Politics Plus

Yesterday I planned to rest all day, but following the best laid plans of mice and men, my Christmas present to me came early, and I could not resist opening it.  Because I am not an Olympic weightlifter, because I do not have engineering degrees, and because I obviously do not speak the language of whoever wrote the documentation, there is nothing easy about unpacking, setting up and installing a color laser all-in-one.  Six hours later, my first color document in hand, I crawled into bed for a few hours.  I’ll be moving back to full-time blogging over the next couple weeks.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:42 (average 5:02).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Religious Agony:

Had I been able to watch and meditate properly, this would never have happened.  It’s Comcast’s fault!! 👿

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: LA-Sen: Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu is running a new ad that’s all about her efforts to fix Obamacare—specifically, the legislation she introduced that would require insurers to keep offering individual plans that they’ve been cancelling as the insurance exchanges have opened up. While the bill is a political winner for her, I’m not so sold on how her spot presents things, since the first 10 seconds contain news clips that only remind viewers of the debacle in the first place, before even getting to Landrieu’s attempt to ameliorate the problem.

LA is especially tough, since Republicans used Katrina to make the state, and especially New Orleans, more white, but we clearly need a progressive to challenge Landrieu for the Democratic nomination.  However, in the general election, voting for even this DINO garbage is better than voting for a third party and giving it to a Republican. Click through for more election news.

From NY Times: Representative Paul D. Ryan’s eight terms in Congress have produced much political celebrity and Republican respect but just two laws bearing the Ryan name — a renamed post office and a modified excise tax on arrows like the ones he uses for bow hunting.

Then on Tuesday he struck a budget deal with Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, that affixed a new label to the polished veneer of Mr. Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican: deal maker and, to some, traitor.

To be honest, I’ve been too far out of the loop to render an opinion on this budget deal, but there must be at least something positive about it to bring on the ire against Fartfuhrer Walker’s pet Ayn Rand disciple.  So it’s 90% bad, at worst.

From Think Progress: With her confirmation to the second highest court in the nation very early Thursday morning, Judge Nina Pillard should immediately rocket to the top of the Democratic shortlist of potential nominees to the Supreme Court. Though there are a number of Democratic judges who possess the youth, brilliance and legal credentials required from a new Supreme Court justice, Pillard brings something to the bench that is quite rare among judges — she’s won two of the most important civil rights victories to reach the Supreme Court during her career.

She would never have been confirmed, had not Leg Hound Harry finally taken my advice, used his ObamaBalls, and nuked the Republican Filibastards.

Cartoon:

The implications boggle the mind.  Had we had a competent President, September 11, the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, the biggest tax giveaway to the super-rich in history, and the Republican financial collapse and recession would not have happened.

Yesterday was a mess, but almost everything I needed to accomplish is done.  I won’t even talk about how Comcast LOST tomorrow’s appointment to reconnect my cable.  I am shot.  Shortly after posting, I’ll break down the computer network.  If everything goes as planned, I’ll be back tomorrow night, just long enough to let you know.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:46 (average 4:48).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Fantasy Football Update:

The best I can do is give you the playoff brackets for our Lefty Blog Friends league.

Cartoon:

Yesterday I spent the day working at the new place and had no time to write earlier.  I am pooped.  I’ll be back at the new place working today, working here tomorrow, moving Wednesday, and waking up in the new digs for the first time Thursday. 

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:42 (average 4:55).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Religious Ecstasy:

Short Take:

From The New Yorker: At his live show in New York this week, Andy Borowitz revealed that several foreign media outlets this year mistook his fake news stories for reality.

Enjoy!

Cartoon:

Good night!

I’m writing for tomorrow.  Leave it to me to schedule my moving week to coincide with an official Winter Storm Warning with high temperatures in the mid to high 20° range (very rare here), wind at 20 – 30 MPH with gusts up to 50 MPH, and snow.  It’s cold enough to freeze the ObamaBalls off a brass Nevada Leg Hound!  I had planned to go do some work at the new place, but see today’s cartoon.  Worse than the weather, the Guitar Freak woke up. 

Late Update:  Guitar Man terrorized the building all day.  No sleep.  Argh!

Later Update: Guitar Man just went to jail.  :-D  Good night!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:42 (average 4:44).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: …FLOWOOD, MS, 11/24/13: Churchgoers got quite a scare at Pinelake Church in Rankin County Sunday morning. Flowood Police say a man’s gun accidentally discharged as he was sitting down. Officers took Joseph Edgar Ray into custody. He was in possession of a 9mm handgun. According to police, Ray’s gun was in his front right pocket and went off as he sat down. He’s been charged with Discharging a Firearm in the City. Ray will appear in Flowood Municipal Court Jan. 9. MORE: Authorities tell us Ray has an enhanced carry gun permit, which gives him the right to carry a concealed weapon in public. Pinelake has posted signs prohibiting weapons on church property. The signs are not clearly visible so Ray may not have seen them, officials say. There were no injuries. But one woman was hit on the leg by the bullet after it ricocheted off the floor. [Ed. note: What?]…

Click through for lots of other good reasons why only Democrats should be allowed to own guns. Republicans, like this one, are just too damn stupid to be trusted with a knife and fork, let alone a gun. ;-)  Seriously, I suppose a woman in MS is considered nobody.  I guess packing heat in church shows the love of Republican Supply-side Jesus (not the real Jesus).

From CREW: Map: States Where the Fracking Industry is Active

CREW’s report shows fracking industry contributions flow to congressional candidates from fracking districts. The map below compares the change in fracking industry campaign contributions between Senate election cycles in 21 states where fracking is taking place. Depending on a state’s Senate election cycle, CREW compared contributions for either the 2004 and 2010 campaign cycles or the 2006 and 2012 campaign cycles. CREW also included information about the top recipient of fracking industry campaign contributions in each state.

Click through for the report PDF and a map, of what Republican (mostly) mother frackers are doing.

From NY Times: Much of the media commentary on President Obama’s big inequality speech was cynical. You know the drill: it’s yet another “reboot” that will go nowhere; none of it will have any effect on policy, and so on. But before we talk about the speech’s possible political impact or lack thereof, shouldn’t we look at the substance? Was what the president said true? Was it new? If the answer to these questions is yes — and it is — then what he said deserves a serious hearing.

And once you realize that, you also realize that the speech may matter a lot more than the cynics imagine…

To do justice to this superior editorial by Paul Krugman, I would have to reproduce the whole thing, which would infringe on the ©. So you click through and read it, please.  Personally, I believe Obama meant what he said, which means we will have lots of opportunities to keep exposing that Republicans represent only the super-rich and corporate criminals. They do NOT represent YOU!

Cartoon: