LeftWord: The Best Liberal Blog Posts

For Each Death, A Hole In The World

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T18:30:36-04:00

enlargeI found this picture online, but no information about it. It's one of the most powerful pictures I've seen.This is something I wrote for Memorial Day 2005 and I run it every year:Soldiers are not chunks of identical clay; each of them has a story, their own reasons for being caught in a war.Brave? Maybe - sometimes, under some conditions. Scared, mostly. The younger they are, the more likely their presence had to do with restlessness, cockiness. The need to be part of a winning team, the
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The Chronicles of Mitt: May 26, 2012

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T18:30:04-04:00

Hello, human diary. It is I again, Mitt Romney.It is good to be back in my beachfront California home. It is a nice little house; I cannot wait to tear it down and build one that is a more appropriate height.
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Pope's butler arrested for leaking Vatican letters exposing alleged corruption

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T18:00:31-04:00

Will it never end? Will no one high in the Vatican every pay for their crimes? Note: The arrestee is a whistleblower, not the original (alleged) corruption perps, and the cops making the bust are Vatican, not Italian, police. Of course.The Guardian: The pope's butler has been arrested by Vatican police on suspicion of leaking a large number of confidential letters addressed to...
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Open thread: Daily Kos radio, a netroots primary and a PAC Plus

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T18:00:04-04:00

What's coming up on Sunday Kos ...PAC Plus coalition organizes voters-targets Romney in Spanish and English, by Denise Oliver VelezAnnouncing Daily Kos Radio, by ArmandoThe Republicans are unfit to govern, by Laurence LewisElon Musk, SpaceX and Republican hypocrisy, by Dante AtkinsThe most successful netroots primary you never heard of, and what we can learn from it, by David JarmanHow the Right (and the Left) Misread the Kentucky Primary, by Steve SingiserA review of EJ Dionne?s new book
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Frustration and Disappointment Are No Excuse for Stupidity

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T18:00:00-04:00

By @KYYellowDogI try to avoid criticizing other bloggers, even superb liberal ones. We've got too many real enemies to waste time sniping at each other, and family fights are just fucking boring.I love Down with Tyranny. But this is suicidal bullshit.In 2008 Tennessee attorney John Wolfe voted for Obama. I did too. But that isn't all we have in common. He's dissatisfied with Obama's first term-- but he doesn't want to go backwards into the Republican nightmare that is at the root of all the
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Today on The Stars Hollow Gazette

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T17:54:42-04:00

Our regular featured content-On This Day In History May 26 by: TheMomCatPunting the Pundits by: TheMomCatAnd these featured articles-Popular Culture (Music) 20120525: Moodies - A Question of Balance by: TranslatorFormula One: Circuit de Monaco Qualifying by: ek hornbeckCholera: Haiti's Epidemic by: TheMomCatHealth and Fitness News by: TheMomCatRandom Japan by: mishimaFollow us on Twitter @StarsHollowGztWrite more and often. This is an Open Thread. The Stars Hollow Gazette
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Exotic Mazda Mx5

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T17:00:26-04:00

It's really just a sunny day and a little visual pizzazz and the exotic mazda mx5 is fairly ludicrous. At best, theyll take a couple of small children, at worst; there are many better cars to be said for individuality in motoring and particularly in the even more tempting proposition for buyers in the market isn't over-blessed with subjects at the exotic mazda mx5. If you're looking for a 50:50 front to rear weight distribution. All four wheels would be all the exotic mazda mx5 if everyone
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TEPCO: You Know That Initial Radiation Estimate? Multiply It By 2.5

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T17:00:22-04:00

It's deeply disturbing to see that Fukushima's plant operators never bothered to prepare for the worst-scenario, and that their backup plans were so inadequate. And now we learn that the people exposed to this radiation are guinea pigs, since no one's really studied the health effects of this type of radiation before. Something with the potential for this kind of catastrophe shouldn't be in the hands of the private sector, since it's pretty likely that safety was sacrificed to save money:TOKYO
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A Guest Post By Montana Rep. Franke Wilmer

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T17:00:18-04:00

I think most DWT readers are aware that Montana state Rep. (and professor) Franke Wilmer is one of the earliest and most enthusiastic endorsements Blue America made this cycle. And now it all comes down to next Tuesday when she faces off against a gaggle of garden variety Democrats for the party nomination to face off against far right corporate shill Steve Daines, a walking, breathing exemplar of the selfish, greed-obsessed 1%. Franke did a guest post I want to share with everyone, another
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FDL Book Salon Welcomes Paul Kiel, The Great American Foreclosure Story: The Struggle for Justice and a Place to Call Home

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T16:59:58-04:00

Ah, so much fraud and conflict of interest packed into such a small package!
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This week in the War on Voting: Florida, again

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T16:00:05-04:00

Here's just a sliver of the problem that is Florida when it comes to citizens exercising their franchise. Well, all of Republican America, but this week it's Florida's turn to be in the spotlight.That's Rep. Allen West (Torturer-FL) explaining that early voting is an "entitlement." The state passed legislation this year that halved the early voting period in the state from two weeks to eight days, and cut out the Sunday before the election, a day when many congregants in black churches
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Beyond Corporate Capitalism: Not So Wild a Dream

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T16:00:01-04:00

It?s time to put the taboo subject of public ownership back on the progressive agenda. It is the only way to solve some of the most serious problems facing the nation. We contend that it is possible not only to talk about this once forbidden subject but to begin to build a serious politics that can do what needs to be done in key sectors.
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Open Thread: What We Now Know

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T16:00:00-04:00

Now We Know: Facebook ranks as worst-performing IPO of the decadeUp host Chris Hayes outlines what we know now that we didn't know last week, including Facebook's public debut that failed to live up to expectations.Chris' guests on his Saturday show were: Amy Goodman, host and executive producer of (@democracynow); Karen Hunter (@karenhunter), MSNBC contributor and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist.; Joe Weisenthal (@thestalwart), deputy editor at Business Insider; Marcellus Andrews, Columbia
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Mid-Day Open Thread

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T15:30:22-04:00

enlargeOpen thread below...
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God-Hating Fools Do Their Shtick

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T15:00:45-04:00

While I appreciate the sentiment, the Westboro Baptist Church seems not to understand that God punishes us with Nickelback. And Creed.
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IMF chief has harsh words for Greece

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T15:00:13-04:00

For starters, I like Christine Lagarde and have a lot of respect for her. Unlike her fellow G8 financial ministers, she was brutally honest when it came to the banking crisis. Lagarde criticized when the others all changed the subject. Appointing her to the IMF following the Strauss-Kahn fiasco was a good move.Her latest interview with The Guardian though is troubling for me and while...
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Midday open thread

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T15:00:05-04:00

As we enter the three-day memorial weekend, the thread would like to remind everyone that we are remembering the ultimate sacrifice of many brave men and women. The thread honors their sacrifice. To the links!What's coming up on Sunday Kos ...PAC Plus coalition organizes voters-targets Romney in Spanish and English, by Denise Oliver VelezAnnouncing Daily Kos Radio, by ArmandoThe Republicans are unfit to govern, by Laurence LewisElon Musk, SpaceX and Republican hypocrisy, by Dante
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Progressives Spreading Liberty in Malawi

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T15:00:00-04:00

By @KYYellowDogIn some places, a progressive succeeding a nasty-ass dictator uses the opportunity to strike off the chains of repression and set her people free.Wonkette:Malawi has come a Lilongwe in a short time. Last month, longtime autocrat Bingu wa Mutharika died at the ripe age of 78, leaving, gasp, a vacuum of leadership! Enter Joyce Banda. She'd been deposed from Mutharika's government, yet Malawi's Constitution called for her to become President. Next thing you know, she overturned the
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San Diego: Gay Mayoral Candidate Cultivating Anti-Gay Support

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T14:00:48-04:00

This makes no sense in San Diego, of all places; it's pretty mind-blowing that an openly gay candidate would be courting the anti-gay lobby, but City Councilman Carl DeMaio is banking getting in bed and sleeping with the enemy.
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Obama Presided Over a Tax Revenue Drought, Not a Spending Binge

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T14:00:30-04:00

enlargeCredit: MarketwatchThis week, Rex Nutting of the MarketWatch caused a stir with his analysis correctly showing that federal spending has hardly budged under President Obama, rising at the slowest pace since the Dwight Eisenhower was in the White House. Predictably, James Pethokoukis of the conservative American Enterprise Institute cited the jump in Washington's spending as a percentage of the U.S. economy to comically "prove" that "actually, the Obama spending binge really did happen."
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Saturday hate mail-a-palooza: North Hitlerstan was run by black Hitler. True (wingnut) fact!

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T13:30:05-04:00

They really believe this shit.A little edscan, a lot of George Rockwell, plus extra heapings of crazy, all below the fold!
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Mitt Romney is wrong on class-size

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T13:08:32-04:00

A couple days ago Mitt Romney stated that they found in Massachusetts that class size does not matter. Really? I would love to see that study. I suspect it was terribly flawed. When you take a flawed study and try to make some conclusions those are going to be wrong also. It's like that old
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Republicans demand Obama do their dirty work for them

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T13:06:24-04:00

By @TedFrierExploiting the Mark Twain Principle that "a lie can travel halfway around world while the truth is putting on its shoes," the Romney campaign has been telling one "Pants on Fire" falsehood after another - 12 by last count according to PolitiFact - the latest being the whopper that "since President Obama assumed office three years ago, federal spending has accelerated at a pace without precedent in recent history."The truth (surprise, surprise) is actually the reverse, as numbers
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Regulator Indifference Seen at JPMorgan Chase, Ally Financial

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T13:00:30-04:00

Housing Wire reports on bank attorneys preparing for "showdowns" with the RMBS working group on fraud cases. Well, they have to justify their billings to their bosses, don't they? The reality of whether banks should sweat the investigation is far less clear. In fact, we have more information from a couple sources today that suggest the attorneys don't have to keep up this facade.
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With The Radicalization Of The GOP, More Mainstream Conservatives Are Taking Another Look At The Democrats-- A Mixed Blessing

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T13:00:24-04:00

The new mayor of Santa Clarita is a lifelong Republican. And so is the whole city council. But, as we saw yesterday, they unanimously sent a public admonition to longtime GOP congressman Buck McKeon. These are mainstream conservatives, a very different breed of Republican from the far right ideological extremists who have taken over the Beltway Republican Establishment and are leading it straight down the toilet. And while we're talking about Santa Clarita, this week former Republican
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Daily Caller Running Gun Giveway Contest

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T12:30:00-04:00

enlargeThis wins my "WTF of the Day" award. I kid you not, this is real. Tucker Carlson's Daily Caller is running a "One Gun A Day" giveaway from now until Election Day. It's a list-building promotion so they can find more idiots who actually want to read the tripe they send out on a daily basis.In order to enter the contest, one must give their full name, email address, and agree to receive one of their daily digests. Oh, and agree to the terms and conditions of the contest, too. Here's the
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Debate Shows Walker's Lies, Broadcasters' Impotence

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T12:00:43-04:00

The Wisconsin Broadcasters Association sponsored the Tom Barrett-Scott Walker debate (what passes for a political debate now-a-days) and demonstrated precisely how Scott Walker could be elected governor in the first place.The dumbed-down, fact-free zone that is local broadcast TV and radio, with few notable exceptions, is the perfect terrain for characters like Scott Walker to sneak in $millions into the political process; meet with billionaires and make promises; and then lie to
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Spain continues downward spiral

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T12:00:26-04:00

Something tells me this latest bailout request won't be the last. There are too many serious problems in Spain to fix overnight. There is no real estate recovery anywhere on the horizon and the unemployment figures won't help either. Then add in a heavy dose of austerity which we now know will brutalize an economy and you have a recipe for an even great financial disaster in Spain.More on...
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Honoring Those Who Say ?No?

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T12:00:09-04:00

On this Memorial Day weekend, I give thanks for Hugh Thompson, Jr., Glenn Andreotta, and Lawrence Colburn, who courageously and properly said "no" in the face of misguided fellow soldiers and superiors.When I hear someone say "thank you for your service" to a member of the military, I think of these three, who embodied the best of what "service to your country" is, in the face of others who embodied that service at its worst.
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New Mexico Official Asked To Resign After Advocating Teens Use Condoms

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T12:00:03-04:00

Erin Bouquin, New Mexico’s chief medical officer, said she was asked to resign after she promoted condom use in a TV interview as a way to slow the growth of sexually transmitted diseases among teenagers. An hour after her interview aired, Bouquin said she met with Health Department Secretary Catherine Torres and was asked to leave because she had not met the expectations of the state’s Republican governor.The health department spokeswoman said there was no connection between the
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Must-See TEDx Video: If You Want Them To Remember, Tell A Story

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T12:00:03-04:00

JR: I’m a big fan of narratives and their rhetorical cousins, extended metaphors,�as I discuss in my forthcoming book. This video is a must-see for those who want to be better communicators.by Tom Smerling, via ClimateBitesAfter watching this TEDx clip, you may never want to stand before an audience again without pausing, at least once, to utter these seven magic words:?Let me tell you a little story.?But most advice about the importance of narrative comes from psychologists and
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Florida Supervisor of Elections: Gov. Scott’s Voter Purge Will Remove Eligible Voters From Rolls

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T12:00:03-04:00

According to the Broward County Supervisor of Elections, eligible voters will be removed from the voting rolls as a result of the massive voter purge ordered by Governor Rick Scott. “It will happen,” Mary Cooney, a spokeswoman for the Broward County Supervisor of Elections, told ThinkProgress.Late last year, Governor Scott ordered his Secretary of State, Kurt Browning to “to identify and remove non-U.S. citizens from the voter rolls.” Browning could not get access to
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Songs to Fight the Plutocracy By: "No Irish Need Apply"

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T12:00:00-04:00

By @KYYellowDogA reminder that the history of America is one of despised immigrants assimilating into the majority, then turning on the next immigrant group, forgetting what it was like to be the newly despised minority.Uploaded by apple0708 on Oct 24, 2010-
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Cartnoon

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T11:12:51-04:00

Episode Two RevisitedI suppose the most obvious question is, how can I trust you?Bingo. It is a pickle. No doubt about it. The bad news is there's no way if you can really know whether I'm here to help you or not, so it's really up to you. You just have to make up you own damned mind to either accept what I'm going to tell you, or reject it.
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Why Are Struggling White Voters Leaning Toward Mitt Romney?

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T11:00:06-04:00

I saw this story all over the intertubes yesterday, usually coupled with a denunciation of "stupid white racists" - and that really rubbed me the wrong way. I know all about racists, I grew up surrounded by them and I live in a white working class neighborhood. So yeah, I know there's a problem.But if there's one thing I do know about my racist working-class peers, it's that the racism is more of a secondary characteristic. (In my neighborhood, they turned out for Obama when he first ran in
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Scott Walker and Tom Barrett face off in Wisconsin recall debate

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T10:58:38-04:00

Tom BarrettWisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and his Democratic opponent, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, met in the first of two debates Friday evening. Leading in the polls, Walker just had to hold his own, while Barrett needed to score some solid hits. Since Friday night debates aren't exactly must-see TV, the big question was who, if anyone, would dominate news coverage coming out of the debate, and Barrett had the edge there, with Scott Bauer of the Associated Press reporting that "Barrett kept
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The Special Loophole in Hell for War Lawyers

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T10:52:57-04:00

The strict rule of law is an ideal and a fantasy. Conflicting and archaic words must be interpreted, and doing so is an art, not a science.But there is an enormous chasm between honest attempts to approach the ideal of compliance with written law, and open disregard for it.
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Honoring fallen heroes on Memorial�Day

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T10:31:09-04:00

With plans to "pay tribute to patriots of every generation who gave the last full measure of devotion, from Lexington and Concord to Iraq and Afghanistan," on this Memorial Day, President Obama calls on all Americans to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country:This weekend, folks across the country are opening up the pool, firing up the grill, and taking a well-earned moment to relax. But Memorial Day is more than a three-day weekend. In town squares and national
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Egyptian elections?Who are the players? What to watch in the run-off

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T10:00:26-04:00

If the Arab Spring matters, the just-held Egyptian elections matter a lot. So I want to put this on your radar as a reference. You're going to hear a lot about the dreaded Muslim Brotherhood from the straight press* soon, and this should provide some actual context for the actual news. Who are the players in the Egyptian elections, and what are the alliances? Juan Cole at Informed Consent...
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Long-Term Fishery Investments Starting To Pay Off

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T10:00:04-04:00

by Michael ConathanEarlier this month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its annual ?Status of Stocks? report to Congress outlining the overall health of our nation?s fisheries. To the relatively small cadre of fish geeks (myself included), the release of this document is a major event. It lacks the panache of the Oscar nominations, but for us it is perhaps comparable to the way the 1 percent gets all giddy for Berkshire Hathaway?s annual letter to
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Come Saturday Morning: Scott Walker?s Texas Deer Czar: Hunting as We Know It = ?Communism?

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T09:45:20-04:00

In Wisconsin and Minnesota, deer hunting in state forests is a way of life. Even for many city dwellers, going out and bagging your first deer is a rite of passage on a par with getting your driver's license. And James Kroll, Scott Walker's new deer czar, wants to take all of that away.
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Missouri Taxpayers Fund 24-Hour Security Camera for Limbaugh Statue

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T09:30:20-04:00

Click here to view this media At the request of Republican lawmakers, taxpayers are funding a 24-hour security camera to watch over a Rush Limbaugh bust in the Missouri Capitol building. State House Clerk Adam Crumbliss on Thursday told The Associated Press that he had authorized the $1,000 camera after Republican lawmakers expressed concerns about vandalism. Limbaugh's statue is the only one in the Rotunda with 24-hour security."We recognize that there was a level of controversy around it, and
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Another Mangy Blue Dog Bites The Dust

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T09:00:14-04:00

I first came across South Carolina state Rep. Ted Vick when I was investigating right-wing Democrats who joined the Koch brother's and Murdoch's shady anti-democracy outfit ALEC. Vick was one of his state's ALEC leaders. I guess I wasn't the only one looking. The Blue Dogs found him too and backed his bid for Congress. Aside from endorsing him and getting "ex"-Blue Dog Steve Israel to add his race to the DCCC Red-to-Blue page-- a signal to wealthy donors who can't think for themselves that the
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This week in science: Catch a Dragon by the tail

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T09:00:04-04:00

Opportunity sees its own shadow on the rim of Endeavour crater, Meridiani Planum, Mars. Click image for more Red Planet pics.Much closer to home, NASA has a new partner in space exploration and the solar system is the limit:The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft successfully berthed with the International Space Station this morning after a long overnight approach including several unplanned maneuvers. The crew at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, concluded a long night of flight
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Open Thread Plus Heartland Cartoon Of The Week

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T09:00:04-04:00

A penny for your cyber-thoughts.NOTE: How about crowd-sourcing some real pennies for cartoonist, Stephanie McMillan, who has given me permission to reprint her cartoons. Here?s the link to Paypal: CLICK HERE (then click where it says DONATE).
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Former GOP Congresswoman Blasts New GOP Women’s Caucus: ‘They’re Not Voting In Best Interest Of All Women’

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T09:00:04-04:00

Former Rep. Claudine Schneider (R-RI) Former Rep. Claudine Schneider (R) was the first — and only — woman to represent Rhode Island in Congress. Over five terms in the House (from 1981 to 1991), she helped pass key environmental, health, and gender-equity laws, including the Economic Equity and the Pension Equity Acts. Like former Sen. John Danforth (R-MO) and former Rep. Connie Morella (R-MD), Schneider told ThinkProgress there is no longer a place for centrists like herself in
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"We commit ourselves to upholding the ideals for which so many patriots have fought and died."

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T09:00:00-04:00

By @KYYellowDogAttend a Memorial Day ceremony in your town this weekend.Full transcript here.
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On This Day In History May 26

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T09:00:00-04:00

Cross posted from The Stars Hollow GazetteThis is your morning Open Thread. Pour your favorite beverage and review the past and comment on the future.Find the past "On This Day in History" here.Click on image to enlargeMay 26 is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 219 days remaining until the end of the year.On this day in 1637, an allied Puritan and Mohegan force under English Captain John Mason attacks a Pequot village in Connecticut, burning
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Pull Up a Chair

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T08:00:46-04:00

A lot of you know I was offline last weekend because I had a great chance to go visit the American Native museum the Smithsonian has located on the Mall in Washington, D.C. Most of you also know I'm an archaeology nut/addict/enthusiast. My heritage is fascinating to me, and I adopt all the heritage I can dig up, or that has been dug up for me.
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Mike's Blog Round Up

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T08:00:00-04:00

Bernard: But surely the citizens of a democracy have a right to know.Sir Humphrey Appleby: No. They have a right to be ignorant. Knowledge only means complicity in guilt; ignorance has a certain dignity.? From Yes, Minister, together with Yes, Prime Minister one of the greatest TV shows ever (and, I add with mixed feelings, set to be revived, in case you hadn't heard).Beggars Can Be Choosers: How right-wingers took over Wikipedia.Connecting the Dots: Romney the Clueless Capitalist.Bark Bark
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Abbreviated Pundit Round-up: Republicans are birthers

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T07:33:24-04:00

Visual source: NewseumCNN:"Birtherism is a fringe issue that's way out of the mainstream, and it's disturbing when you see people you ... have some level of respect for, whether it's members of Congress or even Donald Trump, falling into that category," said Steve Schmidt, one of Sen. John McCain's senior advisers in 2008. "In the middle of the electorate, people think it's bats--t crazy. The side that's seen flirting with it doesn't do themselves any favors."GOP strategist Rob Johnson, a
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Marshall Crenshaw - Someday Someway

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T07:00:21-04:00

On Friday I dropped off Sushi at the vet hospital for radioiodine treatment to hopefully cure his hyperthyroidism problem. The poor little guy has lost weight and has not been well. We tried the pills which helped initially and then that stopped. His treatment was yesterday but now he has to be confined for two weeks at the hospital due to the radioactivity. (In the US, I read that the visit...
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Saturday Open Thread

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T07:00:00-04:00

We can't plan life. All we can do is be available for it. Lauryn HillBorn May 26, 1975
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Debt: 5,000 Years Is Enough

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T06:00:00-04:00

By @KYYellowDogThe biggest reason why even the most liberal prescriptions for economic growth inevitably succumb to vulture capitalism is the inability of policymakers to imagine a system not enslaved to "market" imperatives.No, the Almighty Market is neither natural nor inevitable, and David Graeber's "Debt: the First 5,000 Years" explains why. The book looks and sounds dull, but is anything but. Graeber convincingly explains early non-money credit systems that supported rather than exploited
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Late Night Karaoke

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T03:00:00-04:00

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Fight The GOP's "War On Women"

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T01:07:00-04:00

These images remind us that the GOP is still waging a "war on women" -- and they will not stop it until they are booted out of office. Images were found at the blog of Yellowdog Granny.
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LeftWord: The Best Liberal Blog Posts

Romney - The Anti-Education Candidate

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T01:06:00-04:00

(The graphic above is from the blog Under The Mountain Bunker.)Willard Mitt Romney (aka Wall Street Willie) spoke to a Hispanic group the other day, and the gist of his speech was about the importance of education. He even went as far as to label the poor state of education in this country as a "civil rights issue". I guess this new education message is part of his faux move toward the center for the general election (since he now pretty much has the GOP nomination in the bag).I say "faux"
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LeftWord: The Best Liberal Blog Posts
All The Best Liberal Blog Posts From Arond The Web.

Vulture Capitalism

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T01:05:00-04:00

Political Cartoon is by Steve Benson in The Arizona Republic.
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LeftWord: The Best Liberal Blog Posts

Fox News - A Chicken Or Egg Conundrum

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T01:04:00-04:00

There have been studies before showing Fox News viewers are the least informed viewers of any news network. Consider this bit from a post in The Nation:As of November 22, 2011, Think Progress had found seven studies showing Fox News?s viewers to be the worst informed of all news consumers. In a post about a report that had just come out in the International Journal of Press/Politics, by communication scholar Lauren Feldman of American University and colleagues which found that ?Fox News
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LeftWord: The Best Liberal Blog Posts
All The Best Liberal Blog Posts From Arond The Web.

Dogs

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T01:03:00-04:00

Political Cartoon is by Clay Bennett in the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
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LeftWord: The Best Liberal Blog Posts

Tx GOP Senate Primary - Bringing The Crazy

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T01:02:00-04:00

The two men pictured above are the leading candidates in the Republican primary to run for the senate seat being vacated by Kay Bailey Hutchison. Both are rabid right-wingers, and they lead a field of rabid right-wingers. If you thought Hutchison was a bad senator (and she definitely was), just wait until you see these guys. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst (on the left) is currently leading ex-Solicitor General Ted Cruz (on the right).Cruz is so far to the right that he thinks the United Nations is
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LeftWord: The Best Liberal Blog Posts
All The Best Liberal Blog Posts From Arond The Web.

Return To The Past

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T01:01:00-04:00

Political Cartoon is by Mike Thompson in the Detroit Free Press.
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LeftWord: The Best Liberal Blog Posts

Late Late Night FDL: Piggy Gets Fired

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T01:00:26-04:00

Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy -- Piggy Gets Fired, from episode 502 of The Muppet Show.
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LeftWord: The Best Liberal Blog Posts
All The Best Liberal Blog Posts From Arond The Web.

GOP Rep. Thad McCotter may have failed to qualify for primary ballot in Michigan's 11th District

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T00:08:23-04:00

This is amazing:U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, R-Livonia, may not have turned in enough signatures to qualify for the Aug. 7 primary ballot.In a statement released earlier this evening, McCotter said he was informed by the Michigan Secretary of State offices that he hadn?t turned in enough valid signatures to get on the ballot. According to the SOS website, he turned in 2,000 signatures, the maximum allowable.?Fully respecting the accuracy and integrity of the Secretary of State's office, we will
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LeftWord: The Best Liberal Blog Posts

Friday Stuff

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T00:08:00-04:00

(By the way, for what it?s worth, I also posted here ? don?t expect that to become a habit, by the way.)Rachel Maddow gives us a whole bunch of background on Willard Mitt Romney and his ?unforced errors,? as she quite rightly puts them (God, I wish our corporate media would pay a fraction of the attention to the campaign as she does here ? I didn?t know Maddow once lived in Philly).Yep, the news organizations with initials for names continue to ignore Romney?s bonehead pronouncements, much
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LeftWord: The Best Liberal Blog Posts
All The Best Liberal Blog Posts From Arond The Web.

Sunday Classics preview: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (1925-2012)

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T00:00:41-04:00

SCHUMANN: "Widmung" ("Dedication"), Op. 25, No. 1You my soul, you my heart,you my joy, o you my pain,you my world in which I live,my heaven you in which I soar,o you my grave in whichI have buried my sorrows forever.You are rest; you are peace;you were destined for me by heaven.That you love me makes me feel worthy;your glance has transfigured me;you lift me, loving, above myself --my good spirit, my better "I"!You my soul, you my heart,you my joy, o you my pain,you my world, in which I live,my
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LeftWord: The Best Liberal Blog Posts

Random Japan

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T00:00:00-04:00

SOME BOOZE WITH YOUR BIRD? A new Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Tokyo comes complete with a fully stocked bar called KFC Route 25, in honor of the highway that runs past the original Sanders Caf� in Kentucky. Whisky, tequila, vodka, rum all available... Name your poison. The Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International in Kyoto Prefecture-along with some help from a nutty professor from Osaka University-has come up with a
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LeftWord: The Best Liberal Blog Posts
All The Best Liberal Blog Posts From Arond The Web.

10 years. 10 freakin' years

blogdig.net — 2012-05-26T11:30:04-04:00

Can you believe it? I certainly can't.Exactly 10 years ago, I wrote my first tentative words on a site I called "Daily Kos" until I could think of a better name (which obviously never happened). People love to quote those words, even though they make me cringe for some reason. Heck, everything I wrote in those days makes me cringe.I was but a wee thing?30 years old. Having survived the dot.com crash, barely, I had a good job working with great people, and living in the best place on earth with
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LeftWord: The Best Liberal Blog Posts