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With over 13,200 comments on O/T, we have to do a little house cleaning and begin a new and improved O/T Post. The sever, right now, has to retrieve all of them, each and every time. Every 13,000! Whew!!

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Are you more knowledgeable than the average citizen? The average score for all 2,508 Americans taking the following test was 49%; college educators scored 55%. Can you do better? Questions were drawn from past ISI surveys, as well as other nationally recognized exams.

The following questions were taken from the 2008 Civic Literacy exam.

Take the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) Civics Quiz

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Smedley ButlerKQµårk 死神SueInCaMightywoofHaruko Haruhara Recent comment authors
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Smedley Butler
Member

Way to take your money out of corporate America’s mouth!

“Following speeches by Conway and Wisconsin Professional Firefighters Association Mahlon Mitchell, the firefighters marched to the M&I Bank across the street and picketed the bank and withdrew $192,000.”

http://www.dane101.com/current/2011/03/10/firefighters_target_mi_bank_for_executive_support_of_walker

KQµårk 死神
Member

I guess Dems just need to talk stupid better.

“In a new Kaiser Health poll, just 52% of Americans knew that the health care reform bill signed into law by President Obama is still in place. Meanwhile, one fifth — 22% — of all Americans believe that the law has been overturned, while another 26% aren’t sure what’s up with the law.”

The biggest thing this shows is Obama did not lie during the HCR debate. Most Americans coverage is not going to be affected and the lie is the bill is a government takeover. I know the major parts of the bill to cover the uninsured have not kicked in yet. But that part of the law will not effect most people either save for premiums being subsidized and better coverage.

Abbyrose86
Member

Actually I think you have a valid point, the dems do need to dumb it down a bit. When I was studying journalism….(many moons ago) we were taught to write for a 6th grade reading level, as that was the reading comprehension level of most audiences. Sadly, we on the left often forget the bell curves and assume people understand more complex concept than they actually do…as a result, I think we lose people’s attention and lose the debates.

I is actually very difficult to do, more so than many think, especially if one possesses a rather large vocabulary, or a deep understanding of a subject.

However, I do think it is why the dems have a hard time…the messaging just doesn’t resonate with the masses. The GOP is very good at framing the messages in such a way, that even a ‘caveman’ could get it’.

Marion
Member

K I S S … Keep It Simple, Stupid … that’s the mantra of Frank Luntz and the one adopted by the Republican Party.

Regrettably, many “Progressives” tend to look down upon and deride people with 6th grade comprehension abilities … and that’s neither “progressive” nor tolerant.

Khirad
Member

Oh, this doesn’t help…

Arizona shooting victim arrested after threat
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_congressman_shot_victim_arrested

escribacat
Member

Phonyton Post now using the term “Obamacare” in its headlines:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/15/health-care-reform-repeal_2_n_809510.html

The term Obamacare is charged with negative connotations. Do ya think HP is just too damn stupid to realize that or is their agenda becoming more transparent?

bito
Member

Did they call it “The Jobs-Killing Obamacare” ? Word must have come down from one of the hedge funds to sing a different song.

escribacat
Member

Just about:
Health Care Reform Repeal Debate: Will Obamacare Really Kill Jobs?

bito
Member

Creative bunch there, they didn’t just regurgitate the RNC talking point, they brain-stormed it to come up with a new phrase saying the same thing. Guess that’s why they get the big bucks and get on the TeeVee. 😉

bito
Member

Civics Quiz

Are you more knowledgeable than the average citizen? The average score for all 2,508 Americans taking the following test was 49%; college educators scored 55%. Can you do better? Questions were drawn from past ISI surveys, as well as other nationally recognized exams.

The following questions were taken from the 2008 Civic Literacy exam.

I haven’t taken it yet, but I suspect that every one here will do better than 49%.

H/T The Monkey Cage

kesmarn
Admin

🙁 I only got a 96, b’ito.

But there’s another reason for a sad face, too.

Our elected officials. Turns out they know less than the average Joe who votes for ’em…

Additional Finding
Elected Officials Score Lower than the General Public

Officeholders typically have less civic knowledge than the general public. On average, they score 44%, five percentage points lower than non-officeholders.

* Thirty percent of elected officials do not know that “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” are the inalienable rights referred to in the Declaration of Independence.

bito
Member

Wow, k’es, 96! That’s a pretty high bar you have set for the Planet.
Yes, beyond taking the test, looking at the findings and summaries is interesting. I didn’t see the one about officeholders. Maybe we should all do a printout of the test and ask our officials to take it, better yet, have the candidates take them before the first vote is cast.

kesmarn
Admin

I think the Planeteers will sail through the quiz, b’ito, but The Palinator would be in deep doo-doo for sure.

Khirad
Member

90.91 %

Missed:
#8
#29
#33

Once I saw them I knew they were those where I was between two and wasn’t sure. I really should have gotten 8 though. It was the most sensible answer.

bito
Member

Just barely above the national average, Khirad. 😉

escribacat
Member

Well unlike those two little show-offs below me, I scored an 88. I missed 4 (cant’ remember which). I was pretty horrified to read some of the scores by people who said they’d held a public office. They scored really low (half and a third correct) on very basic questions about capitalism. Wow. I guess you don’t have to be too well educated to run for office, eh? Just gotta know how to schmooze and market yourself.

kesmarn
Admin

It helps if you’re old enough to remember the Lincoln-Douglas debates, e’cat.

bito
Member

Did you like Mr. Lincoln with or without his beard, k’es. 😉

escribacat
Member

Do we need to start calling you Smart Granny Kes? 😆 PS: I’m old enough to remember my folks watching JFK on TV and I remember the day of his assassination.

bito
Member

e’cat, if you think one has to be smart/knowledgeable to be elected to the house, think “Louie Gommert” (R-TX) 😆

escribacat
Member

I had to look him up, Bito. Mr. “Terror Baby!” A plot that sounds like something Jared Loughner would come up with. “The terror babies are controlling our grammar!!”

Khirad
Member

You won’t be surprised that he is also one of the arch Islamophobes who couldn’t even bring himself to support a Nowruz resolution recognizing a Persian cultural event celebrated by Iranian-Americans.

boomer1949
Member

Woe is me, 66.67% 🙁

Khirad
Member

This is about as off topic as you can get, but my grandma is watching a sermon of her pastor on her computer loud enough so I can hear it from the next room (her hearing, not passive aggressive), and let’s just say he thinks there’s no debate about the infallibility of the Bible and exhorts his church to show love to those that don’t know His love. And yet, he says it as a battle cry, in a tone that sounds like a threat.

Seriously, it’s jarring and quite frankly scares the shit out of me.

SueInCa
Member

Oh my goodness. Keep an eye on her pocketbook(that is prob what she calls it LOL) so she does not send any money to the shyster.

Khirad
Member

He’s come over. She literally lives across the street. Still he only does what is the most minimal. Wouldn’t you know he wears a leather jacket and uses the word ‘awesome’ a lot? He also totally has the hair. That jet black greasy look.

Seriously creeps me out. I tend to find an excuse to leave.

bito
Member

How many “prayer cloths (each@19.95)” has she tried to give you, Khirad?

bito
Member

Wow, what an impressive panel of foreign policy experts in the video. They have really thought this out thoroughly.

Fearing High Gas Prices, Sean Hannity Proposes Re-Invading Iraq and Kuwait To ‘Take All Their Oil’

H/T ThinkProgress

SueInCa
Member

OMG Bito that is funny. My suggestion to them is to look closer to home for who is spinning the prices of commodities over the top, Goldman Sachs and about 15 other enities who were given a special exemption from the CFTC to speculate in commodities. If there is a shortage, why are there no gas lines? Exactly who in the Arab world has raised their prices?

If they were actually journalists, instead of playing a role on the newest Hollywood set, they would have researched the situation and learned how it is really happening. GS and friends are placing bets on the prices of commodities to go up. That is what is happening. They give cover to the people/corp supplying the commodities to raise prices and the companies who do so pay them back a percentage for how long those prices went up.

Read: Griftopia by Matt Taibbi. He covers this in that book. It is another gambling table for them to work. Bush administration(first) started handing these out. When a congressional aide heard it mentioned in 08 in a meeting he asked for copies of the letters of exemption and the CFTC realizing they had blown it, blew it further by saying they had to ask for permission from Goldman Sachs. CFTC heads including Brooksley Born did not know the letters existed.

bito
Member

Very good synopsis of the situation, Sue. What worries me is how many Fox robots and neo-cons are yelling “Hell, Yeah, we fought for that oil, we liberated them, let’s go take it, besides they’re Islamists anyway.
Instead of going to war on oil and fighting against ANY financial reform and regulation, they should be storming Wall Street speculators.
Railing against Big Gubmunt and burrowcrats is so much easier than trying to understand the basics of the financial world.
It would take more than 140 character tweet from Simple S’arah, so it must be hard. If she can’t understand it, who can?

bito
Member

Gotta love it. 😀

Fox ‘shoots hunter’ in Belarus
A wounded fox shot its would be killer in Belarus by pulling the trigger on the hunter’s gun as the pair scuffled after the man tried to finish the animal off with the butt of the rifle, media said on Thursday.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/8258540/Fox-shoots-hunter-in-Belarus.html

Khirad
Member

Lukashenko better keep a watch out for foxes (besides his nurses, that is).

bito
Member

Khirad, 😆

bito
Member

This is a nice read, you can feel the emotion in their description of being with Gabby when she opened her eyes.

Press Gaggle by Senator Gillibrand and Representative Wasserman Schultz Aboard Air Force One en route Andrews Air Force Base

bito
Member
Khirad
Member

Univ. Confirms It Was Responsible For Tucson Memorial T-Shirts Criticized By Conservatives

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/01/au-confirms-it-was-in-charge-of-making-those-t-shirts.php

First of all, they’re unpatriotic. Second of all, they’re dumbfucks.

Where oh where might they have found a stock of navy blue shirts on such short notice?

[img]http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_124000%2fFF_124369_xl.jpg&w=400[/img]

Khirad
Member

Long time Portland resident shot in Tucson also witnessed Kent State.

Just bizarre.

http://www.kgw.com/news/Man-with-Portland-ties-shot-recovering-in-Tucson-113725459.html

bito
Member

Patsy,k’es, you may like this.

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), announced its 2011 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers selection list. The list is presented annually at the ALA Midwinter Meeting.
The Quick Picks list suggests books that teens, ages 12-18, will pick up on their own and read for pleasure; it is geared to the teenager who, for whatever reason, does not like to read.

* Amason, Jessica and Richard Blakeley. “This is Why You’re Fat: Where Dreams Become Heart Attacks.“ HarperCollins/Harper Studio, 2009.
* Brereton, Catherine, Philip Steele, and Hannah Wilson. “Warriors Versus Warriors: Ten Fighters, Five Battles, ONE WINNER.” Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/Kingfisher, 2009.
* Elkeles, Simone. “Rules of Attraction: A Perfect Chemistry Novel.” Bloomsbury/Walker. 2010.
* Hasler, Nikol. “Sex: A Book for Teens: An Uncensored Guide to Your Body, Sex and Safety.” Zest/Orange Avenue Publishing, 2010.
* Keplinger, Kody. ”The D.U.F.F.(Designated Ugly Fat Friend).” Little, Brown Books for Young Readers/Poppy, 2010.
* Neri, G. and Randy DuBurke. “Yummy: the Last Days of a Southside Shorty.” Lee & Low, 2010.
* Rainfield, Cheryl. “Scars.” Westside Books, 2010.
* Summers, Courtney. “Some Girls Are.” St. Martin’s Griffin. 2010.
* Volponi, Paul. “Rikers High.” Penguin Group/Viking, 2010.
* Von D, Kat with Sandra Bark. ”The Tattoo Chronicles.” HarperCollins/Collins Design, 2010.

http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/news/ala/yalsa-names-2011-quick-picks-reluctant-young-adult-readers

boomer1949
Member

So, has anyone seen this from MediaMatters? WOW!

SueInCa
Member

Gosh Boomer, I think he used alot of words she will never understand. Existential etc. Good piece from Media Matters though. Thanks

boomer1949
Member

You betcha’!

Chernynkaya
Member

Boomer, that was just perfect. Thanks.

bito
Member

Tonight’s local news from Tucson. The first story is on Cristina’s funeral on the video.
http://www.kvoa.com/home/

kesmarn
Admin

b’ito, I’m a coward. I can’t watch. They started to cover it on Nightline and I had to turn it off…

bito
Member

Sorry k’es for not answering you, I was busy drying my eyes after reading Michelle’s Letter.

kesmarn
Admin

It’s a wonderful letter, b’ito.

Isn’t it strange that it takes a tragedy like this to bring us back full circle to the more noble sentiments that were everywhere on election night, when we realized that we had elected our first black president?

He called us to be our best selves back then and he did the same thing last night.

bito
Member

I was thinking of his speech today, the one he gave in Chicago on election night, too.
Amazing the hate spewed at these two wonderful,warm and sincere people.

kesmarn
Admin

There were tears that night, too, b’ito. For a different reason, of course.

Just caught a small glimpse of some quotes from Limbaugh today. The absolute, polar opposite of the Prez and/or his wife. Amazing is the word for it.

He said that the shooter is probably resting easy in the knowledge that he has the total support of the “Democrat” party. Said for one purpose only, I’m sure: to produce outrage. Sad.

Chernynkaya
Member

I was just listening to Chris Matthews talking to Uncle Pat Buchannan about the speech. Puchannon was saying how great it was, but getting in a dig about how Obama also called for people to stop blaming. He was implying that Obama was calling on Dems to STFU about rhetoric. Matthews accepted that implication and said something really telling: “Well, he [Obama]has his job, and I have mine!”

In other words, as as I read it, Chris was admitting that HIS job was to churn out controversy–not to rise above it. Ok, I get it, but it was pretty blatant.

Then after a long disagreement with Puchannan, Matthews said goodnight, and “You and I will disagree. We should, or we won’t be working here anymore.”{Laughter.]

It’s all an act–theater. No principles about anything.