Rape and Order

February 4th, 2012

In case you ever wondered why there is so much body building equipment in American prisons:

After asking around, and performing some calculations, the Justice Department came up with a new number: 216,000. That’s 216,000 victims, not instances. These victims are often assaulted [raped] multiple times over the course of the year.

The Republican Party is hell-bent-for-leather eager to privatize prisons. The private business prisons are hell-bent-for-leather eager to send more criminals to private prison.

Twelve years ago, back when I was still a Republican I asked This American Life if I could have a copy of their Broadcast on prison life to reproduce and send out to my fellow Republicans before the next Republican precinct caucus. They gave me a thumbs up and sent me the tape but I never reproduced it or followed through. I’d recommend listening to it here. The segment on Cablock is so funny you’ll get a hernia laughing at it. You’ll also get excellent advice about how to prepare to be gang raped in prison. Its quite graphic.

Hot Dam! I should be elected to Congress for a couple years.

“I ain’t much of a hand at makin’ speeches”

February 4th, 2012

Thinking about Israel’s starting a war with Iran kept me up for an hour stewing about the stupidity of our pit bull in the Middle East.

Israel, “tiny and defenseless” stole the technology to build thermo-nuclear bombs from us decades ago and have been the only Middle Eastern nation with them ever since. We looked the other way as we still do when they “borrow” our military technology. I think its foolish or even suicidal to look at tiny, land hungry Israel as a victim of its geography.

Today Republican neocons are salivating at the Israeli threats to bomb Iranian nuclear sites that might allow Iran to join the growing nuclear bomb club. I’m with Ron Paul on this. Iran’s having the bomb is not terribly worrisome. Its far less troubling than the spread of nuclear materials with the fall of the Soviet Union. I think Iran has every right as a sovereign nation to build a bomb although I’m with NATO and President Obama on putting an economic tourniquet on Iran should it proceed with such development.

Israel’s threats to Iran are really a threat to drag America into a war they want to start. The Israeli political party Likud is like our Republican Party squared when it comes to deranged international politics. Israeli neocons are terrified of the democracy movements spreading across the Middle East. They loved the autocratic and dictatorial world that used to surround them. They know that bombing Iran will unite the democracy movements of the Arab world with Iran and they would be happy as clams to suck the US into an international nightmare that makes Iraq and Afghanistan look like a picnic.

Why would they do it? To make sure President Obama is not reelected. At least that’s my guess although it is surely more complicated than that. Dr. Strangelove must have been cloned recently to advise them.

From the movie’s dialogue:

Well, boys, I reckon this is it – nuclear combat toe to toe with the Roosskies. Now look, boys, I ain’t much of a hand at makin’ speeches, but I got a pretty fair idea that something doggone important is goin’ on back there. And I got a fair idea the kinda personal emotions that some of you fellas may be thinkin’. Heck, I reckon you wouldn’t even be human bein’s if you didn’t have some pretty strong personal feelin’s about nuclear combat. I want you to remember one thing, the folks back home is a-countin’ on you and by golly, we ain’t about to let ‘em down. I tell you something else, if this thing turns out to be half as important as I figure it just might be, I’d say that you’re all in line for some important promotions and personal citations when this thing’s over with. That goes for ever’ last one of you regardless of your race, color or your creed. Now let’s get this thing on the hump – we got some flyin’ to do.

I’d like one of the namby-pambies who are challenging Cravaack to comment on foreign policy before Major Kong rides his mount out of the bomb bay door.

Word Search of the Day

February 4th, 2012

I knew this would happen. I’m a little casual about proofing my blog posts and I just knew I’d find some word of the day posts with misspellings. Here’s the first one. Chutzpah.

I was shocked not to find it when I put it in the search function. So I tried chutzpa. Sure enough, that’s how I’ve spelled it at least twice in the past. As Sesame Street’s Grover would say, “I’m sooo embarrassed.” Its even worse since I just twitted Sarah Palin for mispronouncing the word. (If your Yiddish you drop the c)

Hey, I’m a much better pronouncer than a speller. In fact, for better than a decade I’ve been the “pronouncer” at our regional spelling bee. Sadly, I’ve not been invited back to do the honors again this year.

Your word is disappointed as in, “The long time spelling bee pronouncer was disappointed not to be invited back to go through the dictionary once again. Disappointed.

Heading Home

February 4th, 2012

After a blissful week in Florida basking in the political ill will and enjoying mostly warm, dry weather we’re heading home to a tarp littered house where plastering and painting are transforming the interior. There should be another week of painting left to do. I’m not looking forward to that but I’ve also got two little grandsons who have missed me and the feeling is mutual.

My daughter texted Claudia the other da,y after she drove the boys past our house, and told us she informed them that tomorrow (today) Papaw and Grandma were coming home to which wild cheers erupted in her car. That’s how I feel too.

Florida has been in the grip of one of its driest Januarys ever just as Minnesota has been in the grip of one of its warmest. In fact, it will almost feel like Florida when we return home today. No need for me to worry about having left my winter coat in the car at the airport.

My eight loyal readers got a bit more blogging from me while I was away breathing in all of Florida’s political fairy dust. It has been my intention for a couple months to lay off the time consuming blogging to work on my book. However, my book writing has been on holiday with me. I’ve left the computer at our Florida residence while we visited in-laws during the day and only blogged in the early morning or late evening hours.

I might blog a bit on Monday and Tuesday to whip up interest in the Tuesday caucuses in Minnesota. I want my eight loyal readers to consider going to their precinct meetings and become delegates to later DFL conventions where they would have the chance to support me should I offer myself up as Barney Frank-like candidate for the Congressional nomination. Gosh, at least I’d be interesting. The email messages I get from the announced candidates are so bland they make vanilla pudding taste piquant. The GOP has Gingrich, Palin, Trump, Cain and a cavalcade of other eccentric candidates who its almost impossible to take one’s eyes off of. Nolan, Clark, Anderson…….I don’t think so. Remember Wellstone? The DFL could use a little chutzpah. (Its pronounced with a ch beginning if you are Palin) Oooh neat. Now I’ve got another word for the day.

Well, anyhoo, I hope to get back to writing soon and hope to post more bookin it posts. Once I’m at the airport today I’ll start wading through an inch thick set up interview notes from the past six years. I’m sure I’ll rediscover a lot of lost gems that will encourage me to take my fingers to the word processor.

Ouch!

February 3rd, 2012

Maybe we should make it hard for the middle class to vote too, not just the poor!

No wonder Trump has switched over for Mitt.

My Buddy sends me another global warming story…

February 3rd, 2012

…that suggests I’m right about its having two triggers.

Liberals may especially enjoy the embedded link within this page to a story about how right wing politics and intelligence correlate. BTW I didn’t read it.

Word Search of the Day

February 3rd, 2012

Mutual Admiration

Mutual Admiration Society reprised

February 3rd, 2012

A monkey on his back?

In an interview with CNN last April, Trump dismissed Romney as a “small business guy” and suggested Bain Capital, the venture capital firm where Romney made his millions, had bankrupted companies and destroyed jobs.

“He’d buy companies, he’d close companies, he’d get rid of jobs,” Trump said.

The Republican Platform

February 2nd, 2012

Its better that millions of legitimate voters be denied a relatively convenient opportunity to vote than risk a few hundred or a few thousand people voting fraudulently.

Ornitological correction

February 2nd, 2012

Watchful birders will have noticed my misidentification in this post.
The smaller hectoring birds were mockingbirds not bluejays. The bluejays in the backyard were first to harass the hawk (two hawks actually) but by the time one of the hawks (a red shoulder I think) landed in the cypress tree it was a pair of Mockers that set to work driving them out.

Happy Ground Hog Day

February 2nd, 2012

Also my favorite movie:

Rick Nolan’s email uses spaces between paragraphs

February 2nd, 2012

Nice short paragraphs:

Rick Nolan for Congress Dear Harry,

I have been traveling the Eighth Congressional District for over seven months now talking with our neighbors about the direction of this country, and one thing has been made clear, Washington is not listening! 

We need to change the way we do politics in this country. When politicians would rather stand up for millionaires, billionaires and special interests than for the citizens they represent Read the rest of this entry »

Tarryl Clark emails “from the trail”

February 2nd, 2012

Too bad Tarryl got manhandled by Michelle Bachmann…….sorry, not the best choice of words:
 

Dear friend,
I wanted to take a moment to give you an update from the campaign trail. Running for Congress isn’t easy, but the best part about it is that I get to hear from so many different people from all across our region about their families, their communities, and their dreams for the future. 
In just the last two weeks, we were in Duluth, Chisholm, Ely, Finland, Eveleth, Hill City, Tower, Grand Rapids, Hinckley, Two Harbors, Virginia, Hibbing, and Milaca and in every one of these places we had great conversations about the priorities that need to be taken back to Washington.  
Just one example is a conversation I had about our education needs in Minnesota Read the rest of this entry »

Can Jeff count on your support?

February 2nd, 2012

Here’s Jeff Anderson’s latest email seeking support in the DFL caucuses. We’re lucky. Jeff isn’t an “upstart.”

Jeff Anderson Democratic-Farmer-Labor For Congress ONE OF US. FOR US. February 1st, 2012 The Long Haul Dear Friend ,
We were lucky up here in the Eighth Congressional District. We had a long history of upstart congressional candidates who managed to win when they were young, and then worked their way up through the ranks to become powerful leaders in our nations capital, earning the seniority necessary to be effective leaders for the people of northern Minnesota .

I’m the upstart congressional candidate in this race. Read the rest of this entry »

GOP inside traders

February 2nd, 2012

GOP Congressmen are trying to protect their ability to use their insider knowledge to get rich by killing the Stock Act with kindness. Its sort of like adding ten times as much sugar to a cake to discourage people from eating it.

It rather reminds me of all the GOP Congressmen who championed Congressional term limits until their “terms” came to an end.

As part of the Contract with America, Republican members of the House of Representatives promised that, if
elected, they would work to enact term limits. However,
just weeks after their overwhelming victory, many Republicans retreated and argued that term limits weren’t really necessary or desirable.

Here’s more on the history of the issue.

Word Search of the Day

February 2nd, 2012

hectoring

FOX and Obama

February 2nd, 2012

This afternoon at my Father-in-law’s home I witnessed seven or eight angry bluejays trying to drive off a hawk. They reminded me of Fox News pundits pummeling the President.

Here are a few of the twenty or so photos I took;

The hawk endured the abuse largely unruffled until long after I stopped shooting pictures.

Sweet Poison

February 1st, 2012

My Buddy sends me this indictment of sugar

The background is well-known: In the United States, more than two-thirds of the population is overweight, and half of them are obese. About 80 percent of those who are obese will have diabetes or metabolic disorders and will have shortened lives, according to the UCSF authors of the commentary, led by Robert Lustig. And about 75 percent of U.S. health-care dollars are spent on diet-related diseases, the authors said.

perhaps in response to this post.

I will add that while I was on the School Board I discovered that all our our secondary principals were addicted to the money from the vending machines that provided lots of sugary goodies to our students.

Soaking the rich won’t be enough…

February 1st, 2012

…to solve our future fiscal problems.

This too was sent to me by my Buddy. I don’t doubt it. I’ve always been an advocate for shared sacrifice and I don’t think President Obama has asked enough of us in the middle class.

As for the putative GOP leader Mitt Romney… He doesn’t want to soak the rich. I guess with Romney our future would be even be more screwed.

Its all over…

February 1st, 2012

Its all over. There’s no need for an election in November.

This information helpfully sent to me by my Buddy.