Displaying 541 To 570 Of 10,917 Comments This is a very bad day on several fronts. Well, Civil Wars are never easy. The Court has already proven itself to be partisan and unethical–Thomas is only the most blatant example. » Posted By Chernynkaya On March 27, 2012 @ 11:51 am Narrative du jour on the individual mandate: it’s in big trouble with SCOTUS and Verelli had a bad day arguing for the Administration. So I am taking several deep breaths and reminding myself that the media has a stake in fomenting drama; that Kennedy is reasonable; that the decision isn’t due until June; and that anyone who says they can predict what the Court will do about anything is kidding themselves. And regardless, I can’t do a damn thing about it anyway. (I can think of a dozen reasons why this Court will strike down the mandate or even the entire law, but I won’t go there.) » Posted By Chernynkaya On March 27, 2012 @ 11:03 am Long story short, my son downloaded all the Star Trek episodes (along with tons of other stuff) for me to watch on my TV. This one StarTrek episode was prophetic and foresaw the Tea Baggers: Remember that one?
» Posted By Chernynkaya On March 26, 2012 @ 11:36 pm Ooh– excellent news! Catholic Bishops Lose a Big Battle Over Contraception But on Friday, a federal judge in Massachusetts essentially validated the Obama administration’s position, ruling in favor of the ACLU in the lawsuit over the contract. Even though the bishops no longer have the contract, they had joined with the ACLU in asking the judge to rule in the case to settle the constitutional issues. US District Judge Richard Stearns explained why the bishops were in the wrong. He wrote: To insist that the government respect the separation of church and state is not to discriminate against religion; indeed, it promotes a respect for religion by refusing to single out any creed for official favor at the expense of all others….This case is about the limits of the government’s ability to delegate to a religious institution the right to use taxpayer money to impose its beliefs on others (who may or may not share them). Stearns also cited an earlier Supreme Court ruling that found that the Framers “did not set up a system of government in which important, discretionary governmental powers would be delegated to or shared with religious institutions.” The judge’s ruling is potentially a big one: It calls into question the entire basis of the federal faith-based contracting initiative, implemented by George W. Bush, which gave tremendous power to groups like USCCB over taxpayer dollars. Stearns found, in fact, that it was USCCB that was making the decisions about how the federal anti-trafficking law should be administered—a job that properly rests with the government, not the church. » Posted By Chernynkaya On March 26, 2012 @ 10:16 pm Oh, wow, I think you hit on something there. Her book is not about the drift to the right, per se, but about the way she perceives our MIC since Vietnam, if I understand it. But to be fair, she has been saying we have moved rightward for as long as I’ve been watching. As a gay woman, I find it odd that she’d see it that way, since I consider gay rights to be one of the most dramatic shifts to the Left in my lifetime. That’s not to say that I think the country is as left as it was in the early part of the 20th century, but c’mon. » Posted By Chernynkaya On March 22, 2012 @ 10:35 pm AdLib, apropos of that, I heard an interesting conversation between Rachel Maddow and Chris Hayes tonight. She began by showing that in a number of red states, some of the more outrageous anti-women bills are being withdrawn to be re-written a bit more moderately. She was saying that this is now a trend, since it’s happening simultaneously in the various states. Rachel in general has the view that the Right keeps escalating the rightward rhetoric and legislation and thus the center of the country keeps shifting in that direction. (I tend to agree. For example, I’ve come to think that Santorum is not actually running for president so much as using this as an opportunity to repeat RR POVs until they start to sound less scary and extreme. It’s a known tactic by which we become desensitized.) But Chris Hayes has the opposite take. He thinks that we are in fact, winning the culture wars. He pointed out that they have already “squeezed every last bit of juice” out of the culture wars: in Mississippi, there is now only one abortion provider in the state. What else is there to do? Their last attempt to intrude in womens’ health (a draconian bill about contraception) was rejected overwhelmingly by voters. His larger point was that the Right not only overreached in so many instances, now the entire Republican world-view is seen for the extreme it is; that the Party itself is discredited. They have acted so radically that a large majority now see the Right for the extremists they are, and therefore we are winning. I don’t know which side I believe, but I do think that the pendulum is definitely starting to swing back. I do believe that on gay marriage, for example, we are definitely on course for legalization. The Pew report bolsters Chris Hayes’ position. It sure seems as though people don’t think anything through. In 2010 majorities were all gung ho about religion, Baggers, and all the issues we felt were repugnant. They don’t seem to get the concept of unintended consequences and the slippery slope. Same with the buyers’ remorse we see in states like Ohio, Florida, etc. Well, we saw it coming.The only upside for me is that they now get it. » Posted By Chernynkaya On March 21, 2012 @ 10:45 pm Just RT’s that–:lol: 😆 There are now so many vids I can hardly keep up. » Posted By Chernynkaya On March 21, 2012 @ 1:17 pm Romney, The Etch-A-Sketch Candidate: » Posted By Chernynkaya On March 21, 2012 @ 11:08 am Killgore there are tens of millions of stories like that. And I bet your friend had some skills too. We are incarcerating a large percentage of each generation and how does society expect these people to survive once released? I’m not even addressing the injustice of their sentences–just that they will never be able to get a decent job after prison. If I had been in jail for a victimless crime like pot, I think I would turn to crime too. What am I supposed to do if I can’t find work? And another thing: even without a record, people think poor uneducated folks can just pick up and move around. People have no idea the constrictions the poor are under. I thank Barbara Erenreich (sp?) for teaching me. » Posted By Chernynkaya On March 17, 2012 @ 3:55 pm Amen, AdLib. That’s what I thought too. She and Mahre say over and over ad nauseum how this is merely “a snapshot” yada yada, yet she made the videos and aired them on an HBO show. She found the worst stereotypes to reinforce our prejudices. Hey, I can find you a bad Asian driver here in L.A., or a lazy Mexican if I tried. I can find you a few Jewish bankers, and I can even find you a filthy rich, elite white guy, dripping with condescension and privilege who will set the hairs on your neck up–oh wait, too easy–he’s on TV every night and is running for President. But beyond all that stereotyping, the people on the welfare video really didn’t surprise me nor set my hair on fire. To be honest, the toothless Mississippians did more. For one thing, I’m such a dyed-in-the wool Lib that I agreed with the guy who said he can’t get a job because he was in jail–that’s a fact. I even said to my husband, “Damn, the New Yorkers are smarter than the Yahoos–at least they are doing something in their self-interest!” The difference between those two groups–as extreme and unrepresentative as they are–is that one group would prefer to act out of resentment and hatred, and the other out of self-interest. Government benefits like welfare, Medicare, Social Security help millions of Americans–all kinds. Some may be undeserving, some cheat. So what? Sure, I wish we lived in a prefect world, but I’d much rather have to put up with a percentage of malingerers than not be able to help the rest of us. And another thing (since I’m on my soap box): Did you see the movie “Precious”? I thought about it as I watched the video. There are literally millions of dysfunctional people in the country: people who have no mental or emotional skills. They are not certifiable but they are in one way or another broken. Go to any remedial program or jobs training program, and you can see people who are functionally illiterate. People who don’t know what to wear to a job interview or know that they have to be on time–really basic information that we all take for granted. They cannot get a job even in flush times. There IS an underclass, and I don’t know what to do about that. Let them starve? » Posted By Chernynkaya On March 17, 2012 @ 3:14 pm Happy St. Paddy’s and top o’ the mornin! I just saw the new Alexandra Pelosi video, which is a kind of book end to her video last week of the Republicans in Mississippi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfdEtW5DCAk. The new one interviews people trying to get SS benefits in NY, and I can see why it’s upsetting to some. But the thing is, it’s not as upsetting to me as the first video. » Posted By Chernynkaya On March 17, 2012 @ 10:07 am That is so cute my teeth ache! It’s like not even real it’s so cute! Want it! » Posted By Chernynkaya On February 19, 2012 @ 11:06 pm I just thought this was so typical of how we older people react once we finally get on Twitter: For some unknown reason, I just got followed by Judith Sheindlin (who I thought must be an old acquaintance from my synagogue days, but turns out she’s Judge Judy). So after a couple of days she tweets @OfficialCBSJudy 😆 » Posted By Chernynkaya On February 19, 2012 @ 10:57 pm kes you got me thinking (again!) and Murphy Brown was written by Diane English: Diane English, the creator of ‘Murphy Brown,’ will receive the Writers Guild of America West’s highest television writing honor, the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award, next month. Perfect! I saw the MB story and can only shake my head–in disbelief, in repulsion, in sadness. If you get a chance–this of course goes for ALL Planeteers–read this essay from Common Dreams: » Posted By Chernynkaya On February 17, 2012 @ 12:40 pm I wonder what Karl Rove was doing in 1995. Did he write that cheat-sheet? » Posted By Chernynkaya On February 17, 2012 @ 11:16 am KT, exactly–and I’ve always loved that quote, because it’s so short and rings so true. But you really nailed it–what was parody on Murphy Brown has become the norm! » Posted By Chernynkaya On February 17, 2012 @ 10:55 am OMG this is fantastic! The more things change, the more they stay the same. » Posted By Chernynkaya On February 17, 2012 @ 10:36 am I saw it. I tweeted about it and lots of people had the same reaction. She had the GALL to say that the contraception issue was the same as “Balloon Boy.” Just another media faux controversy. My blood boiled. » Posted By Chernynkaya On February 16, 2012 @ 8:42 pm Total change of subject but I can’t stop thinking about this: So anyway, I get to the Hyatt FB page for that place–somewhere in the South I think–and there is a large picture of a couple I knew long ago. I don’t really understand FB, but the picture identified this couple as “friends of Hyatt” or somesuch. I was telling my son this, saying how that was such a coincidence! And he laughed and told me it wasn’t a coincidence at all–that FB KNEW that I knew these people. Is that true?! Look, I know there is really no privacy on the internet, and I know that if I shop online I can expect to see ads from that store on every site I visit after that. But these people are in my past–they weren’t even close friends, just acquaintances from maybe 6 years ago. So, just wow. Creepy! » Posted By Chernynkaya On February 16, 2012 @ 8:39 pm Oh, of course, Sally! It never occurred to me that you were lecturing. » Posted By Chernynkaya On February 16, 2012 @ 8:24 pm I can’t WAIT until November. I wish the election was tonight! I’m seething. » Posted By Chernynkaya On February 16, 2012 @ 8:06 pm I used to keep kosher, but even after I stopped I still ordered kosher meals on planes just because they were fresher. » Posted By Chernynkaya On February 16, 2012 @ 8:04 pm A moment of levity–this is the BEST typo from the NYT’s in like forever! » Posted By Chernynkaya On February 16, 2012 @ 8:01 pm Khirad, they disgust me. Guess what? Jewish hospitals DO serve pork. But if you want you can order a Kosher meal. That’s the default: You serve the general public, and if religious patients want Kosher meals THEY have to order it. » Posted By Chernynkaya On February 16, 2012 @ 7:39 pm Kalima, this is really too much–my head is about to explode. But as I wrote below, I’m glad these cretins are being honest–no dog whistles, no winks and nudges: spit it out. Let’s find out once and for all what kind of country this really is. » Posted By Chernynkaya On February 16, 2012 @ 7:34 pm Sally, I’m as irate as you. But good. Let all this shit hit the fan. They are no longer using dog whistles but now are just flat out coming out with what they really believe, and I say bring it on. Let the public understand exactly who they are and what they believe without any code. » Posted By Chernynkaya On February 16, 2012 @ 7:31 pm I didn’t see it live, but to respond to what you said earlier, I do wish that interview had gone on longer because Freiss said so much repugnant shit. It wasn’t just about the aspirin–although that sent me through the roof. He said crazy stuff about just everything! » Posted By Chernynkaya On February 16, 2012 @ 7:28 pm That’s gorgeous. It’s very Sufi which is why I like the mytics as opposed to the more mainstream. The riff on the “sanctuary” though makes the point that there is no sanctuary other than the heart, i.e., no special place. It’s a repudiation of literal interpretation. » Posted By Chernynkaya On February 16, 2012 @ 12:11 pm Again, this guy is the major backer of Santorum who is leading GOP polls for President of the United States of America. » Posted By Chernynkaya On February 16, 2012 @ 12:01 pm Khirad, as you know I am inept. Here’s the video: » Posted By Chernynkaya On February 16, 2012 @ 11:57 amComments Posted By Chernynkaya
[img]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JtPgagdt5MI/Tiwn2wHOCvI/AAAAAAAAE7g/MBoAkop_QLU/s320/omega.jpg[/img]
The Dems are putting them out so fast! Honestly, I can’t think of a worse image for his own campaign to put out there. Pure gold! They might as well have dressed him up as a giant Flip-Flop.
Anyway, see what you think:
Didn’t realize the time. Been reading through Twitter, the amount of information and users is staggering, it’s live information!
I remember the first time I got on the internet. I felt so excited but overwhelmed. It felt as though a whole new universe had opened up and I had found it. It was a fantastic feeling! For days, I would surf randomly–and this was when there was only dial-up. Didn’t matter to me. It was just so much information I was giddy.
“Empathy has crashed. No more cruel to be kind. We must simply be cruel.”
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/02/16-3#.Tz2zKjpe02o.twitter
Tea Party Congressman circa 1995 (doesn’t feel that long ago but it was almost 20 yrs ago!)
I was talking to my son and told him that I joined Facebook not for social media, but because I had to join
in order to complain to some Hyatt Hotel where they gave Pamela Geller a free conference room.
https://p.twimg.com/Alz1pIXCEAEQWjj.jpg
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