Day 92. My barber just called. She has the flu, so I’m not getting my haircut until Monday. I’m very grateful to her for not trying to work through it and infecting me. I’m still feeling very tired, but I’ll try to catch up on sleep, after I get my articles posted and uploaded.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 2:19 (average 4:08). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Daily Kos: Jon Stewart masterfully used Mike Huckabee’s own words to make a broader point after Huckabee used the Bible to show the hypocrisy of those that oppose gay marriage. He first played a clip to lay the groundwork of Mike Huckabee’s general intolerance and head in the sand stance. Huckabee called women who use the f-bomb trashy after implying that women in the South and Midwest do not do that.
He sure doesn’t know the same southern gals I knew in my youth! They just teamed the F-bomb with Y’all!! Sadly, I don’t think Upchuck Huck has much of a chance to win the Republican nomination. Oh well, he probably wouldn’t legalize ownership of a Canadian anyway, despite my Biblical permission to do so. 😉
From PRWatch: In addition to unprecedented budget cuts to the University of Wisconsin (UW) system, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker struck "the search for truth" and the Wisconsin Idea from the university’s mission in his executive budget bill unveiled last night.
First summed up by UW President Charles Van Hise in 1904, the Wisconsin Idea means that "the borders of the University are the borders of the state." Van Hise declared that he would “never be content until the beneficent influence of the university reaches every family in the state” and this has long been the core philosophy of the UW System, which has worked hard over the decades to generate programs that serve people and communities all over the state.
Walker’s executive budget (see below) amends Sec. 1111 of the statutes to remove language specifying that the UW system has a public service mission to “extend knowledge and its application beyond the boundaries of its campus" and to "serve and stimulate society." He strikes language ensuring that the mission of the UW is to extend "training and public service designed to educate people and improve the human condition," as well as the language specifying that "the search for truth" is "basic to every purpose of the system."
Click through for much more on how the Fartfuhrer of Fitzwalkerstan is trying to destroy their university system.
From NY Times: A still-classified section of the investigation by congressional intelligence committees into the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks has taken on an almost mythic quality over the past 13 years — 28 pages that examine crucial support given the hijackers and that by all accounts implicate prominent Saudis in financing terrorism.
Now new claims by Zacarias Moussaoui, a convicted former member of Al Qaeda, that he had high-level contact with officials of the Saudi Arabian government in the prelude to Sept. 11 have brought renewed attention to the inquiry’s withheld findings, which lawmakers and relatives of those killed in the attacks have tried unsuccessfully to declassify.
“I think it is the right thing to do,” said Representative Stephen F. Lynch, Democrat of Massachusetts and an author of a bipartisan resolution encouraging President Obama to declassify the section. “Let’s put it out there.”
Mr. Lynch and his allies have been joined by former Senator Bob Graham of Florida, who as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee was a leader of the inquiry. He has called for the release of the report’s Part 4, which dealt with Saudi Arabia, since President George W. Bush ordered it classified when the rest of the report was released in December 2002.
Mr. Graham has repeatedly said it shows that Saudi Arabia was complicit in the Sept. 11 attacks. “The 28 pages primarily relate to who financed 9/11, and they point a very strong finger at Saudi Arabia as being the principal financier,” Mr. Graham said last month as he pressed for the pages to be made public.
Click through. I fully agree that the pages should be made public, and have believed the Saudi’s were complicit, since September 2001. They helped arrange for the Bush family to make a ton of money from 9/11, due to their joint involvement in the Carlyle Group. In addition GW ChickenHawk arranged a secret flight out of the country for Bandar Bush and his associates, before the FBI could question them.
39 Responses to “Open Thread–2/5/2015”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
I think Huckabee is a talking to hear himself and I thought Palin was bad. Are you sure they are not family?
Oh Obama trying to say he is not againist the right to guns is just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I wish he could have done with a different point of view.
I'm not against it either, but our rights sre conditional on exercisingh them in a manner that does not violate the rights of others.
4:37 average still 4:08. "Innsbruck, ich muss dich lassen." My earworm for the day.
Daily Kos – Egberto finds really good stuff, but neither he, nor any of the Kos commenters, at least when I read through, caught the zeugma in Mike's position. "Zeugma" is the wonderful figure of speech when you use a verb or a preposition to connect two things that are not the same, such as, "I went out to fix the bike with determination and a screwdriver." No doubt, but "with" doesn't have exactly the same meaning for the two things. Mike's comparing Christians serving gays to Jews serving bacon-wrapped shrimp implies that Christians are expected to be serving gays up to eat – as the main course – or an appetizer. Or maybe as ingredients in fudge. Mike, no one is expecting that. (I do give him a point for realizing shellfish is as tref as pork, which many non-Jews don't know. But just one tiny point.)
PR Watch – Apparently he struck a nerve. Wisconsinites were as shocked as if he had suggested editing the Declaration of Independence or maybe the Gettysburg Address, or even the Bible. It caught him so hard he had to claim is was a "draft error," but anyone who believes that, please don't buy any bridges.
NY Times – I doubt whether any of those sitting on this are worried about the Saudis – they are worried about their own skins. Which, in my mind, makes declassification all the more desirable. I don't plan to hold my breath.
Cartoon – Or words to that effect. I'm sure the delay is because they haven't figured out how to say it in dogwhistle.
I think you are right, they are most interested in covering themselves than giving us the truth.
I agree with Edie.
Pretty clear there's going to be a cage-match in the Rethuglican Primaries to capture the much sought-after Hypocrisy voting bloc. But right now it appears that The Huckster has jumped to a commanding lead.
Combine today's story with his recent diatribe chastising Michelle Obama for letting her daugters listen to Beyonce because her “obnoxious and toxic mental poison in the form of song lyrics."
Clearly Huckleberry forgot his jamming with Ted Nugent on Nuge's "Cat Scratch Fever." No doubt Rev. Huck had his kids singing this during their VBS (Vacation Bible School) days – so let's take a listen:
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/huckabee-hates-beyonces-sexualized-lyrics-but-he-sure-likes-these-libido-charged-songs/
They just don't write songs like THAT any more
. . . and that's different from listening to Beyoncé how? . . . well at least in the parlance of the Huckster?
From Wikipedia: "A self-described "modern-day feminist",[7] her songs are often characterized by themes of love, relationships, and monogamy, as well as female sexuality and empowerment "
Ah, it isn't the lyrics that offend the Huckster, it's the themes . . . love, empowerment, feminism, ooo monogamy! They go against the Republicanus/Teabagger code of hypocrisy. They want them uneducated, barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen.
I didn't know about his singing with Nugent. Another strike against him for me.
Upchuck Huck is a do as I say, not as I do pseudo-Christian.
2:59 The Tyrol Mountains are beautiful but too big for me to climb. No catching TC! I wonder if he knows he can't eat the mountains?
3:10 No way I can move the puzzle pieces around fast enough to beat TomCat even if I knew where every piece went. That cat must have quick reflexes and sharp eyes.
2:33 The Cat turbo-charged his computer.
We've done that one before, so I know whivh refrigerators sare stocked.
I have two dear friends living/suffering in Wisconsin w/ Walker. They worked hard to get rid of him, so to them and their like-minded friends I empathize and sympathize.
But for the rest of the wingnuts in WI one can only say: You not only elected him the first time – but you voted him in once again with the Recall AND then TWICE w/ his re-election.
Folks, it's YOUR $hit-sandwich – you made it, you toasted it, you spread it on thick … so take a bite!
I'm only glad and thankful this a$$hole has NO chance of attaining any national office. But I would love – LOVE – to see him be the Rethuglican nominee!
That especially applies to the voters who stayed home.
Yesterday we had a little fun with Latin. Quite awhile ago now, I started writing 'Republicanus/Teabagger' during an article about SCOTUS I belive because it sounded a little more like a legal term. Well Google translate has
Republicanus = Republican and Republicanu = Republicans
So, today I decided to have some fun with 'Teabagger'
Teabaggerum = Teabagger (no plural found . . . perhaps we could draw a conclusion in reality that there is only one Teabagger? No? Well I can dream.)
I think this indicates that Google translate failed Latin, or, I am more clever than I ever knew. LOL!!!
Yes, you are right. The Google translator failed latin. And, yes, you are more clever than you thought. lol.
Jim, that was an 'either/or' statement, not an 'and' statement. But hey, thanks!!
I would imagine the plural is Teabaggeri, whjich is dang close to TEAbuggery!!
Teabuggeri would be the plural of Teabaggerus. The plural of Teabaggerum would be Teabaggera since it's neuter. If, however, you read Teabaggera as a single female, the plural would be Teabaggerae. All nominative case. Any questions?
I stand corrected. It has been over 50 years.
I tried all these variations JD and none of them worked. As I suspected, Google translate failed Latin.
For me, it's been almost 48 years since I completed my 1st year of Latin.
Puzzle — 2:59 The Tyrol Mountains are beautiful but too big for me to climb. No catching TC! I wonder if he knows he can't eat the mountains?
Daily Kos — Love Jon translating the Huckster . . . "I can't just change…" but isn't that exactly what he is asking gays to do? His comment that he doesn't have problems with gays around him rather smacks of "oh yes I do". I think he doth protest too much. But the most annoying for me is the Huckster's statement "…it's a biblical issue…" . His Bible must not be the same as mine! Jon Stewart was so funny!
PR Watch — The Fartfuhrer of Fitzwalkerstan isn't just trying to destroy Wisconsin's university system, he's trying to destroy the entire state. He's been sucking too much … nevermind! #50 is coming down fast!
NY Times — Seems to me that there is a whole lot of CYA going on.
Well, if there is apparently little value other than historical, release the pages and be done with it!
Cartoon — No doubt, especially with the Republicanus/Teabaggerum in control of the Congress and many state governments.
They fear their careers will become historical.
Make it so Number 1!
I think I want to shove the grits on the book cover somewhere–maybe in its gun or ?
I guess Walker's goal is to remove the mission of education from the State's University system (Madison was once considered a top contender in some fields).
Kudos to especially Graham who makes it clear what the content addresses. Hmmm–does that make him a whistleblower?
The cartoon is more blatant than I think the myth crafters would support–they'll seek a euphemism.
Satire usually is more blatant that the truth it represents.
I hope you feel better soon.
Daily Kos: Jon Stewart shredded most of what Huckabee said, thankfully. I am one of those southern girls who do not use the f bomb, my mother, who is 85 would still wash my mouth with soap if I did. However, the younger women use it freely. Profanity may have its place, but I have always felt that you can have an intelligent conversation without it.
Pr Watch: The Wisconsin voters who elected Walker again are as dumb as my fellow Kentuckians who reelected McConnell. He has done nothing but drag the state down.
NY Times: I agree these papers need to be released. Most of the high hackers were from Saudi Arabia. It has never made sense to me that the country was not involved in the attack.
Cartoon: They would if they could!
Amen to all you said.
Daily Kos:
Why people continue to listen to this "f-bomb trash" piece of religious claptrap is beyond me. Huckabee is not a viable candidate anymore. His time has come and gone. If he wants to waste his money and spread his wealth around is fine with me.
PRWatch:
Walker slashed $300 Million from the UW system while neighboring states invest in Higher Education. Sounds as if Walker does not want people to know the truth and is essentially dumbing down the UW system. He simply does not want educated people helping and working to educate the good citizens of Wisconsin.
NY Times:
My coffee buddies and I have contended for years that the Saudi's were complicit
in 9/11. Why were the Saudis hustled out of US immediately after 9/11? The report should be released.
Cartoon:
I hope not.
Huckabee provides a valuable service. In Iowa, almost the entire field will move right, providing us with quotes to use over and over again.
TY TC.
YVW. Pat!
Glad your barber was smart enough to keep her germs at home.
Daily Kos ~ Why do "Christians" insist on adhering only to the Old Testament? They totally disregard the "Golden Rule". Is is too simple for them?
PRWatch ~ I think the worst part of his budget takes away $300 million from the UW and gives $220 million to build a new sports stadium. I think taxpayer funded stadia are wrong no matter how you look at it.
NY Times ~ The papers should be made public.
Cartoon ~ I wouldn't doubt it.
That is how pseudo-Christians act, not Christians.
Very Distressing… :mrgreem:
I figur5ed it all along.