Politics Plus

Yesterday I was so exhausted that I slept most of the day and am still somewhat groggy.  The heat does not help.  It will take a day or two for me to be fully back to normal, but it always does after prison days, because the schedule is so incompatible with my own.  I’m caught up on replies, although more briefly than my norm,  Tomorrow will be a rest day with a quick trip to the store.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 3:48 (average 5:16).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Salt Lake Tribune: Accused child-bride rapist and self-styled polygamist prophet Warren Jeffs — who is representing himself at trial in a West Texas courtroom — on Friday afternoon delivered a threatening statement he says came from God, claiming those who are prosecuting him will face "sickness and death."

"I will wrest your power from you. I shall judge you. I shall let all peoples know your unjust ways," Jeffs told the court. "I shall send a scourge upon the counties of prosecutorial zeal to be humbled by sickness and death."

Yet another Republican is trying to speak for God.

From Right Wing Watch: WorldNetDaily columnist David Solway believes that progressives are the ones that really should be held responsible for the terrorist attacks in Norway…which targeted progressives. Like the American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer, who said that the right-wing terrorist’s political outlook was “accurate” but strongly disagreed with his violent methods, Solway argues [WND delinked] that more people will take up Anders Behring Breivik’s staunchly anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim and illiberal views because of progressives’ support for diversity and immigrant rights.

Here we have the “the victims deserved it” defense.  How sensitive of WND to so accuse children.

From TPM: Employees of the New York Post were instructed Friday to "preserve and maintain" any documents that may relate to the practice of phone hacking or bribing of public officials.

The legal department for News Corp, the Post’s parent company, explained in a memo to Post staff that "we are sending this notice not because any recipient has done anything improper or unlawful. However, given what has taken place in London, we believe that taking this step will help to underscore how seriously we are taking this matter."

In RepubliSpeak, “preserve and maintain” means use fire and sweep up the ashes.

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Yesterday was my day to co-facilitate a therapy group for former prisoners.  The down side of that is that the way back to the bus stop is a three block walk up a steep hill: a real challenge for my COPD.  I’m glad I can still do it, and I suspect it’s glad it can still do me.  There’s not much left afterwards.  I am current with replies.  Today I’m only putting up one other article.  It’s my day to do volunteer work helping prisoners in Oregon State Penitentiary  learn healthy thinking and and how to transform that into pro social behavior.  The down side of that is that I get home late at night at the time I normally wake up to do my research.  Therefore, depending on how I feel, I may post no articles tomorrow, of if I can, they will be later than normal.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 3:26 (average 4:38).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From The Nation: House Speaker John Boehner has a new excuse for the dissent within the ranks of the House Republican Caucus he is supposed to lead.

The caucus, Boehner says, has been infiltrated by a cabal that hopes to take the US economy hostage in order to force political concessions from President Obama and Congressional Democrats.

How about that Agent Orange.  The brown-shirt storm troopers have been goose stepping behind him from the beginning, but now that the blackmail has not worked as planned, he’s blaming them.  He should have known they were too dumb to stop goose-stepping.

From Bloomberg: Stocks sank, dragging the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index down the most in almost two months, and Treasuries and commodities slid as a stalemate over the debt ceiling pushed the U.S. closer to default.

And so it begins.

From Think Progress: A spokesperson for Planned Parenthood confirmed today that one of their Dallas-area clinics was the target of a violent attack last night. Holly Morgan, director of media relations and communications for Planned Parenthood in Dallas said that at around 11 pm last night, the attacker(s) threw a Molotov cocktail, consisting of diesel fuel in a glass bottle with a lit rag, at the building. “It didn’t penetrate the health center office and none of the staff or patients were there, which is great,” Morgan said.

Thankfully, the responsible Republicans were as incompetent as they are hateful.

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Yesterday I ran errands, now that I have my debit card back.  I’m current on replies, and tomorrow will be a busy day, as I will be co-facilitating a therapy group for former prisoners.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 3:52 (average 4:45).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From The Portlander: David Wu, the embattled Democrat US Representative from Oregon’s 1st Congressional District, announced his resignation on Tuesday, July 26th.

There will be a special runoff election for Wu’s seat, so you know that Koch suckers will pouring into my neighborhood.  I’m looking into which Democrat to support.

From AP/Google: Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann says she opposes GOP House Speaker John Boehner’s plan to increase the federal borrowing authority.

Bachmann, a Minnesota congresswoman, is telling Iowans that she will vote against any measure in Congress to raise the debt ceiling.

What about the Constitution?

From Think Progress: In an interview with the Advocate, GOProud President Chris Barron defended the group’s support for Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, despite her long anti-gay record and association with ex-gay therapy.

A gay person supporting Bachmann is like a black person supporting the KKK.

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Yesterday I hunkered down to beat the heat, without much success.  By 2 PM the temperature in my apartment topped 100 and remains over 90.  I’m current on replies.  Tomorrow should be a little cooler, so I’ll catch up on paper work.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 4:09 (average 4:53).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Crooks and Liars: A small political gathering of about 18 liberal thinkers at River Forks Park Sunday afternoon erupted in conflict when about 35 members of the conservative tea party intruded upon the meeting, waving flags and holding signs accusing the rival group of being communists, Marxists and socialists.

The liberal group — organized by MoveOn.org — decided to leave the park and move its potluck to a nearby home. Members of the conservative group followed, parking at the entrance of a private lane leading to the home to continue their protest.

These Republican brown-shirts have no respect for the rights and freedoms of others,

From McClatchy DC: Texas Gov. Rick Perry is close to making a White House bid, but his tardy start has some experts saying his fundraising for a national campaign will be tougher than in donor-friendly Texas, while others believe he’s building expectations in a ho-hum GOP field.

Bring him on!

From Think Progress: The Undefeated, the much-hyped Palin documentary, bombed during its second week in theaters, bringing in just $24,000 in ticket sales across 14 screens.

Did Blood-libel Barbie really think people would pay to see her commercial?

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