Open Thread for Tuesday, August 13, 2013

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The Newark Mayor, no not Corey Booker, but Vance Funk, is retiring earlier than originally indicated. He is now leaving office on September 30, rather than December 31.
[Deputy Mayor] Clifton – sitting in the mayor’s chair Funk has occupied since being elected in 2004 – said Funk changed the effective date of his resignation to accommodate the process for a special election in accordance with the city’s charter. Council will hold a special meeting on Sept. 30 to schedule the special election, which is expected to be held Nov. 26, Clifton said. Although Funk was not in attendance at Monday’s meeting, he made a statement in a city news release distributed immediately after Clifton’s announcement. “Considering that it is not in my best interest health wise to attend the many meetings between now and the end of the year and to allow the election process to move forward in a timely fashion, I determined September 30 to be an appropriate date for my term to end,” Funk said in the news release.
Open Thread for Monday, August 12, 2013

Open Thread for Monday, August 12, 2013

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So last week that little worm Reince Priebus, the Chairman of the RNC, told CNN and NBC that unless they stopped production on a Hillary Clinton news documentary and a Hillary Clinton miniseries, respectively, that both news organizations would not host or air any Republican debates in 2016. The truth is Reince doesn't care at all about the documentary or the miniseries, and he just wants to cut the non-Republican-fellating networks out of conducting debates, because, as he said last week, he wants moderators who care about the glorious future of the dear Republican Party, and not some objective neutral journalist who sole interest is the facts and the news. So the Hillary Clinton documentary and miniseries, respectively, were the reasons to cut out CNN and NBC from hosting or airing the 2016 Republican Primary debates. Over the weekend, something totally predictable happened: Fox Television Studies is now seeking to produce the Hillary Clinton miniseries. Fox Television Studios is the sister company of Fox News in the same way as NBC Entertainment is the sister company of NBC News. If Reince Priebus has any honor or integrity, he will now of course issue a press statement where he wholly condemns Fox News and informs them that Fox News will not host or air any 2016 Republican primary debates. Hell, no debates is probably what he wants anyway.
An Opportunity for Campaign Finance Reform

An Opportunity for Campaign Finance Reform

25 Comments
Yesterday's NJ detailed how developers (with multiple companies) could legally contribute multiple times to a candidate: The practice of companies tied to one developer each contributing the maximum contribution gives the developer greater influence in the election process than other donors who don’t have separate companies to funnel contributions through. “It’s an outrageous loophole for developers. It makes a mockery of the limits,” said James Browning, regional director of state operations with Common Cause advocacy organization. “It’s a double standard for developers. How can you trust in a system where so few people can buy so much access?”

Sunday Open Thread [8.11.13]

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A tale of religious conservatives running away from a so-called over-reaching government, having to be saved by said government:
Hannah Gastonguay, 26, said Saturday that she and her husband “decided to take a leap of faith and see where God led us” when they took their two small children and her father-in-law and set sail from San Diego for the tiny island nation of Kiribati in May. But just weeks into their journey, the Gastonguays hit a series of storms that damaged their small boat, leaving them adrift for weeks, unable to make progress. They were eventually picked up by a Venezuelan fishing vessel, transferred to a Japanese cargo ship and taken to Chile where they are resting in a hotel in the port city of San Antonio. Their flights home were arranged by U.S. Embassy officials, Gastonguay said. The U.S. State Department was not immediately available for comment.

Saturday Open Thread [8/10/13]

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Yesterday was Starbucks Appreciation Day -- but the only people doing the appreciating were gun groups. The Starbucks in Newtown, CT closed early rather than be descended upon by these idiots parading their guns:
Earlier, however, more than two dozen gun rights supporters, some wearing pistols, camouflage or Connecticut Citizens Defense League T-shirts, showed up to show their support. The company said it had no participation in the event. Gun critics also turned out to voice their opposition. Long after the store shut down around 4:30, people on both sides of the gun divide stayed outside in the heavy rain, the gun supporters standing on the left, many smoking cigarettes, and the gun opponents to the right, holding lighted candles. “Little do these ignorant people know that we come in here every day for coffee, carrying our weapons,” said Tom Catalina, 64, of Newtown. “Starbucks has always been open about their support of the Second Amendment and our right to carry, whether open or concealed. Guns make people safer.”