The Heilan’ Coo
I'm a hair-dishevelled heilan' coo, Hamish McKay be ma name; Welcome tae this dreichet glen I'm cursed tae ca' ma hame. Depending on the mood I'm in I'll raise ma horns on high, An' if I like the look o' ye I'll likely let ye by. But should I dinnae like the look O' ye, then tak great care, I'll raise ma horns on high again, Go on, get oot o'there! So whether welcome yae or nae, I'll raise these horns sae mean, Then ye shall ken ma meaning By the twinkle o' ma een. Courtesy of MARION GRAY Wollaton Road Wollaton Park NottinghamFavorite Quotes
'Anni, amori e bicchieri di vino, nun se contano mai.”' '“Years, lovers and glasses of wine; these things must not be counted.' Anthony Capella
"1933: We did not think of the great open plains, the beautiful rolling hills, and winding streams with tangled growth as “wild.” Only to the white man was nature a “wilderness” and only to him was the land “infested” with “wild” animals and “savage” people. To us it was tame. Earth was bountiful, and we were surrounded with the blessings of the Great Mystery. Not until the hairy man from the East came—and with brutal frenzy heaped injustices upon us and the families we loved—was it “wild” for us. When the very animals of the forest began fleeing from his approach, then it was for us that the “Wild West” began." - Luther Standing Bear
"I do NOT believe we are all born equal. Created equal in the eyes of God, yes, but physical and emotional differences, parental guidelines, varying environments, being in the right place at the right time, all play a role in enhancing or limiting an individual's development. But I DO believe every man and woman, if given the opportunity and encouragement to recognize their potential, regardless of background, has the freedom to choose in our world. Will an individual be a taker or a giver in life? Will that person be satisfied merely to exist or seek a meaningful purpose? Will he or she dare to dream the impossible dream? I believe every person is created as the steward of his or her own destiny with great power for a specific purpose, to share with others, through service, a reverence for life in a spirit of love."
— Hugh O'Brian, "The Freedom to Choose"Recent Comments
Jamie on The Rape tony bassham on The Rape rebelliousrenee on The Rape Oregon Democrat on The Rape Overbosity on The Rape
Amazing work of art that acts as a commentary on climate change and the damage caused by fossil fuels: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/sep/02/underwater-sculptures-thames-london?CMP=share_btn_fb
LikeLike
hauntingly beautiful
LikeLike
Loved hearing the Trumpet floundering around trying to glib his way through that Hugh Hewitt interview and then bluster out with the “I will be so wonderful” crap. It is sad that his followers seem to think this salute to ignorance as a virtue.
LikeLike
“You can’t be calling women bimbos, we can’t just be kicking sand in the sandbox saying, ‘You’re dumb’ and ‘You’re a loser,’ ” Ribble told USA Today on Friday. “We actually need a grown-up, not a three-year-old in the White House.”
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/gop-rep-trump-acts-like-a-3-year-old/ar-AAdXw1R?ocid=spartanntp
LikeLike
Telling a story of a journey to flee Syria told in a series of less than 140 character posts by Matthew Price of the BBC https://twitter.com/BBCMatthewPrice You have to scroll down to where it starts and then scroll up to read.
LikeLike
Treatment of Migrants Evokes Memories of Europe’s Darkest Hour http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/05/world/treatment-of-migrants-evokes-memories-of-europes-darkest-hour.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0
LikeLike
“Silly summer season is over,” Webb spokesman Craig Crawford elaborated. “[W]e’ll be on the road soon.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/jim-webb-wants-help-for-insurgent-campaign/2015/09/03/baea99c0-526c-11e5-9812-92d5948a40f8_story.html
out of the mouths of candidates on the road…with apologies to willie:
Just can’t wait to get on the road again
The life I love is makin’ money with my friends
And I can’t wait to get on the road again
On the road again
Goin’ places that I’ve never been
Sayin’ things that I may never say again,
And I can’t wait to get on the road again
LikeLike
Webb needs to let the 19th century and its accouterments go; they do not serve him, his constituents, his campaign, or his party well.
LikeLike
from http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-security-detail-makes-headlines-just-like-the-candidate/2015/09/04/1b2333ce-5335-11e5-933e-7d06c647a395_story.html
Bodyguard Keith Schiller gives new meaning to being Donald Trump’s right-hand man.
The towering head of Trump’s personal security team got off a spinning right cross to the head of a protester outside Trump Tower on Thursday in a scuffle that’s become the latest flash point in the slugfest between Latinos and the billionaire presidential candidate.
LikeLike
re religious protests re same sex marriage, came upon this talking about interracial marriage protests from http://atheism.about.com/od/liberationatheology/ig/Anti-Prop-8-Protest-Pittsburgh/Gay—Interracial-Marriage.htm
” It’s especially sad to see black Christians using these arguments. First, it reveals extreme and inexcusable historical ignorance because they have no idea the degree to which they are parroting arguments once used by White Supremacists against their parents and grandparents.
Second, it reveals quite a bit of religious ignorance because they don’t recognize the degree to which the arguments of White Supremacists were just as religious in nature as their own arguments against gay marriage. This is why both racial and gay liberation have depended on religious criticism: so long as religion provides the structure and ideology behind oppression, freedom for the oppressed requires undermining support for that religion.”
LikeLike
It’s Donald Trump’s party now, Jeb! just lives in it: Why the GOP “loyalty pledge” is a win for Trump
The arrogant frontrunner’s “loyalty pledge” isn’t a cave-in. It represents his complete takeover of the GOP
JOAN WALSH
http://www.salon.com/2015/09/04/its_donald_trumps_party_now_jeb_just_lives_in_it_why_the_gop_loyalty_pledge_is_a_win_for_trump/
LikeLike
Jailed Kentucky clerk says issued marriage licenses to gay couples void
Fox news
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/09/05/jailed-kentucky-clerks-calls-issued-marriage-licenses-to-gay-couples-void/
Fox so-called news contributor Judith Miller is so uninformed.. Hey Judith and Fox, she can’t be fired.. Judith says Judge went a step to far jailing her, lol… So interesting, the right has Fox and now most of MSNBC to pedal their bullshit daily, can this be.. Which brings me to Andrea M interview with Hillary, awful questions, repetitive and insulting.. Hillary did great but the questions were so unfair.. Not the over and over bullshit email questions, its “the people don’t find you likable or honest and trustworthy”, nonsense.. Hillary has higher numbers than most of her male competitors, yet this is asked of the women???? Did anyone ask Dick Cheney last week given his untrustworthy numbers why he should be trusted on the Iran deal, nope..
LikeLike
Supposedly they have been “friends” for a couple of decades. This comes under the heading of with friends like these who needs enemies. Quite frankly, I think Andrea has completely lost her edge and unfortunately age in so far as mental acuity is starting to slip. She can barely read a whole sentence on a teleprompter these days without flubbing the lines so the whole interview felt repetitive because those were the questions she had memorized and couldn’t handle a real conversation.
LikeLike
Clinton Crushes on MSNBC, While Trump Stumbles on Quds & Kurds
by Taylor Marsh
http://www.taylormarsh.com/2015/09/clinton-crushes-on-msnbc-while-trump-stumbles-on-quds-kurds/
Clinton crushes on MSNBC, while Trump battles radio host who tripped him up.
DURING AN interview with Andrea Mitchell, Hillary Clinton addressing the subject of Syria caught my attention, with Clinton saying the world needed to do more. There is no single foreign policy issue that has stymied U.S. foreign policy more than this one, in my opinion. The interview won’t silence her critics, but hearing from a lot of Clinton supporters, it was a tonic for them to finally see the candidate make her own case.
There is a great difference between talking foreign policy and knowing foreign policy.
Segue to Donald Trump’s clumsy interview with Hugh Hewitt
“You’re asking me names that — I think it’s somewhat ridiculous,” Mr. Trump told Hugh Hewitt, a popular conservative radio show host. “As far as the individual players, of course I don’t know them. I’ve never met them. I haven’t been, you know, in a position to meet them.” [New York Times]
It was reminiscent of George W. Bush’s “the general” answer when asked to name the president of Pakistan.
To be fair, Trump has also been the most coherent Republican on Iran, admitting that tearing up the Iran Deal isn’t an option, but enforcing it is.
But as Michael Steele said, Hillary Clinton showed a “high degree of gravitas, statesmanship and authenticity” during her interview with Mitchell.
Addressing emails, Clinton once again pushed back, but it was the case by David Ignatius that is at the foundation of what happens next.
DAVID IGNATIUS: This issue comes up surprisingly often because there is an administrative problem where people do these things and their security officers summon them and warn them and issue reprimands and it goes in their file and it’s a serious personnel administrative problem. My only point is I couldn’t find a case where this kind of activity had been prosecuted and that’s just worth noting as we assemble our Clinton e-mail – and more thing, Joe, legally there is no difference between her using her private server and if she’d used State.gov, which is also not a classified system. The idea that, oh this would have been fine if she used State.gov, not legally, no difference.
So why did MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” edit out Ignatius’s comments above from the video?
And remember when Rush Limbaugh asked, Does Our Looks-Obsessed Culture Want to Stare at an Aging Woman?
On that question and the subject we’re not supposed to bring up, Hillary Clinton looked fabulous, her skin luminous, which never hurts in our “looks-obsessed culture.”
Exactly, why did MSNBC edit out David Ignatius’s comments? I think we know why, shame on MSNBC….
LikeLike
The Smirk & Jerk Comedy team that will now grace four hours of network time has become almost totally unwatchable. Between trumpeting Trump and Hating Hillary, there are virtually no other subjects of interest as everything else is shilling for books & films.
LikeLike
arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
LikeLike
fox maroons would say fire her….they are ignorant fools
LikeLike
Donald Trump is just the pizza pimp with a lot of mone
LikeLike
….a lot of money
LikeLike
LikeLike
from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/04/opinion/timothy-egan-ronald-reagan-heretic.html?src=me&module=Ribbon&version=context®ion=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Most%20Emailed&pgtype=article
In just under two weeks, the Republicans who want to be president will gather in Simi Valley, Calif., at the presidential library of Ronald Reagan for their second debate. You can expect much brown-nosing, bloviating and outright fabricating in homage to the patron saint of all true conservatives, the charming 40th president.
If only the candidates were truthful to the man and his record. For the real Ronald Reagan — serial tax-raiser, illegal immigrant amnesty granter, deficit creator, abortion enabler, gun control supporter and peacenik — would never be allowed on the stage. The party has moved so far to the right from Reagan’s many centrist positions that the guy would be told to go find a home among the Democrats.
More than three decades after Reagan was first elected, his name is invoked, like political Tourette’s syndrome, by everyone from Scott Walker to Donald Trump. But there’s a gaping disconnect among Republicans between the Reagan worship of 2015 and the reality of his long, public career.
LikeLike
The one thing that always impressed me about Ronald Reagan was his phenomenal ability to recognize people he had met only one time quickly when seen at another event. He would always make eye contact, nod in greeting or wave in passing purely on the basis of “I don’t have a clue who you are, but I know we have been at another rubber chicken event together … so hi there in case you become important or could be useful.” 🙂
LikeLike
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/refugees-arrive-in/2106166.html
Refugees arrive in Germany to cheers, ‘welcome’ signs
In Munich, refugee families holding their children and few belongings smiled as they were greeted with cheers, food and water bottles by crowds.
LikeLike
Austria & Germany are already running out of room. While the media chose to spotlight a female, engineering student from Damascus reuniting with her dad in Germany (probably because she spoke English) how many more are not as educated or ready to integrate with their new countries?
The Pope hit the daily double by asking every parish to take in a family.
1) It’s great PR
2) He may be thinking he’ll gain some converts…unless he’s a secret Muslim. 🙂
Palin is such a fool. While I agree that a common language could be a unifying element, she is ignoring The First Amendment. So, her idea that we all speak “American,” isn’t going to fly with anyone except the TeaPublicans.
I am still trying to learn Danish, as my great-grandma refused to teach me. I found a nifty app – Duolingo.
LikeLike
from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34166882
The Pope said every Catholic parish in Europe should host a migrant family.
Pope Francis said humanity must give help to those “fleeing death” and who are “victims of war and hunger and setting out on the path to a better life”.
Speaking during the Angelus prayer, he appealed for “every parish, every religious community, every monastery, every sanctuary in Europe” to take in a family.
LikeLike
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/europes-border-crisis/estimated-8-000-migrants-refugees-arrive-germany-n422486
Estimated 8,000 Migrants and Refugees Arrive in Germany
LikeLike
Sunday Serendipity.
A bit longer today than usual. A delightful work that is perfect for cooler mornings and a three day weekend. Enjoy the music and have a wonderful Labor day weekend.
LikeLike
Absolutely beautiful. Thank you.
LikeLike
Most welcome. Glad you enjoyed it.
LikeLike
“Hold onto me…
Don’t let me go…
Who cares what they say…
Who cares what they know…”
The pope is going to visit the private Catholic school is Harlem where my sister teaches art…
she’s Wiccan, but she’s still so excited.
Everyone enjoy the weekend!
LikeLike
The Wicca Wiki is really interesting. Give us her feedback after his visit!
LikeLike
http://www.salon.com/2015/09/05/dick_cheneys_savage_revisionist_history_inside_his_disturbing_campaign_to_twist_the_facts_of_iraq/
Dauntless Dick, “I was right about Iraq”. Sure you were Dick, and Katrina was just an afternoon thunderstorm.
LikeLike
Hillary Clinton Relying on Southern Primaries to Fend Off Rivals
By PATRICK HEALY and AMY CHOZICK
““There’s so much focus on Iowa and New Hampshire, but Secretary Clinton and her team know that the South will deliver a huge number of delegates that will essentially seal the nomination for her,” said DuBose Porter, the Georgia Democratic Party chairman and a Clinton supporter.
A Southern firewall, which was critical to Mr. Clinton in 1992 and, to a lesser extent, Walter Mondale in 1984 and Jimmy Carter in 1980, could be scrambled if Mrs. Clinton ends up facing a challenge for the nomination from Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. Like her, Mr. Biden enjoys sizable support among black and Hispanic voters and has been a loyal partner to the nation’s first black president, Mr. Obama. (At the same time, some Clinton advisers believe her strength in the South could be a disincentive for Mr. Biden to enter the race.)”
LikeLike
Hillary Clinton Sharpens Attacks on Republicans Over Women’s Issues
Ben Brody Politico
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-09-05/hillary-clinton-sharpens-attacks-on-republicans-over-women-s-issues
“The sharpest criticism was reserved for GOP front-runner Donald Trump, who has come under fire for his disparaging comments about women. Trump has defended himself by saying, “I cherish women,” and pointing to his record of hiring women in his business endeavors.
“If it’s all the same to you, Mr. Trump, I’d rather you stopped cherishing women and started respecting them,” Clinton said to laughter at a rally in Portsmouth. “
LikeLike
For everyone’s idiot friends who think Trump would be an entertaining president – we’ve already had an mba/wealthy president and we are still recovering from the mess of someone who didn’t know anything …..Shrub is just classier (oy) version of Trump
LikeLike
Lol, classier, he he, yes compared to the classless Trump…
LikeLike
On Mr. Cracker’s facebook page is a picture of Kim Davis in which she shows a remarkable resemblance to Dick I am a boldfaced fatassed liar Cheney.
LikeLike
Here’s What It’s Like Inside A Pro-Confederate Flag Rally
BY ALICE OLLSTEIN & EMILY ATKIN
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/09/05/3699034/confederate-flag-rally-capitol-hill/
“Feathers, a self-identified Democrat who believes President Obama is planning to declare martial law and “rule the whole world,” said he’s been organizing “flag rollings” across Virginia — where people drive together with Confederate symbols on their cars — to push back against those he feels are “taking [his] history away.”
Unprompted, Feathers offered his thoughts about why “colored people in general” have a “ghetto lifestyle.”
“It’s because their daddies ain’t in the picture. All these kids are latchkey kids. They’re not being taught the right way. And they only do things in groups. They’ve got so much hatred.”
When DC artist and activist Sima Lee — who is black and indigenous — approached Feathers and yelled at him to get the Confederate flag out of her city, he repeatedly called her “babe” and told her, “Go back to that side where you belong.”
LikeLike
Our Local Rag the State newspaper in Columbia is reporting that NASCAR was having fits over the numerous Confederate flags popping-up in the infield at the Darlington SC Speedway, site of yesterday’s Southern 500. I wonder if this will turn-out to be part of Webb’s southern strategy.
LikeLike
Palin praises Bush for being bilingual, but says English is ‘unifying aspect’ of America
By Eugene Scott, CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/06/politics/sarah-palin-diversity-spanish/index.html
“Palin also disagreed with a recent statement by South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who said last week that the Republican Party “often appears cold and unwelcoming to minorities.”
“I can’t think of any Republican that I know who would have that in their heart,” Palin said. “(The Republican Party) is the party that would wish to bring people in together, standing together, putting America first, even in terms of the culture, accepting people’s differences and the diverse views and everything else, because we have common sense driving our party,” she said.”
OMG, can CNN get any lower! Having this twit on and whatever she’s smoking, well how she describes her party, damn, she has to be on drugs..
LikeLike
The Republicans Are Now Officially the Party of White Paranoia
The rise of Trump obliterates all other issues — campaign 2016 is now almost entirely about race
By Matt Taibbi
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-gop-is-now-officially-the-party-of-dumb-white-people-20150904#ixzz3kyKc5e1B
LikeLike
A hands-off Democratic race: Clinton, Sanders won’t speak ill of each other
By Philip Rucker and John Wagner
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/a-hands-off-democratic-race-clinton-sanders-wont-speak-ill-of-each-other/2015/09/06/42e29d56-542e-11e5-8c19-0b6825aa4a3a_story.html
LikeLike
http://www.alternet.org/education/republicans-deep-hatred-teachers-cannot-be-denied
Just sure as Labor Day rolls around, you can always count on republicans to find a way to attack teachers and public education.Kasich is supposed to be one of the reasonable ones.
Small wonder that this current pack of clowns is so easy to ignore.
LikeLike
a really good op worth the read by wendell berry in http://www.courier-journal.com/story/opinion/contributors/2015/08/31/obamas-election-brought-racism-revival/71469042/ here’s the first paragraph
A good many people hoped and even believed that Barack Obama’s election to the presidency signified the end of racism in the United States. It seems arguable to me that the result has been virtually the opposite: Obama’s election has brought about a revival of racism. Like nothing since the Southern Strategy, it has solidified the racist vote as a political quantity recognizable to politicians and apparently large enough in some places to decide an election.
LikeLike
Despite disagreeing with him on the Iran deal, Colin Powell was very impressive on MTP today.
LikeLike
I’m glad the refugees have found places to welcome them. I wonder how long that good will can last if drives of people keep coming?
As Colin Powell said today, ISis is a movement and the only way to stop them is for the people who live there to stop the movement; they aren’t staying.
LikeLike
The horror is that the refugees will keep coming. Quite simply there are too many people at the mercy of others who want resources, money, power, or land … and they will continue dying because nobody really wants them.
LikeLike
LikeLike
“It’s a pretty good deal,” Powell said on NBC’s Meet the Press. “These are remarkable changes, and so we have stopped this highway race that they were going down – and I think that’s very, very important.”
[….]
Powell pointed out that if the US walked away from the deal now, it would do so at its own peril.
“Even if we were to kill the deal – which is not going to happen – it’s going to take effect anyway, because all of these other countries that were in it with us are going to move forward,” he said.
“They’re all going to be moving forward – we’re going to be sitting on the sidelines.”
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/sep/06/iran-deal-colin-powell-debbie-wasserman-schultz
LikeLike
I believe Powell to be totally correct in his appreciation of the agreement.
LikeLike
just in from http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34171148
David Cameron will set out details of government plans to resettle more refugees from Syria, as France says it will take 24,000.
The prime minister has not yet said how many people the UK will accept but the total is likely to be more than 10,000.
[….]
Although it has not been confirmed, it is expected Mr Cameron’s plan involves expanding the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme – under which 216 Syrians have been brought to the UK since March 2014.
People brought to Britain under VPR have been granted Humanitarian Protection, a status normally used for people who “don’t qualify for asylum” but would be at “real risk of suffering serious harm” in their home country.
They can stay for five years, have the right to work and access public funds. After five years they can apply to settle in the UK.
LikeLike
and another hat in to the ring… wonder if he’ll make the dembat debate dais
from http://abcnews.go.com/beta/Politics/harvard-professor-larry-lessig-running-president/story?id=33568066
After exceeding his $1 million crowd-funding goal, Harvard Law School professor Larry Lessig announced today on “This Week” that he is running for president.
“I think I’m running to get people to acknowledge the elephant in the room,” he told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. “We have to recognize — we have a government that does not work. The stalemate, partisan platform of American politics in Washington right now doesn’t work.”
If elected, he says he will be the first “referendum president,” promising to serve only as long as it takes to pass his Citizens Equality Act of 2017 — a bill aimed at reforming campaign finance, voting rights, and Congressional representation. Once the bill is passed, Lessig said he would then step down, handing over the reins to his vice president.
LikeLike
There you have it. Colin Powell thinks that the Iran treaty is a “pretty good deal”
Dick Cheney is wining and sniveling to anyone who will listen about how bad it is.
Which would you rather believe?
LikeLike
This crappy deal will allow Iran to do even more of the horrible stuff in the region, nuke capability aside. Remove the sanctions and you allow them to give even more financial aid to terrorist organizations. Iran is a bad actor; this is a bad deal.
LikeLike
Judy Carne the “Sock It To Me” girl has passed away at 76 http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/judy-carne-dead-laugh-in-sock-it-to-me-1201587506/
LikeLike
Damn!!! This one was a hoax that apparently even snagged Variety http://en.mediamass.net/people/judy-carne/deathhoax.html
LikeLike
Add Martin Milner of Adam-12 and Route 66 also passing http://variety.com/2015/film/news/martin-milner-dead-adam-12-route-66-1201587461/
LikeLike
“We have to end the flood of secret, unaccountable money that is distorting our elections, corrupting our political system and drowning out the voices of too many everyday Americans,” Clinton said in a statement ahead of the campaign’s formal rollout, which will include a web video. “Our democracy should be about expanding the franchise, not charging an entrance fee. It starts with overturning the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, and continues with structural reform to our campaign finance system so there’s real sunshine and increased participation.”
from http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-09-08/hillary-clinton-proposes-making-companies-disclose-political-donations
Clinton’s campaign finance overhaul also includes the pledge she often makes in her stump speeches, to only nominate to the Supreme Court judges who “value the right to vote over the right of billionaires to buy elections,” her campaign said in a fact sheet. She also supports a constitutional amendment “to allow Americans to establish common sense rules to protect against the undue influence of billionaires and special interests and to restore the role of average voters in elections.”
Clinton will also push for legislation requiring outside groups that engage in significant political spending to disclose their key donors and the disclosure of significant transfers between organizations. If Congress doesn’t act on campaign finance, she promises she will sign an executive order requiring federal contractors to disclose all political spending. President Barack Obama has taken a similar approach on certain labor rules.
LikeLike
jamie http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/09/08/the-tragic-tale-of-judy-carne-sock-it-to-me-girl-of-laugh-in-dead-at-76/
LikeLike
bravo to michael gerson for saying “But there is no serious case to be made for the right of public officials to break laws they don’t agree with, even for religious reasons. This is, in essence, seizing power from our system of laws and courts.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/kim-davis-is-no-rosa-parks/2015/09/07/e821d528-533b-11e5-9812-92d5948a40f8_story.html
and hats off to lindsey graham for being the 1st goper to say “comply with the law or resign.”
“The rule of law is the rule of law,” he told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. “We are a rule of law nation.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lindsey-graham-kim-davis-resign_55e629b8e4b0aec9f3550c49
LikeLike
they’re baaaacck… and they’re gonna be baaad… as usual
from http://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/congress-shutdown-countdown-gop-213378
Congress returns from its long summer vacation Tuesday to an all-out, three-week sprint to avert a government shutdown – and no apparent plan yet to quell the conservative rebellion over Planned Parenthood that has dramatically increased the odds of a closure.
The mad dash – just 10 legislative work days to solve the shutdown crisis, in between major votes on the Iran nuclear deal and the first-ever papal address to a joint session of Congress – presents a major test for Republican leaders in both chambers who vowed to end crisis-driven legislating.
from http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/09/08/boehner-can-expect-discordant-fall-session.html
Boehner facing ‘ugly’ fall as Congress returns
LikeLike
Al Jeezera is handing out food and water to refugees in Macedonia and trying to help people on their way.
LikeLike
from http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/judge-orders-jailed-clerk-released-immediately/ar-AAe4jjf?ocid=ansmsnnews11
The federal judge who ordered the Rowan County clerk hauled off to jail lifted the contempt order against Davis, saying he was satisfied that her deputies were fulfilling their obligation to grant licenses to same-sex couples in her absence. But U.S. District Judge David Bunning warned Davis not to interfere any further.
The move came down just before Davis received jailhouse visits from Republican presidential candidates Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz. They were ushered into the building shortly after the judge’s order was issued, as was Davis’ husband, Joe Davis.
LikeLike
speaking of ted crockful,
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/sep/08/iran-deal-sheldon-adelson-ted-cruz-marco-rubio
Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz’s rally against the Iran nuclear deal on Wednesday – whose guest star will be his rival Donald Trump – is the tip of an iceberg of campaigning and fundraising to thwart the deal by non-profits funded partly by casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson, conservative groups and other GOP candidates such as Marco Rubio.
and http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=757&sid=36422303&title=ted-cruz-cozies-up-to-donald-trump-aims-for-his-supporters&s_cid=queue-8
LikeLike
Rick Scott’s shameless Planned Parenthood deception: How Florida Republicans tried to bury exonerating evidence
A Florida investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing by Planned Parenthood—but Scott’s office wasn’t having it
BOB CESCA
http://www.salon.com/2015/09/08/rick_scotts_shameless_planned_parenthood_deception_how_florida_republicans_tried_to_bury_exonerating_evidence/
LikeLike
Dear Team Clinton, Just Do It
Taylor Marsh
http://www.taylormarsh.com/2015/09/dear-team-clinton-just-do-it/
“They want to show her humor. The self-effacing kind… They want to show her heart, like the time she comforted former drug addicts in a school meeting room in New Hampshire. […] Several of Mrs. Clinton’s top strategists, speaking from a corner office at the campaign’s Brooklyn headquarters with shabby mix-and-match chairs and expansive views of Manhattan, repeatedly expressed confidence about Mrs. Clinton’s standing, saying that any candidate, Republican or Democrat, would love to trade places with her. [New York Times]
WHO THOUGHT it was a good idea to start the post Labor Day political conversation off with a bunch of “Mrs. Clinton’s top strategists” sitting around talking about how Hillary Clinton is going to be more…herself going forward? Did these “top strategists” suddenly drop from outer space into the 21st century? It’s like they’re ignorant to what the social and new media worlds will do with this information.
You don’t talk about Hillary’s shift to being a better candidate, more open, accessible. You reveal it by what Hillary does as a candidate. You don’t telegraph it to the New York Times, which actually makes things harder for Hillary.
I write this as someone who had real skin in the 2007-2008 campaign and made a difference. I want the first woman president to be a Democrat in 2016. I’ve got no doubt Mrs. Clinton is capable, strong and up to the job of being commander in chief.
But the campaign of 2015 is a disaster so far. It is proven further because “Mrs. Clinton’s top strategists” actually believe leaking their game plan to the New York Times, which includes handing the Beltway to New York City media a big fat target to hit, was a great plan. To calm Democrats and let them know something new from Hillary is one the horizon.
PLUM LINE: You’re saying that one can’t dismiss the possibility that Sanders pulls off an upset somehow?
DEAN: No, I wouldn’t dismiss any possibility. The voters end up making up their minds, not those of us who are pundits for a living.
[Washington Post]
She’s going to be interviewed by Ellen DeGeneres.
She’s going to be interviewed by Jimmy Fallon. (Stephen Colbert tried, but she was already in talks.)
That noise you hear is the establishment press is laughing loudly and on this they have every right.
Meanwhile, regular people that I’ve talked to over the last weeks still don’t understand WHY Hillary Clinton had a private server. Well, I do and here’s why. Nobody has been more scrutinized than Hillary Clinton, going back decades. She wanted control of her email, as much as was possible, including being able to talk with Sidney Blumenthal without heads exploding on Obama’s team. Remember that when she came into the State Department as secretary, Hillaryland and the Obama team weren’t exactly on friendly terms. It took a while.
For whatever reason, “Mrs. Clinton’s top strategists” don’t think laying it all out and telling the American people the truth will work. Hey, geniuses, you think what you’re doing now is working?
I guess Hillaryland has calculated that they’re still the most likely to win, because Obama’s team knows the numbers and how to run a campaign in caucus and primary states, which look good for her over the long haul. Winning ugly is still winning.
Watching this campaign in 2015 has been a depressing experience.
The bad press Hillary is getting isn’t the press’s fault. This time it’s on Hillary and Team Clinton, and people who want her to succeed who are frustrated have every right to be.”
LikeLike
Jebbers! will be on Colbert tonight. I wonder if his appearance will give him enough of a bump to reach double digits? If so, will it last? Nah.
LikeLike
The guy from Harvard who is running (and will only serve long enough to fix a few things, then hand it off to his VP) has on the list of possible veeps…Jon Stewart. Hmmm, so that’s why he quit TDS. Well, I would have less of a problem with Stewart than almost anyone running on either side.
LikeLike
Wolfe Blitze rbreaking news from last week
LikeLike
patD – If Cryz is buddying up to Trump to use him, well, there’s no honor among thieves. If Trump allows Cruz to come sniffin’ around for table-droppings, you can be sure Trump will use it to his benefit.
LikeLike
The cats killed my keyboard. Just got back in business.
LikeLike
my sympathies. mine killed one of my rugs last week. nothing seems to work removing the smell.
just curious, but what was their weapon? and if same as mine what was the motive…. closet carly fans?
LikeLike
blue, from last night’s Colbert according to http://news.yahoo.com/stephen-colbert-show-debut-jeb-045947744.html
Then he asked the GOP candidate, “In what ways do you politically differ from your brother George.”
After waffling with an “I’m obviously younger, much better looking” gag, Bush says, “I think my brother didn’t control Republican Congress spending. … He should have brought the hammer down when they were spending too much. He didn’t veto things, didn’t bring fiscal restraints. He was not conservative enough.” Bush then remarked that, when he was governor of Florida, “they called me Veto Corleone,” referencing Marlon Brando’s iconic Godfather character.
Colbert explained to Bush that Vito Corleone was not exactly a good guy.
LikeLike
Sarah Palin wants to be in Donald Trump’s cabinet
by Hunter
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/09/09/1419512/-Sarah-Palin-wants-to-be-in-Donald-Trump-s-cabinet
LikeLike
from http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/09/asia/australia-refugees-syria-airstrikes/index.html
Australia will take in an extra 12,000 migrants fleeing conflict in the Middle East, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said, as he confirmed the country would be joining airstrikes against ISIS in Syria this week.
The intake almost doubles the number of people currently allowed into Australia through its humanitarian program, which is currently capped at 13,750 each year.
Priority would go to persecuted minorities — especially women, children and families — who are currently in camps in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, Abbott announced Wednesday.
LikeLike
from http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/09/09/candidates-address-the-growing-refugee-crisis/
Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina: “We should take our fair share. We are good people. I don’t think the average American has any idea what it’s like to live in the Mideast right now.” He added: “We should take the Statue of Liberty and tear it down if this is our response as a nation. Just tear it down, because we don’t need it anymore.”
nyt cropped and screwed up his statement re statue of lib which quoted in entirety by http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2015/09/08/lindsey-graham-calls-us-accept-refugees/71895498/
was “I don’t see how you can lead the free world and turn your back on people who are seeking it,” Graham said. Turning away families fleeing violence is to “take the Statue of Liberty and tear it down … because we don’t mean it anymore.”
LikeLike
from http://www.politicususa.com/2015/09/08/democrats-turn-tables-mitch-mcconnell-republican-begs-filibuster-iran-vote.html
When Mitch McConnell is in the minority, filibusters are good. When McConnell is in the majority filibusters are bad.
McConnell’s complaints are hypocritical for another reason. He agreed to the 60 vote threshold for resolution of disapproval. Republicans were so confident that they could get the votes that they agreed that the resolution would not be passed by a majority vote.
Mitch McConnell is complaining about a process that he negotiated and signed off on.
http://www.salon.com/2015/09/08/carly_fiorina_declares_war_on_mitch_mcconnell_and_john_boehner_gop_hopeful_calls_on_leadership_to_step_down/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialflow
“I think leadership’s job is to produce results, and when leaders don’t produce results, they need to step aside,” the former executive of Silicon Valley giant Hewlett-Packard explained.
LikeLike
The late show too late for us…did Jeb look human?
LikeLike
One of the great mysteries to me is why Peggy Noonan has a job
LikeLike
IMO, Jeb! was a dud. He was clearly excited to have some solo attention, but he did nothing to make himself seem likeable or competent, because he did not seem authentic.
However, his interview went better than Clooney’s did. Colbert shines when he’s on his own, or, when he is truly engaged with the person he is interviewing. I have much higher hopes for his interview with Elon Musk tonight.
I like his band, and, the digitally tricked-out studio is great. Sweetest moment of the night was the cameo by Jon Stewart.
I have a feeling that Ben Carson, Bernie Sanders, and, Joe Biden would be great interviews. Although she seems more personable, I don’t think Hillary would fare much better than Jeb! in a Late Show interview.
LikeLike
All of the talk about which countries can take in how many refugees seems a bit like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. The waves of refugees will not stop until the problems in those countries are handled.
Why isn’t Saudi Arabia, Dubai, or any of the other wealthy countries taking in anyone?
By the way, there is a refugee crisis going on between Columbia and Venezuela right now.
There are too many people. The resources we do have are not distributed fairly, nor are they managed in a way to make them last. Land, water, food. It’s all unraveling and nobody has a handle on it. The media is clueless; the politicians, inept.
LikeLike
I keep having this feeling that the various people in power know darn well that the population ponzi scheme is about to come crashing down. They may not know exactly when, but can only let it bubble up with small wars in small places and disaster relief motions when nature strikes while keeping their finger in the dyke for as long as possible. The first world can only hold off the third world inequity for so long particularly now that it is starting to creep into the lower and middle classes as the 1% hides behind wealth and privilege.
LikeLike
So, clearly there is a need to help people who are suffering. I have always wondered if it doesn’t just create more suffering in some cases. To give people food and vaccines so they can live. And possibly even provide some education, well, what then? Are there jobs? Is there a culture where they can have decent lives? Do they just create more people who can not survive without outside support and who will have lives of desolation? It seems cruel to perpetuate the problem. It is cruel not to help.
LikeLike
One thing that education does if coupled with cultural changes that benefit women is that the birth rate drops like a rock. As it stands now the “rate of increase” has been steadily declining thanks to such policies. Even India expects to hit “replacement’ of ZPG, but there is still no going backwards and we may have already poured too much garbage into the atmosphere. It doesn’t help that many northern hemisphere countries are trying to encourage births because their women, thanks to education and later births, have already dropped below ZPG and the governments fear loss cultural identity …. i.e fear of all those brown and black people ..
LikeLike
Guests for Colbert:
Sept 10 – Joe Biden!!!
Sept 14 – SCJ Stephen Breyer
Sept 17 – UN Sec-Gen Ban-Ki Moon
Set 18 – BERNIE!!!
LikeLike
excerpt from npr http://www.wbur.org/npr/438797627/gulf-states-taking-heat-for-not-resettling-syrian-refugees
For Syrian refugees, trying to find safety and building a new life in the one of the wealthy Arab Gulf states would seem logical: no harrowing sea journeys, and a familiar language, religion and culture. Human rights groups and others are urging these countries to do more to welcome Syrian refugees.
The U.N. refugee agency and Amnesty International say that none of the Arab Gulf states — including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates — have settled Syrians looking to escape the war.
“The Gulf states have traditionally not been resettlement countries,” says Bill Frelick, the refugee program director at Human Rights Watch. “They’ve been sort of aloof from doing that. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t take on this responsibility. This is a responsibility that should be shared by all countries.”
Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, says his country already has a good track record for helping Syrians.
“The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the largest supporters of aid to the Syrian refugees, whether in Jordan or Lebanon and other places,” he says. “And the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been a welcoming environment for Syrians.”
The Gulf states don’t have systems in place specifically for refugees, Frelick says, but do receive Syrian workers.
“There’s a de facto refugee system that works through migrant workers who get work visas and maybe are actually fleeing persecution and conflict, but are not recognized as such and are not protected as such,” he explains. “They are there basically under the rubric of being a migrant worker.”
LikeLike
“The United States must lead in assisting those who have been uprooted by conflict,” Mrs. Clinton said in an address about the Iranian nuclear agreement in Washington. ” As Pope Francis has reminded us, this is an international problem that demands an international response – and the United States must help lead that response,” she continued. “That’s who we are, and that’s what we do.”
LikeLike
http://wonkette.com/593745/mike-huckabee-didnt-appreciate-ted-cruz-trying-to-hijack-his-kim-davis-jesus-party
Mike Huckabee would just like you all to know that if anyone’s going to go to jail in Kim Davis’s place, it’s Mike Huckabee, not that Canadian-come-lately Ted Cruz. Following the hilarious scene Tuesday of a Huckabee staffer blocking Cruz from getting anywhere near the main stage of the Kim Davis Is Free rally, Huck is now complaining that Cruz was trying to step all over Team Huckabee’s carefully-staged campaign rally sincere demonstration of Christian faith.
The Cruz humiliation started shortly before Davis was released from jail, as the Senator from Alberta was shunted away not only from the main stage, but from a scrum of reporters near the door of the jail,….
LikeLike
re music playing in background of video above
http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/09/entertainment/eye-of-the-tiger-kim-davis-survivor-feat/index.html
(CNN)—The use of “Eye of the Tiger” at a rally for Kentucky clerk Kim Davis has Survivor’s Jim Peterik “risin’ up to the challenge” — and threatening action.
Peterik, who co-wrote the stirring “Rocky III” theme song, is upset that Davis emerged from jail Tuesday to the strains of his song. Davis, the Rowan County clerk, had been held in contempt of court for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses.
“I have not authorized the use of Eye of the Tiger for use by Kim Davis and my publisher will issue a C&D (cease and desist order). This does not reflect my views,” Peterik wrote on Twitter.
Peterik told CNN that the use of the song caught him by surprise.
“I was gobsmacked,” he said. “We were not asked about this at all. The first time we saw it was on national TV.”
LikeLike
Whoopi Goldberg: ‘I Don’t Care’ What Hillary Did with Her Emails
by Matt Wilstein
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/whoopi-goldberg-i-dont-care-what-hillary-did-with-her-emails/
I don’t care either!
LikeLike
Howard Dean Blames Media For Hillary Email Mess: Press Wanted Her To “Humble” Herself Before Them
by RCP
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2015/09/09/howard_dean_blames_media_for_hillary_email_mess_press_wanted_her_to_humble_herself_before_them.html
“This is the kind of thing you have to go through in politics,” he said. “I had to go through it. Sometimes you may think that you’re in the right. If the media gangs up on you and decides you’re not, sometimes you have to do things you might rather not do. But you have to. It’s all part of the game. It’s part of the presidential race and been part of the presidential race since we’ve had television.”
“I think she is trustworthy, I think she’s tough as nails,” Dean said. “I think people want a tough person that can handle the job. There’s only one person that fits this description on either side of the aisle in this race.”
LikeLike
You know who is loving & laughing at the huge influx of refugees into Western Europe? Stalin. Er, I mean, Putin.
LikeLike
It’ll all come out in the wash………
LikeLike
Ha! Trump is gonna create so much winning in Washington that we’ll get bored with winning. Is he for real???
LikeLike
Hillary Takes On the Iran Deal Clowns
Tim Mak
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/09/09/hillary-vs-the-clowns-on-iran.html
“The debate about the Iran deal in Washington ran the gamut from lucid (Clinton) to totally and completely insane (Trump, Palin).
When it comes to debate on the Iran deal in Washington on Wednesday, it was Hillary Clinton vs. the Carnival.
In a brief respite from the controversy over the email account controversy that has hounded her campaign, Hillary Clinton delivered a lengthy speech supporting the Iran nuclear agreement.
It was a thoughtful, measured address reflecting on her support for the Iran deal and the additional initiatives needed for its success, that was quickly eclipsed by a marquee of madness that set up shop to protest the Iran deal on the West Front of the Capitol.”
LikeLike
Trump mocks Fiorina’s physical appearance: ‘Look at that face!’
By Neetzan Zimmerman
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/253178-trump-insults-fiorinas-physical-appearance-look-at-that-face
LikeLike
Clinton lands third union endorsement
0By Johnathon Easley
http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/253171-clinton-lands-third-union-endorsement
“Hillary Clinton scored another union endorsement Wednesday as she seeks to ward off a challenge from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is also aggressively courting labor groups.
The International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC), a group with about 80,000 members, said in a statement that “no presidential candidate is better qualified than Hillary Clinton to occupy the White House.”
“There is only one candidate – Hillary Clinton – who can lead American workers to triumph in the face of today’s hostile political climate, difficult financial times, and relentless attacks against the right to organize,” the group said.”
LikeLike
http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/sep/09/donald-trump-iran-nuclear-deal-stupid-people-video
‘We are led by very stupid people’
it takes one to know one, donnie
LikeLike
http://www.wisn.com/money/trump-insults-fiorina-in-rolling-stone-look-at-that-face/35188856
“And there, in a nutshell, is Trump’s blessing and his curse: He can’t seem to quit while he’s ahead. The instincts that carried him out to a lead and have kept him far above the captious field are the same ones that landed him in ugly stews with ex-wives, business partners, networks, supermodels and many, many other famous women.”
LikeLike
for those who go to bed early here’s Colbert last night late show. guest elon musk.
http://www.cbs.com/shows/the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert/video/
LikeLike
above was entire show, below a 2:48 segment titled
Elon Musk Might Be A Super Villain
http://www.cbs.com/shows/the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert/video/22E3D7EF-51FD-3B0C-0D53-B5B4A71CD96B/elon-musk-might-be-a-super-villain/
LikeLike
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/paglia-no-proffer-hillary-clinton-emails-213475
Former Clinton IT staffer to lawmakers: No testimony without immunity
did we just see the ghost of ollie north pass by?
LikeLike
tony, just for you
6 best moments from Hillary Clinton’s appearance on Ellen
Presidential nominee talks Kanye West, ‘Scandal’ and does the Whip/Nae Nae
http://www.ew.com/article/2015/09/09/hillary-clinton-ellen-degeneres-show
http://ellentube.com/videos/0_njsjszoj
LikeLike
Very good, enjoyed the clips…
LikeLike
Well he is right about her face –the goopers must have a deal with some plastic surgeon — I see The Scary one and the Frozen face have the same look
LikeLike
more of trump’s latest trips or trip-ups:
Trump: Carson was ‘heavy into the world of abortion’ http://edition.cnn.com/2015/09/10/politics/donald-trump-ben-carson-cnn/index.html
and
http://www.thewrap.com/donald-trump-claims-rolling-stone-publisher-jann-s-wenner-edited-his-profile-piece-and-screwed-it-up/
LikeLike
Well, Fiorina does look like an ad for RBF (resting bitch face), but that’s not important. She’s just not politically appealing.
Looking forward to hearing Biden and Bernie on Colbert this month.
LikeLike
Meanwhile, Russia is building up their military presence in Syria. Deal with the problem and there won’t be any refugees because they won’t need to leave home. Watching them trudging in the rain is so sad. That is their life now. That’s their entire existence. The leaders of world let this happen.
LikeLike
Brent Budowsky: Big truths about Hillary
BRENT BUDOWSKY
http://thehill.com/opinion/brent-budowsky/253154-brent-budowsky-big-truths-about-hillary
“It is no secret from my columns that there have been aspects of the Clinton campaign with which I have disagreed, but regarding the biggest truth of the biggest question that American voters must decide:
The candidate who would be the first female president is the same candidate who has the most towering qualifications and experience to be president — and potentially a great president. “
LikeLike
Biden on Colbert tonight!
LikeLike
Hillary: “There’s One Particular Candidate Who Seems To Delight In Insulting Women,” “I Would Love To Debate Him”
By RCP
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2015/09/10/hillary_theres_one_particular_candidate_who_seems_to_delight_in_insulting_women_i_would_love_to_debate_him.html
LikeLike
Well, Colbert’s interview with Joe Buden was a bit maudlin. I don’t think Joe has it in him to run. He would be the third authentic candidate to run if he did, though. The other two are Bernie and Ben Carson. Everyone else is putting on a show.
LikeLike
Insiders: Clinton still on track to win Iowa and N.H.
The Bernie Sanders surge is real. But Hillary has the ‘best campaign infrastructure ever built,’ according to one New Hampshire Democrat.
By Katie Glueck
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/clinton-survives-213529#ixzz3lQXzm5gu
LikeLike
http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/emotional-biden-opens-up-about-son-and-2016-on-late-show-with-colbert/
LikeLike
yesterday on cbs, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/david-gregory-former-meet-the-press-moderator-split-nbc-news-new-book/
For the first time since his public departure from NBC News last August, former White House correspondent and “Meet the Press” moderator David Gregory is breaking his silence saying, “I don’t miss NBC.”
“I don’t miss being there. It was just the wrong atmosphere for me,” he said Wednesday on “CBS This Morning.”
After a 20-year career, Gregory describes his ouster as publicly humiliating and a situation that was handled poorly by the news network.
LikeLike
like a phoenix rising from the ashes
http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/bjarke-ingels-design-for-two-world-trade-center-new-york/2/
The design for Two World Trade Center, the capstone for the redevelopment of the World Trade Center, shows off the vision of 40-year-old star Danish architect Bjark Ingels. It’s the final building to be built overlooking the site of the twin towers, destroyed by terrorists on 9/11, with construction expected to start in 2016.
A photo rendering of the design shows seven separate building volumes of varying sizes and depths stacked on top of each other. The stacking creates 38,000 sq ft (3,530 sm) of outdoor terraces full of lush greenery and unprecedented views of the surrounding cityscape, intending to extend life and social interaction outdoors.
Two World Trade Center, part of the 16-acre World Trade Center site, will appear almost as tall as One World Trade Center, excluding its spire.
Credit: Courtesy of BIG/DBOX
LikeLike
14 years ago a great tragedy followed by an unfortunate jingoistic wallow in bathos gave the Bush administration the excuse they needed for a corporate profit war. Even while the buildings rise again and the families of those who died that day recover, we still face more deaths, loss of national treasure and a destabilized Middle East that will haunt us for decades to come.
LikeLike
from http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/09/11/where-refugees-go-in-america/
The State Department works with placement agencies — non-profits like the International Rescue Committee or the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops — and local communities to find new homes for refugees. Between October 2014 and August 2015, they placed about 1,300 Syrian refugees all over the country. Many settled in the larger states, like Texas (150), California (128), Michigan (139), and Illinois (111). But most states took in at least a few.
That’s how the system works: the 70,000 refugees are spread out across the entire nation. The agencies try to place people where they have family or friends, but otherwise, newcomers might find themselves anywhere from Alaska (which took 131 refugees in the past 11 months) to Mississippi (10 refugees), to North Dakota (419). Even Hawaii has received six refugees since October last year — five from Burma and one from China.
There are, of course, some refugee enclaves that have coalesced. For instance: of the 7,642 Somali refugees that came in since October, 911 of them ended up in Minnesota, where there is a thriving community of Somali immigrants thanks to the Lutheran Church, which started placing them there in the early 1990s. Now, it’s estimated that nearly a third of the Somali-born population in the U.S. live in Minnesota.
LikeLike
Yep, and Minnesota has a problem with ISIL sympathizers. I live in the most diverse area in DFW, but there is no melting. The groups from India, Muslims, Asians, there is little interaction. Picked up a real estate booklet at the store and one of the realtor’s ads stated that the follow sharia law. The Muslim women scowl at women who aren’t covered. They were BBQing at the pool the other night. I got in the pool and swam anyway. It’s very easy to be magnanimous when you don’t have to directly deal with it. I promise you, there is a push to change this country and doesn’t have anything to do with color or nationality. It has to do with religion and women’s rights. We’re backsliding.
LikeLike
that ky county clerk was trying to practice her version of sharia law and unfortunately many candidates aspiring to lead this country are supporting her.
LikeLike
What happens if Trump tires of running (or people finally tire of him)? Carson may be popular among right-wingers who think Trump isn’t Godly enough, or at all (Bobby Jindal). Who would fill that vacuum created by Trump’s absence? Will the GOP end up with a fiscally-responsible candidate, or, one that thinks God made women as lesser beings, subject to the rule of males?
LikeLike
Exactly. The chicken-fried Taliban who have a fear-based, male-dominated religion seem to be gaining ground. Backsliding, we are backsliding.
LikeLike
when things get sad and hopeless, down in blogosphere, whiskey jack would tell us it’s time to show puppy pictures…how ’bout a sweet doggy story?
from http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/surviving-9-11-rescue-dog-returns-nyc-article-1.2356273
Bretagne, the last known surviving 9/11 rescue dog who tirelessly helped sniff through Ground Zero for human life, recently returned ahead of Friday’s 14th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
Her visit also came ahead of her 16th birthday.
The white-faced golden retriever was flown up from Texas with her hero handler and owner Denise Corliss as guests of honor thanks to website BarkPost and mission-driven luxury hotel, 1 Hotel Central Park.
“Responding to New York City was our first deployment,” Carliss, of national disaster group Texas Task Force 1, told BarkPost of their mission to provide relief to the first wave of 9/11 responders.
Bretagne was just 2 years old at the time and as Carliss recalled, her playful-puppy demeanor paid off.
Upon first catching sight of the immense destruction, Carliss said she was momentarily stunned. Her trusty companion on the other hand, couldn’t wait to dive in.
“I just couldn’t believe the magnitude and then I looked down at her and she seemed stoked and ready to work,” Carliss recalled.
As their relentless, 12-hour days went on, she said their work went from search and rescue to recovery efforts.
Throughout the physical and emotional turmoil, Bretagne often took it upon herself to serve as a comfort to firefighters and first responders. With a nudge of her snout she’s credited with breaking the strongest stone faces.
That included Corliss’.
“I was just so grateful to have a canine partner that helped me get through it,” she recalled.
Being treated as the heroes that they both are was the first priority with their arrival.
The couple was picked up from LaGuardia Airport and shuttled into Manhattan where Bretagne was presented with her very own hamburger and other tasty treats at their hotel.
After being picked up in a vintage taxi cab, they made a stop in Times Square where tears were shed once they caught sight of one of the billboards.
“NYC Welcomes You And Your Mom,” one read while showing a photo of the couple together.
Along the Hudson River, the dynamic duo was presented with a Tiffany “bone to the dog park.”
Once back at the hotel — with Bretagne wearing a cardboard cone hat — they were welcomed to a room full of toys and treats, a canine-friendly birthday cake and a $1,000 donation from the hotel to the Texas Task Force.
The money will go toward training other dogs like Bretagne.
LikeLike
dana was a bit harsh today, sounded like tough love. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-clinton-campaign-puts-the-moron-into-oxymoron/2015/09/11/8ba14572-5895-11e5-abe9-27d53f250b11_story.html
Certainly, part of Clinton’s problem comes from her very authentic secrecy, which led to the disastrous decision to have a private email server. But her campaign makes her problems worse. She has an inner circle of loyalists who can’t, or won’t, tell her when she’s making a bad decision, as with her initial grudging response to the email controversy. And she has a group of hired guns, imported from the Obama campaign, who sell her as if she is a new formula of detergent each week.
What if Clinton were to chuck all that? What would remain is this: a lifelong advocate for children who worked for the Children’s Defense Fund rather than taking a high-paying job after law school; a woman who cares more about those in need than her husband ever did; a policy nerd who believes government can be a force for good.
Maybe voters in this anti-establishment, populist moment still won’t embrace a foreign-policy hawk with ties to Wall Street. But what voters reject every time is a phony. If Clinton ditches the constant makeovers and still loses, she at least will have the dignity of knowing she was her own person.
LikeLike
Excellent piece on Hillary. If elected, I hope she doesn’t surround herself with people who won’t tell her the truth.
LikeLike
Time to watch an old, sitcom from the 50s, with small problems that can be wrapped up in 30 minutes. Since the whole world is backsliding, I guess I might as well find some small comfort in it. Have a good weekend!
LikeLike
side note about the 9/11 working dogs
from http://dogtime.com/trending/20344-what-we-learned-from-the-hero-dogs-of-september-11-2001
No one knows exactly how many working dogs were in New York (and at the Pentagon) that September, but estimates state about 900 canines were there lending a paw.
At Ground Zero, the dogs worked every day to help in search and rescue with their volunteer handlers for an average of 10 days. They had day shifts and night shifts lasting anywhere from 12 to 16 hours searching for survivors and human remains while comforting victims and rescue workers.
saw the above story hi-lited at The Dodo website which is an addictive place for animal lovers (Jamie, you’ll love it if you don’t already). here’s today’s headline story
https://www.thedodo.com/syrian-refugee-carries-kitten-1343094551.html
It’s a long and perilous journey for the countless souls fleeing war-torn Syria in hopes of reaching the safer shores of lands afar — but for one such refugee, it was a journey he refused to make without a little creature who’d be lost without him.
Photos have emerged on social media showing the heartwarming moment a migrant landed on the island of Lesbos, Greece, cradling close to his chest a tiny kitten he couldn’t leave behind. The man was traveling with few other possessions as he made his way across the Mediterranean Sea before reaching the shores of Europe, according to Greek news outlet Protothema .
LikeLike
NEW THREAD
LikeLike