I’m writing for tomorrow, day 32. It’s official. My annual winter flu has hit. My COPD is severe, and I’m running a fever. The cartoon describes how I feel, so this is the only article. Yesterday Providence Home Services stood me up. Apparently they forgot to put my order on the delivery truck They finally delivered it this afternoon, after three fights with their Customer Disservice department. When they told me they didn’t know why it hadn’t occurred to them to call me, when they discovered my order, I suggested that they have all the competence of the US Congress. This is the only article. Tomorrow is a holy day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb. My Broncos are worshiping with the Bills, but it won’t be televised locally. Our local CBS affiliate thinks we’d rather have paid programming, because the damn Seachickens are on the other network at the same time. ARGH! 🙁
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:57 (average 4:48). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Daily Kos: Subsequent to a previous report from Lawrence O’Donnell, the Missouri Attorney General has confirmed with "Last Word" that instructions given the Michael Brown grand jury describing the police "use of force" laws was incorrect and misleading.
If you believe it was not intentional, contact me about buying my alpine ski resort in Florida.
From YouTube: Weekly Address: Ensuring Americans Feel the Gains of a Growing Economy
Where was this speech BEFORE the election?
From Think Progress: As voters across Louisiana head to the polls today to cast their runoff ballots for senator and a handful of local races, voting rights organizers across the state and country are drawing attention to policies and practices that make it more difficult for Louisianians to vote.
Volunteers from the Election Protection Network, who will be on the ground Saturday to monitor voting issues during the runoff, report concerns stemming from the state’s long history of voter suppression and problems that have surfaced in recent years.
Recently, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and other national voting rights groups took Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration to court over a statewide practice that prevented many low-income, minority Louisianians from registering to vote. Just last month, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled partially in their favor, finding that Louisiana violated the National Voter Registration Act by failing to provide voter registration services at the state’s public service agencies — such as the departments where residents can sign up for Medicaid and food stamps. Attorney Natasha Korgaonkar with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, who worked on the case, told ThinkProgress that the lawsuit targeted two state agencies and the Secretary of State who were all knowingly preventing public service recipients from easily registering to vote.
I’m sure we’ll learn of Republican criminal “irregularities”, but think Landrieu might have won, had she not shot herself in the foot, which was in her mouth, when her head was up her own butt. Late update. She got her ass kicked.
Cartoon:
13 Responses to “Open Thread–12/7/2014”
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4:47 average unchanged (squeak!) And there are people who think red is the hardest color to match. Sigh.
TC, you are making Grumpy Cat sound like Pollyanna. And you certainly have the justification. It must be all that practice dealing with Republicans that gives you the self control not to leave scars on the Providence Home Services people. Or maybe you are just too weak. I do hope the Ellipsoid Org smiles upon you, even though it must be from afar. Please get rest and recuperate. Did you talk to your doctor about the fever?
Daily Kos – I'm going from memory here, but wasn't it 22 years ago that the verbiage they used was struck down by the Supreme Court? Yet Missouri is STILL training by the outdated version, and instructing Grand Juries wrongly? Not just this grand jury? And aren't there I-don't-know-how-many other states which have the same law, have never updated it, and are still training and instructing by the version which was struck down? Of course that is what Republicans mean by States' Rights.
You Tube – Leaving aside the fact that the November figures were not available before the election, I am not convinced the speech would have helped much. Good news does not get people to the polls.
Think Progress – I, on the other hand, think Landrieu was doomed whatever she did. But it's certainly moot now. I do agree the way Democrats campaigned nationwide, with notable exceptions, was God-awful, butt-ugly, and Republican. Gee, I'm making Grumpy Cat sound pretty optimistic myself today, aren't I
Cartoon – What a beautiful box. But don't bury yourself there. Bury yourself in bed under the covers, with your head out for air.
What the Mo. AG describes, if it had happened in a regular trial by jury would either result in a judge declaring it a mistrial or be grounds to throw out the result and have a new trial (depending on when in the process it was identified and brought to the attention of the appropriate court). Is there a similar alternative path for justice when it happens with a grand jury?
In response to your question, some of the benchmarks of progress in the speech did not hit in data available at the beginning of Nov.–only has happened since…not sure an on track to achieve next month message would have given much "bang" for candidates to affect results in the election. I agree with your assessment on the final "hail Mary" yesterday yet do wonder how much those voter suppression efforts affected both elections. Am watching similar irregularities (allegedly illegal) in the Prop. 92 label GMOs proposition recount in OR.
Do hope the illness proves to be short-lived.
Dear TC – please take care of your COPD – 'ware pneumonia! Please if you can at all afford it add Zinc tablets to your grocery list and selenium and other good things to support your immune system too!
Would have loved to listen to Lawrence O'Donnell but there is a fault with the video and I keep getting half a dozen words every few minutes – I may have to give up on that sadly, as he is always worth listening to.
Think Progress – no surprise about Landrieu considering her very odd behaviour re the oil industry – it was as if she was trying to show she was actually a Repuglicon instead of caring for her voters and their welfare – and in a Repug area too. Weird.
Take care of yourself TC, please. So sorry about the Providence Home Services – that must have been the last thing you need right now; I do hope it is all sorted.
3:25 Mail call! Is this an overnight delivery?
2:46 This was express for me! The bright green sure made the box stand out!
A moment of remembrance for December 7, 1941 – truly …
Indeed it was. You quote FDR well.
My father was a radio operator in the Royal Canadian Navy aboard the HMCS Prince Robert in 1944-45 running in and out of Tokyo Harbour and environs picking up allied POWs and laying mines. The Prince Robert was an armed merchant cruiser that was refitted as an Anti-Aircraft "cruiser" on 2 January 1943 and recommissioned as such on 7 June 1943.
On 25 September 1940, intercepted and captured the German merchant Weser off Manzanillo, Mexico. This was one of the reasons why radar and lookout stations were established along the west coast of North America. I lived in Tofino BC in the mid 70s. Just south of Tofino is an abandoned radar station from the war . . . bunkers and all . . . known of course as Radar Hill.
WOW!
I love when history is personalized by stories of actual people living it. Thanks!
73 years is amazing, thanks.
Puzzle — 2:46 This was express for me! The bright green sure made the box stand out!
Daily Kos — Well I couldn't open Daily Kos and I couldn't get the MSNBC video. I did however get a YouTube video of a Lawrence O'Donnell Re-write segment where he discusses the handling of the instructions to the grand jury https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MlEhoCIFwc . IMO, the decision of the grand jury should be declared void due to prosecutorial malfeasance, and either a totally new grand jury struck, or a full trial of Wilson begun on the charge of murder.
YouTube — "Where was this speech BEFORE the election?" I agree. Some would likely note that the November figures were not out but with 10 straight months . . . this is not a new phenomena. Could this be a result of legislators distancing themselves from Obama and advisors telling him to keep his mouth shut?
Think Progress — That Landrieu failed doesn't surprise me at all. First, Louisiana is redder than red, but it also seems that anyone that broke with Obama (think Alison Lundergan Grimes) has paid a price. The divisions within the Republicanus/Teabagger party certainly created significant obstacles and unbelievability. So what do Democrats do? . . . they follow the lead of the GOP, and surprise, surprise, they get the same results . . . failure.
Cartoon — Fancy, shmancy! On that note, I have to clean the cat box for my little sweeties!
Lynne, I agree with you about the grand jury, something should be done to right this wrong.
Call your doctor and see if he or she will give you a Tamiflu injection. It helps slow down the symptoms and you get over it faster. Please don't bury yourself in a litter box, that would be a horrid way to go. Did I mention that I recently took in fosters, momma cat and five babies, in addition to the four I all ready have? I kept them four months before they were rescued, talk about litter boxes, whew, lots of work and money buying the stuff.
Daily Kos: Of course it was intentional. The DOJ needs to investigate this thoroughly. I hope the Brown family gets justice sooner rather than later.
Youtube: Yes, where was the is speech BEFORE the elections? If he and other Democrats had given these speeches instead of cowering, we might not have a Republican controlled congress now.
Think Progress: Landrieu did indeed shoot herself in the foot, and deserved to lose for acting like a Republican to try to hold on to her job. The Republican"irregularities" will be smoothed over and no one will be prosecuted. In my opinion.
Thanks all. Still ill. Please carry on, Hugs.