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You are here: Home / Past Elections / Election 2012 / Open Thread

Open Thread

by Soonergrunt|  February 14, 20127:49 pm| 130 Comments

This post is in: Election 2012, Open Threads

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Well, I feel like hammered shit, this being day 5 of the flu.  I’ve also picked up a particularly nasty bacterial infection.  I will say that until today, I’ve never used anything for nasal irrigation.  I picked up a squeeze bottle thing with a box of saline packets.  I followed the instructions, did exactly what it said to do, and let me tell you, it was a fucking revelation.  Now I know why John kept going on and on about a neti pot.

So far, all I’ve been able to keep down has been chicken broth and crackers.  The last time I was this nauseated, I was watching Sarah Palin’s speech at the 2008 Republican convention.

I’m not terribly worried about Santorum.  The more exposure people get, the more grossed out they are.  They find Santorum disgusting and nasty.

I’ll bet they would have the same reaction to the substance, but at least that stuff is the byproduct of an act of love, unlike the disgraced former Senator.  He’s a religious whackjob who went down in his last election primarily because of all the revelations about his corruption.  In other words, he’s the perfect Republican.  I’m still going to donate money to the President and the party and individual campaigns.

 

So what all have you guys got going tonight?

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Previous Post: « (Mild) Fear of Santorum
Next Post: Open Thread: Happy Pet News »

Reader Interactions

130Comments

  1. 1.

    Baud

    February 14, 2012 at 7:53 pm

    Assuming Romney’s SuperPAC is staffed by actual people and not robots, they have to be a frustrated bunch of folks right now.

  2. 2.

    gogol's wife

    February 14, 2012 at 7:54 pm

    “Top Hat” on TCM. Trying not to think about my beloved cat’s serious illness. I know everyone shares things like this on BJ, but for some reason I’m too, too sad to write about it.

  3. 3.

    dmsilev

    February 14, 2012 at 7:57 pm

    Theory: Rick Santorum is running for President because that’s about the only way to overwhelm the Google bomb.

  4. 4.

    Friday Jones

    February 14, 2012 at 7:57 pm

    I tell people about neti pots all the time, and their first reaction is always “ewwwwww”. Their second reaction is “I couldn’t stand to have water going up my nose”. I try to explain, but can’t seem to win anyone over. Come to the dark side. It will change your life. (BTW…haven’t had a cold [or the flu] since I started using the neti pot every day 4 years ago. True Story.)

  5. 5.

    cathyx

    February 14, 2012 at 8:00 pm

    I just want to wish all the single people out there “Happy Single Awareness Day”.

  6. 6.

    cathyx

    February 14, 2012 at 8:01 pm

    I use a neti pot too. It’s good for nasal allergies.

  7. 7.

    PaminBB

    February 14, 2012 at 8:02 pm

    Hope you feel better, Soonerg, and hope that you are right about Santorum. Although voting against him again would be enjoyable…

  8. 8.

    Friday Jones

    February 14, 2012 at 8:03 pm

    @gogol’s wife: Sorry, Mrs. Gogol. How is it that these little furry creatures take over our hearts? I can’t think of a better friend than my little Pumpkin (calico, rescued from the streets of Cairo).

  9. 9.

    Villago Delenda Est

    February 14, 2012 at 8:04 pm

    Sorry to hear you’re so under the weather, Soonergrunt.

    No medical advice from me except drink plenty of fluids (no, you can’t drink beer!) and get plenty of rest.

  10. 10.

    Mustang Bobby

    February 14, 2012 at 8:04 pm

    I’m pre-posting stuff for tomorrow (Short Takes, Canadian Flag Day, and my best friend since Grade 3 turns 60) so I can sleep in.

    Happy Valentines Day if you’re celebrating with your best-beloved; to the rest of us, it’s Tuesday.

  11. 11.

    Steeplejack

    February 14, 2012 at 8:05 pm

    @Soonergrunt:

    Second on the nasal irrigation. I was thinking that as soon as I started reading your post. I don’t have a neti pot; I just sort of snuffle up the saline solution from a cup. It really cut down on colds and sinus problems.

    So what all have you guys got going tonight?

    I’m wrapping up my visit to Atlanta. Plan to drive back to Washington tomorrow, although I will probably get a late start (noon?), and there is an outside chance I will stay over until Thursday.

  12. 12.

    PurpleGirl

    February 14, 2012 at 8:05 pm

    @gogol’s wife: You still deserve a {{{{{{HUG}}}}}}, details or no. Hope you feel better soon.

  13. 13.

    Maude

    February 14, 2012 at 8:06 pm

    @gogol’s wife:
    I know the feeling. I’ll be thinking of you.

  14. 14.

    BigSouthern

    February 14, 2012 at 8:07 pm

    Attempting to pull myself away from the comments section of my local newspaper to finish PHYS II work.

  15. 15.

    Soonergrunt

    February 14, 2012 at 8:08 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: Lots of water and green chai tea.

  16. 16.

    Yutsano

    February 14, 2012 at 8:08 pm

    @Steeplejack: There was a huge temptation on my part when I went to my friend’s wedding in Atlanta to not get back on the plane home. Then I missed my Lab and that fixed that.

    Sick here too SG. Pretty sure it was the crud going around my office.

    @gogol’s wife: In your own time, when you’re ready, we’ll be here.

  17. 17.

    gbear

    February 14, 2012 at 8:08 pm

    I’m feeling sick now too. I just watched The Beach Boys performance at the Grammys on youtube.

  18. 18.

    Steeplejack

    February 14, 2012 at 8:09 pm

    @gogol’s wife:

    My prayers are with you and your beloved pet. One of the great things about my trip to Atlanta has been abundant cat therapy in the friends’ house where I have stayed. I have realized how much I have missed the soft background thumping and vocalizations of cats going about their daily business, with the occasional leg-bump or tail-wrap thrown my way.

  19. 19.

    Soonergrunt

    February 14, 2012 at 8:14 pm

    @gogol’s wife: I am so sorry that you’re dealing with that right now. I hope that things get better.

  20. 20.

    PurpleGirl

    February 14, 2012 at 8:15 pm

    Waiting for some friends from a science fiction club to come on line for our weekly chat. Other than that, trying to decide what to eat for dinner.

    ETA: Too bored by politics tonight to be involved with reading about it.

  21. 21.

    MaximusNYC

    February 14, 2012 at 8:16 pm

    Hope you’re back up to full speed soon, Soonergrunt.

    Anyone else get a terrible stomach bug lately? I threw up half a dozen times on Friday. Having it happen twice at the office, and once on a subway platform, was particularly memorable.

    I’ve mostly recovered at this point, but I’ve heard a few reports of others with a similar affliction.

  22. 22.

    Crashman

    February 14, 2012 at 8:17 pm

    @BigSouthern: Stay away from places like that. They’re all cesspools.

  23. 23.

    Brachiator

    February 14, 2012 at 8:18 pm

    So what all have you guys got going tonight?

    Getting over the flu, myself.

    And I thought this was just a sympathetic reaction to the latest episode of Downton Abbey, (Downton Abbey, Season Two, Episode Six Recap: Nobody Expects the Spanish Influenza!)

  24. 24.

    brettvk

    February 14, 2012 at 8:18 pm

    @Friday Jones: Netis are wonderful for pollen/dust allergies for immediate relief. Unfortunately it’s pretty short-term in my case unless I use antihistamines at the same time; I wanted the neti to magically free me from drugs, OTC or otherwise. Still, the pot ought to be a standard medicine-chest component for everyone.

  25. 25.

    JC

    February 14, 2012 at 8:18 pm

    Actually, in terms of being repulsed by a candidate, I keep watching Romney’s UNfavorables (repulsion?) go UP, UP, UP.

    How bad can it get for Romney?

    I swear, this election is just fascinating. For all of this, I think Romney will continue to deploy his dollars as ad bombs, and scorch and scour the earth of any possible Republican opposition.

    But still – fascinating to watch.

    Good Valentine’s Day to you all!

  26. 26.

    SiubhanDuinne

    February 14, 2012 at 8:19 pm

    @Mustang Bobby:

    We celebrate Canadian Flag Day!

  27. 27.

    SiubhanDuinne

    February 14, 2012 at 8:25 pm

    @gogol’s wife:

    I’m very sorry. That’s all kinds of tough. You know we’re here with hugs and sympathies, because just about every one of us has gone through this universal and unique experience.

  28. 28.

    scav

    February 14, 2012 at 8:27 pm

    @JC: That chart elicited a slight grump from me in that they’re not exactly playing fair with the vertical axis. All for the trend, but it’s not quite as dramatic as it’s made out to be. Then again, maybe I just need to get some wine.

  29. 29.

    Friday Jones

    February 14, 2012 at 8:28 pm

    @brettvk: Yep…sadly, I’m not drug free. Every form of zyrtec and flonase, too, in the high season. Weather Underground has cedar/juniper at 6.6 out of 12 tomorrow. I’ve been dizzy for two days. But the neti pot gives my ears relief.

  30. 30.

    handsmile

    February 14, 2012 at 8:28 pm

    First, I’ll be watching the re-broadcast of the Champions League match between Barcelona and Bayer Leverkusen. (And not revisiting here until late tonight, because I’ve quarantined myself from the match results, and some people around here are not to be trusted.) A valentine to myself since mrs. handsmile is working late.

    Then checking out the last hour or so of the Westminster Kennel Club broadcast. If that nuclear-experiment mutation breed known as Pekingese wins “Best in Show”, then the Mayans were right.

    Glad to read you’re on the mend, Soonergrunt. I’d like to imagine you’re now inoculated against GOP-induced nausea, but I’m afraid there’s no cure and we’ll all be suffering from it in the months ahead. (That Kenyan witch-doctor, though, has a mighty effective potion to restore good health.)

  31. 31.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    February 14, 2012 at 8:30 pm

    @gogol’s wife: Thinking of you. It’s never easy when our beloved pets are unwell.

    It’s rather just a Tuesday here, though Mr. Q and I did have a lovely lunch at our favorite local restaurant. The owner said to us, “surely this isn’t your big celebration of the day?” and when we told her indeed it was, I knew we’d become one of those old couples.

  32. 32.

    BigSouthern

    February 14, 2012 at 8:32 pm

    @Crashman

    No, mine is especially rough. More so than usual lately because the Virginia legislature and governor have been doing their level best to roll the state back to sometime circa 1890 or so.

    Actually had someone tell me that Hitler AND Stalin would be proud of me. It was fun.

  33. 33.

    Poopyman

    February 14, 2012 at 8:33 pm

    Just sitting here in a post-Indian food haze. This is about as exciting as it gets – and as we want – for V Day.

    @gogol’s wife: So sorry to hear this. Cherish him/her while you can, and pamper. We have 2 9 year olds and 3 5 year olds. These are the salad days, but they always leave oh too soon.

    Re nasal irrigation: I lurves mah neti pot, but I think the squeezy thingy would do better blowing through my deviated septum. Oh, and instead of going back and buying more salt packets, just mix 1/4 tsp baking soda with 1/4 tsp un-iodized salt in 8 oz water and you’ll be good to go. Remember, UN-IODIZED salt.

  34. 34.

    Omnes Omnibus

    February 14, 2012 at 8:35 pm

    I am just enough over a bad cold that I went running tonight. I am making some pasta and then I will watch “Justified.”

    As far as neti pots go, I am firmly in the “Eeewww”
    faction.

    @BigSouthern: Wow, you are your own little Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact.

  35. 35.

    Poopyman

    February 14, 2012 at 8:38 pm

    Hey Sooner, I kinda figured you would have the kind of employer that would be giving out free flu shots last fall. Please don’t tell me you had one and got the flu anyway.

  36. 36.

    Cermet

    February 14, 2012 at 8:42 pm

    Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D Vitamin D and did I mention, Vitamin D?
    A min of 4000 IU; Medically Proven to help the body fight infections, possible VERY powerful anti-cancer (some types like skin, breast, colon maybe a few others) and great anti-viral (but only after taking everyday for four months.) Proven to reduce length of colds (see about after taking for four months.)

  37. 37.

    Brandon

    February 14, 2012 at 8:44 pm

    @JC: I expect those numbers to sadly turn on a dime if/when he is the presumptive Republican nominee. If for tribal reasons than anything else, because now he is pretty universally hated by D’s and R’s alike. But it is fun to watch.

  38. 38.

    Citizen_X

    February 14, 2012 at 8:44 pm

    Condolences, brother. After this flu (because I don’t mean to nag a sick person) take this to heart: ALWAYS get the flu shot. ALWAYS get the flu shot. ALWAYS GET THE FUCKING FLU SHOT.

    That’s my rule after my last little bout, because that one made me think, “If this is the flu, then I’ve never had it before.” It was like my worst cold X 10. It was so bad that I laid on the couch and thought, “That book on the bookshelf, I should finally read that. Ah, but I can’t. It’s across the room.”

  39. 39.

    Soonergrunt

    February 14, 2012 at 8:45 pm

    @Poopyman: No. I kept going by the Employee Health clinic on IT tickets, and even INTO the EHC a couple of times, and thinking “I need to get a flu shot. I’ll get it later when I’m not so busy…”
    And here I am.

  40. 40.

    RD

    February 14, 2012 at 8:46 pm

    Now I know why John kept going on and on about a neti pot

    John also likes the Grateful Dead.

  41. 41.

    Hillary Rettig

    February 14, 2012 at 8:47 pm

    http://nyulocal.com/on-campus/2012/02/13/the-ladies-of-nyus-college-republicans-have-a-newt-gingrich-themed-sleepover/attachment/screen-shot-2012-02-06-at-11-39-12-pm/

    Linked to for the priceless comment.

  42. 42.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    February 14, 2012 at 8:47 pm

    @Poopyman: And remember, use cooled boiled water. What’s safe to drink may not be safe for nasal irrigation. Your public service announcement for the evening.

  43. 43.

    Soonergrunt

    February 14, 2012 at 8:47 pm

    @Citizen_X: I got up this morning, and I thought “I’ll get a shower and go to work.” By the time I had walked to the bathroom, I was sweating like a pig, and by the time I got the shower running, I barely could stand I was so dizzy.
    The flu sucks ass.

  44. 44.

    Hal

    February 14, 2012 at 8:49 pm

    Ahem:

    Neti Pots Could Help Amoebas Eat Your Brains

    http://jezebel.com/5868894/neti-pots-could-help-amoebas-eat-your-brains

  45. 45.

    Mnemosyne

    February 14, 2012 at 8:49 pm

    There’s a truly nasty cold that’s been working its way through our office, and I’m still very nervous that I’m going to get it. Poor G caught it from me and has been miserable for a couple of weeks.

    As I mentioned in the previous VD thread, we’re having this for dinner and then watching Unfaithfully Yours (the funny Preston Sturges original, not the horrendous Dudley Moore version).

    “So simple, it practically works itself!”

    Valentine’s Day movie for singles: how about Heathers? Or Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, where the final scene is staged so it looks like Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell are going to marry each other?

  46. 46.

    Keith G

    February 14, 2012 at 8:49 pm

    They find Santorum disgusting and nasty

    Others find it tasty on a saltine cracker.

    Sooner, how’s your nausea?

  47. 47.

    Mnemosyne

    February 14, 2012 at 8:51 pm

    D’oh! Too many links. That’s what I get for recommending movies for singles.

    (If you can’t wait, my picks were Heathers and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, both of which end with Girl Power instead of romance.)

  48. 48.

    Yutsano

    February 14, 2012 at 8:51 pm

    @Soonergrunt: That was me yesterday. By evening I was starting to get my wind back a bit, so I figured I could put up with work today. The little virii had other plans. Woke up feeling worse. I’m gonna get a lecture from a Dawg later I just know it.

  49. 49.

    Mnemosyne

    February 14, 2012 at 8:52 pm

    @Hal:

    I thought the lesson of that story was Don’t Live in Rural Louisiana.

  50. 50.

    dollared

    February 14, 2012 at 8:53 pm

    I generally don’t fear Santorum. Of all of the Republican nominees, he is the most likely to end up in jail if his success in the primaries leads to scrutiny of his congressional corruption (Newt’s illegal lobbying fees would just get a big fine, but Santorum’s over in the “bribery and fraud” category).

    OTOH, my main analysis of the Republican nominees is “which could really establish Russian-style “democracy” in the US?” I think Mitt might have the desire and the competence – and especially the corporate ruthlessness. But none of the wingers will agree to be his brown shirts. Newt isn’t competent enough. But Santorum has the combination of crazy and aggressive, together with strong brown shirt support. So yes, he worries me just a bit.

  51. 51.

    FuriousPhil

    February 14, 2012 at 8:53 pm

    Just a tad bit embarrassed that my home state is going for anti-Mr. Rogers right now in polls for Repub primary.

    I mean, I know we have a core group of bible thumpers up here where I live, but conserva-folks in my part of rural Michigan tend to be Ron Paul militia types.

    The Romney connection don’t mean shit, as most people just don’t remember Gov. George. The farthest back my memory goes is Blanchard.

    Dems have been urged to stay home, as we determine delegates at the caucuses, but for some reason the state put The Pres on the ballot anyways. My hardcore union guy Dem activist neighbor says he’s going to vote in it just to fuck things up for Mitt, but that just feels disingenuous to me. That, and I can’t stomach voting for a GOPer in any capacity.

  52. 52.

    HeartlandLiberal

    February 14, 2012 at 8:54 pm

    Go the next step beyond the neti pot.

    Last year this time I was in the middle of the four month sinus infection from hell, worst I have ever, ever had.

    The CT Scan showed I had NO sinuses when diagnosed, they were completely impacted and totally invisible. You are supposed to see four big black spots in the CT Scan of the head. On mine you could see nothing. No sinuses cavities visible. Totally impacted.

    I learned right off after one month into the problem to use the neti pot, and that helped, but in the middle of the third month, still fighting the infection, I discovered the SinuPulse devise. A pint of lukewarm salt water pulsed with light pressure through the nasal cavities. Think of it as a neti pot on steroids.

    Trust me, it accelerated the cleaning out and breaking up of the infection and congestion far more effectively. And, to just be really blunt about it, I became more of an expert on the many different colors of infected sinus drainage, from gray, to yellow, to green, to blood soaked, than I ever wanted or dreamed might be the case.

    Since then, I have used it regularly for prevention. I am right now coming out of two week cold/flu, which was threatening to go into the same sinus problem. But regular use of the SinuPulse broke the infection and congestion out, and it looks like I am recovering completely without the misery of last year, plus I have taken no antibiotics this time around.

    Just go locate the item on Amazon. It is an investment in your health you will NEVER regret. And now, I have nothing to do with the company or the product financially, but I sure as heck recommend it.

  53. 53.

    Kristine

    February 14, 2012 at 8:54 pm

    @gogol’s wife: As others have said, we’ll be hear to listen when you’re ready.

  54. 54.

    jeffreyw

    February 14, 2012 at 8:55 pm

    Listening to the coyotes yodeling all about the house, counting kitties. They are all inside and accounted for. My Dish receiver/dvr shot craps the other day. I kept hearing the unit muttering and gurgling to itself and thinking that didn’t really sound right. I switched it on and saw that it was fucked. Call to the techie confirmed the unit was needing to be replaced. New one came today and is now working. I was afraid the external hard drive wouldn’t be recognized but it installed without a problem. Goddamn those coyotes are all around and close.

  55. 55.

    Omnes Omnibus

    February 14, 2012 at 8:57 pm

    @HeartlandLiberal: I was eating.

  56. 56.

    Joel

    February 14, 2012 at 8:58 pm

    Neti pots are great for intractable congestion. Generally speaking, though, I limit the use. No matter how carefully I sterilize, there’s still a little risk involved in (effectively) squirting saline up your sinuses. Same goes for Afrin and other nasal decongestants, I always rub them down with a little peroxide after use.

  57. 57.

    Hillary Rettig

    February 14, 2012 at 9:00 pm

    Gogol’s wife – Been there, and I also wish you and your beloved one well.

    And another vote for the Neti Pot.

  58. 58.

    Soonergrunt

    February 14, 2012 at 9:01 pm

    @Keith G: As long as I don’t eat much, the nausea stays under control. But my kids had pizza for dinner and I thought I was going to hurl just passing through the kitchen.

  59. 59.

    gex

    February 14, 2012 at 9:01 pm

    @gogol’s wife: (((hugs))) I’m sorry to hear there are troubles. I understand if they are too difficult to share.

  60. 60.

    Downpuppy

    February 14, 2012 at 9:02 pm

    Drat, the edit button’s gone, so my 89ers post is forever on the wrong thread, & I’ve got nowhere to pimp Walt Hriniak jokes.

    I figure the beltway bozos can easily convince themselves that Romney’s the cats pajamas (sincerity is a weakness to them) but Santorum is so blatantly hideous that there’s a shred of hope that they can’t choke him down.

  61. 61.

    Delia

    February 14, 2012 at 9:04 pm

    I had to have my cat put down yesterday and my eyes still keep watering at unexpected times. She was just nine and she had a respiratory problem that the vet and I hoped was asthma and turned out to be lung cancer. At first she prescribed some prednisone and antibiotic and Saffy responded well for about 4 days. She started eating again and her breathing got better. Last Saturday I took her in again because she’d stopped eating and her breathing was really rough. The vet gave her a couple of prednisone shots since she couldn’t swallow her meds. We discussed it and she said this was pretty much the last thing they could do for her. Saffy felt a little better the rest of the day, but on Sunday she ate a little bit and after that just hid under my bed gasping for breath. Monday morning as I walked the dog I was trying to get up the nerve to call the vet but she called me first. We talked about how she was doing and agreed it was time to bring her in.

    Saffy was best friends with my dog, Pippin. He barked and barked when I took her away. I think he knew she wasn’t coming back. When they gave her the first shot that makes her sleep she tucked her head into my side under my arm the way she always liked to do. Then they gave her the second shot and she was gone.

    I’m going to eat dinner and then watch some sort of escapist TV. Maybe I’ll give my sister in Georgia a call. She just had to have her little dog put down. We can commiserate.

  62. 62.

    quannlace

    February 14, 2012 at 9:04 pm

    Hope you’re feeling stronger, Soonergrunt. Too true, the flu has it’s own miserable time-table of recovery. You think you’re over the worst. Wake up, nine o’clock-feeling great. By eleven a.m., you’re ready to go back to bed and call it a day.
    And I know you can get the vaccine and still be unlucky enough to get the flu, but if you didn’t…..next year , please get the shot.

  63. 63.

    Villago Delenda Est

    February 14, 2012 at 9:05 pm

    @Poopyman:

    Yeah, the VA is really big on flu shots, and I get mine every year.

  64. 64.

    waratah

    February 14, 2012 at 9:05 pm

    I am in day two of something. I would not call it a cold but am not sure it is flu. The worst sore throat I have ever had, severe sinus drainage bronchitis and fever aches all over. I need to be over it by tomorrow as I have an important appointment Thursday.
    You are not giving me much hope Sooner.

  65. 65.

    Yutsano

    February 14, 2012 at 9:08 pm

    @Delia: Hugz. Hopefully you and Pippin can find solace.

  66. 66.

    RD

    February 14, 2012 at 9:10 pm

    @jeffreyw:

    Goddamn those coyotes are all around and close

    They’re living in a world they never made.

    Here in PA, I saw my first coyote skulking around a sporting trail nominally reserved for fox hunters.

  67. 67.

    lamh35

    February 14, 2012 at 9:11 pm

    HBO is premiering a new documentary on the Loving vs Virginia court case that made interracial marriage LEGAL in every state. Before Loving vs Virgina came aobut, it was illegal for Blacks and Whites to get married in a number of states. This documentary uses archival footage and interviews to let the Lovings tell their story.

    It’s on right now.

    The Loving Story

    Virginiaia 1958. Interracial marriage is illegal, punishable by jail. It was the law in 24 states across the country. Newlyweds Mildred Jeter Loving (“colored” woman) and Richard Perry Loving (white man) arrested for committing the crime of mixed marriage.
    They were convicted on felony charges and banished from Virginia. The spent the next 9 years trying to get home to Virginia.

    Can ya imagine the number of people who may have NEVER been born to an interracial couple?

    There may have been no President Barack Obama at all.

  68. 68.

    waratah

    February 14, 2012 at 9:12 pm

    @jeffreyw: Our coyotes are so brave now they just stroll around the pasture in daylight.

  69. 69.

    MikeJ

    February 14, 2012 at 9:16 pm

    @RD:

    They’re living in a world they never made.

    Trapped in a world that he never made, but not me baby, I’m too precious

  70. 70.

    Spaghetti Lee

    February 14, 2012 at 9:18 pm

    I read that Romney’s getting ready to drop the hammer against Santorum, and it makes me wonder…does he run out of money at some point? I mean, I get Citizens United, unlimited and untraceable corporate cash, etc., but when the only way he’s shown he can win is by carpet-bombing an opponent with expensive TV ads a week before the election, doesn’t he go into the general (if he wins) with serious money issues? Don’t the people donating to him want a more efficient investment at some point? His dollar/vote ratio has gotta be through the roof.

  71. 71.

    Brachiator

    February 14, 2012 at 9:20 pm

    @lamh35: The New Yorker web site has some great photos of the couple, The Lovings at Home. The link is not working with my browser, but it might be worth a search.

  72. 72.

    Martin

    February 14, 2012 at 9:22 pm

    @Spaghetti Lee:

    and it makes me wonder…does he run out of money at some point?

    hahahahahahaha…

    Good one. Yes, we reach peak wingnut the day that the GOP runs out of money.

  73. 73.

    BethanyAnne

    February 14, 2012 at 9:23 pm

    Delia, gogol’s wife, I’m sorry to hear about your cats. {{hugs}}

  74. 74.

    lamh35

    February 14, 2012 at 9:24 pm

    @Brachiator: the documentary has real footage and recordings of the Lovings provided to the documentarians. So their story is told in their own voices and news archives.

    It’s more powerful than pictures.

    Wow. That’s love to me. The willingness to love even if it’s a matter of freedom, life or death.

    It’s just sad to think of the world we lived in.

    ETA: They also have their daughter narrating in between the footage and recordings

  75. 75.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    February 14, 2012 at 9:24 pm

    @Delia: I’m so sorry.

  76. 76.

    Mark S.

    February 14, 2012 at 9:25 pm

    @Spaghetti Lee:

    The first ad is out and it’s pretty lame (Rick Santorum is a tax and spend liberal just like Hillary Clinton and they both like felons or something!). Maybe goopers eat that up. Veritas might need some time alone with it.

  77. 77.

    FlipYrWhig

    February 14, 2012 at 9:27 pm

    Hugs and strength to all the hurting pets and pet owners.

  78. 78.

    Brachiator

    February 14, 2012 at 9:31 pm

    @lamh35:

    the documentary has real footage and recordings of the Lovings provided to the documentarians. So their story is told in their own voices and news archives.

    I heard about the documentary, and want to see it.

    The photos are not competition, but a complement to the story.

    They also inspired the documentary.

    In 1950, a young man from Central Point, Virginia, went seven miles down the road to hear some music. Seven brothers named the Jeters were on that night, playing bluegrass in a farmhouse. The young man had come for the music, but couldn’t help noticing a young woman in the audience. The man, Richard Loving, was white; the woman, Mildred Jeter, was black and Cherokee. Seventeen years later, as a result of their meeting, the Supreme Court struck down Virginia’s Racial Integrity Act, along with anti-miscegenation laws in fifteen other states, ending the legal prohibitions against interracial marriage.
    __
    On view until May 6th at the International Center of Photography, “The Loving Story” highlights the human element of the Loving v. Virginia case, bringing the ardor that fuelled the Lovings’ half-decade of appeals into heart-rending focus. The exhibit is mostly comprised of unpublished photographs of the Lovings at home, which Grey Villet, a Life magazine photojournalist, made in 1965. Only three of Villet’s photographs of the couple together ever appeared in the magazine, and they were far from the most powerful among them. Thankfully, Villet had sent seventy prints to the Lovings as a gift, which the filmmakers Nancy Buirski and Elisabeth Haviland James discovered while researching a documentary, also called “The Loving Story,” that will air on HBO on Valentine’s Day.

    The Lovings on Valentine’s Day. It fits.

  79. 79.

    Veritas

    February 14, 2012 at 9:32 pm

    @Mark S.:

    I told you all it was coming tomorrow.

    The hammer is about to drop on Santorum. And HARD.

    @Spaghetti Lee:

    Romney has virtually UNLIMITED amounts of money flowing into his Super PAC. Spending on it is chump change for Goldman Sachs and the Koch Brothers.

  80. 80.

    Villago Delenda Est

    February 14, 2012 at 9:37 pm

    @Veritas:

    /Darth Sidious voice

    POWER! UNLIMITED POWER!

    The most mockable troll, ever!

  81. 81.

    MikeJ

    February 14, 2012 at 9:39 pm

    @Mark S.: Haha! They didn’t buy the dotorg of their attack site.

  82. 82.

    Veritas

    February 14, 2012 at 9:39 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    Go back to playing with your Star Wars action figures. The adults are talking.

  83. 83.

    lamh35

    February 14, 2012 at 9:42 pm

    @Brachiator: so far it seems really well produced and written!

    On one bit of footage, his attorney asks him about the state of Virginia telling Richard Loving that he had to either leave the state or divorce his wife Mildred. So he said he left the state and took his wife with him, because he “wasn’t gonna divorce her” !!! Damn!

    Happy Valentine Day indeed!

    ETA: .so they could come back to Virginia seperately, but they could not come back together. So they would have to sneak back into Virginia just to see their damn family!

  84. 84.

    dmsilev

    February 14, 2012 at 9:42 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: I dunno. It’d be more interesting if it at least varied its approach from time to time. Right now, it’s so repetitive to be almost boring.

  85. 85.

    freelancer

    February 14, 2012 at 9:42 pm

    @Veritas:

    Says the guy who refers to Romney the way that North Koreans worship Kim Jong Il. It’s certainly apparent you’ve backed your horse.

    Mark My Words LIBS! It is inevitable! HaHaHA!!

  86. 86.

    Villago Delenda Est

    February 14, 2012 at 9:43 pm

    @Veritas:

    If that were true, your posts would never show up here.

    So, did the bank kick you out onto the street after the Santorum surge? After you tried to take the Romneytron sweep to it? Bet that went well.

    Then of course there was the awesome 3 percentage point CRUSHING of Ron Paul by the Romneytron in Maine, while Paul’s delegate count was being padded and Paul operatives were being elected as Romney delegates.

  87. 87.

    Nutella

    February 14, 2012 at 9:45 pm

    @Brachiator:

    It’s funny that no one uses the word for the crime the Lovings committed: miscegenation. Perhaps it’s a good sign that the word is now little known.

  88. 88.

    MikeJ

    February 14, 2012 at 9:45 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    Then of course there was the awesome 3 percentage point CRUSHING of Ron Paul by the Romneytron.

    And we still don’t know about delegates. Romney is the only candidate that can win a state and still not get any delegates.

  89. 89.

    Gordon, The Big Express Engine

    February 14, 2012 at 9:45 pm

    @gogol’s wife: We’re about to lose another cat to chronic kidney disease – apparently this is really common in the Houston area… He gets daily fluid and seems in good spirits, but his time is limited. Huge bummer to say the least.

    His name is Hazel he is a grey striped tabby and has no tail. When we got him, he looked like a rabbit, so we named him Hazel (see Watership Down).

    Hazel’s fat, white tailess brother looks like Tunch but has stunning blue eyes. His name is Tiki – after Tiki Barber – wish we could take that name back now, but we got him when Barber helped my wife win our fantasy football league. He seems fine but we expect the shoe to drop with him at some point.

    Carmen is our 13 year old and she is doing awesome. That cat is going another five years at least. She’ll outlive them all…

  90. 90.

    Anne Laurie

    February 14, 2012 at 9:45 pm

    @jeffreyw:

    Goddamn those coyotes are all around and close.

    You have my sympathy. I worry about coyotes & we live in the godsdamned city, they’re well-established in neighboring communities (not to mention Boston proper). The Spousal Unit has seen a fox in the neighbor’s driveway once or twice, which is fine, but our fifteen to twenty-pound dogs are just the right size to get into a fight with a coyote family & lose… and I fully expect alpha-girl Gloria would challenge a coyote rather than retreating, especially if the slightly-smaller boys are watching.

  91. 91.

    scav

    February 14, 2012 at 9:48 pm

    Who the bleeding hell does chex_mix think he’s talking to on any of these threads, those “adults” he claims are interacting with him? Do 21st century lunatics see voices as well as hear them?

  92. 92.

    RD

    February 14, 2012 at 9:49 pm

    @Veritas:

    Spending on it is chump change for Goldman Sachs and the Koch Brothers

    Piffle. George Soros has SEIU and ACORN.

    How many divisions does the Pope have?

  93. 93.

    Gordon, The Big Express Engine

    February 14, 2012 at 9:50 pm

    @Delia: When our other cat Wilkie died last year, Hazel and Tiki would sit with him (flanking him) as if to keep him warm. They never did that until he got sick…

  94. 94.

    Mark S.

    February 14, 2012 at 9:51 pm

    Romney will come out against Loving v. Virginia tomorrow. It’s an infringement on states rights, and states are people, too.

  95. 95.

    Veritas

    February 14, 2012 at 9:52 pm

    @RD:

    ACORN has been neutered. And Soros? Goldman Sachs has many more times the money that he does. Union money is chump change compared to the fat stacks of corporate cash Romeny will have flowing in.

  96. 96.

    BethanyAnne

    February 14, 2012 at 9:53 pm

    @Gordon, The Big Express Engine: I’m in the Houston area, too. My Suli cat has about 2 months tops left in her, same kidney deal. I take her in to the vet for fluid every other day, but she’s stil going downhill. This, and careful feeding of wet food has kept her alive a year since diagnosis, but still. 18 years ain’t long enough. Little furball kept me alive after my divorce.

  97. 97.

    gogol's wife

    February 14, 2012 at 9:53 pm

    @Delia:

    I’m very, very sorry. I’m afraid this is the same thing our cat Masha has, although she hasn’t starting having breathing problems yet. But we’re looking at the same end of the road, just not clear when.

    Thanks everyone for all the kind words.

  98. 98.

    Mike in NC

    February 14, 2012 at 9:53 pm

    @lamh35:

    Virginia 1958. Interracial marriage is illegal, punishable by jail.

    Or as the wingnuts would call it, “The Good Old Days”.

  99. 99.

    Soonergrunt

    February 14, 2012 at 9:54 pm

    @Nutella: I never even heard that word until the movie “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?”
    I thought it meant something like convicted or some such, given the context of the movie. My dad had to set me straight.

  100. 100.

    lamh35

    February 14, 2012 at 9:55 pm

    #TheLovingStory Mildred was so unhappy living in DC instead of Virginia that her cousin who was maybe a little tired of her “complaining” told her to “write to Bobby Kennedy. He’ll help yo that’s what he’s up there for” and Mildred did and Bobby Kennedy wrote back and said that there was nothing he could do, but he told her to contact the A.C.L.U! And then A.C.L.U. answered back and told her that Atty Bernard S. Cohen was gonna take their case.

    Wow. I know some don’t believe in a higher power at work when most things, but even if u don’t, u gotta say that somehow the universe I don’t know was on the Lovings’ side I guess.

  101. 101.

    Mike in NC

    February 14, 2012 at 9:56 pm

    @Spaghetti Lee:

    I read that Romney’s getting ready to drop the hammer against Santorum, and it makes me wonder…does he run out of money at some point?

    He’s enough of a sociopath that he might dig seriously into his own bank account, much to the dismay of his five young bucks who were looking forward to all that inheritance.

  102. 102.

    burnspbesq

    February 14, 2012 at 9:56 pm

    @Veritas:

    The adults are talking.

    Really? Then why are you in the room?

    Back under the bridge with you! When we want your opinion we’ll beat it out of you.

  103. 103.

    RD

    February 14, 2012 at 9:58 pm

    @Veritas:

    ACORN has been neutered

    And yet, they’re still the Number One Enemy at Free Republic and Hot Air.

    Never throw away a perfectly good wedge issue.

  104. 104.

    burnspbesq

    February 14, 2012 at 9:58 pm

    @Nutella:

    miscegenation.

    Dookies marrying Tarholes? Perish the thought!

  105. 105.

    magurakurin

    February 14, 2012 at 9:59 pm

    @Veritas: dude, you are so a parody troll. The veil has long been lifted and it really is time for you to either find a new schtick or move on to greener pastures. Because this gag just ain’t funny anymore.

  106. 106.

    jeffreyw

    February 14, 2012 at 10:00 pm

    @Anne Laurie: They come into my yard, mostly at night but I’ve seen them casing the house in the daytime, too.

  107. 107.

    lamh35

    February 14, 2012 at 10:00 pm

    Man the footage of this white woman who’s against interracial marriages who says she “loves negras for being negras” I had to take a minute to compose myself.

    ETA: Hell any of the footage of the old white people are just disgusting. BTW, old faithful “some of my best friends are negras” was said in abundance

  108. 108.

    Gordon, The Big Express Engine

    February 14, 2012 at 10:01 pm

    @BethanyAnne: My co-worker lost two cats as well – both were local cats.

    You can get the fluid bag from your vet and do it yourself at home. Not the funnest thing, but our vet charges to have the fluid put in.

    My cat really won’t eat the special diet food… He has just been losing weight.

  109. 109.

    MikeJ

    February 14, 2012 at 10:09 pm

    I have high hopes for mitt’s ads. I hope they do to Ricky what he’s done for himself.

  110. 110.

    lamh35

    February 14, 2012 at 10:11 pm

    The judge who convicted the Lovings of the crime of interracial marriage said the following on the record:

    “Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.”

    Wow. The racism in that statement is just…

  111. 111.

    CaseyL

    February 14, 2012 at 10:18 pm

    @gogol’s wife: So very sorry; my thoughts are with you.

    I am not too worried about Santorum. I honestly don’t think most people want their politics to be exercises in unremitting nastiness and ignorance; I think they’ve had more than enough of that. I think/hope/pray that enough people remember things were better when government worked properly, and would prefer to see that again rather than the nihilistic wars the GOP uses as ruling technique.

    What’s up for tonight? Not much. Cooking up a big potful of rice, vast quantities of roasted mushrooms, and high piles of sauteed onions that will be the basis of my brown-bag lunches for the rest of the week. (My secret to quick-n-easy perfect sauteed onions: chop a big pile, put in casserole dish with about 2T of butter, nuke for 13 or so minutes until soft… then plop the whole thing into a frying pan and caramelize. I add salt, to help the caramelizing along and also because salt is one of my major food groups. YMMV.)

  112. 112.

    The Moar You Know

    February 14, 2012 at 10:19 pm

    Romney is using a whiffle bat when he really needs to take a trip to the gun store.

    Oh well. Hard to be scared of a guy when he’s such a fucking dweeb.

    His one man fan club here is about as offensive and terrifying as my eight year old nephew.

  113. 113.

    Soonergrunt

    February 14, 2012 at 10:19 pm

    @lamh35: …par for the course back then, and to a somewhat lesser extent, now.

  114. 114.

    jenn

    February 14, 2012 at 10:27 pm

    @Delia: @gogol’s wife: @BethanyAnne: @Gordon, The Big Express Engine:

    I’m so sorry. Best wishes to you all.

  115. 115.

    KS in MA

    February 14, 2012 at 10:27 pm

    @lamh35: Brave people, the Lovings. Here’s to ’em.

    (And good for HBO for airing this on Valentine’s Day.)

  116. 116.

    lamh35

    February 14, 2012 at 10:28 pm

    @Soonergrunt: true dat.

    Well, I’ma stop posting now, but seriously if ya missed The Loving Story documentary on HBO you should find a way to see it. It was fantastic, engrossing, touching, heartbreaking and ultimately triumphant. It was seriously great.

    I’m a chick, so I can get kinda emotional anyway, but I’m also African American and the story and the videos and recordings of the Lovings and their children, and the footage and the interview with the daughter almost made me cry.

    Anyway please check it out.

  117. 117.

    jenn

    February 14, 2012 at 10:29 pm

    Urgh – I’m in moderation. Delia, gogol’s wife, BethanyAnne and Gordon – I’m so sorry about your beloved cats. Best of wishes to you all.

  118. 118.

    Mark S.

    February 14, 2012 at 10:30 pm

    It’s heartwarming to see that Loving was a 9-0 decision. It would be a 5-4 today.

  119. 119.

    lamh35

    February 14, 2012 at 10:35 pm

    @Mark S.: they played the recording of the oral arguments of the case and those young lawyers who defended the case were fantastic.

    Now maybe the court was just ready for the case before this one, but still those young ACLU lawyers were soldiers in the fight.

    BTW, the argument of the Virginia Atty General basically said that interracial is wrong because the children of mixed marriages would be “victims” or harmed??? Really. Listening to the recordings it seem like the VA Atty General was either just a blatant liar or was not at all prepared for the case

  120. 120.

    lamh35

    February 14, 2012 at 10:43 pm

    Okay final post I promise…lol

    The Lovings were not at the Supreme Court when closing arguments were given. So the ACLU lawyer asked Richard Loving if there was anything he wanted him to say to the court and Mr Loving said to just tell them that “I love my wife.”

    Ok, now I do need a tissue…lol.

  121. 121.

    Bethanyanne

    February 14, 2012 at 10:43 pm

    @Gordon, The Big Express Engine: We tried to do it ourselves, and we sucked at it, but thanks :). My vet charges $5 per visit to juice her – pretty manageable. And yeah, Suli doesn’t like the kidney food, but she started eating more when I put down in Innova wet food, and that helped.

  122. 122.

    lamh35

    February 14, 2012 at 10:52 pm

    @lamh35:

    ETA: WTF ALABAMA!!
    After the Loving vs Virginia case ruled in favor of the Lovings. It became federal law that interracial marriage would be recognized in every state…BUT Alabama was the last hold out and they did not reject the final miscegenation law until 2000!!!!!!

  123. 123.

    PurpleGirl

    February 14, 2012 at 10:56 pm

    @Hillary Rettig: Argh! Those women must be from the business school. The comment is priceless. (I’m an NYU alumna, from the Arts and Sciences.)

  124. 124.

    lamh35

    February 14, 2012 at 10:57 pm

    Oh No, I did not know that Richard Loving died from a car accident involving a drunk driver 8 years after they won their case!

    Mildred lived the rest of her life in Virginia with her children and family in the house that Richard built for her…

    Okay so yeah, now I AM tearing up.

    Good night ya’ll.

  125. 125.

    Steeplejack

    February 14, 2012 at 10:57 pm

    @Delia:

    My condolences on your loss. It’s always heartbreaking when you have to let them go. Just remember the good times.

  126. 126.

    Delia

    February 14, 2012 at 11:59 pm

    @gogol’s wife: And everybody else: thank you for all your kind thoughts and words. I spent the last two hours on the phone with my sister who had to put down her little Chihuahua mix rescue dog this morning. Same disease–lung cancer. It was really good to talk about our pets and about the ones who remain. And it was good to write about it here.

    Gogol’s wife: I’m sorry for Masha’s illness. Just hold onto the happy moments that remain. Saffy seemed to enjoy herself up to the last three weeks or so, even though she’d been losing weight before then.

    I think if we let them, our animals can help us become better people.

  127. 127.

    Paul in KY

    February 15, 2012 at 9:21 am

    @gbear: They are going to play Bonnaroo. I hope they practice alot between now & then…

  128. 128.

    Paul in KY

    February 15, 2012 at 9:26 am

    @Delia: So sorry to hear of your loss. You did the last best thing a responsible pet owner does for their beloved pet.

  129. 129.

    Paul in KY

    February 15, 2012 at 9:31 am

    @BethanyAnne: 18 years is pretty damned good for a cat, IMO. You are lucky to have had her so long.

  130. 130.

    Paul in KY

    February 15, 2012 at 9:33 am

    @burnspbesq: Dookies ‘marrying’ period. Perish the thought ;-)

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