Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for/that:

1. Uneventful wrist surgery yesterday.
2. Cheerful, competent, understanding staff at the surgery center.
3. Pain meds.
4. Lots of helping hands.
5. The prayers and well wishes of friends near and far.
6. Helpful hubby.
7. Helpful kids, at least they were last night.

What are you thankful for?

Fighting with the press

Dear Mr. President, you might want to rethink this one.

White House shuts out Herald scribe

The White House Press Office has refused to give the Boston Herald full access to President Obama’s Boston fund-raiser today, in e-mails objecting to the newspaper’s front page placement of a Mitt Romney op-ed, saying pool reporters are chosen based on whether they cover the news “fairly.”

“I tend to consider the degree to which papers have demonstrated to covering the White House regularly and fairly in determining local pool reporters,” White House spokesman Matt Lehrich wrote in response to a Herald request for full access to the presidential visit.

“My point about the op-ed was not that you ran it but that it was the full front page, which excluded any coverage of the visit of a sitting US President to Boston. I think that raises a fair question about whether the paper is unbiased in its coverage of the President’s visits,” Lehrich wrote.

More here, Boston Herald learns not to cross The One and at Instapundit.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for/that:

1. Light at the end of the tunnel and this time it is not a train.
2. The hand squeezed orange juice Little Big Girl made for me just because.
3. Helping hands, large and small.
4. Sunshine, scarce as it has been of late.

What are you thankful for?

Evil Thought of The Day

Okay so maybe not evil, but certainly an Oh I Wish They Would thought. Wouldn't the Dixie Chicks song Not Ready to Make Nice make a great song for the Tea Party? I mean the sentiments expressed by the Dixie Chicks and the Tea Party are pretty much the same. Neither party is interested in mincing words for the sake of their detractors.

When Cultures Collide

Bollywood vs. Bin Laden
So never mind the commentary about the influence of Bollywood on cultures currently dominated by Islam, but with 3 billion people watching Bollywood films Hollywood might want to take some notes. Okay one comment, the relationship of Bollywood to the young people of the Arab and Islamic world sounds a bit like American teenagers and the early days of rock and roll. Now on to what caught my eye the first time I watched this. Those of you who watch a lot of American music videos should pay close attention to the clips of the dance routines. My don't those moves look familiar? So have American choreographers been talking with Bollywood choreographers or what?

White Like Me Sketch

Saw this clip some time back and my first thought was who is Eddie Murphy really making fun of in this sketch? And who do people usually assume he's making fun of?

Justice Served

Shock, followed by a sleeplessness night, followed by time in front of the television once the kids were on the school bus, followed by surprised tears upon viewing a brief collection of footage from the last ten years. That is a general overview of the sequence of my reaction to the news that Osama bin Laden is dead. It is remarkable to see so many young people in the streets celebrating Bin Laden's meeting with justice. Partly because I'm now old enough to think of them as young people but mostly because so many of them were just kids on September 11, 2001.

The events of that day in New York City, Washington DC, and Shanksville left a mark the scope of which we still don't fully comprehend. The rest of the world should remember that. Bin Laden's buddies who will use this as an excuse to remain on the war path (as if they ever had any intention of leaving it) need to remember that. Some are beginning to talk about the unintended consequences of killing Osama bin Laden. Ponder again the unintended consequences of attacking American freedom. This isn't bravado. Despite our political differences, disagreements, changes in administration, political upheaval American style, and ten years gone by, Osama bin Laden is dead.

The sea of American humanity celebrating the triumph of justice is a testament to our strength. We all young and old, immigrant and native born, flaming liberals and flaming conservatives, every single stripe, shade and hue that Americans come in, even those grousing about unseemly displays of joy over Bin Laden's death have a combined strength that even we sometimes forget or misunderestimate. Now gird your loins America remain vigilant and ready your best weapons as this fight continues.

Well done Mr. President. Well done Navy SEAL team 6.


Video of President Obama's speech announcing Bin Laden's death, text of the speech.

Statement by President George W. Bush