Open Thread
27 01 2010
I’ve had some busy weeks lately and haven’t been able to get out and take many pictures lately, so I decided to raid the archives. Here’s a shot of Buf the dog’s cousin from last summer. He’s about the size of a half a loaf of bread.
Don’t forget to stock up on munchies for the State of the Union tonight!
January 27th, 2010 at 10:57 AM
For Apple Fans:
iPad! Finally the long awaited announcement of the next Apple product that we get to spend our dollars on….
So far, looks like a giant I phone (or Steve Jobs has gotten smaller…)
I’m maybe looking forward to it as it’s will be an electronic reader; I do love paper books though….
If anyone else resides with an Apple ubergeek you will understand the significance of the announcement today and the tension that has been building leading up to today. People have been living on comment boards speculating for weeks on what this thing might look like and what sort of tasks it might perform…(these people are sort of like the Mudpups of the geek world, some even seem to cross over into the actual Mudpup world as well.)
Wow, it’s finally over, and I only lost $2.60 per share on my Apple Stock
Still don’t know what they will cost. Anyway, thought I’d share for those who care.
January 27th, 2010 at 11:20 AM
Here is another GOP woman who likes to shop using campaign money.
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/politics/entries/2010/01/26/medina_defends_using_campaign.html
January 27th, 2010 at 11:26 AM
Sign Bernie Sanders Petition.
We Need a Change at the Federal Reserve
January 27th, 2010 at 11:38 AM
3 Catholic Bishops are imploring that “Health Care is A Human Right” and should be passed and the first priority before anything else.
http://tiny.cc/xtnOn
January 27th, 2010 at 11:47 AM
AKPET mom: the apple tablet is beautiful! i like paper books, but I want an iPad just because!!!
January 27th, 2010 at 11:48 AM
Here is a very good piece on how ACORN was setup and railroaded by the right wing.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-atlas/acorn-is-back-in-the-news_b_438324.html
Many commenter are suggesting that we write to our local outlets demanding that they correct the current AP stories since ACORN was not found to have committed any fraud.
For a more in depth understanding the following academic paper is an excellent read.
http://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/acornstudy/acornstudy.pdf#search=%22oxy%20report%20on%20acorn%22
It details how the right manipulated the public agenda against ACORN. ACORN was one of the first groups to raise the alarms about the subprime mortgage scams. The also were to active in fighting for fair wages and treatment for the lowest paid workers.
BTW, that shameful Congressional censure was overturned in court in December. It just was lightly reported.
With Watergate South in the news it is time to shine the light on just how ACORN was unfairly trashed by the right wing noise machine.
My take away from the paper is that all the “news” does now is report various opinions but they have lost the ability to investigate for the facts.
January 27th, 2010 at 11:50 AM
I’m seriously thinking of writing a 20-minute one act musical about a multi-generational conspiracy theory in which the recent SCOTUS decision is key. Sounds crazy I can do that in 20 minutes with music but I bet I can! Anyway, the first musical number will definitely be called “Checks & Balances” and will probably do more to educate people on how our system works than Fox News could ever do. Think “Schoolhouse Rock”.
Other songs/titles I’m considering are “Worth the Wait”, “Who Shall Lead the Sheep?”, “The Court of Public Opinion”, “Timing is Everything”, and my personal favorite for the big (for big, read “only”) dance number, “Activist Judge”.
As much as I’d like to see this be produced somewhere – anywhere – before the Nov. elections, it can’t happen if I don’t get my butt seriously in gear. I have one other project which deserves my attention first plus my partial Day Job (which I love – teaching Music Appreciation).
The irony is, the very same SCOTUS decision I am decrying is going to allow this and all kinds of other projects to be funded at heretofore only dreamed of amounts, and be produced and released within the 60- and 30-day limits running up to elections that are so crucial to how a voter chooses.
And be able to secure corporate money for running ads to increase audiences.
I encourage artists of all kinds to start making your own political speech pieces. Then find like-minded corporations, unions, non-profits, to partner with you in getting the word out.
January 27th, 2010 at 12:04 PM
If all the ‘ intelligent ‘ Republicans did not believe the quotes from Steve Schmidt in the ” Game Change ” book, ( GOP ) Henry Paulson, former Treasury Secretary under Bush is out schilling his book as well.
He is not ‘ too kind ‘ to SP. Quote from the Huffpo story.
—————————————
“And he takes a shot at Sarah Palin, describing how McCain excitedly put her on the phone with Paulson. Palin annoyed Paulson by continually calling him “Hank” and did not seem knowledgeable of the issues:”
“Right away she started calling me Hank… But for some reason, the way she said it over the phone like that, even though we’d never met, rubbed me the wrong way. I’m also not sure she grasped the full dimensions of the situation I had sketched out – or so some of her comments made me think.”
Well Gee John. Maybe you should have put her on the phone with a High School Civics Teacher first to explain to her about North and South Korea before moving up to the Federal Level..those ” Washington Elite “…ya think?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/27/henry-paulson-memoir-on-t_n_438545.html
January 27th, 2010 at 12:17 PM
Re: uneven alignment of photo and text.
I use Opera as my web browser and everything is fine. I WAS using Firefox until it started behaving badly some months ago. I’ve had no problems with Opera. It’s also very easy to use. I like it a lot.
So La Palin is going to be “schooled” about John McCain by Glenn Beck! I can’t wait.
Her fauxnalysis of the SOTU speech tonight should be a treat. I’m sure there will be much deep, insightful, intelligent commentary – NOT.
January 27th, 2010 at 12:19 PM
Shannyn on the radio right now.
Just started talking about O’Keefe and his little ‘ wire-tapping and break-in ‘ the other day.
Says one of her Guests who will be calling in shortly, and expert on the subject per se , is John Dean… the same John Dean from the WaterGate days.
Should be good.
January 27th, 2010 at 12:20 PM
Oops… to quick with the finger. forgot the Link.
http://www.kudo1080.com/
Click the big blue ” Listen Live “
January 27th, 2010 at 12:24 PM
Here’s more on the irresponsible reporting of O’Keefe’s original videos slandering ACORN –
“The videos that have been released appear to have been edited, in some cases substantially, including the insertion of a substitute voice-over for significant portions of Mr. O’Keefe’s and Ms. Giles’s comments, which makes it difficult to determine the questions to which ACORN employees are responding. A comparison of the publicly available transcripts to the released videos confirms that large portions of the original video have been omitted from the released versions.”
Further, the Harshbarger report reinforced criticism of the mainstream media’s handling of the ACORN story, including the way CNN played the “prostitution scandal” videotapes over and over again. The mainstream press has continuously botched the ACORN story by repeating rather than fact-checking the allegations.
For example, the Associated Press story about Harshbarger’s report, published in the Washington Post and other newspapers, didn’t mention that the conservative videographers rebuffed attempts by Harshbarger to interview them and refused to permit him to review the unedited tapes so he could compare the raw footage with versions that were released. Most major news outlets, which went overboard reporting the ACORN video “scandal,” did not even mention the report.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-atlas/acorn-is-back-in-the-news_b_438324.html
January 27th, 2010 at 12:25 PM
53 DinkyP Says: January 27th, 2010 at 11:38 AM
3 Catholic Bishops are imploring that “Health Care is A Human Right” and should be passed and the first priority before anything else.
——–
When the asshats in Boston get rid of the bigger asshat currently assigned to New Hampshire, then I’ll consider what these Bishops say. But until the honcho’s who run the Catholic Church stop turning a blind eye to the years of child abuse by priests, then all I can say to them is “go pound sand.”
I addressed the subject a couple of days ago after reading a Boston Globe article on one particular enabler of sexual abuse by priests.
http://run4chocolate.wordpress.com
January 27th, 2010 at 12:27 PM
Scott Harshbarger… a pennsyltucky quaker who grew up to be the Attorney General for Massachusetts some 2 decades ago. He had a nice job until he tried to run for federal office.
January 27th, 2010 at 12:29 PM
Well, okay. errata. Until he ran for governor of MA. And he’s a nutmeg quaker… always thought he was from PA. Learned something new today.
January 27th, 2010 at 12:40 PM
I sure hope that the mishandling of the whole ACORN story becomes a major news story itself. It’s time to call out the MSM for their lack of fact checking.
It would give a lot of credibility to any news organization that stands up and admits their mistakes on how they handled this.
January 27th, 2010 at 12:43 PM
seen this on HP if anybody is interested…my remote doesn’t even know where fox news is located
“The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is launching a new campaign to respond to the spin from conservative news outlets expected to follow President Obama’s State of the Union address.”
Fact Check Fox
http://www.dccc.org/page/s/factcheckfoxm
January 27th, 2010 at 12:50 PM
A fan from CA — It’s perhaps to our own detriment that we still have not adjusted our expectations of the MSM. It is frequently revealed that their role is now often played out as stenographers rather than journalists.
Also disturbing is the lack of defense of ACORN from the Dems. It really appears that the Right has intimidated them into simply ducking when the Right gets noisy – no matter how disingenuous their anger.
January 27th, 2010 at 12:53 PM
John Dean likened Palin’s understanding of the world to O’Keefe’s!
No wonder I like him.
January 27th, 2010 at 12:58 PM
@57 OMG….hilarious Hank?
She is just so darn folksy. Good Gawd, has she no respect?
She is such a boob.
January 27th, 2010 at 12:58 PM
wow. today is shaping up to be better than the whole of last week! palin defiled and acorn reborn!
January 27th, 2010 at 1:00 PM
trisha@69,
jeez, i bet old mac thought gov sarah would just win over hank paulson with her darn “reel merikun” folksiness.
January 27th, 2010 at 1:08 PM
# 68
Desert Mudpup Says:
January 27th, 2010 at 12:53 PM
John Dean likened Palin’s understanding of the world to O’Keefe’s!
No wonder I like him.
————————-
Yesssss!!! I heard that. What a quote. I hope an audio excerpt can be found in her podcast of the show somewhere.
He basically compared SP’s ‘ knowledge and expertise ‘ with the way she handles things to the way the bungling ‘ wire-tappers ‘ acted.
They are all ‘ tea-baggers ‘… so they would think the same… just saying.
******FYI : John Dean said he would appear on ” Countdown ” tonight with Keith Olberman. THAT will be a GOOD Show.
January 27th, 2010 at 1:25 PM
John Dean is always good with KO – Dean always offers a wealth of insight.
Dean is also a regular contributor at FindLaw.com, one of my favorite blogs.
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/
January 27th, 2010 at 1:56 PM
Was just watching Ratigan show on MSNBC and he had Issa on talking about AIG. Sure hope the R’s don’t take the forefront on this. They will make it a witch hunt of the Obama adm. Sure hope Obama figures out how to get out in front of this out of control train wreck.
Ratigan can be a real old fashion muckraker and doesn’t dig into the facts.
January 27th, 2010 at 2:48 PM
I am in no way defending the TX idiot about Palin’s name. However, Jesus did speak Greek. Greek was the international language of that time, the Romans spoke it. Yes, the Israelites spoke Aramaic in everyday conversation, but the New Testament books were all written in Koine Greek. Also, if you read the gospels in the Greek, you will see that Jesus was quite the punster. My hubby is a pastor who reads Koine Greek, and I studied it in college, too.
January 27th, 2010 at 3:06 PM
MonaLisa (inCT) Says:
January 27th, 2010 at 7:33 AM
R’ipley @ 16: If you ever move out of that area, I bet the averaged IQ would drop 20 points!
__________________________________________________________________________
true that.
January 27th, 2010 at 4:16 PM
Of course The Mudflats is unique and wonderful, but if you have ever been to any other political blog you will recognize the hilarious truth of
http://faultline.org/index.php/site/item/incendiary
January 27th, 2010 at 4:18 PM
Nekolibrarian – thanks for writing in with the correction. The same thing occuured to be, and you explained it well. So Jesus was a punster? That’s another reason I like the guy!
January 27th, 2010 at 4:31 PM
re#63 Is it McCormick that is Bishop (arch-bishop) of NH. I seem to remember he was in charge of taking/investigating abuse reports for all of NE when some of the worst abusers were reported. I also remembered reading that a woman directly confronted Bernard Law about a priest abusing boys. She said he took no action at all.
So, Father McCormick got promoted to Bishop and Law got sent to Rome. Yes the Catholic church has it’s head in the sand.
January 27th, 2010 at 8:12 PM
So, if Buf is named from her bark, would little cousin be named…..Bif?
January 27th, 2010 at 10:14 PM
Terp, go for it…..
January 28th, 2010 at 1:29 AM
Terp, I second that! Go for it!
Your “polimusicale” sounds like a great prospect for SNL, don’t you think?