There are oodles of great "this day in history" items, so let's get on with the show! :D
50 years ago today, John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th president of the United States. His call to "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country" called the best & brightest to service and, for many of them, permanent careers in public service. On this date 2 years ago, for a little while anyway, nearly everyone in this country got along & celebrated the swearing in of Barack Obama as our President. Yea, I stayed home from work that day, ate, drank, and was very merry! :D
Finally, a personal hero of mine & a truth - teller in the spirit of Lenny Bruce and George Carlin, is 55 years old today. Happy Birthday to Bill Maher! I know we're supposed to be all "civil" & stuff these days, but I absolutely MUST post one of my favorite "New Rules" ever.
Let's get SPARKy. :D "Pastor" Terry Jones has been uninvited to spew his spewage across the pond! Even though them crazy Brits "birthed" Monty Python, sometimes, they're right on the money. ;D The next time you get caught speeding in a school zone, you might have a choice of punishment; you can get the standard ticket from a cop or a chewing out from your local Boy Scouts. HA! Just in case you haven't had a chance to feel REALLY OLD today...
Finally, me thinks this soccer player took one too many soccer balls to the head. I know about losing a wallet or house keys or a pen but NOT something significantly larger & more expensive!
Let's Countdown...
#5 "GOP Health Care ‘Fixes’" - Governor Jan Brewer has come up with a BRILLIANT plan for the just – under 100 people waiting for transplants. They’re still on their own until July, AND Medicaid is going to be cut off for oodles of others, AND mental health services are going to be cut for 5000. Like I said, BRILLIANT! Who helped her come up with that – Nero? Caligula?
Here are the dirty details of the "honorable" Governor’s plan: (1) Create an uncompensated care pool of $151 million. (2) Pay for said pool by cutting 280,000 childless adults from Medicaid. (3) Also pay for said pool by cutting 5200 "seriously mentally ill individuals" from Medicaid. Huh, I hope one of the "seriously mentally ill individuals" isn’t able to get his/her paws on a gun & do some more damage! This fund is supposed to help transplant patients, but so many people will use it that there won’t be any money left for sparkin’ transplants! *&^%$#@!
State Senator David Schapira gets to talk about this $hitacular idea. Can’t ANYONE make her use stimulus money to reimburse that program? How ‘bout one of those 26 ideas from WhatsHisName in IL?! Governor Brewer still wants to cut taxes to corporations but just can’t seem to find the $1.2 million to restore the fund. Can’t the Attorney General down there do anything??!! Rep. Bat$hit Bachmann says the GOBP has all kinds of ideas to replace "Obamacare," and she’s willing to trust the health insurance industry to lookout for those with pre – existing conditions since they’ve done so well in the past. *&^%$#@!
How much coin does SHE get from the health insurance industry? Wow, OK, I need to get out THIS sign for the voters in Bat$hit Bachmann’s district who voted her back in!
Rep. Joe "You lie!" Wilson needs a repeat of an American National Government class on how a bill becomes a law or watch the Schoolhouse Rock version. :D Howard Fineman gets to talk GOBP glee in the "repeal of Obamacare." He thinks the zeal for appeal is waning – from his lips to {insert deity of your choice here}’s ears! He also thinks the American people are gradually learning about what’s in the damn law & like it. Howard DOESN’T think they’ll keep milking the issue even if support for appeal keeps decreasing. I’m not sure I agree with that. I think some of those GOBPers are so damn terrified of getting tea bagged they’ll tell the tea baggers whatever they want to hear the rest of the American people be damned! That’s what the election in November was about. Howard also said that it’s practically impossible for the GOBP to defund the HCR law; I hope so!
#4 "Going for Giffords’ Seat" - Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will leave the hospital tomorrow & has tried to speak! She’ll then be on her way to a rehab facility in Houston for months of therapy. Some VA Governor toady blogged about Rep. Giffords resigning, and just guess who gave him a much wider forum to spew that spewage. That would be the guy that some of us said the other night was seeming to be reasonable – David Frum! Check out some of this post:
There is no doubt her constituents mourn for her and her family. But does that mean they should also go without representation in Congress? Certainly not.
The dude compared Rep. Giffords to Brett Favre?! Wow... *&^%$#@! I’m not repeating any more of this guy’s $hit.
Governor Brewer’s office has actually rejected what this guy had to say?! DAMN! OK, that wasn’t the real Jan Brewer who made that call; some alien’s anal probing her & a fake Governor Brewer did it. Eugene Robinson gets to talk Rep. Giffords tonight. And, how ‘bout that David Frum for giving this guy a forum?! Eugene’s very disappointed in him to put it mildly. "The right" is trying to blame Michelle Obama for pedestrian deaths because of her health campaign?! Wow, if it wasn’t so pathetic I’d almost laugh.
** Lonesome Rhodes encouraged people to shoot other people in the head. What a damn shock – NOT. Paul the Octopus is getting a memorial statue in his honor; it kind of looks like the big ‘ol squid or whatever from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea! ;D OK, I almost included the story about the texting – into – a – fountain chic in SPARK today but decided not to. Ain’t it grand that Keith & I are on such a wave length he decided to pick up the slack?! ;D She wants to sue sue SUE & has a criminal record. **
#3 "Talk It Out" AKA "Rule Busters" - OK Keith, sorry, but your Star Trek episode connection to tarantino reform in the Senate was stretching things a bit! Let’s just stick with Mr. Smith Goes to Washington – a nice inspirational feel good kind of thing. :D We also got a lovely history lesson about the GOBP use of the tarantino in the Senate. Gee...thanks (?). Chris Hayes gets to talk tarantino reform. Again, I am not holding my breath for any change whatsoever. Chris thinks the most difficult change to make will be the one to actually make Senators go to the Senate floor to do their best Mr. Smith imitation. Again & again, you’ll knock me over with a feather if ANYTHING changes. The history of the tarantino isn’t all that great; it was frequently used to put the kibosh on more power for unionized workers & increased rights for African Americans.
#2 The State of Ohio has an all – white Cabinet for the first time in over 50 years, and their lovely new Governor & former FAUX News employee wants to celebrate MLK Day on St. Patrick’s Day. OK, nothing like celebrating the life & legacy of a great civil rights leader by drinking green beer! IDIOT! And, the sign AGAIN for the Ohio voters who voted for him.
And, Keith did a story about Brit politics so he could say the name "Ed Balz (or Balls)." ;D
#1 "Oh Brother!" AKA " Coexist " - The Governor of Alabama, Robert Bentley, is already making quite a splash in just under a week. I’m tellin’ y’all; there is SOMETHING in the water down there that brings out teh crazy & dim witted! He gave the classic non – apology apology for his "brother remarks." Lordy, this sign is getting a WORK OUT tonight!
Maysoon Zayid is Muslim & is broken – hearted that she’s not the "Governor’s sister." ;D