A Summer of Congress's Discontent?

Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA) apparently chose to disregard Fox News on the wrong day.

At a town hall several days ago, a constituent asked Sherman's take on the Department of Justice's recent policy decision not to prosecute civil rights abuses when the alleged wrongdoer is black. The constituent referred specifically to the DOJ's dropping of charges against several members of the New Black Panther Party in exchange for a questionable plea deal in the Philadelphia voter intimidation case.

The Congressman assumed a patronizing air, back-pedalled a bit, then outright lied about being unfamiliar with the case. (Okay -- that he outright lied is my spin, but if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck . . . .)




Don't you love the crowd's response at the end? Can you say, "Get a rope!" (I offer that observation in the least racist vein possible. White bad guys were strung up in the old B-movie Westerns, along with people who claim in modern television commercials that good salsa is made in Noo Yawk City. Come to think of it, I haven't seen that commercial in ages!)

Just think! This little Town Hall call-to-account was just the run-up to the summer recess. I smell an August chock-full of congressional confrontations.

Still think the TEA Party is passe, Madame Pelosi?

H/T to Powerline.

UPDATE: This is interesting. I've tried to embed the Glenn Beck broadcast of King Samir Shabazz's rant about killing "crackers" several time and everytime a "this link is broken" message comes up. Go to Youtube and search for "shabazz cracker rant." You'll find it if you haven't seen it yet. I hope.

When the President Misses Dress Rehearsal

Hearken back to early February, when the Young President was speaking to a Prayer Breakfast (I know -- that's a joke in itself, isn't it!), attempting to praise his military. Remember how he expressed an intimate familiarity with his military and its specialists?




Having spent the morning at Belle Chasse Naval Air Station/Joint Reserve Base with a military group (and my husband being retired from the Army, and all, so I can't get him in trouble -- much), I just hear this poster speaking to me:



The poster speaks to me and pronounces my name correctly.

I know -- I'm being petty, and a little catty.

So, sue me! I got nothin' else.

Meowrr.

Salazar Says: Let Them Eat Cake

The Obama administration is preparing to announce a new moratorium on offshore drilling today.

Here are my thoughts on Secretary Salazar and his boss (Warning -- creative use of some not exactly family-friendly words!):



Tylenol, hell. Bring on the good stuff.

Reflections on "Blue Laws," Past and Yet to Be

I was listening to Walton & Johnson (a rather irreverent radio drive-time show) the other morning and a caller brought up "Blue Laws." For the uninitiated (or the very young!), Blue Laws are state statutes that prohibit certain commercial activities on Sunday; sometimes they're known less-colorfully as "Sunday Closing Laws." Today, in many places, the old Puritan-inspired laws are still around, and ban, or limit, the sale or service of alcohol on Sundays and/or on Christmas Day. The caller to W & J expressed relief that at least we've made enough progress as a society to be rid of the bulk of Blue Laws.

I grew up and lived most of my adult life in Arkansas in the heart of the Bible Belt, so I'm more than familiar with Blue Laws. Listening to the lady caller set me to reminiscing about "the olden days," and it occurred to me that as we experienced the demise of Blue Laws, we also witnessed a steep decline in what used to be referred to as "morals."

Even so, I still think I have to agree with the lady caller. We're well rid of 'em -- Blue Laws, that is; not morals!

Even though I was very young, I can vividly remember when all stores were shuttered on Sunday. Viewed in a strictly religious context -- which we, as a nation, used to set as the benchmark -- the Laws were designed to protect a "day of rest" to observe the Sabbath, and commercial activity was, by definition, a violation of that commandment.

Then, as the population grew and became more urbanized, people found they needed gas or other stuff on Sundays, so "exceptions based on necessity" started appearing. And that's where Blue Law enforcement entered the realm of the bizarre.

Groceries and gas stations began to open on Sundays, then drug stores, and even some variety stores. But the litany of what you could and could not buy was crazy and indecipherable. Plus, the poor employees of the stores had to rope off -- literally -- aisles and aisles of non-saleables.

For instance, you could purchase food preservation items like aluminum foil, but not food preparation items, like aluminum foil pie plates. You could buy "necessities" like bread and milk, but not raw foods that required preparation. You could buy Coca Cola, but not teabags or coffee. Canned baby formula was okay (and usually sold out as soon as the doors opened), but not powdered. You could not buy tools of any kind, but you could buy clotheslines.

Clotheslines, yes; clothes, no.

"No clothing sales" meant you could buy a dog collar, but not a belt. And "no clothing sales" is what caused me most of all to despise Blue Laws and lobby for their repeal: you could not buy diapers because they were considered to be clothing!

"No baby formula sales" could be dealt with, but have you ever had an infant or toddler with the runs and you have gone through the disposable diapers and have no cloth diapers on hand? I have. It's not pretty.

I swear, leftover anxiety about how to beg, borrow, or steal diapers for Elder Daughter is the root cause for my elevated blood pressure today. (Well, not literally steal! I was, after all, an officer of the court.)

As with most experience-taught things in this life, I eventually learned to stock up on diapers and formula on Saturday, just in case. I suppose the prevalence of that prophylactic measure by every mom in the state was one of the arguments that led to the Blue Laws' repeal -- we were just time-shifting the "work" of wearing clothing.

Having grown accustomed to the New Orleans attitude about alcohol, I still have to remind myself to stock up on wine and beer when we go back to Arkansas for a weekend visit, though. Maybe someday the prevalence of that prophylactic measure will eventually lead Arkansas's liquor laws into the 21st century. The Legislature is slowly letting go of its attempts to legislate morality -- the recently established lottery has been successful beyond everyone's wildest expectations. But I don't think I'll hold my breath. Some parts of government are beginning to treat us as adults while the Feds seem to be trying to keep us in diapers, Sunday sales or not.

I'm really glad the Sunday Sales law was repealed before Younger Daughter came along.

You younger folks out there had better keep an eye on Washington, or you'll be right back in the spot where government tells you what you may and may not do or consume in every walk of life. Every day.

A Timeline to Where, Exactly?

Let's see. The BP Deepwater explosion took place on April 20, snuffing out 11 lives and be-fouling the Gulf of Mexico.

On May 27th, President Obama announced, "The American people should know that from the moment this disaster began, the federal government has been in charge of the response effort. . . Make no mistake, BP is operating at our direction." He also suspended exploratory drilling off the coast of Virginia and placed a 6-month moratorium on all offshore drilling in the Gulf.

Make no mistake, thousands of Gulf South residents were immediately thrown out of work.

On June 1st, two weeks after establishing it, Obama gave his "independent commission" and its co-chairs -- neither of whom are representatives of the oil industry -- orders to investigate the causes and effects of the spill, come back, and make recommendations six months hence. He was apparently not in any kind of hurry, however, because on that very day he still had yet to round out the commission, lacking five more appointments. June 1 was the first time he had met with any commissioners.

Six month moratorium, six-month deadline to report back.

The fishing industry was taking a serious lick by this time with many oyster beds shut down. Tourism was sure to follow.

On June 16th, Obama addressed the nation in his first-ever televised speech from the Oval Office. He told his captive audience, "Make no mistake, . . . We will fight this spill with everything we've got for as long as it takes."

"As long as it takes" to accomplish exactly what the Young President didn't make quite as clear. Making no mistake, I'm almost afraid to speculate.

June 22nd saw a federal district court dissolve the administration's 6-month moratorium of all offshore drilling, finding the moratorium to be overly broad, arbitrary, and capricious.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals refused the government's request to stay the District Court's order on July 9th. Spirits were raised a bit, but evidence that drilling would soon resume failed to materialize, primarily as a result of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's promise to overhaul the moratorium and re-institute it tout de suite, coupled with a late August hearing date for full arguments before the Fifth Circuit, expedited though it is.

Today, the migration of oil rigs from the Gulf flows like oil from the Deepwater Horizon breach, towing ever more jobs along in its wake.

Tomorrow, July 12th, in New Orleans, the nominally "independent" presidential commission will hold its first public hearing. The first public hearing will take place nearly two months after the commission was constituted. I can hear feet dragging from my front porch as Gulf families struggle to figure out their futures.

Inexcusable. Disgusting.

When it finally gets down to work, the commission would be wise to take a look at the bigger picture -- this is not just an environmental issue, although the environmental issue is indeed an overarching concern. And the commission would be wise and compassionate if it heeds the advice offered in today's Times-Picayune op-ed piece:

Louisianians are not advocating letting deepwater drilling continue as if nothing has happened and under the flawed enforcement of the past. Quite the opposite, no one in this region wants a repeat of the BP oil spill and its devastating environmental and economic impact.

But we also understand that the administration's blanket moratorium can cause as much or more economic damage as the spill. Up to 8,000 jobs could be lost on the rigs themselves, and another 24,000 jobs could be shed by companies that supply the rigs. Independent scientists and experts consulted by the Interior Department have argued that a more tailored moratorium, coupled with other safety measures, could be more effective. That's a sensible position.

. . . .

Louisianians understand that a catastrophe like the BP oil spill warrants a serious review, so accidents can be prevented in the future. But the president's commission
needs to keep an open mind and make a balanced assessment of our need for oil
and of ways to mitigate the risks.

No one wants another Deepwater Horizon. But an entire industry that's vital for our state and the nation should not be easily written off because of the mistakes of some. Louisiana, the Gulf Coast and the nation deserve an honest and objective assessment that takes into account concerns from all sides.

I couldn't have said it better myself -- but I would add one more admonition to the commission: act quickly, as if your hair was afire. Because life and culture on the Gulf is going down in flames.

The U.N. -- Spending Your Money on Flights of Fancy. Again.

Well, that respite from the political spectrum didn't last long.

Yesterday was apparently the U.N.'s celebration of "International Small Arms Destruction Day"
and the good ol' U.S. of A. seems to have had it catered.

Small arms destruction is not an event we celebrate here at Moogie's Mansion. That'd be kinda like celebrating "International Tear the Pages Out of Books Day" or "International Shut Down the Internet Day."

Secretary Hillary and the State Department characterized U.S. participation in the event as part of the United States’ ongoing efforts to support the “rule of law around the world” and bragged about spending more than $130 million to destroy “1.4 million small arms and light weapons.” This is apparently another well-thought-out and clever U.N. plan -- this time to reduce the impact of “illicit flows of small arms and light weapons" across the globe.

Right. What's the old saying about urination and the ocean?

But, seriously -- we have $130 MILLION spare bucks just lying around gathering dust that we can chunk down a rat hole in an effort to destroy the guns of idiots who would surrender them?!?! And guess what else? Since 1993 we've spent more than $1.5 BILLION in similar undertakings!

Check that -- I think we've gone down the rabbit hole instead of a rat hole. Or maybe both.

H/T to Rustmeister.

Fruitful Remedy for Imploding Brain Syndrome

To kick off a lazy weekend, we'll start by contemplating food.

Gotta get away from the political spectrum for awhile -- if only for an hour or two -- before my brain implodes.

This is my lightened and sugar-free version of Mrs. Andy's "Blueberry Strawberry Cheesecake Pie," as served up at Moogie's Mansion yesterday evening.

The recipe is available at the link -- just substitute Splenda, sugar-free strawberry preserves, sugar free-low-fat Cool Whip, and 1 fat-free/1 reduced fat cream cheese. I know -- it sounds like all that substituting for the good stuff would make it taste like cardboard, but it really doesn't! There won't be much left of it if I don't hide it from Pepper soon, and that tells you how good it is because he's not really a cheesecake kind of guy. He says the texture of this is not as mealy as cheesecake, and I agree.

I also agree with Andy -- 2 forks up!

There. I feel better already.