I’m writing for tomorrow, day 56, and it’s the last Open Thread of 2014. It’s also cold enough in Portland to freeze the kitty dingles off a brass TomCat!
Jig Zoned Puzzle:
Today‘s took me 5:32 (average 6:28). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Move-on: As we head into 2015, it’s important to remember how quickly change that once seemed radical becomes inevitable when enough people make a ruckus!
Please watch Robert Reich’s uplifting summary of 2014, and then share it as a New Year’s greeting with family and friends:
If you have friends who didn’t vote, tie them in a chair, tape their eyes open, and show them why the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right! The Reich on the right, The Republican Reich is wrong!
From The New Yorker: House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) said on Tuesday that he would introduce a new bill requiring clearer labelling of white supremacists.
The White Supremacist Labelling Act of 2015 would require white supremacists to wear 4-inch-by-6-inch name tags clearly designating them as members of an official hate group.
“Right now, it’s impossible to tell the difference between neo-Nazis and collectors of WWII memorabilia,” Scalise said.
The Louisiana congressman said that proper labelling for white supremacists should make it easier for lawmakers to know what kind of organizations they are addressing in the future.
Right on Andy, but shouldn’t he think the sheets and hoods might have been considered a hint?
From NY Times: It was one of Capitol Hill’s most salacious scandals, featuring a senator’s affair with a campaign aide, an outraged husband, tens of thousands of dollars in hush money, illicit lobbying deals with Las Vegas power brokers and a dramatic intervention by a leading Christian ministry.
Now, three years after the fall of former Senator John E. Ensign of Nevada, thousands of pages of previously undisclosed documents reveal new details about the evidence the F.B.I. gathered against Mr. Ensign, who briefly flirted with running for president in 2012. The documents, which show that Mr. Ensign’s behavior was more brash than known at the time, also offer new specifics about the intense debate within the Justice Department over the decision to not prosecute Mr. Ensign, despite an aggressive F.B.I. investigation into the scandal.
Although the broad outlines of the case against Mr. Ensign have been made public, the documents disclose for the first time how much Mr. Ensign strong-armed political donors and business associates in 2008 to find lobbying work for Douglas Hampton, a top aide and close friend. Mr. Ensign was seeking the work in an attempt to placate Mr. Hampton because Mr. Ensign had an affair with Mr. Hampton’s wife, Cynthia Hampton, a campaign aide.
If you remember, The Republican Senators and Reps living at and involved with C-Street, part of The Fellowship, were helping Ensign try to cover up this scandal at the same time they were drafting legislation to impose the death penalty in Uganda for being gay. Fortunately that failed, because it was intended to be a test bed to work out the kinks, before employing it here. Fortunately they had to back off it, because we on the left exposed what they were doing.
Cartoon:
20 Responses to “Open Thread–12/31/2014”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
Bless you TC for the Robert Reich video – and God bless and protect the darling man! That was most cheering and inspiring to watch….
New Yorker – lovely article – and your comment was excellent.
Yes, I remember – but I take issue with the last part of this sentence from the second paragraph " The documents, which show that Mr. Ensign’s behavior was more brash than known at the time, also offer new specifics about the intense debate within the Justice Department over the decision to not prosecute Mr. Ensign, despite an aggressive F.B.I. investigation into the scandal." – shouldn't that read 'despite an "aggressive" FBI investigation….' – yet again the hypocritical Right is being protected by those who should be protecting the people.
4:33 The puzzle pieces were masked in all their glitter.
3:45 What daring hides behind this festive façade?
Well, TC, I now totally understand how it feels to have been in first place until Sasquatch came along. Oh well, she's a great human being; it's not as bad as getting beat by a Republican.
16 degrees here with snow and wind. A perfect winter's day for my neck of the woods. Everyone, stay safe and warm tonight. I have a bottel of Hazlitt's Cider Tree, a sparkling hard cider from a Finger Lakes Winery to celebrate at home tonight. I will pair it with my home-made lasagne and a nice antipasto.
Move-On ~ Love his mini-lectures. Shared on FB. My "Pug" friends and family will "LOVE" it.
New Yorker ~ Tom, he couldn't see their sheets and hood because his hood kept slipping over his eyes obscurring his vision.
NY Times ~ The Moral Right doesn't despise the sinner or the sin, it only despises getting caught.
Cartoon ~ Don't look back! Look forward!
4:21 average unchanged. My, what big eyes you have!
Move On – Reich is wonderful, and he WAS in Move On's straw poll, and I did vote for him. He got 2%. Since this segues into a promo for Warren for President, I feel the need to quote GeneJ (Care2) in full: "Why doesn't Robert Reich run for President? His campaign speeches, complete with illustrations and lucid examples would be things of beauty. And success. I do wish though that people would LEAVE Elizabeth Warren alone. She has had to say a zillion times, sometimes 5 times in a single interview that she is NOT running for president. And people just disrespect her completely. We need her right where she is far more than we need her 8 years in the White House and then gone from American politics, which is what happens to ex-presidents. 2020 if we lose in 2016 or 2024 if we don't, I'd hope then that she would run, but I feel sorry for her, that she is being badgered so badly about this. Sure it is nice to feel wanted but she doesn't want to run. Why do people think they can just badger her into doing something she so clearly does not want to do right now? And I have one of her T-shirts – she's the only politician outside my state I give money to. But now is not the time, it is too soon and we need her in the Senate in 2016 when we take it back. She almost gets to the point of "losing" it in some interviews I've seen where the damn fool reporter will NOT stop asking that question. I feel for her. I wish the rest of the country did too. She'll tell US when she's ready, not the other way round."
New Yorker – This guy is going to be a lot more fun than Eric Cantor. Andy's take demonstrates just one reason why. A Congressman who believes in labelling white supremacists – but I'll bet the farm not GMO's! And he should be easier to keep an eye on. Cantor kept such a low profile it scared me.
NY Times – I have been saying for what seems like forever that the FBI and the CIA are BOTH rogue agencies; the same is true of the NSA and, since its inception, the TSA. One might suspect that there is something about the job of gathering intelligence that repels Democrats and attracts Republicans. Well, that is probably true, but somehow we need to deal with that and find a way to build at least ONE organization that actually works for the people.
Cartoon – "Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you." – Satchel Paige On the other hand, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana
I totally agree with you about Warren, we need her in the Senate right now.
No more bank bailouts..?¿
Banks too big to fail and too big to jail are then too damn big to bailout … AGAIN!
Put some damn regulations on them … AGAIN!
Thanks go to Robert Reich and Sen. Elizabeth Warren for focusing on this issue like a laser!
Cartoon:
2014 – Enjoy your New Year's Festivities whatever they are and " Behave"… lol.
It’s 17 at my house. And the wind chill is 8°. I have plugged every draft and still can’t get warmed up!
The Reich video us a keeper.
Andy’s piece is golden.
Take care and stay warm. Its cold EVERYWHERE!
"The Louisiana congressman said that proper labelling for white supremacists should make it easier for lawmakers to know what kind of organizations they are addressing in the future." LOL, Tom..the sheets Should've been a hint..but you know all white Supremacists look alike…;)
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!
Me? I'll be fast asleep long before the clock here strikes 12 (not that I'd hear it)
A couple of smile-inducing links to end the year. The first is the Tweet Boehner mistakenly sent out last October that fortuitously and perfectly summarized Rethuglicans actual "job plan". And some of the rejoinders to it are golden. (As most of you probably know, if you click on the time-date timestamp in the copy/paste of it, it'll take you directly to the Tweet itself. But since we're only allowed two links per post, I'll let you do that on your own.)
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/boehner-jobs-tweet-hijacked
And I LOVE Pete Souza's photos as the Chief Official White House Photographer. He's put together a delightful highlighting summary of the year here …
http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/2014-photos
Thanks Nameless. All are good. I cracked up over "the two most famous pairs of ears in Washington."
Priceless!
The New Yorker:
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) said on Tuesday that he would introduce a new bill requiring clearer labelling of white supremacists. As long as he is introducing and name tags, and clearer labels, Scalise should add more words into the bill or a rider requiring that all Congresscritters have their "corporate" labels be put on their name tags or even better, corporate labels sewn onto their congress dress suit jackets whenever they appear in Congress. lol.
I hope it warms up in Oregon and Kentucky soon!
Move On: Reich is right, of course. I shared this on Facebook, living blue in a red state is not easy, but I keep on keeping on, maybe someone will watch and see the light.
The New Yorker: Andy is sooo funny. Yes, Scalise needs labels to know who people are. How do Americans keep electing such intellectually challenged people?
NY Times: This is totally disgusting! He should have been prosecuted. I have no faith in the Dept. of Justice, especially since they are not going to prosecute those responsible for torture at Gitmo. We need a total overhaul of almost all our government agencies. Aren't there any honest people left in D.C. ?
Cartoon: That cat looks stunned, he cannot believe that so many injustices occurred in one year!
Puzzle — 3:45 What daring hides behind this festive façade?
Move-On — To paraphrase a song . . .What the world needs now is more Robert Reich!
The New Yorker — Scalise favours nametags just to be sure. He probably saw the sheets but thought it was laundry day.
NY Times — A pit of vipers putting the bite on as many as possible. Patty nailed it "The Moral Right doesn't despise the sinner or the sin, it only despises getting caught."
Cartoon — 2014 is looking just a little old and worn!
Glad to say that I have my Bella (computer) back from the "hospital" and all dressed up. No more space aliens I hope.
Thanks all. The reason Robert Reich does not run for public office is that he wants to preserve his reputation for integrity.
This is my final note…
in Care2 & in Politics Plus
for the Year of 2014!
"LOL"…
Hugzzz to ALL.