From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE…
Pre-Turkey Food for Thought
Sarah Silverman gives thanks for…Cadet Bone Spurs??? Well, yeah, kinda: "Donald Trump is a butterfly fart, and here are some good things he has unintentionally triggered…" (Note: Not entirely safe for viewing at the holiday dinner table.)
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A hundred and fifty seven years ago our country was attacked from within, and we fought like hell to rout the traitorous forebears of Jeff Sessions and his white supremacist vipers. Crushed'em like a Thanksgiving yam under a steamroller, we did. It's trickier this time, though, since the confederate hangers-on are now running the federal government.
But two weeks ago our modern-day version of The Union booted the rebs from the raucous lower chamber of Congress, and now House Democrats---more diverse and scrappier than ever---are armed to the teeth with popular legislative policies and tons of cool investigative tools, itchin' to knock modern-day traitors Trump and McConnell down a few pegs. Also: Mueller's report is set to drop any day. And the grassroots resistance, which just delivered a Gettysburg-like blow---a “Union-blue wave,” if you will---to the racist and democracy-hating Republican party, is rarin' to double down on the hurt in 2020.
I never thought that something like that---a new hope for an eventual return to normalcy after one of our major political parties lost all sense of responsibility, let alone shame---would top my list of things for which I'm thankful on this day. But there it is. I’m with Sarah.
The rest of my annual list, a Molly Ivins bon mot, some stern Thanksgiving house rules from Margaret and Helen, and a few more goodies below the fold. Then let's eat. Right after a few rounds of Twister.
By the Numbers:
10 days!!!
Days 'til Christmas: 33
Days 'til the National Menorah lighting in D.C.: 10
Date of Lincoln's Thanksgiving proclamation: 10/3/1863
Cost of a Thanksgiving meal for 10 people, down 22 cents from last year: $48.90
Average number of calories consumed per person during a Thanksgiving feast, according to the Calorie Control Council: 4,500
Percent of Parade readers who believe calories don't exist on Thanksgiving: 69%
Number of NFL games today: 3
Population of Turkey, Texas (hometown of Bob Wills): 389
Number of Americans who intend to eat human brains for Thanksgiving dinner, up from 3,229 last year and spreading rapidly from northwest to southeast---stay tuned to your short-wave radios for updates and lock your doors: 3,754
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Your Thursday Molly Ivins Moment:
The Progress Report has come up with some dandy things to be thankful for, starting with American troops. It also lists:
- Rep. Jack Murtha, D-Pa., for showing it's patriotic to speak your mind.
- The 90 senators who stood up to Cheney to say that torture is not an American value.
- The 79 senators who demanded the Bush administration detail a plan for Iraq.
- That Sen. Bill Frist is not our physician.
Consider these additional delights: Tom Delay is under indictment, Heckuva Job Brownie is no longer on the public payroll, and for some inexplicable reason, the administration found a Republican prosecutor in the Plame affair who seems to care more about the law than politics. […]
There's music in poor bleeding New Orleans again, Ted Koppel and his hair put in a commendable 25 years, some terrific new films are out, my puppy has not eaten a shoe for an entire month now, and the Mountain West is moving from red to purple. So let's all loosen our belts and get right down to the all-American tradition of overeating on Thanksgiving. It's still a great country, even if it is a little strange. I am grateful for all my fellow citizens -- how would we know it was America if we didn't hear regularly from the nincompoop faction? Happy turkey to you all.
---Thanksgiving, 2005
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Puppy Pic of the Day: The classic
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Helen Philpot of Margaret & Helen Sets the 2018 Thanksgiving House Rules:
No cell phones at the dinner table.
No feet (big or tiny) on my furniture. [...]
No jello-salad. I’m serious about this. The only thing that jiggles at my house this Thanksgiving will be your Aunt Trudy after a few glasses of wine.
Dinner is served.
I’ve lived a long life and along the way, I’ve collected a few nice things. I don’t put them away for company and I don’t put them away for family. Eventually your child needs to learn the meaning of the word No. Let’s make that happen today. We watch football in the family room on TV. We throw footballs outside on the lawn. And when you do go outside, shut the door behind you. I don’t need to air condition the whole neighborhood. And if Mr. Briggers next door tells you to stay off his lawn, tell him to stay off my last nerve. I swear, that man is the one bad bulb that ruins the whole string of lights.
If you want to talk politics sit next to me, but if you own a MAGA hat be warned. Your President is an asshat and I’m old enough to speak my mind regardless of your precious feelings. If I were you, I’d practice don’t ask, don’t tell because even when I mind my Ps and Qs, I can still spell bullshit. [...]
You know I love you. And I am indeed thankful for my family. I used to have a handle on life, but it broke. Follow the rules and we’ll all get along just fine.
No jello-salad. I mean it. Really.
With love,
Aunt Helen/Mom/Grandma
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And a couple of these…
Story here.
“From the Obama family to yours, we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving full of joy and gratitude.”
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And finally, the old ball and chain:
Things For Which I Am Thankful: 2018 Edition
That the Obamas are back! And Michelle’s book is in Let’s Move overdrive!
That Robert Mueller has so many more anvils to drop on so many more heads
That big beautiful blue wave that washed over every level of government
The #5 thing on internet lists that will SHOCK you!
Kamala Harris-style Democrats
The new class of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez kickass-style Democrats
Our troops over here and over there
All the indigenous people of North America
Star Wars Episode IX, which comes out in 392 days
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The federal judges who have stomped on most of Trump’s evil schemes
The Parkland, Florida students and their wildly-successful get-out-the-vote activism and March For Our Lives. Just in: they won the 2018 International Children’s Peace Prize by Desmond Tutu.
Nancy Pelosi the next Speaker of the House (Act II)
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the next House Intelligence Committee chair
Rep. Maxine Waters, the next chair of the House Financial Services Committee
Rep. Elijah Cummings, the next chair of the House Oversight Committee
Rep.Ted Lieu (D-CA), for being an ace troller of Lord Dampnut on twitter
Maine’s blue wave: Total Dem control of the state House and Senate, a soon-to-be-beloved Democratic governor (Janet Mills), both congress members are Democrats (one, a red-to-blue flip, won via the first-in-the-nation ranked-choice voting system that worked flawlessly), and an independent senator who caucuses with Democrats.
The Congressional Black, Hispanic and Progressive Caucuses
Notorious RBG (Stay healthy! You, too, Breyer, Kagan and Sotomayor.)
Star Wars Episode IX, which comes out in 392 days
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The women (and men) who continue to come forward to talk about their experiences of sexual assault, and the reporters exposing their rich-and-powerful abusers---including the president---by name
The backlash from the judicial branch and even hard-core conservatives of Trump’s ban-by-tweet of transgender servicemembers. They continue enlisting, and serving honorably.
Booted Attorney General Jeff Sessions totally misread the marijuana legalization wave, and got stopped in his tiny elf tracks.
The campaign volunteers, ride sharers, and polling place workers
The first responders and relief organizers who went above and beyond in the wake of hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and wildfires
Employers who give their employees Thanksgiving off
Employees who don’t get the day off so they can keep vital services running while the rest of us do
Teachers
Caregivers
Wind turbines and solar panels
Star Wars Episode IX, which comes out in 392 days
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VOTERS!!!
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Samantha Bee, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Sarah Silverman and SNL for leading the renaissance in late-night political humor
Freedom of the press
Freedom of speech fuck Trump
Ta-Nehisi Coates, Malcolm Nance, Joy Reid, Bishop William Barber, Joan Walsh, Charles Pierce, John Nichols, Howard Dean, E.J. Dionne, Eugene Robinson, David K.Johnston, Chuck Rosenberg’s zen.
Naomi Klein, Marcy Wheeler, Rachel Maddow, Chris Hayes, David Fahrenthold, Kurt Daniel Dale (the Canadian journalist who documents EVERY Trump lie), David Corn, Lawrence O’Donnell, Nicolle Wallace, Joy Reid.
Atrios, Digby, Charles M. Blow, Americablog, John Cole, Joe Jervis, Michelangelo Signorile, Dan Savage, Leonard Pitts, Stephanie Miller, Lizz Winstead
Think Progress, Media Matters, The Hispanic Federation, The Southern Poverty Law Center, PFAW, PFLAG, 350.org, Indivisible, Black Lives Matter, Run For Something, Planned Parenthood, NAACP, IAVA, ACLU and the many other advocacy organizations that are preventing the worst of Trump’s abuses, often in coordination with each other.
Star Wars Episode IX, which comes out in 392 days
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Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter
Bill and Hillary Clinton
Barack and Michelle Obama
Joe and Jill Biden
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My partner, Michael, for growing old with me and being my wingman as we kick my cancer to the curb for the second time
The doctors, nurses, oncologists and support staff---saints one and all---who found more of the evil c-stuff in mah belly, removed it, sewed me back up, and saw to my complete recovery
OBAMACARE!!!
All of my bosses (if you’re reading this, you’re one of them) at Daily Kos
The front-pagers and diarists here, for explaining stuff I don't know boo about, with a special shoutout this year to the encyclopedic minds of the Daily Elections Team. (“The Best in the Business!”) They rocked it.
The rest of the progressive blogosphere, for having the wisdom to follow all of the orders issued by “Keyboard Kingpin” Markos “Mouse Tits” Moulitsas
Netroots Nation and its organizers, for another beautifully executed convention, this time in New Orleans, Louisiana. See you in Philly?
SaraR and winglion's quilts
Dirty Fucking Hippies. We must breed more of them.
M’Doggie. And M'pootie and M’ porch roof squirels. Special mention to our newest young’un, Li’l Red.
Star Wars Episode IX, which comes out in 392 days
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Wineries
Distilleries
Breweries
Teriyaki sauce
Taco Tuesdays
Excedrin Migraine. Next to the epidural, God’s gift to pain relief.
Blueberries
Candy corn
Snow
Great movie scores. Lalo Schifrin’s overdue Oscar.
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi which was a fine movie I loved it. And, hell, even Solo was pretty damn entertaining.
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Evolution
Electric cars
High-speed rail
NASA
NET NEUTRALITY NOW DAMMIT!!!
Unions
Diversity
The Resistance
Star Wars Episode IX, which comes out in 392 days
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Peace. (Yeah, it's a word. Really. I looked it up.)
And, as ever, that magic moment every day at 6am when the Bacardi 151 crosses the blood-brain barrier.
Plus Star Wars Episode IX, which comes out in 392 days, I SAID!
How'bout you?
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