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Thursday Morning Open Thread

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Blog Related
Posted on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 07:24:36 AM EST
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It's Thursday morning.

This is an Open Thread.

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    Thursday Morning Open Thread | 37 comments (37 topical)

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    Wishing everyone a joyful day (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by esmense on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 07:44:37 AM EST
    With lots of celebration, friends and families near at hand, and no hassles.

    I'm surprised at how moved I was when the vote was taken -- despite how disappointed I am in the Senate's approach to Health Care Reform.

    Nothing left to do but hope it all works much better than I fear; that lives will be saved, families kept more secure, and businesses aided by the things that flow from this.

    I am trying for acceptance without resignation -- that though this is an era when the hardest fought battles can only expect to win the smallest of victories. I want to stay hopeful that that state of affairs can and will change (for the better)in my lifetime. If not, then in my son's.

    Sometimes I really envy my Dad, who turned 18 in 1932 and died in 1979. He saw a lot of liberal triumph over the his lifetime, and died before it all started to be undone.

    I would like to reflect on the fact (5.00 / 1) (#3)
    by andgarden on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 07:52:32 AM EST
    that there was obviously never going to be any deal with Olympia Snowe. If the bill that passed the Senate this morning wasn't acceptable to her, it's really impossible to imagine one that would have been. And the utter outrageousness of voting twice for the proposition that the legislation is unconstitutional, after having voted for almost identical legislation in committee, demonstrates a level of hypocrisy that I wouldn't have thought possible.

    IN any case the Dems are the real suckers. They lost valuable time that might ultimately undermine their control of Congress.

    Possible that (none / 0) (#24)
    by BackFromOhio on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 10:56:44 AM EST
    Snowe realized bill was going to pass, and to make up for her vote in favor of the stimulus, she's decided to side with her party on this one?

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    There's a difference (none / 0) (#26)
    by CST on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 11:06:20 AM EST
    between voting against the bill, and voting to say that it's unconstitutional.

    I hope this hurts her in Maine.

    Honestly, it might be better for Dems to launch a progressive challenge up there than to try and get rid of blue dogs.

    She's got a very high approval rating, but Maine is a lot more progressive than Nebraska.

    Parent

    Here comes Santa Claus.... (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by kdog on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 07:59:48 AM EST
    A very Merry Christmas to all, special sincere thanks to our wonderful blog hostess Jeralyn & BTD...thanks for the forum, this joint rocks.

    And to everyone who visits & comments at this special cyber-place, thanks for all the food for thought...you all rock.

    How 'bout some carols?  Here's the true king of rock-n-roll singing about our favorite commie reindeer.

    Little Richard ("the architect") (none / 0) (#34)
    by jondee on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 02:49:11 PM EST
    and I agree on your true king nominee. With many far-out runners up. Good pick.

    Happy holidays to you and yours.

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    Season's greetings to all (none / 0) (#1)
    by jeffinalabama on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 07:39:05 AM EST
    I hope it's a pleasant one for you.

    Heartwarming stories... (none / 0) (#5)
    by kdog on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 08:38:18 AM EST
    of random acts of kindness...being good for goodness sake.

    The subway rider who saved Christmas.

    Secret Santa keeps the water on for Christmas.

    I could use some heart warming. (none / 0) (#6)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 08:48:02 AM EST
    No hot water this morning, so I was forced to take a cold shower.  Then, off into the single digit cold to stand in the snow and wait for the bus.  Still trying to get my core temp back to normal!

    And, the boss put me in charge of things at work today.  Ha!

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    so... you're bob Cratchet today? (none / 0) (#7)
    by jeffinalabama on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 08:51:51 AM EST
    Happy holidays, Hawkeye!

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    My brain is still frozen... (none / 0) (#9)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 08:55:06 AM EST
    ...I really don't know who I am today yet!

    Happy Holidays to you as well, Jeff!  And all the other TL'ers out there is cyberspace!!!

    Ho, Ho, Ho!

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    Harsh... (none / 0) (#10)
    by kdog on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 08:57:00 AM EST
    Can you get someone out to fix the hot water situation?  That's a major bummer on Christmas Eve...sorry dude.  Since you're the boss today, I say shut her down and get home and handle that if you can:)

    I'm sitting here hoping I don't get a "no hot water" call before they shut the doors...I don't know how much I'll be able to do to help with so many joints closed and generally uncooperative/uncaring manufacturers. I don't wanna be party to ruining anybodys Christmas!  

    So far so good...the phone has rang once and it was a guy calling the wrong outfit.

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    I'm sure the others in the building... (5.00 / 1) (#13)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 09:05:19 AM EST
    ...will be letting the Super know about the hot water.  One of our 3 boilers went out and they're in the process of replacing it with some fancy new technology.  Might be the root cause.  

    Besides, I don't want to cut my day of power short--I've got an agenda to implement!  


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    Instantaneous Water Heaters... (none / 0) (#14)
    by kdog on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 09:16:58 AM EST
    perhaps?  Expensive, but efficient...supposed to save dough over the long run.  Just hope they're sizing demand right otherwise you could have more cold showers in your future...that's the biggest problem with 'em I think.  I'll make a Christmas wish its back on when you get home.

    Give out some Christmas bonuses Boss Man!  A co-worker were just lamenting how the Mailman and the UPSman got bigger bonuses than we did...not hard to beat zero!  But as I reminded everyone, we've all got dinner to go home to so we need to stfu, at least for today...focus on all the things we got.

    Like Ray sang in Father Christmas..."But remember the kids who got nothin', when you're drinking down your wine"

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    Ha! (none / 0) (#15)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 09:22:19 AM EST
    What is bonus you speak of?  Is that like a raise or something?  We State employees don't know of such things!

    Yep, there is always someone worse off in this World.  Those of us who have a roof over our heads, food on the table and decent health are indeed blessed.  

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    Amen Brother Mile.... (none / 0) (#16)
    by kdog on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 09:29:54 AM EST
    Thinking of that "happiest place to live" thread the other day...perhaps the reason for so much unhappiness is expecting too much out of this life, when its good just to be alive.

    Like the Human Riff once said..."It's good to be here, it's good to be anywhere!"

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    "So many joints closed": (5.00 / 1) (#18)
    by oculus on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 09:44:37 AM EST
    Had to read that one twice, considering the source!

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    Silly Oculus... (5.00 / 1) (#20)
    by kdog on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 09:59:55 AM EST
    that joint stays open like 7-11:)

    Merry Christmas to my fav. former prosecutor...and you'd still be my favorite if I knew more than one:)

    Parent

    It's not just Thursday Morning... (none / 0) (#8)
    by Anne on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 08:52:44 AM EST
    it's Christmas Eve morning!

    Various rooms of our house are looking a little like Christmas exploded in them - but that's part of the fun.  Variations on "no, no - don't come in here!" are being shrieked from time to time, as we inadvertently wander into a gift-wrapping session.  We're NOT peeking, really we're not!

    Last minute forays for "just one more present for...and, oh, I think we need more wrapping paper, and if you're going by the store, I'm out of the vanilla I need for dessert, and could you take my car and put some gas in it, and hey, did we get something for ___?" [thanks as always to my husband - er, Santa - for being willing to brave the throng of frenzied last-minute shoppers to do this for me!]

    Mrs. Claus - that's me - needs to get the house in order, make the tiramisu for Christmas dinner dessert, and wonder, as I do every year, why the wrapping seems so much less daunting before you pull all the gifts out of the bags and realize you have hours of it ahead of you...

    And I will, as I do every year, constantly remind myself to slow down and savor the little things - the snow that still blankets everything, and that, in the country at least, has not turned to gray and greasy frozen-over slush; the brilliant red cardinals gorging themselves on bird seed and suet with all their birdie friends - the red-headed woodpecker, the chickadees, the sparrows, the finches; the Christmas tree that is the best one ever - we say that every year! - the crackle and snap of the fire in the fireplace, the glow of love and happiness on my daughter's and her boyfriend's faces as the put the gingerbread house together, and the comfort and joy of family, of friends, of health and work and love.

    My heart is full, and emotion is ready to spill over - I always cry at least once every Christmas as I realize how much I love these people I call my family, and how happy I am that we can all be together - yes, the gifts are nice, and I love giving them, but if we had nothing to put under the tree, we would still have the best present anyone could ask for: the knowledge that we love and are well-loved.

    Hope everyone has a marvelous couple of days!

    Sounds wonderful Anne (none / 0) (#11)
    by ruffian on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 08:59:56 AM EST
    Even if it makes me sad that my scattered family no longer has Christmases like that.  Don't let it happen to you and yours!

    Parent
    Merry Christmas Mrs. Claus... (none / 0) (#12)
    by kdog on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 09:02:41 AM EST
    I hear you on wrapping...you shoulda seen me trying to wrap this odd-shaped box containg a doll that pees and poops for one of my nieces...I bought the cheap-sh*t wrapping paper and it kept tearing, that one gift took a whole roll of paper and an hour to wrap.

    But I was surprisingly unaggravated by it all...whistling carols and imagining my niece's laugh when the doll fills it's first diaper!

    Parent

    A little bitter, I know... (none / 0) (#17)
    by lentinel on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 09:38:21 AM EST
    Speaking to JIm Lehrer the other night, Obama said, referring to the public option, that he has never demanded that it be part of a final bill.

    Last July, he said, "[A]ny plan I sign must include an insurance exchange: a one-stop shopping marketplace where you can compare the benefits, cost and track records of a variety of plans - including a public option to increase competition and keep insurance companies honest - and choose what's best for your family."

    Obama now says he never said that any plan he signs "MUST" include a public option to keep insurance companies honest. Don't believe your eyes and ears.

    He is counting on us still being as numb as we had to become during the Bush years in order to survive the onslaught of fascist energy.

    I wish everyone a Happy Holiday. Really I do.
    But I'm a little depressed.

    Yesterday, moderating (none / 0) (#25)
    by BackFromOhio on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 10:59:59 AM EST
    Olbermann show, Lawrence O'Donnell did a number on the contradictions and flip flops of Prez as Prez and candidate on the issue of health care.

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    Breaking: yesterday my family (none / 0) (#19)
    by oculus on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 09:47:02 AM EST
    located "our" mountain and posed for lots of silly photos at its base.  Oh, and no one pulled a shot gun on us.  (West Texas.)

    Did bike riding brother make it? (none / 0) (#22)
    by nycstray on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 10:20:14 AM EST


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    Yes Via American Airlines sans (none / 0) (#37)
    by oculus on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 03:23:45 PM EST
    Bike.

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    West Texas edges out South Florida (none / 0) (#27)
    by CoralGables on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 11:15:48 AM EST
    when it comes to peaks, but if your sibling ever peddles all the way south you can take a photograph at the base of our highest mount to add to your collection. It comes in at an extraordinary 149 feet. It has no official name so you are welcome to stick the family moniker on it.

    Parent
    Thanks for letting me be a voice here! (none / 0) (#21)
    by Angel on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 10:04:01 AM EST
    Hope everyone has a great holiday.

    Have a great, safe holiday! (none / 0) (#23)
    by Fabian on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 10:46:30 AM EST
    If any of you are working one of the 24/7 jobs - I hope your shifts are quiet.  Been there, done that.

    Rain, not snow forecast for the area.  It'll be a wet Christmas here.

    Dateline, Honolulu. (none / 0) (#28)
    by KeysDan on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 11:24:44 AM EST
    To: Taliban, c/o Acting Number Two

    Season's Greetings to all (except your women folk--with deference to your culture). To reference those great American songwriters, George and Ira Gershwin, whose work we surely all enjoy,' Let's call the whole thing off.'  Please find enclosed our check for $400 million, equivalent to the annual amount we understand you finance your operations through the illicit drug trade (NYT article based on the State Department General's Report released Dec 23, 2009).  We have asked our budget people to "score" costs and economies in our Afghan adventure and found that this course is way more than deficit neutral--my blue dogs will love it!  Indeed, at $l million per soldier per year, this "remuneration" equates to just 0.4 troops--a real bargain for us, and easier on the fund raising for you.  Moreover, it solves our vacillation between burning poppy fields and interdicting drug traffickers, especially when our puppet is among the traffickers. This peace proposal will undoubtedly be met with problems by your people, but I, too, am already encountering difficulties.  My generals are charging me, almost with treason, for this reduction in troop surge, but, hey, no one ever said our jobs would be easy. "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love",   Peace on Earth.  B. Obama

    happy holidays! (none / 0) (#29)
    by CST on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 11:45:12 AM EST
    stay warm, stay safe, eat well!

    Happy, happy holidays... (none / 0) (#30)
    by desertswine on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 11:50:33 AM EST
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. housing regulator said on Thursday it approved 2009 pay packages of up to $6 million each for the chief executives of government-controlled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

    The Best Holiday Present (none / 0) (#31)
    by CoralGables on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 12:01:36 PM EST
    RIO DE JANEIRO --  A New Jersey man and his 9-year-old son were reunited Thursday in Brazil after a five-year international custody battle, and immediately headed home to spend the holidays in the U.S.

    George Michael... (none / 0) (#32)
    by desertswine on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 02:18:16 PM EST
    of The George Michael Sports Machine, has died.

    Incredible speech by war veteran (none / 0) (#33)
    by Dadler on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 02:42:56 PM EST
    His name is Mike Prysner.

    James Gurley, (none / 0) (#35)
    by desertswine on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 03:08:50 PM EST
    Guitarist, dies.

    (Big Brother & the Holding Co)

    Somebody stop me.

    "Blues in technicolor" (5.00 / 1) (#36)
    by jondee on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 03:22:06 PM EST
    is what he and Sam Andrew called what they did. From Lightnin' Hopkins to the heart of the son. And he named one of his sons Django.

    Rest in peace, James.

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    Thursday Morning Open Thread | 37 comments (37 topical)

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