Politics Plus

I’m working for tomorrow and rushing because I have so much work to do preparing for tomorrow’s board meeting in my apartment.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:55 (average 5:19).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Arizona Governor Jan Brewer said today that she was reluctant to sign an anti-gay “religious freedom” bill passed by the Arizona state legislature this week, telling reporters, “I believe that bigotry and hatred should be free of government regulation.”

She said that while many Arizona business owners currently enjoy employing hateful practices, “I worry that if big government gets involved, that’ll ruin everything.”

“Don’t get me wrong—I think the anti-gay bill that the legislature passed was well-meaning,” she said. “All I’m saying is, let’s leave it to the private sector.”

I think Andy’s satire missed the boat on this one. Brewerstan’s Death Angel, Jan Brewer, infamous for killing her own citizens by refusing them life saving transplants for which they were already scheduled, is a strong supporter of government-based hatred. Consider her support for racial profiling in "papers please".

From Alternet: Ted Cruz: Pray for discrimination.

What is Texas’s Tea Party senator seeking now? This week Cruz called on supporters to “simply pray” that LGBT Americans did not get equal legal rights because same-sex marriage was “heartbreaking.” Yes, pray for a new Jim Crow.

In an interview with conservative radio host Janet Mefferd, Cruz started by saying that he introduced the “State Marriage Defense Act” to undo the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision striking down parts of the federal government’s ban on marriage equality. He accused liberal groups of using “brute power” to wage an assault and “subvert our democratic system.” Then the Harvard Law School graduate, who forgets that an elite Republican lawyer argued for expanding gay rights before the court, issued his hateful hope.

Cruz said that gay marriage threatened liberty and he urged people to pray to God that gays and lesbians don’t get equal marriage rights. “I think the most important thing your listeners can do is simply pray, because we need a great deal of prayer,” he said. “Because marriage is really, really being undermined by a concerted effort. And it’s causing significant harm.”

When right-wingers like Cruz pray for discrimination, a curious thing happens. God doesn’t RSVP ASAP. But other right-wingers do.

Cruz’ Republican hate mongering is just on of six examples of Republican psychosis from the last week alone. Click through for the other five.

From Crooks and Liars: Homeland Security warned us in 2009 that right wing extremism is on the rise–something we are seeing in recent conservative pushes to overthrow the government. The report stated, among other things, that  “Heightened interest in legislation for tighter firearms…may be invigorating rightwing extremist activity, specifically the white supremacist and militia movements,” as we have seen exemplified in a Tea Party attempt to construct an anti-Muslim death ray.

Now, Three Georgia “Patriots” tried to buy pipe bombs and other explosives to aid in their effort to attack power grids, water treatment facilities, and other infrastructure. Brian Edward Cannon and Cory Robert Williamson appeared in court on Friday, and Terry Eugene Peace is due for his first appearance on Monday.

The three are charged with conspiring to acquire firearms, pipe bombs, and thermite grenades. Between Jan 23 and Feb 15, the three militia members chatted on Facebook about plans to launch guerrilla-style attacks on government facilities, according to the FBI…… [emphasis original]

Once again, we see Republicans too stupid to realize that plotting a Republican terrorist conspiracy on Facebook just might have legal ramifications. Once again, we see that the party that embraces them is not competent to run a lemonade stand, let again a government.

Cartoon:

Was this decision Constitutional?

I’m writing for tomorrow.  This is the only article.  I missed sleep yesterday staying up to wait for my grocery delivery, which was several hours late.  I missed more sleep last night, because I was so sore from doing more housework than I am used to doing, I could not get comfortable.  I missed more sleep this morning, because Verizon woke me up three times with robo-solicitations.  They are not my company.  If they think that will increase their chance at becoming my company, they can take a long, flying %#^& off a short pier.  In the process, I watched the women’s figure skating.  Sadly two of the US gals had an ass-ice interface.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:52 (average 5:32).  To do it, click here.  How did you so?

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Minutes after the Russian men’s hockey team fell to Finland 3-1, a devastated President Vladimir Putin told reporters, “This must be what an actual election feels like.”

Reliving the horrible experience of watching his team lose to the Finns, the Russian leader said, “As the game went on, I started thinking to myself, ‘My God, I have no idea what the outcome of this is going to be.’ I had never experienced that feeling before. It was ghastly.”

Poor GOP Pootie!! I trust he considers this a major setback for his Russian Republican Reich.

From Daily Kos:

Those of you unfamiliar with the myriad roles of the Texas Lootenant Gubbinor might not be aware that first and formost [sic] in his duties is to defend the state from the predations of the president of the United States. Todd Staples, one of the several equally silly and terrible choices for that office on the Republican ticket, has put out an ad clarifying that. It shows him pointing guns, hating the EPA and generally being a Texas fertilizer plant of talking points.

Barf Bag Alert!!

Unable to use reason. Republicans just threaten violence.

From NY Times: Even as Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin looks ahead to 2016 and a possible presidential bid, his political past as Milwaukee County executive has come back to haunt him.

A release of 27,000 emails and hundreds of court documents on Wednesday portrays Mr. Walker, a Republican, as having presided over an office where aides used personal computers and email to conceal that they were mixing government and campaign business. The conduct of campaign work on government time led to the criminal convictions of two aides and several others. Mr. Walker, who has for years denied wrongdoing, was never charged.

The messages showed how actively Mr. Walker’s campaign coordinated with county workers in 2009 and 2010, when he was running for governor. They shared emails about the proper wording of campaign news releases. They exchanged emails on county time promoting a birthday fund-raising event for the campaign.

This is just how Republicans operate. They campaign at taxpayer expense. Several of Crawford Caligula’s aides were convicted of such abuse, and it lies at the center of the PIGnocchio scandals in NJ.

Cartoon:

I’m writing for tomorrow.  It’s been a busy day.  Housework was floors, dusting and the refrigerator.  I’m waiting for Store to Door to deliver groceries.  They help me put them away, and that makes me keep the fridge cleaned out to avoid embarrassment.  Earlier I watched Olympic coverage, and was most pleased to See Finland eliminate the team of Vladimir Putin (R-RU) in the quarter finals.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:40 (average 5:08).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: The wingnut welfare must have run out for the man who became famous as "Joe the Plumber." Samuel Wurzelbacher, his real name, has had to get a job that involves something other than performing the role of the regular blue-collar white guy on the Republican speaking and media circuits—and it’s a union job at Chrysler. Wurzelbacher took to Facebook sounding a wee bit defensive:

“In order to work for Chrysler, you are required to join the Union, in this case UAW. There’s no choice – it’s a union shop – the employees voted to have it that way and in America that’s the way it is,” he wrote.

Of course the Republican is lying. He may opt to pay a fee for their representation, so he does not have to join. This is one member UAW is better off without!!

From Bill Moyers: Last week, The Wire creator David Simon told Bill Moyers that the legal doctrine that spending money on political campaigns is an act of political speech protected by the First Amendment poses the greatest threat to American democracy. “That to me was the nail in the coffin,” he said. “If the combination of the monetization of our elections and gerrymandering create a bicameral legislature that doesn’t in any way reflect the will of the American people, you’ve reached the end game for democracy.”

He’s right. Not only does money as speech allow those with the fattest wallets to drown out the voices of average citizens, as John Light points out, it also gives wealthy donors an effective veto over policies that enjoy majority support. But it’s important to understand the other ways that the expansion of civil rights for corporations can conflict with the public interest.

David Simon is spot-on. You owe it to your brain to click through for the rest of this outstanding piece.

Corporations are NOT people!! Money is NOT speech!!

From Crooks and Liars: Here’s what we get to look forward to from now until Hillary Clinton either announces that she’s not going to run for president, or finishes up her second term in office if she ends up being the Democratic nominee and is elected and reelected.

Media Matters nailed this one before it even aired: Fox Scrapes The Bottom Of The Clinton Conspiracy Barrel:

Barf Bag Alert!!

In the interest of clarity, I have to say that, if there was a more progressive alternative to Hillary, who is willing to challenge her for the Democratic nomination, I would be a supporter of ABH, not because she is a woman, but because she is not progressive enough to suit me. That said, I will support her strongly in the general election, because even Hillary stands head and shoulders over anyone that the Republican Party will offer. The Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda, aka Faux Noise, cannot attack Hillary on policy, because across the board, theirs are worse for America, so this is the garbage they offer instead.

Cartoon:

222 years later, Republicans have almost succeeded in killing it.  I guess they think Washington was a damn librul.