I had a pretty good night's sleep last night, after Wendy left, but I'm still quite tired. Sometime today the pest control people will be here to inspect my place, and do some baiting for roaches as needed. I have my own bait injector, so even though there are roaches in the bathrooms and some other people's rooms, I don't have a problem here.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today's took me 3:19 (average 5:55). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From YouTube (GQ Channel): The Travesties Done in Your Name and Mine | The Resistance with Keith Olbermann
I trust that, if they heard this at all, some traditional Republicans, would be very upset at it. Others would make excuses and hide their heads in the sand, not wanting to know the truth. The Fuhrer, his associates, and the rabid base would rejoice at the opportunity to kill another potential Muslim for Republican Supply-side Jesus (The exact opposite of the real Jesus). RESIST!!
From The Rachel Maddow Show: Schumer: Democratic bulwark will hold on Trump SCOTUS pick
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer assures Rachel Maddow that despite reports of defections, Democratic Senators will filibuster Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch.
I hope the only useless piece of crap to break ranks and vote to break the filibuster against Whoresuch is Joe Manchin (DINO-WV). RESIST!!
From The New Yorker: The Senate’s confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary means that immigrants will be the nation’s only reliable source of educated people going forward, education experts said on Tuesday.
Under DeVos, according to Davis Logsdon, the dean of the University of Minnesota’s School of Education, the U.S. will have to “drastically increase its inflow of immigrants” if it wants people capable of performing even the simplest tasks.
“Most of our industries require people who can read, write, and do arithmetic, even in a rudimentary way,” he said. “The Senate just shot that to hell.”
With DeVos running the Department of Education, Logsdon said, millions of American students “will graduate from high school each year without mastering any useful skills—in other words, much like DeVos herself.”
Dang!! I miss the days, when Andy did satire. RESIST!!
Cartoon:
19 Responses to “Open Thread – 2/9/2017”
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4:51 Very pretty.
Don't you wish the pest control could deal with Republicans?
One more late "Stand with Warren":
http://act.gerryconnolly.com/page/s/gop-silences-warren
YT/GQ – You forgot the hanky alert. All I could do about this child was pray, which I did – and try to publicize her story, which I also did – I am glad she was granted a waiver, and I hope and pray that it comes soon enough. All I can do about all the others is sign petitions and write letters, which I have been doing and will continue to do. And, of course, I voted for Hillary Clinton and not for Donald J. Trump.
TRMS – Good news (not that we can expect to win). I won't assault any touchy stomachs with the response I got from Cory Gardner. I would say thinking Gorsuch is like Roberts is incredibly optimistic. From what I read, Gorsuch is to the right of Scalia.
TNY – I wish I could remember the days when Andy did satire instead of straight news. Sigh.
Cartoon – You got THAT right.
Incidentally, the movie "Accidental Courtesy," or about 2/3 of it, will be shown on PBS's Independent Lens next Monday. After it airs, it will be available to view on the internet for a couple of weeks. It's about a black musician and activist who gets acquainted with Klansmen in an attempt to answer the question "Why do you hate me when you don't even know me?" I have a LinkedIn connection who has worked with him, so I have a sort of personal interest, and wanted to put the word out.
Thanks for the heads up WRT "Accidental Courtesy" coming up.
YVW.
Update on DeVos Education Nomination Vote:
After confirmation, GOP Congressman filed legislation showing the real reason they backed DeVos
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/2/7/1631088/-After-confirmation-GOP-Congressman-filed-legislation-showing-the-real-reason-they-backed-DeVos
Betsy DeVos appointed to throw the baby out with the bath water
She’s not there to manage the Department of Education, she’s there to dismantle it(1):
On the same day the Senate confirmed President Trump’s secretary of Education pick by a historically narrow margin, a House Republican introduced legislation to abolish the entire department Betsy DeVos will lead.
Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie’s bill is only a page long, after merely stating the Department of Education would terminate on Dec. 31, 2018.
Massie believes that policymakers at the state and local levels should be responsible for education policy, instead of a federal agency that’s been in place since 1980.
They’ll be able to slice and dice, selling off our public schools under the guise of “state control.” Now that public school funding can be used to create a network of new Christian schools and, as Betsy Devos says, “advance the kingdom of God.” From Mother Jones(2):
Asked whether Christian schools should continue to rely on giving—rather than pushing for taxpayer money through vouchers—Betsy DeVos replied, "There are not enough philanthropic dollars in America to fund what is currently the need in education…Our desire is to confront the culture in ways that will continue to advance God's kingdom."
Added Dick DeVos: "As we look at many communities in our country, the church has been displaced by the public school as the center for activity…[I]t is certainly our hope that more and more churches will get more and more active and engaged in education."
So long separation of church and state. It was nice while it lasted, but the American Taliban is in charge now.
Folks, we might not have won the battle on Betsy DeVos, but stay focused and get ready to fight like hell. The war for public education is just getting started.
By Jen Hayden
Tuesday Feb 07, 2017 · 1:38 PM PST
(1): http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/318310-gop-lawmaker-proposes-abolishing-department-of-education
(2): http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/01/betsy-devos-christian-schools-vouchers-charter-education-secretary
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KO: Such a horrible, and sad decision….relieved that this little one will be taken care of, but…yes! How many others, children, family members are being held back??? from coming to this USofA????
RMS: These next few years will be a battle, and I hope and wish for the best for our Democratic folks on the Hill to filabuster through and through.
NYer: Ain't that the truth, Andy. Not laughing. lol.
Cartoon: Well….. Dear Lord, have mercy on us all!!
*As most of you know, I live in Texas. I am saddened, PO'ed and embarrased by Cornyn's rude remarks to Ms. Warren while she was speaking and was interrupted during the nomination hearings on DeVos. What Cornyn said: "I would hope that maybe we all have been chastened a little bit". But…on the positive side, as someone wrote…."Thanks to people like John, we ALL heard the the voice of Senator Warren. Loud. And. Clear. *Bob Foolery.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/2/8/1631428/-No-2-Senate-Republican-I-sure-hope-that-little-lady-feels-chastened-for-talking-out-of-turn
Glad to read that you don't have a bug problem at your place. I'd take roaches over scorpions anyday of the week, as we have lots of them where I live. Hope that you have a good evening, take care, and Thanks, Tom.
Scorpions are bad indeed, but you might be less blasé about roaches had you seen this –
https://wellthisiswhatithink.com/2017/02/10/like-there-wasnt-enough-reasons-to-hate-cockroaches-she-felt-a-crawling-sensation-and-doctors-found-a-live-cockroach-in-her-skull/
Yikes!
I used to live in Phoenix. We had scorpions, black widows, and diamondbacks.
Touché!
The politicians were FAR worse!!
YT/GQ: I am glad to hear that an outcry led to a new opportunity for this child…in the "Land of Opportunity-If-you-are-of-the-right-color-and/or nationality!"
Rachel Maddow- My take is that Mitch McConnellhole is more threatened by Liz, because he knows she is a possible presidential candidate, without Hillary's baggage (deserved, or not!). I no longer think that stopping her was an act of misogyny, not that he's not a misogynyst. Also, I most certainly hope that Chuck will hold the GOPigs' feet to the fire for the next 4 years, will not relent. I sent him an e-mail of that sort, the other day, but expect it not to actually be read by anyone. I sought some extra leverage by mentioning that I used to work with an aunt of his wife's, in Brooklyn, many years ago.
New Yorker: "Clean the swamp?!" DeVos only deepens it, and Andy is right about the need for imcresing the flow of immigrants. NOW, it reportedly turns out, Rumpshit wants Jerry Falwell 2nd, to run a piece of the education program, under DeVos! More fallout from beyond the grave of St. Reagan!!!!!!! Boy, do I WISH there were such as thing as Karma!!!! He and Scalia, both dung beetles, and wrestling for contol of a single huge dollop of dung…for eternity! Falwell's Liberty Univ. produces people like Michelle Bachman, feeds them "Alternate Facts" about the country's founders not wishing to have separation of church and state, pushes the "Alternate" truth about creationism, and sends them out into the wide world like ebola sends out bits of viral material!
Oh, goodness! Andy is on fire!!!
God bless Keith Olbermann – a very powerful piece, but still the Right wingers won't listen. (And yes, I and Christians like me do think that we will all be asked exactly those questions in the next life.).
Rachel Maddow – am I right to hope that Chuck Schumer and the Dems won't just roll over and vote for the Far Right excesses, but that they might actually argue with them?
NY – I'm very afraid that might be true!
You may not have a roach problem, TomCat, but it's good to know that any problems with bugs eslewhere in the building are taken care off should the present themselves. It's nice to know one can go to a bathroom without spectators.
Keith Olbermann: This is a side of Keith I hadn't seen before: a quiet, calm, compassionate side that impressed me just as much with the story that unfolded. Sadly this side of Keith will not be seen by any Trump voter/Republican, nor will his angrier, fact bombardment side. The people who need to watch it the most are the least likely to do so and be touched by it, so it's up to us to spread his word (I'll not call it gospel) and
RESIST!
Rachel Maddow: Schumer better be right on this one, because for many this will be the only chance for Democrats to show what they stand for. If they do not stand together and prove the right wing media and politicians right, they can kiss their voters goodbye. So:
ALL DEMOCRATS RESIST!
TNY: Andy has left satire behind him for good, it seems. However, he forgot to mention that the Dumbing Down of America has been on the Republican agenda for years and that they have had great success with it: about 60 million people voted for Drumpf. Of course they have it easy now with DeVos as Education Secretary, but they can't take any chances by having their work undone by immigrants, so that is why they've started banning educated people from seven Muslim countries, but will soon follow up with banning immigrants from countries with a good education system. Which covers so many countries they haven't found the right excuse yet for banning them. Terrorism doesn't work for all of them.
Cartoon: Will his outfit have purple trimmings like the white togas of Roman senators?
Puzzle — 3:11 I suppose you might be able to add this to a salad Puddy Tat . . . that is if it is edible.
YouTube — Republican family values at work! In the past week or so, a woman who has lived in Canada for over 10 years, who has travelled to the US many, many times, went to the border crossing with her young children. Her 5 year old son had been through chemotherapy and a lot of other medical proceedures in the past year. She promised her son that they would go shopping in the US when it was all over. Did I mention that she wears a hijab? After answering many questions for almost an hour, she was denied entry to the US and had to return home. One of the questions asked was "Do you support Donald Trump?" Why would a Canadian resident have to answer such a question? Change that to "Do you support Justin Trudeau?" and she probably would have said yes because Canada is her home. If they asked me that, I would answer no to Trump. I am a Canadian and I support Trudeau and Canadian values which are not the same as American values as espoused by the current American federal lgovernment. It is going to be a long 4 years!!
Resist!!!
TRMS — This is too important to screw up. The Dems need to stick together to block Gorsuch's confirmation.
Resist!!!
The New Yorker — "… means that the United States will need to do everything in its power to attract educated immigrants to its shores, …" — Unless of course they are from one of currently 7 nations on a list which could grow longer. Hmmmm . . .
Resist!!!
Cartoon — I doubt he'll wear the uniform so as to appear transparent, but he will be anything but transparent, preferring his old racist and bigoted habits.
Resist!!!
Glad to hear that you finally got some sleep. May that continue. Perhaps the pest control people should clear the US Congress of vermin . . . rats and the like.
Would that they could!
Thanks all! Hugs!!