From Pine View Farm

July, 2011 archive

More on Compromises 0

To follow up my previous post:

Bill Maher tries to be sound absurd.

Obama said he had been left at the altar a couple of times. And he asked a great question. He said, ‘Can they say yes to anything?” A Democrat now has offered cuts in Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, and the Republicans still said ‘no.’

What is the Democrats’ next offer?

Kansas goes back to being a slave state? Obama moves back to Kenya?

Actually, I think he’s pretty much nailed what the Teabagger dream.

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No Way Out 6

The Booman explains that nothing Obama could have done would have produced a compromise on the debt ceiling.

In doing so, he maintains (I think correctly) that President Obama had no way of averting the stalemate, because the Teabaggers in the House of Reprsentatives are implacable true believers. I suggest that everyone inclined to think President Obama has a magic wand to make the stupid stop read the post. A nugget:

For every Robert Reich who is carping on the left, there are a dozen unhappy Republicans who think the GOP is acting recklessly. John Boehner’s speakership is in ashes. Michele Bachmann in now polling about evenly with Mitt Romney. The GOP is having a huge internal fight and is loathed and mistrusted by the entire international community. They have been exposed for the radicals that they are, and the people disagree overwhelmingly with their behavior and their approach.

It could have been different. The president could have refused to accept any coupling of the debt ceiling to budget cuts. He could have, rather, argued he needed more money to stimulate the economy. He could have tried to convince people of that. But, in that case, we’d still be here this weekend facing default. And we’d be the party divided and unpopular. Obama, not Boehner, would be the one whose career was a smoking husk. And the people would be blaming the Democrats for their intransigence, instead of the other way around.

The truth is, the 2010 midterms were a catastrophe. They had horrible consequences. This weekend was one of those consequences, and it couldn’t be avoided through “leadership.”

The persons who think that the best thing to do in an election is a kneejerk “throw the bums out” really need to pay attention to the bums who want in.

Sure, politicians, including those of good will, have trouble keeping campaign promises because they, like the rest of us, don’t live in a vacuum, but what they promise tells something about what they believe, and what they believe matters, because it affects how they act.

The teabaggers campaigned on a platform of destruction. Now they are trying to fulfill their promises.

And no one should be surprised.

Also this.

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What Your Web Browsing Says about You 0

You’d be surprised–not just your seamy history of watching Angry Birds invade Farmville to attack the LOL Cats.

El Reg reports on a study by AptiQuant:

After measuring the IQs of exactly 101,326 users and correlating their scores with the browser they had used to access the test, “There was a clear indication … that the subjects using any version of Internet Explorer ranked significantly lower on an average than others,” concludes the study, conducted by the Vancouver, Canada, psychometric-assessment firm, AptiQuant.

Charts and graphs at the link.

See AptiQuant’s own press release.

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Driving While Brown 0

President Obama’s administration sets deportation record.

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QOTD 0

Robert Benchley:

Behind every argument is someone’s ignorance.

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Sticky: Something Is Wrong . . . (Update x 7 Monday) 2

The sidebar disappears from the normal view in my regular theme, but reappears when select an individual post to view.

While I trouble-shoot it, there will be no only a few new posts. Posts already in the queue will continue to appear. I hope.

No idea when it will be fixed, but I’ll be happy if I’ve figured it out by Monday.

The problem appears to be local to my theme, so, for the duration, I’m reverting to a different theme.

I’m going to download everything to a local computer and trouble-shoot on my own server, rather than trouble-shoot across the innerwebs.

Updates will be added below the fold:

Read more »

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Lemonade Stand 0

Via

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The Coming Electronic Takeover 0

This just doesn’t seem right or fair:

Overnight commuters who use Pocahontas 895 in Varina (southeast of Richmond, Va.–ed.) no longer will be able to pay tolls at the main toll plaza by cash. Beginning July 31, those who pass through the toll between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. daily must pay either by E-Z Pass or Visa or Mastercard credit or debit cards.

(snip)

Legal TenderThe automated toll equipment will not accept cash, debit cards that require use of a PIN, or any card other than Visa or Mastercard. Cash will still be accepted at the main toll plaza between 5 a.m. and 11 p.m. daily.

So much for “legal tender.”

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What Would Default Mean? 0

MarketWatch explains:

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Delay-ing Tactics 0

Megan Carpentier, writing at the Guardian, contrasts John Boehner’s leadership with the iron-fisted tactics of Tom Delay, who is currently living off the dole in some penitentiary somewhere.

Boehner may be the only person who could make Tom Delay look good.

A snippet:

Boehner’s willingness to let his freshmen members have sway, lest they complain about his forceful leadership style, set up the situation in which we find ourselves today: a small contingent of intransigent ultra-conservatives who care little about the real-world ramifications of a debt crisis and a great deal about ideology and personal brand are holding their own leadership – and the country – hostage to a plan of spending cuts few people actually thinks is desirable or sustainable.

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A Modest Proposal 0

Jamie of the Intoxination blog has an idea. A snippet:

In the corporate world, the bosses pay is generally based upon the performance of the company. We hear politicians say time and time again that our country should be ran like a business. Well if that’s the case then it’s beyond time to put this same general rule in play with our leaders. Instead of members of Congress deciding when and what raises they get, it’s time to base it upon the performance of our country.

It’s time to tell them that their benefits are on the line. Let them go out and deal with the insurance companies. Let them and their families get denied care. Make them feel the pain that a vast majority of our nation feels.

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Pointing Out the Obvious 0

The Rude One dissects wingnut coverage of a news story, then points out the obvious:

They lie, this awful, destructive right wing. Often. And repeatedly. And they lie with such brazenness and bravado that it’s as if lies are steel-toed boots kicking in the teeth of truth. How do you fight that?

Details of his research (and lots of rudeness) at the link.

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QOTD 0

Edward Bellamy:

The primal principle of democracy is the worth and dignity of the individual.

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Dustbiters 0

More blanked banks. They exceeded their debt ceilings:

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No Commando Airline 0

Words fail me.

Via Field.

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Twits on Twitter 0

OhMyGov! reports that, although Twitter does not require its users to register as male or female, that analyzing tweets can be revealing:

. . . there are certain “buzzwords” that can often be found by analyzing the output of female tweeters. Phrases such as “chocolate” and “shopping” are among the most repeated for women tweeters. The most popular phrases for men, you ask? “Http” and “Google”…hey we never said either gender was more interesting than the other.

In other news, they found a nest of twittering twits.

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Third Parties 0

The Richmonder observes (emphasis added):

There are effectively three parties in the House now: Republicans, Democrats, and Tea Particans. Republicans and Tea Particans got together and elected Boehner speaker, but really they are two different parties with different beliefs and goals. The Republican Party was foolish to think they would be able to control and use the Tea Party.

As I remarked in a comment yesterday, I suspect that the folks who astroturfed the Teabaggers are having second thoughts right now.

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Facebook Frolics 0

Facebook would pretty much be the last internet place where someone should try to hide. After all, it defaults to naked social:

A fugitive fool who taunted cops on his Facebook page, “Catch me if you can, I’m in Brooklyn” – has been captured by U.S. marshals.

And guess where.

Victor Burgos was sitting at a computer with his Facebook page open . . . .

Via Dave Barry.

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Dett Debt 0

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The Last Victim Show 0

Via Bob Cesca’s Awesome Blog.

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