I’m writing for tomorrow, waiting for Store to Door to deliver groceries and getting as much rest as I can. Tomorrow is a prison volunteer day. It’s our annual Community Outreach meeting. We’re bringing in a couple dozen college students, and groups of them will have round-robin sessions with groups of my guys. It should be a pretty big deal. Please don’t expect much from me for the next couple days.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:53 (average 5:25). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From PRWatch: Today, the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) released a new short film "Keystone PipeLIES Exposed" and major investigative report debunking key claims of proponents of the Keystone XL Pipeline as the State Department solicits comments from the public on its controversial environmental impact assessment.
Over the past seven months, CMD has interviewed experts and activists in Port Arthur, Texas; Detroit; and Washington, DC; and examined detailed tax, safety, economic, environmental, and campaign finance studies in assessing the claims made by proponents of the pipeline, which would carry more than 3/4 million barrels of tar sands oil a day from Canada to Gulf Coast refineries.
Keystone PipeLIES Exposed – Spills from Center for Media and Democracy on Vimeo.
There can be only one answer to Keystone XL: NO!
From Daily Kos: So take a gander at the states with the most miserable people:
10. Louisiana
9. Oklahoma
8. Missouri
7. Tennessee
6. Arkansas
5. Ohio
4. Alabama
3. Mississippi
2. Kentucky
1. West Virginia
Mississippi is thrilled that it didn’t top this list. West Virginia topped it by just being absolutely despondent about their future. And really, can’t say I blame them when water in Mexico is safer than the stuff coming out of their own tap.
Here we have a list that could be entitled "Who’s Who in InsaniTEA"!
From Washington Post: The annual Conservative Political Action Conference has long courted controversy over what its attendees and speakers say. For the past few years, they’ve almost earned more coverage for who they don’t invite to speak or attend — and what that says about the future of the furthest right fringe of the Republican Party.
Yesterday, CPAC organizers announced that they had changed their mind about inviting American Atheists to set up a booth at this year’s conference, which will be held March 6-8 at National Harbor. The group’s president said he was "really disappointed, but … not at all surprised" by the reverse of their fortunes. "We were going to CPAC specifically to combat the notion that one must be Christian in order to be conservative. We wanted to bring that to the forefront."
Lawrence O’Donnell offered excellent coverage.
If you don’t believe in Republican Supply-side Jesus (the antithesis of the real Jesus) and hate gays, blacks, Muslims, Latinos, libruls, and/or women who are not pregnant or wear shoes, you aren’t a real Republican and C-PUKE doesn’t want you.
Cartoon:
18 Responses to “Open Thread–2/27/2014”
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5:05 Very prickly puzzle!
4:02 Very prickly indeed!
3:56 For the most part, I got the point!
PRWatch ~ I can't begin to tell you how many documentaries I've watched about Keystone. No matter how anyone tries to spin it, Keystone is no damn good! Even the ones that try to portray it as good are not able to do so believably.
Daily Kos ~ I'm not really surprised that 9 out of the 10 are Red states. Maybe the politicians should sit up and take notice. That will never happen. Hopefully the people will vote their leaders out of office come November.
Washington Post ~ Maybe they can alienate some more groups before they're done.
Cartoon ~ I'd like to set a fire under a bunch of the GOP's lazy asses.
TOM: OT but I thought you might be interested in this article:
http://blogs.nature.com/spoonful/2014/02/experimental-diabetes-drug-reverses-emphysema-in-mice.html
TY TC – frightening cartoon – don't give them ideas!
NO to Keystone XL!
5:17 Oooh, pretty. There pretty much is a yarn with these colors, and it's called "Vegas Lights."
PR Watch – All of these lies have been pretty much hidden in plain sight. Anyone could find out the facts if they bothered to look. It's nice to have it all together, and I hope it gets seen by huge numbers of voters. I wish it could be required viewing for everyone as a condition of voting.
Daily Kos – I feel so sorry for all of them, but there's really much I caan do; they have to vote the bastards out themselves. West Virginia – this is not exactly what I read, but I got the impression that they knew they were voting against their own best interests but were so terrified by the threats of job losses that they did it anyway. I wish THAT could be publicized widely. So many people don't have the imagination to realize what a catastrophic outcome they are preparing for themselves out of fear – maybe knowing this could help them grow some balls (or, as Betty White says …) BTW, the one "Blue" state is currently in exile under a Red state government, which explains that.
WaPo – Kos picked this up also today. In no way, in no possible distortion of the language, can they be considered "conservative," but need to change their designation to "reactionary."
Cartoon – No, let's try it on the House. Or – even better – on CPAC.
PS My apologies to Jan Brewer. I was on record that I did not think she had the huevos to veto The Bill, but she did.
CPAC organizers would never let me in… smile 🙂
Sorry – but not surprised – that my "Show Me" state holds the eighth spot.
Do you think CPAC would have turned away Ayn Rand – an avowed atheist?
Good quip by Richard Dawkins: “We are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further.”
http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/1194.Richard_Dawkins
I am pretty sure they are just ignoring the fact that she was an atheist since all her other views coincide with theirs.
It doesn't suprise me that the states with the most unhappy people are red states and predominantly in the South.
Enjoy your time with your guys. I am sure they look forward to seeing you.
XL Pipeline: The only people who will benefit from this are the owners.
Daily Kos: Not surprised that my state of Kentucky is on there. How else can you explain the election of McConnell and Paul?
Washington Post: Thomas Jefferson must be rolling in his grave at all the quotes the Repubs are coming up with these days.
Puzzle — 3:56 For the most part, I got the point!
PRWatch — "PipeLIES" indeed. The Right Dishonourable Prime Minister Stephen Harper is from oil country and is an arrogant sob. Basically he is saying "by hook or by crook" the oil will travel to the US. Amongst Canadian environmentalists is the fear that the Harper government will unilaterally approve the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline. Studies have been done and the government has 180 days to decide the fate of the pipeline. "NO!!!" to the pipelines!
Daily Kos — I heard about this about a week ago or so. Kentucky is the only blue state which is probably a result of their senate representation — McTurtle and Rant Paul. Interesting that North Dakota is first and South Dakota second . . . two red states. This should be a wake-up call to the RepublicanuséTeabaggers that jobs are important and they`d better stop standing in the way of job bills which will help economic recovery. I wonder if the voters in the red states will past this `red rash`?
Washington Post — If Republicanus/Teabaggers take total control of the Congress and the White House, the US will be a theocracy. To me it is very apparent that the constitution according to the Republicanus/Teabaggers does not include freedom of religion or expression.
Cartoon — . . . not the White House!
Thanks everyone. Good meeting. Exhausted,
5:54 – Puzzle 😆
U.S. Tax Payers lift on the hook for oil spills… Keep it in Canada
All are (Red State – Welfare States)… 😥