Froth Slosh B'Gosh

Moving Day!

2011-12-08T17:45:00.000-05:00

I'm tired of Blogger constantly leaving me bloggered. So, we're moving to Typepad. Update your bookmarks! Access the new Froth Slosh's B'Gosh here!

2011-12-07T04:56:00.000-05:00

I Really Don't Care

2011-12-06T17:37:00.001-05:00

About Tim Tebow.

That said, I do agree with many of the insights in this piece, and at the end of the day, its a freakin' football game. If there is a god, I doubt he cares about the outcome, but if Tebow wants to make a show of his faith, so what? And if other players want to mock his piety, again, so what?

Kentucky Church Shows Its True Color

2011-12-04T10:08:00.000-05:00

That color would be "white."

A small Pike County church has voted not to accept interracial couples as members or let them take part in some worship activities.

Sheesh, wonder what the pastor's vestments are? White robe and hood??

In early November, Thompson proposed the church go on record saying that while all people were welcome to attend public worship services there, the church did not condone interracial marriage, according to a copy of the recommendation supplied by the Harvilles.
The proposal also said "parties of such marriages will not be received as members, nor will they be used in worship services" or other church functions, with the exception of funerals.

Thankfully, the community at large is critical of this repugnant stand.

Hey! My Canary Is Dead!!

2011-12-03T09:51:00.001-05:00

Wondering if this will ever sink in with the dunderheads?

Arctic air temperatures were higher – about 2.5 degrees F (1.5 degrees C) higher in 2011 than the baseline number for the previous 30 years – and there was a dramatic loss of sea ice and glacier mass, the scientists said in a telephone briefing. With less bright ice to reflect sunlight, and more dark open water to absorb it, the Arctic’s changed characteristics are likely to feed on each other and accelerate.

While I'm not comfortable in saying every prediction has come to pass, I am confident in asserting that nearly every prediction for what global warming will entail has come, or is coming to be. But since it might mean a few less coin in the Koch brothers' pockets, we cannot do anything about it.

The Grover

2011-12-02T18:04:00.000-05:00

I never knew Muppets had so much power!

The Grover has spoken. A tax increase on millions of Americans is not actually a tax increase because the Social Security Tax Holiday is temporary and will expire without Congressional action to extend it.

But, The Grover does not apply the same logic to every temporary tax cut with an expiration date. As a demigod who makes the rule, The Grover can also break them. In a complete flip-flop, The Grover has also ruled that letting the temporary Bush Tax cuts for the top 1% expire in January 2013 would be increasing taxes. Strange are the ways of The Grover and one should never expect consistency from a conservative grifter demigod.

I think equating Norquist to a Muppet is appropriate, as his ideas and pronouncements appeal to the toddler-level intellect of most conservative politicians. No, scratch that. My two-year old has a greater intellect than most conservative politicians.

A Club of Liars, Demagogues and Ignoramuses

2011-12-02T17:07:00.000-05:00

As usual, if you want actual political commentary, you got to go to the foreign media.

They lie. They cheat. They exaggerate. They bluster. They say one idiotic, ignorant, outrageous thing after another. They've shown such stark lack of knowledge -- political, economic, geographic, historical -- that they make George W. Bush look like Einstein and even cause their fellow Republicans to cringe.
"When did the GOP lose touch with reality?" wonders Bush's former speechwriter David Frum in New York Magazine. In the New York Times, Kenneth Duberstein, Ronald Reagan's former chief-of-staff, called this campaign season a "reality show," while Wall Street Journal columnist and former Reagan confidante Peggy Noonan even spoke of a "freakshow."

Thanks Teabaggers!

There Are Days....

2011-12-01T17:35:00.000-05:00

....when I can access my comments, and there are days when I cannot. Today appears to be a "cannot" day. Sigh.

Happy Birthday Mr. Clemens!

2011-11-30T16:58:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite authors!

According To Conservative Economic Theory....

2011-11-30T16:43:00.000-05:00

The Employment Pony should be shitting jobs left and right.

After reading the article and looking at the numbers, the only logical conclusion is that conservatives are full of crap. There is indeed class warfare being waged; its the well-heeled that are on the offensive.

No Thank You, I'll Take The Train

2011-11-29T18:25:00.001-05:00

Ouch!

Of course, I've all but given up on flying to avoid the groping and the perv-o-scans of TSA. The train is more relaxing as well, and costs just $52.00. If you want the more comfortable business class, its still a reasonable $76.00, compared to the nearly $700.00 USAirways will soak you for.

Nice Little Tuition Assistance You Have Here

2011-11-29T18:07:00.000-05:00

Wouldn't want anything to happen to it now, would you?

Principals in the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh were told last month that parents who received tuition assistance had to lobby state legislators to pass a school voucher bill -- and document it -- or lose their funding.

The Church has since corrected Assistant Superintendent Ronald T. Bowes directive, which included this threat:

"we must be relentless in our efforts to help pass school choice this year. I am asking you to inform parents that have received tuition assistance that they must contact their legislators and return the contact form attached to you in order to receive a grant next year. I then want you to return these contact forms to me. This way we can insure that a solid effort is being carried out by our diocese."
The attached forms ask for the date, the name of the parent and the school, the name of the state senator and state representative, the number of times contacted and how, the legislator's position and "if oppose, why?"

Yes, nothing like a little arm twisting of those receiving a helping hand to get them to do your political bidding for you, is there?

After Ronald T. Bowes, assistant superintendent for policy and development, emailed those instructions to the principals Oct. 20, the diocese sent out its own directive Nov. 16, saying Mr. Bowes had "misstated long-standing diocesan policy relative to the distribution of financial aid to parents."

Hmmm...nearly a month later. I suspect the Church corrected the memo as such a directive could potentially cost Catholic schools their tax-exempt status, but then again, I'm a cynic.

And Another One

2011-11-29T17:54:00.000-05:00

Herman Cain's shot at the presidency is pretty much over anyway, but why not pile on?

Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain faced new allegations Monday concerning his conduct with women, this time from an Atlanta woman who claimed that they had a 13-year affair.
In an interview Monday night, Ginger White told WAGA, the Fox News outlet in Atlanta: "It was pretty simple. It wasn't complicated. I was aware that he was married. And I was also aware I was involved in a very inappropriate relationship."

We live in a hypocritically prudish society. Personally, I care not a whit if Cain, or any other politician is married, not married, cheating, or nor cheating. It has no real bearing on wether or not he can get the job done, in the same sense that a CEO's private life, or a ballplayer's, or a garbageman's has a noticable effect on how they go about earning their pay. I DO find it amusing that self-proclaimed "family values party" has so many cads within it, as Cain's recent spot in the sun is now occupied by serial adulturer Newt Gingrich. There seems to be an awful lot of stepping out by many, many married folks!

However, from the above story, I find this quotation from Cain's lawyer to be quaintly charming:

"This is not an accusation of harassment in the workplace — this is not an accusation of an assault — which are subject matters of legitimate inquiry to a political candidate. Rather, this appears to be an accusation of private, alleged consensual conduct between adults — a subject matter which is not a proper subject of inquiry by the media or the public."

1998 anyone?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T10:27:00.000-05:00

Service Interruption

2011-11-18T04:28:00.001-05:00

I will be in Gettysburg this weekend for Remembrance Day, and am spending the following week in North Carolina with my extended family. Have a wonderful holiday week, and I'll be back in a week!

Dollar For Your Thoughts??

2011-11-17T17:07:00.000-05:00

Eliminate the dollar bill?

One of the proposals the congressional supercommittee is considering to cut federal spending and decrease the national debt would eliminate the paper dollar bill from circulation and replace it with dollar-denominated coins.
At a time when the nation faces a $14 trillion deficit and every dollar counts, the U.S. Government Accountability Office estimates that replacing the $1 note with the $1 coin could save taxpayers $5.5 billion over the next 30 years.
But Americans have a strong affinity for the iconic dollar bill, and old habits die hard.

I'd disagree with that last part. I don't have any particular attachment to the one dollar bill as opposed to the coin, and most of the people I know don't either. Sure, that's just anecdotal "evidence," but let me explain.

When I go to Canada, and break a twenty, I'm very likely to receive as part of my change one and two dollar coins (Loonies and Twonies). I spend these, along with the quarters, nickles, dimes and pennies I may have in my pocket. Folding money in one and two dollar denominations isn't circulated in Canada.

However, here in the 'States, when I fork over a Jackson, I get one dollar bills, even when the dollar coin is an option. I don't think U.S. citizens are less apt to use dollar coins, its just that if you want them, you generally have to go to the bank (or a casino) to get them. When I withdraw, say, $100 from my account, I get five 20's, not four 20's, a ten, a five and five one dollar coins. If you want me to consistently use the dollar coin, make it convenient for me, and stop printing dollar bills!

According to this site, the average life of a dollar bill is less than two years. According to the U.S. Mint, a coin's average lifespan is 25 years. I routinely use coins that are more than 40 years old, and frequently encounter coins that are much, much older and still in circulation.

The Ends Justify The Means

2011-11-14T18:14:00.000-05:00

So what if you happen to commit a felony along the way?

Insiders

2011-11-14T17:19:00.000-05:00

Is it any wonder our opinion of Congress is so low?

Rules are the little people. And Martha Stewart.

2011-11-11T11:11:00.000-05:00

Rioters For Rape

2011-11-10T17:02:00.000-05:00

The entire Penn State cover up of Jerry Sandusky's alleged raping of young boys is one of the most disgusting things I've witnessed outside the Catholic Church covering for pedophile priests, but to have the students riot when Penn State rightly fires Paterno for doing next to nothing to protect children from a sexual predator? The University should make every effort to identify students who were involved in property destruction and move to expel them from the school. How big of an asshole to you have to be to support a man who through his inactions helped protect a child molester?

A Good Day

2011-11-09T17:01:00.004-05:00

Many excellent outcomes in yesterday's polling.

Firstly, voters in Mississippi rejected a ridiculous proposal that would have conferred "personhood" to zygotes. The vote was expected to be close, but it wasn't. The proposal was soundly rejected. Had it passed, I'd have considered retiring to Mississippi, if only to collect my retirement benefits nine months earlier. Amanda Marcotte has some intriguing insights on what happened in Mississippi:

It's not something I've ever seen an extensive study on, but the folk wisdom of pro-choice circles is "pro-life in the streets, pro-choice in the dark", as it were. In other words, there's an intense amount of pressure to identify as "pro-life" in conservative communities, even if you secretly disagree. To be vocally pro-choice is to be marked as a pervert and a feminist, and so it's avoided, to the point where some polling data suggests that half of people who identify as "pro-life" are actually pro-choice, at least to some extent. Certainly enough that they're not willing to see women thrown in jail for having miscarriages. Because of this intense social pressure, I suspect many people who side with pro-choicers on this law or that law won't say so to a pollster over the phone. Not only are you admitting out loud something that can get you marked as a "pervert" in your community, you may be doing so in front of friends, colleagues, or family members who overhear your conversation with the pollster. No wonder so many people say they're "undecided". But when you actually have your ballot in hand and you know that no one will ever find out how you voted, a solid percentage of voters go with common sense (and with sex!) instead of prevailing community pressures. Frankly, the way the poll numbers turned out, it appears many people who said they would vote yes on 26 instead voted no.

Secondly, Ohio voters spanked Faux News Governor John Kasich with an overwhelming rejection of a law that would make union members second-class citizens. As Zandar notes over at Balloon Juice, Issue 2 was a disaster for Ohio Republicans.

Kasich is toast, folks. The failure of Republicans to coalesce around this issue not only backfired miserably, it had the completely opposite effect, creating an off-year grassroots surge that knocked the blocks out from under Cincy conservatives. He cannot be jettisoned fast enough in the Buckeye State and Republicans in Ohio are now in a deep hole. The network to bring Ohio back into the blue column next year is already in place. The overreach was brutal, and a significant number of Ohio GOP voters jumped ship on this measure and mobilized Democrats to boot.
The coattails on the Issue 2 No vote completely reworked the government of one of the more conservative cities in the state and made it overwhelmingly progressive, not to mention creating a majority African-American council to back Mayor Mallory.

Keep pissing off working people, Republicans! Its a winning message!

Thirdly, Arizona recalled sitting state Senate President and uber teabagger Russell Pearce. Pearce was the force behind Arizona's anti-immigration law SB 1070.

Considered the de facto governor of Arizona, the seemingly invincible and right-wing extremist Pearce became the first state Senate president in American history to be thrown out of office in a recall election. Led by an inspiring citizens movement, Pearce's downfall marks an extraordinary sea change in Arizona politics, especially in the areas of the changing electoral demographics and immigration reform policies.

Far-right extremism took a beating yesterday, although I doubt the pundents in the so-called liberal media will notice, as they'll continue to insist we are a "center-right" nation. I wonder if Governor Bought 'n' Paid For is taking notice?

Bimbo Eruptions

2011-11-08T16:54:00.000-05:00

And another one.

Bialek alleged that Cain instead "suddenly reached over and he put his hand on my leg under my skirt and reached for my genitals." She said he also pushed her head toward his crotch.
"I was very surprised and very shocked, and I said, 'What are you doing? You know I have a boyfriend,' " she told the news conference. '' 'This isn't what I came here for, Mr. Cain.' "
Bialek said Cain replied, "You want a job, right?"

Curiously, they do not seem to be having an impact on Mr. Cain's prospects. A case of IOKIYAR perhaps?

Election Day!

2011-11-08T16:48:00.000-05:00

I understand one of those election thingies is going on today. So go vote!

What Does A Terrorist Look Like?

2011-11-03T17:56:00.000-04:00

These guys, for four examples.

Frederick Thomas, 73, of Cleveland, Ga.; Dan Roberts, 67, of Toccoa, Ga.; Ray H. Adams, 65, of Toccoa; and Samuel J. Crump, 68, of Toccoa, were arrested today relating to plans to obtain an unregistered explosive device and silencer and to manufacture the biological toxin ricin for use in attacks against other U.S. citizens and government personnel and officials.
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia Sally Quillian Yates said, “These defendants, who are alleged to be part of a fringe militia group, are charged with planning attacks against their own fellow citizens and government. To carry out their agenda, two of the defendants allegedly purchased purported explosives and a silencer, while the other two defendants took steps to attempt to produce a deadly biological toxin. While many are focused on the threat posed by international violent extremists, this case demonstrates that we must also remain vigilant in protecting our country from citizens within our own borders who threaten our safety and security.”

Four elderly white guys. This is a perfect illustration of why profiling based on religion, race, or national origin are stupid ideas

Republicans Say The Darndest Things

2011-11-03T17:15:00.001-04:00

Orrin Hatch and Jeff Sessions edition, defending Herman Cain:

Republican senators have accused the media of a double standard on Herman Cain, whom they argue is enduring tougher treatment because he is a conservative.
The Republican senators ripped the media for their reporting of anonymous sexual harassment allegations against the presidential candidate, saying a Democrat would not face the same kind of reporting in the absence of a public accusation.
“It’s easy to take potshots at conservatives,” said Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), who described the media’s treatment of the Cain story as “overdone.”
“I do think that conservative candidates tend to get more rigorous criticism than liberal candidates,” echoed Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.).

I guess they've never heard of Anthony Weiner, Bill Clinton, John Edwards, Eliot Spitzer, and Gary Hart, just to name a few. The issue isn't the media coverage, the media loves a juicy sex scandal and are generally equal opportunity sharks when one breaks. Given that we are in the midst of a Republican primary, my guess is the genesis of this story is with one of the rival camps, but Cain's handling of the scandal is abysmal.

Oooohh! That Looks Like It Really Hurt!

2011-11-02T17:10:00.000-04:00

Pierce disembowels Brooks. Rhetorically speaking.

For three decades, as the Congressional Budget Office reported last week, most of the wealth of this country flowed upwards into it. Over the past decade, that privileged class, without a peep from people like David Brooks, turned the American economy into a dog track, and it didn't matter a damn whether you went to college or didn't go to college, or whether you were having babies "out of wedlock" (Jesus, what a priss) or not. That privileged class enriched itself and to hell with the rest of us. "Disorganized social fabric"? Holy hell, people are just trying to keep from getting tossed out into the street and all he's got by way of an explanation is that too many people are getting knocked up and too few are going to college, even though we all woke up sometime in the autumn of 2008 and discovered that nobody had any fking money anymore.

That's What I've Been Saying

2011-10-26T17:54:00.000-04:00

Krugman opines on what I've been typing for years.

Many members of the commentariat don’t want to face up to the fact that this is what American politics has become; they cling to the notion that there are gentlemanly elder statesmen on the right who would come to the fore if only Obama said the right words. But the fact is that nobody on that side of the political spectrum wants to or can make deals with the Islamic atheist anti-military warmonger in the White House.

But it isn't just Obama. The Republicans simply aren't interested in reaching any sort of compromise with any elected Democrat, especially if that Democrat happens to be the President. It's their way or the highway, and if a Democrat does happen to get elected, its because of "voter fraud" or "union thugs" or whatever the excuse of the moment happens to be. They've been doing it for years.

Great

2011-10-26T17:19:00.000-04:00

Now Blogger wont let me comment on my own posts.

How DARE She!

2011-10-26T17:07:00.000-04:00

How DARE a high school civics teacher help students register to vote!

The teacher who heads up New Smyrna Beach High School's student government association could face thousands of dollars in fines. Her transgression? Helping students register to vote.

Florida Republicans claim the laws that Jill Cicciarelli "violated" are there to prevent "voter fraud," a virtually non-existent problem. On average, based on the latest information I can find, less than 4 people a year nationwide are convicted of voter fraud.

Chemical Bomb

2011-10-25T18:28:00.000-04:00

Someone threw an IED (most likely a drain cleaner/aluminum foil bomb)into the encampment of the Occupy Maine protesters.

Portland police Sgt. Glen McGary said the bomb was thrown into the camp’s kitchen, a tarped area where food is cooked and served. Protest organizers said the explosion lifted a large table about a foot off the ground.

Luckily, no one was seriously injured.

Words

2011-10-25T17:13:00.000-04:00

To live by.

But again, whatever works for you, so long as you're not harming others or forcing others to live by whatever your particular sect dictates.

First Aid Doesn't Help The Bottom Line

2011-10-24T16:43:00.000-04:00

Wow.

Last month, a Time Warner Cable customer service rep died at her desk. After any unexpected death, people searched for answers, explanations, someone to blame. But in this case, there may have actually been something foul afoot. A local news station reports that after a co-worker began giving CPR to 67-year-old Julia Nelson, a supervisor allegedly told her to stop and "get back on the phone and take care of customers."

Utterly heartless.

Hopelessly Divided

2011-10-22T11:04:00.000-04:00

This post by David Atkins over at Hullabaloo is, I think, a fair assessment of how far apart we are as a country, between left and right.

We are now a nation hopelessly divided. On one side is a large faction of people who understand that the financial classes and the super-wealthy are mostly a parasitic class; that the middle class has much more in common with the poor than it does with the wealthy; that workers produce wealth, and that demand produces prosperity; that poor communities are disadvantaged not by the inherent failings of their people but by the oppressive nature of their circumstances; and that we humans and creatures of this earth are all in the same boat together.

On the other side is a large group of people who believe that over half of Americans are parasitic dead weight who should not be allowed to vote; that the interests of the middle class are aligned with the interests of hedge fund managers; that only a select few very wealthy people produce society's goods; that poor communities are poor through their own moral failings; and that the society's "producers" should behave however they please to people and creatures unfortunate enough to find themselves at their mercy.

And in the middle are about 20% of Americans paying too little attention to have much of an opinion either way.

Louisiana Outlaws Cash

2011-10-22T06:26:00.000-04:00

Good thing the Republicans are getting the gub'mint off our backs!

The law states those who buy or sell second hand goods are prohibited from using cash. State representative Rickey Hardy co-authored the bill.
Hardy says, "they give a check or a cashiers money order, or electronic one of those three mechanisms is used."

Luckily, the vast majority of the poor have excellent credit so they'll be able to use plastic while buying used clothing at the Goodwill.

Will They Ask For A Refund?

2011-10-21T17:08:00.000-04:00

Koch Foundation funded (to the tune of $150,000) climate warming skeptic Richard Muller discovers that global warming is real.

In the press release announcing the results, Muller said, "Our biggest surprise was that the new results agreed so closely with the warming values published previously by other teams in the US and the UK." In other words, climate scientists know what they're doing after all.

Democracy=Liberty??

2011-10-21T16:38:00.000-04:00

Good piece here from Ed Brayton on liberty and democracy.

That tyranny can be implemented democratically should be obvious, especially in this country. All of those laws that threw gay people in jail for centuries were passed by democratically elected legislatures. Same with laws against interracial marriage. And the same with all sorts of authoritarian laws passed by Congress all the time. Democracy provides very little protection against tyranny and sometimes even encourages it.
That’s the whole point of having a Bill of Rights that attempts to put individual liberty out of the reach of elected legislatures.

Its The End Of The World!!

2011-10-21T05:16:00.001-04:00

The world is supposed to end today. How are you marking the occassion?

On a more serious note, how many people gave away their money and possessions because they took that crank seriously?

Need A New Platform

2011-10-18T17:10:00.000-04:00

I am having immense difficulties posting the past few days, posts show up hours, sometimes days after I hit "Publish Post," and sometimes I cannot post at all from my computer, having to save, and then switch to another machine to actually get the saved post to publish, so I'm in the market for a new blogging platform. Any suggestions?

2011-10-17T18:15:00.002-04:00

Residents Say Apartment Building Is Haunted

2011-10-15T18:43:00.004-04:00

Residents are cretins.

Media is stupider for giving this nonsense any sort of traction.

2011-10-13T17:09:00.003-04:00

Apologies

2011-10-13T06:09:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posting over the last few weeks. Things have been a bit busy in meat space.

And Once Again....

2011-10-08T20:57:00.002-04:00

Pitt falls flat on its collective face.

Gotta wonder when our local sports writers are going to get it through their skulls that this team hasn't been good for 30 years.

Goodbye Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T06:17:00.002-04:00

I'm not an Apple person, but the man had an impact on the way most of us do things.

Belief-O-Matic!

2011-10-04T06:21:00.003-04:00

There's a fun little questionaire over at Beliefnet that determines your religious "fit" by a percentage score, and then ranks how your views fit with major religious traditions on a descending percentage scale. Not suprisingly, it listed me as 100% secular humanist. Here's my ranking:

Secular Humanism (100%)
Unitarian Universalism (92%)
Liberal Quakers (76%)
Nontheist (75%)
Theravada Buddhism (73%)
Neo-Pagan (64%)
Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (60%)
New Age (49%)
Taoism (47%)
Reform Judaism (45%)
Orthodox Quaker (42%)
Mahayana Buddhism (42%)
Baha'i Faith (32%)
Scientology (31%)
Sikhism (31%)
Jainism (31%)
New Thought (29%)
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (25%)
Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (24%)
Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (23%)
Islam (22%)
Orthodox Judaism (22%)
Seventh Day Adventist (21%)
Hinduism (20%)
Eastern Orthodox (18%)
Roman Catholic (18%)
Jehovah's Witness (12%)

It certainly isn't perfect, I really don't see how a 20 question survey can tell all that much about you, but its a fun little diversion. If you want to take the Belief-O-Matic test, click here!

I'm amused that Roman Catholicism, the faith I was raised in, is second from the bottom. Guess the nuns didn't beat me hard enough.

So, how did you do?

Remember?

2011-10-01T08:24:00.002-04:00

A Busy Halloween

2011-09-20T18:46:00.001-04:00

According to this story, its illegal for groups of more than 2 people to wear masks at an event. I suspect the police in New York will be very, very busy October 31st arresting and jailing kids.

New Market

2011-09-20T10:33:00.002-04:00

Due to unforeseen circumstances with my family (don't worry, everything is OK) I found myself in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley over the weekend. I had some time to myself, and decided to visit the New Market battlefield, which is unfortunately neatly bisected by Interstate 81. The 1864 battle is famous for the participation of VMI's Cadets on the Confederate side. The cadets played a pivotal role in the battle, filling a hole in the rebel line, and capturing a federal cannon. Ten cadets of the more than 250 on the field were killed or died from their wounds. The battle is also famous for the so called "Field of Lost Shoes." The Bushong farm, where the battle was fought, was a muddy quagmire after several days of rain, and many of the cadets lost their shoes in the mud as they charged the Federal line. It was the last battle the south would win in the valley.

This monument is the only large marker on the field, although there are some smaller stones placed about. It was dedicated to the men of the 54th PA.

2011-09-20T10:31:00.001-04:00

The hilltop the 54th PA crossed. Unfortunatly for them, there was a huge number of rebels waiting for them in the little valley where the large tree at center-left is growing.

2011-09-20T10:28:00.002-04:00

The 54th PA fought a fighting retreat through this field of cedar trees. The soldiers named this area "The Bloody Cedars." When the 54th PA's monument was dedicated, some of the survivors took seedlings home with them. Information from the park states that some of these cedars still stand at a cemetary in Johnstown PA where some of the 54th's members are buried.

2011-09-20T10:27:00.001-04:00

The Battle of New Market was fought on the farm belonging to the Bushong family.

2011-09-20T10:26:00.000-04:00

This is the farm's blacksmith shop.

2011-09-20T10:25:00.000-04:00

I was trying to do something "artsy" with horizontal lines. Don't think it worked.

2011-09-20T10:23:00.001-04:00

Looking towards the main farmhouse. The small structure with the dinner bell next to it is the baking oven.

2011-09-20T10:22:00.003-04:00

The summer kitchen. Many 18th and 19th century homes had a kitchen in a seperate structure for cooking in the summer heat, so as to not make the main home too hot.

2011-09-20T10:22:00.001-04:00

The springhouse.

2011-09-20T10:20:00.001-04:00

Looking towards the Confederate position. The fence at the far edge of the field by the Bushong farm is where the Confederates formed up to charge the Federal guns.

2011-09-20T10:18:00.001-04:00

Looking across The Field of Lost Shoes from the Federal position. The guns represent the cannon captured by the VMI cadets.

2011-09-20T10:03:00.000-04:00

Looking from the Confederate positions with the Bushong farm in the distance.

2011-09-20T09:57:00.001-04:00

Looking across The Field of Lost Shoes.

2011-09-20T09:55:00.000-04:00

A small monument to the VMI cadets.

And Another One

2011-09-17T08:46:00.002-04:00

Another from my sister-in-law.

If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their infamous sketch, 'Who's on First?' might have turned out something like this:

COSTELLO CALLS TO BUY A COMPUTER FROM ABBOTT

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

COSTELLO: Thanks I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou.

ABBOTT: Your computer?

COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou.

ABBOTT: What about Windows?

COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here?

ABBOTT: Do you want a computer with Windows?

COSTELLO: I don't know. What will I see when I look at the windows?

ABBOTT: Wallpaper.

COSTELLO: Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software.

ABBOTT: Software for Windows?

COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track expenses and run my business. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything?

ABBOTT: I just did.

COSTELLO: You just did what?

ABBOTT: Recommend something.

COSTELLO: You recommended something?

ABBOTT: Yes.

COSTELLO: For my office?

ABBOTT: Yes.

COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my office?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yes, for my office!

ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows.

COSTELLO: I already have an office with windows! OK, let's just say I'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need?

ABBOTT: Word.

COSTELLO: What word?

ABBOTT: Word in Office.

COSTELLO: The only word in office is office.

ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.

COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows?

ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue 'W'.

COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue 'W' if you don't start with some straight answers. What about financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track my money with?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: That's right. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: I need money to track my money?

ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer.

COSTELLO: What's bundled with my computer?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer?

ABBOTT: Yes. No extra charge.

COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?

ABBOTT: One copy.

COSTELLO: Isn't it illegal to copy money?

ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money.

COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money?

ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT!

(A few days later)

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off?

ABBOTT: Click on 'START'...

Poetry

2011-09-17T08:43:00.000-04:00

My sister-in-law sent this along!

Eye halve a spelling checker
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marks four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye striks a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me a strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
Its rare lea ever wrong.

Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My checker tolled me sew.

Predictions and Driving the Narrative

2011-09-16T17:21:00.000-04:00

Personally, I think its far to soon to speculate on who the Republican nominee might be, but this article has an interesting perspective on who the nominee will be and why.

More Conservative Shenanigans

2011-09-16T17:14:00.002-04:00

Now the Republicans in Harrisburg are pushing to replace the "winner take all" electoral vote allocation with a plan to distribute PA's Presidential Electors according to how the vote turns out in each individual congressional district. Governor Bought And Paid For says this needs to be done to "counter" the huge majorities Democrats enjoy in Philadelphia.

Left unsaid, and unremarked on, is that millions of Pennsylvanians live in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and their surrounding suburbs, compared to the thousands that live elsewhere. Pennsylvania's largest counties, by population, all surround major urban areas. This is not surprising. These areas also trend Democratic. The more rural areas, counties with populations less than 100,000 comprise more than half of the Commonwealth's count of counties, and contain a fraction of the population. If you added the entire population of Pennsylvania's 28 smallest counties, those with populations under 50,000, they don't even add up to the number living in just Allegheny.

Now, this push comes just as Harrisburg is set to redraw congressional boundaries. Gerrymandering is bad enough as it is, but this is an invitation to seriously screw with the system by creating freakish district boundaries to further dilute the influence of Pennsylvania's majority party. Oh and don't expect relief from the state Supreme Court, which is in the hands of the GOP.

More here:

Nebraska and Maine already have the system the Pennsylvania GOP is pushing. But the two states' small electoral vote values mean it's actually mathematically impossible for a candidate to win the popular vote there but lose the electoral vote, says Akhil Reed Amar, a constitutional law professor at Yale University. Pennsylvania, however, is a different story: "It might be very likely to happen in [Pennsylvania], and that's what makes this something completely new under the sun," Amar says. "It's something that no previous legislature in America since the Civil War has ever had the audacity to impose."

Ever wonder why they're only pushing this in blue states, and not places like Texas? Oh, and why are Republicans in Nebraska backing a plan to return that state to winner take all?

What's That You Say?

2011-09-15T17:14:00.000-04:00

You'd think that the problems our legislators in Harrisburg have with corruption, highway and bridge repair, public school funding and shale gas extraction would leave them little time to indulge in silliness like this:

Two bills have been introduced in the Legislature to make English the "official" language of the Keystone State, meaning there no longer would be any state government pamphlets or publications printed in any other language.

The bills were introduced by Republicans, of course. Some of the rational given is patently absurd. Here's the sponser of House Bill 888, Scott Perry of York:

"How safe do you feel knowing you are driving your vehicle at 60 mph next to individuals operating vehicles up to 40 tons who have been licensed with minimal standards of English proficiency?

Ummm...they took a test to determine their eligibility for a CDL? What difference does it make if they took it in English or Spanish? How does the language of a test affect the ability to competently drive a truck? Street signs are fairly well standardized in the Americas, an ALTO sign and a STOP sign are both represented by red octagons and mean the same thing. Based on Mr. Perry's standards, US licensed drivers shouldn't be permitted to drive while in Mexico or Quebec.

Then, he gobbles his OTHER foot to the ankle:

"I question the state's right to force its taxpayers to subsidize ... elevated teaching costs and other elevation taxation costs ... for the sake of a minority of individuals" who don't speak English."

Because in Mr. Perry's little bubble of white privledge, no one other than English speakers pay taxes in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania I suppose, and heaven forbid we use TAXPAYER DOLLARS to educate someone!

Most of the complaints from these elected officials seem to revolve around printing costs of multiple forms, yet they have no problem using my tax dollars to constantly e-mail me "Legislative Newsletters" tooting their own horns. Given the realities of modern communication and computing power, along with the ubiquitousness of desktop computers in gubmint offices, if printing costs were such a concern why not just make all the forms available online, in a multitude of languages? If someone doesn't have intertube access they could always pick a copy up at a government office where they're available pre-printed today, but in the future could be printed up as needed by the staff when requested?

Listing the List

2011-09-15T17:02:00.001-04:00

I like this list. I like it quite a bit. Perhaps the people who keep coming to my door with their tracts and pamplets and books might read it?

Flying While Brown

2011-09-15T16:53:00.000-04:00

This is a must read story, and shows just how far we've descended into fear and paranoia thanks to the "Be afraid, be very afraid" crowd.

Back To Normal Soon

2011-09-08T10:20:00.002-04:00

I have the Irish Festival this weekend, and then should be back on a "normal" blogging schedule. Talk amongst yourselves.

Is Everyone In Harrisburg Corrupt??

2011-08-31T21:03:00.002-04:00

Sure seems like it.

"It was up to me to see that taxpayer funds were spent only for the betterment of the people of Pennsylvania, and not for my political benefit or that of my party. You had a right to expect better from me, and I am sorry that I let you down."

In other words, "I'm sorry that I got caught. Now what can I do to lessen my prison time?"

Orie Charged With Felonies

2011-08-30T17:09:00.000-04:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm really too busy to be blogging this week, but this story is huge.

State Sen. Jane Orie was arrested late Monday, nearly six months after a mistrial that was caused by the introduction of forged documents in her criminal trial, and has been charged with 16 new counts, including felony perjury, tampering with evidence, forgery and obstruction.
Ms. Orie, R-McCandless, was arraigned and released. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 7.
She had no comment.

I really don't have the time to do much on this, but Orie was orginally charged with the fairly mundane (and I'm pretty sure fairly common) practice of using her state paid legislative staff for campaign work. She's now looking at some pretty serious prison time if convicted.

You can read the affidavit of probable cause here and here.

Real Life

2011-08-29T13:50:00.001-04:00

Got a string of ten days working without a day off, and a major event in the middle of this run, so blogging will be lighter than usual for about 2 weeks.

Make Them Pay

2011-08-25T21:54:00.004-04:00

Its time to end the UPMC/Highmark dispute.

UPMC's president told state legislators this morning his institution would never negotiate a new contract with Highmark, the region's largest provider of health insurance.

"This is not a negotiating ploy but rather an inevitable decision dictated by the realities of competition," Jeffrey Romoff told about two dozen House members gathered at the Allegheny County Courthouse.

The deal-breaker was Highmark's announced plan to take over the West Penn Allegheny Health System, he said. That plan would make Highmark a direct competitor with UPMC, he said.

UPMC claims to be a non-profit. But by invoking "direct competition," UPMC head honcho Romoff admitted that UPMC is in it for profit. They've been trying to put WestPenn/Allegheny out of business for years to complete their monopoly on health care in the Pittsburgh region, and when on the verge of attaining that goal, they cannot stand the fact that Highmark came to the rescue.

The solution is very, very simple. Revoke UPMC's tax-exempt status, and make them start paying on their profits and property. THAT will bring them to the table.

Problem solved.

UPDATE 8/28: I'd forgotton that UPMC has its own insurance plan. Apparently, its OK for a hospital system to offer insurance, but not OK for an insurance plan to operate a hospital. Or something.

There is also this telling tidbit from the P-G article:

If UPMC goes through with its divorce with Highmark, steering policyholders to its new allies (and patients to its own hospitals), it could theoretically break the Highmark hold on the Pittsburgh commercial market.

Then, after the deals with Aetna, Cigna and the like expire in a few years, UPMC hospital system could lock those insurers out of its network, too, leaving UPMC Health Plan as the only game in town with access to its own hospitals.

"Jeff has made no secret that he wants it all," the former UPMC official said, speaking of UPMC's Mr. Romoff.

Uh-oh, hotels on Boardwalk and Park Place.

Chilling

2011-08-24T22:40:00.000-04:00

This is unbeliveable. It seems only members of the media are allowed to record public officials in a public forum. That is news to me.

Earthquake?

2011-08-24T06:21:00.001-04:00

I didn't feel a thing. Somewhat disappointed, yet glad I don't live somewhere more prone to shaking.

A Republican Making Sense???

2011-08-21T10:59:00.002-04:00

Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman:

"When we take a position that isn't willing to embrace evolution, when we take a position that basically runs counter to what 98 of 100 climate scientists have said, what the National Academy of Science has said about what is causing climate change and man's contribution to it, I think we find ourselves on the wrong side of science, and, therefore, in a losing position," Huntsman told ABC's "This Week."

Huntsman said he couldn't remember a time when "we actually were willing to shun science and become a party that was antithetical to science. I'm not sure that's good for our future and it's not a winning formula,"

With an attitude like that, he doesn't stand a chance in the teabagger and Christianist dominated G.O.P. primaries.

Really Now?

2011-08-19T17:29:00.000-04:00

Ummm, Ann?

"Liberals love mobs because rioting and anarchy are their path to power."

What about this?

New York Rep. John Sweeney told an aide to "Shut it down."[6][3] The demonstration turned violent, and according to the NY Times, "several people were trampled, punched or kicked when protesters tried to rush the doors outside the office of the Miami-Dade supervisor of elections.

Seems to me that somebody else's "path to power" was through rioting and anarchy. Projection: Its what Republicans do.

Wingnut Economics, Part I've Lost Count

2011-08-19T17:13:00.002-04:00

Florida's drug testing program for welfare recipients costs more money than it saves.

Under the rules of the program, the state must reimburse recipients who receive negative test results. The state paid about $1,140 for the 38 negative tests, while saving less than $240 a month by denying benefits over the two positive tests.

The cost to taxpayers could end up being significantly higher because the state expects to have to defend the law in court.

Of course, the real reason for this testing isn't to save money. Its purpose is to further degrade and dehumanize poor people.

A Good Return On Investment

2011-08-19T16:43:00.002-04:00

Natural gas extraction in the Commonwealth is up up up!!

Gas production continues to skyrocket in Pennsylvania, with the latest six-month figures showing a 60 percent increase in output for the commonwealth's Marcellus Shale wells.
The more than 1,600 Marcellus wells currently in production put out a total of 432 billion cubic feet of natural gas in the first six months of the year, according to the figures provided to the state Department of Environmental Protection by drilling companies.

432 billion cubic feet! That's a lot of natural gas! Gas is priced at around $4.12 for 1000 cubic feet at the wellhead, so the drillers in six months have produced gas worth $1,779,840,000 if my math is correct (432 billion divided by 1,000 multiplied by 4.12).

With a severance tax of 7.5% of market value, the same as assessed by Texas, that translates into $133,488,000 (using the wellhead price) dollars in revenue for the state! And that's just the 1600 Marcellus wells, there's over 52,000 producing gas wells in Pennsylvania.

Oh wait, we don't have a gas severance tax. Governor Corbett received over 1.6 million dollars in campaign contributions from the gas industry, and he's so far refused to enact a severance tax. Pretty good return on investment there, the Governor was purchased for 1.6 million, and the industry gained an additional profit of nearly $133.5 million as a result.

I'd have rather that money gone to improving education, mass transit, and roads, than in improving the bottom line.

Civil War Big Brother

2011-08-18T21:20:00.001-04:00

This. Is. Awesome.

What do you get when you lock up several war personalities in a house with cameras on them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and have them vote each week to expel each other? Zany shenanigans, expected problems and some surprises. Here's how it unfolded.

Day one.

The guests arrive. Forrest gets there first, with the most luggage. Sherman arrives last, delayed by burning houses all the houses on the South side of the street. McClellan, thinking there are already 450 people in the house, gives up and goes home.

End of Week One.

As expected Ben Butler is put out quickly. By making a general declaration that he was going to treat all the women as ladies of ill repute, plying their trade he made enemies of all the women and most of the men, except for Earl Van Dorn, Kilpatrick and Joe Hooker who were all for it.

He leaves quickly without saying good bye. The women celebrate by painting his likeness in the toilets, however the mood turns somber when they discover all the spoons in the house are missing.

Jubal Early leaves also when he is discovered writing disparaging grafitti about Longstreet in the bathroom which is punctuated by his rude remarks at the dinner table. Armistead bends a paper plate over his head, and his friend Hancock, not feeling that is enough, uses the microwave. When Ol' Jube wakes up in the E.R the eviction notice is beside him.

Week Two.

Mother Bickerdyke takes a hike. She receives eviction votes from everyone but Sherman, who she ranks. Her constant tantrums in the kitchen and attempts to keep the men in bed all day are too much for them to take. John Pope is discovered to be an intolerable drunk. His late night singing and picking a different persons bed to vomit and urinate on brings an eviction notice. When he is discovered passed out with his face in the commode Lee comments "His headquarters are where his Hindquarters should be."

The assignment of daily chores and the failure of members to pull their weight results in a triple eviction. The residents are outraged to see the weekly garbage truck pull away while the house's garbage is still piled up in the garage. After checking who is responsible the irate residents find the guilty trio... Fitz Lee, Tom Rosser and Pickett in the back yard barbecuing shad and drinking beer.

Week Three.

The guests are dropping like flies now. Kilpatrick, Van Dorn and Hooker are caught drilling a peep hole in the lady's shower. A traumatized Hooker spills the beans after Sally Preston and Mary Todd Lincoln switch shower times.

Forrest is finally gone too. He soundly thrashes Hood, but the sympathy for the crippled general outweighs the fact that he was in dire need of an arsewhupping. On the way out Forrest slaps Braggs Jaws... and makes him resent it.

Mary Todd Lincoln wears a bikini to the weekly Barbecue, an emergency session is held and she is gone with in minutes.

Week four.

A tragic week for Southerners. Stonewall Jackson, taking his nightly walk around the grounds is mistaken for a prowler and shot by a neighbor. His last words are "Let us cross over the swimming pool and rest in the shade of the patio."

The issue of doing chores and pulling ones weight rears its head again. Tasked with cutting the grass Jeb Stuart disappears on the riding mower. He returns after three days of joy riding around the neighborhood. Despite bringing a milk truck, pizza delivery van, ice cream truck and an ambulance back with him he is promptly booted.

John Bell Hood, totally looped from painkillers and trying to win back the affection of Sally Preston, crawls into bed with a totally unreceptive Mary Chestnut. All three are voted out. Hood for being a druggie, Sally for being an insufferable tease and Mary Chesnut for failing to perform, as Grant stated, "Her wenchly and patriotic duties." Noticing that Sally was only in the next bed Hood says while leaving " I should have gone to the right."

Week Five.

Sherman gets the axe. After over a month of civil behavior the pyromaniac trait in him cannot be controlled any longer. He sets fire to Braxton Bragg's eyebrows while he is passed out in a lawn chair. Bragg blames Longstreet, who threatens to call Forrest back to finish the arsewhupping he started. After an evening of drinking, singing and expressing their devotion to each other Armistead and Hancock are caught in a compromising position in the Jacuzzi. As they are leaving Lee questions Armistead about the bruises on his wrists, arms and thighs. Armistead responds "towards the end of the evening.. things got a little rough."

Week Six.

The tasking of chores brings about another loss in the number of houseguests. Longstreet, tasked with washing the breakfast dishes at 8 AM does not do them until 1:45 PM. Bragg is sent on an errand to the grocery store where he runs into Forrest who puts him in traction, effectively removing him from the house.

As expected the last two remaining Generals are the dogged Grant and the gentleman Lee.

Week Seven - the final episode.

Grant and Lee sit outside by the pool and decide that they enjoy staying out of the public and that they will milk the show for all its worth by simply not voting to evict each other. They shake hands and agree and return to go to the house... and find themselves locked out. A quick check of the revised rules reveals that anyone who spends more than six hours outside the house is automatically eliminated. The time passes by and despite their best efforts they cannot get inside. When the time is up the door opens and the two gentlemen's luggage comes flying out the door. The door is slammed shut and locked again. The disbelieving generals reluctantly pick up their bags and slowly walk away. Grant curses as he notices something is broken and leaking in his bag. As they get out of sight the curtains open up to reveal the winner.... the house's owner, Wilbur Mclean.

A Good Thing Indeed

2011-08-18T16:37:00.000-04:00

Apparently, they only thing that keeps Tom Coburn from indulging in violence and killing his fellow elected officials is gun control.

Quotation Of The Day

2011-08-17T16:55:00.001-04:00

Our quotation of the day comes from Sarah Jaffe via Amanda Marcotte at Pandagon:

“How the hell did we get into a world where workers making $60,000 are overpaid but CEOs making millions are overtaxed?”

Indeed. The tweet from Jaffe was a reaction to the strike at Verizon, and Jaffe's entire piece is well worth the read, especially the reaction of conservatives, who seem to think that wage earners aren't productive. I liked this part particularly well:

Now, the bigger idea behind this. The idea that somehow teachers, call center workers, janitors, secretaries, firefighters, and other so-called middle class workers are not “successful” or “productive”, and thus deserve to have their pay slashed, while millionaires are obviously making bank because they’re more “productive” than the rest of us. The idea that so many people seem to have accepted, that middle-class workers deserve to make less, even when we live in a capitalist economy predicated upon the idea that financial reward is the best and only incentive to do pretty much anything. The idea that only the ultra-rich do it for the money and need mega-compensation (and no taxes) while the rest of us work for the fun of it. The idea that workers daring to ask for a raise is slothful and wrong, while finance managers holding a gun to the head of the entire economy over a proposed regulation on their pay is just how business works.

Marcotte tells us that there is a name for the economic system we seem to be adopting in this country, thanks to the Randian freaks and Grover Norquest types:

There's really only one term for people who believe, as a matter of ideology, that a handful of people deserve to own everything and the rest of us should (be) living lives of endless work and squalor, with perhaps a slender class of people who get paid pretty handsomely to protect the interests of those who own everything: feudalists. That's the system that they're clearly advocating for, albeit in modern terms, where the billionaires and company owners are our kings, top executives are the knight class, and everyone else is a peasant who works to death, gets four hours off for church on Sunday, and needs to be grateful that his masters allow him that.

Turnabout

2011-08-15T17:34:00.000-04:00

A rather interesting perspective on the drive to slash Social Security benefits:

Bottom line, my vote is a pretty simple calculation: I’ll vote for whomever preserves my benefits the best (At present it happens to coinincide with the political ideology that most values science and reality which is sweet icing on the cake). If someone wants to steal my money to pay for dumbass wars and tax cuts that didn’t work, I’ll vote against them in a heartbeat. And if the choice is between the lesser of two evils, that’s an easy call for me. It ought to be an easy call for anyone.

That's a framing we ought to push!

Stop Coddling Me

2011-08-15T16:52:00.001-04:00

So says Berkshire Hathaway chairman and CEO Warren Buffett.

While the poor and middle class fight for us in Afghanistan, and while most Americans struggle to make ends meet, we mega-rich continue to get our extraordinary tax breaks. Some of us are investment managers who earn billions from our daily labors but are allowed to classify our income as “carried interest,” thereby getting a bargain 15 percent tax rate. Others own stock index futures for 10 minutes and have 60 percent of their gain taxed at 15 percent, as if they’d been long-term investors.

These and other blessings are showered upon us by legislators in Washington who feel compelled to protect us, much as if we were spotted owls or some other endangered species. It’s nice to have friends in high places.

Last year my federal tax bill — the income tax I paid, as well as payroll taxes paid by me and on my behalf — was $6,938,744. That sounds like a lot of money. But what I paid was only 17.4 percent of my taxable income — and that’s actually a lower percentage than was paid by any of the other 20 people in our office. Their tax burdens ranged from 33 percent to 41 percent and averaged 36 percent.
If you make money with money, as some of my super-rich friends do, your percentage may be a bit lower than mine. But if you earn money from a job, your percentage will surely exceed mine — most likely by a lot.

As they say, read the entire thing.

Corndog!

2011-08-13T13:42:00.001-04:00

Too funny to not share!

Say, What's That In Your Closet??

2011-08-12T17:36:00.000-04:00

Oh my!

"Cannot be a long time sugar daddy," the email reads, "but can for tonight. Would you be interested in keeping me company for a while tonight?"
The email offers "to make it worth (your) while" in cash, and offers a personal description: "I am an in shape married professional, 5'8", fit 170 lbs, and love getting and staying naked."

And of course, the guy is against same-sex marriage, although it appears he's willing to step outside his own marriage for a little man-on-man action.

Teabagger Stimulus!

2011-08-12T17:02:00.001-04:00

Judson Phillips of Tea Party Nation says we need more government stimulus spending!!!11!!

...what's amazing here, obviously, is that Mr Phillips is justifying building aircraft carriers because government spending creates jobs and stimulates the economy. And he's right about that! But it seems that there are no other things the government spends money on, apart from defence, that Mr Phillips believes can stimulate the economy. He appears to believe that while government spending on aircraft carriers leads to workers getting hired, spending their paychecks, and helping the recovery, government spending on highways, high-speed rail, education, and health care does not.

The tea-party movement has spent the past year arguing that stimulus doesn't work and cannot, by nature, create more jobs or economic activity. The idea that a major tea-party figure can turn around and make a bog-standard argument for defence spending on Keynesian grounds testifies to a startling capacity for cognitive dissonance.

The Door Opens

2011-08-08T19:34:00.001-04:00

Frankly, I see this as a buying opportunity.

Quotation of the Day

2011-08-08T16:57:00.000-04:00

Our occassional feature, your Quotation of the Day, comes to us from The Center For Economic and Policy Research, via A Spork In The Drawer:

Former Federal Reserve Board chair Alan Greenspan shared his wisdom on Face the Nation yesterday. His wise words were presented in the top of the hour news segment on Morning Edition.

Greenspan is best known for being unable to see the $8 trillion housing bubble, the collapse of which wrecked the economy. Given Greenspan's obviously limited understanding of economics, one wonders if Face the Nation and NPR were unable to find a street drunk to share their views.

Credibility, Chutzpah And Debt

2011-08-08T06:23:00.003-04:00

Krugman today:

...what makes America look unreliable isn’t budget math, it’s politics. And please, let’s not have the usual declarations that both sides are at fault. Our problems are almost entirely one-sided — specifically, they’re caused by the rise of an extremist right that is prepared to create repeated crises rather than give an inch on its demands.

The truth is that as far as the straight economics goes, America’s long-run fiscal problems shouldn’t be all that hard to fix. It’s true that an aging population and rising health care costs will, under current policies, push spending up faster than tax receipts. But the United States has far higher health costs than any other advanced country, and very low taxes by international standards. If we could move even part way toward international norms on both these fronts, our budget problems would be solved.

So why can’t we do that? Because we have a powerful political movement in this country that screamed “death panels” in the face of modest efforts to use Medicare funds more effectively, and preferred to risk financial catastrophe rather than agree to even a penny in additional revenues.

The real question facing America, even in purely fiscal terms, isn’t whether we’ll trim a trillion here or a trillion there from deficits. It is whether the extremists now blocking any kind of responsible policy can be defeated and marginalized.

I have nothing to add. That last paragraph encapsulates what I've been saying for years, only far more tactfully.

Gotta Love The Onion

2011-08-07T10:35:00.001-04:00

Now it all makes sense!

In order to deepen some holes in their lineup and increase their chances of a second-half collapse, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired first baseman Derrek Lee and outfielder Ryan Ludwick Sunday. “They’re both experienced losers who we’re hoping will come in here and help us surge right to the bottom of the NL Central,” Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said in a statement, adding that after six consecutive losses, the team is now poised to make a last-place run.

Taxman

2011-08-06T20:46:00.001-04:00

Spork:

It's worth remembering that nearly all of the airlines simply pocketed the "tax" they continued to collect.

Terrorist

2011-08-06T20:31:00.003-04:00

Mitch McConnell.

“I think some of our members may have thought the default issue was a hostage you might take a chance at shooting,” he said. “Most of us didn’t think that. What we did learn is this — it’s a hostage that’s worth ransoming..

Shooting hostages. Ransom. How can any reasonable American defend this party??? Republicans are terrorists. Why does the MSM treat the parties as two sides of the same coin? Clearly, one party (the GOP) is totally unreasonable, reactionary, and unpatriotic. If you're a member of that party and cannot stand the truth, well, that's your problem. You WILL be called out on this blog.

Quotation of the Day

2011-08-06T18:00:00.001-04:00

Ol' Dirty DougJ at Ballon Juice:

American exceptionalism is just an excuse to be stupid, to claim that it’s awesome to pay 16% of your GDP for shitty health care, to dream of tall buildings and missions to Mars, to worry that East Asians are laughing at us, to rock out to Lee Greenwood as we act as “the world’s policeman”. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?

Bubble Bubble

2011-08-06T13:44:00.002-04:00

I went to the farmer's market in Sewickley today, and bought 45 pounds of tomatos. It must be sauce making day! I also got 8 pounds of pickling cukes for kosher dills. Now, where did I put the canner?

Mission Accomplished!

2011-08-06T09:44:00.002-04:00

Way to go Teatards!

Tailspin

2011-08-05T06:18:00.002-04:00

I think that 19 inning loss in Atlanta broke them.

Hooverism

2011-08-04T17:25:00.001-04:00

1930:

Economic depression can not be cured by legislative action or executive pronouncement. Economic wounds must be healed by the action of the cells of the economic body--the producers and consumers themselves.

Teatarded Economics:FAA Style

2011-08-03T16:43:00.000-04:00

Hey, remember how I mentioned in the comments on another thread how thousands of people were laid off because Congress wouldn't extened the FAA's ability to collect various airline taxes and fees? Well, the dispute, centered on subsidies for rural air access, drags on.

See, the House wants to cut 16.5 million dollars in subsidies for rural air service. It is not cost-efficient for airlines to operate out of many of these smaller airports, so rural air service would not exist at all were it not for the subsidies. Republicans also included provisions into the extension making it harder for airport workers to unionize, by counting uncast ballots as "no" votes. If you applied that standard to political elections, no politician would ever win.

Without the ability to collect the taxes and fees, the FAA is losing 30 million dollars in revenue a day, or 13.5 million dollars more than what the subsidies cost for a year.

In addition, 4,000 FAA employees are no longer collecting paychecks, and construction projects (performed by and large by private contractors) are on hold, idling another 10,000 workers.

Austerity now!

Inconvienent Truths

2011-08-02T19:28:00.002-04:00

Republicans only care about spending and debt when there is a Democrat in power. Did you know they voted to raise the debt ceiling in every year but one of Bush's presidency??