Wednesday Open Thread [5.22.13]

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Republican Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma has in the past opposed emergency aid for Hurricane Sandy. But unlike his Oklahoman colleague in the Senate, Tom Coburn, he will support federal emergency funds for the Moore Tornado disaster. Which means of course, he is a flaming hypocrite who would deny aid to East Coast Democrats and liberals but gladly take it for his Sooner state conservatives. Not so, says Inhofe. A tornado and a hurricane are "totally different."
That was a "totally different" situation, Inhofe told MSNBC, arguing that the Sandy aid was filled with pork. There were "things in the Virgin Islands. They were fixing roads there and putting roofs on houses in Washington, D.C. Everybody was getting in and exploiting the tragedy that took place. That won't happen in Oklahoma."
Oh sweet Jesus. Is Inhofe unaware that the Hurricane hit the DC, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and all of New England too? Is he not aware that the Virgin Islands are hit by tropical storms and Hurricanes on a yearly basis. Why are Republican Senators so fucking stupid? Why!!!???!!!

I like this new Pope.

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“This ‘closing off’ that imagines that those outside, everyone, cannot do good is a wall that leads to war and also to what some people throughout history have conceived of: killing in the name of God. That we can kill in the name of God. And that, simply, is blasphemy. To say that you can kill in the name of God is blasphemy … The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone! … We all have a duty to do good. And this commandment for everyone to do good, I think, is a beautiful path towards peace. If we, each doing our own part, if we do good to others, if we meet there, doing good, and we go slowly, gently, little by little, we will make that culture of encounter: we need that so much. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there,” – Pope Francis, in the weekly Wednesday homily (sermon) today at the Vatican.
Finally got my hands on the Phillips complaint.

Finally got my hands on the Phillips complaint.

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It's pretty disgusting, the allegations contained therein. Read at your own peril. It is a public filing, so it is ok for you to read it. And while the Plaintiff/alleged victim is over 18 now, and while her name is plastered all over that complaint, I will not tolerate any mention of her name here in the comments. If the complaint is to be believed (and I do believe it), this young woman was a sexual assault victim, and I will not have her attacked by name or even mentioned by name on this thread. Consider it the Rape Shield Law extended.
A story to keep an eye on…

A story to keep an eye on…

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From the News Journal:
A 58-year-old New Castle man was critically injured this morning after opening an ammunition box left by a neighbor in the Van Dyke Village neighborhood for a special trash pick up, officials said. Explosive experts from Dover Air Force Base have been called to help after officials believe they found more explosives. According to Chionchio, a woman on Van Dyke Drive put several items out for a special trash pickup today. This included an ammo box that belonged to her husband. She did not know there were explosives in the box, Chionchio said. The man, a neighbor from across the street, asked if he could have the box. After getting her permission he took it across the street and placed it on a pickup truck tailgate. As he opened the box, Chionchio said, a mortar shell went off, covering him in shrapnel.
When I first read this story as it was breaking this morning, it sounded like a man was building a bomb and it exploded on him. Now it appears that the husband of the woman who put out the explosives in the trash unknowingly, and that the injured man was an innocent victim. Still, the question remains why the husband had the explosives in the first place, and how many more explosives does he have. Before our Second Amendment fetishists get their britches in knots, please note that there is no right to bear explosives. It is quite illegal. And it is quite Constitutional for them to be illegal.

Tuesday Open Thread [5.21.13]

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Virginia state Sen. Mark Obenshain (R), the Republican nominee for Attorney General in Virginia, had introduced legislation in 2009 to require women to report their miscarriages to their local police department. Not only that, these devastated women would have to provide information in their report on the location of the fetus' remains. Or else what, you ask? Well, if the mother did not report her miscarriage to the police, she would be charged and presumably be found guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor, which in Virginia carries a maximum sentence of “confinement in jail for not more than twelve months and a fine of not more than $2,500.” And they wonder why women, nationwide and in Virginia, have a problem voting Republican. Hey Assshain, oh excuse me, Obenshain, a woman's miscarriage is none of your goddamn business, nor the government's. It is a horrible tragedy for expectant mothers to go through. And you want to make their pain worse.
How About A Hefty Dose Of Misogyny With Your Violent Rhetoric?

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

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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.”
24 Dead in Oklahoma Monster Tornado

24 Dead in Oklahoma Monster Tornado

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70 of them are children. The revised number is 24 dead, with 20 of them being children. That the monster tornado destroyed two elementary schools is what makes this tragedy so horrible. I wondered on Facebook yesterday why these elementary schools, or any structure really, had no basements or underground storm shelters while located in the heart of Tornado Alley. To me it seemed criminally negligent. But then I was told that the ground in the area, which is either clay with a high water table or bedrock, makes it cost prohibitive to build them. I am not satisfied with that explanation, but at least it is an explanation. Come inside for some stream of consciousness thoughts about this latest human tragedy.
Buycott, Shop Your Conscience

Buycott, Shop Your Conscience

Have you heard about this app? Buycott installed on your smartphone can scan products you intend to buy and give you a rundown of that product's corporate history. It can also give you data on what those corporations do with the money they earn from your purchases. Interesting, right? For people who are trying not to buy anything from Koch Industries, for example, data from the scans you take can help you leave their stuff on the shelf.

Monday Open Thread [5.20.13]

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This has all happened before and it will happen again. The president "has just weathered one of the worst weeks of his time in office," according to Chris Cillizza. I don't know Chris, I think death, destruction and obstruction (Boston Marathon Terror Attack, West,TX Explosion, Senate Background Check failure) trump three non-scandals that have been blown up by the media and the GOP as being worst than Watergate. The network news ratings were down, so they gladly accepted the lies of the GOP (see Jon Karl) as news and proceeded to hyperventilate. But once again, as in the 1990's, the American public are not fooled. The President's approval ratings have actually improved over the last month, according to the latest CNN poll and Gallup polls.
I’m Calling It For Santorum

I’m Calling It For Santorum

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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.