Trump Live-Tweets, Boredom Ensues

Donald Trump live-Tweeted the Democratic Debate.  I watched the debate on TV and followed The Donald on my phone expecting I'd get some good Donald quotes for my blog.  What I got from Mr. Comb-over was, in a word, boring.

Only one remark made me chuckle a little:  

@realDonaldTrump #DemDebate was really boring but had a lot of fun live tweeting and picked up by far the most followers

----> Random Thought:  I finally understand his love affair with that ridiculous nest he wears on his head--he needs a place to store his ego and keep it close. Democrats were talking policy, and Mr. Trump got bored; but not so bored that he couldn't find the time to pad his own resume.  I wonder how many of those "followers" were like me, just there for the laughs?

Payback, Sometimes It's Worth the Wait

House Republicans are whining that the Tea Party faction is holding the House hostage to its demands.

----> Random Thought:   

Dear House GOP: 

Payback is a bi*ch.   

Sincerely, the Rest of America

God to California: Repent or No Water for You!

California is moving into its fourth year of severe drought.  Scientists at NASA say, if Californians don't make some drastic adjustments NOW, they will run out of water in 2016.

Christian broadcaster Rick Wiles has the answer: "Repent."  (He also predicted that Ebola was going to cleanse the earth of homosexuals and "the promiscuous," but that's another subject.)

In a recent TruNews broadcast, Mr. Wiles told his listeners, "Rain will follow repentance.  The state is in the forefront of spiritual rebellion against God: abortion, homosexuality, pornography; Hollywood's movies that promote sexual immorality, violence, bloodshed, witchcraft, occult practices; the television industry...All of it has combined to reach a level of depravity that has reached Heaven and God has no other choice but to cut off the rain."

----> RANDOM THOUGHT:  Following Mr. Wiles logic, "God has no other choice" but to send the hurricanes that regularly devastate our Southern states as a sign that He is pissed off about the way they treat His black and homosexual creations.  I expect we'll hear Pat Robertson preach that sermon the day after Tea Party Republicans stand up and embrace the science of climate change.  For now, Louisianians would be advised to continue to hoard lots of plywood and bottled water.

Mitch McConnell, Sitting at the Bottom of the Leadership Learning Curve

Senators John McCain, Mitch McConnell and Tom Cotton

Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) realized his life's dream on the day he became U.S. Senate Majority Leader.  He's now the official top Republican in Congress, the guy in control, head of it all, leader extraordinaire, ready, willing, able, and eager to demonstrate his ability to stand at the vanguard of his caucus.  

So he showcases his leadership skill by--and this without any apparent hesitation--signing a dubious letter created, presented, and advanced by first-termer Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas)? Mr. McConnell doesn't pause, he doesn't suggest any in-depth thought on the legality of such a letter, he doesn't wonder if maybe the letter should first be discussed in committee, he doesn't even suggest his caucus take a few days to read the letter more carefully.  Some kid, fresh out of nursery school waves a letter in Mitch's face, says it will undermine the president and without thought to the consequences, Mitch adds his signature.

And, when the backlash becomes a nationwide event, instead of stepping up and addressing his decision, he remains conspicuously silent, letting John McCain do the Senate 47's talking.

---> RANDOM THOUGHT: So who really is wearing the GOP's big-boy pants, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell or Kindergarten Senator Tom Cotton?  And should we consider Mitch's Underoos on permanent loan to John McCain?

The GOP Personal Responsibility vs. Minimum Wage Paradox

Congressional Republicans will return to Washington in a few days with repealing "Obamacare" high on their list of priority votes to be taken.  Republicans say, "Take responsibility. Take care of yourself.  We don't want to give you healthcare."  At the same time, they refuse to ensure that everyone is paid a living wage that would give them the ability to afford the purchase on their own.  
----> RANDOM THOUGHT: How is it possible that an entire party can be so completely blind to this contradiction?  It's enough to make me believe that, if you're not a member of the 1% Club, they simply don't care. (Sarcasm intended.)

No Money for Boehner in Immigration Reform?

Think about this:
On June 27, 2013, the Senate passed a bi-partisan immigration bill and sent it to the House. Despite evidence that it would pass, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has refused--for 523 days--to allow the House to vote on the bill.

In 2009 and 2010, Speaker Boehner purchased stock in Chevron, Devon and ConocoPhillips, three of the main companies currently working in Canada's oil/tar sands.  Prior to 2008, Mr. Boehner had zero investments in these companies.

In 2011, Mr. Boehner and the GOP began really pushing the Keystone XL pipeline.  Despite environmentalists objections, despite objections from the states that would be impacted by the pipeline, despite objections from Democrats, Mr. Boehner never hesitated to allow the House to vote on Keystone, the completion of which is sure to provide a financial bonanza for stockholders like the Speaker John Boehner.

----> RANDOM THOUGHT: If only there was money to be made in immigration reform.

If Only...

Over the past nine days, John Boehner and Mitch McConnell, along with other GOP winners in Congress, have been eager and proud to say that the country has spoken and the country supports GOP ideas.
---> RANDOM THOUGHT: If only they'd listened to the country in 2008 and 2012.  Imagine the progress we could have made.

Republicans: Dumb on Climate Change, Experts on Ebola

---> RANDOM THOUGHT:  Let's think about Republican politicians.  Why is it that, when it comes to climate change, none of them is a scientist; but when the subject changes to Ebola, suddenly they're all doctors?

Who Started World War III?

On June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princip shot and killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, ultimately starting World War I.

In 2003, despite already being bogged down by a war in Afghanistan, the U.S. under George W. Bush, moved to invade Iraq.  Eleven years later, we are still trying to extricate ourselves from Afghanistan, Iraq is reverting to its 2003 sectarian self, Libya is once again facing civil strife, Egypt can't seem to find a government they like, Syria's civil war continues and northern African countries are becoming terrorism training meccas. While the world is focused on these issues, Israel and Gaza are once again looking for ways not to make peace with each other and India and Pakistan are involved in border skirmishes.  Not to be outdone in taking advantage of the seeming unending world political upheaval, China is challenging Japan in the China Sea as well as anyone else on its borders and Russia has decided to invade and attempt to annex the Ukraine.  

----> RANDOM THOUGHT:  I wonder if future generations will look back on this period in world history and think of W, "The Little Puppet Who Wanted to Be Big," and his Puppeteer-in-Chief Dick Cheney as the Gavrilo Princips of World War III?

Another Teenager is Dead. Let's Go Get Stuff!

Another black teenager is dead, shot by a policeman, this time outside St. Louis.  The stories of what happened are so diametrically opposite that the parties seem to be talking about two entirely different events.  We may never know the entire story of what happened, but that is not the point of this post.  Everyone with a heart has to feel sadness: but something else came to my mind as I watched and read about the aftermath of the tragedy.

A QuickTrip convenience store burns during a night of rioting in Ferguson, Missouri last Sunday.

 ---> RANDOM THOUGHT:  When did "Someone got shot!  Let's go get stuff!" become a reasonable response to the loss of a life?  

It disgusts me.  It cheapens the sorrow and makes mock of the anger if we believe the answer to one family's personal tragedy is to avail ourselves of someone else's property and to destroy someone else's source of income.

I am not saying anyone should accept these losses silently; but there is a huge difference between a civilized, responsive demonstration and using the disastrous event for personal profit. 

While the young man's family continues to mourn their son and the innocent businessmen these people stole from are cleaning up and worrying about their loss of income, the looters are at home, wearing their stolen shoes and watching the aftermath on a brand new, pilfered big screen TV. 

I wonder: Do they think they helped solve the problem?  And are they proud?

Are Republicans Becoming Western Mullahs?

As Americans, we talk about defending human rights in the Middle East, we talk about the plight of women in the Middle East, we talk about the violence that seems to be endemic to Islamic countries and we condemn those societies.  We find fault with their form of government, a government based on and dictated by a fundamentalist religion; and we look down on all of it as though we were more evolved, more moral.  

But when you look at today's Republican Party, you see a party dedicated to denying basic human rights to gays--in the name of the Christian religion.  A party that wants to take away a woman's right to make her own health care decisions--in the name of the Christian religion.  A party that believes the right to bear arms is protected by the Christian God. A party that believes federal law should be bent to conform to a corporation's Christian beliefs.  And a party that finds no fault with a state declaring Christianity the "official" religion.

---> RANDOM THOUGHT:  Look in the mirror, Republican Party.  Look in the mirror.

An Admittedly Uncomfortable Thought re: Yesterday's Tornadoes

Having lived through a major tornado when I was a child--an experience that has resulted in a life-long unease with and respect for wind--I feel for those who have been hurt by recent severe weather. 

---> RANDOM THOUGHT:  But--at the risk of being called callous--may I point out the obvious absence of any far-right, Christian blame-barrage? 

If this had happened in Ohio or Massachusetts or New York or Connecticut, we'd be hearing Pat Robertson and every other Bible waving conservative saying it was God's retribution for our support of gay rights, or abortion rights for women, or whatever liberal issue they deem sinful.   Since the suffering has been mainly confined to states where much of their conservative Christian base is located, the God's Punishment Pundits have been conspicuously silent.  

Thank God.

Or maybe they're all home working on how to admit they were wrong, and Monday's weather is actually proof that God is punishing THEM for using His name to justify hateful treatment toward some of His people. 

Nice dream, huh?

Minimum Wage "Burdens" Employers?

Earlier this month, N. Gregory Mankiw, Chairman and Professor of Economics at Harvard University, wrote an op-ed piece for the New York Times: "Help the Working Poor, but Share the Burden." In it he explained why he opposes an increase in the minimum wage.  He said that increasing the minimum wage would unfairly burden business owners and force them to subsidize the incomes of poor Americans. 
---> RANDOM THOUGHT:  I wonder why an  intelligent and obviously educated person like Mr. Mankiw could not follow his own argument one step further and see that these minimum wage workers would not BE poor if they were paid a living wage?  

Keystone XL - Canadians Don't Want It Either

Canada oil companies, tired of waiting for the U.S. to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, have applied for and received preliminary approval from the Canadian government for an oil pipeline to run through British Columbia to the Pacific Ocean.  Not surprisingly, the people of British Columbia are fighting it and for all the same reasons the people in the United States have been fighting--inherent danger to the aquifer, danger to wildlife, failed record of oil companies in protecting the environment, danger of spill at port location, concern that this type of oil sands is heavier and more difficult to clean up.  Reading British Columbia's objections is like looking at a carbon copy of the concerns voiced by U.S. environmentalists.

Canada is surrounded by oceans just like we are.  If they need to carry their crude oil sands to the coast, why should we be the conduit?  If a Canadian company reaps the profits, then Canada should bear the risk.

---> RANDOM THOUGHT:  Why not continue to transport their oil the same way they have been transporting it? They certainly aren't losing money with their current rail and truck system.  Who ever heard of an oil company losing money?  Should we risk causing harm to man, beast and terra firma simply to provide additional profit for privately held companies?  When did greed become more important than life?

Budget Passed, but Ryan Continues to Play Republican Fiscal Games

On Tuesday, the Senate passed the two year budget deal previously passed by the House.  It now goes to the President for his signature.  Financial brinkmanship over?  Think again.  

Sometime in March, the government will once again need to raise the debt ceiling in order to continue to pay our bills.   Representative Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) is floating the idea that Republicans should make approval of the Keystone XL pipeline part of any debt ceiling agreement. The President has already said he will not consider any debt ceiling deal that is tied to an unrelated condition.

 ----> RANDOM THOUGHT:  Is there some sort of lobotomy requirement in the Republican oath of office?  Do they really not remember the outcome of their last attempt to blackmail the White House into agreeing to their terms? 

The Conservative Definition of Pro-Life?

Let's see, conservative pro-life Christian Republicans don't want the ACA to pay for contraception, which would mean more unwanted pregnancies.  They want to ban all abortion, which would mean more unwanted babies. And they don't want to fund any social programs that might help pay to raise these unwanted babies when they are born into situations where they are unwanted and where there is not enough money to feed them--two situations that would be remedied with the availability of contraception and abortion, which conservative Christian Republicans want to ban.  Following that makes me dizzy.
---> RANDOM THOUGHT: So, in Republican-land you would have to be rich or over 60 to have sex?  They aren't so much "pro-life" as they are "pro-rich-Christian-only-life." (And it wouldn't hurt if you were white either.)

Should Republicans Outlaw the Name "Rick"?

1) Rick Snyder (R), Governor of Michigan is poised to sign a bill that would end unemployment benefits to people who failed a drug test while looking for a new job.
2) Rick Scott (R), Governor of Florida found only two examples of voter fraud in his latest investigation, (both were the result of fake registrations filed by a Republican voter registration worker), but will spend thousands more this year to re-do the investigation because he knows the first one missed something.
3) Rick Walker (R), Governor of Wisconsin tried to prohibit freedom of speech by denying people the right to protest at the state capitol building.  His decision was overturned by state courts.  He led the successful campaign to deny police and fire unions the right to negotiate better contracts and recently signed a restrictive voter ID law. He has decided that his state will not expand Medicaid benefits.
4) Rick Perry (R), Governor of Texas circumvented state law to get new abortion restrictions passed in his state.  He recently signed a new voter ID law. He is proud that his state will not be expanding Medicaid benefits.
---> RANDOM THOUGHT:  Maybe we should just stop electing Republicans who are named Rick.

Maybe the Senate Should Communicate in Child-ese So the House Can Understand Them?

Prior to the federal government shutdown, House Republicans added a list of "must haves", (defund the ACA, agree to build the Keystone XL oil pipeline, eliminate funds for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, drop regulations on greenhouse gases, open federal lands to private oil drilling...), if they were to sit down and talk about a new budget with the Senate.

 --->  RANDOM THOUGHT:  Now that Vice-Speaker Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and his assistant John Boehner (R- Ohio) are crying to the heavens that the Senate won't sit down and talk with them, wouldn't it be fun if the Senate sent their own list of "must haves"?  --  We'll sit down and talk about the budget if you agree to pass a bill requiring universal background checks for gun purchases, vote for immigration reform including the Dream Act, fully fund the food stamp program, budget enough money to begin the rebuilding of our roads and bridges and give up your three year war on the ACA.  Childish, I know; but Child-ese does seem to be the native tongue of House Republicans these days.

Republicans and the ACA...Obsession or Fear?

 ---> RANDOM THOUGHT:   What if the Republican obsession with defunding the ACA isn't so much because they believe it will be a "train wreck" and will "hurt jobs"; but because they secretly fear that it will be a smashing success and they are all going to end up looking like fools?