Around the blogroll and elsewhere

One of the great things about Memorial Day weekend in my neighborhood is that enough people go away or decide to just relax that the relentless sounds of lawnmowers, gas-powered string trimmers, leaf blowers, and assorted power tools take a break for a few days. Right now the only sounds outside are a few birds and the hum of the filter in the pool next door; a pool seemingly built for the sole purpose of keeping up with the Joneses across the street, because the denizens of the residence next door almost never venture in.

Our cleaning and decluttering frenzy is showing some results and Maggie the Idiot Cat is in her window perch, looking insufferably pleased with herself after having bagged her second pantry moth in the last twelve hours. She may be the Dumbest Cat Alive, but she is a damn fine predator -- unlike Jenny, who despite having been stray for at least a year, has made it very clear that she is retired from all active duty. Pantry moths are the bane of my existence, but for some reason always seem to follow a trip to Trader Joe's. I'm able to keep them under control with these, but occasionally a hardy moth with no sex drive is untempted by the pheromones in them and ventures out for a spin.

But since it's Sunday, and Sunday seems to be my day to take a spin around the blogosphere, here's what people are talking about today.

Larisa Alexandrovna has a must-read piece at HuffPo about the signs of our national nervous breakdown. She's definitely on to something here. I've noticed a vague undercurrent of barely-suppressed rage just about everywhere I go. I live in a town that used to seem frozen in 1947, where boys actually rode their bikes to go fishing in the pond, and dog walkers, joggers, and exercise walkers all said hello to each other whether they knew each other or not. Now those boys ride their skateboards in the middle of the street, glaring at motorists who have the gall to want to get home from work. The walkers now glare at each other for having the temerity to want to tresspass on the same strip of street. And we are just one terrorist attack (which I feel is inevitable now because they will once again allow it to happen) or hurricane away from National Security Presidential Directive/NSPD 51 and Homeland Security Presidential Directive/HSPD-20.

Cernig warns of the massive public health problem we face from the horrific incidence rates of PTSD among those troops who manage to survive George W. Bush's American Youth Meat Grinder in Iraq.

Another reason to keep your eyeglasses: The Crone Speaks on yet another recall -- this time of contact lens solution linked to a rare fungal infection.

George over at Skippy's place notes what Iraq benchmark #1 is -- and it's got absolutely nothing to do with supporting the troops, training Iraq troops, or anything having to do with the men and women who will be used as political props in tomorrow's parades.

There's a letter in today's Record by a guy who probably supports everything the Bush Administration does in the name of "fighting terrorists" but invokes Benjamin Franklin about seat belt use. I think this guy would beg to differ:

Litbrit has another reason why a crackdown on Chinese imports is necessary. In short: don't eat the monkfish. (Note to Democratic presidential candidates: It might not be a bad idea to start talking about overhauling the FDA so that it does its fucking job.)

Buh-buh-but what about the Bible she was carrying in the footage shown on Olbermann th eother night? DBK on the sullying of an ancient and venerable spiritual system being corrupted by yet another seeker of a way out of trouble. (Where she gets the connection between "nun" and Buddhism is anyone's guess.)

Glenn Greenwald on the "defunding the troops" myth. You know, if the reason for this vote is because The Decider Guy is batshit crazy enough to leave the troops there even if the money runs out, don't the Democrats have an obligation to impeach the bastard? Just askin' is all.

Doghouse Riley sends a letter to Keith Olbermann.

EEEWWW! Old folks are.....doin' it! Tata on the televised message: "Abstinence -- not just for teenagers anymore."

Amanda writes about the REAL issue at the heart of the abortion debate.

College kids are finally waking up. ThinkProgress has the video of Andrew Card being booed at UMass graduation. What the school's administration was thinking in giving an honorary degree to this clown is anyone's guess.

Thank you, Hoffmania! For showing us Rachel Maddow's Campaign Asylum. And there's a bunch more of the Awesome Ms. Maddow here. (Hey, MSNBC....still looking for someone for that morning slot? Hmmmm??? Sam Seder's still available too.)

And finally, if you're looking to observe Memorial Day by doing something to help Real Live Troops instead of participating in any of the Two Minutes Hate events around the country tomorrow, IAVA has a handy list of groups they have vetted. "Adopt-a-Sniper" seems to me to be a bit much, but for those seeking something a bit warmer and fuzzier, there's a lot from which to choose. And while you're at it, save a few minutes to think about the eight families who are going to get the guy in the uniform at their front doors this weekend.