Part 2

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show#3265...

Interesting "latest predictions" by NOAA re: sunspot activity:

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/29may_noaaprediction.htm

Last year had a lot of months with record numbers of American casualties in Iraq. I presume that since our soldiers have moved out of the cities, there will be no more broken records. But the figures I'd like to see are the numbers of casualties per thousand soldiers deployed there. That would be a better measure of whether conditions are improving. And of course, I would like to see the same for Afghanistan.

A new front opens in the GOP's war on sanity!

I seem to recall that for many years it was American conservatives out there yearning for a message of personal responsibility to the nation's school children. Next Tuesday, President Obama says he wants to deliver exactly that, a televised address in classrooms that will "challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning." But now that the president is Obama, apparently conservatives don't want that message anymore. In fact, the chairman of the GOP in the 4th most populous state in America is calling Obama's address to the kids "socialist indoctrination."

I kid you not. In the interest of fairness and balance, I now bring you the entire unedited statement of Jim Greer, chairman of the Republican Party of Florida:

For Immediate Release Contact: Katie Gordon
September 1, 2009 (850) 339-7087

Greer Condemns Obama’s Attempt to Indoctrinate Students
Tallahassee – Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer today released the following statement condemning President Obama’s use of taxpayer dollars to indoctrinate America’s children to his socialist agenda.
“As the father of four children, I am absolutely appalled that taxpayer dollars are being used to spread President Obama’s socialist ideology. The idea that school children across our nation will be forced to watch the President justify his plans for government-run health care, banks, and automobile companies, increasing taxes on those who create jobs, and racking up more debt than any other President, is not only infuriating, but goes against beliefs of the majority of Americans, while bypassing American parents through an invasive abuse of power.
“While I support educating our children to respect both the office of the American President and the value of community service, I do not support using our children as tools to spread liberal propaganda. The address scheduled for September 8, 2009, does not allow for healthy debate on the President’s agenda, but rather obligates the youngest children in our public school system to agree with our President’s initiatives or be ostracized by their teachers and classmates.
“Public schools can’t teach children to speak out in support of the sanctity of human life or traditional marriage. President Obama and the Democrats wouldn’t dream of allowing prayer in school. Christmas Parties are now Holiday Parties. But, the Democrats have no problem going against the majority of American people and usurping the rights of parents by sending Pied Piper Obama into the American classroom.
The Democrats have clearly lost the battle to maintain control of the message this summer, so now that school is back in session, President Obama has turned to American’s children to spread his liberal lies, indoctrinating American’s youngest children before they have a chance to decide for themselves.”

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/

New bull, new bubble, new meltdown?
You can feel it in the air; Americans want a new bull and a new bubble to spice up the economy, and the government is cooperating. As usual, we'll pay for it later

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/New-bull-new-bubble...

Interesting Democracy Now segment today on

“American Casino”–Doc Investigates Roots of the Subprime Mortgage Meltdown and Tells the Stories of Its Victims

It can be watched or listened to at and a will be up in an hour or two.

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/9/2/american_casino_doc_investigates_ro...

At the tail-end of John Lott’s comments yesterday, he was of the opinion that employers should be allowed to hire anyone they want, and Thom acknowledged his “point.” While large companies are more apt to have diverse workforces out of practical necessity, small business owners dislike pressure to conform to equal opportunity employment mandates. Why? Not because they want the “best” people, but because since they work in a close environment, they want people they feel comfortable with on a social level, and that usually means people who look like themselves. Because of the difficulty in enforcing anti-discrimination laws against small businesses, this is the principle cause of the much higher unemployment rates among minorities.

This gives me the opportunity to relate an experience I had many years when I lived in Sacramento. I was working through a temp agency, and one day I was sent to a small business that engaged in advertisement piece work, simple stuff. At the end of the day, the supervisor called us all together, and started counting heads, beginning with the white women; when he finished counting all of them, he informed the rest of us that he didn’t require our services. I mused to myself that he had just picked-out his “harem.” While the rest of us--a dozen minorities and two older white men--were waiting for the supervisor to sign our time cards, I mulled over what had just transpired, and after I was done mulling I blurted out “You know, we need the work, too.”

The reaction to this was a mix of fear, horror and amusement--the latter mostly on my part. The supervisor’s expression suggested that he had just witnessed an ape talk, while the other temps, mouths agape, seemed bizarrely perturbed that anyone should be permitted the temerity to have an opinion about an ethically-challenged employer whose discriminatory actions effected them materially.

Thom! Talk about lousy branding! Can we call it something other than Cash for Geezers? Jeez, that rivals Public Option for lack of appeal. How about Senior Incentives, or Senior Choice...

If you live in Arizona, next summer could be rough. It might be good to find a summer job in 2010 farther north.

Quark,

I clicked the link you posted and couldn't quite decipher the data. Since you had posted it, I was hoping you could help me figure out what it meant for Oregon's three-month forecast.

I was trying to figure out from your link the long-term forecast for Northern Oregon. I'll have to take a bit more time with it.

I listen to your show most every day and if you’ve read my e-mails you know I totally agree with you, and I think you have a clear vision on almost every issue. That said, I agree with you on Afghanistan. It’s a mess – call it what you like – it could bring us down like it did to the USSR. We’ll have to see if Obama can preserve our country through this debacle.

Before 9 this morning you were talking with Carl and Christine, and I just hope that you realize that there is no quarter with the Christian Right. They will ALWAYS HATE YOU. POINT BLANK, PERIOD. They are your (our) enemies, by their own declaration, and they will always be the enemies of progressivism and liberalism. Don’t ever make the mistake that there is any way to make peace with these people. That is not in their world view. They are steeped in the rhetoric and ideology of Murdoch, and it’s only getting worse every day. I don’t watch Fox. I don’t get it on my TV, but I’ve watched videos on YouTube. The stuff I see is totally crazy talk, but people listen to this stuff and believe it.

From what I can see: we can never go back to the pre-Regan world of party cooperation, and bipartisanship. It’s just not possible. I do graphic design and I came across an old picture that I captured from my early work. It’s a picture of Bob Dole with a scowl on his face, with Newt standing behind him with an equally mean scowl. I had imposed a dialog balloon in the picture with Dole saying “if we can’t get our way the country can go to hell!”. That was 14 years ago! If people can’t understand this truth they need to go back over the insane history of the last 20 years in politics in this country. From the address by Newt to the empty house chamber questioning the patriotism of Democrats THEN – to today. Al Gore called it a political cold war. It continues today.

I talk to some of these far right Christians. I’m related to some of them, and they’re scared to death! They truly believe the lies coming out of Fox. They are addicted to that propaganda, and have literally been brainwashed by the rhetoric. The warped thinking, the polls with the warped methodology, and the constant barrage of lies has shaped these peoples minds – as if they were raised and schooled in a madrasa. Take heed, and be careful! Don’t think for a minute that you can ever have any meeting of minds, or peace with some of these people.

These guys we’re seeing at the public meetings with their guns – they’re trying to spread that intense fear that they feel themselves. That fear that’s been put into them by Fox and the NRA. The gun dealers are laughing all the way to the bank with the gouged profits they are making on these frightened people.