Dec 272013
 

I’m writing for tomorrow and recovering from an excellent Christmas day, in which I worked my butt off cooking.  This was my first time roasting in my convection microwave oven, and it works like a charm.  We also took a plate to the person working the security desk at my building, so he would not have to go without Christmas dinner, and he was very appreciative.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:47 (average 6:23).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From NY Times: The contraception mandate in the new health care reform law accommodates religious beliefs. It exempts houses of worship from having to provide contraceptive coverage without a co-pay. Church-affiliated organizations like schools and hospitals need only send a short form to their insurance administrator, which takes care of the coverage.

There is no breach of religious freedom, nor any undue burden involved. But that was not enough for a judge of the Federal District Court in Brooklyn, Brian Cogan, who decided that even filing a form is too much to ask. He ruled in favor of two high schools and two health care systems affiliated with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act…

…This case is among dozens challenging the birth control mandate. The Supreme Court agreed to hear two cases involving secular for-profit companies. What Judge Cogan missed, and the justices need to recognize, is the threat to religious liberty comes from employers trying to impose their religious views on workers.

I’m not surprised that a Republican GW Bush appointee would rule that violating the religious freedom of women is the right of a high school that provides education in secular, as well as religious subjects.

From Think Progress: BP has sought to cut down on payments for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster by asking that local businesses prove the link between their economic losses and the oil spill. A federal judge halted BP’s effort to skip payments on Tuesday, ruling that BP cannot reverse its interpretation of the settlement simply because the cost is higher than what the oil giant once estimated.

BP wanted the rules of a class action settlement to be rewritten to require “proof of causation” or to throw out the entire multi-billion dollar agreement. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier disagreed, writing that BP’s argument is “not only clearly inconsistent with its previous position, it directly contradicts what it has told this court.” In an earlier decision, Barbier also blasted the company for “attempting to rewrite or disregard the unambiguous terms of the settlement agreement.” BP had once called the class action settlement “more than fair.” BP plans to appeal.

Unlike the judge in the last item, Barbier is a Clinton appointee. This case underscores the need to keep Republicans out of the Presidency, where they would appoint corrupt judges, as a GOBP judge would not have ruled fairly.

From Raw Story: The GOP’s corporate allies have set a New Year’s resolution they hope will lead to electoral victory in the 2014 midterms: “No fools on our ticket.”

Republican House leaders are planning to impose discipline on unruly members to help avert the party squabbles that badly damaged the GOP brand, and major donors and advocacy groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and American Crossroads intend to develop and fund more centrist candidates.

“Our No. 1 focus is to make sure, when it comes to the Senate, that we have no loser candidates,” said Scott Reed, the top political strategist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, told the Wall Street Journal [Murdoch delinked]. “That will be our mantra: No fools on our ticket.”

In other words, the Republicans are intent on fielding candidates adept at hiding their true policies from American voters, like they did in 2010, when all those "jobs, jobs, jobs" gave way to TEAbuggery as soon as they assumed office. We must remain ever vigilant to expose them for what they are.

Cartoon:

1227Cartoon

Share

  17 Responses to “Open Thread–12/27/2013”

  1. That security person is lucky to have you in the building – that is the true spirit of Christmas – too bad the GOP have never learned about the true spirit of Christmas.  I guess they are so busy trying to shove their ideas down everyone's throat, they don't ever think of sharing food.

  2. Hi Tom, It is so good to "hear" that lightness in your voice since you have moved.  So happy that you had a good Christmas.  I also received 4 notices of birthdays on 1/1..  If a member does not state their B'day, Care2 automaticcally inserts 1/1. I also notice from way back that a lot of people were 100 years old and now they will be 114. Age should not be a requirement.Birth dates~~yes. 

  3. If I begin to voice my thoughts on this obvious desire to legislate every sexual organ of a woman's body, I may exploded into a full rant.

    Some jerk from a TV show manages to rise the ire of some pretty strange people out there. What is nothing more nor less than a PR stunt has become a national debate. That my friends is embarrassing. While whether a woman is able to decide about her own body? Please, that decision can not be left to a woman.

    77% of those against all forms of birth control are Men, 100% of those men will never become pregnant.

    Free will and making choices for our lives is not the exclusive territory of men, women too are endowed with full mental capacity and are fully able to make the same personal, moral choices for themselves.

    If you do not like abortion or birth control do not use those choices, this is (or is it?) the free country of the United States, freedom is the right to make personal choices. I know what is my business and what is not, and making the choices about one's own body is the most personal choice there could be, or – shut up and mind your own business.

    • Kitty, thou shalt rant!!

      I sure hope you're right about that 100% stat!! 😉

      Personally, I consider abortions tragedies.  But whether it is the least tragic outcome is for the woman to decide, and nobody else.

  4. 4:21 Now I'm cookin' again.

  5. This was the first year I have not cooked for Christmas Eve or Day since I was a child, many, many years ago. All I did was make tons of cookies and a Raspberry Lime Trifle for dessert. I missed the pressure.

    NY Times ~ The War Criminal's legacy is going to live in the courts for quite a while. He appointed a lot of judges who were not that old. This judge, like most RepubliCanTs don't know the Constitution that well. He is allowing the employer, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of NY, to impose its beliefs on others. That's a definite NO-NO.

    Think Progress ~ Thank God for a Clinton appointee! If it had been a Bushie, Bp wouldn't have to pay a cent.

    Raw Story ~ 2014 "No fools on our ticket." Does this mean incumbents too? There are a lot of fools who were already elected and are holding office right now.

    Cartoon ~ She did fine work with the great apes.

     

     

    • It is pressure, isn't it?  Getting everything on the plate hot can be a challenge!

      Democrats will have to occupy the White House for decades, just to undo the damage.

      Bingo!

      LOL!  Great point!

      Indeed she did!

  6. I am so glad you had such a nice Christmas day.  You have earned it.

    NY Times:  Of course a Republican judge would rule this way.  They want women back in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant.

    Think Progress:  Thank goodness it was a Clinton appointee who made the ruling.  My son lives on the Gulf Coast and has been a witness to the destruction of livlihoods their spill caused.  The shrimp and oyster fishermen have still not recovered.  Most of these people come from generations who have worked the same area and made a living. Now they are barely scraping by.

    Raw Story:  I have been trying to think of ONE republican who would meet the "No fools" requirement, haven't been able to come up with one. 

    I got 27 1/1 birthday notices.  Really, they could at least list the month and day.

  7. 8:01 – Slow Roast… 😥

  8. Tx TC, Glad your dinner and your day was such a sucess.

    NYT…Repub. Judge…of course. he lacks understanding of the law. Employer wouldn't be "doing" anything…Ins. company is…now Employer can impose it's beliefs on (women) employees. In a Repub. world that makes perfect sense…Right???

    BP ought to be paying a lot more than they are & for a long time into the future as "new" damage comes to light.

    Think Progress….No Fools ? Repubs? in what reality?

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.