Just one thing after another

hola, jackie, when barack obama, michelle and the girls moved into the whitehouse, something happened in the basement of that house. a door openned and gold and dollars that had been gathered at the time of the civil war and hidden were found. LOTS of gold and LOTS of dollars. so, there are the funny money books where we bailed out the banks and then there are the OTHER books. maybe that door openned because the need was great, God does provide. perhaps, when this time when, "this, too, shall pass" is over, we will have a true accounting of many things, including things like 'blackwater' in iraq and the mercenaries who are everywhere. they are pariahs, serious outcasts. they spread anarchy everywhere they go. maybe they should have a one-way ticket to that moon colony that is in the back of my mind . . . . i am so glad your daughter came home safe with many stories to tell. went to the grocery store last night and saw a good many of our soldiers in there.

happy birthday to you cary, and many happy returns!!! i don't count mine, anymore, and i should do better at hiding my gray hairs but i get lazy. it's even been a good while since my sons turned 21!!!! i hope your history teacher adopts some more of those adorable pets from the gulf. if more people studied history, maybe we would stop trying to reinvent the wheel! it's students like you that keep people like your history professor in the field, teaching what they know and love. the college teachers pretty much know who's who when you go through your 4 years, just like the high school teachers know. i'm with dave, i'm hoping they come up with some kind of sand-washing machine for the gulf. and i hope that oil eating bacteria goes to town in the marshes and the lake.

best, anna martina

#6.1 - Tue Jul 20, 2010 8:49 PM EDT

"Ask me how do I feel....
Well Sir, all I can say, is if I were a bell I'd be ringing.."

A line from the song, "If I were a Bell" - from the movie GUYS AND DOLLS-
a scene with Marlon Brando and Jean Simmons.
Unforgettable!

#7 - Tue Jul 20, 2010 8:21 PM EDT

woody246

I have been trying to tell people that even after this thing is shut down there is still going to be problems for many years to come. With all the oil and chemical disbersements in the Gulf it will be a Earth changeing event and none of us know all the consiquences to come. I feel saddened for all those who make and earn a living along the Gulf. The impact will be felt for many years to come and not to mention all the Health issues along with it.

#8 - Tue Jul 20, 2010 9:13 PM EDT

Celine JC-NJ

Brian-

Not to worry that we will lose interest in the progress of the Gulf cleanup. It is more likely the I will not-so-subtly remind you should you FAIL to cover it regularly. Just keep it up keep going down there for as long as it takes (years?). We care and want to stay informed.

Cary-- Happy Birthday! 21 is a milestone birthday, so be sure to enjoy your special day!

I hope you all saw Rachel and Richard on her show last night. Those two are always fun (whose $20 was it anyway?) and always, always full of info. With Rachel, Richard has the time to do the penetrating analysis he can't on time constrained NN. And what great Afghanistan analysis they gave us last night! Thanks to you both for the insight.

And Brian -- a not-so-subtle reminder that there was important news from Afghanistan today.

Take care all-

Celine

#9 - Tue Jul 20, 2010 9:30 PM EDT

Good evening Brian and bloggers. I haven't been able to watch the broadcast yet, out and about for the big day with family! But I just wanted to thank you all so much for your sweet Birthday wishes! I'm so amazed what a connection Brian's blog has made! Those, I must say, are very cheerful web comments! :) Anna, I will let you know if my History professor adopts another rescued dog from Katrina. I bet you everything he will...

Spent the day on Skype talking to a friend in Norway (future foreign reporter) and my friend in Nebraska (future diplomat)! Had a nice dinner with family. Rode around in my mom's convertible mustang listening to Bruce Springsteen with the sun going down, and the moon shining bright. Thought of you Brian! Stared up at the moon on this 41 year anniversary of the first moon landing. A lot of deep thought about our amazing technology today, with Skype and this moon landing anniversary. An overwhelmingly great Birthday today! I feel so blessed on a day like this. And Ann Curry of all people sent me a Direct Message Birthday wish on Twitter! (technology slays me). Ann is so sweet! And such an inspiration!

My thoughts and prayers remain with the folks living in the Gulf. Although I missed Nightly News tonight, I will catch up as soon as possible.

Goodnight and take care,

-Cary

#10 - Tue Jul 20, 2010 10:28 PM EDT

Cary
Pal has a question for ya..
Is there any other artist aside from Bruce Springsteen that you like?
Your 2009 blogs have no mention of Bruce...
Was Bruce recently discovered..like at a concert?

#10.1 - Tue Jul 20, 2010 11:11 PM EDT

Mimi,

Of course there are MANY other artists I love! I'm a music lover. I actually did mention Bruce in my 2009 posts. My very first concert was Bruce Springsteen back on May 5, 2009. An unforgettable night. I could spend all afternoon talking about music, but this blog isn't quite the place, so to answer your question I'll just say yes. Many many more artists I love out there, and the list grows.

#10.2 - Wed Jul 21, 2010 3:57 PM EDT

Cool..
You and Brian love the Boss and his tunes..
I am not a fan but admire the man...the music..the legend.
Prince is more my type.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

#10.3 - Wed Jul 21, 2010 4:33 PM EDT

Yeah, I'm slightly jealous I didn't grow up on the Jersey Shore during The Boss's prime! Nobody quite like him! Also just noticed a preview of a new BriTunes is up today! And thanks for the Birthday wishes! I am slightly heartbroken at the moment. just found out all my photos from my Birthday yesterday have completely vanished from my memory card. You can replace many things, but you cannot replace a picture(s). I'm hoping there's a way they can be retrieved...

#10.4 - Wed Jul 21, 2010 4:42 PM EDT

I just made a big typo. I didn't mean to write Katrina, I meant to write the Gulf. (His first adopted rescues were rescued from hurricane Katrina.)

#11 - Tue Jul 20, 2010 10:40 PM EDT

Jim from

Brian, you opened your Shirley Sherrod piece with this: “In a controversy over what appeared to be damaging racist remarks captured on videotape and then posted on a conservative blog.”

Appeared???

Quoting Sherrod "I was struggling with the fact that so many black people had lost their farmland, and here I was faced with helping a white person save their land … so … I didn't give him the full force of what I could do.”.And this: “So I took him to a white lawyer … so I figured if I take him to one of them, that his own kind would take care of him.”

One of them??? That term is just as racist as referring to other races as “You people.”

Sherrod’s comments are more than just an “appearance” of racism, they are in fact, racism. Sherrod was caught, but your newscast downplayed Sherrod’s racism, and then describing a “conservative blog” in the pejorative revealed a most definite left-leaning slant. The only reason this story was aired in the first place on your network is because it was gaining so much traction on the Internet.

Contrast this story to the Trent Lott story from eight years ago. Lott made a remark at Strom Thurmond’s 100^th birthday party: “When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We’re proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over the years, either.” Instead of a conservative blog, it was the liberal press (which includes NBC News) that pushed and pushed this story for 15 days until they achieved their goal of Lott tendering his resignation from his leadership post in the U.S. senate. And of course in the body of those stories, Lott was tied to the Bush administration at every opportunity.

Brian, if you had only been as consistent in pushing the Sherrod story, like Tom Brokaw did in pushing the Lott story of eight years ago, then you and your news network would have credibility.

#12 - Wed Jul 21, 2010 5:08 AM EDT

"Why don't these folks place a photo behind their words.." -says a pal.
"Lend some credibility"- she says.
I don't get the outrage.
Where were you folks when "black people" were demeaned constantly
with insensitive racist remarks and sentiments?
Racism has leaped to the front of the brain..
Could be because we have a Black President?
I don't know what we have done, as a people, to deserve such heavy labor.
We are like the Israelites, punished by God..wandering for 40 years in a desert.
"Black people" were not smart enough to conceive an idea to enslave a set of people.
I worry no more..
I hang on to God's words: "Vengeance is mine, I will repay!"
My Grandma says..when God speaks..It is law.

#12.1 - Wed Jul 21, 2010 7:05 AM EDT

Phyllis Kunz

Mimi,

Of interest perhaps, according to an article I have it is the black people who have been persecuted, not the Jews

who nailed Jesus to the cross, and Simon was a black man who carried the cross to Calvery

His critics accuse President Obama of being a secret Muslim. I have a pair of shorts with the label Kenya.

Does that make me a secret Muslim too? Phyllis

#13 - Wed Jul 21, 2010 9:20 AM EDT

Phyllis
How did ya know I am an AOL follower? You said I was.
I am not going to assign blame on anyone regarding the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The sacrifice of the SON was the FATHER's plan..it was written... And must be fulfilled.
God had to have the ultimate act fulfilled to save mankind. This is HIS
love for us.
I don't like to discuss religion with anyone 'cuz it is so personal..
But I have to inject God because when injustice is done..The Lord says-
"Don't do evil for evil..vengeance is mine."
Some Christians believe these wars and 9/11 are God's vengeance.
I don't know. If Grandma was alive, I would ask.
What I do know is that you cannot disobey God and not expect the consequences.
This morn's blog upset me so much..I reached out to my Mom.
Her wisdom brings comfort.
She reminds / tells me of many facts.
Those who vilified President Clinton for his personal sin ..lived to see their own sins ridiculed by the media. Their own private sins..God revealed.
You will reap what you sow. It's God's promise.
Case in point- Bill O'Reilly's sex scandal and he ended up paying serious dough to the young lady. John Edwards--critical of Clinton.
How do you know there is a God?------a pal once asked.
I feel HIM.
But..look at nature...the perfection of it.....the careful details of a flower...
WATER...and the makeup of it....the complexity of the human body.
Could not happen by chance. No. An intelligent design!!!!!
I end with this. We have no control in the decision of our birth nor do we control in the timing of our death.
"Before I put you in your mother's womb, I knew you."---says God (BIBLE)

#13.1 - Wed Jul 21, 2010 10:00 AM EDT

Dave, Tn-1853132

So what do you make of Gore's scandals, the fact that BP was in bed with the Gorebull warming tax and cap crowd just like Enron, or that God delivered blizzards and all time low temperatures every time that snake oil salesman & company tried to hold a gorebull warming summit the last couple years? Last I heard they'd given up and scheduled something one in Mexico city this summer. Well that should be safe................................. huh unless there is an earthquake or something mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Sign Sign everywhere a sign
Tripping up the liars, protecting our behinds
Can't you see the signs?????

#13.2 - Wed Jul 21, 2010 12:05 PM EDT

Dave
I don't assign blame..
Al Gore..that is between Gore and his God and his family-
If the accusations are true.
Women lie / deceive....for money, for self interests..they do..
Samson and Delilah..(The Bilble)
Delilah was sent to trick Samson in revealing the source of his strength.
The rest of political junk is way above my head...
"You can lead a donkey to the water but you can't force him to drink."
Your political views differ from mine...and I must respect you, the person.
The Republicans who champion tax break for the very rich are the same folks who want to deny Americans,(without jobs,) -compensation so they may survive.
Heartless.
"Bush was given to America for a reason ."- said Pastor Hill..

#13.3 - Wed Jul 21, 2010 12:52 PM EDT

Dave, Tn-1853132

You've never looked into who the very rich are and which party they support have you?

"Bush was given to America for a reason ."- said Pastor Hill..

He must love Obama then because he's Bush on steroids and then some. geesshhhh

#13.4 - Wed Jul 21, 2010 2:25 PM EDT

marv brilliant

Brian: The Gulf Region doesn't need another tropical storm, hurricane, or any other natural disaster. I used to live in the Florida Panhandle, not far from Pensacola Beach. When I saw the first video's and photo's of that beach, I was devastated! I've traveled all along the Gulf Coast from Mobile through Mississippi to New Orleans. Great places to visit! Now the beaches are primarily tattered and bruised! Ways of life have been altered immeasurably! Now the question is, will the cap continue to hold. There has been some seepage from the well, but Thad Allen (the incident commander) tells us it is of no consequence. Any seepage is a cause for alarm. Don't tell those hard working fisherman that. They just want to hear that the well is dead (killed.) I believe there is a tropical storm south of the Gulf. Let's hope that fizzels out. And yes, Brian, our levels of courage must coincide with the Gulf residents.

#14 - Wed Jul 21, 2010 12:20 PM EDT

"Extending Unemployment is more big government, not limited government," says my Economics Professor.
He invites the on-line students to the on campus lectures.
So...on my way to hear more about Socialism being "death" to incentive.
I listen, learn..because Dr. Griffith is a walking genius.
Today's lecture: Inflation and the GDP.

#15 - Wed Jul 21, 2010 1:59 PM EDT

yes, to dr. griffith, mimi, but big government has to fix what it broke, first. we can't just sacrifice the innocent in the name of policy . . . . it takes time to switch gears. like obama said on one of his visits to the soldiers in iraq, america is like a very large ocean vessel and it takes time to get her turned around. i remember when my little boy ended up in the hospital on an i.v. from dehydration in st. louis, they thought it might be spinal meningitis from repeat fevers, first they sent me out of the room and then they had to bring me back into the room for the spinal tap because he wouldn't lay still without me there, and my ex's uncle made the shanty irish fix what they broke.

#15.1 - Wed Jul 21, 2010 8:24 PM EDT

Anna.
Was in the midst of reading the new blogs: exciting and new.
You caught me in a mood. I want a dear friend to phone cuz I do need to talk and the friend won't.
But I have you along with these "testy" blogs to keep me occupied. Dave of TN is egging me on. I know a trap when I see it. Can't and don't want to alter anyone's ideology. Anyway, a differ in opinion makes our world interesting.
Loved your insight...all about my Professor and America being an ocean vessel. I learn so much from you. I could read your blogs all night.
They are educational and packed with warmth.
The 90 minute lecture was amazing. I wish I could attend his lectures everyday..a full attentive, opinionated class. I was in awe at the wisdom.
Starry Night. None tonight..not here in S. Florida. So..will resort to Van Gogh's starry night painting.....later.
Brian's NN- star story hit me.
Ya know, the nearest star to the earth is the sun. And this discovery of a new star- as more massive-moves my heart.
Totally love the sun, moon and all that surrounds.
Anna-the President owes Ms Sherrod a private apology. He does.
Gibbs..not good enough.
I spent some time looking at a fellow blogger, (Cary's) site. Pretty darn good.
"Ask me how do I feel...if I were a bell..I'd be ringing.."-can't stop humming the Marlon Brando movie tune.
"NYT"

#15.2 - Wed Jul 21, 2010 9:08 PM EDT

for dr. griffith's information, if you want entry into the interplanetary federation and council, you have to shake the shackles of blatant capitalism which is blood-thirsty, cut-throat and we saw the result on wall street with the banks. if he wants to live in that world, it will still be there, and i'm sure he's more than welcome to stay, along with many of his students, but others of us have decided to move on to the higher realms where kinetic energy is available to move the wheel of fortune vs. the good ole yoke that they strap across the poor yak, the american middle class. it's a much kinder place where value is placed on individuality because each one of us is as different from the other as a star or snowflake, even though education persists in sticking us in the same box, and the name of the game is creation or, as one swedish nobel society says, 'making the invisible visible'. carolyn porco, of the cassini project of saturn, took the award for this year. asu still remembers what they did to murray weidenbaum when he took the nobel prize in economics, his peers. oh, van gogh was bi-polar and so was his brother, who died in a mental institution. fire and ice. i have gotten to the chapter called 'proteus' in dexter's book. that should be an interesting one . . . . . the anarchy in the book makes me wonder what california will be like with less police officers on task.

#15.3 - Wed Jul 21, 2010 9:29 PM EDT

Anna.
You know Van Gogh.. and his life? I am impressed. Love his art... and his life adds appeal to his work.
Capitalism!
Blood thirsty..???
Are we the perfect example?!
Success they call it. So unlike the failures of Italy and Germany who fell under the "death of incentive."
Professors asks- "this stimulus passed to stimulate..is it good or bad?"
"Are the projects unproductive? They would be productively efficient if they add to the GDP."
Anna..still waiting on the friend to call..and hearing from you is always good.
Rachel Maddow is kicking FOX news butt.
She says she is 6' tall. I am 5' 11". Close.

#15.4 - Wed Jul 21, 2010 9:58 PM EDT

so, how much money and success do you think it took for God to create our universe?

#15.5 - Wed Jul 21, 2010 10:21 PM EDT

so, how much money and success do you think it took for God to create our universe? oh, and was it productive and did it add to the GDP?

#15.6 - Wed Jul 21, 2010 10:23 PM EDT