Yesterday was another comfortable day with no AC needed. I went out to run a few errands, and upgraded the theme here, which requires specifying several custom features over again. I am current on replies. Tomorrow I’m a volunteer working with a therapy group of former prisoners.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today it took me 3:53 (average 4:47). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From TPM: If you’re trying to institute a new paradigm in the field of federal disaster relief, you could use a better ally than former FEMA Director Michael Brown, better known to most of you as "Heckuva Job" Brownie.
He’s the former International Arabian Horse Association Commissioner and the guy many blame for bungling the federal response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He’s also the first high-profile person in with experience in the field of disaster management to back the new GOP requirement that federal disaster aid be offset with federal spending cuts.
On Fox News Tuesday, Brown gave the policy his seal of approval.
Cantor is just as competent as Brownie.
From Reuters: Two top Federal Reserve officials diverged on Tuesday on the need for further action by the U.S. central bank to stimulate the flagging U.S. economic recovery, underscoring the dilemma faced by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke.
Charles Evans, president of the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank and a noted policy dove, said he favored strong central bank accommodation "for a substantial period of time," since the economy now looks to be moving "sideways."
But Narayana Kocherlakota, president of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank, speaking separately on Tuesday, stopped well short of signaling support for further easing, showing he remains firmly on the hawkish wing of the Fed’s policy-setting panel.
In short, the Fed is clueless about what to do.
From Politicususa: According to a recent Federal Appeals court ruling, Republican members of Congress who confiscate citizens’ cell phones or cameras and do not allow filming at town halls are violating their constituents First Amendment rights.
One of the ways that unpopular House Republicans have been trying to dodge the wrath of their angry constituents during the August recess is to not allow filming at their town halls. Last week, Rep. Steve Chabot of Ohio directed on duty police officers to confiscate the cameras of citizens who tried to film his responses at a recent town hall. Chabot justified this behavior as necessary for the protection of his constituents, but a Federal Court ruling on Friday makes it clear that the Republicans who engaging in this behavior are violating the First Amendment rights of their constituents.
I suspect the five Injustices of SCROTUS will overrule the four Justices of SCOTUS to overturn this excellent decision.
Cartoon:
15 Responses to “Open Thread–8/31/2011”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
3:57
Obviously, they don’t like the way their town hall meetings are going. did you know that Paul Ryan won’t even hold them anymore? He only speaks at paid events now.
Good one!
So if nobody pays then we don’t have to listen to his poison drivel!
I love it! “Hurricane McCain”, “Hurricane Rick Perry”, and “Hurricane Eric Cantor” are all names the public should remember and despise!
Hurricane Dingbat!
5:56 Hurricane “Ru Paul” or “1900” for short. (Libertarian dressing up as a Republican)
And Hurricane Boner would be a dust devil.
3:55 Wow, we are all close together today, but once again TomCat is the winner. I am 73 out of 243 (300).
Today I’m to beat.
Today’s cartoon wins the prize for funniest in the last 30 days.
The fact that Fox News would consider having Brownie on ANY broadcast, but particularly one relating to a Hurricane, is just flat-out jaw dropping.
Is anyone with an IQ over 80 still watching this dreck?
Thanks Ann.
If their IQ is over 80 when they start watching, it drops fast.
The confiscation of cell phones and cameras by policemen totally ticked me off. Why weren’t they asking exactly what law they were upholding? They weren’t. They were violating the First Amendment big time.
It’s just beyond the pale that police who are being unionly screwed are playing brownshirts for Republicans. Shouldn’t they be put on notice from the other states (say, Wisconsin) that these people with (R) after their name are NOT on their side?
Marva, you sure have that right.
Question, question, QUESTION! I said that in an earlier post. It makes me wonder if they really know what their rights are. For sure criminals learn their rights really fast. The average American needs to learn AND understand what their rights are. Perhaps there should be adult civics lessons before you are allowed to vote or some other measure. I’m not about taking away voting rights — those are sacrosanct — but about people having the freedom to ask questions and make intelligent decisions. Mind you, you can’t legislate having the balls to ask the questions!
TomCat, goooood cartoon!
Spend on disaster relief, cut elsewhere, then it is a go. I could see cutting his income, and those of the legislators, then spend that money on relief. But unfortunately that won’t go far enough. It seems to me that a coördinated effort to have disaster relief restorations done in a specific area could be done more cheaply. For example, people put forth their needs along with copies of their property insurance (if they have any) to a “restoration” committee. That committee then reviews and authorises the work in conjunction with the insurance company. That way, restoration company A could be engaged to clean and dry places from the water ingress in an entire area thus making the work, hopefully, more cost efficient and cheaper. This is just an idea and in no way detailed enough, but hopefully you understand what I’m saying.
You know, if the Republican legislators are so afraid they might be caught in a lie if someone gets them on tape, then maybe they should keep their mouths shut. And to say that it is for the protection of their constituents is pure bull. If I were a citizen, I would want to hear all parties, not just the one I voted for. How can you make an informed decision otherwise? I agree with Tom that “the five Injustices of SCROTUS will overrule the four Justices of SCOTUS to overturn this excellent decision.”