Friday Pussy Blog: Cat Yoga Edition

When I walk in with the camera, the Tot likes to be silly and roll around while chirping at me.

And he'll give me that I'm-the-sweetest-cat-on-the-planet look.
He likes to show off all his pink bits.

Meanwhile, I was hoping to catch Sweet Pea sitting on the hot water heater in the garage which is usually where he sleeps on cold days. Instead I woke him up on a really filthy old office chair.

As for Sissy, she was in her usual spot on the bed and almost managed to get her little eyes opened.

Happy Friday! I can't begin to express my joy after the week I've had at work. So let's just leave it at that.

Breaking News

Going Nowhere Fast

This New York Times front-page piece today is depressing. We voted for Change in 2008 and we got it. The Change is called Stagnation. We do not appear to have the capacity to move ahead with anything resembling progressive legislation thanks to our regressive Congress. And furthermore, all the signs are pointing in an ominous direction about our future.

Try to imagine us as a nation electing more Democrats or Independents in 2010 who are truly progressive. In a sane world, that is what we would be doing. The realization that Obama can't push through any moderate agenda even with Democratic majorities should be signaling to us that we need to clean house in Congress. We voted for change and we're not getting it. We can see the problem. And we should vote for even more change in 2010 and 2012 and keep at it until change happens.

Sadly, politics and the American voter don't seem to think that way. You voted for change and you're disappointed that change isn't happening fast enough? Quick! Let's get some Republicans back in office! Because, you know, that's bound to help get things moving again.

Increasingly confident of their prospects after the Massachusetts Senate victory, Republicans are disinclined to give ground in policy debates and appear willing to stick with their near-unanimous opposition to major initiatives unless Democrats offer significant concessions.

“House Republicans will seize the opportunity in respectful terms, but candid and frank terms, and make it clear to the president that we have better solutions,” said Representative Mike Pence of Indiana, the chairman of the House Republican Conference.

Umm. We have quite a bit of recent history with their "better solutions."

One of the clearest indicators of just how stagnated we have become is on the issue of gays and lesbians serving in the military. I am astonished that DADT is still such a hot-button issue in an era when we have so many more pressing concerns. DADT is so...1990s.

Officials said they were pressing ahead with one of the more controversial items Mr. Obama laid out Wednesday night: repealing the policy barring gay men and lesbians from serving openly in the military.

Senior Pentagon officials said Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had been in close discussions with Mr. Obama on the issue and would present the Pentagon’s initial plans for carrying out the new policy at a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.

Changing the policy requires an act of Congress, and the officials signaled that Mr. Gates would go slowly, and that repeal of the ban was not imminent. And it could be a hard sell for the president, even among Democrats; Representative Ike Skelton of Missouri, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, on Thursday restated his opposition to repealing the ban.

Gays and lesbians are already serving in the military. Repealing DADT simply means these courageous men and women who are putting their lives on the line for our country will simply be allowed to be who they are, without hiding the fact for fear of being discharged.

Even this absurdly ridiculous homophobic piece of rubbish known as DADT faces an uphill battle for repeal. What does this say about the chances for far more complex pieces of legislation which are desperately needed?

Even some of Mr. Obama’s allies said that given united Republican opposition, the goal of more cooperation might be out of reach. “In order to dance, you need a dance partner and there ain’t no partner out there,” Senator Bernard Sanders, a Vermont independent, noted.

A vote this week on a proposal to create a bipartisan commission to recommend ways to attack rising federal deficits was seen as illustrative of the Republican strategy to thwart Democrats. Though the idea attracted 53 votes — 36 Democrats, one independent and 16 Republicans — it failed because it did not cross the 60-vote threshold.

At least six Republicans who had previously supported the plan voted against it, as did others who have backed the idea in concept. Some of those who voted against the plan suggested they did so because they did not want to give Democrats political cover by joining with them in a deficit reduction effort.

Feeling optimistic yet?

“If the president reaches out to the Republican leadership in a genuine way, the spotlight shifts from his overreaching to whether we can meet him in the middle,” said Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina.

Mr. Graham, with all due respect, there is no middle right now. You and your ilk have vaporized it with your collective knee-jerk accusations of "socialism" directed at anybody with a capacity to think and rationalize, even if they are, from my perspective, center-right.

I'm not sure there is anything I want or need badly enough to meet in Lindsey Graham's "middle," as if there was a chance in hell I'd be getting what I wanted or needed by doing so.

So, enjoy the stagnation while it lasts. It might ultimately be remembered in the coming decade as the best of times.

The Biggest Chiffonade in the Fucking World!

Believe it or not, I rolled up 12 or 14 outrageously large collard leaves tonight and did a chiffonade! That is an 8" chef's knife for those of you who like to measure.

Soon to be outdone by txrad's fluorescent macaroni & cheese sauce.

The collards are not from our garden although we have some growing. These came from California and I can definitely taste the difference. In a blind raw taste test, I'd know which ones are from our soil. We think the California fields might not have had a sufficient freeze to impart the perfect collard flavor. And we are probably correct.

Problems in the Factory

We certainly knew the Obama Administration was going to bring us change. And here we are. Obama, in his first year, does what George W. Bush took seven years to do: admit that mistakes were made.

When Mr. Obama presents his first State of the Union address on Wednesday evening, aides said he would accept responsibility, though not necessarily blame, for failing to deliver swiftly on some of the changes he promised a year ago. But he will not, aides said, accede to criticism that his priorities are out of step with the nation’s.

President Bush didn't get a bounce from his admission that mistakes were made, "where there were mistakes," and things are a hell of a lot worse now than in January 2007. Both of those goddamned wars are still raging without end, millions more unemployed, millions have been through or are facing foreclosure, and the economy isn't showing signs of life for the tens of millions affected by it. In additon we've seen racism refueled and an uprising by Tea Baggers and the hardcore Republican base is angry and energized in contrast to 2007.

It's a shame this health reform legislation wasn't passed already by late summer 2009. Perhaps Obama could have done more, pushed harder, had more heart-to-heart conversations with the American people about the urgency and importance of the legislation. Perhaps he tried to be too bipartisan in a new world where the differences between the left and right are no longer similar to a reconciliation between opinions in Oregon and opinions in Missouri. These days the contrast is more like Iowa and Iran.

Obama clearly has made some mistakes. But it is equally accurate to say he's not 100% to blame. Our dysfunctional Congress gets their share. Congress is like a faulty automobile assembly line trying to pump out vehicles which are acceptable to the public by welding parts from a Hummer onto a Mustang and thinking we wouldn't notice all the ill-fitting parts, and providing us with absolutely no clue when we can get the lemon fixed.

If we truly want to move forward, it's not enough to have a president who can move his mouth and make inspiring words. We need a president who isn't afraid to crack a whip. More importantly, we need to repair the factory. We need to stop outsourcing to corporations and lobbyists. The factory needs new management. The workers need better training and some workplace diversity classes. They need to learn how to walk and chew gum at the same time. And the assembly line might need to be stripped down and replaced.

Nothing coming out of Barack Obama's mouth tonight is likely to change those facts.

“Democrats are really looking for that spark again,” said David Young, chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party. “We feel like we may be off track and we’re looking for the president to come out with bold initiatives and to lead.”

With a quarter of his first term behind him already, I suppose now is as good a time as any. Whether or not that will be enough to get us progressing remains to be seen.

I have my doubts.

Weird Quirks, Anyone?

I love quirky people and people who do strange things fascinate me. I feel like I'm relatively normal when I read the paper or venture out into south Austin, but I also have some quirks.

A few months ago I had a voice mail from one of my television station ad sales reps. I have worked with her for years and her voice is one of those which is immediately memorable. I would love to meet her someday to put a face to the voice which, by the way, I'm not saying is pleasant. It reminded me of Jezebel, my old cat who died a few years ago, when she was ready to be fed. Definitely memorable.

Anyway, I saved her voice mail message because I suppose I had a hunch I would someday lose touch. Not long after that, in November 2009 I believe, I got one of those emails that her last day was effective immediately. Now, I can replay her message anytime I'm ready for a flashback.

I also like to hang my shirts in the closet grouped by color: reds, blues, greens, yellows, browns, and then blacks.

So, question of the day: What are your quirks? C'mon, everyone has at least one.

The Strange World of konagod

A couple of weeks ago I was reading my neighbor's Facebook page and saw an interesting comment from someone. I clicked to her profile. Because I was having a few drinks I immediately sent her a friend request even though I didn't know anything about her other than we were politically of like-mind.

Subsequently I learned that she went to school with my neighbor's daughters. This weekend my neighbor told me that she had lived behind us and moved early in this decade.

It was around 1998-2000 that a black polydactyl cat started hanging around our yard. I named her Big Thumbs. She eventually had three kittens which she deposited on our back patio. Two of them are still with us: Sweet Pea and Sissy.

Big Thumbs disappeared around the time that house became vacant. Last night I posed the question to my new Facebook friend and this morning I got a reply. Yes, Big Thumbs was her cat.

Mystery solved!

Fried Avocados and Nature

We decided to try a couple of new things today. First, we went to Torchy's Taco in south Austin for a fried avocado taco which was truly sublimely delicious.

Fried Avocado Taco
Hand battered fresh avocadoes fried and served with vegetarian refried beans, lettuce, pico de gallo and cheese served on a corn tortilla with our poblano ranch sauce.

I will go back but it will require some strategic planning to avoid the crowds. It's well worth the effort though.

It's a small joint and we weren't sure any tables would open up by the time our food was ready so we ordered to go. We did get a table though. $3.50 seems steep for an order of chips and salsa, but both are made fresh on site, and the salsa was splendid. The taco was only $3.25 and coupled with the abundance of chips & salsa, it was ample for my lunch.

After that we went to the nearby Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center which offers free admittance in January, and for good reason since there are no flowers in bloom this time of year.

The organization, we learned, was started by Lady Bird Johnson and actress Helen Hayes in 1982, to protect and preserve North America's natives plants. The gardens, which are quite extensive, feature native plants of Texas, particularly the Texas Hill Country.

Despite the fact that we've lived here over 12 years, and the center is less than seven miles from our house, this was our first visit! Even though I wasn't expecting to see much in January, it was a nice outing. Many of the plants we also have in our yard, but I was also hoping to walk away with some landscaping ideas and inspiration.

There was a nice water feature on the left as we approached the garden courtyard.

There were some cute and friendly turtles in the pond.

The courtyard itself has various garden areas staged to showcase certain categories and themes.

I was amused by the aptly-named Horse Crippler cactus. Ouch!

I liked the spiny hedgehog cactus.

The sotol was stunning.

This agave was quite nice.

There were a number of beautiful streams throughout the grounds.

I didn't know there was a little tower on the grounds. Sheldon had to look for it and I'm glad he did. The climb to the top was short and the views were spectacular.

Looking north toward downtown Austin. The skyline is barely visible.

I had to use my zoom to really get a shot of downtown, or part of it at least. Most of the buildings are obstructed by hills.

A view in another direction. A cold front is passing through today so it was a tad blustery at the top of the tower!

Two hours after leaving home we were back home, but it felt like a little relaxing vacation getaway.

Three-Minute Nostalgia Fucked-Up

1973

And no, that was not Agnetha Faltskog on vocals.

In the absence of time to create a Virtual Outhouse on Fridays, I can always find a faster way to upstage another blog.

All fucked up?

Friday Pussy Blog: Political Pussy Edition

I came to the sad realization today that my cats are like people involved in partisan politics. And like our country, we're pretty evenly split.

Sweet Pea - Democrat & Liberal Pacifist

Tiger - Libertarian (in name only; basically a Republican with an Independent streak and a touch of vindictiveness) with self-interests always in mind. The less fortunate can't get anything unless he gets an equal sum because... well, that's fair and equal and balanced, right?

Sissy - Green Party/Socialist. Strongly believes in energy conservation and not adverse to using alternative energy sources like her Daddy's body heat.



Tater Tot - Republican Tea-Bagger and Tyrant.
Always knows he's right, always wants to be in control and a bit of a hawk in that he has no problems provoking others for his gain or simply his amusement. But in the end, a bit of a blowhard not unlike Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh. Takes himself very seriously but is quite full of shit in reality.



Happy Friday!

Oh, let's not forget:

Joe Lieberman - Shape Shifter
Unscrupulous vermin.

RIP Air America

What a week. Thanks so much for giving us Rachel Maddow though!

Air America, the long-suffering progressive talk radio network, abruptly shut down on Thursday, bowing to what it called a “very difficult economic environment.”

[...]

Although it lacked a substantial audience, the network catapulted a number of progressive media personalities into stardom, most notably Rachel Maddow, who now anchors a prime-time program on the cable news channel MSNBC.

Al Franken, now a Democratic senator from Minnesota, hosted an Air America show from 2004 to 2007, before running for office.


[...]

Air America started to play rerun programming rather suddenly Thursday evening. The company said it would sign off completely next Monday night.

Who is up next to bite the big one? The Democratic Party?

RIP Democracy! Nice Knowing You

This Supreme Court ruling today basically took our political process, tied a boulder around it, and tossed it into the high seas.

Sweeping aside a century-old understanding and overruling two important precedents, a bitterly divided Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the government may not ban political spending by corporations in candidate elections.

[...]

The 5-to-4 decision was a doctrinal earthquake but also a political and practical one. Specialists in campaign finance law said they expected the decision, which also applies to labor unions and other organizations, to reshape the way elections are conducted.

[...]

Justice John Paul Stevens read a long dissent from the bench. He said the majority had committed a grave error in treating corporate speech the same as that of human beings. His decision was joined by the other three members of the court’s liberal wing.

Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, an author of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, called the ruling “a terrible mistake.”

And it's not the first time the Court has made one of those.

Not that we didn't need a shake-up in politics, but as this week has shown, we can't seem to go but one direction: the wrong one.

Today’s ruling upends the nation’s campaign finance laws, allowing corporations and labor unions to spend freely on behalf of political candidates. With less than 11 months before the fall elections, the floodgates for political contributions will open wide, adding another element of intrigue to the fight for control of Congress.

At first blush, Republican candidates would seem to benefit from this seismic change in how political campaigns are conducted in America. The political environment – an angry, frustrated electorate seeking change in Washington – was already favoring Republicans. Now corporations, labor unions and a host of other organizations can weigh in like never before.

The five assholes in robes have managed to do what I never imagined: make the 2000 Bush v. Gore decision seem petty and minor.

I am angry, saddened, stunned, and nauseated. How many days before we see the first blast of special-interest advertising? You can bet the film crews are already loading up equipment. Scripts are being written as I type.

The Republican Problem

It's very simply summed up by Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

“I’m not going to decide today what we’re going to do in the future..”

Brilliant. I guess today really isn't the first day of the rest of his life.

Massachusetts Revisited

I've spent the bulk of a day (when I wasn't working) dwelling on the Massachusetts election which resulted in Scott Brown being elected to the Senate to replace Ted Kennedy.

And I have a few bullet points I'd like to share:

Massachusetts, in its infinite wisdom, knows it is a liberal state.

They also know they are electing a Senator to finish out a TWO YEAR term.

They know they can discharge him after his term is up.

They know he can make a complete ass of himself in the interim, which I'm sure he will.

They also know that Obama isn't listening to the left-wing, and what better way to send a message than voting for Brown. Way more effective than emails and phone calls, and unsubscribing to Obama's emails.

Maybe they aren't so dumb after all. Not too smart when considering how the rest of the nation is going to interpret their decision. Not too smart when considering how the Deep South and the Tea Baggers from coast to coast are going to interpret it.

But, the message has been delivered. Post haste.

And frankly, I'm back to my old school no political party affiliation which I have relished since Reagan's 2nd term ended. I only voted for Obama because I liked the message. Now is the time for him to show up and grow up.

He needs to dismiss his staff and start anew. This won't happen but it needs to.

The only other word that comes to mind is Kucinich.

He was my first choice before I was for Edwards, Clinton, and Obama.

Meanwhile, I'll bide my time and wait for the Democrats to get their fucking shit together. Probably not going to happen. After all, I've been waiting for that since 1984.

Moving On

I seriously need to do some cleaning around here. Lots of books need to be donated, particularly the books on film production and screenplay writing.

Back when I was in my 20s and even into my mid-30s, I harbored notions of writing a screenplay and making a film. I certainly had a wealth of material and experiences to use. But it kept turning into one of those "I'll get around to it eventually" scenarios. And the books were always on the shelf as a constant nagging reminder.

At some point in life, I suppose we have all dismissed an ambition. I'm not sure why that happens. It's not age per se but I think age plays into it. I am certainly not too old; I simply lost my will over time. Getting into a long-term relationship and being happily involved in a career certainly played a big part. By the time I was 37 and making the move from Los Angeles to Austin, I believe I had already accepted the fact that it was never going to happen.

Twelve years after that, the books no longer taunt me or even intrigue me; they simply take up space and collect dust.

Question of the Day:

What lofty ambitions have you had in life which you have discharged?

Super Bowl Gets Focus on the Family Ad

I guess when times are tough, you drop your standards a bit.

Focus on the Family, a Christian family-help organization based in Colorado Springs, Colo., has purchased one 30-second ad that will run in the game, and anticipates no frowns from CBS, which is slated to broadcast Super Bowl XLIV from South Florida on Feb. 7.

The buy may come as a surprise to veteran Super Bowl watchers who recall headlines about sexy vegetables cropping up last year after NBC turned down an ad from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals that showed women in lingerie placed in suggestive positions with pumpkins and asparagus. CBS earlier turned down a similar ad for its 2004 Super Bowl broadcast as well as one from MoveOn.org that bashed President Bush. The network and its rivals have espoused a policy of not accepting ads that are inflammatory.

Focus on the Family is known for taking a pro-life stance and valuing marriage as an institution for opposite-sex couples.

CBS knows what Focus on the Family stands for and has approved the script, said Gary Schneeberger, a Focus on the Family spokesman. CBS understood "there are folks who ideologically disagree with Focus on the Family in some areas,"

The article goes on to mention that the script isn't "anti" anything. Of course not, because it probably would not have been approved, and the organization must really be feeling the need to get some message out there however benign it might be.

The organization's ad will feature college football star Tim Tebow and his mother, Pam, sharing a personal story centered on the theme of "Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life," according to a news release from Focus on the Family.

And we know what "family" and "life" they are celebrating.

The Red Checker Board Tablecloth

Rachel Maddow and Chris Matthews at a pub or what the fuckever. Discussing Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts.

I knew this was coming, I KNEW it. Txrad disagrees that this will send a signal to the rest of the nation that we the voters need to rebel against Obama. I don't see how it can be avoided at this point. 2010 is not going to be pretty. Pay attention.

Arkansas. Blanche Lincoln, watch out.

Arkansas. Vic Snyder, watch out.

Everyone, watch out.


In short, Massachusetts just slapped the deceased Ted Kennedy in the face. Who saw that coming?

Unfriending Family

I received a very interesting email from a friend today and she had this to share:

My sister and I have a difficult relationship. She has always looked for some level of approval from me that I cannot ever seem to produce. So, everything I say or do is suspect to being an insult or lack of regard for her. Last Monday, I sent her a bouquet of Spring flowers and a big mylar balloon for her birthday (she loves to get these type of things!). However, she didn't like the bouquet (it wasn't big enough and in her words "looked like a $5.99 bouquet from Krogers) and was insulted with only one balloon and a card that wasn't hand written. I had spent $60!! (I had sent the bouquet through 1-800-FLOWERS...usually a very reliable company).

So, I had another bouquet sent to her. But, too late. She had already unfriended me from Facebook.

She suggested this would be a good question of the day, and I agree:

Have you ever unfriended (or been unfriended) on Facebook by a family member? If you aren't on Facebook, you can just substitute an unfriending experience in the real world.

My brother used to tease me when I was a child. I finally decided I didn't want anything to do with him so I quit speaking to him. I was maybe 5 or 6. This went on for months, and then as I got older, he moved away. He would have been about 20 at that time. It got to a point, by the time I was in my teens, that it was very awkward to be around him because how do you not speak to a family member?

I was in my mid- to late-teens before I started making an effort, and it was only when I absolutely had to. It was just so difficult to start communicating with someone again after that long lapse dating back to childhood.

The internet and email have certainly facilitated communication again.. now that I'm 49! Strange.

Pertaining to Facebook, it's hard to know when someone unfriends you if it was intentional on their part or a Facebook glitch. I've seen both happen (unless the people who unfriended me weren't being honest about it). I don't have any family on Facebook anyway. As close as it gets are two guys who are cousins to my cousin. I've known them since we were children so they are like family in a way.

I noticed one of them disappeared from my friend list. He also happens to be the one who is rather hardcore into his Christianity. I guess my status updates got to be a bit too much for him. But if I make someone uncomfortable for whatever reason, or someone is ashamed and afraid some of their friends will see a status and be offended, then I don't care if they leave.

But if you are family, and I send you flowers, or even if you are just a friend, you'd better not complain that the bouquet wasn't large enough. It'll be the last thing you get from me!

Worth Noting

A right delayed is a right denied.
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Wrong Kind of U-Turn

I've had this nagging political anxiety brewing inside me for several weeks and it's getting worse by the day. I can hardly believe a year ago I was in an ethereal state as I watched Barack Obama take the reins. It was a moment of awe as well as one of hope and the excitement to come as we turned our backs on eight years of W.

In my subconscious I already knew trouble was brewing. It was apparent in the vote count back in November 2008 in places like Arkansas which bucked the trend and went even more heavily Republican in many counties -- including counties which in normal circumstances might have been toss ups. But this was not a normal circumstance.

For months I watched in dismay as the ultra-right went apeshit with their hats adorned with tea bags, their worship of Sarah Palin, their overtly racist commentary, and their emails spewing hate and ignorance. Unfortunately, this has not passed; it has been a steady constant.

Obama has only been in office a year. Granted, I am not at all satisfied with the changes thus far, or lack thereof. But there is still time. Obama has 3 years left in his first term. However, time seems to be all he has. I am not full of hope and dreams as I was a year ago. The Health Care Reform process left me feeling withered. And just as I was thinking we might be on the verge of getting something enacted, imperfect as it is, here comes the first of what will probably be a number of monkey wrenches this year.

President Obama came to Massachusetts on Sunday in hopes of rescuing the flailing candidacy of Martha Coakley, the Democratic candidate in an election on Tuesday that will determine whether the party preserves a 60-vote majority in the Senate needed to keep alive health care legislation and the rest of the president’s agenda.

“Understand what’s at stake here, Massachusetts,” Mr. Obama said, imploring those who supported him to take heed of the magnitude of the race to fill the seat of the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy. “It’s whether we’re going forwards or backwards.”

I could literally be sick to my stomach trying to absorb the enormity of Obama's statement. After 8 years of Bush, we get a one year breathing spell before possibly doing a big U-turn and heading in the general direction of Crawford, Texas. Even more utterly astounding is the fact that it could be at the hands of voters in Massachusetts of all places, and voting to fill the seat held by Edward M. Kennedy, of all people!

Now, if you aren't already emotionally shredded by those facts, there's more.

Democratic leaders in Congress and at the White House were bracing for what they said was a real possibility that Ms. Coakley could lose the race. The most alarming fact in polls and internal research, several party advisers said, was that Ms. Coakley was still falling behind Mr. Brown among voters who had a favorable view of the president.

I have a simple question for those voters who have a favorable view of Obama, and still plan to vote in a manner which could make him a lame-duck effective Wednesday morning. What are you thinking? (I'm trying to be nice here, but I'd prefer to be asking, "What the fuck's your problem?")

Coakley clearly isn't the best candidate the Democrats could have fielded. She has made a few blunders. She's not on her game as well as Scott Brown. But must we vote for the best messenger while completely disregarding the message? Are we so shallow that we put image over substance? That seems to be what is happening in Massachusetts.

While most national Republicans have publicly steered clear of the race to avoid interfering with Mr. Brown’s image as a pickup-driving fellow next door, the efforts behind the scenes intensified Sunday. Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona and Mr. Obama’s rival in the 2008 election, was among those who asked his supporters to make calls on Mr. Brown’s behalf.

The "pickup-driving fellow next door." Haven't we been down that road rather recently with disastrous results?

I have a hunch my political anxiety isn't going anywhere soon, and certainly not my disgust. Massachusetts, the "liberal" state who gave themselves Governor Mitt Romney, is on the verge of catastrophic mistake which will fuel additional negativity at a time when we need it the least. We'll know for sure in about 48 hours.

Regarding U-turns, they are fine if you use them to go back a few miles, say early 2009, to get on the road we should have been on all along, not a U-turn back to 2002.

Crossposted at B3