Dear Rachel Crew, I watch your show because you guys are sick-puppies when it comes to fact-checking. So I do feel OK “ quoting you guys “, while kind-of making it look like it was my idea. . .And I do not know why I keep saying this but, “ You guys somehow make news fun and hopeful. “ And there must be a contradiction in there somewhere. Have not figured out exactly how you are doing it, but, Thank You.

Dear Wisconsin non-Union workers

Do you know why you have pension plans and health insurance, even as crappy as it must be by now ?? Unions. In order to compete against union jobs, non-union companies had to start offering the same benefits. The only reason your company is “ giving “ you these benefits is to keep you from going to a higher paying union job. Take away your union option, and just wait to see what next your company now feels the need to cut from you. Even if you do not work union, those Union jobs are still working for you.

*** On a lighter note: NBC Evening News pointed out tonight that our top executives only make about three thousand dollars an hour, if they work 60 hours a week. And now the good news, if you are working for minimum-wage it will only take you about 600 years to make what they do in one. And you thought it would take a thousand years, didn‘t you ? See, it’s not that messed up really.You know those poor top executives must have really, really hard jobs. I mean having to decide to just lay-off two thousand people, or go big and make it five ?? Tough day, really. . . .just saying. . .

Thank you for mentioning Towel Day during the cocktail moment (and also for doing such a consistently outstanding job interpreting the news)!!

I am amazed. Such a petite pretty lady yet she can stomach Rye Whiskey? Ah, but then she does keep an eye on FOX,Rush,Mitt,etc., so she must have an iron gut inside her velvet glove.

RE: "No one from San Francisco would ever use [Frisco]"...

For those who have never lived in Philadelphia, I should also note that no one there uses the word "Philly."

Cocktails. That's one reason I love this show. As the Kentucky Derby is coming up soon, can we do the mint julep again? Or maybe a mojito? I smile just thinking about it. I suppose it also helps one deal with the worst aspects of reporting on conservative political shenanigans and neocon logic. The show must have a hell of a liquor cabinet...

Thanks for the cocktail moment, Rachel. Will be trying this tonight!

And thank you for the memory of the GG Bridge's 25th "party." I did not opt for the bridge walk that day, but many of my friends did. Yeah, that was quite a day.

It is NOT a good thing when things shake around here in San Francisco!

Rachel, I always eat the garnish! Cocktail onions, cherries, even slices of lemon or lime. Is that why you keep telling me to go to prison at the end of every Friday show?

Speaking of prison, why does MSNBC switch to that crap on the weekends? Most of the significant developments in politics and foreign affairs seem to happen while MSNBC is covering the vagaries of life in the GreyBar Hotel. So MSNBC is typically unplugged from reality when people switch on the tube to find out what part of their world fell down from Friday night to very early Monday morning. BAD IDEA. If people want to watch prison give them a wall to wall, 24-7 prison chanel. -Just give it to them somewhere else. The only time I want to hear about prison on MSNBC is when Bush and Cheney share a cell in San Quentin. THAT I'll not only watch, I'll TIVO for posterity.

I remember the 50th Anniversary bridge walk. I had just arrived home from school May 26th when my friend came over and told me we were going to the city. I wasn't feeling too great, but staying home wasn't an option I was given. I was allowed to shower first, though. I put on my Reeboks and jeans and a warm jacket.

We took BART to Embarcadero where we walked around JHP (where the main, 2nd, encampment for Occupy SF was) for a while before heading for the piers. We played some video games at the Pier 39 arcade and looked in the windows of the tourist traps. Past Ripley's, around Ghirardelli we stopped in at a neighborhood liquor store to lay in supplies. A flask of schnapps and a fifth of cheap brandy, Christian Bros or E&J probably. (In '80s SF, everyone was "21" if they looked plausible) The sky was turning orange in dusk so we started to hie it.

At Doyle Drive we discovered that we had forgotten something we hadn't even considered, a flash light. With the sun fully set and no moon(read:new) it was DARK crossing the Presidio. Not a little dark. DARK, dark. Yes, italics, bold and ALL CAPS dark. For those who don't know, Doyle Drive is(was) the approach to the GG bridge and it crosses(d) The Presidio, an active army base at the time. So it is(was) elevated about 50-60 feet above what was essentially a private park for army brass. There was no sidewalk, but a walkway suspended underneath the roadway on the (North)side opposite the city. No lighting reached the pedway, you had to lean out from the railing to look up at the streetlights. The only light that we had was from that reflected off the grass and trees below. We ran into 2 or 3 abandoned shopping carts that we had to climb around at the base of the ship's ladder that was the stairway access. This pedestrian access wasn't even handicapped-plausible. So, we plodded along carefully until we ran into a group of women who were very happy to see us and have a friendly male escort. They had a flashlight. Well, purse light, but it was better than nothing. Sharing our schnapps, we happily made our way along collecting slower people who were also feeling their way to the bridge.

When we got to the park at the toll plaza there was already a party going on. Everybody was in a great mood, there were people with guitars singing patriotic Californian songs. It was a happy place and with our brandy we made some quick friends.

The local news crews showed up and started collecting vox pops for their pre-commute broadcasts. People started getting restless and we made our way to the closed toll plaza. There, we stood around chatting but, as the crowd grew, we at the front had a problem.

Some bright spark had put a chain attached to poles inserted into the pavement to hold back the crowd from the gates. (If you've ever been in a moving crowd, you know you can't see anything below your shoulders. And if you're short, not even that) The growing crowd behind, filled with people who wanted to be at the front with us, was threatening to cut us in half mid-thigh. People began to slip themselves under and over the chain. I had to help up a guy who tripped halfway over and wound up with his knee hooked over the chain, calf wedged in by the crowd. He managed not to hit his head, thankfully.

Eventually, perhaps seeing the poles problem potentially repeat itself at the toll plaza gates, the gates were opened. Whether by the plaza crew or the crowd, I don't know. I seem to remember them not having been padlocked. There was no rush, the crowd was content to wait for the official start time. A couple three bicyclists rode 100 feet out past the plaza and back to the crowd perhaps burning off nervous energy. The people at the back continued to push forward, though. Then, for no apparent reason, about 30 people broke out and started running for center span. And that's how it started.

Not being the running type and having walked 6 miles already, I jogged, uphill. My friend ran. I got passed by what seemed like the entire bay area. When I got in sight of the stage, I found my friend looking for me. He handed me one of the (5000?) souvenir postcards postmarked for the event. He told me that when the people on stage saw the crowd coming, they panicked and just threw them out in the air. They were all gone by the time I arrived.

We hung out by the stage intending to hear the speeches and whatnot. When it started getting warm, we found that there was still chilled night air under the stages, trapped by the plastic drapes. After a while, I suggested we walk to the Marin side. (In Marin, besides not having mass transit connecting them to the rest of the bay area, I think they were held at the overlook/ParkNRide. Lots more room.) We got maybe 1/2 mile when we saw what terrified the postcard people: a huge mass of people on foot and bicycle charging uphill towards us. We turned back.

When we heard that Mayor Feinstein was having problems just getting to the bridge we decided to see if we could find some water back at the park or Fort Point. A good ways after we passed the south tower, I spotted a bunch of police caps in the crowd coming straight up the center. I altered course to intercept and found myself face to face with a not-too-pleased-looking and hurried Mayor Feinstein. I shook her hand and and said something stupid like "Smile Mayor, it's a party!" We went our separate ways.

By the time we reached the park, we were so dehydrated, and not having found a source of water we'd trust passing our lips, we decided we'd seen and done enough. The whole way back we were walking through a mass headed towards the bridge. I remember wondering through the Fort Mason Safeway parking lot where there were port-a-potties. I don't remember boarding BART. I do remember passing San Lorenzo and willing myself not to fall asleep lest we pass our station. Back home, I slept, waking up just in time to see the 11PM news where I first saw the flattened bridge. Lessons learned: Bring water and always carry a flashlight.

Good Evening Rachel...I don't know if you've heard the full story behind Mitt Romney's friend Arizona's not so lovely Sherriff....in order to keep this short, please check out this site....so far I haven't heard anyone on MSNBC say more than he's gay.

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2012/02/pinal_county_sheriff_paul_babe_8.php

Thank-you for the time (I really hope you or your staff sees this).

"The Big Apple" was invented by PR sometime in the 80's and has no claim at all. Truly retch-making. I wouldn't be surprised to find that it was used by Rudi Giuliani.

In that same era one started seeing "NY is a Summer Festival", which we immediately changed to "Summer Fester".

I didn't know that people from San Francisco don't call it Frisco. I've never had the opportunity to travel to San Francisco but the name Frisco sounds more like a name for a pet than a city. When I get the chance to travel to San Francisco I'll remember not to call it the name that the locals don't use.

Unfortunately, Bénédictine was not invented by monks. It turns out that that rumor was started as a marketing ploy. Nonetheless, it is still made in Fécamp and you can have a really nice visit there.

I certainly do enjoy your show. Keep up the good work!

How many cocktail recipes has Rachel given out over the years? Would she consider putting the ones so far into a little book?