If Only In America....

This would be a good thing, in fact, a necessary thing, but I'm afraid the American people may well be too beat down & too drained of energy to do what needs to be done. The corportists are very close to replacing elected politicians as the people who will rule, not govern, this country.  Sucks.

Another Reason Why We Need MORE Regulation & Enforcement, Not Less

Bastards of the first rank.

Two people have already been indicted in the case this spring, according to Melvin Smith, a spokesman for the United States attorney’s office for the Southern District of West Virginia: a foreman, accused of lying on a document and to federal officials, and the former chief of security, accused of lying and concealing documents. Massey managers, including the former chief executive, Don Blankenship, have not been charged, including 18 executives who refused to be interviewed for the federal investigation, invoking their Fifth Amendment rights.

As usual, the sonofabitching CEOs, etc. sit in their air conditioned offices laughing at the federal government while smoking smuggled in Cubans. Remember, however, that these lice are part of what the five asshole Supreme Court justices consider a person, a corporation as person. I'm sure this corporate person doesn't give a flying fuck about the dead in their mine. In fact, they only care about who's the next politician, judge, regulator to bribe donate to.

My emphases.

The Deniers Must Be In Their Basements, I'm Looking At You Imhofe, Furiously Typing

Remember, furiously typing doesn't mean furiously developing anything worthwhile or truthful.  Anyway, U.S. temp rose 0.5 degrees F.

According to the 1981-2010 normals to be released by NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) on July 1, temperatures across the United States were on average, approximately 0.5 degree F warmer than the 1971-2000 time period.

Yeah, We're Still There

& it's not good.

Bill Donohue Is One Big Prong Alright

The Roman Catholics must just love them some Bill Donohue as a spokeprong.

Buzz Buzz Buzz Buzz Buzz Buzz Buzz Buzz Buzz Buzz Buzz Buzz Buzz Buzz Buzz

You know who you are so I hope you like this.

My Fucking Senator Johnson

I had an interesting talk with a local ReThug up in Ashland, Wisco this a.m.  He pulled his truck up into a handicapped parking slot, he had no handicapped sticker (I did a walk around) & let out an elderly man.  He appeared nervous with me staring at him, so he moved his truck a bit at a time until he was out of the reserved handicapped spot but was now blocking a driveway that led to several business.  I walked up and asked how the Johnson thing was working out for him, since it appears that Johnson had a sweet deal with his company to pay him back & then some, for the cost of Johnson's campaign, the nine million dollars that came out his pocket.  This "respected" retired dentist said & I quote directly - "Who's Johnson?" I kid you not.  I responded by saying - "He's the guy you're supporting with that bumper sticker on you rear bumper."  He short of cleared his throat & I thought that about as much as he could take for one morning.  Just another ReThug. This aforementioned transaction occurred just before Johnson was sworn in as a Senator. So far, no document detailing the deferred compensation package that was signed before Johnson started his campaign has surfaced.  Looks bad for my fucking senator, eh?  I can only hope & hope & hope that the bureaucratic apparatus that is supposed to deal with criminality like this actually still works.  I suppose it could be all rusted together from the rain caused by climate change, but I hope not. 

The Devil At Devil's Lake

A good report of FitzWalkerstan's Dear Leader being booed at Devil's Lake State Park.  What a tool!

My Fucking Senator

Ron Johnson (R-Moldy Cheesehead), is about as corrupt as one can get, apparently.  I continue to hope the morons that voted for this douchebag over Russ Feingold are happy with eating the shit sandwich that the ReThugs are delivering.

A Comment Worth Reading & A Sports Chain Worth Boycotting

From our far-flung correspondent, our only one, so far.

Anonymous nonheroicvet said...

Attended the midwest renewable energy fair in Custer on Friday June 17. It was great, has grown considerably since its early days and is much more mainstream in that the mainstream has caught up with wind, solar, geothermal and other alternative energy pioneered by the fair back when the fair was most likely a communist plot.

We reserved a room in Wausau for Fri night because Point was booked and on the way to our motel we stopped by Gander Mtn to look for some fishing stuff. There were a bunch of protesters by the parking lot but on the city sidewalk and three State Patrol officers standing at the entry to the store and while it seemed a little odd but we went about out business and soon forgot about it.

It wasn't long though and I heard a sound kind of like the clapping and barking of trained seals (Gander's staff). Near the checkout was a small room with some TV cameras, the three State Patrol, at least three city cops and all were focused on Scott Walker who was signing a bill to kill bears or something. I went to the checkout and mentioned to the beaming young lady that her store had a bad smell about it. She stopped beaming and I left. (The finger thing never occurred to me, a once in a lifetime opportunity missed.)

Outside the store were a forlorn looking man and a woman holding the US flag and the Wisconsin and no one else supporting the Walker machine. There were at least two city patrol cars also.

All being serenaded by about 100 protesters who seemed to be having a very good time and also had strong lungs. It was fun.

4:40 PM

Out Of It, I Mean Town

I've been away from the north of Wisco.  I was in the south of Wisco enjoying some good dead cow, sheep, chicken along with a great & tasty variety of dead vegetation.  I also got to tour Taliesin,  knock around some very old haunts at the UW, including, as my good friend B said, a very prestigious 10 Langdon St.  I guess the prestigious part was in my mind, but, hey, it is lakefront property with a small number.  I had a great time, but, sadly, was unable to personally give Walker the finger.  That would have been icing on a wonderful, but too brief, sojourn into a sort of super-reality.  Had fun.  I'll post some photos later.

My Fucking Senator

 

I sure hope all the morons that voted for Johnson are real happy right now, or for that matter, last week, or the month before that.

Johnson's explanation for all this? "It's a private business. I've complied with all the disclosure laws, and I don't have to explain it any further to someone like you," Johnson told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Daniel Bice.

Umami

Interesting piece on how we enjoy food.  I didn't know about the fifth taste area - umami.

Koch Is Bad For America

Good For President Gore

For over a decade we have suffered, as a nation, with the initial stolen election.  I'm glad Pres.Gore is speaking up, someone has too do it.  President Obama had an historic opportunity to reunify, reinvigorate, to make this country something again, instead, he whistled down the dark corridor of "post-partisan" (whatever that means) politics & has just about out-Bu$hCoed, Bu$hCo.  It's a sad time.

Sean Duffy, Cruel Idiot

So Duffy gives himself a raise.  Was there any local oversight?  Hmm, I suppose Duffy's office won't respond until it has time to doctor the report.  So ReThuglican.

WARNING! WARNING!! Science Ahead

 

Interesting study about magnetism that doesn't involve sexual attraction.  It also makes me wonder what happens when a person gets a full body MRI.

Dr. Reppert said the focus on human use of the magnetic field for navigation might be misplaced. Following an idea proposed last year by John B. Phillips of Virginia Tech, he said the primary use of magnetic sensing might be for spatial orientation.

 

Clarence Clemons, R.I.P.

He's dead. Too bad.

OK My Loyal Five (Yes, 5!) Readers. Time To Exercise Your Fingers, All 50 Of Them

After all, at least where I sit, it's a rainy, somewhat foggy, grim day that only offers indoor activity. Please, folks, go sign the following petitions:

If you like good beer & you can't stomach Walker, sign this.

          To ask National Public Radio to be a truly national, public radio, sign this.

Thanks so much & may the rain at least be relatively warm where you are located.

We're An Exceptional Country, Alright - We're So Exceptional That We Just Don't Give A Crap About Poor Children

This is the sort of information that disgusts me, makes me hate doctors, makes me hate America, makes me hate ReThugs even more. & I hate hate. I'm so tired of reading stories like this, but they just keep on coming, don't they? But the insider press in Washington, D.C., just keep telling us that Medicaid need "fixing". What they won't tell us is that fixing means eliminating.

Wisco High Court A Fixture, Unfortunately, Of FitzWalkerstan

Rick Unger has it nailed. Hat-tip to Shutterwi.

If this is true, this is court corruption at its absolute worst and the people of Wisconsin cannot permit this to stand.

Birds, Birds!, BIRDS!!

We just love the Evening Grosbeaks that congregate at our many feeders during the winter months.  The males, in particular, are welcome since their wild & bright yellow eyebrows are a relief from the white & gray & black of our snowy time. We've noticed there haven't been as many Evening Grosbeaks the last few years.  This is a sadness we truly feel, in fact, the species has declined a remarkable 91% since the year I graduated high school.

It seems that the Greater Scaup is also in trouble.  A 75% decline since 1967. I admit that I enjoy duck hunting & these diver ducks are fun to shoot.

The Northern Pintail, Loggerhead Shrike, & Field Sparrow fill out the top five, but I suppose it's a misnomer to describe a list like this as top, nonetheless, this is not a good thing.

Go to the Audubon website, here, to find out what you can do about this.  I am extremely pessimistic about the future lives of these birds, among many, many other sentient beings, including, of course, us.

FitzWalkerstan Lives!

So much for justice.  Unusual speed, eh?  I'd say normal right-wing acceleration.

See & Y'all Thought My Warnings About Deer & Turkeys & Geese Were Just So Much Bullshit In The Wind

Sad meeting on the highway.

No Surprise Here

After all, Paul Revere warned the British not to be takin' away our arms because we needed to sell them to the Mexicans.  I'm beginning to, no, no, I'm not, I swear I'm not,  please, stop all that damn winking.

Rep. Sean Duffy, Doctors Local News Video, Then Refuses To Take It Down

Duffy reveals his true nature - manipulative liar.

America: Home Of The Brave, Land Of The Free?

Not.  Thanks again President Obama.  I'm sure the FBI will be looking for evidence involving bankers & such.

I Got Nuthin' But This

& here is a video of what happens next.

Sean Duffy Is An Idiot, I Know, I Know, Y'all Already Knew That

Ace historian Sean Duffy joins the moronic historian Sarah Palin in reeducating the America public.

DUFFY: I believe that we have in our Constitution the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That's what I think our rights are. I want to work to make sure that we have health care that's affordable — that people can actually access. And that's what I'm working for right now.

My emphasis. You'd think these super-patriots like Duffy would know their Constitution from their Declaration of Independence, but then you'd be wrong.

Rick Santorum Is Patently Absurd

Paten leather shoes, absurd.

Here are the moron Santorum's dancing shoes. He better keep them polished, after all he's a good Roman Catholic boy.

Sorry, People, Roundup Causes Cancer

It's almost surreal, the way governments have been bamboozled by Monsanto.  Whenever something is promoted as the perfect killer, well, it's always a good idea to shun the perfect. FYI:

Key findings:

• Industry (including Monsanto) has known since the 1980s that glyphosate causes malformations in experimental animals at high doses.
• Industry has known since 1993 that these effects could also occur at lower and mid doses
• The German government has known since at least 1998 that glyphosate causes malformations
• The EU Commission’s expert scientific review panel knew in 1999 that glyphosate causes malformations
• The EU Commission has known since 2002 that glyphosate causes malformations. This was the year its DG SANCO division published its final review report, laying out the basis for the current approval of glyphosate.

The report goes into a good deal of technical detail to show how regulators bent over backwards to discount those studies, and make it look like there were no problems with Roundup.

Source: Red Green & Blue (http://s.tt/12ChY)

Here Are A Couple Of Great Songs & Great Performances & Great Musicians

Rocking in the free world.

I have to keep reminding myself that some people in Wisco are not interested in a free state, much less a free world.

All Along The Watchtower
Written by Bob Dylan
Made famous Jimi Hendrix
Now play be Neil Young & Bruce Soringsteen
I'm almost ready to start the day now, almost.

Almost.

Lots Of "Tiny" To Go Around

22.3 pounds of happy eating.  I knew the Bay of Fundy had huge tides but did not know they had huge lobsters.

News From FitzWalkerstan - Corrupt Election Division

J.B. van Hollen, Wisco's AG, spent millions to jail two, that's 2, that's II, Roman style.  You get the picture.  The goddamn ReThugs are do their very best to deny the right to vote to the very citizens that will probably vote against them. & now, where is J.B. while his ReThug friends are attempting to corrupt the recall elections about to happen?  Where is J.B.?  The moron probably doesn't even care. Heh.

Impact on Wisco Cong. Dist. 7

The coldH2Os live in 7 & the impact on us by the ReThug proposal is awful.  You can go here to see a map of the U.S. congressional districts & how the plan affects each district. It's a good resource.

High(LOW)lights of the plan as if affects us:

For those currently enrolled:

• Increase prescription drug costs for 6,200 Medicare beneficiaries in the district who enter the Part D donut hole, forcing them to pay an extra $61 million for drugs over the next decade.

• Eliminate new preventive care benefits for 125,000 Medicare beneficiaries in the district.

For the younger folk:

• Deny 480,000 individuals age 54 and younger in the district access to Medicare’s guaranteed benefits.  

• Increase the out-of-pocket costs of health coverage by over $6,000 per year in 2022 and by almost $12,000 per year in 2032 for the 120,000 individuals in the district who are between the ages of 44 and 54.

• Require the 120,000 individuals in the district between the ages of 44 and 54 to save an additional $28.0 billion for their retirement – an average of $182,000 to $287,000 per individual – to pay for the increased cost of health coverage over their lifetimes.  Younger residents of the district will have to save even higher amounts to cover their additional medical costs.  

• Raise the Medicare eligibility age by at least one year to age 66 or more for 64,000 individuals in the district who are age 44 to 49 and by two years to age 67 for 362,000 individuals in the district who are age 43 or younger.   

& here are the things that the ReThugs plan to do to the people already on Medicare:

Higher drug cost
Elimination of new preventive care benefits.

& the future, what future

Elimination of Medicare’s guaranteed benefits. 

Increased annual costs Increased retirement burden.

Increase the Medicare eligibility age.

Yes, It's A Great Bu$hCo Victory

Just ask the dead.

James Arness, R.I.P.

He's dead.

I watched this show regularly while growing up in the '60s. I always liked Matt's horse, I'm sure it is/was a Tennessee Walking Horse, at least that's what I believe because of its gait. & Festus just wasn't Chester.

Jesus Christ On Hardtack, Sarah Palin Is The Stupidest Woman In, Let's See, Hmmm, Yes, I Have It, The Whole Fucking World!

This blog has been a Palin-free blog, but given the low barometer, which is affecting not only my supposedly new knee, but also my mood, I must post on her complete & utter stupidity.  Here's her version of Paul Revere's Ride:

 “…he who warned the British that they weren’t gonna be takin’ away our arms, uh, by ringin’ those bells and, um, makin’ sure as he’s ridin’ his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that were gonna be secure and we were gonna be free. And we were gonna be armed.”

Here's the real story.

Man, I can't get enough of the go-go dancers. 

Well, They Won't Have Jack To Kick Around Anymore

But, of course, you don't know Jack.

I Demand More Tax Breaks For The Wealthy So They Can Continue To Create Jobs & Pay People What They Are Worth

To the Koch Brothers & others of their ilk, the working person isn't worth much.

The increase in total private-sector wages, adjusted for inflation, from the start of 2001 has fallen far short of any 10-year period since World War II, according to Commerce Department data. In fact, if the data are to be believed, economy wide wage gains have even lagged those in the decade of the Great Depression (adjusted for deflation).

Over the past decade, real private-sector wage growth has scraped bottom at 4%, just below the 5% increase from 1929 to 1939, government data show.

To put that in perspective, since the Great Depression, 10-year gains in real private wages had always exceeded 25% with one exception: the period ended in 1982-83(Reagan's "recession, the beginning of it all, ed.), when the jobless rate spiked above 10% and wage gains briefly decelerated to 16%.

My emphases.

Heh!

Some whack-job named jambie sent along this wild & cool YouTube showing Fox News being hacked big-time. Good for the folks who did this. Fox is noting more than a mouthpiece for the worst of the ReThuglican Party. They are so embittered, so blinded by their right-wing ideology, so effing stupid, that they couldn't decipher the truth if it hit them over the head.

Let's imagine the fish are the truth: here's how Fox Snooze handles the truth.

I'd Suggest Some Really Good Mescaline

But I only play a doctor in my dreams.  Here's the report & it is interesting.  For example, how do you lower a person's fear when their heart decides to party?

Here's an excerpt from The Doors Of Perception, by Aldous Huxley.  Go read about the book here.

The other world to which mescalin admitted me was not the world of visions; it existed out there, in what I could see with my eyes open. The great change was in the realm of objective fact. What had happened to my subjective universe was relatively unimportant.

I took my pill at eleven. An hour and a half later, I was sitting in my study, looking intently at a small glass vase. The vase contained only three flowers  " a full-blown Belie of Portugal rose, shell pink with a hint at every petal's base of a hotter, flamier hue; a large magenta and cream-colored carnation; and, pale purple at the end of its broken stalk, the bold heraldic blossom of an iris. Fortuitous and provisional, the little nosegay broke all the rules of traditional good taste. At breakfast that morning I had been struck by the lively dissonance of its colors. But that was no longer the point. I was not looking now at an unusual flower arrangement. I was seeing what Adam had seen on the morning of his creation-the miracle, moment by moment, of naked existence.

 "Is it agreeable?" somebody asked. (During this Part of the experiment, all conversations were recorded on a dictating machine, and it has been possible for me to refresh my memory of what was said.)

 "Neither agreeable nor disagreeable," I answered. "it just is."

My emphases.

MyPlate?

Now, if they only planned to fill MyPlate with food for the poor & middle classes it might be worth a something.  I'm all for people eating the right foods, etc., but people need access to food & the money to pay for the food.  So far, I'd suggest President Obama isn't doing nearly enough to fill the plates most Americans.  He did a good job on filling the gold-plated  dinner-wear of the wealthy  with the continuation of Bu$hCo's tax cuts, didn't he?

Sports Beat - Pro Basketball Edition

I'm glad about this.

 

News From FitzWalkerstan

Well, one word will do, assholes.