A Failure of Imagination

Once again, the Canadians have shown themselves to be people lacking in imagination.

There is the story of the father who left his two little daughters in the middle of a farm field to freeze to death during a blizzard. CLICK

Now, In the United States this could have been accomplished with much more flair. Across the border in Idaho, let's say, an American father would have blown their brains out with an elephant gun and pleaded 'no contest' to a careless use of firearms charge. The gun, of course, would have been in the home to protect the family, so it couldn't possibly have been used deliberately to murder the kids. Second Amendment, you know. Right to Bear Arms, etc. That sort of thing.
=======

In a related story, the Cleveland man who shot to death so many folks, including several small children, has shot himself to death, the police say. CLICK

Aside from the clear fact that he had his priorities wrong (he should have killed himself before he killed all those others) this raises an interesting question: How could a convicted criminal like him get guns? I mean, isn't that illegal?

More on 'His Inflatitude'

Irene has sent an article from "CRIKEY" with a liberal Australian view of Rush Limbaugh at the "Conservative" convention. Here's a smile-inducing quote, containing the kind of personalized comment he himself is so famous for:

Limbaugh has, you might say, a good face for radio. Clips from his CPAC speech show a big-bellied sweaty, shouty fellow in a too-tight sports blazer, ranting like a carnival barker about how Republicans should hope the President failed.

In US political culture, that’s a little like publicly wanting Santa to crash his sleigh. But Rush has always danced to a different beat. This is the man who described the 13-year-old Chelsea Clinton as a "dog", who mocked the Parkinson-inflicted Michael J Fox for his tremors, who described the Abu Ghraib atrocities as a "fraternity hazing" and who complained, "We are being told that we have to hope [Obama] succeeds, that we have to bend over, grab the ankles, bend over forward, backward, whichever, because his father was black, because this is the first black president".

(The portly gentleman in question was frequently referred to by another blogger as "the odious pigboy" which I mention in passing just because it has a sort of right-wing shine to it. It's not a phrase I would ordinarily use.)

Advice note

It's better to keep a very low profile for the next week or so. The finger of blame is looking for someone to settle on, and you are a likely candidate. You know how guilty you are!

Thursday Morning Smile-Maker

Friends Report, March 4.

We find that while we were in Florida there was a thaw and freeze process that's left large holes in the roads that communities have no money to repair. Meanwhile, we've been in deep- freeze with night temperatures around zero. We've heard that some people like it, but the truth is, everyone is now heartily sick of this winter and will be glad to have Spring ASAP.
====

IRENE - has commented on Limbaugh, in the comments section under Mondays' posting here on BIRCHES. Others are welcome to add to these comments.

JOSH THE AUSSI PITCHER - We've been told that Irene's son, Josh, at the young age of 15, got a chance to pitch to the Australian and New Zealand national cricket teams, in practice, and that he did very well, in fact striking out a star or two.

PAT W - has gotten new dishes for her Tuscan style kitchen. She wants everyone to understand that she's not spoiled, and that she actually got these at a 70% discount.

SCOT and TRASE - report that angels, even at 7 weeks, can actually float. Here's the proof:


SANDY - has gone from Carolina to California and now to Florida, all family related stops. She reports that her mother's health is much better, that her expectant daughter looks great, and that she'll be home in Michigan in a couple of weeks. Everyone says, don't hurry, it's brutal here these days, economically and meteorologically.

SPARTY - Seems to be very happy that MSU won the Big 10. So, feel free to congratulate him., He has nourished this baby for 50 years.

SHARLEEN - due home from Paraguay this week.

SKUZZA and DASHMANN - spent some chilly days in Ft. Lauderdale last month, but say as bad as it was at night, it wasn't cold like Michigan and you don't have to shovel sunshine. They're going back to Florida soon.

BILL FROM WNNCO - his grandson, of whom Bill is hugely proud, was member of a Science Olympiad Team from Frankenmuth, that placed third in competition.

JOE - his son is visiting India. A different world.

BRENDA and STEVE - are home after a belated honeymoon in Honduras.

FRIENDS; What some people are reading

Apologies because I was so far behind in Friends Report ... and still am. I mean there is a ton of things to tell about that people are smiling about, jokes, cartoons, etc., and that will have to wait even longer. [Bud]
====


JERRY - How one man could build Stonehenge. Very instructive! CLICK

DIG S. - Sent a reference to an article describing Taliban rule in Afghanistan and pointing out that the Taliban are once again trying to take over the country by invading from the territory of Pakistan, an American ally. "Very telling and just amazing that the US still pumps billions into Pakistan."
CLICK

ALICE - Is happy to know that "The Blackwater Group", which has changed it's name to X or Y or Z or something, is finally getting the comeuppance it has earned. It will not be around in Iraq after this. It's CEO has resigned. CLICK

SPARTY - recommends an opinion article by Charles Blow of the New York Times. Subject, are we a nation of cowards because we avoid talking about racism? CLICK

Limbaugh: On the matter of misquoting

Rush Limbaugh says that conservatives believe in the 3 principles of Life, Liberty, Freedom, and Pursuit of Happiness contained in the Preamble to the Constitution. He's wrong about this - he's misquoting. I am willing to forgive him for being uncertain about the wording, and even about the fact that this construction is not in the Constitution at all, but rather in the Declaration of Independence. Anyone can get these things mixed up sometimes, especially when one is advancing in years as both he and I are doing. And he isn't that much of a student, anyhow. He is a doctrinaire type who makes up truth as he goes along. He fancies that he has answers to complex questions just because that's what he thinks answers ought to be. So, for him, to confuse the words or meaning of Constitutions or Declarations is nothing at all. For him, the Constitution is whatever he wants it to be, screw the wording.

What bothers me more is that Limbaugh does not mean the same things when he talks about life, or freedom, or pursuing happiness that most of the rest of us mean when we talk about it. When he uses these terms, he means that Life is what the conservative far-right says is Life, like a sperm floating free in a poor woman's womb. To him it doesn't mean ready access to health care that might save one from dying. But, I bet when you think about the Right to Life, you think about being able to buy antibiotics freely, getting medical attention when you've got a staph infection, or being able to hold onto your existence against someone's right to own an Uzi. I bet you even think that if a doctor kills your spouse in a medical screw-up, you should be able to sue the malefactor.

This is the sort of thing that drives Limbaugh crazy. You can tell, because he's ranting and shouting.

That's because he thinks of Life, Liberty and Happiness as policy questions to be settled by those in a certain social class, not as true "Rights."

no one corrected my spelling error

Freinds Report on March 1

snapshots Part B




A dog and his kid. (or vice versa)
Liam and Diesel. (or vice versa) (


Feeling happy and lucky. The Good Life at Mallory CC:

Friends Report on March 1.

snapshot part A.

Felix's NEW Bathroom. You're all invited to the shower.


SCOT; how to go to Starbucks every sunny Florida morning and still earn a very good living:

The G's (Jim and Alyce) at play:

Home ----

The Birches bunch is home from Florida.
It's so great to leave those 80 degree temps and come home to more sensible temps. And who couldn't love the snow on the ground here?

We're working on a friends report.

We also have lots of opinions to express about things, like Obama's "plan" for ending the Iraq war. Anyone out there like to engage in a discussion of things like that?

Thursday Morning Smile-Maker

Maniac? 

Sure, an "Obamaniac" 

Add to your day: Some Sweet Bubblegum

CLICK

from 1961

The Loyal Opposition

One more depiction of the President by those who don't love him.

Sunday silly Sites

Here, you can tour the International Space Station, from NASA CLICK

Go here to look at pictures of animals born with deformities. This should please the weird ones of you. CLICK

Thursday Morning Smile-Maker

A Light Through the Leaves

Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe."
- H. G. Wells

Thursday Morning Smile-Maker

Friends pic.

You know who you are.
One of these guys reads Birches.
The others are just just good lookin' friendly guys.

Sunday silly Sites

[YouTube] A cop who needs lots more practice: CLICK

[YouTube] One of the worst performances I ever saw, and followed by some really faked laughter. CLICK