"We aren't going to be disrespected. We have to get something out of this. And I don't know what that even is."—Republican US Representative from Indiana Marlin Stutzman, on what Republicans are hoping to accomplish with this shutdown.
I guess that about sums it up.
If you happen to be worried about where your next paycheck is coming from or how you're going to feed your kids, please understand that the Republicans' ego is on the line here.
I say once more: My contempt for this shit cannot be measured on a scale fathomable by human intellect.
[H/T to Shaker Laura Kathleen, in comments.]
Quote of the Day
Neat!
Great job, CNN!
If there's one thing that all of us should definitely be taking away from the shutdown, it's that President Obama is a cruel despot who refuses to negotiate with Republicans to find a "solution" to their being obstructionist, class-warfaring, reprehensible Social Darwinists who are trying to drive a majority of the people in this country straight into the fucking ground.
In the News
Here is some stuff in the news today! Your daily thread on the shutdown is here.
[Content Note: Hostility to agency] Activists in Ohio protested at the state capitol yesterday and held a 90-minute rally at which ten speakers "urged attendees to make their opposition to the anti-woman legislation known, stand up for the rights of doctors and patients and consider changing Ohio's political climate by running for office." Go get 'em, Ohio activists!
Tokyo Electric Power Company reports that Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant "has suffered yet another leak, spilling out 430 liters of contaminated water thousands of times more radioactive than legal limits." Yikes.
Heads-up: "Tropical Storm Karen has formed in the Gulf of Mexico, and a hurricane watch is in effect along the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Florida."
[Note: Ad with audio begins playing automatically at link.] Joe Michalski from the Planetary Science Institute and Jacob E. Bleacher from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center say that thing you thought was an impact crater on the surface of Mars is actually a volcanic caldera. Don't you feel silly now?
US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, who famously called Hillary Clinton a "monster" during the 2008 primary says she has regretted it every day since: "You lose your temper and you're in a campaign and things go back and forth. But it just completely broke my heart that somebody so amazing, could–that there is a fair amount of negativity heaped upon her that I find massively unfair. And the idea that I could have contributed in some way to that narrative…was terrible. So yeah, I've pretty much regretted it every day since." Powers says she also personally apologized to Clinton, and, of course, because Hillary Clinton is not, in fact, a monster, she spent four years working effectively with Powers as part of the Obama administration's foreign policy team.
[CN: Rape culture] NBC Los Angeles reports on a terrible story about a teenage girl being raped on her high school campus by two male classmates, one of whom had recently been expelled for an unidentified "prank." And this is an actual excerpt from that story: "Investigators said their evidence is solid and they are confident the girl is telling the truth. But on campus Wednesday, some students doubted the charges. 'They're good guys and they're funny guys to be around. I don't think they could ever be that dumb enough to do it, especially on campus,' said one girl." Incredible. Here's their contact info.
Author Tom Clancy has died. RIP.
In a recent interview, Mia Farrow said that her son Ronan (who is awesome and used to work for Hillary Clinton TRUE FACT) could "possibly" be Frank Sinatra's biological son. This has, naturally, become MAJOR NEWS, because policing women's reproduction is always THE GREATEST THING EVER. Anyway. The best response to this bullshit? Ronan Farrow. The best.
Daily Dose of Cute
lol this dog.
I cannot recommend strongly enough to anyone who needs more comedy in hir life that you seriously consider adopting a greyhound.
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
An Observation
You know how every time progressive activists are fighting some huge legislative battle in a red state, like Texas, or Indiana, or North Carolina, as recent examples, and a bunch of smug fauxgressives who live in blue states tell us we should move? Well, I see a lot of those same people bitterly (and quite rightly) complaining about Congressional Republicans during this shutdown.
Well, hey—why don't y'all just move?
Is it, perhaps, because your life is in the United States? Do you have a job here, a home, friends, family? Would it be difficult for you to pick up your entire life and move to a different country? Does the mere suggestion make you think fuck you, the United States is my home and I'm not going to abandon it just because a bunch of asshole Republicans are trying to ruin it, or does it maybe even increase your resolve to stay and fight? Or would you love more than anything to move the fuck outta here to someplace better suited to your politics, but simply can't, for whatever combination of reasons?
Maybe think of that next time you get the urge to suggest to someone who lives in a red state that they just fucking move because their state legislature is full of conservative nightmares. And then STFU.
[Related Reading: Pro-Tip.]
BOOM
[Content Note: Fat hatred; body policing.]
I don't know a whole lot about actress Jennifer Lawrence, even though I've seen a bunch of her films, but every time I see her in an interview or doing some promotional junk, she seems both clever and silly, which is pretty much my favorite combination in a human being. Exhibit A (please note there is a gif with flashing lights at this link). Exhibit B. Etc.
Anyway.
If you know anything about Jennifer Lawrence at all, if you've read one article about her, you probably already know that she gets called fat. Because the entertainment industry is full of body policing garbage nightmares. This is something she has had to address countless times already, and, in a recent interview, she addressed it once again:
"It was just the kind of shit that actresses have to go through. Somebody told me I was fat, that I was going to get fired if I didn't lose a certain amount of weight. They brought in pictures of me where I was basically naked, and told me to use them as motivation for my diet."Earlier this year, Lawrence won the Oscar for Best Actress.
"If anybody even tries to whisper the word 'diet,' I'm like, 'You can go fuck yourself,'" she said.
I love that. I love it so much.
And I also hate with the fiery passion of ten thousand suns that it takes winning an Oscar for an actress to have the clout to tell people to fuck off with their gross body policing, and actually have them (maybe) listen.
[Note: I am not saying that Jennifer Lawrence is perfect! I am sure she has all kinds of human flaws, like unexamined privilege or forgetting to put her stinky socks in the hamper! I am just saying she's PRETTY GREAT!]
Shutdown, Day Three
President Obama met with Congressional leaders at the White House last night, but there was no resolution, as Republicans flatly refuse to budge on funding the Affordable Care Act:
After more than an hour of talks, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said Obama refused to negotiate, while House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid accused Republicans of trying to hold the president hostage over Obamacare.Irresponsible is about the nicest word I can think of to describe what the Republicans are doing.
Reid said Obama told Republicans "he will not stand" for their tactics.
...Republicans have tried to tie continued government funding to measures that would undercut Obama's signature healthcare law. Obama and his Democrats say that is a non-starter.
"The president reiterated one more time that he will not negotiate," Boehner told reporters after the White House meeting. "All we're asking for here is a discussion and fairness for the American people under Obamacare."
..."Am I exasperated? Absolutely I'm exasperated. Because this is entirely unnecessary," Obama told CNBC television in an interview before meeting the congressional leaders. "I am exasperated with the idea that unless I say to 20 million people, 'You can't have health insurance,' these folks will not reopen the government. That is irresponsible."
Meanwhile, House Republicans continue to do their damnedest to turn this into a story of "two sides who refuse to compromise" by passing piecemeal funding legislation, which they know Democrats will not support, only to then accuse Democrats of harming the people directly affected by that funding.
Representative Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) precisely called out their cynical strategy: "Any time they see a bad headline, they're going to bring a bill to the floor to make it go away." And then use the media momentum around that issue to accuse Democrats of failing the people.
My contempt for this shit cannot be measured on a scale fathomable by human intellect.
Affordable Care Act Q&A with Healthcare Coverage Guide Kate O.
Earlier today, Kate O (aka Shaker Artaud) generously provided an overview of some of the basics of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). Tonight, she's kindly donating her time and expertise to answer any questions you may have about the program, which opened enrollment yesterday.
A couple of things to note:
1. Because many of the rules are very state-specific, Kate O might not be able to immediately answer your question. So: "If I can't answer your questions on the spot, I will try and research and either find you answers or resources. Some states are really kicking and screaming about this and are refusing to be any part of it. States like Florida won't even let Healthcare Coverage Guides to counsel people on state property, so those states are probably not going to have anything on their websites. Getting you answers may take me a little time. Plus, I am rolling this out in Colorado and about to be swamped. I beg your patience! But I will do my best." Please remember that she does not have to do this, and is incredibly generously spending her free time to be here to help as much as she can. I hope we will all treat her with courtesy and gratitude.
2. This thread is not for a political discussion of Obamacare. That is not to suggest that the legislation is above criticism, but this is not the appropriate thread for it. This is a thread for people who are seeking information about access to healthcare. Comments that do not abide these guidelines will be removed.
My profound thanks to Kate for offering her time and expertise to this community.
Question of the Day
What is the last thing you do before you fall asleep every night, or most nights?
I'm always playing some nonsense question game with Iain. Top Five, or Would You Rather, or something like that. The last thing I remember before falling asleep last night was asking Iain whether he would rather be a Smurf or a Leprechaun, to which he answered very seriously, "A Smurf, because then I'd get to hang out with my mates all the time, instead of being some lonely little weirdo at the end of a rainbow." Aww lol.
(I don't think Leprechauns actually have to hang out at the ends of rainbows. That's just where they store their pots of gold. It's science. Look it up, Iain!)
Sandusky Loses Appeal
[Content Note: Sexual violence.]
Back in January of this year, former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky, who was sentenced the previous October "to not less than 30 years and no more than 60 years in prison with credit for time served" for the sexual abuse of 10 boys, appealed his conviction on the alleged basis that he did not get an adequate defense because his attorneys had insufficient time to prepare after being overwhelmed by documentation from prosecutors (TOO MUCH EVIDENCE AGAINST OUR CLIENT, YOUR HONOR!) and because the counts against Sandusky were "too broad" to allow them to prepare an adequate defense (LAWYERING IS HARD).
Anyway. The appeal has been denied.
Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky should not get a new trial after being convicted of sexually abusing 10 boys, a Pennsylvania appeals court ruled Wednesday.Good.
The unanimous decision by a three-judge superior court panel came barely two weeks after they heard oral arguments by Sandusky's lawyer and a state prosecutor.
Sandusky's attorney "said he planned to ask the state supreme court to review the case." Of course he did.
USians ♥ Obamacare
True fact! Despite what the contemptible fiends currently holding the country hostage would have us believe.
Here's the truth: The American public loves Obamacare, with as many as 88% in favor, according to one survey.Obamacare isn't perfect. It's not even close, in my estimation. But it's going to help a lot of people. And that ought to be good enough for anyone in the US government, unless and until we can get socialized care passed in this self-defeatingly resistant country. And it certainly ought to be good enough for anyone in the US government who actively opposes socialized care, because this ain't it.
How can that be, when polls regularly show a plurality of respondents with an "unfavorable" view of Obamacare? (In a September Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll, the difference was 43% unfavorable to 39% favorable.)
The answer, of course, is that most Americans have no idea what's in the law. In the Kaiser survey, 57% said they didn't have enough information to know how it would affect them. When they're asked how they feel about specific provisions, however, they're almost always thunderously in favor.
Here are figures from Kaiser's March 2013 poll:
Tax credits for small businesses to buy insurance: 88% in favor.
Closing the Medicare drug benefit doughnut hole: 81% in favor.
Extension of dependent coverage to offspring up to age 26: 76% in favor.
Expanding Medicaid: 71% in favor.
Ban on exclusions for preexisting conditions: 66% in favor.
Employer mandate: 57% in favor.
If you agree with those provisions, congratulations: You love Obamacare. Yet when respondents are asked how they feel about "Obamacare," they're against it.
The one provision that always polls negatively is the individual mandate. Unfortunately, the mandate is necessary if you're going to outlaw exclusions for preexisting conditions. Without it, you'd bankrupt every health insurer in the country, because people wouldn't enroll until they're sick.
The only possible conclusion from all this is that the law's opponents have succeeded brilliantly in marketing "Obamacare" as something it's not, and its defenders have failed miserably at communicating what it is.
Reminder: Tonight, starting at 8:30pm ET, Shakesville will be hosting a Q&A with Healthcare Coverage Guide Kate O, who will try to help answer all your questions and/or direct you to helpful resources.
Dueling Quotes of the Day
[Content Note: Food insecurity; class warfare.]
"Maybe in your world it's not the end of the world. Eighty-five thousand people are losing nutritional assistance in Arkansas. That's not inside the Beltway, that's in Arkansas."—HuffPo reporter Sam Stein, to Bill Kristol, conservative pundit and wrongest man on the entire planet, this morning on MSNBC's Morning Joe..
"[The government shutdown is] not going to be the end of the world, honestly, even if you're on nutritional assistance from the federal government. I believe that no one is going to starve in Arkansas because of the shutdown."—Kristol, in response, who suggested that churches can meet the need if anyone's really starving geez.
Think Progress has video of the entire exchange here, and I will warn you that Kristol's chipper flippancy with which he discusses this subject is likely to enrage anyone with a functioning sense of decency.
Shutdown Update
Republicans still terrible. Government still shut down.
Meanwhile, here's a terrific article from the Telegraph, proving that the US media doesn't have the market cornered on garbage nightmare journalism:
Wednesday Blogaround
This blogaround brought to you by napkins.
Recommended Reading:
Zillah: Justice for Marissa! Set her Free! [Content Note: The post at this link includes discussion of domestic violence, guns, racism, and misogyny.]
BYP: NYC's Leticia James Makes History as First Black Woman to Hold Citywide Office
Shane: The Politics Of Sport: Good Immigrants [Content Note: The post at this link includes discussion of racism and xenophobia.]
Trudy: Street Harassment and Smiling [Content Note: The post at this link includes discussion of harassment and rape culture.]
Von: Photo Series Explores Multiracial America
Juliana: 7 Things I've Learned Working in Service Positions [Content Note: The post at this link includes discussion of harassment and abuse.]
Andy: 'Ex-Gays' Hold Pitifully Attended 'Lobby Day' in D.C., Debut Awful New Theme Song [Content Note: The post at this link includes discussion of homophobia.]
Tressie: On Mentorship and Advice
Leave your links and recommendations in comments...
Daily Dose of Cute
But who watches the watchdogs?! (Oh. It looks like the CIA does.)
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
TV Corner: Agents of SHIELD
[Content Note: Discussions of violence. Spoilers for the most recent episode of Agents of SHIELD.]
"Don't call me The Cavalry."
In last night's episode, the Agents of SHIELD team was tasked with becoming a team. Do you think they succeeded?! Let's find out!
The Airborne Mobile Command Station, aka "The Bus," which is a really fancy airplane gifted to Agent Coulson after his trip to "Tahiti," is headed for Peru so the team can investigate an 0-8-4, an "object of unknown origin." The team is so bickery! But they do have great special terms that Skye is all about learning, which is very convenient for us, the audience, since we don't know them, either.
Something something Incan temple. Something something Coulson definitely had sex with the leader of the Peruvian national police. Something something the 0-8-4, which is lodged in the wall of the temple, is VERY POWERFUL and VERY UNSTABLE and is definitely powered by tesserat technology (holla, Captain America!) and totally holds a fuckload of gamma radiation.
Back on The Bus, that soldier ain't drinking the booze he wanted which means they're up to no good! A fight breaks out for ownership of the 0-8-4! OH NO! The team is detained away from Coulson, but they will totally figure out a plan to stop the baddies and hang onto the 0-8-4, as each of them only has to come up with one part of the plan because THAT'S HOW TEAMS WORK.
Something something escape. Something something hole in the airplane. Whooooooooops there go the nameless evil minions! Good thing Skye read The Bus' safety pamphlet and knows where to find a life raft she unleashes to plug the hole before Coulson gets sucked out. That would definitely work. It's called science.
Everyone is safe, The Bus is only a little worse for the wear, and the 0-8-4 can be fired into the sun. (But not out of a giant cannon. TOO BAD.) Nick Fury (SAMUEL L. JACKSON ON A MOTHERFUCKING PLANE!) shows up to grouse at Coulson that he won't keep getting shiny new planes forever. The government's in shutdown, you know. The End.
I liked this episode even better than the premiere. It is a very fun show! I said to Iain last night that I would have loved this show when I was a kid, which is not a criticism; it reminds me a lot of the live-action shows The Amazing Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk and Wonder Woman (SORRY, MARVEL!), and even The Greatest American Hero and The A-Team. I loved that crap (she says with profound affection) when I was a kid, and I dig it now, too.
So, long story short: I'm in.
What did you think?
