Politics Plus

Yesterday I had a few chores to get done and I rested.  The heat wave continues, but my little AC has kept it 85° or less at my desk.  In the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb, the Broncos played the Sea Chickens and beat them.  That’s religious ecstasy.  I’m current on replies.  Tomorrow is a chores and paperwork day.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 4:19 (average 5:20).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Irene Update:

Please stay safe.

Short Takes:

From CNN: Early voting began Saturday for the special election in Nevada’s 2nd congressional district, with the final voting date set for September 13.

Then-Rep. Dean Heller left the seat in May when Gov. Brian Sandoval appointed him to replace former Republican Sen. John Ensign, who resigned amid an ethics scandal.

Democrats hope their candidate, Nevada state treasurer Kate Marshall, can take over the longtime, right-leaning district.

We need a something we lack, a Democratic Senator from Nevada.

From Think Progress: A statement put out by chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat’s office claims that U.S. Consul General Daniel Rubinstein told him that the U.S. would cut off aid to the Palestinian Authority if it takes its case for statehood to the U.N. General Assembly.

This is obscene.  And people wonder why so many middle eastern Muslims dislike the US.

From Crooks and Liars: Puerto Rican State Senator Roberto Arango is, of course, a Republican, which means he has to be anti-gay. Arango is so anti-gay and so disgusted by the acts of gays that he has to put his photographs up on gay site for gay dudes. How Republican of him.

GOP: the party no closet is big enough to hold.  His orientation is fine.  His hypocrisy isn’t.

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Yesterday I went to the prison to volunteer.  As always, my guys impressed me with their commitment to change. I got home late, missing my evening sleep.  My AC arrived about an hour before I left, but I could not leave it on.  It sits in a doorway, blows cool air in and hot air out.  When I returned, The temperature at my desk was 107°.  It is cooling the room, but it will take time.  I’m exhausted, but I am current with replies.  This will be my only article.  Today I will be resting and recovering.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 4:00 (average 4:35).  To di it, click here.  How did you do?

Irene Update:

Be safe!

Short Takes:

From Real Clear Politics: Elizabeth Warren, though not yet an official U.S. Senate candidate in Massachusetts, has formed an exploratory committee, launched a state "listening tour" and is organizing volunteers. And on Thursday, progressives will deliver her campaign a check for $105,657.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) has been raising money for the "Draft Elizabeth Warren" fund since the Harvard law professor was passed over by the president to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau she developed (it was clear she wouldn’t garner enough Senate votes to be confirmed as director).

Run! Run!!  Run!!

From Huffington Post: The dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in Washington has been postponed indefinitely as Hurricane Irene bears down on the East Coast.

The memorial’s executive architect disclosed the postponement after a day of forecasts from the National Weather Service indicating Hurricane Irene was bearing down on the East Coast. Executive architect Ed Jackson Jr.

Dr. King was a man of great patience.  He won’t mind waiting a little longer.

From Think Progress: A Republican committee in Minnesota has been caught creating an eBay-style auction site to sell access with politicians, including top lawmakers like Rep. John Kline (R-MN) and Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-MN), as well as State House Speaker Kurt Zellers (R-MN). With bidding starting at $250, the committee offered opportunities to “get up close and personal” with each lawmaker. The announcement for the auction was reportedly sent to area lobbyists.

If nothing else, bribery by auction is the most creative idea Republicans have had this century.

From Bernie Sanders: Under Sanders’ legislation [to be proposed next month], Social Security benefits would be untouched. The system would be fully funded by making the wealthiest Americans pay the same payroll tax already assessed on those with incomes up to $106,800 a year. The idea follows through on a proposal that President Obama made when he was running for office in 2008.

This is the solution I have been proposing for several years.  Go Bernie!!

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Yesterday was very hot.  The temperature at my desk reached the 90s by 10:00 AM and remains there.  I’m beat.  I am current on replies.  Today I’m posting an abbreviated lineup.  I need to get some sleep, because tomorrow I’ll be spending the day at Oregon State Penitentiary doing volunteer work.  Since I won’t get home until it’s my normal time to wake up for research, and since the prison has no AC, I expect to be quite wiped out. I may need to take tomorrow off, and if not whatever I put up may be late.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 4:25 (5:14 average).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From CBS: House Majority Leader Eric Cantor assured his constituents on Wednesday that Congress "will find the monies" to assist earthquake victims in Mineral, Virginia – but the Republican lawmaker noted that "those monies will be offset with appropriate savings or cost-cutting elsewhere."

Translated, this means that Cantor wants to further exploit the poor and middle classes to provide relief to the rich in his own district at taxpayer expense.

From Think Progress: Inhofe Endorses Rick Perry Over ‘Mushy’ Mitt Romney.

Even though he opposes doing anything about it, Romney admits human involvement in global climate change.

From Washington Independent: A coalition of groups, including Demos, Project Vote, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (LCCRUL), and the NAACP, sent a letter to Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson last week alleging that the state is in violation of federal law requiring voter registration at public assistance offices.

Section 7 of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) requires the states to provide voter registration services in the offices of all agencies that provide public assistance. The NVRA requires more than merely making voter registration available to those who apply for public assistance, it requires several affirmative steps be taken to encourage applicants to register to vote.

Way to go!

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Yesterday was not as hot, but still too hot to get much sleep.  The temperature at my desk cooled off to 86° early in the morning, and rose from there, only reaching 98°.  It is currently 93°.  My AC is in Illinois.  I had to go out to run errands.  I’m current with replies.  Today the quest for sleep continues.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 5:40 (average 6:12).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From ABC: New York prosecutors today filed a motion to dismiss sexual assault charges against former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

Now I’m not saying he did or didn’t get away with something here, but the rush to convict him in the press and the blogosphere, before even an evidentiary hearing had taken place, was sickening.

From Reuters: Republican Paul Ryan firmly ruled out a 2012 U.S. presidential bid on Monday, ending another round of speculation the congressman would make a late leap into the race.

Even without him, his plan is running for President.

From Common Dreams: The leader of Canada’s socialist New Democratic Party, Jack Layton, died Monday of cancer at his Toronto home, his family said. He was 61.

"We deeply regret to inform you that the Honorable Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada, passed away at 4:45 a.m. today," a statement from his wife, Olivia Chow, and his children, Sarah and Michael said.

He was a truly great man.  I offer my condolences to his wife, his family, and the people of Canada.

From Think Progress: Shery Lanford Smith, the chairwoman of Sumter Tea Party in South Carolina is under fire after posting a joke about killing President and First Lady Obama on her Facebook profile last Thursday. In the joke, the Obamas’ helicopter pilot says to his co-pilot, “I could throw both of them out of the window and make 256 million people very happy!” Smith continued, “If you’re one of [the] 256 million, pass it on,” which implies “she herself would be happy to see the Obamas killed.”

There were a few people on the left doing this when Bush was President, and I condemned it then.  With Republicans, it has become the norm, and I condemn it now.

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