pandora

A stay-at-home mom with an obsession for National politics.

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How About A Hefty Dose Of Misogyny With Your Violent Rhetoric?

Filed in National by on May 21, 2013 3 Comments
How About A Hefty Dose Of Misogyny With Your Violent Rhetoric?

Pete Santilli went on a disgusting rant and caught the attention of the Secret Service who paid him a visit saying…

“We are aware of Mr. Santilli’s comments and will take the appropriate follow up action,” Edwin M. Donovan, a Secret Service spokesperson, told TPM on Monday. “He certainly has a right to free speech, but the Secret Service has a right and an obligation to determine what a person’s intent is when making comments like this.”

And what were those comments?

‘Miss Hillary Clinton needs to be convicted, she needs to be tried, convicted and shot in the vagina,” he said. “I wanna pull the trigger. That ‘C U Next Tuesday’ has killed human beings that are in our ranks of our service. I want to remind you that in Benghazi, Miss Hillary ‘the fricken’ biggest vagina on the face of the planet’ told troops to stand down and to not go in and interfere with the operation that they set up because they’re moving arms; Barack Obama is moving drugs through the CIA out of Afghanistan and Barack Obama needs to be tried, convicted, and shot for crimes against the United States of America.”

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I’m Calling It For Santorum

Filed in National by on May 20, 2013 10 Comments
I’m Calling It For Santorum

Know why?  Because we’ve seen this scene before.  My guess is that Santorum will be the 2016 Republican nominee.  He was first runner-up in 2012, so… it’s his turn.  Rand Paul will take over his father’s role and act as spoiler.  His Libertarian supporters will be rabid, as usual, and the Evangelical community won’t trust him.  Meanwhile, the “business and money” side of the GOP will once again run a Jon Huntsman and lose quickly.

Which means… the nomination is Santorum’s.  And I think it will be an easy win, mainly due to the make-up of the Republican primary voter.  These voters are incapable of seeing past a primary to the general, and when you consider how many moderate Republicans have left the party then you understand who will pick the nominee.

The Republican’s base motto of “He’s not Conservative Enough” will finally be tested. 

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What The… I Love Game Of Thrones

Filed in Delaware by on May 18, 2013 2 Comments
What The… I Love Game Of Thrones

This is nonsense:

Game of Thrones ranks somewhere on the Girl Dislike scale between NASCAR and that National Geographic show where the guy sticks his hand in a catfish’s mouth.

But why does she throw so much shade? If you just can’t understand why we’re intent on harshing your medieval buzz, here are some telltale clues.

  • We hate gross things. Know what’s gross? Screwing your sibling.
  • It’s hard to follow. Brilliantly developed storylines are great, but whipping out a dry erase board and Venn diagrams to figure it all out isn’t our idea of a good time. Unless we’re talking about soap operas. Those are perfectly fine.
  • It reminds us of the kids that used to play magic cards in the cafeteria. And people who go to Renaissance festivals. Eating a giant drumstick and drinking out of a goblet is cool, just not every Sunday night for three months straight.
  • It’s all naked chicks. In addition to the actual ladies of the night on the show, there seem to be a lot of…unofficial ladies of the night on the show. This is why guys love it, we get it, but we can do without seeing topless wenches in loin cloths.
  • Dudes get their hands chopped off. And their nipples. And their balls. Really? How is it that you guys like this again?

Okay, confession time… I was the one who wanted to watch GoT.  Mr. Pandora was kinda meh.  Know how I got him to watch it?  I told him people were complaining about the gratuitous sex.  My bad, but it worked!  I do love that man!  He’s so easy!

One of my initial complaints of GoT was that the first few episodes introduced so many characters that it became confusing.  My advice is to watch the first three episodes before throwing up your hands and walking away.  It’s so worth it.

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Newt Gingrich Is Really Puzzled

Filed in National by on May 13, 2013 8 Comments
Newt Gingrich Is Really Puzzled

Talk about living in a bubble!

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The NRA’s Declaration Of War

Filed in National by on May 6, 2013 14 Comments

When I was growing up the NRA was all about guns.  Oh, they were political, but more along geographical lines (red state/blue state, urban/rural) than political parties.  And while we still see this today there’s change in the air – and that change is being driven by the NRA.

There was a time when being a gun owner was the only ideology one needed to be an NRA member.  Republican/Democrat/Independent/Liberal/Conservative didn’t matter.  If you liked guns, the NRA was the group for you.

But liking guns isn’t enough anymore.  Today, the NRA has dropped any attempt at being a nonpartisan group of gun owners.  They have gone full Tea Party.  If you’re a gun owning Dem or liberal the NRA has made it clear you’re not welcome.  Of course, any sane person is no longer welcome because the NRA has finally revealed their crazy in stunning, splendid glory.

Many of us have always known the crazy was there, but the NRA use to be somewhat politically savvy.  They spoke about the 2nd Amendment, protecting yourself, hunting and responsible gun ownership – they wore a mask of reasonableness.  That mask has been ripped off.

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This Is Not An Accident

Filed in National by on May 1, 2013 17 Comments

BURKESVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Authorities in southern Kentucky say a 2-year-old girl has been accidentally shot and killed by her 5-year-old brother, who was playing with a .22-caliber rifle he received as a gift.

[…]

White told the newspaper that the boy received the rifle made for youths last year and is used to shooting it. He said the gun was kept in a corner and the family didn’t realize a shell was left inside it.

White said the shooting will be ruled accidental. (Emphasis mine)

Who, in their right mind, gives a 4 year old a gun?

Who, after giving (or accepting) a gun to a flippin’ 4 year old, keeps it in a flippin’ corner?

Who, with a functioning brain cell, would ever call this an accident?

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Brian Bushweller A Yes For HB 75

Filed in Delaware by on April 25, 2013 11 Comments
Brian Bushweller A Yes For HB 75

Senator Brian Bushweller has announced in a letter to constituents who have contacted him about the upcoming vote on HB 75, the Marriage Equality bill, that he will be voting yes. Come inside to read his letter.

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The Stories Keep Coming

Filed in National by on April 25, 2013 40 Comments

I’m probably going to regret this, but we need to talk about rape culture. We’ll begin by looking at recent news.

1. Steubenville’s football coach keeps his job.

Given Coach Saccoccia’s controversial behavior before and during the trial, which drew national scrutiny, many of us thought he at the very least would be shown the door after three decades of service. We all thought wrong. Today we learned that “Coach Sac,” as he is known, has been granted a two-year contract extension by the Steubenville school board. They made this decision despite the fact that a grand jury is meeting next week to assess whether he and others obstructed justice in the case. Saccoccia was legally required to report the sexual assault as soon as he was aware it took place. The grand jury will determine whether or not he in fact knew and tried to sweep it under the turf.

Whatever the conclusions of the grand jury, the question of whether Saccoccia should remain in a position to mold the minds of young men should not have been difficult to answer. Not when there are text messages sent by now-convicted team quarterback Trent Mays that read, “I got Reno. He took care of it and shit ain’t gonna happen, even if they did take it to court. Like he was joking about it so I’m not worried.” Not when, after the boys were arrested and charged, Saccocia kept them on the team for eight more games in their ten game season. Not when Saccoccia went nose-to-nose with a woman reporter looking into the rape case and said, “You’re gonna get yours. And if you don’t get yours, somebody close to you will.” Not when Coach Sac oversaw a locker room where the jock culture become inextricably connected to a rape culture.

I’m with Dave Zirin, author of the linked article. Getting rid of Coach Saccoccia seemed to be a no-brainer. The guy’s behavior, across the board, was indefensible. And yet he keeps his job. Why?

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Sussex County Council Says “No” To Sheriff Holding Posse Training At County Building

Filed in Delaware by on April 21, 2013 78 Comments

Are you ready for another OMG! Constitutional Crisis! No?  Too bad… here it comes. (Warning: Delaware Politics link)

Sussex County Administrator Todd F. Lawson refused a request by Sussex County Sheriff, Jeff Christopher to use office space in the County building located at 22215 North DuPont Boulevard in Georgetown.

The reason?

While your letter requests to meet for “Constitutional training for citizens,” other documentation from the Institute that have been circulated describes the event as “Constitutional Training for Deputies, Posses, and Citizen Supporters of the Sheriff.”  This type of training is directly at odds with Sussex County’s position on the duties of the Sheriff. In addition, the training goes against the County’s policy pertaining to posses as outlined in an October 31, 2011 memorandum from then County Administrator David Baker to Sheriff Jeffrey Christopher.

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Boston On Lockdown

Filed in National by on April 19, 2013 27 Comments
Boston On Lockdown

Authorities are asking the entire city of Boston to “shelter in place” and not leave their homes for the time being.  There are reports that one suspect is dead, the other on the loose.

TPM has a recap of the night’s events.

If you’re just waking up, it’s a been a surreal night of chaos and violence north of Boston which, according to latest reports, has ended with one of the two Boston marathon suspects dead and another (apparently the so-called suspect number two with the white cap) still at large.

[…]

Listening to police scanners from midnight until roughly 1 AM was a surreal experience and certainly a terrifying for those involved as law enforcement officers struggled to make sense of a chaotic situation, engaged in shootouts and were targeted with explosives by fleeing suspects. Soon scores of police from different departments and federal agencies were converging on Watertown. Dynamite, hand grenades, pipe bombs were the phrases tossed out live over police scanners as the events unfolded, though all that seems certain is that there were explosives of some sort. Police held a press conference a short time ago, the details of which are here.

Use the thread inside for updates.

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Here We Go Again… Pencader Charter School

Filed in National by on April 18, 2013 47 Comments
Here We Go Again… Pencader Charter School

I detest hostage situations, especially when the hostages are children. Pencader Business and Finance Charter School is in financial trouble again. Shocking, I know. Seems they’ve run out of money and are threatening to close the school on April 30th.

The News Journal has the story:

In a letter addressed to parents, students and teachers last week, president Frank McIntosh said Pencader didn’t have enough money left to pay teachers’ salaries through the end of the year, putting it at risk of bankruptcy. He said the school needs $350,000 to pay its debts and enable its students graduate.

McIntosh said transferring students back to their feeders schools so late in the year would be a mess. Traditional public schools, especially those in the Christina and Colonial school districts, would have to accommodate hundreds of students on short notice with little additional resources, he said.

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BREAKING: Bomb Attacks at Boston Marathon

Filed in National by on April 15, 2013 37 Comments

Via TPM:

BOSTON (AP) — Two explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon have resulted in injuries.

Bloody spectators were being carried Monday to the medical tent that had been set up to care for fatigued runners. Police wove through competitors as they ran back toward the course.

“There are a lot of people down,” said one man, whose bib No. 17528 identified him as Frank Deruyter of North Carolina. He was not injured, but marathon workers were carrying one woman, who did not appear to be a runner, to the medical area as blood gushed from her leg. A Boston police officer was wheeled from the course with a leg injury that was bleeding.

About three hours after the winners crossed the line, there was a loud explosion on the north side of Boylston Street, just before the photo bridge that marks the finish line. Another explosion could be heard a few seconds later.

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Here’s Another For The “Can’t Make This Stuff Up” Files

Filed in National by on April 12, 2013 16 Comments
Here’s Another For The “Can’t Make This Stuff Up” Files

Via TPM: Rep. Steve Stockman @ReElectStockman Our campaign bumper sticker: If babies had guns, they wouldn’t be aborted. http://stockman2014.com #gosnell #tcot pic.twitter.com/CVaYrQAeK9 1:44 AM – 12 Apr 13 Can a fetus even hold a gun?

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