Whose Ox Is Getting Gored Today?

Tags

4th Amendment, Bruce Braley, constitutional rights, freedom, GOP, Health care, Steve King, tea party, teabaggers, Tom Latham, welfare programs

With some folks, freedom and all that fuzzy patriotic stuff can be, shall we say, relative. Much like fundamentalists and their rather astute manner in taking what they like in the Bible quite literally (even when that is not the actual meaning) and ignoring that which they don’t agree with, it seems that our more loudmouthed extremists on the right do the same thing.

You don’t have to watch it. Suffice it to say that our Hannity of Faux News is busy calling Mayor Bloomberg a nanny for his efforts to help his constituents stop ingesting such awful fake food into their bodies.

Now you can agree or not agree with Bloomberg on this. I tend to agree, but I also recognize that it’s very hard to impose such things on people who are addicted to the high sugar, high fat, no nutrient value of a lot of fast food and drink. And there is this other thing–it is an impingement in a sense on one’s right to kill themselves if they so choose.

Note we are not talking about school lunches and the right of school officials to help children develop good eating habits in the first place. That is a laudable goal, and schools provide the opportunity for some children to get the only decent meal they get all day.

But juxtapose Hannity’s silly outrage at Bloomberg’s behavior with that of Nikki Halley’s attempt to limit food stamp usage in her state to only “healthy” food items, meaning that you can’t use them to buy chips and soda and stuff like that I presume. Is she now to be called “nanny” Halley? I’m sure Republicans support her efforts to reduce “obesity” in her state, or is it just possible there is some other motive involved?

I recently had a conversation with a man who hates government programs like food stamps, precisely because he has “stood behind people in line who had food stamps and they weren’t buying good food, but stuff that was unhealthy, and “stuff I wouldn’t be buying if I was allegedly that poor” The real motive being–I want to control charity to others so I can make sure it goes to the “right” people and is used in the “right” way. He had early objected when he offered some leftover pizza to a man who asked for a couple of bucks. When the man reiterated that he’s just like the two bucks, the guy grew incensed, since “he wanted the money, obviously for something other than hunger relief.”

This raises the ugly specter of folks that think they have the right to control those people who they deign to give help to. I you think I’m assuming a bit too much here, I invite you to the case of Florida and Governor Scott’s attempt to impose drug testing on welfare applicants. 

A federal district court ruled Scott’s attempt blatantly unconstitutional, and a Federal appellate court agreed, finding unanimously that the attempt to monitor citizens in this fashion violated their 4th Amendment rights. Note the assumption made here by Scott and Republicans: that welfare recipients necessarily pose a significantly higher threat of drug usage than other citizens. Such is neither warranted by the facts or commons sense, and bespeaks a racist overtone that is apparent to at least me.

Now, I’m told that the conservative seeks to remove government from interfering in the lives of individuals. These examples, serve I think to suggest that that is nothing but balderdash to use a quaint conservative term. It all depends it seems on whose freedoms are at stake–the tiny minority of fellow-traveling extremists, or all those “others” who we don’t really like simply because they ain’t like us.

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What to know the ugly truth of why health care costs are so high? It’s because they charge ten times more for stuff and you get stuck with it. They give you a Tylenol and the charge is more than a whole bottle would be at the drugstore. There is a major exposé in Time this week and you can read it here. Thanks to Squatlo Rant for the link up.

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Best news of the day? Oh by far it’s that Tom Latham, (R-IA) has determined not to run for Tom Harkin’s senate seat. Latham is a true conservative, but he’s not insane. This leaves the pathway wide open for the one and only truly insane candidate on the extremity of the Republican Right little toe—-our favorite idiot Steve King.

And that means that Bruce Braley, an excellent Democratic candidate who is already “in” for running, is sure to win this seat.

I cannot wait to watch this one. King, who is so famous for not debating his opponent, won’t get away with it this time. It should be fun.

Dear Karl of course was threatening to send in his money against King, which hopefully only will make him want it all the more, and that is all she wrote, said the spider to the fly.

Related articles

• Tom Latham won’t run for Senate in Iowa, clearing path for Steve King (dailykos.com)
• Latham out of U.S. Senate race; King weighing decision (thegazette.com)

 

Speaking of the Debt Ceiling Crisis. . .

Tags

budget, debt ceiling, economy, Eric Cantor, GOP, hall of shame, Louis Gohmert, Michele Bachmann, political hacks, Steve King, teabaggers

Well, it’s been an interesting time of it since Mitch “the Turtle” McConnell offered up his “we wash our hands of this mess” alternative to a deal on the debt ceiling.

The hard right is wailing, and the usual bunch of nuts are pushing each other off the microphone, eager to spew their own idiocy before an increasingly irritated public.

Boehner lost his swagger as Speaker, and now stands mute and castrated behind boy wonder and all-around poop, Eric Cantor. Eric has seen that his only real path to the Speakership is over the dead body of Boehner and as champion of the TeaPeople, sliced and diced to anyone who would listen at the last White House meeting.

Finally President Obama reminded the little shit just who was President.

Now, people who only play the part of a journalist (moi) have been increasingly angry with the President over his handling of this budget deal. I’ve been fearful that he was giving away too much, especially as it relates to Medicare and Social Security. These are things I have paid my dues into and as I approach 62, they are becoming increasingly dear to my heart. Yet once again, as the Contrarian says, Obama proves to be playing chess against opponents who are playing checkers.

One blogger was wont to say that Obama and his team are either political geniuses, or the luckiest sons-a-gun on earth. They managed to say the right words, the GOP took the bait, and now they are firmly in a corner from which they cannot extricate themselves.

You gotta conclude that the President and the Democrats are in full control now when you see who is screeching from the right. Eric Cantor of course is now front and center. Trouble is, everyone knows he and Boehner don’t exactly get along, and everyone knows Eric wants Boehner’s job. So his credibility is like in negative numbers when it comes to trusting his motives in all this.

Next we find Sarah “do you still love me?” Palin. The Palinator, whose understanding of economics should fill up the label of a Valium vial, weighed in, explaining to Sean “the finger” Hannity, that Obama is holding the “full faith and credit” of the US of A hostage. Course she has not a clue of what she just said in that, having no concept of what the phrase full faith and credit means.

In words that send a thrill up the nether regions of her minions, the TeaPeople, she advised GOP leadership to “not retreat, but reload.” Trying desperately to recapture her fading relevance, Wasilla Woman mewed that she didn’t even under stand Mitch’s latest capitulatory offer. (No surprise there.) In addition, she opined that she didn’t “necessarily believe” that a default on August 2 would be catastrophic for the country. What she does “necessarily believe” was, of course, not forthcoming.

Meanwhile, the Larry, Moe and Curlycue show was going on elsewhere. If you can imagine a more hilarious threesome than Louis (Gomer without the brains) Gohmert, Steven (I have 732 anti-Obamacare bills pending) King, and Michele (pray the gay away) Bachmann, well I’m not sure who they would be.

These buffoons introduced a bill that would require (if anybody bothers to read their crayon on construction paper bill) that armed-service personnel be paid first if we go into default. All for show of course. Again, Michele also exited reality and said the President was “holding the full faith and credit of the US hostage”.

 She continues to claim that the President is lying about any catastrophe. Showing her math skills, she explains that although our obligations per month total over 300 billion, and our revenue is only about 125 billion, we “can pay all our bills from revenue.”

Steve King (of clowns) went on Chris Matthews and ‘splained that he gets his knowledge that there is no default problem from “the American people” and then puffed up and touted his own “independent judgment.” Chris pressed on, and King graciously added, his expertise on all matters economic came from “a long experience of dealing politically, and in business, and raising a family, and being an American citizen…”

Being suitably impressed with that Chris asked if King Dong read the Wall Street Journal or the NYTimes? King said, he did occasionally, but  “I don’t trust the words of any source.”

Steve, who vies next month against an orangutan named Nelly, for the world stupidity championship, was asked finally whether he could name one international expert who agreed with him. Steve, swelled up with superiority, and crowed, “this is not an international problem, it’s an American one!”

Louis (Larry Stooge) mostly stood in the background trying to decide when all this money talk was done what he would have for lunch. (American cheese on my burger or Swiss? Ahh, American, it looks much more patriotic).

Mr. Gohmert (Gomer Pyle without the voice), cautioned Mr. Boehner not to listen to that Obamer fella, and then mumbled, “just copy what lovely Michele said, as what I say too.”

That, ladies and gents, is an example of the big guns of intellectual stature batting for the GOP. I mean, they must be so proud.

Meanwhile average Republicans were asked to comment. To a person the same response: “Louis? Sarah? Michele? Steve? I never knew them.  And the cock crowed a third time.

Related articles

• Will Marshall: Will Cantor Blow Up the Economy? (huffingtonpost.com)
• Bachmann, King, Gohmert Have Solution To Debt Ceiling (lezgetreal.com)
• Obama-GOP debt talks get tense at White House (msnbc.msn.com)
• Eric Cantor Emerges as GOP Leader in Debt Ceiling Debate (socyberty.com)
• Passing the Ball to Eric Cantor (politicalwire.com)
• Reaction to McConnell’s debt-ceiling proposal highlights deep fissure in GOP (dailykos.com)
• Obama Takes Cantor to the Woodshed (economistsview.typepad.com)
• ‘Enough is enough,’ Obama says, calling for deal (ctv.ca)
• Obama vs. Cantor: Tempers Flare As Debt Ceiling Negotiations Take a Dramatic Turn (swampland.time.com)
• Why Mitch McConnell Will Win the Day (robertreich.org)

Held Hostage By the NFL

Tags

agnosticism, Bill O'Reilly, Christians, Contitution, faith, farm workers, gravity, Health care, Humor, immigrants, John Boehner, Latinos, Literature, Mark Twain, Muslims, NFL, physics, Politics, religious doubt, Sports, Steve King, teabaggers, terrorism

Shhh. Be very quiet. This is a house of where now we whisper. “It’s the Playoffs!” Shhhh. Turn around three times, and blink twice. Rub the rabbit’s foot and wiggle your toes. Avoid the black cat.

Negativity be banned. The Packers are poised. They are coming to a TV near you soon. They will prevail. They will overcome.

Okay. Get my drift. My house is in a tizzy all because a bunch of overpaid prima donnas are about to take to the fields of America and cheat, beat each other to a win, all entitling them to advance to the next round.

Everything under heaven and on earth stopped this morning as the Contrarian frantically searched the TV guide looking for THE teams’ game day and time. “I can’t find the early game!” he moaned, nearly swooning with fear.

“Try the Internet,” I mumbled, making the bed.

“Oh God, that will take forever!” he intoned.

“Try NFL Playoffs,” I suggested helpfully.

“I know what to put in!” he huffed.

Ten minutes later, he was pouting, “It’s taking so long!”

“Welcome to my world,” I chuckled.

Suffice it to say that the early game was the late game, and the late game was an even later game, and I get to watch football tonight and then, joy of all joys, do it all over again tomorrow. Whew. I’m sharpening my knitting needles for all the fun!

Now I admit, I can watch football with the best of them, but gee wiz, this is a bit obsessive dontcha think?

Oh, and if there is any question in your mind, the Packers are gonna win the whole thing. You can bet on that literally. Now personally, I have my reservations, but God, I sure ain’t gonna utter them around this house. I’m lucky I got the old goat   Contrarian to go out and bring in some wood to keep my tootsies warm today!

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Bringing another voice to the Huckleberry Finn controversy, I give you one Roger Ebert. His take is I think worth your while. The more I read of Mr. Ebert, the more I respect this man.

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Political Irony has your late night political humor here.

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Don’t know if you heard or not, but Steve King (R-IA) put foot in mouth again. Chastising a Democrat on the floor of the House, for criticizing Speaker Boehner, King regaled that Boehner was full of mendacity, not knowing what the word meant. Boehner indeed is a liar when he claims that the Affordable Heath Care Act is a job killer and costs too much.

Actually it’s working pretty darn good. And that is according to no less than Forbes Magazine. There has been a major uptick in small business buying health insurance for their employees, many for the first time ever, made affordable by the tax credits within the Act.

No doubt Boehner will call that an “opinion” just as he did the CBO estimates that repeal of the act would cause deficits in the area of 230 billion within ten years.

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Since it doesn’t fuel the narrative offered by Faux News and the GOP, you might have missed this story. Egypt, rift with Al Qaeda like attacks on Coptic Christians, and not confident that their government could protect the latter, saw fit to unite to protect Christians worshiping on Christmas. Yes,  that’s right, Muslims  protecting Christians.

It is essential that we report, and spread the word, that Americans who have an agenda that includes vilifying Muslims must be met with facts. Muslims are not to be another “excuse” to blame some “other” for our own failings.

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I’ve tried in the past to interact with atheists, but the NeoAtheists are a different breed, younger, and arrogant, and unwilling to discuss issues on any other plane but from a fundamentalist outlook. I know not where to find agnostics, who by their very nature aren’t usually of such a serious bent as to blog on their questions.

James McGrath, does an admirable job of addressing such concerns, with lots of links to atheists, believers and those in-between. I found the discussion heartening and informative.

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Border Explorer has a very important post on migrant workers in this country. It’s a must read. We owe a great debt to our Latino brothers and sisters for all the work they do. Please read.

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Inexplicably, Billo the Clown (Bill O’Reilly) seems to believe that the fact that the sun rises and sets and that the tides go in and out, is evidence that God exists. Inexplicable because although I believe that O’Reilly is a horses butt and rather uniformed by choice, I didn’t think he was flat-out stupid. Both Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have had occasion to query how Billo seems to not understand the concept of GRAVITY?  I mean junior high kids could explain that one to Billo. (H/T to James McGrath.

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We mentioned the other day that the GOPers in reading the Constitution in the opening session of the House, omitted the 3/5ths clause, because it had been “amended” out. In reality it doesn’t fit with their narrative that the Founding Fathers were perfect and only instituted a limited government. Forgetting of course that the Articles of Confederation were a “limited federal government” and scrapped as unworkable. Of course the 3/5ths clause suggested that our FF were flawed humans as we all are. An excellent article to that effect is by Paul Harvey, teacher of history at University of Colorado. (H/T to James McGrath)

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What’s on the stove: hotdogs, hash browns and coleslaw.

There Oughta Be a Law!

Tags

Commerce Clause, Congress, gay rights, GOProud, Gore Vidal, health care act, Iowa, language, Michele Bachmann, physics, right wing evangelicals, spirituality, Steve King

Okay, I’m hanging on by a thread. My brains are slowly seeping out of my ears, nose and eyes. I am as paranoid as a mouse in a cat house. I am so sure that I’ve once again been transported to a new universe, that I’m ready to explore my new possibilities of flying by flapping my arms.

Can you guess why? Yes! STEVEN KING (R-IA) has opened his mouth once more and the black hole of insanity has spewed forth to cover the land. Plug your ears, cover your eyes, wrap yourself in saran wrap, and foil your brain. IDIOT MAN has struck again.

The Reaction has named him CRD (Craziest Republican of the Day). He has won this award now six times, a phenomenal feat. And what has the braincase without contents said now?

It seems our stupid one (I don’t believe he has more than a high school education) has determined that the Affordable Health Care Act is unconstitutional. Why you purr? Because, dummy, requiring people to buy insurance, based on the commerce clause, is tomfoolery. How you mutter?

“There have always been and likely will always be, babies that were born, lived and died within the jurisdictions of the individual states,” he said, “who never cross a state line, access no health care and therefore do not impact interstate commerce. Therefore, to compel someone who fits that category to buy an insurance policy” does not fit under the interstate commerce clause.

When Democratic House member Jared Polis (D-CO) invited King to produce such a person:

“You find the baby that was not born in a hospital or with a midwife, who did not receive inoculations,” Polis said. “You find that baby and identify them and I’ll be happy to have that discussion.”

King replied nonplussed:

“I hate to tell you but they show up in garbage cans around this country, sir,” he said.

I rest my case. We are no longer in the Universe we knew. We have been transported to Xanadu. Iowa has pulled its borders unto itself and seeped into a hole, never to raise its head again in civilized society. We somehow have bred the most lame-brained-still-walking- moron on what was planet Earth.

Calls to his office are unanswered as all his staff, claim they do not know him. The cock confirmed that no one in Washington has ever heard of him.

***

Meanwhile on the extreeeeeeeeeeeeeme right, the lemmings continue to go over the cliff. You may have heard that WND and various other way-way crazy right wingers decided they would boycott CPAC,  that original bastion of conservative groupings. Remember how all GOPer Presidential hopefuls made sure to attend in the past. The reason for the boycott? Why because CPAC has continued to support GOProud as one of its participating organizations, and worse they refuse to sanction a “birther” panel.  Now everyone is bailing, afraid not to look “conservative” enough. Heritage Foundation is the latest added to the list of no.

***

Okay, here’s one for ya. Do you like verbing? Ben Franklin didn’t. I confess I do a fair amount of it. I did it  the other day, quite deliberately. I said that so-and-so “portraits” so-and-so. It’s turning nouns into verbs. We “parent”. We fact-mine. Get it?

Intelligent Life discusses the issue. See what you think. Psst! Shakespeare did it.

***

You recall the piece a few days ago wherein Ms. Michele Bachmann advised that upon reading Gore Vidal’s Burr she was blinded by an epiphany of GOP logic that turned her from a flaming liberal to a crazy GOPer. Well, Mr. Vidal was asked to respond:

She is too stupid to deserve an answer.

Enuf said.

***

I’m having an awful time on some blogs these days getting it downloaded and to leave a comment. Time and again, after 15-20 minutes, I’ve just had to give up. My apologies to Lisa at That’s Why . I’ve tried twice with no success on two different days. It just never stops loading! I’ve had the same problem at WhateverWorks. Sorry to you too Mo. It’s this awful dial-up sometimes, that simply won’t work worth a damn. Now I’m having terrible troubles getting my drafts updated and saved, and when the inevitable lock-ups occur, half my work goes down the drain. Such is life.

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To all those atheists who insist that that one is either a realist (meaning them) dependent upon evidentiary facts as the only basis of reality, or a theist who believes for no rational reason, well, it seems that there may be reason to combine the two. Most of us theists actually have believed that for a good long time, actually.

Big Questions Online asks the question: is there a quantum spirituality?

 “Physicists explore levels of matter, mystics levels of mind. What their explorations have in common is that these levels, in both cases, lie beyond ordinary sense perception.”

I find this kind of speculation most fascinating. If you do as well, then follow the link to read more.

Related Articles

• Steve King Wants To Find Dead Babies In Dumpsters With Jared Polis (queerty.com)
• Steve King: Health reform unconstitutional because of garbage can babies (dailykos.com)
• The best reason ever for unconstitutionality of health care reform. Ever. (maureenholland.wordpress.com)
• Christopher Galtenberg: The conservative coalition is tearing apart (washingtontimes.com)
• Rep. Steve King uses ‘Babies Born in Dumpsters’ to argue that Affordable Care Act Unconstitutional (crooksandliars.com)
• Peeved Righties Boycott CPAC Over Gay Invite (newser.com)

Lil Bits of Rancor or Not 8/08/08

Tags

Barack Obama, butterflies, corruption, economy, Election 2008, energy, Gardening, Iowa, John McCain, lobbyists, nature, Photography, psychology, Steve King, Washington, Zoology

The question is asked: Do we actually want a government that is free from scandal and cheating? One has to wonder and we learn that so much corruption exists in Washington. The lobbyists and the politicians make deals that feather their own nests and billions is wasted of taxpayer money. Bill Moyers and Michael Winship tell the tale of Abramoff and Delay and a host of others, and how the tales continue as we find how Justice was sold, and how Alaska paid for home improvements. Are we ever going to wake up and do something?

New York Magazine and John Heileman has a must see article on John McCain this week. The Mudslinger is the only way he can go and thus no one should be surprised at the tactic. McCain understands he cannot win on issues, so destroying Obama is his only option, and one that McCain backers know their man has NO problem going with. It appears that the only thing wrong with what happened to McCain in 2000 at the hand of Rove and Bush, was that McCain couldn’t do it first to them. It all ends up being a big question mark how it will turn out. It sickens me no end, but conventional wisdom says that Obama needs to hit McCain hard and fast and not stop. It’s the only way to derail the old man mired in the mud. Others suggest McCain will make short-term gains but fall in the end to an electorate disgusted with someone who has no issues to stand on.  You figure it out, I can’t.

I admit to finding online quizzes of various sorts, mildly diverting of work and amusing in some cases. Episcopalifem  has a link to one that is funny. It’s a personality test, testing your introvert/extrovert quotient among other things. She actually has links to a more serious one as well, if you like that kind of thing. I turned out badly,  a crackpot, no less, lol, but it is just amusing, and there is as I said, a link to a more honest and nice assessment. Have fun!

For you Iowans, I bestowed on Essential Estrogen, an award last week. She did her bit and listed 7 more recipients and of course I checked them out, and found one you might enjoy. It’s going on my blog list for sure. This guy takes the most amazing Iowa photographs. I mean really professional stuff. His sidebar has a wonderful list of shots of Iowa birds. Go and enjoy this one! It’s called Iowa Voice.

A nice article at Gardening Tips ‘n Ideas about butterflies. What they like to eat, with a homemade recipe you can do, as well as the best plants to attract them.

Rep. Steve King is a slime in case you weren’t aware. He really really needs to lose his job. He is still claiming that an Obama win would be a great thing for terrorists world wide. He has posted this vile bilge on his congressional website, paid for by taxpayers. He’s been called the worst by Keith Olbermann of MSNBC. I’d take that with a grain of salt, however the Iowa Civil Rights Commission has threatened to sue and Chet Culver says he should remove this incendiary remarks. Did I say he was a slime and needs to be defeated in November?

Maureen Dowd has outdone herself this week. She writes an excellent psychological explanation of what is going on in the McCain campaign. She suggests that the disease also applies to Bill Clinton. And you know something, it does explain a lot of things. It points to an answer for while Bill cannot find it within himself to give a good old fashioned smiling thumbs up endorsement of Barack. It explains a lot of the rather petulant pouting mean spirited cloaked haha junk that keeps emanating from the McCain camp. It’s a good thoughtful read. It’s got nothing to do with anything Maureen insists than plain old envy–Barack is young and the new kid on the block who has mesmerized everyone they way they used to.

I think I mentioned this on my weekly post on “Correcting the Record.” John McDope made a major misstep when he made fun of Obama’s tire inflation plan to help reduce the usage of gasoline. Johnny is beating a hasty retreat and apologizing for it now, as the proof is undeniable that it works and works maybe as good as Johnny’s off-shore drilling turn about. Paul Abrams has a very good post out of the Huffington Post on how this issue may be a a defining one in the campaign. For Johnny has basically mocked us, not just Obama in listening to his oil interests instead of competent experts. Read it and you will be glad you did.