{"id":17095,"date":"2015-11-05T12:00:24","date_gmt":"2015-11-05T20:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=17095"},"modified":"2015-11-05T12:00:24","modified_gmt":"2015-11-05T20:00:24","slug":"squatchs-open-thread-05112015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2015\/11\/05\/squatchs-open-thread-05112015\/","title":{"rendered":"Squatch\u2019s Open Thread 05\/11\/2015"},"content":{"rendered":"

I spent a good part of today watching the swearing in of the new Canadian government and getting excited about the possibilities.  I am planning an article about it but it is still largely in my head.  Later I indulged in some down time with my babes.  What a purr-fest we had.  Tomorrow I have physio so things will be a bit busier.<\/span><\/p>\n

Puzzle — <\/strong>Today’s took me 4:02 (average 6:02). To do it, <\/span>click here<\/strong><\/span><\/a>. How did you do? For those that don't know, we always do the 48 piece classic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Given that today is the day after the 2015 elections, I thought for some this picture might be appropriate, especially in Republican circles.  H\/t to Ted W and Carol B @ Care2.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Short Takes<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Alternet<\/strong><\/span><\/a> — "Given the nature of class politics in America. Given the fact that we have a corrupt campaign finance system," Sanders said. "Given that we have an economy that is rigged. The major point that I am making is that establishment politicians cannot make the kind of changes we need. You can't run a super PAC and take money from Wall Street and say, I'm going to take on Wall Street."<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, I cannot embed the video of Chris Hayes and Bernie Sanders.  Please <\/span>click through<\/strong><\/span><\/a> for the interview video.  As Charles Koch said to Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough when he asked about political donations "I expect something in return."<\/span><\/p>\n

International Business Times<\/strong><\/span><\/a> — One of Iran’s commercial airlines last week bought a U.K.-manufactured jet with the aim of using it to deliver Iranian soldiers and weapons to Syria in support of the embattled regime of President Bashar Assad, International Business Times has learned. The purchase of the aircraft by an Iranian concern represents a clear violation of the deal brokered by the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama, under which Iran pledged to scale back its nuclear program in exchange for a lifting of sanctions, said senior American officials and attorneys who handle issues associated with sanctions compliance.<\/p>\n

“Temporary sanctions relief … currently in place does not cover the sale or lease of complete aircraft to Iran,” said Betsy Bourassa, a representative of the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence within the Treasury Department in Washington. And a representative of the State Department told IBT that it was aware of the sale and is investigating the transaction.<\/p>\n

Click through for the rest of the story.  In my mind, this does not bode well for the success of the Iran nuclear agreement, but we'll have to wait to find out the results of the State Department's investigation.  Are Republicans going to try to pillory John Kerry over the deal?  They sure do like political lynchings.<\/span><\/p>\n

Think Progress<\/strong><\/span><\/a> — “This bill is about recognizing that the fossil fuel reserves that are on our public lands should be managed in the public interest, and the public interest is for us to help drive a transition from fossil fuels to a clean energy future,” Merkley said on a press call Tuesday. “We don’t have a lot of time to do this, so there’s an urgency to it, and a place that’s readily available for us to act is on the fossil fuels that are on our public lands.”<\/p>\n

Merkley referenced findings<\/a> from earlier this year that 80 percent of coal reserves — along with a third of global oil reserves and half of global natural gas reserves — should stay in the ground between now and 2050 in order to keep warming to 2°C, the limit that many scientists agree we need to stay below in order to avoid the worst effects of climate change. Banning new oil and gas leases on public lands, as the bill would do, would be a step towards this target.<\/p>\n

This is as it should be.  Unfortunately, as Senator Merkley said, he isn't expecting much action because of Congressional leadership [or lack thereof].<\/span><\/p>\n

My Universe<\/strong> — From the Animal Rescue Site — Some silly cats are confused and think they aren’t cats at all. <\/span><\/p>\n