Money can't buy Academic integrity

Money can't buy academic integrity, but Charles G. Koch can buy veto rights to hiring academic staff at Florida State University.

It could hardly be more fascist a corporation having so much control in a state institution. Except perhaps if CGK were to become president of FSU, but he won't do that it is too much of a time commitment, so instead he has minions do hiring and firing at FSU economics department.

This is an obvious and blatant attempt to buy credibility for views favourable to Koch Industries and Corporations in general thus giving fascist friendly propaganda the appearance of Independent support.

See Also:
    Raw Story

Fox's "war on Christmas" is bogus?

While Americans Atheists just want Christmas to keep a minimum safe distance from government, nd over the years Fox has made outrgeous statements concerning attempts to religous observances out of government sphere, including Bill O'Reilly's "Christianity is not a religion" and this year Megyn Kelly's "Jesus and Santa are just white", ignoring that Jesus would have been an olive skinned Semite, and Santa a Turk.
It turns out there really are people who would enjoin people from saying Merry Christmas and here is one of them.




Since Muslims also believe in the Christ figure as a prophet they qualify as Christian in a loose sense. so like Fox the only people fighting the war on Christmas are Christians or at the least the religious.

Spaghetti Bolognas is a beautiful Pastafarian sacrament, Ice cream is a nice desert, if you mix them, you ruin both.

Please help save Pastamas from the professors of satirical religion at Fox news.
May you be touched by his noodley appendage. Ramen!
Merry Pastamas!

Big Russian Bear just playing?

OK, so earlier this year 30 peaceful Greenpeace activists were arrested by shot firing, knife wielding security forces, charged with piracy, and were locked up for months while the court determined that the piracy charges were bogus, and new charges were laid for hooliganism, which lacking any element of hate would also be determined to be bogus, as the Russian Supreme Court has already ruled in the case of Pussy Riot.

There is only one hitch, the court may not get to make that determination, because the Arctic 30 have been included in an amnesty bill along with Pussy Riot. Pussy Riot may be home for Pastamas. Arctic 30 given the limitations of travel arrangements made be home for New Year.

So this is good news His Noodliness has tugged on the Russians to remind them of his complex carbohydrate goodness and that he values being nice to people who disagree with them.

It's not like the arctic 30 or pussy riot need amnesty, they did not break any laws. The Amnesty gambit is like an excise in saving face, after all it is one to be a fool before the Flying Spaghetti Monster (sauce be upon him), quite another to be misanthropic for the FSM really doesn't like that, it hurts his beer buzz. None the less, they have earned a place at the beer volcano, today.

Australia coal: an insecure investment

A new study from Oxford University, indicates that much of Australia's coal reserves will become stranded assets.
On the back of environmental concerns China is set to eventually move away from coal, leaving perhaps 2/3 of Australia's coal reserves untouched by 2050.
This comes after New Zealand's Solid Energy a state owned coal producer went belly up on the back of weak international coal prices and unrealistic dividend demands from the New Zealand government.
The new Oxford report calls in to question the wisdom of new mining expansions and coal port projects.
One project of particular environmental concern is a coal port expansion project off Abbott Point, Queensland set to make the port the largest in the world. Located near great Barrier Reef, this project has raised concerns that it will add even more pressure to an already under stress natural treasure.

Perhaps what we are seeing here is a desperate and delusional industry driving a credulous government ready to believe any business is good business. Well, Rio Tinto are not fooled. they're divesting over AU$3b from coal production.
The carbon bubble is coming, China is moving away from coal on the back of localised environmental concerns already. Coal fired energy production is causing acid rain in China and Japan while Shanghai plants turn the colour of the Tokyo sky. These are the most innocuous effects compared to the destabilization of the climate.
The carbon bubble offers perhaps the best business reason for divestment, a close second is perhaps the rapidly growing divestment movement of 350.org. Universities, churches and cities around the world are making the choice to divest from extractive carbon industries. So to add to weak demand for coal and other extracted carbon, the extractive industry is going to find financing a tougher market in which to raise capital investment funds.

See also
   Sydney Morning Herald
   Carbon Tracker
   The Gardian GBR under threat from coal port expansion

Fox News' War on Pastamass rides again, with casualties

This week Megyn Kelly made the preposterous claim the gift giver of the annual solstice is an elderly obese Caucasian male who flies a magical sleigh towed by magical reindeer capable of overcoming mythical gravity.

Her comments were so embarrassing she was asked to give the following night a miss on her own show. Clearly mainstream Pastafarians should not have to put up with such ignorant comments, even from a comedian, like Ms Kelly. She returned after her one day sabatical, apollogetic, barely.

What Ms Kelly clearly does not understand is that gravity is just a theory and no magic reindeer are required to overcome it.  All you need is the cooperation of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

She also fails to understand that an elderly some centuries old could not possibly be fit enough to visit every country in 24 days , let alone 24 hours. And the guy she picked hasn't done a lick of track-work in a century, and clearly pigs out at every stop.

These new Christians are deluding themselves they will use any excuse they can to deny the Flying Spaghetti Monster a place in their emotionless hearts. They arrogantly profess to know the truth and yet the deny the Flying Spaghetti Monster and all his complex carbohydrates goodness. You would think should be more greatful to he who boiled for their din-dins.

The Truth(tm) as we Pastafarians  have always known it for centuries is that the Flying Spaghetti Monster delivers toys to good little cabin boys and bar wenches, and he doesn't need gimmicks to do it, he flies and has noodley appendages, everything a FSM needs deliver toys to three billion trainee crew.

Thankfully we don't have to rely on artistic impressions of our noodley saviour, being a bit of a whore for the camera's attention he generously provides us with many opportunities to see his noddliness on a regular basis. And Clearly not Caucasian.

Here he is in New Zealand Summer 2011, checking to see if John Key had followed his advice and not run in the election earlier that year. His Noodliness is reported to have  been "most disappointed".

In 2012, visiting Rome, he suggest Pope Benedict should get some rest. His Noodliness is reportedly "very pleased" that they accepted his advice.

In 2010, he visited mecca to ask if the would "Please stop beheading people who don't believe in me, it's not nice. I don't require them to believe in me, It is just nice if they do and beheading them kinda ruins my beer buzz. So please, will you stop?" Shortly after a mob came at him with machetes. He later commented "It's a good thing am the Flying Spaghetti Monster. They seem to have lost the whole point of what I'm trying to do with this world, ... and that's party. I don't know Cthulhu had anything to do with their behaviour, but it looks suspicious."

See Also
    Media Matters

NZ Census:Religion declining faster, Christianity deposed

According to the 2013 census taken in March, New Zealanders are losing their religion even faster. With the non-religious now numbering 41%.

Christianity is no longer the "majority view". That claim was once made by lobbying groups and political parties, laughable as was give the diversity of opinion on social and political issues among New Zealand Christians from liberal Presbyterians and Anglicans to conservative billboard-slashing Catholics and cultist Exclusive Brethren and Jehovah's Witnesses.

The news is being celebrated by Humanist, atheist and secular groups. The news is of special concern to the Secular Education Network an association of parents concerned about the attempts to indoctrinate of their children against their wishes through an opt out system and inadequate notification, and neglectful handling of children who have been excluded from religious instruction. An example of this treatment is of a 7 year old made to sit in the timeout corner, normally used for children who are disrupting class.

See also
    The NZ Herald

The Brick

A friend described my blog as "almost poetic" in it's criticism of right wing politics. I figure why almost, lets go full on poetic.

So, this morning enchanted with the idea of  how we are all connected through economy, and how too many of us struggle for basic needs while a few sit in arrogant judgement of "poor choices" "free loaders" and "welfare queens". I found something that clearly shows another way of thinking. Thomas Paine observed that Native Americans did not know poverty until the Europeans turned up. But more importantly economics does not judge, nor does the brick.

The brick was made to build a civilization.

It lays by it's fellows and together they hold strong,

supporting each other for the defence of what lies within,

bravely standing against wind and the rain,

having no concern for profit or how much money it will have at the end of the day.

They do not look down on each other.

They don't libel unemployed bricks as drug addicts or lazy.

A brick does not scheme to exploit lower bricks.

High bricks only reach their giddy heights by the support of lower bricks

High brick do not judge low bricks.

Can we build our society like bricks, we we do not judge each other,

where we raise each other up instead of tearing each other down.

Can we learn to share our wealth?

can we understand that giving away riches allow them to return multiplied?

People were made to build a society. Just as the brick was made to build a civilisation.

Shall we come together like bricks and build a structure to weather the elements?

Discarded bricks make break, they may build a new piled structure,
and again they will support each other.
They may move, and give each other room,
and they may smash down an old order and create a new.
The more discarded bricks there are, the greater the peril and the need to change.

No popular movement has ever failed once 3.5% of the population support it. Get informed, get out there, get active. Save capitalism and democracy from the fascists.
While I am a progressive, I'm mainly a pragmatist, capitalism is a useful tool in economics, but pure capitalism is a nightmarish  horror show that make Resident Evil pale in comparison, and we can the failures of more ideologically driven capitalism in many advanced economies. If governments do not account for the social well being of it citizens, they doom themselves to replacement by revolution at the polling booth or other means.

See also
    movetoamend.org
    wolf-pac.com

Dear Westpac

Today I'm writing to Westpac Zealand Limited, to let them know they Things they are doing are losing them business, my business.
I'm not he only one hundreds of Wespac NZ customer wrote them this week. to seend a clear that their investment int the Coal mining company that is about mine a world heritage site with unique species is unacceptable to its customers.
In my case is is not the only issue that makes them less than ideal to deal with, so as soon as I don't have to, I wont.

6 December 2013

Attn: Peter Clare - Chief Executive Officer

Westpac New Zealand Limited
Level 1, 16 Takutai Square
Britomart
Auckland

Dear Peter,

    having banked with Westpac New Zealand Ltd for over 20years, and enjoyed low fees Elect account. And a consistent and reliable service, Over time I have myself being increasingly troubled by features of the bank are somewhat less attractive.

1. Funding of catastrophic climate change investment invest in old-carbon extractive industry projects. Including but not limited to proposed Denniston Plateau which appears to me be a worthy natural world heritage site.
2. The extraction of Billions dollars of New Zealand's money supply expatriated to offshore parent companies.
3. Not allowing customers like myself to choose a higher minimum payment rate on our credit cards and not allowing me to shift to a cheaper credit card product without first changing banks.
4. I also share the concerns of many that certain large banks exploit derivatives markets, to the cost of the productive economy on which the vast majority depend for their livelihood and any hope of a descent life in which people can meet basic needs of food and accommodation, educate themselves and their children, enjoy leisure time, save for retirement and contribute to their communities.

At this, point I no longer feel that I want to continue doing business with Westpac any longer than I have to. At this point that period appears to be at most year, after that you may not see my account for dust.

Yours sincerely,

A Concerned Customer

UPDATE 7 Dec 2013

It appears Westpac may be missing the message here. I found this at the Newtown branch office in Wellington. Seriously Westpac, what I many others have been saying over the last week is don't be evil. At least Google knows "don't be evil" is a good idea enough to at least say it, even if they ignore it by joining the American Legislative Exchange Counsel (speed dating for corporations who want to game the system and legislators who want to let them).

How scroogenomics is destroying capitalism.

The modern Scrooge character is very different to the Scrooge of Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Not only is the 21st century Scrooge a grudging employer paying only what is required by law (if that), but also holds clients and customers in smug contempt for not realizing he's conning them he may well also be a clinical psychopath or sociopath.

His definition of a successful economy is fairly narrow by many standards, to him it is one that makes him even more obscenely wealthy than he already is. When asked about others his response is "I want my fair share, and that's all of it."

We should all be familiar with how Dickens' Scrooge was a grudging employer to Bob Cratchet. Today we have the Wall Mart Heirs, who instead of spending US$7billion dollars to raise their workforce out of poverty bought stocks in their own company to boost the share price. They didn't even use revenues to do it. the made US$17b in revenues last year, and could easily have raised all associates wages by over US$5/hr. Saving the US tax payer US$1.2b in public assistance.  Walmart did arrange a sort of swap meet, so that associates who were struggling for thanksgiving could get a little extra. Which might sound good to some, but letting other people be generous on your behalf is no more than an abdication of your own responsibility to act as a decent human being or ethical employer. If corporations are people according to the Supreme Court judgement, then some corporations can be cheapskate assholes of dubious lineage and infect with the pox. As I write SCOTUS is considering whether corporations can have a religion. If so, does this mean pagan corporations get to sacrifice virgins to their volcano Gods?

The race the to bottom for wages and prices is a loosing game for everyone. Like a room full of people where everyone has a gun and an unlimited supply of ammunition. Any can shoot in any direction if you get shot, you must shoot twice, since every one is blind folded, the game only ends when the last person standing has no one to play with.

As wages are driven down, for example by big box retailers, they starve competition and other community enterprises of custom and of business. But they also starve manufacturers of demand because of the suppress wages in the retail sector and fewer retail workers can to buy manufactured goods as often. Primary producers are also affected as wage become so low worker struggle to put food on the table. Manufacturers and producers are forced to raise price or reduce their employment costs either by paying less or laying off staff, sometimes they sell of plant and equipment, and in some cases shut down all together. This can become a positive feed back loop. Fewer goods at lower prices in a market with reduced liquidity, further reduces liquidity as manufacturing and production workers join the ranks of the un(der)employed, further reducing liquidity, and suppressing retail activity until the bankster has no one to play with. To how these low wage employers hurt non-competition. A big box hardware will hurt cinema business, because none of it's staff can afford a night at the movies or a restaurant meal if disposable income is $2.74/week. Smaller competitor retailers are forced to lower prices, and pay for that in reduction of and or wages. Or they close up shop and get work out of town or in a big box retailer.

The economics of big box retailers, are sensitive to factors that are different to small retailer models, because the operate on smaller margins, market shifts make them more fragile. As consumers we can take advantage of that, and push them to do the right thing, and we may even get a better bargin in the process. Costco for example pays a living wage, and offers most of its workers a quality health plan, while many of the remainder get a $500 cheque for buying their own health plan. Support these guys and other ethical employeers sends a message, that the market will not accept starvation offered by a greedy few. CostCo is also cheaper than Walmart. You may find bulk purchasing difficult, so get together with friends or form a community to shop and swap. Shop at the big box, and divide and swap portions purchase among yourselves, you may be to on sell some items on ebay.

Another Black Friday has just rolled by leaving 4 dead and 67 injuries. perhaps this indicates a desperation born of thirty of race-to-bottom corporate strategy, or hyper consumerism. Either way there has to be a better way than for corporations to act like douces and blame the victims when it all goes belly up.

It was once a requirement that corporate charters included the responsibility to offer a public good. Bring back that requirement would almost see and end to corporate psychopathy(see The Corporation - a documentary that uses the DSM IV to diagnose corporate behaviour). That required was removed in the first half of the the 20th century. Since then corporate ethics in the US have been on a downward slide, which lately appears to be very well greased with a mixture of crude oil from the Gulf of Mexico and "produced" water from the Pennsylvanian Fracking fields. But that is a another story

More money for fat assed public sector bosses?

New Zealand: Public sector bosses earning NZ$600k have been tipped to dig even deeper into the public purse.

I'm sorry guys you are working for a government that more than doubled government debt in just 5years, thus allowing banksters to main line off the the tax payer, and now you tell me you want your cut too?! Um yeah, get back to me after you have lost 17kg because you can't afford enough food to eat.

While you are asking for more, ask for some on behalf of those who struggle to put food on the table.

USA had a brilliant scheme, until the unchristian God bothering GOP killed it in Congress, which put food on tables and money in the hands of primary producers.  Called the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Programme, it put about NZ$7 worth of food per day with in reach of qualified beneficiaries, - working poor, unemployed, the elderly on low incomes.

It is a market idea not even our right wing can argue against, Except maybe Act or the conservatives - the closest things we have to a tea party. Those freaks would amputate their legs at the knees if they thought they could make a profit out of it.

As an example of what I mean here, to avoid discriminating against same sex couples in spousal benefits for National Guard Service a Oklahoma's Governor has cut all spousal benefits for National Guard Service in her state.

Nuts in our political greenhouse

Politicians can be the best argument for increased spending on mental health beds. Only partly on their insistence that such spending should be reduced. Recently the US has seen another tragedy, after a  man who was clearly unwell, was sent way from a mental health facility only because they did not have a bed for him days later he kills his family. New Zealand did have a similar incident.

Locally the push for old carbon energy is a loser. History is against it, the science is against an yet Gerry Brownlee considers anthropogenic climate change to be and "interesting proposition". That despite the science drawing a unanimous agreement from the IPCC - a political institutional that historically has struggled to get all of its members to acknowledge that climate change was even happening as factions influence by money and large commercial special interests lobbied them into making farcical claims of denial.

Colin Craig, our clown political pimp of buffoonary, Blames cosmic rays and sun spots, and can't rule out chem trails, seems to be happy to surround himself with those who've fallen for this barking mad hypothesis. Craig also seems to want Auckland's kids to start vege gardens in their high rise apartments, after suggesting that all children be taught how to grow their own vegetables.

That Craig surrounds himself with credulous idiots, is really nothing new. It's how America's Republican party works, they go to special interest groups like the pro-lifers and say "If you defend rights of microscopic goo, you might be a Republican" and to anti-gay group they say "If hate when gay people get the same right to marry and be as happy or miserable as you, then you might be a Republican." To fiscal conservative "If you hate paying to feed people in a low wage economy - you're definitely a Republican." And so we have the same behaviour here. Ultimately they don't really care about these issues, they only care for the votes pretending to care gets them, because the only thing they really care about is cutting a better deal for big top heavy business. Nature has a way of dealing with top heavy organism, remember the dinosaurs. They fell to climate change, economic environments change too, and there is an economic ice age coming. This is because the fundamentals have not changed since 2008. The Dodd-Frank act, the replacement for Glass-Steagall, has been passed but no appropriations bills have been passed to fund regulating the Banking industry. So the banksters, are ripping the system same as ever, and a new crash is coming, the only upside is reduced economic activity will hurt CO2 pollution. 2008 will be a cake walk by comparison.

See Also
Stuff -pay them more
Scoop - Hot air in beehive driving climate change.
Slate - OK Gov: if queers get paid, nobody gets paid.
RadioLive - Coiln Craig: "I don't know" on chemtrails
Stuff - Conservatives: crazy or credible, Grow yer own

Russian Court ruling: Release the Arctic 30 and the Arctic Sunrise

Its official! The Russian government is to release 29 of the 30 protesters who stood against oil drilling in environmentally sensitive Arctic waters. That is the ruling of the Kalininsky District Court in St. Petersburg, which ruled that they must be release on bail. Releases started Monday.

Unfortunately, Colin Russell, remains in custody, as his pretrial detention has been extended to Feb 24th. His lawyers will appeal.

Ultimately, it seems like there is little legal basis hold any of the protesters for their act of civil disobedience.

Certainly the Russian forces use of fire arms was over the top. Shooting at activists attempting the board the drilling platform for talks.

The message is clear free the Arctic 30, and lock up carbon. Life on Earth depends on it.

See
 RT
 Independant

Ken Cuccinelli's new War

Undeterred after Virginia's Supreme court struck down his anti sodomy law Ken Cuccinelli is stepping up his gubernatorial campaign with new "family values" plans. While speaking to a donor's meeting "there is genocide being practised in our universities!" He continued "It goes by various euphemisms, but perhaps the most prosaic is 'whackng off' because it tells of the dismissive attitude to the victims. College students are killing billions every night in the the dorm rooms of our state and across America. I propose to put an end to it."  This is not just idle rhetoric of a man hoping to been in charge of a Southern state, Cuccinelli has a plan. " I propose that that once I'm elected governor of this great state I will build a task force drawing expertese from S.W.A.T, Specials forces and Navy Seals. They will storm dorm rooms fully equipped with the latest in army surplus equipment."

When a reported asked about the plan "Is this plan just more big government?". Cuccinelli responded "This is genocide in our community it must be stopped the bible says so, if we have to delay our anarchist Utopia, a few months it will be worth it."  An MSNBC reporter queried civil liberties  aspects of the plan. Cuccenelli's response was dismissive "I'm sick of ACLU types interfering in the implementation of biblical law in this country. My team is gathering a rock pile and we  shall be able to address that problem too. Where are also looking for people with good throwing arms."

See also
    NBC - WI, pregnant woman shackled

Dear Oprah

We atheists get awe, we always got awe, our experience is as diverse and rich as any other people. It is full of the simultaneous beauty, hideousness, complexity, simplicity, horror, the vast macro scale, the intricate and counter intuitive nanoscale, and everyday midi scale with human nurturing, care, and cruelty, insanity, humour and consideration of our experience is the human experience.

It needs no gods, no ancient writings of savage civilizations, no poetically twisted language of science offered to sell books.

Humans are by nature emotional creatures, it was true yesterday, it is true today and it will be true tomorrow. We are also capable of reason and through reason we find no evidence of god in the traditional sense. Powerful and profound emotional experiences are just that. They can be beautiful uplifting or devastating. If they happen to be the former there is no reason to call them God, it simply demonstrates that the word does not mean what you think it means. The word god has  meaning referring to an all knowing superpower so what ever you call awe, be it yugen or amazement or joie de vivre, the one thing it is not is god. If you are going to torture the English language, have the decency to do it out of public view, like the CIA.

And while your at it knock off the "The Secret" stuff. because when things don't work out like people hope it just leaves them frustrated and depressed and being led to believe that there lives suck because they haven't a strong enough imagination to overcome their reality which is that trickle down economics is a scam designed to extract money from the working poor an middle class and give it to the rich.

Traditionally the word soul referred to living person there was no supernatural element to this word until the Catholics started chewing on their own dictionaries and the lead in the ink affect their brains. It was all good though it filled the coffers nicely. All the priests had to say was "Nice soul you have their, wouldn't want anything to happen to it." And the gullible and poorly educated peasants would respond to this empty threat, and fill the golden platter with contribution for the godfather tithe to the church. Like the traditional concept of God, the concept of the eternal or extra-corporeal soul has no evidential support.

Props to Diana Nyad for being straight up and showing that people don't need god to be extraordinary.



In case you were still wondering what Atheism is, Take 5 minutes to let Bill Maher explain it to you...

While the children were playing in Congress.

While the children were playing in Congress, the grown ups were working in labs...

Simon Bridges spazzes out on Campbell Live

Minister for Energy and Resources, and Associate Minister for Climate change issues, (seems like a conflict of interest to me) appeared on Campbell Live and proceeded to have a tantrum worthy of  guano psychotic Michelle Bachman. the only thing he didn't say was  "'Maranatha Come Lord Jesus, His day is at hand, '"

See the interview here

Simon Bridges seemed out of his depth, like many in the Tea Party, spouting talking points that barely if at all address any questions or issues raised. He also seem to be trying to win the conversation by simply talking louder and oer John Campbell. John did call Bridges out, clearly a little exasperated, in the most professional way for this nonsense, but Bridges continued. Continuing to demonstrate a disregard for facts not seen in New Zealand politics outside of case resulting in fraud trials. Bridges tactics were a brilliant demonstration of handwaving, that should be study by boy scouts aiming for the semaphore badges. Brilliant also how John pressed to admit that drilling would be in waters twice as deep any other drilled in NZ waters to date. They effort Bridges put into avoiding making this strongly evident.

Strangely it seemed, it was like he was working from a Tea Party media handbook. But then with all these US based Oil companies, If we export crude to the US, Koch Industries will more than likely refine some of that oil. With the Koch Brothers funding Tea Party's start up and spending $200m to defeat the Affordable Care Act and shutting down the US government to make it happen, it does not seem so strange. It seems quite reasonable in fact. All it needs is proof.

It has been noted that once the TPPA is signed there will be no backing out at least not without getting sued by multinational companies with reserves big enough to buy the entire country.

Simon Bridges also made illegal to protest within 500 metres (546 yards) of an oil industry vessel. The law contravenes international law and the principle of the right to non violent protest, of the sort the Arctic 30 have been charged with piracy by the Russian authorities. Note 1,300,000 people have written to Russian ambassadors in a effort to #freethearctic30.

See also
    Full article John Campbell holds Bridges to the fire
    Koch planned shutdown
    itsourfuture.org.nz

IMF: Romneys tax plan as out dated as his hair

We should have known after the congressional Research service panned Supply side economics. That the IMF might see sense, even though it has been in the past no friend to the poor, extracting debt recovery and interest from poor nations and requiring disastrous economic policy that further crushed the economic prospects of poor nations.

There has been a turn around in their thinking lately, with the admission that they made mistakes, mis-handling the economies of nations. And now they have finally seen what economists have been saying for decades before Ronald Reagan's voodoo economic strategy possessed the soulless minions and ideologues of the conservative right by appealing to the vanity and greed of the rich and those who imagined themselves to be temporarily embarrassed rich, A.K.A. the right's useful idiots.  Now those idiots calling themselves the Tea Party have taken over congress after funding by the rich, namely the Koch Brothers, there are others but this pair are the best documented.

The question remains, will hair styles be dragged back 30 years, or can we keep our emo, punk, and goth cuts. The IMF are with us on this. New haircuts excite and revive an economy.  Also,  Tabatha Coffee would not have to work so hard taking over salons otherwise destined to go under.

Mitt Romney really should have guessed while he was running for president his hair style was not winning over voters, and vowing to repeal the Affordable Care Act wasn't helping either.

Paul Ryan is still pushing for his economic plan better known as the Romney Plan v1.0.1. while concessions, have meant the current presidency has overseen less spending than any presidency since Eisenhower. Though calls remain for further budget cuts.



See also
   AFP- IMF: tax rich to close budget deficits.
   Forbes - Obama: the cheapest president since Eisenhower.

The Tea Party are killing their own base.

Farmers in the mid west are at the heart of the Tea Party base. Now a blizzard has blown through, yes it is autumn so this is early, so we can suspect climate change had a role here, though the Tea Party will reflexively deny it. Farmers are reported to have lost between 5 and 25% of their stock. Now, the Farm Bill expired on October 1^st would help, but the Tea party blocked it. there are also a couple of agencies that could help, but the Tea Party shut them down.

They didn't just screw the pooch here, they shoved a weed-whacker up its ass.

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

The thing is, while this is a tragedy for those farmers, and right now there is little certainty for them. Ultimately this may give them pause during next years mid-term elections, and one thing may be certain in there minds right now, some thing like "I'm never voting for a Tea Party candidate as long as I live." because where were the Tea Party's fine words when they lost their livelihoods.

The Tea Party have more great News, never before has the Republican party popularity sunk so low in the history of the NBC/WSJ poll. This ground breaking achievement could not have been possible without Ted Cruz misreading Green Eggs and Ham and guano psychotic Michelle Bachman gleefuly chatting about the government shut down and the "end times", and we can't neglect to mention Louie Gohmert's Muslim Brotherhood/Benghazi conspiracy theories. Tanking foodstamps, WIC, Military Survivor benefits, and meals on wheels have all led to the GOP becoming the most hated mainstream politcal organisation it has ever been. None of it would have happened with funding from the Koch Brothers, they created the Tea Party, they funded their super PACs, and they told them what strategy to pursue, they even came up with the shutdown strategy.

See also
   NBC - GOP sunk to new depths
   NYT - Shadow of Koch over shutdown

Thorazine: Why the GOP is Afraid of Obamacare

Many theories have been circulating as experts have been trying to determine what is driving congress to threaten the American nation with complete economic collapse over the push to ensure 40,000,000 Americans can get health care that they can afford, Even though insurers like the Affordable Care Act.

Some say it is because incumbents are afraid of being replace by more extreme candidates in primary run offs for the 2014 mid-term elections.

Others say it is because of paid political operatives who are trying to destroy the government while many argue over whether such operatives read Green Eggs and Ham or Eat Salads grown in the Rose Garden.

To hear Republicans talk of "Obamacare", with their wild and unfounded accusations of implantable microchips, death panels, calling the president the Anti Christ Muslim terrorist from Kenya lining up Americans for drone strikes, we must consider that the real reason Tea Party congressmen and congresswomen especially, are so vitriolically opposed to the President's flagship legislation is that it may force them to get help for their anti-social personality disorder, delusional schizophrenia, and paranoid psychosis.

The preceding does use some technical terms the reader may not find familiar Let's have alook at anti-social personality disorder. It has several features

• Failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest. The ACA has been law for three years, the Koch brothers are running a campaign to encourage law breaking by propagandizing young healthy Americans to not sign up for health insurance under The ACA. Also house Republicans are sworn to protect and defend the constitution and the laws of the USA.
• Deceitfulness Boehner says there are not enough votes to pass a clean CR yet several counts show at least the 217 declared votes ready to pass a clean continuing resolution.
• Impulsivity Republicans have no economic plan, Trickle down economics is a fiction design to reverse Robin Hood the system.
• Irritability and aggressiveness They still want to bomb Syria and Iran. Note also Iran's leader are described and fundamentalist Muslims funding terrorism and yet they are more willing to negotiate with President "Blackula" than the Tea Party.
• Reckless disregard for the safety of themselves and others. They voted to gut the SNAP programme, in Colorado springs they gutted emergency services because they did not like taxes and needed federal help when wild fires hit. Poll numbers show the GOP is being slammed hard as Americans realize the shutdown is been forced by intransigent kooks on a mission from a belfry bat. While Cancer kids on drug trials are not getting treatment WIC recipients will be under nourished.
• Consistent irresponsibilityConsistently they blame the president for every thing that is not wonderful, including the the steaming pile of national debt and unfinished wars, 1% failure rate of the clean energy in investment programme, the slow recovery (which is normal for a banking breakdown) that they obstructed by preventing infrastructure maintenance and development that would stimulate growth.
• Lack of remorse They are actually happy to have brought the US government to it's knees, Michelle Bachman said she was "very excited".

As Michelle Bachman last weekend expressed joy that in her view the President was bringing about the end times she was glee filled secure in her certainty that she would finally see her invisible friend.

Congressman Yoho(that really is his real name), looked forward to defaulting on the national debt saying it would bring stability. It is worth noting that former President Ronald Reagan's condition has been very stable around three decades, but it is safe to say there is little hope for recovery in his case. In all seriousness, defaulting would have serious implications for American and international business concerns. Notice how Yoho, and his agreeable colleagues have not deferred to the wisdom of economists or their donor base in forming this opinion. There is some speculation as to what tools they used to arrive at their conclusion, reading tea leaves, rune stones, ouija-boards, chicken entrails, or long drunken conversations over spiced baby goat simmered in its mother's milk.

One study on the subject of conspiracy theories, showed 4% of republicans believe reptilians are trying to take over the government. the fact it reality is much worse, at least reptilians would be rational, but since the Reagan era cuts to mental services, consumers have to find new accommodation, some of them appear to have chosen the people's house.

The dreaded Obamacare not only makes it easier for Americans to access general medical services, but also gives them access to mental health services too. This means sedatives, antipsychotics, SSRIs, and many other tools of the pharmacopia would become available to them and with the right counselling  they would be encouraged to develop consciousness of their actions and empathy for others. Their fear perhaps lies, in the notion of potential guilt knowing how many and how much they have hurt people many of them Americans whom they swore to serve as representatives, but to whom they have said through their actions "I got Mine, Fuck you."

Don't be surprised when Louie Gohmert vows "We must be prepared stop the Muslim Brotherhood by any means necessary, and so we directing NORAD to target the Whitehouse. And we demand to see the aliens at Area-51."

If there is a lesson to be learned here, it one accepted by many modern and well governed countries around the world, it is this we don't vote for crazy people, at least not often. Sure it may be reasonable to not have a religious test for public office, though holding the position that the Earth is less than 10,000 years old may call into question a candidates analytical prowess. But how about psyche exam? Nothing fancy, let's just be sure as we can be that powerful nation don't leaders who are inclined to drive their nations into self destructive spirals of nationalism, race-baiting, persecution of minorities, foreign wars, and economic hari kari in the name of "The Creator".

See also
   Salon - Christian delusions are driving the GOP insane

Klingenschmitt: Transgender Professor Possessed By A Demonic Spirit

Never mind that we know transgender individuals live happier lives after their transitions, lowering their risk of suicide, depression and other self harm.



Note cross dressing and transgenderism are completely different things, only one diagnosable in the DSM IV.

What aberrant psychology, drives people like KlingenSchmitt to cock-block other peoples health, welfare and safety? Often it is self loathing identification with the target group, it can also be anti-social personality disorder with sociopathic or psychopathic features, alternatively they are just in it for the money because like sex, hating on sex with an imaginary friend sells. Which one do you think applies here?

The Onion to buy Fox News

CEO of The Onion, Steve Hannah, today announced that the Onion is engaged in a hostile take over of Fox News. Hannah stated in a press conference held at 2:30 9 ET in the Caucus Room restaurant Washington DC.

"We think they offer comedic credentials that complement our business model."

He also commented on the recent scandal where Fox reportedly stole Material from competitor satirical media site National Report.

"It is worrying behaviour, if the charges are true, but for now they have created an opportunity from which comedy will be the ultimate winner at the end of the day."

When asked if such a take over would create an unacceptable monopoly under the Sherman Act he responded with

"M*A*S*H is classic comedy, Harry Morgan has nothing to worry about, his portrayal of Colonel Sherman Potter will stand up for generations."

Hannah also noted that "We would not be here today but for a meeting that took place in this very room in January 2009."

Fox News CEO, Roger Ailes, could not be reached for comment but his office released a statement saying only "We believe we are working in fundamentally different markets, we don't do satire, we steal it, or we invent news, this is not a market for creativity."

Hannah responded to the Fox statement by email saying "Ailes is brilliant, he has a classic straight-man schtick going on, that's why we love him and his company."

Fox stocks fell 5 points, while The Onion stock was over 200F degrees at time of writing.


See also
   Fox fakes it - Yahoo
   Obama's Muslim Museum - National Report
   Caucus Room 2009 meeting sets agenda - Huffpost