Molly Ivins: 2 Years After Her Death, People Who Knew Her Are Putting Words into Her Mouth (Are They Holding Seances?)

~~By InsightAnalytical-GRL

Molly Ivins

(Courtesy Wikipedia)

Tomorrow, January 31, will mark the second anniversary of Molly Ivins’ death from breast cancer.

At the time of her death, a lovely tribute was composed by her editor and friend of many years, Anthony Zurcher.  In his moving tribute, he wrote:

Goodbye, Molly I.

Molly Ivins is gone, and her words will never grace these pages again — for this, we will mourn. But Molly wasn’t the type of woman who would want us to grieve. More likely, she’d say something like, “Hang in there, keep fightin’ for freedom, raise more hell, and don’t forget to laugh, too.”

SNIP

But while she was here, her heart never failed to see clear and true — and for that, we can all be grateful.

Almost exactly one year before she passed away, Molly Ivins announced:

Molly Ivins: Not. backing. Hillary.

Friday, January 20, 2006; Posted: 9:18 a.m. EST (14:18 GMT)

AUSTIN, Texas (Creators Syndicate) — I’d like to make it clear to the people who run the Democratic Party that I will not support Hillary Clinton for president.

Enough. Enough triangulation, calculation and equivocation. Enough clever straddling, enough not offending anyone.  This is not a Dick Morris election. Sen. Clinton is apparently incapable of taking a clear stand on the war in Iraq, and that alone is enough to disqualify her. Her failure to speak out on Terri Schiavo, not to mention that gross pandering on flag-burning, are just contemptible little dodges.

(SNIP)

I listen to people like Rahm Emanuel superciliously explaining elementary politics to us clueless naifs outside the Beltway (“First, you have to win elections”). Can’t you even read the damn polls?

Here’s a prize example by someone named Barry Casselman, who writes, “There is an invisible civil war in the Democratic Party, and it is between those who are attempting to satisfy the defeatist and pacifist left base of the party and those who are attempting to prepare the party for successful elections in 2006 and 2008.”

This supposedly pits Howard Dean, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, emboldened by “a string of bad new from the Middle East … into calling for premature retreat from Iraq,” versus those pragmatic folk like Steny Hoyer, Rahm Emmanuel, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Joe Lieberman.

Oh come on, people — get a grip on the concept of leadership. Look at this war — from the lies that led us into it, to the lies they continue to dump on us daily.

MORE

I can understand what Molly wrote back in 2006 because, to be honest, I was thinking much the same thing.

Well, now we fast forward to 2009 and Molly’s former assistant, Betsy Moon, described as “FORMER ASSISTANT AND “CHIEF OF STUFF” FROM 2001 to 2007,” has decided to commemorate Molly’s death by being a mind reader.

What Would Molly Think?

Betsy Moon

AUSTIN, Texas — The question I have been asked most often during the last two years is, “What would Molly think about this?” Molly Ivins would have loved this election. She would have loved the beautiful sight of “We the People” finally stepping up to become the real deciders. She would have loved the drama, the comedy and the characters.

SNIP

In fact, we know how she would have felt, because she was as prescient about this election before her death two years ago as she was about all the other tragedies of the Bush years. Carlton Carl, CEO/publisher at Molly’s beloved Texas Observer, recalls her saying after Obama’s 2004 speech at the Democratic convention, “You know … that young man could be president someday.”

Before Barack Obama announced his candidacy, Chicago Magazine asked a number of luminaries if they thought he should run. Opinions varied. Molly was succinct and direct, and with her usual wit and certainty said: “Yes, he should run. He’s the only Democrat with any Elvis to him.”

And, in her column on Jan. 20, 2006, she said: “It’s about political courage and heroes, and when a country is desperate for leadership.

If no one in conventional-wisdom politics has the courage to speak up and say what needs to be said, then you go out and find some obscure junior senator … with the guts to do it.” She was speaking about Gene McCarthy then, but it might as well have been Barack Obama.

SNIP

She’d love that Barack Obama began his community organizing knowing that power lies in all of us united and that he continues to remind us that we are the deciders.

SNIP

Ken Bunting, an old friend of Molly’s who’s now associate publisher of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, said of Molly on Election Day, “I’m not much of a believer, but I think our friend is looking down and smiling right along with Barack’s grandma.” You know, I think he is right.

Where do I begin? First of all, I think it’s a bit presumptuous for anyone to speak for a person who can’t speak for themselves. What, did Moon and Bunting conduct a seance?

Secondly, just because Molly didn’t like Hillary Clinton and had some good words for Obama’s “Elvis factor” back in 2006, doesn’t mean she would feel the same way today.  Furthermore, for Moon to state that Obama shares the same qualities of “guts” with Eugene McCarthy is a reach, isn’t it? I still have my McCarthy bumper sticker from back then…somehow, I don’t see Obama as having the same courage of Eugene McCarthy!!

Then there’s the matter of what Molly thought, not only of Clinton, but also about Rahm Emanuel and Joe Biden, both now hanging around the Obama Administration. Emanuel, of course, is in a very powerful position as Chief of Staff, while Biden is posing as VP.  And Clinton is rattling around at the State Department.

So, what would Molly Ivins be thinking now? I DON’T KNOW, but if she were staying “clear and true” I think she MIGHT be throwing some caustic comments out there into the ether, particularly with regard to the “stimulus package” and some of the little games played by Obama over the last couple of days aimed at attracting GOP support (and winning ZIP with the House vote). And would she really think that we were “the deciders”??

As for Moon and Bunting–is seems that they are transferring their OWN fascination with Obama into a dream of  what they would WANT Molly Ivins to think.

OK, Molly, give us a sign.  I sure would like to know what you’ve been REALLY thinking about  all that’s happened over the last year…

But I sure have MY opinion…Molly, have you been listening?

The Bush I-Clinton Roadshow Takes the Low Road in New Orleans at Guess Who’s Expense? (Hint: Women, of Course)(UPDATE 1X–FULL VIDEO)

On Tuesday night (January 27)  as I passed by the TV, I saw Greta Van Susteren introducing a segment near the end of the show  called ” The Best of the Rest.”

There they were, former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton laughing it up on Monday in New Orleans at the National Association of Auto Dealers conference.  Greta has spent quite a lot of time featuring this duo; you can check out several videos at the “On the Record” site. However, the video I saw has not shown up on the site…buried, I guess.

First, here’s the only report that I can find on the event:

Bush, Clinton offer morale boost for auto dealers at New Orleans conference

by Jen DeGregorio, The Times-Picayune

Tuesday January 27, 2009, 7:18 AM

Eliot Kamenitz / The Times-PicayuneFormer Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton embrace during their address at the National Association of Auto Dealers conference in New Orleans on Monday.

Former presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush, who were in New Orleans on Monday to speak to members of the National Automobile Dealers Association, tried to assure one of the nation’s most troubled industries that it would survive an economic maelstrom that has swallowed more than 2.5 million jobs in the past year.

But survival will not come without sacrifice, they said. Clinton and Bush evoked the image of Hurricane Katrina to describe the level of perseverance they said will be needed to carry the nation through a recession that has been widely compared with the Great Depression. Citizens must pitch in to help one another as they did after Katrina, when countless volunteers descended upon New Orleans to help rebuild and donated millions of dollars to a relief fund headed by Clinton and Bush, the former presidents said.

SNIP

While Bush and Clinton focused on the economy, they also made time for some banter and shared personal anecdotes about their time in the Oval Office.

Clinton and Bush sat down for a casual chat with outgoing association Chairwoman Annette Sykora, who quizzed them about their victories and regrets in office.

SNIP

Both men sang the praises of President Barack Obama, saying his administration already has set the right tone to weather the economic crisis by encouraging an era of responsibility.

“We are bound together, and divorce is not an option, ” Clinton said.

There’s something missing in this report…the bit that Greta showed.

Greta prefaced the video with a big grin and much enjoyment over what Bush said and added that Clinton had a great quip after that.

I didn’t even hear the Clinton quip because I as so ticked off at what George H. W. Bush decided to deliver to the audience.  I was fuming from Bush’s rendition of how he was confronted by women protesters over reproductive issues.

According to Bush, he was irritated when he was in his limo and some women got right up to it waving a sign saying “Stay Out of Our Wombs.”  He mused about he couldn’t understand how they even got that close…then wisecracked (sic) “Believe me, that’s one place I wouldn’t want to go”…

Well, the audience ERUPTED in UPROARIOUS LAUGHTER from the audience!  I’m assuming the majority of  the audience was men.  Clinton was laughing, too, and delivered his line. The camera didn’t catch the reaction of Chairwoman Sykora, who was off camera in the video.

As I mentioned, I have no idea what Clinton said, but Greta thought it was very funny and, in fact, thought the whole segment was a laugh riot. Which makes me wonder about Greta.  We’ve got a former President mocking women about their intense feelings about controlling their own bodies and she thinks that’s funny?

I guess I should be grateful that she showed it since the newspaper report from The Times-Picayune chose not to report on it. WHY didn’t they?

As for Clinton…I wish I knew what he said.  Then again, maybe I don’t want to go there…

Frankly, writing this at the end of a day when I learned that Barack Obama dumped money for birth control from his bilious “stimulus package” to please Republicans, that video makes me even angrier than when I saw the clip on Tuesday night.  It seems like a gratuitous slap in the face considering that the bill was going to pass anyway.

But “3-Card Monte” Obama seems set into his groove.  One minute he gives the OK for family planning groups working overseas to talk to women about abortion, the next he’s robbing access to low-cost birth control to women in need here in the U.S.   What does he really think of his own wife and daughters?  Apparently he’s willing to sell women cheap when it comes to “bringing us together.”

This guy seems to like playing with women, keeping them on a string, giving them a little bit, then taking it away. He’s shuffling around issues as we expected because he has no consistent core values.  Keeping an eye on all his moves will be difficult.  All I’m sure of  is that women will ultimately lose the game with this guy. The misogyny exhibited in the campaign in the form of demeaning gestures, the behavior of Jon Favreau with a cardboard cutout of Hillary Clinton, and the apparent comfort with the likes of Ludacris’ video support is now in firmly in place at the top of our government.

What a inspirational role model for all of us…NOT!

By the way, apparently Medicare drug plans stopped covering  “sexual performance” drugs Viagra, Cialis and Levitra back in 2007 except for treating certain medical conditions like pulmonary hypertension (saving a CBO projected $2 billion between 2006 and 2015) . Let’s see if the Obama crowd reinstates coverage and gives women ANOTHER insulting slap. Nothing would surprise me at this point…

UPDATE 1

Many thanks to Harold who found a video of the exchange…from his comments!!  I will try to embed the video when I get back later…

Clinton laughed and said something along the lines of “I cannot afford to make a joke like that. You know what people would say if *I* made a joke like that” and he continued a while like that, then made a pretty stupid joke himself which I forgot.

Harold, on January 29th, 2009 at 9:02 AM Said: Edit Comment

I found the clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXuRlcUjoAE

Here is the video from the link provided above…but it’s from CNN, not Greta’s show.

So, the woman was “the ugliest” woman Bush I had ever seen… what a PIG he is…and Clinton just goes along for the ride.

PALIN LAUNCHES “SarahPAC”!! (Updated 1X–It’s Not Just the Alfalfa Club for Palin This Weekend)

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (R-UNQUALIFIED) has launched a political action committee…dubbed SarahPAC!

Here’s the link:  http://www.sarahpac.com/

From the site:

Sarah Palin’s Official PAC

Dedicated to building America’s future, supporting fresh ideas and candidates who share our vision for reform and innovation.

SarahPAC believes America’s best days are ahead. Our country, founded on conservative principles and the fight for freedom, must confront the challenges of the 21st century with integrity, innovation, and determination.

SarahPAC believes energy independence is a cornerstone of the economic security and progress that every American family wants and deserves.

SarahPAC believes the Republican Party is at the threshold of an historic renaissance that will build a better future for all. Health care, education, and reform of government are among our key goals. Join us today!

YOU GO, GIRL!!!  It will be interesting to see who receives help from SarahPAC in the future…

I don’t agree with everything in her political viewpoint…BUT, I give her high marks for GUTS in standing up to the shitty media, shitty Democrats, and shitty Republicans, not to mention shitty so-called “feminists” who have worked to demean her accomplishments as a sitting governor who has worked her way up the ladder.

Could she represent a better wing of the Republican Party?  Anybody is better than the slugs in D.C. right now…Republican AND Democrat!!

P.S.–Memo to Hillary Clinton: When you echo words like “clenched fist” exactly as Obama says them, you are disappointing.  You apparently very willingly got kicked upstairs as other people make big announcements about upcoming Obama foreign policy “events.”

Damned shame. Oh, and remember “always fighting for us?”  ……Not so much…

***

Repeating from prior post on the stimulus package vote:

Hat tip to Tennessee Guerilla Women….Obama Axes Birth Contol Funds to Please Republicans

So the F*cking SOB has begun demonstating his love and respect for women by trading our birth control for $$$$$$$$$$$$$$. And won’t it especially hurt POOR women??   And when do we stop paying for VIAGRA????

If I hear one complaint against upfront Sarah Palin, who has NEVER overturned a law that secures the rights of women and gays, I will put another HEX on NARAL, NOW, Ms. Magazine, and Planned Parenthood.

UPDATE 1   6:30 PM MT, January 29, 2009

Looks like Palin will be real busy in D.C. and it won’t be just the Alfalfa Club dinner this weekend…From CNN:

Palin is slated to attend a dinner Friday night at the residence of Fred and Marlene Malek. Fred Malek is a businessman who served Republican presidents Richard Nixon and George H.W. Bush. High-profile guests from both political parties are expected to attend the function.

The governor’s office also says Palin will attend a luncheon at the Center for Strategic and International Studies Saturday before heading over the to Alfafa Dinner.

There will be other “non-partisan” events as well.  The visit to the Center for Strategic and International Studies is VERY interesting, isn’t it?

Gossip columnist Cindy Adams over at the New York Post opines:

ASK not what Sarah Palin can do for your country, ask only what you can do for Sarah Palin. And the answer is, pay attention. Trust me, Alaska’s governor is moving faster than those glaciers.

Adams goes on to say that it’s really significant that Palin is attending since she  “may only leave the frozen tundra  two days a month.”

She adds:

Next month she addresses a Washington gathering of prominent conservatives. She’s going ahead with a book. Her Facebook page has 410,000 friends. She wants to influence policy knowing the nation must turn to Alaska as its energy resource. She’s planning to be president.

Well, I’d say this is “developing”….

Environmental Three-Card Monte? Obama *May* Grant Emissions Waivers to States Today? (“Immediately Work on It” vs. “Reconsider”) (But Other Policies Already Having a Negative Effect on Bears–Warning, Pic!) (Updated 1X) (Update 2X–After Announcements, NY Times Still Pushing Obama Kool-Aid) (Update 3X–Gore Surfaces)

~~By InsightAnalytical-GRL

Well, as we enter the second week of the Obama Monarchy, we find that we’re perhaps in a developing approach to governing that is reminiscent of “3-card monty(e).” In case you’re not familiar with the term, here’s an explanation from NY.com. The scenario:

Three Card Monte

Whenever a police car passes by, you can observe how quickly these games disperse. Sidewalk card games are both illegal and fraudulent for some very good reasons. The scenario:

Two or more people are standing around a cardboard box on a busy street trying to win money by choosing the correct card out of the three cards shuffled.

You notice that someone seems to be winning; this person is usually working with the dealer to lure people in. People who work these scams know that it will be less suspicious to plant a women or someone in a business suit in the game.

The shuffler will purposely lose the first few rounds to get you to bet more money.

At this point, if you take your wallet out, someone may grab it and run -OR- it will be pick pocketed as you watch the game.

If by some fluke you win, you may be followed and mugged.
How to avoid this : The hand is quicker than the eye and these are pros. Don’t play – YOU CANNOT WIN!

During the campaign, we learned that Obama was in the pocket of Exelon and re-wrote a bill regarding nuclear waste for the company’s benefit at the behest of Republicans.  Seemed to be easily swayed at the expense of his constitutents in Illinois. (See “In Nuclear Bill, An Early Obama Test.”) Now, we’re getting word that today (Monday, January 26) the Obama Administration will announce that they will grant waivers to states like California so that they can raise emissions standards, a move that was stopped by Bushco.  From Grist–Environmental News & Commentary:

Breaking: Obama to grant emissions waiver

Move would allow California and 13 other states to set tougher tailpipe standards

Posted by Kate Sheppard at 4:43 PM on 25 Jan 2009

President Obama on Monday will direct federal regulators to grant a waiver to California and 13 other states that have petitioned to set higher vehicle emissions standards, according to a New York Times report citing two administration sources.

SNIP

The Washington Post also has the story, reporting that White House officials “privately trumpeted [the emissions move] to supporters as ‘the first environment and energy actions taken by the President, helping our country move toward greater energy independence.'” While the Times says Obama’s decision will result in quick approval for California emissions waiver, the Post‘s story has a more conditional tone, saying only that the president has ordered the EPA “to reexamine two policies that could force automakers to produce more fuel-efficient cars which yield fewer greenhouse gas emissions.“

So, the New York Times seems to be sure it will happen, while the WaPo is reporting in a more “conditional tone.”  I guess we’ll have to wait to see what “reexamine” means in Obama parlance. (SEE BELOW FOR ACTUAL WORDING IN THE STORIES)

Let’s also see what really happens with a promise Obama made during the lead-up to the Pennsylvania primary. Back then Obama promised he’d “hire” Al Gore. (See Obama Says Climate Change Is Real, Will Hire Gore) I haven’t heard a peep from Gore lately, but I haven’t been looking for him either. Maybe I missed something?  Let me know if I have missed any news about Gore. Perhaps he really is working on various issues for Obama and perhaps he’s under wraps so he doesn’t get into the “baggage game.” But, as it stands now, we will have to wait to see if Obama actually does use Gore in the way he promised.  Some of the proposals for carbon emissions capping, etc. may cost some money and consumer may not be too happy about it. Let’s see what happens.

Treehuggers.com (a site owned by the Discovery Company)  has a list of environmental concerns that the Center for Progressive Reform believes Obama should act on.  You can see the list here:

7 Executive Orders President Obama Should Sign to Protect the Environment: Center for Progressive Reform

Back at Grist there’s a story about how the departing Bush Adminstration slipped in a rule that weakens a Reagan era rule, if you can believe that!

Blazing addle

Bush administration moves to allow guns in national parks and wildlife refuges

Posted by Kate Sheppard at 6:15 PM on 05 Dec 2008

The Department of the Interior on Friday announced a final rule that will allow visitors to carry loaded and concealed firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges. The previous rules, put in place in the early ’80s under President Reagan, allowed firearms in parks as long as they were unloaded and stored somewhere that wasn’t easily accessible.

SNIP

It could take many months (or possibly years) for the next administration to overturn the rule, should it choose to do so, since it would require a whole new rule-making process. Nick Shapiro, a spokesman for Obama’s transition team, told the Associated Press that the president-elect hasn’t made any decisions about the rule: “President-elect Obama will review all eleventh-hour regulations and will address them once he is president.”

Note that Obama hadn’t made any decisions about the rule as president-elect…so, we’ll have to see if he addresses the issue.  It’s sort of like the “Conscience Rule” which could also take years to overturn.  Let’s see if Obama sticks his neck out on either of these two issues. Meanwhile, the poor bears are already showing changes in their behavior to adapt to the new mindset in Washington!  Here’s the story, passed along by  a correspondent from W.A.M.:

Montana wildlife impacted by spreading malaise: The photo below captures a disturbing trend that  is beginning  to affect wildlife in the US.

Bear Waiting for Handout

With a sweeping Democratic Party victory in the November elections, animals  that were formerly self-sufficient are already  modifying their behavior to take advantage of what they expect to be a new set of societal norms in the next four to eight years. This  black bear from Montana has ceased hunting for a living and is sitting outside the US Fish &  Wildlife Service office in Kalispell, apparently  waiting to be fed and to have his winter den dug  by government employees. The residents of Kalispell are calling him “Bearack Obama”.

So, we’ll have to see how Obama handles this development. Does he let the Bush rules on loaded, concealed weapons stand which would then allow park visitors to shoot bears expecting a handout?  That might be the easiest way out of the problem.

And it just goes to show you…when it comes to Obama, choosing the correct card from what’s being shuffled as Obama zigzags along with “conditional statements”  and watered down promises, a la Exelon, is probably a game we won’t be winning.

“3-Card Monte” may turn out to be even more Obama’s game than basketball…

***

UPDATE 1

How the Times and WaPo word the story lower down the page:

The two stories (web editions)–Both start the same then there’s  the NYT’s “begin work immediately” vs the WaPo’s instruction to “reconsider”…

The New York Times, January 26, 2009

“But the centerpiece of Monday’s anticipated announcement is Mr. Obama’s directive to the Environmental Protection Agency to begin work immediately on granting California a waiver, under the Clean Air Act, which allows the state, a longtime leader in air quality matters, to set standards for automobile emissions stricter than the national rules.”

Washington Post, January 26, 2009

“Obama will instruct the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider whether to grant California a waiver to regulate automobile tailpipe emissions linked to global warming,…”

UPDATE 2 (1 pm MT)

Just back from errands, I searched for the reporting on the big event…and found that the NY Times headlines says one thing  but the story is now in line with the original WaPo story (above)!

From the New York Times web edition:

Obama Directs Regulators to Tighten Auto Standards

By JOHN M. BRODER

Published: January 26, 2009

WASHINGTON — President Obama directed federal regulators on Monday to move swiftly on an application by California and 13 other states to set strict limits on greenhouse gases from cars and trucks. He also ordered the Transportation Department to begin drawing up rules imposing higher fuel-economy standards on cars and light trucks.

SNIP

Mr. Obama directed the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider the Bush administration’s past rejection of the California application. While he stopped short of flatly ordering the reversal of the Bush decision, the agency’s regulators are now widely expected to do so after completing a formal review process.

From the Washington Post web edition:

Obama Announces New Energy, Environmental Policies

By William Branigin, Juliet Eilperin and Steven Mufson

Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, January 26, 2009; 2:05 PM

President Obama today promised new U.S. leadership in the fight against global warming as he announced a series of steps aimed at making American cars more fuel efficient and reducing greenhouse gases, including a directive to the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider granting California and other states waivers to set their own strict regulations on auto emissions.

SNIP

In the presidential directives he signed today, Obama instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider whether to grant California and other states waivers to regulate automobile tailpipe emissions linked to global warming…

Quite a difference in the reporting. The Times story injects the word “swiftly” in the first sentence, there by setting it’s “editorial” tone.

Blatantly and deliberately.  Guess which line the evening news and cable will pick up…I’m betting the Times version….

UPDATE 3 (12:14 AM MT, 1/27)

Al Gore to testify Wednesday before Senate Foreign Relations Committee on climate change…if ice doesn’t postpone proceedings…

The Past Week: January 18-24, 2009 (Condi Rice Getting Booked; Pat Paulsen, We Need You!; VOA and wwiTV.com; Questions)

Well, we’re already seeing the arrogance of Obama and Pelosi and some signs of life from the New York governor as Caroline Kennedy fades from the scene of diversion…

***

As you’ve probably heard, Condi Rice has signed on with the William Morris Agency…here is her page at the WMA site:

			Condoleezza Rice

<!– –> <!– –> <!– –> <!– –>		full bio

	Copyright © 2009 William Morris Agency. All rights reserved. WMA

OK,  she JUST signed on, so there’s nothing there now as  I write this…but she already is listed in the roster of people speaking on “Domestic and Global Issues.”

She’s sharing the roster with the likes of Al Franken, Arianna Huffington, Larry King, Diane Dimond, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Winnie Mandela, Ed Koch, Joe Scarborough, James Cramer, Rita Crosby, Gen. Claudia Kennedy and George Lakoff.  Oh, and Prince Edward of Essex.  And there are many more in the club…

Condi is also listed on the “Women’s Issues” roster (and so is Jennifer Lopez!).  My old chum Peggy Noonan is with a whole crew of people to ignore over on the “Mass Communications” roster.

According to Reuters, Condi won’t be going on shows as a policy analyst, but is going to concentrate on “philanthropic efforts involving classical music and college educations for disadvantaged students, as well as initiatives to help U.S. children become global citizens.” And, she reportedly is negoatiating a book deal, which will possibly include a memoir of the Bush years.

Wonder if she’ll include the August memo prior to 911, you know, the one about planes, buildings, etc. etc.

***

I see the pilot of the jet that ditched into the Hudson has finally been released to the public by investigators.  One wonders about the delay…

***

I was watching the show “Make ‘Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America” on PBS last night and really was caught up in the segments on Lenny Bruce and the censorship… and the Smothers Brothers and the censorship…and George Carlin and the censorship. In the middle of all this, the name of Pat Paulsen comes up. Remember Pat Paulsen and his run for President??

Well…his son carries on….Check out the website “Pat Paulsen for President“…

Looks like Pat’s son, Monty Paulsen, is gearing up for a 2012 run for the White House. Here he hits the campaign trail to find the pulse of American voters.  (video follows)

According to Tommy Smothers (Tommy Smothers Says Paulsen Saved the Show):

It’s debatable who actually urged Paulsen to run for commander in chief of the free world starting in 1968 through 1996, Smothers said.

“It could have come from a whole bunch of people,” he said. “But his ‘68 run was one of the best satirical things ever done in politics.”

[Trivia from IMBD: In 1968 Paulsen first ran for President of the United States under the Straight Talking American Government (STAG) Party, first as a “gag” candidate, then apparently for real. Some critics claim that he stole votes from Hubert H. Humphrey and caused Richard Nixon to be elected (in the televised election returns of that year, he was referred to as a “minor party candidate”). Until his death, he ran as a perennial write-in candidate. His last campaign slogan was “Send Pat Paulsen to the White House! He has to sleep somewhere!”…His last running mate in 1996 was Tiny Tim.]

In the article, Smothers opines that the McCain-Obama race could have used Paulsen added to the mix….I agree!!

Paulsen delivered a series of “Editorials” as V.P. while on the Smothers Brothers Show and the texts are preserved on the web. Here is an excerpt that was shown on the PBS special. It’s on the subject of the draft:

Are Our Draft Laws Unfair?

October 29, 1967

A good many people feel our present draft laws are unjust. These people are called soldiers…Now the crux of the criticism is based on the premise that an ineptitude without gross regress tends to efficiate and gorge masical…and frankly, we find this a bit cloudy.

Let’s take this step by step…When we talk about the draft, we are talking about a law duly enacted by Congress, in which men should be drafted first…women second…and Congressmen last. And what are the arguments against the draft? We hear that it is unfair, immoral…discourages young men from studying, ruins their careers, and their lives…picky…picky…picky.

MORE

Paulsen was awarded a Comedy Legends Award posthumously in September 2008 (he died of cancer in 1997). Will Durst remembers:

“I remember Pat when he first announced he was running for president on ‘The Smothers Brothers Show’ in 1968. He did these double-talk speeches that were so hysterical because he had that look of a ’60s-era politician,” Durst said. “It was hysterical. That was satire.”

One of his choice quotes:

Assuming either the Left Wing or the Right Wing gained control of the country, it would probably fly around in circles.
Pat Paulsen

***

Tired of the media? Well, you can get your propaganda directly from the new and improved Voice of America site…you can listen to what’s being piped into Afghanistan, for example, and many other places in many languages.

The Confluence had a great piece up yesterday on the subject of the status of women in Afghanistan, which never seems to improve.  Do check out  Saturday: A little thing for the girls.

***

If you want to see television from Afghanistan, check out World Wide Internet TeleVision from the Netherlands at  wwiTV.com.  This site has the most incredible collection of foreign and U.S. TV that can be viewed via the web that I have ever seen.  I love the CCTV from China. Check out the English feed.  Today I learned that China is hoping to boost its economy by promoting breakfast–Chinese-style breakfast, not American fast food offerings.  One man said that the state-run restaurant breakfasts were very good and one woman said that for only 3 yuan…well, it’s a bargain!  Sure looked great to me…lots of food and who can beat that price?? (But first I’d check for melamine…)

***

I leave you with two questions:

Why am I suddenly getting emails again from the JRE Grassroots group? In case you don’t remember, this was a thing put together by John Edwards.  Well, according to the emails, they want to figure out what to do so they are contacting people on their email list for suggestions.  My suggestion is that they ask John Edwards if HE has any idea on the subject…

And, who would be looking at this little blog at about midnight MT from Andrews Air Force Base (the base the Presidents all fly from)?

Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland landed on https://insightanalytical.wordpress.com/2008/11/03/obama-a-lo… 23:45:02 — 4 minutes ago

Maybe they’ll come back for a visit again?

THE PAST WEEK

*By everyone at IA–Kenosha Marge, Grail Guardian, American Lassie, Leslie Chicago Correspondent, and IA-GRL

**By IA-GRL, Leslie Chicago Correspondent, & Kenosha Marge

I’ve Been Tagged…So Here Are Six Things About Me….

Obama’s Entitlement “Reform”– the Social Security-Medicare Nexus and Health Freedom

T.A.R.P, Recovery Plan, Term Limits Action…All Obscured Under the Cover of Media Hoopla

Come and Get it! “Idiot Wings” Served Up by Republicans & Democrats…(Update 1X: Lyrics from Stealers Wheel)

*Welcome to…THE IA INAUGURATION DAY SAFE-ZONE!

**Throwing Things as We Think of Other Historic Events on January 20th We Don’t Plan to Celebrate (A Joint Post by IA-GRL, Chicago Correspondent Leslie, and Kenosha Marge)

REMINDER: Inauguration Day is an OBAMA-FREE SAFE-ZONE Here at IA!

The Past Week: January 11-17, 2009 (Al Jazeera Hooks up with PBS; House vs. Senate/Obama and Bailout Oversight; “Everyman” Biden; Non-GMO Verification Project; “The Prisoner” is Free; Extra Anatomical Tube Bypass