PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA MEETS WITH CONSERVATIVE PUNDITS

And here are two of them [Andrew Sullivan, a conservative writer and blogger and Larry Kudlow, an economic advisor to Ronald Reagan] who reported on the overall tenor of that meeting. They were asked not to report details, and they kept their word. But they were able to give a general feeling for the meeting.

Andrew Sullivan:

14 Jan 2009 02:57 pm
Sorry, No Details
-->
Lots of emails from readers asking about the chat with the president-elect this morning. It was totally off the record and I'm a stickler for those rules. I can say, however, the following: it's hard to express the relief I feel that this man will be the president soon. I realize that's what I feel above all else: relief.

I may disagree with him at times, and criticize him at times, but his great gift is showing that he does not expect people to change their convictions in order to find common areas of agreement. That's the challenge he's presenting all of us with, wherever we come from ideologically. The challenge is as real for a Krugman as for a Kristol, for Rick Warren as well as Gene Robinson.
As I've said repeatedly for the last two years, we're lucky to have him.

Larry Kudlow:

CNBC’s Melissa Francis: I HAVE TO ASK LARRY, I'M DYING TO HEAR ABOUT IT, YOU HAD DINNER LAST NIGHT WITH PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA. WHAT WAS THE TONE LIKE? WAS HE TRYING TO WIN OVER THE CONSERVATIVES? IS THAT WHAT IT WAS? THERE WERE ABOUT TEN OF YOU THERE, RIGHT?

CNBC’s Larry Kudlow: THIS WAS AN OFF-THE-RECORD DINNER AND I'M GOING TO KEEP IT OFF THE RECORD IN TERMS OF DEEP CONTENT, BUT PEGGY NOONAN WAS THERE, PAUL GIGOT OF THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, BILL KRISTOL, MYSELF, CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER, SOME OTHERS. NINE OR TEN OF US. I DON'T THINK HE'S TRYING TO WIN US OVER, BUT HE'S TRYING TO CONNECT WITH US AND ENGAGE WITH US TO HIT GREAT CREDIT.THIS WAS A VERY CORDIAL DINNER.

Francis: HE IS CHARMING, RIGHT?

Kudlow: HE IS CHARMING, HE IS TERRIBLY SMART, BRIGHT, WELL-INFORMED, HE HAS A GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR. AT THE BEGINNING WHEN HE WALKED INTO THE LIVING ROOM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL WAITING --

Francis: WHERE WERE YOU?

Kudlow: THIS IS AT GEORGE WILL'S HOUSE….HE COMES IN AND HE CAME UP TO ME, I HAD NEVER MET HIM BEFORE. I THINK HE MAY HAVE WATCHED ‘KUDLOW AND COMPANY’ PERIODICALLY. SOMEBODY GAVE HIM A COLUMN I HAD WRITTEN DEFENDING HIS BUSINESS INVESTMENT TAX CUTS. HE LIKED THAT A LOT. I SAID, ‘YOU KNOW, SIR, SINCE BARNEY FRANK AND NANCY PELOSI, JOHN KERRY, ATTACKED HIM I KNEW I MUST BE ON TO SOMETHING GOOD.’ HE LAUGHED A LOT. I SAID ‘YOU TOOK MY BEST PEOPLE FROM THE PROGRAM. YOU TOOK AUSTAN GOOLSBEE.’ HE LAUGHED AND SAID THEY'RE GOOD MEN. I SAID, BUT MR. PRESIDENT, LET ME CAN YOU, WHY DID YOU LEAVE US ROBERT REICH, WHO I ADORE, AND HE LAUGHED AND SAID I WANT SOMEBODY FIGHTING FOR ME, LARRY, INTERESTING THING. THIS IS JUST GENERALLY SPEAKING, HE IS SO WELL-INFORMED, AND HE LOVES TO DEAL WITH BOTH SIDES OF AN ISSUE, AND I'M NOT GOING TO DIVULGE WHAT WAS SAID THERE AND I'M NOT GOING TO GO INTO ANY OF THE SPECIFICS, BUT HE ENJOYS THE BACK AND FORTH, AND HE IS NOT, YOU KNOW, TOUGH, MEAN, INSULTING, SNARLING, NONE OF THAT STUFF, AND WE WEREN'T EITHER. THIS WAS A GOOD CONSERVATIVE GROUP AND WE JUST HAD A GREAT BACK AND FORTH, AND HE WANTS TO KEEP THE DIALOGUE GOING WITH CONSERVATIVES. I WOULD SAY I AM HONORED TO BE AT THAT DINNER. I WAS HONORED TO MEET HIM. HE IS A VERY IMPRESSIVE MAN, AND I WISH HIM ALL THE LUCK IN THE WORLD BECAUSE WE'VE GOT SOME ISSUES TO DEAL WITH.

Francis: WHAT DID YOU EAT?

Kudlow: I CAN'T REMEMBER. I WAS SO FOCUSED ON HIM. I WAS SITTING ACROSS FROM HIM --

Francis: YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T EAT. MAYBE YOU DIDN'T TOUCH ANYTHING.

Kudlow: THE FOOD WAS EXCELLENT. I PROBABLY DIDN'T EAT A WHOLE LOT. IT WAS ALL VERY INTERESTING, AND HE'S A GOOD MAN, AND WE WILL SEE HOW HE DOES. THAT'S ALL I CAN SAY. WE WISH HIM THE BEST.

JOE THE DUMBER

This will be the last post (unless these two people force me to do more) on whiney, inarticulate people who should enhance their 15 minutes of fame by keeping their uninformed mouths shut.

Joe the Plumber was given the job by Pajama Media of war correspondent. He went to Israel, became confrontational with an Israeli reporter, then pronounced that there should be no media reporting on wars (all of this while he, um, is reporting on the Israeli-Hamas war). Does that sound dumb?

Why yes. Yes, it does.

Joe the Plumber, like Gov. Palin, is completely unaware of his incongruities and lack of knowledge when he speaks. But that doesn't stop certain conservatives from promoting these people--even making them media celebrities. Joe and Sarah do, however, give us a chance to have a very hearty laugh.

JOE THE PLUMBER:

"I'll be honest with you. I don't think journalists should be anywhere allowed war (sic). I mean, you guys report where our troops are at. You report what's happening day to day. You make a big deal out of it. I think it's asinine. You know, I liked back in World War I and World War II when you'd go to the theater and you'd see your troops on, you know, the screen and everyone would be real excited and happy for them.

Now everyone's got an opinion and wants to downer–and down soldiers. You know, American soldiers or Israeli soldiers.I think media should be abolished from, uh, you know, reporting. You know, war is hell. And if you're gonna sit there and say, "Well look at this atrocity," well you don't know the whole story behind it half the time, so I think the media should have no business in it."

JOE THE PLUMBER WITH THE ISRAELI REPORTER:

JOE: The story here is people are being killed and the media's slanting it and trying to make it Hamas is, uh, as far as, that Israel's being bad. Do you believe Israel is bad?

REPORTER: Do I believe it?

JOE: Yeah, do you?!

REPORTER: I'm Israeli, so...

JOE: So answer the question

REPORTER: No, I don't think Israel is bad.

JOE: Do you think Israel has every right to protect itself?

REPORTER: Yeah.

[pause]

JOE: You do?!

REPORTER: Yeah.

JOE: Have you said that on air?

REPORTER: I'm just a reporter.

Brilliant. Just brilliant.

Thanks for the laugh, Joe.

Source

SARAH PALIN ACCUSES COURIC AND FEY OF EXPLOITING HER

Vice Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, in an interview with conservative radio talk-show host and film maker, John Zeigler, wonders if the mainstream media are treating Caroline Kennedy differently from the way they treated her—she wondered if the media would handle her with kid gloves—“if she will be under such a microscope.”

Palin misses the point. First, Palin, unlike Caroline Kennedy, was a total unknown before John McCain tapped her to be his running mate and, therefore, one 72-year old heart beat away from the most powerful office on the planet. Palin has no understanding that the countr would want to know EVERYTHING about the woman who had a very good chance to become the Commander in Chief. She was an unknown entity. Caroline Kennedy, contrarily, is very well known, and the American public knows quite a bit about her family—she has been a known entity for 50 years. And there have been plenty of news stories questioning Kennedy’s experience in seeking the New York senate seat.

Another point Palin ignores in her interview is that she was asking the American people to believe that she was qualified to possibly be the leader of the free world—the president of the United States of America. Kennedy is hoping to be one of 100 senators, and not in line to succeed to the presidency should that be necessary. The fact that Palin doesn’t understand that is troubling.

Also, Palin and her fans don’t understand that being halting and using filler words in speech such as, um, uh, y’know, is a sign of not having learned to speak in public and not a lack of intelligence. Palin is a very smooth speaker when she has someone else’s words to read. She’s very effective. However, when she has to rely on her own ideas, she talks in circles, using contorted and syntactically bizarre sentence sturcture.

Palin also takes swipes at Katie Couric and Tina Fey, saying they exploited her. Really? Did Tina Fey force Palin to appear on Saturday Night Live? Palin certainly looked like she was enjoying herself when she was featured on that show before the election. If she felt she was being exploited, Palin could have declined to appear with her exploiters. She didn’t. This claim is rubbish. And so is the assertion that Couric exploited her. The Couric interview was nonconfrontational, and Couric was respectful and gentle in her questioning of Palin. Palin misinterprets Couric when she says she believes Couric said: "Do you read, what do you guys do up there." Couric did not ask that question. She simply asked Palin what she read—a perfectly normal question to someone the American people know nothing about. One can get an insight into a person by what she reads. Why Palin couldn’t simply name an Alaska newspaper and be done with that simple question, still remains a mystery. Palin sabotaged herself, and now blames Couric.

Blaming someone else (Fey and Couric) or some group (the media) for one’s failures and short-comings is never a good idea. It makes the blamer look weak and petty. Someone should advise Gov. Palin to get beyond what happened during the campaign and stop her whining.

Source

PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

At President-elect Barack Obama's request, George W. Bush invited George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter to a luncheon at the White House today. It was the first time since 1981 that all living presidents have been together at the White House.

"I just want to thank the president for hosting us," Barack Obama said. "All the gentlemen here understand both the pressures and possibilities of this office," her continued. "For me to have the opportunity to get advice, good counsel and fellowship with these individuals is extraordinary."

President Bush responded by saying, "I want to thank the president-elect for joining the ex-presidents for lunch, even though he's not quite a member of that club yet."

"One message that I have and I think we all share is that we want you to succeed, whether we're Democrat or Republican, we care deeply about this country," Bush said. "All of us who have served in this office understand that the office itself transcends the individual."

Even the president's brother, Jeb, had a message to encourage bipartisanship for the president-elect and asked Republicans to go easy on the new president:

"Don't target the new president with the same kind of partisan attacks that he said Democrats had hurled unfairly at his brother -- attacks that he summed up as "Bush-hating."

"The opposition should be about ideas, and not what my brother suffered through in the last eight years," he said. "I don't wish that on President Obama."

Bush said he had been impressed so far with Obama's appointments and called the president-elect someone who is "smart, disciplined, not rash."

Jeb's forgetting that the country was solidly behind his brother after 9/11. George W. Bush had a 90% approval rating--that means a whole lot of Democrats were pulling for his success and supported his incursion into Al Qaeda's base camps in Afghanistan.

Even when GWBush took the country to war in Iraq, the country was still overwhelmingly behind him. It was only after Americans saw how disasterously the war was run, learned of the deceptions carried out by the administration in getting the Congress and American people to support it, and then Bush's stubborness in sticking with a losing strategy that they began to withdraw their support from him and his administration.

Some people call that bashing, others call it the exercise of freedom of speech in a democracy.

Bush's approval ratings went below 50% after he won re-election, (which was post-Katrina, another disaster) and he never recovered. He leaves office as one of the most unpopular presidents in post-war history, not really caring what history will say about him since, as he so crassyly put it, we'll all be dead.

Shakespeare wrote:

And oftentimes excusing of a fault doth make the fault the worse by the excuse.

THE 12 LABORS OF BARACK H. OBAMA

Barack H. Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States in 15 days.

Thinking about that event led me to think about the daunting tasks that lie ahead of him.

He’s entering the Oval Office at one of the most tumultuous points in modern history—involvement in two wars in the Middle East [our troops are still in Iraq, and so that occupation has not ended], an economic crisis that hasn’t yet peaked, and promises to worsen, high unemployment, bankruptcies, the greed and scandals of Wall Street, the Bernie Madow scandal, our infrastructure crumbling, climate change, education failures, a recalcitrant opposition party that has some of its people already setting up an “Impeach Obama” website before he’s done anything as president.

I can’t help but think of the 12 Labors of Hercules and parallel them with what President-elect Obama faces. In my list, King Eurystheus symbolizes the American people, and I have abstracted some of the monsters he faces and represent them as institutions, geographical locations, groups of people, etc.. I have approached some of the beasts that must be “slain” with a sense of humor [conservative politicians, personalities, etc., and, of course, do not really wish death—just ignominy—for them—it’s all in political good fun.

I can’t imagine anyone of good heart and who calls herself/himself a concerned citizen not wishing this man well as he faces such monstrous problems.

One: Kill the Nemean Lion (The Middle East)

This monster of a lion had a hide that was so tough no arrow could pierce it. Hercules stunned the beast with his olive-wood club and then strangled it with his bare hands. It is said that he skinned the lion, using the lion's sharp claws, and ever after wore its hide.

I see this formidable beast as the Middle East, and the slaying of the Nemean Lion as a metaphor for the hatred and continued warring among the nations there. Let us hope he can, if not “kill” those centuries old habits, at least tame the beast.

Two: Kill the Lernean Hydra (The Terrorists Who Wish US Further Harm)

The evil, snakelike Hydra had nine heads. If one got hurt, two would grow in its place. But Hercules quickly sliced off the heads, while his charioteer, Iolaus, sealed the wounds with a torch. Hercules made his arrows poisonous by dipping them in the Hydra's blood.

Three: Capture the Cerynian Hind (The American Economy)

The goddess Artemis loved and protected this stubborn little deer, which had gold horns. Hercules found it a challenge to capture the delicate hind without hurting it (and making Artemis angry). After following the hind for an entire year, he safely carried it away.

Our economy could certainly be called “delicate” at this point, and I don’t need to explain the “gold horns.” Obama will certainly have to “capture the delicate hind/economy without hurting it.

Four: Capture the Erymanthian Boar (Richard Bruce Cheney)

The people of Mount Erymanthus lived in fear of this deadly animal. Hercules chased the wild boar up the mountain and into a snowdrift. He then took it in a net and brought it to King Eurystheus, who was so frightened of the beast that he hid in a huge bronze jar.

Once he’s out of office, Dick Cheney will no longer terrorize the American people. We can all leave our bronze jars of fear and cheer his departure.

Five: Clean the Augean Stables (The Bush Administration and Republican rule)

Thousands of cows lived in these stables belonging to King Augeas. They had not been cleaned in 30 years, but Hercules was told to clean them completely in a single day. To do so he made two rivers bend so that they flowed into the stables, sweeping out the filth.

This is the most apt metaphor of the mess that will be left behind by this malAdministration. Obama, alas, has only the Potomac to help flush away the effluvia.


Six: Kill the Stymphalian Birds (Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, Ann Coulter, Charles Krauthammer, and many, many more)

These murderous birds lived around Lake Stymphalos. Their claws and beaks were sharp as metal and their feathers flew like darts. Hercules scared them out of their nests with a rattle and then killed them with the poison arrows he had made from the Hydra's blood.

Sharp as metal indeed, and not just their feathers that flew like darts—their words.

Seven: Capture the Cretan Bull (Rush Limbaugh)

This savage bull, kept by King Minos of Crete, was said to be insane and breathe fire. Hercules wrestled the mad beast to the ground and brought it back to King Eurystheus. Unfortunately, the king set it free, and it roamed Greece, causing terror wherever it went.

Remember: King Eurystheus represents the American people, and Greece here, represents America. Alas. We may never be rid of this Cretan Bull.

Eight: Capture the Horses of Diomedes (Rupert Murdock and the Conservative Media)

King Diomedes, leader of the Bistones, [Sounds like a 1960s rock and roll band] fed his bloodthirsty horses on human flesh. Hercules and his men fought and killed King Diomedes and fed the king to his horses. This made the horses tame, so that Hercules was able to lead them to King Eurystheus.

A tamed conservative media?

Nine: Take the Girdle of the Amazon Queen Hippolyte (Hillary Clinton)

Hercules went to the land of the Amazons, [No. Not to buy books and electronics] where the queen welcomed him and agreed to give him her girdle for Eurystheus's daughter. But Hera spread the rumor that Hercules came as an enemy. In the end he had to conquer the Amazons and steal the golden belt.

Alas, Hercules/Obama took the Girdle of Inevitability away from Hillary. Now she will be at his side to carry out her mission.


Ten: Capture the Cattle of Geryon (Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, the head of the RNC)

Geryon, a winged monster with three human bodies, had a herd of beautiful red cattle. He guarded his prized herd with the help of a giant and a vicious two-headed dog. Hercules killed Geryon, the giant, and the dog and brought the cattle to King Eurystheus.

The metaphor here is that McConnell, Boehner and the head of the RNC all try to keep the “beautiful red cattle” under their control. The two-headed dog? That remains to be seen as to who will wield the minority power in the next Congress.

Eleven: Take the Golden Apples of the Hesperides (The Good Opinion of the American People)

The Hesperides were nymphs. In their garden grew golden apples protected by Ladon, a dragon with a hundred heads. Hercules struck a bargain with Atlas, who held up the earth. Hercules shouldered the earth while Atlas, the nymphs' father, fetched the apples.

With the help of the people he has chosen to serve with him, President-elect Obama will gather the good opinion of the American people, and hold it like an arm full of golden apples.

Twelve: Capture Cerberus (The Energy Crisis, Global Climate Change, and Growing US Unemployment)

Hercules was ordered to capture Cerberus, the three-headed guard dog of the underworld, without using weapons. Hercules wrestled down the dog's wild heads, and it agreed to go with him to King Eurystheus. Cerberus was soon returned unharmed to the underworld.

ANN COULTER SLAMS MICHELLE OBAMA IN NEW BOOK

UPDATE:

NBC BANS COULTER FOR LIFE; CUT FROM 'TODAY' SHOW OVER BOOK'S CLAIMS, NO MORE CABLEMon Jan 05 2009 17:50:57 ETThe nation's top selling conservative author has been banned from appearing on NBC, insiders tell the DRUDGE REPORT. Banned for life! "We are just not going to have her on any more, it's over," a top network source explains.

The Coulter is up to her old tricks again.

She slams Michelle Obama in her new book by criticizing her and calling her "freakish" for dressing in the style of Jackie Kennedy. It never occurs to this woman that perhaps that style flatters Mrs. Obama's figure and is always in good taste. Coulter apparently needs to sully anyone who isn't a conservative, and so she's gone after a woman who has been nothing but gracious and elegant as she transitions into the role of First Lady.

The photo of Coulter in the Daily News shows a woman who can't come to terms with the fact that at 48 years old, she's now old enough to be a grandmother--not that there's anything wrong with that. Sarah Palin is a 44-year old granny, and the conservatives still think she's a hottie. [snicker] But Coulter's pathetic attempt to look coquettish in that pose with her scraggly bleach-blond hair and her flashing a bit of thigh at the grandmotherly age of 48, is, well, just sad.

There's nothing wrong with looking one's age and growing old gracefully. Many wonderful women have done it and done it with aplomb--some who come to mind are Audrey Hepburn, Helen Mirrin, Judith Dench, Toni Morrison, Naomi Chase.

The Coulter needs to look at her own appallingly bad taste in hair color and boring clothing [does she own anything other than that "little black dress?"] before she thinks of saying anything negative about Michelle Obama--or anyone.

I have a message for Coulter--a majority of Americans admire Michelle Obama and her husband.

So please, Coulter, do us a favor and crawl back into your green hole of jealousy and leave us happy people to celebrate. Your schtick is getting, um, old.

There is nothing you can say that will spoil the joy and sheer bliss for us on January 20th.

We are all so overwhelmed with relief and jubliation!

And as one commenter said "I have only four words for The Coulter: "First Lady Michelle Obama."

Yeah. Yeah. I know Coulter doesn't actually LOOK like that hideous photo, but it does represent what her catty, whacky writings makes her look like.

UPDATE TO MY KEVIN CALLAHAN POST

This is an update to my post on Kevin Callahan:

The Nashville Guitar Society presents
A Very Rare Solo guitar Performance
by Brazilian and Virtuoso Guitarist ODAIR ASSAD
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Belmont University Harton Recital Hall,
7:30p.m.

Works by Leo Brouwer, Egberto Gismonti, Agustin Barrios, Kevin Callahan, and Sergio Assad.

Included are a new sonata by Brouwer and newly written sets by Callahan and brotherSergio Assad all dedicated to Odair.

Advance reserved seat tickets at $20 will be available and are recommended due to the intimate nature of the Harton Hall venue.

Any remaining tickets will be available at the door.
Tickets go on sale Monday, January 5, 2009.
You may mail your ticket orders by check or money to:

Byron Fogo492 Page
Dr.Mt. Juliet, TN
37122Tickets will be held for pickup at the venue.
Confirmation of the order will be confirmed if an e-mail address is included.

Further information can be provided by e-mailing http://us.mc01g.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=byfog@aol.com.ODAIR ASSAD has toured the world for over four decades with his brot her, Sergio Assad in the legendary ASSAD DUO.

Together they have set a new standard in classical guitar playingand have been described as the "best duo of their generation...perhaps of all of time".

Their collaborations have included work with Dawn Upshaw, Gideon Kremer, Nadja Salerno Sonnenberg,Suarez Paz, The Turtle Island String Quartet and Grammy Award winning recordings with the cellist, Yo Yo Ma. Odair Assad has played with most of the great orchestra's and most famous concertvenues in the world. A truly amazing and gifted artist!!!

The Party of Whiners

Paul Krugman, Nobel Laureate, and NYTimes columnist wrote in his Jan. 2, 2009, Op-Ed about the GOP, the Party of Whiners:

“Some of the whining almost defies belief. Did Alberto Gonzales, the former attorney general, really say, “I consider myself a casualty, one of the many casualties of the war on terror”? Did Rush Limbaugh really suggest that the financial crisis was the result of a conspiracy, masterminded by that evil genius Chuck Schumer?

But most of the whining takes the form of claims that the Bush administration’s failure was simply a matter of bad luck — either the bad luck of President Bush himself, who just happened to have disasters happen on his watch, or the bad luck of the G.O.P., which just happened to send the wrong man to the White House.”

(After 8 years of Republican incompetence—6 of which years the GOP had control of Congress--this group continues to place the blame on everyone except themselves, even to the point where people like Limbaugh concoct and broadcast looney conspiracy theories on how the Democrats arranged the financial disaster in order to get Barack Obama elected.)

"The fault, however, lies not in Republicans’ stars but in themselves. Forty years ago the G.O.P. decided, in effect, to make itself the party of racial backlash. And everything that has happened in recent years, from the choice of Mr. Bush as the party’s champion, to the Bush administration’s pervasive incompetence, to the party’s shrinking base, is a consequence of that decision.

If the Bush administration became a byword for policy bungles, for government by the unqualified, well, it was just following the advice of leading conservative think tanks: after the 2000 election the Heritage Foundation specifically urged the new team to “make appointments based on loyalty first and expertise second.”

When a party insists on loyalty instead of competence as qualifications for serving in government, it guarantees failure, it guarantees that government WILL be the problem.
Contempt for expertise, in turn, rested on contempt for government in general. “Government is not the solution to our problem,” declared Ronald Reagan. “Government is the problem.” So why worry about governing well?

Where did this hostility to government come from? In 1981 Lee Atwater, the famed Republican political consultant, explained the evolution of the G.O.P.’s “Southern strategy,” which originally focused on opposition to the Voting Rights Act but eventually took a more coded form: “You’re getting so abstract now you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is blacks get hurt worse than whites.” In other words, government is the problem because it takes your money and gives it to Those People.

Oh, and the racial element isn’t all that abstract, even now: Chip Saltsman, currently a candidate for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee, sent committee members a CD including a song titled “Barack the Magic Negro*” — and according to some reports, the controversy over his action has actually helped his chances."

(I expect this crap from Limbaugh, who played it again and again on his show. But if the leadership of the GOP is going to go there, then it’s pretty indicative of the fact that they intend to exile themselves for a long, long time.)

So the reign of George W. Bush, the first true Southern Republican president since Reconstruction, was the culmination of a long process. And despite the claims of some on the right that Mr. Bush betrayed conservatism, the truth is that he faithfully carried out both his party’s divisive tactics — long before Sarah Palin, Mr. Bush declared that he visited his ranch to “stay in touch with real Americans” — and its governing philosophy.

That’s why the soon-to-be-gone administration’s failure is bigger than Mr. Bush himself: it represents the end of the line for a political strategy that dominated the scene for more than a generation."

(The GOP, or as I refer to it now the POW [Party of Whiners] needs to understand and internalize this quote from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar: “The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in our stars, but in ourselves…”)

SCULPTURE AND POETRY BY THIS BLOG'S AUTHOR

The last post in this series features some of the work done by Shaw Kenawe.

I studied sculpting with Peter Abate who taught at the Museum School, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Mass., and with Angelica Lee, who taught at the Decordova Museum, Lincoln, Mass. I spent a month in Pietrasanta, Italy, where, while working at the Beani and Cacia Bronze Foundry, I produced two pieces of bronze sculpture, one of which is pictured above, "la cacciatrice," The Huntress.

The other two pieces pictured above are, "Brown Seal Pup," carved in brown alabaster and is now in a private collection, and "Nymph," a bronze sculpture done in the cera perduta [lost wax method], and is also in a private collection.

I have been a member of various art associations in the New England area including The New England Scultpors Association [past president], the Cambridge Art Association, the Concord Art Association, the Cape Cod Art Association, and was named "Copley Artist" as a member of the Copley Art Association, the oldest art association in America. In order to be accepted as a Copley Artist, a member has to have her work accepted into at least 5 juried shows. Members of these juries include gallery owners and sculptors, painters and other visual artists.

My work has been shown in various art galleries in New England as well as in the Decordova Museum and is included in private collections in the US, Italy and France.

Poetry:

My poetry has been published in a number of journals and anthologies across the US, and in 1997, I won the Grolier Prize [not connected to the encyclopedia].

The Grolier Prize was sponsored for many years by the Grolier Poetry Bookshop in Harvard Square, Cambridge--the oldest poetry-only bookstore in America. As the winner of the competition that year, I was invited to sign the Poets' Book, where Seamus Heaney, Robert Pinsky, Alan Ginsberg, and many, many more poets have signed their names. That honor was overwhelming, and I will never forget it.

The lastest publication that includes my poetry is "Kiss Me Good Night," an anthology, published in 2005 by Ann Murphy O'Fallon and Margaret Noonan Vailancourt of Minnesota features poetry by women who lost their mothers.

Here are a few reviews:

"Missing their mothers as mom and role model and feeling the loss of her nurturing, these women found that talking to others, even all these years later, was therapeutic. And writing allowed them to help many others. My most lasting word image is one woman looking through a photo album of a mom she vaguely remembers and seeing a "Kodachrome vitality." Maybe that's a reminder to us to keep family pictures updated to capture our own vitality. Armchair Interviews says: Powerful, powerful words and the emotions they bring. Kiss Me Goodnight is for those women who have already lost their mother--and those who cannot even bear to think about that happening to them. "

By
Linda Goodman Robiner (University Heights, OH) -This book is a touching collection of poetry and personal stories that will move any reader. Through these women's specific stories, we get to our own personal feelings; the feelings are universal. Although my mother lived till she was 96, I can relate to the depth of emotion expressed by the writers, the poignancy of their observations, the sweetness or anger or loneliness of their images. A non-Catholic, I am deeply moved by Ann Murphy O'Fallon's essay, "Lilacs." She tells how it was when she was nine and the priest came to give her mother Extreme Unction, and they had to dress up for him. Her 13-year-old sister tells her, "It's because she is dying, don't you know anything?" Joanne Kelley ends her poem, "Missing," with the lines, "Imagine a winter so hard that no birds survive and nothing moves in the ice." Cindy Washabaugh writes in her poem, "For Pam, Who Can't Remember," "Grandma stood at the stove crying in the same small voice she laughed in, making Campbell's soup for everyone at 8:45 in the morning because, she said, soup makes you feel better."

The highlighted words in these reviews are passages from two of my three poems included in the anthology.

CHARLES GRAY, Artist

[click on image of paintings to see larger view.]

My brother-in-law, Charlie, is a well-known New England regional artist whose work has been featured in galleries in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. He has won many awards, has had his work shown in various regional museums, and his work is included in private collections all over the U.S.

Charlie's landscapes have been described as evocative of Les Fauvres, a loose grouping of early 20th century Modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong colour over the representational values retained by Impressionism.

In addition to his landscapes, Charlie does portraiture work--human and animal.

He has also collaborated with me to illustrate several children's books I've written for members of our family.

Enjoy his work at his website and at the Art 3 Gallery.

The photo of Charlie was taken at a wedding where he was surrounded by his "angels."

JACK VASAPOLI, SCULPTOR, SAXOPHONIST

My cousin, Jack, is blessed with talent in two disciplines--he is a sculptor and he plays the baritone and tenor saxophone [under his "nom de sax", Juan el Mundo] with a local band, The Swamptones. (scroll down to find his photo and write-up). At The Swamptone's homepage, you can click on the link "music" and listen to their sound.

Jack also plays the saxophone in another band, the Guns of Navarone, specializing in Ska and Raggae.

In addition to playing music, Jack has hand-carved, in a variety of woods, sculptures of world-famous jazz musicians such as, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong--a tribute to his love of that genre of music and the artists who make it. The artistry, authenticity, and feeling Jack has perfected in these pieces is stunning in their precision and craftsmanship.

Surf Jack's website and enjoy looking at all of his sculptures.

Also, as a member of New England Sculptors Association, Jack's work is featured in their website.

Check out Jack's two talented sons:

Tyson and Max

SOPHIA'S ART

My niece, Sophia, is immensely talented. Here's her latest painting.

One of her other pieces can be seen on the right side of my blog.

We're all proud of you, Sophia!

TOM CALLAHAN

Next in my continuing coverage of talented relatives is Kevin's brother, Tom. You can read about him and his company, Tom Callahan and Associates, here.

In addition to his music business, Tom is a karate sensei, a SANDAN [second degree, black belt] in Kyokushin karate.

designs by Xenia Mara

Meet the other half of the talented Callahans of Seattle, Xenia Mara.

Her jewelry designs are exquisite and timeless--I know, I own some of her pieces. Here's a write-up of her original jewelry pieces from a Seattle Times publication.

Among her many other talents, Xenia is also a landscape designer and clothing designer.

She is also, as her photo above demonstrates, a stunning beauty.

Enjoy surfing her jewelry website to discover the artistry and elegance of Xenia's incomparable creations.

KEVIN CALLAHAN

During this last week of the year, I'll be doing a series of posts on some of the talented people in my family. Today, we start off with Kevin Callahan. Take a look at his website and learn about this highly respected composer/musician.

From Kevin's website:

While Kevin holds a BA in English literature from Dartmouth College, he pursued harmony, composition and orchestration throughout his undergraduate career. Upon graduating, he returned to his hometown of Boston for private study with Thomas McGah, head of the composition department at Berklee College of Music, and jazz studies with Mitch Coodley and Mick Goodrick. Kevin moved to Seattle in 1983 where studied classical guitar with Gary Bissiri.
At home in a variety of music genres, Kevin has performed or recorded with groups ranging from the Seattle Symphony to the Seattle Guitar Quartet, Dave Koz, Arnold McCuller of the James Taylor band, Greg Adams of Tower of Power, Roger Fisher of Heart, Rita Coolidge, and the peerless Assad Brothers.

PEACE

The Journey of the Magi, by TS Eliot

The Journey of the Magi

'A cold coming we had of it,

Just the worst time of the year

For the journey, and such a long journey:

The ways deep and the weather sharp,

The very dead of winter.'

And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory,

Lying down in the melting snow.

There were times we regretted

The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,

And the silken girls bringing sherbet.

Then the camel men cursing and grumbling

And running away, and wanting their liquor and women,

And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,

And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly

And the villages dirty and charging high prices:

A hard time we had of it.

At the end we preferred to travel all night,

Sleeping in snatches,

With the voices singing in our ears, saying

That this was all folly.

Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,

Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;

With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,

And three trees on the low sky,

And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.

Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,

Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,

And feet kicking the empty wine-skins,

But there was no information, and so we continued

And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon

Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory

All this was a long time ago,

I remember,

And I would do it again, but set down

This set downThis: were we led all that way for

Birth or Death?

There was a Birth, certainly,

We had evidence and no doubt.

I had seen birth and death,

But had thought they were different; this Birth was

Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death,

We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,

But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,

With an alien people clutching their gods.

I should be glad of another death.

-- T. S. Eliot

LIMBAUGH'S CONSPIRACY THEORY: DEMS STARTED FINANCIAL CRISIS TO GET OBAMA ELECTED!

My friend and awesome biographer, Sir Gordon of Minnesota, implied--at least that's my take on it--that I may be buying into conspiracy theories because of my last two posts on Karl Rove's IT Guru, Michael Connell, and his unfortunate AND untimely death.

Now Rush Limbaugh, gasbag extraordinaire and endlessly amusing demagogue, believes President-elect Obama's win in November because of a financial meltdown caused by the Democrats!

Here’s how Limbaugh’s conspiracy theory goes: Schumer caused a run on IndyMac bank in California this summer, in order to create a feeling of financial panic amongst the public. Democrats then capitalized on this panic with electoral wins in the White House and Congress. The purpose of gaining this power, according to Limbaugh, was to nationalize U.S. industries:

LIMBAUGH: Back to this October surprise. I am just wondering — as I say, it can’t be proven — I’m just wondering if a lot of this was by design to create economic panic. Remember now — the Iraq war had dominated everything, and the economy was said to no longer be an issue in the campaign for the first time. Corruption, other things were — ethics (well, the Republicans had those problems) — but the economy wasn’t. They wanted to create economic crisis, a mindset of this.

So Chuck Schumer starts a run — a $1.3 billion run on IndyMac, and then all of a sudden, look what we learn! All these mortgages are worthless. All the mortgage derivatives and the mortgage-backed assets are worthless. Everything was worthless. There was no there there. Every institution, every guy in the institution was an empty suit. We had to bail out this, we had to bail out that; it didn’t help. I just wonder if what was a planned attempt to scare people economically — starting a run on the bank, doing this, that, and the other thing — has spun so far out of control, it’s gone so far beyond what the intention was, just to win an election, that nobody knows what to do about it.

The only mitigating argument against is that the number one, the primary beneficiary of this — and you have to look that even in an economic collapse like ours there are beneficiaries — Who’s benefiting? Aside from the people being bailed out. The Democrat party and Barack Obama are benefiting.

They got elected, they increased their numbers in the House, they increased their numbers in the Senate, they got the White House now, and they’ve got a crisis that people think can only be fixed with the all-mighty and powerful government interceding to save this or to save that, when in fact, the government is going to nationalize the automobile industry. It’s going to nationalize some banks. It’s going to nationalize the mortgage industry, and may end up nationalizing the automobile industry.

So the Obama team and the Democrat party are benefiting tremendously from this, even if it has spun out of control. It’s spun out of control, but they’ll make due with a new crisis they created a la Rahm Emanuel. But the reason I think it has spun a little out of control and gone a little further than they intended is that even the Obama people are saying, “Hey, it’s going to be really bad for a really long time.”

LIMBAUGH: Who’s benefiting? Aside from the people being bailed out. The Democrat party and Barack Obama are benefiting.

They got elected, they increased their numbers in the House, they increased their numbers in the Senate, they got the White House now, and they’ve got a crisis that people think can only be fixed with the all-mighty and powerful government interceding to save this or to save that, when in fact, the government is going to nationalize the automobile industry. It’s going to nationalize some banks. It’s going to nationalize the mortgage industry, and may end up nationalizing the automobile industry.

Some of my regular commenters wondered about my blog posts on Mike Connell's death and whether it was wise to post on an ongoing investigation that may lead to impugning the Bush administration and its possible involvement in POSSIBLE voter fraud in Ohio in 2004.

That's a fair comment, but I stand by my post on this issue and will continue to as the facts are revealed.

I have as regular commenters, what? 6? maybe 10 at the most? TEN.

Rush Limbaugh has 20 MILLION+ dittoheads [listeners] in his audience. TWENTY MILLION.

I expect my friends who objected to my putting this out there as a possible conspiracy theory to go over to Limbaugh's blog and LOUDLY PROTEST about his conspiracy theory.

I mean, let's not be hypocrites and criticize me, with my under a dozen readers, and not be appalled at Limbaugh with his 20 MILLION LISTENERS!!!

LOL!

How long will it take before those 20 million listeners start telling their millions of friends and family member about this? And since Limbaugh's listeners are called "dittoheads," that means they don't think differently from him, but "ditto" all that he has to say--in other words, no thinking, just parroting the demagogue.

MORE ON MIKE CONNELL'S DEATH

ROVE IT GURU DIES IN SMALL PLANE CRASH

Remember the last election and all the allegation about ACORN? There was never any evidence brought forth to prove that ACORN's involvement affected any election outcome. But that didn't stop rightwing bloggers from posting on that nonstory.

This story is far worse, and it involves the Office of the President of the United States, since Karl Rove is deeply implicated.

Other links:

George Bush aide dies in plane crash

Mystery surrounds the death of a Republican pollster, recently compelled to give evidence about alleged election fraud in the 2004 election in Ohio, after he was killed in a plane crash.

By Toby Harnden in Washington
Last Updated: 8:57PM GMT 21 Dec 2008


Top internet strategist Michael Connell, 45, was the only person in his single-engine private plane that crashed three miles short of the Akron-Canton airport on Friday night as he prepared to land after flying from College Park, Maryland, close to Washington.


He had worked on Mr Bush's two presidential campaigns, advised John McCain this year and was also linked to allegedly missing White House emails in the 2006 controversy over a string of firings of US attorneys.


The death of the married father of four immediately triggered conspiracy theories amid speculation that he had been about to reveal embarrassing details of the complicity of senior members of the Bush administration in fixing an election and destroying incriminating emails.


In a blog posting entitled "One of my sources died in a plane crash last night...", Larisa Alexandrovna of The Raw Story revealed that Mr Connell had been talking to her about the Ohio case alleging that vote-tampering during the 2004 presidential election resulted in civil rights violations.


"Mike was getting ready to talk. He was frightened... I am not saying that this was a hit nor am I resigned to this being simply an accident either. I am no expert on aviation and cannot provide an opinion on the matter. What I am saying, however, is that given the context, this event needs to be examined carefully."


A house was damaged in the 6pm crash in freezing conditions but no one apart from the pilot was killed or injured.


"He suffered massive traumatic injuries over his entire body," said Harry Campbell, the local coroner's chief investigator. "His death was instantaneous."


Mr Connell was president of GovTech Solutions and New Media Communications. A web designer, he had created a website for Ohio's secretary of state that presented the results of the 2004 election in real time as they were released.


He had refused to testify or to hand over documents relating to the systems he had created for the 2004 and 2006 elections but was compelled to do so by subpoena in October and appeared in court in Cleveland, Ohio – the state which gave President George W Bush victory in 2004 – to give a deposition the day before Barack Obama won the presidential election.


A lawyer bringing the voter fraud case described Mr Connell as "a high IQ Forrest Gump" because he had been at the scene of so many "crimes" involving Republicans and the Bush administration.


Mr Connel's company website states that he "has served as internet consultant to scores of prominent senators, governors and members of Congress, as well as the Republican National Committee and five Republican National Conventions".

Source


REPORTED IN JULY 2008:

Ohio News
By John Michael Spinelli
Thursday, 24 July 2008

GOP Threatens “Valerie Plame” Style Strike Against Wife of IT Mastermind if He Doesn’t Become Fall Guy for Gaming the 2004 Ohio Election
OhioNewsBureau


COLUMBUS, OHIO: The little story about how the GOP cyber-gamed the Ohio presidential election in 2004 is growing by the day, spurred on to greater heights Thursday when an Ohio election attorney asked the Ohio Attorney General to provide immunity protection to Mike Connell, the GOP IT mastermind who built various computer systems they say not only won Ohio for President Bush in 2004 but led to many other wins for Republicans over the years of the Bush Administration.

A key figure in the grand strategy of the Grand Old Party to build a cyber system that could assure permanent control by Republicans of key offices, state and federal, is Mike Connell, an Ohio native some refer to as a “High IQ Forrest Gump” for his brilliance in masterminding the construction of various computer systems associated with election procedures and data security, including the so-called firewall in Congress.


Ohio Attorney General Asked to Protect Key Witness in Election Fraud Case

In an email sent to OhioNewsBureau by lead attorney Cliff Arnebeck, who filed a federal lawsuit in August 2006 asserting the GOP gamed the system and won the state by suppressing the votes of various progressive-leaning groups like students and African Americans and who wants to revive the case to protect the integrity of the 2008 election, Nancy H. Rogers, the former dean of the law school at The Ohio State University and interim Attorney General, was asked to provide immunity protection services to Connell.

The immunity request from Arnebeck to the Ohio AG was triggered by information from a confidential source that Karl Rove, a kingpin GOP strategist, threatened that if Mike Connell doesn’t go in the tank for cyber-rigging the 2004 election in Ohio, his wife will be sued for lobbying law violations. Using this kind of hardball tactic to rain retribution down on an individual for not allowing himself to be “thrown under the bus” smacks of the identical retaliation tactic used to punish Valerie Plame by outing her as a spy for remarks made by her husband Joe Wilson before the commencement of the war in Iraq that no evidence existed for uranium being sold by Niger to Saddam Hussein.


In an email to the General Mukasey at US Dept. of Justice, Arnebeck said “We have been confidentially informed by a source we believe to be credible that Karl Rove has threatened Michael Connell, a principal witness we have identified in our King Lincoln case in federal court in Columbus, Ohio, that if he does not agree to "take the fall" for election fraud in Ohio, his wife Heather will be prosecuted for supposed lobby law violations. This appears to be in response to our designation of Rove as the principal perpetrator in the Ohio Corrupt Practices Act/RICO claim with respect to which we issued document hold notices last Thursday to you and to the US Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform.”


Continuing, Arnebeck said, “I have informed court chambers and am in the process of informing the Ohio Attorney General's and US Attorney's offices in Columbus for the purpose, among other things, of seeking protection for Mr. Connell and his family from this reported attempt to intimidate a witness.


“Concurrently herewith, I am informing Mr. Conyers and Mr. Kucinich in connection with their Congressional oversight responsibilities related to these matters.


“Because of the serious engagement in this matter that began in 2000 of the Ohio Statehouse Press Corps, 60 Minutes, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, C-Span and Jim VandeHei, and the public's right to know of gross attempts to subvert the rule of law, I am forwarding this information to them, as well.”



In an exclusive interview with OhioNewsBureau, Arnebeck said he expects to meet in person next week with attorneys in the Ohio AG’s office on his request for immunity filed today. Stressing that his aim is to enhance his lawsuit of 2006, Arnebeck said, "I’m not trying to screw things up. I want to help not hinder.”


Asked what other offices could play a role, if they chose, in his campaign to unravel the Matrix behind what he and computer experts like Stephen Spoonamore say is going on but no one has yet to prove exists, Arnebeck said the Office of Ohio Secretary of State, the chief of elections, could use its legal authority to interrogate Connell, or initiate her own inquiry into the matter if she wants to hold off on the federal case. Arnebeck said Judge Algenon Marbley, who’s in charge of his case, has had members of his staff informally informed of the direction Arnebeck and his co-counsel, Bob Fitrakis, want to take the case along with their request to recover various emails of Karl Rove and the US Chamber of Commerce they feel makes their case.


“We want to cooperate,” Arnebeck said in a telephone interview today, about working with all offices on finding the truth behind efforts to build an effective but undetectable system that tilts close elections to Republicans.

Source

More information.