Politics Plus

Yesterday I saw my Cardiologist, and she said that my heart passed with flying colors.  My left ventricular ejection fraction was 75% at rest and under stress.  She thinks the extra beats and tachycardia are completely due to reduced O₂ from my COPD.  Unfortunately the COPD remained severe yesterday and the heat exceeded the forecast, so I am still way behind on sleep and feeling it.  I caught up on replies, but did not answer most individually.  Tomorrow is a holy day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:07 (average 4:22).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: We Really Wish We Hadn’t Won This Gold Medal

Prison is both the most expensive and the least effective method of corrections, a lesson both parties need to learn.

From NY Times: As four flag-draped coffins bearing the bodies of the Americans killed in Libya arrived in the United States on Friday, new details emerged of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens’s final hours, alone, locked in a smoke-filled room in a diplomatic mission under siege.

In a solemn ceremony at Joint Base Andrews outside the capital, President Obama said the victims “laid down their lives for us all” and vowed to honor their memory by never retreating from the world.

How very sad!  Thoughts and prayers for the families, please.

From Alternet: Romney immigration adviser and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach is considering banning President Barack Obama from the ballot in his state this fall for a lack of sufficient proof that he was born in the United States.

He and his colleagues on the Kansas’s Objections Board will decide Monday whether to accept the birther-based attempt to debilitate Obama’s re-election. The move was prompted by a Kansas resident’s written complaint that Obama may be lying about where he was born.

I understand that it has been called off, but for such Teabuggery to be pushed by a campaign advisor to a presidential nominee is inexcusable.

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And he is the least moral and most irresolute of the bunch.

I have two articles today and am current with replies, as I rush to get everything done before leaving for volunteer work in prison.  Tomorrow I will be pooped and may not be online.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:01 (average 4:56).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Fantasy Football Report:

Here are the results from our fantasy football league, Lefty Blog Friends.

TomCat Teabag Trashers	Progressive Underdogs
105.78	98.60
Texans Will Rise Again	Playing without a helmet
95.24	121.32
MittsMagicJock	hugos renegades
97.42	111.36

Standings
						Points
Rank	Team Name	W-L-T	Pct	Streak	Waiver	For	Against
1 (1)	Playing without a helmet	1-0-0	1.000	W1	6	121.32	95.24
2 (2)	hugos renegades	1-0-0	1.000	W1	5	111.36	97.42
3 (3)	TomCat Teabag Trashers	1-0-0	1.000	W1	4	105.78	98.60
4 (4)	Progressive Underdogs	0-1-0	.000	L1	3	98.60	105.78
5 (5)	MittsMagicJock	0-1-0	.000	L1	2	97.42	111.36
6 (6)	Texans Will Rise Again	0-1-0	.000	L1	1	95.24	121.32

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: Robert Reich And Jared Bernstein Expose Mitt Romney’s Main Campaign Lies

Virtually everything Romney says is a lie, but understanding these two is critical for every American voter.

From NY Times: If the first weekend of Mitt Romney’s general election campaign is any indication, the country is in for eight weeks of wild, often random answers to some of the most important policy questions. Voters trying to understand the positions of Mr. Romney and Representative Paul Ryan are going to have a harder time than ever.

On issue after issue raised in the first weekend of interviews after the conventions, Romney and Ryan actively tried to obscure their positions, as if a clear understanding of their beliefs about taxes, health care or spending would scare away anyone who was listening. Aware that President Obama’s policies in these areas are quite popular once people learn about them, the Republicans are simply sowing confusion. Here are a few examples:

Romney and Ryan can succeed only if American voters do not understand their positions. Click through for the rest. It’s worth the read.

From The Daily Beast: You have to give him points for consistency at least. Missouri Republican Rep. Todd Akin said on Monday that he’s “totally in” the Senate race despite the national firestorm over his “legitimate rape” comments last month. Republicans have until Sept. 25 to force Akin to drop out.

That is excellent news.

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Yesterday was not as hot  The temperature in my apartment dropped below 90° before midnight, and below 80° about an hour ago.  Today is a holy day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb.  The Denver and Pittsburgh congregations will be in meditation together this evening, and I certainly will be meditating too.  I’m current, however brief, with replies.  Tomorrow appears routine.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:01 (average 5:30).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: Whether You’re Conservative Or Progressive, Someone You Love Is Held Back By These

Romney’s solution is for students burdened with debt to ask their parents for the money.

From Reuters: One of the most unpopular and unproductive Congresses in modern history returns on Monday from a five-week recess, facing a crush of big tasks, few of which will likely get done.

Lawmakers are expected to be in Washington for only about two weeks between now and the November 6 election, making their return to the capital little more than a pit stop.

Is there any question over why nothing will get done?

From Daily Beast: In the realm of political strategy, there are two mindsets on the question of attacking the opponent. One frets excessively about how the opponent will respond and how the media will write it up. The other, more aggressive mindset doesn’t worry too much about those things, on the principle that playing offense is almost always better than playing defense. I raise this with respect to the specific question of whether President Obama is going to make attacks on Republican obstructionism part of his arsenal over the next two months. His advisors seem to think that doing so would make Obama look weak. I emphatically disagree, and I think he’ll be dragged into doing it anyway, as he already was. Let’s review the tape.

I fully agree with this author. Click through for an excellent article.

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