HRC For The Vets

The veterans candidate | TheHill:

...I think this veteran knows her. We’re not from the same political party and I don’t agree with all her policy positions and sometimes don’t understand why she does or doesn’t do certain things. However, over the past 13 or 14 years I have observed an uncommon combination of core common sense, honest sense of responsibility, intelligence, and wit. She has been kind and accessible to me and my family, so one might say I’ll naturally say nice things. But so have other senior government and military officials been kind and accessible. Yet I don’t see them as White-House-ready. I have observed her one-on-one and in group settings, with the young and the old, with veterans and non-veterans, Democrats and Republicans, when the cameras and media were not watching. In such unscripted settings she demonstrates sincere concern and provides insights that, if ever actually reported by the media, would blow up all the nonsensical talk about a cold and standoffish person...

Fox Manipulators

Gun Advocate John Lott Was The Real Author Of A Viral FoxNews.com Op-Ed Written From Perspective Of A Female Stalking Victim | Blog | Media Matters for America:

Taylor Woolrich, who made national headlines in 2014 over her efforts to carry a gun on her college campus after being stalked, revealed that John Lott, a discredited gun researcher, was the actual author of an op-ed published at FoxNews.com under her name that portrayed her as an unconditional supporter of campus carry laws and was picked up by dozens of media outlets...

Return Of The Obots?

petition: Hold Bernie Sanders Accountable for Bullying by his Supporters:

There are several petitions being circulated by the supporters of Bernie Sanders asking people NOT to support the Democratic nominee if Bernie doesn't win the primary election. This is not activism, this is anarchy, and it subverts the election process upon which our democracy was founded.

In addition to petitions, Sanders’ supporters have taken over the majority of neutral liberal and Democratic social media groups, bullying Hillary Clinton supporters relentlessly until they leave the groups. Some friction during an election is to be expected, but the vitriol and persistence of Bernie Sanders' supporters in their personal attacks against Hillary Clinton's supporters is unprecedented. They are resorting to Tea Party tactics, such as character assassination, accusing people of being trolls, shills or HRC campaign operatives to get them kicked out of groups, flashmob attacks in which a dozen Sanders supporters gang up on an individual, reporting of opposing comments as spam, attacking individual social media profiles of Hillary supporters, thread stalking (following a person across several conversations, groups, and even sites), and even doxing (investigating and posting personal data online). Many group administrators have abandoned their own groups because they cannot deal with the level of hostility from these people. It must be stopped.

Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption

Oh yes brethern! There's hope for redemption from your sinful ways. Find it at



John Oliver Goes After 'Prosperity Gospel' TV Preachers | Crooks and Liars:

...Seeing an opportunity at hand, Oliver created his own church — Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption — with an assist from Sister Wanda Jo Oliver (played by former SNL star Rachel Dratch) and encouraged his new followers to quietly meditate on the nature of fake non-profit money-grubbing tax-avoiding churches...

About That Clown Car

Inside the GOP Clown Car | Rolling Stone:

...In the meantime, though, the race for the Republican Party presidential nomination sure seems funny. The event known around the world as hashtagGOPClownCar is improbable, colossal, spectacular and shocking; epic, monumental, heinous and disgusting. It's like watching 17 platypuses try to mount the queen of England. You can't tear your eyes away from it...

The Daily Flashback: The First Missing Email Edition

The SEKRIT Drones in Hillary’s [Staffers’] Emails | emptywheel:

...Not only are there real governance reasons it was wrong, but it was an own-goal given that she knew Republicans would pounce on anything that hints of corruption (even though most GOP presidential candidates have done the same thing). In the grand scheme of things, however, I’m most interested in fixing the email and accountability problem, because it has been a recurrent problem since Poppy Bush tried to destroy some PROFs notes to cover up the Iran-Contra scandal...

The Really Long Arm Of The Law

Law enforcement, attorney among 9 arrested in man's death:

A long and largely forgotten death investigation in California's Central Valley has led to a vast and unexpected set of arrests that included three current and former Highway Patrol officers and a prominent defense attorney.

They were among nine people arrested in the 2012 disappearance and killing of Korey Kauffman, stemming from the belief that he was stealing the attorney's antiques, law enforcement officials said at a news conference Friday in Modesto, California....

Carter Cancer GOPer Tweets

Disgusting Right Wing Tweets Edition: Debbie Schlussel | Crooks and Liars:

Get ready folks for some of the most vile tweets and comments to ooze through the Intertubes as former US President Jimmy Carter, announced he has cancer...

Crazy In NC: Budget Edition

NC leaders bungle the state budget | News & Observer:

...House members want a budget that boosts spending a modest 5 percent, too modest, really, given the toll the Great Recession took on public agencies, services and employees. But the Senate, led by Phil Berger, Tom Apodaca and Bob Rucho, wants only a 2.7 percent increase in the name of more tax cuts for the wealthy and businesses and cuts in valuable programs like historic tax credits and incentives for what’s sure to become a vanishing film industry.

House members see this trio as bullies, and they’re right. Senators talk down to the House, dismissing the lower chamber’s budget ideas and in particular the House’s belief that teacher assistants are vital to the quality of public education delivered in early grades. In the Senate budget, thousands of assistants would lose their jobs because of a plan to reduce class size and hire more regular teachers. In fact, assistants should be retained and more teachers should be hired, both of which would be possible with a $445 million budget surplus. But Senate leaders who have shown little support for public education since taking charge apparently couldn’t care less.

That there would be a second delay is ridiculous and shows that even after five years in power Republicans are amateurs at drawing a budget. They are embarrassing themselves and the state.

Abortion From Those Who Know

The Big Secret of Abortion -- The Cut:

...Sixty-one percent of women who seek abortions already have at least one child. More than a third already have at least two children. Women know what pregnancy is and what abortion does. Perhaps it’s this common calculation that keeps so many women (and men) grateful to an organization dedicated to the maintenance of women’s bodies. An NBC News–Wall Street Journal poll, released after the fetal-parts videos, showed Planned Parenthood with a net favorability rating of 45 percent, higher than Donald Trump, the Democratic and Republican parties, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, the Supreme Court, and the National Rifle Association...

Fiorina Tweet Slapped

Carly Fiorina 2016: Vaccinations should be left up to parents - POLITICO:

...Fellow GOP presidential candidate and former New York Gov. George Pataki took to Twitter on Friday to condemn her comments.

“Pandering for votes isn’t going to win us back the Presidency,” Pataki tweeted. “Optional vaccinations is bad for public health & bad politics. @CarlyFiorina. Not sure how you run a major tech company @HP & reject accepted science that has eradicated diseases like small pox & polio @CarlyFiorina...”

Clinton Email Point

Cannonfire "They're Going After Huma":

...For a reasonable response to the right's hysteria about the emails, go here. Basically, what you're not being told is that the classifications were retroactive. The material was not classified at the time, according to this McClatchy report...

Comment Of The Day: Cruz Pro-Molester Edition

Ted Cruz Has an Award for a Known Child Abuser - News From Charlie Pierce

Brian Robin ·

Senior Account Executive at Brener Zwikel & Associates Inc.

So let's recap, shall we?

Mikie Huckabee coddles and defends a child molester without an iota of irony because "They're One of Us." Now, Tailgunner Teddy -- a.k.a. Canada's revenge for acid rain -- coddles "re-homers." Also known to normal people as "child traffickers and pimps."

All that's missing is the piano player. I read that somewhere.

More Head Spinning Hypocrisy From The Right

After Banning Trump For Sexism, Erick Erickson's RedState Calls Clinton A "Homely Woman" Who Slept "Her Way Into Power" | Blog | Media Matters for America:

A RedState post claimed that Hillary Clinton proves "even a homely woman can sleep her way into power." RedState's editor-in-chief Erick Erickson recently disinvited Donald Trump from the RedState Gathering event for Trump's sexist attacks on Fox's Megyn Kelly...

A Teacher's Lament: Killing Kids With Testing

Why I Can No Longer Teach in Public Education�|�Stephanie Keiles:

...Coming from the Republicans at the state level and the Democrats at the national level, I have been forced to comply with mandates that are not in the best interest of kids. I am tired of having to perform what I consider to be educational malpractice, in the name of "accountability."

The amount of time lost to standardized tests that are of no use to me as a classroom teacher is mind-boggling. And when you add in mandatory quarterly district-wide tests, which are used to collect data that nothing is ever done with, it's beyond ridiculous...

Jebberwockery©

The media is ignoring this telling Jeb Bush gaffe - Vox:

...More than a bungled answer, this seems to be a genuine blind spot. Just before Nameghazi, Bush contended that he faces "a higher bar" as a presidential aspirant due to his family connections, when the reality — obvious to anyone but a member of his immediate family — is that there's no way an ex-governor who left office in 2007 would be leading in fundraising or endorsements absent a vast political network bequeathed to him by his father and brother. Just ask George Pataki...

The Donald Extends A Helping Hand

Thanks To Donald Trump, GOP Approval Ratings Hit Lowest Point Since 1992:

...According to the Pew Research Center, Republican Party approval ratings are now the lowest they’ve measured since 1992, and that spells disaster for the GOP. Meanwhile, Democrats have gained a couple of points, very likely due to the recent rhetoric coming from 2016 Republican presidential candidates...

The End Of GoodHair?

Is this the end for Rick Perry? - The Washington Post:

The news that Rick Perry has stopped paying all of his campaign staff following Thursday's debate is a sure sign of major troubles -- and could be the leading edge of the collapse of his campaign.

If this is the end -- and Perry's super PAC support could well keep him on life support for a bit longer -- it would be a remarkable bit of timing: Perry entered the 2012 presidential race as its frontrunner on August 13, 2011 -- almost four years to the day when it's become clear that his second bid for the presidency has faltered badly...

Rich Tax Hike Or Salvation For Students

Hillary Clinton's $350 billion plan to kill college debt - Nirvi Shah and Kimberly Hefling - POLITICO:

Hillary Clinton on Monday rolled out a sweeping higher education plan — a $350 billion proposal that would help millions pay for college and reduce interest rates for people with student loans.

The plan, which would change the way a large swath of Americans pay for college, borrows ideas from the left and the right and even expands a program enacted by her husband. It includes ideas already being discussed in Congress and for which groundwork has been laid by the Obama administration. The proposal, dubbed the New College Compact, is unlikely to win over many in the GOP because the $350 billion over 10 years would come from cutting tax deductions for the wealthiest Americans...

Toeing The Line

The GOP Debates Showed How Fox News Enforces Republican Orthodoxy:

Fox News is the enforcer of Republican orthodoxy.

At Thursday night's GOP debates in Cleveland, moderators Bret Baier, Bill Hemmer, Megyn Kelly, Martha MacCallum and Chris Wallace peppered the party's 17 presidential candidates with tough questions. But several of those questions had one key thing in common: They hit candidates for deviating from Republican orthodoxy.

These are fair questions. But they show the role journalists play in highlighting when one or two candidates profess views that are different from the majority of the field -- and the pressure those candidates face to bring their positions in line with other Republicans...

Trump Trumping Trump?

Trump camp in crisis - Ben Schreckinger and Katie Glueck - POLITICO:

Fallout from a crude attack on Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly and the departure of a top political adviser roiled Donald Trump’s campaign Saturday, leading Republicans to question whether the laws of political gravity have finally caught up with the real estate mogul.

Trump’s insinuation Friday night that Kelly’s tough questioning during Thursday’s debate was a result of her menstruating — an assertion that followed a series of other attacks on the popular Kelly — left many wondering whether he could weather the latest controversy and remain in the race, even as his campaign continued to act as if nothing was amiss...

When Will A Con Whacko Strike?

Losers: A list by Donald Trump - The Washington Post:

RedState's Erick Erickson is a total loser who "has a history of supporting establishment losers in failed campaigns," according to Donald Trump, who didn't want to go to Erickson's stupid meeting anyway and is probably glad he got banned, just as he's glad that Macy's ended its relationship with him. Trump has no time for losers like Erickson, and like the thousands of other losers he has identified over the last few years....

Did You Hear About The White Teen Killed At A Drive-Through?

...by cops. Unarmed. Suspcious circumstances. Didn't think you'd heard about it. At least the young man had ab accident or something. The white teen did nothing except being with the "wrong" girl.
More here.

Christian Taylor, Texas Teen Killed By Cop, Tweeted: 'I Don't Wanna Die Too Young' - NBC News:

The black Texas teen shot dead by police Friday openly expressed fears about his safety and questioned law enforcement on social media, tweeting last week, "I don't wanna die too young."

Christian Taylor, 19, was shot and killed in the Dallas suburb of Arlington during a struggle with an officer after crashing his car through a Buick dealership around 1 a.m. Friday, authorities said.

The Arlington Police Department said officers were responding to a burglary call when they shot the unarmed Taylor....

All lives matter.

Cincy Has A Light Bulb Moment

City Of Cincinnati Terminates UCPD After Spike In Minority Arrests | New Pittsburgh Courier:

The death of Samuel DuBose by the hands of former University of Cincinnati officer Ray Tensing revealed some disturbing numbers about their traffic stops off campus.

According to Fox 15, the entire University of Cincinnati police force off-campus patrolling has been terminated. The Law and Public Safety Committee approved the ordinance as stops dating back to Jan. 1, 2013 were reviewed. In that year, the city approved the UC police to enforce traffic stops off campus...

Biting The Hand That Feeds You

Conservatives are mad at Fox News and Megyn Kelly. They shouldn’t be. - The Washington Post:

There is no more galvanizing force against the political establishment today than Donald J. Trump. But the real-estate tycoon and (still-hard-to-believe) GOP front-runner has now galvanized the conservative base against a more unlikely foe: Fox News...

Who's Your Daddy, Schumer?

Leading US Democrat speaks out against US-Iran deal - BBC News:

Leading US Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer has announced that he is breaking ranks with President Obama by opposing the Iran nuclear deal...

Comment Of The Day: Multiple Anniversary Edition

Why the FBI Is Investigating Hilary Clinton's Private E-Mail Security

Augustino Patti ·

St. Louis Community College at Forest Park

I know I'm getting old when I know EXACTLY who you mean by Steno Sue Schmidt.

Today is the 50th anniversary of LBJ signing the Voting Rights Act (now toothless, thanks, Chief Roberts!) into law. Today is the 70th anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima.

It is also the 14th anniversary of the 'bin Laden determined to strike in U.S.' Presidential Intel memo given to George W. Bush in the comfort and security of his Crawford, Texas 'ranch', to which he replied:

"Okay. You've covered your ass." With those five words, the ensuing ethos of our national security into the unforeseen future was born.

Let's Talk Fish

O.K. O.K. It's not politics but it does win the Mad In The Middle award for Best Descriptive News Writing. I don't won't to spoil your image, so you'll have go the link to see the actual creature.


New scary-looking fish species comes from ocean's dark depths - CNN.com:

Now and again, marine scientists plumbing the dark depths of the sea pull out a new fish species that is just out-and-out ugly.

The latest discovery looks like a hunchbacked, rotting old shoe with spikes, a scraggly mustache and a big mouth with bad teeth. And it has a long, angular fishing pole-looking thing growing out of its head...

GOP Oppose O'Climate Plan

GOP candidates wrong on climate change | Opinion Columnists | IslandPacket.com:

The reaction of Republican presidential candidates to the Obama administration's new environmental plan yet again shows their wrongheadedness on climate change....

CDS Fundamentals

From Whitewater to Benghazi: A Primer on Bill and Hillary Clinton Scandals - The Atlantic:

Another week, another new front on the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails...

Positive Ferguson Fallout

The Ferguson Protests Worked:

...In the ensuing decades, those “kangaroo courts” enabled small towns, especially in St. Louis County, to pad their budgets by extracting fines from people for extraordinarily minor violations of municipal codes -- under threat of jail. Arrest warrants were issued for thousands of people, for supposed crimes like wearing baggy pants, missing a special sticker on their car, or failing to subscribe to a designated trash service. Residents who had to endure these local courts described them as “out of control,” “inhumane,” "crazy,” “racist,” “unprofessional” and “sickening.”

The decades between Lauer's warning and 2014 brought no significant reforms to Missouri's municipal courts. Then, on Aug. 9, a Ferguson police officer's bullet that killed 18-year-old Michael Brown brought an end to the inaction...

The Return Of Who Inhaled And Is Is

Uppity Woman | I'm just one of those Uppity Women. Live with it.:

...If you have followed national politics for any reasonable period of time, you know that the Republicans have an essential gameplan which they bring out for every election. It is to attack the character of the Democratic nominee, on as personal grounds as they can get away with. Note that they rarely want to engage on issues. This is because, 1) they sense that the voters favor the Democratic positions on major issues; and, 2) their own candidates are not very well versed in facts, or the intricacies of complex matters. So, figuring that enough of the populace also doesn’t know or care much about real issues, they try to turn elections into some kind of personal popularity contest. Like, who would you rather have a beer with? Or who do you prefer to come into your living room and talk? Whom would you most want to be friends with?...

JEB! Sez Rake Time!

Hillary Clinton Criticizes Jeb Bush Remarks on Women’s Health | TIME:

...But mid-thought, he stopped to muse that the federal government might not need to spend as much as it does.

“The argument against this is … it is a war on women and you are attacking women’s health issues,” he said. “You could take dollar for dollar—although I’m not sure we need a half a billion dollars for women’s health issues—but if you took dollar for dollar, there are many extraordinarily fine organizations, community health organizations that exist...”

Not the right Bush. but hey, seen one bush, seen all shrubs.

Votin' And Lawin'

Advocates Strike Deal on Voter Registration in Oklahoma - The Atlantic:

...Such warnings are often a precursor to lawsuits, the kind of knock-down, drag-out legal fights that are filled with accusations of voter suppression and partisan chicanery. In North Carolina and Texas, the courts are weighing challenges to new voter ID laws, and the Supreme Court recently delivered voter advocates a victory when it ruled that Arizona and Kansas could not require people to show proof of citizenship when they register to vote...

Post 10,656!

I had planned to have a massive internet party for post 10,000 but somehow it slid right by me.

Oddly, I had thought I needed to address the same issue I wrote about in my second post from October of 2005: here, so maybe I'll quote myself. I began blogging because I was so utterly outraged about Bush et. al.'s response to Katrina that I felt I had to do something, I quickly learned that I was a Z list blogger and no one was gonna pay attention, but I trudged onward. I figured that if I had to spend the rest of my life trying to turn one person away from the poison of the neocon GOPers (I think I actually was the first to use the GOPer term back in the day), it would be worth the trek.

I was a Edwards, then Clinton supporter, and was sitting on The Confluence the night the PUMAs became real and I still identify with them. I never supported Obama, and I received death threats from some Obots, something the right-wing loons have never bothered to do. Thank you. I did support Obama against R$money and must admit I've become a fan during his last two years, probably because of all the ludicrous Facebook accusations that I've been countering. I still think Clinton would have been a far better president since she absolutely knows what the Republicans are all about. Too late,  Obama realized that his bipartisan friendship  hand had been reduced to a bloody stump.

I guess I will toil on here in a dark, empty corner of cyberspace, gazing wistfully at the stars clustered at the center of this Universe. At least until death do part me from this electronic coil and I upload to the netherspace. Even then, I'll be back.

Cop On Trial For Killing Black Man

It's the South, people. Name all the other areas where a white cop has been tried for killing a black man.

Live updates: Trial of CMPD Officer Kerrick is underway | The Charlotte Observer:

Monday begins the trial phase of the voluntary manslaughter trial for Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Officer Randall “Wes” Kerrick, who is accused of wrongfully killing Jonathan Ferrell in a late-night encounter in 2013.

Twelve jurors and four alternate jurors have been selected. They will decide whether Kerrick used excessive force when he fired 12 shots at Ferrell, or whether he was justified because he thought Ferrell posed a deadly threat. If convicted, Kerrick faces three to 11 years in prison...

Let Anyone Debate?

Can Fox News exclude candidates just because they aren’t mentioned in polls? - The Washington Post:

Former IRS commissioner Mark Everson (R) filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission on Monday morning, arguing that Fox News has unfairly excluded him from participation in the candidate forum that will precede Thursday night's debate. The complaint asks that he be added to the event -- though an expert we spoke with is skeptical that it will work....

More Media Corruption

Journalists Attend Private Koch Brothers Gathering, But Agree Not To Name Donors:

Several news organizations gained rare access Saturday into a private gathering of influential Republican donors hosted by Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, a nonprofit organization backed by conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch.

But journalists covering the three-day event, held at a luxurious California resort, had to agree to an unusual restriction. They weren’t allowed to report the names of any of the 450 donors attending without the individual’s permission...

The Political Doldrums

Trump and Sanders surge, Congress stalls, voters seethe | The Kansas City Star:

...But it’s business as usual on Capitol Hill, where too-common political Band-Aids and fiery appeals to narrow constituencies trump thoughtful debate and long-term solutions....

On Truth And Journalism

Why you can't trust journalism | Fusion:

...Journalism would be greatly improved were it to learn a lesson from empirical science, which is that even the best and most assiduous work can turn out on examination to be deeply flawed. That doesn’t mean the original piece was sloppy, it just means that everybody is human, and that the truth is usually messy, and hard to find, and even harder to encapsulate in a neat story with a compelling narrative. Whenever there’s only one story on any given subject, then relying on that one story is always going to be dangerous. And yet, the way the journalism world works, once there’s one big compelling story, no one else tends to ever go near that area again...

The Daily Flashback:: Lying Media Edition

At Least Six Times The Media Shouldn't Have Trusted Selective Leaks From Congressional Sources | Research | Media Matters for America:

The New York Times was forced to issue two corrections after relying on Capitol Hill anonymous sourcing for its flawed report on emails from former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The Clinton debacle is the latest example of why the media should be careful when relying on leaks from partisan congressional sources -- this is far from the first time journalists who did have been burned...

Flogging The NYT--- Again

The NY Times’ Criminal Headline | Uppity Woman:

Last week, the NY Times published a false, fake, made-up, lying-liar story about Hillary, claiming she was the target of a criminal investigation. She wasn’t. The sources were likely Gowdy’s lackeys. (But I don’t *know* that.) Here’s the link, but be advised, the story has been repeatedly “corrected” from it’s original really, really wrong form to a moderately incorrect form...

Lil'Lindsey's Error

Lindsey Graham on War with Iran and the Lessons of Iraq - The Atlantic:

...Lindsey Graham’s notion that the question of war between America and Iran is coherently reducible to “we win” or “they win” is facile, dangerous, and especially galling from a man who ought to have learned better from the last war he urged. Even the most severe Iranian losses would not necessarily mean that “we win.”

$$ Corrupting Politics

‘Super PACs’ Spent Millions Before Candidates Announced, Filings Show - The New York Times:

 Acting as shadow campaigns, the political committees backing the major presidential candidates supported them with tens of millions of dollars in chartered planes, luxury hotel suites, opposition research, high-priced lawyers and more, spending reports showed Friday.

Campaign disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission underscored just how far the candidates — particularly Jeb Bush — went in outsourcing many of their traditional campaign operations to “super PACs,” which face much looser regulation...

Just A Tad Racist

GOP criticizes 'offensive' posts of NC elections appointee:

...In another, Butner posted a photo of a Moral Monday event in Raleigh protesting the policies of the state's Republican leaders.

"Gee they are all black," he wrote. "I guess the white folk could not get off because they were too busy being productive good citizens..."

The Kurdish Problem

The Kurdish Elephant�|�John Feffer:

...Because it would be stitched together from bits and pieces of their territory, the countries of the region oppose an independent Kurdistan. Outside actors, meanwhile, feel varying degrees of guilt for abandoning Kurds over the years: for not paying attention to human rights abuses visited on the minority, for ignoring the promises of self-determination (going back to Woodrow Wilson's 14 Points), and for using the Kurds as pawns in myriad geopolitical games. Sovereign sensitivities and outsider guilt combine to drape a cloak of invisibility over the Kurds...

Con Critter Linked To Clinton Email Fiasco

Vox's Jonathan Allen Implicates Trey Gowdy In The NY Times Botched Clinton Emails Story | Blog | Media Matters for America:

Vox's Jonathan Allen suggested that House Benghazi Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy knew about the request to the Justice Department regarding Hillary Clinton's email practices "at least a day" before The New York Times published its botched story relying on anonymous sources that "had it wrong" according to "a top-ranking editor directly involved" with the report....

OH Pot Not Fraud

Ohio elections chief opens investigation into group's petitions to legalize marijuana:

...ResponsibleOhio legal counsel Andy Douglas, a former Ohio Supreme Court justice, said Husted "will have to answer for" his treatment of the campaign.

"Instead of working with us and addressing the problems within his office and at the county boards of election, Secretary Husted has slapped us with a subpoena meant to silence us and chill any future opposition," Douglas said in a statement. "He even deputized a former prosecutor to investigate us, then bragged about his past success gaining convictions — all in a further attempt to frighten, harass and silence us..."

Local Carpetbaggers Pulls A Boner

All puns fully intended.



John Boehner coup leader an army of one - Lauren French - POLITICO:

You’re on your own, pal.

That, in so many words, was the response from House conservatives to Rep. Mark Meadows after he launched his quixotic bid this week to boot John Boehner from the speakership.

In fact, the message has been delivered to Meadows three times in the last 24 hours – by some of the North Carolina Republican’s closest friends and political comrades in the House. Just hours before Meadows introduced his so-called motion to vacate the speakership Tuesday, leading members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus held an emergency meeting and pleaded with him to reconsider....

Flogging The NYT

Veteran Editors And Journalists Rip NY Times' "Ready-Fire-Aim" Approach On Clinton Emails | Blog | Media Matters for America:

Veteran newspaper editors and other longtime journalists are harshly criticizing how The New York Times has handled its recent botched story related to Hillary Clinton's emails, calling out the paper for failing to take responsibility for its errors and for being slow to offer corrections for its mistakes sparked by anonymous sourcing...

Training Time For Police

In Iraq, I raided insurgents. In Virginia, the police raided me. - The Washington Post:

...Rhoads, the Fairfax County police lieutenant, was upfront about this mind-set. He explained that it was standard procedure to point guns at suspects in many cases to protect the lives of police officers. Their firearm rules were different from mine; they aimed not to kill but to intimidate. According to reporting by The Washington Post, those rules are established in police training, which often emphasizes a violent response over deescalation. Recruits spend an average of eight hours learning how to neutralize tense situations; they spend more than seven times as many hours at the weapons range...

GOPer Tail Wagging Dog

Veteran Republicans Say Right-Wing Media Is "A Big Problem For The Party" In New Harvard Report | Blog | Media Matters for America:

...Dave Schnittger, a longtime former top aide to House Republican leaders, told Calmes that conservative media are loudest in opposing actions "that leaders have to get done as part of governing," such as meeting basic fiscal deadlines.

Another top Republican aide, who asked for anonymity, complained of the conservative media: "There's no money, ratings or clicks in everyone going along to get along." Calmes added, "Asked whether he could offer examples of legislative outcomes affected by conservative media, this Republican all but snapped, 'Sure. All of 'em.' Does he worry more broadly then about the small-d democratic process? 'Yeah, absolutely. Because the loudest voices drown out the sensible ones and there's no real space to have serious discussions...'"

The Bully Stakes Out Another Bully Position

Christie to Colorado: Pot party ends with me | TheHill:

 "If you’re getting high in Colorado today, enjoy it," Christie, a Republican presidential candidate, said during a town-hall event in the early voting state of New Hampshire, according to Bloomberg.

“As of January 2017, I will enforce the federal laws,” he added...

The Bully Stakes Out Another Bully Position

Christie to Colorado: Pot party ends with me | TheHill:

 "If you’re getting high in Colorado today, enjoy it," Christie, a Republican presidential candidate, said during a town-hall event in the early voting state of New Hampshire, according to Bloomberg.

“As of January 2017, I will enforce the federal laws,” he added...

Paul Becomes A Landscape

The Cancer on Rand Paul’s Campaign - The Daily Beast:

...But that's more of a symptom than the cause of the cancer on Paul's candidacy. The root of the decay is this: as Rand Paul has campaigned, it has become increasingly evident that he is not the candidate his supporters were promised he would be–a more electable version of his father. And the candidate he did turn out to be is not interesting or authentic enough to stand out from the 20,000 other Republicans seeking the nomination. Paul, previously “the most interesting man in politics,” is now just scenery...

Krugman Flogs JBush

Paul Krugman: The GOP has never “abandoned its dream” of destroying the social safety net - Salon.com:

In his Monday column at the New York Times, economist Paul Krugman went after GOP presidential hopeful Jeb Bush for claiming that Medicare ought to be “phased out,” claiming that such talk is emblematic an ideologically motivated desire on the part of the Republican Party to destroy the social safety net — especially if there’s evidence that it’s working.

Krugman began by mocking Bush for espousing yet another obsolete idea. “Mr. Bush often seems like a Rip Van Winkle who slept through everything that has happened since he left the governor’s office,” he argued, because “after all, he’s still boasting about Florida’s housing-bubble boom...”

Go Donald Go!

Trump's Gift to Hillary: Rest and Extra Prep Time!�|�Carl Jeffers:

This past weekend the noise over the Clinton State Department emails erupted again as Senate hearing dates were announced. But, ironically thanks to Donald Trump, the average American's response was, "Oh yeah, I forgot about that." And think about it: When had you last heard about Benghazi, or Clinton Foundation campaign contributions, or State Department emails? About a month ago.

Why? Because in the last month Donald Trump has just about sucked all of the air out of the 2016 presidential campaign in a way that has helped Hillary and hurt the overall Republican chances in the fall elections -- next year's fall elections, not this year's -- another problem we as the people need to do something about -- with or without the media's help...

Ammosexuals Dominate House

The House’s hypocrisy | TheHill:

...In contrast to the quick action of the House in response to the tragic shooting of Ms. Steinle, it has been two years and seven months since the gun massacre of 26 people, 20 of them children, in Newtown, Connecticut. It has been almost exactly three years since the shooting in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado where 12 were killed and 70 people injured. And it will be three years on August 5 since the killing of 6 people and wounding of 4 in a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Despite these horrific, tragic events, Congress has done absolutely nothing to prevent gun shootings from happening again and again...

Raising Stupid To A New Level

Fox's Elisabeth Hasselbeck Suggests Sandra Bland's Lit Cigarette Could Have Justified Police Conduct | Video | Media Matters for America:

HASSELBECK:But, what if, I mean, there are times, I'm sure, someone has, in the history of this land, used a cigarette against a police officer, maybe chucked it at him, pushed it at him...

Clinton On GOP Climaters

Hillary Clinton Calls Out GOP Climate Change Deniers in New 'Stand With Reality' Video - ABC News:

Hillary Clinton today attacked the Republican presidential contenders who deny "the settled science of climate change" and laid out two renewable power goals in a new video that outlines part of her plan to tackle global warming.

"It's hard to believe there are people running for president who still refuse to accept the settled science of climate change, who would rather remind us they're not scientists than listen to those who are," Clinton narrates over a graphic that shows quotes from Republican presidential candidates, including Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, and Donald Trump...

"Liberal" NYT Lied About Clinton Email Probe

If there's anything criminal in this story, it's the NYT reporting. NY Times Issues Second Major Correction To Botched Report On Clinton's Emails | Blog | Media Matters for America:

...As Media Matters laid out yesterday, there are several significant questions about the Times' handling of the story, which originally levied the bombshell allegation that a criminal investigation had been sought into a leading candidate for the presidency based on anonymous sourcing. Those questions include the sources for the paper's faulty information, whether the Times saw or attempted to see the referral document itself, whether the paper reached out to Cummings or any other Democrats on the Benghazi committee, and whether it contacted the inspectors general before publication.

In a statement, Cummings highlighted the report's sourcing, calling the Times story "the latest example in a series of inaccurate leaks to generate false front-page headlines -- only to be corrected later -- and they have absolutely nothing to do with the attacks in Benghazi or protecting our diplomatic corps overseas." Media have frequently been forced to walk back their initially flawed reports on Clinton's emails...

The Daily Flashback: Hollywood Sniper Edition

The American Sniper Turned Anti-War Activist the Media Didn't Tell You About:

...As Zaid Jilani recently wrote, the film “American Sniper” uses clever editing to suggest that Iraq was somehow responsible for 9/11: In one scene, Chris Kyle is watching the 9/11 attacks unfold on TV. In the next scene, Kyle is seen deploying to Iraq. But unlike Kyle, Reppenhagen became aware that he and his division were risking their lives in Iraq for fabricated causes, and actively started speaking out against the war.

“It was the conduct of the war that really started turning me, and the fraudulent causes that sent me there that really put me over the edge,” Reppenhagen said. “There were no ties to 9/11, no weapons of mass destruction...”

About The Illiberal Media

15 Things Americans Would Know if There Were a 'Liberal Media' | Alternet:

If you know anyone who still believes in a "liberal media," here's 15 things everyone would know if there really were a "liberal media" (inspired by Jeff Bezos' purchase of The Washington Post):...

GOPer Express To NoACAville

Republicans Is Weird, Summer 2015 Edition | Mother Jones:

No, this isn't about Donald Trump. It's about Sen. Mike Lee of Utah—who plans to offer yet another amendment to repeal Obamacare, but this time with a special super-duper secret sauce added to the upcoming highway funding bill:..

Cruzing The Monkey House

Republican White House hopeful Cruz calls McConnell a liar | Reuters:

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz ripped into his party's establishment on Friday, calling Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell a liar during an unusual public attack on the floor of the Senate.

Amid intense maneuvering over an ambitious $340 billion transportation bill, Cruz railed that McConnell and the Senate's new Republican majority were serving the interests of big money lobbyists and corporations, because of a move to offer an amendment to reauthorize the U.S. Export-Import Bank...

Pot And Kettle Theatre: Rubio Edition

Rubio: Obama has no class | TheHill:

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) accused President Obama of having “no class” during an interview Wednesday morning on Fox News, citing a selfie-stick video and interviews with YouTube stars...

LEO Behavior

“If you don’t want to get shot, just do what I tell you”: American cops are on a dangerous power trip - Salon.com:

....Here’s a little reminder of what cops, and many fellow Americans (until it happens to them), believe citizens should do when a police officer is present:

[I]f you don’t want to get shot, tased, pepper-sprayed, struck with a baton or thrown to the ground, just do what I tell you. Don’t argue with me, don’t call me names, don’t tell me that I can’t stop you.

That’s from an op-ed by a former police officer and current criminal justice professor by the name of Sunil Dutta. His argument is, of course, complete nonsense. Yes, on a practical level, knowing what we know about how police behave in this country, one would be wise to just try to get out of any dealings with a cop alive. Here’s a stop that ended with the police breaking a window and tasering a black male passenger inside the car while his kids screamed in the backseat. Here’s one in which the police thought a bike-riding black man (who happened to be a firefighter) was “throwing signs” at them. (He was just waving hello.) In the end, he got lucky. They only threatened to taser him...

Blueprint For GOP Victory

Why Progressives Must Stay United�|�Robert Reich:

....For decades Republicans have exploited the economic frustrations of the white working and middle class to drive a wedge between races, channeling those frustrations into bigotry and resentment.

The Republican strategy has been to divide-and-conquer. They want to prevent the majority of Americans - poor, working class, and middle-class, blacks, Latinos, and whites - from uniting in common cause against the moneyed interests.

We must not let them.

Our only hope for genuine change is if poor, working class, middle class, black, Latino, and white come together in a powerful movement to take back our economy and democracy from the moneyed interests that now control both.

Pot And Kettle Theatre: Euro Edition

Economists Troll Germany, Telling It To Leave The Euro First:

...Eurozone leaders resisted aiding Greece until the end of negotiations, and proposed a Greek departure at the last minute. They were only willing to assist Greece in exchange for the deepest austerity measures yet, including a fire-sale privatization of some of Greece’s state-owned assets. It is unlikely that the eurozone will have a greater political appetite to lend to Greece if the current loans-for-austerity deal breaks down. Short of additional funding and liquidity support for its banks, Greece will once again face a Grexit...

Perchance, the Germans might want to consider the debt they had forgiven before lecturing other countries on austerity measures.

Native Americans Shot By Police

Cops Shoot Many, Many Native Americans | Crooks and Liars:

Not only do Native Americans get killed at an astounding rate, many of them live in extreme poverty conditions. Despite so much official indifference, they dependably turn out the vote for Democrats. Maybe it's time we started helping our indigenous people! Via Mother Jones:...

Tossing Poo In The Monkey House

2016 election: Jeb Bush v. Scott Walker in Round 1 of a long brawl - POLITICO:

Suddenly, the gloves are off between Scott Walker and Jeb Bush.

Surprisingly, Bush threw the first punch, sparking a back-and-forth between the two leading Republican candidates in early-state polls, both eager to highlight what they see as the other’s fatal flaw — Bush as the establishment shill and Walker as the foreign policy lightweight....

Why Flog Trump Now?

"Why Only Now?": Media Ask Why Trump Drew GOP Candidates' Ire For McCain Remarks, But Not Anti-Immigrant Rants | Research | Media Matters for America:

Amid widespread condemnation of Donald Trump from his fellow Republican presidential candidates following his attack on Sen. John McCain's military service, media are highlighting Republicans' collective failure to denounce Trump's past bigotry and xenophobia...

Maybe this proves you can't criticize vets, but you don't have to help them.

Beaver On Trump

(3) Jim Beaver: Jim Beaver
17 hrs �

 As a Vietnam veteran, in particular, I am appalled at Donald Trump's ridiculing the combat service of John McCain. I was equally appalled when many of the hand-wringing right-wingers who are currently calling out Trump applied the same ridicule to the combat service of John Kerry and Max Cleland, just because they were on the other side of the political aisle.

Oh yeah. And Sinclair using Mark Hymen constantly to attack Kerry. And America The Stupid fell for it and we got more GOPerism. Maybe the chickens are finally finding their way to roost.

Pontificating With Cause

So Pope Francis should stick to religion? - Asheville Citizen-Times:

...By contrast, Jesus spoke repeatedly and eloquently about the obligation to care for those in need — “Whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine,” he says in the book of Matthew, “you did for me.”

Yet the pope has somehow crossed a line when he speaks about the victimization of the vulnerable?

That’s the nonsensical judgment of those for whom “faith” evidently imposes no burden, demands no change, requires only a vague effort to become a better person. Yet you will find no such complacency in Jesus’ “new command.”

“Love one another,” he said. And love is not talk. Love is compassion in action.

It is intolerance of suffering. It is urgent empathy. And it is something 2 billion of us are told to give. Candidly, most of us don’t seem to take the command all that seriously. But this pope inspires you to wonder: What would the world be like if we did?

Clinton All The Way

I am at almost 100% with this post. Read it.
Calling All Democrats | Uppity Woman:

...She may not be able to accomplish it, but she is really going to try. And who else is left to try? Bernie Sanders, who doesn’t even identify himself as a Democrat; who to my knowlege has never campaigned outside his state for any Democratic candidate? That should not even be worthy of consideration. If Sanders somehow got the nomination, he would win about seven states, and the Democrats would end up with about 120 seats in the House, 40 or so in the Senate; and the Supreme Court would be ultraconservative for another 30 years at least, because three or so Justices would retire, and be replaced by young corporatist right-wing radicals. On the other hand, if Hillary Clinton is elected President, she will not only be able to change the Supreme Court balance, but she is going to work to actually strengthen the Democratic Party at the statewide level, so that it somehow might be able to battle the Republican money machine on even terms. She is not going to concede the country to the evil forces, she is going to try to defeat them. And yet some people cavil and hesitate about supporting her for President? This is about the equivalent of being out in the desert, and trying to find reasons not to drink the bottle of cool, pure water you are being offered, because you think you might somehow find another one of a better brand somewhere out there in the mirage. If you are a real Democrat, and not just a professional carper, the choice to support Hillary Clinton in this campaign is as clear as you are ever going to get in any election. How about us Democrats taking advantage of it, for just once?

Con To Lib: The Awakening

Like people retiring to the North, I've never read of someone making the opposite journey-- for honest reasons.

I was poor, but a GOP die-hard: How I finally left the politics of shame - Salon.com:

...Sadly, it took me years — decades — to see the illogic of supporting people who disdain me. But I’m a super-slow learner. I wish I could take the poorest, struggling conservatives and shake them. I would scream that their circumstances or failures or joblessness are not all their fault. They should wise up and vote themselves a break. Rich people vote their self-interest in every single election. Why don’t poor people?

Iranian Neocon Nonsense

I looked at the leading Iran hawks' cases against the deal. They're utter nonsense. - Vox:

Yesterday I published an article asserting that opponents of the nuclear deal reached between Iran and the six major world powers negotiating with it had no argument. Of course, before reaching that conclusion I was not able to literally read every single hostile article that has been published. I was, however, able to engage last night in a little Twitter dialogue with Noah Pollak, a well-networked neoconservative who leads the Emergency Committee for Israel and writes for Commentary, the Weekly Standard, and the Washington Free Beacon....

Denying Terrorists

Daily PUMA:

...As you can see both examples above point to a KNOWN type of defense against terrorist attacks, it's called MINIMIZING the attack in the media in an effort to DEMORALIZE the attackers. So as the Neocons continue to blather on about Benghazi and condemning Obama and Clinton for blaming the Benghazi attack on a documentary, just remember that the worst thing one can do for a terrorist in this day and age of social media is to admit a terrorist attack was 100% successful.

Anti-Choice Grifters At It Again

Secret Video of Planned Parenthood Employees Makes the Rounds:

...There's no question who these grifters are. Even the Post gets around to admitting that, albeit mildly, and deep into the story.

The Center for Medical Progress was established by Daleiden, a controversial antiabortion activist who previously worked with Live Action, another antiabortion group known for its "stings" of Planned Parenthood using actors and undercover videos. The group is a non-profit organization that describes itself on its Web site as "a group of citizen journalists dedicated to monitoring and reporting on medical ethics and advances..."

On The Flag Issue

I've never thieved an entire post before but here goes:

Alabama Civil Rights lawyer's epic rant: Media targeted Confederate flag because Charleston didn't riot - Yellowhammer News

Alabamian and Civil Rights attorney Temple Trueblood took to Facebook Thursday to share her thoughts on how, and why, the media has targeted the Confederate battle flag in the wake of the Charleston shooting.

Her brilliant insight is already going viral, with thousands of shares from her personal Facebook page.


Without further ado:

I’m a Southerner. I’m a civil rights lawyer. I’ve stayed out of this fray and, to be honest, I’m really tired of the whole media frenzy.


With that said– taking out soapbox… pontificating….

The media did not get what it wanted from the South as a result of the Charleston tragedy. The good people of Charleston did not riot, did not engage in hateful shenanigans and did not provide the racist fueled fodder for their 24 hour-a-day headlines.


Poor, poor media–no Ferguson, no Trayvon Martin, no Oscar Grants. Instead, the good people of Charleston and of South Carolina unified and came together–all races, all creeds. They marched hand in hand to pay respect to the poor souls lost and to strengthen their community.

In short–they did what Southerners do. They put their faith forward nd did the right thing ‘cause their mommas raised them right.


So, what are they left to do? Well, the Confederate flag seems like a fine substitute–and it worked.


Now, don’t get me wrong; I don’t think the Confederate flag has any place flying over any governmental building for several reasons:

(1) the Confederacy was a briefly lived nation–they lost the war–they don’t exist anymore…hello???

(2) the only flags that should fly over any governmental buildings in the United States are those of the United States and the sovereign State itself, let alone that of a defunct government (see No. 1); and

(3) regardless of what an individual’s intention is regarding the Confederate flag, it is a symbol of governmental oppression to many in this nation as recently as only 1-2 generations ago so a present day governmental unit flying it is…well…not good. Period.


But (you knew there would be a “but,” right?), if an individual wants to own, fly, wear, burn, or otherwise have emblazoned on them a tattoo of the Confederate flag then Hell–knock yourself out. It’s not my place (or anyone else’s) to tell you that you can’t do that.


Are all people who display or own a Confederate flag racist? No.

Are there racists who display and own Confederate flags. Yes.

Can it be offensive? Yes.

Does that mean that all Confederate flags are to be banned or wiped out? Well, of course not. This is America…remember?


And get this–once again, the South did not give the media machine what it wanted. South Carolina removed the flag, followed almost immediately by Alabama….ALABAMA, people!

But are the media mongers gushing over the progressive character of these moves…no. Now they are calling for the removal of the flag from the General Lee….dude, it’s the Dukes of Hazzard…a show that stopped running, oh, THIRTY years ago.

Ok…whatever. But then they are calling for historical monuments related to the Civil War to be removed.

This is called rewriting history.


This is bad….ask Ray Bradbury (and if you don’t know what I’m talking about read Fahrenheit 451). I won’t even launch into that, but you get my gist.


Should the Lincoln Memorial be destroyed? Should the hundreds of Civil War monuments spread across this nation honoring the tens of thousand who died (on both sides) be eradicated? Of course not.


Look, there are plenty of things that people do and that are part of the mainstream American life that offend me to my core (Kardashians, anyone?) but that doesn’t mean they should be obliterated.


I find it personally reprehensible and offensive to my very being when I see people burn the American flag, stomp on the American flag, rip up the American flag, toss the American flag in the garbage, or even wear it in some version of cut off shorts barely covering their hoo-ha. But, do they have a right to do all of those things? Yes.


Does every person who owns or reads a Quran follow extreme Islam and plot the death of all Infidels (that’s you and me, by the way…)? No. A

re there Islamic extremists who do plot and carry out the death to all Infidels who own and read the Quran? You betcha’.

Again, does that mean that all vestiges of Islam should be eradicated from the United States. Um, no.


There are plenty of music lyrics (rap, metal and pop) that as a woman I find personally degrading, threatening and flat out inhuman misogyny.

Do I think that every single person that listens to this music, owns it or blares it at 11 million decibels in traffic treats all women as subhuman or wants to rape, kill and murder me? No.

Are there some people out there who do view women as subhuman who listen to this stuff? Sure.

Again, does that mean it should all be banned, the musicians locked away and all vestiges of their existence erased? Please.


So, as you are jumping on the current media-hyped-frenzied band wagon just stop and think…for yourself. For like a second. Use some common sense. Don’t be a cog in the machine and help them create an even bigger division in this nation than they already have.

Candidate Scotty

Watching Scotty Blow, Cont'd: The Assassination of Wisconsin Democracy:

...(My favorite part of the National Journal profile is how the nearly unbroken strain of petty grifting that has sent so many of his aides to the sneezer is merely Walker's unfortunate habit of trusting the wrong people: In interviews with dozens of Wisconsin Republicans, none of whom would speak on the record when asked about Walker's weaknesses, one consistent criticism leveled at the governor is that he has not, over the years, surrounded himself with good people. That's just too, too adorable for words.)..

Problems

Computer trouble. Will down for some indeterminate time.

Jeb! Going For Slave Owner Vote

Jeb Bush: ‘People need to work longer hours’ | TheHill:

According to ABC News, Bush was asked a question about tax reform during an interview live streamed on Periscope, and said he believes the U.S. can achieve 4 percent growth.

“Which means we have to be a lot more productive, workforce participation has to rise from its all-time modern lows,” Bush continued. “It means that people need to work longer hours...”

A Clinton SOS Story

Hillary Clinton on Her 'Last Rodeo' - NationalJournal.com:

...One anecdote from her career as secretary of State in particular stood out as something new not only to the attendees, but to the reporters who obsessively cover the Clinton campaign as well. She told a story about the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. Clinton and President Obama were trying to negotiate terms with India and China—two of the fastest-developing countries in the world—for a climate change agreement.

(RELATED: Here's the Real Reason Hillary Clinton Has a Lock on the Democratic Nomination)

The problem: China and India's leaders were nowhere to be found. Clinton said she and Obama "sent out scouts," who found that the leaders were meeting in a clandestine conference room. Clinton and Obama marched to the room, she said, and pushed past Chinese security guards to confront the heads of state. As a result, the assembled countries signed an accord outlining emissions pledges and other goals for energy use, though much of the text was nonbinding...

Palin TV ReFail

Sarah Palin Pulls Plug on Internet Subscription-Video Channel | Variety:

Sarah Palin’s views on America, politics, immigration and family values may not have been compelling enough to convince many people to fork over $10 per month...

Comment Of The Day: Grecian Loan Edition

What's Going on in Greece? Nobody Really Knows

Jerry Soucy

I recently came across a piece on this topic, and the author pointed out that the "moral hazard" people like to invoke actually applies to the lenders, not debtors.

The idea is that lenders need to understand that if they loan money to high risk borrowers, who subsequently default, then they shouldn't expect to be bailed out. It's wrong to bail out the lenders, because they'll just go out and make more crappy loans.

Fighting Disclosure

Police Union Fights To Keep The Names Of Officers Who Shoot Civilians Secret | ThinkProgress:

For Philadelphia Police Chief Charles Ramsey, increasing transparency within the nation’s oldest and fourth largest police municipality and holding its officers accountable to residents may be easier said than done...

What About Some Tv $

U.S. Women Win World Cup, Get Stiffed By FIFA | ThinkProgress:

The U.S. women’s soccer team defeated Japan on Sunday to win the World Cup. For their dominant performance, the team will collect $2 million from FIFA, the international body that runs the tournament.

The championship prize for women pales in comparison to the $8 million in prize money awarded to men’s teams who lose in the first round. Every men’s team was awarded $1.5 million just for participating.

Krugman Explains Greece

Paul Krugman: Europe should be ashamed of its “campaign of bullying” - Salon.com:

...Which, of course, they weren’t, because “[t]he truth is that Europe’s self-styled technocrats are like medieval doctors who insisted on bleeding their patients — and when their treatment made the patients sicker, demanded even more bleeding...”

Comment Of The Day: Magistrating Edition

(3) Facebook: Mark Heinrich It makes the clerk feel violated from few minutes of notorizing and filing a form so a couple that loves each other can't get married. One wonders what conservatives would think of a pacifist that refused to issue a concealed carry license or a vegan that refused to issue a health permit to a steakhouse?

Biblical Hijinx

Captive virgins, polygamy and sex slaves: What marriage would look like if we actually followed the Bible:

Bible believers are beside themselves about the prospect that marriage norms and laws are changing, but let me tell you a secret about Bible believers that I know because I was one. Most don’t actually read their Bibles....

The Daily Flashback: Molly Ivins Edition

Celebrating America's Independence:

...The late Molly Ivins always used to write a Fourth of July column in which she exhorted readers to enjoy fighting for freedom, to get a laugh out of it, to understand that not being scared out of your own freedoms is to create for yourself a wondrous republic that could produce not only the Declaration of Independence, but plastic surgery for your dog, too.

"And here's to keeping America weird," she wrote, not long before she died. "To Scott Peterson and Kobe Bryant for making cable television so busy, happy and productive. Here's to the tabloids, eternally discovering alien zombies from outer space (have they checked out the Veep lately?). Here's to all our grumps and scolds, constantly insisting that we're going to hell in a handbasket. Where would we be without an active core of selfless citizens constantly prepared to tell us we're dumb, fat and lazy, and it's all our fault? Concerning our national habit of polling ourselves to find how just how dumb we are, a new study shows 88.2 percent of all Texans believe Osama bin Laden has two first names, like Jerry Jeff or Billy Bob...

The ReRelgioning Of America

Long, complex, thorough. God is not on our side: The religious right’s big lie about the founding of America - Salon.com

Not A Good Thing

Exclusive: Trouble Brewing in South Carolina? Black Panthers Plan Rally to Counter KKK - Breitbart:

There may be a showdown developing in Columbia, as a New Black Panther Party affiliated group plans a rally in the state capitol of South Carolina on July 18, the same day that a protest is planned by a KKK white power group...

This Day In GOP Criminals

Judge: Bosworth Showed No Remorse For Crimes | KDLT.com South Dakota News - News, Sports, and Weather Sioux Falls South Dakota:

Former U.S. Senate candidate Annette Bosworth was facing up to 24 years in prison for 12 felony convictions...

Oh, and being a Republican means never having to say you're sorry.

In Greek News

Thom Feeney Crowdfunds Greek Bailout...Will It Work?:

...But really, the people of Greece already made their choice when they voted in the populist Alexis Tsipras as their prime minister and swept his left-wing Syriza party into power back in January: Like many here in the U.S., they’re tired of socialized risk, privatized profits and bailouts for banks but not for ordinary people. As a scathing article from The Guardian points out, less than 10 percent of all the so-called Greek bailout money in 2010 and 2012 actually went to alleviate people’s dire poverty and economic losses: The other 90 percent went straight to the banks...

Clinton Rules, Bush Rules

Media Silent On Expos�of Bush's Questionable Business Deals | Research | Media Matters for America:

Evening news programs on cable and broadcast news channels were completely silent in the immediate aftermath of a Washington Post story about business dealings by Jeb Bush "that raised questions about his judgment and exposed him to reputational risk." Their complete lack of coverage stands in stark contrast to the nearly three hours of coverage by cable and broadcast evening news programs devoted to The New York Times' faulty allegation that Hillary Clinton's State Department was influenced by Clinton Foundation donors when it signed off on the purchase of Uranium One the same day the story came out...

From Much Ado Nothing HRC Email Dump

Hillary Clinton emails: The dozen you must read - POLITICO:

On Tuesday evening, the State Department released approximately 3,000 pages of emails sent by and to Hillary Clinton during her time as secretary of state, primarily in 2009...

Xian Advice

Supreme Court Ruling and Christian Outrage�|�Michael Cheshire:

...You know, I have always found it interesting how our religion, based so deeply in love, acceptance, and kindness, gets easily hijacked into political hatred and social judgments. We need to stop trying to legislate our own morality and ethics onto those who don't believe the same way. Jesus never did this. And in truth, most of us "Christians" disagree greatly on the tenants of what are "moral issues" within our own faith. In many ways, we are a herd of cats trying to steer the world. And, it's not working people...

Science Opinion Huh

Politics may interfere with science — but that doesn’t mean all science denial is political - The Washington Post:

...“Americans’ political leanings are a strong factor in their views about issues such as climate change and energy policy,” the report notes, “but much less of a factor when it comes to issues such as food safety, space travel and biomedicine...”