So, the latest Gallup poll reports that Bush’s approval rating has fallen to 36 percent.
This puts Bush in the company of his father, Nixon and Jimmy Carter for the worst approval ratings of a sitting President (29% in 6/92, 28% in 6/79 and 24% in 8/74, respectively).
A Very Good Birthday
I got to spend the afternoon at Peter’s, he picked up lunch for us.
Put in 3-4 hours of yardwork at #20 and #11 – James was an excellent helper – and did a Stop & Shop run with Peter (he paid for my groceries).
Emme made me a very pretty necklace, James made two fans and Bob dedicated his first story to me.
You Say It’s Your Birthday
It’s my birthday, too – 60th – which makes me the first of the cohort of Boomers who the media claims will bring even more wrack and ruin to our heirs and assigns.
The O.C.
Okay, okay, I have no business watching this show, much less commenting on it.
My only excuse is that I used in live in Orange County, CA, in Seal Beach and then Laguna Beach, and worked in Irvine. In those days, traffic was tolerable and rentals were affordable. I did sometimes shop at South Coast Plaza, which is occasionally mentioned on the show, so I can at least relate to the place names if not the lifestyles.
More Evil from the Mass. DSS
It hardly seems possible, but DSS has, indeed, proven itself capable of inflicting yet more harm on Haleigh Poutre, the 11 year old girl who was almost beaten to death by her adoptive “parents”.
Harry Browne
Harry Browne, Libertarian candidate for President in 1996 and 2000, died this past Wednesday.
Harry was one of my heroes. His writing is elegant, fact-based and compassionate. He was a noted financial counsellor and author; one of his books was at the top of the NY Times best seller list for 39 weeks.
Harry campaigned with energy and loyalty for the Libertarian party and Libertarian ideals until illness forced him to curtail his demanding speaking schedule.
If Harry had been permitted to join in the Presidential debates, I suspect that the Libertarian party would be a major force for change and rationality in our political environment rather than just another marginalized third party. He was that good, that bright, that articulate, that persuasive.
I hope that someone else will be up to the challenge of taking his place. Harry Browne’s kind of principled patriotism and erudition is in very short supply these days.
Many of us will miss him terribly. And although we mourn this devastating loss, we can still celebrate his achievements and contributions. The body politic in America was enriched by his presence.
Home Again, Home Again
It’s almost 5:00 on a Saturday afternoon, and I’m feeling like a load of laundry that’s just been put through the spin cycle. And I’m not sure exactly why.
Its Own Reward?
Evidently medical professionals have observed for years that Parkinson’s patients are of a type, characterized by:
industriousness, punctuality, orderliness, inflexibility, cautiousness, and lack of novelty-seeking, drive, ambition, altruism, cleanliness, and a tendency toward obsession with details.
A Warrior’s Pleasures
Two weeks ago, I got hammered with one of this winter’s nasty “bugs”. I’m slowly recovering, but even now, am easily fatigued by normal tasks. The last two weeks have felt like a forced march, like walking under water with full pack.
Weather
For the last 12 hours or so, it has been so bitter cold outside that anyone fortunate enough to have shelter must have felt at least a fleeting, reflexive sense of appreciation for that humble fact.