FamGuyToday by Aunty Fox

Bob Woodward, BUT, he's been getting a lot of pub lately, saying he's been 'threatened' by the White House, cuz he was told he'd 'regret' what he's said and is going on FOX to whine. The exact e-mail in question has finally been revealed. But I do truly believe you should rethink your comment about saying saying that Potus asking for revenues is moving the goal post. I know you may not believe this, but as a friend, I think you will regret staking out that claim ... My apologies again for raising my voice on the call with you. Feel bad about that and truly apologize. This is the 'threat' that FOX is making a big deal about. Talk about typical FOX bullshit...(Now he's backing off the 'threatened' term. Seems that was just a FOX headline.)

started when I tried to get into the hot tub today, but it had shut down, for some reason, after I had already walked outside, barefoot, through the snow. SO, I ran a tub of hot water, and soaked my 'cold' away. Decided to not drain it, when I was finished, to add heat and humidity to the air. Fast forward to this evening, after Bailey had some catnip, and she was 'nipped up', playing her favorite game, 'catch the kitty'. Bottom line, she ran into the bathroom and jumped into the tub. Splash! I'm laughing, she's running. Crazy! Wet cat, being chased with a towel. I'm guessing she never jumps into the tub again. Funny, unless you're Bailey....

last night on PBS. 'Makers: Women Who Make America'. Was very interesting how the role of women has changed over the last 50 years, with birth control, advances in the work place. and the Equal Rights Amendment, which the Repubs stalled for decades. After seeing how the Pubs constantly and consistently denigrate and fight women's rights, I honestly can't imagine ANY woman being Republican unless she really enjoys the biblical model of being a 2nd class citizen, barefoot and pregnant, subservient to her husband/ boss, and/or is in the 1%, that the Pubs are all about. An interesting, informataive program that should be required viewing.

Bobby Jindal, (R), LA, said the Repubs had to stop being 'the stupid party'. Today, in a rare moment of bipartisanship, John Kerry (D), new Sec of State, said, "in America, you have a right to be stupid if you want to be."

and woulda been fine with Denzel winning the Oscar for Best Actor. Great movie and performance by one of the best actors out there.

that GW did, when he inherited a great economy and surplus from Clinton, was to do a TEMPORARY tax cut to thank his big oil and big money buddies. Then he started a trillion dollar war, based on lies. Fast forward a decade and we are paying the price, as a country, after he totally wrecked our economy. His (R) buddies say NO WAY, to rolling back the discounts for the 1%, or ANY other revenue increase, refusing to negotiate, and now we'll all continue to pay the price. Don't you love them Pubs, who 'break it' but refuse to help fix it.

​ with a little Chihuahua dog on a leash and sits down at the bar next to a drunk. The drunk rolls around, leans over, and splat, he pukes all over the dog. The drunk looks down, sees the little dog struggling in the pool of vomit, and slurs, "I don't remember eating that!"

as a manure spreader, the clowns at FOX are handling the upcoming sequester as they always do. With lies. Their main talking points? It's all Obama's fault. (Totally wrong. Both sides agreed to the details, committee of 3 R's, 3 D's). It's no big deal, as it only represents a small % of govt spending. (Wrong, is gonna effect millions) Obama's a big 'drama queen' to act like it's a 'big deal'. (Oh really?) The Pubs have done a LOT, to avoid it. (Wrong, they have done nothing, refusing to negotiate, concerning a balanced approach, claiming it should be 100% CUTS, to address the budget problems) It'll take months to feel any effects (Wrong, markets are already reacting)  ALSO, they don't report the main fact, which says a majority of the American people (more than 3 to 1) are gonna hold the Pubs responsible for the looming problems, as they should. FOXNews, in their 'fantasy world', as always, preaching to the sheep, bu...

got about 8-10" of snow, the highest total I saw was Pinecliff, a couple miles from Nate, Laura and Piper, with 27.2" Good, they needed it, and it made for some good sledding, according to the video. Too bad we couldn't do the Oscar Party, but will be getting together for Denver Restaurant Week, and Carol's birthday party, later this week. Nice snow....

a decent snow, although we did get a few inches last week. Has been snowing all day and they're predicting about 10" Bad timing though, cuz we were planning on our annual Oscar's Party with the kids, where Carol makes up ballots, favors, prizes and we throw in a little $ to see who can predict the most winners. Was gonna be fun this year, cuz we've seen most all of the movies. The kids are too smart to brave the roads today, so it looks like I'll have to eat the huge dish of lasagna all by myself. Oh well, can't complain too much though, cuz we really need the snow.

The pentagon's $396 BILLION project, the F35, has suffered another setback. http://rokdrop.com/2013/02/23/396-billion-f-35-suffers-another-setback/ If you need to see the Repub 'military industrial complex' in action, just look at this. UNbelievable, but real, program, as the Pubs have never found a military 'defense' program that they didn't love, with OUR tax money. I know it's ONLY about half, of what W paid to his banker buddies, to keep our country from imploding, but it's still HUGE! Unreal, as they spend hundreds of billions of dollars on their 'pet' programs, but education needs to cut, according to those 'jeniouses'. THREE HUNDRED AND NINETY SIX BILLION DOLLARS!, Think any of them 'defense contractors' are making (obscene) profits?

they report, 'It's Obama's Mess', referring to the sequester. 'He Caused It, He Should Fix It'. If you follow REAL news outlets, you know that it was the brainchild of a committee consisting of 3 Dems and 3 Repubs, and both parties signed off on it. No problem for FOX, where they make it up as they go. We also know that ANY revenue increase, defined by the Pubs as giving back part of GWBush's 'TEMPORARY' tax cuts, causes the Pubs 'take their ball and go home'. Screw 'em, as the country is watching them cut off their noses, to spite their face. I love it....

the dreaded 'sequester', where spending cuts will be applied with a chainsaw, rather than a scalpel, there are 2 ways to avoid it. Because this was supposed to be a trigger so dreadful and dire and stupid, it was assumed Congress would force itself to come up with a reasonable deficit reduction plan to avoid it. Ha. Ha. The White House favors a balanced plan that would include spending cuts and some tax increases for the wealthy. Republicans reject any solution that includes tax increases. These are two fundamentally different perspectives, only one of which is supported by a majority of Americans. A Pew Research Center/USA Today survey released Thursday found that only 19 percent of Americans believe that the focus of deficit reduction should be only on spending cuts. Seventy-six percent want a combination of spending cuts and tax increases, with more emphasis on the former than the latter.   Good job Pubs. At least you're consistent, as you continue...

the Denver Post had an informative article, today, on how to 'grow your own' pot, complete with pictures and detailed instructions on nearly all phases, including harvest. ttp://www.denverpost.com/grow/ci_22646080/marijuana-truth-about-growing-your-own-pot According to the Post, it is kinda difficult, time consuming and expensive, but can be done, and is now legal in Colorado, for adults. One of the books I just finished in Mexico, 'Betty's Little Basement Garden', by a grower from Colorado Springs, goes into much more detail, with a large dose of philosophical information as well. Who da thunk? Am thinking it would create a distinct 'aroma' in the house.

when our printer broke down, right before our trip, and needed some documents printed. BUT, it turned out to be a blessing in disquise, cuz it forced us to get a new, wireless printer. We can now print from our laptops and I-pad, from anywhere. Really cool and surprisingly inexpenseive. I love technology, when it works.

 saying a Colorado Dems' gaffe, that 'women shouldn't carry guns on campus, for rape protection, cuz they might accidentally shoot someone', was equal to Akin's claim that 'women's vaginas are capable of repelling sperm from rape'.  "This proves the 'liberal media bias' cuz they aren't reporting this, like the Akin quote". Who ARE these people?

that the Pubs who are screwing up the Prez's cabinet pick, with the first EVER fillibuster for that purpose, and are fighting all the infrastructure based spending programs, to replace the jobs THEY lost, are the same 'Jeniuses' who picked the prez and vice prez candidates who couldn't even carry their home states in the last election. Think about it. The brain trust of the Repub party wanted us to vote for their clowns, BUT, the people who knew them best, their home staters, said NO WAY. ( Only John Frémont in 1856 lost his home state by a larger margin than Romney out of the 100 major party presidential nominees on the ballot since the formation of the Democratic Party in 1828).  Says a lot about a party that's totally out of touch with reality.

as Jon Stewart (ten time Emmy winner) took on John McCain, and his hypocrytical stand on Chuck Hagel's nomination. 4 deaths in Benghazi, (which Hagel had NOTHING to with) is UNforgivable, BUT, 1000 times that many in Iraq is OK, cuz 'mistakes happen, in war'. Check it out here, http://www.mediaite.com/tv/jon-stewart-destroys-mccain-for-hagel-benghazi-outrage-and-iraq-you-dont-get-to-pull-that-sht/ , as Stewart calls out McCain, who lost all credibity, when he picked Sarah Palin to be a heartbeat away from prez of the US. I love it! The Pubs just keep digging their 'public image' hole deeper and deeper and deeper...

Chuck Hagel, partially because he was against W's ill-advised ( 'The Dick' Cheney claimed, 'Without a doubt, Iraq has WMD's), invasion of Iraq. Instead of congratulating him for being right, they are holding up his confirmation until they 'find out more about him'. WTF? He was career military, then a Congressman. Their main problem, however, is that the 'fiscally responsible' Repubs are fighting any cuts in the hugely bloated military budget, cuz their big-time 'defense' contractors make HUGE profits selling all types of supplies, at tax-payer expense, to a military that is already larger than the next 25 nations 'combined'. What a bunch of hypocrites.

showing some 'Destination Colorado' ads, promoting pot, that the Colo Tourism Industry (who promotes the craft beer industry) isn't gonna run. But Arthur Frommer, the guide book guru, compares us to Amsterdam, and predicts a 'torrent of tourism' to Colorado, which is just what I heard from international travelers in Mexico. Is SO nice to live in an 'educated, thinking state', vs the Red state, conservative world. Time will tell, but I'm betting on Colorado, and the voters who said pot should be legal, for adults, instead of sending them to prison. Sorta like when the vote was given to women, then blacks as well as the repeal of prohibition and it now it is just 'taken for granted'. The ad campaign that allowed the amendment to pass was a very simple, two part series. First was a retired sheriff, saying he had never seen an aggressive, violent pot smoker, (unlike drunks), and the second explained how money was wasted in the prison system, AND, it...

a Pub these days, as they have another 4 years of Obama, when they picked Mitt Romney (after 2 years of 'anyone but Romney') as their candidate? ANY moderate Repub, like Huntsman, Daniels or Christie would have won easily, BUT, the the right wing whackjobs (Tea Party, created and financed by the Koch bros.) hijacked the party and alienated the middlle ground. THANKS, Tea Party.

love to make fun of Joe Biden, and when the VP said that homeowners didn't need an assault weapon to protect their homes, cuz a shotgun works just fine, they piled on him. WTF? In the course of his job, speaking publicly every day, Joe does have some human slip-ups, but this wasn't one. His only problem was recommending a double barrel, instead of a pump, where the sound of a shell being jacked into the chamber should be enough to make any home intruder crap his pants. FOXNews. What a joke.

agreed Tuesday that the constitutional amendment on marijuana simply says that adults over 21 can use the drug, not just Colorado residents. If lawmakers agree with the recommendation, tourists would be free to buy and smoke marijuana. Potency and labeling recommendations for commercial marijuana will also be discussed later. The task force has until Feb. 28 to recommend marijuana regulations, which will ultimately be set by the state Legislature and the Department of Revenue, the agency which oversees gambling and alcohol and will also regulate recreational pot. Looks like good news for Colorado tourism and the local economy. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/19/marijuana-task-force-give_n_2721084.html?ir=denver&utm_campaign=022013&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Alert-denver&utm_content=Title  

of vacationing in an international resort like the Wyndham Azteca, is meeting and speaking with visitors from all over the world. Less than 10% of the guests are from the USA, while most are from Europe. It is easy, and interesting, to talk about economic/political issues, cuz they all speak English and are happy to share their views. Among other things, I learned they are SO happy to have Obama, rather than Bush, in charge; They are not at all convinced the the European Union is gonna last, with the consesnsus being 2-4 years MAX; They LOVE the Mexican Riviera and are gonna keep coming back, while telling friends and relatives about it. ALSO; Canadian, non-Colo Americans, staff and other visitors are very aware and interested in Colorado's new Recreational Marijuana laws, and many are planning a trip, here, once we have the laws and storefronts in place. Can only be good for us, economically, AND, was nice to get through US customs, quickly and easily, cuz 'contraband...

love their freshman senator, who is on the wrong side (as in 'polls from the Amercan people', which the Pubs don't believe in) on nearly every social issue. While alienating everyone on the other side of the aisle, he's causing his fellow Pubs to cringe and distance themselves from him, while pushing independent, fence-sitting voters to the Dem side. Keep it up, Bozo, we love it. Sen Cruz (R) TX, and others like him, assure his party's continual free-fall, which is only good news for our nation.

Joe Scarborough (Conservative, Repub) lashed out at conservative "media culture" on Tuesday's "Morning Joe," telling viewers that Rush Limbaugh and Fox News have not been good for the Republican party. Scarborough urged Republicans to look beyond those two outlets. "Just for conservatives that think they have to stay in their own little media world, since Rush Limbaugh went on the air and became a national figure, Republicans have lost five out of the last six presidential elections in the popular vote," he said. "Since Fox News went on the air in 1996, Republicans have lost four out of the last five. Keep it up FOX. You make the Pubs look so obviously ridiculous, that the BOTTOM 11 of 12 education/income states are Red, while the top 15 ed/inc states are ALL Blue. BUT, the Pubs like to think/say, 'We're the SMART ones.' Are you kidding???? This just in. 'Mississippi, solidly Repub and stupid, just ratified the 13th Amendment, ...

when I wasn't running, exercising, doing pool aerobics, playing beach/pool volleyball, swimming in the ocean/pool, riding a bicycle, taking Spanish lessons or helping little old ladies across the street, I'd take a brief break under the palapa. Note the nice lounger in the VIP section, (roped off, to keep out the riff-raff), where we had drinks delivered by Eddie. I think this was sometime between 2nd breakfast and 1st lunch.

about 'crazy people with guns', and how they need to be regulated. SO, what do you do if you a have a whackjob who says; “If Barack Obama becomes the president in November, again, I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year.” While toting a machine gun: “Obama, he’s a piece of shit. I told him to suck on my machine gun … hey Hillary, you might want to ride one of these into the sunset, you worthless bitch.” If you are in the Repub brain trust, you take that individual, Ted Nugent, with you, to the State of the Union Address, so can intimidate the prez. Just when you think the party of Bachmann, Perry, Cain and Palin can't get any worse....

of watching the Pubs act like our MAIN problem is debt, as we have very few jobs, after the Bush/Pub disaster, that stole home values, jobs, investments and everything else that defined wealth in the US. Now, they fight every effort to create the jobs they lost, when we need infrastructure type stimulus, like the WPA projects of the 30's and Ike's Interstate Highway program. Repubs. They wreck it, but refuse to fix it. Am SO sick of them screwing our country AGAIN, just like Viet Nam, Iraq and GWBush, as they are nothing but obstrctionists with fillibuster power. Their only chance of reelection is if the economy is in the tank, SO, that is their plan.

to hear the Pubs bitching about Obama's 'leaked' immigration program, when they SHOULD be taking credit for GW's plan, which really worked. By wrecking the US economy, the Pubs stopped almost all illegal border crossings, cuz there's no longer any jobs. Take a bow, George, and a tip o' the hat to the GOP, for their ingenious solution to an ongoing problem.

but last night, they really nailed it, from the cruise ship skit opening, Weekend Update, Alabama Shakes musical numbers, Marco Rubio and then 'Fox and Friends', which was SO realistic. One of the funniest/best SNL's ever. Pubs, who are SO easy to make fun of, must hate the show.

the Draconian 'sequester cuts' will be imposed, across the board. Some good, many VERY bad. This action, considered SO radical that it could never really happen, was supposed to get Congress off their asses and get something done, but the jerks have done nothing but kick the can down the road.   Last week, Senate Democrats produced a much better plan to replace these cuts with a mix of new tax revenues and targeted reductions. About $55 billion would be raised by imposing a minimum tax on incomes of $1 million or more and ending some business deductions, while an equal amount of spending would be reduced from targeted cuts to defense, as well as farm and 'big oil' subsidies. Republicans immediately rejected the idea; the Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell, called it “a political stunt.” Their proposal is to eliminate the defense cuts and double the ones on the domestic side, heedless of the suffering that even the existing reductions will inflict,...

but bitches about tax dollars being used to fund it. Who'd a thunk the Koch bros money was behind the 'spontaneous' birth of the Tea Party? A new study funded by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health reveals that the Tea Party Movement was planned over a decade ago by groups with ties to the tobacco and fossil fuel industries. The movement was not a spontaneous populist uprising, but rather a long-term strategy to promote the anti-science, anti-government agenda of powerful corporate interests. The two organizations mentioned in the report, Americans for Prosperity and Freedomworks, used to be a single organization that was founded by the Koch brothers and heavily financed by the tobacco industry. These organizations began planning the Tea Party Movement over ten years ago to promote a common agenda that advocated market fundamentalism over science and opposed any regulation or taxation of fossil fuels and tobacco products. Wow, I...

but it's gonna take a while to recuperate and transition from 'spoiled beach bum', back into our boring, stress-filled, everyday existence. Am still kinda woozy from the day of travel, but was really good to see Bailey again. Pic is sunrise, from our bedroom on the last morning, after a VERY fast ten days. Couldn't have asked for better weather, room, food/drinks, staff and new friends, BUT, is all over now for another year and it's gonna take a while to recover.

of a fantastic vacation, was a very limited choice when it came to English-speaking TV news. It was basically FOX or nothing, SO if we wanted to catch up on US news, weather and cruise ship disasters, while we had coffee or changed for dinner, we had to watch the FOX fantasy world. OMG, I had forgotten how devious and evil they actually are. 90% of their programming is slick, well packaged, interesting, varied productions that provide actual 'news' and entertainment. THEN, there's the other 10%, with all the right-wing propaganda and opinions, reported as 'facts'.  After hearing of Obama 'cowering' from North Korea, listening to 'The Dick' Cheney explaining how the Dems have ruined the country (after the mess he and W left), how we need a BIGGER military these days instead of any cuts, 'appeasement' of enemies (instead of more wars), continuous Benghazi bullshit, non-stop anti-Hagel innuendos and the idiocy of 'Fox and Friends', I fin...

as we are babysitting, while Nate and Laura are downtown, celebrating Paradigm's big new contract, for FOUR sims (flight simulators). Piper's first overnighter, without the folks, while we look at pics from about a year ago when we were 'on the beach', decorate Valentine cookies, make teddy bears and my favorite, read stories. Good times...

when Bailey gets a couple new roommates for a while. Don and Bear will be keeping her and Bob (the fish) company, watering the plants and keeping the home fires burning while we recharge the batteries on the beach and they trade their mountain cabin for a 'real' house (sorry, Don). Bear's getting a little slower, but hey, who isn't, and he's still Bailey's fav 'Big Dog'. Learned today, from Gerardo de Leon, (mgr at Viva Wyndham Azteca), that we were able to get our first choice in rooms (2301, which overlooks the beach/ocean) and that it has been 'remodelated', which I am guessing is a cross between remodeled and renovated, although I can't see why it was needed. Still many days away, but am getting that 'tropical fever', as I begin to pack for Jimmy Buffet country, and those 'changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes'...

that Chuck Hagle, (R)-Nebr, Obama's choice for Sec of Defense, is being demonized by FOX/Repubs, and the whole military industrial complex. The bullet and bomb builders aren't gonna see Bush-era type profits if we aren't constantly at war, somewhere, as per Pub foreign policy. Hagle agrees we gotta trim the HUGE, bloated military budget, as part of general cost cutting, and has drawn the ire of Citizens United, (the 'corporations are people' wing of the Repub party), where billionaire 'defense' contractors can spend part of their fortunes trying to buy public opinion. Cutting back on military spending? Wow, what a concept, that the right-wing is fighting, tooth and nail, as they would much rather would much rather cut teachers and education.

'Brother Odd', by Dean Koontz, that was recommended by my buddy Scott, and I can say this. Scott's a great guy, bless his heart, but our reading tastes aren't on the same page. Now it's back to best-sellers, Laura picks, and bargains on Amazon, for my Kindle. 'Brother Odd', was a little TOO odd, at least in my humble opinion.

with a heart that doesn't need any extra stimulation, I've decided to ignore politics for a while, cuz I can't make any difference anyway. The Dems/Pubs can fight it out, as their main agenda is to get re-elected, no matter what it means to the populace. Am gonna try to watch from a distance, without getting too involved. Boring, but healthier for my heart, as vacation time approaches. (Oops, didn't last long...)