Chamblee54

This content was originally published July 5, 2009. … Cynthia McKinney is in an Israeli jail. That is about the only thing I can say for sure. A boat carrying supplies to Gaza was stopped by Israel. Miss McKinney was taken into custody. In a telephone statement, Miss McKinney said : “…I had a suitcase full of crayons for children … My cellmates came to the Holy Land so they could be free from the exigencies of superpower politics“ … As the fishwrapper tells the tale, Miss McKinney was offered a quick release if she would sign a statement. According to her mother, Leola McKinney, the statement was written in Hebrew. …
… The story also has this tidbit: “Israeli officials blame Cynthia McKinney and her group for the controversy, saying they were looking for confrontation to attract publicity. The officials note that Palestinian Authority and the rest of the international community had agreed to the off-shore blockade to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza.” A google search of “officials note that Palestinian Authority and the rest of the international community had agreed to the off-shore blockade to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza” did not yield the text of a statement by “Israeli officials”. Nor did it shed any light on an “international community agreement”. The ding ding ding you hear is a BS detector. …
… A google search for “palestinian authority agrees to blockade of Gaza” yields little except confusion. There is an article which says : “Hamas Saturday accused the Palestinian Authority (PA) of supporting the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip in a bid to weaken the Islamic movement which controls the territory.” The PA denies the charges, and says Hamas is playing politics. Ding, ding, ding. … What sort of government agrees to a blockade of its own people? What “international Community” has the authority to say it is OK? The suffering in Gaza continues, and that is the other certainty in this story.
This content was originally published July 7, 2009. … The book for the waiting room is “Genius and Heroin”. I finished my part one post on page 123, with Jean Harlow. Continuing through the H section, I see that LSD was the drug of choice for Jimi Hendrix. This is not the first time the I have doubted G&H, nor is it likely to be the last. Later, in a sidebar to Henry VIII, the cause of death for some English kings is listed. The hot poker massage of Edward II is not mentioned. We do see that James I had gout in 1625, probably from the consumption of too much meat. George II met his maker after “excessive pushing” on the throne in 1760. …
… William Sydney Porter went to federal prison for bank fraud. He used the time to write the short stories that made him famous. His prisoner number was transliterated into his pen name, O Henry. … The dealership has a customer workroom. This is a quiet place, without the inevitable TV. Today is the memorial service for Michael Jackson. G&H is a series of mini biographies. The honorees were brilliant men and women who had problems, many of which led to an early grave. I suspect that if it was being written today, G&H it would have a section about Michael Jackson.
This content was originally published July 09, 2009. … MJ is gone, but not forgotten. The rest of the news is kinda rotten. In Iran, the protest and bash cycle is starting up again. In Israel, Mr. Netanyahu is acting strange. (It might not be acting). It would be a natural move for him to start a war with Iran, or maybe a feel good crackdown in Gaza. … Back in the YouEssAA, the pundits just won’t leave Sarah Palin alone. Andrew Sullivan posted a few words on why he won’t let up. His thesis is that a woefully deficient woman was almost elected Vice President, and he doesn’t like that. …
… This is too little and too late. In 2000, George W. Bush ran for president against Al Gore. W turned out to be a dangerous mistake. Maybe, if the press had scrutinized him with the vigor they are showing Mrs. Palin, W would have lost the election. There are indications that 911 was motivated by a personal grudge against the Bush family. If Al Gore had won the election, 911 might not have happened. Even if it had, Gore’s reaction possibly would have been more competent. There is a good chance Mr. Gore would not have invaded Iraq to punish Saudi Arabia. … Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Jack Delano took the social media picture in January 1941. “Croatian steelworker in union hall in Midland, Pennsylvania · selah ©Luther Mckinnon 2025