Sunday

Guest Writer-Poppies and Gophers, Political Tidbits-A Roundup of Political Gossip to Prepare for the Upcoming Election

Some serious speculation on the Clintons and the convention, the truth behind that Russian "army" and Sunday Political Talk show notes for Sunday 8/17/08

Pic of the Day
Pubic Hare




Political Tidbits-Scuttlebutt, Speculation and Sunday Political Talk Show Summaries

The Clintons Will Star in the 2008 DNC Convention But Is This Obama's Idea?

My goodness we have Bill, then Chelsea, then Hillary. If time allows, Barack Obama will have some stage time at the DNC Convention in this year of our Lord 2008.

Barack Obama with no hand over his heart


All last week it had been whispered about that during that meeting between Senator Clinton and Senator Obama at Senator Feinstein's house involved Obama offering Hillary the VP slot on his ticket. It was also whispered that Hillary turned him down flat.

If this is true, what a surprise. For the popular thought was that Hillary had been pounding Barack for the VP slot.

What with Barack's polls falling like autumn leaves I suspect that this sudden embracing of the Clintons is about more than Obama's graciousness.

Barack Obama is simply not going to win this election and let's not forget his fine and friendly wife that America will love as its First Lady. It was Michelle the lovable who stated, in public mind you, that this is the first year she’s loved her country. The first year in her forty plus years of existence I remind. Indeed Michelle is going to go over real well once the American people turn their attention from the delights of summer to the upcoming election.

Hillary with hammer and sickle


I think it is the DNC itself that is having second thoughts about its candidate. While they've been re-thinking this babe-in-the-woods they are about to nominate as their leader the DNC should also re-think that Rubric's cube mess of a primary that caused this nomination of a black/white innocent and his nasty wife.

Just a hunch here, speculation to be believed at the reader's risk, I think the lineup of that convention to burst across the air waves soon enough was done not with Obama's blessing. I think many in the Democratic party are re-thinking their choice and setting up a scene that allows for last minute changes in just who gets nominated.

If you get my drift…

The Russian "Army"-What's the Truth

So while the world was watching the Olympics, a fine compilation of athletes and Chinese duplicity to entertain the planet, the Russian army decides to invade Georgia.

Again we speculate but said speculation is based on a couple of under-the-radar tidbits.

First no less than the President of Georgia himself said that Russia pulled its air force pilots out of pension mothballs to have them fly the planes. Second, what was with Bush giving that speech directly under the CIA sign?

Finally, last week a caller to Rush Limbaugh offered some thoughts on the state of the Russian economy that gave me pause. The caller suggested, based on some native Russians she knows and some personal insights on Russia, that Russia isn't so well off as it would like the world to think.

Sure the center of the former Soviet Union is now in the oil business but Russia is a big country with a big populace. The thugs and thieves of the former Soviet Union have made themselves wealthy while selling off the country's weaponry and nuclear know-how.

Why is Putin pulling pensioners out of retirement to fly airplanes? By this time Russia should have a handsome force of well-educated, well-trained pilots, all paid for by oil profits. And was Bush trying to tell the world something by giving his speech under that CIA sign? Something like the US has Russia's number because our spies are better than ever?

Could that Rush caller, as well as many pundits and Bloggers, have effectively summed it up? Could Vladimir Putin be so desperate to regain the former power of the Soviet Union that he picked the most opportune time to put on a show for the world but it's all he's got...a show?

Which is not to say that Russian actions shouldn't be taken very seriously and the US should not overlook its behavior.

By me, Russia is all bluster and bombast. Soon enough those soldiers in this Russian "army" will be peeled away with promises of vodka and copper pipes, which they are looting as I understand.

Soldiers stealing copper pipe?

It doesn't get any more pathetic than that.

The Sunday Political Talk Shows for 8/17/08

It's coming to the end of the dog days of summer when everybody in D.C. escapes the heat for rest and recreation. This year we have the Olympics with its riveting show of athletic prowess and Chinese deception. Meet the Press wasn't even on the air in my part of the world due to Olympic coverage.

Still the politicos are out and about and they speak their spin.

Before my insightful thoughts, somebody tell me please, WHAT THE HELL IS WITH Mikheil Saakashvili's hair?

Georgian President


Unfortunately I did not tape this past Sunday’s “Late Edition” so I do not have a pic. But please, the man’s hair was…well I don’t know what color it was. There was some red, some blond, some black. He looked as if he was wearing a calico hairpiece.

On “Face the Nation” we had no less a leader than Bill Richardson, current Governor of New Mexico and former Clinton buddy. Richardson lectured us on security and he went on for so long that I almost forgot that pile of top secret documents found under the copying machine at the security agency he once led. Of course we all keep our top secret documents under the copy machine, don’t we?

Two possible VP candidates, Tim Pawlenty for the Republicans and Evan Bayh for the Democrats, showed up to debate on “Face the Nation”.

I’m not making this up. Evan Bayh, a man who once held a modicum of the nation’s respect, actually said that had we (meaning the United States) listened to Barack we would have dealt with Russia long ago and wouldn’t be facing this crisis now.

Go with me here…I remember Reverend Wright, yes I do. I also remember a whole bunch of other radical friends of Obama. I sure remember Obama telling us to inflate our tires, goodness such wisdom is priceless from a future president.

I remember that Obama had a Syrian friend who’s being prosecuted for bribery and such, Tony Rezko I believe. I also recall William Ayres, a fine fellow who liked to throw bombs and the Pentagon and FBI, a friend of Obama’s, yes indeed.

But I don’t recall Obama EVER saying a damn word about Georgia, Russia or that part of the world. Does Evan Bayh really think we are that stupid?

I nominate Evan Bayh for Obama’s VP for having the total lack of pride required to sit in public and tell us that we should have listened to Obama and this whole Russian thing would not be occurring even as we read.

Heh.

John Edwards...Just How Stupid Does He Think We Are?

It's the dream of a political junkie. A former VP candidate and potential presidential nominee for a major political party, in this case as it is so often, the Democratic party, has an affair with a woman who is not his cancer-stricken wife.

Goodness knows we must assume Edwards knows where babies come from as he had four other children with his spouse, such an old-fashioned concept. So why did have to make her pregnant?



I do not believe it was an accident.

At any rate, to my continuing amusement and guffaws, now John Edwards tells us that the baby cannot be his, that the "timing" is off. And to prove his lie he gets that wonderful husband-stealing mistress of his to publicly deny any DNA test on her baby. And oh what a weird one this Rielle Hunter is. Her father liked to kill horses and her father-in-law was the prosecutor for the Jonbenet Ramsey case.

Mr. Edwards' political career is over but never mind, Edwards does not think so. By me I hope he continues to pursue an elected position. I have been greatly entertained.

FOCUS ON POLITICAL TIDBITS
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With each entry into Political Tidbits a little bit of history is recorded. So okay, maybe the two to three people a day who read this Blog would not be considered historians of note but I say a review of the past as recorded by the folks...which would be me, can reveal a lot about the culture of an era.

With a mind to my future generations who should read this online journal, I submit the following as posts of note.

Jimmy Carter was the worst president of the United States. Pay no attention to the men behind the curtains who would change history with tales of this American Man of LaMancha who charged at windmills in a misguided quest to fatten his own private diplomacy firm.

I lived through Carter's presidency and that makes me as knowledgeable as the mighty historians as to how life was with a "misery index" that was gauged ever day.

The picture on this Blog post of President Bush really upset Fox's Bill O'Reilly. Of course the pic that upset O'Reilly had Senator Joe Lieberman in the screen...well check it out for yourselves.

They say we all have a twin on the planet and I've found Nancy Pelosi's . Indeed, and Pelosi's twin was too a famous female and was too a bit of a dim bulb.

She tried to make the now dead Tookie Williams look like a teddy bear of a man although he was a cold-blooded murderer and gang leader. Here's a Blog record of Tookie's girlfriend's run for Governor of California.

 Posted by Hello


Life's Pieces

The days fly by and something happens that I think I might Drivel and then next thing you know, it's old news and I didn't say a word. They tell me it won't get better, either; the days just go faster.

So here are a couple of happenings that got missed in the rush.

I planted poppies. The wild orange ones growing by the roadway shouted at me every day on my way home from work. "Look!" they cried. "We can grow anywhere." Eventually I listened and, since I had a late start, I got a "pony pack" from the local nursery. (Why do they call them pony packs? I don't have a horse.)

I cradled the half-grown poppies like my own lost children, and tenderly planted them in a patch I'd painfully cleared by the front door. I watered them at planting, and then every other day after that. The weather hadn't yet hit the 100s by then, and the plants were doing well. Each day I'd come home and anxiously check out my darlings, watching for that first bud like a mother praying for grandchildren.

Gopher and poppies


And one day, a miracle happened. A single wrapped orange bud appeared, at the top of a fairly long stalk. Over the course of two days, it unwrapped itself and waved at the sun, tucking itself soundly to bed each night. On the third day, it crumbled and fell apart, but I didn't weep.

For I had a bunch of blossoms. Almost all my plants survived and bloomed, and once that first bud shown forth in glorious vibrant orange, an army of them followed. Each day I came home and marveled over my flowers. The poppies had bloomed for me; for me, who has no green thumb.

Then one day I came home and found one of my poppy plants lying on the ground, wilting away. The ground was dry, but I knew I hadn't forgotten to water them on schedule. Still, perhaps water would revive it. The ones around it were ... fine ... but ... wasn't there one here? In this bare spot? I could have sworn there was a plant with five or six flowers on it, right there. I must be getting old.

I went into the house and did the evening chores. I couldn't water my darlings until the sun was off them, so I planned on going back out around 7pm. It was a bit before 7 when I went back out. I got the hose, turned it on, carefully monitored the temperature of the water until all the hose-bound hot water was gone. Then I turned to water my wilting baby ... and ... it was gone, too. Now two blank patches stared back at me like the back of that bald man's head at the
theatre. Where had my baby gone?

Frantically I searched the poppy patch. Surely there must be traces, a body, leftover petals... but there was nothing; no sign that my two missing poppies had ever existed. I agonized over the mystery for several hours, and then called a friend to talk about my agony.

She promptly put me out of my misery. "You have a gopher," she said.

Well, yes. I likely have several; they make piles in the lawn just about every day. Since our "lawn" is Bermuda, I hadn't worried about it.

"Apparently they like poppies. They're sucking them underground like spaghetti noodles."

Urk. So we're at war with the gophers. I looked into options but am trying to get rid of them without poisons (poisoning is such a nasty way to die) and I have one of those vibrating noise-makers driven into the ground by my poppies. We're on day twelve, and the annoyance factor should be climbing for my little burrowing pests. We'll see if it works. If I find that I can drive them out, I'll get some more of those things and drive the gophers to the neighbor's house. (The one I don't like.)

Another of life's pieces is that I got a perm last Tuesday. Harry likes my hair to curl, and while I like it the way it naturally falls, every ten or fourteen years I get a perm for him, and it's his lucky year.

I got a bit trimmed off the ends, and Melanie (the same hairdresser from Drivel: Shorn) gave me what she calls a "spiral curl." If Shirley Temple was 47 and a bit gray, she'd be me. I'm not used to it yet but I think it's okay.

The one who didn't like it was ... no, not Harry (thank goodness) ...it was Kona. Apparently cats are very visual creatures.

Bounty was fine with it. He met me at the door with wiggles and a smiling face, and though his nose twitched a time or two and he sneezed thrice, he accepted me with good grace. The cat waited for Bounty to greet me and then came toward me, tail high. (This is our daily ritual; first dog, then cat.)

About five feet away, she stopped and the tail went down. She gazed searchingly into my face, raised her head, nose working. Then her tail poofed out to about three times its normal size and she fled.

No way was she coming close to that hair.

It took me half an hour of persuasion to convince her I hadn't been eaten by Shirley Temple. So, I guess the hair isn't staying forever. When the perm falls out on its own, I'll be back to straight hair, and Harry will have to wait another ten to fourteen years.
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Michelle, winebird@inreach.com
The Desk Drawer, writer's exercise email list

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