I’m writing for tomorrow, day 110. I got a late start today, because I was tired from basking in the glow of the Orb and feasting on Seachicken. I spent most of the day trying to make sense of the Iraq crisis.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:57 (average 5:40). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Media Matters: Anti-gay hate group leader Tony Perkins has appeared on Megyn Kelly’s shows more than all other Fox News programs combined over the past two years.
Tony Perkins is the president of the Family Research Council (FRC), an organization that was labeled an anti-gay "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center in 2010. He has called pedophilia "a homosexual problem," claimed that gay men "recruit" children into homosexuality, and endorsed a Uganda law that would have imposed the death penalty for homosexuality. His organization regularly produces anti-gay propaganda depicting gay people as abnormal, unnatural, and destined for "eternal damnation."
He’s also one of Megyn Kelly’s most frequent guests on Fox News. Kelly – who was once hailed as a harbinger of a "gay rights revolution" at Fox – has hosted Perkins more than all other Fox News programs combined in the past two years, according to an Equality Matters analysis. Hailed by Kelly as "a captain of the Religious Right," Perkins has become a familiar face to viewers of Kelly’s shows:
Barf Bag Alert!
This is so typical of the Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda, Faux Noise. To answer the question, she will not stop as long as the Republican Party wants to keep the support of homophobic pseudo-Christians.
From Daily Kos: Charles Koch’s August 5th op-ed in USA Today [Koch Suckee delinked] is laughable. He spills out his vision of a country that works for the biggest corporations and richest 1% (like himself & Koch Industries), all while claiming that his agenda will help struggling American families.
Here are the five major problems I see with Charles Koch’s op-ed:
(1) He quotes Martin Luther King, Jr. I’m actually usually a fan when conservatives quote Dr. King, because King’s message transcends partisan politics. Unfortunately, though, Charles Koch shouldn’t be allowed to do this. New research from the Center for Media and Democracy shows that Charles Koch was a member of the far-right John Birch Society, which strongly opposed racial equality and civil rights. Koch has supported groups that push voter suppression laws that make it harder for people of color to vote. Koch supports busting unions, despite the fact that Dr. King was a strong supporter of unions and was assassinated on a trip to Memphis to support union sanitation workers’ strike. Charles Koch does not get to co-opt Dr. King’s message to fit his own, because Charles Koch stands against everything Dr. King stood for.
That’s just one of the five reasons Koch’s op-ed is long on BS and virtually devoid of facts. Click Through doer the other four.
From Think Progress: Following orders from a federal judge to redraw the state’s voting district maps, since racial gerrymandering rendered the first draft unconstitutional, Florida’s Republican-controlled legislature unveiled revised maps this week.
But the new maps look quite like the old ones, especially the boundaries of the snakelike District 5, one of the most gerrymandered seats in the country. In his ruling earlier this summer, Federal Judge Terry P. Lewis said District 5 “does not follow traditional political boundaries” and “connects two far flung urban populations” without legal justification. His opinion chided lawmakers, saying districts containing “finger-like extensions, narrow and bizarrely shaped tentacles, and hook like shapes…are constitutionally suspect and often indicative of racial and partisan gerrymandering.”
The only way to honest redistricting is to take the process out of Republican hands. The day Republicans draw clean maps is the day the Stanley Cup series will be played in hell.
Cartoon:
May all Republicans follow his example.
21 Responses to “Open Thread–8/9/2014”
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4:15 I was dazzled by the glitz.
3:50 I went "OMG" when I first saw the pic. Then decided to tackle it from the outside in using the dark pieces as guides. Made it much easier.
3:48 I will leave the light on for you.
You are so cheeky Critter!
Crunched!
5:05 – Puzzle 🙄
Media Matters ~ The center of this clip is blacked out for some reason which is okay with me because I make it a point to never listen to anything tony Perkins has to say. I don't want to lose my breakfast either.
Daily Kos ~ Excellent article and it does spell out rather well how and why Koch is a BS artist. I enjoyed reading it and have bookmarked it to send to TeapublicanTs whn they email me their garbage.
Think Progress ~ Too funny for words! Clean redistricting maps?
Cartoon ~ It was a good day!
6:58 but average is up to 7:12, which doesn't surprise me. So much symmetry. Or maybe no one playing it is awake yet.
Media Matters – Besides the fact that this guy slanders a fine actor just by existing, I am always struck by the particcular way in which his Christanity is un-Christian. "God does not desire the death of a sinner, but rather that he turn from his eveil ways and live." The "Pray the gay away" people, misguided as they are, and as much damage as they do by wilfully failing to accept reality, are still morally superior to Perkins because they are at least trying to respect that verse and that principle. He is more comparable to Westboro Baptist.
Daily Kos – Aaaw, Charlie bought himself an Op-Ed. Patty, if you send this Kos article to TeapublicanTs enough, they may quit emailing you! Which is probably what you want anyway. It worked for me.
Think Progress – I can't find it now, but something I read about this case said that the judge's instructions were non-specific enough that they may be able to use these maps this year, flawed though they are. Poor Florida! Glad I don't live there.
Cartoon – Nixon was a crook, all right, but his administration was not the unmitigated disaster that some later ones have been (he established the EPA, for instance). After reading "Family of Secrets" by Russ Baker, I am open to the possibility that he may have been – not set up, that would imply his innocence – but entrapped into Watergate, and that Poppy Bush may have been involved. And had you told me in 1974 that 40 years later I would be defending Nixon, even feebly, I would have had a good laugh.
I seem to come across "good" stuff after commenting here. This is not on any topic from today, but it is worth a look, especialy for anyone who cares about whistleblowers:
http://www.pogo.org/blog/2014/07/20140730-at-va-complaint-couched-in-humor-was-a-punishable-offense.html
Thanks, Joanne. The wholew point of an "Open" thread is that everything is on topic. 🙂
I do not report my puzzle times because I am so bad. However today was a few seconds under average.
Woooo Hoooo!
Surfing the blogs it's amazing how many speak so highly of Nixon today. According to them Watergate and its cover up was his only mistake and he should have burned the tapes. I guess they haven't read much History.
Dang!! Nixon was the grandfather of TEAbuggery!
Happy "RICE PUDDING DAY!"
… AND "Bowling Day"
… AND "Garage Sale Day" … AND
Here's a fun calendar marking all those obscure, arcane Holidays that most of us miss celebrating
http://www.daysoftheyear.com/
When is bury a Republican in my Cat Box day?
That's everyday!
Puzzle — 3:50 I went "OMG" when I first saw the pic. Then decided to tackle it from the outside in using the dark pieces as guides. Made it much easier.
Media Matters — Tony Perkins and Asshole of the Day for 08 Aug 2014, Rick Wiles, are playing in the same pig pen. My apologies to our porcine confrères. Perkins may have captured the heart of Megyn Kelly (what a black abyss that is!) but I'm sure that Wiles will likely go trolling for her affections in the near future as he tries to take advantage of the ebola virus. http://assholeoftheday.us/tagged/asshole-of-the-day
"… there’s batshit crazy evangelist Rick Wiles saying that Christians should welcome Ebola spreading like a “plague” across America specifically because it would “solve America’s problems with atheism, homosexuality, sexual promiscuity, pornography and abortion.”"
Daily Kos — Had I not known who Charles Kochroache was, I may have seen his piece in USA Today as somewhat reasonable. But I DO know who this vermin Kochroache is, and I find it anything but reasonable. Charles and brother David did not, in John Houseman's words, make their money the old fashioned way, but rather they inherited it. And that unpleasant job he said his father had him do was probably washing the family Rolls which he thought one of the family's servants should have done! The Kochroaches are very good at tearing down opportunities for others rather than building them. Spoiled little rich brats!
Think Progress — "…districts containing “finger-like extensions, narrow and bizarrely shaped tentacles, and hook like shapes…are constitutionally suspect and often indicative of racial and partisan gerrymandering.”"
What makes it even easier to detect is if it is from a red state.
Personally, I don't see why the electoral districts for federal elections cannot be drawn by say the federal electoral commission. Let the state draw the lines for state and municipal elections.
I live in federal Conservative riding (ech!!!) but in a provincial New Democratic (social democratic riding). In addition, the political parties have nothing to do with drawing the boundaries. Why leave the fox in charge of the hen house? It can work.
Cartoon — Over the past few days, I have been hearing newly released (I think) tapes of Nixon quipping with workers and Secret Service as the set was put together for his big speech . . . his resignation. He appeared to be quite jocular which totally belied the seriousness of his speech. I also want it known that I am in no way related to him. One of my family names is Nixon, nothing I had control of!
Don't feel bad, Lynn, one of my family names is Koch.
Media Matters: Kelly is only promoting her ratings and as long as she promotes hate she will have followers.
Daily Kos: I am sure Dr. King is turning in his grave because the Koch's are quoting him. Noone could be further from what he promoted. A letter in the paper today said that a Conservative Christian was an oxymoron because Jesus was a liberal. I loved it.
Think Progress: Those Florida Republicans willhave their gerrymandering one way or another.
Cartoon: One of the happiest days of my life!
Thanks all!