If everything goes as planned, I’ll have articles posted and links sent before I take my friend to dinner today, although that will entail some hurry-up. Then I’ll have a few days to catch-up on chores before a major prison volunteer day next week, when we’ll have a class of University students coming in to meet with my guys.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:06 (average 5:06). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From The New Yorker: In an effort to distance himself from the legacy of his brother, George W. Bush, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush will use a major foreign-policy speech on Wednesday to assert that, if elected President, he would harm the nation in completely different ways.
“A lot of people are looking at me and thinking that I’m just going to be a rerun of my brother,” Bush told reporters before the speech. “They are greatly underestimating my ability to create chaos and destruction in ways that are uniquely mine.”
As an example, Bush said, he was unlikely to invade Iraq for a third time, calling such an action “too derivative.”
“George already did it, and Dad did it before him,” he said. “Call it my independent streak, if you will, but I want to spawn some disasters of my own.”
To that end, Bush said that he and his foreign-policy team were already scanning the globe for “new and different places” where the United States could become involved in open-ended and pointless quagmires.
Andy isn't telling us that his faux Bush is lying just like the real one does. He's just like his brother, a Neocon hawk. GW ChickenHawk intended to conquer six more countries, after Iraq. The only thing that prevented him from more invasions is that Republican incompetence bogged him down in Iraq.
From Daily Kos: When teenagers are flashing "white power" signs at sporting events, rest assured that racism is alive, well, and here to stay.
In a week when a Mississippi judge was indicted for slapping a disabled black man and calling him a "nigger," when Chelsea soccer fans chanted racism at a black fan and refused to allow him on the train, and when we learn St. Louis police vocally encouraged each other to turn off their cameras before beating a young black man they later dropped all charges against, it's not as if we needed more proof that racism is thriving in 2015, but it keeps on coming.
White students from Flower Mound High School began flashing a "White Power" sign in the middle of the game for all to see against the predominantly African-American Plano East basketball team. In the image above, it also appears that several students near the sign may have painted their faces brown in "black face" to mock the Plano East team.
After the game, players from Plano East discovered that their team bus had been urinated and defecated on. While several students have confirmed the incident on the team bus, the district has yet to confirm it. Witnesses have also stated they heard students hurl racial slurs at black students, particularly after one student was injured.
Here we have more examples of how the Republican Party reaches out to African Americans.
From NY Times: Ms. Brown, who is a Democrat like Mr. Kitzhaber and as secretary of state was the first in line to succeed him under Oregon’s Constitution, has promised to make a series of immediate moves that she says are “needed to restore the public’s trust in government.” She also said she would address economic issues facing working families.
The swearing in of a new governor also brings a kind of cultural shift to the state capital. Mr. Kitzhaber, 67, a former emergency room doctor, forged his political identity as a moderate Westerner, usually in boots and jeans, who often reached out to the state’s rural and more conservative areas, which have struggled economically.
Ms. Brown, 54, by contrast, is more a product and a reflection of the state’s largest and perhaps most liberal city, Portland. She is a yoga enthusiast and a cyclist who often rides tandem with her husband, Dan Little, from their restored early-20th-century home in southeast Portland. She is also bisexual, having come out in an essay on a website about elected officials who are “out,” and is being recognized by gay rights groups as the first openly bisexual governor in the nation.
Welcome Kate. I trust you'll do fine job.
Cartoon:
23 Responses to “Open Thread–2/19/2015”
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3:45 This puzzle got my goat.
3:04 I damn near was head butted by that dang food crazed puddy tat!
3:31 Baaaa!
The Sqatch got my lunch again!! 🙁
4:13 average 5:06. I've always seen it as sheep (granted that has been mostly in Chinese restaurants except for the 21 months I lived in Japan). Since this year is supposed to be more peaceful as opposed to the tumult of last year, sheep would, I feel, be more appropriate. However, whoever designed the Asian Zodiac did not know THIS Congress!
New Yorker – Oh Brother. Wait, that was an old saying hat is too close for comfort. How about Good Grief.
Daily Kos – of course I realize that everyone is an individual with his or her own reactions. But based on what we are seeing this year, I believe there is a case be made that the black "race" is superior to the white "race." Black people have abuse like this happen, by and large they don't respond violently, if they respond they do it with dignity and through legal channels, they value community, they value forgiveness, they certainly do not go around publicly bad-mouthing all whites because of the actions of some, though they certainly would have an excuse if they did. But they do their best to rise above it. White people, on the other hand, go around whining that they are being discriminated agains because they aren't allowed to act out bigotry, because freedumb. Sometimes large chunks of white people really disgust me.
NY Times – I do wish Kate the very best of luck. I hope she doesn't need that much of it, ut I am afraid she will.
Cartoon – Yup. That's exactly it. Which Teabagger was it who coined the term "sperm receptacles?"
Whichever one said it, they have all signed on.
Might well give new meaning to the term burning Bush (what besides Rome)?
I am sickened that teens were subjected to such sick, bigoted, bullying behavior.
I hope Ms. Brown's party in the legislature will support her initiatives and policies en force.
That rep. I'm not so happy with got a response from me on his horrid position of thanks for confirming you choose to have women die.
We need another Moses.
Puzzle — 3:04 I damn near was head butted by that dang food crazed puddy tat!
The New Yorker — "…I want to spawn some disasters of my own.” The Babiest Bush (shall I call him chubby Jebby?) is more likely to invade Canada under the pretext of quelling Newfie terrorists, when what he wants is tar sands bitumen thereby making the US non-dependant on foreign oil. As I said a few days back, no Bushes in the Rose Garden!
Daily Kos — Absolutely sick! I'm not entirely sure who won the game, but if it was Flower Mound High School, they should have to forfeit the game. Although it wasn't the fault of the players that we know of, the students need to know that racism has a price and it is everybody's responsibility to help eradicate raacism. I can just hear the trolls at Faux Noise whining "But their just kids, and kids will be kids." Is that what it is when Faux Noise talking heads get their mouths going?
NY Times — TC, of all of us here except John and Marva, you are in the best position to know Brown. I hope she is able to draw all sides together and run the Republicanus/Teabaggerum out of the state.
Cartoon — Will it ever change?
Infidel is too, but Kate has been flying under the radar.
You do realize that is 100% pure satire, don't you? He never said those things.
Welcome! 🙂
Of coursed we do. I made the distinction between Andy's faux Bush and the real liar. The article is also tagged satire.
Let us know how the University meeting goes.
The New Yorker: Andy keeps getting closer to fact, not satire. I so hope the American people will not be dumb enough to elect another Bush.
Daily Kos: The actions of those students are reprehensible. It shows they have very poor parents. I doubt that any of them will be punished because the school system won't care either. Here I thought that racism was diminishing and it seems it is getting larger every day. When people are getting poorer they lash out at those they think are poorer. This what the years of Dubya has done to us. The economy crashed and nastiness was allowed to thrive.
NY Times: I hope your new governor does a great job.
Cartoon: As has been said by others, the Republicans are only interested in a child while it is in the womb. After it is born, it can starve.
I will next seek.
The Republican right to life ends at birth.
TY TC – sorry, feeling awful today. Read everything…. BTW re the racist Chelsea fans – the Met Police in London are co-operating with the Paris police and there is a possibility of the racists involved getting three years in gaol – and the football club has said it is against racism (we shall see).
I hope you feel better, Pat.
New Yorker ~ You really have to look at this Venn diagram that I saw 2 days ago. Downright scary!. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2015/02/18/jeb-bushs-foreign-policy-team-is-eerily-familiar-in-1-venn-diagram/
Daily Kos ~ These kids were taught to hate by their parents who watch FAUX NOISE. One of the responses to the accusations of racism was that the WHITE sign represented the scholl colors. The student didn't have a reason for the POWER sign. Give me a break! The upbeeat part of the story is some parents, tachers and students were shocked and the teachers rushed to take the signs dowm. Good for them.
NY Times ~ Good luck to your new Governor, TC.
Cartoon ~ All Rights until they are born.
Wolfowitz? AAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
That Venn diagram is very scary! Talk about making his own disasters as Andy Borowitz put it . . . not a chance basically! SSDD for Chubby Jebby!
The New Yorker: While the article is satire, it is a bit too close to the truth. Rachel Maddow had an excellent report on "Jeb" Bush.
Jeb Bush campaign launch: mistakes are being made
Rachel Maddow points out the blame-avoiding passive voice that seems to be a common trait among Bush politicians, including 2016 hopeful Jeb Bush, and emphasizes the importance of substantive political debates for the nation's health. Watch: Duration: 20:42
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/watch/bush-campaign-launch-mistakes-are-being-made-401716803551
"Jeb" sounds so much like his older brother that it is downright scary. Our country cannot afford another bush in the White House!
Daily Kos: Lets hope that specimens were obtained and use the DNA from them to go after the people responsible for peeing and BM'ing the school bus and charge them all for Hate Crimes and sentenced accordingly. Yes, Racism and its close relatives, brothers, Hatred and Bigotry, are very much alive and increasing exponentially each day. Once again, the state of Texass makes the news on its racism, hate, bigotry.
NY Times: Former Governor Kitzhaber's downfall, unfortunately, was his girlfriend. Kitz was a very decent governor. Kate Brown, newly minted as the Governor of Oregon, has her work cut out for her. I wish her well and hope she will succeed in moving the State forward progressively as did her predecessor.
Cartoon: "the Republicans are only interested in a child while it is in the womb. After it is born, it can starve." or become cannon fodder for future continuations of wars.
It was an excellent piece.
That was a great piece from Rachel Maddow Jim. Thanks. We don`t get Rachel here in Canada unfortunately.
The New Yorker price from Andy was spot on! And I really thought it was for real!!! But alas, it was of course, satire! Oh the lying that Jebby will do in this next election! And how will he distance himself from Brother?