Politics Plus

I’m afraid I’m still down.  I’m current with replies.  Maybe tomorrow.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:44 (average 4:31).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Fantasy Football Report:

Here’s the latest from our fantasy football league, Lefty Blog Friends.

Scores:

TomCat Teabag Trashers	MittsMagicJock
123.50	107.34
Texans Will Rise Again	hugos renegades
116.84	77.76
Progressive Underdogs	Playing without a helmet
142.54	101.22

Standings:

						Points
Rank	Team Name	W-L-T	Pct	Streak	Waiver	For	Against
1 (1)	TomCat Teabag Trashers	12-2-0	.857	W3	6	1673.94	1400.92
2 (2)	hugos renegades	8-6-0	.571	L3	5	1513.64	1430.08
3 (3)	Progressive Underdogs	7-7-0	.500	W4	4	1492.64	1413.38
4 (4)	MittsMagicJock	5-9-0	.357	L2	3	1387.98	1455.92
5 (5)	Playing without a helmet	5-9-0	.357	L1	2	1331.28	1524.48
6 (6)	Texans Will Rise Again	5-9-0	.357	W1	1	1357.62	1532.32

This concludes the regular season, and now it’s time for the playoffs.  The 3rd through 6th place teams will now play to take on the Teabag Trashers and the Renegades, who have a first round bye, in the semifinals.

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: This Lawmaker In Michigan Really Cuts Through The B.S. With Her GOP Coworkers

Whitmer is spot-on, but The Michigan Right to Screw Workers Law isn’t about what’s good for people, what’s good for Michigan, or what’s good for America. It’s about establishing a permanent, totalitarian Republican regime in which elections and the will of the people no longer matter.

From NY Times: It is a dark day for the rule of law. Federal and state authorities have chosen not to indict HSBC, the London-based bank, on charges of vast and prolonged money laundering, for fear that criminal prosecution would topple the bank and, in the process, endanger the financial system. They also have not charged any top HSBC banker in the case, though it boggles the mind that a bank could launder money as HSBC did without anyone in a position of authority making culpable decisions.

Clearly, the government has bought into the notion that too big to fail is too big to jail. When prosecutors choose not to prosecute to the full extent of the law in a case as egregious as this, the law itself is diminished. The deterrence that comes from the threat of criminal prosecution is weakened, if not lost.

If refusing to prosecute a criminal corporation due to fear of the damage it will do to the financial system, then the financial system is already far too damaged to permit its continuation unchanged. Especially if too big to fail is too big to jail, then too big to fail is too big to exist. Reinstate Glass-Steagall and break up the TBTF Banksters.

From MSNBC: The Injustice vs the Student

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

We can be sure that Herr Scalia has decided the LGBT cases without having heard them, and with no consideration or respect for the Constitution of the United States, given that he is doubling down on hate speech. Kudos to Duncan Hosie.

Cartoon:

I think I need to take another day off.  I spent almost the entire day in bed, and I need more time for my chest muscles to heal from excessive coughing.  Breathing is still painful.  I’m current with replies.  Hopefully I shall return tomorrow.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:00 (average 4:22).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: Meryl Streep Thinks She’s Figured Out What Would Make Sarah Silverman Blush

I can say I am pro all those good things in one sentence. I am anti-Republican. Draw the Line. Center for Reproductive Rights.

From NY Times: The nation’s largest banks are facing a fresh torrent of lawsuits asserting that they sold shoddy mortgage securities that imploded during the financial crisis, potentially adding significantly to the tens of billions of dollars the banks have already paid to settle other cases.

Regulators, prosecutors, investors and insurers have filed dozens of new claims against Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup and others, related to more than $1 trillion worth of securities backed by residential mortgages.

Certainly investors deserve relief from losses suffered due to the crimes of Republican Banksters. They should take their place in line right behind the consumers the Banksters screwed.

From Politicus USA: Since election day, Rachel Maddow has been beating Sean Hannity in the key demo ratings. Fox News has responded with a juvenile attack on Maddow.

There is something happening in cable news that can no longer be ignored. MSNBC is seriously challenging Fox News. Specifically, Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell are regularly beating their Fox News competition in the key 25-54 demo. Last week, Maddow beat Hannity, 378,000 viewers to 352,000 in the demo.

What wonderful news!  MSNBC has conservative shows like Morning Joe (3 hours long) to balance progressives like Maddow and and O’Donnell, making it genuinely balanced.  Faux Noise, on the other hand is not even a news channel.  It is the Propaganda Ministry of the Republican Party.  Every loss Faux Noise takes raises our collective national intelligence.

Cartoon:

Would someone please inform the Republican Party about this?

Yesterday my meeting with my guys was the annual Christmas meeting, so the occasion was social rather than work.  I thoroughly enjoyed caroling with around 100 prisoners and a local Adventist choir, that came in to share in the singing.  Even in such an environment, my guys demonstrated more loving  spirit than Supply-side pseudo-Christians can even imagine.  As always, I could not be more proud of them.  Critter sends greetings to Critter.  The prison changed their schedule again, and sadly, this became my only volunteer day this month.  I’m pooped and am returning to bed as soon as I get this up.  I’m current with replies.  Tomorrow is a holy day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb, but it has less religious significance for me, because my Broncos have already meditated.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 7:09 (ARGH!) (average 7:32).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: Jon Stewart Happily Confirms For Gretchen Carlson That She Is, Indeed, ‘F’ing Nuts’

Those Faux Noise dingbats ARE nuts! I can prove it. If they were not nuts, they would not be on Faux Noise.

From Houston Chronicle: Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who was elected the state’s chief executive as a Republican and then ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as an independent, announced on Twitter that he’s switching to the Democratic Party.

The announcement Friday night fanned speculation that Crist would seek to regain his old job from Republican Gov. Rick Scott in 2014.

Welcome Charlie. May those few Republicans who are still sane follow his example.

From MSNBC: The Ezra Klein Challenge

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

The measure saves government $5.7 billion. But it costs $3.7 billion to seniors, $0.7 billion to states, $4.5 billion to employers, and $2.5 billion to other people in ACA exchanges. That totals $11.4 billion in costs to others in the economy, exactly double what it saves. The best function of government is to provide those citizen needs that we can do more efficiently as a community.  This is certainly such a case.  If this is the least harm to America, Republicans will take, I can understand that, but it’s shameful for them to cause such harm just for a feather in their cap.

Cartoon:

My COPD is still pretty severe, but I’m in the saddle and current with replies.  Tonight is a special holy day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb, because my Broncos take on the Raiders in a Thursday night meditation.  Tomorrow I hope to get articles up before leaving for a volunteer day in prison.  I normally never go on a Friday, but the prison is closing the activities section during the latter half of the month for the holidays, so we’re on an unusual schedule.  Next Tuesday will be my last volunteer day this month.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:32 (average 4:17).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: One Chart Gives You 20 Reasons To Support Unions

Almost every one is sufficient reason in itself.

From Politico: Voters support higher taxes on the wealthy by a margin of better than 2 to 1, according to a new poll Thursday.

Sixty-five percent of voters back increased taxes for Americans making more than $250,000 a year, while 31 percent oppose, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released. Democrats support that measure 84-14 percent, and independents are in favor of the tax hikes 66-31 percent. Republicans, on the other hand, oppose such tax increases 53-41 percent, the poll found.

Popular support guarantees Republican opposition.

From NY Times: Obama went too far by demanding $1.6 trillion in revenue, that he should have stayed with Simpson-Bowles — which calls for $2.2 trillion in revenue.

Obama is being far more reasonable than Republicans deserve.

Cartoon:

A day of mourning for Teabaggers.