For me it has been a good day . . . no malfunctioning elevators, no idiot drivers . . . almost peaceful. That is until now! My cat Primo is digging his claws into my hip as to say "I want my dinner"! So I will go and feed my three kids their kibble and peace will return.
Puzzle — Today’s took me 3:39 (average 5:33). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes
Alternet — Last week, as the nation observed the anniversary of 9/11, one could not help but look back at that time and contemplate the reaction by our fellow citizens and foreign nations. Rick Perlstein wrote a very poignant piece a couple of years back about the solidarity that horrible day inspired among all Americans and people around the world — and how it was lost.
Perlstein describes how bills such as the vote to authorize war and the Patriot Act passed nearly unanimously and without debate, which he says happened because in that moment of oneness,”it seemed unimaginable that this extraordinary grant of executive power could possibly be abused.” The man who should have been president, Al Gore, famously said, “George W. Bush is my commander in chief.”
Lefties from Ellen Willis to Barbra Streisand immediately fell into line and supported the president unequivocally. Bush memorably put this new sense of trust and good will into words when he addressed Congress and the nation on September 20, 2001, and asked the American people to pull together for the sake of the nation as a whole. He also admonished them to be decent to the people of Middle Eastern descent who lived among us.
Coming together in a time of crisis is good, is patriotic, because it gives strength to the immediate needs. But there is a risk that the immediate needs will never really be met, that people will go on auto pilot instead of thinking and re-evaluating the situation. That makes for "boogeyman" times of paranoia and the ability of groups, like Republicans, to milk that paranoia. So sad because patriotism is not a boogeyman but an opportunity to grow as a nation.
The Nation — This week, The Wall Street Journal dropped a terrifyingly large number on Senator Bernie Sanders’s upstart campaign, warning that his proposals would carry a “price tag” of $18 trillion over a 10-year period. It’s a number designed to shock and awe and discourage voters from giving the social democrat’s ideas a close look.
But according to the very data cited by The Journal’s Laura Meckler, Sanders’s highly progressive proposals wouldn’t cost the United States a single penny, on net, over that 10-year window. In fact, they’d cost less, overall, than what we’d spend without them.
It’s not hard to understand why. The lion’s share of the “cost”—$15 trillion—would pay for opening up Medicare to Americans of all ages. (Meckler notes that Sanders hasn’t released a detailed proposal, so she relies on an analysis of HR 676, Representative John Conyers’s Medicare-for-all bill.)
Bernie has been very open with the costs of his proposals well before he decided to run. That is, in my mind, one thing he does well. So in my opinion, The Wall Street Journal's number bomb is an attempted distraction from the truth. The Bern has your back!
Raw Story — Christian columnist Chris Queen argued this week that Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’ anti-poverty proposals went against biblical teachings because the “God of the Bible is not a socialist.”
In speech to Liberty University on Monday, Sanders urged the Christian conservative students to apply the golden rule — “Do unto others, what you would have them do to you” — to public policy.
“We are living in a time — and I warn all of you if you would, put this in the context of the Bible, not me, in the context of the Bible — we are living in a time where a handful of people have wealth beyond comprehension,” Sanders said. “Do you think it’s moral when 20 percent of the children in this country, the wealthiest country in the history of the world, are living in poverty? Do you think it is acceptable that 40 percent of African American children are living in poverty?”
“[A]nd the Bible speaks to this issue, in a nation and in a world which worships not love of brothers and sisters, not love of the poor and the sick, but worships the acquisition of money and great wealth.”
Where are the Biblical lions when you need them?
My Universe — Nothing more need be said.
9 Responses to “Squatch’s Open Thread 16/09/2015”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
Glad to hear that things are (almost) back to peaceful, Lynn. Knowing where TomCat is now and having been reassured he's getting the best possible care, must have taken a load of your mind too, as it will have for all of us. But make sure you don't forget to feed your own felines when you get too caught up in preparing this blog. TomCat wouldn't want to have the injuries sustained because of that on his conscience 🙂 But in every other respect you're dong a terrific job, Lynn. Kudos.
Alternet: The abuse of the powers given freely and unanimously when the nation came together as one after 9/11 has given rise to a lot of speculation about the "people" behind 9/11 and even to some elaborate conspiracy theories that still surface so many years after the event. This may be because of all those Americans who stepped in line so easily and agreed to grant this extraordinary grant of executive power all too soon realized that these powers were given too freely and were used to change the status quo for good in America. The misbegotten wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have not stopped the Republican's hunger for more war, in Iran for example, nor have they learned anything from them and are willing to make the same mistakes in going to war with something as complicated and illusive as Da'esh. Sadly the images of 9/11 are still strong enough to be used by the Republicans to "milk the paranoia", as you say, Lynn.
The Nation: Bernie Sanders is a direct threat to Wall Street and all it stands for right now, because of the numbers he's already had prepared before he started his campaign, so imagine what he could do to them when he gets the Democratic nomination and wins the election. They may be greedy and egotistical in Wall Street, but they're not stupid, and they know a threat when they see one, and Bernie is huge one, so they counter attack the Republican way, by lying and putting the fear of a debt crisis into the heads of their investors through their mouthpiece, the Wallstreet Journal. I'm sure Bernie was waiting for that and is ready to punch back.
Raw Story: So according to Chris Queen the “God of the Bible is not a socialist.”. Duh, but his son sure was! This again shows how those Talibangelists are stuck on the Old Testament and are completely clueless about the teachings of the one they named their religion after.
My Universe: No, this one indeed doesn't need any more comment.
I would like to second everything that Lona has said (and so much better than I could).
Raw Story – Chris Queen is patently unknowledgeable and probably an idiot – does he really prefer the Old Testament view of society and its obligations – with Jubilee years where ALL DEBTS ARE CANCELLED throughout the land – I think not, that would hurt his income I'm sure. Does he prefer to have to take in every single female relative and support them properly if they have no other male relative to support them? I think not. There are many other provisions for the poor and the indigent in the Old Testament which would make a considerable strain on Chris' purse – and 'where a man's treasure is, there his heart is also'…. so I don't think he would like that.
As Lona has said – God's son was a socialist – most definitely he was, and I wish to goodness that all his followers were too!
Thanks for telling us how TC is Lynn – still praying for him and will continue to do so – blessings upon you all!
4:48 (5:33) Based on the description, the yellow may have been filtered out.
Alternet – Surely Alternet is not just now discovering this. IMO it has been obvious for a while now.
WSJ – Consider the source. WSJ is owned by Rupert Murdoch. Why anyone would still trust it is beyond me.
Nation – What Bible is Chris Queen using? The God of the Bible I read is most definitely a Socialist. In fact one of my favorite bumper stickers reads "You call me liberal, but I'm to the right of Jesus."
Universe – Apparently it's OK for one's face to show just how hard one is working to maintain that self control.
He just bought National Geographic, too…sigh
I still am not doing the puzzle. Am hoping Jim isn't affected by the Valley fire.
Read an analysis today countering that indicating that Bernie's policies would actually save us mega money and loved that he made the cover of Time. He did a good job of showing respect despite disagreement IMO–something an effective leader, especially in the foreign policy arena, must do.
Wish there weren't the need for me to sign so many petitions to ensure the law covering the health consequences to 9/11 responders doesn't expire at the end of this month…
The birds in my yard love whatever water they can find, too
3:13 This flower is named after 2 of my cats, Silly and Hughy.
I want a job where I get to wash owls even if they frown and growl at me
LOL! Gives the term birdbath a whole new meaning!