I’m writing early, and tomorrow will be day six. I had a brief lapse yesterday. A friend walked into my apartment with a lit cigarette. I took it from her and took a puff, over her apologies and protests. Then I felt guilty and gave it back, but for a couple minutes, I was one happy cat! I’m not holding it against myself. The battle continues.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:28 (average 4:44). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Fantasy Football:
We still have two openings in out fantasy football league. Let me know if you want one. It really is fun. 🙂
Short Takes:
From NY Times: After contradictory stories emerged about an F.B.I. agent’s killing last month of a Chechen man in Orlando, Fla., who was being questioned over ties to the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, the bureau reassured the public that it would clear up the murky episode.
“The F.B.I. takes very seriously any shooting incidents involving our agents, and as such we have an effective, time-tested process for addressing them internally,” a bureau spokesman said.
But if such internal investigations are time-tested, their outcomes are also predictable: from 1993 to early 2011, F.B.I. agents fatally shot about 70 “subjects” and wounded about 80 others — and every one of those episodes was deemed justified, according to interviews and internal F.B.I. records obtained by The New York Times through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
The last two years have followed the same pattern: an F.B.I. spokesman said that since 2011, there had been no findings of improper intentional shootings.
At all levels, federal, state, and local, only civilian review boards can protect US citizens from abuse of power.
From MSNBC: The GOP doesn’t want to compare Gitmo to Food stamps!
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The difference is $900K/prisoner/year vs $60K/year and the $60K is only for the worst ones. That could feed a lot of hungry children, but Republicans are stealing their food. The Bible says, not what hatemonger Fincher said. It says that a man should not eat, if he REFUSES to work. It can hardly be called refusal for the many whose jobs were outsourced by Republicans to countries where the can increase profit with slave labor, severe pollution, and unsafe conditions. The Bible makes ample provision for meeting the needs of the poor, but Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians care only for poor billionaires.
From Think Progress: Following a critical series of articles in three Maine newspapers this week, Maine Gov. Paul LePage’s (R) office has cut off those papers’ access to administration officials.
The same week the Portland Press Herald, the Kennebec Journal, and the Morning Sentinel published an in-depth analysis of the administration’s work to undermine environmental protections, a spokeswoman told them they would no longer respond to requests, even for public documents, because the newspaper’s parent company “made it clear that it opposed this administration.”
The papers conducted an extensive investigation into a former corporate lobbyist appointed by LePage to be commissioner of Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). What they found was that Patricia Aho has fought environmental laws and enforcement since her appointment in 2011. The positions she has taken include blocking implementation of a 2008 law to protect youth from dangerous chemicals, reducing enforcement on land developers, rolling back recycling programs, and purging information from the Department’s website. Each of these efforts benefit her former clients in the chemical, drug, oil, and real estate industries.
RepubliSpeak Dictionary – Freedom of the Press: freedom to goose-step as the Republican Reich directs. Otherwise, forget it!
Cartoon:
16 Responses to “Open Thread–6/20/2013”
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3:13 So who will give me pain and shatter my pane?
3:58 Not I. So far, you and Tom have both shattered my pane and given me a giant pain.
3:31 They broke my glASS too.
Nobody!
Well done for not holding your very brief lapse against yourself – a minor lapse and the battle continues! That is one minor lapse compared to hundreds of pieces of temptation conquered – but I would ask the friend not to smoke in front of you again!
I completely agree with this TC – "The difference is $900K/prisoner/year vs $60K/year and the $60K is only for the worst ones. That could feed a lot of hungry children, but Republicans are stealing their food. The Bible says, not what hatemonger Fincher said. It says that a man should not eat, if he REFUSES to work. It can hardly be called refusal for the many whose jobs were outsourced by Republicans to countries where the can increase profit with slave labor, severe pollution, and unsafe conditions. The Bible makes ample provision for meeting the needs of the poor, but Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians care only for poor billionaires." The Bible does say that the devil can quote scripture – and he seems to be having a high old time leading the GOP astray!
See below, Pat.
Indeed they are!
Stick with the plan to quit smoking. Don't let a little setback keep you down. With your lungs, you should not allow anyone to smoke in your apartment. Second-hand smoke is just as damaging.. My doctor does not want me around any second-hand smoke, so Shane and my visitors do their smoking outside. If the wind is blowing in my direction, I move away.
My house insurance does not allow smoking in my home. When my father (now deceased), brother and sister-in-law came over years ago, I sent them all outside if they had to smoke, and I shut the patio door to stop the smoke. Now my brother and sister-in-law don't smoke. There are no ash trays in the house, and I find people ask if they can smoke. I steer them outside to which most decline, especially in the rain.
That's quite rude of your friend to smoke in your apartment, although I will cut her some slack if she didn't know you were quitting.
Keep at it. You're doing great even if you are feeling a little irritable.
Please see below.
I just don't get why the Repubs won't close Gitmo. Is it because we'd have to try them if they were on American soil? Technically they already are. My home state has an empty supermax prison and is willing to take them. What's the harm in trying them in the US Court system? Are they afraid they will escape? I just don't get them, not that that is a new thing.
As long as they are there, Republucans can use lies to generate fear of bring them here.
Puzzle — 3:13 So who will give me pain and shatter my pane?
NY Times — There were similar concerns here with the RCMP and city police investigating their own. Now in Metro Vancouver, one city police force will review a case of another force. But there is also a civilian Complaints Commissioner. I'm not sure that we have it right yet, but some of these changes came about because of the death of Robert Dziekanski at the Vancouver Int'l Airport several years ago. Perjury and other trials are still going on against 4 RCMP members.
MSNBC — Republican/Teabaggers, fiscal conservatives? My ass! They are fiscal hypocrites! They drive up costs and then blame Mr Obama for spending levels. Same for the relatively modest cost of defending DOMA. Spending that should never have been authorised.
Release those without charges, move those with charges to Lisa's prison, and expedite the trials. This is nothing more than Republican/Teabagger tomfoolery! How many American kids and families could be helped with those funds?
Think Progress — An environmental destructionist appointed the state Environmental Protection commissioner? I hope the Maine electorate now knows who doesn't have their best interests in mind — Republican/Teabaggers! And I would say to the LePage administration, if you don't like the heat, get out of the kitchen. The public, which includes the press, has a right to access public documents. You can't re-write history that easily.
Cartoon — A good day for the labour movement. May the Republican/Teabaggers be in morning in perpetuity!
You Bigfooted us all.
You are closer to the rational track than we.
Exactly!
But that is EXACTLY what Republicans intend to do.
Amen!
Your efforts to quit smoking are not only admirable, they hold a rich reward … improved health!
Keep up the good work!
Thanks, Nameless.
My friend who walked in with a cigarette does no better, and I doubt that she will do it again. She has smoked here for years and came in with one wothout thinking. She already put herself on a guilt trip ovcer it. My apartment is a no smoking zone.