Delaware General Assembly Pre-Session Show: Tuesday, January 8, 2012

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2013 has all the makings of the most momentous year in recent legislative memory. The House and Senate have both undergone major institutional and leadership changes. More progressives now serve in Dover than before. A pro-business governor with aspirations for higher office must decide both what's best for the state and what's best for his political future. A host of important issues await, including, of course, Delaware's economic condition. THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY FOR NEWBIES The Delaware State Senate has 21 members,  currently 13 D's and 8 R's. The President Pro-Tempore leads the Senate, although the Lieutenant Governor often, but not always, presides over the senate sessions as a non-voting member. Here is a list of the Senate members. The House of Representatives has 41 members, currently 27 D's, 14 R's. The Speaker of the House presides over the body. You can find the House membership here. The General Assembly is in session from the second Tuesday in January through June 30 each year. The Senate often returns for a special session in the fall to consider nominations. The General Assembly breaks for six weeks at the end of January for Joint Finance Committee (budget) hearings and meetings. There is another 2-week break around Easter, and an additional week's break around Memorial Day.  The Memorial Day break often enables the 'money' committees to finish work on marking up the budget.The typical General Assembly meets in session about 50 days a year. And we are just getting started.

Keeler Fired by New Hens A.D. Ziady

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I was never a big Keeler fan, (especially after the pitiful choking loss in the 2010 championship game against Eastern Washington) but it is hard to blame him for the attendance when they mucked up the season tickets system so badly.
The move was made by new Athletic Director Eric Ziady, who took over that position in October. "A lot of different things over the course of time led me in the direction to have some serious concerns about the direction of the program in the future. As I learned and listened and got my arms around the entire program and the state and direction, it led me in the direction of the decision (Monday). " Delaware only drew 20,000 fans to Delaware Stadium for one game this season, Maine, after doing so twice in 2011 and three times in 2010, the last time they made the I-AA tournament. By comparison, Delaware's smallest home crowd in 2003 was 20,485, the year K.C. Keeler won the title.

Jake Tapper Signing Books in Wilmington on 14 January

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On Monday, (next Monday!) January 14th, Jake Tapper (from ABC News, now at CNN)) will be in Wilmington signing books and participating in an event to discuss the topic of this book with 4 of the participants. Tapper has a recent book, called The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor. This book tells the story of an attack on an American outpost in Afghanistan -- Compound Outpost Keating -- where 53 American soldiers were attacked by 400 Taliban fighters.

Monday Open Thread [1.7.13]

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The Sunday Yack Shows yesterday were full of discussions of Government Shutdown if the GOP doesn't get what it wants to raise the debt ceiling. From here, it looks like they want the Democrats to propose a bunch of budget cuts that the GOP can run against in 2014. Have I got that wrong? As you think about the stupidity of this demand, you might want to read this piece from The Atlantic, which asks, Are People Being Unfair to the House Republicans? Steve LaTourette is interviewed and asked to defend the 112th GOP caucus.

What’s Going On In Steubenville?

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I have been following the Steubenville rape story for a while, but I haven't written about it... until now.  This post won't be about who should face criminal charges - I don't know enough to make that call.  But what I do know is vile. If you aren't familiar with the story, the NYT has written an extensive piece.
Some in the crowd, which would grow to close to 50 people, arrived with beer. Those who did not were met by cases of it and a makeshift bar of vodka, rum and whiskey, all for the taking, no identification needed. In a matter of no time, many of the partygoers — many of them were high school athletes — were imbibing from red plastic cups inside the home of a volunteer football coach at Steubenville High at what would be the first of several parties that night. “Huge party!!! Banger!!!!” Trent Mays, a sophomore quarterback on Steubenville’s team, posted on Twitter, referring to one of the bashes that evening. By sunrise, though, some people in and around Steubenville had gotten word that the night of fun on Aug. 11 might have taken a grim turn, and that members of the Steubenville High football team might have been involved. Twitter posts, videos and photographs circulated by some who attended the nightlong set of parties suggested that an unconscious girl had been sexually assaulted over several hours while others watched. She even might have been urinated on.

Distressed by Boehner, wingnut radio star talker calls for third party

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I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've ever agreed with nutbag Michael Savage.
The conservative radio host Michael Savage Sunday called for a third, "nationalist" American political party to challenge the Republican Party on the right of the political spectrum. “We need a nationalist party in the United States of America,” said Savage on Aaron Klein's WABC radio show.

Outrage in Milford (Update: The Signs are coming down)

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Click through for a larger version I saw this picture on Facebook, from a liberal friend downstate, who was sharing it via an original posting of the very nonliberal Dan Gaffney. It is nice to know that the outrage concerning this photo is bipartisan. And what is so outrageous about it, you ask? Well, you can read what it says in English. In Spanish it says "You have to have a permit to play here or you will be arrested." So if you are a white English speaking "American," you can play here at your own risk so long as you have a parent or guardian watching. If you are brown, if you dare play here without a permit we will arrest your immigrant ass. That is the fucking height of racism, and I will see to it that who ever is responsible for this sign will have their public careers ended immediately.

Saturday Open Thread [1.5.13]

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If you are still recovering from all of the revelry and working on getting back to it on Monday, maybe you'll have some time to sit down with a cup of hot something and read some of these longish pieces from recent publications.

5,000,000 other Earths in The Milky Way Galaxy

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One of those 5,000,000 is going to be the very first very earth-like planet to be discovered - THIS YEAR!   That means science's long held dream of sex with blue chicks is just around the corner. So, let's do the math.   If only .00001 percent have intelligent life on them,  that's 50 planets that can come and rescue our sorry asses with their pyramid power.  Either that or use us for food.