One need not share another’s belief to honor it.
Jun 212013
TomCat
Jun 212013
I understand that there are places in the Bible that, out of context with the rest of the Bible, make it appear that wives should be submissive to their husbands. If that’s the way a woman and her husband want to live their lives, I respect that. However Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christianity has come up with a new one that I can hardly believe, let alone respect.
It’s just because their husbands love them, and want them to be perfect for Jesus!
On a pain scale of one to 10, Chelsea ranks the epidural-free birth of her child as a six. Her husband’s spankings? Those are an eight.
First, he uses his hands for “warm-up” slaps. Then comes a combination of tools based on the specific infraction. The wooden spoon is the least severe; for the worst rule-breaking—like texting while driving (“It could kill me,” Chelsea admits) or moving money between accounts without his permission—she’ll be hit with something else: a hairbrush, a paddle, or a leather strap.
But this isn’t domestic abuse, Chelsea says. This is for Jesus.
Chelsea and her husband Clint, who asked that I use only their first names, belong to a small subculture of religious couples who practice “Christian Domestic Discipline,” a lifestyle that calls for a wife to be completely submissive to her husband. Referred to as CDD by its followers, the practice often includes spanking and other types corporal punishments administered by husbands—and ostensibly ordained by God.
…
Inserted from <Crooks and Liars>
Photo credit: The Political Freak Show
Even using the same references that call for obedience, this cannot stand “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” Ephesians 5:25 (KJV) I suppose that for some pseudo-Christians, the love of Republican Supply-side Jesus (NOT the real Jesus) means lock-step obedience or get the crap beaten out of you, but I see it as one small part of the Republican War on Women, given its ties to white nationalism.
Jun 212013
Here are the results of out Big Three poll.
And here are your comments
Posted by ShirleyA. on June 15, 2013 at 8:24 am.
If "we" as an intelligent, common sensed, STAY INFORMED mass don’t watch EVERY SINGLE move the Right Wing does, we’re in for a world of hurt and it won’t just be our SS savings accounts and social programs that will be undermined and stripped. The Right has set about to take this Nation back to the "good ole days" with the "good ole boys" calling ALL the shots. These people are sick and their fascists tactics and MO are undermining our democracy in individual states and federally. Our rights and freedoms for all of us are being systematically dissolved at every turn they take.
WAKE THE HELL UP RED STATES and the rest of us need to watch and remove Republicans/Tea Party EVERY CHANCE WE GET. They fear mongered, gerrymandered, cheated and lied to get in in 2010 and the knee jerk racist voters and those that DIDN’T go to the polls are the reason we’re literally fighting for our lives now. They’ve been working covertly and quietly for years now in states to gain absolute power. I fear the fate for Virginia, Wisconsin, Minnesota and South Carolina AND this country if they aren’t stopped from the revenge driven, greed driven, power mongering path they are on. VET YOUR CANDIDATES and don’t be fooled by fake Dems or Independents. The Right will run and lie to put THEIR hateful people and policies in place no matter what they have to do.
Posted by Joanne D on May 30, 2013 at 1:59 pm.
The Rethugs think that they have the elderly in their back pocket and that the poor don’t vote. The 2012 election gave them some reason to examine this, but it was WAY too close in my opinion. And now they are trying to set their beliefs in stone with changes to voting laws. They don’t need a majority – just a majority of voters. What are we doing to prevent this?
Posted by Lisa G. on May 12, 2013 at 1:57 pm.
If the Repubs cut those benefits, they will not see the presidency until they are restored and every one of them will be voted out of office. The way to fiscal responsibility should not be done on the backs of the elderly and the poor – how about we work on keeping fake wars that have nothing to do with anything off the table. That should save us some pennies.
And with the Repubs relegated to the dust bin of history for cutting necessary benefits, that should be easy enough for us to do.
Posted by Edith Belcher on May 6, 2013 at 11:25 pm.
I voted "maybe" as the Tea Party is running the Rep. party and they areintent on doing away with anything that helps the poor and middle class. Pres Obama has not helped the cause by agreeing to the CPI
Posted by Jerry Critter on April 11, 2013 at 2:43 pm.
It is beginning to look like the democrats want to cut them too.
Posted by Rixar13 on April 6, 2013 at 8:09 pm.
"Will Big Three benefits survive Republican intent to cut them until summer?"
Yes –
Posted by Marva on April 2, 2013 at 10:05 am.
AARP is against screwing with the big 3. They can mobilize greater outrage than the NRA. And more money.
As the tea-partier’s sign said: Keep the government out of my Medicare!
Posted by mamabear on April 1, 2013 at 3:48 pm.
I believe they will be saved.
Posted by Angelica on March 31, 2013 at 4:39 pm.
I have less faith in Obama now that he has allowed chained CPI back on the table. What else will he allow?
Posted by Lynn Squance on March 25, 2013 at 1:58 am.
I voted "I think so". SS has no impact on the budget so it should be off the table. Period. End of discussion. Medicare and Medicaid are needed for so many Americans and with some of the reforms of the Affordable Care Act that are winding into effect, more and more savings will be seen, but it takes a bit of time. Like Richard, I think Bernie Sanders is an awesome advocate but people need to back him up.
Posted by A lucky republican on March 24, 2013 at 11:10 pm.
Nobody ever outed him before! His blogging success must be a miracle!
[Link Removed – Self-Nudity SPAM]
Posted by Rixar13 on March 24, 2013 at 8:16 pm.
Yes with my main advocate Senator Bernie Sanders (I) Vermont…
Posted by dave on March 21, 2013 at 8:36 pm.
maybe, but honestly not optimistic as the GOP never does what the people want, only what their rich supporters want.
Posted by Lynn Squance in reply to dave on March 25, 2013 at 2:03 am.
I hear you Dave. Those bastard GOP obstructionists will do anything it seems to satisfy their own lust for power and greed. Hope you’re backing up Bernie Sanders. Go to
http://www.bernie.org/petition/send-a-message-to-president-obama-senate-majority-leader-reid-and-house-speaker-boehner-no-budget-deal-on-the-backs-of-the-elderly-the-children-the-sick-and-the-poor/
Posted by Patty on March 19, 2013 at 5:48 am.
I really wanted to vote "I hope so".
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Largely due to my health, this poll has been up for over three months. When I returned home from the hospital, I decided to leave it up. because Spring was almost done. Early on ‘Maybe’ was the favored answer, but as Summer approached, ‘Yes’ eclipsed it in a tight race. I was actually the first one to vote ‘Yes’ in the beginning, because while so many were screaming that Obama had sold us out, I saw that he was just giving Republicans enough rope to hang themselves. Now that Spring has sprung, I am very relieved that I was right. A special note to A Lucky Republican. Why do you call yourself Lucky, when there isn’t enough there to advertise? 😉
A new poll is up. Don’t forget to vote!
Jun 212013
I’m writing early, and feeling quite tired today, because a helicopter moved in low over my building at about 5:30 AM and stayed there for almost two hours. By then I felt too angry to sleep, so I’ll write tomorrow’s (day 7) articles and return to bed.
I’m late because I overslept.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:35 (average 5:27). To do it. click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From The New Yorker: Supporters of the United States’ twelve-year quagmire in Afghanistan cheered the news today that the U.S. would strive to achieve a seamless transfer of that quagmire to Syria, effective immediately.
Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, sought to reassure those who were concerned that the U.S. withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan signalled a wavering of the nation’s commitment to being mired in open-ended military muddles.
“I can tell you, right here and right now, that the U.S. is every bit as determined to engage in an ill-defined, ill-advised and seemingly interminable mission in Syria as we were in Afghanistan,” Gen. Dempsey said. “All that’s changing is the Zip Code.”
I’m sure Dempsey did not say that, but he should have!
From MSNBC: The New GOP Agenda
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I never thought we’ see another serious challenge to Glen Beck for depth of InsaniTEA? Bring on the Cruz Control. Then a parade of wing-nuts piled-on. Even the de facto head of the Republican Party, Rush Limbarf is jumping in. Obama must have super-socialist/Kenyan power to turn the conservative Republican in charge of that IRS division into an obedient zombie. Comparing these Republicans to schizophrenics is an insult to schizophrenics!
From Weird Facts: Weird Texas Law
- A recently passed anti-crime laws requires criminals to give their victims 24 hours notice, either orally or in writing, and explain to the nature of the crime about to be comitted [sic].
- One must acknowledge a supreme being before being able to hold public office.
- Up to a felony charge can be levied for promoting the use of, or owning more than six dildos.
…
Could this be why ladies from Texas can be so …um… boisterous? 😉
Cartoon:
Jun 202013
The ATF has been unpopular with extremist gun-nuts ever since the ATF attempted to seize the illegal weapons cache at the Branch Dravidian compound in Waco, TX, resulting in the subsequent destruction of that compound by the FBI. For the extreme right, it's a serious enough matter that it prompted one of their number, Tim McVeigh, to bomb the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, because it contained an ATF office. He has been lionized by the Tea Party to the extent that Tea Baggers have celebrated that date by bringing their weapons to "Open Carry" protests near Washington, DC. But Republicans have actually found a much sneakier way to keep the ATF from enforcing gun laws, and Democrats want to change it.
The No. 2 Democrat in the Senate is readying legislation aimed at pressuring the gun lobby to endorse the confirmation of a permanent Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) director.
The bill being crafted by Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) would allow for the ATF’s functions to be shifted to another agency, such as the FBI, effectively bypassing the need for the Senate to confirm a director of the embattled bureau.
“It strikes me that if the Senate has not confirmed the head of an agency as important as this, after a certain period of time, that we should transfer the jurisdiction of that agency to the FBI for example, which has a long-term director,” Durbin told The Hill.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) has successfully lobbied Congress to block every presidential pick to head the ATF since 2006. The group argues that a permanent director could lead to more severe enforcement of firearm laws… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <The Hill>
Photo credit: The Rude Pundit
Rachel Maddow Provided Details
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The hypocrisy here is extreme, because Republicans are saying that we just need to enforce the laws we have, at the same time they are preventing those laws from being enforced. I like Durbin's bill, but I see no chance of its passage as long as Republicans control the House. However, I consider it worth pursuing, because it makes public the manner in which Republicans are sabotaging Americans' safety for the sake of gun industry profits and seditionist hate groups.
Jun 202013
I’m writing early, and tomorrow will be day six. I had a brief lapse yesterday. A friend walked into my apartment with a lit cigarette. I took it from her and took a puff, over her apologies and protests. Then I felt guilty and gave it back, but for a couple minutes, I was one happy cat! I’m not holding it against myself. The battle continues.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:28 (average 4:44). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Fantasy Football:
We still have two openings in out fantasy football league. Let me know if you want one. It really is fun. 🙂
Short Takes:
From NY Times: After contradictory stories emerged about an F.B.I. agent’s killing last month of a Chechen man in Orlando, Fla., who was being questioned over ties to the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, the bureau reassured the public that it would clear up the murky episode.
“The F.B.I. takes very seriously any shooting incidents involving our agents, and as such we have an effective, time-tested process for addressing them internally,” a bureau spokesman said.
But if such internal investigations are time-tested, their outcomes are also predictable: from 1993 to early 2011, F.B.I. agents fatally shot about 70 “subjects” and wounded about 80 others — and every one of those episodes was deemed justified, according to interviews and internal F.B.I. records obtained by The New York Times through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
The last two years have followed the same pattern: an F.B.I. spokesman said that since 2011, there had been no findings of improper intentional shootings.
At all levels, federal, state, and local, only civilian review boards can protect US citizens from abuse of power.
From MSNBC: The GOP doesn’t want to compare Gitmo to Food stamps!
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The difference is $900K/prisoner/year vs $60K/year and the $60K is only for the worst ones. That could feed a lot of hungry children, but Republicans are stealing their food. The Bible says, not what hatemonger Fincher said. It says that a man should not eat, if he REFUSES to work. It can hardly be called refusal for the many whose jobs were outsourced by Republicans to countries where the can increase profit with slave labor, severe pollution, and unsafe conditions. The Bible makes ample provision for meeting the needs of the poor, but Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians care only for poor billionaires.
From Think Progress: Following a critical series of articles in three Maine newspapers this week, Maine Gov. Paul LePage’s (R) office has cut off those papers’ access to administration officials.
The same week the Portland Press Herald, the Kennebec Journal, and the Morning Sentinel published an in-depth analysis of the administration’s work to undermine environmental protections, a spokeswoman told them they would no longer respond to requests, even for public documents, because the newspaper’s parent company “made it clear that it opposed this administration.”
The papers conducted an extensive investigation into a former corporate lobbyist appointed by LePage to be commissioner of Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). What they found was that Patricia Aho has fought environmental laws and enforcement since her appointment in 2011. The positions she has taken include blocking implementation of a 2008 law to protect youth from dangerous chemicals, reducing enforcement on land developers, rolling back recycling programs, and purging information from the Department’s website. Each of these efforts benefit her former clients in the chemical, drug, oil, and real estate industries.
RepubliSpeak Dictionary – Freedom of the Press: freedom to goose-step as the Republican Reich directs. Otherwise, forget it!
Cartoon:
Jun 192013
Few things are more cut and dried than American citizens’ right against self incrimination. …nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself… At least that used to be correct. In most 5-4 decisions, the Supreme Court is split between the fascist five Injustices of SCROTUS and the four Justices of SCOTUS. Not only did SCROTUS deny the Constitution in this case, but also, four critical cases remain on this year’s calendar.
…The court ruled that a suspect’s failure to answer a police officer’s questions before an arrest may be used against the suspect at trial.
The Supreme Court has long said the Fifth Amendment’s protection against self-incrimination applies after arrest and at trial. But it had never decided, in the words of a 1980 decision, “whether or under what circumstances pre-arrest silence” in the face of questioning by law enforcement personnel is entitled to protection…
…Justice Stephen G. Breyer, joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, said allowing “a prosecutor to comment on a defendant’s constitutionally protected silence would put that defendant in an impossible predicament.” Mr. Salinas’s choice, Justice Breyer wrote, was “between incrimination through speech and incrimination through silence.”… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <NY Times>
The four Justices of SCOTUS were absolutely correct. The right against self incrimination is meaningless, if its invocation before arrest can be used in court to imply guilt. But the Fascist Five Injustices goose-stepped against the Constitution to help make this nation a Republican police state. As for what’s next, Chris Hayes covered the remaining four decisions in two segments. In the first, Chris and his panel discussed what’s at stake in the decisions.
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I strongly fear that Chris may be correct in his hypothesis that SCROTUS may use gay rights to mask the demise of voting rights and affirmative action. The wrong decision in any of these cases will be tragic, because all are key to America’s freedom. However, the worst decision they could would be to allow their Republican cronies to steal elections by denying minority Americans the right to vote. In Chris’s second segment, he and his panel discussed that.
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Chris is correct that the legitimacy of the Supreme Court is at stake, because Republicans have already made it clear that their intent is to use the law to disentrance blacks and Latinos, in addition to seniors, students, labor and poor people. If destroying the Voting Rights Act is the decision, in combination with Citizens United, the Supreme Court will have demonstrated that it is illegitimate.
No Republican may be allowed to infest the White House before the Injustices od SCROTUS have been replaced with Justices.
Jun 192013
I’m writing early, and tomorrow will be day five. I’m having trouble with irritation with patches. I scratched one off in the middle of the night and woke up craving. Grrr!
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 2:36 (average 4:14). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Fantasy Football:
I OOPSED!! We filled three out of five spots for our fantasy football league. For more information about the last two spots, check Monday’s article.
Short Takes:
From NJ.com: Two liberal groups say they’ve found a “smoking gun” in a century-old state law that could force Gov. Chris Christie to schedule the general election in November.
New Jersey Citizen Action and New Jersey Communities United in a brief today, told the state Supreme Court today that the state’s 1915 law on filling U.S. Senate vacancies said that unless the vacancy occurred shortly before the next general election, it should be filled at the closest general election.
The purpose, according to drafters of the original law, was to “avoid the expenses of special elections for United States Senators and Congressmen.”…
I would love to see it, because, if both the Senate vote, and the General Election are combined, as they should be, turnout for Booker will assist down-ballot Democrats, and that's exactly what Christy want's to spend $12+ million of NJ taxpayer's money to avoid.
From MSNBC: Is Miss Utah planning a career in Congress?
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She had her talking points, and she was bound and determined to stick with them regardless of the question asked. It's sad to see such goose-stepping at such a young age. That she comes from a Red State was quite apparent, because her opinion trumped her intellect.
From Alternet: Bank of America’s mortgage servicing unit systematically lied to homeowners, fraudulently denied loan modifications, and paid their staff bonuses for deliberately pushing people into foreclosure: Yes, these allegations were suspected by any homeowner who ever had to deal with the bank to try to get a loan modification – but now they come from six former employees and one contractor, whose sworn statements were added last week to a civil lawsuit filed in federal court in Massachusetts.
“Bank of America’s practice is to string homeowners along with no apparent intention of providing the permanent loan modifications it promises,” said Erika Brown, one of the former employees. The damning evidence would spur a series of criminal investigations of BofA executives, if we still had a rule of law in this country for Wall Street banks… [emphasis added]
Click through for the rest of this highly enlightening article. BofA employees were told to lie to customers to trick them into foreclosure. Bring on the DOJ!
Cartoon:
