I have about eight feet of snow at my house. I posted about shovelling off my deck a coupla weeks ago*. It's as deep with new snow as it was then and I'm going to shovel it off again today. The Meskins may come tomorrow, weather permitting, and I want someplace for the snow from the roof to land without getting so deep I can't reach that high. When I think of the winter of '52, I count my blessings that I live in the local Banana Belt.
*Post is gone forever to whither I do not know. We're too prolific around here for Blogger to keep track of it all.
Update:
Just got a call. The Meskins are on their way as we speak. Fuck me. I can always stand on stacked milk crates to shovel...
Update II:
False alarm. Bentley brought a ladder over for 'em. They'll be here in the AM. Put my pants on fer nuthin'...
Bentley was near here working on a house that had a chunk of ice as big as the bed of his F-350 slide off the roof and fall the wrong way and punch a hole through the side. Picture broken wall studs stickin' through the drywall into the living room.
Mark McLaughlin talks about one of the biggest winters here in the Lake Tahoe area!
Buried Provision In House GOP Bill Would Cut Off Food Stamps To Entire Families If One Member Strikes
Much of the bill is based upon verifying that those who receive food stamps benefits are meeting the federal requirements for doing so. However, one section buried deep within the bill adds a startling new requirement. The bill, if passed, would actually cut off all food stamp benefits to any family where one adult member is engaging in a strike against an employer:
Yet removing entire families from eligibility while a single adult family member is striking would have a chilling effect on workers who are considering going on strike for better wages, benefits, or working conditions — something that is especially alarming in light of the fact that unions are one of the fundamental building blocks of the middle class that allow people to earn wages that keep them off food stamps.
With a record 42 million Americans on food stamps during these poor economic times, it appears that the right is simply looking for more ways to hurt working class Americans.
Update
Believe it or not, there are already a whole host of sanctions against strikers in the current Food Stamp program -- the section quoted is actually part of a 1981 Reagan era law. Rep. Joe Baca (D-CA) has introduced a bill to do away with these restrictions. A 1988 Supreme Court case reversed lower court decisions that ruled these sanctions unconstitutional.
There it is - go against the Bosses and lose Federal benefits. Who's yer daddy?
Recession-wracked California is truly going down the toilet.
For green energy, that is. In a gift to headline writers everywhere, the California Energy Commission on Wednesday handed out nearly $1 million to fund an experimental project to convert what it politely refers to as "biosolids" into electricity. In other words, sh*t.
Okay, we'll suppress our inner 12-year-old boy now. This is serious sh*t. No, really, we'll stop.
Much more.
Boy, if this works we can light up the world with the heretofore useless output of Limbaugh, Beck, Bachmann et many alia! Once again, California leads the way!
Note to the Energy Commission: Hand out some money to figure out how to make energy outta SNOW, willya?
GE isn't the only one doing it by a long shot. An article a year or two ago stated that at least 80 of the top Fortune 500 companies pay no US taxes at all while dozens more pay percentage amounts far below what the average small business owner or head of household pays. But GE is the acknowledged leader in making tons of money for it's executives and shareholders and not paying their fair share of taxes and indeed, actually getting billions of dollars FROM the poor and middle class taxpayers.
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The middle class will continue to disappear. Saw a statistic that average net worth for an American family has dropped 23%. It's going to drop more as we make up in local taxation what we're getting cut from federal and state budgets. Until those who aren't paying taxes are forced to, things will only get worse. As long as these politicians (of both parties) are afraid to demand fair taxes on the rich and corporations, the middle class will have to pay and will continue to suffer.
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Again, for my lack of posting I apologize. Still dealing with Dad-in-Law issues, construction, and getting ready to leave for London in 3 weeks (that sure snuck up on us quick).
I have said before, and maintain, that to some people "religious freedom" means you can belong to any batcrap crazy right-wing christowhacko nutjob retard protestant sect you want to. Right again, G-Man!
Bryan Fischer, the "Director of Issues Analysis" for the social conservative group the American Family Association, says that when it comes to Islam, the First Amendment is a privilege, not a right. "Islam has no fundamental First Amendment claims, for the simple reason that it was not written to protect the religion of Islam," Fischer wrote today.
"The First Amendment was written by the Founders to protect the free exercise of Christianity. They were making no effort to give special protections to Islam. Quite the contrary," Fischer wrote on his Renew America blog.
There's a link to that, but not from me.
Fischer, also known for his frequent anti-gay, anti-bear rhetoric, has previously called for the U.S. to have "no more mosques, period," because "every single mosque is a potential terror training center or recruitment center for jihad." He's also suggested that we should "handle Muslims just like we handle neo-Nazis."
Huh? Let 'em have parades in Jewish neighborhoods? Let 'em stockpile guns and ammo in private compounds? Never refer to them as terrorists after they bomb something because they're good white Xtians? Give them all the protections of the First Amendment? I sense inconsistency there. Heh.
Tons of comments:
I know of no one more deserving of getting lost in the woods, and having a gay bear make him his bitch.
I hate to Godwin a thread, but what DO you call people who cordon off swaths of humanity and label them less than human by denying them full human rights? ...
Obergruppenführer? ...
Sturmbahnfuhrer... better looking uniforms.
Hey, I'm an atheist as well - how come I never see you at services? ;-)
I'm guessing he's unfamiliar with Article 11 of the 1796 Treaty of Tripoli:
Art. 11. As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion,—as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen,—and as the said States never entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.
Too bad so many folks pay little attention to facts which contradict their belief system...
I'll stop with that one because it's the root of our problems, but there are many more.
Stark Bar grips craft beer bandwagon rave, makes local beer writer mad
Beer writer?! You can get paid for that?
Whereas L.A.’s bars and restaurants were once divided into two categories (those who served craft beer, and those who did not), the more recent arrivals seem to be increasingly divided into two new categories (those who serve craft beer right, and those who do not).
Chilled glasses aside, I also wonder why Stark Bar offers one type of glass for all sixteen beers. They’re ready with an array of glassware to serve any wine or mixed drink you order. But for beer, they only have a goblet. Now, a (room temperature) goblet is a great vehicle for a burly beer like, say, a Belgian Strong Dark Ale, or even an Imperial IPA. But the majority of the beers on Stark Bar’s bottle list require a pint glass, not a goblet.
I had no idea there was such ritual involving the proper serving of beer. "Pull the tab, chug" was about as far as I ever got. I don't imbibe any more, but this article made my eyes glaze over like I never quit. Heh.
...and the Chimp considered doing it to start his war in Iraq, so it figures some wingnut would drag it out for their war on the middle class.
Indiana prosecutor told Wisconsin governor to stage ‘false flag’ operation
An Indiana prosecutor and Republican activist has resigned after emails show he suggested Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker stage a fake attack on himself to discredit unions protesting his budget repair bill.
"If you could employ an associate who pretends to be sympathetic to the unions' cause to physically attack you (or even use a firearm against you), you could discredit the unions," Lam said in his email.
An associate? A registered Repug lobbyist? Someone on his own staff? Hopefully the clown would be a terrible shot and ding him right between the runnin' lights by mistake. Heh.
But what does it mean to *read* something really? Maybe for elite coastal liberals reading actually involves looking at the words on the screen or page. However, in Real America (tm) it is sufficient to merely be aware of the existence of email to know that it is in support of your position.
Walker really needs to come clean on which false flag operations were considered and which weren't.
I like that, but I think his actions and disingenuous rhetoric (aka "lies") are proof enough.
Yes, even with the eternal dickishness of Republican legislative behavior when it comes to abortion, which is their favoritest issue, even with the totally dickish campaign to strip public workers of collective bargaining rights, GOP governors and their lackey co-conspirators in the legislatures have found new and exciting and unusual ways to be complete wads of dick. We're talking here about spending time on shit that's absolutely worthless except as a way of announcing, "Holy Christ, we're a bunch of dicks."
Several examples of how legislatures have found new and exciting and unusual ways to be complete wads of dick.
Over in Ohio, which is in competition right now for America's dickiest state, the Senate there just voted to ban mention of federal stimulus funds on signs that mark construction done with federal stimulus funds. And that's fine and dandy: the Obama administration does not require such labeling of how your tax dollars are being spent to improve your roads and bridges. Of course, they also voted to allow advertising on state road signs. Classy all around. ...
[...] The Republican reasoning behind the elimination of the stimulus signs was that they were merely an advertisement for the successes of the Democrats. That was just too above-board a way to show job creation. It's much easier (and way more dickish) to bribe your rich friends under the table.
The fun part? You elected these dickheads, good citizens of these states, and now you've got huge buyer regret. Here's a tip: don't elect teabaggers or Fox "news" commentators.
The 'baggers say they want less government intrusion into your life and freedom, but in actual fact they're perfectly willing to use all the government intrusion that's necessary to make sure you get the 'freedom' to do things their way. Or else.
In my experience, "or else" are the last two words a bully says before his nose goes 'splat'. These governors need massive shiners to show that godless commie liberal pussies and just plain Americans can throw a helluva punch when they get tired of being pushed around.
Not much goin' on the last few days but do the best I can for Mrs. G and her new see-through eyeball, move snow around, and anything I can to ward off a little touch of cabin fever.
The time stamp on the vid is wrong. It was actually about 1 PM. Musta changed when I dumped the vidcam's memory so it'd work again. It's OK now.
I called my friend Bentley, who is a Celtic musician who pays for his habit by being a roofing contractor, to find out if he knew anybody who can shovel the snow off my roof. Strange things are starting to happen in the house and I think I'm creeping up fast on my snow load. I have no desire to go up there and Mrs. G doesn't want me to. I called the right guy. He said he just by chance has a crew standing by seeing as how the car wash is closed for a few days and all he's been doing for the last month is shovelling off roofs anyway. He said he wouldn't ask anyone to do that in this weather and he'd bring 'em over as soon as we get a break in the storms. I was off the phone before the line came to me, "...unless they're Repuglicans".
Just so you'll know, I've only had to shovel my roof twice in thirty years and I'm gettin' too old for that shit. This has been an above-average snow year, a real old-time Truckee winter.
I edited this down and spared you, among other things, five minutes of my man cave that bears dare not enter office upside down after I missed the 'off' button and set the glassescam on the desk upside down. Heh.
Enjoy the video. I can hear you folks in Florida laughing...
How do Republicans support the bombing without supporting President Obama?
Republican presidential hopefuls have been scrambling to figure out the right vocabulary for denouncing President Obama's decision to launch U.S. planes and ships into action against Libya's Moammar Kadafi.
Because Obama made the decision, they know they're against it. But it took most of them a day or two to settle on exactly why, in part because so many of them had called for intervention before Obama pulled the trigger.
Please read the rest.
The Repugs' Job One is to make sure somehow - by any means necessary, whatever it takes - that Obama fails. Period. If Libya, the economy, civil rights, the middle class, the Constitution, you name it, is ripped asunder in the process, it's acceptable collateral damage to them as long as they gain the power to take from the little guy and give the proceeds to their Masters.
Border Patrol agents on Interstate 8 east of San Diego arrest two alleged smugglers and 13 migrants wearing military garb while traveling in a van with U.S. government plates.
The illegal immigrants donned Marine Corps camouflage uniforms and military-style buzz cuts. The license plates on their van had been switched from Mexican to U.S. government plates. If anyone asked, they were Marines traveling to March Air Reserve Base.
But their ploy didn't take into account the possibility of being stopped by a U.S. Border Patrol agent who was a former Marine armed with a simple question. The agent, S. Smith, asked the driver to tell him the birthday of the Marine Corps. The driver, Arturo Leyva, didn't know.
Every, I say again every Marine knows that. Nice try, vatos. Gimme 15 to 20. Heh.
I've said, since I've been blogging, that my travels throughout the world have made a big impact on what I feel America's place on this planet and responsibilities toward it should be.
If there is ever a truism in life, I've found, it's that people are far more alike than different. We all want the same things and have the same aspirations, regardless of race or nationality.
But what struck me about the whole piece was the assumption that modern medicine in general is something only we lucky free-market Americans have, while in Europe they’re still using leeches or something. In other words, it’s part of the superiority complex you often encounter in U.S. politics; people just know that we’re the best, and won’t believe you when you tell them that actually they have the Internet, cell phones, and antibiotics in Europe too.
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Though, seemingly unbelievably in this day and age, I still run into Ugly Americans all over the world.
I've had many experiences with European health care over the past 45 years (the first time when I was 4 years old, breaking my leg while jumping across a stream that runs behind the house). I've seen their cancer wards (when my uncle was dying with leukemia) and how they treat their old people (my great-uncle and aunt and their nursing home care) and we would be damned glad to have what they do.
I hope I live long enough to see the US come to its collective senses.
But in the three months since taking over the House and expanding their voices in the Senate, Republicans have yet to pass a jobs-focused bill, instead prioritizing numerous social and cultural issues that are unrelated to job creation -- and have little or no chance of becoming policy.
Here are six such legislative goals they've been hard at work on.
...
You know, regardless of their ideology, a buncha people voted for them (right or wrong) on the promise they'd put Americans back to work. What the Republicans, on every level of government all across the country, are doing amounts to legislative malpractice.
[British Prime Minister David] Cameron's foreign secretary, William Hague, was evasive during a heated BBC interview Monday about whether Gadhafi would or could be assassinated.
"I'm not going to speculate on the targets," he said, adding ominously, "that depends on the circumstances at the time."
However, British Defense Secretary Liam Fox insisted Gadhafi was "a legitimate target," underlining how the objectives of the military intervention remain nebulous and obscure outside the corridors of power in Washington, Paris and London.
George Friedman, founder and chief executive officer of the global security consultancy Stratfor, observed: "The long-term goal, unspoken but well understood, is regime change -- displacing -- the government of Gadhafi and replacing it with a new regime built around the rebels ..."
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The Libyans are gonna have a new government by the time this is over, come Hell or high water. The no-fly zone was a ruse, just as WMD in Iraq was and, whether this was planned weeks ago or they pulled it out of their asses once they began this adventure, "regime change" is the mission's endgame.
I suspect the medical marijuana industry, thanks to its fast growth, is approaching an important financial tipping point as it becomes legal in more states. At a certain size, it will have enough employees, related businesses who depend on it, and governments who rely on its tax revenue that it will become integral in the greater economic web. As a result, it will start gaining political clout as it becomes better able to directly lobby for its interests and becomes more important to the overall economy. Effectively, the industry will be increasingly “legitimated,” mainly because the political system won’t be able to afford not to.
Darrell Issa (R-CA) lobbed criticism at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Wednesday night and revealed he is investigating allegations that the agency intentionally let more than 1,700 guns be illegally trafficked to Mexico.
Holy crap. Yes, I'm glad my pet outrage of the moment is being investigated.
By Issa?! Not so much. We'll see how this goes, but I have zero confidence in that puke. All that might happen is that any evidence that could be used against the government perps will forever be tainted and inadmissible at their trial, which probably won't happen at all now that he's involved. I think he's best used for investigating things that will have no meaningful outcome, like the authenticity of Obama's birth certificate.
The investigation of Operation Gunrunner is best left to very high-powered law enforcement and a Grand Jury.
Then again, if the plan is to let the rocket scientists who came up with that deadly criminal nonsense off scot-free, Issa's the man who can make it happen.
If it's Wednesday, it must be Morford. The cat's smokin' some good shit today! Do not miss this one! Links I can almost guarantee you won't see anywhere else today.
Truly, it's astonishing to read of someone so far "out there" on the right-wing fringe, someone so legendary for his aggressive ignorance of all things subtle and intellectually astute, someone whose "facts" are regularly discredited, well, it's just refreshing to learn the man knows a thing or two about, say, Shaivist unity consciousness, or the Mahayana cognitive obscurations, perhaps Christian mystic's desire for direct experience of God, all of it based on texts and teachers who sing so far outside the halls of the typical monotheistic, dualistic gobbedlygook religions they might as well be, well, radical liberals.
How else to explain? Certainly no one can be so ridiculous as to suggest that some sort of miserable, bearded Christian deity was just sitting around, bored out of his mind and a bit pissed off, and suddenly decided, on a frustrated whim, to flick his middle finger against the Pacific plate and touch off a temblor that killed thousands and sent a nation into a vicious tailspin, just to "send a message," like a petulant toddler acting out against quiet time.
Go. Enjoy. Leave a trail of bread crumbs so you can find yer way back from some really deep...
My first thought was oy gevult! but I got to thinkin' about it. I don't know a damn thing about Mars, but even out on the end of the Crazytown Political Pier with some of our own politicians as he is, he may be right. Capitalism unchecked is fixin' to end life as we know it on this planet.
