Yesterday the temperature hit 102°. Today may well be worse. My A/C is holding it’s own, but the building’s hallways and restrooms have become super-heated. After my morning regal trip to the throne at 5:30 AM, taken to contemplate the odor of the Republican Party, I had to change my shirt to one that wasn’t sweat-soaked. Today I plan to write, attend the live draft of our fantasy football league, care for personal needs, and as little else as I can.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:25 (average 5:03). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From The Nation: If you watch cable news, you’ve seen someone from an outfit called the “Independent Women’s Forum” promoting a conservative take on the women’s issue of the day. It’s no secret that the group leans right; it grew out of “Women for Judge Thomas,” which formed during Anita Hill’s testimony about Clarence Thomas at his 1991 Supreme Court confirmation hearing, and was formally launched in 1992 by the late Barbara Olson and Rosalie “Ricky” Silberman, along with a cadre of powerful conservative women that included former second lady Lynne Cheney. Still, it’s always billed itself as “non-partisan” and “independent.” In its early years, it promoted IWF-affiliated author Christina Hoff Sommers’s brand of “equity feminism” and opposed the “radical feminism” of the ’90s women’s movement, which it argued was pushing myths about sexual harassment, pay inequities, and discrimination in the workplace and widespread abuse on college campuses. For years it played no formal role in electoral politics.
But an analysis by the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD), provided exclusively to The Nation, reveals that since 2010, IWF and its political arm, Independent Women’s Voice, have become aggressive players in Republican politics, embedded in the network of organizations backed by Charles and David Koch, advocating for the Koch brothers’ myriad concerns, and playing on their “independent” label to elect GOP candidates. If this country is to elect its first woman president, Hillary Clinton will have to face down this powerful conservative women’s group to get there.
RepubliSpeak Dictionary
Independent Nonpartisan: Koch Sucker
From Media Matters: The Fox Cycle is the process by which Fox News pushes right-wing fringe stories into the mainstream news. Fox distorts facts, spreads myths as truths and devotes heavy, one-sided coverage to make viewers believe in baseless, manufactured stories — and, worse, to convince mainstream media outlets to cover these lies.
Example:
Barf Bag Alert!!
That’s exactly how the Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda, Faux Noise, deceives the 
.
From Daily Kos: Yet another story whose full import won’t be discussed anywhere that the majority of Americans are likely to see it:
After the Director of the FBI fully exonerated Hillary Clinton and made clear that she broke no laws and told no lies, House Republicans took the extraordinary step of demanding copies if the FBI’s notes from its interview with Clinton. That request was granted, and almost immediately, information from those notes began leaking to the media. The trouble: every word of those notes is, by definition, classified information.
Jennifer Palmieri, the Communications Director for the Hillary Clinton campaign, tweeted this evening that she “Would remind all that this material is classified. So this is leaking of classified material.” Clinton Campaign Chair John Podesta added that he’s “Already hearing from people who have been contacted by reporters with knowledge of the content of their interviews in FBI 302’s.”
This is GOP SOP. As a rule Republicans break the law, leak classified information, and threaten national security to gain even a slight political advantage. Don’t take my word for it. Just remember Valerie Plame.
Cartoon:
Never has a village idiot felt so wanted!
19 Responses to “Open Thread – 8/20/2016”
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4:56 Nice horsies. I often see some like them on my long drives, though never this close, and not against backgrounds quite that green.
Nation – And that's why I haven't unsubscribed to CMD emails. Particularly since the Nation put up a paywall. Someone on a Care2 Causes article yesterday (though I only saw it today) posted a comment that Republicans don't want women to run for elected office. I beg to differ. They would take all the Stepford girls (like those with this organization) in elected office that they could get – such a good smoke screen.
MM – Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. In front of the curtain. Whatever. Barf bag alert indeeed.
DKos – And there will be no outrage. Because whtever Republicans do is right and holy by definition. Talk about barf.
Cartoon – Darned right they do. But they can't have him.
MM: We don't listen/watch Faux at all in this household. Now where did I put my Rolaids??
DK: I would love to see every one of them, who disseminated this classified info be thrown in prison. Now.
Cartoon: Bleck!!
Gee, I hope that you get some rest in all of your weather! It's raining here again, thankfully, no one has flooded yet where I'm at. Sending hope & prayers to LA from theirs. So sad. Take care, and Thanks, Tom.
We're lucky — we don't allow Faux on the cable network!
Puzzle — 3:04 Ride 'em cowgirl! The Nation — IWF and IWV should be honest.
The Nation — IWV and IWF are just two more conservative groups that are afraid to be honest about their very conservation bent. No war on women?!? What a crock of BS! The war on women is more — it's a war on women, children, and the family!
"Unique position" if you have no ethics or morals, which seems to cover many conservatives quite well.
Media Matters — I remember reading about Roger Ailes saying Faux's goal was excellence in journalism with integrity. At the time, I just laughed. Nothing could be further from the truth. Don't be a sheeple!
Daily Kos — Will Faux Noise cover this story of "leaked" classified information? Not likely. It doesn't fit their mission! The FBI should be held accountable for enabling the leak. It has been previously disclosed that Comey is a Republican. Should this land on him?
Cartoon — Good that the village idiot can't run for POTUS again. But there still are more village idiots in the wings!
Today is not quite as hot as yesterday only going to 31 C (89 F) but it is still plenty hot, too hot for me. Like TC, I have laid low today. Tomorrow is supposed to be a degree or two cooler but by Wednesday, we will be back up to the low 30's. Ugh!!!
You don't have your own bathroom?
No Jerry. My apartment is SRO. I'm a very poor man. I'm sure I've said so many times.
"SRO"
Is that "Single Room Occupancy" – or are you now selling theater tickets to your place and it''s "Standing Room Only"?
😉
Were it the latter I'd be SOL. I can't stand for long!
You may be a "very poor man" from an Accountant's ledger perspective – but most assuredly NOT in spirit or friendships
Thank you!
The Nation: Anything with Lynne Cheney invoved cannot be no partisan. Apparently none if these women have ever been in an ordinary work place. I was sexually harassed in the sixties and the seventies, and made less than my male counter parts for my whole career. The guy who harassed me in the sixties was my boss and soon learned he could not fire me, and had to leave me alone. The one in the seventies fired me after I gave him a warning. In those days we had no protections. There still is no protection for equal pay. These women who claim there is 'no problem" disgust me.
Media Matters: Fox should be banned from having any so called news stories.
Daily Kos: I am sure those who leaked the stories will never get prosecuted for treason either, but they should be.
Cartoon: He must be in seventh heaven to see how much they need him.
Your list of activities for today sound like a plan, and I hoped you managed to stick to it, TomCat.Stay low and cool and get through this summer.
TN: As if facing the horde of male Republicans and their strange appendix Drumpf isn't enough for Hillary, she now has to deal with their "female" counterpart. IWF leadership of course has little or nothing to do with independent women, they're just a bunch of females who sell voices to the likes of the Koch brothers and are nothing more than a mouthpiece for the Kochs and all the male Republicans who like to hide behind the skirts of women to get their message across while hoping conservative women are so naive they think these mouthpieces represent true independence and feminism. I'm sure Hillary can take care of them, but it's another time waster she can do without.
MM: Unfortunately Faux News is much better funded and reaches many more viewers than groups like Media Matter. So it's a lot like David fighting Goliath, but David won in the end, didn't he? So keep it up MM, one day soon the truth will hit the American people right between the eyes, just like David's stone put an end to Goliath
DK: And here I was thinking the GOP wanted to indict Hillary with carelessly storing classified information on her server where it could be accessed by other parties. And they call that treason, don't they?
Cartoon: Perhaps they should have him back, but I doubt they want to own him again when he's in a prison in The Hague.
In the summer I just wear T-shirts (like that "Trump – In Your Guts You Know He's Nuts" one I sent you) – and I always have to put on another dry one sometime during the day. I got my Dad's sweat genes (and my Mom's moles & toes … and I hope her longevity).
When I was practicing, summer days were almost ALWAYS a two-shower day.
LIke I've frequently admitted: Do I sweat? Hell, you could grow rice! (Courtesy of Carla Tortelli on "Cheers")
Hot summer days were often two shower days fore me too, before I lost my leg. I bewt my two shower a week limit would drive you nuts.
Well, not only me – but those around me.
My Mom's Assisted Living (and all the ones I visited during the vetting process) had a two-shower a week ASSISTED protocol. (If you were able to take them on your own, that was different.)
I will say since retirement that sometimes in the winter when I don't go out for the day, I actually will skip showering that day if I haven't done anything strenuous. So far, the cat hasn't complained …
But for me, there's something very psychologically therapeutic about showering.
I agree. When I could, I rarely skipped a day.
Puzzle: We have Clydesdales right in the City of Sonoma very near to the Sonoma Mission and also in a large field pasture just outside of Sonoma. They are BIG! lol.
MM1: An excellent example of how Faux Noise distorts the facts in this "The Fox News Cycle" video.
MM2: Definitely a Barf Bag Alert!! video: Example: Faux Noise is just that, full of nonsensical noise. It is a propaganda tool for the GOP/TP/Freedom Caucus/Koch Party/Rupert Murdoch/Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians extreme right people in furthering their own political policies. They lie and distort the facts, one-sided. Anyone who watches and listens to Faux Noise will have, effectively, been brainwashed. And, yes, they also use the "ass, legs & titties" women to draw the men into watching the broadcasts.
Kos: They (GOP) should be arrested for leaking classified materials and sent to prison, period.
Cartoon: Some have reported, recently, that Bushy has lost his mind (Did he ever have one in the first place). The GOP can have him back but they would be using him as a tool just like he was used during his 8 years in office. Stupid is as stupid does. Yup, bushy is still the "Village Idiot". lol. I want him in the Hague for his war crimes along with others from his administration including Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice.
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Thanks all. Hugs!! Pooped!!