Jebya! Says Dubya “Kept Us Safe” – A Rebuttal Ad

 Posted by at 10:36 am  Politics
Sep 212015
 

From all the lies packed into last Wednesday’s GOP debate, this mendacity caused my jaw to hit the floor:

JEBYA: “As it relates to my brother, there's one thing I know for sure: He kept us safe.  I don't know if you remember, Donald — you remember the rubble?  You remember the firefighter with his arms around him?  He sent a clear signal that the United States would be strong and fight Islamic terrorism, and he did keep us safe."

And sadly, that whopper got a huge round of applause from the partisan rabble-rousers.

Why, Jebya was so sure of himself he even sent out this Tweet:

I don’t know about you, but I think if you’re standing on a pile of rubble where 3,000 people had just been killed, it would be a YUUUGGE leap of faith to call that “Safe”.  Maybe this Tweet will jog Jebya’s – and all the other mouth-breathers who thinks Dubya's  calendar began on 9/12/01 – memory:

But there’s a great rebuttal ad that will begin airing next week on cable – well worth the 30 seconds it takes to watch …

From the YouTube intro:

Jeb Bush thinks his brother "kept us safe"… but we won't let Jeb rewrite history. Ignoring warnings of terrorists plots by Osama bin Laden, a tragically inept response to Hurricane Katrina, plunging our economy into recession and leading us into a unnecessary war that took the lives of over 4,000 US men and women – just a few examples of how "safe" Jeb's brother kept us.

 

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Squatch’s Open Thread 21/09/2015

 Posted by at 8:21 am  Open Thread
Sep 212015
 

OGIM!! as TC would say!  Actually, it is Sunday afternoon and I am back from church and working on this post for Monday.  I asked the congregation to pray for TomCat's healing and lit a candle for him.  I had a number of people acknowledge that they would pray for him.  Otherwise, Sunday afternoon is pretty mellow.  I did have a good laugh at a radio commercial for a home equity lending company though.  Seems the fellow wanted to borrow money to set up a sasquatch farm with tennis courts and a swimming pool.  Sasquatch is a nickname that TC gave me, so I think he would appreciate the humour.  I will likely have dinner, finish this off and have an early date with my pillow.  Monday will be busy!

PLEASE NOTE: I have made the post title the hyperlink to the original article with the exception of the puzzle.

Puzzle — Today’s took me 3:10 (average 4:59).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?  For those that don't know, we always do the 48 piece classic.

The New Yorker — Two days after asserting that President Barack Obama was a foreign-born Muslim, a guy who asked Donald Trump a provocative question at a New Hampshire rally is now the front-runner in the Republican race for President, according to a new poll.

The poll, which was conducted by the University of Minnesota’s Opinion Research Institute, shows Muslim Question Guy leading the G.O.P. field with thirty-four per cent as opposed to nineteen per cent for Trump.

I know this is Andy's satire, but with all the Republican BS and the Islamophobes coming out from under rocks, this could actually be real reporting.

The Guardian — The Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson has said no Muslim should be president of the United States of America.

In an interview with NBC for broadcast on Sunday morning, the retired neurosurgeon said: “I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that.” …

This week, Ellison carried a clock around Congress to show support for Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old boy who was arrested at his school in Irving, Texas over suspicions a homemade clock was in fact a bomb.

On Sunday Ellison, the first Muslim ever elected to Congress, released a statement in answer to Carson’s comments.

“For Ben Carson, Donald Trump, or any other Republican politician to suggest that someone of any faith is unfit for office is out of touch with who we are as a people,” he said.

“It’s unimaginable that the leading GOP presidential candidates are resorting to fear mongering to benefit their campaigns, and every American should be disturbed that these national figures are engaging in and tolerating blatant acts of religious bigotry.” (my emphasis)

I happen to agree with Ellison.  But I also agree with Kasich when he says "“But, for me, the most important thing about being president is you have leadership skills, you know what you’re doing, and you can help fix this country and raise this country. Those are the qualifications that matter to me.”"  I would also add integrity.  So considering the 1st and 14th amendments to the Constitution and considering the skill sets and qualities for POTUS, being Muslim should not hold anyone back.  However, I do think that the anti-Muslim feeling within the country, almost a hysteria in some areas, would make being a Muslim POTUS almost untenable.  If the Republican/Teabaggers and the entire right wing render the Congress totally dysfunctional because POTUS is an African American Christian, what would the Congress be like with a POTUS that is Muslim?  It should not be this way.

NY Times — I’ve been going over what was said at Wednesday’s Republican debate, and I’m terrified. You should be, too. After all, given the vagaries of elections, there’s a pretty good chance that one of these people will end up in the White House.

Why is that scary? I would argue that all of the G.O.P. candidates are calling for policies that would be deeply destructive at home, abroad, or both. But even if you like the broad thrust of modern Republican policies, it should worry you that the men and woman on that stage are clearly living in a world of fantasies and fictions. And some seem willing to advance their ambitions with outright lies.

Another fine article by Paul Krugman.  I want to do a piece on the recent debate, but I just can't find a big enough barf bag.  To be sure, much of the press I have seen has declared Fiorina the winner, but nobody is sure of just what!  One thing is for sure, this is SSDD Republican/Teabagger style.

My Universe — h/t JL — That's me today!  How did I manage to work full time in a middle management job, do volunteer work and not feel as tired as I am tonight?  This is definitely a good word!

 

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5 Jaw-Dropping Right-Wing Idiocies This Week

 Posted by at 2:04 am  Politics
Sep 202015
 

As Puddy Tat always says "Almost every week, Republicans join a competition to see who can say the most outlandish things, and in the process, they push the envelope on just how nutty InsaniTEA can become.  I trust that you will believe it, when I tell you that last week was no exception."

1. Sarah Palin rants about how Ahmed Mohamed was up to no good when he brought that clock to school.

Mama Bear Palin actually managed to make her dim-witted daughter Bristol look almost reasonable this week. While Bristol went on record on her blog saying that 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed should probably not have been arrested for bringing a clock to school, Sarah ranted thusly on Facebook:

“Yep, believing that’s a clock in a school pencil box is like believing Barack Obama is ruling over the most transparent administration in history. Right. That’s a clock, and I’m the queen of England.” 

Her deranged comments hardly ended there:

“Friends, consider the kids disciplined and/or kicked out of school for bringing squirt guns to school or taking bites out of a pop tart until it resembled (to some politically correct yahoo) a gun. Or the student out deer hunting with his dad early one morning who forgot he had a box of ammo in his truck when he parked in the school’s lot later that day. Kids humiliated and intimidated for innocent actions like those real examples are often marked the rest of their lives and made to feel really rotten. Whereas Ahmed Muhammad, [sic] an evidently obstinate-answering student bringing in a homemade 'clock' that obviously could be seen by conscientious teachers as a dangerous wired-up bomb-looking contraption (teachers who are told 'if you see something, say something!') gets invited to the White House.”

On this Mama and Baby Grizzly agreed. President Obama had no business inviting wrongly arrested Ahmed to the White House. Who does he think he is, the president of the United States? Maybe the queen of England? That would be just like him, you know.

“By the way, President Obama’s practice of jumping in cases prematurely to interject himself as the cool savior, wanting so badly to attach himself to the issue-of-the-day, got old years ago,” Palin wrote.

Yeah, Bristol blogged, this is “the kind of stuff Obama needs to STAY out of.”

Why does she think that? “This encourages more racial strife that is already going on with the ‘Black Lives Matter’ crowd and encourages victimhood,” she wrote. 

It’s a familiar right-wing trope, racial strife is somehow created by those who point out racism, instead of those perpetuating racism.

Of course, that is a concept that goes whizzing by both Palin women's heads.

Read the rest at Alternet

What movie was it that coined the phrase "They're ba-ack!"?  I'm sure it was some horror movie.  Oh wait, "It's As The Stomach Turns" starring the Republican/Teabaggers.

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Squatch’s Open Thread 20/09/2015

 Posted by at 1:46 am  Open Thread, Politics
Sep 202015
 

What a slow day.  It poured rain all day, but was especially heavy when I had to go out for a doctor's appointment.  I thought I was going to have to swim there . . . and back!  My "kids" were quiet and I even managed a short nap.  Lona, did you send some cat naps my way?  Being a late to bed gal, you're getting this early because I'll be at church tomorrow morning.

Puzzle — Today’s took me 3:13 (average 4:43).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?  For those that don't know, we always do the 48 piece classic.

Alternet — Putting aside absurdities, what is the real threat of Iran that inspires such fear and fury? A natural place to turn for an answer is, again, U.S. intelligence. Recall its analysis that Iran poses no military threat, that its strategic doctrines are defensive, and its nuclear programmmes [with no effort to produce bombs, as far as intelligence can determine] are “a central part of its deterrent strategy”.

Who, then, would be concerned by an Iranian deterrent? The answer is plain: the rogue states that rampage in the region and do not want to tolerate any impediment to their reliance on aggression and violence. Far in the lead in this regard are the U.S. and Israel, with Saudi Arabia trying its best to join the club with its invasion of Bahrain to support the crushing of the reform movement by the dictatorship and now its murderous assault on Yemen, accelerating the humanitarian catastrophe there.

This is taken from the middle of the article.  Read the rest at Alternet

Reading Chomsky, knowing some of the history of the Middle East, and knowing a fair amount of US history, is it any wonder that the Republicans do not support the Iran deal?!  Their support of the agreement would mean no war which translates into no exorbitant profits for the military/industrial complex.  This is not about nuclear weapons but about profits to be made from the sale of weapons and materiel.  And you can believe that the likes of Chickenhawk Cheney and the other neocons are right in there stirring the witch's brew.

Mother Jones — Johnson County, Wyoming, is the kind of remote, quiet Western community where life revolves around cattle—it was the site of an infamous 19th-century armed battle between cowboys and suspected cattle rustlers. The county ranks only 11th statewide for oil production, but it holds the No. 1 ranking nationwide for a more ignominious distinction: It has 249 new, high-risk oil and gas wells that the federal government has failed to inspect for compliance with safety and environmental standards.

wy-well-mj

Johnson County may have the most uninspected wells, but it's far from the only place where the problem exists. In fact, of all 3,486 oil and gas wells drilled on federal and Native American land from 2009 to 2012 that were identified by the Bureau of Land Management as high risk for pollution, 40 percent were not inspected at the most important stage of their development, according to records the BLM provided to Climate Desk.

Where does your state stand?  Check in Mother Jones

With budget cutbacks, the BLM is stretched too thinly.  There just are not enough resources to get the job done.  And who suffers . . . people and wildlife who are caught in the blowouts and politics.  When it comes to budget cuts, who do you think is holding the axe?

Huffington Post — A judge in the U.S District Court for the Northern District of California has ruled that the organization behind undercover videos targeting Planned Parenthood cannot plead the Fifth Amendment to avoid handing over any materials related to a lawsuit filed against the organization.

Huffington Post

A crack in the armour of Citizens United?  Beats me, but if this is a crack, then there could be a real political fight down the road.

My Universe — It's Saturday and time to party!  Oh the headache in the morning!

cat gifs, cats gif, funny cat gifs, funny cat gif, cute cat gif, best cat gifs, cute cat gifs, animated cat gifs, cat animated gif, hilarious cat gifs

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Squatch’s Open Thread 19/09/2015

 Posted by at 1:09 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Sep 192015
 

Here I am early on Friday evening and I am preparing another Open Thread for Saturday.  This is my 10th Open Thread and 12th article this year at Politics Plus.  I wish the circumstances were different.  I started following TC in August 2011 with the idea that I could learn a lot about Canadian politics by watching American political theatre.  And TC knew that.  He encouraged me to write more articles, but I kept putting it off.  A friend and former manager of mine keeps saying "You need to write a book." to which I scoffed "About what?"  Here are two people I respect pushing me forward out of my lethargy, out of my comfort zone.  But I think I learned the most from TC about life . . . about viewing people in different ways; about making a difference.  For that, I will be forever greatful.  Now, whether that book ever gets written is another matter, but at least I'm thinking.

Puzzle — Today’s took me 3:11 (average 5:02).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes

Mother Jones — When Pope Francis addresses a joint session of Congress next Thursday, there's a pretty good chance he'll talk about climate change, one of his favorite subjects of late. Paul Gosar, a Republican Congressman from Arizona, is not happy about that. 

Plenty of climate change deniers, Catholic and not, have expressed their displeasurewith the Holy Father over his stance on climate. But Gosar, himself a Catholic, just became the first member of Congress to announce he will boycott the speech because of it. …

Mother Jones

Interesting!  Republicans will invite the Israeli warlord Benjamin Netanyahu to address the Congress, he hoping to foment a war between the US and Iran, his sworn enemy.  But when it comes to Pope Francis, a man trying to live with respect to Creation and promote that idea, Republicans, or at least one will boycott the visit.  Stupid is as stupid does.

Robert Reich — I’ve had so many calls about an article appearing earlier this week in the Wall Street Journal – charging that Bernie Sanders’s proposals would carry a “price tag” of $18 trillion over a 10-year period – that it’s necessary to respond.

The Journal’s number is entirely bogus, designed to frighten the public. 

Read his 4 reasons why the Wall Street Journal's attack on Bernie Sanders is bogus at Robert Reich

That bastion of the right wing, The Wall Street Journal (Rupert Murdoch de-linked), engaged in deception.  In 16/09/2015's Open Thread, I posted a piece from The Nation regarding the WSJ's attempted take down of Bernie.  Robert Reich outlines 4 reasons why the WSJ was wrong.

Think Progress — Elementary school students are in their school gymnasium for a pep rally. An extremely enthusiastic young host shows them a video based on the year’s theme: a community spirit called “Rock’n Town Live.” He leads the students in loud cheers of “go Tigers,” “can’t believe it,” and “thirty to thirty-five laps.” And in addition to whipping the kids into a frenzy, he and the school’s principal take turns asking the kids to go home and get two adults to pledge a contribution. Roughly half of that money will go to benefit the school. Roughly half of it will go to Booster Enterprises Inc., a Georgia-based for-profit company putting on the event. …

Think Progress

This is outrageous . . . 48% of funds raised go to the fund raising companies.  If the US wants to have a highly educated workforce, then it needs to fund education properly, AND it needs to ensure that funds raised for special projects are accounted for.

My Universe —

funny-cat-meme

 

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“Why Does She Have a Doctor’s Stethoscope On?”

 Posted by at 8:02 am  Politics
Sep 192015
 

Many of you are aware that “The View’s” Joy Behar (who I generally like) and her sidekick Michelle Collins are having trouble speaking due to their feet being firmly planted in their mouths for mocking Kelly Johnson, a valedictorian RN and Miss Colorado.  Nurse Johnson chose, as her talent in last Sunday’s Miss America contest, to give a passionate monologue about her caring for a patient with Alzheimer’s while dressed in her purple scrubs with a stethoscope draped over her neck.

Nurse_Miss-America-Colorado_Doctor-Stethoscope

Michelle Collins explained: “She came out in a nurse's uniform and basically read her emails out loud and shockingly did not win."

And very unwisely, Joy Behar elected to incredulously add: “Why does she have a doctor’s stethoscope on?”

(As a physician who has routinely and repeatedly relied on the training, experience, wisdom and professionalism of countless nurses – it gives me the heebie-jeebies to even type that.)

Well, the reaction from both nurses and the rest of us (and that means EVERY ONE OF US) who rely on nurses was swift and fierce.  I think the statement by the American Nurses Association President, Pamela F. Cipriano, addresses the issue the best:

Each and every day, the nation’s 3.4 million registered nurses provide expert, high-quality and compassionate care, as well as dedicated leadership from the bedside to the boardroom.  We are the frontline caregivers, 24 hours, 7 days a week, who are with individuals from birth, throughout their lifespan and at the end of life.…  That's why it was disturbing when Joy Behar used her national platform and influence to mock Miss America contestant Kelley Johnson for wearing a “doctor's stethoscope” while performing a dramatic monologue about her experience as a registered nurse during the pageant's talent competition, as if Johnson were wearing a costume.

Nurses don't wear costumes, they save lives.

Nurse Cipriano is much more gracious than I am:

Nurse_Miss-America-Colorado_Doctor-Stethoscope_02

To her credit, Joy Behar did offer a sincere apology:

BEHAR: I was looking at a Miss America tape, and there’s a woman wearing an outfit with a stethoscope, and I’m thinking is she in a costume?  It's not like I was trying to be funny. It was just stupid and inattentive. I didn't know what the hell I was talking about.

Probably like you, I’m looking forward to TC sharing his thoughts on nurses.

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SURROGATE Updates, Questions, Concerns WRT TC #3

 Posted by at 5:46 am  Politics
Sep 192015
 

The four of us who have been working both in front of and behind the scenes (Lynn [aka “Squatch”], JLA, Joanne D, and myself, SoINeedAName) share your desire for as much information on TC as possible.  But we want to respect his privacy, and recognize the hospital has an ethical and legal obligation to also protect his privacy.  So our information flow will be much more limited than I’m sure we all would like – but also recognize the paramount importance of TC’s privacy.

Another major reason, besides privacy, we have been so circumspect on providing any other information is that we are trying to help the hospital from being inundated with phone calls.  They obviously have very important and difficult tasks to do, so we felt it’s in TC’s best medical interest to let them do their jobs as best they can.

Yesterday afternoon I had the opportunity to speak to TC’s nurse.  I did identify myself as a physician to help with communication, but was hampered by my profound hearing deficit that sometimes made us resort to the “Alpha, Bravo, etc.” alphabet to spell out words.  She was very kind and patient with me.

She said that TC remains in Critical condition, but he has also shown definite and continuing signs of restoring renal function as evidenced by improving lab parameters.  So some definite good news!

When I began asking specific “medical” questions, she said that she would need to communicate that information with either a family member or designated friend.  She did say that there is a "designated friend" who is hoping to visit TC today, Saturday.  The four of us are aware of who this person is, but have not been able to establish any contact with her, as we have with a few other of his friends – some of whom TC has identified to the hospital as a person with whom the hospital can share information, which is how we’ve been getting our information.

The nurse said she could relay specific medical information to today’s visitor, so I asked if she could also have that person contact me – and the nurse said “Sure.”  I gave the nurse my name, phone number and email address, so I’m hopeful this person will feel comfortable establishing a line of communication.  Time will tell.

So while TC remains in Critical condition, there are some definite signs of slow improvement.  He’s obviously still in need of our thoughts, prayers or whatever spiritual modality you use to send good vibes to him.

Lynn has graciously offered to serve as a point source to relay cards you would like to send to him.  This is from her earlier post:

A reminder for those wishing to send cards to TC, please address them as follows:

"TomCat"
c/o Lynn Squance,
436 Lehman Place, 
Port Moody, BC
Canada 
V3H 3Z6

For US residents: Please note: International Postage required!

http://www.stamps.com/usps/postage-rate-increase/

For other International residents: please check locally for stamp rates

For Canadian residents: please use “oversize” letter rates if applicable (applies to many but not all cards):https://www.canadapost.ca/cpotools/apps/far/business/farLetter?execution=e5s1

 

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Squatch’s Open Thread 18/09/2015

 Posted by at 5:58 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Sep 182015
 

Today has been a pretty good day.  For a "late to bed, late to rise" person since I retired, I was up at 7:30 am.  I checked into the computer for an hour and then I was off to my 10 am physio appointment which lasted until 12:15 pm.  After that, I was teaching ESL for 3 hours.  Now home at the computer, a grey squirrel just tried to come in the window but thought better of it.  Good thing with 3 cats in the house!

There likely will be an update on TC today on SURROGATE– Updates, Questions, Concerns WRT TC Page 2  

Puzzle — Today’s took me 4:56 (average 6:37).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes

Alternet — When Carlos Chaverst Jr. heard Sen. Bernie Sanders speak at the National Action Network’s national convention in New York City on April 8, he knew he was listening to a future presidential candidate he could get behind.

The senator’s message of making college affordable for all people struck a personal chord with Chaverst because he is currently taking a semester off from school, in part to figure out how he will pay off some of his student debt. A community activist who works with poor communities in his hometown of Birmingham, Ala., the 22-year-old said Sanders’ views on universal health care struck a chord with him. While he doesn’t remember the senator going into too many details, Chaverst says Sanders was frank about the need to address police brutality and holding abusive officers accountable.

Alternet

As Chaverst says “He hasn’t gone to them.  He has worked for black people but he hasn’t actually gone to black people. There’s a huge disconnect…. If he would meet with more black communities, go to more black events, more black people would know him.”  And THAT is easy to remedy.

Huffington Post — During the second GOP presidential debate Wednesday night, Donald Trump, Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) said they would be open to putting civil rights activist Rosa Parks on the $10 bill. But the Republican candidates might be surprised to learn that Parks sat on the national board of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, one of the GOP’s biggest political enemies. …

Rosa Parks

Huffington Post

It seems that more than just Rick Perry is capable of having major "Oops" moments!  Listen to the video.  These Republican presidential candidates came across as condescending neanderthals and know nothings.  Stupid is as stupid does!

The Guardian — … Felicia Maganwe, a lieutenant colonel in SANDF in the South African defence force, has an astonishing story to tell about how she has found her gender to impact her place in the field.

She was the company commander with a South African contingent with Monusco, one of a select number of females in such a senior position. “When I arrived, it took me a day to adjust. The second day I started setting up my base … The (rebel leader) said ‘But you’re a woman!’. He was surprised.”

Later in her tour, one of her operating bases was caught in dangerous crossfire between two rebel groups, and was being overrun by civilians seeking shelter. Maganwe took action: she phoned the rebel leader and demanded that he move the combat elsewhere. “It was easier because I was a women,” she said. The rebels did not feel threatened by her, and were thus more willing to negotiate. The rebels complied with her demands, and for her work in the Congo, Maganwe received a commendation as the best company commander on her mission. ,,,

The Guardian

Years ago, I wrote a poem about the war in Lebanon.  "It is the tears of women that will wash the red hills of Lebanon and bring peace."  There are so many qualities that women bring to the table.  It is past time that women take their rightful places as leaders.  Republicans sure wouldn't like that at all.

My Universe — 

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