Six Word Saturday

Unemployment is still a big problem.

A jobless recovery is NO recovery.

Why isn't the President a Democrat?

Seriously. U6 has been above 16% for the greatest part of two full years, and what we get from Obama is TAX BREAKS. Defects the largest ever, and what we get from Obama is TAX BREAKS.

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Six Word Saturday

America more unequal than Egypt, Yemen.

And Tunisia, too, for that matter.

Sad truth.  Read all about it HERE.

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Six Word Saturday

Comcast In ---Olberman out -- Some coincidence.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Six Word Saturday

Let's Look at the Second Amendment.

Amendment Text

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

I've highlighted the first few words, and I don't think it's an accident that they appear at the beginning of the sentence.  The militia, quite explicitly indicated as a function of the State, and not the purview of crazed army-surplus maniacs who roam Michigan's thumb playing war-games with live ammo on weekends, is the sole purpose and justification for keeping and bearing arms.  This is not to say that they can't be used for other purposes, such as hunting, skeet shooting, or a peaceful afternoon at your local firing range - but it most definitely is to say that none of these things, or even all of these things en toto constitute any justification for gun ownership.

Lousy grammar aside, this ambiguous sentence has been the source of consternation for quite some time.  See this link for a scholarly look at some of the confusion it has generated, and Ed's post for some interesting discussion in comments.

One thing is clear to me in all this fog - the founding fathers, who, after all were a bunch of fallible humans trying to coerce and compromise their way into an acceptable document - had no particular reverence for a private right of gun ownership.  In fact, whether it even includes a private, rather than a State's right is moot.  The amendment is utilitarian, no matter how ambiguous is the actual utility.

Back to the portion of the text that I highlighted.  Focus on the words "well regulated."

If you can in any way construe this as indicating an absolute unfettered inalienable right to posses a Glock 9 with a 31 round clip and carry it to a political rally, I have a few things to say to you.

1) Your ability to read with comprehension is severely impaired.
2) Your fevered brain is ruled by ideology, not any rational thought process.
3) What in the Hell is the matter with you?

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Six Word Saturday 1/08

Things seem bad - and they are. 

(The longest Six Word Saturday EVER)

Things didn't actually get worse today. We just got a powerful indication of exactly how bad it is out there, and how much insanity is being promoted by the genuinely evil individuals and organizations who have co-opted American conservatism.   Evidently, Sarah Palin has taken down this graphic from her Sarahpac web site.   I was able to find it here, after seeing it on TV news today.  

The fourth name in the first column is Gabrielle Giffords, who was gunned down and seriously wounded today while attempting to address her constituents in broad daylight, in an incident that left, as of this writing, six other people dead, including Federal Judge John Roll and nine-year-old Christina Taylor Green, along with several others wounded.

You might think it hyperbolic of me to lay this event directly at the feet of Sarah Palin, and others in the far right who have used the symbols and rhetoric of armed violence to sway the opinions of the ignorant, stupid, and unstable.

You would be wrong.

That is from a campaign event promotion, which I found here via LGM.

Here are the words of Sharon Angle, who came close to defeating Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, in an interview with Right Wing radio host Lars Larson, as reported by Larson to Greg Sargent.

I'm not kidding. In an interview she gave to a right-wing talk show host, Angle approvingly quoted Thomas Jefferson saying it's good for a country to have a revolution every 20 years -- and said that if Congress keeps it up, people may find themselves resorting to "Second Amendment remedies."
What's more, the talk show host she spoke to tells me he doesn't have any doubt that she was floating the possibility of armed insurrection as a valid response if Congress continues along its current course.
Asked by the host, Lars Larson of Portland, Oregon, where she stands on Second Amendment issues, Angle replied:

You know, our Founding Fathers, they put that Second Amendment in there for a good reason and that was for the people to protect themselves against a tyrannical government. And in fact Thomas Jefferson said it's good for a country to have a revolution every 20 years.
I hope that's not where we're going, but, you know, if this Congress keeps going the way it is, people are really looking toward those Second Amendment remedies and saying my goodness what can we do to turn this country around? I'll tell you the first thing we need to do is take Harry Reid out.

Larson says Angle was floating the possibility of armed insurrection if Congress keeps it up under Reid et al.
"If it continues to do the things it's doing, I think she's leaving open that possibility," Larson said. "And I think the founders believed that the public should be able to do that when the government becomes out of control. It just matters what you define as going too far."
The most charitable interpretation here was that Angle was floating armed insurrection -- or "Second Amendment remedies" -- as a defensible response if electoral politics fails to change where things are headed under the current regime.

Click through for an audio clip of the quote.  Or here.

This is not an isolated incident.  Angle made a similar pronouncement to radio host Bill Manders.  This link also has an audio clip of Engel touting the possibility of  "2nd Amendment Remedies."

Do you know what had Engel prepared to support an armed revolution?  This, which Giffords voted for.

A brief rundown of the benefits of “Obamacare”:

• Children and adults with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied insurance
• Your insurance can’t drop you unless they can prove you committed fraud (before HCR, insurers would mysteriously cancel coverage for people who were diagnosed with illnesses like cancer)
• No lifetime limits or caps on health coverage
• Young adults will be allowed to stay on their parents’ insurance until they turn 26 (post-college grads under 26 represented one of the highest rates of uninsured people)
• Reviews on unreasonable insurance premium hikes
• Closed “donut hole” in Medicare, which will lift millions of elderly Americans out of poverty

The violent and  inflammatory rhetoric of Radio and TV host Glen Beck has already been implicated in a specific act of violence perpetrated by one of his listeners.

Here's "Armed and Dangerous" from Michelle Bachman.

If you want to get some background on today's shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, you can find it here.

This is what the blind hatred of the right has brought us to.  Evil, lying right wingers plant ideas of violence in the fevered brains of unstable individuals, and murder is what we reap.

More thoughts, from

Southern Beale

Asymptosis

Tom Tomorrow, via P6

Updates:

Tux

In comments at Naked Capitalism, C.C. from Tucson says this (quoted in full):

As a resident of Tucson with mutual friends of someone killed, this hits very close to home.
I hold complicit the justices of the Supreme Court who voted in favor of corporate power and special interests in overturning settled law by allowing unlimited monies from anonymous sources to promote their special interests via hysteria and misinformation.

Many citizens in Tucson remarked that the Arizona mid term elections had hit a new low of unintelligent discourse and degenerate tabloid absurdity funded with something like half a billion dollars flooding in from unknown domestic and international origins. Congresswoman Giffords was a frequent target.

And while I’m venting…our bankrupt state legislature spent their time on nonsense like enacting new gun laws where by anyone can carry a concealed weapon without any licensing or handling training into a bar or restaraunt or public area. I am sick of gun worshipping politicians who use inflammitory rhetoric like Sarah Palin to pander for sound bites like ‘don’t retreat, reload’ and with crosshair graphics over the photos of opposing politicians…..including Ms. Giffords!!

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Six Word Saturday 1/01

Happy New Year, My Virtual Friends!


Not a friend?  Be happy anyway! 

Maybe you'll try it Krugman's way. 

Or worse yet -- Hippy Nude Beer

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Six Word Saturday 12/25

Step son Tom is leaving Afghanistan!

Best Christmas present ever - for sure.

Trip home takes about a week.

Merry Christmas* to my electronic friends.

*Or Happy Holidays - you can chose. 

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Six Word Saturday 12/11

Erased Calendar - Having a quiet day!

('Cuz somtimes ya just gotta rest.)

Six Word Saturday 11/27

Kids went home -- house is quiet.

For reference, see yesterday's picture post.)

Nobody to play cars with me.

(See next scheduled Mellow Yellow Monday.)

Six Word Saturday 11/20

Michigan Football game today - GO BLUE!

And thanks to son-in-law Joe for the invite.

Six Word Saturday - 11/13

I'm feeling sad and morose today.

A life far too short

Ends in the depth of despair:

Winter is coming.

Six Word Saturday - 11/6

Falcon Freshmen win their Superbowl -- AGAIN!

Final: Falcons 35 - Orioles 12.

It's back-to-back Superbowl wins for the undefeated Falcons Freshmen (Grades 3 and 4.)

Can the JV and Varsity make it a repeat sweep?

UPDATE:  YES!  JV and Varsity both won.  It is a second straight Superbowl Falcons Sweep!

The Falcons did not score on this drive.  They turned the ball over on downs at the Falcons 2 yard line, then forced a safety on the next play.  The ensuing kick off from the Orioles 20 then led to a Falcons touch down

Team handshake after the game, including the cheerleaders.

Pix from my phone - not the greatest. Lo siento!

Six Word Saturday 10/30

Victoria Bitters Beer Bottle Symphony - Yeah!

H/T to the LW

For more  bottle hitting, see here.

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Six Word Saturday 10/23

It's a fact - grandchildren trump everything!

I turned down a chance to sub in a band playing live on local radio, because it conflicts with my grandsons' middle school band concert.  It was great opportunity, but the kids won - no contest.

Six Word Saturday 10/16

Fed twiddles thumbs while economy burns.

Six Word Saturday

Spending Time with Grandchildren this weekend.

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Six Word Saturday

Would you read what I write?

(I mean all my unpublished fiction.)

Six Word Saturday

Flowers in front of our house

Gerber Daisy

Vinca



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UPDATE:  Mystic asks about the back yard.  Nope - not many flowers there.  The back yard has a different purpose.


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Six Word Saturday 9/4

Performed Outside In High Wind - Yikes!

I've played outside at least 40 times.  I've had rain delays and rain cancellations, but never a wind like this, with gale-force gusts.

Even for a grizzled veteran like me, it was a challenge.   Some of the string players who have no outside experience were overwhelmed.

Still - we brought off a really good performance under very trying conditions.  Made me proud.

Six Word Saturday 8/14

I am SUCH a flat lander!

Having just spent a rather uncomfortable week in the MOUNTAINS.

Cf Cate's SWS: "this is supposed to be fun!"

I did have a good time, aside from being edgy.