Wordless Wednesday: Charleston is purty

Here are some random photos of my quickie Saturday trip to Charleston; I couldn't readily remember the last time I was there. We endured ungodly temperatures by 11am, and I just wilted slowly, the rest of the day... but I still remembered to tell everybody about the radio show!

Accordingly, starting off with Spanish moss, which mostly disappears by the time you get to Columbia, so we don't have any in the upstate. Boo. :( I love it!

And we were also lucky enough to have a historian in our midst, who educated us about MARYVILLE (see historic landmark), which I am shocked to discover does not even rate its own Wikipedia page. I did find one reference to Mary Mathews Just (for whom the village was named) in her famous son's obituary. Maryville was a black township founded in 1885, which had its charter revoked, poof. No town for you! (You didn't think they were going to let freed slaves do that during Jim Crow, did you?) I would like to read a historic account of the events leading up to this amazing, radically white-supermacist act (I smell kkk), but it is difficult (impossible) to find one not peppered with racist excuses. What really happened? Will we ever know?

Maryville is not even mentioned in Charleston's Wikipedia entry.

Emanuel A.M.E. church in the Maryville neighborhood, stands where the historic marker is now, and was founded in 1885.

The last photo is the interior of The Mellow Mushroom, pizza to die for throughout the southeast! (commercial) I've been to them all over, from Athens to Asheville, and no two restaurants look the same.

You can click to enlarge. Have a great Wednesday!

~*~




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Warrant: Mother Blames Ghost For Hatchet Killings

Image at left from Purple Moon Galleries.





I suppose it was only a matter of time before someone blamed a ghost for an actual crime... but hatchet murders?

That's some scary ghost.

Warrant: Mother Blames Ghost For Hatchet Killings

ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- A 33-year-old mother accused of killing her two young daughters with a hatchet and then trying to kill herself told investigators that a ghost killed her children, according to a warrant.

The murder warrant against Naiyana Patel also said that she has said she does not want to live and she did not want surgery for her head injuries.

On Saturday, Patel's husband, Lalji Patel, returned home from work to find his daughters, 7-year-old Jiya and 4-year-old Piya, dead and their mother seriously injured.

Police said Naiyana Patel struck herself in the head repeatedly with the hatchet after she killed the girls.

Relatives said Naiyana was being treated for depression after a pregnancy she did not carry to full term, and, at some point she switched medication because the initial prescription did not seem to help.

Investigators removed the medication from the home during the investigation. Relatives said the children's funeral is planned Thursday.

After undergoing surgery, Naiyana was listed in serious but stable condition at Mission Hospital.

Police said she was transferred from the intensive care unit to a regular room. They're waiting to find out when she will be released from the hospital before deciding how to proceed.

Lt. Wallace Welch said it depends on how forthcoming Patel is with information. Welch said there is a possibility she could go straight from the hospital to the jail.

A memorial service for the family only is set for Thursday at the Groce Funeral Home from noon until 2 p.m.

A community event will be set for Thursday at 6 p.m. in the ball field behind Oakley Elementary School, the school Jiya attended.

Welch said the public event will celebrate the lives of Jiya and her sister, Piya.

A day ago, they were blaming the medication.

Pretty shocking stuff for a peaceful town like Asheville.

My novenas are with the children and other survivors.

Nikki Haley: "States rights trump everything"

Photo from Charleston City Paper.


I went to Charleston Saturday with Green Party members, right after Hurricane Irene decided to spare the place. We just had time to picket the US Customs House, loudly demand they bring the troops home, chow down on pizza at the Mellow Mushroom, gossip in earnest, howl in indignation, and leave. (Phabulous photos HERE)

Sitting at the Mellow Mushroom with my sweat-soaked comrades (dear God, it is HOT in Charleston!), I perused the wonderful Charleston City Paper, where I found an entertaining and thorough account of the recent Redstate Gathering, by the intrepid Paul Bowers.

The scary title?: This beautiful uprising.

But that isn't even the scariest part. The scariest excerpt concerns the political philosophy of our governor:

After [South Carolina Governor Nikki] Haley's speech, someone asked the governor what she thought about nullification, the doctrine that says a state can declare a federal law null and void within its own borders (which was one of the issues that ultimately led to the Civil War). Haley responded, "I think nullification is something we talk about when we're frustrated." When the same audience member said he really wanted to know Haley's stance on states' rights, she said, "States' rights trump everything. The 10th Amendment trumps everything."

Now, why didn't this fascinating quote make it into any of the other news accounts of the RedState Gathering? Especially since adoring teenybopper-journalists appear to be hanging on Haley's every word? How did they miss that?

Well, I find it damned alarming, so let me underscore and underline the quote here.

Dead Air Church: Reedy River drumming

Community drumming at the Reedy River today; some of the best church I've been to in quite a while. So nice.

(You can click to enlarge.)

Hope your Sunday was as rhythmic as mine. :)

~*~

Ain't skeered

Today I went to the radio station to record my promo for the upcoming "Daisy Deadhead show"... which of course will be a huge sensation and get me a book contract, as well as gigs on cable TV and beyond. (Or maybe not.) In any event, I was nervous, but I plowed through it in only two takes. I practiced my all-purpose mantra: Ain't skeered!

Well, how do I look? I know, you can't see people on the radio, but I thought I should wear a nice print dress anyway.

The show will be broadcast on Saturday mornings (9-10am) in the Fountain Inn area, carried throughout much of upstate South Carolina. Our first show will be on September 3rd, which is lucky because it's also the date in "Papa was a Rollin Stone" by the Temptations. (I think you all know I'd never start my show on an unlucky day!) Tune in to 1600 AM or 94.9 FM ... also you can listen online at WFISradio.com.

Yes, I am aware the website looks pretty Republican, except for Ed Schultz. I think I am only the second liberal on the station to date ... but it's high time to bring lefty radio to the UPSTATE!!!!

Caution: This is what happens when you run your mouth too much... we need this, we need that, we need lefty radio in the upstate, we need blah blah blah... at some point, someone is likely to call you on it, and say Hey, if I pay for the radio time, will you do the talking? (And they may even wait until you are unemployed, when they know you have the time to do it.) And what will you do, when it happens to you?

Recording my promo, I thought, what am I doing here?--and I remembered, it was my BIG MOUTH that got me here, so I will probably do okay. (PS: I can't wait to say "I paid for this microphone"--which I have secretly wanted to say ever since that other famous fella did.)

Stay tuned, sports fans.

Odds and Sods - Rightwing Deadheads Revisited

Yes, I stole that title from Highway 61 Revisited.

In this fascinating, educational thread from three years ago, Daisy is enlightened and meets up with her very first Rightwing Deadheads. Granted, I have met all kinds of Deadheads with all kinds of opinions, but none who actually categorized themselves as consciously right-wing. Thus, I was skeptical. Notice, Ann Coulter is mentioned on the thread.

Riiiight, Ann Coulter.

I put that little piece of info on my (already overloaded) back burner, and did not remember it until flipping channels a few weeks ago and landing on C-Span's THREE HOUR INTERVIEW (!) with Coulter. (Note to C-Span: She isn't Harold Bloom you know.) I guess since Ishmael Reed recently fulminated for three hours, equal time for the Right. (Which annoyed me considerably, since Reed is ostensibly of the Left and yet was careful to trash feminism and gay rights for a sizeable portion of his allotted time.) The interviewer presented a list of reporters "allowed to interview Coulter in the future"--which contained both liberal and conservative names. Explanation? Coulter humorously replied that these were the reporters who "actually brought tape recorders and transcribed what I said from the tape." Apparently, legions of reporters have put all sorts of words in her mouth she didn't say. (Again, I took that into account as a future radio commentator; I'm sure it's going to happen to me, too... since it already happens here in Blogdonia.)

Interestingly, Coulter's list included a reporter from JamBands.com.

What?

Oh, dear Lord.

So, it's true. Rightwing Deadheads. Like, at the very TOP. Not just grunts in the mailroom of the Weekly Standard, but Deadheads among the theorists (I use the term loosely) and popular media personalities themselves. I suddenly recalled when a Deadhead friend claimed he had a photo of Ann Coulter from an old east coast show, and threatened to bring it to work and SHOW ME. He never remembered to bring it (these are Deadheads we are talking about) and so I never had to face the music: that he had a shot of Ann in the front row. NOOOooooOOO, say it isn't so.

Ann reckons she has attended at least 67 shows, which puts her in a rarefied class. Holy shit, an advanced case, and she never caught liberal cooties from Deadheads? How did she manage that? Ann even flew out to attend Jerry's memorial in Golden Gate park. Like I say, an advanced case. Coulter also claims she never used drugs at a Dead show, which I am not sure I believe. Of course, she really didn't have to, since even the "passive" pot smoke at Dead shows could slay an elephant; she does mention the clouds of smoke, and jokes about it. I think Ann may have enjoyed her passive high and it might account for some of the starry-eyed bullshit she offers in the interview, which is from back in 2006. (Two years before "Deadheads for Obama"--and I wonder how she felt about THAT?)

Here is an example of the possibly passive-marijuana-smoke-induced, starry-eyed bullshit:

Moreover, I really like Deadheads and the whole Dead concert scene: the tailgating, the tie-dye uniforms, the camaraderie, it was like NASCAR for potheads. You always felt like you were with family at a Dead show-- a rather odd, psychedelic family that sometimes lived in a VW bus and sold frightening looking “veggie burritos.” But whatever their myriad interests, clothing choices, and interest in illicit drugs, true Deadheads are what liberals claim to be but aren’t: unique, free-thinking, open, kind, and interested in different ideas. Also, excellent dancers! Watching a Deadhead dance is truly something to behold.

Ann doesn't seem to realize that 90% of the Deadheads she has met are liberals, just not very articulate ones... I ask you, does Coulter's description (in the paragraph above) sound like a description of cultural liberals or cultural conservatives?

Many Deadheads shun politics (which we might say is an anarchist belief, possibly the long-term influence of the Rainbow Family, which had a lot of Deadhead-crossover membership); their political ideas are inchoate and unformed ... and many prefer that they stay that way. Just as Deadhead religion is all over the lot and the woo is fairly thick, Deadhead revolutionary ideas tend to be gonzo, unworkable, back-to-the-land stuff, like the Diggers specialized in. (Note: I am talking about the pre-1987 era, after which the Dead went "mainstream" and the general "Deadhead" term tended to lose its former countercultural meaning.) The Deadheads Ann admires put collectivism into practice, which is liberalism personified. But to maintain her useful fiction that liberals are "Godless" (the name of her book) -- she has to separate the lovable dancing bears of her past from those nasty liberals who have ruined the country.

(sigh)

~*~

And I got more links, too.

A huge and shocking baby-selling scandal has rocked the surrogate world, and yet the leaders in the field (the reproductive-pimps making all of the money off of women's uteri) still don't support additional legal controls on surrogacy. (It is particularly notable that this scandal INVOLVES one of the so-called respectable leaders in the surrogacy business.)

Short version: They make me sick.

~*~

Anonymous plays hardball with BART, posting naked photos of San Francisco BART spokesman Linton Johnson all over the net, as part of their ongoing protests. Their statement reads: "If you are going to be a dick to the public, then I'm sure you don't mind showing your dick to the public."

Daisy applauds and laughs: The Yippies would be so proud of yall.

~*~

At left: My friend Ginger Wilson sings one of my favorite songs (with the Shannon Hoover Band) at the Reedy River Concert Series on Wednesday night: "I put a spell on you"--yeah! It was a great night and I had a lot of fun, meeting all kinds of unexpected old friends at the show. (More photos here.)

As I have said so many times, if I ever move away from Greenville, I certainly WILL miss knowing everyone in town!

~*~

Rick Perry made money off of porn! Woooo! Wonder what his new Dominionist (and K Street) friends will think of that?

Movie Gallery used to be across the street from here, and was well-known for its popular "back room"; at my old video-store job, I worked with several Movie Gallery-refugees, and quickly learned the score. I find it hard (excuse expression) to believe Rick Perry didn't have a clue.

~*~

Marion writes of the death of Canadian politician Jack Layton:

To me, he was like a Terrier or a Bulldog, worrying and tearing at the Conservatives without restraint. With a four year term of a majority Conservative government, I felt so much better in knowing Jack Layton was the leader of the Opposition. I felt, if anyone could, he was the one who would hold the Conservatives to account.

Rest in peace, Mr Layton... we need more like you throughout the world!

~*~

How a Radical Leftist Became the FBI's BFF (Mother Jones)

Boy Scouts of America removed mother from troop after discovering she is a lesbian (Think Progress)

Katha Politt: Michele Bachmann, Wife in Chief? (The Nation)

Nice title, but I am partial to STEPFORD Wife in Chief... (mean giggle)

Wordless Wednesday assortment

Some assorted photos for this busy Wednesday. Hope you enjoy these!

First photo: This was taken in the MORNING... good Lord, is it really that hot already?

Second photo: a section of my beloved Swamp Rabbit Trail, which restoreth my soul.

The next three photos are from Linky Stone park, downtown under the bridge: two of the children's garden and one of the stone pig. Not surprisingly, the pig is probably more popular than the garden!

Brick Street Cafe, good local place for a snack; backs right up to Reedy River Park and Swamp Rabbit Trail.

The final two photos are from Bele Chere, including the window of the Yarn Emporium (I loved the yarn mermaid) and a sign from KentuckyFriedForests.com. Take action!

As always, you can click to enlarge. Have a great day!

Blue people, Haley watch, etc

At left: My current screensaver, Krishna. I've always liked him!






I thought of Krishna because of the new Smurfs movie, which as you undoubtedly know, is about blue people.

In the landmark, fabulous film, Slacker (not the mediocre and forgettable Slackers, which of course you have never confused it with), we are treated to a brilliant discourse about the cultural importance of blue people.

When I first saw Slacker, my child was young, and I suddenly realized the importance of the Smurfs!

Here is the operative segment, which also has some interesting things to say about Scooby Doo and Scooby snacks.

Blue People Excerpt - Slacker (1991)



You have to admit, he has a point.

~*~

I have not suspended Haley Watch, although it is currently on an extended hiatus. I got kinda tired of reprinting the veritable onslaught of gushing, fawning media-coverage of our new governor... what's next, Italian Vogue? The most recent Sunday Greenville News story informs us that Governor Haley "eats, sleeps and breathes jobs" and "she must work 24/7"... I am just waiting for the canonization committee to show up.

Republican Lt. Governor Ard, however, is another matter. He is in some major trouble for using campaign funds incorrectly and dishonestly, and Haley has very carefully maintained her political distance from him and his problems.

I seriously doubt that the Ard scandal will touch her. Boo.

~*~

At left: new patio resident. I thought I saw RADIANT stitched into the web, but it was an optical illusion.



According to my geeky Facebook friends, even though (to borrow a line from Woody Allen) this spider is the size of a Buick, she is supposedly (mostly) harmless, unless I aggravate her. And I assure you, I wouldn't dream of it!

She is Agelenidae, a funnel-web spider. Thus, the web is just lovely... it looks like water whooshing down the drain, frozen in white profile.

If you just ignore all those enormous dead beetle-bodies she has littered everywhere, it looks almost peaceful.

Rick Perry in Greenville

I initially went downtown to hear the local band Palmetto Swamp Congregation. They were just setting up, so I decided to walk on down to the park. In front of city hall, there was a good-sized mob, with [Texas Governor Rick] Perry signs held aloft. He's inside, talking to the mayor!--they burbled happily, as one unit.

I waited with the mob until he came out, and then I followed the mob down the street alongside copious TV cameras and curious onlookers.

From the brief display I saw? He has it sewn up. Even five months before the South Carolina Republican primary, I will give the primary to Perry. (And let me remind yall, she said modestly, I called it right the last time.) I have never seen such fawning in my life. Mayor Knox White was stuck to him like a proverbial dingleberry on Perry's derriere. (He is the one glommed onto Perry in all of these photos; photos #6 and 7 include Perry's wife, Anita.) People shook his hand and beamed approvingly at him. One man anointed him the next president in a loud, booming voice, and the mob murmured their assent.

One young woman, who identified as an Army wife, passed out a well-written critical assessment of Perry that she wrote herself (I exhorted her to start blogging!), and I grumbled at regular intervals to one of the photographers (who snorted derisively along with me), but I didn't see any other dissenters besides us three lone voices, crying in the wilderness.

It's pretty funny now, but when I was young, the Secret Service (and their many friends, imitators and rent-a-cops) used to land on me like they did Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver. They would walk right up to me and ask point blank, What are you doing here? (Aside: I also learned to give fictional answers from Travis.) They would dog my ass the minute I showed up anywhere; it must have been the way I looked. But now? They ignore me totally. I don't dress appreciably different than I used to, so what is it that makes them all ignore me? Age, it must be. Middle-aged women are deemed harmless. Look how close to him I got!

The way he stopped to mug with every dog and every kid was nauseating. Although he genuinely seems to like dogs, and as you can see, decided to stop at the Barkery Bistro (photo #4) to check out the doggie-retail bizness. See those mobs? (The second mob is in front of the Carolina Ale House.) The crowd loved him. (Aside: He's really short.)

Finally, thunder and lightning cracked, kaboom, and I chortled to onlookers that God was obviously mad at Rick... (yes, this is the cutting-edge political wit that has landed me my radio gig, yall!) ... and although I got one hearty laugh from a girl selling beer at the beer-booth in front of the Palmetto Swamp Congregation stage, the rest of the crowd was rather grim and didn't appreciate my theological commentary AT ALL.

The rain drowned out my band, but Rick was still going strong and glad-handing people as I left the scene in a downpour.