I’m writing for tomorrow, day 104. After sleeping late, I’ve spent the entire day so far collecting the data tor the Monthly Report, and will spend most of the rest of it preparing the report itself. The downside is that I made a mess yesterday and today. Tomorrow I’ll need to clean up after myself.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 2:59 (average 5:22). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From The New Yorker: Republicans who were angered to learn on Wednesday that the former I.R.S. official Lois Lerner had referred to them as “crazies” and “assholes” responded later in the day by voting to sue the President of the United States.
“Calling us crazy assholes is insulting, derogatory, and beneath contempt,” House Speaker John Boehner told reporters. “And now if you’ll excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, I have to go sue Obama.”
Determined to burnish their reputation as extremely sane people who are not assholes at all, House Republicans in their lawsuit accuse the President of “coldly and arrogantly seizing power granted to him by the United States Constitution.”…
With respect to Andy, I am also angry at Lois Lerner. There is no justification for her to refer to Republicans in terms so much kinder and more generous than they deserve.
From Daily Kos: Ain’t freedom grand? And what says freedom better than being free from government mandates like the guarantee that you can’t be denied health insurance because of a pre-existing condition?
As we all know, the South has forever been a place where people value freedom and liberty for everyone.
Aren’t those people lucky to be covered by the RepubliCare Death Benefit? They get to die for free, if they can’t pay.
From NY Times: \House and Senate lawmakers scrambled to leave town on Friday night for a five-week recess, with a failure to address the refugee crisis at the southern border only the latest indignity in a year that may redefine congressional dysfunction.
The 113th Congress this week took another step toward ignominy as one of the least productive, most divided in history. Vocal Republicans were empowered, virtually dictating terms of two House border security bills even after party leaders had spent much of the year trying to marginalize them.
The results were bills with no chance of becoming law, and ones diametrically opposed to the direction party elders had advised Republicans to go after their losses in 2012.
That’s nothing unexpected. The Republicans have sown the wind. May God grant a November whirlwind, but in case she doesn’t, get out the vote!
Cartoon:
10 Responses to “Open Thread–8/3/2014”
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6:17 Bravely struggled through the sharp spines. Bleeding.
The New Yorker – I hate to say this, but Andy's suggested excuse makes more sense than that of the actual lawsuit. Defamation is at least a recognized tort. Using executive authority is not. TC, you made me laugh harder than Andy did.
Daily Kos – Good grief. That less aggressive spike in the West must be red places like Idaho, Montana, Utah, Kansas, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and is Oklahoma part of the West in this chart? Or is it just because California's population is so big?
New York Times – I notice the old gray lady stops short of explicitly placing blame on Republicans, and keeps talking about "Congress" as the problem when the problem isn't Congress, it is the Republicans in Congress. If you read the article and pay attention you will see that it is Democrats who are trying, and Republicans who are blocking, but only thise Americans with an attention span greater than a gnat's will do that. And it is the Americans with attention spans the same as or less than a gnat's who need the education. Thanks for singing my song, TC.
Cartoon – That was a day!
This appeared in my on-line news this morning. I don't know if you have seen it south of the border as it is by the Canadian Press. http://home.mytelus.com/p/news/source/news_cp/category/national/article/29367439
While 100% accurate, it's just hard for me to picture the USA as "South of the Border".
[PS – I think the author means "exorcised – NOT "exercised" … then again, they could be doing a Golds Gym routine with their guns – so like Gilda Radner always said … "Never mind"]
3:49 I got stuck on this puzzle.
4:10 I definitely did not get the point of that puzzle.
Puzzle — 4:10 I definitely did not get the point of that puzzle.
The New Yorker — "There is no justification for her to refer to Republicans in terms so much kinder and more generous than they deserve." — LMAO!!!
Daily Kos — A very telling graphic.
And you have people like Rand Paul and McTurtle who would deny health coverage to over 421,000 of their constituents by cancelling out the Kentucky programme.
A quote from Julius Caesar on patriotism which Dandelion brought to one of her posts is applicable here I think given that these Republicanus/Teabaggers are voted in by the citizenry.
Those that see affordable health care as a "liberty" issue need to think carefully about Julius Caesar's words. The Republicanus/Teabaggers have fired up their base in such a way that they are blindly bowing to them as they strip people's rights away.
The NY Times —
Congressional… er … Republicanus/Teabagger dysfunction is an understatement!Cartoon — From Wikipedia:
There is more in Wikipedia which is very interesting, and more telling of US attitudes towards African Americans. Publicly, Owens was "single-handedly crush[ing] Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy.", but at home in the US he was snubbed by FDR and others. He had to ride freight elevators and stay in segregated hotels, while in Germany there was no segregation. An interesting read.
Sorry TC, I didn't notice until too late.
No problem. Sadly I did not realize it was there until a couple minutes ago. Otherwise I would have released it.
The New Yorker: Andy is funny, but what you said is funnier.
Daily Kos: This makes me sad as I am a southerner and most of my relatives live in southern states. I am thankful that Kentucky is not among those states who denied these benefits to their citizens.
NY Times: I hope this do nothing congress has made enough people so angry that they get off their duffs and vote them out!
Cartoon: That is probably what he would be called today.
Thanks all. Overslept big trime!