tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-343129462024-03-07T20:36:09.208-06:00Griper NewsThe Bearer of Bad TidingsWiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.comBlogger6487125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34312946.post-49454545441921735872014-06-05T20:40:00.000-05:002014-06-05T20:40:02.216-05:00Stories to Watch: 6/5/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOKbdbxFgt57ZbqPtgQ5Au6x8EGU7Q4KVyoLZOpNUOCRCZLpET9VRbFex6hTwR8K4jQ73vZlj0sFRDyxQ5vwye1-uOQALr13I-x7Z0yYOHzq4w6xDWSzaM97VjTs03KN4eYWfLQ/s1600/gopsigns_toon.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOKbdbxFgt57ZbqPtgQ5Au6x8EGU7Q4KVyoLZOpNUOCRCZLpET9VRbFex6hTwR8K4jQ73vZlj0sFRDyxQ5vwye1-uOQALr13I-x7Z0yYOHzq4w6xDWSzaM97VjTs03KN4eYWfLQ/s1600/gopsigns_toon.jpg" height="262" width="360" /></a></div>
The latest example of Republicans <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/mccain-bergdahl-flip-flop-lying" target="_blank" title="McCain: Those Accusing Me Of Bergdahl Flip-Flop Are 'Lying'">being for</a> freeing Bowe Bergdahl <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/politicsnation/watch/gop-flip-flops-on-bergdahl-273788483736" target="_blank" title="GOP flip flops on Bowe Bergdahl">before they were against it</a>: <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/duncan-hunter-bowe-bergdahl-deserter-letter-fox-news" target="_blank" title="GOP Rep. Who Defended Bergdahl Now Calls Him Deserter">Rep. Duncan D. Hunter</a>.<br />
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MSNBC's token asshole Joe Scarborough <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/scarborough-todd-bergdahl-father" target="_blank" title="Scarborough And Todd Get Into On-Air Shouting Match Over Bergdahl's Dad">attacks Bowe Bergdahl's father</a> for being a bad parent. This too much for Chuck Todd, who objected. Of course, this caused Scarborough to dig in and insist it's the rightest right thing any right person has ever gotten right. He then took to Twitter after the show to explain the subtle nuances of his rightness -- assumedly because he was hit by an avalanche of hate mail pretty much immediately. <em>Morning Joe</em> would be the stupidest morning "news" program on TV, if it weren't for <em>Fox & Friends</em>. But clearly the bar set by the morning foxbot circus really isn't much of an accomplishment. You'd get better political insight from The Weather Channel.<br />
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Hey look! There's finally a <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/moncton-shooting-3-rcmp-officers-dead-2-wounded-1.2665359" target="_blank" title="Moncton shooting: 3 RCMP officers dead, 2 wounded">mass shooting outside the US</a>. Expect the gun freaks to talk about it endlessly, as if one incident proves that everyone under the sun needs to put a gun to everyone else's head -- AKA, the cowardly "more guns, less gun violence" hypothesis favored by the NRA and other gun humpers. Because, you know, that's obviously the only way anyone will ever be safe.<br />
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Texas Republicans unveils a <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2014/06/05/3445234/texas-republican-platform-ex-gay/" target="_blank" title="Texas Republican Party Drafts New Platform Advocating For Ex-Gay Therapy">new party platform</a> that endorses the <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/05/30/2079511/ex-gay-survivors/" target="_blank" title="Over 400 Ex-Gay Survivors Share Details Of Their Experience Trying To Change Their Orientation">thoroughly discredited</a> "ex-gay therapy" snake oil. The problem with this stuff is that it's meant to turn gay people straight, but it seems to succeed only in <a href="http://southfloridagaynews.com/Local/local-man-starts-group-for-ex-gay-survivors.html" target="_blank" title="Local Man Starts Group for Ex-gay Survivors">turning gay people suicidal</a>. I suppose for the bigots that make up the Lone Star GOP, a dead gay is just one less gay -- which is close enough.<br />
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<em>Vice</em> magazine cofounder Gavin McInnes tells Fox News that the only reason that liberals listen to Neil deGrasse Tyson is because he's black. "I hate this guy," <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/06/05/fox-guest-white-liberals-like-neil-degrasse-tyson-so-much-he-could-defecate-on-them/" target="_blank" title="Fox guest: White liberals like Neil deGrasse Tyson so much 'he could defecate on them'">McInnes said</a>. "I remember hearing Chris Hardwick on a podcast talk about Neil deGrasse Tyson and he was just salivating. White liberal nerds love this guy so much, he could defecate on them like Martin Bashir’s fantasies and they would dance in the streets." Conservatives keep complaining that people call them racists, but the truth is that <em>everything</em> is about race to these kooks. According to them, if a black person has any success at all, it's because of Affirmative Action and white liberal guilt -- unless said black person is conservative. Doubt me? Two words: <a href="http://www.politicususa.com/2014/05/29/right-wing-trolls-offend-liberals-trashing-maya-angelou.html" target="_blank" title="Right-Wing Trolls Go Out Of Their Way To Offend Liberals By Trashing Maya Angelou">Maya Angelou</a>.<br />
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In "hell freezes over" news: we got a brand new spanking Health and Human Services Secretary today. <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/the-proxy-war-ended-whimper" target="_blank" title="The 'proxy war' that ended with a whimper">Sylvia Burwell sailed through confirmation</a> to replace outgoing Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Want proof that all the REPEAL OBAMACARE!! talk is just election year hot air? There it is.<br />
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Finally, a Nevada homeowner <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/06/05/nevada-man-fatally-shoots-confused-birthday-partier-who-knocked-on-wrong-door/" target="_blank" title="Nevada man shoots confused birthday partier who knocked on wrong door">shoots a man in the chest</a> for knocking on his door in the middle of the night, looking for a birthday party at the wrong address. Amazingly, there have been no arrests because this is 'murica, where you can shoot anyone you damned well please for any stupid-assed reason that pops into your empty fucking skull. Why call 911 when someone's banging on your door at 2 a.m.? Just start blasting like an idiot and a coward, because liberty.<br />
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[<a href="http://www.truthdig.com/cartoon/item/signs_for_any_occasion_20140605#" target="_blank"><em>cartoon via Truthdig</em></a>]Wiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34312946.post-64450431634462498132014-06-03T20:26:00.000-05:002014-06-03T20:26:14.527-05:00Stories to Watch: 6/3/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82OrlG8KFNCFxTQ7dDAEeawbAvWhl5TY_XJHDR6d-bRenhWH5n-Zfkkn90CPYU6VzWQRx4d_QZlV58_QF0P0BCB4edQA8c6zlDAg4G6fo6LroukiZ3Xy0psUUv4SP0VaNo7OCQA/s1600/fanatics_toon.jpeg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82OrlG8KFNCFxTQ7dDAEeawbAvWhl5TY_XJHDR6d-bRenhWH5n-Zfkkn90CPYU6VzWQRx4d_QZlV58_QF0P0BCB4edQA8c6zlDAg4G6fo6LroukiZ3Xy0psUUv4SP0VaNo7OCQA/s1600/fanatics_toon.jpeg" height="279" width="360" /></a></div>
A former Bush official takes on the GOP freak out over the prisoner exchange that freed Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from Taliban custody. <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/world/2014/06/03/3444366/former-bush-official-blasts-gop-bush-would-have-agreed-to-bergdahl-swap/" target="_blank" title="Former Bush Official Blasts GOP On Bergdahl: Bush Would Have Done The Same Thing">Former adviser John Bellinger says GWB would've done the same thing</a>. Of course, the problem here is that there's no shortage of Republicans who deny backing Bush, despite his having pretty much universal GOP support during his two terms. "I didn't support Bush" is the Republican equivalent of "I didn't live in Germany at the time." So they can pretty much write Bellinger off like they've written off Dubya.<br />
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Fred Kaplan has a good explainer on the Bergdahl story <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2014/06/bowe_bergdahl_and_negotiating_with_the_taliban_why_the_deal_to_free_this.single.html" target="_blank" title="What People Don�t Understand About the Bergdahl Deal">over at Slate</a>. Definitely worth the time.<br />
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This whole thing Bergdahl has really gone full <strong><em>BENGHAZI!!</em></strong> quickly. Already, Republicans' wingnut base is <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/conservatives-impeachment-obama-bergdahl" target="_blank" title="Conservatives Go From Zero To Impeachment In Record Time On Bergdahl">blathering on about impeachment</a>. I actually don't think the hysteria on the right is actually about Bergdahl or the prisoners exchanged for him. It's about all of their "scandals" constantly falling apart and being sick of not having good reason to hope for impeachment. They're demanding reality provide them with a reason to overturn the last two presidential elections. I doubt reality will comply.<br />
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And of course, <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/world/2014/06/03/3444517/that-time-republicans-demanded-obama-admin-redouble-its-efforts-to-free-bergdahl/" target="_blank" title="Lawmakers Change Their Minds After Demanding 'Every Effort' Be Made To Free Bergdahl">conservatives were for liberating Bergdahl before they were against it</a>.<br />
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Anyone have any evidence at all that voter ID has stopped an illegal voter? Anyone? Just one case. Just one arrest. Meanwhile, it's doing a good job of <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/id-law-blocks-93-year-old-voter-alabama" target="_blank" title="ID law blocks 93-year-old voter in Alabama">stopping legal voters</a>. Anyone who thinks this is about fighting voter fraud is either dumber than a sack of hammers or so partisan that they've come to actually despise democracy. The enemies of democracy are the enemies of freedom; I don't care how many flags they use to wrap themselves up the pretense of "liberty."<br />
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<a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/2014/06/02/after-20-months-of-politicizing-benghazi-fox-ac/199541" target="_blank" title="After 20 Months Of Politicizing Benghazi, Fox Accuses Hillary Clinton Of Politicizing Benghazi">Fox News accuses</a> Hillary Clinton of politicizing <em><strong>BENGHAZI!!</strong></em> Just let that one sink in a bit.<br />
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The NRA gets dragged into <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/06/nra-open-carry-guns-backlash-texas" target="_blank" title="Fearing Rising Backlash, NRA Urges Gun Activists to Stand Down">its own version of the GOP Civil War</a>, with (rhetorical) shots being fired between the crazy-assed gun organization and those who are even crazy-asseder. The whole thing is really kind of inevitable, given the amazingly irresponsible messaging from head gunhappy moron Wayne LaPierre. This has driven some Texan gun nuts so far around the bend that they feel they <em>have </em>to show up at family restaurants with assault rifles or <em>FREEDOM IS DEAD! </em>Needless to say, this is doing more to convince people that "gun rights advocates" are actually dangerous lunatics than anything else. The politics here are obviously terrible.<em> </em>So now the NRA is trying to get the gullible yokels to settle the fuck down after driving them into a panic with talk about tyranny and dictatorships and Hitler. They've lost control of their own messaging and I couldn't be happier. In the words of Nelson Muntz, "Ha ha!" Also, "Why you hittin' yourself? Why you hittin' yourself?"<br />
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Finally, Kevin Drum takes the VA scandal and <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2014/06/heres-why-phoenix-ground-zero-va-health-care-scandal" target="_blank" title="Here's Why Phoenix Is Ground Zero for the VA Health Care Scandal">turns it into a VA "scandal.</a>" The fact is that this has been going on for a very long time -- calling it an "Obama scandal" is a joke -- and on average, VA wait times are much, much better than the private sector. Again, Congress could fix this by opening more clinics where most of the veterans are, but they'd rather sit on their cushy behinds and point at Obama.<br />
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[<a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/06/02/229110/mcclatchy-cartoons-for-the-week.html" target="_blank"><em>cartoon via McClatchy Newspapers</em></a>]Wiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34312946.post-10638858749069568562014-05-29T20:34:00.000-05:002014-05-29T20:34:58.347-05:00Stories to Watch: 5/29/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwITxdptG0O1t9ZLOAxnYTKaa77wqS6Tvv2HGJOAjAGX6KX3GeGEygrhpEjEyg28xwGlo6pngWUyFm37xatnMzxPEiccerSdvri2ca44t7UKrdn3m5p3b9eNfQXEwgst606uEoJg/s1600/itsyours_meme.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwITxdptG0O1t9ZLOAxnYTKaa77wqS6Tvv2HGJOAjAGX6KX3GeGEygrhpEjEyg28xwGlo6pngWUyFm37xatnMzxPEiccerSdvri2ca44t7UKrdn3m5p3b9eNfQXEwgst606uEoJg/s1600/itsyours_meme.jpg" height="270" width="360" /></a></div>
The Washington Redskins launched a Twitter campaign to defend their team name from charges of racism. How did that go? <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/sports/2014/05/29/3442879/the-redskins-twitter-campaign-defending-their-name-went-about-as-well-as-youd-expect/" target="_blank" title="Redskins' Twitter Campaign To Defend Their Name Goes About As Well As You'd Expect">What do you think</a>? These things often go off the rails immediately. When you ask the internet to do something, the internet -- with all it's chaos, snark, and creativity -- is going to show up.<br />
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Speaking of things that are obviously possible PR disasters: The Republican Leadership Conference has invited noted homophobe, racist, and <em>Duck Dynasty</em> star Phil Robertson <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/duck-dynasty-phil-robertson-republican-conference" target="_blank" title="'Duck Dynasty' Star To Speak At Republican Leadership Conference">to speak at their confab</a>. What could possibly go wrong?<br />
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There's a very good case to be made that firing Gen. Eric Shinseki won't do anything to fix problems at the VA and <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/why-firing-shinseki-won-t-do-anything-to-fix-the-va" target="_blank" title="Why Firing Shinseki Won't Do Anything To Fix The VA">might even make things worse</a>.<br />
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Earlier, John Boehner said he <a href="http://quickhits.tumblr.com/post/87220195204/john-boehner-im-not-qualified-to-debate-science-over" target="_blank" title="Boehner pleads ignorance of climate science, makes it clear he doesn't care about avoiding disaster">wasn't qualified to talk about climate change</a>, as a way to duck questions about climate change. Scientists are <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/05/29/3442887/scientists-rip-boehner-climate-comments/" target="_blank" title="Boehner Says He's 'Not Qualified' To Talk About Climate Science. Here's How Scientists Responded.">calling him out on it</a>.<br />
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The reaction of the right to the death of Maya Angelou has been <a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/john-derbyshire-remembers-maya-angelou-talentless-whining-affirmative-action-mediocrity" target="_blank" title="John Derbyshire Remembers Maya Angelou As 'Talentless' 'Whining' 'Affirmative Action Mediocrity'">pure, undisguised hatred</a>. It'd be a lot easier to believe conservatives weren't racist if they'd just stop themselves for a moment from being so damned racist.<br />
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Ever the brainless reactionary, Glenn Beck reacts to the sudden surge in awareness of the <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomwatson/2014/05/28/why-yesallwomen-matters-and-why-its-not-hacktivism/" target="_blank" title="Why '#YesAllWomen' Matters -- And Why It's Not Hacktivism">culture of abuse toward women</a> by <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/05/29/glenn-beck-vows-to-fight-for-the-truth-by-continuing-to-push-lies-about-rape-statistics/" target="_blank" title="Glenn Beck vows to fight for the truth by continuing to push lies about rape statistics">promising to launch a campaign of rape denial</a>. What a worthless, useless man this guy is.<br />
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Finally, it looks like Pres. Obama is going to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/29/us/politics/obama-to-offer-rules-to-sharply-curb-power-plants-carbon-emissions.html" target="_blank" title="President Said to Be Planning to Use Executive Authority on Carbon Rule">use his executive authority to cut carbon emissions</a> from the nation's coal-fired power plants by 20%. Conservatives will go apeshit, but screw 'em.<br />
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[<a href="https://twitter.com/jfkeeler/status/472099693930225664/photo/1"><em>meme via Jacqueline Keeler</em></a>]Wiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34312946.post-32441552902465520132014-05-28T20:18:00.001-05:002014-05-28T20:28:25.661-05:00Stories to Watch: 5/28/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirLKPNoX2GSXgy-M5sbvydgRUfapTTohDenSL6VFzB-MNshLuwlPwS5OK66E5_wFNhvaen65T0b7ZL233VxKMcVBf4xrIz7dy0T4PPRf2VoEbTT2FaydceH8s8UnCy-_EgKeSeGA/s1600/shoot.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirLKPNoX2GSXgy-M5sbvydgRUfapTTohDenSL6VFzB-MNshLuwlPwS5OK66E5_wFNhvaen65T0b7ZL233VxKMcVBf4xrIz7dy0T4PPRf2VoEbTT2FaydceH8s8UnCy-_EgKeSeGA/s1600/shoot.jpg" height="234" width="360" /></a></div>
Conservatives continue to be <a href="http://thefederalist.com/2014/05/28/the-ten-most-asinine-things-about-yesallwomen/" target="_blank" title="The Ten Most Asinine Things About #YesAllWomen">absolutely clueless</a> about the nature and purpose of the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23yesallwomen" target="_blank" title="#YesAllWomen">#YesAllWomen</a> hashtag that's become a Twitter phenomenon. The thing is, it's not anything close to a mystery. If you go and actually read the tweets, it's completely obvious what's happening. But, conservatives being the pigheaded, closed minded zombies that they are, have decided it's all about hating men and that means they'll ignore even the plain truth that's staring them straight in the face. It's what they do with everything.<br />
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News that Wisconsin <span data-scayt_word="Gov" data-scaytid="1">Gov</span>. Scott Walker -- whose recall campaign is currently the target of a stalled corruption probe -- may be <a href="http://quickhits.tumblr.com/post/87117470934/report-walker-may-be-cutting-deal-in-secret-john-doe" target="_blank" title="Report: Walker cutting deal with prosecutors">cutting a deal with prosecutors</a> has his <span data-scayt_word="rightwing" data-scaytid="2">rightwing</span> admirers in a panic. If he doesn't cut a deal, it seems likely that we'll see criminal charges -- during a reelection campaign. If he does, <a href="http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/05/will_scott_walker_sell_out_his_conservative_allies.html" target="_blank" title="Will Scott Walker sell out his conservative allies?">the <span data-scayt_word="wingnut" data-scaytid="3">wingnut</span> base will drop him like a <span data-scayt_word="RiNO" data-scaytid="4">RiNO</span></a> for throwing his co-conspirators under the bus. Unless the report that started this all turns out to be false, Scott Walker may be done.<br />
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Mitch McConnell's attempt to straddling the <span data-scayt_word="Obamacare" data-scaytid="5">Obamacare</span> fence and be for Kentucky's <span data-scayt_word="Obamacare" data-scaytid="6">Obamacare</span> exchange and against <span data-scayt_word="Obamcare" data-scaytid="7">Obamcare</span> itself has really gotten clownish. His attempt to spin his position has been so transparently dishonest and so disastrously clownish that it's <a href="http://www.kentucky.com/2014/05/28/3262267/say-again-senator-aca-unkynected.html?sp=/99/349/" target="_blank" title="Say again, Senator, ACA unkynected?">actually turned into something of a scandal for him</a>.<br />
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Politico performs a rare (for them) public service by setting the historical record straight and showing that the religious right's founding was <a href="http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/05/religious-right-real-origins-107133.html#.U4ZaKBVX-uY" target="_blank" title="The Real Origins of the Religious Right">rooted in racism</a>, not some vague notion of "family values."<br />
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In case you needed reminding, <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/glenn-beck-the-blaze-mock-sexual-assault" target="_blank" title="The Blaze Mocks Sexual Assault With A Series Of 'RAPE!' Skits">Glenn Beck is scum</a>.<br />
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A new poll shows that Karl Rove <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/05/28/americans-overwhelmingly-side-with-hillary-clinton-over-karl-rove-in-brain-flap/" target="_blank" title="Americans overwhelmingly side with Hillary Clinton over Karl Rove in brain flap">totally blew it</a> by suggested that Hillary Clinton has brain damage. He can't even get a majority of Republicans to back him in the smear.<br />
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Finally, neocon moron Charles Krauthammer <a href="http://crooksandliars.com/2014/05/krauthammer-calls-obamas-troop-withdrawal" target="_blank" title="Krauthammer Calls Obama's Troop Withdrawal Plan 'An Act Of Personal Narcissism'">isn't happy</a> with the president's plan to finally end the war in Afghanistan -- the longest war in American history. I would remind you that Krauthammer, along with other chickenhawk geniuses like William Kristol, was instrumental in starting the Iraq War. So there are foreign policy experts, there are foreign policy bonehead, their are slime molds, and then -- all the way at the bottom -- there is Charles Krauthammer. If he thinks it's a bad idea, that's all the proof you need that it's the smartest idea any one's ever had in the entire history of people having ideas about things.<br />
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[<a href="http://www.truthdig.com/cartoon/item/another_shooting_20140525#" target="_blank"><em>cartoon via <span data-scayt_word="Truthdig" data-scaytid="439">Truthdig</span></em></a>]Wiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34312946.post-72704076300775615612014-05-21T20:07:00.002-05:002014-05-21T20:07:45.117-05:00Stories to Watch: 5/21/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxeOBJdXJUaRu8hVzBCk6-SAG2s1IXpH-t5OzzqParwckULfO7ndf7pytJtYNSrOLqWIwnkpYWWcPIMmc9Ekyb5cPnDGBxZjHERGMjtLU5Fn50FMMxFFjQ8ZhhBd5T1EFOiZGyw/s1600/gowdybenghazi_toon.jpeg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxeOBJdXJUaRu8hVzBCk6-SAG2s1IXpH-t5OzzqParwckULfO7ndf7pytJtYNSrOLqWIwnkpYWWcPIMmc9Ekyb5cPnDGBxZjHERGMjtLU5Fn50FMMxFFjQ8ZhhBd5T1EFOiZGyw/s1600/gowdybenghazi_toon.jpeg" height="237" width="360" /></a></div>
I have two observations regarding <a href="https://plus.google.com/108029440032077065451/posts/BgvXtZumBAA" target="_blank" title="Nancy Pelosi: I have named 5 House Democratic Members to the Select Committee on Benghazi">Nancy Pelosi's announcement</a> of Democratic reps to sit on the <em><strong>BENGHAZI!!!</strong></em> committee. The first is the most obvious: that the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/22/us/politics/bucking-deputies-pelosi-picks-5-democrats-for-benghazi-panel.html" target="_blank" title="Bucking Deputies, Pelosi Picks 5 Democrats for Benghazi Panel">Democratic boycott</a> of the committee isn't going to happen. Second is that <a href="http://www.salon.com/2014/05/19/put_alan_grayson_on_benghazi_panel_why_hes_dems_best_option_to_expose_this_clown_show/" target="_blank" title="Put Alan Grayson on Benghazi panel! Why he's Dems' best option to expose this clown show">Alan Grayson isn't on the roster</a>, which is sure to disappoint more than a few rank and file <span data-scayt_word="dems" data-scaytid="1">dems</span> who were pushing for him to be included. The feeling I'm getting is that dems are going to take this thing seriously and with dignity, while feeding the Republican clown show all the rope they want.<br />
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<a href="http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/05/21/3440075/pope-francis-if-we-destroy-creation-creation-will-destroy-us/" target="_blank" title="Pope Francis Makes Biblical Case For Addressing Climate Change: 'If We Destroy Creation, Creation Will Destroy Us'">Pope Francis says</a> that Christians in particular have responsibility to combat climate change: "Creation is not a property, which we can rule over at will; or, even less, is the property of only a few: Creation is a gift, it is a wonderful gift that God has given us, so that we care for it and we use it for the benefit of all, always with great respect and gratitude."<br />
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This could turn out to be a bad idea: the US is <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-deploys-80-military-personnel-to-chad/2014/05/21/edd7d21a-e11d-11e3-810f-764fe508b82d_story.html" target="_blank" title="U.S. deploys 80 troops to Chad to help find kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls">sending 80 troops to Chad</a> to help in the search and recovery of the Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by <span data-scayt_word="Boko" data-scaytid="2">Boko</span> <span data-scayt_word="Haram" data-scaytid="3">Haram</span>. Everyone involved needs to keep two words very much in the forefront of their minds: "mission creep."<br />
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The nuts aren't taking the fact that <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/05/20/the-chipotle-anti-gun-scandal-has-the-right-up-in-arms.html" target="_blank" title="The Chipotle Anti-Gun 'Scandal' Has the Right Up in Arms">they got guns kicked out of Chipotle</a> very well. It's their own damned fault, but these are conservatives we're talking about here -- personal responsibility is something everyone <em>but</em> them are expected to practice.<br />
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In "busting the myth that gun ownership prevents crime" news, North Carolina recently made it legal to bring guns to schools, provided those guns are locked in your car. Likewise, business owners can bar people from carrying firearms in their establishments, meaning that guns are locked in cars in these cases as well. So an enterprising group of thieves in Charlotte have taken to <a href="http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/local/thieves-burglarize-cars-gun-related-decals/nfzNs/" target="_blank" title="Thieves burglarize cars with gun-related decals">breaking into cars with pro-gun <span data-scayt_word="bumperstickers" data-scaytid="60">bumperstickers</span></a>, on the rationale that they're much more likely to contain a free gun. "They're really advertising to criminals they may have a gun in their car so it may not be the best place to make those statements on the bumper of your car," says one gun shop owner. Oops.<br />
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Finally, Scott Walker has lost his slim lead over Mary Burke in the race for Wisconsin governor. A new poll from Marquette University finds that the race has gone from 48%-41% in Walker's favor to 46%-46%. Respondents told researchers that they prefer someone with business experience over someone with political experience -- Walker's a career politician, while Burke is a former exec with bicycle manufacturer Trek. But worse news for the incumbent is that the more voters know Burke, the less they like Walker. Finally, it may turn out that Wisconsin will buck the national trend and turn back toward blue this cycle. "Burke’s jump in the poll may also reflect a general shift in public opinion in favor of Democrats," <a href="http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/writers/jack_craver/latest-marquette-poll-has-mary-burke-and-scott-walker-knotted/article_c05a5fc6-e12a-11e3-82c5-001a4bcf887a.html" target="_blank"><em>The Capital Times</em> reports</a>. "Contrary to expectations that Democrats will suffer losses in November, as the president’s party typically does in midterm elections, 47 percent of respondents said they hope to see Congress controlled by Democrats compared to only 40 percent who want to see Republicans in control." 44% of respondents said they identify with Democrats, while only 35% said the same about Republicans.<br />
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[<a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/05/18/227718/mcclatchy-cartoons-for-the-week.html" target="_blank"><em>cartoon via <span data-scayt_word="McClatchy" data-scaytid="10">McClatchy</span> Newspapers</em></a>]Wiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34312946.post-34662744661908845022014-05-20T20:13:00.004-05:002014-05-20T20:13:42.226-05:00Stories to Watch: 5/20/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0K1TJXD_B_7GakfyEyk4hPS19VmX-ZRI7am0ebVuz8CD5dTLPB7bYkfx0YLfzL0V5mHLHeR_F2gmMMD-wOAdlSrCohRoIZa2tZ8yrnMeNlEkcsRfPWM_nnr0W0z9kvc7Ux5cvoQ/s1600/armedteeth_toon.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0K1TJXD_B_7GakfyEyk4hPS19VmX-ZRI7am0ebVuz8CD5dTLPB7bYkfx0YLfzL0V5mHLHeR_F2gmMMD-wOAdlSrCohRoIZa2tZ8yrnMeNlEkcsRfPWM_nnr0W0z9kvc7Ux5cvoQ/s1600/armedteeth_toon.jpg" height="258" width="360" /></a></div>
Score one for poetic justice. After gun nuts swarm a Chipotle to <strike>rub people's faces in their guns</strike> demonstrate their Second Amendment right to arm themselves against the threat of guacamole, the restaurant chain decides they've had enough of that and <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/chipotle-asks-customers-not-bring-guns-to-its-restaurants" target="_blank" title="Chipotle To Customers: Please Don't Carry Your Gun Into Our Restaurants">bans firearms from their stores</a>. The firearms fetishists did the same thing at Starbucks -- showed up armed to troll people who dare to not get woodies when they think about guns -- and wound up making guns unwelcome there, too. Clearly nothing at all was learned from that experience. If they keep being such assholes about everything, they'll wind up getting guns banned everywhere themselves.<br />
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Sean Hannity brings some clown on to <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/05/20/hipster-racist-hannity-guest-eric-holder-and-myth-of-racism-are-crippling-for-blacks/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story%29" target="_blank" title="Hannity guest: Eric Holder and 'myth' of racism are 'crippling for blacks'">decry the "myth" of racism</a>. You know, because Cliven Bundy and Donald Sterling and Robert Copeland are all figments of our imaginations. It's amazing what these people think they can get away with.<br />
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Related: a <em>National Review</em> writer <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/article/378310/crying-rape-j-delgado" target="_blank" title="Crying Rape">denies there's a problem with rape on college campuses</a> and that drunk college students are just making stuff up. Why would anyone write something so stupid and awful? Because <a href="https://chronicle.com/article/Obama-Promises-Governmentwide/144147/" target="_blank" title="Obama Promises Governmentwide Scrutiny of Campus Rape">Barack Obama said rape on college campuses is a problem</a> and, for conservatives who think largely with their jerking knees, Pres. Obama is always wrong. If Obama said the sun comes up in the morning, there'd be a sunrise truther movement in a heartbeat.<br />
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<a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/05/20/louie-gohmert-3-year-old-immigrants-dont-deserve-legal-status-if-they-cant-pay-taxes/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story%29" target="_blank" title="Louie Gohmert: 3-year-old immigrants don't deserve legal status if they can't pay taxes">Louie Gohmert said something stupid again</a>.<br />
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The US Forest is preparing for "<a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/05/20/u-s-forest-service-beefs-up-aerial-fleet-amid-fears-of-catastrophic-wildfire-season/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story%29" target="_blank" title="U.S. Forest Service beefs up aerial fleet amid fears of catastrophic wildfire season">what is shaping up to be a catastrophic fire season</a>." Because global warming is a massive conspiracy and all...<br />
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Dick Cheney seems to believe he lives in a <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/dick-cheneys-flights-fancy" target="_blank" title="Dick Cheney’s flights of fancy">separate reality</a> from the rest of us.<br />
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Finally, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2014/05/20/the-next-big-fight-over-the-safety-net/" target="_blank" title="The next big fight over the safety net">Greg Sargent reports</a> that Sherrod Brown has a plan to poach voters from the GOP over the summer. Republicans have requested hearings into Social Security Disability Insurance, which wingnut media has painted as wasteful and riddled with fraud -- which is, of course, total bullshit. The thing is, the GOP relies on older voters and those older voters wouldn't be happy to see disability cut. "So what if Dems campaigned on <em>expanding</em> Social Security, rather than allowing themselves to get drawn into another debate over how much to <em>cut</em> the program?" Sargent asks. Expanding the program would not only be the right thing to do, but it would appeal to a lot of seniors' inner big gummint commie.<br />
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[<a href="http://www.cagle.com/2014/04/gun-rights-nation/" target="_blank"><em>cartoon via Cagle Post</em></a>]Wiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34312946.post-61160893235351601562014-05-15T20:17:00.002-05:002014-05-15T20:17:39.929-05:00Stories to watch: 5/15/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0eOunIhX6Tu-XgX1CXPrYDEavmBD1osd4nVCLosydLz05NLow_xZv3Ff-mVBNR3oEEsmvTAp0sfB0Nn2r3IeSDt3bGiQvoLf3_wGXxUFAIQ1Nn8bk9oVVvnBL4cjSBksNCNPltg/s1600/impeachtakeii_toon.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0eOunIhX6Tu-XgX1CXPrYDEavmBD1osd4nVCLosydLz05NLow_xZv3Ff-mVBNR3oEEsmvTAp0sfB0Nn2r3IeSDt3bGiQvoLf3_wGXxUFAIQ1Nn8bk9oVVvnBL4cjSBksNCNPltg/s1600/impeachtakeii_toon.jpg" height="253" width="360" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/erik-rush-obama-covertly-supporting-boko-haram-distract-benghazi" target="_blank" title="Erik Rush: Obama 'Covertly Supporting' Boko Haram To Distract From Benghazi">Latest <span data-scayt_word="wingnut" data-scaytid="1">wingnut</span> conspiracy theory</a>: the <span data-scayt_word="Boko" data-scaytid="2">Boko</span> <span data-scayt_word="Haram" data-scaytid="3">Haram</span> Nigerian kidnapping story is only propaganda the Obama administration is using to distract us all from <em><strong>BENGHAZI!!</strong></em> But you saw that coming from a mile away, didn't you? When they aren't arguing that Obama's a weak and ineffectual leader, they're often arguing that he's an all-powerful wizard who can manipulate the very fabric of reality, like Sauron. The rest of the time, he's Hitler.<br />
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Harry Reid <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/05/15/3438206/why-the-senates-top-leader-came-out-for-a-constitutional-amendment-to-reverse-citizens-united/" target="_blank" title="Why The Senate's Top Leader Came Out For A Constitutional Amendment To Reverse Citizens United">backs a constitutional amendment to reverse the <em>Citizens United</em> ruling</a> that trashed the very concept of campaign finance law and allowed limitless campaign funding from shadowy, secret donors. "It was as if I had jumped into the sewer," he said of running for reelection after the ruling came down. Are <span data-scayt_word="dems" data-scaytid="4">dems</span> finally realizing that combating <span data-scayt_word="SCOTUS" data-scaytid="6">SCOTUS</span>' string of pro-corruption rulings is a political winner? You sure hope so.<br />
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Marco Rubio pushes back against charges that he's a <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/rubio-expands-climate-change" target="_blank" title="Rubio Expands On His Comment That Climate Change Isn't Real">scientific illiterate</a> by arguing that he knows stuff about the science of abortion -- <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/marco-rubio-scientific-blunder-abortion" target="_blank" title="Marco Rubio's scientific blunder on abortion">then proceeds to prove the opposite</a>.<br />
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Looks like there could be <a href="http://www.wpr.org/judge-asked-release-john-doe-documents?utm_content=buffer48e63&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer" target="_blank" title="Judge Asked To Release John Doe Documents">another Scott Walker document dump</a> on the way. This Judge <span data-scayt_word="Randa" data-scaytid="382">Randa</span> guys seems pretty goofy and inconsistent. First he orders that all evidence in the case be destroyed and, when that bit of anti-justice is struck down by a higher court, says that nearly all of this evidence should be made public.<br />
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Steve Benen on <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/adventures-fox-news-polling-part-vi" target="_blank" title="Adventures in Fox News polling, Part VI">today's most hilariously biased poll</a>: "I hold a special place in my heart for Fox News polling, because unlike independent polls commission by major journalistic institutions, Fox News’ surveys tend to be... special."<br />
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Former Bush speech writer and occasional Unlikely Voice of Reason David Frum points out that the <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/05/the-republican-advantage-among-older-voters-wont-last/370851/" target="_blank" title="The Republican Advantage Among Older Voters Won't Last">GOP advantage with older voters can't last forever</a>. The problem is that people are living longer, which means Medicare and Social Security benefits are being stretched thinner, which means a whole bunch of older people will find themselves suddenly big gummint commies. Riding out with Paul Ryan under the "SLASH ENTITLEMENTS" plan isn't exactly helping the4m position themselves to make anything but enemies of these voters.<br />
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Finally, gun freaks -- i.e., the Second Amendment Heroes who worship the NRA and are so cowardly that the thought of being unarmed for a moment makes them crap themselves -- have a real bad habit of <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/05/guns-bullying-open-carry-women-moms-texas" target="_blank" title="Spitting, Stalking, Rape Threats: How Gun Extremists Target Women">threatening, stalking, and generally abusing women</a>. I guess the guy who feels the need to be protected by deadly force 24/7 feels that way because he's a complete asshole. He could stop being an asshole, so people would stop hating him, or he can carry a gun to protect himself from the victims of his assholery. And almost all choose the same option. Because they're worthless punks.<br />
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[<a href="http://www.truthdig.com/cartoon/item/clinton_impeachment_take_ii_20140514" target="_blank"><em>cartoon via <span data-scayt_word="Truthdig" data-scaytid="7">Truthdig</span></em></a>]Wiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34312946.post-88210190517831875302014-05-15T13:19:00.002-05:002014-05-15T13:21:59.341-05:00GOP will TOTALLY pass immigration reform if they win the Senate -- cross their hearrts<blockquote>
<a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/206177-gop-well-move-immigration-reform-if-we-take-back-senate"><em><strong>The Hill</strong></em></a><strong>: </strong>Senate Republicans say they'll try to pass immigration reform legislation in the next two years if they take back the Senate in November. </blockquote>
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The Republicans say winning back the Senate will allow them to pass a series of bills on their own terms that have a better chance of winning approval in the House. </blockquote>
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Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), a central member of the coalition that passed a comprehensive reform bill in the Senate last year, said he would craft a better legislative approach if Republicans control the upper chamber in 2015. </blockquote>
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That would give his party a chance to pass immigration legislation before the presidential election, when Hispanic voters will be crucial to winning the White House.</blockquote>
There's an obvious aspect of good cop/bad cop in this, with Senate Republicans using House Republicans as bad cops. But there's actually something much more familiar going on here; Republicans are returning to tried and true strategy. The problem is, they're trying to apply it to an entirely different group of voters and it's probably not going to work.<br />
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For years, Republicans have used bait and switch politics to trick voters into electing them. They promise they'll amend the Constitution to ban gay marriage and get a Balanced Budget Amendment. They promise they'll chase all those lazy <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/03/12/3394871/ryan-poverty-inner-city/">"inner city" people</a> off welfare. They're going to get you prayer in schools and make it a crime to burn the flag. They're going to turn the United States into Reagantopia.<br />
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But then they get elected and suddenly they're all about something else entirely. My favorite example is Bush getting reelected on the issue of gay marriage and then immediately getting to work on privatizing Medicare -- something he'd barely mentioned during the campaign. Republicans promise everything talk radio gets the chumps riled up about, then they pass laws that only really help the rich. Sure, they'll throw an abortion bone to the dopes occasionally, but for the most part its promise to fight the Homosexual Menace, then deliver a million dollar tax credit on private jet wax.<br />
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It works for the base because they're endlessly gullible and never remember how they got screwed over the last time. But it's also why Republicans can't expand their voter block -- people that credulous and dumb are thankfully a commodity in limited supply. This stuff works on pretty much all of the of people it's ever going to work on. It's not going to gain them immigration reform supporters now.Wiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34312946.post-73919758921388191772014-05-13T20:26:00.000-05:002014-05-13T20:26:17.570-05:00Stories to Watch: 5/13/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMiWd4YQCe7q4AzhJwtcOL3JHQYl53JZ0smpi3wmXDgyfVHcxBa5RHSnY-ZJ1xQKnWgi8INy7jsdJF6Q3O5FbqZkdxsBLpXjCd4iQXKZtVeu1uKyDvGsJhq4j5ySJq8WA8E8uEQ/s1600/voterid_toon.jpeg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMiWd4YQCe7q4AzhJwtcOL3JHQYl53JZ0smpi3wmXDgyfVHcxBa5RHSnY-ZJ1xQKnWgi8INy7jsdJF6Q3O5FbqZkdxsBLpXjCd4iQXKZtVeu1uKyDvGsJhq4j5ySJq8WA8E8uEQ/s1600/voterid_toon.jpeg" height="238" width="360" /></a></div>
Turns out that it's actually possible for Chris Christie's bridge scandal <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/05/13/christie-spokesperson-i-told-governors-counsel-his-staff-were-involved-in-bridge-closings/" target="_blank" title="Christie spokesperson: I told governor's counsel his staff were involved in bridge closings">to get even worse</a>.<br />
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I certainly hope this is the stupidest, most ignorant statement I'll read this week; Marco Rubio admits that climate change is happening, but says that it's silly to assume it's human-caused because of a mere "<a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/rubio-expands-climate-change" target="_blank" title="Rubio Expands On His Comment That Climate Change Isn't Real">handful of decades of research</a>." Consider the amazing <span data-scayt_word="dumbfuckery" data-scaytid="1">dumbfuckery</span> of that phrase -- "handful of decades of research." I'd nominate Rubio for stupidest member of the Senate... if it weren't for the existence of Sen. Ron Johnson, who would lose a battle of wits to a boat anchor. Still, Marco's runner up.<br />
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Related: a new study finds that the tipping point is now and that the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/science/environment/la-sci-0513-antarctic-ice-sheet-20140513-story.html" target="_blank" title="Irreversible collapse of Antarctic glaciers has begun, studies say">thaw of Antarctic glaciers may now be irreversible</a>. Keep in mind that people like Rubio admit that climate change is happening, but that we shouldn't do anything about it. Instead, we should all fuck off and literally die, because only a "handful of decades of research" says we can do anything about it. Climate deniers are far, far more evil than the people who denied until it was undeniable that smoking causes cancer. They know better. They know their lies will come with a massive death toll. But they just don't care, because they think they can make a few extra bucks by putting off avoiding all those deaths. Like I said, evil. Beneath contempt.<br />
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Of course, this sort of stupidity really is a party-wide phenomenon. Case in point: a Georgia Republican Senate candidate says the gender pay gap <span style="background-color: yellow;">doesn't</span> exist <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/election/2014/05/13/3437179/senate-candidate-denies-that-the-gender-wage-gap-exists/" target="_blank" title="Senate Candidate Denies The Gender Wage Gap Exists Because She's Never Experienced It">because it's never happened to her</a>. This is the level of genius that has them believing that if it's cold where they are, it proves global warming doesn't exist. Needless to say, this is the same sort of reasoning babies use when they cover their face with their hands and think they're hiding -- i.e., they can't see you, therefore you can't see them. It's like they're from a different planet where logic was never developed. Or (and this is far more likely) they hope we are.<br />
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I love it when conservatives call Democrats "elitists." Check out the <a href="http://www.publicintegrity.org/2014/04/29/14689/gop-leaders-donors-mix-during-secretive-forum" target="_blank" title="GOP leaders, donors mix during secretive forum">swanky legal bribes</a> Republicans get from the American Enterprise Institute. They're so afraid of what this would look like that they've kept it a secret. It was only through the investigative efforts of the Center for Public Integrity. We're the elitists, yet they're living like French royalty in the last days before The Terror.<br />
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In case you missed, <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/karl-rove-hillary-clinton-brain-injury-106613.html" target="_blank" title="Karl Rove: Hillary Clinton might have brain injury">Karl Rove is the lowest of the low</a>. Not exactly news, I know.<br />
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A filing snafu means that longtime Michigan Democratic Rep. John Conyers is probably going to have to <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/house-races/206018-conyers-fails-to-qualify-for-ballot" target="_blank" title="Rep. John Conyers fails to qualify for ballot">run as a write-in candidate</a> in the primary.<br />
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Michael Sam rookies jerseys are <a href="http://www.outsports.com/2014/5/12/5709578/michael-sam-jerseys-selling-nfl-rookies" target="_blank" title="Michael Sam jerseys No.2 selling among all NFL rookies">selling like hotcakes</a>.<br />
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Finally, a nutjob group called "Operation American Spring" says that <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/05/13/operation-american-spring-promises-to-drive-obama-from-office-this-friday/" target="_blank" title="Operation American Spring promises to drive Obama from office this Friday">between 10-30 million 'baggers are going to converge on Washington</a> Friday to drive Pres. Obama and Democrats out of Washington, so if you see a news story about ten or twelve crackpots with misspelled signs, that'll be them.<br />
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[<a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/05/11/227075/mcclatchy-cartoons-for-the-week.html" target="_blank"><em>cartoon via McClatchy Newspapers</em></a>]Wiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34312946.post-89716905616404221962014-05-12T20:17:00.000-05:002014-05-12T20:19:45.203-05:00Stories to watch: 5/12/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYhitmvOoHqpAFQpk-IP9FLzOs4Uwf9Y6DVdQ1en2NuFsYWfp_1_lDeLpHHREDi64VDbhapYf9uRUJl1KwRec5kQm8jb-LmTC-fgm1BW3yFwmZbX7Gs97jKa3QeX2S7R_-M1sWiA/s1600/benghaziiraq_toon.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYhitmvOoHqpAFQpk-IP9FLzOs4Uwf9Y6DVdQ1en2NuFsYWfp_1_lDeLpHHREDi64VDbhapYf9uRUJl1KwRec5kQm8jb-LmTC-fgm1BW3yFwmZbX7Gs97jKa3QeX2S7R_-M1sWiA/s1600/benghaziiraq_toon.jpg" height="266" width="360" /></a></div>
Pretend neocon intellectual Charles Krauthammer warns House Republicans <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/charles-krauthammer-benghazi-106522.html" target="_blank" title="Charles Krauthammer: No Benghazi 'circus'">not to turn the <em><strong>BENGHAZI!!</strong></em> hearings into a "political circus."</a> Of course, this is like warning Disney not to turn <em>Dumbo</em> into a movie about an elephant. There has never been a time that <em><strong>BENGHAZI!!</strong></em> wasn't a circus.<br />
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It's one of those good news/bad news things. FCC chair Tom Wheeler makes changes to his plan to gut the principle of net neutrality. The bad news is that, <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2014/05/fcc-chair-pretends-change-course-net-neutrality" target="_blank" title="Quote of the Day: FCC Chair Pretends to Change Course on Net Neutrality">as Kevin Drum points out</a>, he's only pretending to tweak his plan. The good news however, is that pressure from the public and internet companies has made the pretense seem necessary at all. The momentum is clearly ours here, let's not let up now.<br />
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<em>Moyers & Company</em> reports that Bill Clinton's "welfare reform" effort created a system <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/05/12/how-bill-clintons-welfare-reform-created-a-system-rife-with-racial-biases/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story%29" target="_blank" title="How Bill Clinton's welfare 'reform' created a system rife with racial biases">rife with racial bias and all-around failure</a>. The failure of welfare reform is not a new story, but it pays to revisit it from time to time, if only to take away two lessons -- if you meet Republican BS halfway and take it seriously, you're headed for disaster. Meeting someone crazy halfway is halfway crazy. Second, if you try to appease Republicans by throwing them a bone, they're not going to suddenly love you. You can fight them or you can ignore them, but you can never work with the GOP and be their friend. They plain aren't interested. In their minds, Democrats shouldn't just be opposed, they should be punished for daring not to be Republicans.<br />
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In Virginia, Republicans lose ground in there War on Women, <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/05/12/3436860/virginia-governor-trap-review/" target="_blank" title="Virginia Governor Takes The First Step Toward Repealing 'Extreme' Abortion Clinic Restrictions">as the restoration of reproductive freedom begins</a>.<br />
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The climate consensus vs. deniers, portrayed <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/05/12/john-oliver-pits-bill-nye-and-96-scientists-against-3-climate-change-denying-dudes/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story%29" target="_blank" title="John Oliver pits Bill Nye and 96 scientists against 3 climate change-denying 'dudes'">hilariously accurately</a>.<br />
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Finally, Senate Republicans' obstructionism is so out of control that they've <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/05/12/senate-republicans-forfeit-vote-on-keystone-xl-pipeline-by-blocking-energy-bill/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story%29" target="_blank" title="Senate Republicans forfeit vote on Keystone XL pipeline by blocking energy bill">managed to block a vote on the Keystone XL pipeline</a> -- which, as you'll recall, they're supposed to be for. These people are toddlers.<br />
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[<a href="http://www.truthdig.com/cartoon/item/foreign_policy_calamity_20140509" target="_blank"><em>cartoon via Truthdig</em></a>]Wiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34312946.post-7265786761815526402014-05-09T19:58:00.001-05:002014-05-09T19:58:37.254-05:00Stories to Watch: 5/9/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHk_JVIWHuEI8563U2vV2V3u9xYp6Y06nqEWbKcA5sTEwjaxMXnPOrCiiyC7LPn5CqeuoifQQfwW_KPAoTTc99zFQv3j6nvdeAi1S-YW03jljs4C1rIzvEGCxmsQbbKofgbhYFnQ/s1600/illaryspath_toon.jpeg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHk_JVIWHuEI8563U2vV2V3u9xYp6Y06nqEWbKcA5sTEwjaxMXnPOrCiiyC7LPn5CqeuoifQQfwW_KPAoTTc99zFQv3j6nvdeAi1S-YW03jljs4C1rIzvEGCxmsQbbKofgbhYFnQ/s1600/illaryspath_toon.jpeg" height="280" width="360" /></a></div>
It's all but official: the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/09/opinion/center-ring-at-the-republican-circus.html" title="Center Ring at the Republican Circus">House <strong><em>BENGHAZI!!</em></strong> circus</a> will be an <a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/house/205721-dems-reject-gop-offer-on-benghazi" target="_blank" title="Dems reject GOP offer on Benghazi">all Republican affair</a>.<br />
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The concrete industry alone is responsible for <a href="http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2012/05/09/emissions-from-the-cement-industry/" target="_blank" title="Emissions from the Cement Industry">5% of global CO2 emissions</a>, making it a greenhouse polluter on a massive scale. One possible solution: <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/green-architecture/hempcrete-startup-kickstarts-revolution-sustainable-green-building.html" target="_blank" title="Hempcrete startup kickstarts a revolution in sustainable green building in US">say hello to <span data-scayt_word="hempcrete" data-scaytid="1">hempcrete</span></a>.<br />
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Perpetual clown Louie <span data-scayt_word="Gohmert" data-scaytid="46">Gohmert</span> takes to the floor of the House to <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/louie-gohmert-gay-rights-nazis" title="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/louie-gohmert-gay-rights-nazis">compare gay rights advocates to Nazis</a>. Everything's <span data-scayt_word="freakin" data-scaytid="77">freakin</span> ' Nazis to these guys and they trivialize the Holocaust on pretty much a daily basis. Republicans <em>really</em> need a history book with more than one page, just for variety. <span data-scayt_word="Obamacare's" data-scaytid="195">Obamacare's</span> like <span data-scayt_word="Pol" data-scaytid="171">Pol</span> Pot, government regulations are like <span data-scayt_word="Vlad" data-scaytid="228">Vlad</span> the Impaler -- stuff like that. Mix it up a little, guys. Absurd hyperbolic stupidity is no fun if it's also monotonous.<br />
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Republicans really need to stop believing their own <span data-scayt_word="horsecrap" data-scaytid="446">horsecrap</span>. In this episode, Iowa Attorney General Matt Schultz <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/05/09/3436160/iowa-matt-schultz-no-voter-id-fraud/" title="Iowa's Republican Secretary of State Just Proved That Voter ID Laws Are Unnecessary">releases a report after a two-year investigation into voter fraud</a> and winds up proving that it almost never happens, that it couldn't possibly make the difference in an election when it does, a<span data-scayt_word="nd" data-scaytid="739">nd</span> that voter ID would do little to stop it when it does happen. If he'd just <span data-scayt_word="demogogued" data-scaytid="869">demogogued</span> the issue instead of trying to prove it exists, he wouldn't be looking like such an anti-American, vote suppressing, democracy-hating, would-be tyrant right now.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.8newsnow.com/story/25469579/breaking-news-fbi-investigating-bundy-supporters-in-blm-dispute" target="_blank" title="FBI investigating Bundy supporters in BLM dispute">FBI is investigating</a> racist anti-government welfare queen Cliven Bundy's supporters. Turns out that when you threaten federal agents with guns, shove them around, and kick their dog, that's kind of illegal. Send them to Gitmo.<br />
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Pope Francis calls for the <a href="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_REL_VATICAN_UN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-05-09-06-31-28" target="_blank" title="POPE URGES 'LEGITIMATE REDISTRIBUTION' OF WEALTH">"legitimate redistribution" of wealth</a>. This sends conservatives into a <a href="http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/05/marxist-pope-francis-calls-for-global-redistribution-of-wealth/" target="_blank" title="Marxist Pope Francis Calls for Global Redistribution of Wealth">fullblown, red-baiting tantrum</a>. Didn't have to be Nostradamus to see that coming.<br />
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Finally, a <a href="http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2014/05/09/judge-chris-piazza-invalidates-arkansass-same-sex-marriage-ban" target="_blank" title="Judge Chris Piazza invalidates Arkansas's same-sex marriage ban">judge strikes down Arkansas' ban on marriage equality</a>. I wish Wisconsin would get on the ball here and legalize the 21st century. This is getting embarrassing. Instead, we're just legalizing corruption.<br />
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[<a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/05/04/226411/mcclatchy-cartoons-for-the-week.html"><em>cartoon via McClatchy Newspapers</em></a>]Wiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34312946.post-81684838633307050332014-05-08T20:13:00.000-05:002014-05-08T20:13:28.770-05:00Stories to Watch: 5/8/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BF-wtxg9hEOZGnUbeqFqQnYqyyTARmDT3aV7lGsq3dnC0c84NuyCUG1_pnHi2elCXcoON2DWvdu_EsePepNADXAZqztxDbjkDKpD7boWAGw41UHgKPdIvHHFkEhWxTOQN9ps0w/s1600/isaabenghazi.jpeg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BF-wtxg9hEOZGnUbeqFqQnYqyyTARmDT3aV7lGsq3dnC0c84NuyCUG1_pnHi2elCXcoON2DWvdu_EsePepNADXAZqztxDbjkDKpD7boWAGw41UHgKPdIvHHFkEhWxTOQN9ps0w/s1600/isaabenghazi.jpeg" height="257" width="360" /></a></div>
Stupid Republican meme of the day: the kidnapping of schoolgirls, general violence, and bloodshed by the Nigerian religious fanatic group <span data-scayt_word="Boko" data-scaytid="1">Boko</span> <span data-scayt_word="Haram" data-scaytid="2">Haram</span> is <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/even-boko-harams-brutality-can-be" target="_blank" title="Even Boko Haram's brutality can be politicized">all Hillary Clinton's fault</a>, because of reasons. It' s all very, very stupid, but it could be worse -- they could be saying she engineered it to distract from <em><strong>BENGHAZI!! </strong></em>Although, I'm pretty sure it's just because that little conspiracy theory hasn't occurred to them yet.<br />
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And about the <em><strong>BENGHAZI!!</strong></em> <strike>hysteria theater</strike> super-serious and sober House Select Committee investigation: it's looking more and more like the GOP is going to <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2014_05/letting_the_impeachment_genie050268.php" target="_blank" title="Letting the Impeachment Genie Out of the Bottle--Carefully!">try to impeach their second Democratic President in a row</a>. It's like they get so worked up over their own bullshit that they just can't help but overplay their hand.<br />
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So why the big <b><i>BENGHAZI!!</i></b> fit at this articular moment in time? Because <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/gop-anti-obamamcare-circus-demise" target="_blank" title="This Was The Week The GOP's Anti-Obamacare Circus Came Crashing Down">Republicans have quietly accepted that they've lost the <span data-scayt_word="Obamacare" data-scaytid="304">Obamacare</span> fight forever</a> and they need some other manufactured mass panic to distract their marks from their failure.<br />
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Fox News' <span data-scayt_word="Geraldo" data-scaytid="136">Geraldo</span> Rivera stages a "man on the street"-style interview -- <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/fox-news-geraldo-rivera-interviews-fox-business" target="_blank" title="Fox News Goes Searching For Outraged Americans, Finds Fox Hosts">hilariously incompetently</a>. This has been another episode of <em>Fox Interviews Fox and Discovers Fox Agrees with Fox</em>.<br />
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A bipartisan pair of FCC commissioners are making sure that <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140508/11371827169/diametrically-opposed-fcc-commissioners-both-agree-that-tom-wheeler-should-pull-back-net-neutrality-rule-making.shtml" target="_blank" title="Diametrically Opposed FCC Commissioners Both Agree That Tom Wheeler Should Pull Back On Net Neutrality Rule Making">the fight to save net neutrality isn't over</a>.<br />
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Meanwhile, <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/corbett-no-appeal-pennsylvania-voter-id-law" target="_blank" title="Corbett Won't Appeal Ruling Striking Down Penn. Voter ID Law">voter ID is dead as dead can be</a> in Pennsylvania.<br />
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Finally, what seems to be a <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/halt-to-john-doe-probe-lifts-obstacle-to-scott-walker-re-election-bid-b99264574z1-258293621.html" target="_blank" title="Federal appeals court stays ruling halting Doe probe into Walker recall">good day for Scott Walker</a> is really just a breather. While an appeals court allowed an injuction against his corruption probe to be reissued, <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/legal-wrangling-continues-gov-walker-probe-23641351" title="Legal Wrangling Continues Over Gov. Walker Probe">it's likely not the final word</a>. Which is a good thing, because if it's allowed to stand, this ruling would be <em>Citizens United</em> times a million. "If sustained, this ruling is the death of campaign finance law as we know it in the state of Wisconsin and across the nation," one of the lawyers involved in the case said. "It will now be possible for a political candidate to personally conduct a campaign — soup to nuts — without disclosing a single campaign contribution." If it weren't for naked corruption and dirty tricks, Republicans wouldn't stand a chance in elections.<br />
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[<i><a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/05/04/226411/mcclatchy-cartoons-for-the-week.html" target="_blank">cartoon via McClatchy Newspapers</a></i>]Wiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34312946.post-37073837008175810802014-05-06T20:14:00.001-05:002014-05-06T20:14:59.679-05:00Stories to watch: 5/6/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9E8mYyXeOp3B5Ysv3MrH2WVsOEDU4vhIaS4t2Fivx5J6Px7-vYF1hb7l9M8Ps8_s_K4ZDfzpjiQEC_E8GyMcacSEe6JxiW3etdsEPWO2mTFcA-0g9oEUw9OIyTKmVtp84f4SbiQ/s1600/benghaziscope_toon.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9E8mYyXeOp3B5Ysv3MrH2WVsOEDU4vhIaS4t2Fivx5J6Px7-vYF1hb7l9M8Ps8_s_K4ZDfzpjiQEC_E8GyMcacSEe6JxiW3etdsEPWO2mTFcA-0g9oEUw9OIyTKmVtp84f4SbiQ/s1600/benghaziscope_toon.jpg" height="272" width="360" /></a></div>
A new front in the GOP Civil War: <a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/205271-republican-senators-turn-against-their-own-in-16" name="GOP senators turn against their own in '16" target="_blank">Republican senators don't want Republican senators to run for president in 2016</a>. The argument against a run from the Senate is that Washington is so toxic to voters that a senator doesn't stand a chance. The problem with that argument is that Hillary Clinton, who's <a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/electoral-college-map-2016-projection-hillary-clinton-294-gop-candidate-244" target="_blank" title="Electoral College map 2016 projection: Hillary Clinton 294, GOP candidate 244">far and away the current favorite</a>, is just as much a creature of Washington as any of them. When you look at the GOP senate <span data-scayt_word="frontrunners" data-scaytid="337">frontrunners</span> -- Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio -- it becomes obvious that the argument is less about DC and more about the Republican <span data-scayt_word="Klown" data-scaytid="338">Klown</span> <span data-scayt_word="Kar" data-scaytid="339">Kar</span>. GOP Governors like Jeb Bush or Scott Walker aren't guaranteed losers (they're just extreme <span data-scayt_word="longshots" data-scaytid="340">longshots</span>), so their boosters trot out the "toxic Washington" argument as a smokescreen.<br />
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Republican congress critters are <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2014/05/06/republicans-jockey-for-a-piece-of-that-benghazi-action/" target="_blank" title="Republicans jockey for a piece of that #Benghazi action">busy elbowing each other out of the way</a> to get on Boehner's select committee on<em><strong> BENGHAZI!! </strong></em>That's truly bizarre if you this about it; GOP opportunists fighting over the scraps of an imaginary scandal. Harry Reid says there <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/harry-reid-senate-benghazi-panel-106415.html" target="_blank" title="Harry Reid: No Senate Benghazi panel">won't be a Senate panel</a>, surprising no one.<br />
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Mozilla, the organization behind the popular Firefox browser, offers the FCC a <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/05/06/mozilla-tells-fcc-theres-another-way-to-protect-net-neutrality/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story%29" target="_blank" title="Mozilla tells FCC: There�s another way to protect net neutrality">credible third way</a> to maintain net neutrality.<br />
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The Stanford University endowment divests all investment in coal. "Moving away from coal in the investment context is a small but constructive step while work continues at Stanford and elsewhere to develop broadly viable sustainable energy solutions for the future," Stanford president John Hennessy says. While they don't give away specifics of their investments, the endowment's total worth $18.7 billion -- with a B -- so the divestment could be very substantial. <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/05/06/stanford-becomes-the-most-prominent-university-yet-to-divest-from-coal/" target="_blank" title="Stanford becomes the most prominent university yet to divest from coal">According to Wonkblog</a>, Stanford is the "twelfth and most prestigious university to divest under pressure from foes of fossil fuels. There's a surprisingly successful divestment campaign going on out there and it's flying under the radar. Here's hoping it's <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/07/science/earth/climate-change-report.html?_r=0" target="_blank" title="Climate Change Study Finds U.S. Is Already Widely Affected">not too late</a>.<br />
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Sen. Jay Rockefeller <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/jay-rockefeller-barack-obama-106401.html" target="_blank" title="Jay Rockefeller: Some Obama foes think he's the 'wrong color'">calls out Republican racism</a>.<br />
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Finally, the Koch brothers <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/election/2014/05/06/3434671/koch-afp-zoo/" title="Koch Group Tries To Sink Ohio Zoo’s Tax Proposal: ‘There Is No Issue We Won’t Get Involved In’">attack the Columbus Zoo</a> of all places.<br />
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[<a href="http://www.truthdig.com/cartoon/item/benghazi_blow-up_20140504" target="_blank"><em>cartoon via <span data-scayt_word="Truthdig" data-scaytid="568">Truthdig</span></em></a>]Wiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34312946.post-46965633486628836792014-05-02T19:55:00.000-05:002014-05-02T19:55:10.027-05:00Stories to Watch: 5/2/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8YPQxImiyvxa7UNJOQMgMqS8uTe50hnigcdes5nDnJNAi1XBSA_1la8-RdSZdgLGeLTosv01rG6MWiaGYe_7DAuF3RP9qfH7qeqhT3Tytkou0kLVwufe1VfwVqfJrxeclEtcxdw/s1600/benghazi_toon.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8YPQxImiyvxa7UNJOQMgMqS8uTe50hnigcdes5nDnJNAi1XBSA_1la8-RdSZdgLGeLTosv01rG6MWiaGYe_7DAuF3RP9qfH7qeqhT3Tytkou0kLVwufe1VfwVqfJrxeclEtcxdw/s1600/benghazi_toon.jpg" height="259" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/john-kerry-subpoena-benghazi-106276.html" target="_blank" title="GOP escalates Benghazi probe">Boehner decides to waste everyone's time</a> with a House select committee probe into <em><strong>BENGHAZI!!</strong></em> The most pathetic part of all of this is that the story that triggered the latest outbreak of <em><strong>BENGHAZI!!</strong></em> fever has <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2014/04/benghazi_white_house_emails_did_the_obama_administration_engage_in_a_cover.single.html" target="_blank" title="Why the new Benghazi emails aren't a 'smoking gun'">already fallen apart</a>. This is going to be a three ring circus, with bullshit in every ring.<br />
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We got some <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-02/payrolls-in-u-s-rise-by-most-since-2012-unemployment-at-6-3-.html" target="_blank" title="Hiring in U.S. Kicks Into Higher Gear as Unemployment Plunges to 6.3%">good jobs numbers</a> this month -- although <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/03/upshot/jobs-report-looks-great-but-looks-are-deceiving.html?_r=0" target="_blank" title="The Jobs Report Isn�t as Good as It Looks">not so good as they might seem</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/05/02/wisconsin-s-gop-secession-panic.html" target="_blank" title="Wisconsin�s GOP Secession Panic">Wisconsin Republicans make themselves a national joke</a> with a convention vote insisting the state has the right to secede from the union. A lot of Wisconsin soldiers died for a cause that held the exact opposite -- that no state has the right to secede -- and these Tea Party fuckwits are pissing all over their graves. Because "patriots" renounce America when things don't go their way, I guess. I am so tired of these whiny intellectual lightweights who pretend to be patriots but are willing to kill Americans (i.e., "tyrants") and abandon the country if it suits them. They're just children having a tantrum because a black Democrat is in the White House.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nationaljournal.com/magazine/the-gop-has-finally-found-a-way-to-defeat-the-tea-party-20140501" target="_blank" title="The GOP Has Finally Found a Way to Defeat the Tea Party">The Republican plan to wipe out the Tea Party</a>.<br />
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So, are white Republicans <a href="http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/are-white-republicans-more-racist-than-white-democrats/" target="_blank" title="Are White Republicans More Racist Than White Democrats?">really more racist</a> than white Democrats? Prepare to be whatever the opposite of surprised is.<br />
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Finally, a Satanic monument will go up in the Oklahoma capitol and <a href="http://www.vice.com/read/heres-the-first-look-at-the-new-satanic-monument-being-built-for-oklahomas-statehouse" target="_blank" title="HERE'S THE FIRST LOOK AT THE NEW SATANIC MONUMENT BEING BUILT FOR OKLAHOMA'S STATEHOUSE">it looks like something off a Black Sabbath album cover</a>. While I appreciate the First Amendment argument behind the move, the way to turn Oklahoma into a more enlightened state is probably <em>not</em> to convince conservatives that they're literally battling Satan. You want conservative voters to stay home, not to run to the polls in a blind panic. Still, cool statue -- so metal.<br />
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[<a href="http://www.truthdig.com/cartoon/item/redefining_benghazi_20140502" target="_blank"><em>cartoon via TruthDig</em></a>]Wiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34312946.post-85394206642265649062014-05-01T20:24:00.002-05:002014-05-01T20:29:10.728-05:00Stories to Watch: 5/1/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguVxgIpnlwk9V0wFREsUh1wd8KaHM0OCV_0QJGc5WKf_Ahp01MeqFURNHsNYn0bEI7oppAEKxDCsWm334jvDvku11MIaKaTU2L11dHs7VKG48jKDVG6GQx0wUA5EMb7mRtww9Dww/s1600/kkk_toon.jpeg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguVxgIpnlwk9V0wFREsUh1wd8KaHM0OCV_0QJGc5WKf_Ahp01MeqFURNHsNYn0bEI7oppAEKxDCsWm334jvDvku11MIaKaTU2L11dHs7VKG48jKDVG6GQx0wUA5EMb7mRtww9Dww/s1600/kkk_toon.jpeg" height="240" width="400" /></a></div>
Wisconsin Rebublicans say they <a href="http://www.wisn.com/politics/special-session-on-wisconsin-voter-id-unlikely/25753804" target="_blank" title="Special session on Wisconsin voter ID unlikely">won't try to patch their voter ID law</a> before the election, because there isn't enough time. The law was struck down because of its blatantly racist nature and fixing it to pass constitutionmal muster would mean rewriting it so that it didn't disenfranchise minority voters -- i.e., eliminating the whole purpose of the law. If this ruling survives an appeal, expect the voter ID effort in the Badger State to quietly die. If it's not keeping minorities away from the polls, what would be the point?<br />
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Antonin Scalia goes the extra mile to prove he's a <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/antonin-scalia-blunder-unprecedented-epa" target="_blank" title="Antonin Scalia's Blunder Is Unprecedented, Legal Experts Say">terribly incompetent</a> Supreme Court Justice.<br />
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House Republicans release a survey showing that the number of people with health insurance is much lower than the 8 million Obamacare signups would suggest. One tiny little problem: <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/house-gop-rigged-obamacare-survey" target="_blank" title="EXCLUSIVE: Here's The House GOP's 'Incredibly Rigged' Obamacare Survey">it's bullshit</a>. "The survey was so incredibly rigged to produce this result, it was a joke," said a source in the company that produced the report. "Everyone who saw it knew exactly what the goal was." <a href="http://www.newrepublic.com/article/117601/obamacare-enrollment-numbers-house-gop-report-distorts-facts" target="_blank" title="Obamacare Is Getting the Benghazi Treatment, Courtesy of House Republicans">Jonathon Cohn compares</a> the GOP's approach to Obamacare to <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2014_05/the_terrorism_surge_after_beng050165.php" target="_blank" title="The Terrorism Surge After Benghazi! That Didn’t Happen">their approach to <em><strong>BENGHAZI!! </strong></em></a>-- i.e., the narrative isn't being adjusted to agree with the facts, the facts are being adjusted to support their obsession with a predetermined narrative.<br />
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<a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/05/01/netflix-brings-net-neutrality-concerns-to-fcc-officials/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story%29" target="_blank" title="Netflix brings net neutrality concerns to FCC officials">Netflix is not giving up on net neutrality</a>. Neither should you.<br />
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A South Dakota Republican <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/steve-hickey-anal-sex-letter-south-dakota" target="_blank" title="GOP State Lawmaker Writes Letter To Editor About Dangers Of Anal Sex">freaks out</a> about gay buttsex.<br />
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Finally, Seattle will have a <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/05/01/3433227/seattle-15-dollar-minimum-wage/" target="_blank" title="Seattle Announces $15 Minimum Wage, Highest In The U.S.">$15 per hour minimum wage</a> -- the highest in the nation. Expect conservatives to ignore how the city fails to collapse into economic chaos.<br />
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[<a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/04/27/225655/mcclatchy-cartoons-for-the-week.html" target="_blank"><em>cartoon via McClatchy Newspapers</em></a>]Wiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34312946.post-18308322213954703122014-04-29T20:10:00.002-05:002014-04-29T20:10:54.683-05:00Stories to watch: 4/29/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjngowg_L9SX9QIaTVgs61M7plwhWR3_BjVbWsW8SV11qHcSbFQooCGAova0Vy7u-7wLnN6G5-_jndPkzgShb9w3YO-DCqa1RHNxiKYyfa_Kn0F0yptKavudJvll2poJUKHM7zumw/s1600/blackpeople_toon.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjngowg_L9SX9QIaTVgs61M7plwhWR3_BjVbWsW8SV11qHcSbFQooCGAova0Vy7u-7wLnN6G5-_jndPkzgShb9w3YO-DCqa1RHNxiKYyfa_Kn0F0yptKavudJvll2poJUKHM7zumw/s1600/blackpeople_toon.jpeg" height="248" width="360" /></a></div>
The United Church of Christ is suing North Carolina, arguing that the state's ban on same-sex marriage violates the church's First Amendment rights. That's right, a christian congregation is suing because <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2014_04/unamerican_pilgrims_oh_wait050121.php" target="_blank" title="Un-American Pilgrims! Oh, Wait...">banning marriage equality violates the church's religious freedom</a> to perform such ceremonies. Just a reminder that the shrieking bigots who say they speak for all Christians do not and that religious liberty is restricted when religious ceremonies are criminalized, not when they're allowed. The haters have the argument 100%, completely bass-ackward. UCC is the denomination that the pilgrims of Plymouth Rock founded, by the way. You don't get any more American than that.<br />
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The Tea Party <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/04/29/tea-party-candidate-greg-brannon-insists-in-obamacare-there-are-death-panels/" target="_blank" title="Tea Party candidate Greg Brannon insists 'in Obamacare there are death panels'">simply will not give up</a> on the "death panels" lie. The truth is that it's <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/04/29/301839951/obamacare-enrollees-emboldened-to-leave-jobs-start-businesses" target="_blank" title="Obamacare Enrollees Emboldened To Leave Jobs, Start Businesses">fostering entrepreneurs</a> -- which is kind of surprising from something that's supposed to be runaway naked Marxism.<br />
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Now that Don Sterling is functionally kicked out of the NBA, <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/04/29/fox-news-sends-reporter-to-ask-nba-if-punishing-racists-is-a-slippery-slope/" target="_blank" title="Fox News sends reporter to ask NBA if punishing racists is a 'slippery slope'">Fox News is in total panic mode</a>. And it's not hard to understand why -- Cliven Bundy goes down in flames, Sterling goes down in flames. Hell, that's their business model and suddenly everyone's realizing it's hate. What do they do now, stick to reporting facts?<br />
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And it's not just Fox, <a href="http://www.salon.com/2014/04/29/donald_sterlings_girlfriend_has_magical_racism_powers/" title="Donald Sterling’s girlfriend has magical racism powers!">other rightwingers</a> are <a href="http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2014/04/29/az-sen-kelli-ward-nba-donald-sterling-ban-fine-a-slippery-slope/" target="_blank" title="Senator’s tweets warn of a “slippery slope’’ as owner is banned from NBA">rushing to defend</a> Sterling. Because if a billionaire can be brought down through his intolerance, what hope is there for the less influential bigot? And of course, there's the <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/conspiracy-theory-sterling-set-up" target="_blank" title="Conservatives Ponder Sterling Trutherism: Did Magic Set Him Up?">obligatory conspiracy theory</a>.<br />
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But despite the fact that conservative racism has been big news lately, WingNutDaily founder Joseph Farah goes on the radio to insist that <a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/joseph-farah-insists-you-just-don-t-find-racism-gop" target="_blank" title="Joseph Farah Insists 'You Just Don't Find Racism' In The GOP">"you just don’t find racism" in the Republican Party</a>. Meanwhile, the head of the Repudblican Party of Illinois apologizes for <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/winnebago-gop-obama-zebra-donkey" target="_blank" title="Local GOP Party Chair Compares Obama To Zebra-Donkey Hybrid Who Is All 'A**'">comparing Pres. Obama</a> to "the offspring of a donkey and a zebra, black and white legs, rest all donkey."<br />
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Finally, Cliven Bundy's supporters are reportedly <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/04/29/nevada-lawmaker-cliven-bundy-supporters-are-settting-up-checkpoints-against-residents/" target="_blank" title="Nevada lawmaker: Cliven Bundy supporters are settting up ‘checkpoints’ against residents">setting up armed checkpoints</a> -- because some fucking nutjob sore-loser sticking an assault weapon in your face is liberty. And the right calls teachers "thugs." I'm against drone strikes, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't starting to see the attraction. Someone needs to shut these goons down.<br />
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[<a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/04/27/225655/mcclatchy-cartoons-for-the-week.html" target="_blank"><em>cartoon via McClatchy Newspapers</em></a>]Wiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34312946.post-16763463336521886452014-04-28T20:09:00.004-05:002014-04-28T20:20:02.466-05:00Stories to Watch: 4/28/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbNkVVx0U-wGjgTr1v6MMcG6P9wjLIQOwiVRGDhSggcx-UlxKSUIOmskh70cwmdNiDkqMo029U3Va_vDRRU99dVo39iL7ETZPhplyqdqs2sfNIGouQV5VnrEFAICUz7vqIH9XTA/s1600/bundy_toon.jpeg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbNkVVx0U-wGjgTr1v6MMcG6P9wjLIQOwiVRGDhSggcx-UlxKSUIOmskh70cwmdNiDkqMo029U3Va_vDRRU99dVo39iL7ETZPhplyqdqs2sfNIGouQV5VnrEFAICUz7vqIH9XTA/s1600/bundy_toon.jpeg" height="277" width="360" /></a></div>
Remember when Harry Reid called Cliven Bundy supporters "<a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2014/0419/Harry-Reid-Cliven-Bundy-s-armed-supporters-are-domestic-terrorists-video" target="_blank" title="Harry Reid: Cliven Bundy's armed supporters are 'domestic terrorists'">domestic terrorists</a>"? Yeah, they decided to respond to that percieved insult by <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2014/04/cliven-bundy-harry-reid-threat-106106.html" target="_blank" title="Police investigating Cliven Bundy-related threats to Harry Reid">proving him right</a>, because 'baggers are smart like that.<br />
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If you're wondering what the next rightwing victim card freakout will be, this seems like a good candidate: <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/04/28/3431743/google-crisis-pregnancy-center/" target="_blank" title="Google Agrees To Remove Misleading Ads For Right-Wing �Crisis Pregnancy Centers�">Google has announced</a> it will no longer feature ads for "crisis pregnancy centers." These centers are basically one big lie meant to misinform women about abortion. They can't lie to frightened, worried women anymore -- how terrible.<br />
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People believed that Obamacare meant that everyone would <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/literally-people-thought-there-would-be" target="_blank" title="'Literally, people thought there would be chips embedded in their bodies'">literally have a microchip embedded in their bodies</a>. And not just a few nutjobs -- the lies have kept people who would benefit most from even considering signing up. I don't know whether to be angry at Republicans for being such shameless liars or disappointed with the people who believe them for being so limitlessly gullible, so I guess I'll do both.<br />
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Speaking of shockingly gullible Republican dupes: a <a href="http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/bundy-ranch-uncensored" target="_blank" title="LIFE AT THE BUNDY RANCH, UNCENSORED">look at life at the Bundy Ranch</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/04/28/u-s-high-school-graduation-rate-reaches-record-80-percent/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story%29" target="_blank" title="U.S. high school graduation rate reaches record 80 percent">High school graduation rates reached a record 80%</a> in 2010-11 -- I guess because Obama's Department of Education and those crazy moonbat ideas from teachers union thugs are all so terrible.<br />
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Not even the rightwing <em>National Review </em><a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/376713/sarah-palins-barbarism-patrick-brennan" target="_blank" title="Sarah Palin’s Barbarism">can stomach</a> Sarah Palin's self-promoting nonsense anymore.<br />
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More than 4% of death row inmates are <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/04/28/researchers-more-than-4-percent-of-u-s-death-row-inmates-are-likely-to-be-innocent/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story%29" target="_blank" title="Researchers: More than 4 percent of U.S. death row inmates are likely to be innocent">likely to be innocent</a>. Supporters like to say that the death penalty protects people. But when the state is literally killing innocent people , the idea that this is protecting those same people is ridiculous horseshit. The death penalty is human sacrifice, plain and simple. It didn't have a place in the 20th century, let alone the 21st.<br />
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[<a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/04/27/225655/mcclatchy-cartoons-for-the-week.html" target="_blank"><em>cartoon via McClatchy Newspapers</em></a>]Wiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34312946.post-48167800669800697382014-04-22T20:01:00.003-05:002014-04-22T20:01:47.428-05:00Stories to Watch: 4/22/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIDgZxJzIjAAaQa8YT0vUWLbwgcc0FwaIKyiCQxPcwc_G9rg5yNpzhyXxBA6Dh8Isj9t8eF0pOdDbYmmWk_jlGk4oHKM-ocu3fqwQA4aYM35jrTm7fZ6rF3Ut-NT7w1wZgkOhMBA/s1600/reducereuse_toon.jpeg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIDgZxJzIjAAaQa8YT0vUWLbwgcc0FwaIKyiCQxPcwc_G9rg5yNpzhyXxBA6Dh8Isj9t8eF0pOdDbYmmWk_jlGk4oHKM-ocu3fqwQA4aYM35jrTm7fZ6rF3Ut-NT7w1wZgkOhMBA/s1600/reducereuse_toon.jpeg" height="246" width="360" /></a></div>
Today's Earth Day headline, courtesy of <i>National Journal</i>: "<a href="http://www.nationaljournal.com/daily/not-a-single-republican-has-mentioned-earth-day-in-congress-since-2010-20140421" target="_blank" title="Not a Single Republican Has Mentioned Earth Day in Congress Since 2010">Not a Single Republican Has Mentioned Earth Day in Congress Since 2010</a>."<br />
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Global warming will <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/04/22/researchers-and-lawmakers-warn-florida-is-ground-zero-for-sea-level-rise/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story%29" target="_blank" title="Researchers and lawmakers warn: Florida is ‘Ground Zero’ for sea level rise">hit Florida especially hard</a>. Might be a good time to stop voting for Republicans there.<br />
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Sonia Sotomayor's dissent in today's Affirmative Action ruling <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/sonia-sotomayor-john-roberts-race-affirmative-action" target="_blank" title="Sotomayor Attacks John Roberts' Views On Race As 'Out Of Touch With Reality'">pulls no punches</a>. She is not happy -- and she's completely correct.<br />
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Republican Senator John Boozman of Arkansas undergoes <a href="http://www.nwabusinessjournal.com/13231/john-boozman-undergoes-emergency-heart-surgery" target="_blank" title="John Boozman Undergoes Emergency Heart Surgery">emergency heart surgery</a>. He's expected to make a full recovery.<br />
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Is Republican opposition to marriage equality <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2014/04/gop-poll-gay-marriage-105886.html" target="_blank" title="GOP poll defies tide on gay marriage">crumbling</a>?<br />
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The conception mandate in Obamacare <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/birth-control-sure-popular" target="_blank">is actually very popular</a>.<br />
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Finally, Canada's middle class <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27117829" target="_blank" title="Canada passes US in middle-class wealth">surpasses America's</a> for wealth, while a new study shows that one in three US deaths is the<a href="http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/23229-one-in-three-us-deaths-would-be-avoided-if-us-income-distribution-the-same-as-most-european-countries" target="_blank" title="One in Three US Deaths Would Be Avoided if US Income Distribution Was the Same as Most European Countries"> direct result of income inequality</a>. Pointing this out is, of course, "class warfare" -- except the last time inequality was this bad, angry French mobs dragged guillotines through the streets looking for the "job creators." I'll take the "let's do something rational to fix this" approach over <i>actual</i> class warfare any day. <br />
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[<a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/04/20/224923/mcclatchy-cartoons-for-the-week.html"><i>cartoon via McClatchy Newspapers</i></a>]Wiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34312946.post-30224477942076281952014-04-17T20:08:00.002-05:002014-04-17T20:08:29.048-05:00Stories to Watch: 4/17/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEise9GxAXky2Bqmg3EscoLIC1tUeONoZNg0l4qRlhyEbSWVttwtKgUGp-b0Yxtk7uhA0jyRHu3-edGdJ-upX1PuO0TCUXjhhSe2bsSAhx2wmw03UPDqUtGpyDiqTdTaIsVmToTxKw/s1600/photoid.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEise9GxAXky2Bqmg3EscoLIC1tUeONoZNg0l4qRlhyEbSWVttwtKgUGp-b0Yxtk7uhA0jyRHu3-edGdJ-upX1PuO0TCUXjhhSe2bsSAhx2wmw03UPDqUtGpyDiqTdTaIsVmToTxKw/s1600/photoid.jpg" height="240" width="360" /></a></div>
A new study out of Princeton University finds that the <a href="http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/new_study_finds_the_us_is_not_a_democracy_so_what_is_it_20140417?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%253A+Truthdig+Truthdig%253A+Drilling+Beneath+the+Headlines" target="_blank" title="New Study Finds the U.S. Is Not a Democracy, So What Is It?">United States is no longer a democracy, but an oligarchy</a>. Try to act surprised. Class warfare? We already had that war. the rich won. What the right calls "class warfare" is actually more in line with what the Chinese used to call "counter-revolutionary" -- i.e., trying to undo the new order and restore the previous system.<br />
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Related"
<a href="http://www.salon.com/2014/04/17/dick_morris_is_very_afraid_a_horrible_pundits_popular_vote_hysteria/" target="_blank" title="Dick Morris is very afraid: A horrible pundit’s 'popular vote' hysteria ">Dick Morris says</a> the popular vote is just a way for Democrats to steal elections. You know, by being all counter-revolutionary and everything.<br />
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Obamacare signups are <a href="http://www.newrepublic.com/article/117410/obamacare-enrollment-hits-8-million-age-mix-looks-massachusetts" target="_blank" title="Obamacare Signups Hit 8 Million">now at 8 million</a> -- way over the target of 7 million. And that problem where the young "indestructibles" decide not to sign up? Yeah, that didn't actually happen. "This is good news—very, very good news," reports Jonathon Cohn. Well, it's good news unless you're a Republican and politically invested in America's failure -- then it's not good news at all.<br />
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A rightwing PAC shuts down after an uproar of it's offensive name -- "<a href="http://www.texastribune.org/2014/04/16/boats-n-hoes-pac-shut-down-after-name-draws-furor/" target="_blank" title="PAC to Shut Down After Name Draws Furor">Boats 'N Hoes PAC</a>." At this point, if Republicans want to convince people that they aren't waging a War on Women, it would probably be wisest to avoid any mention of anything remotely female ever again. They clearly have no idea how to talk about women respectfully.<br />
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You might want to go through your Facebook and <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/17/business/when-liking-a-brand-online-voids-the-right-to-sue.html" target="_blank" title="When ‘Liking’ a Brand Online Voids the Right to Sue">see if you ever liked anything from General Mills</a>. The food giant argues that liking a brand online means you can't sue them if you get a bad batch. This seems like marketing suicide to me -- why on Earth would you ever like one of their products now?<br />
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American ex-pat whistleblower Edward Snowden embarrasses Putin by <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/ed-snowden-asks-putin-about-russian-surveillance" target="_blank" title="WATCH: Edward Snowden Asks Putin About Russia's Surveillance Tactics">putting him on the spot on live TV</a>.<br />
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Finally, New York City is considering raising their minimum wage to <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/04/17/3427778/15-minimum-wage-new-york-city/" target="_blank" title="The Country’s Largest City Is Considering A $15 Minimum Wage">$15 an hour</a>.<br />
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[<a href="http://www.truthdig.com/cartoon/item/voter_fraud_20140415" target="_blank"><i>cartoon via Truthdig</i></a>]Wiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34312946.post-90885242113950765302014-04-17T12:58:00.002-05:002014-04-17T12:58:38.056-05:00Racism, inequality is literally in the very air we breathe<div class="post_content clearfix">
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<a class="high_res_link" href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/04/17/study-people-of-color-breathe-air-that-is-38-percent-more-polluted-than-white-peoples/" target="_blank"><img alt="Raw Story - Study: People of color breathe air that is 38 percent more polluted than white people’s" border="0" class="image" height="351" src="https://24.media.tumblr.com/f865187e3168a04878bd86199a6203ad/tumblr_n46sciOpEV1qfengno1_500.jpg" title="Raw Story - Study: People of color breathe air that is 38 percent more polluted than white people’s" width="360" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/04/17/study-people-of-color-breathe-air-that-is-38-percent-more-polluted-than-white-peoples/" target="_blank">Raw Story</a>:</b> A study <a href="http://personal.ce.umn.edu/%7Emarshall/NO2_white_nonwhite.php" target="_blank">released</a> by the University of Minnesota this week indicated that people of color are exposed to air that is 38 percent more polluted than the air breathed by white people.<br />
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In an <a href="http://www.minnpost.com/community-sketchbook/2014/04/huge-gap-pollution-exposure-race-surprises-u-m-researchers" target="_blank">interview</a> with <i>The Minnesota Post</i>, the study’s lead researcher, Julian Marshall, an associate professor of civil engineering at the University of Minnesota, said that “the main [factors in how polluted the air breathed in was] are race and income, and they both matter. In our findings, however, race matters more than income.”<br />
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When Marshall compared the exposure gap between high-income Hispanics and low-income whites, for example, the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations were still higher among high-income Hispanics.<br />
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“We were quite surprised to find such a large disparity between whites and nonwhites related to air pollution,” Marshall told <i>The Minnesota Post</i>. “Especially the fact that this difference is throughout the U.S., even in cities and states in the Midwest.”</blockquote>
That income inequality is a factor in the purity of the air you breathe is nothing new. When it comes to polluting industries, people are protected by their wealth and power — you’re never going to see an incinerator or a fracking site move in next door to a multi-million dollar mansion. This is one of the ways in which income inequality is a very real problem that creates very real dangers. It’s not about people being “jealous” of rich people — despite what Republicans and blowhards on Fox News tell you — it’s about very real dangers that people at the bottom of the ladder face every day. If we really were a society dedicated to equality, the poor person’s health would be as much a concern as the rich person’s. They voices would be equal. But they aren’t — and people are literally and inarguably suffering because of it.<br />
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The disparities in race paint an even darker picture. There, it’s not as much about income, but about status. People of color breathe dirtier air because they’re automatically lower on the societal ladder, regardless of income. These are both very real problems and the people who bring them up aren’t just bellyaching. Conservatives who talk about free market solutions should take a closer look at what this market does and ask themselves if the people at the bottom rung — measured by income, race, or both — are by any stretch of the imagination free.<br />
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Or are they just worthless peasants in a nation that’s increasingly governed by a new aristocracy based on income and a racist class system? When working people have to literally consume the waste of the rich, calling those working people “free” is a ridiculous joke.<br />
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Here’s your “trickle down economics.” That’s not money that’s trickling down.</div>
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Wiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34312946.post-253585496452209542014-04-15T19:54:00.000-05:002014-04-15T19:54:58.620-05:00Stories to Watch: 4/15/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjus8rmwxIapqJ89CxKfDHF1xGrVWlV2lQ_tl4cWriyhicRNVzGMFrPX77YEzdwpt2dUm2FhK0XX7Iyfm2tNRMyvwF5EKAX9mlFRiAykL25peDPxSMiC8xs789fXQES_jSj1YXxRQ/s1600/skeptics_toon.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel=" lightbox" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjus8rmwxIapqJ89CxKfDHF1xGrVWlV2lQ_tl4cWriyhicRNVzGMFrPX77YEzdwpt2dUm2FhK0XX7Iyfm2tNRMyvwF5EKAX9mlFRiAykL25peDPxSMiC8xs789fXQES_jSj1YXxRQ/s1600/skeptics_toon.jpg" height="290" width="360" /></a></div>
Republicans are <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/census-change-gop-freakout-obamacare" target="_blank" title="Census Health Change Sparks Mini-Freakout Over Obamacare">clawing their own eyes out in fake outrage</a> over news that the Obama administration is adjusting census healthcare tracking. "They'[re trying to cover up what a trainwreck Obamacare has become!!!" the right is shrieking with ear-piercing hysteria. Sarah Kliff points out a big, big problem with this argument: "What's being missed here is that the Obama administration will use the new survey questions to collect data for 2013, the year <i>prior </i>to Obamacare's health insurance expansion," <a href="http://www.vox.com/2014/4/15/5617084/obamacare-new-census-insurance" target="_blank" title="Don't freak out about the changes to the Census yet">she writes</a>. In other words, the Republican Outrage of the Day is the same as what <i>every </i>other Republican Outrage of the Day -- carefully packaged horseshit.<br />
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If Republicans were really interested in convincing people there is no War on Women, they'd actually wage war on <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/04/15/3426856/prominent-republican-women-need-to-be-paid-less-than-men-so-they-can-find-good-husbands/" target="_blank" title="Prominent Republican: Women Need To Be Paid Less So They Can Find Husbands">women like Phyllis Schlafly</a>, who inexplicably seems to despise her own gender.<br />
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The situation in Ukraine is <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/15/ukraine-armed-conflict-east" target="_blank">rapidly deteriorating</a>.<br />
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Florida Republican Rep. Ted Yoho tells an African-American constituent that <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/04/15/3426672/ted-yoho-civil-rights-act/" target="_blank" title="WATCH: Congressman Tells Black Constituent He’s Not Sure The Civil Rights Act Is Constitutional">he's not "100 percent" sure the Civil Rights Act is constitutional</a>. I'm not 100 percent sure Ted Yoho has a functional frontal lobe.<br />
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This one's sure to generate an avalanche of victim cards: following an antisemitic mass shooting in Kansas, CNN crunches the numbers and finds that rightwing extremists <a href="http://us.cnn.com/2014/04/14/opinion/bergen-sterman-kansas-shooting/" title="U.S. right wing extremists more deadly than jihadists">have been more dangerous and deadly</a> post-9/11 than Islamic jihadists. <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/homeland-security-chief-defends-report-on-right-wing-extremists/" target="_blank" title="Homeland Security Chief Defends Report On Right Wing Extremists">We told you so</a>.<br />
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Finally, a few <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/progress-report/tax-day-facts/" target="_blank" title="Tax Day Facts">tax day facts</a> from ThinkProgress.<br />
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[<a href="http://www.truthdig.com/cartoon/item/science_skeptics_20140415"><i>Cartoon via Truthdig</i></a>]Wiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34312946.post-56497323644695446502014-04-14T20:06:00.000-05:002014-04-14T20:06:31.659-05:00Stories to Watch: 4/14/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6MocntHhRxAWJlubagF23KK7k3DHWxZ6CUpqtDgPBDuwiLiqJup_2zEdOjqIH7JusOChSZ3PJ9l3IqX1wzS0hY1p3kOpAf-qBkf0itdChMBk3oqf-nC3bytyuD23XmpftanGfww/s1600/putinkampf_toon.jpeg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6MocntHhRxAWJlubagF23KK7k3DHWxZ6CUpqtDgPBDuwiLiqJup_2zEdOjqIH7JusOChSZ3PJ9l3IqX1wzS0hY1p3kOpAf-qBkf0itdChMBk3oqf-nC3bytyuD23XmpftanGfww/s1600/putinkampf_toon.jpeg" height="236" width="360" /></a></div>
From Michael Tomasky at the Daily Beast, where the headlines says it all: "<a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/03/26/the-gop-just-screwed-ukraine-out-of-billions-to-hurt-obama.html" target="_blank" title="The GOP Just Screwed Ukraine Out of Billions to Hurt Obama">The GOP Just Screwed Ukraine Out of Billions to Hurt Obama</a>." Republicans can stop pretending they're foreign policy geniuses now. They can also stop pretending that they give a damn about Ukraine. Like <b><i>BENGHAZI!!</i></b>, Republicans only care about Ukraine to the extent that they can use it to bludgeon the president. This would make Putin their ally, while they insist he's America's foe. If politicizing the conflict means actually making the situation worse, then they'll go ahead and sabotage it -- despite the fact that such an action could come with a death toll. Republicans are <i>not</i> good people.<br />
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<a href="http://thinkprogress.org/world/2014/04/14/3426240/huckabee-north-korea/" target="_blank" title="Huckabee: There’s More Freedom In North Korea Than In The U.S.">Mike Huckabee says</a> that sometimes he thinks people in North Korea are freer than Americans. This is the most hyperbolic thing anyone on Earth will ever hear in any one's entire life, by a factor of about a jillion. it says a lot about the GOP base that the way to win their hearts is to say things that are unbelievably dumb. Needless to say, the Huckster also <a href="http://www.mediaite.com/tv/huckabee-slams-obama-on-gay-marriage-where-are-his-christian-convictions/" target="_blank" title="Huckabee Slams Obama on Gay Marriage: Where Are His ‘Christian Convictions’?">dives into the stupid end of the pool</a> on the subject of marriage equality as well.<br />
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Apparently, <a href="http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/6376373970.html" target="_blank" title="Godinterest.co.uk Offers a Christian Alternative to Pinterest">Pinterest is for godless, hellbound heathens</a>. Conservative Christians often create "Christian alternatives" to mainstream sites, warning that using the original version will somehow harm your family. It strikes me that this is less of real concern and more of a way to rationalize stealing an already successful idea. It's a con. I'm waiting for the Christian alternative to Resume.com, where you can safely peruse people's work histories without being subjected to all that graphic porn people put in heathen resumes.<br />
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A conservative "rising star" compares <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/conservative-is-the-new-black?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Talking-Points-Memo+%28Talking+Points+Memo%3A+by+Joshua+Micah+Marshall%29" target="_blank" title="Conservative is the New Black">Stephen Colbert's satire of rightwing blowhards to racist blackface acts</a> -- because that's not unbelievably offensive and insensitive at all. It takes a conservative to make an offensive argument while playing a phony victim card. Again, these are <i>not</i> good people. And they wonder why people keep saying they're racists.<br />
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An incident where a nutjob threw a shoe at Hillary Clinton inspires a new conspiracy theory that's taking the right by storm -- "<a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/shoe-truthers-hillary-clinton" target="_blank" title="'Shoe Truthers' Wonder If Hillary Staged Shoe Throwing Incident">shoe trutherism</a>."<br />
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A University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh professor reminds everyone that when it comes to jobs, <a href="http://oshkoshhub.thenorthwestern.com/article/20140410/OSH0602/304100074/" target="_blank" title="Walker's job creation record a total and utter failure">Scott Walker has turned Wisconsin into a smoking crater</a>.<br />
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The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office revised it's estimates and projected that the Affordable Care Act will cost even less than previously forecast -- by a significant amount. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/15/us/politics/budget-office-lowers-estimate-for-cost-of-expanding-health-coverage.html" target="_blank" title="Budget Office Lowers Estimate for the Cost of Expanding Health Coverage">Like $100 <i>billion</i> less</a>. This is bad news for Republicans, because good news for America is <i>always</i> bad news for Republicans.<br />
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Texas Gov. Rick Perry's got himself some <a href="http://www.kvue.com/news/Perry-hires--255111191.html" target="_blank" title="Perry hires lawyer for inquiry into veto threat ">very serious legal trouble</a>.<br />
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Finally, marriage equality gets a foot in the door in Ohio. A federal judge rules that the state <a href="http://www.washingtonblade.com/2014/04/14/court-orders-ohio-to-recognize-married-same-sex-couples/" target="_blank" title="Court rules against Ohio ban on same-sex marriage recognition">has to recognize marriages</a> performed in other states. It's not the full recognition of the right that comes with performing ceremonies in Ohio, but if past cases are any indication, it's the beginning of the end for inequality there.<br />
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[<a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/04/06/223568/mcclatchy-cartoons-for-the-week.html" target="_blank"><i>cartoon via McClatchy Newspapers</i></a>]Wiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34312946.post-340307233252734382014-04-11T19:58:00.001-05:002014-04-11T19:58:24.566-05:00Stories to Watch: 4/11/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjealYnTFq0-9824IvGIltTwMX6Y12ZzRlwwvJJW8GVVJmrHlYVjg-aXK-TQcee6g6PRDLPMthm7LREguQTPiNs9ZrskJ8nWAnyrQb7tTHel2mYLIbYWkhFMssNG17Ws_2d-QTP_Q/s1600/civilrightsact_toon.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjealYnTFq0-9824IvGIltTwMX6Y12ZzRlwwvJJW8GVVJmrHlYVjg-aXK-TQcee6g6PRDLPMthm7LREguQTPiNs9ZrskJ8nWAnyrQb7tTHel2mYLIbYWkhFMssNG17Ws_2d-QTP_Q/s1600/civilrightsact_toon.jpg" height="266" width="360" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/11/obama-voter-fraud_n_5135357.html" target="_blank" title="Obama: The 'Real Voter Fraud' Comes From 'People Who Try To Deny Our Rights'">Pres. Obama calls out Republicans</a> for their efforts to steal elections by suppressing the vote. No Republican will <i>ever</i> convince me they love freedom while they back voter suppression laws. It would be a lie.<br />
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The story about a Wisconsin Republican caught on video discussing illegal campaign tactics has moved quickly <a href="http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/on-politics/mike-ellis-campaign-treasurer-quits/article_8f933e62-0459-5e70-9aec-f8ab87d65e2d.html" target="_blank" title="Mike Ellis campaign fundraiser quits; second hidden camera video released">since it broke yesterday</a>. State Senate president Mike Ellis's campaign has already <a href="http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/on-politics/mike-ellis-campaign-fundraiser-quits-second-hidden-camera-video-released/article_8f933e62-0459-5e70-9aec-f8ab87d65e2d.html" target="_blank" title="Mike Ellis campaign fundraiser quits; second hidden camera video released">ejected a staffer </a>in an attempt to get the story under control. When that didn't work, <a href="http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/on-politics/senate-president-mike-ellis-announces-he-won-t-run-for/article_7f721034-9917-50d9-a760-b9a2f0762663.html" target="_blank" title="Senate President Mike Ellis announces he won't run for re-election">Ellis announced he would not seek reelection</a>. I'm guessing that's not going to work either.<br />
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Joan Walsh on how Stephen Colbert's move to CBS <a href="http://www.salon.com/2014/04/09/why_stephen_colbert_is_dangerous_and_invaluable/" target="_blank" title="Why Stephen Colbert is dangerous — and invaluable ">puts "Papa Bear" Bill O'Reilly in his place</a>.<br />
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This could turn out to be a new front in the GOP Civil War; religious conservatives warn the Republican Party <a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/headlines/20140409-religious-conservatives-warn-gop-against-holding-convention-in-vegas.ece" target="_blank" title="Religious conservatives warn GOP against holding convention in Vegas">not to hold it's 2016 convention in Las Vegas</a> because it's Sin City and all. You have to wonder how that makes billionaire casino magnate and top GOP donor Sheldon Adelson feel. The religious right may be biting the hand that feeds.<br />
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A free clinic for poor and uninsured residents in Arkansas is closing its doors because -- post-Obamacare -- i<a href="http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/04/11/3425604/health-clinic-arkansas/" name="Free Health Clinic In Rural Arkansas Is Closing Because People Now Have Coverage Under Obamacare" target="_blank">t no longer has any customers</a>. This is what Republicans want you to believe is a "train wreck."<br />
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<a href="http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/11/6316457/ohio-regulators-link-seismic-activity.html" target="_blank" title="Ohio geologists link small quakes to fracking">Yet more evidence linking fracking to earthquakes</a>.<br />
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Finally, neocon pundit Charles Krauthammer declares the <b><i>BENGHAZI!!!!</i></b> nontroversy over -- and <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/world/2014/04/11/3425935/right-krauthammer-benghazi/" target="_blank" title="The Right Criticizes Conservative Pundit For Saying Benghazi Is Over">the right loses it in</a> response.<br />
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[<a href="http://www.truthdig.com/cartoon/item/equal_rights_20140411" target="_blank"><i>cartoon via Truthdig</i></a>]Wiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34312946.post-64225299648923453872014-04-10T20:10:00.000-05:002014-04-10T20:12:08.953-05:00Stories to Watch: 4/10/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyc0S6MB-8Q8HZVQ7BumXvzEu3yynCEC8cdkZI_AmustiD-rJtSYLSFNFa4vC5MyFVdqSZwjlW7-dDIs3hqH6bawy663vZGzE8Z-0EeqhEZesDeyFfXJ-DRZUVGwdNa1DquivRlw/s1600/schools_toon.jpeg" imageanchor="1" rel="lightbox" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyc0S6MB-8Q8HZVQ7BumXvzEu3yynCEC8cdkZI_AmustiD-rJtSYLSFNFa4vC5MyFVdqSZwjlW7-dDIs3hqH6bawy663vZGzE8Z-0EeqhEZesDeyFfXJ-DRZUVGwdNa1DquivRlw/s1600/schools_toon.jpeg" height="237" width="360" /></a></div>
<a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/203161-king-may-flip-to-gop-in-2015" target="_blank" title="King may flip to GOP in 2015"><i>The Hill</i> runs a story</a> on Maine's Indie Senator Angus King, sayng he's dropping hints he may caucus with Republicans if the Senate switches. If it were true, it wouldn't actually have any impact on control of the Senate, so it's more of an "adding insult to injury" sort thing than an actual injury. In any, <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/calling-bs-on-sen-king" target="_blank" title="Calling BS on Sen. King (I-C'mon)">Josh Marshall files the story under "BS"</a> -- it just doesn't make any sense.<br />
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Billionaire media mogul and Fox News owner Rubert Murdoch <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/rupert-murdoch-2016-jeb-bush-paul-ryan-hillary-clinton" target="_blank" title="Rupert Murdoch Reveals His Top Choices For 2016, Says He 'Could Live With Hillary'">makes conservative heads explode</a> by saying that he "could live with" a President Hillary Clinton. Across the nation, a confused cry rises up: "But... but... what about <i><b>BENGHAZI!!!!</b></i>"? Obviously, this opinion of Clinton <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/04/10/hillary-clinton-shoe-las-vegas-speech/7564937/" target="_blank" title="Shoe thrown at Hillary Clinton at Vegas speech">isn't exactly shared</a> by the rest of the wingnuts.<br />
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A Justice Dept. report finds the Albuquerque Police Department exhibits a "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/11/us/albuquerque-police-report-justice-department.html" target="_blank" title="Scathing Report Cites ‘Excessive Force’ by Albuquerque Police">pattern or practice of use of excessive force"</a> in an investigation of the killing of 23 people over the course of four years. There are some departments in the US that are so riddled with thugs and goons that it would probably be easiest just to fire everyone and rebuild from the ground up. Albuquerque PD may be one of those departments.<br />
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Nancy Pelosi says that the GOP is avoiding immigration reform <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2014/04/nancy-pelosi-republicans-immigration-race-105581.html" target="_blank" title="Nancy Pelosi: Republicans won’t push immigration because of race">because of race</a>. “I’ve heard them say to the Irish, ‘If it was you, it would be easy,'” the former speaker said during a news conference. Prepare for a blizzard of rightwing victim cards.<br />
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Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/04/10/hhs-secretary-sebelius-resigns/7567733/" target="_blank" title="HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius resigns">is resigning</a>.<br />
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Limbaugh says that the choice of Stephen Colbert to replace David Letterman means that <a href="http://aattp.org/rush-limbaugh-says-stephen-colberts-new-late-show-gig-is-a-declaration-of-war-on-conservatives/" target="_blank" title="Rush Limbaugh Says Stephen Colbert’s New ‘Late Show’ Gig is a ‘Declaration of War on Conservatives’">CBS is out to destroy middle America</a> -- as if a filthy rich rightwing blowhard is completely in tune with the Average Joe.<br />
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Finally, a Republican Wisconsin state Senator is <a href="http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/on-politics/mike-ellis-campaign-treasurer-quits/article_8f933e62-0459-5e70-9aec-f8ab87d65e2d.html" target="_blank" title="Mike Ellis campaign fundraiser quits; second hidden camera video released">caught on tape discussing illegal campaign coordination</a> between himself and a PAC. It seems like once every couple of weeks, we get wind of one of these crooks trying to steal an election. The Wisconsin Republican Party has become a swamp of political corruption. I no longer have any faith that our elections are free and fair. At this point, we're practically <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/04/10/3425252/new-rule-prohibits-voters-in-miami-dade-county-from-using-the-restroom-no-matter-how-long-the-line/" target="_blank" title="New Rule Prohibits Voters In Miami-Dade County From Using The Restroom, No Matter How Long The Line">Florida</a>.<br />
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[<a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/04/06/223568/mcclatchy-cartoons-for-the-week.html"><i>cartoon via McClatchy Newspapers</i></a>]<br />
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Wiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34312946.post-80658374527351783112014-04-09T13:23:00.003-05:002014-04-09T13:23:59.051-05:00Privatization fail: WI public schools outperform private voucher schools<div class="post_media" style="text-align: center;">
<a class="high_res_link no_pop" href="http://quickhits.tumblr.com/image/82210362082" id="high_res_link_82210362082"><img alt="Classroom" border="0" class="image" height="270" src="https://24.media.tumblr.com/aad143664733bf649fa6f29cc934c41d/tumblr_n3s0a1wg661qfengno1_500.jpg" title="Classroom" width="360" /></a></div>
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This is all actually very simple; public schools don’t have to turn a profit. Many private scools do. For the record, cost + profit is greater than just cost. In order for a for-profit to compete with a nonprofit on a cost basis, the for-profit i going to <i>have</i> to cut corners — i.e., what conservatives spin as “efficiency.” Here we see the results of these efficiencies; a half-assed education program that’s the predictable outcome of taking money away from actual education to line the pockets of pointless middlemen and bean counters.<br />
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So the proper way to accept this news is, “Well duh, of course…” If you’re having a different reaction, maybe you didn’t go to public school.<br />
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[<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/editor/72550972/" target="_blank"><i>photo by Bart Everson</i></a>]</div>
Wiscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013881728915462943noreply@blogger.com0