Billionaire Tom Perkins: Rich Should Get More Votes

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Friday February 14, 2014 · 7:55 AM PST

2014/02/14 · 07:55

Venture Capitalist and billionaire Tom Perkins suggested Thursday that only taxpayers should have the right to vote -- and that wealthy Americans who pay more in taxes should get more votes.

More trolling from the man who coined the obnoxious term "the war on the 1%". Last month Perkins compared this "war " on the wealthy to a wave of Nazi attacks on Jews ahead of the Holocaust.

via CNN Money

Tom Perkins suggested Thursday that only taxpayers should have the right to vote -- and that wealthy Americans who pay more in taxes should get more votes.
The venture capitalist offered the unorthodox proposal when asked to name one idea that would "change the world" at a speaking engagement in San Francisco moderated by Fortune's Adam Lashinsky.

"The Tom Perkins system is: You don't get to vote unless you pay a dollar of taxes," Perkins said.

"But what I really think is, it should be like a corporation. You pay a million dollars in taxes, you get a million votes. How's that?"

The audience at the Commonwealth Club reacted with laughter. But Perkins offered no immediate indication that he was joking. Asked offstage if the proposal was serious, Perkins said: "I intended to be outrageous, and it was."

Pennsylvania's Governor Compares Gay Marriage to Incest

Scarce

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Friday October 04, 2013 · 7:31 AM PDT

2013/10/04 · 07:31

At some point many elected Republicans gave up on the idea of governing at all, and just became professionally paid trolls. Pennsylvania's Tom Corbett is one of them.

via AP

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett has compared the marriage of same-sex couples to the marriage of a brother and sister during an appearance on a morning TV news show.
The Republican made the remark Friday on WHP-TV in Harrisburg when asked about a statement his lawyers made in an August court filing.

The attorneys had said gay marriage licenses have no "value or legitimacy" in Pennsylvania and can't be defended in court. They compared gay couples to children, who can't marry because a 1996 law says marriage is between a man and a woman.

Corbett has called that statement inappropriate.

Video via WHP-TV, in Harrisburg, PA.

TOM CORBETT: It was an inappropriate analogy, you know. I think a much better analogy would have been brother and sister, don’t you?
SHERRY CHRISTIAN: I don’t know. I don’t know… Umm… Yeah, I’m going to leave the comments to your and your team, but you did say it was inappropriate and you have a better phrasing that you think.

House of Turds

Scarce

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Tuesday October 01, 2013 · 5:20 AM PDT

2013/10/01 · 05:20

Canadian University Slammed Over Sexist Frosh Week Chant

Scarce

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Saturday September 07, 2013 · 3:54 PM PDT

2013/09/07 · 15:54

The fallout from this continued throughout the week, as yesterday the president of the student association resigned.

via CBC

Saint Mary’s University in Halifax is promising disciplinary action after a frosh week chant glorifying underage sex with girls without consent was posted online.
A 15-second video posted to Instagram on Monday shows orientation week leaders leading a cheer about the sexual preferences of Saint Mary University men.

On a crowded football field they shout out, “Y is for your sister, O is for oh so tight, U is for underage, N is for no consent, G is for grab that ass, [...] Saint Mary’s boys we like them young.”

Students said the chant has been used at frosh week for years.

On Wednesday Jared Perry, the student union president, called it an oversight and apologized.

"It will not continue in the future," he said.

The university’s senior director of student services said the administration had no knowledge of the chant until Wednesday at noon. Keith Hotchkiss said he was "disgusted."

Video via YouTube from the instagram by TheBaronSJ

14-Year-Old Activist Schools Corporatist Shill On GMO's

Scarce

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Tuesday August 06, 2013 · 5:36 PM PDT

2013/08/06 · 17:36

14-year-old activist Rachel Parent debates Kevin O'Leary on the question of why genetically modified foods need to be avoided. Back in June the Canadian broadcaster called the protesters against Monsanto, "stupid". Rachel challenged him to a debate, and two months later they had one. Boy, did they ever!

via Rabble.ca

Fourteen year old Rachel Parent challenged CBC's Kevin O'Leary to a debate on GMOs. O'Leary accuses Parent of being a "shill" for environmental organizations. Watch as Parent schools O'Leary on the dangers of GMOs --and see for yourself who the corporate shill is.
Rachel's website: http://www.gmo-news.com

And here's her awesome video from June. "Stompa" your feet indeed.

'John McCain to Endorse Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2016'

Scarce

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Wednesday July 31, 2013 · 8:27 AM PDT

2013/07/31 · 08:27

There, you heard it here first, for the record. At least that's the suggestion that'll have right wing heads exploding today, when they see this headline from Yahoo:

McCain: Hillary Clinton vs. Rand Paul in 2016 would be ‘tough choice’

Here are some choice quotes from the interview at The New Republic, with Issac Chotiner.

IC: Given that you think things are out of control, what do you make of Hillary Clinton’s term as secretary of state?
JM: I think she did a fine job. She’s a rock star. She has, maybe not glamour, but certainly the aura of someone widely regarded throughout the world. I do think it is interesting that the issues where John Kerry is engaging is where Hillary Clinton did not engage in, that those decisions were left to the White House and the National Security Council.

IC: When Hillary Clinton versus Rand Paul occurs in 2016, I guess you are going to have to decide who to vote for, huh?
JM: It’s gonna be a tough choice [laughs].

IC: So—

JM: Let me just clarify that. I think that Rand Paul represents a segment of the GOP, just like his father. And I think he is trying to expand that, intelligently, to make it larger.

And then there's this little nugget:

IC: So it seems like you are saying you are happy, or lucky.
JM: Am I happy? I’d like to be president of the United States.

[Note: Although this diary is decidedly tongue-in-cheek, as a McCain endorsement of Clinton would effectively end his senate career, it's quite possible McCain would endorse Clinton over a Rand Paul or a Ted Cruz if push came to shove and he had decided to retire. That's just the way mavericky old McCain rolls.]

North Carolina Gov Restricts Abortion, Offers the Ladies Cookies Instead

Scarce

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Wednesday July 31, 2013 · 6:00 AM PDT

2013/07/31 · 06:00

In shock from seeing Gov. Pat McCrory, center, hand deliver her a plate of cookies, Jamie Sohn , of Chapel Hill, turns back to her group across the street.

Gov. Pat McCrory hasn't been willing to meet with the women (and a few men) protesting an abortion bill that opponents say restricts access to safe abortions. But he did stop by this afternoon with a plate of chocolate chip cookies.

I suppose if you're a Governor who's going to restrict abortion in your state after promising not to it wouldn't occur to you that such a move would appear to be terrifically condescending and thick-headed.

via the Charlotte Observer

Gov. Pat McCrory hasn't been willing to meet with the women (and a few men) protesting an abortion bill that opponents say restricts access to safe abortions. But he did stop by this afternoon with a plate of chocolate chip cookies.
McCrory was flanked by four security guards as he came out of the mansion gates. Before stepping onto common ground with the protesters – he went as far as the middle of the street between his mansion and the vigil – McCrory pointed directly at Jamie Sohn, a Chapel Hill resident.

“I was like, 'Me?' and he nodded,” she said during an interview shortly after.

The security guards stopped incoming traffic. Sohn walked out into the street to meet McCrory.

Sohn said McCrory told her: “ 'These are for you. God bless you, God bless you, God bless you.' " He handed her the plate of cookies, and waved as he walked away. She said she was too stunned to say anything back.

No one knew if the cookies were homemade – the protesters didn’t sample any before returning them. They slipped them under the mansion’s gate, along with a note that read: “We want women’s health care, not cookies.”

Amanda Marcotte over at Slate.com put it this way:

If McCrory thought the gesture would make him look like a generous sort who reaches out to people who disagree, then it backfired, and not just because he avoided actually meeting with opponents about the law before he signed it. Next to sandwiches, cookies are probably the most potent edible symbol of the belief that women's role is to shut up, give up their ambitions, and return to the kitchen. While it's unlikely that McCrory was deliberately trying to tell the protesters to know their place, that's how the gesture reads. After Rick Perry's mansplaining tour of Texas, it's hard to tell anymore if Republican governors have given up even trying to pretend they respect the female members of the opposition. At this rate, the next Republican governor to sign an anti-choice bill is going to greet protestors with a basketful of aprons emblazoned with anti-choice slogans.

Kids React to "Controversial" Cheerios Commercial

Scarce

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Tuesday July 16, 2013 · 5:38 PM PDT

2013/07/16 · 17:38

This YouTube video has gone viral this week, and it's not hard to see why. Absolutely must watch.

Gawker wrote this about it yesterday:

The Fine Bros. have been subjecting their cavalcade of camera-ready kids to a whole host of stupid, silly, and pointless videos since practically the start of the Internet, but this week they decided to get all serious by showing their troupe of tots the now-infamous interracial Cheerios commercial.
"This episode of Kids React will discuss the sensitive subject of racism and its impact on individuals, families and the world at large," reads a disclaimer — the first of its kind for the Fines — at the start of the video. "The opinions of children about these issues can give incredibly valuable insight into where our society really is and where we are headed as people."

As you'll see in the video, getting a reaction out of the kids proved harder this time around.

Not because they were concerned about speaking openly about such a sensitive and incendiary topic, but because they simply had no clue why the hell this run-of-the-mill Cheerios commercial would upset anyone.

More wisdom is expressed in these 9 minutes than in an entire year of listening to Congress or watching the talking heads on cable news.

Irish MP Pulls Female MP Onto His Lap in Parliament During Abortion Debate

Scarce

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Friday July 12, 2013 · 10:50 AM PDT

2013/07/12 · 10:50

You see, the poor (married) fellow had just a wee bit too much to drink. The Irish press has taken to calling the incident "Lapgate", with the twitter tag #lapgate getting heavy use.

via The Guardian

An Irish MP from the ruling Fine Gael party has apologised for pulling a female colleague on to his lap during the marathon debate on introducing limited abortion into the country.
Teachta Dála (Dáil member) Tom Barry described his behaviour during the discussions in the Irish parliament, which lasted until the early hours of Thursday morning, as "disrespectful and inappropriate".

Live footage of the debate showed Barry pulling fellow Fine Gael TD Áine Collins on to his lap around 3am on Thursday.

Despite the gravity of the subject being debated, party sources initially dismissed the incident as "horseplay". But later Barry, a TD for Cork North East, issued his apology.

"I have apologised to Áine Collins and she graciously and immediately accepted my apology. No excuses. I just shouldn't have done it," Barry said in a statement issued through the party's main press office on Thursday.

Ireland passed a measure in their lower house allowing abortion for the first time, but in extremely limited circumstances.

via BBC

The move, approved by a 127-31 vote in the lower house (Dáil), would authorise a termination when doctors deem that a woman is at risk of taking her life. It needs upper house endorsement, too.

Scarce

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Friday June 28, 2013 · 7:41 AM PDT

2013/06/28 · 07:41

Ernie and Bert of Sesame Street fame celebrate the Supreme Court's DOMA decision.

via The New Yorker

“It’s amazing to witness how attitudes on gay rights have evolved in my lifetime,” said Jack Hunter, the artist behind next week’s cover, “Moment of Joy.” Hunter, who originally submitted his image, unsolicited, to a Tumblr, continued, “This is great for our kids, a moment we can all celebrate.”

Scarce

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Friday June 21, 2013 · 10:38 PM PDT

2013/06/21 · 22:38

In one of the cooler tv moments I've seen recently, The Daily Show's Jon Stewart travelled to Cairo to appear with "Egypt's Jon Stewart", Bassem Youssef.

video via Albernameg, CBC

(McClatchy) CAIRO — Amid growing tension at the approach of the June 30 anniversary of Mohammed Morsi’s assumption of Egypt’s presidency, Jon Stewart, the host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” appeared on Egyptian TV Friday night, drawing laughs in a funny yet very serious tribute to the importance of satire in a free state.
Stewart was the guest of Bassem Youssef on Youssef’s weekly television show, “Al Barhnameg,” or “The Program,” one of Egypt’s most popular and most controversial shows. Especially since March, when Morsi’s government charged Youssef with insulting the president and Islam for, among other things, wearing a hat that mocked the one Morsi wore to a trip Pakistan.

Youssef was released on $2,200 bail, and Stewart has stood by him ever since, once devoting 10 minutes of his own show to Youssef’s case.

On Friday, Youssef introduced Stewart by saying that he had brought in one of the many feared spies of the regime. Stewart, wearing a black mask and led by two men in suits, walked in. As he lifted the mask, the crowd cheered.

Stewart deployed the little Arabic he memorized as he appeared on stage with Youssef, whose show is a weekly news roundup that looks like and is styled after “The Daily Show.”

“Shukran” – thank you in Arabic, Stewart said to cheers – and “khalas,” enough, as the studio fans gave him a standing ovation. “Oudou,” sit, Stewart told them, and “Ani regal basset,” or I am a simple man, followed by “Membaasaa al riftya” – I don’t want to be carried.

Louie Gohmert Defends His Asparagus. (No, Really.)

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Thursday May 16, 2013 · 7:48 AM PDT

2013/05/16 · 07:48

Things got heated and a bit insane, as they usually do, when Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) got miffed when Attorney General Eric Holder rather politely told Gohmert he didn't know what he was talking about, and that he should refrain some stating as fact what were only Gohmert's conjectures on what may or may not have occurred. The confontation happened during a House Judiciary hearing into the Boston Bombing. Gohmert was disparaging the FBI's handling of the case.

ERIC HOLDER: “You don’t know what the FBI did. You don’t know what the FBI’s interaction was with the Russians. You don’t know what questions were put to the Russians, whether those questions were responded to. You simply do not know that. And you have characterized the FBI as being not thorough, or taken exception to my characterization of them as being thorough. I know what the FBI did. You cannot know what I know. That is all.”

Gohmert took exception to the fact that his wild allegations would not be taken seriously as facts, and called for a point of personal privilege to defend his honor. Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) noted Gohmert's time had expired but had Holder state again why he considered what Gohmert had said was untrue, which he did, much to the consternation of Gohmert.

A visibly flustered Gohmert then tried for another point of personal privilege, but was rebuked as his time had expired. Gohmert then shouted over the Chairman one of the best lines of the year:

LOUIE GOHMERT: "I cannot have a witness challenge my character! The attorney general will not cast aspersions on my asparagus!" [3m 25sec mark]

The British use this as a joking expression ("cast asparagus" on something) but somehow I don't think Gohmert was joking at all. He really is this dumb.

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Billionaire Tom Perkins: Rich Should Get More Votes

Pennsylvania's Governor Compares Gay Marriage to Incest

House of Turds

Canadian University Slammed Over Sexist Frosh Week Chant

14-Year-Old Activist Schools Corporatist Shill On GMO's

'John McCain to Endorse Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2016'

North Carolina Gov Restricts Abortion, Offers the Ladies Cookies Instead

Kids React to "Controversial" Cheerios Commercial

Irish MP Pulls Female MP Onto His Lap in Parliament During Abortion Debate

Bert and Ernie's "Moment of Joy"

Jon Stewart Appears on Egyptian Satirical TV Show

Louie Gohmert Defends His Asparagus. (No, Really.)