Week-long Welcomings from Moosylvania: Dec. 11th through Dec. 17th

December 10, 2016 JanF Community 103

Welcome to The Moose Pond! The Welcomings posts give the Moose, old and new, a place to visit and share words about the weather, life, the world at large and the small parts of Moosylvania that we each inhabit.

Welcomings will be posted at the start of each week (every Sunday morning). To find the posts, just bookmark this link and Voila! (which is Moose for “I found everyone!!”).

The format is simple: each day, the first moose to arrive on-line will post a comment welcoming the new day and complaining (or bragging!) about their weather. Or mentioning an interesting or thought provoking news item. Or simply checking in.

So … what’s going on in your part of Moosylvania?

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NOTE: The comments page will now split off after 20 or so left margin comments with the most recent comments on the current page. To see the older comments, scroll to the bottom of the page and use the link.

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33 Comments

  1. Good “morning”, Motley Meese! The week begins …

    Morning low of 14 degrees in Madison WI with an expected daytime high of 28. Snow is in the forecast.

    Have a great day, all y’alls!!

  2. Good morning Meese.

    I have to admit to being distressed. Reading this
    ‘Well, I killed them, I guess’: Jury watches Dylann Roof’s confession to church massacre

    Roof was quick to explain his reason for his actions.

    “I had to do it because somebody had to do something,” he said. “Black people are killing white people every day on the street, and they are raping white women. What I did is so minuscule to what they’re doing to white people every day all the time.”

    Prosecutors also introduced Roof’s handwritten journal as evidence. He chronicled how he began researching about race. He wrote about how Trayvon Martin’s death had prompted him to begin absorbing information online. He dedicated a lengthy section about blacks whom he described as “the biggest problem for Americans.”
    “Segregation was not a bad thing. It was a defensive measure,” he wrote, explaining that it was meant to “protect” white people from black people. “And I mean that in multiple ways. Not only did it protect us from having to interact with them, but it protected us from being brought down to their level.”

    I am really worried that he will not be convicted – and it will just be another “mental instability” slap on the wrist.
    After the Walter Scott “mistrial” I’ve just about given up on there being any justice in America for black folks.

    • Denise, there isn’t and there won’t be until we get rid of Thing and Faux Noise TV.

      When I heard the news about Walter Scott, what was left of my heart sank into my boots. We’ve entered the Dark Ages.

    • I read one account of the testimony from WaPo about the trial and couldn’t read any more. It sickened me to think that people like Roof are walking this planet and that we will soon have an Oval Office full of deplorables just like him. :(

      A tiny glimmer of hope for delayed justice:

      Congress has sent legislation to President Barack Obama’s desk that would continue reviews of racially motivated killings in the civil rights era that are now cold cases.

      The legislation passed by voice vote at the end of the congressional session early Saturday. It would indefinitely extend a 2007 law that calls for a full accounting of race-based deaths, many of which had been closed for decades. The law expires next year. […]

      The bill is named after Emmett Till, a 14-year-old black boy killed in 1955 after whistling at a white woman. […]

      The law provides federal resources to local jurisdictions to look into the cases. The bill would also require the Justice Department and the FBI to consult with civil rights organizations, universities and others who had been gathering evidence on the deaths. It also extends the time span of cases to be considered to December 31, 1979.

    • {{{Denise}}} – the young man is clearly delusional but that doesn’t help. He’s also a deliberate murderer. He’s one of the reasons I cannot fully support getting rid of the death penalty. Not for revenge or because I think it will stop others – it never has had a deterrent effect and it never will – but simply because people like this one will never be safe to turn loose in society. My only issue with executing such as these (after due process – I’m not into kangaroo courts) is what executing them does to the soul of the executioner.

      As long as 6 RW corporations own 90% of the media, the media is their propaganda arm. We will win a battle here and there, but we have no chance of winning the war unless/until that changes. Despots, even despots by committee, always use divide and conquer to gain and keep power and their propaganda machines make sure that happens. The R party is their political arm. The White Supremist/neo-Nazis are their “Brown Shirts” – we shall see if this administration does to them what Hitler did to his once he had control of the army. Somebody said “History does not repeat itself, but it rhymes.” I don’t like this poem and I hope we can cut if off before any more of the rhymes are sung.

      Healing Energy – for our nation and everyone in it. Everyone. But dear Goddess, if you are paying us any attention at all, please isolate the Haters and render them harmless to the rest of us.

      {{{Denise}}}

      • I feel the same way. This was deliberate murder.

        I’m sick of people making excuses for hate – and that includes a bunch of Democrats who seem to want to look the other way!

  3. Good gray Sunday morning, Meese. Right now it’s 26 F. in NoVa, going up to 39 F. Not sure what’s going to happen with regard to weather today, as I no longer watch or listen to news broadcasts.

    Yesterday was dominated by going out to tea, both before and after. Did absolutely nothing afterwards but read and sleep. Today I need to work on the Christmas newsletter and prepare a mailing. Yikes, the big day is two weeks from today!

    We’ll be 15 again for Christmas dinner, which means I’ll have to add a vegetarian entree and a honeybaked ham to the menu of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.

    Time to cook breakfast and try not to think of the Awfulness. Wishing all a good day!

  4. Still sneezing a lot, but better than yesterday. I actually slept last night. Was making progress clearing out the dvr, till I hit How The Universe Works. It’s a new season episode on black holes and they talk about how the supermassive ones form. There’s not enough time since the formation of the universe for the really huge ones to get that way through just “eating” the matter around them. One of the theories involves dark matter & elementary particles….. I had to watch again. And I didn’t erase it because I still don’t get it.

    Anyway, I’m waiting for Joy Reid’s show to come on. Don’t have to cook today because I did so much last week. Got the Peanuts song in my head — it’s called Linus & Lucy

  5. There will be a few early tests for the incoming 115th Congress. They promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act and, by agreeing that Donald Trump as president was “just fine”, they will be tasked with approving his cabinet choices.

    Now that the healthcare industry has woken up to the grim realities of a Unified Republican Government, they realize that their very existence is imperiled:

    One by one, key health care industry groups are telling the incoming Republican administration and Congress that it’s not a good idea to repeal the 2010 health care law without clear plans to address the consequences.

    Hospitals, insurers and actuaries — bean-counters who make long-range economic estimates — have weighed in, and more interest groups are expected to make their views known soon. Representing patients, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network reminded lawmakers that lives are at stake.

    The concerns go beyond the obvious potential hardship for the 20 million people covered by subsidized private insurance and expanded Medicaid under President Barack Obama’s signature law.

    Hospitals say a stand-alone repeal would cost them billions, compromising their ability to serve local communities. Insurers say Congress must be careful not to create even more uncertainty and instability. Actuaries worry the mere promise of an eventual replacement won’t be enough to sustain the individual health insurance market.

    And the anti-cancer network is concerned that protection for people with pre-existing health conditions might be undermined or lost. Before the Affordable Care Act, it was common for insurers to deny coverage to people with a cancer diagnosis, even if successfully treated, or to charge them more. Also, uninsured people with cancer are more likely to be diagnosed late, when there’s less chance of a cure.

    “Replacement health care legislation that accompanies repeal needs to provide recognized patient protections that currently exist,” Chris Hansen, the group’s president, said in a statement.

    Sadly, they will have no friends in this incoming administration. The House is committed to repeal, the incoming HHS secretary is committed to repeal, the incoming president is committed to repeal … and none of those entities have a plan for replacement beyond “die and die quickly”. Plus, Medicare is on the chopping block and that is a golden goose for health care providers.

    We are now left rooting for the lobbyists! Yikes!

    • I will never understand (or accept) the meanness of the R’s policies. Building political support by making people’s lives harder is immoral.

  6. Good morning, 40, raining, and still dark in Bellingham. The cold temps will return this week so I need to gather my twigs and branches and do a few things outdoors today. I’m really feeling the cold in my joints so I need to be careful.

    I did get the sewing room tree decorated yesterday, but ran out of energy for the curtains so that may happen on Monday, and if it doesn’t, oh well. Between health issues, dental troubles, and election angst I’m feeling much more realistic about what I can and cannot do this year.

    My morning music……

    • I love that album! It is the only one we play over the holidays because it is pure instrumental and we can enjoy our holiday which has no christ or baby jesus. Nothing wrong with either of those but they are not in my tradition.

  7. Some dark humor from Garrison Keillor:

    It’s a wonderful satire right out of Twain or Thurber, a minority of the electorate goes for the loosest and least knowledgeable candidate, certain that he will lose and their votes will only be harmless protest, a middle finger to Washington, and then — Whoa. The joke comes true. You put a whoopee cushion on your father’s chair and he sits down and it barks and he has a massive coronary. You wanted to get a rise out of him and instead he falls down dead. Very funny.

    I will never forgive tRump voters. Never. And that it put Wisconsin (and Michigan and Pennsylvania) in the crosshairs of every angry Hillary voter makes it doubly sad. For the record, you would not be looking at Wisconsin if Florida had voted as the polls predicted – or North Carolina. The vote shifted .5% in five states that had Hillary ahead and she lost those states.

    The power of the few over the many:

    Eighty-thousand Trump voters in three states gave us this man, which goes to show you how much damage a few people can do. It takes 12 million to provide health care, 3 million to run the public schools, but 19 men with box cutters can turn the country upside down and empower the paranoid right and create the pretense for wars that will cost billions and kill a million people and give us a permanent army of blue uniforms yelling at us to take off our shoes and put our laptops into plastic trays.

    I disagree with his assessment about Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Party, by the way. Pelosi is just the person we need in the House right now to keep her caucus from falling for the shiny baubles that will be laid in front of them to “save” Medicare and to “save” Social Security.

  9. Dark and above freezing is all I can say about Fayetteville weather right now. I’m depressed – SAD – which doesn’t help. I’m clumsy anyway because my depth perception sux and it sux worse when the light is iffy – so I managed to burn my arm on the wood stove door when I was dealing with the fire. It’s not a “go to ER” burn or anything like that – no blisters or weeping – but it hurts like hell and is impairing an already impaired ability to deal with my Sunday morning stuff. Got most of it done now and only need to make soup for next week’s lunches. If I had enough stock I’d make enough for dinners as well. I’ll need to make another batch of stock before I make soup again – but I won’t need to do that until we get back from the end of year break, so I have time. No energy, but time.

    Heading over to GOS to read Denise’ diary, check in on The Village, and see what/how my community fundraiser things are doing. Bright the day and wind to thy wings, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

  10. 31 here in the Catskills and snow on the way.
    It’s still dark – so I can’t see if it is snowing yet.
    Well here’s some NY news

    And from CA:

    I refuse to let hate slide.

    • White Light of Love to the victims – please goddess help us find some way to isolate the haters or otherwise render them harmless. {{{Denise}}} – you’re right. Can’t let it slide or it becomes “normal”.

  11. Eating breakfast, drinking tea. My friend got Star Wars tickets for Friday. Very excited. I need to trade around some work duties, but that shouldn’t be a problem. Got my Christmas musuc playing in my head.

    And I knew I shouldn’t have checked Twitter: state-sponsored Trump TV??????

  12. Good morning, Meese. It’s been raining here in NoVa, although it’s stopped for the moment. Very wet and windy outside, a thoroughly unpleasant day. Currently 42 F., going up to 52 F. later.

    Have several mailings to prepare this morning. Also have to print out a list of addresses to paste on postcards to Paul (Granny Killer) Ryan, our Rethug Congress critter, and our Dem. senators Warner and Kaine. I’m warning the Rethugs that if they kill our Social and Medicare we’re moving in with them.

    Glad to see the MSM has woken up from its winter hibernation and started yapping about Russia. I join Pantsuit Nation and the world at large in wishing to see the end of 2016. If only 2017 weren’t promising to be worse! Keep calm and carry on, Moosekind.

  13. Good morning, meese! Monday …

    It is 19 degrees in Madison and that will be the daytime high. We go into a deep freeze with negative temperatures tomorrow through the weekend.

    Sorry to be late! I have been working on some early morning projects that require connecting to people’s computers and this morning’s session had no breaks.

    I followed the news on Twitter yesterday and the election hack by Russia will present a dilemma for some Republicans. Although they seem to have no real principles any longer except getting and retaining power so maybe they don’t mind that Putin’s Puppet will be their president. According to Grover Freaking Norquist, all he needs is working digits to sign granny killing legislation and tax cuts.

    See all y’all later!

  14. Didn’t quite freeze overnight and supposed to get into the 50s today. Clearing off though so we should get a drop when the sun goes down. Only .75 KWH yesterday which certainly helps explain both my clumsiness and my depression. I burned more of my arm than I noticed yesterday – apparently 3 spots. Only the one that was throbbing registered yesterday. Managed to tear the healing skin overnight so it started up again, but I’ve got antibiotic on it and am leaving it open to the coolish air to heal.

    I had an oddball thought – since July at least the South has gotten significantly less sunshine this year than last year for the same time period. As in 283.9 KWHs less and looking to come up short in December as well (last year December averaged 6.5 KWHs/day and so far this year we’re averaging 4.1). I wonder just how much SAD/lower light levels impacted the decision-making ability of both he campaign staff and the voters in general? Not something that could be “fixed” of course, but if true something that should certainly be considered for future elections.

    Need to get some work done and check my fundraiser stuff – which is basically sitting on “no movement” – which I’ve been informed some people wish I’d quit doing. As in, hey it’s OK to do community fundraiser diaries, but quit coming into other (all community) diaries and telling us about people in trouble. We’ll read your fundraiser diary if we’re interested – that sort of attitude. Not sure what I’m going to do about it, but I’ll have to do something. sigh. Bright the day and wind to thy wings, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

    • Coming into other diaries shows your good heart, bfitz. That said, I do like the streamlined version you showed yesterday. Problem is, at this time of year a lot of people are tapped out.

  15. Good morning, 32 and snowing in Bellingham. I was outdoors as long as I could be yesterday so it will be easier to stay warm indoors today. The plants, greens and remaining flowers are all taken care of so I don’t need to do anything unless I want to.

    The editorial pages of the Wa Po, NYT, and Seattle Times are full of news and outrage re the election…..nice to read, but sure wish the coverage would have happened sooner.

    The Tainted Election

    Paul Krugman, “This election was an outrage, and we should never forget it.”

    My reply……it IS an outrage, and I will never forgive or forget!

    • Krugman has been the voice of sanity as well as one “crying in the wilderness” this entire election cycle. He debunked the partisan lies about everybody running (and of course ended up being accused of being a “Clinton Shill” since that debunking showed Hillary to have the best and most honest plans and campaign). And the one thing he’s absolutely right on now is keep that anger simmering. That way it’s energy to do whatever we can find to do in the coming days/months/years. Boiling over is the same as blowing up – some local damage maybe but that’s it. Sinking into apathy/depression doesn’t even do the maybe local damage. Controlled, sustained, focused anger is how we will survive and get back the helm of the Ship of State.

      Well, anger and growing things. Glad your flowers and stuff are taken care of and you can stay warm inside today. :)

  17. I truly wonder if Trump is trying to get not-inaugurated. Having the top 3 people so unabashedly pro-Russia…. I can’t imagine…. If you had said 10 years ago, without naming names or parties, that our PEOTUS owed Russian banks millions of dollars and had named pro-Russian people to 4 of his top positions, first no one would believe you, second — there’d be no 2nd because people would never believe you.

    But — I woke up with this hopeful verse of an Advent song playing in my head:

    Stars, keep the watch. When night is dim
    One more light the bowl shall brim,
    Shining beyond the frosty weather,
    Bright as sun and moon together.
    People, look east and sing today:
    Love, the star, is on the way.

    It’s my favorite verse of that song, such a beautiful image. People Look East

  18. Good morning. It’s a dim-looking start to the day, kind of a grayish-blue sky outside. Current temp. is 34 F., going up to 42 F. later.

    What can I say about the news…it gets worse and worse. In Aleppo, random civilians are being shot. Here, the headlines are so awful I still can’t read the articles they’re attached to. I simply can’t believe what’s happening to this country.

    In my personal life, we are going to the day care party this evening, so will miss a Brownie troop meeting. I do wish troop meetings hadn’t been moved to Tuesday, Thursday was so much more convenient. My Christmas newsletter turned out to be three pages and that’s without photos, so will have to do a masterly job of editing. Also have to pay my dentist, send postcards to the Hill warning Ryan and my Rethug congress critter to keep their hands off our Social and Medicare, and so forth.

    Well, I’m off to stir the porridge…hope everyone has a good day.

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