Freedom To Keep Your Money Away

Indianapolis looks to limit 'religious freedom' damage:

The reviews are in.

From institutions such as the NCAA to major employers such as Eli Lilly and Co. to the city's Republican mayor, Indiana's new "religious freedom" law is almost universally loathed by Indianapolis' political and economic elite...

Reid Quitting

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid Won't Seek Reelection in 2016 — The Atlantic:

Harry Reid, the longtime Democratic leader in the Senate, won't run for reelection in 2016, he announced on Friday. His departure will end an era marked equally by significant achievements—passage of the 2010 healthcare law being foremost—and long periods of gridlock that frustrated lawmakers and the public alike...

Un Koch Blocking

The Kochs take millions in subsidies in Montana, then try to block Medicaid expansion - Salon.com:

In every red state where they’ve spent big, the Koch brothers have defeated Medicaid expansion, the piece of the Affordable Care Act that is optional for states and gives relief to the working poor. But in Montana — by some measurements the reddest state in the country — the Kochs are hitting the skids. Their monster political group, Americans for Prosperity, or AFP, has laid an egg. And Medicaid expansion now has a real chance of happening.

What’s gone wrong?...

Say What? Nurses Genderized Too

Male nurses scarce but still make more money than women RNs: study - Washington Times:

Even in an occupation that women overwhelmingly dominate, they still earn less than men, a study of nurses found.

The gender gap for registered nurses’ salaries amounts to a little over $5,000 yearly on average and it hasn’t budged in more than 20 years...

Another War We Can Stay Out Of

Exclusive: Saudi Arabia building up military near Yemen border - U.S. officials | Reuters:

Saudi Arabia is moving heavy military equipment including artillery to areas near its border with Yemen, U.S. officials said on Tuesday, raising the risk that the Middle East’s top oil power will be drawn into the worsening Yemeni conflict.

The buildup follows a southward advance by Iranian-backed Houthi Shi'ite militants who took control of the capital Sanaa in September and seized the central city of Taiz at the weekend as they move closer to the new southern base of U.S.-supported President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi...

The Unfortunate Democratic Bottom Line

Daily PUMA: If you want a taste of how bad it will be if the republican party make gains in 2016 elections, look at their recent behavior.:

...And once again the democrats will let the over the top possibly treasonous actions taken by Republican politicians when clearly some republican politicians have stepped over the line of treason with their recent foreign policy interference.

Flogging Cotton

Here are 10 horrifying facts about one of the worst bullies in the Senate — Tom Cotton:

Hailing from Arkansas, 37-year-old Senator Cotton boasts the title of being the youngest member of the Senate, but he spouts the old warmongering rhetoric of 78-year-old Senator John McCain. From Guantanamo to Iran, food stamps to women’s rights, here are ten reasons why Tom Cotton is a dangerous dude...

Handy Obama Diagram

The Batshit Theory That Obama Tried To Nuke Charleston - The Daily Beast

Clinton Slideshow

I hate the way the ads gum up the content at this site but the slides do offer a good Clinton summary.

12 Reasons Why Hillary Clinton Will Be The Best President of Your Lifetime - Answers.com:

Experience In State Department After serving in the Senate for 8 years as a Senator from New York and then running unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for president, Hillary served as President Obama's Secretary of State from 2009 until 2013...

Walker's Goofs

Scott Walker's Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Week:

...Liz Mair, a veteran Republican strategist, announced on Tuesday her resignation from Walker's nascent campaign after a conservative furor over a series of tweets in which she criticized Iowa's caucus system -- and its ethanol politics -- for having undue influence over the nominating process. The backlash snowballed Tuesday night, when Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann called for Mair's firing over the "naive" and "juvenile" comments.

What came next was even more damaging to Walker's image in the GOP. How could the Wisconsin governor stand up to Islamic State terrorists, as he once claimed his experience fighting unions gave him credibility in doing, when he couldn't even stand up to a few Republicans in Iowa? And what kind of message does this send to current and potential aides? Would he fight for them when the proverbial crap hits the fan?...

Encore Crook

America’s sleaziest Republican: Jail time, again, for a governor and one-time GOP young star - Salon.com:

...Great line. I thought of it Wednesday as former Gov. John G. Rowland was sentenced for the second time on corruption charges. No Connecticut politician, in my 35 years covering the state, made such a show of being tough on crime and fond of prisons crammed to capacity with people serving long sentences. We’re starting to see why he found the subject so compelling.

Also known as federal inmate No. 15623-014, Rowland governed the state for 10 years and then resigned with the Furies of impeachment snapping at his heels. Rowland went to prison on April Fool’s Day 2005 and stayed there less than a year. The prank was on the people, not the perp. The scope of Rowland’s corruption was mammoth, but he drew a federal judge famously lenient with white-collar criminals...

Actual Journalism

Voices: Schock case a reminder of why reporting matters:

As a guy who both practices and teaches journalism, I find this week's resignation announcement by Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., a comforting reminder of the value of Actual Journalism...

This Could Help

Bill Would Make ‘Policing For Profit’ Ticket Schemes a Federal Civil Rights Violation:

...Cleaver’s will introduce a bill that would make the sort of policing practices documented in the DOJ report a federal civil rights violation.

Representative Cleaver is calling the bill The Fair Justice Act. It would make it a civil rights violation punishable by up to five years in prison for any police officer, chief or department in the United States to try to enforce any criminal or traffic laws if the purpose for such enforcement is raising revenue for the city...

When Everyone Is A Criminal...

The Shocking Finding From the DOJ's Ferguson Report That Nobody Has Noticed�|�Nathan Robinson:

...It turns out that nearly everyone in the city is wanted for something. Even internal police department communications found the number of arrest warrants to be "staggering". By December of 2014, "over 16,000 people had outstanding arrest warrants that had been issued by the court." The report makes clear that this refers to individual people, rather than cases (i.e. people with many cases are not being counted multiple times). However, if we do look at the number of cases, the portrait is even starker. In 2013, 32,975 offenses had associated warrants, so that there were 1.5 offenses for every city resident...

But There's No Difference In The Two Parties

House Republican Budget Overhauls Medicare and Repeals the Health Law - NYTimes.com:

House Republicans on Tuesday will unveil a proposed budget for 2016 that partly privatizes Medicare, turns Medicaid into block grants to the states, repeals the Affordable Care Act and reaches balance in 10 years, challenging Republicans in Congress to make good on their promises to deeply cut federal spending...

Down Goes Another Crook

Congressman Schock to resign after spending questions: Politico | Reuters:

U.S. Representative Aaron Schock, a Republican from Illinois, will resign from Congress after concerns arose about his use of taxpayer dollars, Politico reported on Tuesday.

Schock, 33, gained a following for posting flashy photos on social media of himself traveling, surfing and on other adventures. But he was hounded with questions after The Washington Post wrote in February about lavish decorations in his Capitol Hill office...

Comment Of The Day: Clinton EMoDodism Edition

This Will be the Longest 18 Months Ever - Lawyers, Guns & Money : Lawyers, Guns & Money: joe from Lowell says:
March 16, 2015 at 10:12 am

One more reason to hope Hillary is not the nominee.

Oh, I’m not falling for that one again!

Joe 2008: “You know, I’m not sure I can stand eight years of the media and Republicans going full-metal ape shit over Hillary Clinton. It’s just going to be ginned-up non-scandals, ugly personal attacks, and partisan polarization for her entire term, and I’m not sure I want that. I’m going to vote for a more unifying figure like Barack Obama so we can have some more reasonable politics.”

It was pretty dumb of me to think that way after what they did to Kerry in 2004, but I’m capable of being that dumb. But even brute beasts and wandering birds don’t fall into the same trap or net twice.

A Con Take On Ferguson

Addicting Info – Conservative Writer Slams Conservative Response To DOJ Report On Ferguson:

...Wolf lays out the following items he found most disturbing about the DOJ’s report on Ferguson:

The Ferguson Police Department acts almost exclusively as a revenue generation machine for the city;
The Ferguson PD habitually uses excessive force;
The Ferguson PD has utterly failed to supervise its officers’ use of force;
The Ferguson PD systematically punishes residents of Ferguson for “contempt of cop;”
The evidence of racial bias in the administration of justice in Ferguson is overwhelming...

LOLing All The Way

More Americans Want To Press Charges Against #47Traitors Than Deport Justin Bieber:

“He who laughs last laughs best,” the old adage goes.

On March 9, C.H. created a petition demanding that the White House file charges against the #47Traitors who wrote, signed and sent a letter to Iran titled: “File charges against the 47 U.S. Senators in violation of The Logan Act in attempting to undermine a nuclear agreement.” And of course, the right-wing trolls converged upon this earnest demand for justice like a pack of cackling, flea-bitten hyenas circling a defenseless morsel of prey...

The Clinton Lock?

Why Hillary Clinton Will Be the Next President�|�Fernando Espuelas:

...In terms of the Latino vote, even though many Republicans are counting on him, Sen. Marco Rubio's (Fla.) craven flip-flopping is not likely to endear him to many Hispanics outside of Miami. Conversely, Clinton is hugely popular among Hispanics, as is her husband. She's been a steadfast supporter of immigrant rights and was Latino voters' favorite during the 2008 primaries. She will sweep the Hispanic vote.

Lastly, the first couple of months of Republican congressional hegemony has been an exercise in immigrant-baiting. Republicans seem to have a visceral need to attack undocumented immigrants. It's an article of faith among the majority of Republicans who voted in both chambers of Congress several times that Obama's immigration actions must be destroyed -- even if young people like the Dreamers are deported. In a recent Latino Decisions poll, 89 percent of American Latinos favored Obama's executive actions...

Mickey D's First Aid

'Managers Told Me To Put Mustard On It': Fast-Food Workers Say Burns Are Rampant, File OSHA Complaints:

More than two dozen low-wage McDonald's workers filed health and safety complaints against the fast-food chain on Monday, alleging that understaffing and time pressures in stores have led to burns, falls and other injuries, according to the worker group representing them...

If You Think Racism Is Dead...

...take a look at the comment thread here: Arrest Made In Shooting Of 2 Police Officers In Ferguson � CBS St. Louis

O & C: Who's What?

Disgusting (but not surprising) if true: Valerie Jarret allegedly leaked email scandal.
 The Confluence:

...Who is this “source close to the White House” and who do they think is their target audience? That’s the stupidest thing I have read in years. Only an Obot would believe that Obama is more true-blue than Hillary and only a Tea Party person would think that Obama is liberal at all. Is this source targeting aspirational Democrats with a latent conservative leaning that they keep in the closet or are they targeting people who read the NYPost?

On O's Selma Speech

Finally I Hear a Politician Explain My Country Just the Way I Understand It — The Atlantic:

...The political tribalism of this moment means that Democrats are mostly welcoming today's speech, and Republicans and Fox News mostly condemning it. But these days Martin Luther King Jr. is quoted respectfully even at right-wing gatherings. When the political passions of our time have passed, people of all parties will quote this speech as expressing an essence of our American creed.

A Reasonable Pro-Clinton Argument

We must nominate someone who can be elected.



Simply Left BehindThe Non-Rapturist's Guide To The Galaxy: Reality in Politics:

...And yes when Hillary wins, none of that changes, and Republicans will make it tougher for her but heres the thing: she's been there, done that, seen it for twenty five years now. And she gives back with a tuned and measured response that not only deflates the criticism, but points out its flaws and foibles to the point of embarrassing folks.

In other words, she'll silence her critics. And then get stuff done. Even the Republicans will have to work with her or be exposed as sitting in Washington for sixteen years on their hands. Weaker Boener doesn't want that to be his legacy. Neither does McConnell.

And then maybe, just maybe, we can all take a long nap. We've earned it after the 24 hour temper tantrum that is the reality of politics today.

NYT Changing Tune On Eghazigate

The New York Times Reverses Course On Clinton's Emails After Public Editor Admits Fault In Reporting | Research | Media Matters for America:

The New York Times has begun to quietly reverse course on reports about former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's private email use, after Times public editor Margaret Sullivan admitted that the publication's initial misleading insinuation that Clinton violated the law was "not without fault." The new, more accurate reporting underscores the publication's initial sloppiness and rush to judgment...

Email Hypocrites

Trey Gowdy’s Hillary hypocrisy: Why he’s the last person who should be demanding Clinton’s private emails - Salon.com:

...It’s true that there are legitimate issues with Clinton failing to segregate work and personal email. But it’s troubling that Members of Congress handling sensitive investigations into national security matters such as the Benghazi incident don’t appear to be willing to be transparent about their own email practices.

Accountability In Medialand

Univision Swiftly Fires TV Host For Saying Michelle Obama Looks Like A Planet Of The Apes Cast Member | Blog | Media Matters for America:

According to Univision executives, there is no space for racially inflammatory comments on their network. They proved their commitment goes beyond words when they fired host Rodner Figueroa on March 11, within hours of his making an offensive comment on that day's edition of the Univision program El Gordo Y La Flaca...

Truth From The NYT?

“Idiocy”: New York Times editorial board scorches GOP’s nuclear sabotage - Salon.com:

In keeping with the generally staid disposition of the Gray Lady, one might have expected the New York Times editorial board to chide the Republican senators seeking to torpedo the Iran nuclear talks as “misguided,” “wrongheaded,” “imprudent,” or some such. But instead, the Times on Thursday published a scathing editorial condemning the GOP’s diplomatic sabotage in unusually blistering language: The GOP’s stunts, the headline announces, reflect nothing less than “Republican Idiocy on Iran...”

Miz Lindsey Steps On Something

Then steps into something. ALG calls for Lindsey Graham resignation for proposing military coup:

Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today called for the resignation of presidential hopeful Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) for suggesting at a New Hampshire event his first act as president would be to use the military to force Congress to end sequestration, saying, “Here is the first thing I would do if I were President of the United States. I wouldn’t let Congress leave town until we fix this. I would literally use the military to keep them in if I had to. We’re not leaving town until we restore these defense cuts. We are not leaving town until we restore the intel cuts”...

Cotton Was Stupid Before Everyone Knew He Was Stupid

Tom Cotton told uninsured voter not to use Obamacare because ‘Russian mobsters’ would steal her identity:

...Rather than telling her that she has an obligation for her own health to seek insurance, Cotton goaded her on, telling her that he himself wouldn’t use the exchange website because “Russian mobsters” may steal his identity...

Flogging The People Who Need It

An Open Letter to the GOP, From a Pissed-Off Public:

Hey there. Remember us? It’s most of America, all those people who you are allegedly in the business of governing. It’s about time we sat down and had a chat about what you’ve been up to of late, because frankly? We don’t know what in the holy hell you are doing, and we’ve had just about enough of it. Every time we turn around there’s yet another story about one of your guys doing something blindingly ignorant...

The Best Summary Of The Anti-Clinton Nonsense

Cannonfire "Oooh, Scarey!":

We've seen this slime-ball tactic before. Plenty of times.

First, the Republicans drum up silly charges against the Clintons. The charges are either unproven or trivial. Nevertheless, the Clintons are forced to respond. When that response comes, the major media do not run stories headlined "Those GOP smear-masters are at it again." Instead, the writers direct all of their cynicism and sneers toward Bill and Hillary: "Ah, those scandal-prone Clintons are playing defense -- AGAIN. How evasive. How slick. How disingenuous."

Such pieces create an aura of scandal even when there's no actual scandal...

TIT Scandal

Why Hillary Clinton’s “Emailgate” Is a Fake Scandal:

When it comes to the teapot tempest that is the Hillary Clinton email imbroglio, the real controversy isn’t about politics or regulations. It’s about journalism and the weak standards employed to manufacture the scandal du jour...

The Daily Flashback: Email Edition

FLASHBACK: When Millions Of Lost Bush White House Emails (From Private Accounts) Triggered A Media Shrug | Blog | Media Matters for America:

Even for a Republican White House that was badly stumbling through George W. Bush's sixth year in office, the revelation on April 12, 2007 was shocking. Responding to congressional demands for emails in connection with its investigation into the partisan firing of eight U.S. attorneys, the White House announced that as many as five million emails, covering a two-year span, had been lost...

If Not Treason...

The Most Important People In The World Are From Arkansas:

...Cotton stands revealed as a true fanatic. He's stalwart in his convictions as regards things about which he knows exactly dick. What he and practically every Republican in the Senate did was nothing short of a slow-motion, partial coup d'etat. It was not quite treason, and it was not quite a violation of the Logan Act, no matter how dearly some of us might wish it was. (Imagine the howls if the Justice Department actually inquired into that possibility, which it certainly has a right to do. Lindsey Graham might never rise from the fainting couch.) But it stands in history with Richard Nixon's grotesque sabotage of the Paris Peace Talks in 1968 and with whatever it was that the Reagan campaign did to monkeywrench the possible release of the American hostages from their captivity in Iran in 1980. It is an act of unconscionable and perilous presumption, reckless at its base and heedless of eventual consequences. Nobody elected Tom Cotton or the rest of these clowns to undermine the ability of this president to conduct foreign policy. (Nobody elected Bibi Netanyahu to do it, either, as sad as this might make Jen Rubin.) It long has been acceptable on the respectable American right to call this president practically anything. It now is acceptable on the respectable American right to do anything to thwart his ability to conduct his office. A twice-elected president must bow to the uneducated whims of the representative of 478,819 Arkansans. We have fallen through the looking glass and left it far behind...

The Right Is Wrong-- Again

5 Embarrassing Predictions About What Obamacare Would Do To The Economy | ThinkProgress:

In February, the economy added 295,000 jobs. It was the 12th straight month the private sector added more than 200,000 jobs, the longest such streak since 1977. The robust job growth coincided almost exactly with the official start of health coverage through the Obamacare exchanges, which began in January 2014. Over that time, the economy has added 3.2 million jobs.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way...

Holier-Than-Thou AP Flogged

The Troubling Story Of The AP's Flawed Clinton Email Report | Blog | Media Matters for America:

After the Associated Press waited over 14 hours before changing an erroneous story about Hillary Clinton, without issuing an update or correction, ZDNet's David Gewirtz has questions about the integrity of the outlet's reporting.

On March 4, the AP published a story claiming that Clinton used a fake identity, "Eric Hoteham," to register the domain name associated with Clinton's personal email address. This was later discovered to be a misspelled version of a real name, Eric Hothem, who is a former aide to Clinton.

Gewirtz documented a laundry list of changes made to the piece after the AP discovered this information, noting that the AP let the story "run through an entire day's news cycle, and then changed that story in the same article later that evening - without ever releasing an update or correction..."

Maddow On Bill O

Post by Media Matters for America.

Potential Teachers Wising Up

Where Have All The Teachers Gone? : NPR Ed : NPR:

...The job also has a PR problem, McDiarmid says, with teachers too often turned into scapegoats by politicians, policymakers, foundations and the media.

"It tears me up sometimes to see the way in which people talk about teachers because they are giving blood, sweat and tears for their students every day in this country. There is a sense now that, 'If I went into this job and it doesn't pay a lot and it's a lot of hard work, it may be that I'd lose it.' And students are hearing this. And it deters them from entering the profession..."

Crazy In NC: Gettin' Sane Edition

North Carolina inches closer to legalization of medicinal marijuana | Mountain Xpress:

North Carolina could conceivably be one of the next states to legalize marijuana use for medicinal purposes, according to a report by higherperspective.com.

The website cites a bill, introduced by Representative Kelly Alexander in late January 2015, that has passed its first reading in the North Carolina General Assembly. This comes on the heels of a decision by Gov. Pat McCrory last year to sign a law allowing limited use of cannabis derivatives to treat seizures...

Clinton's Emails Prove Sharia Gayness

...or something. Reliable players, including the Gaff and Atlas Shruggin' are coming out of their slime holes to posit additional lunacy. The Email Server Squeaks And Out Come The Freaks | Crooks and Liars

Return To Medievalism!

The ultimate guide to debunking right-wingers’ insane persecution fantasies - Salon.com:

...On its website, the ADF states that it “seeks to recover the robust Christendomic theology of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th centuries.” That’s really the problem, isn’t it? When leaders and members of the religious right go looking for heroes of religious freedom, they don’t turn to Roger Williams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, or even the Baptist preacher John Leland. They turn to Constantine the Great.

It’s no surprise that many Americans would rather not live in a society governed by a fifth-century understanding of church and state. Many Americans believe that to even suggest it and hold it up as a good thing is alarming. Many Americans are going to do all they can to resist anyone or any movement attempting to impose that on them.

Standing up to and resisting this type of fundamentally anti-American interpretation of the relationship between religion and government is far from persecution. Many of us would consider it something quite different: good, old-fashioned patriotism.

Clinton And The Loyalists

Pwning Hillary: Inside the Innerati’s Clinton Obsession | PETER DAOU:

...I have a personal take on why Hillary Clinton’s reputation is so resilient. Early on a Sunday morning in the summer of 2006, a week after she had hired me as an advisor and after an outbreak of violence in the Middle East, my home phone rang. “Peter, it’s Hillary, I was just calling to make sure your friends and family in Lebanon are OK.” It immediately struck me: the reason Hillary Clinton has so many fiercely loyal friends and advisors, so many fans and supporters, is because of her character, her friendship, her loyalty...

Pitchforks

Pooches And The Israeli PM

Bibi Nastyahoo poked the pooch according to some pundits. Netanyahu blew it: How he misunderstood Congress & inadvertently ruined his own goals - Salon.com:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had two goals for his address to Congress. The first was to boost his chances for reelection in a couple of weeks by showing off his sway abroad. I am not enough of an expert in Israeli politics to know if this will work on net, but the controversy that it sparked might cut against whatever gains it made. The second goal, however, was to lobby Congress to use its power to sabotage a nuclear deal with Iran. On this count, he’s failed, because he critically misunderstands how American politics works...

The Low End Of The Petty Pole

Boehner Invites Man Who Hated Obama in High School to Address Congress - The New Yorker:

House Speaker John Boehner has scheduled a joint session of Congress in April to hear an address by Kevin Laggett, a man who is on record as having hated President Obama in high school.

Boehner, who personally extended the invitation to Laggett, said that he did not consult with the President before contacting his high-school nemesis...

Ferguson Corrupt

Justice Department releases scathing Ferguson report | MSNBC:

The Justice Department has released a scathing report based on its investigation of the Ferguson, Missouri, police department, in which it says the police department engaged in broad pattern of conduct that routinely violated the constitutional rights of African-Americans.

The DOJ findings include a pattern and practice of disproportionate stops and arrests of blacks without probable cause, unreasonable force, racially bias handling of warrants by municipal courts and a pattern of focusing on revenue over public safety that violated the rights of poor, black residents...

About SOS Clinton's Email

The New York Times' Deceptive Suggestion That Hillary Clinton May Have Violated Federal Records Law | Research | Media Matters for America:

...But The Law Overseeing Retention Of Private Emails Was Not Changed Until After Clinton Left The State Department...

house Of The GOPer

The terrible, horrible, no good start for GOP | TheHill:

The opening weeks of the 114th Congress have been nothing short of a disaster for Republicans, who declared upon taking control of both chambers last fall that the era of governing by crisis and fiscal cliffs was over.

Since their declaration, House GOP leaders have yanked several high-profile bills from the floor after rebellions from rank-and-file members...

About Those Charter Schools

Profits and losses - The Tulsa Voice - February A 2015:

Of all the awful ideas in politics these days—balanced budget amendment, elected judiciary, constitutional convention, flat tax (to name just a few)—nothing leaves more of a stench than charter schools and vouchers.

The lobbyists who push this agenda (aided by local, state and national representatives who line up for the swag and instructions on how to sell the con)1 believe that the best thing for public education is the introduction of the profit motive—their profits. Schools will do a better job of educating children, they contend, if there’s competition between institutions—winners and losers...

Advice For Bill O

What Bill O'Reilly owes America - CNN.com:

...That's easier said than done, especially after O'Reilly chose to start threatening reporters. His best move now would be to do the difficult, responsible thing, the thing truly great journalists have been doing for decades: admit he screwed up, apologize and try to move on.

That might damage his brand as the swaggering no-spin guy, and it might even lose him some viewers. But it would begin to restore his reputation in a profession that isn't perfect and doesn't expect its practitioners to be -- but also doesn't expect valid questions to be answered with the snarling, empty threats of a coward.

Libs Helping A Con

You Won’t Believe Who Is Helping This Obamacare Hating Sheriff Pay His Medical Bills | If You Only News:

Sheriff Richard Mack is the right wing former sheriff of Graham County, Arizona. He is the head of an organization called “Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association,” a member of the NRA’s Hall Of Fame, and a staunch opponent of the policies of President Obama, including Obamacare.

Richard Mack has run into some medical problems and since he is uninsured, he’s asking for help. Mack suffered a heart attack on January 12. This apparently came right on the heels of some serious medical issues that were suffered by his wife. His son, Jimmy Mack, has set up a GoFundMe campaign, asking for donations to help offset the cost of medical treatment. Apparently the Macks were expecting right wing supporters to step up to the plate and help out but, judging by the comments that accompany many of the donations, Mack is getting the bulk of his support from liberals...

GOPer Weakness

GOP leaders are struggling to show they really are in charge - National - Ohio:

Two months into full Republican control of Congress, GOP leaders are struggling to demonstrate they really are in charge.

The stunning House defeat Friday of a three-week spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security exposed Speaker John Boehner’s weakness in the face of rebellious conservatives.

It also again demonstrated his need to rely on Democrats at critical moments as the minority party’s agreement to a one-week spending bill helped the speaker get it over the finish line with only hours to spare before a threatened agency shutdown.

President Barack Obama signed the bill shortly before midnight...

Walker Thinks You're A Terrorist

Scott Walker: Workers are Terrorists | The Fifth Column:

Scott Walker wants to be President, and he’s promising a War on Workers.
Scott Walker at CPAC 2013

Scott Walker at CPAC 2013

At the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), the Wisconsin Governor arrogantly boasts, “If I can take on 100,000 protesters, I can do the same across the world...”

The Real Purpose Of Common Core

Principal: ‘There comes a time when rules must be broken…. That time is now.’ - The Washington Post:

...Cuomo’s constant berating of public schools and their teachers is right out of the privatization playbook. As Rick Hess of the American Enterprise Institute observed back in 2012, the purpose of setting cut scores on Common Core tests so high is to convince suburban parents that their schools and its teachers are failing. The collateral damage done to students by that agenda apparently is secondary to Common Core testing enthusiasts...

Blue Executions?

Police Turning Off Cameras, Legislation Bans Public Viewing - The Pontiac Tribune:

Beyond the reality that the United States incarcerates more people than any other nation in the world, our police officers shoot and kill more people in any given year than Germany and the United Kingdom combined over the past decade.

Police in the town of Pacos, Washington, with 59,000 people, have shot and killed more people the past six months than police in the United Kingdom, with a population of more than 60 million. And American police aren’t shooting people left and right because they all have guns. Almost daily, a man or woman without a gun is shot and killed in America and problem is getting worse...

DC Goes Legal

It's an AP story so I can't give you any words, else the Mighty Trolls of the Associated Press might eat my flesh. DC legalizes pot in capital, despite threats from Congress - Houston Chronicle

Tax Policies That Work

This Billionaire Governor Taxed the Rich and Increased the Minimum Wage -- Now, His State's Economy Is One of the Best in the Country�|�Carl Gibson:

...During his first four years in office, Gov. Dayton raised the state income tax from 7.85 to 9.85 percent on individuals earning over $150,000, and on couples earning over $250,000 when filing jointly -- a tax increase of $2.1 billion. He's also agreed to raise Minnesota's minimum wage to $9.50 an hour by 2018, and passed a state law guaranteeing equal pay for women. Republicans like state representative Mark Uglem warned against Gov. Dayton's tax increases, saying, "The job creators, the big corporations, the small corporations, they will leave. It's all dollars and sense to them." The conservative friend or family member you shared this article with would probably say the same if their governor tried something like this. But like Uglem, they would be proven wrong.

Between 2011 and 2015, Gov. Dayton added 172,000 new jobs to Minnesota's economy -- that's 165,800 more jobs in Dayton's first term than Pawlenty added in both of his terms combined...

Ending DHS

Let’s Just Kill ‘Homeland Security’ - The Daily Beast:

Are you nervous, America?

If nothing happens before Friday, the mighty Department of Homeland Security (DHS)—every bit as much a WTF legacy of George W. Bush as those surreal White House Christmas videos that featured Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson talking to Barney “the First Dog” like the Son of Sam killer—will lose its funding due to a budget fight between congressional Republicans and President Barack Obama.

And when DHS funding ends, then…well, nothing much, actually, it turns out...

A Bill O Lie From 1977

O'Reilly Lied About Suicide Of JFK Assassination Figure, Former Colleagues Say | Blog | Media Matters for America:

Bill O'Reilly has repeatedly claimed he personally "heard" a shotgun blast that killed a figure in the investigation into President John F. Kennedy's assassination while reporting for a Dallas television station in 1977. O'Reilly's claim is implausible and contradicted by his former newsroom colleagues who denied the tale in interviews with Media Matters. A police report, contemporaneous reporting, and a congressional investigator who was probing Kennedy's death further undermine O'Reilly's story...

Bill O Goes Full Bully

Bill O'Reilly threatens N.Y. Times reporter - POLITICO.com:

Fox News host Bill O'Reilly threatened a New York Times reporter on Monday night, promising to come after the reporter "with everything I have" if he felt that any of the reporter's coverage about his Falklands war controversy was inappropriate.

"Mr. O’Reilly’s efforts to refute the claims by Mother Jones and some former CBS News colleagues occurred both on the air and off on Monday," the Times' Emily Steel and Ravi Somaiya reported. "During a phone conversation, he told a reporter for The New York Times that there would be repercussions if he felt any of the reporter’s coverage was inappropriate. 'I am coming after you with everything I have,' Mr. O’Reilly said. 'You can take it as a threat...'”

Congress Moving On Pot?

Two House Bills Would End Federal Prohibition Of Marijuana:

Two congressmen filed separate House bills on Friday that together would legalize, regulate and tax marijuana at the federal level, effectively ending the U.S. government's decadeslong prohibition of the plant...

Bill O & His Latest Lies

Bill O’Reilly Is No Brian Williams - The Daily Beast:

Embattled Fox News star Bill O’Reilly has spent the past 36 hours scrambling from one media platform to another—including his own top-rated show, The O’Reilly Factor—in a fevered attempt to discredit a report that he’s been lying about his supposed presence in a war zone three decades ago...

Another angle here.

Blades In OK

This Week In The Laboratories Of Democracy:

...At least three bills - one in the House and two in the Senate - have been filed to eliminate the state's nearly six-decade ban on carrying what are more properly called automatic knives. The impetus for repeal comes from OK2A, a Second Amendment advocacy organization that has supported much of the gun-rights legislation enacted in recent years. "It's a combination of principle and a matter of common sense," said OK2A President Tim Gillespie of Earlsboro. "If we're letting people carry guns, it makes no sense not to let them carry switchblade knives.

Some slopes are more slippery than others, but they have one thing in common -- they all run downhill.

This is your democracy, America. Cherish it.

Do GOPers Believe In Science Or Superstitution?

Stop Whining Conservative Media, Asking Scott Walker About Evolution Is Completely Legit | Blog | Media Matters for America:

...Despite shrill complaints about its supposed irrelevance, the topic of evolution remains firmly in the public square, thanks in part to conservative activists who continue to try to undermine the teaching of evolution in public schools. For instance, during Walker's term as governor, a debate unfolded in Wisconsin about whether a public school district should only teach the scientifically-valid theory of evolution, or also teach the scientifically-bankrupt theory of intelligent design...

A Drug War Apology

Bill Clinton Apologizes To Mexico For War On Drugs:

Former President Bill Clinton apologized to Mexico during a speech there last week for a backfired U.S. war on drugs that has fueled spiraling violence...

Right-Wing Pot Advocate

Right-Wing Congressman Calls Marijuana Prohibition An 'Abomination' - Reset.me:

A conservative right-wing congressman who worked closely with Ronald Reagan during the end of the Cold War just compared the climate created by the failed, racist, and unduly expensive U.S. War on Drugs to that of a fascist state. Dana Rohrabacher from California, who proudly refers to himself as a “low tax guy” and brags about his collection of more than 50 pictures taken beside the former president, is also leading the Republican charge to end marijuana prohibition. Rohrabacher’s stance on this issue is very unusual, as conservatives have largely been the leaders and biggest allies in the War on Drugs...

Cons Getting Conned

The Conservative Movement Is Infected With Scams | Blog | Media Matters for America:

Politico's Ken Vogel today examined how "the conservative movement has been plagued by an explosion of PACs that critics say exist mostly to pad the pockets of the consultants who run them." Media Matters has similarly found that conservative media is infected with scams, touting cancer "cures," dubious financial companies, reverse mortgages, and fringe penny stocks...

MT Tea Crazies

10 truly bizarre Tea Party bills: From nipples to militias to religious zealotry - Salon.com:

Here are the 10 most bizarre Tea Party bills currently being debated in the Montana Legislature, which is now controlled by the right wing of the Republican Party. Some of these bills, believe it or not, have a chance of making it to the governor’s desk...

Employee Shaming

I hope this is not a corporate policy.  Target Employee Suicide: Mom Sues Retailer For Son’s Suicide After ‘Walk Of Shame’

Socialized Medicine Good For Business

Employers agree w/Bernie Sanders on health care? (VIDEO):

Senator Bernie Sanders likely gave Republicans attempting to overturn the Affordable Care Act, Obamacare heartburn during a recent full committee hearing of the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pension. It turns out that all three witnesses saw merit to Senator Bernie Sanders’ desire for true Universal Healthcare decoupled from the employer. The panel included Dr. Betsy Webb , Superintendent, Bangor School Department, Bangor, ME, Mr. Andrew F. Puzder , Chief Executive Officer, CKE Restaurants, Carpinteria, CA, and Mr. Joe Fugere , Founder, Tutta Bella Pizzeria, Seattle, WA...

Business opposition to single-payer has never made a lick of business sense to me. Why wouldn't you want to reduce per employee expenses, especially when any tax increase would be minimal?

Post Lies About Bill

Cannonfire "Unbelievable":

...Make no mistake: If the governor of Florida had said "I want 'em to throw the book at this guy," the book would have been tossed.

By the way: The same NY Post piece claims that Bill Clinton made "racially charged" gaffes during the 2008 contest. He did no such thing. Bill Clinton was the best friend black people ever had in the oval office, including its current occupant.

Wrong Defined

The Fartknocker Report: Sarah Palin Moves Lips About Abortion, Lies Ensue. Surprise! | Wonkette:

...This is just spectacularly wrong. It is wrong in a way that should be treasured, not mocked. We should adore this beautiful, shining example of wrongness, because millions of years from now, long after our cities have burned and the skies have dimmed on the planets orbiting this dying star, alien archaeologists will recover a copy of Sarah Palin’s video, and they will look upon it as our civilization’s most glorious creation...

On It Goes

Military and ISIS Clash Over Iraqi Town Near a Base Housing U.S. Troops - NYTimes.com:

Iraqi soldiers and militants of the Islamic State group clashed again over the weekend in a western Iraqi town that has changed hands several times in skirmishes near a military base where American troops are training Iraqi soldiers...

God Loves Canada

Sun News Network, Canada's "Fox News North," Has Been Canceled | Blog | Media Matters for America:

Sun News Network, the right-wing Canadian news network described as "Fox News North," is shutting down...

Lying Rand Paul

Rand Paul caught lying about his college record - Salon.com:

Ophthalmologist-turned-politician Rand Paul may have a medical degree from Duke University, but the Kentucky senator and likely 2016 presidential candidate never completed his undergraduate education at Baylor University. So why did Paul assert twice yesterday that he holds two bachelor’s degrees from the institution?...

How do you get into medical school without a degree? Is this like Skippy Bush going to flight school and becoming a second louey without going to either basic training or  officer candidate school?

Jackass MoveOn Helping GOP

Daily PUMA:

In 2008 the mega polarizers of the democrat party including Huffington Post, Move on dot org, Nancy Pelosi, Donna Brazille, Keith Olbermann, Tim Russert and Chris Matthews, MSNBC, and others claimed that Hillary Clinton was "polarizing".

It is now 2016 and the group who most accused Hillary Clinton of being a polarizing influence are in turning out to be the BIGGEST polarizers of them all, that group is Move On dot org...

Bizarro World Shines In NK

No, not North Kansas.

North Korea's Kim Jong-un reveals hundreds of bizarre slogans he wants his country to live by - Mirror Online:

North Korea’s red wine loving dictator Kim Jong-un revealed the 300 new political slogans he wants the country to live by.

He wants the 25 million population in the isolated nation he rules to be up-lifted by his new rules such as: "Let the strong wind of fish farming blow across the country!”.

The roly-poly cigar-smoking dictator also ruled: "Let the wives of officers become dependable assistants to their husbands!”...

Blow Hard Walker Caught In Lies

Scott Walker’s lying mess: How a tough Wisconsin teacher schooled the governor - Salon.com:

...Felske closes her letter by remembering their freshman orientation at Marquette University. “I graduated from Marquette and later became Wisconsin High School Teacher of the Year. You never graduated, and you became the Governor of the State of Wisconsin bent on dismantling public education. Ironic, isn’t it? Situational irony at its best. I’d laugh if its ramifications weren’t so utterly destructive for the state of Wisconsin.”

Will Walker’s latest fibs be destructive for his presidential bid? We’ll find out. The national media has yet to dig deeply into the many nagging questions about Walker’s career, from his Marquette student government hijinks to his mysterious departure from the university, to his Red Cross years, to all the details of the two John Doe probes that led to the conviction of six aides and close associates...

Murder In NC

Man Charged in Deaths of 3 Muslim Students Near University of North Carolina - NYTimes.com:

Police officials in Chapel Hill, N.C., said on Wednesday that a man had been arrested in the shooting deaths of three Muslim students at a condominium complex near the University of North Carolina campus.

The Chapel Hill police said that Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, had been charged with three counts of first-degree murder. He is being held at the Durham County Jail. “Our preliminary investigation indicates that the crime was motivated by an ongoing neighbor dispute over parking,” the police said in a statement...

Bush Didn't Lie; He's Just Stupid

Yes, Bush lied about Iraq: Why are we still arguing about this? - Salon.com:

...It seems clear now that we, as a nation, will never stop relitigating the Iraq war. Owing to partisan loyalty or (for the politicians and pundits who personally backed the war) gross self-interest, most of today’s conservatives will stridently argue that the war George W. Bush started on false pretenses was justified (despite the lack of justification) and on track for a successful conclusion (despite every bit of evidence to the contrary) before Barack Obama came in and threw away all of Bush’s good work.

In this vein, the Wall Street Journal published an Op-Ed yesterday by Laurence Silberman, the conservative federal judge who co-chaired the 2004 Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction. In the piece, Silberman takes objection with Ron Fournier (of all people) blithely asserting that George W. Bush “lied” in order to make the Iraq war a reality. Saying Bush “lied” is a bad, hurtful argument, Silberman writes, because he Bush didn’t lie; he just got every single thing wrong and that’s totally different:...

O Hates Mo

He has plenty of company in the No-Mo Boat.



David Axelrod: New York Times Columnist Maureen Dowd Gets Under Obama's Skin:

... Dowd acknowledged that her columns grew more critical of Obama through his first six years in office, but said the shift was a reflection on his “governing and leadership, not my relationship with him.”

"If anyone acted out of spite, I'd say it was the White House, which ... no longer invites me to the President's background briefings for the columnists while continuing to invite my male colleagues, even though they, too, have written some critical things about the President," Dowd said. "But here again, while I'd like to be included, that is not a consideration in what I write."

Sure Mo. We believe that, and oh, btw, the POTUS is allowed a little spite toward bitchy typists.

FBI Working For Keystone?

Anti-Oil Sands Activists Getting Visits From The FBI - Esquire:

...Which brings us back to this story. The idea that your friendly neighborhood Fed is stopping by to "learn more about the movement" should be chilling for a number of reasons. The first is, as we mentioned, the FBI has no business dropping in on citizens who have not committed a crime, nor are they suspected of having committed one, and especially not at the behest of a private multinational concern. There is a name for what happens when the government's law-enforcement powers are put at the direct convenience of private corporations. The second is that, should the president approve the death funnel, which seems less likely than it once did, but which is still a very live possibility, the resistance to the project is not going to resolve itself into a dew. There are going to be demonstrations (peaceful, one hopes) up and down the route of the pipeline, from northern Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico. That the FBI is already gathering intelligence indicates that the Bureau knows this and is warming up for such eventualities. Names are going into a file, somewhere. This never has worked out well in the area of political dissent in this country, and, given the fact that we now have a staggering network of covert domestic intelligence-gathering and a huge government law-enforcement apparatus, it's unlikely to work out well in the future, either...

Jeb's First Drip Drops

Dems hit Jeb‘s tech guy for questionable tweets | Politics | Lake Wylie Pilot:

Jeb Bush’s new technology officer found himself embroiled in an online controversy Monday – with the surfacing of past tweets about “sluts,” gay men at the gym and sex with Lindsey Lohan...

Firing Liars

My Ironic Defense of Brian Williams�|�Cenk Uygur:

...While we're firing people, find me the MSNBC executives who got rid of Phil Donahue and Ashleigh Banfield for speaking out against the war. You fire those guys and Brian Williams at the same time and you've got a deal. But their offense was a thousand percent worse and there was never even a discussion about firing them.

The American people are allowed to be outraged at what Brian Williams said; the people who fought against the lies that got us into the Iraq War are allowed to be outraged; but the establishment press who are part and parcel of that system can go ahead and spare me their contrived, bullshit outrage...

I Wonder Why...

FBI: Mass shooting incidents occurring more frequently - CNN.com:

Mass shootings have been occurring more frequently in recent years, an FBI study shows, with nearly one incident a month from 2000 to 2013...

Sanders Roars

Sanders Exposes 18 CEOs With Trillions in Bailouts, Evaded Taxes, Outsourced Jobs | Towards Emancipation:

...Many of the CEO’s who signed the deficit-reduction letter run corporations that evaded at least $34.5 billion in taxes by setting up more than 600 subsidiaries in the Cayman Islands and other offshore tax havens since 2008. As a result, at least a dozen of the companies avoided paying any federal income taxes in recent years, and even received more than $6.4 billion in tax refunds from the IRS since 2008.

Several of the companies received a total taxpayer bailout of more than $2.5 trillion from the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department.

Many of the companies also have outsourced hundreds of thousands of American jobs to China and other low wage countries, forcing their workers to receive unemployment insurance and other federal benefits. In other words, these are some of the same people who have significantly caused the deficit to explode over the last four years...

Stealing American Jobs

Southern California Edison IT workers 'beyond furious' over H-1B replacements | Computerworld:

Information technology workers at Southern California Edison (SCE) are being laid off and replaced by workers from India. Some employees are training their H-1B visa holding replacements, and many have already lost their jobs.

The employees are upset and say they can't understand how H-1B guest workers can be used to replace them.

The IT organization's "transition effort" is expected to result in about 400 layoffs, with "another 100 or so employees leaving voluntarily," SCE said in a statement. The "transition," which began in August, will be completed by the end of March, the company said...

American Sniping

I’m a U.S. veteran, and “American Sniper” is rife with lies - Salon.com:

...Chris Kyle didn’t view Iraq like me and Garett, but neither of us have attacked him for it. He’s not the problem. We don’t care about the lies that Chris Kyle may or may not have told. They don’t matter. We care about the lies that Chris Kyle believed. The lie that Iraq was culpable for September 11. The lie that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The lie that people do evil things because they are evil.

The film “American Sniper” is also rife with lies. This was not Chris Kyle’s story. And Bradley Cooper was not Chris Kyle. It was Jason Hall’s story, a one-time actor in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and screenwriter for “American Sniper,” who called his film a “character study.” Don’t believe him. His movie is as fictional as Buffy Summers...

GOPer Defection

Obamacare makes Mississippi Republican leave Party (VIDEO):

Former Republican Mississippi State Senator Tim Johnson is likely the tip of the iceberg. He gave a news conference on Wednesday where he stated that he will be leaving the Republicans. He joined the Mississippi Democratic Party. He said he will run as the Democratic candidate to be lieutenant governor...

O Tweaks Nuts Again

Wingnuts’ latest meltdown: Conservatives go nuts over Obama’s remarks on Christianity and Islam - Salon.com:

Speaking before the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, President Obama denounced those “who hijack religion for their own murderous ends,” citing, for instance, the Islamic State militant group, “a brutal, vicious death cult that, in the name of religion, carries out unspeakable acts of barbarism.” Given the group’s gruesome executions of its hostages and its utterly horrific execution of children, including the mentally disabled, one could hardly dispute the president’s characterization of its fundamentalist adherents...

Jobs

Strong U.S. job, wage gains open door to mid-year rate hike | Reuters:

U.S. job growth rose solidly in January and wages rebounded, a show of economic strength that put a mid-year interest rate increase from the Federal Reserve back on the table.

Nonfarm payrolls increased 257,000 last month, the Labor Department said on Friday, outstripping Wall Street forecasts...

ISIS Miscalculates

Has ISIS's latest horror show backfired in the Middle East? - World - CBC News:

In grotesquely expanding its growing gallery of horror, by burning alive a Jordanian pilot, ISIS is taking a significant risk.

The overriding message, mixed in among several in its highly produced video, is clear. Don't fight us, it seems to say. If you do, prepare to burn in hell...

The Art Of The Hissy Fit

Conservatives are such crybabies: Whether Fox News or angry police, exaggerated whining is always the first move - Salon.com:

...Over the years, Salon columnist Heather “Digby” Parton has written repeatedly about GOP/conservative hissy fits, most notably in her 2007 classic, ‘The Art of the Hissy Fit,’ where she noted that, “the right’s successful use of phony sanctimony and faux outrage…often succeeded in changing the dialogue and titillating the media into a frenzy of breathless tabloid coverage.” It first caught her attention in the late ’90s, when top GOP adulterers Newt Gingrich and Bob Livingston ”pretended to be offended at the president’s extramarital affair” as well as being outraged that Democrats raised campaign money just like they did.

It worked so well, she observed, “that they now rely on it as their first choice to control the political dialogue when it becomes uncomfortable and put the Democrats on the defensive whenever they are winning the day.” Which is why “hissy fit” is by far the best way to describe the ginned-up outrage recently mounted against New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder for their nonexistent roles in the execution killings of Brooklyn NYPD officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu—outrage the conservative media sustains by hiding what de Blasio and Obama have actually said, while burying them in false accusations...

Jindal Changes Skin

Lamar White, Jr on Twitter: "This is Bobby Jindal's official portrait. Photo credit: Robin May of @theInd http://t.co/QBzSsMOoYZ"

Mitt Irks O

Mitt Romney's concession call 'irritated' Obama:

Mitt Romney suggested in a post-defeat phone call to President Obama that he only lost because of the black vote, according to Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod...

Jeb & Bro

Sen. Feinstein Cracks Scathing Joke About Jeb Bush Candidacy:

...W. Bush’s deep unpopularity primarily stemmed from lying to the country in order to invade Iraq and allowing Wall Street to run roughshod over regulations, nearly crashing the world economy. But No Child Left Behind was also a signature Bush ‘achievement’ and it is also unpopular. The public mostly has negative opinions about it, and teachers overwhelmingly disapprove of it. The prevailing view is that it crushed teacher creativity to focus on standardized testing and has led to an epidemic of teacher burnout. This is just one small strand in the great tapestry of George W. Bush’s legacy as the worst president in American history. Who wouldn’t want to ride those coattails?

Feinstein’s joke is brilliant because it packs all these unique Jeb Bush weaknesses into one pithy punch.

Around The Nutter

Why I fled libertarianism — and became a liberal - Salon.com:

The night before the 2008 Nevada Republican convention, the Ron Paul delegates all met at a Reno high school. Although I’d called myself a libertarian for almost my entire adult life, it was my first exposure to the wider movement.

And boy, was it a circus. Many members of the group were obsessed with the gold standard, the Kennedy assassination and the Fed. Although Libertarians believe government is incompetent, many of them subscribe to the most fringe conspiracy theories imaginable. Airplanes are poisoning America with chemicals (chemtrails) or the moon landings were faked. Nothing was too far out. A great many of them really think that 9-11 was an inside job. Even while basking in the electoral mainstream, the movement was overflowing with obvious hokum...

Religious Badness

These are the 12 worst ideas religion has unleashed on the world:

...I’ve previously highlighted some of humanity’s best moral and spiritual concepts, our shared moral core. Here, by way of contrast, are some of the worst. These twelve dubious concepts promote conflict, cruelty, suffering and death rather than love and peace. To paraphrase Christopher Hitchens, they belong in the dustbin of history just as soon as we can get them there...