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Open Thread
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Open Thread
Hosted by Alf pogs. Remember Alf? He's back! In pog form.
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Open Thread
Hosted by another recycled tire sculpture.
This week's open threads have been brought to you by art made from recycled things.
The Virtual Pub Is Open
[Explanations: lol your fat. pathetic anger bread. hey your gay.]
TFIF, Shakers!
Belly up to the bar,
and name your poison!
Blogcation
As we're quickly approaching the next presidential election season (seriously? I'm barely over the last one yet!), which tends to be a very intense time at Shakesville, all of us are effectively taking next week off so we can get a good breather. We will be posting daily Open Threads, which will be moderated, but otherwise there will be no new content.
I feel pretty bad that this announcement was preceded by two days where, owing to Blogger's tech issues, we weren't able to post very much, but this has been scheduled for some time. I haven't had a full week off from the blog, during which I didn't work at all, in more than six years, and I really need a break desperately. The timing is unfortunate, but it is what it is.
In any case, have a great week, Shakers. See you soon!
Welcome to Indiana, Home of Garbage Law
Indiana, my beautiful home state which was once a pretty damn nice place to live, has turned into the national seat of garbage law, whether it's our garbage governor signing bills passed by our garbage legislature into garbage law, or our garbage state Supreme Court making garbage law:
Overturning a common law dating back to the English Magna Carta of 1215, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Hoosiers have no right to resist unlawful police entry into their homes.Well, that makes three of us.
In a 3-2 decision, Justice Steven David writing for the court said if a police officer wants to enter a home for any reason or no reason at all, a homeowner cannot do anything to block the officer's entry.
"We believe ... a right to resist an unlawful police entry into a home is against public policy and is incompatible with modern Fourth Amendment jurisprudence," David said.
...Justice Robert Rucker, a Gary native, and Justice Brent Dickson, a Hobart native, dissented from the ruling, saying the court's decision runs afoul of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
"In my view the majority sweeps with far too broad a brush by essentially telling Indiana citizens that government agents may now enter their homes illegally -- that is, without the necessity of a warrant, consent or exigent circumstances," Rucker said. "I disagree."
I don't even know what else to say about what's going on in this state at the moment. All I can say is this: I am a Hoosier, and I am pissed.
What the Frack?
Via PBS:
The students of New York University’s Studio 20, a journalism course that focuses on blending reporting with new media, collaborated with the investigative unit ProPublica to create a new kind of explainer to introduce the public to ProPublica’s three-year investigation on hydraulic fracturing – “fracking” – and the potential dangers it poses to communities’ drinking water supply.You can find the lyrics here.
The Bestest of Birthdays
[Click to embiggen.]
Of Course He Was
George W. Bush Eating Souffle When Obama Called About Osama bin Laden.
Sounds about right.
In Other Presidential Barf News...
Huckabee to Announce Decision on Presidential Run Saturday:
Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, will announce on Saturday whether he will run for president, the producer of his show on the Fox News Channel said Friday.Gee, that would be too bad said no one.
"Governor Huckabee will announce tomorrow night on his program whether or not he intends to explore a presidential bid," Woody Fraser, the executive producer of "Huckabee" said in a statement. "He has not told anyone at FOX News Channel his decision."
Senior political aides to Mr. Huckabee also said Friday they do not know what he will decide, raising suspicions that Mr. Huckabee will take a pass on another campaign.
I really love all these announcement announcements, by the way. Good idea to ALERT THE MEDIA that some bozo everyone knows is considering running for president will make a statement about his decision in two-to-three days, because otherwise the media that has been slavering over who will run in 2012 since Nov. 5, 2008 MIGHT NOT COVER IT.
Also: Daniels closer to deciding on presidential bid. Oh, goody! I can't wait for the news of his announcement announcement where he pre-announces when he might be announcing the announcement of the announcement of his decision.
Go to hell, Mitch Daniels. And take Mike Huckabee with ya.
Quote of the Day
Dear Representative Bachmann,Via the Minnesota Independent, where Andy Birkey notes: "Politifact rated Bachmann's statements about the U.S. Constitution's census requirements in 2009 as 'Pants on Fire' false. CNN's Anderson Cooper dinged Bachmann back in January for her revisionist history regarding the U.S. Constitution's racist past."
My name is Amy Myers. I am a Cherry Hill, New Jersey sophomore attending Cherry Hill High School East. As a typical high school student, I have found quite a few of your statements regarding The Constitution of the United States, the quality of public school education and general U.S. civics matters to be factually incorrect, inaccurately applied or grossly distorted. The frequency and scope of these comments prompted me to write this letter.
Though I am not in your home district, or even your home state, you are a United States Representative of some prominence who is subject to national media coverage. News outlets and websites across this country profile your causes and viewpoints on a regular basis. As one of a handful of women in Congress, you hold a distinct privilege and responsibility to better represent your gender nationally. The statements you make help to serve an injustice to not only the position of Congresswoman, but women everywhere. Though politically expedient, incorrect comments cast a shadow on your person and by unfortunate proxy, both your supporters and detractors alike often generalize this shadow to women as a whole.
Rep. Bachmann, the frequent inability you have shown to accurately and factually present even the most basic information about the United States led me to submit the follow challenge, pitting my public education against your advanced legal education:
I, Amy Myers, do hereby challenge Representative Michele Bachmann to a Public Forum Debate and/or Fact Test on The Constitution of the United States, United States History and United States Civics.
Hopefully, we will be able to meet for such an event, as it would prove to be enlightening.
Sincerely yours,
Amy Myers
To be fair to Bachmann, she is wrong about everything, not just the Constitution.
[H/T to Shaker GoldFishy.]
In Case You Give A Shit...
...Ron Paul is running for president.
"Time has come around to the point where the people are agreeing with much of what I've been saying for 30 years. So, I think the time is right," said the 75-year-old Paul, who first ran for president as a Libertarian in 1988.I guess all those other times he ran the time wasn't right. But this time it's different. Okay then.
Blogger Update
Well, as you've probably noticed, Blogger's been totally fubared for the past two days. It's allegedly fixed, and all content restored, although all of the content we had pre-scheduled is gone, so I'm not sure if there's still work being done that may continue to affect the blog.
Anyway, my apologies for the interruption.
Also: For future reference, if there's something funky with the blog, and you're wondering what's happening, check my Twitter feed, where I'll post information when I can't post here. Some of the other contributors have Twitter feeds, too, and they were also posting status updates.
Please forgive me if you emailed to ask what was up and I didn't reply: I think I managed to respond to everyone who emailed, but I may have missed one or two.
This Is Cause For Celebration!
Blogger is back! Sort of. So I thought we should celebrate! Sort of.
Donny Osmond as Luke Skywalker, Marie Osmond as Princess Leia, Kris fuckin' Kristofferson as Han Solo, C-3PO as C-3PO, R1-D1 as R2-D2, and Chewbacca as himself! Surrounded by singing and discoing Imperial Stormtroopers! What the hell is this? I don't know! Welcome back, Shakers!
You Know What You Need?
Tom Jones just singing the fuck out of Amazing Rhythm Aces' "Third Rate Romance" on The Midnight Special in 1976. If you've ever wondered why women used to throw their panties at Tom Jones (and maybe they still do), just watch this video. Tom Jones is undiluted, raw sexual energy. That belt buckle. Those gyrating hips. The ruffled shirt. And the devilish twinkle in his eye? Yeah, Tom Jones just made me gay.
