musing minds

RIP John Murtha

I didn’t agree with his politics and I supported his opponent in the last election (although I couldn’t vote in that election as I live in Illinois) but that doesn’t make his death a sad event. My condolences go out to his family and friends and my prayers for him and his family as well.

He shared my birthday, June 17th, along with Barry Manilow, Joe Piscopo, Newt Gingrich, MC Escher, former IAEA Director General Mohamed El Baradei, former Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, and others.

He died of complications from gall bladder surgery.

Groundhog Day and Election Day

Two for the price of one:

Our weather forecast for today calls for cloudy and snow. So I guess that means no shadow for the groundhog to be scared by and we’ll have spring right on schedule, just like every year, no matter if it’s sunny or not. There’s always about six weeks between February 2nd and the first day of Spring. Every year.

It’s also primary day here in Illinois. First in the Nation! Only in an off year. Here’s a pdf file that lists all the primaries this year (Iowa is in June and New Hampshire not until September!)

I am so sick of campaign commercials and robo calls on the phone. I hope that the winners will take a break, otherwise we’ve got a solid 9 months of campaigning for the November election.

After Scott Brown won in Massachusetts, people were rethinking whether or not to run for re-election or were thinking about throwing a hat into the ring. Here in Illinois, that wasn’t an option. Petitions were in and ballots were ready long before the election in Massachusetts. In fact, early voting for this primary started before the Mass election.

I don’t know if its better to have a shorter primary season or a shorter general election season. At least this way we won’t be assailed with commercials for so many candidates for such a long period, just for the few that win tomorrow.

But then again, perhaps those whose primaries are later in the year won’t have the commercials bombarding them until much closer to the primary.

New Mattress Topper

Over the weekend, my feather bed got ruined (sick child). So I went online on Sunday to try to find something to replace it for my sleeping comfort.

I found this one at Overstock.com and promptly ordered it. I was expecting that it would be shipped sometime this week and that I would receive it next week or the week after especially with $2.95 shipping. The website said it would be shipped in 3-5 days and then shipping would take 5-10 days. I didn’t even know that the package had shipped!

On Tuesday, the UPS man came to my door. I asked where the box was from as he was walking away. I looked and it was from Overstock.com!

What a pleasant surprise! Considering that I had ordered on Sunday, my new mattress topper arrived next day. All for $2.95 shipping.

***FTC disclaimer: I did not receive any compensation or consideration from Overstock.com except for the pleasant surprise that my order arrived so quickly! Thank you Overstock.com. ***

Note to Politicians of All Stripes

Don’t vote for a crappy bill in the hopes that it can be changed later; that’s like going out with or marrying a person who has some really bad qualities in the hopes that he/she will change…

Or you’re the mistress and once he divorces his current wife and marries you it will be forever

School District Bans MW Collegiate Dictionary

because a parent complained that 4th and 5th graders (10-11 year-old children) could look up “naughty” words.

Why do we still let one or two “offended” parents tyranize the rest of us? Why don’t we just tell them where to get off?

h/t Walter Olson at Overlawyered.com…

from the comments at Overlawyered:

What’s this lady going to do when her kid goes to web-dictionaries and discovers that you can make your PC audibly pronounce such terms?

Illinois Statewide Offices

From the ballots for the primary elections, next Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010. * = incumbent (my endorsements at the end, fwiw)

Federal: United States Senator (for the open seat that was Barack Obama’s, now Roland Burris’. Dick Durbin is up for re-election in 2012.)

Democrat

Robert Marshall
David Hoffman
Jacob J. Meister
Alexander “Alexi” Giannoulias
Cheryle Jackson

Republican

Donald (Don) Lowery
Mark Steven Kirk
Andy Martin
Kathleen Thomas
John Arrington
Patrick J. Hughes

Green

LeAlan M. Jones

State Offices

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Guarding the Beer

Nobody’s gonna get the beer away from him…

[flickr]4291728458[/flickr]

The Voter = Darth Vader?

That’s what Dave Pollak, former NY State Director of the Obama Campaign has to say (just after 6:00 mark) when talking about the Brown win in Mass and whether or not incumbents in general and Dem incumbents in particular might be in danger in November this year. Gretchen Carlson asks him about Obama coming to campaign. Dave Pollak says that he was invited to come campaign for Coakley too late, that he should have been invited weeks earlier, then he says:

But when you talk about the power of incumbency, it sort of reminds me of that scene from Star Wars where Darth Vader chokes the head of the Death Star and says okay now you’re in charge and the guy who’s about to be in charge looks like a total panic, I think that’s what’s going on right now in American politics. The voter is Darth Vader.

mm-5