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The late news on local station WCVB/Ch.5 was delayed 16 minutes, because they’d aired President Obama’s prime-time address. Transcription of the video, as reported by Jorge Quiroga:
CHELSEA, Mass. —Chelsea proudly calls itself a city of immigrants.
There are thousands living and working there illegally, and on Thursday night Pres. Barack Obama gave them a reason to smile and cry tears of joy.
At Tito’s Bakery, they watched Obama on TV and his speech was translated in Spanish.
“I think it’s amazing,” Maria Belen said. “I think its six years too late.”
Lourdes Alvarado Chavez remembers her own good fortune.
“I came to this country when I was 11, and my parents became resident aliens when in 1986 amnesty came out.”
Obama said neither amnesty nor a path to citizenship is being offered…
Many were smiling ear to ear even though Obama’s executive order is only temporary and could be overturned after he leaves office.
Speaking of (not-joyful) tears, the GOP was pre-outraged, as reported by Betsy Woodruff at Slate:
Conservatives hate everything about the president’s imminent immigration move, starting with its timing, and one House member is hinting that the executive action could result in impeachment, and maybe even prison time….
Not so outraged as to consider delaying their Thanksgiving recess by a few hours, though, so they must not consider it that important.
***********
Apart from waiting for a possible Friday doc-dump (from the Ferguson grand jury, for instance), what’s on the agenda as we wrap up the week?
Amir Khalid
Okay: in the absence of a crime defined by federal statute, can the US Senate actually sentence a President to prison?
OzarkHillbilly
@Amir Khalid: No.
Cermet
As far as those shit eating monsters called republicans are concerned, all I can say is LOL! Let them eat their shit and all the stupid fucks that voted for these pieces of floating shit can eat the shit sandwiches they made for themselves. Let these asswipes try and impeach the President – bring it on; come 2016, those fuckers will rue the day they pulled such an ass-clown stunt.
OzarkHillbilly
Don’t know what I am going to do today. Have several projects in motion and was planning on tackling more than 1 to get them a little further along, but then last night happened. Not sure how much sleep I got between bouts of charley horses, but it couldn’t have been much more than 3, and the dreams I had when I did sleep? I was having charley horses in them. I remember crawling thru the streets because I can’t walk, cars zipping by me from all sides. In one dream, I was in the middle of an intersection I couldn’t get out of, every time I made a little progress, some car would come along and knock me back into it.
Sisyphus had it easy.
Major Major Major Major
I got evicted and laid off and my friend’s in the hospital with a bad ticker (he’s 25 for fuck’s sake) (this is just this week), I am so over Q4 of this year.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Amir Khalid: Ozark is correct, the Senate can only remove him from office. He could be charged by a US Attorney, that’s why Ford pardoned Nixon.
Keith G
I am a baker (although I have a fancier title). The next 5 days are going to be quite a blur. Doing the actual baking, managing other bakers, speaking with customers, making sure everyone gets the desserts they want before their Thanksgiving meal begins. That is what is on my agenda for the next few days.
BillinGlendaleCA
I’m still awaiting my wifi thermostat, the orange home improvement store seems to send you their shipping email about the same time the postman is at the door with the merchandise. Yesterday I got the power supply. I’m trying to set the light in my kitchen to turn on when it is sunset. I’m not sure it is sensing it properly, but I’ll find out at sunset tonight. Right now I’l upgrading to the latest Windows Tech Preview build on a virtual machine on this computer. Oh and I seem to have come down with a cold just in time to prepare T-day dinner.
Patricia Kayden
Rachel Maddow had me laughing when she noted that her two conservative friends on MSNBC were so angry about the President’s announcement that they were sweating when discussing it. Frothing at the mouth was a more apt description. Oh well. Just another thing for them to hate President Obama for, I guess.
Patricia Kayden
@Major Major Major Major: Sorry to hear about you and your friends predicament. Hoping something changes for you soon. Perhaps you can find a friend or family member to live with until you get back on your feet.
raven
Up to 68 today, the wind is going to pick up so it looks like no boats are going to run until next week. I’m not going to rush down to the beach, maybe 10 am or so. Tight lines!
tybee
@raven:
gonna be windy here, too. and rain sunday through tuesday. and then back into the 50’s for highs. sigh.
PurpleGirl
@OzarkHillbilly: Do you keep quinine water in the house? Or you can try to find quinine pills to keep on hand. Quinine is an old treatment for muscle spasms. It works although many health professionals wouldn’t recommend it these days.
Another thing you can do when you have a muscle spasm in the leg/calf: get up and walk around for a few minutes or until it eases up.
Hope you feel better today.
danielx
It must be exhausting to be that outraged all the time. Is there, like, a dietary supplement available that Gohmert/King/Bachmann/wingnutworld in general take on a daily basis to help with this =problem?
Betty Cracker
@Major Major Major Major: That sucks. Hope things change for the better soon. Although I know days, months and years are blameless units of measure, I’ll be glad to see the back of 2014. It has been a shitty year.
@raven: It’s awfully gusty here too. I took the dogs for an extremely brisk walk!
Valdivia
The joy of the latino commuty is real. And so is the feeling that this was a long time coming. The GOP fails to understand the timing–Obama delayed to please the Senate candidates who feared this for their elections. With that done it really couldn’t be delayed anymore. Truly a historic moment.
Here is a Time piece that summarizes how the evening’s announcement was seen at the Grammys. Click on the first video just to hear the cheers. Totally worth it!
Morzer
@danielx:
I believe they take a little red pill and drop into the FOXMatrix.
Valdivia
@Major Major Major Major:
ugh so sorry to hear this. A good friend of mine had a pace-maker put in when he was 35. Healthy as a horse otherwise (he’s a serious athlete) but it was a major and kind of baffling scare.
Debbie(aussie)
I am feeling lost. I had to make what I think was the hardest decision of my life so far. I said goodbye to my furry companion of 17and a half years, Patchie (miniature fox terrier) died in my arms, while I sobbed my heart out. Damn I miss him. Keep seeing him out of the corner of my eye. I think Fry(ling) our very large but wonderful cat misses him too. They both slept on the dog bed, but Fry wont go near it. The vet and staff were very kind and understanding.
danielx
@Morzer:
That would explain a lot, actually, what with that whole “epistemic closure” meme that was going around a while back.
Valdivia
@Debbie(aussie):
{{hugs}}
Gene108
I really wish someone in the media would have asked McConnell and/or Boehner, if impeachment was off the table the way they did with Pelosi in 2006.
I think the media just accepts “boys will boys” with regards to Republicans impeaching Democratic Presidents, without grasping that it is one of the most serious and rarely used powers of Congress.
BillinGlendaleCA
What color is the sky in Harold Ford’s world?
Betty Cracker
@Debbie(aussie): So sorry for your loss. You gave him 17 and a half years of love and happiness, which is a wonderful thing. But of course that makes the parting harder.
OzarkHillbilly
@PurpleGirl: I have used quinine before. No help. I have been thru every possible folk remedy. Nothing helps. Sometimes walking, sometimes sitting, helps. Sometimes nothing helps. Sometimes if they are bad enough, I’ll try everything all over again just to see if a new combination might do it. I’ve had my blood tested 7ways to Sunday and they can’t find anything. The one thing that will help, V!cod!n, they won’t give me. I need to have some more surgeries so I can restock. They will give me plenty for stitches that do little more than itch.
Been dealing with this for 56 years. It is my lot in life. shrug Only thing is that now that I am on blood thinners I bruise far more easily. So now when the charley horse goes away, the pain lingers. Last night’s weren’t too bad, just bad enough to keep me from sleeping.
raven
@Debbie(aussie):
We who choose to surround ourselves
with lives even more temporary than our
own, live within a fragile circle;
easily and often breached.
Unable to accept its awful gaps,
we would still live no other way.
We cherish memory as the only
certain immortality, never fully
understanding the necessary plan.
— Irving Townsend
Morzer
@BillinGlendaleCA:
Whatever color the corporate paymaster wishes.
ThresherK
BJ-sourcing time: I have adapted to typing at my tablet so well I think about taking a typing speed test. But I don’t want to overdo it and carpool my tunnels, so I’m looking for a keyboard / mouse combo.
There are items from the usual suspects, like Logitech, and some of their have a “Unifying receiver” model which would let mouse and keyboard go into one USB port.
Who here has used a tablet with external mouse and keyboard, and what does the angry mob recommend?
PS Of all the things I haven’t decided on, I know I don’t want that new retro PCjr chiclet-style keyboard that’s on every brand new laptop.
OzarkHillbilly
@Major Major Major Major: @Debbie(aussie):
Stay strong.
OzarkHillbilly
@ThresherK: My wife uses an external keyboard with her I-Pad (whichever one Apple sells for it) and won’t do without it.
BillinGlendaleCA
@ThresherK: Not a completely relevant answer, but I use the Logitech unifying receiver for my mouse, keyboard, and touchpad on my PC. It works well and saves USB ports.
Baud
@Valdivia:
Glad to hear that the reaction is positive. It was overdue, and I’m pretty sure Obama hoped the GOP would face enough political pressure to put the Senate bill too a vote. Obviously, they don’t feel that pressure, so here we are. I think there was some speculation that Obama might put this off further, so I’m happy to see it’s now done.
Debbie(aussie)
Raven that poem is beautiful. Thank you. Also thanks for all the kind thoughts and words.
Betty Cracker
@ThresherK: What kind of tablet do you have? I’ve got a leather case with a Bluetooth keyboard for my iPad that I’m very happy with, made by Brookstone. It has insanely long battery life and a non-Chiclet keyboard. I don’t use a mouse with it though — I just touch the screen to maneuver about.
Mustang Bobby
@Debbie(aussie): I hold you in my heart. I lost my Sam in 2002 and still miss him desperately. He used to sleep on my bed and the bedspread is worn at the spot and I still make room for him. Even though I live in a different place, I swear that the dust bunnies under the bed are his sheddings. Bear the grief and know you were loved and loved in return.
Mustang Bobby
@ThresherK: Close but not quite: I have a Toshiba laptop that is set up with the wireless external mouse and keyboard with the USB connection. I have a big monitor plugged in. Works great and takes no time to unplug and go if I need to.
kindness
I wanna see tears….from Republicans. What I expect to see is more gnashing of teeth, rending of garments, talk of poisoning some well somewhere and the MSM swallowing every salty morsel.
Impeachment….bring it on.
Valdivia
@Baud: yes I am very happy too that it got done now. Republicans are showing their colors in a way that Latinos won’t ever forget.
ETA: looks like the Iran deal may be coming. Thanksgiving is going to be Peak GOP Outrage boundary test.
Morzer
@kindness:
It’s almost tempting to form a “conservative” group called let us say…Tyrant Impeachment Today Senators … and push the GOP helpfully over the cliff.
OzarkHillbilly
Federal Reserve put financial system at risk, Senate report finds
“Senate investigators found that banks including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan bought metals warehouses, crude oil tankers and other prospects in the physical commodities world, then used these businesses to gain unfair advantages and influence markets.”
The Fed giving hand jobs to James Dimon, Lloyd Blankfein, James Gorman? Say it ain’t so.
Culture of Truth
I’m not convinced their outrage is genuine, though I’m sure the joy is quite real. Although if you fake outrage long enough, it may be hard for your lizard brain to tell the difference after a while.
Morzer
@Culture of Truth:
I’ll bet a lot of conservative business owners are furious because today makes it harder for them to force workers to swallow crap under the threat of being reported to La Migra.
ThresherK
Actual details I should provided first time: It has one microUSB port, and plugging passive devices into that would draw power, while occupying the only port the charger goes into. That’s sorta a dealbreaker.
@Betty Cracker: LG Gpad 8.3. I have big hands and (figuratively) deep pockets, and in the “geek for the win” department, I tested to make sure it would fit in certain jackets, coats and pants pockets before I bought. I have a case for it already. It’s a special enough device that purpose-built cases for it aren’t everywhere at stores; I had to go online.
@Mustang Bobby: That may be the path to my answer. When I look for Bluetooth, the results all seem to be undersized, overpriced keyboards for portability. I actually am looking for more the one to leave at home.
In the worm turns dept: I’ve worked on every kind of non-Apple docking station known to man, from when laptop displays looked like a $20 scientific calculator of today, and when the difference between a 20mHz and a 25mHz CPU was a big f*cking deal.
PIGL
@Major Major Major Major: I am very sorry to hear that. I know this is your enormous national celebration this weekend and then were heading into Christmas and winter for those that have it; one awful time of year to be in this predicament.
raven
@Debbie(aussie): Spending time at the beach with the bride and dogs has a tendency to make me reflect on how lucky we are and how fleeting time is.
NotMax
In need of a laugh? A tribute from a while back to the now late Mike Nichols by the other insanely talented and wickedly funny half of Nichols & May.
Culture of Truth
@Morzer: Possibly, but the business community has been one of the loudest voices in favor comprehensive immigration reform
Iowa Old Lady
@Debbie(aussie): Even when you know you did the right thing, that’s hard. Treasure the memories.
Iowa Old Lady
I went to open mic night at a local art center last night, so I missed the speech and reaction in real time, which was probably good. If the people affected are happy, so am I. The Rs are always outraged, so the president might as well do what he thinks best.
Morzer
@Culture of Truth:
They are also, supposedly, the paymasters and powers behind the GOP throne. Not much sign of that these days either.
Patrick
@Patricia Kayden:
The problem with that is that they have been outraged ever since the black guy was allowed to take office. From being outraged over Obama’s birth certificate to all these accusations from day 1 that Obama is destroying our constitution, you tend to lose your credibility.
It’s the boy who cried wolf.
Cervantes
@BillinGlendaleCA: Green, of course.
debbie
Mo Brooks, who gave you leave to be such an idiot?
satby
@Major Major Major Major: Shit dude, wish I could offer more than sympathy. But I’m two months behind on my mortgage because my new job has only given me about 15 hours a week. For the last 2 months my income has been under $600 or so. It’s thanks to Juicers that the critters are fed and the heat is on.
Cervantes
@Amir Khalid:
“A crime defined by federal statute” is precisely what the learned Congressman is alleging: i. e., that it is a felony to entice a foreigner to enter the US illegally. Here are the details as explained by him personally: “I don’t have the citation for it at the tip of my tongue.”
And no, all the Senate’s conviction can do in an impeachment proceeding is to remove the president from office. Prison time would more than likely require a separate and subsequent indictment and prosecution within the normal legal system (if “normal” is the word I’m looking for).
Baud
@Cervantes:
I’m sure President Biden will get right on that.
Cervantes
@Iowa Old Lady:
Did you sing? Read your own poetry? Mime?
satby
@Debbie(aussie): Debbie, condolences on the loss of your Patchie. 17 years is a wonderful long life for a dog, Patchie must have been a very happy pup with you.
debbie
Of course conservatives are upset. Ethnic cleansing is clearly on the horizon:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/kris-kobach-obama-ethnic-cleansing
Cervantes
@Baud:
Yes, and even without impeachment, there’s always the 25th Amendment.
(They did consider taking Reagan out with it, you may recall.)
Morzer
Juan Cole has a good, interesting post on the latest nefarious deed of the Very Very Wicked Well-Poisoning Kenyan Usurper-Muslim-In-Chief:
http://www.juancole.com/2014/11/punked-immigration-campaign.html
Baud
@Cervantes:
The Biden Usurpation! It would make for some interesting TV.
dance around in your bones
@Major Major Major Major: Oh, gawddammiit!
Major x4, hang in there – I don’t know what else to say. Except that life is sometimes a (cruel) joke. Ahhhhhh, look at ALL the lonely people….
Morzer
@Baud:
Biden is now a Kenyan Muslim also too?
Baud
@Morzer:
As McCain would say, we are all Kenyan Muslim now.
Cervantes
@Debbie(aussie):
Really sorry to hear about the pain you’re in.
From Winifred Welles, this one’s for the little mutt:
Remember Patchie’s other days, and feel better.
Morzer
@Baud:
Heaven help us if Putin has just invaded Kenyan Muslimistan. Blobby in Portland will be completely unbearable.
Betty Cracker
@Morzer: From his keyboard to the FSM’s monitor, but Florida just did reelect a comically obvious supervillain as governor.
dance around in your bones
@Debbie(aussie): Aw shit, that’s so fugging sad. Have had to do that with a few animal companions, and it’s one of the hardest things ever.
The last dog we had gave us the gift of dying in the night before the vet was supposed to come and put her down…….I guess that was good, but it still makes me cry. Their lives are so brief, but sooo worth it.
Concentrate on that, if you are able, at this point :)
Said with loving kindness…….
dance around in your bones
@OzarkHillbilly: Ok. this sounds weird, but put a freshly unwrapped bar of soap in your bed.by your feet…it helped MY husband when he would get the charieys in the middle of the night! I have NO idea why. IDK – just try it, can’t hurt, right?
dance around in your bones
@Morzer: Uh – acronym TITS??! I know that was deliberate, you wild thang.
Morzer
I wonder if you can guess who is the greatest defender of minority rights in Congress?
http://www.salon.com/2014/11/20/rand_paul_is_congress%E2%80%99_greatest_civil_rights_hero_says_rand_paul/
If you guessed that the little snippet of autobiography quoted above came from….
Rand Paul…
Congratulations. You’ve passed Lying Confederate Weasel Recognition 101 with flying colors.
Morzer
@dance around in your bones:
Just being bipartisan in an effort to help our conservative friends get their cause fully on the road.
rikyrah
OF COURSE, his ex-wives knew. that’s why they were well compensated.
…………
Country star Ty Herndon comes out as gay
After nearly two decades in country music, Ty Herndon is ready to be honest with his fans: He’s gay.
The country star opens up about his past, present and future in an interview with Entertainment Tonight’s Nischelle Turner that rivals ABC’s country soap “Nashville” with its real-life drama. Herndon discussed everything from his former drug use, his failed marriages and his current relationship.
“I have an awesome relationship that I’ve been in for a good number of years,” Herndon tells ET in a new sit-down airing Thursday. “[I] love him very much and he loves me.”
Married twice before, Herndon reveals that both of his ex-wives were “absolutely” aware of his sexuality.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/music/celebrity/country-star-ty-herndon-comes-out-as-gay/ar-BBeTz8e?ocid=HPCDHP
dance around in your bones
@Morzer: ((((smile))) You wild thang :)
OzarkHillbilly
@dance around in your bones:At this point in my life, I am all but resigned to my life of pain and sleepless nites. All but... I’ll try it. Hell, I’ll try anything. If nothing else it will make my feet smell better come morning. ;-)
Morzer
@OzarkHillbilly:
I am not an expert here, but it sounds to me like you might need to drink some more water and maybe try taking a warm shower/bath before bed to help you relax. It might also have something to do with a calcium or potassium deficiency, so may try eating a banana or drinking milk.
Sorry if you’ve tried all these things without result and are sick of hearing about them.
Patricia Kayden
@rikyrah: I recall when Elton John got married to a woman way back in the day. It’s great that people can come out and marry who they want (in most states) instead of pretending and marrying opposite sex partners.
WereBear
@OzarkHillbilly: Chelated magnesium?
The body is supposed to balance potassium, magnesium, and calcium to keep charley horses from happening, among other things. Magnesium tends to be the most neglected; our soils have been deficient since the dustbowl.
http://naturalsociety.com/16-magnesium-deficiency-symptoms-signs-low-levels/
IdahoFlaneuse
@Debbie(aussie): I am so sorry for your loss.
Tree With Water
“As negotiations continue, Rockefeller said Democrats were thinking creatively about how to resolve the dispute. “We have ideas,” he said, adding that reading the report’s executive summary into the record on the Senate floor would probably meet with only limited success. “The question would be how much you could read before they grabbed you and hauled you off.”
Rocky Racoon was referring to the torture report the administration doesn’t want released (by the looks of it). I take him at his word, i.e., he was not exagerating for effect.
Two questions: 1) Who is legally empowered to order the arrest of a representative on the floor of congress?
2) Is Obama in control of the “intelligence community”?