I don’t think it’s possible to express how little I’m interested in fighting the Mommy Wars again. Seriously. Do not want. To fight this. As wastes of breath go, only discussing which candidate you’d like to have a beer with ranks lower.
Been there, done that. Absolutely an argument without a point that brings out the worst in everyone. Won’t do it, can’t do it. Whatever works in your family is the right way to do it. Shut up about my choice, and I’ll shut up about yours.
And with that — a few thoughts about women and politics — it seems appropriate to segue into the news of the day, which is that our own Moe appears to be leaving us. See details on her blog. I’m frankly astonished. She’s been such a vivid, opinionated part of our community, and among her Facebook circle, and has been posting — not about her illness, but about the world outside of it — with regularity until just the last couple of days.
It seems the best thing to do now is simply wish her well as she starts the next part of her journey.
But also, some links:
Rep. Benishek’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad town-hall meeting:
At one point, the discussion turned to health care reform. Benishek, who served as a medical doctor before he was elected to Congress in 2010, was thrust onto the national stage after his predecessor Bart Stupak cast the deciding vote in favor of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. He told the audience that the United States has the best health care system in the world, before he was literally laughed at by several attendees.
“We have the highest life spans in the world,” argued Benishek. Several women in the audience quickly pointed out that in fact, many countries with universal health care place higher than the United States in terms of life expectancy, including Canada, Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands. The United States ranks 50th, just behind South Korea and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“I don’t believe that’s true,” said Benishek. “How can you not know that, you’re a medical doctor?” one woman replied.
John Edwards’ terrible, horrible, no good, very bad life:
No one close to Edwards disputes the obvious: The unrelenting quiet is an indication of just how far he has fallen. Especially around Chapel Hill and the Edwardses’ former home in nearby Raleigh, several longtime friends privately say that they want nothing to do with him; that they felt personally betrayed by his persistent lies during the period when he desperately sought to cover up his affair.
The antipathy toward him around these parts shows no signs of abating. He spends considerably less time in popular Chapel Hill haunts that once — in his days as a stunningly successful trial lawyer and overnight political star — accorded him golden-boy status. At Spanky’s restaurant, near the University of North Carolina Law School (where he and Elizabeth met in a class), his portrait has been removed from the wall, replaced by one of Elizabeth. Three years ago, with the scandal at its height, he ate lunch with an elderly couple at crowded Foster’s Market, a popular cafe in town where he looked at ease in Bermuda shorts and a T-shirt. As he left, patrons hissed at him. “It was more than audible; it was loud,” a witness recalls. “He kept walking toward the door as if he didn’t hear or see anything.”
The end of the stick shift as we know it? Or maybe not. From my hubs’ section.
And with that, let’s all hold a good thought for Moe, eh?
Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on April 13, 2012 at 6:45 am
Grace and peace to Moe, and to her family. Also waiting and praying with a 92 year old uncle of mine at the same time on the same road.
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Linda said on April 13, 2012 at 7:00 am
Moe’s daughter was kind to let us know what’s going on. When my mom was dying a couple of months ago my sister, her caregiver, called all the people on Mom’s cellphone contacts and tell them that her phone was being shut off, and that she was on the last mile of her journey. Everybody knew that mom was dying, but those last conversations were tough. It was hard for everybody to absorb that it was really near the end.
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Suzanne said on April 13, 2012 at 7:29 am
Truly, peace and comfort to Moe.
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Deborah said on April 13, 2012 at 7:35 am
It is wonderful that as recently as a couple of weeks ago Moe, you were able to travel to Fort Lauderdale and enjoy time walking in the sand on the beach. I thought of you through the night, every time I woke up I checked this site to see who else had commented about you. We will miss you here.
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Julie Robinson said on April 13, 2012 at 8:23 am
Moe, thank you for your intelligence and fierceness no matter what the enemy, be it injustice or cancer. Peace to you and solace to your family.
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Dorothy said on April 13, 2012 at 8:44 am
I’ve been reading Moe’s updates and felt very helpless – about what to say to her, and about *&#$)%^cancer in general. I hope you know we all admire you greatly, Moe. I’d be there holding your hand for a bit if I could.
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beb said on April 13, 2012 at 8:52 am
There are so many people here that I would love to meet; moe was always at the top of the list.
The headline about stick-shift cars was a little confusing in that the article was about at least one model of car that was bucking the trend towards automatic transmissions. You can’t drive a stick and txt at the same time so in that respect sticks are a good thing. Until a wheel fell off I owed a three-cylinder Geo Metro. 50 mpg. Seriously. It had a 5 speed stick trans. For a car with only three cylinders it seemed very peppy. The car I have now has four cylinders, an auto trans, gets 30 mpg and drives sluggishly. This is progress?
For the longest time I could not accept the idea that John Edwards had had an affair or had a kid from that affair? He seemed so right on so much of the politics of the day. As the reality sinks in I can see why people have come to shun Edwards. He has fallen a long way from grace.
It would appear that the Tea Party revolution have come full circle with Benishek’s hilariously confrontational Tall Hall meeting. Instead of cranky people calling for getting government out of medicine (except for their medicare) we now have people educating their dumb-ass representatives on what constitutes good health care.
While leads into the comments found on a Yahoo news feature about baboons that have learned to recognize words (for rewards). The first commenter said they can read, which the article clearly said that they can’t. So much for commenter #1’s ability to read. Then followed a depressing literary of “They’re smarter than….” – Detroit Public school students, members of congress, etc. There are times when the level of ifnorance displayed in this country is so great that I come to doubt that the average IQ is 100. (Even though I know that by definition 100 is the average of all IQs…)
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adrianne said on April 13, 2012 at 8:57 am
I shudder to think how close Democrats came to nominating, well, let’s not put too fine a point on it – a sociopath. Edwards’ tale of creepiness continues to astound me, at least. Thank God for the National Enquirer on this one.
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nancy said on April 13, 2012 at 8:59 am
True, Beb, the Ford Focus in the story is bucking the trend, but the rest of the autosphere seems to be fading. Bummer. I was under the impression a stubborn 10 percent insisted on sticks, but it’s more like 4 percent.
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coozledad said on April 13, 2012 at 9:15 am
Edwards took compartmentalization to an extreme anyway. If anyone can give less of a fuck about isolation, it’s a guy who lied on a historical scale.
That said, Spanky’s in Chapel Hill is the kind of place reserved for a special handful of douches who have elevated Chapel Hill Smug to an art form. Imagine a pussy fart as played on a cor d’anglais, and you’ve got an idea of the vibe.
They’re the kind of folks who’d ask for a picture of you so they could put it up on the wall and take it down, or turn it facing the wall.
Am I bitter about trying to get lunch there while not dressed in the obligatory deckwear, but a suit and tie ? Not so much as ashamed I walked in there knowing what kind of sacks walk in there to make preppy noises at each other. I thought they might have had some “food” there.
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Sue said on April 13, 2012 at 9:23 am
I’ve been a part of this group for a long time. The good things about belonging here are obvious. The bad thing is saying goodbye to friends you’ve never actually met. I’ll be sending good thoughts to Moe and thinking about Ashley and Whitebeard and how important this community is to me.
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Prospero said on April 13, 2012 at 9:49 am
The Greatest Health Care System in the world also posts a sorry ass number for infant mortality. More of the GOPer preference for the preborn over the postborn, I guess. In 2008, the USA was 48th, trailing Cuba by nine spots, according t the CIA World Factbook. Ain’t that exceptional.
Dispiriting news about Moe. And good wishes to her. Her visual representation of the effect of her pain meds on her blog is typically witty. I decided a long time ago, I’m opting for acid and heroin dissolved in Golden Grain, with stout back when the time comes.
Standard transmissions increase gas mileage, I thought. I loathe automatic transmissions. I’m getting one of those backward trike murdercycles, on which you still have to shift gears.
Aside from his failures as a human being, Edwards was a pathetic excuse for a VP running mate for Kerry. It was his job to go after the shameless Swift Boaters with a vengeance (which should have been a piece of cake), and he failed mightily to do anything of the sort. Gutless wonder.
Anybody else having a difficult time picturing coozledad in a suit and tie? And in the long run, isn’t Chapel Hill just one end of Tobacco Road?
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LAMary said on April 13, 2012 at 9:52 am
I guess we all knew it was coming but it still hurts to hear about Moe. She was so good at fighting to get the best care and to live her life as fully as possible right up to the end. Go in peace, Moe. I’ll miss you.
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Dave said on April 13, 2012 at 9:54 am
I was thinking of Ashley and Whitebeard myself. So sad to learn of Moe’s decline, I never understand, she’s accomplished, smart, only 59, I believe, where’s the justice in that? I wish I could send her family comfort. It’s so hard.
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velvet goldmine said on April 13, 2012 at 9:57 am
I am very sorry to hear about Moe. I don’t pipe up here that often, but I know she was a generous spirit and a spirited writer.
I agree with you, Nancy, about Mommy wars — just not sure what brought that on. I am probably missing something obvious.
…Actually, I am not entirely sure they are totally pointless in the early years, depending in the level of civility in the debate. Perhaps these seemingly endless discussions help us define who we are as parents and reaffirm our commitment to whatever half-assed thing we think is so important at the time? That, in turn, helps us keep paying attention to our kids’ well-being. It’s a theory anyway.
It’s certainly true that those who take it too far and spew rage at someone just because she is “pro-vax” or “anti-circ” is more venom than the world needs.
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Joe Kobiela said on April 13, 2012 at 10:14 am
My 201 focus is a 6 speed automatic and we love it. Have seen 40plus MPG and avarage in the mid 30’s.
Peace to Moe.
Pilot Joe
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Connie said on April 13, 2012 at 10:34 am
Thinking of you Moe, did this with my mother some 20 years ago and it’s hard. And I agree with Sue about how important this community is to me. I’m certainly not a top commenter, but I’m here and I’m glad that you are all here with me.
In other news we spent yesterday on the highway as we went to Elkhart and closed on the sale of our house there, said house having been for sale since October 2010. It made me feel very old to realize that my first thought upon seeing the buyers was “my, they’re young.” But it’s a relief to have that done at last.
I would like to get to Henry Ford to see Titanic exhibit, but probably won’t go there for the 3D IMAX version of the movie. So if any of you are heading up there, I’m not too far away out here in the west end of exurban Detroit. Brian, perhaps we could have a second get together, this time somewhere a little more upscale that Taco Bell.
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Prospero said on April 13, 2012 at 10:38 am
God is pissed off at Tejas again. I think it’s that goobernator.
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MichaelG said on April 13, 2012 at 10:39 am
May things be peaceful and pain free, Moe. I’ve admired you for several years for several reasons. I’m going to miss your wonderful comments.
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Heather said on April 13, 2012 at 10:55 am
Thinking of Moe and her family and friends.
I bought my first stick shift about a year and a half ago and I love it. I’ll never go back (unless they stop making them). When I drive an automatic now, it’s weird. And to think I once had a near-panic attack on a steep Italian country road trying to shift into first.
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Scout said on April 13, 2012 at 10:56 am
My heart goes out to Moe and her family. She has always been a favorite of mine here at nn.c.
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Scout said on April 13, 2012 at 11:09 am
I think Nancy’s Mommy Wars comments may have to do with this:
http://tbogg.firedoglake.com/2012/04/12/the-umbrage-game/
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Kim said on April 13, 2012 at 11:11 am
We’re all terminal, but it’s hard to think about missing Moe’s quick wit and insightful commentary, enjoyed here for so long. Best to her and her family on the rest of the journey.
I’ve been driving a stick since I learned to drive under extreme duress and a Villa Avenue hill that seemed to be sucking me into the cars behind me until I realized it was now or never. We’ve had manual trans on a truck, a sporty car and a family sedan and I swear if I could’ve gotten one on my van I would have.
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Judybusy said on April 13, 2012 at 11:21 am
I, too, am so sad to hear about Moe. Like many here, I will miss your quick qit and insights. I come to nnc every day and read most of the comments, so it’s a signficant part of my online life. I hope you sleep well, dear Moe!
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Jeff Borden said on April 13, 2012 at 11:25 am
I hope I’ll be as dignified and classy as Moe when my time draws near. I’ve no idea what the afterlife holds, but if anyone deserves a good one, it would be Moe.
My love of manual transmissions springs from learning to drive on one and owning a succession of five-speed Accords which were an absolute blast to drive. The manual served me very well when Charlotte, N.C. was buried under a foot of snow. My little Honda served as a limousine/bus/taxi to native Southerners who’d never had to negotiate that kind of snowfall.
I have no beef with Ann Romney, who seems much nicer and more spontaneous than her husband, but it’s hard to believe she didn’t have considerable help raising her kids given her wealth. I’d like to introduce her to a couple of my students at the community college including one young woman in her mid-20s who is single and juggling two toddlers, two jobs and her studies. She understands what it’s like to struggle in ways most of us cannot imagine.
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Maggie Jochild said on April 13, 2012 at 11:31 am
I am just plain angry about Moe dying. It sucks. Especially how she is dying. Such an unfair end for someone who always worked as hard as she could to see the good in things. She should not have it this hard.
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brian stouder said on April 13, 2012 at 11:33 am
Driving a stick in a locality where it snows is a very good thing. And lately, the new Ford Focus has been turning my head; it seems to me that they have captured the cool-factor that the Mini Cooper has. So, good ol’ Ford offers a hot’n-sexy-yet-sensible car that fits our times, and with panache; praise be!
And speaking of sexy-yet-sensible panache, this blog certainly exudes that every day, and Moe is one of the pillars. One of my guilty pleasures (up here in the cheap seats) is when this-or-that troll pops in and spouts shit, and then Moe unsheathes her (considerable!) intellectual sword and slices and dices the thing into niblets, all in a sentence or two (and usually with a supporting link). As everyone has said, here’s wishing all the best to Moe and her family and loved ones *
And not to put too fine a point on it, but the well-funded Mitt Romney operation could save a lot of money by simply bookmarking Nancy’s site, and paying attention to all the intelligent women in addition to Moe who post here every day.
And Connie – you are ON! We’re likely tied up for another month, but I’m still working on getting a plan together to revisit the Henry Ford (et al), and see the Titanic display
*As an aside, here at work, a fellow who has been here for more than 40 years is now at the end of his life, and still able to communicate. His family and he were addressing the question whether to resuscitate or not, and he suggested that his sons should vote on it. (reportedly, after a stunned few seconds, this produced a hearty laugh all around!).
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Jimmie Cracked Thornes said on April 13, 2012 at 11:53 am
And of course, by this time you should know that “50th in life expectancy” meme is a result of how the US classifies premee deaths and stillborne deaths as deaths, unlike the rest of the world.
We calculate that which qualifies as “life” differently here.
But don’t let facts get in the way of a good narrative.
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Sue said on April 13, 2012 at 12:02 pm
Jimmie Honey,
Today is not the day to show up here. Really. Today we are a community of friends that does not include you.
Go away.
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brian stouder said on April 13, 2012 at 12:04 pm
See?
Now if I had my druthers, Moe would glide in right about now, and decimate #28 with an easy grace
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alex said on April 13, 2012 at 12:09 pm
The only thing more contrived than Ann Romney’s umbrage is her husband’s conservatism. She owns numerous homes staffed by dozens of servants and I’d be surprised if she ever changed a diaper. Nuts to Ann Romney, her motherhood and her apple pie that somebody else made.
And yay for manny trannies! I wanted a stick in my Toyota truck but could only get one in a stripped-down model without a crew cab. A month after I purchased it, they came out with a sport model with both a crew cab and a stick. Hope they still have such a thing next time I need a new truck, but this is a Toyota, after all, so it’s not likely to be anytime soon.
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Prospero said on April 13, 2012 at 12:23 pm
Jimmie. Starting two weeks before conception, right?
http://www.allgov.com/Top_Stories/ViewNews/Arizona_Bill_Declares_Life_Begins_before_Conception_120413
And Premature babies don’t count. Why those are the born preborn, which GOPers ought to value most. If those preemies aren’t really viable at birth, what does that say about “prolife” arguments? Reechoing the echo chamber is not exactly convincing. The stat I quoted was one reported by the CIA. Your argument is a common one from the rightwing, but nobody ever seems to back it up with any sort of evidence. My dad was a pediatrician before he went to Law School, and he was hardcore anti-abortion, and he said this “measure differently” argument was bullshit eyewash that by its nature was detrimental to the anti-abortion cause. I think I’ll buy my dad’s expertise over your nonsense without proof. Actally, what you are talking about is third trimester fetuses delivered live, kept alive by incredibly expensive heroic medical efforts, and doomed from birth to never make a first birthday.
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coozledad said on April 13, 2012 at 12:49 pm
Stay at home moms are the best, unless the bitches are garnishing your check to buy chronic! Keep it classy, daddy party!
http://wonkette.com/469753/bummed-out-iowa-republican-withdraws-amendment-to-drug-test-any-moms-who-get-child-support#more-469753
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Ann said on April 13, 2012 at 12:59 pm
So sorry about Moe, and so grateful for introducing us to her, Nancy.
I’m glad some yoopers went after Benishek. I can’t wait for people to start asking him about his Herman Cain endorsement.
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Jolene said on April 13, 2012 at 1:13 pm
Somewhere, I read that Ann Romney raised her kids without nannies or cooks, but did have a once-a-week cleaner. I believe not only because they weren’t always as rich as they are now (although I know they were never poor) but also because Mitt is said to be incredibly cheap.
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Watson said on April 13, 2012 at 1:26 pm
Constant lurker here, popping my head up to wish Moe peace and light and an easy journey after these many hard months.
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nancy said on April 13, 2012 at 1:30 pm
Jolene’s version sounds more like reality than Jeff’s, and knowing that class of people the way I do, it sounds about right. Mitt worked at the office, Ann worked at home, that was their deal. Their vast wealth came later in life, along with the car elevator.
That’s why I don’t want to restart the Mommy Wars, because this is a decision that EVERY SINGLE FAMILY GETS TO MAKE FOR THEMSELVES.
But. I feel the same way about Ann’s “struggles” as I did listening to a woman who used to have a radio show in Fort Wayne. She was the wife of a successful doctor, and was always rhapsodizing about their salad-days poverty, when she reused foil and made meals out of eggs, etc., and why can’t these poor people today do what she did? Just once, I want someone to acknowledge that when your last name is “Romney,” (or “Bush,” or “Kennedy,” or people address you as “doctor”) and your father was the former governor of Michigan and CEO of a major automotive manufacturer, your early-adulthood poverty is not the same as everyone else’s. You have a very wide, very elastic net underneath you, and no matter how hard you fall, you are always, always going to come bouncing back. That sucker is made out of Kevlar, and even if you make a million bad decisions, you will stretch the net for a beat, and then soar back, into a Malibu rehab center, a sharky lawyer’s office, whatever. Someone will be there to help you. Always.
That is what people like young Mitt and Ann know, starting life. It informs every decision they make, every risk they take. That, not the presence of nannies or cooks or other staff, is what divorces her from everyone else’s reality. And she’ll never admit it.
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Prospero said on April 13, 2012 at 1:50 pm
Today is the tenth anniversary of the Great Chicago Flood.
It’s also the birthday of Seamus Heaney. Not Yeats but close, and a great Irish poet:
http://www.ibiblio.org/ipa/poems/heaney/casualty.php,
and produced the greatest rendition of Beowulf ever in modern English.
And the Romney’s do in fact employ a large number of domestics at the Belmont manse, including, famously, the undocumented alien landscrapers. To news of whose presence Willard responded hilariously “I can’t have them here, I’m running for President.” Phony POS.
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DellaDash said on April 13, 2012 at 1:54 pm
Wishing you comfort and peace, Moe.
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nancy said on April 13, 2012 at 1:55 pm
I’m sure they have many servants now. I’m equally sure they had few, or none, then. Their children were born in over a 17-year period, with the last one arriving in 1981.
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LAMary said on April 13, 2012 at 2:14 pm
That’s it exactly. Young Mitt and Ann never had to seriously worry about things going bad. It makes a big difference if you know you’ll never be out on the street no matter what happens or that you will always be able to go to the doctor without worrying about the bill.
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Ellie said on April 13, 2012 at 2:20 pm
I’m delurking to express my sadness at the news about Moe and wish her peace and freedom from pain. I’ve enjoyed her witty and charming comments here and at other sites. Much too young …
Funny what a concentration of stick shift drivers there is here. You ARE my people.
Regarding the Romneys’ young adult “poverty,” I think they truly believe that this time for them was *exactly* the same as that for someone who grew up actually poor.
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Rana said on April 13, 2012 at 2:22 pm
Oh, Moe. You will be missed.
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Dorothy said on April 13, 2012 at 2:22 pm
If he was working and she was able to stay at home without it negatively affecting their ability to pay the bills, they were already way ahead of many, many families. I was able to do that in 1983 after my first child was born, but had also inherited some money from my husband’s great aunt, and we supplemented our monthly income with some of that every month until he got his college degree after going to night school for about a dozen years. As usual, Nancy (and Mary) said it perfectly.
And … we have a 5 year old Chevy truck that is manual transmission and I parked it after lunch today and only stalled it once.(I blame the stall on an impatient person driving up too close to me.) It was a narrow spot between two parked cars and I was damn lucky to even find a spot, let alone one that involved some tricky maneuvering. Lots going on at the college today so parking is at a premium.
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Sherri said on April 13, 2012 at 2:24 pm
Comfort for Moe, and for her family.
I like driving a manual transmission, but haven’t owned one in quite a while. Once we had the kid, manual transmissions gave way to the dreaded minivan for soccer carpools. Maybe now that the kid is soon out the door to college, the manual transmission will make its way back into my life. I have to admit, though, I’ve had cause to be grateful for automatic transmission the last few years, since it’s easier to manage automatic transmission when you have one arm (broken wrist, broken hand) or leg (torn ACL) out of commission.
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Rana said on April 13, 2012 at 2:26 pm
Shifting gears…. (pause for eyerolls) I suspect that at least part of the decline in shift-stick cars is due to the expanding effects of people who don’t know how to use them. I learned early on (first car in high school was a VW Bug) and my current car is a manual Civic, and I’d keep driving manuals as long as I could. But! My husband does not know how to drive stick, and has shown no interest in learning, ever. So, in effect, we are a one-car family, with a hobby car for me – not practical. Thus, even though I like manual-shifts, and would preferentially choose one if we ever buy another car, it won’t happen.
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Deborah said on April 13, 2012 at 2:44 pm
I’m a life long stick shifter, since I was 14. Have never owned an automatic. I hate the rental cars we get on trips because they’re always automatics.
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Heather said on April 13, 2012 at 2:56 pm
Rana, I was amused a few months ago when I took my Honda Fit in for an oil change and the guy checking me in said, “Leave the keys . . . oh, wait a minute, I have to check to see if anyone here can drive a stick shift.” At the Jiffy Lube!
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Dorothy said on April 13, 2012 at 2:59 pm
When my son was struggling to learn to drive the manual transmission truck we owned when he was a senior in high school, his godmother told him “Josh, it might be difficult now, but when you finally do accomplish it, you’re the Coolest Person in the World!” She was right, and I think of that phrase sometimes when I’m zipping along and happily shifting, especially on the big-ass hills of Pittsburgh when we visit.
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Jolene said on April 13, 2012 at 3:06 pm
Listening to Mitt pander to the NRA right now. This man CANNOT become president.
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Prospero said on April 13, 2012 at 3:25 pm
Mitt claimed to be an avid hunter to boost some NRA bona fides back in 2008. When asked what he hunted, the stilted dumbass said “Varmints”.
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Suzanne said on April 13, 2012 at 3:27 pm
I stayed home with my kids when they were little and worked only part time for years while they were growing up, and I would never consider that I have anything in common with Mrs. Romney except the knowledge that raising kids is hard work. But I worried every day about balancing the need for money to keep food on the table with my wanting to be there for my kids. Mrs. Romney reminds me so much of a wealthy relative of mine. Hard working, intelligent, and all those good things, but she makes no distinction between “I choose not to spend my money on X,Y, or Z” and “I have no money to spend on X,Y, and Z” In her world, it’s all the same because you didn’t buy X,Y, or Z.
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MichaelG said on April 13, 2012 at 3:34 pm
It was assuredly more frustrating and patience fraying teaching my daughter to drive in a stick (the old ’68 Vee Dub). But it was worth it. Her first car was a three banger Metro with a stick. Her ex-hubby still has it. My ex has a four banger Metro and a PT Cruiser, both stick. My Honda is auto but my old ’70 F-250, which I just sold, had a manual tranny. Definitely more fun to drive than an auto and more engaging.
I think everyone should learn to drive one. Rana’s situation is a perfect example. What if she hurts a leg and hubby needs to take her to the E-Room?
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Jeff Borden said on April 13, 2012 at 3:40 pm
I certainly hope little Jimmie the Cracked never has to negotiate American health care without a nice, fat insurance policy tucked in his back pocket. Last week, my doctor gave me my physical and revealed he had been in a terrible bicycle accident while in the Galapagos Islands with his kids. He was flying down a hill, hit an unmarked speed bump and went flying. His nose was broken so badly he’s on his fourth surgery, his right wrist was shattered and his pinky finger on the right hand was bent 90 degrees in the wrong direction. (He showed me photos on his damned smart phone.) Had he not been wearing a helmet, I’d be looking for a new doctor. He was taken to Ecuador, where they treated all of his injuries, set his bones and used all the same medical gear you’d expect including MRIs, X-rays, etc.
His bill for four days in the hospital including surgeries? $7,700. My bill for 26 hours in the hospital including my prostate surgery? $79,883.
So Jimmie? Take a few gross of tongue depressors and pound them up your ass, you fucking jerk.
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Prospero said on April 13, 2012 at 3:58 pm
Trucks are meant to have three speeds on the steering column.
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brian stouder said on April 13, 2012 at 4:07 pm
I believe that’s “3 on the tree” (as opposed to “4 on the floor”)
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Bob (Not Greene) said on April 13, 2012 at 4:35 pm
And that’s why I like Jeff Borden. Gold.
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DellaDash said on April 13, 2012 at 4:55 pm
Even with their nice fat cushion of wealth and choice, there’s one thing the Romneys can’t afford…to acknowledge that they’re in any way out of touch with the peasantry…er, plebians…um, hoi polloi. Their only move is to…zugzwang your partner, do-si-do, allemande left and spin, spin, spin.
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LAMary said on April 13, 2012 at 5:25 pm
My kid went over the handle bars and broke his jaw. The bills I saw added up to over 11k and he didn’t have any hospital stay at all. My insurance covered all but 75 dollars. I will never badmouth an HMO.
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Colleen said on April 13, 2012 at 5:33 pm
Peace and light to Moe.
A fan of the stick shift myself. My husband has my former vehicle, which is a stick, and he hates it. I miss it. Keeps you on your toes. And is one of those things not too many people can do these days…..
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ROGirl said on April 13, 2012 at 6:04 pm
My thoughts are with Moe. I raise my glass to you.
Can you picture George and Mitt huntin’ varmints in the wilds of Bloomfield Hills? Musta bagged a Caddy or 2. Now there’s someone who has less in common with the average NRA member than just about anyone you could think of. Really? The Republicans are going to end up with this guy?
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MichaelG said on April 13, 2012 at 6:07 pm
My ’70 F-250 had a four speed with a floor shift. A great big long substantial thing with a huge black knob. First gear was a granny so it really only had three usable gears. It had a 390 and would do 60 mph up the hill to Auburn empty and 60 mph up the hill to Auburn with 3000 lb of tile, thinset, grout and backerboard. Also 60 mph down the hill from Auburn. It was a great truck but I simply have no need for it and it was just sitting. Last thing I had with three on the tree was a ’62 Falcon wagon. I’d love to have it back.
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Deborah said on April 13, 2012 at 6:13 pm
I had a series of MGs, 3 in a row and they all had the cutest stick shifts that had wooden knobs on them. Besides being cute cars they were a pain in the ass, always in the shop. Finally when the Miata came out I got one immediately, traded in my last MG. That Miata was such a reliable car, I loved it, but I’m having a hard time remembering what the gear shift looked like, I think just all black plastic.
And Michael G. when I was in highschool I drove a beige 62 Falcon sedan. It had been my Dad’s and my sister and I inherited it when we we got our licenses. It had plastic bench seats, no air or radio. Basic transportation. My Dad sold it in 72 after I graduated from College and he got $500 for it. Not bad for a car that old back then, it was immaculate (he was a mechanic).
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LAMary said on April 13, 2012 at 6:32 pm
Until I got my current car I had only stick shift. I would love to get stick in the next car, if possible.
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Bill said on April 13, 2012 at 6:36 pm
I’ve sent a lot of prayers out to Moe over the past months. Peace to her and her family.
Deborah: Like you, I had an English convertible sportscar–a TR7. I loved working the manual transmission when the car ran. It was a real dog. Conked out on the Ike several times. Both of my kids learned to use the stick shift on it, though, so when we went to Italy this year, my daughter handled our rental car like a pro. Just asking. Were you walking south on Boul Mich yesterday afternoon about 1 p.m. near the Apple store? I was walking behind a white haired lady who I thought could be you, but was way too hesitant to ask, “are you Deborah?”
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Rana said on April 13, 2012 at 6:38 pm
MichaelG, I agree, though we do have an answer to that question: we drive his car. This is why I described my car as a “hobby car”; functionally, because of his inability to drive it, the only time it gets driven is when I’m going somewhere by myself, or when we need to transport something large (it’s a hatchback). Since we’ve moved to the big city last fall, with things close by and good public transit, it’s been driven only once, and that was to get its plates. We’ll see how long we can justify keeping it.
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Deborah said on April 13, 2012 at 6:49 pm
Bill, you should have stopped me. I walk home for lunch nearly every day so it is very likely that I was walking past the Apple store on Mich Ave yesterday at around 1 pm on my way back to work. I was wearing a light tan leather jacket and blue jeans yesterday and I was probably rudely walking as fast as I could. I would love to meet a NN.C commenter in person someday.
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4dbirds said on April 13, 2012 at 7:21 pm
So sorry about Moe. I loved her comments. I wish I’d have met her in real life.
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Sherri said on April 13, 2012 at 7:23 pm
My dad used to have a Ford F150 pickup with three on the tree and no power steering back when I was in college. That thing was a bear to drive, trying to manage the clutch and brace myself so I could turn the thing.
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Jolene said on April 13, 2012 at 8:19 pm
Interesting data point: Who are the stay-at-home moms these days? People whose education doesn’t allow them to earn enough money to justify the cost of work outside the home.
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Deborah said on April 13, 2012 at 8:36 pm
OT but interesting. I’m not sure what to make of it but it was on one of the design blogs I read, Swissmiss: http://dashes.com/anil/2011/07/if-your-websites-full-of-assholes-its-your-fault.html
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coozledad said on April 13, 2012 at 9:06 pm
The folks the Romneys run with:
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/04/mitt-romney-dog-problems-seamus-fred-malek.html
We don’t need any more Nixonian shite at the trough with a president of negligible intelligence and ability waiting on them.
HT/watertiger
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Catherine said on April 13, 2012 at 10:22 pm
Oh Moe, I hate this. You are a model of on-point and elegant commentary. Good luck and blessings on this stage of the journey.
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Cara said on April 13, 2012 at 10:55 pm
Wishing Moe and her family Light and Love. Praying for peace for all. She will be sorely missed.
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Dexter said on April 14, 2012 at 12:08 am
You folks recall how and why Moe is called Moe? It’s ironic we get an update from Moe’s daughter on the day the new Stooges come to theaters nationwide.
Vaya con Dios, Moe.
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David C. said on April 14, 2012 at 7:08 am
May peace be with you Moe. I hope if my life ends with such an illness that I handle it with even 1/10 the grace and grit that she has.
My wife and I drove cars with manual transmissions for about the first 10 years or so of our marriage. But we switched to automatics when we decided that it was stupid to buy new cars and we couldn’t find manuals in the used cars we wanted. When my wife had foot surgery, I was glad we had a slushbox and I’ll likely never own a manual again.
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alex said on April 14, 2012 at 8:41 am
moe’s moniker is her initials, I seem to recall.
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Jolene said on April 14, 2012 at 8:51 am
No, her name is Regina Cullen. Not sure why she chose that nickname.
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beb said on April 14, 2012 at 9:00 am
alex, I recall moe saying that moe was her favorite stooge. And her blog has this notice:
Copyright 2004 – 2012 H.Regina Cullen. All rights reserved.”
so I’m guessing HRC are her initials, not moe. As I wrote in the previous thread I had hoped that moe would be able to see the new stooges movie. And I still do.
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beb said on April 14, 2012 at 9:29 am
On the political front, Duncan Black, an economist who blogs as Atrios on Eschaton
is celebrating 10 yearsof blogging with a series on “The Decades’ Worst Person.” It’s currently up to #3 and is scheduled to conclude on the actual anniversary, Tuesday. It’s been an interesting read. His choices are hard to argue with and each wanker is given a long summation as to their wankery.
http://www.eschatonblog.com/2012/04/wanker-of-decade-runner-up-3.html
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coozledad said on April 14, 2012 at 11:09 am
Beb: I’m betting on Fred Hiatt for the gold, but encopretic neighborhood association contessa Cokie Roberts deserves it just as much.
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Prospero said on April 14, 2012 at 11:19 am
Is Cokie’s encopresis related to her coprophagy, cooze?
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coozledad said on April 14, 2012 at 11:38 am
I was going to say she should at least net some “long pig” award from pacific islanders, but there’s probably some ancient taboo about eating someone with visible symptoms of kuru.
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brian stouder said on April 14, 2012 at 12:10 pm
You know, I always believe in betting on “the good guys” when it comes to the safety of the President of the United States, but I find today’s news genuinely troubling.
The Secret Service that somehow allowed party crashers into a state dinner at the White House(!!) now gets caught with their pants down in a foreign nation??!!
What the hell is going on?
Leaving aside that they tried to stiff the prostitute(s?) when the bill came*, what does this say about their internal security, and the avoidance of liability to blackmail?
Easy puns aside, this story makes me doubt how serious these men are, about doing their duty and protecting our president. The word ‘treason’ begins to impress itself upon my consciousness
*And hey – I thought prostitutes always required payment in advance; sorta like going to the movies… yes?
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mark said on April 14, 2012 at 12:29 pm
Rest in peace, moe, and may God bless you and your family.
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Jolene said on April 14, 2012 at 12:29 pm
Moe is gone. I wouldn’t have thought it possible to feel such a huge sense of loss for someone I’d never met, but there it is, all the same. In addition to the communication that we all shared here, we played many, many games of Words with Friends, with lots of related good humor, not to mention our shared political perspectives. Only fifty-nine! Man, lung cancer is brutal.
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Deborah said on April 14, 2012 at 12:42 pm
Rest in peace, sweet Moe.
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Bill Rotz said on April 14, 2012 at 1:20 pm
…and our little life is rounded with a sleep.
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Prospero said on April 14, 2012 at 1:32 pm
Some second line; So long Moe. Mighty glad to know you a bit. (Awe-inspiring horn player.)
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Prospero said on April 14, 2012 at 2:00 pm
Requirements of ACA that benefit women that drive GOPers nuts. What they despise? It’s neither punitive nor judgemental.
Time for drug-testing TN legislators? Bet your ass. Or Rohrshachs. Some sick fracking pups. Of course, holding hands does get you turned in at BYU, under the university honor code. Like I said, sick pups.
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JWfromNJ said on April 14, 2012 at 3:24 pm
Godspeed Moe. You taught us all something about living with dignity and treating others with respect and the same dignity you projected.
I seem to recall her mentioning Battlestar Galactica at least once. I hope her passing was like President Roslin’s dream of the river – although so many people on this bank of the river love her and will miss her, I’d like to think there was a large gathering on the opposite bank. “So much life.”
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Bitter Scribe said on April 14, 2012 at 3:32 pm
You know where sticks will never die? Europe. I don’t think I ever saw an auto-trans car whenever I’ve been there.
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Deborah said on April 14, 2012 at 4:10 pm
Since it’s already a sad, sad day I will mention something else sad. That is I never realized before how animals can experience grief. Our surviving cat, the litter mate to the one we had to put to sleep, is bereft. At first she spent a lot of time frantically searching for her sister, she vocalizes a lot, way more than she ever did before. I take this to be crying or trying to tell us something is wrong. She is super clingy, always has been to some extent but now she constantly wants to be on my lap, I mean constantly. Again, I take this to be separation anxiety. I have read that this can take weeks, even months for them to get over. Also you have to watch out for depression, they can stop eating.
This made me think of Moes cute little pets Truffle and Scooter. I’m sure they will miss her too.
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Rana said on April 14, 2012 at 4:38 pm
Sad. My thoughts are with Moe’s family today.
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Prospero said on April 14, 2012 at 4:48 pm
My thoughts align with Maggie, as they frequently do. Too tough and too young to be leaving. This is driving me crazy. I once made an assholish omment about how I WAS REQDDING A BUNCH OF FEMAQLE NOVELISTW. i’m pretty wure but I COULDN’T SAY FOR SURE. NO SHIT? WHAT NON CO,POS MENTIS SAYS? I AM SMARTER THAN YOU ARE BY A MILE, BUT I’D NEVER MEAN TO POINT THAT OUT.
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Julie Robinson said on April 14, 2012 at 5:29 pm
It seems like the end came faster for Moe than anyone here expected, but maybe she didn’t share just how bad things were. Her pain is over, and what a blessing that all three of her kids could be there with her. And I just realized that we had name preferences in common; my kids are Sarah & Matthew, and hers are Sarah, Matthew, & Seth.
Deborah, your cat is honoring her sister with her grief, but it must be terribly painful to observe. I wish her solace, as I wish solace for everyone grieving today.
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4dbirds said on April 14, 2012 at 6:02 pm
Rest in peace Moe.
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LAMary said on April 14, 2012 at 6:14 pm
I think we were all lucky to know Moe. She was a very fine person.
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brian stouder said on April 14, 2012 at 6:27 pm
And indeed, my heart goes out to all of the people hereabouts, too, who cared about ‘moe99’. My experience on the internet dates back to around 1995, and it used to actually surprise me how very affecting the loss of a person with whom you’ve shared general thoughts with upon a blog can be.
Despite my initial impression, years ago, of the internet as something less than ‘real’ (“cyber” and “virtual” and “saw it on the internet” all still sound a little like euphemisms for artificial, or contrived, or make-believe, to my out-of-date ears), I have experienced losing an “internet friend” this way several times now, and the loss is all too real.
Jolene, your post (just above) choked me up(!); I could relate with what you were communicating. Julie’s comment about the swiftness of all this struck me, too, as did several folks who expressed admiration for the aplomb with which moe99/Regina dealt with the tangible approach of the end of her life.
Someday this website won’t exist anymore, and presumably when that comes to pass we’ll all more or less scatter here and there. But we’ll remember this place, and these days, and the marvelous people we’ve met and yapped with here, over the years (even way up here in the cheap seats)
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Sherri said on April 14, 2012 at 6:31 pm
From what I saw here, Moe lived her life until she died, and I could hope for nothing better when my time comes.
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derwood said on April 14, 2012 at 7:26 pm
Peace for Moe and her family.
-daron
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Prospero said on April 14, 2012 at 7:40 pm
I think I recall Moe suggesting Maria Doria Russell to me, who is an astounding wtiter of a Jesuit bent, Beyond Whatever I could contribute. Moe rocked, I never did, but but I found Moe wonderful, and on the odd occasion that She acknowledged my existence, I thought I wasn;t an asshole. Moe ruled. What whatever anybody anybody cared about
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Prospero said on April 14, 2012 at 7:44 pm
What Me cared about. And whatevever anybody says. Not my xonsideration, You bastards. Not what I’d say, What you’d consider You’d consider whatevever.
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Prospero said on April 14, 2012 at 7:44 pm
what would you care about?
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beb said on April 14, 2012 at 7:46 pm
Let us not say ‘good-bye’ let us say, “till later.”
Just came back from the Stooges movie. It was an excellent adaption of the shorts. There was a light plot to hold the slapstick together for 90 minutes. The gags were well timed and perfectly executed. The scene in the nursery with peeing babies was hilarious. I so wish Moe could have seen it.
Interestingly, the theater showed the movie in what must be their smallest auditorium, but there were more people in it then I have seen many other recent movies. I think this is going to do very well.
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Dorothy said on April 14, 2012 at 9:33 pm
My eyes are swimmy with tears and I feel so much sadder than I thought possible about someone whose hand I never shook. This seems so SO fast but Julie said what I was thinking – that she was sicker than we all knew. I miss you already, Regina.
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Cara said on April 14, 2012 at 10:59 pm
Thinking of Moe, I realized that there are friends here who have become part of my daily routine. Always check in, but may not post for weeks at a time. You have taught me, changed my mind more than once, made me laugh until I gasped for air, and challenged my thinking. These are the good times, thank you for them, and may they last forever. Peace be with you and yours.
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on April 14, 2012 at 11:56 pm
Until we meet again, Regina.
“To die will be an awfully big adventure.”
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MichaelG said on April 15, 2012 at 12:03 am
I sadly have to echo Dorothy @ 106. She describes me perfectly. Of course I knew Moe’s passing was at hand but the sudden reality was a bit of a surprise. I had come to like and admire Moe very much.
This whole electronic media thing is fairly new. I’ve been here and there on the internet for about fifteen years which doesn’t make me any kind of early guy but the whole thing still seems wondrous to me. At my age fifteen years really isn’t that much time but in those fifteen years or so I have observed and experienced things I would have never have dreamed of in my youth.
The connections I have made with people all over the world through the wonder of the net are amazing and are still a wonder to me. I felt I had come to know Moe – Regina – to some degree through her comments here at nn.c and at her blog. I was amused by her comments about her ex running for office in Washington, stirred by her pride in her children, impressed by her passion for justice and above all, taken with her strength and grace in coping with the horrible affliction that finally overcame her.
We’ve lost Moe and Ashley and Whitebeard. Somehow that seems, sad as it may be to say, just like a regular, in person, human community. I guess that’s life and I guess that it speaks to the wonderful community that nn.c has become. It’s because of wonderful people like Moe and Ashley and Whitebeard and all of the rest of you that nn.c has become a kind of second home to me.
Thank you, all of you, shit, even Dwight, for making this a second home for me. Tonight I’ll weep for Regina.
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Prospero said on April 15, 2012 at 2:00 am
I really like this poem and I really liked Moe, A lot.
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/cargoes/I'm an asshole enough to think she would have liked it too. If Moe was Regina, she had a perfect name. Queen. I am sad about an athlete died too young. A stunner. A wizad with words. A delight.
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Prospero said on April 15, 2012 at 2:06 am
To sleepp, to die, I wake to dream again. How we wish.
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Dexter said on April 15, 2012 at 2:36 am
Moe did indeed take her name from the meanest Stooge. Moe was from Defiance, Ohio, but she left there a long time ago and her most important and interesting comments were on the the world’s important issues, and she knew law and she was strong.
The new Stooges movie is playing here where I live, close enough to easily walk to for me, even with my cane that I use , but I didn’t go because my family spent the evening figuring out the best way to spring my grandson from the Angola , Indiana jail, where he spent a day and a night for not wearing a seatbelt in the backseat of a moving sedan automobile, and when ordered to do so, blew a 0.11 BAC and so was charged with public intoxication. Buckle up, I guess, huh? A C-note sprung him with a bail bondsman…ten C-notes would have eliminated the need for the bail bondsman, but who keeps a grand around the house?
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Prospero said on April 15, 2012 at 7:55 am
Dexter, good thing it isn’t Angola in LA, I have no interest in the Stooges movie, because the Farrelly Bros. are like the Kochs of movie comedy. Not remotely funny. And my cane serves me well. The Stooges were hilarious, and the great movie in their honor is “Home Alone”.
“Now, now, my good man, this is no time for making enemies.”
Said by: Voltaire when asked by a priest to renounce Satan.
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Prospero said on April 15, 2012 at 11:13 am
A C-note to the cops parbly would have forestalled the arrest in the first place. I keep a grand around the house.
Checking with Mrs. Willard first?
A favorite poem of mine for Moe99. Died too young, and me not soon enough. It had better be music, at least Savoy Brown good. And how we reconsider:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/debs_best/4890639531/
That is the greatest poem and the greatest epitaph ever written.
Go steady on the clutch.
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coozledad said on April 15, 2012 at 11:45 am
Straight from the interplanetary bicyclists’ mouth. Get a JOB, wimmens!
http://wonkette.com/469854/video-mitt-romney-enlists-in-the-war-on-stay-at-home-moms-if-they-are-poor-and-on-welfare#more-469854
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Prospero said on April 15, 2012 at 1:04 pm
Ronald Raygun on the Buffet rule. That flaming Kenyan socialist bastard. Oh my favorite, anti-colonial. Weren’t the sainted “Founding Fathers” anti-colonial?
From Moe’s blog, the Capatain, Don Van Vliet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XcdG_sXZjA
One of my favorite songs. Diddy waaah!
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Dexter said on April 15, 2012 at 1:34 pm
…love the Voltaire quote, prospero…here’s a good one from “Dr. Strangelove, or, How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” : “GENTLEMEN! You can’t fight in here! This is the WAR ROOM!”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAeqVGP-GPM
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paddyo' said on April 15, 2012 at 1:50 pm
What Cara said @ 107, word for word . . . and peaceful transition to Moe and hers
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paddyo' said on April 15, 2012 at 2:06 pm
And one more thing, from this long-lapsed Catholic and ex-seminarian:
As this is now Eastertide, the period of the church calendar from Easter to Pentecost, I’m reminded of a beloved and quite lovely little hymn, from my Roman Catholic childhood, for this time of year: “Regina Caeli” . . . literally, “Queen of Heaven.”
So for Moe — and for those of you who believe our own Regina is now “in caelo” — here’s the Latin, with an English translation:
Regina caeli laetare!
Alleluia
Quia quem meruisti portare,
Alleluia
Resurrexit,
Sicut dixit!
Alleluia
Ora pro nobis Deum,
Alleluia!
“Queen of Heaven, rejoice! Alleluia
For He whom you did merit to bear, Alleluia
Has risen, as He said! Alleluia
Pray for us to God, Alleluia!”
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Prospero said on April 15, 2012 at 2:45 pm
Roger Ailes is a flaming asshole.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YphIvJ8eZHA
How does anybody make an excuse for this pitiful shitheel?
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on April 15, 2012 at 4:32 pm
Paddyo’, that’s lovely.
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Prospero said on April 15, 2012 at 6:15 pm
paddyo’: You rock. And if I’ve been effusive regarding Moe99, it’s because I value all of you, although I despise using a noun as a verb. What a great bunch of people:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYsWChZ5rdA,, Jeff is well-mannered. Nancy is as nasty as promised. I’m an asshole and taking Moe’s death very hard. Younger than I. And more eloquent. I didn’t think that would happen.As we said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZndMjqFNTMo&feature=fvst
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Dexter said on April 15, 2012 at 7:02 pm
CBS Sunday Morning on The Stooges…
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7405486n&tag=contentMain;contentBody
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nancy said on April 15, 2012 at 7:04 pm
Nancy is as nasty as promised.
Oh? Gee, thanks.
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Judybusy said on April 15, 2012 at 8:14 pm
My thoughts are with Regina’s family. I, too, am sad for her too-soon passing and glad I was able to enjoy her company here.
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Dexter said on April 15, 2012 at 8:16 pm
Last night’s The Bryan Times, a pay-to-read online local paper, ran a story from 1998 about Ruth Becker, who was a Titanic survivor who was here in Bryan for three years of high school as her father was the preacher/pastor of The Old English Lutheran Church, right across the street from my house. This was the piece of the puzzle I could not find on the internet; she indeed went to Bryan High School and wrote an essay of the horrible night in April, 1912. I can’t copy or link it here, but this summation nearly captures what she witnessed. A local historian, Mark Kelly, found it in the 1916 Zeta Cordia Yearbook.
http://www.titanicuniverse.com/ruth-becker-titanic-survivor-story/1961
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Prospero said on April 15, 2012 at 9:42 pm
Oh. And it’s Jackie Robinson day. Greatest baseballer that ever lived. Five tools. edit: plus a couple.
And Nancy, you aren’t Mrs. Snark, when you want to be? It was meant as a compliment.
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brian stouder said on April 15, 2012 at 10:30 pm
So, Pam and I ‘Red-Boxed’ The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and the movie struck me as a pretty much incoherent mish-mash. Pam read the book, and at two critical junctures, I paused the movie and had her ‘splain what the hell was going on.
Granted, I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed, but that movie was lacking something. (clarity, for the most part). And indeed, the thing has some exceptionally rough parts. Our almost-14 year old expressed interest in seeing it, and my answer to her was “Nope”.
And then we watched Tower Heist, and for $1 (or whatever Red Box charges) it was OK, although I was hoping for more with the female FBI agent and the (former) building manager.
And now, Pam is obligated to watch Senna with me (I’ve been looking forward to a second go-round with that documentary), so we’ll see how that plays out.
One last thing; if you skipped Coozes’s link up there in 117, go back and click it. The article it links was superb. Apparently ol Mitt IS perfectly comfortable with the idea that a stay-at-home-mom has never really WORKED a day in her damned life – IF she’s on welfare!
But if she was fortunate enough to be born (or married) into the 1 percent club, as his lovely wife was, that’s entirely another damned thing. I am almost certain I will need this nugget at some point this week.
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Jolene said on April 15, 2012 at 10:52 pm
Brian, as Cooz’s post indicates, Chris Hayes unearthed the Romney “dignity of work” tape, and it’s been rocketing around the Internet today. Anything that shows another Romney flip-flop is, of course, popular.
Here’s Ezra Klein’s take, which is a bit more discursive than the Wonkette piece.
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Jolene said on April 15, 2012 at 11:15 pm
Have been looking at Moe’s Facebook page, where there are many lovely sentiments ans a few nice poems. I especially like this statement: I feel like we should be howling toward the heavens to let them know that Regina’s warrior soul is on its way.
Seems apt, doesn’t it?
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Bowditch said on April 15, 2012 at 11:39 pm
Aloha ‘oe, Moe. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrV-L9d0UYU
E kuʻu sweet lei poina ʻole, ea
Lei nani i ka wēkiu
E never fading bloom ia ʻoe, ea
E ku`u sweet lei poina ʻole, ea
Kuʻu pua kuʻu lei nani maeʻole, ea
Ke ola mau noa e kuʻu lei
Ke kali aku nei ia ʻoe, ea
E hoʻi mai kāua la e pili
E kuʻu sweet lei poina ʻole, ea
My sweet, unforgettable lei
The most beautiful of all
You are never fading
My sweet, unforgettable lei
My flower, my beautiful never fading lei
This lei is my life, my soul
I wait for you
Return and let us be together
My sweet, unforgettable lei
For those unfamiliar with Hawaiian tradition, in addition to being a flower garland, “lei” refers to a loved one, or treasured, cherished friend.
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