Open Thread–2/20/2011

 Blog News, Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 202012
 

Yesterday I rested as much as I could.  I’m current with replies.  I’m scheduled for a colonoscopy on Tuesday morning.  No worries.  It’s routine, because of my age.  Because of it, I’m likely to be gone for two days, so expect no more articles, until early Thursday morning.  This morning and early afternoon, I’ll sleep all I can.  This afternoon and tonight I’ll be taking the medications to purge me for the test.  I will not be able to sit on one place long enough to concentrate on anything, except for the place made of porcelain.  I’ll be up all night taking medicine.  During the test I’ll be under a twilight anesthetic, so I’m likely to he groggy afterwards, in addition to sleepy from being up all night.  By Wednesday I should be able to research again.  I am not looking forward to this at all.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 3:39 (average 4:23).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From CBS: Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum stood by comments he made Saturday opposing prenatal testing, saying it leads to selective abortions, and he said the president is "continuing" policies that encourage such abortions.

How much more invasive into privacy can these Republicans get?

From Minnesota Public Radio News: Mitt Romney returned to Salt Lake City on Saturday to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 2002 Winter Games he helped lead, but the GOP presidential candidate has come under attack for urging the federal government to provide big bucks for Olympic expenses.

Republicans believe in limited government spending, but not on anything they want.

From Think Progress: During an appearance on Fox News Sunday this morning, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) couldn’t explain why the public rejects large parts of the Republican legislative agenda and instead blamed Democrats for opposing it.

 

Cantor is full of Santorum. This is why the public rejects their programs.  Republicans govern exclusively for the benefit of millionaires, billionaires and corporate criminals. They do NOT represent YOU!

Cartoon:

20Cartoon

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 Posted by TomCat at 12:00 am  10 Responses »  Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Romney Loses a Racist Hypocrite

 Politics
Feb 192012
 

Family Values Republicans have a way of proving that they believe their family values must be imposed by force on everyone else, but do not apply to their own behavior.  In the Totalitarian Corporate Plutocracy of Brewerstan, formerly Arizona, Romney had such a man as the co-chair of his campaign there.  Even before the scandal broke, Paul Babeu was problematic due to his extreme hatred of undocumented Latinos and his association with the White Supremacy movement.

19Babeau…Babeu comes with some serious baggage. Over the last two years, the federal government and local politicians have repeatedly chided Babeu for making sensationalist, unsubstantiated allegations about border violence. Babeu has called President Obama "the enemy" and said the president has come close to committing treason through his immigration policies. He has also come under criticism by for appearing on a white nationalist talk radio program that’s been a frequent platform for white supremacists.

Babeu is best known for his public advocacy on behalf of Arizona’s controversial 2010 immigration law, SB 1070. His tough talk on border crime has made him a high-profile figure on the right. He’s dubbed himself "Sheriff Paul"—a nod to fellow Arizonan "Sheriff Joe" Arpaio—and made frequent appearances on Fox News. In July 2010, in the midst of a media blitz to promote the bill, he appeared on a Memphis-based radio program called "The Political Cesspool." [Hate Group delinked] The show’s cohost, James Edwards, has been labeled a "white nationalist" by both the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Mother Jones>

You might consider a family values candidate a hypocrite, if he was also gay.  You might call a racist spokesman for the hatred of undocumented Latinos a hypocrite, if his gay boyfriend was an undocumented Latino.  And you light call a law-and-order sheriff a hypocrite, if he committed the felony of blackmail by threatening to deport his his gay, undocumented Latino boyfriend, if he did not cover up their relationship.  Ladies and gentlemen, we have a trifecta!

19Babeau2Embattled Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, who is facing explosive allegations that he and his attorney tried to intimidate a former lover by threatening to have him deported, on Saturday quit his position as an Arizona co-chairman of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign.

“Sheriff Babeu has stepped down from his volunteer position with the campaign so he can focus on the allegations against him," Romney spokesman Ryan Williams told The Arizona Republic in a statement. "We support his decision."

Babeu, who also is running for the U.S. House in Arizona’s new 4th Congressional District, and his attorney, Chris DeRose, deny the accusations. But Babeu’s judgment also is coming under scrutiny for allegedly taking provocative photos of himself and sending them over the Internet. News of the accusations against Babeu first broke Friday in the Phoenix New Times, which also published the photos… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Arizona Central>

To be clear, I could not care less that Babeu is gay.  I support full equality for the LGBT community.  I object to Babeu’s hypocrisy.

We should not be surprised that Babeu is a complete hypocrite for three reasons.  First, he is a Republican politician.  Second, he was chosen by Multiple Mitt.  Third, he is a favored associate of the Brewerstan Death Angel, Jan Brewer.

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 Posted by TomCat at 12:03 am  19 Responses »  Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

Open Thread–2/19/2012

 Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 192012
 

Yesterday was restful.  I both slept and researched more hours than normal.  I’m current with replies.  Today I will have to make a store run.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 3:18 (average 4:23).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: If Mitt Romney’s Dog Could Write A Song, It Might Go Like This

 

Romney is just as oblivious to the needs of people too!

From Care2: Apparently, the Supreme Court is now in the business of forcing states to break their own laws as long as it benefits corporations and the politicians they control. On Wednesday, SCOTUS blocked a Montana court ruling that upheld the state’s century-old limit on corporate campaign spending. So much for state’s rights…

The author does not understand the ruling, which only stays the Montana court ruling until that ruling can be appealed, opening the door for a full review of Citizens United.

From Common Dreams: A clear message has been given to the United States through the tripartite summit of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan that Pakistan will support Iran in case of any possible aggression against it.

Moreover, Pakistan has clearly affirmed that the US will not be allowed to set up any airbases in Pakistan with the purpose of attacking Iran. The joint declaration says: "Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan will ensure respect of territorial sovereignty of each other and would not allow any threat emanating from their respective territories against each other".

What kind of insanity is it when our client, our so-called ally, and a state we oppose form a pact against this nation?  We need to pull the plug on funding Karzai, whose only qualification ever was his willingness to be a puppet for G.W. ChickenHawk and Big Oil, and get out troops out as soon as we can.  In addition we need to pull the plug on financing Pakistan.  With friends like that, who needs enemies.

From Washington Post: Ron Paul has gained 83 votes on Mitt Romney following a Republican presidential caucus in eastern Maine, where voting last week had been postponed due to bad weather. Romney still holds a 156-vote lead over Paul in statewide totals.

Thank goodness!  If Ron Paul had actually won one, the acolytes in his cult would be even more insufferable than they already are!

Cartoon:

19Cartoon

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 Posted by TomCat at 12:02 am  10 Responses »  Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,

Bill Moyers vs Theocons and More

 Politics, Religion
Feb 172012
 

In their campaign to keep women barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen, Republicans are backing themselves into another no-win situation, as the nation lines up against their position.  However, instead of having the wisdom to back down, Republicans are doubling down, generating even more widespread opposition.

17Moyers

In this video essay, Bill Moyers addresses the question of how to honor religious liberty without it becoming the liberty to impose on others moral beliefs they don’t share. The recent debate over contraception coverage in Catholic hospitals and other faith-based institutions brought this question to the forefront, but then something surprising happened — a reasonable, practical, and equitable solution from President Obama…

Inserted from <Bill Moyers>

 

Moyers is right.  Religious liberty does not include the ability to impose on others moral beliefs they do not share, as Republicans are working to accomplish.

Darryl Issa (R-CA) made matters worse by forcefully excluding women from his sham hearing.

17HearingAs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee began a hearing Thursday morning on the Obama administration’s rule mandating free contraceptive care for employees at religiously-affiliated institutions, New York Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney had a question for the panel: "Where are the women?" she asked.

"I look at this panel, and I don’t one single individual representing the tens of millions of women across the country who want and need insurance coverage for basic preventive health care services, including family planning," Maloney said. "Where are the women?"

The hearing, entitled "Lines crossed: Separation of church and state. Has the Obama administration trampled on freedom of religion and freedom of conscience?" aimed to address the White House’s ruling on contraception, and whether or not that rule infringes on religious liberty…

…In his opening remarks, Rep. Elijah Cummings, the panel’s top Democrat, argued committee chair Darrell Issa had "stacked" the panel with people who reflected only the Republican perspective, and accused the committee of perpetrating a "massive injustice" by failing to include women in the discussion.

Democrats on the committee charged that Issa "personally rejected" testimony from Sandra Fluke, a woman who had hoped to tell the story of her friend, who she says lost an ovary due to a lack of contraceptive coverage.

"Your staff told us you personally rejected Ms. Fluke’s testimony, saying that, quote, ‘the hearing is not about reproductive rights and contraception,’" Maloney said to Issa in her opening remarks during the hearing.

"Of course this hearing is about rights — contraception and birth control," she said. "It’s about the fact that women want to have access to basic health services family planning through their health insurance plan."… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <CBS>

Ed Schultz provides excellent coverage of this story and interviews both Sandra Fluke and Professor Caroline Heldman.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I fully support the notion of freedom of religion, enshrined as it is in our Constitution, but when Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians attempt to impose their religious dogma on you and me, they are interfering with our freedom of religion.

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 Posted by TomCat at 12:01 am  14 Responses »  Tagged with: , , , , ,

Santorum and Paul Cry Foul

 Politics
Feb 132012
 

Republicans are so deeply immersed in the meme of election fraud that now they are even accusing each other of cheating.  As far as I’m concerned, the more they fight among themselves, the better I like it.  It’s especially pathetic when it comes from Ron Paul, because he has not won a single contest.

13paul-and-santorumMitt Romney scored two minor but symbolically important victories on Saturday — a first-place finish in the CPAC Straw poll and a win in the Maine caucus — each of which set off accusations of foul play from the second place finisher.

In an appearance on CNN’s "State of the Union" on Sunday, former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) suggested that Romney had doctored the results of the CPAC contest.

"I don’t try to rig straw polls," he said. "You have to talk to the Romney campaign and how many tickets they bought… We’ve heard all sorts of things."

Meanwhile, late Saturday night, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) sent an email to supporters that essentially alleged collusion between the Romney campaign and the Maine Republican Party without actually mentioning Romney by name…

Inserted from <Huffington Post>

The video below contains excerpts on both these items.

It’s the same old circus, because the same old clowns know no new tricks.

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 Posted by TomCat at 12:00 am  26 Responses »  Tagged with: , , ,

Open Thread–2/13/2012

 Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 132012
 

Yesterday I mourned the absence of light from the Ellipsoid Orb.  The timing of my day was fouled up, because one of the sites, where I post my articles, was down for maintenance, and I had to do it after I woke up.  I ran behind for the rest of the day.  I’m current with replies.  Today I organize for Tuesday’s volunteer day in prison.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 3:18 (average 4:18).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From NY Times: Where Americans Most Depend on Government Benefits

13benefits

The darker the map color, the greater the portion of people’s personal income comes from government benefits. Note that the darkest colors are almost exclusively Republican dominated areas. The original map is interactive, so click through for much more.

From CNN: GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney won the close-watched Conservative Political Action Conference presidential straw poll on Saturday.

Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, took 38% of the vote in the poll. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum received 31%, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was at 15% and Texas Rep. Ron Paul stood at 12%.

They wouldn’t let Rabid Ron buy it this year.

From Daily Kos: It’s that the Republicans have staked out a position that requires that they lie, 24/7, 365. Not shade the facts their way. Not put their own spin on the situation. Lie. Big, sloppy, and constantly.

This is one of those articles were you have to read the whole thing to understand it.  Click through for an excellent read.

Cartoon:

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 Posted by TomCat at 12:00 am  17 Responses »  Tagged with: , , , ,

Bill Maher Knows About Republicans

 Politics
Feb 122012
 

Bill Maher is sometimes crude, usually irreverent, and almost always funny.  In his latest he had at everybody’s least favorite circus, the Republican Party.

Maher

In his latest “New Rule” segment Friday evening, Bill Maher discussed Republicans’ continued criticism of parts of the nation not considered apart of “Red America.”…

Inserted from <Raw Story>

 

The Poor Republican on the panel was intellectually outgunned by every other person there. Watch out for that Sylvestinager! He makes his case that Republicans who are the ones dividing America, in thoroughly hilarious fashion.

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 Posted by TomCat at 12:09 am  11 Responses »  Tagged with: , , ,
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