Alex at Think Progress: "Activists working to recall Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) filed petitions today with more than 1 million signatures to the state, close to double the almost they needed to begin the recall process and force Walker to stand for reelection in November. If successful, it would be the first gubernatorial recall in Wisconsin history, and only the third in U.S. history. The number of signatures comes close to the 1,128,941 votes Walker received, and was far more than the 540,000 needed."
Via @scatx, Steve Weinstein noted that Wisconsin's "entire population is just 5.6 million and more than 1 million of them just signed to recall their Gov. Walker."
Wow.
Previously: Don't Let Yer Badgers Grow Up To Be Weasels.
And I love it with SO! MANY! HEARTS!
Today is not only First Lady Michelle Obama's birthday; it is also Betty White's 90th birthday—and, over the weekend, there was a celebratory gala in her honor, which included this AMAZING birthday greeting from President Barack Obama:
Male voiceover, over text onscreen reading "Dear Betty…": Ladies and gentlemen, an official birthday message from President Barack Obama.Let that settle any debate about whether Betty White is a national treasure.
President Obama in voiceover, over video of himself sitting at his desk in the Oval Office, filling out a greeting card: Dear Betty, you look so fantastic and full of energy, I can't believe you're 90 years old. In fact, I don't believe it. That's why I'm writing to ask if you will be willing to produce a copy of your long-form birth certificate. [audience laughter] Thanks, and happy birthday, no matter how old you are!
The Golden Girls' theme, "Thank You for Being a Friend," begins to play as President Obama puts his pen back in his jacket pocket, then adds a framed photo of Betty White to the table of family photographs behind his desk. He sits back down, puts in earbuds, and rocks out with a grin to "Thank You for Being a Friend." [laughter and applause]
![U.S. first lady Michelle Obama listens during a roundtable with interns after touring the Ma'o Organic Farms in Waianae, Hawaii November 12, 2011. [Reuters Pictures]](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/shakespeares_sister/shakes3/x610-13.jpg "U.S. first lady Michelle Obama listens during a roundtable with interns after touring the Ma'o Organic Farms in Waianae, Hawaii November 12, 2011. [Reuters Pictures]")
[Content Note: This post discusses fat hatred and diabetes.]
So celebrity chef Paula Deen has confirmed that she has diabetes II. And now that enough people are criticizing the "just desserts" jokes, and pointing out that singularly "eating your way to diabetes" is a myth, the nature of the criticism has changed to call her out for only "admitting" she has diabetes now that she's signed an endorsement deal with a pharmaceutical company, presumably to pitch some diabetes drug.
I'm not going to belabor the point here: This line of argument is some straight-up horseshit.
First of all, being a public figure does not obligate one to disclose their health issues. Secondly, and more importantly, no one gives a hot shit whether Sally Field disclosed her osteoporosis before she started hawking Boniva, and no one demanded to see Jamie Lee Curtis' colonoscopies when she became the pitchwoman for Activia.
And that's because we aren't desperate to find a way to blame them for their own literal ills since they're not OMG FAT. And supposedly making other people OMG FAT.
If you weren't concerned about how long Bob Dole was impotent before he became the spokesboner for Viagra (and you weren't), then shut the fuck up about Paula Deen.
15%: Mitt Romney's effective tax rate.
By comparison, my effective tax rate is almost 50%.
When we first got Dudley, he was so scared of me touching him that he'd pee on himself in fright if I got near him. Yesterday, not quite two years later, I was sitting on the loveseat in the living room when Dudley hopped up next to me and laid his head across my lap.
That was a remarkable moment, because, even though he has now long loved affection, and would cozy up next to you if you sat beside him, he hasn't been the type to initiate an intimate snuggle. That, Zelda taught him.
"We have to allow for people to grow and learn, and it took courage for King to make her statement. With her declaration, we will now see if Bernice King follows the lead of her late mother, Coretta Scott King, and her late sister, Yolanda, in their advocacy of full equality for members of the LGBT community."—Pam Spaulding, on Bernice King's about-face on LGBTQI rights: After she spent years in the homobigotry camp, King said at the MLK Day rally in Atlanta this weekend that "she didn't care if people were Hindu, Buddhist, Islamist, were from the North side or the South side, were black or white, were 'heterosexual or homosexual, or gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender'—that all people were needed to create unity."
I like Pam's generosity, and I want to echo it: Growing and learning in public isn't easy, and it isn't for the weak and faint-hearted. Good on ya, Ms. King.
John Parr, the English musician best known for his 1985 hit song "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)," has updated his hit to honor the Denver Broncos quarterback and he's called it: "Tim Tebow's Fire."Okay then.
In these wild times of political unrest, economic uncertainty, and social cold war, it's nice to know that you can still count on the internetz to regularly deliver straight into your face videos of people doing amazing things that make your butt pucker as you giggle uncontrollably.
So here, via The Daily What, is video shot in August of last year by cinematographer Chris Bryan, using a Phantom HD Gold camera, of the waves off Teahupo'o, Tahiti—which had been designated "double code red" by the French Navy, who threatened with arrest anyone who dared enter the water—and the brave souls who endeavored to surf the fuck outta them.
Actual Headline: Obama administration warns the left: You will not like our budget.
Actual Lede: "Top White House officials are warning liberal and labor leaders to brace themselves for President Obama’s budget proposal."
Actual Quote: "Obama staffers sought to present their budget plan as a glass half full."
So, you know, if you're one of the millions of USians who are suffering from "food insecurity" because many of the social programs that constitute our jury-rigged social safety net are being defunded, don't think of it as your belly being half-empty; think of it as your belly being half-full!
In totally unrelated news, President Obama will accept the Democratic nomination for president at Bank of America stadium this year. Perfect. That is definitely the perfect place and will not look at all comprehensively clueless.
Soooooo, there was totally ANOTHER GOP DEBATE last night, because what better way to recognize Martin Luther King, Jr. Day than to listen to five white racists talk about all the ways they want to undermine the social safety net and roll back all progress toward social justice?
I did not watch the debate, because who fucking cares, but here is my Executive Summary nonetheless: Taxes, Jesus, bootstraps, Reagan, endless war, entitlements, Romney's a poopface, greatest nation in the world, job creators, the end.
Speaking of Mitt Romney, the worst person on the planet until everyone else drops out and endorses him ("Holla!"—Jon Huntsman), Old Doodyhead now has "a commanding 23-point lead over his nearest competitor among Republican registered voters nationally," according to Gallup's latest polling. Congratulations, Mitt Romney! You continue to be the least objectionable of a group of horrible individuals!
Obama supported the Wall Street bailouts; so did Romney. Obama gave us radical Obamacare, that was based on Romneycare. Obama's a liberal on social issues; Romney once bragged he's even more liberal than Ted Kennedy on social issues. Why would we ever vote for someone who's just like Obama...when we can unite around Rick Santorum? And beat Obama! [I'm Rick Santorum and I approve this message!]Ha ha sure. Good one, Rick Santorum. You are a uniter not a divider! What America needs is not the choice between two milquetoast moderates, but one milquetoast moderate and one EXTREME RIGHTWING DIRTBAG! You will definitely win the Republican nomination now and definitely beat Obama! Good for you!
To what do you aspire?
This question could have an almost endless number of answers for me, and on any other day I might offer a different answer, but today, with a nod to yesterday's Quote of the Day, I will say that I aspire to have an extraordinary capacity for friendship.
Cast member Jorge Garcia arrives for the premiere of the Fox television series "Alcatraz" at the famed former prison in San Francisco Bay in San Francisco, California January 11, 2012. [Reuters Pictures]Heads-up, Losties, Bad Robotos, and other assorted nerdz: J.J. Abrams' new series "Alcatraz," which stars Jorge Garcia (Hurley from "Lost") and Sarah Jones as the primary investigators, premieres tonight on Fox. The trailer's here, if you haven't seen it.
"Money equals speech. Therefore the more money you have, the more you can speak. That just stands to reason. If corporations are people, corporations should be able to speak. That's why I believe in Super PACs."—Totally serious GOP candidate for president Stephen Colbert. lolsob.
I'm sure you'll all be devastated to hear that ABC's garbage nightmare sitcom "Work It" has been cancelled.
The network has pulled the critically panned cross-dressing comedy -- a project only ABC Entertainment president Paul Lee seemed to love -- after two episodes.You can STFU, for a start.
...Lee has been an advocate for the show from the start, telling reporters last summer at TCA that, "I'm a Brit, I have to do a cross-dressing show every year. I grew up with Monty Python. What can I do?"
