Politics Plus

Yesterday I was away at a meeting for most of the day, missing half of my sleep time, and I spent the rest of the day watching the video of the speech and digging into the details of the plan.  I’m current with replies.  Tomorrow I have errands to run and volunteer work to do.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 3:02 (average 4:24).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Think Progress: The United States Army has officially announced tomorrow’s repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, indicating that “gay and lesbian Soldiers may serve in our Army with the dignity and respect they deserve.” The letter concludes, “It is the duty of all personnel to treat each other with dignity and respect, while maintaining good order and discipline throughout our ranks.

It became official at 12:01 AM.

From UPI: The United States is "deeply concerned" about alleged human rights abuses in North Korea, U.S. envoy Robert King said in Seoul Monday.

I have no doubt whatsoever that there is valid reason for concern, but to have the moral authority for those concerns to matter, we must deal with our own human rights issues like capital punishment and refusal to prosecute Bush, Cheney, et al.

From TPM: The Justice Department said Monday that Texas’ state House and congressional redistricting plans didn’t comply with Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), indicating they thought the maps approved by Gov. Rick Perry (R) gave too little voting power to the growing Latino population in the state.

Republican racism here.

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Yesterday I slept late, ran a few errands and did some volunteer paperwork.  I considered going by the demonstration in pioneer square, but my COPD was flaring up, and I had to return home. I’m current on replies.  Tomorrow I will be engrossed in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 3:29 (average 4:16).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From LA Times: A paper special U.S. peace envoys David Hale and Dennis Ross presented to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday that was supposed to sway him away from going to the United Nations was what caused Abbas to take a final stand in favor of going, according to Nabil Shaath, a member of Abbas’ Fatah Central Committee.

I understand that the paper favored Israeli retention of settlements built on Palestinian land.  Clearly, since the paper had the opposite effect as desired, the State Department under Clinton has little understanding of the region.

From Politico: Administration officials assert that “Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington, and the Education of a President” by Ron Suskind is infested with errors, both big (what they characterize as misquotations and distorted narratives) and small (several names, a birth date, a publication date, an employer, an unemployment rate, etc.) and gives a distorted and inaccurate picture of the White House under Obama.

This is the book that revealed that Geithner ignored Obama’s order to break up Citibank.  While I have no doubt that the work contains minor errors, Suskind’s reputation is quite good, and I have difficulty believing that he would include such a claim without source checking it.

From Boston Globe: Most of the top Republicans running for president are embracing plans to partially privatize Social Security, reviving a contentious issue that fizzled under President George W. Bush after Democrats relentlessly attacked it.

There is only one valid way to reform Social Security.  Scrap the cap!

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I think I have enough energy to write today’s articles.  I’ve been in prison working to help prisoners to learn to address the issues that led to their crimes and to become proficient in the tools they will use to fulfill their needs pro-socially upon release.  Their diligence and dedication is inspirational.  I can never discuss the details, as we have promised them confidentiality, but I usually find that I have received as much as or more than I have given.  The down side is that I’m posting without the benefit of sleep.  I’m current with replies, though I was briefer than usual.  Today I recover.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 3:13 (average 4:17).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From NY Times: The House of Representatives voted on Thursday to approve a G.O.P.-backed bill that would prohibit the National Labor Relations Board from continuing to pursue its effort to block Boeing from operating a new $750 million aircraft assembly line in South Carolina. The largely party-line vote was 238 to 186.

This is union busting, pure and simple.

From Washington Post: House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) rejected Thursday any increase in tax revenue and instead said that a special committee seeking long-term debt reduction should find $1.5 trillion in savings entirely from cutting federal agency spending and slashing popular entitlement programs.

It’s not as though we expected anything else from Agent Orange.

From Raw Story: A primary battle between two well-known Democratic incumbents is brewing in Ohio, thanks to a Republican-led redistricting. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) announced Wednesday that he would compete with Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) in the primary for the newly redrawn House district that combines both their former constituencies.

The new district stretches across northern Ohio, from Toledo (Kaptur’s former district) to Cleveland (Kucinich’s domain).

Thanks to Republican gerrymandering, no matter who wins, we lose because we need both.

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Yesterday I was still so bleary-eyed from heat exhaustion that I thought today was my volunteer day when it’s really Thursday.  I got some much needed rest, caught up on email, and am current on replies.  Today I have errands to run and need to rest up for Thursday.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 3:33 (average 5:02).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Fantasy Football Report:

Lefty Blog Friends, our fantasy football league, had our first game last weekend.

Scores:

Progressive Underdogs	TomCat Teabag Trashers
105.98	103.20
Texans Will Rise Again	Playing without a helmet
96.98	107.48
ManOnDogSantorum	hugos renegades
117.18	130.96

Standings:

						Points
Rank	Team Name	W-L-T	Pct	Streak	Waiver	For	Against
1	hugos renegades	1-0-0	1.000	W1	6	130.96	117.18
2	Playing without a helmet	1-0-0	1.000	W1	5	107.48	96.98
3	Progressive Underdogs	1-0-0	1.000	W1	4	105.98	103.20
4	ManOnDogSantorum	0-1-0	.000	L1	3	117.18	130.96
5	TomCat Teabag Trashers	0-1-0	.000	L1	2	103.20	105.98
6	Texans Will Rise Again	0-1-0	.000	L1	1	96.98	107.48

I lost 🙁

Short Takes:

From USA Today: The median income of U.S. households fell 2.3% in 2010 to the lowest level since 1996 after adjusting for inflation, the Census Bureau reported.

The annual report also said the number of families living in poverty rose 2.6 million to 46.2 million, the largest increase since Census began keeping track 52 years ago. Long-term unemployment has left millions of people out of work and struggling to find jobs.

This is the product of Republican voodoo economics.  The economy is booming for the people Republicans represent, but the Republican recession goes on for the rest of us, and Republicans are determined to keep it that way.

From Huffington Post: The former director of the Republican National Committee’s infamous Young Eagles program, Allison Meyers, has joined the campaign of West Virginia gubernatorial candidate Bill Maloney (R). According to disclosure forms Maloney released in late August, Meyers has been on the campaign’s payroll as a fundraising consultant since May, earning $5,000 per month in June and July, and slightly less in May.

Meyers’ new role comes a little more than a year after she made national headlines for spending nearly $2,000 at a lesbian bondage-themed club in Los Angeles. The evening was part of the RNC’s Young Eagles initiative, designed to cultivate younger GOP donors, but the visit to the club was an impromptu afterparty with a number of the contributors. Meyers submitted a reimbursement form to the RNC for the tab, which was then disclosed in FEC filings.

This is an excellent time to invest in lesbian bondage clubs in WV. 😉

From Think Progress: Judge Christopher Conner issued an opinion this morning striking down part of the Affordable Care Act. Prior to his appointment to the bench by President George W. Bush, Conner was a major GOP donor — giving over ten thousand dollars to GOP candidates and campaign committees between 1997 and 2000.

This decision does not matter, because it is at the lowest federal level, and it’s clear that this will go to the Supreme Court.  The point here is that it‘s criminally unethical that Connor did not recuse himself.

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