Just once...

... I wish that Dubya would hire someone who has no prior connection to the Bush family...

"Unlike Miers, who has never been a judge, Alito, a jurist from New Jersey, has been a strong conservative voice on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals since Bush's father, former President George H.W. Bush, seated him there in 1990."

...just once.


PS: Oh yeah, there's also this to consider -
"In the early 1990s, Alito was the lone dissenter in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a case in which the 3rd Circuit struck down a Pennsylvania law that included a provision requiring women seeking abortions to notify their spouses.

"The Pennsylvania legislature could have rationally believed that some married women are initially inclined to obtain an abortion without their husbands' knowledge because of perceived problems — such as economic constraints, future plans or the husbands' previously expressed opposition — that may be obviated by discussion prior to the abortion," Alito wrote.

He has not been a down-the-line abortion foe. In 2000, Alito joined the majority that found a New Jersey law banning late-term abortions unconstitutional. In his concurring opinion, Alito said the Supreme Court required such a ban to include an exception if the mother's health was endangered.

The case ended up at the Supreme Court where the justices, in a 6-3 decision struck down the spousal notification provision of the law. The late Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist cited Alito's reasoning in his own dissent."

Picture Day!

Couldn't find anything Halloween on short notice but I did find a picture from a bridal shower circa 1973... the outfit, though stylish at the time, is pretty scary!

Courage

One person CAN make a difference.

Bravery after Wilma

Often when disaster strikes, stories of human bravery begin to surface when the storm clouds clear. Those "help your neighbor" kind of stories that bring tears to your eyes and give you goosebumps. Wilma will be full of these kinds of tales of self sacrifice and caring where folks risk their lives to help others. I'd like to share a few that I have run across so far.


Here several brave men, with no regard for their personal safety, trudge through flooded streets to rescue these new stoves from certain drowning.


Others come to the rescue of this big screen television. You can clearly see that this TV was stranded knee deep in rising water.


Countless numbers of other expensive electronics and refrigerators were thankfully saved immediately following this terrible storm.Thankfully, no appliances were injured during these daring rescues.

Meanwhile, in Cuba cattle are escorted to higher ground so they might be spared...

Naples prepares for the worst...
...and Fantasy Fest goes on in Key West.

Hurry Up and Wait

Wilma's overhead shot for today.


Plus images of Cancun...

... and Playa del Carmen.


Alas, nothing yet from Cozumel.

Cozumel, Mexico is one of my favorite places to visit. The first time was about 22 years ago. We were on a cruise ship and docked at the old port, out by the hand full of resort hotels. The taxi ride to the town square was $6. There were shops around the square and for about a block each way, most sold silver jewelry or blankets and souvenirs. There was also a flea market style area behind the bank where each friendly shop keeper declared their merchandise the least expensive... "almost free" signs were not uncommon. Everything is a bargain and you bargain for everything. They closed for a couple of hours in the afternoon for siesta.

We went back after dinner that first evening and the locals were gathered in the streets and at the square. Families dressed in white with colorful embroidery accents visited and listened to Mariachi bands. Charming village and charming people. It became a favorite place to visit.

Over the years we have seen many changes. The old port suffered devastating hurricane damage and they build new cruise ship docks closer to downtown. One visit we watched local workers making the bricks by hand to repave the main road. The shopping area has grown and grown now stretching clear back to the port. Not many places close for siestas any more but the old flea market area still boasts their items are "almost free." We visited in February and even though the town has grown it's still warm, friendly and charming.

Another day passes and Wilma seems to love Cozumel as much as we do. Just hanging there beating the shit out of that delightful community. My heart breaks for them.

Here in Florida, we are now in a hurry up and wait mode. It sucks. I look at the storm track and the reconnoissance photos and hear the theme from Jeopardy playing that waiting song over and over and over.....

Here we go again!

There's more to this article, but this is what caught my eye.




"Wilma Now Most Intense Atlantic Storm Ever
By FREDDY CUEVAS, Associated Press Writer

SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras - Gathering strength at a fierce pace, Hurricane Wilma swirled into the most intense Atlantic storm ever recorded Wednesday, a Category 5 monster packing 175 mph wind that forecasters warned was "extremely dangerous."

..."All interests in the Florida Keys and the Florida peninsula should closely monitor the progress of extremely dangerous Hurricane Wilma," the National Hurricane Center in Miami said..."

I am really afraid of this one. Wilma sounds like a nasty old bitch and meeting her isn't something I am looking forward to. Guess I better get the guest room straightened up. Looks like we may have evacuees from the ghetto and the beach for the weekend. Egods, hope WE ALL don't have to evacuate! I don't know where the bullets are for the gun!

You say it's your birthday...

Hope your day was as special as you are!!!

You know who you are.

XOXO

Quack, Quack

I received email this week from MoveOn wanting me to sign a petition urging the removal of Stewart Simonson from his political appointment. Then I ran across this cartoon. This moring I found this...

Stewart Simonson
Assistant Secretary for Public Health and Emergency Preparedness, Department of Health and Human Services

According to his official biography, Stewart Simonson is the Health and Human Services Department's point man "on matters related to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies." Hopefully, he has taken crash courses on smallpox and avian flu, because, prior to joining HHS in 2001, Simonson's background was not in public health, but ... public transit. He'd previously been a top official at the delay-plagued, money-hemorrhaging passenger rail company Amtrak. Before that, he was an adviser to Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson, specializing in crime and prison policy. When Thompson became HHS secretary in 2001, he hired Simonson as a legal adviser and promoted him to his current post shortly before leaving the Department last year. Simonson's biography boasts that he "supervised policy development for Project BioShield," a program designed to speed the manufacture of crucial vaccines and antidotes. "That effort, however, has by most accounts bogged down and shown few results," The Washington Post reported last month.

End of an Era

We had both been married once before. Each of us were new to the area, me for a week, him for three days. Neither of us looking for someone... both content to play the field and take our time getting over the last relationship. My mother nagged me to "meet people my own age." I just wanted to be left alone. In self defense, I agreed to attend a Parents Without Partners meeting. His cousin convinced him it was a great place to meet girls.

Upon arrival, I was directed to join a twenties and thirties group. He was there with his cousin. I was tiny then... size zero, auburn hair without any gray. Sometimes I fancied myself cute but never beautiful. Still, his cousin thought I was hot. (gag... he was not... the cousin that is.) The losers club. That's what went through my head. We are all a bunch of losers. After the "meeting" the folks in their 30's and 40's gather at a local nightclub. I got into my car and started home. Checking the clock I was convinced my mother would not buy the fact I'd given this club a chance so I drove around a while then decided I had nothing to loose by going to the club for one drink.

Being the last to arrive, there was only one empty chair... the one next to "B." His cousin wanted to trade seats but they never did. My nose was high in the air. Losers. I thought. One drink and I'm out of here. The rule was, if asked to dance you had to say yes. Cousin asked and I wanted to bolt but I danced. Then "B" asked. A slow dance, nice, it was good, he was cute. We talked and danced some more. As I got up to leave he asked if I would go out with him... tomorrow, Saturday. ::deep breath... ???:: I gave him my phone number. He called and it was a date.

We went somewhere safe for dinner then back to that same nightclub. On Monday he picked me up for the club's weekly volley ball game. The following weekend we went to Jack's Place at the Adam's Mark Hotel on Clearwater Beach. Live band, he made it romatic, it was wonderful. After that, every weekend... we were there. The steel drums on the Tiki deck at sunset then inside for the band. We courted and fell in love there. We always sat up front, next to the dance floor. It was a part of our lives for so many years even after we were married. We held each other close on that dance floor every weekend for so, so long.

This morning they imploded the Adam's Mark to make way for high dollar condos. Tonight we drove by to see the pile of rubble. It was sad... very sad. We haven't been there... to Jack's or a sunset... for years. Things changed and the live bands quit playing a long time ago. But it's still sad. Twenty-three years ago it was the place to be for us on a Saturday night. Tonight it was a melancholy ride by of what was. I'm very sorry to see it go.


Adam's Mark demolition video

Just for fun

While waiting for the presidential press conference to begin, the
reporter approached a man standing alone in a corner.

"So," said the journalist, "have you heard the latest joke about
President Bush?"

The man pinned him with a steely gaze, "Before you tell it, I must
inform you that I work for the White House."

"Thanks for the warning," rejoined the reporter. "I'll tell it slowly for you then."

Lighter Side of Sunday

One of "those" emails arrived this week. At first I thought my very Republican friend had sent me something very ... well, Republican. As I take time to read it this morning, it's actually quite funny and I have pulled out my favorites to share here.

(WARNING: To blog spammers and religious zealots... this is a JOKE.)


National News: To his credit, President Bush is finally taking the blame for the slow relief effort for Hurricane Katrina. In fact, he said because of this, he probably will not run for a 3rd term.

Cheney Update: Vice President Dick Cheney said he will need more repair work on his knees. Cheney went on to say that the repair work would be done by the Halliburton Company at a cost of 12.8 billion dollars.

FEMA News: Former Director Michael Brown said he stepped down because he was an ineffective leader who had lost the confidence of the people, to which President Bush said, “That’s no reason to quit your job.”

Clearwater News: Good news, I filled my gas tank today for under $20! It was for my lawnmower but it still counts.

Television News: The new mini-series on HBO called “Rome” is kind of eerie. Last week Rome is burning while Nero refuses to cut his vacation short. In next week’s episode FEMA shows up a week late at Pompeii.

Reminder: When people don’t want to play the blame game, they’re to blame.

Notes:
1. The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool.
2. Sometimes the truth can be so unnecessary.
3. Don’t trust reality. After all, it’s only a collective hunch.

Judith Miller Rocks

Prosecutor Quiet After Miller's Testimony

Hero list grows by one.