More Tea Party Thuggery

Apparently having an Obama bumper sticker is cause for road rage. Thus is the level of the thuggery that has been unleashed by the right wing rhetoric surrounding health care reform.

A Nashville, TN man had just picked up his daughter from school when he was rammed by an angry driver who pointed at the Obama bumper sticker on his car and shot him the bird. The criminal who endangered the man and his daughter, Harry Weisiger has been charged with felony reckless endangerment.

Why the rage? Well, when you have right wing pundits trying to scare the hell out of people telling them that Health Care Reform is tantamount to Nazism you can easily see the cause. The level of insanity unleashed by the right to try to stop Obama from succeeding at anything he proposes is way over the top.

Like Sarah Palin in her rallies where the crowds were whipped into a frenzy the GOP is trying to bring the "Tea Baggers" to the brink of violence. It is a dangerous gamble and it is backfiring. The incivility has become real violence and more will ensue unless and until these guys ratchet down the rhetoric and start really addressing the issues, not just pumping out fear.l

GOP Purge? David Frum Tossed From Right-Wing Think Tank

Only days after his blog post noting that the Republican's entrenched mentality against the Health Care Reform had led to a "crushing defeat" for the GOP, David Frum was turned out of the American Enterprise Institute. The conservative think tank had been Frum's home for seven years.

Frum was the White House speech writer behind such memorable phrases as "axis of evil" that worked so well for the Bush Presidency. He has conservative credentials a mile long and yet he is being purged from the right-wing think tank because he spoke the truth in his blog.

"We were going for all the marbles. This would be Obama's Waterloo -- just as healthcare was Clinton's in 1994. . . . This time, when we went for all the marbles, we ended with none."

Now the GOP and their talking heads like the Wall Street Journal are characterizing Frum as making "his living as the media's go-to basher of fellow Republicans" and accusing him of "peddling bad revisionist history."

I have to wonder if this signals a move to purify even further the lock step ideologues on the right and toss aside anyone who does not tow the party line verbatim. This kind of move is a signal of how weak the GOP has become. The problem is as they become weaker they will become more virulent and that makes them dangerous. Like a cornered wild animal, they cannot be trusted and must be approached with care.

Amazing Squirrel Shot!

It's Secret Squirrel for real!

Tea Baggers Advocating Domestic Terrorism

These people are dangerous and if you don't believe it look at what they are advocating.

And more Tea Bagger Terrorism here.

Holy S*#t - Pope Implicated In Sex Abuse Coverup

With a document trail a mile long, it looks like the current Pope was part of a cover-up of sex abuse back in the 1970's and 80's. The New York Times broke the story and has documents here showing the accusations.

The scandal involves Rev. Lawrence C. Murphy. Murphy admitted he sexually abused boys at his boarding school for 22 years. For more than 30 years the victims tried to get justice, but documents show that the Catholic church did nothing. At the center of that controversy was Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) who the case was referred to. His office did not prosecute the matter and it was closed when Father Murphy eventually died.

This is huge. I suspect this might be the case that brings down the Pope and irreparably damages the Catholic Church.

Bishop Gene Robinson at Cathedral of Hope Last Night

For a Wednesday night service, I suspect last night's was a record in attendance for the Cathedral of Hope. Every seat in the spacious sanctuary was filled and people stood in the back to hear a minister who isn't even a member of the United Church of Christ.

Special guest Bishop Gene Robinson, from the Episcopal church was delivering the sermon, and he certainly delivered to the full sanctuary. An unimposing figure, Bishop Robinson would hardly seem the kind of man to be at the center of a firestorm of controversy. As the first openly gay Bishop in that denomination, his ordination still causes heated discussions among members of the Anglican Communion.

Controversy aside, Robinson delivered a thoughtful yet lively sermon on the liturgy for the evening from the Book of Acts. The story of the lame beggar who was healed by the Apostles and rose to walk, leap and dance into the temple mad an appropriate subject for both Robinson and the congregation.

He compared LGBT people to that cripple, who being deemed unworthy and impure was kept outside the temple and not allowed to worship there. After being called to rise in the name of Jesus, he not only walked but danced into the holy space much like the congregation of the Cathedral had risen and reclaimed the church as our holy space.

I am not doing his sermon justice so to hear the entire service you can go here to the Cathedral of Hope's website and see the streaming video. The music and energy in the sanctuary last night was moving and truly inspiring.

Tea Baggers - In Their Own Words...Vile!

CBS News got this recording from Bart Stupak's voice mail. These are from the pro-lifers and "Tea Baggers" who left really obscene messages for him. Apparently they don't have a clue, since Stupak got his way and had government abortion money removed from the Health Care Reform Bill.

I suspect these folks either can't read or are just plain vile or both. For folks who allegedly value life they sound a lot like folks who don't! Listen at your own peril.


Watch CBS News Videos Online

High Tech Exodus From China?

As Google moves it's operations from mainland China to Hong Kong, new comes that GoDaddy.com is leaving the country all together. Citing government intrusions that include draconian rules for reporting of names and personal data to the government, the company said it would have a "chilling effect" on its business.

These two large players leaving might well signal a high-tech exodus from China.

Tea Baggers or Terrorists?

The whole "Tea Bagger" thing has gotten out of hand. As with the crowds of rowdys Sarah Palin used to whip into a frenzy at her rallies, the GOP is using the same tactics to move these folks to the verge of violence and beyond. This kind of edge play is dangerous and is starting to have repercussions.

The recent spate of vandalism at Democratic Party headquarters across the country is anecdotal evidence of this. The possible life-threatening severing of a gas line at the house of a man a right-wing website mistakenly identified as Rep. Tom Periello's home adds more fuel to the argument.

The GOP and their media lap dog, FOX are trying to incite violence and should be exposed as what they are, hate groups! Enough of this crap. It's time to pull off the gloves and expose these rabble rousers as dangerous and reckless.

Want more proof? To the right is a graphic from Sarah Palin's website. The gun sights being used to "target" Democrats are about as explicit a threat as you can get graphically. It's time Homeland Security stepped into this mess and stops this before it gets really ugly!

Math and Mother Nature

If only I had seen this when I was a kid, I would have understood the whole reason mathematics is so elegant. Instead I was just lost in a series of meaningless numbers. To a dyslexic kid having a point of reference would have made all the difference!

Watch this wonderful video by Cristóbal Vila that shows the Fibonacci sequence, golden means and more.

Flip Top Book? Cigarette Packaging Becomes Novel

Are those cigarettes in your pocket or are you just reading great literature?

Well if Tank Publishing (in the UK) has their way, that pack rolled up in your t-shirt sleeve might be Joseph Conrad or Franz Kafka. They just released a new line of classic books packaged in flip top cigarette-styled packages. Pretty cute and a whole lot less tar and nicotine!

Cute idea!

Randy Neugebauer is an "Idjit" - & Other Self-Evident Truths

As further proof that a whole lot of us Texans are dumb as a post, it turns out that the idiot member of the House who yelled "baby killer" at Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) during Sunday night's health care debate was (drum roll) a Texan!

Yup, turns out Texas republican Randy Neugebauer shouted the phrase apparently ignorant of the fact that NONE of the proposed government funding would be used for abortions as per a Presidential decree. That little fact was the reason Bart Stupak finally got on board with the bill, he insisted that no government money be used for abortion. So why was Randy yelling?

In his own pitiful excuse he said, "while I remain heartbroken over the passage of this bill and the tragic consequences it will have for the unborn, I deeply regret that my actions were mistakenly interpreted as a direct reference to Congressman Stupak himself."

So to fellow Texan and certified idiot Mr. Neugebauer I ask this question, how concerned were you about the lives of children who fall ill without health insurance in this country? Let's talk about the born not the unborn for a minute. Just how concerned are you about people who die because their insurance companies decide that they just don't want to cover their treatments anymore?

Until you can give me some answers to those questions, shut your pie hole you ignorant turd kicker! And before anyone goes flaming me for this, I am a Texan and ashamed of the caliber of "idjits" we have been foisting on the country fro this state!

James Randi Comes Out - Amazing!

For someone who is as well known as James "The Amazing" Randi to finally come out of the closet after so many years is truly an astounding feat.

For years I have been a fan of James Randi and loved both his performances as a magician and his debunking of alleged psychics. He picked up the mantle of Houdini in his campaign to defeat the parade of bunco men and women who foist off simple parlor tricks as psychic power. Uri Geller and his silly spoon bending comes to mind!

Though I do not concur with Randi's atheist beliefs, I applaud his work on behalf of critical thinking and the advancement of reason. His coming out s another step towards that goal.

His own words on his blog speak volumes:

Written by James Randi
Sunday, 21 March 2010 12:37

Well, here goes. I really resent the term, but I use it because it’s recognized and accepted.

I’m gay.

From some seventy years of personal experience, I can tell you that there’s not much “gay” about being homosexual. For the first twenty years of my life, I had to live in the shadows, in a culture that was — at least outwardly — totally hostile to any hint of that variation of life-style. At no time did I choose to adopt any protective coloration, though; my cultivation of an abundant beard was not at all a deception, but part of my costume as a conjuror.

Gradually, the general attitude that I’d perceived around me began to change, and presently I find that there has emerged a distinctly healthy acceptance of different social styles of living — except, of course, in cultures that live in constant and abject fear of divine retribution for infractions found in the various Holy Books… In another two decades, I’m confident that young people will find themselves in a vastly improved atmosphere of acceptance.

This declaration of mine was prompted just last week by seeing an excellent film — starring Sean Penn — that told the story of politician Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. I’m in excellent company: Barney Frank, Oscar Wilde, Stephen Fry, Ellen DeGeneres, Rachel Maddow, are just a few of those who were in my thoughts as I pressed the key that placed this on Swift and before the whole world….

Here is a link to the James Randi Educational Foundation Website for more info.

Historic Health Care Reform Passes!

Amazing! The Democrats grew a pair and actually passed the health care reform bill. It's not as comprehensive as I would have likes, and it dies not include a public option, but it will change the way health care is provided in this country and give coverage to millions of American's who cannot get it now.

Why is this important to me? Well I used to be one of those without health insurance. While I was freelancing I could not afford a policy that would cost over $1500 a month. Most American's couldn't either even if that had good jobs. The results of this bill will be keeping insurance companies from locking out individuals, and providing government assistance when people can't afford coverage. All good things.

The GOP was crushed last night. The passage of the reform bill hurt them worse than Obama's election. They will rave and rant on TV about how it will mean the end of Democracy, but in the end American's will grow to like the idea that they can get health care when they need it and all the Republican talking points won't matter if it gives them real results.

Now, the Democrats need to go out and do a good job selling this reform in the press and giving people the real facts of what it will do.

Meanwhile, when the Tea Baggers don't see any stormtroopers arriving at their doors to take away their insurance, they will find other causes to be angry about. What they are really mad about is that there is a black man in the White House, a fact that became evident in their cat calls and racial slurs at a recent staged rally in DC.