Obama bows to Saudi King Abdullah... Big deal or not?

So much fuss over whether a bow was a bow or not... and if it was indeed a bow then how horrible that was. Subservient, bad mistake, etc.
Looked like it was indeed a bow from the video and perhaps Obama shouldn't have appeared to bow (whether they call it a bow or not.) It doesn't seem like this is an earth shattering mistake. Bush had the foreign leader faux pas down cold, one of the few things he was good at.

But, tonight I was over someone's house while they had Fox's O'Reilly Factor on the tv and he was on a tear about how this was not a good thing and then read multiple e-mails where folk were complaining about the bow. The show was followed by Hannity which was even more vehement about the message it sends to the Saudis. Seems to me that as long as we crave big vehicles and gasoline that runs like water they all ready have us by the bal wallets anyway.

Now I can handle listening to Billy O sometimes but Hannity is a bit much. (I think Hannity is the definition of that American arrogance vs the insidious anti-Americanism Obama spoke about in Europe.) Interesting how dramatic all the right wingers have become: Beck, Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Hannity et al. Pure drama queens, er, kings of course. And they criticize liberals.
Amusing. Not much tolerance there.

It's all balderdash... if you go back and research (yes, research) you will find that Obama certainly isn't the first American President to bow to the Saudis or to hold hands with them either. The known ties between the Bush family and the Saudis wasn't a problem then? Maybe it's all a figment of that left wing liberal media conspiracy? Or is it the Right wing conspiracy?
AAAAaaaarrrrrggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Interesting how angry the "take back our country" faction is in this country. We freely elected a new president in a democratic election (like we keep telling the rest of the world they should do) and because they lost and are pissed off about it we get this nonsense at every turn. Plenty people were upset with many of the things Bush did and downright despised him, even when Gore won the popular vote and lost the nonsense in Florida, I don't remember everyone buying guns and talking about wanting the President of the United States of America's policies to fail and taking the country back.
Taking the country back to what? Where? How? Sounds a trite treasonous, eh?
Incredibly sore losers it would seem on a relatively large scale.
Children that can't play nice in the sandbox. Grow up.

Those of you that said they would leave if Bush won last time and those of you that said they would leave if Obama won: I bet you're all still here.


I'm upset about some things Obama has said or done but so far he's not doing that bad a job. Were you all expecting miracles?
And if you were what about US Politicians in general made you expect any such wondrous things from either side? Self serving hypocrites on both sides of the fence.

Coleman step down. You've lost. Even Gore gave up.
Both you and Franken are annoying... but you have lost.
Get over yourselves. Puhleeze.

G'night,

Laura
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Two days into the Obama Presidency. Can't believe Bush has finally left the building!

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Looks like Geithner will be approved dispite the tax thing.
Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand is the likely pick for Hillary Clinton's senate seat.
He is definitely going to pick a woman I'm sure of it and I think it will be Kirsten too.
Wasn't too sure about Caroline Kennedy for many reasons.

I'm rather annoyed by something that Rush LImbaugh said (big surprise).
Rush said on air that he hopes President Obama fails. Literally that is what he said. He wants Obama to fail.
He disagrees with Obama obviously but to say such a thing at this time and place is pure bullshit.
To wish failure on Obama means that many American’s would have to suffer even more than they are now.
I despise Rush Limbaugh, what a jerk. How stupid can you get and still be listened to?
What’s the difference between him and any ex-drug addict, oh, yea, he’s not in jail. Yes, ole’ Rush’s moral character is of the finest caliber… but I guess his God forgives him those trespasses eh?

Interesting thing about Rush Limbaugh… he has a web site of course where you can go listen to his tirades.
Or at least you should be able to, but there’s just one thing: you can’t listen to anything without joining his “group.” Costs you money to do that folks. So I guess Rush is just another money grubbing creep. So many of them out there. Check Rushie’s site out:

Limbaugh's World

Very high opinion of himself it would seem. Bill O’Reilly’s site has the same thing. Ya gotsa pony up the bucks if you want your daily dose of right wing dogma.
Well, at least I can see those cute lil’ clips on CNN and You Tube even if I wouldn’t in a million years send any money to hear your constant tirades and add to your coffers. we can find you out there for free… oh lucky us.

******

I want President Obama to succeed. Sane people want Obama to succeed.
All people want to avoid a depression. Most people support whoever is the president of the United States of America even if they didn’t personally vote for him/her themselves. We don’t wish our president ill we support him. The majority of people in our democracy freely of our own volition VOTED for President Obama.
I didn’t vote for George Bush but I didn’t want him to fail if it meant that our country would fail.
Shut up Rush. Just shut up. I know you won’t but it’s a free country and I’m free to dream.
Actually I don’t care if you shut up really, I just hope people start to think about some of those really inflamatory and stupid things you keep saying and simply stop listening to you. That would be better, since you share the same freedom of speech we all have.

Amazing.

G'night,

Laura

Thirty-one days left to a new administration in a new year... Buhbye Bushman.

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Sorry this is so long, there's a story to it...

I seriously think sometimes that I need to stop reading and writing about, watching and listening to, the news.
Why you ask?
Because often I have dreams that Chris Matthews and I are having dinner discussing Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin.
Or that Jon Stewart is yelling at me because my McCain/Obama jokes just aren't funny enough- tells me to get funny or else.
Here's more: Bill O'Reilly mentions my inadequacies to even have a political opinion on the Factor No Spin Zone.
I'm one of the "news pundit discussion boxes" on CNN or FOX discussing whatever the issue of the day is. (Had a great dream discussion panel on Joe the Plumber and McCain campaign).

All real dreams I've had and there are many more... scary huh? Not dreaming about Johnny Depp or even Melissa Etheridge... nope, not even sexy dreams. Mostly they're about talking. Not even fun dreams like partying till the wee hours with Gwen Ifill and the PBS regulars, no secret rendezvous with Chuck Todd or sking with Stephen Colbert and his family... but okay I can deal with it, that's just me, fine.

But this one takes the cake:
I was watching a clip of Paulson (who I've mentioned that I don't like numerous times) talking about how he needs the rest of the 700 billion dollar bailout just before I finished my hot tea and went to bed last night. My "no way" reaction to that was fresh on my mind and yet still I can't explain away this one.

I dreamt that I was a secret agent posing as a reporter watching from backstage during Paulson's speech and I followed him when he left.
The scenery rapidly changed from regular streets and buildings to thick mist, a forrest and long windy road. I followed by watching their retreating tail lights with my headlights off. When he stopped so did I and then I followed him on foot path into the woods. There were 3 of them in the car, Paulson and two body guards. They joined about 8 others in a clearing with a lit fire at it's center. Two men stood guard at the beginning of the clearing. There was only one way in or out. The forrest was thick and even in the day one would have trouble leaving the path to wander around. It was night. I hid in the bushes and sat my tiny video camera on the crook of a tree, turned it on and zoomed in on the group.

Before my eyes by the fire Paulson became more and more bent over resembling some kind of tall gawky gnarly evil demon. The group chanted out "Get it, smash them, get it, bring them to their knees, Paulson, Paulson, Paulson."

The fire sparked up as he morphed back into the human Paulson. Did I imagine the transformation? He walked up to the front of the small group. His eyes seemed to glow blue.
He spoke for quite a while of his intent for his billion dollar bailout and how he would squash Obama and the US government. He said they would take all the money that they actually had hidden aside instead of giving it out to form a powerful evil cabal in some "Middle Eastern" county. The bank and stock crisis was all an elaborate ruse and the companies that got the money were fakes. It was a set up and that was why he was so "Damned angry" about the auto industy getting some of the money because he had no control over the auto industry. Everyone was mesmerized by his words and had fallen silent.

My camera blinked, letting me know it was out of recording space. Time to get away. I turned and after two or three steps tripped over a tree root in the dark. I was sent sprawling into a bush, snapping a branch as I fell trying to protect my camera. The sound sent the two guards after me.
I sprinted off in the direction that I had just came in trying to retrace my steps without killing myself in the dark.
I became very still inside, cold as ice and determined in my quest. I must live to tell the story. I had to.
I would warn Barack about the plot against him and the US economy because nothing was more important.

I hated to kill but had a license to do so if necessary. Ultra secret service.
I knew only two men with guns were chasing me. I ducked behind a tree and dispatched the closest one with a blow to his throat. The second one I shot with the first one's gun. I could hear people yelling and coming through the woods. I reached my car before they caught up to me and jumped in. Bullets hit my car as I threw it into gear. (Navy blue specialty Porsche)

I smiled. I was going to get away. Unfortunately I didn't get very far when Paulson's group came roaring up behind me in their black BMW sedan. After an awesome high speed car chase where I kicked through the gears their car fully equipped with evil gadgets ran me off the road and I crashed into a tree.
The men grabbed me out of the car. I didn't think anything was broken but my head hurt and I could barely see around me or concentrate of what was going on.

Paulson bent over me, leaned into my face and said "So you think you were going to get away from us? You can't do anything about this, it's all prearranged." To his colleagues he said " Too bad for you there's going to be an unfortunate fall off a very tall building. You've been so depressed lately. Let's go." He nodded and the nearest man punched me in the jaw.
The pain radiated across my face and expanded on my all ready pounding head. I felt dizzy and nauseous.
I was going to pass out.

When I regained consciousness I was in the pitch dark. I took a deep breath and realized I was in a car trunk speeding down some road. I immediately started running rapidly through my mind how to get out of the car to save the country. All my joints seemed to flex but my leg was numb, cramped underneath me. I listened to the muted words of men talking and the road and engine noises.

I was trying to figure out how to get my wrists free because they felt like they were taped together when sirens began to sound all around me. All hell seemed to be breaking lose outside of the car. The men inside sounded like they were arguing. This could be to my advantage I thought. The sirens got louder and louder. There was something familiar about the sirens. They were so close to my head it wanted to explode. The car began to slow down and pull over. The bumping made my teeth hurt a lot.

I tried to lift myself up.

Blink, blink, wait a minute, it's not night, it's light outside. That's my husband's mild snoring mixed with the wild wind racing around outdoors, not car engine sounds. No sirens from a police chase just my alarm clock going off on the nightstand.
Ugh morning all ready.
My leg really is asleep. I wiggle my toes and unclench my jaw
I'm dreaming, this isn't real. None of it.
And full of cliches like a really, really, unbelievably, bad spy novel.
How disturbing.

*********** and that's it, told as best I could ************

Now tell me, somebody, what the hell was that??? That's not a dream it's weird. I have no idea what to make of that.

I think I was inside of at least five fantasy/adventure/spy movies that I recognized afterwards.
I have no idea what I looked like in the dream, hopefully like Kate Beckinsale or Harrison Ford...
Was that a nightmare or just an odd but interesting dream? Beats me.

I SHOULD go on a cold turkey diet from the news but I definitely couldn't manage it.
I know my limitations (and I have many). Quit smoking: yeah. Diet: working on it. Stay away from drugs, don't drink too much, be fair, just and honest... yeah, yeah, yeah.
But I'm a news junkie at this point, plain and simple. Incorrigible.

I've tried, I've tired (she says with a tear in her eye) but I just can't do it.
I'm a Junkie that has a wicked jones going for caffeine packed coffee and the world news.

It just ain't pretty.
But then it never really is.

So tonight I think I'll lay off writing about political stuff. Or at least stop eating right before going to bed for sure.
Need to get some rest, have to finish off Christmas shopping and everything else pretty much tomorrow.

*************

Can the auto industry change the way they do things in three months? Doubtful.
Is it a compromise or something entirely different? How realistic is the whole plan and what jobs will it really save?
I was reading up on Blago's court troubles... I wonder if he'll actually do hard time. Not sure. But there is a "maybe."

Then there's the story from Alaska about the arrest of Palin's daughter's boyfriend's mother being arrested on drug charges.
Sounds like a soap opera. Stay tuned, the baby cometh...

G'night everyone.
Hope your calm and cheerful.

Laura

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Thirty-four days left of the George W Bush rodeo... out to pasture?

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I'm not happy with Rick Warren being the pick for the invocation at Obama's inauguration.
I have no problem with his beliefs as far as they are his but he is polarizing on issues like gay marriage and abortion.
Not all that unusual for many pastors and religious groups but he's not all that tolerant about it.
Could have made a different choice.

I suppose I'll take a bit of criticism for saying this again (said it before the democratic nomination) but while Barack Obama
will certainly add his own slant to the government many things will be politics as usual.
He won't be overhauling the whole system and changing the way all things are done. It won't happen.
As we have seen all ready with the rush to jump on the initial bailout package and now the battle in the senate over the auto bail out... there are things that won't go well, things that are decided for reasons other than nobility and promises made to the public. They are calculated and political chess playing.

Barack Obama is if nothing else very intelligent, ambitious and thinks things through. He knows the game.
You don't rise that quickly without being aware that he needs to placate the right people or when the 2010, 2012 elections come up the party (and him) could lose their favor (read as their advantage of numbers) in congress.
He can't let that happen so like almost every president (and businessperson) before him he will change accordingly.
If constituents don't like something (like gay marriage for instance) and there are a large number of them in key places things change. There are deals and trade offs... just because he's Barack Obama doesn't mean that will all change overnight.

If you look at his picks for his cabinet (and I'm not really complaining here about them at all) you will realize they were picked for reasons, calculated and thought out reasons. The fit into the pattern he wants (or needs) to present.
I'm not saying that's bad or that he won't be a great president but he's only human, a mere man, and subject to certain laws of nature. Knowing the parameters of the game and playing it well isn't necessarily a good or bad thing, it simply depends on how it unfolds in this place, with these particular players, in this particular time. Idealism will have to take a back seat to political necessity. Not if he wants to get anything done and most importantly get re-elected in 2012.
I wonder if "no drama Obama" will hold true over the four or maybe eight years of his presidency.
That would probably nominate him for sainthood...
Hey remember "Read my lips: no new taxes"

And please someone with some kind of power tell the current RNC republicans NOT to campaign the entire next four years.
I'm sick of it all ready and all we have is the president elect Obama. There are more important things to consider.

So we're going to screw the auto industry for now. Sad, for the people that work in the industry: the entire industry not just manufacturing. And they now say the TARP payouts didn't accomplish what they were supposed to do... (Whine, whine, wink, wink)
Hey no shit Sherlock! I'm not a CEO, a business person or an economist and I'm certainly not a politician but I thought that in all it's incarnations the 700 billion bailout sucked and likely wouldn't fix anything.
A whole lotta chump change.

Still think 2009 is going to be business as usual for Main Street USA???

Need to stop now as my cynicism is rearing it's ugly head just like Putin over Palin's Alaska.
I'll put my rosy glasses back on so I can get some sleep and just stop talking about politics.

*************
Personal:
Finished all the outside shopping today and started wrapping, ran out of energy though.
Still have considerable baking (pies and cookies) to do this weekend, but I'll get it done.
Mentally and physically stressed at the moment.
So I just dug out something to make me laugh (okay so maybe it was more like a smile) but that's an improvement cause I'm really tired and grumpy.
Me and Papa Bear Bill O from the O'Reilly factor (what is it a factor of or in by the way?).
It was a joke, an escapade and I knew it would make me smile.
Now if anyone out there knows Stephen Colbert I would really, truly like to meet and talk to him!
Ain't it cute to see the liberal elitist social worker and the conservative... (what exactly is Bill again?) pun... dit together.
Well, we both hail from New York. Does that make him a liberal, elitist, cosmopolitan like all the rest of us Islanders?
Aw, cute ain't he? Besides you can't hear him talking in a photo... well maybe his fans can but I definitely can't.



G'night
All is well (or at least that's what I tell myself all the time)

Laura

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Forty-five days left of Prince George... Obama to the rescue?

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Listened to Obama's "Public Works Program" speech.
Might work. Could work. We'll see. Probably will need to make it work.
Wondering how the government will payroll all this mess... guess we're going to find out.

I went on an excellent adventure last night.
I used the opportunity to make my first short video with my brand new Flip Mino.
Though the video isn't any fantastic accomplishment I still had a lot of fun doing it.
Making and editing the video was so easy to do I would recommend it to anyone.
I was amazed. Would make a good Christmas gift for anyone who wants to make You Tube Videos
So don't judge me too harshly on the video, I didn't try for anything remarkable and had no idea what I was going to say.
Expected most of the clips to not come out considering my total lack of experience with the whole process.
Pleasant enough surprise.



I'm not a huge Bill O'Reilly fan, actually I'm more a Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert type.
I still do read and watch both sides for that is the way to stay informed and to decide based on all opinions and facts.

An agreement in the Democratic Party on a package to help out the auto industry that could be voted on next week. Hmm.
The dems have to be careful what they do and say... was listening to Barney Frank talking about the auto money issues
and he stated that the Dems were planning on passing what they wanted to after Jan.
"If this were next year and Barack Obama was in office and we had the 58 or maybe 59 democratic senators then we would be able to break a filibuster, but so we'd have to compromise... we will reserve the right next year when we have a better president and a better congress to replace that 25 billion from the TARP, they won't be able to stop us then. We're not asking them to sign off on it we're simply giving notice that's something we have the option to do later..."

Now Barney sweetheart, I know what you're saying and it has merit, substance and logic to it but you can't use that language without irritating folk especially republican congressfolk and senators... Seriously you sound like the republicans that took over that you've previously complained about their lack of inclusiveness and um, arrogance? Not very humble language there.
I'm a democrat, fairly liberal for the most part and it really annoyed me Barney.

Are we getting rid of Gitmo or not?
And wonder of wonders I didn't hear or see anything about Sarah Palin today. Oh Happy Day.
Read at CNN that Sunny von Bulow died. I remember that case, she was in a coma and her husband Claus was tried and convicted of trying to kill her and then it was overturned. Probably have to be older to remember that story but here it is:
28 years in a coma

Okay well, going to bed need some of that ever elusive sleep...

G'night

Laura

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