I have been out much of the day and felt compelled to get my knee elevated, which turned into a cat nap. That explains the lateness of this post. Part of the stats work is proving a challenge as the graphics don't want to transfer properly. Tomorrow is physio too which should be fun.
Puzzle — Today’s took me 3:19 (average 5:13). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Fantasy Football
| Points | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | W-L-T | Pct | Stk | Waiver | For | Against |
| 1 | 9-3-0 | .750 | W2 | 10 | 1,210.94 | 864.04 | |
| 2+2 | 8-4-0 | .667 | W1 | 9 | 1,117.00 | 939.56 | |
| 3+2 | 8-4-0 | .667 | W3 | 8 | 1,170.02 | 962.44 | |
| 4-1 | 7-5-0 | .583 | L1 | 7 | 1,178.52 | 1,085.96 | |
| 5-3 | 7-5-0 | .583 | L1 | 6 | 1,125.36 | 1,020.62 | |
| 6+1 | 6-6-0 | .500 | W1 | 5 | 1,030.46 | 1,063.16 | |
| 7-1 | 5-7-0 | .417 | L2 | 4 | 1,088.10 | 1,172.86 | |
| 8 | 4-8-0 | .333 | L1 | 3 | 1,046.28 | 1,223.12 | |
| 9 | 4-8-0 | .333 | L5 | 2 | 965.82 | 1,174.30 | |
| 10 | 2-10-0 | .167 | W1 | 1 | 806.66 | 1,233.10 | |
* Rank change shown is from week 11 – 12
Short Takes
Alternet — For decades, we’ve recruited, trained and armed tribal groups to fight against governments we don’t like. We’ve overtly or covertly appointed hundreds of dictators, war criminals, drug lords and terrorists. In the past, it was all about the Cold War. Now it’s all business. We’re picking dictators to suppress their people so we can rape their natural resources.
In the 1980s, we helped Pakistan and Saudi Arabia overthrow Afghanistan’s socialist government. In 1976, it was Argentina. In 1964, it was Brazil and General Castelo Branco who reigned over that country for a brutal 20 years. … And the list goes on, El Salvador, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, and still counting.
We created terrorism.
We’re feeding the terrorist ideology with every panic-driven bonehead move we make.
Click through for the rest of the article. On 24/11/2015, I posted a Truth in Media video about the origins of Daesh, an origin that was largely brought about by the US and its actions in the Middle East. And those types of actions were common in various areas around the globe over many decades. It is well past time for the US to stop its own form of terrorism.
Daily Beast — Here are two local lawmakers who embody the "hate machine" that has become the Republican Party. Click on the links that are their names for their stories.
An Iowa GOP lawmaker running for Congress is one-upping Donald Trump, proposing that the U.S. execute undocumented immigrants who repeatedly cross the border after committing crimes.
An Iowa Republican running for Congress has finally figured out how to deal with undocumented immigrants who commit crimes: Execute them.
Like leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, state Sen. Mark Chelgren says he would build a fence to control who enters and leaves the United States. But when immigrants cross the border illegally, commit a felony stateside, and then get deported, Chelgren proposes that those individuals should be executed if they enter again illegally.
The lawmaker’s plan, which he shared with the Knoxville Journal-Express for a profile on his fledgling congressional campaign, may seem like the loony fantasy of a local politician. But Chelgren’s rhetoric fits right in with bile-spewing elements of the right that now appear to have been mainstreamed with the rise of Trump, who famously claimed that many undocumented immigrants are “rapists” and “criminals.”
[Alan] Harper, a Republican legislator in Alabama’s state house (representing Pickens and Tuscaloosa counties), shared an important announcement with his 2,551 Facebook friends on Monday: beware any local business not owned by white, religious people like himself, because they are funding terrorism in the Middle East.
“As you travel during the holidays or any other time, please try to shop and purchase gas and other items at American owned stores,” he advised, agreeably enough.
From there, his tone changed somewhat.
“The [convenience] stores/tobacco outlets, etc. with the lights around the windows and doors are not owned by God fearing Christians. In large part, these stores are owned by folk that send their profits back to their homeland and then in turn use these funds against our country to create turmoil, fear and in some cases death and destruction.”
Is this what it means to be a part of the land of the free and the brave? What I see are two frightened men that take their white privilege past the point of no return. What I see are two xenophobes inciting others to xenophobia. Sad and maddening.
My Universe — Looking at life from all angles!
5 Responses to “Squatch’s Open Thread 01/12/2015”
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3:55 We had lantana, or so I was told, when I was a child, but that isn't what quite it looked like, nor do I remember it being aromatic. Oh, well. Probably related but different species.
AlterNet – Appointing dictators has been a prime project of the School of the Americas (I don't think it's called that any more, I think it became so notorious they had to change it. But the SOAW or School of the Americas Watch is still using the term). But we have never limited ourselves to the geographic Americas. I don't think I even want to know what history will say about us. "Colonialism" doesn't seem like a vile enough term to cover it. Perhaps in time it will.
Daily Beast – Chelgren must have decided three strikes are not enough, it needs to be down to two strikes. Harper – any relation to Steven? Or just in mindset? When I see an "Owned by Americans" sign, I smell bigotry and run the other way myself.
Universe – Gee, you said you took a cat nap, you didn't say you were being slothful. But, whatever it takes – just take care of yourself.
Sounds lke you're having a ball, Lynn. Stats and physio, you're a glutton for punishment, aren't you. Thanks for this open thread nevertheless.
Alternet: Excellent piece. But after seeing the Truth in Media video you posted earlier, it seems it's even worse than even the author, Devona Walker, describes. She states in the third bullet: "They say Obama should have armed the Syrian rebels in their fight against Bashar al-Assad – no, we would have effectively been arming ISIS." We know from the video that Obama has armed Syrian rebels, effectively arming Da'esh. I can remember TomCat ridiculing that decision in Congress in his Thread because it was impossible to tell in that situation who was a rebel against Assad or against the West.
The main thing wrong with this article is that it addresses the Conservatives only, and let's be honest about it, many Democrats join in picking dictators to suppress their people in order to rape their natural resources. Imperialism is about the oldest form of terrorism, you see, and all Western countries have dabbled in it one time or another. And they're all dabbling in it now in the Middle East.
Daily Beast: Sorry to disagree with you there, Lynn. These men are not in the least scared, they are political leeches who feed on the fear of their voters, politicians who have just enough cunning to manipulate the fear of their rabid base in order to either get into Congress or remain a representative in their state's House.
Believe me, we've plenty of similar nasty pieces in Europe, exploiting the fear of the dumbed-down, but we draw the line at campaigning on hate speech in which a politician proposes to introduce legislation which allows the execution of illegals who commit a felony. Here Mark Chelgren wouldn't find a party which allowed him to run under their name and he wouldn't have a chance in hell he'd be allowed to start one of his own with that on his agenda. Instead he'd end up in front of a court for hate enticing speech, as would Alan Harper for discrimination and rebel rousing. Both men, and the party that allows them and all those candidates them a platform, make me sick to my stomach, and not as a joke. They make me afraid, yes, afraid of what America has become an afraid of what the world is turning into. Really, enough is enough!
My Universe: If they weren't headed for extinction, I'd envy them.
AlterNet: I too, watched the TiM video. We are paying for this ultimately, and we are hostile towards our own.
DB: What in tarnation is WRONG with these ID's? They fit in nicely with the others, but this train of thought is waaaay over the top, imho. Sick!!
My Universe: A sloth would do well in the den here, we're lazy and sleepy most of the time. Love these critters.
Keep your leg up, ;-). Hope that you have a good day. I feel like a sloth sometimes, as I'm off to school here in a bit. Take care, and Thanks, Lynn.
Catnaps are good!
5:33
Pam kickrd my kitty-butt!!
Hoth OBL and the Daesh are Republican creations.
Flush them!!
Hugs!!
Alternet: Thereis a saying out there somewhere, "Love thine enemies, for you have created them!"
I have said, repeatedly, that the USA has long acted like a personality disordered individual, and we have indeed, created the situations we sooooo much deplore, and for which we blame any one else.
It is like the clowns who put together the "Baby parts" video, or the Repubigoons saying, now, so conveniently, that their words have no impact, they are out of thir frigging minds, and in that sense so is the USA.
DB: Two very sick bastards! But, then, these are the clowns the people vote for. Of course, I have no idea what the alternative was, in either case. It reminds me that some newspaper, in New Hampshire, came out in support of my very sick Governor, Mr. Christie…and makes me think that in comparison to the rest of the field, he might look like the most sane (SCARY SHIT!).