Month: January 2012

2012 Anal-Ocity #4

It is the silly season and as expected there has been a wealth of stupid stuff carried on by the candidates….and I try to hold off until I find one that is a real ass kicker…..one that is so anal and so wrong that it begs to be put into my anal-ocity for the competition at the end of the year…..

This one is more about redundancy than about outright BS….it is about how many times someone can say the same word in the same thought…..and it is our old friend Mitt.

I regret that I did not get it posted sooner…..it is from Mitt’s speech in new Hampshire….I had it bookmark but with South Carolina so close the the NH primary I did not have a chance to read it until today…….I have said it is about the redundancy of a word that caught my eye…..

I want you to remember when our White House reflected the best of who we are, not the worst of what Europe has become.

That America is still out there. We still believe in that America.

We still believe in the America that is a land of opportunity and a beacon of freedom. We believe in the America that challenges each of us to be better and bigger than ourselves.

This election, let’s fight for the America we love. We believe in America.

Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.

I regret that I must be reminded of what country Mitt is trying to take over….that we are so stupid that we have NO idea what he is talking about……bet he gets the nod as a nominee at the end of this year….whatya think?

While You Were Watching……..

Inkwell Institute

While you were fretting over who won South Carolina and others were watching another debate that at best was described as Blah……blah….blah….no matter what spin your favorite cable channel put on it…………it is all worn out ideas and some red meat thrown to the angry beasts on the Right…….but while that silliness was happening…….there are things happening other than a bunch of psycho conservs slap fighting…..happenings that could have disastrous results…….

Day after day we are exposed to the constant media scrutiny of the bastards in Iran….their push for nukes and nuke power……candidates beat their chest on what they will do if elected to prevent Iran from acquiring this energy and this weapon…..all concerned are afraid that if Iran gets this capability that somehow terrorist groups will acquire the material needed to make a dirty bomb that could be used against us and our allies……….but quietly the US has been helping other Middle East “allies” to obtain the same energy that we want to deny Iran,  countries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt….and speaking of Egypt!  A story has come out of the Middle East that has been somehow missed by all the US media organizations…

Have you heard this piece of info that was reported in Nature News?

The theft this week of radioactive material from a nuclear power plant under construction in Egypt has highlighted once again the dangers of nuclear looting in countries undergoing social upheaval.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed that the material was taken from a laboratory at the El Dabaa nuclear power plant on the country’s Mediterranean coast. “According to the information we have, the items that have gone missing are low-level radioactive sources,” says an IAEA spokesperson.

The sources probably have a long half-life, and would have been used to calibrate radiation detectors, says Ronald Chesser, director of the Center for Environmental Radiation Studies at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. “They were small check sources, in the microcurie range,” says Chesser. “This is pretty low-level stuff, but it still is a concern that they are in unknown hands.” Calibration sources typically contain small amounts of an isotope — not enough to cause widespread contamination, but with the potential to trigger public panic if released.

At what point does it become a problem for the world……kinda like the problem we have with Iran and their push for nuke power…..but Egypt is an ally and we trust people who will agree with us on our foreign policy…..now there is the bottom line of our policy on who gets nukes and who does not…..

So by all means……sit and worry about who is a socialist and who is a racist or……who values are more American than someone else……and then rent “Sum Of All Fears” and keep in mind what happens…..

On Opposing Mitt

Last week a major story hit the wires….but unfortunately it was overshadowed by the doings in South Carolina……someone has leaked the book compiled by the McCain club during the run for the 2008 GOP nomination….the book has all the “dirt” one would need on Mitt………

Check out a few of the points that are being pointed out by a uber right wing site, Libertarian Neocon…..

  • Romney’s Wife Ann Made Contribution To Planned Parenthood In 1994, Check Written “From The Romney’s Joint Checking Account.” (Page 18)
  • Section 3 Of The Health Care Reform Bill Romney Signed In To Law Requires That One Member Of MassHealth Payment Policy Board Must Be Appointed By Planned Parenthood Of Massachusetts. (Page 20)
  • In December 2005, Romney “Abruptly Ordered His Administration To Reverse Course … And Require Catholic Hospitals To Provide Emergency Contraception To Rape Victims.” (Page 21)
  • Romney “Refused To Comment” On Bill Pending In South Carolina Legislature Requiring That Abortion Doctors Offer Women Option Of Viewing Ultrasound. (Page 22)
  • Romney, In 2002: “We Do Have Tough Gun Laws In Massachusetts. I Support Them. I Won’t Chip Away At Them. I Believe They Help Protect Us And Provide For Our Safety.” (Page 31)
  • Romney Raised Gun Licensing Fee By 400 Percent. (Page 31)
  • In 1994, Romney Wanted Companies To Report Numbers Of Women And Minorities Hired In Order To“Break Through” The Glass Ceiling. (Page 37)
  • Under Romney, State Spending Increased By More Than 24% (Over $5 Billion) In Only Three Years – An Annual Increase Of 8%. (Page 46)
  • State And Local Tax Burden Increased By Over 7% While Romney Was Governor. (Page 46)
  • In 2005, Romney Backed Away From His Plan To Implement An “Internet Tourism Tax” [a tax for using companies such as Expedia and Travelocity] After Being“Spooked By Even The Suggestion He Might Raise Taxes.” (Page 49)
    Romney Proposed The New Tax On Downloaded Software. (Page 49)
    Romney Signed “Hidden Tax On The Dead” Into Law, Raising State Fee For Cremation Services By 50%. (Page 51)
    Romney Proposed A New Fee On Volunteer Firefighters, Charging Them $100 Fee For Flashing Vehicle Lights. (Page 56)
    State Doubled Certification Fees For Emergency Medical Personnel And Ambulances. (Page 56)
    Increased Fees 337% For Recording Mortgages (Page 57)
    Increased Fees 178% To Record Deeds (Page 57)
    Increased Fees 650% To Record Trusts (Page 57)
    Romney Charged Fee For Being Blind (Page 57)
    Romney Also Proposed Imposing A Fee On The Mentally Retarded. (Page 57)
    Romney “Stunned” Massachusetts Congressmen In 2003 “Telling Them That He Would Not Publicly Support Bush’s Tax Cuts.” (Page 59)
    Romney Left Massachusetts With $1.3 Billion Deficit After His Term In Office. (Page 61)
  • Massachusetts Labor Force Contracted By 1.7% Between 2003 And 2005 – Only State In Nation With Three Straight Years of Decline – While National Labor Force Expanded By 3.1%. (Page 62)
  • Romney Proposed Installing 10 Percent Tax On Private Donations To Political Campaigns. “Romney’s 10% Tax On Free Speech Would Have Applied Even To Money That Candidates Paid Out OfTheir Own Pockets Into Their Own Campaigns.” (Page 90)
  • In 2003, Romney Said “I Think The Global Warming Debate Is Now Pretty Much Over” (Page 110)
  • 2003: Romney “Acknowledged That Carbon Dioxide Emissions Are Harming The Environment And Agreed To Help Design A Regional Emissions Cap” With Surrounding States. (Page 111)
  • Romney Pulled Massachusetts Out Of The Pact On December 14 – The Same Day He Announced He Would Not Seek Reelection As Governor. (Page 111)
  • At Press Conference Announcing New State Policy To Combat Global Warming, Romney Stated He Wasn’t Sure If Global Warming Was Happening. (Page 112)
  • One Of Romney’s Top Campaign Promises: “Reworking The Vehicle Excise Tax” To “Encourage The Purchase Of Fuel-Efficient Cars.” (Page 113)
  • Romney Teamed With Ted Kennedy – Whose Family Compound Has View Of Proposed Wind Farm Site –To Oppose Cape Wind Project. (Page 116)
  • Head Of Massachusetts Charter School Association Says He Was Unable To Get A Single Meeting With Romney In Four Years. (Page 119)
  • Romney Came Out Against School Vouchers In 2002 After Favoring Them In 1994. (Page 119)
  • Romney Sat On Board Of Damon Clinical Laboratories, A Bain Capital Portfolio Company Fined Nearly$120 Million In 1996 Due To Medicare Fraud. (Page 140)
  • Romney “Warmly Praised” Bill Clinton During ‘94 Senate Race.(Page 170)
  • Romney Left The State GOP Weaker Than When He Took Over As Governor. (Page 180)
  • Romney Donated To U.S. Rep. Dick Swett (D-NH). (Page 180)
  • Romney Donated To U.S. Rep. John LaFalce (D-NY) And U.S. Senate Candidate Doug Anderson (D-UT). (Page 180)
  • Boston Globe reported That During 1998 Panel On Urban Issues, Romney Claimed “Hillary Clinton Is Very Much Right, It Does Take A Village.” (Page 180)
  • Romney Considered ‘94 Senate Run As An Independent Before Dismissing It – Not Because He Wanted To Be A Republican, But Because It Was Impractical. (Page 181)
  • Romney Voted For Paul Tsongas In The 1992 Democratic Presidential Primary. At The Time, Romney Claimed He Voted For Tsongas Because He Was From Massachusetts And Preferred His Ideas To Those Of Bill Clinton. (Page 181)
  • Romney Voted For Paul Tsongas In The 1992 Democratic Presidential Primary. At The Time, Romney Claimed He Voted For Tsongas Because He Was From Massachusetts AndPreferred His Ideas To Those Of Bill Clinton. (Page 181)
  • Romney Opposed The Contract With America Without Even Reading It. (Page 181)
  • 1994 Senate Debate: Romney “Praised Kennedy Almost As Much As He Criticized Him.” (Page 182)

Just a few of the goodies that will be seen again in the upcoming battle for the presidency……..but do not take my word for it……..why not check it out for yourself…….

The Romney Book

Poor Mitt….everybody is gunning for him………he had better develop something like a thick skin….for he does not seem to have it yet and if he is the nominee he will be hit and hit hard!

Decision 2012: SC Edition

I am breaking with my tradition of posting anything but politics on the weekend…..I just have to voice my opinion of the GOP primary……..Perry’s gone!  The voter won that battle!

Yesterday while you were enjoying your Saturday the good people of South Carolina went to the polls and after a contentious and ugly campaign their votes have been counted…..and after demonstrating just how much the New South has NOT changed from the Old South………if you watched the South Carolina debate then you got a good idea how racist the South still is and how the candidates play into that racism…..but with that editorializing done……let’s move on to the winners and losers of the primary……polls closed at 7 pm and MSNBC projected a Gingrich win by 7:05…….

Gingrich–41%

Romney–28%

Santorum–18%

Paul–13%

There you are Gingrich ambushed Romney and now we have 3 winners in the first 3 contests….has NEVER happened in modern political history……Newt has gone fizzle to sizzle, at least for now……he has shot into the delegate lead…..this will afford him more free air time while Mitt spends like a bandit in heat…..will Santorum find the cash to go on past Florida?

Damn the rankings!  Full steam ahead to Florida!

Random Thoughts

I make hundreds of notes a week……ideas for posts or just stuff that makes one ask…WTF?  And from time to time I post some of these thoughts that were not lucky enough to make it into a separate post…..feel free to comment on my thoughts…..

1–Is it too much to ask the a cable channel called the History Channel actually have historic programing?

2–Lohan to play Liz Taylor in a TV movie….I would rather see Lassie because at least Lassie was talented.

3–How many Americans actually believe that one can get 6 pack abs from a pill?

4–Why do adults want pajamas with feet?

5–Is it just me or does “reverse mortgage” sound like a scam?

6–Why would adults need gummi vitamins?

7–Product called “I Cannot Believe It’s Not Butter”…..I tried it….and I CAN believe it is NOT butter!

8–When did poker become a sport?

9–I do not understand a sport where you go fast and turn left.

10-Finally, I hate blind consumerism and the media for driving it….with that said I will give credit where credit is due….a clever piece of marketing…..”I take a sheet in the morning”, a guy says will standing in a bathroom…..the product is energy sheets that melt in one’s mouth….very clever!

There they are….a few thoughts that have stuck in my brain…in between the political stuff and the economic stuff…..had to get them out to make more room for more STUFF!

Are They That Stupid?

A few days ago the Obama Admin dropped its approval of the Keystone XL pipeline…..as he finished his speech the Repubs were dashing for the microphones, even tripping over each other to get their political message out there of how Obama was betraying the American people….apparently, they do NOT realize how pathetic they look in these mad dashes to get the political message out there……the GOP of course, had to rile against the crushing of millions of jobs and the dependency on foreign oil and the whole Obama agenda…..

Findings about the pipeline from Politicsusa…….

Republicans attached the pipeline approval condition to enrich the oil industry and not for job creation regardless of their lies to the contrary. The only people who will benefit from the Keystone XL pipeline is the oil industry that is on its way to earn $130 billion in 2011.

One tactic used to destroy a country from within is dissemination of misinformation and outright lies to convince a population that certain policies are beneficial when in reality; they are not in the public’s best interest. Republicans have used misinformation for thirty years to convince imbeciles that giving the rich more wealth is good for job creation, the economy, and America even though the trickle-down economic theory has proven fallacious since its inception. The payroll tax cut extension dispute has brought another set of Republican lies and misinformation that a pipeline from Canada to Texas will create tens-of-thousands of jobs as well as give Americans more oil. Since Republicans are not known for veracity in their statements, any arguments promoting the Keystone XL pipeline project as creating jobs and helping America’s energy independence must be judged as what they are; blatant lies.

Republicans have claimed the Keystone XL pipeline is going to create anywhere from tens-of-thousands to hundreds-of-thousands of jobs depending on which GOP liar is speaking. The payroll tax cut President Obama brokered in December 2010 certainly created jobs because as families had more cash on hand, they spent more at private sector businesses and they in turned hired more employees. Surveys and polls of private sector business owners revealed they hire more workers when consumers have more income to spend. The Republicans have made numerous attempts to kill jobs, and it is one reason they oppose the payroll tax cut extension. Republicans attached the pipeline approval condition to enrich the oil industry and not for job creation regardless of their lies to the contrary. The only people who will benefit from the Keystone XL pipeline is the oil industry that is on its way to earn $130 billion in 2011.

It is important to understand how Republicans came up with the tens-of-thousands of jobs created fallacy; the pipeline’s owners revealed their tactics that inflated potential job numbers.  TransCanada chief executive Russ Girling said Friday that 13,000 jobs would be created to build the pipeline. According to Girling, the figure was “one person, one year,” which means if the construction jobs lasted two years, the number of people employed in each of the two years would be 6,500. The 6,500 figure is in line with State Department projections that estimate the pipeline will create between 5,000 and 6,000 construction jobs. Another independent study by the Cornell Labor Institute found there were less jobs than the State Department estimates and they said the pipeline will “actually create ‘no more than’ 2,500-4,650 temporary direct construction jobs for two years.”Anything that creates jobs should be considered worth looking at, but compared to a full year’s extension of the payroll tax cut, the pipeline is sorely lacking.

All that is well and good, but let us look at the other part of the argument of the pipeline…..it would lessen our dependence on foreign oil, right?  Now ask yourself what is Canada?  By foreign meaning anything other than the USA…..Canada is a foreign country.  Now make oil cheaper…….if OPEC sets the oil prices at $100 a barrel then Canada will charge that….it is about profit…not making the US feel better about the amount of oil they use……and if you think gas prices will decline because of the pipeline then you are just smoking CRACK!

Let us be real for a moment….the real function of the pipeline is to make more profits for the oil industry and has very little to do with a job for hungry Americans…..or our dependency of the black goo!

With all that said…..all you supporters of the pipeline and the lies of thousands of jobs…..never fear….it is NOT over and will be back after the 2012 election……so pat yourself on the back for it will happen….just not right now!

Yet Another South Carolina GOP Debate

What number is this?

First of all, will there be a debate in every state ?  Or maybe 2 or more?

Since everybody cowboy’s idol has dropper out….there will be only four candidates on the stage for the CNN debate….hopefully it will be better than the last CNN debate which was at best a total worthless endeavor……maybe John King can pull it off……I have my doubts……

Mitt has had a really sucky week and he needed a sterling performance…….

And all the media is expecting fire brand and bombing throwing by the candidates all in an attempt to influence the voters for Saturday’s primary…….

If the viewer was waiting for lots of red meat thrown out then they were disappointed….it was more like freezer burnt meat with mold!  I was totally bored!  Old weary diatribes over and over again……for the most part everybody on the stage was playing nice…..

Mitt was grasping to stay in control and not make too many FUs………Santorum looked just desperate……..Paul needs to talk more slowly the average voter does not think that fast……and then there was Newt, who stood there with the arrogant scowl on his face……blind confidence?  Nope!  Pretty sure it is arrogance.

I learned nothing and if I was a GOP voter, God forbid, I heard very little to influence my vote from any decision I have made……….if you need a winner…….then pick a number from 1 to 4 and then the square root of pi, multiply that by the circumference of a circle, then take a nap!

Now There Are 4!

All the news out of South Carolina is that Mitt is on the defense, Newt is attacking Paul is….well Paul and Santorum is just pouty……let me see…..did I leave anyone out?  Oh yeah Perry!  With good reason….he has tucked his alligator boots between his legs and decided the best place for his mindless dribble would be in the place that will appreciate it….TEXAS…..(cue song, “Nah Nah Hey Hey Good-bye)…..

And he has choked down an endorsement for Newt……..

AS of today, Mr. Rick Perry has decided to suspend his attempt at winning the GOP presidential nomination for reason will he knows…maybe it is to spend more time with his family (that seems to be the lie for losing and quitting)……whatever the reason does not matter….that know leaves only Santorum as the alternative to Newt….personally, if he can find some cash he will go on to Florida….if not then he will join Perry in the losers circle….if he somehow makes it to Florida….it will be his Waterloo and then he will know that his uber right wing message appealed to NO one but him……

So bid a fond adue to Perry……he will be gone but not forgotten…but you can bet your butt the he will be anything but silent!

I close with a quote from Joe Klein of Time magazine, “these campaigns are like the ‘stupid’ Olympics”!

Are The Winds Of War Blowing…Again?

Inkwell Institute

Today in history…….30 years ago it was WAR!

Do you remember the “Iron Lady”?  That strong female PM of the UK?  If not, do not fret there is a movie you can see to fill in any blanks in your memory…..I could go on and on and try to educate my readers, but it would be a waste of time….why?  Most people could care less about Thatcher and her rule as the Iron Lady of British politics…..but there is a few things that seem to merit a mention…..

I racked my brain trying to find the best way to start this post and being an old fart Google did not come to mind at first….but then that damn light bulb went off and thanx to Wikipedia……The Falklands War began on Friday 2 April 1982, when Argentine forces invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. The British government dispatched a naval task force to engage the Argentine Navy and Air Force, and retake the islands by amphibious assault. The resulting conflict lasted 74 days and ended with the Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982, which returned the islands to British control. 649 Argentine military personnel, 255 British military personnel and three Falkland Islanders died during the conflict. It remains the most recent external conflict to be fought by the UK without any allied states and the only external Argentine war since the 1880s.

The conflict was the result of a protracted historical confrontation regarding the sovereignty of the islands. Argentina has asserted that the Falkland Islands are Argentinian territory since the 19th century and, as of 2011, shows no sign of relinquishing the claim.  The claim was added to the Argentine constitution after its reformation in 1994.  As such, the Argentine government characterised their initial invasion as the re-occupation of its own territory, whilst the British government saw it as an invasion of a British dependent territory. However, neither state officially declared war and hostilities were almost exclusively limited to the territories under dispute and the local area of the South Atlantic.

Now with that short history lesson down….why on earth would I post something as trivial, at least to the US, as the 1982 conflict between Argentina and the UK?

Good question  with an excellent answer…..

Military chiefs are dusting off their plans for the defence of the Falklands after South American countries banned ships from the islands docking in their ports.

Sources fear Prince William’s six-month deployment to the South Atlantic as an air-sea rescue pilot next year could provoke more sabre-rattling.

Yesterday Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner claimed Britain was ready to use its military to steal natural resources ‘anywhere, anyhow’.

She said: ‘They’re currently taking our oil reserves and fish stocks from the Falklands but when they need more natural resources they will come and use force to steal them wherever and however they can.

Mercosur, the South American trading block which also includes Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay have agreed to ban boats sailing under the Falklands flag from docking at their ports – even though Paraguay does not even have a coastline.

Full article here

Will this be how the new year begins?

Evolution Of The “Bag Man”

This election we have those darn Super Pacs that are all the rage……unlimited amounts of money used for political purposes…..to be fair…candidates are not suppose to lead these organizations in any way…,but there are ways around any regulation on campaign funds……but where did this all begin?

First of all, what is a “bag man”?…….an advocate who represents someone else’s policy or purpose; “the meeting was attended by spokespersons for all the major organs of government” or Any person in charge of organizing and collecting contributions to political parties or funds gathered for political reasons. These contributions may be legitimate or illegitimate.

Back in the day, money was collected by campaign friends and put into paper bags and was then doled out as needed….sometimes legally and often times not so legal ways and for not so moral purposes……then in the 60’s and 70’s the paper bag was replaced by the attache case….but the reason and the use were the same….so legal and some illegal.  And then came Nixon and his posse at CREEP (Committee For Re-Election of the President)….after Watergate money in campaigns came under more scrutiny….and that was the day until the cash started infiltrating back into political campaigns back in the 90’s and the 2000’s….and then SCOTUS ruled that corporations were people and as such could donate and donate and donate….and there is where we are today…….special interests can donate unlimited amount of funds to be used by Super PACs in support of a candidate……

There is the evolutionary cycle of the use of a “Bag Man”……..from the sleazy cash in paper bags used for purposes that may not have been on the up and up to the more civilized attache case, but still just as sleazy and just as legally questionable to today’s Bag Man….the Super PAC.

Thanx to the use of a Bag Man, all our elections are nothing more than a political auction (thanx to Dylan Ratigan for the term) where the candidate that raises the most money wins the election….at least in 94% of the time……

Time to Get The Money Out of politics and return the government to the people!  PERIOD!