Politics Plus

When the weatherman said that today would be about 10° cooler, he lied, so before I actually post this article, I will have returned from kitty solar basking.  I’m certainly blessed that I don’t have to be out and about today, but I am tired, because we had another fire alarm in the wee hours that trashed my sleep.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:00 (average 5:14).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: Mitch McConnell, the guy who was going to make the Senate work again and prove that Republicans can govern. When it comes to filling judicial vacancies, he’s choosing not to.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Thursday that he doesn’t expect to confirm any of Obama’s circuit court nominees for the remainder of his time in office, a blow to White House efforts to fill empty federal court seats despite working with a Republican-controlled Senate.

In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, McConnell was asked about judicial confirmations.

"So far, the only judges we’ve confirmed have been federal district judges that have been signed off on by Republican senators," McConnell said. Asked if he expects that to be the case through 2016, McConnell said, "I think that’s highly likely, yeah."

We have never seen such extreme examples of incompetence to govern as today’s Republican Party keep demonstrating.

From NY Times: Community leaders in Cleveland, distrustful of the criminal justice system, said Monday that they would not wait for prosecutors to decide whether to file charges against the police officers involved in the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice last year. Instead, they will invoke a seldom-used Ohio law and go directly to a judge to request murder charges against the officers.

The highly unusual move is the latest sign that some African-Americans in Cleveland and around the country have lost confidence in a system that they see as too quick to side with police officers accused of using excessive force against blacks.

Why are black community leaders so distrustful? Could it possibly be because police continue to murder innocent black people with impunity? I wish the black community leaders success in their strife for justice.

From Desmoines Register: When just one Iowan showed up to Rick Santorum’s 2 p.m. campaign stop at a restaurant here Monday, the winner of the 2012 Iowa caucuses made a quick decision: Might as well order lunch.

That’s one more Iowan than the King of Froth deserves!

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With a forecast high of 92° and high humidity, I need to get my kitty sun basking in early, before it gets too hot.  The hallways of this building are still so hot, even in the early AM, that I cannot open the door to cook without losing the AC, so it’s lunchmeats and microwaveables today.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:37 (average 5:52).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos (Classic: 1/2015): American Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys are disgusted that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker chose to use their music for his intro at the Iowa Freedom Summit Saturday.

They’re especially peeved because this isn’t the first time Walker or his "cronies" have used Dropkick Murphys’ music at a political event.

I’m not a punk fan, but I sure give them kudos for their reaction to the Fartfuhrer of Fitzwalkerstan.

From NY Times: The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission has proposed expanding a telephone subsidy program to help the poor gain access to high-speed Internet service. A few Republican lawmakers — notably John Thune of South Dakota in the Senate and Fred Upton of Michigan in the House — have complained of fraud in the existing program. The complaints are overblown and are no reason to undermine an excellent idea.

The subsidy program, known as Lifeline, was created in 1985, when home telephone service was essential to all Americans. In the last decade, high-speed Internet service, or broadband, has become just as important. But many poorer Americans cannot afford broadband; the F.C.C. estimates less than half of all households earning less than $25,000 a year have high-speed service at home, while more than 95 percent of those with incomes of $150,000 or more have it.

Under the proposal by the chairman, Tom Wheeler, Americans who qualify for Lifeline could chose to apply the program’s $9.25 a month subsidy toward wired or wireless Internet service. Currently, people can use the money only for a home phone or mobile phone service. To qualify, people have to make less than 135 percent of the federal poverty level or already receive benefits like Medicaid, food stamps or federal housing vouchers.

I fully support this. Internet access is more important today than telephone access was 30 years ago.

From Crooks ands Liars: As we discussed here back in April, the CEO of a credit card processing company in Seattle, Dan Price, decided to lower his pay to $70K a year and give all of his employees a raise. Which of course had the yappers over on Faux "news" going nuts, and attacking Price as a socialist who is just out to get attention.

Their little tirade drew this response from Russell Brand, who called took apart the Cashin’ In crew apart for their callousness and utter disregard those struggling to get by in America:

On this Saturday’s Cashin’ In, the talking heads were outraged!!!… outraged I tell you that a high school sociology teacher would dare to use Russell Brand’s video as part of a class on poverty in America and how it’s treated in the media.

As we discussed here back in April, the CEO of a credit card processing company in Seattle, Dan Price, decided to lower his pay to $70K a year and give all of his employees a raise. Which of course had the yappers over on Faux "news" going nuts, and attacking Price as a socialist who is just out to get attention.

Their little tirade drew this response from Russell Brand, who called took apart the Cashin’ In crew apart for their callousness and utter disregard those struggling to get by in America:On this Saturday’s Cashin’ In, the talking heads were outraged!!!… outraged I tell you that a high school sociology teacher would dare to use Russell Brand’s video as part of a class on poverty in America and how it’s treated in the media.

Barf Bag Alert!!

Note that the Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda, Faux Noise, is treating Brand’s satirical humor as literal, but Brand did go too far in one way. Comparing a Faux Noise talking head, Jonathan Hoenig, to a rat is too insulting… to the rat.

Cartoon:

Forty-nine years ago today, I graduated from High School.  There are bands and festive floats passing under my window, but I don’t think they are there to celebrate me.  It’s the Grand Floral Parade, the second and last of the Portland Rose Festival.  Unfortunately, it’s blocking my access to prime kitty basking in the sun.  By the time it’s over, it will be too hot.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:42 (average 10:02).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: Ten Ideas to Save the Economy: Raise the Estate Tax

Inequality slows economic growth. To prevent the rise of a new aristocracy, we need to raise the estate tax.

The Reich on the left is right. America does not want a privileged aristocracy, but those are the ONLY people Republicans, the Reich on the right that is wrong, actually represent. This is the eighth video in the series. Please click through to MoveOn, and share it from there.

From TPM: A panel of federal judges on Friday ruled that Virginia lawmakers must redraw the state’s congressional map because it places too many black voters in one particular district at the expense of their influence in other districts.

“Because plaintiffs have shown that race predominated in Virginia’s 2012 plan and because defendants have failed to establish that this race-based redistricting satisfies strict scrutiny, we find that the 2012 plan is unconstitutional and will require the commonwealth to draw a new congressional district plan,” the judges wrote in the 2-1 decision, as quoted by The Roanoke Times.…

…The panel of judges ordered the Virginia House of Delegates to redraw the map by Sept. 1, which The Washington Post points out would force the state’s General Assembly to hold a special summer session. But the state’s Republican congressional delegation is likely to appeal the latest decision, according to the newspaper.

Republican attempts to steal elections never end!

From Think Progress: The Norwegian Parliament voted Friday to remove coal investments from the country’s $890 billion government pension fund, which is considered the largest sovereign wealth fund in the world.

Under the new policy, power and mining companies whose activities or revenue are at least 30 percent coal-related will be removed from the portfolio.

Kudos to Norway. May this mark the start of an international landslide.

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