Seldom Balanced – Usually Fair
From Frances Langum:
It’s a no brainer, as technology allows for faster counting and reporting of votes, and the existence of “swing states” means everyone else gets ignored in a general presidential election.
There should be plenty of Republicans who like this idea, as well, particularly the nanosecond Texas turns blue. At that point, it will be nearly impossible for any Republican to win the Electoral vote.
From Neil Bamforth at MadMikesAmerica:
It was so clearly only a matter of time. The only surprise is that it happened in New Zealand. I suppose, possibly, that shouldn’t entirely be a surprise, as New Zealand are renowned for their diversity. New Zealand is extraordinarily accepting of other cultures and so forth. They are, quite conceivably, considered about the safest haven refugees can find anywhere on the planet—until now.
In fairness to New Zealand, the maniac responsible is actually Australian although it appears, there will be other maniacs involved who may possibly be New Zealanders. We must await events to discover this.
Forty-nine Muslims were slaughtered at Friday prayers. Another forty-something is in hospital in various conditions.
There are, frankly, no words to describe the horror.
From The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser:
Many people were upset over Trump signing his name on Bibles. “Is he the author of the Bible?” one man rhetorically asked. Of course not, but neither are the men this man thinks ARE the authors. Most of the books of the Bible are written by unknown authors. Of course, this fact is not preached from Evangelical pulpits. Preachers mustn’t ever say or do anything that would cause parishioners to doubt that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God.
Those upset over Trump “defacing” the Word of God are ignorant of Evangelical Baptist church culture. It is not uncommon for Bible owners to write inside their Bibles: the date/time/place they were saved, the date/place they were baptized, and their life verse.
From nojo at Stinque:
The world should be reacting in horror.
It is not.
Not all of it.
And that’s the problem.
Let’s call them White Nationalists. There are many other expressions we could use — Violent Racists comes to mind — and really, call them what you will. The problem isn’t what we call them, but that they exist, and a significant number of people, including many who hold power in the United States, and many more who empower them, fundamentally agree.
The problem is that we are afraid, as a nation, to call them out.
From Joe Gandelman, Editor-In-Chief of The Moderate Voice:
Apparently, to some people real, timeless, eternal friendship is like incest: relative.
One of them seems to be South Carolina Sen. Lindsay Graham, who for years was considered the political best bud, a best friend, and near political twin of the late Arizona Sen. John McCain. But then a strange thing began to happen. Once McCain came down with cancer and started to weaken, Graham, who had been intensely critical of Donald Trump both as politician and someone not qualified to serve in the Oval Office, started to grow closer to Trump. And when Graham went golfing with him, he soon emerged as a nearly male version of Trump spinner Kellyanne Conway and even in some ways a Devin Nunes lite. To the extent that Grahman now is the living anthesis of McCain — and the old Graham.
Now, in recent days, with McCain not around to defend himself, Trump has renewed his attacks on the dead Senator who was once McCain’s political best bud, a best friend, and near political twin. McCain’s daughter Meghan has called Trump out.
And Graham? There was silence, until he got blasted on Twitter. After all the social media heat, Graham finally did defend McCain — but carefully avoided mentioning Graham’s name in the criticism. Was that because he’s up for re-election? Or are the conspiracy theorists right in their unproven suggestions that someone has some dirt on Graham? Most likely, his political cowardice is about a)his wanting to regain re-election at any cost b)his finger in the wind tells him if he wants power and a role in the GOP he has to be seen as not just a Trump supporter but Trump’s biggest defender.
But his stale nothing burger defense of McCain coming after all of Trump’s fierce attacks will do little to undo more adding to his image as a political jellyfish.
From Tommy Christopher:
John Oliver skinned alive Jay Leno‘s recent call for “civility” in late-night comedy by playing a string of revolting Monica Lewinsky jokes, for which Oliver says Leno has never apologized.
On Sunday night’s edition of HBO’s Last Week Tonight, Oliver tackled the issue of online shaming, and presented Lewinsky as patient zero in the phenomenon of people being pulled out of their private lives, and into a life-ruining public maelstrom.
Along the way, Oliver copped to his own participation in the decades-long pile on, but singled out former Tonight Show host Jay Leno as someone who trampled on Lewinsky and never apologized for it.
From Vixen Strangely at Strangely Blogged:
I do not know what to do other than stand with Muslims in NZ in your dignity, sit with you in your grief, hold you in my thoughts, and fight against bigotry against you, and hope that future bigotry against you can be averted. I have hardly the words nor the capacity for prayers, but I have all the sympathy for your losses and hopes for the healing of your community.
The criminals who wronged you are part of a philosophy that wrongs us all. I know we must stand together as siblings in this world to get by, and that to do harm to any of my siblings diminishes me by denying me seeing the fulfillment of their lives’ promises, the knowledge of their joys and sorrows, the reality of their continued existence–because this world includes us all, and their promise could very well intersect with my own life. I know lights have gone out in your community, and offer what light I have–you are not alone, and the horror of the bigotry that damaged your world is a horror I share. The enormity of this act will remain in our memory along with the memories of these blameless victims. We are one in suffering.
From The Onion:
Since its implementation in 1979, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has served as the U.S. government’s main response team to natural disasters, but often faces criticism for efforts perceived as insufficient. The Onion takes a step-by-step look at how FEMA responds to disasters.
From libertarian Michael A. LaFerrara:
I was disappointed to read Paul Mulshine’s column advocating a change in the law allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices with private drug makers (The Medicare drug issue: ‘Conservatives’ who don’t want to bargain for better prices? No way). He criticized other conservatives for labeling such “bargaining” as price controls. But that is precisely what this would be–back-door price controls.
Mulshine did make the valid point that America doesn’t really have a functioning free market in drugs, and did advocate for free market reforms:
The genuinely conservative position on Medicare is to call for the entire program to be privatized so private insurance companies can make whatever deals they want with the drug companies.
But if we’re stuck subsidizing those drugs, the very least we can demand is that the government pay the lowest price possible to the drug companies.
It’s the “But if we’re stuck” phrase that stuck in my craw.