This brings to mind a spirited exchange from one of the 80s most endearingly optimistic anti-war movies: McKittrick: General, the machine has locked us out. It’s sending random numbers to the silos. Pat Healy: Codes. To launch the missiles. General Beringer: Just unplug the goddamn thing! Jesus Christ! McKittrick: That won’t work, General. It would interpret a shutdown as the destruction of NORAD. The computers in the silos would carry
August 9, 2013
August 9, 2013
CA Public Employee Unions behind Democrat bill to slap non-union contractors with a Scarlet Letter … [Darleen Click]
… or maybe a Yellow Star Senate Bill 556 is another sad example of how legislative Democrats can’t say no to their main benefactor, public employee unions, even at the expense of the voters they represent. This bill is costly, unnecessary and meddlesome — a legislative solution in search of a problem. Authored by Sen. Ellen Corbett of San Leandro, SB 556 would require contract employees working for state or
August 9, 2013
“Bozell: Press are ‘Enablers’ of ‘Outright Bigotry Against Christians'”
More phony rightwing attempts at playing the victim card. I mean, honestly: a war on Christians? Are we supposed to believe that kind of pathetic neediness from the very religious, patriarchal strata that continues to dominate our culture and reify — not to mention lionize — its values through dogmatic infiltration of God into the social and political discourse? Pshaw, I say. Crass, opportunistic identity politicking — the kind of
August 9, 2013
Slate will no longer refer to the Washington Redskins as the Washington Redskins
In an apparent attempt to fire back, the Redskins organization, upon learning of the news, released to me the following brief statement: What in the fuck is “Slate,” and why are you bothering us by forwarding along this moronic porridge of PC rabble rousing? “Slate” can call us the Washington Klan Hoods, for all we care. Because you know what? It turns out normal people don’t much give a shit
August 9, 2013
“Obama IRS Agents Continue to Target Conservatives in ‘Phony’ Scandal”
How is this even possible, what with the vigorous and unblinkered attempts by the GOP (well, short of engaging a special prosecutor skilled in the legal maneuverings necessary to ferret out information from the morass of lies, deceit, and agency / Administration cover up, I mean; because that’s just tacky) to get to the bottom of all this? Vision to America: In a remarkable admission that is likely to rock
August 9, 2013
“Why Obamacare always was a public option”
Keep in mind, this is in addition to his having told progressive followers before running for President that his end game was in fact single payer government health care, but that to achieve that end certain intermediate plans would must first be institutionalized — kind of as a Trojan horse to eventually compel a single-payer, government-centric system. But, you know, Harvard. Academia. And that pant crease! Plus, he’s a good
August 9, 2013
Freelance writer and stay-at-home-dad genuflects at Left-feminism, gets published at XX-Slate [Darleen Click]
Noah Berlatsky, Why am I a male feminist? But I’m also a feminist for selfish reasons. I’m the primary caretaker for our son — I stay home with him when he’s sick (there he is on the futon right now, actually, watching Doctor Who with the cat sacked out beside him). I deal with school events and playdates; I schlep him to all his activities. There was a time not
August 9, 2013
Who’s on the run? [Darleen Click]
Lahore, Pakistan The State Department has evacuated most of its diplomats from Lahore, Pakistan in response to terrorist threats against the U.S. consulate, according to senior officials. ‘We have picked up what we regard as a threat worthy of taking this action,’ a senior U.S. official told CNN. All diplomats were ordered to evacuate Thursday except for a few emergency personnel. The diplomats were reportedly moved to Islamabad. Heck of