Open Thread–2/22/2013

 Posted by at 3:58 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 222013
 

Yesterday I slept all day and all evening.  I feel better, but I am way too groggy!  I’m current with replies.  Tomorrow appears routine.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 5:29 (average 6:36).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: Bill Nye The Science Guy Made A Video For Those Who Wonder About These Crazy Weather Patterns

 

This does NOT require rocket science. What the article missed is that Congressional Republicans are the world’s largest source of methane. 😉

From Media Matters: On February 7, Breitbart.com’s Ben Shapiro reported that Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel (according to "Senate sources") received money from a group called "Friends of Hamas." The report spread quickly through the conservative media as damning of Hagel, until Dave Weigel at Slate.com pointed out a salient fact — there’s no evidence that "Friends of Hamas" exists. Now, New York Daily News reporter Dan Friedman is claiming that a joke he shared with a GOP source is the provenance of "Friends of Hamas." In response to their story falling apart, Shapiro and Breitbart.com — who angrily and self-righteously demand accountability from the rest of the media for every slip-up, real or imagined — are lashing out and refusing to accept responsibility for publishing a report based on a falsehood.

Needless to say, Republican Senators and the Republican Ministry of Propaganda, Faux Noise, reported this Breitfart InsaniTEA as gospel.

From MSNBC: Ed Schultz covered the previous item with Dan Rather.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world target="_blank" news, and news about the economy

I do disagree with Rather’s implication that, since the Internet is where the bad information often starts, information from the Internet is not reliable.  I am a commentator, not a reporter, but personally, I rarely post any article I have not confirmed from at least two main stream sources. When I do, I say so at the time, so readers know that the information is not as solid as my norm. What integrity problem there is on the left, comes almost only from the extreme fringes. But on the right, integrity is the exception, not the rule.  That distinction is too important not to make.

Cartoon:

22Cartoon

Share

  17 Responses to “Open Thread–2/22/2013”

  1. Patty says:
    February 22, 2013 at 4:30 am

    5:48 I'm lucky I'm not still hunting for the pieces to this one.

  2. Patty says:
    February 22, 2013 at 5:34 am

    MoveOn~ Hey, GOP! Are you smarter than a 5 year old? I think even they could understand this narration.

    TC, I like your comment about methane.

     

    Media Matters ~ We don't need no stinking facts when we have Republican Senators and the Republican Ministry of Propaganda, Faux Noise.

     

    MSNBC ~ The worst part is when politicians know their statements are lies but state them anyway and present them as factual. Are they stupid or just deceitful?

     

    Cartoon ~ If either wins, America loses.

     

     

  3. Lynn Squance says:
    February 22, 2013 at 4:54 pm

    Puzzle — 4:10 Talk about going just a little cross eyed!  (I actually tried it again now that I am back from physio, and I managed 4:01.  Did I ever tell you that I wanted to be an architect but I hated physics so that was out.  But I did design a school and several houses when I was in highschool and won some school awards for my designs.

    MoveOn — Excellent video that even challenged Republican/Teabaggers can understand, if they choose to.  I have often said that harnessing the hot air from the Congress and Canada's Parliament would go along way to heating homes etc, and it is all natural!

    Media Matters — "Insisting upon unfailing accuracy from the rest of the media is fine, so long as you hold yourself to those same standards. But Breitbart.com has no interest in following their own rules, or getting the story right."

    And there is another one that would not, nor should not, get a license to publish in Canada.  Just more rightwing propaganda without a lick of truth, as with Faux Noise.

    MSNBC — I think it all comes down to know your sources, verify, and of course, use your God given brain to sort through the wheat and chaff.  I don't think the internet has any bearing on the truthfulness of information just on the wider availability of news.  It seems that places like Breitbart.com and Faux Noise are only interested in salacious gossip and furthering the rightwing cause anyway they can.

    Cartoon — You couldn't make it any clearer could you?  I saw Rand Paul responding to something and this lunatic son of a lunatic is even lookier, if that is even possible, than the last ime I heard him.

     

     

  4. Lynn Squance says:
    February 22, 2013 at 5:06 pm

    A few weeks ago, I posted a comment about how others view the US — the national image vs the people — and I mentioned a woman that I knew from Chicago that ran into all sorts of problems in Canada because she kept saying "In Chicago we . . . " or "At home, we . . ."  Well here is a fairly long article that I posted on Care2 that asks the question "How can anyone still believe that America is the greatest country in the world?"

    http://www.alternet.org/glenn-greenwald-how-can-anyone-still-believe-america-greatest-country-earth?page=0%2C0

    Thought you might be interested.

    • TomCat says:
      February 23, 2013 at 2:11 am

      Thanks Lynn.  Only through InsaniTEA.

      Glenn used to write for Salon before goping to the Guardian, and should not be comfused with Robert from Brave New Films, who is also excellent more often than not.

  5. Lynn Squance says:
    February 23, 2013 at 12:36 am

    I have two US petitions which I hope you'll join me in signing if you haven't already.

    1) Tell Sen McCain, Here's the Real Straight Talk on Assault Weapons

    http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/mccain_awb/

    2) Make Maryland the Next State to End the Death Penalty

    http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=6oJCLQPAJiJUG&b=6645049&aid=519342&msource=W1302EADP2

  6. Lynn Squance says:
    February 23, 2013 at 12:41 am

    We all know just how much we like Rupert Murdoch and his Faux Noise!  Well, in Canada they're at it again.  "Quebecor created a "Fox News North" to model the kind of hate-filled propaganda with which Fox News has poisoned U.S. politics. The channel is run by PM Harper’s former top aide and so far it doesn't have enough of an audience to survive. But now it's applying to the CRTC to be forcibly added to all of our basic cable packages!"

    I hope you will join me in trying to stop this insanity. Based on the picture (and other things I know about) this certainly is not indicative of Canadian "manners".

    If using an American zip does not work, try using A1A 1A1 which is in Atlantic Canada or V1V 1V1 which is in BC (we used these in the bank for training purposes)

    Thanks for helping.

    http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_fox_news_north_2013_a/?bfRGrab&v=22289
     

    • TomCat says:
      February 23, 2013 at 2:13 am

      I was happy to do so.  Here is what I wrote.

      Here in the US, Faux Noise is The Republican Ministry of Propaganda.  They are so blatant that that their viewers are more poorly informed than people who watch no news at all.  Canada deserves better.  Say NO to Faux Noise North.

  7. Rixar13 says:
    February 26, 2013 at 10:33 am

    This does NOT require rocket science. What the article missed is that Congressional Republicans are the world’s largest source of methane.

    If I wasn't able to laugh, I'd be crying… 🙂

     

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.