My dogs hate ice cream trucks. They cannot abide the tinkling, high-pitched songs played over the loudspeakers. As pups, they used to howl, but now they just frown. (Sometimes we howl when the ice cream truck is near to try to get the dogs to join in, but it never works.)
Daisy Mayhem, pictured above, was never a patient creature. But now that she’s becoming a grizzled old dog, she has a very short fuse. Yesterday evening, I thought she was going to fling herself over the fence, find that truck and sink her fangs into its tape deck (I imagine it is an old, shitty tape deck to match the old, shitty vehicle).
Anyhoo, I recognize that look in her eyes. I’ve seen it in the mirror. Make. It. Stop.
Captain Obvious observation: there’s much hypocritical conservative butt-hurt across the land over insinuations that Trump isn’t legitimate, isn’t a good person or that his upcoming Ultimate Ego Gratification Event (UEGE) should be boycotted. Even 1970s crooner Tony Orlando got in on the act!
.@TonyOrlando on #Inauguration boycott and protests: “This is embarrassing to the world.” #oreillyfactor pic.twitter.com/kBJiVUf0ug
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 19, 2017
I’m afraid the SS “Embarrassing to the World” sailed 11/9, Mr. Orlando, so tie a yellow ribbon ’round your big fat yap. Orlando is performing at one of the inaugural balls sans backup singers, so there will be no opportunity for Der Gropenfuhrer to be found fumbling at the crack of Dawn (yes, I went there…sorry).
WaPo has an article up about the blow-back groups and individuals are getting for attending the UEGE — including the Girl Scouts. From quotes in that piece and exchanges I’ve seen elsewhere, it seems the reaction of non-Trump supporters to the UEGE falls into at least two categories: those who view participation as validation of the “peaceful transfer of power” and those who see it as normalizing Trump.
Personally, I see it as the latter, and I wish each and every Democrat and/or person who values decency and American self-determination would decline to participate in or watch the proceedings. But I’m not going to harsh on people who feel obligated to attend, such as the Clintons. Sitting through that travesty will be hell enough.
While reading the article, I was struck by the comment of a talk radio host and parent who objected to an email sent by his kid’s teacher, in which the teacher conveyed his decision to allow the class to watch the swearing-in on TV but not the speech:
Radio host Steve Gruber took issue with the email, telling the Free Press, “He has an opportunity to demonstrate that even when you lose, you come together for peaceful transfer of power. The message to 10-year-olds in his class is that the president is a bad man, and that’s not acceptable.”
I remember being angry when a Sarah Palin knock-off on our local school board refused to allow public schools in my district to air an address to the kids from President Obama because socialism! But the thing is, Mr. Gruber, Trump is a bad man. Let’s not pretend otherwise. Hypocrisy sets a bad example for the children.
Open thread!
Larkspur
I want to hire Daisy Mayhem to be my official spokesdog. And yes, I wish the TV remote “mute” button worked on ice cream trucks. Also, good morning.
LAO
Reading this morning about how the Trump Administration is going to adopt the Heritage Foundation budget proposal made me sick. I’m not sure if I have it in me to maintain the high level of outrage I currently feel through the next 2-4 years. And, I’m certain, it’s not healthy either.
On a dog note — my 9 and 1/2 old pup torn her back right pad and can’t (or won’t) put her paw down. Should I tape a sock over it? Give up and let her lounge about the apartment all day (which is her dream)? My only major concern is that she didn’t eat breakfast today.
Taiko
Temporarily de-lurking to say, don’t ever change Ms. Cracker. I mean, “tie a yellow ribbon ’round your big fat yap,” and “fumbling at the crack of Dawn,” all in the same paragraph!
CaseyL
Peaceful transition of power? – to someone supremely unfit for the office, who gained it through the mechanizations of a foreign and hostile power? But we’re not supposed to think about that much less mention it – we’re supposed to ignore the man behind the curtain; nod and smile for the cameras.
Our national culture in a nutshell: the form is more important than the substance.
Jerzy Russian
The speech will be one giant word salad no doubt. If I were an English teacher, I would have my students watch it then break it down, diagram sentences, etc., and then use it as an example of how not to write (assuming he is reading from prepared remarks).
There was a big shitshow along those lines here, and I am happy to say the superindentent got his ass handed to him in the end. As I recall, Mr. Obama ended up saying something along the lines of “be cool, stay in school”. How that can be controversial is a mystery to me.
Nicole
Much as I support every Dem lawmaker who is skipping the inauguration, I can’t really get behind being mad at the Girl Scouts for it. They’ve marched in every inauguration since Woodrow Wilson, and I believe it’s less about showing support for the incoming Administration than it is teaching Scouts about civics (after all, when they first marched in the parade, women couldn’t vote). I don’t think any of them are being required to walk, so if there are Brownies out there who are already politically-minded, they can opt out if they want to.
Gelfling 545
@LAO: Get her to the vet. These can be serious.
Jack the Second
@CaseyL: “Smile and act like everything is OK” has always been what Trump, et al, tell the people they abuse, hasn’t it?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I respect those who are not attending, but I wouldn’t want to see this become the new standard of purity. We have bigger fights ahead. I got an email about this from a group called Blue America (that I think Hamsher used to be affiliated with) and I’ve seen tweets about “call your Dem Senator and ask them why….”. This is time and energy and outrage much better spent on the ACA, Price and Mnoochin
hovercraft
@Jerzy Russian:
He’s black and a democrat, and he values education, that’s a trifecta of evil that cannot be allowed to stand.
SenyorDave
Yes, Mr. Gruber, he is a bad man. I have argued repeatedly with the few Trump supporters I know, and the one point even they generally don’t even try to dispute is that he is not a good person. I put it this way, “would you have a friend who acts like Trump”?
By the way, how the am I supposed to get back to work when you turn a phrase like “fumbling at the crack of dawn”?
dmsilev
A clerk in a local pharmacy asked me yesterday if I was going to watch the inauguration and my response was that I refused to. She nodded and said that it was too bad there wasn’t a law requiring basic competence of Presidents.
Jeffro
@CaseyL: True but I think Trump has blown up every Norm and now more and more Democrats are realizing it’s perfectly OK to ignore former norms .
I have seen friends and wives of friends agreeing with their Girl Scouts not taking part in the parade or inauguration … I think it’s awesome that people are waking up this quickly
geg6
@Jerzy Russian:
I am told by Mr. Spicer that it will be a statement of philosophy. I can hardly wait for the pearls of wisdom.
Betty Cracker
@LAO: Seconding Gelfling’s suggestion. The dog pictured above tore a pad a few months back, and I delayed taking her in for few days, not realizing how bad pad injuries could be. She came through it okay, but our vet told us that if something like that ever happens again, get her in right away. Pads are vascular and hard to heal; injuries can be very dangerous. Good luck to you and doggy!
NeenerNeener
I’m afraid for the Clintons tomorrow; what if Trump’s bikers decide to shoot them since Trump refused to arrest Hilary after stirring up all that shit at his rallies. These people are cray cray…
hovercraft
And the hits just keep on coming.
Trump’s Army Secretary Pick Accused Of Punching Worker At Racehorse Auction
Vincent Viola, the billionaire Wall Street trader and owner of the Florida Panthers hockey team tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to be secretary of the Army, was accused in August of punching a concessions worker at a racehorse auction.
A concessions worker at a high-end racehorse auction in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., told police that Viola punched him in the face, according to a New York Times report published Wednesday.
The man had a “swollen bloody lip,” according to a police report obtained by the Times through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Viola told police that the man had pushed his wife, according to the report. The worker denied this.
Officers determined that both allegations “involved actions that could have been charged as harassment,” but neither man wanted to press charges, according to Greg Veitch, the chief of the Saratoga Springs Police Department.
In a statement to the Times, a spokesman for Viola did not dispute that he punched the worker.
“Mr. Viola loves his wife and regrets the incident,” the spokesman wrote in one statement.
In a later statement, the spokesman described it as “a simple disagreement” and said that Viola notified Trump’s transition team about the incident “early on in the process and we consider this matter closed.”
Thoroughly Pizzled
@Nicole: Someone made the point that the Boy Scouts are also marching in the inauguration, but nobody’s giving them shit about it. Boys will be boys, amirite?
donnah
Betty, dear, nobody writes like you do, and I am so grateful for your hilarious commentary. Many thanks!
I’m worried nowadays that when I do get a hearty laugh going, it turns hysterical. It’s like my emotional boundaries are so fragile that everything reflects from trump’s horrible actions and my standard of calm, fun, and reasonable has edged into extremes of depression and fury. I hope there is a leveling off soon or I may spin out into orbit.
Kryptik
@geg6:
To be fair, “I Got Mine, Fuck You” is, under the most technical definition of the word, a “philosophy”.
wuzzat
I apologize if this has already been mentioned, but I’ve been off the grid for a couple of days. Apparently both elder Bushes are in the hospital. Is it irresponsible to speculate that our friends in the Kremlin helped send them there as a warning to Jeb?
LAO
@Gelfling 545: @Betty Cracker: yikes! This is the one of the negatives about living in NYC, carrying a 30 lb puppy 5 blocks. Thanks for the advice.
hovercraft
@CaseyL:
Only because he is a republican, can you imagine the shitstorm, constitushional crisis we would be having if the shoe were on the other foot? Imagine if Barrack Hussein Obama was elected with the help of a foreign power, the endless vapors, the rending of shirts, the media would be on a 24 hour non-stop tear about the need for him to step aside and allow for new elections. Democrats are implored over and over again to take shit for the good of the country, while republicans are encouraged to stand up to democrats to give the country an alternative to democratic rule.
HRA
@geg6: @geg6:
This begs the question of what philosopher will he choose to cite.
I was a Girl Scout leader. The Girl Scout council has the first and last say about any activity.
hovercraft
@LAO:
Good luck with your puppy.
ETA: I hope for your sake that those five blocks are streets not avenues ;-)
cope
I would go so far as to say Trump is worse than bad but I just don’t know what that means. I don’t believe that such a thing as evil exists but if it did, it would sport a marmalade coif, diminutive digits and an endless wardrobe of suits and ties.
Stan
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Of course.
But one does not preclude the other.
I am urging folks to call their reps, and I have already done so.
ET
I am not a George Will fan. For me he has spent his career portraying himself as the academic grown up while giving cover to the worst tendencies of the GOP. However, like a clock he does occasionally get it right. The title of his column today intrigued me and so I read the little intro from Hilaire Belloc on the waterbeetle which I think is a correct (partial) picture of Trump.
He flabbergasted the Human Race
By gliding on the water’s face
With ease, celerity and grace;
But if he ever stopped to think
Of how he did it, he would sink.
Kryptik
@hovercraft:
This is because “Democratic Rule” is almost by reflex considered ‘illegitimate’, because our political climate has deemed, now and forever, that GOP rule is the default standard for the US. Any aberration from that is treated as illegitimate and to be tempered. But when GOP is in charge? We’re supposed to respect it since that’s what America” “is and supposed to be”.
We are forever the red-headed stepchildren of American politics and the media never deigns to pass up a chance to remind us of this, repeatedly.
Pogonip
@LAO: Vet, pronto; if the pad gets infected or comes off she could lose her foot or leg.
LAO
@hovercraft: 2 avenues!!!! But everyone freaked me out. And @Pogonip: If I hadn’t already made the appointment, I would have now.
Kryptik
@Kryptik:
To wit, the head of the White House Correspondents Association has stated that reporters should be willing to give in to Trump’s “Guerrilla tactcs” toward the media, for the sake of retaining access. IOW, enable Trump’s blatant attacks on them and pretend its normal, because access is on the line (you know, the very access he’s already stated he’s this close to taking from them wholesale).
Ohio Mom
@LAO: Call the vet and ask if there is a car service they’d recommend. There must be at least one that transports pets.
Your dog is already stressed, being carried many blocks is only going to stress him more. And you yourself deserve better. Just consider the fare part of the vet bill.
Here’s hoping to a quick and thorough recovery!
JordanRules
@wuzzat: No. They are both in there 90’s and have had health issues. Also, Jeb has no power.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@JordanRules: the Bush clan turned its hopes to the next generation about the time of “Please clap”. And the one who’s a junior elected in TX, and endorsed Trump around the convention, is actually Jeb’s son, no? I used to know more about them. I hope I never have cause to relearn it all
artem1s
this was my first thought. make them diagram it and then do the same for one of Obama’s speeches.
Yarrow
@Kryptik: Fuck the White House Press Corps. They should send one pool reporter per day to cover the president. Rotate who that person is. The press should come up with a list of questions and the one person asks the full list. Then the rest of them can do actual reporting and journalism the old fashioned way. Deny Trump the coverage of the circus he so desperately wants and needs. If he can’t conform to norms then cut him off.
Treat him seriously and he’ll be shown as the clown he is. Meet him halfway and he’ll turn you into a clown too.
The press can
JordanRules
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Yeah, I think that’s George. I also enjoyed not having that clan occupy as much of my brain space lately.
hovercraft
@wuzzat: @JordanRules:
Agreed it’s just old age, and I think they appreciate the excuse not to attend the upcoming Ultimate Ego Gratification Event (UEGE). HWB’s statement yesterday said that his doctor said if he sat outside in January for the event, he would end up 6 feet under. He is spared the ignominy of having to watch the spectacle in person. Perhaps Hillary could have another “dizzy” spell, the internets tell me she is suffering from all kinds of maladies. Alas the Obama’s are in perfect health, there is no way to spare them.
JimV
The paragraph which begins, “I’m afraid the SS “Embarrassing to the World” sailed” is the single greatest paragraph in the history of literature.
Rob in CT
There’s nothing about the peaceful transfer of power that requires reps show up to the ceremony. Certain people must be there to take part, and those people do need to show. Anyone else not showing does zero to undermine the peaceful transfer of power. It’s a show of disrespect, for sure, but of course Il Douche has earned that and then some.
charluckles
I mean, maybe if Trump had acted conciliatory and respectfully since his election. What f*cking planet are these people living on?
hovercraft
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
That would be George P. Bush, he has the added bonus of not only speaking Spanish fluently, but also of being Hispanic himself. That’s guaranteed to get him at least the same Latino support his uncle got, right?
gvg
@LAO: when you have time, consider a dog stoller. Walmart lists some around $45 though I suspect quality improves slightly up from that price. estimate how large she will grow. then you have emergency transport in the future. I bet you can use it for other things at other times like carrying packages.
Droppy
“The peaceful transfer of power” is the new lapel pin. We allowed the right wing to appropriate our national symbol and convert it into a badge of loyalty to their ideology. Now when we have presidents handed to us by corrupt Supreme Court decisions or forced onto us by traitorous FBI actions and/or direct interference by foreign nuclear-armed dictators they say “democracy” and “peaceful transfer” to mean “shut up about how this happened and just swallow it.” I don’t think we should do that.
Yarrow
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Yes, George P. Bush. He’s Jeb’s son and is the TX Land Commissioner. Speculation he’ll use that as a launching pad to run for Governor. I think he speaks fluent Spanish so that should be an advantage for him in Texas. Don’t know if someone like Julian or Joaquin Castro will run against him, but Democrats have a hard time in statewide races in Texas so we could be looking at yet another Governor Bush from Texas.
Bunter
@LAO: Try Pet Taxi or Pet Chauffeur. I used them both to get Wimsey to and fro if needed. I hear that Uber also transports small dogs. Don’t know what the weight limit is for them though.
amk
@Kryptik: jeez, talk about corrupt courtiers.
Elizabelle
@LAO: you got enough advice from others, but be forewarned that elmo lost a dog to a pad injury not so long ago. Can go fatal.
Good luck to you and the pup. Please keep us posted.
chris
Quick hit. And you shall know them by their… bras? Designed by someone from my neighbourhood, if you see them give a shout out to Nova Scotia. We’re with you.
Back later.
Yarrow
@hovercraft: There’s no reason Hillary should attend. Bill’s the former president. Let him go. She can go on a nice vacation to a warm location and enjoy umbrella drinks.
sherparick
@Kryptik: Although the media and economic elite of this country is ultimately on board with the policy of tax cuts for rich people and slashing Medicare, Social Security, and anything that “socializes” the risks of life for the non-rich, for whom only fear of immiseration, if not actual starvation will get them off their lazy asses and work for subsistence and encourage them not to get sick or else.
geg6
@Kryptik:
Fuck the WHCA. Fuck them sideways. Access is not important. Information is. Facts are. I hope he tosses the entire bunch out. Then maybe they’ll figure out how to do their jobs. I doubt it, but it’s possible.
hovercraft
Speaking of the “peaceful transition of power” These people have fukin’ chutzpah !!
Donald Trump spokesman Sean Spicer on Thursday morning accused Democrats of not working with Republicans to quickly confirm the President-elect’s cabinet nominees.
“It really speaks volumes that the Democratic leadership is not working with us to ensure a continuity of government,” Spicer said.
Spicer claimed that Democrats are trying to delay the confirmation process for Trump’s nominees.
“They are continuing to deploy delay tactic after delay tactic,” he said.
He said that Democrats have embarked on “partisan attacks” in confirmation hearings, which Spicer said was “not in the best interest of the country.”
Democrats had pushed for some confirmation hearings to be delayed while ethics reviews of the nominees were still underway, and senators have hammered certain nominees with questions about their views and qualifications.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said Wednesday that the Senate is on track to confirm just three nominees on Inauguration Day despite the initial goal of confirming six or seven just after Trump is sworn in. In 2009, the Senate confirmed seven of President Obama’s nominees on Inauguration Day.
catclub
@wuzzat: The alternate theory is that they are planning on dying to upstage Trump, and start his term out with the nation in mourning, flags at half-staff, etc.
I favor this theory.
Kryptik
@amk:
@geg6:
I would love for someone to try and justify this by pointing out any point in time where Obama got that kind of reflexive deference by reporters, WH Press Corp or other.
Elizabelle
@geg6: I’m with you. They have disgraced themselves. Fucking stenographers, but for a few.
catclub
@hovercraft: This is ignoring the big news that out of 690 presidential nominees that need senate consent, Trump has only made 28 nominations – he is the problem. Surprised? Me, too.
LAO
Thanks all for the advice; I appreciate it.
@Elizabelle: That is just absolutely, heartbreakingly terrible.
Aleta
@NeenerNeener:
kindness
Betty, I bet if you took your dogs out to the ice cream truck and bought them an ice cream and gave it to them right then and there they would still howl when they heard it but for a new and different reason. Buy yourself one too. Group ice cream right there on the sidewalk. No Betty, you probably shouldn’t eat yours off the sidewalk.
hovercraft
@Yarrow:
I agre, but Hillary is made of stronger stuff than me. She will be there looking great, showing them that she’s still standing. In spite of all she’s been through, all the years of shit she’s had to take, she still got her husband, her daughter and her two beautiful grandchildren. Also too, millions in the bank. She’s fine, she’ll be just fine. The rest of us not so much, and I know that bothers her. In 2008 she lost to a good man, last year she “lost” to a sociopath who doesn’t even know what the hell is going on.
amk
@hovercraft: If the dem cong critters had any backbone, they should point out 8 years no, no, no from the rethugs. Of course they don’t and they won’t.
Betty Cracker
@Aleta: OMFG, that is hilarious — fake bikers slap-fighting over the grift spoils makes me happy.
LAO
@Rob in CT: All of this blather about Dem’s “opposition to the peaceful transfer of power” is total bullshit meant to prey on the Democratic Party’s commitment to governing. No one would ever level this accusation at Republicans’ because they do not care about governance or norms.
Mike E
@Yarrow:
Whomever draws the short
fingerstrawKryptik
@LAO:
It’s like…how does this disrupt the actual transfer of power, and in what way does it not make it ‘peaceful’? The meaning of ‘Peaceful Transition of Power’ means not requiring any kind of act of war or military involvement, not the total lack of protest or total stifling of dissent.
sherparick
Tomorrow, we embark on a new state, “The Ship of Fools,” with Siegfried Rieber as the Captain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_fools; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Fools_(painting); and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Fools_(film)
catclub
@Kryptik: Trump wants the entire WH press corps made up of Guckerts and Gannons from Breitbart ‘news’.
Kryptik
….welp. Don’t look now, but Trump’s administration plans to, among other things, privatize the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and completely axe the National Endowments to Arts/Humanities
Fun times ahead. Fun times….
NeenerNeener
@Aleta: So that wall of biker “meat” that was all over the news the last few days is just bullshit and grifting. Fitting. I still worry for Hillary, tho, when I read those “I regret voting for Trump” posts bemoaning the fact that he backed off on his promise to lock her up. One of these assholes may try for a “2nd Amendment” solution.
Kryptik
@catclub:
To which, their response will be to give in and suck up to Breitbart for jobs, since it’ll be the only game in town. I mean, it’s clear they didn’t object to being painted as literal enemies of the state by Trump at his rallies. At least, not as a whole.
hovercraft
@Aleta: @NeenerNeener:
The secret service can handle it, they will be guarding 4 presidents, and virtually all of our government, with the help of several other agencies.
Also the scope and depth of the shitgibbons support among the bikers if highly inflated. While I suspect most “bikers” would probably have voted for him, he exaggerates both how many are passionately for him, and would come to DC to rally for and protect him.
From Snopes:
We were unable to find an event in which 100,000 bikers rallied for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at any point. However, Trump did appear at a 2016 “Rolling Thunder” event, which brings thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts through Washington D.C. every year…….
While it is true that police reported making no arrests at the Rolling Thunder rally, an estimated 5,000 people showed up to the event — a far cry from the 100,000 mentioned in the meme. Trump reportedly took some issue with the official numbers:
The presumptive Republican nominee was also apparently disappointed with the crowd size – organizers estimated about 5,000 people were in attendance – arguing that there were 600,000 people who wanted to hear his speech but weren’t allowed in.
Trump complained, “I thought this would be like Dr. Martin Luther King, where the people would be lined up from here all the way to the Washington monument, right? Unfortunately, they don’t allow ‘em to come in,” without explaining who “they” are or where these 600,000 people were hiding.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@LAO: Her vet needs to see that; infections are easy to come by in that area. Skipping breakfast – especially for a beagle – is a sign of distress.
rikyrah
Bring that receipt, BC.
It’s among the 8 years worth that we have on these clowns.
delk
I think participation by the Girl Scouts is going to be judged harsher than the Boy Scouts because the GSA is far more progressive than the BSA particularly in regards to LGBT membership.
About 70 % of BSA units are sponsored by religious organizations, with about half of these units being Mormon-backed, according to the Scouts’ website.
rikyrah
I wrote a final piece to the First Lady.
Thank you, First Lady Michelle Obama
Pogonip
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): It’s a BEAGLE and won’t eat? Hustle that critter to the nearest animal emergency room! It’s really sick. Good luck!
Aleta
@geg6: They must all hang together or they will all be hung out to dry (paraphrase). But, you know, they believe competition is healthy in the dog e. dog for-profit world, and that Tr draining the press pool won’t affect THEM.
Betty Cracker
@NeenerNeener: I wonder if Trump is in on the grift. He gave the meatheads a shout-out this week.
If you follow Trump on Twitter (not recommended, but I do), it’s obvious other folks with wares to peddle have rightly concluded that Trump’s most ardent fans are easy marks. One dude responds to the first negative tweet from anti-Trump Twitter users with a photo of a coffee mug that says something like “A Mug of Sweet Salty Liberal Tears,” followed by a link to where other Trump fans can purchase their very own. And there are suspiciously similar responses stating that the person responding has purchased many of those high quality mugs as gifts. Pretty sure it’s an auto-bot marketing campaign.
LAO
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): @Pogonip: Only part beagle — the loud, stubborn, baying part. The rest of her is pitbull and spaniel (maybe?). She’s a handful. And yes — we’ve got a 3:20 appointment.
Yarrow
@Betty Cracker: Have you seen this investigation into the “Mug of sweet salty liberal tears”? It’s a scam. Go figure!
Villago Delenda Est
Tony Orlando needs to find a fire to die in.
Mai.naem.mobile
I am getting sick and tired of the “Obama didn’t do enough for the Democratic Party” shit and it’s his fault that the Dems have lost State Houses and the Senate. There’s piece in FT that says Obama didn’t have enough signing ceremonies and give out enough signing pens and didn’t give enough rides on AF1 to Dem Congress critters and their staff. Fucking really? Go fuck yourselves. A bunch of you didn’t even want the black guy standing with you at an event.
Villago Delenda Est
@Kryptik: The military views this as the Change of Command ceremony of all Change of Command ceremonies.
sukabi
@LAO: hire an uber or taxi to get you there with dog…
hovercraft
Thank you
Thursday, January 19, 2017 10:19 AM
From: “President Barack Obama”
My fellow Americans,
It’s a long-standing tradition for the sitting president of the United States to leave a parting letter in the Oval Office for the American elected to take his or her place. It’s a letter meant to share what we know, what we’ve learned, and what small wisdom may help our successor bear the great responsibility that comes with the highest office in our land, and the leadership of the free world.
But before I leave my note for our 45th president, I wanted to say one final thank you for the honor of serving as your 44th. Because all that I’ve learned in my time in office, I’ve learned from you. You made me a better President, and you made me a better man.
Throughout these eight years, you have been the source of goodness, resilience, and hope from which I’ve pulled strength. I’ve seen neighbors and communities take care of each other during the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes. I have mourned with grieving families searching for answers — and found grace in a Charleston church.
I’ve taken heart from the hope of young graduates and our newest military officers. I’ve seen our scientists help a paralyzed man regain his sense of touch, and wounded warriors once given up for dead walk again. I’ve seen Americans whose lives have been saved because they finally have access to medical care, and families whose lives have been changed because their marriages are recognized as equal to our own. I’ve seen the youngest of children remind us through their actions and through their generosity of our obligations to care for refugees, or work for peace, and, above all, to look out for each other.
I’ve seen you, the American people, in all your decency, determination, good humor, and kindness. And in your daily acts of citizenship, I’ve seen our future unfolding.
All of us, regardless of party, should throw ourselves into that work — the joyous work of citizenship. Not just when there’s an election, not just when our own narrow interest is at stake, but over the full span of a lifetime.
I’ll be right there with you every step of the way.
And when the arc of progress seems slow, remember: America is not the project of any one person. The single most powerful word in our democracy is the word ‘We.’ ‘We the People.’ ‘We shall overcome.’
Yes, we can.
President Barack Obama
P.S. If you’d like to stay connected, you can sign up here to keeping getting updates from me.
ETA: This shit is real, it’s really happening, and now there is dust in the air… tissues.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@LAO: We’ll expect a Maggie pupdate. And her beagle heritage is visible, the pibble not so much, while the spaniel shows when you look closely at the photos. And of course the beagle opinions and noise! She’s a doll.
rikyrah
Trump preparing budget with most extreme cut in government spending yet
Trump’s team is crafting a budget that would double the spending cuts put forward by House Republicans.
Incoming President Donald Trump’s administration is already working on preparing his budget. And it looks like it will be far more extreme than anything the Republican Party has proposed so far.
The blueprint Trump’s team is working with as it crafts the plan would cut federal government spending by $10.5 trillion over a decade, according to The Hill’s sources.
By contrast, the budget proposal put forward by House Republicans last year promised to cut spending by $5.5 trillion over 10 years. Even that number at the time was significant: the budget document itself noted that it was “higher than any previous House Budget Committee proposal.” The Republican Study Committee put forward a different proposal that would cut $8.6 trillion over a decade, although it failed a 2015 vote 132 to 294 despite Republican control.
To get such deep cuts, the Trump budget contemplates completely eliminating a number of programs, particularly at the Departments of Energy, Justice, State, Commerce, and Transportation.
On the chopping block, according to The Hill, would be the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; the Department of Justice’s Legal Services Corporation and Violence Against Women Grants; funding for the Paris Climate Change Agreement and the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Office of Electricity, and Office of Fossil Energy, among others.
…………………….
But if the House Republican budget is any guide, programs that serve the most needy are likely to be in danger. That proposal derived 62 percent of its cuts from low-income programs, such as food stamps and Pell grants, even though those programs account for just 28 percent of non-defense spending.
Yarrow
@rikyrah:
Republican Death Panels
Republicans Kill
Shalimar
@catclub: When is the last time a member of the White House Press Corps broke a story? It is a job your news organization gives you as a reward for being a good stenographer. Trump doesn’t answer questions directly anyway, so there is no use for reporters repeating what he says.
Villago Delenda Est
@Kryptik: “Say what you will about the tenets of National Socialism, at least it was an ethos.”
Yarrow
@Shalimar: The WHPC is trying to justify its existence. They need to figure out that Trump is their enemy and treat him as such.
Aleta
@NeenerNeener: @Betty Cracker: Carnies who follow along with the road show of the carny in chief.
I’ve had an imaginary picture of a Tr Tower basement sweatshop where forgers are busy signing gold tinted merchandise. E and D jr might be locked in there too, forced to do their own signatures. .
Shalimar
@rikyrah: All of those programs combined are a few billion dollars a year. Where are the other $10 trillion in cuts coming from?
rikyrah
As ACA fight intensifies, GOP hears from ‘freaked out’ constituents
01/19/17 11:20 AM
By Steve Benen
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) tried to deliver a speech at a rally this week, but she was interrupted by Affordable Care Act proponents. The Republican lawmaker, a member of the House GOP leadership, is part of the crusade to repeal “Obamacare,” so ACA proponents chanted “save our health care” during her remarks.
Two days later, Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) faced a similar reaction during a town-hall event in Grand Rapids – which attracted a full crowd, with dozens more who tried to attend but couldn’t get in.
It’s like 2009 all over again, only flipped: instead of conservatives showing up to demand Congress reject the Affordable Care Act, now it’s progressives showing up to demand Congress protect the reform law.
Of course, congressional Republicans could avoid confrontations like these by ending their effort to take away Americans’ health security, but the Washington Post reports that GOP lawmakers are more inclined to start avoiding forums where ACA supporters might bother them.
Villago Delenda Est
@Yarrow: They’ll never do that. They’re all worthless cowardly stenographers. Fuck them all.
hovercraft
@rikyrah:
That was beautiful, well said. The dust, again with the dust, making my eyes water.
Nicole
@Thoroughly Pizzled: I think it’s that the Boy Scouts have already established quite a track record of being homophobic and sexist and chock full of religious zealotry, so they fit right in with Trump and Pence. ;)
cosima
My daughter posted a photo of the big jumbotron set up for the inauguration — it completely blocks the Lincoln Memorial (Monument? I’ve been there! But not clear on the correct name and too lazy to google). She commented that it’s got Hunger Games overtones. Needs more cannons & cornucopia (that disgorges snarling man-eating dogs?). I’m not great with my Hunger Games trivia, but I have long been telling people (from day one post election) that the US will now be devolving into the Hunger Games. My husband says civil war that splits the US into red/blue, but I don’t see how that can be done neatly, so I am sticking with Hunger Games.
On that cheery note, here’s a piece about Obama’s 2013 inauguration. We can all watch that instead, and create our own reality. Note the headline that says that he encourages Americans to seek common ground. What a beautiful dream that was.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/9815358/Barack-Obama-inauguration-live.html
? Martin
@Shalimar: You always need to be careful with the wording. They cut spending, but they also cut revenue. Presumably in the $10T ($1T per year) is the elimination of $400B per year in ACA revenue and spending. They’ll take the college loan program as a cut, even though it mostly gets paid back, etc. In previous proposals they would take credit for cutting expenses around programs that made money, so the spending cut actually increased the deficit (as the ACA cut would), etc.
What you’re seeing is the wingnut hitlist front and center with the real money items going unmentioned.
Mai.naem.mobile
Completely OT – I have a friend whose kid goes to Kumon for tutoring. For various reasons J’s had problems at school and goes to Kumon to help him keep up. Anyhow the Kumon teacher send my friend a text with a photo off an English worksheet turned in by J.:
Q- What do you think will happen to the dog in the thinderstorm?
A I think that the dog ______________
J has filled the blank in his own writing “Students answer in their own words”
The Kumon teachers text with the photo is “We feel J may be copying his answers.”
No shit Sherlock.
Chris
@SenyorDave:
It’s funny to watch, because so much of their support for George W. Bush was wrapped up in the single notion that he was a “Good Man.” So he doesn’t know shit about shit, so he’s a piss-poor businessman who’s run every business he ever had into the ground, so he’s a draft-dodger who shamelessly used his family heritage to send some black, immigrant or redneck kid to die in his place, so even if you ignore his entire adult life and go back to his grades you find out he was a C student. But… he’s a good man! (Something something family values, something something recovering sinner who found Jesus and dried up, something something Laura Bush). That just trumps everything!
Now, of course, they’re all lining up behind this monstrosity.
Chris
@hovercraft:
The “America is a household with an abusive relationship” metaphor only gets more spot on every day.
catclub
@rikyrah: A train wreck is coming. $1Tr is about 1/4 of the entire federal budget, so that is the general level of cuts that is talking about, but on th eother hand, Trump wants to boost Defense spending and not cut SS or Medicare.
Defense, SS and Medicare are almost 75% of the budget. So that $1Tr cut means EVERYTHING else is gone. Federal prisons, and National parks, and Congressional staff and white house staff, not to mention DOE care of Nukes or EPA or FBI.
I Have no idea what will really happen, but I would not bet on anything like $1Tr in cuts. I CAN imagine $1Tr in tax cuts, though.
The Moar You Know
@LAO: Just saw this. You have an extremely serious situation on your hands here. Get the dog to a vet TODAY.
Woodrowfan
A poll reported in the Independent on how Obama will be remembered as President. Those who said he would be remembered as “below Average” or “Poor” add up to a certain number. Yes, they add up to 27%.
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/barack-obama-first-black-president-us-racism-white-supremacy-donald-trump-a7532206.html
Chris
@hovercraft:
This from the people who have demanded that every Obama appointee be instantly fired at noon this Friday without even a day to effect a transition. “Every Obama appointee,” right down to the head of the DC National Guard, until they realized at the last second how phenomenally stupid that idea was even for them.
But sure. The real problem is that Democrats won’t assist with the smooth transition they don’t want them to assist with.
hovercraft
@Shalimar: @ Martin:
You people should stop sweating these details, the PEOTUS is totally on this, where the government cuts, the private sector will step in. From Crooks and Liars
bmoak
@Kryptik:
Remember when the Obama White House was mildly critical of Fox News’ continuous negative coverage of the President? The WHCA, to a man, closed ranks and said the White House shall not intimidate the Free Press! And then gave Helen Thomas’s traditional front-center spot at press conferences to Fox’s Ed Henry to prove a point.
Mnemosyne
@Nicole:
FWIW, it is also the policy of GSA that Girl Scouts can wear their uniforms to the protests on Saturday.
Chris
@Yarrow:
In twenty years of Fox News and fifty years of “Walter Cronkite was a traitor,” they still haven’t figured out that the right wing is their enemy. Why start now?
hovercraft
From the no shit Sherlock department.
Senate GOPer: We’re Going To Need Dem Help On Obamacare Replacement
A Senate Republican tempered expectations of what Republicans could do alone to repeal and replace Obamacare, and acknowledged that GOP lawmakers will need Democrats’ help to avoid hurting constituents in their overhaul of the health care system.
“From my standpoint, I’ve been talking about repairing the damage and then transitioning into a system that actually works. That takes some time. It’s way more complex than simply ‘repeal and replace’,” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) told CNBC’s Squawkbox Thursday. “It’s a fun little buzzword, but it’s just not that accurate.”
Johnson said that prior to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the phrase repeal-and-replace “was appropriate,” because the process would have been more feasible.
“You could have put something in place. Nobody would have been harmed. You didn’t have already the tentacles of Obamacare, you didn’t already have the damage, the destruction, the harm created by Obamacare driving premiums up, distorting health care markets and health insurance markets,” Johnson said.
He added that he believed that “more and more people” are on his page in how “daunting” a task “repairing the damage of Obamacare” is, and “realizing that it’s not particularly easy.”
“We’re going to need Democrats to help us, because we can repeal a big chunk of Obamacare — the taxes, the subsidies — what’s not necessarily on the table right now are the market reforms,” Johnson said, referring to the so-called reconciliation process lawmakers plan to use to repeal Obamacare that avoids a Democratic filibuster but is limited to provisions that affect the budget.
“My thought process is let’s start working with Democrats, let’s transition to a system that’ll actually work that Democrats are talking about. They want to fix it, well let’s fix it for the benefit of the American public,” Johnson said.
I think they are starting to get the message, keep calling an showing up.
Major Major Major Major
Morning everyone! I have to complain about a thing!
I saw several articles just now (mostly in rags like the NY Post and The Hill) celebrating the return of the patronage system because “civil service reform has led to more, not less, corruption” or some-such, one even saying Trump should be more like Andrew Jackson of all people. And how an entrenched ‘liberal deep state’ is Very Very Bad. I presume these are the new talking points?
jake the antisoshul soshulist
Little to no respect for George Will, but he does seem bothered by Trump. Which is more than can be said about Cal Thomas or Krauthammer.
ThresherK
Seldom-known fact: Tony Orlando played P.T. Barnum in Cy Coleman’s Barnum, a good number of years ago. (As a born Bridgepoter I am required to refer to this show whenever possible. And it is pretty good, actually.)
So, a one-time Barnum can’t swallow Trump’s particular brand of balderdash. Make of that what you will.
catclub
@hovercraft:
I think there is nothing in that statement other than GOP delusions. Delusions about tentacles, delusions about Democrats cooperating to fix it,
Delusions that you can cancel all the funding ( reconciliation!) and then fix the rest.
hovercraft
@bmoak:
Haven’t you learned anything, Bush and Darth were highly critical of the press even as they used them to lie us in, then cover up their crimes, but that was okay. When liberals protested and pointed out their crimes, we were traitors and giving aid and comfort to our enemies, criticizing the president or the war effort was treasonous. Now not only can you criticize and denigrate the president and the war effort, outright criticism, banning media organizations that report critically about you, even banishing the press core from the White House itself are all okay. Democrats must be grateful to be in the White House when they win, and accept what ever capricious norms the media and the GOP decide they must, republicans set the terms of what the norms are regardless of whether they win or not.
catclub
@jake the antisoshul soshulist: It is amazing for me to say that Jennifer Rubin is a breath of fresh air at the WaPo!
rikyrah
@cosima:
You are not wrong. Been saying The Hunger Games from the beginning.
The Moar You Know
@hovercraft: Any Dem that participates in this monstrosity should be instantly primaried right out of office. This is one thing I feel so strongly about that I’m willing to back it up with money I can’t afford; they’re going to blow it up, let them fix it. It’s not like they’ll even consider a single policy proposal of ours anyway, so what the fucking hell is the point of helping them?
rikyrah
@hovercraft:
Uh uh, muthaphucka.
Uh uh.
YOU will own it.
hovercraft
@catclub:
Totally agree, like he says, when it was all theoretical, repeal and replace was a great rallying cry, but now you are fucking with real peoples lives. They caught the car, and now they don’t know what to do, democrats will work with them to “fix” some of the real problems, but they will not help them dismantle it, that will be on them. If they turn around and say democrats refuse to cooperate, the democrats can say shown us a fully funded plan and well help. Obama has shown them the way to do it. Show me a plan that works better, and I’ll be fully on board.
J R in WV
@LAO:
If you can afford to, take your furby to a clinic, as pad tears often don’t heal correctly on their own, and are quite painful, which is why your baby isn’t putting the foot down.
Kryptik
@bmoak:
Yeah, now I remember that. I’m not terribly surprised. But hey, a Republican is in charge now, so hey, the media can be cowed all they want now. Why not, the ‘real’ owners of America are back in power!
JGabriel
Betty Cracker @ Top:
I really am surprised that the Clintons haven’t just called in sick yet – like the Bushes.
I would.
Chris
@hovercraft:
In other words, you want what was in Hillary Clinton’s platform, and you’re relying on Democrats to deliver it, but you still want you and your party to be the ones to get the credit for it.
Good luck with that.
JGabriel
@hovercraft:
Or the Democrats can say, “Hey, what’s the fucking problem? We’re giving Republicans the same amount of help tearing down health care for 30 million people that they gave us in setting it up.”
hovercraft
@catclub:
I know, she has become one of the sane ones, in this one way he is bringing the country together. Most of agree that he is woefully unprepared and unfit for the job.
cosima
@rikyrah: I’ve also been saying that Mexico is hoping the wall gets built b/c they’ll need it to keep the Americans out — with shitgibbon’s plan all along having been to build it to keep Americans in. Canada won’t be far behind, but they’ll pay to build it on their own before too long.
J R in WV
@Thoroughly Pizzled:
The Boy Scouts are founded on the FuhrerPrincip – originally to teach faith in and loyalty to the King of England – to follow the leader whoever that is, and do as you are told and lovingly taught – or else.
The leadership of the Boy Scouts all voted for this Trump fellow, are enthused to see their leadership principles put into place nationally, can’t wait to see how wonderful it is to see everyone required to march in step with Dear Leader Trump!
It is a despicable cult, uniformity worship, leadership taught by following, all the attributes, you can’t even join if you don’t already have signs of follower-ship of God, any God. Ask me how I know…
Cacti
Too bad for Conald, the GOP shot its wad from 2000-2008 with the whole “you’re a bad American if you criticize the POTUS”.
Nobody believes that shit anymore.
Chris
@J R in WV:
I was only ever in the Boy Scouts for one year, and ironically, it’s the first place I met a gay person. (Yes, this was the Boy Scouts of America, but an overseas troop, so I imagine much more lax). Nevertheless, I didn’t feel like I was missing out any when I moved at the end of the year and didn’t bother to pick up with a new troop. Learning about their politics in detail later confirmed that I’d been right (although even at the time I remember thinking the anti-atheist rule was ridiculous bilge, and I wasn’t an atheist).
SiubhanDuinne
@hovercraft:
@Chris:
These people are absolutely shameless. Fuckem.
Aleta
@rikyrah: Watch for them to do something like this to agencies they can’t kill outright.
(By the way, the post office has petitioned Congress more than once to tell them the location of the money (billions of $) it was forced to prepay. But (last I heard) Congress said it doesn’t know where the money is. Meanwhile the rw has openly lied about it being supported by taxpayer money (#10).
Ending the service has been a stated goal of the Koch Bros since 1980, despite it being specified in our Constitution.
mai naem mobile
They have majorities in both chambers and POTUS. They do not need the help of the Dems. Let them chase their vulnerable Senators like they made Reid do. Poor Wittle Yertle Turtle will have to have the Tennessee Bargain, the Louisana Purchase, the Iowa CornMeal Deal and the Arkansas Pig in A Poke.
Major Major Major Major
@Aleta: Why is it that they hate the post office so much? It’s a rural-state-coddling institution that is, as you say, specified in the Constitution. (Not as mandatory but as one of the few enumerated powers.)
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@catclub:
I’ve retweeted Bill Kristol – BLOODY BILL KRISTOL – several times this election cycle, in agreement. It’s bizarro world out there.
Chris
@Aleta:
I remember reading years ago an interesting point about privatization projects in the third world per the Washington Consensus. The idea, of course, was that by privatizing inefficient state-run enterprises, you’d turn them over to people who would revitalize them in order to run efficiently and profitably.
As it turned out, the private sector was only really interested in gobbling up these companies in one of two cases; either they had no intention of doing anything to save them and just wanted to break them up and make a profit selling off the parts, or the company was already turning a profit in the first place.
In other words: only when the reason for privatization didn’t apply in the first place.
Elie
As I have said, Putin and Trumps plan is to destroy a functioning Unites States, aided and abetted by the corrupt Republican Party and elements of the media and international right wing movements in UK and Europe. Chaos will be our new order starting on day one. Not much we can do right now. Will have to see what we can grab a hold of when he is in office.
Ohio Mom
@Major Major Major Major: I think the animosity toward to USPO is st least in part because of that big pot of gold, aka the pension fund — to mix metaphors, the goose has been fattened up. Think all those airlines that are always going bankrupt. Somehow of other, the pension fund always gets raided in the process.
Aleta
@J R in WV: I always read the comics like Scouts in Action in my brother’s Boys Life. My partner tells a story about being kicked out of the Scouts after he and two friends expected to be recognized as heros. (They actually had their shirt buttons cut off in a formal humiliating Scout ceremony!)
They had tried hard to fight a fire that was spreading across a field, toward a building that had some kind of explosive material in it. Then they ran for help and the town was saved!! But (like good Scouts) they truthfully explained it started when the wind blew up on a small campfire they had built to practice for their jamboree.
J R in WV
@LAO:
Glad to hear it. We once had a very sweet rescue dog who badly cut her paw (probably on a bottle or such, just as she had picked up going out to pee. We live in a rural forest, and there is crap people threw away 50 years ago around where there were farms 90 years ago.
Anyway, we cleaned it, put Vet issue antispetic on it as directed, used baby socks and ducktape to keep it clean(er). Had a Muttluk to put on her foot for wet days outdoors, which she hated. It healed fine, although astounded us at how long it took to heal compared to normal cuts and abrasions.
But her toilet training was totally messed up, because everything changed suddenly right as she was about to have it down cold!!! Sad, much mopping up with old doggy towels. As usual, no biggie, but added 2 or 3 months to her learning curve. She was an angel, part Airedale, brilliant, affectionate, happy to learn new things, teach other dogs her skills.
Named her Annie, because she was an orphan dog, picked up beside the road in the poorest county in a poor state. Sweet from day one, ‘cept for that pee thing the first 3 months or so… Gone many years now, but not forgotten!
Elmo
@LAO: Coming to this thread very late, but thought I would chime in as well since my own experience was so awful and I don’t want you terrified. A pad injury is dangerous, to be sure – believe what everyone said on that point – but Drago was a 90-lb German Shepherd with a constantly revving 8-cylinder engine, and the reason we couldn’t save him was that he wouldn’t let us. He was utterly indifferent to pain, almost pathologically so, and had been since he was a puppy. In 30 years of dog raising and rescue, we had never ever seen such a driven dog. He would not and could not be still.
So when the infection took over his foot, we had to decide whether he could make it as a tripod. After consideration and consultation with the vet, we decided he was a poor candidate.
A beagle is not going to be nearly as high risk as that insane GSD. Best of luck and please do give us updates.
Oh also – remember that you can supplement the vet’s antibiotics with a poultice of honey, which is a natural antibiotic that my wife and I have had great success with.
01jack
@Ohio Mom: Also the workforce is 39% minority, so destroying it would be attractive to the GOP.
Aleta
@Major Major Major Major: I think they see the p.o. as a profit opportunity that can be monopolized. (Not a failed business that wastes our money, as they claim, but a renewable resource to be drained.)
That’s how I see the overall modern-era attack on the fed govt by these wise guys. They shriek about taxes to get voted into power, but (like the Cheney-Bush adm.) will never actually lower them for the working class. Just divert the money.
ETA Just as they’ve shrieked about the ACA premiums. I like to tell Tr voters that their health costs are not going down but up now.
LAO
@Elmo: Just heartbreaking. I had a Doberman who was also impervious to pain. By the time she began limping, bone cancer has destroyed over 50% of her leg. I’m sorry for your loss.
I am hearten, that when I got home, Maggie was peppy and ate her food. Am not looking forward to carrying her 5 blocks. Lol. The things we do for love.
J R in WV
@Rob in CT:
Many inaugurations were small private affairs, in the House chambers. Trump’s may be the smallest in modern times, but it used to an oath, a short address to the legislature and dignitaries, more like SOTU speeches, and then home for a nice dinner with friends and allies. Or a dance in the East Room or such.
Even Reagan’s went indoors, as the weather was below zero, so no parade, no speech on the giant expensive stand, just an oath in the rotunda, a speech inside, and balls that night, WITH show biz dignitaries.
Nothing will ever compete with the Obamas’ balls in 2009. Just as nothing Trump ever does will approach the White House parties the First Family hosted, with all the most highly regarded musical talents of the nation grateful to play for their president and his first lady.
J R in WV
@rikyrah:
@cosima:
OK, now I’m concerned. I’ve seen those novels for sale, I have always enjoyed alternate history fiction, mostly. Are these books well written, plotted, with characters you can care about? Or is it death drivel?
I do need extra large doses of escapist fiction, just got 9 pounds of fiction from Powell’s Books, where I can get a series or new release from authors I know I like. As opposed to local BAM where there are more and more Xtian fiction and romance pr0n, nothing wrong with that, I just don’t like it.
So, Hunger Games novels, read or skip?
Valuable survival tips? or waste of time and money?
Ohio Mom
@LAO: You aren’t going to consider a car service — according to other commenters, there are some that specialize in getting dogs to vets. There’s the walk back as well. Give yourself a break…
Cara
The teacher probably didn’t want to have to try to translate the speech.
“conveyed his decision to allow the class to watch the swearing-in on TV but not the speech:”
Gretchen Diefenderfer
@LAO: Not eating is not a good sign. Something is going on and you should probably get her checked sooner rather than later.
bluegirlfromwyo
@rikyrah: Now I’m failing miserably at the “don’t cry cause it’s over” thing. That was lovely.
LAO
Maggie and I are back from the vet and I’d like to thank everyone who encouraged me (ok, yelled at me) to take her. She actually managed to hop her way there with great enthusiasm. Lol. We got a lot of strange looks. But she’s good, the wound needed to be irrigated, which she handled like a pro. Unfortunately for her, she’s back in the cone of shame. We’ll head back next week for a check.
Thanks again!
jonas
@Thoroughly Pizzled: The Boy Scouts at this point are virtually a wholly-owned subsidiary of the LDS church and a few other far-right wacko evangelical outfits. No surprise there. The Girl Scouts, on the other hand, remain a proudly non-sectarian, non-religious service organization.
pluky
@Major Major Major Major: Postal Workers’ Union is huge.