Open Thread – Fish Not Bombs
There have been many wonderful, inspired signs at the various Occupy rallies around the world, but this one gave me the biggest smile. I admit it.
Next up is a huge photo album of the rallies around the state of Alaska. Deep thanks to the people who came out and occupied Fairbanks, Juneau, Anchorage, Homer, Bethel, and Unalaska!
Great column by Paul Krugman:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/17/opinion/krugman-wall-street-loses-its-immunity.html?src=me&ref=general
“Why, then, does Wall Street expect anyone to take its whining seriously? That money manager claiming that finance is the only thing America does well also complained that New York’s two Democratic senators aren’t on his side, declaring that “They need to understand who their constituency is.” Actually, they surely know very well who their constituency is — and even in New York, 16 out of 17 workers are employed by nonfinancial industries.
“But he wasn’t really talking about voters, of course. He was talking about the one thing Wall Street still has plenty of thanks to those bailouts, despite its total loss of credibility: money.
“You see, until a few weeks ago it seemed as if Wall Street had effectively bribed and bullied our political system into forgetting about that whole drawing lavish paychecks while destroying the world economy thing. Then, all of a sudden, some people insisted on bringing the subject up again.”
“In Arizona sometimes to gain office you have to have shot someone.”
This lovely sentiment was uttered by AZ Rep. Trent Franks (Republican – no kidding) in a congressional hearing last Friday. I am so outraged I am spitting. He immediately claimed he was joking, but you don’t joke about crap like this. He meant it, the sucker. I know there are other Arizona readers here in the Flats, and I urge all of you to contact his office. Thanks for giving me an arena in which to sputter.
I believe that any politician either IN Arizona or making reference TO Arizona and mentioning shooting in any flippant context should be taken out behind the building and hung by his toes until he promises to resign from office and never speak in public again.
But that’s just me.
did said offender offer to raffle off a pink Glock and give the proceeds to the NRA to assuage the no-consciences of his faithful flock?
Of course, we’ve all seen and enjoyed Occupy the Tundra (Diane McEachern and dogs). Diane was interviewed by the LA Times:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/10/bethel-occupy-the-tundra-facebook.html
and had this to say: “And right now, they’re proposing here the largest gold mine in human history, the Pebble Mine, that’s going to do catastrophic damage to the environment and the native community, in the premier wild salmon habitat in the world,” she said. “So I’m not well-versed on the larger economic system, but I can relate to the idea of corporate wealth being lopsidedly in the hands of so few, when so many are struggling.”
and this: “For those who ask about the [permanent fund dividend] that all Alaskans receive [based on oil revenues], I got mine and donated it to Greenpeace on behalf of Glenn Beck,” she wrote. “To the suggestion I set myself on fire …I AM on fire!”
Lovely.
Lake and Pen Borough election results including Save Our Salmon initiative due tonight.
I posted this late last night, but think it needs to circulate in a few red states:
What would your tax be under 9-9-9?
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Elections/President/2011/1016/Herman-Cain-s-9-9-9-plan-What-would-your-sales-tax-be/Very-high-more-than-18-percent
See how your representative in Congress voted on the “Let Women Die” bill, which would outlaw abortion even if it means the death of the mother:
http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/get-involved/stupak-on-steroids/hr358-vote.html
(Alaskans, I’m sure you already figured out that Yon Dung voted for it.)
It’s amazing what a new election will do!
A year ago, my idiot former Congressman, ‘Shirtless’ Chris Lee, would have been chomping at the bit to vote for this heinous piece of legislation. However, after last year’s election, my district surprisingly went blue and my Representative, Kathy Hochul, voted against it.
Thank you, Congresswoman Hochul!
Obama was sending troops to help track down the LRA. I’d like to get a look at Limp-paws tax returns to see if he is funneling them money. According to the jehus on Yahoo,Obama is piling up serious misdemeanors and the right wants to impeach him badly. So far his worst crimes are 1) he’s Black
2)he uses a teleprompter. Since it only took Bill Clinton lying about an extra-marital dalliance to bring down the wrath of Newt-the extra-marital dalliancer-in-chief, Obie had best be careful that he toes the rwnj line to a fare-thee-well(whatever that means). Meanwhile,back at the concentration camp for nutter’s nutty ideas-it seems that the rethuglicans and their ilk want to get rid of the earned income credit(EIC) because it gives small refunds to some of the poorest families with children,even when they commit the heinous crime of being too poor to pay taxes and having the unmitigated gall to have fetuses that they care for. How sick are these poor people? Only the rw cares for fetuses. Just ask one when they stumble out of their church of choice on a Sunday morning. Hope we all have a wunnerful Monday and wake up to a Tuesday in rw Nukular LA-LA Land. Have you ballisticated your kid today?
The GOP’s top cheerleader Rush Limbaugh defends the indefensibly murderous Lord’s Resistance Army and the Republican party does nothing to denounce him:
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_10/limbaugh_just_cant_help_himsel032841.php
To date the Lord’s Resistance Army has murdered more than 12,000 people:
“The LRA is best described as a death cult. It invades villages, slaughters the adults, and kidnaps children. These terrorists have been known to go on killing sprees with machetes and axes, and leave trails of dead bodies when their kidnapped victims don’t walk quickly enough with the rest of the cult.”
There was a great column in the ADN today about the proposed Chuitna coal mine. It has largely been overshadowed by Pebble, but it’s an equally bad idea. I hope Alaska can wise up before it’s too late and some of the nicest areas are destroyed.