From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE…
Unnecessary Censorship
As long as there have been books, there have been meddlers trying to ban them, and American meddlers are among the most obnoxious, Jesus-freaked, and delicate-fee-fee’d in the civilized world. There were 323 cases of attempted book banning in 2016 (over 11,600 over the last 35 years), which is why an important group has designated this Banned Books Week:
The Banned Books Week Coalition is a national alliance of diverse organizations joined by a commitment to increase awareness of the annual celebration of the freedom to read. Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries.
The Coalition seeks to engage various communities and inspire participation in Banned Books Week through education, advocacy, and the creation of programming about the problem of book censorship. The 2017 celebration will be held September 24 - September 30.
For this year’s celebration, the coalition of organizations that sponsors Banned Books Week will emphasize the importance of the First Amendment, which guarantees our inherent right to read.
The top 5 banned books last year were (cue the sound of conservative Christians grinding their teeth): This One Summer written by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki, Drama by Raina Telgemeier, George by Alex Gino, I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel, Jazz Jennings, and Shelagh McNicholas, and Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan. Kudos to you all, you’re definitely worth reading.
So far the Dotard administration hasn’t called for any book bannings or burnings. But give it time…it’s early.
Cheers and Jeers starts below the fold... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]
Cheers and Jeers for Monday, September 25, 2017
Note: Today is National Lobster Day. To make it especially memorable, breed them in your basement with radioactive isotopes until 40 feet tall and then unleash them on an unsuspecting populace. Add a funny hat or maniacal mad-scientist laughter over a loudspeaker if desired. Get creative!
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By the Numbers:
Days 'til Indigenous Peoples’ Day: 14
Days 'til Maine's Fryeburg Fair, the first of which was in 1851: 6
Percent of Americans who believe that Russia affected the outcome of the 2016 election, according to a new CNN poll: 54%
Rise in fetal death rates in Flint, Michigan as a result of the lead-poisoning scandal on governor Rick Snyder’s watch: 58%
Percent of the 1,800 people murdered in America by their spouses who are women, according to Annals of Internal Medicine: 85%
Percent of the victims who are killed with a gun: 50%
Size of EPA head Scott Pruitt’s security detail: 18
Totally Random NFL Score
New England Patriots 36 Houston Texans: 33
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Puppy Pic of the Day: Monday morning nappytime…
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JEERS to zombie Trumpcare. Sorry to say, over the weekend no Republican senators announced that they were definitely voting “no” on the Graham-Cassidy bill to gut the ACA and Medicaid. (Susan Collins came right up to the edge yesterday on CNN, but still wouldn’t jump off the Trump wagon, while Rand Paul says he’s a no but no one believes him.) So that means you and I gotta saddle up our trusted smartphone steeds and make another round of calls today. (202-224-3121 is the senate switchboard number.) Adding pressure is an unprecedented joint statement by the entire health care industry---doctors, nurses, hospitals and insurance providers---calling Trumpcare 3.0 a giant malignant tumor that needs to be excised, as well a more intimate appeal by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which is running this TV ad targeting a handful of senators:
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Don’t let Lindsey Graham lull you into a false sense of security with his talk about “the freedom to take control your own health care” by guaranteeing every family a rib-spreader and bottle of ether. Don’t let Bill Cassidy bedazzle you with his pledge to open free “leech clinics” and send out discount coupons for 10 percent off your next amputation bite-down stick. I know it all sounds like a tempting assortment of enticements, but believe me---it’s a trap! Until they toss in a free Craftmatic adjustable bed, keep calling.
JEERS to intentional fouls. President Donald McDotard flew to Alabama Friday night to stump for Luther Strange, the (strange) incumbent running against wackadoo Jesus freak and booted judge Roy Moore in tomorrow’s Republican runoff election. After Trump made his less-than-impassioned pitch for Strange (his exact words: “I’ll be honest, I might have made a mistake.”), he turned to the world of professional sports, telling NFL owners they should fire any “son of a bitch” player who advocates for black civil rights by taking a knee during the national anthem. Later he took to twitter to “disinvite” the NBA champion Golden State Warriors from visiting the White House because Fox News ran a story about how Steph Curry didn’t plan to go. The response from current and retired players was full of, to coin a phrase, fire and fury. A sample:
“I doubt he's man enough to call any of those players a son of a bitch to their face...”
---ChrisPaul
“U bum @StephenCurry30 already said he ain't going! So therefore ain't no invite. Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up!”
---LeBron James
How about all of us get together & say, "get that "son of a b*tch" out of the White House". Fu*king Dotard
---Takeo Spikes
A POTUS whose name alone creates division and anger. Whose words inspire dissension and hatred can't possibly "Make America Great Again"
---Kobe Bryant
See more here via Think Progress. Yesterday during NFL football games a new all-time record was set for bended knees and/or locked arms in support of them. Memo to Lord Dampnut: the Resistance is alive and well.
P.S. Colin Kaepernick’s mom responds to her son being called a son of a bitch:
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CHEERS to doing one’s duty in Deutschland. You gotta hand it to the Germans--- they are confident about their election process. For starters, they’re legally required to hold them on a Sunday or public holiday to increase turnout. For another thing, they have no problem scheduling the vote in the middle of a giant three-week beer-drinking festival because, unlike us, they know how to hold their booze. For another ‘nuther thing, they take threats of meddling from Russia seriously. And the kicker: they’re also smart enough to know not to hand over the reins to a white-supremacist party whose leader suffers from untreatable malignant narcissism:
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union has come out on top in Germany’s national election on Sunday, according to early exit polls, putting her on the path for a fourth term in power. […]
Although Merkel’s victory in the vote was fairly certain, the election did see fractures emerge in Germany’s established party system as the two largest parties lost seats to smaller political movements. The shift was similar to other European elections this year, such as France and the Netherlands, where once prominent parties suffered massive defeats. As in those elections, Germany’s vote also resulted in significant gains for the far-right.
The Nazi-lites did manage to get around 10 percent of the vote, though, and that’ll be something to keep an eye on. But for now Merkel prevails. We now return you to your regularly-scheduled beer-from-giant-stein chugging. Prosit.
CHEERS to Great Moments in Democracy. On September 25, 1789---back when everything was still in black and white---Congress adopted twelve amendments to the Constitution and FedEx'd them to all 50 states for ratification. Ten of those amendments became the Bill of Rights. Had this same event occurred in 2017, the Republicans would've re-written them to please ALEC, Grover Norquist and the Koch brothers, and rammed them through without any committee hearings or floor debate. But my point is: Ha Ha! They wore funny grampa socks back then!
CHEERS to previews of coming activism. Since it’s a bleh Monday, I thought you might enjoy a little Barack with your breakkies. It’s just a little reminder that next month he’ll be hosting a little demonstration of the community organizing firepower of The Obama Foundation in Chicago. Here’s the last honorable man to occupy the White House with a preview:
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According to the official web site, leaders around the world “will come together to exchange ideas, explore creative solutions to common problems, and experience civic art, technology, and music from around the world.” But mostly to remind themselves what it’s like to engage with a U.S. president who knows how to use multi-syllabic words, won’t try to rip their arm off when he shakes hands, and doesn’t molt in front of their eyes. Y’know...it’s the little things.
CHEERS to a double date from the Bay State. On September 25, 1690 Publick Occurrences Both Foreign and Domestick, the first newspaper to appear in the Americas, was published for the first time in Boston. It was also published for the last time and I think I can see why: with spelling like that it would seem the publisher got hit with the "dome stick." Ha Ha Ha Ha! And speaking of Boston, today is also the anniversary of the September 25, 1911 groundbreaking for Fenway Park, home of the current best team in the American League East. To commemorate the occasion, the Green Monster issued a brief statement to the 2nd-place Yankees: "Urp."
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Ten years ago in C&J: September 25, 2007
CHEERS to beachcombing with Barack. After Senator Obama and I spend some quality time making a White House sandcastle on a Maine beach today, he'll make a stop at the Portland Expo building at 5 O'clock to deliver a stump speech that will cover several topics, including why the Iraq war sucks, why we need a health care overhaul and, most important, why Mainers are superior to all other life forms. (Hint: L.L. Bean boots).
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And just one more…
CHEERS to a hasty reprieve. Mere hours after everyone on the planet burned all their earthly possessions, flushed all their money down the toilet, stripped themselves naked, climbed the highest tree they could find, kicked their ladders to the ground, and awaited the impending Rapture, the prophet who forecast Saturday’s end of the world issued a brief statement:
“The world is not ending, but the world as we know it is ending,”
Yeah, we kinda noticed things are a little different today: we’re now a world full of penniless naked people stuck in trees. I only have one thing to say about this: touch my acorn stash and you lose a finger.
Have a tolerable Monday. Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today?
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Today's Shameless C&J Testimonial:
Bill in Portland Maine hasn’t only run out of things to say but people to hate, and without that underlying aggression, Cheers and Jeers feels like it’s just going through the motions. Better luck next time, Billeh.
---Slate
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