From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE…
Sweet Indeed
Down the street a few clicks, in Boston, is the Necco candy company, makers of the Valentine’s Day “Sweethearts” candy that sends my pancreas into a tizzy around this time of year. (What can I say? I consider it a vital wintertime food group. Sue me.) The ubiquitous hearts with love messages turn 150 this year, and Necco is running a Share Your Sweet Story contest where couples are invited to tell their stories of “sharing, love, friendship and words from the heart” for a chance to win $5,000.
In a nod to last year’s Obergefell ruling, which made marriage equality for same-sex couples the law of the land under the Constitution, one of the top featured stories stars Texans Jack and George---55 years together and finally legally married. It’s, well, kinda sweet….
Kentucky clerk Kim Davis should spend some time with Jack and George. She might learn a thing or two.
(Hat tip to Joe.My.God)
Cheers and Jeers starts below the fold... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]
Cheers and Jeers for Thursday, January 28, 2016
Note: A quick heads-up that there will be no C&J on Monday. But on the bright side…. Oh, wait, that is the bright side. Never mind. (Back Tuesday!) ---Mgt.
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By the Numbers:
Days 'til the Iowa caucus arrives and then becomes a minor footnote in the 2016 primary season: 4
Days `til the Madison Winter Festival in Wisconsin: 16
Percent of President Obama's judicial nominees that have been women, non-white, and gay/lesbian, respectively, according to the Maine Women's Policy Center: 42%, 36%, 14%
Percent of all vehicles sold in Japan that are imported brands, according to AP: 6%
Rank of Chattanooga TN, Birmingham/Anniston/Tuscaloosa AL and Roanoke/Lynchburg VA among the most "Bible-minded cities" in the U.S.: #1, #2, #3
Rank of Albany/Schenectady/Troy NY, Boston MA and Providence RI among the least "Bible-minded cities" in the U.S.: #1, #2, #3
Number of Emmy nominations Abe Vigoda, who died Tuesday at 94, received for his work on Barney Miller: 3
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Your Thursday Molly Ivins Moment:
When Bush took office, the national debt was $5.7 trillion and his first budget proposed to reduce it by $2 trillion over the next decade.
Today, the debt is $7 trillion. Last year, Bush predicted a deficit of $262 billion. According of the CBO, the deficit is currently $480 billion. Bush plans to cut biomedical research, health care, job training and veterans funding, and that still leaves a projected deficit of $450 billion.
It is unclear to me why anyone would believe anything the president says about our fiscal situation. Keep in mind, this is a man who took three Texas oil companies into bankruptcy.
---January, 2004
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Puppy Pic of the Day:
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CHEERS to a no good, horrible week for the anti-abortion haters. With favorable rulings in North Dakota and the Supreme Court, plus the indictment of the "undercover" anti-Planned Parenthood video-charlatans in Texas, it's been win-win-win this week for the forces of reproductive choice. And the hits just keep on comin', this time in Louisiana:
A state mandate that doctors who provide abortions must have admitting privileges at hospitals within 30 miles is unconstitutional, a federal judge has ruled.
In issuing the ruling Tuesday (Jan. 26), District Judge John deGravelles in Baton Rouge decided to keep in place his previous order blocking Louisiana officials from enforcing the mandate. …
The Center for Reproductive Rights, which represents three clinics and their doctors, responded jubilantly to Tuesday's ruling. "Today's victory guarantees Louisiana women will continue to have access to critical health care services in the face of relentless political attacks on their health and rights," center President and CEO Nancy Northup said in a news release. The mandate threatened to close four of Louisiana's five abortion clinics, she said.
Now breathing a sigh of relief, even though they'll never admit it: conservative women and the men who don’t quite love them enough to have the kid.
CHEERS to feelin' the Bern: Oval Office edition. Senator Bernie Sanders paid a visit to the White House to measure the drapes spend some face time with President Obama yesterday. By all accounts they had a spirited chat about Bernie's campaign and the rigors of actually being the one behind the Resolute Desk making the tough decisions every day. Obama said that it was grueling, endless work that allowed no opportunity to flick the "Off" switch. But he did give Bernie reassurance about one thing: if he becomes the Commander-in-Chief he won’t have to worry about the job turning his hair white.
JEERS to premature descents. On January 28, 1986---good lord, 30 years ago---the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all seven crew members, including civilian teacher Christa McAuliffe. I'm guessing that if you more than toddler-age, you remember exactly where you were when you heard about it. I was in the Otterbein College (Westerville, Ohio) campus center at 11:38am, and can still conjure up the queasy feeling that set in when I realized what had happened. A stunned crowd of students and faculty stood around the big-screen TV. Today folks from the Challenger Center, along with family members of the crew, will commemorate the tragedy. It takes off-the-charts courage, brains and skill to put yourself through the rigors of space flight. Which pretty much explains why I blog for a living.
JEERS to another round of verbal ipecac. There's a Republican debate (#7?) tonight, this one in The Monks, Iowa (we don’t say Des Moines anymore because Sarah Palin convinced us that the only language worth speaking is American) and the first without Donald Trump, who decided to play a game of Chicken with Fox News. Here's a summary of the main contenders and what they'll be thinking on-stage tonight:
Jeb Bush: Gosh, I wish my mom was here. I think Marco's gonna give me a wedgie.
Marco Rubio: I'm gonna give Jeb such a wedgie.
Rand Paul: Thank god Jeb's here so Marco doesn't give me a wedgie.
Ben Carson: Stay in your happy place, Ben. Stay in your happy place… Zzzzzz…. Whoops, too far, Ben...
Ted Cruz: What's Trump up to? Dammit, this feels like a trap. I should've boycotted this, too. Dammit, Ted, you gullible fool!
Chris Christie: Attack, attack, attack attack…..
John Kasich: Don’t slouch, John. You're slouching, John. I said don’t slouch, John. You're doing it again, John---you're slouching. Next debate I swear to god I'm lashing a broom handle to your spine. Hey, you're slouching again, John…
To get an idea of what this debate will do for the contenders chances in Iowa, go out and drive in the snow on bald tires.
CHEERS to the first ringy-dingy. On January 28, 1878, the commercial telephone switchboard made its national debut in New Haven, Connecticut. The first customers were Amanda Hugginkiss, I.P. Freely and Seymour Butz. We hear the first operator lasted a whole five minutes.
JEERS to the new Defender of the Dildos. With Ammon Bundy and a bunch of his criminal henchmen (and woman) behind bars and going through all the physical and psychological issues related to snack withdrawal, one of the #2 guys has taken over the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Here's a summary of his charming life:
Name: Jason Patrick (not to be confused with actor Jason Patric of The Lost Boys and Sleepers)
Home state: Georgia
Got frequent swirlies in school? Yes
Present at the original 2014 Cliven Bundy Ranch standoff? Yes
Name he calls government officials: "Terrorists"
Claim to fame: Smuggling video recorders into courtrooms
Opinion of dildos: TBA. More study is needed.
Likes: Don’t Tread On Me flags, anything with an eagle on it, guns, romantic walks on sandy beaches with the wind blowing through his hair, snacks.
Dislikes: Government tyranny, taxes, jerks in the 10 Items or Less line with more than 10 items, the DMV, stale snacks.
I don’t know what his zodiac sign is yet, but if he turns out to be a Pisces, that'll explain a lot.
Update: Never mind---they nabbed Viceroy Patrick last night. I don’t know who the next #2 guy to get promoted to be the #1 guy is, but I can make one educated guess about him: he’s currently peeing his pants.
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Ten years ago in C&J: January 28, 2006
JEERS to no steps forward, a buncha steps back. I'm no Middle East scholar, but I don't believe it's much of a stretch to sum up the Palestinian election thusly: Oh...road. Good news: we'll just get a new one at the next rest stop. Bad news: next rest stop is on Pluto.
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And just one more…
CHEERS to the view from Planet Cuckoo. Hey, this is cool---the Hubble telescope spotted a “tapestry of dazzling diamond-like stars” in our Milky Way galaxy’s Corina Nebula. You know the Corina Nebula, right? Just hang a left at Albuquerque and hit the gas for 8,000 light-years. They say it’s young in cosmic terms, which is why the stars are burning so bright. Enjoy the view:
The cluster is called “Trumpler 14.” Yes---Trumpler. Considering that it’s gaseous, windy, yooj, ostentatious, unconcerned with what the rest of the galaxy thinks and poised to wreak untold havoc when it finally controls the universe, I’d say they picked the perfect name.
Have a nice Thursday. Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today?
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Today's Shameless C&J Testimonial:
“The grim reality is that Bill in Portland Maine appears to be so ideologically invested in a belief that for whom no reasoning will shift, his convictions are impervious to the intrusions of reality.”
---Dr. David Robert grimes, Oxford University
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