Open Thread–8/14/2011

 Posted by at 12:08 am  Blog News, Open Thread, Personal
Aug 142011
 

Yesterday there was little improvement in my Republicanitis.  I’m so full of Republicans that Imodium AD has not worked and trips to the throne have been too frequent to allow much sleep, let alone research.  I am not current on replies and will catch up when I can.

Jig Zone Puzzles:

Yesterday it took me 2:56 (average 4:24).  To do it click here.

Today it took me 3:07 (average 4:47).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

I had a lot of motivation to hurry. 🙁

Short Takes:

From SoINeedAName:  Left in a comment

Timely and appropriate.

From ABC: A federal appeals court in Atlanta on Friday struck down a key provision of the Obama administration’s health care reform law, ruling that Congress exceeded its authority in mandating that most Americans buy health insurance by 2014 or face a penalty.

At the Federal Appeals Court level that’s one for and one against.  Bring on Medicare for all!

From Common Dreams: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will submit an application for full U.N. membership at the General Assembly next month, his foreign minister said on Saturday, without specifying exactly when the request would be made.

I support recognition, and oppose the US opposition to it.

From Me: The Looney Toons Follies in Iowa

Iowa Straw Poll

 

Michele Bachmann

4,823

Ron Paul

4,671

Tim Pawlenty

2,293

Rick Santorum

1,657

Herman Cain

1,456

Rick Perry

718

Mitt Romney

567

Newt Gingrich

385

Jon Huntsman

69

Thaddeus McCotter

35

Guess who provided the most free busses and paid for the most $30 tickets?

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Open Thread–8/12/2011

 Posted by at 12:16 am  Open Thread, Personal
Aug 122011
 

Yesterday I slept late, did chores, and cleaned up my email backlog.  I ordered groceries online for delivery Sunday.  I did not watch the Ames debate, because it was on the Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda, aka Fox, it does not matter, and I had forgotten to stock up on barf bags.  I’m current on replies.  Today I have errands to run and more chores to do.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it too me 3:24 (average 4:53).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Business Week: House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi named three of her most trusted allies to the special committee charged with finding $1.5 trillion in budget savings, amid growing doubts about the panel reaching a compromise.

Democratic Representatives James Clyburn, Chris Van Hollen and Xavier Becerra will join Republican counterparts Dave Camp, Fred Upton and Jeb Hensarling. The Senate team includes Republicans Jon Kyl, Pat Toomey and Rob Portman and Democrats Patty Murray, John Kerry and Max Baucus.

If only the Nevada Leg Hound, Harry Reid, had done his job like Nancy did.

From LA Times: Campaigning in Iowa on Thursday, Mitt Romney told a heckler, “Corporations are people, my friend”—words immediately seized upon by Democrats in what they termed as a possible defining statement by the presidential candidate.

He will never live that down.

From Think Progress: According to new research from MIT, the most recent global climate report fails to capture trends in Arctic sea-ice thinning and drift, and in some cases substantially underestimates these trends….

After comparing IPCC models with actual data, [lead author Pierre] Rampal and his collaborators concluded that the forecasts were significantly off: Arctic sea ice is thinning, on average, four times faster than the models say, and it’s drifting twice as quickly.

I doubt that Mother Earth will vote Republican.

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Open Thread–8/11/2011

 Posted by at 1:11 am  Blog News, Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 112011
 

Yesterday I slept most of the day, after being up all night with Wisconsin.  I contacted the people at SendLove.to and notified them about the conflict their plugin had with the nesting indentation structure of our comments.  They had been unaware of it, but they had the problem fixed by the end of the day.  I’m impressed.  Have you tried it and what do you think?  I’m current on replies.  Today I have chores and expect heat to beat.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 3:45 (average 5:38).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Seattle Times: The Republican senators Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., named to the panel are Jon Kyl, of Arizona, Pat Toomey, of Pennsylvania, and Rob Portman, of Ohio. Toomey and Portman are serving their first terms in the Senate.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, chose three experienced legislators for the panel: Republican Conference Chairman Jeb Hensarling, of Texas; Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, of Michigan; and Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton, of Michigan.

Reid said Tuesday that Sens. John Kerry, of Massachusetts, Max Baucus, of Montana, and Patty Murray, of Washington state, were his super-committee choices.

All six Republicans worship at the altar of Saint Grover.

From AP/Google: Republican presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann says she’s not a politician but a real person.

Does this remind you of “I am not a witch?”

From NY Times: Is the Obama White House planning an October surprise for next year to give the president’s re-election campaign a boost?

That’s the suspicion of Representative Peter T. King, the New York Republican who is chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. Mr. King has asked the inspectors general of the Defense Department and the Central Intelligence Agency to investigate the administration’s cooperation with filmmakers planning a movie based on the Navy Seal raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

Scheduled release date: Oct. 12, 2012 –- weeks before the Nov. 6 presidential election.

They took a different approach when they went to court to televise an anti-Democrat movie on right before an election.  In fact that was the only issue Citizens United was supposed to decide, before SCROTUS ran away with it.

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Open Thread–8/10/2011

 Posted by at 2:39 am  Blog News, Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 102011
 

Yesterday I did my housework chores and installed a new plugin here called sendlove.to.  It recognizes famous people in my articles and gives you an opportunity to vote them up or down on a national network and to make comments about them in addition to the comments here.  To see it in action open the comments in any article.  I found a bug early this morning.  It interfered with our nested indents.  I’ll report it.  I am current on replies, but exhausted from missing sleep to track Wisconsin.  Tomorrow, I’m hiding.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 3:18 (average 4:54).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From TPM: An offshoot of the South Florida Tea Party called "Tea Party In Space" is looking to break apart the government’s socialist takeover of the final frontier.

Andrew L. Gasser launched Tea Party In Space [InsaniTEA delinked] in June as a way to "bring fiscal responsibility" into the space program, he told TPM Tuesday. He called the group, which was formed in conjunction with the South Florida Tea Party, the first "issue-specific" tea party in the country.

In matters pertaining to outer space and space cadets, Teabaggers may have a natural advantage.

From Think Progress: Tom Delay Wants a Government Shut Down Next Month

 

Doing too much harm is never enough for them.

From Reuters: A U.S. regulator sued Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N), accusing the bank of violating federal and state law by selling risky mortgage-backed securities to two credit unions that later failed.

The National Credit Union Administration is seeking more than $491 million of damages related to the sale of about $1.18 billion of securities, according to the agency and its lawsuit filed Tuesday in the U.S. district court in Los Angeles.

Keep those lawsuits coming!

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Open Thread–8/9/2011

 Posted by at 2:27 am  Open Thread, Plus, Politics
Aug 092011
 

Yesterday I caught up on some much needed sleep, scheduled medical appointments, and did housework.  I slept through most of my early research time slot, so I’m running a bit behind this evening, but I am current with replies.  On today’s schedule, I have paperwork, and a discussion with a software developer about a pre-release plugin for the blog.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 2:56 (average 4:43).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Think Progress: On July 11, Melissa Jordan called 911 saying her husband — state Sen. Kris Jordan (R-OH) — was pushing her around and throwing things. Sen. Jordan was quick to trivialize his wife’s complaint and throw the blame on her, explaining “She got a little upset. Girls do that.”

This is a perfect example of how Republican’s view women.

From Washington Post: Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) is expected to announce his presidential plans shortly after the Ames Straw Poll this coming weekend, and his supporters are already soliciting contributions for the campaign, according to an e-mail from a Perry supporter.

I think he’ll beat Mitt.

From Ground Report: This week, Koch funded tea bagger organizations rode into Wisconsin on the Tea Party Express III bus. Tea Party Nation founder Judson Phillips, writing on his website and speaking at tea bagger rallies, compared the grassroots citizens of Wisconsin that protested Governor Scott Walker’s union busting and educations slashing bills to Nazi “brownshirts”  and “storm troopers”.  In an article published this weekend, Mother Jones points out that another group on the Tea Bagger Express III tour, Patriot Action Network, called Wisconsin’s Service Employees International Union “Obama’s brownshirts”.

This bizzarre comparison between nurses and teachers that are peacefully protesting and fascist blackshirts and brownshirts has always been confusing to an English/History major like myself. The fact is, Nazism and Fascism are right-wing ideologies that have openly attacked socialists, unionists, and liberals. Much like the tea baggers that rode into Wisconsin this week on their brown bus. [emphasis added]

I guess Republicans can’t find enough local wing-nuts in Wisconsin to meet their needs.

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Open Thread–8/8/2011

 Posted by at 12:10 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 082011
 

Yesterday I did some housework and rested.  It was not a particularly hot day, but it was so humid and sticky as to prevent sleep, so I am feeling quite tired.  I am current on replies.  Tomorrow’s schedule is open.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 3:51 (average 5:04).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From The Examiner: The death of Kelly Thomas, the 37-year old Fullerton, California resident described as a gentle, homeless, "gravely" mentally disabled young man, who cried for his father as six police hog-tied, repeatedly tazed, and beat him to death, reported and posted on Youtube by CNN Thursday, is increasing outrage across the nation, part of the aim of a new citizen human rights defenders group demonstrating compassion in an internet campaign. Chalked up as lack of police training according to The Washington Post Friday, the police department put the six officers on administrative leave, the FBI and district attorney’s office are investigating, and California residents are protesting Saturday morning at 8:00 at the police station.

I found the CNN report posted on You Tube, which cannot be embedded, shocking and disturbing.

From CNN: Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is staying put, the Obama administration announced Sunday.

"Secretary Geithner has let the president know that he plans to stay on in his position at Treasury," a Treasury spokeswoman said in a statement.

He now plans to stay on through the 2012 election.  I’m sorry to be the bearer of such bad news.

From Salon: During the last two weeks, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, by most accounts on the brink of a presidential candidacy, has reversed himself on the question of the proper venue for dealing with the two of the hoariest cultural issues in American politics, same-sex marriage and abortion.

First, at a Republican governors meeting on July 22, he referred [Faux Noise delinked] to the recent decision by the New York legislature to legalize gay marriage as something that was "fine with me," and said further: "That is their call. If you believe in the 10th Amendment, stay out of their business." But then, in a matter of days, he was performing what can only be described as a public act of penance on Christian right potentate Tony Perkins’ radio show, trumpeting his support for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage nationally.

For tenthers, everything should be up to the states, except for what they want not to be.  What a hypocrite.

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Open Thread–8/7/2011

 Posted by at 1:44 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 072011
 

Yesterday I slept late in the morning, making up for too much burning the candle at both ends.  In the morning, I caught up on email.  In the afternoon I was the guest on The Fred and Jed Show.  Click through if you’d like to listen.  Today I have lots of overdue housework to finish.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 4:22 (average 5:18 average).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From You Tube: S & P explains the downgrade.

Clearly the Republicans are at fault for bringing the US to the brink of default.

From Texas Tribune: While Gov. Rick Perry and his supporters were praying in Houston, several hundred protestors were rallying against him on the grounds of the state Capitol Saturday afternoon.

Good for them!  Under the guise of praying for America, Perry and his ilk are preying on America.

From Salon: The Associated Press has learned that more than 20 Navy SEALs from the unit that killed Osama bin Laden were among the 31 U.S. soldiers lost in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan…

…The helicopter crashed in eastern Afghanistan, killing a total of 31 U.S. troops and seven Afghan commandos, the country’s president said Saturday. An American official said it was apparently shot down, in the deadliest single incident for American forces in the decade-long war.

My heart goes out to their families.  Here are 31 stellar  reasons to end this damn war now.

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Open Thread–8/6/2011

 Posted by at 12:21 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 062011
 

Yesterday I was out and about getting a vaccination, picking up a prescription and going to the store.  I do not feel quite so tired as it is cooler.  The temperature at my desk is only 86°.  I tried to do some maintenance on the site a few minutes ago, but the servers were down.  I hate it when people can’t get here.  I’m current on replies.  Today I will be appearing on the Fred and Jed Show at 3:30 PM PDT (6:30 PM EDT).

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 3:02 (average 4:31).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Washington Blade: President Obama issued a proclamation on Thursday that could prohibit those engaging in LGBT persecution overseas from entering the United States.

The proclamation bars entry of immigrant and non-immigrant aliens who organize or participate in war crimes or serious violations of human rights — which could include those seeking to pass legislation in Uganda that would institute the death penalty for homosexual acts.

Well done!  This should be called the Republican C-Street proclamation.

From Christian Science Monitor: According to Libya’s rebels, Muammar Qaddafi’s son Khamis was killed in an overnight NATO raid on the western town of Zlitan.

His death, if true, is a much bigger blow to the Qaddafi regime than that of his brother, Saif al-Arab, who was killed earlier in the war in another NATO airstrike. Saif al-Arab held no significant leadership role, unlike Khamis, the leader of the Khamis Brigade – one of the country’s most elite fighting units and most feared elements of Qaddafi’s regime.

With appropriate empathy for any innocents who loved Khamis, Qaddafi’s own crimes cre coming home to roost.

From Think Progress: Newly elected Rep. Janice Hahn (D-CA) attended a protest of about 200 in Long Beach last night, trying to raise awareness about a spate of attacks on gay men in a gay-friendly area known as the Broadway Corridor. Hahn said she believes “these kinds of hate crimes are a form of domestic terrorism.”

Good for her!

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