Open Thread – Page 650 – Politics Plus

Open Thread–8/15/2015

Posted by TomCat at 1:03 pm Open Thread, Personal, Plus, Politics

Aug 152015

The weekend has arrived. add with it, 80°s weather. I plan to spend as much of the day mapping as I can. I’m still quite tired from staying up for religious services, as noted below.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:10 (average 5:27). To do it click here. How did you do?

Religious Ecstasy:

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Seattle’s special teams played such outstanding football that the made the score much closer than the game actually was.

Short Takes:

From Upworthy: The Tree of 40 Fruit is a living, breathing tasty work of art. And you can see it come to life in this short video by National Geographic:

Dang! If I had a couple trees like that, maybe I could give up puzzles!! Smile with tongue out

From Daily Kos: From First Look:

Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush said today that the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein was a “pretty good deal.”

Bush was speaking at an event sponsored by Americans for Peace, Prosperity and Security (APPS), a group formed and backed by a number of people associated with major defense contractors.

Bush Bag Alert!!

Shouldn’t that group be renamed "Americans for Conquest, Greed and Imperialism"? Strike three fits right in with that crowd!

From NY Times: This is an alarming new direction in modern campaigning that arose along with the nation’s growing income disparity and is empowered by shadowy new methods of raising unlimited, untraceable money from the richest donors.

Hillary Rodham Clinton’s formal campaign celebrates large-scale support from small-dollar donors, but her affiliated super PAC reported that most of its $15 million came from nine donors giving $1 million each. Some of the money, as is the case in rival campaigns, is untraceable because of another cynical innovation — “social welfare” nonprofit groups. Fueled by the Supreme Court’s reckless Citizens United decision in 2010, which ended limits on campaign spending by corporations and unions, spending by exempt organizations that do not have to disclose donors increased 60-fold to more than $300 million in the 2012 presidential cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. An even bigger infusion is expected in 2016.

Mrs. Clinton has, to her credit, promised to make campaign reform one of her main priorities if she wins the White House and to stop “the endless flow of secret, unaccountable money.” This is a crucial but increasingly tall order, as she and all the other candidates find their dependency on the richest Americans deepening with the election cycle.

And Mrs. Clinton is not, by any means, the biggest offender in the campaign grabfest. The Times’s survey showed that Republicans have been the main beneficiaries of the new platinum circle of givers.

Jeb Bush has made an art of super PAC politicking, raising $103 million from a small group of super givers free to circumvent the formal campaign’s far lower limits; 26 are in for more than $1 million each. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas has raised the most cash from the fewest donors: Just three families donated most of his $37 million in super PAC money. Of $16 million reported by the super PAC for Senator Marco Rubio, $12.5 million was from four donors, including a Florida billionaire and longtime political patron.

Although I support Bernie, I do not blame Hillary for her $15 million in billionaire bucks. SCROTUS set the rules, and unless she takes advantage, she has little chance to win, if nominated. I do expect that she will follow through on her promise. On the other hand, I expect Strike three to win the Republican nomination, because he is the most "bought and paid for" candidate in history.

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Open Thread–8/14/2015

Posted by TomCat at 12:43 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 142015

At long last we have a cool day. It might even rain, whatever rain is. I was obviously still exhausted yesterday, because I had forgotten my helper friend was coming over to do heavy cleaning. On the down side, I worked my butt off for most of the afternoon. On the up side, the dreaded task is past, and I didn’t have to do it!! Not that’s a “Wooo Hooo!” event. For another “Wooo Hooo!” event, I have to admit I was wrong about the Ellipsoid Orb. In preseason Wee1 1, there were only six services last night. The holy Orb blessed the Packers, Lions, Ravens, Bears, Foreskins, and Chargers, but not the Patriots, Jets, Saints, Dolphins, Browns, and Cowboys. The rest of the services are tonight and my Broncos service with the evil Seachickens is televised. After yesterday, I’m still quite pooped.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:43 (average 5:15). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is gaining legions of new admirers by shamelessly pandering to voters who want to hear the truth, critics of the Vermont senator say.

According to those critics, Sanders has cynically targeted so-called “truth-based voters” to build support for his Presidential bid.

“People come to Sanders’s rallies expecting to hear the truth, and he serves it up to them on a silver platter,” the political strategist Harland Dorrinson said. “It’s a very calculated gimmick.”

But while Sanders’s practice of relentlessly telling the truth might play well in states that are rich in truth-based voters, like the early primary states of Iowa and New Hampshire, critics say that his campaign could stall in states where the truth has historically been less important, like Florida.

“At some point in this campaign, voters are going to get truth fatigue,” Dorrinson said. “Right now, the novelty of a politician who doesn’t constantly spew lies is grabbing headlines. But after months of Bernie Sanders telling the truth, voters are going to start wondering, Is that all he’s got?”

Dang! It’s a good thing Andy tipped us off! Otherwise Bernie might have gotten away with all that damn truthfulness!!

From The Daily Mail: California will be hit by the biggest El Niño on record this winter, according to the latest forecast.

Dubbed the ‘Godzilla El Niño’ or ‘Bruce Lee El Niño’, the weather event looks set to bring more rain and tropical cyclones to the Pacific Southwest since records began in 1950.

But analysts warn it still won’t be enough to atone for four years of record-breaking droughts.

In fact, the dry and cracked land will be hard-pushed to withstand the three-month storm, meaning there will likely be an onslaught of mudslides and floods.

Here’s some related video.

Here in Oregon this is likely to mean a winter much warmer and dryer than normal, with inte3nse storms, when and if we do have them. It will be followed by severe summer drought. We’ll have it bad enough, but it looks like our neighbors to the south are about to get Californicated.

From Media Matters: A RedState post claimed that Hillary Clinton proves "even a homely woman can sleep her way into power." RedState’s editor-in-chief Erick Erickson recently disinvited Donald Trump from the RedState Gathering event for Trump’s sexist attacks on Fox’s Megyn Kelly.

The attack on Clinton comes in a RedState post [GOP Hate Site delinked] from one of its front page contributors, who goes by "streiff," who wrote:

If Hillary Clinton possesses any unique selling propostion [sic] beyond proving even a homely woman can sleep her way into power, it is her tenure as Barack Obama’s secretary of state. That seems to be a slender enough reed when polls show the electorate could give a flying rat’s patootie about experience and favor a change agent above all.

The post is featured at the top of the RedState home page.

As long as misogynist hatred is directed at a Democrat and not at a blonde, notorious for décolletage, from the Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda, Faux Noise, Republican hypocrites just love it.

Cartoon:

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Open Thread–8/13/2015

Posted by TomCat at 12:24 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 132015

I’m still well short of recovering from my volunteer day, so today’s articles come with limited research. In other words, there may well be better stories that I have not even heard about yet. Today is a minor Holy Day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb. It’s preseason Week 1. I’m amazed that the Broncos service will not be televised, because they are playing the damn Seachickens. If I had a nickel for every Broncos game I’ve missed, because the networks think Portland a a suburb of Seattle, I could be a progressive version of the Koch Brothers, except that I would not own politicians I supported. I’m sure very few starters will get much playing time, so there’s little need for fantasy players to pay too much attention to their players’ performance yet. May the blessed Orb shine its holy light on your team, unless it’s the damn Seachickens. Winking smile

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:54 (average 4:37). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: In an effort to boost his foreign-policy credentials, the billionaire Donald Trump on Tuesday said that, if he were elected President, he would defeat ISIS with “brutal and relentless” attacks on Twitter.

“Under President Obama, ISIS has been able to maraud and rampage with impunity,” Trump told Fox News. “When I’m in the White House, the leaders of ISIS are going to bear the brunt of the most vicious tweets the world has ever known.”

The real-estate mogul said that, as President, he would set aside a portion of the time that he currently allots to excoriating journalists, politicians, and assorted other perceived enemies on Twitter to focus his fury on the leaders of ISIS.

Dang!! Is Hairball revealing his strategy to Andy on the sly?

From PRWatch: The Koch brothers and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) held their annual summits in California this year. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker was a featured speaker at both, capturing enthusiastic applause as he won the Koch summit straw poll last night reports Politico.

As the Koch network of funders gets ready to unleash an unimaginable $900 million on the 2016 campaign, they are busily trying to remake their public image and spin undisclosed dark money as a plus in political campaigns.

Charles Koch told the billionaires and millionaires attending his Freedom Partners summit that they needed to recast their multi-million dollar effort to sway elections in the mold of "freedom movements," such as the American civil rights movement. In a similar vein, attendees of the ALEC conference were busy recasting the notion of undisclosed "dark money" in political campaigns as "anonymous free speech" similar to that engaged in by Lewis Carroll or George Orwell when they relied on pseudonyms to publish various novels.

Get ready for a trip down the rabbit hole.

Am I the only one who is not surprised that the Fartfuhrer of Fitzwalkerstan is the number one sucker of … nevermind?

From Daily Kos: Harry Reid isn’t running for re-election and is feeling just a little bit unleashed. A lot unleashed. So he’s taken to the opinion page of The New York Times to point out that his successor in Senate leadership, Mitch McConnell, has pretty much sucked so far.

The situation started when Republicans took over the House in 2011, but it has picked up rapidly since they took control of the Senate earlier this year. The conclusion is unavoidable: Republican control of Congress means constant crisis.

In the seven months that Republicans have controlled the Senate, we’ve suffered from the expiration of critical national security tools, come within hours of partially shutting down the Department of Homeland Security and witnessed a complete shutdown of the Export-Import Bank, a previously uncontroversial agency that supports hundreds of thousands of American jobs. Routine business like confirming nominees is ignored.

While Republicans have kept virtually none of their promises about how they would run Congress, one promise they have kept is their vow to use essential appropriations bills to manufacture even more crises. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican Senate leader, laid out this strategy last year, saying that President Obama “needs to be challenged, and the best way to do that is through the funding process.”

Reid’s larger point is to highlight the fact that—despite all of McConnell’s insistence that there will not be a government shutdown on his watch—we’re headed toward a government shutdown. That’s happening because of McConnell’s instigating his fellow Republicans to use the funding process to "challenge" President Obama. Or repeal Obamacare, or defund women’s health, or whatever the extremist cause du jour happens to be.

You know that the problem is critical when the Nevada Leg Hound, Harry Reid, stops humping GOP legs, whining for favors, rolling over, and playing dead long enough to blow the whistle. That said, Chuck Schumer would be so bad that I’d miss the Leg Hound!

Cartoon:

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Personal Update–8/12/2015

Posted by TomCat at 12:41 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 122015

Yesterday I went into the prison to do volunteer work. I had had almost no sleep, because the night before was so sticky. The temperature was in the high 90°s and very humid. The room in the Activities section, where we met, has no A/C and no ventilation. It is directly above the prison bakery. I suffered. My guys were wonderful and most appreciative, even though my participation was moistly passive. On the way home, my friend stopped at a branch of my bank for me to withdraw money. I was so exhausted that I put my credit card in the ATM, when I intended to use my debit card, I didn’t understand why the PIN for the debit card didn’t work, and when I tried again, the ATM ate and shredded my credit card. Then I realized what I had done and used my debit card to withdraw funds. I felt like a total idiot! Without my credit card, I am virtually home bound. It will take 8 – 10 business days to get it replaced, so I have to reschedule three medical appointments I had set for next week. I’m completely exhausted. However, I do have one piece of good news, one of my guys, who is now in his 30s and has been in prison since he was 17, has given me permission to share some of his writing with you. I consider him a far more talented writer than I am, so you guys are in for a treat. But today, I just need to recover.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:03 (average 4:49). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

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Open Thread–8/11/2015

Posted by TomCat at 7:15 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 112015

I’m in a huge rush to get my articles written and posted in time to take a nap before going to prison to do volunteer work.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:24 (average 4:38). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: Josten Bundy found himself before Judge Randall Rogers in an east Texas courtroom to face a misdemeanor charge stemming from a fight he got into with the ex-boyfriend of his girlfriend, Elizabeth Jaynes. With Elizabeth by his side, the judge asked Bundy if "she was worth it" and then put him on probation with bizarre stipulations:

“I said, well to be honest, sir, I was raised with four sisters and if any man was talking to a woman like that,” recalled Bundy, “I’d probably do the same thing.”

Judge Rogers asked Bundy if he was married to Jaynes and then said, “You know, as a part of my probation, you’re going to have to marry her…within 30 days.”

That’s right. Judge Rogers forced the young couple to get married, which they did. Bundy was fearful the jail sentence would cost him his job and the couple had previously talked about getting married…..in the future. Judge Randall also forced Bundy to get counseling and write Bible verses.

Rogers should be defrocked and disbarred for 1st Amendment violations against Bundy and 8th Amendment violations against Janes.

From Alternet: Informed readers are well aware that US police have the dubious reputation of killing lots of civilians, compared to other countries. The War on Drugs provides much of the basis for this abomination…

…The Free Thought Project constantly reports on senseless, unjustified murders carried out by police, in the attempt to bring accountability to law enforcement run amok. Here are 10 of the most outrageous excuses police have used for killing unarmed people during the last year.

“He was walking with a purpose.” Officer Vanessa Miller killed Ryan Bollinger, 28, after witnessing him “dancing in the street” during a traffic stop. After a low-speed chase, Bollinger exited the vehicle and was “walking with a purpose” toward Miller, who then shot him from inside the car through the rolled-up window.

I’ve shared just one and ten examples of excuses made by police after they murdered innocent victims. Click through for the other nine.

From Democrats Unite: If I wrote that “Bernie Sanders admits to being a socialist,” nobody reading it would need an explanation of the word “admits.” “Socialist” is as dirty a word in US politics as “racist” or “bigot.” And for lots of voters, it’s probably even more of a deal-breaker. When a Republican really wants to insult President Obama, for example, he or she calls him a socialist.

The thing is — as the video below makes clear — America is already a socialist country, but just quietly, and only for the rich and for corporations. So the insult “socialist” only seems to really apply to things we ask the government to do for the rest of us.

In a word, Amen.

Cartoon:

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This is humor. It is NOT s suggestion to do violence against Republicans.

Open Thread–8/10/2015

Posted by TomCat at 1:05 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 102015

The good news is that I enjoyed the first glimmer of the Holy Ellipsoid Orb. Viking fans should feel blessed. The bad news is that a surprise heat wave has hit with temperatures in the 90°s for at least today and tomorrow. Of course it has come just in time to coincide with my voluntee3r day in prison. While discretion might trump valor sufficiently for me to take the day off, my friend has her cancer surgery a week from tomorrow, so this is probably my last chance to work with my guys, until my three day volunteer trip late next month. Discretion be dammed. I’m going. I’m also running late due to prep work for that, and I got a late start too. Thanks Lona.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:54 (average 5:46). To do it click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Tempers flared in the aftermath of Thursday night’s Republican debate, as rival candidates accused the billionaire Donald Trump of failing to back up his misogynist slurs with concrete and workable anti-woman proposals.

Florida governor Jeb Bush and Wisconsin governor Scott Walker led the charge, as both of them asserted that Trump’s sexist rhetoric paled in comparison with their own strong records of opposition to women’s rights.

Andy is spot on again. Any Republican who would win the Presidency would put all of Hairball’s misogyny into practice, and then some.

From NY Times: A day of peaceful protest commemorating the killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old, by a white police officer one year ago ended in gunfire late Sunday as multiple shots rang out on West Florissant Avenue, the commercial district hit by rioting last summer.

A St. Louis County police officer was involved in the shooting, which occurred at about 11:15 p.m., after coming under heavy gunfire, the department said in a post on Twitter. Another department post said, “At least 2 unmarked cars took shots.”

First, I condemn this attack on police officers in the strongest possible terms. That said, I’m not at all surprised that it happened.

From Think Progress: After Jake Tapper, host of CNN’s State of the Union, asked Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina about Netflix’s announcement that it will offer a year of unlimited paid family leave, the former Hewlett Packard CEO said she opposes any requirement that employers offer their workers paid leave.

“I don’t think it’s the role of government to dictate to the private sector how to manage their businesses, especially when it’s pretty clear that the private sector, like Netflix…is doing the right thing because they know it helps them attract the right talent,” she said. “I’m not saying I oppose paid maternity leave. What I’m saying is I oppose the federal government mandating paid maternity leave to every company out there. [emphasis added]

First, Netflix does not offer family leave to employees in it’s DVD division. Second, the family leave (up to 12 months) Netflix offers other employees is NOT paid. Having exposed Carly’s Republican lie, let me point out that she stands in the forefront of the Republican War on Women.

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Open Thread–8/9/2015

Posted by TomCat at 12:25 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 092015

I’m feeling pretty tired, because yesterday’s 85° weather was very humid, and I felt too sticky to sleep. I know what I’ll be doing this evening. The long darkness has finally come to an end, and it’s a high holy day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb: the Festival of First Glimmer. The Steelers will be worshiping with the Vikings in the Hall of Fame Service. Even though most of the seasoned players will be riding the pines, the holy light of the blessed orb will finally shine forth in its wondrous blessing.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3;44 (average 7:12). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Based on his performance in Thursday night’s debate, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has emerged as a leading candidate to manage an Enterprise Rent-a-Car branch, Enterprise has confirmed.

Tracy Klugian, a human-resources director for the rental-car giant, said that he did not know what to expect before the debate, but after watching Walker in action he felt confident that the Wisconsinite had “what it takes to succeed at Enterprise.”

“He didn’t get too many moments in the spotlight, but, just from what I saw, I would feel comfortable putting him behind one of our rental counters,” he said.

He indicated that the company would be contacting Walker in the days ahead to discuss a possible future with Enterprise.

“Just to be clear, no promises will be made,” he said. “Best-case scenario, Scott works hard and becomes the manager of one of our branches. For starters, we’d like to train him to be an assistant manager and see how he does with that.”

Andy missed the boat on this one. The Fartfuhrer of Fitzwalkerstan is not even qualified to be an outhouse attendant.

From Alternet: An online group dedicated to police officers posted a wildly offensive “memorial” to slain Ferguson, Missouri teenager Michael Brown on the social medium Facebook. After an outcry, it now appears the tasteless post has been removed.

The Free Thought Project reported that the Facebook group Police Officers [GOP Pigs delinked] posted the offensive image in advance of the 1-year anniversary of Brown’s slaying at the hands of police officer Darren Wilson.

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There is only one word sufficiently vile to describe this racist behavior: Republican.

From Blue Oregon: Tonight, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) comes to Portland to campaign for President. The rally will be held at the Rose Garden Arena Moda Center. Doors open at 6, but show up early if you want to get in.

Last night, 12,000 people filled a basketball arena in Seattle — with another 3000 outside. That was his biggest crowd yet — and Portland could be even bigger, with an arena capacity of 17,000 to 19,000 (depending on stage setup.)

I wish I could go, but there is far too much walking for me to be able to handle it. 🙁

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Open Thread–8/8/2015

Posted by TomCat at 12:13 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 082015

I’m still recovering from the barf bath I had to take, while covering the Criminal Clowns. The forecast has already changed for the next few days. While 80°s weather is not a heat wave, it’s not the more comfortable 70°s weather I was expecting. I want to catch up on rest this weekend, because Tuesday is a volunteer day in prison.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:01 (average 5:48). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From J Street (Iran Deal Facts): Media Coverage

Opponents are pouring millions into television and print ads attacking the agreement. Right-wing media have blasted the deal with extreme vitriol, doing everything they can to drown out the facts. But J Street is leading the fight to make sure that the voices of responsible journalists, leaders, and experts that support the deal are being heard loud and clear.

J Street is the organization for American Jews that represents their real interests and not the interests of the Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christian war mongers that control AIPAC. They have two more excellent video clips on the page. Click Through.

From The New Yorker: The billionaire Donald Trump shocked the American people Thursday night by proving to be considerably more heinous than they had previously thought, an instant poll taken after the debate shows.

According to the poll, viewers who went into tonight’s debate thinking that Trump was one of the most horrible people that they had ever seen were still totally unprepared for the depths of awfulness he displayed during the televised contest.

When presented with the descriptors “loathsome,” “appalling,” and “monstrous,” viewers who witnessed Trump’s interaction with Fox News’s Megyn Kelly said that none of those words did justice to how odious Trump was.

OK, Andy, if you say so. But isn’t saying that Hairball is more heinous than previously thought a lot like saying that the Pope is more Catholic than previously thought?

From Daily Kos: John Kasich sure has a convenient memory. Asked about how he’d respond to Hillary Clinton’s presumptive attacks, Kasich mentioned his father was a mailman (drink!), then digressed to talking about balanced budgets:

I was the chairman of the budget committee and the lead architect the last time it happened in Washington, and when we did it, we had great economic growth, we cut taxes, and we had a big surplus.

Oh yeah, mofo? You know what else led to that balanced budget in the late 1990s? Bill Clinton’s tax hikes in 1993, which Republicans absolutely howled would destroy this country. Of course they were wrong, and they helped usher in an unprecedented era of growth and prosperity.

John "KKK" Kasich doesn’t like the kind of prosperity that benefits the 99%, and for him to try to take credit for Clinton’s budget surplus is an absurd Republican lie.

Cartoon:

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