Open Thread–10/30/2014

Posted by TomCat at 12:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 302014

I’m writing for tomorrow, day 192. Yesterday's CoDA meeting in prison went very well. The guys dug pretty deeply into personal issues. I mostly listened, and I can’t get into the things they said without violating their confidentiality.. Groceries are delivered and put away. My attention is divided, because it’s the bottom of the 5th, with 2 outs. Tomorrow I have to be ready to leave bright and early for my pulmonologist’s appointment (routine), and will probably not be back until mid afternoon, so my most likely posting for Friday will be a Personal Update and a holiday greeting. Here’s hoping.

Late Update: Condolences to Nameless. It was a good close game.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s tool me 3:24 (average 5:33). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos (Hat-Tip JL A, Pat B, and James Maynard, all from Care2): Living with a cat for the first time, you quickly pick up on its behavioral quirks, many of which are common among other cats. What you soon find out is that cats aren't Republican. Here are 12 reasons why not:

1. Cats are curious about what you do in your bedroom, but they don't try to legislate away your freedom to do it.

2. Cats may take away your cushion, but they'll give it back to you with a gentle push.

3. Cats give you attention and sympathy when you're sick.

4. Females are treated with importance in the cat world.

Click through for the other eight. I'll add number thirteen. Even a neutered cat has more integrity in his kitty dingles than there is in all Republican officeholders combined.

From The New Yorker: \With just one week to go until the midterm elections, a new poll indicates that billionaires are likely to retain control of the United States government.

The poll, conducted by the University of Minnesota’s Opinion Research Institute, shows that the proxy candidates of billionaires are likely to win ninety-eight per cent of next Tuesday’s races, with the remaining two per cent leaning billionaire.

Although the poll indicates that some races are still “too close to call,” the fact that billionaires funded candidates on both sides puts the races safely in their column.

Andy isn't that far from the truth. Fortunately, most of the billionaires backing Democrats are not plutocrats.

From Upworthy: Fact: The political system in America is completely broken. And a huge reason it's gotten so bad is the influence of the almighty dollar. Understanding how we got to this point is both fascinating and utterly maddening.

This is an excellent video except it paints the problem as much more bipartisan that it is, in fact. The vast majority of corporate money, especially secret corporate money, is spent on behalf of Republicans. Even McConJob joined his fellow Republicans and voted to block the DISCLOSE Act, supported by Democrats.

Cartoon:

Boycott the GOP!

Posted by TomCat at 12:01 am Politics

Oct 292014

I’m in a rush today, but I found an excellent article for you that describes why the Republican Party should not exist. I could not agree with this author more. The Republican Party needs to follow the way opf the Whig Party and be dumped on history’s garbage heap.

…The point is this: Regardless of the individual candidates, their contributors, bone-head debate statements, ads with backlash, etc., we really need to understand that the Republican party – by virtue of their behavior over the past 6 years alone – should be disqualified from holding any office, anywhere.

Honestly, this is not a political party – not any more. They are a zombie cult army, and they see us as an enemy, not political opposition. Listen to the language, and look at what they are willing to do. They have their own consultants, their own pollsters, their own schools and even their own media. They talk to themselves in the same language over and over and never, ever leave the reservation. That’s not government. And that’s disqualifying.

Not enough for some of you? You want more?

This political "party" thinks that it is OK to use the law to deny people the right to vote so they have a better shot at winning. That’s clearly unconstitutional (whether Scalia agrees or not). Never mind the fact that it’s immoral. And when the courts say "no" to the new Jim Crow, they send intimidation squads into polling places to try to cut off votes that way. People fought and died for that right, so how about we don’t sit this one out because President Obama’s new war on ISIS annoys you?

This is the GOP that decided the best opposition strategy was to never compromise with President Obama on anything, to demean him with a wink and a nod to the crazy (and racist) birther people. Not clear enough? How many news stories have we seen of GOP operatives sending around emails that show watermelons growing on the White House lawn, and the like? The cultural racism of the party is bad enough, but – honestly – the opposition HAS to compromise. The constitution says the government works that way. Not filibuster till you drop. So, how about we drop the idea that Charlie Baker, Alan Fung (or insert another Republican "moderate" here) wouldn’t be so bad and we stick with the plan and vote the party line. After all, do you think they won’t drink the same Kool-Aid?

The last Republican to publically tell a racist to STFU was John McCain during one of his campaign rallies in 2008 – and that was before President Obama won the election. Since then – birthers, Tea Party and Donald Trump speak? From the GOP leadership we hear crickets, and watch them wink and nod at the lunatics they have no business cavorting with – because they know those are guaranteed GOP votes.

Is this disqualifying enough for you? Motivating enough?…

…Today’s GOP sees our democratic system as a toy. And that – more than anything else – makes the entire party disqualified for office.

Inserted from <Daily Kos>

Click through to read the rest of this fine piece. Then…

Get Out the VOTE!!!

Open Thread–10/29/2014

Posted by TomCat at 12:01 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 292014

I’m writing for tomorrow, day 191. I’m rushing to get these articles written in before I leave to go to prison for volunteer work. Pardon my brevity. Because tomorrow will be a recovery and grocery delivery day, I may have no articles for Thursday.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:10 (average 5:54). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Fantasy Football Report:

Here’s the latest from our own fantasy football league.

Scores:

8Scores

Standings:

8Standings

Perhaps I lacked wisdom when I invited a Sasquatch to play FOOTball. 🙁

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Saying that he was “sick and tired of having my medical credentials questioned,” Governor Chris Christie (R-N.J.) had himself sworn in as a medical doctor on Sunday night.

Dr. Christie acknowledged that becoming a doctor generally requires pre-med classes, four years of medical school, plus additional years of residency, but he said that the Ebola epidemic compelled him to take “extraordinary measures, as we say in the medical profession.”

Dr. Christie said that, beginning on Monday, he would begin a series of random “house calls” to check New Jersey residents for Ebola and assign them for quarantine. “I can usually diagnose someone with Ebola in under a minute,” Dr. Christie said. “Even faster if I don’t actually see them.”

The doctor said that before moving forward with his plan to quarantine scores of New Jersey citizens he suspects of having Ebola, he consulted with other prominent epidemiologists, including Dr. Rick Perry, of Texas. “He concurs,” he said.

Bingo on PIGnocchio, Andy. Of course, Idiot, Son of Idiot, Named after Idiot and his misanthropic father perfected the phony medical certification routine.

From Daily Kos: Can anyone here name a "news" outlet that would blatantly lie and then continue to lie even after being called out on it? There are none–because Fox has never been one. Legitimate journalists try to get to the truth, Fox (and friends) tries to make up the truth to suit their rightwing objectives.

The Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda, Faux Noise, has never been news. It has always been infoganda.

From Upworthy: Even though men can get it, I am not likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer in my lifetime. Regardless, I am dubious of the sea of pink ribbons, products, and promotional tie-ins that inundate our society. That’s not to say anyone who wants to wear pink and try their hardest to raise awareness is doing anything wrong — to the contrary! But I do think there’s room for criticism.

In other words, check out this funny video about pinkwashing.

Lying Komen Pink Propaganda Barf Bag Alert!!!

Shame on Upworthy for spreading Komen’s lying propaganda!! They are a virtual front for the Republican Party. 21% of donations to services is very little. Comparing that to the NFL’s charity percentage is apples to oranges. The NFL exists to make money, not to provide charitable services. Boycott Komen and give to an organization that helps women, Planned Parenthood.

Cartoon:

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Last Week’s Craziest Republican Moments

Posted by TomCat at 1:54 am Politics

Oct 282014

Every week, Republicans join a competition to see who can say the most outlandish things, and in the process, every week they push the envelope on just how crazy InsaniTEA can become. I trust that you will believe it, when I tell you that last week was no exception.

Joni Ernst wants to go to Washington and be a senator packing heat, in case she’s attacked by the government.

It’s one thing to run on a shrink-the-government platform. Wingnut Joni Ernst of Iowa is running for Senate on a “I’m scared of the government; that’s why I need to carry my gun with me everywhere to protect me from the government that I want to join,” platform.

OK, it’s a little long and unwieldy, but she’s working on it.

Video surfaced this week of this Koch-funded Iowa extremist speaking lovingly of her gun at an NRA event two years ago. Somehow, it seems relevant now. In it, Ernst says:

“I have a beautiful little Smith & Wesson, 9 millimeter, and it goes with me virtually everywhere…I believe in the right to defend myself and my family — whether it’s from an intruder, or whether it’s from the government, should they decide that my rights are no longer important.”

This beacon of level-headed leadership won the GOP primary with the help of an ad showing her glee at castrating hogs.

“Washington’s full of big spenders,” she said to the camera before slicing into the poor animal’s testicles, “let’s make ‘em squeal.” Kind of like the guy in Deliverance."

Ernst has also gone on the record for promising to jail federal bureaucrats who try to implement Obamacare in her state. She is really a Koch kind of gal.

Now that we know that this loon’s got a gun and she knows how to use it—and she’s ahead in the polls—we can all sleep better at night.

Except the pigs.

Inserted from <AlterNet>

Given the list, I had to choose Joni Pig Nuts. This a is just the fourth out of the five craziest Republican moments from last week alone. Click through for the other four.

The Truth from Mitch?!!?

Posted by TomCat at 12:01 am Politics

Oct 272014

Seldom in the history of US politics has there been a more dishonest politician that the US Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell, aka Bought Bitch Mitch. Imagine, if you will, my shock when I learned that, for reasons I’m completely unable to fathom, he actually told the truth about an important issue.

With less than two weeks to go in the Kentucky Senate race, minority leader Mitch McConnell made the unusual choice to bring up his past support for privatizing Social Security. In a speech before the Louisville Rotary Club, McConnell recalled how hard he worked to get then-President George W. Bush’s plan through Congress in 2005. Ace Kentucky reporter Joe Sonka flagged the remarks:

“After Bush was re-elected in 2004 he wanted us to try to fix Social Security,” said McConnell. “I spent a year trying to get any Democrat in the Senate—even those most reasonable Democrat of all, Joe Lieberman—to help us.”

The Bush plan, unveiled in his 2005 State of the Union speech, would have allowed workers under 55 to divert half of their payroll taxes away from Social Security and into a private retirement account. This would have created an even larger shortfall in the Social Security Trust Fund and further hobbled the insurance program—something many people suspected was a feature, not a bug, for Bush and the conservative think tanks pushing his plan.

There was immense backlash to Bush’s proposal, and Republicans never brought it up to a vote. It has since remained taboo even for many Republicans; Representative Paul Ryan dropped the idea from his budgets after the GOP took over the House…[emphasis added]

Inserted from <The Nation>

You may be sure that Republicans have not changed their goal to gut Social Security to transfer that wealth from the people to the 0.1%

Now Alison Grimes can nail him for telling this truth. She’s already doing a great job calling out his lies.

I must disagree with her ad though. Thirty years is not long enough to keep Bought Bitch Mitch. It’s way too long!!

Normally at this time, I’d be making final predictions. In 2012, I was as accurate as Nate Silver. I’ve been wracking my brain trying to make sense of this election cycle, but I’ve never seen anything like it before. Not only that, If you had told me four years ago that Republicans would get away with so many blatant ways to steal this election, I would have called you crazy. I’m not making predictions, because I have no idea what is going to happen. I can only say that we have no chance unless we…

Get Out the VOTE!!!

Open Thread–10/27/2014

Posted by TomCat at 12:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 272014

I’m writing for tomorrow, day 189. I’ve just been so dang busy that I’m half dazed. When I received my ballot, it took me four days to allocate enough time to vote. If you’re guessing I voter for Democrats across the board, you guessed right. I predict Monica will have to go back to full time stalking and plagiarizing. I voted against an open primary, for GMO labeling, for legalization of marijuana and against an Oregon Constitutional amendment outlawing discrimination based on sex. The Oregon Constitution already outlaws all discrimination (“No law shall be passed granting to any citizen or class of citizens privileges, or immunities, which, upon the same terms, shall not equally belong to all citizens.”) If that one fails, the sheep in eastern Oregon, where Republicans dominate, can come out of hiding. 😉

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:55 (average 5:06). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Raw Story (Hat-Tip [Shoe-Tip?] Lynn Squance): [O]n Friday night, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow took Fox News Channel anchor Megyn Kelly to task for a deeply inaccurate story Kelly ran on Tuesday alleging that Democrats in Colorado are stealing the 2014 election by allowing people to print their ballots at home and hand them over to political operatives.

Mediaite reported that on Tuesday, Kelly breathlessly reported on “a new law” in Colorado that would allow Democrats to sway “a critical Senate race” because it “literally allows residents to print ballots from their home computers, then encourages them to turn ballots over to collectors.”

According to Maddow, the only people who can print their ballots on home computers and mail them in are active duty military personnel who are stationed abroad. This option is available to service personnel from all 50 states.

What else would one expects from the Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda, Faux Noise? I’m glad Rachel keeps going when I can’t!!

From The New Yorker: Amid concerns that the spreading fear of Ebola has become a greater threat than the virus itself, a new poll shows that a majority of Americans favor a quarantine of the CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer.

While poll respondents supported quarantining more than a dozen cable-news personalities, including the entire cast of “Fox & Friends,” a full seventy-two per cent gave the nod to a quarantine of Blitzer.

Great idea, Andy! Can we quarantine Limbarf too?

From Daily Kos: Bobby McKenzie, the Democratic candidate for Congress in Michigan’s 11th District is up with his first ad this cycle and it’s a doozy. It is a hard-hitting ad that shows what it looks like when Republican David Trott evicts people, in this case an elderly woman, from their home.

David Trott is known as Michigan’s "Foreclosure King". I prefer "Parasitic leech on the jugular vein of society". This man has built an entire vertically-integrated empire that profitizes the misery of down-on-their-luck Michiganders. You can read more about that HERE.

McKenzie’s new ad, which the Washington Post calls "one of the most brutal attack ads you’ll ever see"

Chick through to learn how this Republican bastard had her left in the rain in mid winter and had her meds thrown in the trash. Then Get Out the VOTE!!!

Cartoon:

1027Cartoon

This figure has since increased to 2.4 million.

The Fartfuhrer Acts Like a Republican

Posted by TomCat at 12:01 am Politics

Oct 262014

The oppressed people of the Republican Fascist Plutocracy of Fitzwalkerstan, formerly Wisconsin, have another opportunity to reclaim their state from the evil Fartfuhrer, Scott Walker, who has not yet had the courtesy to enter the cell waiting for him. The Fartfuhrer is making it easier for you. He’s acting just like a Republican.

Oh, look. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has been saying (or not saying) very different things on the public campaign trail and privately to far-right groups. Walker hasn’t wanted to talk publicly about his position on marriage equality during this campaign, but as part of his effort to get an endorsement from Wisconsin Family Action, Walker wrote to the group that:

… he was defending the state’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. He said he swore an oath to uphold the constitution and he supports "marriage between one man and one woman."

"I would hope that my record and the stark contrast with my opponent’s positions would garner your support," the governor wrote.

That’s not all…

Inserted from <Daily Kos>

Click through for more. Just in case you have forgotten, the Fartfuhrer exposed himself quite well in 2011, when reporter Ian Murphy punked him with a prank phone call. Ed Schultz gave us the story of how Republicans like Walker act, when they think they are sucking … nevermind. He actually admitted criminal intent. That was two years ago, and he’s actually gotten even worse.

Let us rid ourselves of Scott Walker and all like him. To begin, we must…

Get Out the VOTE!!!

Open Thread–10/26/2014

Posted by TomCat at 12:01 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 262014

I’m writing for tomorrow, day 188. Yesterday I reached into my drawer for a pair of undershorts and came up empty, so despite sleeping most of the day, I did the dreaded task last night. Tomorrow is a holy day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb, but my meditations will be limited. I’m already religiously ecstatic. I afraid I have another hectic week on tap. Tuesday is a prison volunteer day, Wednesday is a grocery delivery day, and Thursday I have the appointment with my Pulmonologist, for which I recently had the CT Scan done. So I’ll be intermittent with my posting. I did complete my most important task of the year.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:53 (average 4:47). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: An organization of University of North Carolina athletic boosters expressed shock and outrage today over a report that a few members of U.N.C. sports teams may have taken real classes, despite the widespread availability of fake ones.

The report, which alleges that several players may have fulfilled the curriculum requirements of actual classes, sent shock waves through the U.N.C. booster community.

“These players apparently attended classes, wrote papers, and took exams,” Hal Cowlington, the president of a prominent U.N.C. booster club, said. “The impact of these distractions on their athletic performance is, to put it mildly, incalculable.”

Andy is on top of it. The last thing the boys on the Bubba Bagger Booster Bus ever intended is for college athletes, especially black ones, to actually get an education.

From Upworthy: Attacks on Canada are rare. But what’s special is how they handle times of crisis. Instead of getting engulfed with fear and sensationalism, they remain who they are. They won’t allow such an attack to shake them up or change them.

Kudos to Canadians. Statements like these are the polar opposite of what we are hearing from Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians.

From Blue Oregon: Of all the sound bites gushing forth from the No on 92’s PR spin machine opposing GMO labeling, one stands out as a masterpiece of deception.

From their website:“Would Measure 92 end up costing taxpayers?

Yes. Measure 92 would create two new state bureaucracies to enforce and implement its costly regulations. The Oregon Department of Administrative Services staff estimated that inspection programs to enforce Measure 92 would cost taxpayers more than $14 million every budget cycle.”

The $14 million figure is everywhere – in their ads, in the Voters’ Pamphlet and on the lips of the PR professionals their campaign has hired to do their debating for them.

Yet the actual, official cost estimate from the Secretary of State’s office is that Measure 92 is “expected to result in direct expenditures by State agencies for initial one-time start-up costs estimated at between $550,000 and $600,000.”

This comes to a one-time cost of 15 cents per Oregonian for work performed by current staff… [emphasis original]

Click through for more. I’ve been inundated by No on 92 ads from phony farmers, ersatz environmentalists and scam scientists. Vote YES on Oregon 92.

Cartoon:

1026Cartoon

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