From Pine View Farm

November, 2012 archive

Two Standards Are Better Than One 0

At the Guardian, Lizz Winstead considers the Republican crusade against Susan Rice:

I guess, for Susan Rice, her sin was that she ran with information provided to her by the CIA, who happens to be the keepers of all the information. And I guess, if your name is Susan Rice and you do this, you are covering up something that you had nothing to do with in the first place. I also guess, when your name is Susan Rice and you do this, as more details became unclassified, you will be branded an unqualified liar because you repeated the information you were given by the CIA; and until further notice, you will be relentlessly doused with buckets of scorn by the bitter brigade.

But these things only apply if your name is Susan Rice.

If your name is Condi Rice, the rules are different. Condi Rice played an actual role in the planning of an unnecessary war, then went on the very same shows and told America and the world that Iraq owned unicorns that shoot mushroom clouds, as a way of scaring people into supporting her war. Condi Rice was considered very qualified to be secretary of state.

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QOTD, Special Black Friday Edition 0

Hesiod:

Acquisition means life to miserable mortals.

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The Big Box of Turkey 0

Stuff one, stuffing zero.

WAVY.com spoke with a family who even took shifts eating dinner so their spots would not be lost in line.

“I fixed the turkey earlier, and then after me and my daughter ate, then I came to pick up my son so he could eat with his dad, and then we came and sat in the line,” said Amy Gagliardi, who waited in line at Best Buy in Chesapeake.

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Forget the Sales, Remember Thanksgiving 0

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What Really Happened 0

Native Americans to Pilgrims:  Finish desert, then self-deport.

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“All Laws Are Suspended on Black Friday” 0

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Traditions 0

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Desert-Errata 0

Michael Feldman offers a prayer for Thanksgiving.

Read it to settle your soul for the coming festivities.

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The End of Thanksgiving 0

Shaun Mullen remembers the late Jon Swift’s paean to Thanksgiving upon its abolishment by the liberals following the 2008 election.

I doubt that, master satirist that he was, even Jon Swift would have dared predict that Walmart would abolish it in 2012.

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A Peaceful Table 0

Care2 offers some suggestions for avoiding nasty political discussions with your wingnut welatives this Thanksgiving. My favorite:

3. Offer to Do the Dishes

No one likes cleaning up after such a big feast, so no matter how much ire you’ve received based on your leftist views, you’re sure to win back brownie points by taking on the dishwashing. Plus, it’s a good way to excuse yourself from the conversation. If you’re particularly livid at this point in the night, you could also just pull a Paul Ryan and pose for a photo while pretending to wash a dish before booking it altogether.

Via Farnsworth.

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QOTD, Special Bonus Thanksgiving Edition 0

Marcus Tullius Cicero:

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.

Francois de La Rochefoucauld:

In most of mankind gratitude is merely a secret hope of further favors.

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Droning On, Coming Soon to a Neighborhood Near You 3

Pretty soon, you won’t be able to soak up the rays in your backyard.

The activist group whose drone was shot down by hunters on Sunday, Nov. 19 has released video of the incident.

A drone owned by SHARK, or SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness, was flying above the Wing Pointe club in Berks County, Penn. and observing a pigeon shooting event when it came under fire.

For more hot QuadCaptor action, see Peter64’s YouTube channel.

Via GNC.

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The (Job) Creationism Myth 0

Thom takes on job creationism believer, Neal Asbury, host of “Truth for America.”

From the website:

We’ve seen a lot of so-called “job creators” announce layoffs since the election. They say they can’t afford to pay for their employees health insurance. But that’s not the reality.

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Join Me for Some Facebook Frolics 0

Meet me where the River of Stupid flows into the Bay of Hysterical Reaction . . . .

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“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

Another sacrifice on the altar of gunnuttery, another gun that just “went off”:

Miami-Dade police late Tuesday charged 15-year-old Jordyn Alexander Howe with manslaughter and carrying a concealed firearm.

On the way to school Tuesday, Jordyn pulled the gun out of his backpack and displayed it, according to an arrest affidavit. The gun went off once, striking Lourdes in the neck.

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Lies and Lying Liars, Wingnut Self-Talk Dept. 0

Things people say about the election that aren’t true, but that make them feel good:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Via Raw Story.

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Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0

A perfect storm:

Jobless claims decreased by 41,000 to 410,000 in the week ended Nov. 17, the Labor Department reported today in Washington. The number of applications matched the median forecast of 48 economists surveyed by Bloomberg.

The level of claims reflects the economic drag associated with Sandy, which made landfall in the Northeast on Oct. 29, killing more than 100 in the U.S. and leaving about 8 million homes and businesses without power for days.

(snip)

The four-week average, a less volatile measure than the weekly figures, rose to 396,250 from 386,750.

Economists’ estimates for claims last week ranged from 365,000 to 500,000. Claims in the previous week were revised to 451,000 from a previously reported 439,000.

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Commissions? or Kickbacks? 0

The push to privatize public services has had almost uniformly inimical results.

Here’s one. From the website:

The prison industrial complex has continuously increased their profits, and with the expanding number of people behind bars in the US, the price of phone calls from prison has gone up as well. One company is charging $1.13 per minute in a Georgia state prison, and Drew Kukorowski, research associate for Prison Policy Initiative, joins us with more on the phone service in prisons and how the FCC might play a role in controlling rates.

Have you noticed how often vampire capitalists “private equity” turns up in these situations.

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The “Secesh” 2

Ron Paul goes all in for secession, describing it as follows (follow the link for more of the wit and wisdom of Ron Paul):

Secession is a deeply American principle.

Remember, when someone says, “states’ rights,” ask, “states’ rights to do just what, exactly?”

If you get an honest answer, it won’t be a pretty one.

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QOTD 0

Coleman Young:

You can’t look forward and backward at the same time.

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