Yesterday I did more here to organize my recovery, but rested most of the day. Today I have one more article and will distribute the link on only one of the sites I haunt. I’ll go day by day from there.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 4:18 (average 4:32). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From NY Times: And for one problem in particular: “the backlog,” the huge and probably still growing inventory of claims for disability compensation filed by wounded or ill veterans. As of Monday, just under 600,000 claims qualified as backlogged, meaning they had been pending for over 125 days.
Though the numbers have grown, delays in processing disability claims are nothing new, and neither are complaints about the backlog. Just last year, some veterans advocates tried to make the backlog a presidential campaign issue. They failed. But this year, something changed: the criticism grew louder and perhaps more partisan, and began reaching a wider audience.
This should not be a partisan issue, as Republicans scurry to blame Obama for the backlog. This, as usual, is Republican projection, because they have opposed veterans’ spending. Even worse, Republicans have actually tried to cut benefits for disabled veterans.
From Crooks and Liars: Jim DeMint’s Heritage Foundation is busy at work figuring out how to make sure Republicans are completely marginalized in 2014. As their faux scandals fall apart as rapidly as they’re concocted, DeMint’s minions are instructing Eric Cantor and John Boehner to please, please just keep attacking the president and forget about governing altogether.
If I understand this, he is telling them to make this four years like the last four years.
From Washington Post: President Obama will deliver a speech Thursday at the National Defense University in which he will address how he intends to bring his counterterrorism policies, including the drone program and the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in line with the legal framework he promised after taking office.
A White House official, speaking Saturday on the condition of anonymity to describe the speech in advance, said Obama will “discuss our broad counterterrorism policy, including our military, diplomatic, intelligence and legal efforts.”
“He will review the state of the threats we face, particularly as the al-Qaeda core has weakened but new dangers have emerged,” the official said. “He will discuss the policy and legal framework under which we take action against terrorist threats, including the use of drones. And he will review our detention policy and efforts to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.”
I have been a little less critical of Obama’s performance in these areas. I expect to disagree with much of what he will have to say, but knowing this speech was coming, I thought it better to wait until I hear what he has to say and have something currently concrete with which to disagree. That said, remember this. As much as we would like President Bernie Sanders, we can not have him. On his worst day, Barack Obama is infinitely better than Little Lord Willard would have been on his best day.
Cartoon:
17 Responses to “Open Thread–5/19/2013”
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3:05 What a pretty kitty. Meow!
4:00 I'm going to be catty and say I was monster mashed! But was I critter crunched?
3:10 I avoided the big shoe, and ran into the monster.
Monster Mashd!
NY Times and the Washington Post articles both have pretty musch the same to say about different aspects of the RepublicanT parties non-governance. They do seem adept at projecting blame for their short comings on their opposite numbers though. I have to give them credit for that much.
Jim DeMint will always be the same, act the same and talk the same.
That's anout it, Patty.
What we have to remember is that we are stronger than the republicans because of our sheer numbers. I just discovered an app for the iphone that could really change things. It's called "Buycott." You scan it over products at the grocery store and the app tells you if the company is owned by the Koch brothers, Monsanto, or if it was mader with slave labor. Over 36,000 people have already downloaded the Koch brothers boycott membership. The app is free. If we boycotted some of these companies that fund republicans…well, just imagine how great that would be! Imagine what the republicans would be like without those hefty campaign donations from greedy one percenters.
Neat! I do virtually all my shopping online, but it will work for lots!
I'm a Baby Boomer, I expect & feel Entitled to Everything I want & need..This last decade+ has been a nightmare. WHY can't we have a Pres. Bernie Sanders or Pres. Elizabeth Warren???? WHY do we have to settle for Corporate Sponsored Obama's or Hillary's? (Seriously, while I want a woman President in MY Lifetime!, I know Hillary & Obama were/are interchangeable – NOT Liberals!)… and then there's the Really Dark Side, Reich-wing RepubliCONs with NO souls preaching their hate speech while holding a Bible & a gun…*heavy sigh* …
Yvonne, the why can be summed up in two words. Ignorance an Apathy. Until we have corrected those, we need to take a gradualist approach.
I actually felt a wee bit sorry for Mitch "Turtle" McConnell today when he was confronted by no less a Repubican sycophant like David "Raps-with-Rove" Gregory WRT providiing any PROOF that Pres. Obama has done anything wrong.
Just like Mitch's hope to make Pres. Obama a "one-term president" – things are NOT going well for the Turtle.
Sorry, Mitch – keep your chin up.
Oh … right.
Well, do the best you can.
Hee hee. Whenever Mitch defends the President, I become seriously suspicious. Me thinks the AP leak came from the Repubs and he knows it.
I say that on Meet the Press. I think he knew that Gregory was loaded for Turtle.
Puzzle — 4:00 I'm going to be catty and say I was monster mashed! And was I critter crunched!
NY Times — So, if I understand this correctly, the Republican/Teabagger party, which through Baby Bush and his henchmen started the illegal war in Iraq and opted into the war in Afghanistan thereby being responsible for the deaths and disabilities of American service persons, wants to castigate Mr Obama and his administration for a backlog in disability claims? Further, these same Republican/Teabaggers wanted to cut VA benefits back in 2011 and likely still do. They have also called for reduced funding for the VA administration if I recall correctly. What a bunch of asswipes! This just further shows their partisan agenda in something that should NEVER be partisan. I really have to wonder how these idiots can dare call themselves 'patriotic' Americans when they use disabled veterans as pawns in their political games!
Crooks and Liars — At first I thought this had to have come from Andy Borowitz because it sounded so "Andy", so satirical. But no, it is for real, or unreal as the case is!
So DeMint is telling Republican/Teabaggers to not do the job they were elected to do, representing their constituents in favour of partisan political bellyaching and obstruction. This seems like sedition to me. If it isn't, it should be and every Republican/Teabagger that goes along with it should be removed from office at the first available opportunity. If I recall properly, federal Representatives and Senators cannot be recalled, but they can resign. Too bad!
Washington Post — From an outsider looking in, if the US would be less inclined to use Manifest Destiny, it might find itself less often the target of international terrorists. Domestic terrorists like McVeigh etc are another matter all together.
Cartoon — The 27th Amendment from Wikipedia:
Interesting — there is no allowance for incompetence or not doing the job a representative or senator was elected to do. And as I understand, other than resignation, there is no way to get the representative or senator out of that position except at the next election. While I can understand the intent of the amendment, it fails to go far enough by not acknowledging those situations where a representative or senator might not be doing their job. What a sweet deal! One can get full pay, benefits and pension for not doing their job. I'll bet Jim DeMint loves that one!
I was those and Bigfooted too!
As you see it is spot-on.
Exactly!
Yes, wo er wait and see.
I bet he does.
Angelica said "What we have to remember is that we are stronger than the republicans because of our sheer numbers. I just discovered an app for the iphone that could really change things. It's called "Buycott." You scan it over products at the grocery store and the app tells you if the company is owned by the Koch brothers, Monsanto, or if it was mader with slave labor. Over 36,000 people have already downloaded the Koch brothers boycott membership. The app is free. If we boycotted some of these companies that fund republicans…well, just imagine how great that would be! Imagine what the republicans would be like without those hefty campaign donations from greedy one percenters."
What wonderful news Angelica! I wish we had that over here – I'd definitely use it (though most of my products are organic so should be moral – I hope!).
Rest, dearest TC, we need you for the long haul!
Thanks Pat! 🙂