If you’re wondering how I put up such a normal Open Thread on a travel day, I admit to a bit to trickery. I am writing this article, in its entirety, on Wednesday morning, before leaving on my volunteer trip. I will upload it to the blog as a draft, so the only things I have to do in Salem are do the puzzle and update the time taken to do it. Slick, huh?
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 4:32 (average 5:22). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From TPM: Earlier this month, Bob McDonnell became former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell. On Tuesday, he became indicted former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell.
Just days after he left office, the Republican and and his wife, Maureen McDonnell, were charged in federal court with more than a dozen counts related to the tens of thousands of dollars in gifts and loans they accepted from a wealthy Virginia businessman. (The ex-governor maintained on Tuesday that he had done nothing illegal.)
The fact that the McDonnells were under scrutiny from prosecutors was no secret. Stories about the investigation, and the relationship between the McDonnells and the businessman, Jonnie Williams, had been appearing in the press for months. We knew (thanks in large part to stellar reporting from The Washington Post) about the Rolex, and the Oscar de la Renta dress, and the Ferrari joyride, and the golf outings. But the 43-page indictment filed on Tuesday did reveal numerous new details about the scandal, and confirmed several other points which had been fuzzy or in dispute.
Click through for the details of Gov. Ultrasound's indictment. It is a shocking revelation of standard operating procedure for Republican politicians, and it may even be a window to what's ahead for PIGnocchio.
From Think Progress: It seemed like all anyone in Washington could talk about on Tuesday was Ezra Klein’s departure from the Washington Post. But another journalist’s new job caught my eye: Stephen Moore, the Wall Street Journal’s notorious economics columnist, joined the Heritage Foundation as its “chief economist. [InsaniTEA delinked]”
Moore’s hiring cements the emerging case that the Heritage Foundation, far from being a traditional think tank, has become a Tea Party lobby with a big research budget. It also tells us a lot about the real role that economic thought plays in a movement obsessed with its opponents’ supposed economic ignorance [Faux Noise delinked].
This isn’t Moore’s first dance at Heritage — he was a fellow there during the heyday of the Reagan Revolution. But as chief economist, Moore will wield far more influence over the direction of Heritage’s economic research than he did thirty years ago.
My bold prediction: this will end in terrible embarrassment. Moore is much more conservative activist than journalist. In 1999, he founded the Club for Growth, one of the hardest of hard-line conservative PACs, and served as its President until 1999. Moore, who had described [Propagandist delinked] his goal in founding the Club to be creating “the tax cut enforcer of the party,” called [InsaniTEA delinked] the Club’s birth “the defining moment of his career.”
That's a trip from Murdoch's Faux Print to DeMint. It will mean even more TEAbuggery from Heritage Foundation, and Murdoch will surely find an equally deranged 1% class warrior for his propaganda rag.
From Salon.com: The NOAA’s annual State of the Climate report is in, and it confirmed what anyone who’s been paying attention probably noticed: 2013 was one for the record books.
We ended the year with a globally averaged combined land and ocean surface temperature .62 degrees Celsius (1.12 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 20th century average, tying with 2003 as the fourth warmest year since record keeping began in 1880. This means that global temperature was above the 20th century average for the 37th year running, and that all 13 years of the 21st century officially rank among the 15 warmest in recorded history.
That's no surprise to me, because I have noticed a distinct change in Portland, Oregon, since I first moved here over 30 years ago. Summers are hotter, and winters are colder than they were then. There are more frequent extremes in both directions.
Cartoon:
And the Rockefeller Group and other vulture capitalists sure are paying for it!!
13 Responses to “Open Thread–1/23/2014”
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3:41 TC must have been too excited about the trip today to concentrate on his puzzle-solving skills.
3:47 I forgot to take off the lens cap. misskitty, however, was looking clear and sharp.
TPM ~ I think we all knew it was only a matter of time before indictments were handed down. I'm surprised it took so long. We have been hearing about these "generous gifts" for some time now. It's too bad Gov. Ultrasound couldn't afford to pay for his own daughter's wedding. Did it have to be so lavish that Daddy's good friend paid for it? How many people do you know who would do that without expecting a "favor" in return?
Think Progress ~ Stephen Moore returns to the Big Dance but now he will be calling the moves for the Square Dance.
Salon.com ~ Anyone with a brain noticed how weather patterns are changing over the years.
Cartoon ~ Pignocchio deserves everything he gets for his despicable behavior. Did he have his hand on a Bible when he swore his oath to the people of New Jersey?
My contribution from the Daily Kos. ~ I enjoyed this so much I wanted to share it. Another FAUX NOISE crybaby had his feelings hurt and is leaving my great state of NY because of it. Read on please.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/01/21/1271428/-Andrew-Coumo-says-mean-thing-Sean-Hannity-vows-to-leave-New-York?detail=email
Maybe Hannity will immigrate to a more conservative country, like Russia. We can only hope.
Yayy! time 3:21!
Rachel Maddow noted that McDonnell not only exclaimed his full innocent in any illegal dealings but, claims that never in the history of this country has a politician been charged with these crimes. I'm thinking he was absent from history classes when in school. Of course, it's happened before, and before and, well we all know of the many cases. When you use your office as a bargaining chip or put it up for the highest bidder, you are going to pay a price. His price like others just might be time in a jail cell.
We really must do something about lobbies. I do not believe they should be able to contribute to campaigns or write legislation. To keep things really honest, they should have no greater voice than the average American. Sure, write a letter state the case and make a phone call. I would like to see them banned from coming within 500 yards of any Congressional office building, and any elected official (or appointed) should not even take a dinner with a lobbyist. No paid trips, no special treatments, this is how we end up with our legislators becoming deeply corrupt, they quickly sell out the people they are chosen to represent. We need some legislation that no elected or appointed official can move from their office to a job in a lobby without a space of at least 5 years.
If 100 scientists are telling you that something is real and fact based, but 3 are saying no, you just might want to rethink who those 3 are. Climatic change has been studied for over 40 years, it was discussed, and students given assignments to research back when I was an earth science under graduate. (Yes, even way back then) This is not shocking news, it's been around and studied for years now. Of course, I concede there still is a Flat Earth society, so a few will still be in the group of deniers.
Thanks TC – have a very good meeting, and we look for you to be bright eyed and bushy tailed when you return.
5:32. Slick indeed, TC – you, not me.
If you wrote that early, you probably didn't catch this news, although it is next door. Two legislators in the state of Washington have come up with a brilliant idea to slow down the NSA: "A bill with bipartisan support in the Washington State legislature would block all state support for NSA activities that violate the Fourth Amendment. This could include cutting off electricity and water to the NSA's surveillance center at Yakima from which the NSA spies on our phones and emails without any warrant or probable cause." You don't have to be from Washington to sign on in support at http://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=9103 The email included this great line: "Note to NSA employees spying on this email: It's nothing personal. Remember, you know all about us but we don't know you at all."
I gladly signed the petition.
Heritage Foundation, ALEC and the rest seem to be making big strides in securing the anti christ, (Corporations)…!
5:23 –
Conservative Virginia Governor (and his wife), Bob McDonnell: INDICTED!
Conservative hate-mongering wingnut, Dinesh D'Souza: INDICTED!
Conservative New Jersey Governor and 2016 presidential hopeful, Chris Christie: UNDER INVESTIGATION with SUBPOENAS!
Just this week, AND IT’S NOT EVEN FRIDAY YET!!!
YOu are pretty slick, but I was glad to see your message tonight. Enjoy your trip.
TPM" NOt surprised. Too many people who are elected imagine themselves to be kings. We just had a secretary of Agriculture, who had abeen a UK basket ball star, get sentenced to prison for all the perks he allowed himself, family and friends while in office.
The Heritage Foundation leaves me speechless. It is hard to believe the garbage they send. I am not on their list, but a friend is, who keeps sending me their messages.
NOAA: I have nine inches of snow outside and it is 4 degrees. We are supposed to be in the thirties and forties in January. We haven't had this much snow since 1977. This p-ast summer was suffocating. No global warming: Tell it to someone who believes it.
Cartoon: I believe him.
TPM — Couldn't have happened to a nicer fellow! . . . and his wife! This is McDonnell's ultrasound!
Think Progress — A trip to De Mint. Reminting Moore won't make him any better. Just another conservative slug.
Salon.com — I've been hearing various reports lately. One reported that when we have colder winters, people who refuse to understand properly, claim that global warming doesn't exist. But when the weather is hotter than usual, they claim global warming does exist. Maybe it is time we referred to it only as "climate change" and educate, educate, educate. Mind, if people are insistent that global warming or climate change does not exist, nothing is likely to help. Also heard that the average global temperature is 14 degrees celcius, Further news, within the next 25 years I believe, the winter Olympics won't be able to be held in places like Vancouver because it will be too warm.
Cartoon — . . . more Mr Christie crumbs!
Thanks everyone. Long, long day, but a good one.
Sorry – being a muggins I missed this! I agree totally with Salon.com – global warming leads to climate chaos – slmost every month for the last couple of years we have had reports of the hottest/coldest/driest/wettest/windiest/most extreme weather for the last hundred and more years – we used to have occasional reports of these extremes – but not every month or so. Just as a pan of water heats up in some places more than others when it starts to warm, so the infinitely more complicated earth warms up and some bits heat up more than others – and some get colder and some windier…. it is just getting much more extreme!