Our Friends Abroad

From today's Inbox (. . . as slightly edited to correct some grammar and punctuation issues.  Sorry.  I couldn't help myself.):


As you know America is the first country to send aid when others are in trouble.  Neighbors helping neighbors, right?  So, just look at the list below of all those who have offered to help us in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

I think it is highly appropriate that we send THANKS to all of the countries that have reciprocated for our help with their disasters, misgivings, social turmoil, & poverty, by returning the favor and sending monetary and physical help to the United States of America after Sandy ravaged our East Coast leaving deaths, homelessness, and utter chaos in its wake. Listed below is a roster of the Countries and World Wide Organizations that are giving us gracious assistance. Please assist me in Thanking these entities by passing on this email so people from all over America can join in and THANK our neighbors ... in whom we have invested BILLIONS!!!! 1. Yeah. I hope this is exaggerated. A lot of countries helped New Orleans after Katrina -- even the Vatican.  I guess the global economic crisis affects benevolence. Perhaps our smug president hasn't gotten the idea across that we're slipping into third-world-nation-status.  He'd better work on that during his current romp through Asia if we're to be the beneficiary of foreign aid anytime soon. Meanwhile, indulge me in a little bird-walking here.  There's been another mishap in the Gulf -- an oil rig was consumed by fire; at least one man is dead and another remains missing.  My deepest and most sincere sympathy goes out to the families.  And I expect oil production to be curtailed any minute now. Solyn-dra!  Solyn-dra!

Focus on the Green Goal

Stay on message.  Kick the bums out.  A Pelosi-less Congress is a happy Congress.  Do it for the environment!

Available here.

The Cemetery Saga and Stuff, Over-uneasily -- A Whole Lot of Shaking Going Down

UPDATE:  The Cemetery Shakedown Saga

It seems that three more families have spoken up about being shaken down by the charming woman at the city's Division of Cemeteries.

You'll recall that a Mrs.Gardner, city employee extraordinaire, tells bereaved family members to bring large chunks of cash with them to pay for gravediggers at the interment of a loved one.  Now it comes out that quite a bit of that large chunk of cash goes to her grandson, who sometimes shows up to open a grave and sometimes doesn't.

That's a pretty sorry state of affairs, but even sorrier is the odd fact that it would be perfectly acceptable, and within city procedures, if Mrs. Gardner had simply added her grandson's name to a list of "approved" gravedigging contractors compiled by the city and given the list to the bereaved.  You can read about the latest travesty here.  I have to admire those families who've just thumbed their noses at the whole shebang and dug graves for their loved ones themselves (supervised, of course, by a $100 gravedigging Supervisor).

Simply shameful.

Also.  There's this to ponder -- 

Margaret Hamburg (there's a bad joke in that name somewhere, but I won't go there today), Chief of the Food and Drug Administration, is speaking out in connection with the egg-induced bouts of salmonella making the rounds lately.  The FDA needs, according to Hamburg and others, more authority to put preventive controls in place and "hold companies accountable" for outbreaks of food-borne illnesses.  And, it's not just the FDA that's speaking out.  Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest agreed: "You can’t produce food at that level without a food safety cop on the beat."

Did she really say that out loud?  Food Safety Cops?!?!  Literal food safety cops?!?!

Now, I'm certainly not a big fan of salmonella.  Let me make this perfectly clear (heh), suffering from food poisoning of any sort is nowhere near the top of my wish list.  But enacting legislation that would enable another governmental agency to order a recall of a product (instead of having to wait for the business to issue a voluntary recall) just scares the holy fool out of me. 

The current system of having producers suck it up and admit that their product is faulty or unsafe resonates much more with me than having Uncle Sam do it for them.  Plus, lawsuits start flowing pretty soon to get a little help for injured parties.  To mess with the current procedure would cause a sea change in getting consumers reparations for their injuries.  The prospect of having to say a mea culpa  on a national platform plus the threat of endless, expensive litigation seems to me to be a pretty powerful incentive to get it right from  the get-go.  The threat of inspections, and "being held accountable," is not the best motivator, especially with federal government's track record of "inspections" (read: shake downs.)  Smells to me like more "penalties" going into the federal kitty and fewer damages being available for injured folk.

We need less government intrusion into our live these days -- not more. 

But I suppose "egg inspector" would be a "green job" of sorts for the White House to add to the tally.  

Hmmmm.

Just sayin'.

Gullible, Thy Name is Consumer

I'm too depressed by all the "we know what's best for you and we're going to fix it so that we make most of the decisions in your life" load of compost-heap barkey-malarkey going on in Washington today to do a political post, so I'm doing a "this politically correct load of compost-heap barkey-malarkey is ridiculous" post.

This ad appeared in a local newspaper circular earlier this week. It's just a little more proof of how the supermarkets are all jumping on the Whole Foods-ish "organic" bandwagon more and more these days.

I typically don't go to the nearby Winn-Dixie because its parking lot is nearly impossible to navigate and life is too short to sacrifice one's blood pressure to too-small parking lots/places, but I suppose that's kind of beside the point. Nonetheless, I will birdwalk if I so choose, because I can. For the time being. Until Congress decides that staying on topic will reduce the budget deficit because less time on the computer will result in less energy consumption and more green jobs.

Okay, I admit that I'm a little focused on all the "we know what's best for you and we're going to fix it so that we make most of the decisions in your life" load of compost-heap barkey-malarkey going on in Washington.

Back to the "organic" (translation: more expensive") fad.

I'm sure there are benefits to eating foods that are locally grown using fewer chemicals and preservatives that don't have to be transported over long distances, but logic suggests that those benefits apply to fresh foodstuffs, not the products in cans and boxes that have been processed, at times, beyond recognition.

So, I'm not getting sucked in by the whole "our organic foods are healthier for you than other canned and processed foods, and once you accept that premise you won't worry about paying more for them after this week's special is over" marketing strategy. Processed foods are processed foods -- and they all have lots of salt and loss of nutrients. And even I acknowledge that sometimes, we simply must rely on processed foods to get a meal on the t.v. tray.

But, I mean, seriously -- Organic Macaroni and Cheese?!?! I don't care how the wheat is grown that goes into the pasta -- powdered cheese is powdered cheese.

Geez. How gullible can we get?

Science? What Science?

Saw this somewhere. I'm just about ready for those folks in Copenhagen to take a nap, and to take AlGore with them.

Michelle Goes to the Farmers' Market

It seems that Michelle Obama made an impromptu appearance at the White House neighborhood Farmer's Market yesterday near the Metro stop. (No, that's not some colossal allegory -- it's for real). She was decked out in a lei of marigolds and toted a straw basket to hold her selections.

So, oh! This column by Dana Milbank in today's Washington Post is just too priceless. Milbank's inclusion of a few of The Young First Lady's quotes gives us a peasant's peek into the "just plain folks" simplicity of Obama-world, and the critical value of a wholesome diet in the First Family's daily regiment (with just a spicy little barb via the boffo closing observation):

She spoke of the global reach of her cause: "The first thing world leaders, prime ministers, kings, queens ask me about is the White House garden. And then they ask about Bo."

She spoke of the fuel fed to the world's most powerful man: "I've learned that when my family eats fresh food, healthy food, that it really affects how we feel, how we get through the day . . . whether there's a Cabinet meeting or whether we're just walking the dog."

And she spoke of her own culinary efforts: "There are times when putting together a healthy meal is harder than you might imagine."

Particularly when it involves a soundstage, an interpreter for the deaf, three TV satellite trucks and the closing of part of downtown Washington.

Speaking as someone who made a budget-unfriendly tactical error earlier in the week -- the husband wanted fresh red snapper for dinner, so I went to Whole Foods just to go to the fish counter, and bought snapper without checking the price first -- I can appreciate that putting together a healthy meal is "harder than you might imagine."

I can imagine it so well, as a matter of fact, that without qualifying for "Cash For Crustaceans" (or other water-dwelling denizens), healthy eating at Moogie's Mansion won't involve a trip to Whole Foods (or the Organic Counter at the Joe-Sixpack Supermarket, for that matter) for the rest of the month!

H/T the Husband.

John Boehner: My New Hero

John Boehner is my new hero! We need about 434 more folks with his common sense in the House of Representatives.

I couldn't find the embed code, so here's the link to his remarks about the 300+ page amendment to the ACES Act (Cap and Trade) filed by Henry Waxman at 3:09 A.M. Friday morning before a vote scheduled at 5:00 p.m. that same day. He made Waxman look like the pontifical ass he is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc6zy41_PJo

I'm sorry, but I am all fired-up about this hurricane-force speed that Congress has adopted in the process of enacting legislation that is WAY too complex and WAY too overreaching. California has been oh-so-successful in its own governance! I say that we send ALL the California delegation back home to clean up their own house before they go messing with anyone else's!

Iowahawk's 2012 Pelosi GTxi by Congressional Motors

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAqPMJFaEdY

This just made me laugh out loud.

Iowahawk plugs Congressional Motors' "The 2012 Pelosi GTxi," the car of our future (as long as cars are legal!)!

This guy's such a hoot. I especially like the Ted Kennedy flotation device and velour interior designed by Barney Frank. Smirk.

Mystery of Life: Spring is Sproinging in New Orleans . . .

. . . and I haven't even planted anything new yet! The rosemary may take over the world. (The black thing in the bottom of the pic is Bouie's rear end. He's such a camera hog!)

The doves have nested on top of the garage door opener again. It drives Bouie nuts that he can't get to them, so he paces around the garage a lot, thinking about the birds. Gotta get the birds! At least he hasn't eaten the mulch -- yet.

New Orleans Pothole Fodder: a Wave of the Future?

Hot Air posted this video about a new joint venture between General Motors and Segway. It's a sort-of two-person Segway that can run about 35 miles on a single charge. As practical and trendy as this thing might be, it would get devoured by an Uptown New Orleans pothole quicker than you can skin a cat. And, where would you stash your Po Boy bread?

There are a couple of videos here