Archive for October, 2014
Middle East Bloodbath: DeJavu All Over Again
Overrunning towns, pillaging, plundering, setting fire, torture, burning at the stake, rape, burning children alive, enslaving, beheadings, sacking places of worship, taking body parts for trophies, destroying libraries, cannibalism, crucifixions, opening bodies for swallowed treasure. A special place in paradise for warriors. Justice for infidels. Slaughter of their own. Robbing and keeping the riches.
Thursday Open Thread [10.9.14]
![Thursday Open Thread [10.9.14]](http://sullydish.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/sex-and-religion.png?w=580&h=679 "Thursday Open Thread [10.9.14]")
The chart / graph tells us which states are angels on the street yet devils… well, on their computers. The chart finds that the more religious a state is, the higher the number of Google searches for porn. The states with 80% religiousity and that are over 60 in their interest in porn (and I cannot tell how that is measured (i.e. 60 on a scale of what? as a percentage?)) are Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, South Carolina, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Utah and Texas. I wonder what all these states have in common, other than hypocrisy.
Delaware is on the opposite end of the spectrum: We are less religious and our searches for internet sex is low.
The NJ Newsroom of the Future Begins
A memo from David Ledford to NJ reporters, editors and other staff went out with a list of the new job descriptions that NJ employees need to fit into (see below). You’ll recall that NJ employees are going to be required to re-apply for their jobs, re-interview I suppose, and convince whoever is in charge of this business that they should still be around. After reading the memo and the Job Descriptions (see below), this is just an odd thing. It certainly looks like they are using this exercise to orient themselves to the web and it looks like they are going to reduce positions. It isn’t immediately clear that some of the folks on the editorial page would fit into this order. Which (even though they make me mad sometimes) seems like a waste of knowledge. I understand that some of the NJ folks have already decided that they will not re-apply and are walking away. Over the past year, that’s quite the exodus of local knowledge.
Thursday Daily Delawhere [10.9.14]
![Thursday Daily Delawhere [10.9.14]](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3865/15014388366_1a103ee553_z.jpg "Thursday Daily Delawhere [10.9.14]")
UD’s Sharp Hall lit in blue and gold, by the Flying Inn on Flickr.
Wilmington City Council To Hold Meeting On Priority Schools “Plan”
If you’re free on Thursday, you may want to attend this: WILMINGTON CITY COUNCIL NEWS AND INFORMATION News Release Wednesday, September 24, 2014 Wilmington City Council’s Education, Youth and Families Committee to Focus on the State’s Priority Schools Plan Public is Invited to the Thursday, October 9 at 6 p.m. Meeting Featuring a Priority […]
Wednesday Open Thread [10.8.14]
![Wednesday Open Thread [10.8.14]](http://delawareliberal.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/DL.Thumbnail.3.png "Wednesday Open Thread [10.8.14]")
Yesterday, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), or rather, his staff, prepared a tweet that was supposed to both briefly describe in bullet point form the GOP Jobs Plan (because after being in power for four years in the House, NOW is as good a time as any to get started on that) and then link for a more detailed description, presumably. Now, you might think that Twitter, what with the 140 character limitation, might be the wrong place to even briefly describe a Five Point Congressional Jobs Plan. But not the GOP! Their entire economic theory does boil down to four words: Cut Taxes, End Regulations.
Still, this was embarrassing. It seems the Speaker and/or his underpaid intern didn’t complete their homework before sending this out:
Or maybe it is a rare moment of honesty from the highest ranking Republican in the land: The GOP has no jobs plan.
Wednesday Daily Delawhere [10.8.14]
![Wednesday Daily Delawhere [10.8.14]](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3851/15076907788_0058bbbbee_z.jpg "Wednesday Daily Delawhere [10.8.14]")
The Stone Walled Hills of Brandywine, by the Flying Inn on Flickr.
Why Not Invest A Few Shekels in These Candidates?
1. Sean Matthews, 11th RD: Even if you backed Dennis E. Williams in the primary, you’d have to admit that Matthews is infinitely preferable to R candidate Judy Travis, whose support comes from far out of the political mainstream. As opposed to your traditional Brandywine Hundred R, Travis is one of only two House candidates to get the support of the Delaware chapter of the Faith & Freedom Coalition.
2. John Mackenzie, 22nd RD: A rarity. Campaign stuff that’s worth reading. Click on this and on this. Not only is it clear that he wrote his own copy, but he comes across as someone who will be a serious legislator and quite the progressive. He perhaps reminds me most of Michael Barbieri, who is one of the most outstanding legislators we have. We could use several more legislators like him, and Mackenzie is in that mold.
3. Marie Mayor, 20th RD: Well, let’s see. She’s right on the issues, she’s running a great campaign, she never really stopped running after the 2012 election, she almost won last time, and she, too, would immediately take her place as one of the best legislators in Dover. The political stars could also be aligned, as the anti-Obama folks won’t overrun the Sussex County results like in 2012. I also believe that, once she’s elected, her constituent work will enable her to get reelected several times over. Let’s help her win!
Can We Talk About Pedophilia?
No, not the act of abusing children and/or engaging in inappropriate behavior with them. Such activities are criminal and should be subject to the strongest enforcement the justice system can bring.
I’m talking about adult attraction to children which never rises to the level of physical contact, but which may include viewing images that we find abhorrent, and may cause acute mental anguish for those with this condition.
A thought-provoking piece in Sunday’s New York Times argues that pedophilia is a mental illness and makes an effective argument that we’re treating it improperly. Read the whole thing before reacting reflexively. Here are some salient excerpts from Prof. Margo Kaplan‘s op-ed:
Tuesday Open Thread [10.7.14]
![Tuesday Open Thread [10.7.14]](http://delawareliberal.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Delaware.Flag_-240x180.png "Tuesday Open Thread [10.7.14]")
It is going to be very ironic if the GOP pulls off winning the six seats they need to gain the majority in the Senate (i.e. Montana, West Virginia, South Dakota, Louisiana, Arkansas and Alaska) only to lose three seats that put the Democrats back in control (i.e. Kansas, Georgia, and Kentucky). But right now, that is the state of play…
Tuesday Daily Delawhere [10.7.14]
![Tuesday Daily Delawhere [10.7.14]](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2946/15199517057_c3fcb2afb5_z.jpg "Tuesday Daily Delawhere [10.7.14]")
Lighthouse at Cape Henlopen, Delaware, by Bluebird87 on Flickr. Yes, I am having difficulty letting go of summer.
Anti-Gay group calls out SCOTUS for attacking their religious freedom
If your religion calls on you to be an insufferable prick to everyone (especially gays), you’ve got to be pretty chagrined by the Supreme Court’s decision to not smite the evildoers. The National Organizations for Marriage isn’t turning the other cheek. They are pissed, and calling for action (and donations). …
Monday Open Thread [10.6.14]
Megan Thee-Brenan compares Americans’ views on the economy to Obama’s approval ratings:
The economy outpaced all other issues in importance to voters in a New York Times/CBS News poll in mid-September, and 44 percent of Americans rated the economy as good. This marked the highest positive reading since 2007. Even as Americans are feeling better about the economy, they decline to credit the president with its improvement. The Times/CBS News poll found 53 percent of Americans disapproved of Mr. Obama’s handling of the economy, and his overall job approval rating was under water, with 40 percent approving and 50 percent disapproving.
How Paul Waldman explains this disconnect:
[D]espite the healthy job growth, incomes aren’t rising.
A good economy isn’t just one where you’ve got a job, it’s one where you’ve got a job and you’re being paid what you’re worth. The income benefits of the recovery have all gone to the top. Millions of people are also still digging themselves out of the holes they got into during the Great Recession, whether it was foreclosure, credit card debt, or what have you. Even if you now have a reasonably good job, if you lost your home and cashed out your 401K on the way, it isn’t like things are looking spectacular.
And so they blame Obama, who saved the country from Depression, and are going to install the Republican Party, who promises to give even more of their money to the wealthy, and whose policies make another Depression likely.
No one ever said the American voter was particularly smart.
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