I may be starting to feel slightly better. This run of extreme heat is coupled with high humidity that really sets off my COPD, so it’s hard to tell where how much of my severe congestion and discomfort belongs to each. Even with A/C, weather like this cam set off my COPD sufficiently to prevent sleep. Today, I’m adding an all Andy Short Takes section, and trying not to doze.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 2:45 (average 4:34). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Fantasy Football Recruiting:
We still need two (maybe just one) new players for Lefty Blog Friends, our fantasy football league. How about you? For more information, click here.
Short Takes:
From The New Yorker: Many Americans are tired of explaining things to idiots, particularly when the things in question are so painfully obvious, a new poll indicates.
According to the poll, conducted by the University of Minnesota’s Opinion Research Institute, while millions have been vexed for some time by their failure to explain incredibly basic information to dolts, that frustration has now reached a breaking point.
Of the many obvious things that people are sick and tired of trying to get through the skulls of stupid people, the fact that climate change will cause catastrophic habitat destruction and devastating extinctions tops the list, with a majority saying that they will no longer bother trying to explain this to cretins.
Coming in a close second, statistical proof that gun control has reduced gun deaths in countries around the world is something that a significant number of those polled have given up attempting to break down for morons.
Finally, a majority said that trying to make idiots understand why a flag that symbolizes bigotry and hatred has no business flying over a state capitol only makes the person attempting to explain this want to put his or her fist through a wall.
Andy is right. Republicans, lost in the insane throes of TEAbuggery, will never understand.
From The New Yorker: The number of official candidates for the 2016 Republican Presidential nomination has risen to thirteen, according to officials at the Centers for Disease Control.
The count had stood at twelve since the announcement last week by the reality-show host Donald Trump, leading many at the C.D.C. to privately hope that the epidemic was losing steam.
But with the entry of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal into the race on Wednesday, the C.D.C. was forced to hold a press conference to announce the worrisome news that the number of candidates had increased yet again.
Actually, Andy, there are 95.
From The New Yorker: The Supreme Court’s decision to preserve Obamacare subsidies has drawn sharp rebukes from Republican Presidential hopefuls, who warn that the victory for health care might eventually pave the way for similar advances in education and the environment.
“The Supreme Court has decided, apparently, that every American should have access to quality health care,” said Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas). “What if it decided to say the same thing about education? I don’t mean to be an alarmist but, after today, I believe that anything is possible.”
Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) also blasted the Court, telling reporters that “a government that protects health care is one small, dangerous step away from protecting the environment.”
“The nightmare that I have long feared is now suddenly upon us,” Paul said. “Mark my words, we are on a slippery slope toward clean air and water.”
On the campaign trail in Iowa, the former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee raised another doomsday scenario, telling his audience, “If the Court thinks people should be allowed to see a doctor when they want, they probably also think that people should be able to marry anyone they want. My friends, that is not what God intended when He created America.”
Looks like Andy is back to reporting news. It they aren’t actually saying those things, they are thinking them.
Cartoon:
42 Responses to “Open Thread–6/28/2015”
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Love the megadose of AB! Thanks TC
3:16 I fell asleep in the meadow.
2:57 It's too hot to climb any further. It was 33 C at noon today. But mid afternoon it started to cool down as the humidity factor rose. 75% humidity at 11 pm. Thunder storms coming in from the mountains. Look out Jerry, you'll get rained on!
I grew up in Seattle. We call a little rain a partly sunny day.
3:02 Does our TomCat sing? Because "The hills are alive, with the sound of music…"
The sound of cat music
I guess you do sing!
That's singing!?!
OMG! With singing like that, you could be charged with assault . . . assaulting ear drums! That is as off key as it gets!
You just have mo appreciation for beauty.
4:19 average (still) 4:34. I'm drawing a blank on what kind of wildlife you might find in the Tirol, but historically humans have hunted here a lot, so there musy be something tasty.
Andy I – All three of those, and also of explaining why increases in the minimum wage will help, not hurt, businesses which depend on customers to survive. I am still trying to explain the difference between USING a word and CITING the same word. But I don't know how long I can continue.
Andy II – 96. And indeed official. But the Party doesn't even know it. So I'm not surprised Andy isn't aware of the number. Oh, and 70 Democrats.
Andy III – Straight news, yes, And so is the first one. You can't make this stuff up.
Cartoon – Coffee, please.
A few stags might be nice.
An interesting bit of trivia: The three most critical SCOTUS Rulings impacting the LGBT Community ALL were written by Justice Kennedy, and ALL were handed down on June 26 …
LAWRENCE v. TEXAS
https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/02-102
Decided June 26, 2003
Justice Kennedy delivered the opinion of the Court.
UNITED STATES v. WINDSOR
https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/12-307
Decided June 26, 2013
Justice Kennedy delivered the opinion of the Court.
OBERGEFELL v. HODGES
[No entry yet]
Decided June 26, 2015
Justice Kennedy delivered the opinion of the Court.
Maybe some brave Congress Critter should draft a bill to make June 26th "Gay Rights Day" – and watch the wingnuts' heads ass-plode!
Great idea!
We have so many "days", I think a Gay Rights Day would be meaningful to a lot of people. Good idea.
Or agree. Or make is a special Congressional holiday on which Cogress actually has to work.
There ya go!
Tomorrow is when people expect to hear the SCOTUS decision on AZ redistricting.
On the more entertaining side, here are two pieces of art dealing with the Confederate Battle Flag titled "Unraveling" and "Unraveled". Even I can understand the message in this wonderful artwork!
http://www.motherjones.com/media/2015/06/sonya-clark-unraveling-confederate-flag
I t would be great if we Could unravel the hatred and discrimination that seems to be prevalent in this country, and not just in the south as so many seem to think. It is all over the country.
Too true and I hear too many who believe themselves not to be racist, some where I'd agree, who prefer appeasement and silence in response to those who are racist.
Thanks for sharing it! It would be marvelous if every city's art museum commissioned a flag for an unraveling.
There are plenty of flags available that WalMart took off their shelves. I say, commission the artists – from MallWart, accept the donations. No more money for racism.
How about unrwvalling the Republican Party?
Anything Andy says is worth reading, but I especially enjoyed being tired of explaining things to idiots. The only correspondence I have sent to Rand Paul has been my signature on a petition against something he is supporting. Now I am getting emails requesting donations as his dear friend. Yuck.
I can relate! I ended up getting from someone I'd never heard of that was from another state and turned out to be a TP-type GOP…at least they complied with the law and provided me an unsubscribe.
and using that unsubscribe link verified you as a valid email address for propaganda mailings.
With "dear friends" like that, who needs enemies?
Hey, I have sent petitions and nasty-grams to my Congresscritter for years, getting an occasional reply (always barf bag alerts). Over Fast Track, you all may recall I sent him a letter roughly saying he has made a career out of preventing the Obama administration from getting what it wants, and he should definitely do the same on Fast Track. Now, at least for a while. I am on his puff-emails-list. Want to know what he said abosut the gay marriage decision? Well, I can tell you, because I got his brag. Frankly, it's not nearly as colorful as Scalia or Huckabee or Fischer, though it is equally bigoted.
Glad you are feeling better!
Puzzle — 2:57 It's too hot to climb any further. It was 33 C at noon today. But mid afternoon it started to cool down as the humidity factor rose. 75% humidity at 11 pm. Thunder storms coming in from the mountains. Look out Jerry, you'll get rained on!
The New Yorker — Republicanus/Teabaggerum haven't tired of it though . . . it's called "The Making of Sheeple". And they get help from Faux, the reich ministry of propaganda and indoctrination.
The New Yorker — "…a candidacy needs an environment rich in narcissism and delusion—plus a host to feed on, ideally a sociopathic billionaire." That describes the Republicanus/Teabaggerum quite well, although I would add deceitful, and willing to become a domestic terrorist. Although everybody that qualifies has the right to run, it is amazing that so many are deluded enough to think they have a chance. The mayor of Hog Stuck Hollow is probably doing up his papers for a run for the Republicanus/Teabaggerum presidential nomination!
The New Yorker — I think Andy is quoting Huckabee! The others . . . meh . . . maybe just reading their minds.
Cartoon — Earl Grey, black from the blue pot please! I heard the red pot contains magic mushroom tea which fries the brain.
They have brains?!?
It fries their upper anus.
They have an upper AND lower anus?
I've heard of two-faced Repubicans, but never two-assholed ones. Maybe TOO assholed, but not TWO assholed.
I'm glad you're starting to feel better finally.
New Yorker ~ I know that I am terribly frustrated with their stupidity. The biggest problem is that you can't fix stupid.
New Yorker ~ How many will announce this week besides Pignocchio?
New Yorker ~ Their heads are exploding. Ted Cruz was just on the Today Show promoting his ne book and his campaign. He wants a bill introduced to vote for SCOTUS Justices for possible recalls. He said it will get politics out of SCOTUS. Really??? Elections will remove politics for our Judicial Branch? Savannah Guthrie actually questioned his judgement on this. She is a lawyer too. He also urged everyone to real Scalia's dissents citing them as brilliant pieces of work. I had everything I could do to keep from falling off my chair laughing.
Cartoon ~ I'll stick with Normal-i-Tea, please.
Speaking of the SCOTUS, 3 Strikes Law Struck Down. Private Prisons Haz a Sad
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/28/1397483/-Speaking-of-the-SCOTUS-3-Strikes-Law-Struck-Down-Private-Prisons-Haz-a-Sad?detail=email#
The Supreme Court just ruled to keep the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission!
Glad to hear you're feeling a bit better, TomCat, and I hope you'll be on the mend the next couple of days. I'm afraid you're not the only one afflicted by weather. Soon articles will be appearing on how detrimental climate change and its shift to hotter and more humid, i.e. tropical, weather, is for people with COPD and other lung related health problems. And that seems to have gotten me right into Andy's first short take:
The New Yorker 1: If idiots are so adverse of science, any science, because it doesn't uphold their own weird view on the word, then there is absolutely no way these idiots are going to let themselves be convinced of anything else. The saying: "you can't knock sense into them", is sadly too true. They only way some of them could be convinced otherwise is by letting these things happen to them in the flesh. So start dropping them and their families and/or dear ones in a tornado gully, a flash flood area, a march for open carry (politicians without their body guards, of course) and wrapped up in a Confederate flag in the poorest part of a southern red town. Some may see the light, but others will deny it right into their graves and say it's all because abortions have angered their god.
The New Yorker 2: No, Andy, you're not counting right; there are plenty more where these came from. The epidemic doesn't restrict it self to Republicans hopefuls who have enough rich sponsors to have their announcement televised nationwide. There are even more hopefuls who'll never even get to campaign and be ridiculed by you, Andy.
The New Yorker 3: LOL, Andy, you have such a cute way of rephrasing what these Republican hopefuls are saying so we can all understand exactly what the mean!
And another not so good ruling:
Today's Supreme Court ruling on lethal injection starts the clock ticking on the resumption of executions in California.
Thanks all Hugs. Half awake.
TY TC.
What a FANTASTIC post, TC! I love Andy! He has a way to get the truth in to his posts! Love it! Every one of them!