Initial Thoughts on Boston

First and foremost, prayers and best wishes for the runners, volunteers, police, fire, EMS, and other emergency personnel who responded to today's horrific events. I hope Obama sticks by his word (for once), and doesn't wimp out on prosecuting -- or killing -- whoever did this.

A few things that the investigators are almost certainly working on:

• April 15: Tax Day, hated by many far-right-wing anti-government extremists
• Patriot's Day: another potential "inspiration" if this were, in fact, a right-wing "Patriot" whackjob
• Boston: where the Tea Partiers got their inspiration, from the "patriots" who took part in the Boston Tea Party
• Massachusettes has fairly tough gun registration laws
• The race was dedicated to the victims of the Newtown shootings, which instigated nation-wide calls for effective gun control
• Massachusettes has a black governor
• The US has a black President

Am I saying that some right-wing McVeigh wannabe did this? Nope, I'm not saying anything of the sort. Just mentioning these points that may have played into some Patriot/Teabagging/Tax Protesting/anti-gummint/black-FEMA-helicopter racist gun nut small-penis-compensating loser deciding this was a way to strike a blow against the New World Order, Moozlums, and other scary people or whatever loser belief system this mutt or mutts might have.

I also noticed that during the second, prime-time special on NBC, anchor Bryan Williams said, "For all the wrong reasons, we've been fighting two wars for the past ten years," referring to the fact that many returning combat medics have seen these horrific injuries before.

My personal bet is some far-right-wing whacko like Eric Rudolph, Jared Loughner, McVeigh...  One of those losers.

Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?

(For the kids, that was the title of a popular song back during the Great Depression of the 1930's)

A fellow blogger whom I have mentioned many times is in really dire straits. He and his fiancee are facing some horrific conditions. If you could spare a buck or two (or even a couple of hundred), I would appreciate it, and I know it would be a lifesaver for them. He has a PayPal button at his site. Please try to send some cash his way.

It's my never-met but old buddy* Jurassic Pork, who currently runs Welcome Back To Pottersville. He's a good man who has had some truly crappy luck.

He was one of the first big-name bloggers to blogroll me back around 2006 or so, and has been lurking and commenting here since.


*Yeah, I might be presuming more to our association then he would prefer, but tough. *I* view him as a friend, so neener, neener, neener.

Leave of Absence

Posting will be lighter than usual -- bordering on non-existent -- for the week. My aunt died and my mother is taking it very hard.

JP nails it. Twice.

Fellow blogger (and one of the first to link to me) has two very timely posts at his place:

• a look at the ten year anniversary of our invasion of Iraq, which should be mandatory reading for all those who think the war only involves scary brown terrorist types, and
• this:

JP and his missus are still finding rough sledding, as they are part of the 99%, so if you could swing by his blog and help them out, both they and I would appreciate it.

Sequestration (and Castration*?)

Our local Mouse Channel affiliate, WMTW Channel 8, has a story today about Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor closing its famous Loop Road and other amenities until mid-May, as a result of the Rethuglican-inspired sequestration. The same process eliminated public tours of the White House, leading some Rethugs to bitch mightily about the BMITWH "holding the nation hostage" to his budget plans or some such nonsense.

Now, granted, I do not have the economic knowledge or training of Badtux or JurassicPork, but allow me to offer some alternative plans to reduce the cost of government:

• Congresscritters -- both Senators and Representatives -- do not get paid until a budget has been passed and signed by the President. Some will claim the Constitution prohibits "adjusting" Congressional pay or benefits until after the next succeeding election; the Rethugs like to say their financial emergency trumps all else -- including national defense -- so it should also trump their financial well-being. Hell, if we gotta suffer, it's only fair they suffer with us.
• Congresscritters no longer get free or discounted travel anywhere for any reason, including official business. They get to fly Grayhound like the rest of us.
• Lobbyists must deposit their bribes campaign contributions into the Treasury, rather than the bottomless pockets of the pols.
• Eliminate free healthcare for Congresscritters. Let them see what it 's like to go without insurance.
• Eliminate free parking privileges for Congresscritters and their staff.
• In fact, eliminate their freakin' JOBS.

Wouldn't you LOVE to see the Zombie-eyed Granny Starver standing on the corner with a little cardboard sign that says "Will teabag for food"?

Scroom.

Scroomall.

* I vote for cutting their nuts off. No anesthesia, no bandages, no mercy. That's the only way to keep them from reproducing.

Joe McCarthy and Ted Cruz

Joe McCarthy on the left, Ted Cruz on the right:

 

 

'Nuff said.

 

 

(Based on something the lovely yet talented JursassicPork posted at Brilliant at Breakfast, linking to Michael in Norfolk)

O. M. F. G.

There is nothing more to say.

Via Mock - Paper - Scissors.

Which used to be one of my favorite sites.

 Excuse me, I have to go kill myself now.

This Date in Fire History: Feb 20

Tomorrow marks the tenth anniversary of the tragic Station Nightclub fire in West Warwick, RI, which killed 100 and injured countless more.

I was going to do one of my usual "Fire History" pieces, looking at the causes, fatalities, injuries and ramifications of the fire.

Until, that is, I saw this piece at Rescuing Providence.

Captain Michael Morse did a much better job of bringing home the horror that is a major fire.

I'm sure Capt Morse won't find if I lift his list of victims, for we must keep them in our memories if we don't want them to have died in vain.

Rest In Peace:

Louis S. Alves
Kevin Anderson
Stacie Angers
Christopher Arruda
Eugene Avilez
Tina Ayer
Karla Bagtaz
Mary H. Baker
Thomas Barnett
Laureen Beauchaine
Steven Thomas Blom
William Christopher Bonardi
Kristine Carbone
Richard A. Cabral, Jr.
William Cartwright
Edward B. Corbet III
Michael Cordier
Alfred Crisostomi
Robert Croteau
Lisa D'Andrea
Matthew P. Darby
Dina Ann DeMaio
Albert Anthony DiBonaventura
Rachel DePietro (Florio)
Christina DiRienzo
Kevin J. Dunn
Lori K. Durante
Edward Ervanian
Thomas Fleming
Rachael K. Florio-DePietro
Mark A. Fontaine
Chief Petty Officer Daniel Frederickson
Michael Fresolo
James Gahan
Melvin Gerfin
Laura Gillet
Charline Elaine Gingras-Fick
Michael James Gonsalves
James Gooden
Derek Gray
Pamela Gruttadauria
Scott "Skott" Greene
Scott Griffith
Bonnie L. Hamelin
Jude Henault
Andrew Hoban
Abbie L. Hoisington
Michael Hoogasian
Sandy Hoogasian
Carlton "Bud" Howorth III
Eric James Hyer
Derek Brian Johnson
Lisa Kelly
Tracy F. King
Michael Joseph Kulz
Keith Lapierre
Dale Latulippe
Stephen M. Libera
John M. Longiaru
Ty Longley
Andrea Mancini
Keith A. Mancini
Steven Mancini
Judith Manzo
Thomas Marion, Jr.
Jeffery Martin
Tammy Mattera-Housa
Kristen McQuarrie
Thomas Medeiros
Samuel Miceli
Donna M. Mitchell
Leigh Ann Moreau
Ryan M. Morin
Jason Morton
Katherine O'Donnell
Nicholas O'Neill
Matthew James Pickett
Carlos L. Pimentel Sr.
Christopher Prouty
Jeffrey Rader
Teresa Rakoski
Robert L. Reisner III
Walter Rich
Donald Roderiques
Tracey Romanoff
Joseph Rossi
Bridget Sanetti
Rebecca "Becky" Shaw
Dennis Smith
Mitchell Shubert
Victor Stark
Benjamin Suffoletto
Linda Suffoletto
Shawn Sweet
Jason Sylvester
Sarah Jane Telgarsky
Kelly Viera
Kevin Washburn
Everett "Tommy" Woodmansee
Robert Daniel Young

Sincere condolences to the victims, survivors and families.