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Friday Reads

Posted: January 31, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: morning reads |68 Comments

images (9) Good Morning!

There are some strange things afoot! Harry Waxman may retire and Sandra Fluke may run for his seat!

Sandra Fluke, who became an instant celebrity when she was denied the opportunity to testify at a hearing on Obamacare’s contraception requirements, is “strongly considering” a bid for Rep. Henry Waxman’s congressional seat, according to KPCC, a Southern California radio station.

“I’m flattered that I’m being discussed as a potential candidate,” she told the station. “A number of folks I respect very deeply have reached out today and encouraged me to run. I am strongly considering running.”

There are few chances the Democratic Party will take the house so much of their focus will be on making sure they control the Senate.download (1)

If you step back from 2014, and look ahead to the next few election cycles—including 2016—it’s easy to see that this is the right choice. For Senate Democrats, this year’s map—where they’re defending seats in red states like North Carolina, Arkansas, and Louisiana—is their toughest in recent memory. If economic conditions worsen, or if turnout drops substantially, the party could easily lose its control of the Senate, all but ending the potential for Democratic action on domestic policy.

This makes holding the Senate a huge priority—it’s a necessary step if Democrats want to finish Obama’s presidency with success and accomplishment. What’s more, it’ll pay dividends in the next election cycle; if this year’s is a bad map for Democrats, then 2016’s is just as bad for Republicans, who will have to defend blue state Republicans during a presidential election year, where turnout is high and the electorate is more diverse.

In other words, if Democrats can keep the Senate for two more years, then—for the first time since 2008—they’re suddenly in striking distance of a filibuster-proof majority, with the potential for pick-ups in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Florida, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, North Carolina, and—most optimistically—Georgia.

The RNC is going to boycott MSNBC.  ROFLMAO.

In the aftermath of a Twitter firestorm, the Republican National Committee is shunning MSNBC.

RNC chairman Reince Priebus said in a memo Thursday that he’s demanding an apology from MSNBC president Phil Griffin after a tweet from the liberal cable news channel’s accountgenerated a furor among conservatives.

The since-deleted tweet referred to a Super Bowl ad from Cheerios that portrays a biracial family.

“Maybe the rightwing will hate it, but everyone else will go awww: the adorable new ad w/ biracial family,” the tweet read.

MSNBC later apologized.

“Until [Griffin] takes internal corrective action and personally apologizes—not just to the RNC but to all right-of-center Americans—I’m banning all RNC staff from appearing on, associating with, or booking any RNC surrogates on MSNBC,” Priebus said in the memo.

This is the ad that freaked out the right wing. It’s a really cute ad with a black father and white mother.  I’ve seen the ad even though I never connected it with the Superbowl.  

Cheerios’ interracial family is returning on one of television’s biggest stages.

The cereal’s first-ever Super Bowl ad brings back the household that drew both praise and prejudice last spring for depicting a black father, white mother and their biracial daughter, Gracie. In the new spot, dad uses Cheerios to explain to Gracie that a new baby is on the way. The conversation takes a very charming turn, but you’ll have to watch (above) to find out what happens.

“The big game provided another opportunity to tell another story about family love,” Cheerios representative Camille Gibson told The New York Times.

Last spring, when the brand introduced the family in the original ad, social media erupted with compliments but also such bigoted vitriol that the commercial’s YouTube posting blocked comments.

Despite the negative feedback, the ad may have inspired others to take a more inclusive stance in their commercials. Dusting product Swiffer, for example, recentlydebuted a spot featuring the Rukavinas, a real mixed-race family. The husband in the ad says he’s better at cleaning the house, but he admits the chore has become more difficult since losing his arm.

the-presidents-analyst-movie-poster-1968-1020249457I haven’t bought Cheerios since the girls were toddlers but I may reconsider after reading about this kerfuffle.

So, here’s a good headline from the Daily Beast: Why Antics by Several Republicans Suggest the Party Needs Therapy,

Before I reveal the doctor’s diagnosis, let’s take a quick look at just some of the recent antics by several Republican elected officials.

On Tuesday, Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY) threatened to injure, and arguably even kill, NY1 reporter Michael Scotto, who asked a question about a federal investigation into Grimm’s 2010 campaign. In response to this question, Grimm stormed out of the interview. Moments later, he returned and angrily told the reporter, “Let me be clear to you, you ever do that to me again I’ll throw you off this fucking balcony.” Keep in mind that Grimm is a former Marine and an ex-FBI agent, so his threats must be taken seriously. (Of course, this type of behavior may make Grimm a good match for VP with Chris Christie in 2016.)

If you are Republican and you want to save your party, you may actually need to stage a massive intervention at the next RNC convention.

The day before, Rep. Trey Radel (R-FL) resignedfrom Congress after his recent guilty plea to cocaine possession. Radel, who has sought counseling, had been arrested for buying drugs from an undercover DEA agent.

Of course, we can’t forget Gov. Christie and Bridgegate, which also implicates numerous New Jersey Republicans. And, as I wrote this week, we have seen a gaggle of random self-destructive comments by GOP officials since December, from Mike Huckabee’s remarks about women’s libidos to Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA) advocating discrimination against gay Americans.

So what did Dr. Foehl conclude? Well, he noted that “the Republicans have a masochistic relationship with the media,” and they keep repeating the very “thing that brings them pain.” From a clinical point of view, Dr. Foehl opined, this behavior would be labeled as a “self-defeating personality disorder.”

Why do so many Republicans do this, you ask? Dr. Foehl explained that certain people thrive on “negative attention,” adding that “they have learned that the way to connect to other people is through their suffering, through doing just the thing that will bring them ridicule or pain.” (Sounds like Doc just described Sarah Palin, Louie Gohmert, and Michele Bachmann.)

Is there any hope for the Republicans? Well, Dr. Foehl offered a guarded prognosis. He explained that this condition is “very difficult to treat” because many become attached to just the kinds of painful relationships that keep them in trouble.” He concluded ominously: “In short, they are help-rejecting.”

The weirdness continues: Anti-Choice Groups Launch National Boycott Of Girl Scout Cookies For ‘Endorsing’ Wendy Davis

Toward the end of December, Girl Scout USA’s official Twitter account tweeted out a Huffington Post story about the inspiring individuals who should be considered to be 2013′s “women of the year.” The article included figures like Beyonce, Malala Yousafzai, and Wendy Davis — and the organization asked its followers who else should be added to the list of “incredible ladies.” That was enough for anti-choice activists to call for a national boycott of the organization’s popular cookies, claiming the Girl Scouts have endorsed “pro-abortion politician Wendy Davis.”

“We’re asking you to boycott Girl Scout cookies in 2014,” reads a new site dedicated to the boycott, explaining that Davis should not be lifted up as a “worthy role model for our children.” The same accusation is being leveled against the group in regards to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who was included in a different news article about influential U.S. women that the Girl Scouts shared on its Facebook page.

The controversy has been building for several weeks. At the beginning of this month, Fox News’ Megyn Kelly hosted a panel discussion about the organization’s tweet. Panelists suggested that sharing any material related to Davis violates the Girl Scouts’ policy to remain uninvolved in politics.

I’m personally leading a social media campaign for every one to buy as many cookies as possible from Girl Scouts.  I should disclose that I have been a Girl Scout, a Girl Scout Leader, and the mother of Girl Scouts for some time.
So, here’s something really frightening.

The US Air Force said Thursday that 92 nuclear missile officers are now implicated in a widening scandal over cheating on dr-strangelove-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-bomb-movie-poster-1964-1010462298exams as officials cited “systemic problems” in the force.

In the latest setback for the troubled nuclear mission, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said she returned from a visit to missile bases believing the cheating was part of a broader morale problem among launch officers.

“As the investigation has moved forward, we can now report there is a total of 92 crew members that have been identified as having some level of involvement,” James told a news conference.

“That means either participating in the cheating or knowing something about it and not standing up and reporting it,” she said.

Two weeks ago, officials said 34 officers were implicated at Malmstrom Air Force base in Montana.

The latest tally of 92 launch officers ensnared by the scandal represents about half of the total 190-member officer corps of the Montana base, and nearly 20 percent of the roughly 500 officers who run the missile force.

The mounting scandal, as well as other embarrassing incidents, have prompted commanders to put a hold on any promotions of senior officers in the nuclear mission, a defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

“They’re reviewing all of those (proposed promotions),” the official said.

While acknowledging serious questions about the working climate and leadership of the nuclear force, James reiterated the Pentagon’s stance that the destructive weapons were in safe, competent hands.

BB mentioned this but I thought I’d throw my 2 cents in too about the 50th anniversary of Dr. Strangelove. 

“Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” was released 50 years ago this week. The film is regarded as a cinematic masterpiece today (AFI ranked it No. 39 in its 10th anniversary Top 100 in 2007), but in February 1964, Times film editor Philip K. Scheuer didn’t find much to like. I’m partial to the deadpan of the subheadline: “Kubrick’s ‘Satire’ Tells All About End of World, Ha Ha.” But this is a great line too:”… a publicist at Columbia, which is distributing the picture, assured me it would be my ‘cup of tea.’ After suffering through two screenings of ‘Dr. Strangelove,’ I would sooner drink hemlock.”Scheuer issues no spoiler alerts while giving away the ending and laments that “[a]ll members of our armed forces are pictured as either utterly unscrupulous or just plain stupid.”

And then he makes a point that is rather jarring to a reader in today’s era of the antihero.

I have to admit to being completely exhausted this week. So, I will rely on you to share your reading and blogging list today!!

68 Comments on “Friday Reads”

  1. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    January 31, 2014 at 9:22 am

    Excuse me for linking this before reading the post. I thought it was kind of exciting.

    Boston Researchers Discover Fast, Simple Way To Create Embryonic Stem Cells

    BOSTON — Astounding. Remarkable. Revolutionary.

    Those are some of the ways scientists are describing the news that researchers at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital and in Japan have found a relatively simple way to create embryonic stem cells without using embryos.

    Their method is detailed in a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature…

  2. minkoffminx's avatar JJ Lopez Minkoff says:
    January 31, 2014 at 9:57 am

    Dak, on the point of GOP needing therapy, here is more proof…VIDEO: Caught off guard, Nathan Deal reveals who he truly blames – Better Georgia

    In a scripted press conference yesterday, Gov. Nathan Deal carefully apologized for Atlanta’s gridlock.

    He admitted that Georgia was not prepared for this week’s storm.

    But the governor walked out of that room to show you the real Nathan Deal.

    In this must-see, unscripted video, the governor showed what’s truly in his heart:

    Gov. Deal In A Rare Show Of Emotion | http://www.ajc.com

    Spite…ya, that will show em…

    • minkoffminx's avatar JJ Lopez Minkoff says:
      January 31, 2014 at 10:08 am

      And one more link on the Georgia mess:

      Georgia cuts its way to crisis – Better Georgia

      For over a decade, Georgia has been led by conservatives who have repeatedly cut funding for essential government services, and this week, when we needed government to work, it didn’t.

      In January 2011, when both were still new to office, Gov. Deal and Mayor Reed were caught flat-footed by a winter storm. At the time, Gov. Deal said, “I think we all have been tested in this crisis and that we learned some things. The real test is, can we take what we’ve learned and make sure the next time we are presented with anything close to that that the results are better?”

      We now know the answer to this question is a resounding “no.”

      This time around, the governor blamed the National Weather Service and complained:

      “…we don’t want to be accused of crying wolf. Because if we had been wrong, y’all would have all been in here saying, ‘Do you know how many millions of dollars you cost the economies of the city of Atlanta and the state of Georgia by shutting down businesses all over this city and this state?’”

      The fact that Gov. Deal’s fear of hurting commerce for one day trumped his concern for the safety of citizens indicates that this crisis was not merely a test of Gov. Deal’s and Mayor Reed’s emergency preparedness.

      This crisis was caused by a systemic failure in Georgia.

      For too long, our state leaders have been slashing funding for vital public programs while our population continues to skyrocket.

      As traffic problems in metro Atlanta continue to grow exponentially, planning and development for Georgia’s public transit and rail have been brushed aside.

      Between 2009 and 2012, the state’s public health and emergency preparedness programs have been cut by $25.8 million, a nearly 13.4 percent decline. From FY 2009 to FY 2014, funding for both transportation and public safety has fallen by around 5 percent.

      And these cuts are modest in contrast with those of other state departments and agencies.

      While Georgia’s population continues to grow at the 16th highest rate in the country, our K-12 educational leaders have struggled to make do with 9.6 percent less money and nearly 9,000 fewer teachers than we had five years ago. The teachers who are fortunate enough to still have jobs haven’t received a cost-of-living raise since Gov. Deal took office and are forced to deal with furlough days, ballooning class sizes and fewer resources. In this, an election year, Gov. Deal has allocated a relatively small amount of additional money to education, but it’s already clear that some teachers will receive raises and some will not.

      That is the mess with the school health insurance I mentioned yesterday. Ugh…

    • RalphB's avatar RalphB says:
      January 31, 2014 at 11:52 am

      Voters of Georgia ought to spit on that guy come election day! What an ass.

  3. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    January 31, 2014 at 10:34 am

    It would be totally cool if Sandra Fluke ran for Waxman’s seat. I hadn’t heard about that.

    • RalphB's avatar RalphB says:
      January 31, 2014 at 11:53 am

      I’m sorry to see Waxman retire but he has every right to be fed up with dealing with those tea partier republicans. It would drive me up the wall quickly.

      • ANonOMouse's avatar ANonOMouse says:
        January 31, 2014 at 1:52 pm

        Also the guy is 74 years old. I think he’s probably decided, enough is enough. I can’t believe he’s put up with the BS stonewalling from the TP/GOP in the House this long. I’m surprised Pelosi isn’t retiring too. I think she’s 73

  4. janicen's avatar janicen says:
    January 31, 2014 at 10:49 am

    I rarely watch MSNBC, but I’m sorry that the Pres of MSNBC apologized. For what? For saying something about the “right wing”? And what he said wasn’t nearly as bad as what was said on that network about Hillary Clinton and we practically had to beg for the network to take action.

    I hate to give the RNC advice that would help them, but they really need some leadership. Reince Priebus is busy whining about some imagined slight on twitter while the entire Republican party is as splintered as I’ve ever seen it. If they were smart, they’d fire Reince and get Michael Steel back pronto. But it’s all about that “…if they were smart…” thing.

    • RalphB's avatar RalphB says:
      January 31, 2014 at 11:56 am

      Liberals have got to stop this apologizing for tiny things and stand up. Fox does the most outrageous things possible and they almost never apologize for anything.

      Too many people think an apology means you’re both wrong and weak.

    • bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
      January 31, 2014 at 1:08 pm

      MSNBC head Phil Griffin even fired the tweeter. WTF is wrong with him? Don’t forget that Comcast now owns NBC. I’m worried that they are trying to turn MSNBC conservative.

    • ANonOMouse's avatar ANonOMouse says:
      January 31, 2014 at 2:21 pm

      Mr. Prance Reibus is a full on jerk. When that Cheerios commercial originally aired it was lambasted by racist people who couldn’t hold their water when it came to the idea of a biracial family in a Cheerio’s commercial. That tweet was mild mannered and only stated the obvious. I don’t think there’s any doubt that the racist comments about that commercial were coming from right wingers. I’m sick that the President of MSNBC felt he needed to respond to Mr. Prance’s threat of not allowing GOP’ers to visit MSNBC with an apology and a firing. It’s a cowardly kowtow and Prance has already reneged on the agreement to allow RNC officials if MSNBC apologized. Typical GOP bullshittery.

      There is a reason the GOP loses the AA, Hispanic, Asia, L/G, Woman vote. That reason is obvious IF you look at their Party Platform. or listen to their party members spew their gay hate, woman hate and dog whistling on FOX. MSNBC should be shoving the hate that the GOP enshrines in their political positions and in their Party Platform, UP Prance’s arse!!!!!!

      • ANonOMouse's avatar ANonOMouse says:
        January 31, 2014 at 2:34 pm

        Don’t be too mean to Prance MSNBC, he might wet his Prance Pants. 🙂

        • Fannie's avatar Fannie says:
          January 31, 2014 at 2:41 pm

          Looks like to me the first person who ought to get on board with Mr. Wet Pants is Mr. Hot Pants at Morning Joe. Let him join with RNC, and wrap it up on msnbc, and head over to Fox News.

          • ANonOMouse's avatar ANonOMouse says:
            January 31, 2014 at 2:52 pm

            I don’t know what the hell is happening on Morning Joe. Mika says little to nothing. Joe goes on and on and on about HIMSELF and everyone else sits there in a daze, I’m assuming they either like being Joe props or like the regular income associated with being Joe Props

  5. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    January 31, 2014 at 10:52 am

    Hahahahahaha!

  6. Fannie's avatar Fannie says:
    January 31, 2014 at 11:09 am

    Can we see her permission slip, I mean she says everything the republican party wants her to, and marches to their beat with the war on women. She voted against the Ledbetter act twice, voted against unemployment insurance, voted against women against violence act, here she was giving her fireside chat after the Union address. She used another woman named Bette of Spokane as an example of Obamacare failing. Like the other war members she can’t tell the truth.

    I love it when MSNBC Rachel Maddow gets to the truth of the matter.

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel/maddow-show/bette-spokane

  7. Fannie's avatar Fannie says:
    January 31, 2014 at 11:15 am

    Heck

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/bette-spokane

    • RalphB's avatar RalphB says:
      January 31, 2014 at 12:29 pm

      Read the original story in the Spokane paper. Bette is not too bright and a wingnut who refuses to check for insurance on the WA exchange.

      Although the couple’s catastrophic plan had a $10,000 deductible, it included four doctor visits per year at no additional out-of-pocket cost, she said.

      The replacement policies offer lower deductibles and broader coverage, she said, but they didn’t include the doctor visits at no extra charge.

      Fed up with what they considered limited, pricey choices, she said she and her husband have decided to go without coverage.

      “I know some people seem to be getting good deals, but we’re not,” Grenier said. “I have a friend – she and I fight about this stuff all the time – and she got a great deal: $129 a month.”

      http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2014/jan/30/bette-in-spokane-cited-in-mcmorris-rodgers-speech/

      • Fannie's avatar Fannie says:
        January 31, 2014 at 2:34 pm

        She’s been brainwashed, and doesn’t like Obama. She didn’t even look at the health exchange. You would think McMorris Rodgers would retrack her statements, you know before her next fireside chat.

  8. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    January 31, 2014 at 11:20 am

    What a ludicrous review of Dr. Strangelove. Great find.

  9. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    January 31, 2014 at 11:36 am
  10. Prolix's avatar Prolix says:
    January 31, 2014 at 12:28 pm

    Prince Reince reminds me of Nell Fenwick — always the victim and on the lookout for some rope and a railroad track. Too bad his Dudley Do-right is stuck in traffic on the GW Bridge.

    • Fannie's avatar Fannie says:
      January 31, 2014 at 3:00 pm

      Who exactly invented and uses every single day the smear machine on Hillary Clinton?
      Fox Ova Express news runs 24/7 with sexism, and trash against Hillary. Who trashes a woman from Texas because she lived in a trailer Park?

      Tell me again, how much time does Fox News spend on issues that concern black, and latino’s? They spend a hell of lot more time bashing poor, single mothers as welfare queens. They really don’t care about your color, they do about your vagina. The only time they care about your skin color is election time. Last time I looked the RNC were passing laws, and all of them white males, none are women. They go after gay men as sexual predators, and Clinton too, they do this as they drool over our “libidos”.

  11. RalphB's avatar RalphB says:
    January 31, 2014 at 12:47 pm

    Bill Maher plots to oust a House Republican.

    NYT: Maher Wants His Show to Decide a House Race

    … On his weekly HBO talk show, “Real Time With Bill Maher,” on Friday night, Mr. Maher and his staff plan to ask viewers to make a case for their individual representatives in the House to be selected as the worst in the country.

    After some culling and analysis, one member of Congress will be selected, and the show will follow up through November with examples of what it considers terrible work by that representative. Mr. Maher will make occasional visits to that member’s district to perform stand-up and generally stir up hostile feelings toward the show’s target.

    “This year, we are going to be entering into the exciting world of outright meddling with the political process,” Mr. Maher said in an email message.

    The project — which the show is calling the “flip the district” campaign — is intended to get real results, said Scott Carter, the show’s executive producer.
    …
    Mr. Maher has been a frequent critic of conservatives — and a target for them. “There are a lot of terrible, entrenched congressmen out there,” Mr. Maher said. “We’re going to choose one of them, throw him or her into the national spotlight, and see if we can’t send him or her scuttling under the refrigerator on election night.”

  12. RalphB's avatar RalphB says:
    January 31, 2014 at 2:16 pm

    TBogg: Ann Romney is not mad at you America, she’s just really really disappointed…

    Professional wife and dancing horse stage mom Ann Romney wants you to know that she is not mad at you for not electing that man of hers your President of Everybody. But she is really really really really disappointed that you guys would act this way because she thought she had brought you up better than this.

    According to TPM , Mrs. Romney, the mother of five strapping young lads and grandmother to a rainbow coalition of grandchildren, is making the rounds on TV promoting the 2012 election documentary film Mitt: Well That Was A Fucking Waste Of Time And Money, Wasn’t It? and she stopped by Fox for some morning chit-chat and a non-caffeinated beverage: …

    Hahahahahahaha!

  13. Fannie's avatar Fannie says:
    January 31, 2014 at 3:01 pm

    Breaking News MSNBC……….
    Christie knew about the bridge closing………………developing now..

    • ANonOMouse's avatar ANonOMouse says:
      January 31, 2014 at 3:09 pm

      Just heard that. Wildstein is looking for a plea deal and says he has “evidence” that Christie knew.

      This is part of the reason that Prance Reibus did the Big Distract over the benign tweet from an MSNBC tweet staffer. The GOP is getting ready to lose it’s last, best chance to beat the NEXT President of the United States, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

      • Fannie's avatar Fannie says:
        January 31, 2014 at 3:15 pm

        BOOOOM………………BOOOM…………………….BOOOM………………..BOOOM

        • ANonOMouse's avatar ANonOMouse says:
          January 31, 2014 at 3:24 pm

          Hip-Hip-Hooray.

          And today, on MSNBC I heard the ex-governor of Mississippi. Haley Barbour, bring up the new GOP mantra, Hillary’s “what does it matter” comment, (taken totally out of context, of course) made when she testified before Congress on Benghazi.

          And Plagiarist Paul better hope he can get his files squeaky clean because if they aren’t he’ll end up on the same side of the George Washington Bridge as Chris Christie. Don’t tug on SuperWoman’s Cape!!!!!

      • Fannie's avatar Fannie says:
        January 31, 2014 at 3:17 pm

        NYT has story, and the letter from his lawyer is OUT……………..BOOM.

        Alex Wagner did a great JOB, along with the man, Steve Kornacki…………….MSNBC

    • RalphB's avatar RalphB says:
      January 31, 2014 at 3:15 pm

      Whoa, David Wildstein was the wrong guy to throw under the bus!

      NYT: Christie Knew About Lane Closings, Ex-Port Authority Official Says

      The former Port Authority official who personally oversaw the lane closings on the George Washington Bridge in the scandal now swirling around Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey said on Friday that the governor knew about the lane closings when they were happening, and that he had the evidence to prove it.

      In a letter released by his lawyer, the official, David Wildstein, a high school friend of Mr. Christie’s who was appointed with the governor’s blessing at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which controls the bridge, described the order to close the lanes as “the Christie administration’s order” and said “evidence exists as well tying Mr. Christie to having knowledge of the lane closures, during the period when the lanes were closed, contrary to what the governor stated publicly in a two-hour press conference” three weeks ago. …

    • dakinikat's avatar dakinikat says:
      January 31, 2014 at 3:19 pm

      We had to know that was true and the way he dumped those folks … well, no one is loyal to a bully.

  14. dakinikat's avatar dakinikat says:
    January 31, 2014 at 3:03 pm

    http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/01/the-public-school-where-prayer-is-everywhere/283384/

    With all that in mind, and to offer context and perspective on this so far under-reported story, I asked Charles Haynes to share his insight about the case. Haynes, a senior scholar at the Freedom Forum’s First Amendment Center, is the nation’s preeminent expert on Establishment Clause cases in public school settings. He has spent decades reviewing first amendment law in the context of these school prayer cases. Here is a slightly edited version of an email interview I conducted with him over the past few days.

    What was your first reaction when you read the complaint and the other court papers filed in this case? Have you ever before seen allegations of this sort in an Establishment Clause case? What past cases does this case remind you of?

  15. dakinikat's avatar dakinikat says:
    January 31, 2014 at 3:18 pm

    http://homes.yahoo.com/blogs/spaces/for-sale–rundown-new-orleans-mansion-with-crazy-tree-house-and-an-artists–warren-010915874.html?soc_src=mediacontentstory

    For sale: Aged New Orleans mansion with tree house and an artists’ warren

  16. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    January 31, 2014 at 3:19 pm

    Looks like it’s all over for Chris Christie.

    Christie Knew About Lane Closings, Ex-Port Authority Official Says

    The former Port Authority official who personally oversaw the lane closings on the George Washington Bridge in the scandal now swirling around Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey said on Friday that the governor knew about the lane closings when they were happening, and that he had the evidence to prove it.

    In a letter released by his lawyer, the official, David Wildstein, a high school friend of Mr. Christie’s who was appointed with the governor’s blessing at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which controls the bridge, described the order to close the lanes as “the Christie administration’s order” and said “evidence exists as well tying Mr. Christie to having knowledge of the lane closures, during the period when the lanes were closed, contrary to what the governor stated publicly in a two-hour press conference” three weeks ago.

    “Mr. Wildstein contests the accuracy of various statements that the governor made about him and he can prove the inaccuracy of some,” the letter added.

    • ANonOMouse's avatar ANonOMouse says:
      January 31, 2014 at 3:28 pm

      During Christie’s “I didn’t know nothing about nothing” news conference, he talked down his relationship with Wildstein, saying they weren’t really HS friends and that he rarely talked to Wildstein. Don’t you know that Wildstein felt the tread on the tires as the big bus backed over him?

  17. Fannie's avatar Fannie says:
    January 31, 2014 at 3:31 pm

    I can hear the big balls rolling………………If I am going down so are you. It’s all going to come out in the wash.

  18. Fannie's avatar Fannie says:
    January 31, 2014 at 3:58 pm

    No doubt Christie will get a subpoena…………NOW the point is what deal is going to be cut, some will not be let in on the deal. Didn’t he just appoint Susana Esposa Guerroero as head of the NJ Ethics commission.

    Kinda like Texas Hold ’em…………huh Ralph.

  19. ANonOMouse's avatar ANonOMouse says:
    January 31, 2014 at 4:03 pm

    Just went over to Fox News online, NOT A DAMNED WORD ABOUT CHRISTIE!!! No legitimate news can crack through their echo chamber.

  20. bostonboomer's avatar bostonboomer says:
    January 31, 2014 at 7:43 pm

    TBogg on Ann Romney:

    Maintaining a grim forced smile that almost completely obscured the white-hot seething rage that she can barely contain and that bubbles and churns beneath the surface like molten lava made up of equal parts bile and mom spit, the wealthy white lady added that “she comes across people all the time who are “still really sad” about the outcome of the 2012 race’” but then she tells the Romney boys, Tagg, Ben, Josh, Craig and Matt to forget about it and to quit pouting all day around the house and to go outside and play in the fresh air but to be back inside for supper before the street lights come on. And don’t forget to wash up. And use soap.

  21. RalphB's avatar RalphB says:
    January 31, 2014 at 7:57 pm

    Should be like this everywhere…

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