TomCat

Republicans on Parade–12/17/2015

Posted by TomCat at 9:56 am Politics

Dec 172015

RepublicansOnParade

Here is the eighty-second article in our Republicans on Parade series, featuring individuals who personify what the Republican Party has become. Today’s honoree is Texas Agricultural Commissioner, Sid Miller. He is so honored for his Republican approach to the season and other expressions of bigotry.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller may be taking the so-called “war on Christmas” a little too literally.

In a Facebook post [Republican delinked] on Wednesday, the Republican official said that he would “slap” anyone who wished him “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.”

“If one more person says Happy Holidays to me I just might slap them. Either tell me Merry Christmas or just don’t say anything,” Miller wrote.

The message included a photo of a cowboy riding a bull in front of a sign that read: “We Will Never Take Christ Out Of Christmas.”

The post had been liked over 7,000 times by Thursday morning.

However, hundreds of people responded to Miller’s post by wishing him Happy Holidays, including a GIF from the Texas Democratic Party.

The Houston Chronicle pointed out that Miller had a history of posting controversial remarks on Facebook. In one post, he called for nuking the “Muslim world.” In another post, he compared Syrian refugees to “rattlesnakes.”… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Raw Story>

It’s hard to get more Republican than this. In advance, I wish you a Merry Christmas, or whatever holiday greeting suits you. I wish all Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians (the opposite of authentic Christians), like this bigot, Happy Holidays!

Open Thread–12/17/2015

Posted by TomCat at 9:55 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 172015

Things are a little crazy around here, because my power chair is scheduled to arrive today. Because I arranged my schedule for it to come a week from now, I’m going to have to do some appointment juggling.

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: A Modesto, California pastor is recovering after being accidentally shot by his firearms-safety instructor during class:

During the course, Rushing was using a training gun, a rubber fake with no firing mechanism, said Heather Graves, Modesto Police Department spokeswoman. But as the class was ending, she said, he removed that prop from his holster and replaced it with his real handgun.

About that time, Graves said, a student asked Rushing to demonstrate what to do if attacked by someone armed with a knife. Smith volunteered to portray the attacker in a role-playing exercise.

“During the scenario, the instructor drew the firearm and it accidentally discharged,” she said. She did not know whether Rushing forgot he replaced the training gun or whether he knew he was drawing the real gun.

Oh those Republican Ammosexuals! If republicans were serious about addressing mental health issues, they’d disarm themselves.

From Upworthy: An amazing new trove of fossil fuel industry documents was released in summer 2015.

Check out this Russia Today segment, featuring Aaron Huertas from the Union of Concerned Scientists. It’s surprisingly zinger-filled for a discussion of corporate memos.

Pro tip: Listen for this phrase “cannot be denied." The part about employees leaking some of these documents starts at 1:48.

That’s 34 years of lies and destruction of our planet. Take them down, make them pay, and lock them up!!

From Alternet: I know, I know. You probably haven’t tuned in to MTV recently—unless you’re a big fan of teenage reality shows. But as it turns out, the music-less music television station is working to educate their audience on the racist origins of some commonly used phrases.

We’d better not let Republicans find out about these. They’ll use them more.

Cartoon:

1217Cartoon

Poll Results–12/16/2015

Posted by TomCat at 9:48 am Blog News, Politics

Dec 162015

Here are the results of our “Terrorist Identification” poll. Politics Plus Polls are not scientific, because those who respond are not balanced according to demographic categories. Therefore, we do not accurately reflect the makeup of the US population. Nevertheless, our polls are usually factually accurate, and more often than not, they reflect thinking or will of the national majority.

1216Poll

Since our polling site no longer enables us to copy and paste your poll comments, you may read them here.

I voted with the majority that attending a religious service is not a terrorist act. Hate crimes are.

There is a new poll up. Please vote.

Open Thread–12/16/2015

Posted by TomCat at 9:47 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 162015

Yesterday the Home Health Nurse came, and starting next week, I’ll be getting PT, OT, and a Bathing Aide at home. Then Terry and Sandi visited. I was doing prison volunteer work with them. Then JL A (aka Judi) visited. She was passing through Portland on the way to visit relatives for Christmas, so I ordered in Chinese, and we had a very present meal. She is one of the warmest people I have met.

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: The stupid, it burns . . . . The worst of the lot? A former SCIENCE teacher that said she was afraid it would hurt nearby plants making them unable to photosynthesize . . . Woodland’s Planning Commission banned the solar farm on a 3-1 vote. That’s right, 75% of the planning commission was either too afraid to tell their stupid residents the actual scientific truth, or they’re just as stupid as their residents.

As detailed in this Roanoke Chowan News Herald story

Will I ever wake up from the stupidity of Republicans?

Bobby Mann said he watched communities dry up when I-95 came along and warned that would happen to Woodland because of the solar farms. [emphasis original]

Dang!! Thou shalt NOT commit TEAbuggery!!

From The New Yorker: Authorities were urging people to remain calm on Tuesday night after the broadcast of a chilling video that terrified millions.

The video, which was broadcast nationally on CNN, appeared to show nine extremists glaring into the camera and making a series of escalating threats.

The radicals’ increasingly violent rhetoric and palpable hatred rattled viewers across the nation, sources said.

Experts who viewed the video acknowledged that the words and images contained in it were alarming, but advised the public to remain calm until the extremists’ threats could be authenticated.

“At this point, there is no reason to believe that any of these individuals are credible,” one expert said.

Dang!! The previous item sounds more like Andy than Andy! I didn't even know there was a Clown Car Destruction Derby last night.

From Alternet: Another GOP debate, another steaming pile of half-truths, lies and pseudo-facts. The Republican Party seems to be almost entirely post-truth at this point, and if you call them out, you're the liberal media! It's a brilliant racket and one that led us to the current state of affairs where facts aren't just dispensable, but a political liability. Without further ado, here are the top lies and distortions from tonight's debate.

1. Ben Carson and Ted Cruz: "We cannot vet refugees."

A popular refrain in the wake of the Paris and San Bernadino attacks is that the U.S. government (or more specifically President Obama) cannot properly vet Syrian refugees. This has been repeatedly debunked as hysterical posturing, yet remains a popular trope among the far right. In addition to a rather thorough takedown by John Oliver two weeks ago, PoliticoFact rated this claim, "Mostly False" in its detailed analysis this evening.

2. Marco Rubio claims Assad created ISIS.

This is an old canard, and one that even nominally lefty outlets like Vox like to push, but it has little to do with reality. In an effort to shore up his neocon credentials, Rubio has doubled down on regime change in Syria while other GOP candidates like Paul and Cruz – as well as Bernie Sanders – have run away from this position. To do this Rubio has pushed the conspiracy theory that the reason ISIS grew in Syria is because the U.S. didn't back the rebels opposed to Assad when in fact the CIA, according to documents revealed by Edward Snowden, spent $1 billion a year arming, funding and assisting the opposition.

3. Donald Trump cites bogus poll that 25% of Muslims condone acts of violence.

A popular trope among the nativist wing of the Republican Party (aka the Republican Party), the bogus stat that 25% of Muslins support violence is thrown around quite often. But it originates from noted Islamophobic "think tank" Center for Security Policy. As the New York Times notes:

Mr. Trump vouched for the group at a rally on Monday night. But the poll — conducted by the Polling Company [pig poll delinked], a Republican firm — is in no way truly representative of all Muslim Americans because of its methodology. The poll was not based on a random sample, but included only people who chose to participate, and therefore is not representative of the population being studied. In addition, some of the questions were leading and biased.

I shared only the first three of the top ten Republican lies at the Clown Car Destruction Derby. Click through for the other seven.

Cartoon:

1216Cartoon

The Exception to Good Faith

Posted by TomCat at 11:37 am Politics

Dec 152015

There has been much ado about how the recent climate deal reached in Paris is non-binding. The following article explains how that need not be important, because the parties involved made the commitment in good faith, and their reputation in the international community is tantamount. While I agree in principle, we must not forget the exception to good faith.

The Paris climate deal has been lauded as “historic,” “sweeping,” and “ambitious” — a way to lead the world into a post-fossil-fuel, less-than-2°C-warming future.

But it has also been ridiculed for being “non-binding.” That is to say that America and nearly 200 other countries all got together and agreed to try really, really hard to slow climate change and to submit ongoing progress reports, but didn’t set up penalties within the agreement.

Non-binding, though, does not mean meaningless.

It’s worth taking a moment and thinking about what a binding agreement is. If I offer to pick your child up from daycare Thursday afternoon, is that a binding agreement? You can’t, strictly speaking, punish me if I leave little Sarah sitting on the curb. But — and this is a big but — you can shame me. You can avoid me, distrust me, and not make any more social agreements with me.

This idea of social pressure and participation does not only apply to carpools. It also applies to the international community. Sure, China could renege on its promises to transition off coal. The United States could decide it’s not going to give any money to developing nations to help build renewable energy. But that would make for pretty bad foreign relations.

In fact, most international agreements rely on countries’ desire to continue having good relationships with their counterparts, Michael Burger, executive director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School, told ThinkProgress.

“International agreements operate under good faith,” Burger said. “Whether a country is an upstanding member of the international community is what’s at stake.”…

Inserted from <Think Progress>

The Republican Party does not give a rat’s ass for America’s reputation in the international community. They proved that when they defaulted on our debt in 2011, causing a drop in our credit rating. They are the exception to good faith, and they have seditiously tried to undermine these negotiations at every turn. So the future livability of our planet may well depend on who we elect in 2016.

Open Thread–12/15/2015

Posted by TomCat at 11:34 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Dec 152015

Yesterday I went to TriMet to reestablish lift access in my chair. The ten minute appointment took over three hours. Today the Home Health Nurse is scheduled to come before noon, so this this goes up late, that’s why. Tonight I’m expecting an experience that could be considered Angellic.

Fantasy Football Report:

This weekend it’s playoff time in Lefty Blog Friends, our own Fantasy Football League. Kudos to our top three players in the regular season: Patty Monster, Seth, and Vivian. Condolences to the two players who did not make the playoffs: Dusty and Pam. We look forward to your return next year. Here’s the playoffs bracket.

15Playoffrs

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: Elahe Izadi runs down the well-documented efforts of Our Founding Fathers Themselves to ensure that yes, religious freedom even extended to Jews and "pagans" and Muslims.

So unlike Jews and Catholics, Muslims were discussed in the hypothetical — and often with negative opinions, including those held by Thomas Jefferson — to show "how far tolerance and equal civil rights extends," said Denise Spellberg, author of "Thomas Jefferson’s Qur’an: Islam and the Founders."

"In the formation of the American ideal and principles of what we consider to be exceptional American values, Muslims were, at the beginning, the litmus test for whether the reach of American constitutional principles would include every believer, every kind, or not," Spellberg said in an interview.

Ending collusion between the state and any state-preferred religion was not just Jefferson’s own objective, but the stance that would be codified in law and in the Constitution. There are ample writings to prove that non-Christian religions were specifically intended to be protected, and anyone who has the slightest intellectual interest in the American version of freedom of religion has read through them already. A few were in my old high school history textbook—but that was back in Ye Olden Days, so I have no knowledge of whether such quotes and letters have been scrubbed by the forces of Texas Jeebus, in the books your own offspring are thumbing through today.

The point is, there’s simply no way to claim you know either the Constitution or what America’s religious freedom was intended to "mean" unless you are aware of Jefferson’s own efforts to ensure sweeping inclusivity and that Jefferson was not operating in an intellectual vacuum but from a broader intellectual and legal movement to do that thing, both within the states and when the time came to piece together the national version people now carry in their shirt pockets.

Share this with Republican friends and family, and hope you aren’t uninvited for the holidays.

From The New Yorker: In what has become a tradition in the nation’s capital, the United States Congress on Monday notched the third anniversary of doing nothing in the aftermath of the mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.

As on the first and second anniversaries of the tragedy, lawmakers took up no new measures to prevent future mass shootings in the United States, and instead chose to mark Newtown’s third anniversary with a day of inaction.

In that respect, the third anniversary of Newtown resembles the thousand-plus days that came before it, during which Congress took no action on guns except to periodically vote down expanded background checks.

Andy knows whose hands are bloody.

From Upworthy: A few days ago in a Bloomberg interview, businessman Michael Moritz was asked about the scarcity of women working at his company, Sequoia Capital.

His responses — among them that the firm is seeking women but is "not prepared to lower our standards" — were described by many as "open mouth, insert foot." Similar remarks across sectors and industries have been described this way, too.

But this foot-in-mouth characterization is wrong: It suggests that the speaker fumbled his words and misspoke.

What’s happening when Moritz talks about "lowering standards" is not a clumsy handling of speech. It’s this: In that moment, a deeply hidden synaptic pathway is temporarily illuminated.

When asked about Sequoia’s lack of women, Moritz said they were looking to hire more. But "what we’re not prepared to do is lower our standards," he said. Now, no one had asked, "Are you willing to lower your standards?" No: That was the question he heard when he was asked about hiring women. That was the association he made automatically.

Here, then, is a map of his synaptic firings: women → lower standards.

With the exception of Republican politicians and pundits, hiring women are is more likely to lead to higher standards.

Cartoon:

1215Cartoon

Personal Update–12/14/2015

Posted by TomCat at 6:36 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 142015

I’m thoroughly frustrated. The home health nurse stood me up. They rescheduled my appointment, but forgot to tell me about it. Of course they planned to come this morning, when I will not be here, so they gave me a tentative appointment for tomorrow. ARGH!

Religious Agony:

1213Broncos12-Raiders15

Cartoon:

Last Week’s Nauseating Republican Moments

Posted by TomCat at 10:25 am Politics

Dec 132015

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 nauseating InsaniTEA can become. I trust that you will believe it, when I tell you that last week was no exception.

Sean Hannity mocks Michelle Obama for being in favor of education.

In case you haven’t been noticing lately—because Jon Stewart is no longer keeping his eye on Fox, and Trevor Noah can’t or won’t hold Fox’s feet to the fire—Sean Hannity is still a complete d-bag. So nice to know that some things never change in this crazy, mixed up, ever-changing world of ours.

On Thursday, Hannity used his air-time to lambast Michelle Obama for encouraging kids to go to college.

ISIS is on the rise. The Middle East, in complete turmoil. The Western world is under constant threat from Islamic jihadists but, your first lady Michelle Obama is busy making a rap music video about going to college.,” Hannity said, later suggesting the video suggested the “Obamas are completely out of touch.”

Yeah, don’t they know that everyone should drop everything immediately and go into full-on panic mode about ISIS. Jeez.

Inserted from <Alternet>

The Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda, Faux Noise, hate education, because they want to keep sheeple stupid. This is just the fifth of five nauseating Republican moments from last week alone. Click through for the other four.

Older Entries Newer Entries