Politics Plus

Yesterday I did volunteer work with a therapy group of former prisoners.  Even though that cuts my morning sleep time short, it’s much too fulfilling not to do, but I’m pretty useless when I get home.  I’m up to date with comments.  Today, I have work to do on my volunteer groups’ website and prep work for tomorrow night’s volunteer work.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 3:20 (average 4:34).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From LA Times: Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator who was suspended from a paid gig with Fox News Channel in March, returned to the network Wednesday night to announce that he was forming an exploratory committee to run for president.

This is the creep that earned the title “Man on Dog”, because hen equated same sex marriages with bestiality.

From Reuters: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is often mentioned as a presidential contender, but fewer than one in four voters in his home state would back him as a candidate, a poll released on Thursday said.

I feel sorry for the state where I grew up, but they elected him.  Let the buyers’ remorse grow across the country.

From US News: Donald Trump … frontrunner? That was the news out of yesterday’s CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey. Fully 19 percent of Republicans identified The Donald as their number one choice as party standard-bearer in the quest to evict Barack Obama from the White House. An equal number supported former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, while former half-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (12 percent), former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (11 percent), and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (11 percent), rounded out the Republican top five.

LOL! The Donald is using them for press.  Upchuck Huck has more skeletons than Halloween.  Newter is infamous for losing the House.  Few pay attention to Blood-libel Barbie anymore.  Then comes the so-called front runner.

Cartoon:

90% of Republicans have VD.  (That was not intended to be a factual statement.)

Yesterday I did my taxes.  It took hours, digging out papers, hunting through spreadsheets, and entering the data.  In the end, my forecasts at the beginning of the year were pretty accurate, because I owe only $8.00.  I’m up to date with comments, and today I have volunteer work to get done.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 4:41 (average 5:46).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From BBC: The Japanese authorities have raised the measure of severity of their nuclear crisis to the highest level.

They have reassessed the damage at the Fukushima nuclear plant following last month’s massive earthquake and tsunami.

The incident has now been rated level seven, only used previously for the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

We need to completely rethink the safety of all means of providing energy.

From Go Upstate: State Sen. Vincent Sheheen ratcheted up Democratic criticism of Gov. Nikki Haley on Monday, telling a group of Spartanburg Democrats that the then-state Representative lied on her application for a job at Lexington Medical Center.

Sheheen, a Camden Democrat who narrowly lost to Haley last fall in the gubernatorial election, became the first prominent South Carolina elected official to directly accuse Haley of deceit on the controversial application.

But… but… but… how could she have become a tea party queen and successful Republican politician without polishing her lying skills first?

From Think Progress: Several states in the last few weeks — including Michigan, Missouri, and Florida — have moved to cut or restrict unemployment benefits, even as long-term unemployment has failed to drop significantly for months. Joining the list is Utah, where the state senate president believes that denying benefits to jobless workers will force them to go back to work.

This is RepubliCare in action.

Cartoon:

Tuesday is Teabuggery day.  To celebrate, destroy your own future.

Yesterday I was completely exhausted.  Except for installing a new widget in the right sidebar, I spent the day sleeping and resting.  I am up to date on comments.  This morning I have a month’s groceries being delivered.  With my physical limitations, it will take me between two and three hours to unpack and put them all away, after which I’ll be pretty useless.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 5:00 (average 6:04).  To do it, click here.  Hoe did you do?

Short Takes:

From NY Times: I SPENT 18 years in prison for robbery and murder, 14 of them on death row. I’ve been free since 2003, exonerated after evidence covered up by prosecutors surfaced just weeks before my execution date.

This is John Thompson’s story.  It’s well worth the read.

From Bloomberg: China’s first quarterly trade deficit in seven years may ease pressure on the world’s biggest exporter to allow faster appreciation of the yuan.

How did that happen?  The only thing they import from here is jobs. 🙄

From McClatchy DC: Hardline Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr mobilized tens of thousands of followers Saturday to mark the eighth anniversary of the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime with a warning that United States troops must not stay in Iraq past their scheduled Dec. 31 departure date.

In a speech read by an aide to the crowd, Sadr said that the failure of U.S. troops to leave on time would mean "escalating military resistance and reactivating the Mahdi Army,"

I hear buzz that Gates is toying with keeping troops there longer.  In a word, NO!

Cartoon:

Pray that Democrats grow spines!

Yesterday I felt tired out and napped most of the day.  Perhaps it was laundry, or perhaps it wears me down that my nicotine craving has not abated one iota since day one.  I am up to date on comments.  Tonight I will be hosting a CoDA group during my normal sleep time, so tomorrow’s articles may be late and/or abbreviated.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 3:25 (4:31 average).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Think Progress: House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-CA) seemed taken aback this afternoon when the four chiefs of the armed forces testified that they had not run into any major problems in implementing the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

Republicans are horrified that the sky did not fall.  Poor little hate mongers!

From Salon: The George Allen comeback is already off to a great start. The former Virginia governor and U.S. senator was once considered a credible presidential candidate, until he committed a "gaffe" by revealing himself to be an unreconstructed racist. Now he is back on the campaign trail, trying to win his old Senate seat. Today, he asked a tall black man, "What position did you play?" For the second time.

Should we be surprised that Macaca Man is still a Republican racist?

From Washington Post: For the past three Aprils, a mishmash of musicians, activists and members of Congress have gathered on the Mall to celebrate Earth Day, encouraging Americans to go green.

This year, they’ll go silent. The Earth Day Network, the nonprofit organization behind the annual celebration, says it won’t be hosting its annual flagship event this year because it overlaps with the Easter and Passover holidays.

I trust the real Jesus would be happy to share the day, but Republican Supply-side Jesus would object.

Cartoon:

TFIF!