Aug 212013
 

I’m writing for tomorrow, day 69. and I’m completely off-schedule from the heat.  Tomorrow is forecast to be about 10° hotter.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:28 (average 4:33).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Tales:

From Daily Kos: With so many hurting in America, with so many having to defer their education, with so many having to work two or more jobs just subsist, with so many coming to the realization that the American Dream is but a dream, one wonders why more town halls are not exploding with people wanting to tell politicians their stories or wanting the heads of these politicians. It was refreshing to see an American citizen, a taxpayer, a person many in the Republican Party label a taker, confronts Senator John McCain directly. She forced him to confront the narrative of his party and how it affects real people.

 

Update: Original video was replaced.  This is the same video from a different source.

McConJob may speak soothing words, but when it comes to to the Republican War on the Sick and Disabled, he goose-steps with the rest of the jackals.

From The New Yorker: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie withdrew from consideration as a Presidential candidate today after becoming embroiled in what a leading Republican strategist called “a career-ending empathy scandal.”

After signing a law barring licensed therapists from engaging in so-called gay conversion therapy, Mr. Christie stunned his fellow Republicans by seemingly expressing compassion for gay children, thus disqualifying himself from any further role in the G.O.P.

“Showing empathy for gays or children would have been bad enough,” says Republican strategist Harland Dorrinson, one of many party leaders who called for Mr. Christie to withdraw. “But empathy for gay children is a flat-out betrayal.”…

Although this is satire, that move may well cost Christie the Republican nomination in 2016.

From NY Times: A surprising number of world leaders and foreign policy experts have effectively acquiesced in the continued brutality of Egypt’s generals, arguing that support for the military is the only way to restore stability in the Arab world’s most populous state and limit wider regional turmoil. But this is just one of several false choices misinforming the debate and one that is certain to ensure more unrest, not less.

After overthrowing Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, the military could have been a positive force if it had put in place a transition plan that included all groups, including Mr. Morsi’s allies in the Muslim Brotherhood. But instead of encouraging Egyptians to settle differences through democratic means — elections, for instance — the generals and their anti-Morsi allies, invoking the threat of “terrorism,” took the ruthless, likely fateful, decision to crack down on peaceful demonstrators. The death toll of more than 1,000 now includes 36 Morsi supporters who died on Sunday under suspicious circumstances in police custody.

The choice the generals are promoting is that the world must decide between them or instability.

The US is in a lose-lose scenario. Oppressive military rule is what Republicans wanted to keep, when Arab Spring broke out. The other alternative is Supply-side pseudo-Muslims, who ran on jobs, jobs, jobs, but delivered only religious control, especially oppressive toward women. If they weren’t the wrong religion, they’d be Republican.  To be clear, fanatic pseudo-Christians and fanatic pseudo-Muslims are equally dangerous, as are the parties that represent them.

Cartoon:

21Cartoon

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  18 Responses to “Open Thread–8/21/2013”

  1. 3:17  Pretty kitty!

  2. Darn TC – someone has disabled the video – not your fault in any way., I checked on Daily Kos and that has been disabled too – I hope someone took a copy of it as it looks as if the Far Right have charged in to muscle out the truth again! 

    • Thanks Pat.  I saw this comment come in, found the same clip on YouTube, and plugged that in instead.  You saved the day!

  3. Pat, the video is very short and the text is below.  The only thing you really missed is the woman's justified tears as she addresses McCain with her story and McCain actually moving towards the woman and appearing to put his arm around the woman as he was saying "You are not a taker. You are not a taker."

  4. Daily Kos ~ Does a pat on the back and a kiss on the head heal her and pay her bills, Senator McConJob?

    The New Yorker ~ This may have been demerits against him but, his endorsement of Tea-Bagger, Steve Lonegan for Senate might bring him back to their good graces.

    NY Times ~ That spider's web over there is becoming more entangled all the time.

    Cartoon ~ LOL So true!

     

  5. McCain's the taker.  He has fed from the public trough his whole life.

  6. Puzzle — 3:17  Pretty kitty!

    Daily Kos — The transcript of the exchange is good and the video there is back to working, at least for me.  Didn't even notice you put it up from a different source until after I checked Daily Kos.

    You're correct TC.  All of the Republicanus/Teabagger politicians march to the same drummer.  Some are more two-faced than others, but all are cruel and sorry excuses for human beings.  Some people will step up bravely to tell their story, like this woman.  But I suspect that others will not out of pride among other reasons.  Perhaps they have begun to believe that they truly are takers, or perhaps they don't believe that they are entitled to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

    New Yorker — We can only hope that all Republican/Teabagger politicians will fall prey to their own actions.

    NY Times — To me, the optimum word here is "dialogue" which includes real listening and thought.  It requires putting people first, all people, ideology second.  Isn't it interesting how the problems in Egypt look a lot like the problems in the US!  Yet everyone appears to be out for themselves.

    "Long term, Egypt cannot subsist on handouts and needs to develop a real economy to provide jobs, education and other opportunities to its people. That is the road to true stability and will require tourism and foreign investment. But that cannot happen in a country in perpetual turmoil with a repressive military intent on obliterating its adversaries. The United States should not be complicitous in this unfolding disaster."

    Cartoon — Look!  The stool on the far right appears to be well worn.  It must be Boehner's!

     

    • I liked the eyes.

      Cool!

      That woman has a LOT of guts!

      Amen!

      I agree, but there is not a strong history of dialog there.

      LMAO!!!

  7. I saw the video of McCain and the "taker" on Daily Kos yesterday.  That poor woman is suffering because the Republicans are determined to end any type of aid to the 99%,  and McCain goes along with anything his party wants.

    Is Chris Kristie trying to confuse us?  He is  a Republican, he isn't supposed to show empathy.  You are right, though, this probably ended his Presidential aspirations.

    It seems that anything the U.S. does now regarding Egypt will blow up in our face.  I am so sorry for the people of that country.  Even sorrier for those in Syria.

    Love the cartoon.  Have a good day at the prison, I know you have missed your guys. 

    • Amen!

      Indeed he is, but he actially might be somewhat moderate were there no need to please the rabid base.

      Well said!

      Thanks!

  8. How did you do? 6:08

    Nice job Tom Cat, it's gets better and better…. 🙂

    It was refreshing to see an American citizen, a taxpayer, a person many in the Republican Party label a taker, confronts Senator John McCain directly.

    Very distressing stuff here.

  9. Not bad.

    Thanks, but so far, it hasn't.

    Amen!

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