Politics Plus

Yesterday our CoDA group in prison had two new members, and I felt thrilled with they way they jumped right in and went to work on serious self-actualization.  I could not have been more proud of them.  When I returned home I felt very tired and achy, but just hyped enough that I could not get to sleep, so I’m shot today.  Therefore this is today’s only article.  I’m current with replies.  Tomorrow I have an appointment with the doctor, to whom a visit takes at least 4 hours in travel time, so I may post nothing at all.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:32 (4:44 average).  To do it click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: What Every ‘Tea Party Patriot’ Is Really Saying

Bear in mind that the Tea Party is still just the brown-shirt storm troopers of the Republican Party.  Thou shalt not commit Teabuggery!

From NY Times: Ron Barber, whom former Representative Gabrielle Giffords picked as her successor, defeated his Republican rival on Tuesday in a closely followed special election seen by many political strategists as testing ground for the power of national issues in deciding competitive races.

Mr. Barber’s win over Jesse Kelly was largely secured by voters in Pima County, the largest of the four counties that make up the district and also home to Tucson, its base and Ms. Giffords’s former hometown. Turnout there and in most others of the district was high for a special election, reflecting the significance of the race and Ms. Giffords’s draw on voters.

Excellent!!! Barber was trailing in the polls at the time voting began in this Republican leaning district. I bet the Brewerstan Death Anger is furious that Sarah Palin’s bullseye has gone to waste.

From YouTube: Republicans have Plotted Treason Now

Thanks to desertflower, a new reader, for leaving the link to this video yesterday. It’s a must see. I call it sedition.

Cartoon:

In those days, we had SCOTUS, not SCROTUS.

It’s another slow news day, as the media play “he said, she said” over last weeks gaffes.   However I did find a couple interesting items.  I’m current with replies.  Tomorrow I’ll be doing volunteer work in prison, so it’s probable that I’ll post only an open thread.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:04 (average 5:27).  To do it click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: Bernie Sanders Has An Amazingly Simple Idea To Fix Social Security For The Next 75 Years

I disagree with Bernie. If we eliminate the income cap altogether, we fix Social Security permanently.

From Reuters: Six American families paid no federal income taxes in 2009 while making something on the order of $200 million each. This is one of many stunning revelations in new IRS data that deserves a thorough airing in this year’s election campaign.

The data, posted on the IRS website last week, brings into sharp focus the debate over whether the rich need more tax cuts (Mitt Romney and congressional Republicans) or should pay higher rates (President Obama and most Democrats).

Both Romney and Obama think this is unfair.  The difference is that Rmoney thinks it unfair only because he isn’t one of them.

From Washington Post: Woodward and Bernstein: 40 years after Watergate, Nixon was far worse than we thought.

Click through for this historic piece, because it is well worth the read.  In addition, it validates my long held position that much of the hate based strategy that has become Republican SOP goes back to Nixon rather than Reagan.

Cartoon:

He still can be.

As I am researching and writing, I am also doing laundry, my least favorite household chore.  On a scale of one to ten, I really hate laundry!  I’m current with replies.  Tomorrow appears routine.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:31 (average 4:26).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: Warning! This Sign Will Definitely Offend Some Of Your Friends

And hate hiding behind the Bible is still Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christianity.

From NY Times: The suicide rate among the nation’s active-duty military personnel has spiked this year, eclipsing the number of troops dying in battle and on pace to set a record annual high since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan more than a decade ago, the Pentagon said Friday.

Never before has there been more telling evidence that the the war in Afghanistan has already failed.

From WSET: Members of the House of Representatives voted Friday to protect their own office expense accounts from budget cuts.

The bipartisan 307-102 vote came on a $3.3 billion measure funding congressional operations.

Republicans controlling the House have been trying to cut domestic agency budgets by about 5 percent. But when it came to their own staff, travel and office expenses, GOP leaders opted to freeze their $574 million budget.

They want cuts for everyone else, but they consider themselves entitled, in spite of taking record time off.  What hypocrites!

Cartoon:

It’s a slow news day, because the Fitzwalker$tan Fiasco still dominates the media.  For the moment, I have nothing to add about that, but I did find a couple stories. I’m current with replies.  Tomorrow appears routine.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:37 (average 5:12).  To do it click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: This Weirdly Political Graphic About Space Aliens Has Been Shared 50k Times On Facebook

We would be saying, "Space Aliens are NOT people!"

From NY Times: In a new line of attack, top Democrats are arguing that Mitt Romney and the Republicans, with their focus on spending cuts, are following Europe’s austerity-first example, to dismal effect so far: Greece over the edge; Italy, Spain, Portugal on the edge; Britain in recession; and the United States suffering through a needlessly weak recovery because of government cuts.

Sadly Europe elected conservatives who goose stepped to the policies of GW Bush and the Republican Regime.  Fortunately they are seeing the error in that.

From MSNBC: Rmoney the draft dodger

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

So he demonstrated for the war, sought four deferments, lied about seeking any deferments at all, and flipped flopped from "no desire to serve" to "longed to serve" in Vietnam.  Lying Chickenhawk!

Cartoon: