the irish lass

Grandma Strikes Back

I had a chat with my pal Willie about all the hubub from the Washington Post No Style editor about the Roberts family wardrobe. He was stunned.

In a time when most children are dressed in Gap Kids and retailers of similar price-point and modernity, the parents put young master Jack in an ensemble that calls to mind John F. "John-John" Kennedy Jr.

Separate the child from the clothes, which do not acknowledge trends, popular culture or the passing of time. They are not classic; they are old-fashioned. These clothes are Old World, old money and a cut above the light-up/shoe-buying hoi polloi.

Willie is a top-flight athlete, member of the USA Barefoot Water-Ski team for the last 20+ years. And he's a southerner. His wife, Dawn, is also a fabulous athelete and they have 2 boys, ages about 10 and 4 or so.

Willie tells me that his mother devoutly believes that children should always wear pastels. Given his wardrobe, she may have encouraged him to think that adults should also only wear pastels. He is a handsome man and has the world's largest (or at least Sacramento's largest) collection of lemon yellow, pink, mint, aqua etc. shirts.

Last week his mom was in town and she took the family out to the Esquire Grill for lunch, hoping for an Arnold sighting. Willie was wearing Apricot colored pants and a white shirt, his brother was in plaid pants, the rest of the family was dressed to impress. And impress they did. The Esquire Grill patrons had never seen anything quite like it.

When most of them had finished eating, the waitress came around to snap up the plates. Willie's mom told them sternly "Not until everyone's finished!". The waitress put the plates down and fled in fear of being sent to the school principal's office.

I guess Robin Givhan (the No Style Editor of WaPo) doesn't know that good manners and crisp cotton is always in style.

Update: Even liberal Bob Beckel (he's the one who tried to get Bush electoral college voters to switch their votes in 2000 so Gore could win) thinks Robin Givhan is a doofus.

Friday morning 8/5/05 on Fox News...

BOB BECKEL: You want a short segment? You are about to get it. I couldn't agree more. This is the problem. This is what happens to us who are liberals, that is our newspaper of record, The New York Times, does something like this and have I to come on my favorite show in the morning and defend this stuff. Guess what? I think it is absolutely just off the wall crazy. You know what else? The Washington Post, did this on what they wear, they criticized the kid's clothes and his wife's clothes. I wish my kids would look like those kids did. The worst part on a serious note, we wonder why people are not going to get involved in public service anymore?"

Hat tip Kevin McCullogh

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I just received an email from Ted Costa, author of the Fair Districts Initiative, Prob 77. He needs your help! It's extremely easy to contribute online -- just like buying something with paypal. Even easier! And any amount is welcome.

Fair Districts Update

July 26, Redistricting - Proposition 77 - is back on the ballot!

The battle over Proposition 77 - the measure originated by Ted Costa of the People's Advocate and endorsed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to change the way the state draws political district lines - has now moved to the appeals court. A three-judge panel on Monday blocked, at least temporarily, a lower court ruling throwing the measure off the ballot. The panel will now consider the initiative's fate in more depth.

For more information read Sacramento Bee Columnist Daniel Weintraub's article regarding this new development by clicking here.

If you want to learn more about the need to reform redistricting to stop Gerrymandered legislative districts go to http://www.fairdistricts.com.

The cost of our legal fees has surpassed $100,000.00. Any help you can give us will be greatly appreciated. You can make your contribution on-line at http://www.fairdistricts.com using your credit card or mail your check to People's Advocate, 3407 Arden Way, Sacramento, CA. 95864.

Daniel Weintraub is the California columnist for the editorial pages of the Sacramento Bee, a position he has held since November, 2000. Weintraub has covered California government and politics since 1987. He was a Capitol correspondent with the Los Angeles Times for 8 years and Capitol Bureau Chief for the Orange County Register for six years before moving to The Bee. He has covered three California governors and has written extensively on state fiscal issues, education policy, health care and energy.

Sincerely,

The Fair Districts Now Team


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Irish Gumbo

Of course we can't confirm Roberts -- he can't spell!

From the NYTimes

In a proposed response to a letter from Gov. Bob Graham of Florida about the disposition of Cuban refugees from the Mariel boatlift of 1980, he repeatedly misspelled Marielitos (writing "Marielitoes") and rendered the capital of Cuba three times as "Havanna."

MAKING ROUNDS: Supreme Court nominee John Roberts meets with Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, in her office Tuesday in Washington.

Apparently the Miami Herald thinks that the person on the right is Kay Bailey Hutchison. I bet she's as mad as a hornet.