I'm glad you're down there working on your applique. . . fabric spread all over the floor, scissors in hand. We're both tired from a busy weekend and probably should go to bed early but if you don't make time for your handiwork, you may not get any done at all tonight and wind up feeling frustration later. Do it now while you can because once the Shirk Brothers (Yeah, I've met Mr. Shirk. Nice enough guy. Firm handshake. Sincere smile. Called me by name. But you wait. You'll see. He's gonna destroy the lower level of the house and make my life miserable for gawd knows how long.) get in here and tear up the basement, which they say will take "two weeks" to put back together, you won't have a place to do this. Yes, you thought I was extreme in my fear of having the house in a shambles for an interminable amount of time, but you just wait. We'll have to take down a plate of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut and cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving, possibly several consecutive Thanksgivings. I can see it now. I'm feeling nauseous.
You may think I'm extreme, but. . . I'm just sayin'. . .
(from http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/05/new-nra-president-jim-porter-knocked-fake-president-obama/) about new NRA President Jim Porter. . .
". . . “Y’all might call it the Civil War, but we call it ‘the war of northern aggression’ down South,” Porter said. In that same speech, Porter also made it clear that there’s no love
lost between the NRA and President Obama, whom he called a “fake
president.” “His entire administration is anti-gun, anti-freedom anti-second amendment,” Porter said. And that was before Obama backed a new background checks bill and pushed for an assault weapons ban in Congress. . . "
(Source: Kurt Nimmo and Alex Jones, Infowars.com May 1, 2011)
Obama said he ordered the strike that allegedly killed Osama. The remainder of his speech followed the standard war on terror propaganda script. A small team of Americans killed bin Laden in a firefight at a compound in Pakistan, the president said in a dramatic late-night statement at the White House, the Associated Press reported following Obama’s address. Obama said the military took custody of his body. It remains to be seen if the government will attempt to provide evidence that the remains are indeed those of Osama bin Laden. Turns out that the U.S. 'respectfully' buried the terrorist mastermind at sea.
WHY? An explanation has never been forthcoming . . . at least not a logical explanation.
This farcical performance took place just as the Democrats kicked off their leader’s presidential reelection bid against a number of Republicans contenders were critical of not only his perceived handling of the economy, but also his management of the manufactured (mainly by their own party) war on terror.
(from: http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/21/us/bin-laden-burial)
". . . The burial at sea of Osama bin Laden after he was killed by Navy SEALs last year followed traditional Islamic procedures, according to newly released military e-mails, but less than a dozen "leadership" members aboard the Navy carrier where the service took place were informed of the burial. "Any sailors watch the burial?" a Navy commander asked the public affairs officer on the USS Carl Vinson in a May 3, 2011, e-mail. The Carl Vinson was the carrier where the SEALs took bin Laden's body by helicopter after he was killed during the May 2, 2011, raid at his compound in Pakistan. "Only a small group of the leadership was informed -- less than a dozen," the public affairs officer replied. Another e-mail stated, "Burial No Sailors Watched.". . . "
(from http://nation.foxnews.com/osama-bin-laden/2013/02/12/wikileaks-bin-ladens-body-not-buried-sea)
". . . The body of Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden was not buried at sea, according to leaked emails of intelligence firm Stratfor, as revealed by WikiLeaks.
Stratfor’s vice-president for intelligence, Fred Burton, believes the body was “bound for Dover, [Delaware] on [a] CIA plane” and then “onward to the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Bethesda [Maryland],” an email says. The official version is that the body of Al-Qaeda’s top man, who was killed by a US raid in Pakistan on May 2, 2011, was buried at an undisclosed location at sea in a proper Muslim ceremony. . . "
First line-up
The first manifestation of the group was established in 1969 in New York City by Tim Hauser, Erin Dickins, Marty Nelson, and Pat Rosalia. Gene Pistilli, a good friend, soon became an integral component and composed for, and recorded with, the group. They contracted with Capitol Records, recorded several tracks, and issued their first album, Jukin' (1971).The album listed the original group in the order of billing determined by sequence to this first group's formation as was customary to the industry. Accordingly, Erin Dickins, Pat Rosalia, Tim Hauser, and Marty Nelson were listed out of alphabetical order. The album was later reissued in the UK by EMI's Music for Pleasure under the title The Manhattan Transfer and Gene Pistilli. Pistilli had been best known for his performing and songwriting collaborations with Terry Cashman and Tommy West. This team endured until 1973. According to Hauser, "Gene and I were in two different places. He was more into R&B, and the Memphis sound, and by then I'd become more interested in jazz and swing..."
Second line-up
Alan Paul, Janis Siegel, and Laurel Massé. After performances at Max's Kansas City, the group developed a cult fan base. Ahmet Ertegün, founder and chairman of Atlantic Records, saw them at Reno Sweeney and offered a recording contract. The group's first album for Atlantic was The Manhattan Transfer (1975), which included their first successful single, the gospel music tune "Operator". During the summer of 1975, the group was showcased in their own hour-long television variety series on CBS.
They also gained a following in Europe, where their next two albums, Coming Out and Pastiche, brought a string of hits. One was a revival of Wayne Shanklin's "Chanson D'Amour", which became a number one hit in the UK and Australia in 1977, though it failed to chart in the U.S. These were followed by a live album, The Manhattan Transfer Live, which was recorded in the UK and reached the UK Top 5.
Third line-up and journey into jazz
In 1978, soon after that album was recorded, Laurel Massé was badly injured in a car accident and was replaced by Cheryl Bentyne. The line-up has remained the same since. Their next album, Extensions (1979), earned the group their second U.S. popular music success—the disco hit "Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone", written by Alan Paul and Jay Graydon as a tribute to the 1960s CBS television series created by Rod Serling. The track also reached the Top 30 in the UK, where the group continued to make several appearances on popular television shows such as The Two Ronnies.
(from wikipedia.com)
With yesterday's anniversary of the "killing" of Osama Bin Laden, I was reminded of what I learned, or at least what I read, not long after that occasion. Turns out there has been a lot written about it.
When Barack Obama declared the terrorist mastermind dead on TV in May 2011, he was actually the ninth high-profile person to make the same announcement.
December 26, 2001, Fox News reported on a Pakistan Observer story that the Afghan Taliban had officially pronounced Osama Bin Laden dead earlier that month. According to the report, he was buried less than 24 hours later in an unmarked grave in accordance with Wahabbist Sunni practices. Living in caves without benefit of dialysis equipment had taken its toll.
January 18, 2002, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf announced quite bluntly in reference to Bin Laden: “I think now, frankly, he is dead.”
July 17, 2002, the then-head of counterterrorism at the FBI, Dale Watson, told a conference of law enforcement officials, "I personally think he [Bin Laden] is probably not with us anymore,” but “I have no evidence to support that.”
October 2002, Afghan President Hamid Karzai told CNN that “I would come to believe that [Bin Laden] probably is dead.”
November 2005, Senator Harry Reid revealed that he was told Osama may have died in the Pakistani earthquake of October that year.
September 2006, French intelligence leaked a report suggesting Osama had died in Pakistan.
November 2, 2007, former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto told Al-Jazeera’s David Frost that Omar Sheikh had killed Osama Bin Laden.
March 2009, former US foreign intelligence officer and professor of international relations at Boston University Angelo Codevilla stated: “All the evidence suggests Elvis Presley is more alive today than Osama Bin Laden.”
May 2009, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari confirmed that his “counterparts in the American intelligence agencies” hadn’t heard anything from Bin Laden in seven years and confirmed “I don’t think he’s alive.”
May 2011, President Obama has added himself to the list. Osama’s body was buried at sea less than 12 hours after his death with no opportunity for any independent corroboration of his identity, the same question of credibility can be leveled at ALL of the above.
But given that an informed consensus has formed around the opinion that Bin Laden died long ago due to kidney failure, will the people of America hold their President to the highest standard in presenting evidence that the person killed was actually Osama Bin Laden, and that he actually died in the way described, or will this pronouncement go unquestioned like so many other deaths in the never ending war of terror?
(Source: James Corbett, The Corbett Report, 2 May, 2011)
. . . at the dedication of the Bush (league?) Library last week, the honoree's father, George H.W., along with Bill Clinton and Jimmy
Carter, dutifully latched on to the positive about the junior Bush's
eight years in the Oval Office, eliminating the negative and, "as in
Johnny Mercer's old song, didn't mess with Mr. In Between."
Nothing about the futile war in Iraq, the
economic meltdown, the suspicious circumstances of 911, the blatant robbery of the civil rights of Americans the honoree left behind. The former presidents essentially praised W not as a great national leader but
a well-meaning guy whose heart was in the right place in spite of all the obstacles he faced. Obama praised his predecessor for his "incredible strength and resolve" regarding 911 and actually called W "a good man" who was "comfortable in his own skin."
The entire affair was an exercise in the suspension of disbelief over major decisions in foreign policy, treatment of war detainees, and dealing with a domestic economy in trouble as he departed office. Nevertheless, W maintained the same composure he has shown since leaving office (and during his tenure, come to think of it)-silent and immune to public criticism. His major contribution to his party has been in keeping a low public profile, steering clear of becoming defensive and of criticizing the Obama administration.
How will history will appraise George W. Bush? The most recent Washington Post/ABC News poll indicates that his approval rating has climbed from 30 percent in 2008 to 47 percent now, and his disapproval has dropped from 68 percent then to 50 percent. But he still he has a way to go to rival another once-dismissed president, Harry Truman. From a low of 22 percent approval, Truman rose steadily and is now among the 10 most highly regarded presidents.
Insurmountable for Bush? I certainly hope so. [Source: The Bush library and the willing suspension of disbelief
The former presidents gathered in Dallas glossed over the unpleasantness of 43's administration, but history will not be so kind
April 29, 2013|By Jules Witcover Jules Witcover is a syndicated columnist and former long-time writer for The Baltimore Sun. His latest book is "Joe Biden: A Life of Trial and Redemption" (William Morrow). His email is juleswitcover@comcast.net.]
President Barack Obama says the international community must first agree that chemical weapons were used by the Syrian regime. The U.S. will NOT act unilaterally and Obama says there must be an international consensus on whether President Bashar al-Assad's regime used chemical weapons. In other words, the chance of U.S. military involvement is now more remote. We may, however, be providing the formerly refused arms to rebels in the near future.
There exists very little interest among NATO members for military intervention in Syria. The president said, ". . . I've got to make sure I've got the facts."
Problem is that many of the rebels battling Damascus are allied with Islamic extremists. And Obama wants to avoid one more conflict after winding down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The public doesn't appear to want that either according to some recent news organization polls.
