A bit of a crazy day today but in addition to physio, I managed to finish up my Christmas shopping for my student's family. I was going to get young Simon (18 mth old) a wooden truck but changed that to a small stuffed dinosaur. He is very adept at throwing so figured the dinosaur would do less damage.
Puzzle — Today’s took me 3:07 (average 5:40). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes
Alternet — According to an investigation by the New York Times, half of all the money contributed so far to Democratic and Republican presidential candidates—$176 million—has come from just 158 families, along with the companies they own or control.
Who are these people? They’re almost entirely white, rich, older and male—even though America is becoming increasingly black and brown, young, female, and with declining household incomes.
From the Reich on the left, telling how it is.
Think Progress — During oral arguments on a case that may eliminate race conscious affirmative action, Justice Antonin Scalia said that “most of the black scientists in this country do not come from the most advanced schools” and added that black students do better in a “slower track.”
Scalia also said students of color are being “pushed into schools that are too advanced for them” due to race conscious affirmative action policies.
Scalia is becoming more and more open about his activist conservatism and racism, and I for one am sick of it. Call me a pollyanna but I still believe in equality and fairness. Scalia's retirement cannot come soon enough.
Talking Points Memo — Three Republican senators Mark Kirk (R-IL), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski(R-AK) weren't about to let their party gut Planned Parenthood without a fight.
Collins led the charge on Senate floor Thursday announcing that defunding Planned Parenthood could lead to "the closure of several hundred clinics across the country, depriving millions of women of the health care provider of their choice."
OK, that's a start, but where is that hapless McTurtle in this? As I understand, unless McTurtle buys in, this is going absolutely nowhere. It is refreshing however to see some Republicans with some common sense. Or is it just the vagaries of re-election?
My Universe — The Bag O’ Nails pub in Bristol, England, is known in the area for its unique selection of beers, ciders and ales.
Now it’s getting some attention for a reason that has more to do with fur than fermentation.
Check out the furmentation. Personally, I like the manager of the pub!
6 Responses to “Squatch’s Open Thread 09/12/2015”
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LS: Yes, a stuffed toy is a better choice.
Alter: They have all this money for politicians if those same pols do something for them. Investments. Money talks. Money buys. Listen to the Reich video. 3 minutes.
Think: Scalia is most definitely a racist and he can't seem to say it often enough. Scalia needs to retire.
Talking Points: It is the vagaries of re-election. Bought Bitch McTurtle won't budge from his party's stance on shutting Planned Parenthood down.
Universe: Unusual bar. Nothing like a drunken kitty shish swaying along. lol.
Puzzle ~ 4:18 I've been away so long, my fingers forgot how to move the puzzle pieces.
Lynn, wise choice with the soft toy instead of the wooden truck. As we all know, it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye.
Alternet ~ They are all collecting Big Money from large donors except for Bernie Sanders.
Think Progress ~ The progress that I'm thinking is that Scalia eats and drinks himself into the grave. Is that un-Christian of me?
Talking Points Memo ~ These 3 women are probably just looking ahead to elections next year. They most likely know that McTurtle will never bring it to the floor and for sure it would never get by Lyin' Ryan in the House.
My Universe ~ All the pictures of the cats in the pub are adorable.
Very busy day! If I were not a coffee-totaller, I'd visit that pub!!
5:03 I would think he would have difficulty getting aloft from that location myself.
AlterNet – And they are starting to admit publicly that they expect a returm on their "investment." I mean, sure, we all know that and they know that we know, but saying it in public (most recently, I believe, Charles Koch) is just adding insult to injury – spitting in our faces – inviting the pitchforks. They must feel very safe.
Think Progress – Scalia sure demonstrates a lot of white privilege denseness for someone who within my lifetime would have been dismissed as a "Wop." But Republicans are generally lacking in empathy. Pollyanna, BTW, was NOT an optimist or blinded by rose colored gladness. She had been brought up to, and did, realistically asses every situation, usually bleak, but still find some little thing, often very little, to be glad about. I grany you both are about equally annoying, especially to people who play the (Eric Berne – Games People Play) game "Ain't it Awful." But they are not quite the same thing.
TPM – Mark Kirk is up for reelection in 2016 and it looks pretty foregone that he will be facing off against Tammy Duckworth, who is formidable in just about every way you can think of. I suspect he is grasping at straws. The other two are women, and may be genuine. If so, it would be only on this issue.
Universe – Has PETA weighed in? I do realize Brit beers are less toxic than canned and bottled American beers, but ….
You must have had a good day, Lynn. Your Christmas shoppin for that family done and wisely done at that. Your precious things will thank you for not giving him a wooden truck 😉
Alternet: There are few others who can explain so clearly in so little time why the system is broken and what needs to be done about it as Robert Reich. But he won't be heard by those who need to listen, neither he nor the Democrats control the media, those 158 rich old white males do. They'll run the country until the pitchforks come out.
Think Progress: One of the signs of Alzheimer/dementia is letting go of decorum and social niceties and just saying anything that comes to mind. Where Scallia in his younger years knew how to wrap his activist conservatism, racism and bigotry – that has always defined this man – in pilitically correct terms. Now, with inhibitions undermined by his dementia, he simply states what he thinks, and can't even come up with the flimsiest of reasoning behind his statements. This man should never have been justice on SCOTUS in the past because of his prejudices and bigotry, but he should be retired now he's no longer capable of any coherent reasoning or decorum
Talking Point Memo: As there no longer is room in the GOP for common sense, the "disloyalty" of these three Republican senators (up for re-election?) is rather meaningless and purely is an act to keep voters back home happy. If they would really disagree with party politics, they would leave the GOP, but as always, senators and representatives are rather comportable sitting on pluche, as we say, and don't want to lose their seat.
My Universe: This must be a very special type of beer, one that doesn't make cat's run for cover.