......................................
Comments on LTE: "All we need is a candidate"
Judas Peckerwood
Wow, Otis, I just noticed that the dim, prickly Daily Zero censor disappeared your earlier comment for even daring to approve of my comment that he/she also disappeared.
Freedom of expression is not a Daily Zero value.
in reply to OtisCampbell
Update:
OtisCampbell
Yup. This is not so much a forum for discussion as it is a bulletin board in a segregated Retirement Home for cranky old white people. They regularly post vicious ad hominem attacks but insist that any response be limited to Sesame Street sensibilities.
in reply to Judas Peckerwood
......................................
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Memorial Day
Rather than symbolic gestures, while well intended....
How about this day we make a pledge to do something about the veterans suffering from PTSD, the homeless vets, increasing veterans benefits for those who served and finally....
a pledge to better manage the troops to avoid rape and assaults
By the Pentagon’s own estimate, figures for assaults on women likely represent less than 20 percent of actual incidents. Another study released in March found that just one in 15 men in the Air Force would report being sexually assaulted, compared with one in five women.
http://www.newsweek.com/2011/04/03/the-military-s-secret-shame.html
Make Memorial Day something more than jingoistic slogans and flag waving.
How about this day we make a pledge to do something about the veterans suffering from PTSD, the homeless vets, increasing veterans benefits for those who served and finally....
a pledge to better manage the troops to avoid rape and assaults
By the Pentagon’s own estimate, figures for assaults on women likely represent less than 20 percent of actual incidents. Another study released in March found that just one in 15 men in the Air Force would report being sexually assaulted, compared with one in five women.
http://www.newsweek.com/2011/04/03/the-military-s-secret-shame.html
Make Memorial Day something more than jingoistic slogans and flag waving.
Ewwwwww!
.......................................
Peeing in the pool... sounds like something a Republican would do!
Before You Plunge Into That Cool, Inviting Pool, Read This
[snipped]
A survey conducted semi-recently, like a couple of years ago, asked 1,000 adults if they have ever relieved themselves in a swimming pool. Seventeen percent of the respondents admitted to peeing in the pool.
Sorry about quoting a two-year-old survey, but studies dealing with people peeing in the pool don’t come along that often. Funding them may be a problem. I’d bet money doesn’t just come gushing in. It’s probably more like a trickle.
Anyway, now we know that one out of every 5.8 people around you in that nice community pool is peeing in it.
[snipped]
To plunge deeper into this important subject, I spent some time researching it. OK, I “googled” it. It took a few seconds.
I wish I hadn’t. I could hardly believe my eyes. People on camera actually talk about how they peed in the pool they were still in. The short movie is called “How to pee in the pool without getting caught.”
They just let it all out.
“I’ve been peeing in the pool all day,” one young woman said. “I enjoy the water, so why get out? You are not supposed to swallow the water, anyway.”
I was shocked. And these are adults. We haven’t even talked about children, who probably pee in the pool more than adults.
Yahoo actually gives instructions on how not to be detected during the peeing process. “Just swim away from everyone else first, and swim back as soon as you start peeing so there won’t be a warm pocket of it for someone to swim into.”
[snipped]
There is no hope. According to the great [Michael] Phelps, American swimmers pee in the pool more than swimmers from any other country.
[snipped]
.......................................
Peeing in the pool... sounds like something a Republican would do!
Before You Plunge Into That Cool, Inviting Pool, Read This
[snipped]
A survey conducted semi-recently, like a couple of years ago, asked 1,000 adults if they have ever relieved themselves in a swimming pool. Seventeen percent of the respondents admitted to peeing in the pool.
Sorry about quoting a two-year-old survey, but studies dealing with people peeing in the pool don’t come along that often. Funding them may be a problem. I’d bet money doesn’t just come gushing in. It’s probably more like a trickle.
Anyway, now we know that one out of every 5.8 people around you in that nice community pool is peeing in it.
[snipped]
To plunge deeper into this important subject, I spent some time researching it. OK, I “googled” it. It took a few seconds.
I wish I hadn’t. I could hardly believe my eyes. People on camera actually talk about how they peed in the pool they were still in. The short movie is called “How to pee in the pool without getting caught.”
They just let it all out.
“I’ve been peeing in the pool all day,” one young woman said. “I enjoy the water, so why get out? You are not supposed to swallow the water, anyway.”
I was shocked. And these are adults. We haven’t even talked about children, who probably pee in the pool more than adults.
Yahoo actually gives instructions on how not to be detected during the peeing process. “Just swim away from everyone else first, and swim back as soon as you start peeing so there won’t be a warm pocket of it for someone to swim into.”
[snipped]
There is no hope. According to the great [Michael] Phelps, American swimmers pee in the pool more than swimmers from any other country.
[snipped]
.......................................
Saturday, May 28, 2011
So long, and thanks for all the fish
The good news: After fourteen months of searching, I have finally found meaningful employment.
The bad news: The new job is 3,000 miles away.
So, the Spinnaker Cross-Country Road Show starts tomorrow morning, with seven days of adventure before I arrive in New England. But not to worry; I'll still stop by ThurstonBlog from time to time, mostly to make sure you're all keeping the assholes in check. And also in case I need bail money.
My thanks to all of you for not taking life (or yourselves) too seriously, and for making the journey enjoyable.
The bad news: The new job is 3,000 miles away.
So, the Spinnaker Cross-Country Road Show starts tomorrow morning, with seven days of adventure before I arrive in New England. But not to worry; I'll still stop by ThurstonBlog from time to time, mostly to make sure you're all keeping the assholes in check. And also in case I need bail money.
My thanks to all of you for not taking life (or yourselves) too seriously, and for making the journey enjoyable.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Just for something different..
This is a link to the live streaming feed of the famous "Abbey Road" crossing
http://www.abbeyroad.com/visit/
I sat up for about an hour tonight (10am London time)..watching this
..and you think OLY drivers are bad???
Some of those pedestrians are taking chances with their lives..
http://www.abbeyroad.com/visit/
I sat up for about an hour tonight (10am London time)..watching this
..and you think OLY drivers are bad???
Some of those pedestrians are taking chances with their lives..
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Trust Cheney to be a proponent of this "religion"
...........................................
A new religion that will bring you to your knees
...........................................
A new religion that will bring you to your knees
Cheney (via) goes beyond the usual Ryan fluffing:
“I worship the ground that Paul Ryan walks on,” Cheney said, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Fucking the poor is a religion with these assholes, it really is.
...........................................
Spinn,(once again) makes my day..
I was online when the whole "beer garden" thing first got posted..
Of course, I tried to avoid it, because I knew how the whole comment section would go, and I'd probably end up just getting pissed off..But I had to read..(kinda like the reason I watch NASCAR..basically for the wrecks..I'll admit it)
Then I read this gem from Spinn..
Live_Wire 2
I really want to meet this 'Sondrak" that you people hate so much. She seems real nice.
Yesterday 05:24 PM
spinnakr
I'm sure you two would be a perfect couple. We'll leave it to you two to sort out your gender roles.
Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/05/25/1663347/city-to-try-festival-beer-garden.html#disqus_thread#ixzz1NVmbp2EW
Thanks, Spinn
Of course, I tried to avoid it, because I knew how the whole comment section would go, and I'd probably end up just getting pissed off..But I had to read..(kinda like the reason I watch NASCAR..basically for the wrecks..I'll admit it)
Then I read this gem from Spinn..
Live_Wire 2
I really want to meet this 'Sondrak" that you people hate so much. She seems real nice.
Yesterday 05:24 PM
spinnakr
I'm sure you two would be a perfect couple. We'll leave it to you two to sort out your gender roles.
Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/05/25/1663347/city-to-try-festival-beer-garden.html#disqus_thread#ixzz1NVmbp2EW
Thanks, Spinn
Alcoholic Alert!!!
"I am beginning to find that there is a new mental disease, for want of a better word I shall dub it alcohophobia. Usually it is most prevalent in reformed or reforming alcoholics. And by their very nature this is a very bitter and angry group and their sole objective seems to be to spoil everyone else's fun. They know alcohol in any form to be a poison, but us normal people who have the odd beer know it as a social lubricant which is generally fun. So get off our backs and let us have our beer garden!"
Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/05/25/1663347/city-to-try-festival-beer-garden.html#disqus_thread#ixzz1NTQ7XM8R
Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/05/25/1663347/city-to-try-festival-beer-garden.html#disqus_thread#ixzz1NTQ7XM8R
I quote: Alcoholics Anonymous, Tradition 10 - Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
I didn't paste the name of the numbnuts that posted the above comment in The Daily O. Basically, because he or she is full of shit. People in recovery or "recovered" (as I prefer) have no business nor issue with other people that choose to drink. If there is anyone that is on the prohibition bandwagon in today's society, it is the religious and those that think religion is the answer to their problem of being a drunken asshole. Ultimately, they become "dry" and fear the wrath of their religion so they run around trying to change the world around them, as opposed to just "live and let live".
I have known over 8,000 days of continued sobriety and could give a shit less who drinks, as long as they don't park their car near my life or my loved ones.
To our commenting complainer.....I suggest.....If you can't have fun without alcohol, you might want to consider your priorities. I remember when I couldn't have fun without alcohol....but I was an alcoholic and we know that you are not.....right?
I didn't paste the name of the numbnuts that posted the above comment in The Daily O. Basically, because he or she is full of shit. People in recovery or "recovered" (as I prefer) have no business nor issue with other people that choose to drink. If there is anyone that is on the prohibition bandwagon in today's society, it is the religious and those that think religion is the answer to their problem of being a drunken asshole. Ultimately, they become "dry" and fear the wrath of their religion so they run around trying to change the world around them, as opposed to just "live and let live".
I have known over 8,000 days of continued sobriety and could give a shit less who drinks, as long as they don't park their car near my life or my loved ones.
To our commenting complainer.....I suggest.....If you can't have fun without alcohol, you might want to consider your priorities. I remember when I couldn't have fun without alcohol....but I was an alcoholic and we know that you are not.....right?
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Joey all excited over Gay Pride
Our little diaper wearing religious bigot is all excited that Teh Gays are coming and this time with a beer garden.
Exodus International is, of course, a gang of Flat Earth Christian thugs who love nothing better than to be teased and titillated by out and proud men and women. Makes em fell all macho for Jesus and shit. You can bet Joey will be wearing two layers of Depends that weekend to hide his raging boner.
I for one look forward to the opportunity to dialogue, and by that I mean mess with, these morans. I plan on dumping a tub of shrimp on their table while shrieking "Unclean! Unclean!" That or standing next to Joey with one of those Fuck this Guy signs seen and Westborough Church protests.
You've been warned Joey.
-Update-
Unwilling to be simply a bigot, 5 minutes later Joey trumpeted he will be an armed bigot at Pride. Sage 1 had asked 'Live Wire' aka the little fuck, to leave his gun at home while he manned (and I use that term loosely) the Exodus table. In his usual hysteria Joey shot back:
Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/05/25/1663347/city-to-try-festival-beer-garden.html#disqus_thread#ixzz1NQLTMQHZ
Exodus International is, of course, a gang of Flat Earth Christian thugs who love nothing better than to be teased and titillated by out and proud men and women. Makes em fell all macho for Jesus and shit. You can bet Joey will be wearing two layers of Depends that weekend to hide his raging boner.
I for one look forward to the opportunity to dialogue, and by that I mean mess with, these morans. I plan on dumping a tub of shrimp on their table while shrieking "Unclean! Unclean!" That or standing next to Joey with one of those Fuck this Guy signs seen and Westborough Church protests.
You've been warned Joey.
-Update-
Unwilling to be simply a bigot, 5 minutes later Joey trumpeted he will be an armed bigot at Pride. Sage 1 had asked 'Live Wire' aka the little fuck, to leave his gun at home while he manned (and I use that term loosely) the Exodus table. In his usual hysteria Joey shot back:
Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/05/25/1663347/city-to-try-festival-beer-garden.html#disqus_thread#ixzz1NQLTMQHZ
"Islam is a religion"
....................................
UPDATE: The chickenshit Zero didn't publish this after all! Afraid of riling up the local righties?
This is the version as published in the Trib, and there were only six comments as of now! It will be interesting to see how many and what kind of comments will be posted when it's printed in the Zero.
Darkness of extremism upon the face of Tennessee
LEONARD PITTS JR. Published: 05/25/11
So, it turns out Islam is a religion. Imagine that.
Granted, this would be considered self-evident by most of us, but it has been a matter of great controversy in the Tennessee town of Murfreesboro, where 17 people went to court last year to prevent a group of Muslims from building a mosque. On their own land.
The need to defend this fundamental right was only one of the ordeals visited upon the Muslims of Murfreesboro, who have also faced threats, vandalism and arson.
As recently, vividly illustrated in “Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door,” a troubling CNN documentary, the antagonists here are a clownish band of bigots scared witless by the prospect that a new mosque will be built in their community by a congregation that has already worshipped in said community for 30 years.
Seriously. You can’t make this stuff up.
The 17 had contended Muslims have no constitutional freedom to worship because Islam is not a religion. So the statement at the top of this column represents not just self-evident truth, but an actual ruling last week by an actual judge in an actual court.
Again: seriously.
Chancellor Robert Corlew, the aforementioned actual judge, was obliged to verify that Islam – which has survived 14 centuries, and claims a billion and a half adherents – is a religion.
As reported in the Daily News Journal of Murfreesboro, in throwing out most of the plaintiff’s case, Corlew also dismissed claims that “Kevin Fisher, an African-American Christian, would be subject to being a second-class citizen under Sharia law; Lisa Moore would be targeted for death under Sharia law because she’s a Jewish female; Henry Golzynski has been harmed because he lost a son fighting in Fallujah, Iraq, by insurgents pursuing jihad as dictated by Sharia law.”
Maybe you’re tempted to turn away in disgust. Yield not to temptation. We need to see this. This is what it looks like when a country loses its mind.
It looked like this in Germany in 1938 on Kristallnacht, in Rwanda in 1994 when the Hutus savaged the Tutsis and in America in 1942 when the Japanese were herded behind barbed wire.
My point is explicitly not that Muslims face mass vandalism, genocide or internment. Lord only knows what they face. Rather, my point is that the psychological architecture of what happened then is identical to the psychological architecture of Murfreesboro now.
Once again, we see people goaded by their own night terrors, hatreds, need for scapegoats, and by the repetitive booming of demagogues, until they go to a place beyond reason.
And in that place inevitably lies a dark night of malice, destruction and awful deeds that seem like good ideas at the time. When it passes, like a fever, we – the doers and those who simply observe – are left shivering in a cold dawn as reason reasserts itself, wondering how barbarism overtook us, what broke loose inside us, and vowing that it will never happen again. Never again.
Me, I don’t fear Muslims. I fear Muslim extremists. I fear extremists, period. And that group in Murfreesboro, make no mistake, are extremists.
Against their extremism, I find bitter succor in the inevitability of that cold dawn. Yes, there will come a morning after.
But first we must learn how dark this night will be.
....................................
UPDATE: The chickenshit Zero didn't publish this after all! Afraid of riling up the local righties?
This is the version as published in the Trib, and there were only six comments as of now! It will be interesting to see how many and what kind of comments will be posted when it's printed in the Zero.
Darkness of extremism upon the face of Tennessee
LEONARD PITTS JR. Published: 05/25/11
So, it turns out Islam is a religion. Imagine that.
Granted, this would be considered self-evident by most of us, but it has been a matter of great controversy in the Tennessee town of Murfreesboro, where 17 people went to court last year to prevent a group of Muslims from building a mosque. On their own land.
The need to defend this fundamental right was only one of the ordeals visited upon the Muslims of Murfreesboro, who have also faced threats, vandalism and arson.
As recently, vividly illustrated in “Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door,” a troubling CNN documentary, the antagonists here are a clownish band of bigots scared witless by the prospect that a new mosque will be built in their community by a congregation that has already worshipped in said community for 30 years.
Seriously. You can’t make this stuff up.
The 17 had contended Muslims have no constitutional freedom to worship because Islam is not a religion. So the statement at the top of this column represents not just self-evident truth, but an actual ruling last week by an actual judge in an actual court.
Again: seriously.
Chancellor Robert Corlew, the aforementioned actual judge, was obliged to verify that Islam – which has survived 14 centuries, and claims a billion and a half adherents – is a religion.
As reported in the Daily News Journal of Murfreesboro, in throwing out most of the plaintiff’s case, Corlew also dismissed claims that “Kevin Fisher, an African-American Christian, would be subject to being a second-class citizen under Sharia law; Lisa Moore would be targeted for death under Sharia law because she’s a Jewish female; Henry Golzynski has been harmed because he lost a son fighting in Fallujah, Iraq, by insurgents pursuing jihad as dictated by Sharia law.”
Maybe you’re tempted to turn away in disgust. Yield not to temptation. We need to see this. This is what it looks like when a country loses its mind.
It looked like this in Germany in 1938 on Kristallnacht, in Rwanda in 1994 when the Hutus savaged the Tutsis and in America in 1942 when the Japanese were herded behind barbed wire.
My point is explicitly not that Muslims face mass vandalism, genocide or internment. Lord only knows what they face. Rather, my point is that the psychological architecture of what happened then is identical to the psychological architecture of Murfreesboro now.
Once again, we see people goaded by their own night terrors, hatreds, need for scapegoats, and by the repetitive booming of demagogues, until they go to a place beyond reason.
And in that place inevitably lies a dark night of malice, destruction and awful deeds that seem like good ideas at the time. When it passes, like a fever, we – the doers and those who simply observe – are left shivering in a cold dawn as reason reasserts itself, wondering how barbarism overtook us, what broke loose inside us, and vowing that it will never happen again. Never again.
Me, I don’t fear Muslims. I fear Muslim extremists. I fear extremists, period. And that group in Murfreesboro, make no mistake, are extremists.
Against their extremism, I find bitter succor in the inevitability of that cold dawn. Yes, there will come a morning after.
But first we must learn how dark this night will be.
....................................
Defend away, Repubs-- I don't think it's going to help you
....................................
Republicans defend Medicare plan after setback
Republicans on Wednesday rushed to defend their drive to cut government health spending amid signs it may spur a backlash from voters and weaken their hand in talks to tame the national debt.
As Democrats celebrated a surprise victory in a contest to fill an open congressional seat in New York, Republican Representative Paul Ryan warned that political pressures could scuttle a deal to get public finances under control.
[snipped]
Democrats portrayed their victory on Tuesday to fill an open congressional seat in a Republican-leaning district in New York as a referendum on the Ryan plan, which would privatize the popular Medicare health program for retirees. [See Dear GOP: It's the Truth, Coming Home to Roost]
[snipped]
[Obama's top economic adviser, Gene] Sperling said Democrats were open to ideas to reform Medicare, but they would not support other areas of the Ryan plan that cut food assistance and healthcare for the poor.
"I think the current House Republican Medicare plan is just very, very poorly designed," he said.
[snipped]
....................................
Republicans defend Medicare plan after setback
Republicans on Wednesday rushed to defend their drive to cut government health spending amid signs it may spur a backlash from voters and weaken their hand in talks to tame the national debt.
As Democrats celebrated a surprise victory in a contest to fill an open congressional seat in New York, Republican Representative Paul Ryan warned that political pressures could scuttle a deal to get public finances under control.
[snipped]
Democrats portrayed their victory on Tuesday to fill an open congressional seat in a Republican-leaning district in New York as a referendum on the Ryan plan, which would privatize the popular Medicare health program for retirees. [See Dear GOP: It's the Truth, Coming Home to Roost]
[snipped]
[Obama's top economic adviser, Gene] Sperling said Democrats were open to ideas to reform Medicare, but they would not support other areas of the Ryan plan that cut food assistance and healthcare for the poor.
"I think the current House Republican Medicare plan is just very, very poorly designed," he said.
[snipped]
....................................
Well, aren't we all "sunshine and rainbows"??
Felicia nicely posted this..
feliciastaley1313
he will be missed we love you jason!!!! dont you people care that someone died today seriously!!!!
Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/05/24/1663079/one-dead-one-hurt-in-delphi-area.html#ixzz1NM8BbiRJ
followed by
sunshine_and_rainbows
I care.
Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/05/24/1663079/one-dead-one-hurt-in-delphi-area.html#ixzz1NM8BbiRJ
that was actually preceeded by this post
sunshine_and_rainbows
"It is unknown whether drugs or alcohol were a factor." Yup, but stupid certainly was. Glad to hear he was the only one killed.
Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/05/24/1663079/one-dead-one-hurt-in-delphi-area.html#ixzz1NM8BbiRJ
Here you have it in his/her own words...
"Glad to hear he was the only one killed"
Nice to know "sunshine" is glad SOMEONE was killed
feliciastaley1313
he will be missed we love you jason!!!! dont you people care that someone died today seriously!!!!
Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/05/24/1663079/one-dead-one-hurt-in-delphi-area.html#ixzz1NM8BbiRJ
followed by
sunshine_and_rainbows
I care.
Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/05/24/1663079/one-dead-one-hurt-in-delphi-area.html#ixzz1NM8BbiRJ
that was actually preceeded by this post
sunshine_and_rainbows
"It is unknown whether drugs or alcohol were a factor." Yup, but stupid certainly was. Glad to hear he was the only one killed.
Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/05/24/1663079/one-dead-one-hurt-in-delphi-area.html#ixzz1NM8BbiRJ
Here you have it in his/her own words...
"Glad to hear he was the only one killed"
Nice to know "sunshine" is glad SOMEONE was killed
Monday, May 23, 2011
Sheesh! He's ALREADY at it again...
Radio host says world's end actually coming in Oct
By GARANCE BURKE | Associated Press • Published May 23, 2011
OAKLAND, Calif. – As crestfallen followers of a California preacher who foresaw the world's end strained to find meaning in their lives, Harold Camping revised his apocalyptic prophecy Monday, saying he was off by five months and the Earth actually will be obliterated on Oct. 21.
Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/05/23/1661365/radio-host-who-predicted-end-of.html#ixzz1NF4oqjgJ
By GARANCE BURKE | Associated Press • Published May 23, 2011
OAKLAND, Calif. – As crestfallen followers of a California preacher who foresaw the world's end strained to find meaning in their lives, Harold Camping revised his apocalyptic prophecy Monday, saying he was off by five months and the Earth actually will be obliterated on Oct. 21.
Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/05/23/1661365/radio-host-who-predicted-end-of.html#ixzz1NF4oqjgJ
No, they've LOST their grip on reality!
......................................
Fantasy Island: Are Republicans losing their grip on reality?
At a press conference last week, someone asked Chris Christie for his views on evolution vs. creationism. "That's none of your business," the New Jersey governor barked in response.
This minor incident, which barely rated as news for a few political blogs, offers a glimpse of Christie's personality, which seems increasingly grumpy and snappish. But it says even more about the current state of the national Republican Party, where magical thinking trumps rationality, and even to acknowledge basic realities about the world we live in runs the risk of damaging one's political future.
Christie is not part of the natural constituency for Darwin-denial. He's an intelligent man, a lawyer, a fiscal rather than a social conservative. But Christie is also someone who might want to run for president someday, or be selected as someone's running mate. For those purposes, he must constantly ask himself the question: Am I about to say something to which a white, evangelical, socially conservative, gun-owning, Obama-despising, pro-Tea Party, GOP primary voter in rural South Carolina might object? By this standard, simple acceptance of the theory of evolution becomes a risky stance. To lie or to duck? Christie chose the option of ducking while signaling his annoyance at being put in this ridiculous predicament.
Moments like this point to a growing asymmetry in our politics. One party, the Democrats, suffers from the usual range of institutional blind spots, historical foibles, and constituency-driven evasions. The other, the Republicans, has moved to a mental Shangri-La, where unwanted problems (climate change, the need to pay the costs of running the government) can be wished away, prejudice trumps fact (Obama might just be Kenyan-born or a Muslim), expertise is evidence of error, and reality itself comes to be regarded as some kind of elitist plot.
Like the White Queen in her youth, the contemporary Republican politician must be capable of believing as many as six impossible things before breakfast. Foremost among these is the claim that it is possible to balance the federal budget without raising taxes. Most Republican politicians are intelligent enough to understand that with federal revenues at 14.4 percent of GDP and expenditures at 25.3 percent, it is, in fact, impossible to close the fiscal gap with spending cuts alone. But GOP candidates acknowledge this reality at their peril. Grover Norquist, the right-wing lobbyist and former collaborator of Jack Abramoff's, has appointed himself chief enforcer of the party's anti-tax catechism. If Republican candidates won't sign his no-new-taxes pledge, Norquist and fellow inquisitors at the Club for Growth threaten them with excommunication, social death, and the punishment of being "primaried" by a well-funded conservative challenger.
Reality-denial is not limited to the Republican inability to utter words like evolution and revenue. The long-range forecasts in the Paul Ryan plan, which show spending falling to 3 percent of GDP to allow for additional tax cuts, express an impossible libertarian fantasy. So too does the current Republican effort to bring this utopia about by refusing to raise the federal government's credit card limit. It is not a matter of conjecture, but something closer to a universal understanding among economists, that failing to raise the debt ceiling could cause another global economic crash. The plutocratic populist Donald Trump recently answered this objection on behalf of the party. "What do economists know? Most of them aren't very smart."
Another series of Republican fictions relates to climate change. This starts, at one extreme, with the outright denial of Michele Bachmann, progressing through the various "not-man-made" and "the jury's-still-out" dodges offered by the likes of Sarah Palin and John Thune. Christie handled this issue in the same evasive way he did the evolution question, albeit with less aggression, shortly after being elected. "I'm skeptical—I'm skeptical," he said. "And you know, I think at the end of this, I think we're going to need more science to prove something one way or the other." The conservative press has gone after Newt Gingrich merely for saying the country must do something to address climate change. But if you're one of the conservatives who had the misfortune to accept science during the pre-Tea Party era, don't worry–you can still escape extinction by expressing doubt about any possible solution. This describes the position of Mitch Daniels; Mitt Romney; and Tim Pawlenty, who once supported cap-and-trade but has simply reversed himself, offering a self-flagellating apology and confession ("it was stupid").
Then there are all the mundane, material facts that Republicans choose to "doubt." The market in Obama lies has moved in rough parallel to the recent silver bubble. Over a period of months, the paranoid and foolish bought in, driving up the price. Republican candidates tried to find sly ways to signal skepticism about the President's American-ness and Christianity without sounding like complete imbeciles. Then Donald Trump, for whom that's not a problem, started buying in bulk. This infuriated the outflanked Sarah Palin, who used to have this wackadoodle territory to herself. Then President Obama released his long-form birth certificate, the bubble burst, and Trump was publicly ruined at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. With birther sentiment deflated, Palin has moved on to a new, no less idiotic slander, that William Ayers*, the former Weather Underground leader, might have written Obama's memoirs.
Even after the release of Obama's birth certificate, however, nearly one-quarter of Republicans still refuse to believe that the president was born in the United States. Conspiracy thinking is flourishing on the right like no time since the McCarthy era. The GOP rank and file is in desperate need of a cold shower, a slap in the face, a wake-up call. But instead of telling the base to get a grip on reality, the party's leaders are chasing after the delusional mob. To get to the front of the line in 2012, Republican candidates must pretend to believe a lot of nonsense than isn't so. Or do they actually believe it?
......................................
Fantasy Island: Are Republicans losing their grip on reality?
At a press conference last week, someone asked Chris Christie for his views on evolution vs. creationism. "That's none of your business," the New Jersey governor barked in response.
This minor incident, which barely rated as news for a few political blogs, offers a glimpse of Christie's personality, which seems increasingly grumpy and snappish. But it says even more about the current state of the national Republican Party, where magical thinking trumps rationality, and even to acknowledge basic realities about the world we live in runs the risk of damaging one's political future.
Christie is not part of the natural constituency for Darwin-denial. He's an intelligent man, a lawyer, a fiscal rather than a social conservative. But Christie is also someone who might want to run for president someday, or be selected as someone's running mate. For those purposes, he must constantly ask himself the question: Am I about to say something to which a white, evangelical, socially conservative, gun-owning, Obama-despising, pro-Tea Party, GOP primary voter in rural South Carolina might object? By this standard, simple acceptance of the theory of evolution becomes a risky stance. To lie or to duck? Christie chose the option of ducking while signaling his annoyance at being put in this ridiculous predicament.
Moments like this point to a growing asymmetry in our politics. One party, the Democrats, suffers from the usual range of institutional blind spots, historical foibles, and constituency-driven evasions. The other, the Republicans, has moved to a mental Shangri-La, where unwanted problems (climate change, the need to pay the costs of running the government) can be wished away, prejudice trumps fact (Obama might just be Kenyan-born or a Muslim), expertise is evidence of error, and reality itself comes to be regarded as some kind of elitist plot.
Like the White Queen in her youth, the contemporary Republican politician must be capable of believing as many as six impossible things before breakfast. Foremost among these is the claim that it is possible to balance the federal budget without raising taxes. Most Republican politicians are intelligent enough to understand that with federal revenues at 14.4 percent of GDP and expenditures at 25.3 percent, it is, in fact, impossible to close the fiscal gap with spending cuts alone. But GOP candidates acknowledge this reality at their peril. Grover Norquist, the right-wing lobbyist and former collaborator of Jack Abramoff's, has appointed himself chief enforcer of the party's anti-tax catechism. If Republican candidates won't sign his no-new-taxes pledge, Norquist and fellow inquisitors at the Club for Growth threaten them with excommunication, social death, and the punishment of being "primaried" by a well-funded conservative challenger.
Reality-denial is not limited to the Republican inability to utter words like evolution and revenue. The long-range forecasts in the Paul Ryan plan, which show spending falling to 3 percent of GDP to allow for additional tax cuts, express an impossible libertarian fantasy. So too does the current Republican effort to bring this utopia about by refusing to raise the federal government's credit card limit. It is not a matter of conjecture, but something closer to a universal understanding among economists, that failing to raise the debt ceiling could cause another global economic crash. The plutocratic populist Donald Trump recently answered this objection on behalf of the party. "What do economists know? Most of them aren't very smart."
Another series of Republican fictions relates to climate change. This starts, at one extreme, with the outright denial of Michele Bachmann, progressing through the various "not-man-made" and "the jury's-still-out" dodges offered by the likes of Sarah Palin and John Thune. Christie handled this issue in the same evasive way he did the evolution question, albeit with less aggression, shortly after being elected. "I'm skeptical—I'm skeptical," he said. "And you know, I think at the end of this, I think we're going to need more science to prove something one way or the other." The conservative press has gone after Newt Gingrich merely for saying the country must do something to address climate change. But if you're one of the conservatives who had the misfortune to accept science during the pre-Tea Party era, don't worry–you can still escape extinction by expressing doubt about any possible solution. This describes the position of Mitch Daniels; Mitt Romney; and Tim Pawlenty, who once supported cap-and-trade but has simply reversed himself, offering a self-flagellating apology and confession ("it was stupid").
Then there are all the mundane, material facts that Republicans choose to "doubt." The market in Obama lies has moved in rough parallel to the recent silver bubble. Over a period of months, the paranoid and foolish bought in, driving up the price. Republican candidates tried to find sly ways to signal skepticism about the President's American-ness and Christianity without sounding like complete imbeciles. Then Donald Trump, for whom that's not a problem, started buying in bulk. This infuriated the outflanked Sarah Palin, who used to have this wackadoodle territory to herself. Then President Obama released his long-form birth certificate, the bubble burst, and Trump was publicly ruined at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. With birther sentiment deflated, Palin has moved on to a new, no less idiotic slander, that William Ayers*, the former Weather Underground leader, might have written Obama's memoirs.
Even after the release of Obama's birth certificate, however, nearly one-quarter of Republicans still refuse to believe that the president was born in the United States. Conspiracy thinking is flourishing on the right like no time since the McCarthy era. The GOP rank and file is in desperate need of a cold shower, a slap in the face, a wake-up call. But instead of telling the base to get a grip on reality, the party's leaders are chasing after the delusional mob. To get to the front of the line in 2012, Republican candidates must pretend to believe a lot of nonsense than isn't so. Or do they actually believe it?
......................................
Yet another GOP broken promise
..................................
Breaking Faith
“I will not vote to deny a vote to a Democratic president’s judicial nominee just because the nominee may have views more liberal than mine.”
That was Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee, promising in 2003 not to filibuster judicial nominees for reasons of ideology. But on Thursday, Mr. Alexander, along with 41 other Senate Republicans, voted to filibuster one of President Obama’s judicial nominees for that very reason — breaking a promise and kindling yet another row over a president’s right to appoint like-minded judges.
The fight was over Goodwin Liu, a Berkeley law professor nominated by the president for a seat on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He lost on a vote of 52 to 43, short of the 60-vote requirement demanded by Republicans.
He became the first Obama nominee to be successfully filibustered, and the only nominee since 2005. That year, a Senate “Gang of 14” agreed that such nominees should be allowed an up-or-down majority vote except in extraordinary circumstances.
The group was correct in preserving the right to filibuster the most extreme candidates, but the agreement is meaningless if senators are going to define someone like Mr. Liu as a legal extremist. He is, not surprisingly, a liberal thinker who is nonetheless squarely in the legal mainstream, having even received the support of strong conservatives, including Kenneth Starr and Clint Bolick.
What, specifically, made him so extraordinary that he was not worthy of an up-or-down vote? The Republican argument against him is laughably thin. “He believes the Constitution is a fluid, evolving document,” said Jeff Sessions of Alabama. John Cornyn of Texas falsely accused Mr. Liu of holding the “ridiculous view that our Constitution somehow guarantees a European-style welfare state.”
But other Republicans were more forthcoming about the real reason for the blockade: Mr. Liu dared to criticize Justice Samuel Alito Jr. as harshly conservative before he was confirmed to the Supreme Court. The filibuster apparently was payback, and the Republican eagerness for revenge has broken faith and a clear understanding on the Senate floor. That will make it harder to fill benches during this administration and many more to come.
..................................
Breaking Faith
“I will not vote to deny a vote to a Democratic president’s judicial nominee just because the nominee may have views more liberal than mine.”
That was Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee, promising in 2003 not to filibuster judicial nominees for reasons of ideology. But on Thursday, Mr. Alexander, along with 41 other Senate Republicans, voted to filibuster one of President Obama’s judicial nominees for that very reason — breaking a promise and kindling yet another row over a president’s right to appoint like-minded judges.
The fight was over Goodwin Liu, a Berkeley law professor nominated by the president for a seat on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He lost on a vote of 52 to 43, short of the 60-vote requirement demanded by Republicans.
He became the first Obama nominee to be successfully filibustered, and the only nominee since 2005. That year, a Senate “Gang of 14” agreed that such nominees should be allowed an up-or-down majority vote except in extraordinary circumstances.
The group was correct in preserving the right to filibuster the most extreme candidates, but the agreement is meaningless if senators are going to define someone like Mr. Liu as a legal extremist. He is, not surprisingly, a liberal thinker who is nonetheless squarely in the legal mainstream, having even received the support of strong conservatives, including Kenneth Starr and Clint Bolick.
What, specifically, made him so extraordinary that he was not worthy of an up-or-down vote? The Republican argument against him is laughably thin. “He believes the Constitution is a fluid, evolving document,” said Jeff Sessions of Alabama. John Cornyn of Texas falsely accused Mr. Liu of holding the “ridiculous view that our Constitution somehow guarantees a European-style welfare state.”
But other Republicans were more forthcoming about the real reason for the blockade: Mr. Liu dared to criticize Justice Samuel Alito Jr. as harshly conservative before he was confirmed to the Supreme Court. The filibuster apparently was payback, and the Republican eagerness for revenge has broken faith and a clear understanding on the Senate floor. That will make it harder to fill benches during this administration and many more to come.
..................................
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Not raptured
.............................................
"... we've got to go out and convert more people ..." Sheesh, I hope not! We're putting up with enough of those already....
When Doomsday Isn't, Believers Struggle to Cope
... So how do believers cope when their doomsday predictions fail?
It depends, said Lorenzo DiTommaso, a professor of religion at Concordia University in Montreal who studies the history of doomsday predictions.
"If you have a strong leader, the group survives," DiTommaso told LiveScience. "Sometimes the group falls apart. Most often, the answer given by the group is that the prophecy is true, but the interpretation was wrong."
[snipped]
The classic study of "doomsdays gone bad" took place in 1954. A Chicago woman named Dorothy Martin predicted a cataclysmic flood from which a few true believers would be saved by aliens. Martin and her cult, The Seekers, gathered the night before the expected flood to await the flying saucer. Unbeknown to them, however, their group had been infiltrated by psychologist Leon Festinger, who hoped to find out what happens when the rug of people's beliefs is pulled out from under them.
Festinger's study, which became the basis of the book "When Prophecy Fails" (Harper-Torchbooks 1956) ...
[snipped]
How Camping's followers will cope with a failed doomsday prediction depends on the structure of the group, said Steve Hassan, a counseling psychologist and cult expert who runs the online Freedom of Mind Resource Center.
"The more people have connections outside of the group, the more likely it is that they're going to stop looking to [Camping] as the mouth of God on Earth," Hassan told LiveScience. "Information control is one of the most important features of mind control."
In his experience, Hassan said, about a third of believers become disillusioned after a failed prediction, while another third find reason to believe more strongly. The remaining group members fall somewhere in between, he said.
Doomsday groups in history have run a gamut of responses after failed predictions, said Stephen Kent, a sociologist at the University of Alberta who studies new and alternative religions. On occasion, a leader will admit he or she was wrong; other groups will come up with a face-saving explanation. Some groups may blame themselves, rationalizing that their lack of faith caused the failure, Kent told LiveScience. Other groups blame outside forces and redouble their efforts.
"One of the options is for the group to say, 'Society wasn't ready, Jesus felt there weren't enough people worthy of rapturing. Hence, we've got to go out and convert more people,'" Kent said.
[snipped]
Sociologists and doomsday experts agree that Camping is likely convinced of doomsday rather than perpetuating a hoax or running a scam. A con artist, Hassan said, would never set himself up for failure by giving a firm date.
[snipped]
.............................................
"... we've got to go out and convert more people ..." Sheesh, I hope not! We're putting up with enough of those already....
When Doomsday Isn't, Believers Struggle to Cope
... So how do believers cope when their doomsday predictions fail?
It depends, said Lorenzo DiTommaso, a professor of religion at Concordia University in Montreal who studies the history of doomsday predictions.
"If you have a strong leader, the group survives," DiTommaso told LiveScience. "Sometimes the group falls apart. Most often, the answer given by the group is that the prophecy is true, but the interpretation was wrong."
[snipped]
The classic study of "doomsdays gone bad" took place in 1954. A Chicago woman named Dorothy Martin predicted a cataclysmic flood from which a few true believers would be saved by aliens. Martin and her cult, The Seekers, gathered the night before the expected flood to await the flying saucer. Unbeknown to them, however, their group had been infiltrated by psychologist Leon Festinger, who hoped to find out what happens when the rug of people's beliefs is pulled out from under them.
Festinger's study, which became the basis of the book "When Prophecy Fails" (Harper-Torchbooks 1956) ...
[snipped]
How Camping's followers will cope with a failed doomsday prediction depends on the structure of the group, said Steve Hassan, a counseling psychologist and cult expert who runs the online Freedom of Mind Resource Center.
"The more people have connections outside of the group, the more likely it is that they're going to stop looking to [Camping] as the mouth of God on Earth," Hassan told LiveScience. "Information control is one of the most important features of mind control."
In his experience, Hassan said, about a third of believers become disillusioned after a failed prediction, while another third find reason to believe more strongly. The remaining group members fall somewhere in between, he said.
Doomsday groups in history have run a gamut of responses after failed predictions, said Stephen Kent, a sociologist at the University of Alberta who studies new and alternative religions. On occasion, a leader will admit he or she was wrong; other groups will come up with a face-saving explanation. Some groups may blame themselves, rationalizing that their lack of faith caused the failure, Kent told LiveScience. Other groups blame outside forces and redouble their efforts.
"One of the options is for the group to say, 'Society wasn't ready, Jesus felt there weren't enough people worthy of rapturing. Hence, we've got to go out and convert more people,'" Kent said.
[snipped]
Sociologists and doomsday experts agree that Camping is likely convinced of doomsday rather than perpetuating a hoax or running a scam. A con artist, Hassan said, would never set himself up for failure by giving a firm date.
[snipped]
.............................................
The "Reverse Rapture" (Rupture?)
I am now advocating for a new global event: the "Reverse Rapture," where the Earth will open up to claim all of the world's truly evil, irredeemable souls.
The Reverse Rapture will be immediately followed by special elections to replace all of the suddenly vacant seats in Congress, and in state houses and state legislatures across the country.
If you fear that you may be taken (down) in the Reverse Rapture, all is not lost! Send your contributions to Spinnaker, c/o Thurstonblog, where we can make your irredeemable soul at least marginally redeemable before the big event.
The Reverse Rapture will be immediately followed by special elections to replace all of the suddenly vacant seats in Congress, and in state houses and state legislatures across the country.
If you fear that you may be taken (down) in the Reverse Rapture, all is not lost! Send your contributions to Spinnaker, c/o Thurstonblog, where we can make your irredeemable soul at least marginally redeemable before the big event.
Banana Republicans
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HORRAY! I have my own stalker now!
sidrat38
Besides, we ALL know the world is going to end on July 22nd..
(please send check or money order to SIDRAT38)
I can save your soul for $100M
rlb
You're more of a immature child than you have been in the past
Get a life!!
in reply to sidrat38
sidrat38
And the fact that you have to follow my past says a great deal..
quit living vicariously...
*cough* STALKER *cough*
Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/05/21/1659473/waste-of-money-100m-for-apocalypse.html#storylink=omni_popular#ixzz1N4rSbXCM
Besides, we ALL know the world is going to end on July 22nd..
(please send check or money order to SIDRAT38)
I can save your soul for $100M
rlb
You're more of a immature child than you have been in the past
Get a life!!
in reply to sidrat38
sidrat38
And the fact that you have to follow my past says a great deal..
quit living vicariously...
*cough* STALKER *cough*
Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/05/21/1659473/waste-of-money-100m-for-apocalypse.html#storylink=omni_popular#ixzz1N4rSbXCM
"Sometimes vile anonymous comments" -- ya think?
..................................
Red-light camera exec suspended for online comments
An executive at an Arizona traffic-camera company has been suspended after a newspaper in Washington discovered he misrepresented himself as a local resident on its website and made comments to promote business in the area, a company spokesman said Friday.
[snipped]
[Herald editor Neal] Pattison said newspapers have been dealing with sometimes vile anonymous comments for years.
The paper’s comments policy bans commercial use and misrepresentation by posters, but Pattison said he doubts they catch everyone who breaks the policy, even though his staff monitors the comments. Posts breaking the rules are especially common during political campaigns.
“Every paper is dealing with this,” Pattison said. “What you want to do is foster a broader discussion about things that really matter. It’s getting harder and harder to do so.”
[snipped]
Pattison said the newspaper recently removed a comment on a story about a police officer’s death because the post called for more police deaths. He said that when the person was told why his comment was removed, he “went nuts.”
The poster went on to email everyone associated with the company and posted an anonymous diatribe blasting the paper on Craigslist.
Jones said the broader problem was that the social discourse on the Internet — on newspaper comments pages, across social media outlets — has become so polarized and mean that people are becoming cynical about everything they see online.
“It’s hard to engage in debate and argument when your first interpretation is, ‘I need to be suspicious,’” Jones said.
[snipped]
..................................
Red-light camera exec suspended for online comments
An executive at an Arizona traffic-camera company has been suspended after a newspaper in Washington discovered he misrepresented himself as a local resident on its website and made comments to promote business in the area, a company spokesman said Friday.
[snipped]
[Herald editor Neal] Pattison said newspapers have been dealing with sometimes vile anonymous comments for years.
The paper’s comments policy bans commercial use and misrepresentation by posters, but Pattison said he doubts they catch everyone who breaks the policy, even though his staff monitors the comments. Posts breaking the rules are especially common during political campaigns.
“Every paper is dealing with this,” Pattison said. “What you want to do is foster a broader discussion about things that really matter. It’s getting harder and harder to do so.”
[snipped]
Pattison said the newspaper recently removed a comment on a story about a police officer’s death because the post called for more police deaths. He said that when the person was told why his comment was removed, he “went nuts.”
The poster went on to email everyone associated with the company and posted an anonymous diatribe blasting the paper on Craigslist.
Jones said the broader problem was that the social discourse on the Internet — on newspaper comments pages, across social media outlets — has become so polarized and mean that people are becoming cynical about everything they see online.
“It’s hard to engage in debate and argument when your first interpretation is, ‘I need to be suspicious,’” Jones said.
[snipped]
..................................
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Ya know, a few somewhat serious thoughts on this whole "rapture" thing
While we might sit back and be amused, there are actually a lot of people out there (probably elderly..My own opinion), that were taken in by this charletan. Many probably lost their life savings giving to this, well, let's call a spade a spade....
CROOK
Why are the Feds not investigating this CRIMINAL for fraud???
If I was running some kind of phony Madoff investment scheme, I'd be doing time in a federal pen..
But since this guy claims "religion", he gets off with a free pass???
AND $100M????
Goes back to one of my last posts about how the poor "christians" are so abused and mistreated..
Well, sparky, if you're stupid enough to buy into this stuff, maybe you SHOULD be abused..
(sidrat applies a "Gibbs" headslap..with thanks to CBS)
CROOK
Why are the Feds not investigating this CRIMINAL for fraud???
If I was running some kind of phony Madoff investment scheme, I'd be doing time in a federal pen..
But since this guy claims "religion", he gets off with a free pass???
AND $100M????
Goes back to one of my last posts about how the poor "christians" are so abused and mistreated..
Well, sparky, if you're stupid enough to buy into this stuff, maybe you SHOULD be abused..
(sidrat applies a "Gibbs" headslap..with thanks to CBS)
Put a million monkeys in a room with typewriters, and you get "Hamlet"
Put a few "O" employees together, and you get this
That is because a budget must pass, and Senate Republicans may hold back the votes that Democrats to pass a spending agreement for 2011-13.
Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/05/20/1658597/gregoire-lays-out-her-new-worker.html#storylink=omni_popular#ixzz1N3RDkuUA
That is because a budget must pass, and Senate Republicans may hold back the votes that Democrats to pass a spending agreement for 2011-13.
Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/05/20/1658597/gregoire-lays-out-her-new-worker.html#storylink=omni_popular#ixzz1N3RDkuUA
A day of jokes
.................................................
May 21st is 'Apocalypse No,' a day of jokes not Judgment
No Judgment! But a whole lot of joking as Judgment Day, aka the Rapture, aka the Apocalypse, has gone off without a world-ending disaster (little quakes in Iceland don't seem to count).
The joke appears to be on Harold Camping and his earnest followers. After all, if you're reading this, you're still standing squarely on earth, not off with the angels where the true believers were supposed to be flown in a flash at 6 p.m.
Still, we should enjoy the last hurrah of the prophet's fizzled forecast. So here's some of the Saturday night, post "Apocalypse No" hilarity:
On Twitter, Star Trekker George Takei posts:
Today's Rapture postponed as Jesus awaits announcement of surprise guest on final Oprah. Savior "hopeful" but "okay with it" if not.
The Borowitz Report attends a press confab with God...
Dressed in His trademark flowing white robe and carrying a thunderbolt, God seemed visibly irked by the predictions calling for the world to end this Saturday.
"I'll end the world when I'm good and ready, Me damn it," He snapped in response to a question from a USA Today reporter. (Alas, not me. I was resupplying at Costco, supermarket to survivalists, knowing I would be going nowhere today.)
...Elsewhere, Harold Camping, the preacher who predicted that the world would end on May 21, issued the following brief statement: ""The world doesn't end this week. Oprah does. My bad, sry."
Huffington Post spent Judgment Day posting comedy videos such as this one from the Japanese mash-up animators NMI:
[to view video: Apocalypse NO]
Less funny: The International Business Times speculates that Harold Camping may be in hiding. The self-proclaimed prophet...
... is now maintaining a stoic silence. Meanwhile, the Family Radio headquarter in Oakland, CA display a cryptic message in large letters: "This Office is Closed. Sorry we missed you!" pasted on its front door.
According to a Reuters report, Camping's house in Alameda, CA is covered with shades and no one was available. Camping has previously said that he would be watching TV and listening to the radio in his home at the appointed time.
Is this silly? Or really, for folks who changed their lives meet their judgment, kind of sad?
.................................................
May 21st is 'Apocalypse No,' a day of jokes not Judgment
No Judgment! But a whole lot of joking as Judgment Day, aka the Rapture, aka the Apocalypse, has gone off without a world-ending disaster (little quakes in Iceland don't seem to count).
The joke appears to be on Harold Camping and his earnest followers. After all, if you're reading this, you're still standing squarely on earth, not off with the angels where the true believers were supposed to be flown in a flash at 6 p.m.
Still, we should enjoy the last hurrah of the prophet's fizzled forecast. So here's some of the Saturday night, post "Apocalypse No" hilarity:
On Twitter, Star Trekker George Takei posts:
Today's Rapture postponed as Jesus awaits announcement of surprise guest on final Oprah. Savior "hopeful" but "okay with it" if not.
The Borowitz Report attends a press confab with God...
Dressed in His trademark flowing white robe and carrying a thunderbolt, God seemed visibly irked by the predictions calling for the world to end this Saturday.
"I'll end the world when I'm good and ready, Me damn it," He snapped in response to a question from a USA Today reporter. (Alas, not me. I was resupplying at Costco, supermarket to survivalists, knowing I would be going nowhere today.)
...Elsewhere, Harold Camping, the preacher who predicted that the world would end on May 21, issued the following brief statement: ""The world doesn't end this week. Oprah does. My bad, sry."
Huffington Post spent Judgment Day posting comedy videos such as this one from the Japanese mash-up animators NMI:
[to view video: Apocalypse NO]
Less funny: The International Business Times speculates that Harold Camping may be in hiding. The self-proclaimed prophet...
... is now maintaining a stoic silence. Meanwhile, the Family Radio headquarter in Oakland, CA display a cryptic message in large letters: "This Office is Closed. Sorry we missed you!" pasted on its front door.
According to a Reuters report, Camping's house in Alameda, CA is covered with shades and no one was available. Camping has previously said that he would be watching TV and listening to the radio in his home at the appointed time.
Is this silly? Or really, for folks who changed their lives meet their judgment, kind of sad?
.................................................
Big Mouth Newt
............................................
Newt Gingrich's Disastrous Rollout
Can the ex-speaker’s 2012 campaign recover from a stumbling start that has infuriated the right? Howard Kurtz on why conservatives are so angry at their onetime champion.
Rich Galen, who worked for Newt Gingrich in the 1990s, says his former boss has really damaged himself with his bungled presidential campaign launch.
“On the Richter scale it’s pretty serious—7.2. It feeds into the greatest fear about Newt’s candidacy, that he can’t help himself. He’s missing the gene that says because it comes into your head, it doesn’t have to come out of your mouth.”
[snipped]
National Review Editor Rich Lowry rolls his eyes at the Gingrich rhetoric:
“That’s Newt being Newt…He can’t help himself. Gingrich prefers extravagant lambasting when a mere distancing would do, and the over-arching theoretical construct to a mundane pander. He is drawn irresistibly to operatic overstatement—sometimes brilliant, always interesting, and occasionally downright absurd,…
[snipped]
............................................
Newt Gingrich's Disastrous Rollout
Can the ex-speaker’s 2012 campaign recover from a stumbling start that has infuriated the right? Howard Kurtz on why conservatives are so angry at their onetime champion.
Rich Galen, who worked for Newt Gingrich in the 1990s, says his former boss has really damaged himself with his bungled presidential campaign launch.
“On the Richter scale it’s pretty serious—7.2. It feeds into the greatest fear about Newt’s candidacy, that he can’t help himself. He’s missing the gene that says because it comes into your head, it doesn’t have to come out of your mouth.”
[snipped]
National Review Editor Rich Lowry rolls his eyes at the Gingrich rhetoric:
“That’s Newt being Newt…He can’t help himself. Gingrich prefers extravagant lambasting when a mere distancing would do, and the over-arching theoretical construct to a mundane pander. He is drawn irresistibly to operatic overstatement—sometimes brilliant, always interesting, and occasionally downright absurd,…
[snipped]
............................................
Raptured
In Depends Voltaire was raptured today.
Although he was prepared to "take matters into his own hands" he didn't grab his weapon, he grabbed his gun. The world will never be the same.
So, did we get an actual time on this "Rapture" thingy??
It's already Saturday..I was just wondering if I need to stay up later, or is it going to happen later this afternnon?
Friday, May 20, 2011
Wooden Shoe Like To No....
Read more: http://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/2011/05/19/there-you-go-again/#ixzz1Mu9IG3NX
Musta fingered it out.....
Apparently Bognor Regis is the UK version of Appalachia?
..................................
Amusing 16-year-old girl from Bognor Regis marries boyfriend's dad (With picture that paints 10,000 words) (and comments that will give you a stitch from laughing!)
I married my boyfriend's dad
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Amusing 16-year-old girl from Bognor Regis marries boyfriend's dad (With picture that paints 10,000 words) (and comments that will give you a stitch from laughing!)
I married my boyfriend's dad
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Killing time during rain delay
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Clemson Rain Delay Video 2011: Baseball Team Tries Human Bowling
YouTube videos:
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Clemson Rain Delay Video 2011: Baseball Team Tries Human Bowling
A Rain Delay During a Clemson vs Davidson Baseball Game on May 17, 2011 Turned Into a Game of Human Bowling, Curling and Moose Hunting. Here is the Clemson Rain Delay Video 2011
College baseball rain delays are starting to get more interesting than the games themselves. Last week, video of players jousting during a Radford vs High Point rain delay went viral.
Now the Clemson baseball team is upping the ante. During a May 17, 2011 rain delay during the Clemson vs Davidson game at Kingsmore Stadium, players decided to have a little fun. The Clemson rain delay consisted of human bowling, simulated moose hunting, and curling.YouTube videos:
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Thursday, May 19, 2011
What "rapture"? It's party time!
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End of the world? How about a party instead?
For some, it's Judgment Day. For others, it's party time. A loosely organized Christian movement has spread the word around the globe that Jesus Christ will return to earth on Saturday to gather the faithful into heaven. While the Christian mainstream isn't buying it, many other skeptics are milking it.
A Facebook page titled "Post rapture looting" offers this invitation: "When everyone is gone and god's not looking, we need to pick up some sweet stereo equipment and maybe some new furniture for the mansion we're going to squat in." By Wednesday afternoon, more than 175,000 people indicated they would be "attending" the "public event."
The prediction is also being mocked in the comic strip "Doonesbury" and has inspired "Rapture parties" to celebrate what hosts expect will be the failure of the world to come to an end.
[snipped]
............................
End of the world? How about a party instead?
For some, it's Judgment Day. For others, it's party time. A loosely organized Christian movement has spread the word around the globe that Jesus Christ will return to earth on Saturday to gather the faithful into heaven. While the Christian mainstream isn't buying it, many other skeptics are milking it.
A Facebook page titled "Post rapture looting" offers this invitation: "When everyone is gone and god's not looking, we need to pick up some sweet stereo equipment and maybe some new furniture for the mansion we're going to squat in." By Wednesday afternoon, more than 175,000 people indicated they would be "attending" the "public event."
The prediction is also being mocked in the comic strip "Doonesbury" and has inspired "Rapture parties" to celebrate what hosts expect will be the failure of the world to come to an end.
[snipped]
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Plain English is now the order of the day
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Feds must stop writing gibberish under new law
The federal government is rolling out a new official language of sorts: plain English.
That's right: Pursuant to regulations promulgated thereunder and commencing in accordance with a statute signed herein by President Barack Obama, the government shall be precluded from writing the pompous gibberish heretofore evidenced, to the extent practicable.
That sentence contains 11 new language no-nos.
Obama signed the Plain Writing Act last fall after decades of effort by a cadre of passionate grammarians in the civil service to jettison the jargon.
It takes full effect in October, when federal agencies must start writing plainly in all new or substantially revised documents produced for the public. The government will still be allowed to write nonsensically to itself.
[snipped]
By July, each agency must have a senior official overseeing plain writing, a section of its website devoted to the effort and employee training under way.
[snipped]
But can clarity and good grammar be legislated?
That remains to be seen. The law lacks teeth. You won't be able to sue the government for making your head spin after October. And regulations are exempted.
[snipped]
Online:
Federal plain language guidelines
Center for Plain Language
...........................
Feds must stop writing gibberish under new law
The federal government is rolling out a new official language of sorts: plain English.
That's right: Pursuant to regulations promulgated thereunder and commencing in accordance with a statute signed herein by President Barack Obama, the government shall be precluded from writing the pompous gibberish heretofore evidenced, to the extent practicable.
That sentence contains 11 new language no-nos.
Obama signed the Plain Writing Act last fall after decades of effort by a cadre of passionate grammarians in the civil service to jettison the jargon.
It takes full effect in October, when federal agencies must start writing plainly in all new or substantially revised documents produced for the public. The government will still be allowed to write nonsensically to itself.
[snipped]
By July, each agency must have a senior official overseeing plain writing, a section of its website devoted to the effort and employee training under way.
[snipped]
But can clarity and good grammar be legislated?
That remains to be seen. The law lacks teeth. You won't be able to sue the government for making your head spin after October. And regulations are exempted.
[snipped]
Online:
Federal plain language guidelines
Center for Plain Language
...........................
Don't ask "what's your sign", ask about political affiliation!
.............................................
Politics May Trump Looks, Personality in Matters of the Heart
WEDNESDAY, May 18 (HealthDay News) -- Voter registration cards may offer more insight into who people promise to love and cherish than personality or appearance, new research suggests.
Most people marry those whose political views align with their own, according to a study from Rice University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The study, published recently in the Journal of Politics, examined the physical, personality and behavioral traits of more than 5,000 married couples in the United States. The various qualities -- including body shape, height, weight, impulsivity, religion and ideology -- were scored on a scale of zero to one, with one being a perfect match.
The researchers found that spouses appeared to instinctively select partners with similar social and political views. In fact, political attitudes were among the strongest shared traits -- even taking precedence over personality or looks. The only attribute that scored slightly higher than political views was the frequency of church attendance.
"It turns out that people place more emphasis on finding a mate who is a kindred spirit with regard to politics, religion and social activity than they do on finding someone of like physique or personality," John Alford, associate professor of political science at Rice University and the study's lead author, said in a university news release. "It suggests that, perhaps, if you're looking for a long-term romantic relationship, skip 'What's your sign?' and go straight to 'Obama or Palin?' And if you get the wrong answer, just walk away," added Alford.
The researchers noted that while this selection process, or sorting, is not the only reason for political uniformity among spouses, it is clearly the most powerful. The study also points out that this political sorting may have a significant impact on American politics, increasing political uniformity into the next generation.
"Obviously, parents are very influential in shaping the political beliefs of their children," John Hibbing, political science professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and co-author of the study, noted in the news release. "If both parents are on the left or on the right, it makes it more difficult for a child to be something different. It may be part of the reason why we see such polarization."
.............................................
Politics May Trump Looks, Personality in Matters of the Heart
WEDNESDAY, May 18 (HealthDay News) -- Voter registration cards may offer more insight into who people promise to love and cherish than personality or appearance, new research suggests.
Most people marry those whose political views align with their own, according to a study from Rice University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The study, published recently in the Journal of Politics, examined the physical, personality and behavioral traits of more than 5,000 married couples in the United States. The various qualities -- including body shape, height, weight, impulsivity, religion and ideology -- were scored on a scale of zero to one, with one being a perfect match.
The researchers found that spouses appeared to instinctively select partners with similar social and political views. In fact, political attitudes were among the strongest shared traits -- even taking precedence over personality or looks. The only attribute that scored slightly higher than political views was the frequency of church attendance.
"It turns out that people place more emphasis on finding a mate who is a kindred spirit with regard to politics, religion and social activity than they do on finding someone of like physique or personality," John Alford, associate professor of political science at Rice University and the study's lead author, said in a university news release. "It suggests that, perhaps, if you're looking for a long-term romantic relationship, skip 'What's your sign?' and go straight to 'Obama or Palin?' And if you get the wrong answer, just walk away," added Alford.
The researchers noted that while this selection process, or sorting, is not the only reason for political uniformity among spouses, it is clearly the most powerful. The study also points out that this political sorting may have a significant impact on American politics, increasing political uniformity into the next generation.
"Obviously, parents are very influential in shaping the political beliefs of their children," John Hibbing, political science professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and co-author of the study, noted in the news release. "If both parents are on the left or on the right, it makes it more difficult for a child to be something different. It may be part of the reason why we see such polarization."
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Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Yet another "screw up" by the Olympian
...........................................
As admitted by Tammy, the Zero really "screwed up" the LTEs section this morning:
Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/05/18/1655103/no-carrier-landing-or-banners.html#disqus_thread#ixzz1Mk5d7Dfo
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As admitted by Tammy, the Zero really "screwed up" the LTEs section this morning:
Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/05/18/1655103/no-carrier-landing-or-banners.html#disqus_thread#ixzz1Mk5d7Dfo
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Thanks for keeping track of SandraKrispyKremeStand
I monitor the hate blog to check for slander and copyright violations, I take those things seriously.
Read more: http://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/2011/05/13/bring-back-dead-poets-society/#ixzz1MiY7lPut
Read more: http://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/2011/05/13/bring-back-dead-poets-society/#ixzz1MiY7lPut
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Slowly.......
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/05/17/1669226/man-whod-drunk-20-beers-vodka.html
Check the byline on this story in the NEWS TRIBUNE
It looks suspiciously like an Olympian writer that covers the county beat.
Check the byline on this story in the NEWS TRIBUNE
It looks suspiciously like an Olympian writer that covers the county beat.
The Sperminator
LOS ANGELES — Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has acknowledged that he fathered a child with a member of his household staff, a revelation that apparently prompted wife Maria Shriver to leave the couple's home before they announced their separation last week.
Schwarzenegger and Shriver jointly announced May 9 that they were splitting up after 25 years of marriage. Yet, Shriver moved out of the family's Brentwood mansion earlier in the year after Schwarzenegger acknowledged the child is his, The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.
"After leaving the governor's office I told my wife about this event, which occurred over a decade ago," Schwarzenegger told the Times in a statement that also was sent to The Associated Press early Tuesday. "I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family. There are no excuses and I take full responsibility for the hurt I have caused. I have apologized to Maria, my children and my family. I am truly sorry.
"I ask that the media respect my wife and children through this extremely difficult time," the statement concluded.
Read more: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/05/17/1668145/schwarzenegger-reveals-he-had.html#ixzz1McV3x1kM
Uh...Arnie.....you might want to check in with Bill Clinton on that last sentence.
Schwarzenegger and Shriver jointly announced May 9 that they were splitting up after 25 years of marriage. Yet, Shriver moved out of the family's Brentwood mansion earlier in the year after Schwarzenegger acknowledged the child is his, The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.
"After leaving the governor's office I told my wife about this event, which occurred over a decade ago," Schwarzenegger told the Times in a statement that also was sent to The Associated Press early Tuesday. "I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family. There are no excuses and I take full responsibility for the hurt I have caused. I have apologized to Maria, my children and my family. I am truly sorry.
"I ask that the media respect my wife and children through this extremely difficult time," the statement concluded.
Read more: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/05/17/1668145/schwarzenegger-reveals-he-had.html#ixzz1McV3x1kM
Uh...Arnie.....you might want to check in with Bill Clinton on that last sentence.
Direct from ThurstonBlog
We've been advised by blog "experts" that selling underwear is......vogue (pardon the pun). With that in mind and not wanting to miss out on the next big internet thingy (that will last about 30 days)....we bring you....
I refused to model for the rollover version of the ad.
If you are wondering what Sandy is up to....
No one is obsessed like Sandy
Dinner on me at Martin Way Diner to the winner of the "Guess Which Moniker is Sandy" Contest
'Heaven is a fairy story ...': Stephen Hawking upsets religious groups again!
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Stephen Hawking: 'Heaven is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark'
Heaven is a ‘fairy story for people afraid of the dark’, Professor Stephen Hawking suggested yesterday.
As well as saying there is no heaven or afterlife, the renowned scientist said that our brains switch off like ‘broken down computers’ when we die.
His comments upset some religious groups, already angry at his statement last year that the universe was not created by God.
Professor Hawking’s latest remarks came in an interview in which the theoretical physicist told how he had learnt to live in the shadow of death since being diagnosed with motor neurone disease aged 21.
The disease, which is incurable, was expected to kill him within a few years. Instead, he said, it ultimately led him to enjoy life more.
The 69-year-old Cambridge University academic said: ‘I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years.
‘I’m not afraid of death, but I’m in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first.
‘I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail.
‘There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.’
[snipped]
.....................................
Stephen Hawking: 'Heaven is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark'
By LYDIA WARREN
Last updated at 7:56 AM on 17th May 2011
Heaven is a ‘fairy story for people afraid of the dark’, Professor Stephen Hawking suggested yesterday.
As well as saying there is no heaven or afterlife, the renowned scientist said that our brains switch off like ‘broken down computers’ when we die.
His comments upset some religious groups, already angry at his statement last year that the universe was not created by God.
Professor Hawking’s latest remarks came in an interview in which the theoretical physicist told how he had learnt to live in the shadow of death since being diagnosed with motor neurone disease aged 21.
The disease, which is incurable, was expected to kill him within a few years. Instead, he said, it ultimately led him to enjoy life more.
The 69-year-old Cambridge University academic said: ‘I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years.
‘I’m not afraid of death, but I’m in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first.
‘I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail.
‘There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.’
[snipped]
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Seattle Atheists collect for "Rapture Relief Fund"
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Side bar: has anybody noticed that May 21st is Armed Forces Day?
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Seattle Atheists collect for "Rapture Relief Fund"
Published 12:10 a.m., Tuesday, May 17, 2011
A fringe Christian group has been busy lately warning the world about the coming Rapture, which it claims will be here on May 21.
California-based Family Radio is spearheading the cause and has purchased billboards around the country asking commuters to mark May 21 on their calendars. They say that's the day when Jesus will return and true Christians will be spirited off to heaven, leaving the rest of the population to suffer through the last five months of their lives until God destroys the Earth on October 21.
If the prognosticators are right, then some of us are in big trouble.
With that thought in mind, a local group called Seattle Atheists is now taking donations for a "Rapture Relief Fund" to help those who are left behind.
"To help us help you, we've created 'Rapture Relief,' an aid fund for the unfortunate people left behind," said John Keiser of Seattle Atheists. "When you give to this fund, Seattle Atheists will use the money to help survivors of any Armageddon-sized disaster in the Puget Sound area."
Keiser and the 280 other members of Seattle Atheists have already raised $800 for the fund, and they hope to have $5,000 by May 21.
If Family Radio is wrong and the world survives, Seattle Atheists will donate all the money from the relief fund to Camp Quest, which teaches children about science and critical thinking.
"It just dawned on us that this is really dumb stuff and these people are really showing a complete lack of critical thinking," Keiser said. "We wanted to highlight that and highlight the need for critical thinking, which is why we decided to make it a fundraiser for Camp Quest."
Seattle Atheists will be out raising money for the fund at several upcoming events, including an end-of-the-world party scheduled for May 21 at Dorky's Arcade in Tacoma at 8 p.m. Members will also be present in the University District for StreetFair on May 21-22 and they'll be at Westlake Park on May 23-27.
Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/komo/article/Seattle-Athiests-collect-for-Rapture-Relief-Fund-1382452.php#ixzz1MbDQBV1U
..............................
Side bar: has anybody noticed that May 21st is Armed Forces Day?
..............................
Seattle Atheists collect for "Rapture Relief Fund"
Published 12:10 a.m., Tuesday, May 17, 2011
A fringe Christian group has been busy lately warning the world about the coming Rapture, which it claims will be here on May 21.
California-based Family Radio is spearheading the cause and has purchased billboards around the country asking commuters to mark May 21 on their calendars. They say that's the day when Jesus will return and true Christians will be spirited off to heaven, leaving the rest of the population to suffer through the last five months of their lives until God destroys the Earth on October 21.
If the prognosticators are right, then some of us are in big trouble.
With that thought in mind, a local group called Seattle Atheists is now taking donations for a "Rapture Relief Fund" to help those who are left behind.
"To help us help you, we've created 'Rapture Relief,' an aid fund for the unfortunate people left behind," said John Keiser of Seattle Atheists. "When you give to this fund, Seattle Atheists will use the money to help survivors of any Armageddon-sized disaster in the Puget Sound area."
Keiser and the 280 other members of Seattle Atheists have already raised $800 for the fund, and they hope to have $5,000 by May 21.
If Family Radio is wrong and the world survives, Seattle Atheists will donate all the money from the relief fund to Camp Quest, which teaches children about science and critical thinking.
"It just dawned on us that this is really dumb stuff and these people are really showing a complete lack of critical thinking," Keiser said. "We wanted to highlight that and highlight the need for critical thinking, which is why we decided to make it a fundraiser for Camp Quest."
Seattle Atheists will be out raising money for the fund at several upcoming events, including an end-of-the-world party scheduled for May 21 at Dorky's Arcade in Tacoma at 8 p.m. Members will also be present in the University District for StreetFair on May 21-22 and they'll be at Westlake Park on May 23-27.
Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/komo/article/Seattle-Athiests-collect-for-Rapture-Relief-Fund-1382452.php#ixzz1MbDQBV1U
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Monday, May 16, 2011
Blogger issues
................................................
In case you've been wondering what has been going on with ThurstonBlog over the last few days, this is the explanation from Blogger.com:
http://buzz.blogger.com/2011/05/blogger-is-back.html May 13.
Here’s what happened: during scheduled maintenance work Wednesday night [May 11], we experienced some data corruption that impacted Blogger’s behavior. Since then, bloggers and readers may have experienced a variety of anomalies including intermittent outages, disappearing posts, and arriving at unintended blogs or error pages. A small subset of Blogger users (we estimate 0.16%) may have encountered additional problems specific to their accounts. Yesterday we returned Blogger to a pre-maintenance state and placed the service in read-only mode while we worked on restoring all content: that’s why you haven’t been able to publish. We rolled back to a version of Blogger as of Wednesday May 11th, so your posts since then were temporarily removed. Those are the posts that we’re in the progress of restoring.
I'm following up to try to make sure all our posts and comments have been restored, but if you notice that something you posted or commented isn't there, let us know.
................................................
In case you've been wondering what has been going on with ThurstonBlog over the last few days, this is the explanation from Blogger.com:
http://buzz.blogger.com/2011/05/blogger-is-back.html May 13.
Here’s what happened: during scheduled maintenance work Wednesday night [May 11], we experienced some data corruption that impacted Blogger’s behavior. Since then, bloggers and readers may have experienced a variety of anomalies including intermittent outages, disappearing posts, and arriving at unintended blogs or error pages. A small subset of Blogger users (we estimate 0.16%) may have encountered additional problems specific to their accounts. Yesterday we returned Blogger to a pre-maintenance state and placed the service in read-only mode while we worked on restoring all content: that’s why you haven’t been able to publish. We rolled back to a version of Blogger as of Wednesday May 11th, so your posts since then were temporarily removed. Those are the posts that we’re in the progress of restoring.
I'm following up to try to make sure all our posts and comments have been restored, but if you notice that something you posted or commented isn't there, let us know.
................................................
Medicare? We're going to change...er uh.....we didn't say that....
A funny thing happened along the Roadmap for America's Future. Ordinary citizens smoked out its actual impact on their lives while much of the Washington celebrity pundit class were still uttering hosannas to Rep. Paul Ryan's, R-Wis., alleged intellectual honesty and courage.
As a result, congressional Republicans unceremoniously abandoned their crackpot scheme to privatize Medicare within three weeks of voting almost unanimously to endorse it. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., explained that there was no point wasting time on a plan that had zero chance of passing in the Senate, and was certain to be vetoed by President Obama if it did.
Camp also acknowledged that as the same logic applies to the GOP's attempts to repeal the 2009 Affordable Care Act, aka "ObamaCare," his committee wasn't going to fool with that either.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, breathing smoke and fire two weeks ago, lamented that Republicans seeking budgetary consensus would need to look elsewhere after President Obama "excoriated us" for suggesting that Medicare health insurance be replaced by a voucher plan requiring seniors to comparison shop for private health insurance.
Poor babies. Here they've been so generous and cooperative, and Obama trashes them.
The mystery is why congressional Republicans chose to cast a purely symbolic vote in favor of such a deeply unpopular idea. Every available poll shows that strong majorities oppose sharp Medicare cuts, let alone the GOP plan to ditch guaranteed health insurance for citizens over 65.
Yet House Republicans, who came to power in 2010 partly by accusing the Obama administration of trifling with Medicare, committed themselves to a deeply ideological revision of America's social contract, reducing the top marginal tax rate on multi-millionaires from 35 to 25 percent and paying for it by converting seniors' medical insurance to a mandated voucher system.
And, yeah, you read that right. If enacted, Rep. Ryan's excellent plan would have required seniors either to buy private health insurance or pay a hefty tax penalty as well as forfeiting a lifetime's Medicare tax payments.
http://www.pottsmerc.com/articles/2011/05/16/opinion/srv0000011737789.txt
Now you know why there was such a hubbub over a rapper visiting the White House
As a result, congressional Republicans unceremoniously abandoned their crackpot scheme to privatize Medicare within three weeks of voting almost unanimously to endorse it. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., explained that there was no point wasting time on a plan that had zero chance of passing in the Senate, and was certain to be vetoed by President Obama if it did.
Camp also acknowledged that as the same logic applies to the GOP's attempts to repeal the 2009 Affordable Care Act, aka "ObamaCare," his committee wasn't going to fool with that either.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, breathing smoke and fire two weeks ago, lamented that Republicans seeking budgetary consensus would need to look elsewhere after President Obama "excoriated us" for suggesting that Medicare health insurance be replaced by a voucher plan requiring seniors to comparison shop for private health insurance.
Poor babies. Here they've been so generous and cooperative, and Obama trashes them.
The mystery is why congressional Republicans chose to cast a purely symbolic vote in favor of such a deeply unpopular idea. Every available poll shows that strong majorities oppose sharp Medicare cuts, let alone the GOP plan to ditch guaranteed health insurance for citizens over 65.
Yet House Republicans, who came to power in 2010 partly by accusing the Obama administration of trifling with Medicare, committed themselves to a deeply ideological revision of America's social contract, reducing the top marginal tax rate on multi-millionaires from 35 to 25 percent and paying for it by converting seniors' medical insurance to a mandated voucher system.
And, yeah, you read that right. If enacted, Rep. Ryan's excellent plan would have required seniors either to buy private health insurance or pay a hefty tax penalty as well as forfeiting a lifetime's Medicare tax payments.
http://www.pottsmerc.com/articles/2011/05/16/opinion/srv0000011737789.txt
Now you know why there was such a hubbub over a rapper visiting the White House
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Newt's back
.......................................
Newt's back!
Great to have ol’ Newty back. I saw him on Hannity the other night. Yes, I occasionally watch Faux Cable News. I’ll watch it until my B.S. detector goes off, so most of the time I’m not there for long, but I wanted to see how that so-called “news” channel presented the latest Republican candidate.
I also wanted to hear what ol’ Newty’s angle is going to be this time, and he always has an angle, obtuse as it may be. See, Newt is a demagogue in the classic definition. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary Eleventh Edition says a demagogue is “a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power.”
He used fear of terrorism and ageism the other night and this is only the beginning. And talk about “elites.” There is no one more elite than ol’ Newty. The problem with this guy is, you can’t trust him. Just ask his two ex-wives.
He’s a classic hypocrite Republican, best demonstrated when he was going after Bill Clinton for cheating on Hillary and lying under oath, ol” Newty was having his own affair. He famously asked his wife for a divorce when she was in the hospital recovering from surgery. Here’s a handy website that lists all the reasons Newt is not fit to polish Obama’s shoes, let alone be President.
.......................................
.......................................
MORE ABOUT NEWT:
Newt Gingrich's Skeleton Closet
.......................................
Newt's back!
Great to have ol’ Newty back. I saw him on Hannity the other night. Yes, I occasionally watch Faux Cable News. I’ll watch it until my B.S. detector goes off, so most of the time I’m not there for long, but I wanted to see how that so-called “news” channel presented the latest Republican candidate.
I also wanted to hear what ol’ Newty’s angle is going to be this time, and he always has an angle, obtuse as it may be. See, Newt is a demagogue in the classic definition. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary Eleventh Edition says a demagogue is “a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power.”
He used fear of terrorism and ageism the other night and this is only the beginning. And talk about “elites.” There is no one more elite than ol’ Newty. The problem with this guy is, you can’t trust him. Just ask his two ex-wives.
He’s a classic hypocrite Republican, best demonstrated when he was going after Bill Clinton for cheating on Hillary and lying under oath, ol” Newty was having his own affair. He famously asked his wife for a divorce when she was in the hospital recovering from surgery. Here’s a handy website that lists all the reasons Newt is not fit to polish Obama’s shoes, let alone be President.
.......................................
.......................................
MORE ABOUT NEWT:
Newt Gingrich's Skeleton Closet
.......................................
Friday, May 13, 2011
Racism, homophobia, religious bias, misogyny are not products of the fringe
Publishers Note: The Olympian did not allow comments on this opinion piece and deleted the ones that were there, according to two of our bloggers. For that reason alone, I have rerun the article - with credit - in its entirety. ThurstonBlog members can comment and for those who wish, just apply for membership and you'll be granted accordingly.
Two years ago, my partner and I conceived three children through in-vitro fertilization. We were elated. After hearing of our situation, a Seattle news station contacted us about doing a human interest segment.
The piece ran on the daily newscasts and was placed on the station’s website. The site, like most news sites, allows for commentary from viewers. These posted remarks can be made anonymously.
The comments on our story included thoughtful voices of support and encouragement. Then there were the rest. Veiled by anonymity, viewers from around Washington spewed vileness about us, our children, and homosexuality in general. We were called filthy names, accused of waging a publicity stunt and an attempt to collect welfare; our children were referred to as “freaks.”
It was terrifying and it got my attention.
I realized I had become comfortable, even complacent. I spent nine years in an extremely conservative state, living in the back recesses of the closet, hiding my sexual orientation as well as my political and social beliefs.
When we moved back to the Northwest, I felt safe. Those with dissenting opinions seemed much more willing to interact on an amicable “agree to disagree” basis.
But I quickly realized vehement intolerance is closer to home than I knew.
Recently, I read an online article about a couple who won a lottery. It told the story of their reluctance to cash in the ticket for various reasons. At the end of the piece was a small picture of the couple. They were interracial.
The public forum erupted. Many comments were removed because they included a word the website’s administrators deemed offensive (hint: the N-word). The comments ran six to one deriding interracial marriage. The subject of the article was all but forgotten amid a flood of racist outbursts.
As the circus that is a presidential campaign ramps up, one is reminded of the slightly more subtle bigotry of American politics. The recent “birther” issue is perhaps the most transparent racist ploy I have seen.
When John McCain ran for president, there was some banter about his citizenship. A bipartisan group of attorneys investigated the matter and determined he was indeed eligible for the presidency. There was little talk of the matter again.
For his part, President Obama produced his certificate of live birth during the campaign. And yet, more than two years into his presidency, a relatively small but vocal group has pushed this matter beyond every reasonable limit. If his name was Bernie Olson and he was an old, rich, white guy, he wouldn’t have to deal with this scrutiny.
Women in politics face an exceptionally harsh audience. The criticism, name-calling and general disrespect shown women like Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and Nancy Pelosi are revolting. All politicians receive a generous helping of contempt from the pundits. However, women in politics often become crude punch lines in some sick jokes.
Racism, homophobia, religious bias, and misogyny are not products of the fringe. They are not fading into oblivion. They are among us, slinking around mainstream America, even here in our well-educated, bright blue state. They hide behind religion, patriotism, and partisanship.
The strength of this country is being eroded by perpetual conflict. Male vs. female, heterosexual vs. homosexual, Christian vs. Muslim. We have become a nation defined not by achievement, but by opposition. Too often our adversaries are not across seas, but across the street.
The fundamental rights Americans enjoy are the products of supreme sacrifices by our founding fathers and brave soldiers who selflessly serve. If we do not extend dignity and equality to all who dwell within our borders, then we have squandered those sacrifices.
Kris Coyner is an activist for immigration justice and civil rights. She and her partner are raising 1-year-old triplet daughters near Shelton. A member of The Olympian’s Diversity Panel, she can be reached at kriscoyner@gmail.com.
Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/05/13/1649904/racism-homophobia-religious-bias.html#ixzz1MHXXlS79
Two years ago, my partner and I conceived three children through in-vitro fertilization. We were elated. After hearing of our situation, a Seattle news station contacted us about doing a human interest segment.
The comments on our story included thoughtful voices of support and encouragement. Then there were the rest. Veiled by anonymity, viewers from around Washington spewed vileness about us, our children, and homosexuality in general. We were called filthy names, accused of waging a publicity stunt and an attempt to collect welfare; our children were referred to as “freaks.”
It was terrifying and it got my attention.
I realized I had become comfortable, even complacent. I spent nine years in an extremely conservative state, living in the back recesses of the closet, hiding my sexual orientation as well as my political and social beliefs.
When we moved back to the Northwest, I felt safe. Those with dissenting opinions seemed much more willing to interact on an amicable “agree to disagree” basis.
But I quickly realized vehement intolerance is closer to home than I knew.
Recently, I read an online article about a couple who won a lottery. It told the story of their reluctance to cash in the ticket for various reasons. At the end of the piece was a small picture of the couple. They were interracial.
The public forum erupted. Many comments were removed because they included a word the website’s administrators deemed offensive (hint: the N-word). The comments ran six to one deriding interracial marriage. The subject of the article was all but forgotten amid a flood of racist outbursts.
As the circus that is a presidential campaign ramps up, one is reminded of the slightly more subtle bigotry of American politics. The recent “birther” issue is perhaps the most transparent racist ploy I have seen.
When John McCain ran for president, there was some banter about his citizenship. A bipartisan group of attorneys investigated the matter and determined he was indeed eligible for the presidency. There was little talk of the matter again.
For his part, President Obama produced his certificate of live birth during the campaign. And yet, more than two years into his presidency, a relatively small but vocal group has pushed this matter beyond every reasonable limit. If his name was Bernie Olson and he was an old, rich, white guy, he wouldn’t have to deal with this scrutiny.
Women in politics face an exceptionally harsh audience. The criticism, name-calling and general disrespect shown women like Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and Nancy Pelosi are revolting. All politicians receive a generous helping of contempt from the pundits. However, women in politics often become crude punch lines in some sick jokes.
Racism, homophobia, religious bias, and misogyny are not products of the fringe. They are not fading into oblivion. They are among us, slinking around mainstream America, even here in our well-educated, bright blue state. They hide behind religion, patriotism, and partisanship.
The strength of this country is being eroded by perpetual conflict. Male vs. female, heterosexual vs. homosexual, Christian vs. Muslim. We have become a nation defined not by achievement, but by opposition. Too often our adversaries are not across seas, but across the street.
The fundamental rights Americans enjoy are the products of supreme sacrifices by our founding fathers and brave soldiers who selflessly serve. If we do not extend dignity and equality to all who dwell within our borders, then we have squandered those sacrifices.
Kris Coyner is an activist for immigration justice and civil rights. She and her partner are raising 1-year-old triplet daughters near Shelton. A member of The Olympian’s Diversity Panel, she can be reached at kriscoyner@gmail.com.
Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/05/13/1649904/racism-homophobia-religious-bias.html#ixzz1MHXXlS79
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So enquiring minds want to know your system for posting on this blog or others. Do you have a text document open where you create your responses, and then copy and paste in rapid progression on the comment dialogue block? That must be what you do, because there is no way a casual commenter could post so many comments in a row within 1 to 2 minutes of each other.
We all just admire you so much that we would like to be able to CONTROL AND DOMINATE EVERY LETTER WITH OUR OWN COMMENTS JUST TO FIT IN.
I await your reply......................