Welcome to The Moose Pond! The Welcomings posts give the Moose, old and new, a place to visit and share words about the weather, life, the world at large and the small parts of Moosylvania that we each inhabit.
Welcomings will be posted at the start of each week (every Sunday morning). To find the posts, just bookmark this link and Voila! (which is Moose for “I found everyone!!”).
The format is simple: each day, the first moose to arrive on-line will post a comment welcoming the new day and complaining (or bragging!) about their weather. Or mentioning an interesting or thought provoking news item. Or simply checking in.
So … what’s going on in your part of Moosylvania?
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NOTE: The comments page will now split off after 20 or so left margin comments with the most recent comments on the current page. To see the older comments, scroll to the bottom of the page and use the link.
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Good morning, meeses! Friday, finally … (why do short weeks feel longer?)
It is 52 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 70. Sunny this morning then clouding up later in the day.
A quick scan of the headlines suggest that the gossip stories are winning. I really don’t care that Republicans are concerned NOW that they hitched their wagons to a person completely unfit – as the headline in an op-ed this morning said “We are a superpower run by a simpleton.” The time to deal with that was in the nominating process. The Republican Party’s obligation, as one of the only two major political parties in America, is to field a candidate qualified to run the country. They failed because they knew that Trump’s brand of politics could gain them power to get tax cuts and Supreme Court justices and they sold their souls to do that. OUR JOB, as the other major party, is to win back Congress in November and put checks on the power of the executive and the judicial branches until we can regain the presidency. Any other Trump “resistance words” is wasted air.
An unexpected computer crisis at a client’s site blew a big hole in my schedule this week and my plan to stay current with September projects went by the wayside. Now my weekend is shaping up to be more interruptions and distractions. Argghh!
See all y’all later!
That’s rotten luck, Jan. Sorry about your weekend.
1.21 miles this morning, and I ran down that ramp again. So, yesterday’s hearings were interesting. I’ve been ambivalent about Cory Booker, but after that, I’ll say I’m a fan. Today’s song is Nina Cried Power. Wow. Love this song. Hozier featuring Mavis Staples.
[Verse 3]
It’s not the song, it is the singin’
It’s the heaven of the human spirit ringin’
It is the bringin’ of the line
It is the bearin’ of the rhyme
It’s not the wakin’, it’s the risin’
[Chorus: Mavis Staples and Hozier]
And I could cry power (power)
Power (power)
Power, Lord!
Nina cried power
Billie cried power
Mavis cried power
And I could cry power
Power (power)
Power (power)
Power, Lord!
Curtis cried power
Patti cried power
Nina cried power
I used to be ambivalent about Sen. Booker too, until I made a complete *ss of myself on Twitter. I called him out, based on information that I had taken at face value and without doing my own due diligence. (I had read that because of his ties with charter schools, he was going to vote to confirm DeVos.) To my complete surprise, he engaged; not only did he deny the rumor, he very gently, but very kindly, reminded me that we have to work together and not tear each other down. It could have been extraordinarily humiliating, but he handled my blunder so well that I came away embarrassed, of course, but mostly just full of admiration for his overall kindness and ability to be positive and uplifting. Anyone who can do that in the cesspool of Twitter gets my attention and my admiration.
He does seem like a kind person. I can’t even recall why I was ambivalent (5 hours of sleep will do that to you). I like that he’s vegan & advocates for health & the environment.
There is always more to it, isn’t there? The berners despise Booker because his constituents also include people who make a lot of money and some of them donated that money to his campaigns! But he was the mayor of Newark and you don’t take on a job like that if you are a corporate shill looking to feather your nest. He is a very eloquent speaker and on the right side of just about every issue I can think of. I remember his speech against Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III in the Attorney General confirmation and his all-nighter in support of gun safety legislation. I don’t know about 2020 but in 2018 we need his voice.
Friday Meese.
67 going up to 77 here in Saugerties NY.
Was up half the night dealing with dogs reaction to massive thunderstorms here. Power went out briefly 4 times.
I have been following this young woman on twitter – who lives in La Perla – a poor area of San Juan.
She has been posting a people’s eye view of what happened and what is still not happening on the ground.
Good morning, Meese. It’s a fairish day here so far, but we’re expecting showers later and tomorrow there is a 70 percent chance of rain. I could have wished for rain during the week and not the weekend, as I expect to be driving a lot tomorrow. Right now the temperature is 72 F., going up to 85 F.
Feeling absolutely low because it looks as if Coathanger Kav will be confirmed and the country as a whole will be effed even more than it is now.
Have stuff to do today and a writers’ group meeting this afternoon. Wishing a good day to all at the Pond!
I was following some of the hearings and I see no path to blocking him. Susan Collins said that his documented contempt for Roe v Wade is expected because it is how Republicans view abortion and the anti-Roe emails are NOT a showstopper for her. Heck, if Roe v Wade is the defining issue, I am pretty sure we lose at least 3 Democrats as no votes. There will have to be something else that blocks him but so far Republicans are fine with him lying to the Senate, making promises to Trump about executive power in order to secure the nomination, advocating for unrestricted access to any sort of weapon for anyone at any time, and repealing the ACA, throwing 20 million people off healthcare, he is a cinch. For what it is worth, someone built a gofundme for whichever Democrat runs against Susan Collins in 2020 and it is already at half a million dollars. Revenge will taste sweet if she loses her seat but we may not be able to enjoy it if we are all living out of cardboard boxes after we lose our houses in medical bankruptcy.
70 at the moment with 100% humidity and overcast. Not supposed to get out of the 70s for the next several days. Forecast is for off and on rain all day. If the humidity will lighten up a bit I’ll probably get on the treadmill today rather than doing the neighborhood tour. (High humidity plus treadmill makes my chest hurt.) I like the neighborhood tour, but it mostly doesn’t like me. Between the bugs and the plant life putting out allergens…but it’s beautiful so… Got 14.4 KWHs yesterday and the m-t-d is 88. We may or may not crest 100 today.
Mostly staying off twitter. I may just get back offline the rest of the day – or at least until Black Kos hits so I can RT the twitter roundup. Firehose of gossip is draining. Good for our team on the Senate Judiciary Committee – they’re getting a whole lot of stuff in the public record that could possibly lead to indicting koathanger Kavanaugh and get him off the Court later that way. He’s not just evil, he’s also criminal. Hope for the future. Jan’s right – our job IS to win back Congress then do damage control until we can get the power to repair and maybe fix some of the issues. That’s what we should be working on as best we can – while keeping the worst of those issues on the table and in the public mind so they will be addressed when we can. The Rs are pushing us back as hard and far as they can, hoping they can make at least pre-1960s permanent (if not further back). That’s bad and people will die, already are dying, because of it. But it is “back” – nothing new, we’ve been there before. There is a path out, we know that path. Folks our age watched it get carved if we weren’t actually doing some of the carving. They aren’t erasing the path, just pushing us back on it. Once we are in power, we’ll travel that road a lot faster – make it broader. Healing Energy to everybody, shaped to the need. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
It won’t really help to find a clearly impeachable offense for Kavanaugh based on his hearing testimony. We would need 67 votes in the Senate to remove him from the court and that is simply not attainable. The Republicans will stick by their man – forever – and unless someone knows of a pathway to gaining 18 more Democratic Senate seats, that is not worth wasting any brain cells on. We will just have to position ourselves to be able to choose the replacement for Clarence Thomas when that time comes.
I know. I’ve never put any hope or faith in the impeachment calls – for anybody. The bros of course but way too many of our own team seem to think impeachment’s the answer to this really evil situation we’re in. I can understand the lefties – they’re trying to pretend it didn’t matter that they didn’t vote for Hillary. Why our team falls for it I’ll never know. But I can and do hope there’s evidence of some actually criminal things – indictment is my “I word” – doesn’t matter if we can’t impeach him if he’s sitting in a prison cell and not there while the cases are being tried. It’s not a very strong hope, considering, but it the one I’m holding. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 57 and partly sunny in Bellingham. My list for today is a repeat of yesterday. Watering the garden led to wandering around outdoors, updating a computer took time and made me nervous, then a nap was needed, and so it goes. I’ll try to be more focused today.
Best Friday wishes to all.
Good morning Meesefolk; 52 when I got up with an expected high of 70. Tl;dr what Jan said.
I’m in the camp of those who expect Kavanaugh to be confirmed, but I think his obvious lying may at least keep all of the Dems on board…unless leadership makes the determination to cut them free. But at this point, I’m hard-pressed to believe that even “endangered” Dems won’t see what a smarmy, dishonest, corrupt jerk he is. It will be a sad day for the Supreme Court; he isn’t fit to be in the same room as RBG. And while I agree with Jan that future impeachment is unlikely, if not impossible, I’m grateful that the Dems on the Judiciary Committee have shown him for what he is. If by some miracle the votes ever are there, they’ve laid some necessary groundwork. In the meantime, we need to gain control of more state legislatures and governorships, and those states which still have abortion on the books as illegal need to rescind those statutes.
While the specific cause (blocking Kavanaugh) appears to be lost, the work that the Democrats on the committee are doing is critically important!
Whether or not it results in laying the groundwork for a future impeachment, it will put a target on the back of every Republican Senator who votes to confirm him. When protections for pre-existing conditions are removed by the Kavanaugh Court, we will run against those Senators with clips from the hearing. When women’s reproductive rights, from abortion to contraception, are repealed, we will run against those Senators with clips from the hearing. When gun safety measures are stricken down by the court, we will run against those Senators with clips from the hearing. When Donald Trump is allowed to pardon himself and his family, we will run against those Senators with clips from the hearing. Voters in 2020 and 2022 will see clips of Ben Sasse saying “women are just being hysterical”, they will see clips of Mike Lee asking Kavanaugh what his favorite Federalist Paper was and clips of the others complimenting Kavanaugh on being a girls basketball team coach and having nice hair. Their votes will be lashed to them and we will attach a boat anchor to them and sink them, take back the Senate and pass some laws that are not subject to judicial review to make the Kavanaugh Court irrelevant. You want the Supreme Court, Republicans? Fine, we will strip it of its power to damage the lives of ordinary Americans by using the power of the other two branches of government to pass and enforce laws.
(Cheering up) Well, that’s a good way to look at it.
Witches of the USA, unite! Get out that spellbook and work those incantations!
It worked in WWII, dinnit? The Germans never did invade England.
Saturday Meese
A refreshing 63 here in Saugerties NY only going up to 69!
Thanks Obama!
It was great that he specifically called out the Republicans for their terrible response to Hurricane Maria and their shameful neglect of Puerto Rico. His is the voice we have been missing – a way to focus all the energy towards what we are seeking to restore – a return to Democratic Party Values, the values that would not have let the people of Puerto Rico suffer and die needlessly. “Thanks, Obama” indeed!
I was elated – have been waiting for him to say something about PR!
Good morning, meese! Saturday …
It is 54 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 68. Partly cloudy skies are in the forecast.
President Obama spoke at the University of Illinois yesterday and launched his entry into the midterm fray calling out the Republican Congress and Donald Trump by name. It may be the most important speech of the election cycle and worth a read. If it does not get Democrats fired up and ready to go, they have no beating heart!
There are other things in the news but nothing more important than setting the tone for the midterms and what is at stake: health care is on the ballot, human rights are on the ballot, the rule of law is on the ballot.
The Fighting Back post will include a speech by Lloyd Doggett about health care and the lawsuit in federal court to cancel the Affordable Care Act’s protections for pre-existing conditions. We will need a Democratic Congress to have any chance to reinstate those protections and we need a Democratic Senate to stop the Republicans from filling the federal courts with judges who hate people and want to destroy everything decent in America.
See all y’all later!
Good news in Florida
Sleep-in Saturday. And it’s rainy — 70% chance today, and it isn’t expected to get out of the 80s. I do plan to walk between storms this afternoon. I have to be careful about working up a sweat because I still have the chemo cream on my forehead for one more week. But a mile, on a day that will be so cool should be fine. Still obsessed with Nina Cried Power.
Good Saturn’s Day, Moosekind! ‘Tis 67 F. on this gray and gloomy Saturday, with heavy rain expected on the way up to 70 F. That cioppino with hot rolls will go down a treat tonight for dinner.
Had exactly one hour of sleep, and here I have to take a shower, jump in the car, and drive an hour to Greenspring. It’s my friend’s birthday today. She has had a damn rough two years, including (1) losing her roommate to first to Alzheimer’s and then to death; (2) being flooded out of her apartment in January because of a faulty sprinkler system; and (3) getting the ‘flu and then pneumonia, resulting in hospitalization followed by skilled nursing care at Greenspring. Now her son is out of town, so there’s no one to take her out on her birthday except moi.
Gotta split. Hope it’s a nice day for all. (Is that a fatal cheeseburger I see before me? Does it know the way to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW?)
66 with 100% and off and on drizzle – it might make it up to 75. Less likely but it might actually clear off this afternoon. Only got 9.9 KWHs yesterday so m-t-d is at 98 – as cloudy as it is though the PV is system is on, so we hopefully will get over 100 today. We shall see what we shall see.
Good to see Obama on the campaign trail again. Maybe this time the “my vote doesn’t matter” group will pay attention. He’s not saying anything he didn’t say in 2016. The “both parties are the same” group is a lost cause – has been for 18 years – and basically complicit with the Russian trolls. But while they are loud, their numbers are small. We only need 4% of the “did not vote” group to show up for Team Blue and we will get back at least enough to do damage control. I’m mostly staying offline – do my RTing and a few random checks on my TL to see what’s going on but that’s about it. About to get offline again – got stuff to do before I head out to the DEM HQ. Healing Energy to everybody shaped to their need. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
squeeeeee!!!
Good morning, 58 and cloudy in Bellingham. The changing light and cloudy skies are making my morning cocoon even harder to emerge from. I’ve scanned the news, but coffee, music and solitaire are more inviting.
Best Saturday wishes to all.
Good morning; rolling in late as usual. I was “up” well before dawn, because I couldn’t sleep. I putzed around a bit before going back to bed and falling into a sound asleep until 10. I’m not counting that as a nap (in case I want to take one later!), but it was certainly as refreshing as one.
I have only heard excerpts of President Obama’s speech and am not sure I can bring myself to listen to all of it. The concurrent waves of sadness and anger almost overwhelmed me for the bits I did hear; seeing my stupid extended family react with gloating on FB because he’s no longer in office almost pushed me over the edge. I’m reminding myself that I long ago embraced found family over bloodlines, but it’s still an occasional source of shame and fury that I have so many relatives who find “owning the libs” as their raison d’etre. When they forgot our immigrant story and substituted Whiteness as their identity, they apparently sacrificed a lot of their humanity. I will never understand how someone can become so twisted with hate and anger, but I suppose they think something similar about me because projection is real. May I never be as filled with the smallness of hate as they are.
{{{DoReMI}}} – you can’t be as filled with hate as they are. Hate is not in you. Anger? yes, of course. But not hate. Hard to deal with blood kin who are filled with hate I know. Healing Energy for that. moar {{{HUGS}}}