Motley Moose – Archive

A look at a cabaret singer who had style, fluency in several languages and a large repertoire of songs ….. but who was hard-wired for depression and took her own life, after the jump ….

In his recent essay, “On the Sabotage of Democracy” Bill Moyers, who I often think of as the conscience of America, calls out the forces who are trying to demolish democracy, and likens this shut-down to the time this nation was torn asunder by the Civil War.

Like the die-hards of the racist South a century and a half ago, who would destroy the union before giving up their slaves, so would these people burn down the place, sink the ship.

He is blunt in conclusion.

At least let’s name this for what it is, sabotage of the democratic process. Secession by another means. And let’s be clear about where such reckless ambition leads. As surely as night must follow day, the alternative to democracy is worse.

In the essay he calls out the lies told by Rep. Steve King, Fox and Friends, Rush Limbaugh, and hones in on Newt Gingrich, reminding us:

It was Newt Gingrich who twenty years ago spearheaded the right-wing’s virulent crusade against the norms of democratic government. As Speaker of the House he twice brought about shutdowns of the federal government once, believe it or not, because he felt snubbed after riding on Air Force One with President Clinton and had to leave by the backdoor.

It was also Newt Gingrich, speaker Gingrich, who was caught lying to congressional investigators looking into charges of his ethical wrongdoing. His colleagues voted overwhelmingly, 395 to 28, to reprimand him. Pressure from his own party then prompted him to resign.

Yet even after his flame out, even after his recent bizarre race for the presidency bankrolled with money from admiring oligarchs, even after new allegations about his secret fundraising for right-wing candidates, Gingrich remains the darling of a fawning amnesic media.

Thank you Bill Moyers.

And to those Teapublicans who do not remember history, perhaps you should think long and hard about who won that war, and the cost of it to us all.

Cross-posted to Daily Kos

  Make sure you let your peeps

  know where to find you!  

Interrogatories

Ladies: Could you/would you join the DAR? Men: Could you/would you join any fraternal organizations? Are you currently a member of any such thing?

Those of you who watch(ed) it, what’s your favorite Saturday Night Live skit?

It’s World Egg Day. What is your favorite use for eggs?

Have you ever been mistaken for someone else?

The Twitter Emitter

I want to know what these republicans invest in that they don't care about a credit default,

— kara vallow (@teenagesleuth) October 9, 2013

House GOP: Please, if you could just have the economy hold up today's newspaper, just so we know it's okay.

— pourmecoffee (@pourmecoffee) October 9, 2013

People sitting all day in meetings think you don't work hard enough.

— Chris Dashiell (@cdashiell) October 9, 2013

If I get food poisoning at Newark Airport, protocol is to tweet @CoryBooker, correct?

— jeremy scahill (@jeremyscahill) October 9, 2013

If two Nationwide customers are in an accident, who do they side with?

— Crutnacker (@Crutnacker) October 10, 2013

None of this bad news should prevent Ted Cruz winning the vital Ames Straw Poll.

— daveweigel (@daveweigel) October 10, 2013

Now we all know what tea looks like circling the drain.

— Suzanne Munshower (@expatina) October 10, 2013

Gov't must be like rape if the congressional body has ways of shutting the whole thing down.

— Elayne Boosler (@ElayneBoosler) October 10, 2013

Don't let anyone call you an "underachiever". If they knew you, they'd know how amazing it is that you've managed to accomplish anything.

— God (@TheTweetOfGod) October 10, 2013

Time for the GOP to remind voters that Obama once said “you didn’t build that.” #pivot

— daveweigel (@daveweigel) October 10, 2013

You can't stand up for Main St. when you're on all fours for Wall St. #teaparty #tcot #p2 #shutdown #gopshutdown #libcrib

— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) October 11, 2013

The NBC/WSJ post-shutdown poll released yesterday set the blogosphere abuzz. It turns out that a reckless disregard for the well being of those who depend on the federal government, coupled with a casual connection with reality about how the financial markets work, does not instill confidence in your party or your party’s leaders. Who could have anticipated that?

Science challenged House Republicans forget about “gravity”

Oh, just about everyone … in the reality-based world!

Good morning, Moosekind. TGIF! Don’t forget to let your peeps know where to find you.

The previous post looked at the economic history of the United States over the past two centuries. In that post, what stood out most was the fact that the economy of the United States has always been one of the strongest in the world.

There are three defining moments of American history after 1800, and this post will examine them. They are the Civil War, the Great Depression, and the Second World War. How did these events affect the economy?

More below.

AIDS Walk Austin is 10 days away, on Sunday the 20th. The Walk as a whole has raised about $84,000 of their $225,000 goal. Which is not close enough. Yeah, there’s still 10 days, and I’m no mathematician, but that’s a heck of a lot of money to raise per day.

This day, Friday, they have a challenge. If the Walk as a whole can raise $5,000 that will be matched. Come with me below the fold and I’ll tell you why you should donate.

** note: as usual, my film reviews are just my collected thoughts.  don’t expect Roger Ebert here (read: I swear a lot)…just sayin’ **

So, I went to an advanced screening of this film, “God Loves Uganda” tonight.  It was sponsored by Political Research Associates and shown at the SAIC.  I can’t remember how I found out about it…twitter, I suppose…but I’m glad that I did go.  There was a panel discussion afterward as well.  

There were some snacks and chatting beforehand, but I had a bout of social awkwardness and ate cookies off to the side and tooled around on tumblr, etc.  

The film is a documentary about how US evangelicals are shaping anti-gay hate in Uganda.  The film covers several aspects of the bill before the Ugandan parliament.

Posted at SexGenderBody’s tumblr

BREAKING NEWS Thursday, October 10, 2013 10:36 AM EDT

House Republicans Discuss Plan for Short-Term Increase in Debt Ceiling

House Republicans gathered Thursday morning to discuss a plan to lift the government’s statutory borrowing limit temporarily to allow for negotiations on a package of deficit reduction and tax reform proposals that could lead to a reopening of the government and an end to the threat of government default.

House Republican leaders jumped on the plan, presented on Wednesday by Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, chairman of the House Budget Committee. Meantime, a group of Republican senators has begun meeting with Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, to find a bipartisan solution to the twin fiscal impasses.

The senators are examining a year-long resolution funding the government at levels that reflect automatic spending cuts known as sequestration, but with added flexibility to help government agencies and departments deal with the tight budgets. The debt ceiling would also be raised.

READ MORE http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/11/us/politics/debt-limit-debate.html?emc=edit_na_20131010