I saw this last night. Priceless!! I loved the rainbow thing! Just goes to show that we’re a backward nation, unable to let people live lives that truly affect no one.
We all saw this one coming! Rick Perry and Ted Cruz have been outrageous and adamant about the waste of helping people — pork, wasteful, were descriptions Cruz used on the Senate floor when helping victims as recently as Hurricane Sandy a few short months ago was discussed. Now? Oh yeah, they need federal aid, lots of it, and quickly.
Cruz is a snake in the grass.
Rick “Secessionist” Perry,” the man who constantly rallies against government spending, took less than 24 hours to ask President Obama for money -— from the federal government.
West, TX is represented in Congress by Bill Flores, who is also asking that the government declare the impacted area a federal disaster—and is requesting federal money. Well, it just so happens that Mr. Flores was one of the 67 members of the House of Representatives who voted against the Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief.
It would be tempting to hope that all congress critters in the northeast would deny Texas aid, but, as one wise philosopher said, “an eye for an eye make the world go blind.” If we start that kind of aid war, no one will ever get aid, which is exactly what the teahaddists want.
They should give them appropriate aid (’cause you know they will ask for the moon.) delivered along with big lectures on the House and Senate floor pointing out that the Democrats and northeasterners are waaaaaay better people than the teapottiers, and that they love ALL Americans, not just the ones that agree with them or live in their districts.
There should also be major lectures about secession and shutting down all government aid, and how Texas politicians are completely full of crap and hypocrisy. Not that it will do any good in Texas, but they should still be held accountable for what would happen if the government was defunded, Texas or other southern states seceded, or everyone got in a pissing match over federal disaster aid.
There are good people in Texas who could easily understand the hypocrisy of Perry, Cruz, Cornyn, Flores… et al. It does need to be widely publicized that we’re the UNITED STATES and in this together — explanations need to be full of lots of details and repeated overaaandover.
I agree – there are good people in Texas and everywhere else.
Isn’t it a shame that all we hear about are those who have diarrhea mouths and are less than what we would call ‘good role models’ for our younger generation
That’s only the tip of the iceberg. I was reading comments this morning and was immediately reminded that this was NOT a natural disaster. This happened because the company aka corporation who owns this had managed to wiggle out of correcting problems. In fact, the last inspection done on the facility was in 1985, and there were problems found at that time that were never corrected. Federal Disaster Relief is not responsible for this corporate disaster.
Hopefully, President Obama will do to this company what he did to BP in the very beginning….make them set up a fund – at least it would be a good start.
And then watch these Texan Republicans scream that Obama is being the Gangsta Chicago Mafia President again…….
Republicans are always yammering about taking personal responsibility and since corporations are now considered to be a legal ‘person’ – then THEY should be held accountable and liable for what they cause…
Yes. Daughter in law isn’t at home, but is safely at the hospital working. Son and grandsons have made a tent out of the living room. They are eating and reading books in their PJs.
Well, that sounds like fun. I’d love to be eating and reading books in a living room tent and wearing PJs. Sounds like heaven. Hope they all stay safe. Sounds like a volatile situation.
I don’t expect anything from the NRA except pursuit of money. Money is the alter where they worship and there’s nothing they won’t do in their quest for more money.
They were inviting Arab and Muslim Americans to call in. One woman talked about how she wasn’t allowed to grieve with her fellow Americans, but instead needed to worry about her own safety as she went about life. Should she wear her headscarf when she went to the grocery store? She needed to talk, again, to her six year old daughter. She worried about that talk and hoped she could help her daughter without putting fear in her life. She said she abhors violence the same way we all do, she also said she has two brothers in the military (they are not only Americans but have signed on to help protect their country) and a secondary fear is they would be sent back to war zones in the Middle East.
There was one troll that asked why moderate Muslims don’t get together and denounce these radical fringe within their own group.
Couldn’t the same question be asked of moderate Christians when Dr. George Tiller was murdered in cold blood in his own church? How many moderate Christians denounced that senseless killing?
Or what about Timothy McVeigh or Eric Rudolph?
McVeigh was more about anti-government – but he was a white Catholic male – and obviously angry……so why is McVeigh’s name never mentioned by these same folks who want to demonize all Muslims for being violent?
Eric Rudolph – he was the anti-abortion nut – wasn’t he? Again – where was demonization of that man?
It’s all well and good for Christians to start throwing those stones at the ‘dark skinned Muslims’ – but where is the mirror of truth so they can start throwing some of those same stones at their own group?
Another weekend, another get-together with homophobes for Michele (“I want to be Margaret Thatcher‘) Bachmann. The Republican Congresswoman, not known for a vise-like grip on reality, will be attending “Awakening 2013,” a conference organized by the right-wing Liberty Counsel.
How bad is the Liberty Counsel?
Deputy leader Matt Barber said his gay relative deserved to die from AIDS.
The group was a leader in challenging the California ban on conversion therapy. The group acted as legal counsel for Lisa Miller, who fled the country with the daughter she had with her ex-partner after losing a custody battle.
Yes, it’s that kind of outfit.
The conference is virtually a who’s who of the antigay fringe. There’s Cindy Jacobs, who claimed that birds were dying because of the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Rick Joyner, who said Hurricane Sandy was punishment for marriage equality. William Murray, who believes that the establishment of Social Security led to more homosexuality.
People for the American Way is calling on Bachmann to bail on the conference. “It is completely inappropriate for a member of Congress to speak at and legitimize an event like this,” says Scott Foval, Regional Political Coordinator for PFAW. “Rep. Bachmann should reconsider her decision to attend.”
This sounds like exactly the kind of place where Michele fits right in. Also, she could use some distraction. The Congressional investigation into her campaign spending has expanded to look at whether she improperly used campaign staffers to help promote her memoir.
This group is from the infamous Liberty University…….aka Jerry Falwell
I wonder if Bachmann and her fellow Haters realize that it was their beloved feckless leader Ronald Reagan that invited Falwell into the inner circle of the GOP back in 1980. And Reagan did this simply to get their votes…..because, excuse me, has any Republican president followed through on getting rid of Roe v Wade (their major desire)
Of course, if one has the working brains cells to ask questions – one would certainly have the good sense to not belong to the group founded by Falwell – wouldn’t one?
Bachmann is a proud Fundy Christian woman (submissive wife and everything) – so, of course, she’ll be front and center at their little awakening.
And will bells on…..those golden slippers…(oh, wait a minute – that’s the Catholics- never mind)
I ventured into this link and I’ve got to make plans now to attend this Awakening.
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are going to be speakers also..
Hot damn………19 kids and counting…
Yeah, they sure found a way to make some money…..didn’t they?
I’d like to ask the Duggars how much incomes taxes they have paid throughout the years.
With each kid – you get quite a hefty deduction – so imagine when you’re constantly cranking out those kids – one could possibly never pay any income taxes……couldn’t they?
Does this sound eerily familiar to what you had living to you next door – fnord?
These so-called religious folks always seem to know how to manipulate the system when it comes to making money….
But yet they whine and cry about their perceived persecution because of their Christian beliefs.
Prairie Pond and Fnord – I found this while surfing just now…..
If Republicans are now going to get cold feet on their sudden support of immigration reform and revert back to their GOP mantra of ‘Deport All Illegals’ – then how will that help turn the State of Texas in to Blue?
This guy from Texas (a big Obama supporter) seems to think 2016 is the pivotal year.
Texas may turn blue for presidential elections, but, trust me, it’s a long way from turning blue in the statehouse or Congressional districts. Thank you Tom Delay for the gerrymandering idea that spread to other states so effectively.
I heard the uncle of these Boston bombing suspects say the older brother was a ‘loser’ but the younger one was going to school to study medicine. The impression was that the younger brother was following the older brother’s lead.
I do hope we are lucky enough to capture the younger one alive and at least try to get some answers to a lot of questions.
If not – then Talk Radio will feel they hit the mother lode – huh?
Can’t you just imagine the rantings and conspiracy theories already being formulated and spread like that gossip going halfway around the world before the truth gets its shoes on…
If there is one thing Talk Radio is good for – it’s to throw more fuel on an already raging fire….
And all in the name of God, Democracy and the American Flag?
Or is really just about money and ratings for each particular shock jock?
I’m waiting for the Far Right Wingers to start the rallying cry about how Obama is now after everybody’s medical records..
Earth to Republicans – even with HIPPA in place for many years, medical records are transmitted to all kinds of places every day – the possibility of someone getting your medical records is fairly high.. IMHO
BTW – the Newtown shooter’s mother legally purchased those human-killing machines and brought them into the house where her son had access to them.
No background check could have found the potential problem with her son….in that scenario.
And – I don’t remember any reporting that said her son had been treated for mental health issues. There was reporting that the kid had problems during his childhood – but if he was not diagnosed with a mental health disorder – would he even register as a risk on a background check?
But this does not mean that I don’t believe in background checks – because I do – for EVERYONE and EVERY PLACE of a gun sale.
If Republicans want to make me go through a background check just to vote….then why can’t we make that a priority to buy a human-killing machine?
Has anyone else heard if any Al Queda leader has taken credit for training these two bombing suspects?
I’ve seen several comments about how these two brothers had been trained overseas and sent here…
If so – then why arent’ the Al Queda leaders jumping on the bandwagon and grabbing credit?
It might just be the case of two brothers who were in the Islam religion and then got radicalized by all the demonization and hate talk radio rants against all Muslims?
But….as I have reminded a few of the Far Right Wingers in the past – if White Christians think they are some group saintly group without their radicalized fringe terrorists – then they had better take a good look at several White Christian Terrorists – starting with Timothy McVeigh and then the Abortion fanatic that killed Dr. Tiller.
Yes, I count Dr. Tiller’s murderer as a domestic terrorist – even if the Far Right Christian Wingers don’t….
Once again I am avoiding all the speculation. I don’t want to hear what people think might have happened, might have been motivation, and will wait for facts as they’re sorted out.
Religion has been used to stir people to fear and sometimes to violence for thousands of years — ALL religions. There are dangerous people and there isn’t any walk of life, profession, neighborhood, religion, ethnicity or any other label that could be applied that is immune from having a dangerous person share a label with good people of the same label.
I was thinking about that NPR broadcast I listened to yesterday and the op-ed written by the man who asked, “Please don’t let it be an Arab or a Muslim who is responsible.” Do you think the good people who are ______ also wanted the murderer(s) to not share their label? I think so. But what we all must acknowledge is that we aren’t implicated just because the murderer is _______ and so are we. Honestly, when that young white mother drowned her children years ago it didn’t cross my mind that all young white mothers could harm their children. When Dennis Rader was identified as BTK it never crossed my mind that every middle-aged white man who worked as a Compliance Officer and went to church regularly and… was a psychopath.
Like you, Indy, I have NO understanding of people who hate all Muslims, or all gays, or all ______. And, I’m really glad I don’t have that kind of understanding.
I give credit to this victim that lost both his legs in that bombing that he had the courage to tell the authorities what he saw and it appears his information helped a great deal.
But what disturbs me are some of these comments to this article…..Some are as sick as the two bombing suspects – and that is what I am afraid of..
This will just give more fuel to head into that much-desired Holy War for those who think their God can beat up the other guys’ God.
Al Quida and the Taliban specifically, and early on, said they had nothing to do with this.
There are many extremist groups. These guys could have been affiliated with any of them, or none of them.
But to the point being made here, (and yes, I’m biased) the one thing McVeigh, Roeder, the 9/11 terrorists, etc. all have in common?
Religious zealots. Not just one religion, many religions.
I think its time to post one of my favorite quotes. Something about how humans will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.
(from the link): One of the gun lobby’s favorite talking points is that America’s arsenal of 300 million civilian firearms makes us safer by preventing millions of crimes. This contentious idea has taken fire as of late for relying on bogus stats and ignoring that most criminal shootings involve people who know each other, not gun-toting homeowners and midnight intruders. A new report from Violence Policy Center shoots even more holes in the argument that a well-armed society is a safer society.
The report finds that less than 3 percent of gun-related homicides are committed in self-defense (mouse over charts for the raw numbers):
How much protection did the Newtown shooter’s mother have from those human-killing machines that she purchased legally?
I know I keep harping on this issue ….but at the end of the day, the mother has to be held accountable for bringing those human-killing machines into her house so that her son could CHOOSE to use them against her and then go to that school to hunt down 26 more people.
And I keep wondering……why don’t we hear that the Newtown shooter attended church and he was a white male – and obviously very angry?
If we all into blaming entire groups for the sins of the few ……then why aren’t we blaming church-attending white males?
Mental health issues were probably present with this young man…..but then why did his mother think it was safe to bring those human-killing machines into the house?
Obviously, several people have built pressure cooker bombs – as evidenced by the numerous YouTube videos that was referred to by that NPR host I listened to on Wednesday. Of which I must be very naïve because I did not even know what a pressure cooker bomb was until this Boston tragedy happened.
But at what level does it go from just building one to intentionally setting it down into a public event where thousands of people are congregated and then detonate the damn thing?
That takes these pressure cooker bombs to a different level – doesn’t it?
Since we were talking about MIchelle Bachmann earlier… looks like the guy that lost to her in 2012 by only 4,300 votes (despite Bachmann’s millions) is coming back for a rematch in 2014.
Fnord – I have to say, in all the news coverage I’ve heard so far – the City of Boston is getting high marks on their cooperation with law enforcement and how well the law enforcement officers are handling this situation.
While West, Texas, Burned, Its Famous Czech Bakery Kept the Kolaches Coming
(from the link): There’s a Czech bakery, deli, and gas station combo in tiny West, Texas, that’s world-famous for serving up fruit kolaches and hot chubbies to locals and tourists driving on I-35 between Dallas and Austin, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for the last 29 years. Last night was no exception. In the wake of the massive explosion and fire that rocked a fertilizer plant just three miles down the road, Czech Stop kept its doors open—and the kolaches coming—almost without interruption.
And those useless government law enforcement folks ….
Don’t forget to also HATE on the government..
BTW – I noticed something else throughout this past week. Every person that was in a press conference made the same assessment – EVERYBODY was working together. The federal government, state and local government law enforcements teams were all saying the same thing…
Wow – do you think government CAN work after all?
And what a refreshing change from 9/11 when the Republican-controlled government could not seem to do anything without a turf war of their own taking place.
I know, I know……that was all about government regulations and that was to blame… (which I’m sure some of it was)
BUT I always wondered why President Bush just did not use his bully pulpit and tell all the knuckleheads to work together..
But…..GWB could have also helped in Hurricane Katrina sooner than he did…..but what did GWB say at the time? He was legally prohibited from sending in help because the state and local officials had not followed the right protocol.
Yeah, right, the entire New Orleans city was washing away and fall down around everybody but The LIttle Cowboy did not have the cajones to step in and say ENOUGH is ENOUGH and send in government help?
I did not believe that explanation back then and I still don’t believe it today.
President Obama called Texas Governor Rick Perry after this explosion happened……….so Obama is showing what a president of a working government SHOULD do………
But, alas, that is something Republicans can only yammer about……they can NEVER govern when they get the chance ….
And NEVER give Republicans total control…….that’s when we get a damn useless war like the one in Iraq…..
when the Republican-controlled government could not seem to do anything without a turf war of their own taking place.
——
the turf war idealogy is what I call a – church group phenomenon.
I’ve seen too many churches like this – just a bunch of old gossipy hens cackling 24/7 and defending their turf against someone is ‘not one of us’.
Republican Party is filled with these church people and I think that’s the problem……they’re all so hellbent on their side ‘winning’ that they don’t care about anything else.
I also suspect that is where their need for punishing people comes from – that damn old Puritan Crap.
Just one look at these Republicans’ views on rape will tell you what they think – it’s always the women’s fault.
Republican male politicians get caught in their adultery affairs and what happens to them? Absolutely nothing – in fact, they get to run for office again and will probably win in certain Red states.
KInda like the ‘Scarlet Letter’ – huh? I noticed the only one that was punished in that story was the woman..
PrairiePopulistsAndProgressives.net 
This New Zealand Politician Unleashes One Of The Funniest Gay Marriage Speeches On Record
I saw this last night. Priceless!! I loved the rainbow thing! Just goes to show that we’re a backward nation, unable to let people live lives that truly affect no one.
Sarah Haskins Hilarious Take On Commercials Aimed At Women [VIDEO]
http://www.womenyoushouldknow.net/sarah-haskins-hilarious-take-on-commercials-aimed-at-women-video/
We all saw this one coming! Rick Perry and Ted Cruz have been outrageous and adamant about the waste of helping people — pork, wasteful, were descriptions Cruz used on the Senate floor when helping victims as recently as Hurricane Sandy a few short months ago was discussed. Now? Oh yeah, they need federal aid, lots of it, and quickly.
Cruz is a snake in the grass.
Rick “Secessionist” Perry,” the man who constantly rallies against government spending, took less than 24 hours to ask President Obama for money -— from the federal government.
West, TX is represented in Congress by Bill Flores, who is also asking that the government declare the impacted area a federal disaster—and is requesting federal money. Well, it just so happens that Mr. Flores was one of the 67 members of the House of Representatives who voted against the Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief.
But….but…..it is okay to be a total hypocrite snake in the grass if you’re a Republican…
It would be tempting to hope that all congress critters in the northeast would deny Texas aid, but, as one wise philosopher said, “an eye for an eye make the world go blind.” If we start that kind of aid war, no one will ever get aid, which is exactly what the teahaddists want.
They should give them appropriate aid (’cause you know they will ask for the moon.) delivered along with big lectures on the House and Senate floor pointing out that the Democrats and northeasterners are waaaaaay better people than the teapottiers, and that they love ALL Americans, not just the ones that agree with them or live in their districts.
There should also be major lectures about secession and shutting down all government aid, and how Texas politicians are completely full of crap and hypocrisy. Not that it will do any good in Texas, but they should still be held accountable for what would happen if the government was defunded, Texas or other southern states seceded, or everyone got in a pissing match over federal disaster aid.
I just LOATHE Perry, Cruz and Cornyn.
There are good people in Texas who could easily understand the hypocrisy of Perry, Cruz, Cornyn, Flores… et al. It does need to be widely publicized that we’re the UNITED STATES and in this together — explanations need to be full of lots of details and repeated overaaandover.
I agree – there are good people in Texas and everywhere else.
Isn’t it a shame that all we hear about are those who have diarrhea mouths and are less than what we would call ‘good role models’ for our younger generation
That’s only the tip of the iceberg. I was reading comments this morning and was immediately reminded that this was NOT a natural disaster. This happened because the company aka corporation who owns this had managed to wiggle out of correcting problems. In fact, the last inspection done on the facility was in 1985, and there were problems found at that time that were never corrected. Federal Disaster Relief is not responsible for this corporate disaster.
Hopefully, President Obama will do to this company what he did to BP in the very beginning….make them set up a fund – at least it would be a good start.
And then watch these Texan Republicans scream that Obama is being the Gangsta Chicago Mafia President again…….
Republicans are always yammering about taking personal responsibility and since corporations are now considered to be a legal ‘person’ – then THEY should be held accountable and liable for what they cause…
Fnord, are your peeps in Beantown still ok?
Yes. Daughter in law isn’t at home, but is safely at the hospital working. Son and grandsons have made a tent out of the living room. They are eating and reading books in their PJs.
Well, that sounds like fun. I’d love to be eating and reading books in a living room tent and wearing PJs. Sounds like heaven. Hope they all stay safe. Sounds like a volatile situation.
The tragic death of the MIT policeman happened even tho the good guy had a gun.
I thought the same thing when I read about this tragic incident.
Is this what is next for the NRA – to get everyone the right to build their own pressure cooker bombs?
Hey – as ridiculous as that sounds – is it any more ridiculous than some of this crappola coming from the NRA?
The NRA has already helped those who wish to make their own pressure cooker bombs….by fighting that tagging of explosives for the past few decades.
I posted something about this yesterday – IIRC
I don’t expect anything from the NRA except pursuit of money. Money is the alter where they worship and there’s nothing they won’t do in their quest for more money.
There are GOP trolls on the Huffington Post blog who are bragging that the suspects did not turn out be White Southern Republicans…
I just don’t understand this line of thinking…….. (so, in their pea-sized brains they think they won something?)
With that said – the suspects are believed to have ties with Chechnya (sp?) but other than that, I’ve not heard the latest…
But …from the pictures I’ve seen, they are certainly not ‘dark skinned males’….
But one comment caught my attention on Huffington Post blog…..
Maybe this had something to do with the upcoming Moscow Olympics?
Was this a political statement or was it just two brothers who valued life so little that it was just something to do on a Monday afternoon?
As I’ve said before – I just don’t get it…
It makes it easier for them to continue their hating racial profiling.
I’m glad you don’t “get it.” Hate isn’t something most people “get.”
They are apparently followers of Islam, even though they are not from the Middle East and have white skin. Russian Islamists are Caucasians.
Damn. More trouble for peace loving Muslims.
That is sad. If they were Jewish, Irish Catholic, Evangelinuts we wouldn’t have heard about their religion. It would have been a non-issue.
I listened to part of a NPR broadcast yesterday. The guest was a Muslim American journalist who wrote this op-ed after the Marathon Bombings:
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/04/201341681629153634.html
They were inviting Arab and Muslim Americans to call in. One woman talked about how she wasn’t allowed to grieve with her fellow Americans, but instead needed to worry about her own safety as she went about life. Should she wear her headscarf when she went to the grocery store? She needed to talk, again, to her six year old daughter. She worried about that talk and hoped she could help her daughter without putting fear in her life. She said she abhors violence the same way we all do, she also said she has two brothers in the military (they are not only Americans but have signed on to help protect their country) and a secondary fear is they would be sent back to war zones in the Middle East.
There was one troll that asked why moderate Muslims don’t get together and denounce these radical fringe within their own group.
Couldn’t the same question be asked of moderate Christians when Dr. George Tiller was murdered in cold blood in his own church? How many moderate Christians denounced that senseless killing?
Or what about Timothy McVeigh or Eric Rudolph?
McVeigh was more about anti-government – but he was a white Catholic male – and obviously angry……so why is McVeigh’s name never mentioned by these same folks who want to demonize all Muslims for being violent?
Eric Rudolph – he was the anti-abortion nut – wasn’t he? Again – where was demonization of that man?
It’s all well and good for Christians to start throwing those stones at the ‘dark skinned Muslims’ – but where is the mirror of truth so they can start throwing some of those same stones at their own group?
http://rdliebst.wordpress.com/2013/04/19/in-the-name-of-religion/
Another weekend, another get-together with homophobes for Michele (“I want to be Margaret Thatcher‘) Bachmann. The Republican Congresswoman, not known for a vise-like grip on reality, will be attending “Awakening 2013,” a conference organized by the right-wing Liberty Counsel.
How bad is the Liberty Counsel?
Deputy leader Matt Barber said his gay relative deserved to die from AIDS.
The group was a leader in challenging the California ban on conversion therapy. The group acted as legal counsel for Lisa Miller, who fled the country with the daughter she had with her ex-partner after losing a custody battle.
Yes, it’s that kind of outfit.
The conference is virtually a who’s who of the antigay fringe. There’s Cindy Jacobs, who claimed that birds were dying because of the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Rick Joyner, who said Hurricane Sandy was punishment for marriage equality. William Murray, who believes that the establishment of Social Security led to more homosexuality.
People for the American Way is calling on Bachmann to bail on the conference. “It is completely inappropriate for a member of Congress to speak at and legitimize an event like this,” says Scott Foval, Regional Political Coordinator for PFAW. “Rep. Bachmann should reconsider her decision to attend.”
This sounds like exactly the kind of place where Michele fits right in. Also, she could use some distraction. The Congressional investigation into her campaign spending has expanded to look at whether she improperly used campaign staffers to help promote her memoir.
Damn, I wish I HAD all that power. I’d be using it….
This group is from the infamous Liberty University…….aka Jerry Falwell
I wonder if Bachmann and her fellow Haters realize that it was their beloved feckless leader Ronald Reagan that invited Falwell into the inner circle of the GOP back in 1980. And Reagan did this simply to get their votes…..because, excuse me, has any Republican president followed through on getting rid of Roe v Wade (their major desire)
Of course, if one has the working brains cells to ask questions – one would certainly have the good sense to not belong to the group founded by Falwell – wouldn’t one?
Bachmann is a proud Fundy Christian woman (submissive wife and everything) – so, of course, she’ll be front and center at their little awakening.
And will bells on…..those golden slippers…(oh, wait a minute – that’s the Catholics- never mind)
http://www.libertycounsel.org/
I ventured into this link and I’ve got to make plans now to attend this Awakening.
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are going to be speakers also..
Hot damn………19 kids and counting…
Yeah, they sure found a way to make some money…..didn’t they?
I’d like to ask the Duggars how much incomes taxes they have paid throughout the years.
With each kid – you get quite a hefty deduction – so imagine when you’re constantly cranking out those kids – one could possibly never pay any income taxes……couldn’t they?
Does this sound eerily familiar to what you had living to you next door – fnord?
These so-called religious folks always seem to know how to manipulate the system when it comes to making money….
But yet they whine and cry about their perceived persecution because of their Christian beliefs.
Prairie Pond and Fnord – I found this while surfing just now…..
If Republicans are now going to get cold feet on their sudden support of immigration reform and revert back to their GOP mantra of ‘Deport All Illegals’ – then how will that help turn the State of Texas in to Blue?
This guy from Texas (a big Obama supporter) seems to think 2016 is the pivotal year.
Interesting times….
http://www.pri.org/stories/politics-society/texas-democrats-begin-discussing-prospects-for-turning-state-blue-or-at-least-purple-13555.html
Texas may turn blue for presidential elections, but, trust me, it’s a long way from turning blue in the statehouse or Congressional districts. Thank you Tom Delay for the gerrymandering idea that spread to other states so effectively.
Speaking of Tommy……has he been to prison yet or is he still out on appeal?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/10/AR2011011000557.html
You will believe this. And, it’s a must watch.
I heard the uncle of these Boston bombing suspects say the older brother was a ‘loser’ but the younger one was going to school to study medicine. The impression was that the younger brother was following the older brother’s lead.
I do hope we are lucky enough to capture the younger one alive and at least try to get some answers to a lot of questions.
If not – then Talk Radio will feel they hit the mother lode – huh?
Can’t you just imagine the rantings and conspiracy theories already being formulated and spread like that gossip going halfway around the world before the truth gets its shoes on…
If there is one thing Talk Radio is good for – it’s to throw more fuel on an already raging fire….
And all in the name of God, Democracy and the American Flag?
Or is really just about money and ratings for each particular shock jock?
I’m waiting for the Far Right Wingers to start the rallying cry about how Obama is now after everybody’s medical records..
Earth to Republicans – even with HIPPA in place for many years, medical records are transmitted to all kinds of places every day – the possibility of someone getting your medical records is fairly high.. IMHO
BTW – the Newtown shooter’s mother legally purchased those human-killing machines and brought them into the house where her son had access to them.
No background check could have found the potential problem with her son….in that scenario.
And – I don’t remember any reporting that said her son had been treated for mental health issues. There was reporting that the kid had problems during his childhood – but if he was not diagnosed with a mental health disorder – would he even register as a risk on a background check?
But this does not mean that I don’t believe in background checks – because I do – for EVERYONE and EVERY PLACE of a gun sale.
If Republicans want to make me go through a background check just to vote….then why can’t we make that a priority to buy a human-killing machine?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/19/obama-background-checks_n_3115236.html?ref=topbar
Has anyone else heard if any Al Queda leader has taken credit for training these two bombing suspects?
I’ve seen several comments about how these two brothers had been trained overseas and sent here…
If so – then why arent’ the Al Queda leaders jumping on the bandwagon and grabbing credit?
It might just be the case of two brothers who were in the Islam religion and then got radicalized by all the demonization and hate talk radio rants against all Muslims?
But….as I have reminded a few of the Far Right Wingers in the past – if White Christians think they are some group saintly group without their radicalized fringe terrorists – then they had better take a good look at several White Christian Terrorists – starting with Timothy McVeigh and then the Abortion fanatic that killed Dr. Tiller.
Yes, I count Dr. Tiller’s murderer as a domestic terrorist – even if the Far Right Christian Wingers don’t….
Religion……what is it good for?
Once again I am avoiding all the speculation. I don’t want to hear what people think might have happened, might have been motivation, and will wait for facts as they’re sorted out.
Religion has been used to stir people to fear and sometimes to violence for thousands of years — ALL religions. There are dangerous people and there isn’t any walk of life, profession, neighborhood, religion, ethnicity or any other label that could be applied that is immune from having a dangerous person share a label with good people of the same label.
I was thinking about that NPR broadcast I listened to yesterday and the op-ed written by the man who asked, “Please don’t let it be an Arab or a Muslim who is responsible.” Do you think the good people who are ______ also wanted the murderer(s) to not share their label? I think so. But what we all must acknowledge is that we aren’t implicated just because the murderer is _______ and so are we. Honestly, when that young white mother drowned her children years ago it didn’t cross my mind that all young white mothers could harm their children. When Dennis Rader was identified as BTK it never crossed my mind that every middle-aged white man who worked as a Compliance Officer and went to church regularly and… was a psychopath.
Like you, Indy, I have NO understanding of people who hate all Muslims, or all gays, or all ______. And, I’m really glad I don’t have that kind of understanding.
I give credit to this victim that lost both his legs in that bombing that he had the courage to tell the authorities what he saw and it appears his information helped a great deal.
But what disturbs me are some of these comments to this article…..Some are as sick as the two bombing suspects – and that is what I am afraid of..
This will just give more fuel to head into that much-desired Holy War for those who think their God can beat up the other guys’ God.
WHEN will this madness stop??
http://now.msn.com/boston-marathon-bombings-jeff-bauman-wheelchair-victim-in-iconic-photo-helped-identify-attackers
Al Quida and the Taliban specifically, and early on, said they had nothing to do with this.
There are many extremist groups. These guys could have been affiliated with any of them, or none of them.
But to the point being made here, (and yes, I’m biased) the one thing McVeigh, Roeder, the 9/11 terrorists, etc. all have in common?
Religious zealots. Not just one religion, many religions.
I think its time to post one of my favorite quotes. Something about how humans will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.
Religions are nothing more than a pissing contest – IMHO
Faith is spiritual – pissing contests are NOT required and NOT welcomed.
Another question I have NO answers for. Sadly, I have NO answers for many more questions. 🙂
Thanks for the laugh today…
I have NEVER been able to manage the art of eating with chop sticks.
HA! Me either. I always have to shamefully ask for a fork. Very uncool in Austin.
Charts: Challenging The Myth That Guns Stop Crime
(from the link): One of the gun lobby’s favorite talking points is that America’s arsenal of 300 million civilian firearms makes us safer by preventing millions of crimes. This contentious idea has taken fire as of late for relying on bogus stats and ignoring that most criminal shootings involve people who know each other, not gun-toting homeowners and midnight intruders. A new report from Violence Policy Center shoots even more holes in the argument that a well-armed society is a safer society.
The report finds that less than 3 percent of gun-related homicides are committed in self-defense (mouse over charts for the raw numbers):
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/04/charts-debunking-myth-guns-self-defense
How much protection did the Newtown shooter’s mother have from those human-killing machines that she purchased legally?
I know I keep harping on this issue ….but at the end of the day, the mother has to be held accountable for bringing those human-killing machines into her house so that her son could CHOOSE to use them against her and then go to that school to hunt down 26 more people.
And I keep wondering……why don’t we hear that the Newtown shooter attended church and he was a white male – and obviously very angry?
If we all into blaming entire groups for the sins of the few ……then why aren’t we blaming church-attending white males?
Mental health issues were probably present with this young man…..but then why did his mother think it was safe to bring those human-killing machines into the house?
If you have not noticed – I refer to guns as ‘human-killing machines’.
I grew up with guns but they were hunting rifles and target shooting pistols.
Today’s guns are much more than that level……these guns of today are nothing more than human-killing machines.
On that – we should all be able to agree?
When thinking about these two bombing suspects….
Obviously, several people have built pressure cooker bombs – as evidenced by the numerous YouTube videos that was referred to by that NPR host I listened to on Wednesday. Of which I must be very naïve because I did not even know what a pressure cooker bomb was until this Boston tragedy happened.
But at what level does it go from just building one to intentionally setting it down into a public event where thousands of people are congregated and then detonate the damn thing?
That takes these pressure cooker bombs to a different level – doesn’t it?
Like I said…..I just don’t get it.
But – get it or not – I’ve got grandkids that are growing up in this world…..and I don’t like the way this world is turning right now.
Since we were talking about MIchelle Bachmann earlier… looks like the guy that lost to her in 2012 by only 4,300 votes (despite Bachmann’s millions) is coming back for a rematch in 2014.
Interesting times…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/19/jim-graves-fundraising_n_3116894.html#comments
This is one way to get the NRA to sit up and take notice..
The other way is for all American Women to Stand UP to the NRA and just say ….Oh Hell NO……
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/18/adolphus-busch-iv-nra_n_3112750.html
Fnord – I have to say, in all the news coverage I’ve heard so far – the City of Boston is getting high marks on their cooperation with law enforcement and how well the law enforcement officers are handling this situation.
I give the People of Boston a lot of credit…..
PrairiePond —
While West, Texas, Burned, Its Famous Czech Bakery Kept the Kolaches Coming
(from the link): There’s a Czech bakery, deli, and gas station combo in tiny West, Texas, that’s world-famous for serving up fruit kolaches and hot chubbies to locals and tourists driving on I-35 between Dallas and Austin, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for the last 29 years. Last night was no exception. In the wake of the massive explosion and fire that rocked a fertilizer plant just three miles down the road, Czech Stop kept its doors open—and the kolaches coming—almost without interruption.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/04/czech-stop-open-during-west-texas-fertilizer-explosion
Those damn union thug cops got them, and one alive. Damn useless union thugs!
🙂
And those useless government law enforcement folks ….
Don’t forget to also HATE on the government..
BTW – I noticed something else throughout this past week. Every person that was in a press conference made the same assessment – EVERYBODY was working together. The federal government, state and local government law enforcements teams were all saying the same thing…
Wow – do you think government CAN work after all?
And what a refreshing change from 9/11 when the Republican-controlled government could not seem to do anything without a turf war of their own taking place.
I know, I know……that was all about government regulations and that was to blame… (which I’m sure some of it was)
BUT I always wondered why President Bush just did not use his bully pulpit and tell all the knuckleheads to work together..
But…..GWB could have also helped in Hurricane Katrina sooner than he did…..but what did GWB say at the time? He was legally prohibited from sending in help because the state and local officials had not followed the right protocol.
Yeah, right, the entire New Orleans city was washing away and fall down around everybody but The LIttle Cowboy did not have the cajones to step in and say ENOUGH is ENOUGH and send in government help?
I did not believe that explanation back then and I still don’t believe it today.
President Obama called Texas Governor Rick Perry after this explosion happened……….so Obama is showing what a president of a working government SHOULD do………
But, alas, that is something Republicans can only yammer about……they can NEVER govern when they get the chance ….
And NEVER give Republicans total control…….that’s when we get a damn useless war like the one in Iraq…..
when the Republican-controlled government could not seem to do anything without a turf war of their own taking place.
——
the turf war idealogy is what I call a – church group phenomenon.
I’ve seen too many churches like this – just a bunch of old gossipy hens cackling 24/7 and defending their turf against someone is ‘not one of us’.
Republican Party is filled with these church people and I think that’s the problem……they’re all so hellbent on their side ‘winning’ that they don’t care about anything else.
I also suspect that is where their need for punishing people comes from – that damn old Puritan Crap.
Just one look at these Republicans’ views on rape will tell you what they think – it’s always the women’s fault.
Republican male politicians get caught in their adultery affairs and what happens to them? Absolutely nothing – in fact, they get to run for office again and will probably win in certain Red states.
KInda like the ‘Scarlet Letter’ – huh? I noticed the only one that was punished in that story was the woman..
Where was the man’s letter ???
Oh, well. Boys will be Boys..