Whatever Happened to Bugs Bunny?

Seriously, you can't make this stuff up. All I want to know is what BONEHEAD thought this was a good idea? What network marketing bozo said in a meeting - hey, this guerilla marketing thing (so 2002 btw) is a great idea. Let's put a lot of boxes that look like bombs near major transportation hubs in major US cities - won't that be a gas!" - and no one at Interference or Cartoon Network raises the possibility that this in fact might not sit so well with Homeland Security? All to promote a cartoon with two characters most of us have never seen flipping the bird.

My hope is that someone comes forward and can prove they tried to dissuade the fools from pulling such a meaningless stunt. I want to find out if that mythical person exists - because my hope is he/she is out there - and was given a ton of shit for not being a team player, or not being creative, or not having what it takes for voicing that opinion. Talk about the last laugh. BTW, everyone involved in this decision should spend at least one night in jail. At least one. Except for those at Cartoon Network - anyone affiliated with the network should get 10 x that sentence. Just because.

Seven Down, One To Go

Bush complimenting Pelosi at the start of the SOTU was smart politically. But if you believe he meant it, there's a bridge in Brooklyn I could sell you. After six years of one-party rule, it makes Bush's "can't we all just get along" routine a little hard to take.

And at first I was skeptical about the choice Dems made concerning Jim Webb. But I can admit when I'm wrong. He made a great speech and said what needed to be said.

And last but not least, is it me or does Nancy Pelosi blink WAY too much?

Ambition Without End

So Hillary makes it official. (Not that it surprised anyone inside the Beltway.)

Seriously though, what is she thinking? I know of no other candidate who is more polarizing. Granted, some people love her. And some people who like her - but they only sort of like her. People who hate her (and being from New York, I've met plenty) - really, really hate her. And while I'm all for having a serious female candidate for president, I can't help but think over and over - what a great Senator for New York she could be, surpassing Moynihan eventually. But she's going to throw all of that away. And will be viewed as the calculating carpetbagger all of her enemies said she was when she ran in 2000.

And why announce now? I'd be more supportive if she'd been honest. She ran in November pledging to serve New York. What a joke.

What Was She Thinking?

I'm not defending Barbara Boxer's idiotic comment to Condoleezza Rice last week. As a woman without children, I know too well the subtle -- and not so subtle -- digs that childless woman face in our society. And Boxer should be taken to task for it.

But the White House, Republicans and this columnist are obfuscating when they say it was anti-feminist. It was anti-intelligent, granted. Anti-feminist, not even close. What's anti-feminist is all the men turning the exchange into Washington's latest catfight.

And it's beyond ludicrous for Levant to describe Trent Lott's lauding of segregationist, at-the-time racist Strom Thurmond as a "much milder comment," when compared to Boxer's. To compare Boxer's stupid attack on Rice with Lott's endorsement of a former presidential candidate who vowed in 1948 that "all the laws of Washington and all the bayonets of the Army cannot force the Negro into our homes, our schools, our churches" is inexusable and does not accurately reflect the full context of the Lott episode. Specially on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Good gawd.

And it's more than a slight exaggeration to say Lott had his scalp handed to him - yes, he was the focus of much scrutiny and had to give up his majority leader post. But today he currently holds the number 2 post in his party, scalp intact.

Of course it doesn't help my outrage that to this day, despite my request of December 19, 2002 - which also happens to be the subject of Outrage.com's inaugural post - no kidding, it was the issue that made me start blogging - no one can tell me exactly what Lott meant. Lott apologized four times - but not once did he explain himself. I still want to know what "problems" we would avoided if there had been a President Thurmond. The Civil Rights Act? An end to segregation and Jim Crow laws? Bay of Pigs? LSD? Disco? WHAT?

Boxer may have hit Rice below the belt but her message was very clear. Lott's was dangerous and he's suffered only a few minor inconveniences for it.

Time's Up

I was on a business trip in Cannes, France on Election Day this year and I was very careful not to let my political beliefs show -- too much. But I ate lunch with a lovely gentleman who was born in Mozambique and now lives in Geneva who was very negative when it came to Bush II. I mentioned that I thought much of what has happened since 2000 could have been avoided if Bush Senior had gotten his namesake a really good therapist to work out his father issues. I passed it off as a joke - though I was quite serious. Eric Alterman is even more blunt.

Bake A Pie, Eat A Pie

I decided to bake last night rather than listen to Bush II talk about his "new" plan for Iraq. News flash: nothing much new was said. And of course a recap of the fear mongering scare tactics that have been employed ad naseum since 9/11. I guess his using the word "mistake" is different but I don't recall hearing an apology of any kind. Just more marketing-speak. So I think the Bush regime should listen to Foreign Policy's advice on how to make a speech. (Thanks for the link DT)

And is it just me or did Bush II threaten military action against Iran and Syria? Probably just me. Last but not least, his reference to the "author of freedom liberty" - his God of course - at the end of the speech was classic and can be translated such: y'all infidels listen up and fly right. And more than 20,000 men and women will be "called up" - to do what I have no idea. The more soldiers we send, the worse the sectarian violence gets. Maybe we could send a team of 20,000 diplomats, mediators and history professors instead. Just a thought.

UPDATE: The TV was on last night but I focused on the banana bread I was making just in case you were wondering. Note to Andrew Sullivan - I did notice Bush's religious reference at the end. I didn't consider it a temperance or move in the right direction - just less direct.

Cancer Sucks

All good karma to Bobby Murcer and his family.

An Unexamined Life....

I had an insight today at work. Several coworkers seem to think I am "angry" when I get animated about something. Dr. Ed suggested I own it and move on. Which has merit.

But it brought me back to 1984 when I was dubbed - by friends mind you - "The Angriest Woman in the World" - a takeoff on our favorite strip in DC's City Paper - The Angriest Dog in the World, by then relatively unknown David Lynch. The strip (see example) itself doesn't change - only the totally arbitrary caption.

The irony is that before Kevin died, I didn't consider myself that angry - I get worked up, frustrated, agitated, exasperated, mystified, outraged even. But angry - that used to be reserved for an injustice - either real or perceived - of one kind or another. Will continue to analyze this and will keep you posted.

Oxymorons and Other Distractions

According to Merriam-Webster, the Word of the Day today is oxymoron, defined as "a combination of contradictory or incongruous words." Their example is "instant classic."

Here are a few recent ones I've come across:

"Iraqi Army" (at least according to the Turkish Daily News; and "news" may be a stretch for this article ; not saying I disagree with the author, just not sure the source is credible)

"Cautious risk-taking" from Minnesota Public Radio's Music Blog

Honorable mention goes to:
"troop surge"
"[U.S.] House Intelligence"
"pretty ugly"
"corporate democracy"
"dying happy"

Any you'd like to share?

He Who Smelt It, Dealt It

So there's a mystery smell in NYC? And they call it news? Seriously, I love this kind of story. And officials that say "it's harmless" and "we don't know what it is" in the same sentence. Classic.

Trinity Grad Does Good

Nancy Pelosi - first female Speaker of the House. Maybe the presidency is reachable in my lifetime after all.

Madame Speaker and I attended the same college - Trinity in Washington, D.C. Not exactly sure when she graduated but it was well before me. It's an all-female institution in the heart of DC and I remember friends asking me why I went there. I knew there would never be another oppportunity to be in an environment where women held all positions of leadership and made all the decisions. All in all, it was a good four years.

Actions Better Speak Louder Than Words

It's a bit ironic that this Sunday is Epiphany, an apt word for Bush II's declaration that it's time to set aside partisan politics. Too bad it took him six years to get there -- and only with a House and Senate of a different persuasian.

I'm outraged that Bush is reminding Democrats to play fair. They just need to make sure they don't play by the rule book he's used for the past six years. And to top it all off, he's talking about budget deficits and controlling spending. It's galling that he thinks he has any standing to remind Democrats, as if it's the Dems that need to be reminded -- as if he hasn't had the power to do this all along. Good gawd, how does he look himself in the mirror. I can't stand it.

Hindsight and History

One of my favorite lines from To Kill A Mockingbird is spoken by Sheriff Tate, who tells Atticus Finch: "Let the dead bury the dead." That line keeps coming to mind but hasn't stopped me from thinking about Gerald Ford and the pardoning of Richard Nixon. He's been praised for having the courage to pardon the Criminal In Chief because it was such an unpopular thing to do at the time and it may have cost him his own presidency. Why does everyone now assume that it was the right thing to do? What if it was the wrong thing to do? What if it set a precedent, putting presidents above the law. I never quite understood how you can pardon someone BEFORE they're convicted of anything anyway. Doesn't that negate the whole "innocent until proven guilty" concept?

And he's applauded for speaking out against the Iraq War in 2004 -- but think of the impact his words might have had if he'd been courageous enough to let Bob Woodward publish that interview in July 2004 - not posthumously. Knowing when to speak out -- and when to keep quiet is a true sign of leadership and Ford missed the mark here too. But I digress.

The pardoning of Nixon was no profile in courage. It was the easy way out - and it let Ford put the Nixon mess behind him. It's easy to put our messes behind us by sweeping them away. The hard part - and what most requires courage - is to face what messes we have, shed light on them and hold those who did wrong accountable. Maureen Dowd connects the dots between the Ford administration then and Bush II's regime now - Rumselfd, Cheney, even Kissinger. Maybe if Ford hadn't pardoned Nixon, the lives and careers of all involved at that time might have turned out differently. And consequently would have altered history.

Faces of the Dead

The New York Times published an amazing piece on American soldiers who have died in Iraq yesterday. Very moving - made me sad. Then I turned on the news and there was a segment on the thousands who have been injured, many of whom will never be the same. That's when the outrage kicked sad's ass.

So it is with eager anticipation that I await Bush II's "plan." Can you spell D-R-A-F-T? Of course, no one will say it - so spelling it may be the only way to talk about it.

It Could Happen

Okay - resolution #2. I think it's time I go out on a date. I want to go out with John Cusack. Anyone have a number where I can reach him by any chance?

What Would The World Be Like If...

Props to my dad who has been telling us that the GI Bill of Rights is "the greatest piece of social legislation" in our history. Reading the review of "Over Here," once again, he's right. Not that there was ever any doubt, Dad.

New Years Resolution

I don't usually make resolutions - but I have this year: get back to daily (or near daily) postings. There's still plenty to be outraged about and I miss taking care of my blog. Let's see if I can keep this one.