I’m writing for tomorrow, day 18. Tomorrow is a holy day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb. My Broncos will be worshiping at home with the Dolphins, and It will be televised here, so I’ll be in deep religious meditation tomorrow afternoon. While writing I’m watching the Oregon vs. Colorado game.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 2:50 (average 4:38). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Mother Jones (Hat-Tip Joanne Dixon): …But when the economy stagnates and life gets harder, people get meaner. That’s just human nature. And the economy has been stagnating for the working class for well over a decade—and then practically collapsing ever since 2008.
So who does the WWC take out its anger on? Largely, the answer is the poor. In particular, the undeserving poor. Liberals may hate this distinction, but it doesn’t matter if we hate it. Lots of ordinary people make this distinction as a matter of simple common sense, and the WWC makes it more than any. That’s because they’re closer to it. For them, the poor aren’t merely a set of statistics or a cause to be championed. They’re the folks next door who don’t do a lick of work but somehow keep getting government checks paid for by their tax dollars. For a lot of members of the WWC, this is personal in a way it just isn’t for the kind of people who read this blog.
And who is it that’s responsible for this infuriating flow of government money to the shiftless? Democrats. We fight to save food stamps. We fight for WIC. We fight for Medicaid expansion. We fight for Obamacare. We fight to move poor families into nearby housing…
This guy makes a lot of sense, but to really get where he’s coming from, you’ll need to read the while thing. Click through please. We need a way to convince working class whites that the poor are not the ones keeping them from thriving. It’s the super rich.
From Daily Kos:
Stories like this make you look at the calendar to check the year. Yep, still 2014. And it is utterly embarrassing and shocking that anyone who holds these racist views are operating in any leadership role. Meet Kentucky’s Southeast Bullitt Fire Chief Julius Hatfield. After stopping to help accident victims, one white family and one black family, he was caught on video having a friendly good ol’ boy chat:
Video from a Bullitt County Sheriff’s deputy’s body camera shows Hatfield’s department responding to a car accident on I-65, south of the Clermont exit in September.
"Well, I’ve got a family of four from Cincinnati, I got to do something with," the Bullitt County deputy said in the video.
Hatfield replied, "We ain’t taking no n—— here." Then he laughs.
This Republican is a true representative of the "love" of Republican Supply-side Jesus (the polar opposite of the real Jesus).
From NY Times: House Republicans filed a long-threatened lawsuit Friday against the Obama administration over unilateral actions on the health care law that they say are abuses of the president’s executive authority.
The lawsuit — filed against the secretaries of Health and Human Services and the Treasury — focuses on two crucial aspects of the way the administration has put the Affordable Care Act into effect.
The suit accuses the Obama administration of unlawfully postponing a requirement that larger employers offer health coverage to their full-time employees or pay penalties. (Larger companies are defined as those with 50 or more employees.)
And just a couple days ago, I said they wouldn’t file this. Color me OOPS! 🙁 This is truly an act of desperation, as this pure theatre to pacify the rabid racists to whom the Republican Party have sold out. They are doing it, because there is nothing they can do about Obama’s executive action on immigration.
Cartoon:
15 Responses to “Open Thread–11/23/2014”
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3:04 TC, were you looking ahed to the possible fish dinner in the water?
2:50 TomCat and I are neck an neck for that fish dinner. Of course, being a vegan, I will let him eat it.
3:13 Well thank goodness I am winning my FF game quite handily, 116.94 to 87.46, although could change before the end of this playing week.
If I'd known about the fish I would have hurried!
4:35 average unchanged. Interesting. I see two walls, though.
Mother Jones – This really hit home to me because I see it right next door. And my neighfors happen to be much too nice to be that ugly. But I don't know what to do or say. Especially when they have a daughter in law who (I think must be fed up with getting attacked and) resorts to sarcasm as a defense, which they then eat up as gospel. I can't really advocate for blowing up Fox News during a full staff meeting, which kind of action never worked anyway, and there are always more where they came from. But we have got to come up with something. People have a right to deceive themselves, but when their self-deceit determines what kind of government I live under, that's going too far.
Daily Kos – Yes, this story is blatant and simple, and all is out in the open, and it's clear no one is making it up. I do still feel for Expat Girl who wrote about Lennon Lacy the same day, but "More people cared about a fire chief using the N-word." The Lennon Lacy story might be blatant, but it is being hidden as tight as the authorities can hide it. It can't yet be proven, partly because (surprise!) some evidence has disappeared, though there is some strong presumptive evidence. I am really not surprised it has a lower profile.
NY Times – And there are prople, including Care2 members, who think that the lawsuit IS about immigration. I'm sure that's deliberate and Faux Noise will do its best to perpetuate the error. I would quote from a letter I received from my Tea Bagger Congressman, but WordPress doesn't have a way for me to color it white so that you have to highlight it to read it, and I wouldn't want anyone to see it involuntarily. Strong men would weep, women would faint, and even the horses in the street would be scared.
Cartoon – Did it work? Or was this another patented invention that was never made?
I was at the Palais Royale Saloon in SanFrancisco.
Mother Jones – thanks TC and Joanne; did I misread this article, or was it a bit depressing?
Daily Kos – AAAARRRGGGHHHH!!! Vote this thug out of office PDQ!
NY Times – Dateline London had some correspondents expressing admiration for President Obama's executive action to legalise 4,000,000 illegal immigrants (via other media I was told 11 million were in jeopardy – what happens to the other 7 million?) – Polly Toynbee of The Guardian said she admired him as in the UK it costs £11,000 to find and deport an illegal immigrant – and there are estimated to be one million in the country – we couldn't deport them all if we wanted to, isn't it better to make them legal and stop the black economy that pays them desperation wages, so they can be paid properly, stop driving down wages and start paying taxes….? I'd think the argument goes for most of our countries.
Pat, the Mother Jones article might seem depressing, but I think it should be taken as a challenge.
Mother Joness ~ I think taking FAUX NOISE off the air is the only good start to that. I was talking to a friend from SC last night and she says it's really horrific down there because they swallow all that propoganda hook, line & sinker. I understand that because it's the same with most of my friends up here. When they complain about free-loaders I point to myself because I am disabled and retired when I was 51. They say "oh, no, not you, Patty. You worked all your life. I tell them they don't know other peoples' circumstances well enough to judge. It doesn't matter to them.
Daily Kos ~ He is probably a proud card carrying member of that infamous "white-sheet society" called the KKK.
NY Times ~ Did you see this? Daily Kos says the real reason for the lawsuit is to raise funds from the suckers. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/21/1346546/-Republicans-motives-for-their-frivolous-suit-against-Obama-become-clear
Cartoon ~ Cool!
We have the same problem here, my brother in law thinks Fox really is "fair and balanced" and no amount of logic will change his mind.
The Mel's Diner chain has jukeboxes on their tables these days and I know people that have some just like some have pinball machines instead of Xboxes for home entertainment.
Since this is their third lawyer for the ACA case, the challenge finding someone willing to consider the case consistent with legal ethics might have been why the delay.
Hopefully the DOJ has someone named McCoy to take this Hatfield out of office as deserved.
Joanne did find another stellar example of the wealthy, elitists and/or GOP divide and conquer strategy that makes people hurt themselves with their votes.
Too funny JL, the McCoys!! Hatfield is one useless and racist twit that the world would be better without.
Puzzle — 3:13 Well thank goodness I am winning my FF game quite handily, 116.94 to 87.46, although could change before the end of this playing week.
Mother Jones — The author does make sense. Years ago in a pyschology class, I was told that human nature is such that nobody wants to be on the bottom of the "food chain" so the WWC would look down on the white poor, who in turn would look down on the African American WC, who in turn would look down on the African American poor. Of course there are economics and racism in this and hopefully things have changed. However nobody wants to be on the bottom. It would be interesting to know how the WWC who have lost their jobs and have been unable to get work, relate to Democratic policies that create a safety net for them. Do they appreciate unemployment cheques; do they appreciate medicaid assuming that their state has medicaid; do they appreciate being able to food stamps? It is OK to complain until you find yourself in need.
"We need a way to convince working class whites that the poor are not the ones keeping them from thriving. It’s the super rich." — Ain't that the truth!
Daily Kos — Hatfield reminds me of my maternal grandfather — openly racist with no apologies. This guy needs to retire now. I hope the AG hangs his ass out to dry during the audit.
NY Times — Not only is this an act of desperation, it is also an act of stupidity which I hope the court will throw out! There's a good chance that many of the owners and managers of these larger corporations voted Republicanus/Teabagger. I wonder how these same people like being sold out by their political choices? Now there's a Democrat that is smarter than all the Republicanus/Teabaggers put together!
Cartoon — I remember the small juke boxes that were at each booth in restaurants. Very cool but I never had a quarter, which didn't really matter because my mother would not allow me to play one.
Mother Jones: I totally understand his premise. I have two cousins who are sisters. One cousin has never worked a day in her life, but gets free rent, free medical care, and now at the age of 50, is going to college, to get another check. she has no intention of graduating, but…. she get the check. Her sister, has always worked, now has a husband who has cancer and can't work, and barely existing and loaded with medical bills. The working poor and middle class have no access to these benefits because our country does not provide them. That is why the ACA should be succesful, and for the most part it is, but people are still suspicious because it is "welfare" or forced by the government.
Daily Kos: Shew, I am embarassed for Kentucky after that one.
NY Times: You are right, TC, they are doing this because the CANNOT sue him over the immigration ruling and they are incensed. Now if they were forced to pay back the $74 million spent on Benghazi investigations, I would consider it justice. Do nothing bunch, indeed.
Cartoon: I am so grateful for that invention, some of the best memories I have surround a jukebox!
Thanks all. Overslept big time!