In thirteen days Barack Obama will be sworn in as the president of the United States, less than 2 weeks!!!

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Seems like in a short time I'll be able to say that I was correct about Burris being seated in the senate right from the start.
Of course I would never engage in saying "I told you so." Never. Nope.
But it would seem that I was right. lol.
Now let's see what happens to Blago... should be interesting.

Nothing new here.
Tired but feeling a little bit better.
New Year will be happier when I get over this damnable tenacious cold.

G'night,

Laura

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Sixteen days to the Obama inauguration, it's getting oh so close!

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If you can stand to listen to Harry Reid for a while check out today's Meet the Press.
I'm not a fan of Reid but it was an interesting interview. I've decided that I like David Gregory as moderator for the show.
He asks hard questions and follows up on them. I like that.

At any rate, They talk about the Blagojevich appointment of Burris to the Illinois senate seat vacated by Obama.
Politician's talk with forked tongues out of both sides of their mouth. It's so amazing.
At one point when pressed to answer a question about how Reid says they won't seat Burris in the senate it goes like this:

SEN. REID: Hey, listen, David, I'm an old trial lawyer. There's always room to negotiate.

MR. GREGORY: All right, so you're not saying no completely that he won't serve?

SEN. REID: That's right.

Nah, I'd never know that you were a lawyer by the way you twist and turn questions and answers about like that in the wind.
So the proverbial non answer of "room to negotiate" is the answer to the question that is actually truly a non answer... Wow.
I think Rush made the point in the song "Freewill" how "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice."
Politicians choose to be unclear there's no doubt about it!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

To grow up to be a politician you must first learn this cardinal rule little grasshopper:

You must learn the art of double speak, the art of saying one thing and appearing to say another or to say nothing at all and make it appear to mean something. You must learn this art well my child and you will grow up to be a great politician.

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Thinking of song lyrics here's another appropriate one by Queen:

Another one bites the dust, Another one bites the dust
And another one gone, and another one gone, Another one bites the dust
Hey, Im gonna get you too, Another one bites the dust...

Yes, that would be Obama's choice for Secretary of Commerce in his cabinet... BuhBye Bill Richardson.
Bill withdrew his name because of, yup you guessed it, yet another "ongoing grand jury investigation" into contract/donation/business allegations.
Are there no honest men and women left in this country to represent us?
Wait, since we elect our representatives; we might just be getting what does indeed represent us after all and that dear friends is what makes me the most depressed... Ethics, hard work and truth seem to be in short order these days all around.
I wonder if that was what Bob Dylan meant when he sang "The Times They Are A-Changin'?"

On that happy note I'm going to bed.
Still sick but beginning to feel better.

G'night,

Laura

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Nineteen days left of the really lame, lame duck president and a Happy New Year!

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Happy New Year Everyone!!!
Hope this year is a good one. Let's hope for better times.

The senate democrats don't want to seat Burris because of Blago.
What a dilemma. Wish they were handling it with appropriate diplomacy but as it typical it's just a mess.
No we won't... yes, you will... No you can't... Yes, we will... Look at the other senators folks this is such a joke.
Congress acting like spoiled children that need to get their way. Now there's a surprise right?
However this all plays out, it just adds to the three ring circus atmosphere that surrounds our elected public officials.
Nothing so far is making me trust them anymore than I did before.

And isn't it particularly special that Madoff can afford 10 million dollars bail using security from his homes.
Yea, homes in the plural.
Getting kinda tired of people with more homes than they can remember to count.
Amazing how things seem to work.
Wonder what he did with the money, where it's stashed away?
Here's a toast to hoping that all his assets and accounts are frozen. I'm pretty sure if I scammed folk even with my meager worth that mine would be right away and I'd still be sitting in jail unable to post any real amount of bail.
We're buried in student loans, mortgage, house bills, running a home and trying to keep up with family obligations.
But we keep paying and cutting back on many things. Like Christmas gifts.
Like keeping the thermostat down low... wonder what Madoff's family is cutting back on?
Stuff bought with other people's money I suppose, if at all, yup if at all.

Did I just hear the clinking of Champagne glasses toasting to the new year when I closed my eyes?
Nope, that would be the dish washer trying to chip my Kmart glasses.
Well one small plus... we never had money to invest in Madoff's Ponzi scheme.
Oh yay, now I'm feeling great!

Obviously I'm still grumpy because I'm sick.
Now three of us are sick,
Not a fun New Year's Eve but I watched the celebration on TV.
::sigh::

G'night
Hot tea time once again...

Laura

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Twenty-one days left of GW

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Everyone's in an uproar about Blagojevich's senate choice of Roland Burris.
I think it's fascinating. This guy is interesting if not a wee bit delusional...
Apparently he decided to blow off just about everyone and go ahead and appoint a new senator.
Once again just when I think our political system can't get much stranger, something new comes along to poke at me.
I'm probably in the minority here but I think though Blago might be removed from office (or rather forced from it) but
I still don't think he's going to jail but we'll see.
So who is this Burris and will "they" be able to remove him from office too? Holy dirty politics batman!
To find out what happens next week stay tuned, same bat-time, same bat-channel.
Our politicians are amazing and I really don't mean that in a good way.

Now Franken is still ahead of Coleman in Minnesota, so of course the "election officials are all unjust and favor Franken."
After the absentee ballots are finished we should know for sure (ha) maybe next week (temporarily anyway).
Sounds like a court case to me either way, perhaps the supreme court of Minnesota has a thought on this fun mess.
Maybe both candidates should harken back to a certain Presidential election and Florida... tear yet another page out of the dirty play book. I don't like either of them, perhaps they should start over with new candidates wouldn't take much longer really.

Our system is starting to seem so ludicrous to me at this point (both sides, all around).
And since we all elect our officials (remember it's a democracy) to represent us as citizens of our own fair states and the country... the part that worries me is that they actually do represent us accurately. It's not possible is it?
I feel like we could compile and release an entertaining DVD titled "Politicians behaving badly" or "Congress gone wild."

And the RNC defends the Chipster's use of "Barack the Magic Negro."
I give up. Seems we're going backwards instead of forwards. Tacky and stupid is in style again.
The Republicans are gearing up for an all out fight on any economic stimulus package of the new administration.
But we need to be very careful here... the economy isn't all that stable, middle class is bleeding and it's no time for partisan politics.
Though I'm not surprised by this as we really don't learn from our past mistakes...
Hey, Senator Bipartisan "reach across the aisle" Maverick McCain, maybe you could help out?
Though it seems that the republicans need to worry about being condemned by their own fellow party members these days.

Well, I'm sure of one thing for this new year coming up:
I'm not sure of anything at all that's ahead for 2009.
I want to believe that it will be a good year, hell, the start of a good decade but...

Maybe I'm just less optimistic when I'm sick, or is it more cynical? ::shrugs::
Going to make mug of hot tea, take medicine, crawl under covers and hide until tomorrow.
Now there's a plan.

G'night

Laura

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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.

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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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Forty-one days left of GW Bush... or what the *#@&'s wrong with Chicago anyway?

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So the more we hear and the more Blagojevich says it seems he's arrogant, greedy and a more than a wee bit delusional.
What a mess, Obama and others say he should resign (duh) and he still hasn't. Amazing.
And how about the whole Jesse Jackson Jr. (otherwise known as candidate #5) possibility of involvement.
Great stuff. Wish it was republicans right at the moment but... both parties seem to be unable to remain above board at all times. Bleeping, unbelievable bleepin bleeper. Never heard so many news reporters saying bleep with such relish...
of course we all know bleep actually means bleep, don't we? Struck me funny and even Morning Joe got a joke in on his saying the word live on the air (by accident of course). Bleepin' funny I say.
It really amuses me to hear republicans condemn democrats when they're both full of shit most of the time, no?

We're going to see big changes in the auto industry no matter what happens.
Less choice of cars (brands), less dealerships, don't care if the government bails, um, gives them loans them money or not.
It's interesting that there's so much trouble getting this agreement down in house which just passed, now there's the senate.
Perhaps GW might want to say something... He still is president right? ::sigh::
What's better bailed out or bankruptcy? No guarantee that the companies will succeed even after getting money.
Or that they'll decide they need more $ later on, and then what do we do. Refuse and lose what we've all ready fronted?
Doesn't make me feel any more confident in buying any new cars... think I'll stick to my poor lil manual Toyota Corolla.

I saw the funniest headline on one of those supermarket news rags (not sure which one it was) but it said:

Hillary promises Obama she'll divorce Bill after the inauguration. It was just funny with a picture and all.
Really caught my attention and I started to laugh out loud. Which makes people look askance at you in the checkout line.
I simply pointed at the paper and they kinda smiled and looked at me like I was nuts... aw hell maybe I am, eh?

And ghost of irrelevant people past, well they should be past anyhow: Joe the Plumber showed up dissing John McCain.
Now I'm not a John McCain fan, and I strongly (ahem) disliked Sarah Palin, but just shut up Joe! Nobody cares.
He says he was "appalled" by Sen. McCain while he traveled with the campaign. Really Mr. can't get your story straight plumber? (and yes, I put those good ole air quotes around plumber)
But you loved Sarah Palin cause she was the "real deal." Do you mean the real deal like you are Mr. Wurzrlbacher?

What about the Jay Leno invasion of prime time?
Does this mean Law and Order will be moved and everything else? Golly I'm sorry that NBC isn't doing all that well but damn.
Why do they have to mess with actual tv shows? Screw around with our escapism that we so dearly need right now.
And what's with Jay anyway? He's been saying that he wants to retire, and it seemed that he was.
Then there were the Jay's going over to ABC rumors... Hey, haven't we been here before with late night talk show wars?
Now he's taking the 10pm spot every night. UGH. I don't understand. Why? The 30 million a year you'll get?
Jay all ready has more money than god and could do many things to stay in the limelight including a once a week show if he wanted to but, no, it's every night. Come on Jay seriously reconsider please.
A workaholic and a by all accounts very nice but still a stay in the public eye control freak.
I don't want to watch talk shows in prime time... early to bed folk can tape it.

Britney Spears... the press seems to think she's news. She isn't. One show says she's in the middle of a reinvention and strong comeback. The other says she's on the verge of a nervous breakdown and losing it.
Hey, I vote for both if and only if it gets her out of print and off the NEWS.

Well, nothing more on my mind tonight (at least that I can remember at this point.
I still have more cookies to bake so I'm going to to and then crash in the early morning hours I imagine.
Making coffee and having a piece of pie then back to work for me.
The first batches, almond sugar cookie Christmas trees and semi-sweet chocolate sandwiched between lacy crisp oat wafers.
Now I know the wafers don't look particularly Christmas like but they are my signature cookies and always asked for.




G'night all,
Stay sane... I'm trying.

Laura

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