The Goddess Watches President Obama’s Afghanistan Speech (so you don’t have to)

December 1, 2009 politics No comments

Critics have accused the president of “dithering.” Supporters say it’s been a period of “thoughtful reflection.” Whatever the case, this speech has been months in the making (the war in Afghanistan has been eight years in the making). So I have a feeling the speech won’t be one of those seven-minute George Bush specials. I’m predicting 35 to 40 minutes of thoughtful reflection.

8:02 — Lots of handsome dress greys in the audience.

8:04 — The president starts with a succinct and effective recap on the events in Afghanistan so far, from 9/11 through the war resolutions in Congress to the NATO commitment – as cadets break out their digital cameras.

8:06 — “Then, in early 2003, the decision was made to wage a second war in Iraq. The wrenching debate over the Iraq War is well-known and need not be repeated here.” You’re so right, sir. Let’s not bicker and argue about who invaded who…

8:12 — “I opposed the war in Iraq precisely because I believe that we must exercise restraint in the use of military force, and always consider the long-term consequences of our actions.” Did the president just honestly admit that he opposed a war in front of a military crowd? Very classy, sir.

8:15 – The president breaks it down: We must deny al Qaeda a safe-haven. We must reverse the Taliban’s momentum and deny it the ability to overthrow the government. And we must strengthen the capacity of Afghanistan’s security forces and government … We will meet these objectives in three ways.”

8:16 — Way the First: 30,000 troops will deploy in 2010 to target the insurgency and get more Afghans into the fight.

8:18 — Way the Second: Pursue a civilian strategy with the Karzai government. “The days of providing a blank check are over.”

8:19 — Way the Third — We will recognize that our success is linked to Pakistan.

8:22 — To recap (the president has obviously taken a public speaking class) — “These are the three core elements of our strategy: a military effort to create the conditions for a transition; a civilian surge that reinforces positive action; and an effective partnership with Pakistan.”

8:24 — Obama takes on some of the critics of the war in Afghanistan. To those who say this is another Vietnam, we were attacked first! To those who say we should leave the troop levels where they are, this would just be “muddling through.”

8:25 — And to those who say we should have a more expansive, open-ended commitment? “As president, I refuse to set goals that go beyond our responsibility, our means, our or interests. And I must weigh all of the challenges that our nation faces. I don’t have the luxury of committing to just one.”

8:26 – PBS keeps catching cadets nodding off in the audience. Did these guys have a 14-mile march before the speech or something?

8:31 — Time for the president to wake this crowd up! “Our union was founded in resistance to oppression. We do not seek to occupy other nations. We will not claim another nation’s resources or target other peoples because their faith or ethnicity is different from ours. What we have fought for — what we continue to fight for — is a better future for our children and grandchildren, and we believe that their lives will be better if other peoples’ children and grandchildren can live in freedom and access opportunity.”

8:35 — Bring it home, sir. “It is easy to forget that when this war began, we were united — bound together by the fresh memory of a horrific attack …. I refuse to accept the notion that we cannot summon that unity again. … We will go forward with the confidence that right makes might, and with the commitment to forge an America that is safer, a world that is more secure, and a future that represents not the deepest of fears but the highest of hopes. Thank you, God Bless you and God Bless the United States of America.”

–lori

Balloon Boy Has the Media Chasing Squirrels

October 15, 2009 popular culture One comment

balloon boys balloon
I was away from my desk at a couple of back-to-back meetings this afternoon (just for a change) and returned to find all the Twitterverse abuzz with news about some boy trapped in a balloon. Wait, what?

I managed to piece things together from the tweets that crossed my deck, but it wasn’t until I got home that I got a visual of the story that you have no doubt heard all about by now: A six-year-old boy (named Falcon, no less) was reported to be flying across the Colorado skies on some kind of platform attached to a large helium balloon. Hours later, it was discovered that young Falcon was not in mortal danger but was in fact hiding in a box in the attic. He is, I hope, severely grounded — in more than one sense of the word.

And just like that, “balloonboy” was a trending topic on Twitter, Falcon T-shirts were available for purchase, and Balloon Boy Halloween costumes were in the works.

The 24-hour news networks of course lost their collective minds over this story, cutting away live for hours of balloon boy action. Why? What were they hoping to catch? Live footage of a young boy crashing to his death? And if they weren’t sure of the facts of the story — which they obviously weren’t, given its anti-climactic end — why go live in the first place?

The media are like those dogs in the similarly balloon-themed movie Up, easily distracted by whatever shiny new — SQUIRREL!! — crosses their path. I should be more annoyed at the mainstream media about this than I am. After all, Balloon Boy spawned a great deal of social media silliness that I admit I’ve gotten more than one chuckle out of.

Still, does everything have to be given over to instant gratification silliness now? With newspapers folding — for good, not just in half — and television news turning toward entertainment and personality pundits, where do we go for serious, well-reported journalism? Do we all have to start reading The Economist?

And just to round off the Up parallels, #flyingsquirells was also a trending topic on Twitter at the same time as #balloonboy. I have no idea why. Perhaps a flying squirrel was trapped in a balloon somewhere. Now that’s a story!

–lori

UPDATE: The media coverage has now shifted to covering … the media coverage of the story. Hands off, mainstream media! That’s the bloggers’ job.

The Goddess Watches the Obama Healthcare Speech (so you don’t have to)

September 9, 2009 politics 3 comments

I’m worried about Obama’s speech tonight.

I’m worried that he’s going to listen to the pre-speech pontificating I’ve been hearing and go all hyper-specific about the kind of healthcare reform he wants. He’s been pretty quiet on this score and that hasn’t worked, this line of reasoning goes. Time to give the American people the 4-1-1.

I think this approach would be a mistake.

I think a litany of details on public options, Medicare expansion, and healthcare co-ops would lead to a slow death by boredom in living rooms (and newsrooms) across America. Instead President Obama needs to be a cardiologist, not a neurologist: he needs to address the heart, not the head.

I want a full-throated, emotional outpouring from the president as to why healthcare reform is a moral issue. And I’m not an emotional gal. “Just the facts, ma’am.” That’s me. But in this case, we need the president to fire us up, not bog us down with minutiae.

Here we go.

8:06 — First lady, guests arrive. I  wonder if there will be a “Skutnik Row” of “ordinary Americans”, like they have at state of the union? In this case, I hope so.

8:11 – As the president arrives, PBS is providing a thoughtful analysis of what it means if certain senators applaud. Or not.

8:17 — I like the beginning so far. The tone is combative. Good start.

8:20 — Nice! The badass Obama showed up! “But we did not come here just to clean up crises. We came to build a future. … I am not the first President to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last.”

8:23 — The President makes the controversial move of acknowledging that there are, like, other countries and stuff. “More and more Americans pay their premiums, only to discover that their insurance company has dropped their coverage when they get sick, or won’t pay the full cost of care. It happens every day. … We are the only advanced democracy on Earth – the only wealthy nation – that allows such hardships for millions of its people.”

8:25 — “I believe it makes more sense to build on what works and fix what doesn’t, rather than try to build an entirely new system from scratch.” That one gets the first (and maybe only) bilateral standing O from the hall.

8:30 – “Well the time for bickering is over. The time for games has passed. Now is the season for action.” Please be true please be true please be true …

8:31 — “The plan I’m announcing tonight would meet three basic goals: It will provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance. It will provide insurance to those who don’t. And it will slow the growth of health care costs for our families, our businesses, and our government. ” Sounds like a plan to me!

8:32 — “As soon as I sign this bill, it will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick or water it down when you need it most.” What I can’t believe is that this isn’t against the law now.

8:37 – The president calls the death panel charge, “a lie pure and simple” and GOP ain’t standing. Wow.

8:39 – Whoa! One congressman shouts out “LIE!” when the president says the plan won’t cover illegal immigrants. Is this a town hall meeting all of a sudden?

8:45 — A Ha! We have a public option sighting. “Some have suggested that that the public option go into effect only in those markets where insurance companies are not providing affordable policies. Others propose a co-op or another non-profit entity to administer the plan. These are all constructive ideas worth exploring.

“But I will not back down on the basic principle that if Americans can’t find affordable coverage, we will provide you with a choice. And I will make sure that no government bureaucrat or insurance company bureaucrat gets between you and the care that you need.” (Sorry for the bold italics, but I love it when someone finally calls attention to the fact that right now insurance bureaucrats stand between you and your doctor, and no one seems so incensed about that.)

8: 46 — State schools get a shout out from Obama! Nice analogy, sir! “It would also keep pressure on private insurers to keep their policies affordable and treat their customers better, the same way public colleges and universities provide additional choice and competition to students without in any way inhibiting a vibrant system of private colleges and universities.”

8:47 — Obama throws some red meat to the base. Yummy! “Part of the reason I faced a trillion dollar deficit when I walked in the door of the White House is because too many initiatives over the last decade were not paid for – from the Iraq War to tax breaks for the wealthy. I will not make that same mistake with health care.”

8:50 — Republicans asses are nailed to their seats. They’re not even standing for reforms to Medicare that will help seniors pay for catastrophic perscription drug costs. Aren’t they worried? I’m sorry, but I feel this speech is going over very well. I wonder how they are going to spin this on Fox.

8:53 — FINALLY! “But know this: I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it’s better politics to kill this plan than improve it. I will not stand by while the special interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they are. If you misrepresent what’s in the plan, we will call you out. And I will not accept the status quo as a solution. Not this time. Not now.”

8:55 — I was worried at the beginning of the speech that the president would not bring the emotion. I needn’t have worried. You can hear a pin drop in the chamber, Nancy Pelosi is crying, as the president recalls the late Teddy Kennedy:

“He never forgot the sheer terror and helplessness that any parent feels when a child is badly sick; and he was able to imagine what it must be like for those without insurance; what it would be like to have to say to a wife or a child or an aging parent – there is something that could make you better, but I just can’t afford it.

“That large-heartedness – that concern and regard for the plight of others – is not a partisan feeling. It is not a Republican or a Democratic feeling. It, too, is part of the American character. Our ability to stand in other people’s shoes. A recognition that we are all in this together; that when fortune turns against one of us, others are there to lend a helping hand. A belief that in this country, hard work and responsibility should be rewarded by some measure of security and fair play; and an acknowledgement that sometimes government has to step in to help deliver on that promise.”

Can I get an amen!

Better yet, can I get a healthcare reform bill?

–lori

Unflattering Politician Photo of the Week

September 4, 2009 politics No comments

What About the Children?! Edition

Jim Greer
Keep the kids home from school! Lock your doors! Write your congressman! We have to protect our children! No, not from swine flu — from the president!

Jim Greer, chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, wins the prize this week as either Right Wing Wingnut in Chief or Best Exploiter of Feigned Outrage for Short-Term Political Gain. Either way, his and others attempts to block President Barack Obama’s planned back-to-school speech to kids next week hits a new low in cynical crapitude.

Here is Greer’s press release, issued earlier this week:

As the father of four children, I am absolutely appalled that taxpayer dollars are being used to spread President Obama’s socialist ideology. The idea that school children across our nation will be forced to watch the President justify his plans for government-run health care, banks, and automobile companies, increasing taxes on those who create jobs, and racking up more debt than any other President, is not only infuriating, but goes against beliefs of the majority of Americans, while bypassing American parents through an invasive abuse of power. …

President Obama and the Democrats wouldn’t dream of allowing prayer in school. Christmas Parties are now Holiday Parties. But, the Democrats have no problem going against the majority of American people and usurping the rights of parents by sending Pied Piper Obama into the American classroom.

I’m kinda at a loss here.

–lori

Unflattering Politician Photo of the Week

August 14, 2009 politics One comment

Take a Chill Pill (If You Can Afford One) Edition

Barack Obama

Jesus Christ, are you kidding me with these friggin idiots?! Just stab me in the ear with a ballpoint, it will hurt less.

Many of the same hardened corps of nutballs who are convinced that President Obama is a Kenyan-born Muslim are now bringing their special brand of crazy to a town hall near you. The subject: health care reform. Or as some would have it: the end of Truth, Justice, and the American Way.

When Obama has to begin his health care speeches by reassuring the more shout-y elements of the audience that he is not in favor of allowing their grandmas to die slowly, you get a sense of how far out of hand this debate has gotten.

It’s getting embarrassing, man. The rest of the world doesn’t have this problem. The rest of the world doesn’t think that making sure everybody can go to the doctor without worrying about how much it will cost is a sign of the oncoming Rapture. And they watch our news! What they must think of us?!

–lori

50 Bands That I Have Seen …

August 12, 2009 popular culture One comment

Taking my cue from a Facebook meme that’s going around, here’s a list of 50 bands I’ve seen live. If you’d like to play along, here are the rules:

1.) List the first band you ever saw live first.

2.) After that, list bands you’ve seen live in the order in which you’ve seen them.

3.) Opening acts and bands seen at festivals count.

And here are my bands:

1.) Power Station (Duran Duran splinter group, The Spectrum, 1985)
2.) Duran Duran (x4)
3.) The Monkees (x2)
4.) Gerry and the Pacemakers
5.) Gary Puckett and the Union Gap (I went through a retro phase in high school)
5.) Def Leppard (x2, once in high school — awesome. Once much later — not so much)
6.) Howard Jones
7.) The Who (first concert without adult supervision)
8.) Paul McCartney
9.) Grateful Dead
10.) Sting

11.) The Police (x2)
12.) Rairoad Earth (x2)
13.) The White Stripes
14.) Franz Ferdinand
15.) Fountains of Wayne
16.) Tool
17.) The Decemberists (x2)
18.) Michael Doughty
19.) MC Lars (x2)
20.) Dropkick Murphys

21.) Flogging Molly
22.) Strange Montgomery (friend’s band)
23.) Froth (another friend’s band)
24.) Oasis (show ended early when fan attacked band on stage)
25.) Foo Fighters
26.) Dave Matthews Band (x4)
27.) Stereophonics
28.) Constantines
29.) Paul Weller
30.) Flaming Lips

31.) Midnight Oil
32.) Elvis Costello
33.) Hothouse Flowers
34.) Ziggy Marley
35.) Barenaked Ladies
36.) Lily Allen
37.) Mute Math
38.) Paolo Nutini
39.) Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark
40.) Del Amitri

41.) The National
42.) Wolfmother
43.) The Midway State
44.) Herman and the Hermits
45.) Loch Lomond
46.) The Walkmen
47.) Live (took my sister Amy to her first concert)
48.) Shooglenifty
49.) The Chieftains
50.) Sam Roberts

–lori

Monday Snack: World Series Cupcakes

August 3, 2009 serenity No comments

Every Thursday at work is Snack Day. We each take turns bringing in a tasty treat. Since there are about 15 of us, more than three months pass in between snack days. It’s easy to forget.

At least it’s easy for me to forget.

I walked in to the printer room — which on Thursday is known as the Snack Room — last week thinking yummy thoughts and wondering, “mmmm, what will we be having today.” With no snack in sight, I thought “Rats! What idiot forgot their snack day?”

This idiot, that’s who.

So I had to make amends today with some World Series cupcakes. Plus there are Mets and Dodgers fans in the office, and why miss an opportunity to mess with them? It’s like having your cupcake and eating it to.

cupcakesa

The cupcakes are Martha Stewart’s Yellow Butter Cupcakes (pretty easy for a Martha recipe) and frosting from a can.

–lori

Unflattering Politician Photo of the Week

July 31, 2009 politics No comments

“Where’s She Going? I Dunno, Alaska” Edition

Sarah Palin

“See ya … wouldn’t wanna be ya!”

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is now just Sarah Plain and Tall, after leaving office this week for … well, no one’s really sure.

In her farewell speech, Palin said:

It is because I love Alaska this much that I feel it is my duty to avoid the unproductive, typical, politics as usual, lame duck session in one’s last year in office. How does that benefit you? No, with this decision now, I will be able to fight even harder for you, for what is right, for truth. And I have never felt like you need a title to do that.

So, it’s her duty to avoid her last year in office. She’s doing this to benefit us. And for once, I think she’s right.

Now, for someone who says she wants The Media to leave her alone, it would be kinda great if she just went away.

William Shatner attempts to make some sense of Sarah Palin’s farewell poem, … I mean speech.

–lori

Saturday Snack — Bison on a Stick

July 25, 2009 serenity No comments

Tried this for a quick lunch today. It comes from Cooking Light and is South Beach Diet friendly. Grilled meat on a stick is always a good thing.

Before…

bison kebabs

…After

bison kebabs

–lori

Unflattering Politician Photo of the Week

July 24, 2009 politics 3 comments

Facing His Waterloo Edition

Jim Demint in healthcare ad

If we’re able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him.”

Sen. Jim DeMint, Republican of South Carolina, was caught in the accidental act of telling the truth this week, when he took an issue that affects all Americans — their access to affordable heathcare — and reduced it to an act of political one-upsmanship.

It seems Sen. DeMint doesn’t care whether or not President Obama’s plan will help address the problem of the uninsured or reform a system that rewards insurance companies and hospitals at the expense of doctors and patients. He just wants to stick it to the president, like the patriotic American he is.

Interesting stat I heard today: five out of six Americans have health insurance. And three out of four of those are satisfied (if not happy) with that health insurance. Some in Washington take this to mean that Americans don’t really care about healthcare reform.

Ya know the stat I’d like to see? I’d like to know how many Americans have a horror story — or, if not a horror story, a story of major inconvenience — about their experiences with their health insurance company? How many have waded through forms and phone calls, endured clerical errors, been denied a claim, etc., because or the vagaries of their health insurance provider?

Having lived in Scotland for a time, I just wish we could have a system like other civilized countries. You know – one where people don’t go bankrupt because they’ve been diagnosed with cancer or because their husband was hit by a motorcycle. Must be nice.

How the other half (and by “half” I mean “just about every other Western democracy”) lives.

–lori

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