Nuclear No No

Hello My Dear Friends. Something amazing, and frightening, has happened in the US Senate today. The democratic majority has invoked the so-called "nuclear option" for executive branch and (non Supreme Court) judicial nominees, which changes the rules on the filibuster. Since the late 1700's, when Thomas Jefferson was President, it took a "super majority" in the senate, or 60 votes, to end a filibuster. Now, it will take a simple majority, or 51 votes. Why is this important? Because it eliminates the minority party's ability to block any Presidential nominations. That means, for instance, the President could now nominate, let's say, Ayo Kimathi as Head of DHS. Who? Mr. Kimathi is a DHS employee who's main job is to purchase weapons and ammunition for US Customs and Immigration Enforcement. He is (or was) also the author of a website called "War is on the Horizon". It has since been taken down but, before it was, it called for a "Great Race War" and the "Killing of White Americans". Remember that name. You'll be hearing it again. The point here is, in my humble opinion, it's a slippery slope. Today, the ability to filibuster executive branch and judicial nominees has been all but eliminated. How long will it be before that extends to Supreme Court nominees or questionable legislation? When you diminish the powers our Founding Fathers put in place; when you weaken the system of checks and balances; you put democracy itself in jeopardy. This is simply another power grab by the current majority. The trouble with that is, the current majority won't always be in charge. What happens when the other side holds the majority? Do you think the people who voted "yes" today will still think is a great idea when they're on the short end of the vote? Neither do I. Think there was gridlock before? Just wait. What a mess. What an incredible, unmitigated mess.
Po

Please, Just Stop!

Hello My Dear Friends! Today, Oxford Dictionary picked the "Word of the Year" for 2013. It's "selfie". That would be the obnoxious act of taking a picture of yourself and posting it on social media. Remember, back in the day, when you wouldn't even think about taking a picture of yourself? You could have. We all had cameras and arms. You just didn't do it because, like common sense, we used to have modesty. I long for those days. Anyway, like it or not, the "selfie" has now been immortalized. In our prison there is a "one in; one out" rule. Basically, to avoid qualifying for an episode of Hoarders, it means if something new comes in, something old has to go out. Since Oxford has seen fit to add new words to our world, I have compiled the following list of words and phrases that I would like to expunge from my world. Please refrain from uttering any of the following while you are in my presence.
-> "According to Facebook..."
-> "The President didn't know..."
-> "KimYe"
-> ""Political Cronyism"
-> "Hump Daaaay"
I would also appreciate it if we could all make a concerted effort to ease up on the selfies. If you're doing something extraordinary, I'm sure someone else will have the camera rolling. Thank you.
Po

Thoughts Over Catnip

Hello My Dear Friends! We've made it through another week so, as I tend to do, I'm celebrating that fact with a little catnip. Yesterday the President held a press conference to say that the roll out of "Obamacare" did not go as expected and that he was ultimately to blame. Well, welcome to the Land of Duh! The President went on to say that the millions of people who were unable to keep their current insurance policy, as promised, shouldn't worry because he was calling on the insurance companies for a do-over. Brilliant. At this point, why not just promise everyone a pony! LOL! Did you hear about the Glens Falls mom who hired strippers for her 16 year old son's birthday party? She was eventually charged with child endangerment. She cut a deal and will serve 50 hours of community service. While I agree that what she did was stupid, was it really a crime? I don't think the boys were ever "in danger", do you? Anyway, if we're going to start making bad parenting a crime we're going to have to build more jails. The upside to this story is that her son is now the coolest kid in school.  Actor Tom Cruise recently compared training for a movie roll to serving in Afghanistan. Really Tom? You know that what you do is make-believe, right? I'd laugh if it weren't so offensive. Cruise also said that he trains harder than Olympic Athletes! Tom Cruise: "A sprinter for the Olympics, they only have to run two races a day. When I'm shooting, I could potentially have to run 30, 40 races a day, every day". I can only assume that when he refers to "shooting" he's talking about heroin, otherwise he's completely delusional. Finally, Paula Deen is opening a grocery store, in Clarence, NY! Coincidentally, the population of Clarence is 98.6% white. I'm sure she'll fit right in!
Po

Now That's a Great Idea!

Hello My Dear Friends. First, let me begin by saying a very sincere "Thank You" to all of our American Veterans and their families for their sacrifice and service to this Nation. Happy Veterans Day! Now, with all of the talk and media coverage surrounding the nightmare that is Obamacare, it's easy to see how this little tidbit of news got lost in the shuffle. I assume you're familiar with the "Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act" that the President signed into law in 2010. A big part of that is the First Lady's "Let's Move" anti-obesity initiative. What you may not be aware of is the awesome way the Obama's have decided to battle obesity. They've funded the "Let's Move" program with money they took from the Food Stamp (now called SNAP) program! The President quietly diverted $4.5 billion from the SNAP program to the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act.  So, beginning this month, the poorest families of four in this Country, will receive $632 in food stamps; down from $668 a month. What better way to cut down on obesity than to take away people's food? It's brilliant, really. They should rename the First Lady's pet project to "Let's Move...to the soup kitchen"! I realize that $36 a month doesn't sound like much to the average family, when that's all you've got, it is. Also, let us not forget that the SNAP program has seen a 70% increase since 2008. Yes, 70%! To be fair, some of the $4.5 billion went toward improvements to the school lunch program. That would be the healthy, bean sprout and tofu laden lunches that kids around the country refuse to eat. Again, working toward the elimination of obesity. The irony here is that one of the core goals of "Let's Move" is "to ensure that every family has access to healthy, affordable food" and you're taking away their food stamps to pay for it. Hysterical! Brace yourself. Tomorrow we're going to improve your quality of life by raising your rent!
Po

Thoughts Over Catnip

Hello My Dear Friends! Well, we've made it through another week. As I look out the window right now, the sun is shining and it's snowing. Must be November in Central New York. CBS correspondent Lara Logan apologized this morning for the much disputed "60 Minutes" report on Benghazi that aired on October 27th. Logan, referring to their "source" for the story, said "...what we know now is that he told the F.B.I. a different story to what he told us. And, you know, that was the moment for us when we realized that we no longer had confidence in our source and that we were wrong to put him on the air". You think? Perhaps in the future, Ms. Logan, you should check your sources before you put them on the air. CBS, by the way, didn't catch their "mistake", The New York Times did.  We've made it through another Election Day. The vast majority of candidates around here ran unopposed. They must be doing a really great job.... If nothing sticks to Teflon, how do they get Teflon to stick to the pan? New York State has finally legalized casino gaming. Thank goodness. Now those dozens of casinos we've had for decades can drop the camouflage and come out of the closet! With all of the talk lately of the upcoming 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy (11/22/63) it got me to thinking. Presidents are usually remembered by great quotations.
JFK: "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country".
FDR: "We have nothing to fear but fear itself".
Ronald Reagan: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall".
Barak Obama: "We will get this website fixed"
Some moments are greater than others.
Po

Ho Ho Ho We Go Again

Hello My Dear Friends! The captors left this bag out last night. I went through it but didn't find anything I could use. I suspect there's little left in there that they can use either, now. Oh well. Anyway, it is that time of year again. The "Holiday" battles are already underway. It started for us the other day. The captor, during a traffic report, said the the City would be moving the "Holiday" tree up 81 north and to plan for delays. The response was instantaneous. Phone calls and emails decrying the fact that it was a "Christmas" tree, not a "Holiday" tree poured in. Now, anyone that knows us knows that we are staunch defenders of Christmas but this wasn't a personal declaration, it was business. It wasn't about religious beliefs, it was about potential traffic delays. One caller, who was quite irate, called the captor a "liberal heathen" and a
smart ass". The smart ass comment came after the captor asked him what Jesus called his tree. I think we all know that my captor is neither a liberal nor a heathen. We can all agree that the smart ass label was right on the money. The caller then went on to report his unhappiness to the captor's boss. In total, 6 people took the time to voice their objection to the use of the term "holiday tree". No one seemed to care about the traffic problem. The twist here is, if the captor had said Christmas tree instead of Holiday tree, the same thing would have happened, only in reverse. I know because it happens every year. You can't win. Every year, around Halloween, the Holiday battles begin. Some people complain about Christmas music on the radio beginning too soon, stores requiring employees to work on Thanksgiving, stores putting out Christmas displays before Thanksgiving, blah, blah, blah. The other side complains about non-Christians hijacking Christmas and trying to take Jesus out of their celebration. It's ironic (it really is) that someone who was upset by the use of the word "holiday" instead of "Christmas" chose to express his dismay by name calling. Not very Christian of you sir. Why can't people just live their lives without insisting that everyone else on the planet see things their way? How does someone simply saying "holiday" instead of "Christmas" impact your life in any way? Will your Christmas be less joyous because a random traffic reporter referred to a rolling evergreen as a holiday tree? Will you have nothing to be thankful for if little Johnny has to put in 8 hours on Thanksgiving? How about being thankful that little Johnny has a job! Seriously people, it's time to lighten up. Live and let live. Peace on Earth may be out of our control but Goodwill to Men, we can make that happen.
Po

Oh, Now I Get It!

Hello My Dear Friends! Today is Election Day. I hope you've exercised your right to vote. I also hope you voted "yes" on Prop 1 so the captor has more options of where she will lose all of our money! Have you ever heard something that appears to be simple, thought about it, and then said to yourself 'I just don't get it'? Sometimes you just need a little more information to pull the pieces together. For instance, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford who, after allegedly being caught on tape smoking crack cocaine, refused to step down. When I heard the story I thought to myself, 'Why wouldn't you step down? You've been caught committing a crime'. I thought about it and, as referenced above, said 'I just don't get it'. I just needed a little more information. Today, Mayor Ford clarified his position. He said "Yes, I did smoke crack cocaine, probably a year ago" but I was in a "drunken stupor" at the time. Oh, now I get it! He apologized for the controversy and reiterated that he would not step down. Why should he? It's not like he was just out, willy nilly, smoking crack. He was in a drunken stupor! Thanks for explaining that Mayor Ford. Now we get it.
Po
P.S. My blog got a little makeover. Did you notice? Pretty cool, huh?