Friday Fish Wrap: October 22, 2010

The Script:

This ad is NOT paid for by the corporate front groups and oil billionaires that are trying to buy this election.

This is OUR ad made by hard working Americans who live right here in Nevada

and we have one simple message: Sharron Angle is being backed by one of those front groups, and if she’s on their side, she’s sure not on ours.

Vote Harry Reid!

The Ad:

Now you know what I’ve been up to when I’m not blogging! Ha! You’ve gotta love it. MoveOn.org made it harder than it needed to be. They had about eight different packets of signs that you could download and print - only after you did the previous one. This required being particularly tenacious- which I am.

Unfortunately, I started running out of daylight.

Gawd, I was just coming home, driving down South Virginia and there was a bunch of Angle supporters along the side holding ‘Honk for Angle’. I exercised remarkable restraint, realizing that Tea Party people love America and mean well. They just get their information from different sources.

WWE and Dancing with the Stars.

Here’s a good example - self-proclaimed Constitutional law expert, Christine O’Donnell who is running for Senate in Delaware:

Nevada Rocks!

Yesterday, I participated in the Great Nevada Shakeout! At precisely 10:21 a.m. my iphone alarm rang while I was cycling along Huffaker Road. Off the bike and into the weeds to ‘hold on’ to a fence post. The geese in the field looked as though to say WTF? They just went on eating.

This was a worthwhile event, and I hope you participated. As somebody with, shall we say A LOT of emergency management and disaster preparedness experience, exercises like this are essential. They provide us with that all important ‘clue’  what to do during a critical event. We couldn’t have been nearly as safe or effective in airborne Search and Rescue without plenty of exercises and practice.

You should understand, as an average citizen, that practicing for a critical event goes a long way toward mitigating the negative effects of said event. Most importantly, it also saves lives and reduces the costs that must be dedicated toward recovery.

One last word on this - my tall, heavy furniture is bolted into the wall studs. Is yours? I also have spare water supplies, a medical kit, and a bag of emergency clothing/shoes/meds. Do you? Don’t you think it’s time to consider doing that?

Now, ladies and gentlemen, that’s being a true conservative!

Like we haven’t talked about sad old Sharron Angle enough, but listen to this. The Nevada state senator from Elko County, Dean Rhoads, R-Tuscarora - a well known liberal bastion (LOL- NOT!!) - came out in support of Harry Reid yesterday! Now, when you can get folks from Elko County to support Reid, the opposition must smell pretty damn bad indeed. The Elko Daily Free Press also got behind Harry Reid.

If you need some convincing on just how delusional the Elko County Angle supporters are, read some of the comments on their website. Sigh.

Oh, BTW - Mr. Maven and I got it over with. We early voted yesterday. I gotta tell you that I love the voting here in Nevada. It’s so fast and easy, with a paper ballot to seal the deal. This is the way it should be done everywhere. There’s simply no excuse for having differening voting systems around the country. One that has proven bullet proof and scam proof for everybody.

This is a transient, mobile society. Having the same system across the country will eliminate confusion. Hmmm. But that confusion is probably what a few politicians are counting on, right?

I want to do something that Roxy’s husband here in Reno refused to do. Make a note of her passing.

We knew Roxy from the Tamarack Junction casino restaurant. She was an incredible waitress, and a neat lady. We knew she had a lot of issues in her life. It sure wasn’t an easy existence. But she worked really hard and was always smiling and joking despite the challenges. The harsh realities of her life were finally more than she could handle. She got a ‘gut full’ as we say - or as is euphemistically called ‘cardiac arrest’.

It’s people like Roxy that make life a bit smoother for the rest of us. An hourly wage earner with tips all of her life, few benefits and a lot on her plate. This was the obit from the Sacramento Bee. I wish I’d taken a better picture of her when I coulda.

McKEE, Roxy Lynn (Eure)
Roxy passed away in Reno, Nev., on October 11, 2010, due to cardiac arrest. She was born in Mobile, Ala., on October 6, 1954, to Bill and Claudia Eure. Roxy was a beloved wife to Ken McKee for 20 years and loving mother to Jessica and lil’ Roxy. She is also survived by her granddaughter Mandy, her brother Bill Eure (Cyndi), nieces Angela and Renea, and many extended family members. Roxy enjoyed her career as a waitress in Reno because it gave her a chance to interact with people and really get to know them. She was often referred to as ”Flo” for her red hair, big earrings and smart mouth, Roxy liked to make her customers laugh. Roxy struggled with alcoholism but in the end was sober for five years. She will be remembered for her fighting spirit, quirky personality and her passion for family. Per Roxy’s request, her ashes will be spread among the mountains in Virginia City, Nev.

I know that Natacha will remember and miss her, as we do. It was so sad that few of her co-workers even knew or remembered her last name. I couldn’t bear to let her passing go by so anonymously.

Such is life - and death - these days.

In other passings of note, the Truckee Bar & Grill (Lakeside and Moana) that I’ve blogged about is no more. Nor is South Side Cafe. Both victims of the economic downturn. These are places we’ve patronized for many years and through many incarnations and ownerships.

And no, Harry Reid didn’t have anything to do with it. Nothing is ever that simple, except in Sharron Angle’s fevered imagination. My guess would be uh, Wall Street, unregulated capitalism, George W. Bush et al.

Talking about Women of the TeaParty,  Virginia ‘Ginni’ Thomas, wife of SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas - he of Long Dong Silver fame, who stepped up early to diminish the luster of the Supreme Court during his confirmation hearings in 1991 - apparently made an outreach call to Anita Hill the other day. ‘Ginni’ suggested that Hill should apologize to her husband.

Whoa! Talk about harboring a grudge.

‘Ginni’ is a fun loving person and creator of Liberty Central - and here’s what they say about her:

“Ginni is a new social entrepreneur and the Founder of Liberty Central, Inc.  Ginni is excited about launching LibertyCentral.org and finds the new citizen activists inspirational! She brings passion, enthusiasm and principled participation to the public square. With 30 years of experience within the Washington beltway working alongside esteemed politicians like Dick Armey and for institutions like Hillsdale College, the Heritage Foundation and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Ginni is committed to serving as a clearinghouse for new and more effective online activism. Ginni, the ‘proud’ Nebraskan, is a fan of Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin and Laura Ingraham and other talk radio hosts. She is intrigued by Glenn Beck and listening carefully. She also enjoys motor homing and watching “24″.”

I’m impressed. Her COO and Counsel, Sara Field worked for the Koch brothers. You know those goofy billionaire guys that are currently buying up every election across the country for the extreme right.

Yup. This is the kind of grassroots organizing that is going to take back Washington for the average American. No wonder Clarence Thomas might have been happy to help out from the bench with the Citizens United decision.

Isn’t it nifty how this all ties together?

Well, speaking of tying things together, I’ll be on the road tomorrow to Apple Hill to sample some of the fall harvest. I’ve been dehydrating a ton of asian pears to send to Louisiana and Marin County. The bags of dried fruit would be fatter if I could quit snacking out of them prior to sending.

Yes, dried asian pear apples are just that good.

Neighbor Peg just came down awhile ago with a belated birthday present. This is truly different:

Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka from Poland. This is wild stuff. Literally. It tastes like the forest. It’s ‘vernal’. According to Peg ( and the Russian friends who brought it with them ) you mix it with apple juice and a wedge of lemon. Check out the hip website Bartender page for some truly different mixology that will intrigue your guests.

We did a bit of uh, sampling on the rocks while I finished cooking dinner.

This is hard to describe, but you get notes of vanilla, grasses and coconut. It would also pair well with cucumber and fresh apple juice.

Here’s something I’m pondering: Muddle some snappingly crisp cold Jonagold or HoneyCrisp apples, a squeeze of lemon, a splash of apple cider. Shaken. Served straight up. Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme.

What do you think? Peg?

Well, have a great weekend. I’ll let myself out.

-maven

Update on Friday, October 22, 2010 at 21:46 by mavenandmeddler

I just watched this interview with Harry Reid on the Ed Show:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Update on Friday, October 22, 2010 at 21:47 by mavenandmeddler

And this is vintage Sharron Angle: