This has me pissed off…

From McClatchy:
Democrats unlikely to repeal tax cuts for the rich

clipped from www.mcclatchydc.com Democrats in Congress are poised to play a leading role this month in thwarting their party’s effort to raise income tax rates on the wealthy. Tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003 expire at the end of this year. President Barack Obama and Democratic congressional leaders have been eager to extend the breaks for individuals who earn less than $200,000 annually and joint filers who make less than $250,000. Those who earn more would pay higher, pre-2001 rates starting next year. However, a small but growing number of moderate Democrats are balking at boosting taxes on the rich. Many face electorates that recoil at the mention of any tax increase. Some represent areas that are loaded with wealthier taxpayers. Further, some incumbent senators who don’t face voters this fall are reluctant to increase taxes on anyone while the economy remains sluggish. Without their support, the push to raise rates on the rich probably will fail.

Sitting with John at WSHC…

I’m doing Winners And Losers with John Case this morning… mostly because I needed to pick up the studio key (I’m subbing for John tomorrow and Monday…Labor Day).

Listen in…89.7 FM (or online at http://www.897wshc.org).

Another Quote for the Day – thinking about Iraq

“Certainly, Iraq is on the road to being an independent nation, though how much American neo-imperialism is imposed on Baghdad remains to be seen. Now if only Iraq had a government.”

- Juan Cole commenting on the President’s speech last night (and a great essay which you should read.)

Being a Vegan is paying off…

(co-posted with Panhandle Vegan)

It is now the beginning of September and I am 10 months into being a Vegan… and I have lost 50 Pounds 0ff my 385 pound start (which means I’ve lost as much as Marie Osmond did on Nutri-System, but I am still not pretty!)

If I continue this way I should have at least 60 pounds off by the end of my first year (my ultimate goal, as folks who read my stuff know, is 150 pounds… at least another year away and probably two.)

Now it’s time to increase the exercise (I can actually move around more than I could when I started. Amazing!)

International Quote of the Day

“Settlers and settlements are not something that entertain me, and I don’t want to entertain them.”

- Israeli actor Yousef Swaid commenting on theatre artists’ boycott of new theatre in the occupied West Bank. The signatories have asked theatre managers to restrict their activity to stages within the internationally accepted 1967 borders.

More at ArtThreat.net. Thanks also to Thomas Cott at You’ve Cott Mail.

Here in West Virginia’s Second District, I’d like to spread a message from John Case…

Why am I supporting Virginia Lynch Graf for United States House of Representatives in the  2nd district, WV, during this upcoming fall election?

• Virginia Lynch Graf is a person of integrity; she takes no money from special interest groups.
• A life-long educator, she supports job creation, job retraining, and quality education – integral to economic success.
• Graf supports green energy, carbon capture from coal, protection of our waters.
• Graf will work to make tourism our # 1 effort for economic recovery throughout the 2nd district.
• Graf opposes mountain top removal and strip mining which are destroying our beautiful state.

And of course, I am SO ready to send Ms Capito, who was a complete flunky for Bush for the entire 8 years, HOME.

Best wishes — and Commit to Vote on November 2!

My thanks to John Case (for whom I’ll be subbing on WSHC FM on Friday Morning and Monday – Labor Day – Morning. Please tune in) for sending out this message.

Hard to believe… interviews of Beck Rally attendees and why they were there.

An appropriate quote on You Tube where I found this revealing video of interviews on the Mall:

“When facism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.”

- Sinclair Lewis

Words to Live By… a new series.

“Guns are stupid. Duct tape is smart.”

- Michael Westen of Burn Notice

Gallup: Republican Congressional Ballot Lead Highest Ever, says TPM this morning…

“The Republican leads of 6, 7, and 10 points this month are all higher than any previous midterm Republican advantage in Gallup’s history of tracking the generic ballot, which dates to 1942. Prior to this year, the highest such gap was five points, measured in June 2002 and July 1994. Elections in both of these years resulted in significant Republican gains in House seats.”

clipped from tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com Gallup is reporting that the GOP lead in congressional generic polling is now 10 points — the largest lead for the party in the storied polling firm’s history. The poll asks respondents which party they would prefer to see in control of Congress. Republicans now lead Gallup’s generic ballot 51-41. Gallup attributes the double-digit Republican lead in its latest polling to the massive GOP advantage in voter enthusiasm, a story we’ve been talking about all year. The newest Gallup numbers show Republicans with a staggering 25% advantage in voter enthusiasm. What does that mean in real terms? “Republicans are now twice as likely as Democrats to be ‘very’ enthusiastic about voting,” the pollster writes. Gallup is one of America’s oldest pollsters and has a long memory when it comes to political questions. Digging in its own archives, the pollster puts the month of August into historical perspective when it comes to the newest numbers: Gallup surveyed 1,540 registered voters Aug. 23-29. The margin of error is 4%.”

“Democrats have argued that there’s still a lot of time before voters head to the polls in November, and they say that further public discussion of what they’ve accomplished since President Obama was inaugurated will close the gap for the Democrats by Election Day. But Republicans say that it’s what the Democrats haven’t accomplished — namely, putting a big dent in the nation’s unemployment numbers — that will tilt things heavily in the GOP’s favor when all is said and done this year.”

I’ve been cooking…

…and I just finished making the sugar-free, vegan, organic carrot cake with vegan cream cheese frosting. It took me about an hour altogether, giving me a chance to unload, load and start the dishwasher as I waited for parts to cook or stand.

The original recipe is over at my Panhandle-Vegan blog where I am about to list the modifications I made.

I haven’t tasted it yet… I’m waiting for Elly to get home from School.

I have great confidence, however.

Quote of the Day – How the Big Russian stays in charge…

“If you get (permission), you go and march. If you don’t — you have no right to. Go without permission, and you will be hit on the head with batons. That’s all there is to it.”

– Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, quoted by Reuters, defending a recent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.

Makes me very glad of what we’ve got here… that’s why I worry about the Tea Party and the seeming need to eliminate all but white, Christian Americans.

Ricky Gervais on Atheism…

I found this when I was searching YouTube for Mosque comments, of all things.

Now I know why I like Ricky Gervais so much…

Best quote:

“if there is a God, why did He make me an atheist?”

A new application for my Theatre friends to put on their web sites…

I got this from my Thomas Cott theatre mailing this morning… “talkbkr”, a way of getting audience comments from your web site.

From their promotional:

Talkback - n – A theatre term referring to a situation in which an audience offers feedback to a production cast/crew.

This is your chance to offer an informal, anonymous talkback/feedback mechanism for your audience members. Put the name of your event below, along with a contact email, and follow the instructions on the next page.

Best of all, it’s ABSOLUTELY FREE!

If you want it, go HERE. I’m going to see if Full Circle wants it set up for their shows.

Here’s another reason why I think religion needs to be stamped out…

‘Sinner’ singer given 39 lashes by rabbis
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
08/27/2010 02:45

Punishment for performance in front of “mixed audience.”

clipped from www.jpost.com A singer who performed in front of a “mixed audience” of men and women was lashed 39 times to make him “repent,” after a ruling by a self-described rabbinic court on Wednesday. Rabbi Amnon Yitzhak, founder of the Shofar organization aimed at bringing Jews “back to religion” (hazara betshuva), has made it his recent mission to fight against musical performances for both men and women. His “judicial panel,” with Rabbi Ben Zion Mutsafi and another member, sentenced Erez Yechiel to 39 lashes in order to “rid him of his sins.” In a video clip of the court posted on the Shofar Web site, Ben Zion said that those who make others sin (mahtiei rabim), such as artists who make men and women attend performances or dance together, have no place in the world to come.

Yechiel, who said, “I accept upon myself the lashing for my sins,” was ordered to stand by a wooden poll with his head facing north (“from whence the evil inclination comes”), his hands tied with a azure-colored rope (“a symbol of mercy”), and served his “sentence.”

Quote of the Day – Career

“My name is John Stewart and I tell dumb jokes for money.”

- Daily Show host John Stewart in a documentary on the NY Times Crossword Puzzle that I was watching this afternoon.

I’ve never heard someone sum up their successful career as well.

Some Predictions for the Fall…

1. Joe Manchin will be the next West Virginia Senator. He ran the field in the Saturday Democratic Primary and I see no reason why he won’t take the Senate in the same measure that he took the Governorship.

2. Karzai and U.S. are heading to a major fallout. This week Karzai fired the major corruption attorney which we placed in the Afghanistan government because he was getting too close. How long can this last?

3. Christmas Sales will fall flat this year… jobs won’t pick up enough. If only America would realize how many unemployed sixty-plus-year-olds are willing to apply their experience at much lower pay than they had been getting, we could really get out of a lot of this.

Cartoon(s) of the Week – The Questionable Issues of Republican Politics

Jeff Stahler in the Columbus Dispatch:

How do you make a scared American?

- and -

Lee Judge in the Kansas City Star:

How do you create a phony issue?

-and -

Rob Rogers in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

How do you build on the public’s knowledge of American History?

- and -

Milt Priggee at MiltPriggee.com:

If you can’t do all these things to avoid REAL Issues, how can you be a Republican?

Related Articles

• 2010 Election Focusing on Scare Tactics From Both Parties (politics.usnews.com)
• Tea Party HD & The Black Sphere Announce New Cartoon “Teachable Moments” Where No Race, No Religion & No Politician Is Off Limits (eon.businesswire.com)

I saw a Praying Mantis in the garden yesterday as I watered…

…a change from the stinkbugs, bees and grasshoppers that I’ve been seeing. Is it mating time?

Perhaps Isabella Rosselini can give us some insight:

Love it!

Picked this up from Op Ed News…

As a blogger, I find this particularly displeasing (and a violation of Freedom of the Press and Freedom of Speech).

This is the opening couple of paragraphs, but the rest is worth reading (and responding to):

clipped from www.opednews.com Boycott Philly? Why Philadelphia’s Licensing and Taxing of Blogs is Creeping Fascism By Darren Wolfe (about the author) The recent decision by the City of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania to require a Business Privilege License ($50 a year or lifetime cost of $300) of blogs and that the blogs be taxed on any profits has generated a well deserved outcry from free marketers across the country. Many have invoked Chief Justice John Marshall’s famous words, “The power to tax involves the power to destroy.” They are right, this will be the end of independent blogging in Philadelphia and around the world when this spreads across countries. The tax is actually the least of the threats to blogging the city is creating. The major threat is the licensing. Once the precedent is established that blogs can be licensed the government’s control of the blogosphere will grow in small increments until it can shut us all down by simply requiring and then denying said license.

Read the rest HERE.

American Idiocy Gathers at Lincoln’s Memorial

In about 90 minutes from the time I’m entering this, Glenn Beck will be starting his rally on the anniversary of Martin Luther King‘s “I Have a Dream” speech and the Teabag/conservative types will work for a return to the white America of the Reagan days.

This is a good day to keep the television off and read a good book.

What happens if “No One” gets elected in Nevada…

clipped from politicalwire.com For more than three decades, Nevada voters have had the choice of choosing “None of These Candidates” when they enter the voting booth. With a new Mason-Dixon poll showing Nevadans very unhappy with their choices in the U.S. Senate race, the ballot line might actually help determine the victor. Nate Silver thinks Sen. Harry Reid (D) may “be hoping to get an assist from the ballot option this year, which is unique among the 50 states. Indeed, there are those who think his entire campaign may be predicated upon it. Mr. Reid’s job approval numbers, hovering around 40 percent in most polls, would ordinarily prevent a candidate from being re-elected. But his opponent Sharron Angle, whom Mr. Reid’s campaign has tagged for her ‘extreme and dangerous’ views, might not be elected under ordinary circumstances either.” Major caveat: “None of These Candidates” cannot actually win the election. If it were to win a plurality, the election would default to the second-place candidate.

So…. Harry Reid could “lose” and still “win”?

(Untrue) Quote of the Day

“The biggest advance of the abortion industry in America is the passage of Obamacare.”

- Sarah Palin

…and the biggest advance in idiocy is Sarah Palin’s statement.

Radio Show’s over and we’re having coffee at Mellow Moods…

John Case and I are sitting here planning next Wednesday morning when we’ll actually be broadcasting from the Mellow Moods Cafe. This is the first time we’ve attempted a location  broadcast (although John used to do them some years ago from the Lost Dog… another coffee shop down German Street.)

We’ll bring an extra mike so we can interview folks here… but we don’t really know who will be on the list (except Mellow Moods’ Phil).

So tune in to WSHC 89.7 FM next Wednesday morning from 7:30 to 9:00 AM and listen in.

Quote of the Day – The Governor of NY on the Stabbing of a Muslim Cab Driver in NYC

“In the wake of the alleged hate crime against a New York City taxi driver, I must take this opportunity to remind New Yorkers that we cannot and will not allow bias and ignorance to infect our communities and deny our hard working, innocent residents the respect they deserve.

“The potential for this kind of violence is one of the reasons why I have called publicly for a respectful and unifying conversation about the Park51 project. I continue to offer my assistance for an open dialogue that I believe will help to bring New Yorkers together.”

- Gov. David Paterson (D) using this opportunity to push his plan to get the Park51 project to change locations.

So I guess the Governor and the Mayor are on different planets. Me, I’ll side with the Mayor.

Glen Greenwald has a well-informed article on Yemen and the US in this morning’s Salon…

Here is his summation – it should encourage you to go in and read the rest:

clipped from www.salon.com The campaign against the Park51 community center in Lower Manhattan is being condemned, rightfully so, because it is driven by a desire to stigmatize all Muslims and even institute a generalized war against Islam as American policy.  But far from Ground Zero, having nothing whatsoever to do with the warped right-wing fanatics driving that campaign, we’re increasingly engaging in actions perceived — understandably so — to be exactly the War against Muslims which, with our pretty presidential words, we renounce.  Escalation in Afghanistan, a sustained bombing campaign in Pakistan, all sorts of increased covert actions in multiple Muslim countries, the ongoing imprisonment with no charges of Muslims around the world, bellicose threats to Iran, and now a proposed expansion of our drone campaign into Yemen:  we can insist all we want that we are not waging a War Against Muslims, but it’s going to look to a huge number of people as though we’re doing exactly that.

So here we are with another Muslim country to accidentally kill women and children in and make them love us. Thanks, Glenn.