I'm sorry, you don't need to meet, you're well acquainted and the non-Texas public is finally getting the chance to start learning that.
AND, and, and .... In 1995, on video, Paul fessed up to being the publisher of record of this racist and racialist crap.
AND, much, much more, in one handy location, here.
Going to love seeing the Paul-tards try to spin this baby. Have fun with the continued denialism, Paul-tards, and don't
forget that there's one real libertarian in the GOP race and his name is
Gary Johnson (not that I'm any sort of libertarian, myself).
Now, will this hurt him in Iowa? And, presuming it does, how much? Paul had been surging there, but, with the holiday weekend and all, there's not any polling to go by since the new rehashing of his past for a national audience during the past few days. Attempts to use the issue against him backfired in Texas, but, that says more about Paul's Congressional district (and other fairly large swaths of Texas) than it does about the substantiveness of the issues. And, even if Iowans are white-bread Midwesterners who may in many cases hold closeted racial feelings, in New Hampshire, the story's a bit different, between it being more libertarian, including on social issues, having GOP emigrants from Masschusetts, and having independent voters who can vote in any primary.
So, GOPers, it looks like your bat-shit crazy grandfather is going to crash and burn for sure. That leave bat-shit crazy Uncle Newt or a semi-normal slicked-back businessman ... who unfortunately has a track record of killing thousands of jobs.
December 24, 2011
#Poynter #PolitiFact and St. Pete Times: Overblown blowhards?
Between deliberately slapping ESPN in the face at times just to prove it's a good contract/consultant ombudsman, between financially affiliated St. Petersburg Times getting ready to call itself the Tampa ("Bay, if you will") Times while the Tampa Tribune still publishes, and other things, I'm beyond skeptical to cynical about both the paper and the media institute.
The latest? Its/their PolitiFact have awarded the claim that the GOP wants to kill Medicare the lie of the year, then said that the raft of objections to that award is all just from liberals being in an echo chamber.
Oh, technically, the GOP doesn't want to directly kill Medicare. But, privatization of it? Everybody with a brain knows that is exactly what will happen.
Basically, PolitiFact descends into he said/she said journalism:
The latest? Its/their PolitiFact have awarded the claim that the GOP wants to kill Medicare the lie of the year, then said that the raft of objections to that award is all just from liberals being in an echo chamber.
Oh, technically, the GOP doesn't want to directly kill Medicare. But, privatization of it? Everybody with a brain knows that is exactly what will happen.
Basically, PolitiFact descends into he said/she said journalism:
We stand by our story and our conclusion that the claim was the most significant falsehood of 2011. We made no judgments on the merits of the Ryan plan; we just said that the characterization by the Democrats was false.That's exactly the problem: Politifact made no judgment on the merits of the Ryan plan. Krugman's right: RIP PolitiFact. And, as far as I am concerned, everything else in the Poynter/St. Pete Times stable.
December 23, 2011
Rick Perry, fading fast
Tricky Ricky won't be on the ballot for the Virginia GOP primary because he didn't get enough signatures.
Somehow, I don't think Perry needs to worry about the Texas primary getting pushed back to April.
I mean, 10,000 total signatures, at least 400 in each Congressional district? To not get that is a clear sign of poor administration and poor grassroots support.
Somehow, I don't think Perry needs to worry about the Texas primary getting pushed back to April.
I mean, 10,000 total signatures, at least 400 in each Congressional district? To not get that is a clear sign of poor administration and poor grassroots support.
Moved ... and grateful
I am at a Starbucks in Austin. Took my laptop, equipped with wi-fi antenna (part of why I bought it years ago) when I drove into Cedar Park, suburban Austin, to turn in my rental truck, not knowing if I would get back to the Starbucks in Marble Falls before it closed tonight, not having checked hours before I left there.
That said, I'm grateful for a Starbucks there. I'm grateful that, on the phone connection, Verizon got out this afternoon, said it had fixed what was outside, and contacted my apartment complex to do what it needed to do inside. So, between high-speed at work, wi-fi at Starbucks, and good old dial-up at home, assuming it's fixed by early next week, I'll be fine on Internet.
I'm grateful for not only Whole Foods but the even better Central Market (a Texas-only chain) in Austin. I've stocked up on good coffee, great dehydrated split pea soup, black bean stew and curry lentil stew mixes, three types of curry powder, charsalt-type dry hickory smoke flavor, some sparkling waters, some high-ginger ginger ale and such. (And, the bulk food stuff I mentioned is actually relatively inexpensive.) Oh, and I had to get some non-inexpensive cheese, an indulgence of mine.
Halfway between Marble Falls and Cedar Park, northwest suburban Austin, is the Balcones National Wildlife Refuge. So, you can guess where I will do some hiking! The road winds a bit, in a good sense, following Texas' Colorado River through hills, with a mix of red oaks, white oaks, live oaks and cedars (could get rid of a few of those!).
I have tuned in Austin's 24-hour classical music station. I've already visited the Austin Symphony website. The Austin Classical Guitar Society, I knew about years ago.
I am grateful; grateful enough to start tearing up when I got in. I don't have to make a lot of money in life, if I can have amenities like this.
Marble Falls is not your typical small town, either. There's old Texas rancher money and at least reasonable-money retirees there. Not many towns of 7,000 have a Home Depot and a Lowe's. And two Thai restaurants, as I discovered today. So, even without going into Austin, I think life will be at least OK if not better there.
I'm grateful the job came open and other things, to make this possible.
Finally, I am grateful for the people on this list, some of whom go beyond acquaintances to friends, whether I've met you in person or not.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Splendid Saturnalia and best of the new year to everyone.
That said, I'm grateful for a Starbucks there. I'm grateful that, on the phone connection, Verizon got out this afternoon, said it had fixed what was outside, and contacted my apartment complex to do what it needed to do inside. So, between high-speed at work, wi-fi at Starbucks, and good old dial-up at home, assuming it's fixed by early next week, I'll be fine on Internet.
I'm grateful for not only Whole Foods but the even better Central Market (a Texas-only chain) in Austin. I've stocked up on good coffee, great dehydrated split pea soup, black bean stew and curry lentil stew mixes, three types of curry powder, charsalt-type dry hickory smoke flavor, some sparkling waters, some high-ginger ginger ale and such. (And, the bulk food stuff I mentioned is actually relatively inexpensive.) Oh, and I had to get some non-inexpensive cheese, an indulgence of mine.
Halfway between Marble Falls and Cedar Park, northwest suburban Austin, is the Balcones National Wildlife Refuge. So, you can guess where I will do some hiking! The road winds a bit, in a good sense, following Texas' Colorado River through hills, with a mix of red oaks, white oaks, live oaks and cedars (could get rid of a few of those!).
I have tuned in Austin's 24-hour classical music station. I've already visited the Austin Symphony website. The Austin Classical Guitar Society, I knew about years ago.
I am grateful; grateful enough to start tearing up when I got in. I don't have to make a lot of money in life, if I can have amenities like this.
Marble Falls is not your typical small town, either. There's old Texas rancher money and at least reasonable-money retirees there. Not many towns of 7,000 have a Home Depot and a Lowe's. And two Thai restaurants, as I discovered today. So, even without going into Austin, I think life will be at least OK if not better there.
I'm grateful the job came open and other things, to make this possible.
Finally, I am grateful for the people on this list, some of whom go beyond acquaintances to friends, whether I've met you in person or not.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Splendid Saturnalia and best of the new year to everyone.
#Stlcards bite on Beltran
Well, good thing is that the Cardinals aren't standing pat after not resigning Albert Pujols. MOre to the point, is Carlos Beltran worth $13 million a year for two years?
I'd say yes, if his net WAR stays at around 4, he doesn't get any more ugly in the outfield, and his knees don't cause him to miss significant time.
But, that's not a question to be taken lightly, given his missing significant time in both 2009 and 2011. If the Cards paid for the Beltran of 2011, it's worth it. If they paid for the 2009-10 Beltran, it's an overpay.
So, stay tuned. Assuming Prince Fielder leaves Milwaukee, I'll push the Cards back ahead of the Reds for the NL Central title if the Cards have a reasonably healthy Beltran. And it looks like others agree.
I'd say yes, if his net WAR stays at around 4, he doesn't get any more ugly in the outfield, and his knees don't cause him to miss significant time.
But, that's not a question to be taken lightly, given his missing significant time in both 2009 and 2011. If the Cards paid for the Beltran of 2011, it's worth it. If they paid for the 2009-10 Beltran, it's an overpay.
So, stay tuned. Assuming Prince Fielder leaves Milwaukee, I'll push the Cards back ahead of the Reds for the NL Central title if the Cards have a reasonably healthy Beltran. And it looks like others agree.
Kyoto carbon poetry
A comment from a friend on Google+, after he posted a haiku, led me to ask myself if I had a copy of this 1998 Kyoto treaty talks op-ed that I wrote all in haiku. And, I did. And yes, what follows was an actual op-ed column. (Small weekly paper, where I was publisher, and nobody to say 'You can't do that.')
Clinton seeks freer trade
With Chilean producers
Free wine, grapes, and fruit
Gephardt says "Never"
Dreaming Presidential dreams
Gore stands idly by
Newt and his minions
Will swap taxes for tariffs
Clinton: "See me next year"
He's to Kyoto
To cut back greenhouse gas growth
Subtle irony
Speaking, not doing
More global warming threatens
With his ev'ry word
Business USA
Claims the climate data is
Still insufficient
They preach doom and gloom
For our proud, strong economy
From mandated change
Clinton will stand and speak
To please Japan, Europe, home
And yet fall far short
Back in Washington
Ere his Orient Express
Reno had good news
Investigation
Of campaign violations
Is terminated
Clinton breathes easy
As does loyal Gore besides
But is it over
On the back benches
Hot Republican firebreathers
Demand impeachment
The outside person
Knows all hands are money-green
Has cynic disgust
Clinton seeks freer trade
With Chilean producers
Free wine, grapes, and fruit
Gephardt says "Never"
Dreaming Presidential dreams
Gore stands idly by
Newt and his minions
Will swap taxes for tariffs
Clinton: "See me next year"
He's to Kyoto
To cut back greenhouse gas growth
Subtle irony
Speaking, not doing
More global warming threatens
With his ev'ry word
Business USA
Claims the climate data is
Still insufficient
They preach doom and gloom
For our proud, strong economy
From mandated change
Clinton will stand and speak
To please Japan, Europe, home
And yet fall far short
Back in Washington
Ere his Orient Express
Reno had good news
Investigation
Of campaign violations
Is terminated
Clinton breathes easy
As does loyal Gore besides
But is it over
On the back benches
Hot Republican firebreathers
Demand impeachment
The outside person
Knows all hands are money-green
Has cynic disgust
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)