February, 2013 archive
Finger in the Dike 0
Listen to the first segment (about five minutes) of Harry’s Le Show for this past Sunday.
Just listen.
Sequestrian Dressage: Dr. Wolfe Explains the Choreography 0
PoliticalProf sums up the Republican part of the dance:
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
More dog-gone politeness:
Gregory Dale Lanier of Frostproof was riding in his truck on Feb. 23 when the dog knocked his 9mm handgun onto the floor of the truck, causing it to discharge into the man’s leg, a police report indicated.
“Sebring Police Cmdr. Steve Carr said police did not arrest the dog or detain the animal, . . . .”
Loaded gun.
On seat.
Safety off (unless the dog shot him on purpose).
Meet the gun nut.
Borked 0
I remember the Saturday Night Massacre (if you don’t, follow the link to understand the rest of this). I was watching television with my parents.
I had followed the Watergate story from its beginnings. I had long since realized that the Nixon administration was corrupt and power-mad.
As the news unfolded, my father disappeared from the living room.
My father was not a particularly politically liberal person, not at all, but he was morally straight and valued honesty, integrity, kindness, and decency.
As my brother said recently, talking of some fairly obnoxious persons of his acquaintance who are fond of describing themselves as “good Christians” (they aren’t–they are selfish, spiteful, and vindictive*), “Daddy was the most Christian person I have ever known, and he would have been the last person to call himself a ‘good Christian.'”
I realized later that he was calling Western Union, sending telegrams to his elected representatives incongruously assembled to inform them that he was done with Richard Nixon and his entourage.
_____________________
*I don’t know anything about their politics, but “selfish, spiteful, and vindictive” screams “religious right.”
“Just Shoot Me” 0
Atrios sums up sequestration dressage:
The Entitlement Society 0
The bonus babies, entitled to profit from incompetence:
Via Kavips, who explains
The bonuses being paid to all top bank executives, are our money that we are subsidizing. The dividend payouts being received by every stockholder, is a give-you-something-free right from the US Treasury.
Both Sides Not, Reprise 0
Jonathan Chait encapsulates the cynicism of the “both sides do it” crowd in this snippet about one of David Brooks’s recent columns:
The rest of the column is dedicated to flaying Obama for the GOP’s refusal to compromise.
Please do read the rest.
We Need Single-Payer 0
Americablog:
Besides record corporate profits, the insurance companies have been doing quite well also — but this move suggests they want even higher profit margins, since spouses who are not working tend to use health insurance more.
The only thing “insurance” companies want to ensure is executives’ country club memberships.
WWE Calls out Glen Beck 5
The challenge is issued at about the one-and-a-half minute mark.
Aside:
First Son was quite the wrestling fan back in the days of Rowdy Roddy Piper. For his birthday one year I took him to the Spectrum for a WWF meet. They do put on quite the show.
Me, I don’t think pro wrestling has been the same since Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson retired. There hasn’t been anyone since like Ripper and the Swede.
Via C&L, which has background on the feud with the Beckster. (My money is on WWE. Higher IQ.)
Doing the Scholastic Fantastic 0
Robyn Blumner has issues with Republican ideas on schools. A nugget:
One of those ideas is the undermining of public schools. Under the guise of helping lower-income parents, Rubio is offering the Educational Opportunities Act to move students from public to private schools, most of which are church-affiliated, at taxpayer expense. To get around church-state separation problems his plan would give taxpayers dollar-for-dollar federal tax credits for “donating” money to designated scholarship funds that would pay for private school education. Some would call that money laundering.
This is a tea partier’s dream come true. It starves the federal treasury of tax revenue, funnels children into religious indoctrination, erodes support for public schools by having parents abandon them and, perhaps sweetest of all, harms all those progressives who have chosen to be public school teachers as well as their unions.
Obligatory Oscars Post 0
I have no interest in watching Hollywood pleasure itself.
Blast from the Past 0
Bunny Yeager is preparing to open an exhibit.
Glenn Garvin interviews her in the Miami Herald-Tribune:
Nice Work If You Can Get It 0
Free room and board, that is.
At Psychology Today Blogs, Berit Brogaard and Kristian Marlow theorize that cats are smarter than dogs, then answer the crucial question:
Security Kabuki 0
Dick Destiny reviews the performance and spotlights the man behind the curtain.
It’s a must-read antidote to the cyber-FUD emanating from the “full employment for security consultants” lobby.
