I’m writing for day 43, and I feel exhausted, but it’s too damn hot to rest. My volunteer trip to prison pushed the limits of my physical ability, and then some, because the prison was very hot too. However, I felt joy at seeing my guys. Critter, who will be released in September, sends greetings to Critter. The sad news is that the parole board flopped the man I think most deserving of parole of all, and did so in a most Republican fashion. My discussion last night with the most high was laced with profanity. Please play for the man’s success in his Administrative Review. After today’s intense heat, there may be a few cooler days coming.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:11 (average 4:45). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Fantasy Football News:
I’m pleased to share that our league now has ten players and is full. Don’t forget our live online draft is Sunday, 7/28, at 11 AM Pacific, 12 Noon Mountain, 1 PM Central, and 2 PM Eastern DST. See you there.
Short Takes:
From The Nation: Late last night, the North Carolina legislature passed the country’s worst voter suppression law after only three days of debate. Rick Hasen of Election Law Blog called it “the most sweeping anti-voter law in at least decades” The bill mandates strict voter ID to cast a ballot (no student IDs, no public employee IDs, etc.), even though 318,000 registered voters lack the narrow forms of acceptable ID according to the state’s own numbers and there have been no recorded prosecutions of voter impersonation in the past decade. The bill cuts the number of early voting days by a week, even though 56 percent of North Carolinians voted early in 2012. The bill eliminates same-day voter registration during the early voting period, even though 96,000 people used it during the general election in 2012 and states that have adopted the convenient reform have the highest voter turnout in the country. African-Americans are 23 percent of registered voters in the state, but made up 28 percent of early voters in 2012, 33 percent of those who used same-day registration and 34 percent of those without state-issued ID.
And that’s just the start of it. In short, the bill eliminates practically everything that encourages people to vote in North Carolina, replaced by unnecessary and burdensome new restrictions. At the same time, the bill expands the influence of unregulated corporate influence in state elections. Just what our democracy needs—more money and less voting!
The Republican plan for elections is that they are the only ones that get to vote.
From NY Times: Leading Republicans appear to be nerving themselves up for another round of attempted fiscal blackmail. With the end of the fiscal year looming, they aren’t offering the kinds of compromises that might produce a deal and avoid a government shutdown; instead, they’re drafting extremist legislation — bills that would, for example, cut clean-water grants by 83 percent — that has no chance of becoming law. Furthermore, they’re threatening, once again, to block any rise in the debt ceiling, a move that would damage the U.S. economy and possibly provoke a world financial crisis.
Yet even as Republican politicians seem ready to go on the offensive, there’s a palpable sense of anxiety, even despair, among conservative pundits and analysts. Better-informed people on the right seem, finally, to be facing up to a horrible truth: Health care reform, President Obama’s signature policy achievement, is probably going to work.
And the good news about Obamacare is, I’d argue, what’s driving the Republican Party’s intensified extremism. Successful health reform wouldn’t just be a victory for a president conservatives loathe, it would be an object demonstration of the falseness of right-wing ideology. So Republicans are being driven into a last, desperate effort to head this thing off at the pass.
Click through for the rest of this superb analysis from Paul Krugman.
From MSNBC: Juror says Zimmerman got away with murder.
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At the time, I worried that the judge’s instructions to the jury were so skewed that the jury’s hands would be tied. On the other hand B-37’s identification with Zimmerman was clearly racist.
Cartoon:
23 Responses to “Open Thread–7/27/2013”
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3:43 More than a minute less than average but Tom is a regular Speed Demon since he quit smoking.
3:04 I am a busy bee.
Critter stole my Catbox Crunchies again!! 🙁
3:29 Pretty flower but I got stung by the bee!
Congrats on Day 43! Every day is a milestone passed. My neighbor, 50 and a chain-smoker, had a heart attack Tuesday. 2 stents were put in and he's home from the hospital. He's trying to quit and doing okay. He's using E-cigs. We all knew the guys would be thrilled to see you back. Just you take it nice and easy!
Fantasy Football League ~ I am really going to try hard to remember. It's all new to me so I have a hard time remembering that I have to do things at certain times. It's the only drawback to retirement besides the shortage of money.
The Nation ~ When will the DOJ step in? Never?
NY Times ~ Lyin' Ryan is rubbing his hands together like Snidley Whiplash. He wants a huge pair of scissors to cut, cut, cut! And then, cut some more.
MSNBC ~ But, he did get away with murder. And he was clearly a racist.
Cartoon ~ Our heat wave broke, thank God!
Thanks Patty. Good luck to him. If seeing my guyzs slightly exceeds my capabilities, I'll be doing it anyway. 🙂
Put a calendar program on your computer with am alarm. There are freeware ones.
They are!
Amen to that!
Amen again!
Today it only reached 92° at my desk, a BIG improvement.
This is the comment that got you the award.
Congrats on day 43 TC! Saying prayers for the Parole Board and your chap… Oh good grief – North Carolina is starting to imitate Texas! (Wasn't Rmoney from there? That would explain a lot). People must stand up for themselves and argue and elect the right people and refuse to have their votes taken away by these SOBs!
Thanks Pat! NC is WORSE than TX. Rmoney is from MI, MA and UT.
Tell Critter Hi! back from me. Also, congrats on his September release and that I hope he has his sh** together and makes a success of his release.
I shall and tell him that Critter sees all! 😉
Hopefully it won't be long until you're also enjoying a break from the heat like we are in KCMO. Today is a GORGEOUS day: woke with temps in the upper 50's, sunshine and it'll top out in the mid-70's. And tomorrow is supposed to be as nice!
I'll take weather like that ANY DAY, let alone in July!
See my reeply to Patty.
I'm sooooooooooooooo jealous!
Puzzle — 3:29 Pretty flower but I got stung by the bee!
The Nation —`Maybe someday we’ll look back at this period as the turning point when the nation realized just how important the Voting Rights Act was and is.“
Not only the VRA, but the responsibility to exercise one`s rights! Reading down the negative list that Berman provided, it is appalling! Next case for Holder: North Carolina!
NY Times — Custer had his last stand at the Little Big Horn, and we all know how Custer fared at that fiasco! May Republicanus/Teabaggers suffer the same fate as Custer.!
MSNBC — This case is far from over. A Truthdig article is an open letter to Trayvon Martin`s father from Greg Palast — Sue Zimmerman. Unless the prosecution is going to challenge the instructions`of the judge or some other technical aspect, I agree with Palast. There is too much at stake, not for Trayvon or his family, but for society. Here`s the link http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/17752-open-letter-to-trayvons-father-sue-zimmerman
Cartoon — Where are the flames of hell licking at this little puddy tat? It feels like the flames of hell around my desk! Last night, the power went out about 8:30 so I went outside to read in my car, windows down. At 11:30 it came back on so I went in and started up the fans. Out again at 2:30 am which awoke me because of the heat. Back on. Fans started again. Off again at 3:30 am. Back again at 4 am and fans started again. My fur kids were restless with no air movement. But finally, we got some rest after 4 am.
Nope. You got stung by the Critter.
I hope so! On to NC and a bunch more.
Here's hoping.
I agree with Greg too!
The flames og hell are in the breezeway, just outside my window.
Love the kitty! Big congrats on avoiding the nicotine monster! And IMO, the ones who should be in prison without parole would be several Republican members of Congress…
I agree with your incarceration plan – but I would push Bush, Cheney and John Yoo to the top of that list.
Thanks Arielle!
I agree with Nameless, but don't forget Rumsfeld, Rice and Fredo.
What the law as written by Florida has allowed is justifacation to murder as no proof of intentions are possible.
Richard, I agree.
I am so glad you got to go to the prison, am sure the guys were happy to see you back.
The Republicans won't stop until they have suppressed every potential Democratic voter. McConnell is being challenged by a Teabagger and he is all ready attacking him. Mitch has unlimited funds, thanks to his thirty years of providing all his royally rich contributors want.
Thanks, Edie.
I so hope Bought Bitch Mitch gets TEAbuggered!
… and then the Teabagger gets hung out to dry by a true Democrat!
Amen! ❗