1790 - The first U.S. patent was issued to Samuel Hopkins for his process for making potash and pearl ashes. The result was made into fertilizer.
1975 - Labor Leader Jimmy Hoffa disappears. The result was made into fertilizer.
COINCIDENCE? I think NOT!
"What I wonder how many people realized at the end [of Saturday's White House Correspondents' Dinner] when he did his, you know, there’s always this part at the end where they get serious for a minute. And it’s usually the part where presidents say, “You know, I think the press has a good job to do and I understand what they have to do.” He didn’t say that. He wasn’t very complimentary of the press. "
Major Bloatway Media Whore Chuck Todd
“The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.”
― Charles Bukowski, allegedly describing Chuck Todd
From the church of ineffable stupidity:
This is probably one of the best opening paragraphs I have read this year:
Right-wing Evangelical Fundamentalism claims to “go back to roots of Christianity.” In fact, the “literal” (i.e. the earth was created in seven literal days) reading of the Bible was invented in the 19th century. Few fundamentalists care about the early church, the Gospels, the Catholic traditions, Augustine, Arian heresies, encyclicals and councils. Rather, they blend Southern Conservatism, bastardized Protestantism, some Pauline doctrine, gross nationalism and a heavy dose of naive anti-intellectualism for a peculiar American strain of bullshit. As Reverend Cornel West has noted, “the fundamentalist Christians want to be fundamental about everything, except ‘love thy neighbor.'”
Sean McElwee - Alternet
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Chuck Todd, the 41 year old self-satisfied, smug political correspondent for MSNBC, has his own clown show, the aptly named Daily Rundown. It is aptly named because he never hesitates running down those who do not meet with his peculiar approval.
The term "political correspondent" (PC) is an interesting term. The position is a relatively recent creation of meganews corporations, who replaced investigative journalism with arrogant know nothings who blather about their favorite pols and rumors. They do no serious reporting, they provide no historical basis, and they never explain an issue's background to the masses. Instead, they posture, complain, and promote those few who they like (or who have kissed their asses sufficiently in the recent past). If you put two or more of these bloviating ignorami together, especially on TV, you end up with entire TV shows, filled with self adoration, self promotion, and absolutely no substantive analysis.
Even better, if you look stern and knowledgable when you bloviate, you can even be considered a "serious thinker," the crowning achievement of the PC class. At least by the other political correspondents. (see generally, Tom Friedman, Peggy Noonan, Harold Ford Jr., Carly Fiorina, and Chuck Todd) The fact that what they actually say consists of ineffable stupidity or groundless rumor, and has all the substance and weight of graphene aerogel, makes no difference. After all, these people are paid to say nothing of substance.
up Chuck was on the air yesterday, talking about the Yellen - Summers battle. After describing it as a potential block buster, with all the trimmings of a nasty senate race, Chuck said two things, both bemusing and disturbing. I can understand why he said it, because he loves Larry Summers. I can even accept that he baldly lies just to make his point. First, there is no difference between Summers and Yellen. Second, it is a guarantee that Summers will be the new Fed Chair.
Did Todd or his fellow bloviators mention Summers' role in financial deregulation that led directly to our market crash a few years back? Nope. Did he mention that Summers continues to push for more deregulation? Uh uh. Did he talk about his role in the eradication of Glass Steagall, financial protections that safeguarded our economy and banking industry for decades? Naw. Did he mention Summers' disastrous tenure at Harvard, personally losing that institution billions in investments? Or his sexist, autocratic ways? Are you kidding? That would be committing an act of real journalism, something of which upChuck is totally incapable.
Listening to Todd discuss Summers is like watching an NRA lobbyist describe the latest Smith and Wesson product. Fawning, ignoring critical points and serious issues, and whitewashing his friend's history.
Political Correspondent? Bah. It is worth noting that upChuck's dismal performance has been noticed. Mediate, a rating organization that measures the impact that individual journalists have, had upChuck as #2 a few years back. He has now dropped to 90 (about as low as one can go before falling off the TV radar).
For the record, Janet Yellen holds many views that are exactly opposite of Larry Summers, and the fact that Summers has Obama's ear on finance should scare the shit out of all of us. On the Credit Crunch, the Housing Bubble, Deregulation, and in the face of Congressional malpractice, especially by the House of Reptiles, finding unique ways to inject capital into credit markets, she has been proven right again and again. Summers holds the exact opposite views, and would have driven our economy into a gutter from which we might not have been able to climb, had he been in control. But you'd never know that listening to upChuck.
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John Hagee should be glad that being able to preach does not require any proof of mental stability. Sunday, Hagee attacked his favorite bugaboo, after gays, liberals, Obama, Obamacare, and anyone not following his lead as a fundie christian. He claimed that Rock Music is Satanic Cyanide.
Sigh.
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What is it about Republican Governors? Are they politically suicidal?
Bob McDonnell (Va) cannot help but reward his buddies who give him gifts and loans.
(his AG, Cuccinelli has learned from his political master)
Tom Corbett (Pa) campaigned on a platform to make government transparent, and bar gifts from those seeking government contracts. . . . unless the gifts benefitted him personally.
Scott Walker (Wi) has troubles upon troubles. Check out Puddytat's diary here.