Yesterday I enjoyed two big plates of food and fed a couple of the people in my building who have nothing. Thanksgiving dinner always puts me to sleep, so I was sacrilegious to the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb, missing most of two games. Thanksgiving is a slow day for political news, but I did find material for one other article to accompany this one. I’m current with replies. Today will be a much needed lazy day.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today it took me 3:58 (average 4:39). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Time: U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords helped serve a Thanksgiving meal to service members and retirees at a military base in her hometown of Tucson, Ariz.
I’m happy to see her getting up and around.
From News Hounds: Even on Thanksgiving, Fox’s thoughts are not on solving our country’s problems and bringing us together as Americans but promoting its ideological agenda with divisiveness. Let’s be real. There’s no reason for blaring a headline saying, Let’s Give Thanks For The One Percent [Faux delinked], other than as an FU to the 99 Percent/Occupy movements.
I guess these Republicans are thankful for their greed and hate.
From Think Progress: I am thankful for climate scientists, who toil away for long hours away from their family, sometimes in the most inhospitable parts of the world, for not much money (sorry disinformers) — and do so thanklessly, indeed they do so in the face of anti-science cyber-bullying and hostility from sorry-ass disinformers — all in a desperate attempt to avert the gravest of human tragedies. They are like the hero of Henrik Ibsen’s classic An Enemy of the People — which someone should definitely modernize into a climate science parable.
Yesterday I pushed myself a little too hard, so I’m only putting up one other article today. I did get out to run my errands, and I did prepare tomorrow’s cheese mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and broccoli/cauliflower hollandaise, leaving only the turkey, dressing and gravy to make today. I’m current with replies. Today is not only Thanksgiving, but also a holy day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb, so while stuffing the bird and I, I shall be …umm… meditating.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today it took me 3:43 (average 4:34). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Isn’t it sad that we must often go to foreign media for honest coverage?
From Washington Post: The point man for carrying out President Barack Obama’s health care law will be stepping down after Republicans succeeded in blocking his confirmation by the Senate, the White House announced Wednesday.
Medicare chief Don Berwick, a Harvard professor widely respected for his ideas on how to improve the health care system, became the most prominent casualty of the political wars over a health care overhaul whose constitutionality will be now decided by the Supreme Court.
Praising Berwick for “outstanding work,” White House deputy press secretary Jamie Smith criticized Republicans for “putting political interests above the best interests of the American people.”
This is mire mindless obstruction. Berwick is not a controversial ideologue. Once, even Newt endorsed him.
From The Examiner: Nicholas E. Purpura and Donald R. Laster Jr, both of Monmouth County [NJ], yesterday filed a motion for recusal in their case, Purpura et al. v. Sebelius et al. (Docket No. 11-7275). They contend that Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor should not take part in any deliberation, either on whether to grant certiorari in their case, or in hearing oral argument, or in deciding their case or any motion thereon. The reason: both these Justices owe their jobs to Barack H. Obama, and both would lose their jobs should the Court uphold one of their fifteen counts against the massive health care reform bill.
Extending the logic (?) of these idiots, every Justice who was appointed by either a Republican or a Democrat should be forced to recuse. Note that they have no problem about Teabag Thomas pocketing $thousands from his wife’s lobbying against the ACA.
Yesterday I did some computer work, but mostly I rested. I did not watch the Republican Foreign Policy Debate, because I spent almost two weeks in a sick bed the last time I exposed myself to such vile garbage, and because I was asleep. Suffice it to say that the failures of the last Republican administration brought us 9/11 and torture. I’m current with replies. Tomorrow I have errands to run and plan to cook as much of my Thanksgiving dinner in advance as I can.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today it took me 4:21 (average 5:13). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Fantasy Football Report:
Scores
TomCat Teabag Trashers
Progressive Underdogs
116.00
133.48
Texans Will Rise Again
Playing without a helmet
85.40
110.06
ManOnDogSantorum
hugos renegades
82.56
73.46
Standings
Points
Rank
Team Name
W-L-T
Pct
Streak
Waiver
For
Against
1 (1)
Progressive Underdogs
9-2-0
.818
W1
6
1327.94
1163.50
2 (2)
ManOnDogSantorum
7-4-0
.636
W2
5
1229.34
1133.86
3 (3)
TomCat Teabag Trashers
6-5-0
.545
L1
4
1271.70
1169.96
4 (4)
Playing without a helmet
6-5-0
.545
W2
3
1211.28
1089.82
5 (5)
hugos renegades
5-6-0
.455
L2
2
1189.70
1155.44
6 (6)
Texans Will Rise Again
0-11-0
.000
L11
1
809.42
1326.80
This is the fourth time I have lost with the second highest score in the league. 🙁
From LA Times: But in Quinnipiac’s survey of likely Republican voters, Gingrich leads the field of GOP contenders, with 26% support compared to 22% for Romney and 14% for Cain. And he wins a head-to-head matchup with Romney, 49% to 39%.
A new CNN poll has the two tied — Gingrich wins 24% compared to 20% for Romney — within the margin of error of 5 percentage points.
I guess it’s time to Newter him again.
From Common Dreams: A new survey from Fairleigh Dickinson University has found that viewers of Fox News are less informed about world events than people who do not watch any news.
There it is. Watching no news informs Americans better that the Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda.
Yesterday unpacking and storing a month’s groceries wore me out. Fortunately, I had most of my research done, by the time they arrived yesterday afternoon. I’m current with replies. Tomorrow I plan to rest, as I know I’m still under it.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today it took me 3:52 (average 4:54). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From NY Times: A video that showed two University of California, Davis, police officers using pepper spray on seated protesters has gone viral, with hundreds of thousands watching what might have been a relatively small encampment compared with the larger protests across the country. The video has led to demands that Chancellor Linda P. B. Katehi resign. On Monday, Ms. Katehi said she was putting the campus police chief on administrative leave as a way to rebuild trust on campus.
That’s insufficient. Before the media circus, Katehi defended the officers’ abuse of protesters. She must resign.
From Raw Story: Police in Sun Prairie, Wisc. said Monday they were investigating reports of death threats made against two activists supporting the recall of Gov. Scott Walker (R).
Wisconsin residents Heather DuBois Bourenane and Tom Peer, who live in Sun Prairie and Madison, respectively, said they received early morning phone calls on Thursday of last week warning that they would be murdered.
“They said, ‘If you don’t stop circulating recall petitions, we will kill you,’” Peer reportedly said, describing the call he received.
Frankly, this criminal iteration of Republican Second Amendment solutions stinks!
From TPM: Newt Gingrich’s desire to roll back Social Security is no secret. But apparently his quest to tackle decades-old New Deal policies doesn’t stop there.
The golf links lie so near the mill, That almost every day, The laboring children can look out, And watch the men at play – Sarah Norcliffe Cleghorn. This is the Republican vision for America.
Yesterday and for the past several days, I have felt like something I wanted to bury in the deepest corner of my kitty box. A nasty upper respiratory infection exacerbated my COPD to the extent that I have been literally flat on my back and largely away from my computer for all but the most necessary tasks. I am still well short of full strength, but I shall try to return on a limited basis. I’m current on replies, just to the extent of saying thank you. Today I have a month’s groceries being delivered, and putting them away is a task that drains me during the best of times, so if I go missing tomorrow, don’t be surprised. I have missed you all and am grateful to you for your patience.
My fortunes continue to rise, but today, my team is playing Rob, and losing.
Short Takes:
From ABC: A California university placed two of its police officers on administrative leave Sunday because of their involvement in the pepper spraying of passively sitting protesters, while the school’s chancellor accelerated an investigation into the incident amid calls for her resignation.
Officials at the University of California, Davis refused to identify the two officers but one was a veteran of many years on the force and other "fairly new" to the department, the school’s Police Chief Annette Spicuzza told The Associated Press. She would not elaborate further because of the pending probe.
I have to wonder whether or not the university officials were in on it.
From Business Week: Republican and Democratic lawmakers on the deficit-cutting supercommittee said they’re still aiming for a last-ditch agreement even as one of the panel’s leaders voiced doubts about an accord by a Nov. 23 deadline.
The supercommittee faces a “daunting challenge” as its 12 members seek to bridge gulfs over taxes and spending, Representative Jeb Hensarling of Texas, the Republican co- chairman, said today. Time is running out for a plan to carve at least $1.2 trillion out of the federal budget, he said.
The panel has been deadlocked over income-tax increases, with Democrats seeking tax increases on high earners while Republicans push for extending tax cuts enacted under President George W. Bush. Another sticking point is Republican calls for cuts, over Democrats’ opposition, in entitlement programs such as Medicare.
The best possible thing that can happen here is an impasse. Democrats went much too far attempting to reach agreement with Republicans.
Yesterday I did some paperwork. I fell through the donut hole today: $404 for one medication. I’m quite tired, because I missed a sleep cycle to cover the Republican debates. It was a slow day for news, because the media was focused on what I reported yesterday morning. I’m current with replies. Today I have more paperwork and errands.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today it took me 4:21 (average 4:49). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Christian Science Monitor: In an apparent rebuke to his hard-line politics, Arizona state Senate President Russell Pearce was recalled by voters Tuesday. Senator Pearce was the author of the state’s tough anti-illegal immigration law that has spawned copycat laws in several states from Utah to Alabama.
Senator Pearce’s crusade against illegal immigration made him a national icon but ultimately factored into his historic recall.
His defeat, at the hands of political novice Jerry Lewis, puts a different face on Arizona and signals that voters are ready to take state politics in a new direction, says Bruce Merrill, a political scientist and professor emeritus at Arizona State University in Tempe.
Good riddance to bad rubbish! I bet the Arizona Death Angel, Jan Brewer, famous for killing patients by cancelling their Medicaid, is infuriated at the loss of her chief ally.
From Think Progress: A new Commonwealth survey finds that the United States leads wealthy nations in the number of adults who can’t afford health care services and end up skipping care altogether. Forty-two percent of Americans with health issues chose to go without care, the survey found, compared to a range of 1 to 14 percent of adults in 10 other countries. Also, more than a quarter said they could not or had difficulty paying their medical debt.
The only thing that separates us from them is the Republican Party’s protection of Big Insurance.
From Christian Science Monitor: Ok. Sarcasm may be the lowest form of wit, but it feels like the appropriate tone for addressing the "hot mic" moment in Paris the other day, when French President Nicolas Sarkozy told President Obama that he "can’t stand" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that "he’s a liar."
The two men thought they were having a private chat ahead of a public conference, unaware that the microphones in front of them were already on. Mr. Obama appeared to share some of Mr. Sarkozy’s frustration with the Israeli leader, reportedly saying "you’re fed up with him, but I have to work with him every day." [emphasis added]
While it is a diplomatic embarrassment, it does show that both Obama and Sarkozy live in the real world in a refreshingly humorous way.
Yesterday I caught up some paperwork and got some extra rest. I’m current on replies. Tomorrow I have errands to run.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today it took me 3:49 (average 5:01). 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
ManOnDogSantorum
112.52
104.18
hugos renegades
Texans Will Rise Again
121.82
52.32
Playing without a helmet
Progressive Underdogs
100.58
103.36
Standings
Points
Rank
Team Name
W-L-T
Pct
Streak
Waiver
For
Against
1 (1)
Progressive Underdogs
8-1-0
.889
W4
6
1072.02
906.34
2 (2)
TomCat Teabag Trashers
5-4-0
.556
W3
5
1071.52
979.66
3 (3)
hugos renegades
5-4-0
.556
W1
4
1038.16
929.48
4 (4)
ManOnDogSantorum
5-4-0
.556
L2
3
1006.62
937.96
5 (5)
Playing without a helmet
4-5-0
.444
L1
2
957.82
926.34
6 (6)
Texans Will Rise Again
0-9-0
.000
L9
1
666.20
1132.56
That’s three in a row for me, but Rob will ne hard to catch.
Short Takes:
From Boston Globe: A conservative-leaning appeals court panel on Tuesday upheld the constitutionality of President Barack Obama’s health care law, as the Supreme Court prepares to consider this week whether to resolve conflicting rulings over the law’s requirement that all Americans buy health care insurance.
A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued a split opinion upholding the lower court’s ruling that found Congress did not overstep its authority in requiring people to have insurance or pay a penalty on their taxes, beginning in 2014.
I think that the appeals court made the correct decision.
From Reuters: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has told President Giorgio Napolitano that he will resign after the new budget law currently making its way through parliament is approved, the head of state’s office said in a statement on Tuesday.
The budget law is expected to be passed by the end of this month, but its passage might now be accelerated.
Napolitano said Berlusconi was aware of the consequences of a vote in parliament on Tuesday in which his center-right coalition failed to secure a majority in the lower house.
Good riddance to bad rubbish.
From The Nation: At a White House staff meeting yesterday, chief of staff Bill Daley made a surprising announcement [Murdoch delinked]: his role in the administration going forward will be reduced, and veteran aide Pete Rouse will take over day-to-day management of the West Wing. The Wall Street Journal notes [Murdoch delinked] “It is unusual for a White House chief of staff to relinquish part of the job.”
It’s unusual, but it is good news for progressives. There is no doubt that Daley’s hiring represented a tack to the right, and towards a more corporate-friendly approach, and this demotion could reflect at least a partial retreat by the White House from that approach.
This is a start, but the solution to Daley is a complete flush.
Yesterday I did not feel well. There was no specific complaint. I just felt lethargic all day. Sleeping most of the day has not helped. I’m current on replies. Today I have everything scheduled for yesterday to get done.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today it took me 3:41 (average 4:31). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From AFP/Google: The number of Americans living in poverty grew Monday to 49.1 million, or 16 percent of the total population, under a new US Census Bureau methodology that gave more weight to day-to-day expenses.
Officially, some 46.6 million people in the United States, or 15.2 percent, live under the poverty line, but that figure is rooted in statistical methods dating back to the 1950s and based on pre-tax income.
Thanks RepubliCorp!
From Irish Central: Israeli commandos have been accused of abusing 14 Irish citizens, after they stormed a boat attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Two of the 14 Irish citizens awaiting court cases and deportation have revealed the full extent of the horrors they suffered at the hands of the Israeli military.
I understand they turned high pressure water hoses on defenseless unarmed people in their control.
From MSNBC: Obama continues to run ahead of the Republican presidential front-runners in hypothetical general-election match ups — leading former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney by six points and former businessman Herman Cain by 15 points.
While polls so far out from election day are virtually meaningless, the oft repeated claim from the right that that the Republican contenders are outpacing Obama are hogwash.
