The live online draft for out fantasy football league is in about 2 1/2 hours, and I’m trying to get as much as I can done before them. The plan is to get my articles written, attend the draft, have a meal and a catnap, and post the articles. I think I’ll be able to leave my A/C off all day!! Update: The draft went well, except that the Squatch drafted the Broncos running back right out from under my kitty nose. 🙁
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:04 (average 5:14). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From The New Yorker: A group of scholars who have been monitoring the descent of the bar over the past few decades have concluded that the bar can no longer be lowered, the scholars announced on Friday.
The academics, led by Professor Davis Logsdon, of the University of Minnesota, published their conclusion after their research definitively found that the bar had finally dropped to its lowest possible position.
“For those who thought the bar still had room to be lowered, our findings resoundingly contradict that assumption,” Logsdon said. “The bar is now essentially flush with the ground.”
Logsdon acknowledged that he and his fellow scholars have come under fire in the past for claiming that the bar could not be further lowered, specifically when they issued a paper to that effect after the selection of the Republican Vice-Presidential nominee in 2008.
“We got that one wrong,” he said. “Clearly, the bar still had a way to go.”
Andy should continue that that they got it wrong again. Hairball and the rest of the Republican Clown Cotillion will always find a lower position for the bar.
From Daily Kos: Living in central Phoenix, I went to some of Netroots last week. After Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s barn-burner on Friday, about 300 people, led by Puente Arizona, marched to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s jail (one-minute video of the protest above). It was only 100 that day, a cool wave. Nearby, a couple thousand inmates were living in tents, where it can reach 135+.
In addition to exposing and condemning the sheriff’s criminal practices, marchers had two demands: 1) that Immigration and Customs Enforcement be removed from his office, because immigration is a federal responsibility, not his—a county lawman convicted of racial profiling; and 2) the sheriff must resign, because he’s a corrupt dickhead.
Kudos to the demonstrators. I fully agree. Joe MUST go!!
From Think Progress: The saga over a Houston city law that protects LGBT people from discrimination just took a sudden turn. The Texas Supreme Court intervened in the court fight over the effort to repeal the initiative, ordering that the Houston City Council must either repeal HERO on its own or allow it to be challenged at the ballot in the next election. Either way, the city can no longer enforce it.
The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) was a sweeping piece of legislation, because prior to its passage, Houston had no municipal nondiscrimination protections for any class. Opponents of the bill objected primarily to its inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity, and collected signatures to challenge it at the ballot. Whether enough signatures were valid to qualify the referendum became the subject of heated back-and-forth court fights, but the Texas Supreme Court ignored almost all of it.
The Republicans on the Texas Supreme court do not care that the gay-haters lied, forged, cheated and presented insufficient valid signatures to qualify. To them, gay rights just don’t matter.
Cartoon:
29 Responses to “Open Thread–7/25/2015”
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4:37 (average 5:14) I'm sure they're not trying to tell us something. Are they?
New Yorker – You bet. If necessary, they will dig for it. Or more likely drill for it.
Daily Kos – What's not to agree with? Unless you ARE Joe. Or one of his tin foil hat voters. Federal prison would be a good place for him. If we could only get Jeffrey Sterling moved closer to his family (not that he should be in prison at all, he is an honorable man and only did honorable deeds), there would be a vacancy in Englewood. Hey, I can dream.
Think Progress – What a steaming pile of boustrokopros. And despite marriage equality, I would not feel safe pushing it up to SCROTUS.
Cartoon – No indeed, nor would I want a President who would appoint more Bush-appointee-types to the Supreme Court. For shizzle.
3:11 I wasn't running as fast as Tom.
4:03 I got lost.
2:54 Clear the way . . . I have to pee!
Don't pee on your foot!!
Why? Afraid it might grow even bigger?
Even smellier!
FF ~ I missed the Draft because Shane's niece was visiting from Phill, only for a few hours. She was my priority today. I hope I got a good team though.
New Yorker ~ I actually thought they had to dig a really deep hole for the bar this year.
Daily Kos ~ We can hope the protesters will be effective fut I doubt it.
Think Progress ~ This must be one of the places where it's legal to fire you if your LGBT. Sad.
Cartoon ~ Hell NO!
Patty, I took a peek at your team and you did pretty well. You should go in and check for Bye week conflicts. You do have only one kicker and onlt one defence, both Bye Week 9, so you'll want to get backups for them before then. Geez. I dcratfed my team. but know more about yours.
Thanks. I tried to check Saturday night but i couldn't get stats yet. I'll check everything this week.
That cartoon is too realistic! If I weren't a spineless Liberal, I'd have shot through the roof in fear and loathing! 😉 I am stealing it & posting to Facebook! Even most RepubliCONs hate Cheney..:)
It does seem to be a photograph that shows his soul, doesn't it!
What Pat said.
I hope Houston appeals it federally…and that Merkeley succeeds in making us have equivalent federal law.
Not sure whether Cheney or Arapaio wins on the heartlessness meter.
This crew of politicians is the biggest argument of why there should be mandatory public service for all, which is also a prerequisite for running for office.
To all of you who pray, please pray and those who don't please send good thoughts to my cousin Phillip. He had triple bypass surgery on Friday, and they have had to reopen the cut three times since to stop the bleeding. He is put in an induced coma until Monday, at which time they hope they can remove him from the ventilator. This is so scary.
The New Yorker: I think Andy is wrong, too. The clown car can always lower the bar.
Daily Kos: The fact that he is still in office speaks badly for the residents of Maricopa County who obviously agree with him, that prisoners are not people anymore. Bravo to the protesters, and boo to the Justice Dept. for not intervening in this county to stop this inhumane treatment of prisoners.
Think Progress: It seems to me that the only people with rights in Texas are old white men. Certainly not minorities or women.
Cartoon: Yet that is what we had for 8 years. I cannot fathom the ignorance of my fellow citizens.
Lots of prayers for your cousin Philip, Edie. I do hope all goes well, you all must be so worried.
Thanks, Pat.
Ditto. Scary indeed.
Thanks, Joanne.
Prayers said last night and will continue. Blessings
Thanks, Lynn
By all means, Edie Please keep us posted on his condition. {{{HUGS}}}
Thanks, TC.
Puzzle — 2:54 Clear the way . . . I have to pee!
The New Yorker — The bar is already below ground! It is hard to believe that the Clown Car occupants could bury it further, but being Republicanus/Teabaggerum, I'm sure they will find a way. I don't suppose the Grateful Dead are too happy.
Daily Kos — I'm with the protesters . . . Joe must go!
Think Progress — In this day and age, for a court of justice to essentially sanction discrimination is unacceptable. Perhaps the UN's HRC should be called in, not that the US would ever listen to the UN. Hey, the UN is taking Canada to task, or specifically the Harper government. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/megan-hooft/political-advocacy-ngos_b_7867678.html
Cartoon — Hell no!!! That man gives ugly a whole new meaning!
Keep on enjoying the cool weather while it lasts, TomCat. It'll be hot again for you know it. Wouldn't it be nice if one could store sleep like groceries, ahead for the coming week? Catnaps do, I know, so here's a bunch to take whenever you need one.
The New Yorker: Andy leaves some leeway for that bar position by letting expert Professor Davis Logsdon admit to having the bar at its lowest point after Sara Palin was chosen for running mate. Can you really blame Logsdon for thinking the bar couldn't be lowered any more at that time. With hindsight it's always easy to predict, isn't. Logson may well be right in thinking the bar is flush with the ground, but that won't prevent the GOP/TP from digging around it so it'll go below sea level. We live below sea level in parts of Holland, so why not have the bar lowered further than ground level. All is relative anyway. 😉
Daily Kos: Joe Arpaio’should have gotten the boot years ago. Arizona, and Maricopa county especially, make a mockery of law and law enforcement by keeping this man on. Have him kicked out and then immediately charging him with violation of human rights of the illegal immigrants he's detaining in tents at temperatures of 135+°. This man has ruled his kingdom far too long and it's time to call him to justice for what he's doing. It's unacceptable to wait until the first detainees die from the heat.
Think Progress: The Texas Supreme Court wanted to turn down HERO no matter what; Texan Republicans just won't allow any bill that prevents them from discriminating people period. It's the LGBT people now, soon it'll be Muslims or single mothers or libruls. The defense could have saved itself the trouble of trying to prove that most signatures were invalid, this court was going to ignore that right from the start. Freedom to discrimin-hate trumps all in Texas.
Excellent cartoon, TomCat. Is it new or in use for the second time?
Lona, I've seen this one before. It is recycled but never old. Hard to miss that black soul, eh.
Lynn is right. That Cartoon is vintage 7/25/2012. I pilled it out of storage, bevause it is as valid now as it was then.
New Yorker – oh dear, I am afraid that the Repugs always manage to hit a new low, Heaven knows when they will stop!
Daily Kos – I cannot believe these things happening in Maricopa County! God bless all who protest his reign – they are risking jail too, it seems.
Think Progress – discrimination is wrong and illogical – which is why the Repugs love it so. Sadly.
Hugs and amen to all!