TomCat

Open Thread–10/13/2013

Posted by TomCat at 12:04 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Oct 132013

I’m writing for tomorrow, a holy day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb. My Broncos will be meditating with Jacksonville, and it will not be televised here. 🙁 I offer condolences to Adrian Peterson and his family.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:03 (average 4:40). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From NY Times: The Environmental Protection Agency has stopped monitoring mercury contamination in the Everglades and testing water after the recent floods in Colorado.

An $8 billion space telescope, the largest in the world, waits to be tested at minus-400 degrees Fahrenheit in a closed government facility in suburban Maryland, facing the possibility of costly delays.

Many of the half a million federal workers whose paychecks on Friday showed half of what they normally earn fretted about how to juggle bills and put off major purchases.

These are just three of the many harmful effects of the Republican Shutdown, and three of the reasons that every Republican in office is one Republican too many. Click through for more.

From MSNBC: The so-called Values Voters Summit

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Barf Bag Alert!!: Ed interviews a waste of skin, a Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christian. Note how this jerk equates Vulture Capitalism with Christianity. What is it these Republicans value? They value death, hunger, suffering, deprivation and the rejection of everything the real Jesus valued. This clip was the inspiration for today's cartoon.

From Think Progress: Despite hundreds of thousands of wrongful foreclosures uncovered by investigators, Wall Street Journal editorial board member Mary Kissel claimed that “there hasn’t been a single homeowner who has been identified who was foreclosed on who shouldn’t have been foreclosed on” in a Friday appearance on Fox Business.

The reality of the situation is far different, with $1.4 trillion worth of mortgages being rendered legally unenforceable by the paperwork abuses that were so common during and after the subprime mortgage boom. Foreclosures based on shoddy or forged documents have become commonplace since the financial crisis. These aren’t faceless numbers, either, as reporters have indeed identified individual homeowners who were wronged.

Since Murdoch took over the WSJ, its character has changed so greatly that it needs to be renamed to Faux Print.

Cartoon:

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The Cost of Sowing the Wind

Posted by TomCat at 1:17 am Politics

Oct 122013

The Bible teaches that sowing the wind is not free. There is a cost. Republicans have tried to destroy Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid since their inception, because they hate the notion of anything other than death as the safety net for who cannot pay. They have failed because the American people support these valuable programs so much that Republicans have to pretend to be supporting them at the same time they are trying to destroy them. Faced with another addition to America’s safety net, Republicans sowed the wind. With lie after lie, they whipped up such fear of ObamaCare abound their rabid base they they felt sire they could stop it, while pretending to negotiate. But they failed. So they tried to prevent it’s implementation, right up to shutting down the government. Now they have failed, again, but the fear they generated has taken on a life of its own. Now they are beginning to reap the whirlwind.

As the government shutdown enters its eleventh day and the nation races towards a possible default, a growing number of Republican lawmakers, leaders, and voters are publicly blaming Congressional Republicans for the budget impasse. Though they fault President Obama for failing to negotiate with Congress, as the public mood sours, some within the GOP are hurriedly distancing themselves from the mess in Washington.

“It’s time for someone to act like a grown-up in this process,” former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu (R) told the Associated Press. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) agreed, remarking on Monday that “This is not how we should operate. It shouldn’t be about people fighting and yelling.’ “The bottom line is we need that money in our economy to save rural hospitals and jobs in the rural areas,” Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) told the Arizona Daily Star on Thursday, criticizing the GOP’e effort to defund the Affordable Care Act.

The criticism comes as an Associated Press-GfK poll released Wednesday showed that “three-quarters of Republicans nationally said their party in Congress deserves a moderate degree or most of the blame for the shutdown” and a NBC/Wall Street Journal survey reported that just 24 percent of Americans now have a favorable view of Republicans — the lowest figure in the poll’s history. Seventy percent of Americans say Republicans are putting politics ahead of the national interest and have an increasingly dim view of Tea Party backed Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Mike Lee (R-UT), who orchestrated the current impasse.

In yet another sign of trouble for the GOP, business interests are also showing signs of discontent, signaling a possible rift with Republicans ahead of the 2014 mid-term elections…

Inserted from <Think Progress>

Rachel Maddow and Ezra Klein discuss how the Republican Party is crashing and burning in the eyes of the American People.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

This looks great to me. ObamaCare is more popular, and if Obama and the Democrats stand firm, we will enjoy the sweet, musty fragrance of Republican cave moss.

Vladimir Putin (R-RU)

Posted by TomCat at 1:16 am Politics, Religion

Oct 122013

Not long ago, the military forces of Vladimir Putin, aka GOP Pootie, attacked a Greenpeace ship on the high seas, imprisoned its crew, and is holding them to face trumped up charges in a Russian court. One would think that all Americans would be furious over such violation of human rights, but not so. Putin loves guns and hates gays, so Republicans love their GOP Pootie so much, that they are even helping him promote his oppression of LGBT people. Here’s some Republican praise for him.

The American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer began his radio program yesterday by reading a series of quotes from a mystery public figure, asking his listeners to guess “what country do you think this guy is the president of?”

The big surprise is that the quotes – encompassing such topics as European rejection of “Christian values that underlie Western civilization,” the pursuit of policies that “put large families and same-sex partnerships in the same category” and “excesses of political correctness” – are from Russian president Vladimir Putin, who has escalated his crackdown on LGBT people in recent months.

“Who is it?” Fischer asked. “Which president is the lion of Christianity, the defender of Christian values, the president that’s calling his nation back to embracing its identity as a nation founded on Christian values? Those, ladies and gentlemen, are quotes from Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia.”

“The contrast between that president and our president could not possibly be more striking,” Fischer continued. “Just a bizarre day. To ever think we would get to the day that Russia would be more advanced spiritually than the United States. I mean, it’s just staggering to see what is happening to this country.”… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Right Wing Watch>

Photo Credit: Think Progress

Rachel Maddow covered Republican attempts to influence Russian law, contrary to the interests of US citizens.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Russia clearly demonstrated that Russia has a Republican Regime. They are not even sufficiently competent to keep the "eternal flame" burning.

Note that by addressing the Duma a private citizen lobbied a foreign government against US interests. That is a violation of the Logan Act, and therefore a chargeable act of Sedition against the United States.

These Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians are not Christians. Authentic Christians, who do not see Christianity as a vehicle to promote Republican hatred, should not be painted with the same brush, and I am not doing so. In the same way, not all Republicans are hate mongers, but almost all hate mongers are Republicans, because the Party put out the welcome mat for them.

Needless to say, prominent Republican legislators are actively supporting this crime.

Open Thread–10/12/2013

Posted by TomCat at 1:15 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 122013

I’m writing for tomorrow, day 120, and running late, because I overslept. I had missed sleep, because Guitar Man woke up, unfortunately. Fantasy football players, check your lineups for Sunday's games. So far, this week, I’m getting Monster Mashed!!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:31 (average 4:23). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: A group representing America’s hostage-takers today blasted President Obama for his repeated comparisons between them and the Tea Party Republicans, calling his remarks “degrading and hurtful.”

The complaint came from the National Alliance of Hostage-Takers and Blackmailers, a watchdog group that monitors negative images of extortionists in the media.

“As professional hostage-takers, we never take hostages unless we have a well-thought-out plan, realistic demands, and a clear exit strategy,” read the group’s official statement. “Any comparison between what we do and these inane Tea Party antics are derogatory and unacceptable.”

The statement continued, “For years, our members have been subjected to offensive Hollywood stereotypes of hostage-takers as crazed madmen, cackling evildoers, and worse. The President’s hurtful remarks only reinforce those negative images.”

Andy has a completely valid point. Comparing the Republican Party to criminals insults the criminals.

From NY Times: Speaker John Boehner on Thursday said he was willing to delay briefly a disastrous default of the country’s financial obligations but was not willing to reopen the government. “I would hope that the president would look at this as an opportunity and a good-faith effort on our part to move halfway — halfway to what he’s demanded,” he said.

That’s not much of a good-faith effort. Though Mr. Obama expressed approval that “cooler heads” were prevailing in the House, according to his press secretary, Jay Carney, he also made it clear that the offer needs to include an end to the shutdown.

In effect, Republicans are saying, "I'm pointing two guns at your head, I'll agree to put one of them in my pocket for a few minutes, if you agree to negotiate with the other gun still pointed at your head." That's not a reasonable offer.

From Washington Post: The group had come all the way from Russia; part of a foreign-exchange program set up by Congress to show off the virtues of American democracy.

But when they got here, neither Congress nor American democracy was having its best day.

“No. No way,” said Ekaterina Ivanova, a TV journalist from Moscow, recalling her reaction when she heard what was going on.

For some reason, the legislators who had paid for her to visit had now shut down the government they wanted her to see. “It’s a joke,” Ivanova thought.

She’s right. It IS a joke! It’s a Republican joke on America!!

Cartoon:

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Correction: I was half asleep when I made that cartoon, and I confused the USS Cole with the USS Liberty that Israel attacked in 1960. I do apologize for my error. Hat-Tip to Lynn for the catch.

Equivalence Is False

Posted by TomCat at 12:37 am Politics

Oct 112013

If you’ve seen me say this once, you’ve probably seen me say dozens of times that there is no equivalence between the parties. It’s bad enough to hear uninformed people jumping on the equivalence bandwagon that Republicans are pushing to deflect from themselves the blame that they so richly deserve. However, it’s ludicrous to hear this from reporters whose job it is to report the facts.

“Reality,” Stephen Colbert once said, “has a well-known liberal bias.” He was joking–or “joking”–but he identified a serious problem for political reporters in a polarized era. What do you do when the actual reality of a news story is not evenly balanced between two sides? What do you do when the facts of a situation are such that to describe them accurately will make you sound biased?

This month’s fiscal crisis is one such situation. One party (in fact, essentially one wing of the Republican party), seeking the elimination or delay of Obamacare, precipitated a government shutdown and threatened to force a default on U.S. debt. Period. There was no corresponding threat or demand on the Democratic or White House side; having gotten the Affordable Care Act into law three years ago, they are not in the situation of saying, “Pass Obamacare or we shut ‘er down.”

That’s the situation. To accurately describe it, as news coverage should, is not to endorse an ideology. It’s not to say that Obamacare is good or bad. It’s not to say that Republicans do or don’t have good reasons to oppose it. It’s not to say that Democrats have or haven’t sought political benefit in the aftermath. But it correctly places the impetus where it belongs… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Time Magazine>

Click through for the rest of this excellent article. I am not the only one who was impressed. Lawrence O’Donnell interviewed the author.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The shutdown story is about the Republican Party. It is ONLY about the Republican Party. The notion that Democrats have anything to do with this crisis, other that standing firm and resisting it, as they should, is absurd! The Democrats didn’t shut down the government. When Republicans did, Democrats had already compromised to give Republicans the priorities they wanted. Even Cantor said so. Then Republicans moved the goal posts, as usual. The shutdown is built on animus to the President, and is yet another attempt to destroy the Obama Presidency. Media’s job is to report these proven facts. For the most part, they are failing miserably.

Open Thread–10/11/2013

Posted by TomCat at 12:36 am Open Thread, Personal, Plus, Politics

Oct 112013

I’m writing for tomorrow and feeling more tired than I did earlier. I’m going to take some extra rest today. but I still have articles for you. I’m not ignoring the talk of a temporary Debt Ceiling extension. It’s still just too tenuous to get a grip on it.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:13 (average 4:50). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Bernie Sanders: It is not acceptable that a handful of right-wing extremists in the House have shut down the government and are now pushing for the United States, for the first time in our history, to not pay its bills — precipitating a likely international financial crisis. It is widely believed that there now exists in the House a majority of members (virtually all Democrats and some moderate Republicans) who are prepared to vote for a clean continuing budget resolution which would immediately re-open the government. House Speaker Boehner must allow the House to have that vote.

Bernie remains the best Democrat, who isn’t one. As usual, he is spot on in his analysis that Republicans are holding America hostage.

From The New Yorker: In an escalation of the stalemate gripping Washington, House Republicans voted today to shut down the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that controls reasoning and impulses.

The resolution, which passed with heavy Tea Party support, calls for a partial shutdown of the brain, leaving the medulla and cerebellum, sometimes referred to as the “reptilian brain,” up and running.

The Tea Party caucus cheered the passage of the bill, which was sponsored by Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, who called the measure “long overdue.”

Andy actually missed it this time. How can Republicans vote to shut down something of theirs that was never, ever started up, not even once?

From TPM: …In a thinly veiled reference to the House GOP’s relentless attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Kaplan noted that his beloved team "sent batters to the plate at least 40 times" in Monday’s 4-3 Dodgers win, which eliminated the Braves from the playoffs.

"But just because we couldn’t score enough runs, the Dodgers refuse to relinquish the title — and worse, they won’t even discuss it," Kaplan wrote. "LA’s stubborn refusal to even talk to us about reversing the results of this series is un-sportsmanlike and un-American. But there is an answer: If the Dodgers won’t listen to the cries of average Americans like you and me, then Congress should outlaw Major League Baseball until the Dodgers cave."

He then called on Kingston to take a stand.

"Just because the Dodgers had more hits, scored more runs, and won more games doesn’t make them right," Kaplan wrote in closing. "You can help them see that."…

Earth to Republicans! Earth to Republicans!! Hello? Is anyone home under those tinfoil hats?!!? Strike three! You’re OUT!!!

Cartoon:

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The Time for Yellen

Posted by TomCat at 12:37 am Politics

Oct 102013

The Chair of the Federal Reserve is one of a President’s most important appointments, because unlike agency appointments, the appointment continues into the next administration. For that reason, I strongly suspect that Hillary was behind Obama’s initial preference for one of the infamous three blind mice, Larry “Always Wrong” Summers, because he is one of her advisers. Progressive rejected that, in favor of Janet Yellen. We won this one!

President Obama will nominate Janet L. Yellen as chairwoman of the Federal Reserve on Wednesday, White House officials said Tuesday night, ending an unusually prolonged and public search to fill one of the most important economic policy-making jobs in the world.

Ms. Yellen, 67, has been the Fed’s vice chairwoman since 2010, when Mr. Obama nominated her to the post and she was easily confirmed on a voice vote by the Senate. She would be the first woman to run the central bank.

She is also expected to win bipartisan support for her new role in the Democratic-controlled Senate, said Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York. But some Republicans could throw up hurdles. Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee voted against her appointment as vice chairman because of what he called “her dovish views on monetary policy,” and he was already expressing reservations on Tuesday night about her nomination for the top job…

Inserted from <NY Times>

Rachel Maddow provided coverage.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

It would not surprise me at all for someone like Cruz or Idiot, Son of Idiot, Named after Idiot to filibuster this appointment. If that’s the case, then it’s tome for Leg Hound Harry to go buy a new pair of Obamaballs and…

nuclear_blast

Open Thread–10/10/2013

Posted by TomCat at 12:36 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 102013

I’m writing for tomorrow and feeling quite tired after yesterday’s prison work. It was an excellent meeting. We discussed how letting go of control issues helps to enable empowerment. The guys really miss Critter, and I’ve been thinking. Perhaps Politics Plus might donate our Critter to take his place. Jerry, are you doing anything for the next few years. ;-) Fantasy football players, check your lineups for the Thursday night game.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:29 (average 5:02). To do it click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Upworthy: A Senator Gets Mad About The Shutdown And Starts Naming Names. About Time.

Since the media seems to think this whole thing is a bipartisan mess, I thought I’d get a second opinion.

She could not have nailed it more precisely. This democracy has already rejected the Republican War on America!

From Daily Kos: Inadvertently or not, John Boehner showed the way out of the shutdown on a Sunday talk show yesterday.

Listen to what he said on This Week with George Stephanopoulos:

STEPHANOPOULOS: He has not, perhaps, but I take it from your answer that you’re not prepared to schedule a clean bill on government funding.

BOEHNER: There are not the votes in the House to pass a clean CR.

The 2 Word challenge that all Democrats must issue immediately :

PROVE IT

I’ve got a big AMEN for that!

From MSNBC: New Faux Noise Host Displays just how fair and balanced they are.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

No surprise there!!Needless to say, Faux Noise is still the Republican Reichsministry of propaganda.

Cartoon:

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