August 2015 – Page 4 – Politics Plus

Open Thread–8/19/2015

Posted by TomCat at 2:11 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 192015

It’s another very hot very humid day. After today, we should get two temperate days, before the 90°+ weather returns on Saturday. Yesterday afternoon, I learned that my friend with cancer was in recovery, after a successful mastectomy. I feel quite relieved about that. Store to Door delivered groceries early. I have them put away. Now, if I can just stay conscious until after my articles are up and out, it’s A/C hunker time again.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:21 (average 4:24). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker:

On the evening of August 6th, when the news broke that Senator Charles Schumer would vote against the Iran accord, the Democratic Senate leader, Harry Reid, was as stunned as the rest of his caucus. The two men are close friends. When Reid became the leader, in 2005, Schumer was a backbencher, who mused about running for governor of New York. Reid took an interest in him, came to rely on both his fund-raising prowess with Wall Street and his counsel on a range of matters, and always advised his ambitious protégé, “Be patient, be patient.” Last March, when Reid announced that he would retire at the end of 2016, he endorsed Schumer to succeed him and announced that another contender, Richard Durbin, the Democratic whip (and Schumer’s former roommate), would stand down. For those progressives who questioned whether Schumer should be leader, Reid said that Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders would keep the caucus honest. Now, because of Schumer’s position as presumptive leader, Reid felt that Schumer should have informed him of his decision on the Iran deal, given its importance, according to a Senate aide. Still, when a White House official called Reid that night to ask if he would announce his support of the deal to counter Schumer’s opposition, Reid refused, saying he wasn’t ready, a close associate said. (A spokesman for Senator Reid later issued a statement denying that Reid was surprised by Schumer’s announcement. “Their relationship is as close as ever. On Iran, Senator Reid respects the decision of conscience Senator Schumer made and he did not raise concerns with the announcement or the timing.”)*

More than a week has passed, and Reid still wonders why Schumer decided to announce his opposition when he did. Schumer was the first Democratic senator to oppose the deal. And it was his timing, perhaps even more than the substance of his decision, that has upset his pro-deal colleagues and, most unmistakably, the White House. Josh Earnest, the President’s press secretary, said he wouldn’t be surprised if some members of the Senate Democratic caucus “consider the voting record of those who say they would like to lead the caucus,” and he went on to liken Schumer’s decision to oppose the Iran deal to his support for the Iraq War, in 2003. It always seemed implausible that Schumer—an AIPAC stalwart who boasted that he is Benjamin Netanyahu’s best friend on Capitol Hill—would oppose AIPAC and Netanyahu on a deal they both claim is an existential threat to Israel. (I have written about AIPAC’s influence on politicians for the magazine.) “Chuck was always among the least likely Democrats to support the deal,” a longtime close friend of Schumer’s told me. And, after Schumer’s announcement, Durbin said, “I always expected him to be against the agreement.”…

Click through for the rest of this highly informative piece. If your Senator(s) are Democrats, call them regularly to tell them to strip this Bankster-bought traitor of any and all party leadership positions.

From NY Times: Russians are experiencing the first sustained decline in living standards in the 15 years since President Vladimir V. Putin [R-RU] came to power. The ruble has fallen by half against the dollar, driven by the plunging price of oil, the lifeblood of Russia’s economy. As a result, prices of imported goods have shot up, making tea, instant coffee, children’s clothes and back-to-school backpacks suddenly, jarringly expensive.

The Russian people are learning first hand the steep price they have to pay for putting a Republican in charge of their nation.

From Alternet: Ann Coulter knows who she wants to be the Democratic nominee for president, and who that person is, well, it may surprise you.

She wants Hillary Clinton to be the nominee, and thinks that if Bernie gets the nod, he’ll beat whoever the Republicans come up with to run against him.

You won’t hear me say this often, but Ann Coulter is right.

If Bernie Sanders ends up being the Democratic nominee for president, and it looks more and more every day like he will be, his Republican opponent is going to have a very hard time beating him.

And that’s because of all the Democratic candidates running, Bernie Sanders has the best chance of capturing Republican votes.

I’ve seen how Bernie does this, up close and personal.

Despite its reputation as a place filled with liberal hippies, Vermont, like most of rural northern New England, is home to a lot of conservatives.

Anyone running for statewide office there needs to win these conservatives’ votes, and Bernie is great at doing that.

As much as I’d like to echo this author’s optimism, northern NH Republicans are more like the old time back woods Republicans that were somewhat progressive in their views and opposed to the old time Dixiecrats, that now hold the Republican Party in thrall. To get lots of Republican support, nationwide, Bernie would have to convince a lot of willfully ignorant voters, too lazy to want to learn, not to be afraid of media-hyped "Socialism". That’s a tall order, not because Bernie lacks skill, but because he would be trying to plow a swamp.

Cartoon:

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Julian Bond: American Hero

Posted by TomCat at 11:34 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 182015

I remember Julian Bond. In the summer of 1966, I was in a workshop he taught on techniques to manage demonstrators committing nonviolent civil disobedience, so that their resistance was completely passive. This makes it obvious to onlookers that the police violence against us was the only violence. The three things about him that stood out to me were that he was an intellectual giant, he was a compassionate soul, and he made us understand that what we had to say was important to him. His life makes him worthy of mourning from us all.

Here is his early history.

Born: January 14, 1940

Nashville, Tennessee

African American civil rights leader, political activist, and politician

J ulian Bond is a civil rights leader, political activist, and politician who has spent most of his life fighting for equality in America. He has remained committed to the causes he believes in since joining the civil rights movement as a young college student.

Family and education

Horace Julian Bond, born on January 14, 1940, in Nashville, Tennessee, was the descendant of several generations of black educators and preachers. When his father Horace Mann Bond became president of Lincoln University in Oxford, Pennsylvania, the family moved into an environment that was mostly white. While in Oxford, the elder Bond caused a stir because of his protests against segregated facilities (people being required to use different facilities based on their race) and white attitudes of racial superiority. Young Julian, however, adjusted relatively easily to his new environment. He attended elementary school with white children and won the sixth grade award for being the brightest student in the class. He was sent to George School, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for his high-school education. He encountered a few instances of racial prejudice (being judged because of his race) during these years, but on the whole he adjusted well to the academic environment—although his grades were only average.

His father later became president of Atlanta University and the family moved to Atlanta, Georgia. Despite rumors of racial unrest, Bond decided to attend Morehouse College in Atlanta after his graduation from high school. Bond started college in 1957.

Early involvement in the civil rights movement

At Morehouse, Bond became the coordinator and spokesman for civil rights demonstrations. He started an Atlanta student civil rights group called the Committee on Appeal for Human Rights.

In 1960 Ella Baker (1903–1986), secretary of the civil rights organization known as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) invited students to meet at Shaw University, in Raleigh, North Carolina, to coordinate their efforts. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968), president of the SCLC, and Reverend James Lawson Jr., a believer in nonviolent resistance, spoke to the students and invited them to join the SCLC. Instead of joining the SCLC, several hundred students, including Bond, decided to form their own organization. They called their organization the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Bond was appointed communications director for the SNCC. He kept this position from 1960 until 1966. He became very active in the SNCC, dropped out of college, and did not complete his degree at Morehouse until 1971.

Inserted from <Notable Biographies>

Click through for the remainder of his history. It’s worth the read.

I have seen several video tributes to him from which to choose, but I found one of the shortest the most compelling.

Julian Bond left us a worthy example for all activists to follow. Human rights are civil rights and we must all work together to defend and extend the the rights we all share.

Open Thread–8/18/2015

Posted by TomCat at 11:31 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 182015

I arose early this morning to do some cooking, before the sun came up, so I don’t have to turn on hot things on a 100°+ day. I have some volunteer work to do, but I’m extremely tired and hope to hunker-down as soon as Store to Door calls to take my grocery order.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:18 (average 5:22). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: This man cannot be president.

I am not exaggerating what happened here.

If a mother was going to give up her child for adoption, the conservative legislature–supported and signed by one Jeb Bush– she was required to PUBLISH HER ENTIRE SEXUAL HISTORY in a major newspaper.

The idea behind it was… actually, I don’t know what the hell the idea was except to publically shame the woman. (Publically shaming unwed mothers, by the way, is something JEB! actually loudly and proudly called on people to do.)

All I know is that it passed under our wacko bird GOP legislature.

It was called the Scarlet Letter law.

Click through for more. When it comes to misogynist "slut shaming", Strike Three is worse than Rush Limbarf.

From Common Dreams: The Nebraska chapter of the ACLU is threatening to sue one of the state’s public school districts over its invocation, for the first time in decades, of a McCarthy-era state law that requires employees to sign an oath of "love and devotion" to the United States.

Dating back to 1951, the law requires "all persons engaged in teaching in the public schools of the State of Nebraska and all other employees paid from public school funds" to sign the pledge of loyalty. The oath includes the following language (emphasis added):

I acknowledge it to be my duty to inculcate in the hearts and minds of all pupils in my care, so far as it is in my power to do, (1) an understanding of the United States Constitution and of the Constitution of Nebraska, (2) a knowledge of the history of the nation and of the sacrifices that have been made in order that it might achieve its present greatness, (3) a love and devotion to the policies and institutions that have made America the finest country in the world in which to live, and (4) opposition to all organizations and activities that would destroy our present form of government.

While on the books for over half a century, this year is the first time in recent decades that public school administrators have asked teachers to sign the pledge.

Of course it is unconstitutional, but when you stop and think about it, this thing could cut both ways. If applied literally, rather than mythically, teachers would be swearing opposition to SCROTUS (Republican Constitutional VD).

From Right Wing Watch: Yesterday, WorldNetDaily editor Joseph Farah wrote that he is always surprised when he gets accused “of being an apocalyptic doomsdayer” because, after all, people who believe in climate science are “the real doomsdayers in our world.”

The very same day, WorldNetDaily published an article claiming that this September will see a huge, cataclysmic event, a prediction that touched on the “blood moon” prophecy that the far-right outlet has been promoting for years. (Farah once starred in a WorldNetDaily movie about how blood moons signal the Last Days, and took offense when President Obama made a joke about Rep. Michele Bachmann’s claim that his presidency ushered in the End Times).

And just a few days ago, WorldNetDaily also posted this column, “Foreshocks of Armageddon,” which seems to contradict everything Farah just said by alleging that the Rapture and emergence of the Antichrist are just around the corner… [multiple links to World Nut Daily delinked]

What hypocrites! Earth to Republicans! Earth to Republicans!! Hello?!!? Is there anyone with a working brain in that bubble machine of yours? No? I thought not!!

Cartoon:

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The Republican Plan for Granny

Posted by TomCat at 2:29 pm Politics

Aug 172015

Actually, its not fully accurate to say Republicans have a plan for seniors. They have several. For seniors that are too poor to buy medicines, Republicans would replace Medicaid with block grants to states, so Republican governors can give that money to billionaires instead of giving granny her medicine. For seniors on Medicare, they would give Granny a voucher and let Big Insurance cancel her policy, as soon as she gets sick. For seniors, who die because of the other Republican plans, they have the RepubliCare Death Benefit. When Granny cannot pay, pro-life Republicans never charge her extra to die. But the Republican plan for Granny at issue today is their plan to gut Social Security.

Something strange is happening in the Republican primary — something strange, that is, besides the Trump phenomenon. For some reason, just about all the leading candidates other than The Donald have taken a deeply unpopular position, a known political loser, on a major domestic policy issue. And it’s interesting to ask why.

The issue in question is the future of Social Security, which turned 80 last week. The retirement program is, of course, both extremely popular and a long-term target of conservatives, who want to kill it precisely because its popularity helps legitimize government action in general. As the right-wing activist Stephen Moore (now chief economist of the Heritage Foundation) once declared, Social Security is “the soft underbelly of the welfare state”; “jab your spear through that” and you can undermine the whole thing.

But that was a decade ago, during former President George W. Bush’s attempt to privatize the program — and what Mr. Bush learned was that the underbelly wasn’t that soft after all. Despite the political momentum coming from the G.O.P.’s victory in the 2004 election, despite support from much of the media establishment, the assault on Social Security quickly crashed and burned. Voters, it turns out, like Social Security as it is, and don’t want it cut.

It’s remarkable, then, that most of the Republicans who would be president seem to be lining up for another round of punishment. In particular, they’ve been declaring that the retirement age — which has already been pushed up from 65 to 66, and is scheduled to rise to 67 — should go up even further.

Thus, Jeb Bush says that the retirement age should be pushed back to “68 or 70”. Scott Walker has echoed that position. Marco Rubio wants both to raise the retirement age and to cut benefits for higher-income seniors. Rand Paul wants to raise the retirement age to 70 and means-test benefits. Ted Cruz wants to revive the Bush privatization plan.

For the record, these proposals would be really bad public policy — a harsh blow to Americans in the bottom half of the income distribution, who depend on Social Security, often have jobs that involve manual labor, and have not, in fact, seen a big rise in life expectancy. Meanwhile, the decline of private pensions has left working Americans more reliant on Social Security than ever…

Inserted from <NY Times>

Granny beware! Click through for the remainder of this fine Paul Krugman editorial.,

Open Thread–8/17/2015

Posted by TomCat at 2:28 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Aug 172015

It’s official. The NWS has issued an excessive heat warning for Portland through Wednesday evening. It’s a good thing I rescheduled those medical appointment, because I accidentally avoided the surprise heat wave. On the other hand, I’m sure I rescheduled them to coincide with the next surprise heat wave. ARGH!! I slept most of the evening, so I was up moist of the night. I’ll need to hunker down under the A/C soon, but I have a ton of volunteer work to get done.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:20 (average 4:40). To do it. click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: Living with a cat for the first time, you quickly pick up on its behavioral quirks, many of which are common among other cats. What you soon find out is that cats aren’t Republican. Here are 12 reasons why not:

1. Cats are curious about what you do in your bedroom, but they don’t try to legislate away your freedom to do it.

2. Cats may take away your cushion, but they’ll give it back to you with a gentle push.

3. Cats give you attention and sympathy when you’re sick.

4. Females are treated with importance in the cat world.

5. Cats make use of solar power, often all day long.

6. Cats lick their own problems and take care of other cats too.

What purrrrfect logic! I shared six reasons. Click through for the other six. Cat face

From TPM: As we move closer to next month’s vote on the Iran nuclear deal, I wanted to note some parts of the story that are not getting sufficient attention in the mainstream press. Even in Israel, where the the P5+1 deal is quite unpopular, there is increasing concern, at least among elites, at just how far Benjamin Netanyahu is willing to go in damaging US-Israel ties in his war against the Obama administration over the Iran deal. As JJ Goldberg aptly puts it, the campaign of incitement and maliciously phony charges of anti-Semitism against the White House are "effectively turning American Jews into Netanyahu’s cannon fodder" in war against Obama.

Too true.

As Goldberg notes, charges that the President is a crypto-Muslim or an anti-Semite have remained until now at the very fringes of American political discourse. But as the anti-deal forces have struggled to make their case on the merits, they have now resorted to pulling the anti-Semitism canard deep into the mainstream, with almost comically tendentious claims that the President is "dog whistling" or Jew-baiting in his campaign to win support for the deal in Congress.

The big irony here is that the same Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians, who are screaming anti-Semitism loudest, are campaigning to bring about the "end times". They preach that 144,000 Jewish witnesses, 12,000 from each tribe, will be saved. Other that those, they preach that all Jews, everywhere, that had not converted to follow Republican Supply-side Jesus, prior to the big-poof, will become crispy critters! It speaks volumes that “Butcher Bibi” (R-IS) is willing to ally himself with these Dominionist Republican hypocrites.

From Crooks ands Liars: [Jeb Bush keeps forgetting] That outside the wingnut bubble (and outside the Beltway Media bubble that enfolds it) not everyone has agreed to go along with the fairy tale that history began on January 20, 2009.

Kudos to Rachel! Believe it or not, I made today’s cartoon several hours before seeing this. With Strike Three having advisors like "Any Lie for War" Wolfowitz, I think I’m spot on!

Cartoon:

0817Cartoon

Last Week’s Deranged Republican Moments

Posted by TomCat at 11:58 am Politics

Aug 162015

Almost every week, Republicans join a competition to see who can say the most outlandish things, and in the process, they push the envelope on just how deranged InsaniTEA can become. I trust that you will believe it, when I tell you that last week was no exception.

Right-wing film critic celebrates fact that Jimmy Carter has cancer.

Here’s a lovely lady, whose film criticism we’ll be sure to start reading. Her name is Debbie Schlussel, and upon hearing that the 90-year-old ex-president and Nobel Peace Prize winner is gravely ill, the sometime-film critic, sometime-right-wing political commentator tweeted this out:

Yes, she did.

She even tried to make it a trending topic. It failed to trend. When the twittersphere reacted with some hostility and called her names, she was really upset. After all, she did not use vulgar language. How could they do that to such a nice gal?

Inserted from <Alternet>

How typically Republican she is! I’m the first to admit that if Crawford Caligula were to begin a permanent vacation in the infernal regions, you would see no tears from me. However, I would have the decency to offer polite condolences, or at least to keep my mouth shut about it until the morning period was over.

This is only the fifth of five deranged Republican moments from last week alone. Click through for the other four.

Poll Results–8/16/2015

Posted by TomCat at 11:58 am Blog News, Politics

Aug 162015

Here are the results of our “Why Hairball?” poll. Politics Plus Polls are not scientific, because those who respond are not balanced according to demographic categories. Therefore, we do not accurately reflect the makeup of the US population. Nevertheless, our polls are usually factually accurate, and more often than not, they reflect thinking or will of the national majority.

0816Poll

Our Polling Host no longer allows us to copy and paste our comments made when taking the poll. To read them, click here.

I voted fear, greed, hate sheeple and stupid. It seemed self evident.

The new poll is up, and this one is more serious. Please follow the instructions carefully, when you vote, and check two and only two boxes: one for each political party. Thank you!

Open Thread–8/16/2015

Posted by TomCat at 11:57 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Aug 162015

Here we go again, We’re getting another three to four days of surprise heat wave with temperatures in the 90°s and 100° starting tomorrow. Today will be high 80°s. I am so sick of this heat, I could scream. Thank goodness I moved in 12/2013. Otherwise, it would have killed me.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:29 (average 5:22). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos (classic 3/2010): Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God’s Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination… end of debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God’s Laws and how to follow them.

Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighbouring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can’t I own Canadians?”
I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her
I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual unseemliness – Lev. 15: 19-24. The problem is how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offence
When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord – Lev. 1:9. The problem is my neighbours. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
I have a neighbour who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2. clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?

It’s and oldie, but it’s worth the rerun. Click through for the rest. Dr. Kauffman’s friend is wrong. Owning a Canadian is our God-given right!! Winking smile

From NY Times: THE prime minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, has called an election for Oct. 19, but he doesn’t want anyone to talk about it.

He has chosen not to participate in the traditional series of debates on national television, confronting his opponents in quieter, less public venues, like the scholarly Munk Debates and CPAC, Canada’s equivalent of CSPAN. His own campaign events were subject to gag orders until a public outcry forced him to rescind the forced silence of his supporters.

Mr. Harper’s campaign for re-election has so far been utterly consistent with the personality trait that has defined his tenure as prime minister: his peculiar hatred for sharing information.

Americans have traditionally looked to Canada as a liberal haven, with gun control, universal health care and good public education.

But the nine and half years of Mr. Harper’s tenure have seen the slow-motion erosion of that reputation for open, responsible government. His stance has been a know-nothing conservatism, applied broadly and effectively. He has consistently limited the capacity of the public to understand what its government is doing, cloaking himself and his Conservative Party in an entitled secrecy, and the country in ignorance.

Click through for the remainder of this excellent editorial. The author, Stephen Marche, has Stephen "The Whoremaster" Harper (R-Canada), Fuhrer of Harpers Harlots, pegged.

From Raw Story: A liberal guest shouted down former George W. Bush spokesperson Mercedes Schlapp on Sunday after she tried to claim that Jeb Bush would not have trouble defending the Iraq war because Democrats voted for it knowing the intelligence was faulty.

During a discussion on Fox & Friends, Accountability Project Executive Director Nomiki Konst said that Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush was trying to “reinvent history” of the Iraq war.

Faux Noise Bag Alert!!

Note how the Faux Noise décolletage blonde kept interrupting the Democrat every time she started to make a fool of the Republican liar.

Cartoon:

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