{"id":12911,"date":"2014-06-02T00:29:33","date_gmt":"2014-06-02T07:29:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=12911"},"modified":"2014-06-02T00:29:33","modified_gmt":"2014-06-02T07:29:33","slug":"open-thread622014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2014\/06\/02\/open-thread622014\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread–6\/2\/2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m writing for tomorrow, and I\u2019m still 3\/4 bleary-eyed after last night, but I have too much work to do to take the day off.  Tomorrow I\u2019m trying out a neighborhood barber to see if ugly can be fixed.  It\u2019s about 1\/4 mile away, so it may interfere with articles for Tuesday.  Day 42.<\/font><\/p>\n

Jig Zone Puzzle<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s took me 2:35 (average 4:22).  To do it, click here<\/a>.  How did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

Short Takes<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

From Daily Kos<\/a>: <\/font>It is pretty good odds that a mass extinction is going on right now as you read this. This ticking time bomb proves that we are like insects, which live just a few days and will never experience changes in a season much less years. You and I will never know from experience the history of this planet. Much of that history is as abstract to us as the dimensions of the universe. Our planet is a complex, dynamic system that we probably will never fully comprehend. The Earth system, like the human body, comprises diverse components that interact in complex ways. The Earth’s atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, and biosphere is a single connected system.<\/p>\n

Extinction is a dire word for an extreme event. There has been five mass extinctions in our planets history due to either asteroid impacts, climate change caused by volcanism and the shifting of tectonic plates. The sixth mass extinction is being fueled by you and me. Mass extinctions are relatively short periods of history during which a significant quantity of species die off beyond the standard background extinction (normal process of a species dying out and is usually a natural occurrence).<\/p>\n

If this happens, which Republicans seem bound to guarantee, I hope that intelligent life evolves. Earth needs some, for a change!<\/font><\/p>\n

From Alternet<\/a>: <\/font>NRA\u2019s Chris Cox: Why would we listen to doctors when it comes to the effects of firearms?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The NRA\u2019s chief lobbyist penned some twaddle in the Daily Caller [propaganda delinked<\/em>] just a few days before the Santa Barbara killings. He was disputing the validity of the pro-gun control group Doctors for America, who have had the nerve to endorse a ban on certain types of semi-automatic firearms and buyback of others. What do they know about firearms, he asked?<\/p>\n

Right, what the hell would doctors who treat people with gunshot wounds know about guns and their effects?<\/p>\n

The piece: \u201cWe Love Our Moms and Trust Our Doctors, But We Don\u2019t Want Gun Control,\u201d was basically a paranoid screed directed at two of the more vocal groups trying to fight the epidemic of gun violence in this country: Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and, what Cox calls \u201cthe dubiously named Doctors for America.\u201d Yeah, wow, that does sound dubious. People with medical training. These two groups, writes Cox, are just rebranding gimmicks for what he calls the \u201ccivilian disarmament advocates.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nobody gets to disarm civilians, Cox rants, while trying to sound like a reasonable man. Not moms, not doctors, nobody. Only more heavily armed civilians can do that.<\/p>\n

We love you Mom, Cox assures. Hope you don\u2019t get shot. If you do, the solution will be obvious. Not a doctor. More guns.<\/p>\n

This is just one of eight outrageous Republican statements from last week alone. Click through for the other seven Republican idiots.<\/font><\/p>\n

From Crooks and Liars<\/a>: <\/font>The RNC’s Reince Priebus wasn’t the only one on Fox News Sunday<\/a> throwing every ounce of poop against the wall to attack former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton over their fake Benghazi "scandal." Faux "news" regular Liz Cheney took right up where Priebus left off with the name calling, and surprise, surprise, she now has a problem with politicians and officials lying to the American people over matters of national security.<\/p>\n

Someone needs to tell her to take that up with her daddy Dick. Chris Wallace sure as hell wasn’t going to do it.<\/p>\n