Swedish Politics

If anyone's interested in the current state of the Swedish political scene, Donald sent me this link today:

"Sweden: the new Donald Duck government"

Just one highlight (of many):
Sweden's newly appointed Minister for the Interior, Ardalan Shekarabi, was an illegal immigrant from Iran.  He stayed hidden in the country until a government was elected that would grant him amnesty.  He was convicted of embezzlement from a political youth organization-- and this year the Swedish government has accused him of cheating on his income taxes. 

What a wonderful, upstanding citizen!

Way to Go, Man...

"We tortured some folks"? 

Really?  Really?
 
...What an unbelievable idiot.  ("Idiot", by the way, is the generous interpretation.  The only other way I can see to view it makes him something much, much worse.)


Well, happy Friday, everyone.

"Political Diversity"

RED ALERT!!
This is a politically-themed post.  If you're here for photos and innocuous garden-based posts only, you'll want to skip this one.  :o)

- - - - -

I don't know if WKRG hired a new "media consultant" or one of the existing employees got a bee in his/her bonnet, but someone has been posting a lot more often on Twitter, lately.  (...Well, unless I just started following their account recently without noticing it. Which is possible, during some of that bad weather we had a month or two ago...)

Anyway, this morning's Twitter link back to the dreaded FACEBOOK was this:  "If you live in Baldwin County you may have noticed a common theme with the upcoming election.  Do you think there is enough political diversity in Baldwin County?"

(And then there was a terribly blurry and amateurish photo of some of those ugly "candidate signs" that people stick along the roads before elections.  I mean, seriously, anyone with even a moderately-intelligent smart phone could take a better photo with their eyes closed.  Someone could probably draw them a better picture with a box of Crayolas.  (g)  But that's all beside the point...)

First, the very way they pose that question irks me.  Hm.  I wonder what they think the answer should be... (More on that in a minute.)

Second, since they ask about "political diversity" I assume they're referring to the fact that this is primarily (and by "primarily", I mean "far and away") a conservative/Republican county-- in a "red state", to boot.  But really, it doesn't matter what kind of diversity they're oh-so-subtly suggesting might be lacking... because my answer is that, no, I don't care about diversity or lack therof in this matter.  (Actually, enforced diversity doesn't appeal to me at all, in most matters.)

As far as I know, nothing and no-one is stopping anyone else from running for these offices (or other offices, when those positions come up for grabs).  Now, possibly the reason that there aren't many (any?) democrats running this time is that they are familiar with the local political waters and know that they don't have a serious chance of winning, if they run as democrats.  Do I care?  NO.  If it mattered that much to me, I'd probably have to move somewhere else, because (again) democrats are out-numbered around here.

That brings me to things that do worry or concern me...

-- I am concerned that with so many people flooding into our county, its character (political and otherwise) is bound to change.  I worry that I won't recognize the personality of this place-- the only place I've ever lived!-- in another few decades.  I don't want people bringing us down with a whole fleet of other sinking ships, and I'm afraid they will... (That may sound funny, coming from a woman who married "an outsider" from a country that's very different from the U.S., politically.  (g)  Yes, but I made sure of his personality and beliefs beforehand. ;o)) 

-- I do worry that "Republican" doesn't mean what it meant 30 or 40 years ago.

-- I'm frustrated that I can't believe what candidates say they stand for.  Instead, I'm convinced that many (if not most) would tell a thousand lies without batting an eye, if they thought it would advance their political careers.  I'm disappointed that politics is a lifelong career for so many of these people-- and that they still turn around and expect us to honor them for their so-called "public service".  Yeah, it's not "public service" anymore, for most of you.  You make a career of it, and you are generously recompensed in the form of pay, power/influence, and shady inside deals for you and your families.  You will not get my automatic respect and gratitude, too.

Meanwhile, WKRG asks, "Do you think there is enough political diversity in Baldwin County?"  There's an implied answer.  ("No, of course there's not!  A democrat should waste his time and money in a hopeless bid for power!")  Really, how are you supposed to answer "yes" to that?  "Yes, I think there's enough political diversity, even though you just pointed out in your previous statement that there's a 'common theme with the upcoming election'."

We know that diversity is all-important, these days-- even more important than qualifications and just deserts and getting the best person for the job.  If you aren't for more "diversity", then there must be something deeply, horrifyingly wrong with you.  How can you ever have enough diversity?!

Another strike against you, WKRG.  I find myself tuning in to your news coverage less and less frequently, and this latest delight isn't changing my mind.

~Wailing & Choking Sobs~

Oh nooooooo!

How did I forget the most innocent victim of this whole government shutdown debacle?!

MICHELLE OBAMA'S KITCHEN GARDEN IS DYING!!!!!

(Warning:  That blog post is not for the weak-of-heart... or stomach!)

In the eleven days since the shutdown began on Oct. 1, the pounds and pounds of ripe organic bounty have gone to waste.  The vegetables filling the 1,500 square-foot plot are now rotting away on the vines and in the boxed beds, thanks to the mandate for "minimal maintenance" placed on the skeletal crew of National Park Service gardeners who remain on duty at 1600 Penn.  

The gardeners are not allowed to harvest the crops, a White House source told Obama Foodorama.  Weeds are springing up everywhere, and the vegetables that have already fallen off the vines are now mouldering on the ground.

There are also mushrooms popping up inside and outside the garden beds, and leaf litter raining from the trees like confetti.  The wildlife that lives on the historic 18-acre campus--including a newly arrived fox now making a home at the White House--are having a field day. 

 Oh, my heart!  The pounds and pounds of ripe organic bounty!  GONE TO WASTE!!!

Until the Congressional showdown ends, there will be no happy little helpers joining Mrs. Obama to pluck the artichoke, okra, sweet potatoes, lettuces, squash, tomatoes, peppers, kale, carrots, rhutabaga, garlic, cabbage, exotic herbs, Swiss chard, collard and mustard greens, spinach, garlic, turnips, jalapeno and chili peppers that are now growing amok.   

 No no no no no...  No happy little helpers to pluck the artichoke... ~sniffle~ ...the kale... ~whimper~ ...the exotic herbs!  ~racking sobs of the wretched~

I-- I don't think I can go on reading.  It's too much for my poor nerves.  -- But I must.  For the Kitchen Garden's sake!

The sweet potatoes--a favorite of President Barack Obama's [emphasis entirely theirs], according to the First Lady--are especially abundant this autumn, said garden mastermind Kass before he was furloughed.   Mrs. Obama has proudly displayed four-pounders at past harvests, but this year's orange behemoths remain in the ground as worm food.

It can't be true.  His Majesty's own favorite-- left in the ground as worm food?!  I can't believe it!  I won't believe it!  I refuse to believe it!  (Well, I guess they'll just buy them from the Super-Exclusive Way-Overpriced All-Organic-All-the-Time Farmer's Market, instead.  No biggie.)

 There's a heart-rending photo of "lemongrass with white basil"... And then one of "a happy squirrel" shamelessly devouring his ill-gotten gains that nearly turned my stomach...  

Why couldn't someone have done something about this?  Prevented this horror?  Like... spend half an hour picking the vegetables every day or two?  ...Maybe even Michelle Obama, since it's "her" garden?  Or the first kids?  I know that We and They are not quite the same-- but lots of commoners set chores for their children-- light housecleaning or yard work.  Asking them to pick a few vegetables doesn't seem beyond the pale.  

...No.  What am I saying?  Ridiculous idea!
 

NO RECREATION ALLOWED!!!

Here's another story too "good" (awful) to keep to myself:
'Gestapo' tactics meet senior citizens at Yellowstone.

It's an interesting look into what happened to a group of senior tourists who had the bad luck to be on a 9-day bus-tour of Western parks when the government shutdown went into effect.

Some of the highlights:

For many hours [Pat Vaillancourt's] tour group, which included senior citizen visitors from Japan, Australia, Canada and the United States, were locked in a Yellowstone National Park hotel under armed guard.

The tourists were treated harshly by armed park employees, she said, so much so that some of the foreign tourists with limited English skills thought they were under arrest.

When finally allowed to leave, the bus was not allowed to halt at all along the 2.5-hour trip out of the park, not even to stop at private bathrooms that were open along the route.

 . . .
 
Rangers systematically sent visitors out of the park [Yellowstone], though some groups that had hotel reservations — such as Vaillancourt’s — were allowed to stay for two days. Those two days started out on a sour note, she said.

The bus stopped along a road when a large herd of bison passed nearby, and seniors filed out to take photos. Almost immediately, an armed ranger came by and ordered them to get back in, saying they couldn’t “recreate.” The tour guide, who had paid a $300 fee the day before to bring the group into the park, argued that the seniors weren’t “recreating,” just taking photos.

“She responded and said, ‘Sir, you are recreating,’ and her tone became very aggressive,” Vaillancourt said.

The seniors quickly filed back on board and the bus went to the Old Faithful Inn, the park’s premier lodge located adjacent to the park’s most famous site, Old Faithful geyser. That was as close as they could get to the famous site — barricades were erected around Old Faithful, and the seniors were locked inside the hotel, where armed rangers stayed at the door.

“They looked like Hulk Hogans, armed. They told us you can’t go outside,” she said. “Some of the Asians who were on the tour said, ‘Oh my God, are we under arrest?’ They felt like they were criminals.”

. . .

As the bus made its 2.5-hour journey out of Yellowstone, the tour guide made arrangements to stop at a full-service bathroom at an in-park dude ranch he had done business with in the past. Though the bus had its own small bathroom, Vaillancourt said seniors were looking for a more comfortable place to stop. But no stop was made — Vaillancourt said the dude ranch had been warned that its license to operate would be revoked if it allowed the bus to stop. So the bus continued on to Livingston, Mont., a gateway city to the park.

The bus trip made headlines in Livingston, where the local newspaper Livingston Enterprise interviewed the tour guide, Gordon Hodgson, who accused the park service of “Gestapo tactics.”

“The national parks belong to the people,” he told the Enterprise. “This isn’t right.”

They weren't allowed to "recreate"-- i.e. take photos of something that was happening right outside the bus?  Good grief!  Makes about as much sense as blocking off the roadside viewing areas for Mt. Rushmore and "closing the ocean".  If these *@&$!^#  could figure out a way to do it, they'd block out the sun over all national parks and monuments for the duration of the shutdown.  Maybe remove all oxygen, too, for good measure.  "I'm sorry, ma'am, but that's park air you're breathing.  You're not allowed to breathe National Park air until the park is reopened.  I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to hold your breath as long as you're on federal land.  Better get a move on; it's quite a walk.  Oh, and have a nice day!  Oh, sir!  I'll have to ask you to close your eyes as you make your way to the nearest park exit.  You're enjoying the natural beauty, and all enjoyment is strictly prohibited until such time as the All-Powerful Government reopens the park.  In the meantime, pleasure of any kind is not allowed on federal land."

If Only They Could See Us Now!

Our founding fathers, if they were able to peep into the future and see where we are today, would be so proud!  You just know they'd be glowing, if they saw how things stand.

Open-air memorials shut down and guarded against frail former soldiers and their families?
Wonderful!

Military cemeteries closed to the public?
Bravo!

Privately-owned and -run facilities (such as the Claude Moore Farm and the Pisgah Inn) told they have to close-- against their will?
*wild applause*

And then, when the owner of the Pisgah Inn decided to "defy their authority" by staying open (because people were still booking rooms and could get to the inn with no trouble-- and because the inn doesn't receive federal funding/support)?  They posted armed, uniformed officials on the road, to direct traffic away from the inn.  The message is clear: You will do as you're told-- or else.

P.S.
Now they want to close parts of the ocean.  Yeah, good luck with that. 

More of the Same

The National Park Service has ordered the closure of a park (the Claude Moore Colonial Farm) that receives no federal funding.  It sits on federal land, but "the government provides no resources for its maintenance or operation".

This is the first time the historical reenactment site has been shut down in 40 years, apparently, as previous government shutdowns didn't affect it-- which makes perfect sense, seeing as it doesn't receive a dime from the federal government.

The managing director of the farm says that the NPS "sent law enforcement agents to the park on Tuesday evening to remove staff and volunteers from the property".

She went on to add, "In all the years I have worked with the National Park Service ... I have never worked with a more arrogant, arbitrary and vindictive group representing the NPS."

The farm staff made repeated requests to be allowed to keep the farm open-- but each appeal was denied.

- - - - - - -

...Well, it certainly captures the spirit of the thing, in my humble opinion.

- - - - - - -

And finally, at least some good may come of this whole mess:
"Is Obama's Golf Cancelled?"

President Obama has been playing golf at a furious pace this year – already heading out more times than during any year of his presidency – but the government shutdown raises the prospect that his favorite leisure activity is about to be suspended.

It’s unclear how a presidential golf outing could be justified as “essential,” which is the general standard for government activities that continue during the shutdown.

When Obama is in Washington, he plays at one of two publicly funded courses – either the links at Andrews Air Force Base or at Fort Belvoir. His rounds are paid for out of the public kitty.

What’s more, the public must pay for the nearly half hour trip by the large motorcade that shuttles the president to his golf destination, costs that involve the logistics of the movement as well as staff and Secret Service who must accompany Obama.

But beyond the actual costs, a golf excursion by Obama when the government is supposedly trimming costs and while furloughed federal workers are going without pay would be extremely bad public relations for a president waging a shutdown public opinion war against Republicans.

Obama generally plays every Saturday, most recently this past Saturday when he went out even as the government headed toward a shutdown. It was the 35th time he has played this year, eclipsing his 2011 record of 34 outings.

Always look for the silver lining! 

Our Glorious Government at Work

(Only... Maybe that should be "Our Glorious Government at Work on Furlough"?  Or "in Shutdown Mode"?)

In need of a little righteous indignation?  Try the story of the closing of the WWII memorial in Washington, D.C.  (I imagine most have heard all about it already, but there it is, to remind myself at a later date...)

This entire thing is absolutely shameful.   I mean, really!  Wouldn't you be blushingly ashamed of yourself, if you were charged with putting up these extra barricades and "CLOSED" signs?  I know I would...

While the higher-profile WWII memorial is carefully blocked, the barricade at the WWI memorial looks like this.  (It's a single unit of fencing-- about six feet long, standing all by its lonesome in a wide-open area, decorated with an "official" sign indicating-- I assume-- that all national parks are closed, and looking-- well, completely stupid.)


So... We couldn't afford to pay someone to staff the WWII memorial.  (For what purpose?  To collect garbage every couple of days?  To make sure there hasn't been an act of vandalism?)  Yet we had the money to pay them to put up the barricades-- then to come back the next day and put up more barriers, since the first ones apparently weren't enough.  What a wise use of federal dollars! I hope the brains behind this brilliant decision are proud of themselves. 

Newsflash!!

Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse:
"National Zoo panda cam goes dark in government shutdown."

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Why?!   WHYYYYYYYY?!?!?!
 

Vacation from the News

Yay, Obamacare.  "Free" healthcare for all... except not really.  Well, ok... "affordable", then?  Ha ha ha!  Good one!  (And if you fall into certain unlucky brackets, the government may punish you for being married, but what else is new?)

Yeah, time for another "vacation" from the news-- or at least most of the news.  Just makes me too blood-boiling angry, and there doesn't seem to be anything we can do about it. 

Link: Another Reason

Another reason to care about what's happening in Sweden (and England, and France, and...) is that it should stand as a warning to the U.S.:  "I Think They're Trying to Tell Us Something".

More about the situation in Stockholm: 

Trying to Stay Away From *IT*, But...

...I couldn't resist the pull of Twitter... and then the trending topics.

As always, it was a bad, bad idea to click the trending topics.  It truly makes you fear for our future.


One random woman (among many of the fawning):  "He looks every inch a President!!"

Yes, looks are all-important.  So long as he looks "presidential", we're in good shape.

(For the record, I don't recall hearing anyone deny that he looks "every inch a President".  The problem is that his looks seem to be almost all that so many voters care about.  His physical appearance and the big "D" by his name.  But whatever.  We're in for another four years of this utter crap, so at this point I might as well shut up.)


And apparently he's addressing climate change in his inaugural speech.

To quote the Twitterverse:  "YES!!  Finally!  Thank you, O Glorious One!"

(Well, ok, maybe that last bit was a mild exaggeration.  They didn't tweet that; it's just what they were thinking.)


...But I thought that the rise of the oceans had begun to slow, planet began to heal, etc., etc. way back in 2008, when he won the primaries... So confusing...

Relax; You've Already Got the Job (More's the Pity!)

"Obama names 8 citizens to highlight his successes"

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is featuring eight Americans as "citizen co-chairs" of his inauguration, a new role created to highlight his first-term accomplishments with examples of lives that have either been improved by his actions or inspired his presidency.

Inaugural planners say the honorees include a woman with a brain tumor who no longer is denied health care for a pre-existing condition; an autoworker who got her job back after the General Motors bailout; and a gay pilot-in-training kicked out of the Air Force before the president repealed the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Inauguration officials said Wednesday that the president has met most of the eight individuals during his first term and their inclusion in inaugural events is meant to showcase his administration's core values through real-life examples that people across the country can relate to.

I have to admit that I don't know enough about inaugurations in general to be sure... (because I care about their silly, expensive parties only marginally more than I care about all those incredibly boring entertainment awards programs) ...but has that sort of thing been typical of past inaugurations?  I doubt it, but maybe I'm wrong.

It feels more like what you'd expect during campaigning than months after election day-- and it seems awfully self-congratulatory...  (Especially with the still-dreadful economy, among the other problems we face.)

The common diagnosis of narcissism seems more credible with every day that passes!

Political(ish) AGAIN.

(I know, I know.  Twice in one day.  I should be ashamed.)


This time it's about this. 

Look, Matt, what it boils down to is this: You're just plain wrong. 
(Calm down; you should be used to that by now.)

No, the "First Kids" are most certainly not more important than any other kids-- or any other people, period.  They are not more important to the country than anyone else's kids. 

Would it be bigger news if they were kidnapped (to use your example)?  Yes, obviously.  Would there be a bigger reaction-- larger scale, more costly, etc.?  Well, duh.  However, I think it's safe to say that if a celebrity's child were kidnapped, that would also get a bigger reaction than the abduction of the average kid down the street.  Are you also willing to say that a celebrity's child is more important to the country than any other American child?  (I hope not, but who knows...)

So no, they're not more important. 
(Idiot.)

Ugh. (Political)

"White House Releases Letters from Little Kids Pleading for Gun Control"

As usual, a classy move from a classy administration.
That's not cheap or manipulative at all.

Clearly, we're supposed to weep and wail.  "The children!  THE CHILDREN are asking for gun control!  Out of the mouths of babes... or something..."

I won't say that there should be no changes at all, but if people can't see this for what it is-- "never letting a crisis go to waste"-- scurrying to take advantage of raw emotions in the wake of tragedy-- they're just not paying attention.

Personally, I wonder how all these kids heard about the shooting, to begin with... Most young children don't watch or pay attention to the news, and I think that if I were a parent, I'd try to shield a young child from this kind of thing, as much as possible.  What I'm saying is this: I wonder if a single one of those kids wrote his or her letter without being prompted to do so by an adult.   

From the article:  "The White House appears not to have released a single letter to the AP in opposition to President Obama's gun proposal."

*Sigh of Infinite Weariness*

Well, thanks a lot, slim majority of my fellow Americans who checked the box for "More of the Same Old Crap"!  Thank you, brainwashed masses!  Thank you so much, unions!  Thank you from the bottom of my little ole heart, those of you who voted for the guys who would make sure you continue to get handouts you don't really need.  Thank you, voters for whom a candidate's complexion is paramount!  (Did I forget anyone...?)

I'm so tired, and I didn't even stay up that late last night.  This is soul-level weariness, right here.  This is why I don't understand people (well, at least slightly more than half the people in this country).  This is why my faith in humanity (its intelligence, its honesty, its morality) is severely shaken.  This is why I sometimes want to become a hermit living in the middle of the wilderness.  (Well, sometimes.  Fortunately, the impulse passes.)

The economy and employment numbers will likely continue to improve-- albeit with molasses-like slowness-- because that's what the economy does... and now Obama will take credit for it, and we'll be expected to bow down to his greatness.  ("See?  All he needed was more time!") But we'll never know what might have been-- how much better it might have been.  (Sour grapes?  Whatever; I'm not going to start caring now what other people think about my grumpiness.)

Obama's victory speech promised that "the best is yet to come".  I'm highly skeptical, given the direction in which he's been leading.  The best of what we've experienced since he's been president?  Oh, that's not so difficult to achieve.  The best of what this nation in its entire history has experienced?  ...I don't see it happening during the next four years, based on his performance to date. 

Obama also said something (typically platitudinous) about how this election proved that we're not so sharply divided as some have tried to say-- that this election proves that we are the United States.  (*pause for mindless cheering*)  Um, have you seen the numbers?  You might have won, but vote against vote, it was a narrow victory.  Nearly half the country wanted you out of the office, sir.  I think you need to recognize that fact... and possibly consider what it means.  Half of this country doesn't like the job you've done or the way you've done it-- but I know it's too much to ask for you to contemplate altering course.  Let me guess: This was a mandate?  *shrug*

Well, better buckle in tight for another four years.

We Voted!

We voted this morning.  It was Donald's first time voting in an American election. 

(He was surprised by the lack of "voting booths".  Yes, that is kind of weird, I guess.  On TV, at least, there are always curtained booths protecting the sacred voting machines from prying eyes.  Our local polling place just provides circular tables that seat four each; there are no partitions at all. And instead of pushing a button or pulling a lever, you fill in arrows and feed the page through a machine.  ...Then the machine beeps at you and you're done. (g))

...Now it's just a matter of waiting, hoping, praying.

Don't forget to vote-- but only if you're voting Republican.  ;o)
(Hey, someone has to balance out those bloggers begging their readers to vote for Obama.)

Voter Fraud of the Worst Kind

Concerns raised over possible exploitation of mentally disabled voters.

Jimmy Green's stepdaughter had never voted before. The 57-year-old is mentally disabled, and Green said she doesn't understand the concept of casting a ballot.

But this week, she called her parents to say she had voted for President Obama. The care home in Fayetteville where she lives registered its residents to vote and drove them to the polls, Green said.

"My concern is that somebody told her who to vote for," he said. "She didn't even know there's two different parties."

 That is just sickening. 

Unions Are GREAT.

Non-Union Alabama Utility Workers Denied Entry into New Jersey

Makes perfect sense.  Because non-union workers wouldn't be able to help get power back to people suffering after Sandy.

We live in hurricane country (obviously), and we know firsthand what it's like to go without electricity for days at a time.  It's pretty miserable.  You can't turn on your electric stove/microwave to cook a real meal.  Your frozen and refrigerated food goes bad quickly (and even before it does so, you're almost afraid to open the door and let the cold out, in case the power comes back "in time"), so you're left with shelf-stable food and whatever you might be able to fit into a cooler.  You don't have hot water for cleaning yourself or your dishes, laundry, etc.  (If you get your water from your own well, like we do, you can't even run any fresh water and have to rely on what you stockpiled before the storm hit, unless you have friends or family with water/electricity who can help.)  You don't have climate control.  (For us, that means sweltering without A/C; for many in the Northeast, this time, it means no heating.)  Obviously your lights don't work, and your entertainment and links to the outside world are cut back severely.  It's amazing how many of our routines and comforts depend on electricity-- and how cut off from normal life you feel without it.

Some people in New Jersey could've had their electricity back a day or two (or more) faster, if non-union workers from other states were allowed to pitch in and help.  Now they'll just have to suffer a little bit longer.  That's fine, so long as the unions are happy.



ETA:
For posterity's sake... ;o)

In the days after I posted this, there was some push-back on this story.  To put it briefly, I'm unsure of the accuracy of the story.  Honestly, at this point-- and in light of subsequent events (read: the reelection of Obama and the coming end of this country as we know it, ha ha, well, maybe not so funny), I don't care enough either way to really look into it.

Whatevs.  (As they say.)

Redistribution of Wealth

It's Halloween!

Have you seen this video?



(Description of video in case it's no longer available at some point in the future: In a demonstration of the unfairness of wealth redistribution, a man sets up a "booth" with a hidden camera at a Trunk-or-Treat and attempts to redistribute candy among children.)

Unless the parents were already in on the "prank", I think he's lucky an adult didn't step up and confront him!  (To be fair, he did apparently give all the kids he "pranked" a bunch of candy to make up for the redistribution/frustration...)