Personal – Page 706 – Politics Plus

Open Thread – 6/11/2010

Posted by TomCat at 3:47 am Open Thread, Personal

Jun 112010

Yesterday was a busy one. I had to do quite a bit of work on the website of the nonprofit I represent. Then I had an hour long telephone interview with a nurse from my insurance provider to better get to know how to structure preventive health care for me. I had a ton of email to answer. But finally, I caught up on all the comments and returned visits. I should stay up to date today.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 4:14. To do it, click here. How did you do?

Fantasy Football:

To join our fantasy football league, click here.

Short Takes:

From Raw Story: The United States has more than doubled the estimated size of the Gulf of Mexico oil leak, while BP’s chairman was summoned to a White House meeting with President Barack Obama.

I expect even the new estimate will prove to be too low. I hope Obama tears hgim a new one.

From NY Times: The Senate on Thursday defeated a Republican-led effort to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from curbing greenhouse gases as lawmakers road-tested arguments for a future fight over climate change legislation.

The Senate voted 53-47 to reject an attempt by Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, to block the E.P.A. from imposing new limits on carbon emissions based on its 2009 finding that such gases from industry, vehicles and other sources represent a threat to human health and the environment.

That’s a relief. I called both Wyden’s and Merkley’s offices to thank them for their steadfast opposition.

From Daily Kos: Blanche Lincoln voted for Murkowski’s resolution, the resolution President Obama had vowed to veto, should it pass.

Lincoln was joined, surprise, by Evan Bayh, Mark Pryor, Ben Nelson, Mary Landrieu, and Jay Rockefeller. So did those great Republican moderates, Snowe, Collins, and Scott Brown. And so it goes.

The bitch (I intend no offence to women. I virtually never use this vile term, but in this case consider it appropriate.) didn’t learn a damn thing. 🙁

Cartoon: From http://www.cagle.com/politicalcartoons/

TGIF!!

Open Thread – 6/10/2010

Posted by TomCat at 2:12 am Open Thread, Personal

Jun 102010

Yesterday I fell behind. It was my volunteer day co-facilitating a therapy group for former prisoners. I learned that the new therapist, with whom I just started working is relocating to the East Coast for personal reasons. I will miss her. She’s a dedicated, compassionate woman. The group will be kept intact, but will move to another firm. She will try to arrange it for me to co-facilitate for the new therapist. I know and respect him. He’s top rate. I hope that works out, because it means a lot to me. I hope to catch up on replying to comments and returning visits today.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 4:19. To do it, click here. How did you do?

Fantasy Football:

To join our fantasy football league, click here.

Short Takes:

From TPM: Fiorina, who won a 3-way primary last night, was preparing for an interview with CNN affiliate KXTV this morning and chatting with her aides. In a several-minute chat with the camera rolling that CNN posted online, Fiorina mocks Boxer’s hairdo. Laughing, Fiorina tells her staff that someone had seen Boxer on television and "said what everyone says, ‘God what is that hair?’ So yesterday!" But she also questioned a decision by fellow Republican Meg Whitman to appear on Hannity so soon after winning the GOP nomination for governor.

Carly should not be so snide. Regardless of her hairstyle, at least Boxer is bright enough to shut-up around an open mic.

From Huffington Post: In the latest twist in the ever-growing Mark Kirk military service fiasco, the Illinois Senate candidate appears to have violated military regulations by campaigning while on active duty.

If Kirk did indeed campaign while serving, as a newly released Department of Defense memo suggests, the offense would be punishable by up to two years of confinement and dishonorable discharge from the military.

I love it! What a hypocrite!

From Think Progress: Yesterday, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) took to the House floor to defend Israel’s reaction to the Turkish Gaza flotilla. During his speech, he compared Israelis to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers at airports and suggested that the Obama administration would condone an attack on them.

Has anyone told Goose-step Gohmert that TSA workers don’t assault airports in international waters?

From McClatchy DC: McClatchy obtained an Israeli government document that describes the blockade not as a security measure but as "economic warfare" against the Islamist group Hamas, which rules the Palestinian territory.

Busted! All along they have claimed the exact opposite. I don’t like Hamas either, but it was the Bush/GOP regime that insisted on free elections for the Palestinian State. Elections have consequences.

Cartoon: from http://www.cagle.com/politicalcartoons/

Have a great day!!

Open Thread – 6/9/2010

Posted by TomCat at 3:26 am Open Thread, Personal

Jun 092010

Yesterday I replied to the comments and returned the visits. I also visited a bunch of other blogs. Today, I expect to fall behind, because I’ll be doing volunteer work co-facilitating a therapy group for former prisoners. There is no cartoon today, because the embed code at my cartoon source is down.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 4:46. To do it, click here. How did you do?

Fantasy Football:

To join our fantasy football league, click here.

Short Takes:

From Think Progress: Early last month, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) named longtime Republican power broker Fred Malek to chair his Commission on Government Reform and Restructuring. As ThinkProgress noted at the time, Malek brings a controversial past with him to the position as President Nixon once tasked him with creating a list of “important Jewish officials” within the Bureau of Labor Statistics, several of whom were later demoted or transferred.

Isn’t it a wonder that these GOP bigots love Israel, but hate Jews?

From AP/Google: A U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and killed a 14-year-old boy after a confrontation at an international bridge near downtown El Paso, Mexican authorities said Tuesday.

Chihuahua State officials released a statement Tuesday demanding a full investigation into the death of the boy, identified as Sergio Adrian Hernandez Huereca.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Doug Mosier said preliminary reports indicated one person was shot Monday evening on the U.S. side of the Paso Del Norte bridge, across from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

I can’t confirm this, but the buzz I’m hearing is that the officer fired into a crowd. We need to keep this incident secret from Jan Brewer, lest it become SOP i Arizona.

Happy hump day!

Helen Thomas: What a Way to Go

Posted by TomCat at 3:16 am Personal

Jun 082010

Helen Thomas was right to apologize for her remarks and right to retire in the wake of them, but it saddens me to see her long and distinguished career end in infamy.

Helen Thomas, the legendary White House reporter who broke down barriers against female journalists covering politics, will retire after controversial remarks criticized by many as anti-Israel.

Hearst, her latest employer and owner of numerous media properties, including The Chronicle, on Monday announced the immediate retirement of Thomas, who will be 90 on Aug. 4.

Thomas told a rabbi at a White House event last week that Jews should "get the hell out of Palestine" and go back to Germany and Poland or the United States. Her comments were caught on videotape and widely distributed.

The remarks caused a furor even though she immediately apologized. Her invitation to speak at a local graduation was rescinded. Jewish groups called her remarks ignorant and insensitive and said her apology did not go far enough.

"I deeply regret my comments I made last week regarding the Israelis and the Palestinians," Thomas said in a statement. "They do not reflect my heartfelt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance. May that day come soon."

A daughter of Lebanese immigrants, Thomas did little to hide her pro-Arab views. During George W. Bush’s presidency, her questions to both the president and his press secretaries were almost exclusively about the war in Iraq.

At his daily briefing, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs on Monday condemned the comments, calling them "offensive and reprehensible." Thomas, who has had a front-row seat in the briefing room for many years, was not present.

The White House Correspondents Association also issued a rare admonishment, calling her comments "indefensible."

"Many in our profession who have known Helen for years were saddened by the comments, which were especially unfortunate in light of her role as a trail blazer on the White House beat," said the statement.

The national director of the Anti-Defamation League, Abraham Foxman, said in a statement that Thomas’ apology was insufficient… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <San Francisco Chronicle>

Offensive, reprehensible and indefensible are all good descriptions of what she said. Had she not retired, I would be calling for her to do so. Her apology, in the context of her retirement is completely adequate.

You may ask why I am opposing one of our own. I have often condemned the statements of Glen Beck, Ann Coulter, Lou Dobbs, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin, Bill O’Reilly, Sarah Palin, and at east a couple dozen GOP Governors, Representatives, Senators, appointees, and candidates for office, many of which were equally or more offensive, reprehensible and indefensible. Where I not to hold our own to the same standard, I would be a hypocrite, just like the Republican leaders, who excuse and often echo such behavior by their associates and pundits.

Open Thread – 6/8/2010

Posted by TomCat at 3:14 am Open Thread, Personal

Jun 082010

Yesterday I had a bad air day, but I still managed to keep up with comments and returning visits. We’ll see about today, because I was up coughing most of the evening.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 3":34. To do it, click here. How did you do?

Fantasy Football:

To join our fantasy football league, click here.

Short Takes:

From The Guardian: Israel has announced that it will conduct an internal investigation into last week’s assault on a convoy of aid ships headed to Gaza, defying pressure for a thorough international inquiry.

The defence minister, Ehud Barak, told parliament the inquiry would be in addition to a separate military investigation, and would seek to establish whether Israel’s blockade of Gaza and its raid "met with the standards of international law".

This ranks with having BP conduct the investigation into the GOP Gusher and having Goldman Sachs conduct the investigation into the GOP Recession.

From TPM: Tomorrow [today] is a veritable "Super Tuesday" of primaries in this non-presidential election year, with a whole host of top-tier primaries going on across the country. A total of 11 states are holding primaries: Arkansas, California, Iowa, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New jersey, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota and Virginia.

It’s a good analysis. Click the TPM link to read it.

Cartoon:

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Pat Bagley – Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com – Email this Cartoon

If you nave a primary today, VOTE!!

Open Thread – 6/7/2010

Posted by TomCat at 1:51 am Open Thread, Personal

Jun 072010

Yesterday I stayed up to date on replying to comments and returning visits, and expect to do the same today. I also watched Avatar a second time. What a great flick!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 4:12. To do it, click here. How did you do?

Fantasy Football:

For an invitation to join our fantasy football league, Lefty Bloggers and Friends, email me at tomcat1948@gmail.com, using the email address you intent to use to sign up for the league. TC’s Teabuggery Trashers can’t wait to take you on! 🙂

Short Takes:

From AP/Yahoo: More than half of the federal judges in districts where the bulk of Gulf oil spill-related lawsuits are pending have financial connections to the oil and gas industry, complicating the task of finding judges without conflicts to hear the cases, an Associated Press analysis of judicial financial disclosure reports shows.

Given the pollution of the federal judiciary from too many years of GOP control of the appointment process, finding judges without goose-stepping ideological conflicts will be even more difficult.

From Think Progress: BP, the very company responsible for the oil spill that is already the worst in U.S. history, has purchased several phrases on search engines such as Google and Yahoo so that the first result that shows up directs information seekers to the company’s official website.

If only BP would make half the effort to clean the gulf as they have to micro-manage opinion, the innocent victims might see some relief.

From Raw Story: The Israeli Defense Force has issued a "clarification" admitting it manipulated audio of its raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.

On Friday, the IDF released audio of what it said was an exchange between Israel Navy officers and the crew of the Mavi Marmara, the main vessel in the flotilla. In it, voices could be heard telling the Israeli soldiers to "go back to Auschwitz" and "we’re helping Arabs go against the US — don’t forget 9/11, guys."

In light of this gross attempt at propaganda, it’s not surprising that Israel has now formally rejected calls for an independent inquiry and refuses to release video recordings made by passengers during the attack.

Cartoon:

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Bob Englehart – Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com – Email this Cartoon

OGIM!!

Open Thread – 6/6/2010

Posted by TomCat at 2:26 am Open Thread, Personal

Jun 062010

Yesterday I kept up with comments and answered and returning visits. I don’t know what today will bring, because I forgot the Portland Rose Festival Starlight Parade was last night. My building is less than 25 feet from the parade route, so the sounds of drums and brass blasted me out of my prime sleeping time. By the time it was over, it was time to begin research, so I’m a little bleary-eyed. On a positive note, yesterday’s lead piece has generated over 25,000 views.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 4:58. To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Jerusalem Post: The defense establishment is considering allowing future aid ships to sail into the Gaza Strip after their crews first agree to dock in Ashdod Port and undergo a military inspection to ensure that they are not carrying weaponry, officials said Saturday night.

This is by no means a done deal, but if it goes through, I would consider it an acceptable solution, as long as all the relief supplies are delivered to these needy people in a timely manner. This reasonable suggestion in no way absolves Israel’s extreme right government of responsibility for recent crimes against humanity.

From Washington Post: Blanche Lincoln is hoping to avoid becoming the third sitting senator to lose an intraparty fight this year, but even her closest allies acknowledge that her Democratic runoff race against Lt. Gov. Bill Halter is a tossup.

Tuesday is the day. Should Lincoln win this, I would support her over the Republican, but I’d much rather enthusiastically support Halter. Obama was wrong to support Lincoln, but I’d be willing to bet that his personal support was her price for not joining the final GOP filibuster that fell one vote short of killing HCR.

From McClatchy DC: When Republicans gather this week in Dallas for their state convention, they’ll be joined by delegates from the new party in town — the Tea Party.

For the first time, activists with conservative grassroots movements such as the Tea Party and the 912 Project will join the state GOP at its every-other-year convention and will have a role in hammering out a party platform, electing a leader to head the party and finding ways to work together to elect more Republicans in November.

That platform should prove most ~~disgusting~~ ~~racist~~ ~~vile~~ ~~foul~~ interesting.

So what’s the difference between the Teabaggers and the GOP? Only deniability.

Cartoon:

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Jeff Parker – Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com – Email this Cartoon

Have a great Sunday!

Open Thread – 6/5/2010

Posted by TomCat at 3:51 am Open Thread, Personal

Jun 052010

Yesterday I wasn’t feeling well, but I still managed to catch up on comments and returning visits.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 5:46. To do it, click here. How did you do?

Fantasy Football:

Short Takes:

From Seattle Times: President Obama has picked Lt. Gen. James Clapper as director of national intelligence, tapping a retired officer with decades of experience to improve coordination of the nation’s sprawling spy apparatus amid increasing threats at home and escalating operations abroad.

This could prove interesting. The GOP dislikes this guy, because GW “ChickenHawk” Bush fired him for challenging Donald “Reichmeister” Rumsfeld on GOP lies presented as intelligence. Many on the left dislike him, because of his close ties with the military.

From Raw Story: BP’s shareholders may receive more this year from the company’s coffers than those affected by the spill in the Gulf of Mexico will receive in their lifetime.

BP CEO Tony Hayward has indicated that he will go ahead with massive dividend payouts to shareholders in the aftermath of the worst oil spill in US history. $10 billion in payouts are scheduled for this year.

The bastard is giving away our people’s money!

From TPM: The Clinton Library this afternoon released thousands of documents related to Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan’s service on President Clinton’s Domestic Policy Council in the 1990s, including memos related to hot-button issues of abortion and gays serving in the military.

Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have requested more information given that Kagan, currently the solicitor general of the United States, has no judicial record. She was dean of the Harvard Law School until she took the current job in the Obama administration. Her confirmation hearings begin June 28.

The documents can be found here.

I’m certain that people already predisposed to oppose Kagan, left and right alike, will be flaunting snippets of this, often out of context, with glee. I’m not saying that the material will not contain valid reasons to oppose her. It well may. I do strongly suggest that we withhold judgment on this material until such time as comprehensive overviews become available.

Cartoon:

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Pat Bagley – Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com – Email this Cartoon

How’s your weekend?

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