Rex Tillerson Fired!

President Donald Trump announced today that he fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and will nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo to succeed him, replacing his top diplomat ahead of a potential high-stakes sitdown between the US President and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Tillerson's departure follows months of tension between him and Trump. Gina Haspel, the current CIA deputy director, stands to take over the agency.

They Punted, again.

Republicans and Democrats 'amazingly' pulled a last-minute deal out of their gigantic theatrical hat to prevent a government shutdown. A stopgap bill will keep the government open until next Thursday, at which point congress will vote on a budget agreement to cover the rest of fiscal 2011. Yes. They punted. Again. Remember, this homework assignment was due from the LAST CONGRESS, and has been kicked around, and is still being kicked around in this awful game of political football.

According to a joint statement released by House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the agreement “will cut $78.5 billion [Please note, this is only 2% of the federal budget] below the president’s 2011 budget proposal.” Furthermore, Planned Parenthood funding will remain in tact, but is expected to be voted on separately as part of the deal, along with health care reform repeal.

President Obama spoke before the Washington Monument, calling the cuts “painful,” but also praising them as historic. Well? Which one is it? Is it a turd in the hall or cake?

With the “dry run” over, all eyes now turn to the main event: Raising the debt ceiling. That'll be much more fun, and a lot less talked about.

The big loser here? The main stream media - what with their countdown clocks and the dripping with anticipation of a government shutdown. I have 18 pages of links to "The terrible effects on ____ if the government shuts down!" They must have the worst blue balls right now.

The winner? Mr. Speaker - he's won against the President, and Reid, and played to his Tea Party fringe base. What a hero.

Tea Bag Hat Thrown into Ring

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), a staunch conservative and the founder of the House Tea Party Caucus, will form a presidential exploratory committee in June. Maybe even sooner.

The 2012 GOP scorecard is beginning to fill up.

Bachmann was born in Iowa, where the first presidential caucuses will take place.

Pro-Tip of the Day

Pro Tip: Wait until you're done with the barber before you stab a guy.
A Connecticut man who was halfway through a haircut allegedly stabbed another man in the back with a pair of scissors, according to police.

David Davis, 20, was getting his hair done in a Stamford apartment this afternoon when the attack occurred. Davis, pictured in the above mug shot, was arrested for felony assault. He is currently jailed in lieu of $5000 bond.

The victim--who was not Davis’s barber--was transported to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries.

Thanks to ASH for the link

No, wait, are they serious?

UK Muslim cleric Anjem Choudary has called on Muslims to “rise to implement the Shari’ah in America,” starting with a planned demonstration in front of the White House.

Choudary’s “call for revolution” was being organized by Shariah4America, a group calling for the “Islamic demolition of the Statue of Liberty” and a remodeling of the White House into a “White Masjid.”

According to the group’s website, the Statue of Liberty “elevates the command of man over the command of God” and public veneration of the statue amounts to idol worship strictly prohibited by Islam.

“This has forced sincere Muslims to develop realistic plans that will aid in the removal of the Statue of Liberty. “Due to the scale of the task at hand, it is highly likely that rigorous safety checks will need to be employed before the demolition of the Statue of Liberty can commence; thus as a temporary measure, it is proposed that a large burkha is used to cover the statue, thereby shielding this horrendous eye sore from public view as well as sending a strong message to its French creators,” the site reads.

Now, I'm having a little trouble with all this -- First off, here's the trouble, I don't know where the gag starts or ends. The Islam site looks made up. Like a completely made up gag for use by Christians to bash Islam.... Or perhaps race baiters and folks who need news to keep talking about it. After all, I first found this because someone pointed me to it via Glen Beck's "The Blaze" -- which forced me to do a double take on that too, as I thought it was a poor Onion rip-off.

So now one has to ask the obvious question, who's crazier?

Wisconsin is Greece

Tens of thousands of state workers and their supporters have turned out at the Wisconsin State Capitol since Tuesday to protest the governor's proposal.

Walker wants to help shore up the state's projected two-year, $3.6 billion budget shortfall by increasing public employees' costs for pensions and health-care coverage. Firefighters and police are exempt from the measure.

In addition to eliminating collective-bargaining rights, the legislation also would make public workers pay half the costs of their pensions and at least 12.6 percent of their health care coverage - increases Walker calls "modest" compared with those in the private sector.

On Thursday, state Democratic senators left the Capitol to deny Republicans -- who control the state legislature -- a quorum to vote on the governor's bill. The bill is expected to pass. The same run-away-and-hide measure that the Texas Democrats used not that long ago.

Politico: The Politics of Education Upended

Question -at what point will it be enough? Will they just keep demanding more until there is a collapse - or a State bankruptcy? And if that happened, and they caused it, shouldn't they be the first to suffer? This isn't about the right to form a Union or to organize -- it's the plain and simple fact that there's no more money!

The funny part is, in the private sector - there's contraction. People lose their jobs. These people are on the streets demanding more. They're calling their Governor Mubarak and Hitler - so much for civility in politics, eh?

Well, on the bright side, the kids are getting a couple days off.

She hanged the dog from a tree and burned it to death for Chewing on the Bible

Authorities have charged a South Carolina woman with felony animal cruelty, saying she hanged her nephew's pit bull from a tree with an electrical cord and burned its body because the dog chewed on her Bible.

Animal control officers said Monday that 65-year-old Miriam Smith told them she killed a female dog named Diamond because it was a "devil dog" and she worried it could harm neighborhood children. Authorities said bond wasn't immediately set for Smith, who remains jailed in Spartanburg County after her weekend arrest.

Officials said she didn't have an attorney yet.

She faces 180 days to five years in prison if convicted.

Authorities say the remains of the dog were found under a pile of grass with part of an electrical cord around its neck.

Which leads me to believe this really was a Demon Dog!

Taco Bell; Not Meat - Rented Food

An Alabama law firm claims in a lawsuit that Taco Bell is using false advertising when it refers to using “seasoned ground beef” or “seasoned beef” in its products.

The meat mixture sold by Taco Bell restaurants contains binders and extenders and does not meet the minimum requirements set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be labeled as “beef,” according to the legal complaint.

Attorney Dee Miles said attorneys had Taco Bell’s “meat mixture” tested and found it contained less that 35 percent beef.

They're not looking for money - which surprised me... “We are asking that they stop saying that they are selling beef,” Miles said.

Taco Bell spokesman Rob Poetsch said the company denies that its advertising is misleading.

“Taco Bell prides itself on serving high quality Mexican inspired food with great value. We’re happy that the millions of customers we serve every week agree,” Poetsch said. He said the company would “vigorously defend the suit.”

He forgot to mention that the word 'food' in this context is also highly subjective. Much like Ex-Lax is considered 'chocolate.' But that's all in the colon of the beholder, isn't it?

The lawsuit says that Taco Bell’s “seasoned beef” contains other ingredients, including water, wheat oats, soy lecithin, maltodrextrin, anti-dusting agent and modified corn starch.

Atheist Murderer Billboard

Bizarre Christian Billboard Compares Atheism To Murder?

A group calling themselves "Answers in Genesis" recently took out a billboard in Texas depicting a young boy holding a gun.

Here’s how Answers in Genesis describes themselves:

An apologetics (i.e., Christianity-defending) ministry, dedicated to enabling Christians to defend their faith and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ effectively…we also desire to train others to develop a biblical worldview, and seek to expose the bankruptcy of evolutionary ideas, and its bedfellow, a “millions of years old” earth (and even older universe).

[..]Personally, I can’t believe they are implying that non-believers, or to whom God “doesn’t matter,” are going to take a gun and shoot someone in the face.

Striking yes; thoughtful, absolutely not.

Although supposedly their beef is with evolution, I don’t see how that point is conveyed with this picture. So, according to them, believing what Darwin had to say means a person is lawless and will go on a killing rampage?

Amazingly I have a problem with this. First, on a long list - is the name of this group of rabble rousers. "Answers in Genesis?" Really? That's your name? There are more questions than answers in this book of the bible... let's start with why chapter two directly and completely contradicts the first chapter!? They're obviously written by a different set of Rabbi's and about 100 years apart. If god created Adam and Eve together, but then in chapter 2 has to take a rib out of Adam to make Eve... hold on I'm confused. And what about Lilith? Fan fiction? And if Cain and Able are the only children of Adam and Eve, and one gets murdered --- WHA? Wait a second! It seems human life didn't mean much to the THIRD human... and he was LIVING during Genesis! He even TALKS to god!

I'm going out on a limb here - but God didn't mean much to Cain.

⁹Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"
"I know not," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?"

He even smarts off to the all mighty after committing the first homicide. Pretty ballsy.

So, idiots can put up a billboard and not be called hypocrites? Fine. Luckily, there are some other people on the internet who don't care for insane billboards. Here's one that I hope we can all raise money for and put up right next to the other one.

It's Over

MSNBC Says It Has Ended Keith Olbermann's Contract

In a statement, MSNBC said, "the last broadcast of 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' will be this evening."

Maybe he and Craig Kilborne can team up and do some wacky sports commentary?

Or maybe they can reboot the 80's power duo "Keith and Craig" - where they go around in a van solving crimes; dumpster diving.

I wonder if MSNBC fired him because of poor ratings or if they were just tired of him?

Crazy Trumps Political Rhetoric

A new USA Today/Gallup poll finds Americans dubious that the heated language used in politics today was a major factor that influenced the alleged gunman in last week's shootings in Tucson, Ariz. Twenty percent say such rhetoric was a major factor in the shootings, while 22% cite it as a minor factor; 42% say it was not a factor at all. Democrats are more likely than independents or Republicans to believe political debate played a role.

Amazingly...Gallup found almost identical responses in 2007, when Americans were asked whether stricter gun laws could have prevented the mass shootings on the campus of Virginia Tech.

Yet, why do we allow the 'leaders' to continue to use these events to change the rules for the rest of us? Like clamping down on illegal drugs, clamping down on illegal gun use seems to have a similar effect...

Next time a politician or a pundit mentions gun control - please feel free to bring up the big success on drug control. And to add salt to the wound - mention how prescription drugs kill 300% more people than street drugs do. The DEA and ATF should have a meeting to disband. Maybe they could use all that money to teach children in poor neighborhoods to read rather than pissing it away trying to stop guns and drugs? Nah, that's just too optimistic.

Daley 'Outsider' Back In

Chicago Machine In Full Gear

William Daley Will Be President's Chief of Staff, Officials Say

William M. Daley will become the next White House chief of staff, bringing an outsider's voice and decades of experience with business to the West Wing, officials said Thursday.

Currently a senior executive of the investment bank JPMorgan Chase, Mr. Daley was commerce secretary in the Clinton administration, and is currently a senior executive at JPMorgan Chase. He's also someone's brother...

President Obama make it official later today. Pete Rouse, the interim chief of staff and a longtime friend of the president's, will become a counselor to Mr. Obama, officials said.

Read the official version

Well, Change? Yeah, that went out the window when Obama picked Biden. I guess Change really meant, "Not Hillary."

Even if you CAN look past this Bill Daley is Richie Daley's brother -- I can't -- Another big banker is needed for more influence in the Obama Administration? And they're trying to sell Bill Daley as an outsider? What?! Are you being serious right now? That's as absurd as when George W. Bush AND John McCain tried that line. Bill Daley is the face of the Machine outside Cook County. He's up with Clinton and also Al Gore. He's about as much an outsider as much as the Washington Monument isn't in the Mall.

“This was a real mistake by the White House,” said Adam Green with BoldProgressives.org. “Bill Daley consistently urges the Democratic Party to pursue a corporate agenda that alienates both Independent and Democratic voters.”

If I were one of the people donating to Mr. Obama's campaign, not only would I not donate for his re-election on JUST THIS -- but I'd ask for a refund for the previous contribution.

The Man Who Saved ObamaTown

The parcel bomb that contained the high explosive PETN. Photo: AFP

Meet the Saudi Spy Who Saved Chicago

Al-Qaeda had a simple but deadly plan for the eve of the 2010 American elections. Two parcel bombs would explode in the cargo holds of two cargo aircraft descending into Chicago on the eve of the elections, demonstrating the terror group could still disrupt the international airline business and strike the American homeland in what al-Qaeda called “Obama’s city.” What al-Qaeda did not count on was a defector, a Saudi, who revealed the details of the plot to the Saudi intelligence services, who in turn passed the information to the Americans and other countries so the bombs could be stopped in England and Dubai before getting into the United States.

Read more ....

Please note - our collective luck is going to run out one of these days.

Black Friday Maddness!

Two years ago, a temporary employee working at a Wal-Mart in New York was killed when frenzied Black Friday shoppers trampled, and then suffocated him. A crowd of 2,000 shoppers stormed the locked doors of the store, broke through, injured the workers trying to hold the shoppers back and killing Jdimytai Damour. The subsequent OSHA investigation resulted in $7,000 fine to Wal-Mart because although there exists no OSHA standard on crowd control, employers have a general duty to provide a workplace free of recognized hazards that could cause serious injury or death, and, OSHA argued, Wal-Mart should have been aware of the hazards present in a riled-up, bargain-hungry crowd and should have provided adequate crowd control measures. They had created the mob, and then were unable to anticipate a mob - or then control that mob.

Wal-Mart has spent millions of dollars fighting the citation, arguing that this is an expansive reading of OSHA’s general duty clause. The case is currently before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC), and a decision is expected soon. Not in time for this Black Friday, though.

Retailers and the media actively whip up consumers with early store openings, “doorbuster deals” for the first customers, and news stories (and don't forget all that awesome free publicity on local and national news outlet) about people camping outside of stores days ahead. This atmosphere creates a deal-crazed mob that endangers employees and consumers. Recognizing this, OSHA has sent a letter to major retailers detailing security measures that they should take to avoid a similar tragedy. Suggestions include setting the waiting area back from the entrance to control entry, as well as including breaks and turns in the waiting line to avoid crowd swells and pushes from the rear. You may recognize this type of line from your bank or Disney World. OSHA also suggests removing carts and other instruments that could be used as a battering ram. Come on, people?

If you are planning to participate in Black Friday events, be safe, be respectful, and remember that it’s just a goddamned laptop. Why don't you morons who are whipped up into this murderous frenzy go and get some internet access? I casually found the Target Toy Story 3 DVD for the same price as the 'doorbuster' on Amazon. Triple bonus - not standing outside, waiting in line, or paying taxes.

Nothing to Fear, Citizen.

Government agent gets to second base by skipping first... and the movie and meal.

Breaker Morant

No Pardon For Executed Soldier Breaker Morant

Harry Breaker Morant's execution by firing squad remains one of the most controversial chapters in Australia's military history.

Britain Rejects Pardon For Executed Soldier Breaker Morant

The British government has rejected pleas to grant a royal pardon to Boer War soldier Harry Breaker Morant.

Earlier this year Commander James Unkles, an Australian military lawyer, and Nick Bleszynski, a Scottish-born writer, sent a petition to the Queen, calling for a review of the trials of Lieutenant Morant and his co-accused Peter Handcock and George Witton.

The trio were found guilty of the murder of 12 prisoners of war more than 100 years ago in South Africa. Despite arguing that they had simply been following orders, Morant and Handcock were executed by firing squad in Pretoria in 1902. Witton was sentenced to life in prison but was freed in 1904.

Read more ....

An example had to be made so that the Generals and their political masters could say that (on principle) they are/were against the execution of prisoners of war. Unfortunately for Harry Breaker Morant .... he was to be the example of this policy. Wrong place, wrong time, wrong everything.[Thanks War News Update]

Slots Vs Voting Machines

Kind of makes you think - and if it doesn't, please, THINK

washingtonpost.com > Nation

How To Steal an Election

It's easier to rig an electronic voting machine than a Las Vegas slot machine, says University of Pennsylvania visiting professor Steve Freeman. That's because Vegas slots are better monitored and regulated than America's voting machines, Freeman writes in a book out in July that argues, among other things, that President Bush may owe his 2004 win to an unfair vote count. We'll wait to read his book before making a judgment about that. But Freeman has assembled comparisons that suggest Americans protect their vices more than they guard their rights, according to data he presented at an October meeting of the American Statistical Association in Philadelphia.

AND A MASTERS DEGREE IN COMMUNICATION!!!

Minerva, Ohio councilman Phil Davison gives a memorable stump speech in pursuit of the Republican nomination for Stark County treasurer....

...and A MASTERS DEGREE IN COMMUNICATION!!!

Program Disruption

What in the name of good peer reviewed science is going on here?! The gunman who held up and threatened to blow up the Discovery Channel building today was pissed off about their programming?

Holy Spittin' Jebus. It's come to this?

It's not enough to change the channel? To seek out new documentaries? How's that internet working out, crazy guy? Not enough or too much Shark Week? Turns out, all that and a whole lot more of crazy on top.

Here's a photo of Discovery building hostage taker James Jay Lee protesting outside the channel’s HQ, circa February 2008. [photo: sss.]

Hey, folks at History Channel - Better step up your security!

Blasphemes: Now who can argue with that?

Has Jesus really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?