The Kennedys

Reviewing a book on John F. Kennedy, Christopher Hitchens gives us a keep-worthy quote from one of the less famous/notorious Kennedys during the Dubya years.

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Representative Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island, whose ability to find his way to the House unaided has long been a source of intermittent wonder, became inflamed while making a speech at a liberal fund-raising event and yelled, “I don’t need Bush’s tax cut! I have never worked a fucking day in my life.”

-- Christopher Hitchens, “JFK: In Sickness and by Stealth” in Arguably

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The Austerity Ghouls

"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines."

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Paul Krugman has been relating an interesting narrative in his column and blog about European leaders imposing austerity policies on their people, cutting programs and social-safety nets. That is, in the wake of the global financial crisis of 2008, instead of blaming our corporate overlords for their greedy gamesmanship of the system, they actually diagnose the problem to be big government and social spending and onerous taxation - surprise!

This is also what the Repbulicans have been trying to carry out in America, but we have been fortunate to have the Obama administration holding them back a little.

These 'austerity ghouls' are obviously following the governmental philosophy that no crisis should go wasted, but should be seen as a ripe opportunity to push their fondest, extreme agenda (think: 9/11 and the neo-conservatives push for military adventurism in Iraq.)

As for Europe, even when they have good, solid studies showing that their austerity policies are obviously making their problems worse, Olli Rehn, a European Commission vice-president, sends a letter "to finance minsters and the I.M.F. declaring that such studies were harmful, because they were threatening to erode confidence." Which is darkly funny, since, aside from these government leaders and the corporate overlords they serve, there is not really a lot of confidence in these policies to be eroded.

One real concern is that the stressful tension between 'the reality and the needs of the common people' and 'the wet dreams of our austerity ghouls and corporate overlords' may well lead to widespread radicalization and instability in European politics. Things can get wild. Maybe violent?

(Source: Paul Krugman at The New York Times)

Charlie Sheen is Winning with LiLo

In a move that seems designed to keep the insurers of FX’s Anger Management up at night, the cable comedy has added Lindsay Lohan to its ranks.

FX announced on Monday that troubled starlet is set to guest-star as herself, developing a romantic relationship with Sheen’s character, Dr. Charlie Goodson, after becoming his therapy patient.

-- ONTD

I guess our rock star from Mars must have a thing for our falling starlet - about five or six inches, and getting it up, down, sideways, everyways. This could save her. I don't know if it will make an honest woman of her, but it might save her.

Pop

A quick note.

Pop left yesterday at around five and did not return until this morning. He didn't say a word to me about it. He brought home some barbecue and other leftovers. Most likely, a celebratory cook-out at Falstaff's. The occasion? I couldn't guess.

Despite having the house to myself, I had a bad time trying to sleep. Maybe I was too anxious about the expected rain and getting the cats inside, because it was only when I got them all inside, at around three in the morning, that I enjoyed a good, solid sleep.

At least I got a good barbecue breast out of it and made a hearty lunch.

Windstorm. All day. And it is still continuing into the night. I'm looking to keep the cats inside, if they will allow me to preserve my sanity and refrain from yowling all night. Yeah, Sammy, I'm looking at you! Just a little love; it's all I ask.

Daily Fun

Woody Gerenuk by *DeeOtter

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