I’m running late, because I took a nap from Lona this morning. I’m still quite busy. Tomorrow a friend, with whom I have done volunteer work is stopping by to learn how to collapse my power chart and see if she can load it into her car. If she can, we will probably go out for lunch. My guys in prison are having a Community Impact meeting later this month, and since it’s in the Visiting Room, I may be able to go. Monday I have a Urology appointment.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 4:26 (average 7:14). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From CNN: Residents of Flint, Michigan, began getting gravely ill and in some cases dying in summer 2014 in one of the worst outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease in U.S. history, and a county health director says attempts to find the source were hampered when the state wouldn’t request federal assistance.
Genesee County Health director Jim Henry tells CNN in an exclusive interview he believes deaths could have been prevented, but the health department could not get help from the state of Michigan or the Centers for Disease Control to find the source. Eventually, 87 people got Legionnaire’s and nine died.
Henry, who was a supervisor at the time of the outbreak, says state officials purposely kept the CDC away once the county wanted to look at the highly corrosive Flint River as the Legionnaire’s uptick began. The state had decided to switch the water supply source to the Flint River, and soon brown water began flowing from taps in the city… [emphasis added]
Even if Flint River water was not the source of the infection, Republican Sturmbannführer Snyder murdered nine people by covering up his water crime, because his cover-up prevented the discovery of the source.
From Tampa Bay Times: The hedge fund manager boasted that he had traveled to "every country" in the world, studying overseas stock markets as he fine-tuned an investment strategy to capitalize on global companies’ suffering because of economic or political turmoil.
But the fund manager had an even more distinctive credential to showcase in his marketing material in June 2013: He was a "U.S. congressman," Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Orlando, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Now he is also among the leading Democratic candidates for one of Florida’s U.S. Senate seats.
This highly unusual dual role — a sitting House lawmaker running a hedge fund, which until recently had operations in the Cayman Islands — has led to an investigation of Grayson by the House Committee on Ethics .
The inquiry has become public, but emails and marketing documents obtained by the New York Times show the extent to which Grayson’s roles as a hedge fund manager and a member of Congress were intertwined, and how he promoted his international travels, some with congressional delegations, to solicit business.
Interviews and the documents show that Grayson told potential investors in his hedge fund that they should contribute money to the fund to capitalize on the unrest he observed around the world, and to take particular advantage when there was "blood in the streets."
I’m not going to hide from this story, because of my past support for Alan, and I do agree with the Nevada Leg Hound, Harry Reid, that Alan should leave the Senate race for Border Booter’s seat. Until and unless Alan can prove his innocence, he cannot succeed, anyway. However, Leg Hound Harry has also virtually convicted Alan. If he is guilty, he does deserve our censure, but allegations are not definitive proof, and Democrats need to stop running scared from Republicans and throwing our own under the bus, before the investigations conclude. That said, I have to admit, it looks bad, Maybe our readers from FL can enlighten us.
From PRWafch: In the face of the Republican-led Congress’ hostility to the IRS clarifying the rules for nonprofit political activity, the tax agency has apparently given up.
The IRS has granted nonprofit status to Karl Rove’s dark money political operation, Crossroads GPS, which for the past five years has pushed the legal envelope in order to influence elections but keep its donors secret.
Formed in the wake of Citizens United, Crossroads GPS has been one of the biggest secretly-funded political players, raising and spending $330 million on election-related ads attacking Democratic candidates or praising Republicans, but without doing anything that might be described as advancing "social welfare." Although the majority opinion in the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision endorsed disclosure of donors, in the five years following the decision, spending by secretly-funded 501(c)(4) nonprofits has exploded.
If Crossroads GPS can be granted nonprofit status, there may be few limits on how political operatives can use tax-exempt groups to dodge campaign finance disclosure laws. The Koch political network, for example, will have little fear of IRS enforcement as it spends almost $889 million this election cycle through its network of nonprofit groups.
If Rove Rat represents social welfare, rather than hidden election purchase, then this cat is really a dawg!
Cartoon:
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16 Responses to “Open Thread–2/13/2016”
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7:04 I guess I have a heart of stone – or JigZone does.
Say hi to your friend and good luck collapsing the chair! And oh, I hope you can get to that meeting! What a morale booster that would be! For all concerned!
CNN – And the nine is but the tip of the iceberg. The number of deaths that have resulted and will result from this infamous cost-cutting will be enough to choke any horse's-ass of a Republican who claims to be pro-life. Isn't the FBI investigating the water debacle? Does theinvestigation include this aspect? God, I hope so!
Tampa Bay – Yes, I have been following this, and yes, it does look bad. I'm glad you are handling the story, because you are doing a better job than I would, and your outlook is fair and rational. Mine at this point is emotional and grieving.
PRWatch – Crossroads GPS is the group which is currently suing Public Citizen, or I guess more accurately has filed an amicus with the Federal Government which Public Citizen is suing to eliminate dark money from elections. Naturally Public Citizen is requesting donations at https://secure.citizen.org/p/salsa/donation/common/public/?donate_page_KEY=9439&track=w16idPCvFEC0213c to help with the suit. If you want to and if you can. My opinion is that Public Citizen does good work.
Cartoon – And I feel MUCH safer with them behind bars.
CNN: These jackasses, and all who have helped them, need to go to jail!
The Grayson issue is relly upsetting, especially as I have connectons to Florida, and have liked his record in congress.
Carl Rove is a domestic horrorist! "Horrorist:" A living, breathing, pile of putrid protoplasm, driven by divelling greed! The part of me capableof negative thinking sees this as the real beginning of the end of democracy in the U.S.A.
Wait!!!
Antonin Scalia's death has just been announced! Maybe there is hope!
My wife said that my clap of elation upon hearing the news was "Disgusting!" You know what, she's right.
But….
Thanks all. Hugs. See today's Open Thread fror my take on Scalia.
Hope it fit in the car OK.
Might warrant something included in the felony of murder charges.
The sadder thing is the other DEM, Patrick Murphy, has some similar allegations against him and deserves the DINO from his voting record.
The Rove decision is indeed deeply disturbing.
Nice that Cliven got included for his role in this one at least.
CNN: This is really sad !! The story gets dirtier and dirtier, doesn't it? Why isn't he in jail?? He should be!
Cartoon: Good news!
Hopefully, your friend can load your chair with no problem. I know that you'll feel great, going to your meeting with your guys too. I hope your urology meeting goes well too. Have a good evening, and Thanks, Tom.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-justice-antonin-scalia-found-dead-in-texas/?bhid=100000000000000000000000100042029
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia found dead in Texas
WOW!!! My condolences to his family.
I wonder if this will affect any of the cases that he has heard but the court has not yet rendered a decision?
This does not suprise me. The House won't even look at Obama's budget proposal and a budget proposal isn't as enduring as a SCOTUS appointment. The next POTUS better be a Democrat and the Senate return to Democratic control.
I am so disappointed in Grayson. Does anybody else feel like they've been snookered?
However, the excellent news that Scalia is going to meet his maker, Lucifer, cheers me up considerably.
Notwithstanding my wife's approbation, I too, am cheered up.
I cheered upon hearig of the demise of J.Edgar Hoover, and other passings, of other (greedy, selfish people, unconcerned with the well being of other people, upon whose well being they could have had a positive impact had they cared to) SOB's, have received my (admittedly useless) nod.
If Scalia had picked this exact moment to retire, I would be dancing in the streets. As it is, my response is quieter. This may indeed be a break for us.
I don't know what Obama should do. The American people should indeed have a say in the next SCOTUS Justice – and they are not going to get it from Mr. McConnell for sure. I also would be at the very least interested to hear President Obama's suggestion.
4:08 Gives new meaning to getting stoned!
I hope you get to visit your guys!
CNN: Snyder and others who knew the truth should all be prosecuted for gross negligence, malfeasance and manslaughter. Doubt that they will.
Tampa Bay Times: I hope this is false about Grayson. He is one that I respected.
PR Watch: Citizens United has done more to kill democracy than any other SCOTUS decisions. I didn't watch the Rep. debate, but heard on the news that they were advocating that President Obama not be allowed to nominate a replacement for Scalia. They will probably block any nomination he makes. Grrr.
Cartoon: I am sure many of the nuts out there believe this to be true.
Gilmore’s withdrawal shrinks GOP field to six
Regardless of his motivation, Gilmore’s decision now officially shrinks the GOP’s 2016 field to six remaining candidates: Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, John Kasich, and Ben Carson.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/gilmores-withdrawal-shrinks-gop-field-six?cid=eml_mra_20160213
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I hope you get to have a nice lunch out with your friend. I also hope that you are able to have a good visit with your guys. It will do you and them the world of good!
Puzzle — 4:08 Gives new meaning to getting stoned!
CNN — The emails already provide more than enough evidence that Snyder is, at the very least, complicit in the deaths of nine people and guilty of sickening tens of thousands more. It appears he has another almost 3 years left in his current term, and that is enough time for a lot more damage to Michigan if he is not removed now. Snyder needs to be removed from office now, tried, convicted and put away in prison for the rest of his life without possibility of parole.
Tampa Bay Times — Until he is cleared, Grayson should not be running for any office, not even dog catcher. It is a shame that such a bright star should be dimmed by corruption.
PR Watch — Let me say first, that is not the cute rat I carried around a few nights ago in my dreams. I guess the "social welfare" aspect of Crossroads GPS is the promotion of the welfare of the 1%. Such a crock!
"wildly out of balance and tilted" is a euphemism for totally f***ed up!
Cartoon — Lock them up and throw away the key! Just laws are needed for a civil society. One person does not have the right to pick and choose what laws to follow or to make his own laws.
I hope you had a nice lunch, TomCat, because it meant that your power cart fitted into the trunk. And I'm keeping my fingers crossed that your guy's Community Impact meeting will be held in the visiting room so you can attend. Wouldn't it be wonderful to see them again! It was late summer when you last saw them, if I remember correctly, and you were suddenly forbidden to do your volunteer work with them because you had trouble with the heat wave and the location above the kitchen. I suppose nothing has changed since then, has it?
CNN: Legionnaires' disease is very nasty; it can kill the old, the very young and the infirm and can have long lasting effects for those who survive. Gov. Snyder has a lot to answer for. Not only have thousands been poisoned with lead in their drinking water over a long period of time (and possibly still are?) which has long lasting and irreversible effects, especially for children, but now also may be responsible for people getting contaminated with legionnaires disease and perhaps even for dying from it. From the way authorities were prohibited from investigating the possible source of the legionella, i.e. the Flint river water that now flowed from the taps, it is all too clear that gov. Snyder knew exactly that something was very, very wrong with the water. This cover-up has killed nine and left a large number disabled, and gov. Snyder should have resigned a long time ago. He probably counts on the protection his office gives him when he is dragged into court for what he has done. Let's hope the FBI also takes the legionella into account in it;s criminal investigation.
Tampa Bay Times: I'm very weary of the trustworthiness of American media, but I don't have this emotional connection to the Democratic party so if " Grayson [indeed] told potential investors in his hedge fund that they should contribute money to the fund to capitalize on the unrest he observed around the world, and to take particular advantage when there was "blood in the streets" this is enough for me to disqualify Grayson as a Democrat. The fact that Grayson runs a hedge fund is more than enough, come to think of it. But then I'm terribly prejudiced: Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are what I'd call Democrats, many others are in that club are DINOs.
PR Watch: The Corporate Cancer is metastasizing everywhere and the new tumors like Crossroads GPS are growing fast. Antidotes like the IRS seem to have lost their power. The 1% are in the process of taking over and are making haste with it, because given the current GOP candidates they have to make do with, they have to make sure everything is in place for the election at the end of the year.
The first my husband reported on this morning was the demise of Scalia. I don't rejoice in the death of anyone, not even Scalia, but had he taken himself off the bench much earlier and had he not been allowed to display his increasing bigotry and talibangelism, with all their detrimental effects so clearly, I would not have welcomed the news, as his death was the only way to remove him from SCOTUS. Sadly the war on his successor has already erupted, again showing everyone how politicized legislation and jurisdiction in America has become. I will not weep for Scalia, but I will for justice.