Politics Plus

It's been a slow day part of which was spent at the dentist.  Do you remember the Crest Toothpaste commercials where the kid runs into the house waiving what looks like a school report card and announces "Look mom, no cavities!"?  Well that was me today.  Actually, I haven't had any cavities in years.  But I do get headaches from having my neck craned in awkward positions so the hygenist can do her work.  I should have spent more time with the blog but instead, I spent time with my kids just relaxing. Tomorrow is a busy day with physio and then teaching.

Puzzle — Today’s took me 3:09 (average 4:24). To do it, click here. How did you do? For those that don't know, we always do the 48 piece classic.

Short Takes

Mother Jones — The charges in the case stem from a scheme by Paul's 2012 campaign to pay then-Iowa state Sen. Kent Sorenson more than $70,000 to endorse Paul in the days before the Iowa caucuses in late 2011. Four of the charges against Benton were dropped when a judge ruled that prosecutors had improperly handled the indictments. Benton still faces a count of making false statements to prosecutors after he denied any knowledge of the alleged plan when they asked him about it last summer. Kesari faces six charges, including federal conspiracy and campaign finance charges. Prosecutors also say Kesari attempted to convince Sorenson to not tell investigators everything he knew.

Do you suppose that this trial, which does not directly affect Rand Paul at this point, could be why he said "I would throw everybody out, myself included" in a piece that was reported yesterday in Raw Story by Rachel Maddow?

Daily Kos — I don't think she can straighten out her act, she's been an embarrassment to the entire party for quite some time. It is definitely time for her to step down. … "The person who is supposed to be leading us is not leading us.”  R.T. Rybak, DNC Vice Chair.

For the last while, I have seen reports of rumblings within the Democratic National Committee, and almost all of those rumblings involved Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the U.S. Representative for Florida's 23rd congressional district and the chair of the DNC.  Are the rumblings "sour grapes" or is this an issue of a Democratic clown run amok?  Whichever, the rumblings must be dealt with before the Republicans use them to derail the Democrats as they move towards the 2016 election.

Alternet — Over the last few years, Urban Outfitters has become known for three things (outside of carrying overpriced clothes that fall apart the first time you wash them): 1) Offending every possible marginalized group under the sun with apparel that features really tasteless messages; 2) allegedly stealing designs from up-and-coming artists and selling them as their own; and 3) having a president and CEO, Richard Hayne, who has given money to anti-gay marriage crusader Rick Santorum and other Republican politicians. Now the company is making news for its boldest action yet: asking employees to work for free!

How to look like you care when you don't.  My guess is that it was suggested salaried employees get behind the company's plans to help out at the fulfillment centre on a weekend to build camaraderie and keep the orders flowing.  Oh, did the company mention that this was on their own time?  Having been in a very similar situation myself, it was made abundantly clear that not participating would be reflected on my performance review.  How Republican: more profits for less overhead.

Huffington Post —  Ken Taylor, whose role in the 1979 "Canadian Caper" made him a hero on both sides of the border for helping shelter six U.S. citizens at the height of the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis, has died. He was 81.

"There were folks who didn't want to stick their necks out and the Canadians did,'' [Ben] Affleck told a Toronto International Film Festival press conference.

"They said, 'We'll risk ourselves, our diplomatic standing, our lives to harbour these six Americans that we owe nothing to and just because it's the moral, right thing to do.'''

I bring this to you because this is part of our shared history, Canada and the US.  But for me, Ken Taylor represents an attitude that was previously prevalent in Canada, part of our national identity, that seems to have gone missing, especially under Harper.  I want my Canada back!  Thank you Ken Taylor, rest in peace.

My Universe — 

Me an' my friends are gettin' ready for Hallowe'en!

Today has been a long day.  I was tired so slept in longer than normal.  I had physiotherapy for 2 hours and then I had to drive through rush hour traffic to get to a meeting of the Family Council of the care centre where my mother resides.  Since I was chairing the meeting, I could not duck out in favour of sleep.  I didn't get home until almost 10 pm and had to have some supper and feed the babes.  Today's 'My Universe' is so me!  As a result, this is today's only article.

Puzzle — Today’s took me 2:58 (average 4:50). To do it, click here. How did you do? For those that don't know, we always do the 48 piece classic.

Short Takes

Huffington Post — There's no way a candidate can beat Stephen Harper in his own riding — or can he?

NDP candidate Matt Masters Burgener poses that question in what's already being called the "smartest ad" of this election campaign.

As some may know, Canada is in the midst of a federal election.  Election Day is Monday 19/10/2015, and 4 days of early voting ended last night. There were more than 3.6 million early voters, of which I was one.  That is a 71% increase over early voting in the 2011 election.  For many Canadians, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has to go to the political unemployment line along with his "Harlots" (caucus), which may account for the high voter turnout in the advanced polls.  The video above is one of the ads that his constituency New Democratic Party (NDP) rival has produced.  Watch the video very carefully, all the way through.  It is very clever.  A link to another ad is in the Huffington Post article.

Huffington Post — Despite global wealth decreasing by $12.4 trillion over the past year, mainly due to currency fluctuations, the global distribution of wealth has become even more unequal.

Today the top one per cent "account for half of all assets in the world," according to Credit Suisse's 2015 Global Wealth Report.

Check out the rest of the data at Huffington Post.  The rich get richer, and the poor . . . well they get poorer and seem to sink into insignificance as far as the wealthy are concerned.  There will be a revolution . . . 

Think Progress — From the heavily-edited videos that made Planned Parenthood staff look like insensitive fetal tissue profiteers to presidential candidate Carly Fiorina’s erroneous ad campaign, the past months have unveiled the general misinformation and coercion behind many anti-abortion groups. Now, one state has taken the leap to combat these types of harmful anti-abortion propaganda at the source: inside anti-abortion organizations disguised as health clinics. But not without a fight.            

On Friday, California became the first state to pass a law regulating the nearly 170 anti-abortion clinics in the state. Barely 48 hours later, two clinics had already sued California Attorney General Kamala Harris, deeming the new law unconstitutional.

California leads the way in providing protections to women from the predatory practices of the Crisis Pregnancy Centres.  It seems these centres feel it is their first amendment right to free speech that is being denied.  They think they should have the right to lie, misinform and deceive women.  California, thanks for doing right!  If this one small step is bugging the right, look out when it comes to bigger issues.  Read the rest of the article at Think Progress.

Alternet — Giant Wall Street banks continue to threaten the wellbeing of millions of Americans, but what to do?

Bernie Sanders says break them up and resurrect the Glass-Steagall Act that once separated investment from commercial banking.

Hillary Clinton says charge them a bit more and oversee them more carefully.

Most Republicans say don’t worry.

In my opinion, Bernie is right . . . Glass-Steagall must be reintroduced for the protection of consumers.  The big banks are addicted to making big money by risking large sums.  But did consumers sign on to have their savings used in such away?  Did those consumers who are highly risk adverse have any say?  Under Hillary's plan, yes the banks would pay higher fees, but those fees would be a business expense and therefore deductible from income before taxes.  And the risky behaviour is still present.  Have a look at the entire article at Alternet.

My Universe — h/t Christeen A (Care2) — This is so me today! . . . or perhaps Exhaustipated!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here  in Canada.  I visited my mother and fed her a turkey dinner with all the trimmings today . . . although for her, it is all mashed as she can't chew well.  I usually sit between my mother and another resident alternating feeding.  It helps the staff to have another set of hands and eyes.  By the time I went home, I was exhausted.  So here I sit finishing the tail end of the Open Thread having just swallowed the last of my dinner.  I am thankful for many things but I am especially thankful for TC and everything that he has taught me; for the friendships of Nameless, JL and Joanne; and for all of you that keep me going.  Thank you.

Puzzle — Today’s took me 2:50 (average 4:23). To do it, click here. How did you do? For those that don't know, we always do the 48 piece classic.

Upworthy — In recent years, we're seeing more and more artists explore new mediums that reduce their environmental impact, like salt, ice, and even trash. It's leading to some incredible work.  

Joanna's medium of choice?  Fallen leaves.

Having majored in fine arts in high school and been accepted to study fine arts at university, I feel I know a thing or two. Joanna's work is exceptional.  Read more at Upworthy.

Mother Jones — Perhaps realizing that Cruz does need to grab some early-state mojo, his campaign has decided to focus more on Iowa. Starting next week, Cruz will blast through the state with 20 campaign stops in seven days.

Is that enough? Robinson suggests that if Cruz wants his rivals to implode, he might have to start explicitly attacking candidates in his brackets, such as Carson, who has a strong presence in Iowa and major support among the evangelical voters whom Cruz needs. Instead, Cruz is acting like a front-runner, setting up a "firewall" and avoiding direct clashes with his primary rivals.

"What signs are there that these [other candidates] are just going to be a flash in the pan and Ted Cruz is going to pick up the crumbs?" asks Robinson. "I don't see any evidence of that."

So, how's it going for you, Cruz?  My prediction: Cruz won't last because his non plan is a bust.  Read more at Mother Jones.

Think Progress — USHCC President Javier Palomarez challenged the Ohio governor on the fact that women in his state working full time are getting paid roughly 78 percent of what men make — according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau. For Latina women across the U.S., the gap is even greater: just 54 percent of what men made in 2014.

Palomarez pointed out that Kasich has daughters of his own, and asked how he explains this disparity to them.

“Well, a lot of it is based on experience,” Kasich replied. “A lot of different factors go into it. It’s all tied up in skills. Do you not have the skills to be able to compete?”

Kasich really knows how to step in it . . . and right up to his neck!  This is the same Republican candidate vying for the nomination to run for POTUS. This is also the same man that on 09/10/2015 said to a New Hampshire audience member that he would "get over" cuts to Social Security payments as a result of his reform plan.  A most despicable little man. Read the rest at Think Progress.

My Universe — Mornings can be a bitch. Especially Mondays.

I am sitting here checking out some news to cover, and I can hear the rain outside.  It is very relaxing to hear as I prepare tomorrow's only article.  It is the remnants of Hurricane Oho, the tail end, as Oho has headed up to Alaska. Earlier, while driving about, I had listened to news of the House Speaker's race, followed closely by the news of Oho.  I started laughing because I thought they had announced the hurricane's name as Hurricane A##hole. I do have some hearing deficits, but still . . . Maybe it is Washington that has Hurricane A##hole . . .  right in the Republican conference room.

Puzzle — Today’s took me 3:04 (average 5:04). To do it, click here. How did you do? For those that don't know, we always do the 48 piece classic.

Short Takes

Alternet — Why won't the media acknowledge and report the truth rather than made-up issues is the burning question on Paul Krugman's mind in his column Friday. He was spurred by Representative Kevin McCarthy, no longer in the running for Speaker of the House, who guilelessly boasted that Benghazi was all about hurting Hillary Clinton politically, which most sentient beings knew.

IMO, the media should be reporting the facts, reporting the news, NOT being the news.  For example, Fox News aka Faux Noise, or for me just plain Faux, is a prime example of so called media being the news rather than reporting the news.  At best, the work of O'Reilly, Hannity and the multitude of other on air personalities, is opinion, not news.  They are the Republican/TeaParty propaganda wing.

Common Dreams — In what privacy advocates are hailing as a landmark victory, California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law a sweeping tech privacy bill which will require police in the state to obtain warrants for access to telecommunications data, including emails, text messages, GPS coordinates, and other digital information.

"This is a major win for privacy and for Californians. With so much of our information existing online, it's important that our communications are protected from government access to the strongest degree possible," said G.S. Hans, policy counsel and director for the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT).

Now, if more states, indeed more countries, take similar steps, would we still have the feeling of 'big brother is watching'?  That a person's communication in electronic form is treated differently than that on paper is absolutely ridiculous.

Alternet — Socialism is not about “free stuff,” but cracking down on these corporations that exploit their workers and then rely on the government to make sure they don’t starve. It is not about being lazy and slacking off, but about demanding a fair share and getting paid decently for one’s labor — it is yet another right wing fallacy that people get paid what they’re worth, and that only lazy people are poor. Socialism is about working people, not slackers. It is about fighting capitalist realities like the fact that the top 25 hedge fund managers in America make more money than all of the 157,800 kindergarten teachers combined. Are investors who produce no value really worth that much more than teachers?

I couldn't agree more with the author.  Being a Canuck, I am accustomed to a more socialist view of what life should be.  Mahatma Gandhi said “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”  I would alter that slightly to be “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its people and animals are treated.”

My Universe — h/t Sarah D