Unwise Center

This article is as comprehensive as I've read regarding what is being called the Hackleburg tornado. Hard to put into words, but somehow they did.

132 Miles of Devastation: EF-5 tornado deadliest in United States in last 56 years | al.com

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I get a bit put off by the bastardization of the word 'elite' when what they really mean is 'privileged-hasn'tworkarealjobever-powerhungry-assholes'.

But, yeah, what the professors says... again.

The Unwisdom of Elites - NYTimes.com:

"The fact is that what we’re experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. The policies that got us into this mess weren’t responses to public demand. They were, with few exceptions, policies championed by small groups of influential people — in many cases, the same people now lecturing the rest of us on the need to get serious. And by trying to shift the blame to the general populace, elites are ducking some much-needed reflection on their own catastrophic mistakes.

Let me focus mainly on what happened in the United States, then say a few words about Europe."

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Maybe the Democrats will finally realize this on 1/2013 when President Huntsman is being sworn in. Doubt it, though. That lot doesn't do much learnin' from past mistakes.

Appealing To The “Center” Drives Away Voters:

"The way to grow your voting base is NOT to try to “appeal” to some group that is not left or right, but is “between” something called left and right. To get more voters — especially the “independent” ones who won’t identify with a party — is to take stands, be more committed to progressive positions, and to articulate them more clearly."

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The operative here is 'with the right policies' so, not gonna happen in the States.

Renewable energies could supply 80 percent of world’s demand by 2050: UN report | The Raw Story:

"ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Governments approved on Monday a U.N. report projecting that renewable energies such as solar, wind or hydropower could leap to supply almost 80 percent of the world's demand by 2050, with the right policies."

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Feel Wrongly

There's lots domestically to blog about, but it all seems pointless when matched against what is happening in Japan.

Maybe tomorrow I'll break out the bitch machine again....

How are these things failing so easily? How easily would the ancient reactors in the U.S. fail?

Japan Says 2nd Reactor May Have Ruptured With Radioactive Release - NYTimes.com:

"TOKYO — Japan’s nuclear crisis intensified on Wednesday after the authorities announced that a second reactor unit at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi plant in northeastern Japan may have ruptured and appeared to be releasing radioactive steam."

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This yearly article came a bit early this year. However, it remains true. We are due.

US overdue for huge Pacific quake: experts | The Raw Story:

"A 9.0 quake in this underwater fault that stretches from the northern tip of California all the way to Canada's British Columbia could simultaneously rattle major port cities of Vancouver, Portland and Seattle, unleash a massive tsunami and kill thousands of people."

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Jeez. Paranoid much, Texas? Wonder why.

Again, 'feeling strongly' is not knowledge.

Japan crisis spikes demand for radiation pills - Yahoo! News:

"'I feel strongly there is a high likelihood we will have radiation coming from Japan,' said Tammy Lahutsky as she waited at the Texas Star Pharmacy in Plano, Texas on Tuesday. There's not, but she bought six bottles for herself and a friend, anyway."

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Liberties Taken

Imagine, indeed.

How to Build a Progressive Tea Party | The Nation:

"Imagine a parallel universe where the Great Crash of 2008 was followed by a Tea Party of a very different kind. Enraged citizens gather in every city, week after week—to demand the government finally regulate the behavior of corporations and the superrich, and force them to start paying taxes. The protesters shut down the shops and offices of the companies that have most aggressively ripped off the country. The swelling movement is made up of everyone from teenagers to pensioners. They surround branches of the banks that caused this crash and force them to close, with banners saying, You Caused This Crisis. Now YOU Pay."

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Asking nicely always works.

Robert L. Borosage: Obama at the Chamber: Strategic Retreat:

"America is still a big market, and a good place to do business, in a world of increasing insecurity. Send a clear signal that we are going to balance our trade -- and that companies better plan for that -- and show the muscle to prove you mean it. Then lead a campaign to crack down on executive compensation schemes, and use every mechanism of government to defend the right of workers to organize. The howls from the business community and from lobby fronts like the Chamber would be deafening. But it is hard to image a more popular mix of policies -- and ones that might make a difference.

Instead, the president is in strategic retreat. He's embraced the old trade policies, backed away from confronting China, brought in JP Morgan Chase's chief lobbyist into the White House as chief of staff, and GE's CEO as leading economic adviser. The old economy is reasserting itself, with little but pleas to corporate patriotism to change it."

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Nice.

Obama To Cut Energy Assistance For Poor; Kerry Urges Him To Reconsider

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Oh the humanity. The liberties taken, I tells ya. The liberties.

The Most Impotant Letter of Them All | Uptown Almanac

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Keepin' it real in TN.

House of Pancakes, maybe....

Tenn. GOP lawmaker credits Hooters for success - Yahoo! News

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I Promise, I'll Never Hit You Again, Baby.

Good-fucking-grief. We are so screwed with this President.

Obama promises more outreach to GOP - CNN.com

And the Republicans promise to continue to destroy Obama at every turn. Nice and bipartisan-like.

Can we please just hurry up and get to the Huckabee/Palin reign of terror coming our way in 2013.

Oh, to have a leader that believed in something and fought for anything.

"Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama told GOP leaders behind closed doors Tuesday that he had failed to reach across party lines enough during his first two years in office, a senior administration official told CNN.

He promised to do a better job of bipartisan outreach in the days ahead, the official added.

'The president said he had to do better, and the president is ready to do his part,' the official said."

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Daily Kos: Dear Mr President Let Me Whisper In Your Ear

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Indeed. The entire game is rigged. Rigged and rigged to fail.

C-Span mic catches US Senator’s candor: The Senate ‘is all rigged’ | Raw Story

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CHAAAAAAANGE! Yee-haw!

Obama administration gives billions in stimulus money without environmental safeguards:

"In the name of job creation and clean energy, the Obama administration has doled out about $2 billion in stimulus money to some of the nation's biggest polluters while granting them exemptions from a basic form of environmental oversight, a Center for Public Integrity investigation has found."

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Wanna try this sometime.

DIY: Crab Fishing in San Francisco - Jared Rivera

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Pay to Put-Out

Kudos for resurrecting (with plenty of Progressive prodding) Carter's idea that Reagan took down.

Steven Chu: The White House Goes Solar:

"Today, we're taking an important next step. As we move toward a clean energy economy, the White House will lead by example. I'm pleased to announce that, by the end of this spring, there will be solar panels and a solar hot water heater on the roof of the White House."

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Mmmmm. Smell the smokey goodness of Libertarian Paradise.

Think Progress � Tennessee County’s Subscription-Based Firefighters Watch As Family Home Burns Down

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Pretty amazing especially the untouched part.

Parisian flat containing €2.1 million painting lay untouched for 70 years - Telegraph:

"For 70 years the Parisian apartment had been left uninhabited, under lock and key, the rent faithfully paid but no hint of what was inside."

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Profits > Maintenance

Coming to your neighborhood soon, because maintenance should never get in the way of profits.

Fire crews search through the rubble of - Media (1 of 74) San Bruno explosion toll rises to 4

Infrastructure, you say? Ask the city of San Bruno why we need it | Crooks and Liars

• The ruptured main belongs to Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)
• The pipe that ruptured was installed in 1948
• Residents in the area had smelled gas for 3 weeks. When it was reported, some were told to shut their garage doors; others were told not to worry about it. (note: those tweets were people reacting in real time to TV reports and interviews)
• People are still missing. Expect the death toll to rise.
• The force of the explosion also stopped the water supply, making it much more difficult to fight the fire.
• PG&E's president was interviewed, but managed to cover himself and duck any hard questions in the process about whether reports of a gas leak had not received priority attention.
• At the time of this writing, it is reported that 45 homes have been lost with hundreds more damaged.

A neighborhood exploded. Just like that. It was there one minute, gone the next, apparently the victim of a deteriorating 62-year old cylinder in the ground that wore out, blew out, and exploded after rupturing the ground above it. That cylinder is just one of many old, deteriorating lines.

And right now, early in the game, we're left with questions about whether that pipe was properly maintained, whether the right amount of attention was paid to reports of a gas leak in the area, and whether PG&E has adequately invested in keeping their equipment safe and up-to-date.

This is a company that spent $46 million dollars to buy a California ballot initiative in the primary to keep municipalities from maintaining their own utilities.

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How's that other energy company doing since they were entirely left to their own devices to clean-up a gulf they ruined?

Scientists Find Thick Layer Of Oil On Seafloor : NPR:

"Scientists on a research vessel in the Gulf of Mexico are finding a substantial layer of oily sediment stretching for dozens of miles in all directions. Their discovery suggests that a lot of oil from the Deepwater Horizon didn't simply evaporate or dissipate into the water — it has settled to the seafloor."

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Hows about instead of Obama splashing around in the gulf surf with his family and eating one or two fried oyster sandwiches for a day or two, hows about he move the freakin' White House to the Gulf and swim, with his family, daily in the Gulf and eat the seafood every goddamn day for the next 10 years.

You can bet your sweet ass there'd be some 'change' for the gulf if Obama was faced with poisoning his family on a daily basis.

Group finds contaminated oysters, despite state, federal assurances | wwltv.com | WWLTV.com News:

"NEW ORLEANS -- Sampling by environmental groups has found oysters contaminated with oil along the Louisiana coast befouled by the BP PLC oil spill, a finding that casts doubt on statements by state and federal officials that all seafood tested here is safe to eat.

Batches of oysters were sampled on Aug. 2 and 3 near the mouths of the Atchafalaya and Mississippi rivers and laboratory tests revealed the animals were tainted by oil, according to Wilma Subra, a well-known Louisiana chemist working for environmental groups. The oysters were obtained from a reef and an old crab trap, she said."

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Swim in this everyday, Obama.

EXCLUSIVE: Tests find sickened family has 50.3 ppm of Corexit’s 2-butoxyethanol in swimming pool — JUST ONE HOUR NORTH OF TAMPA (lab report included) | Florida Oil Spill Law:

"“Our heads are still swimming,” stated Barbara Schebler of Homosassa, Florida, who received word last Friday that test results on the water from her family’s swimming pool showed 50.3 ppm of 2-butoxyethanol, a marker for the dispersant Corexit 9527A used to break up and sink BP’s oil in the Gulf of Mexico."

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A bit of unintended humor from the PG&E tragedy:

San Bruno explosion: Families fear worst

As the human cost mounted, residents were also coping with the stress of not knowing what happened to their pets. San Bruno animal control officers set up a station at the shelter to try to help.

"He is missing one leg and had a floppy ear," one woman said through tears.

"That's good," an animal control officer responded. "It means he is recognizable."

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Lord Ain't Willing

Slow motion travesty of the highest order. I can't believe anyone would believe that anything is the Gulf is edible.

Activist: Gulf fishermen being held responsible for toxic seafood | Raw Story:

But an admission from the federal government that it hasn't been testing Gulf seafood for toxic heavy metals, and news that fishermen are being forced to sign waivers making them liable for toxins in their catch, suggest not everyone is convinced of the safety of Gulf seafood.

Louisiana fishermen's activist Kindra Arnesen says dock owners are asking fishermen to sign waivers that put the full responsibility for toxins found in the catch on the fishermen themselves."

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Nothing to see here, folks. I guess BP will spin this as the fish are now easier to catch.

Thousands of dead fish surface at mouth of Mississippi River:

"He said crabs, sting rays, eel, drum, speckled trout and red fish were among the species that turned up dead.

Taffaro said there was some recoverable oil in the area, and officials from the state's wildlife and fisheries division were sampling the water."

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Watch:

Daily Kos: Gulf Coast Locals, BP Workers, Speaking Out

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No shit.

Major study proves oil plume that's not going away - Yahoo! News

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Selective rage and bigotry.

Muslims Pray Daily 80 Feet From Pentagon's 9/11 Crash Site:

"WASHINGTON — While Americans are bitterly debating the proposed building of a mosque near New York's ground zero, Muslims have been praying for years less than 80 feet from where another hijacked jetliner struck."

Pentagon officials say that no one in the military or the families of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks has ever protested.

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Told ya.

US combat brigades still in Iraq: report

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In AND Out? You are being fucked.

Orwell in charge? Kucinich compares Iraq ‘exit’ to Bush’s ‘Mission Accomplished’

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I love it when a plan comes together:

Halle Berry plans a full-time move to San Francisco : SFGate: Daily Dish

And on a related note (only 6?!):

6 Reasons to Have Casual Sex | Sex & Relationships | AlterNet

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Back Off Cody

All y'all better back off Cody. He was 400 lbs when Saban got him and he played every game last year. Plus, he'll eat you if you keep poking at him like this. He's still the most athletic 360 lbs man on the planet.

Terrence Cody deemed too tubby for Ravens training camp - Shutdown Corner - NFL� - Yahoo! Sports

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A thing faster than Cody.

High-Speed Laser Chips Move Data at 50 Gbps | Gadget Lab | Wired.com:

"A new research breakthrough from Intel combines silicon chips and lasers to transmit data at 50 gigabits per second — and someday, maybe as fast as a terabit per second.

The 50-Gbps speed is enough to download an HD movie from iTunes, or up to 100 hours of digital music, in less than a second."

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Another thing faster than Cody

Zero to 60 mph in less than 3 seconds -- White Zombie electric dragster makes believers out of fossil fuel hot-rodders | OregonLive.com:

"John Wayland runs a political machine on 12 lithium polymer batteries.

It's a 1972 Datsun called 'White Zombie,' and it's one of the fastest street legal electric cars in the world. It's been clocked doing zero to 60 mph in 2.95 seconds. It's walloped Corvettes, Camaros and 600-horsepower Vipers in quarter-mile drag races using lead-acid batteries."

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I'm so there:

RUSTIC, Francis's Favorites | Francis Ford Coppola Winery

Francis Ford Coppola chats about his new restaurant, Rustic, due today - Paolo Lucchesi:

"Scoop: What’s the motivation behind Rustic? It’s almost as if the menu tells a story, from film friends to travels to family.

Coppola: Simply a style of food preparation and presentation that I personally love: a more rustic style — French country cooking or Italian country cooking, homemade, where the emphasis is more on the quality of the ingredients and doing as little as possible, rather than a more ‘nouveau’ style, in which the food is in tiny, decoratively arranged portions. I am interested in authentic dishes — the kind you drive an hour out of the city to find little restaurants that make specialties that are only made there."

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Score:

Lawyer: Negatives verified as Ansel Adams' work - Yahoo! News:

"EVERLY HILLS, Calif. – A trove of old glass negatives bought at a garage sale for $45 have been authenticated as the lost work of famed nature photographer Ansel Adams and are worth at least $200 million, an attorney for the owner said Tuesday."

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Climate Leadership FAIL

Stick-to-yer-guns Obama is gonna drive off the same cliff as GW.

Putting A Face To The Cost Of Dem Cowering - TalkLeft: The Politics Of Crime:

"From the inadequate stimulus of 2009, to the deficit 'concerns' (see the catfood commission) of today (among many other issues), the flinching and cowering of the Obama Administration and the Dems has damaged the country and, ironically, the political fortunes of the Dems. The reflexive hippie punching, the constant refrain of not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good, the ever present concern of being labeled a gasp, liberal, has led to great suffering in the nation. Simply put, the Dems have not been up to the job. L'Affaire Sherrod has put a face to the cost of this attitude. I hope that the transcendence of this problem is recognized and addressed."

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Howard Dean in 2012... or 2016.

Howard Dean: No More Apologies -- It's Time to Stand Up for Our Convictions

Obama should be saying this. Obama should also get on his knees and beg Dean's forgiveness and ask him to be Chief of Staff.

Howard Dean tells Fox: Your coverage of Sherrod was racist:

"Appearing alongside Newt Gingrich, Dean was blunt with his accusation. 'I don't think Newt Gingrich is a racist and you're certainly not a racist but Fox News did something that was absolutely racist,' said Dean.

'They had an obligation to find out what was really in the clip. They have been pushing a theme of black racism, phony Black Panther crap and this business and Sotomayor and all this other stuff. The Tea Party called out their racist fringe and I think the Republican Party has got to stop appealing to its racist fringe,' Dean continued."

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Another once in a lifetime opportunity pissed away be O.A. Hell, even Nixon created the EPA when a scant few barrels were spilled.

Sen. Cardin: Dems, Obama Never Connected BP Spill To The Need For Climate Change Legislation

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Where Was Obama When Reid Killed the Climate Bill? | Mother Jones:

"Handled correctly, the BP spill should have been to climate legislation what September 11th was to the Patriot Act, or the financial collapse was to the bank bailout. Disasters drive sweeping legislation, and precedent was on the side of a great leap forward in environmental progress. In 1969, an oil spill in Santa Barbara, California – of only 100,000 barrels, less than the two-day output of the BP gusher – prompted Richard Nixon to create the EPA and sign the Clean Air Act. But the Obama administration let the opportunity slip away.

Early on, Obama failed to challenge blowhards such as Senator Jim Inhofe who distorted the science of global warming. Revkin points out that the president has not invited researchers and climate analysts to the White House (as even Bush did). And after BP's well blew out, Obama's infamously milquetoast address from the Oval Office never connected the disaster with the need for a cap on carbon. All of this wasn't for a lack of pressure from his allies. Nine high-profile environmental groups wrote a letter to the president pleading that 'nothing less than your direct personal involvement' will break the logjam in the Senate. Al Gore ultimately said what Obama wouldn't:"

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Op-Ed Columnist - Who Cooked the Planet? - NYTimes.com:

"So it wasn’t the science, the scientists, or the economics that killed action on climate change. What was it?

The answer is, the usual suspects: greed and cowardice.

If you want to understand opposition to climate action, follow the money. The economy as a whole wouldn’t be significantly hurt if we put a price on carbon, but certain industries — above all, the coal and oil industries — would. And those industries have mounted a huge disinformation campaign to protect their bottom lines."

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We need to speed up the space travel gig.

Deep space probe finds hundreds of new planets | Mail Online:

"Hundreds of new planets have been discovered by Nasa's new space probe, sparking new hope of life outside our solar system.

Up to 140 of the newly-found planets are rocky and Earth-like containing both land and water, conditions which could allow simple lifeforms to develop."

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Gutless Cowards - Reinstate Sherrod, Fire Vilsack

The Obama Administration is nothing but a bunch of gutless cowards.

Here's the Whitehouse phone number to tell them so:

202-456-1111

Reinstate Sherrod TODAY, and fire Vilsack on the spot plus anyone else who doesn't have the balls to tell the Teabaggers to go fuck themselves.

Dollars to donuts, Obama makes a speech where he falsely compares right wing racism with non-existent left wing racism. Rahm will be jacking off on the corner b/c Obama is doing his 'hippie punching' for him.

These people manage about was well as Bush. They embarrass me.

White House Uses Misleading Breitbart Video As Basis To Hastily Demand USDA Official’s Resignation

White farmers at the center of Shirley Sherrod controversy: ‘No way in the world’ she is a racist.

Daily Kos: Reinstate Shirley Sherrod:

"Despite the fact that Sherrod did nothing wrong -- in fact, did everything right -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack fired her after Breitbart's video was released. As you can see in Ben Smith's article, the White House is trying to simultaneously support Vilsack's position and deny responsibility for it. Obviously, Vilsack fired her out of the misguided belief that Breitbart had turned her into a political liability. But not only is that immoral, it's stupid; the backlash against the unjustified dismissal of Shirley Sherrod will dwarf whatever teabagging nonsense Breitbart could have drummed up.

As both Digby and Greg Sargent argue, Vilsack's decision to fire Sherrod is appalling. Shirley Sherrod is a good woman who did nothing wrong and nobody should want to live in the kind of country where good people are fired because politicians are worried that they might become liabilities.

There's still enough time to make the situation right. President Obama should step up to the plate and reinstate Shirley Sherrod. Let this be a teaching moment, that in this country we don't let innocent bystanders become victims of political assassins like Andrew Breitbart. This is a time for leadership, but there isn't much time left to show it. The clock is running."

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Hullabaloo:

"They are telling wingnuts everywhere that all they have to do is gin up a phony controversy (especially about a black person, apparently) and the administration will fire them so as not to shake confidence that they are 'fair service providers.'

This is sheer cowardice."

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UPDATED: White House, You Were Punked By Andrew Breitbart | Crooks and Liars:

"This whole episode screams 'Why can't we have reasonable discussions about racial issues???' at me.

The answer is twofold: First, Andrew Breitbart is a dirty, lying SOB who thrives on waving his malodorous lies around on Fox News and the Internet. Second, the White House or USDA, depending upon which story you read, believed him."

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This is how bad it has gotten. I'm quoting one of the dumbest conservative assholes out there, Johah Goldberg:

Maddow to White House: Giving in to conservative spin ‘makes it worse’ | Raw Story:

"Goldberg went on to express a perception of the Obama administration that was strikingly similar to Maddow's. 'Meanwhile, as a matter of politics,' he wrote, 'I think this episode demonstrates that this White House is a much more tightly wound outfit than it lets on in public. The rapid-response firing suggests a level of fear over Glenn Beck and Fox that speaks volumes.'"

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These are the idiot assholes who rule Obama's world:

Onion story from 2007 currently being accepted by TeePees as ... on Twitpic

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Keeping up with the Jonses.

Growing China oil spill threatens sea life, water - Yahoo! News

AMERICAblog News: BP photoshops fake photo of crisis command center, posts on main BP site

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Amen. Nationalize them.

Oliver Stone: US should nationalize oil resources | Raw Story:

"The Gulf of Mexico oil spill shows that the United States should follow the example of South American socialists in nationalizing its energy industry, filmmaker Oliver Stone said Tuesday.

The Academy Award-winning director of 'Born on the Fourth of July' and 'JFK' said that America's country's natural wealth was too important to be left in private hands, telling journalists in central London that oil and other natural resources 'belong to the people.'

'This BP oil spill is typical' of what happens when private industry is allowed to draw revenue on what should be a public good, Stone said."

"We shouldn't make this kind of profit on oil or on health or on war or on prisons. All these industries should be public industries."

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I'm on Fire

The redistribution of wealth in this country has been going on for some time now. The problem is that the wealth is being sucked to the top, thus eliminating the middle class. And let's face it, there's nothing more pain-in-the-ass for rich fuckers than the middle class.

Stupid basis for our Democracy (NeoFeudalism: Coming Soon!)

Income Gap Between Rich and Poor Is Highest in Decades, Data Show:

"The gap between the wealthiest Americans and middle- and working-class Americans has more than tripled in the past three decades, according to a June 25 report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

New data show that the gaps in after-tax income between the richest 1 percent of Americans and the middle and poorest parts of the population in 2007 was the highest it's been in 80 years, while the share of income going to the middle one-fifth of Americans shrank to its lowest level ever."

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Obama and Arn's 'Race to the Top' is as big a piece of crap as 'No Child Left Behind'.

Just like its predecessor, RTTT's goal is to eliminate public education thus privatizing all education as charter schools.

It takes a Fake Democrat to enact the NeoCons agenda.

Daily Kos: Somebody Explain This to Me:

"But reading the popular press, and listening to the chatter from Washington, I have just found out that we are not part of the movement to ‘reform’ schools.

You see we did not do all the stuff that the new ‘reformers’ think is vital to improve our schools. We did not fire the staff, eliminate tenure, or go to pay based on test scores. We did not become a charter school. We did not take away control from a locally elected school board and give it to a mayor. We did not bring in a bunch of two-year short-term teachers.

Nope, we did not do any of these things. Because we knew they would not work."

Keep pissing off the base, Obama/Rahm but don't cry like little bitches when we stay the fuck home.

Administration Officials Not Invited To Teachers Convention; Probable Heckling The Reason | Crooks and Liars:

“If the teachers sit on their hands this fall, it would be a disaster for Obama and the Democrats,” said Richard D. Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation who has studied the teachers’ unions."

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Jesus.

Obama To Open Up 1.8 Million Alaskan Acres To Oil Drilling:

"ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- The Interior Department is offering oil and gas leases on 1.8 million acres of Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve while promising to protect critical migratory bird and caribou habitat.

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Hello? Feds? Anybody home?

BP buys up Gulf scientists for legal defense, roiling academic community | al.com:

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Good man. Doesn't welch on his bets.

NM man set on fire after losing drinking bet:

"A 47-year-old man's friends set his prosthetic leg on fire after he lost a drinking bet, causing him to suffer severe burns to his buttocks and lower back. Dona Ana County sheriff's deputies found the man naked on the side of U.S. Route 70 with his prosthetic leg in flames. Deputies learned that the man and his friends were drinking Monday and bet that whoever drank the least would be set on fire."

The man told investigators that at six beers, he drank the least, and agreed to let his friends set him on fire.

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6 mln views in less than a month. damn.

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And I Feel Fine....

....And I feel fine....

If it is going to happen it'll be within 6 months. Nice to have a deadline.

h/t to BB:

Doomsday: How BP Gulf disaster may have triggered a world-killing event - by Terrence Aym - Helium:

"Now, worried scientists are increasingly concerned the same series of catastrophic events that led to worldwide death back then may be happening again-and no known technology can stop it.

The bottom line: BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling operation may have triggered an irreversible, cascading geological Apocalypse that will culminate with the first mass extinction of life on Earth in many millions of years.

The oil giant drilled down miles into a geologically unstable region and may have set the stage for the eventual premature release of a methane mega-bubble."

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Awsum. Liz helped Obama kill the Public Option.

Daily Kos: Obama Hires Fmr. Wellpoint Exec to Implement Health Care Law:

"Liz Fowler, a key staffer for U.S. Sen. Max Baucus who helped draft the federal health reform bill enacted in March, is joining the Obama administration to help implement the new law...

Fowler headed up a team of 20-some Senate Finance Committee staffers who helped draft the bill in the Senate. She was Baucus' top health care aide from 2001-2005 and left that job in 2006 to become an executive at WellPoint, the nation's largest private insurer. She was vice president of public policy at WellPoint, helping develop public-policy positions for the company. In 2008, she rejoined Baucus to work on health reform legislation."

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Says a lot.

Effort underway to remove tons of fat from London’s sewers | Raw Story:

"A team of workers sporting breathing apparatus and carrying shovels has started clearing around 1,000 tonnes of fat from sewers around London's Leicester Square, a water company said Tuesday.

Cooking fat being poured down drains under one of the city's main tourist attractions is thought to be causing blockages."

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Was a fan back in the day. Wonder how it will translate.

'Beavis and Butt-head' to return with new episodes to MTV - NYPOST.com:

"The move to resurrect the hugely popular 1990s animated anti-heroes has been rumored for several days. But yesterday, sources at MTV confirmed that a new batch of 'Beavis and Butt-head' episodes are in the works."

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Po' Boy

Why we've allowed a bunch of white people to systematically destroy one of the grandest and most unique areas of this country over the past several years is a tragedy in and of itself.

Boat captain's suicide shows human toll of Gulf oil disaster:

"Allen Kruse tenderly kissed his wife goodbye just after sunrise Wednesday and headed to the docks in Gulf Shores, Ala., where his boat, The Rookie, was moored.

A charter boat captain for 25 years, Kruse had signed on as a BP contractor to spot oil, deploy boom and eventually learn how to skim oil. His business had come to a screeching halt after the April 20 oil spill.

About an hour later, Kruse was dead. He was 55, the father of 11- and 12-year-old boys, Cory and Ryan, and daughter Kelli, 26.

About 7 a.m., after a BP training meeting, he climbed into the wheelhouse of his 46-foot charter boat and ended his worry, his frustration and his anger with a single bullet to the head.

'Nothing was easy working with BP. Everything was hard, and it consumed him. He wasn't crazy,' said his wife, Tracy, 41, sitting outside the couple's home in Foley on Thursday."

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It makes me nauseous thinking of the loss of all of the great NO dishes. New York, San Francisco, New Orleans: The top 3 foodie towns in the U.S. NO = eliminated.

City Brights: Yobie Benjamin : BP oil spill Corexit dispersants suspected in widespread crop damage

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She's got my vote.

Julia Gillard risks Christian vote with doubts on God | The Australian:

"In a radio interview yesterday morning, Ms Gillard said that while she had been raised as a Baptist, she was now not religious and was not prepared to go through 'religious rituals' for the sake of appearances.

'I am, of course, a great respecter of religious beliefs, but they're not my beliefs,' Ms Gillard told ABC radio in Melbourne.

'For people of faith, I think the greatest compliment I could pay them is to respect their genuinely-held beliefs and not to engage in some pretence about mine.'"

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Great interview.

Buzz Aldrin Is Not All That Impressed With Walking on the Moon | Little Gold Men | Vanity Fair:

"But you don’t interrupt Buzz Aldrin. For one thing, he once punched a reporter in the face for getting uppity. And also, have you ever walked on the Moon? No? Then why don’t you just shut the fuck up."

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This was posted on Wes Freed's Facebook page. Some very cool pictures.

Hidden In An Abandoned Orphanage � Scouting NY

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I'm "Da Crack Smoka". Yeah, not too apt. I enjoy the sleep too much.

The Original Gangsta Name Generator | GangstaName.com

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The GOP's Deliberate Sabotage

The GOP's Deliberate Sabotage.

It's been their strategy since day one. God forbid the 'unpleasantness' of it all sully those poor, poor 'reporters' fragile little minds.

The Washington Monthly:

"It's unpleasant to think about, and I really hope it's not true, but it may be time for a discussion about whether GOP lawmakers are trying to deliberately sabotage the economy to help their midterm election strategy. After all, these same Republicans have supported deficit-financed tax-extenders before -- there's no credible reason to change course now. On the contrary, with the economy struggling to break through, the need for this package is more obvious, not less, if your goal is to actually improve economic conditions."

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Gulf Coast Governors Leaving National Guard Idle - CBS Evening News - CBS News

Kenneth Jindal has 6000 NG at his disposal and has activated only 1500 all the while bitching that the Feds, who, as a Republican, he believes should not interfere in any-damn-thing, haven't supplied him with any resources.

See above.

Pattern of sabotage. High crimes, indeed.

And nobody gives a damn.

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What Ed says:

Daily Kos: Ed Schultz: "If you love America, quit voting like you hate Americans"

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Seriously. Imagine the hyperventilation going on at FAUX News.

Just imagine it for a minute.

Courtland Milloy - Tolerance of white militias exemplifies racial double standard:

"Imagine that the inauguration of President George W. Bush had sparked an explosive rise in African American militia groups. Suppose thousands of heavily armed black men began gathering at training camps in wooded areas throughout the country, devising military tactics for 'taking back their country' after what they believed was an electoral coup.

Do you think Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney would have reacted to a black militaristic buildup as coolly as President Obama has to the phenomenal growth of white militias?"

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Seriously, WTF! Makes me want to go down their and cross every one of BP's fake barriers and when I'm accosted, tell each and everyone to fuck off.

Louisiana Police Pull Over Activist at Behest of BP | Mother Jones

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I sure wish we'd passed health care instead of a health insurance bail-out.

U.S. scores dead last again in healthcare study | Reuters:

"(Reuters) - Americans spend twice as much as residents of other developed countries on healthcare, but get lower quality, less efficiency and have the least equitable system, according to a report released on Wednesday."

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Very good explanation of the CLEAR Act:

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Inspired. Lera Lynn (drool) on vocals. Song by Jeff Soileau, video by Evan Soileau.

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Cap Smear

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Cap Smear @ 2:08 is must see TV:

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Dead rich chicks walking... or rather, 'running'. Let's go Jerry!

Harold Meyerson - Calif. GOP primary winners look headed for defeat:

"There's a reason Arnold Schwarzenegger is the only Republican elected to a major statewide office in California since 1994 -- and it's not his celebrity status. It's because, when he was first elected governor, he did not have to run in and win a Republican primary: He was elected in a special recall election open to candidates and voters from all parties.

Whitman and Fiorina had no such luck. In winning their nominations, they said things deeply offensive to a fatally large swath of California voters. Their campaigns may be gold-plated, but they have ears of purest tin."

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Larry Flynt is so smart.

Stephen Hawking On Religion: 'Science Will Win' (VIDEO):

"When Sawyer asked if there was a way to reconcile religion and science, Hawking said, 'There is a fundamental difference between religion, which is based on authority, [and] science, which is based on observation and reason. Science will win because it works.'"

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Hawking has spoken.

6-story Jesus statue in Ohio struck by lightning - Yahoo! News:

"MONROE, Ohio – A six-story-tall statue of Jesus Christ with his arms raised along a highway was struck by lightning in a thunderstorm Monday night and burned to the ground, police said."

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What a picture.

Hard to port! Eject Goose, eject! | Bad Astronomy | Discover Magazine

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Problems Go Away

Amen.

Obama to POLITICO: Some in Congress hypocritical on spill - Roger Simon - POLITICO.com:

"“Some of the same folks who have been hollering and saying ‘do something’ are the same folks who, just two or three months ago, were suggesting that government needs to stop doing so much,” Obama said. “Some of the same people who are saying the president needs to show leadership and solve this problem are some of the same folks who, just a few months ago, were saying this guy is trying to engineer a takeover of our society through the federal government that is going to restrict our freedoms.”"

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Mariner to the rescue (yes, I had to look up his Waterworld character's name).

Kevin Costner's Anti-oil Machines To Be Deployed - WWL - AM870 | FM105.3 | News | Talk | Sports:

"Meanwhile Costner's company is moving toward leasing 16 more oil sucking and separating machines to Plaquemines Parish officials directly. They say if BP won't pay for that, they may sell the oil local officials pull from the water and fund the machines that way."

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Cajun Indians fear oil slick will destroy way of life

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Best answer to a question ever:

Pelosi: We’ll stop blaming Bush when Bush’s ‘problems go away’

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He's so Randy

Panel says candidate Paul not board certified - Health- msnbc.com

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The world's only immortal animal | Yahoo! Green

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The Associated Press: Space probe returns to Earth from trip to asteroid:

It is the first time that a spacecraft has successfully landed on an asteroid and returned to Earth.

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Breathe

I'm trapped between this....

Be Grateful for President Obama – Lenny Kates – Pittsfield Massachusetts – Failure magazine

...and this:

Daily Kos: CLAP LOUDER or Tinkerbell WILL DIE and Obama's approval rating will drop

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The military can no longer be some sacred cow. I support troops/boots on the ground, but the military industrial complex has been raping this country for too many years. Teat needs to be cut and military leadership needs to be put into their proper place.

The American Military Fetish

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Would have never seen this coming. Can we just go ahead and admit to ourselves that BP will be let off the hook and no body will be prosecuted.

We simply don't do accountability in the United States.

AP IMPACT: Many Gulf federal judges have oil links - Yahoo! News

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I've done 32(US). I've always thought about doing 31.... hmmm.

World's Best Places to Live - Yahoo! Real Estate:

"European cities take seven of the top 10 spots for quality of life, thanks to their relative safety, political stability and cultural offerings. As for the U.S., Honolulu, at No. 31, has the best quality-of-life record and the continental U.S. makes its first appearance on the list at 32, with San Francisco tying Adelaide, Australia. Boston came in at No. 37, Chicago and Washington, D.C. tied for 45th place, and New York ranked 49. Philadelphia and Dallas were ranked for the first time this year, landing spots 55 and 61 on the list, respectively."

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As a diver, this is amazing. I could watch this all day:

Guillaume Nery Base Jumping UNDERWATER At Dean's Blue Hole (VIDEO)

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Responsible

Racists derangement syndrome... or more commonly known as Republicans being Republicans.

The Washington Monthly

Several months ago, Atrios noted, "When Dems are president, perfectly normally ways of doing things are rebranded as somehow odd."

Ain't that the truth.

* Teleprompters: This trend of characterizing routine developments as controversial started very early in the Obama presidency. Every modern president has used teleprompters, but Republicans and the media thought it was hilarious and wildly important when Obama did the same thing.

* Bowing: Several presidents have been photographed bowing to foreign heads of state, but Republicans and the media thought it was absolutely scandalous when Obama did the same thing when meeting leaders where bowing is customary.

* Talking to school kids: Presidents Reagan and H.W. Bush spoke to school children in national addresses, even taking a little time to push their political agendas. When Obama delivered a speech encouraging kids to do well in school, Republicans freaked out; Fox News compared the president to Saddam Hussein; and the New York Times literally ran a front-page story about it.

* Czars: For a half-century, presidents have relied on so-called "czars" for various policy areas. By one count, George W. Bush had 36 czar positions filled by 46 people during his two terms. No one cared. Obama's use of czars became the subject of months of media scrutiny, and even congressional hearings in response to Republican apoplexy.

* Oval Office attire: Several modern presidents have been seen in the Oval Office without wearing a suit jacket. When Obama did it, Republicans ran to the press to complain, and the media actually published pieces on the subject.

* Criticizing partisan media: White House complaints about unfair media coverage are as old as the republic. When the Obama White House noted what is plainly true about Fox News -- it's a Republican outlet -- the media went a little berserk, with the Washington Post and NPR characterizing the administration's criticism as "Nixonian."

* Reconciliation: Republican policymakers have relied on reconciliation to get around filibusters for decades. When Obama recommended the same tactic for health care, the GOP pretended it was an outrageous assault on the political process, and the media pretended Republicans' cries were legitimate.

* Industry bailouts: Government bailouts of struggling American industries and major companies have been common for decades. When Obama rescued GM, it was used as an example of his purported desire to a communist dictator.

* Campaign intervention: Every president has had a hand in campaign activities, with several presidents offering jobs to candidates to get them out of various races. When the Obama White House intervened in Pennsylvania's Democratic Senate primary -- offering a House member an unpaid advisory gig -- the media found it fascinating and Republicans called for the FBI and a special prosecutor to intervene.

* Memorial Day: Many presidents have not appeared at Arlington on Memorial Day. When Obama does it, there's a "controversy."

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My issue is that these bills have not gone far enough to really make any type of lasting change. Too much compromise and too much nibbling around the edges. I hope I'm wrong.... don't think I am, though. And I'm HIGHLY skeptical of any 'generational shift', unless Dems maintain control for another 14 years.

However, it has been the most productive 16 months since FDR. Can't argue with that.

Economic Scene - Obama’s Progressive Project Is Changing Washington - NYTimes.com:

"With the Senate’s passage of financial regulation, Congress and the White House have completed 16 months of activity that rival any other since the New Deal in scope or ambition. Like the Reagan Revolution or Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society, the new progressive period has the makings of a generational shift in how Washington operates."

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Three year olds say 'no, no, no, no, no'.

Which side of history do you want to be on? -- Page 1 -- Times Union - Albany NY:

Let's take a historical perspective. What does history tell us? History honors those who created Social Security, not those who fought it. History honors those who created Medicare, not those who opposed it. History honors those who passed civil rights legislation, not those who obstructed it.

I ask those who say "no, no, no" to everything, which side of history do you want to be on?

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Crazy watching all of the anti-government, privatize it!, corporate whores beg the government to take over. Gonna make for some fancy campaign ads this year and in 2012.

Pretty damn refreshing to have a Prez that, regardless, takes full ownership, and, most importantly, admit mistakes.

News Analysis - Responding to Spill, Obama Mixes Regret With Resolve - NYTimes.com

WASHINGTON — President Obama uttered three words on Thursday that many of his 43 predecessors twisted themselves into knots trying with varying degrees of success to avoid: “I was wrong.”

He strode into the East Room to mount a robust defense of his handling of the largest oil spill in American history, reassuring the nation that he was in charge and would do “whatever is necessary” to stop and clean up the BP leak in the Gulf of Mexico. But by the time he walked out an hour later, he had balanced that with a fairly unusual presidential self-critique.

He was wrong, he said, to assume that oil companies were prepared for the worst as he tried to expand offshore drilling. His team did not move with “sufficient urgency” to reform regulation of the industry. In dealing with BP, his administration “should have pushed them sooner” to provide images of the leak, and “it took too long for us” to measure the size of the spill.

“In case you’re wondering who’s responsible, I take responsibility,” Mr. Obama said as he concluded the news conference. “It is my job to make sure that everything is done to shut this down. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. It doesn’t mean it’s going to happen right away or the way I’d like it to happen. It doesn’t mean that we’re not going to make mistakes. But there shouldn’t be any confusion here. The federal government is fully engaged, and I’m fully engaged.”

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Reason 1 billion, 99 never to purchase a HOA home... and Texas laws regarding HOAs... ? Allowing HOAs to repo homes if monthly fees are not submitted? Are you fucking kidding me?

Next to insurance cos, HOAs are the biggest, totalitarian scam out there.

Fuck you, I'm painting my house purple.

Soldier in Iraq Loses Home Over $800 Debt | Mother Jones:

"In Texas, homeowners' associations can foreclose on homes without a court order, no matter the size of the debt. In May 2008, the HOA sold the Clauers' home for a pittance—$3,500—although its appraisal value was $300,000, according to court documents. The buyer then resold the house to a third person. (Select Management Co., the company that manages Heritage Lakes, declined to comment for this story.)"

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The joys of watching someone bash themselves in the head with plywood. Grab some popcorn!

Oh He's Good, He's Reaaaallt Good: World's Greatest Motivational Speaker, Hands Down - Geekologie

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Rumors of debarment for BP

If true and if this occurs, then I'll be somewhat happy.

Rumors of debarment for BP:

"In what would be the most fitting punishment for BP's many crimes, there are rumors that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering debarment for the company. Debarment is somewhere between corporal and capital punishment for scofflaw companies. The most severe form is 'discretionary debarment,' which would cancel all government contracts and leases on federal lands, a move that would cost BP at least 16 billion dollars a year.

An article in ProPublica by Abrahm Lustgarten discusses the prospects for debarment for BP and gives even a cynic like me reason to smile. Let me touch on the points that had me licking my canine teeth."

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Makes a pretty good case that we are:

Sen. Sanders tells the ugly truth "We're an Oligarchy and I think it's getting worse"

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Nice. Great headline. Horse Mint.

Texas cops mistake actual weed for marijuana, spend hours doing yard work

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So much hilarity in this article. h/t Sloan:

Athens man beaten during pot party || OnlineAthens.com

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Picture of the year so far. Not for the faint of heart.

Julio Aparicio GORED IN THROAT During Bullfight (GRAPHIC PHOTOS)

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I've been lucky enough to live near 4 of them:

America's Top 10 Road Trips

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Don't Give a Rip

Surely you've seen the original by now (I ain't linking to it). Here's the hilarious spoof of the Alabama Jack Ass.

We're Better Than That, Too!!!! w/ Dale Peterson - watch more funny videos

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Gonna get uglier and uglier

Heavy oil hits Louisiana shore - Yahoo! News:

Who knew? Promising, though. Why weren't we doing this sooner?

Daily Kos: Waterworld Star Might Rescue The Gulf w/Update

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Thank a Democrat for 'common sense'.

Think Progress � Citing ‘Common Sense,’ Tennessee Governor Vetoes ‘Guns In Bars’ Bill

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Once upon a time my granddad was friends with Chi Chi. Played golf with him in PR. Use to get xmas cards from him and his wife. Hope both are doing well after this nasty scare.

Chi Chi Rodriguez robbed at home in Puerto Rico

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I would have thought the exchange rate to be a bit higher.

Mass. Man Accused of Trying to Swap Baby for Beers - NYTimes.com

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'Cause your a LIAR.

The Mommy Files : Kids who lie more likely to succeed later in life

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