From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE…
The Non-Silence is deafening
I got a good laugh last week when the next President of the United States, Dr. Ben Carson, said this in response to being called out by Wolf Blitzer for comparing America to the Nazis and claiming the Affordable Care Act was "worse than slavery"…
"We now live in a society where people are afraid to say what they actually believe."
By which, of course, he means that iron-fisted liberal society has made the poor put-upon conservatives too afraid to say what they think.
Like non-religious people need therapy since they die prematurely and are disproportionately insane.
Like gay people should be put to death so we can have an AIDS-free Christmas.
Like playing games leads to demonic destruction.
Like if you're black and you don’t want the police to choke you to death, be sure not to have asthma or be overweight.
Like Hitler Obama is using Ferguson to force Republicans in Congress to do his bidding.
Like cigarette taxes killed Eric Garner.
Like a mosque built in America is a threat to freedom, liberty and everything you own.
Like forced kissing isn’t sexual assault.
Like police body cameras are anti-American.
Gosh, Dr. Ben. Imagine what they'd say if they weren't afraid to say what they think. It could bring out the crazies.
Cheers and Jeers starts below the fold... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]
Cheers and Jeers for Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Note: U.S. Navy rolls out new canine-based alert system on torpedo-armed Navy vessels. Your first look at the sub woofer tonight on NewsCenter at 11.
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22 days!!!
By the Numbers:
Days 'til the start of Hanukah:
7
Days 'til the
Great Sardine & Maple Leaf Drop in Eastport, Maine:
22
Increase in median income and tuition costs (adjusted for inflation), respectively, since the 1980s:
5%, 264%
(Source:
The Maine Sunday Telegram)
Percent chance that Remington has to replace millions of triggers on its Model 7 and Model 700 rifles made between 2006 and 2014 because a defect can cause them to go off unexpectedly:
100%
Percent chance that Remington has to acknowledge the
defect as part of the settlement in federal court:
0%
(Source: AP)
Final bid on the
4.16 pound white truffle in NYC:
$62,250
Year that soon-to-close Bangor, Maine-based shoe store
J.L. Coombs opened for business:
1830
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Tuesday Words of Wisdom from the Right-wing Blogosphere:
I generally agree The GOP is hell bent on suicide as a Party. I am at the point where I will gladly provide the sleeping pills or a rope.
---Commenter Flyoverman at the Michelle Malkin blog
All together now: 1…2…3…
Please proceed.
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Puppy Pic of the Day: Puppy meets chinchilla. Tail-wagging ensues…..
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CHEERS to sunlight. The long-awaited Senate report on torture report comes out today. C&J got a copy of it, and we've confirmed that this is Dick Cheney's favorite page:
What an appropriate color. It matches his heart.
CHEERS anti-bully insurance. Yeah, yeah…our tea party governor won a second term in the Democratic slaughter of November 4th. Apparently a majority of Mainers like being led by a rude, foul-mouthed progress crusher who likes to punch down. I suppose people up here are so pissed at the way things are in general that they enjoy watching Paul LePage take down the poors like so many bowling pins. But we have two things standing in his way: the House is still controlled by Democrats, and as of late last week, he got the news that our Democratic Attorney General---the first woman to hold the position---will still be a thorn in his side:
Maine AG Janet Mills
Republican Gov. Paul LePage hasn’t been secret about his desire to get rid of Democrat Janet Mills. Mills’ re-election by the Legislature on Wednesday over LePage’s objections set the stage for two more combative years between the state’s top lawyer and the governor, who have clashed frequently and publicly over issues including Medicaid, welfare and now immigration.
She has butted heads with LePage over his efforts to remove thousands of young adults from Maine’s welfare rolls and prevent municipalities from giving welfare benefits to some immigrants, forcing his administration to seek private lawyers in cases in which the attorney general would normally represent the state.
Her #1 rule for meetings with the governor: always pack extra bubble wrap in your helmet.
Always.
Voice of reason.
CHEERS to the #1 cause of hairy palms and sudden blindness. Speaking of generals, on this date in 1994 Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders
got triangulated out of her job by President Bill Clinton. Her offense: having the gall to suggest that teaching kids about masturbation might help prevent the spread of AIDS. "Education, education, education," she said. "The only way we are going to get around this disease is with education. We have no vaccine, we have no magic drug. All we've got is education." Clinton should've let her stay. He might've learned that playing with yourself prevents something else: impeachment.
CHEERS and JEERS to good news and bad news. The good news: as of yesterday, we are no longer in a "combat mission" in Afghanistan. The bad news: But we're still leaving 13,000 troops there for "training and support" purposes. The good news: At least we don’t have 140,000 troops there anymore. The bad news: "Training and support purposes" can revert back to "combat mission" real fast. The good news: I think I'm finally out of bad news.
JEERS to losing my Yoda. While all my friends were getting Atari and Intellivision video game systems, I opted instead for the Magnavox Odyssey system, which I bought at---if memory serves---Montgomery Ward, which was Mount Vernon, Ohio's "exclusive" Odyssey dealer. While everyone else was playing Pac-Man and Space Invaders, I was spending my childhood with K.C. Munchkin, Alien Invaders Plus and all these other miracles of entertainment:
Sad to learn that the genius behind the Odyssey system---and also the first light gun and the game Simon---has died. Ralph Baer, the "father of video games," lived to a ripe old 92. In his honor, today all hyperspace buttons will function at half speed.
P.S. Still kicking ass and taking names: Kirk Douglas, who celebrates another birthday. ("I wake up in the morning and I say, 'Gee, why do I feel well? I'm 98 years old!'" ) Now and forever…he is Spartacus.
JEERS to compassionate conservabuttheads. As income inequality unnecessarily continues squeezing more and more Americans (even those with full-time jobs) through the holes in the safety net, we're reminded that on December 9, 1983, Attorney General Ed Meese claimed that people go to soup kitchens "because food is free and that's easier than paying for it." Could Reagan pick 'em or could Reagan pick 'em.
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Ten years ago in C&J: December 9, 2004
JEERS to tough love. Donald Rumsfeld cheers up the troops in northern Kuwait by telling them...eh...whaddya need armor for when you might get blown up anyway? Besides, you're just second-stringers:
A real morale booster, that one.
"A lot of us are getting ready to move north relatively soon," said Wilson, an airplane mechanic with the Tennessee Army National Guard, according to a transcript of the meeting released by the Pentagon. "Our vehicles are not armored. We're digging pieces of rusted scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass that's already been shot up . . . picking the best out of this scrap to put on our vehicles to take into combat. We do not have proper . . . vehicles to carry with us north."
Rumsfeld replied: "As you know, you go to war with the Army you have. They're not the Army you might want or wish to have at a later time."
Spoken like a true bureaucrat who gets to fly back home in time to eat dinner and kick the cat.
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And just one more…
CHEERS to sweet sounds. The Grammy Awards were announced late last week and you can check out the full list here. A name you might not expect to find in a sea of vocalists and musicians: Senator Elizabeth Warren. She got a nod in the Best Spoken Word category for "A Fighting Chance." Also in that category…
If you play the record backwards
it says "Impeach Obama!"
A Call to Action---90-year-old Jimmy Carter
Actors Anonymous---James Franco
Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America---John Waters
Diary of a Mad Diva---Joan Rivers
We Will Survive: True Stories Of Encouragement, Inspiration, And The Power Of Song---Gloria Gaynor
Meanwhile, my all-time favorite composer, John Williams, got his 64th Grammy nomination for a piece of the score from the movie
The Book Thief. If he gets one more he can trade it in for what's behind Door #1. But I'd recommend against it---it's usually a goat.
Have a tuneful Tuesday. Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today?
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Today's Shameless C&J Testimonial:
Did you hang around for two hours to watch Bill in Portland Maine get eaten by an anaconda? No? Then perhaps you’re smarter than the rest of us.
---USA Today
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