You're Secondary in Your Children's Hearts, American Parents

The Young President arrived in New Orleans on Wednesday to snarl traffic, raise campaign funds, and to define his position on government's role in our lives during a speech he delivered to the Urban League convention. He actually uttered the words in quotations. The AP reports:

Obama's message was comprehensive, but he ultimately did not promise anything specific. He spoke of community policing strategies and mental health centers, or programs that steer people away into safe activities instead of gang violence, of ensuring that parents and teachers step in to fill a hole in a child's heart "that government alone cannot fill."

Parents should step up to fill a hole in their children's hearts that government alone cannot fill?!?!" Seriously?!?! Did those words come from the mouth of Barack Obama or Hugo Chavez? Oh. That's what I thought. To repeat the obvious, we simply cannot give this guy a second, lame duck term in the White House.

A Much Needed Smile

Crazy times!  Fortieth high school reunion over the weekend, looooong car trip yesterday due to several mishaps involving a satellite radio glitch, truck keys unremembered in Little Rock until we were an hour out of Little Rock (said truck having been left in Jackson, Mississippi, and needing to be picked up), an extra gas and potty stop (see "truck keys unremembered," above), and another brief stop so that Pepper could make his periodic contribution to the traffic treasury fund of Lake Providence. 

The first POD arrived today (Man!  Those things, and delivery system, are some kind of cool!) and needs to be loaded.

If the grandbaby hasn't arrived by then, I turn around and head back to Little Rock on Wednesday for an extended stay after they induce Elder Daughter on Thursday.

It was one-hundred-freakin'-nine degrees in Little Rock last Friday!!!

Bouie's a little freaked out and needy with all the commotion (and especially with all the extra stops on the trip home where he didn't even get to get out of the car, much less go swimming somewhere).

I won't even go to Aurora.

So, when I opened an email today that promised to give me a much-needed smile, and it really did, I thought I'd share it with you.



I hope you experienced a grin.  You're welcome.

Brain Dysfunction = Stolen Video

Just a fun, bouncy little ditty that showed up in the inbox.  Kinda makes a body want to get up and dance:



I kinda like the "aloha."

Emily Post Would be Appalled

From today's Inbox, a little note from Michelle --

Moogie --

Barack turns 51 next month, and there will be a little celebration at our house in Chicago.

We'd like to give grassroots supporters an opportunity to join in the fun. You guys deserve it, and I know Barack would personally love to see you there.

Donate $3 or whatever you can today, and you'll be automatically entered to get your name added to the guest list.

Barack's birthday is one of the last opportunities he'll get for a little downtime before the final weeks of the election.

That won't stop me from teasing him about all those new gray hairs he has -- though I think it's fair to say he's earned every one.

So if you're standing with Barack for the final months of his final campaign, there's no better way to show it than by making a donation to build this grassroots organization today.

If you do, you'll be automatically entered for the chance to join him for his birthday celebration in Chicago. We'll also fly you out and take care of all the travel arrangements.

Enter today:

https://donate.barackobama.com/Birthday

Thank you,

Michelle

Geez!  These are the gift-grubbingest people I've heard of in a long time!  "Come to my party, but not until you've sent me money.  It might not be a bad idea to bring a little extra cash with you if you win."

They seriously need a crash course in etiquette.  Or, as I pointed out more than a year ago, Southern Mothers.

The Re-Running of the Bulls

Happy Bastille Day!  Pepper and I have been busy packing and cleaning and cleaning and packing, trying to get Moogie's Mansion on the market.  It's been very rainy here today, but they held the Running of the Bulls, New Orleans style, anyway.  SIL#1's cousin and his wife once again were participants.  She commented on a Facebook picture of them, "It's way too early to be this intoxicated."  Heh.  So, in case you don't remember, here's a re-run of last year's post about the Festival of San Fermin in Nueva Orleans (among other Stuff) --

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Stuff, and Summer Celebrations -- a Little Late, a Little Early -- Eh, Who Cares, We're in the South

It's a miserable, beastly hot Saturday afternoon in New Orleans. I just came in from taking Rosie out -- I swear I worked up a sweat just sitting on the steps in the shade, watching her go around and around in circles. It even smells hot.

Nonetheless, this morning some 9,000 crazy folk, dressed in white with red sashes and neckerchiefs, participated in the 2011 Fiesta del San Fermin de Nueva Orleans -- The Running of the Bulls in New Orleans -- just a couple of days after its famous progenitor took place in Pamplona.

Moogie was not among the 9,000 but at least 2 of SIL#1's cousins were. One wore a red tutu instead of a red sash. She looked adorable, at least she did in the picture she posted on Facebook.

(Photos were stolen from the NOLA.com and a Facebook friend.)

As we tend to do down here, we added our very own twist to the festivities. First off, alcohol is de rigueur. Obviously. If one is to get out in the heat very early on a Saturday in July, one should be adequately lubricated. Note that I did not say, "hydrated."

Next, there are no bulls. Or even cows. Instead, the festival-goers are chased and bludgeoned with foam bats by be-horned New Orleans Roller Girls -- members of the local women's roller derby team.

The after-party will take place tonight and is entitled, "La Fiesta de Pantalones" (The Pants Party). Don't ask me, I don't know why there's a pants party with Spanish food and Latin music, but it does kinda sound like fun.

Also, many of the celebrations of Bastille Day kicked off yesterday. I think my favorite is the Waiters Race, where a whole bunch of waiters compete against one another by running with full trays of cocktails. At Moogie's Mansion, we will be celebrating France's Independence on July 14th by accepting delivery of a new mattress. Excitement abounds around here during the summer.

Finally, here's a re-post of the lizard getting a drink, downloaded from YouTube. The quality is definitely better than the original.


And UPDATE!! The Causeway is still the world's longest bridge over open water, after the Guiness folks added a new category, "Longest Bridge Over Open Water (continuous)!" The Cheating Cheater Chinese now have the "longest bridge over open water (aggregate)." So, I guess sometimes, cheaters do prosper. But record-holding bridges are record-holding bridges, as the article expresses!

About Cheating Cheaters -- it seems that THE Ohio State University "vacated" its wins for the 2010 season, including the Sugar Bowl, which was stolen from the Hogs by various and sundry guys wearing stripes. But, apparently, the Suckeyes don't have to forfeit and they don't have to return the money they got from the good folks at the Sugar Bowl. So, I guess, sometimes, cheaters really prosper.

But, even though it may be hot, life is generally good down here in southeast Louisiana.

It would be even better if some terrorist would blow up the Golf Channel's transmitter. Just sayin'.

Stolen Baby Alligators -- UPDATE

Today's Inbox reports the capture of the alligator rustlers posted about here on Tuesday:

8^th District officers spotted, chased and arrested a would-be car burglar last night.  Once they pulled his record, they found he was wanted for stealing baby alligators from the Audubon Zoo’s gift shop on July 4^th.

Sgt. Mark Mumme was patrolling the 900-block of Poey Farre Street at about 9:45 last night when he noticed 29-year-old Rodney L. Thornton pulling on several door handles of parked cars. When Mumme approached Thornton, Thornton took off, so Mumme requested back-up.  One responding officer saw Thornton pull a gun from his waistband, and drop it on the ground as he continued to run.  The gun was recovered, and officers apprehended Thornton when he chose to run through an open lot.

Once they looked up Thornton’s record, officers learned that Thornton had been identified as one of two men who abandoned a container of live baby alligators near the intersection of Soraparu and Rousseau Streets on July 5^th.  The men then took off in what turned out to be a stolen car.  

20-year-old Kawayne Powell, who was also wanted in the stolen alligators case, turned himself in at the Second District Police Station yesterday at about 10:00 A.M. He was booked with Possession of Stolen Property, and had previously been arrested for Simple Criminal Damage to Property, Unauthorized Use of a Moveable, Trespassing and Warrants. 

Rodney Thornton was booked with Illegal Possession of Things (Alligators), Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, 2 Counts of Armed Robbery, Attempted Armed Robbery, Tampering and Resisting a Police Officer.    He was previously arrested for Burglaries, Attempted Burglary, Possession of Burglary Tools, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Theft, and Possession of Stolen Property under and over 500.00 and Cruelty to Animals.


The Police Superintendent went on to commend his officers and to point out that “This is a clear cut example of the fact that most criminals are not specialists…they’re generalists." 

Creative, albeit not the brightest, generalists.

My favorite things in the email blast are the crime of "Illegal Possession of Things (Alligators)," and tacking on a charge of "Cruelty to Animals," although "Unauthorized Use of a Moveable" is kinda interesting, too. 

You will note that the mystery of the missing alligator based on the alligator head-count recounted in the Tuesday email is still floating around out there.  I'm kinda glad I don't live near the alligator dumping ground!

I'm Too Relieved to be Too Terribly Angry

Way back on April 15th, Pepper and I did the Concealed Carry Course and I mailed off our packets the next day.  The packets were returned some three weeks later because I had enclosed personal checks for the fees instead of cashier's checks.  I corrected the oversight and mailed them back in the next day.

*sigh*

My 34th anniversary gift was a sweet little .22 that fits my hand perfectly, together with a neat little holster that nestles divinely in the small of my back.

Our anniversary was June 9th.

Still waiting.

Having been mailed from Baton Rouge on July 3rd, Pepper's permit arrived in our mailbox last Saturday, the 7th.  He and Bouie have been having safer walks since.  But what about Moogie's?

Do you see where this is going?

I rifled through Saturday's mail in the trash and combed through magazines and advertising circulars searching for the envelope.  I was just about to fear I'd failed the background check, but I strongly suspected that an envelope bearing the return address, "Concealed Handgun Permit Unit," had been mis-delivered by our cracker-jack postal carrier to some thug's house who was going to alter the photo and use it for no good.  I've re-delivered mis-delivered mail so often around here that I should be on the USPS payroll.  Then, this afternoon I got a Facebook message from my good neighbor to tell me that he had just put an important-looking envelope in my mailbox that had been delivered to his house by mistake.  And my good neighbor is not a thug!!

So, now I'm legal!!!

Thanks, R.C.!

(The picture of me is absolutely horrid, so I covered it up to spare your eyes.  I hope I don't ever have to show it to anyone!)

From the Inbox -- in the "Only in New Orleans" Folder

In today's email blast from the New Orleans Police Department:

On 07-04-12 at about 4:10am an alarm went off at the Audubon Zoo Swamp Gift Shop. While conducting their morning rounds at about 7:30am, Audubon Security observed pry marks to one of the gift shop doors, and a broken window pane near the bottom door latch. A check of the location revealed 10 baby alligators to be missing from the tank within the gift shop. On 07-05-12 Sixth District Officers responded to a call of 8 baby alligators abandoned in a plastic storage bin at the corner of Surrapru and Russeau St. Upon arrival zoo personnel were able to identify the alligators as the same animals taken from the gift shop. A witness was able to provide a description of the vehicle which had dropped the alligators off at the intersection, and then fled the scene. On the same evening, JPSO Deputies stopped a stolen vehicle, which was positively identified via photograph by the witness as the same which had dropped off the alligators. JPSO Deputies made and apprehension, and while conducting a check of the vehicle, located 1 baby alligator inside the vehicle. The witness was able to identify Thornton, Rodney (B/M 07-15-82) and one Powell, Kawayne (B/M 01-31-92) as having been the subjects who placed the alligators in her front yard, prior to her moving them out to the street and notifying the police. A warrant was issued on 07-09-12 for the arrest of both Thornton and Powell charging them with La. R.S. 14:69 Relative to Possession of Stolen Property.

Thank goodness for stupid criminals. Can't you just picture them, sitting out on the front stoop, having a beer, and chillin' when one of them says, "Hey, I've got an idea . . . ."

Happy Independence Day 2012

From Moogie's Mansion . . .

And Bouie.

Next Up fom the Enumerated Taxation Power --

Makes sense to me.

*sigh*