SOTU 2016

Some faves:
(about 14:00) 

"It's not too much of a stretch to say that some of the only people in America who're going to work the same job in the same place with a health and retirement package for 30 years are sitting in this chamber."

(about 18:50)

"But after years now of record corporate profit, working families won't get more opportunity or bigger paychecks just by letting big banks or big oil or hedge funds make their own rules at everybody else's expense." 

(about 22:00) Talking about innovation and research. He's trying to reassert government's proper roll in pushing for progress while trying to keep the privateers and the rentiers from controlling the mechanisms of that progress solely for the sake of corporate profit.

(starting about 30:00) Let's go back to being the smart country when it comes to what we do about terrorism.  Let's not help the bad guys by repeating their rhetoric about how big and bad they are, and how they're coming to fucking destroy America. Basically - "Stop losing your shit all the fucking time."   These are bad guys and they "have to be rooted out, hunted down and destroyed", but stop saying that a buncha slavering fanatics charging around in a used Toyota pickup is somehow the equivalent of any random squad of US Marines - why do you not understand how insulting that is to the troops you claim to have the highest regard for?  Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you people? 

NeoLib uh-oh:
(about 17:00)  - This one sounds like he's selling an investment plan for Wall Street - but it ties into the remarks on not letting the too-big-to-fail gang play by their own rules - he's going for that famous "Obama in the middle" thing(?)

"(on a guy losing his job)...he should still be able to save for retirement  and take his savings with him."

Full remarks: Watch @POTUS deliver his final State of the Union address. #SOTU https://t.co/AOyWjdFk4O

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 13, 2016

It was a good one to go out on. I wonder how long before the Repubs get their strategies in place for what to do now.  Gov Haley's "response" seemed to hold some interesting weirdness.  I'll try to get to that later.

Today's Pix

(click a pic)

Homemade Fail

hat tip = FB pal RM

Today's Style Element

A car full of Irish nuns is sitting at a traffic light in downtown Dublin, when a bunch of rowdy drunks pull up alongside of them.

"Hey, show us yer tits, ya bloody penguins!" shouts one of the drunks.

Quite shocked, Mother Superior turns to Sister Mary Immaculata and says, "I don't think they know who we are; show them your cross."

Sister Mary Immaculata rolls down her window and shouts, "Piss off, ya fookin' little wankers, before I come over there and rip yer balls off!"

Sister Mary Immaculata then rolls up her window, looks back at Mother Superior, quite innocently, and asks, "Did that sound cross enough?

Your vs You're 

- or - 

The Apostrophe Is Our Friend

Whose Side Are You On?

Take the quiz and find out who your candidate is.

I wonder why I'm not surprised.

Today In Y'all Qaeda Land

Here's a pretty good look at the latest Wingnut Clusterfuck going on in Oregon, from Al Jazeera:

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2016/01/oregon-standoff-160111172301780.html

hat tip = FB friend DR

Yes, it's Al Jazeera.  And yes, it's biased.  And yes, we have to get used to the fact that nobody's really doing good journalism anymore, so we have to be able to sort thru the shit on our own.

And here's a related bit from Raw Story:

The Bundys have voiced support for a variety of right-wing fringe ideas, particularly the “posse comitatus” notion that no legitimate governments exist above the county level, and they believe in no higher law authority than the county sheriff.

However, posse members have embedded an implicit threat in their belief system.

If the sheriff violates his oath of office, as determined by the right-wing extremists themselves, “he shall be removed by the posse to the most populated intersection of streets in the township and at high noon be hung by the neck, the body remaining until sundown as an example to those who would subvert the law.”

The main point here is that there's not a dime's worth of difference between what these jagoffs are doing in places like Oregon and what their counterpart jagoffs are doing in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.

Jagoff is as jagoff does, Forrest.

Today's Tweet

Obama's job-killing policies a complete failure, reports Fox News, as US posts best 2 years of job growth since '90s pic.twitter.com/8mGhpojjtD

— The Daily Edge (@TheDailyEdge) January 11, 2016

Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind

Part 1 from The Real News Network

hat tip = FB buddy DR

The safety gizmo was found to be malfunctioning during an inspection in 1976 - the last time this site was inspected - and it was removed in 1979.

No safety inspections in very nearly 40 years. A safety valve that prob'ly would have prevented the thing from leaking for these last 4 months - but hey, we'll just go on about our bidness because the market will make any necessary corrections all in good time, and only some libtard who hates anybody trying to make a living would think anything might actually go wrong. 

This fits nicely into my take on the GOP Playbook.

1) Fuck up the EPA - cut funding, block appointments, harass in general

2) Wait for an environmental disaster

3) Point at it and say, "The EPA's all fucked up; their job-killing business-hostile regulations were supposed to make sure this didn't happen. The EPA is useless. Let's get rid of the EPA"

Today's Pix

(click the pic)

Movies We'd Like To See

via American News X on FB #BundySnackMovieTitles pic.twitter.com/9IxhwGc2r3

— Mike Roberts (@EvilleMike) January 9, 2016

Tweets

Somebody started a trend called #BundySnackMovieTitles

#BundySnackMovieTitles Rebel Without A Twinkie

— stephanie maguire (@stephaniemagui4) January 9, 2016

Silence of the Yams #BundySnackMovieTitles

— Tengrain (@Tengrain) January 8, 2016

Small Diet On The Western Front #BundySnackMovieTitles

— Shoq (@Shoq) January 8, 2016

#BundySnackMovieTitles The Green Burritos

— JerryB (@BangingChains) January 8, 2016

Dude Where's My Carbs? #BundySnackMovieTitles

— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) January 9, 2016

@mtaibbi #BundySnackMovieTitles No Country for Old Crackers

— Patrick Fenner (@PatrickFenner2) January 8, 2016

Poverty Is Expensive

Everybody's Fave

Never Waste A Good Crisis

Raw Story

As the militia stand-off in Oregon comes up on one week, speculation turns to the financial resources that allow men to up and leave their jobs — reportedly for however long it takes — to take an uninvited stand for freedom in an empty bird sanctuary.

According to experts who study right-wing movements, militia members barely get by, with some living on government disability checks and the earnings of their neglected wives.

In an interview with The Oregonian, Mark Pitcavage, who has studied far-right movements for 22 years, said most militia members live hand to mouth.

“These guys are broke,” he said. “Right-wing extremists, generally speaking, have very little money.”

While some members have brought their wives and children with them — leading to dissension within the ranks — others may have to cut out early before leader Ammon Bundy declares victory and heads home to Nevada.

“It’s quite possible that a lot of them will get tired and feel the pressure to go back and care for their families,” Pitcavage explained.

The extended stay at the national bird refuge in the dead of winter has already cost one militia member his job.

Jason Patrick, of Georgia, claims he lost his $80,000-a-year roofing job — with benefits and a company truck — because he took off without notice and had already used up his vacation days attending other Patriot-inspired events.

So I'm wondering - if we include a Y'allQaeda Allowance Clause, would the GOP finally be willing to move forward on some decent legislation for Medical and Family Leave?

Yesterday's News

"Big" story at WaPo yesterday about Jim Webb starting to take a step or two tentatively to see if maybe he should contemplate considering a possible try to investigate whether or not he should maybe run for POTUS as an independent.

“After weeks of study, including consultations with ballot experts and independent activists across the country, we have a handle on what it takes to give voters in every state a real choice,” Webb spokesman Craig Crawford said in a statement. Jones, he said, would help with the next step: “How to pay for it.”

And the "who gives a fuck" silence was deafening.

It's good to have guys out there making some noise about how fucked up the system is right now, so I have no problem with this on its face.  But when you have people running the operation who're basically in the Business Of Politics, trying to position yourself as the guy who wants to take the business out of politics makes you look a little silly.

I dunno how else it gets done or who's supposed to do it, BTW - the only people voting in favor of Women's Suffrage were men (eg) - so maybe it's just that Jim Webb really doesn't strike me as the guy to pull it off.  Or maybe it's because I'm a little suspicious when it comes to ex-military people wanting to make changes to, and asking to be put in charge of a government that's supposed to be civilian-centered.

We have to figure out ways to get together and work the problem, but we also have to keep in mind: 

"Distrust and caution are the parents of security." --Ben Franklin

Dangerously Silly

From Matt Taibbi at Rolling Stone

The Bundy militiamen are like a Black September version of an Iron John forest retreat: a bunch of weepy middle-aged guys who dressed up in crisply pressed outdoorswear and took over a bird sanctuary so they could play outlaw for a few days while they "worked on themselves."

They gathered around a bonfire (there really was a bonfire) and presumably engaged in Robert Bly-style mythopoetic healing, getting back to their manly roots by stroking their rifles, wearing camo undies, and complaining about all the wrongs done to them by women/the federal government/wild birds/whoever.
About the camo: yes, the following actually happened. One of the militiamen, Melvin Lee, posted a video on Facebook (these guys are on social media more than most teenagers) where he complained about the popular misconceptions of the movement. "There's nobody in camouflage," said Lee, who was wearing a camouflage jacket. "Well, except for my jacket."

And yes, it did happen that Ritzheimer, who did remember to bring his paperback copy of the Constitution, actually sent out a tweet asking for care packages for things his compadres forgot to pack for their armed dude-seminar. They asked for socks, snacks, energy drinks (!), equipment for cold weather, snow camo, and "gear."

This was after Bundy had told reporters that the group was prepared to stay for "years" and had enough supplies to see them through. "We have food planned and prepared," he said.

What Joe Said

Vice President Joe Biden explains how President Obama's executive actions really don't violate the Second Amendment https://t.co/zitGm9TAoN

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 7, 2016

Today's Tweet

Nice try. Rosa Parks didn't hijack a bus with an assault rifle because she didn't want to pay the bus fare. @Ammon_Bundy

— Matthew Chapman (@fawfulfan) January 6, 2016

And - just throwing in this little extra bit:

The fact that Ammond Bundy wasn't immediately incinerated by several bolts of lightning as he was comparing himself with Rosa Parks proves to my satisfaction that there is no god.

Letters Home

It's pretty rough up there right now for the Y'allQaeda fellers.

hat tip = Mock Paper Scissors

Today's Tweet

BREAKING: Republicans Pass Repeal That Strips Healthcare From Millions GOP Voters https://t.co/dWfqgGzk2U #Obamacare pic.twitter.com/lFBS4zZIBO

— The Baxter Bean (@TheBaxterBean) January 6, 2016