Motley Moose – Archive

Twenty years after his death, here is a look at a noted TV actor, after the jump ….

Trying to top last Saturday-“Gun Day”-which the Texas House spent passing 12 firearms bills in a transparent effort to pander to the NRA, the 83rd TX Legislative Session has now protected the rights of professional Santas to visit children in public schools again. And I’m not even going to try to list the ridiculous antics of Texas Republican politicians here and in Washington, DC.

I applied for and have now accepted a Battleground Texas Summer Fellowship. Are you fed up enough to apply as well? To attend a 1 1/2 hour training to become a Volunteer Deputy Voter Registrar for your county? Or to call Democratic supporters to let them know about BGTX?

After traveling around the state and meeting with 3500 activists, Battleground Texas is now scheduling Volunteer Deputy Voter Registrar (VDVR) trainings in many counties. The Austin American-Statesman has published an excellent and lengthy update: Battleground Texas wraps up 1st phase; now hard part begins:

“Texans are so excited, it’s unlike anything I’ve seen before,” said Battleground Texas’ executive director, Jenn Brown, the 31-year-old community organizer from Southern California who ran Obama’s field operation in indispensable Ohio in 2012. “Texans are ready. It’s time.”

Sixty-five years ago today, in a dusty south Texas town, our friend and colleague, Nurse Kelley (aka KelleyRN2) was born.

It was sooooooooo long ago, that there is no photographic evidence of the event but we think it went something like this.

Interrogatories

Do you have good diplomatic skills?

Do you care at all, in the present, about fashion?

Did you care about it at all in the past?

Are you a good swimmer? Do you enjoy it?

Are you a good judge of character? Do you think such things can be judged via the Internet?

The Twitter Emitter

“Happy Nat. Teacher Appreciation Week! We’ll let you know if you’re cut, demoted, or eliminated before Friday. Sincerely, Tom Corbett.”

— Andrew Gatto (@AndrewGatto) May 9, 2013

The media is there so that we can despise something even more than Congress.

— Chris Dashiell (@cdashiell) May 9, 2013

Being from Iowa gives Chuck Grassley a unique perspective on immigration.

— Chris Dashiell (@cdashiell) May 9, 2013

I’m instituting a paywall to keep Politico away from me. $8.99 a month or I don’t read an article.

— David Dayen (@ddayen) May 9, 2013

I live in Manhattan which means i have to go to Florida if I want to hear a New York accent.

— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) May 9, 2013

You know those bounce houses at street fairs? In TX they’re required to carry more liability insurance than the West Fertilizer plant had.

— Christopher Hayes (@chrislhayes) May 9, 2013

#Benghazi is similar to the climate crisis like so: whatever conservatives don’t understand is automatically assumed to be a hoax or coverup

— Bob Cesca (@bobcesca_go) May 9, 2013

Heritage Foundation President Jim DeMint denies allegations that the phrase “Heritage Foundation President Jim DeMint” is inherently racist

— The Daily Edge (@TheDailyEdge) May 9, 2013

Every generation before and after me are horrible people who ruined the country.

— kara vallow (@teenagesleuth) May 9, 2013

People opposed to same-sex marriages tend to be trapped in lame-sex marriages.

— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) May 9, 2013

I was quoted today in The Wall Street journal saying that pay walls are bad. I would share it, but it’s behind a pay wall. #truestory

— Hank Green (@hankgreen) May 10, 2013

I don’t understand the logic of thanking God for returning the kidnapped women and not blaming him for ignoring their pain for 10 years.

— Jean Esselink (@Uncucumbered) May 10, 2013

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

This post will look at the demographics of America’s governors and compare them to the demographics of America itself. It will specifically examine gender and race, which are easy to determine. I would add other factors, such as income, age, or area of birth – but these factors are a lot harder to find and work with.

A future post will examine how political party plays into this.

More below.

I was watching the Minnesota House of Representatives debate their Marriage Equality bill, and it passed!  75 Yeas to 59 Nays.  The Minnesota Senate is expected to take up the bill on Monday, and from everything I’ve read it’s expected to pass there.  Governor Mark Dayton has said he will sign the bill when it passes.  Minnesota would become the 12th State (13th jurisdiction) to legalize marriage equality.  The tide is definitely turning.

It has been more than twenty years since the first Gulf War hauled awareness of the Arab world across the screens of American homes. An entire generation has been born and grown in that time. The Internet has gone from being a dark den of techno-academics to the utility of knowledge defining civilized existence.

Twenty years ago it may have been true that force was the only way to deal with geopolitical threats like Saddam Hussein. Ten years ago it may have been true that force was the only way to deal with festering extremist threats like Al Qaeda. But today we live in a world where we can attack the very soil that violent intolerance and extremism rise from. We can rob it the pestilential conditions it needs by encouraging environmental conditions where opportunities provide hope to the Millenials who are preparing to take over from their Cold War parents.

Events of the past decade – and the past month – have shown the limits of kinetic tools in combating violent extremism. The time has come to drain the swamp with infrastructure rather than explosives.

Interrogatories

Have you ever worked in an unsafe workplace? Were you able to do anything about it?

It’s National Lost Sock Memorial Day. This is what you get for taking off your socks yesterday on No Socks Day. Do you know where your socks are?

It’s National Train Day. Are you a train fan, and have you had any memorable train trips?

If it’s butterscotch, is it really a brownie?

The Twitter Emitter

If I had my druthers, I’d have someone explain to me what ‘druthers’ are.

— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) May 8, 2013

Why do news orgs say Mark Sanford won “redemption”? He won a seat in congress. Redemption is something else.

— Scott Simon (@nprscottsimon) May 8, 2013

.@meghanmccain “When a woman sleeps around, she’s a slut. When a man sleeps around, elect him to Congress.” -RaisingOneBrow #SouthCarolina

— Highly scatological (@RaisingOneBrow) May 8, 2013

This #benghazi information is explosive new information for people who have never seen a newspaper before

— United Liberals(@UnitedLiberals) May 8, 2013

It’s very clear that if we had a black Dem president on 9/11/2001 the GOP would have impeached the president w/in days of the tragic event.

— SportsGirl101 (@Arianna8927) May 8, 2013

This is all going to lead back to Whitewater. You can just feel it. #BENGHAZI

— Kaili Joy Gray (@KailiJoy) May 8, 2013

I will follow you around sometimes because I don’t feel you should be left unsupervised.

— The Fucking Cat(@TheFuckingCat) May 8, 2013

The same people who criticize #CharlesRamsey for not being polished enough are the same damn suckas who wouldnt do what he did for the girls

— Arrogant Demon (@ArrogantDemon) May 8, 2013

Scientists still can’t decide if insane people own multiple cats or if owning multiple cats makes people insane.

— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) May 8, 2013

So remember, America, before you do a good deed: do you want your past mistakes to be national news? Play it safe. Do nothing.

— Jeff Fecke (@jkfecke) May 8, 2013

  Make sure you let your peeps know where to find you!