Ive always known I would get this call… for years.

god god god fucking dammit.

my ex-husband … crazy mutherfucker … one of the dearest soul friends I could ever have. I rarely see him but he’s always there, floating around in my conscious watery mind.

fuck

no info just yet… waiting for that. Sometime between last night and this morning. Word will come through the vine, when they know. Body at the ME’s now.

Im shaking.

Oh I missed it again last night, but I did catch part of it. Thank goodness it’s all online. The full transcipt is here. And the link to the video is here.

(for Nada Lemming)

MARCIA ANGELL: And what do you think they’re going to do? If you were an insurance company, you would say, “Well, thank you, Santa Claus. I’ve got all of these captive customers. Young ones are healthy. They probably won’t even use the insurance. There’s nothing to stop me from raising my premiums. I have all of these subsidies coming in.” Don’t you think that the prices would go up? I think it would be remarkable if they didn’t.

These children: Granted.

These children: Pending? Limbo? Repatriated?.

Yah.

… for Teachers.

War Criminal Torture Champions roam free, teach Law, and show up as guest/experts on the Sunday Talk Shows, but failing to teach all those brown kids to pass those tests is just … wrong!

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – President Barack Obama says a Rhode Island school that recently fired all its educators is an example of how there needs to be accountability.

He made the comments Monday in Washington at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He called for “accountability” if a school continually fails its students without improvement.

He said that is what happened at Central Falls High School, where the school district’s board of trustees voted last week to fire 93 teachers, administrators and other staff. No more than half could be hired back under federal law.

Obama pointed out that just 7 percent of students at the high school have tested proficient in math.

Right. That’ll fix it. Fire them. Just fire them all.

Monday 10a.m. UPDATED: see below.

Me too.

Expanding on my comment in jeffroby’s most excellent essay (please check it out.)

Something’s a – brewin’.

Leahy’s Senate Committee… Live Webcast LINK

Guess I missed most of it. Oh well. Marcy is livebloggin it over at FDL.

I will be working (at home) today providing an assist to my Teacher (Musician) husband as he prepares to start what he refers to as his “War Room”… i.e. job hunting. He is still employed, but, word is getting around and all the staff at his school are brushing up their resumes.

When I read this headline (& story) at Common Dreams, I just guffawed. I admit I don’t really quite know how to guffaw but I think I just did.

Obama’s Idea of Education Reform? Fire All the Teachers

Central Falls {Rhode Island} Thrust into School Reform Forefront

snip snip snip to the end:

As of Wednesday morning, 88 teachers, along with the high school’s administrative team, faced their own uncertainty. All 93 were sent letters of termination.

Open Thread. OPR Report released last night.

Valtin has a good rundown here. And of course OCD emptywheel here.

FDL DDayden here.

This is essentially getting away with murder, or if you like, torture. Margolis has saved Yoo and Bybee from any disciplinary action, relying on Yoo and Bybee’s own responses to the charges and what amounts to a generous reading of the law. Margolis basically took Yoo and Bybee’s side, that OPR did not apply the necessary framework, over OPR. It amounts to “we cannot know what was in the heads of Yoo and Bybee.”

That’s how it reads to me, anyway, maybe others will disagree. They can decide for themselves. But basically, another, and perhaps the last, opportunity for accountability and justice for the Bush torture regime, at least from inside the US government, has been squandered.

Olbermann video with Turley here. THANKS to TheMomCat who embedded this video below in comments.

UPDATE: h/t Turkana has a diary at GOS with a heads up on Leahy’s press release.

Leahy Announces Hearing On OPR Report

February 19, 2010  WASHINGTON – The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing to examine the Office of Professional Responsibility Report on the Office of Legal Counsel, Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced today.  The report was released to Congress today.

The hearing will be held Friday, February 26, at 10:00 a.m.  Witnesses will be announced in the coming days, and the hearing will be webcast live online.

Every Tuesday morning, I drive my daughter all the way to school, instead of just to the bus stop, for Band Sectionals at the ungodly hour of 6:30a.m. So I have a good sit in the car. On the return trip, I am all alone and get to choose the station! I listen to my local hippie station which has, in that weekly time slot, a Pacifica show called “People of the Earth”. Very cool. They talk about various native and indigenous peoples and related issues. Like this one:

With numerous errands to do yesterday and today, I’ve been driving and listening more than usual. Its their pledge drive now. “CALL! and let us know you’re there.” I really want to contribute to this station, maybe I make it another birthday present to myself (this could go on all month, if I had $).

So. What stations do you like and listen to? Links welcome!

now also up at Wild Wild Left

QUICK UPDATE: Friday noonish: Just an alert to let y’all know Tess made it by with a comment, see comments! 🙂

Last week, I left you hanging with OTW: Bienvenidos a Miami Part 1. In that Essay, I told you a little bit about my growing up in Miami, Florida, alongside the initial wave of Cuban refugees in the early 1960’s. I also promised you I was going somewhere with this. Yes, I do have a Point. 😛 I will make good on that promise near the end below. And finally, I left you with a cliffhanger with my mention of my Cuban friend, Maria {not her real name}. Well, guess what? I have a surprise for you!

Let’s pick up with a little snapshot phone convo between me and Maria, shortly after college.

She picks up on the third ring and I immediately lay into her. “Where the hell are you? It’s one o’clock already! Ive been ready for an hour! We’re gonna be late!!”

Maria is ever so casual. “Calmate, we have plenty of time. I’ll be there to pick you up around 2, like I told you. Man! Calm down.”

“But… the invitation says the wedding starts at 2, and it’s a 45 minute drive, at least, up to Hollywood. We are sooooo late. This is so bad.”  I’m whining and pleading now.

Maria assures me and tries to explain. “Bueno, she’s Cuban, remember? Are you kidding me? We would look so stupid if we actually had the nerve to arrive at 2PM. They’d lookit us like we’re crazy.”

“No, no, no, but Maria… he is Jewish! This is just so not done. You don’t get it.”

“No, you don’t get it, the bride’s family is Jewban. The groom doesn’t count when it comes to a wedding anyway, ferchrissake. Hang up the phone and go fix your lipstick or something. Ill be there in a bit. Jewbans are on Cuban time, reglas cubanas. lolol

Okay, as culture clashes go,  this one is certainly tame and a little funny, but it did happen, and yes, we were terribly late by the wall clock, with me fretting all the way of course, but it all turned out just fine. Maria was right. lol We arrived just as the ceremony started, at about 4PM, which was just right by the culture clock.