Are You Ready?

Tags

2nd Amendment, budget, cartoons, corporate America, CPAC, economy, filibuster, gay rights, GOP, Humor, Individual Rights, minimum wage

Have you been keeping up on CPAC, the GOP answer to absolutely nothing? It’s been a “business as usual” kinda thing so far. Trump gets up there and trashes Jindal, and babbles about himself and how great he is. Rick Perry says they have to reach out to Latinos and is booed. Rubio says just because he supports traditional marriage doesn’t make him a bigot. (yeah actually it does).

My favorite was a clip from a “workshop” wherein a younger type white dude talked about being proud of his “demographic” (code for white supremacist) and claiming that the federal government was disenfranchising same, and that he thought his “demographic” had a great culture to be preserved.

When the moderator who was black, noted that Frederick Douglass sent a letter to his “owner” many years after he had escaped, and forgave him, the young man piped up and said, “for what? For receiving food and a home?” This was met with a couple audible gasps, but far too much applause. He was heard to utter under his breath, “we just need to go back to segregation.”

Yes, that’s the state of the GOP.

You have all heard the stories in the press. As the President and rational folks in the Democratic Party responded to the upswell of opinion that favored background checks for gun buyers and at least some restrictions on the types of guns available and large capacity clips, the gun stores have been doing a booming business.

It is now an undeniable fact that a significant majority of our fellow citizens are building up arsenals for the coming Armageddon that they are sure is on the way.

Given that these people are mentally unstable and delusional, it should come as no surprise that they actually think they can fend off the American military with their pretend assault weapons. They are so effectual against tanks and drones. What they do is pose a significant danger to the poor neighbors who unbeknownst, live near them.

No doubt you noted that the Dow has hit an all-time high. That is certainly cause for much celebration.

Business feels good about itself apparently. Business is good. During the recession they spent their money on ways to improve productivity with a smaller work force.

They were successful.

They aren’t hiring much because they don’t have to.

The fools believed that they were “job creators.”

They are profit creators dummy. Always were. The last thing they want to do is hire workers. Workers are much more expensive to keep than a robot riveter.

Yet the Right continues the mantra, and the kool-aid drinkers keep repeating it.

Need I say more?

The mantra for this one is that it depresses employment because business lays off workers rather than pay them a living wage.

Yeah, business is usually known for cutting of its nose to spite its face. I can just hear them now.

“Sorry Ms Customer, you will have to wait an extra 45 minutes for service. If you don’t like it leave. I’m not going to hire another worker at $10 an hour. So take your $150 dress and rehang it. I have principles you know.”

Yeah, I’m sure that’s what they will do.

Actual studies show they do lay off workers, for a hot minute, and then hire them back when, you know, they have more customers than their current work force can handle.

And guess what? That happens across the country. And guess what? All that extra cash earned by workers? It’s SPENT for goods and services, and that causes more demand, and more hiring. Amazing how that happens.

We’ve been hearing this whine for a long time from the Right.

And under rational and normal circumstances, it might just have some validity.

Of course it doesn’t have any validity today and everybody who bothers to be alive knows that.

Why?

Because Mitch McConnell will prevent any budget bill offered by the Democrats from reaching the floor of the Senate for actual debate.

He will filibuster.

He promised he wouldn’t do that.

He lied.

What’s new?

Forgive me if I’m not suitably impressed.

Rob Portman was against it before he was for it.

Seems his personal situation, impressed him enough to consider a change of mind.

Now, I’m glad that Portman has seen the light. I really am.

But as I said, forgive me if it’s just a bit too self-serving.

As a few have said, perhaps it would help if Portman woke up with a poor son, or a senior son. Maybe then he would be in favor of SNAP, and Pell grants, and Medicare, and well, you get the idea.

His hopes of being nominated are shall we say, in trouble?

It’s a glorious day here, with the high going into the mid 80’s. Sun is shining. Time to get busy in the yard with clean up. Diego is a messy boy. He has pieces of wood and bits of things he’s torn up scattered everywhere. To day nothing of poo. Saturday is poo clean up day.

I’m cooking my corned beef today in a slow-cooker kinda way, bathed in beer. I made a couple of loaves of soda bread. I made a white cake that I will trim with green lime frosting. Tomorrow when I get home from church I can make the colcannon. It’s a St. Paddy’s Day kinda meal!

Have a great one yourselves.

 

 

Tasting the Air–Blech!

Tags

CPAC, gay rights, GOP, Humor, Iowa, life in the meadow, right wing media, teabuggers

We just got our lane blown out. The Contrarian got out to do a bit of shopping for me. He discovered that the alternator is bad and needs replacing. He would have done that today, but for the fact that another FREAKIN’ SET OF STORMS IS COMING!

Yep, we are expecting a few inches tonight, 1-4. But Tuesday night we are talking FEET. Everyone is being very sly about where, and who, and how much. Cowards!

So my shopping this week is off, and it will be bread and water by Thursday. Well, not quite that. More like simple meat, potatoes and frozen veggies. This winter crap is getting OLD.

***

Don’t know if you saw yesterday’s humor post. It was a lot of fun to do, and frankly I could do a blog only on The Blaze and it’s merry band of misfit dumbos. If you liked it, let me know and I’ll do it as a regular or semi-regular feature. I did that one on only the first three pages of a ten page list of comments. These people are simply mad as hatters.

***

Speaking of which, and I’m not speaking of a witch or which either, but that’s by the by, whatever by the by means. Words are strange, especially when grouped together. They have secret sex I think and become odd “sayings” that have no inherent meaning.

Be that as it may (you see my point), I was thinking the other night about “if I could. . .” Now that would make a good post don’t you think? “If I could. . .put Sarah and Michele and Christine and Sharron in a cabin in the woods for a month with lots of hidden listening devices. . .I would!” Do you have any “if I could” ‘s?

***

Political Irony has a new list of late night funnery. Do go see if you want to laugh a bit.

***

The way I see it, the reason the GOP is ultimately doomed is that it is caught in a three-way, and much as they seem fun at first, they usually prove disastrous in the long run, frankly in the shorter run. First ya got your true blue GOPers. These are the old-fashioned types, Colin Powell is an example. Believes in reasonable social legislation but conservative fiscal policy. Then there are the RINOS, sometimes more liberal, sometimes more self-serving. They can blow any number of directions depending on their philosophy, but mostly because of their desire to preserve their own power.

Then factor in the Teabuggers. These come of two flavors, both of them relatively crazy. One wing are libertarians who want to slash and burn and care zero about social welfare. The poor be damned, lower taxes and let the market govern. The other wing, mouths a lot of fiscal conservatism, doesn’t understand a bit of it, (neither does most of the other wing frankly), but they wet themselves over abortion, gay rights, and their new gods, the FF’s. All is seen through a biblical lens of their own interpretation.

How to marry these three? Beats me, and it’s apparent that the cracks already exist in the menáge e trois. A don’t see a future that can work for them.

***

Remember CPAC? That meeting which every righteous Republican, certainly every Presidential hopeful attended? Be there or be square as they say? Well, people are bailing on CPAC this year like it carries the plague. Latest to bow out is newly elected Marco Rubio. He follows DeMint, new BFF of the teabuggery clan. Most all the “good” people are now out. The GOP speaks out with clarity: WE DON’T LIKE NO GAY PEOPLE. Yes, the marginalizing party, becomes marginal.

***

The Blaze ran a piece about a California man arrested with a car full of “high-end” fireworks, making threats against Islam in the parking lot of a mosque in Dearborn, Michigan. Nothing much to report, except that the commenters query whether he is “left-wing” and whether he might have been “delivering the fireworks to Muslim extremists.” Also, much discussion on the relative minor character of the fireworks. Want to imagine what they would have said should a Muslim have been arrested in a Christian church parking lot? I leave it to your imagination. Crooks and Liars has a good story on the “left-wing aspect.”

***

I saw this over at Joe.My.God. I just had to steal it and print it here. I laughed till I nearly croaked!

***

Andrew Sullivan has a great piece you should read. I have often found myself saying that I wish the left had a “Fox” of its own. But I don’t really mean that. I mean, I want a strong independent media voice that speaks truth based on thorough and fact driven investigation. To have a Fox of our own would mean that thinking and discourse would even further deteriorate. The point is, that although I liked Keith Olbermann a lot, I was also aware of his being over-the-top and making more of a story than the facts warranted. The crazy right never seems to see that in their pundits. Not even a little.  Read Sullivan’s post, it’s a good one.

***

What’s on the stove: spaghetti and meatballs, salad

Related Articles

• Fear of gay cooties spreads in advance of CPAC (washingtonmonthly.com)
• GOP’s Culture War Hits CPAC, Challenges Republican Party (gayrights.change.org)

Of Passing Note

Tags

CPAC, evolution, GOP, life in the meadow, Michelle Bachmann, primates, right wing, Sarah Palin, Seafood salad, socialization, sociology, winter, World News Daily

And now for something completely different. . . .

Okay, so I won’t bore you with the whining about the weather. I would, but it seems like my pitiful condition won’t gain me much purchase on your sympathy, since nearly 70% of the nation is engaged in winter misery.

We got our four inches, and are awaiting the wind which will move it from places we don’t want it, to other places we don’t want it. We have wood in for days, and food, and well, you don’t ask for much more at this point.

Yesterday, now that was a different story. Tractor broke, and was fixed, and I went shopping for chain saw chains. . . . mmmmm, such fun. They I secured some groceries just to make the weekend more delightful. It was a busy, up and down emotional day, but ended on a good note.

And did I remember to say a big hurrah to the Iowa Hawkeyes for their glorious win in the Orange Bowl? How does a nationally recognized school manage to have a quarterback who can’t throw a pass? I dunno, but go ask Georgia Tech. They may have an answer.

***

I have to say, I’d love to creep into the mind of the folks at CPAC, who in preparing their wacko wingnut right convention, are inviting of course the ever popular among the wingees, Sarah Palin, but are thinking of barring the ever conspiratorially oriented World Daily News. We are not sure what standard disallows the online news “paper” that promotes a “Crisis Garden” for the coming Armageddon,  but is in a tizzy, wizzing  its pants at the opportunity to have Michelle Bachmann on the roster. I mean can you imagine? The queens of crazy–Sarah and Michelle on the same stage? I’m sure their will be orgasmic delight in the audience should they both breathe stage air at the same time.

***

For years, scientists thought that primates groomed each other out of social bonding and reconciling differences. It appears otherwise.

It seems they groom those members of the troop who they think they cannot win a fight against. Who would have thunk?

Remember this the next time you sit down in the barber chair or the hair salon. Your hairdresser is afraid of ya! That ought to count for something in your day.

***

Scientists have found the oldest vertebrate footprints. They belong to a tetrapod and are in the vicinity of 397 million years old.

This pushes the time line back a few mill. The animals apparently lived in shallow waters and came upon land through the mud flats.

This is a marine environment rather than a lake or stream one as previously thought.

No word on whether human prints were found near by, so I am forced to warn the “creationist” nutties to close their eyes, and stop their ears, lest they be confronted with this biblical blasphemy. You have been warned flat earthers!

***

These next two go down in the “I never would have guessed,” category.

Those engaged in scientific pursuit, tell us that the size of the spoon effects whether or not one gets the proper dosage of medicine. Well, you could have blown me over with a feather on that one!

I know this will be hard to believe, but parents who refuse to have their children inoculated against chicken pox, see a higher incidence of their children contracting that disease.

It just shocks the bejesus out of me to discover this.

I’m sure it will give you pause as well

***

Even though warned repeatedly, some of you undoubtedly decided to go ahead and make New year’s resolutions.

So, seven days in, no doubt some of you are already struggling. This just in from LiveScience— 5 tips to avoid failure!

Number one on the list is “don’t make too many resolutions. And number two is, choose your resolutions wisely. Okay. . . .

On that note, I’ll resolve not to read self help articles on keeping resolutions. That is not too many, and is certainly wise doncha think?

***

I’m not familiar with Golden Corral, but this Copycat recipe seems a perfect foil to winter blahs.

I mean, when you look out and realize that it will take three hours and 40 extra pounds of clothing to make you “ready” for outside, ya need to have something really scrumptious and decadent to eat right?

This recipe for Seafood Salad uses the artificial crab, which I don’t really like, but with mayo, the “off taste” may be hidden. And it sure cheapens the price for making this summery beachy kinda treat.

I think I may pick up the ingredients on my next shopping trip and give this a whirl.

I have some great northern bean soup on the fire, loaded with plenty of ham, along with some nice focaccia flavored with dried tomatoes and olives. I think it will be a snuggly meal for falling temperatures and growing winds. Stay in and stay warm!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

It’s TinFoil Time Again!

Tags

Barack Obama, bible, church, conservatives, CPAC, economy, faith, filthy rich, gay rights, God, GOP, greed, homophobia, Jesus, Joe the Plumber, John Bolton, Michael Steele, religion, right wing, Wall Street

Okay, so, it’s Friday, and the end of another week. I’m in the process of making Arroz con Pollo for dinner. It’s a bit detailed and fussy, but we are looking forward to it. I’ll tell you how it turned out and give you a recipe if it’s really good.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, here’s the fabulous finds I made today. Hope you find something of interest:

Drop by The Wild Reed, and read his take on homophobia in the hip-hop industry.  While I’m a bit too old for the scene myself, Michael shows how bashing gays seems to be quite prevalent in the genre, and guess what? lots of them folks is secretly gay. But of course you knew that.

It’s a fascinating look at the world of machismo turned upside down. I think you will like it. And we all need to keep informed don’t we?

~~~

Tim at Straight-Friendly has a lovely reflection on getting closer to God. That is the point of Lent in some sense isn’t it? His analogy that he learned form his mother ( a most wise woman for sure) makes the point directly and clearly. Tim’s work is always worth reading, but some are little  masterpieces. Don’t miss this one!

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Ya gotta laugh. They don’t get it. They just don’t get it. Like I said yesterday, the filthy rich DON’T GET IT. Watergate Summer reports that Bank of America head honcho, Ken Lewis, arrived in Washington to answer for the bonuses paid with our money, in you guessed it—HIS PERSONAL JET. Yep, uhuh. I say make ’em walk the plank, get in the stocks, and hoist their hinny to the seat in the dunk tank.

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The gift that keeps on giving, is, well giving again. Appearing at the CPAC meeting, Joe Wurzelbacher, AKA “The Plumber” is telling us that he would slap and probably shoot a few congress folks if he were there. And glory be, reporters have no business in war zones, uh reporting. What Joe was doing in Israel a few weeks ago, well, I guess we can probably all agree, that was NOT reporting.

I can only bet that McCain and Palin are so very proud of their offspring. He’s turning out to be a wonderful spokesperson for the Rethugs. Yes, keep it coming Joe. We have those mid-terms to look forward to in 2012.

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Speaking of CPAC, I swear you cannot make this stuff up. We have all been watching the strange duck Michael Steele has been turning into with all his hip hop references and the party being “off the hook.” Well, it’s spreading. CPAC moderator Michelle Bachmann got to introduce the new GOP head, and the Minnesota Rep, did so in fine style: “You be da man! You be da man!” I means really, this is getting embarrassing. Do the wingnuts now in control of the Rethugs actually think they will get black and young votes this way? I mean seriously? I mean, oh, hell, it’s too funny. I hope they keep this up. This is like watching episodes of  “world’s worst wrecks.” Popcorn anyone?

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All roads seem to lead to the CPAC meeting today folks. I can’t help it, they are just generating the fun these days. John Bolton, in the top ten running for world’s biggest idiot, gave his speech to the wonk heads of the GOP. In it, he talked about a nuclear explosion via terrorism coming to of all places Chicago. He got wild applause.

These are some sick puppies. All one can do is shake one’s head and remember that this is the price of freedom. We gotta let sludge like this have microphones.

~~~

Tip of the day: The louder the GOP squeals, the better job Obama is doing. The decibel level has reached the painful point, and I can only conclude that things are going well.

Long term prediction: If there is recovery in the economy that is in any way tangible by the end of the year, Obama can do about anything he wants. Voters will put pressure on Congress to vote through his legislative agenda.

~~~

The weekend friends will be thin. I’m off to a six hour Lenten retreat at Church tomorrow, and of course the usual stuff on Sunday with an extra meeting on the church library added. I’ll post a little something if I have time. Enjoy, and welcome that Spring!