I don’t know if there’s an afterlife or what it’s like, but I root for a Jonathan Livingston Seagull sort of deal.
If so, this guy deserves to go very far up the ladder after this life. (unsafe, Wash Post/Yellow Journalism link)
John Sheardown, an unflappable Canadian diplomat in Tehran during the Iran hostage crisis who helped shelter six American “house guests” until they were secretly shuttled out of the country, died Dec. 30 at a hospital in Ottawa. He was 88.
The world is a less brave place without him in it.
Saw this at the Puppy Blender’s and, while I’m not sure who Walter Shapiro is, that’s not all that important as I’ve seen this same article by different people a few times over the last couple days in talking about how the GOP did a good thing.
Mostly the articles are from people who would write this paragraph
As the Senate minority leader, McConnell presides over the more mainstream wing of Capitol Hill Republicans. While there are Tea Partiers and right-wing firebrands among Senate Republicans, there are also a few remaining moderates and old-guard legislators who remember when the word “bipartisan” was not considered hate speech.
Yup. Damn unhepful types who are worried that pretty soon America won’t be able to pay its bills.
As for “mainstream wing”, only if you’re a self-proclaimed elitist. Most people understand you can’t continually spend more than you make.
Which brings us to a previous example of fiscal insanity, as related on a blog nobody reads.
They agreed to the debt limit increase in exchange for some smoke-and-mirrors “cuts”. Which weren’t cuts in the real sense, just smaller increases and which turned out to be bull crap anyway as they were mostly “next year”, which in Washington terms means, “Never”.
And that’s exactly what happened.
So we’re on our way to another Debt Ceiling ‘debate’ that will result in a raising of the Debt Ceiling for “cuts” now (reducing the rate of increase from %100 to 90%) and promised cuts “next year”. Boned again, naturally.
I have about 10 links opened, not sure how many I’ll use, the suspense is killing me though.
First up, Ted Gets Off a Good One. An open letter to Sloe Joe helping him with task force on stopping gun violence (Spoiler Alert, Joe is going to call for a ban on all guns not in .gov hands, so I can’t have one but NASA’s swat team can)
Quoth Ted
You will find in your assessment that all of the massacres have occurred in gun-free zones. What gun-free zones create is an environment where good people are unarmed and virtually defenseless against an unstable person intent on committing mass murder. Gun-free zones are modern killing fields. I implore you to recommend that Congress pass a law to ban gun-free zones immediately.
Preach it brother. You should be able to sue the shit out of anybody who creates a Gun-Free Zone if they don’t ensure your protection against criminals with guns.
Illinois is trying to ban all semi-auto guns and regular capacity magazines. I’m fer it and I hope NY, Mass and California do the same. It’ll be funny when hunters find out that an AR is not functionally different from a Remington 7400.
More guns, Tam is a gun blogger and just bought a nice Beretta, but that’s not why I’m linking, I’m linking for this:
500 Guns…but if you’re looking for a cased double rifle in a caliber that begins in “5″, this is the only place in town where you’ll be able to comparison shop them.
I just made in my pants. I’m of two minds about expensive guns. I’d really like a full auto Tommy gun, but as you know I love big-boomers and boy would I love to have a double barrel in something called “nitro-express” or “H&H magnum”.
Next up, we have a foreshadowing of things to come, from California of course. Some CA towns are thinking of or are going bankrupt to avoid the pensions they promised themselves. Well, the pensioneers are not so happy so they’re going to make sure everybody really is bankrupt.
Other cities and municipal bond investors may fear that Calpers’s strategy will lead to long and costly legal battles that leave less money to pay for essential services such as police and fire protection while driving up borrowing costs, Spiotto said.
Okay, that’s funny. I really hope AZ is building that wall along the CA border. At least it’s a desert so we won’t have too many people walking this way. Or rather, we won’t have too many people walking all the way.
Charlie Hebdo is a French mag with balls. Fresh from being firebombed for publishing comics of Mohamed, they decided to do something interesting.
editor Stéphane Charbonnier writes: “We have put into pictures the life of Mohammed as it is recounted by Muslim chroniclers. Without added humour. If the form seems to some blasphemous, the foundation is perfectly halal. Up to you to decide.”
I think that’s French for “Blow me savages.”
Now on to wars.
Argentina wants the Falklands, Britain says “Bring it on.” Not sure how that’s gonna play out. Argentina is punching above their weight, but Britain is far away and not the naval power they were. Should be interesting.
During the past year, the United Arab Emirates announced it has broken up several cells it said were plotting against its security.
And the Muslim Brotherhood is on the job!
Syria’s civil war/revolution has been going on for well over a year and the US still doesn’t have a policy, the people in the region have figured that out.
In reality, this convenient diplomatic veneer serves cynical purposes for Russia, but equally so for the US. This diplomatic kabuki theater distracts from the main issue—Washington’s Syria policy remains strategically adrift.
Yup. And don’t think Assad doesn’t know that. I am surprised that Homs hasn’t been given the full Hama treatment.
I figure as soon as Assad figures out the US isn’t going to do shit, it will.
Hezbollah’s chief on Thursday on warned that the region was at grave risk of “sectarian and tribal splits” as the conflict in Syria continues to spiral into deadlier violence.
I have to admit, I think Sensing is wrong. He writes
Here is what will really happen. Congress passes the law, the NRA et. al. scream about it and then … nothing happens.
Some people (no more than 20 percent) affected by the gun-confiscation law comply with the turn-in order. The rest don’t comply. But neither do they organize or form resistance groups. They don’t start assassinating politicians. They just hide their guns and continue with daily life as before.
So 80% of gun owners ignore a law and our fine political, moral, intellectual and social betters just let it happen?
What happens when harry joe (normal) law abiding type gets arrested for his Remington 742 he got when he was 16 in 1971?
Obama and company cannot let civil disobedience happen and Americans can’t let the gov’t ignore the Constitution they’ve sworn to uphold.
When immovable object meets resistible force bad things happen, especially if resistible force thinks it’s irresistible force.
I think the most important part of civilian guns is that it would require a tyrannical gov’t to employ the military to put us down. Our military is not going to fire on us. As I’ve said, I’d bet my life on that, I hope I never have to, but I’d like to think I would if the situation required it.
And no, I won’t yell “Wolverines” when I do. Unless it’s the Russians invading, then that’s de Rigueur.
Wow, that was all the links, most were either Puppy Blender or Drudge.
While global temperatures surge hotter and the ice-cap crumbles, the nation’s icebox is getting even icier.
Bwahahahahahahhahaha. Someone should tell that fool that the ice caps are very close to Alaska and if Alaska is getting colder then maybe, just maybe, the fucking ice caps are getting colder too.
It’s funny how true the dictum to never try to reason someone out of a position they weren’t reasoned into is.
I keep hearing that Republicans have more leverage on the debt ceiling debate, so we shouldn’t feel so bad that nothing got accomplished on the initial “fiscal cliff” deal.
How’s that again?
The basic structure of the game is the same, but the Republicans are sitting on a nuclear bomb rather than just a daisy-cutter. The same media memes will play out… Obama will accuse the Republicans of holding the nation hostage and call for a “balanced” approach that is anything but.
Perhaps Republicans will grow a pair between now and then. Perhaps the media can be sufficiently prepped by weeks of campaigning to Jedi-mind-trick folks into thinking this is a different game.
But it isn’t a very different game. It’s almost exactly the same. You could even argue that it’s worse for Republicans because the consequences of failure are worse. In the nightmare scenario we have a “hard” sovereign default. To avoid this, Obama will probably make a power grab, such as invoking the 14th Amendment, or minting new large-denomination platinum coins.
Crap. I really need to stop doing this at the beginning of the year.
Hmmmm, I guess I’ll have to put some actual content into this post.
So it’s official, I’m never voting GOP again. And no, that’s not a New Year’s Resolution, it’s a decision I’ve been working on for a few years now and the fiscal cliff bullshit just made up my mind.I refuse to vote for the assholes who are destroying our Republic. Ask yourself how the GOP House would have acted differently if they were on Obama’s side.
As somebody in Ace’s sidebar notes, Boehner did not even try to explain his position or why Obama’s was wrong.
Seriously, they stand for nothing except power for themselves and I for one am fucking sick of it and I’m never going to aid them in their quest for personal power with no concomitant desire to do what is Constitutional or best for America. They want America to do what is best for them (Just shut the fuck up and vote for Romney, for instance).
Giving in to despair is kind of cathartic. I feel much better. I might even be able to watch the news again.
Post needs hotassery. The world needs hotassery right now.
As to the Giants, Fuck. They got cocky towards the end of the season and screwed the whole thing up. Idjits. Eli didn’t look good this year. Every game he missed two TD throws to a receiver blowing by the DB. Seriously, he would underthrow or overthrow a guy wide open streaking toward the end zone. Oh well.
Cowboys. Bwahahahahahahhaha. I’m sorry, but I fucking hate the Cowboys and watching Romo choke year after year just makes me laugh. Ending another season with a pick is high-larious. I wonder if he’s gone. I hope not. Sure he’s very good, but man does he choke when it counts. I figure the latest Yes Mr Jones Garrett is gone but I could be wrong.
Foreskins. Wow. Good for you chumps. I’m rooting for you but RGIII needs to learn that playing the Cowboys in the season finale with the division on the line is not playoff football. He might think he’s ready, but he’s not. I foresee his post-game interview going like this, “I wasn’t ready for how fast the game is in the playoffs” as he recaps the drubbing by the Seahawks.
Update: I forgot this. Everybody point and laugh at the sports reporters. They all, one and all, picked the NFC East as being between the Eagles and Cowboys with the Foreskins being somewhere around 4-12. Moh-Rons. Every year they pick the Eagles and Cowboys. I don’t understand that.
Seahawks. Pete Carroll is one of the best coaches in the league. I think they’ll go places. Playing in Green Bay is the only thing I think they need to worry about. I see them beating the Foreskins next week.
San Fran. Not gonna happen. They’re just not that good.
Minnesota. Huh. They flew under the radar and now they’re in. They have a decent chance with Peterson playing his ass off and Ponder actually looking like a professional quarterback. Not sure if they’ll be ready for the playoffs, maybe Green Bay really does suck. Next week is up to them, I would love to see Peterson get 600 yards in three games against Green Bay. He got 199 yesterday and 210 the first game.
Green Bay. I don’t think they’re that good this year but they’ve been in the playoffs before. That’s important. Next week is going to be tough for them I think. I don’t like Aaron Rodgers so seeing them lose is a good thing for me.
Atlanta, I like Matty Ice, but if he was gonna do something, he would have done it years ago.
New England. What can you say, Brady is damn good.
Houston. Nope. They showed in the last few weeks that they don’t understand playoff football.
Indy. Good for them. Like the Foreskins, their QB needs a playoff game (to lose) to understand what playoff football is all about. It’s played at double time. Next year the Foreskins and Colts will be much more dangerous.
Baltimore. Hate the bastids so I can’t properly evaluate them. When they play Philly or Dallas, it’s hard for me to decide who to root against more.
Cincy. A moral victory as they get blown out in their first game. They’re just not that good.
Denver. Damn is Peyton good, they’ll be dangerous unless he does his Romo imitation.
I’m rooting for the SB to be Denver against the Seahawks or Minny.
Being from NY, I have a bunch of friends who are Jets fans. Whatta buncha chumps, it almost feels cruel to point and laugh. Rex Ryan wasn’t fired. Buh? That guy sucks. He also pissed me off because never even gave Tebow a chance to play. I’m not a Tebow fan except insofar as I’m usually on the side of the guy who everybody hates for some stupid reason. Ryan started Sanchez the last day and even as he was going 15 for 1,000, Ryan didn’t put Tebow in for garbage time even. Plus, I don’t like chumps (Ryan) who talk shit and don’t back it up. I don’t like people who talk shit and do back it up, but you have to respect them. Not Ryan.
Oh yeah, fantasy football, I played a mock season based on the people from last year. MP won, I was 5th, AliceH was last. Man did she suck. She traded for Mark Sanchez. That was funny.
