poor Krista! I hope they have good epidurals up there in that sock- alistic Canada.

  41. 41.

    Demo Woman

    If they started labor this morning, Kitten might not have to do the 21 hours that RJud did. Hopefully she’s just hugging her baby and ignoring the internet aunts and uncles.
    I did see this in the LATimes and did feel a tad slighted.

    Chief Executive Evan Williams and his wife, Sara, just had their first baby, an event shared with more than 16,000 of her Twitter followers from the time her water broke to baby’s first diaper.

  43. 43.

    General Winfield Stuck

    @Jason Bylinowski:

    Since John’s doing an open thread right now, I have a question: is there anywhere on the net (e.g. a forum, blog, etc) to really have a political dialogue/discusison/debate?

    Where are the Dodo’s, Passenger Pidgeons and the Tasmanian Tiger? Long time passing – Long time ago.

  44. 44.

    debbie

    FWIW, I got this message when I tried to access this site a couple of minutes ago:

    “Not Found

    Sorry, but you are looking for something that isn’t here.”

    Cute wording.

  45. 45.

    Demo Woman

    @Jason Bylinowski: Last week taught me how The Big Lie can take control of the message. It’s hard to prove a lie that’s so big because everyone including Fox told them it was true.
    I can’t even imaging the civil rights laws passing under these circumstances.

  46. 46.

    amorphous

    O hay guyz did you know the Preznit is saying more words at town halls than the public, i.e. town halls are a failure. Thanks, Fox News, for that amazing piece.

  47. 47.

    The next-to-last samurai

    Good luck Krista. I had a caesarean in 1979. Couldn’t get anyone to bring me the baby when I woke up, so after about 8 hours of repeated requests, I went down the hall to the nursery, trundling my iv stand with me. The caesarean was not nearly as bad as when my wisdom tooth was infected.

  50. 50.

    Persia

    @gypsy howell: To be fair, though, if RedKitten had gotten an epidural right away it might have worn off by now. I decided I was more afraid of it wearing off than the pain.

  51. 51.

    donovong

    @Jason Bylinowski:

    I used to live in Fayetteville, so I suspect I know what kind of issues came up! But, as much as I love your idea, I don’t have a lot of faith that it could be pulled off right now. Just too much angst out there.

  54. 54.

    harlana pepper

    1. Thanks for the update on Krista
    2. Thanks for the squee-worthy kitten pics

    3. Can we start a thread entitled: Chuck Grassley is a Slimy Lying-Ass Old Dick? I see he had a town hall meeting yesterday. Maybe the liberal left in IA should organize and shout his ass down at the next town hall about his fucking over Obama with his sleazy “death bill” comments. As I have always said, fuck bipartisanship.

  57. 57.

    JWW

    Hello John,

    I know you did your best. But as always, it is the same effort you apply to making America a better place.
    That being none!!!

    I thank you for the invite back to the website. You are a very kind person.

  58. 58.

    The Other Steve

    Apparently the Socialized Medicine in Canada has put her on a waiting list. The next obgyn will be available in 7 days.

  60. 60.

    gypsy howell

    @Persia:

    I was lucky. Kid #1 was born 35 minutes after the epidural. Kid #2 was born after 90 minutes of labor – almost didn’t get to the hospital.

    @John Cole:

    Doesn’t matter how they come out, as long as they do! Kids are great. Mostly.

  64. 64.

    harlana pepper

    Like I said, can we start a thread entitled: Chuck Grassley is a Slimy Lying-Ass Old Dick?

  65. 65.

    harlana pepper

    Like I said, can we start a thread entitled: Chuck Grassley is a Slimy Lying-Ass Old Dick?

  66. 66.

    Demo Woman

    @John Cole: Thanks John, I’m sure that she and baby will be fine but my thoughts are with her.
    RJud, if you are here, how long will it take before we hear from Krista.

  68. 68.

    robertdsc

    According to facebook, Krista is having a c-section in 45 minutes.

    Good luck, Krista!

    My sister went through the same thing, though her labor period was less than 24 hours. The doctors wound up having to cut her open and bring my nephew into the world. He’s now a little over a year old and is so wonderful.

  69. 69.

    Tax Analyst

    @ gnomedad – thanks for the link to “catsinsinks.com” site – that was a lot of fun to check out. Tons of adorably cute/funny, etc., pix. I must have checked out 100 or more…on my own time, too, since I clocked out half and hour ago.

  70. 70.

    JK

    Daily Howler and All Around Douchebag Bob Somerby goes off on Lawrence O’Donnell for his interview with Katy Abram
    http://www.dailyhowler.com/dh081309.shtml

    @harlana pepper: Don’t forget all the other Slimy Lying Ass Dicks like Glenn Beck, Glenn Instascumbag Reynolds, Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Lou Dobbs, Sean Hannity, John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, Eric Cantor, Michael Steele, and Newt Gingrich.

  71. 71.

    Warren Terra

    Very good James Fallows post just up; it’s hard to excerpt a couple of sections to convey the post, but it’s about Betsy McCaughey’s having lied to kill the Clinton health care plan twenty years ago, how Fallows confidently predicted that today’s faster, more diverse media environment would defuse those tactics – and how he’s discovered that lying still seems to work.

  72. 72.

    Demo Woman

    John forgot to mention that the Patriots are playing the Eagles. Both games are one ATDHE.net

  76. 76.

    Keith G

    Best hopes for Redkitten. Trying to imagine what the world will be like when Littlekitten turns 18.

    Sigh.

  77. 77.

    Corner Stone

    @demkat620: Nothing wrong with a C section, that’s how my son came into this world. I recorded the whole thing and she was conscious and in good spirits. The Dr. took us all through a tour of her lady bits.
    (As he lays her ovaries on her tummy) “And these are her ovaries”
    It’s a really fantastic experience. I recorded it all and went with him as they put the oxygen bubble on and tried to force the fluid out of his lungs.
    IOW – greatest day of my life. Good luck kiddo.

  79. 79.

    Betsy

    Poor Krista!!! I had two friends who had 20- and 24-hour labors last summer, both with giant babies (9-10 lbs). No fun.

    Anyway, thinking good thoughts for a healthy baby and swift healing for her.

  81. 81.

    Betsy

    @Corner Stone:
    I think demkat was just thinking that if the baby was going to be delivered by c-section, it seems like a pity that she had to go through 24 hours of labor to get there.

    And the only thing wrong with a c-section from my perspective is that it often (usually?) takes women longer to recover from them than from vaginal delivery. But whatever results in a healthy happy family is a-ok.

  82. 82.

    The Other Steve

    Ok, we’re starting a new email… Here is what someone else wrote:

    Joe gets up at 6:00am to prepare his morning coffee. He fills his pot full of good clean drinking water because some liberal fought for minimum water quality standards. He takes his daily medication with his first swallow of coffee. His medications are safe to take because some liberal fought to insure their safety and work as advertised.
    All but $10.00 of his medications are paid for by his employers medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance, now Joe gets it too. He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs this day. Joe’s bacon is safe to eat because some liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.
    Joe takes his morning shower reaching for his shampoo; His bottle is properly labeled with every ingredient and the amount of its contents because some liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained. Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some tree hugging liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air. He walks to the subway station for his government subsidized ride to work; it saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees. You see, some liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.
    Joe begins his work day; he has a good job with excellent pay, medicals benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe’s employer pays these standards because Joe’s employer doesn’t want his employees to call the union. If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed he’ll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some liberal didn’t think he should loose his home because of his temporary misfortune.
    Its noon time, Joe needs to make a Bank Deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe’s deposit is federally insured by the FDIC because some liberal wanted to protect Joe’s money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the depression.
    Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae underwritten Mortgage and his below market federal student loan because some stupid liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his life-time.
    Joe is home from work, he plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive to dads; his car is among the safest in the world because some liberal fought for car safety standards. He arrives at his boyhood home. He was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers Home Administration because bankers didn’t want to make rural loans. The house didn’t have electric until some big government liberal stuck his nose where it didn’t belong and demanded rural electrification. (Those rural Republican’s would still be sitting in the dark)
    He is happy to see his dad who is now retired. His dad lives on Social Security and his union pension because some liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn’t have to. After his visit with dad he gets back in his car for the ride home.
    He turns on a radio talk show, the host’s keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. (He doesn’t tell Joe that his beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day) Joe agrees, “We don’t need those big government liberals ruining our lives; after all, I’m a self made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have”.

    I think we can add to it. For instance the radio show is only possible because of the FCC which was created in 1934 by FDR. :-)

  83. 83.

    JK

    @Warren Terra:

    I think Mark Twain once said that a lie can travel half way around the world before truth can get its boots on. Betsy McCaughey, Chuck Grassley, Newt Gingrich, and Sarah Palin need to be exposed for the rotten lying assholes they are.

  84. 84.

    demimondian

    @Betsy: The reason it takes so long is that there are a number of risks associated with a caesarian which are avoided with a vaginal delivery. Really, it’s much better for the mother to not be peeled open like a bag to pull the baby out, epidural or no. Good obgyns give every chance for things to progress without intervention.

  87. 87.

    shelley matheis

    Good thoughts to Krista. God, can’t imagine.

    My entry into the world.
    My mon’s water had broke and her OB told her to get to the hospital. He checked her and said she had a long ways to go. 20 minutes later I was born. No contractions, no pain-she said she just had an urge to push.
    All the times when I was thinking about having kids (and childbirth) I prayed that a 20 minute labor was hereditary.

  88. 88.

    South of I-10

    Best of luck to Krista! My doc told me they won’t let you go more than 24 hrs atter your water has broken, due to risk of infection. I had a section, it’s not so bad, all that matters is that everyone is healthy and happy at the end.

  89. 89.

    Corner Stone

    @Betsy: Understood, thanks. However, I see a lot of auto-face-wincing when the phrase C section is used. I’ve never had a baby, au natural or otherwise, but it worked out that one time I needed it to.

  90. 90.

    lamh31

    Here’s a good story to end another day of healthcare liks by the GOP:
    Budding broadcaster Damon Weaver finally snags interview with Obama

    He did it. He finally did it.
    Damon Weaver, Canal Point’s tiny broadcaster, has become the youngest reporter ever to interview President Barack Obama.Weaver, 11, interviewed Obama for about an hour today in the White House Diplomatic Room. Damon asked 12 questions focusing on education, community safety and reducing violence in urban areas.

    Then he got to take some photos with the president, Brian Zimmerman, his broadcasting teacher, and his mother.The White House also has arranged for Weaver to do a news conference on the South Lawn of the White House Friday morning. Damon will be fielding questions from the Today Show, Good Morning America and The Early Show and later with other network reporters.

    Weaver, who gained national attention doing interviews on the campaigns trail, had been trying to interview Obama since he visited Washington, D.C. for the inauguration… In June, Weaver won top honors in the elementary news division of an international film festival for a video of interviewing then Vice-Presidential candidate Joe. As the loquacious Biden rambled on about the role of the vice president, Damon’s tired arm holding the microphone began to droop

  91. 91.

    Corner Stone

    @demimondian: Yeah, she went in about 3 weeks premie due to high blood pressure no matter how she laid down. The Doc took a couple looks and said, you’re not going anywhere, that baby is coming out. Scheduled a C for the next morn and voila! Greatest video never uploaded to YouTube.

  92. 92.

    JWW

    John,

    I will refrain from the personal attacks on Doug and youself, I will direct all comments toward the individual post in itself.

    Though you show your true colors, I will no longer feel obligated too attack them.

    The key for you is being objective.

    I do have the ultimate respect in your care for homeless animals. It is also my greatest passion.

  93. 93.

    Corner Stone

    Not Found
    Sorry, but you are looking for something that isn’t here.

    I was looking for love in all the wrong places
    Looking for love in too many faces
    Searching your eyes, looking for traces

  95. 95.

    Zuzu's Petals

    @South of I-10:

    Well, my daughter-in-law delivered 58 hours after her water broke. Though she was closely monitored the whole time.

    First she was going to do hypno-birthing in a water tub. Once the IV went in, the tub went away. By about the second day she was done with the hypno-birthing. My granddaughter was welcomed by one of the most bloodcurdling screams I’ve ever heard.

    This all took place in a top-notch teaching hospital, where she was attended only by nurse midwives. Though the operating room was next door and the baby could be out in 7 minutes, they bragged about the fact that an MD would scoot you right into surgery while a midwife would help you stick it out.

    She thinks she might go with an MD next time. If there is a next time.

  96. 96.

    HRA

    Hoping it’s all over for Krista and all is fine with her and the baby.

    Over in another subject and thread Gov. Patrson of NY was mentioned as being in trouble for the next election. I received this today. Any thoughts on it would be welcomed.

    > Dear Friend,
    >
    > Here’s a perfect example of what’s wrong with state government:
    >
    > On Tuesday, the Governor authorized a new grant program giving $200 to
    > welfare recipients for each child they have so they can purchase school
    > supplies. He calls it a “Back-to-School Supplement.”
    >
    > However, there is absolutely no accountability whatsoever with this
    > giveaway program! Recipients can take the money out of an ATM with a
    > special debit card, and there is no way to monitor how this money is
    > being spent. It’s free money, and right now they are lining up by the
    > thousands in New York City, waiting in line at banks and ATMs for hours
    > to make their withdrawals.
    >
    > The program doesn’t require that kids be attending school; they could
    > have dropped out and parents would still get the money for ‘school
    > supplies.’ Furthermore, people who are not complying with requirements to
    > find work will still get the cash. And again, being able to take the
    > money out of an ATM means the money can and will be spend on anything,
    > not necessarily school supplies.
    >
    > The Governor, with no input from the Legislature, has opened the door
    > wide for fraud and abuse of your taxpayer dollars.
    >
    > In my opinion, this money would be much better spent on tax relief or
    > economic development incentives so businesses can create jobs. Instead,
    > this program will do little more than perpetuate dependency on
    > government.
    >
    > Sincerely,
    >
    > George D. Maziarz
    > Senator, 62nd District

  97. 97.

    Zuzu's Petals

    I should add that they gave her the option of a c-section and she chose to stick it out.

    Still…MD next time she thinks.

  98. 98.

    Tonal Crow

    @General Winfield Stuck:

    The Senate Finance Committee drops end of life counseling provision from it’s bill…

    What pieces of GOP they are. Now it’s gonna be “See! We got the libtards to drop the Death Panels! Now double the crazy and we’ll get ’em to drop this entire ‘reform’ idea!”

  100. 100.

    Ked

    Meh, preseason.

    Whatever it is, it’s not football, and you have to be certifiably insane to bother watching. I recognize the need for some sort of actual games to be played to prepare for the real season, but they ought to have the decency to hide it away somewhere where only journalists and senior citizens can find it. Like baseball does.

  103. 103.

    DougL (frmrly: Conservatively Liberal)

    And here I was all ready to compliment Canada about the way their women will labor long hours for their children. Feh! She is taking the easy way out!

    ;)

    Good luck Krista, hubby & baby!

  104. 104.

    YellowJournalism

    @JK: My sister is going to a Yankees/Mariners game tomorrow. I’ll have her yell that out for you, if you like!

    I hope Krista’s doign okay.

  105. 105.

    South of I-10

    @Zuzu’s Petals: Damn! I would still take the section over that! I had one of those weird situations where I wasn’t having any contractions when my water broke at midnight, and didn’t really have any until I went to the hospital and they started Pitocin the next morning. She is a stubborn little thing, I don’t think she wanted to come out. Definitely not what I had planned, but that’s how it goes, I guess. Like I said upthread, all I cared about was everyone healthy at the end of the day.

  106. 106.

    JWW

    To The C-Section Group,

    All three of my sons and my youngest sisters 4 children were brought to air this way. My sister was at home two days later, of her own choice.

    I will say that care differs, attitude differs and individual strength differs. These all need to be taken into account.

  107. 107.

    Zuzu's Petals

    @HRA:

    Well, maybe you should e-mail him back and explain that that money is coming from the federal government – not the state – and from private funding.

    You might also point out that welfare recipients aren’t forced to spend their benefit money on rent, food, or clothes for the kids either. Why the sudden concern?

  108. 108.

    Fern

    This is too funny. But sweet.

    This has become the floor-pacing-and-childbirth-horror-story thread.

  109. 109.

    Zuzu's Petals

    @HRA:

    Well, maybe you should e-mail him back and explain that that money is coming from the federal government – not the state – and from private funding.

    You might also point out that welfare recipients aren’t forced to spend their benefit money on rent, food, or clothes for the kids either. Why the sudden concern?

  113. 113.

    MBSS

    @ harlana

    i drank a couple of pacificos. that’s not exactly drunk, but i’ll be semi buzzed with you.

  114. 114.

    South of I-10

    @Harlana Pepper: I am enjoying a delightfully cool Chardonnay while alternately posting and brawling with little South to get her tiny behind back in bed because her first day of kindergarten is tomorrow. Life is good.

  116. 116.

    Zuzu's Petals

    @South of I-10:

    Yes, same thing here. Nothing for the longest time, so finally a drip. And then antibiotics. And then something else. She’s got bruises all over her arms in one of the pictures … from IVs etc.

    Yes, I had to wonder if this baby just wanted to stay in there too…but she seems perfectly delighted to be in the world now.

    My son was a relatively short and sweet 10 hours or so. Of course the last 1.5 hour was spent with the doctor with his foot up against the table trying to pry him out with forceps. Poor little thing…well, okay, not so little.

  117. 117.

    Fern

    @HRA:

    This strikes me as a very mean-spirited letter.

    If he is so concerned the families might spend the money on something else, maybe he could arrange for schools to be funded at a level so that they could provide the kids with school supplies?

    Another point to consider – if the purpose of the money is ALSO economic stimulus, it will have a stimulus effect no matter what the money is spent on and the effect will be pretty much immediate.

  123. 123.

    Skepticat

    I finally reached the limits of my endurance with the news that GrASSley seems to have managed to get the death panels dropped, and emailed my senators with a semi-deranged screed ending with “F*&K BIPARTISANSHIP AND GROW A SPINE.” I know it won’t accomplish a fricking thing, but it made me feel (a teeny tiny bit) better.

    I’m depressed, furious, frustrated, and pretty much hopeless about this whole health care reform fiasco and the general state of this country. Now, where’s that scotch bottle….

  124. 124.

    Zuzu's Petals

    @Skepticat:

    Well, like I said in the other thread, I felt immediately better after I donated $50 to Grassley’s Dem opponent…and then called Grassley’s office and told them why.

    And nope, not from Iowa. I told ’em I was affected as an American.

  125. 125.

    South of I-10

    @madmommy: Yep. Boys went today, girls start tomorrow. Now don’t tell me yours go to catholic school, or I will turn you into the PBA. I should really scan and share the memo I got regarding moms with a J-O-B and how they can still be involved. So condescending and insulting.

  129. 129.

    elisathon

    @HRA:
    HRA:
    I agree with Zuzu’s Petals & Fern, and in case you have forgotten or were unaware, Sen. Maziarz (appt’d. to several committee positions by Minority Leader Dean Skelos) was one of the principal actors in the recent coup in our ridiculous NYS Senate – which makes me question his ethics & policy opinions on any issue.

  130. 130.

    madmommy

    @South of I-10:

    That memo sounds truly obnoxious. Here in the land of Lexi and Hummers, moms who work are the high-powered executrive types, not the lowly wage slaves like me. It makes the PTA meetings really interesting.

  132. 132.

    Skepticat

    Zuzu’s Petals, that’s a great approach–and telling Grassley’s people must have been very satisfying. If ever I have money again, I shall follow your lead.

  133. 133.

    South of I-10

    @madmommy: I have some good friends from Lafayette on the Northshore. I’m out, gotta get up early. Gotta walk in on the first day of kindergarten!!

  134. 134.

    South of I-10

    @Betsy: It’s a catholic school which would be really funny if you knew Mr.South and me. But our public school is awful!

  136. 136.

    madmommy

    @South of I-10:

    I am the heartless mother who put mine on the bus from the first day. When the oldest went off I put on a big show, how great it was going to be, etc. Managed to hold it together till that big yellow bus turned the corner then I cried for an hour. Now I do the happy dance on the first day of school :)

  137. 137.

    Kathy

    Hang in there Krista! although by now it should all be over.

    South of 1-10 my sympathies, school should only start in September. (Plus, what a dipsh:t to write such a memo.

    Finally, the real news of the night, fellow Iggies fans, it is time to hang our heads in total shame, Mike Vick is coming to town. How completely horrible. Time to move to the west side of the state.

  140. 140.

    valdivia

    best thoughts to krista. hope she can sleep (and hold her bundle of joy) after it is all done.

  141. 141.

    Zuzu's Petals

    @Skepticat:

    Couldn’t get through to his DC office, so tried his Cedar Rapids office. Amazingly, the guy who answered heard me out…just barely.

    I first did this with that jackass Isaakson, donating to the state Dem party and promising to donate to his opponent when he had one. It was a voicemail thing, so I got to go into detail.

    Really, I’d like to see someone set up an Act Blue page dedicated to donating to the opponents of every high profile jackass who takes part in this whole disinformation campaign.

  144. 144.

    asiangrrlMN

    Ohhhhh, kittehs! Precious little kittehs, one an adorable black baby….Happy sigh.

    Krista! Good luck with your own little kitten. We’re all waiting on pins and needles to hear the good news.

    Go Vikes! (as long as Brett Favre keeps his fat ass in Louisiana, or wherever the fuck he lives).

  145. 145.

    Church Lady

    Both of my kids were butt first when I went into labor and I wound up having a C-section each time. After comparing war stories with friends that had regular deliveries (including lovely episiotomies), I think I got the better deal. After the first, I was at the Mall with my Mom buying baby stuff four days after I had her. The second required a few more days recovery, but by then I was over thirty and had been chasing a toddler around my entire pregnancy.

    Krista will be fine and will be so excited about the baby that she won’t care that she needed a C-section.

  146. 146.

    Indylib

    @Church Lady: I had an episiotomy with my first baby and a C-section with my twins because the lower one was breech. And I can guarandamntee you that my episiotomy hurt more than the c-section incision. Of course they knew he was breech and went in as soon as they were sure I was in labor, so I wasn’t very tired. My friends that had long labors and then c-sections seemed to have a harder time.

  147. 147.

    Ash Can

    Labor sucks the farts out of dead pigeons. My episiotomy was nothing, zip, nada compared to the labor pains. When the anesthetist came in to give me an epidural I wept with joy.

    Here’s hoping Krista’s ordeal is over now, and all a distant blur. Nature is amazing — weariness, hormones, and joy and amazement at seeing the little newborn sweetie all somehow sweep memories of the details of labor and delivery right away. And it’s a damned good thing, too, or the human race would go poof.

  148. 148.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @ Ash Can/2:50 am

    “sucks the farts out of dead pigeons.” It’s 4:30 in the morning, I can’t sleep, I’m lying in bed in the dark catching up on BJ on the BlackBerry, and laughing my fool head off at that line. Weeping with mirth. Thanks, you made my day . . . well, night . . . okay, early dawn.

  149. 149.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Oh, and Krista/RedKitten? I can’t participate in the “here’s how terrible MY labour and delivery was / no, mine was worse” posts, never having had the experience, but I’ve been with you vicariously and wish you nothing but joy with your new baby.

  151. 151.

    asiangrrlMN

    I can’t swap any birthing stories, either, as I never had and never will. All I can say is, do we have a damn new BJ’er or not????? In another thread, someone posted as if we did, but maybe it was just an assumption.

  153. 153.

    The Other Steve

    Our pregnancy war story… My wife started having contractions in the morning, and regular closely spaced about 4pm… we got to the hospital around 5pm.

    Our baby Alexander was born at 11pm.

    No pain killers or nothing. She pushed only three times and out he popped.

    It was textbook.

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