This seemed relevant:
Feh. Monday.
by John Cole| 69 Comments
This post is in: Open Threads
This post is in: Open Threads, Republican Stupidity, Republican Venality
Charlie Pierce, at Esquire, so very much does not {heart} Scott Walker:
MADISON, Wisc. — On Friday, Governor Scott Walker presided over the ceremonial lighting of the Christmas tree in the great rotunda of the state capitol, hard by the bust of Fightin’ Bob LaFollette, which looked very much like it might leap from its pedestal and bite him in the balls. He dedicated the occasion to Wisconsin’s veterans, and he brought some of them with him. “THERE WILL BE NO MEDIA AVAILABILITY BEFORE OR AFTER THE EVENT,” the press release cautioned in big capital letters, so nobody could miss them.
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There were new rules in the state capitol that morning. There are new rules in the state capitol of Wisconsin on almost every morning these days. You see, ever since last winter, when Walker rammed through his assault on the state’s public workers, touching off a general uprising all over the state, and a specific one outside on his front lawn, many of his fellow citizens have taken to expressing in imaginative ways how much of a walking pustulation they believe their governor is, both inside and outside the capitol building. So, in the interest of not being told to his face what a walking pustulation he is, Walker and his Department of Administration have concocted a veritable symphony of pettiness to drown out the noise. You have to hold a sign saying what a walking pustulation you think the governor is. If you secure your sign saying what a walking pustulation you think the governor is to a railing or to a banister, that is no longer a “sign,” that is considered an “exhibit,” and you are liable, if you don’t take it down, to get hauled off by the capitol cops. People have been busted for wearing the Bill of Rights around their necks. One girl was removed from the legislative gallery because she opened her civics textbook to read, and someone thought she was making a statement about what a walking pustulation she thought Scott Walker was. I am not making these stories up…
So — what ‘walking pustulation’ is irking the reasonable people around here tonight?
by DougJ| 112 Comments
This post is in: Open Threads
What happened to Herman Cain is what the Democrats intend to do to whoever the Republican nominee turns out to be. They know they can’t win a debate on the economy or on President Obama’s record, so they will do everything they can to distract the voters’ attention from those matters, which should be decisive, and instead turn the focus to the GOP candidate and his or her alleged foibles. If Republican voters allow that to happen by nominating a candidate with baggage that permits the Democrats to turn him into the next Herman Cain, it is all too likely that President Obama will be re-elected, with consequences that can hardly be overestimated.
– Powerline Blogger Hinderaker
These idiots honsetly believe that the libruls did Cain in. Is there even a single liberal commentator — in the blogosphere or elsewhere — who wasn’t rooting for Cain against Romney? (Don’t get me wrong, I like Newt almost as much and if Cain’s demise helps Gingrich win the nomination, it’s all good.)
This post is in: Open Threads, Pet Rescue
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I can’t resist sharing some of the stories people included with their photos for the calendar. From commentor Aaron:
Do I have the bunny for you!
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This is Joey. He is a rescue rabbit who has been living with us for 6 happy years. He was rescued from a shelter; his brother abused him, so he was a bit scarred up when we got him, but he’s healed completely and he loves people and dogs now, though he is still wary of other rabbits. He certainly knows how cute he is, and he is utterly fearless to a fault. Joey loves salad, hay, and balloon juice.
This post is in: Open Threads, Science & Technology, All we want is life beyond the thunderdome
Yes, things could always be worse. Per Gizmodo, “Engineered Avian Flu Could Kill Half the World’s Humans“:
… In his Netherlands laboratory, virologist Ron Fouchier was experimenting with the avian flu virus to see how it could become even more virulent. (Red flag.) His research involved spreading it throughout a population of ferrets, and he noticed that as the virus reproduced, it adapted to spread even faster. (RED FLAG.) Not worried about ferret flu? Previous research has shown that any strains of influenza that can pass between ferrets can also pass between humans. (RED FLAAAAAAAAAG.) Ten generations later, his efforts had created an airborne strain with the power could kill half the human population. (RED FUCKING FLAG, DUDE!)
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Fouchier, who conducted his research at Erasmus Medical Centre admitted that the new strain is “probably one of the most dangerous viruses you can make.” He presented his work at the influenza conference in Malta this September. Now he wants to publish his study in a scientific journal, so those responsible for responding to bioterrorism can be prepared for the worst case scenario. Seems like a no-brainer, right? Not exactly. The research has set off alarms among colleagues who are urging Fouchier not to publish, for fear the recipe could wind up in the wrong hands. Some question whether the research should have been done in the first place. Fair point!…
So… how’s the forward planning in your neck of the woods, tonight?
by DougJ| 78 Comments
This post is in: Open Threads
Steve M. flags a quote that also caught my eye:
Gingrich “only has two modes — attack and brag,” explained one veteran GOP strategist.
For my money, no one else has nailed the feel of this Republican primary the way Steve M. has. He asked of Donald Trump “are we really sure that couldn’t work — winning the nomination, by being the macher, the mack, the big pimp?” Yes, Trump flamed out but he was never in it to win it, and his Big Poppa routine played a lot better than I ever thought it would, however briefly. And the gangster rap comparison was perfect:
Huntsman is like a rapper who isn’t gangsta, doesn’t want to be gangsta, and knows that some of the people making their name on gangsta don’t want you to know that they have problems with “authenticity.” The problem is, Huntsman is like M.C. Hammer — a family-friendly rapper with mass-market dance moves and baggy pants — and he’s certain that, sooner or later, people are going to get tired of all the songs about gangbanging, and what they’ll want instead is … him and his G-rated rhymes and his dance moves and clown pants. Because that was popular before gangsta.
Yes, “attack and brag” is 100% perfect for this Republican primary. And no apologizies. Gingrich’s three marriages don’t hurt him much with the Republican base because it’s a slap in the face to all the mythical left-wing prudes the same way that dressing as Jack-and-Marlboro for Halloween is. All those millions he’s made quasi-illegally? Just shows he’s a bad-ass money-maker, the kind that libruls love to hate.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with enjoying music or movies or books that celebrate tough guy attack-and-brag personae. I don’t there’s even anything so awful about liking celebrities who seem to embrace that persona.
Some kind of line has been crossed when a large portion of the Republican party wants that in the leader of the free world. We saw the beginnings of this with all the “bring ’em on” faux cowboy bullshit we saw from George W. Bush, but that was in the context of a war, not a presidential debate and it had an “I’ll keep you safe” edge to it. This primary isn’t about keeping anyone safe, it’s about some strange wing-nut form of dick-measurement.
This post is in: Open Threads
Because we can never get enough thread. Pet and kid pics, and what games you’re playing and books you’re reading and what new kitchen appliance that costs more than a mortgage payment you have are all great subjects of discussion.