FUCK YEAH 30 FUCKING STATES
JeSUS, you guys. A. Continue reading FUCK YEAH 30 FUCKING STATES
Month: October 2014
Ebola Hysteria Is More Contagious Than Ebola
The latest outbreak of Ebola hysteria is in Baton Rouge: State Attorney General Buddy Caldwell is seeking a temporary restraining order to block the disposal of incinerated waste from the Dallas Ebola victim’s personal items and belongings at a Louisiana landfill. It has been reported that six truckloads of potential Ebola contaminated material collected from the apartment where the Dallas Ebola victim became ill were brought to Port Arthur, Texas on Friday to be processed at the Veolia Environmental Services incinerator. From there the incinerated material is slated to be transported to a hazardous waste landfill in Louisiana for final … Continue reading Ebola Hysteria Is More Contagious Than Ebola
Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – Supremely Disappointed edition
Well, folks – you knew it was coming…
Wait for it…..
High court denies gay marriage appeals [legal immediately in IN, OK, UT, VA and WI]
AP ^ | 10/06/2014 | Mark ShermanPosted on 10/6/2014 9:07:01 AM by GIdget2004
he Supreme Court has turned away appeals from five states seeking to prohibit same-sex marriages, paving the way for an immediate expansion of gay and lesbian unions.
The justices on Monday did not comment in rejecting appeals from Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.
The court’s order immediately ends delays on marriage in those states. Couples in six other states should be able to get married in short order.
That would make same-sex marriage legal in 30 states and the District of Columbia.
But the justices have left unresolved for now the question of same-sex marriage nationwide.
1 posted on 10/6/2014 9:07:01 AM by GIdget2004
To: GIdget2004Its up to God to restore the natural order of things.And restore it he will.
To: GIdget2004
Please leave your sex life out of this.
To: GIdget2004No Surprise Roberts himself is a FAGGOT Lover. I DESPISE THESE 9 BASTARDS!
6 posted on 10/6/2014 9:12:35 AM by US Navy Vet (Go Packers! Go Rockies! Go Boston Bruins! See, I’m “Diverse”!)
To: GIdget2004
Again – please leave your sex life out of this.
To: GIdget2004The Founders never intended for the courts to wield this kind of backdoor legislative power.
10 posted on 10/6/2014 9:17:24 AM by Iron Munro (We can make it work with only one square per restroom visit — Sheryl Crow)
To: GIdget2004
The sane response is to begin secession immediately.
We cannot be a part of a profligate, fascist government any longer.
27 posted on 10/6/2014 9:29:54 AM by fwdude (The last time the GOP ran an “extremist,” Reagan won 44 states.)
This is the same fucknut who is whining about his Socal Security in the next thread….
To: GIdget2004It is time for Christians of America to think spiritually. This is a flawed world and America has chosen to reject God. It is the normal scheme of things in the history of the human world. I love this nation’s founding, but it is no more. Time to cling to the Lord and pray for the souls of those in the middle and our children. America is dying.
65 posted on 10/6/2014 10:14:37 AM by Phillyred
OK – NOW you can get on with it.
Scott Walker will be along to save them all (or not) after the jump..
Continue reading “Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – Supremely Disappointed edition”
The Victim-Blaming Culture
A lethal mix of laziness, stupidity, wingnut reactionism and just plain cruelty: The process sounds simple: Go to a courthouse, file a form, and get a private hearing within a day or so. If the judge—who usually holds the hearing in his or her chambers—denies the petition, a minor has a right to a speedy appeal. A pregnant teen, according to standards defined by the Supreme Court, must show either that she is mature enough to have an abortion without her parents’ involvement or that an abortion is in her best interest. “The way most laws are written, if you … Continue reading The Victim-Blaming Culture
Sunday Morning Video: Los Lobos Live At Woodstock 99
Los Lobos are playing a free gig here at the Crescent City Blues and BBQ Fest next Saturday. I’m pretty jazzed about it so I thought I’d post this July 24, 1999 set: If you’re there, I’ll be the chap in the Grateful Dead/San Francisco Giants shirt hollering for Bertha: Continue reading Sunday Morning Video: Los Lobos Live At Woodstock 99
The State Of The Gret Stet Senate Race
You’ve probably already seen the video of Allison Lundegran Grimes squirming like a cochon du lait before being skewered and roasted. She was asked by the editorial board of the Louisville Courier-Journal if she’d voted for Barack Obama. It was amateur hour as she squirmed, hemmed and hawed and ducked the question. This headless chicken reply was the worst of both possible worlds: she looked weaselly, and nobody believes that she didn’t vote for the President. Twice. It reminded me of when loudmouth bus driver Ralpha Kramden got tongue tied on the venerable Honeymooners teevee show:
I nearly called this post Homina, Homina, but decided to write about a Blue Dog who knows how to answer a question like that, Senator Mary Landrieu. The only way to reply in a place where the President is unpopular is something like this, “Yes but I put my state above my political party and will fight for you.” Now I realize that Obama is even more unpopular in Kentucky than in Louisiana (we have a very large African-American population, and they have lots of Boyd Crowders and Dewey Crowes) but Ms. Lundegran Grimes’ non-answer ain’t foolin’ anyone, especially when she called herself a “Clinton Democrat.” It reminded me when Bill attempted to parse the meaning of is…
The MSM is obsessed with certain Senate races this year: Kentucky, North Carolina, Colorado, Iowa and, more recently, Kansas, and haven’t written and/or broadcast as much about my home state campaign. I’ll try to fill in a few blanks without asking y’all to sharpen a number-2 pencil…
More about the state of the Gret Stet Senate race after the break.
Right-Wing Media Translations: Nebraska School Gender Edition
Teachers to school in Nebraska: We get questions occasionally about gender issues. Please help us answer them without sounding like complete morons. School to teachers: Here is a handout from an organization that specializes in these issues. The handout talks about gender-inclusive language, and suggests some things you might maybe someday kind of do if you want. Wingnut media: OBAMAHITLER IS FORCING SCHOOLS TO BAN THE WORD BOYS BECAUSE EVERYBODY IS A QUEER NOW AND GIRLS CAN’T BE CALLED GIRLS AND EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE. THIS IS TRADITIONAL AMERICA YOU CANNOT OPEN A GENDERLESS FRENCH MIME SEX SCHOOL. School, patiently: No. None of … Continue reading Right-Wing Media Translations: Nebraska School Gender Edition
Weekend Question Thread
What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you while traveling? Last fall, Mr. A and I were in Paris walking through the Christmas-themed market on the Champs-Elysees, and came upon a stall selling all kinds of sheepskins and sheepskin-themed things. Because I was the size of a house with Kick, I zeroed in on the baby booties and Mr. A went looking for a skin to cover the floor of her room. (On the grounds that the rug we’d bought was not going to be soft enough to cushion her once she started crawling around. Because of course it wouldn’t.) … Continue reading Weekend Question Thread
“A good dress rehearsal”
He was shorter than his partner, although they both looked nice in their “of the era” tuxedos, and his name was Scott. He was about 25 or so, short and yet stylish brown hair combed back and perfectly moussed. In 1996, I went to the State Capitol building to see a handful of gay and lesbian couples take part in a “gay wedding.” A member of the group “The Lesbian Avengers” officiated the event and friends gathered to support these 15 couples who were tying the knot. The State Journal sent me out there on a Friday, which meant I … Continue reading “A good dress rehearsal”
Friday Ferretblogging: Gift Edition
Bucky loves getting presents, and by presents I mean bags that he can play in after the presents have been removed: A. Continue reading Friday Ferretblogging: Gift Edition
Friday Catblogging: Wrap It Up
Like most cats, Oscar and Della Street are big on investigating stuff that’s on the floor. Here’s an old picture of them doing just that. Btw, Oscar’s sidewalls are *much* better now: The post title is a pretext to post this tune. Cheesy video, fine song: Continue reading Friday Catblogging: Wrap It Up
AHS Freak Show Thread: It’s Lucky Strike, It’s Good For You
I’m a fan of excess in pop culture. American Horror Story honchos Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk are the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker of 21st Century teevee drama. ZAZ were the zanies behind Airplane, Ruthless People, and the Naked Gun movies to name but a few. The ZAZ approach to comedy is to throw a lot of shit at the wall and see how much of it sticks. Murphy and Falchuk have used the same technique with the AHS anthology series. Sometimes it works, Asylum, and sometimes it doesn’t, last season’s Coven. BUT it’s always interesting like walking the tightrope or being the man on the flying trapeze. It’s glorious when it works and a fucking mess when it doesn’t. In short, nothing exceeds like excess…
I’m hoping that AHS: Freak Show is shit that sticks but that remains to be seen. The first episode is quite promising as it shows signs of being surreal and totally unhinged from reality as opposed to bringing in historical characters such as Marie Laveau and Madame LaLaurie and not getting them right. I was relieved to learn that while the lobster boy is *based* on the real one, Grady Stiles, he’s called Jimmy Darling. (Hmm, I wonder if he’s related to the former Mets and A’s pitcher, Ron.) AHS works better when it channels history through its tabloid grinder instead of pretending to be the real deal. That’s one reason Asylum worked and Coven did not. The best thing about Coven was the totally wacked Lilly Rabe-Stevie Nicks sub-plot. It was almost as funny as something out of the Naked Gun series.
The post title is based on line spoken by Jessica Lange as Fraulein Elsa, the freak show’s proprietrix and talent scout. It was the CW back then as you can see from this print ad:
“It’s toasted” sounds like the effects of weed, legal or otherwise. Wow, man. Enough with the parenthetical asides, I’ll continue after the break to avoid spoilers, especially since Dr. A hasn’t seen Monsters Among Us yet.
Continue reading “AHS Freak Show Thread: It’s Lucky Strike, It’s Good For You”
Pulp Fiction Thursday: Blonde Baggage
Res ipsa loquitur: Continue reading Pulp Fiction Thursday: Blonde Baggage
Freaking Out
I’m not, are you? My longtime readers know that I’m the target demographic for American Horror Story: Freak Show. I’m fascinated with side show culture, art, and all around weirdness. Freaks is one of my favorite films and I even know who Fred G. Johnson is. In short, I’ve decided to blog the show but I’m going to be realistic and not try to always deliver a recap on Thursday. I’ve got pulp fictioning to do, after all. Instead, I’ll shoot for posting it sometime between Thursday and Saturday. Here’s the cast poster to whet your appetite: Speaking of appetites, … Continue reading Freaking Out
Malakas Of The Week: Ebola Scaremongers
I may come off as a deeply cynical person and to some extent I am. BUT I also try to think the best of people and hope that they’ll eventually do the right thing. It’s getting harder and harder to believe that given the fact that an entire political party and its cable news mouthpiece have gone stark, raving mad. The GOP response to Ebola is one of the worst things I’ve seen in my lifetime and that is why Ebola scaremongers are the malakas of the week. Where do I begin? The same people who believed Bush and Chaney … Continue reading Malakas Of The Week: Ebola Scaremongers
Today In Responsible Gun Ownership: Oregon Edition
Just in case y’all were under the mistaken impression that open carry doofi (doofuses?) were restricted to red states: An Oregon man openly carrying his brand new handgun was robbed of the firearm Saturday by another armed man. Portland TV station KPTV reported that the 21-year-old victim, who had bought a semi-automatic .22-caliber handgun earlier in the day, was openly carrying the weapon down a street in Gresham, Ore. while talking to his cousin. The two men told investigators that another man approached them on their walk and asked for a cigarette. Police said the group’s conversation eventually turned to … Continue reading Today In Responsible Gun Ownership: Oregon Edition
ANNIVERSARY PARTY CRACK VAN
Donate and join the fun below! Update: Thanks to all for joining in! Continue reading ANNIVERSARY PARTY CRACK VAN
Album Cover Art Wednesday: American Stars ‘n Bars
Neil Young has always been an absurdly prolific recording artist. In the 1970’s, he was grinding albums out like sausages. 1977’s American Stars ‘n Bars was one of Neil’s stronger efforts from that era. Additionally, it’s got that country rock thing going for it and it uses ‘n in the title. Why I like that, I’ll never know.
Some folks find the album disjointed since it was recorded over a few years BUT it contains a string of terrific songs, and I’ll forgive a lot if the songwriting is strong. Here’s how William Ruhlman describes it at AllMusic.com:
Neil Young made a point of listing the recording dates of the songs on American Stars ‘n Bars; the dates even appeared on the LP labels. They revealed that the songs had been cut at four different sessions dating back to 1974. But even without such documentation, it would have been easy to tell that the album was a stylistic hodgepodge, its first side consisting of country-tinged material featuring steel guitar and fiddle, plus backup vocals from Linda Ronstadt and the then-unknown Nicolette Larson, while the four songs on the second side varied from acoustic solo numbers like “Will to Love” to raging rockers such as “Like a Hurricane.”
The package for American Stars ‘n Bars lost a lot in the translation to CD. I’ve got the LP somewhere in a box in a closet and while I *should* being willing to dig it out for my gentle readers, I’m not. Ya dig?
To say that the cover is undignified is an understatement. It’s a swell parody of the rock star pomposity that was so prevalent at the time: Henley and Frey come on down. The album art was designed by former child star Dean Stockwell before his 1980’s acting comeback with Blue Velvet, Married To The Mob, and the swell time travel teeevee series, Quantum Leap.
Without further adieu, here’s the album cover:
Continue reading “Album Cover Art Wednesday: American Stars ‘n Bars”
It’s Not Easy Being Mean
Republicans are having a tough time of it, you guys: These are purple and red states. Five of these six states approved ballot measures against gay marriage within the last decade. The most recent was two years ago. Now you can’t even get a clear answer from Republican nominees in these states, not just about marriage, but about birth control or abortion. In other states where general election debates have been held—Alaska, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska—Democrats haven’t brought up these issues, but Republicans haven’t, either. It’s true that Republicans are counting on dissatisfaction with the economy, Obamacare, and other domestic issues … Continue reading It’s Not Easy Being Mean
Malaka Of The Week: Manassas, VA City Police
Zealotry in literally applying the letter of the law in a way that defies common sense can constitute malakatude just as surely as political buffoonery. That is why the Manassa, VA City Police as an entity is/are malaka/malakas of the week: The teen is facing two felony charges, for possession of child pornography and manufacturing child pornography, which could lead not only to incarceration until he’s 21, but inclusion on the state sex offender data base for, possibly, the rest of his life. David Culver of NBC Washington first reported the story and interviewed the teen’s guardian, his aunt, who … Continue reading Malaka Of The Week: Manassas, VA City Police
The Great Georgia Okra Raid
Did you know that okra leaves resemble cannabis leaves? I did not know that. Why? Because they don’t except when you’re a nark in a helicopter. Here’s a story that came across my twitter feed via Liprap. Oy, such malakatude: Georgia police raided a retired Atlanta man’s garden last Wednesday after a helicopter crew with the Governor’s Task Force for Drug Suppressionspotted suspicious-looking plants on the man’s property. A heavily-armed K9 unit arrived and discovered that the plants were, in fact, okra bushes. The officers eventually apologized and left, but they took some of the suspicious okra leaves with them for analysis. Georgia state … Continue reading The Great Georgia Okra Raid
Inaction Speaks Louder Than Words
I rarely link to BuzzFeed here. I restrict posting listicles and tests to see which Boardwalk Empire character one is to facebook and da twittah. I made that last one up, but there oughta be a such test. Get on it, y’all. Anyway, I don’t think BuzzFeed when I contemplate posting about SCOTUS but their legal editor, Chris Geidner, wrote the best thing I’ve read about the court’s refusal to grant cert yesterday: Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy often focuses on two ideas when he plays a part in moving the law: human dignity and the cumulative importance of the states. … Continue reading Inaction Speaks Louder Than Words
Pulp Fiction Thursday: Cult of Shame
Perhaps I should be ashamed of posting this lurid book cover, but I'm not: Cult of Shame would be an excellent band name and they could even do this classic pop ditty: Speaking of shame that you cannot dance to, the Vestigial Picayune posted a story this morning entitled: Ray Nagin joins the Louisiana Politicians Hall of Shame. What? No, Dick Leche? Continue reading Pulp Fiction Thursday: Cult of Shame
The Fog Of History: Reading List
I decided to post this under the FOH rubric because I'm feeling a bit foggy this morning. Actually, most of the articles linked to are about stuff in the past so I think the history thing works. It does for me. Geaux Tigers: LSU Prof Bob Mann wrote a swell piece about how Hubert Humphrey's time as a grad student in Red Stick imbued him with a passion for civil rights. After all, there weren't a lot of black folks in either his native South Dakota or Minnesota. Historical News of the Weird; The WaPo had an oddball story about … Continue reading The Fog Of History: Reading List
You Want Government Money? You Get Government Rules.
Assholes: To give an example, faith leaders said a Catholic charity group that believes sex outside heterosexual marriage is a sin should not be denied government funding because it refused to employ a leader who was openly gay. Um. YES THEY FUCKING SHOULD BE DENIED. Look, there's a very easy way to preserve your oh-so-sacred belief that the gays are icky. Don't take government cash. That way, you won't have to touch any dollars a gay person might have touched, and you can continue to be bigots in pointless, stupid ways, and everybody will be happy. Your religious freedom is … Continue reading You Want Government Money? You Get Government Rules.
Price-Gouging for Public Documents
Credit where it’s due, the AP is pissed and says so: Bureaucrats in Ferguson, Missouri, responding to requests under the state’s Sunshine Act to turn over government files about the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown, are charging nearly 10 times the cost of some of their own employees’ salaries before they will agree to release any records. The move discourages journalists and civil rights groups from investigating the shooting and its aftermath. The city has demanded high fees to produce copies of records that, under Missouri law, it could give away free if it determined the material was in … Continue reading Price-Gouging for Public Documents
‘It’s Over’
Even Governor Deadeyes admits it: The governor, a named defendant in the lawsuit by eight same-sex couples, said he had voted for Wisconsin’s ban in 2006 and hadn’t changed his support for it, but he said he was accepting the Supreme Court’s decision. Asked if the U.S. Constitution should be amended to ban same-sex marriage, Walker downplayed the notion, saying, “I think it’s resolved.” “For us, it’s over in Wisconsin,” Walker said of the fight over gay marriage. “Others will have to talk about the federal level.” It’s a losing issue for Republicans and it always should have been. I’ve … Continue reading ‘It’s Over’
Neo-Nauseated
The news out of Nevada about the wackadoodle couple who murdered three people, and some news out of Europe has me pondering the concept of neo-Nazism. I almost called this post "I don't get it " but I do: what could be more outrageous than styling yourself after the most despicable, violent political movement in history? The more puzzling part is why anyone would style themselves after the biggest loser of all time: Adolph Hitler. That, I don't get, or guys wandering about in SS uniforms. They should get their asses kicked on sight but attention is what they want … Continue reading Neo-Nauseated
War on Drugs
Are we winning it yet? A 19-month old Georgia toddler is in critical condition after a northeast Georgia SWAT team threw a “flash bang” grenade into his playpen while he was sleeping, causing him to suffer severe burns and later enter a medically induced coma. The tragic incident is part of a larger trend of innocent bystanders suffering injury and death due to the tactics employed by SWAT teams A. Continue reading War on Drugs
A Digital Etiquette Columnist
And they say there's no money for journalism. A. Continue reading A Digital Etiquette Columnist