From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE…
Yeah. Our governor. Again.
Rick Snyder of Michigan is now indisputably America's most evil governor. But when it comes to hot burning stupid, Maine's Paul LePage is the undisputed king of doof:
Republican Gov. Paul LePage said asylum seekers are the biggest problem in Maine because they bring disease, including AIDS and what he calls the "ziki fly."
LePage said Tuesday at a public forum in Freeport that asylum seekers expose the public to diseases like the "ziki fly."
He was incorrectly referring to Zika, a mosquito-borne virus that might be linked to abnormally small heads in newborns.
So far, it's affected countries mostly in South and Central America.
LePage said asylum seekers also bring hepatitis C, tuberculosis and HIV.
And cue the usual response by the eye-rolling scientific community:
Public health experts said they haven't seen data linking asylum seekers to the spread of infectious diseases in Maine.
God help us if Maine actually has a real emergency before this idiot leaves office. Like an invasion of the ooka blooka worm.
Cheers and Jeers starts below the fold... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]
Cheers and Jeers for Thursday, February 18, 2016
Note: News anchor with cold insists on coming in to work and doing telecast as scheduled. Phlegm at 11.
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By the Numbers:
Days 'til the Oscars boycott: 10
Days 'til the Festival of Whales at Dana Point, California: 16
Last year there was a hike in the federal gas tax: 1993
Percent chance that Russia needs to put up or shut up about whether or not it will honor the cease fire in Syria that starts Friday, according to the U.S.: 100%
Percent of wine consumed in the U.S. that ends up in the tummies of millennials, according to USA Today: 42%
Average annual amount a Maine motorist pays for additional vehicle repairs because of poor road conditions, according to The Portland Press Herald: $300
Minimum number of years the Miss America Pageant will be held in Atlantic City under a new $11 million agreement: 3
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Your Thursday Molly Ivins Moment:
With so many delights on our political plate, it's hard to know where to begin.
Take that knee-slapping joke by Education Secretary Rod Paige: He called our largest teachers' union "a terrorist organization." In fun, of course. Gosh darn, HEE-HAW! All over the nation, teachers are just chuckling away. […]
My personal favorite among Bush's recent moves is the proposal in his economic report to Congress to reclassify fast-food restaurants, moving them from the service sector to "manufacturing." THIS is a concept. In case you're puzzled over why your burger-flippers should now be classified with autoworkers, it's so when the administration has to report the statistics on how many manufacturing jobs we've lost, they won't look so bad. While in college, I had a job at an Aunt Jemima's Pancake House sticking toothpicks with curlicue-cellophane through butter balls---that's my background in manufacturing.
---February 2004
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Puppy Pic of the Day:
C&J's rescue lab-mix Haley had successful surgery to repair her left leg Tuesday. We brought her home yesterday and she's doing great (eating normally, peeing like a racehorse and, to the relief of us all, doesn’t seem to need the cone of shame---yet) and thanks you for your kind words of encouragement. A pic of the patient:
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CHEERS to stumpin' on the Strip. Las Vegas, Nevada (please pronounce it correctly---”Nivea Cream”---or the locals get cranky) is the site of tonight’s MSNBC Democratic “Town Hall” (don’t you dare call it a debate or Debbie Wasserman-Schultz will send in her black helicopter and disappear you) event hosted by Jose Diaz Balart and Baby Chucky. One-by-one starting at 9pm ET the candidates will make their points and get in their shots as the Nevada caucus clock (“clauck”?) tick-tocks down to T-minus 2 days. Fearless prediction: Bernie will be Bernie and Hillary will be Hillary. What can I say? I'm Nostradamus's cousin 2,400 times removed. It's a gift.
CHEERS to common-sense Mainers. I'm just going to accept now that Antonin Scalia was muuuurdered by Mr. Spock with a pillow in the bedroom under the watchful eye of President Obama via Skype, because, man, it's all over the internet. The scattered remnants of the Bundy militia and their sex toys can't get down to that quail-hunting resort fast enough to occupy it and avenge his death, I say, so let’s get on it, guys. Now on to Scalia's successor. As most Republicans honor his strict Constitutional constructionist bent by refusing to honor his strict Constitutional constructionist bent, some heavyweights from Maine weigh in: First up is Independent Senator Angus King:
“The Framers were perfectly clear on two points:
the president’s term is four years, not three years and one month, and the president ‘shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint … Judges of the Supreme Court.'”
Republican Senator Susan Collins:
As one of the few moderate Republicans in the Senate, Collins could wield influence with colleagues.
She said she fully expects Obama to put forth a nominee and said if that happens, the Senate should give the nominee a full vetting as stated in the constitution. “There will be plenty of time for the process to move forward,” she said, adding that when a nominee emerges, senators “should carry out our constitutional duty.”
And former Democratic Senate Majority leader George Mitchell, whose respect for the process included his refusal to filibuster the nomination of horrible person Clarence Thomas back in the day:
"It's kind of an insult to the intelligence of the people to say, 'the American people should decide.' They decided.
They elected Barack Obama twice, the second time by five million votes, and the Constitution proscribes a four-year-term. It isn’t a three year term. […] There's no historical basis for the actions taken by Republicans, there's no constitutional basis, there's no legal basis and there's surely no moral basis. Really the only basis is politics."
Wow. All I can figure is they're either really principled on this matter…or they know that Mr. Spock and his pillow are still out there roaming the countryside.
CHEERS to great discoveries. Speaking of outer space and whatnot, on this date in 1930, astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovered a new "dwarf planet" waaaay out at the outer rim of our solar system. Last summer a probe flew by and took some Polaroids. Here's an insanely-cool new geological image by NASA of its distinctive heart-shaped patch:
By the way, Tombaugh called it Pluto. Republicans called it Home.
CHEERS to flights to Fidel Land. Official government muckety mucks signed an historic agreement yesterday that essentially fires the starting pistol for a race by the airlines to bid on 110 soon-to-be-regular flights to and from the U.S. and Cuba:
The agreement became official after it was signed Tuesday by Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and officials from the State Department, the Cuban Ministry of Transportation and the Cuban Civil Aviation Institute.
It allows for travelers who fit one of 12 categories laid out by the Treasury Department, including people visiting family members, practicing journalism, participating in athletic competitions, supporting the Cuban people or having business meetings. […] Carriers in the United States already have made it clear that they plan to apply for the new routes to and from Cuba, with JetBlue, United Airlines and American Airlines all saying they want in on the new option.
I expect I could probably fly down as a “practicing journalist.” I write about the news and I'm taking bagpipe lessons.
CHEERS to stalling for America's future. 175 years ago, on February 18, 1841, the first continuous filibuster in the U.S. Senate began. It lasted until March 11. naturally, for details on major historical events my go-to source is A History of Drinking (which includes a delightful Filibuster Cocktail):
This filibuster, though not the absolute first (it occurred in 1837), began over Senator Henry Clay’s bill to charter the Second Bank of the United States. Senator William King threatened a filibuster when Senator Clay tried to end debate via majority vote. King stated that Clay “may make his arrangements at his boarding house for the winter.” Other Senators sided with King, and Clay eventually backed down. The word “filibuster” was derived from the Dutch word meaning “pirate.”
One thing we'll never have to worry about---a politician running out of words.
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Ten years ago in C&J: February 18, 2006
BIG BUCKET OF JEERS to that big bucket of slime, Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas. In his world, if you rob a bank, but you happen to be his good buddy, he'll "work with you" to "reach a deal" to change the law making it legal for you (but no one else, of course) to rob banks. And thus President Bush gets a free pass for ignoring the FISA law and spying on innocent Americans---much the way, say, a king would. The senator, by the way, will be unavailable today from 10 to 10:30, as he is getting fitted for a new powdered wig.
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And just one more…
CHEERS to hitting the galaxy's bestest reset button. Now that Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens has light-sabered its way into the cinematic history books, I think I owe all my readers a big thank-you for being so patient with me for the last three years as I shouted "Squeeeee!!!" every time some niggling little detail about the movie came out. Star Wars fans like me are obsessive, compulsive, and we never shut up. So thank you for putting up with me. And now that that's out of the way, I’m thrilled to inform you that Star Wars VIII has begun filming, which means two more years of spilling every niggling detail about it in C&J:
I'll take pity on you this once and just say, very, very softly...{{{squee}}}. But next time bring ear plugs.
Oh, and Happy Birthday to Atrios the Baby Blue Cherub (aka Duncan Black), and many blessings on your "Heh indeedys." Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today?
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Today's Shameless C&J Testimonial:
The Cheers and Jeers kiddie pool Has a Working, Death-Defying Roller Coaster in It
---Gizmodo
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