Hodgepodge Lodge

I really like the word "hodgepodge," and that's what today's entry will be.

Even if you totally disagreed with his politics, I hope everyone today is joining me in sending Senator Ted Kennedy's family our condolences. I grew to respect the man for his convictions and for his many years of service to this country. It makes me very sad that he won't be around to see a health care reform bill, no matter what form it eventually takes, passed. I haven't had the news on at all today because I know it's a lot of sadness about the Senator's death.

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Minnesota Congresswoman Michelle "Politics is Hard!" Bachmann recently appeared on a radio show, and asked listeners to "pray, fast, believe, trust the Lord, but also act." She went on to praise Sarah Palin for talking about (nonexistent) death panels, saying "These are true!" She stated "We all need to consider that in God's timing that he may have allowed us, as members of Congress, to be in the position that we're in just for this specific issue right now." So now God has endorsed her position in Congress, eh? Michelle? That voice you're hearing in your head isn't God. It's your own delusions of grandeur, your belief that you have been sanctified by God, and it's whatever little lunatic is living in your head that causes you to say such nonsensical things. You might want to try to ignore it before it tells you do something really weird. Like read a book or something.

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Hey, did you hear about the town hall meeting in Virginia with Congressman Jim Moran and Howard Dean? Yeah, a circus broke out! Someone yelled "God save America!" Then someone yelled back "Shut up!" Then another one yelled "God save the Constitution!" and someone responded with "Shut up, you pig!"

A 17-year-old girl in attendance said that it was "better than Springer." After the meeting she and her friends said that they felt discouraged by the lack of tolerance and talk of death panels from people at the meeting who were older than them. The 17-year-old said, "I thought our generation was supposed to be the stupid one."

You know what? I think I've changed my mind on all this stuff. No, not health care reform, but the behavior of some of these people at the town hall meetings, and the loony yammering of people like Bachmann, Palin, et al. I think they should go for it. Really let loose and shout all they want, continue to spout off about things that they've heard from their favorite Faux News talking head, keep repeating all the talking points from whatever disembodied voice wafts its way over the airwaves. Keep going, folks! Keep yelling about how you want government out of your lives. It's getting downright entertaining, and it illustrates perfectly your mentality. The shriller your cries, the loonier you look, and for those of us who do want to see reform happen and are interested in being a part of the process by engaging in actual discussions and attempts to learn more about it, it's becoming increasingly easy to be dismissive of you.

Oh, I'll admit...it's kind of embarrassing to see you act that way and know that people around the world are seeing this and thinking that we all are like that. But I think the voice of reason will eventually prevail, and then you can go back to whatever you normally do when you're not red-faced with rage, with veins popping out on your forehead, talking about how Obama's gonna kill your granny and then he's gonna take away your guns. Or maybe he's gonna kill your granny...with your own gun! *gasp* (That's a nice twist...feel free to use that one.)

So keep it up, folks! Just make sure that no one gets hurt in the process, okay?

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I picked up my next book club book at the library yesterday, and about had a thrombo. A Bend in the River clocked in at about 280 pages...Angle of Repose is a cool 569. ACK! It's tiny print, too. This one might need a renewal. It does look very interesting, and I like the scholarly tone of the book and of the narrator.

The truth about my son is that despite his good nature, his intelligence, his extensive education, and his bulldozer energy, he is as blunt as a kick in the shins. He is peremptory even with a doorbell button. His thumb never inquires whether one is within, and then waits to see. It pushes, and ten seconds later pushes again, and one second after that goes down on the button and stays there. That's the way he summoned me this noon.

Isn't that great? Don't you immediately have a grasp of the character of the narrator's son? A good guy, a smart guy, but terribly impatient. I really think I'll like this one, but it will be a matter of getting through it. (She wrote, as she continued to write a blog entry, rather than reading.) I think only one other person in the book club has read it (Better crack the whip, Jillian! Haha!), and that was one of the people from out-of-state who joined our online forum. We've exchanged a couple of emails about it already, so it will be interesting to get her thoughts as I plow through it.

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I love Kohl's. I got a pair of red Keds yesterday that normally cost $45...for $9! How could I pass those up? I couldn't. I didn't have a red pair, either. The angels wanna wear my red shoes. A Silver Squirrel award to anyone who gets that reference!

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Lunch with my mother-in-law tomorrow! We're going to try a place I haven't tried before, La Esperanza. She loves Mexican food, but her husband doesn't, so I figured she'd like that. She's taking me out, so says it was my choice, but I wanted to pick a place that she would enjoy, too. I'm sure we'll have plenty to "dish" about. She cracks me up...you think I tell it like it is...?!

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I got an invitation today from my excellent brother-in-law, Tom, to go to a Cubs game in a couple of weeks with him and my sisters. My God, man, do you realize what you are doing?! Tom did his time as a Marine in Vietnam, so I suppose he's equipped to spend the day with the three of us. Wish him luck. He's a brave man. Of course, you have to be, to be a Cubs fan. Haha!