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skippy the bush kangaroo

Thursday, July 01, 2010

happy canada day, eh?

a warm wish for all of our next door neighbors to the north. o canada!

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posted by Cookie Jill at 10:42 PM | 0 comments

mad about the supreme story

mad kane, that is!
posted by skippy at 1:02 AM | 1 comments

question of the day...

al gore is a "crazed sex poodle"?

this story has more red flags in it than a russian victory day parade. we heard about this kind of nonsense over and over again when the subject was bill clinton and he was the president. nearly all of it was false, but times were different and better then. unless these allegations about gore are true, we don't have time for this sort of thing anymore.

this woman, whoever she is, needs to either put up or shut up, the sooner the better...

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posted by Jim Yeager at 12:05 AM | 2 comments

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

u.s. supreme court gives u.s. political prisoner

a second chance.
in 2006, former democratic alabama governor don siegelman was sentenced to serve seven years in a bribery case. siegelman charges that he was the victim of political persecution by former bush official karl rove, and his case has been plagued by improper conduct by the prosecution. in 2008, a “bipartisan group of 54 former state attorneys general from across the country” supported siegelman’s bid to overturn his conviction, but a year later, the 11th u.s. circuit court of appeals in atlanta upheld five of the seven charges. today, however, the supreme court gave siegelman a second chance, ordering the court to look at his case again - think progress

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posted by Cookie Jill at 11:07 PM | 0 comments

heartbreaking

just heartbreaking.

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posted by Cookie Jill at 10:12 PM | 0 comments

there is no way this can last...

dwight eisenhower, via harper's:

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals. It is some fifty miles of concrete pavement. We pay for a single fighter plane with a half million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people. This is, I repeat, the best way of life to be found on the road the world has been taking. This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron. […] Is there no other way the world may live?

in 2003, author and journalist chris hedges had a book published: war is a force that gives us meaning. in it, he wrote that within every human being, there is a struggle between what he called eros and thanatos -- love and death, respectively. he had covered wars in all parts of the world for some fifteen years, so he most definitely knew what he was talking about.

now, here we are in 2010, having waged two wars we know deep down that we just can't win for a combined sixteen years. and though the president has said many times that he wants to bring the soldiers home, there isn't really any talk of ending either war, or wanting to end it, except among independent media outlets -- and maybe some petty-ass bloggers like me who cannot for the life of them understand why the powers that be would choose thanatos over eros.

both of these wars are going to end, if only because both of them are unsustainable. but that doesn't have to be the reason why they end. not yet, at least...

(link via alternate brain...)

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posted by Jim Yeager at 4:41 PM | 3 comments

maybe he meant 'aunt'

john boehner is the gift that keeps on giving. now he says the financial crisis, whether you call it a recession or depression, is nothing more than an 'ant.' the hill:
president barack obama has attacked house gop leader john boehner for comparing the financial crisis to an ant.

obama struck out at boehner (r-ohio) during a town hall meeting in racine, wis., for saying the wall street reform bill was akin to using a nuclear weapon to kill an ant.

"that’s right. he compared the financial crisis to an ant," obama said, according to prepared remarks. "the same financial crisis that led to the loss of nearly eight million jobs. the same crisis that cost people their homes and their lives' savings."

while obama did not mention boehner by name in excerpts released by the white house, he made it clear who he was talking about by suggesting that "if the republican leader is that out of touch with the struggles facing the american people, he should come here to racine and ask people if they think the financial crisis was an ant."
steve benen elaborates:
house minority leader john boehner (r-ohio) handed democrats another opportunity this week, arguing that sweeping wall street reform efforts are simply unnecessary. an unregulated financial industry nearly destroyed the global economy, but as far as boehner is concerned, democratic policymakers are "killing an ant with a nuclear weapon." even boehner's press office had trouble spinning this one away.

dems are trying to capitalize on the minority leader accidentally saying what he really believes, since it fits so nicely into democrats' larger campaign themes. cnn noted that "boehner's comments couldn't come at a better time for democrats, who are on the eve of passing the financial reform bill with little-to-none gop support and are eager to portray republicans as out of step with main street america."

to that end, the dnc has a new web video mocking boehner, and more importantly, president obama intends to emphasize the point at a town-hall event in wisconsin this afternoon. according to the prepared text:
"as we speak, we're on the verge of passing the most comprehensive financial reform since the great depression -- reform that will prevent a crisis like this from happening again. it's reform that will protect our economy from the recklessness and irresponsibility of a few. reform that will protect consumers against the unfair practices of credit card companies and mortgage lenders. reform that ensures taxpayers are never again on the hook for wall street's mistakes.

"but most of our friends in the other party are planning on voting against this reform. in fact, just yesterday, i was stunned to hear the leader of the republicans in the house say that financial reform was like using a nuclear weapon to target an ant. that's right. he compared the financial crisis to an ant. the same financial crisis that led to the loss of nearly eight million jobs. the same crisis that cost people their homes and their lives savings.

"well if the republican leader is that out of touch with the struggles facing the american people, he should come here to racine and ask people if they think the financial crisis was an ant. he should ask the men and women who've been out of work for months at a time. he should ask the americans who send me letters every night that talk about how they're barely hanging on...
will this have the staying power as joe barton's (r-texas) apology to bp (another item obama is scheduled to emphasize today) or john mccain's "fundamentals of the economy are strong" line? i rather doubt it. but as democrats continue to push the theme that republicans are on the wrong side of every issue that matters, boehner's candor certainly helps.
posted by skippy at 10:02 AM | 1 comments

mad about these sorry republicans

mad kane, that is!
posted by skippy at 10:01 AM | 1 comments

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

what in the hell...

the topic is jacob's ladder body piercings. if you don't know what that is, i envy you, but go here if you want to know anyway. i hope you haven't eaten anything lately.

the only reason i'm even talking about this is, back in march, i finally worked up enough nerve to get one of my ears pierced. took me about a year and a half because i hate needles, but i still wanted to do it -- and once i did it, it took two months for my ear to completely heal, which was doubly irritating because i got one of those continuous loop earrings that never come out unless you pry the ends apart and remove it that way. one day, i may do that and either replace it with a different earring or leave the hole empty, but i will never ever get another piercing -- not only did it take too long to heal, it stung like a bastard for hours once i did it.

so, in light of all that, i have no idea at all why any man would willingly subject himself to this. that is insane...

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posted by Jim Yeager at 7:00 PM | 7 comments

end cannabis prohibition now

the california naacp agrees:
the state naacp is expressing "unconditional support" for the november ballot measure to legalize marijuana, continuing proponents' framing of it as a civil rights issue.

"we are joining a growing number of medical professionals, labor organizations, law enforcement authorities, local municipalities, and approximately 56 percent of the public, in saying that it is time to decriminalize the use of marijuana," state naacp president alice huffman said in a news release monday. "there is a strong racial component that must be considered when we investigate how the marijuana laws are applied to people of color."

the measure, control and tax cannabis initiative 2010, was designated monday as proposition 19.

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posted by mahakal at 12:47 PM | 5 comments

bless this

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posted by mahakal at 9:15 AM | 0 comments

skippy looks at books: inside out - another reminder

barry eisler's inside out is available in book stores today!

remember, we thought it was a ripping good yarn!
posted by skippy at 3:58 AM | 0 comments

Monday, June 28, 2010

because mahakal said yes...



even though it had nothing to do with yes.

enjoy...

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posted by Jim Yeager at 1:06 PM | 0 comments

will somebody please...

make this stop? headline:

kagan promises impartiality as hearings open

listen, i'm not questioning her honesty here. it's just that when you're a judge, you're supposed to be impartial -- and she's in line to become the next u.s. supreme court justice, so why is this even a story?

and don't get me started on this whole "bipartisanship" thing. i've had enough of that $#!+, too...

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posted by Jim Yeager at 11:56 AM | 0 comments

rip robert byrd

nytimes:
robert c. byrd, who used his record tenure as a united states senator to fight for the primacy of the legislative branch of government and to build a modern west virginia with vast amounts of federal money, died early monday. he was 92.

his office said he about 3 a.m. at inova hospital in fairfax, va. senator byrd had been admitted to the hospital late last week with symptoms of heat exhaustion and severe dehydration as temperatures in the washington area approached 100 degrees. though he was initially expected to be released after a few days, his condition deteriorated. he had been in failing health for several years.

mr. byrd’s death comes as senate democrats are working to pass the final version of the financial overhaul bill and win other procedural battles in the week before the independence day recess. in the polarized atmosphere of washington, president obama’s agenda seemed to hinge on mr. byrd’s health. earlier this year, in the final days of the health care debate, the ailing senator was pushed onto the senate floor in his plaid wheelchair so he could cast his votes.

governor joe manchin iii, a democrat, will appoint an interim successor to mr. byrd.
christy hardin smith gives us some personal observations about the senator:
my first memory of him is him playing the orange blossom special (youtube) on the stage at the wood county fair. he was brilliant, with a twinkle in his eye that said he loved every minute of the challenge.

it wasn’t until after he finished that i found out the great fiddler on the stage was also my state senator.

robert c. byrd served the state of west virginia, first in the us house of representatives from 1953 until 1958. he was elected to the united state senate in 1958, and has served there ever since. byrd ran for national office a total of 15 times, and never lost once.

like many west virginians, sen. byrd has always been one of my senators, my entire lifetime. it will be odd to have someone else in that spot in the coming months.

what i’m hearing is that there will likely be an interim appointment from our democratic governor, joe manchin, with a special election likely to follow. since we had our primary in may, it’s unknown whether that will occur this year or next — that’s being debated internally at the moment, i hear. whatever happens, it’s pretty widely known that gov. manchin has interest in the position, and also that alan mollohan has some unexpected time on his hands at the moment and has expressed some interest, as well as rep. shelly moore capito from the gop.

sen. byrd’s shoes are going to be tough ones to fill, given the energy — and pork from his perch atop the appropriations committee — he poured into representing wv.
through the years, various groups tried to shame sen. byrd by calling him the king of pork; he wore it locally as a badge of honor.
his relish for the role of west virginia’s benefactor was apparent during his last campaign in 2006, when his opponent mocked byrd for calling himself "big daddy" for getting money to fund a biotechnology center at marshall university.

at the party after byrd’s resounding election victory, celebrants wore stickers that said, "who’s your daddy now?"
byrd had his faults, certainly, including membership in the kkk and a vote against the civil rights act of 1964 which included a record-setting 14-hour filibuster speech against the bill, all of which he later regretted and renounced.
but while the cosmetic changes were going on, something was also happening inside the mind of robert byrd. last year he spoke to c-span about why he would vote differently on the civil rights bill today. he said, "i thought, well now suppose i were black, and my grandson and i were on the highways in the mid-hours of the morning or midnight, and i stopped at a place to get that little grandson a glass of water or to have [him] go to the restroom, and there’s a sign ‘whites only’… black people love their grandsons as much as i love mine, and that’s not right." george rutherford of the west virginia naacp told us he believed byrd’s metamorphosis was sincere, that his conversion was as true as saul’s.
thanks to a scholarship from him when i was in high school, i was able to attend smith college. he is truly a legend in west virginia, where you can’t go a mile without running into something that’s been named after him in pretty much every area of my state.

whatever his faults, and they were many, he was devoted to three things in his lifetime: his family, especially his wife erma; the great state of west virginia; and history’s lessons of how power, politics, law and the constitution intersect. his mastery of senate rules was legendary, but what isn’t as widely known is that he taught that history to incoming senators for years to introduce them, informally behind the scenes, to the intersection of rule intricacies and to senate history.

he was an outspoken champion of the balance of powers within the framework of our government. when asked how many presidents he had served under, byrd once famously replied "’none,’ was mr. byrd’s reply, mr. sarbanes said. ‘i have served with presidents, not under them.’”

rest in peace, sen. byrd.
posted by skippy at 9:22 AM | 1 comments

Sunday, June 27, 2010

the time has come...




this is where i'm supposed to say, "i have nothing more to add." well, i have plenty more to add. but if i have to explain this stuff to people at this point, then not only are they too dumb to deserve an explanation, they deserve everything they get from here on out. piss on 'em...

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posted by Jim Yeager at 10:36 PM | 2 comments

environmental news stories sunday

for those stories that probably won't be mentioned on the talking head shows today.

a closer look: pesticides in strawberry fields. - california strawberry farmers may soon have a new pesticide to use on their fields. the state's department of pesticide regulation is recommending approving use of the soil fumigant methyl iodide. however, scientists say that methyl iodide is very toxic and can cause cancer, brain damage and miscarriages - latte times

just say 'no' to methyl iodide. - when scientists universally declare a substance a "highly toxic chemical" and a regulatory agency then proposes releasing millions of pounds of it into the soil and air, the callousness that is required to make this decision is hard to fathom- beverly hills california chronicle

california state parks plagued by decay. - look beyond the crashing waves and towering redwoods, and california's 278 state parks are a tangle of troubles - sacramento bee

michigan wants federal help for cleanup, but funding is tight. - for the first time in 14 years, budget-strapped michigan is turning to the federal superfund program for help, trying to get new hazardous-waste sites included for cleanup. the superfund program has its own funding problems, however - gannett news service

bee colony collapse focus of new congressional caucus. - lawmakers are rallying behind the beleaguered honeybee by creating a congressional caucus to focus attention on the troubling collapse of bee colonies. In some cases, beekeepers have lost 40 percent or more of their colonies, potentially endangering the pollination of many fruits, nuts and vegetables - mcclatchy

wet winter set stage for big fire threat. - fires in the southwest’s mountains and deserts have increased in occurrence and intensity over the past 50 years, according to a study published in science magazine in 2006. that study, led by scientists from the university of california at merced, blamed man-made changes to the landscape and climate change - las vegas sun

greens face a battle in california. - november 2 will see the outcome of the most crucial battle yet between the old economy and the new, between the fossil-fuel-powered industrialisation of the last two centuries that has enriched much of the world and the low-carbon prosperity that is needed in future - london daily telegraph

study: lead found in children's drinks and fruit products. - as if it were not enough to be concerned about harmful dyes in M&Ms and jelly beans, now it's lead in our kids' juice - st. petersburgh times

maker of controversial dispersant used in gulf oil spill hires top lobbyists. - as questions build about the dispersant being used on the gulf of mexico oil spill, the company that makes that chemical mixture has well-connected lobbyists helping handle inquiries from us. epa and congress - greenwire

nitrate contamination widespread among central coast farmers. - the cause of nitrate problems at marchi's central farm is no mystery to county public health officials. "a likely source of the nitrate contamination is fertilizer application adjacent to the well," the inspector wrote - san mateo county times

toxins found in whales bode ill for humans, report says. - sperm whales feeding even in the most remote reaches of earth's oceans have built up stunningly high levels of toxic and heavy metals, according to american scientists who say the findings spell danger not only for marine life but for the millions of humans who depend on seafood. - ap

gloves off in california over greenhouse gas law. - california environmentalists opened fire on wednesday on a measure approved for the state's november ballot that would roll back a landmark law regulating greenhouse gas emissions - reuters

google and spectrum bridge send your power use data over tv "white space." - google continues on its quest to firmly embed itself in the energy industry, this time by teaming up with service provider spectrum bridge to launch the country's first smart grid wireless network trial utilizing tv's white spaces spectrum. - fast company

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posted by Cookie Jill at 9:57 AM | 1 comments