It’s 36° in chilly Portland with a low of 25° forecast tonight. Fortunately the heat is working properly. I hope you survived Monday with a minimum of suffering. Today is grocery order day, but because of a Fred Meyer event, Store to Door can’t shop and deliver until Friday.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:31 (average 4:48). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Fantasy Football Report:
Here’s the latest from our own fantasy football league, Lefty Blog Friends.
Scores:
Once again, there must be a tear in the space-time continuum, because I actually won!
Standings:
Congrats to Rob for leading the league. I’m still in the cellar. This coming week is the last of our regular season. After that, the top eight teams enter three weeks of playoffs. I actually have a long-shot chance of sliding into eighth place.
Short Takes:
From The New Yorker: In his first public statement since Donald Trump chose him to be the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson said on Monday that the Bible “makes absolutely no mention of housing or urban development.”
Carson said that, when Trump initially asked him to accept the post, “the first thing I did was check the Bible to see if there was anything about housing or urban development in there, and much to my dismay there was not.”
“As you can well imagine, I did not want to be in charge of something that the Bible does not condone,” he said. “But then I realized that perhaps the Lord wants me to take this job so that I can banish housing and urban development from the earth.”
Andy, that’s not too far from the truth. He has said that forbidding racial discrimination in housing is "Communist" and must be stopped.
From YouTube (GQ Channel): Trump is Steering Us Toward International Disaster | The Resistance with Keith Olbermann
Amen Keith! God help us!
From NY Times:
Edgar M. Welch, a 28-year-old father of two from Salisbury, N.C., recently read online that Comet Ping Pong, a pizza restaurant in northwest Washington, was harboring young children as sex slaves as part of a child-abuse ring led by Hillary Clinton.
The articles making those allegations were widespread across the web, appearing on sites including Facebook and Twitter. Apparently concerned, Mr. Welch drove about six hours on Sunday from his home to Comet Ping Pong to see the situation for himself, according to court documents. Not long after arriving at the pizzeria, the police said, he fired from an assault-like AR-15 rifle. The police arrested him. They found a rifle and a handgun in the restaurant. No one was hurt.
In an arraignment on Monday, a heavily tattooed Mr. Welch, wearing a white jumpsuit and shackles, was ordered held. According to the criminal complaint, he told the authorities that he was armed to help rescue children but that he surrendered peacefully after finding no evidence that “children were being harbored in the restaurant.” He was charged with four counts, including felony assault with a deadly weapon and carrying a gun without a license outside a home or business.
Unbeknown to Mr. Welch, what he had been reading online were fake news articles about Comet Ping Pong, which have swollen in number over time. The false articles against the pizzeria began appearing on social networks and websites in late October, not long before the presidential election, with the restaurant identified as being the headquarters for a child-trafficking ring.
The articles were soon exposed as false by publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post and the fact-checking website Snopes. But the debunking did not squash the conspiracy theories about Comet Ping Pong — instead, it led to the opposite.
For the record, Comet Ping Pong is owned by a gay man and has been used as a venue for Democratic functions. That’s why Trump’s deplorables and Alt-Right Nazis at 4chan targeted it for violence.
Cartoon:
Republicans are working hard for de facto repeal.
12 Responses to “Open Thread – 12/6/2016”
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4:57 Well, that would be snailmail, I guess.
The stickers from Faithful America I mentioned a few days ago are still available (free, even shipping) but they are getting ready to send the order to the printer so now is the time to request – https://act.faithfulamerica.org/donate/refugees_sticker?source=em_kicker&nr=1&t=2&akid=932.240419.HJ_zwM
After the Washington Post came out with their article on "Prop Or Not," the House of Representatives decided to authorize a new committee under the Intelligence Authorization Act for FY 2017. The Bill of Rights Dissent Committee thinks this was a bad idea, and reminiscent of Joe McCarthy. Read more at http://bordc.org/news/dont-like-fake-news-russian-propoganda-either-dont-really-trust-committee-made-fbi-dod-dni-attorney-general-designees-decide-media-trust/
TNY – Andy doing straight news again, I see.
YT/GQ – All the Trump supporters claimed Trump was "telling it like it is." Keith actually "tells it like it is." Do you think any Trump supporters will listen to Keith for a nanosecond? Not a chance. Well, dear friends, I live in Colorado Springs. In the immediate area we have the Air Force Academy, Fort Carson (Army), Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, Peterson Air Force Base, and, a little farther out, Schriever Air Force Base. In case we get bombed off the face of the earth without warning, please, remember I love all of you. Keep resisting.
NYT – Has there ever been a time in history when someone could make up stories out of whole cloth (olease forgive the insult to cloth) and get the whole world to believe them, and refuse to believe any correction? If so, was there ever found any way to deal with the falsehoods? Or is the current situatin unique to a culture that has an internet?
Cartoon – Democrats would like to see the exception removed.
NYer: o.m.g. Another id.
YT/GQ: Gulp!! Boy oh Boy….I'm saving this, to watch over and over. KO says it like it is. RESIST!
NYT: They will stoop pretty low to do this, which is their agenda. I can see this continuing, we all must keep our eyes and ears open.
Cartoon: Just an fyi: 18/2/13: "The 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which abolished slavery, was ratified in 1865. Lawmakers in Mississippi, however, only got around to officially ratifying the amendment last month — 148 years later — thanks to the movie "Lincoln."
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/after-148-years-mississippi-finally-ratifies-13th-amendment-which-banned-slavery/
It's stopped raining here, but as an avid GOT fan, I think "Winter is coming", like places where you're at, and up in the mid west, and NE. Brrr…..! Glad your heat is working, and you're comfy. Enjoy your day, take care, and Thanks, Tom.
Sadly, Michael Flynn, Trump's National Security Advisor, just loves him lots of fake news and conspiracy theories.
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/michael-flynn-conspiracy-pizzeria-trump-232227
In fact Trump is surrounding himself with a group of Morons/Morans who just love, Love LOVE fake news and conspiracy theories.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/12/trump-fake-news-michael-flynn-pizzagate
Even more sadly, Flynn's position does not require Senate approval, so he won't be grilled about it.
Dark Days Are Coming!
Yeah, darn, I was confusing him with Massin. But I guess this position doesn't even need a waiver for less than seven years out of service. Darn.
New Yorker: Gee, does Andy have acess to Dr. Ben's interior voice, or is it his nightly journal? Is taht what that lady shown on the news months ago meant when she said she loves "…what he stands for?"
Keith: International disaster is, possibly, what der Fuhrer wants…it creates a wonderful situation within which a fascist gets to remind people why they NEED no one but HIM!
NY T: Putting out Fake news is a bit like yelling "Fire!" in a crowded theater. The jackasses who put it out, for whatever nefarious reason, are responsible for the consequences. The people who buy into the stories are either proud of their ignorance, or so happy to see something that supports their already set perceptions that they accept the stuff with no attempt to verify!
Changing the subject, I think TC, that you may be a bit unhappy to not have the FartFuhrer of McCrorystan to "kick around anymore," as King Richard infamously said Check out this story: http://www.care2.com/news/member/565542931/4025425
The New Yorker: Ben Carson should stay in the swamp.
YT/GQ: Love Olbermann as a hard-hitting journalist who tells it like it is truthfully,
artfully and so much better than Drumpf ever could with his flip-flopping lies. Even the so-called regular broadcast journalists could never begin to have standards matching Olbermann. Yes, Drumpf is leading the USA towards international disaster as he does have poop for brains. Is he interested in WAR as he has said that "why do we have nuclear weapons if we can't use them".
NYT: Anyone who actually believed that Hillary was running a child-trafficking ring on the internet has not much in brains nor reasoning skills in this "PizzaGate" fake news conspiracy. Edgar Welch has two kids who, most likely, will grow up to be like him. Remember that old adage, stupid people are out there and they breed.
There must be a way to track down the originator of this story and charge that person(s) for inciting to violence, murder, riot?
Cartoon: Can't believe that Mississippi finally ratified the 13th Amendment just very recently after it was written in 1865, 148 years ago. "According to the Clarion-Ledger, it's unclear why the state never sent the U.S. Archivist its 1995 resolution." Me thinks a racist held up the paperwork, hoping that nobody would notice. A bit slow, aren't they.
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My son is a newspaper editor for a paper in MS. Being my son, he is very liberal, and is the least prejudiced person dIhave ever known. His publisher won't let him publish many of his op eds because they would "stir up" the community. This is very frustrating for him, but, since the newspaper industry is in such a hard spot, he can't afford to leave.
Puzzle — 3:24 Green mail to go with green beer!
FF — Well I went up two spots so I am not in the basement anymore. I almost took Brees out of my lineup and replaced him with Flacco. Too bad I didn't — Brees had a crappy week with about 8 points and Flacco had a great week with about 37 points! That little faux pas got me the Snickers Hungriest Bench Award.
The New Yorker — Isn't it interesting how Republicans who have benefited from some government programmes — think Ben Carson and Paul Ryan — are the first to deny access to those same programmes for others by making access more difficult or just axing them. I've got mine, screw you! I agree with JD, Andy is straight reporting again.
Youtube — "Trump Doctrine — congratulate Trump!" OMG, it is going to be a loooonnnngg 4 years! Somebody should take Drumpf's Twitter account away from him! Better still, somebody should take the presidency away from Drumpf! As usual, Keith is spot on!
NY Times — Drumpf has called the press dishonest etc and promised revision of libel laws etc, and attacked the 1st amendment. The people who concoct these fake stories and who propogate them should be the ones to be investigated and charged. They will get their day in court unlike the owner of Comet Ping Pong who is still dealing with threats. There are two good things, nobody was hurt, and secondly, Welch had the good sense to surrender peacefully when he found that the story about the trafficing of children was not true.
Cartoon — Republicans, in general, have no acquaintance with the constitution and its true meaning.
Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
The deep freeze it is. Last night did not get as cold as predicted as far as I know, but the high today was only 3 C (~37 F) in my area. The snow did stop yesterday about 2000 hours but the icing sure did not. Even though the parking lot in my complex was snow bladed and salted, I listened to tires on cracking ice all day long. It was very sunny and clear today but as the sun was setting, the clouds rolled in. The forecast is for more snow Wednesday.
The New Yorker: Andy got this one right, Carson will probably rely on Leviticus to make all his decisions.
Keith Olberman: I agree with everything he says, and it terrifies me. We have a narcissistic, bombastic, egomaniac preparing to take over the running of our country.
NY Times: This is an example of what can happen if people don't fact check before they share an article. I have received some of the dumbest, most outrageous emails and Facebook posts, from people who should know better. I always fact check before I share.
Cartoon: I can see its repeal some time in the next four years.
With those temperatures you give your frozen shoulder a whole new meaning, TomCat. I hope it thaws out enough to let you keep the Tylenol in it's box.
TNY: I can't remember Ben Carson being so talibangelical when he was campaigning in the primaries; what I remember mostly what how completely spaced out he was, when he was not asleep that is. This "conversion" probably comes with the job. You need to be rich and either a racist or a bigot or any of the other traits Drumpf and Pence like so much in themselves that they want to have it reflected in the cabinet, and while Carson is rich and a racist, it doesn't come off very well due to his own color, so he he's been pulling the talibangelical card to be acceptable. And he does everything Drumpf tells him to, so he'll be making a lot of nice deals for the family Drumpf in the next four years.
YT(GQC): Thank you, Keith Olbermann, for saying it ALL. Resist!
NYT: Thank goodness no one got hurt by this amosexual lobotomized Republican. I rather much doubt than an investigation into who's behind this ridiculous fake news would have been initiated under a Democratic President; but I'm absolutely sure this will not happen under Drumpf.
Cartoon: Slavery comes in many shapes. Drumpf an his minions will make sure it'll return in all of them.
One of the things not talked about on the news (much if at all), is that the CEO of Boeing talked about how many planes they send off to China and how China is a good customer. He said he thought Trump should back off a little from criticizing China. Twenty-one minutes later, Trump tweets that we should cancel the order for an Air Force One with Boeing. This is our new world leader –
Thanks all! Pooped Hugs!!