My daughter's cat is dying.
I've been up for several days waiting for that moment when I would know that "Pretzels"(black tortie) has decided that she has had enough.
It is not easy to know when that line has been crossed.
Her vet is great but has new health problems of her own.
Pretzels is 17 years old and was my daughter's five year old birthday present.
We are spoon feeding k/d every couple of hours.
I've been around here awhile and have noticed that
Open Thread needs to be sexed-up.
Open thread has no schedule and no panache and thus gets no respect.
Many "diaries" can be channeled through Open Thread if Open Thread had a scintilla (love that word!) of credibility.
Who goes there and why?
You got me.
I only post there with a lame 'breaking' thing that is happening on the MSM and maybe someone might like to see and I'm too lazy to write an entire diary explaining why it is compelling that they watch...
Let's re-tool Open Thread as a fab go-to location.
Ideas?
To start off: cosette jr. and I are foster-homing 3 ten-week old kittens and their mommy, Angel. My son live-trapped all of them at his apartment. All of them are currently: half to 'just a touch' feral.
The Kittens: Maneki Neko, female calico
Cowgirl, female seal point tortoiseshell with white.
Casanova, male tuxedo cat
The Mommy: Angel, 1 1/2 years approximately, tuxedo cat.
All are: Cute as buttons
Reported about six hours ago from Iraqslogger. Two security guards involved.
The biggest theft in Iraq previously reported was 1 Billion dollars which occured right after Operation Shock and Awe.
Once again the American taxpayers, that would be us: Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Public (Firesign Theater h/t), have been taken to the cleaners.
Nice timing on the heist. bushco will be apoplectic with this wonderful publicity.
Another little gem in the Washington Post this morning penned by the ever-vigilant Bob Woodward, reports that the Iraq Study Group was given two briefings back in November '06 by Dubya who droned on about winning in Iraq and how peachy things were. Followed by briefing that said al-Maliki government was a disaster.
Nice news in surreal world tonight.
Just reported on Los Angeles Times site that Bush claims exemption from oversight of classification/declassification by Archives.
The article was posted at 7:44 PDT so it has just been written up. Cheney's office not commenting.
Bush spokesperson says that the president must abide by the Executive Order that pertains to Cheney's office as well. Spokesperson said that "inference" was needed to ascertain that "agencies" referred to in the order did not include President and Vice President's offices.
Update: Washington Post Saturday quotes Dana Perino arguing the Cheney explanation that VP is exempt from records requirements because he is in the legislative branch (as well as the executive branch). The LATimes article by Josh Meyer quotes White House spokesperson, Tony Fratto, who says that Bush and Cheney are both exempt from the oversight since that is what Bush intended by the March 2003 Executive Order.
That is what we are to infer....
Is it possible to kick someone out of the Democratic party because they support building a wall between the USA and Mexico?
I just did tonight.
To me it is wrong to espouse this, even though every one of their other principals are democratic.
Frankly, I was surprised that they felt this way....
..and suggested that they vote for George Allen or John McCain.
Wall =Dealbraker?
Just noticed this at the Corpus Christi Caller.com website [link www.caller.com] registration is required. Whittington will speak at the hospital press conference at 1pm Est.
Will fill in more details as they come in. I assume that the hospital administrators and physician will also speak and that it will be televised.
John in DC over a Americablog has LINK to Air America Radio audio where Representative Louise Slaughter D-NY reveals that Tom DeLay and Bill Frist had daytraders working in their offices. The traders were making money on insider information of pending legislation.
Representative Slaughter is going to be on C-span Washington Journal tomorrow morning from 9:15-10 am EST to fill us in on all the details.
Update: see Josh Orton comment: Backstory "Political Intelligence"
I had this dream that at least 100 Americans, eager to take back our country, from this irreputable, (s)elected, hysteria-inducing regime could saddle up some kickass stallions and form an ever-tightening circle around the White House... or any event that w was fearmongering at... and put the fear of Yahweh into him.
I don't know exactly what it is about horses that frightens him, but ours could be especially wild-eyed huge gifted with flying flashing hooves.
Riders with flags held aloft would be magical.
Dirt would be kicked up and down Pennsylvania avenue.
Where is the Open Thread when we need it?
Make your guesses here as to what he is going to yack about and whether he takes any questions from the press.
Hopefully he will announce Cheney's resignation, withdrawal from Iraq, Rumsfeld resignation...
I can dream. Can't I?
BTW where is the Open Thread when we need it?
I am going to delete this when Open Thread returns or news conference is over whichever comes first.
No GAS.
No Road/Contraflow.
No State Troopers/TX Dept of Transportation
No Food
No Lodging
No Nothing.
I know that Houston is the 4th largest city and this was an unprecidented evacuation but it was a failure. Don't let them pat themselves on the back on this one.
Where are our Federal Tax Dollars going on this?
We left Houston (under voluntary evacuation)from our home Thursday at 1 am heading towards Tulsa since Rita was supposed to hit us at a CATEGORY 5.
150 miles later (after 15 straight hours) we found shelter in Garrison, TX with a friend's daughter.
Total luck.
When we left Thursday, I figured that I would never see my home or my city again.
We returned tonight... driving straight through with a full tank of gas.
Gas Stations are a VERY DANGEROUS place to be; people pulling guns. Saw it.
The only reason this evac worked, so far, was because people were incredibly patient... not from any doing of our state or federal government.
in Afghanistan overnight. He reported it about 15 minutes ago.
Does anyone else have any confirmation of this?
I believe they said it was a helicopter that went down...no word whether it was accident or hostile action.
If true, this has to be the largest death toll for Spanish troops.
I am just numb.
God help us all.
gwb MUST address this mother's questions before this situation, which is clearly getting out of hand, becomes even worse.
His 'Dove Hunting' neighbor opened the door to the events of this evening. NO call from our fearless leader to tone down the rhetoric and actions to his followers was heard.
How much are we paying him and his crew to mishandle our interests?
They are working for us. We are signing their checks.
Is gwb SANE enough and Presidential enough to STOP those that act out in his name?
Mowing down the crosses memorializing the dead is unconscionable...and the flags that decorate them placed by his supporters.
gwb MUST put a STOP to this.
How are THE TROOPS going to feel about gwb's support if HE SAYS NOTHING?
gwb is the only one that can stop this madness. He must act.
If he can't meet with a grieving mother out in a ditch near the bottom of his driveway and reign in his followers (who are getting their direction from his silence), he deserves NO RESPECT from the world.
How much more is it going to take for gwb to have a full-blown nervous breakdown?
Several of my doc friends think that he is a couple of fuck-ups away from losing it:
Drool/spittle leaking from left side of his mouth, increasing inarticulateness, grinding jaw, yacking about his mandate which never existed,
Total inability to see how far he's fucked up our precious country,
Total inability to see how he's brought the WHOLE world to hate us to the point where we can't have our kids travel abroad without derision? (George Voinivich, can you hear me?)
Come Wednesday our family will be out $35,000 for our daughter's medically necessary surgery.
I didn't read the 'limits and exclusions' when we signed up 7 years ago since her condition was not present then. Our family's premiums are $820/mo.
This is a University of Texas plan that excludes orthognathic surgery unless the insured is on the policy since birth. The Texas Insurance Comissioner has no jurisdiction since the UT plan is self-funded.
If this is not done our daughter will live a life of chronic pain (unable to eat without pain, unable to sleep through the night with over-the-counter pain medication), inability to process her food (her back teeth do not meet anymore) and a speech impediment (her tongue being boxed into a too small space due to the overgrowth of one side of her jaw).
Her oral/maxillofacial surgeon with whom she has had a 3 yr. patient relationship stopped taking insurance a year ago so I knew that I would have to pay him upfront $15,000 and collect from my insurance.
more below the flip
If you are anywhere along 55S between Memphis and Baton Rouge tonight.
My idjit son is driving 'straight through' to Houston.
I think I will have to amuse myself with Mr. Hinky
Dink's diary and Ohio Coingate.
Waiting for online Washington Post, New York Times and The Toledo Blade.
When are the Army recruiting stats for May going to be posted??
When TV schedule is going into reruns and Iraq is going down the shitter? Michael Jackson is wrapping up and they've not got another Lacy Peterson or runaway bride on the burner.
I predict Terror Alert Level rises followed by draft talk.
They are starting to frontpage civilian Iraqui casualties...who would've thunk that?
General Myers is talking about troop strength being stretched to the point that if another conflict is entered into (bushco, all the while,is saber rattling) we will have to accept longer conflict and higher US casualties.
Recruiting for military is WAY down.
It is curious to me that Col. Jack Jacobs on CNN is reporting all is peachy over in Iraq while Gen. Barry McCafferty on MSNBC is very concerned about our occupation of Iraq. When the reporters come on live....they all appear to still be in their hotels.
What the FUCK IS GOING ON?
I have two kids 18 and 22.
