Mar 21


Just good, clean fun

by Terry 21 March 2010


Tea Party Protesters Yell “N” Word at Black Lawmakers

This afternoon, as they exited President Obama’s speech to Democratic House members at the Capitol Visitor Center and made their way to a House office building, several lawmakers were subjected to epithets hurled by protesters, and in one incident, a protester was arrested after reportedly spitting on Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, an African-America who represents Missouri’s 5th District, according to Sam Stein of the Huffington Post.

And TPMDC’s Brian Beutler reports that Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., and Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ind., said they were confronted by a crowd that shouted “Kill the bill, nigger” several times. Beutler also reports personally hearing a protester shout “you faggot” at Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., to the eruption of laughter by fellow protesters.

To the tea partiers I know: nice company you keep.

From Alternet

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Mar 18


Because they have decided not to continue the pregnancy. Period.

by Terry 18 March 2010


JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A state senator wants Missouri to collect information from women about why they choose to have abortions.

Legislation by Republican Sen. Tom Dempsey, of St. Peters, would require doctors and clinics to ask women about the specific medical, social or economic reasons for seeking an abortion. Women would not have to respond.

Dempsey says it would be useful for policymakers to know if most abortions are sought because of relationship problems, finances, health concerns, a desire to limit family size, or a variety of other reasons.

Senators briefly discussed the bill Wednesday without taking a vote. The legislation also would expand the information provided to women during Missouri’s 24-hour waiting period before abortions.

Another day, another asshat Republican male attempting to intimidate and control women.  If this passes I hope every woman answers “none of your damn business.”

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Mar 17


You could always ASK her

by Terry 17 March 2010


From the (London) Sun:

A NEW lipstick has gone on sale that shows when women are in the mood for sex.

The saucy slap changes from clear to deep crimson as the wearer feels frisky.

It works by reacting with a girl’s body chemistry.

And each £12 tube comes with a colour chart so men can work out how randy their partner is feeling.

The Mood Swing Emotionally Activated Lip Gloss was invented in California.

A spokesman for makers Too Faced said: “The colours change depending on your emotional state.”

Celeb fans include singer Katy Perry, engaged to randy funnyman Russell Brand.

Dating expert Lorraine Adams said: “This is the ultimate date ice-breaker.

“But using it every day could get embarrassing. Would you really want the man next to you on the bus to know if you’re turned on?”

The lippy is available at Boots and ASOS.com.

The ultimate icebreaker?!  Oh.  My.  God.

Read my lips:  No matter what color they are, no still means no.

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Mar 16


It’s enough to make a citizen belligerent

by Terry 16 March 2010


Sen. John McCain and his good buddy Joe Lieberman have teamed up to bring us another way to surrender our civil rights: The Enemy Belligerent Interrogation, Detention and Prosecution Act.  It’s goal?  “To provide for the interrogation and detention of enemy belligerents who commit hostile acts against the United States, to establish certain limitations on the prosecution of such belligerents for such acts, and for other purposes.”  In non-legalese, this bill basically creates a status for citizens parallel to that of unlawful combatants.  When I first saw this on Reddit I thought it had to be a joke, so I looked up the word.

From Merriam-Webster:
belligerent
Main Entry: bel·lig·er·ent
Pronunciation: \-rənt\
Function: adjective
1 : waging war; specifically : belonging to or recognized as a state at war and protected by and subject to the laws of war
2 : inclined to or exhibiting assertiveness, hostility, or combativeness

This definition is key, because this bill is no joke.  It’s for real.  Also real are these clauses:

The military will hold you and decide how you are to be charged.  While in custody you have no rights.  You can be declared a high value detainee and interrogated by both military and civilian authorities under terms of their choosing.  You can be held indefinitely without trial.

And for those who think this is hyperbole:

An individual, including a citizen of the United States, determined to be an unprivileged enemy belligerent under section 3(c)(2) in a manner which satisfies Article 5 of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War may be detained without criminal charges and without trial for the duration of hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners in which the individual has engaged, or which the individual has purposely and materially supported, consistent with the law of war and any authorization for the use of military force provided by Congress pertaining to such hostilities.

These charges echo that of treason, as defined in the Constitution, but with a new, non-constitutional twist.   Read the full text and see if you can sleep at night.

Via OpenCongress.Org

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Mar 16


Zags, take note!

by Terry


How to freethrow

Since the Zags shot only 62% from the penalty stripe in their conference tournament, they could use a little brush up before the Big Dance starts on Friday. This wiki could help them fine tune things.

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Mar 16


Quote of the day

by Terry


“I look forward to an honest debate with Governor Palin on the issues, in the unlikely event that she ever learns anything about them.” –Rep. Alan Grayson

Via the Alan Grayson for Congress newsletter

Amusing, no? However, I’m pulling this quote out of a source that I find largely problematic. In response to a speech Palin gave on a visit to Florida, Grayson let fly with a barrage of insults, including calling her a “chillbilly” and referring to the migratory path of the “wild Alaskan dingbat.”

He sent out an email newsletters to his constituents with this scathing subject line : Subject: Palin Attacks Grayson; Grayson Applies Calamine Lotion to the Resulting Reddish Skin.

From that email:

In response to Palin’s attack on Rep Grayson, Grayson actually complimented Palin. Grayson praised Palin for having a hand large enough to fit Grayson’s entire name on it. He thanked Palin for alleviating the growing shortage of platitudes in Central Florida. Grayson added that Palin deserved credit for getting through the entire hour-long program without quitting. Grayson also said that Palin really had mastered Palin’s imitation of Tina Fey imitating Palin. Grayson observed that Palin is the most-intelligent leader that the Republican Party has produced since George W. Bush.

I am bothered by the smug, self-congratulatory tone of Grayson’s campaign statement, and how, rather than address issues, he’s strung together jabs designed to humiliate Palin. These cheap shots are not only bad manners, they’re bad politics. His statements, and the repetition of them in his official literature, are not designed to convince anyone that he’s taking an ethical stand on any issue. All he is doing is showing that he’s adept at playground taunts.

I know it’s tempting to snicker to ourselves and mutter that she has it coming. But this is not what we need. Talking with my 20-year-old son on the drive from Moscow to Spokane, he stated that he couldn’t support a party that would sink so low as to respond to the Republicans on their own level. He speaks quite well for the middle, I believe. Revenge is so very attractive right now, but I’m also a supporter of the old saw “living well is the best revenge.” Pushing for a fair vote on our agenda is the best revenge for the slash and burn politics of the previous administration. Letting everyone in the country live well is the best revenge for the last 8 years of abandonment of the poor and marginalized.

I’m not saying roll over and take negative campaigning. I’m just saying that personal attacks that border on sexism are counterproductive. They drum up sympathy and support for Palin, which is the last thing we want or need.

Rep. Grayson, I toss your challenge back to you. Debate on the issues or face the risk of appearing to know nothing about them. That’s what will push this country forward, not petty insults that reflect more poorly on you than on your opponent. Be the adult here. Someone has to be.

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Mar 15


A (revised) Modest Proposal

by Terry 15 March 2010


From Jeanette Cool, via Debbie Majewski:

Subject: A Modest Proposal

Given the refusal of poor people to die when they are no longer needed by the Free Market

Given the refusal of poor people to pay their entire income for medical insurance, as they stubbornly insist in buying food

This Modest Proposal will ensure that every poor person will receive medical care without recourse to Socialistic-Communistic measures like Single Payer

It is called D.I.Y.M.P. (Do It Yourself Medical Plan.)
Do It Yourself Surgery is easy when the patient is operating on himself guided by a web can camera connected to a doctor in India. By applying local anesthetic, the patient can open himself up following the advice of the doctor in India. We recommend to begin with buying guides like: “Surgery for Idiots.”

If these poor people insist on being seen by an actual doctor, we suggest our B.Y.O.T.P. (Bring Your Own Tent Plan). By eliminating the cost of the hospital room, enormous cost savings can be made. And by eliminating dirty people coming into our hospitals, it will no longer be necessary to build large hospitals.

Clearly, we have been spoiling the poor who have no right to be sick in the greatest country in the world.

–EARL GILMAN

As the health care reform bill struggles toward a vote, it’s very easy to buy this reasoning. Since poverty is a moral issue, lack of health care is a sin, and we know how the Right feels about sinners.

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Mar 15


I can feel the bullseye on my back

by Terry


a joke permit

This would be a lot funnier if I was sure the morons knew it was a joke.

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Mar 14


A supreme conflict of interest?

by Terry 14 March 2010


From the LA Times:

“I am an ordinary citizen from Omaha, Neb., who just may have the chance to preserve liberty along with you and other people like you,” she said at a recent panel discussion with tea party leaders in Washington. (Virginia) Thomas went on to count herself among those energized into action by President Obama’s “hard-left agenda.”

… “I adore all the new citizen patriots who are rising up across this country,” Thomas, who goes by Ginni, said on the panel at the Conservative Political Action Conference. “I have felt called to the front lines with you, with my fellow citizens, to preserve what made America great.”

Who is Virginia Thomas and why does she matter?  You may be more familiar with her husband’s name:  Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.   In January, she created Liberty Central Inc., a nonprofit lobbying group whose website will organize activism around a set of conservative core principles.

The group plans to issue score cards for Congress members and be involved in the November election.  Thomas says it would accept donations from various sources — including corporations — as allowed under campaign finance rules recently loosened by the Supreme Court.

Make no mistake about the brand of conservatism that Thomas espouses.  In her website biography she lists herself as a fan of Rush Limbaugh and says she is “intrigued by Glenn Beck and listening carefully.”  This, to me, does not speak of an intellectual fascination with constitutional limits; rather these are the hallmarks of the knee jerk self-protectionism of the ignorant and self-satisfied.

Now, I’d be the last one to say that a woman is an echo of her husband, and I’d never suggest that Justice Thomas has no mind of his own, but I do recognize that in a relationship with any approximation of equality the exchange of ideas and support flows both directions.   I completely reject any Lysistrata scenarios.  But I believe her involvement with a lobbying group — conservative or otherwise — constitutes be a serious breach of objectivity.

I would never suggest that the spouse of a Senator, Representative, or even a President be prohibited from working in the political arena.  For example I had no problem with the dual careers of the Bob and Libby Dole.  However I do believe judges must be held to a higher standard.  Unless Justice Thomas is willing to recuse himself from any case involving the right to privacy or any other controversial issue upon which Liberty Central takes a stand, I think we’ve got a serious problem on our hands.  And since justices are appointed for life there’s not a thing we can do about it.

I, for one, find that very worrisome.

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Mar 14


Open for business!

by Terry


My daughter Julie has opened an Etsy shop to sell her beautiful quilts. Right now she has 2 baby/crib quilts up for sale, and is taking commissions for your choice of size and colors.

Here’s a sample:

baby quilt

I’m sure someone you love would cherish a hand made quilt. Or pamper yourself with a gift of fabric art. Lap quilts perfect for lounging on the couch or curling up in a chair reading. I’m never without mine.

Bookmark her blog to stay current about her projects in progress, before they go up on Etsy.

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