Tennessee Tornadoes

 We were under tornado warnings for hours last night… with the sirens going off and multiple warnings to take cover. My mother and father in law were hunkered down in the bathroom and us in our safe place with pillows and blankets, cellphone, flashlights, shoes, etc. Ready to run on a second’s notice.

My wife’s parents heard one tornado that hit a few miles down the road that demolished a school and several homes in Cerro Gordo, TN (on the Tn river).

One man that her dad worked with for many years lived in a trailer down on the river. He was found dead way up in a tree. They are still looking for a friend of theirs… an old lady, now missing.

We were lucky. Many others weren’t. 50 dead. Many more injured.

Jen’s Most Excellent update

From Jen’s Dad: 

Jennifer wanted you to know that the radioactive synthetic scorpion venom dosing was completely successful this week.  There was no “leakage” of the 5 cc dosing.  They were able to pinpoint the application directly onto/into her remaining tumor which was recently upgraded to a level 4.  The medical staff at UAB associated with this test is very pleased with the above results, as they had warned us that there was a concern about leakage, given  Jennifer’s head cavity layout.  That concern is no more.  Jennifer will receive two more 5 cc dosings over the next two consecutive weeks.  She has had no side effects at all.  I talked to her tonight - she feels fine and is naturally recovering from her two recent brain surgeries.  We now have to hope and pray that the radioactive marker/synthetic venom can do their magic and eliminate a significant percentage of the remaining tumor.  We probably won’t know the success of the trial for another three months.  We are hopeful!

When Opinions Make You Hurl

OPINION

Well-deserved honor for Lott

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Jackson County turns out today to honor favorite son Sen. Trent Lott.

Lott, who resigned in December, honored his hometown with a distinguished 35-year career at the highest levels of the nation’s government. He served as Republican Whip in the House and Senate. He served as Senate Majority Leader from 1996 to 2002. He was Senate Republican Whip in 2007 when he resigned.

Lott was first elected to the House in 1972. He had served as Rep. William Colmer’s administrative assistant from 1968 to 1972. Colmer, a Democrat from Moss Point, backed Lott in his first bid for election to the House. From 1981 to 1986 Lott served as House Republican Whip. He began his Senate career in 1989.

Lott is known for his loyalty to the Republican Party and Mississippi. But, he was also a lawmaker that others, Democrats and Republicans, relied on to cut through the partisan divide and make government work.

In his book, “Herding Cats,” Lott points to his upbringing in Pascagoula as shaping his success.

“There weren’t a lot of rich people in Pascagoula, but there wasn’t much poverty either. What impressed me as a youngster was the almost classless society I encountered when I enrolled in Pascagoula Junior High School as a seventh-grader,” Lott wrote.

As to his reputation as a deal-maker, “I had a hunger to get things done and an early can-do way to get them done — whether it was organizing the senior prom or guiding the Drama Club,” Lott wrote.

An indication of his future bipartisanship: “… I believe that my campaigns succeeded because I enthusiastically and sincerely developed friendships throughout the student body,” Lott wrote about his leadership role in school here.

The honors begin at noon at a meeting of all Jackson County Rotary clubs. At 3 p.m., a private party will be held hosted by the Republican Women of Jackson County.

At 6 p.m. the Jackson County and Ocean Springs chambers of commerce hold the Trent Lott Appreciation Day at the B.E. “Mac” McGinty Civic Center. About 1,500 tickets at $10 each were sold for the civic center event.

Today’s honors may not be as fancy as receptions held in Washington, D.C., but it is very likely Lott is among more friends here.

BuelahMan’s OPINION:

I personally think that Trent Lott is a lying, racist, Big Money clown who misled the people of Mississippi during the last election (as he did most of his career). He knew darn well he would be leaving and never said a word. He is simply a ReTHUGlican ideologue who cares only about himself and the perpetuation of a failed and devastating neocon policy.

Good riddance and I hope your new venture fails miserably.

Obama: The Same Old, Same Old?

My buddy Manila Ryce’s blog at The Largest Minority had a post by peacelf that mimcs how I feel about Mr Obama and his message of “change”.

What is different about him? Other than the flashy wording that Americans are want to hear. Is it really truth? Does he mean it?

America may be better off with Obama than any of the rest now participating, but not by much. And I agree with peacelf that America is likely in for a huge let down.

Kennedy Endorsement of Barack Obama Overrated

By peacelf
Published Tuesday, February 5th, 2008, 8:21 pm

Right now I’m going to challenge one of the sacred relics of the sixties. Here goes. I am not impressed with Maria Shriver, Caroline Kennedy, or Ted Kennedy’s support of Barack Obama. JFK is no hero.

The tragic death of JFK, notwithstanding, does not make a great president. JFK’s “greatness” is based on ‘could haves’ and ‘would haves,’ not on any real changes he proposed or made. Yes, he utilized lofty language in his speeches, but when it came right down to it, he balked at implementing the changes of the civil rights movement, he introduced [a]merica to a tiny nation in Southeast Asia called Vietnam and, oh yeah, saved us from the evil Soviet empire. Other than getting killed in front of a camera in a somewhat suspicious manner, JFK was still a sayer and not a doer. I can level that same charge against Barack Obama.

Obama’s lofty language of “change” and “working together” coupled with his popularity only suggests to me that the American people want to be hopeful, want to be inspired, want a leader who will listen to The People; but again, I’m afraid they will be sadly disappointed when that change does not occur. And, it will compound American anger, cynicism, and ultimately, their feelings of powerlessness about politicians making any significant changes.

Moreover, it won’t be because Obama lied to us. No, it’s clearly stated on his web site that he is part of the status quo in politics, that his ideas for change are no different than Hillary’s, McCain’s, and Romney’s. In other words, if people would look at Obama’s campaign issues with even a modicum of critical thinking, they would understand my point here: Obama is still part of the problem, not the solution for genuine progressive change.

Yet, this is the state of America-in-denial. We love the luxury of living in an empire, but feel guilty enough to select leaders who use moral and lofty language as a political expediency, as a way to assuage that guilt we all feel for shopping at Wal-Mart and living in relative luxury thanks to poor people around the world who work for us in sweat shops, rather than making the difficult choices to support candidates who will challenge who we are fundamentally as a nation and a people.

Yet, I have hope that someday love, compassion, and justice will prevail, not just in american politics, but in the will of the people. However, first, it must begin with so-called progressives and liberals who continually support the status quo encapsulated in candidates like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

peacelf

Mississippi Fat Folks Refused Food in Restaurants

Fat people won’t be served food in Mississippi, new law in works

EPA/DIEGO AZUBEL

A new bill would make it illegal for restaurants to serve the obese in Mississippi.

The-Smoking Gun reports that Mississippi legislators this week introduced a bill that would make it illegal for state-licensed restaurants to serve obese patrons.

Mississippi is one of the most obesity plagued states in the U.S.

Bill No. 282, which can be viewed at the Smoking Gun website, is the work of three members of the state’s House of Representatives, Republicans W. T. Mayhall, Jr. and John Read, and Democrat Bobby Shows.

The bill proposes that the state’s Department of Health establish weight criteria after consultation with Mississippi’s Council on Obesity. It does not detail what penalties an eatery would face if they serve a fat person a meal.

Who decides which patron is fat, or where the weight cut-off line is to be established was also unclear.

(From MonstersandCritics.com)

Less Jobs. More Wars.

Healthcare for all

Looks like Hillary could use some, as well.