"There’s no dignity in blaming somebody else for buying votes and paying off people. I can’t get behind that or stay behind that.”As opposed to the pride and self-respect that is behind selling your face -- YOUR FACE -- for a buck. Maybe he should just get a single teardrop under his right-eye instead?
By now you've probably heard
That Romney tattoo guy has decided to have the ol' two-toned "R" taken off the subtle "right-side" of his face. But his explanation as to why is perhaps the most hilarious excuse, considering both the campaign AND the subject with the ink, ever:
Someone should give this women some money
It is unbelievable that verifiable douchebags like Douthat get paid money for staining the New York Times given their histories of stories too sad for even Penthouse Forum*, yet Digby has to be confined to the same media I stain four or five times every early early morning.
Especially with pithy summations like this:
* "Dear Penthouse, I never thought this would happen to me, but I was a freshman at a small midwestern university who didn't want to get laid" -- and other INCREDIBLY believable stories of a "'yeah, right' based nature"
Especially with pithy summations like this:
Let's not try to actually fix our problems. Let's stage a full blown hysterical meltdown for no good reason instead.
* "Dear Penthouse, I never thought this would happen to me, but I was a freshman at a small midwestern university who didn't want to get laid" -- and other INCREDIBLY believable stories of a "'yeah, right' based nature"
Time to get back to putting people out of work for a profit
Oh, that's a lot of douche-itude.
Former aides confirm that Romney is expected to move into an office at the Boston-area venture capital firm Solamere Capital. The firm was founded by his oldest son, Tagg Romney, and Spencer Zwick, who served as his presidential campaign's national finance chairman. It's unclear what role, if any, Romney will play at the firm.I'm guessing awkward rich-asshole whisperer.
Time for the Clown Show
Apparently patriotism to some Republicans is as deep as not paying more in taxes.
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) went on a rant against his party leaders for "not leading" when it comes to cutting government spending, and warned that if they don't prevail in extending the Bush tax cuts for everyone, including the wealthy, then rich people will leave the country.Yes, that's just how much Gohmert "loves" 'Merica.
The Great and Powerful Oz has spoken
And we peons are not going to be allowed to peak behind the curtain to discover how the world banking system helped take down the global economy.
The EU's general court has blocked an attempt to force the European Central Bank to release files showing how Greece used derivatives to hide its debt in the run-up to the financial crisis. The case was brought by Bloomberg News under the EU's freedom of information rules in August 2010 but was thrown out on Thursday by the court in Luxembourg. ... The ruling means European taxpayers who are footing the bill for the €240bn Greek bailout will not find out whether EU officials knew of irregularities in Greece's national accounts before they became public in 2009.If we're allowed to know what they did, we may not throw money at them the next time. [cross-posted at Firedoglake]
Hey, he's just like me
Joe Biden went to Costco for a couple pies and ended up leaving with a bunch of other crap he didn't need including a big screen TV. Sincerely, Single man with three TVs.
But what about Scarecrow's brain?
This has always been the weirdest and quirkiest of studies, but here it is:
The team compared Einstein’s brain with those of 85 other people and found that the great physicist did indeed have something special between his ears. Although the brain is only average in size, several regions feature additional convolutions and folds rarely seen in others. For example, the regions on the left side of the brain that facilitate sensory inputs into and motor control of the face and tongue are much larger than normal; and his prefrontal cortex — linked to planning, focused attention and perseverance — is also greatly expanded. “In each lobe,” including the frontal, parietal and occipital lobes, “there are regions that are exceptionally complicated in their convolutions,” Falk says. As for the enlarged regions linked to the face and tongue, Falk thinks that this might relate to Einstein’s famous quote that his thinking was often “muscular” rather than done in words.Someday a coroner needs to note whether George W. Bush's brain is "flat as a pancake", I bet it is.
Of course they are...
I bet it's good news for John McCain too:
Preempting a potential GOP compromise over letting the Bush tax cuts expire for the top 2 percent of Americans, conservative strategists are claiming that such a deal would constitute a large-scale endorsement of President George W. Bush's domestic legacy.
Learning from the best
Afghanistan has long been known for a few things: the place not to get involved in a land war; opium; and of course, corruption to an almost staggering degree. Well when a nation with such a history gets involved with a nation like America who's elite can really make a buck off of desperation -- the obvious happens.
Afghan elite ransacked $900m from Kabul Bank, inquiry finds Relative to the size of Afghanistan's puny economy, the Kabul Bank crisis is the biggest banking scandal the world has ever seen, equivalent to around 5% of national income, and staggering in its scale and audacity. An array of forged documents and fake official stamps for nonexistent companies helped managers keep one set of books for auditors and another for themselves; more than $800m of the stolen money went to just 12 people and seven companies connected to them.Even Lloyd Blankfein can only marvel at their audacity. [cross-posted at Firedoglake]
A long standing tactic
Republicans and voter suppression are just adapting the Southern Democratic Party model of the South of the late 19th century...much like the rest of the Dixiecrat Agenda (good ol' Trent Lott just exposed it publicly). In the post-Civil War period, especially after the negotiation that allowed Rutherford Hayes to become President over Tilden in return for "Reconstruction" ending, the Democrats of the South came up with a novel idea for black voting. The did not let them vote, unless they wished to imagine their vote as having been for a Democrat. Thus the election returns from the South are generally unreliable from about 1868 to about 1968, a century of voter suppression. But what is old is new again in the intellectual successor of the old Rebels, the world's most ironic party the Republicans.
Voter suppression is not some fantasy or conspiracy theory. It is a real tactic. Campaigns want to “get out the vote” but among only their voters. The other guys’ voters? Well, maybe they can be discouraged a little. Shortly after one Election Day, a group of top Republican legislative aides met on Capitol Hill to discuss the future. “The whole point was, how can we stop, how can we suppress their people from voting?” a disgusted Republican staffer who was at the meeting told me. “It’s just so stupid.” The staffer believed the future of the Republican Party should be to win over Democratic voters, especially minorities, instead of suppressing their votes. “Why don’t we give that a shot?” he asked me. “We could poll-tax them,” he added sarcastically. “And giving them sh—ty voting machines seems to be the latest tactic.”They've done half of that, and would love to do the other.
Beware the Village
Oh how they love the idea of raising the retirement age, or the age for medicare. Well, not surprisingly Dancin' Dave Gregory is out of step not just with rhythm but the public at large:
Sixty percent of those surveyed support the proposal, compared with just 37 percent who are opposed. The debate over raising taxes on the high-income earners was one of the defining issues of the 2012 campaign, although polls have consistently shown broad support for the proposal backed by Obama and the Democrats.
Meanwhile, an even larger portion of Americans — 67 percent — are opposed to raising the age for Medicare coverage from 65 to 67. Some Republicans such as Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) have suggested raising the Medicare eligibility age as part of their proposal to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff."
Pitching a Big Tent (though in reality 6 inches tops)
What a surprise, such diversity:
(Note: Also all white, not an ounce of diversity)
At the top of House committees, it’s a man’s world.Time for more hearings about lady-parts.
Not a single woman will lead any of the major House committees in the 113th Congress.
After a day of meetings closed to the public, the House Republican Steering Committee announced an all-male slate of committee chairs, including 12 returning lawmakers who will head up some of the most important panels in Washington.
Just wonderful people all around
Uganda's President pushes for legislation outlawing homosexuality -- including the use of the death penalty -- naturally the leaders of the "family values" brigade are D-E-L-I-G-H-T-E-D!
Tony Perkins will be on many future cable news chat shows...chances of him having to defend these positions.
ZILCH!
Christian leaders of America are excited about the prospect that Uganda is close to passing its "kill the gays" bill. The infamous bill is on the parliamentary schedule, cleared committee, ready for debate and said to be poised for a vote any day now. The speaker of the Ugandan Parliament has described it as "a Christmas gift to the Ugandan people."
Above, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins praises Ugandan president's "leadership," calling it an worthy "modern example."
Perkins is a frequent guest on CNN, MSNBC and other news outlets to speak to the Christian perspective on issues. Perkins also boasted of having authored passages in the Republican Party platform of concern to LGBT American citizens. Can we look forward to a "Kill the Gays" plank in the 2016 GOP platform?
Tony Perkins will be on many future cable news chat shows...chances of him having to defend these positions.
ZILCH!
Down...down...down
I hope they had the foresight
To sit on his chairs and pass gas -- it's what Steve King does:
Seven naked protesters swarmed the office of Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) on Tuesday for some 20 minutes of loud chanting against cuts to AIDS funding.
Among their chants: “Boehner, Boehner, don’t be a dick, budget cuts will make us sick.” And: “Fight AIDS. Act up. Fight back.” And: “End AIDS with the Robin Hood tax, no more budget cuts on our back.” And: “Budget cuts are really rude, that’s why we have to be so lewd.”
The ecological disaster that keeps on giving
Fukishima may no longer be on the front pages, but the next "clean" nuclear power advocate will undoubtedly not want you to know this:
This study is a few months old, but it is particularly pertinent, because of this:
[cross-posted at Firedoglake]
When the above four studies are tallied in one table, it becomes obvious that the result of the thyroid examinations of children in the “Fukushima Prefecture Health Management Survey” is astonishing. This is because one-third of the children had developed “ cysts.” A “cyst” is a fluid-filled sac. Cysts don’t mean there is an immediate chance of developing thyroid cancer. However, it is apparent that something extraordinary is happening inside the thyroid gland, such as inflammation or changes in cellular properties.And here is the comparison chart that is most shocking:
Japanese voters look likely to hand victory to a party that favours nuclear power in the first election since the March 2011 Fukushima radiation disaster - a result a baffled Greenpeace activist likens to one of the "wonders of the world".We sure are a "brilliant" species aren't we?
[cross-posted at Firedoglake]
If you are on a really really shitty awful show
You will eventually go insane.
The young co-star of CBS’ popular sitcom Two and a Half Men really, really wants you all to stop watching his show. And not because it’s terrible (it is), but because it is filled with the sort of “filth” that is antithetical to his God-fearing ways.That's two-thirds of the original cast. They've got to get Chevy Chase on that thing. Still will not watch though.
Who's more dishonest than a FoxNews pundit?
A FoxNews Vice-President:
Michael Clemente, executive vp for news editorial at FNC, tells The Hollywood Reporter that Ricks dodged Scott's question ("When you have four people dead, including the first U.N. ambassador in more than 30 years, how do you call that ‘hype?’"). “When Mr. Ricks ignored the anchor’s question, it became clear that his goal was to bring attention to himself — and his book," Clemente said in an email to THR. "He apologized in our offices, afterward, but doesn’t have the strength of character to do that publicly."Yeah, right. I'm guessing Mr. Clemente also felt like rubbing one out while fantasizing that his description actually happened...or just while thinking about his mother. To the surprise of no one who doesn't watch FoxNews and has an appreciation for honesty Mr. Ricks says "NO I DIDN'T".
But that's news to Ricks, who told THR in his own email that he never offered an apology to Fox, privately or publicly. "Please ask Mr. Clemente what the words of my supposed apology were. I'd be interested to know," Ricks said. "Frankly, I don't remember any such apology."
Guns, over-compensating for something?
Oh pity the poor homeowner:
A Minnesota homeowner who shot two unarmed teenagers in the midst of an apparent Thanksgiving Day break-in told authorities he feared they had a weapon, but acknowledged firing "more shots than I needed to" and appeared to take pride in "a good clean finishing shot" for one teen, according to investigators. Byron David Smith, 64, was charged Monday with two counts of second-degree murder in a criminal complaint that was chilling for the clinical way investigators said he described the shootings.I'm guessing he felt like rubbing one out while describing it to.
Oh please, oh please
As if the sweater-vest industry could use more bad news:
Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator who ran for president this year, says he is considering a second campaign for the White House in 2016. During a visit to Capitol Hill Monday, Santorum told The Weekly Standard magazine that he is "open" to running again.If he does run, I think every one of his speeches should be made over a porn soundtrack.
The Right is "bustin" all over
It would be just too bad if this Conservative conflict spilled over into a protracted event lasting years world-wide:
I imagine though, that ultimately the Right's love of ruining things for others is too unifying to allow other things to get in the way.
For example they can rally around Wal-Mart's ability to kill foreign workers in huge numbers as the blessings of free markets.
[cross-posted at Firedoglake]
A second investigation confirmed Jean-François Copé as the new leader of the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (UMP), the centre-right party of former president Nicolas Sarkozy.
But his rival, former prime minister François Fillon, immediately rejected the result saying the new count was "illegal" and the UMP appeals committee that produced it was biased in favour of Copé.
Copé, 48, was initially declared winner by a margin of just 98 votes after the ballot of party members eight days ago. Shortly afterwards Fillon, 58, claimed votes from three overseas districts had been "forgotten" and would have given him victory.
For the past week, the two sides have ripped the UMP apart, accusing each other of cheating and election fraud while party heavyweights called for calm and tried to referee the dispute. One French newspaper described it as "live suicide".Awe, that's too damn bad. If conservatives spend all their time fighting each other, things might get accomplished.
I imagine though, that ultimately the Right's love of ruining things for others is too unifying to allow other things to get in the way.
For example they can rally around Wal-Mart's ability to kill foreign workers in huge numbers as the blessings of free markets.
[cross-posted at Firedoglake]
Water Wet
The corporate CEOs who have made a high-profile foray into deficit negotiations have themselves been substantially responsible for the size of the deficit they now want closed.
The companies represented by executives working with the Campaign To Fix The Debt have received trillions in federal war contracts, subsidies and bailouts, as well as specialized tax breaks and loopholes that virtually eliminate the companies' tax bills.
The CEOs are part of a campaign run by the Peter Peterson-backed Center for a Responsible Federal Budget, which plans to spend at least $30 million pushing for a deficit reduction deal in the lame-duck session and beyond.
During the past few days, CEOs belonging to what the campaign calls its CEO Fiscal Leadership Council -- most visibly, Goldman Sachs' Lloyd Blankfein and Honeywell's David Cote -- have barnstormed the media, making the case that the only way to cut the deficit is to severely scale back social safety-net programs -- Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security -- which would disproportionately impact the poor and the elderly.
As part of their push, they are advocating a "territorial tax system" that would exempt their companies' foreign profits from taxation, netting them about $134 billion in tax savings, according to a new report from the Institute for Policy Studies titled "The CEO Campaign to ‘Fix’ the Debt: A Trojan Horse for Massive Corporate Tax Breaks" -- money that could help pay off the federal budget deficit.
Yet the CEOs are not offering to forgo federal money or pay a higher tax rate, on their personal income or corporate profits. Instead, council recommendations include cutting "entitlement" programs, as well as what they call "low-priority spending."
Many of the companies recommending austerity would be out of business without the heavy federal support they get, including Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase, which both received billions in direct bailout cash, plus billions more indirectly through AIG and other companies taxpayers rescued.
Here's a suggestion...accept the fiscal responsibility as your own doing...AND higher taxes...or I modestly propose...
UP AGAINST THE WALL MOTHERFUCKERS!
As "Deft" as fuck
As usual I did not watch "Meet the Press" (because why would I watch that crap over Formula One or Chelsea-Man City which were on at the same time?), but it appears like a bad penny the GOP cast of charlatans keeps getting recycled (the only kind they believe in).
Yet she's never far from Dancin' Dave having her on and not allowing others to point and laugh at her, which is her ONLY useful societal function.
Carly Fiorina, who reportedly stood to receive more than $42 million after being ousted at HP in 2005, says that public workers should receive less benefits because “it is not fair” that unions are “so rich.”That horrible person drove HP into the ground and did so while laying off 18,000 people.
Yet she's never far from Dancin' Dave having her on and not allowing others to point and laugh at her, which is her ONLY useful societal function.
Project on you crazy diamonds
Having overwhelmingly lost the vote of women, especially single women, in 2012, the "intellectuals" at FoxNews have devised a cunning plan. Make sure they lose them even worse by saying societies ills, such as they imagine them, can be laid at the feet of all the single ladies.
Deposit your check from Roger Ailes and take it away Suzanne Venker:
These must be the same people Ann Romney spoke to, in fact I'm pretty sure they are just as hypothetical.
I think the last time I recall such a discussion on this topic it was in the middle of "The Two Towers".
Of course, who am I? Just another person that has lived five-decades and who has never once heard this complaint from any living man or woman I have either spoken to or overheard.
But I have a feeling, they are plentiful indeed in the imaginations of your average FoxNews talking head.
[cross-posted at Firedoglake]
Deposit your check from Roger Ailes and take it away Suzanne Venker:
As the author of three books on the American family and its intersection with pop culture, I’ve spent thirteen years examining social agendas as they pertain to sex, parenting, and gender roles. During this time, I’ve spoken with hundreds, if not thousands, of men and women. And in doing so, I’ve accidentally stumbled upon a subculture of men who’ve told me, in no uncertain terms, that they’re never getting married. When I ask them why, the answer is always the same.Women aren’t women anymore.
These must be the same people Ann Romney spoke to, in fact I'm pretty sure they are just as hypothetical.
I think the last time I recall such a discussion on this topic it was in the middle of "The Two Towers".
Of course, who am I? Just another person that has lived five-decades and who has never once heard this complaint from any living man or woman I have either spoken to or overheard.
But I have a feeling, they are plentiful indeed in the imaginations of your average FoxNews talking head.
[cross-posted at Firedoglake]
China has built
It's first aircraft carrier.
Obviously, the ONLY thing the GOP will demand now is that we build 15 new ones in response. They only cost about $6 billion a piece. We're gonna have to cut entitlements and lower rich people's taxes.
Obviously, the ONLY thing the GOP will demand now is that we build 15 new ones in response. They only cost about $6 billion a piece. We're gonna have to cut entitlements and lower rich people's taxes.
Never been for me
I personally hate the act of smoking, whether it was cigarettes or pot... the sensation of inhaling smoke, awful.
But the war on drugs dumbest aspect was the assault on pot. Handle it like alcohol, its about as destructive and could raise a lot in taxes instead of being a wasted source of them.
A New York Times editorial agrees.
The think Obama should lead the way on it.
Doubtful.
But within a generation? Almost certainly.
But the war on drugs dumbest aspect was the assault on pot. Handle it like alcohol, its about as destructive and could raise a lot in taxes instead of being a wasted source of them.
A New York Times editorial agrees.
The think Obama should lead the way on it.
Doubtful.
But within a generation? Almost certainly.
Late to the Party
But as ever Mr. Pierce had a pithy and brilliant denouement of Thanksgiving:
When you come right down to the bottom of the chafing dish, Thanksgiving is a holiday of great ambivalence. A day allegedly dedicated to thanking the great Whoever that enough white people survived the winter in Plymouth to kick off 300-odd years of continent-wide genocide. A day dedicated to celebrating the simple gifts that the great Whoever bestowed upon this land, yet one that we mark by going crazy over cheap, Chinese-slave-labor produced crap at 12:01 a.m. the very next morning. Also, too: the Detroit Lions. Sometimes, America is a very tough room.
Oh this should be good
Just four days away:
Senior judge Brian Leveson is set to announce by the end of November the findings of his dissection of the industry, which was prompted by a phone-hacking scandal at Rupert Murdoch's News of the World Sunday, a News Corp tabloid the media tycoon then shut down. Leveson is expected to recommend a new independent body with statutory powers over the press instead of the current system of self-regulation that the industry wants to retain.
A bad tradition like no other
For those of you who follow the sport most predominantly known as "football" this is old school bigotry:
A brutal attack in Rome on fans of the Tottenham Hotspurs soccer team, a London club with strong Jewish connections, has been blamed on anti-Semites. Ten fans were injured on Thursday, one seriously, when a gang of around 50 stormed a bar in the Italian capital, wielding baseball bats, knives and broken bottles before a Europa League match against Lazio, a Rome team. The assault was immediately linked to Lazio’s notoriously troublesome fans, the Ultras, although team officials denied its supporters were involved.Unmentioned is that Lazio's 'Ultras' go back with a strong association with Facism. NOTE however, that the BBC says it was fans of A.S. Roma Lazio's biggest rival (though also with a history of facism). Some bad shit never changes.
Good for these folks
And good luck to them:
It’s on. A year and a half after retail workers announced the founding of a new Walmart employee group, five months after guest workers struck a Walmart seafood supplier, and seven weeks after the country’s first multi-store Walmart strikes, the Black Friday strike has begun. Walmart stores opened at 8 PM, drawing additional ire from employees required to come into work on Thanksgiving earlier than ever. But workers’ protests got off to an early start too. Around 7:30 PM EST, 30 workers from three Miami stores went on strike, joining 100-plus supporters for one of several nighttime rallies across the country. “It’s been so long that I’ve been working for people that had no respect for me,” Miami striker Elaine Rozier told The Nation. “They retaliated against me, and they always treated me like crap. And I’m so happy that this is history, that my grandkids can learn from this to stand up for themselves.” In the past, said Rozier, “I always used to sit back and not say anything…I’m proud of myself tonight.”As she should be, now stay tuned for FoxNews to accuse them of engaging in a war on freedom and Christmas.
Happy Worst Holiday of Year
Hope everyone had as nice a Thanksgiving as you could...and that the screaming, yelling, and resentment were kept to a minimum.
Here's how to make sure
You ruin THEIR Thanksgiving for a change.
5 Things To Tell Your Republican Relatives At Thanksgiving Dinner
5 Things To Tell Your Republican Relatives At Thanksgiving Dinner
THIS is what he wants modified
Can't have sex without trying to make a baby; two dudes can never get it on; and women as Priests, EGAD no...but making Jesus into an old guy just like him...no problem.
"The calculation of the beginning of our calendar – based on the birth of Jesus – was made by Dionysius Exiguus, who made a mistake in his calculations by several years," the Pope writes in the book, which went on sale around the world with an initial print run of a million copies."The actual date of Jesus's birth was several years before."
A "Model" for government
Almost single-handedly being the downfall of a major charitable organization that once had almost universal support sure would not look good on most resumes.
But in the world where depriving people of sex, science and medicine is considered a positive boon, it has the makings of either political candidate or FoxNews Contributor.
And before you do the latter, you might as well try the former:
But in the world where depriving people of sex, science and medicine is considered a positive boon, it has the makings of either political candidate or FoxNews Contributor.
And before you do the latter, you might as well try the former:
Karen Handel, the former Susan G. Komen for the Cure executive who drove the charity's attempt to defund Planned Parenthood, is considering running for U.S. Senate in Georgia, according to one of her former aides.And ONLY is such a world could this statement be considered marginally valid:
If she ran, she would be going up against Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), whom Roll Call reported may be vulnerable to a primary challenge from the right, given his "willingness to reach across the aisle and his comfort with the idea of compromise."
I find it hard to believe
The Romney Campaign wasn't run by the same IT wizards that still have this up.
Like "Lincoln"
My Thanksgiving is going to end with a candle-flame transitioning to me giving a speech.
If you have seen "Lincoln" let me know if the ending didn't strike you as kind of off-puttingly hilarious. Like Darth Vader's "NOOOOOOO" moment -- only with that it was the final denouement of a hilariously badly thought out trilogy of films, this was the "too schmaltzy" ending of a great movie -- how Spielbergian.
Should not keep anyone from seeing the movie, though, I liked it very much otherwise. Very hard to make so much exposition interesting but it was done, in large part because of the performances -- Day Lewis pretty much has the Oscar already.
Just could have used a stronger editing in the finish.
If you have seen "Lincoln" let me know if the ending didn't strike you as kind of off-puttingly hilarious. Like Darth Vader's "NOOOOOOO" moment -- only with that it was the final denouement of a hilariously badly thought out trilogy of films, this was the "too schmaltzy" ending of a great movie -- how Spielbergian.
Should not keep anyone from seeing the movie, though, I liked it very much otherwise. Very hard to make so much exposition interesting but it was done, in large part because of the performances -- Day Lewis pretty much has the Oscar already.
Just could have used a stronger editing in the finish.
Cannot help but notice
That on or about November 23rd FoxNews will start "War on Christmas" season (as mythical as Santa itself), while Thanksgiving is being taken away from millions of employees in the retail trade ACTUALLY DESTROYING THANKSGIVING.
But since it involves the proles having their holidays ruined they do not give a shit.
But since it involves the proles having their holidays ruined they do not give a shit.
Is it the "Whitey Tape"?
Sorry still in Dean Chambers mode.
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has apparently made a discovery "for the history books," but we'll have to wait a few weeks to learn what the new Red Planet find may be, media reports suggest. The discovery was made by Curiosity's Sample Analysis at Mars instrument, NPR reported today (Nov. 20). SAM is the rover's onboard chemistry lab, and it's capable of identifying organic compounds — the carbon-containing building blocks of life as we know it. SAM apparently spotted something interesting in a soil sample Curiosity's huge robotic arm delivered to the instrument recently. "This data is gonna be one for the history books," Curiosity chief scientist John Grotzinger, of Caltech in Pasadena, told NPR. "It's looking really good."The Curiosity Rover would have picked up more info but its path was blocked by a large monolith...bah dum baaaaah!
Not so much a philosophy as a Cult
Barackofraudo.com
Naturally.
We're getting sooooooo close...
BWAHAHAHAHAHA! And to toot my own horn (I'm soooooo lonely) SUCK ON THIS ONE NATE SILVER!
Well I guess there's a reason
Paul Krugman is a Nobel Prize winner while I choked every year at regionals.
...today’s Republican party is an alliance between the plutocrats and the preachers, plus some opportunists along for the ride — full stop. The whole party is about low taxes at the top (and low benefits for the rest), plus conservative social values and putting religion in the schools; it has no other reason for being.
I suppose we'll just have to pretend this "might" happen
Rupert Murdoch, last heard from calling both Chris Christie and Jewish publishers traitors almost simultaneously must think a lot of his legal troubles from the phone-hacking scandal behind him. After all, he has started buying things again -- hoping to match the unqualified success of MySpace. But recent events have reawakened that old issue:
[cross-posted at Firedoglake]
[bribery] charges brought against Rebekah Brooks, who ran Murdoch's newspaper holdings in Britain, Andy Coulson, former editor of the now defunct News of the World, and two other former News International employees exposes the parent News Corporation to possible action under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The FCPA exists to prosecute US-domiciled companies for acts of bribery and corruption that they might commit abroad.Yeah, I'll pretend that might happen the same way I'll pretend Rupert did not become an American citizen for the sole purpose of ruining American journalism.
[cross-posted at Firedoglake]
Just another sign you chose wisely America
Mitt Romney could have picked this weekend to see y'know 'Lincoln' the movie where Republicans get to pretend they are progressive and awesome...while approaching their 150th anniversary of selling their souls (should be noted it took another 70 for the Democrats to find theirs).
Or he could have seen 'Skyfall' -- where they can pretend "M" is played by the head of the Morman Church and they marry every woman they sleep and or wrestle with, even Bambi and Thumper.
I'm ruling out 'Flight' because it involves the "alcohol" and another distinguished black guy.
But Mitt Romney...Sixty-fucking-Five year old Mitt Romney and his sister-wife Ann chose to see 'Twilight'...on its opening weekend.
Now I know somehow there's supposedly a Mormon-theme in the movie somewhere (are Mormon's sparkly? I dunno, they never knock on my door when the Sun is out)
Team Mittens.
Or he could have seen 'Skyfall' -- where they can pretend "M" is played by the head of the Morman Church and they marry every woman they sleep and or wrestle with, even Bambi and Thumper.
I'm ruling out 'Flight' because it involves the "alcohol" and another distinguished black guy.
But Mitt Romney...Sixty-fucking-Five year old Mitt Romney and his sister-wife Ann chose to see 'Twilight'...on its opening weekend.
Now I know somehow there's supposedly a Mormon-theme in the movie somewhere (are Mormon's sparkly? I dunno, they never knock on my door when the Sun is out)
Team Mittens.
And what of the two-ply wetsuit?
Oh dear, super right-wing lawyer who's face is all up in your tolerance and gay marriage has a peculiar notion of what Jesus would do:
Annnnnnndddddd.....
...scene!
(via AmericaBlog)
Biron is associated with the Alliance Defending Freedom, a group of lawyers who, according to their website, are committed to keeping “the door open for the spread of the Gospel” by advocating for “religious liberty, the sanctity of life, and marriage and family.” In Concord, she worked with the ADF in defending a Pentecostal Church on Mountain Road in its tax fight against the city.
Annnnnnndddddd.....
A Manchester lawyer took a teenage girl to Canada, had her engage in sexual activity and convinced her to let it be filmed, according to federal indictments.FBI agents swiftly arrested Lisa Biron yesterday morning as she awaited a hearing on child pornography charges at Manchester’s district court. About 9 a.m. FBI agents entered the courtroom, told Biron to leave her belongings and took her into an adjoining conference room where she remained for several minutes before coming out in handcuffs.
...scene!
(via AmericaBlog)
Say hello to the Old Nazis!
Hey somebody kept their promises -- a true ex-"Patriot":
Well he does have better odds of joining a good junta down there. Is he living in the Pinochet Heights Condominiums?
His family requested he spend less time in the same hemisphere with them.
Frank Szabo, the one-time candidate for Hillsborough County sheriff who sparked controversy when he declined to rule out using deadly force to stop abortions, has left the country.
Szabo pledged to protect citizens against rogue federal bureaucrats if elected, arresting government agents if he thought it necessary to protect property and personal rights. In an earlier interview with WMUR, he had said he might use deadly force to stop abortions but later retracted that statement, saying that he would simply arrest abortion providers.
On Sunday night, Szabo announced on Facebook that he had left the United States. He didn’t name his destination, though other recent posts indicate he’s in the South American nation of Chile…
Well he does have better odds of joining a good junta down there. Is he living in the Pinochet Heights Condominiums?
Obviously, the problem with voting is too many voters
I'm just an old guy, but I remember when high voter turn out was something that a state was proud of.
[cross-posted at Firedoglake]
In 2008, Wisconsin enjoyed the second highest turnout of any state in the nation (72.4 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot), due largely to the fact the Badger State law allows residents who aren’t registered or have recently moved to register at the polls.The figures will probably be similar in 2012. But something terrible seems to happen when there is high participation in a democracy...apparently too many people vote and people ruin it for everyone else...hurting Republicans.
Gov. Scott Walker (R) announced one of his major policy proposals for the upcoming session: ending the state’s 40-year old law that allows citizens to register to vote on Election Day.You'd think Walker would want large voter rolls, because he might need the biggest jury pool he can get.
Gov. Scott Walker and his top campaign and Milwaukee County aides were implicated Monday in a scheme in which they routinely commingled political and official county business. The disclosures came during the sentencing of a former aide to Walker during his last year as Milwaukee County executive.
[cross-posted at Firedoglake]
God-sized overcompensatoin
Remember Bush favorite General Jerry "My God is bigger than the Muslim's God"* Boykin?
Well he's still around, retired, and working for the hate group known as the Family Research Council.
How'd that ol' heterosexual Petraeus come to lose his job Jerry?
Yeah, the right-wing will be getting sane any century now.
*Neat trick since they are the same.
Well he's still around, retired, and working for the hate group known as the Family Research Council.
How'd that ol' heterosexual Petraeus come to lose his job Jerry?
TONY PERKINS: So General, let me be clear. The, what we see here, this rash of general officers that have been brought down through scandal, sex scandal, you believe this is a reflection of a declining moral standard within the military as a whole.Straight-men cheating with the ladies...is all the gay peoples' fault.
GENERAL BOYKIN: I do think that is the case, Tony. I think that this is, ah, concrete evidence.
Yeah, the right-wing will be getting sane any century now.
*Neat trick since they are the same.
I don't speak Arabic
In fact I cannot speak any language in non-Latin form...as well as every language in Latin-form except English and a few vital Spanish phrases and swear-words.
So I cannot speak of what "Benghazi" means in Arabic, but I'm guessing in "Republican" it means the same thing as "Solyndra".
So I cannot speak of what "Benghazi" means in Arabic, but I'm guessing in "Republican" it means the same thing as "Solyndra".
Good byeeeeeeee!
Alan West demanded his recount and he got it...turned out real good for him.
Time for that FoxNews gig.
Results of recounting more than 37,000 St. Lucie County ballots were announced shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday and preliminary figures given by Canvassing Board member Tod Mowery placed Jupiter Democrat Patrick Murphy farther ahead of Republican Allen West than before the two-day effort began.
Murphy campaign senior advisor Eric Johnson was quick to reaffirm victory.
"As far as we're concerned, this puts an end to it," Johnson said. "The West people demanded a recount. They got that retabulation and Patrick Murphy gained a margin of 242 votes.
""This election is over," Johnson added.
Time for that FoxNews gig.
"...and furthermore, give me your shovel"
Lindsey Graham gave us a good example of the bifurcated nature of the Republican political brain yesterday. Appearing for the 87 bazillionth time on a Sunday Talk Show he was asked about Mitt Romney's "gift" remarks to his donors last week.
Unless, of course, you are in a primary where you need the "base" ...like Lindsey Graham:
You cannot reach the bottom without a lot of digging Lindsey.
When even Joe Lieberman calls you out...creepily of course...it is not a good sign.
[cross-posted at Firedoglake]
“We’re in a big hole,” said Graham in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press." “We’re not getting out of it by comments like that. When you’re in a hole, stop digging. He keeps digging."Yes, stop it Republicans. Stop putting forth crazy conspiracy theories that appeal just the impulsive of your base.
Unless, of course, you are in a primary where you need the "base" ...like Lindsey Graham:
You cannot reach the bottom without a lot of digging Lindsey.
When even Joe Lieberman calls you out...creepily of course...it is not a good sign.
[cross-posted at Firedoglake]
Hey look it's a human in troll form
Rupert's been hanging out with Pat Buchanan again:
Wow...a guy who owns waaaaaaay too much of the media complaining about a "Jewish owned press"?
Ugh.
Ugh.
Somebody got paid for this
And it wasn't from the Onion:
Hey GOP, take the Palin cure
She's hot, she's blue collar, she's electable...
Sarah Palin is the new Ronald Reagan: charming and affable and unwilling to back down if she's right. I can't see what's wrong with that.
Crazy is as crazy does
Let's see the election happened on November 6th, Obama is constitutionally barred from running again, and Romney won Mississippi so naturally...
This week, Taitz filed new papers with a federal court in Mississippi in an effort to get Obama removed from the ballot in that state.I guess it beats these folks spending money on cross-burning.
Naturally
McCain and Graham have clearly stepped into the bullshit this time -- I'm sure they'll be punished and shamed appropriately.
No?
This Sunday:
Meet the Press -- Lindsay Graham
Face the Nation - John McCain
I'm sure they'll be "really" challenged.
No?
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) noted that Petraeus "was adamant there was no politicization of the process, no White House interference or political agenda. He completely debunked that idea."
The names of terrorists believed to be involved were removed for reasons of national security, and all of the relevant intelligence agencies signed off on the edited text. As Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) explained to the AP, "[I]n an unclassified document you want to be careful who you identify as being involved."No.
Susan Rice then relied on the intelligence community's findings to update the public five days after the attack, and everything she said reflected the best information available at the time.
And before Fox News suggests Petraeus is still lying in order to protect the Obama administration, let's not forget that Petraeus is no longer part of the Obama administration. He's a private citizen, free to speak his mind -- and in this case, everything Petraeus is saying is consistent with everything the White House has said. Petraeus' remarks have left the right's conspiracy theories in tatters.
This Sunday:
Meet the Press -- Lindsay Graham
Face the Nation - John McCain
I'm sure they'll be "really" challenged.
So how about something you can sneak on your parent's computer over the holidays
That tells them the right-wing bullshit mass email they are about to forward to you is, in fact, bullshit before you write them back and tell them -- and add "stop watching FoxNews you look like an idiot" causing hard feelings all around.
This is the App to handle the matter.
Of course, the first time this happens there are two possible scenarios.
1. They freak out and think the black helicopters are after them.
2. They call you to badly describe the problem for you and expect you to use your barely passable IT skills to fix the problem and tell them there is an "any" "anykey".
So I guess you can just block them.
This is the App to handle the matter.
Of course, the first time this happens there are two possible scenarios.
1. They freak out and think the black helicopters are after them.
2. They call you to badly describe the problem for you and expect you to use your barely passable IT skills to fix the problem and tell them there is an "any" "anykey".
So I guess you can just block them.
And THAT'S how you do it
The GOP has obviously decided that the Benghazi matter has a blue dress somewhere and yesterday in a House hearing Dana "I sure loved me the Taliban" Rohrabacher proclaimed the matter worse than 'Watergate' -- which must have made the loss of the marine's in Lebanon under Reagan worse than all the Wars EVER! in comparison.
But New York Rep. Gary Ackerman had enough:
But New York Rep. Gary Ackerman had enough:
Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY) unloaded, first sarcastically: "Let's just hang the guilty parties."
"The stench of hypocrisy that hangs over this city today emanates from this room," Ackerman said. "I've listened to my colleagues talk about the President of the United States and others in the administration using [the] terms 'deliberate', 'lies', 'unmitigated gall', 'malfeasance,' which is malicious and knowing evil-doing, 'disgust', 'coverups'."
He continued, "If you want to know who is responsible in this town, buy yourself a mirror!"
Ackerman went on to say that Republicans had "the audacity to come here" when the administration requested, for worldwide security, "$440 million more than you guys wanted to provide. And the answer is that you damn didn't provide it! You REDUCED what the administration asked for to protect these people. Ask not who the guilty party is, it's you! It is us. It is this committee, and the things that we insist that we need have to cost money."
He added, "Could you tell me which of my colleagues on this committee was as bodacious in their insistence that we provide more money for American security in the State Department budget. I would appreciate it."
Ackerman then asked them to raise their hands and gave them a count of five to do so. None did.
Safe District
If you are wondering about how effective the 2010 census was in redistricting for the benefit of the Republican Party look no further than this guy:
All of this information was pretty well covered in the press before the 2012 election as DesJarlais ran for his second term. But DesJarlais had the greatest of weapons in his arsenal an (R) behind his name. The result confirmed it as the voters of Tennessee's 4th District returned him to Congress with 56% of the vote, only 1% less than he had received two years before.
The nation's demographics may favor the modern Democrats, but the GOP has managed to gerrymander a stable majority out of a minority in voting by creating districts represented by people like Scott DesJarlais.
[cross-posted at Firedoglake]
Records released Thursday from Rep. Scott DesJarlais's (R-Tenn.) 2001 divorce appear to confirm previous reports that DesJarlais had sexual relationships with patients while a practicing physician in Tennessee. The Chattanooga Times Free Press obtained the documents, which reveal that DesJarlais, who opposes abortion rights, supported his ex-wife in obtaining two abortions before their marriage.In a profession famous for hypocrites the self-proclaimed "family values" conservative Scott DesJarlais stands at the very top by having a morality dealt from the bottom of the deck.
All of this information was pretty well covered in the press before the 2012 election as DesJarlais ran for his second term. But DesJarlais had the greatest of weapons in his arsenal an (R) behind his name. The result confirmed it as the voters of Tennessee's 4th District returned him to Congress with 56% of the vote, only 1% less than he had received two years before.
The nation's demographics may favor the modern Democrats, but the GOP has managed to gerrymander a stable majority out of a minority in voting by creating districts represented by people like Scott DesJarlais.
[cross-posted at Firedoglake]
Of course he did
"Mr. Straight Talk" alright a report from CNN:
I have to tell you something that just happened on Capitol Hill, and that is our senate producer Ted Barrett just ran into John McCain and asked about something that we’re hearing from Democrats, which is John McCain is calling for more information to Congress, but he had a press conference yesterday instead of going to a closed briefing where administration officials were giving more information. Well, Ted Barrett asked John McCain about that, and it was apparently an intense very angry exchange and McCain simply would not comment on it at all.Not a denial mind you...just a freak out that someone in the press wasn't on their knees with their hands out and mouth open.
Their "outreach" to minority voters
Is sure to win a whole bunch of new converts:
Yes, can no one end this scourge of invisible black people that suddenly appear in rural Maine every four years for the literal crime of "voting while black"?
Although I do wonder how Paul Ryans "urban voters is why we lost" theory matches up with the theory that the same "urban" voters invaded the back woods of Maine?
Oh, I'm sorry, logic doesn't apply to Republican voting theory.
Maine's outgoing Republican Party chairman plans to investigate claims that "dozens of black people" unfamiliar to local officials voted in rural Maine towns, the Bangor Daily News reports.Mr. Webster forgot to also add, "and they all looked-alike".
“In some parts of the state, there were dozens of black people who came in to vote,” Charlie Webster said in an interview. “Nobody in town knew them.”
Yes, can no one end this scourge of invisible black people that suddenly appear in rural Maine every four years for the literal crime of "voting while black"?
Although I do wonder how Paul Ryans "urban voters is why we lost" theory matches up with the theory that the same "urban" voters invaded the back woods of Maine?
Oh, I'm sorry, logic doesn't apply to Republican voting theory.
Way to handle it jackass
At least John McCain waited a couple months before becoming a bitter asshole...well, bitter-er.
A week after losing the election to President Obama, Mitt Romney blamed his overwhelming electoral loss on what he said were big “gifts” that the president had bestowed on loyal Democratic constituencies, including young voters, African-Americans and Hispanics.As opposed to doing the "honorable" thing and just give "gifts" to rich white guys.
The New Copperhead
Sean Hannity:
Hannity Responds To Caller: "I'm Not For Secession, But I Understand Why People Might Be"Nah, it is not fair to compare Hannity to a Copperhead...they have value.
Well, of all the people to lie to us once again...
Who would have ever picked (other than many other times) the Oil Companies?
West Coast gasoline price spikes in May and October were widely blamed on refinery outages, but new research to be released at a California hearing Thursday shows that refiners continued to produce gasoline in periods when the public was told the contrary.*Shakes Fist at Toby Lundberg* How did they get away with that one?
...in May, at a time when Royal Dutch Shell’s Martinez, Calif., plant was reported to be down for maintenance for two weeks, it appears to have been making gasoline for at least half that time. That conclusion is reached from state environmental documents showing nitrogen oxide emissions had returned to normal at the refinery a full week before it was reported to have come back on line. The research also concludes that gasoline inventories actually were building in May during a time in which West Coast motorists paid at least 50 cents more per gallon than the national averageBut I'm sure it's just all a product of the market, the sweet ginned-up "free" market. [cross-posted at Firedoglake]
Still looking for all his lost clues
This surprised you?
A guy who's pro-choice and not opposed to gay marriage caucusing with the majority part that also does...yes, really really shocking.
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