The Conversation -- August 12, 2023
All the AG's Special Counsels. Herein are linked stories about three -- count 'em, three -- special counsels. Hunter Biden should be proud, I guess. As far as I can tell, he is the only private citizen to get his very own special counsel; all the other special counsels have been appointed to investigate some form of public corruption or wrongdoing.
Perry Stein & David Nakamura of the Washington Post: "Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday appointed U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware as special counsel in the ongoing investigation into Hunter Biden's tax case, a move that appeared aimed at rebutting Republican criticism that the process had been politicized. Garland made the surprise announcement during a midday news conference.... The appointment of Weiss, an appointee of former president Donald Trump who began the investigation of President Biden's son in 2018 and has continued to lead the prosecution under Garland, would give him broad authority and, presumably, distance the attorney general from some key decisions in the case. Justice officials said Weiss requested to be named as special counsel on Tuesday, and Garland agreed. Weiss will hold this position while he continues to serve as U.S. attorney in Delaware, Garland said." The NBC News story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Glenn Thrush, et al., of the New York Times: "The move raised the possibility that [Hunter] Biden could be tried in the politically charged case, which seemed resolved until a few weeks ago.... Prosecutors for [David] Weiss's office also filed court papers on Friday indicating that they had reached an impasse with Mr. Biden's lawyers over the proposed plea deal, suggesting that he might now be indicted. Up until a few days ago, the two sides had still been hoping to salvage the deal, but that effort snagged on Mr. Biden's demand for blanket immunity from future prosecution." ~~~
~~~ Andrew Goudsward of Reuters: "... Hunter Biden may be headed for a criminal trial, U.S. Special Counsel David Weiss said shortly after promotion into that role on Friday, in a sign that courtroom drama could play an outsized role in the 2024 presidential election." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Appointing a special counsel seems excessive to me, but reasonable, given House Republicans' demands for the appointment of a special counsel, their cries of "conspiracy!" and their Keystone Cops-style "investigations" of Everything Hunter. Let's see how well it worked: ~~~
~~~ From the New York Times liveblog in developments of the Hunter Biden case: "Representative James Comer, the oversight committee chairman in the House..., sees the appointment of a special counsel as a way to protect the president's son. 'This move by Attorney General Garland is part of the Justice Department's efforts to attempt a Biden family coverup,' he said in a statement." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Scott Wong & Kate Santaliz of NBC News: "House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, had previously called on Garland to name a special counsel in the case. But on Friday, Jordan's team also took aim at [David] Weiss, who was nominated by ... Donald Trump to serve as U.S. attorney in Delaware and stayed on under President Joe Biden.... 'David Weiss can't be trusted and this is just a new way to whitewash the Biden family's corruption,' said Jordan spokesman Russell Dye." MB: In case it never dawned on you (ha ha) that nothing will satisfy, here's the proof: (1) Jordan whines that Garland must appoint special counsel; (2) Garland appoints special counsel nominated by Donald Trump; (3) Jordan whines that Trump-nominated, Garland-appointed special counsel cannot be trusted. (Also linked yesterday.)
Monica Alba & Carol Lee of NBC News: "Attorneys for President Joe Biden and the special counsel appointed to investigate his handling of classified documents have been negotiating for about a month over the terms under which he would be interviewed, two people familiar with the matter said. Discussions between Biden's lawyers and special counsel Robert Hur's office are focused on how, when and where the interview might take place, as well as the scope of the questions, these people said. They stressed that the negotiations are ongoing and that no agreement has been reached." (Also linked yesterday.)
Trump Crime Blotter
I see the possibility for a lot of problems here. -- Judge Tanya Chutkan, on Donald Trump's potential of intimidating witnesses & influencing jurors ~~~
~~~ Glenn Thrush & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "The federal judge overseeing ... Donald J. Trump's prosecution on charges of seeking to overturn the 2020 election rejected his request on Friday to be able to speak broadly about evidence and witnesses -- and warned Mr. Trump she would take necessary 'measures' to keep him from intimidating witnesses or tainting potential jurors. The caution from the judge, Tanya S. Chutkan, came during a 90-minute hearing in Federal District Court in Washington to discuss the scope of a protective order over the discovery evidence in Mr. Trump's case, a typically routine step in criminal matters. Judge Chutkan said she planned to impose the order but agreed to a modification requested by the Trump legal team that it apply only to 'sensitive' materials and not all evidence turned over to the defense.
"She concluded the hearing with a blunt warning to Mr. Trump, and an unmistakable reference to a recent social media post in which he warned, 'If you go after me, I'm coming after you!' -- a statement his spokesman later said was aimed at political opponents and not at people involved in the case. 'I do want to issue a general word of caution -- I intend to ensure the orderly administration of justice in this case as I would in any other case, and even arguably ambiguous statements by the parties or their counsel,' she said, could be considered an attempt to 'intimidate witnesses or prejudice potential jurors,' triggering the court to take action.... Judge Chutkan ... made it clear -- within minutes of ascending the bench -- that she intended to view Mr. Trump primarily as a defendant rather than a political figure, and suggested she sided with the government's push for a speedy trial.... The judge described Mr. Trump's candidacy as 'a day job,' like [any other] defendant." The CBS News report is here. Politico's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ She Was Not Amused. Brad Reed of the Raw Story: "The Independent's Andrew Feinberg reports that [Judge Tanya] Chutkan repeatedly emphasized to Trump lawyer John Lauro that 'the existence of a political campaign is not going to have any bearing on my decision.'... According to Feinberg, Lauro brought up the 2024 campaign multiple times on Friday's hearing to determine whether Trump will be hit with a protective order on what information he can share publicly ahead of his trial. 'Judge not amused,' commented Feinberg." ~~~
~~~ A copy of the protective order, via NBC News, is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: It took less than 24 hours for Trump to defy a magistrate judge's order that imposed restrictions on him. Let's see how long it takes him to try a stunt to cross Chutkan.
Amy Wang & Patrick Marley of the Washington Post: "Michigan state Rep. Matt Maddock (R) warned supporters at a recent fundraiser at his home that a 'civil war' would break out or that people would get shot if the government continued to target conservatives, according to audio of the event obtained by the Messenger, which first reported the remarks. Maddock, whose wife was one of 16 'fake electors' charged with felony crimes in Michigan last month..., [made the remarks at a] 'Free The 16 Electors Poolside Party!' -- was held at the Maddocks' home to raise legal defense funds for the fake electors, according to a copy of the invitation.... 'Someone's going to get so pissed off, they're going to shoot someone,' Maddock [said], according to the recording.... [Matt] Maddock compared prosecuting Trump electors to Nazis' attempts to subdue Jewish people before leading them into gas chambers during the Holocaust.... You are going to shut the eff up and you are going to walk into that gas chamber. That's what they want, because that's what's coming for us.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: I've got news for these posh-looking, pink-hued, whiney rebels without a clue: (allegedly!) making false claims in an effort to overturn a presidential election, then facing prosecution & possible jail time for committing the crime, is not even minimally equivalent to being abused, starved, tortured & murdered because of your religion or ethnicity. The gall of these entitled leeches holding a pool party-fundraiser to compare themselves to Holocaust victims is beyond the pale.
A Warning for the Trumpster. David Yaffe-Bellany & Matthew Goldstein of the New York Times: "Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, was sent to jail on Friday after a federal judge in New York revoked his bail, accusing him of trying to influence witnesses who are poised to testify against him at a widely anticipated trial in less than two months. Mr. Bankman-Fried, 31, had been under house arrest at his parents' home in Palo Alto, Calif., since he was arrested in December on fraud charges stemming from FTX's implosion. But at a hearing on Friday, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan of Federal District Court in Manhattan said that arrangement would have to end, after prosecutors argued that Mr. Bankman-Fried had twice tried to interfere with witnesses in the case, including by giving documents to reporters." The AP story is here.
Presidential Race 2024
Candidate for American Dictator Bars Press from Campaign Event. Ty Rushing of the Starting Line: "Gov. Ron DeSantis' campaign team today contacted law enforcement in an attempt to prohibit Iowa Starting Line reporters from covering his campaign in the Hawkeye State, according to Shelby County Sheriff's deputies. Two reporters -- including Starting Line's Chief Political Correspondent Ty Rushing -- were greeted by multiple sheriff's deputies at the entrance of the American Legion in Harlan on Friday afternoon, where DeSantis was making his second campaign stop of the day.... No other media outlets were excluded from the event. After speaking to a crowd inside, DeSantis answered questions from other reporters on the front lawn, where Starting Line was also prohibited from participating. Deputies stood guard on the sidewalk throughout the event." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Gosh, maybe I've figured out why DeSantis prohibited Rushing from his event. In video Rushing posted, he appears to be Black. It's an anti-woke thang. As Judge Chutkan said Friday morning, Freedom of the press is not absolute. And for DeSantolini, it's absolutely not for Black reporters. ~~~
~~~ By Contrast, These Two Nice White Ladies Got to Curtail a DeSantis Event Friday. Natalie Allison of Politico: "Chanting 'Ron DeFascist' and 'pudding fingers' on a megaphone while ringing cowbells, two protesters effectively cut short the Florida governor's first campaign stop of the day at a large roadside rock painted for war veterans.... At the DeSantis event, Kara Ryan of Des Moines said she and her aunt, Heather Ryan, were there on behalf of a political action committee called 'Bitches Get Stuff Done,' that supports abortion rights." MB: Have to admit this demonstration is kinda crass, but nothing in the league of the damage Ron has done. Also, interesting to note that it takes only two bitches to heckling the stuffing out of Gov. Mouseturd; a more skilled politician would know how to get the hecklers to STFU. (Also linked yesterday.) MB: I suppose freedom of white assembly still stands. For now.
Illinois. Nadine El-Bawab of ABC News: "The Illinois State Supreme Court found a strict assault weapons ban passed after the Highland Park shooting to be constitutional in a ruling issued Friday. The ruling came in response to a lawsuit that claimed that the ban violated the equal protections clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The court reversed a lower court finding and said that the law does not violate the equal protections clause. However, the Supreme Court did not comment on claims that the law also violated the Second Amendment."
Texas. Gideon Rubin of the Raw Story: "Former Donald Trump physician and current Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) threatened a state trooper amid an altercation with authorities at a rodeo last month, The Dallas Morning News reports, citing a sheriff's incident report. Jackson threatened to beat the state trooper and 'bury' a West Texas sheriff in the next election after deputies pushed him to the ground and handcuffed him in the July 29 incident, authorities said according to the report.... Jackson previously said he was trying to help a teenager experiencing a seizure at the time of the incident.... But Carson County Sheriff Tam Terry's report ... [described] the retired rear admiral as being confrontational and uncooperative during the incident. Deputies asked Jackson to step back at least four times before detaining him so emergency responders could render aid to the girl, the report said. Chief Deputy Sheriff JC Blackburn said Jackson continued 'screaming profanity about the trooper' even after being released from handcuffs...." ~~~
~~~ Marie: On paper, Rep. Ronny is about as solid a citizen as you'll find: a doctor to presidents, a Congressman, a former Navy flag officer. However, given his pattern of bad behavior, one is inclined to suspect that Rep. Ronny was just angry that the troopers & paramedics had prevented him from getting his picture in the paper as a local hero who had saved a damsel in distress.
News Lede
Washington Post: "Nearly 72 hours after flames began to race through this historic Maui town, killing at least 67 people, the magnitude of the tragedy remained unclear Friday amid spotty communication and few official updates. Hundreds of people remained unaccounted for, and rumors swirled about the death toll and the cause of the wildfires, the worst in Hawaii's history. Frustration with the government response deepened as the state emergency services agency confirmed that it had not activated warning sirens as the fire advanced, though it said alerts were sent via mobile phones, television and other channels."
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Marie wrote, about Ronny Jackson “… one is inclined to suspect that Rep. Ronny was just angry that the troopers & paramedics had prevented him from getting his picture in the paper as a local hero who had saved a damsel in distress.” Also, he was probably hammered. My, how those Texas voters must be proud of the guy they sent to congress: a drunk, pissed off liar.
Empiricism can be a useful tool when making assessments about the world. Just look at the candidates for elected (and stolen) offices with an R after their names, those who won and those who didn’t:
A lifelong con artist, thief and former drag queen
A child molester
A rapist and traitor
A wrestling coach who allowed students to be molested
A football coach who doesn’t even live in the state
A whack job Qanon conspiracy lover and antiSemite
A former football player with a history of violence and mental Illness
A sex trafficker of teenage girls
A car thief and insurance fraudster
A governor and presidential candidate whose hunting lodge is named “Niggerhead”
A governor and head of the RNC who talked about happy watermelon eating negroes
A senator and Attorney General who dresses up like a confederate general
A white nationalist racist and xenophobe (covers about 80 candidates)
A TV doctor who pushed snake oil to make money
And these are just a few of the most well known.
Democrats have fielded a few doozies over the last few years, but nothing like the quantity and variety of disgusting assholes on the right.
Clearly, to be a Republican candidate, your best bet is to be stupid, racist, sexually predatory, misogynistic, craven, greedy, and…did I say stupid? Oh…being a drunk and pissed off liar wouldn’t hurt either.
Ak left out that famous cheese, Queso de Leche Madre.
Marie: Thanks for the duck info. Here in W. Michigan if you ask
for anything unusual, you get that blank stare. The Dutch are ultra
conservative, even in regards to food. I have to mail order simple
things like Parmigiano Reggiano.
And there's a huge rainbow right now over Lake Michigan as I look
out from my sunroom, so that means the rest of the year is going to
be calm and peaceful. If you believe that, I can sell you the
Mackinac Bridge real cheap.
WILD FIRES EVERYWHERE:
The tragic fires in Hawaii are so overwhelming that it's hard to get your mind around that kind of devastation. Having had the pleasure of visiting that area some years ago makes it even harder.
Then this morning Dowd summed up another set of fire storms right here in River City and I thought her summary was right on the button:
"WASHINGTON — For a quiet summer Friday, there was quite a cacophony. Donald Trump crashing around. Clarence Thomas cashing in. Hunter Biden spinning out.
News about these men rocked the capital. Yet there is something inevitable, even ancient, about the chaos enveloping them. Fatal flaws. Mythic obsessions. Greed. Revenge. Daddy issues. Maybe a touch of Cain and Abel."
Drama writ large all on a summer's day of days.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/12/opinion/hunter-biden-clarence-thomas-trump.html
I will be off the grid here for most of this month. My German family –-five in all–--will be arriving later today and except for short forays to Fisher island and New York city they will be with us until early Sept. We haven't seen each other for four years because of Covid, so my concentration will be with them. I thought I'd better let you know in case you might think I'd been snapped up by some right wing looney in a parking lot for shooting off my mouth about women's rights.
The Force be with you all!
@Forrest Morris: It might help to ask again. When I first moved here 8 years ago, I asked the butcher at the central Market Basket in the big town nearby for something I didn't think was especially unusual -- it might have been quail -- and I had to explain what it was: "tiny little birds" (or whatever -- I'm not sure it was quail). The answer of course was "no." But even the rural Market Basket carries them now, at least occasionally.
Also, if there's a BJs or Costco near you, they may carry some of the specialty things you're looking for, especially at Christmas time. And that includes genuine parmigiano-reggiano from the milk of cows grazing in Parma or Reggio-Emilia.
AK: Well, shucks, honey, you have surpassed said drama from Dowd with your list of special nut crackers. I suggest you print out this list and send it to the all the papers of record–- in big bold RED print with a smiley face at the end of Mickey Mouse.
Akhilleus,
But empiricism is hard work.
Wish she'd better ID-ed the author, but in this morning's Heather Cox Richardson, I found this:
“Voters are basically lazy,” one of Nixon’s media advisors wrote. “Reason requires a high degree of discipline, of concentration; impression is easier. Reason pushes the viewer back, it assaults him, it demands that he agree or disagree; impression can envelop him, invite him in, without making an intellectual demand…. When we argue with him, we…seek to engage his intellect…. The emotions are more easily roused, closer to the surface, more malleable.”
Even then, back in those good old days, Republicans were open about their contempt for their voters. But I guess if you eschew empiricism (i.e., evidence) you never notice.
Here is the latest outrage to humanity underwritten by religion. For anyone who hasn't read my rants in the NYT over the years, I am fully in accord with Christopher Hitchens that religion poisons everything. So, while we struggle in this country to allow people who believe in sky fairies the freedom to do so while preventing them from using their cosmic worldview to harm others, Israel shows us what happens when those who favor fantasy over reality are given special treatment by a government that supposedly represents everyone.
'The trains from Tel Aviv were packed one evening last month when Inbal Boxerman, a 40-year-old mother of two, was blocked by a wall of men as she tried to board. One of them told her that women were not allowed on — the car was for men only.
'Ms. Boxerman was stunned. It was a public train operated by Israel Railways, and segregated seating is illegal in the country. The men stopping her appeared to be protesters going home from a rally supporting the governing coalition, which includes extremist religious and far-right parties pushing for more sex segregation and a return to more traditional gender roles.
'“I said, ‘For real?’” said Ms. Boxerman, who works in marketing. “And my friend came up and she also said, ‘Are you for real?’ But they just laughed and said, ‘Wait for the next train — you can sit in the way back.’ And then the doors slammed shut.”'
Note the Times's acceptance of the term "traditional gender roles." It's ironic when modern peckerwoods can use past bad behavior to justify viciously stupid policies.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/12/world/middleeast/israel-women-rights.html
@Ken Winkes: I think the author is unknown.
@Jack Mahoney: Well, yes to all that. But "a return to more traditional gender roles" sounds ever so much nicer than "a Netanyahu-endorsed practice of accepting harsh discrimination imposed by violent, sexist bigots flouting Israeli law." I can just see NYT editors feverishly blue-penciling what Rabin originally wrote.
Marie, I understand that doing evil things because it's traditional to do evil things is part of humanity's schtick, but perhaps it's time to do away with that excuse.
Jack: I thank you for " the latest outrage to humanity underwritten by religion." It's been one of my obsessive concerns for years.
@Jack Mahoney: I didn't mean to be making an excuse. I meant to mock the Times "straight-reporting" editors, who are wed to both-siderism and stories written in a manner they hope will not offend (and therefore lose) any readers. The result isn't as bad as DeSantolini's anti-woke school textbooks, but it slides that way -- and has since well before DeSantis & his crew of right-wing whiteys got all upset about inconvenient facts.
BTW, I don't blame religion for religious bigotry. I blame the bigots. There are millions of religious people who behave decently or even nobly and do so based on their religious beliefs.
Foiled agin!
Super sleuth investagatin’ geenyus, Jimmy Crack Corn Comer is having a sad. He claims that he was just about to git Hunter!
When all of a sudden like, that awful Merrick Garland appoints a special counsel!!
Dang it!
Reminds me of the response you get from a recalcitrant 8 year old when told for the fifth time he has to clean up his room. “I was just gonna!”
Oh well, I guess whatever blockbuster evidence he was “just gonna” show to the world has to wait now.
Funny thing, these charlatans have been whining for a special counsel for months. “Waaaaahhh! We want a special counsel! Waaaah!”
Now that they have one it’s “Waaaahh! We have a special counsel? Waaaahhh!”
Predictable or pathetic?
You decide.
Marie, when I read history it appears to me that bigotry is as much a feature of religion as is inserting unsupported assertions about the universe into polite conversation. And then doing a 180 on some of those holy proclamations when they became laughable (as in the case of the Solar System). Also, I remember the tribulations of Madalyn Murray O'Hair from my childhood. Being an atheist made one fair game, and I gravitated toward it because the religious people I knew were just fine with treating her like dirt. Kinda like JC would.
AK, If you gave Jim Comer a menu of seventeen different methods to execute Hunter Biden, he would complain that he wasn't allowed to carry it out his way. And if he didn't, "conservative" media would prompt him to do so because without outrage their business model collapses.
A good dog
@Jack Mahoney: The Golden Rule is a central tenet of a number of world religions, including Christianity. Matthew's Jesus (Matt. 7) says, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Luke (10) has Jesus clarify the Golden Rule as applying to everyone, not just co-religionists. (You have to read the frame around the parable to get the meaning here.)
You cannot obey the Golden Rule AND express your bigotry against any particular group. The way many Christians and Jews practice their religion is a problem; it's not the underlying teachings (uh, as long as you ignore substantial parts of the antiquated Old Testament and Revelations -- I don't read Revelations).
Marie, I agree with you that in theory religion should be based on love and support (as in the Good Samaritan), but as we both have read a lot of history we might also agree that whenever religious zealots (my definition is those who so firmly believe in the rectitude of their faith that they are willing to do damage on Earth to defend it) have been allowed to dictate policy, the results have not been good for less-favored groups. So, yes, in theory religious people benefit society; in reality I'm far less sure that the juxtaposition of celestial nonsense with Earthly reality is helpful when dealing with issues as clear to those who don't have to juggle multiple inputs as climate change and overpopulation.
Picking up on Jack’s observation that outrage is as essential to traitor media as the electromagnetic spectrum (which, I’m sure some droolers assert must be a hoax), the apoplexy over a judge telling their Christ figure leader that he’s going to be treated the same as any other defendant is exhibit one in the QED department for today.
I’m sure their hatred and animosity has nothing to do with the fact of the judge being a black woman. But I’m just as sure that Fatty will be flapping his lips about it since he’s convinced that no one can tell him what to do, least of all a woman, and especially not a black woman. So I wait eagerly to see him test her resolve and pay the price. What will they say then?
“Kill the judge”?
The climate of hatred and violence stoked in all stinking, darkened corners of right-wing world has prompted extreme security precautions due to the very real chance that Trump’s threats and imprecations will take hold in the lizard brains of his malicious myrmidons. Currently, three federal marshals accompany her when she goes out for coffee.
He really needs to be in prison.
For life.
RAS,
As the owner (more like companion) of a very good dog, I’m always interested in heartwarming stories about other good dogs.
I’m reminded of another war dog, Sergeant Stubby, a decorated member of the 102nd infantry regiment in France during WWI. He took part in 17 battles, was twice wounded, warned his human buddies of impending shelling and mustard gas attacks, caught a German spy in the Argonne, and was later decorated by Black Jack Pershing.
Another good dog.
Oh, and both Smoky and Stubby contributed a hell of a lot more to this country than cowardly Cadet Bone Spurs. A very bad dog.
The latest Biden impeachment try:
On Friday, Florida congressman Greg Steube filed 4 articles of
impeachment against President Biden, things like "brought disrepute
on the presidency," "betrayed his trust as president."
"The evidence continues to mount by the day," Steube said (without
providing any details about that evidence).
Sounds like more projection.
https://news.yahoo.com/fla-rep-greg-steube-files-214037609.html
At this point, we are seeing a collision between the First Amendment and stochastic violence, which is so much easier to incite now that nearly everyone has communication at his or her fingertips. Imagine how much quicker and more efficient some of the pogroms of the past would have been if the manipulator had the use of X or Meta or Instagram.
I stand in Colorado and repeatedly incite murderous hatred toward a subset of humanity, and then someone who apparently follows my every word commits violence in Michigan against members of the very group I've vilified, but it's not my fault, right? Who knows what zealots are capable of? (Remember, it's not about guns, it's about mental health, but crazy people have Second Amendment rights too!)
I can't believe that people who shoot up temples and churches think doing so is evil. Someone somewhere has taught them that violence against reviled groups is a good thing. Otherwise, why rail against them if nobody's supposed to do anything?
As always, very much appreciate todays column. RAS link to the dog story was particularly moving. I've copied a letter from the Houston Chronicle that your readers might enjoy. The author, a gentleman from Plano, Texas, relates to a lengthy article on physician assisted suicide (PAS). Hope this isn't too much off topic. Perhaps there is a lesson here about compassion.
An excellent article that you wrote on PAS. My opinion on PAS has changed as I have gotten older and maybe wiser. At the age of 73, I’ve come to grips with my mortality and fear death much less. I am the last surviving member of my family; both parents gone, sister gone, and wife gone. ALS is genetic in my wife’s family and three of the females have died from it, including my wife. It is a slow death and a reversion almost to infant status.
My wife had at-home hospice and was in great pain toward the end. Often the pain would peak in the middle of the night, and she’d be screaming before the morphine could finally be administered. I often thought there had to be a much better way.
Her companion, day and night, was her male boxer. Texas Bruizer Sherrard was a big dog, wizened in his old age. He slept at the foot of her bed, covered by her pink bathrobe. My wife couldn’t talk or move, so Tex would come in and wake me up in the middle of the night if she needed something.
The final week of her life she was taken to an offsite hospice. Texas barked incessantly when they took his mistress away in the middle of the night by ambulance. Several days later, I snuck him into the fifth floor of the hospital. When the elevator door opened, he ran out, found her room and was on her bed, snuggled close and fast asleep.
I brought him home that night, dragging him to the elevator. A call around 3 a.m. informed me my wife had passed away. I went to Tex’s bed and found him covered in my wife’s pink bathrobe and the old yellow tennis ball that she had given him; he had also passed away during the night.
I was told that Texas knew his mistress was going to take a long journey, and he did not want her to be alone. So they went together.
dbtexas,
Oh god, what a story. My family has a story about a relative who left Ireland for America. He had a dog on the island, Inis Meáin, but couldn’t take him along. The dog stayed with a family member. A short time later, the dog got up in the middle of the night, barking and whimpering. They had no idea what was wrong. Two weeks later they got a letter from the States informing them that the dog’s owner had died. Two weeks before, on the night the dog started barking.
Who knows if it’s true, but the story’s been there for years. I know when I have to be away for more than a couple of days, my wife reports that Rocket, our dog, is not himself, that he doesn’t want to interact or do much of anything. Until daddy comes home.
There’s just something about dogs.
@dbtexas: I'm sure I saw that movie, but for the life of me, can't
remember the title. It'll probably come to me tomorrow morning,
like so many forgotten things do.
If you don't have a dog, you have no one to talk with.
I have a much less dramatic first-hand story to tell about a dog of ours. She was a pound mutt but looked like a red-haired border collie, and she herded geese & any other group of animals (not people) who looked like they needed rounding up.
I built an outdoor shelter for her and I relegated her to the shelter on the occasions I took brief day-trips, by commuter bus, to Manhattan from our home in Western New Jersey. After months, a neighbor of mine told me the dog barked the whole time I was gone. I was mortified and told him I had no idea and would make other arrangements for the dog -- which I did.
My trips to Manhattan were neither regular nor frequent. The times of day I went and returned were irregular, too. But that dog did not start barking till I walked downtown & got on the bus, which stopped about half-a-mile from our house, and she did stop barking until I got off it, perhaps 10 minutes before I hiked home. She couldn't have seen me, she couldn't have smelled me. The bus did not pass near our house. It's highly unlikely she could have heard the bus, and it was not the only one that came to town. But she knew when I got on and off that bus.
Dogs are great, if a little spooky at times. Rocket, our dog, is a border collie mix. Not sure what the other side is. If you go to Google and enter “border collie mix” then select images, there are a bunch of black and white dogs who look like him. He’s a nosy boy, but very smart.
Since I don’t take the bus here, he’s never exhibited that kind of preternatural awareness, but he’s done a few amazing things in his time.