Category Archives: ethics
So where are we with General Petraeus?
What on earth is happening when an American who has been trusted as much as General Petraeus has his little love affair exposed (which doesn’t seem to have effected his CIA leadership at all) and feels the need to resign?
This article is from Truthdig… I’m putting it all here:
How the David Petraeus-Paula Broadwell Affair Was Uncovered
AP/Cliff Owen Former CIA Director David Petraeus. Modern technology apparently cost ex-CIA Director David Petraeus his job. The retired general’s affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell was discovered by the FBI while it was investigating harassing emails she sent to Jill Kelley, a 37-year-old woman who serves as an unpaid social liaison to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. A former associate of Petraeus says he and Kelley are just friends.
After news of the FBI investigation that uncovered the affair, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper stepped in and asked Petraeus to resign.
Clapper was told by the Justice Department of the Petraeus investigation at about 5 p.m. on Election Day, and then called Petraeus and urged him to resign, according to a senior U.S. intelligence official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly.
…Concerned that the emails he exchanged with Broadwell raised the possibility of a security breach, the FBI brought the matter up with Petraeus directly, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation.
Petraeus decided to quit, though he was breaking no laws by having an affair, officials said.
In the wake of Petraeus’ resignation, members of Congress are asking for more information about the investigation, including why they weren’t alerted sooner and whether the probe had any impact on national security.
Now here are my thoughts. Given the world situation, why in hell are we letting a man with this amount of military and foreign policy and management experience leave this job over a little penis stimulation? You can’t tell me that the Congressfolk who would sit over his situation if he hadn’t resigned haven’t been involved in the same kind of stuff.
If I were Obama, I would have, at least temporarily, refused Petraeus’ resignation and let him go ahead with his testimony about Libya (which he should do anyway, whether he has resigned or not.)
If we really let him go we are more stupid than I already think.
Related articles
- Congress wants answers on Petraeus affair (cnsnews.com)
- Woman connected to Petraeus scandal seeks privacy (cnsnews.com)
- Friend: Petraeus began affair after taking CIA job – Boston.com (boston.com)
- Info emerges about 2nd woman in David Petraeus affair (bostonherald.com)
- Identity of second woman emerges in Petraeus’ downfall (sfluxe.com)
- Woman who sparked Petraeus probe ID’d by U.S. army official (cbc.ca)
- L’affaire Petraeus: second woman identified, and Gmail location data outed Broadwell and Petraeus (boingboing.net)
- David Petraeus Resigns From The CIA Over An Affair. (stirringtrouble.wordpress.com)
Another good reason not to trust rich Republicans…
This was on NBC:
“From the moment Mitt Romney stepped off stage Tuesday night, having just delivered a brief concession speech he wrote only that evening, the massive infrastructure surrounding his campaign quickly began to disassemble itself.
Aides taking cabs home late that night got rude awakenings when they found the credit cards linked to the campaign no longer worked.”
No trickle up…guess that falls in line with trickle down. Obama spent most of the night praising and supporting his campaign workers.
Related articles
- Mitt Romney Cancelled Campaign Staff’s Credit Cards During His Concession Speech (thesuperficial.com)
- Mitt Romney’s Campaign Cancels Staffers Credit Cards In The Middle Of The Night (forbes.com)
- Romney staffers stranded when campaign killed credit cards on election night (rawstory.com)
- When Little Rich Boys (Mitt Romney) Do Not Get Their Way It Is Brutal (dekerivers.wordpress.com)
- Obama’s Address to His Staff on Tuesday Night: “I’m Really Proud of All of You” (littlegreenfootballs.com)
- Romney’s Campaign Staff Stranded On Election Night With Cancelled Credit Cards (ibtimes.com)
The Final Results of the Election…
If you haven’t seen where everything finally ended up after Florida was called (which took an awfully long time and right up to the very end the GOP said Romney had it… but he didn’t), then here it is:
This, to me, is a sure sign that Obama has a mandate to finish his agenda. To win by 126 electoral votes is not insignificant… it is a real rollover.
Now we will listen to Boehner claim that he is ready to cooperate, but will keep the House just a opposed to increasing taxes on the very rich and solving the rest of the economic problems. Will the House Republicans finally support Obama’s goal to increase jobs? Looks like they are going to stay just as opposed. Didn’t they learn anything from the election?
Mitch McConnell will probably keep the Republicans in the Senate from letting things go through, although they are still in the minority. McConnell is up for reelection in Kentucky in 2014, so maybe he will cooperate a little bit just to show that he’s not a schmuck. We’ll wait and see.
Related articles
- Boehner and McConnell Dissed Obama on Election Night – Refused Phone Calls from the President, Claiming They Were Asleep (pensitoreview.com)
- Mitch McConnell and John Boehner’s strategy worked (washingtonpost.com)
- Obama Tried To Call Mitch McConnell And John Boehner On Election Night, But They Lied That They Were Sleeping (tribuneofthepeople.com)
- McConnell warns Obama on taxes (politico.com)
- McConnell (kind of) promises to work with Obama (tv.msnbc.com)
- Mitch McConnell offers a helpful reminder of why Senate Democrats must reform the filibuster now (dailykos.com)
- Boehner suggests Republicans will Accept More Revenue, Work Together (he must not have met Mitch McConnell) (freakoutnation.com)
- Election Gave Obama and Boehner Chance for a Do-Over – Bloomberg (bloomberg.com)
- Obama’s mandate (wnd.com)
So how is Romney’s plan to send Foodstamps to the states going to effect his voter base?
That is a good question, after looking at this article in the Bloomberg News. Here’s a clip:
Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said in May that he’d written off votes from 47 percent of Americans who are collecting government aid. Turns out many of them are part of his political base.
Seventy percent of counties with the fastest-growth in food-stamp aid during the last four years voted for the Republican presidential candidate in 2008, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data compiled by Bloomberg. They include Republican strongholds like King County, Texas, which in 2008 backed Republican John McCain by 92.6 percent, his largest share in the nation; and fast-growing Douglas County, Colorado.That means Romney is counting on votes from areas where lower-income people have become more reliant on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as food stamps.
Let’s see how it really fits his base support. Get the word out!
Related articles
- Republican-Heavy Counties Eat Up Most Food-Stamp Growth – Bloomberg (bloomberg.com)
- Terry O’Neill: The Romney-Ryan Budget: Reward the Rich, Punish the Rest (huffingtonpost.com)
- Romney attacked over climate change as activists tap post-Sandy concerns (guardian.co.uk)
How do the candidates stand on America’s energy future? Here’s a radio piece from NCR
Energy policy, defining how we use energy to power our economy and our lives, is among the most pressing issues for the next four years. In this special edition of BURN, stories about the power of one: how, in this election season, a single person, place, policy or idea can — with a boost from science — affect the nation’s search for greater energy independence.
We’ve had a lovely afternoon and evening at the American Conservation Film Festival.
We are in the four day period of the ACFF, now celebrating it’s 10th Anniversary of presenting conservation and nature support films here in Shepherdstown.
We saw two films this afternoon, but tonight we saw two films accompanied by live discussions and question periods with the filmmakers.
The most interesting to me was Marion Stoddart whose life and career spent saving the Nashua River was so well presented in the short film “The Work of 1000.”
Filmmaker Susan Edwards broached the subject Can one person truly make a difference? This film tells the inspiring story of how a remarkable woman saved a dying river–for herself, for the community and for future generations–and became an environmental hero honored by the United Nations.
Mrs Stoddart, now in her 80s spent decades getting a very polluted river clean… petitioning, demonstrating, approaching manufacturers and politicians directly, and getting her husband and children involved. Her live presentation with the audience was very involving.
Our Nation’s River: A System on Edge was the second film we saw this evening. Ten minutes long and made by Alexandra Cousteau, granddaughter of historic natural filmmaker Jaques Costeau. This piece was particularly meaningful for us, since it is about the Potomac River, the water body that forms our northern border and flows from us down to Washington DC.
Ms, Cousteau answered questions but also presented a discussion panel of professionals from the Nature Conservancy and the Potomac River Foundation.
The House was pretty full at Reynolds Hall, Shepherd University, with a number of standers who wanted to catch everything as well. Among the folks there tonight were most of the officers of Sustainable Shepherdstown (My wife is in that bunch, of course), our current State Delegate John Dolan whose work for us has been spectacular and who is leaving office at the end of the session. Steve Skinner, the Democratic candidate for Delegate who, hopefully, will take John’s place, was there as well. Both men realize the importance the Potomac is to our community. Of course, Republican Candidate Elliot Spitzer was NOT there this evening. Preserving our environment is just not a Republican issue… after all, don’t they all think that Climate Change is a joke?
We’re going to some more films tomorrow.
Related articles
- Worst Potomac River Flooding in 16 Years Expected (washington.cbslocal.com)
- Flooding a Major Concern for Potomac River, Chesapeake Bay (washington.cbslocal.com)
- Water still concerns Cousteaus (toledoblade.com)
- Flood Warning Continues For D.C., Coastal Md., Va. (baltimore.cbslocal.com)
Interviews with Supporters at Ohio Romney Rally
Life seems to be very hard for these folks. Listen to the big amount of Romney lies they have ingested like vitamins:
Wow! This is the first time I’ve heard that Obama has brought Buddhists into the country to take over.
How do you live with these people… these utterly stupid an misinformed people?
Related articles
- Ohio Mitt Romney Supporters Don’t Know Mitt Romney (bungalowbillscw.blogspot.com)
- Obama goes after Romney’s Jeep ad (cbsnews.com)
- NBC’s Ohio Poll: 45% of Likely Voters Conservative, 23% Liberal–And Obama’s Up 6 (cnsnews.com)
Tell Mitt Romney: Climate Change Isn’t A Joke
Much of the nation is reeling from Superstorm Sandy. As families rebuild from Sandy’s destruction, our thoughts are with the victims of this horrific, fossil-fueled storm.
When Gov. Mitt Romney made climate change a punch line at the Republican National Convention, he mocked a real threat to the lives of Americans.
We can’t let Mitt get away with his laughing dismissal of the threat of rising seas caused by the carbon polluters who fund his campaign. Share this ad with friends and family to tell Romney: climate change isn’t a joke.
Ref: Three Ways Climate Change Made Hurricane Sandy Worse
Thanks to Climate Silence.org.
Employment growth picks up in October with addition of 171,000 jobs
Today the Government released the October Labor Statistics and we see that employers have added a 
larger-than-expected 171,000 jobs in October across a broad spectrum of businesses. In this, the final snapshot of the economy before election day, we have an interesting picture of job growth… more than double what it was in September.
Unfortunately, the nation’s unemployment rate rose to 7.9% from 7.8% in September. This was because more people jumped back into the labor market, including a very large group of 18-year old first time workers. This, of course, is a positive sign that workers may be feeling more confident about their job prospects.
The new Labor Department report, which also revised sharply higher job growth in September and August, may give a boost to President Obama, who continues with a slow but positive economic growth. There is still enough information for the undecided to support Obama who has kept us going even though Mitch McConnell and his Republicans have worked overtime to keep Obama’s Job Creation proposals and other forward moving activities from passing or getting any Congressional support. It’s interesting that Obama has gotten as far as he has… and it is even more interesting how little the Republicans have been concerned with helping to relieve our economy.
Related articles
- US economy adds 171,000 jobs (bigpondnews.com)
- Economy adds 171,000 jobs in October (bostonherald.com)
- US economy adds 171,000 new jobs (bbc.co.uk)
- U.S. Adds 171K Jobs In October: What It Means For Obama And Romney (forbes.com)
- October jobless rate is 7.9 percent: 171,000 jobs created. Good news for Obama (blogs.suntimes.com)
- Job Growth Better Than Expected Last Month (politicalwire.com)
- SPECIAL REPORT: “171 Thousand Jobs Added in Last Jobs Report Before Election, Unemployment Rate 7.9%” (marketsnacks.com)
Are you tired of hearing a creep like John Sununu criticizing our President?
I am. And when you think about him trying to break down the foundation of Obama being an American, most of us don’t realize how non-American Sununu is:
And that’s another Asshole standing behind him. I must admit that one creep is a lot like another.
Here’s a new problem which will probably start appearing in storm damaged areas (and beyond)…
Here’s something to watch out for that you probably haven’t thought of: if you are shopping for a used car you should be on the lookout for flood-damaged vehicles that often hit the market after a major storm. They may not come from your particular geographic area, but the storm actually covered a lot of ground.
In the wake Hurricane Sandy, which caused massive flooding in several Northeast and Mid-Atlantic cities in the U.S., we should consider the advice given by Edmunds.com (the Car People.)
Once owners of damaged cars settle up with their insurance companies their vehicles are sometimes refurbished and resold. An unsuspecting buyer in a state unaffected by the disaster is the prime target. Long after the seller is gone, the new owner finds it is an unreliable car. Electrical and mechanical problems can then surface, and there is no recourse against the seller.
When the flood waters recede, they often leave behind damaged cars, and that’s where trouble can begin for used-car buyers. After the owners of damaged cars settle up with their insurance companies, vehicles are sometimes refurbished and resold. And sometimes, a middleman buyer intentionally hides a car’s history as a flood-damaged vehicle through a process known as “title washing” and sells it to an unsuspecting buyer in a state unaffected by the disaster. Electrical and mechanical problems then surface later — long after the seller is gone — leaving the new owner with an unreliable car and no recourse against the seller.
According to Fraud Guides, if you suspect a local car dealer is committing fraud by knowingly selling a flood car or a salvaged vehicle as a good-condition used car, contact your auto insurance company, local law enforcement agency or the National Insurance Crime Bureau at (800) TEL-NICB (835-6422).
Of course, the best advice when trying to avoid a flood-damaged vehicle is the adage you’ve heard so often: If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Related articles
- Sandy could impact unsuspecting used-car buyers (bottomline.nbcnews.com)
- The risks of buying a write-off motor – Confused.com (confused.com)
- BBB warns about flood-damaged cars (charlotteobserver.com)
- BBB warns about flood-damaged cars (newsobserver.com)
- Water Damaged Cars May Flood Local Dealerships Following Severe Weather (prweb.com)
We’re getting closer to the election… so here are some swing state polls:
Here are the latest polls from the battleground states:
Florida: Romney 48%, Obama 47% (Newsmax/Zogby)
Ohio: Obama 50%, Romney 46% (Newsmax/Zogby)
Virginia: Obama 48%, Romney 47% (Newsmax/Zogby)
Another state that has never been considered a swing state but appears close:
Oregon: Obama 47%, Romney 41% (Elway)
This looks better for Florida, which is getting closer, and Ohio. If Obama picks up both of these he would have the election.
And here is the current electoral vote possibility:
Suppose Romney was President now, during Sandy…
First of all, he would have discarded FEMA as a Federal Agency and given the costs and responsibilities back to the states or to private enterprise. I’ll bet governors up and down the east cost would not be thrilled to lose the federal support.
So what is Romney‘s status on federal funds protecting and helping Americans in times of natural disaster? Take a look:
I guess that means what President Obama is doing now to aid the various states in preserving life and helping states is “immoral.” Tell that to Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who as already come out praising Obama and thanking him for making federal funds and FEMA available… and being available to him by phone for any future problems. I’ll bet Christie is glad that it is Obama and not Romney who is on the other end of the phone call:
“I appreciated the president’s outreach today in making sure that we know he’s watching this and is concerned about the health and welfare and safety of the people of the state of New Jersey.”
– Gov. Chris Christie, (R) NJ
Related articles
- Obama, Romney, suspend campaigning as hurricane Sandy bears down on East Coast (vancouversun.com)
- Hurricane Sandy Update: President Obama Signs New Jersey Emergency Declaration (keansburgpress.wordpress.com)
- Video: Clinton, Biden on Hurricane Sandy (cbsnews.com)
- Sandy Is the Most Important Swing Voter (theatlanticwire.com)
- President Obama signs emergency declaration for entire Mid-Atlantic region (examiner.com)
- Why Romney’s not ready for Hurricane Sandy (tv.msnbc.com)
- Romney may regret ‘privatize’ FEMA remarks in face of Sandy destruction (tv.msnbc.com)
- Obama visits FEMA, says Hurricane Sandy resources “are in place” (cbsnews.com)
- Romney: Privatize FEMA, Federal Disaster Relief Spending “Immoral” (rodonline.typepad.com)
- Emergency/Disaster Management – the politics (recoverydiva.com)
Cartoon(s) of the Week – Election is crawling toward it’s end. I am sooo thankful.
I’ll be so glad when all this election brouhaha is over. I’ll be so depressed if Romney captures a majority of American votes… in other words, I will think so much is wrong with this country’s education policies.
Bob Englehart in the The Hartford Courant:
So how likely is it that doing tax favors for the top 1% will raise the job totals?
– and –
Kevin Siers in The Charlotte Observer:
At least Romney makes it clear who his support base won’t be…
– and –
Joel Pett in The Lexington Herald-Leader:
One day women might disable the positions of Romney and his buddies…
– and –
David Fitzsimmons in The Arizona Daily Star:
Some time accusations reverse themselves to define the accuser.
– and –
Mike Luckovich in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Foreign policy requires a lot of basic knowledge. Romney doesn’t seem to have any.
Related articles
A Quote for the Morning: A Republican criticizes the racism of his party…
Secretary of State under George W. Bush, Colin Powell, had retired Army Col. Lawrence Wilkerson as a Chief of Staff. 
Wilkerson made this comment in response to John Sununu‘s statement on Thursday that Powell’s endorsement of President Barack Obama’s re-election was motivated by race:
“My party is full of racists, and the real reason a considerable portion of my party wants President Obama out of the White House has nothing to do with the content of his character, nothing to do with his competence as commander-in-chief and president, and everything to do with the color of his skin, and that’s despicable.”
– Col. Lawrence Wilkerson
And there are people who want these guys elected… why? We worked so hard for decades to establish the civil rights of all Americans. It was a triumph to elect our first black president and Obama has made significant achievements in his first term, even though he faced Republicans in the Congress who publicly pledged to keep his agenda from being passed.
Voting for Republicans in this election endorses their racial views. Do you?
Related articles
- Col. Lawrence Wilkerson says his party the Republican party is full of Racists (americanlivewire.com)
- Lawrence Wilkerson, Former Colin Powell Aide, Blasts Sununu, GOP As ‘Full Of Racists’ (democraticunderground.com)
- Col Lawrence Wilkerson On Republican Party: My Party Is Full Of Racists (ireport.cnn.com)
- Powell’s former chief of staff: I’m voting for Obama too (tv.msnbc.com)
- Video | Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson: “My Party Is Full Of Racist” (3chicspolitico.com)
- Romney campaign so desperate to change subject from Mourdock that they accuse Colin Powell of racism (dailykos.com)
- A Candid Republican Tells The Truth About Racism In His Party (duanegraham.wordpress.com)
- Sununu: Powell endorsed President Obama because of race (thehill.com)
- White Elephants (boyculture.com)
- Honesty – From the Mouth of a Conservative – Finally! (With Video Link) (euterpe-1641499.newsvine.com)
Educator and Cultural Critic Jacques Barzun Dies at 104;
Historian, essayist, cultural gadfly and educator Jacques Barzun, who helped establish the modern discipline of cultural history, was probably best known for viewing the West as sliding toward decadence. He died Thursday night at his home in San Antonio. He was 104.
His remarkable curiosity and manifold interests and accomplishments, encompassed both Berlioz and baseball (and many other subjects.) He stood with Sidney Hook, Daniel Bell and Lionel Trilling as one of the mid-20th century’s most wide-ranging scholars. He tried to reconcile the achievements of European philosophy and culture with the very different American intellect and culture.
He wrote dozens of books across many decades, demonstrating that old age did not necessarily mean intellectual decline. He published his most ambitious and encyclopedic book at the age of 92 (and credited his productivity in part to chronic insomnia). That work, “From Dawn to Decadence,” is an 877-page survey of 500 years of Western culture in which he argued that Western civilization itself had entered a period of decline.
Unlike many of his contemporaries, Barzun showed little interest in taking political positions. This was partly because he became a university administrator and had to stand above the fray, and partly because he approached the world with a detached civility and a sardonic skepticism about intellectual life.
He traced periods of rise and fall in the Western saga, and contended that another fall was near — one that could cause “the liquidation of 500 years of civilization.” It looks like he won’t be around to see it.
Related articles
- Cultural historian, author Jacques Barzun dies (cnsnews.com)
- Cultural historian, author Jacques Barzun dies (news.yahoo.com)
- Cultural historian, author Jacques Barzun dies (miamiherald.com)
- Author, thinker Barzun dies at 104 (mysanantonio.com)
- Cultural Historian Jacques Barzun Dies At 104 (wnyc.org)
- Jacques Barzun: Historian who believed that Western culture was descending into trivia (independent.co.uk)
- Jacques Barzun, RIP (samizdata.net)
- Jacques Barzun (telegraph.co.uk)
On the Republicans and their sophisticated views on Rape…
The Friskey has published a Handy Dandy Guide with a great chart. Isn’t it amazing how these men don’t seem to ever have asked a woman what being raped and/or getting pregnant from it means? The Friskey comments on the gentlemen in the chart:
“I have such a hard time remembering which conservative politician said what ridiculously offensive thing about rape. They’re all old and white and most of them are in some state of partial baldness. They all look the same! And they all sound basically the same too, given that woman-hating bile spews from their open pie holes. Alas, they are all individual people, who hold or have held positions of power within government, and aspire to inflict their beliefs upon your life.”
You know, there are people who listen to and agree with these terrible concepts and who admire all five of these Republicans. You can bet Mitt and his buddy Ryan are included in these.
I will be amazed when someone comes out with the statistic after the election of how many women voted Republican. It is as if they would enjoy being treated like cattle.
Related articles
- Obama slams Mourdock: “Rape is rape” (blogs.suntimes.com)
- RAPE “that’s something God intended” GOP Senate Candidate Tells Women (theageofblasphemy.wordpress.com)
- Shady Pennsylvania Republicans Pass New Law Requiring Women To Prove They Were Raped! (bossip.com)
- Meet The Mourdocks: The Other Republicans Pushing To Block Abortions For Rape Victims (thinkprogress.org)
- Introducing ‘Emergency Rape’, This Season’s Hottest Rape Trend [Video] (jezebel.com)
- The real Republican rape platform | Jill Filipovic (guardian.co.uk)
We hear so much about truth when talking about candidates’ statements…
… but is Obama/Biden or Romney Ryan the more truthful team? The Dems are the losers on lying… but the Republicans cannot seem to achieve overall truthfulness. Politifact evaluates their percentages of truthful expression as follows:
So if having candidates you can believe is important, then there is no question of which team to support.
Related articles
- Obama’s story, Romney’s story, and the truth: Previewing the debate (news.yahoo.com)
- Letter: Not much of an endorsement of Romney, Ryan in their own backyards (tcpalm.com)
- Democrats’ truth vs. GOP lies (salon.com)
- Politico Truth Meters – Potus Obama & Mitt the Twit (bonjupatten.wordpress.com)
What in hell is it about Republicans and rape?
A new television ad in Indiana has Romney endorsing Richard Mourdock for Senator in that state. Mourdock, however, has displayed the Republicans‘ opposition to women and the right to choose. In a televised debate with his 
Democratic opponent Representative Joe Donnelly, he opposed abortion as a choice after rape… why? because God says so:
“Life is that gift from God. I think that even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something God intended to happen.”
— Richard Mourdock
So this is a new and compelling reason (if you are a Republican) to leave raped women pregnant whether they want to bear a rapist‘s child or not. And, of course, Romney’s support indicates his actual neoconservative leanings, despite having tried to seem moderate in the last debate.
It’s hard to believe that any of these candidates would top Todd Akin, but Mourdock certainly has.
Related articles
- Ind. GOP Senate candidate Richard Mourdock: Pregnancy from rape can be ‘something that God intended to happen’ – @washingtonpost (washingtonpost.com)
- Richard Mourdock under fire for rape remarks (politico.com)
- Mourdock: God at work when rape leads to pregnancy (news.yahoo.com)
- Video: Indiana Senate Candidate Richard Mourdock Says Pregnancy is a “Gift From God” Even in Rape (opposingviews.com)
- Indiana Republican: When life begins from rape, “God intended” it (reuters.com)
- GOP U.S. Senate Candidate Calls Rape Pregnancies A ‘Gift From God’ (thinkprogress.org)
- Mourdock: God at work when rape leads to pregnancy (sfgate.com)
- Indiana GOP U.S. Senate candidate Mourdock: rape pregnancies “something that God intended to happen” (blogs.suntimes.com)
We’ve had enough of Mitt…
… so let’s take a look at why we don’t want Ryan for VP:
So if you are a woman or a senior citizen or a poor person needing medical services, perhaps you can see why this Republican rodent shouldn’t be elected.
Did you know that converting “Frenchies” to Mormonism is equivalent to military service in wartime?
If you are interested in Ann Romney‘s response to Whoopi Goldberg on The View (which Mitt avoided making an appearance on… scared of Whoopi apparently) when she brought up the fact that Mitt hadn’t served his country in the Viet Nam War, take a look at this statement:
“Mitt certainly did serve his country during the war. He just served in a different way than most during that period. Sure, while many poor and minority young people were involuntarily drafted and soon found themselves knee-deep in cholera-infested rice paddies, you must remember that Mitt was also in a difficult spot serving Jesus, who as everyone knows made a special trip to America.”
“He roamed around the mean streets of Paris, riding a bike, and looking like a royal imbecile. You think he looks ridiculously uncool now, you should have seen him then! And it was a real hell-hole. Of course, he wasn’t being shot at or tripping any landmines, but he had to eat at 3 star restaurants! And he was doing just as important of a job as the Army was when they were fighting for Jesus and America.”
“He was out trying to baptize people in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Do you know how hard it is to get anyone to swallow this ridiculous shit? Especially French people! They’ve got all of this good food, wine, and they just LOVE to smoke and have sex all of the time. And you have to tell them to give that stuff up! Darn near impossible! Well, you don’t tell them that right away, only after you get them baptized. We aren’t idiots, you know!”
“So I’d like everyone in the media to stop pretending that Mitt didn’t serve during the war. He baptized 103 Frenchies by all by himself. How many conversions did any of those so-called “soldiers” perform? I rest my case.”
Hey… did you ever think of how dangerous it is to eat in 3-star restaurants?
Thanks to Ye Olde Soapbox for leading me to this one.
Related articles
- Whoopi Goldberg faces Twitter hate after Ann Romney ‘View’ interview (thegrio.com)
- Whoopi shut down by Ann Romney on ‘The View’ (abc4.com)
- Ann Romney Thinks a Mormon Mission is the Same as Serving in the Military (politicususa.com)
- Whoopi Presses Ann Romney On Sons’ Lack Of Military Service: Does Mormonism Not Allow It? (mediaite.com)
- Whoopi Goldberg to Ann Romney: Hey, isn’t it true that Mormons don’t serve in the military? (hotair.com)
- Ann Romney: Mormon missions and U.S. military are ‘different ways of serving’ (rawstory.com)
- Awkward Moment Between Ann Romney and Whoopi Goldberg on “The View” (newstalkcleveland.com)
It looks like last night’s debate was Obama’s triumph…
Although I don’t think Mittens made any huge gaffes, he did tell a pile of obvious lies and Obama seemed to catch him on them. I was reading Andrew Sullivan’s online live commentary as the debate went on, and his summations in the last few minutes pretty much made the event understood:
10.35 pm. After the first truly epic implosion in the first debate, Obama has clawed his way back in the following two, in my view. He has marshalled his arguments as potently as possible; he
brought the themes of his candidacy together compellingly. His advantage on foreign policy will not, I think, diminish; it may well strengthen. And that is only just. After eight years of the most disastrous, misguided, immoral and a catastrophic foreign policy, Obama has brought the US back from the brink, presided over the decimation of al Qaeda, the liberation of Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, and restored America’s moral standing in the world.
For Romney, he made no massive mistakes. No Gerald Ford moments. And since the momentum of this race is now his, if now faltering a little, a defeat on points on foreign policy will be an acceptable result. But this was Obama’s debate; and he reminded me again of how extraordinarily lucky this country has been to have had him at the helm in this new millennium.
He’s flawed; he’s made mistakes; but who hasn’t? If this man, in these times, with this record, against this opposition, does not deserve re-election, then I am simply at a loss for words. I have to believe the American people will see that in time.
10.34 pm. Obama’s closing statement was his best few minutes in all three debates. Romney’s seems a little desperate and now he – the man whose running-mate is Paul Ryan – is saying he is more bipartisan than Obama.
10.30 pm. So Romney just blames the entire economy on Obama alone. This litany of “the economy sucks throw him out” is the crude but effective big lie.
10.27 pm. “Governor, the people in Detroit don’t forget.” The lies this man has said tonight have been more numerous than I can ever remember in any debate. The man does not have the moral character to be president, in my opinion.
I think Obama, aside from appearing presidential and in control of his information (and correct in presenting his record, as well.) Romney, as Obama said, tried to “Airbrush History.” The best turnover Obama brought around was when Romney claimed Obama had made an “Apology Tour” of the middle east, and the president cleared up his trips and and made it clear that the charge Romney has made was his “biggest whopper.”
Romney has seemed to abandon neoconservatism by endorsing Obama’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and agreeing on many other of the president’s foreign policy actions. Obama made sure to point this out. It seemed like Romney was congratulating the President of the United States.
Obama really came out as one who deserves a second term.He was clearly the Commander in Chief and Romney didn’t look like he would fill that role in the same way.
Related articles
- Live-Blogging The Foreign Policy Debate (andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com)
- Final presidential debate: Obama wins foreign policy encounter (guardian.co.uk)
- Final Presidential Debate Focuses on Foreign Policy (voanews.com)
- Obama ‘wins’ foreign policy debate with Romney (timesofmalta.com)
- Obama Keeps Romney on His Heels in Final Debate (mysanantonio.com)
- The final presidential debate: 4 memorable moments (VIDEO) (washingtonpost.com)
Wow! The Salt Lake Tribune has endorsed Obama over Romney!
Here’s a surprise… the biggest Mormon area newspaper is endorsing Obama… here’s part of their editorial:
Obama has earned another term
Nowhere has Mitt Romney’s pursuit of the presidency been more warmly welcomed or closely followed than here in Utah. The Republican nominee’s political and religious pedigrees, his adeptly bipartisan governorship of a Democratic state, and his head for business and the bottom line all inspire admiration and hope in our largely Mormon, Republican, business-friendly state.
But it was Romney’s singular role in rescuing Utah’s organization of the 2002 Olympics from a cesspool of scandal, and his oversight of the most successful Winter Games on record, that make him the Beehive State’s favorite adopted son.
In short, this is the Mitt Romney we knew, or thought we knew, as one of us.
Sadly, it is not the only Romney, as his campaign for the White House has made abundantly clear, first in his servile courtship of the tea party in order to win the nomination, and now as the party’s shape-shifting nominee. From his embrace of the party’s radical right wing, to subsequent portrayals of himself as a moderate champion of the middle class, Romney has raised the most frequently asked question of the campaign: “Who is this guy, really, and what in the world does he truly believe?”
In considering which candidate to endorse, The Salt Lake Tribune editorial board had hoped that Romney would exhibit the same talents for organization, pragmatic problem solving and inspired leadership that he displayed here more than a decade ago. Instead, we have watched him morph into a friend of the far right, then tack toward the center with breathtaking aplomb. Through a pair of presidential debates, Romney’s domestic agenda remains bereft of detail and worthy of mistrust.
Therefore, our endorsement must go to the incumbent, a competent leader who, against tough odds, has guided the country through catastrophe and set a course that, while rocky, is pointing toward a brighter day. The president has earned a second term. Romney, in whatever guise, does not deserve a first.
So what is Romney and his bunch thinking after this editorial? Certainly he must feel betrayed… or maybe he will start seeing himself the way the rest of us see him as he switches from character to character.
Related articles
- ↪ The Salt Lake Tribune endorsment against Mitt Romney (sltrib.com)
- Salt Lake Tribune Endorses Obama (politicalwire.com)
- Salt Lake Tribune endorses Obama (politico.com)
- Not even the Salt Lake Tribune endorses Romney (viewfrommiddleclass.wordpress.com)
- Salt Lake Tribune throws support behind Obama (politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com)
- Surprise: The Mormon-Loving Salt Lake City Tribune Officially Endorses President Barry-O Over Money Makin’ Mitt! (bossip.com)
- In a Devastating Turn for Romney, Swing State and Home State Papers Endorse Obama (politicususa.com)
- Endorsement Of The Day (joemygod.blogspot.com)
An Architectural Marvel is up for trashing in Chicago…
I am deeply upset with my alma mater, Northwestern University, as they attempt to tear down a particularly special architectural classic from the 70s. This preservation battle has been building for months in Chicago on the fate of the old Prentice Women’s Hospital, a concrete, cloverleaf structure from 1975 by Chicago architect Bertrand Goldberg. Famous architects and designers like Frank Gehry, Jeanne Gang, Tod Williams and Billie Tsien have signed petitions entreating Northwestern, who owns the building, not to tear it down, pleading for Mayor Rahm Emanuel to give it landmark status.
The university says it needs new biomedical research facilities and that Prentice is too small, old and quirky to adapt. A new building would bring to the city millions of investment dollars, create jobs and save lives – that’s Northwestern’s argument.
So here is a suggestion: Build a research tower on top of Prentice. The architect Jeanne Gang has a proposal for a new research tower on top of the hospital:
Why save Prentice? There are Chicagoans that hate it. Concrete buildings from the ’70s are becoming unpopular outside architectural circles, although it’s spreading, and rightly so. Great late-Modernist buildings, innovative and ruggedly beautiful, deserve respect and careful custody. Prentice is a good example.
Architect Goldberg, who died in 1997, used a pioneering form of computer modeling to engineer a tour de force: an open, seven-story maternity ward inside the cloverleaf shell, cantilevered 45 feet from the supporting core.
Great buildings have often survived the wrecking ball by being added to, incorporated into larger structures or updated for a new era — in Rome and Istanbul, New York and Chicago.
Related articles
- Emanuel Doubles Down On Prentice Non-Committal; Jeanne Gang Draws A Possible Solution (chicagoist.com)
- To raze or raise Old Prentice? (danieljluebke.com)
- Prentice Demolition: Brendan Reilly, Downtown Alderman, Supports NU’s Plan To Tear Down Hospital (huffingtonpost.com)
- The war on Curves: From Phoenix to Chicago to London, curvy buildings are under attack (treehugger.com)
- Prentice will get its hearing at the Landmarks Commission (chicagoreader.com)
- More famous architects call for Prentice preservation; NU continues to press phony ultimatum (chicagoreader.com)
- Looking for a Jeanne Gang quote (ask.metafilter.com)
Under The LobsterScope 