Politics Plus

Yesterday I moved.  The day had two low points.  The first was discovering that, after losing my appointment for yesterday, Comcast cannot install my service until Tuesday, and learning that the landlord dies not allow a dish, so I can’t tell them to take a long flying ____ off a short pier.  The second was discovering that, after I had carefully left the wires attached to network equipment, the movers pulled them all off, leaving me with electronic spaghetti.  Kudos to me.  Everything works.  The high points were looking out my window onto 4th Avenue, Chinese food delivery, crawling into bed, and writing to let you know I’m back.  Today is a rest day, and tomorrow comes the task of unpacking lots more boxes.  Hopefully, I’ll be back to full time blogging within a week to ten days.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:58 (average 4:42).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Upworthy: A Congressman Loses His Temper When Told To Not Talk About The People Suffering In The Room.

Kudos to both Democrats. Polis is right. It IS simple!  Americans overwhelmingly favor common sense reform, not racist Republican exploitation.

From The New Yorker:  With six fingers of Johnnie Walker swirling in his favorite tumbler, John Boehner speaks with the quiet assurance of a man on the brink of something big.

Just three workdays remain until Congress packs it in for 2013, and the House that Boehner presides over is about to set the record for the least productive year in its history—a quixotic goal that the tawny Ohioan set for himself when he arrived in Washington, in 1991.

“Like most of us, I came to this town hoping to make history,” he says, refilling his tumbler. “And, damn it, that’s what I’m about to do.”

Downing his glass in one gulp, he reflects upon “all the little things that had to go right” to make the year of epic underachievement possible…

Andy is so right. Agent Orange and his cronies have been the least productive Congress in history.

From Daily Kos: Al Sharpton did some great work on Monday’s PoliticsNation where he further exposed the politics of cruelty that have possessed the Republican Party.

Republicans want to cut food stamps, believe that kicking people off of unemployment insurance who cannot find a job in an economy where there are 3 people for every available position, and that a particularly evil and twisted version of "Christian faith" justifies punishing and hurting poor people as righteous deeds and acts that mark conservatives as the elect who are destined for heaven.

I am not a "Christian". But my understanding of the "historical" Jesus was that he was a man who died fighting State tyranny and would do anything to help the poor, the weak, and the vulnerable. The Tea Party GOP’s bastardization of Jesus Christ remakes him into a figure who puts his foot on the throats of the hungry, weak, the vulnerable, and the needy, in order to motivate them into self-sufficiency–or alternatively die from a lack of breath.

For the Tea Party GOP, either outcome is acceptable…

As a rule, I’m not a big Sharpton fan, but once again he deserves major kudos. Historical Jesus and Republican Supply-side Jesus are polar opposites.

Cartoon:

I’m writing for tomorrow, and it’s 27° here in temperate Portland, and it won’t likely get above 32° before next Tuesday.  I’m not going anywhere today, so I figured I’d get you a real Open Thread, before I run out of gas.  I found a few items I think you’ll like, but please bear in mind that I’m les out of the loop than a Faux Noise sheeple, only because nobody is packing my head with lies.

Late Update: It has come to my attention that Nelson Mandela has died, and I mourn the loss of a great hero.  I remember when most of the world united in protest against the inhuman cruelty of apartheid.  Few opposed the sanctions, but Ronald Reagan, patron saint of today’s Republican Party vetoed the Bill calling for US sanctions against South Africa.  Fortunately, Democrats in the House and Senate, with the help of a few moderate Republicans (They really did exist.), overrode St. Ronnie’s shameful veto.  I wish comfort to Mandela’s family and to all who loved him.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:57 (average 4:35).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Fantasy Football Update (belated):

Here’s the latest from our fantasy football league, Lefty Blog Friends.

Scores:

After several discouraging weeks, I benched Erik Decker.  ARGH!!  I was very fortunate to win.

Standings:

This week’s games are the last of the regular season, and playoffs begin the following week.  The two low teams (still undetermined) will play a consolation game.  The other eight will be in the playoffs.  Good luck to all!!

Short Takes:

From PR Watch: Internal documents from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) published by The Guardian provide stunning insight into the inner workings of the "corporate bill mill" — and offer new evidence about how the group has continually misled reporters, the public, and even its own members.

The notoriously secretive ALEC has been thrust into the sunlight in the two years since the Center for Media and Democracy launched ALECexposed.org, analyzed over 800 of ALEC’s previously-secret model bills, and documented the corporations and legislators pushing ALEC’s legislative agenda. It now appears that ALEC has been scorched by the sunshine.

According to the new Guardian documents , which were apparently prepared for ALEC’s board in August, over the past two years ALEC has been losing corporate members, suffering from major funding shortfalls, and anticipates legal trouble with ethics rules and its charitable tax status. 

ALEC is still supported by tobacco, oil, and pharmaceutical interests, but has lost around 60 corporate members in the fallout over ALEC’s role in promoting Stand Your Ground legislation, voter ID, climate change denial, and an array of other controversial, corporate-friendly bills, the documents show.

Click through for more.  I love to see Koch suckers with their indecency exposed.

From Daily Kos: A bishop in a Mormon church outside Salt Lake City has shined a light on the hypocrisy and selfishness of members of his church by dressing as a homeless man and gauging their reactions to him.

David Musselman had a makeup artist transform his face and donned an unkempt wig, fake beard, and glasses.  He then entered the church last Sunday and approached churchgoers to see what they would do.  He found many of them did not practice what he preached…

…Most of Musselman’s church members ignored him, although five of them actually asked him to leave.

At one time there was a video associated with this story, but someone terminated the account of the person who posted it. Kudos to the Bishop. This hypocrisy is not only true of many Mormon congregations, but also of most Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christian churches.  Were Jesus to enter their congregations with the attitudes and associations He practiced, at best, they would shun Him. At worst, they would crucify Him again.

From Upworthy: The One Where A Walmart-Friendly PR Firm Creates An Ad So Full Of Propaganda It’s Actually Hilarious

Now comes this interesting "ad" that hides behind the group name "Worker Center Watch." And, according to The Nation, the website in the ad … wait for it … is owned by the former head lobbyist for Walmart [sic] itself, Joseph Kefauver. So, like the ad says, don’t worry about people trying to improve their lot in life. Just go buy stuff to feel better.

Dang! You could fertilize Wall-fart’s veggies with that one!!

Cartoon:

I bet Mooseolini, aka Drill Baby Dingbat, aka Bloody Bullseye Barbie likes it too!