Good morning Kossacks and welcome to Morning Open Thread.
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My mom told me this morning that she just voted for the recall of Scott Walker. Apparently someone from the local election commission comes to the assisted living facility and helps people fill out their absentee ballots. I even called my mom back to ask about this, because the last thing I wanted was to have some closet republican tricking old people into thinking they've voted when they haven't.
She previously signed all the recall petitions in her district, and it didn't bother her in the least that the names were public. She's had it with Walker (not that she voted for him in the first place) and did her part to make sure he is kicked out of office.
Sometimes you just have to get angry, and I'm glad to see her get angry about this. Too many times people let little stuff slide, and the next thing you know people are being put in jail for not paying their medical bills.
I got mad at a little thing the other day, and it felt great. I'm sick and tired of stupid people doing stupid things, and I just snapped. My friend Susan and I were on our way to a movie the other night in an ultra-hip part of town. As we were crossing the street, a youngish kid, late teens perhaps, threw his drink cup to the ground not 5 feet from a garbage can.
"Did you just see that?"
"I can't believe he just did that!"
Standing smack in the middle of the street, I started yelling at the top of my lungs. "You get back here and throw that away, RIGHT NOW!"
Oddly enough, the kid turned around and began to look at us. Hell, EVERYONE was looking at us because we were both yelling at him to pick up his damned cup. I was not going to let him get away with this. So we are yelling, and he actually walks back to pick up the cup.
"Pick that thing up NOW and put it in the garbage can!"
As he paused, I kept yelling, channeling my inner Marine drill sergeant. He picked up the cup, walked over to the garbage can, and proceed to drop it OUTSIDE the can on the ground.
"IN THE CAN!" He slowly picks it up and puts it in the can.
"NOW GO BACK AND GET THE LID! NOOOOWWW!"
He got a reprieve there, because just as he was about to grab the lid, the wind blew it into the main street, which was very busy. I wasn't about to send someone so obviously clueless out into a busy street.
After it was over, he asked us, "Why do you want to embarrass me?" Susan answered, "because you should BE embarrassed!" And then he was on his way, probably not a bit less clueless, but a whole lot more shamed. Crazy thing was that there were tons of other people around, and no one did anything. Perhaps because there were already two slightly overweight middle aged women standing in the middle of the street yelling at the top of their lungs at a young litterer, who knows.
But it felt soooooo good.
So, say it and get it off your chest, whatever form of jibber jabber it may take. Just as long as you don't litter anywhere near me.