Things That Piss Me Off

Tags

crazy Republicans, Fox News Idiocy, Glenn Beck, Koch Brothers, Media, Neo-cons, right wing nimnals

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next time some nitwit masquerading as a person tries to tell you that they watch Faux News to get the “fair and balanced” take on the news, remind them that of course Faux Crap is anything but fair. Of course, we knew that, but this chart lays it out clearly. I’m guessing they have a favorite here, and are doing their best to help.

Here in New Mexico, we are good and blue. Nobody came to campaign here because Obama has this state in one of his “safe” columns. Yet, all week long, we have been subjected to obnoxious and untrue Crossroads and Americans for Prosperity negative Obama ads. Since it will change absolutely nothing, you have to ask yourself why.

My only answer is that they are so flush with cash they can afford to throw it away. It’s a bit like the Koch brothers standing out in front of my house and burning a barrel of thousand dollar bills, just cuz, you know, they can. It’s that meaningless to them. It’s insulting. For that reason alone, I wouldn’t vote for their candidate if you offered me the money instead.

Our polling place was busy this morning when we arrived. A steady stream  of people were coming and going and the line was only about four minutes. Clear and concise instructions were posted in English and Spanish. When we deposited our ballots in the counter, we were told to wait and make sure that the counter ticked up one. Everything was well run. A police cruiser was parked outside, a few people were carrying “vote for” signs at the entrance. No harassment. I wish every were as lucky.

I spent a few minutes yesterday afternoon at Blaze. They have a fine crop of nuts there. They are of course sure this will be a Romney landslide because they drank the kool-aid and believe all the polls are underrepresenting Republicans. They are very worried that Obama will just undue the entire republic in the time from election to the swearing-in. They want to know what the legal provisions are to tie the black man up until he can be ushered out of the WHITE house, and hopefully into jail stripes. I got a good chuckle. If you want to know what Alzheimer’s looks like, do tune in and read a few comments.

The pundits for the most part are “journalists” in search of a story. They can’t bear to tell the truth, that the polls are pretty clear how this should go. They keep up the mantra of “razor-thin” margin because gosh darn it, that’s what they want. If you were to ask them their favorite election, they would surely say 2000 when it went on for days and weeks, and they were able to be on air endlessly speculating on what would sooner or later be obvious.

Glenn Beck is still ranting on radio. His latest barrage of garbage comes on election eve:

If you look at history through a biblical world view, the last step before a nation is completely destroyed is they drive the righteous from among them. If this isn’t a sign of a group of people that will drive the righteous from among them, and that’s the last step before God’s wrath comes, I fear for our country and it is – it cannot be overstated, it cannot be called paranoid … If you are a God‑fearing person, hear me. Last call, America. Last call. Because the righteous will be driven from among them.

Sorry Glenn, that is paranoid. So you think that Barack Obama is the last straw in our downward spiral to evil? Nothing like the decimation of an entire people almost to extinction qualifies? Or the ownership of another group of people who required a war to end? Not that either huh? No, it took Obamacare to really piss off God. Sure Glenn, I do see now.

So we wait. Let’s hope we aren’t still up at midnight Mountain time.

Related articles

• 5 Things To Watch For On Election Day (npr.org)
• GOP inspectors reportedly kicked out of multiple Philadelphia polling places; Update: Inspector assaulted? (twitchy.com)
• Koch Brothers Behind Last-Minute GOP Push (huffingtonpost.com)

 

Well, I Been Busy

Tags

global warming, GOP, Health care, Humor, Koch Brothers, Las Cruces, lifestyle, Mitt, moving, rich folk, Romney, satire, taxes, tea party

Ya think you are done?

Yeah, I bet you did.

Done with me talking about moving in? Sure, I’m done.

Almost.

It seemed that Thursday and Friday got filled up with doing stuff.  The Contrarian had his first VA appointment, mostly because he needed his meds renewed. That went peachy as they say.

So then we headed off to Home Depot to order window “treatments”. A mix-match of drapery (Martha Stewart panels for the patio door–the sliding bamboo panels we wanted were outrageously expensive at nearly $1000), wooden blinds and a hot little ditty called “faux stained-glass film.”

This last we decided to use in the two odd windows on either side of the front door, which are 14 inches wide and probably five feet or more in length. We liked the idea of letting the morning sun in but still providing privacy. I located a perfectly matching metal wall hanging at Pier 1 Imports yesterday, and so together the entrance looks quite nice.

All that stuff takes a lot of time to put up, so like I said, we have been busy. Pier 1 was my major stop yesterday to get pillows for the chairs and sofa. And like I said, I found the wall hanging. And where I could have spent another $3-400 bucks easily with all the neat stuff I saw. I’m dangerous in a place like that. The prices are enticing and well, I guess I just like their style.

So, here it is Saturday and I am just about done with my work day but for dinner which is made mostly but for the cooking. Marinated steaks for the grill, corn salsa, left-over Mexican rice with green chile salsa, and some left over baked beans. The Contrarian takes care of the grilling.

I have about six recipes to post on the other blog. I’m reading The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, and I have the Excel spreadsheet ready to go to start cataloging the books. I have a hair cut appointment on Monday, the Contrarian has to stop at the VA again to see a technician about his ear, and then we need to hit the bank, Verizon, and eventually Wal-Mart before the end of the week. Not so much, lol. Oh and I forgot, the Contrarian is spending his time searching Craig’s list for a truck.

Just your typically over-whelmed (almost) American retired couple. We are managing to find time to enjoy ourselves along the way.

Meanwhile, the beat goes on.

The GOP is really really sure it hates the AHCA, and it’s really sure that it will do all kinds of utterly dastardly things to all of us. Beyond that. . . .

It comes down to “reduce costs” (somehow).

That’s pretty much all they have to say.

Course, they say that while partaking in all the benefits of the new law themselves, or, indulging in the nice health care package that they enjoy as members of the government.

Willard promises us many things. None of them are actually details, just grandiose grand statements of how much better we will be off with him. He can’t go into the details of exactly how he will do that stuff–that would be giving the opposition a heads-up and we can’t have that. It all comes down to trust.

Don’t it always?

While that is going on, Willard is subjected to much inquiry about his money.

Really rich folks are notorious for not liking to get into the particulars of how they manage their money.

They know the tax code like nobody else on earth, and we would be shocked to discover how they can secrete away so much of their gains without paying taxes.

Willard says he pays every dime he’s required to and not a nickel more. Direct quote.

I guess that is an example of patriotism.

As Rinsed Penis said, “it’s the American way to avoid paying taxes.”

Is that something Willard will be teaching us if elected?

Plenty of the country has more things to worry about, as its been mighty hot.

Everyone here in Las Cruces keeps telling us “it’s not usually this hot here”. It’s been over 100 a whole lot, and I guess it’s not usually quite that hot.

I know it’s been really hot just about everywhere.

George Will tells me to get over it, “it’s summer after all.”

But if 10 of the hottest years on record have occurred in the past 12 years, and 20 of the hottest have occurred in the past 30 years, I figure there is a problem.

Mr. Inhofe, idiot Senator from OK claims global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people. He says, it’s outrageous to imagine that human beings can interfere with what God created. I’m pretty sure Satan has interfered with the connections in Mr. Inhofe’s brain. As I said, he’s an idiot. Don’t believe me? Go look up idiot in the dictionary.  You’ll find his face there. I’m sure.

Willard went a visiting to the NAACP.

He told them how much he liked their music.

He told them that he liked ’em all just fine, and he would like them to visit him in the WH now and then and give him their “sense of things”.

He said some unkind things about the President.

For that he was booed.

But he smiled, and said, “take a look, I’m your real friend.”

Which reminds me that somebody once said, “with friends like that. . . .”

The Tea Party folks over at Americans for Prosperity seem not to know that they are a part of a front organization funded and run by the Koch brothers.

Prosperity is right. But it ain’t you’re prosperity they are lookin’ out for.

Wanna guess whose?

Oh come on.

Give it a try.

Guess.

While you’re at it, look up the word “duped” in the dictionary.

Don’t be surprised if you find your own picture there.

Just sayin’.

EXCUSE ME: I’m Changing My Aspirin!

Tags

Election 2012, GOP, GOP elites, Health care, Koch Brothers, Limbaugh, Mitt Romney, Norquist, Patricia Heaton, Rick Santorum, teabaggers

Imagine this as an elephant, and I think you get the point. The GOP is being led around by the nose by essentially a group of unelected nut cases: Grover Norquist who can apparently dictate tax policy to the entire Republican legislature, state or nation, Rush Limbaugh, bombastic, misogynist right-wing dingbat, and the Koch brothers who create “grassroots” movements to ensure that their business interests are left unfettered by taxation so they can continue to rape the very people who comprise the grass-roots. Pretty nifty huh?

People like Boehner, who is just a poor slob who wants to play golf and have a few drinks after a short day of sitting around and chattin’ up K-Street potential employers in the Rotunda, and Cantor, who is busy trying to figure out how he can get more “air time” away from Boehner, are just your basic, everyday, political wanks, sucking off the people’s tit after all. They have no philosophical opinion about anything beyond what is the best resort island in the Bahamas.

Perhaps it has always been so. Who knows. All we know is that everybody is terrified of pissin’ off Grove, who will send his legions into their home state and “primary” ’em should they stray. When it comes to Rush, heck, the best they can must is a “aww, he’s an entertainer gosh, just funnin’ but it was “over-the-top” kinda, ya know. Not that I’m criticizing the Rush, I mean, hey, let’s talk about how Obama is issuing apologies to them dang terrrr-ists and all.” And, “ya dang old disgusting lame-streamin’ medias and your stupid refusal to talk about gas prices!”

Yeah, so much for the weekend.

And Obama’s numbers keep climbing and the GOP brand keeps rusting, and Old Willard will win a ticket to the oblivion that is “who was that guy who ran against him in 12?” I say, play on stupids. What’s funnier and kinda heart-wrenching at the same time, is watching the moderates smile sadly, and wander off to write their memoirs of “the good old days”.

¶

Boy the stuff you don’t know. I don’t know if you ever watch that show called “The Middle”. The star is one Patricia Heaton, who used to be on “Every Loves Raymond”. Well, anyway, she is one rabid right-wing nut case. Her twitter account has been suspended, after a series of really hateful tweets about the Georgetown woman who Rush called a slut. I mean it was awful. Denise over at Pass the Doucheys has captured the tweets, and apparently she, Heaton that is,  also posted tons of lavish praise on the Breitbart blog. We don’t watch the show, but if I did, I guess I’d stop. Yech.

¶

We picked this up from Political Wire, who picked it up obviously from The New Yorker.

The GOP can claim all this crap is “strengthening” the eventual candidate, but polls suggest it is causing terrible losses and disgust even among Republican voters.

Party on GOP.

Speaking of which, The New Yorker has a good piece on how extremists took over the GOP. I suppose I harp on this, and frankly, scientific evidence doesn’t suggest that the Left is nearly as susceptible to this stuff as the right (as I’ve hammered again and again, this stuff is psychological in large part), still it good to understand how we got to this, and hopefully how to disentangle this mess, and head it off in the future.

Can somebody explain to me Willard and his penchant for reciting songs? Today I heard him reciting the ballad of Davy Crockett from the old TV show. There is something really really wrong with this man.

¶

Squatlo Rant has a post of funny pic captures and such. Take a look. Smile. You need to you know you do.

Things are really tough right now for our good blogger friend Dusty Taylor. Please drop by and leave a good word.

There is never a bad post when it comes to Margaret and Helen. Do stop by.

This is why Right-Wing ideologues drive me half insane. Mr. Ragin’ Rickster, was questioned Sunday by Fox Noise’s Chris Wallace why he gave such a paltry amount to charity of all the major candidates (the President gave the most percentage wise). Surprisingly, or not, Ricky admitted that he was unable to because of the excessive health costs of his daughter Bella, most of which his insurance company doesn’t cover. And this from a man making over a million a year.

Of course Wallace didn’t ask the obvious. The Affordable Health Care bill specifically denies insurance companies the right to deny coverage for “pre-existing conditions” AND disallows them placing limits on the amounts required for the care. Of course Ricky would be much better off with the so-called “Obamacare” which he demonizes.

Moreover the next question should have been: “you acknowledge of course that most people don’t make anywhere near your $1,000,000 per year. How are they supposed to pay from their own pockets the expenses you incur to the tune of $100,000 per year?” The Pro-lifer I guess shrugs at that and says, tough luck, I guess.

HUH RICK?  

Related articles

• Patricia Heaton: ‘I wish Christie was running’ (politico.com)
• Pelosi rips Limbaugh over “slut” comment, calls on House GOP to repudiate it – The Plum Line – The Washington Post (spiceofyourlife.wordpress.com)
• Patricia Heaton: Dittohead Slut Shamer (crooksandliars.com)
• George Will Blasts GOP Candidates’ Meek Response To Rush: ‘They Want To Bomb Iran, But They’re Afraid Of Limbaugh’ (kaystreet.wordpress.com)
• John Boehner finally issues bold condemnation of Rush Limbaugh’s misogyny … NOT! (dailykos.com)
• The Daily Show’s Samantha Bee Demolishes Grover Norquist (crooksandliars.com)
• The GOP Isn’t Going to Repudiate Rush Limbaugh (littlegreenfootballs.com)

Ragin’ Rick is Ahead by a Nose. . . .

Tags

bigotry, Citizens United, contraception, Election 2012, Fox, Humor, Koch Brothers, Mitch McDonnell, Obama, Whitney Houston, women's rights

At least some of the latest polling have Rick with a narrow lead. Even later polling suggests he’s pulling ahead in Michigan, long thought to be a Willard surety.

As you know, Newty is being bankrolled by one guy. And so is Rick. And Romney is beholden to a handful of very rich.

It looks for all the world as if a few oldish white dudes are having themselves a dog race. You can hear them at the fence, yelling for their dog to “get there”.

Grayhounds wear muzzles to keep them from biting. I’m sure the Sugar Pops have their dogs muzzled as well.

Which in some sense, makes it all the more a circus I guess. But this Citizens United has some really bad consequences. When it comes to local races, a single man can pretty much put into office, be it mayor, councilperson, state senator, or representative, anyone they choose, simply by pooring tens of thousands into campaigns that are usually waged for a few grand.

Over time, you build a majority. We saw the religious right do this on the issue of creationism by stacking school boards with hidden creationists. We have seen it in state legislatures who upturned states into Republican majorities and now are pushing anti-union, anti-voter, and more social legislation that could never been passed in statewide referendums.

Citizens United is a much more dangerous thing than most believe. We really must get behind a constitutional amendment to declare corporations “non-citizens” as it relates to campaign contributions. We must insist on full transparency of donors, and we must enforce strict limits on individual campaign contributions and eliminate “super pacs” and other such creative organizations whose sole purpose is to destroy fair elections.

*stepping off the soap box

¶

I’m guessing that turtles don’t have the most passionate and exciting sex lives in the world. I’m guessin’ that they must be pretty lousy in fact. I know that because Mitch McConnell, has decided that it makes a lot of sense to back a bill in Congress that allow any employer the right to refuse to cover birth control in the health care packages they offer to employees.

And Mitch? Women don’t like you either.

And apparently Mitch, probably because of the shell and all, can’t see the end run going around behind his back. Hehe. Poor turtle.

¶

You might have heard that Ricky is being largely held aloft by a dude by the name of Foster Friesse. You might want to take a look at who he is. (You can assume he’s nutty as a fruit cake, cuz he is.) Islamophobe, Liberals are satan, and a founding donor of Daily Caller.

¶

Christine, *I am not a witch* O’Donnell has indicated that she might be willing to serve in a Romney administration, if she can find the time.

I’m wondering do they have an opening for chief caldron stirrer? Or would she just entertain at parties?

¶

Whitney Houston was a singer that stood at the top of her profession. Her abilities cannot be overstated. She was also a deeply troubled woman who, like so many, found some solace in drugs. And in the end, it may turn out that the drugs took her life. I am sorry to learn of her death.

I have never pulled any punches here as to what I think about Fox News. They are a slick, wily organization who set out to capture an audience that they thought had no voice. While touting their “fair and balanced”, they have been anything but. They have used every code word, every nuance to suggest that the racists among their followers, were in some sense justified in their bigotry. They have sought to embrace, explain, excuse, and ignore the real demographic of hate that embraces their version of “journalism”.

Little Green Footballs reports that they were inundated with over 5000 comments on their report that Houston had died. They were among the most ugly I have ever read, and I read Blaze comments regularly.  Perhaps Fox has closed the thread, because I could not locate it on their report. Perhaps you need to register on their site in order to see them. But in any case, this is shameful. It is beyond shameful and yet, of course, you see nothing from Fox commenting on the hate that floods their site. It is instructive.

¶

There is a new book out called The Obama Hate Machine. There is a review of it over at Politicususa. You might want to take a look. Never have a small group of men done so much to destroy one man. And they started from the moment he took office.

¶

Was it just after his win in Carolina that Newtster told Santorum that he ought to withdraw from the race so that Newt could solidify his “inevitable” nomination? One wonders if Newt will now take his own advice and withdraw in favor of Santorum who is starting to pull out in front of Willard?

Some how, I’m thinkin’ he won’t.

¶

Remember when Chris Christie made all that stupid talk about how if the LGBT crowd was so sure of itself, they should just put it up for a referendum in the state? Well, there was a reason. The marriage equality bill is about to pass in the New Jersey Legislature, and old Christie will be forced to veto it. He’d rather not, so he could stay out of the issue.

Now go try to have an hypocrisy-free day, if ya can. It’s always a struggle.

**excuse any typos, I’ve been having a war with the spellcheck on WordPress for a week. Mostly it won’t work.

Bring In the Clowns

Tags

economists, economy, environment, global warming, Humor, Koch Brothers, marriage, personal relationships, political humor, psychology

I used to like clowns. Until they became evil. Now I don’t like them.

Anyway, have a happy Halloween. We don’t get trick or treaters back here in the hollow. So I don’t carve pumpkins. I eat pumpkin instead.

The candidates all were invited to go to a Halloween party I’m told. They all chose to go as clowns.

Campaign managers across the board suggested that might be dressing too close to the mark.

So they are going as statesmen and women, something none of them need worry that they will ever be confused as.

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The poor Northeast is getting smacked with a very early year snow storm. I feel for them. Not enough however to wish it were here instead. Here it’s sunny. And seasonable. And the leaves are falling still. I don’t think they can keep that up much longer without become bereft of foliage.  Oh as to that October Nor’easter, that’s not climate change. In case you were wondering.

 Just ask the Koch brothers. They funded a climate change skeptic to prove that the data was all wrong. Except he didn’t. He said it was true. Funny how the MSM, you know, the media that is supposed to be squarely in the lap of progressives, hasn’t much mentioned that. But the Koch brothers and their minions will continue to deny climate change because it suits their interests.  

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There is a long but very interesting article at The Atlantic about the changing ideas about romantic relationships. Kate Bolick’s experiences as a child were not at all like mine. Her mother urged her to find herself as a woman and not “settle” for domesticity until she found an emotionally satisfying relationship. My mother, never understood my independence nor could she get why I wasn’t married. I married on the verge of middle age, 49. (Yes, as you age, you push middle age further and further down the road kiddies.)

Where are all the good men? They were there in her 20’s and 30’s. Now they seem to have disappeared from the landscape, leaving only the failures and the predators. But are women looking for the wrong things? The 50’s model of marriage might well be nothing more than a blip on the screen, and not at all what has been normal throughout history.

It’s a long read, but a really interesting and informative one. It’s Saturday. Relax. Or mark it for tomorrow and some lazy day reading.

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If you want to engage in some more serious reading, I recommend this one from The Nation. Entitled, How the Austerity Class Rules Washington, it documents the long history of how a minority economic theory has gained control of not only the Republican party, but has controlled the dialogue in Washington. Deficit hawks have gained ascendency and “cut taxes, cut programs”,  plays well to the great uneducated masses who think it makes sense. After all, who doesn’t get–“You are in debt? Stop spending so much.” 

The fact that this is not the way to end a recession has been lost in a howling of cut, cut, cut. Very worth the read.

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And since it’s Saturday.

And since I like ya.

Romney puts the “R” in relative. As in “my opinion is relative.”

As in “My opinion is relative as to whether it helps or hurts me with the voters.’

As in “My opinion is relative as to whether it helps or hurts me with the voters. . ., today.”

As in “Tell me what my opinion should be, today.”

As in “I barely have an opinion that I am alive.”

Gingrich puts the G in “go look up the word Grifter.

Or in the word “getting”.

As in “I’m getting your money and giving nothing back in return except more bills.”

As in, “I’m getting to enjoy making a living by funneling off ‘expenses’ from all of my bogus organizations that I set up for the collection of donations to my lifestyle.

As in, “I’m glad you people are this stupid. I might have to actual find a job otherwise.”

As in, ” I never met a scam I didn’t like.”

Cain puts the C in “Can I interest you in this fine used car.”

As in, “Can I count on your being slightly stupider than me?”

As in, “Can you buy my book.?”

As in, “Can you tell me tell me anything about any foreign country?”

As in, “Can I dance a little soft-shoe for ya?”

As in, “Can you believe that all my supporters are white people?”

And just cuz:

What’s on the Stove? Stuffed portabella mushrooms and homemade onion rings. Recipes to follow on the food site. 

Related articles

• Koch brothers accidentally fund study that proves global warming (csmonitor.com)
• Is Herman Cain, GOP Clown of the Week, the Koch Bros’ Manchurian Candidate? (my.firedoglake.com)

Nothing That Follows is Meant to Be a Factual Statement

Tags

abortions, budget, debt ceiling, economy, gas prices, GOP, John Boehner, John Kyl, Koch Brothers, Medicare, oil speculation, PPH, taxes, Women's issues

Sen. Jon Kyl as a Youth

You might have missed it. John Kyl said that PPH uses 90% of its government funding for abortions. It actually uses about 3%. When his office was contacted in regards the discrepancy, they said,

“Senator Kyl’s remarks were not meant to be a factual statement.”

As you can imagine, everyone from Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert down are having a field day.

“Not meant to be a factual statement” is the new “I’m lying in hopes of deceiving people to agree with my position.” And yes Jon, we do understand that “everyone on your side of the aisle” is doing this. But well, you know, what your mom said, “that don’t make it right, boy.”

♦

Johnny “Cheetos” Boehner, is a good little soldier. Word is he’s been asking his parents (big business) if it’s okay to screw around and have some fun with the debt ceiling issue. Word is he was told “NO” or it’s off to the corner for you Johnny. Seems business sees this issue as a good deal different that government shutdowns. Johnny was free to play games on that, but not with the debt ceiling.

Which goes to show you, that sometimes I may actually be right. Remember, just days ago, I urged the President to stand his ground on this issue. Others apparently now agree with me. Wow, do you think I should run for office?

♦

The Ryan budget plan is simply draconian. The man who voted for the Bush tax cuts, the medicare prescription drug bill, and both wars, is now fully willing to protect the rich and destroy every safety net that the poor and seniors have. The issue is now being framed as a moral choice–are we going to put the onus of the budgetary difficulties only on the poor and those least able to weather them, or are we going to do the fair thing, and ask the rich to pay taxes at a rate that many millionaires agree was fair, during the Clinton Administration?

Shall it be children and women, working and poor who bear the brunt or billionaires and millionaires? Sen. Mark Begich asks us to make a moral choice.

And lets not forget, that the deficit problem will disappear if we do only one thing: let the Bush tax cuts expire at the end of 2012. Yes, if the GOP is truly about the business of eliminating the deficit, then it’s a no-brainer. But of course they aren’t really about that are they?

♦

Being nearly 61 years of lovely age, I admit that Medicare and Social Security are on my mind a lot, and I definitely have a “horse in the race” as goes budgetary issues. Our move to New Mexico (at least the easy life scenario) is based at least in part on those expected checks starting next April.

While most “solutions” don’t call for impacts to be made on either that would affect me, I don’t care to get on that slippery slope at all if at all possible. Robert Reich has a post on this issue, and says that Medicare is the solution, not the problem. Good reading.

And further, polling suggests  a plurality of Republicans favor taking no action against Medicare, and instead they favor raising taxes on the rich. Ah, GOP you have a problem I think.

♦

The Contrarian keyed me on to this next one. I was wont to put the blame for rising oil prices on OPEC, and their taking advantage of unrest in the Middle East. Turns out its good old Americans who are doing the dirty deed. Oil speculation, fostered by guess who? The Koch Spawn. As you might expect, the GOP does it best to reduce any regulation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Koch controls oil from the minute it leaves the well until it is sold to retailers and speculates on pricing, along with its good buddy Enron. Think Progress has this important story. But another example of the rich getting richer and the rest of us paying the price.

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A good post entitled “9 Things the Rich Don’t Want You About Taxes.” Shockingly, the GOP has been dishonest with us. Please read all the crap they push and all too many of us take as gospel. All the usual stuff is debunked, along with the idea that tax cuts for the rich create jobs. Yeah, well we kinda have figured that one out haven’t we?

♦

What’s on the stove? Spaghetti with Bolognese sauce, salad, bread

Related Articles

• Jon Kyl Is Sorry If He Gave Anyone The Impression That The Things He Says In Public Are Factual (huffingtonpost.com)

If You Say It, I’ll Deny It

Tags

evolution, GOP, humans, Iowa, Koch Brothers, Muslims, political science, Politics, right-wing neo-cons, sociology, teabaggers, Zoology

I like elephants. I can’t imagine why anyone would harm one. I recognize that they can inadvertently cause damage because of their size, but that’s more poor planning on the part of humans than on elephants.

Ingenious testing of elephants has found that they have cooperative skills, a sign of much higher social functioning. Few other animals share this skill, chimpanzees, hyenas, rooks, and of course, humans.

In fact, the elephants score higher than the other groups in literally understanding why they have to work together to achieve a goal. Given our lack of willingness to work together these days, I guess one could say that elephants have something to remind us about.

♦

Speaking of evolution, or science, one of those, what is likely in humanities future? While is can be argued that we are devolving rather than evolving, some people in the know suggest that our future may find us shorter and fatter. I’m doing a pretty good job of the latter at least, and I’m not very tall, 5’4″ doesn’t make me basketball material.

Scientists tell us that our ability to adapt (read make clothes and houses) slows down any need to physically change to meet the challenges of the environment. However, that nasty bugaboo to “creationists” and evolutionary naysayers, DNA genome development, suggests that we in fact may be changing on the inside more than we know.

Additional flies in the ointment are that natural selection doesn’t operate much any more because of our abilities to “save” babies who would otherwise die due to genetic and disease complications. And what may be even more important, our growing ability to manipulate genes may have the greatest impact. Makes ya just want to stick around and see how it all turns out!

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As much as the wacko right (mainly Beck) squawks about George Soros, they seem to poo poo the importance of the Koch brothers who fronted one of the first “tea” parties, and continue to meddle in everyone’s affairs. They are deeply imbedded in the success of Governor Walker’s move in Wisconsin to destroy public unions. Rachel Maddow documented their involvement in bringing in “counter” protestors. In fact she shows how they are always in the picture wherever needed to push the teabagger position that they so carefully have created. Moe has some good stuff on this too at Whatever Works.

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We seem to be living in times when people are not acting rationally for the most part. Groups continually act in total opposition to their own best interests. They are manipulated by obvious forces, yet they seem blind to it. What to make of all of it? A new book by Stanford professor, Dr. Francis Fukuyama, The Origins of Political Order, may point the way. A NYTimes review might whet your interest. I’ll see about getting a review copy.

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People and things that are just driving me nuts today:

• Peter King and his witch hunt against Muslims in America. This is being orchestrated to be an unassailable probe with King calling only “Muslims” who attack other Muslims for radicalism.
• My state is inundated with a plethora of sleazy Repuklicans “testing” the waters here. The funky smell of insane politicos fairly reeks with the likes of Newt and Herman and Mikey, The Donald, et al. Go SOMEWHERE ELSE! You are pollution.
• Mitt Romney’s pathetic attempts to distance himself from his own “Obamacare” in Massachusetts, and his rather upper class assail on the President’s abilities. Mitt, go away. It ain’t gonna happen. A huge section of your own wacko party doesn’t think you are a Christian–a must in GOPer circles these days.
• Computer crap. My reader is causing me fits. Won’t clear out “marked as read”, the refresh button works sporadically, and the next button also works when it feels like it. The Contrarian always downloads the fixes and always cleans the darn thing every few days, but this dial-up just tangles everything eventually. What was a one minute job, is now a twenty-minute one.
• Oil prices. I’m sure they never go up because of any “crisis” but I’m just as sure that every “crisis” is an excuse to raise prices. It’s one of those things we can’t control much because we just don’t have the cojones to invest in alternative energy programs like the REST OF THE MODERN WORLD!
• Anything at all to do with Charlie Sheen. The man is sick. Get him in a hospital. Stop making him “news.” He is no more so than a sick dog.

Hope you like the new look. If I were rich, I guess I’d redecorate the house every six months. But I’m not, so I do it here. Still tinkering with the wallpaper. Not sure what I like best. A vote? lol.

What’s on the stove: tostados!

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