February, 2017 archive
Town Halls of Horrors 0
At another internet place I frequent, a discussion of Republican Congresspersons’ town halls has been going on the past few days. Someone from another country known for its cheese and roast beef requested clarification. I like my response so much that I will share it. You can follow this link for the full discussion.
- This should give you plenty of reading material.
The short version is that it’s a relatively recent tradition that US Congresscritters during extended recesses hold open meetings for constituents. These are commonly referred to as “town halls,” though they are not town halls in any sense related to municipal governance.
During the February recess (which can be recognized by the fact that Congresscritters are doing nothing in their districts, as opposed to doing nothing in Washington, D. C.), these meetings have not been going well for some Congresscritters, particularly those who have committed to the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Some have ducked out of, restricted attendance to, or canceled these meetings because they do not want to converse with or be confronted by constituents opposed to their points of view.
In the US, this is referred to as “representative government.”
An Annointment with Destiny 0
Garrison Keillor explains.
QOTD 0
Logan Pearsall Smith:
How it infuriates a bigot, when he is forced to drag out his dark convictions!
And Now for Something Completely Different 0
Afterthought:
The hold music from my hosting provider, which I seldom had to listen to for more than three or four minutes, included “Down by the Riverside.”
When I heard it, all I could think of was
When you go to the delicatessen store,
don’t buy the liverwurst!
Speaking of liverwurst, one of my favorite sandwiches is liverwurst with onions and mustard on a kaiser roll. I used to get them at my local Wawa in Delaware.
You can’t get one at Wawa in these parts. As a native Virginian, I am disappointed that Virginians don’t seem to understand sandwiches.
Nevertheless, I do know where to get a proper cheesesteak.
Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Huddled Masses
Oh, Forget It, Reprise
0
The Des Moines Register’s Rekha Basu is disheartened at the Trumpling of immigrants and refugees. Here’s a snippet from her column:
Do please read the rest.
Plus Ca Change 0
Dick Polman has seen it all before.
No Place To Hide 0
More news from the IoT (that’s “Internet of Targets,” per Tom Lawrence).
It All Comes Out in the Wash 0
Truth cannot survive the Reince cycle.
