Month: January 2013

Athenae, Economy, On Wisconsin5 Comments

I Wonder What This Could Mean

Allison Hantschel

The suburbs don’t want to “subsidize” the city: Service consolidation has been a popular topic for local government, but the notion of a metropolitan form of government has sparked controversy. “Metropolitan government is tough,” Glendale Mayor Jerome Tepper said. “We have 20 municipalities including the county. People identify with their community” and some don’t want to give that up, he said. Rob Henken, president of the nonpartisan Public Policy Forum, said the controversial part about metro government in Milwaukee would be concerns from suburban communities that they would be subsidizing “much more intense levels of service in the city.” Right. … Continue reading I Wonder What This Could Mean

Adrastos, Law/Justice, Political Crack, Stupid Republican Tricks5 Comments

Malaka Of The Week: Marion Hammer

I have a new motto for this feature: when in doubt select someone from the NRA, where malakatude along with smoking guns is what they do best: …even by the standards of what we’ve heard from the NRA recently, comments made by former NRA president Marion Hammer earlier this week stand out. Appearing on an episode of the NRA news show The Daily News on Wednesday, Hammer concluded a discussion of the prospects on gun control initiatives prompted by the Newtown, Conn. massacre by drawing a comparison between attempts to ban guns and racism. “And they even admit this is … Continue reading Malaka Of The Week: Marion Hammer

Adrastos, Diary2 Comments

April Foolery

Peter Adrastos Athas

I love April Fool’s Day and have been involved in a few pranks on the interwebs over the years. I was uninspired this year and it’s also gotten harder to fool folks: The Onion usually gets there first. The British press has a long tradition of April Foolery in their print editions.This year, the Guardian is liveblogging today’s pranktastic events. That’s all I got for you unless you want to contribute to Friends of Hamas or the Tyrion Lannister defense fund or something… Continue reading April Foolery

Athenae, Marriage Equality3 Comments

Marriage Equality for Illinois

The conservative Chicago Tribune: Much of the opposition stems from religious concerns, such as those cited by Cardinal Francis George, who has urged a “no” vote. We fully understand and respect the cardinal’s view that same-sex marriage violates natural law. But nothing in this bill affects the church’s authority to define what is right for Catholics. It recognizes the difference between religious rites and civil institutions. The Catholic church, after all, bars remarriage by divorcees, but Illinois grants marriage licenses to them. Allowing same-sex marriage does not limit the freedom of religious believers to reject it; it merely allows those … Continue reading Marriage Equality for Illinois

Diary, Doc3 Comments

A hold on you

docphd

I spent half the week or more working on a piece of biting satire that made the case that I appeared to be the only human being on Earth who understood what Seth MacFarlane was doing at the Oscars. (Working title: The Tit Offensive) Look, when you hire a guy who makes fun of the handicapped, once wrote an entire network skit dedicated to sideboobs and “Dogs Humping” and then made a feature film about a Teddy Bear that gets stoned, you know what you’re going to get at the Oscars. And that damned sure ain’t going to be Moliere. … Continue reading A hold on you

Uncategorized1 Comment

Your Sequester Day Repost of Vintage Stupid

Allison Hantschel

(crossposted at the driftglass blog) Remember back in 2009 when then-Republican Party Chairman and mustachioed C-class heartthrob Michael “Hobson’s Choice” Steele went on the teevee machine to patiently explain to America that the Official Position of the Party of Personal Responsibility was that Gummint Jobs aren’t RealJobs? No? I’ll bet your Conservative friends and colleagues don’t either. But I sure do. Sunday Morning Comin’ Down – Part 2 of 2 On “This Week” George Stephanopoulos asks Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele about Dubya. Shorter Michael Steele: Bush was awesome. His economic politics were fooking brill. He inherited a recession from … Continue reading Your Sequester Day Repost of Vintage Stupid

Athenae, So Called Liberal Media4 Comments

A Thousand Dollars

For Jenny McCarthy, kids: Dear Jenny : I was married for 21 years and got divorced in January 2011. I’m having a tough time dating and hope you can give me some help. – Norm from Wheaton Jenny says: Oh man, Norm. I feel ya. I know exactly what you are going through. I was married for seven years and then jumped into a relationship for another five. When I was finally free, I was scared. I didn’t know how to date. I would meet someone and stay with them for five to seven years just so I didn’t have … Continue reading A Thousand Dollars

Adrastos, Film1 Comment

Pulp Fiction Thursday: Only Angels Have Wings

Only Angels Have Wingsis a hard boiled movie with a sappy title. It’s not exactly genuine pulp fiction but it’s my blog and I felt like writing about it. Dr. A and watched this 1939 Howard Hawks classic the other day and it grabbed me like it always does. It’s about a group of stoic pilots flying the mail in impossible conditions and the dames who sass them. Now for a few fun facts about one of my favorite films from Hollywood’s so-called golden age. I think it was really made outta Zinc: Cary Grant’s character, hard-bitten and sarcastic airline … Continue reading Pulp Fiction Thursday: Only Angels Have Wings

Adrastos, Big Damn Heroes, Books, Diary, Law/Justice, Political Crack2 Comments

The Children

Peter Adrastos Athas

I just finished reading David Halberstam’s great 1999 book The Children for the first time. I’m not sure why it took me so long to read it since Halberstam is one of my heroes and I’m deeply interested in the history of the Civil Rights Movement but better late than never. The timing is also somewhat fortuitous because the SNCC “children” of the title were responsible for the Nashville sit-ins, the Freedom Rides and the Selma March, a series of epic events that helped lead to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. That is, in turn,a big story … Continue reading The Children

Michael F3 Comments

The House Republican Caucus Meets

FromAlbum4 Despite Cantor’s recent efforts to castrate Boehner — yeah, cheap pun intended — theSpeaker‘s expected tokeep his position. And, givenBoehner’s recent behavior, I’m starting to wonder if the refusal by Redumblicans to even mention the name “George W. Bush” is fromfear they don’t measure up to his…dignitude. Hard to imagine, but they’ve actually sunk that low. Continue reading The House Republican Caucus Meets

Athenae, Stupid Republican Tricks4 Comments

Welcome to the United States of YOUR OWN PARTY, You Monumental Assclown

Fuck Chris Christie, okay? During a press conference in Trenton, N.J., Christie directed his fury toward House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), whoshelved an expected vote late Tuesday on the Senate-backed relief package worth $60 billion. Christie said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) called him at 11:20 p.m. ET following an 11th hour deal on the so-called fiscal cliff to inform him there would be no vote on the supplemental funds. After that call, Christie said he phoned Boehner four times. Boehner never returned the calls. Christie also added that he was never given an explanation for the canceled vote. … Continue reading Welcome to the United States of YOUR OWN PARTY, You Monumental Assclown

Adrastos, Political Crack4 Comments

Quote of the day

Peter Adrastos Athas

It comes from an obituary of former Noo Yawk Mayor, Ed Koch, who died today at the age of 88: At age 83, Koch paid $20,000 for a burial plot at Trinity Church Cemetery, at the time the only graveyard in Manhattan that still had space. “I don’t want to leave Manhattan, even when I’m gone,” Koch told The Associated Press. “This is my home. The thought of having to go to New Jersey was so distressing to me.” An old high school friend of mine, who is a hardcore New Yorker, said on her Facebook page: “RIP, maybe not … Continue reading Quote of the day

Adrastos, Congress, Economy, Political Crack, Stupid Republican Tricks6 Comments

Time for a Cantor Coup?

I am an agnostic when it comes to the fiscal cliff/slope/curb/grassy knoll deal. I’m not sure that I like it BUT I am also sick and tired of the teahadists in the House taking the economy hostage as if it were an Embassy or something. I’m waiting to see what happens when the next round starts before shooting from the lip, hip or any other orifice. No instant analysis from me this time around, unless Nancy Smash starts fretting publicly about what comes next. I am, however, fascinated by the maneuvering and intercine strife on the GOP side. Majority Malaka … Continue reading Time for a Cantor Coup?

Uncategorized

You Done Good

Hey, remember that classroom we helped out?Check them out: The teacher writes: Dear Allison, Thank you all so much for your wonderful donations. Another teacher is so jealous of my new printer, she’s going to ask for one of her own. The printer is wonderful. It’s so compact, quiet, and it works great. It feels good to know I have a modern piece of equipment that I can always depend on. As soon as I hooked it up I was helping students print out their assignments. I was able to print beautiful programs for our Winter Concert, lyrics for the … Continue reading You Done Good

Adrastos, Diary, Music4 Comments

Why I Hate New Year’s Eve

Peter Adrastos Athas

Hate is probably too strong a word but I wanted to get your attention. I’m really more bored than anything by NYE. I’m not a fan of firecrackers since my boyhood pal Kirk blew off 2 of his fingers with them and they’re an integral part of NYE. I’m also not wild about the forced jollity and the public drunkenness, which this year is magnified in NOLA by the presence of Florida Gator fans who *almost* make Bama fans look civilized. Almost. Btw, I have nothing against drunks but stupid drunks I’m not crazy about. Dr. A and I had … Continue reading Why I Hate New Year’s Eve

Congress, Current Affairs10 Comments

Happy Blue Year

It’s mourning in America, peeps! Last night we went over the so-called “fiscal cliff,” actually more like a bungee jump because apparently the House is going to vote on the Senate’s bill this morning and (hopefully) pull us back. Oh, goodie. I’m sitting here enjoying my first cup of coffee of the day and haven’t yet read up on all the details, but it sounds like it’s what they were talking about yesterday: raising taxes on incomes over $400,000 for single filers, $450,000 for families. On hearing the news that $400,000 is now “middle class,” Mr. Beale enthusiastically quipped, “Great! … Continue reading Happy Blue Year