In Which There Is Another Reason For Sanford To Resign, As If There Weren't Enough Already

Read this first. I'll wait here. [whistling tunelessly, looking at random pictures]


[doo dee do dee do...another gratuitous Maddow picture]


You're back? Good. I want us all to be on the same page. I wonder if this past week's "hiking" trip was on the taxpayer's Master Card too?

I remember a Rachel rant on AAR about disgraced politicians giving their tearful apology press conferences with their tight-lipped wives beside them. So yay for Mrs. Sanford for letting the sorry, hypocritical bastard stand out there alone with his arrogance hanging out of his pants.

So, This Happened

I'm sitting in a hospital room. It's 6:30 a.m.; I've been here since 10 last night. I'm taking the night shift, because staying up all night is a strong suit of mine. From each, to each. This past January a friend of mine made a New Year's resolution: participate in a 5K every month. Unlike almost everyone else who made a resolution, she kept hers. She won't be running one this month, although she did run just last month. Two weeks ago we found out she had cancer, metastasized to her lymph nodes, but of unknown origin. Then we found out that she had stage IV stomach cancer. Yesterday we found out she has another mass on a kidney. She is 42 years old. We, her chosen family, are marshalling ourselves into around the clock vigils.

I mention these things to you by way of explanation of my infrequent postings in the last week or so. I value very much the time any of you give to review my ramblings here, and do not want to become that link you don't click anymore because nothing new EVER happens there. Yes, I'm looking at you. You know who you are, you non-updating bloggers. It will get better in the next few days, as we become clearer about our path. So, I write to ask your patience. Thanks. I swear, I will be funny again, as God is my witness!

In Which We Honor John Hodgman And Celebrate AMC In A Black Cocktail Dress

In honor of Mr. Hodgman's ass-kicking at the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association dinner tonight, one of my favorite Maddow videos of all time. Please to enjoy: Maddow and PC.



The aforementioned ass-kicking from J.H.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

And, also from tonight's dinner, via Twitpic and Ana Marie Cox:


Oh my. Mr. Ana Marie Cox, Chris Lehmann, is a very lucky man.

In Which I Needed These Tears

Via the MSNBC promo machine, the only thing to make me laugh out loud in days. A must click.

Hand update: My doctor screeched, "Oh my God!" when she saw it, so...you know...much better.

In Which, "Bad Kitty!! OMG, I'm Hit!"

Ok, so this isn't actually my very bad kitty, but it is a fair approximation of what happened last night. Just add teeth. Lots of teeth. If you will look to the right column, you will see my latest Twitter update. Further update: 24 hours later, my hand is the size of a birthday balloon, I have a fever, and I also have a dr's appointment tomorrow. I say all this as an explanation as to why, despite much that is newsworthy, I will be taking a break tonight, and maybe tomorrow night. Stupid cat. Probably paying me back for naming him "Senor Mr. Boy Kitty." On further consideration, I totally deserved it.

In Which I Feel A Little Nauseated

Here's the link to the Blue Angels' video Rachel was talking about. Hell no. And also, "Fly Navy!"

In Which The Maddow Demonstrates Her Sitcom Potential

Rachel was bringing the funny tonight, so I don't have to. I love Fridays on TRMS. Her first sitcom take is after the "smoking lettuce" Holy Mackerel story:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

But her finest moment comes in her remarks about House Minority Leader Boehner:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

And to top it all off, a DorkFactor moment with props!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

DorkFactor of 8.8. 1.6 level of difficulty for managing two props simultaneously.

In Which I Do Not Have It In Me To Try To Be Entertaining. Sorry.

Seriously, ya'll, it has been a week. Hopefully something in tomorrow night's show will flip a switch in me. Gah. I do have a few things to say: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is awesome, plus I am a complete sucker for a little lisp. And he used the word "iteration." And he's married to a marine biologist. How cool is that? Also, regarding Kent's list of rare and unusual majors, my beloved Little Conch is majoring in LGBT and Gender Social Justice. I know, right? She says she wants to run the gay world, and those of you who know her do not doubt it. She is a force. Not that I'm proud or anything. Here's a picture of her in action: (She's the one writing)


Here she is at her leisure, with her BFF, Nick The Opera Singer and some Rosie look alike with whom I am unfamiliar:


I am a dead woman. If this post is down tomorrow, you'll know why.

In Which, "What The Hell Is A Uiger?"

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

I have to say, until tonight, I had never heard of "weegers." I accept without question that they, whomever they are, have been held at Guantanamo for years, even though they are no longer considered "enemy combatants." I do question however, how in the hell some Chinese guys from Xinjiang, Muslim or not, ended up there. A blog article from ABC's "Legalities" in October of 2008 sheds some light.

The men, a group of Chinese Muslims known as 'Uighurs,' had weapons training from the Taliban in camps in Afghanistan. They were picked up in Afghanistan and Pakistan after Sept. 11th, and have been at Guantanamo ever since. They are no longer considered 'enemy combatants,' because China, not the United States, was their enemy.

This map however, really tells the story. Look at all those "'Stans" bordering Xinjiang: (you can click on the image to enlarge it)

I think I would rather live in Palau than Washington D.C., but then I'm a beachy kinda girl.

Update: Per Spencer Ackerman, a Maddow favorite, the Uigers, at least a significant number of the 17, are goin' to the shore.

In Which I Read Playboy For The Articles

I followed an Ana Marie Cox tweet link to an article on DADT this afternoon. Imagine my delight when I found this banner:


PANTS STATUS: hot.

Umm, ahh, err...what? Oh, sorry. The article is good too.

Tonight, I may actually write a substantive post. And then again, maybe I won't.

In Which, The Shoes, The Awesome Freaking Shoes!

Rachel spoke last weekend at the ACLU's bash in Utah. The shoes. Oh my God, the shoes! I could not love her more.




(photos courtesy the Utah ACLU's Facebook page)

In Which I Take Credit Where It Is Not Due. Probably.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

On Wednesday Ana Marie Cox made a "Lord of the Flies" reference, which was awesome. But pronounced conch, as, well, "conch," instead of "conk." So I fired off this Tweet:


On tonight's show, she made a point of pronouncing it "conk." Coincidence? Yeah, probably.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Ok, people, I need more than one nomination for an "O Fortuna" replacement. Thanks Sabrina. Your nomination did indeed scare the shit out of me. Per Sabrina:

In Which I Have A Couple Of Nominations To Replace "O Fortuna"

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Last week Rachel said that she didn't find "O Fortuna" to be scary anymore, just annoying heraldry that a Republican message was to follow. Therefore, I nominate "Tubular Bells," the theme from "The Exorcist," and "Ave Satani!" from "The Omen."





At first I though "Tubular Bells," but now I'm leaning more toward "Ave Satani" because everything sounds scarier in Latin. Except for drunk college Latin students singing, "Gaudeamus Igitur."

Any other suggestions? Once I get a list of a few, I will post a poll. A silly, meaningless, fun poll.

In Which My Friend Has Something To Say

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

A very eloquent speech by Rachel to open tonight's show. Another eloquent woman, my friend, Merley95, made the following comment on yesterday's post, and I want to make sure no one misses it.

I just saw the news about Dr. Tiller and am so profoundly saddened. I knew him professionally- he was a great friend of genetic counselors. And he was a kind and gentle man.

I have worked in reproductive health for almost a decade and I don't know a single person who is "pro-abortion." But most people do not understand or want to hear the heart-wrenching stories of the women who end up in abortion clinics. A great majority of women who sought out Dr. Tiller's services had planned and wanted pregnancies. About four or five months in, when they came to the doctor for the exciting ultrasound to find out the gender of the baby, they instead discovered that there was something wrong with the baby. Sometimes, terribly unfixably wrong. I know this because I'm someone who had to tell women this news. There is nothing like the anguished cries of a mother when she hears that the baby growing and moving inside her will be severely deformed, profoundly disabled or simply will not survive life after birth. For some women, the idea of carrying a baby for another four or five months just to watch that baby die seems unbearable. To be visibly pregnant and face strangers' questions, feel that life moving inside, all the while dreading the inevitable end. Maybe it's easy to think we know how we would react in that situation but I'm not sure...

My friend is a woman of deep Christian faith. Unlike me, she is not given to rants, and her opinions are carefully considered. I am very appreciative of your insight here, my friend.

Also, I have worked as a volunteer for the pro-choice movement, and never, not once, did I hear anyone advocating violence toward anyone of the anti-choice groups, despite their awful efforts to intimidate.