{"id":18893,"date":"2016-01-09T09:45:15","date_gmt":"2016-01-09T17:45:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=18893"},"modified":"2016-01-10T10:21:12","modified_gmt":"2016-01-10T18:21:12","slug":"open-thread192016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2016\/01\/09\/open-thread192016\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread–1\/9\/2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday my Prosthetist adjusted George, so he no longer leans me to the left, putting excessive pressure on the outside of my knee.  My friend that had a mastectomy called last night.  She had let worrying compound into the beginnings of panic.  I was able to help her restore calm.  Then I had trouble getting back to sleep, so I feel a bit pooped today. My helper-friend may be coming to do laundry. May the holy Ellipsoid Orb bless your team.<\/font><\/p>\n

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

Today’s took me 2:58 (average 4:37).  To do it, click here<\/a>.  Hoe did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

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

From The New Yorker<\/a>: <\/font>A day after President Obama held a nationally televised town hall about guns in America, a new poll shows that a majority of Republicans would rather actually be shot by a firearm than agree with him.<\/p>\n

In an indication of the challenges facing the President in persuading Republicans, those surveyed named a wide variety of specific guns that they would choose to be personally shot by rather than seeing eye to eye with Obama.<\/p>\n

When asked to state their preference, forty-three per cent stated “handgun,” twenty-seven per cent replied “shotgun,” twenty-one per cent responded “assault rifle,” while only two per cent named “agreeing with Obama.”<\/p>\n

Andy, with tongue deeply embedded in cheek, I think these Republicans should be accommodated.<\/font><\/p>\n

From Daily Kos<\/a>: <\/font>There is new divide in the Oregon Y’all Qaeda militants who’ve taken over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. RawStory.com has the details:<\/a><\/p>\n

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Joe Oshaugnessy, an Arizona militiaman, has been actively seeking volunteers through social media to join the occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.<\/p>\n

But his friends tearfully announced that Oshaugnessy, who is known as “Capt. O,” had left the refuge Wednesday and was instead staying at a motel nearby — as some others associated with the militants have apparently been doing, according to sources.<\/p>\n

Some of the militants have reportedly been spotted eating at area restaurants during the standoff, as well.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A Y’all Qaeda spokesperson said he drank away the donations:<\/p>\n

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Peltier said Ritzheimer had confirmed that Oshaugnessy had kept the money he had raised through social media for himself and had spent at least some of it on a drinking binge.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Y’all Qaeda supporter Cai Irvin posted a tearful video (which has since been removed) saying Oshaugnessy’s betrayal “is like finding out there is no such thing as Santa.”<\/p>\n

FOMCROTFPIMPLMAO!! \"Smile<\/font><\/h3>\n

From NY Times<\/a>: <\/font>A combative Gov. Paul R. LePage of Maine, who has a history of making blunt, sometimes racially tinged remarks, found himself in a familiar position on Friday as he sought to walk back a comment that had drawn widespread condemnation for its racial overtones.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, he said out-of-state drug dealers come to Maine and “impregnate a young white girl” before leaving.<\/p>\n

“These are guys with the name D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty — these types of guys,” he said while discussing the state’s heroin crisis at a town-hall-style meeting in Bridgton, Me. “They come from Connecticut and New York, they come up here, they sell their heroin, then they go back home. Incidentally, half the time they impregnate a young white girl before they leave, which is a real sad thing because then we have another issue that we’ve got to deal with down the road.”<\/p>\n

On Friday, Mr. LePage, a Republican, characterized the statement as a slip of the tongue.<\/p>\n

Rachel Maddow<\/a> covered this well.<\/font><\/p>\n