Come for the politics, stay for the snark.
The Spousal Unit just came up from the basement and announced that our twenty-year-old Kenmore has expired. Since much of our at-home menu relies upon pre-cooked meals, and our kitchen frig/freezer is an undersized ‘apartment’ model (crappy 1950s kitchen configuration), we need to get a new one delivered ASAP. Any advice on what to look for — and what to avoid — greatly appreciated!
Anybody Got A Recommendation for An Upright Freezer?Post + Comments (67)
So much fail:
@EWErickson Ummm. Michael Griffin, Paul Hill, Scott Roeder, Jim David Adkisson, Reic Rudolph, the KKK- want me to go on? #christianswhokill
— John Cole (@Johngcole) October 23, 2014
I guess the “old” followers don’t count. He’s clearly never watched Soldiers in the Army of God.
Stacy Abrams, a hero for our times, as reported by Marin Cogan in NYMag:
Last month, the woman behind a massive effort to transform Georgia from a GOP stronghold to a potential swing state this year got news she wasn’t expecting — her wildly successful voter-registration effort was being investigated for fraud. Now, two weeks before the election, she’s locked in a fight with the state’s election officials to make sure the people she registered are able to turn out on Election Day. Whether they’re able to cast ballots could have major implications for the election. Both Michelle Nunn, the Democratic Senate candidate, and Jason Carter, the candidate for governor, are in extremely close races. The voter registration effort sought out mostly minority voters, and those voters tend to pick Democrats. In a close contest, their participation could determine whether the Democrats win.
Stacey Abrams, the engineer of the effort, is a star in Georgia politics: In 2006, at the age of 32, she ran for Georgia’s House of Representatives; four years later, she became the chamber’s Minority Leader, making her the first African-American to lead the House and the first woman to lead a party in either chamber…
Georgia’s legislature is part-time; one of Abrams’s many other hats is running a nonprofit that acts as a consulting firm for small, charitable organizations. That work positioned her to see the massive change in demographics taking place in Georgia — the population of the state has increased by 18 percent over the last decade, and many of those new residents are young people and minorities. At the same time, Georgia had a huge number of people — 700,000 to 800,000 African American, Hispanic, and Asian residents — who weren’t even registered to vote. Abrams decided to start the New Georgia Project, an offshoot of her nonprofit, which aimed to work with other voter-registration groups and sign up 100,000 new voters before the October 6 registration deadline…
Abrams knew before she began that the stakes would be high, and that if they were successful, opponents of the effort would likely try to complain about the registration forms, so she says she called the Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp in June to tell him about their effort, and Kemp assigned them an investigator. Abrams said they worked with the secretary of state’s office to make sure their processes were compliant. “I had a very good working relationship with the secretary of state. As the minority leader, I’ve worked very close with him at the capital and always had [a] very cordial relationship with him.” In September, a few weeks before the registration deadline, Kemp’s office announced it was subpoenaing the New Georgia Project for an investigation into suspected voter-registration fraud. The investigation was based on 25 voter-registration forms that were suspected to be fraudulent…
But that isn’t New Georgia Project’s only concern: They’re also raising flags about 50,000 voter-registration forms they say haven’t been processed. On Friday, the national legal group Lawyers’ Committee on Civil Rights announced it would sue the secretary of state and five counties because the voters they registered had not turned up on the voter rolls or the list of pending voters who needed to verify their information with the state…
Kemp’s office did not respond to a request for comment about the missing forms, but in a fact sheet released about both the investigation and the missing forms, said, “At no time in history has it been easier to register to vote in Georgia than it is right now,” and claimed that both complaints about fraudulent forms and responsibility for processing registration applications fell to the county level. “Any backlog would need to be addressed by county election officials,” the fact sheet says.
But Kemp was also recorded earlier this year saying, “Democrats are working hard, and all these stories about them, you know, registering all these minority voters that are out there and others that are sitting on the sidelines, if they can do that, they can win these elections in November.” …
The Washington Post just cleared Darren Wilson:
Ferguson, Mo., police officer Darren Wilson and Michael Brown fought for control of the officer’s gun, and Wilson fatally shot the unarmed teenager after he moved toward the officer as they faced off in the street, according to interviews, news accounts and the full report of the St. Louis County autopsy of Brown’s body.
Because Wilson is white and Brown was black, the case has ignited intense debate over how police interact with African American men. But more than a half-dozen unnamed black witnesses have provided testimony to a St. Louis County grand jury that largely supports Wilson’s account of events of Aug. 9, according to several people familiar with the investigation who spoke with The Washington Post.
Some of the physical evidence — including blood spatter analysis, shell casings and ballistics tests — also supports Wilson’s account of the shooting, The Post’s sources said, which cast Brown as an aggressor who threatened the officer’s life. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are prohibited from publicly discussing the case.
There was no mention of the named black witnesses who have publicly stated repeatedly what they saw. Instead, it is speculation on the autopsy report (note late in the story the person commenting- Judy Melinek doesn’t even know if there is GSR on Brown, had never examined the body, but was opining anyway), we finally have Wilson’s sanitized description (he “asked” them politely to get out of he road, not told them to get the fuck out of the road and then slammed the vehicle in reverse as stated by named witnesses), and doesn’t even discuss the gun shot wounds to the back or the fact that Brown was up to 25 feet away and fleeing when he was shot. No mention of why Wilson never filed a report, either. Funny, that.
I think my favorite part was the reefer madness bullshit, in which it was stated he had enough THC in his system to cause hallucinations. Reminded me of the DARE days when cops with straight faces told kids that if they smoked pot they would jump out of windows thinking they could fly.
It’s almost like this story was tailor made to make white people comfortable. And mad props to the establishment for massaging the media and controlling the message:
Benjamin L. Crump, a lawyer for the Brown family, said Brown’s family and supporters will not be persuaded by the autopsy report or eyewitness statements that back Wilson’s account of the incident.
“The family has not believed anything the police or this medical examiner has said,” Crump said. “They have their witnesses. We have seven witnesses that we know about that say the opposite.”
The parents of Michael Brown, the black teenager fatally shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., visited Washington to ask the federal government to take over the criminal investigation of his death. (Casey Capachi/The Washington Post)Crump also said one of the reasons the family and protesters were opposed to a grand jury proceeding was because it gives authorities too much control over what the public would learn about the case, as evidenced by the leaks.
“The family wanted a jury trial that was transparent, not one done in secrecy, not something that they believe is an attempt to sweep their son’s death under the rug,” he said.
And that’s exactly what is happening- selective leaks and willful misrepresentation of facts. Shorter Washington Post- “Drugged Up Thug Accosts Cop, Peacefully Subdued by a Dozen Bullets. Move Along Now.”
*** Update ***
And the Justice Department is apparently as angry about this nonsense as I am:
Wth a grand jury decision looming on whether a white police officer should face charges in the killing of an unarmed black 18-year-old in Ferguson, Mo., the investigation has sprung a few leaks.
New details from the inquiry into Michael Brown’s Aug. 9 death — all provided by unidentified sources and which seem to support Officer Darren Wilson’s story of what happened that day — have emerged in St. Louis and national news outlets in recent days.
The U.S. Department of Justice condemned the leaks Wednesday as “irresponsible and highly troubling” and said, “There seems to be an inappropriate effort to influence public opinion about this case.”
***A Justice Department spokeswoman responded in a statement to the Los Angeles Times: “The department considers the selective release of information in this investigation to be irresponsible and highly troubling. Since the release of the convenience-store footage, there seems to be an inappropriate effort to influence public opinion about this case.”
The reference to the convenience-store footage alluded to a video released by Ferguson police on the same day they disclosed Wilson’s identity. The video showed Brown apparently intimidating a store clerk shortly before the shooting.
Chris King, managing editor of the St. Louis American, a newspaper for black audiences, said law enforcement officials had offered him the leaks, saying “they had been briefed on the evidence and it didn’t look good for Michael Brown supporters,” but he declined and decried “third-party hearsay” in an editorial for the paper.
“Tensions are so high that preparations for riots, if Wilson walks free, are discussed in sober terms in local and national media and on street corners,” the American said in its editorial. “The editors of these powerful publications have shown a lapse in judgment and ethics that is not only shameful, but actually dangerous. We declare a mistrial in the court of public opinion.”
The leaks are about one thing, and one thing only- prepping the field for no indictment, as planned and executed by McCulloch. Then they can just blame the blahs who protest this travesty as not liking reality, and then can accuse the Justice Department of malfeasance when they press well deserved federal charges.
This is another one of those days where I am just ashamed of being white.
Hello all, sorry for my disappearance, but Shawn and I both have the plague again and I have been super busy with work stuff. This stupid damned ear infection came back again. And yes, Shawn is still living here and he is going to school to get his CDL and work as a heavy equipment operator. But here is the important part- a MARC update:
Last week, after 3-4 mos. our MARC volunteers were finally able to secure a scared stray dog. Through the patience and diligence of a couple ladies, Wally, the Walmart dog was befriended and secured and now is in a foster home, has been neutered and had all his meds. He loves being inside with a family! The whole town has breathed a sigh of relief that he is no longer in danger on the road and is out of the weather. Wally will soon be ready to find his forever family. I am attaching pictures of Wally while living around Walmart and after being in his foster home.
Two months ago with the help of HES, Humane Educational Society in Chattanooga, the shelter for that county, we were able the capture 15-20 basically feral dogs/puppies from a very poor home. These dogs had started by the elderly lady feeding one or two strays and over time and several litters later there were many more dogs than she and her mentally challenged adult children could handle even with MARC providing food. It had gotten so bad that some of the more aggressive dogs were killing and eating the babies and unhealthy dogs. We had tried unsuccessfully for 5 mos. to get some help from Marion County to work with HSUS. In the end with some changes in the Hamilton County shelter, they were able help us. Unfortunately not many of these dogs were adoptable. The ones who were were put up for adoption. One of our volunteers, before the round up and over several months, rescued and fostered 5 momma dogs and their litters from this situation. All those mommas and puppies transported to Boston to good homes.
We continue to be very busy getting dogs and cats to low cost spay/neuter clinics in other counties, 1 to 1 1/2 hrs. away. Rounding up animals from people who can’t get them to us, transporting the animals to and from the clinic and then delivering the animals whose people cannot come get them takes approximately 16 hrs. In the not so distant future we would like to provide those services right here in Marion County! We could get so many more animals fixed!!! And Stop the Strays!
School is in full swing and our Education section is busy teaching humane care of animals in all the 12 schools in Marion County. They do an excellent job using puppets and hands on props as well as books and videos to get their message across. Parents have told us some of the good things their children have learned so we know they are getting it. I am attaching a picture from the spring of one of our MARC teachers in the classroom.
As usual we are over run with stray dogs and cats! And kittens, kittens, kittens! We have a good outlet for our dogs with Great Dog Rescue New England in Boston but we do not have a place to help with our cats. So far this year we have sent 137 dogs/puppies to Boston to wonderful families. We have adopted out directly from MARC approximately 50 dogs/puppies. Each dog/puppy is altered and up to date on all shots and other meds. We also have outlets with other good groups in TN to send our puppies when we are overwhelmed and have no available foster homes. We have sent approximately 75 puppies to other groups in TN who have connections with northern groups such as North Shore Animal League. We also on occasion have been able to work with the large shelter in Hamilton County, Humane Educational Society, in Chattanooga to send some dogs up north with PetSmart Charities Rescue Waggin. We did well adopting out puppies at the large fall PetSmart Adoptathon in Chattanooga, but none of out adult dogs were adopted.
We completed our TNR grant focused on one of the towns. We will be looking for more grants for TNR as well as spay/neutering in general. Most of our volunteers are dog people so we have very few cat/kitten foster homes. We take kittens to PETCO where they are adopted but the adult cats just don’t get adopted. We are talking with people who hopefully can link us up with some cat rescues to help find good homes for our kitties.
We also completed a TN Animal Friendly grant which helped pay for altering pets of low income families. However the grant requirements were very cumbersome and we still have not been paid all we are to receive. We will look for other sources of grants rather than use our energies on this state grant.
As Fall is upon us our events start in earnest. Our largest fund raising event is this coming Sunday. Walk N Wag is put on by the Interact Club in one of the high schools and MARC receives the benefits. We have a silent auction the following week end at a local marina’s Fall Fest. This is a new event for MARC so we will see how it goes. Then we have the local Christmas parades in two towns and pet photos with Santa at Tractor Supply.
We now have a Board of 6 and are going to do some strategic planning next month with a professional leader to focus our energies and set MARC’s course. We are growing and becoming more than the little group of 3 women with which we started!
Please note that MARC has a new logo. I am attaching it.
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May we use a picture of Tunch on our MARC van? We want to remember that we would not have our van to help so many animals if not for Tunch and his following. If ok, please send me a good quality picture of Tunch to use. I would like the one used on the cover of the 2014 calendar if possible.
*************Sorry to be so long winded! Will try to do better, to write more often then it shouldn’t be so long!
I am particularly excited about their efforts in the schools, because nothing will change until attitudes change, and getting them while they are young is just wonderful. If you make all kids animal lovers (which most instinctively are), think how many rescues will happen over the course of their lives. Plus, they will live happier and healthier lives with their canine and feline companions.
BTW- I’m watching the Pens/Flyers, which is a super big rivalry in hockey, and right now they are singing “O Canada” because of the day’s events in Ottawa. Ithought thatwas kind of cool, and not only that, most of the crowd was singing along. I wonder what would happen if you sang that at a baseball or football game- probably just silence.
*** Update ***
Immediate update- the announcer just said that they posted the lyrics. Well, I didn’t need them posted! It’s just a side benefit of watching a ton of hockey.
Shocking. In related news,
Oh yeah, content warning. Hide your kids.
Dog licks balls; MUST CREDIT BALLOON JUICEPost + Comments (61)
Deepavali (also: Depawali, Dipavali, Dewali, Diwali, Divali, Dipotsavi, Dipapratipad ) marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year according to the Lunar Calendar. It literally translated means ‘Row of Lights’ (from Sanskrit: dipa = lamp / awali = row, line). It celebrates the victory of Goodness over Evil and Light over Darkness – it ushers in the new year. Especially for this event people are cleaning their houses and wear new clothes. Deepavali is a 4 day festival as Deepavali, Lakshmi Puja, Kartika Shuddha Padwa and Yama Dvitiya. There are many different names for the days of Deepavali (or Diwali) in different regions of India (South & North India, East & West India) and in the different languages spoken in that regions (i.e. Hindi, Urdu, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, Bengali). During Deepavali people pray to Lakshmi, Goddess of wealth, light, prosperity and wisdom, but also to Ganesha, the ‘Remover of Obstacles’ and the ‘Lord of Beginnings’…
Firecrackers, party lights, a goddess of prosperity, sweets, feasts, and celebrating prosperity as we wrap up the harvest and head into the dark days… what’s not to love?
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Apart from all that, what’s on the agenda for the evening?
Wednesday Evening Open Thread: Happy Diwali / DeepavaliPost + Comments (19)
