– Make Pullman a National Park
– Bus Driver Appreciation Day is coming up.
– A hell of an uptick in campaign spending.
– Occupy West Seattle protesting Chase tomorrow.
– Hug Gate goes all the way up to the Queen of England.
– The Huskies deserved a spot.
David Horsey wrote a piece about “Game Changer”.
‘Game Change’ tells core truth about Sarah Palin and U.S. politics
One of the things which is interesting is the enterely new degree of craziness which manifests itself in the comment boards to Horsey’s articles in the L.A. Times. Some of it is probably Trolls assigned to accuse Horsey of bias every time he posts an article, but others are just, well, an entirely other degree of lunacy. They make ‘Klake” (a former troll here) sound rational by comparion, and admittedly hard thing to do.
The other thing I noticed is that Horsey’s link to his cartoon from 2008 doesn’t work, at least not on my browser (MS Explorer). I’m wondering if any others can see it. If not, I think that maybe Hearst might have complained and forced the L.A. Times to take down the cartoon – Hearst is/was the publisher of the Seattle P.I., whom Horsey worked for before moving recently to the L.A. Times.
By the way…
Does anyone really support Daylight Savings Time?
I’m not arguing that we shouldn’t get up earlier so that we have more daylight in the evening. But most of the people I work with have work schedules which change frequently. At least here on the West Coast, most companies allow employees to set schedules based on flex time.
Moreover, I have to work regularly with people overseas who don’t observe Daylight Savings Time, and don’t quite understand it. The most frequent comment I get is “If you want to get up earlier and go to bed earlier, why don’t you just do so? Do you really need for everyone to change the clock to make that happen?”
And if we MUST have Daylight Savings Time, could we at least time it to begin on the Sunday after the first day of spring, and end it on the Sunday after the first day of fall? At least that way everyone could remember when it occurs without having to look it up somewhere.
@3. Everyone knows that the Candy and Dentist Lobbies pushed the end of Daylight savings time to be after Halloween so that the little kids would have more time to get candy.
Interesting story, about how Japan’s history lessons regarding a Tsunami a thousand years ago saved the lives of almost everybody on an island during last year’s event.
Japan’s 1,000-year-old warning
Of course, we know little about what happened in the U.S. more than a thousand years ago. Here in the Pacific Northwest our recorded history (as opposed to native oral traditions) goes back about 210 years, as measured by Capt. George Vancouver’s voyage of exploration in the Pacific Northwest region.
But it does bring to mind the old maxim that “those who don’t study history are doomed to repeat it”.
Alabama and Mississippi – land of traditional, Christian family values..
Wow 60 percent reject evolution.. Nope, no way, no how is the heart of the Bible belt going to trust that non-biblical theory. Understandable.
And 45 percent believe Obama is a muslim.
41 percent are “not sure” of Obama’s religious leanings… Huh.. Could he be “Buddhist” like Tiger Woods?
http://www.dailykos.com/story/.....via=blog_1
OPPORTUNITY
Pass it on, a non partisan organization, is offering EVERYONE the opportunity to run for the Republican nomination!
Register here and pass it on!
Re: campaign spending: President Obama should diffuse the impact of Republican campaign spending by attacking it before it hits. Example:
In other words, create an evironment where their spending actually benefits you, and dare them to try it.
Rove understood that you should take his opponants strongest arguments and turn them against him, at least rendering them harmless in the process. We should learn from those lessons – except we should counter Republican strategy with the truth, not lies.
Examples of Rove’s election strategies over the years, as honed to a fine point in 2004:
*In an Alabama Supreme Court election, the incumbent had a long history of supporting charities for disadvantaged children. Rove started a whispering campaign to the effect that the justice was a child abuser who used his charity to troll for children. Then whenever pictures were published of the justice working with his charity’s children, they took on a sinister meaning in the eyes of many voters.
*In 2004 Rove had to face the discrepency between Kerry’s military career and Bush’s less-than auspicious service in the Texas Air national Guard. Rove put together the Swift Vote hit-team to attack Kerry’s war record. They alleged that Kerry’s medals were falsly awarded, etc., making every mention of his service “a subject of debate”.
* Also in 2004, the document used in the 60 Minutes piece about Bush’s record turned out to be a forgery. After that, no one dared bring up Bush’s military service again.
Figures that the guy backing this nonsense is a stogy white guy and a buddy of Scott Walker’s.
Just saw this list of Obama accomplishments:
And that seems partial to me. Say what you will about all that, that’s NOT a do-nothing Presidency.
Another four years of Obama may or may not improve upon that list but give the Republicans everything they want in November, they WILL undo all that in a heartbeat out of withering, unhinged hatred of Barack Obama and the coalition that took him to the White House.
Can we please get the F*CK out of Afghanistan….NOW?!?
@8 “Grothman isn’t just some fringe nut-job. He’s the assistant majority leader and a staunch ally of Gov. Scott Walker.”
That paragraph, of course, is a contradiction. It just happens that the asylum that is Wisconsin’s government has been more thoroughly taken over by the inmates than the corresponding asylums in other states. So far, at least…
Censoring of Doonesbury:
Can we compile, and circulate, a list of the papers in this state that have censored Doonesbury this week. The Skagit Valley Herald is printing reruns, without saying they are doing that or why. If you want to see the current strips, go to doonesbury.com . So here’s the start of the list:
Skagit Valley Herald
Just saw this other list of Obama’s accomplishments:
Deaths in Afghanistan..
2009-521
2010-711
2011-566
2012-68
Recent polls have shown the majority of the American people want the troops brought home and feel the war is not worth fighting..
Billions are being wasted. And now we have an American soldier slaughtering women and children.
Hey President Obama, isn’t it about time you stopped playing the warmonger?
@13 Upton 03/12/2012 at 11:19 am,
I don’t think Obama is or is playing warmonger.
I do think that this sh*t won’t stop without us letting our reps know it is past time to get out.
Afghanistan Is Turning from a War to a Madhouse
By Charles P. Pierce
Let your reps know that our men and women in uniform have done all that can be done and it is time to bring them home.
@10 I don’t think Afghan women want the Taliban back, and I suspect a lot of Afghan men don’t want them either, but how can you bring a backward tribe like the U.S. military in the 21st century?
http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=.....cebook.cnn
Is today the best day to mention Bus Driver Appreciation Day?
I think this weeken’s shootings in Afganistan were inevitable, unfortunately. You put lots of men with deadly weapons in a hostile environment, and eventually somebody’s going to go crazy. I understand this was the suspect’s fourth tour of duty, although his first in Afganistan (were the other three in Iraq?)
Add to that the cultural confusion (difficulty in young Americans understanding or respecting Afganistan culture, religion, etc.), and the more time passes, the worse we look as occupiers.
After the Iraqi military was defeated, I figured we had sixty to ninety days to declare victory, install a government, and get out, if we wanted to NOT look like a hostile occupying force. But the Bush administration wanted to use Iraq as the proving-ground that Republicans can accomplish nation-building – in the Republican image – and committed us to years of warfare. In addition, they proved incredible naive with respect to the number of forces on the ground required to sieze and guard Iraqi arms depots and other vital sites, as well as being hoodwinked by Iraqi expatriots who convinced them that they could lead Iraq despite having no base of support there.
Yes, it’s time to get out of Afganistan, the sooner the better. We killed Osama Bin Laden. The longer we stay there the more new terrorists we create in our wake.
Censorship Or Regulation?
This opinion says Limbaugh should be kicked off the public airwaves.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/10/.....index.html
This opinion says he shouldn’t.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/12/.....index.html
Broadcast airwaves are public property. The FCC clearly has authority to regulate their use; for example, you need a license to broadcast on a given wavelength, and the government can preempt licensees to take over the airwaves in a public emergency.
Many people will argue that any attempt to regulate broadcast content collides with the First Amendment. However, the First Amendment does not protect all speech. For example, you cannot yell “fire” in a crowded theater; and members of the U.S. military cannot denigrate the commander-in-chief, even in political speech.
Republicans, who controlled both houses of the 109th Congress, had no qualms about regulating broadcast content when they passed the “Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005” in the wake of the Janet Jackson incident, and a Republican president signed it. This bill increased the penalties the FCC could impose for violating existing prohibitions on “obscene, indecent, or profane” broadcast content. Upon signing the bill, President George W. Bush said it would “help American parents by making broadcast television and radio more family-friendly.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B.....ct_of_2005
Now ask yourself how “family-friendly” this speech is:
“[T]he misogyny Rush Limbaugh spewed for three days over Sandra Fluke was not much worse than his regular broadcast of sexist, racist and homophobic hate speech:
“– Female Cabinet members are ‘Sex-retaries.’
“– ‘The NAACP should have riot rehearsal. They should get a liquor store and practice robberies.’
“– The National Organization for Women is ‘a bunch of whores to liberalism.’
“– [Said to an African-American female caller]: ‘Take that bone out of your nose and call me back.'”
http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/10/.....index.html
So how far should the FCC go in regulating broadcast speech that is not “in the public interest” (and does anyone want to defend the above remarks, or Limbaugh’s vile attacks on Sandra Fluke, as being “in the public interest”)?
I’m not sure I know the answer to that question. I’m waiting to hear what the Republican prudes who would protect our kids from Janet Jackson’s nipple ring with $550,000 fines would say about whether our kids should be allowed to hear content in Limbaugh’s show that is sexist, racist, homophobic, and character assassination, with no redeeming social value.
@16 Any day and every day works for that.
Well, this is NOT good news dept.:
A bus overturned near Quincy, Washington, injuring 39 students, with three students at area hospitals in serious condition.
Washington State School Bus Rolls Over
It’s just a matter of time before rightwing nutjobs begin hating on bus drivers because (a) public transportation is SO-SHUL-ISM and (b) the poor don’t deserve to ride to work; if they can’t afford a downtown parking garage and a Porsche or Ferrari to park in it, they should be made to walk.
@21
If the driver refuses a sobriety test and his union steward steps forward to defend him ’cause it’s a disease and it’s genetic, can we start then?
And haven’t I seen graphs around HA about how much more it costs to educate those flyover people in the middle and eastern parts of the state because of all of that bus transport cost to get the kids to school? You should be howling about how this wouldn’t happen if we didn’t have to spend so much on bus transportation for kids of parents that don’t vote the way you do.
@12 The Los Angeles Times has chosen to deal with the “issue” of Doonesbury’s content this week by running it in the editorial pages, repeating older strips in the funnies, and including a prominent front-page explanation in both their dead-trees and online editions. Fairview Fannie–er, excuse me, the Dowager of Denny Way–would sometimes do this in the past when Mr. Trudeau’s work struck more than the usual number of nerves, back when Uncle Frank wasn’t quite the cranky old curmudgeon he is now.
# 22: I don’t know about this school district, but most of them in Washington state out-source their school bus duties to private companies. Few are union shops, so no union stewards, etc.
@24
Noted.
Another item for “society rewards the 1% just because…” file:
Citicorp chairman Vikram Pandit correctly read the tea leaves and decided to take a $1.00 per year payday in 2009 and 2010. Citicorp lost of ton of money in 2009, and in 2011 it paid hefty fines to the government for unlawful mortgage lending practices which occured while Pandit was chairman. But now he gets a raise – %15 million, to be precise.
Sure, spread over three years, it’s only enough for a dozen or so of us to retire on.
But to put it really in perspective, remember that if WE had been in charge of a lowly department within a major bank and the government had fined us for regulatory violations, WE would have been thrown under the bus – no job, no pay, no health recommendations, and a lousy job reference.
But the 1% get treated differently – for some reason.
Where are the Republicans, who like to howl about “personal responsibility”?
“The Huskies deserved a spot.”
Uh, no. Any team that got smoked at home by South Dakota State shouldn’t be in the Big Dance. And losing in the PAC-12 Tournament to a team whose only claim to fame is being coached by the First Brother-In-Law doesn’t help. Quite simply, the PAC-12 is a terrible basketball conference, and bringing in Utah and Colorado only reinforces my opinion that the PAC messed up in bringing those schools into the fold in the first place, and that they should’ve brought in Nevada and UNLV instead.
And here’s a quick NIT breakdown: Washington will lose in the quarterfinals to either Oregon or Dayton, and my NIT favorites are Drexel and Nevada. Those two will make it to NYC, and the winner of their semifinal will win the NIT.
@22 Well, that didn’t take long, did it?
@26:
“But to put it really in perspective, remember that if WE had been in charge of a lowly department within a major bank and the government had fined us for regulatory violations, WE would have been thrown under the bus – no job, no pay, no health recommendations, and a lousy job reference.”
A US president overseeing the disaster of the past three years would ordinarily be deposed, as well. To put it really in perspective.
http://freebeacon.com/the-amaz.....democrats/
@12
The Spokane paper is censoring it.
I believe he’s trying to arrange things in Afghanistan so that it never again becomes a base camp for Islamist asymmetrical warfare.
Lately they’ve been screwing that up royally.
So yeah – declare victory and come home.
@18
You can say whatever you want on cable, the internet, in print, or on satellite radio. But, broadcast media comes with strings attached. Personally, I’m more concerned with Rush’s ties to the Republican Party and is campaigning for them than I am about his potty mouth.
@12
As long as people are going to doonesbury.com, this is a featured video on his home page:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....r_embedded
Seriously worth a listen.
See, right-wingers CAN add productively to a discussion.
29 – zzzZZZzzzzz…
Here’s the bikini graph for the clueless Bob:
http://www.politicsplus.org/bl.....aved-jobs/
No, Bush had nothing like the brown mess on the left side of the graph to deal with in 2001/2002.
And because of that brown mess??? The 8 years of the Bush Presidency yielded ZERO net jobs.
Damn guys what’s with the time change?
Too hard to add an ntpd service to your VPS?
rhp6033 asked:
Does anyone really support Daylight Savings Time?
I say let’s just move the clocks back 30 minutes in November and never mess with it again. On average, that will accomplish all the stuff this Daylight Saving Time is supposed to accomplish and make a permanent change we can all live with.
@17 “You put lots of men with deadly weapons in a hostile environment, and eventually somebody’s going to go crazy.”
I don’t think we’re talking about “men”.
@29 You really need to get your facts straighter than that, bob.
No they dont.
Wow. I listened to the two conservative AM talk radio stations on the drive home for a few minutes. The memo went out to defend Rush in every way possible, and dredge up every instance of anyone even slightly liberal that said anything mean about a conservative woman. And because someone said something on cable, that should give rush a pass and he should suffer no consequences for what he said. And therefore any liberal who has not destroyed the previous previous, HAS NO RIGHT to criticize rush.
spin…spin…spin….
@40
who really gives a flying fuck about rush or what he said…I swear, people get all worked up over the stupidest shit.
anybody who listens to talk radio the extent that it ruffles their feathers are just losers. period.
bunch of pussies – if you dont like Rush, or Madcow, or “insert name here”, then turn on some mother fucking music and get a life.
Oh about 100 sponsors and climbing.
Oh my the racist sounds a bit pissed.. Must be the “independent” in him.
The Olympian, I note with a total lack of surprise, also took the coward’s way out with Doonesbury this week.
wrong again, bleeder boy.
pissed? LMFAO, im just laughing all you pathetic politico girly-men who listen to talk radio…there is a reason you dont get laid, even by your old ladies…maybe you can put two and two together.
I dont care if rush loses all his sponsors and goes defunct – makes no diff to me.
@22,24,39
From Quincy’s School District’s website:
@22
Look harder. We’ve talked about that and about consolidation of rural school districts.
Heh. 98 and climbing – read it and weep
http://www.politico.com/blogs/.....17027.html
You asked “who gives a fuck” – the people YOU value the most, the ones with the green..
They don’t want to suffer for sponsoring a talk radio moron who verbally abuses women.
Sorry stupid.
Miserable trolls like maximus asshat fart from time to time about Obama’s use of the teleprompter..
Heh.
The most dumbass racist piece of shoe mess ever to haunt these threads, the asshat troll, asks “who gives a fuck” what Rush Limbaugh says?
Heh..
141 corporations “give a fuck”..
http://pinterest.com/thinkprog.....-limbaugh/
I guess they must be “progressive lemmings” to be voting with their feet and their dollars. Wal-Mart – what a “lemming” that outfit is!
Poor ignorant maximus asshat.
44. Bruce Wayne spews: if you dont like Rush,…, then turn on some mother fucking music and get a life.
So in other words, it’s perfectly OK for him for rush to verbally savage a woman for three days to a national audience.
maher called palin a cunt and obama took $1 million from him.
limbaugh was right on in making his point about taxpayers paying for that gal to have sex, but he shouldn’t have name called.
re 51:But Maher didn’t try to tell her what to do with it or ask for any special viewing favors because taxpayer money was being used to transport that ‘thing’ around the country to run for vice president.
If the government is going to fly Sarah Palin’s ‘thing’ around the country at MY EXPENSE, then I want to see it in action.
re 51:But Maher didn’t try to tell her what to do with it or ask for any special viewing favors because taxpayer money was being used to transport that ‘thing’ around the country to run for vice president.
If the government is going to fly Sarah Palin’s ‘thing’ around the country at MY EXPENSE, then I want to see it in action.
Calling her a c**t was simply a value judgement on her character.
so what’s the difference between calling Palin a C**t and limbaugh calling that sexually promiscuous gal a slut?
Aren’t both value judgments on character dorky?