Trig Palin, Mom and Dad

Laura Bush -- Reagan Library This Morning

Off again to Simi Valley.
Lunch with Mrs. Reagan and Mrs. Bush (the younger).
Well, since you insist on pushing it, let us be honest; So no, I won't be at the Reagan-Bush luncheon table, I'll be at some other table if I stick around for the eats included in the price of admission. Big big donors get the good seats. That's as it should be. No complaints from me.
Wonder if it's buffet or sit-down? Either way, the cookies are always good out there.

Boss giving me the day off for my favorite librarian. Well, not the whole day, have to work until 8:00 a.m. Then I'm outta here. That's not bad.
What the heck, one more Mrs. Bush picture -- Hush George:

Here, I'll do the search for ya. Looksee and remember graciousness personified.

Marine Pfc Jose F. Gonzalez Rodriguez & Marine Pfc Jakub Henryk Kowalik -- Both Immigrants -- RIP

Jose F. Gonzalez Rodriguez, 19

Marine Pfc. Jose Francis Gonzalez Rodriguez

Marines, Private 1st Class
Based: Camp Pendleton
1st Supply Battalion, 1st Force Service Support Group
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: May 12, 2003
Camp Chesty, Iraq
Gender: Male
Hometown: Norwalk
High School: John H. Glenn High (Norwalk)
Foreign Country of Birth: Mexico

An immigrant from Mexico, Rodriguez was an honor student and played on his high school baseball team, according to his Associated Press obituary. He was recruited by the Marines just after high school.

Please read more here and here.

Mexican immigrant Pfc Jose F. Gonzalez Rodriguez died with Polish immigrant Lance Cpl. Jakub Henryk Kowalik, 21, of Schaumberg, Ill., the Defense Department said in a news release. The two were assigned to the 1st Force Service Support Group at Camp Pendleton, both died: May 12, 2003.

“He’s my hero, my best friend,” said his older brother, Paul Kowalik. “He was a good person, the last person this should happen to.”

Please read more about Lance Cpl. Jakub Henryk Kowalik here.

Rest in peace, young brothers.

Let Us Thatcherize America

VIA today's NRO 

PFC William A. Farrar Jr. -- Rest In Peace

William A. Farrar Jr., 20

Army, Private 1st Class
Based: Darmstadt, Germany
127th Military Police Company, 709th Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: May 11, 2007
Iskandariya, Iraq
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: Redlands
High School: Palm Springs High (Palm Springs)
Burial: Riverside National Cemetery

Army Spc. William Farrar Jr., 20, Redlands; bomb hit his convoy

In the late afternoon of May 11, an Air Force chaplain and an Army sergeant in full uniform knocked on the front door of the Farrars' home in Redlands. Farrar, 20, was killed that day when his convoy was struck by a roadside bomb in Iskandariya, south of Baghdad. ... His mother, Sally Bors, found out the next day at the Palm Springs motorcycle shop she owns. "A gentleman in a uniform approached me," Bors told the Desert Sun newspaper. "I kept telling myself that he wasn't in an Army uniform -- that he wasn't looking for me."

Please read more here.

Señalización

Signage in the news.
Not gonna quibble about the spelling of toxicómano.

Major Steven Hutchison -- Rest In Peace

Steven Hutchison, 60
Army, Major
Based: Ft. Riley, Kan.
2nd Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: May 10, 2009
Basra, Iraq
Widowed, 2 children
Gender: Male
Hometown: Long Beach
High School: Wilson High (Long Beach)

Hutchison was killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Al Farr, Iraq. He was the oldest member of the U.S. military to die of combat-related wounds in Iraq or Afghanistan. Hutchison had served two tours of duty in Vietnam and voluntarily rejoined the Army under its retiree recall program.

Please read more about Major Hutchinson here.

Hey Mom

Freedom App

VIA ThreeBeersLater
VIA The Other McCain

Specialist Mary J. Jaenichen -- Rest In Peace

Mary J. Jaenichen, 20
Army, Specialist

Based: Ft. Stewart, Ga.
Brigade Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: May 9, 2008
Iskandariya, Iraq
Single
Gender: Female
Hometown: Temecula
High School: El Camino High (Oceanside)
Burial: Eternal Hills Memorial Park, Oceanside

She wanted the challenge of the military. — Emily Ricci, friend

Jaenichen's father had served in the Marines. He cherishes a Bible she gave him, with a note saying, "You've done your time. It's time for me to protect the country."

Please read more here.
Mary J. Jaenichen, 20 ... Just want to say that again: Mary J. Jaenichen, 20

Saturday Night Oldies -- I Don't Go Shopping For Love

PFC Scott G. Barnett -- Rest In Peace

PFC Scott G. Barnett, 24

Army, Private 1st Class
Based: Katterbach, Germany
412th Aviation Support Battalion, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: January 28, 2010
Tallil, Iraq
Married
Gender: Male
Hometown: Concord
High School: Olympic High School (Concord)
Burial: Sacramento Valley National Cemetery, Dixon, Calif.

We knew the risk. We didn't take it as seriously as we should have. We didn't think it could happen to us. We were young, in love. We had everything going.

— Nikki Barnett, wife, in Contra Costa Times

Please read more here.

Shabbat Shalom -- Presburger Klezmer Interlude

Feelin' shabbat festive?
Previous klezmer interlude right here via Shabbat Shalom.

Specialist Ian T.D. Gelig -- Rest In Peace

Ian T.D. Gelig, 25

Army, Specialist
Based: Ft. Bragg, N.C.
782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division
Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom
Died: March 1, 2010
Kandahar, Afghanistan
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: Stevenson Ranch
High School: William S. Hart Senior High (Newhall)

Gelig was a good friend and great person. He was always there for you when you needed something. He will be deeply missed by everyone in this unit, for a piece of us went with him.

— David Tryon, paratrooper who served with Gelig

More to come in the LA Times soon. Specialist Gelig's local paper covers his death here.

Si, si, hablo Ingles

Via Los Otros McCain, where you'll find el perfecto commento, y just uno mas reason to support el Shoe Leather Fundo.

Art Interlude -- Bosch Fawstin -- smUgly

Bosch Fawstin.

Olbermann Tries to Pass for Sane -- Jennifer Rubin

OLBERMAN TRIES TO PASS FOR SANE
Jennifer Rubin again says it all in six (6) words. But if you want to read more about Olbereunuch, go ahead:

What could be more ludicrous than selling Newsweek as an objective news journal? Selling Keith Olbermann as a serious talk-show analyst. His ratings are tumbling, so he’s out to convince people he’s not a raving lunatic. Tom Bevan tells us that Olbermann’s new promos show Olbermann in a whole new light...

VIA Contentions

PFC Aaron J. Ward -- Rest In Peace

Aaron J. Ward, 19
Army, Private 1st Class
Based: Ft. Lewis, Wash.
170th Military Police Company, 504th Military Police Battalion, 42nd Military Police Brigade
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: May 6, 2008
Anbar province, Iraq
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: San Jacinto
High School: San Jacinto High (San Jacinto)
Burial: Riverside National Cemetery

Please read more here.

Ward's great-grandfather was an Army Ranger in World War II. His grandfather served in the Army and the Navy in Vietnam. Two uncles served in the Navy, one during the Gulf War. His sister Samantha has served on a Navy ship off Bahrain, supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sarah Palin Thanks Spunky's Enlisted Son

Spunky at SpunkyHomeSchool:

"I was privileged to ask Sarah Palin the first question during a break out session... at the Defending the Dream Summit. I asked her as the mother of a son in the military what advice she'd give to a mom whose son is about ready to leave for Marine Boot Camp? She gave me the same advice she said Cindy McCain gave her, 'Spend a lot of time on your knees' praying for God's hand of protection. Then she told me to thank my son for his 'selfless' service."

Credit where credit's due division: Nice words there from Mrs. McCain.
More More Palin Quotes'o'the'Day honorables from Josh Painter at Texas for Sarah Palin.
Nice quick home video there of Sarah Palin speaking to Spunky there at spunkyhomeschool.

Clown Mayor Honks His Horn Some More

Mayor Clown Michael Bloomberg said the arrest should not be as used as an excuse for anti-Muslim actions. "We will not tolerate any bias or backlash against Pakistani or Muslim New Yorkers,"
Hey bro, don't backlash me.

Corporal Charles O. Palmer -- Rest In Peace

Charles O. Palmer II, 36

Marines, Corporal

Based: Camp Lejeune, N.C.

8th Communication Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force

Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom

Died: May 5, 2007

Khaldiya, Iraq

Married, 3 children

Gender: Male

Hometown: Manteca

High School: Manteca High (Manteca)

Burial: Burwood Cemetery, Escalon, Calif.

Charles O. Palmer II could never quite get the Marine Corps out of his system. After a four-year stint that ended in the mid-1990s, he never found another job "equal to the Marines." That's what he wrote in a letter to the service, explaining why he wanted to reenlist.

"It is home," he wrote in late 2005. Nowhere else had he found such camaraderie, loyalty and comfort.

3000 Words: Piper Palin, With Dad & Mom, in NYC

Happiness abounds for some folk, it seems, no matter what the shitsters throw their way.
Pic swiped from cgdotnet.
Via Texas for Sarah Palin, where, it appears, they never sleep.

Angel Flight -- Red River 44 Interlude

Fallen Soldiers Honored with Angel Flight Video
Musician Radney Foster inspired by the "Red River 44"
Walt Maciborski
November 18, 2009
DALLAS - The "Angel Flight" is the one flight you don't want to be on. It's the last trip home if you're in the military. The men and women who fly the "Angel Flight" have an important mission to make sure fallen soldiers make it home with dignity and honor.
Country music star Radney Foster pays tribute to that aircrew and the fallen soldiers it carries with a new song and music video called "Angel Flight."
One of the most powerful lines in the song says, "Between heaven and earth, you're never alone, on the Angel Flight come on brother I'm taking you home, come on brother I'm taking you home."
"Angel flights are actually the flights that bring fallen troops back home," said Darren Cameron the film director for Man Bites Dog who shot and directed the music video with the Texas National Guard.
Foster says his song was inspired by the tragic crash of a helicopter crew from North Texas in Iraq called the "Red River 44." Four of the soldiers were from Texas, three were from Oklahoma.

Read it all here.
Proceeds from the sale of "Angel Flight" benefit Texas National Guard Family Support Foundation.
VIA: KDAF-TV
Long-time aficionado of Radney Foster, was pleased to find this tonight. Good to be reminded of real men now and again, ain't it.
Previous (partial) Randey Foster Interlude here.

Mayor Bloomberg, America's Clown of the Week

 

KATIE COURIC: Law enforcement officials don't know who left the Nissan Pathfinder behind, but, at this point, the mayor believes the suspect acted alone.
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG: If I had to guess -- 25 cents -- this would be exactly that, somebody-
COURIC TO BLOOMBERG: A home-grown?
BLOOMBERG: Home-grown, maybe a mentally deranged person or somebody with a political agenda that doesn't like the health care bill or something. It could be anything. 

I'm often alone -- and find it comfy; I don't like the health care bill, or something; I have a political agenda; I've been to a Tea Party -- Searchlight; I'm home grown; America's Mayor Clown Bloomberg could make me mentally deranged if I let fools matter to me, but I don't let them.
But guess what? I'm not an adherent of that peaceful religion of peace, so foreign-made SUVs toting bombs outside of Broadway theaters don't occur to me.
Guess I'm not jihadi enough. Christian weakard.
Tell you this though, a star chamber is looking more and more appealing. We could start with the billionaires. And Couric. Then move on to the lawyers. That'd be a good start.

Update from Big Hollywood: Mayor Clown Bloomberg Hates You.

Sona -- La Cienega Sabbatical

Sona, my all-time favorite (high end favorite, anyway) restaurant is closing -- closing for a sabbatical. 

David and Kunido and Ramon say they will be back. 

I gotta believe that. 

Will I get in there afore they shutter up? Working on it.

Alternatives?

Church and State, here I come. 

Yassmin: Smoke a quick cigarette out back? For old time's sake? Joe won't notice. Nor will your mom.

Sona! Sure it's my favorite. Why not?

EVENTS RESERVATIONS MENU WINE SONA AT HOME ABOUT US SONA EMAILS PRESS GIFT CERTIFICATE SEND TO A FRIEND EMPLOYMENT SITE MAP TERMS OF USE

In Japanese culture, "omakase" is a humble offering given from the chef to the guest to allow them to have a meal that is entirely spontaneous. Our team at Sona strives everyday to not only bring you an inventive and playful menu but to also hopefully change your outlook on dining as an unforgettable experience. In this tradition, we ask you to trust us and to let us create for you. Executive Chef / Owner David Myers Chef de Cuisine  Kuniko Yagi Pastry Chef  Ramon Perez - 9 Course Spontanée 145.00 - Premium wine pairing 115.00 6 Course Découverte 95.00 - Premium wine pairing 89.00 Course Selection Applies To Entire Table Sample Spontanée Menu (subject to change) - Amuse - New Zealand Snapper with Tofu Purée, Matcha Rice Cracker, Myoga Salad Albacore Sashimi with Hibiscus Soy Jelly, Daikon Radish and Green Apple - Maine Lobster with Vietnamese Green Curry - English Pea Soup, Ricotta Biscuit Duck Confit Agnolotti with Baby Shiitake, Poached Quail Egg - Rougié Farms Seared Foie Gras with Siberian Roll, Strawberry Vinaigrette - Roasted Salmon with Herbed Bill-Bi, Compressed Cucumber, Sheet of Potato Marinated Black Cod with Cipollini Onion, Fava Beans - Roasted Squab with Parmesan-Artichoke Purée, Pickled Fiddlehead Ferns Kasuzuke Duck with Chorizo Marmalade, Saffron-Patty Pan Squash Purée, Black Olives - Beef Strip Loin with Confit of Fingerling Potato, Baby Carrots Roasted Venison with Charred Brussels Sprouts, Fennel-Tomato Jam - Celery Leaf Sorbet with Mara de Bois, Pineapple, Vodka Gelée - Rhubarb Tart with Buckwheat Streusel, Kaffir Lime Crème, Indonesian Pepper Espuma, Lime Sorbet Fried Lemon Meringue Pie with English Peas, Popcorn Ice Cream - Chocolate Parfait with Pineapple Foam Curry, Sassafras Gel Liquid Chocolate with Caramel "Puddy", Buckwheat Ice Cream - Mignardises À la carte Split Charge 8 TO START Black Truffle from Perigord with Ricotta and Egg Ravioli 48 Bitter Green Salad with Preserved Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette, Avocado 15 Tahitian Squash Soup with Shrimp Daliors, Chai Foam 17 Maine Lobster Risotto with Shellfish Emulsion, Kaffir Lime Leaf 23 Seared Foie Gras with Frozen Banana, Green Tea Cracker 22 FROM THE SEA OR FROM THE LAND Maine Diver Scallops with Shitake-Egg Soup, Shungiku 39 Seared Big Eye Tuna with Green Curry Emulsion, Bouchot Mussels 42 Lemon Butter Poached John Dory with Carrot-Orange Puree, New Zealand Spinach 41 Poussin Roulade with Shishito Puree, Maitake Mushrooms, Black Radish, Fried Chicken 39 Sonoma Lamb Rack with Goat Cheese Tortellini, Pickled Beets, Basil Pesto 43 Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Tokyo Negi Soubise, Charred Eggplant 44 SOMETHING SWEET Chocolate Beignet with Coffee, Bacon, Burnt Milk Ice Cream 12 Praline Mousse with Persimmon, Red Shiso Ice Cream 12 Manjari Creme with Beet Gelee, Raspberry Foam, Xocopilli Ice Cream 12 Pumpkin Sponge with Quinoa, Pumpkin Seed, Birch Bark Ice Cream 12

That's some good eats.

PFC Lyndon A. Marcus, Jr -- Requiescat In Pace

Lyndon A. Marcus Jr., 21

Army, Private 1st Class

Based: Vilseck, Germany

4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division

Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom

Died: May 3, 2004

Khalis (near), Iraq

Single

Gender: Male

Hometown: Long Beach

High School: Jordan High (Long Beach)
Burial: Riverside National Cemetery
Update May 2011:
From Military Times:

When Pfc. Lyndon A. Marcus Jr. fell in love with singing and musical theater, he wanted to share his passion. He starred in a high school production of "Fame," and even recorded a song to be distributed in local independent record stores. "He had a smile that would make you melt," said his sister, Keil Marcus. "He was real talented and wasn't afraid to be himself and express himself." The 21-year-old from Long Beach, Calif., died May 3 when his vehicle flipped over in a canal in Balad, Iraq. He was stationed in Vilseck, Germany. He was an "energetic, talented kid ... a performer in every sense," said his high school drama teacher, Robert Browning. In a letter received just hours after the soldier's family learned of his death, Lyndon Marcus wrote that things had been tough in Iraq, and that he was looking forward to coming home and seeing his sister again. "When he was a kid, he wanted to be a superhero and save the world," Keil Marcus said. " ... He was my superhero."

Slacker Archives

To: JFaye
2/11/08
So I was on the slackers' exit shuttle this afternoon -- those of us leaving campus at 2:00 p.m. are known as The Slackers (of course none of those real slackers are on the 6 a.m. incoming shuttle with me are they? Nope, they're not.) and anyway young Pavel Leib, a science professor, Russian Jew, and long ago graduate now teaching at his alma mater said, unasked:

"You know in Russian the same word for "marriage" also means "a job poorly done.""

We all laughed in disbelief but it could be true and we all actually believed him.

Saturday Night Oldies -- It's My House And I Live Here

Shabbat Shalom -- Keeping Israel Safe: From Obama

Anyone feeling safer yet?



Odd sizing on this one. Not going to attempt to figure this out. Just clicketh here for full size. ... Okay, took a few days but I figured out the sizing thing.

Marco Rubio and The Border

Our legal immigration system must continue to welcome those who seek to embrace America’s blessings and abide by the legal and orderly system that is in place. The American people have every right to expect the federal government to secure our borders and prevent illegal immigration. It has become all too easy for some in Washington to ignore the desperation and urgency of those like the citizens of Arizona who are disproportionately wrestling with this problem as well as the violence, drug trafficking and lawlessness that spills over from across the border.
States certainly have the right to enact policies to protect their citizens, but Arizona’s policy shows the difficulty and limitations of states trying to act piecemeal to solve what is a serious federal problem.  From what I have read in news reports, I do have concerns about this legislation.  While I don’t believe Arizona’s policy was based on anything other than trying to get a handle on our broken borders, I think aspects of the law, especially that dealing with ‘reasonable suspicion,’ are going to put our law enforcement officers in an incredibly difficult position.  It could also unreasonably single out people who are here legally, including many American citizens.  Throughout American history and throughout this administration we have seen that when government is given an inch it takes a mile.
I hope Congress and the Obama Administration will use the Arizona legislation not as an excuse to try and jam through amnesty legislation, but to finally act on border states’ requests for help with security and fix the things about our immigration system that can be fixed right now – securing the border, reforming the visa and entry process, and cracking down on employers who exploit illegal immigrants.   --Marco Rubio

Does anyone speak more sanely than Marco Rubio?
Hey. I travel the border every summer. I don't cross. Don't want to. Don't need to. I'm not shopping and I'm not looking to eat in Mexicali or San Luis, or Sonoyta or Nogales or Naco or Agua Prieta or Juarez or Guadalupe Bravos or Ojinaga or Santa Elena or Castolon. But I see the border towns -- from this side. Don't know why, but the frontera calls me.
The separation seems so essential in thought and so arbitrary in reality. I don't pretend to make any sense of it. Though I thought going to look at it would clarify things for me. Didn't. Doesn't. Maybe this year it'll all make sense.
I see the fence -- where it exists. It seems obscene 
I see the fence -- where it exists. It seems appropriate.

There're tons'o'crossings, both ways, every day. Every day people going on about their every day lives. Workers and shoppers and families visiting. Alotta the pre-9/11 free'n'easiness that I'm told used to be is now gone. No more row-boating across the Rio in Big Bend National Park -- ending decades (face it, centuries) of normal, cordial, daily human back'n'forthings -- new restrictions adding hardship to the meager commercial lives of the Mexicans who used to sell their wares to wandering and curious travellers.
No one likes it. Not the Park Rangers. Not the Park visitors. Not the vendors. Not the row-boat rowers. Not me.
I see the Border Patrol -- both stationary and rolling -- from Calexico to El Paso del Norte and beyond. I get stopped by Border Patrol multiple times every summer. I get asked questions. Clearly gringoish, I've never had to produce documents, but guess what? When I head out from the compound, I pack my passport every summer. I tote my documentation, fully expecting to need to show it -- just in case I need to prove I get to stay this side.
I've not been treated uncordially. Ever. Showing my docs would not be a burdensome requirement.
I'm hard-assed about the border. Enforce the law, goddamnit.
I'm soft-hearted about the border. Were I not born here, I'd be bringing my family across by hook or by crook. Catch me when you can.
That's all that repeated visits have taught me.
Of course on this page I'm pretty successful at ignoring violence, drug trafficking and lawlessness perpetrated by thugs.
Were I not born here, I'd be bringing my family across by hook or by crook. Catch me when you can. I'm soft-hearted about the border.
But other than that, I'm hard-assed about the border.
Enforce the law, goddamnit.

_____________________________________________
Read the bill here.