Squatch’s Open Thread 05/12/2015

 Posted by at 2:28 am  Open Thread, Politics
Dec 052015
 

Well, Friday is done and Saturday is upon us.  Teaching went well today.  When I am there, I usually get called to explain other things like letters and today it was a report card for the 8 year old girl.  Even though she was born in Canada, she has difficulty with English because she speaks Juba at home with her mother.  But she is making good progress and I am really proud of her!  On top of that, I learned another Farsi expression . . . ché ha bas . . . which means what's up?  Of course this is a phonetic spelling using the English alphabet.  Learning new stuff keeps a person young.

Puzzle — Today’s took me 2:57 (average 5:17). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes

The Nation — I hate to pick on Carly Fiorina, since she’s dropping in GOP presidential polls, but she’s the most avid purveyor of falsehoods in the 2016 Republican field next to Donald Trump. She spewed some whoppers Thursday on MSNBC’sMorning Joe. They’re worth examining because they show the way GOP cynics, most of whom know better, are exploiting anti-government hysteria on the right as they close their ears to overwhelming public demand for tougher gun laws. 

Isn't it truly amazing how the Republican presidential hopefuls are whipping up anti-government sentiments in their base while seeking to lead that same government.  And the base either does not see this, is wilfully ignorant, or just doesn't care as long as the black man in the White House is gone.  And her arguments hold no water.  Fiorina is such an airhead.

CBC — Governor General David Johnston called Canada's response to the refugee crisis a defining moment for the country earlier this week as he met with aid agencies and political, business and community leaders to discuss how to better coordinate the work of resettling 25,000 Syrians by February.

"This is a defining moment for Canada, a defining moment for all of us,'' he told the forum. "It's even more than that. It's an opportunity to reimagine how we take care of the most marginalized and vulnerable among us."

But does that sentiment extend beyond the imperatives of a current crisis?

A good question for all nations that have indigenous peoples.  GG David Johnston's statement "It's an opportunity to reimagine how we take care of the most marginalized and vulnerable among us.", should be enough of a catalyst for Canadians to embrace the plight of our First Nations peoples, as well as the Syrian refugees that are coming.  I hope we don't have to wait until 2017 to see the federal government's plan of addressing First Nations' issues.  We, as a society have to drop our stereotypical approach and attitude, rather seeing all people as equal partners in society.

Huffington Post — As global population soars, healthcare is reaching a crisis point: developing countries struggle with a lack of access while countries like the U.S. struggle to manage an inefficient system that spends billions on unnecessary care. After a life-changing trip to Haiti, one doctor teamed up with a small bioengineering company with a mission to empower patients. 

With a title like "Canadian Doctor's Device Could Save Americans Billions", I was intrigued as to what this could be.  So that I don't give away anything, and as someone with multiple health issues, SIGN ME UP!!!!!  NOW!!!!!  Click through to the 12 minute video.  I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Mother Jones — [Missouri] State Rep. Stacey Newman, a Democrat, prefiled a bill this week for the next legislative session that, if passed, would subject potential gun buyers to the same rigmarole of restrictions—a 72-hour waiting period, an explanatory video, a doctor meeting, a facility tour, reviews of photographs, and more—that are already imposed on or have been proposed for Missouri women seeking abortions.

In my opinion, this seems very reasonable, especially given the recent spate of mass shootings.  Are Republicans trying to say that the life of a zygote is more precious than the lives of 20 grade one children, or eight African American church members, or seventeen adults with families to support and love?  When we drive a vehicle, we must have training, a license, insurance etc.  Why not when buying a gun which can be equally deadly?  Of course, this is just too much common sense for any Republican.

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Will Republicans Destroy Our Earth?

 Posted by at 11:40 am  Politics
Dec 042015
 

The more time passes, the more convinced I become that we need to act fast to protect our earth from the Rep0ublican war on science.  Unless we remove Republicans from control of the House and Senate, and keep them out of the White House, the next generation will inherit a poisoned earth.  Paul Krugman appears to agree.

EarthDay1

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Future historians — if there are any future historians — will almost surely say that the most important thing happening in the world during December 2015 was the climate talks in Paris. True, nothing agreed to in Paris will be enough, by itself, to solve the problem of global warming. But the talks could mark a turning point, the beginning of the kind of international action needed to avert catastrophe.

Then again, they might not; we may be doomed. And if we are, you know who will be responsible: the Republican Party.

O.K., I know the reaction of many readers: How partisan! How over the top! But what I said is, in fact, the obvious truth. And the inability of our news media, our pundits and our political establishment in general to face up to that truth is an important contributing factor to the danger we face.

Anyone who follows U.S. political debates on the environment knows that Republican politicians overwhelmingly oppose any action to limit emissions of greenhouse gases, and that the great majority reject the scientific consensus on climate change. Last year PolitiFact could find only eight Republicans in Congress, out of 278 in the caucus, who had made on-the-record comments accepting the reality of man-made global warming. And most of the contenders for the Republican presidential nomination are solidly in the anti-science camp…

…More important, probably, is the denial inherent in the conventions of political journalism, which say that you must always portray the parties as symmetric — that any report on extreme positions taken by one side must be framed in a way that makes it sound as if both sides do it. We saw this on budget issues, where some self-proclaimed centrist commentators, while criticizing Republicans for their absolute refusal to consider tax hikes, also made a point of criticizing President Obama for opposing spending cuts that he actually supported. My guess is that climate disputes will receive the same treatment.

But I hope I’m wrong, and I’d urge everyone outside the climate-denial bubble to frankly acknowledge the awesome, terrifying reality. We’re looking at a party that has turned its back on science at a time when doing so puts the very future of civilization at risk. That’s the truth, and it needs to be faced head-on.

Inserted from <NY Times>

Which earth shall we pass on?

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On the Edge–12/4/2015

 Posted by at 11:39 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Dec 042015
 

Yesterday was relatively easy.  PT (Becky) had me see Wow many times I can stand from a sitting position, with no rest in between.  She stopped me at eight, but I could have continued.  She also had me practice stand-pivot transfers, rotating toward George, the more difficult direction.  I did not see OT (Courtney).

Short Takes:

From Media Matters: Right-wing radio host Alex Jones is suggesting that a mass shooting that claimed at least 14 lives in San Bernardino, California “appears to be geared to elicit widespread public outrage.” Jones pushed the conspiracy theory only a few hours after an interview with GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, where the candidate praised Jones’ “amazing” reputation.

Jones and his website frequently promote far right-wing conspiracy theories arguing that high-profile mass shootings and other tragic events are staged by the government. He has claimed that both the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting and Aurora, Colorado, movie theater mass shooting were “staged.”

The Hairball and Jones are a perfect diabolical match.

From Daily Kos: This execution took place earlier today (Wednesday, Dec 2nd) in the Bayview District of San Francisco.

 

Another day, another murder by police.

From NY Times: While the nation suffered through the shock of another bloody massacre, on Thursday every Senate Republican except Mark Kirk of Illinois voted against legislation to prevent people on the F.B.I.’s consolidated terrorist watchlist from purchasing guns or explosives.

The measure has been introduced repeatedly since 2007. The Government Accountability Office has documented that over years of congressional blockage, hundreds of suspected terrorists on the watchlist bought guns.

Republicans are fighting to preserve gun manufacturers’ profits derived from sales to terrorists.

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A day of wailing and gnashing of teeth for today’s Republicans.

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Squatch’s Open Thread 04/12/2015

 Posted by at 2:52 am  Open Thread, Politics
Dec 042015
 

Another day, another dollar they say.  TGIF!!!  I have another teaching session and I may have another student, this time a paying student.  I went into my local Persian market and greeted the clerk in Persian (Farsi).  That started a short conversation.  One thing lead to another.  It may not pan out, but I guess my English accent isn't too bad for the few words and phrases I know.

Puzzle — Today’s took me 3:40 (average 6:02). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes

CBC — Geoff Regan has been elected House of Commons Speaker at the opening of a new Parliament following the general election on Oct. 19 that saw the Liberals win a majority government.

Members of Parliament each cast a secret ballot on Thursday ranking the candidates by order of preference in their first act of the new Parliament.

This my friends is how the Speaker of the House of Commons is elected in Canada versus the rancorous process in the US which we witnessed not long ago.  Watch the video to see some good natured fun from Geoff Regan, Rona Ambrose (interim leader of the Conservative Party) and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.  In the video as part of the story, Trudeau actually leads Regan for a moment by his tie.  You can see more about the candidates and the Speaker's role in this CBC article.

NY Times — Donald L. Blankenship, a titan of the nation’s coal industry whose approach to business was scrutinized and scorned after 29 workers were killed at the Upper Big Branch mine in 2010, was convicted Thursday of a federal charge of conspiring to violate mine safety standards, part of a case that emerged after the accident, the deadliest in mining in the United States in decades.

The verdict reached by a federal jury here made Mr. Blankenship, 65, the most prominent American coal executive ever to be convicted of a charge connected to the deaths of miners. He had been accused of conspiring to violate mine safety regulations, as well as of deceiving investors and regulators; prosecutors secured a conviction on only one of the three charges. Mr. Blankenship was acquitted of making false statements and securities fraud. He faces a maximum of one year in prison on the misdemeanor conspiracy charge.

On 05/10/2015, I posted the article The Fall of King Coal which documented the abuses of Don Blankenship, a coal industry executive of Massey Energy.  Blankenship went on trial 01/10/2015 and today was acquitted of 2 of 3 charges.  Those charges could have meant 30 years in prison.  Instead, he was convicted of the misdemeanor conspiracy charge and could get a 1 year prison term.  His lawyer will appeal the decision against this well connected Republican.  Were I a member of the family of anyone of the miners killed at the Upper Big Branch mine disaster in 2010, I would be very angry.  Was justice done?  I don't think so, but you decide.

Huffington Post — The Republican-controlled Senate voted on Thursday to demolish President Barack Obama's signature health care law and block Planned Parenthood's federal money, spurring a veto fight the GOP knows it will lose but believes will delight conservative voters in next year's elections.

Congress has voted dozens of times to repeal all or parts of the 2010 statute. If the House as expected sends the Senate bill to Obama, the measure will become the first of its kind to reach the White House and be vetoed, an act Republicans say will highlight GOP priorities for voters.

"It's defined by failure," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said of the law, blaming it for rising medical costs and citing problems encountered by Kentuckians. "It's punctuated with hopelessness. And the scale of its many broken promises is matched only by the scale of its defenders' rigid and unfeeling responses to them."

You really have to "love" those Republican legislators.  I certainly hope their working class and middle class base recognise the disservice that the party is doing to them.

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Squatch’s Open Thread 03/12/2015

 Posted by at 11:57 am  Open Thread, Politics
Dec 032015
 

Ah, today that dreaded task . . . laundry!  Yesterday, I came downstairs to a mess made through the night by my 3 furballs.  I wonder what today will be like?  Their shenanigans blocked access to the laundry.  We'll see as soon as I am finished here.

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

Short Takes

The Nation — In common with the other big rightward swerves by the Roberts Court, the 2008 ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller was an aggressive exercise in mendacity. By upending the well-established meaning of the Second Amendment, the Court made the country less safe and less free. It did this under the guise of a neutral and principled “originalism” that looks to the text as it was first understood back in 1791 by the amendment’s drafters and their contemporaries.  …

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In the process, the conservative justices engaged in an unsubtle brand of outcome-oriented judicial activism and “living constitutionalism” that they claim to abhor—an irony noted by a host of devoted Supreme Court watchers across the ideological spectrum. Richard Posner, the prominent Reagan-appointed federal appellate judge and prolific commentator on legal and economic issues, derided Scalia’s flawed approach as “faux originalism” and a “snow job.”

A "snow job" is certainly an understatement especially in light of the two mass shootings of 02/12/2015.  So according to SCROTUS, the original intent of the 2nd amendment was to give the individual the "right to bear arms" and has nothing to do with a militia (army).  If that is the case, then what can the US do to curb the rampant gun violence that exists today? As of today, there have been 355 mass shootings, a mass shooting being defined as an incident with four or more deaths or woundings.  That is more than one per day.  A very sad commentary on a nation that is supposed to be enlightened.

Alternet — The richest Americans increasingly are taking over the levers of power and shaping the political debate, despite opposing views held by a majority of Americans, a new and unprecedented academic study of the top 1 percent has confirmed.

The super-rich are more politically active than average Americans, financing and contacting elected officials and knowing many on a first-name basis. Their agenda, which is often cited by public officials across the country, emphasizes private profit-making and is skeptical of almost every public program to address economic inequality, thestudy by Chicago-based university researchers found. The top 1 percent's social agenda, while “more liberal than others on religious and moral issues, including abortion, gay rights, and prayer in school,” is still “much more conservative than the non-affluent on issues of taxes, economic regulation, and social welfare,” the researchers found.

Put another way, today’s top 1 percent generally do not believe the longtime conservative line that a rising economic tide will lift all Americans, but have a darker view in which one’s fate is tied to the survival of the fittest. They consider climate change a non-issue and most would cut federal and state safety nets and anti-poverty programs, shift taxpayer dollars into privatized education and do little to ensure access to higher education.

Click through to see the eight points gleaned from the report "Democracy and The Policy Preferences of Wealthy Americans".  I doubt all of this is a surprise.  But doing something about it will take a lot of hard work.  As it is, I think the US is a democracy in name only.  With the wealthy having so much political power, the US is a plutocracy.

Washington Post — The new argument, which Piketty spelled out recently in the French newspaper Le Monde, is this: Inequality is a major driver of Middle Eastern terrorism, including the Islamic State attacks on Paris earlier this month — and Western nations have themselves largely to blame for that inequality.

Piketty writes that the Middle East's political and social system has been made fragile by the high concentration of oil wealth into a few countries with relatively little population. If you look at the region between Egypt and Iran — which includes Syria — you find several oil monarchies controlling between 60 and 70 percent of wealth, while housing just a bit more than 10 percent of the 300 million people living in that area. (Piketty does not specify which countries he's talking about, but judging from a study he co-authored last year on Middle East inequality, it appears he means Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Saudia Arabia, Bahrain and Oman. By his numbers, they accounted for 16 percent of the region's population in 2012 and almost 60 percent of its gross domestic product.)

Click through for the rest of this interesting article.  Piketty definitely has a point, especially if his figures can be fully substantiated.

My Universe — 

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Republicans on Parade–12/3/2015

 Posted by at 11:37 am  Politics
Dec 032015
 

RepublicansOnParade4

Here is the seventy-ninth article in our Republicans on Parade series, featuring individuals who personify what the Republican Party has become. Today’s honoree is Colorado State Representative JoAnn Windholz. She is so honored for blaming the victims for Republican terrorism.

1203WindholzColorado state Rep. JoAnn Windholz issued a statement on the Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood attack that left 3 dead and 9 wounded last week. The Colorado Independent has the absolutely outrageous and jaw-dropping statement:​

Violence – Where it starts.

The freedoms we enjoy in the United States include those that were made up to fit the audience and unsubstantiated numerical support, specifically the right to an abortion. When a violent act happens at a Planned Parenthood (pph) facility (most recent in Colorado Springs) the left goes on “auto-pilot” blaming everyone insight when they should be looking in a mirror. Free Speech has brought to light the insidious selling of baby body parts (pph has no shame). These facts and overall mission of the abortion industry would easily send anyone over the hill who wasn’t rational.

Oh, but wait—there’s more. Rep. Windholz was just getting started:

“Violence is never the answer, but we must start pointing out who is the real culprit. The true instigator of this violence and all violence at any Planned Parenthood facility is Planned Parenthood themselves. Violence begets violence. So Planned Parenthood: YOU STOP THE VIOLENCE INSIDE YOUR WALLS.”…

Inserted from <Daily Kos>

This is 100% Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christian TEAbuggery, designed to disguise the Republican Party’s culpability for Republican domestic terrorism.

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On the Edge–12/3/2015

 Posted by at 11:36 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Dec 032015
 

Yesterday I had a difficult day.  PT was working me on fall recovery techniques.  I was able to get back up to stationary objects, but when I tried a one person assist from ground to wheelchair, I found that I lack the physical strength to lift myself without being able to support more weight with my arms.  I tried so hard that I strained the knee on my good leg in the process, but it’s almost better today.

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: According to his 2nd ex-wife Robert Luis Dear, the accused Colorado Planned Parenthood murderer, was a violently abusive extreme right-wing neo-Christian anti-abortion zealot end-timer who after committing an act of rape believed every thing vile he did would ultimately be “forgiven” by God.

Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christian politicians and pundits, the blood is on your hands!

From NY Times: …Democrats, including President Obama, emphasize the need to address America’s problems with guns. Republicans talk about the need to address mental health. Both are right.

First, guns, the central issue: We need a new public health approach based not on eliminating guns (that simply won’t happen in a land awash with 300 million guns) but on reducing the carnage they cause.

We routinely construct policies that reduce the toll of deadly products around us. That’s what we do with cars (driver’s licenses, seatbelts, guardrails). It’s what we do with swimming pools (fences, childproof gates, pool covers). It’s what we do with toy guns (orange tips).

It’s what we should do with real guns.

I reference this Republican hack only to demonstrate how biased he is..  Kristof is twisting some crucial facts in his article. First, while Republicans SAY we need to address mental health needs, they keep slashing the spending on mental health. Only Democrats are actually trying to address those needs. Second Republicans are blocking all attempts by Democrats to treat guns as a public health problem.

From Upworthy: Ironically, the rate of Arctic melting has essentially snowballed — the factors add up exponentially, and the effects get bigger and bigger and bigger (even as the snow itself disappears). So while yes, there are still winters and it still gets cold, the ecosystem is disastrously out of balance, and it’s only getting worse.

But fear not! There’s still hope!

Or maybe do fear a little bit, if that’s the kind of motivation that you need to make sustainable environmental changes in your life or to urge President Obama to take action before it gets too late. Because we seriously need to do something — and fast.

Here’s a little more information, courtesy of National Geographic.

The need us deadly serious. Please join me in signing the NDRC petition, supporting green initiatives, and reducing your own carbon footprint as much as possible.

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