A new year begins with the promise for me that 2016 virtually has to be a better year than last. May it be so for us all.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 5:14 (average 7:27). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Daily Kos (July): In one simple quote, Sister Joan Chittister, O.S.B. sums up the hypocrisy of many in the ‘pro-life’ movement:
"I do not believe that just because you’re opposed to abortion, that that makes you pro-life. In fact, I think in many cases, your morality is deeply lacking if all you want is a child born but not a child fed, not a child educated, not a child housed. And why would I think that you don’t? Because you don’t want any tax money to go there. That’s not pro-life. That’s pro-birth. We need a much broader conversation on what the morality of pro-life is."
While I disagree with her opposition to women’s right to make their own medical decisions, I respectfully disagree, because, unlike the Republican Party, she is consistent.
From Media Matters: Fleeing from terror and indiscriminate violence in parts of the Middle East, millions of people have packed up and left their homes to start safer lives for themselves and their families elsewhere. But if you tuned into Fox News anytime in the last year, you’d think the refugees themselves — many of them Muslim — were responsible for the violence. In fact, painting Muslims as terrorists, radicals, and tacit supporters of ISIS, baseless demonization of Islam was the channel’s modus operandi in 2015. And it wasn’t just right-wing media. CNN also joined the smears, asking a Muslim human rights lawyer if he supports ISIS, questioning a Michigan mayor if she’s afraid of her majority Muslim-American city council, and forcing responsibility for the recent attacks in Paris onto an innocent French Muslim.
The slanders the Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda, Faux Noise, keep repeating are totally false.
From NY Times: Wealth can be bad for your soul. That’s not just a hoary piece of folk wisdom; it’s a conclusion from serious social science, confirmed by statistical analysis and experiment. The affluent are, on average, less likely to exhibit empathy, less likely to respect norms and even laws, more likely to cheat, than those occupying lower rungs on the economic ladder.
And it’s obvious, even if we don’t have statistical confirmation, that extreme wealth can do extreme spiritual damage. Take someone whose personality might have been merely disagreeable under normal circumstances, and give him the kind of wealth that lets him surround himself with sycophants and usually get whatever he wants. It’s not hard to see how he could become almost pathologically self-regarding and unconcerned with others.
So what happens to a nation that gives ever-growing political power to the superrich?
To find out, click through for the rest of this fine Paul Krugman editorial.
Cartoon:
18 Responses to “Open Thread–1/1/2016”
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6:04 Can you say wicked? And I am not even hung over.
DKos – You know your opposition is completely effed up when even another opposition person (albeit one with common sense) nails them. And nail them she does. She doesn't miss a point.
Media Matters – I know we need to keep educated on what the other side is doing, but DARN, it's hard when it's as barf-worthy as this.
NY Times – Oh, Lord. Being out of touvh doesn't matter when you have that much. Apparently what we need is more of the to start stealing from each other instead of from us. It's not impossible, since we have so little left; robbers tend, as Willie Sutton said, to go "where the money is," and it sure would be nice to see more, like Martin Shkreli, at lease getting arrested.
Cartoon – Go Team Indeed!!!!
4:42 Happy New Year!
4:39 Happy New Year Jerry!
Bigfooted again!
To start your New Year right, some mysterious skywriter at the Rose Parade wrote
"Trump Is Disgusting"
"Trump Is a Fascist"
… And More
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/01/01/3735513/mysterious-skywriting-over-rose-bowl-targets-trump/
Good for We the Pwoplw Foundation! I see the Rose Bowl pits my alma mater against my BFF's home state (I am guessing not her alma mater; she is an RN; but I could be wrong). The website is nice, but I do think ANYBODY but Trump is overly optimistic.
People. Tired fingers.
I saw that yesterday on tv and about busted a gut!!!! That had me ROTFLMAO!!! JUST TOO FUNNY!! And from, was it , a Rubio supporter?? Seems like that's what I saw online!! The rethuglican site is playing with skywriting now?? Oh boy! This should be fun!
Ssister Joan nails it!
Anything, it seems, coming from Faux news, is going to be 200% BS.
NY Times: This is reminiscent of the "Affluenza" case that has been in the news, of late. Some of the affluent got that way because they cheated, lied, did vrious other despicable things in the first place!
You certainly have every right to expect a better 2016, TomCat, and all Americans have every right to expect a better political year in 2016 than 2015, or 2014 or…
Daily Kos: Sister Joan Chittister is indeed consistent, as you say TomCat, and that is more than most of those pro-lifers are, some of them even believing they have the right to kill those that (indirectly) are involved in the abortion of a fetus in the first trimester, as the shooter in Colorado Springs believed he had. I follow in your footsteps of respectful disagreement becaus,t even if all opponents were as consistently pro-life as she is and the child born is also a child fed, educated and housed, that would still not give them the right to let their religious aversion against abortion prevail above the women's right to make her own medical decisions and do what is right for her.
Media Matters: Surely the Islamophobia can't get get any worse in 2016, can it? FauxWe've just about reached our limits of our disgust with Faux News and Faux News lite.
NY Times: Paul Krugman ends with "Oligarchy, rule by the few, also tends to become rule by the monstrously self-centered. Narcisstocracy? Jerkigarchy? Anyway, it’s an ugly spectacle, and it’s probably going to get even uglier over the course of the year ahead." So much for a better 2016, TomCat. To compensate for this, we each need to have a personal top year in 2016 😉
Cartoon: That would compensate a bit in 2016, wouldn't it?
Yes, TC, this year has to be better for you than last year was!
Daily Kos: I agree with her assessment of most so called pro-life people. To me it is very simple, if you don't believe in abortion, don't have one. If you don't believe in consuming alcolhol, don't drink. Just don;t try to force others to follow "your" rules. I agree with your assessment of the Republican efforts to send women back to the 19th century by getting rid of anything that would give women control over their lives. When the birth control pill first came on the market there were all kinds of demonstrations against it, and you had to be married to get a prescription. They want us back there.
Media Matters: CNN has become Faux lite. They are almost as bad at hammering their guests. I saw the interview with the Michigan mayor. The interviewer tried to force the mayor to say she was afraid.
NY Times: Narcisstocracy,jerkigarchy.. Love these terms, they fit Donald Trump soooo well. Until we can overturn Citizens United this country is in grave danger of having a ruling class full time. We almost have that now.
Cartoon: Oreo didn't have a beer bottle or remote control in the pic I sent you, but his is one of his favorite poses. He is a totally relaxed cat.
Puzzle — 4:39 Happy New Year Jerry!
Daily Kos — I agree with her statement, but I do not agree with her stance denying women the right to choose what is right for them. There is also another aspect — many so called pro-life advocats are in favour of the death penalty. Morality issues? You bet!
Media Matters — Barf Bag Alert required! Obviously they all have their PhDs (piled higher & deeper) in bull shit! I am so sick of the maligning of Muslim people. Their are nasty, evil so called Christians in the world too . . . Pat Robertson comes to mind . . . pseudo Christians.
NY Times — "Just to be clear, the biggest reason to oppose the power of money in politics is the way it lets the wealthy rig the system and distort policy priorities." Amen! Can you imagine where the country would be now had Rmoney won the White House in 2012? Too bad there are so many angry working class Americans who have no imagination and will still vote Republican because they believe the BS produced by the GOP and the reisch ministry of propaganda!
Cartoon — You must be in your glory with all the college bowl games on now . . . or do you watch them if the NFL isn't playing?
The only one I actually visited is the Toilet Bowl. 😉
Thanks all! Big Hugs!
TC, you missed a bunch of 2015. 2016 Will have to be BETTER!
well we have a new year ahead of us . i just hope it's an improvement over the last one . but the thought of political adds for 11 months . any who i hope your new year is a great one for you T C .be well .
It appears that there is not much that Americans are NOT scared of.!.(pardon the appalling English!). Is that why you all want guns ,open carry etc? GROW UP!. Do not be scared of ISIS. the danger is at home!
Lots of good wishes TC> Have a great 2016.
Avirl, Open Carry is a minority rules situation.