Politics Plus

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here  in Canada.  I visited my mother and fed her a turkey dinner with all the trimmings today . . . although for her, it is all mashed as she can't chew well.  I usually sit between my mother and another resident alternating feeding.  It helps the staff to have another set of hands and eyes.  By the time I went home, I was exhausted.  So here I sit finishing the tail end of the Open Thread having just swallowed the last of my dinner.  I am thankful for many things but I am especially thankful for TC and everything that he has taught me; for the friendships of Nameless, JL and Joanne; and for all of you that keep me going.  Thank you.

Puzzle — Today’s took me 2:50 (average 4:23). To do it, click here. How did you do? For those that don't know, we always do the 48 piece classic.

Upworthy — In recent years, we're seeing more and more artists explore new mediums that reduce their environmental impact, like salt, ice, and even trash. It's leading to some incredible work.  

Joanna's medium of choice?  Fallen leaves.

Having majored in fine arts in high school and been accepted to study fine arts at university, I feel I know a thing or two. Joanna's work is exceptional.  Read more at Upworthy.

Mother Jones — Perhaps realizing that Cruz does need to grab some early-state mojo, his campaign has decided to focus more on Iowa. Starting next week, Cruz will blast through the state with 20 campaign stops in seven days.

Is that enough? Robinson suggests that if Cruz wants his rivals to implode, he might have to start explicitly attacking candidates in his brackets, such as Carson, who has a strong presence in Iowa and major support among the evangelical voters whom Cruz needs. Instead, Cruz is acting like a front-runner, setting up a "firewall" and avoiding direct clashes with his primary rivals.

"What signs are there that these [other candidates] are just going to be a flash in the pan and Ted Cruz is going to pick up the crumbs?" asks Robinson. "I don't see any evidence of that."

So, how's it going for you, Cruz?  My prediction: Cruz won't last because his non plan is a bust.  Read more at Mother Jones.

Think Progress — USHCC President Javier Palomarez challenged the Ohio governor on the fact that women in his state working full time are getting paid roughly 78 percent of what men make — according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau. For Latina women across the U.S., the gap is even greater: just 54 percent of what men made in 2014.

Palomarez pointed out that Kasich has daughters of his own, and asked how he explains this disparity to them.

“Well, a lot of it is based on experience,” Kasich replied. “A lot of different factors go into it. It’s all tied up in skills. Do you not have the skills to be able to compete?”

Kasich really knows how to step in it . . . and right up to his neck!  This is the same Republican candidate vying for the nomination to run for POTUS. This is also the same man that on 09/10/2015 said to a New Hampshire audience member that he would "get over" cuts to Social Security payments as a result of his reform plan.  A most despicable little man. Read the rest at Think Progress.

My Universe — Mornings can be a bitch. Especially Mondays.

I am sitting here checking out some news to cover, and I can hear the rain outside.  It is very relaxing to hear as I prepare tomorrow's only article.  It is the remnants of Hurricane Oho, the tail end, as Oho has headed up to Alaska. Earlier, while driving about, I had listened to news of the House Speaker's race, followed closely by the news of Oho.  I started laughing because I thought they had announced the hurricane's name as Hurricane A##hole. I do have some hearing deficits, but still . . . Maybe it is Washington that has Hurricane A##hole . . .  right in the Republican conference room.

Puzzle — Today’s took me 3:04 (average 5:04). To do it, click here. How did you do? For those that don't know, we always do the 48 piece classic.

Short Takes

Alternet — Why won't the media acknowledge and report the truth rather than made-up issues is the burning question on Paul Krugman's mind in his column Friday. He was spurred by Representative Kevin McCarthy, no longer in the running for Speaker of the House, who guilelessly boasted that Benghazi was all about hurting Hillary Clinton politically, which most sentient beings knew.

IMO, the media should be reporting the facts, reporting the news, NOT being the news.  For example, Fox News aka Faux Noise, or for me just plain Faux, is a prime example of so called media being the news rather than reporting the news.  At best, the work of O'Reilly, Hannity and the multitude of other on air personalities, is opinion, not news.  They are the Republican/TeaParty propaganda wing.

Common Dreams — In what privacy advocates are hailing as a landmark victory, California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law a sweeping tech privacy bill which will require police in the state to obtain warrants for access to telecommunications data, including emails, text messages, GPS coordinates, and other digital information.

"This is a major win for privacy and for Californians. With so much of our information existing online, it's important that our communications are protected from government access to the strongest degree possible," said G.S. Hans, policy counsel and director for the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT).

Now, if more states, indeed more countries, take similar steps, would we still have the feeling of 'big brother is watching'?  That a person's communication in electronic form is treated differently than that on paper is absolutely ridiculous.

Alternet — Socialism is not about “free stuff,” but cracking down on these corporations that exploit their workers and then rely on the government to make sure they don’t starve. It is not about being lazy and slacking off, but about demanding a fair share and getting paid decently for one’s labor — it is yet another right wing fallacy that people get paid what they’re worth, and that only lazy people are poor. Socialism is about working people, not slackers. It is about fighting capitalist realities like the fact that the top 25 hedge fund managers in America make more money than all of the 157,800 kindergarten teachers combined. Are investors who produce no value really worth that much more than teachers?

I couldn't agree more with the author.  Being a Canuck, I am accustomed to a more socialist view of what life should be.  Mahatma Gandhi said “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”  I would alter that slightly to be “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its people and animals are treated.”

My Universe — h/t Sarah D