I’m feeling slightly better today, so I’m going to try to catch up on overdue housekeeping and see how I hold up. I’m current with replies. Hopefully this weekend.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 4:26 (average 5:12). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From MoveOn: When You Look At Gun Safety This Way, What We Aren’t Doing Sure Seems Ridiculous
This is exactly what I mean by reasonable regulations. Also, just as there are special licenses required to drive more dangerous commercial vehicles, there should be special licenses required to purchase more dangerous weapons.
From NY Times: Mr. Boehner had evident problems getting his caucus to support Plan B, and he took the plan off the table Thursday night; it would have modestly raised taxes on the really wealthy, the top 0.1 percent, and even that was too much for many Republicans. This means that any real deal with Mr. Obama would be met with mass G.O.P. defections; so any such deal would require overwhelming Democratic support, a fact that empowers progressives ready to bolt if they think the president is giving away too much.
As in 2011, then, the Republican crazies are doing Mr. Obama a favor, heading off any temptation he may have felt to give away the store in pursuit of bipartisan dreams.
And there’s a broader lesson here. This is no time for a Grand Bargain, because the Republican Party, as now constituted, is just not an entity with which the president can make a serious deal. If we’re going to get a grip on our nation’s problems — of which the budget deficit is a minor part — the power of the G.O.P.’s extremists, and their willingness to hold the economy hostage if they don’t get their way, needs to be broken. And somehow I don’t think that’s going to happen in the next few days.
Once again, I find myself in complete agreement with Paul Krugman. Rachel Maddow and Luke Russert reached a similar conclusion.
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
From The Hill: A deficit-reduction deal that includes cost-of-living cuts for Social Security beneficiaries could cost Democrats the support of House liberals who might be needed to pass the bill, a number of lawmakers warned Thursday.
But the liberal Democrats stopped just short of saying they’d vote against a deal that included a move to the so-called chained consumer-price-index (CPI), a concession President Obama offered to Republicans this week.
"It is conceivable that you could have a package that is so attractive in so many other ways that you might swallow it. But here’s the problem: There are going to have to be compromises [by liberals] in other areas," Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) told reporters at the Capitol. "And what we’re saying is this one, for many of us, is a deal-breaker — or close to a deal-breaker — by itself."
Since Boehner is unable to deliver his own party on a plan that is completely unacceptable, there is no chance that he can do so on a reasonable plan. To get any plan through, Obama is going to have to have progressive support. Keep up the pressure on Obama, the Senate and the House.
Cartoon:
20 Responses to “Open Thread–12/21/2012”
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3:42 Patty Monster is back! Frosty is one of my favorites and my shirt today has his picture on it.
4:13 I got stuck on the wall just like the snowman.
3:46 I have a diminutive Frosty on the next door lawn courtesy of the children after our 21 cm of snow (9 inches) that fell on monday night/tuesday morning. I was scheled to take my car in that morning for maintenance and discuss snow tires. Needless to say, I didn't get there. But I made it there today and came away $1,500 poorer, but now I have snow tires and a fit car.
Back to last!
MoveOn ~ I am going to show you what it takes to obtain a gun permit in NY. It is pretty hard to get a permit to carry, as it should be. But, this does not stop people with illegal hand guns or guns purchased elsewhere from killing others. I did find it interesting that there is no expiration date on the license though.
http://www.handgunlaw.us/states/newyork.pdf
NY Times ~ Agent Orange can't control his caucus and contrary Cantor is grinning and rubbing his hands together. All he needs is a Snidely Whiplash mustache to complete the picture. He wants to be Speaker of the House soooo badly. Cantor and his Tea-baggers are controllinmg the House right now and we will never have a deal unless the Democrats, God forbid, give up everything.
I vote for no deal! The fiscal cliff is looking better all the time.
Cartoon ~ Who shot Rudolph with their AK-47?
I used to live in New York, so I know just how tough it is. I did not own a gun, but almost everyone I knew did, and not one had a permit.
I agree.
Bubba Bagger did.
WOW!
I hope everyone listened to Wayne LaPierre's press conference today. What an idiot! He is blaming everyone except the amount of guns issued to people. And our elected representatives are afraid of this insane man?!?!
It's my professional opinion that LaPierre may in fact be certifiable.
He needs a long rest with the appropriate psychotropics in a padded room.
I repeatedly heard about this all day on our news. I swear we get more American news than Canadian news some days.
Wayne LaPierre, NRA: "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," — I heard this and a comment about arming teachers. I immediately thought 'what if a teacher doesn't believe in owning or using a gun? Does that mean that teaching positions will be closed to them?'
LaPierre blamed video games, the media, movies and music videos for exposing children to violence. — I won't disagree that these can have an affect, but that is where parental guidance comes in.
NY Mayor Bloomberg: "Instead of offering solutions to a problem they have helped create, they offered a paranoid, dystopian vision of a more dangerous and violent America where everyone is armed and no place is safe,"
Democratic Representative Jerrold Nadler of New York called the NRA's response "both ludicrous and insulting" and pointed out that armed personnel at Columbine High School in Colorado and the Fort Hood Army post in Texas could not stop mass shootings.
I could not agree more with Bloomberg and Nadler.
LaPierre looks and sounds like a raving lunatic. I agree with you Nameless "He needs a long rest with the appropriate psychotropics in a padded room."
I did and I agree completely with you, Nameless, and Lynn. See today's lead article.
I found this article by Charles Pierce and wanted to share it. Click through the link at the end.
"Last night, he couldn't get the votes to pass a truly horrid plutocrat's wet dream. He couldn't get the votes to gut Obamacare or Wall Street reform. He couldn't get the votes to throw children off food stamps and he couldn't get the votes to throw the elderly off meals-on-wheels. He couldn't get the votes for a simple, vicious stunt. He couldn't get the votes because he couldn't budge enough Republicans to support a tax increase in the upper .01 percent of taxpayers. He couldn't do it because he had nothing with which to threaten people who look on governing the country as though they are running an evening-drive talk-radio program in Bugtussle. He couldn't do it because he is a Republican pretending to be a fanatic who went hat in hand to a bunch of fanatics pretending to be Republicans."
Read more: John Boehner Over The Fiscal Cliff – Wherein Democracy Mocks Itself – Esquire http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/john-boehner-over-the-fiscal-cliff-122112#ixzz2FiF9uS2X
Thanks Patty. Good article.
Puzzle — 3:46 I have a diminutive Frosty on the next door lawn courtesy of the children after our 21 cm of snow (9 inches) that fell on monday night/tuesday morning.
MoveOn — Very reasonable, and in my estimation, it does not contradict the constitution. Although I am sure that some idiot will say it does because it puts conditions on the right to bear arms.
But looking at the second amendment, the right to bear arms seems to be in the context of a militia, a citizen militia. Is such a citizen militia in place? That being the case, is it reasonable to assume ALL gun owners could be 'called up' to duty if the country was invaded, and be subject to military command and the rules of war?
TC: '… just as there are special licenses required to drive more dangerous commercial vehicles, there should be special licenses required to purchase more dangerous weapons." — AMEN!!!
NY Times — I heard a news piece today that senior Republican/Teabaggers called off a vote for Boehner's 'Plan B' . It seems the radical right Republican/Teabaggers are getting restless. But as Krugman (I just love the guy!) says "… the power of the G.O.P.’s extremists, and their willingness to hold the economy hostage [read hold Americans hostage] if they don’t get their way, needs to be broken." It is amusing in a strange way that Boehner threw the ball to Mr Obama and Harry Reid to figure out a plan, and then adjourned the House for Christmas. Mr Obama and Harry Reid already have a plan which they know, as do we, that the House Republican/Teabaggers will not approve. I hope everybody has their parachutes ready because that fiscal cliff (speed bump) is nearly here. The Republican/Teabaggers are in a totally untenable position from what I can see. They are their own worst enemy! IMO, humble or not, the Republican/Teabaggers should all be charged with sedition for threatening to destroy the country from within and inciting riots that will surely come as a result of their stupidity and ideological singlemindedness.
The Hill — Social Security should not be on the table in any way, shape or form. Listen to Bernie!
Cartoon — I'd rather bar-be-que me some Bagger, but the meat would be impossible to eat — tough, tasteless. Leave Bambi and Rudolf alone!
Beat me.
I agree. Thanks!
Pure InsaniTEA!
Amen.
Ptui! Talk about rancid meat!
Here's one for you . . .
A Wintertime Tale From Moscow
Rudolph and his wife, Olga, had a small flat in Moscow overlooking Red Square. One winter evening, Rudy looked outside and said "It is raining outside, and it is December."
Olga replied "It can't be raining. It is December. It is really snowing."
Rudoph replied "No, my dearest, it is raining!"
They argued back and forth until finally Rudolph slammed his fist down on the table and shouted "Rudoph the Red knows rain dear!"
[Rudolf the red nose reindeer]
LOL
AAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!
Here is another story of a mass shooting that was planned but not yet executed (sorry). In this cas,e a 16 yr old girl with a history of mental health problems, was going to kill classmates at her Arizona school.
http://home.mytelus.com/telusen/portal/NewsChannel.aspx?ArticleID=news/capfeed/national/21300142.xml&CatID=National
Will it ever end?
I sincerely think it will get worse before it gets better. I hope I'm wrong.
With Republicans in control of the House, I have to agree with Patty. The only upside is that this will make their extremism all the more apparant to more Americans.