FIRST BLOND GUY JOKE

The first Blonde GUY joke..... And well worth the wait!


An Irishman, a Mexican and a Blonde Guy were doing construction work on scaffolding on the 20th floor of a building.

They were eating lunch and the Irishman said, 'Corned beef and cabbage! If I get corned beef and cabbage one more time for lunch, I'm going to jump off this building.'

The Mexican opened his lunch box and exclaimed, 'Burritos again! If I get burritos one more time I'm going to jump off, too.'

The blonde opened his lunch and said, ' Bologna again! If I get a bologna sandwich one more time, I'm jumping too.'

The next day, the Irishman opened his lunch box, saw corned beef and cabbage, and jumped to his death.

The Mexican opened his lunch, saw a burrito, and jumped, too.

The blonde guy opened his lunch, saw the bologna and jumped to his death as well.

At the funeral, the Irishman's wife was weeping. She said, 'If I'd known how really tired he was of corned beef and cabbage, I never would have given it to him again!'

The Mexican's wife also wept and said, 'I could have given him tacos or enchiladas! I didn't realize he hated burritos so much.'


(Oh this is GOOD!!)


Everyone turned and stared at the blonde's wife. The blonde's wife said, 'Don't look at me. The idiot makes his own lunch.'


Don't blame me. Blame Ann.

GRAND ISLE - LAFITTE WOODS NATURE PRESERVE

 

Before we left Grand Isle, we visited Lafitte Woods Preserve, which is apparently a fairly well-kept secret, except to birders who gather in large numbers on the second and third weekends in April to see the arrival of many species of birds.

This site encompasses the best remaining tracts of live oak and hackberry forest on the barrier island. Well-known to birders as one of the most important migratory songbird stopover sites in coastal Louisiana, this preserve features several walking trails, including a migratory bird trail with kiosks and a 300-foot-long elevated boardwalk that overlooks 22 acres of salt marsh tidal ponds. The boardwalk was built with help from the Port Commission, Entergy, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. There are also hummingbird and butterfly gardens that are a must-see for visitors.

 

The trail

 

The boardwalk

 

The trees

We heard birds, but we did not see any.

GRAND ISLE - NOT QUITE ON THE BEACH

 

We got past the fencing to prevent the sand from eroding, but we were stopped at the next barricade, which was a good distance from the water.

 

The orange objects are tiger booms, which are filled with a combination of sand and water and are in place to prevent oil from going farther up on the beach.

Apparently, oily sand is shoveled into piles such as the one in the picture and is then picked up and hauled away to who knows where. We talked to a man who works in hazmat for a Texas company under contract to BP to work with those who are cleaning the beach. He told us that if we went past the barricade, where the beach was contaminated with oil and dispersant, police, the Army, and representatives of officialdom would converge on us, so we did not put his cautionary words to the test.

The rock jetty in the distance is man-made and is one of many along the beach at Grand Isle as a protection against erosion.

 

Grandpère walking back to the tent where the hazmat worker had his buggy parked, surrounded by a group of agitated terns, who must have been nesting nearby. The birds let us know in no uncertain terms that they wanted us gone from their territory. If you click on the picture for the large view, you can catch a glimpse of three terns.

Similar tents are placed at intervals along the beach to give respite from the sun to the clean-up workers.

 

The property next to where we parked to walk to the beach had not been mowed in quite some time and the result is a pretty array of wildflowers. Once again, click on the picture for the large view.

And, my readers, that is all I have for you in pictures of the beach at Grand Isle.

We stopped at the Starfish Restaurant and had very tasty lunch. GP had a bowl of gumbo and crawfish étoufée, and I had fried shrimp and French fries.

While we were in the restaurant, we talked to a Coast Guardsman and another man in a uniform of some sort. The story we got from them was pretty much, "It's not that bad". I asked the man from the Coast Guard what sort of work he did, and he said, "I'm in public relations." I asked the other uniformed guy if he had seen any dead birds or animals, and he said, "Oh, a couple of birds." I asked him how long he's been there, and he said two weeks.

Below is a picture of what we couldn't see and where we couldn't walk, presumably before the clean-up was underway and the the beach was blocked off. The red stuff is the dispersant. I suppose the beach needs cleaning every day. I didn't see skimming or any clean-up activity on the water while we were there.

MARSHES ALONG THE WAY TO GRAND ISLE

 

Yesterday, Grandpère and I drove down to Grand Isle, Louisiana. I took pictures of fragile marsh environment along the way. In the picture above is one of many rigs in the marshes. Where there are rigs, there are pipelines, which break up the marsh islands, which are quickly disappearing and, one day, in their place will be open water.

 

In the distance, is a row of dead oak trees. I'm told that at one time, traveling portions of the old road was like passing through a tunnel of oak trees. One still sees the occasional hardy oak tree, which has managed to survive the intrusion of salt water. Click on the picture to get a larger view of the dead trees.

 

Marshland...

 

...and more marshland

 

An oil storage or processing facility on the way to Grand Isle

On our way home, at this time of the year on a Friday evening, we would have seen a stream of vehicles heading in the opposite direction for a weekend or longer on the beach at Grand Isle, but today was different. Why go to the beach, if you can't go near the water? There are people on Grand Isle, but they're the permanent residents and those working on clean-up.

More pictures of our outing will be forthcoming, but don't expect anything spectacular, because the beach near the water is closed off as a contaminated area.

"OFF AND ON"

From the Church Times:

It began when the US Presiding Bishop, Dr Katharine Jefferts Schori, was requested by Lambeth Palace not to wear her mitre during a service at Southwark Cathedral a fortnight ago. Dr Jefferts Schori described the ban as “bizarre — it is beyond bizarre”.

Since then, the “Mitregate” saga has refused to die down. Last week end, another woman bishop from the United States, the Bishop of El Camino Real, the Rt Revd Mary Grey-Reeves, presided at the eucharist in Gloucester Cathedral. She was in Gloucester with the Bishop of West Tanganyika, the Rt Revd Gerard Mpango. Bishop Grey-Reeves was permitted to wear her mitre.

The Bishop of Gloucester, Dr Michael Perham, who invited Bishop Grey-Reeves, said in an ex­planatory note that the law governing visiting bishops from overseas needed urgent revision. He had none the less applied for, and been granted, permission for Bishop Grey-Reeves to officiate, under the provisions of the Overseas and Other Clergy (Ministry and Ordination) Measure of 1967.

Dr Perham writes: “The Measure makes no reference to what the bishop wears. . . On Sunday, when she stood at my side when I presided at the eucharist, and again when she preached at a Partnership Service later in the day, she did . . . wear her mitre.”

Diddle, diddle dumpling, Bishop Kate
Went to church with her mitre off.
One mitre off, and one mitre on,
Diddle, diddle dumpling, Bishop Mary

WHAT'S UP, GUVNA?

From CBS News:

All along the Gulf coast, local officials have been demanding more help from the federal government to fight the spill, yet the Gulf states have deployed just a fraction of the National Guard troops the Pentagon has made available, CBS News Chief Investigative Correspondent Armen Keteyian reports.

That's a particular problem for the state of Louisiana, where the Republican governor has been the most vocal about using all resources.

Gov. Bobby Jindal's message has been loud and clear, using language such as "We will only be winning this war when we're actually deploying every resource," "They (the federal government) can provide more resources" and "It's clear the resources needed to protect our coast are still not here."

But nearly two months after the governor requested - and the Department of Defense approved the use of 6,000 Louisiana National Guard troops - only a fraction - 1,053 - have actually been deployed by Jindal to fight the spill.

So what's up, Guvna?

"Actually we asked the White House to approve the initial 6,000," Jindal said. "What they came back and said is the Coast Guard and BP had to authorize individual tasks."

But Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the national incident commander in charge of the government's response to the spill, said Jindal is just flat wrong.

"There is nothing standing in the governor's way from utilizing more National Guard troops," Allen said.

In fact, the Coast Guard says every request to use the National Guard has been approved, usually within a day. Now Jindal's office acknowledged to CBS News the governor has not specifically asked for more Guard troops to be deployed.

Miscommunication? Misunderstanding? Guvna, before you start crying for more help again and blaming the Obama administration for not delivering, perhaps you should use the resources that have been authorized - or give us a good reason why you haven't. Now would be about the right time to issue the call.

VITTER AIDE RESIGNS - FINALLY

Sen. David Vitter

From NOLA:

WASHINGTON -- An aide to Sen. David Vitter, R-La., resigned Wednesday amid revelations that he had held a woman against her will in 2008 in his Capitol Hill apartment, stabbing her in the hand and chin, before releasing her on her promise that she wouldn't call police.

And only now resigning? Last time I looked at the calendar, the year was 2010.

There's more:

Brent Furer, 40, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges and received a suspended sentence in connection with the incident, described in his arrest warrant, according to a report by ABC News Wednesday, which detailed a long string of Furer's "brushes with the law" dating to the 1990s. They included drunken driving arrests, cocaine possession and a "road rage" incident in Washington in late 2008 in which Furer stuck a motorcyclist, breaking his femur.

But wait! Here's the explanation from Sen. Vitter's office:

"The office hired the employee in question based on very strong recommendations, including those related to his military service in Kuwait," Joel DiGrado, Vitter's spokesman, said in a statement. "After the January 2008 incident, he was told to leave the office pending the court's determination of what happened. In April, after the court issued its penalty (fine and community service, no finding of assault or attack), and in consultation with the congressional employment legal office, further significant disciplinary action was taken and he was allowed to return to the office. Sen. Vitter accepted the employee's resignation today after learning of the other incidents."

Not assault. Not an attack. A mere stabbing in the hand and chin of the woman while she was being held against her will - a peccadillo. On well, then.

"HELP PLANT AN ORCHARD IN CENTRAL CITY NEW ORLEANS"

From Jim Naughton at The Lead:

Holly Heine and the folks at Jericho Road, a neighborhood-based nonprofit homebuilder that provides families with healthy and energy-efficient affordable housing opportunities in Central City, New Orleans needs our help. Just by voting in an online initiative sponsored by Edy's Fruit Bars, we can help them win a free fruit orchard for their neighborhood.

Here is what you need to do--every day:

1. Go here: Plant index.

2. Click on the rightmost of the two dots in the state of Louisiana.

3. When the words Jericho Road Episcopal House Initiative appear, click on More.

4. Follow the directions on the new page. Make sure to type in the two security words, and click on Plant my Vote.

You can vote one time each day—and every day—until the voting ends on August 31 at 11:59 PST. Edy's will award 5 winners the first of each month, May 1 through Sept 1. The winners will be announced on our site at the beginning of each month.

Benefits of an orchard:

A project that spans generations
A free food source
A learning experience for youth and adults alike
Provides cleaner air and soil conditions
Improves property values
Brings positive energy and attention to the neighborhood
Healthy staple in residents’ diet that may not have been there otherwise.

Thanks, Jim, for calling this opportunity to my attention.

BP BLOGS OR THERE'S BEAUTY IN THE GUSHER

John McCusker, The Times-Picayune - A shrimp boat drags skimmers through the oil slick in the Gulf Of Mexico on May 6.

From NOLA:

Tired of daily news reports about oiled pelicans, tar-balled beaches and out-of-work fishers? You might check out a BP blog that offers a more upbeat take on the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

The proverbial glass of oily seawater always seems half-full for the company's "reporters" as they file dispatches on a couple who may lose their seafood restaurant but refuse to blame BP; oil-skimming boats that resemble a "spectacular ballet at sea;" and a touching scene of mothers cleaning a beach on Mother's Day, "reminding everyone that this spill response is only a very small part of what's important."

Many of BP's "Blogs from the Gulf" are tributes to "extraordinarily dedicated responders," often BP employees who are lauded for working long hours to clean up the company's mess.
In a May 28 post, "BP reporter" Paula Kolmar said it was "oddly an inspiration" to fly over the spill zone.

Look at the photo. The colors are exquisite - like a beautiful painting.

And at the BP Blog link above, we learn:

I wanted to understand why authorities repeatedly have warned the public not to handle injured birds, but instead instructed people to report the location of injured birds and leave it to specialists to rescue the animals. One look at a distressed, oiled pelican arriving at the center answered part of my question. The birds are dangerous and can be aggressive when under stress.

See? You must not handle the birds not because the oil is toxic or anything. It's the fault of the birds. The oil-soaked pelicans are aggressive!

ON "THE ISSUE OF VESTURE"

John Chilton at The Lead reports on an explanation, of sorts, from Lambeth on "the issue of vesture", also know as "mitregate".

Be sure to read the comments at The Lead to see what naughty Tobias has to say. Poor baby. It's 92° in the Bronx and his AC is out. We can't blame him too much.

EARLIEST KNOWN ICONS DISCOVERED IN CATACOMBS IN ROME

From The Sydney Morning Herald:

SANTA TECLA, Rome: The earliest known icons of four of Christ's apostles have been found in an elaborately decorated chamber in a catacomb beneath the streets of Rome.

Scientists used laser technology to remove a crust of dirt and calcium deposits and bring to light the brightly coloured 4th century paintings of the saints John, Paul, Andrew and Peter.

The images adorn the ceiling of a vault, carved out of volcanic rock, which provided the last resting place for a rich Roman noblewoman who converted to Christianity after it was declared legal by the emperor Constantine.

Oh my! What an exciting discovery. However, because of their fragility, not just anyone will be able to view the icons. Visitors will probably be limited to scholars. Still, for the rest of us, it's lovely to see photos.

POOR BABY

 

There's Diana. There's nothing much wrong with her, except she hurts from old age and arthritis, the same maladies of her female human. This morning she was limping badly and quite lethargic. The vet gave her a steroid shot and two medications, one for arthritis and one for pain. We shall see. I suppose with the pain medication, she will still be lethargic. The possible side-effects for the arthritis medication are somewhat scary. Labradors, especially, seem to be sensitive to the meds, and we think that Diana may be part Lab.

She doesn't want her dog bed now, but seems to prefer to lie on the floor. Whatever she wants. Poor baby.

UPDATE: Diana just came over to me to be let out. She's walking much better and seems on the mend. I'm still getting the glucosamine. We've decided, on our own, to give her the arthritis medication only once a day, instead of twice. The warnings of side effects are too scary.

"CANON KEARON SPEAKS"

Katie Sherrod at Desert's Child, a member of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church, gives a splendid eye- and ear-witness report on the recent meeting in Maryland, including the question and answer session with Canon Kenneth Kearon, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion. I see no way to entice you to read her post with excerpts. You simply have to read it all. Take special note of Katie's titles of the sections of the report.

THE THREE BISHOPS

Bishop Gerard Mpango, of the Diocese of Western Tanganyika in Africa, Bishop Michael Perham, of the Diocese of Glouscester in England, and Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves, of the Diocese of El Camino Real in the US, in all their splendor (including mitres), preside together at the Eucharist at Glouscester Cathedral. Check out the wonderful photo at The Three-Legged Stool.

FEDERAL JUDGE RULES AGAINST DRILLING MORATORIUM

From NBC News:

NEW ORLEANS - A federal judge Tuesday ruled against the Obama administration's six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling in the wake of the BP oil spill. The White House, which had hoped the ban would provide time to ensure other wells are operating safely, immediately said it planned to appeal.

The ruling comes in a lawsuit filed by drilling companies to reverse the ban imposed by the Department of Interior, which halted the approval of any new permits for deepwater drilling and suspended drilling at 33 exploratory wells in the Gulf.
A federal judge in Louisiana granted the drillers' request for a preliminary restraining order that would prevent the ban from taking effect.

District Judge Martin Feldman said the Interior Department failed to provide adequate reasoning and that the moratorium seems to assume that because one rig failed, all companies and rigs doing deepwater drilling pose an imminent danger.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs countered that "continuing to drill at these depths without knowing what happened does not make any sense and ... potentially puts the safety of those on the rigs and the safety of the environment in the Gulf at a danger that the president does not believe we can afford right now."

I state up front that I am not unbiased on the drilling moratorium. I believe that posturing and hypocrisy are involved in Obama's decision. Deep in my heart, I believe that deepwater drilling is not safe and will not be safe any time soon, if ever, but certainly not in six months. The ban on deepwater drilling would need to be open-ended to permanent.

Since clean-up and mitigation technology is between 30 to 50 years old, with little progress over the years, I doubt that industry and governments can catch up in six months.

Drilling can surely be made safer than the type of operation by BP on the Horizon well. Several warnings that all was not well were ignored. BP eliminated several safety steps which could have forewarned of trouble, and the company used cheaper technology and equipment that made the well less safe. Making production a priority over safety, pervaded the culture of BP. Stricter regulations and vigorous enforcement of regulations already in place by government agencies would have made drilling the well safer.

As I've said, in my humble opinion, deepwater drilling cannot be made safe, only safer. So the question is, are we ready, as a country, for the consequences of a permanent or open-ended ban on deepwater drilling? Or will we take the risks associated with ending the moratorium in six months or a year? That is the question stated in an honest way.

One thought I've had is a rig by rig thorough inspection for safety, with the rig closed down temporarily, or permanently, if necessary, if the well is shown to be unsafe during the inspection.

I freely admit that the fact that tens of thousands of people in south Louisiana stand to lose their jobs, and hundreds of small businesses that provide jobs will be adversely affected during the moratorium influences my thinking. I am not unbiased, but I do give serious thought to safety and the environment, and I know that it is urgent that we begin to wean ourselves off oil as a major source of energy and find safer, cleaner, and renewable sources of energy.

BP - KING OF THE GULF OF MEXICO - WHY, MR PRESIDENT?

From Michael Snyder at Business Insider:

There is one question that I would really like an answer to. Who died and made BP king of the Gulf of Mexico? In recent weeks, BP has almost seemed more interested in keeping the American people away from the oil spill than in actually cleaning it up.

Journalists are being pushed around and denied access, disaster workers are being intimidated and abused and now BP has even go so far as to hire an army of private mercenaries to enforce their will along the Gulf coast. Are we suddenly living in occupied Iraq?

How in the world did a foreign oil company get the right to start pointing guns at the American people? The last time I checked, BP did not own the Gulf of Mexico and did not have the right to tell the American people where they can and cannot go. The truth is that BP could have avoided all of this by running an open, honest and transparent operation from the start.

They could have welcomed help from all sources, they could have tried to be open with the media, and they could have tried to be fair with the volunteers and rescue workers. But instead BP has been conducting this whole thing as if we are living in a totalitarian dictatorship and they are the dictators.
....

But it is not just the media that are being pushed around. The Louisiana Environmental Action Network is reporting that BP is actually threatening to fire fishermen hired to help with the oil spill cleanup for using respirators and other safety equipment that wasn't provided by the company.

Seriously.

The workers say that they are only using their own safety equipment because BP has not provided what they need. It is a fact that a large number of rescue workers have already gotten sick enough to be admitted to the hospital, so it certainly makes sense that those working to clean up the oil would want to do whatever they can to stay safe.

But no, BP has to be a bunch of jerks about the whole thing.
....

So this crisis may keep getting worse for months.

By the time this is over, will anything in the Gulf be left alive?

Even now, hordes of dolphins, fish, sharks, crabs, rays and other sea creatures find themselves trapped between the rapidly advancing oil and the shore. Unprecedented numbers are showing up just off the Gulf coast in an attempt to escape certain death, but once the oil reaches shore there will be nowhere else for them to go. The tragedy will be unspeakable.

Things did not have to turn out this way. BP and the Obama administration could have done things much differently. But they didn't.

Read more: Business Insider.

Good grief! I've heard most of the above information in bits and pieces, but seeing it gathered in one article is truly shocking. Why are these strong-arm tactics permitted?

We intended to visit Grand Isle, Louisiana, today, to see for ourselves what's happening there, but our dog, Diana, is not well. She is avoiding using her right front leg, and she is just not herself, very lethargic, perhaps from pain. She has an appointment with the vet this afternoon. I'll keep you posted.

Image from MadPriest. H/T to Tracie in the comments at the same post for the link to the article.

LONE STAR STATE GOP - GAY AGENDA

From The Huffington Post:

Texas Republicans recently unveiled a policy platform that includes a statement of support for legislation that would make it a felony to issue a marriage license to same-sex couples as well as for an official to perform a marriage ceremony for gay partners wishing to wed.

Read it all with links to the text of the platform at HP.

BUDDY THE HORSE

A city slicker drove his car into a ditch in a desolate area. Luckily, a local farmer came by to help with his big strong horse named Buddy.

He hitched Buddy up to the car and yelled, "Pull, Nellie, pull!". Buddy didn't move.

Then the farmer hollered, "Pull, Buster, pull!" Buddy didn't respond.

Once more the farmer commanded, "Pull, Coco, pull!" Nothing.

Then the farmer cried out, "Pull, Buddy, pull!" And the horse easily dragged the car out of the ditch.

The motorist was most appreciative and very curious. He asked the farmer why he called his horse by the wrong name three times. The farmer replied, "Oh, Buddy is blind, and if he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn't even bother to try!"


Don't blame me. Blame Paul (A.)

WHAT FUN!

My son and his children are vacationing in Galveston, Texas. Their hotel has a webcam in the lobby, and there they are soon after their arrival as I captured them in a screen shot.



Big Sister and Not-So-Little Brother.



Daddy on the phone talking to guess who? Moi, of course, as we coordinate.



The kids again. Big Sister on the phone this time, with moi again.

WOMEN BISHOPS IN THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND - SEPARATE AND UNEQUAL?

Thinking Anglicans posted the full text of the amendment which will be offered by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to the draft legislation which will permit women to become bishops in the Church of England. Read it over there to see what you make of it. I'm not a member of the Church of England, and it's up to the members of Synod to decide whether the amendment will be passed. As far as I can make out from the wording of the amendment, and I'm the first to admit that I'm not good at deciphering such language, the amendment seems to offer a separate, but not quite equal, status for women bishops.

The commentary to the language of the amendment at TA is instructive.

Dear old Solomon in all his glory could not split the proverbial baby in two any better than this.

Of course all you have is a divided baby but then it is easier to maintain the pretense of unity, even when certain folks refuse to be ministered to or receive communion from certain other folks who apparently have “the same legal rights” if not the same standing as God’s ministers.

Falderal.
....

What provision is there for those who cannot accept the ministry of male bishops? Come on - fair's fair.
....

As someone noted years ago, this is totally equitable: the rich are as prohibited from sleeping under bridges as are the poor. Will a parish in a male-led diocese be allowed to request episcopal function from a female bishop?
....

I suggest that ‘co-ordinate’ bishops carry their mitres under their arms, and single bishops can put them on their heads.

And noting that Pluralist posted the final comment which I quoted, you may want to check out his blog post titled Two for Tea, which, of course, has nothing whatsoever to do with the subject of this post.

UPDATE: Andrew Brown in the Guardian.

Note: Both Andrew and Adrian (Pluralist) are English.

SEND IN THE NAVY!

 

A dead Gulf menhaden floats in oil from the Deepwater Horizon leak in Bay Jimmy on Sunday. Matthew Hinton - Times Picayune.

From NOLA:

Two senators wrote a letter to President Barack Obama on Sunday arguing it's time to bring in the Navy to attack the 2-month-old scourge of oil menacing the Gulf of Mexico.

Coming from Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., the chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, the letter argues the Navy could focus and speed up the crisis response, which is currently managed by a unified command that includes several agencies and companies.

"For the long term," wrote Nelson, "you really need a military command-and-control structure where orders are given and things get immediately implemented."

And I say, "Send them in!" I've mentioned to Grandpère that we need the Navy down here to take charge. The senators surely channeled my thoughts. I'm quite grateful for the efforts of folks from all over the world to mitigate the damage from BP's oil gusher and clean-up the Gulf Coast and the Gulf waters. They work hard under difficult conditions, and they, and all of us, deserve better than the mess of disorganization under which the workers function. When "a unified command that includes several agencies and companies" is in charge, there will be questions about which agency or company is in charge of particular tasks and, when something goes wrong, which group has the authority to try to fix the situation. And let's not forget the opportunity to pass the buck.

I've seen comments around and about that those of us on or near the Gulf are strident, that we whine and complain. The oil gusher story goes on far too long, and people lose interest. What about Haiti? I don't read much about Haiti any more, and many there still live in desperate conditions. And the US Gulf Coast and Haiti face the hurricane season.

From Frank Rich in the New York Times:

PRESIDENT Obama is not known for wild pronouncements, so it was startling to hear him liken the gulf oil spill to 9/11. Alas, this bold analogy, made in an interview with Roger Simon of Politico, proved a misleading trailer for the main event. In the president’s prime-time address a few days later, there was still talk of war, but the ammunition was sanded down to bullet points: “a clean energy future,” “a long-term gulf coast restoration plan” and, that most dreaded of perennials, “a national commission.” Such generic placeholders, unanimated by details or deadlines, are Washingtonese for “The buck stops elsewhere.”
....

The president had it right the first time — this is a 9/11 crisis — and only action will do. The sole sentence that really counted on Tuesday night was his prediction that “in the coming weeks and days, these efforts should capture up to 90 percent of the oil leaking out of the well.” He will be judged on whether that’s true. The sole event that mattered last week was his jawboning of BP for a $20 billion down payment of blood money — to be overseen, appropriately enough, by Kenneth Feinberg of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.

Rich's entire column is worth a read, as he goes on to assess the Obama presidency, not just to do with the oil gusher, but what else needs to happen on the presidential front.

Just so you'll know, this whining, complaining, ungrateful inhabitant of the Gulf Coast region has no plans to shut up.

BISHOP ALAN ON "MITREGATE"

From Bishop Alan's Blog:

This bizarre story indicates that the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church was seriously told, as a guest, that she could have a Mitre in Southwark Cathedral, but not on her head. Forrest Gump’s mum used to say, stoopid is as stoopid does, and the whole mentality of such a request, if it was ever made, is profoundly stoopid. The whole thing stinks of hypocrisy. It bears the fingerprints of blind officialdom rather than the Archbishop himself.
....

As a bishop I learn that, loaded with creative potential and myth as my job can be, when all is said and done I am just a driver of the Lord’s Number 49 bus, and the more I can rememeber it’s his bus not mine, saints preserve me, the less likely I am to get too far up myself. This makes me easier to live with, and learning it daily is worth a day of anybody’s wages…

Bishop Alan's final paragraph is a cautionary word for us all. We're not all bishops, but if we claim to be Christians, we must remain ever mindful to whom we belong.

Please read his entire post.

JESUS AND MO

Click on the strip for the larger view.


From Jesus and Mo

Lisa had it first. She blames Ann for getting her hooked on Jesus and Mo. I blame Ann, too.

STORY OF THE DAY

A lot of people think he's kind of
formless, but it's only because they keep
hoping he'll look like something they
recognize before they get too anxious


From StoryPeople.