What Ronnie's ghost said:
From Funny or Die.
An Unfunny Thing Happened On The Way To The Register
40 minutes ago
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Possibly Good News?
Take a look at this chart from Calculated Risk. It shows the percentages of job losses for every recession since the end of the Depression:
Economists and Democrats are portraying this as good news. But note that although the job loss rate is leveling off from its steep plunge, it has not yet leveled off. 97,000 jobs were lost for February, which is not good, but is a far cry from a year ago when the economy shed over 600,000 jobs a month.
The other thing is that employment will not be back to pre-recession levels until at least 2012 and possibly longer. Republicans will, of course, scream about that while they continue to block every bill to promote an economic recovery, at least every bill that does not include a whopping tax cut for Wall Street and the very rich. When the recovery happens, it will be a weak one, for reasons that I have pointed you to before.
Economists and Democrats are portraying this as good news. But note that although the job loss rate is leveling off from its steep plunge, it has not yet leveled off. 97,000 jobs were lost for February, which is not good, but is a far cry from a year ago when the economy shed over 600,000 jobs a month.
The other thing is that employment will not be back to pre-recession levels until at least 2012 and possibly longer. Republicans will, of course, scream about that while they continue to block every bill to promote an economic recovery, at least every bill that does not include a whopping tax cut for Wall Street and the very rich. When the recovery happens, it will be a weak one, for reasons that I have pointed you to before.
And While I Was Visiting Rachel's Web Site
Here she explains Rep. Part Stupak's ties to a secretive religious cult:
Rachel asks some good questions: Why would the Family have subsidized Stupak's rent if he was not a member of the group? Did Stupak report that he was renting an apartment for far less than market rate?
If Stupak was a member of this cult, why is he running so hard from it now?
Rachel asks some good questions: Why would the Family have subsidized Stupak's rent if he was not a member of the group? Did Stupak report that he was renting an apartment for far less than market rate?
If Stupak was a member of this cult, why is he running so hard from it now?
The Pummelling of the Spawn
Where even the head of the Federalist Society says the Spawn of Cheney is full of shit.
What bugs me about MSNBC's video pages is that if you don't decide which video you want to see next, it picks one for you. That would not be so terrible if it didn't start with a 30 second commercial which, if you don't want to see that next video and would rather watch something else, forces you to watch the fucking commercial. Then, when you dump that video as it starts and you pick a new one, you get the same commercial again!
(H/T to a guy who'd rather not be named; I was watching the tape of Thursday's season finale to Burn Notice.)
What bugs me about MSNBC's video pages is that if you don't decide which video you want to see next, it picks one for you. That would not be so terrible if it didn't start with a 30 second commercial which, if you don't want to see that next video and would rather watch something else, forces you to watch the fucking commercial. Then, when you dump that video as it starts and you pick a new one, you get the same commercial again!
(H/T to a guy who'd rather not be named; I was watching the tape of Thursday's season finale to Burn Notice.)
Caturday
The prettiest cat on the Internet, who wants to know when I am going to straighten up that messy coffee table.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Is George W. Bush an Al Qaeda Sympathizer??
It would seem so.
Probably one of the best commentaries on the fear-mongering of the Spawn of Cheney I've seen.
Apparently the Spawn went too far on this one, her friends on the Right are throwing her under the bus. Even the Wingnuts know that the right to an attorney is central to protecting the rights of the accused, whether they are accused of terrorism, political corruption or murder.
Probably one of the best commentaries on the fear-mongering of the Spawn of Cheney I've seen.
Apparently the Spawn went too far on this one, her friends on the Right are throwing her under the bus. Even the Wingnuts know that the right to an attorney is central to protecting the rights of the accused, whether they are accused of terrorism, political corruption or murder.
Nah
Yesterday ended on kind of a shitty note. I was in a pretty foul mood when I arrived home.
But the cats still needed to be fed. And when I sat on my bed after I changed out of my working duds, George and Jake jumped onto the bed for some attention from me. A little later, when I sat on my couch to watch the news,[1] Gracie climbed into my lap and purr-bombed me. Jake laid on the back of the couch, behind my head, and did the same
It's pretty hard to maintain a bad mood when surrounded by purring cats.
[1] I watched the news up to the point when they started talking about the Grifter from Wasillia, who apparently wants her own alternative reality show. If that's what rates being covered on a 22 minute evening news show, there must not be anything important going on anywhere in the world. It's so nice to live in a time without natural disasters, famines, wars and so on.... Oh wait, those things do exist. It's just that the boneheads at ABC News don't think they are as important as the doings of the Quitter from Alaska.
But the cats still needed to be fed. And when I sat on my bed after I changed out of my working duds, George and Jake jumped onto the bed for some attention from me. A little later, when I sat on my couch to watch the news,[1] Gracie climbed into my lap and purr-bombed me. Jake laid on the back of the couch, behind my head, and did the same
It's pretty hard to maintain a bad mood when surrounded by purring cats.
[1] I watched the news up to the point when they started talking about the Grifter from Wasillia, who apparently wants her own alternative reality show. If that's what rates being covered on a 22 minute evening news show, there must not be anything important going on anywhere in the world. It's so nice to live in a time without natural disasters, famines, wars and so on.... Oh wait, those things do exist. It's just that the boneheads at ABC News don't think they are as important as the doings of the Quitter from Alaska.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Paterson Political Deathwatch; Part III
Govenor David Paterson of NY said that he will still be the governor tomorrow. He made no commitment about next week. His press secretary pulled down the ol' face curtain and quit yesterday.
The fat lady may not have sung yet for Gov. Paterson, but she is backstage warming up her pipes.
The fat lady may not have sung yet for Gov. Paterson, but she is backstage warming up her pipes.
Carry On
One of the debates in the firearms community is regarding carrying of handguns. Not whether or not to carry a handgun but the method: Open carry or concealed carry. The distinction is pretty easy and I see no reason to discuss that.
Of the two, I think that concealed carry is the way to go.
The first concern is an individual one, the technical name for it is "weapon retention". There is a reason why uniformed cops do not wear fast-draw holsters and that is to keep the bad guys from taking the weapons. There was a story awhile back about a gent who was openly carrying and a mall cop tried to grab his gun from behind. The gent was well trained in weapon retention; the mall cop wound up on the deck with a broken face. Anyone who open-carries in public would do well to be so trained.
The second issue is societal and no, I am not referring to the people who have the vapors at seeing someone else legally packing heat. Concealed carry has an important function in general deterrence of the bad guys. When people carry concealed weapons, the crooks don't know who is armed and who is not. Of all the potential downsides to a life of crime, the risk of coming down with a sudden case of bullet wounds from an armed citizen is a risk that most criminals would prefer not to take.
Open carry does not serve the same function for society.[1] Criminals, at least the ones who are brain-dead, can see and avoid people who carry openly, just as they can avoid committing crimes within the sight of a uniformed cop. Open carry deters specifically, concealed carry deters generally. That is why I think concealed carry is a better option.
But if you prefer to carry openly and it is legal where you live, have at it. It may work for you, but not so much for me.
[1]Of course, there are times when open carry is the only practical method, such as when using a handgun for hunting as it is pretty hard to conceal a revolver that weighs three pounds, has an 8" barrel and a scope sight.
Of the two, I think that concealed carry is the way to go.
The first concern is an individual one, the technical name for it is "weapon retention". There is a reason why uniformed cops do not wear fast-draw holsters and that is to keep the bad guys from taking the weapons. There was a story awhile back about a gent who was openly carrying and a mall cop tried to grab his gun from behind. The gent was well trained in weapon retention; the mall cop wound up on the deck with a broken face. Anyone who open-carries in public would do well to be so trained.
The second issue is societal and no, I am not referring to the people who have the vapors at seeing someone else legally packing heat. Concealed carry has an important function in general deterrence of the bad guys. When people carry concealed weapons, the crooks don't know who is armed and who is not. Of all the potential downsides to a life of crime, the risk of coming down with a sudden case of bullet wounds from an armed citizen is a risk that most criminals would prefer not to take.
Open carry does not serve the same function for society.[1] Criminals, at least the ones who are brain-dead, can see and avoid people who carry openly, just as they can avoid committing crimes within the sight of a uniformed cop. Open carry deters specifically, concealed carry deters generally. That is why I think concealed carry is a better option.
But if you prefer to carry openly and it is legal where you live, have at it. It may work for you, but not so much for me.
[1]Of course, there are times when open carry is the only practical method, such as when using a handgun for hunting as it is pretty hard to conceal a revolver that weighs three pounds, has an 8" barrel and a scope sight.
You Just Have to Love Those "Family Values" Republicans
Especially when they allegedly get caught stepping out of their alleged closets:
Yeah, that's the ticket.
UPDATE: It now seems that the hypocritical little fuckwad has been doing his research at gay nightclubs in Sacramento for years. Like West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon, I don't have a problem with Ashburn doing a little fudge-packing in his free time, but I have a big problem with his both being a closeted gay man and his promoting an anti-gay agenda. It would be like a Jew going from Sabbath services to participate in a skinhead event.
(H/T)
Sources tell CBS13 a state senator from Southern California was arrested for allegedly driving drunk after leaving Faces, a gay nightclub in midtown Sacramento, early Wednesday morning.Oh, I get it: He was conducting research into the gay lifestyle.
The California Highway Patrol pulled over Senator Roy Ashburn at 2:00 a.m. Wednesday after an officer noticed a black Chevy Tahoe swerving at 13th and L Streets.
...
Ashburn, a father of four, is a Republican Senator representing parts of Kern, Tulare and San Bernardino Counties with a history of opposing gay rights.
Yeah, that's the ticket.
UPDATE: It now seems that the hypocritical little fuckwad has been doing his research at gay nightclubs in Sacramento for years. Like West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon, I don't have a problem with Ashburn doing a little fudge-packing in his free time, but I have a big problem with his both being a closeted gay man and his promoting an anti-gay agenda. It would be like a Jew going from Sabbath services to participate in a skinhead event.
(H/T)
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